#guys i'm trying to get ahead of the posting because i am so looking forward to breaking down ep4

[dr-spectre]

Hello everyone, I got some announcements to share and some plans for the future of this blog now that the Grand Fest is over and the news drought begins.

(LONG POST AHEAD!!!!)

I think going forward I'm gonna change how I approach myself acting online and be less "OH MY GOD HOLY SHITENWIOEDISIWIEOE GUYYS!!!"

Because to be honest with you all... I've been feeling very self conscious about the way that I've been acting online and I feel like I gotta channel my passion for Splatoon in a much more healthy and less EXTREMEEEEE way.

I am aware that um.... people have blocked me... and you know, that's to be expected of course when you are online and you're slowly building a following. Still really stings, though, and I think it's due to the fact that sometimes I can be sorta- "This is what happened, and if you disagree with me, you're an idiot and you're wrong!!!!!" When I make posts. And I don't wanna do that, and I don't want to come off as a gatekeeping fan that thinks lower of other people who might not know my stances very well. I wanna educate people and present my stuff as more of "Hey guys, this is what I think actually happened in this event. Feel free to take a look! I think this is really cool and I wonder what you guys think of this perspective that i have?"

And sometimes I can be pretty loud mouthed and stuff and I have talked shit towards certain characters. I remember one time I made a post where I said "what the fuck is wrong with Marie?" And said some stuff... I probably rubbed a lot of people the wrong way with that post... and other posts. I'm so sorry if I have made some of you upset in the past or have said some awful things about your favourite characters in the series...

As you guys probably know, I am passionate about Hypno Callie and I have very strong stances and opinions on her. And that leads to me get a bit... out of control. Callie is my biggest comfort character and to see certain people try and push this vile and disgusting event that happened to her... that she was kidnapped by Octavio and the Octarians when she was alone, and that he brainwashed her and forcibly put the shades on her, or he tricked her and he removed her memories too...

and I try to see the same event in a completely different lens... I see it as more of Octavio manipulating her in a more subtle way and due to Callie's poor mental state and desperation, she heard him out. Octavio used the shades as a way to control her more easily but he doesnt have full direct control over her because her influence helped motivate the Octarians. Octavio still wanted Callie to be... well... Callie. Plus, Callie was more than willing to help the Octarians as well, as she thinks they are cute. I do have evidence to back it up as well as articles and definitions explaining how hypnosis actually works and its limitations.

But this perspective gets compromised and put into question in my head when people keep pushing and pushing and PUSHING the other thing. Then it feels like I have to yell and get mad.... I've seen it as recently as when Blushing Tide came out and I looked at the YouTube comment section on one of the uploads and I just kept seeing people say "oh it's like Tidal Rush but without the brainwashing" or some shit like that idk. I dont remember it well but i know I saw the word floating around. (Don't look at YouTube comment sections. You won't get anything of value from them.)

Anyways, I also wanna cut back on swearing too because sometimes I border on being a hazbin hotel character and I DO NOT want myself to get to that level LMAO!

So what shall I be doing now that Splatoon 3 is officially wrapped up? Well... I wanna do more creative projects and fun stuff like that. I got good reception from my haikus for the Grand Fest and I think doing more stuff like that sounds really really fun!!! And it might actually give me a reason to finish stuff as well lol...

Like I have a God damn Splatoon 2 hero mode finale rewrite that's nearly done and it's been sitting on my Google docs since JULY!!!! I have also made plans to do a fan sequel to the Squid Sisters Stories that takes place in between Splatoon 2 and 3 because that time frame for the Squid Sisters has been barely touched upon. I'm also doing a personal project where it's basically what I want to see out of a Splatoon 4 and I've been really enjoying making that. I dont know if I would ever share it but... it's something to do for me at least.

I also wanna involve myself in the community more, I received an ask where someone said (I forgot who asked I'm so sorry) if I could do a thing where I receive Splatoon OCs and critique them. That sounds really fun!!!

Maybe i can do photo mode competitions or showcases!!! Where I choose a theme (Callie, water, Splatsville, etc) and people submit their photos and I critique them and showcase them to everyone!!! Does that sound like something people would be interested in?! I would love to know as virtual photography is a hobby I love to partake in and I wanna encourage more people to try it!

There is also other stuff i can do like going over the Idols outfits and rating them, but I don't have the motivation to do that at the moment and I know it's not gonna be as in-depth as the one I did for Callie.

Anyhow, that's basically what I have so far. I think im gonna slow down on posting and I'm gonna chill out. Or at least I'll try to chill out.

I've just been feeling incredibly guilty and kinda... sad that I've been acting in a certain way for a while. And I really wanna change that. I dont like making people upset and I don't wanna be the kind of Splatoon fan that puts down others who don't even know any better and don't know who I am....

But enough being sad, I wanna focus on the present and make sure that my future on here is bright!!!

[majorproblems77]

ITS LU UPDATE TIME!!!

AND IT IS ALL ABOUT SKY AND IM SO EXCITED :DDDDD

You know what that means! It means a long post by me! :D

Cant wait to be excited about my blorbo for like 30 minutes, so sit get some popcorn and like some earplugs cause i will try to contain my screaming but I've been waiting for more Sky stuff and I'm so excited!!!!

For point, and because I keep forgetting, all the panels I'll be talking about belong to JoJo and @linkeduniverse

Let's do this!

Alright lets get this out of the way first, I love some parallels right, So as per usual, if I need a panel from anything prior I'll let you know where it's from!

So what do you think he asked him.

Hey sir! Have you seen a guy with a big flag on his back going way to fast come through there?

Man is just like, oh yeah he went that way past the forge that your other weird fellows were at earlier.

He run, Then he hero stop. Power pose activated, target acquired. Then he run some more

Run my blorbo run!

Genuinely interested in what exactly this is, Is it a map? Is it a list of places? Is it a paper with time shift shenanigans in it?

I'm not versed in the postman, Is this normal, or did he do this cause he heard Sky and wanted him to think he was waiting?

This face has be dead. (/pos) I love him so much my dear blorbo its been too long since we saw you last.

Putting this together for 1 reason

Postman is a dick, Sky was so close, That can't be more than 10 or so metres at most. Poor man ran across Town out of town to catch up to you for you to go sprinting off into the woods, and my man is full on Olympic sprinting to deliver this mail geesus.

Also, the compulsory return of the king 🧍, Sky is the king of this pose and will not be beaten. Although Legend comes pretty close.

God the expressions in this update are top tier, Sky is just so expressive. Right now, Man is thinking why he does this to himself.

I'm fucking cackling, this art is amazing and Jojo's sister did an amazing job. Like I feel like I can hear this picture with that teasing tone that my siblings would use on me when we were younger. God I love it.

So even though Sky is looking towards Legend here, so I'm totally under the impression that Legend said Wahhhh, and Hyrule said I cant run. As Hyrule was with wars When they got split up initally. Poor Sky, man has become the butt of jokes. Im glad Four is giving them a look, He doesn't look impressed. Its okay Sky, you've got a friend in Four behind you. :D

War's is the real MVP of this arc in my opinion, Man has been in charge of the ragtag chain while Time has been out of action looking over Twilight. He's at the end of his tether.

Part of me wonders if this is going to impact his fighting going forward? Maybe he'll slip up because he's so stressed. He knows not all of them are knighted. These heroes he is with are NOT soldiers and he can't treat them as such.

And this sentence. Don't Interrupt! sounds like he is scolding rowdy recruits, rather than fellow heroes.

Which if you think about it, Sky is giving essentially a scouting report here, He scouted ahead and has returned to speak about his findings. War's is a captain, in his era he's a commanding officer. He's taken reports of this kind before.

Having a panel with Time, Wild and Twilight in Gives me more life than i think i give it credit for. (I am in the crowd that there's a family connection between these three.)

It's also nice to see Wild, like genuinely smiling.

Moving on

Hero pose again! :D

I love this man

These panels are very important to me so give me a moment while I explain.

Sky probably has her words engrained in his mind. You can see the questioning look, and thinking. "Is this going to work?"

That eternal dream That he's talking about, he knows her power is faded, but he's going to try anyway. I just didn't think he would use it to track what I can only assume is the postman.

It's really nice to have Sky's relationship with the master sword put on display. It means a lot to me and has brought me great Joy through this update.

He cares about her. And even if she can't talk to him anymore. He still trusts her to lead him true.

And this panel breaks my heart! Something inside of him probably really hoped Fi would speak to him or give him more of an indication. Sky looks so sad.

I just wanna hug him, and tell him it'll be alright. He's probably thinking about turning around at this point. Maybe he's thinking about how some members of the chain perceive Fi.

A soulless weapon.

(Or maybe im thinking too much into this)

The way his faith is restored!

Fi did lead him! She did! She's still there somewhere, and his shock! Oh my boy. My sweet blorbo,

And having used like super zoom on that last panel, MY BOY IS SMILING! :D

RUN BLORBO RUN I BELIEVE IN YOU!

(Also appreciation for the full body shot's we've got of Sky from this update, I love it so much I love him so much.)

Did I go hunting for the references, Yes I Did.

I think the following area is the area where they pull Twilight too, rather than the battle field and he then moved on from here to get to the battle field.

From sunset pt4

The pillar behind Sky has the only slant I can think of. It looks to be the same angle, but that could just be me.

If it is that location, it might be closer to that battlefield than we originally (Or at least I originally) assumed.

(If you've got any other places let me know!)

God i love him

Blorbo beloved! Is about as shocked as i am with the whole Mailman thing.

The confidence of this man is unreal. He's ready, he's moving he's going. He's going and ain't going to stop.

Me absolutely yelling at how this portal looks, it so ANGRY, But we know the Shadow is pissed right now. And if the shadow is making these portals and he's angry. I think the chain might be in for a surprise as they move on to the next location.

Which if I have to be honest. I think is going to be Skyloft. I think we are moving into a Sky arch, having had a Twilight Arc. (I also really want to see Skyloft in this universe, and there's an opportunity here. We've had more master sword things. We've had Sky content. who knows where Jojo will take this next, but I'm excited either way.)

Finally back to the chain! :D

The gremlins return :D

Wind's little 3:< face as he's thinking is giving the energy of an upcoming detective arch, He is thinking and he is thinking HARD okay.

Poor Sky. Man has been running around doing all the hard work while the rest of them just enjoy themselves. Hyrule especially is kinda like 'Ohhh... our bad...'

It's actually a kinda guilty look, maybe he feels a little bad about the teasing from earlier?

Now i gotta mention the potion thing, cause its just so damn funny not too. Sky my blorbo slow down you are gonna choke on the stamina potion.

But.

I want to focus on War's here.

And Wild too.

These two. These two are important.

Wild has gone from happy and chill vibes to Oh shit real quick.

After everything he put into the Shadow, while the shadow was injured and watched as the thing exploded. It just decided to come back or something. And Wild, here I imagine is thinking, "How was that not enough..."

Now Wars.

War's is Stood not looking at anything, In fact, I think he's looking past Time. The last thing he said was a two word scolding but apart from that he's been awfully quiet. Now he looks like he's thinking. He's closed off, protective.

The only time I can see where he does this is when he's in what I'm going to call, 'Captain mode.' So, When he's flicked something in his head that tells him he has to be a knight.

He dosent do it often, in fact from what I can see he does it 4 other times.

In order

Devine dark reflections pt 8 - when he's talking about knighthood with Sky and Hyrule

Sunset pt11 - When talking about Wild, and the fact that he's left

Sunset pt13 - When speaking to Twilight about pulling his own weight

Dawn pt 2 - when Twilight is talking about the team they are.

And now here in Dawn 7 - Where they are discussing the fact that an enemy they fought escaped or survived.

All conversations I would assume a captain would have to have with his men at one point or another. I wonder what He's thinking here. It's got me thinking.

Woah, So this took me longer than I thought. I am on the 4-hour mark now. Lmaoooo

Hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for listening to me ramble for like 20 minutes.

And just remember

Sky is the sweet bestest blorbo beloved and I love him. :D

Thanks for coming to my tedtalk.

[fountainpenguin]

Riddle watches New Wish - Post #16

Battle of the Dimmsonian

I want to highlight them specifically. Look at that FOP-style fairy boy! Baby's all grown up!

Jasmine and Winn are so ready to party at the museum sleepover.

Oh, they are SO ready for this (Also).

slifdj, Peri looking ahead, noticing Cosmo and Wanda in disguise, and screaming "MY PARENTS?!?"

What the heck, Fairywinkle-Cosmas? You left your son for 10k years? Why? Look at him; he's got anxiety!!!

Dev: I haven't talked to Hazel since our fight :'( I need to get to her. /apparently doesn't talk to her all day and now it's night and he's trying to scare people with ghosts for no reason

Removing the staff during the sleepover night (after a spooky presentation) seems like something a museum would totally do as a prank.

Peri has been onscreen for like 2 minutes and he's already sad inside.

-> Hey, I think he outgrew his fear of the dark!

Dev, I am begging you to make it clear to the audience what you're doing right now. This is not an apology. This is not close to what you said you were going to do earlier??

-> Confirmation Dev is Peri's first assignment, so my "high school trial run" lore hasn't been disproven yet. I can work with that in 'fic. We'll see if he says he's graduated.

-> I do have a fanfic set-up where he's going to do a trial program as Foop's partner when they're still in Spellementary, but I don't think this disproves that either since that's a very supervised experiment for him (It's their extracurricular).

I don't think I've said it, but I really enjoy the way this art style has been handling the hairstyles. These angles of Peri's swirl are really interesting.

Peri... Don't take this the wrong way, but if you can't handle Dev being mildly needy and pushy, you're not ready for the big leagues.

idk, Peri strikes me as WAY too overconfident. He showed up ready to go a couple episodes ago. This is the first time he's back onscreen, and this immediate crash on his end is just proof to me that his inexperienced little tail doesn't know what he's doing.

Peri is the guy who's super hype for kids because he thinks they'll be cute and fun, but he's unprepared for work and responsibility. I'm getting "Tries to avoid changing diapers and/or feels smug about how little housework he does" vibes.

-> What decade is he designed after? Cosmo was designed with 50s aesthetic and I feel like this is actually on-brand for attitudes during Peri's aesthetic parallel time period. lol.

-> It's not like Poof was doing the hard work of godparenting when he was a baby. This is new for him and probably different than he fondly remembers.

-> I looked it up and apparently suspenders made a comeback in the 1980s. I designed my teen Poof for the late 60s-early 70s (and he's my flower child), but it makes total sense that he'd be a little farther forward in time since Cosmo and Wanda weren't allowed to have kids for the first 10k years of their marriage.

- Yeah, I would look at this man and say he's giving me "macho 1980s breadwinner husband who has a fragile ego regarding his manliness and doesn't do his own laundry" energy. - Please tell me he started dating Goldie and she broke up with him because he's not good with stress and now he's clingy and wants her back; "He lost the pretty girl because he wouldn't pull his weight" would be the funniest possible direction to take their relationship - I might need to write a 'fic about Goldie showing up while Dev is out and she and Peri have a fight where he's groveling and begging and then Dev walks in and he's like "... Oh boy, I can't wait to have a business relationship with this guy."

Peri came to this party like "I grew up with Timmy Turner. My grandma teaches godparenting classes. I even did a trial run with Mrs. Crocker... I know the ropes! :)"

-> His crown did not know the ropes.

Diagnosed "would not take full custody in the divorce."

Peri, I cannot be any clearer that you can't behave this way around a neglected child right after establishing yourself as a trustworthy figure he can rely on. If this plot goes in the direction of Peri throwing in the towel (or snapping at Dev), I'm gonna crack up.

Like, at this point I am 100% expecting Peri to yell at Dev (maybe not this episode, but someday), and that's going to break this kid. I feel like Jorgen might get involved and separate them, unless Peri is desperate to "not have a failure on his record" or something (seeing as he seems embarrassed his parents know he's a godparent.

-> idk what's up with that yet. I'm genuinely confused. Peri, this is your first chance to see your parents since they dipped for 10k years. I can't get a read on your feelings. Are you angry? Did they invite you and you said No? How old were you? Did you grow up with Mama Cosma? Big Daddy? Boarding school? Inquiring minds need to know!

Maybe it's not been 10k years for him? Was he still existing in the slower-moving present day? Maybe Peri embarked on his own 10k-year trip? I'm puzzled.

-> I feeeeeeel like the time travel is a convenient plot device for the purpose of aging him up without jumping us forward to a more destroyed planet, and we're not going to get a straight answer about what happened with him, which is a shame.

Hmm. I suspect we're not going to delve into his backstory, but I'll hold out hope. Why throw that in there if you're not going to discuss it, though?

Did I miss something? Why does Dev think he doesn't need friends when earlier he wanted to talk to Hazel? Huh. I feel like there's a missing scene there. Hazel rejecting his attempt at an apology would've been helpful for me.

For some reason it's funny to me that the Tooth Fairy offered Peri a job, which he turned down. My brain immediately went Peri -> Cosmo is his dad -> Jorgen is Cosmo's distant relative but they refer to each other as cousins -> Tooth Fairy is Jorgen's wife. I wonder if they hung out together sometimes at like, extended family reunions or something.

-> von Strangles are big on family and Cosmo and Wanda kinda dipped out on theirs, so...

-> omfg, Mama Cosma is out there somewhere like that meme of the guy in the chair leaning over way far, head in her hands, because this is the 2nd time she lost her baby for 10k years. Left to get milk (Again).

He's so cute. I'm so glad to see him back in the series; I missed him so much. He's always been a favorite for me, which was largely based on my own 'fics, so it's really cool to see a character I love showing a wider range of personality onscreen.

HAZEL! If you weren't mad at Dev anymore, you should've told him! He's been miserable about you yelling at him without giving him a chance to share his side!!

His tushie cannot read minds!!

Dev is the kid that you want to get in a fight with because he's mean but then he looks at you like this and you're like " :| "

-> I hate that this is likely how Dale looked at Vicky once upon a time. Dev looks so much like his dad and now I'm like. "Yeah, she probably kicked him down the stairs."

Aww, reunion... <3

I really do like their color scheme and vibes. I've always thought Poof was a good blend of his parents (Good blend of smart, clean, and on top of things while also getting into trouble, holding petty grudges, and making bad or dumb decisions). I'm happy to see him and it's cool to see their hair designs and colors together.

I'm glad "Certifiable Super Sitter" wasn't his swan song from the franchise. It's nice to see a deeper take on his character <3

Patty Possums Party Playground

I'm glad they're making an effort to balance Hazel's Dev interactions with Jasmine and Winn. I keep wondering if they'll get sidelined. This episode seems to be about them, though.

Is the animatronic going to be run-down?

Winn is having the TIME of their life.

Cosmo: We're gonna do this without magic! Hazel: Isn't shrinking Wanda magic?

Immediate prediction: the possum mascot has been summoned to party with them and now she isn't going to let them leave. She'll get aggressive if they try.

Oh no, Cosmo just suggested Wanda use her wand to try getting his out of the claw machine. Is she about to blindly follow and stick it in there like when they were swallowed by a bear and Cosmo suggested dipping it in stomach acid to measure how deep it was and it dissolved? And she just... did it?

YES, sdlkfj. Never change, Wanda.

Nobody tell Gary and Betty there's a Smack-a-Mole game here.

The possum's singing a song about how the party never ends. Yeah, I think I called the plot.

-> Oh, I NAILED THAT!

They're so cute:

Hazel: Friendship isn't only about the moments you're together! It's also about holding each other in your hearts when you're apart! :) Dev, abandoned and confused since their fight: Hey. what.

Wanda dunking on friendship is very funny to me.

A Date to Remember

... Is this with Hazel's parents I assume?

-> Okay, maybe! That title card looks like it is. Also, waning crescent AGAIN? Y'know, the moons were so useful for my OG series episode timeline and I think some will have to be non-canon in New Wish.

I like how Cosmo and Wanda push their backs against each other the same way they used to dance. And I really appreciate how we seem to have a consistent floorplan for Hazel's apartment.

-> Okay, I treat "Cosmonopoly" as the first time they met so if I want to canonize New Wish, I have to un-canonize Cosmo's line about the diner being their first meeting spot, but I can't be mad since I pretty much never see anyone use "Cosmonopoly" for that.

Did Hazel just erase her parents' memories. Oh no, now they've never met! ... Are Cosmo and Wanda allowed to do that? It sounds like they just altered true love.

-> Hazel's parents look the same 11+ years ago as today. I'm a bit surprised by that.

CUPID! ... Oh, wow. His design's changed. I don't think I love it, but I guess it's cool they're doing unique shapes in this show since the OG had the same bodies all the time. I'm glad he's still a grump <3

-> Is he a lot older than Cosmo and Wanda? I'm surprised he aged(?) during normal time when they didn't during 10k years of travel? Is he old or just redesigned? Unclear.

I would make another "IS HE ALLOWED TO DO THAT?" joke here [Cupid trying to set Hazel's mom up with someone else] but... I mean, he's literally the only person who's allowed to do that.

egg baby.

It's hilarious that Hazel convinced her dad to listen to her by saying she's psychic. Of course the parascience scientist would go for that.

-> Note to self, he was interested in it at least 11 years ago.

Cosma confirmed to still be Cosmo's surname!

Cupid's bragging that he won because Brewster (sp?) is going to ask out Angela, but she's totally going to turn him down. Get wrecked, fool.

I am OBSESSED with the fact that Cupid knows all the humans' names. That is a man who does his job. Also I love how he keeps nipping at his bottom lip with his silly buck teeth.

-> I don't remember Cupid knowing people's names in the OG series (I don't think he has much opportunity to say them besides on the dating show in his debut) and now I want to see if that's always been his thing.

-> I'm pretty sure I remember Timmy was given an arrow with his name magically engraved on it at the end of "Love Struck Out," so... interesting.

[fangirlwriting-stories]

Brighter Days Ahead

Summary: No One Knows AU Part 30, Everyone looks to what's coming next. (Final Part!)

Author's Note: Hey, thanks so much for reading my accidental stumbling into the Danny Phantom fandom!  I hope you enjoyed it, I know I sure did!  It was originally just going to be a one shot based on a fic that really inspired me, and then it kind of evolved into something else, and then I just had a thought one day like “hey I wonder if Vlad can get Sam and Tucker to hunt Danny as Phantom while knowing it’s him.  That would be a really fucked up thing for him to try to do.  I wonder if I can make it work.”  And it turns out I could!

Also, something else I learned while I was writing this story is that… I need more of it?  Like this did not nearly satisfy the itch I didn’t even know I had.  So, if you liked this “Vlad takes advantage of a no one knows au situation” story, you’ve got more coming your way!  It’ll be a little different from this one, and I can’t promise when it’ll be posted, but I’m having a lot of fun planning and writing the first parts of it, and I'm going to post what I've written whether I actually end up finishing it or not (it is a monster of an idea).  Either way, I hope you enjoyed this story, and thanks so much for reading!

...

Danny sucks the ectopus into the Fenton thermos and lets out a little whoop, spinning to face Valerie.

“Ha!  That’s six for me!”

“Oh please, I helped you with that one, it’s a half point for each of us,” Valerie says.

“No, it’s in my thermos, that means it’s mine,” Danny says, shaking his thermos back and forth.  “Those are the rules.”

“Oh are they?  So if I do this,” Valerie says, and before Danny can react, she flies forward and kicks the thermos from Danny’s hand, catching it easily.  “Does that mean it’s mine?”

“Hey!”

“Hey, lovebirds, six o’clock!” Jazz’s voice comes over their earpieces, and both of them spin around to find another ectopus coming towards them.

Valerie tosses Danny his thermos back, and raises her gun, firing it and knocking the ghost back a couple feet to give Danny time to fire up the thermos and suck it inside.

“Ha!” he says again, spinning back to Valerie.  “And that makes seven!”

“Wha— I did all the work that time!”

“I am gonna have to give that one to her, Danny,” Jazz says, and Danny glares down at where she’s standing on the ground below them.

“Traitor!” he calls.

“In all honesty, I think there’s just one left,” Jazz says, looking down at the list she’s been keeping.  “Mom and Dad’s containment unit had 24 ghosts in it, and your thermos has six of them and Valerie’s has five.”

“Uh, that only makes twelve,” Valerie says.

“Oh yes, sorry, I have eleven of them in here,” Jazz says, gesturing to her own thermos without looking up.  “Maybe if you spent less time flirting and more time chasing ghosts, we’d have all of them by now.”

“Oh no way you have eleven ghosts in there,” Danny says, crossing his arms.

Jazz gives him a look and holds up her list, which has all ghosts accounted for except for the snake ghost, difficult to find because it’s the size of an actual snake.

“See now that’s not even fair,” Valerie says.

“Honestly, you can’t just get in the way of our competition like that,” Danny says.

“Sorry, I can’t hear you over the fact of my definite win,” Jazz says, shooting them a smug smile.  “I’m gonna take these guys home, have fun competing for second place.”

And with that, she turns and drives off on her scooter, and Danny sticks his tongue out after her.

“You want to just get this last one together?” Valerie says.

“If we can even find the thing,” Danny says.  “But sure.”

They both turn and start a route towards the places they haven’t checked yet, scanning the ground and sky as they go.  Unfortunately, snake or not, it’s still a ghost, and it can still fly.

After a bit of time and no snake appearing, though, Danny turns to face Valerie.

“Hey,” he says, “I’ve been wanting to ask you something.”

Valerie turns to face him.  “Yeah?”

Danny can’t read her face under the mask, which he’s pretty sure he’s not going to enjoy during this conversation.

He takes a deep breath and presses forward anyway.

“So, Sam and Tucker and I are having a movie night this Saturday,” he says.  “Sam rented this supervillain crossover movie we were looking forward to but never got to see.”

“Okay?” Valerie says, confusion evident in her voice.

“Would you want to come?” Danny asks.

“Uh,” Valerie says, instantly sounding uncomfortable.  “I don’t know.  I mean, I don’t know if I’ll have all the necessary context.”

“Valerie,” Danny says.  “I really think you guys should talk.”

Valerie sighs and pulls her hood off, turning to face him.  Her face shows more uncertainty than discomfort, like he thought.  “We probably should,” she admits.  “I just… don’t know how to start.  And they kind of remind me of… things I don’t like to think about.  But…”

She trails off, but she doesn’t seem like she’s done, so Danny doesn’t say anything while she thinks.

“But we do have too much in common to just never talk,” Valerie says finally.  She looks over at him, and Danny’s glad that he doesn’t see a ton of guilt in her face, like he did after he first told her everything.

“Does it have to be before Saturday?” Valerie asks, turning to face him.

“No, not if you don’t want it to,” Danny says.  “I can do the movie night thing with just them.  I just don’t want to keep my girlfriend and my best friends separate forever unless I have to.”

“I don’t think you’ll have to,” Valerie says.

Danny smiles a little at her, and Valerie smiles back.

“Okay.  I’ll at least try and talk to them before Saturday,” Valerie says.  “And I’ll let you know how it goes.”

“Thanks Val,” Danny says.  “Oh, and by the way?”

“Yeah?”

Danny points his thermos at the snake ghost that appeared in the corner of his eye a second ago and fires it up, sucking the ghost inside.

“Second place!” he calls, grinning back at Valerie.

“Wha— hey!  You cheated, asshole!”

Danny gives his best imitation of an evil cackle and starts flying back towards his house, with Valerie following quickly behind on her board.

…

Valerie, once she considers the idea enough, doesn’t want to wait too long to talk to Sam and Tucker.  For one thing, she wants answers herself.  She’s also pretty sure she can use Saturday as something to kick her butt into gear.  If she has a deadline she has to give, it’s a good way to force herself to find them and talk to them.  Besides, her space thing only applies to Danny.  She doesn’t owe anything to other people who have hurt him.

So, she settles on Thursday afternoon, as a way to have a little bit of time before Saturday, and finds Sam and Tucker in the cafeteria at lunchtime, which is where Danny said they’d probably be.  She’ll miss her normal lunch time in the library with Danny and Jazz, but she really does need to talk to Tucker and Sam.

So Valerie finds Sam and Tucker sitting at the table, both looking a little bit too casual and like they’re having an okay time.  So she walks right up and sits down next to Sam, startling them both into looking at her.

“Danny invited me to your Saturday movie night thing,” she says.

Tucker blinks at her.  “Oh,” he says.  “Okay.  Do you guys have room for one more?”  He angles the last question at Sam, who nods.

“We can get some extra popcorn too, if you want it,” she says to Valerie.

“Sure,” Valerie says.  “But that’s actually not why I’m here.”

“I figured,” Tucker says.  “Are we talking, then?”

“We have to do it sooner or later,” Valerie says.  “I know a classroom that’s always empty at this time.”

So they relocate to the classroom Valerie used to have lunch with Danny in.  Valerie leans back against a desk, and Tucker does the same to the one across from her.  Sam sits on top of one and starts fidgeting with a wrist ray she’s wearing, that looks ghost-weapon in nature.

Valerie was worried that once she got here she wouldn’t know where to start, but the first thing that comes to mind doesn’t take much effort to come up with.

“So I hear Vlad screwed you over too,” she says.

Tucker smiles a little bit.  “Yeah,” he says.  “I guess that’s one way to put it.”

Valerie looks at him for a little longer, then looks over at Sam too, who hasn’t looked up at her yet.  She gives them both a couple seconds to say something else, and then decides she needs too many answers to wait longer.

“Did he send you guys the suits anonymously too?” she asks.

Tucker shakes his head.  “No,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck.  “He, uh, pretended to save us from the vampire ghost that was also him, and then pinned the blame on Danny, and said Danny was trying to kill us.  And then said he’d teach us how to hunt him first.”

Valerie thinks about that for a second, then nods.  “Yeah, that sounds like something he’d do,” she says.  “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry you got tangled up in everything.”

“I’m sorry we didn’t tell you who we were or what we thought was going on,” Tucker says.

“No,” Valerie says instantly.  “No, I’m glad you didn’t.  I… I would have believed you.  In the beginning.”

“Not at the end though,” Sam says, finally looking up at her.  “Not by the time I tried to tell you.”

Valerie doesn’t say anything, because she honestly doesn’t know.  She figured after the fact that that’s probably what Sam was trying to tell her when she asked to talk, but she doesn’t know how she would have reacted then.  Yeah, she was starting to question things, but she didn’t have the full realization of how much she had to learn until she heard the truth from Danny himself.  She doesn’t know what she would have thought if she heard it from Sam and Tucker first.  She doesn’t really want to think about it.

So instead, after a second, she says instead, “You know, you’re not completely at fault.  Even if you are at fault for a lot of it.”

Sam looks down at the desk again like she doesn’t believe her, so Valerie continues.

“Seriously.  Some of it is on the asshole who knew he could manipulate you and so decided to do that.”

Tucker nods slightly like he knows, but Sam still doesn’t look back up.

“You’re not the only one who did stuff you regret, you know,” Valerie says quietly, leaning back against the desk behind her.  “I hurt Danny a lot too.”

“You haven’t known him since you were 8,” Sam snaps suddenly.  “It’s different.”

“Yeah,” Valerie agrees.  “It is.  I’m just saying.  If you ever want to talk.  We don’t have to do this waiting game every time.  You know you’re not totally alone in this, right?”

“I know,” Tucker says.  He looks over at Sam, and after a long, long pause, Sam nods shortly.

“Good,” Valerie says.  “I’ll see you on Saturday, then.”

“See you,” Sam mutters, and Tucker gives her a small smile.  Valerie gives him a nod and smile back and heads out, giving the two of them some space they look like they need.

She still isn’t positive how she feels about them, but they have exactly the stuff in common that she thought they’d have in common, and it might help all of them just to have people around they can vent about Vlad to.  That might be worth it all on its own.  Either way, she’s willing to stick around to find out.  And trying to just have fun at this movie thing Saturday doesn’t sound like the worst place to start.

…

“Thanks for the ride, Jazz,” Danny says as she pulls to a stop in front of Sam’s house.

“No problem,” Jazz says.  “It’s on my way.  Plus Mom and Dad would get suspicious if you said you weren’t going to need a ride.”

“On your way where?” Valerie asks from the backseat.  “I didn’t realize you were going somewhere too.”

“She’s got a ghost psychology club meeting tonight,” Danny says, glancing back.  “It’s getting pretty popular.  I think she’s getting a big head.”

“Oh please,” Jazz says, shoving him towards the door.  “Not like mine could get bigger than yours.  Go hang out with those friends of yours who’ve tried to kill you.”

“You said you’d stop calling them that,” Danny says, but he opens the side door and climbs out, Valerie doing the same a second later.

“I’ll be back to get you in a couple hours,” Jazz says.

“Thanks,” Danny calls, and he gives her a wave as he shuts the door.  Jazz waves back as she drives away.

“Okay so basically,” Valerie continues as they walk towards the front door.  “These are three supervillains who are fighting each other?”

“Yep,” Danny says.  He’s been filling her in on the context behind what they’re watching since Valerie told him she was definitely going to come.  He doesn’t know as much as Sam definitely does, but he knows enough so Valerie won’t be totally lost.

“It’s probably just going to be a lot of cheesy action scenes,” he says.  “You won’t strictly need the context to enjoy it.  Oh, and uh, one last thing entirely unrelated to movies?”

“Yeah?”

“Sam’s parents won’t like you, don’t even try.  It’s not you, they don’t like anyone.”

Valerie raises her eyebrows, but just says, “Noted.”

With that, Danny knocks on the door.  Thankfully, it’s not a either of the Manson parents, but Sam that pulls the door open.

“Hey,” she says, with a smile that looks mostly genuine (and a little scared, but they both decided not to acknowledge that part).

“You guys are late,” Sam says with a smile.  She’s clearly aiming for a casual joke, so Danny decides to help her out.

“I blame Jazz, she drives slow,” he says, smiling back as he walks inside.  He waits to make sure Valerie makes it in before reaching out and pulling the door shut after them.

“Smart, blaming it on the person who isn’t here and can’t defend themselves,” Valerie says.

“That’s just how I roll,” Danny says, grinning at her.  He turns back to Sam a second later.  “Do you need any more help with the popcorn?”

Sam shakes her head.  “It’s done.  Just gotta carry it downstairs.”

“We’ll help you out,” Danny says, including Valerie by virtue of her not knowing where Sam’s basement is.  So instead, they all walk towards Sam’s kitchen, where, surprisingly, there’s no sign of her parents, just four tubs of popcorn on the stove.

Sam seems to see Danny’s question in his face, because she says, “They’re taking Grandma out to eat.  It’s just us.”

“They’re giving you the house to yourself?” Danny asks in bafflement.

Sam shrugs.  “I think they’re trying to go a little easier on me,” she says.

“I didn’t realize they’d go that easy on you,” Danny says.

“Does this mean I don’t get to meet the parents who hate everyone?” Valerie asks, picking up one of the tubs of popcorn.

Sam smirks a little at her.  “Sorry,” she says.  “You don’t get two more people to hate you tonight.”

Valerie shakes her head in disappointment.  “Damn.”

“Come on,” Sam says, picking up two of the popcorn tubs and letting Danny grab the last one.  “Tucker’s waiting downstairs.”

Tucker is finishing setting up Sam’s massive sound system when they get down there, and he brightens when he glances over and sees them holding popcorn.

“Okay Sam your turn,” he says, walking over and taking one of the popcorn tubs right out of her hands.

Sam gives him a deadpan look, but lets him go sit on the couch, taking up half the space, and goes to finish setting up the movie.

Danny sets one of the tubs of popcorn down on the other end of the couch, then turns to Sam.

“Hey, which one’s yours?” he calls.

“Tucker’s got it,” Sam says, without looking away from the screen.

Tucker, who’s about to shove popcorn in his mouth, immediately drops it with a noise of disgust, and Sam and Danny both laugh.

“You could have warned me!” Tucker exclaims, setting the popcorn down on the ground.

“Sam uses vegan butter,” Danny explains to Valerie.

“It doesn’t taste different in the slightest,” Sam says, finishing with the TV and walking back to the couch.  She sets the non-vegan tub down and picks up her own, then glances at Tucker.  “Move your feet.”

Tucker does, and then Sam plops down next to him and puts her feet in his lap.

Valerie settles down at the other end of the couch, and Danny picks up his popcorn and sits in the spot next to her, resulting in Valerie immediately sliding up to his side and leaning her head on his shoulder.  Danny wraps an arm around her shoulders and leans into her too.

“Alright,” Sam says.  She turns the TV on, where the movie is already set up.  “Who’s ready for this?” she raises an eyebrow at Tucker.  “You’re not gonna run out of the room like a chicken, right?”

Tucker gives her a look, but then shrugs.  “I’ve seen scarier things.”

“That’s an opinion,” Sam says, hitting “play” on the movie.

“Oh, that’s right, you weren’t there when I found Vlad’s poems about Mrs Fenton.”

“Wait, really?” Valerie asks, wrinkling her nose.

“Ugh, yeah I believe it,” Danny says.  “He’s always been really creepy about her.”

“Yeah, I spared all of you,” Tucker says.  “You owe me.”

“I’ll owe you more if you’re quiet and let the movie play,” Sam says.

Tucker sticks his tongue out, but turns to watch the movie.  Danny smiles fondly at them for a moment and then casts an equally fond glance over at Valerie.

Valerie sees him looking and faces him.  “What?” she whispers curiously.

“Nothing,” Danny whispers back, leaning further into her side and looking towards the movie.  Valerie does the same a second later.

And though it’s not long before she turns to him and starts asking about the context of what’s happening, Danny doesn’t mind too much, because he’s not paying much attention to the movie before that either.

Instead, he’s deciding that even if things are far from normal yet, he likes the way they’re heading.  And if telling people he’s Phantom keeps working out like this at the end of whatever else comes his way, he’ll probably be alright after all.

[shellingtons-failed-driving-test]

Chapter One

4,311 Words

Authoru's Note:

Sorry, this doesn't have a title yet, but I'm trying to think up one. I just wanted to go ahead and post it to see what people think. If you have any suggestions pls put them in the comments.

Oh, my word this got way longer than I'd originally intended. I hope I was okay with the characterisation. I was worrying so much as I was writing it. I hope the interactions feel in character and you enjoy it.

Also, I have changed the ages slightly, which I think is fine because they're unspecified. However, it is canon that Peso has finished Medical school, but in the story, he has not. He's 19 and a half because he went to nursing school right after high school and plans to get a medical degree later.

And, in this universe, all humans are animal hybrids so they have actual hands and feet but still ears and tails. I'm not exactly sure how to explain it, but they're referred to by what type of hybrid they are as well as their race. Certain areas have more common hybrids that correspond to what "regular/normal" animals live there. EX: skunk hybrids are only in the Americas because skunks don't live anywhere else.

Anyway, sorry about my ramblings, and happy reading!

Peso's Perspective:

The big car stops with a squeal, throwing me forward with its sudden breaking. As soon as the door opens the sound of waves crashing and seagulls crying fills my ears. The sea breeze is refreshing after being cooped up in a vehicle for so long.

“Here we are.” The driver says curtly. He’s a state government employee with a scruffy beard that makes him look older than he probably is. He didn’t say a single word the entire drive, leaving me in silence broken only by the occasional crackling of the radio. In a way, it was good because it gave me a chance to do some last-minute studying of the Octonauts handbook pdf I printed out at home. Still, I felt like he was kind of glaring at me in the mirror. Maybe it’s just the anxiety. Maybe he’s just a grumpy person. He had photographs of his children clipped to his visor, but I didn’t see a wedding ring. Divorced, maybe?

“Thank you, sir.”

“It’s just my job. Say, you’re with that team of astro- er, aqua- whatever, scientist, right?”

“The Octonauts, yes.”

“Right, that’s what it was.” He nods as he helps me unload my bags. I gulp a bit at their size. I’m really going to be living at sea for months. I hope my family will be okay.

As soon as he sets the bags down, he closes the hatch and drives off, leaving me once again alone. The other Octonauts, the original Octonauts, have been at sea for a year already. They got a send-off with fanfare at their port in England, all I got was a crumpled map to try and find my way around this place. I’m not jealous but . . . it only reminds me that I’m the newbie, not one of them.

I’m only here as a filler for Dr. Deere, who had to leave due to a research development for one of his projects on land. They’re going to have a proper replacement, someone qualified, in six months at the latest, that’s what they said. It takes a lot to qualify for this programme, the best of the best with years of study in their fields and here I am, just some lucky guy. I’m not even an actual doctor, just a nurse, and even then I still have a few final training courses to complete. All week I’ve wondered, why on earth would they pick me? Am I even good enough?

I blink at the blare of a ship’s horn. Crap, I can’t zone out like that! I need to be prepared for anything, ANYTHING. I will be . . . as soon as I find the ship.

I was sent the training videos, all 600-something of them, on a hard drive the size of my hand, but obviously, I haven’t had time to watch them all and downloading them would’ve taken nearly all of my storage space, so I just packed the whole hard drive instead. The schematics are on the hard drive too, so I have no idea what this thing looks like. They said they’d go over plans and safety once I was settled, but I wish I could at least have a photo. It’s got to be some kind of submarine, right?

The port on the Isle of Skye is a small, but bustling place. The signage is old, and blocked by containers coming in. A crew pulls a fishing net of turtles out onto the dock, and I wince. Then, I see they’re all for studying. Several scientists surround them, scanning red tags on the fins and retrieving cameras from their shells. I smile as I pass them, waving at the turtles, who wave back. I notice one of the scientists, a brown-haired man hurrying around. When he looks at his tablet he jumps in surprise.

“Jumping jellyfish! We were totally wrong about the feeding grounds. This is amazing! I thought . . .”

I don’t catch the rest as I walk on. I’ve never heard someone so excited about being proven wrong before.

As I round the corner, I see it. 

Dios mío . . .

It looks like an octopus. Of course, it does. I’m so stupid. It’s the Octopod. A state-of-the-art international research station with laboratories capable of housing a crew of 10 for extended periods. Can I just go in?

I stop when I get to the ramp, hesitating at the bottom, I survey the large oddly shaped submarine once more. My temporary home. As I look up something flickers in the window, like a lamp, or a streak of orange, but it’s gone before I’m sure.

I remember what my 4th grade science teacher, Mr. Perez always said: Take a deep breath. I do, and even after all this time, it helps.

The ramp echoes under my feet in a comforting way, assuring me of the ship’s solidity. A small yellow creature greets me, and I gasp. It frowns.

“Oh, I’m sorry, that was terribly rude of me. You’re very cute looking, you just scared me.”

It makes a chirping sound, which sounds affirmative. Laughing, I follow it into the elevator, as it closes I hear footsteps, someone running.

“Tunip!” A male voice pants, he has a heavy Scottish accent. “Don’t . . . leave me.” 

Huffing and a little winded the scientist from before appears. The yellow creature makes a sound that sounds like a scold. 

“Ah, well, sorry. I got distracted with the turtles.” the man says sheepishly. He’s the same scientist I saw with the turtles. Now that I can see him better it’s clear that he’s not too much older than me. His chestnut brown hair is messy and his eyes have bags underneath them but are still concerningly bright, He bears the appearance of an overworked uni student, and yet somehow still cute.

The creature blows a raspberry at him and starts to close the lift doors.

“Hey, now that’s not very kind! I was just trying to– Ah, hey! Don’t close the lift on me!”

The creature huffs, sounding almost affectionate, but allows the man into the lift. 

Once inside he takes a deep breath, pulling a handful of Polaroids from his shoulder bag, looking at them as if to make sure they don’t disappear. They’re of the turtles, and a few have him in them, but he doesn’t spend as much time looking at them. Finally, he turns to me, as if he’s just noticed me.

“Oh, hello there. Forgive me, I didn’t see you. I’m Shellington.” He doesn’t extend his hand, only nodding, but the greeting is still just as friendly.

“I’m Peso. I’m the temporary medic.”

He nods, more to himself than to me, I think, muttering “Oh, good. It’s dangerous for us not to have one on board, especially with Kwazii.”

As the lift rises, it makes a loud mechanical whirring, as if no one had bothered to dampen it as they do in most lifts. In fact, the whole thing looks industrial and feels about five degrees colder than before the door was closed. I wonder why, I also wonder who Kwazii is. Finally, it dings and the doors open and he steps out into a small dark room. I trip after him, barely able to see a centimetre in front of me.

“Uhhh?”

My foot collides with something and I go sprawling over (except not really because there’s barely space in this room for my body length).

“Owwie! You’ve stood on my foot!”

“Oh, I’m so sorry. But, where are we?”

“Oh, whoops, I must’ve forgotten to mention. This lift is only here because some equipment would be unsafe to carry any other way, either because it contains potentially hazardous materials or it’s simply too large.”

“Oh . . . I suppose that makes sense.”

It would be hard to carry an entire x-ray machine up and down stairs, even a portable one.

“Welcome to my closet!” He says it with his arms wide to indicate the space around us with affected excitement, but the space is small so he can’t extend his arms very much. I can’t help but laugh.

The idea of being in a closet makes me laugh a bit, but I still don’t like dark spaces.

“Can we, um, maybe get out?”

“Oh, right, yes.”

He presses a switch I can’t see and light streams in. With a sigh of relief, I follow him into the larger room. It’s a laboratory. It’s very green, with light green walls, floors and posters. Now that I pay attention, even his shirt is olive green. He must really love green.

I turn to ask him about where I’m supposed to be, only to see he’s already gone back to work. Right, they don’t have time for a bumbling rookie. After a moment of debate with myself, I tap him lightly on the shoulder. It takes a few times before he notices, and when he does he jumps again. 

“Excuse me, do you know where it is I’m supposed to go?”

He furrows his brow thoughtfully, “Hmm, I don’t have much to do with the recruitment process, that’s Professor Inkling and the Captain’s job, but I believe you’re supposed to meet with the Captain, he should be in HQ. I have to finish processing this data, but Tunip can take you.”

“Okay.”

The creature, Turnip, seems to smile. He chirps excitedly leading me back to the lift. When he gets in he jumps high enough to press the button that reads HQ. The ride is short and the doors open out to a large circular room. Glass makes up the top half of the room, a large skylight. I can only imagine what it must look like underwater. It must be incredible.

In the centre stands a tall man, not quite old enough to be my father, but a little older than Pogo, with neatly combed white hair, he wears a blue uniform with a tool belt. This must be the captain. He smiles, extending his hand. He towers over me.

“Good morning, you must be Peso. I’m Captain Barnacles, it’s lovely to finally meet you, Dr. Deere told me all about you.” His voice is loud, but kind.

“Oh, h-he did?” It comes out as a question, and I stutter under everyone’s sudden gaze. Even Tunip looks expectantly at me. “I mean, I’m glad he did. And I’m very glad to meet all of you and be working with you.”

“Us as well, we hope you can learn a lot during your time here. Let’s meet everyone.”

He waves for me to follow and takes me to a station full of buttons and computers. A woman gets up when she sees us. She has warm brown skin and hair cut in a fluffy chin-length bob, sunbleached with blond highlights. She’s a bit taller than me

“Dashi, meet Peso, our new medic.”

“Rad! Nice to meet you Peso. I’m Dashi, head of system and operation here in the Octopod. I run all the computer systems and track the weather patterns, but on my days off, I’m a surfer.”

With her Australian accent, it definitely makes sense.

“Ooh, fun.”

“It is, have you met anyone else yet?”

“The Captain, but that was obvious, sorry, and Shellington. He introduced himself as just Shellington, but does he have credentials I should call him by?”

“Not yet, but finished uni and he’s doing his PhD research on this mission, so he will. Have you met the vegimals yet?”

“The what?”

“They’re what he’s doing his research on. Oh, I’m sure you’ll just love them. I think Barrot is with Tweak right now actually.”

At this, Captain Barnacles nods, “Yes, I’m taking him to meet Tweak next.”

“Great, see you around, Peso!”

“You too.” I take a breath as we get back in the lift.

“This must be a lot for you.”

“Oh, no, sir. It’s really fine.”

“Oh, I’m sure you can handle it, but if you ever need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask any of us. I know they can be a bit intense at first, but they’re all good people and they all want the same thing, to help creatures in the ocean. We’re happy to have you and they’ll be happy to help you adjust.”

“Thank you, Captain.” I can tell from his voice just how much he believes in the crew and in me, the only question is whether the crew feels the same, and if I even deserve that belief.

“I do hope you’ll settle in easily.”

“I’ll try my best. The crew all seem really nice.”

The lift dings then, relaising us to what looks like a garage with a large pool in the centre.

I see more of the creatures like Tunip standing next to a machine I can only describe as looking like a big orange shark, holding wrenches. What was it Dashi called them? Vegi-mals? The vegi-mal is as orange as the gup.

“47, please.” a female voice calls. Whoever she is, she has a southern United States accent like I’ve never heard before. I look around for the woman but I only see a pair of fluffy, light green ears sticking out from underneath the metal shark. They contrast oddly with the orange.

The vegi-mal hands her the large wrench he was holding.

“Thanks, screwdriver.”

She reaches up and he puts a small screwdriver in her hand.

“Thanks.” she hands the wrench back, “carrot.”

Huh?

The vegi-mal hands her a carrot straight out of the toolbox.

“Tweak, are you almost finished?” the Captain asks.

“You bet, I’ll be done faster n’ you can say buncha munchy crunchy carrots.”

Just as she pronounces the “t” she slides out from under the machine, half-eaten carrot in hand.

“What’s up?” Her hazel eyes sparkle in a nice way.

“Tweak, I’d like you to meet the new member of our team, Peso. He’ll be our medic for the next few months.”

She jumps up, striding over to shake my hand, “Nice to meet ya, Peso. Welcome abroad, and welcome to the Launch Bay.”

She takes a big bite of carrot, smiling, her green braid swinging as she walks over to the control panel. She’s more muscular than I am, wearing a jumpsuit not zipped all the way so it shows her tank top revealing her build. Her belt is full of tools I can’t even name, she looks like she belongs here.

“Thank you, it’s such a nice space,” I tell her honestly, looking around at all the gadgets. Finally, I spot something familiar. Ring of Fire, it's my younger brother, Pinto’s favourite video game. Seeing it makes me miss him more. 

She follows my gaze, “You play? I’m always up for a tournament!”

“Oh, ah, no. My younger brother. I’ve joined him a few times but I always die before the first round.”

“Shame, maybe I can teach you. Perhaps I can even teach you so well you’ll beat Kwazii. Ah, speakin’ of Kwaz, I should probably put Bea way before he comes lookin’ for her.”

Two people now have mentioned Kwazii. I wonder what his deal is? Is he the Octonauts mischievous pet or something? Whoever he is, I really want to meet him now. Meanwhile, there's a bubbling and the orange metal contraption disappears into the water.

The Captain laughs, “Yes, you should. Thank you for taking the time for Peso, I’m sure we’ll be back soon to see which Gup he’ll be riding in.”

“Well I was working’ on a little project . . . but yeah, s’probably best if he just rides with one of us for now. Gup A’s probably safest. You���re going to see the professor?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, well tell him thanks for the book, it’s helped a lot with my design.”

“I will. He’ll be glad to hear it.” The Captain smiles as he takes us back to the lift.

“The Equipment elevator, really, Cap?”

“Well, I thought that—”

Suddenly there’s a whooshing, and somebody lands right next to me.

“Ahoy Tweak!” A male voice shouts.

Tweak looks unimpressed, but I can see hidden affection when she rolls her eyes. “She’s not here.”

“Not anywhere?”

“Nope, ya just missed here.”

He whines, “Tweeeak! When am I gonna get my Gup back?”

“Come on, it’s just repairs, we do this every quarter, you know this.”

“I know, but . . .” he turns, starting to stalk off, then calls over his shoulder, “Fine, but I’ll be back!”

“I’m sure you will.”

While he’s looking at Tweak he stalks right into me. I fall very gracefully onto my butt. He snaps his head back in my direction with surprise, looking down.

“Oh, hey there little fella. I’m sorry about that.” he bends down offering his hand, and after a second I decide to embrace the humiliation and take it. He smiles, “So what brings you here?”

“I-”

“Are you lost?”

“What? No, I-”

“Kwazii.”

“I’m just trying to make conversation, Captain.”

“I know but-”

“Are you here for a tour? I didn’t think they let people do that.”

“Kwazii.” Captain taps him hard on the shoulder.

“Ouch! What is it, Captain?”

“He works here now.”

The man, Kwazzi, steps back, eye wide, then narrowing into basically a slit. I shiver. “Oh.” he lifts his eyes patch, squinting to look at me . . . and then he bursts out laughing.

I feel my entire body heating up with humiliation. Tweak winces.

“Oh, matey, I’m so sorry!” he manages between laughs, “I thought you were a kid. My bad, my bad.” At last, he recovers himself, extending his hand. “You must be Peso. I’m Kwazii, First Lieutenant.”

I don’t shake his hand. He frowns, retracting it and crossing his arms in disappointment. He seems kind, like someone who cares but that only makes it more patronising, only he isn’t wrong. Of course, he thought I was a kid. I am a kid. I don’t belong here with these smart talented adults.

It must show on my face because he softens, he steps forward, then back as if unsure of what to do. I don’t want to be babied. I’m not some creature he has to help. I want to be here to help, and here I am obviously a penguin out of water.

“Oh, I’m not laughing at you, I was laughing at meself, for being so knot-headed”

It’s fine really. I’m used to it, to being underestimated (even though I’m not sure I even have the skills) I don’t let it touch me anymore. (at least that's what I’m trying to tell myself. It’s not working.) I shake my head, not able to help the sign that escapes me. I am so in over my head. I don’t think he meant to be rude (surely not, but maybe insulting rookies is acceptable in scientific communities. Even if he sounds like some sort of pirate, he’s probably waaay smarter than me). “Oh. No, it's perfectly fine, you’re not the first and won’t be the last.”

He stands even farther back, not saying a thing, arms still crossed. His eyes scan over me, as if picking me apart, definitely judging me. He almost looks still, almost, but I can tell he’s not, not on the inside anyway. He can’t seem to truly stand still, his tail and ears twitching impatiently. He rocks on his feet ready to go do whatever it is he does at a moment's notice. Now that he’s as close to still as I suspect he gets I take the chance to really look at him.

The last member of my new team is tall (well, tall to me, and most people are tall to me, so probably medium height), and ginger. Unlike most gingers I’ve seen he’s not actually strawberry blond or a carrot top, but a light shade of orange that changes colour as the light shifts. It’s pretty.

His eye does the same. I can only see the right one and it's hard to tell because he keeps twitching but I think he has heterochromia, the rarer kind where one eye has two colours. The eye that I can see is brown with an amber in a ring around the middle.

But that’s not the strangest thing about him, one of his ears has a piece missing from it. I shiver at the thought of what could’ve done that. Did he get it while on a mission? Luckily they said I won’t have to go on missions . . . probably.

The Captain coughs awkwardly to break the silence. “Kwazii is field personnel, so he spends most of his time outside of the Octopod. You most likely won’t be seeing each other too often.” he looks at me as if trying to assure me. I know it’s unkind, but it makes me feel a bit better that I won’t have to spend much time around Kwazii. He's loud, seems unpredictable and looks dangerous (though I’m sure he’s not).

“That must be very exciting. I’m sure we can get to know each other some other time, then.”

He smiles but like all cats he has fangs, so it’s all teeth. I try my best not to gulp. Thankfully Captain leads me toward the lift. As we walk away I hear Kwazii whisper to Tweak “Huh? Where are they going?” I don’t even know why I turn around, but I do.

“Why aren’t you using the octochute?”

“The what?”

“The octochutes, haven’t you been using them?” I can tell he’s not trying to be mean. He looks so genuinely confused that it’s almost comical. His face is like the "???” expression in real life. It makes me laugh a little, releasing the tension.

“No.”

“Well then how’ve you been getting around, then?”

“I just took the lift.”

“But . . . it’s for equipment?”

“Yes, Shellington told me.”

He still looks incredulous. “The equipment lift? Why in the seven seas would ya do that, matey?”

“I don’t know, I just . . . did.”

“Matey, we ONLY use it for equipment, plus it’s sooo slow, and cold.”

Oh, that would explain why it isn’t nearly as fancy as the rest of the ship and opens into closets. I feel dumb for not realising it before. I guess I just thought they were cramped for space, but of course not. How stupid of me.

“Kwazii. Be polite, I told him too. It is his first day, after all. The octochutes can be a bit shocking at first, and he’s already come a long way to get here. I wanted to ease him into it.”

Kwazii droops, face losing the confusion and entering to a neutral state with no expression at all, after seeing him so energised it looks wrong like excitement is the natural state of his particles.

The Captain leads me away, back into a second equipment lift (I didn’t know there were two), I exhale when it closes and Kwazii and Tweak disappear.

After escaping another closet, we step into a bright blue and white room. It’s filled with medical equipment. This must be the Medical Bay. Through the door’s small window, I can see through the window across the hall. In his laboratory, Shellington is typing away on a desktop. Probably finishing the data he was talking about earlier.

“Here we are.”

I turn back to where the Captain stands. 

“This is the Medical Bay, where you’ll be working for the next few months. You share a sleeping pod with Dashi and there’s an Octochute that will take you there.”

“Sh-hare?” I mean, sure, I’m gay, I’ve known that since I was young, but still, wouldn’t Dashi like her privacy? I’d like my privacy. We barely know each other!

“Oh, not like that, this isn't a sleepaway camp. We’re all professional adults, she gets one half and you get the other, there’s a wall in the middle with an Octochute. If you want Dashi to show you how to use it she’ll be happy to, I’m sure.”

“Oh, okay. Thank you, Captain.”

“I hate to leave you all by yourself, but I have a meeting with Tweak to discuss her latest project. If you need anything just find one of us.”

“Oh, okay.”

He leaves, and then I’m alone. The Octopod must be soundproofed to outside sounds because I can hear nothing but the air system cycling. I pull my phone from my pocket for music, but the battery is dead. Great! And then, I’m not even sure exactly why but I start to cry. I’m an idiot, trapped on a ship with people I don’t know who probably think I’m incompetent and unqualified for a job I didn’t even sign up for. The meeting with Kwazii showed me exactly how much I don’t know. Now here I am, pathetically crying. I miss my family.

There was a cat in my class in primary school, an orange tabby just like First Lieutenant Kwazii. He’d been held back a year so he was taller and bigger than all of us and he was loud too and would always bully the smaller kids and get away with it. I don’t even know why I’m remembering him all of a sudden. I know he and Kwazii aren’t the same, but I’ve never liked loud unpredictable people. They scare me. Maybe that’s why.

And something tells me I’ll be seeing Kwazii in the Medical Bay somewhat often. I’m not sure how to feel about that. I don’t dislike him, of course not, but I feel . . . wary.

Oh well. I won’t allow him or anyone else to interfere with my job. I will prove to myself and them that I can handle myself for a few months. And then it’ll all be over and I’ll get to go home again.

Taking a deep breath, I keep busy by familiarising myself with the workings of the Medical Bay and everything in it. It’s fully stocked with any supplies and equipment I could need so all I brought were clothes. There isn’t much to do, so I resort to cleaning the space that’s probably already sterile, just because it calms me down.

After a while, an announcement comes over the speakers that we’ll be departing for the Mediterranean Sea to aid in the preservation of coral at sunrise tomorrow. 

Before I know it I find myself falling asleep at the work table. Too tired by the day’s events I let myself drift off.

(A/N: Poor Kwazii, he can be kinda scary without meaning to be. He’s just so confused as to why someone wouldn’t want to use the super duper fun octochutes. LOL)

[omgrachwrites]

Traitor - Dalton Lambert

Pairing: Dalton Lambert x Reader

Warnings: angst, teeny tiny bit of fluff, spoilers if you haven't seen the movie yet

Prompt: "The worst thing is,that even after all of that, I’m still in love with you.”

A/N: If I can, I'm gonna try and post my fics for my celebration back to back! Thank you to the sweet anon who requested this, I am so sorry in advance. Hope you guys all enjoy and please let me know what you think, I love you all! xxx

You unwillingly opened your eyes as a shiver ran down your spine, it was so dark here, the lantern in your hand was your only light. It was so silent that you could practically hear your heart thumping in your chest and your blood pumping in your ears. Your boyfriend was here, and you had to find him, you had to get rid of the damn demon that was using his body.

Though, you didn’t want to call out for him because you knew it would alert all the other entities to your presence. Up ahead, you saw a light like your own and you made your way towards it. A tall man was carrying a lantern and he looked extremely distressed, when he noticed your light he made his way towards you quickly.

“I need your help,” he started in a quiet voice, “I’m looking for my son, Dalton.”

“I’m looking for Dalton too,” when the man tilted his head in confusion, you elaborated, “I’m Y/N, his girlfriend.”

The man laughed a little, “it’s good to meet you, Y/N, despite the circumstances, I’m Josh, Dalton’s dad. Now, let’s go and get our boy back.”

You nodded and you both travelled deeper into The Further. Eventually, you came across the red door and you shuddered in fear as you knew what lurked behind it. With a firm nod, both you and Josh walked up to the door and turned the handle, walking down the red corridor. As you got closer to the cave, you could hear the song. The song that almost caused you to have a panic attack every time it came on the radio.

Josh rushed forwards while you were frozen in fear at the boyfriend in the small cage, you watched Josh pull Dalton by his chains, destroying them in the process. Dalton and Josh ran back to you before the demon could come back.

“Y/N!” he called your name as he pulled you into his arms, before he pulled back to look at you slightly to look at your face, “how are you here?”

Before you could answer, Josh interrupted, “guys, we have to go! Now!”

You and Dalton nodded as you quickly followed Josh back down the hallway, heading for the door. You were halfway to the door when the demon came after you, making you scream.

“Run!” Dalton yelled and when Josh reached the door he threw all his weight at the door as he wrenched it open, the three of you spilling back into the darkness.

You and Josh stood with your backs firmly against the door as the demon wailed behind it, trying to get through. You looked at Dalton who was pale and shaking, you’d never seen him look so scared.

“We can’t hold it back!”

“We have to try,” Josh replied.

In that moment, you knew what you had to do, you shook your head and looked at the two Lambert men, “you two have to go.”

“What? No, I’m not leaving you here!” Dalton argued.

“Out of the question!” Josh agreed.

The door splintered and you gasped as your knees buckled, “you have to! Find a way to close the damn door from out there!”

Tears were flowing down Dalton’s cheeks now as he cupped your jaw, “I love you so much,” he sniffled and kissed you deeply.

“I love you too,” you whispered, memorising his handsome face, and you heard the wood creak, “you have to go! Go, now!”

Josh nodded at you with tears in his eyes as he pulled his son away, Dalton’s eyes didn’t leave yours, not until the darkness swallowed them up.

Even though it was the hour of your death, you weren’t scared, you couldn’t think of a better reason to die, or a better person to die for. You suddenly heard a faint dripping noise that made you look up, there was black ooze sliding down the surface of the door and it took you a little while to realise what it was. A smile spread across your face when you realised it was paint. You felt your eyes close as the darkness closed in around you.

The next thing you knew, you were gasping for air and Dalton pulled you into his arms, sobbing into your neck, “you’re back! I’m so glad you’re okay!” he pulled back to look at your face, “you saved me.”

You smiled and cupped his cheek, “I’d do anything for you, but we should talk about this.”

Dalton shook his head, “in the morning, we don’t have to talk about it right now,” he was cut off by his phone ringing, “dad? Yeah she’s okay,” he grinned at you, he had a quick conversation with his dad before hanging up.

“Will you stay with me tonight?” you asked.

“Of course.”

The next day, you and Dalton went out for breakfast and you knew that you had to tell him. You had to tell him everything, even if it meant you’d lose him.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you that I could travel.”

“Babe, you don’t have to apologise, it’s an amazing coincidence.”

God, he was so innocent and sweet, and you were about to shatter his whole world view, “it’s not a coincidence, Dalton.”

“What?” he asked frowning at you and you sighed as you told your story.

“I was about 13 when that awful demon trapped me in The Further. He tried to possess me but he couldn’t, I don’t know why. I struck a deal with him, you in exchange for me. I thought it was just a bad dream, until about a year ago.”

“And then, we met about 6 months later,” he mumbled, a crease forming between his eyebrows, “you knew who I was when we met?” when you nodded, he sighed as his eyes went glassy with tears, “what was the point of you even getting to know me if you were just going to hand me over?”

“Because it takes time to open the door again. When you and your dad had your memories suppressed, the door was closed to you.”

He shook his head as he ran a hand through his hair, “you encouraged me to find out more about the door, encouraged me to open it further,” he muttered.

“I cared more about my freedom than I did about you, you were just another cute guy,” your heart twisted as his tears streamed over his lips and he made no attempt to wipe them away, “and then, something changed, it was like I was seeing you for the first time. I developed feelings for you. I wanted to be with you all the time. I love you, Dalton.”

He shook his head, “you lied to me for 6 months, Y/N, if you had only told me I would have helped you get your freedom. I would have done anything for you.”

“I know, and I’m so sorry.”

“I can’t believe the woman who led me on so cruelly would be the one who was so willing to die for me.”

“You don’t deserve to be trapped there, Dalton.”

He scoffed, “y’know, the worst thing is, that even after all of that, I’m still in love with you. And, it makes me sick,” his face shut down and he got up, “I don’t want to see you, Y/N.”

“For how long?” you asked, your heart breaking.

“I don’t want to see you ever again,” he whispered and then he was gone, out of the diner. Out of your life. Forever.

[fourseasonsfigs]

Pearl of the East China Sea

Here we have the brightest boy in Jinling City - Zhang Zhehan as the young Lin Shu from Nirvana in Fire.

The inspiration for this fig is pulled from several different places in the show, but the primary inspiration was brief flashback scene near the end of Episode 40. It's been cut out on the version on YouTube, but it is watchable on Viki, starting at 39:00 in the episode. I can't download it from Viki, but I do have a small clip I downloaded from somewhere years ago that plays out this scene:

Apologies for the lack of attribution, I am not sure who originally posted this.

I took a couple screenshots in better definition so you can see more of the detail:

I hate to admit this, but I have not watched Nirvana in Fire yet despite it's epic reputation. BUT I'm hoping to start next week! I have a long flight ahead of me and plenty of time to get started on it's 54 episodes.

I loved this clip when I saw it because of how delightful it was - the young Lin Shu is adorable, with a smile that can really can light up the city.

He arrived safely tucked into his polystyrene box. The little cutout to the right side of him didn't have anything in it. My guess is that it was originally for his lantern, but (very thankfully) it came pre-installed. We won't need to have me sweating over trying to carefully slide it into his little hand.

The pearl is definitely as big as a chicken egg!

The (fish? frog? tadpole?) lantern in his hand is SUPER cute. It's also from the show as well, since I recall seeing a clip of him carrying it, but unfortunately I don't have a shot of it. When I watch the show I will keep an eye out for it, and come back and update this.

This is also a good angle to see the beauty mark on his left ear. This fig maker always adds the beauty marks to Zhehan and Gong Jun's ears.

The lantern is really too cute. Look at the little feet! I'm a complete sucker for those claymation animals with the googly eyes, and this totally reminded me of it. I'm so, so grateful that this didn't arrive broken and once again that I didn't have to wrangle glue on it to stick it into his hand.

The scales on the lantern! Such great detail.

I love figs with cloaks. Here you can see the little bit of detailing for the fur trim.

As you can tell by the fig stand, this little guy did not stand up on his own. You might think the weight of that enormous pearl might drag him forward, but no, the weight of his head kept tipping him back. I glued him down right away - no chance of this little cutie falling and breaking something!

He's not in his full armor here like he was in the clip, he's wearing clothes that Lin Shu wears elsewhere. I think it was a good call by the fig maker to have the clothes be recognizable enough without being overpowering. It really allows the pearl and the lantern to take center stage.

I love this fig, I think he's just so cute.

The fig maker really captured the youthful roundness of his face, and rendered his hair perfectly. The detail on the fur trim on his cloak is subtle but very nice. Just a great execution all the way around.

He's wearing black pants tucked into his black boots, but it's a little difficult to see due to the color.

It's easier to see from this angle.

You can see more detail on the guan here, and we have a nice shot of his hand holding the pearl and the googly eyes on the lantern.

I like the hair a lot on this fig, it's a great look.

This fig maker always has great box card art, and you can see the name of the fig here - Pearl of the East China Sea.

Material: Resin

Fig Count: 493

Scene Count: 31

Rating: Even more precious than a pearl

[link to the Master Post Index]

[umlewis]

Turkey 2007 - Post-qualifying press conference

Interviewer: "Lewis, happy with second on the grid?" Lewis: "Yeah, absolutely, especially knowing that the gap was so close. Going into qualifying I knew that we had the pace. Obviously throughout testing we seemed to be perhaps either with Ferrari or slightly faster, so I was quite confident going into it. Q1 and Q2 were a bit of a surprise to me. The car didn't feel great and I couldn't really get a clean, smooth lap, and I was fourth, I think, for both of them. Going into the two qualifying laps that I had in Q3, the first one was not too bad. I knew where I lost time and I knew that I could improve on it, but I didn't think it would be half a second, six-tenths. But going into the last lap I really put everything together and I knew it was a good lap. I lost a bit of time at the last corner, but I think it's the same for everyone. It's a very, very tricky corner, but I'm very very happy. Second, I can't complain." Massa: "He hasn't been to the toilet today, that's why he's second." Lewis: "Yeah, but you have, so... If I did, maybe it would be a bit closer." Interviewer: "Obviously last year you had a phenomenal GP2 race here. How does that affect you, looking towards the race tomorrow?" Lewis: "Well, obviously having the experience in GP2 and knowing that you can overtake here definitely eases your mind, just showing that there are opportunities. On some tracks you just can't get close enough, but here... It's still tricky, I think, but it's definitely possible, so we just have to see. I think it's going to be a good race. We've got a good car, good strategy, and I'm looking forward to having a race with these guys." Interviewer: "Are you surprised to see Ferrari as competitive again as they were on these sort of circuits, rather than the tighter ones like Hungary?" Lewis: "No, not really. I think I would have thought it would be the other way round. I actually thought that through the slower, tighter sort of circuits, we thought that they were perhaps slower than us and in the longer circuits, with longer straights, they seemed to be a little bit quicker. So we sort of anticipated that they would be quick here this weekend, but it doesn't mean they have a better car. It just means they are with us!"

[QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR:]

(Spyros Pettas - Auto Motor und Sport Greece) The World Motor Sport Council decided that McLaren had Ferrari technical information and broke Article 151c, but were not penalized. Then came Hungary where McLaren and Fernando Alonso were severely penalized because he just stood in the pits for 30 seconds for whatever reason. Is this type of justice flattering to the sport and the F1 fans? FM: I am not going to comment on that.

LH: And neither am I.

(Frederic Ferret – L'Equipe) For Lewis, how disturbing was it to not be at the circuit on Thursday to prepare for the weekend? LH: As you can see we are still second in the qualifying session, so it has not really had any effect on our preparation. We were still able to prepare and I met up with my engineers earlier in the week, so it made no difference to me.

(Ian Stafford - The Mail on Sunday) Lewis, obviously you have to keep an eye on the Ferrari boys but Fernando is your nearest challenger in the world championship so, with that in mind, how happy are you about qualifying second when Fernando is fourth? LH: It is obviously a positive. Going into qualifying I knew that Fernando had been improving all the way through to qualifying and I seemed to lack the pace initially, but I am very relieved that I was able to pull out the time on my last lap and qualify ahead of him. Obviously tomorrow is another day and I will just have to try to get as many points as possible and finish ahead of him. But it will be good for both of us to finish ahead of the Ferraris.

[sebstanismyspiritanimal]

Third chapter! I didn't think so many people would like this concept! I thought it was a really niche au that only I wanted to read but y'all are changing my mind! I will probably start posting to ao3 once I hit 5 chapters, because I'm anticipating a fairly long story. Would you guys want me to keep posting the whole chapter here too or just a link for the new chapters for ao3? Let me know! As always if you missed part 2 here is a link for it!

The next couple of days saw Eddie relaxing into a routine at the bureau. There hadn't been a new case yet so Emily and JJ had taken to showing her the different paperwork forms and walking her thru how to do them, for when she had some of her own to complete.

Spencer had also been sharing the stack of cold cases files he worked on periodically and letting her get familiar with the process of trying to help solve them.

Watching Garcia hustle past the desks in the bullpen without so much as perky smile, Eddie and everyone else knew they had a case.

She followed the lead of everyone else and made her way up to the conference room, nervous and excited to participate in her first case.

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

"Lucy Barlow age 34 was found yesterday along a hiking trail after being reported missing for 5 days by her sister-in-law. There's no evidence of sexual assault, but the ME did find evidence of restraints on the hands and feet." Everyone was listening intently to Garcia's debriefing as they looked at the crime scene photos behind her head, no one saying anything, but looking for any clues or evidence as to what they were dealing with.

"It's a heroin overdose." Eddie said abruptly, standing up to look closer at the photos displayed, not realizing that all eyes were on her.

"How do you know?" Hotch asked, leaning forward to watch the new agent take her first shot at profiling.

Eddie turned to look at him and faltered slightly seeing the whole team watching her.

Clearing her throat, she turned back to the pictures, "She has miosis or heroin eyes, her pupils are constricted instead of dilated. Her fingernails are blue which is a sign of heroin use, and shes got vomit on the side of her mouth. Most overdoses include vomiting, but her muscles are also slack when they should have already been stiffening up."

Eddie went to sit back down and Garcia continued her debrief with a proud look in her direction.

"She's right, cause of death was ruled overdose by heroin."

"If it's an overdose, then why are we being called in? It sounds like she went on a bender for 5 days and OD'd." Derek said bluntly, everyone else nodding or humming in agreement.

"Because another woman was reported missing this morning, 35 year old Andrea Lakes." Penelope clicked to another photo and the team understood the connection, they looked eerily similar.

"Wheels up in 30." Hotch stood and walked out the door, the rest of the team standing and collecting belongings to start to head to the jet.

"How did you know that those were signs of a heroin overdose?" Eddie could hear the honest curiosity in Spencer's voice, the rest of the team perking their ears up at the new info, the newest agent had been pretty tight lipped about her life, even the parts that weren't redacted or classified.

"My mom overdosed on it when I was 5, we were alone in the house so I got a pretty good look at what it does to the body. Plus I spent a lot of time in trap houses after my dad had sole custody." Eddie said, nonchalantly packing the iPad and files into a carry on bag for the plane ride. She looked up when no answer came from the genius and saw everyone watching her with sad eyes, not even pretending they weren't eavesdropping.

"I'm sorry. I-I didn't know." Spencer mumbled, looking very upset at himself for unlocking a part of Eddie's Tragic Backstory.

Laughing slightly she squeezed his shoulder, "There's no reason for you to have known, Spence. I'm fine you guys, this was a long time ago. Besides the trap houses were my favorite places to stay, they always had the best snacks for the kids." With a grin at the teams slightly horrified looks, she shouldered her bag and went to find the jet.

The plane ride was uneventful, they spent the first 30 minutes to Nebraska going over the case and the rest of the time relaxing. Eddie had started reading a book when Emily tapped it suddenly.

"You read Tolkien?" She questioned in a loud voice making Spencer perk up and the rest of the team to groan exasperated.

Eddie slipped in a book mark, guessing that his was going to be a long conversation.

"Yeah? It's been a while since I read the Hobbit and I figured its a good plane book."

Derek groaned around a grin that was forming, "Don't tell me you're a secret nerd Eddie! Spencer and Penelope are too powerful together, we can't have someone else joining their ranks!"

Eddie laughed and shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know how much of a secret it is, Derek. I started a DnD club in highschool, nothing quite says nerd like a 20 sided die." The rest of the group groaned as Spencer shot up out of his seat and ambled up to the open one next to her, quickly starting up a conversation about LoTR, ignoring the laughter and teasing the whole plane started at the two of them.

[hiisheart]

( okay. SO. i have my next doctor's appointment next friday where hopefully i'll give my decision about starting T, and everything is adding up nicely for me to give them my very enthusiastic yes!! thankfully i won't be getting a prescription right away - i say thankfully because it costs money and the appointment is via telehealth so they won't be able to show me how to do the shot anyway!! i'll likely have copays for both the prescription itself and the doctors' appointments i have to make for them to refill my prescription.

so why am i posting this here? because i'm probably gonna need some financial support going forward so i can cover the copays for my prescription and doctors visits, and hopefully, eventually, as soon as the changes really start to take effect, documentation changes as well (but that's probably not gonna be for a while given the gradual change course i've already chosen!). so, given that information, and where you guys may come in, i'm probably gonna have to open up commissions!

it won't be too serious of a payment, probably like $5 per graphic/set of small graphics i make per person. again, i'm still thinking through every little detail for my likely inevitable upcoming commission info post, so that should come soon, but for now, this post really just serves to let you guys know what i have ahead of me and what i'm planning to have open here. so, with that being said, if you guys and/or someone you know is searching for graphics, feel free to send them my way and i'd be happy to discuss something with you/them!!

again, for those of y'all who have ever supported me, financially or otherwise, y'all are great and i love y'all a lot. i just know that this is a step that i have to take for my happiness and sanity going forward and any support that you have for me will be so, so beneficial moving forward. additionally, i think that for my own mental health i have to rely less on my parents for support, especially given where we are financially, and do what i can and control what i can without having to worry about what they'll say about it. i think the best way to do this is to try to be as financially independent as possible via the found family and support network i'm building when it comes to covering my hormones and any other transition-related steps i take. and, in case you guys aren't aware, i consider you all and everyone who supports me in any way a version of a found family member, at the very least.

so that's where you guys come in. and again, i'll say this: if you and/or anyone you know are looking for graphics, point them in my direction and i'll be so, so happy to work something out with you/them. it will be so, so helpful to me. thank you <3 )

[wackybuddiemewbs]

Okay, caught up to the episode fully at long last.

And holy fuckin' shit. Buck!whumpees getting served... all of the pain and angst and yikes and the coma.

Some things I just need to spew out, even though none of it makes sense or is supposed to, but I just need to get it out of the system.

Bobby and Buck

The parallel of Bobby holding the baby and then later holding on to Buck as he's lowered down... OMFG. The fact that he says similar words "c'mere, kid", "c'mon, kid"... I just can't. They're so sick for this. And I'm so sick for this. This is so sick, sick, sick. And I'm here for it, crying my eyes out.

Also, magnificent callback to how the two began and how they clashed in the first ever episode. As I've mentioned in a previous post, I'd LOVE (and be deaded by it) to see Bobby coming more into his own as a father figure for Buck. It's something he's more or less shied away from, as he's done with Athena's kids, until a life-threatening situation come along. And boy, here it is.

Time to make that adoption official, Bobby. Boy's up for grabs.

Also also, the chili scene (weird name, but hey). For one, we get kind of a reverse between the two (Buck doing the cooking, Bobby going down internet research rabbit holes, which is a very Buck thing to do). But then Buck asking about the secret ingredient (and it ain't about the chili). And while Bobby provides him with the answer to perfect the dish, Buck's still none the wiser about what the secret ingredient is to bring his life to perfection.

Am I going to make a stupid joke about chocolate brown eyes factoring into this? No? Good that we all agree that this would be very embarrassing. But still, Eddie totally is the cocoa in that recipe, is all I'm saying.

Also also also, eternally interesting that we have Bobby struggling to move forward after his sponsor's death. And my guessing is that Buck's future now being on the line might just be the right catalyst to break him out of that vicious cycle. Like, him not giving up on figuring out what happened to his friend is good and right (and May's on the right track with it all... even though I am not a fan of civilian investigator doing this because they somehow can for reasons of their parents being in the profession... not a fan of those story lines, even though I love both May and Athena here).

But. There is a level of "obsession" to sticking to the past with Bobby, instead of looking for ways to move forward again. And Buck's accident as well as the recovery might serve just that purpose. To make Bobby see that he has new things to hold on to, a future to live towards. Because he's needed. Like, earlier on in the season, Bobby's been thinking about how the house is empty with the kids out (and he instantly adopted a dog because that guy is just dad shaped). To me, it felt like Bobby's been a bit lost well before things went down with his sponsor.

What's interesting to me is that this is something he shares in with Buck, even though they have very different ways of going about it.

Buck's basically on the opposite trajectory (leaving out the Daniel remark for the moment). Buck is not too invested in looking into the past, he's obsessed with the future (anyone thinking about those software updates again?). He is very much focused on looking ahead (helping to create a life that will reach further into the future, trying to find happiness that lies in the future, etc.).

Also, I will just say. Bobby dares to say "son" instead of "kid" at some point of this arc, I will lose it. Absolutely fuckin' lose it. And I will also totally lose any remaining shit I've got left in me if we see that guy praying for Buck. I cannot. I just cannot.

Buck noticing the small things but losing the big picture out of sight

Gotta say, I loved how they've built up the tension, and I felt like it reflected a lot in Buck noticing "small" things, until the big thing hit him in a flash. Buck saw the gasoline and stopped with the saw before sparks could fly. Crisis averted. He notices that the chili is missing a key ingredient. He is aware (has no real illusions) about how his parents may have just wanted to win an argument and how they do not approve of his life choices. He kept tabs on who went up the ladder truck when, which is why he knows it's his turn now. He notices something's off about the sounds in the sky. And then, hit in a flash.

In a way, I find that somewhat reflective of what we've seen with Buck thus far. Sure, he's made some truly life-changing decisions (hence big pictures). But in his quest for "true happiness" he's been all over the place.

He took inventory, got that armchair instead of a damned couch (obsessed about said couch to a very confused Bobby). Started with those self-help books. He hears about how Lucy may have been interim captain, which has him wonder about the big picture of where he fits in the firehouse in the future. The donor vs. dad thing - and how "the small deed" of filling a cup contributes to the big picture for someone else. Lev and him talking about what's potentially in store for him and Buck thinks the big milestones (wife, kids, house, you name it) are still on the horizon for him. But that's really just the details.

So my guessing is that they may want to hit the point home that Buck looks at the whole of it. To figure out what his true happiness is (and that he already has most of it, maybe just need that one co-worker to smooch him for good).

Parenthood

I felt like it was a very interesting choice that parenthood (and to a larger degree fatherhood, I felt) was at the forefront in an episode that ended on this... high note. Especially since one infamous father and certified DILF was not at all that present for that convo.

Like, I found it very deliberate that Eddie didn't factor into the fatherhood storyline as he normally would have. Because that is what we normally have when Buck's supposed to relate to his own position towards fatherhood, tangling things up with Eddie and Christopher (which, you know, Buddie).

Part of it, going by the stills, will be that they save it up for next week's episode (so I may never stop crying in my entire life over Christopher being at Buck's bedside). But I find it very interesting that they "removed" Christopher and Eddie as filters for Buck to reflect fatherhood through. And now we may very well get Eddie having to reflect on it without the Buck filter. Which is to say: He has to think about what it'd be like to be a father to Christopher without Buck in the picture. Which is interesting. To say the least. And potentially very, very gay. In the best possible way. Anywho.

Then we had other (grand-) father figures (Philip and Chim's father). I'm still pretty blank on what they wanna do with Chim and his father, to be honest. Also, Albert's way of acting keeps striking me as though there's more to it. I'm not yet sure what it is, but we'll have to see. I found it wonderful to have Hen tell Chimney that he should use his chance to say what he has to say (and reach some kind of conclusion that she's never gotten). After his father deprived him of the chance for all those years. And I do hope it offers him healing. But yeah, I'd have to sit on that a while longer.

So on to Philip... still somewhat a mystery to me, that dude. Like, was he really invested in "defending" his son, or was he - as Buck noted - maybe just not willing to let Chim's father have the last word on it? I am honestly unsure. I felt like him and Margaret were making an effort (as Chim noted, only on their best behavior). But I'm not entirely sure if that's coming from a genuine place of wanting to mend things with their kids. Or if they are much more focused on having that relationship with Jee as grandparents (you know, fresh starts and all). Like, as sweet as it was to see Margaret goof around with Jee (and what may come to highlight how far she's come along with her therapy)... it might also be rather bitter in the end. That she can be like this to her grandchild - but not to her own children.

What both fathers share in, to me at least, is how vastly different they are from Bobby as a father figure for Buck (and how inferior, really). Bobby's offering of advice and support comes from a genuine place, it always did. He helps Buck grow, and he's not really concerned to win an argument or to appear as the "better dad" or whatever. Even though he is. Dad shaped man, oh you. Like, it's not about appearances for him. But I feel like for Buck's actual parents, to a degree, it still is. Maybe they'll overcome that, but... I'm not sure.

Speaking of, the Buckley parents. Christ almighty, why does Margaret have to be so cringe sometimes? I guess this proved where Buck got this from at long last, because yeah, that's his mom right there. But. Oh. My. God. Why. Are. You. Like. This???

She really strikes me as the kind of mom that would've made everyone uncomfortable at any kind of school thing (and kudos to the actress for portraying it so well). She's so uptight and weird about it. But she's also nosy, while struggling so hard to let anyone see what cards she's got in her hand. Like, ugh. I can't with those kinds of people.

Her first impulse being that Buck would have a photo of Maddie's sonogram on his phone was both cringe and also so... devastating in a way? Like, great set-up for Buck's character arc here, but... that her first thought's not "oh, my son might be a father!" but that it's "oh, my daughter is gonna be a mom again, and he is also there to be an uncle again!" ... It is very telling, I believe.

Because Margaret and Philip didn't really compute Buck as that kind of person. And I do believe it was a deliberate contrast, after we opened the episode with Buck being great with the kids by the beach. Like, we as the audience know how great Buck is with kids, but for his parents, that's a total mystery.

Which is the absolute antithesis to Eddie telling Buck that he's Christopher's legal guardian. Eddie saw all this time that Buck's dad shaped, too. To the Buckley parents, he's still... anything but that. Margaret literally says to him that he's a "miracle baby", hence not really recognizing him as a rational, capable adult on his quest towards his own sense of fatherhood (son, not father). They still see him more as the troublemaker not ready to settle, it feels like.

Also, "miracle baby". Margaret. Why (yes, I know, for narrative purposes, but OMFG, lady, what the flying fuck's wrong with you???). The Buckley parents continue to push this idea of Buck being a miracle for as long as he provides services to others (either by saving or creating lives). They still have seemingly not grasped how important it is for them to recognize Buck's inherent value as a person and not just as a miracle that keeps on giving.

Also, the wording is just so... cringe. No, he's not a miracle baby. He never was. He was conceived to perform the miracle they could not, with the expectation of being the miracle bringer (and that he later on believed he disappointed said miracle by not being able to save Daniel). Like, Margaret, that's not a miracle baby. That's still a savior sibling you wanted to produce. Even if you put the miracle label on top, that changes nothing about the circumstance.

And if the writers want for them to learn that lesson... it certainly is the right place and time to teach them that. And if not... it will show what stuff they're actually made of, I guess. We'll have to see. As I said in a previous post, I don't know where they want to take the Buckley parents (more towards "redemption" or as the ultimate reminder of the reality that some people won't change out of their ways and that there are those relationships beyond repair).

On a quick side note: Gotta love the parenthood storyline with Hen and Denny. And the detail of her picking up baseball with Eddie when Denny started with it. Oh, I love her. I'll be interested to see how all of that plays out. I just feel like more trouble's ahead.

But. Back to Lightning McQueen I mean Evan (won't ever get over Oliver's facial journey there) I mean Buck and the parenthood issue. Like, I do believe that if we get an alternate scenario (that may very well answer the question what life would be like for him if he had indeed been the miracle baby to save Daniel), Buck will be brought to the realization that the big picture is already in place. With Eddie and Christopher and the 118 and Maddie.

Like, I can very well see them giving him "everything" of the things he told Lev were still on the horizon for him. Only to be dissatisfied, or desperately trying to get back to his reality. Because this is where he belongs. Those are the people he belongs with. And he doesn't need to hold on to a "dream" of being more than the donor in Connor's and Kameron's life to find fulfillment as a person, as a father. Because he's that to Christopher already, a co-parent. And I do believe they might hit that point home for him at long last. And it'd be epic.

In a Flash

I guess I don't have much to add. Everyone's basically expressed my views on it already. The tragic beauty of the red string connecting Buck and Eddie, both getting hit by the same bolt of lightning. Eddie crying out for Buck. Eddie coming to Buck's rescue, his own safety be damned. The Pieta-esque shot when Buck's being lowered to the ground. Eddie doing the whole "move, I'm gay" to get to Buck. Time standing still, only to jump forward after it all happened. The ending of the helmet on the ground... *chef's kiss*

You already are a family

That one struck me a bit. Because Eddie noting that to Buck is great foreshadowing, for one thing. But it might also prove to be the narrative reversal I'd so desperately crave. That Eddie says to Buck "We're already a family." That Buck is part of his family. And that Buck comes to the realization that he is already part of that family and doesn't need to be part of a dream family (his own that never was), or the one Kameron and Connor are building. That he wraps up his inventory and knows that what he wants is what he got - if only he gets to fully embrace his role as father figure to Christopher and certified DILF for Eddie.

Buck and Eddie (duh)

Did you think I'd end this post without obsessing a bit longer about Buddie specifically??? Yeah, no. I'm still not over all the angsty goodness we were given. I'm still at the edge of my seat over what's going on with Eddie (and Christopher) next episode. Will Eddie revert to his old ways and try to be stoic about it to keep face in front of Christopher? Will he break down in the face of the danger of losing yet another partner? Will he pull a Buck and get back into dating to cover up his feelings? Will Eddie's voice bring Buck back? Will it be Christopher's? Will Eddie take Buck's hand and beg him to stay with him? I don't know. All of it would be so epic. And I still can't wrap my head around all of those wonderfully awful options.

Like, there's great potential for Buck to reach some epiphanies, but they are just as well in store for Eddie here. Not only will he be confronted with the reality that he may have to raise Christopher without Buck's presence. But he will also have to reflect hard on why he made the choice to name that man Christopher's legal guardian. Because he could've died up on that ladder all the same, and then Christopher would've been "alone". Like, Eddie will have to think hard about that one. And he'll have to think even harder about why Buck is that person for him. What it means to him personally that he gave Buck that role in not just Christopher's but also in his life.

Plus, we may finally, finally, finally get them to talk about their shared traumas of either having witnessed the other nearly die... or nearly dying. Like, this is a gun that's been hanging on the wall for quite some time now. Time to fire it, right? *pew pew* Because they got very comfortable letting their talks run through the Christopher filter. They do things in Christopher's best interest. But what they still have to do is to talk honestly to each other about this. And that may open the door to something else. And that something else is very, very gay.

So yeah. I'm... not really coherent at this point. This episode was too much. And i may have to sit on that a while longer. Until then: Happy return of the weewoos and the ouchies, peeps!

Cheers!

[junepsycho]

do i kill myself to move forward? is the death of my past self the only way to live and move on? i don't want to. i don't want to do anything. i want to be a rock. i want to exist without any consequences. let me be a grain of sand. i hate it. i hate it all. i hate the ugliness and the beauty. i hate the things and the people. all of it. why do I have to love if it's gonna hurt? why do I have to speak if I'm gonna be shut up? i hate everything. living is just pure pain. all kinds of it. physical hurt, emotional pain, headaches, stomachaches, heartaches. every moment of bliss is just that. a moment. then it's gone. never to be seen again. let me die a painless death. let the world be rid of pessimistic ol' me and progress ahead. fuck everything and everyone. it all sucks. fuck me too. the world is shit. i am the world. fuck you too. fuck our feelings. they don't mean shit. nothing makes sense. one man. one fucking man. he's gone and it ruins the lives of so many. i wish i had no connection to anyone. when i die, i die nameless, in peace. no one mourns for me. no one sheds tears over a stupid boy. one man is all it took for me to turn like this. do i write both sides of the story?

his death gave birth to the most contradicting boy ever seen. he hated everything and everyone on the inside, but always helped when someone needed a hand. so kind, so fragile, so raw. he takes words as they come and nothing more. he gets hurt so so so easily. his heart aches for every little thing. imagine loving someone with that aching heart. he grew up around women and girls, but the world expected him to be a man. the only other man in his life didn't like him. hurt people hurt people. he had so much potential, dare i say he still has it. he gives up easily. very easily. his self-worth, confidence, esteem, all of it, thrown out of the window when he was 6. always second place. always the loser. conditioned himself to think nothing was meant for him. god had forsaken him since his birth. cruel cruel god who gives a baby such a shitty mindset. i wanna die. get it over with. no i don't. there's so much i haven't seen yet. he's lazy. always procrastinating. i don't know anymore. words blah blah blah blah blah. mr complains-a-lot whose life isn't bad at all rn, but it used to be and in some strange way, he conditioned himself into thinking a bad life is all he deserves. whose gonna read all of this lol? no way you're actually reading a sad boy trash post on Tumblr. right? other than her, no one else would be able to find this long post.

her. ughh. life was so fucking ughhh and tears and loneliness before she came in. then she comes in with her stupid smile and her stupid eyes and her stupid kind words and her stupid lovely fingers and her stupid personality. out of nowhere btw. when you first waved at me, i thought your blue hair was stupid. funny how your hair's the most beautiful thing i can think of now. you came into my life a sports car. i never realised when you ran me over with your words. i became your friend because you were a girl, and girls were always kinder friends to me then guys. you pushed your way into my life. i didn't realise until later that i was pulling you in too. it's all a hazy memory. when i think of you, i think of your fingers in mine, on that park bench, in february. i was never obsessed with you from the start. it grew over time. like a forest. genuinely, you get prettier day by day. she's my saving grace. the only reason i haven't ruined my life yet. the reason i keep trying and trying and trying to be better. i change myself so much. yet I'm still too flawed to be deserving of her love. when i look at myself, all i see is a broken boy. what does she see? all my ugly emotions, what does she think about them? she isn't mine. i have to get that through my head first. she's not yours. she belongs to her family, her friends, her oh so close friends, to her books and her music and her interests, to herself, and not to you. you're just a resting place she can come to anytime she wants. you're a refreshing sip of water in her marathon. nothing more. and it'll end. whatever little part of her that you think is yours will go too. either by death or by choice. all you have is me. june.

time waits for no one. we'll be the tides of the ocean and the tree roots in no time. just a few hundred million years. I'll get to be nothing. a rock. Stardust.

i will start learning classical piano. to forgive myself. for my death and my rebirth. to realise that the first paragraph is just thoughts in my head. they don't mean nothing. that i can be better. be better. better. be better be better be better be better be better better be better betty bought a bit of butter but the butter was bitter so betty bought some better butter to make the bitter butter better. be fucking better moon.

[westofwonder]

Pull List (09/06/2023)

Birds of Prey #1 Blue Beetle #1 Fantastic Four #11 Fire & Ice: Welcome to Smallville #1 Ghost Rider/Wolverine: Weapons of Vengeance Omega #1 Immortal X-Men #15 Justice Society of America #6 Moon Knight #27 Poison Ivy #14 Shazam #3 Steelworks #4

Birds of Prey - I am excited to see a Birds of Prey ongoing even if it has to deal with the Harley Quinn of it all. Not too enthused she's here, but nobody said this team is permanent; I mean it's a given on how comics are made now but still - doesn't mean permanent. And I thought Zealot originally was going to be a hard sell. I do think Romero is what is going to sell this book, too. And I do think Thompson can deliver, but still a bit anxious on how "funny" characters are gonna come off as being. And if that's my only worry, I think we are in good hands. Full steam ahead!

Blue Beetle - Glance through the issue and I am liking what I am seeing. Jaime being in college makes me feel so old. I liked the movie and I want Blue Beetle things to succeed and be good. I am on board.

Fantastic Four - Need to catch up, but most of it seems solid. When I read multiple issues in the future in one sitting it isn't going to aggravate me like the Sl*tt run

Fire & Ice - I saw someone say something derisive about this comic, but that'll be hard to say until I read it. Gave me a conniption, too. I have little knowledge about these characters other than frequent background appearances and they were on JLI. JLI: a run I think get's overhyped. I can change my mind though. I mean - this run is called Welcome to Smallville - it's not going to break the bank. DC is doing this miniseries to see if there is any interest in characters like Fire & Ice. If it's good - that great. If it's not good - it'll be remembered sparingly. I'm hoping for good.

Ghost Rider/Wolverine - This event did exactly what it needed to do. I would buy and read it again.

Immortal X-Men - SELENE! Like FF, I need to catch up.

JSA - I was listening to a podcast talking about last issue, and certain things were brought up about characterization and plots. I think Johns is just wasting our time, and that's not him just trying to introduce a new (Prime Earth) Helena Wayne. If I remember to, I'll make a separate post about it. I'm always mellow on this series and I don't look forward to it like I want to. I am putting more into trying to like it than I should.

Moon Knight - That cover is so generic and I never comment on how covers are. Ramping up to be the end soon, wonder that'll mean.

Poison Ivy - Skimmed through, thought the Bloom guy was going to be in it. Glad Takara is still sticking around on interiors - gives this book a consistent look.

Shazam - I completely forgot I read issue number two because that was two months ago. Like what's happening here so far. Sanchez on colors is a nice difference from what Bonvillain is doing on World's Finest. They're both good and add to Mora's art. Thumbs up.

Steelworks - Glad Steel and family got the focus. I hope DC keeps pushing him and giving him a spotlight.

Had more to say this week - thought about more than I usually do. I do have more to say about JSA, but then nothing really at all. Would be nice if it was about the JSA and not a way for Johns to introduce a new Huntress. I said this above, but this needs repeating. The dude took forever in a twelve-issue maxiseries.

If I see Detective Chimp I'm going to yell!

Happy readings!

[rmhashauthor]

hello hello! how is your latest writing WIP coming along? Are there any particular scenes you're really looking forward to writing? Any characters you've fallen in love with more than you anticipated? (this is a friendly excuse to talk about your story and characters!)

Oh boy... You've opened the floodgates, my friend.

The Dragon Prince's Consort is going well, I'm several chapters ahead of the posting schedule but I am having to acknowledge the fact that I've been on a little bit of a dry spell because of starting a new job. It's one of those that needs a lot of brainpower in the beginning because I'm still training, and I'm the kind of person who stresses out if things aren't just *PERFECT* so the period between "I'm new so no one expects me to know anything yet" and "I've been here long enough to know what I'm doing" is my least-favorite part of starting a new job. Some days I come home with half a brain cell and just enough energy left to eat a handful of shredded cheese and go to sleep. Damn you, capitalism! Let me write!!

But enough of that.

At the moment TDPC is hovering just under 160 reads on Wattpad, which is fine because a lot of people who follow me wait until I'm done writing to binge. STARFISH was like that, once I let everyone know it was DONE done I started getting weekend warriors who would mainline the whole thing in a couple of days and flood my inbox with screaming emojis. Someone is doing that right now and it's always a delight.

Anyway, TDPC is all plotted out and has been for a while now, so the task is to finish writing the damn thing. And like most ADHD people I already have another story lined up that I'm working on an outline for and may or may not have started drafting the first chapter 😉 I like to take little breaks from one story and work on something else to keep things fresh and interesting, otherwise it's like eating pizza for breakfast, lunch and dinner - pizza is great, I love pizza, but by Day 2 I'll gnaw off my own legs for a salad or some soup.

This new one I'm excited about because I've never written a true Villain before. Well, he's not really a villain, per se, more like a "fuck you, fuck your rules, I do what I want" type of guy. I figured if I've written two stories with cinnamon-roll male leads it's time for someone who's more a walking middle finger to society and laws in general. While he's not a mass-murderer or anything, this guy definitely has blood on his hands and isn't the easiest to live with, as the heroine will find out once she's conscious again. I figure most people love a Bad Boy who is a Good Man, so I'm going to see what I can do with that.

Now for his foil, boy is SHE a mess. Look, someone is going to take one look at this sorry thing and yell BOO MARY SUE but frankly I don't care. There's a point to making her such a sad sack and it won't become clear until her bastardization arc kicks in. Plus, I figure if she has a history of making terrible decisions when it comes to men then having her do a little more of the same is in-character for her. Except maybe this time it's different because she's trying NOT to be such a good girl, maybe this time she won't be so naive and her newfound cynicism might prove useful.

The whole story has a Heavy Metal (of which I am a MASSIVE fan) vibe to it, it's a lot grittier than my last two and that's on purpose. I've been listening to a lot of psychedelic doom metal (more than usual) to get my head in the right space for it, which has been interesting. It's not going to be a pretty story, full of flowers and sparkles and happy, because at this point in the universe in my head all the shiny has worn off the concept of First Contact and now we have to deal with the realities of life in space among half a dozen other species, all with their own goals, fears and issues. I've decided to leave my comfort zone of writing cute stories about sweet people and instead do something that I think a lot of people are going to see as dark and even problematic - some themes are not going to be easy to digest, even for someone like me who's lived a relatively easy life, but I hope that I can do some justice to it by 1, talking about it and thus making it less taboo, and 2, doing what I usually do which is make the plot as important as the sexy bits.

However, I do have some hard rules I DON'T break while writing, and there are a few things I will NOT use as plot devices or tropes - I don't write about SA, I won't write an abusive relationship, and I don't do age gaps where one person is underage. I may go right up to the line and stare at it, but not only am I not comfortable writing those I don't want to drive readers off. I'm grey about "trigger warnings" in that I think people should be prepared to run into things that may upset them in fiction, film and art because that's the whole point, but I also believe in self-censorship and letting people decide for themselves to put down something I or another creator has made. It's only fair to give readers an out when things get too hairy, I've put down a LOT of books because the author decided that dubcon was okay when it wasn't, or because their male MC was just an insufferable ass with Alpha Male syndrome (yuck). Hell, I've lost interest in entire SERIES because I've seen tropes get subverted and then the author goes back on the old trope, completely derailing and destroying what could have been a WONDERFUL twist because they didn't commit to getting weird with it. Like my late father always said, "If you're gonna be a bear, be a Grizzly." At the very least, be a Grizzly in a funny hat.

Scenes I'm really looking forward to include Captain PTSD's "aren't you tired of being good?" speech, Miss Sad Sack discovering his "Daddy Mode" and being UNCOMFORTABLY turned on by it, a recurring bit where she has to sit in his lap for business reasons and it is excruciatingly embarrassing how much she comes to like it, an incident where wounds are literally licked in super-inappropriate places, a plethora of R-rated one-liners, and a frankly STUPID amount of sexual tension between two idiots who know EXACTLY what needs to happen, but pride, stubbornness and personal convictions keep it from happening (just... SO MUCH TENSION). A lot of really bad decisions will be made and people are gonna get hurt, but I'm hoping by the end what looks like the beginning of a Very Bad Situation will turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to both of them. I'm also looking forward to playing with more Daddy-dom scenarios that AREN'T borderline abusive, the concept of "you cannot legislate morality", a new alien species with some WEIRD behavioral quirks, and ☆*KNOTTING*☆ Yaaaay!

If you're gonna be a bear, be a Space-Grizzly with a wizard hat and a tricycle made of napalm and glitter.

[spectralsleuth]

MORNING REBLOG. Also, in the comments of the new chapter @thedawningofthehour had a bunch of questions so I thought I'd put my reply here!! Because maybe some of you other people will ALSO be interested- I DON'T KNOW!! Spoilers for the chapter but no spoilers for the fic itself going forward.

(Faikishi if you don't want me to post this I'll go ahead and take it down, but it was all such good questions I decided to put the comment on my fridge.)

I had ONE FEAR and it was Faikishi with their insanely good world building asking me questions LMAO I was like please no one look too close at my world building please please please- (I mean that in a good way I live for your comments lol)

EXCUSE THE LORE DUMP I don't think any of this is necessarily spoilery- it's just stuff I've tried to imply within the story, but left vague on purpose because- I don't know why honestly. I guess because the characters might not know everything or think of it?

>I am just curious, I know the reason you don't give the Hamato fam a lot of 'rich people stuff' is probably because it's just funnier the other way, (and because Lou doesn't want his kids to grow up spoiled rich kids) but I feel like he'd have a car and/or paid driver. I mean, it's a security concern too, he's Lou Jitsu. Crazy fans and whatnot, people kidnapping a rich guy for ransom. (which would be hilarious because not least of all he could kill a man with a single one of his gelled-up hairs, but if they called home to make their demands instead of directly to Sal-well, if the Jitsu didn't kill them, the Donnie would) I mean, they could just be trying to keep a low profile here. I feel like the cabbie couldn't have known this was Lou Jitsu he was threatening. They do use a private diver/car sometimes! I feel like Yoshi mainly uses the car and driver for work, but the family as a whole mainly uses the subway or taxis or bus because that's the 'New York' thing to do. (Also I've been visiting NYC a lot recently and the idea of driving there is unimaginable to me. I will never do it, and the subway is WAY faster and easier besides.) I'm basing Yoshi's income based off of Bruce Lee's income, which I figure would be a similar paygrade arc if we're taking the silly cartoon show seriously when it hypes up Lou Jitsu. so, man is a MULTI MILLIONAIRE before he disappeared, and he only made more while he was gone. (Because people love a mystery.) But (and here's where I may be drifting outside my lane) he is also a first generation Japanese immigrant who didn't have family support when he first got here so I imagine he was pretty broke, and his Grandpa always struck me as the type of strict guy who doesn't like waste. So while Yoshi is someone who will throw money at a problem to make it go away rather than deal with it, he also sometimes doesn't think to do it, and will yell about the AC and also not throw anything away until it's falling apart. IDK if that makes sense lol, Xander is super fucking cheap and Yoshi approves because Xander will just sit and clip coupons with the kids before going grocery shopping.

>Okay, that character design fucks. I love that. Justice is blind and so is fucking Medusa. I just wanted to give Sal a sexy archnemesis I am a simple writer with simple needs. He gets a hot bunny paralegal and a seven foot tall Council retainer who hates his guts. (For yokai that's actually romance, but Sal doesn't know it yet lol.)

>Oh, well that's interesting. I guess Draxum couldn't have exactly kept his creations secret in this universe, huh?

I have a weird idea of nobility and how it works in the Hidden City because like- BARON Draxum?? That kind of IMPLIES A LOT?? I MEAN you know you're writing fucking. DAWN OF THE HOUR. The implications. Baron Draxum is "at large" but the Council of Heads is not exactly working as hard as they could to get him, because the political mess it would cause is almost not worth the trouble. But an easy target is the human who doesn't have any political identity in the Hidden City besides "famous", and who has custody of the neat little science projects that you were going to be confiscating anyway. (Meme voice: It's free super weapons.) The Hidden City is 'aware' of mutants because they have agents and spies (I'm assuming Mayhem isn't the only one), but they're calling the turtles here yokai for two reasons. ONE it's easier to win a custody fight without all the legal tape if you just call them normal kids, and TWO they don't really want word of mutants getting out quite yet. Some crazy fucking guy in a castle on a hill is basically recreating the yokai CREATION event, they're trying to keep it quiet for now. Even Euryale isn't aware of all the nuances, she'd kind of working with a disadvantage here, but she's got enthusiasm because. Conflict of interest. The Hidden City is actually aware of the turtles in this universe, because how could they not be. There's still yokai above ground (I'm going to cover this later because I had to do a lot of research about CLEM the goat guy in a few of the episodes) so word would eventually spread even down there. And Yoshi has done PHOTOSHOOTS with the kids, their trip to the zoo was in the social column of the NYT.

>?? I feel like? Conflict of interest? Conflict of interest doesn't exist! The court process in the Hidden City is HORRIFYING but also INSANELY SILLY. (Just like ROTTMNT lol.) There's rules but also there's NO RULES. It's why Sal is going to have a heart attack, and why he has Mariko in the first place. She's actually studied human law so she knows what the differences are.

>To be fair, I can see Big Mama getting all the correct paperwork for this. I mean, why not? It would be trivial for her to accomplish. If she does have the correct paperwork she definitely did not present it for this trial because she lowkey is trying to make things harder for Yoshi, but. SLIGHT spoiler? Sal is not referring to "Law" as we know it, but different law which is part of his argument. I had to struggle SO HARD with this fic precisely BECAUSE I had to come up with both sides and I can only hope I did- well not even a good job, but a LEGIBLE job lmao.

>I'd wonder if Lou and Sal have contingency plans in case this doesn't work out They do! It's called "Lou get me the fuck out of here Lou get me the fuck out of here Lou get me-" and Yoshi trying to kill everyone in the room lmaooo. Literally every time I try to figure out what Yoshi would think I remember him going to rescue the kids in the season 1 finale, and looking at April ( A SIXTEEN YEAR OLD GIRL) and saying, 'Alright, new plan. We each defeat 300 Foot ninja.' And then April NODDING AND AGREEING like mmm. Yes, of course. They are BOTH THE SAME KIND OF STUPID I love him so much. I think he's terrible at planning he just brute forces everything.

And like- he CAN brute force everything? He's in his sixties in the show and hasn't worked out for decades and still cracks concrete with Draxum's HEAD. He ripped a hydra apart barehanded in the Nexus flashback. He's a FREAK OF NATURE no wonder Draxum sucked his DNA for superweapons. I have this whole complicated headcanon lore reason why the Hamato are like this, but I don't know when and IF I'm going to be able to include it.

I'm super grateful for the comments honestly because I'm dying to talk about this shit.

NEW CHAPTER RIGHT UNDER THE WIRE FOR THE ANNIVERSARY! I did it...

Guys, I can't think you enough for what a great year this has been and I can't wait to start showing you guys what I've been working on in this upcoming new year. All the comments and community and fun crossovers with friends have really made my year, and I'm so happy I started writing a stupid little turtle fanfic that people actually enjoyed. I expected maybe 100 kudos if I was lucky, and a couple little comments;

But my expectations were absolutely blown out of the water by you guys commenting, and drawing fanart, and just- playing with me in this silly little turtle space.

So thanks for a great year!

[charthanry]

BBS: Deconstructing the Entire Series (Part 2 of 13)

Welcome to my deep dive into each episode where I break down character motives, P’Aof’s delivery, and general musings of all things BBS. Basically, a scene-by-scene recap with commentary from me, your friendly neighborhood commentator. If you missed the previous installment of breaking down episode one, you can check it out here.

Recapping the recap: We left off EP1 with the reveal that Pat and Pran are dorm room neighbors only they don’t know it yet. Pran is quietly owning his feelings for Pat by wearing the watch Pat returned to him as kids. The two friend groups are annoyingly aggressive for no apparent reason other than it’s something to do? PatPran are tasked with keeping them in line and by doing so, have a built-in excuse and access to each other.

Episode Two: Mr. Dumpling, Mistaken Identities, and Dumbass Friends (or AKA Pran asks himself “How is this my life?”)

Mr. Dumpling, also known as the boy across the hall. 

We begin with two very different perspectives of the boys’ morning routines. Pran the ever pragmatic rises with the sun, spends time meticulously primping and practicing his come hither look in front of the mirror. He even takes the time to prepare a nutritious breakfast, where his toast must line up just so, all while listening to classical music. This is Mr. Type A with all his adorable neuroses on display and we love it, and him.

Across the hall his antithesis, Pat, snoozes away multiple times (Pat, you’re my spirit animal, those last dredges of snoozing are the best sleep ever). This lays the foundation, in case we didn’t already know, that these two are total opposites. Pat finally crawls out of bed at the very last minute and quickly pulls on the nearest items of clothing, yet still manages to look put together. We hate him. He does so while jamming to alt-rock tunes. Again, total opposites. We’re picking up what you’re laying down, show.

What’s even more hilarious is that although Pran wakes up over an hour earlier than Pat, he still somehow manages to leave his room after Pat does. Ah, Pat you lead such a charmed life. And it’s about to get even more charming. 

If you must encroach on my personal space, could you at least wash your hands first?

Pat and his cronies are headed towards the new curry restaurant for lunch when Pat considerately sends Pran a text to inform him of his whereabouts. A surprised Pran texts back that he and his friends already have dibs and sends Pat a photo of his half-eaten meal. Thinking quickly, Pat maneuvers his crew to a noodle shop instead. We’re then shown a fun montage of all the times Pat and Pran ran interference so their friends wouldn’t bump into each other. The most hilarious one being in the restroom where upon exiting a stall, Pran is shoved back inside by Pat who covers his mouth with his hand (this time not so HOT) as he hides Pran from his boys. This shows us that Pat and Pran are in sync and in total collusion with each other to keep their two groups apart. 

But we all know what they say about the best laid plans. The two gangs run into each other anyway; at the bus stop where taunting ensues. And we're all thinking calm your asses down, it is not that serious. Before things can escalate further, Pran and his sexy brain concocts a story of how their senior faculty members built the bus stop together and declared it as the pavilion of peace. Pat picks up on Pran’s intent and backs his story. Their idiot friends fall for it and everyone slinks away to their respective corners. Pat sidles next to Pran and asks if the story is true, Pran nods at the CCTV camera above them and Pat puts two and two together. Again, they’re totally in sync. 

My notification tune for you is set to: Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On 

The scene changes to Pran in his room working on his song (we all know what this song will eventually be!) when there’s a knock at his door. He’s got dinner delivered. As he sits down to eat, he gets a text from Pat asking if he’s in for the night and we’re treated to the most adorable text exchange. Pran asking Pat why he needs to know, are they boyfriends? (Squeeee! Nobody ever try to convince me that Pran is shy. It just isn’t true.) Pat responds with he’s never had to report his whereabouts to someone 24/7 like this and the only thing left for them to do is share a bed so that they can keep tabs on each other at all times. Pran responds with a puke emoji, but we know that it’s all deflection.

Pran proceeds to take a bite out of a humongous piece of fried chicken, and makes it look so delicious that we’re all drooling. He then finds a salad in the bag and thinks it came with the meal even though he didn’t specifically order it. After he’s done eating, he gets a call from the food delivery guy (cameo’d by BBS casting director!) saying he mixed up his delivery with his neighbor’s from across the hall. Because Pran is a considerate soul, he grabs three oishi green tea bottles and goes over to apologize. And the entire fandom collectively holds our breath thinking this is the moment they finally realize they’re neighbors! But his knock goes unanswered, and he instead leaves the bag at the door with a note.

Sorry :( I ate your salad. These drinks are my apology. 

But also, a guy who takes care of his cuticles? I want no more disparagement of Pat being dirty (unless it’s in the bedroom).

After Pran goes back to his room, Pat finally comes to the door and finds the bag of drinks as well as the note. He sees the precise and neat handwriting and assumes it’s from a girl. Inside we see that he has Pa over as he shows off to her that the receipt is folded into an origami crane. He imagines his female neighbor to be a health junkie and decides she’s flirting with him and he’s going to reciprocate. 

The next day Pran finds boxed dumplings hanging on his door with a “thank you” note attached. Pran works out that it’s from his neighbor and doesn’t know what to make of it.

It’s lunch time and we see that Pran and his mates are at the curry restaurant again (are there no other restaurants for them to eat at??) and the group is teasing Pran about his secret admirer. They work out that it’s a dude based on the pronoun used in the thank you note. They tease Pran mercilessly and ask if he already likes HIM and the face Pran makes is ADORBS as he looks out the window towards a group of guys.

Apparently, Pran has a built-in homing beacon linked to Pat because we see that Pat is sitting outside that same restaurant with his crew. And the timing of the screen switching to Pat when Pran’s friends ask if he likes HIM (the neighbor) is just too well done. Show, we’re onto you. Also, F*CK ME does Pat look GOOD here. We don’t blame you, Pran, we’d stare too.

Pat, can you just not with all of THIS. I actually need to be productive today, I can’t just sit here and stare at all that you’re exuding. Also the sun is still out, have you no mercy for the general population?

Pran comes back to his dorm and finds a box of desserts hanging on his door with yet another note. This time saying: “don’t forget to have desserts after your meal” there’s also a second message on the back that stuns him. He doesn’t know what to do and Nanon plays the cute, confused look so adorably here. Aw, kitten, have you never been hit on before?

Later when Pran shows his friends the note, we learn that neighbor guy has invited Pran to come up to the roof to admire the moon with him that night. After some teasing, his friends convince Pran that he should go even if to let the guy down gently. It’s the polite thing to do, pfft. Okay, apparently Pran’s friends are all Casanovas in the art of wooing? The show is really asking us to suspend our disbelief here and I’m just not buying what they’re selling. In fact, I’m demanding they refund my ticket for admission.

The rooftop. The site of so much HAPPENINGS. If they only knew.

That night we see Pran go up to the roof and who should be standing there waiting?? None other than rival frenemy, Pat. Boys, boys, welcome to YOUR ROOF. Lots of things will happen here, get yourselves ready for them.

They learn that they both live in the same dorm but still haven’t figured out their case of mistaken identities. Pran asks if anyone else came to the roof besides Pat and is told he’s been there alone the entire time. A girl walks outside and Pat thinking that she’s his mystery neighbor approaches her commenting on the lovely moon (pfft). Pran overhears and smart boy that he is, puts the pieces together. He’s about to run away but hears Wai’s words in his head about making things clear to the other person and decides to tell Pat that the person he’s been waiting for has already shown up. And it’s him. Awww. This totally counts as their first date, right? I mean, Pat is dressed the part. He brought snacks. And their activity is moon viewing. I don’t care, I’m counting it.

Go back and rewatch Pran’s body language as he asks Pat this question. He’s fidgety, doesn’t know where to put his hands, and can’t make eye contact. Adorable. I almost want Pat to look him straight in the eyes and say: yes, I do, very much so, what do you say to that, Mr. Parakul? Just to see Pran’s flustered reaction. Pran, are you prepared for Pat’s answer? You know he’s capable of volleying back whatever you’re serving, so why are you setting yourself up like this? But also, YASSS Pran, go after eeeet.

You take back these words right now, mister.

Finding out his mystery crush is Pran puts Pat in a mood, so he rallies his friends to drink away his sorrows. Only they wind up at the very bar where Wai waits tables, because of course they do. Korn and the gang decide to mess with Wai to cheer Pat up (what kind of ass backwards logic is this??) and proceeds to do that very thing. It’s both cruel and cringy. Pat waves them off as though to wash his hands of the whole thing, but still laughs at their antics. The entire fandom shakes our head in disappointment, Pat. You’re better than this.

I side-eye Pat so hard here. As much as Wai may be deserving, you simply do not show up at someone’s place of employment and pull this kind of stunt. Just no. (And for the record, this is less in defense of Wai because I would NEVER defend that weasel, but more an admonishment of Pat.) And to make matters worse, one of them records the entire thing on their phone. Oooh, this is so gonna come back to bite you, Pat. Hell hath no fury than a pissed off Pran.

The next day, Pran’s friends are hanging out at his place where Wai is lamenting his frustrations about the night before. Pran consoles him and says he’s gotta be the bigger man here or this feud will never end. Wise words.

Pran receives a text and it’s from Pat letting him know that he and his friends are en route to hang out at his dorm. Uh oh, incoming collision.

Uh, Korn. I think Pran might have some objections to this claim of yours. Also, did you two coordinate outfits today? 

Pran responds that he’s currently chilling with his friends in his dorm and Pat tries to quickly pivot by suggesting to his mates that they relocate to a restaurant. They’re up for it but want to invite along Pat’s mysterious neighbor. They then go banging on Pran’s door, thinking they’re doing Pat a solid by including his crush, while Pat stands there flustered and unsure what to do. The guys inside hear all the racket (how could they not?) and Pran has to physically stop Wai from answering the door.

The catcalling continues outside, and Pat finally has heard enough and tells his friends that the owner of the dorm is a guy. Curly and Moe both turn on Larry (Korn) and berate him for not respecting mystery guy’s privacy when not two-seconds earlier they were all-in on the same behavior. Ugh, these moronic boys. My eyes are currently stuck to the back of my head for how hard they just rolled.

Back in Pran’s room, Wai and co. think they have everything figured out and start teasing Pran about his neighbor flirting with him, trying to get more details out of him. Pran is adorably flustered and changes the subject.

That night after everyone leaves, Pran texts Pat that they need to talk. He’s got a bone to pick with him and it’s not the fun kind. (Yeah, I said what I said.) Pat invites him in, but Pran is visibly hesitant. Pat then heads to Pran’s place and Pran puts a stop to that as well. After this game of back and forth, they end up at Pat’s. 

Pran are you wearing an ice cream cone shirt to subliminally send a message to Pat? You know the boy has a weakness for ice cream. Are you offering yourself up as the ice cream here? If so, we definitely approve.

The boys start bickering when Pran takes offense to Pat implying his life was much more peaceful before Pran came back into it. Pat is adamant that he said no such thing. I can watch these two bicker all day long like the old married couple they already are; when there’s a knock on Pat’s door. It’s his dad! The boys panic and look for a hiding spot for Pran. They first try the closet (ha! not in there boys! How meta of the show to have Pat literally try and shove Pran into the closet?) eventually Pran ends up under Pat’s bed.

Dad’s surprise visit is ominous and Pran hears everything. Dad’s words are a deep stab to the heart because we know he’s the root of this rivalry and to perpetrate that Pran was a little puppy following Pat around is all kinds of wrong especially considering we all know that Pat is the clingy one.

After Ming leaves, Pat is apologetic but before he can get the words out, Pran beats him to it by announcing that he’s moving out.

Oh, not this face! Anything but this face. We can’t take it.

Back in his room, Pran’s face after hearing Pat’s dad guts us because he BELIEVES the words to be true. He’s asking himself have I been obvious this whole time? Does Pat know? He’s convinced that he needs to work harder at repressing his feelings for Pat and we just hurt so much for our boy. He finally put on the watch! Damn you Ming, if I could take you out back and flay you alive, I would. Pran decides that he needs to remove himself from Pat’s proximity and to do that he needs to move out.

Pat powwows with Pa over ice cream. See? What did I say about ice cream being his kryptonite? She’s in her school uniform, so we can only infer that he sought her out at her high school (his former school) because he was so distraught over Pran. Aww, not you too, puppy. These boys are really working our emotions this episode.

Pa correctly points out that if Pat feels he did nothing wrong then why is he here with her? She calls him out on his guilt and his face says it all. She encourages him to clear things up with Pran so they can both avoid a repeat of history. Foreboding words.

We see Pat walking around Pa’s campus and as he crosses the administrative building, he stops and stares, lost in thought. And we’re treated to our only flashback of the episode, BUT it is a very important one.

We learn that back in high school, Pat and Pran were both assigned to put on a holiday concert for their school. But on the day of their concert, they are interrupted midway through their performance when Pran’s parents unexpectedly show up wearing Grinch faces. So much for ‘tis the season to be merry. Pran sees his parents, visibly deflates, immediately looks at Pat, and walks off stage. Pat knows something is wrong but doesn’t fully understand the depth of it until he learns Pran’s mom has withdrawn him from school.

Pat recalls the last time he saw Pran in high school. And the look the boys give each other here is excruciating, more so because we know this will be the last time they’ll see each other for YEARS. And it HURTS. They’re 16-year-old boys who just want to make music together and because of their parents’ drama, can’t. It’s devastatingly unfair. The universe doles out its cruelty so indiscriminately and our two boys are casualties of it. We can feel Pran’s heart break in this moment. And Pat, while still in the dark about his feelings, can sense that this is wrong, and it’s not supposed to be this way. But he’s helpless at what to do so he can only wordlessly stare. Commit each other’s faces into memory boys, it’s going to be a while until your eyes can take each other in again. Sobs.

Remembering that he was partially responsible for Pran’s transfer spurs Pat to stop him from moving out. This is Pat showing his hand. He wants to stop carrying around this debt to Pran for saving Pa and for being the reason that he had to leave school. It’s been a heavy anvil weighing on him, and he doesn’t like this feeling. He thinks moving out in place of Pran will make things square between them and this is such a great callback to young Pat returning the watch to Pran as kids, in which we see the naivete in him. Pran feels wronged, so Pat is doing what he thinks needs to happen to make things right, the ultimate fixer. In this sense, Pat’s worldview is very black and white. And our hearts ache just thinking of when this idealism is going to shatter for him.

And this look here is Pran’s response. He wants Pat to owe him. Pat has taken up so much residence in Pran’s heart and mind, he should demand some form of retribution, right? An unconventional case of an eye for an eye, but instead it’s a heart for a heart. Along the lines of, you’ve taken so much space inside my head and my heart, how about I exact just a tiny bit of the same from you? You owe me, so no, I’m not gonna let you off that easily. If I can’t get you out of my mind, I’m going to make damn sure that I’m lingering in the back of yours. You owe me this much. Pran is so deliciously petty, and I AM HERE FOR IT!!

Flustered Pran is the best Pran, right up there with soft Pran. But this Pran? Wowzers.

The two bicker on who is staying and who’s going and end up tussling with hands going every which way. They manage to end up on the bed in compromising fashion. How lovely and convenient that the room Pran is checking out just so happens to have a huge ass king-sized bed made for two giant-sized boys to roll around on. But also- HOT ALERT!! Sound the Alarm! We are in full body touching territory. Gird your loins fandom. It’s HAPPENING! I repeat, the I’m fully hovering over you, covering your chiseled body with my own soft one while staring deeply into your eyes is here and it’s glorious. If this is only the appetizer, we are all going to cease to exist when the main course is served. Everyone, grab your nearest BBS moot, check their pulse, and gather fortifying measures!

But how much do I love that this all starts with Pat hovering above Pran only for Pran to flip their positions midway through where he’s now on top. The show is telling us that they’re both equals here, no one manhandling or strong-arming the other. That either position works for them. God, I love this show.

Pran loses out on the room while Pat cackles in the background. In Pat’s illogical mind, because he offered to move out in place of Pran, he now considers them even. Pran doesn’t buy any of it and says as much. I’m with Pran. Pat, did all that tickle fighting loosen up some screws? Because the words coming out of your mouth don’t make any sense.

Is this a threat or a promise, because really, I could work with either one.

These boys sure love sharing enclosed spaces but instead of his hand covering Pran’s mouth, this time Pat’s hand has moved to Pran’s stomach (and we’re not even sure where his other hand is). Behold! He’s graduated and we’re all witnesses. You are moving in the right direction, Pat. Just a couple inches lower is the payload. Oh HO! STAHP, you all know you’re thinking it. I said it so that you don’t have to, so don’t give me any of that side-eye. Again, we all have our kinks so no judgement here. Inside the elevator just so happens to be theirs. It must be all the mirrors. Pfft.

Elsewhere, in a jarring scene change, the two dumbass friend groups end up in an all-out rumble resulting in the destruction of the bus stop. So much for the pavilion of peace. And so much for Pat and Pran’s fragile and temporary truce. 

This concludes our second hour with our boys. I have mixed feelings about this episode. Let’s get the bad out of the way first. There’s just too much of the two friend groups being imbeciles. I understand the necessity of having friends that don’t get along, forcing Pat and Pran to intervene and thus interact with each other, but here the friends totally detract from the overall story. They’re idiots and I feel like P’Aof spent too much screen time on them. Time that would have been better served elsewhere.

Also, we learn disappointingly that BBS is not immune to the episode two pitfalls. That is, they put all their eggs into the pilot to grab you from the start and the second episode ends up being lackluster by comparison. With episode one being an amazing giant hook to grab viewers, the transition to this episode, which is mostly all build up, feels comparatively weaker. Perhaps it would feel less so if one were binge-watching, but for those of us who agonized seven long days in between episodes, our hopes were high, our expectations even higher, and EP2 did not rise up to meet us. Never say that I’m unable to criticize my beloved show, I know and acknowledge its shortcomings.

Even so, despite EP2 being in the running for the weakest episode of the series, there was still a lot that did work, and it mostly succeeded in what it set out to do. And that was to inform us of Pat and Pran’s history and how Pran’s mom played a role in their separation. So, on this front, this episode did feel narratively necessary as a bridge from the past to the present. 

I also love that we’re seeing a pattern of obstacles being resolved within the same episode only for new ones to crop up heading into the next one. It makes each episode feel like a standalone yet still connected by an overarching story. In this case, Pran moving out is decidedly no longer an issue as we close out the hour, only for us to now have a destroyed bus stop to contend with. We’re learning that nothing gets dragged out overly long on this show and that’s an unexpected and pleasant surprise. How often have we seen shows drag out one misunderstanding after another across multiple episodes? BBS said nope we’re not doing that. To that we say, bravo show!

Now with all that out of the way, let us dive into the specifics...

In the words of The Clash: Should I stay, Or should I go?

Pran is standing at a precipice here. One that I’m ecstatic the show is addressing this early on. He calls Pat out to talk but when Pat invites him inside his dorm, Pran visibly hesitates. Note that at their homes, Pat has always been the one to sneak into Pran’s room, never the other way around. 

Pran is conscious of the wall he’s built between himself and Pat, never straying over that line. Where Pat is constantly scaling that wall to get to him (foreshadowing), Pran has always stayed on his side where it’s familiar and safe and things are on his playing field. Where he knows the rules of the game and how it’s played. So, for Pat to openly invite Pran into his space here makes him pause. Likewise, when Pat sees his hesitation and moves to go to Pran’s room instead, Pran stops him. You’d think this is strange since Pran allows Pat into his room at home so why not here at uni?

At home Pran looks, acts, and behaves as Dissaya’s obedient and only son. At university he has the chance to take a breather and be himself, away from expectations, away from constantly seeking perfection, to simply be Pran and not live up to someone else’s version of him. And he’s not sure yet where Pat fits into all of that. If Pat is part of his past, what does letting him into his present mean for his future? Pran’s overthinking nature equates allowing Pat into this part of his world as surrendering a hard-won piece of himself. If he lets Pat in, and should Pat decide that he doesn’t want to stay, then where does that leave Pran? But you ask, he doesn’t care if Wai and his other friends are in his space, why not Pat? To which I answer very simply, they’re not Pat.

In this sense, Pran’s dorm room not only represents his inner sanctum, but it quite metaphorically houses his heart as well. If he opens his door to Pat and lets him in, what will be left of him if Pat carelessly tramples it? Pran is protecting himself here and sees being in Pat’s space as the safer choice. At least there he can leave of his own volition and not because he was discarded or left behind. Oh, Pran.

The show has always been very precise with its flashbacks and episode two continues that trend. We are given only one, but boy is it a knockout. This flashback reveals so much of Pran’s family dynamic. Pran’s mom is intense, his dad defers to her, and Pran is left being the dutiful and obedient son. Which means any little bit of happiness that Pran allows himself is fleeting and temporary. Pat, music, his guitar all things he loves but cannot have. 

The flashback also sets up the stakes for our boys. Earlier we had Ming show up at Pat’s to check that his son was falling in line with his expectations and now this flashback shows us Pran’s side. His mom feeling it necessary to separate the boys because of a musical performance seems extreme, but it does show us the consequences of Pran allowing Pat to get close. It’s very interesting that P’Aof chose to reveal all this from Pat’s point of view. I commend the decision because the easier route would have been to show us this from Pran’s perspective. But P’Aof doesn’t go for easy here, he goes for impact. And it pays dividends because we now know that Pat was also affected by their separation.

This episode plays up the hijinks as it tries to cement itself in the romcom category, except fans know that we’re being lulled into a false sense of security especially in the first half. It’s light! It’s funny! Bad things never happen here! We won’t be made to be clowns in your circus, P’Aof! We’re pretty adept at doing that ourselves without your help, sir.

):):):):):):):)

And this, friends, wraps up my deconstruction of BBS EP2. I appreciate that you stuck around to relive episode two with me. Next up in EP3, our boys spend quality time together and a long-kept guitar makes its presence known. Stay tuned!

**ETA: The recap for EP3 is now up!