#haha Connie but now I guess you get your wish

[angelasscribbles]

You know I have been waiting for this one!!!

.or, as Leo liked to call it, the Royal Nail in the Coffin.

hahaha, sounds just like him

That sexy vixen of a woman, Adelaide. The Duchess That Had Got Away.

"Christ, you are a royal disgrace..." muttered Constantine as he marched past him. "If God would've had any sense, he would've made Liam my heir instead of you. But here I am, stuck with your worthless hide instead..."

As per usual, Connie is a colossal dick

"Shit, Maddy's mum...!"

Maddy's mum, Stifflers mom...po-tay-toe, poh-tah-toe

"Not sure fighting battles was exactly fun..."

Listen, if I quoted every brilliant line in here, I would have to quote the whole damn thing! Just know that their entire exchange was brillant perfection!!!!!

Leo's heart stopped in it's tracks as he swore he felt the tip of her tongue flick over his skin.

He's not sure! He's so confused!

"Then we better give them something to talk about," he grinned, grabbing her by her toned derrière to lift her onto the edge of the billiards table.

There's the confident fuckboy we all know and love!

Who, in their right mind, disappears on their own coronation?!

hahaha, Leo, that's who! In my best Jon Snow voice, "I dun wan it..."

Adelaide raised her disheveled head from the billiards table at the sound of her daughter's distraught shriek. "Oh, sweet pea! There you are!"

She doesn't even stop or try to cover up anything, I am HOWLING!

Meanwhile, Maddy is like.....

He couldn't do it. He couldn't go through with the coronation.

HA! Just when I thought, well, Leo's going to be king in this one....

"I abdicate!"

I love this version better than any version of his abdication I have ever seen! Just seconds from being king, in front of the entire country! Constantine just.....

But he was not perturbed. He'd made his decision. "I, Leopold Maximilian Fernando Constantine Rys, hereby officially and irrevocably renounce my royal titles as Crown Prince of Cordonia and Duke of Applewood." Turning to Constantine, he added with an apologetic shrug, "Sorry, Dad. Just wasn't feeling it."

I LOVE this! (and love the addition of him being Duke of Applewood, not me having flashbacks to getting lost going down that particular rabbit hole myself....I know far more than I should about peerage titles now....like the fact that they're called peerage titles...)

Leo is the duke of horny.....

"Better luck next time, Mads!" he shouted over the growing dim as he quickly skirted around the edge of the ballroom.

This is hysterical considering that we know canonically there is a next time (as unlikely as that seems) and that she certainly does not have better luck at it!

Reaching the closest set of French doors, he threw them open and — with the practiced ease of a man who'd done this exact manoeuvre a hundred times before — vaulted over the edge of the balcony.

I literally cheered out loud at this! You have nailed his character! (at least as I HC him).

She cast him a sidelong glance. "You know this is never going to work out..." "And?" he grinned, kicking his feet up onto the dash. Throwing her head back with a laugh, Adelaide pressed the pedal down, kicking the tail of the Aston as they left the ball to dust.

This was fucking amazing and you should definitely write Leo more in the future!

Sex Bomb

Fandom: TRR

Paining: Leo Rys x Adelaide Amaranth

Series: None (this is a one-shot and can be read independently of the rest of my fics)

Word count: 4,000

Warnings: swearing, alcoholic tendencies, smut, outrage, crack ship (you have been warned)

Theme song:

A/N1: This is my long-awaited (and very much demanded) follow-up to the part I wrote for One Night in Cordinia; however, you should be able to read the current fic as a standalone.

A/N2: Since I love killing two birds with one stone, this is also my submission for this year's Smutember event hosted by @choicesprompts. The prompts that this fits into is 'Caught in the act' and 'We shouldn't be doing this...'

A/N3: Certain parts of this fic were somewhat inspired by the scene between Finch and Stiffler's Mom from American Pie. The clip, for anyone who hasn't seen the movie, is below the cut.

Sex Bomb

"Bloody hell..."

Leo dropped the edge of the heavy brocade curtain he was holding, letting it fall back into place behind the dais to conceal his presence once again.

The ballroom was heaving. And the evening had barely even kicked off. Lord knew how many more people were still battling the traffic to get a coveted front-row seat for the royal event of the century.

The Coronation.

...or, as Leo liked to call it, the Royal Nail in the Coffin.

Because in his mind, that's what it was. The final, inescapable blow that would seal his fate for good, and maroon him forever on the desolate island that was kingship... shackled in life-long matrimony to Madeleine Amaranth.

Leo shuddered at the thought. Especially when he recalled his fiancée's naked form getting skewered loudly by that Justin What's-His-Face PR pansy on the steps of Beaumont House mere days ago.

Not because of the fact that she'd had sex with someone else. Hell, he'd tapped more ass than he could count! So, he couldn't exactly begrudge his soon-to-be wife's promiscuity. Especially when she couldn't remember any of it...

No, it was the fact that here he was, on the eve of his engagement to his future Queen, and all he could think about was her mother.

That sexy vixen of a woman, Adelaide. The Duchess That Had Got Away.

Very literally.

Because in the chaos of the Shagging Smog-infused assassination-attempt-gone-wrong — aka the Beaumont Bash — Leo had lost his one chance to notch that coveted mark on his bedpost... especially considering that she would've actually been game for it, given the mind-altering effects of the aerosol-based dispersant.

Talk about fucking irony...

Leo heaved a breath.

Maybe it wasn't meant to be. Maybe there was a reason why—

"Quite the crowd out there, huh, son?"

Leo clenched his eyes shut. "Yes, Father."

Constantine clapped a hand onto his eldest son's shoulder. "It's going to be quite the night!"

"Yes, Father," Leo intoned, forcing himself to swallow down the bile that suddenly threatened to bubble up his gullet.

The King's fingers tightened on his jacket. "All eyes will be on you, lad. Do not cock this up."

Leo felt himself gag. "'Scuse me...!"

Slapping a hand over his mouth in an attempt to keep the scotch-laden contents of his stomach under wraps, he lurched past his father.

Stumbling across the ante-room, he barely made it to the nearest ficus plant before the 20-year old single malt regurgitated itself into the perfectly hydrated potting mix in front of him.

"Christ, you are a royal disgrace..." muttered Constantine as he marched past him. "If God would've had any sense, he would've made Liam my heir instead of you. But here I am, stuck with your worthless hide instead..."

The slam of the mahogany door reverberated around the room.

"The feeling's mutual, old man," muttered Leo, shooting a wad of spittle into the planter to cleanse his mouth.

Lifting his head, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

A drink. He needed a drink.

Mostly because he'd just thrown up the five fingers worth of Dutch courage he'd consumed less than an hour ago, and there was no way he was subjecting himself to the shitshow on the other side of that curtain even remotely sober.

And if Constantine had an epileptic fit...? Well, he deserved it.

The old tosser had given Leo enough hell during his 30-odd years on Earth, trying to mould him into something that the wayward prince wasn't, and never would be.

Making his way to the other side of the room, Leo located the hidden door that led to the service corridors and slipped inside.

A few twists and well-worn turns through the rabbit warren, and he emerged out into the smoking room, a plushly decorated space filled with heavy brocade curtains, velvet armchairs, a billiards table, and — most importantly — a well-stocked liquor cabinet.

Making a straight line towards the blessed promise of inebriation, he grabbed the nearest decanter of scotch, and pulled the heavy crystal stopper out.

He was about to pour himself a healthy serving when he heard the rustle of heavy taffeta behind him.

Glancing around, he nearly dropped the priceless Swarovski crystal on the floor.

"Pinching a cheeky tipple?" asked Adelaide Amaranth, surveying him over the rim of her own glass.

"Shit, Maddy's mum...!" Leo quickly composed himself. "Erm... Thought I'd get a head start on the party."

"Mmm..." purred the Duchess of Krona, perching herself on the edge of the billiards table. "Man after my own heart..."

Leo swallowed loudly as the skirt of her dress slid apart to reveal the length of her toned legs.

After the unmitigated disaster that had been the Bash, she'd appeared to him again, luscious and alone — like a siren rising from the dark depths of his previous failure — tempting him with a second chance...

...or goading him with the unattainability of his crusade.

Either way, Leo felt his guts tighten at her unexpected presence.

"So..." Her voice interrupted his thoughts. "Are you all set? To become King and all?" she asked, swirling the remnants of her drink around in the crystal tumbler.

"Furthest thing from," Leo admitted, sloshing himself a drink with shaky hands.

Whether it was nerves or anticipation, he wasn't sure. Either way, he was now doubly, triply in need of the hard stuff... in part because he could feel some other stuff becoming hard as well.

"Hence why you're looking for something to take the edge off," she mused, running her aqua-coloured gaze over him. "Smart thinking."

"Tell that to my Father..." scoffed Leo, dropping the decanter back on the cabinet top, trying to maintain his cool in the face of her intoxicating closeness.

"Or my daughter," agreed Adelaide with a roll of her eyes. "If anyone needs a bevvy, it's her! Speaking of... have you see her? She's quite disappeared on me..."

"Nope. Can't say I have," admitted Leo, throwing the scotch back greedily.

Adelaide surveyed him for a long moment before shrugging. "Probably for the best, really. She can't stand me on the best of days. She's under some misguided impression that I'll say or do something that will embarrass her..."

"Welcome to my world," muttered Leo, reaching for the decanter again. "I am the living embodiment of my father's resentment. You know, he even told me tonight that I am — quote-unquote — a 'royal disgrace' and Liam should've been his heir instead."

"Hmm..." murmured Adelaide, sliding off the billiards table yo shimmy up to him. "I don't know about any of that... I think you'll look fantastic in a crown..."

Leo snorted. "That is hardly a qualification for kingship..."

"Isn't it?" pressed Adelaide, leaning her empty glass against her cheek as she cocked her head at him.

"I have it on rather good authority that there's a bit more to it than that..." murmured Leo ruefully, unable to stop his gaze from sliding down her neck to the bare skin of her cleavage that sat exposed between the lines of her dress.

"Don't listen to them," chided Adelaide, reaching up to run a finger through his thick, blonde hair. "A king needs only three things — a royal bloodline and an iconic profile. Everything else will be taken care of for you."

Leo felt an uncharacteristic shudder course through him as her fingertip brushed over the sensitive skin of his temple. "Apart from the actual ruling..."

"You'd be surprised..." she smiled. "I haven't set foot in Krona in months! The equerries take care of all the pesky details."

"Running a kingdom's a tad more involved than running a duchy..."

"Pfft!" she scoffed. "Duchy? Kingdom? What's the difference? You sign the odd piece of paper, and throw the occasional ball. That's it!"

"And lead Council meetings, host foreign dignitaries, review petitions, attend—"

"Leo, darling, you are terribly overthinking this!" chided Adelaide with a laugh, reaching for the decanter to pour herself another glass. "You think the kings and queens of old bored themselves with all the minutiae? No! They delegated, so they could have fun fighting battles and posing for portraits."

"Not sure fighting battles was exactly fun..."

"My Prince," she said, leaning in, as if imparting a secret. "All I'm saying is you have nothing to worry about. You could conquer nations with that jaw-line..."

Leo's heart stopped in it's tracks as he swore he felt the tip of her tongue flick over his skin.

"...your sense of duty is just a bonus."

"And... and the third thing?" he stammered.

"The Crown Jewels," she declared, pulling back to fix him with a knowing look.

Leo frowned. "You mean the Apple and th—"

"I mean these jewels," she corrected, grabbing the front of his trousers without warning.

Leo nearly jumped out of his skin as he felt her manicured nails close emphatically around his meat and two veg.

"Holy f—!"

"Mmm," purred Adelaide, tightening her hold on him. "Seems to be present and accounted for..."

Leo merely squeaked in response. He had no idea what was happening, or how he'd even gotten to having Adelaide's hands wrapped around his sex pistol in the first place, but he sure as bloody hell wasn't going to tell her to stop!

"...but one cannot be sure without a proper inspection."

Leo froze. "Inspection?"

Adelaide lifted her gaze to met his square on. "Darling, you are marrying my daughter. I cannot — in good conscience — let you bed her without ensuring that all the royal parts are in working order... and capable of producing grandchildren."

"Trust me..." wheezed Leo as he felt Adelaide's hands reach for his belt. "The lads have never let me down."

"Oh, yes," smiled Adelaide, undoing his buckle and letting the ornate belt drop the floor. "I am well aware of your many... conquests. But I also know the papers like to exaggerate. So, surely you cannot begrudge a mother for wanting to obtain independent confirmation."

"How 'bout a live demonstration?" blurted Leo, grasping at the edge of the drinks cabinet for support as Adelaide wrestled with the buttons of his trousers.

Hell, if this was happening, then he was gonna make damned sure that it was happening!

"Don't jump the gun, darling," Adelaide tutted, ripping the fronts of his pants open. "You need to pass muster first."

Leo gasped audibly as his sexcalibur sprang — finally, blessedly! — free of its confines.

"Not one for briefs, I see..." she observed, running her fingers critically over him.

"I threw them all out years ago," he panted in response to the feel of her silken touch on his heated gherkin.

"Another thing we have in common," she smirked, reaching for his hand to guide it over the back of her dress.

A desperate groan escaped him as his palm skated over the smooth, unencumbered expanse of her backside as she continued to fondle him. "So, what's the verdict?"

"A package worthy of a king," Adelaide assured him, rolling his plums together in her palm.

Leo felt his eyes tip back into his head at the overwhelming sensation...

...before it stopped just as quickly as it had started.

Creaking his eyes open, he saw Adelaide throw him a cheeky smirk over her shoulder as she glided sinuously towards the billiards table.

"Aren't you coming, darling?" she whispered back at him.

Leo nearly tripped over his own trousers in his haste to get to her. He was going to get the chance to live out his dirtiest, most depraved fantasy, after all! He was not wasting one more second!

"Lord, you have no idea how long I've waited for this..." he gasped, stumbling across the room towards her.

"Oh, I know very well," she assured him, leaning back to spread her arms out over the polished walnut. "I've seen you looking at me, Leo."

He faltered. "You have?"

"Of course, my darling," she assured him, cocking her leg seductively. "You were hardly subtle in your attentions. A woman notices these things..."

"You know this is highly improper..." he pointed out as he finally made it to her.

"Oh, sweet boy!" she laughed. "This would be the scandal of the century!"

"Then we better give them something to talk about," he grinned, grabbing her by her toned derrière to lift her onto the edge of the billiards table.

"Mmm... I can think of a few things..." she breathed, planting her hands on his shoulders to push him down towards her nether region.

"I'm sure you can, m'lady," he grinned, shifting his hands to the back of her knees to yank her towards him, the sudden momentum sending the top half of her body falling back onto the felt. "But allow me to put even your wildest dreams to shame."

"Bold words..." purred Adelaide with a coy smile as he lifted her legs up to anchor her Valentino Gavarani-clad feet on his shoulders, causing the skirt of her dress to cascade down towards her hips.

"I've yet to receive anything other than a stellar review," he winked at her, grabbing her waist to invert her almost fully as he lifted her sacred centre up to his face.

"That may be so, darling, but unlike some ladies, I have high standards..." murmured Adelaide, lifting her arms above her head in anticipation. "I don't dish out gold stars to just anybody..."

"I don't intend disappoint," Leo assured her with a cocky smirk as he bent his head towards her.

"...why must I do everything myself!" seethed Madeleine, stomping down the otherwise empty corridor in her Valentino sling-backs.

She'd known Leo was an immature and unreliable cad who was more interested in finding the next skirt to lift than paying any semblance of attention to actual matters of state.

And while she would've definitely preferred a more dedicated and biddable prospect — such as his younger brother — to share the rigours of governance with, she ultimately wasn't marrying the Playboy Prince because she liked him.

In all honesty, the man could've had warts and halitosis and she still would've gone through with the union!

Because this was a political match, pure and simple. The House of Rys allying itself with the House of Amaranth, the richest and most influential noble family in Cordonia in order to keep Queen Kenna's line alive...

...with the added benefit of elevating Madeleine's own status to that of Queen. A role that she'd been training for since before she could even walk, given her father's unrelenting pursuit of power by any and all means — an endeavour that she very much shared, much to her mother's disgruntlement.

But she couldn't exactly get engaged if her intended was missing! Tonight, of all nights!

Who, in their right mind, disappears on their own coronation?!

Of course, she was well aware of Leo's infamous tendency to pull vanishing acts, but what the blasted hell was the man thinking? To leave an entire country in the lurch?

Certainly not on her watch!

She'd already dispatched Bastien and all available members of the King's Guard to search high and low for the errant prince. But the Palace and its grounds were massive, and given the sheer number of people that had descended on the Rys stronghold for tonight's event, trying to find anyone was an exercise akin to weeding a needle out of a haystack.

So, she'd been forced to join the search herself. Even though it was insulting beyond measure and much below her station.

But, desperate times called for desperate measures, and she'd rather sweat into her ballgown running up and down the corridors now, than stand like a hapless bimbo in front of all the dignitaries and news crews trying to explain why her future king and fiancé had skipped out on an entire nation on one of the most important nights of its recent history.

No. She most certainly did not need those headlines running in the morning... or ever.

Best that she focused her efforts on helping locate the wayward heir, and hope that he wasn't halfway out of the country already... because by God, she'd send the Cordonian Secret Service after him if she had to!

Arriving at the next set of doors on her mental task-list, she wasted no time in pushing the handle down...

"Leopold?" she called, steeping into the room.

...only to freeze in shock at the sight in front of her.

There he was — the next in line to the Cordinian throne — head thrown back, trousers around his ankles, thrusting like an animal into—

"MOTHER?!"

Adelaide raised her disheveled head from the billiards table at the sound of her daughter's distraught shriek. "Oh, sweet pea! There you are!"

Leo raised his hand in a wave. "Hi, Mads!"

Madeleine's rouged lips jerked soundlessly, trying to formulate some kind of response, but nothing was forthcoming.

Never — in all her life! — had she imagined that she'd ever witness such sordid... brazen... obscenity!

She was literally lost for words. Her! The person who has been giving televised interviews since the age of four!

"Darling," soothed Adelaide, propping herself up onto her elbows to reveal the tautness of her age-defying, silicone-enhanced breasts, "I know this looks frightfully ghastly, but I can assure that—"

"Shut up..." she finally managed to croak.

Adelaide frowned. "Darling, are you—?"

"I SAID, SHUT UP!" Madeleine screeched.

Both Leo and her mother's eyes widened in the face of the uncharacteristically deranged outburst... but they nevertheless managed to refrain from commenting.

"I don't know how this..." She gestured derisively in the couple's general direction. "...colossal cock-up happened. Nor do I care. But what I do know — and most certainly care about — is that the coronation ceremony is starting. And I will not let you, Leopold—"

Leo groaned at the sound of his full, Christian name. "Jesus, Mads! I told you I—"

"Do not interrupt me!" snapped Madeleine. Sucking in a breath to collect herself, she continued, "I will not let you fuck this up for me, or the kingdom. So, if you want to keep your royal sausage, then I suggest that you pull it out of my mother and get your fatuous arse to the ballroom before I have the Guard drag you there."

Leo glanced down at Adelaide. "You sure she wasn't adopted or—?"

"NOW!!!" thundered Madeleine.

"Okay, okay, sheesh!" huffed Leo, grabbing for his trousers, given that he was already very much deflated, his fiancée having managed to suck the literal joy out of his joystick with her mere appearance .

"And you, Mother..." hissed Madeleine, turning her attention to her disheveled parent. "You have undermined me for the last time."

Adelaide scoffed. "Darling, all I have ever done is—"

"Which is why my first act as Queen will be to banish you to Krona," finished Madeleine with a haughty air of finality.

Adelaide's eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare!"

Her daughter's demeanour was icy. "You're lucky I'm not banishing you to Siberia. But if you test me—"

"Siberia at least has decent vodka..." chimed in Leo, sauntering past her out the room.

Adelaide tipped her head contemplatively. “He's got a point, you know…”

"Argh!!" screamed Madeleine, slamming the door behind her with such vehemence that it rattled the bottles in the liquor cabinet.

Vile cretins! The whole bloody lot of them!

Grabbing her intended by the arm, she hauled him all the way back to the ball, ignoring the profanity-filled protests.

Stopping in front of the pair of footmen that were manning the ballroom doors, she snapped, "Inform the King that Prince Leopold is ready for his coronation."

"Actu— Ow!!"

She brutally silenced the forthcoming objection with a heel to Leo’s foot.

As the servants rushed away to do her bidding, she manhandled Leo back into the same ante-chamber that he'd disappeared from earlier.

"Mads, stop!" he pleaded as she pulled him across the Persian carpet like a stubborn mule. "Can you please just—?"

"No," she declared, shoved him through the velvet curtains and onto the gilded dais without ceremony. "You will do your duty, even if it kills you, you ungrateful oaf!"

The hubbub of the crowd instantly ceased as Leo stumbled to a stop.

"There you are!" snap Constantine into his ear. "You have some nerve—"

"Just get on with it..." sighed Leo, the weight of finality crashing down on him as he caught his brother's the eye from across the room. Liam always hated it when his brother and father argued, and Leo didn't want to subject him to a public spectacle.

Constantine looked like he wanted to say more, but quickly decided against it. Turning to the congregation, he spread his arms and launched into his pre-prepared speech.

"Good evening, one and all! It is a great honour to have so many of you come out tonight to show your support not only for—"

"Pay attention!"

Glancing down, Leo caught Madeleine's disproving glower from the foot of the dais.

He suppressed a groan.

How they were going to sire royal babies, he had no idea...

...probably with copious amounts of drugs and alcohol...and possibly even a paper bag.

Because he already knew that there was no way that he wouldn't be able to not think about Adelaide while doing it with her daughter.

As even now, in the midst of his own coronation, his mind kept drifting back to the passionate coitus they'd shared on that billiards table before it had gotten oh, so rudely interrupted.

The way she'd moved... The sounds she'd made... That thing with her tongue... It sent shivers down his spine all over again.

And suddenly he had a stark realisation.

He couldn't do it. He couldn't go through with the coronation.

Not if it meant never being able to see her again.

"...and, now..." his father was saying, holding upon the ancient Rys signet ring, "with the bestowal of this ring, I—"

"I abdicate!"

A collective gasp of disbelief rose from the room.

Glancing up, Leo found his father and step-mother staring at him with open mouths, all semblance of propriety forgotten in the face of the shocking announcement.

But he was not perturbed. He'd made his decision. "I, Leopold Maximilian Fernando Constantine Rys, hereby officially and irrevocably renounce my royal titles as Crown Prince of Cordonia and Duke of Applewood." Turning to Constantine, he added with an apologetic shrug, "Sorry, Dad. Just wasn't feeling it."

The heavy gold band clattered to the floor as the cameras exploded into a frenzy of flashing.

"What the devil are you doing?!" demanded Madeleine, appearing in front of him as he hopped off the stage. "Get back up there and—"

"Better luck next time, Mads!" he shouted over the growing dim as he quickly skirted around the edge of the ballroom.

Reaching the closest set of French doors, he threw them open and — with the practiced ease of a man who'd done this exact manoeuvre a hundred times before — vaulted over the edge of the balcony.

Landing on the gravel, he caught sight of the lone pair of headlights idling in front of the Palace steps, and the figure that was in the process of getting behind the wheel.

A knowing smile spread over his face.

Loping across the drive, he managed to intercept the Aston Martin Vantage convertible before it had a chance to drive off.

The driver raised a brow at him as he approached. "Aren't you supposed to be getting crowned?"

"Realised I had somewhere more important to be," he admitted, coming to a stop by the side of the car. "Room for one more?"

Adelaide's lips curved into a smile. "Always, darling."

"Excellent!" exclaimed Leo, hopping into the passenger seat.

She cast him a sidelong glance. "You know this is never going to work out..."

"And?" he grinned, kicking his feet up onto the dash.

Throwing her head back with a laugh, Adelaide pressed the pedal down, kicking the tail of the Aston as they left the ball to dust.

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[midnightstar-90]

Live Laugh Love~ Georgie Cooper x Reader

A/N: This is actually the 4th part, but I forgot to post it on tumblr. Hope you enjoy.

Summary: Sheldon refuses to eat solid food after a choking scare.

My Masterlist | My Taglist

A Therapist, A Comic Book, and A Breakfast Sausage

Y/N's POV

After my parents died and George's near-death experience you would think that this family would be tired of scaring me, but now, let me tell you why.

Missy, Sheldon, and I were sitting at the table eating our breakfast that Mary made. Georgie was at the counter putting jelly on his toast. Mary starts to rush us, so that we're not late for school.

Sheldon started choking on his breakfast, but Missy took it as Sheldon making faces. I look up, and my eyes widen like a deer in headlights. "Missy, he's not making faces on purpose. He's choking," I say scared. Mary hears me and rushes over to Sheldon.

Georgie continues to jelly his toast, and I run to get George. I quickly hear Georgie say, "I wish she would run that quick when I need her." I roll my eyes and keep going.

George makes it to the table and tries to smack the sausage out of Sheldon's mouth. Missy yells out, "Sheldon's gonna die! Sheldon's gonna die!" I knew she was scared, so I didn't say anything. What I did see was Georgie continuing to eat, while his brother was choking. I looked at my best friend and glared. He just shrugged his shoulders in response.

I turn back around to see George has flipped Sheldon upside down and was trying to shake it out of him. Mary calls 9-1-1 and I remember something I learned in Health class. "George, Heimlich!" I yell out just before Mary.

George goes for the Heimlich, and Sheldon spits out the sausage. I saw Sheldon look at something before he spits out his food. I looked and there goes Georgie licking his jelly knife.

Mary is quick to see if her son is okay. He says, "you have to... throw away... that jelly!" Georgie just looks at him, and I look at Georgie.

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

At School

I close my locker, which is right next to Georgie's. "I should have shoved that knife down your throat," I say as we start to walk to class. "Why, what did I do?" I scoff and side-eye the boy. "Your brother was on the verge of death, and you just sit there eating toast" "It's not like I could have done anything," he says casually. I walk off angry.

We make it to class on time. We sat down and our teacher started telling us about the canned food drive. When Sheldon walked in, she stopped her talk with us to see why Sheldon was late. She read the note Mary gave to Sheldon and was immediately heartbroken. "You poor thing, you had a medical emergency?" The teacher asked the 9-year-old.

"How come the teacher has more sympathy for your brother than you do?" I sarcastically ask. Georgie just shrugs again. I turn back in my seat to face the front with a 'humph'.

Sheldon explains to the teacher that he choked on a sausage. The students start laughing at Sheldon. I stand up angry, "You better shut it, before I shove a sausage down your throat!"

Georgie looks at me scared. He should be scared. Just because I'm a girl does not mean I don't know how to defend myself.

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

Me and Georgie were at lunch. I look over to see if Sheldon was okay. He was just staring at his sandwich. "Why are you staring at Sheldon?" Georgie asks as I get up. I start heading for Sheldon as I say back, "because I care about him." Georgie just goes back to eating.

I walk over to Sheldon and Tam. "Hey Sheldon, aren't you gonna eat your food?" I say worried. "No, I'm not hungry," Sheldon says looking down. "I offered him my soup," Tam says.

I wonder what's going on. All I know is this Tam kid is freaking me out. Ever since I met the kid, every time I come near him he gives me googly eyes.

"Well, if you want, one of the seniors bought me a smoothie," I offer the worried child. "Is it organic," Sheldon asks. "I think so. He got it from that new smoothie place," I say nodding my head. "Sure." Hearing those words made me happy. I went to grab the smoothie and then gave it to him. I went back over to Georgie with a smile.

Sheldon's POV

"Dang, she shares food and she's hot. You got one hot friend," Tam says watching the girl who's like my sister walk away. I sip the smoothie before saying, "one, she's my brother's best friend, and two, she's like my sister." Tam looks disappointed, but I just finish the smoothie.

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

Y/N's POV

Dinner

We were all sat down for dinner when Meemaw starts talking about Mr. Rosenbloom. "You know that Mr. Rosenbloom with the furniture store over by the steakhouse?" Connie asks Mary. Mary tells her mother that she doesn't know. Connie tries to remind Mary by calling the man a 'Hebrew fella with the comb-over'.

Mary corrects her mother, but Meemaw didn't really care. George just drinks his beer, while we ate our food.

Meemaw tells us that Mr. Rosenbloom asked her to dinner. My ears perk up and I say, "awe Meemaw, that's great." Mary asked her if she was gonna say yes, but Meemaw makes an inappropriate comment. "Okay Meemaw, I see you!" I say cheering her on.

Mary corrects both of us. Meemaw defends with, "What? I said 'dessert'." She turns to us and says, "I figured from the cheering that Y/N knew what I meant, but did you kids know that I was talking about sex?"

I knew Georgie knew. But Sheldon gives a confused face then says "no".

Mary notices that Sheldon wasn't eating. "Why aren't you eating?" Mary says. Sheldon tells his mother that he's scared to eat. George thought it was because of the food touching, but Sheldon says he's afraid he'll choke again.

Meemaw didn't know that Sheldon choked on a sausage. Me and Georgie explain our morning to her. "Sheldon almost died this morning," I started. "Dad was shaking him upside down like a ketchup bottle," Georgie followed.

Mary continues to try to get him to eat, but Sheldon doesn't budge. "Dibs on the tater tots," Georgie says earning a smack on the arm from me. "What? you want some." I roll my eyes continuing to eat.

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

The next day was the same way. Sheldon didn't want to eat, so Georgie stole his food. I look to Meemaw and say, "I offered him a smoothie yesterday and he drank it just fine." Connie gets an idea and offers up to blend up his food. She leaves to go blend his food, and I give Sheldon a smile and a thumbs up.

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

Georgie and I were finishing up getting ready for school. I was brushing my teeth, and Georgie was checking out his hair. "Are you still not talking to me? It's been almost a week. Speaking of which, where have you been. Except for practice, home, and school, I don't see you anywhere," Georgie says turning to me.

I spit the toothpaste out, rinse my mouth, and then turn to the boy. I fix one of his hairs and walk off. Even mad, I still care for the boy.

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

What Georgie didn't know about me was that ever since before my parents died I loved superheroes. Their powers and backstories always amazed me. When I learned to read, I asked Mary and George for a comic. Now, every month, Mary and George give me $5 to pick out comics.

I was sat in the back corner of the comic store. I was a usual customer, so the owners would always tell me when there are new installments. I like the Avengers, a lot of them have a backstory similar to mine, like Spider-man or Ironman.

The bell to the door rings, and I see a certain little boy walk in. 'Isn't he supposed to be at therapy? Since when does Sheldon like comics?' I don't interact with him, I just watch.

He wants an X-men comic. Then I notice Tam, which I don't remember him coming in. They have a conversation until Sheldon keeps walking and runs into me.

I give him a very suspicious-looking look. "Aren't you supposed to be in therapy?" I ask with an eyebrow raised. "Yes, but I have to find out what happens in X-men #137." I laugh and show him where it is.

"Listen, I've had my problems. I've been to therapy. I know things can be scary, but we have to learn to face our fears. Your parents must be worried. You can't run from things you don't like," I try my best to help him. "Here let me show you something."

I take Sheldon to my corner in the back, and I show him my comics. "I read these comics because they remind me of me and my fears. They help me, and they could possibly help you too." I say before seeing Tam, "Tam! here I'll show you." I invite Tam to read with us.

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

Georgie's POV

Missy, Meemaw, and I all decided to get a blizzard from Dairy Queen. We started talking. "Meemaw, are you ever gonna have any more babies?" Missy asked. Meemaw exclaims, "Good Lord, no!" "She's too old to have any more babies," I say.

Meemaw tells us, "Don't have to have 'em. You live long enough, your hair and your teeth start falling out, you start wetting the bed, you get to be one." I laugh and say, "haha, that's funny. We're gonna have to put a diaper on you." "You won't be laughing when you're doing it," she says, "I might be." We all laugh.

I continue to eat my blizzard when Missy asks Meemaw who's smarter besides Sheldon and Y/N. We argue a bit about it, but Meemaw says it's not about them.

"Yeah right, everything is always about Sheldon. Y/N won't talk to me, because Sheldon forgot to chew," I say, sad because I miss my best friend. "Yeah, sometimes it's like we don't exist."

Meemaw looks at us and says, "I guess Sheldon does get most of the attention. Maybe that's a good thing. If it weren't for him your parents would be on your ass all the time. And Georgie, don't you think that maybe, Y/N was scared because she already lost two of the most important people in her life, and almost another. That girl has been part of our family for years, and no matter who it is, she will still be scared to lose another family member."

"Yeah. I guess I never thought about it that way before," I say thinking about how our lives could be different without Sheldon. I also never gave Y/N's emotions about the incident much thought.

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

Y/N's POV

I guess what I said helped Sheldon because he ate that piece of licorice-like a boss.

Tam, Sheldon, and I were walking home. We see police officers at our house. Tam dips, but not before yelling at me, "Call me, beautiful!" I cringe and walk home.

We make it into the house, and Sheldon is immediately yelled at. Mary thanks me for bringing him home, but I tell her that that is what family does. She smiles and I go to talk to Georgie.

"Hey," I call out knocking on his open door. "You're talking to me now?" Georgie asks putting away his magazine. "Well, I'm in a good mood. Sheldon faced his fear of chewing, partly because of me," I say giving myself a pat on the back.

"Well, I'm happy for you. And I know before I didn't really pay attention to your feelings, but I want you to know I'm sorry." Georgie hugs me and I hug him back. "Sheldon and I stopped by DQ for a blizzard, but I couldn't finish mine. You want it?" "Sweet! I get my Best Friend back and another blizzard."

I laugh and start to head out. "Good night," is all I hear before entering my room.

[needydanger]

Red Wine | What Turns a Man On

18+ SMUT

pairing(s): levi ackermann x f!reader

content: 69′ing with captain levi

a/n: sorry for any grammar errors!  -scar <3

You held your fancy wine glass in an elegant manner; bringing it up to your lips. However, that classy facade fell short when you downed the entire glass as if it were water. The point of tonight was to mingle with Marleyan soldiers that were betraying their own country in favor of Eldian freedom. 

In your head, tonight was a competition to see who could get drunk the fastest. And you were in the lead by a major feat.

“Seriously, Y/n?”, Connie questions. You glare at him.

“What?”

His judgmental gaze turns into a dramatic pout, “Without me?!”

Soon; you, Connie, and Sasha were drunk. Your booming voices and annoying laughter caught the attention of everyone in the room. “Ah..who let the idiots have wine?”, Levi groans to Hange.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Y/n this happy.”

You were lively. Mingling with everybody. You even got Jean and Eren into the mix. They became competitive with each other, and drank until Jean's face was on the table. “HA! Y/n, look! I won~”, Eren smiles at you.

You were the most fun anybody has had in ages.

It went too far, though, when you accidentally spilt red wine on Zeke’s white suit. “What the fuck?!”, he gasps. You look at the spreading stain on his pants with wide eyes. “I..I am so sorry!”

Zeke realizes it was you and softens. In a quick motion, you grab a napkin off a dinner table, dunk it in a glass of water, and attempt to wipe out the stain on his pants.

Zeke can’t help but just watch as you mindlessly rubbed away at his crotch. 

You knew a few things..

But social cues were not one of them. In sincere truth; you really were dense when it came to stuff like this.

But that didn’t matter when everyone is watching in shock.

You decide that the stain is never coming out and grab your wine glass, “I’m really sorry.”

“It’s okay.”, Zeke shrugs it off. You take note of the sly smile he had. You felt relieved. Maybe he wasn’t that upset about it after all.

You’re suddenly grabbed by the hair, and everyone watched as you are unfashionably escorted out of the room.

You’re thrown against a wall—immediately scolded.

“Do you have a death wish?”

The voice makes you look up with bambi eyes. “Captain?”

You stumble back when he approaches you and end up on your ass like an idiot. He grabs your hair again, “It was okay for you to drink, but to make Zeke hard like that in front of your comrades?”

His grip tightens and you wince, “Are you truly that dumb?” 

You shake your head profusely, “H-Hard? No he wasn’t!”

“Why do you think he was smiling like a kid in a candy shop?”

You yell, “How the hell am I supposed to know that would turn someone on?!”

Levi lets go of you and debates his next steps. He gets down to your level and uses his gloved hands to spread your legs wide open. Your dress barely covered over your underwear, and it made you blush intensely.

“W-What are you doing?!”

He takes the wine glass in your hand and splashes it in the same manner you did to Zeke. He takes his right glove off to reach for his handkerchief, and starts rubbing your inner thighs.

You immediately slap a hand on your mouth. His hand danced from your inner thighs to your pussy. Rubbing endlessly on your clit. 

“O-Okay! I get it now! You can stop, I’m sorry!! I won’t ever do that again.”, You grab ahold of his arm.

“Why, are you turned on?”, he asks condescendingly, pressing his middle finger slightly into you. The barrier of the napkin and your underwear saved you from any more embarrassment.

“Yes!”, you angrily blush. He scoffs and you almost regret telling him to stop. “If you need any more help knowing what turns a man on so you don’t embarrass yourself like that again, let me know. For now, just go home. You’re done for the night.”

Before Levi leaves your view completely, you wobble over to him. You grab a hold of his hand and ask, “I, uh..can you tell me what turns a man on?”

You’re now in Levi’s room.

On his bed, more specifically.

You’re sitting awkwardly on the edge and he’s in the chair across from you.

“Men can get hard from physical touch. Sexual or not. What you did was the perfect example.” You sink into your shoulders. Ugh. “However, there are some perverted men that can get hard at just the sight of something they find attractive.”

“So they get hard over everything, basically?”

Levi nods, “Depends who we’re talking about. Most of it is all in here.”, he taps on his head, “Thoughts are powerful. Get a man started on just one dirty thought, and their mind will run freely.”

You sigh into your palms, “Now I really feel like an idiot.”

“It’s okay. You didn’t know”, he shrugs. 

Sexual Education wasn’t exactly a hot topic in Paradis. There was only 1 school where you grew up, and they taught you mostly about titans; how to kill them and how to survive. 

“What about you?”

“Hm?”, Levi looks up

“What turns you on?”

Silence. 

You feel a sweat bead ready to fall from your forehead. Did I mess up again?

“Why does that concern you?”

“Um, so I don’t make another mistake?” Goddamnit, Y/n. You can at least sound sure of yourself. 

“I already told you what turns me on.”

You blink. Eh? You think back to what he said merely minutes ago, and go through a process of elimination. Okay, well, Levi isn’t a pervert. Sure, he’s a man. But he won’t die without sex...

“Thoughts and touching?”

He nods. 

“Hm.”, you think. What else can he be into? Well, cleaning is one thing.. “Role play?”

His brow raises, “Elaborate.”

“Like..sexy maid outfits and making someone call you captain in bed.”

He tilts his head, “I never thought about that.”

You giggle nervously, “Haha, well. I guess I was wrong.”

There’s awkward silence in the room. Levi is looking at you stare at everything else in the room except for him. 

“What turns you on?”

You burn up, “Touch.”

“Anything specific?”

You look off to the side, “Hair pulling and..what you did earlier, I guess.”

When you turn to look at him, you’re met with his belt. “So, all those years that I’ve been pulling your hair..?”

You nod up to him, “It’s turned me on.”

He’s peering down on you with a clenched jaw. The way his eyes are literally boring into your soul makes you feel small. What exactly was going on in his head? How did it get to this point?

He breaks eye contact with you and just clenches his fists. Hm? You stare directly in front of you and see the bulge in his pants. Oh. 

“Captain.”

“Yes?”, he doesn’t look at you.

You take your hand and gently rub up and down his clothed cock. Levi snaps his neck to look down at you.

“Is this okay?”, you ask coyly. Those damned bambi eyes..

There was no more being clueless. You knew exactly what you were doing now. What you wanted, and what he wanted. 

Levi places his hands on the bed so he can kiss you. It’s slow and passionate.

His tongue got familiar with yours in ways that made you feel butterflies. So this is what it’s like to get excited by just a kiss.

The two of you pull away for breath. “Yes, it’s okay.”, he finally answers. You put your hand back on his cock. This time, unzipping his pants and rubbing him through his boxers. 

He lets you do whatever you want. 

You put your hand down his underwear and can’t believe how nice it feels. “You’re huge.”, you say honestly. His lips fall agape before he kisses you again. You loved to be dominated by him, but you still wanted to follow through with what you were going to do before. 

You roll over on top and push him back. He’s confused when you straddle him with your head facing his feet. It didn’t register in his head what you were about to do, until he felt your lips on the tip of his cock. 

He fists the sheets, getting filled to the brim with arousal. You kissed the tip, licked it, sucked on it, playfully tapped it against your tongue. You wanted to make him lose his mind. 

Levi is face to face with your open legs. You feel a tug on your underwear and cry out when his tongue on you. In you.

You pop off his dick with a moan. Was he seriously going to eat you out at the same time? “Don’t stop sucking until I cum.”, he orders you.

“Yes, Levi.”

He lands a solid smack on your right ass cheek. The sound that leaves your mouth is actually embarrassing. It’s a mix between a scream and a moan.

“Is that how you address your superior?”

You bite your lip, “S-Sorry, Captain.”

He smiles and kisses your clit, “That’s a good girl.”

The compliment is enough to have you deep throating his cock.

The position is a never ending cycle of stimulation. With his tongue working wonders on you, you can’t stop moaning on his dick. He returns that vibrating feeling back on your most sensitive areas—moaning into your pussy.

It’s enough to make you cum on his face.

You stop sucking on his cock so you can enjoy this euphoria. “Agh!! Fuck.”

He lets you ride on his tongue like a desperate whore. The aftershocks of your orgasm are toe-curling.

You collapse to the side and shakingly crawl back down to his legs. He watched as you put your mouth back on him, looking up into his eyes.

“Fuck, y/n.”, he grips onto your hair just how you said you like it, “You look so pretty with my cock in your mouth.”

Again with the compliments. You’re now determined to make him cum like it’s your life purpose.

“Take it out of your mouth, I’m going to cum.”, he says softly.

Instead, you suck as hard and fast as you can. He moans in surprise, “S-Stop!”

You use your hands for the rest of his length that you couldn’t fit in your mouth. He pulls your head back so you’re looking up at him, “If you don’t stop, I’ll cum in your mouth!”

You give him the dirtiest look he’s ever seen. Your cheeks are red, you have tears brimming in your eyes from your orgasm before, and there’s saliva running down the corners of your mouth. Wow..

“Don’t worry. I’ll swallow it all, Captain.”

Soon, he’s spilling down your throat. “Jesus Christ, Y/n.”, he groans. You swallow every drop and don’t pull off until there’s nothing left. Once you both had a chance to collect yourselves, he kisses you.

Your eyes widened.

You can taste yourself on his tongue. And you’re sure he could taste himself too. It’s such a lewd feeling. Was it bad to like it this much?

You’re now both lying down against the pillows with the sheets over your body.

“Ah..I’m so tired.”, you sigh, giggling. 

“Go ahead and sleep. I’ll wake you up in time for tomorrow.”, he pushes your hair back out of your face. 

“Okay.”, you reply softly.

[dancingazaleas]

dating connie springer hcs

simp alert simp alert simp alert

connie is abt to be a regular on my blog i love his himbo ass so much also i’m tired of the lack of connie fics

also i am a connie kin and i am in love with him, yes i am conceited

warnings/notes: cursing, sex jokes, modern au!, canon au too, connie being a himbo, LOTS OF FLUFF, angst <3

modern au!

ok first of all, mr springer here would probably not even notice u at first, he’s literally in his own world

but when he does he’s like ‘awooga awooga😻’

whenever he has a crush on someone, be it anyone, i feel like he acts like a lovestruck girl.

like i feel like he does the same thing as me, like if u were dating him and said smth really sweet like “i love you so much you are my world” he’d be like “STOP IM GONNA SHART”

he doesn’t exactly know to handle love in a serious way, he’s just not in relationships tht much!

he’s very smitten and sweet on the first date too, this mf will be so cryptic

like all of a sudden ur getting texts that say “heyyyyy so what’s ur favorite thing to do? haha i’m boreddd” like connie just... just ask

HE’S SUCH A GENTLEMAN

connie also loves pda, he will give you kisses in public around anyone. he does not care

he’ll text you at like 3 am and be like “miss u🙁” like go to bed

i feel like connie doesn’t get jealous but he DOES get insecure. he’s not mad that you’re spending time with other people but it will make him questions if he’s good enough for you sometimes

if connie were to get jealous i feel like he’d be extra touchy

if you were to have any classes with him while you both are students, he will literally cheat off you

“babe, i’ll take you on a date on friday if i can have the answers!!”

“say less.”

i feel like connie is secretly sad about whatever. he doesn’t tell anyone but jean, sasha, marco, and you about it

connie probably also wouldn’t know how to efficiently comfort you if you were upset.

whenever you do come to him, he gives you encouragement and reassurance and love and then decides to slip in a little joke to see if you can handle it

he ends up joking with you for the rest of the night

i genuinely think that connie is secretly a diehard kung-fu panda fan? sometimes on date nights, he makes you watch it with him

with a guy like connie, you barely have to second guess him loving you.

connie is generally friendly with everyone he comes across. he has a big heart and isn’t afraid to let his friends know that he loves them

but with connie, i think he’s a lot like me and just likes to be alone a lot and left alone. he will hours without texting you and then text u and be like “wait what happened?”

this man will fight with you on the daily

like you’re sitting on the couch watching tv?? connie punches ur arm

standing up just to stand? connie is shoving you and then putting his fists up

laying in bed together? connie is smacking your forehead

oh my god, he will literally come up to you all lovey dovey and lay on you then will coo “omg babe, i love you so much ur so cute!! i love you” which is suspicious in itself

AND THEN THIS MF WILL FUCKING FART ON YOU.

like not cute little toots, FULL ON FARTS THAT STINK

connie is so loud. literally so fucking loud

it’s cause he’s comfortable around you and you can’t help but be like ♥️♥️ because of it, he’s too cute

whenever you post on instagram, he’s in your comments acting like those creepy sugar daddies and porn bots

conniesprings: so beautiful!! send boobs😁

conniesprings: wanna have some fun with me? check dms😉

he makes the fuckboy emoji every time you snapchat him a selfie of you with the caption of “haha ur so sexy.... nudes⁉️”

i feel like connie would facetime you every time he has to poop. you always get so mad and hang up but he will spam you with calls until you answer. claims it’s a “bonding experience”

he put his contact name as ‘dad😩🥵⁉️’ on your phone because he thinks he’s so funny

also anytime you bend down/over to pick something up or to look at smth he literally grabs ur hips and pretends to fuck u 😭

he’s also so shameless, he will smack your ass in public; he does not care

literal menace to society but we love him

he loves you with his whole heart and soul, he wouldn’t trade you for the world

canon au!

connie would not get in a relationship in canonverse, but he would fall in love possibly

he would never act on it, he doesn’t have the luxuries because he’s a soldier.

he shows his love in small affections though, but not small enough where sasha and jean don’t notice it.

he’s always checking in on you, and if you’re a scout, always making sure your equipment is working and that your gas is filled

however, he won’t try to convince levi, armin, or hanji to keep you out of dangerous situations.

saving the world is his top priority.

if you are put into a dangerous situation, he will pray for you to be alright and safe.

sometimes late at night when everyone is asleep, he stays up and cries. he wishes for you both to have a different life without any of this, for the two of you to be together

connie doesn’t joke as much as he used to, but he will always try to make an effort for you.

he would devastated if you were to die.

he usually isn’t allowed to have time for mourning or grieving, so whenever he does get rare chances to be alone, he cries to himself with his head in his hands

connie springer’s smile is gone at this point. he’s lost everyone and everything.

he’s just a shell of a man now.

[snkpolls]

SnK Episode 67 Poll Results (for Anime Only Watchers)

The poll closed with 96 responses. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Please note that these are the results for the Anime Only Watchers’ poll. If you wish to see the results for the Manga Readers’ poll, click here.

Anime only watchers, beware of spoilers if you venture over to the manga readers’ poll results.

--

RATE THE EPISODE 89 Responses

This episode was heavy, but overall got good reception by anime viewers with 83.1% overall giving it a score of 4 or 5. 

Great!

Brilliant. 

I give it a 4/5. Had to subtract once since Garbage Braun killed Sasha.

Its bangin

ASIDE FROM SASHA’S DEATH, WHICH MOMENT WAS THE MOST EMOTIONAL FOR YOU? 91 Responses

Connie, Jean and Sasha appeared to take the spotlight this week, with 50.5% of respondents saying that Connie’s heartfelt admission to the other two were the biggest emotional highlight (aside from Sasha’s death itself). Following at a distant second, third and fourth were Eren’s breakdown, EMA’s tense reunion and Gabi’s painful pleads to Falco, in that order.

WHICH MOMENT SURPRISED YOU THE MOST? 90 Responses

It almost came down to a tie, but the most surprising revelation in this episode appears to be Zeke’s betrayal of Marley, learning that he was working with the Survey Corps. The second most surprising moment was learning that Eren had gone rogue from the Survey Corps. Others were also shocked to see how the Survey Corps treated Eren, as well as learning that there were undercover operatives sent to Paradis on the Marleyan fleet 3 years ago.

I did not expect any of the events that happened 

Eren going to Marley on his own? Zeke being a double agent?? New characters unrelated to the Paradisians?? Welp looks like I'm back to not knowing what the fuck is going on. Phenomenal episode tho, thanks MAPPA for the food<3

HOW MUCH DID SASHA’S DEATH HURT YOU? 91 Responses

We asked on a scale of 1-5 how much Sasha’s death hurt, and the vast majority of fans were heartbroken to lose our potato girl. Only about 5 respondents total weren’t as affected. 

RIP potato girl 🥺😭

I was spoiled for Sasha's death and  therefore thought I wouldn't be too affected when actually watching it.  Boy was I wrong :(

WHOSE REACTION TO SASHA’S DEATH AFFECTED YOU THE MOST? 93 Responses

Mikasa and Connie were the two characters whose reaction to Sasha’s death had the heaviest impact on viewers. This is followed up more distantly by Eren and Armin’s reactions. Only a small amount of viewers were more deeply affected by Jean, Levi and Hange’s reactions. 

Eren’s breakdown is sus

WOULD YOU PISS YOUR PANTS IF LEVI WAS GLARING AT YOU WITH MURDEROUS INTENT? 90 Responses

On a less serious note, we asked how you’d react to Levi staring at you with murderous intent. In general, most people say that they would indeed most likely be terrified, either citing that he can be a scary guy, or that there’s simply no shame in being scared of an Ackerman. A handful say they wouldn’t feel threatened by Levi at all.

A FULL VERSION OF “ASHES ON THE FIRE” BY KOHTA YAMAMOTO (THE PREVIEW SONG) IS NOW OUT. IF YOU’VE LISTENED TO IT, WHAT DO YOU THINK? 83 Responses

For those who are enjoying the OST, it seems that the full version of “Ashes on the Fire” is quite a banger, with the vast majority rating it a 4 or 5.

WERE YOU EXPECTING ZEKE TO BETRAY MARLEY? 90 Responses

One of the big revelations in this episode is that Zeke has betrayed Marley. 44.4% of respondents felt that Zeke wasn’t everything that he seems but didn’t want to make a call either way. 27.8% of watchers didn’t see this coming at all and were genuinely surprised. At a tie, 11.1% was absolutely certain that Zeke was going behind Marley’s back, and another 11.1% had already been spoiled. 

Kinda, since they were bros and Zeke was a child manipulated by propagandist, i kinda guessed. I was surprised nonetheless

No, but I shouldn't have been surprised given his dual lineage and above-average intellect. Dude's probably playing 5D chess with all parties

I had read some of the Manga and forgot so was surprised 

Yes! He's been sus all season tbh

DAAAAFFUQ?

I figured out that ZEKE is helping us. By those  baseball gloves and many other small hints . Death of sasha was sad but i was expecting something like this to come .

JEAN BLAMES EREN FOR SASHA GETTING KILLED. DO YOU? 88 Responses

The majority of respondents don’t feel that Eren is entirely to blame for Sasha’s death, with 40.9% feeling that multiple decisions caused this event to happen and 34.1% placing the blame solely on Gabi for being the one to shoot. 12.5% do, however, feel that Eren is to blame due to dragging the Survey Corps into this conflict. 9.1% feel that the premature celebration is what’s really at fault. 

The writer iysama

I mean they were gonna get murked by Marley anyway so... if anything it's kind of Jean's fault for not holding the rear with Lobov. IDK that might be controversial. 

sasha chose!

WE NOW KNOW FOR SURE THAT EREN WAS NOT IN MARLEY WITH THE SURVEY CORPS’ BLESSING. DO YOU FEEL THAT THEY ARE BEING TOO HARSH ON HIM? 90 Responses

Overall, people have mixed feelings on whether Eren deserved the scorn of his comrades or not, though the majority either feel neutral about the situation or that the Survey Corps should take a moment to listen to Eren’s reasons for doing what he did. The rest feel that they should have done more to reprimand him for his behavior. 

The Survey Corps can take more responsibility for their actions - they don't have to go along with Eren's plans. Paradis has been terrorized and attacked for generations, and Eldians have been persecuted. Their retaliation isn't the same as Marleyians attacks. Also I keep wondering what will happen if Eren gets all the Titans himself and if that's his goal.

WHAT BEST DESCRIBES YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT EREN’S ACTIONS? 90 Responses

At 53.3%, the majority feel that Eren simply did what needed to be done, while another 33.3% aren’t sure how to feel about Eren’s actions. A small handful of people feel that what he didn’t wasn’t excusable no matter the reason. 

I'm here for war crimes and war crimes only, however eren deserves a slow and painful death

I think I don't know the whole story yet.

Hard to say without further flashbacks 

i think i understand him a little, he was surrounded by death since he was a kid, so it's logical that he would snap sometime

I don't think I have enough information to fully pass judgment yet

He's totally in line with his character. After that announcement that the whole world is going to invade and slaughter Paradis, it makes sense for Eren to go on the offensive. Doesn't make sense to fight a war when only one side honors civilian life. 

He did the right thighs! They deserved it!

Just stupid. Everyone thought he was so grown this season but just proves that he's still just a self-motivated little child. He is kinda sick tho??

WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF ZEKE COLLUDING WITH THE SURVEY CORPS? 90 Responses

The vast majority feel that Zeke isn’t a trustworthy ally of the Survey Corps, with 62.2% believing that he has ulterior motives for teaming up with them, while 17.8% believe that his motivations for helping the Survey Corps only involve actions he plans to take toward “saving Eren.” 8.9% believe that Zeke’s truly motivated to help the Paradisians. 

I think I don't know the whole story yet.

I don’t trust him!!! >:(

No idea!!!

Idk!!!!

I want to believe that he's doing this for Eldia but I do feel a double crossing coming on.

NOW THAT EREN AND ZEKE HAVE THE ABILITY TO ACTIVATE THE COORDINATE, DO YOU THINK THEY SHARE THE SAME GOAL? 90 Responses

The overwhelming majority of respondents are either unsure about whether Zeke and Eren have the same goal, or that they most definitely don’t have the same goal.

FLOCH MENTIONS THE “NEW ELDIAN EMPIRE,” WHICH JEAN, SASHA AND CONNIE DON’T SEEM TO HAVE A POSITIVE RESPONSE TO. WHAT DO YOU THINK THIS MEANS? 90 Responses

Floch raised some potential flags about the ideological state of the people on Paradis. When asked what people make of his words and JSC’s reaction to them, 46.7% believe that there is a growing ideological divide on Paradis. 22.2% think that Eren is trying to reestablish the Eldian Empire, as Grisha once did, and that Floch and the others are following him. 13.3% aren’t sure what to make of it yet, while 10% feel that Floch and the others are simple outliers and 7.8% feel that this just shows Paradis is trying to establish itself as their own nation.

NO WARM SMILES WERE SHARED IN EREN AND ARMIN’S REUNION. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE STATUS OF THEIR FRIENDSHIP? 91 Responses

Eren and Armin’s reunion on the airship parallels their previous reunion after the conflict in the Reiss cave. But unlike back then, they didn’t share any smiles. 41.8% aren’t really sure what to make of this or how it overall affects their relationship with each other. 25.3% believe it’s a simple rough patch and that they will come out on the other side of things with the same closeness they’ve always had. 17.6% feel certain that their friendship is over from here on out, and contrasting this, only a handful believe that they are just fine. 

Armin is pissed at eren for commiting war crimes and forcing him to do the same, however they are still care for each other

I think armin is just mad at eren for him leaving them and forcing them to retrieve him

I feel like there’s just a seriousness looming over a childhood connection. It’s sadness, but trust. Like “we’ve done some fucked up shit m8” I mean admin just killed a fuck ton of people haha

Idk but it's not looking good

Tense, maybe Eren's decision to go to Marley caused a rift between them.

Feels like this is over something that happened BEFORE the Liberio attack that we're just not aware of yet

LEVI COMPARED EREN TO THE “ROTTEN SHITS” WHO LIVED IN THE UNDERGROUND. WHAT DO YOU THINK HE MEANT? 90 Responses

When it comes to the meaning behind Levi telling Eren he’s like “rotten shits” from the underground, 41.1% believe that Levi means Eren is lifeless, shady and filthy. 27.8% felt that Levi was merely referring to Eren becoming underhanded and shady, and another 25.6% felt that he meant to say Eren seems lifeless or hopeless. 

Eren's become apathetic bull eyes no emotion just pushing forward to the next

Eren is a hobo

Eren will kill anyone to get what he wants.

Selfish, looking out for number 1. Careless of other human beings.

GABI LAMENTED THE DESTRUCTION OF HER HOMETOWN, THE DEATHS OF HER LOVED ONES, AND HER SHATTERED DREAMS OF PROVING HER PEOPLE AREN’T DEVILS. DID YOU EMPATHIZE WITH HER? 89 Responses

Gabi spends some time talking with Falco in tears about how this attack has crushed everything she loves and has worked for. When asked if watchers empathized with her pain, only 34.8% say that they can understand her feelings, with 15.7% having felt empathy for her only until she decided to board the airship. 43.8% didn’t empathize with her in any capacity at any time. 

Girl has no critical thinking whatsoever, hopefully her future time in the island will make her change a bit 

I empathized with her, but didn’t agree with any of her actions

I emphasize and understand her reasons for everything but Im still angry. 

I empathize with her completely, but I am still sad she was so far gone in her anger that she killed Sasha. She’s similar to Eren’s character at the start of the show.

I sympathize with her trauma but not her actions/reactions

GABI AND FALCO ARE NOW STRANDED ON THE BLIMP ON A ONE-WAY TRIP TO PARADIS. DO YOU THINK MORE EXPOSURE TO THE PARADISIANS WILL BE ABLE TO SWAY GABI’S VIEWS? 87 Responses

With Gabi and Falco stuck on the airship to Paradis, we asked if you believe that Gabi’s views specifically could be changed over time. More than half (52.9%) feel that her beliefs about the people of Paradis will change by the story’s end. 18.4% do not believe she has the capacity to change, and 28.7% have already been spoiled.

I put 'no' for Gabi changing, but even if she does, I will always hate her and want her to die

PIECK FIGURES OUT THAT THE SOLDIER WHO LED HER AND PORCO ASTRAY IS A WOMAN NAMED YELENA. DID YOU EXPECT THIS SOLDIER TO BE UNRELATED TO THE MAIN CAST FROM PARADIS? 90 Responses

Viewers’ responses on what they expected of Yelena are fairly evenly mixed. 27.8% were certain that she was someone we already knew in disguise, 26.7% felt uncertain about whether she was familiar or not, but was more sure she was someone new. 22.2% felt uncertain as well, but leaned toward feeling it was someone that we did already know. A small handful were already spoiled, and the rest were certain she was someone from the main cast.

WILL LEVI CONTINUE TO COOPERATE WITH ZEKE? 90 Responses

Another pie chart with a somewhat equal mix. 38.9% are certain that Levi’s cooperation with Zeke will ultimately be short lived and that he will let his feelings get the better of him. 33.3% don’t want to say for sure either way. 22.2% are certain that Levi will restrain himself from doing anything rash.

HANGE STATES THAT THE SURVEY CORPS HAS LOST ALL TRUST IN EREN. BUT WHAT ABOUT YOU? 90 Responses

43.3% of respondents still have faith in Eren and his intentions, while 34.4% aren’t really sure whether or not they should. 15.6% agree with Hange, that Eren is no longer worthy of their trust. A small number of people have already been spoiled by future happenings.

WHAT ARE YOUR FEELINGS ON THE CHARACTERS AFTER SEEING THE EVENTS OF THIS ARC UNFOLD?

Overall, the original characters from the Survey Corps continue to have the highest favorability ratings, with Eren having the most mixed reviews (though still generally well-liked by the majority). Sasha, Levi, Mikasa and Armin had the highest favorability out of the original cast. 

Floch, as well as the Marleyan characters, have much more mixed reviews. Of these characters, the most disliked ones appear to be Gabi, Floch, Porco and Magath, in that order. Reiner and Falco appear to be more favorable than not among fans. The remaining characters overall have neutral opinions on them, with Zeke skewing slightly more negative and Pieck and Colt skewing slightly more positive. 

I don't "strongly dislike" Gabi Braun. I fucking HATE her.

ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS ON THE EPISODE?

I hate to rate it a 1 since the quality is superb as usual, but there was absolutely no good reason to kill off Sasha, especially if it's for the sake of replacing her with some Nazi brat

After a blast that the previous episode was, this pales in comparison. I don't really like Sasha that much but just when she's showing growth, that's when she dies. But then again, character death has become a norm in this series.

They could have easily used Falco to show an empathetic kid from the "other side", not some ripoff Eren with a vagina

I was more moved by a child's grief (Gabi) than the death of an adult whose personality was only "potato, meat, I'm hungry lol". I don't know why that ruckus and all these extravagant shows of sadness. And also all that hate toward a litteral kid. She saw Sasha killing in front of her eyes people who tried to protect her and we saw a glimpse in Sasha's eyes she thought to do the same for Gabi. I'm a bit sad about losing a familiar face. But don't expect tears for her from me. 

Still think Marley is the real enemy and the corps and warriors need to combine.

Fight scenes were amazing wish it went on a it more with some interesting revaluations that I'm curious to see where itt goes

The score was phenomenal - ESPECIALLY in sasha’s death scene.

This episode made me extremely irrational initially. But the more time I had to think, the more I realized I don’t have all the info to make judgements on all the characters (Eren’s actions behind the Scouts’ back, Zeke’s betrayal etc.). Still dislike Gabi because of her personality but I can understand her reasonings for her actions especially as a brainwashed kid (not to outright justify her actions though). 

Has not sunk in that Sasha is dead, very melancholy. Such an entertaining watch though! I absolutely adored the interactions between characters, especially EMA. I'm so excited to hopefully see some flashbacks of the Survey Corps next episode.

Depressing and gives an uneasy feel, especially with the new eldian empire thingy

WHERE DO YOU PRIMARILY DISCUSS THE SERIES? 85 Responses

Thanks again to everyone who participated!

[justlookfrightened]

How hard could it be? Epilogue

A/N: I’m posting this as the epilogue of “How Hard Could It Be?”, but it’s actually going to be the first chapter of its as-yet-untitled sequel. Look for updates on AO3 after “How Hard Could It Be?” finishes posting.

“Come on, Jack, answer.”

Bitty heard the ringing change to the mechanical voice reading the phone number and telling him to leave a message.

He hung up and looked at  the time. Just after eight. It was a couple of hours earlier than he usually called Jack, but he knew Jack should be up.

Probably he was doing his morning exercise routine. Even with the return to conditioning in the team facilities, players were still doing a lot of it at home because of restrictions on how many people could be in the gym at one time.

Call me when you get this, Bitty texted. He hoped Jack would call before he showered and dressed and had breakfast.

It’s important, Bitty added.

There was nothing more he could do, so he went back to the kitchen and got butter from the fridge. He could leave a couple of sticks to soften for cookies and cube the rest into flour for a pie crust.

MooMaw brought her coffee cup in from the porch. 

“Baking already? What did Jack say?”

“I didn’t talk to Jack,” Bitty said, concentrating on measuring salt into the flour.

“You’re going to move back with your mother and daddy then?” MooMaw asked. “That’s what you’re trying to work yourself up to do?”

“What? No,” Bitty said, starting on the butter. “Jack didn’t answer. Probably working out. But if he doesn’t want me, I’ll try Shitty and Lardo. If things are opening up again, it’s time for me to move on.”

“Move on from here?”

“From Georgia, with my life, all of it,” Bitty said.

“You don’t have to leave,” MooMaw said. “I can tell Connie I don’t have room.”

“Nah,” Bitty said. “She needs a place. And she wants to stay here. Even if I didn’t have somewhere to go, I could take the sofa. And I have a room with Mama and Coach.”

“Have you talked to them?” MooMaw asked.

Bitty shook his head. “Not yet. I want to have a plan first.”

His phone buzzed on the table, he wiped his hands on a dish towel. 

“It’s Jack,” he said. “I’ll just go …”

“Front porch is open,” MooMaw said, picking up the bowl with the beginnings of his pie crust. “I’ll just stick this in the Frigidaire until you’re ready to get back to it.”

“Hey, Jack,” Bitty said, answering the call as he pushed the screen door open.

“Bittle?” Jack said. “Are you alright? Is your grandmother alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Bitty said. “I promise. It’s just, my Aunt Connie lost her job. The restaurant she managed in Atlanta announced it’s closing for good.”

“That’s too bad,” Jack said. “But -- and I don’t mean to be insensitive -- why did you need to call me at eight o’clock in the morning to tell me?”

“Because she called MooMaw last night and asked if she could move in here,” Bitty said. “When her lease is up at the end of the month.”

“Okay,” Jack said.

“And the guest room I’ve been sleeping in will become Aunt Connie’s room,” Bitty said. “And I know we talked about, well, me moving back north and maybe staying with you, but I thought that might be more of a ‘maybe someday’ kind of thing and not a ‘I need a place to stay next month’ kind of thing, and if it is that’s totally fine,” Bitty said. “I get it, we barely know each other, we’ve never met in person, and even if we like each other it’s way too much to ask with our relationship being what it is, if you can call it a relationship at all, and --”

“Bittle,” Jack said.

“Mama would be happy to have me back at home with her, and maybe Shitty and Lardo could help me find a place to share in Boston, and MooMaw said she’d tell Connie the room was taken if I wanted her to, but it’s the room Connie grew up in and after working through the whole shut-down, now the place closes because people aren’t coming back in droves? And she’s nearly 60, and she doesn’t know how she’s gonna find a new job --”

“Bittle.”

“Sorry,” Bitty said. “I’m rambling. I just wanted to know before Mama hears the news about Aunt Connie today. She’ll be thrilled about me coming home, and I want to stop that train before it starts if it’s not gonna happen..”

Jack was silent for a moment before saying, “Is that what you want, to stay in Georgia with your family?”

“Not really,” Bitty said. “I mean, maybe for a little while? Like a week or two? But not another three or four months. I’ve liked spending time with MooMaw, and my parents and I -- it’s gotten better, y’know? -- but I don’t think this is where I want to spend the rest of my life. But I know that’s my problem, not yours.”

“Do you not want to stay with me?” Jack said. “I’ve got plenty of room.”

“I know, sweetpea, but I don’t want to put you on the spot,” Bitty said. “I mean, this isn’t like an old-fashioned arranged marriage or something where the first time we lay eyes on each other is the first day we … you know.”

“Just because you stay here doesn’t mean we have to sleep together,” Jack said. “I have had houseguests before without that, eh?”

Bitty snickered in spite of himself.

“You don’t think it would be bad for us?” Bitty asked. “I mean, like us us, like making us hate each other because we’re stuck together, or making us put up with things we don’t like because we don’t want to cause problems?”

“I don’t know,” Jack said. “I’ve never lived with someone I was in a relationship with.”

“And we’d have to be careful anyway,” Bitty said. “Like, when I get there, I should stay in the guest room and stay away from you as much as possible for two weeks just in case I get exposed to this on the road. And -- wait. What did you say?”

“That I never lived with someone before?” Jack said. “Is that weird?”

“No, but, is that what we’ll be doing?” Bitty said. “Living together? I guess I was thinking more of an indefinite visit, until I can find a job and get a place.”

“If that’s what you want,” Jack said. “You’re welcome to my guest bedroom, I guess.”

“And your kitchen?” Bitty said. “I’ve been itching to bake with you for weeks now.”

“With me or with my kitchen?” Jack chirped. 

“Both?” Bitty said.

“You should know training camp starts July 1,” Jack said. “So I won’t be home that much. And once we start playing, I won’t be home until … I really don’t know when. So it won’t be so much that you’re staying with me as staying in my place.”

“Ugh, that’s true,” Bitty said. “Little old me, all alone in a luxury condo with top-of-the-line everything. It’ll be like the best house sitting job ever. I can take in the mail and water the plants.”

Jack chuckled.

“What makes you think I have plants?”

“You have one,” Bitty said. “I saw that ficus in your living room.”

“What makes you think it’s real?” Jack challenged.

“Uh … there was a dead leaf?”

“Was there?” 

Bitty could hear Jack walking through the condo.

“Shit, you’re right,” Jack said. “I usually have a service take care of the plants but they haven’t been coming because of the pandemic. They sent instructions … but I think I forgot to water last week.”

“See?” Bitty said. “I can make myself useful.”

“You don’t have to,” Jack said. “You’re welcome to come and stay as long as you want or need to. If things open up enough by then, I can get the plant lady to come back. But we don’t have to figure it out now.”

“No, now I just need to tell my parents that after moving home from college and more or less directly into MooMaw’s house, I’m going to move back to New England at the end of June to live with a man I’ve never met,” Bitty said. “It should go well.”

“Haha,” Jack said. “I’ll have to … is it okay if I tell the team? That you’re staying with me? They don’t have to know we’re anything besides friends. But it would be hard to keep it to myself, I think.”

“Of course,” Bitty said. “It’s your home, your team. Tell them as much as you want.”

“Thanks,” Jack said. “Good luck with your folks. Let me know how it goes. And Bittle …”

“Yeah?”

“I’m really looking forward to meeting you in person.”

“Me too,” Bitty said. “I mean, meeting you, not me.”

They ended the call with Jack laughing at Bitty’s joke. Bitty shook his head and looked at the phone for a moment before heading back to the kitchen and resuming his work on the dough.

“Well?” MooMaw asked.

“Looks like I’m headed to Providence in a couple of weeks,” Bitty said. “So this is gonna be a peach pie for Mama.”

Bitty was waiting on MooMaw’s porch with the pie, a pitcher of sweet tea and a container of peanut butter cookies boxed up for coach when his mother came with the groceries. She left the bags on the step, and Bitty got up to carry them inside. 

“Go ahead and get yourself  some pie and tea,” he said. “There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

He left the bags in the kitchen with MooMaw, and came back outside, cutting his own slice of pie before taking a seat on the other side of the porch from his mother.

“Is this about Aunt Connie?” his mother said. “She called this morning. She was asking if I thought we could put together some kind of order business for baked goods and jams and such, maybe sell at farmer’s markets and things. I said you’d have to be part of it too, of course. Because then we could make more, and cover more markets every weekend.”

“No,” Bitty said. “Well, sort of. It’s about Aunt Connie moving back here, at least.”

“You know your room’s been ready for you,” his mother said. “And I know you’re a grown man and need your privacy. Your father and I won’t be nosy.”

What did they think Bitty would be doing in his room? By himself? Because he honestly didn’t know any other gay men in Madison, although there must be some, just based on numbers. And anything else … well, he;d been a teenager already hadn’t he?

He wished he weren’t blushing to the roots of his hair when he said, “No, Mother. It’s not about moving home. Or, I guess, it’s about not moving home.”

His mother looked confused.

“It’s going to be difficult to find a place around here just now, and you’d need a job …”

“I know,” Bitty said. “I will need a job, and that will be hard to find around here. You knew I was planning to go back north.”

“But, where --”

“With Jack,” Bitty said. “He invited me.”

“You can’t impose on a man you barely know for goodness knows how long,” his mother said, like it was obvious. “Even if he says it’s okay, people get tired of having guests.”

“I know, Mama, but it won’t be like that,” Bitty said, hoping very much that he was right. “By the time I get there, he’ll be in training camp, and then he’ll be away for the playoffs the NHL is doing this year, keeping all the teams in the same place, so won’t even be there for a lot of the time. And he’s got a spare room and bathroom and everything.”

“Now, Dicky,” his mother said. “I know you really like Jack, from the time you’ve spent on the computer with him, and he does seem taken with you, but  that’s not real life. I’d hate for you to go so far only to be disappointed. Maybe you can visit him for a week and come home?”

“No, ma’am,” Bitty said. “Traveling isn’t such a great idea right now -- I’m planning to isolate myself for a couple of weeks once I get there just in case -- and anyway, I wasn’t asking permission. I was sharing my plans.”

[captainillogical]

Devil’s Ballroom ch.1

A year after the events from the earth’s final attack, Little Homeworld is finally complete, and there’s a new jazz bar where gems and humans mingle and drink. - As you’re typing back a reply, someone pulls the stool out next to you and takes a seat. You see a sliver of pink out of the corner of your eye as you try not to actually Look. Oh god. It’s her. God can’t help us now.

Spinel/Reader

collab with my lovely wife @firstofficertightpants

Beach City was a small, lovely town, where pretty much everyone knew each other from the inner city to the boardwalk. You've lived your whole life there, and you loved it. It was home. It was also a really strange town, and you're pretty sure the world almost ended like six times in the last 4 years. Although honestly, you never had to worry about that much, since Beach City was also home to the Crystal Gems, and that Steven Universe who just always managed to save the day. So you’re told. Steven was a fun kid, and grew to be one of your good friends (he’s so insistent on being everyone’s friend. It’s very charming and you love him for it), but you’ve mostly spent your time at work this summer.

One of the easiest jobs to get is Funland, since that always tired Mr. Smiley is chewing through people constantly as the pay is shit, the hours are long, and it’s so hot. Like Mr. Smiley says, "Funland is funderstaffed". You feel like he says that to mock you a bit, since there’s just the two of you here. You really only cared to work there on your off season to help dad out with bills, and to see your best friends. Except THIS summer you guess, since all (2) of your best friends had to go out of town for summer either because of family get togethers or romantic getaways. Those bitches. And you were finally of drinking age this summer. You weren't about to let that get you down, or ruin any plans you’ve made yourself in the next upcoming weeks though.

You’re on the last forty minutes of your shift doing the work of four people. Emptying tills around the food court, cleaning tables, emptying trash cans, and jesus christ this task list seems longer today. It feels ever so fucking slow. And warm. You’re melting, you feel disgusting, and you just want a shower. Thank god it’s payday and you have the next two days off, because you seriously wanted to go out and unwind. See, there’s this newly renovated piano bar you’ve wanted to go to for weeks here locally in town, and you had planned on going with your friends.. but. You know what? Screw waiting on them. You’re going tonight. And besides, who knows! Maybe you’ll meet some new people and make a friend, or show your best friends that you can finally get a girlfriend!! Haha.. or at least get drunk enough to ignore the growing loneliness you’ve been feeling as of late, and desperately trying to ignore.

Funland never truly got busy, so you quickly closed the food court that had been dead for hours down. The last 15 or so minutes you spent sitting at the ring toss booth, and very thankful for the protection from the beating sun on your face. 

"YOOOOO (Y/N)!!!" You hear a familiar voice shout from your left. You put down your phone (obviously looking at memes) and lean over the counter just in time to see Amethyst, accompanied by Steven, jogging over to your booth. 

"Oh, thank god. Finally some human interaction." You responded to the purple gem as they reached your booth. Steven smacked down some tickets for the game and grinned.

"Just spending some time away from the temple". He says, and you nodded as you handed him two stacks of rings. He joyfully pulled them towards himself as Amethyst snickered. 

"He means to say his A/C broke, and Pearl got tired of hearing him groan about it so she kicked us out." The short gem elbowed Steven playfully. 

“Us? Why’d she kick you out too?” You say, giving Amethyst a pointed look. “That’s because Amethyst brought up like 7 of the junk fridges from her room to try to create some sort of.. open fridge cold air whirlwind right in the middle of the living room. It didn’t work as intended at all, though. I’m pretty sure those fridges were really old, or something, because 3 of them caught on fire and now we have scorch marks all over the floor. Anyway, Pearl was pretty mad about it. Sooooo, now we’re here!” Steven says while laughing, and attempting to toss the rings onto the obviously not rigged bottles. 

"So anyway," Amethyst turns to you and leans her elbow on the counter. "Any big plans for tonight?" She steals half the stack of rings from Steven and starts chucking them in the most violent way possible without actually breaking anything. She somehow gets 3 perfect.

 “Ughhh, yeah actually. I sort of convinced myself I’d go out and drink tonight.” You say with a tired grin. “I’ve been kinda daydreaming about not being here all day, and I’ve been wanting to try that one place.. the uh.. piano bar. That new one.”

“Isn’t that the place Bismuth helped fix up, and now bartends at?” Steven says to Amethyst. “She said this place was 1930’s themed with a stage, a spotlight, a piano and everything! It sounds like fun and I want to go.. a lot of the gems from Little Homeworld hang out there. Bis says I’m too young.” “Yeah,” You say, “You’re what, 17? You’re still just a baby, dude. If you want, I can try convincing Bismuth to let you in sometime just to sing.” You say to him and wink. Amethyst bursts out laughing. “You can try!! Bis won’t even let Peridot in!” She laughs. “She says her maturity ain’t the right fit. Whatever that means. She lets Lapis work there sometimes though when she wants, and Peri is still mad about it.”     You watch Steven miss every single shot. How can this kid be the person who saved the planet? His aim is terrible. Amethyst also misses the rest of her shots. 

“Have you guys actually ever won anything here?” You say out loud. “Only when Amethyst cheats.” Steven says. “And anyway, I really want some food. Amethyst. Pizza?”

“Duuuuuuuude. I could eat at least 10 pizzas right now. PLEASE.” She slaps her hand down on your booth. “Y/N. Go out tonight. Have some fun for the both of us, because it’s my turn to clean the kitchen, and if I skip out again Pearl WILL make me do my own laundry.”

“Wooooow, jeez, it must be so terrible to be self-sustaining and clean your own shit,” You’re smiling while chiding her, “and yeah, I will. Maybe next time come with me?” “And leave me all alone!?” Steven whines while starting to walking away. “Go hang out with Connie, you turd. At least you HAVE a girlfriend!” You reply. “You’ll find one eventually Y/N!! Maybe tonight!!” He yells back while waving before they both disappear from your field of vision.

“I really fucking doubt that.” You say to yourself, alone.

You busy yourself cleaning up, and walk over to the main building to clock out. You check your phone, and it looks like the group chat pinged. It’s Harper. FINALLY. Harper has been MIA for the last week. Well, not missing, per se, but she’s been on a roadtrip with her girlfriend of 6 months and didn’t invite you..or your other best friend, Alex. And yeah, you would’ve had to decline because your dad needs you to pick up some slack while he’s out on business, but.. STILL. Shit kinda hurts. But it seems like she finally got service and remembered you guys exist. It’s actually just a selfie with her and her girlfriend with a mountain in the background. She captioned it “I wanted to dive right into mt st helens but she wouldn’t let me get close enough.” You grin and decide to reply with, “Maybe next time Leah won’t let you pussy out”. Honestly, you really didn't mind being the 'single' friend most of the time, but sometimes you wished you could finally meet someone. Then you could also be sending cute couple pictures to your idiot friends, and finally feel like maybe you’re worth someone’s time.

Alex just responds to the chat with 14 flame emojis in succession. Before you can send any knife emojis back, your phone lights up with a call from your father. You answer on the second ring.

“Hey dad. What’s up?” “HEY KIDDO!!” Jesus. Your dad is enthusiastic and as loud as ever. “HOW ARE YOU TODAY, my sweet, dear offspring?”

“I’m chill. Getting off work. You?” You smile to yourself while grabbing the rest of your things to leave for home.

“Just got out of like, my fifth meeting today. It’s awful. I think they’re trying to kill me over here? I’m pretty sure they only paid for the plane ticket because they’re going to reap my organs after they LITERALLY bore me to death. I’m 100% sure my presence isn’t even needed for any of this.” He rants into the phone.

“Dad. You’re the lead project planner. You have to be there. It’s like.. your entire job.” You laugh into the phone. “I thought my entire job was so sit there and look pretty?” “Really? You think they’d choose you for that when they have Brian? Dad, come on. You know how beautiful he is.” You hear your dad sigh wistfully. “Yeah, that gorgeous bastard. Anyway. I’m real sorry in advance, but they’re extending my stay for another couple of days, and instead of being back tomorrow, I’ll be back next thursday.” He says, sounding apologetic.

“Oh, okay. That sucks.” You try not to sound disappointed. “Kiddo I’m sorry! If I could come home tonight I would get on that plane in a heartbeat. I hate this as much as you do.”

“I know. And it’s alright. I’m going out tonight anyway, and I’ll hold down the fort until next week yeah?” “You know you’re my favorite kid, right?” He says. “Dad, I’m your only kid.” You scoff into the phone. “That YOU know of! Love you!” and he hangs up. You roll your eyes, stuff your phone into your pocket, and head out.

Your house wasn't very far from Funland, meaning you could walk home alone safely even at night. Not that Beach City was ever an unsafe town.. if you conveniently happen to forget the aliens trying to destroy the town several times. 

Within minutes you were unlocking your front door, toeing off your work shoes, and heading up into your room. You drop all your shit onto the floor, and flop on your bed. You wonder to yourself, should you be putting more effort into your appearance tonight? Steven did say it was 1930’s themed.. you don’t have very many dressy clothes. You feel like the only color you look good in is black, so you get up and open up your closet. Flowery dress.. God no. Overalls? Noooooo. You swipe through too many sweaters, honestly. There’s a couple decent things in here to put an okay outfit together, or.. wait. Ha! There. That cute black dress you wore 2 years ago for your aunt’s funeral. It’s the best you’ve got, you admit to yourself. And you even still have those black flats! Look, like basically zero effort involved.

You head to the bathroom with your things for tonight and take a shower. It feels nice to scrub off the layer of sweat and grime that come specifically from working at Funland. Oh and, not having to smell like carpet deodorizer and stale caramel popcorn is always a plus. Once out of the shower, you dry off and get into your clothes. You style your hair in your favorite way, and just put on a small bit of makeup. You know, small efforts help to feel less like a paper bag. You look nice for once, you admit to yourself. 

You head downstairs, stuffing your phone and wallet into a small shoulder purse. Grabbing your keys, you put your shoes on, say goodbye to your cat, and walk out the door, making sure to lock it behind you. With your keys safely stored in your bag, you headed into town. The bar was roughly ten to fifteen minutes away, so you decided to hoof it. No need to waste money on a taxi when you had two perfectly toned legs, ya’ll.

[c-atm]

Flirty fighting: Character  Select pt1(Halloween special)

Connie Maheswaran groaned as she heard her smart phone ring. She was in the middle of going over some reports from Little HW R&D about an energy project she, Peridot and Pearl was working on, and didn't  really want to be annoyed or distracted. Though.. It was HIS tone..his new one: Love Dramatic.

   She smirked as she answered the call and a smiling Steven appeared on a video feed. With a small kiss of his teeth his he spoke.

   "Hey."

   The tone, that damn husky tone. Always had sent a shiver through her.

  "Yo, Mister. Kind of late for a call." It was midnight after all.

  "Is it?"

  "It is. Already getting ready for bed.."

   "Awe, want me to tuck you in?"

   Connie blushed a bit at his flirtatious smile. She licked a bit before laying on her bed. "I think you just want a bed buddy."

   Steven shrugged the blush bright on his cheek." I mean, you do sleep better as a small spoon, Heart Berry."

 She laughed with faux shocked. "Really? 'Heart Berry' now?"

  "Oh, you like it."

  She acted like she trying to decide before nodding playfully

  "I do, I really do." She shrugged with a smug grin. "So Big guy, what can your  Heart Berry do for you or did you want to see what I was wearing to sleep, Huh?"

  Steven paused and tried to get a word out, as if he was really considering it. She found  it hilarious.

  With an arched brow and a slight purr to her tone she spoke.

  "Wanna see what you missing, Mister?"

  Steven for his part, let loose a slight embarrass chuckle.

  "Knowing you, probably wearing a hoodie and spanx."

 "Wrong..Do you wanna see?"

 "I called for a reason. I can't remember it..cause now I'm curious."

   Seeing a hungry look in his eyes made her more impish. With a slight purr she slowly move the phone downward..towards her neck before pulling back up, with a chuckle.

    Seeing the dumbfounded blush made her laugh. Steven groaned as he looked away slightly.

    "Yea, laugh it up Minx.

   "Oh you Bad boy. What, you want a bite of your 'Heart Berry'?."

  "Bite?"

  "Sup Biscuit, remember what you originally  called for? Other than me, of course."

  He laughed fairly with a Smug look. "She says as if I didn't just make her night."

  "He says as if I didn't make his day."

  "Fair enough."

  "Same."

   The two glared in silence before they shared a love filled laugh.

 "So seriously, no teasing. What's up?"

 "I want to show you something. Ok?"

 "Wow me, like always."

  "It's what I live for."

   Steven opened his mouth wide showing his teeth, tonsils, and tongue. All normal.

  Connie found herself gulping a bit and blushing. 'Ok..so why is this hot to me?'

   "That's a nice mouth, I like that mouth."

  Steven  held a finger to cease her from joking. His teeth glowed pink for a quick moment before his canines were replaced with sharp looking fangs. He closed it with a snarling smile and a confident glint in his eyes.

   Connie for her part absentmindedly rubbed her neck and her legs together.

'OOOO..OK, I REALLY LIKE THAT MOUTH.'

  "Heh, guess you like them."

  Connie blushed as she moved her neck out of the frame."Quiet you."

  His grin grew a bit more beastly, as he licked his new features.  "Wasn't you just offering me a taste, Heart Berry?"

 Connie was red faced and was trying to fight the smile on her face and race of her heart.

   "Oooo.. You…Fucking.."

    "Is the bed buddy offer still on the table?"

   Connie took a deep breath calming down, slightly.

    "You know I wouldn't allow any sleep, if you came."

    "Threatening me with a good time berry."

    Connie rolled her eyes at the response, causing a chuckle to escape from her opponent.

    "Biting my style now."

    "Among other things else I want to, but I digress. You know there's gonna be a costume party at LHW next week for halloween, Which is why I made these pearly whites. "

  "Oh, so you're going as a vampire?"

  "I'm going as whatever can compliment you."

  Connie gave a false astonishment. "Well aren't we bold and assuming. What makes you think I am going?"

  "Pssshh! You're going you have no reason not to go.."

   "I...Have no costume."

   "You… Have access to 'costume spheres'. Which let us talk about that..What and how?"

   Connie gave him cocky smile while she shrugged. "Never underestimate the power of weebs with access to alien technology, big imagination, and a drive to make money…"

     She sighed after that. "Anyway

those spheres are untested and unloaded. Basically they're hard light globes. So once again no costume."

   "Then we'll get some together. Make a day of it."

  Connie looked at the man with suspicion  wagging her finger at the hybrid. "What's the plan,Universe?"

  "Saturday, early. You and me head to Empire go costume and miscellaneous shopping. We'll spend the day modeling  for and goofing off with each other. Eat and head back to the temple or I drop you off at your residence at LHW. Get out of Delmarva for a day, You in?"

  Connie laughed a bit.  "Oh my..sound like you're asking for a date, rather than an outing."

   "I am."

    Connie was stunned at how serious and straightforward he was. It shook her a bit.. In a very very good way. She knew she was blushing, glowing...she didn't care.

   "Ok..ok. I'm in..Saturday early..What time?"

    Steven chuckled his face a tomato."Yes! ok. .On the road by 9:30. I know it's early for you..so I'll bring a blanket  so you can get some sleep on the way there."

    "So we're taking the Dondai opposed to the lion express?.. Shame was looking forward to holding you during the ride."

   "Wha?"

   Connie had to giggle at his slightly  startled face.

  Steven growled before speaking deeply and huskily. "Oh haha..I'm so gonna bite you with these, impish minx."

    "Mmm..Sink them in."

  Steven's eyes widen at her tone basically  dripping with wanton intent. Didn't help the way her half kidded black eyes seem to glow in the light, the small bite of her bottom lip, or the way she rubbed her neck. All made gulp and breathed deeply, a slow lick of his fangs.

  'OOOOH THIS WOMAN OF MINES.'

  "You remember that Connie."

  She nodded casually. "Sure sure..Now..I gotta sleep."

  "No, you don't.."

  "I wanna sleep...So..Saturday right?"

  "Yeah..Me and you. Early."

  "I got it..Good night, Mister."

  "Sweet dreams, Heart Berry."

  Connie smirked. "You're gonna make sure I do?"

  "If I have to...Though the way you been looking at my fangs..I think that's already covered. Haha."

 Connie shook her head at his boast. He could have that.

  "Yeah sure. So I'm gonna let you go. ok?"

  Steven nodded before pressing his cheek to the lens. Connie sighed with faux annoyance before she gleefully kissed the screen. Steven chuckled at the 'chu' of her kiss.

  "Happy? Now."

  "Would've  been better lips to cheek but it will suffice."

  Connie shook her head with a yawn.."Sheesh, the things I do for you."

 "That because you love me."

 "You loved me first, So ha..Ok letting you go."

 "Saturday..Bye Heart Berry."

 Connie nodded as she ended the call.. She did feel tired but..She had one last thing to do.

  *A few minutes later*

   Steven just exit his bathroom from a shower where he saw that he received a text on his phone. He opened it….

  "Oooooohh! Save!"

  Inside was a picture sent by Connie..on her bed..full body. Wearing one of his shirts ridden up showing her stomach and a pair of  yery small yet very loose fitting dark blue sweat shorts. She was winking and her lips was a bit puckered up as if she was sending a kiss. He pressed the button to hear the message.

  "Wish it was you instead of your shirt, but It'll have to do. Until Saturday, Mister...oh and don't forget..SINK.THEM.INNN..Love ya. Heart Berry."

   Steven face was aflame and he could feel himself floating as he kissed the phone, he'll be sleeping in the air tonight.

As the Jam buds rested they knew they would have sweet dreams..or more than dreams tonight..One thing was for certain neither could wait for Saturday.

[casualtyfandom]

I saw your “send me a...” post so here’s some things 1- Casualty 2- Sam N x Dylan 3- Sam Nicholls

Thank you!! My answers change over time but this is how I feel right now...

001 | Send me a fandom and I will tell you my:

Favorite character: Dylan Keogh

Least Favorite character: Ah probably Connie or Noel

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): Ruby x Will, Ethan x Alicia, Iain x Lily, I also really, really liked Rash and Gem but after that went to sh*t, I’m totally getting round the idea of Connie x Rash ngl

Character I find most attractive: Rash atm

Character I would marry: DYLAN

Character I would be best friends with: Robyn Miller ❤

a random thought: I didn’t think Fenisha would be allowed to wear her nose piercing at work

An unpopular opinion: I don’t like Connie that much

My Canon OTP: Er there’s not much that is canon atm so probably Duffy and Charlie because that was cute 

My Non-canon OTP: Why couldn’t Ruby and Will get together ?

Most Badass Character: I know I said I didn’t like Connie but I can’t deny her badassery

Most Epic Villain: Probably Scott who killed Cal 😢

Pairing I am not a fan of: Fenisha and Will/Ethan - (can we just let her be awesome without a man ??)

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): Obviously Sam Nicholls

Favourite Friendship: David and Dylan (before the show ruined it)

Character I most identify with: Alicia

Character I wish I could be: I know I said I didn’t like Connie but I can’t deny how much money she has

002 | Send me a ship and I will tell you:

When I started shipping them: When Sam told everyone she was his wife 😂

My thoughts: I did like them but after Sam married Tom I was pretty much over it. In the year before Sam died I generally didn’t like them together because I felt the writers weren’t doing their relationship justice and ruined the potential.

What makes me happy about them: The idea that they rushed into marriage like giddy children in love, and I like that Sam would have brought more adventure and excitement to Dylan’s routine.

What makes me sad about them: That the writers ruined them lol (and I guess more specifically that Dylan shut Sam out of his life for no reason)

Things done in fanfic that annoys me: I’ve actually never read a Sam x Dylan fanfic 😜

Things I look for in fanfic: I would look for married fluff or a first date type of thing

My wishlist: I mean, for Sam not to die and for Dylan to actually be nice to her and maybe a love triangle with Jacob before living happily ever after

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: I think I would have been okay with Sam and Jacob. Honestly, I think Dylan is a lone wolf who is better off alone sometimes haha

My happily ever after for them: Getting remarried somewhere quiet by themselves and living on Dylan’s boat and going on holidays all the time 

003 | Give me a character & I will tell you:

How I feel about this character: Generally I liked Sam when she was first on the show because she was confident and powerful but she was absolutely destroyed by the writers so the year before she died she became really soulless and confusing and I couldn’t really feel anything for her 🤷‍♀️

Any/all the people I ship romantically with this character: Just Dylan I think. I used to like her and Tom but looking back (and the fact they broke up) it looked like such a toxic relationship and a BIG NO to Iain.

My favorite non-romantic relationship for this character: Honestly, I don’t remember Sam having any friends haha so I guess just Iain  

My unpopular opinion about this character: Don’t know if this is unpopular but I thinks she was a b*tch to Ruby the whole time

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: For her to be a doctor like SHE ACTUALLY IS QUALIFIED AS and not a paramedic urgh

Favorite friendship for this character: She has no friends 😂

My crossover ship: I think Sam and Kian from Holby would have been A+ together

[whereverthemusetakesme]

GET TO KNOW THE BLOGGER.

Can be used to get to know a bit about the person behind the screen!

TAGGED BY: Borrowed from @blackstardiopside​ TAGGING: Anyone, everyone!

1. FIRST NAME: Cheetah (I mean, not really. But I don’t give out my real name online)

2. STRANGE FACT ABOUT YOURSELF: I have, like, a really good memory for movie scripts, if I watch them enough. I can recite The Lion King, among several others, pretty much word-for-word, just off the top of my head; and there are more where my mind has stored most but not quite all of it. It’s a kinda... cool but weird trait, and I wish I knew of some actual practical use for having such movies memorised.

3. TOP THREE PHYSICAL THINGS YOU FIND ATTRACTIVE ON A PERSON: Eyes, hair, and... I mean, I dunno. It’s not something I think about that much, I guess?

4. A FOOD YOU COULD EAT FOREVER AND NOT GET BORED OF: Probably pizza, tbh. BBQ chicken and bacon, with extra cheese and cheese-stuffed crust, please and thank-you!

5. A FOOD YOU HATE: Onions, honestly. I can eat them if they’re part of something, but I’d rather avoid them altogether.

6. GUILTY PLEASURE: Dressing in a shirt and tie when I don’t need to.

7. WHAT DO YOU SLEEP IN: Pajama pants and dressing gown.

8. SERIOUS RELATIONSHIPS OR FLINGS: Serious.

9. IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN THE PAST AND CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT YOUR LIFE, WOULD YOU AND WHAT WOULD IT BE: Um. I can think of a few things I’d love to change - mostly to do with how I acted in secondary school because I was super self-conscious and kind of tried to cover that by being a pain to people around me - but at the same time? I feel like if I’d done better socially at school, I’d never have been interested in an online community of friends, and so would never have met my amazing gf? And I wouldn’t change anything that would compromise knowing her.

There are several other dumb things that I’d very much like to have stopped myself from doing, too. But those are too personal to share.

10. ARE YOU AN AFFECTIONATE PERSON: Yep! I mean, not with strangers, obviously; but if I’m close enough to someone, then for sure.

11. A MOVIE YOU COULD WATCH OVER AND OVER AGAIN: Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. It’s just... such a beautiful movie? I don’t think I could ever get bored of it. There are probably a few others too, but that one in particular.

12. FAVORITE BOOK: Fiction... any of Aaron Allston’s St.ar Wars X-Wing novels, though Solo Command and Starfighters of Adumar in particular. Yoda: Dark Rendezvous by Sean Stewart. Robin Parish’s Dominion Trilogy. ...what do you mean I was only supposed to pick one?

13. YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO KEEP ANY ANIMAL AS A PET, WHAT DO YOU CHOOSE: A BABY CHEETAH!

14. TOP FIVE FICTIONAL SHIPS [IF YOU ARE AN RP BLOG, YOU CAN USE YOUR OWN SHIPS AS WELL]: Patch / Angel (101 Dalmatians 2 / Lady and the Tramp 2); Connie / Steven (Steven Universe; particularly when writing them with Corgi); Tidus / Yuna (Final Fantasy X); Hiccup / Astrid (How to Train Your Dragon 2)... um, I’m sure there’s a fifth one, but I can’t think of it right now. There are several others I like, but not that I’d rate as absolute favourites like these.

15. PIE OR CAKE: Cake.

16. FAVORITE SCENT: Freshly-baked bread.

17. CELEBRITY CRUSH: Nope.

18. IF YOU COULD TRAVEL ANYWHERE, WHERE WOULD YOU GO: Wherever my girlfriend wants to go. I’d honestly be happy anywhere as long as it was with her.

19. INTROVERT OR EXTROVERT: Introvert. Very introvert.

20. DO YOU SCARE EASILY: Kinda no? Kiiiiinda? I get... unnerved more easily than I get scared, I’d say.

21. IPHONE OR ANDROID: ...I’m that one weirdo with a Windows phone... xD;

22. DO YOU PLAY ANY VIDEO GAMES: A bit! I’ve mostly been playing little one-off games like Celeste and A Hat in Time recently, along with replaying several older titles from my childhood. And some of the Lego games, but I’m getting a bit bored of them these days.

23. DREAM JOB: Animator! ...I think? Definitely something around about the animation business, though I waver between YES I WANT TO BE A REAL ANIMATOR and OH MY GOODNESS THIS WOULD BE SO TEDIOUS TO DO AS A JOB? so I’m a little indecisive xD Maybe a Storyboard artist instead, I feel that plays to my strengths more.

24. WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH A MILLION DOLLARS: Um. Pay off my student loan, for starters. Buy whatever my gf and I would need in order to pursue a future together, definitely. Maybe sign up to that one expensive postgraduate course I’m interested in. Then... I dunno, I’m not really comfortable spending loads on myself these days, so I’d rather that most of the rest of it go where it would actually help people instead?

(Though with whatever of it I do keep, I might live the dream and buy myself that Lego Millennium Falcon that I’ve had my eye on a version of since childhood...)

25. FICTIONAL CHARACTER YOU HATE: I was gonna say that, while there are several that I don’t care for, I don’t think I can say I actively hate any fictional characters; but my answer to the next question reminded me of something. I absolutely couldn’t stand Gamz.ee when I read HS, which I guess makes him pretty much the closest?

26. FANDOM THAT YOU WERE ONCE A PART OF BUT AREN’T ANY LONGER: I suppose that’s Homes.tuck? I wouldn’t say I was ever really a part of the active fandom, but I did used to follow along with the comic and draw the characters a bit and stuff. And I’ve since just kinda... lost interest. I revisited a scene a bit ago, one that I’d used to find really funny, and it just... didn’t do anything for me now? I guess my tastes just moved on. (Though there are three characters from there that I’m still attached to anyway so... haha WHOOPS?)

[spacedimentio]

Live Impressions of “Change Your Mind”

Neat, a bit of the credits music on the title card is fun and totally not ominous

Oh, this a dream. I was legit worried about Connie for a second there

That thing looks like one of those rainbow caterpillars that really little kids have that you can pull behind you with a string

!!?! I- That’s not worrisome at all, nope, no identity crisis here, oooh boy

Does that mean that Rose knew what the corruption light was? Or just that it was an attack of some kind. Cause if she knew exactly what it was then she should have probably seen it coming.

Déjà Blue is right, they’re using the exact recording/drawing I think

“No.” Damn right you’re not sorry!

Oh Blue, you really did love her, didn’t you… She looks nice with messy hair, it reflects how she feels on the inside.

That easy huh? Haha, look at her face she doesn’t know what eating is and is totally mystified and disgusted xD

Yellow time. Oh, are those…those are fusion experiments. A nice reminder of an awful thing that Yellow is responsible for.

Oh, oh shit! Blue looks absolutely mortified holy fuck

Hey, there’s the scene from the promo. “You’d hurt your fellow diamond?” “Didn’t we hurt Pink? She was suffering in silence for ages, just like our gems, just like me!” Oh man, she does know that they’re responsible for a lot of bad shit, was their behavior all just…fear?

That face Yellow just made stabbed me in the heart jesus No don’t you dumb banana what are you doing holy shit! Oh my god no she’s gonna cry and then I’m gonna cry and she really just doesn’t wanna do this

Did he really just Did he really just hit her with “If every porkchop were perfect, we wouldn’t have hotdogs” I can’t

Haha fuck yes! Yellow crying was my one wish for this ep :’D Let it all out Yellow, I’m sure Steven will give you hugs at some point Also kudos to the person that made the comic where the dialogue was almost exactly like this in regards to Yellow telling Blue to stop using her powers when she wasn’t doing anything

Oh! They’re calling him Steven now! They probably don’t get what he is still but that’s a good step

I’ve heard “You’re not going anywhere” in the commercial like 5 million times but it’s still creepy af

Oh hell no the ship did not need eyes no thank you

Ok I just thought he was trying to pull a “hey, what’s that” and run away while White looked to see what he was pointing at, but no it’s actually the two arm ships how the fuck did Bismuth fix them so fast (how long were the kids in prison jeeeeez). I like how it looks like there’s bandaids and duct tape on them lol But this might actually be a bad thing because why did you bring the arms, you’re going to make the mech stronger!

Dream: achieved! Ayyy, new designs! Nice glasses Peri, but they too big, so I like Lapis’s outfit more. I do love how you just have the lid to a garbage can, you could have found cooler things to surf on, but nope. Garbage can lid.

No don’t attach the arms that’s going to come back to bite you I just know it!

Man, the diamonds hopped on Team Steven quick, but I can’t be too upset with that because it is also what I wanted XD I guess they’ve been suffering a lot more than I thought.

That’s a nice sentiment Connie, and I’m surprised that the diamonds actually listened to what you said and considered it. Doubt it’ll work though.

Oh, they’ve still got control of their ships. I wonder how that particular bit of bullshit space magic works.

You got this Yellow! Don’t hold it in anymore! Oof, they don’t like the pressure they’re under, and they’re under a lot. The diamonds are responsible for a lot of awful things, but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t conditioned and expected to fulfill their roles just as much as any other gem.

Aww, look at how Yellow is smiling, and I love how they’re holding hands! Bellow forever!

Oh that’s… Zero hesitation. Stone cold. I don’t like the way their heads flopped backwards, that’s really unsettling OK IT GOT WORSE STOP SMILING LIKE THAT D:

Steven I know you want them to reform but you should probably bubble them before…you…drop them, just like that.

I demand the BGM for this episode and will inevitably be sad when we don’t get it

Oh what, you can just do that? Fuse with a gem that’s not even formed?

o0o Rainbow 2.0! I had a guess that their weapon would be a parasol and it was even neater than I thought it would be Wow, they’re really, really British. That’s a British accent right, I’m not dumb? They’re just Mary Poppins, holy shit I love them! Jet umbrella leaves rainbow trail, ok yes thank you

Fire lady??? We fusing with everyone up in here today! Steven, in episode fucking 11: So, what’s today’s mission? I hope it’s fighting a giant foot! Today, in episode 157-160: a giant foot almost shatters everyone Well you sure got your wish buddy, are you happy?

Alright we got sunglasses mcgoo over here. Sunstone looks like a cereal box mascot I swear to god. So we’re going full “PSA mascot from the 90s”, are we. Man you are just…continually breaking the fourth wall aren’t you. Of course, Sardonyx also has the power to break the fourth wall so I guess it’s just a Future Vision+ thing. I like you Sunglasses McGoo, but I hope your weapon isn’t just suction cups or you’re never going to show up again in a fight xD

Fuckin rip Nice shades Garnet, I like what you did with your…idk what that piece of clothing is called but it’s the bit in the thin section of her body, I like the way the color goes onto her hips a little.

Oh OH SHIT IS IT REALLY TIME FOR THE LONG-THEORIZED TEMPLE FUSION That’s a lot of arms dude! Oh my god they are so cool I love them already!

Peri I love you, never don’t be ridiculous Oh geez I thought she wasn’t going to be able to catch her for a second because bismuth is a diamagnetic metal and *flashbacks of A Gem is Shattered being on the bingo card*

What’s this…staff thing? Ok that was extremely cool, your face is full of lava and you just made a sword from it. Goodbye hands I’m hearing Alexandrite’s percussion instrument in the music, that’s neat. Obsidian is also just roaring a lot, like Alexandrite.

Oh through the eyes, sure. Idk why she didn’t just close the eyelids to keep them out

With all the commotion and fusions, I totally forgot they got brainwashed, oof. It’s definitely not extremely unsettling to see them all talking at once with one voice, nope, not at all. Please stop talking, please stop talking, christ please stop talking

“But you’re a part of me” I-… Does that mean that the color theory where the other diamonds used to be part of White has more merit than I thought? Is that where they came from?

Nononono leave them alone! Oh god why

NONONONONONO STOP THAT DON’T DO THAT PLEASE DON’T DO THAT OH GOD I AM LEGIT CRYING RIGHT NOW THIS IS AWFUL

I don’t think that’s true, I’m pretty sure Pink was just a naturally social person who’s status forced her into loneliness. She just wanted some got dang friends

I DON’T THINK I’VE EVER BEEN SO CREEPED OUT IN MY LIFE. Why is this animation and these over-exaggerated faces reminding me of Cuphead. I’ve never played Cuphead but that’s what I’m thinking of.

DON’T YOU DARE GIVE THE CHILD AN EVEN WORSE IDENTITY CRISIS I AM VERY, VERY WORRIED SHE’S RIGHT

Wait, what are you doing WAIT A MINUTE NO DON’T YOU DARE DON’T YOU FUCKING DARE OH JESUS OH CHRIST THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING NONONO STOP

THEY DID IT THEY ACTUALLY FUCKING DID IT Is…is she…

(Edit from the future: Probably most of you didn’t have a commercial break after this moment, but I sure did, and I spent the entirety of those minutes with my hand covering my mouth in pure shock, tears trickling down my face. I was left to wonder…is Rose coming back? Is Steven dead? I was left with this image:

I was so astounded that I had to pause for a moment and just breathe. And christ, having to wait just a few minutes in utter shock and terror was An Experience. I feel bad for those who didn’t have a break there.)

*quickly realizes that having half the screen still black means that we’re gonna have double perspective* Oh No Oh Shit Oh No is it really gonna be her?!

Oh thank goodness. Congratulations, you now have two Steves, whatever that means

Ok Steven’s still alive, but it looks like it’s excruciating to be without his gem. I’m glad he didn’t just fall apart without the light holding his cells together. How long can he last without his…soul?  Shit what do we call this, what even is this.

This is definitely not what she expected to happen. Oh jesus christ holy shit chill out dude, even White Diamond shook

It’s just…such a relief to finally know. I never believed that the show would abandon its themes of loss by having a miraculous return, but I still wanted to see her anyway. She’s gone.

So what is this guy, exactly? Does he have any conscious thought? Or is he just pure gem energy with the desire to return to his other half

“I only want you to be yourself!” Uh, White honey, you are literally doing the exact opposite thing. “I’ll do it for you!” That’s not how people work White, you are just not having a good time with this turn of events are you

That’s an…interesting shield. Who did Steven say that to, btw? Was he telling White to stop hurting them, or his other self to stop reflecting the attack? Cause White was also in the middle of being hurt, I think

Aww, they’re so happy! It’ll never not be creepy to see White’s voice coming out of Steven’s glass-eyed friends though.

Normally I don’t notice when something in a 2D cartoon is 3D animated, but that shot of White’s head was kind of jarring? I didn’t like it

Oh thank christ he’s alright! I wonder if the gemstone is gonna be turned the other way now? Wait no, it was still turned inside when we went through past reformations.

Oh wow, she’s actually just a 60 foot baby. Look at Steven and Connie laughing cause they’re getting bounced up into the air. Zing! Haha, she’s blushing so everyone’s blushing. …Ok did the ship really need to blush too, come on guys

Ok so whitewashing everyone is something you have to put some effort into controlling. She was literally putting parts of her mind into them.

Haha, good timing guys, you missed everything. Bismuth’s face tho, perfecto At least only Connie has to live with the trauma of seeing Steven get his gem ripped out.

Her face is still cracked? What…what are the cracks from if not from being mind-controlled mercilessly

Yes, congratulations, you are having an emotion. Oh, she’s actually a shade of pink now, what. There’s that color theory again. Guess whose turn it is to have an existential crisis? It’s you!

“I’m supposed to know better! I’m supposed to be better! I’m supposed to make everything better!” Wait, according to who? Theory that someone made her confirmed?

Oh hey, Beach City. It took me a good second to realize that Sadie was doing a remix of a Greg song. Cue a big-ass robot hitting the beach in three…two…one! BAM! A+ timing guys

Oh, White isn’t actually that much taller than the other two when they’re standing together like that. I could have sworn she was at least 100 feet tall, that’s a bit disappointing. Then again, it would be really hard to get her to fit in frame with everyone else. Does this mean that Pink actually might be undercooked after all? Cause when I thought White was 100 feet tall, Blue and Yellow were as proportionately small next to her as Pink was next to the two of them, but now I’m wondering again.

Me too, Ronaldo. Me too.

Uh, wow. Nice timing Lars. Those poor off-colors, it took them a million years to get to Earth and the first thing they see is all three diamonds staring at them. That sure is a mood, Rhodonite. Big mood.

Aww, Lion and Lars are gonna be bros. ‘You’re like me!’

Fucking hug each other you dumbs! God, you’re frustrating.

I demand to know how all three of them fit on the warp pad/inside Steven’s house! Tell me at once!

Oh, we’re doing this right now? I know there’s going to be a season 6, but what are we going to do in season 6? Sneeple? (Re)adjusting to earth shenanigans? Diamond family time?

Nephrites! Look at em all, I love ‘em! And Watermelon Tourmaline too! Ayy, it’s Biggs! I’ve always wondered what she looked like. Haha, if I wasn’t shipping Biggs/Bismuth before I sure am now.

Jasper! Wow that only took like two years for her to show up again. Also I just realized that everyone looks weird because they still have traces of corruption on them and not because they were Like That in the first place.

Oh boy Jasper, you’ve…you’ve missed a lot. I wanna know what Amethyst just told her that made her hide in the water in shame.

Boy that one in the middle with all the different colors is scaring me a little

It’s kind of funny how White Diamond went from Massively Threatening, Narcissistic Perfectionist to Completely Lost Almost Cute Child in a snap. I actually feel bad for killing her off in my fic now, whoops. Ah well, it’s an AU anyway so I’m not gonna retcon anything.

Alright who taught Yellow to make a peace sign

Alright who parked the legs on the cliff like that

All the songs in this arc have been named after the episode title they appear in, nice. I’m kind of disappointed that we didn’t get another diamond song but maybe that’s for later (a song about how everything is confusing now? or maybe about how they let Pink down and suffered themselves)

Welp, that’s a wrap. It is now once again time for hiatus. Yellow continues to be my favorite diamond after Pink; I really hope they all come visit Steven and learn stuff. I’m actually very surprised that they jumped ship so easily; it seems that they might understand that what they do is wrong but they do it anyway cause that’s what’s expected of them. Seems they were suffering a lot more than I thought, and I already thought they were hurting quite a bit.

And that brings me to the biggest question I have. Much like Blue and Yellow, White was acting as if someone told her to do this; it’s like she’s a rogue AI who’s original creators are long gone. I don’t know if I wanna see what White’s afraid of, cause up until the last 10 minutes or so of this ep she was the scariest thing I’d ever seen.

Who made White Diamond?

[kristinarambles]

Theme Song

Analysis One:

When I first started watching this show it was to find something my oldest daughter [who was three at the time] and I could watch together. We had been watching Gravity Falls but I knew it was coming to an end and I was pretty tired of Shimmer and Shine and Daniel Tiger and whatnot [not that there’s anything wrong with them and in fact I like them, just was over it lol]. Disney movies over and over I can do but I wanted something new that I could really get into. My sister loved it and I saw screenshots and stuff all over Tumblr so I was curious. I sought my sisters referral and she told me it was beautiful but might contain content that Andrea was too young to understand/comprehend, but even so it was made so it would still entertain her and contained a lot of themes that would reinforce the type of things I was trying to teach her as a mother. Now my youngest who was a babe-in-arms when we started has reached about the same age as Andrea was when we started watching and it's all of our big thing that we watch together and love so much. It met and exceeded all of my expectations in every way. The artwork and music is beautiful, I've added several of the songs to my "playlist" of lullaby's that the children request for me to sing to them. The girls adore the characters, Andrea even named "her” dog after Pearl [she’s even got the sharp nose true to form, but as a counterpoint likes to eat trash and roll in the mud]. They play games set to the story, talk about it all the time, cheer them on as we watch and even cry. It keeps us engaged and guessing and even my husband doesn't mind it and will occasionally watch the new episodes with us. We love how excited the kids get about them lol.

I was going to just jump into the first episode, but I thought I should do a little breakdown of the theme songs first,the old one from the first season and the one we've been using since the beginning of season two until presumably we'll get a new one at the start of season six. Also forgive me for not having pictures, but I don’t want to be stealing pictures even with references or tags and I have two children so I don’t have the time or patience to be going and getting my own screengrabs.

First I think it's interesting that in the old theme Pearl and Amethyst [Amethyst pulling out/down her shirt] both show off their glowing gems but you can only see one of Garnet’s as she adjusts her shades. Steven's can be seen glowing until he finishes his little somersault and his shirt settles. I like how the next few flashes show his youth [and immaturity] in comparison to the Gems as well. After seeing the theme we've had the last couple of years so many times I really love the parallels and changes. How when the warp pad goes off Steven just passively floats upside down, he makes a face when Garnet ruffles his hair [which is one of my favorite of their earlier interactions], running to catch up to them and then leaping to get in the lead. It gives us a real feel for their relationship but in an abstract way. Steven is the kid brother, to be protected and sheltered, maybe even a little annoying. They love him, but he isn't really a member of the team, he's just a tag-along. Then it evolves, they start in the temple but it appears that they're at the galaxy warp in the second theme. They focus on the Gems faces now and not their gems. He is now the one who activates the warp, with a hint of the Diamond Salute, everyone ruffles his hair while he smiles [with star eyes no less] because he knows how much they love him. Then the running with Steven trying to catch up turning to all of them just posing one by one with their weapons, but still as a team. We get a nice shot of Connie as the van drives through Beach City, she is front and foremost from our point of view. Lars and Sadie, Mr. Smiley, the Cool kids, Kiki and Nanefua are all there but Connie is the most important. Lots of people have pointed out the change in her appearance in the theme, and it's certainly the most obvious but I like how subtly everyone else changed too. Lars goes from throwing himself against the window to leaning comfortably, Sadie even looks more comfortable. The Cool Kids are now hanging out in front of The Big Donut instead of on the curb across the street. Onion is on top of it when originally it seemed that Mr. Smiley was about to toss him out. Looking back he was probably just handing him off to Sour Cream, but we didn't know he was his big brother back then. Jamie has been added, although off to the side sulking [of course]. Also added are Mayor Dewey, Kofi, and the Frymans. As funny as it is to see Ronaldo being flustered at the van driving by instead of Lars, my heart is warmed by PeeDee hanging out smiling on his father's shoulders and waving at Steven. It might be more symbolism that Ronaldo is trying to gather up his papers but pauses to watch the van go by. He has a tendency to let his theories run away with him, but Steven has consistently set him straight.

All that being said, Connie's transformation is arguably the most important other than Steven himself, although in light of Pink Lars and Rock Star Sadie not necessarily the most drastic in appearance. She is still on the outskirts, but it's no longer because she's an outsider as evidenced by her running after the van instead of just holding her hat in place due to the wind made by it passing her. I love the contrast in her traditionally feminine skirt to her more utilitarian shorts and clutching her book and holding onto her hat turning into still holding the book but loosely by her side instead of tightly to her chest and resting her sword comfortably on her shoulder. I really identified with early Connie and her escape into books. As a Navy brat I moved a lot, and being the oldest I had a lot of responsibility I didn't really want. When we first meet her in Bubble Buddies and she doesn't even notice Steven because she was so into her reading, I felt that on a very visceral level. I wish I could have found real magic like she did lol. Her books are still a part of her, but she’s grown so much, trained to be strong and skillful, earning her place on the team. I don’t think we ever actually see her wear a hat in show, and she loses her literal rose tinted lenses and adds in her glow bracelet showing off her and Steven’s friendship.

Greg is finally shown at the end, representing Steven's human needs with a grill haha, then in a final bit of symbolism in the first theme we see each of the Gems get their own frame with their name superimposed above them. They each get a slightly different time of day and a signature little move to show us who they are without saying a word. Garnet reclining in her lawn chair and only moving her foot at sunset. Amethyst flipping her hair at twilight with the moon behind her. Pearl adjusting her skirt as she sits in front of the fully night sky filled with diamond shaped stars. Steven eating a hot dog with the temple at sunrise behind him. In the new theme however they gather around Steven after a casual shot of the temple. Connie runs to join them, Greg relaxes up against a napping Lion. He strums his guitar as Connie turns smiling. Garnet lowers herself to sit behind Steven, Amethyst in her enthusiasm slides to be beside him, Pearl kneels down neatly They all belong there, as a team. They are all still individuals with their own personalities, strengths and weaknesses, but they communicate and fit together so much better now. The title is over all four of them instead of just Steven.

Steven says his powers allow him to connect to people, and sure that's a big part of his gem powers but I think his human half has a really great power too. He has the ability to make people connect to each other. His empathy brings all the people he cares about together and over the course of the series he's been able to dissect and help them solve the issues keeping them apart as well as deal with their own self images and trauma.

There's been a lot of speculation about a new theme, and although initially I was unhappy with the idea and content with the current theme I am coming around. I was firmly against the idea of Rose being Pink and that turned out better than I ever could have hoped so I'm fully trusting in Rebecca Sugar now. Especially with those scenes at the very end of Change Your Mind. The pan over the Crystal Gems, Off Colors and the humans mingling on the beach with the Diamonds looking over them. The change in lyrics about peace instead of fighting while all of the newly uncorrupted gems reunite in the fountain, and the fact that Steven leaves out his own name to make sure he mentions that there's more of them. And then the Crystal Gems in front of the temple, all of them. Lapis and Peridot have officially joined all in, Bismuth is back for good, Connie, Lion and Greg still in their rightful places, even Pumpkin and Cat Steven. It's all just so wonderful, if we do get an updated theme I'm sure it will be just as lovely, I'm trying not to have expectations although the parallels seem to indicate that at least that last bit in front of the temple will be integrated.

[proserpine-in-phases]

@nachttour tagged me in a writing question thing!

1) is there a story you’re holding off on writing for some reason?

uh yeah there’s like, several. some of them are better developed than other but a lot of the reason I’ve been holding off on writing them just comes down to feeling inadequate due to my own limited experience with relationships and feelings of complete inadequacy. it’s hard to write an epic romancu when I’m aromantic as fuck and have a hard time conceptualizing what those feelings might be like to experience, for example, or like, I want the story to be funny but I feel like I’m not actually a very funny person?

also I always feel like I need to do more research. I get stuck on the research phase about 85% of the time haha

2) what work of yours, if any, are you the most embarrassed about existing?

man I am embarrassed by MYSELF existing, so  idk probably all of it when you get right down to it

3) what order do you write in? front of book to back? chronological? favorite scenes first? something else?

it seems to vary a bit. sometimes I just power through start to finish, but sometimes I need to write the ending first to remind myself of what I’m shooting for. sometimes I just gotta write some random scenes in the middle before I forget what they are and have to figure out where they’ll go later.

considering the longest thing I’ve managed to finish comes in at about 12 k  I don’t know if I have enough data to really come up with a firm answer for this one though. from what I can tell, it really does seem like I start at the beginning and go for a bit, write the end, and try to connect the two with occasional random middle bits getting written out of order and a general feeling of “I’ll fix it in post” carrying me through

4) favorite character you’ve written

probably Samantha Traynor. she’s such a fucking nerd and I love her. it was surprisingly easy to write for her once I got started. at least I THINK I did a good job writing her, I have no actual idea haha

5) character you were most surprised to end up writing

I’ve written TWO mass effect fics featuring Samara as a main character and I have no idea how this happened or why because she’s about in the middle when it comes to my most to least favorite mass effect characters list

6) something you would go back and change in your writing that it’s too late/complicated to change now

there’s a couple of fics I wrote for fic exchanges that I kinda wish I could take back and turn into something else because I love the concept but feel guilty about idk, using as a springboard because the original is a gift, or something. it feels ehhhhhhhhh disingenuous to continue them when the gift is supposed to be a singular and self contained unit

for example, oh man I would love to take that vrisrezi space pirates au someplace, but I don’t know if I should because the fic itself is a gift, complete, and so forth. 

plus I hate the way I run out of steam about 4 chapters into everything. I would like to not run out of motivation please

7) when asked, are you embarrassed or enthusiastic to tell people that you write?

considering my output is so low I barely consider myself a writer at all tbh.

but yes, embarrassed. I hope to god the three people I know irl who follow me just like. never see those posts haha

8) favorite genre to write

space adventure! and lately? mysteries even though I have no FUCKING idea why or even how to write them, which is why I have at least three projects stalled out on me haha

9) what, if anything, do you do for inspiration?

I read a lot, mostly. sometimes I stare at a wall. or play minesweeper. 

also when I’m doing something fairly mindless sometimes my mind wanders and I hit something. 

oh and music. music is great

10) write in silence or with background noise? with people or alone?

I usually need music, mood music preferable, instrumental so the lyrics don’t distract me. generally I prefer to not be around people when I write, though a public setting is also fun to write in. I’m too distractable to actually get any done though, so I usually end up just looking like a tool with their notebook out if I try to write in a coffee shop or whatever tho, haha

11) what aspect of your writing do you think has most improved since you started writing?

I think writing fanfic has really helped me figure out what it means to write in character. also I think I’m starting to get better at balancing dialogue versus narration? at least a little bit

12) your weaknesses as an author

the inability to actually finish shit. 

unwillingness to approach emotions that make me feel uncomfortable. 

the fact that I often approach writing a character with the thought of what I would do in a situation rather than what the character would do (which is why writing fanfiction is helping me with that haha)

coming up with plots that lend themselves well to longer stuff

13) your strengths as an author

pretty good at dialogue

when it comes to my own shit, pretty good at coming up with interesting fantasy worlds (I think they’re interesting at least)

I’ve got a pretty firm grasp overall just the nuts and bolts of writing: I mean I tutored English in college for fuck’s sake I know how to write a grammatically correct run on sentence when I want to 

14) do you make playlists for your current wips?

not really

15) why did you start writing?

I wanted to know what happened next

16) are there any characters who haunt you?

not really? I mean, there are specific character TYPES that’ll get me every time, though, like the happy go lucky person who has to learn what pain is but still come out the other side a LOT worse for wear but not completely broken (think Tasslehoff Burrfoot, or perhaps less obscure Vash the Stampede) but I wouldn’t say they haunt me, per say

17) if you could give your fledgling author self any advice, what would it be?

don’t be afraid to be self indulgent. you’ll enjoy it more and who the fuck cares, anyway? people who’ll make fun of you for doing what you love are ass holes

18) were there any works you read that affected you so much that it influenced your writing style? what were they?

If I’m honest I can’t really say what influences my writing style, if I even have one. Mostly all I can do is list off my favorite authors because I’m pretty sure they all have something to do with it. 

so let’s just do that I guess.  when I was a teenager I tended to find a single author and just read through all their works before moving on, and these are the big ones that stand out:

Connie Willis, Anne McCaffrey, Steven Brust and Ursula K. Le Guin. Connie Willis for the humor she includes in almost all her writing, Anne McCaffrey because I STILL spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about Pern. She had a real skill for coming up with both great characters and great settings, even if what she did with them, and also her inability to keep continuity were less good. Steven Brust introduced me to the idea of relating to morally reprehensible characters at an alarmingly young age. Ursula K. Le Guin, I just love her. No idea if it’s actually done anything GOOD to my writing but she gives me something to aspire to.

I read just. a ridiculous amount of fantasy and science fiction as a kid, the genres as a whole without a doubt influence the type of shit I end up writing. also in seventh grade I mainlined dragonlance, just the whole damn thing

later in college I got really into Margaret Atwood. her focus on female characters and narrative just is really great.  

then I went through a depressive phase in my late 20s and just exclusively read Julia Quinn, Joanna Lindsey, Sabrina Jeffreys and Eloisa James, and that was IT. so I’m pretty sure my foray into the romance genre is what makes me honestly prefer povs limited to two or three characters  hey, reading romance novels also lead me to the realization that I’m aromantic so \o/ I guess

19) when it comes to more complicated narratives, how do you keep track of outlines, characters, development, timeline, ect.?

I outline and then give up lol

20) do you write in long sit-down sessions or in little spurts?

little spurts until something grabs me and makes me marathon. usually that’s a deadline, but sometimes it’s also inspiration 

21) what do you think when you read over your older work?

mostly just holy shit I can’t believe I wrote this! sometimes that’s bad, sometimes it’s good. I can’t really tell if I’m good at divorcing myself from my writing enough to give me perspective on it, to tell the truth, because for a good lot of it, I still think it’s pretty good so ???

22) are there any subjects that make you uncomfortable to write?

it’s hard for me to let a character be embarrassed by the dumb shit they do. I don’t want them to do dumb shit because of it, which makes it hard for the character to have shit to grow and learn from.

23) any obscure life experiences that you feel have helped your writing?

I’m pretty sure my own issues with having and experiencing some emotions makes its way into the stuff I choose to write about, especially when it comes to the original stuff (I have. at LEAST three different plot outlines that involve characters literally losing the ability to experience emotions and having to find a way to heal or gain it back haha)  

also the fic I wrote about the box ghost is literally just about what it’s like to work in a factory haha

24) have you ever become an expert on something you previously knew nothing about, in order to better a scene or a story?

listen. 

yes.

I fucking. LOVE. research. 

honestly this is the stage where I most often get lost in the weeds, distracted by my own need to know more

25) copy/paste a few sentences or a short paragraph that you’re particularly proud of

“He was not the knight Casey taught him to be, but he was close enough for government work“ remains the single best pun I’ve ever written

tagging: @anthropwashere @inktail @manicpixiesdreamdragon if you guys are up for it!

[theultravioletcatastrophe]

From the aesthetic ask meme: ALL OF THEM. You're welcome.

ALRIGHTY THEN! Let’s see if I can put this under a break so I don’t clog up anyone’s dash.

flower crown: when did you last sing to yourself?Earlier today. I’m always singing to myself! Today it was probably a song from Moana because my daughter was listening to the soundtrack and those songs just get stuck in my head, y’know?

fairy lights: if a crystal ball could tell you the truth about anything, what would you want to know?Honestly? I want to know the true nature of physical reality. Like, quantum physics can’t be the full picture because there’s a couple places where it’s either broken or incomplete, but so far we haven’t figured out what should replace it as a theory. I wanna know the truth about the universe.

daisies: what is the greatest accomplishment of your life?I wanna say my daughter, but to be quite honest my wife is definitely more responsible for how she turned out than I am, so I can’t really say that. I guess my other greatest accomplishment is retaining some scrap of sanity and decency in this awful world that seems to want to destroy itself at every possible opportunity.

1975: what is the first happy memory that comes to mind, recent or otherwise?I don’t think you can call this a “memory” since it literally just happened, but I finished watching Mysterious Girlfriend X and honestly it made me so happy. Despite the fact that it only covered about half the manga it had a much more satisfying ending, somehow.

matte: if you knew that in one year you would die suddenly, would you change anything about the way you are now living?I mean, probably? I’d probably make an effort to be kinder and more loving. I’d do more to help people. I’d try to save up every cent I could to ensure my family doesn’t have nothing when I’m gone.

black nail polish: do you have a bucket list? if so, what are the top three things?Ehh, not really, not in the sense most people usually use that term. I wanna go to space though. :D

pantone: describe a person close to your life in detail.I wanna describe my mom, but it’s going to make me sad, so I don’t want to right now. Sorry. :(

moodboard: do you feel you had a happy childhood?Yes and no. My parents had a pretty awful divorce when I was about 7, and things stayed weird until I was in high school. But like… I remember being happy and stuff, so…

stars: when did you last cry in front of another person?Last night, when my wife was talking about being sad. I just felt so helpless, like I couldn’t do anything for her, and it made me really sad too.

plants: pick a person to stargaze with you and explain why you picked them.My wife. I shouldn’t have to explain why. :) (I mean gosh come on her url is literally @youwillfindmestargazing)

converse: would you ever have a deep conversation with a stranger and open up to them?I have! Some of the best conversations I’ve had have been with strangers at parties. There’s something so intimate about sitting on a bench on someone’s back porch talking about deep stuff with someone you’ve known for 20 minutes, while people inside are blasting music and screaming, and someone is throwing up in the bushes off to the side.

lace: when was your last 3am conversation with someone, and who were they to you?Oh geez, I don’t have many of those anymore. It was probably with my friend @aboutthreeneps who is one of my best friends ever and I love him. :3

handwriting: if you were about to die, and you could only say one more sentence to one person, what would you say and to whom?“I want you to know how much I love you, and I want you and mama to look after each other, okay?” (which I would say to my daughter)

cactus: what is your opinion on brown eyes?Um, they’re fine? I don’t really care that much about people’s eye colour lol

sunrise: pick a quote and describe what it means to you personally.“[A]lways looked to be a man of action, ‘cause that’s what the old man should have been, but… this world, it wore him out. This world, it wears you out.” This quote is from the song “Man of Action” by Matthew Good Band. This song is basically my theme song and if you’ve been following me for any length of time, you probably understand why.

oil paints: what would you title the autobiography of your life so far?“A Short Study in Fooling Yourself and Everyone Around You”

overalls: what would you do with one billion dollars?I would immediately put half of it into some kind of guaranteed investment like a GIC or even a TFSA if the interest rate was good enough. This would supply my income to live on for the entire rest of my life. The other half would be blown extravagantly on stupid shit I don’t need but really want (and also I’d give a bunch to family and friends and to charity, I’m not a total asshole).

combat boots: are you a very forgiving person? do you like being this way?Yes, and yes. It means you get hurt more often, but it kinda makes things easier.

winged eyeliner: write a hundred word letter to your twelve year old self.Dear Earl, you’re not gonna believe this, but I’m you from 21 years in the future. Listen: don’t waste time pining over Leah or Connie or Katie, it’s not worth it. When you finish high school, learn a skilled trade. Don’t mess things up like I did. Try not to be a disappointment to your mom, and tell her you love her. Most importantly, get organized, manage your time, and DON’T PROCRASTINATE. Sincerely, you, but with more experience.

pastel: would you describe yourself as more punk or pastel?I’m… definitely not punk lol. I’m not really pastel, either, though.

tattoos: how do you feel about tattoos and piercings? explain.I like them to a point. Just… don’t go overboard and you’re fine.

piercings: do you wear a lot of makeup? why/why not?Nope! Mostly due to the fact that society looks down upon masculine-presenting people wearing makeup, but partly also because I have no idea what would look good on my gross face. :P

bands: talk about a song/band/lyric that has affected your life in some way.Well, I mean, Sithu Aye has absolutely been a very positive force in my life ever since I discovered him about a year ago. Please give him a listen, he makes the happiest metal music in the world (without the disgusting vocals!). You can get his entire discography for 30 quid right now! What a steal!

messy bun: the world is listening. pick one sentence you would tell them.“Please stop exploiting other people, the animals, and the earth, because if we keep going like this there’s not going to BE an earth much longer.”

cry baby: list the concerts you have been to and talk about how they make you feel.Other than going to see our city’s symphony orchestra play, I’ve only ever been to a Marianas Trench concert (well, technically, I’ve been to 3 of them). The symphony shows are always amazing but the Trench shows were a total blast. What a great band to see live. I’m actually wearing a shirt I got at their last concert right now!

grunge: who in the world would you most like to receive a letter from and what would you want it to say?I want to receive a letter from the Queen, signed also by the Governor-General and the Prime Minister, authorizing me to do whatever the hell I want for the rest of my life, as long as I’m in Canada.

space: do you have a desk/workspace and how is it organised/not organised?Well, I’m sitting at a desk right now, and it’s a disaster. I have a desk at work as well, which is a bit more organized, but still quite a mess lol.

white bed sheets: what is your night time routine?Browse tumblr until it’s way past my bedtime, brush my teeth while either browsing tumblr some more or reading manga on my phone, crawl into bed and become unconscious for usually no more than 6 hours. Ugh.

old books: what’s one thing you don’t want your parents to know?Nothing, really. My dad and I are pretty chill with each other and I don’t think there’s any secrets I’d want to keep from him (not that I’m going to go telling him everything though, haha). And, well, it’s not like my mom can find out anything she hadn’t already known, so… :x

beaches: if you had to dye your hair how would you dye/style it and why?If I HAD to? I’d go with some crazy cool colour like purple or blue. I’d style it the same way it is now, which is that I towel it off after a shower and flatten out any parts that stick up. Actually, if I had purple hair, I probably wouldn’t even do that. :P

eyes: pick five people to go on an excursion with you. who would you pick and where would you go/what would you do?My wife, my daughter, my IRL friend Ashley, and my tumblr friends Cody and Rachel (yes, you, Rachel). We’d go to a farm just outside town and pick strawberries, and then we’d all have a nice picnic in a field somewhere.

11:11: name three wishes and why you wish for them.-infinite money (should be obvious why)-a hammerspace bag (should also be obvious)-your freedom, Genie (because I’m not a butt)

painting: what is the best halloween costume you have ever put together? if none, make one up.Hmm, I’d have to say the mad scientist costume I did when I was in university. I wore my lab coat from chem lab, I styled my hair to stick straight up from my head (and used this weird hair spray paint stuff to make it silver), and I would burst into rooms going “BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”

lightning: what’s the worst thing you’ve ever done while drunk or high?I don’t think I’ve ever done anything really awful while drunk or high. I mean, I don’t normally get drunk/high enough to the point where I start doing truly stupid things. I guess the worst was that time my friend Cory and I split a 26er of vodka between us in the span of like… half an hour, and then we proceeded to smoke a joint of nothing but kief with a bunch of other people. I got WAY too wasted and ended up throwing up on the floor of the guy’s dining room (and afterwards was still too wasted to clean up after myself, so someone did it for me).

thunder: what’s one thing you would never do for one million dollars?There are a lot of things I would never do for a million dollars. Intentionally harming a sentient creature would probably be at the top of the list though.

storms: you on only listen to one song for the rest of your life, or only see one person for the rest of your life. which and why?I’d pick the song one, because there are too many people in my life that I love too much to never see them again. (The song I pick would almost undoubtedly be Oceania by Sithu Aye.)

love: have you ever fallen in love? describe what it feels like to realise you’re in love.Of course! I’ve done it so many times now, I BETTER know what it’s like! To me, falling in love with someone means that you put their own happiness and well-being before your own. It means you want to spend all your time with them, and knowing you wouldn’t get tired of them. Realizing all this about someone is quite exhilirating, and a little scary.

clouds: if you’re a boy, would you ever rock black nail polish? if you’re a girl, would you ever rock really really short hair?I feel like I would have when I was younger, but now, hmmm… now I’m at an age where I don’t think I could “rock” anything anymore! XD

coffee: what’s your starbucks order, and who would you trust to order for you, if anyone?Grande cafe latte with coconut milk. Honestly I’d trust any of my vegan friends to order me something I’d like.

marble: what is the most important thing to you in your life right now?My daughter. I want to make sure she grows up to be a better person than I am. If she grows up to be a better person than her mother, I’ll be pretty astonished, but also extremely proud. She is my life right now. :3

[heatherc1212]

Chicago Fire Round Table S5 - Some Make It Some Don’t (+ Crossover with CPD)

Hello everyone and Happy New Year!

Welcome to the latest installment of the Chicago Fire Round Table and boy did our show come back with a vengeance! This first episode was a crossover with Chicago PD in addition to filling in some blanks about the fall finale’s cliffhanger with Louie’s bio-dad showing up. We were a slightly smaller discussion group this week but we still have a lot to talk about with this crossover so let’s get started! =)

1st Responder Award: Big congrats to @Em_M_J for winning this week’s 1st Responder Award and I’m pretty sure she’s my first Aussie winner ever so this is a really big deal! Way to go girl and yay for school breaks that allow you to live tweet and answer the questions so fast! =) 

PSA: As always, none of the pics or GIFS used in this blog (aside from the 1st Responder Award) were made by me but by other amazing people who are awesome and lovingly share their talents with us. Thanks everyone!

DISCUSSION

Q1. Casey and Dawson ran into some trouble while trying to adopt Louie. What are your thoughts on their story so far? Do you have any 1st impressions of Louie’s bio-dad?

Em_M_J: Well it wouldn’t be Chicago Fire if there wasn’t trouble for Dawsey. Can’t even have a nice honeymoon type period without something happening. But how much more interesting does this make the whole Dawsey storyline? Once we met Andre in the Winter Finale I was determined to dislike the guy. Where had he been for Louie’s entire life? But once we found out his backstory and why he hadn’t been in Louie’s life - I don’t know. I’m torn about the whole situation now. I feel sorry for the guy... Hat’s off to Matt to be the one to say to the lawyer that they were in it all together - we all knew that Matt has also wanted to be a father and this has just shown how much he wants it. And why hasn’t Matt found that engagement ring yet?? CurlyBuckeye: This story line is going to kill me. At first I thought Louie's Dad was a jerk, but finding out he never knew about Louie changes everything. He definitely has the right to meet his son and get to know him. However, Louie has been moved around so much and was finally with two loving people who are giving him a stable environment and meeting all his needs. I think if he is taken away from that, it will hurt him. He won't understand and could feel abandoned by Gabby & Casey. I don't know what they are going to do, but I think it's in Louie's best interest if the Dad is introduced slowly into his life. I also think cutting Gabby & Matt out of his life completely would be a huge mistake for Louie's well-being. I'm very curious to see how this is all going to play out. It's a sad situation and a lose-lose one for all IMO. Sharkygirl74: Well, we knew there'd be trouble as soon as the dad showed up. I felt bad for him when I found out he was a vet but not too bad. You want your son back, I get, but stalking the family who has him? Hell no…lost all sympathy from me for that. Lantetrain: I'm totally loving the Dawsey storyline this season. I love how protective they are of Louie and it shows us that they are indeed ready to be parents. Their scenes were stinking cute. As for Louie’s Bio Dad, I'm still on the fence with him, one minute I'm like I dom’t like him and the next I’ll feel sorry for him but then he goes back to being a jerk to me, LOL, but either way I can't wait for more of this storyline. Nikita_Citizen: It's an interesting conflict but it's heartbreaking. They love Louie so much and are so protective of him. They can't bear losing him. Andre seems like a decent, responsible guy who wants and can take care of Louie but he wasn't very tactful when he approached Dawsey. Stalking and attacking them verbally was way out of line. I can't find a reason why he didn't show up to meet Louie but I have a feeling he'll come up with a good reason and it will hurt Dawsey even more. Kwanfan1212: Honestly, this story is amazing, Jesse & Monica are totally killing it, but I’m so heartbroken for Dawsey because they haven’t done anything wrong and they’re probably going to lose their little boy over the circumstances. It’s hard for me to watch because we see how hard they’ve worked as a parenting team and how much they love Louie. Ugh, I just know I’m gonna cry all the ugly tears no matter how this story goes. I’m on the fence about the biodad right now. I feel bad that he didn’t even know about Louie (although, is he really telling the truth?! I can’t shake the fact that he could be lying...) but stalking and threatening Dawsey isn’t the way to go about things. I feel like there’s more to him that we don’t know yet and I’m anxious to know why he didn’t show up to meet Louie at the kid’s restaurant. It took a lot for Gabby to say that was okay and I feel like he just threw it in their faces.

Q2. Kelly was anxious to do something good and donate his bone marrow to Anna. What are your initial thoughts on the two of them? Were you glad that he met her?

Em_M_J: The whole donating of bone marrow is very generous of Kelly. It’s like he’s found a purpose in life, it gives meaning to him I suppose. But does it really have to turn into a romance? I’d be happy for them to do a storyline promoting the fact that this is an important thing that more people need to do, much like blood donation…yet this turning into a romance for Severide? Even a possible love triangle? I’m just not sure about it or sold on it. CurlyBuckeye: I think Kelly & Anna have great chemistry together and I'm glad they met. However, it maybe wasn't so good for Sev since he went off the rails when something went wrong. He may get too involved and if she doesn't make it, I think he'll be worse off than he was. But, I'm thinking she'll make it. I don't know if I want them together romantically though. I really do like him with Stella. I would hope it would be a slow build up to a relationship instead of just sleeping together and done like all his previous relationships. Sharkygirl74: I like the idea of Kelly being a donor and yes, I really like Anna. She seems cool. I like the idea of them being friends (provided of course she doesn't die too…Kelly doesn't need another dead friend). Lantetrain: I'm loving this side of Kelly. It's about time he's finally growing up and seeing Dawsey happily married, I think he wants that. I love that he met Anna and I really like their chemistry and rapport with each other and I'm looking forward to seeing where it will go and it does help when they cast Charlotte Sullivan as Anna. It was a perfect choice. I just love her. Nikita_Citizen: I love what Maggie said to Severide and it was a great advice "She needs bone marrow, not a new friend". I wish he took her advice & didn't meet with her. I like Anna, they had an instant connection, but Severide's relationships with women usually never end well... Kwanfan1212: I liked the easy chemistry between them and I really like seeing Kelly thinking about others more than himself. He’s always been the womanizing, party all the time guy and I like seeing him grow up some with this storyline. I’m very interested to see where this story goes for both Kelly and Anna.

Q3. The guys at the house found a ping pong table on a call but things quickly went awry when they got too competitive with it. Do you think they did the right thing by getting rid of the table? Were you surprised at Herrmann’s secret talent?

Em_M_J: All I want to know about it the foosball incident of 2009… I guess you’ve got to pass the time at a firehouse somehow. And don’t you love how much Otis gets into all of these things - whether it be the mud challenge or pretty much any challenge. However the Herrmann secret, once it was out, wasn’t that surprising. We all know how surprising that man can be - just like his body fat episode. However I would have liked to see him actually hit a ball, or even for someone to actually go through that window!! So in that sense that table needed to go - or it might have ended up being more than just windows being broken... CurlyBuckeye: That ping pong story was quite hilarious and I do think it was good they got rid of the table since they got way too into it. Never knew ping pong could be so dangerous! Herrmann being a secret ping pong ringer was definitely a surprise and quite funny. Sharkygirl74: I loved the ping pong stuff! They should have kept the table, and Herrmann is a ping pong expert!! Who knew?! Love it! :) Lantetrain: Haha I love the ping pong storyline. It was freaking hilarious and I was surprised to learn that Herrmann was a ping pong champ. Who knew? LOL I was sad to see the table go but I understand why they did it and Connie’s expression with them on the ping pong table was hilarious lol Nikita_Citizen: I wish they kept it because it was hilarious but like Casey said, they were acting like a bunch of idiots. I didn't expect that to be his secret talent. Herrmann is full of surprises. Kwanfan1212: That was SO funny! I loved how competitive they all got with each other and how they even came in on their day off to play. I loved finding out that Herrmann was this champion ping pong player! That was hilarious and I loved his scene with Stella when he was telling her about his special paddle. The entire thing was a riot but the table definitely had to go because they were in danger of destroying the entire house, LOL ;)

Q4. Kelly made Stella his emergency contact for his bone marrow procedure. Do you think there’s still potential for them or are they better off as friends?

Em_M_J: Oh, our dear Stella definitely still has feelings for Severide! That last call showed us just how much. I loved how into this ‘emergency contact’ role she got. There is something still there and I for one would be pleased to see what might happen if they were to get back on track. There was always some interesting spark with them - in some ways Kidd is almost like a female Severide and in others she is quite different to him and that could be a good thing. So yes, put them back together, I want to see what happens with them. CurlyBuckeye: I do think there is potential for them. They have great banter and fun. Stella obviously still cares for Sev. Kelly just needs to mature a bit and want to settle down. Sharkygirl74: I dunno about them as a couple. I never really bought them 'together'. I like them better as friends. Lantetrain: Haha I'm torn here with them. I think there’s still something between them but I also loved them as friends. Its hard to choose lol but if Anna sticks around, then I would like Kelly and Stella just friends but if not? Then I'm all onboard the Stella and Kelly train lol Nikita_Citizen: I think there is and I hope there is. I love their relationship and the fact that they stayed friends despite what happened with Grant. I love that Severide chose her as his emergency contact and Stella was obviously very flattered. I think they still have feelings for each other so I'm rooting for them but I'm afraid that the bone marrow donation will complicate things. Kwanfan1212: I was reminded in this episode how much I enjoyed Kelly and Stella in their scenes together in S4 and in early S5 so I enjoyed their scenes tonight. I’m not sure if I want them romantically entangled again but I do love their chemistry and will enjoy seeing more of them through this storyline.

Q5. What was your favorite scene from Some Make It, Some Don’t? Least favorite scene? Did anything special stick out to you?

Em_M_J: The whole scene with Brett and Dawson at the hospital came up with my favourite line of the episode - it was so heartwarming to hear why Gabby isn’t changing her name, but also why she does want to. I hope we still have that reason for her to do so. The Brett adoption revelation came out of left field - but it was nice to hear her perspective on it and allow Gabby one too. And Lieutenant Casey - we don’t see him do the shouting lieutenant thing very much, but it did give us Herrmann as a father figure which is always awesome to see - I think that’s the moment that stuck out to me the most. And on another note - how cute were Louie’s glow in the dark pjs? CurlyBuckeye: My favorite scene was Dawsey at the firehouse talking about being married. My least favorite was Dawsey in the diner w/ Andre and Gabby being so upset. Sharkygirl74: Fave scene: all the ones with Dawsey and Louie (of course) Didn't really have a least favorite one. One thing that stuck out: I really like Sev's new place! :) Lantetrain: Favorite scenes from the first half of the crossover was the cute Dawsey scene in the eating area where Gabby pocketed the check and said out loud that she's was happy to be married to Casey. That was stinking cute. Heck all their scenes were and as for least fav? There was nothing. I loved it all. Nikita_Citizen: My favorite scene is Dawsey talking about the wedding gift and about the fact that they can get through anything now that they're married. I couldn't stop replaying that moment. Casey showing up at the meeting and surprising Gabby was also a really sweet moment. The Herrmann and Casey talk was great. My least favorite is Dawsey meeting with Andre. I couldn't handle how devastated they were, especially when Andre requested to meet Louie. Matt's sadness and Gabby breaking down broke my heart and I can't imagine what it took for Gabby to accept the meeting but she had no choice. I just love how Dawsey are supportive of each other. And they're so protective of Louie. Seeing them as a married couple and as parents is amazing. I'm really loving this storyline but it's really hard to watch right now. Kwanfan1212: Favorite scene: When Matt showed up to the failed meeting with Louie’s biodad and Gabby was so happy to see him. I also loved Dawsey talking about how they’re married now and how happy it makes them. Least Fave: Andre’s behavior is making me unhappy and I still think he’s shady. What Stuck Out: I hated how Matt kept being reminded that he’s not listed on any of the paperwork as Louie’s dad because I think it was making him feel lousy for the entire episode. Herrmann’s talk with him at the end made my heart happy because I think Matt needed to hear that from someone and Herrmann was the PERFECT person for it.

CHICAGO PD QUESTIONS

Q6. Kelly got himself into trouble after his car was found at that accident and he couldn’t remember what happened. Were you surprised at how that story turned out?

Em_M_J: Always knew from the start that Severide wasn’t the one who caused the accident, it was just going to be a matter of proving who actually did it. There were a few moments there where I did wonder if this storyline was going to last a few more episodes, which would have been different. But it was nice to have the focus back on Severide. The crossovers have definitely become a touch smoother as the years have rolled by. CurlyBuckeye: I wasn't surprised Kelly was innocent but the story was pretty elaborate and looked like Kelly would be paying for it even if he didn't do it. Sharkygirl74: I couldn't really see Kelly getting into a car after drinking, but I certainly wasn't expecting it to be a car ring in the end. Lantetrain: I kind of knew where the Kelly storyline was going from the promo but I was still shock about the whole thing. I felt so bad for him. Kelly’s been through hell and back and didn't deserve this but I'm thankful it was resolved and Kelly was free. Nikita_Citizen: Not really. I knew without a doubt that he wasn't guilty and that he would never be responsible for a car accident. For me, the only explanation was that someone stole his car and that's what happened. Kwanfan1212: I knew Kelly would be fine. The last thing he would ever do is drive after drinking but I wasn’t expecting it to be this huge car theft ring story. I felt really bad for him since he couldn’t remember anything and was really upset with himself. Hopefully he gets back on the straight and narrow now!

Q7. Do you agree with how Voight handled this touchy situation with the case and dealing with Kelly, Erin, and Jay? How cool was it to see Casey show up to defend Sev?

Em_M_J: When I first started watching PD I really didn’t like Voight, a hangover from season one of Fire. But I honestly think he was fair and did everything that was in his power to look at the case. And Casey turning up in Intelligence…he was always going to defend his friend, right? I’m not sure if I agreed with his idea that Voight was holding onto their feud from way back when. They seemed to have moved past that as evidenced in the first episode of PD this season. But suppose the question did need to be asked. Overall Voight did it right. CurlyBuckeye: I agreed with Voight and the way he handled it. He was doing everything he could to find the truth. I loved Casey coming to Kelly's defense and not afraid to take on Voight if he needed to. Glad they stayed friendly though in the end. Sharkygirl74: I liked the way Voight handled it, he knew that a FF wouldn't do something like that and wanted to prove his innocence, and I LOVED CASEY SHOWING UP!! (I always love it when Spencer crosses over! LOL) Lantetrain: I loved how Voight handled the situation with Kelly, Erin, and Jay, and I wouldn't have anybody else in my corner other than Voight. When Voight is on it, you know you will get a result. Voight has come a long way and I'm happy to see it. Nikita_Citizen: I like how he handled it, he was fair in my opinion. Casey defending Severide was the best part! And I love what Mouch did. 51 family stands together! Kwanfan1212: I thought Voight handled it about as best as he could with everyone and I LOVED Casey coming in and standing up for his BFF Severide. That animosity between Casey and Voight will never go completely away and that’s actually way more realistic than them becoming all buddy buddy or something.

Q8. What are your initial thoughts about Burgess being up in Intelligence now? Do you think she’ll eventually fit in up there?

Em_M_J: Ergh…. I’m not sure about Burgess in Intelligence. I think she’ll bring up some interesting dynamics and seems very eager to prove herself. Whether that ultimately turns out to be a good thing or not? Only time will tell. Yet, the way that the show seems to be going, I believe that in the end she will end up fitting into the team. But I’m hoping for a slightly rocky road before everything settles down. That and since she’s upstairs now - I hope we will still be seeing a uniform presence. CurlyBuckeye: I love that Burgess is in Intelligence now! I think she will fit in fine and it will just take some time to prove herself to some of the team who aren't sure about her being there. She's sweet but she can also be very badass when she needs to! Sharkygirl74: I like seeing Kim in intelligence! She seems a little shaky for now but she's still getting used to it so it makes sense. Lantetrain: First off, it was weird seeing Burgess up in Intelligence but second, I think she is not really right for the job right now. I’ll give it couple of more episodes to fully decide. I really liked her as a beat cop. So the jury is out on her in Intelligence for me. Nikita_Citizen: I wasn't really thrilled when Burgess moved up to Intelligence because she was amazing on patrol but she's proven before that she's resourceful, capable, and earned that spot with hard work. I love her determination and I have no doubt she'll be amazing in Intelligence. Kwanfan1212: I think she’s gonna have some rough moments, seriously what is going on with Olinsky’s attitude lately, but eventually she’s gonna prove that she belongs there. I’m looking forward to seeing her journey as she navigates this new role.

Q9. Any favorite scenes from the CPD part of the crossover? Least fave?

Em_M_J: Umm…. favourite scene has to be Mouch telling Platt he wouldn’t come home unless he could see Severide. I really like their relationship and seeing it play out on screen is awesome. There needs to be more Mouch and Platt scenes!!! CurlyBuckeye: That whole episode was pretty intense. The car chase was awesome! I really liked the end scene with Kelly getting out of jail and Erin being there. I love Linstead, but gotta say I really wish Lindseride would've worked out. My least favorite would be the way Al is treating Kim. It's pissing me off. Sharkygirl74: Fave part of the CPD crossover: Casey showing up! Least fave part: nothing. :) Lantetrain: I really loved Mouch visiting Kelly and then trying to stand up to Trudy. That was hilarious but everything was good. Nikita_Citizen: Voight and Casey's confrontation is my favorite scene and Burgess finding the picture that Ruzek kept in his drawer. Such an Awwww moment! I want Burzek back! Least favorite scene: Olinsky's behaviour towards Burgess. I don't like him very much right now. He's her partner, not there to judge what happened in her personal life. Kwanfan1212: Fave Scene: Casey standing up for Sev with Voight, Kim finding that picture of her and Adam in his desk drawer, and Mouch standing up to Platt. Least Fave: Nothing, I thought this was a solid episode overall. Nothing really stood out to me aside from that Burzek picture which I wasn’t expecting Burgess to find in the desk!

Ping Pong Adventures at House 51

Nothing like finding a ping pong table to bring out the competitive and hilarious sides of the firehouse guys, LOL ;)

Sev and Anna - Happy Beginnings or Eventual Disaster?

Dawsey - Yes, You Really Are Married Now

Can we first talk about this scene....Gabby calming Matt down for once?! This is a rare thing so I thought it warranted some GIFs, LOL ;)

And this scene in the firehouse might have topped the adorable meter for all of us....I think everyone loved hearing them talk so cute about being married!

I think we all loved Gabby’s reasoning about why she hadn’t changed her last name yet and I, for one, hope that we eventually see all of them under the same roof officially as the Casey family. <3

These next scenes at the kids restaurant were alternately sweet (Matt showing up and Gabby’s reaction to it) and sad (Andre not coming or even calling them) but anytime we get to see this sweet family together feels like a precious thing that we should savor right now. I don’t have the greatest feeling about this story and I worry about Louie’s situation and if he’ll get to stay with Dawsey. I hope he does...

Severide Exonorated - What Now?

Next Week’s Promo:

RANDOM ANNOUNCEMENT: We will NOT be doing a round table for the next episode due to the fact that I’m on vacation from January 17th through the 23rd. This is for two main reasons: One, I won’t be watching the episode at the same time I normally do on Tuesdays, and two, I won’t have any time to write up the questions or put the blog together before the next new episode on Jan. 24th. I apologize for not being able to do one for this episode (especially since it looks like it’s a big Dawsey & Louie episode!) but I just can’t do it while I’m gone and I refuse to stress myself out while I’m on vacation, especially since I’m going to the US National Figure Skating Championships and will already be stressed out and anxious over it, LOL ;) We will resume the round tables for the Jan. 24th episode, which should also be a fantastic episode, and maybe, if I can think of some that night, I’ll throw in a random question or two to let you talk about the previous week’s episode so we don’t overlook it altogether! Thanks so much for your understanding. You all rock! =)

[popmusicu]

my walking playlist

I can’t be the only one that enjoys walking, right? I love to put on a comfy but cute outfit, put my mask on -cause safety first- and head out the door with my headphones blasting music. Of course, I have a whole playlist dedicated for this specific moment and it is the one that I update the most often so you can kinda figure out just how much I like going on walks by myself. Today I’m gonna share with you lovely people a few of my songs from this playlist and a little review of each one: some of them are my current favorites and some others, even if they’re a bit older, I just can’t get enough of.

  “she likes spring, I prefer winter” by slchld https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDS7BkPaNy0

This song was released last year, but I just recently discovered it while I was on a car trip and my playlist finished so Spotify started recommending songs and, to be honest, I wish I had found it earlier. It’s currently one of my favorite songs and I think it’ll become an all-timer too because I just love it so much. The title is pretty much self-explanatory though, cause the song talks about how the writer’s girlfriend likes spring rather than winter, but he prefers winter because they met in that season, HOW CUTE IS THA?  It also includes one of my favorite lyric, it goes: “Jasmine, marigold, winter, sol yeah. Whichever blooms first I might call you by that” and I find it so freaking adorable cause who wouldn’t want to have a nickname after a flower? I know I would!

“One day” by Stray Kids https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjGFicMn1vE

It wouldn’t be a Connie playlist without a Stray Kids song, now would it? This one, however, is special because it’s from their latest Japanese album which features some previous songs translated from Korean to Japanese and some new original songs. “One day” is one of those and you can tell the change in demographic since it’s a little different from their usual tracks but nonetheless it’s amazing and it still features some classic Stray Kids sounds here and there, which I appreciate.

The song has a fun, childish vibe to it and the lyrics basically say how the writer woke up one day and it came with a streak of unfortunate events: the weather was bad, their haircut got messed up and when they decided to turn things around and get all dressed up in a fancy outfit to go out, as soon as they stepped outside it started snowing and they forgot to bring an umbrella. Everything seemed to be going wrong that “one day” until they saw their loved one and suddenly it felt like the sky had cleared (though it hadn’t). Even if the instrumental is kind of peculiar in my opinion, I still like this song and actually listen to it a lot, but I had to get used to it first.

  “Elevator” by NCT 127 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VyUD_tBYq4

Ah, this song. I swear to God it never fails to cheer me up due to it’s funky-pop feel and it’s the perfect song to walk along to since you can coordinate your steps with the beat so easily! I remember I was looking at edits of my kpop boys when one came up that used this song and I instantly fell in love so I started searching it up, thankfully I figured out which group it was by since their voices are so unique and distinctive (which I love) but because it’s not a main track I had such a hard time finding the title. I ended up listening to the whole album and found some other bops too so it all worked out in the end haha.

If you’re looking for a fun, feel-good song then this is it! Just give it a listen and I bet it’s gonna make you feel high as if you were vibing in a party elevator.

  “days gone by” by DAY6 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nk5O__ALI8

This is one of my all-time favorites, it came out in late 2018 and since then I haven’t been able to let it go. The song has a retro 80’s sound that gives it a vibe of nostalgia and it goes perfectly with the lyrics. The song itself is vibrant and it always makes me want to dance but the lyrics however make me want to cry. Let me show you the chorus so you get what I mean: “Ah, what happy days (it was like a dream). Now though there won't be more, I'm going to leave them in the past.”

And the rest of the song is not much different either. It talks about a past breakup and how, as much as they miss the moments shared with their loved one, it’s time to move on. For some reason I feel like I’m on a rooftop when I hear it, maybe because the whole message about finally letting go of the past is kinda liberating? I’m not really sure but I like that feeling anyway.

  “honey” by boy pablo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GQ3iqkwT3I

Let’s wrap things up with more of a recent one, shall we? It came out in mid-2020 and it felt like a blessing because it brought with it the first studio album from boy pablo! They’re one of my favorite western groups (if not my favorite) and I basically love everything they put out but this one has to be the best one in the album in my opinion.

“Honey” refers to the girl he’s in love with and the lyrics are sweet, but kinda basic. The thing that I love the most about it though has to be the instrumental and what it makes me feel, every time I listen to this song I can picture myself laying in a field of pretty flowers while a soft breeze blows and makes my hair go all crazy, with bees and butterflies flying around. Sounds like a dream, am I right? I don’t know if I’m making any sense but I asked my dad and he also said he could also feel a breeze while listening to it so I guess it’s not that weird? lol anyways it’s a really good song and it makes me feel warm feelings in my stomach when I hear it so that’s always nice.

And those are all the songs I wanted to include in this post! Thank you so much for taking some time out of your day to read it and I hope you like the songs I picked from my “walking playlist”. If you knew any of them already let me know if you like them too and if you didn’t... let me know as well! I’d really like to see if I made at least someone fall in love with a new song.

Constanza León