#he's just out there living life and doing his thing + him and louise are like. barely acquaintances

[yellowloid]

I kinds expect Alex and Miles to not interact that much during the concerts after the whole drama during the last days... really hope I'm wrong. Wanne see our boys happy together

lmao nah anon i honestly think if they do end up acting weird with each other (which i'm hoping doesn't happen, but. yknow. chances are low but never zero), the whole recent drama would be the very least likely reason behind their behavior skfhshks

[katebishopsbow]

SOMEDAY IT WILL ALL BE OKAY • MAX VERSTAPPEN

pairing: max verstappen x driver!reader (platonic)

summary: watching kevin and his daughter, laura, playing together at the paddock makes you emotional as you remember the love that you never get to receive growing up. max is here to remind you that your past doesn't define you, and one day you will be okay.

tags: angst, hurt/comfort, daddy issues, mentions of absent parent

word count: 3.1k

author's notes: based on the real-life event of me tearing up when i saw that video of kmag's daughter playing with his visor. healing my own daddy issues one fic at a time :)

(image is not mine)

─────── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───────

Kevin Magnussen is a great dad.

People can say whatever they want about his driving – aggressive and maybe a little dangerous sometimes – but there is no denying that he is an amazing father who puts his daughters above all else. The Dane is always joking about how his two little troublemakers have been giving him a constant headache, but the rest of the grid knows that he would do just about anything for his girls.

Occasionally, Louise likes bringing Laura and Agnes to the track to see their dad at work. Being a Formula 1 driver with all the hectic schedules and non-stop traveling means that family time together can often be difficult to come by, so Kevin cherishes all the time he gets to be as present in their lives as possible. 

The drivers all love it when the Magnussens visit the track, not only because Laura and Agnes are the sweetest little angels ever, but also because they get to witness the rare sight of Kevin “tough guy” Magnussen shedding his hard exterior and tease him about the heartwarmingly softer side he displays to his family. 

And while you would never admit this out loud, somewhere residing deep within you is envious – envious of this kind of love that you never got to receive. Sometimes when you look at Kevin interacting with his daughters – just sometimes – you find yourself wondering what it would be like to have a father who is present, who genuinely cares, who loves you with everything they have so much that you never have to doubt your worthiness.

･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ.

You were standing with a few other drivers at the track, idly chatting about the upcoming race and your holiday plans now that the winter break is right around the corner when Kevin suddenly saunters nearby, holding the hand of the most adorable little girl. “Laura, come say hi!” he kneels down and says to her, sporting the biggest and most loving smile on his face as his daughter gives a shy little wave to the crowd of drivers before her.

“Hey there, Laura,” you wave at her, settling on a simple greeting since you have never been particularly great with children. “Hello, little one!” Lando greets with a wide grin as he offers Laura a fist bump, and the girl explodes into giggles when he pretends to yelp in pain at how hard Laura fist-bumped him. Classic Lando – always so good with kids.

“She’s got quite the punch, doesn’t she?” Kevin jokes while he chuckles at the sight, admiring the joyous smile on Laura’s face with the tenderest gaze he only reserves for his daughter. Becoming a father is the best thing that has happened to him, and he thanks the stars every day for being blessed with such precious gifts of life. Laura and Agnes – his biggest pride and joy.

“Here to be dad’s little assistant, Laura?” Max asks, his nose scrunching up in an adoring smile like the way it always does when he speaks to Penelope. The little girl nods bashfully before running to hide behind her dad, holding onto his hands as if he is her safe place, her rock.

Kevin laughs at his daughter’s endearing shyness, picks her up and envelops her in his embrace before placing a kiss on her rosy, chubby cheeks. “You’re the best assistant in the entire world,” he whispers softly, adoration swimming in his eyes while Laura lets out a giggle at her father’s words. The drivers around them cannot help but smile along with them – how can they not at such a heartwarming sight? 

Yet watching Kevin’s doting smiles and the way he looks at his daughter as if she is his entire universe, the initial warm fuzziness within you silently morphs into a dull ache that squeezes at your heart – an odd yet familiar feeling you know all too well. Despite your best efforts to push them away, your mind becomes clouded with hazy memories of the past – the painful past that has broken you and haunted you for years.

In the fogged-up memories of your childhood days, you were never at the receiving end of such an affectionate gaze. The only way your father has ever looked at you was indifference, annoyance, and a sense of uncaringness that tore your little heart up into pieces and left you wondering what you did wrong to be so undeserving of the fatherly love you yearned for. 

He never picked you up and hugged you as if you were a fragile treasure that he cherished. He never held your hand in a way that made you feel safe and certain that nothing could ever harm you because he would be your shield, protecting you from the world and its merciless cruelty. He never once made you feel loved and cared for, ignoring your attempts to gain his validation and approval because he loved himself and his ego more than he would ever love you. 

When you received good grades at school and showed him your report card with the rows of A’s, hoping that it would help you get his approval, he didn’t praise you. In fact, he didn’t bother saying anything. He simply gave you a half-hearted nod before shifting his attention back to the damned television screen in front of him, some uninteresting TV show that never should have mattered more than his daughter. So you stuffed the tear-stained report card back into your school bag, uncaring that it got crushed and crumpled, because in the end your hard work and effort didn’t matter. It never did.

When you had a rough day at school and came home with tears running down your cheeks, your father looked at you for a second, rolled his eyes and walked away. So that night you cried yourself to sleep as you soaked through your pillows with your wallowing tears, wishing that your dad could wrap you in his arms and tell you that everything would be okay. You knew that he could hear your sobs across the hallway, but chose to ignore you anyway. You wondered if he hated you that much, or was it simply because he never even cared to begin with?

And when he finally gathered all his belongings and disappeared from your life once and for all, you surprised yourself when you didn’t cry at the sight of the now-empty house. You had just felt empty and lonely – so painstakingly lonely. The kind of loneliness that seeped into your bones and slithered along your veins and consumed your soul. 

As you grew older, you became familiarized with that emptiness – comfortable with it even. You begin to find yourself pushing people away when they get too close, keeping most at arm's length because that seems like the safest option, breaking your own heart before others can do it because you never want to experience the same heartbreak your father has put you through.

Despite how painful it is, you hold onto that loneliness like a lifeline because how could you not when that’s the only thing you know? How could you love when you don’t even know what it feels like?

Even though it had been years since your dad had left, the emptiness he had left behind never seemed to fade away. They say time heals all wounds, but you call that bullshit, because then why does it still hurt like a fresh stab into the heart? 

Too deep in your storm of thoughts, you don’t realize the tears brimming in your glossy eyes and the way your lips quiver ever so slightly. “Hey… you okay there?” Charles, who is standing beside you, gives you an affectionate pat on the shoulders and whispers hushedly in your ear, worried at your sudden change in demeanor. Quickly nodding your head, you answer him with the best smile you can manage, “Yeah, just remembering some things.”

While most of the drivers still have their focus on Kevin and Laura, a few have also noticed your red-rimmed eyes and quietness. “What’s wrong?” Lando mouths the question silently toward you, eyes wide in concern as he tries not to shift everybody’s attention toward you. You shake your head and mouth “nothing” in reply to him as discreetly as possible, not wanting to ruin the group’s mood with your sudden sentiments. 

As much as you want to stay, you simply need to get away for a moment to recollect your thoughts. “Uh – There’s something I need from my driver’s room, so I’m gonna head off,” you hurriedly blink away the tears and put on the best smile – a skill you learned to master after years of being in the public’s eye. You hope that the excuse you just blurted out is somewhat believable, and you quickly disappear into the distance after your fellow drivers bid you goodbye. 

While making a beeline for your driver's room, you cannot help but feel so embarrassed, so guilty for the sudden burst of emotions that erupted in your chest moments ago. “What is wrong with me?” you mumble hushedly to yourself as you make your way to the garage – irritated and beyond annoyed at yourself that the mere sight of Kevin with his daughter is enough to bring you to tears. 

This isn’t something new to you. It isn’t the first time a good father-daughter relationship has made you tear up. Movies, TV shows, song lyrics – you always get so emotional when you allow yourself to get lost in your thoughts, thinking too deeply about the painful reminders of the love that you never have. 

It makes you feel stupid, because how broken do you have to be that trivial things like these are enough to make you cry? And it makes you feel scared, so utterly scared, because what if you were too broken to ever be capable of loving someone this much, too damaged to ever receive love despite yearning for it, and end up pushing away everyone who cares about you for the rest of your life.

When you arrive at your driver's room, you take a seat in the corner, breathing in and out while the self-blaming thoughts inside your head spiral in full force. This is so stupid, you are being stupid, and you hate yourself for being a fool and letting your past trauma affect you like this. Why were you even crying? There is nothing to be crying for. Stop. You need to stop.

Then you hear someone calling your name, voice faint and soft behind the door – Max. “You feeling okay?” he asks, and your delayed response and trembling voice as you answer him, “I’m fine.” are a clear enough indicator that you are far from okay. “Alright, I’m gonna come in now.” A sigh of mixed emotions falls from your lips – annoyance that you never seem to be able to lie to the man, and gratefulness that he always understands what you really need, and right now it is the company of your best friend.

“Hey, kiddo,” he says to you, eyebrows ceasing in sadness when he notices the expression on your face. Max hates seeing you like this, especially knowing the reason behind your tears is your absent father – someone who will never be worthy of having you cry over him. 

You wipe your eyes with the sleeve of your race suit, guilt weighing heavily on your chest as you apologize, “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to ruin the mood back there. Did the other drivers notice?” Max shakes his head with a frown, refusing to let you blame yourself for something you should never feel guilty for. “You don’t have to be sorry, you did nothing wrong.”

“I don’t even know why I am crying, honestly. Why am I still so angry and sad after all these years? It’s like… am I always going to be like this, broken? Will the hurt ever go away?” you explain truthfully to him while trying to piece your muddle-up thoughts together, yet you struggle to put them into words. How can you begin to explain the years of trauma your dad has left behind? How can you describe the mess of emotions you have for him – the hatred, the resentment, and the fact that you still love and miss him so much even after everything he has done to you?

You don’t need to, because Max understands, he always does. One of the reasons why you two became close quickly is because you share a similar, troubled past – something that is rather unfortunate to bond over, you would argue, but it brings you a great friend nonetheless. Max’s father isn’t exactly absent like yours – Jos Verstappen is still quite prominent in his life, along with his abusive and manipulative ways of raising his kids which he would vehemently deny and claims to be “tough love” instead.

Even though he is there, it doesn’t change the painful truth that the presence of his father has ruined Max. For years, he thought being violent was the way to solve problems because his dad always seemed to be able to solve his with his fist. He used to believe that you had to be perfect to be deserving of good things in life because he grew up with the punishment of “no dinner” if he had performed poorly in a race. He didn’t know if he would ever be capable of loving someone, and then he met Kelly and Penelope.

“You know… when I first met Penelope, I was terrified. I was scared that I could never be a good enough father figure for her, that I was too ruined to show her the love she deserved to have. But then I saw her, and then I realized I love her more than anything,” he confesses as he places himself to sit beside you, a reminiscent smile dancing on his lips while he remembers his first time meeting Penelope, the little girl who has become his family.

He remembers the suffocating fear of ending up like his father when he first held the hands of little Penelope, mind plagued with all the horrible what-ifs. What if he was a terrible dad? What if he couldn’t ever love Penelope? What if he was just like Jos Verstappen and ended up destroying her childhood with his anger and temper the way his dad had with his?

Then Penelope gave him a sweet smile, her tiny hand holding onto his pinky as she looked into his eyes with such trust and comfort, as if she knew that Max would love her more than anything in the world. Max genuinely thought he was going to cry, his heart surging with an overwhelming amount of love and determination to protect the little girl in front of her and give her the home she and Kelly deserve to have, and that’s when he knew that he had nothing to be afraid of – that he was going to do better than his father.

“Listen, kiddo. Time doesn’t heal all wounds, it just makes the pain bearable. But there will be a day when your wound will still be there – it always will be there – but the pain and the hatred will no longer consume you. And you will realize that you can be better and stronger than your past, that you can break the cycle, that you are deserving of such unconditional love too.” You listen quietly to your best friend’s answer, exhaling a relieved sigh at the words you so desperately need to hear, giving you hope that despite all your trauma, one day you will be able to love with such certainty as well.

You are never too broken to love or be loved. You are not damaged goods that need repairing. You are not a monster for being intimidated by love and affection, for pushing people away even though you want more than anything for them to stay. You just need to allow yourself to heal from the hurtful past, to understand that your past trauma does not define you. You need to allow yourself to feel, to accept the depths of your emotions, to understand that your sadness and anger are always valid. You need to believe that you will be better than your father, that you will not follow in his footsteps, and that you deserve to be loved just as much as anyone else. 

Feeling sentimental over this doesn’t make you stupid or a fool, it just makes you human. It is okay to cry over it, to be sad over it, as long as you remember that one day – while things will never be perfect –  it will certainly get better. 

“You’re gonna be okay,” Max tells you with a smile, reaching for your hand to give it a comforting squeeze, and you believe him. For once in a very long time, you genuinely believe that everything is going to be okay. The impact your father has on you will always be there. You can never wipe away the hurt and awful things he has done to you, nor can you simply erase the simultaneous love and hatred you hold for him, but one day you will learn to move on and find closure, and you are going to be okay, just like Max said.

There is a knock on the door, and you can hear your name being called again, this time in the soft and squeaky voice of a little girl. “I’m here,” you answer, and peeking behind the gap in the door is Laura with a cheeky grin on her face. Kevin leads her inside your driver's room with an apologetic smile, “Hey, sorry… Laura says she wants to play with you and insists that I bring her here.” 

You watch as Laura crawls up into the seat next to you and Max, looking at you with the brightest toothy little grin ever, and your lips begin pulling up into a huge smile as well. “Is it okay if she plays here for a while? I’ve got a team meeting in 5 and she never likes coming to those…” Kevin asks apologetically before relief floods his expression when you answer him, “It would be lovely to have a little playdate with Laura.”

“Alrighty, see you later little one,” Kevin leans down to place a kiss on his daughter’s head, reminding her to be a good kid when he is away for the meeting, and you smile at the sight. Not an envious one, or a reminiscent one, but one of contentment because you know that one day you will be able to receive and give such unconditional love to someone too.

Someday, it will be okay. You will be okay.

[lineffability]

He grows tomatoes.

Well, he tries to. Crowley does not usually try to grow plants. He decides to grow them, and they obey. It's vengeance, vendetta. But lately, nothing seems to obey his will. It's weak, that will, broken into smithereens just like his heart.

And he can't even take it out on his plants. That's because Crowley has mercy.

So he tries to grow tomatoes.

It's summer (the first summer without him) and he has lodged in an airbnb in the country, and behind an old ramshackle ram-shack he has made himself a little plot of land. Well - it's all God's stupidly green earth, isn't it. But this two by two piece of earth he claims for himself. He could have at least that, right? He looks up at the sky. Frowns.

Let me have at least that.

Aziraphale liked to do things the hard way. (He's still doing that, Crowley supposes, up there. Up there. He's not dead, but it feels like it. He's gone. Gone to Heaven. Not to a better place.) Aziraphale liked to do it properly, the human way, when it pleased him. Which was often, but not always. Think: French. Nom de dieu de merde. Pardon his French.

Pardon his stupid everything.

Crowley inspects his tomato plants. He's trying to grow them the human way. Funny, that. He nurses them like he nurses his heart, and miracles won't do. He's tried.

I think I should not be encouraged to grow tomatoes, he thinks.

Raindrops fall on red and green: the plants and the vines and the tomatoes and his hair. It's August, it shouldn't be raining this much. It's been a shitty August. It's been a shitty year. Thirteen months and two weeks and one day, to be exact. Not like he's keeping count. Why bother?

There's a spot on one of the leaves, and Crowley's heart sinks before it even had the chance to ever rise. It's only one tiny, dark, black spot, but he knows what it means. It means it's too late.

A horrible month. A horrible life. Not the right conditions to thrive. Disease, rearing its ugly head, grinning. It's already too late. It's always too late. It would multiply and spread. It has already spread, underneath. Invisible to visible. It won't take long, now.

His soul is a tomato leaf.

Black as grief.

He's tended these seedlings, he's raised them, and planted them, too, and here they are before him tall and proud and still alive, and Crowley knows they are already dying. He can relate.

The sensible thing to do would be to discard it all, be done with them. It's not worth the effort, technically, to keep them alive. But to Crowley it's worth it. It has to be. They are worth it. He is worth it. Stupid stubborn perseverance, stupid stubborn hopeful heart.

He isn't immune to foreshadowing. He looks up again. Angry, this time, bitter. A bit of surrender, too.

The rain drips and drops on his face.

He looks back down, snaps the sickly leaf off with expert fingers. Continues to tend to the plants, as he will until they inevitably die. He plucks a tiny tomato. It's so small, fragile, one of the first of a doomed harvest: but it tastes sweet.

Determined, Crowley continues his labor of love, patient as with all living things.

He is responsible for these vines.

Maybe, despite everything, just maybe, he can nurture his heart back to health. (And maybe, just maybe, he is not human and does not do things the human way. When it dis/pleases him. He's always been a rebel. Just a little miracle, a little bit of life-giving defiance. So small no one notices, not even us.) Crowley smiles.

He grows tomatoes.

.

This ficlet was inspired by Louise Glück's Vespers. May she rest in peace. "In your extended absence, you permit me use of earth, anticipating some return on investment. I must report failure in my assignment, principally regarding the tomato plants." read the full poem here

[ivys-garden]

My head cannon endings for all the Hilda cast post finale (Spoilers for season 3)

Astrid

She remains in her home, never moving away. However she makes sure to visit Hilda often, which has become easier now that she's learned to fly again. She also doesn't get to lonely as she invites the Pooka to like with her and helps him practice shape shifting. When she dies she is buried where the fairy mound once was to be closer to her family.

Raven

He travels the world but always returns to Trollburg, on cold winter nights he joins Hilda and her family for tea and games, maybe the yule lads join in too. On his travels he spreads the story on Hilda far and wide even long after she's gone.

Tryla & Baba

They remain at the mountain most days but do ecompany Hilda on adventures during her weekly visit. They still live there long after everyone else is gone, telling tales of Hilda to the next hundreds of generations of trolls.

Anders

He continues living in Trollburg, working on wall and city maintenance with the bellkeeper. He never gets back together with Johana but he does try and be a better dad to Hilda, including taking her on that camping trip.

Johana

Begins selling her paintings to people, she also starts painting things from her and Hilda's adventures, including the Fae Ilse, which she still thinks about often. When she dies Hilda burries her at the fairy mound with Auntie Astrid, but she keeps a lock of her hair in a locket. One day, in the far future when Hilda has finally moved on she hangs that locket at the remains of the cabin.

Tontu

Just keeps doing what he does mostly. Going on adventures with Hilda occasionally but mostly keeping to himself. He remains in the house for a long time, even after Hilda had died.

Alfur

Keeps writing reports for the northern counties but he also begins working with Gerda and the safety patrol, his days are busy but that's how he likes them. When he dies, if elfs even do, he would be given a funeral pyre by the lost clan and Hilda returns to the northern counties to scatter his ashes.

Louise

Would go on many more adventures with the trio and would start to develop a crush on David, one that David would reciprocate. She would eventually become a wildlife photographer.

David

Started researching entomology and now runs an insect focused wildlife centre near the sparrow scout building, enjoying a more peaceful and quiet life than most of his friends. He also assists the linworm in a construction of a new garden on sparrow scout property, sometimes the two of them and Louise have tea together. He was the first to die out of the four and was buried in Trollburgs graveyard, later Louise would be buried with him when she died.

Frida

Finished her training and became a fully fledged witch. She would take over running the Trollburg library from Kaisa after Kaisa was appointed to the witch council. When they were teenagers she and Hilda started dating but they never decided to get married.

Hilda

She still goes on adventures in her teenage years, it wouldn't be Hilda if she didn't. She and Johanna also practised flying with their fae magic. She always makes sure to keep in touch with Astrid and Victoria. She continues to paint and make music and becomes a freelance artist like her mum. Twig also grows big enough to ride when he gets older. She lived in her apartment in Trollburg until her death. She and Frida were buried together at the overgrown remains of the cabin

Woodman

He's still there, deep in the woods. even after everyone else has long since died, perhaps he tells the tales of a mysterious blue haired friend to spirits to the passersby.

Or perhaps he would tell you that if you walk deep enough into the woods, you could find an old forest glen where a cabin once was, and you can speak to her spirit yourself

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Prince Edward has paid tribute to his wife, Sophie, as his ‘absolute rock’ as he discussed his family life with Alan Titchmarsh during an appearance on Love Your Weekend.

The episode, which is set to air on March 10, the Duke of Edinburgh’s 60th birthday, will see the Prince sit down with the presenter and open up about his wife, the Duchess of Edinburgh, and their two children, Lady Louise, 20, and James, Earl of Wessex, 16.

Speaking of how much Sophie means to him, the Duke called his wife ‘critical, absolutely critical.’

He continued:

‘She's been an absolutely brilliant rock and I'm incredibly lucky that I found Sophie and that she found me. Hopefully, we've been a really brilliant partnership.

We're very lucky, we’ve got two, of what we would think are particularly brilliant children, who are forging such different paths for themselves. I think that's also equally fascinating.’

Elsewhere he spoke about the significance of Mothering Sunday and described what the celebration means for his own family.

Prince Edward said, ‘Always and it's doubly so when you've got your own children - your own family is very important.’

‘Those days were [important growing up], and these days are really important to remember some very, very special people in our lives.

There should be several times in the year when we make a special sort of effort and Mothering Sunday was very much one of those where you made a special effort just to say ‘thank you.’

So it goes on and that's the lovely thing about it. That's the lovely thing about families and that's what it should be.’

During the discussion, Prince Edward also revealed the lasting memories his grandchildren have of the late Prince Philip, including teaching his daughter Lady Louise to drive a carriage.

It's a hobby, which was a passion of the late Duke’s, and has since been adopted as one of Lady Louise’s.

He said, ‘It was entirely off her own bat. I mean, you know, just one day, ‘Can I go out with you and go sit on the boxes?’

He was like, ‘Absolutely.’

'He never was going to say no! He took her out with the team and I think it was only the second time, he was driving along and he said, ‘Do you want to have a go?’ and she didn’t have time to even answer the question, he just handed the reins across.’

Elsewhere in the discussion, Prince Edward spoke about how much it meant to him to be bestowed the title of Duke of Edinburgh. He said:

‘It was a huge privilege but also quite a lot of weight of expectation as well. I mean, there's an awful lot of legacy that came with that title and everything that my father had done. Especially when you're not inheriting it, this is a choice… that comes with all the expectations that people have.

It's just the weirdest and strangest feeling. You walk into a room and, particularly still today, there are name places on a card and I still look around going ‘Yes, but where am I sitting?’

Explaining how he would describe his father Prince Philip, The Duke called him an ‘extraordinary mind’, adding:

‘He was the Prince Albert of our age. He had an extraordinary mind. He loved design, he loved innovation, he was brilliant with all sorts of people.

Sometimes it didn't necessarily come across that way, but he was actually brilliant with people. He was always, always encouraging everybody. You sort of needed to get to know him.’

The interview comes after Sophie gave her own touching tribute to Edward during a royal engagement earlier in March.

The Duchess gave a rare, gushing tribute to her husband, calling him ‘the best of fathers and the most loving of husbands.’

Prince Edward looked deeply emotional throughout the speech, putting his hands over his face, as Sophie spoke about their love, saying, ‘I am so proud of the man he is.’

[jasmine-the-fox]

Saved by technology

azv2448 sent me a very... interesting request... let us all see how it goes yes?

Here we go!

Markov has been suspicious towards Lila Rossi since her first day. While her stories interested the class… Markov noticed she would never show pictures or videos or anything to confirm her stories at all.

Because of this Markov did the one thing no one who believed Lila’s stories ever did… research her online, he found nothing, in fact he only found Alya’s blog as a result on Lila in the end… which told him she was a liar in the end. He tried to inform Max of his research but his best friend and creator ignores him… and then Markov uncovers something horrible and cruel.

After a while, the little robot discovers that not only is the class bullying Marinette while accusing her of doing horrible things to Lila that were simply not true, but Adrien was also harassing her to force her to date him.

Markov knew that what they were all doing was wrong… but it was clear that they were all too blinded to care about it so he took it upon himself to record all of there actions… who harms her physically, mentally, who steals her things, who destroys her things and each time Marinette rejected Adrien and told him she already has a boyfriend… which angered Markov greatly.

For a whole week he records everything… once he believed he had enough… Markov decided to go one last time to Max “Max? Please listen to me… Lila Rossi has done nothing but lie 100% of the time she speaks to you! If you continue down this path you will be no better then Hawkmoth!” he pleaded… but Max instead shut him down “Lila was right. Markov was a failure, I’ll to redo the entire work for the next one so this doesn’t happen again” he says as he throws Markov out the window of his room.

He didn’t care that Tim Drake was walking by when Markov hit him on the head before he caught him “Huh? Isn’t this a little like the little robot Nettie spoke about?” he mumbled to himself before heading to Marinette’s place. When he arrived Mari wasn’t there… instead it was her parent’s and the Kent’s who greeted him before together they got Markov to turn on once more.

“Where am I? Wait… is the Marinette Dupain-Cheng’s parents’ bakery?” he asked making Sabine confirm it… Markov quickly began to tell them everything he knew… Damian and Jason sadly came over at that moment… and had to quickly be restrained from going out to “talk” to the class and Adrien.

Bruce who was there contacted his lawyers while Clark and Louise began talking with Markov to get the footage he collected for an entire week, it was then that Chloe ran into the bakery in a panic “Quick! It’s Mari!” she cried out just as Kagami and Luka brought in Marinette who was injured “What happened!?” Jon asked as they brought her up to the couch to be examined and treated.

“It was Adrien. He ran over to us as we were on our way back and asked to speak to Marinette alone. We moved a little away and heard him trying to pressure her into dating him, she rejected him of course… and then Adrien attacked her. We rushed over to help her and then rushed here” Kagami explained as they discovered that Mari’s injuries weren’t severe.

Tim began to work to look at the data in Markov for the footage and added his own work “I updated your coding with my own… it should protect you from anyone who might try to hack you to wipe everything” he explained making Markov thank him.

It takes a while, but Mari wakes up to Markov apologizing to her for not getting Max to see the truth about Lila, of course Mari forgives him and offers him to live in her home “It’s not perfect but I hope it’s alright” she explained and the robot agreed to the offer. Within a few days, Markov has greatly improved Mari’s life… she wakes up early, is able to schedule different commissions she needs to work on, is able to quickly what she’s running out of and many more things including helping her parents at the bakery.

Soon, Louise and Clark go public with the fact that Lila Rossi is a liar, Adrein harassing Marinette and the footage of everything the class has done to her. Chloe helped by getting the police involved to investigate the entire thing while Bruce makes sure his lawyers help where they can… of course though… there is chaos… in which case Lila once more becomes Volpina who claimed all of this was a lie.

“I have proof!” she claimed as Ladybug, Queen Bee, Ryuko, Viperion, Superman, Superboy and the entire Batfam appeared before her “You mean you have an illusion ready to lie your way out?” Red Hood said as Nightwing knocked her out and released her akuma so Ladybug could purify it… of course Cat Noir wasn’t there… it wasn’t that hard for him to be hit with venom so his ring could be taken… revealing him as Adrien.

Hawkmoth reveals himself to akumatized her but the gang surrounds him and takes him down… revealing him to be Gabriel Agreste. He is quickly arrested for his crimes against Paris, Damocles, Caline and the class get sued for there actions towards Marinette. Due to there beliefs towards Lila, none of them think they did anything wrong to her at all, the lawsuits ruined all of them of course.

Chloe, Kagami, Luka and Marinette all moved to the states where they would be safe and away from the bad guys, they became so famous and popular that news spread all the way to Paris about them. The class of course regretted their actions… but Alya was worse, she tried calling Mari in the hopes she would be forgiven and helped but quickly received a cease-and-desist letter to never contact Mari again which broke her heart as she like the class wondered how their lives would have been had they not bullied her.

The last thing they heard… were Mari to Damien, Chloe to Jon and Kagami to Luka’s weddings. It was the top of the talk and the one thing people kept talking about. Of course the class often heard about it and deeply regretted there actions even more… each of them picturing what they would have been doing for Marinette’s big day had they not bullied her… Alya imagined the post she would have made for her blog (without Mari’s permission like always) Adrien imagined himself marrying Marinette, some imagined the party they have had for her while others imagined helping her pick her dress or what she would have made them to wear for her big day.

Meanwhile… Lila was seething with rage; it wasn’t fair that her life was ruined while Marinette soared into fame! It should be her marrying a rich and famous person, she should be the one having an amazing wedding… but instead Marinette was happy and enjoying her happy ending while Lila suffered for her crimes.

Good thing Max threw Markov out though! It was all thanks to him that Marinette got justice and is now happy!

[bubbipond]

OK but why am I seeing on Twitter and Tumblr people saying that Tonkla did not love Korn as much as Korn loved him?? Did we watch the same show? Let’s not act like Korn was boyfriend of the year. Tonkla didn’t just wake up one morning and decided to be a murderer. He also didn’t force Korn to also cheat on him??? Korn was choosing his family and the life he lived his whole life over love the entire time. You can argue that love wasn’t more important than revenge to Kla but you can’t argue that he didn’t love and care about Korn or vice versa.

He literally took a bullet for him. He did not have to do that. He knew his time was running out. You don’t do things that Tonkla did in this show and expect to live happily ever after. In my opinion, they had the most realistic end to a dark series. You can love someone and want to be with them, but fate not be in your corner. They were both in retrospect too deep into their individual lives to not die and I find that extremely heartbreaking. To be honest if two people deserve a happy ending it was probably them because their issues were not entirely made by them. Their situations were directly influenced by other people (technically so was Greats but he ended up happy so).

But I feel like deducing everything between Korn and Kla to just a revenge plot is a lack of critical thinking. I know that’s a buzz word and I’m not just saying that because throughout the airing of the series I have been like, “I support Kla’s wrongs and his rights”. But instead, I am saying this because he and Korn are not their actions. They are who they are because of other peoples actions. Kla couldn’t move on with his life after his brother died because there was no justice. He definitely needed therapy and he should not have been going around murdering people or attempting to. But that was a direct Issue stemming from his brother’s death. Korn didn’t want to be the head of the family. He didn’t want to be a crappy brother or a crappy boyfriend. He didn’t want to marry that girl whose name escapes me.

And at the end of it, they were both willing to look at each other and be like you know what!? We are Thelma and Louise, we are Bonnie and Clyde. In the most tragic ways possible. I think that’s the reason they kind of stole the last episode. All of their shit was out there. Neither one of them were cowards and neither one of them were good people. Maybe they were at one time but life and the choices they made changed that. I think their end was perfect because they both succeeded and failed at their motives at the end of the day. Neither one was where they were in the beginning at the end of it all.

Marrying that woman wasn’t going to miraculously make Korns life easier. In the end, she cut her losses anyway. The marriage didn’t help her at that point. So where did he have to go? The revelation that Kla was the one to shoot Great and that Great was part of his brother’s murder didn’t diminish how they felt about each other. It just complicated everything. Attempting to murder the people responsible for his brother’s death didn’t bring Kla solace. It didn’t bring his brother back and if anything it just made life shittier. At the end of the day, there was no out for either of them. They would both still have to pay for things they did and did not do. So even though their story ended, they still had a better ending. They still love each other despite the tough situation they were in.

My favorite part of that last scene is Bas’ facial expressions when he hears everything from Kla. He’s not heartbroken, or angry, he’s not bewildered, Or jealous. He’s all of the above and you can see it written on his face so perfectly. Bas really knows how to show emotion on his face and I love him for that; especially the mix of feelings between the revelation and him pointing that gun. He wasn’t questioning whether or not Kla loved him because what did Kla have to gain from keeping him around at the point of him running? This man was exhausted. He was tired of everything and everyone he was tired of the cards that they all have been dealt up until that point. He knew pointing that gun was a bad idea. But their backs were against the wall and there was nothing left to lose. Until there was. He had to watch the love of his life take a bullet for him. So I will not sit here and let people act like Kla was this master manipulator who only wanted revenge.

Because the saddest part about all of this is, it was just a very unfortunate circumstance that intertwined Great and Dome.

[stargazer-sims]

The DeLuca Family

You've already seen Nora, but I thought I'd show off the rest of the family. Some of you have seen Leo and Ellie before as well, and toddler Elliot, but here they are at their current ages/life stages:

Leonardo Stephen DeLuca (48) - Leo is Victor's cousin and is older than him by only about three and a half months. Leo's father Stephen and Victor's mother Grace are brother and sister.

Leo is a kindergarten teacher, which he absolutely loves. He used to work at the same daycare as Takahiro Suzuki, but decided to go back to school to earn his teaching certification so he could work in the public school system instead. He's a big kid at heart, so working with kids is a perfect fit for him.

He and one of his sisters have the same genetic abnormality as his dad, aunt and cousin, which caused all their hair to go prematurely silver. However, unlike Stephen, Kiki, Grace and Victor, Leo has been dying his hair brown for years in an attempt to hide the silver. He's finally thinking of letting it go back to its natural colour now, though.

Eleanor Louise Britt-DeLuca (47) - Ellie was best friends with Leo and Victor growing up. They called themselves The Team, and were practically inseparable. They've drifted apart in their adult years, unfortunately.

Ellie is a nurse. She spent many years working in the ICU and some time in adult post-op wards, but she currently works in the ER.

When she's not busy with work, she enjoys cross-country running and working out at the gym.

Elliot Julian DeLuca (14) - He's the younger of Ellie and Leo's two kids, and unequivocally his dad's favourite. He has Down Syndrome, but that doesn't stop him from living a happy, healthy life.

Elliot loves dancing, dinosaurs and wizards, and he thinks Halloween should be more than just one day a year. He's learning how to cook, and is turning out to be really good at it. He's excited about doing "grown-up" things by himself.

His favourite person (after his dad) is his cousin Caroline, who taught him how to swim and never seems too busy to watch movies or play games with him.

Family walk ^

Elliot's current obsession is his vampire teeth. He's going to be a vampire for Halloween, but he's going to get as much mileage as possible out of the fake teeth his dad got for him at the costume shop in the meantime.

Also, he's excited to visit the Halloween House with Dad, Caroline and Uncle Victor.

Elliot is a hugger, not that Leo minds at all.

Oh, the maturity!

Dad and Elliot are besties!

[fanficshiddles]

Eternally Mine, Chapter 1 (Sequel to The Redbridge Hunts)

Summary: We pick up where we left off in Demsdale. Loki and Claire’s relationship goes from strength to strength. Loki and Chris work on their brotherly relationship, building trust in one another again and learning to deal with each-others faults. Chris also begins to court Louise, showing her what love should be like, while also working to try and better himself. Of course, all of this is not without its troubles. Being a vampire in Demsdale is never plain sailing.

WARNINGS: Much the same as The Redbridge Hunts. Blood, violence, smut, murder.

-

‘I can’t believe it. Out of everyone in the world, why does it have to be your sister?’ Loki huffed as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

‘I know, but look at them. They look adorable together already.’ Claire whispered.

Loki and Claire were stood by the dining table in the kitchen, they were looking at Chris and Louise, who were just through in the living room talking.

Loki couldn’t deny he’d never seen his brother look so happy before, he couldn’t take his eyes off Louise. And Claire hadn’t seen Louise look so giddy before, she was in awe of Chris.

‘Did you notice how she put her hand out to him straight away? She never initiates touch like that straight off the bat usually.’ Claire said to Loki.

‘Hmm.’ Loki huffed and downed his drink. ‘I need another.’

Claire giggled as he poured another drink and almost downed it all in one go, too. He was stressing big time.

‘I know we are making amends, but I still don’t know if I trust him with her. She’s been through so much already. And he’s… questionable. In and out of the bedroom.’  

‘If she’s his soulmate, he won’t hurt her. He will have the instinct to protect her, like you do with me.’ Claire assured Loki.

‘Yes, but also the urge to bite her will be stronger too.’ Loki said worriedly.

‘You don’t bite me uncontrollably. He’s strong, he will be able to resist, like you do.’

Loki was still concerned though, so made sure to keep an eye on them during the party.

Louise had never felt a pull towards someone like she did with Chris, when she first laid eyes on him her breath was taken away. He was gorgeous. Sure, she found him a little intimidating but there was just something about him that she was so drawn to. She’d even surprised herself when she put her hand out first to shake his hand, that wasn’t really like her. She just seemed to feel safe around him already, and she wasn’t entirely sure why.

‘I uhm… I guess I have you to thank for me being here. For setting me free from him. It feels weird to be thanking someone for… killing someone… but thank you. Truly.’ Louise said shyly to Chris.

Chris smiled softly down at her. ‘You’re welcome. I’m glad you can live your life now, it must have been horrible to live in fear and constantly hiding.’ He frowned a little.

‘It was.’ Louise nodded and looked down briefly. ‘It’s going to take a little time to get used to it all again, but I already feel so much better. As soon as Claire told me, it was like a huge weight off my shoulders.’

Chris couldn���t stop smiling at her, he was a mix of emotions. Ecstatic that he had found his soulmate, that she was so incredibly beautiful and sweet. He was confused at how while he wanted to bite her, to drink from her and there was a strong urge to want to get her into bed, he also wanted to just wrap her in his arms and protect her forever. To shield her from all the evil of the world and give her everything she could ever want.

He realised he was going to need to speak to Loki for advice after the party, that was a definite. The last thing he wanted to do was to scare her, so he was going to need to keep his urges on a tight leash until she was ready. If she was ever ready. Maybe she didn’t feel the same as he did, perhaps she wouldn’t want to be with him… While the thought broke him, he would do whatever she wanted, if she wanted him to stay away then he would.

Though judging by the constant blush on her cheeks and the way she stayed by him, made him think… hope… that that wouldn’t be the case.

Chris and Louise kept the conversation light, they asked one another about hobbies and their jobs. Chris found out that Louise was in accounting for a small bookshop in the town she lived in. When he told her that he dabbled a bit in music with his band, he thought her eyes were going to pop out of her head.

‘Really? A head teacher and in a band? That’s so cool. What kind of music does your band play?’ She asked excitedly.

‘We’re a metal band. Nothing serious right now, really. I’ve been focusing mainly on the school. We have the odd gig now and then.’ He said a little bashfully.

‘Ooo, I love metal!’ Louise squeaked.

‘Really? I’ll need to give you one of our demo CDs.’ Chris grinned widely.

‘I’d love that!’

‘Are you two going to socialise with other people or just stay hidden over here all night?’ Claire asked as she interrupted them.

‘If we must socialise, then I suppose we will.’ Chris sighed dramatically.

Claire gave Louise a sly nudge when they went to join Loki, Jessica and Spencer.

Though even while conversing with others, Chris struggled to take his eyes off of Louise and vice versa.

During the night, Chris was the perfect gentleman, even if he did still get a few jabs in at the others, he couldn’t resist, he was nothing but kind and sweet towards Louise.

At the end of the night, Louise had planned to get a taxi home. Even though it would take a couple of hours, but Loki offered to pay for her. Though she had the option to stay the night, she had work starting at eleven in the morning so figured it would be best to get home.

Loki and Claire walked outside with her to see her to the taxi, of course Chris went too.

‘Been so good as always, sis.’ Claire said as she gave Louise a big hug.

‘I’ll see you soon.’ Louise said determinedly.

‘Definitely.’ Claire nodded.

‘Thank you for coming, darling. Thank you for my present, too.’ Loki said when Louise gave him a hug, she was so comfortable around Loki. And he gave great hugs.

‘You’re very welcome. I had a great time tonight, thank you for inviting me.’ She said as she stepped backwards.

Then she looked at Chris, who didn’t want her to leave, but he knew she had to get home.

‘It was great to meet you, Chris… Maybe next time I come to visit, I’ll see you again?’ She said, hopeful.

‘Most definitely.’ Chris purred.

He was about to reach out to take her hand but she moved in towards him and went up on her tiptoes, he leaned down a bit, thinking that she was wanting to whisper something to him, but his heart melted when instead she kissed his cheek.

Claire and Loki shared a look together.

‘Goodnight.’ She smiled at him, then went over to the taxi.

Chris quickly got his brain back in gear and rushed over to open the back door for her, seeing her in. He closed the door carefully behind her, then waved as the taxi drove off.

As soon as the taxi turned the corner, Chris transformed into a bat and flew up high, to follow the taxi.

‘I knew he was going to do that.’ Loki muttered.

‘Making sure she gets home safely?’ Claire asked.

‘Yep.’ Loki sighed.

‘Come on birthday boy, why don’t we go and continue your celebration in the bedroom.’ Claire said suggestively as she wrapped her arms around his arm.

-

The following day, Chris was in bat form, perching on Louise’s living room window. He was just watching her, innocently. He couldn’t stay away from her.

He heard fluttering of fellow bat wings above him, and he got a pat on the head from the bat. He internally groaned, but flew off the window ledge and followed the bat down a quiet back street, turning into his vampire form as he landed.

‘What are you doing here, lil bro?’ He asked with a huff as he folded his arms over his chest.

‘I could ask you the same thing.’ Loki replied.

‘I just can’t stay away from her… wanted to check she was ok.’ Chris said sheepishly.

Loki sighed and ran a hand down his face. ‘I get it. I went through the same with Claire. I know it’s difficult, especially to start with until you can actually get intimate with her, to calm the urges down. Though she’s been through a lot, she might need a lot of time.’ Loki said calmly.

‘I know.’ Chris said softly. ‘I’ll give her all the time she needs. I can wait for an eternity if I need to.’

[cowgirlfxcker]

ℌ𝔢𝔞𝔡𝔠𝔞𝔫𝔬𝔫𝔰 𝔣𝔬𝔯 𝔇𝔩 𝔠𝔥𝔞𝔯𝔞𝔠𝔱𝔢𝔯𝔰 𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔱𝔥𝔢𝔦𝔯 𝔣𝔞𝔳𝔬𝔲𝔯𝔦𝔱𝔢 𝔪𝔬𝔳𝔦𝔢𝔰

*Descriptions from Letterboxt and quotes from IMDb

Yui: Phantom of the Opera (2004)

The waiting is over...let the fantasy begin.

Deformed since birth, a bitter man known only as the Phantom lives in the sewers underneath the Paris Opera House. He falls in love with the obscure chorus singer Christine, and privately tutors her while terrorizing the rest of the opera house and demanding Christine be given lead roles. Things get worse when Christine meets back up with her childhood acquaintance Raoul and the two fall in love.

Shuu: Goldfinger (1964)

Do you expect me to talk?

No, I expect you to die!

Special agent 007 comes face to face with one of the most notorious villains of all time, and now he must outwit and outgun the powerful tycoon to prevent him from cashing in on a devious scheme to raid Fort Knox – and obliterate the world’s economy.

Reiji: The Seventh Seal (1957)

My body is ready, but I am not.

When disillusioned Swedish knight, Antonius Block, returns home from the Crusades to find his country in the grips of the Black Death, he challenges Death to a chess match for his life. Tormented by the belief that God does not exist, Block sets off on a journey, meeting up with traveling players Jof and his wife, Mia, and becoming determined to evade Death long enough to commit one redemptive act while he still lives.

Laito: The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

Well, Clarice, have the lambs stopped screaming?

Clarice Starling is a top student at the FBI’s training academy. Jack Crawford wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist who is also a violent psychopath, serving life behind bars for various acts of murder and cannibalism. Crawford believes that Lecter may have insight into a case and that Starling, as an attractive young woman, may be just the bait to draw him out.

Kanato: Jack and the Cuckoo Clock Heart (2013)

The torment of love can transform people into wretched monsters.

In Scotland 1874, Jack is born on the coldest day ever. Because of the extreme cold, his heart stops beating. The responsible midwife in Edinburgh finds a way to save him by replacing his heart with a clock. So he lives and remains under the midwife’s protective care. But he must not get angry or excited because that endangers his life by causing his clock to stop working. Worse than that, when he grows up, he has to face the fact he cannot fall in love because that too could stop his delicate heart.

Ayato: Pulp Fiction (1994)

You won't know the facts until you've seen the fiction.

A burger-loving hit man, his philosophical partner, a drug-addled gangster’s moll and a washed-up boxer converge in this sprawling, comedic crime caper. Their adventures unfurl in three stories that ingeniously trip back and forth in time.

Subaru: The Crow (1994)

And I say, "I'm dead," and I move.

Exactly one year after young rock guitarist Eric Draven and his fiancée are brutally killed by a ruthless gang of criminals, Draven – watched over by a hypnotic crow – returns from the grave to exact revenge.

Ruki: Eyes Without a Face (1960)

A new face, a new identity.

Dr. Génessier is riddled with guilt after an accident that he caused disfigures the face of his daughter, the once beautiful Christiane, who outsiders believe is dead. Dr. Génessier, along with accomplice and laboratory assistant Louise, kidnaps young women and brings them to the Génessier mansion. After rendering his victims unconscious, Dr. Génessier removes their faces and attempts to graft them on to Christiane’s.

Yuuma: Brokeback Mountain (2005)

Tell you what, we coulda had a good life together!

Two modern-day cowboys meet on a shepherding job in the summer of ’63, the two share a raw and powerful summer together that turns into a lifelong relationship conflicting with the lives they are supposed to live.

Kou: The Menu (2022)

You will eat less than you desire and more than you deserve.

A couple travels to a coastal island to eat at an exclusive restaurant where the chef has prepared a lavish menu, with some shocking surprises.

Azusa: Parasite (2019)

You know what kind of plan never fails? No plan. No plan at all.

All unemployed, Ki-taek’s family takes peculiar interest in the wealthy and glamorous Parks for their livelihood until they get entangled in an unexpected incident.

[uniquexusposts]

Her || Charles Leclerc

Main characters: Charles Leclerc x OC Genre: fanfiction, fluff  Story type: novel  Part: 7/? Word count: 1362 Co writer: @mistrose23 Story summary: Matilde Jørgensen, the new Scuderia Ferrari team principal, faced the nerve-wracking challenge of reviving the team's fortunes and aiming for a championship. Leading a historic team as a 'newbie' and separating her work and personal opinions posed a significant challenge. The big question: is she capable to do so?

Previous chapter

Chapter 5. Danish Standards

Matilde was glad she had a moment for herself after a long day full of media duties. Usually, the Thursdays were easy on her. But this year... She was still trying to figure out how to deal with it. She was quite a social person, however, socialising for hours was asking for a lot of her energy. The last meeting had just finished and the track was open to the employees, so Matilde took her shot and decided to go for a track walk. Only to find out she had forgotten her earphones to listen to a podcast. She recently started to listen to 'Help I Sexted My Boss', it was a great podcast by William Hanson and Jordan North to just laugh and think about nothing but the bizarre things they tell. She also loved Leo Skepi, he was teaching about self transformation, but Matilde just loved his energy. But whenever she didn't want to be thinking about serious things, she would listen to William and Jordan.

"Hej," a manly voice said when Matilde just entered the first corner of the track.

Matilde looked next to her and raised her eyebrows, but quickly politely smiled when she noticed it was Haas' driver Kevin Magnussen. "Hej," she replied, slightly confused. It was not like they didn't know each other, they are both Danish and they both work within Formula 1, but they barely spoke to each other.

"This will probably sound weird," Kevin began and joined her for her walk. "By the way, do you mind if I join you?"

"No, please join me."

"Okay, well, hear me out. Louise, my wife, and I went to a birthday party last week. It was the birthday of her best friend and I know her husband. We met a couple of years ago and we hang out regurlarly. His name is Lars Jørgensen. And your last name is Jørgensen. Do you know someone called Lars Jørgensen?"

The eyes of Matilde lightened up. "The teacher?"

"The teacher..." Kevin slowly said, understanding that Matilde knew Lars Jørgensen.

"Yes, that is my brother."

He shook his head and chuckled. "The bastard." He looked at the Danish woman. "It sounds so stupid, but he always spoke about his little sister, living in England, working with cars. He never said it was you, not even last week. And I didn't make the connection until... Literally five minutes ago."

A laugh rolled over Matilde's lips. "It's a small world," she said, still smiling. "But it's quite a known and popular name. I'm surprised we never saw each other at Lene's birthday, like never before."

"Well, we probably did see each other, but didn't realise."

"But it's not like you are an upcoming driver."

"True, unlike you. Honestly, before this season, I never heard of you. Well, not within the motorsport."

"Fair." Matilde realised how nice it was to have a conversation in Danish. Being surrounded by Italian people, or Italian speaking people, was tiring. She was still learning the language and the people in her team barely spoke English. And no one spoke in her mother language.

He was silent for a moment. "I can't process this," he said and chuckled. "Lene and Louise are best friends. Why did Lars never say a word?"

Matilde threw her hands up in the air and laughed. "I have no idea. I mean, he is quite private about his personal life. But other than that, I have no clue."

"Well, I guess we can't blame him now," Kevin laughed. "It's a small world, and yet sometimes connections slip through the cracks."

"It does," she agreed.

They continued walking along the track. The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the asphalt, and a gentle breeze rustled over the circuit. While they spoke about their friends and family, Matilde glanced around, taking in the ambience. They both enjoyed the talk, it was about everything but work. It was pleasant to have a talk in your native language, regardless of the person. And the fact that they have a common connection, an important connection, made it even more fun.

When they arrived at the fake harbour, they stumbled against another connection they both had, but didn't know of. Kevin's whistle drew the attention of a runner passing by.

"Bill!"

The runner looked over his shoulder and turned around to run towards them. "Nå, hva 'så?" Asking what was up. He stopped in front of the two people. "What's going on here then?" A playful glint came in his eyes.

"Just two Danes taking a walk on the track," Kevin replied. "Do you know-"

Billi raised an eyebrow, pretending to look scandalised. "A walk?"

"Ah, crap, you caught us. We're actually secret track inspectors, making sure everything is up to Danish standards," Matilde joined the jesting.

"Ah, of course," Billi sagely nodded. "Very important work."

Kevin looked between Matilde and Billi. "Anyway, Bill, Matilde. Matilde, Bill."

Matilde shared a smile with Billi, the good looking Latvian doctor on the medical team, who also happened to speak Danish. The man had deep blue eyes, his beard was trimmed and he just had a haircut. The t-shirt around his torso was slightly too tight, defining his muscles even more. And Matilde knew him too well.

"Come here," Billi said and widened his arms.

Matilde raised her eyebrows. "I will pass, Billi. I'm not waiting for the sweat shower," she widely smiled.

"Oh, come on, it's not like you have not-"

"Next time."

Billi padded her shoulder lightly, slightly uncomfortable.. "It's so good to see you, Mati."

"I'm glad to see you," she smiled.

"Also a connection?" Kevin then asked, watching the two with raised eyebrows.

"Friends," Billi proudly said and wrapped his arm around Matilde's shoulder, making Matilde step away which caused them to giggle.

Kevin looked at Matilde. "I swear, the next time I want to introduce you to someone I know, I will first ask if you know them."

A laugh rolled over Matilde's lips. "Coincidence."

"She practically got connections in every corner of the paddock," Billi said.

She huffed and shook her head. "I wish."

"I will remember that next time I need a favour," Kevin said, having a playful glint in his eyes.

They continued to exchange jokes and laughter, enjoying the lighthearted atmosphere. The three of them strolled along the asphalt towards the pits, sharing stories and poking fun at each other. When the three entered the pitlane, Charles and Carlos were also entering the pitlane; they decided to run a lap as well.

Matilde, Billi and Kevin were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't notice the two Ferrari drivers. Charles and Carlos, on the other hand, had their attention squarely fixed on their team principal, fellow driver and doctor of the medical team. They observed the easy camaraderie between the three, the constant laughter that seemed to be a part of their interaction.

When the Ferrari drivers passed the trio, Charles leaned over to Carlos. "Did you see that?" he muttered quietly.

Carlos squeezed his eyebrows together and stopped running as their lap was completed. "Yeah, they seem to be having a great time. Why?"

"She has fun with everyone," Charles replied, "Everyone but our team."

Carlos chuckled. "Come on. You know she's just being professional with us." He noticed how Charles looked over his shoulder, looking at the group. "She's the boss, after all."

Charles mumbled something under his breath, still not looking away from the trio ahead. He couldn't quite shake off the feeling of annoyance at the sight. It was as if the friendship on display highlighted the distance between Matilde and the Ferrari team, and in particular, himself.

"And she joined us at a very weird time, she's probably still adjusting to the team. She had her contacts from her previous role, plus she had been out of the scene for months. Give her sometime," Carlos continued. "Maybe you should join them for a track walk next time. Who knows, you might find yourself enjoying some Scandi vibes."

"Is Bill from Scandinavia?"

Carlos shrugged. "He is from somewhere up there. Magnussen and Matilde are Danish and Bill seems to keep up with their conversation." He padded Charles' shoulder. "But join them and find out."

A half-hearted chuckle rolled over Charles' lips. "We will see."

Next chapter

[alittledizzy]

I absolutely agree with you on all points regarding the ask about Dan and Phil building an audience back, what's holding them back, etc. When they both started posting a little more regularly again after their coming out videos, and seemed to be hinting at trying to post content again, I was excited. However, I can't say I wasn't disappointed in Dystopia Daily. It's like Dan mentally cannot break free of 2016 internet humor, right down to even his snarking, depreciating humor about his audience being outdated. Phil has gotten much better about being himself on-camera, but you can tell he's still keeping it at arms-lengths. Which is fine, he's certainly entitled to create a healthy barrier, but watching the two of them in 2023 is like trying to straighten a slightly crooked picture but just not quite being able to get it right. Just...off. I think the tours were supposed to be their "grand finale" and now they just want to settle back into how things were before, but don't know how to do that without drawing from what they're comfortable with. Which they haven't done regularly since 2016, so that's their comfort zone. They want things to work within their comfort zone, but that might not happen.

"watching the two of them in 2023 is like trying to straighten a slightly crooked picture but just not quite being able to get it right"

this is the best description of them i've seen in recent history.

it's also something you can compare to other content creators that are still going; most have shifted content away from sit down stare at the camera videos into something softer and more blurred into their life. zoe and alfie vlog, louise vlogs, tyler streams on twitch. they're all still content creation but they've understood that the time for persona heavy youtube creating has come and gone.

i don't think dan and phil could, would, or should vlog. they wouldn't enjoy that. i don't even want phil to stop making sit down videos if he's that attached to the format! but they need to find what is their own middle ground between the rigid division of their pre-coming out selves and finding comfort with an audience. i think youtube for phil feels safe right now but i do not think it is on any level creative or challenging for him. i said something similar before, but watch even his 'questions i wouldn't normally answer' video and tell me he's pushing even a single boundary in it.

and if he is honestly happy with them having made their bank and likely being able to live on the interest from investments and residuals for the rest of their lives, more power to them. i'm here because i love them as people. i will never stop following them with passion and interest.

"I think the tours were supposed to be their "grand finale" and now they just want to settle back into how things were before"

i think this is correct and also where it gets even stickier because they are out of touch. with younger audiences and the content they want. with no video platforms and what does well there. i think they understand the audience they cultivated years ago very well, for better or worse, but that's not going to get them forward momentum.

i think a podcast would be a great way for them to safely do that. but i think their perception of how the audience would react to joint content is skewed too. phil gets numbers on meme tweets but nothing short of dan dropping an hour and a half 'here's a timeline of my relationship with phil' is going to pull ten million views so they've surpassed the era where they need to fear about making major headlines anywhere. they whethered that storm and i'm happy for them, i'm just not convinced they realize that. since obviously to a singular person any amount of direct attention is going to feel like a Lot.

[section-chief-prentiss]

Bigger than the Whole Sky

Summary: AU that takes place during/after season 6, episode 18: “Lauren.” When Emily’s recovering from her injuries caused by Doyle, she discovers she was pregnant. 

Pairing: Emily Prentiss/Aaron Hotchner

Word Count: 2499

TWs: miscarriage, blood, hospitals, violence 

Ao3

Emily hadn’t slept in days.

Ever since Ian had reappeared, there was a constant churning in her stomach, sometimes causing her to be physically sick early in the morning before her boyfriend, Aaron, woke up.

Emily had only recently moved in with Aaron and his son, Jack, and still had a month left on the lease of the apartment where she’d lived alone since joining the BAU, so it was easy for her to convince Hotch that she was spending a few nights at her old place, claiming she was packing up a few final things. She refused to lead Ian toward the love of her life or the child who was quickly becoming a son to her.

So when Ian threatened them—threatened her entire team—she knew it was time to take action. The contingency plan she’d prepared for years, in the event of this nightmare coming to life, was ready to go.

She spent one last night at the Hotchner’s, afraid to close her eyes for even a minute and lose the precious time she had left next to the man she loved. And though she could’ve watched him sleep all night, she knew she had to be gone before he woke. Otherwise, he’d try to stop her.

Or worse, come after her.

On her way out the door, she planted a final kiss on his forehead, wiping stray tears from her cheeks before they could fall and wake him, and whispered a final, “I love you.” She stopped to peek in Jack’s bedroom and found him safe and sound, curled under his blankets, one arm tucked around the Winnie the Pooh stuffed animal she’d gotten him for his birthday. Her heart ached at the sight, as she gently closed the door shut once more.

She couldn’t bear to look back as she left for what would be the last time.

Emily circled back to her old apartment, grabbing the final essentials she needed, before taking off to find Fahey, and then, Doyle.

This ended now. On her terms.

Unfortunately, she’d underestimated how well Doyle remembered her. How he knew to anticipate her movements. So when she struck against his SUV, he overtook her, dragging her back to a place she knew too well—the warehouse where she’d faked the deaths of Declan, Ian’s son, and his housekeeper, Louise, who posed as Declan’s mother.

Now, lying on the ground, winded from Ian’s kicks to her abdomen, she knew confessing the truth was the only way to buy herself enough time for her team to come and rescue her.

For Aaron to come and find her.

“You want to hear his last words to me?” Emily panted. Ian kicked her again, and from the increasing pain in her abdomen, she knew something was already wrong. But she needed to push through. “He said, ‘I looked pretty good for a dead kid, didn’t I?’ And then he got on the plane, and I never saw him again.”

Ian’s face twisted with rage. “He’s alive?!”

Another kick to the gut left her seeing stars. It was all she could do to keep from calling out for Aaron.

Fighting for every word, she continued. “Just because I held a gun to him… doesn’t mean I shot him. I only had to make you and the North Koreans believe he was dead.”

Ian lunged for her, and Emily raised her arms to protect herself. But Ian twisted around her, grabbing a clump of her hair in his hand, and slammed her against the nearest wall.

“I know you’re lying!” Ian roared.

Summoning what little adrenaline she had left, Emily elbowed the gun from Ian’s grasp and used the element of surprise to wrap her handcuffed arms around his neck, regaining control. The pain in her abdomen made her want to buckle to her knees, but she fought to keep herself standing.

“I beat you, Ian,” she taunted, kicking the back of his knees and knocking him onto them. “Before you even got out of North Korea, I beat you. ‘Cause I gave Declan his life back.”

The pride of that accomplishment, even now, was enough to keep her going.

“I’ll find him,” Ian growled.

Emily chuckled bitterly. “No, you won’t. Ever since you told me my people had Fahey, I’ve been stalling you.”

As if on cue, the power went out around them, and Emily knew that Aaron had finally come for her. The relief that washed through her made her pause enough for Ian to regain his bearings and tackle the woman to the floor. But now Emily knew she would be safe soon, so she summoned the last of her strength to roll herself on top of Doyle, grabbing a broken table leg that snapped during their scuffle.

For Aaron, she thought, striking him across the face with the pointed table leg. For Declan, she vowed, hitting him a second time. For me, she poured all of her weight into the last hit, but it backfired, sending the leg flying from her grasp and onto the floor.

Before she could reach it, before she could process what was happening, Ian took control of the wooden weapon, and struck.

The air flew out of Emily in one fell swoop. At first, nothing registered except the feeling that she was falling, falling, falling… until she was lying on the ground, staring up at the man who had been hunting her for years.

Only then did the pain register. Only then did she look and see the table leg protruding from her stomach.

“Where is he?” Ian begged. “Where’s Declan, Emily? Tell me. Where is he? Emily, tell me where he is!”

Emily couldn't focus on anything he was saying. All she knew was that she had to deny him one more time. It would all be over soon.

“No,” she murmured. It was a secret she would happily take to her grave if it meant the boy’s safety.

In the distance, Emily picked up on a faint popping sound. Darkness was clouding the edges of her vision, and she didn’t know now if she was rooting for Hotch to find her before she died, or if she wished to be dead before he found her.

Ian, clearly not sticking around to find out, darted out the nearest door.

Tears streaked with blood streamed down her cheeks as a familiar face entered her field of vision.

“I got her!” Morgan yelled, turning to the radio on his shoulder. “I got her in the basement on the south side; I need a medic.”

Morgan grabbed Emily’s hands in his own. “Prentiss.”

“Derek…” Emily moaned.

“Hey, it’s me. I’m right here. You’re gonna be alright. Stay with me, baby. Come on, stay with me.”

The darkness was overtaking more of her vision with each passing second, the pain slowly dissipating. She knew that was a bad sign; she didn’t have much time. All she could hope for now was that it would end quickly.

“Let me go.”

Morgan’s eyes widened. “No, no. I am not letting you go.” He turned behind him, calling to anyone who might be close enough to hear. “Help me!”

When no one answered, he turned back to his friend. “Listen to me, I know why you did all of this. I know what you did for Delcan. I am so proud of you. Do you understand that? I am proud of you because you are my friend, and you are my partner.”

Emily’s eyes fluttered closed. She wouldn’t mind if those were the last words she heard.

“No, Emily!” Derek shouted. “Come on, stay with me. If you can hear me, please just squeeze my hand.”

Derek loosened the grip on his partner, feeling for any sensation coming from her. In response, she weakly squeezed his hand.

“Yes, there you go. There you go, baby. Just keep squeezing.”

But it was too late. The darkness had come for her, and it was welcoming her into its warm embrace.

***

The afterlife was more painful than Emily had imagined.

Maybe she was in hell. She’d certainly done enough in her life to deserve that.

There was a rhythmic beeping in the background that was already irritating her—was that another perk of being in hell? Constant annoyance?

Just the thought of opening her eyes hurt, but she needed to see for herself where she was.

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the bright lights, but when her vision cleared, the only thing she could look at was an angelic face staring down at her, worry and love in equal measure apparent in his pained expression, and the sterile environment of a hospital room around them.

“Aaron,” Emily croaked. She tried to reach for him, but even her arms ached.

“Em,” he breathed, stroking her face gently.

“Maybe this isn’t hell after all,” she mused.

Her boyfriend’s stone face cracked a smile at that. “Never, my love. You’ve had a rough few days, but you’re alive.”

Emily opened her mouth to say something else, but only a moan of pain emerged.

“I’ll call the nurses,” he said, reaching for the call button behind her.

Emily had never been more grateful for his presence. He pulled up a chair next to her bed and took one of her hands in both of his.

“I’m not supposed to be here,” he whispered. “But there’s something you need to know, and I thought it would be best to hear it from me.”

Emily’s heart skipped a beat. “Is everyone okay?” Had Ian circled back for someone on the team?

Aaron, knowing her heart better than anyone, stroked the back of her hand. “The team is okay. But while you were in surgery, the doctors found something; I’m not sure if you knew already or not.”

Emily frowned. “What are you talking about?”

Aaron took a deep breath. “You were pregnant, Em. But because of the damage done to your abdomen… you miscarried.”

Emily gasped, her free hand fluttering to her stomach. How was that possible? She was on birth control. She and Hotch had talked about starting a family together, but they wanted to give it some time first…

The memory flooded back; two months ago, she hadn’t been feeling well, and her doctor had put her on antibiotics, which must’ve rendered her birth control ineffective. But she hadn’t thought; she never would’ve thought…

“They did everything they could,” Hotch continued softly. “But the damage was already done by the time we brought you in. I’m so sorry, love.”

Her mind was reeling. Sure, her period had been late, but she hadn’t thought anything of it. It wasn’t unusual for her period to be irregular when she was stressed, and between Ian and hiding her relationship with Hotch from the rest of the team, she’d had plenty of that.

Her breath hitched, and it wasn’t until Hotch reached up to wipe tears away that she realized she was crying.

“How can I miss something I didn’t know I had?” She murmured. The risks she’d taken these past few weeks—would she still have gone through with it all if she’d known she was pregnant?

She wasn’t sure. And that made her hate herself more.

“You’ve been through a lot,” Aaron whispered. “It’s normal to grieve the things you’ve lost.”

“If we were to want kids, down the line, would I…?” Emily trailed off, afraid to voice the question.

Aaron’s features relaxed. “Yes, love. The doctors said there should be nothing medically stopping you, if we were to try again.”

That brought her a small amount of comfort, but nothing could erase the feeling of this loss.

The nurse knocked twice at the door, and Emily was grateful for the distraction. The nurse wore floral scrubs and had a round face with kind brown eyes that made Emily immediately trust her.

“Emily, it’s good to see you awake,” the nurse said. “How’s your pain?”

“Bad,” Emily hiccupped.

The nurse nodded in understanding. “I’ll order more pain meds for you; hang tight, okay?”

All Emily could do was nod until the door closed once more.

“I hate to give more bad news,” Aaron said. “But there’s one more thing you should know.”

“Just tell me,” Emily rasped. It couldn’t get much worse than this.

“Ian escaped. We’re looking for him, and we’ll find him, Em. But until we do… you’re not safe here. We said we’d transfer you as soon as you were stable, and now that you’re awake, it won’t be long.”

“What do you mean? Transfer me where?”

Aaron sighed. “After the doctors in Boston stabilized you, we airlifted you to Bethesda for your safety. But once you’re well enough to travel, you’ll be reassigned to Paris. JJ used some of her connections; you’ll be provided with new identities that we don’t have access to, and you’re going into hiding until we can catch Doyle.”

“Wait, what about the team? What do they know?”

Aaron took a deep breath. “They… think you died.”

Emily gasped.

“I know. It’s drastic, but it’s not safe for anyone to know you’re still alive. Even the team. We’ll tell them when it’s safe again.”

“What about you?” Emily choked. “Will you come with me?”

Aaron stroked her cheek. “You know I would, Em. In a heartbeat. But I can’t leave Jack, and I need to stay here to help the team catch Doyle. The only way you’ll be safe is if you go alone.”

Of course, Jack. He would never leave his son behind, and she would never ask him to. But she missed him already—both of them.

“I can’t bear to leave you,” Emily said. “Especially when I don’t know when I’ll see you again.”

Aaron hesitated, as if there was something he wanted to say but couldn’t. Emily squeezed his hand.

“Say it, Aaron. Whatever’s on your mind.”

“We held your funeral two days ago,” he said, unable to meet Emily’s eyes. “You were still unconscious when I left for the service. And holding your casket, placing flowers on your grave…” He shuddered. “I will do anything it takes to make sure that doesn’t become real.”

On top of her aching injuries, Emily’s heart cracked in your chest. She couldn’t bear the thought of leaving her love behind. Of grieving this loss by herself in a country she hadn’t lived in since she was a child. But she knew Aaron was right, and this was the safest way, not just for her, but for her friends and family. For now.

“I love you,” Emily wept.

“I love you,” Aaron said fiercely. “And I’ll bring you home to us, I promise.”

There was nothing more she could say. She let her emotions take over, sobbing quietly, while Aaron stroked her hair and kissed her.

Emily kept her free hand stroking her empty stomach, her only thoughts echoing song lyrics.

Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye, you were bigger than the whole sky.

[mid-somer]

I'm thinking about Bob' Burgers again

I've been thinking about Linda and Bob Belcher a lot lately. Bob's Burgers is my favorite show and I've noticed that everyone who watches the show shares most of the same opinions on things (almost all of them positive, very few being negative) but one thing I've seen quite a few people say is that Bob and Linda aren't good parents. They say Bob doesn't care about anything except the restaurant and Linda favors Gene and is the typical "boy mom" and as a kid whose parents are those exact things I have thoughts about it.

At no point in the show does Bob ever put anything over the well-being of his family, but he does it in subtle ways. We obviously know the restaurant is his dream, but from the movie, you can tell he cares more about it being a source of livelihood for his family, keeping a roof over their heads, and keeping them safe. He did not hesitate to follow Linda into the Mole Hill when he saw the kids' bikes. once he realized he might be taking their childhood from them like his dad did at his restaurant he didn't hesitate to fire them so they could go live their lives and have a good childhood and he didn't hesitate to go get them from the weird old people's pot farm. That episode where Gene has a bully and he tries his hardest to help him out without hesitation. The Thomas Edison episode where they think Tina's hurt and he got to her the fastest despite being portrayed as someone who hates physical activity and never does it. The stone the witch game he plays with the kids where they're throwing pillows at him and jumping all over him while he's reading and smiling so huge because he just loves having his kids around. He got his legs waxed to help Tina through her fear! It wasn't "you're too young" or "that's a stupid thing to worry about" it was "it's your body and this is your worry and also I don't know how shaving works so I'll help you through waxing"

And Linda? Linda so very obviously loves Gene but I don't think she favors him or has that toxic boy mom mentality. When Gene started dating Courtney she was so excited for him to have a new person in his life who could see how cool he was. But when Louise fell into the crime hole? The only thing she cared about was her kids safety. When Tina and Bob told her they got into that accident in the parking lot with Jimmy Pestos car and her first reaction was to scream in terror and concern for her daughter. She loves everything her kids do, she supports them in all their ventures and runs into danger for them at the drop of a dime. Her kids feel safe enough to come to her when they have problems. She brought Louise to the mother-daughter seminar because she couldn't understand why Louise didn't love her and she just wanted to be able to spend time with her and bond with her and once she found the right way to do it she put in the most effort. She sacrificed her valentine's day with Bob to help Tina after she got her heart broken. She's able to bond so easily with Gene because they love all the same things, they're basically the same person, but that doesn't mean that he's her favorite. It means they like the same things and are both more open with physical and verbal affection. Tina and Louise aren't like that and she respects them and that quality and she adapts to it and loves them the way they need and like to be shown love.

My point is that Bob and Linda are top tier parents and are tied for best tv parents with Gomez and Morticia Addams. They still make mistakes but they love their kids and each other and they're like the most functional fictional family I've ever seen, despite being chaotic and weird. There will be no Belcher slander on this blog or like ever

[ofthecaravel]

You Know How To Haunt

A 'You Don't Go To Parties' Halloween Special/ Mini Fic/ Oneshot

Summary: Before the night they confessed, Danny and Sam had a very similar evening that ended very, very differently.

Tags: Pre-confession YDGTP Sanny, ANGST, feelingssss (that aren't one sided but Danny thinks they are), saucy thoughts but nothing explicit, basically just infuriating tension

Words: 2.7k

A/N: Sooooo I missed the YDGTP boys and wanted to give a little bit more of a prequel to give y'all a feel of just how tense shit was between them. Inspired by Jennifer's Body, 'Halloween' by Noah Kahan, 'Cheerleader' by Ashnikko, and @holdingup-fallingsky's glasses Danny edit <3

~~~

It was a dark and stormy night, and Danny could not for the life of him find Sam.

It was the typical shtick with a Halloween twist; Sam proposed going to a Halloween party (of course) with costumes, tacky decorations, and “babes as far as the eye can see”. Danny complained and fought it as hard as he usually did, but Sam won for the thousandth time and Danny found himself rummaging in his closet for any semblance of a costume. After tossing on some cheap glasses frames, a velcro bow tie, and a very slim fitting button down that Danny had zero recollection of ever owning, Danny announced his costume.

“A nerd?” Sam mocked, his voice and subsequent laugh muffled from behind the bathroom door where he had holed up to put the finishing touches on his own costume. “Not straying far from reality, are we?”

“Fuck off,” Danny laughed, adjusting the cheap material of the bowtie that was already beginning to strangle him a little bit. “Come on, do I ever get to see your costume or do you just live in my bathroom now?”

“I’d live in here if it wasn’t so filthy,” Sam accused. “I mean, seriously, man, do you ever take out the trash?”

“You’re deflecting,” Danny shot back in a sing-song, banging on the door. “Open up! Michigan PD, you’re under arrest for loitering!”

“You’ll never take me alive!” Sam screeched. “Geez Louise, one second…”

After what felt like an eternity, the bathroom door swung open with a practiced grandeur and Sam strode out with his arms held high, carrying two tinsel pom poms and donning a ripped up cheerleader outfit. He had put on blush in a way that could only be described as amateur and his long, chestnut waves were pulled up in a high ponytail and fastened with a blue scrunchie. Danny played off his suddenly very dry mouth with a look of shock as Sam did a ceremonious twirl and shook a pom pom right under Danny’s nose. Danny snorted and batted it away.

“A cheerleader?” Danny asked, clearly not sold on the concept. “I guess, just, sort of…why?”

“I’ll be the talk of the town, that’s why,” Sam hummed proudly, smoothing the cheap fabricky pleats of his dizzyingly short cheer skirt. “Also, I mean, I look amazing. So that’s a big plus.”

“Yeah, keep telling yourself that,” Danny murmured, pretending to look away incredulously but doing it purely because he was finding it difficult to look at Sam’s costume at all. He felt the hot flush it provoked in his face and the last thing he needed was for Sam to notice.

“Hey, that’s my shirt!” Sam scoffed, yanking on the collar of Danny’s shirt. “What gives?”

“It was in my closet.” Danny pointed out.

“Yeah, well, it’s not yours,” Sam stammered, putting his hands on his hips and making the pom poms shimmy loudly. 

“What do you care?”

“It looks ridiculous.”

“I’m not sure I’m the ridiculous one here, Miss Team Captain.”

“It’s practically popping off of you, Dan.”

“Here, is this better?”

Danny undid the first top buttons and gestured at his chest.

“Now I’m a sexy nerd,” Danny purred, rolling his eyes and turning away from Sam. He heard Sam make a funny little noise he couldn’t quite identify before letting out an exasperated sigh that he knew all too well. 

“Whatever,” Sam muttered. 

“Get in the car, Stacy, the cheer squad needs you,” Danny joked, grabbing his keys off the wall and tossing a convincing smile back at Sam, already dreading the night that lay before them.

~~

To Danny’s disgust, Sam had been thoroughly right about his costume being a hit. People couldn’t keep their hands off of him; smoothing their palms over the felt number 1 on his chest and lacing their fingers with his to shake the pom poms and asking him over and over again to twirl. Sam, as he always did, gathered his crowd right within eyeshot of Danny, who sat in annoyance on the couch with a full Solo cup. Granted, Danny had corralled a few friends of his own to talk to, but he couldn’t help but sneak glances over at Sam every other minute. With each sip of his drink, Danny warmed up to the truth about why he was so pissed off at all the attention Sam was getting: Sam wanted the attention, but Danny wanted to be the only one to give it. And more glaringly, Danny wanted to be the only opinion that Sam actually cared about. There were all the usual underlying feelings behind it that Danny kept at bay like he always did, but Danny wasn’t all that interested in tuning in to the mushy gushy. As the alcohol softened up his gaze and warmed his limbs, he found his eyes dragging over Sam’s long legs and the curve of his neck, allowing himself to add on to a fantasy in momentary increments. However, after his attention had been drawn into conversation, Danny looked back to find that Sam had disappeared. Without thinking, Danny got to his feet and excused himself, stumbling through the crowd to track Sam down.

--

Danny couldn’t find him. He traversed the entire lower level of the house, ducking under cobwebs and paper bats and even circling the bonfire in the backyard in hopes of catching a glimpse of Sam and his stupid, slutty costume. After making his way back inside, Danny looked at the crepe paper that had been taped from banister to banister on the stairs and knew that if Sam was anywhere, it was where he wasn’t supposed to be. Danny stepped over the makeshift caution tape and jogged up the steps, becoming increasingly convinced that he was going to walk in on Sam and some random in the throes of passion. His stomach flipped and he swallowed thickly, waving off the imagery and reminding himself that he just wanted to know that Sam was safe. That’s all. 

Danny felt pretty bad about snooping around someone’s house that he didn’t know, but he knew Sam wouldn’t, and that’s why he was so certain he would find him up there. Sure enough, Danny hesitantly opened a random door and saw Sam sitting cross legged on a bed, flipping through a thick scrapbook by the warm light of the bedside lamp. His ponytail had been abandoned and the scrunchie was now around his slim wrist, the sequins catching the light as he continued to look through the scrapbook. His upper body was swaying slightly in a seasick, wobbling way that let Danny know Sam was properly drunk, which was further confirmed when he looked up at Danny and let out a surprised gasp.

“Oh my god, hi!” Sam greeted cheerfully, dropping the scrapbook and holding his arms out to Danny. “Come here.”

“You want a hug?” Danny giggled, his annoyance already melting away. Sam tended to do that to him, despite the annoyance always coming back tenfold after some time.

“No, help me up,” Sam whined. He hooked his arms around Danny’s neck as Danny pulled him to his feet, making no motion to move away as he sank into Danny’s embrace and let out a comical sigh, nestling his face into the crook of Danny’s neck. Danny let out a low chuckle and held him lightly, his heart threatening to beat through his chest as Sam swayed in his arms. 

“Don’t fall asleep on me, Sammy,” Danny joked, his voice cracking slightly and making him cringe at his own sudden ineptitude around his friend of over 10 years. He could hardly believe how pathetic he was sometimes.

“But you’re so cozy,” Sam argued, his voice muffled and sweet against Danny’s skin. 

“Do you wanna go home?” Danny asked gently, the noise of the party oddly melting away as he tentatively smoothed a hand over Sam’s hair.

“No!” Sam suddenly cried, straightening and pushing off of Danny, only to fall back onto the bed again with a bounce. He began to giggle raucously, holding his hands over his face as hiccups began to edge their way between laughs. Danny rolled his eyes and moved to pick Sam up again, but Sam swatted at his chest and wiggled out of his grasp.

“No, no, let me rest, you goon,” Sam slurred defiantly, even drawing a knee up to kick at Danny’s chest. “Ssh, I’m sleeping. I’m honking my mimi’s.”

“You can sleep at home, Sam,” Danny argued patiently, trying again to scoop Sam up and onto his feet. “Come on, up and at em, soldier.”

“I’m not your soldier,” Sam shot back, lifting his chin proudly. “I’m a cheerleader.”

“The very best,” Danny assured him with a grin, his breath beginning to shake with nerves as Sam’s hands reached for him, red hot and wandering as he grabbed at Danny’s shoulders and biceps. 

“You’re so strong,” Sam murmured, finally allowing Danny to pull him up again, swaying on the spot as his blurry eyes blinked up at Danny. His eyes were amber and nearly animalistic in the lamplight and Danny had to look away, kneeling down to pick up the abandoned scrapbook and tucking it where he hoped it belonged.

“What are you even doing up here?” Danny asked. 

“Bored,” Sam shrugged, beginning to wander around the outskirts of the room. “There weren’t even any good costumes here tonight which is so lame. And, I mean, there’s a whole floor we’re not even using? Of course I’m going to scope it out.”

“Yeah, you’re always where you shouldn’t be,” Danny teased, a touch of bitterness lacing his words. When he looked up at Sam again he knew his tone had gone right over his head, seeing as Sam was leaned up against the wall with his eyes trained on the ceiling fan, his head bobbing slightly as he followed each rotation. Danny allowed to indulge in another moment of observation, taking note of Sam’s exposed stomach and his arms tucked coyly behind his back. He was jolted out of it by Sam meeting his eye and grinning wickedly.

“Hi,” Sam sang softly, cocking his head at Danny.

“You ready to go now?” Danny asked, now desperate to get Sam as far away from him as soon as possible. He got to his feet and approached Sam, getting ready to argue before Sam surprised him by lacing his arms around Danny’s neck again and pulling him in close.

“Do you remember,” Sam started, whispering conspiratorially. “When we were younger, and we used to play boyfriend girlfriend?”

Danny felt an electric shock go through his body at the memory. It had been a truly innocent game, simply practicing the day to day motions they thought they might have to go through when they were old enough and had girlfriends. Who better to play with than your best friend? Plus, Danny had secretly always really liked calling Sam his “girlfriend”, and doing all the fake grand gestures to ensure his happiness had come very naturally. Sam had always said he was the best at being the boyfriend, and Danny had always believed it. 

“Yeah, sure,” Danny replied in confusion, his cheeks prickling with uncomfortable warmth again. 

“You’re always playing it when we go to parties and you don’t even realize,” Sam laughed. Danny’s eyes widened subconsciously and he stammered, knitting his brow in further confusion.

“What?” Danny managed, attempting a light hearted laugh. 

“You do!” Sam crowed in amusement, stabbing an accusatory finger into the center of Danny’s chest. “You love to boyfriend me. Years of practice. You miss it, huh?”

“Wow, you’re hammered,” Danny said dismissively, shaking his head. 

“‘S’not the point,” Sam sighed, his head dropping onto Danny’s chest, his soft hair brushing against Danny’s exposed skin and sending a shockwave through Danny’s reflexes. 

“I’m taking you home, Sam, end of story,” Danny whispered in Sam’s ear, attempting to straighten his neck before Sam’s hand reached up and pulled Danny’s head back down. Sam’s lips went to Danny’s ear in a whisper of his own.

“I hate you wearing my fucking shirt,” Sam whispered, his voice shockingly sober and coherent in the blink of an eye. A cold sweat broke out over Danny’s body and he felt his breaths coming out in jagged, stilted intervals as Sam kept him anchored to him. 

“You wanna take it off me, then?” Danny ventured, his voice matching Sam’s barely audible pitch. He tried to make it a joke but his voice fell flat and serious. He could have sworn he heard Sam’s voice hitch before Sam let go of him, allowing Danny to step back and boggle at Sam’s bizarre behavior. Sam had such an odd glint in his eye, assessing Danny with his lip tucked between his teeth as he continued to struggle to stay standing. For a moment, Danny considered what he would do if he was less restrained than he had learned to be around Sam. There was a massive part of him that was aching and begging for him to pin Sam against the wall and tear away at that infuriating little skirt, holding him down by the warmth of his waist and shutting him up with his teeth and tongue. But he knew he couldn’t, so he stood with a scowl on his face and challenged Sam again.

“What?” Danny snapped, his frustration growing as Sam continued to refuse to leave. That’s all Danny wanted right now, but Sam never, ever gave him what he wanted. 

“I…” Sam trailed off and didn’t pick it back up, simply staring a hole through Danny’s head. Danny could practically hear the gears turning in Sam’s brilliant brain, but all that followed was silence. It was the loudest silence Danny had ever heard, and he wondered with a jolt if there was something Sam wanted to say that was akin to what Danny had been screaming into pillows and scrawling in journals for years now. Without a word, Danny pleaded with Sam to just say it so he could stop slowly crushing himself under the weight of whatever it was between them that neither of them wanted to touch. But he knew he wouldn’t, and Sam didn’t, and Danny let out a sigh that threatened to bring tears with it. He walked to the door and opened it, motioning with a nod of his head.

“We’re going,” Danny said firmly, taking off the stupid glasses frames and ripping off the bowtie with an extension of his pinkie, crumpling them into a ball in his hand and tucking them into his pocket.

“But-”

“I don’t want to play anymore, Sam,” Danny snapped, unable to even look at Sam when he said it. “I’m not your fucking boyfriend, which you’ve made very clear, by the way, so I’m not going to force you to do anything. But if you want a ride home and you don’t want to wake up choking on your own vomit in some random person’s studio apartment, the time is now.”

There was a beat of silence, and when Danny turned to look at Sam, he felt a stab of guilt when Sam gawked at him like he’d been slapped across the face. Sam let out a wordless scoff and pushed his way past Danny, turning to glare up at him.

“I can take care of myself,” Sam hissed, his words still blurry and drunk around the edges. “I don’t need you.”

“You won’t be thinking that tomorrow morning,” Danny countered fiercely. Sam rolled his eyes and began to descend the stairs, his sneakers slamming into each step as he ran away from Danny. Danny, as always, ran after him with a growing sickness in his chest. Sam stopped before he reached the front door, looking back at Danny one more time.

Danny knew he had to say it now. He wanted to. 

He wanted to beg Sam to calm down and to beg for his forgiveness, worshipping on his knees for his grace like he’d been doing for what felt like his entire life. 

But he didn’t. 

So out the door Sam went, slamming it and leaving Danny alone.

Again.

~~~ 

[cattimeswithjellie]

Wild Secret Life Guessing

NameMC Spoilers ahead!

All right then! As is tradition, as we get towards the end of a Life Series season, it is time for me to start making predictions about future episodes, mainly so I can look back later and either laugh at myself or feel smug and omniscient. Maybe a bit of both. Last session was absolutely wild and it's clear the Secret Keepers are driving towards the finish, so here's what I think is going to happen in Session 8 and possibly beyond!

There is a better-than-even chance that Session 8 is the last session for Secret Life. Under no circumstances will the game go longer than Session 9. CCs want Christmas off too, after all.

There will be no yellows left by the end of Session 8. The reds will take out all the yellows to secure as many hearts as possible, then turn on one another.

Scar permadies in Session 8. We know he turns red in the session and has an absolute banger of a skin for it. Chaos Scar has been aching to emerge for weeks, and he is finally allowed fully out of his cocoon. Scar will not pay attention to the idea of red tasks directing red violence, he will make his own fun and self-destruct gloriously.

Scar will manage to kill at least once in Session 8.

One of the previous winners will sacrifice themselves in an effort at kingmaking. Nobody really wants to win twice, but they all have their favorites. My money right now is on Scott to let somebody take him down to red for the ten hearts.

Mounders alliance is over in Session 8, and all the members join other groups or go unaligned. Joel and Bdubs will probably hook up with Martyn and become Big Dogs. Pearl might try and join the Cherry Blossoms or even the Big Dogs as well (not being literally red has never stopped her before), or she might go off on her own. Mumbo will remain deceased.

Heart Foundation alliance is over in Session 8. BigB will desert the team and retreat into his base with his excellent new Red skin. Tango and Skizz might stick together, but both of them will be gone by the end of the session.

Cherry Blossom Alliance does not formally dissolve but is functionally over in Session 8. Gem and Impulse both betrayed the alliance last session and Scott and Cleo reinvoked the Widows Alliance, which they have clearly been wanting to do all season. NameMC says all of the Cherries are red by the end of the session and I just don't see a lot of trust remaining there.

Roomies Alliance survives during Session 8. Etho got zombified in Session 7 and still managed to not betray the team, cementing their bond of trust. They are also all still yellow at the start of the session, which means they are all a target. They'll still all get picked off, but not, I think, by one another.

There is a slight possibility that Pearl and Gem do some kind of Thelma and Louise thing involving the camel, but that's based on interpretations of Pearl's Twitter emojis and I don't stand by it.

And the big one: Assuming Session 8 is not the final session, who lives, who dies, who goes on to a Session 9 showdown? Here's my list of Session 8 permadeaths, in decreasing order of likelihood.

Scar

Skizzleman

Tango

Bdubs

Gem

Pearl

Martyn

And my prediction for eventual winner? It's hard to say even now, there are a lot of contenders, but I'm going to say Etho. He's positioned very well at the start of Session 8 for a win, he's got good allies and he's yellow with a lot of hearts left. Plus it would be really dramatic if we get to see whether Bdubs is literally ready to die for him, and you know how I feel about the Drama!

Watch this space, I'll be back next week to analyze how things went and how smart I am. And feel free to use comments or reblogs to tell me how very right or incredibly wrong I am, or to add predictions of your own!