#he's building them a rocketship!

[mango-yoyo]

i just woke up and it turns out that Newey to AM is confirmed! according to skysports, he's joining as the Managing Technical Director and as a shareholder. as per this article, he is being paid £30m a year, for a 5 year contract, and he is a shareholder in Aston Martin F1, with a 2.5% stake.

which means he's likely here for a while! this is wonderful news and i'm so excited for AM and what the future holds.

[good-chimes]

Proposing:

Grand Unified Scarian Theory

a single, overarching Scarian romance arc across the whole Hermitcraft and Life series as well as a primer for anyone curious about the early seasons.

We start with NEIGHBOR MEET CUTE in early Season 6:

Season 6 begins in a peaceful pirate bay. SCAR, an established hermit just beginning his third season, is happily making pirate caves. Into this tranquil scene comes GRIAN.

Grian, fresh-faced and new to Hermitcraft, picks a sea-themed base location right next to Scar’s pirate caves. He gets himself set up and starts his base. Even someone like Grian can get newcomer nerves, and he spends the first few weeks desperately trying to act like a normal person instead of the horrible gremlin he really is.

(Some hermits are taken in by this. Doc and Xisuma give him pity diamonds, something that—after getting to know Grian—they noticeably never do again.)

The only person exempt from Grian’s just-a-little-birthday-boy act is Mumbo, whom Grian already knows, clearly has a puppy-crush on, and pursues relentlessly.

Grian and Scar don’t interact much at first. Grian sees Scar for the first time while passing by his base. Scar instantly falls in one of his own caves and dies.

Grian panics.

Grian: I DIDN’T DO IT!

Scar, intrigued by his new neighbor, makes some overtures of interest:

1. Scar leaves a fully enchanted trident at Grian’s base as a welcome present. This is a generous gift for the cute neighbor you have a crush on and frankly the most normal thing either of them do in the entire years-long relationship.

Grian goes ‘huh!’ at the trident, never finds out who sent it, and immediately forgets the whole thing.

2. Scar entertains Grian’s traveling-salesman pitch and buys his overpriced armor boxes.

Multiple jokes about the size of Scar’s wallet. Grian clearly pleased by the transaction.

3. Scar makes Grian a complementary in-joke build (Spongebob’s house by Squidward’s house).

This delights Grian immeasurably for five minutes until he turns back to his prank war with Mumbo.

(Poor Mumbo. Clearly immensely fond of Grian but not sure he wants to be in a relationship with a lit stick of dynamite. This is very understandable.)

By this point Scar obviously kind of clocks that Grian is insane about Mumbo. This isn’t much of a leap. The entire SERVER is aware that Grian is horribly in love with Mumbo.

Ah. That’s okay. Scar backs off a bit. He recognizes when he’s not really in with a chance.

Maybe this thing he has with Grian is just going to be a friendship, and that’s okay! Having a crush is fun even if you’re not going to do anything about it. Scar is going to build some shops about it and be normal.

Both of them are going to be very normal.

FLIRTING (First Stages) – mid-Season 6

Both of them immediately forget to be normal.

Grian has started a detective agency and has no mysteries to solve. Scar instantly invents a cookie-based mystery supervillain called the Jangler and leaves Grian a series of tantalizing cookie-based puzzles for enrichment in his enclosure.

Grian has invented a game where you kill people with rockets. Scar volunteers to get murdered. Both of them are delighted.

Scar and Cub’s business empire is incidentally crushing Grian’s startup venture. There is no reason for this to be so flirtatiously charged.

At this point all the hermits move to a new village because of the Minecraft update. Grian starts a who-can-build-the-tallest-house war with Mumbo and Iskall. Scar notices and starts doing the same from the other side of the village.

It quickly gets so wild that Mumbo taps out (Mumbo does not do well with intensity, would rather just not, thankyouverymuch), and it's only Grian, Iskall and Scar.

Scar builds a wild giant plant eating his rocketship, and then a castle in the sky, and an enormous version of himself firing a canon at Grian's house. This is the first time you can really see Grian trying to hold in shrieks when he flies back in to see what Scar has done while he's gone.

Grian’s interest has been caught. He’s gone from barely seeing Scar to checking on him regularly. What’s our good friend Scar up to? What’s Scar done? What is Scar going to do next?

FLIRTING (How To Catch Your Crush’s Interest By Building A Secret Government Facility) – late Season 6

What Scar does next is put on a snazzy military uniform, team up with Doc to steal the time machine Grian invented last week, then, in the most effort someone has EVER gone to to get Grian's attention, spend weeks on end building a fully-functional 'Area 77' military base and containment facility to stop him getting it back.

Turns out this works beyond Scar’s wildest dreams.

Grian INSTANTLY obsessed with breaking into Scar’s base and retrieving his time machine.

Grian persuades Ren into forming a hippie camp with him next to the base and spends weeks entirely fixated on Scar. Meanwhile Scar, who is starting to really understand how to get and keep Grian's attention, builds more and fancier infrastructure to keep Grian out. This is also where Grian really starts looking at Scar's art—the insane cliffs Scar has build around his new hangers—and awkwardly not quite managing words, because it would be very embarrassing to just outright say the word beautiful, and Grian’s a very normal and non-embarrassing person.

In the climax of the season, Grian-the-hippie breaks into General Scar’s base.

Nobody can say that Scar making himself a top brass general and Grian making himself an anti-establishment flower power hippie does not end up with plausibly-deniable not-making-out Grian-provoking-Scar-into-holding-him-against-a-wall.

but.

BUT.

This is Hermitcraft. It’s temporary. Scar and Grian both know it was a bit. A bit they both got super into, sure! But a bit. Not weird at all.

(“Sure, mate, not weird at all,” Mumbo says, after all of this is over. “Then why are you making it SOUND weird Mumbo you’re the WORST”)*

(“Sooo....” Cub says, and Scar says, “I know. I know!”)*

*not canon but you can't tell me it didn't happen off screen

FLIRTING (But What About…) – early Season 7

Okay, so that was weird, but Grian is definitely still in love with Mumbo. The Mumbo pursuit is going great and Mumbo definitely doesn’t look nervous whenever Grian turns up with a new idea. Grian is going to get Mumbo to fall in love with him and they will marry in the spring and have a dozen beautiful children redstone contraptions.

Grian attempts to make it more official with Mumbo. Surely they have been flirting long enough, they are ready for the next stage! This is in no way a reaction to Scar becoming a weird wizard in a way very unsettling to Grian and building the kind of wild organic tangled forest build that Grian is fascinated by but can't even begin to comprehend.

Everything is very under control in Grian's life. He's now official boyfriends with Mumbo. They live together and have a messaging system and everything.

Mumbo announces he’s moving out.

It’s-not-you-it’s-me

You’re… you’re moving out? Grian says, in the smallest possible voice.

We’ll still have the messaging system, Mumbo says, unconvincingly.

FINE, Grian says, I’m moving out TOO.

Mumbo moves out.

Grian deals with this in the healthiest possible way. He invents a mayorship and attempts to give it to Mumbo.

Grian is Mumbo’s self-appointed campaign manager so Mumbo has to be round him ALL THE TIME, it’s for the CAMPAIGN, Mumbo.

Mumbo, a man who doesn’t deal well with pressure or responsibility, is maybe not the ideal choice for mayor, something that has escaped Grian entirely.

Mumbo builds a robot and attempts to palm off all responsibility for decision-making onto it. Grian immediately calls it their son.

Grian puts his moustache all over the server.

NO other hermits support them for mayor (except Scar, from a lost bet, who Grian has continued to have intensely weird flirtations with while all this is happening)

Things reach a fever pitch. Election day arrives. Mumbo doesn’t want this actually but try telling Grian that. The entire MumboGrian edifice that Grian has obsessively and wildly build has reached an unsustainable pitch and finally comes tumbling down around them.

Mumbo votes Scar for mayor.

Grian votes Scar for mayor.

Mumbo disappears for several weeks to do some nice soothing redstone and calm down.

FLIRTING (Civil War) – late Season 7

Everything has calmed down now. Scar is mayor. Mumbo is...somewhere. Grian is going to work on his base normally.

Grian has a new project. He wants to build in the new nether biomes. He builds a huge and echoing and obsessively inverse version of his huge and echoing and obsessively symmetrical mansion base. It's very impressive. It's totally hollow. There's... no one else here.

Grian decides that okay, he is going to bring PEOPLE here.

He invites Mumbo, because he hasn't seen him in weeks. He invites Bdubs, because Grian above all loves genius. And he invites Scar. Because of course. Everything major Grian does now, Scar is an of course.

Bdubs shows up! Generously builds Grian's entire mansion interior. Mumbo shows up. Builds a tiny upside down disco shack.

Scar does not show up.

Scar is being mayor! Scar is a very busy and important man! Scar has spent the last few weeks obsessively replacing every single goddamn mycelium block in the shopping district with beautifully tailored grass and making trees whose flowers are diamonds. He's also got his own megabase going on. For once Scar has so much to do it's even enough for Scar's ambitions, which have never been small.

He does not come when Grian calls.

Grian is Not Happy.

This is the point where Grian starts a steadily more unhinged campaign of leaving Scar invitations. He makes little tailor's dummies of himself and delivers them to Scar's house. He sets up a tea party of three grians in a secret space under Scar's mayoral throne. He hangs himself in effigy on the tip of Scar's megadrill build. Normal behavior.

And then when Scar still doesn't notice, he puts a tiny bit of mycelium back on one of the streets of the shopping district.

This starts… THE MYCELIUM WARS

Scar attempts to contain the growing mycelium patch with warning tape.

Grian spreads more mushroom spores.

Scar brings in his allies to help contain the growing mushroom patches.

Grian digs out an underground rebel HQ, recruits several rebels, and declares himself Motherspore.

Mayor Scar stares into a camera and uses his most velvety baritone to proclaim he will hunt down Grian and the mycelium resistance and bring them to justice.

Grian sets loose mushroom-spreading sheep.

Mayor Scar obsessively searches for his base.

Grian and Impulse build several decoy bases and trap them.

Mayor Scar employs Mumbo to strip-mine every block of the shopping district with redstone tunnel-borers.

Eventually Deputy Mayor Bdubs, having his own thing with rebel Etho, tricks all of the resistance into ender-pearling into jail.

Scar gets to threaten to pour lava on an imprisoned Grian for ten minutes straight and they’re both enjoying this so much.

Grian: Scar! SCAR! Scar Scar Scar no Scar no Scar no listen Scar

Scar: Yes?

Grian: …Let’s take this somewhere else.

They ‘take this’ to Scar’s beautifully-appointed mayoral office. Grian sits on the arm of his chair (I don’t know what to tell you, this is on-screen canon).

Grian: So I know how to end the war.

Grian: We have to play minigames and make personal bets.

Grian: And Scar, Scar, if you lose…

Scar: Yes?

Grian: … you have to help build my base.

Entire room: [stunned silence]

Etho: Is this what it was about the whole time, Grian?

So! That happened. And the thing is, they could both mentally pass off the area 77 general/hippie stuff as Just A Fun Bit That Got Very Intense.

They can't do this with the mayor/motherspore stuff. They are basically making out on Scar’s chair. The resistance have noticed. The mayoral staff have noticed. EVERYONE has noticed.

Scar is into it. Scar is going along with it. Scar knows he’d had a crush for a long time, and he isn't scared of swimming with a huge wave, never mind where it's going to break. Scar has always embraced the rush. With Grian, you never know what’s going to happen next.

Grian has always loved being around Scar because there’s so much going on that you don’t have to think. Grian doesn’t have to think until everything’s calmed down. It's not until now that he stops and realizes… could this be… something.

(Maybe it already is.)

And then, by whatever eldritch mechanic you personally favor:

3rd life begins.

HEAD-OVER-HEELS – Third Life

In the tiny claustrophobic stripped-bare world of Third Life, Grian makes a choice. Grian thinks, for once very, very clearly: what if it wasn't a bit? What if it was real. What if Grian took every explosive piece of who he was and handed it over to someone he's—okay, he'll admit it—someone he's been obsessed with for a long time. What if that heady sparkle he's been seeing in the corner of his vision is true. What happens if you grab it with both hands?

Scar—surprised, bemused, amazed but wrong-footed—almost doesn't know what to DO with this.

Scar is so used to Grian layering all his obsession behind a thick layer of irony and drama and second-guessing and schemes. ‘Sure we can make out but only if I'm trailing mushroom spores and you're wearing that sash.’ ‘I'm only here because Mumbo's not around.’ ‘It’s not a thing.’ ‘It's not real.’

But it is real.

And, for once, Scar hears a tiny alarm go off in his brain. Scar knows Grian better than anyone else does, by now, and even he doesn't know where this ends. Grian is a force of nature and Scar has never been his unfiltered target. But Grian's throwing himself into this, throwing himself at Scar. And Scar always says 'yes.' 'Yes, and.' 'Yes, let's'. Scar never wants less of Grian. Scar has always taken what he can get.

But with that warning bell, Scar does try to keep that slight layer of dramatic distance, even in this new world where you can die and not come back, even if they don't know if they'll get out of this alive. Scar doesn't fully buy into Grian's second-in-command-devotion, he forces a space for Grian to still be the Grian he knows, some kind of safety vent (‘here's a bee on a lead’). And it could be a lot of reasons, but part of it is…Grian's head-over-heels, for once, and Scar has the unfamiliar feeling of needing to be the one to look where they're going.

Because where they're going is: the last two, all their friends dead, not knowing if there's any way to survive but knowing their friends haven't come back, and at that point Scar takes off the very last of his brakes and the very last of his reservations and says:

For everything you've done for me you can kill me.

(I want this. I want it to be you.)

This breaks Grian absolutely and completely.

And not broken in the fun way! Grian is too far in. Grian let go of Mumbo, who was safe because Mumbo never let it get too far, and he took a risk on Scar, and now Grian is discovering that he didn’t even know what risk meant. Grian is in emotional pain he never suspected existed. Grian has let himself put all his gambling chips on someone who wasn't SAFE and he has lost.

Grian has LOST SCAR and he has LOST HIMSELF and he has FOUND OUT HE CAN BE HURT and he is never going to be the fucking same again.

Scar is in the pond with Grian’s sword at his unresisting neck. And Scar is going to die, and Scar (damn him damn him) has turned it into: he's going to die for Grian. Now Grian is hurting, he's complicit, it turns out grief is an inevitable part of love and beauty, this is all it's taken for Grian's worldview to fall apart in pieces he can't pick up, and Grian has no defenses against pain so there's obviously no way to cope except to beat Scar to death in a cactus ring and jump off a cliff.

AFTERMATH – Season 8

They wake up in Hermitcraft.

They wake up in Hermitcraft! Scar is delighted to find out they just reincarnate, after all that!

Sure, they've all got some lingering trauma but Scar has never let that stop him from doing anything. Scar thought that whole thing went well! He just about dares to think...romantic...? Maybe...?

Grian is Normal to him.

Grian is so fucking normal. it's like. s6 normal.

Scar is. kind of. confused.

Grian is NOT acting like someone he had a romantic death match with.

(Grian is falling apart, but if there's one thing Grian has proved in his building it’s that he’s SO. fucking. good. at facades.)

(Don't go round the back.)

Neither of them are ready for the death game to repeat.

DIVORCE (Traumatic) – Last Life, Season 8

Second death game. Grian deals with his trauma super well by isolating Scar, stealing all his friends, tricking a life out of him, dropping his horse in lava, forcing him into an extortion death loop, then abandoning him and—just as a bonus—murdering Mumbo as well.

This time it’s Scar who comes back falling apart.

A theory that seems plausible: Scar’s old friend Cub picks him up, puts him back together, gets him on his feet. What we do know is that Cub moves in next to Boatem, where Scar is still living with Grian, and incidentally builds an enormous dripstone megabiome that is coincidentally very hostile and might murder you upon landing if you're someone who flies a lot, or happens to be a bird.

There’s a hole with an endless dark void between Scar and Grian’s Boatem bases. They built it together. It’s around this time they both keep repeatedly falling in it.

DIVORCE (But When It Was Good It Was So Good) – Season 8, Double Life

Then the moon gets big. Gets close. Gravity breaks down and that should be the end, should be a way out of this terrible spiral they're in, surely they're better without each other—

Grian turns up at Scar's base and says: Scar. Build us an escape pod.

—and Scar does.

They go out together. Both of them can feel the pull back into each other’s orbit but they’ll die if they acknowledge it. At the end of it all, the void, the protective suits, the unbearable gravity of falling into space together, of holding each other until another uncertain end. They're nowhere but they're in it together.

Is this a good time for another death game? Of course. How much worse can it get.

Double Life, and this time Scar keeps his distance. My soulmate is this allay! My soulmate is my cat! I don’t need a soulmate. Oh—it’s Grian? This whole time? Hahaha. How funny.

Grian: Soo… do you want to base together?

Scar: Do we have to?

Grian: It…might be nice…?

Scar is wary.

He has been burned.

But the pull is still there. The pull is always there. You can’t forget Grian, but you can blunt the edge of him on your skin. Scar is here to take care of these cat-pandas. Grian can do what he likes.

Cheated of Scar’s full attention, Grian tries to tempt BigB into a pale imitation of the Scarian folie à deux (BigB is a genuinely nice man who does not deserve this).

The rest of the server turn red, one by one. Grian and Scar are the last greens. BigB is audibly nervous when Grian proposes a red-green alliance, even though BigB is the red, he has the power. But Grian can’t escape the rest of the server, and the red hunt begins.

Grian and Scar, hunted—trapped at the top of flaming towers, jumping from heights, chased down like foxes at bay, crammed into boltholes with their hands over each other’s mouths, Grian shrieks and laughs and falls back on Scar and Scar catches him and they’re both as alive and elated as they’ve ever been. Scar dies once to Ren and BigB’s zombies and Grian murders both BigB and Ren in revenge (BigB was right to be nervous). Grian has another unhinged murder plan underway when he dies for the last time.

This whole time, Grian was hit in the face by remembering that when it's good, it's so good.

Scar isn’t surprised. Scar has known that forever.

Back in Hermitcraft, its not magically fixed. They’re not innocent any more. But every time Grian looks at Scar he remembers: when it’s good, it’s so good.

And Scar never forgot.

DIVORCE (We’re In Love And We’re Not Done Yet) – Season 9, Limited Life

By now we're into Season 9. They’re still alive. They always live, they always start again, and the other one is just there. Being, infuriatingly and magnetically, them.

Grian is thoroughly annoyed by Scar’s new allegiance to King Ren, but he keeps coming back to Scarland anyway. Scar, I made you an obstacle course. Scar, stand here and get squashed by this anvil. Scar if you don’t do something I’m going to start a resistance.

Grian pretends King Ren doesn’t exist and he has more important things to do, and pretends this so hard that he incidentally invents a mad science robot pulls them all through into the Empires dimension.

Scar, assuming Grian is doing his own thing, shacks up with Jimmy.

It takes Grian three weeks to notice and be shriekingly outraged.

Scar we’re doing a project. Scar you can’t spend all your time with Jimmy! Join my cult. Get in my shrinking machine. I made you an enchanted netherite bow. I need your allegiance. (Another real quote).

Scar teases Grian for weeks then instantly abandons Jimmy when the choice comes down to him or Grian.

Fourth death game—they’re used to this, now. Nothing too intense. Nothing too weird. Grian can’t help murdering Scar.

At this point, Scar is starting to read it as: I love you.

And that’s how we get to the current Scarian dynamic we know and love of you're the worst and I'm the worst and we've divorced a few time but we still like each other so fucking much.

It's been years. They've killed each other every possible way. These two characters are in love and they're not done yet.

[yanmuffins]

asks.

there are quite a few asks on my ask box so i'm reply to some of them collectively on this post!

unfortunately he's alone in that. jon could have been his stacy but he's got a crush on reader and has too much fun with their invetions. damian thinks he's a traitor.

@megasweetbones

"perry and alfred used to be secret agents of the british royal family"

now that's a very old platypus.

i like the idea of tim being the most unsettled by the platypus out of everyone. tripping him might or might not have been on purpose. we'll never know! but after a while, tim is just conviced the platypus' got some weird business about it. typical wayne paranoia, sure, but he swears there's something about that weird little amalgamation of animals he can't really pinpoint. he swears he's looking at him weird. and he swears he's scaring him on purpose, appearing out of nowhere.

"calm your tits, tim. it's just a platypus." jason says, "they don't do much."

but tim really can't help glaring at perry the very normal regular domesticated platypus whenever he's seen in reader's arms.

@randomlyappearingartist

alfred absolutely knows about the invetions. no he will not tell bruce about them. he sees bruce and the others barely noticing reader exists, how dismissive they are, and he's like "i'll tell them to ask their father for permission first. if master bruce doesn't notice the legally binding papers or the outlandish gadgets around the manor then that's his problem, honestly."

the most he does is very cryptically allude to it, in hopes the family will take notice of reader. as expected, it doesn't work. he just lets reader do whatever they want as long as they consult their father firts and promise to be careful.

the thing about phineas! reader is that they are a regular teenager (if you take away the gifted genius who can build rocketships to the moon in a single day part) who's just in it for the fun. creating all those crazy gadgets and invetions, letting their creativity flow, having fun with their friends, spending every summer day like it's the last one before they go back to school.

if perry got them a job at the justice league, i think reader would deny it. they're not particularly interested in vigilantism or heroism for that matter. they might consider it after high school is over, but for now? all they want to do is be a teenager. not a very conventional teenager, but a teenager nonetheless.

and tbh it's more of a psychological thing, not being able to build. it's like all of those ideas are bottling up inside their head, going to waste, with them being unable to do anything about it.

well, it's not like they can't do anything about it, but having the batfam limiting what they can and cannot do, watching over their shoulder, isn't exactly providing them the enrichment they need.

but since damian and jon are determined to help, reader doesn't have to worry about that for long!

reader is actually a citizen of metropolis! or was, since they're now in gotham. a big adjustment.

the meeting between jon and reader happens thanks to damian. he's fully expecting jon to be an ally in busting his new sibling. he's complained about them countless times before, to the point jon's tired of hearing about them.

but he actually meets them and, hey, they're super cute and super cool! it's kind of amazing they come up with their inventions so fast. so he goes from reluctantly humoring damian to actively helping reader. maybe even with his own powers. damian can do nothing but shake his head and sigh wearily. jon is an idiot.

the scene in question anon is referencing, at 0:16.

the concept is so funny, anon, but hm... i wonder if jon wouldn't just straight up tell reader about it. he wants to be included, so i don't think it'd be long before he's using his powers to help reader with their inventions.

it is at times like these the batfam has to thank the universe reader is chaotic good and would never turn to villainy. because then damian can enjoy having a super awesome sibling who gives him all sorts of elaborate weapons for him to practice with!

nevermind that he's asking for these just so he can bring the weapons you built to bruce and prove once and for all you're not the harmless kid they think you are, but that's before he realizes the weapons are kinda good. and he kinda wants to keep them, which wouldn't be possible if he handed them over to bruce.

so he'll keep these a secret. just these.

[ekat-fandom-blog]

On Dani's tour of the world, she crashes through a weird T shaped building. It's a strange enough building that she decides to snoop around a bit. It's pretty interesting. There were planes and rocketships and a helicopter on the top floor. The next floor was storage. Then there were bedrooms. And bedrooms. And another set of bedrooms. Then there was a library and den. Then a rec room and a kitchen. Then a bunch of boring rooms. For how many bedrooms there were in the tower there was a surprising lack of occupants. She decided she'd bunk in the mostly empty bedroom for a few days before she moved on again.

A few days in, a boy in a red, green, black, and yellow outfit came. And a few hours later, another guy in a red helmet joined them. Both were unaware of their invisible guest. But then again, it seems the boy wasn't expecting anyone to be in the tower. And it was only made more obvious when he went on the defensive as soon as he saw the other boy.

the layout I used is this one

[basingstokemercury]

Oh I love it!

My Adam is (checks) good, loyal, and perfectionist (I thought I'd thrown genius in there but apparently past me decided his principles were more important?).

And currently working on his logic, handiness, and guitar skills as he raises a son with Sims!Mercury, because I am shameless.

(I'll probably get to the others. Eventually. Replicating people is hard.)

little joe played a little prank on adam

"don't even try to pretend that it was funny!"

"you're incorrigible, little joe!"

but he can't stay mad at the little scamp for long

and they worked it out on the remix

................... at least joe thinks so

[dsybouquet]

thinking about astrophysics student! ellie who stays over at your apartment to study together but the study session results in the two of you getting frustrated and hitting a joint together before falling asleep in your bed. this has been your study circle for the past two years of university now. she wakes up to find your spot next to her empty and decides to get up.

ellie stumbles upon you in your kitchen brewing coffee. you only wearing a band tee and shorts with your hair still messy from sleeping and your glasses low on your nose scrolling through your phone.

her heart drops and she thinks you’re so beautiful like this and just stares at you without saying good morning, resulting in you flinching when you notice her presence.

“Gosh Ellie ! Don’t creep up on me like that!”

your voice is still sleepy and you get up from your seat to pour coffee in a cup for her and in one for you.

“Black?”

“Black, please, yeah. Thank you.”

you share a comfortable silence while drinking coffee but ellie cant stop looking at you. her tummy feels funny and she can’t help but to think about kissing your pinkish lips.

“Are you okay? You’re so quiet?”

your soft voice made her cheeks burn with heat as she caught herself getting lost staring at you.

“Yeah. Tired still.”

her eyes met yours, causing you to smile.

“Wanna continue studying? or watch a movie?”

you suggested, smiling still. of course you should he studying for the upcoming exams but the couch and a movie (and ellie) looked way too appealing right now.

“Studying, then a joint, then a movie?”

Ellie then suggested, smiling, knowing she just wants to help you with astrophysics and see how you look at her with doe eyes, begging for an explanation on how this works.

you sighed, not wanting to study further, but agreed. after all, you had to pass your exams somehow.

after hours of suffering, cigarette and coffee breaks in between, you called it quits, knowing your brains won’t hold onto more informations.

all curled up with a tea and a joint, you sat on your bed. the tv was playing a movie you were semi interested in. the conversations you had were way more interesting.

“And you what ?! Ellie that’s crazy! Why did u never tell me!”

she told you a story about how she was winning science contests in her middle school every year by building miniature rocketships that were actually working.

“I’m just too interested in this shit.”

“You’re a nerd”

“And you love me for it.”

you blushed. maybe you did. after all, you were university besties for two years now. seeing each other every day, having coffee, study sleep overs.. you wanted to kiss her ever so often but never dared.

“I do.”

she smiled.

“Thought so.”

you just stared at her eyes, taking another hit. her lips looked so pretty, so soft. she thought about it to, about how your lips may feel on hers.

before any of you said a word, you leaned in, getting closer.

“May I?”

she asked, so gentle you were about to melt away.

“Do it.”

her lips landed on yours. a soft kiss, a loving one. her lips were as soft as you imagined them to be. her hands were placed on your cheeks, while you tried to balance out your weight with both of your hands on her thighs.

you backed off after a while. before you could say anything, ellie apologised, rubbing her neck.

“Sorry, I didnt mean to-“

you kissed her again, this time deeper, more demanding.

“Don’t apologise. All is well.”

You put the joint in the ashtray, smiling at her gently.

“Been wanting to do that for a while.”

[formula-fun]

being a ferrari fan would the dream lineup be ver/lec in red or do you prefer max being a rival team driver? (i'm assuming you wouldn't want charles to leave)

no i dont want charles to leave hashashash he's the one true believer, so if he leaves because he doesn't believe in ferrari anymore it'll mean we're truly praying at an empty altar

this is controversial but hold my hand for a minute

bringing the championship back to ferrari means more than having the wdc alone. it's not just down to being a fantastic driver in an okay team. that isn't enough. having a rocketship isn't enough either. they need someone who can reshape the team from the inside out, who has enough experience to know how to build a team up around a single goal, who isn't afraid of sponsors and who isnt gonna bite their tongue. they need someone who loves ferrari and everything it means to the sport, but who isn't so blinded by faith that they'll hold back

please picture it with me. it's a match made in heaven. max is running out of new records to break, but this is the one thing people have been holding their breath about for well over a decade. he grew up a tifoso, and the tifosi are falling in love with him. in italy they were singing his name. if anyone could give the team the knowledge and the drive to win it would be him

also constant lestappen battles? do you guys remember the vibe in early 2022? the serenity, the optimism, the excitement every weekend knowing we were going to see beautiful racing?

just to drive it home im going to tell you why charles to red bull is inherently inferior to max to ferrari:

the second red bull seat is cursed and i dont need to see charles going through another curse

red bull is a trash fire right now. that team is falling apart. im sorry but it's time for people to grab what they can and start running

ferrari is in hell. we can only go up from here

red bull does a lot of fun cool media challenges but ferrari does a lot of shitty lame media challenges and personally id rather see max and charles try to read an ad for 100% renewable shell fuel with a straight face than idk drive a car while someone jumps out of a helicopter right above them

it's just better for the narrative. lestappen at rbr = max continues life, charles gives up on his dreams, they probably fight. lestappen at ferrari = max takes a leap of faith, charles' faith is renewed, they probably fight but even if it's a mid off it's more interesting to see them throw themselves against each other's ramparts out of belief than out of desperation

also, a fight at rbr = they both fight for yet another championship blah blah blah. another sports rivalry. a fight at ferrari? no matter which one of them wins, they'll both be remembered forever as the two who brought it back to maranello. the poets will write songs abt it etc etc

i think max would look niceys in red and he deserves to be on a meal plan that's 90% pizza + pasta

he loves italy, let him have this

this is so long but im right. thank you for coming to my ted talk

[little-saw]

🫂 cg ! dook larue headcanons !

dookkk<33 he's so autism I love him shaking him /pos. Felt a bit more attached to his chatacter than Rolfe, so I went with him for you, Anon! Enjoy :)

• Dook doesn't completely understand caregiver titles, like "papa" or "dad," but I think he likes nicknames!!

• If his little calls him dookie, he can't help but laugh and try and explain to them that that sounds very weird! But it's definitely endearing to him.

• Dook and you build big cardboard rocketships. He's happy watching you have the same passion for outer space like he does!

• Finger painting! You guys finger paint all the time!! Ending in lots of laughs and cleaning up!

• Cuddles on the couch and in the bed while watching documentarys, usual about space or the outdoors.

• Wags his tail when his little laughs. It makes him really excited.

• Calls his regressor his little astronaught! And also pup :3

• Brushing his littles hair with either his paws or a hair brush. Tying it in cute little designs and styles

• Pulls you in his lap and holds his hands over yours. Helps you play the drums this way, really he is, but he compliments you for being better than he is!

[collapsedsquid]

Blowing everyone's mind by telling them that Elon Musk doesn't actually design and build the rocketships himself, he uses this technique known as "wage labor" that allows him to acquire rockets without building them himself.

[laura1633]

what i would give to have a « exchange your car » race and see charles in this mclaren rocketship

OMG I would be fascinated. It's always so hard to tell how much a driver is getting out of a car. I think if Max was in that Mclaren for the last few races he would have been winning with huge margins like he did in the RB19 and people would be saying 'its just the car'. I am biased though.

I would love to be able to see Charles in that Mclaren versus Max in the Red Bull and see how many wins Charles would get, I suspect he would already have a few this season. It would be an amazing championship battle and I believe it would be really tight.

I like Max and Charles and want them both to do well but in a championship battle I would want Max to win and I can tell you that I would be terrified of Charles in that Mclaren.

We have seen what Charles can do when he has a good car beneath him, for example in 2022, but Ferrari just aren't able to provide him with a consistently fast car and it's so frustrating. I want to see what he can do with a run of nice clean weekends with some pace beneath him.

I do also think highly of Oscar but I think he just needs this year to keep building momentum and hopefully get his first full race win. If Mclaren are quick from the start of the season in 2025 it will be interesting to see what he can do (or is allowed to do 😬)

[valyrfia]

Sorry to discuss potential bad news and be a hater, but I've been thinking with all the rumours of Max potentially leaving (hope they're just rumours), they'd probably put Sainz in the RBR car for 2025 and he'd almost be guaranteed a championship if the car is still a rocketship. (despite my faith in Charles and Max's abilities, that car would get almost anyone a championship).

I hope Max stays true to his love of winning and doesn't leave for another team until 2026. There is nothing I dread more than seeing my least favourite drivers win.

This ask genuinely made me have to close tumblr for the rest of yesterday because I couldn’t stomach it, but upon cooler and calmer reflection, there’s a couple of reasons why I don’t subscribe to Carlos winning a championship in a RB21.

I think, first of all, we greatly underestimate how Max’s own skill contributes to current Red Bull dominance. Adrian Newey’s cars are a marvel, sure, but Max is half of that marvel. The car is so good because he’s able to drive them right on the limit, with a super pointy front end and a super reactive driving style. We know Carlos struggles with both these aspects in a car, because we saw how he handled the F1-75 in early 2022.

Secondly, I think Max also wouldn’t want to mess around before new regs considering how good Red Bull got it right. There’s the argument of being able to get a feel for a team before a regs change, sure. But why would Max throw away what could be a certain championship at that?

Thirdly, if Carlos were to move in 2025, we severely underestimate Ferrari. Lewis brings invaluable advice on how to build a championship car, but the SF-25 will be built almost entirely on Charles’ input, considering that Lewis won’t join until January when the first iteration of the car will be almost finalised. All I’m saying is that Charles in a car that is built just for him, could be near unstoppable.

Lastly, the Newey influence will start to decline at Red Bull from now and the impact will already be felt in the RB21. Sure, people who worked with him remain, but he will have little to no influence on the RB21, it could signify the beginning of the end for Red Bull, no matter who is in the driver’s seat.

[minijenn]

Never Been Better (Commission)

Got the first (and so far only) writing commission of this bunch done, for @zexoguy, who wanted some cute MK2 fluff, featuring Ava realizing she's crushing on Lisa. So enjoy!

---

The day Ava realized she was in love with Lisa started just like any other. 

They were spending the afternoon in Little Homeworld, a frequent haunt for the Pines and Universe kids. They were just as well known among the small city’s Gem residents as their parents were, and every bit as welcome. From the moment they arrived, Rebecca was already running about, cheerfully greeting every Gem who happened to pass by. 

“Hi, Nephy! Hi, Lar-mar! Hi, Paddy Pads!” she called out, running over to hug each of them in turn. “Oh my gosh, look, Ty!” she grabbed Tyrone’s arm, excited. “I think I see Auntie Bis over there! Let’s see if she’ll finally build me that rocketship I keep asking her for!” 

Before Tyrone could protest, Rebecca was already pulling him away. Flustered, Comet hurried after them. 

“Becca, wait!” he shouted, worried. “Rockets are really dangerous! A-and besides, Aunt Bismuth doesn’t even build rockets, she builds weapons!”

Abigail snorted out a small laugh as she watched them go. “Talk about easily distracted, am I right?” she smirked at Lisa and Ava. Almost immediately, however, her attention was pulled away to a gathering crowd up ahead. “No way. Are the Citrines about to have an epic dance battle? Now this I gotta see!” 

And just like that, she was off, suddenly leaving Ava and Lisa alone. Neither of them minded much though; they were used to spending time together without any of their siblings. But lately, for whatever reason, their solo outings started to feel… different. 

Or at least, they did to Ava. 

“So, uh…” she cleared her throat, glancing away when Lisa looked in her direction. “Looks like it’s just us. What do you want to do now?”

“Hm…” Lisa thought for a moment. “Well, we could always-”

A sudden clatter cut her off as it rose through the air. The girls turned to spot the danger just as a Gem cried out the warning: “Bramblebeast stampede!”

Bramblebeasts were a relatively new discovery among Gravity Falls’ anomalies. Their antelope-like bodies were made up entirely of living brambles, allowing them to easily blend into the forests they called home. Recently, however, the Gems of Little Homeworld had taken a liking to the largely peaceful creatures, with a few even trying their hand at domesticating them. A feat which, given how frequently they broke out of their enclosure, was easier said than done. 

A sizable thicket of Bramblebeasts charged straight through Little Homeworld’s main road, nearly barreling into countless Gems in the process. While most were easily able to slip out of the stampede’s path in time, Ava’s focus was elsewhere as she desperately glanced around for her sister and her cousin. She could only hope Abigail and Tyrone were safe, Comet and Rebecca too, but she couldn’t say the same for herself as she realized far too late she wouldn’t be able to make a clean getaway. The Bramblebeasts were only a few feet ahead of her, racing straight for her in a blind, uncontrollable rage. All she could do now was brace herself for the inevitable, until–

A hand latched around her arm and pulled her out of the way, just in time. 

Ava only got a glimpse of Lisa after she shoved her to safety. The Bramblebeasts charged past her, and to her surprise, Lisa followed them, running as fast as her legs could carry her. She managed to catch up with the last of the pack, climbing onto its thorny body until she was able to stand atop its back. Her years of training with Connie and Pearl served her well as she kept her balance, leaping from one Bramblebeast to the next. 

Ava stood alongside several Gems as they all watched her daring maneuver, absolutely awestruck. It didn’t take Lisa long to reach the Bramblebeast at the front of the pack, the creature the rest of the thicket was clearly following. She took a tight hold on the twisted vines that served as its horns, letting out a fierce shout as she pulled back on them with all her might. The Bramblebeast reared back, roaring, but Lisa held fast until the creature had no choice but to skid to a sharp stop. The other Bramblebeasts soon did the same, finally putting a stop to the chaotic stampede as several Gems rushed in to properly restrain them. 

Lisa breathed out a sigh of relief as she dismounted the creature. While plenty of Gems offered her praise and gratitude for her quick thinking, she didn’t focus on any of them for too long. Instead, she hurried back over to Ava, who was still standing on the sidelines, still utterly stunned by what she’d just seen. 

“Ava!” she called, concerned. 

“Lisa…” Ava finally remembered how to speak again. “That was… amazing! I can’t believe you just did that!” 

“Heh, yeah,” Lisa chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck. “I dunno what came over me. I just… leapt right into the thick of it, just like Mom and Pearl always taught me to. I’m just glad nobody got hurt.”

“Uh, are you sure about that?” Ava asked, frowning. “Your hands are bleeding pretty badly there…”

“Oh,” Lisa frowned down at the multiple cuts stinging her palms. “The Bramblebeasts were pretty thorny. B-but don’t worry! Dad can always heal them up for me later.” She wiped some of the spare blood off on her dress. “I’m fine; how about you?”

The world seemed to grind to a stop when Lisa held her hand out. Ava could only stare at it, at her, utterly captivated by the girl she’d grown up alongside. Her long hair was a mess, her face smeared with dirt, her dress ripped and frayed, and her eyes bright with fading adrenaline. Ava had scarcely ever seen this side of her before, so fierce, so formidable, so brave… 

So beautiful. 

“Y-yeah…” she answered weakly. Though she was still standing, when she took Lisa’s hand, she felt herself falling in another way entirely all the same. “I’ve never been better.”

[mcl39]

these past races have shown me oscar's still struggling with pace/tyre management (which is crazy because mclaren have managed to build a car with no deg), he finished 2 seconds ahead of max in jeddah and max had a 5 seconds penalty, completely destroyed his inters in the miami sprint (which is what made him lose, if he hadnt lost 3 seconds to lando in 3 laps the safety car wouldnt have mattered), was asking the team for help at the end of the miami race because lando gained 6 seconds on him and he wasnt managing at any point

re: mcl managing to build a car with no deg, can't pronounce myself on that specifically but i will say these new pirelli tyres have been kind of annoying - i feel like we're supposed to still be scared of the 'cliff' but in the past couple years tyres haven't been degrading like we expect them to. that's why sometimes drivers will say 'fuck it' and commit to one-stops that should NOT work in any normal circumstances, like george in spa last year or charles in monza

re: oscar, idk, time will tell. ik australia was a wet race so it's not necessarily representative, but it was the first time i'd seen oscar nipping at lando's heels getting frustrated bc he had more pace. i rmbr at that point going like.... uh oh, this isn't the way i'm used to it going. he's deffo doing way better than last year in that department, but like i wouldn't be totally surprised if he still had room to grow. also - actually i'll put this under a read-more because this will be SO infuriating for oscar fans or people w normal brains in general sooo sorry

i also have trouble working out how much of oscar's 'deficit' is him struggling and how much is lando being exceptional... how much of it is him destroying his inters and how much is lando being at his best on a slowly drying track.... how much of it is him struggling at the end of china and miami and how much is it lando in low fuel doing his usual rocketship bullshit... ik this reads like the biggest wank ever bc oscar's currently leading lando in the championship but i still do believe lando has the measure on him pace-wise. just a question of how much of that is a unique oscar issue and not just a 'lando teammate issue'. ig the max thing is the only indication that smth may be wrong w oscar's approach but... we'll see. we'll see

[maxbytes]

Okay but what kinda inator would Doof make for the wedding. Like, ya know he's gonna make one.

well you see, about that... max is quite dismissive of the idea of a wedding and feels kinda weird about the concept of marriage, and since doof has been divorced once already, he isn't pushing the issue.

BUT! i do love the idea of doof making a special inator for every anniversary of dating. maybe it's a hyperspecific invention that solves a hyperspecific problem that max is complaining about. or perhaps he'd decide to go for a classic and build a rocketship for them to enjoy the day in, flying high above everyday life and humanity, taking a joyride around the planet. maybe even two rocketships if they're in the racing mood.

[f0point5]

About testing…

Is it me or everyone is making such a big deal about McLaren’s pace? We knew McLaren was gonna be strong, there’s no doubt in that but they are also underestimating other top teams. Everyone is shaking over Lando’s pace and yeah it seems wild but it’s literally testing, no one knows how good everyone actually is. I think McLaren will be the best car BUT they can’t expect a season like 2023 to happen. Last year’s testing I remember everyone annoyed because of Red Bull saying they had a rocketship again and look how the season ended? It’s very early to tell if there’s going to be a dominant car WITH a dominant driver 💀

I feel like yes. But it’s testing so it’s normal.

Look maybe I’m just not on it or I’m on the copium but I just don’t believe that McLaren have this 7 tenths on the field that people are seeing. With no idea about fuel loads, who’s sandbagging, and mind you only Lawson was on track for red bull today, I’m just not willing to say that time was representative relative to the rest of the field.

And even if it was that good, I’ve never believed that 2023 dominance was all car. 1000 laps led was on strategy, and it was on Max. Yak Brown might like to think if he’s builds the car the dominance will come but it didn’t last year and it won’t this year because he doesn’t have that driver. He also doesn’t have that team. Mclaren fucked it in Zandvoort in 2023, Red bull didn’t. They fucked it in Canada 2024, Red bull didn’t. It’s not going to come together like that for them, I don’t think they have cohesion in the team.

But are McLaren the front runners? I have no doubt

[flcnnerys]

*/ You built up a world of magic.

Chase was a notoriously horrible liar; but he was excellent at playing pretend.

It was easy, like second nature almost, for a kid who grew up with an overly creative streak to just start inventing things in his head. Some online gurus called it "manifesting", Chase called it bullshitting around. But when imagination started getting preferable to what was out there in the real world... well, it was the equivalent to a pot of water boiling over, no?

The pendulum always swung back.

With siblings older than him to the point that when he was ready to play make believe with his toys, to build a cardboard rocketship to fly around the house in, to tell scary stories by flashlight under the covers while Mom and Dad went to bed... he was alone. The girls were older, they wanted to get sleep before exams, or go out to the mall with their friends. It would have been lonely for most, but it wasn't something he realized at the time. The Star Wars reenactments-by-figurines had to continue, the shows must have gone one.

Maybe that's why he got into theater when he was older - he could play make believe, again, with other people. It always frustrated his parents, his mother specifically, the older that he got, when he still had those fantastical tendencies. Her parents weren't from this country, and when they arrived, they had to work their tails off to make ends meet. That logical thinking of practicality was ingrained in her, and she passed on that kind of working ethic at least to her daughters. Chase, too, in his own way, but it wasn't in a tangible way. The fridge was notably empty of A+ report cards from him, or trophies on the mantle for being a prized member of any sports team, a medal from a science fair. It always made it difficult for the two to relate to each other, and butting heads was common.

But it was easy then to just... pretend. Rethink over the fights they had where it ended with compassion, instead of disregard. He was his mother's son, though, and that spiteful sense of I'm right, and you're wrong, was too strong for either of them to overcome.

When he moved back home after school, the disappointment was palpable in the air. Of course it was - he did lie to them about what he was doing the whole time. And he wasn't completely stupid; college was expensive, and unless someone else was footing the bill, Chase had no interest both in wasting his time and money on something he didn't want to do in the first place. His dad was a bit more sympathetic, a quiet nudge in the directions of auditioning and getting his son away from the grungy music scene, the one that had led him to pierce his face and dye his hair green. With his mother, they were merely quiet observers of each other, a relationship one could expect with an animal at the zoo.

So it surprised him thoroughly when, a few weeks before all his good news hit at once, his mother asked if he would accompany her to a local diner for breakfast. It was this crepe place that went real fancy with it, and served humongous teacups of hot chocolate (to which Chase had two, extra whipped cream thank-you-very-much). Looking back, it was really the first time she tried to understand what it was that he enjoyed so much, why he liked theater, and the music, and all of it. Apparently she had heard him rehearsing in his room one night, when he thought he was alone in the house. Knowing that this conversation was on a thin tightrope to spiraling into the kinds of arguments they'd had about this subject in the past, Chase nevertheless gave her a chance, and explained. It was fun to lose sight of yourself and pretend for a little while - you could make up for the fact that you didn't have a lot of long term friends, or worthwhile partners. Or that you didn't always do the thing that your parents wanted you to be, that you couldn't live up the repeated greatness of your sisters. That you could be Seymour Krelborn, or Happy Loman, or Pierrepont Finch and deal with their own inadequacies for awhile - or, for that matter, to be a reflection of others', when singing on stage. It was addicting.

It felt like a breakthrough for this dynamic, one that Chase could not remember an equivalent to in recent memory. Of course, he left out the recreational substance use and made a point to never show her the tattoos he had collected over the years, neglected to tell her how many more he wanted - the piercings sent her through the roof enough the first time around. It ended with her carefully informing him that she still wanted him to be practical, that a backup plan didn't mean it was what he had to stick with - he just needed that reassurance that he could fall back on something else.

And Chase took that as an insult, as he always did. Didn't she see how talented he was? The band recorded an album! Of course, it wasn't her kind of music so why would she ever listen, past being his parent, and maybe it was just in the bassist's soundproofed basement, but still! People were listening to it on their pages! It was progress, why couldn't she see that? Disappointed and refusing to hear further about how she was just trying to look out for him, he went home, burying his head into everything else he was doing.

When the time for good news came, he didn't even tell her what was weighing on him. Nobody really knew. Two incredible prospects and his parents would have to think he disappeared to run away from it all - an insult to memory. He thought about that a lot, imagining how different things could have been. When he played his guitar here, singing the songs he knew even if no one was listening out of fear he would forget them all, his mind drifted. The leaves on the ground could be faceless people shouting for his name. The wind in the trees were the roaring applause. The sunlight too bright above was a spotlight.

This sucked.

He tried to remain as unaffected by this place as possible, but he wasn't sleeping very well. He was always a light sleeper, so hearing voices outside never helped. Even when he claimed the empty attic as a room, moving to higher altitude still didn't shut them up. Normally, he'd shout back obscenities, but he lived with other people and something told him whatever he had to say wouldn't do much. His reality was too persistent to do much escaping from it, like black smoke weaving its way through his body and reminding him not to drift too fair into his imagination, lest he be disappointed when he returned.

His dreams, typically vivid and full of outlandish premises, were filled with that black smoke. He opened his eyes to darkness, and the pins and needles feeling up and down his arms. It was cold, it was scary, and he couldn't move his hands away - looking up, they were chained up with thick handcuffs around a pole, or beam or something of the sort. Chase had done a lot of exploring of Arcadia since he'd been here, but he couldn't ever remember seeing anything like this.

Was this a payback punishment of sorts from when he threw that rock threw the police station window? It was boarded up now and he didn't even throw it with that specific direction, that's just where it ended. Or maybe it was from mowing down that guard on his skateboard when he lost control, and crude hand gestures he made in their direction when they tried to correctly give him shit for it. But, if that was all the case, why would his mother be beside him? He couldn't see her, but he could feel her presence, knowing it was her in a way only a child would know to their parent. Her perpetually even tone that always used to irritate him was soothing this time, reciting a poem. It startled him so much that it woke him up - Michelle Flannery was not a woman of literary value, he had never seen her read anything fiction in her life.

He brushed it off, including the feeling of how those pins and needles feelings wouldn't leave his arms, not for the whole day, and returned as he drifted back to sleep. Chase found himself in the room again, this time, in pain. His fingertips burned, and when he flexed them above his head, he felt it even more. In front of him was his mom, filing her nails like she usually did when she was attempting to be patient, her punctuality always thwarted by the perpetual lateness the Flannery children inherited from their father.

"I grow until the day I die. You've seen me once, if you don't see me now, you won't survive."

Yeah, yeah, you need your mother to get by in life, she used to say that sort of thing anytime anything good happened to any of them, as if she was taking credit for any success by virtue of being the one to give them birth. Chase and his sisters used to exchange sighs and eyerolls at it, and now was no different. "Is this you doing your mom-guilting thing again?" This was just a very... lyrical way of phrasing it, out of place for her. The faint smile she wore on her face, the look of love he didn't think he was often on the other side of across from him, was just as unnerving. He never thought he was very well deserving of that sort of thing. Briefly, he had the wherewithal to remember their last conversation, the one at that crepe place. That he would need a backup plan, that he couldn't rely on fantasy for the rest of his life to get by.

That irritation spurned him from sleep, and the burning sensation in his fingers returned tenfold. On each of his ten digits, there was a clean slice perpendicular to his nails, starting on the fleshy pad of fingertip and running all the way until they were stopped by his nails, interrupting the hardened skin from guitar strings. How was he supposed to play? That was his escape, that was his sole entertainment here-

Oh.

Then, as if waiting for his realization, his guitar - that had been carefully leaned against the corner of the room, fell forward, a loud and off key bang on the wood floors. Chase rushed over to examine, and though it was fine, testing his fingers against the strings led to a hurt he couldn't ignore. His tried and true method of staying sane here, gone until his body healed itself. He brushed frustrated tears from his eyes at the thought, catching himself in the mirror, catching his mother in the mirror. Behind him, a gentle hand on his shoulder mirroring the touch he felt over his t-shirt.

He knew she wasn't there, not really, and it gave him a sinking feeling of longing when it settled into realization that he was alone again. But he could imagine it so, a comfort every time he looked in any reflection, to pretend that maybe that touch he felt was real. He could imagine she was only trying to help, do what she always said she was trying to do, to set him on the straight and narrow, with a backup plan, just in case. To help.

Maybe fantasy was the backup plan. Or maybe, this was just the pendulum swinging him back to reality.