#he's on yet another rollercoaster of some sort

[antonio-chandranis-dream-blog]

THE NEXT DREAM. EARTH YEAR 2005 A.D.

I slept with Alejandro’s gift underneath my head like some idiots supposedly suggested. That is, I woke up after that previous dream and it turned out I was holding the book against my chest already.

It obviously didn't do anything!!

It didn’t? :0

And what’s with you? You usually don't make such tones, djinn.

Anyway, I decided it was best to go speak with my teacher. That cat man is almost as bad as you, djinn, so it's not like it was a huge change excepting the fact that he did what he sometimes does—actually help me out!

With his shitty hints, I was totally able to decode it! >:] But...

But what should I do about Alejandro's real gift?

Within the Boundless, from that place monstrous forms emerge and cause havoc for our society 100,000 years in the future, we students of the preeminent Protector's class have often saved humans trapped within their dreams and nightmares... Those who become surrounded by such monstrous forms. More often we free ghosts of their monsters, or sometimes nothing that's left at all but a memory. Or even the simple hope of one.

On the rarest occasion... Via a 1 in a five hundred million chance... We’re given something. Gifts. Something parted from a ghostly soul or even their memory as thanks.

Alejandro was given something not that long ago—it was all the buzz across our planet, since he's very well-favored to become the Protector of Worlds. (He won't become the Protector. It is assured.)

It was everywhere across the world through what you call “the television” in the year 2005 A.D. Or was it “the streams”?

Whatever you call it, he was on it. Everyone knows he was gifted something rare.

“The True Angel's Engraving.” Can you believe it? A name that boastful! It’s what they named it across the—on all the streams, or whatever you all say in the year 2005 A.D.

It’s in my hand now—a pleasing multicolored bracelet. Its components look and feel like ordinary stone fragments that fits well together, so cool to the touch, and yet I think they must not be ordinary. Not in a meteoric way or anything. The bracelet is singing with alchemical energy… With “the True Angel’s Engraving,” so to speak.

Earlier…

It felt like something familiar. Like my dad’s alchemy.

Not the way it is now, but like something from a very long time ago.

I’ve been thinking that since I saw it. I’ve been wanting to get away from everything…

Alejandro hid the bracelet away in this book I’d assumed was my main… My main prize of some sort.

On the streams, they kept repeating how it would bring him to the one he wanted to find, no matter what. That his heart was now connected to the bracelet.

Not just who he wanted to find… Who he seriously wanted. They’re obsessed with setting him up with someone these days. Alia. Diego. Khalida. Konna.

Still, enough of the journos mentioned it—that it could lead him to his try-hard brother too. To his family. To his…mother, potentially.

Why would he give it to me?

He must not have believed it. He’s such a fool.

Is he the fool, or are you? You don’t even believe your own words. Like usual. You’re always waiting for him to appear, and now you want to say ‘oh, boo-hoo, he obviously can’t believe that nonsense they say!’

But see, he used to prattle on about saviors. Am I not allowed to have opinions on them? He knows how I feel.

Child. He knows you are worse.

That’s not true. I really can’t stand you.

Do you really think it works both ways? I could—

You surely could!

Shut it. The bracelet… It doesn’t feel like my dad’s alchemy anymore. It feels like Alejandro’s.

I could put it back in the book. Pretend I never solved his stupid riddles.

And sleep holding it?

Do you think he wanted to give it to someone else first? I adore Diego, but you know he’s a little—

Oh, darling. I don’t know.

What should I do? He was too foolish—I can’t wear it in public. If he can’t think to give it to his prissy brother, it really was something to give a paramour. It’s too bad he has no real lover.

The public would have a meltdown even if a friend wore it—which I suppose I count as.

What should I do? I need to at least harangue him.

What should I do? Alejandro Caldera-Altaha. He really bothers me.

I likely slept too long today. I’ll need to eat when I wake. I won’t let mysterious votes choose that, so I’ll bring it up next time, I suppose.

[nochukoo97]

we can’t be friends (wait for your love) - teaser

pairing: childhoodfriend!jk x childhoodfriend!oc

summary: you and jungkook have been friends since birth, and as you both grow into teenagers, you can’t help but have some sorr of longing feeling towards him. but after a turn of events, you move away from your home town, growing apart from the boy you onced were close to. almost a decade later when you decide to move back, there’s someone familiar yet unfamiliar waiting for your arrival… was this the universe giving you a sign about him?

warnings/tags: story starts off when the both of them are children, but most of the plot is when they are adults :)), eventual: kissing, an emotional rollercoaster 🥲, they’re stuck in a ‘what are we’ moment, playing a waiting game of who confesses first, a little bit of angst, smut, but fluff too hehe

a/n: IM BACK 🥲 after being in writers block sighhh but i am back hehehe hope u r excited for this!! anyways this is just an intro for the actual fic, its more of what happened before the present which will be in the main part hehehe

TAGLIST OPEN!!

(this is the introduction, the main part is coming soon :)))

MASTERLIST

23 July 2007

You’re currently wedged between two bookshelves in the living room of your house, eyes trained on the words in your book, giggling to yourself when the plot takes a funny turn. Meanwhile in the background, Jungkook and your brother Taehyung, both a year older than you, the two ten year old boys play fighting in your parents backyard, their game was way too rough for you to even watch, you decided.

That’s always the way it’s been since you were young, Jungkook’s mum dropping him off at your parents place as he spent time with your brother, mostly roughhousing like they are now, and you, at nine years old, simply tucking yourself in another fairytale, which to you seemed like a much better way to past time.

You never truly spent a lot of time with the two of them when Jungkook would come over, besides the once-in-a-while moments where your parents would make you guys bond a little through board games or card games which the two elder boys would never take seriously, the games always ending in them either throwing the board game pieces at each other or stacking the cards into a pyramid.

When it came to school, you tried your best to stay away from bumping into your brother at school, but you’d always end up being teased in front of your friends by him and Jungkook, making fun of your two pigtails or your very glittery pink bag you had just gotten as a birthday gift, but you were used to it anyways, having grown up with a brother.

12 August 2011

Four years go by and now you’re finally completing your last year in middle school, Jungkook and your brother having moved on to high school, and as expected, they end up attending the same school, as they have done their whole life.

But since four years ago, a lot has changed. You’ve grown much closer to Jungkook, having gone on quite a few trips with his family, and you could even consider him a close friend. Most importantly, he’d grown from being a kid to a teenager, even though he was only a year older than you, the 14 year old boy suddenly became someone you always wanted to hang out with. To you, you saw him as someone cool. Instead of teasing you along with your brother, he now would defend you from your brother’s teasing, treat you to ice cream on the weekends and even teach you the video games he played with your brother.

“And then he let me get as many toppings as I wanted,” You tell your friends, clicking the buttons on your phone to show them the picture of your ice cream, filled to the brim with all sorts of toppings because Jungkook said you could.

“You’re so lucky, I wish I had a boyfriend like that,” Jiyeon sighs, pouting her lips as she sulks.

Your face turns red, tip of your ears warm as you quickly deny, “He isn’t my boyfriend! Just a friend… In fact he was my brother’s friend first,” No, you couldn’t even begin to try and imagine Jungkook as someone more than your friend!

“Well, but you should definitely confess to him on valentine’s day, it’s in like six months,” Yuji twirls her hair, nudging your leg slightly as she giggled.

To the three of you, as 13 year old girls, having a valentine was a big deal, especially since the whole idea of a crush and all was new to you guys as teenage girls.

“No! I don’t have feelings for him! He’s just nice to me I guess,” You frown at Yuji, just because she confessed to her crush and now apparently has a boyfriend, doesn’t mean you need to do it too, you decided.

You didn’t have a crush on Jungkook right?

You push away the thought quickly, this whole topic was so taboo to you, it made you feel squirmy thinking about it. No, you didn’t have any sort of feelings towards the older boy, never.

-

So that day when you arrived back at home, spotting Jungkook and Taehyung sitting at the table and doing their homework, you decide to take a seat away from the certain boy.

“Huh? Why are you sitting all the way there? Come back here,” Jungkook hums, pulling out his earphones in bewilderment, you had always sat next to him whilst the three of you would do homework together after school, nudging him here and there to ask for help with a math problem.

“I- okay,” You scooch towards the chair next to him, dragging your books along the table as you avoid eye contact. Your cheeks heating up again as you remember your conversation with your friends in school earlier, it made you feel all tingly inside, but why were you being so weird in front of him?

“You’ve been staring at that math problem for ages, need help?”

You jump up in surprise at Jungkook’s voice , letting out a small yelp as your brother snickers at you from across the table, you kick his shin in response, sending his hands flailing to the injury, mumbling some cuss word you don’t understand.

“Yeah,” You only muster out a whisper, handing over your pencil to the boy, who finds your behaviour a little off but nonetheless, doesn’t comment on it.

And while he explains the solution and working to find the value of X, you can only notice his eyes, his nose, the mole under his lips, the scar on his cheek from when he fought with your brother years ago, his lips.

And then you for yourself to snap out of your daydream when his eyes lock with yours in confusion as to why you’re staring at him instead of your workbook.

03 January 2012

But then five months later, opportunity for valentine’s day didn’t even come for you anyways, as you pack your bags to move miles away from the place you once called home, since your father had been posted to a new country for his work.

The whole idea of leaving your life behind and all the people you’ve ever known since young was such an overwhelming feeling that you didn’t even think once about your feelings for Jungkook anymore, or maybe you did once, but it didn’t matter.

So when you tugged your luggage and watch your brother sadly hug his best friend goodbye at the airport, reality struck, you wouldn’t ever get a chance to even properly assess your feelings for Jungkook anyways, so you simply wave him goodbye, not looking back so you don’t think further than a goodbye.

He did make sure to exchange his Instagram and Facebook with you, promising you and your brother to keep in touch, which you agreed to. Maybe there was a part of you that wanted to cling onto the idea of him, but you didn’t let yourself believe that anyways.

[en-geneisaxx]

'Please don't say that it's the end for us...'

Pairings: Husband!Hoon x fem!reader

Warnings: swearing (you're just gonna be on a rollercoaster of emotions)

Feat. Jay, Heeseung and Jake of Enhypen, Yeji (Sunghoon's sister) and Jin Ae (y/n and Sunghoon's child

A/n: OMG, I AM SO DAMN EXCITED BC THIS IS GOING TO BE THE FIRST FIC I MAKE. BASICALLY MY DEBUT TO THE ENHABLR WRITER WORLD. I HOPE YOU GUYS WILL ENJOY!!

Tagging my moots who wanted to read: @pockettwinzz @diorsyun @heeslomll @heeslut4life @hoonieshoneymain @rinbowaman @sungvrhs

(Likes, reblogs and/or following will be much appreciated!)

Preview:

Cheating was something you would never do. The thought of going from one man to another, kissing lips that had probably lost its virginity to another woman was disgusting to you.

"JAKE, YOU'RE AN ABSOLUTE DICK, YOU KNOW THAT!?" *Ends call*

You grab a fistful of your hair in fustration, your vision blurs; tears threatening to escape.

'𝐅𝐮𝐜𝐤.'

You were having those moment where you wanted to disappear for the first time in your marriage. Why did you have to be in such a position?

Your heart clenched, lungs filled with some sort of pressure that you found it impossible to breathe. You wanted to scream, until you heard your child's confused blabbering.

'Eomma?'

She stands; soft chubby hands clinging onto the white, painted wooden frame. Head tilted, those gleaming eyes and perfect looks she got from her father stares at you.

With pity, you pick her up, sitting with her on the edge of your shared bed, nuzzling your head in the plush material. Alas, the locked up emotions rain from your eyes, staining the luxury clothes bought by none other than your husband himself.

'𝑺𝒉𝒆'𝒔 𝒈𝒐𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆...'

Those words clear up your fogged mind, consciousness crystal clear.

'𝑺𝒉𝒆'𝒔 𝒔𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒇𝒖𝒍...'

It was until then, you realised your kind-hearted child was kissing away those salty teardrops from your cheeks. You were suprised, how she was so alike to her father. Yet, you were grateful she was: he was amazing, of course.

'Hey Y/n, I-' His eyes widen, struck by the state you were in.

'WHAT THE FRICK HAPPENED HERE!?'

You were thankful Jay came. After all, he was Jin Ae's favourite uncle. At least she'll be busy with him, for sure.

'Sunghoon still hasn't come back...' You sob, desperately wanting Sunghoon to just hug you tight and profess his everlasting love to you.

'Something's really happened, hm?'

Jin Ae just claps and giggles, oblivious to the saddening situation that took place. What can you expect from a two-year-old? She may be smart, but she still has a long way to go.

'Jin Ae-ah! Come to Uncle Jay' He exclaims, forcing a smile.

'*groans* Ugh, what's happening? First, I hear y/n shouting and now you're here. Oh, isn't it your daily get-together with Sunghoon?'

'Should've been, yeah.'

You felt bewildered at this point by Yeji's unexpected presence.

'Why are you here Yeji? I don't remember you being here...'

'Hoon called me, asking to watch over you two. Actually, that's weird though: Sunghoon would never leave you two...

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫.'

[mncxbe]

I'm in my party dress. He says "You're such a mess"♡

𝑭𝒖𝒌𝒖𝒄𝒉𝒊 𝒙 𝒇𝒆𝒎!𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓

𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: smut♡/ unethical

<a little quick thingy I wrote a few weeks ago since I'm running out of drafts.>

Your head spun as you downed another shot. It was if you were stuck in a never-ending rollercoaster, looping somewhere on cloud nine. The bittersweet drink burned its way into your core, blooming heat in every cell of your body.

Sliding off the slick black bar stool you stumbled to the plush couch where Fukuchi was seated, a glass filled with golden liquid hanging idly between the tips of his fingers; staring mindlessly at the crowd of blaring people.

"Hey captain, you having fun?" you asked, disrupting his train of thought. His head snapped in your direction and he raised his brows.

"What'd you say?"

Placing a hand on the back of the couch for support you leaned closer to him and spoke loud enough to cover the roaring music of the club "I asked if you're having fun"

He simply shrugged in response, holding your gaze "It could be worse"

Fukuchi had to admit he didn't really like clubs with their loud music, overly expensive drinks and technicolor; but it was Teruko's turn to pick that month's mandatory teambuilding activity so he had no say in it.

As you plopped yourself next to him, his gaze followed the line of your collarbone down to your chest, skimming over the edges of your dress. How you could go out of the house wearing that thing was beyond comprehension; in the flashing lights of the club the satin seemed to stick to you by some sort of electricity, shfting colours like the surface of a lake in moonglow.

For a brief moment, Fukuchi found himself reaching a hand to touch you but he soon regained his composure. Setting his glass down on the arm of the couch he sighed, leaning his head back.

"Aren't you gonna finish that?" you slurred, voice laced with mischief and he shook his head in reponse.

"Nah. You can have it if you want to"

The alcohol was already starting to cloud his mind, a familiar pressure building in his skull. He knew it wasn't smart to drink around you, you were too tempting.

Fukuchi wasn't a stupid man. He noticed the subtle glances during meetings, how you always offered to bring in the reports for the whole team on Friday evenings, when there was no one but him left at the headquarters. He was fully aware of your intentions, yet laying amidst the blaring crowd in this god forsaken club, he didn't seem to care about your closeness.

Your chest was pressed against his side as you leaned over him and reached for the glass. His arm instinctively slid around your waist, keeping you from stumbling over as you drank the last sips of alcohol from his glass before setting it back down.

"Woah that's strong" you whined and he couldn't help but smile.

You shifted slightly; pretty dress hiking up as you crossed your legs. "Say, sir..." you began, tracing your fingertips along his clothed thigh. "How about we have another drink? My treat"

"I think you've had enough for tonight, Y/N" he smile, trying to ignore the bulge in his pants. Fuck, you were such a tease. Your hand trailed higher up, teasingly hooking a finger under his belt and he seized your wrist.

"Careful now, Y/N" he hissed, cold gaze meeting your own. "This ain't the best place"

A small chuckled rolled past your lips. Fukuchi felt his heart sink when you looked up at him with those big doe eyes, so vivid despite the alcohol you've consumed- pleading him. "Then take me somewhere else"

And how could he say no to you?

Half an hour later, your head was pressed against the cold pillows on his bed, muffled groans and mewls rolling past your lips as he rammed himself inside you from behind.

"You're doing well, sweet thing" he cooed, nails digging into the plush of your hips.

The whole thing felt surreal, like a hazy dream; it was all so wrong it felt right. Your mind spun from the alcohol, unable to fully comprehend the situation you were in. But it's not like you cared about anything except how good he felt inside you right now. He reached all your sweet spots with each thrust, way better than anyone did before and you swore you could see starts; pearly tears pooling at your lashline.

"God fuck it's so good" you mewled, fingers digging into the pillow underneath in a futile attempt to keep yourself grounded. He only hummed in response and tightened the grip on your hair.

"Told ya I'd treat you well princess"

With a swift movement he flipped you on your back, sharp eyes tracing the outline of your body; hair a tangled mess, makeup smeared on your cheeks and pillowcase, one strap of your white lacey bra off your shoulder. Your chest rose and fell with each ragged breath you took, lashes fluttering shut as you tried to keep your gaze focused on him.

"God, you're such a mess" he chuckled, thumb coming to circle your puffy clit, making you shudder.

"Now, now. Be nice pretty. I'm not done with you yet"

With that he slid inside you again, earning a low moan from you as he bottomed out and resumed his brutal pace. He fucked you nice and deep, just how you liked it- a familiar tingle pooling in your core.

Your nails dug desperately into his back, reaching for something to hold on to- you stomach twisting with guilt as you came, staining the bedsheets with your slick. Your walls clamped around him, coaxing his orgasm and he came with a loud groan.

"Sweet thing you're gonna milk me dry if you keep squeezing me like that" he uttered in a shaky voice, breathing heavily; but you felt too drained to say anything in reponse.

Instead, your eyes closed shut; but you could still make out the sound of his voice calling out your name, the cool air that seeped into the room through the open window against your heated skin, his gentle- surprisingly tender touch as he moved a strand of hair from your face.

And then you were out cold, forced into a deep slumber by your exhaustion.

The next morning you woke up to the faint sound of the rush hour traffic. You could taste the alcohol on your tongue- bittersweet, and you took in a deep breath. That moment your eyes snapped open; this wasn't your bed.

Memories from the previous night came flooding back in bits and pieces, like an old picture show, crackling with static and you sighed, rubbing your eyes.

"Thought you'd never wake up" echoed a voice from the other side of the room and you tilted your head to the side to see Fukuchi leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest.

"How'd you sleep?"

A small groan rolled past your lips as you pulled the covers over your head in attempt to hide the blush that rose to your face.

Fukuchi couldn't help but chuckle upon seeing you. Frankly, the shift of attitude amused him. He walked to the edge of the bed and sat down next to you. You felt the mattress slowly sink under his weight and you tightened the grip on the covers.

"Come on now Y/N. No need to be shy." he chuckled, pulling the duvet off of your head only to meet your defeated gaze.

"Captain I apologise for the way I acted last night it was totally inappropriate and-" you began, but he quickly cut you off, raising a hand.

"Do you think I'm mad about it?" he asked and you shook your head in response, earning a smile from him.

"Exactly. So don't apologise"

A deep silence fell between the two of you and you simply looked down at the covers. You were painfully aware of the bare skin beneath them, of how much of a mess you were right now; head pounding like you hadn't slept in days. Shame flooded your every thought and, carried through your bloodstream, reached every cell of your body.

A faint aroma of coffee reached your nose; as if on cue he rose from the bed, threading a hand through his silvery hair.

"Look, how about I let you get cleaned up and dressed and then you join me for a cup of coffee?"

You nodded in response and gave him a faint smile.

"Alright. The bathroom's there" He pointed at one of the adjoining rooms before making his way towards the door. Just as he was about to step out he turned around, flashing you his signature smile.

"I gotta say Y/N dear, this was one hell of a teambuilding" he said with a wink and you sighed, finding shelter beneath the cold covers once again.

You closed your eyes again and took a deep breath in, relishing the comfort of his bed. Yes, the situation wasn't ideal. You needed to get out of this room, face your boss and talk the whole thing out; and what's worse you knew that neither of you was willing to put an end to this ordeal.

You wanted to push these thoughts in the back of your hazy mind, drown them in whatever liquour was left in your system, but you knew you couldn't. You shouldn't. So five more minutes under the blankets and a cold shower will have to do.

[best-underrated-anime]

Best Underrated Anime Group E Round 4: Are You Ok vs Moriarty the Patriot

#E1: Are You Ok (You Yao)

Transmigrators modernize ancient China. Chaos ensues.

#E4: Moriarty the Patriot (Yuukoku no Moriarty)

Gay found family criminals versus corrupt nobility

#E1: Are You Ok (You Yao)

Summary:

People from the modern world transmigrating into the ancient Chinese fantasy world has become a common and everyday occurrence that the royal court in the latter has decided to moderate them. If you’re a transmigrator, you must report your existence to Lou Zhu, the master of Best Tower. Once you pass his test and prove that you are indeed a modern person, you can then be assigned to work in different areas of the government and be given a high salary.

Because of this promised benefit, many impostors have showed up before Lou Zhu. And one day, Zuo Yunqi takes this test as well. Is he an impostor, or is he an actual modern person?

But some transmigrators also choose to hide their existence out of distrust in the government. Where are they? And with their advanced knowledge on science and technology, what are they planning in the dark?

Elsewhere, other transmigrators find themselves in all sorts of situations—an art student is detained and forced to come up with a recipe for a poisonous meal, while another is stuck sharing a body with the original soul and fighting for its control. Meanwhile, unrest rises in the Jianghu and a storm brews in the palace. Can our transmigrators’ modern knowledge save the day? Or will their lack of understanding in the current world lead to their downfall?

Propaganda:

As someone who is in the You Yao and YuuMori fandoms and adores both for being very gay while still having a good plot, I’d say these two stories are tied in terms of quality. They both execute their respective genres well and really shouldn’t be pitted against each other. But since I absolutely have to choose, then I’m siding with You Yao for this round. The YuuMori anime is a bit lacking compared to its manga, whereas the You Yao donghua elevates the original novel and breathes new life into it.

I started both shows as an anime-only. While watching YuuMori, there was always this nagging feeling at the back of my mind that I was missing out on something. There were so many instances that seemed odd or abrupt. The “found family” gang felt forced, and Sherlock’s attachment and dedication to William seemed excessive in the episodes leading to the climax and even at the climax. It turns out the anime had cut out a chapter in the manga where Sherlock visited William at the college where he teaches. This was such a let-down for me because that chapter showed how the two interact outside of a crime scene and still be friends.

In contrast, the You Yao donghua was able to stand on its own. You don’t even have to read the novel anymore, which is surprising coming from someone like me who always advocates on experiencing the source material.

In the novel, arcs seem disconnected from each other that, while reading, you don’t get the feeling that there’s an overarching plot. It is only later in the story that everything starts slowly coming together.

Somehow, the You Yao donghua was able to take the scattered puzzle pieces of the novel and connect them all together to deliver a coherent story all the while still keeping the spirit of the original—a suckerpunching emotional rollercoaster ride masquerading as yet another comedy. Characters were also given more emotional depth, which is a plus because the novel only portrayed it subtly. Even the donghua-original characters were so likable that I had to double-check if they were canon.

The YuuMori anime has its good parts of course, but overall I think it could’ve done a lot better in terms of character relationships and pacing.

So yeah, both stories are equally good in each of their own genres. But on being an animated adaptation? You Yao takes the win. Vote You Yao.

Trigger warnings: Guns, kidnapping, and imprisonment. Nothing too dark, though.

#E4: Moriarty the Patriot (Yuukoku no Moriarty)

Summary:

During the late 19th century, Great Britain has become the greatest empire the world has ever known. Hidden within its success, the nation's rigid economic hierarchy dictates the value of one's life solely on status and wealth. To no surprise, the system favors the aristocracy at the top and renders it impossible for the working class to ascend the ranks.

William James Moriarty, the second son of the Moriarty household, lives as a regular noble while also being a consultant for the common folk to give them a hand and solve their problems. However, deep inside him lies a desire to destroy the current structure that dominates British society and those who benefit from it.

Alongside his brothers Albert and Louis, William will do anything it takes to change the filthy world he lives in—even if blood must be spilled.

Propaganda:

The story isn’t quite on par with the manga (solely due to there being not enough episodes to cover full character arcs), but the ‘eat the rich’ vibes are immaculate, the plot is complex and interesting, the queercoding and subtext are both wonderfully done, AND there is a CANON TRANS CHARACTER !!!!

Trigger Warnings: Child Abuse, Gender Identity/Sexuality Discrimination, Graphic Depictions of Cruelty/Violence/Gore, Rape/Non-Con, Self-Harm, Suicide

When reblogging and adding your own propaganda, please tag me @best-underrated-anime so that I’ll be sure to see it.

If you want to criticize one of the shows above to give the one you’re rooting for an advantage, then do so constructively. I do not tolerate groundless hate or slander on this blog. If I catch you doing such a thing in the notes, be it in the tags or reblogs, I will block you.

Know one of the shows above and not satisfied with how it’s presented in this tournament? Just fill up this form with your revisions, and I’ll consider adapting those changes.

New: Starting round 5, screenshots will be included in the poll post. You can submit screenshots through the form linked above, or through here, via ask or dm.

Guidelines in submitting screenshots:

No NSFW or spoilery images.

Pick some good images please. Don’t send any blurry or pixelated ones.

You may send up to 9 screenshots, but not all may be used.

[mulders-too-large-shirt]

s4 episode 22 thoughts

i watched this episode last night and wasn't sure how i felt beyond Sad, so i figured sleeping on it would help. but it didn't. the main flavors of this episode were Sad and Ableism. join me for this ride.

now. after the utter ROLLERCOASTER that was last episode, i haven’t a clue what to expect today. but i hope it’s good. because i want it to be good. i want to be at the edge of my seat again. but this time, with more scully.

but also if they were going to go camping and sit around a fire and tell spooky stories, i would also be entirely content with that. actually that episode would cross into my top 15 for sure. so really it can go either way.

hmm… allow us to read the episode description. it kind of sounds like another monster of the week situation and not at all a continuation of the last episode. so i will go into that expecting it. but i swear i’ve heard this episode title mentioned before, which usually indicates it’s either beloved or beloathed. let’s find out which!

(is it a fan fave or hated by the masses? i couldn't tell! you tell me!)

(and oh god... the episode title... after knowing what happens in it... pain. everywhere)

we open with bowling!!! a fine activity when you’re in good company. but given that this is taking place in the opening part of the show, i figure some sort of grisly murder will go down.

this guy (later revealed to be named mr. pintero) is collecting beers and sodas while creepy music plays. another fellow (harold) is organizing the rack of bowling shoes. harold is not done yet, but boss tells him to go home. it is clear that having the shoes unorganized is making harold unhappy. 

but one of the pin machines (i had to look it up- it's called a pinsetter! i really do learn so much here) is going off!! despite no prompting!!! and a ball comes back… covered in BLOOD????

BOWLING MACHINE MURDER???

one of the pins is dripping blood too… so pintero goes down to investigate inside the pinsetter

WHAT THE FUCK THERE’S A GIRL IN THERE??????????????

pintero is trying to get help as ghostly girl hangs about inside the pinsetter. he runs outside to find a cop and he sees a girl on the side of the road bleeding from her neck!!!

same girl…? different girls??? hard to tell 

mr. pintero quickly confirms that it IS the girl he saw in the pinsetter now laying out here on the pavement. it was hard to tell because she had gone goth since her death. and also why was she in a bowling alley??? upon death that’s not where i’m going to go. i hope. do you get to choose? i mean maybe i’d go bowl some rounds, but i wouldn’t climb INTO the machine

now how does this involve harold…..?

SCULLY BOWLING??????????? GOD, DID YOU HEAR ME WHEN I ASKED FOR HER HAPPINESS??? 

(author's note: -_- )

okay, so maybe she’s at the murder bowling alley, but still!!!! she’s tying on her shoes and mulder is with mr. pintero investigating the lane. 

oh man, is she just putting the shoes on to go investigate and not even play a few rounds…? i knew i shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up. it was too good to be true.

mulder beckons her to slide into the pinsetter machine in between him and mr. pintero, who says the ghost girl was caught up in the machinery. and i do love a little bit of them being smushed together. but mr. pintero says that the ghost girl was gone when he came back after seeing her hit by the car. is this confusing to read? it’s confusing to write.

mr. pintero is self conscious of his story because of the look on scully’s face LMAOOOO noooo mr. pintero please do not be sad... she is just like that!

mulder asks for a soda… king

(i thought he was getting scully caffeine because we know she needs it to survive, but he actually had it for a larger plan) 

“what is that look, scully?” “i would have thought that after four years, you’d know exactly what that look was” <- lmaooooo

“what, you don’t believe in ghosts?” (he proceeds to elaborate on the difference between ghosts, disembodied spirits, and death omens while bowling) (scully looks impressed as he gets a strike) LMAOOOOOOOOOOO i swear she thought he was attractive there. you could see it in her eyes.

so: three death omens have appeared in three weeks before three murders. that’s a pretty consistent pattern. the omens have been trying to say something… but what?

mulder takes his soda and says that if she waits a second he might have an answer. does the cola reveal things to him???

no, he pours the soda onto the wax of the lane and finds writing on there!!! it says “she is me”. now what does that mean!!!

now they must be debriefed by a detective in a room full of other investigators. the three victims have all had the same age, weight, hair, and eye color, which is horrifying. and all were attacked in the same 6 blocks!!!

mulder is whispering something to scully in the back of the room (adorable), but the guy who is running the debrief finds it less so, and asks what tf he has to say and who tf is he. which leads him to explaining his apparition theory while scully looks on, very much recalling the incident with plane guy mike from tempus fugit. at least this time it wasn't her birthday.

mulder asks if there were any other written messages at the crime scenes and if “she is me” means anything to anyone, and the jerk detective says someone claimed those were her last words, but she couldn’t have actually said them as her larynx was severed (she could have said that before the severing???)

but the detective dismisses the claim as coming from “a nut” and sends the agents off to follow that lead, which leads them to a psychiatric center. where someone is painting a bird!! it’s pretty nice. 

the nurses gather the patients to ask if anyone used the payphone to report a murder on friday. our old friend harold looks deeply uncomfortable. 

mulder holds up a photo of the dead girl, which the patients identify as the murder victim. and then scully pulls out a magazine with jay leno on the cover and a few patients say jay leno did it??? can you imagine. god. that’d be a crazy episode. she leaves the room, seeming to think this is a waste of time. but mulder notices that harold was very quiet during this whole exchange. 

scully is going over the crime scene photos in the hallway…. ohhhh, she found that the murderer changed the hand the ring each victim wore was on!! she’s very clever to notice such a small detail

he asks about what would make a person switch the rings around, and she points out a form of OCD that usually does not escalate to murder, but it involves doing things over and over again until they’re just right……. is that supposed to be a hint to harold….?

mulder says he’s about to get harold to confess to making the call. but harold is denying it. when mulder asks if he’s seen a ghost, he starts yelling. this did not go as planned.

scully says that harold has something called “atypical autism” which i am going to google (it seems to go by a new name now in the DSM 5?), and that he has spent his life in and out of treatment centers like this one. and he also has severe OCD… which she says would explain the switching of the rings. 

hey! OCD does not equal murder.

but i suppose that anyone is capable of murder, and perhaps she is just accounting for taking the rings off of one hand and onto another.

mulder asks a very relevant question: if harold did it, why did he now start killing people? he was clearly prone to outbursts when under distress… but that doesn’t explain the “she is me” or the apparitions. or, you know. going from yelling over being asked uncomfortable questions to slitting people's throats. bit of a jump there.

harold can come and go as he pleases, and he has a job…. hmm. this does not mean he did the murdering.

but then scully’s nose starts bleeding onto his files!!!

there was so much concern in mulder's “oh, scully…” and she insists that she’s fine, just needs to wash up. mulder looks like he was just punched as she leaves.

(i need the gif set please. please gif it. the pain... i want to microdose it in a controlled environment)

she goes to the bathroom to clean up and WHAT THE FUCK?????? she sees the “she is me” written in BLOOD on the mirror.

AND THEN A VERY SILLY LOOKING GHOST GREENSCREENED IN APPEARS LMAOOOOO (i love you 90's tech you are my best friend) but the ghost is bleeding from her neck. which is less funny.

hold on. DOES THAT MEAN SCULLY IS GOING TO DIE??? because she saw the death omen?????

mulder’s knocking on the door of the bathroom, asking if she’s in there, and when she finally replies with a quiet and strained “yeah” he reports that they've found another victim, a college student with her throat cut. and the girl she had seen had a college sweatshirt on!!!

she is utterly gagged. this must be a very challenging thing for a non-believer to see. and to confront the implications.

at the crime scene, she’s looking at the victim's body. and this victim also had a ring on her finger that was switched from one hand to the other. scully is still staring in shock.

and harold escaped somehow!!!

she seems almost like she’s about to tell mulder what she saw back in the bathroom, but then she says that she’s going to go get “this” (gesturing to her nose) checked out. he asks to drive her and she says no, she’s fine, and he double checks and says it’s just precaution, the doctors have been keeping a close eye on it, etc etc. LET HIM DRIVE YOU!! IT’S OKAY!!!!!!! he watches her, puzzled. 

(god, how i want to get onscreen, shake her by the shoulders, and tell her that letting herself be loved and cared for is not weakness... idgaf what sort of mentality her navy father installed in her. let's work it out together)

harold has a paper in his hand and is applying glue as he mutters some numbers. they’re bowling score sheets he’s gluing to the wall!! kinda cool. recycling.

BUT they read “she is me” in BLOOD…. he turns around and sees the ghosts of the victims!!!!!!!!! he just wants to be left alone!!!! leave harold alone!!!!! why are they haunting him????

scully is getting blood drawn. oh god i can’t look and she looks horrified…. she’s looking in the mirror

and now a jump to a therapy scene. she’s talking to her therapist about her fears, how she's scared to talk to mulder about them, and how she’s kept working despite the diagnosis. she says she doesn’t feel she owes it to mulder to keep working. good. know your value.

“i guess i never realized how much i rely on him, before this” <- STOP. STOP STOP. actually no. please continue. please express your feelings. i’m just gonna cry while you do it.

“his passion. he’s been a great source of strength that i’ve drawn on” <- oh... oh...

the therapist asks what happened last night, and she says she saw something, and she doesn’t know what it was or why, but she’s crying. then she explains the apparition. the therapist asks if she’s sure she doesn’t know what the ghost was trying to tell her. 

oh my god……. she knows what it means....

mulder is back at the bowling alley, looking for harold, and mr. pintero says he would never do such a crime.

but lane 6 is dropping pins…. harold is hiding back there?!!!

mulder follows him in as he climbs up the walls… and when he finds him, he’s muttering “she is me” over and over and over again. WHAT DOES IT MEAN???? 

the jerk detective from the police is here while harold is being questioned, and he blatantly ignores the lawyer telling him not to ask any questions about his guilt or innocence. wow! great guy. said with heavy sarcasm.

mulder asks harold if he knew those women, and if he’s scared they’ll visit him, to which he keeps reciting numbers. is he reciting their bowling scores??? and then he gives one of the victim’s shoe sizes when asked!!!!!

detective jerk takes this as a confession, while mulder says he needs harold’s help to prove him innocent. it just seems to me like he has an amazing memory. luckily, mr. pintero is very kind to him. 

detective jerk continues to be a dick as harold shows them to a room where he tons and tons of score cards pasted to the walls, and can recall them by name, including those belonging to the victims. very impressive.

but then harold sees a ghost?????

he’s running away and finds mr. pintero dead on the floor!!!!! harold is sobbing. omg... no... mr. pintero... i grew to be fond of you in our brief time together.

cutscene to scully at home in her fuzzy robe, praying. it feels we are interrupting a very intimate moment. the doorbell rings. it’s mulder!

he needs her medical expertise at this late hour. then once he enters the apartment, he asks what her doctor said, to which she reassures him she’s fine, which i do not believe in the slightest.

the contrast between him in his suit and her in her fluffy robe is very sweet, but he’s trying to explain that harold saw an apparition of mr. pintero’s death

(he lowkey did just imply that harold’s autism is what lets him see ghosts though??? so that’s kinda wild. that or i misunderstood something drastically)

NOOOOO. MULDER POINTS OUT THAT EVERYONE WHO SAW THE VISIONS WERE DYING. he wants to know if harold’s dying?? no no no. 

OH MY GOSH SHE’S TRYING TO GRASP WHAT THAT MEANS……………..

no. no no. and to think, i thought we were getting fun bowling time when this episode began. 

they go to the home he’s at to examine him, but someone is listening. it's harold's roomie chuck.

harold’s supposed to take his meds, but he’s not doing that. the nurse, named nurse innes, says to TAKE HIS POISON??? is that euphemistic or...

“did you tell them about your little girlfriends? did you show them your pictures??” <- HUH?? WHAT IS GOING ON!!!!

“you think they loved you back? no one could love you, harold” <- HEY WHAT. WHO IS THIS LADY????

oh that’s a slur. that’s a full on slur she says to him. 

there’s a distant scream and the doctor has been attacked, it seems. well. deserved. 

innes is claiming “he went berserk” and attacked him. i do not believe this at all.

the other nurse seems very nice :(

they’re going to split up, scully will talk to chuck the roommate and mulder will look for harold

OH! innes pulls out a scalpel. so she fully cut her own head. wow. what a great lady. again said with great sarcasm. we have some real charmers in this episode.

scully’s talking to chuck. and he asks her if harold is dying, because nurse innes is trying to poison him. harold TOLD chuck that innes was poisoning him!! nooo, harold :(

chuck says he really loved them, and when she asks who it was that harold really loved, he pulls out the pictures of the girls who were murdered that harold kept in his drawer. the only other person who knew about those pictures was nurse innes!!!

did she kill them???????????

scully goes to find innes and notices that she is clenching her fist….. she drops the pills… and then tries to attack scully with the scalpel!!!

bad idea to try and attack an FBI agent, you absolute buffoon. she manages to slam scully around a bit, and then to promptly get shot.

mulder hears the gunshot and is sprinting to get there. he notices scully is cut on her hand right away 😭😭😭 i love when he worries about her

she used her stellar aim skills to once again land a non-lethal shot to the shoulder, to which i am very proud to see her sharpshooting skills once again highlighted!!

and she says that he should bag the scalpel, she’s pretty sure it’s the murder weapon. dang! she solved this one without him. queen.

the theory she cooks up is that innes has been taking harold’s meds, which can cause unstable behavior, and maybe she was trying to kill harold’s happiness. and then mulder breaks the news that was harold found dead in an alley. no, harold :(

she’s trying to say he wasn’t dying, he was being denied medical care. he clocks that this has a deeper meaning right away… “is that your medical opinion?”

(not even joking, someone poked their head in my room while i was watching this and said "you have a miserable look on your face". yeah. i know <3 it hurted)

“i saw something, mulder” <- oh my god. oh my god. she's going to tell him.

“i saw her in the bathroom before you came to tell me”

(holy fuck i need to rewatch this three times)

“why didn’t you tell me?” (he's keeping his voice so calm)

“because i didn’t want to believe it. because i don’t want to believe it”

“is that why you came down here, to prove that it wasn’t true?”

“no, i came down here because you asked me to” (there's annoyance in her voice)

“why can’t you be honest with me?” <- ohhh. oh my goodness. he sounds so sad.

“what do you want me to say? that you’re right? that-that I believe it even if i don’t? i mean, is that what you want?” <- ohh, that is a low blow. she’s hurting and she’s throwing words in any direction to try and deflect the pain she feels… because she cannot control it and she desperately wants to 

now he’s growing annoyed, but trying to reign it in: “is that what you think i want to hear?”

silence. a beat. and then: “no.” she seems to realize that trying to hurt him helps nobody.

“you can believe what you want to believe, scully, but you can’t hide the truth from me. because if you do, you’re working against me. and yourself” (and oh my god, she would never want to work against him... the weaponization of their mutual cause to get her to be honest and take care of herself)

“i know what you’re afraid of. i’m afraid of the same thing” <- chills. i have them. rare moment of mulder vulnerability. pain. pain.

“the doctor said i was fine”, she says. “i hope that’s the truth”, he replies.

(whispered) “i’m going home”

that line is fascinating because it sounds like he’s directly accusing her of lying….. and what if she is? what if she’s too scared to tell him that she’s not okay?

nooooo :( she gets in her car to drive home and starts to cry :(((((

AND THEN SHE SEES HAROLD……… 

WHAT THE FUCK MAN??????? HEY. WHAT THE FUCK. 

pain. pain. pain.

okay. so: this hurts. scully being scared of talking about how she feels, of letting down mulder, lying to him because she’s too afraid to speak the truth, lashing out at him to try and deflect from her pain. and then realizing that trying to hurt him helps no one.

and how he’s trying so hard to keep his cool when he wants to tell her to be honest, to stop lying and to just tell him the truth, to take care of herself and let him take care of her. he wants to convince her that it’s okay to be scared and that he is too.

this little fight is really recalling that other fight they had in tunguska and what struck me both about those is how he works so hard to keep his voice level, even when you know he wants to yell. the restraint there is astounding. he loves her so terribly.

and scully can see those ghosts, which means she’s dying, which she knows means she’s dying, and she tried to find any other explanation for it, to blame it on the power of suggestion or stress, but she knows what it means and she’s so scared. we saw her praying, likely begging for help and for her loved ones to be comforted as she leaves… 

bro. the tears. in my eyes. they are forming. 

seeing her cry is just horrible. 

but honestly, the fact that she even opened up to mulder about seeing that apparition is huge. she works so hard to be as closed off as she is, and even though she went for the low blow with trying to hurt him with the whole “you want me to say that you’re right?” thing, it was still a very big deal that she felt she could say that. but it also attests to the fact that she is in so much pain that she feels she has no choice.

goddamnit. pain. 

little did i know that day i decided to watch this show that THIS was the find of stuff i was getting myself into.

okay. so: the rest of the episode. 

well, i didn’t see the killer coming, so i was surprised there. but it was not an easy episode to watch, with the depiction of medical abuse and ableism inherent to the story. we got a full on slur moment. that did make me jump a little. the 90’s, man. they’d put anything on the TV.

so it was weird to reckon the A plot with the B plot even if they were tied together with the common thread of “these dying people can see the dead”. it was an abrupt shift between the two. 

how do i feel? sad. sad sad sad. damn you, season 4. how you fill me with unrelenting sorrow. have i been happy once in the last 22 episodes? i find it hard to recall. 

i like seeing mulder protective of and caring for scully, but seeing her suffer is so sad. i know it’s not real!!! i know she’s a character on the screen. but holy hell if it’s not emotionally taxing to watch her confront her own mortality, watch the people she loves mourn her while she’s still here but know they likely won’t have her for long.

and i know that there will likely be some sort of magical resolution because there are like what, 5 more seasons and 2 movies? but it still hurts. especially because so many people really do die of cancer and face those realities. i once again wonder how people who have cancer felt about this storyline, if they felt represented or not.

there’s an element of sorrow that gets added in knowing that these things really do happen. i can take comfort in knowing that my sibling will not statistically likely be abducted by a UFO and i will probably not be injected with goo in a gulag. these sorts of storylines have in-universe weight and are devastating in terms of the story, but we recognize that such things do not happen to us ordinary folk. and the inverse is true, at least for me, in terms of the tragedies that happen in this show that COULD happen to a person like you or me. the grief you feel from seeing a character dying of a horrific disease is all the more accentuated when you know people who have endured tragedy like that.

man, you s4 fans are real suckers for pain. i actually admire it. god bless you, actually. i need a certain good times to sorrow ratio. and i considered myself an angst aficionado before this!!!

now what in the hell is going on? while i was writing this, the beginning of the next episode started playing, and out of the corner of my eye i saw horrific flashings of color that i thought i was imagining. but no. they were real.

egads! for a moment i thought my laptop was like, on fire or something. perhaps this is a sign that i must go. i am both excited and scared to see what the last two episodes bring!!!!!

[theonetruegnome]

Fracture hills was never a big location for anything much to happen. It was a quiet town full of men women and children who were happy with the status quo. One thing that was guaranteed to get the populace buzzing however was the fair. Every summer, without fail, the fair would arrive. There were games, a few rides, attractions and, best of all, food.

The gang always went to the fair, every year, no exceptions, and it was usually the same schedule. Meet up at 12:30 and walk together to the actual fair. Buy tickets and enter at 12:57 just in time for the rides to start opening. Spend the next two hours or so being dragged by Sunny and Dandy onto every ride and game at least three times before they stop for food at 14:15. Spend half an hour trying to convince Conk to go on the scariest thing then let him sleep off the terror on a bench once he gets off. When Conk wakes up they walk around looking at all the different amusements and performers on parade. Finally, around 17:00, buy as much cotton candy they can and walk home. Bonus points if they finish it all before Rickett street.

It was a known fact that MunchyPup had the largest appetite out of any of the shifted critters, though it was a fact he was not always proud to be true. Some thought he was putting it on to try to be funny, or that he was just incredibly greedy, and disliked Munch because of it. However, with the ridicule and worries of being too gluttonous came a few small benefits, such as an increased constitution. Most people would likely be violently ill if they rode a rollercoaster three times after eating $20 worth of sugared doughnuts and French fries, and this is what happened to most of the shifted critters. Munch however managed to (Literally) keep his lunch down. When he stepped off, he didn't even look pale or in any sort of discomfort and asked if they'd like to go again!

Munch's favourite thing about his bigger tummy though, was competition. He was a celebrated competitive eater, and had won over 30 ribbons and medals. Seeing him, face buried in a stack of pancakes, or hotdogs, or anything really, it was astonishing such a vast quantity of food could fit inside such a seemingly small dog.

Anyway, the story for today starts with the gang entering one such fair. The air was crisp and cool, buzzing with excitement and nerves. 12:57. Buy tickets. The eight passed through the turnstile and made their way further into the grounds. Sunny ran off ahead to scout out what looked best. Leah was snapping away at seemingly everything, her face alight with excitement. Dandy eyed up the largest, steepest rollercoaster, her mouth forming the word 'Bet'.

The next two hours were a blur. Playing the fair games trying to win stuffed toys and keyrings and giving up their priceless tickets to the attendees to go on yet another ride. Spinning, dropping, laughing and screaming, the eight went on almost every attraction in the grounds before Munch suggested they stop for Lunch, right on schedule.

The group ate their fill, Munch in particular filling himself up as much as he could. 'Slow down Munch! You're gonna make yourself sick!' 'Lighten up a bit Mana, I've never seen Munchtime vomit once. Not even last year when he rode the waltzer after eating all those nugs!' At the memory, Callum giggles and Dandy thumps Munch on the back like he just ran a marathon. Munch grinned, swallowed, and stood up. 'Thanks Eli. You want anything while I'm up?' 'Woah, where're you going then?' 'To- to get more food, I could smell kettle corn over there-' 'Munch are you sure you can handle all this? I know you've got a big stomach but-' 'Aww, don't worry Leah. I'm not even close to full yet! But if you're really worried I'll stop after this, ok?' 'No, it's fine, I just don't want you getting sick or anything...' 'Alright, all of you, stop worrying about me! Leah, you've seen me eat before right?' 'Right.' 'So then you'll know how much I can take. So I'm going to go off, get some kettle corn, and afterwards we'll go see the freak show or something. Now, do you want any while I'm there or not?' '...Yes' Munch chuckles, 'That's what I thought!' He briefly ruffles her head fur and saunters off to find the kettle corn stand somewhere in the field they were eating in.

Eventually, Munch managed to find it and bought three large bags of the stuff from the kind woman serving him. 'Oof, maybe they're right... I am feeling kinda full. I guess I got a little carried away... I'll stop after this though. Mental promise.' Munch thought as he walked back, eating his corn. He sat down heavily next to Sunny, and handed a bag to Leah. She was immediately set upon by the others who 'Just wanted a bit', but left her with less than half of what she had. Just as the disappointment registered on her face, Munch handed her the third bag he had bought.

As soon as the last kernels were eaten Sunny stood up; 'So, where do we wanna go next? We could-' 'Lllllladies and Gentlemen!' The sudden noise of the voice over the loudspeaker made them all jump. 'We are proud to announce, the first annual Fracture Hills fair eating contest is about to begin! Anyone who wishes to enter last-minute, please speak with Samaritan at the stage entrance. All are welcome to compete!'

The group was stunned into silence before all crowding around Munch 'Ohmygod, Munch!' 'This is perfect for you-' '-You should compete!'

'Hey- Wha- No guys! This is not on the schedule, we should be-' 'Awww, nuts to the schedule! You could easily beat anyone else here!'

'But- But- I'm not- I mean, I should save room for cotton candy later, right?' 'It doesn't matter if you can't eat any cotton candy, the rest of us can pick up the slack.'

'Alright, but I probably won't win guys- L-look! Those are grown adults I'd competing with!' 'So? You're the boy with almost fifty ribbons for competitive eating. We've all seen you at your peak and it is honestly terrifying.' '...Okay fine, I guess it couldn't hurt to try...'

He walked up to the sparrow at the stage entrance, signed his name and climbed the steps to take his assigned place at the table. There must have been at least a hundred people all looking up at them. His stomach turned, and he suddenly became aware of how full his stomach was. He couldn't do this, he'd have to back down...

'Attaboy munch! You got this!' Munch ran forward slightly and scoured the crowd. His friends were all right in the centre, smiling and cheering him on. Leah had even gotten out her video camera to record the thing. He couldn't give up after they'd gotten so hyped... He gritted his teeth, sat and waited for the food to be placed in front of him. Pies. Perfect, his preferred meal for contests like this.

'Alright, standard rules for pie. Eat the majority of the centre of the pie, no hands allowed, and if you wanna back down, ring the bell in front of you. All clear? Ok! On your marks! Get set...GO!'

Munch threw himself face-first into the pastry and started to wolf down as much as he could. His candy-pink fur was soon stained with reds, blues and yellows. Sticky-sweet syrup and cinnamon-y apple sauce soaked into his fur and he could tell he'd crisp up later.

The others were all screaming and cheering their friend on. Conk was jumping like a madman, Dandy was yelling at the top of her lungs...

Catnap's voice suddenly faltered. He became aware of how many people were around him at the moment, how many strangers he didn't know. His cheers turned to a wheezy sort of squeak and he drew into himself. Crafty looked confused. What just happened? It was like she'd... she had no way to fully describe it, but something felt off... But what? Bobby had noticed catnap panicking and, dropping her camera, rushed over to him, wrapping her cardigan around his shoulders. Wait... her cardigan? But she didn't- Dogday suddenly felt a tsunami of nausea hit him. His tummy felt like it was bursting at the seams and his saliva felt thick as ice-cream. His whole body heaved as it tried to force the food back up his trachea. He looked up, hoping to see his friends urging him on. Instead, catnap looked terrified, Bubba and Crafty confused and the rest seemingly oblivious to his struggle. His hand lifted and fell limply onto the bell, the entirety of his mind on forcing himself not to spew everywhere.

The small *Ding!* seemed to echo like a gunshot. The others looked up, and saw Munch get up and walk offstage. Their once happy faces turned to disappointment and shock. What had happened? None of them could remember really, aside from their friend looking really uncomfortable. They all rushed over to meet him.

Munch looked up and saw them all waiting at the bottom of the short steps. He noticed that Callum looked on the verge of tears and all thoughts of losing slipped out of his brain.

'Hey, Callum, you ok? What's wrong?' 'Huh? *Sniff* Oh, I dunno. I just felt so… scared and- and upset all of a sudden. I- I just- *Sniff*-‘ 'It was probably nerves and disappointment, you'll be fine.' Mana put her arm around the small cat's shoulders and gave him a squeeze. Munch remembered his, briefly forgotten, failure and hung his head.

'Oh, yeah. Sorry about that guys, I really screwed up-'

'No, Munch It's fine!' He looked up, unconvinced. 'Yeah, you ate so much earlier, it's no surprise you almost barfed everywhere-' 'Seriously dude, you looked so sick-' 'But, it doesn't matter, you still did really well!' 'Yeah, and I've got it all on- *Gasp* MY CAMERA!' Leah ran off back into the crowd to search for her video camera. 'The point is Munch, there's no point in being sorry for yourself. You still did so well, and we couldn't be prouder.'

Munch gazed into his friends gentle faces, and involuntarily smiled.

'Thanks guys, I really love you all-'

There was a collective 'aww!' from them all at his words.

'And I really appreciate every one of you... ...Now how about Conk goes on the pendulum to make me feel better-‘ 'NOOOOPE! NOT HAPPENING!' 'Hey get back here!' 'You can't outrun us all Conk-'

The seven of them managed to get Conk onto the ride, with the stipulation Callum ride with him. Five minutes of screaming later, Conk was passed out on a bench and Callum was sitting with his head between his knees and Leah gently scratching between his ears.

Finally, hours later, the sun began to set and the sky turned orange. The eight wandered tiredly back out of the turnstile gates with armfuls of fluffy pink and blue candy floss. Soon, they said their goodnights and parted ways, each thinking fondly of both what happened today, and their beds. Munch pinned his first ever second place ribbon to his headboard and sighed. The day's events were still weighing on him. His first true loss. And at something he was good at too... You know what? You know what, What did it matter? It had to happen at some point, so why not today? He still had his friends, his family, his box full of other ribbons... It doesn't matter!

Munch actually smiled at the red '#2' ribbon. 'Well, it could be worse.' He thought as he got into bed. He might not have known what set him off his game, but what did it matter? After all, nobody's perfect... And that just makes us all so much more special.

[zel-shadedreviews]

This is the very first feature-length movie by Aardman Animations; after their short movies with Wallace and Gromit, and television shows such as Rex the Runt and Morph, Peter Lord and Nick Park finally gave us this.

The film takes place on a chicken farm where the poultry prisoners plan to escape their confinement and experience the wildlife. Led by Ginger, the chickens constantly fail, while under the eyes of the Tweedy farmers and their guard dogs. One night, Mrs. Tweedy devises a new plan in order to increase their income by making chicken pies with a machine. When Ginger begins to lose hope, she witnesses a flying rooster that escaped from the circus, where he crash-lands into their farm and sparks a deal with her to help them all fly, or so he thinks.

This movie is one of the staples of Aardman Animations, right beside the Wallace and Gromit shorts, containing a mixture of their excellent writing and dark humour. What I mostly love is the premise of a chicken farm portrayed as a depressing concentration camp with the farmers as their wardens, even to the point of homaging The Great Escape. The recurring joke of learning how to fly does enormously take flight in the middle point, focusing on Rocky’s influence on the chickens, before we are thrown into another source that establishes as the final climax, bringing a larger layer of thrilling threat. The climax I especially remember being the highlight of the film with a chicken coop-constructed airplane that’s chocked with a handful of gags, some even pulled from Star Trek.

As for its comedy, Aardman knew how to add a mixture of family-friendly one-liners, visual gags and even some dark humour now and then. You do have some that take the extra mile such as a knitted noose, but then the mood immediately picks up with comedic situations involving the scatterbrained hens. I wouldn’t go as far as saying the movie was that dark, but it earned a solid PG rating when it knew how to take the curtain off now and then.

The animation for an Aardman movie is something worth talking about, as they’re the masters when it comes to animating claymation. I liked how each individual design is present on the chickens, mainly from how their neck would have a necklace or a scarf; this was to hide their head seams and works well to tell each of them apart. At first, the chickens may look creepy at first with their humanised heads and teeth, but they’re designed to look as uncanny from avians and have that classic Aardman charm. With Aardman’s focus on the foreground, they don’t give up on their backgrounds especially, adding layers of life towards its gloomy plantation and the rollercoaster of hazardous gears within the pie-making machine.

Aardman Animations is one of my favourite companies as they know how to do their work without a sign of a single fingerprint anywhere else. Seeing this sort of quality makes me appreciate on far they’ve come from the eighties and after their first projects.

The characters are also fun to watch where the main star is Ginger the sensible leader who has an eager wish to escape the game and find out freedom for the flock. With the mindset of thinking outside of the box, Ginger stops at nothing, attempting to find anyway to find various ways out of the farm and you see how much she does care for her brethren. Even when she loses all hope, she picks herself up again and proposes a better alternative, no matter what the cost. Julia Sawalha kept a firm yet likeable voice for this character.

Rocky’s a laidback character with the demeanour of a cocky American slacker, showing up as the flock’s idolised saviour, only that he bares a deep secret that plays a part near the ending. Surprisingly, this was one of the few roles of Mel Gibson that I actually didn’t mind, where his voice fitted the overall character.

You have the side-characters who are share their individual personalities: I liked the brains of the team, Mac, with her thick Scottish accent; the boisterous muscle of the group, Bunty; the rambling retired colonel Fowler and my favourite being the knitting airhead, Babs, who always had to make a line at the wrong time. Seriously, the latter had the greatest line in the entire movie; “I don’t want to be a pie! I don’t like gravy.” There’s also the scheming Nick and halfwitted Fletcher, two hustling rats that appear every now and then to assist the chickens in their aid of need in exchange for eggs.

The villains are fantastic, consisting of Mr. and Mrs. Tweedy who are the owners of the farm. Mrs. Tweedy is the central villain with a tight control over the farm, making sure every chicken lays their eggs otherwise its soups on for the failing type. By the end, the farmer decreases into an axe-wielding murderer, hungry for chicken flesh and larger profits, while not even caring that her own poultry has constructed an entire flying machine. Above all, she constantly berates her dim-witted husband for acting like himself, even if he’s the one who sees the truth. I also like how dull Mr. Tweedy can be, yet he’s the suspicious type and manages to build an advanced pie-making machine from scratch. What’s pretty interesting is that they never refer to each-other by their first name despite being a couple. The fates with Mrs. Tweedy was satisfying to watch, where a mad monster on the loose met her match with her own plan backfiring in her face.

This is hailed as a classic and I can’t even say anything else to express my love for this movie. Not even the sequel can change my verdict on how this holds up as a masterpiece.

Final Rating: A

9/10

[avelnfear]

Chapter Three

Masterlist

Danny leaned back on the couch with a heavy sigh, mentally going over the events of the past few months. Life had gone downhill fast after the group had returned from the Crowning, like a rollercoaster that ran out of track. It all started when Madd- when Mom had confronted him and Jazz about his being Phantom. He’d feared the worst before she started sobbing and babbling about how sorry she was for ever targeting him or believing what Jack said about ghosts. Jack had overheard about him being Phantom, attempted to End him, and caused Team Phantom plus Mom to have to scramble to change Danny’s identity and set him up in the chosen city. He’d somehow managed to interview well at Arkham despite Mom giving him a different application than the one he thought he’d be getting, and now he finally had a chance to rest in his brand new apartment.

When the short runthrough of events didn’t calm his buzzing core he sighed, giving into the fact that he’d have to set aside time to go through everything that had happened in more detail later. Opening his eyes, Danny looked around the Crime Alley apartment that they’d managed to get him under the short notice. The walls were thin and not entirely clean, but they weren’t the worst walls he’d ever seen in Crime Alley. The furnishings were sparse, as though he was prepared to move at any moment, because he was. Despite that, the room still managed to feel cozy and lived in. If his memory served him, this apartment complex was one that Jason would frequent occasionally which would make sense because he owned the building.

Sliding from the couch to their feet, Danny wandered over to the fridge in an almost daze, drowning in thoughts of their sun. They missed him so much it hurt. Their thoughts paused at the empty fridge standing before them. They’d forgotten to go shopping. A pang of longing went through them at the thought of food, both for the idea of food itself and for the thought of a chance to taste their love’s cooking again. With another heavy sigh, Danny started to move throughout the room, gathering up everything they needed in order to go on a short shopping trip.

They attached the chain that disguised some N Capsules to their jeans, neatly hiding it under their baggy hoodie. Next they snagged the N Taser, it looked like a regular taser while still working on ghosts, and their switchblade, which was a replica of one that Jay had given them once. Danny left the living room and entered the bedroom which only contained a dresser, a wardrobe, and a bed although everything still had that cozy yet abandonable vibe to it. Snagging their wallet from the top of the dresser and making sure the window was locked, they finally made their way to the front door to slip on their shoes which were a good pair of running shoes that had seen better days.

Danny took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for any sort of situation they might get into before opening the door and stepping out, right into the path of a tall person, sending them both to the ground. Eggs dropped from their container, smashing their shells on his hoodie and leaving behind a gooey mess, but Danny only had eyes for the unfortunate person he was now tangled with on the ground. It was just his luck to have run into the very object of his thoughts right when he wasn’t prepared for it.

Jazz’s voice reminded Danny to breathe, and he calmed down quickly. There was no time for panic, he had a first impression to make. “Sorry about that, guess meet-cutes aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.” His voice was light, dramatic, and teasing, exactly the kind of tone he’d have used in their first life when he didn’t know what to say and just defaulted to the first thought that crossed his head. Evidently, Jason didn’t remember their past lives yet because there was no flare of recognition in his eyes as Danny’s words were processed. Danny is sure Jason’s face went through the five stages of grief, adding a few and not quite reaching acceptance before Jason groaned, burying his face in his hands.

“That…” Jason groaned out, still hiding his face. “That was almost a good pick up line until I registered that it was a pun.” Looking up, Jason seemed to realize what door he was in front of. “Well howdy neighbor, this is definitely not how I thought we’d meet. Been hearing you move in for the past week or so, nice to finally meet you. Your accent isn’t local, so what brings you to Gotham?”

“Many things.” Danny said with a wince as Jason accidentally dug his elbow into Danny’s ribs while trying to get free from the two person tangle. “If I’d realized you’d already known I was moving in, I definitely would have said hi sooner.” Danny winced again as their legs thumped the floor as Jason attempted to free himself. “Again, I’m sorry about this. I should have been looking where I was going, but my mind was a tad distracted by my hunger. All that work moving in only to forget to stock up on food is such a rookie mistake.” Danny had a better view of how their legs were tangled, so he swiftly untangled them, rising to his feet and extending a hand to Jace. “Name’s Danny. Not Daniel, not Dan, not Danno, not Danny Boy, just Danny.” His voice lost a tad of the humor it had kept up as he went over the names not to call him.

Jason took his hand, pulling himself to his feet with an amused smirk on his face. “Nice to meet you Danny. You can call me Jason. We’ve all forgotten to go shopping once or twice, and to be fair, you weren’t the only one at fault here. I was focused on my phone when I should have been paying attention to my surroundings.” Jason looked around, probably for his phone, quickly scooping it up once he saw it. When he turned back to Danny, he winced in sympathy at the messy hoodie. “Sorry about your hoodie.”

Danny looked down as if noticing the mess on his hoodie for the first time. “Eh, don’t worry about it. This is actually my least favorite hoodie, so I don’t care too much about it. I’m more saddened about the early death of the eggs, those could have made some great food. Speaking of,” Danny clicked his fingers to help convey the suddenness of the thought he was now speaking, “do you mind telling me a good place to get some food shopping done? I’m fairly new in town, clearly, and I didn’t really have time to research such places.” Danny rubbed the back of his neck as though nervous, but he really only wanted something to do with his hands, leaving them hanging was starting to feel awkward.

Jason smirked gently at him, and Danny had to fight back his instinctual responding smile, reminding himself that Jason doesn’t remember. “Seeing as I need to get some new eggs, why don’t we just meet up after I’ve had a chance to put the rest of this away and you to change hoodies? Say, five to ten minutes?” Jason moved while he talked, picking up the various groceries spread around the hall from their fall, Danny quickly moving to help him. 

“Sure, sounds like a plan.” Danny held out the couple of bags he’d reassembled the contents of. “Here.” Jason took the bags, and Danny spoke again before Jason could move off, “I’ll just stand inside my doorway this time. Wouldn’t want a repeat of this situation, after all, my heart couldn’t take falling for the same person twice in one day.” Danny winked along with his words, trying to convey that he was teasing in more ways than just the massive shit eating grin on his face.

Without giving Jason time to respond, Danny slipped into his apartment, smoothly and swiftly closing the door. As soon as the door was shut, the smile dropped, and Danny ran his hands over his face and through his hair. That was not how he thought his first meeting with Jason would go. Danny had figured out during that conversation with his fright after the Crowning that there was no way Jason remembered because he would have found Danny before anything really happened. After all, that was what had happened in their second life, where they both remembered from the beginning. Danny had thought that the wave of energy the Crowning had produced might have awoken the memories, but that didn’t appear to be the case.

Moving on autopilot, Danny moved through the apartment, leaving the soiled hoodie in the laundry room to be dealt with later before heading to the bedroom to find a new hoodie. Jason’s ecto-signature had been off, but Danny expected that, even would have been worried if it hadn’t been. The first time they’d met, Jason had thought Danny was also dipped into a Lazarus Pit… The Lazarus Pit! Of course! Danny paused as a thought struck them. The remaining Pit Waters in Jason must be holding back his memories, maybe even cutting off or stifling his connection to his core! How would Danny be able to fix that was the new problem.

Shaking his head, Danny put that thought away for later, focusing on finding the perfect hoodie from his collection. Shortly after his accident, Tucker and Sam had started getting him hoodies with ghost comics on them or cartoon ghosts doing silly things or just hoodies with cartoon ghosts on them. One of these hoodies had a cartoon ghost and cartoon zombie face to face with each other on the front, both of them saying, “Same hat!” The back had the same ghost and zombie now saying, “Different colors though…” They both were wearing no hats. It was perfect, and the hoodie Danny planned to wear when meeting Jason for the first time.

Finally finding it, Danny wasted no time getting to his door while pulling it on. As Danny passed the counter he spotted his phone which he promptly scooped up, mentally chiding himself for forgetting it the first time. Danny opened his door to find an empty hallway, meaning Jason wasn’t done with putting things away, or he was caught up talking to the Batfam about something. Knowing how quickly Jason usually put things away, unless that had changed, and consulting his inner clock, Danny figured it was the latter and settled in to wait, pulling up a game on his phone in the meantime.

~`~`~

Jason stared at the door that had just closed in his face. His new neighbor, Danny, was nothing like what he thought they were going to be. Shaking himself both mentally and physically, Jason walked to his own door, quickly entering his own apartment, locks opening swiftly with practised ease. Letting his body put things away on autopilot, Jason let his thoughts drift.

When he’d first heard his new neighbor moving in, Midwest accent and all, he’d brought it up to the sibling group chat, and they’d all made bets on what type of person his neighbor was and how quickly they would move. The usual things. Jason hadn’t thought they would be staying for long, and that they were likely to be timid due to how long it took them to introduce themselves, factoring in the fact that the Midwest was notorious for being friendly from what he’d heard all his life.

Danny was nothing like he’d expected. On the outside, with the baggy hoodie, Danny looked like a stiff wind would snap him in half with ease, but Jason had felt the hidden muscles while struggling to untangle himself. Usually Jason would have been free in a heartbeat, but it was like his brain had glitched the moment Danny touched him. Something about it was so familiar, yet he was sure he’d never felt anything like that before. Danny hadn’t appeared to have the same issue, moving with all the grace that Dick usually did, like someone trained to fight and entertain. Danny also punned like Dick but more subtle. 

Despite how much Danny seemed to be like Dick, Jason shied away from that comparison. It just didn’t feel right. Danny had the same eyes as Tim, icy blue, even possessing the same deep eye bags that spoke of someone who didn’t sleep well. Danny’s eyes, while sharing the same color as Tim, reminded Jason most of Damian, assessing and sharp, yet they also bore the kindness of Duke. There had been a hint of a scar that trailed from the edge of his chin to somewhere under the hoodie. The scar was barely noticeable because of how pale it was on Danny’s pale skin. The black hoodie with black pants and black running shoes had only served to make him appear paler. 

The sound of his phone blowing up drew Jason from his thoughts. The sibling chat was blowing up with concern for him. It took him a moment to remember that he’d been messaging with them before the fall. Jason sighed, spying that they were all on comms, he made the decision to join them on there rather than just texting them. It was the work of five seconds to locate one of the spare comms hidden all around his apartment. Putting it in, Jason heard a wall of concerned cries from most of his siblings while Barb tried to get them to calm down as the sole voice of reason.

“Yo.” Silence, deafening silence, dawned over the line before everyone began speaking at once again. Jason let it go for a couple minutes just to let them get the panic out of their systems. Deciding enough was enough, he spoke again, “Alright, everyone shut the fuck up or I won’t answer any of the questions.” The comms fell silent again.

“What happened, Little Wing? You were messaging us and then just fell off the face of the earth.” Dick tried to sound less worried than he was, but Jason was skilled at picking up human emotions.

Jason chuckled. “Nothing as dramatic as that Dickiebird. I just ran into my neighbor, literally. We talked for a little bit, and I just got back into my apartment.” Jason leaned on the counter as the comms dissolved into chaos once again, everyone wanting to know who’d won money in the bet.

“Tt. I still do not understand why the betting was so intense for such an insignificant event.” Leave it to the Demon Brat to get everyone to shut up.

“Damian,” Tim said slowly, clearly trying to keep his tone kind while wanting to scream at Damian for supposed stupidity, “we’re talking about someone who moved into Crime Alley, into a building that is known to be owned by Red Hood no less, who has a background so secure Oracle can’t crack it, that just got a job at Arkham as a guard assigned to the main Rogue wing, and they just so happened to move into the one apartment that was open on the top floor despite a lot of the building being empty. The whole thing sounds more than suspicious enough for us to get, as you put it, intense about this.”

In the silence that followed, Jason decided to finally offer some information. “Their name is Danny, they look like a twink yet feel like they have a decent amount of muscle, and I did not manage to get their pronouns.” Jason broke out his Mission Report Voice, knowing it would catch everyone’s attention. “They wore all black and didn’t appear to be armed, although they could be good at concealing their weapons. They look like Tim, act like Dick, and move like a combo between Dick and Damian. They looked like they had been getting about as much sleep as Tim too. Definitely from the Midwest, although they did appear to know a little bit about what they were getting into and some of the unspoken rules of Gotham, such as not being overly friendly yet still showing a sense of community and not pressing someone on what they were doing. They didn’t try to follow me into my apartment, even closing their door before I could move off, possibly to give me more comfort knowing they wouldn’t know exactly where I live. Danny has a scar that is faint yet visible that trails from the edge of their chin to somewhere below the neckline of their hoodie. They didn’t seem to know who I was, but they did agree to go shopping with me seeing as I lost some eggs and they didn’t buy groceries as they were moving in.”

There was some silence as everybody processed what he said, but that was quickly broken by Steph, “What do you mean you lost some eggs?” Her voice clearly showed her disbelief.

“I did tell you that I literally ran into them.” Jason kept his voice dry. “The only reason I have the time to talk to you guys right now is because some eggs decided to kamikaze on their hoodie.”

The comms exploded with laughter. It seems like the majority of his siblings the bat siblings found his phrasing funny, which was the whole point. Idly, Jason looked down at his phone, immediately letting out a string of expletives, carefully avoiding the use of the words that would make his siblings rush over in worry. Quickly, he snagged his wallet and shoved his feet into his boots.

“What? What’s wrong?” Dick’s voice broke through Jason’s steady stream of curses. 

“I’m fucking five minutes later than I told Danny I would be for shopping. Shit! Talk to you guys later.” Jason didn’t give anybody time to respond before turning off the commlink and yanking it out of his ear in the same motion. He dashed to the door, barely glancing in the mirror to make sure he hadn’t somehow gotten something on his shirt or jacket while he was in the house.

Jason threw his door open and himself through it, spinning to close the door and then lock it as fast as he could, only fumbling slightly. Looking up, he saw Danny in their doorway, playing on their phone. As he starts to step towards them, their head jerks up, and a smile lights up their face. 

“Hey, long time no see.” Their smile turns obviously teasing and they pitch their voice up and down to really sell that it was meant to be teasing. Jason winced, about to say something when Danny interrupted him, “Don’t worry about it, although we might need to stop at a fast food place before shopping because I definitely need a meal now.” Danny laughed while they spoke, conveying that it was still meant to be lighthearted.

Jason laughed along with Danny. “I, uh, never got your pronouns. Mine are he/him, may I know yours?” Jason smiled sheepishly.

“Oh! I knew there was something I forgot. I use he/they and sometimes she. Gender is weird.” Danny rubbed their neck again.

~`~`~

The shopping trip went well! Danny had gotten a few strange looks from Jason a few times. First was for his large order at Batburger, but Danny had quieted Jason’s suspicion by informing him that he hadn’t eaten all day. The next time was because a couple of the seven different types of mushrooms in his cart could kill someone who didn’t, or did, know what they were doing with them, the fact that they’d been placed right next to raspberry sparkling water didn’t help, but Danny just waved Jason off that time, he knew what he was doing. Danny was pretty sure his cart organization looked like a disaster just waiting to happen, but he knew what he was doing. Things were bagged with what they were going to be used with, so the concerned stares weren’t necessary from Jason and the cashier.

As all good times in Danny’s life, something had to quickly make it take a nosedive. They were two measly blocks from their apartment building when a group of robbers dragged them and their groceries into an alleyway that Danny knew was a dead end. Knives were being waved in their faces, and Jason looked like he didn’t know what to do because he couldn’t show too much skill in front of a civilian while still wanting to beat these amateurs up. As for Danny, he was just focusing on slowly working the bags down so that they wouldn’t spill any of their precious cargo when they hit the ground.

The leader walked up. “What’s taking so long? Divest them of their valuables.” The leader had a scar on one side of his face, Danny could use that.

“Hey, Lopsided!” The leader turned from the minion he was addressing to glare at Danny while everyone else looked at Danny like he’d lost his mind, which was rude in Danny’s opinion. “Do you want me to even you out?” An easy smile rested on Danny’s face, and he made himself stand like he was just offering a friendly favor to a friend, bags closer to the ground like this.

“What?!” The leader growled out, leaning forward and twisting his face in a way he probably thought was aggressive but actually just showed Danny a glimpse of what his fighting style would be like.

Danny kept the easy smile in place as he tilted his head. Speaking slightly louder he said, “My bad, you must be hard of hearing too. I asked if you wanted me to even you out. Ya know, your face. Your nose is crooked, and there’s only a scar on one side of your face. I don’t guarantee that I can fix the nose without a few more supplies, but I can definitely even out your face, it’ll be easy!” Jason looked very impressed and very concerned, but he didn’t say anything, likely speechless or wanting to see how this plays out.

“You’re clearly new in town, so I’ll give you some advice and one more chance.” Lopsided was somewhere between a growl and a smile now, looking smug as someone who just figured out something massive that was previously missing. “I’m not your friend, and I should kill you for those remarks. Apologize and I won’t slit your neck right here.”

Danny laughed gently, keeping his eyes on Lopsided. “I am new in town, thanks for noticing, but I should be the one to give you some advice and a chance. Listen closely,” Danny leaned in, using that action to disguise the fact that his arms were now free of the bags, and said bags were on the ground, “you only have one chance. I never said we were friends. People don’t need to be friends to be friendly ya know, and you should kill me even though you can’t.” 

With his last word still fading from the air, Danny launched into motion, pulling his switchblade free and flicking it open as he used the goon in front of him like a springboard to launch him at Lopsided, sending the goon to the ground. Before anyone could do anything, Danny’s blade was cutting deeply into Lopsided’s face, giving him a wound that would definitely leave a matching scar. Danny swung his legs around to rebound off of the leader, Danny couldn’t call him Lopsided anymore, and into another goon. From there, Danny let instincts take control, ripping through the ranks of the robbers with obvious ease while the majority of his focus went to not causing any fatal wounds in the people who dared threaten his Jason. It was the work of a few short minutes to have every goon disabled on the ground, the majority unconscious and all having bleeding wounds due to his switchblade.

Turning, Danny saw Nightwing and Jason standing together with their jaws open in shock. Immediately, Danny’s throat felt closed up, and he knew that his voice had left the chat. Great. Danny leaned down to wipe the switchblade off on one of the goons before closing it. Danny figured they needed a few more moments to gather themselves, so he went to go check on his groceries. It wouldn’t do to have lost something and only find out after getting home.

“T-” Jason paused, audibly swallowing. “That was very impressive.” He exhaled harshly. “Very impressive.” His voice was quiet and breathy.

Danny looked up, nodding quietly with a small smile. Danny signed a simple ‘thank you’ to him. Jason’s eyes widened slightly before a look of realization flashed across his eyes and gave way to understanding. Nightwing still looked shocked, so Danny sent a concerned look at Jason while flicking his eyes over to Nightwing and grabbing his groceries.

Jason sighed. “I’ll get him functioning, you head on to the apartment and I’ll check in with you when I get back.” Danny nodded and started walking, feeling satisfied for having defended one of his people even if that person didn’t belong to his fright just yet.

~`~`~

Jason sat on the edge of the roof with one of Nightwing’s extra communicators in his ear listening to the silence as everyone struggled to process what they were hearing. It had taken a few minutes for Jason to get Nightwing to respond to him, and he’d spent all of them thinking about the sudden switch Danny had made from speaking to not. Danny hadn’t had any issue mouthing off to the amateurs attempting to rob them, but the moment he noticed Nightwing he’d gone silent. Jason had thought about what could have caused that, if anything had even caused that, and why he’d had so much ease understanding Danny’s nonverbal cues. 

“Okay okay… Run that by me again” Jason sighed at the phrase he’d heard three times before. Steph at least sounded less confused and more amused this time.

“It all started after I met up with Danny in the hall…”

Taglist: @blacksea21090 @chrysanthemum9484 @samgirl98 @may-rbi @justwannaseesomebrozawa @serasvictoria02 @treepainting @fluffykster @enderglace @sigdexae @persephoneblackrose @angelofsongsoteira @lazy-bouqet @littlefeather345 @icedbluesoul @autumnwulf @thefearfullone @alixanterm @skulld3mort-1fan @dulceringo @vidimirrayne @betinaplayingwriter @the-legal-shipper @currant-owo @crystalqueertea @fisticuffsatapplebees @bugaboo25 @dannyphantomphan 

[merakiui]

First thing first, I must apologize for the upcoming ramble in all caps that I'm abt to place in your ask. Now that's out of the way, let's get in to this.

Okay, so I've now finished TMDG and all I can say is:

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA HOLY FUCKING SHIT--

THAT WAS SO WORTH THE WAIT OH MY GODD-- You've outdone yourself once again, Mera. YOU REALLY COOKED AND SERVED THIS ONE. MIGHT I SAY, YOU"VE BESTOWED US WITH A MAGNIFICENT FEAST 👏👏👏 😭😭😭✨✨✨

I really am unable to put my thoughts into words; they all just come out incoherent. Like, HOW THE HELL DID YOU EVEN MANAGE TO DRAG ME EVEN DEEPER INTO JADE LEECH HELL??? I AM EXPERIENCING SO MANY EMOTIONS THROUGHOUT READING THIS PIECE THAT I"M NO LONGER ON A ROLLERCOASTER RIDE ー NO, I"VE ASCENDED TO AN EMOTIONAL PLANE I DON'T THINK ANY MAN COULD DESCRIBE OTZ OTZ OTZ

Memes for visualization:

When you said MC was gonna be obsessive towards Floyd I was not expecting it to be that obsessive (not as hardcore as our Jade here, but i don't think no one could ever compare to our eel here). SHE"S SO DELUSIONAL I"M CACKLING-- and AAAAA SHE REALLY IS PERFECT WITH JADE, they truly are a match made in madness <3 I really love their banter, like they're already married to each other for decades and more (and god they will)

I was so filled with suspicion reading this fic cause the switch between Jade to Floyd really got me, "Is this really really Floyd??". It's nice to see that my suspicion came to fruition in the most agonizing way :))

AND JADE!!! Jadeee 🥺🥺🥺 how can you make one eel so- so-- UGHHHH infuriating?? So devious?? So gentle?? So loving?? So terrifying?? So many things at once that i can't help but put my feelings in a salad spinner??? Every moment that he was just being fluffy really got me swooning, only to get the reminder that he's indeed a cunning slippery eel (which just makes me fall even harder for him). Oohhh when he laid his feelings bare to be seen, when he's just... honest about it. He's just soo so so in love i just want to cry about it ueueueue..

I also like when MC is like: "I can never tell what goes thru Jade's head."

Jade: *Says the most poetic shit abt how he adores her like she's the moon.*

MC: "HE"S LYING!!"

Truly, i think TMDG has become my favorite fic of all time <33 this is such a wonderful way to end my year ✨✨

And so to end my ask, Happy New Years Mera!! Thank you for writing The Most Dangerous Game and all the other wonderful writings that have accompanied me throughout this year <33 Really, your posts are some of things I always look forward to read everyday. Wishin you another wonderful year to come, and hope you take care ✨✨💕💕

AAAAAAA OMG OMG THANK YOU!!!! THANK YOU SO SO SOSOSO MUCH!!!!! ♡(╥﹏╥) I'm very happy knowing it was worth the wait and that it could make you feel so many emotions!!!! It is my job to drag everyone even further into Jade hell!!!! >:D

Reader is so delusional omg!!! She's so silly... I loved writing her interactions with Jade because she really is just so perfect for him. orz delusional x obsessive...... waaaa truly the most crazy match of all time! They're so perfect for each other, but neither realizes it yet. Reader, you're pining for the wrong eel!!!!! I hoped to convey just how naturally Jade and Reader click, whereas with Floyd there's some sort of awkward strain. >_< Jade and Reader are so married!!!!!!! <3 Azul can be the priest and Floyd can be best eel at their wedding because Jade couldn't have done it if it weren't for Floyd (and Reader's obsessive attachment to him).

Jade is so many things in this fic,,, a conniving eel at heart. >:( but I love him when he's like that. I'm so happy he had you swooning!!! For all of his sleazy ways, he's extremely sweet when he's so gentle and honest about his feelings. AAAAA HE'S SO HEAD OVER HEELS/FINS FOR YOU!!!!!!! (∩˃o˂∩) and I'm glad you liked those parts of Reader being unable to believe a thing Jade says. T_T he is opening his chest for her to explain the truths locked away in his heart, and she's still questioning it......

Thank you so very much for reading TMDG and for writing such a kind message!!! I love those reaction images as well LOL. They illustrate how I felt while writing this story hehe!! <3 I am wishing you the happiest of new year!!!!!!! Thank you for accompanying me through 2023! :D sending you lots of love and wonderful things for your 2024!!!!!!!! (ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)ꕤ.ﾟ

[scoonsalicious]

How did I miss an entire PART?!?! So I'm back again to add this. But omg, he doesn't know that she knows? Has he not been in his room yet? I mean, it's right on his door. OR Jessica found it first and hid it, didn't she? Because obviously, Brent is going to pull through with his treat since he's going to think she ratted him out. OR this is another manipulation tactic on her part because she's going to be like "Oooh see she's ignoring you for no reason" blah blah blah. And while Pocket said some hurtful things, like calling him Winter Soldier, I get where she's coming from. But it's the fact that he actually has no clue. He's probably spiraling again and his insecurities are flaring up and all sorts. But then again, he should've figured it out by now. Like, use that brain, Becky.

I am worried for Pocket though, because she's running on anger and emotions right now. She deserves to let loose and show them what she's got with her talents on that pole (queen, absolutely) but I'm worried she's going to get into her head on that mission and something is going to trigger her. I'm honestly just worried for her safety and mental health, i mean she isn't going into this with a clear mind. But Sam is there to look out for her though so hopefully she'll be fine.

But anyways! as always, this story is so so good. I trust you and your judgment as to how this will go, so I can't wait to see more! I'm in this rollercoaster ride now and i can't get off and that's a good thing hahaha sending love!

— Jnon 🤍

DOUBLE JNON?!?!?! IS IT MY BIRTHDAY?!?!??!?!? Bucky didn't unfortunately, get to his room before the group meeting, so he didn't see the screenshots knifed to the door, or his stuff dumped all over the ground. So, at this second, he doesn't know she knows. BUT DON'T WORRY! IT WON'T BE FOR LONG! What's even better than having your ex confront the evidence of his betrayal on his own door? CONFRONTING HIM YOURSELF! Pocket will definitely be letting loose (Chapter 20 is called Uninhibited for a reason, lol), but this mission is going to be a lot for her. She's gotta stay in the right frame of mind, because we're talking about dozen of women's lives at stake. But, given the nature of it, and the kind of necessity for her to go backwards into her past, it's quite possible its going to affect her in ways she never expected!

[luvly-writer]

“You are my sunshine”

Part 27: I know what the chaos brings

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Jason Todd x Latina! Reader

Social Media Au

Warnings: guns

Status: Finished

Author’s note: FINALLY ITS POSTINGGGG! Get ready for a rollercoaster of emotions!!!

Taglist: @lorosette @randobeetlehouse @alecmores @milas-teapot @writing-for-the-hell-of-it @izukuisbaby @unofficial-jaytodd-wife @graywrites5567 @addictedtothefictionalworld

Series Masterlist:

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you hate having to constantly be nervous

You tugged on your red dress anxiously as you waited in the car.

You hair was tied back into a slick pony tail, the diamond necklace that laid comfortably on you matched with your bracelet, both gifts by Jason for the gala since you bough your own dress, and your heels snugly on your feet.

Jason had come to pick you up in his father’s black Mercedes (the one that he constantly stole and had absolutely no idea Bruce had already put down on his name and planned to tell him on his birthday) and decided to take a mirror pic with you on the complex lobby.

Nola had accompanied you to get your nails done and there you expressed the real reason of your current nerves

You had gone to quite a few galas before, and yet this one was different

Last time, you were a nobody hidden in the shadows, just another lucky commoner

Now…now you were set in the middle of the public eye, an easy victim for reporters and paparazzi to harass and tear down in order to get closer to the Wayne Family.

Bruce and Jason had given you some sort of publicity training before hand. Smile, wave, answer simple and superficial, and most importantly, don’t let them know they are getting to you. You were used to the first three seeing as you had enough practice getting benefactors at the scholar galas, but these weren’t old rich men and women who felt the need to give to the poor. These were people with sharp claws and teeth, ready to pounce on their next unsuspecting victim.

Jason could feel your inner turmoil. He had a hand on your thigh and would squeeze it reassuringly every once in a while. He was trying so hard to keep his eyes on the road but damn…..red looked so good on you. Why hadn’t you worn it before? He decided to voice his thoughts as a way of distracting you.

“You know, bonita, red looks so right on you. There’s just something about it that absolutely destroys me. Are you sure you want to go the gala? Cause I mean, I can turn back and we can spend the night back at mine or yours, just rolling in the sheets…” he finishes with a wink making you smile and look at him

“Well, if you manage to behave at the gala, I might consider this oh so generous offer, Tesoro”

Annnnnd Jason almost lost all sense of composure. God he was smitten.

He smirks and takes the hand that was in your thigh, grabs one of yours and kisses it lightly “I’ll be on my best behavior then, anything if it means I get to have you screaming my name and coming undone under me”

You heat up at that, feeling it go straight to between your legs and smile at him, you take advantage of the fact that you are at a red light and pull him for a short peck, one that as soon as you lean back has him almost whining to have you back on his lips.

You finally arrive and Jason exits first, handing the keys to the Valet parking. He walks around the car and opens the door for you, holding his hand out to help you out.

You start to see the flashing lights and the murmurs, all eyes on you. You grab his hand and let him help you out. You hold his arm and start walking towards the entrance.

“Miss YN! How does it feel to go from poor to rich!?!?”

“You look absolutely lovely, who are you wearing tonight!?!?”

Is this a ploy to make Mister Wayne hire you as an architect!?!”

“Smile for the camera”

“Is it legit that you are both soulmates!?! Or is it a lie conjured up for money!?!”

“Miss YN, is this a way of advancing in the economic pyramid? You know, for a woman and one of your background it could be difficult on your own…”

You had been smiling and waving politely until that last question

“First of all, as a woman, specially one from my background, it was rather easy climbing that pyramid seeing as my hard work, determination, and pure talent and intelligence paid off and I was and continue to be successful without the Wayne family name and titles. It your had been an informed reporter, and a competent one at that, you’d know you are speaking to the person that designed the very same building we find ourselves in. Second, if you ever speak to me again, it will be done with respect and not with your blatant racism. Have I made myself clear with everyone here.” You answer, gracefully with a wolffish smile and sharp eyes.

You never considered yourself an intimidating person (Jason and Nola would say otherwise, hell freezes the moment you’re pissed) yet, standing here in this crowd of reporters, who all had wide eyes at the drop of your credential, nodding like bubble head, you admit that your family and friends might have been onto something.

To ease the tension, you genuinely smile, and answer a few of the other questions taking advantage of the silence, “ah yes, the dress is from Carolina Herrera, beautifully made isn’t it. And yes,” you look up at Jason that has been staring with nothing but amazement and adoration at you “we are quite sure that our soulmate link is legit”. You stayed looking at each other and the paparazzi went wild, trying to capture the moment of pure love between the two of you and the ruckus began again, asking more questions.

You both finally got inside the hall and burst out laughing

“My, you really are something else..” Jason breathes out “his face! I can’t, Bonita, you truly never stop amazing me” he laughs and you can’t help but laugh as well

Jason gathers you in his arms and pulls you close, giving you a kiss in the head, “baby, you are so fuckin’ hot it’s killin’ me. Ya’ sure imma have to wait till later?” He whispers in your ear and you giggle, flustered cause his Gotham accent came out and it always drove you absolutely insane whenever it did.

Before you answer him, you both hear someone clear their throat behind you and find Bruce and Damian standing there. Bruce has an amused glint in his eyes and Damian looks fuming.

“Well, I’d say you were more than prepared to take on them. Quite the introduction to the public, I’m sure you definitely are going to do well in this family” Bruce states with a chuckle and motions for you all to start heading towards the ballroom.

Damian walks towards you, hugs your waist and murmurs “Did they offend your honor? Because if they did, I can have father and Drake strip them from their credentials, I’ll make sure of it.”

You laugh and hug him tighter, oh how much you adored him, “Thank you for the offer, Dames, I’ll be fine” you answer and he lets go. He nods and goes back next to his father.

“I will never not be unnerved by how soft he is for you” Jason whispers as he places his hand in the small of your back and you both continue to walk towards the ballroom.

You look around and smile, you know this place like the back of your hand. Pride swells on your chest because this was the first big shot design that you had made. Your art style flowed through these halls. You are suddenly pulled out of your thoughts by Tim’s smiling face.

“At last, I finally get the pleasure to meet you. Tell me, Dick didn’t get to you first right?” He asks concerned and you laugh, shaking you head no and pull him for a hug.

He stiffens a little but lets it happen, not used to physician contact without violence

Once you let him go, the five of you enter the ballroom, the four of them admire everything on it amazed by the splendor

“You designed this?” Asked Bruce

He had seen splendor and glamour a lot growing up, but nothing compared to this. Outside of the ballroom, it looked like any other mother hall, yet once you entered, it had this vintage splendor in it, almost as if you had stepped right in to a regency era movie.

Jason puffed out his chest in pride and smiled, “yup! That’s all her, talent indeed”

Bruce, Tim, and Damian nod, both Bruce and Tim murmuring in agreement that they would have to hire you sometime to do some work for them, both at Wayne enterprises and at the Manor.

The room is full of life, music playing and people chattering.

You meet up with the rest, with the exception of Dick. You see him chattering a red head up on the other side and laugh at the comments you hear of his obsession with red heads.

You spent a good amount next to Jason and Damian, neither willing to leave your side. That was until Tim asked you for a dance, receiving a look from both of the boys at your sides. You dance with Tim, talking just about anything. He was particularly interested in Puerto Rican coffee and you promised that would text your mother and tell her to send you some good cafe from la Isla so that he could try. Though it did come with an exchange, he would have to rest more and regulate his caffeine intake if he wanted to try. YN also offered to text a few old friends of hers to see if they could also send some coffee from Colombia and Cuba so that he could try those as well. Tim could see why it was so easy to adore her, it hadn’t even been an hour yet and he was already fond of her.

Next she felt a tap on her shoulder and low and behold, Dick Grayson in the flesh was there, smiling at her and asking for a dance. Sending a knowing grin at him, Tim let YN stay with him and left leaving the acrobat and the girl.

“I take it you lost the bet?” She asks stifling her laughter

Dick had the decency to at least look guilty and that was all it took to make her laugh. He joined her as well soon after. Both swayed to the music whilst Dick insisted that she should teach him how to dance salsa and speak Spanish..

“Aaaand why should I do that?” She teased and he replied with a boyish smile, “well thank you for asking, as a matter of fact, I have a list…”

The acrobat almost made the girl cry with laughter as his reasons ranged from “I don’t want to be unseasoned” to “the ladies will love it ;)”

YN was definitely amused and would tease the acrobat making him laugh even harder. It got to the point where both decided to head back to their family in order to stop causing a ruckus.

YN hugged Jason and smiled up at him, she sighed dreamily and pecked his cheek. He squeezed her a little, making her giggle. She entertained herself with a conversation with Cass and Steph where they speculated what the theme of the met gala would be and Jason would go from admiring his girl to talking with Tim and Dick. Damian would switch to hide behind YN whenever a particular elderly woman came by with the intentions of pinching his cheeks and the girl held out her hand for him to take. A few weeks back she had told him that if he ever felt overwhelmed, he can always hold and squeeze her hand in order to ground himself. He took it, discreetly of course, he didn’t want his brothers to see and potentially tease him.

It was going great so far.

YN had excused herself to go to the restroom and Jason, having a bad feeling followed her. She was fixing her hair, when Jason entered the bathroom.

“Jason! What are you doing here?” She asked surprised.

Jason tried to hide his worry with a smirk and said “Had to get you for myself for a while”

His smiled turned boyish and he pulled you closer, “I wanted some attention and they are hogging it completely and it’s not fair” he says in a mock whine and rolls his eyes making you die of laughter.

He leans in and kisses you gently. The music of the band can still be heard a little bit and he sways the two of you softly once he pulls back.

You place your arms on his shoulders and look up to him adoringly

God, this man was going to be the death of you and you loved it. You nuzzle your nose to his making him laugh softly

It was such a soft ambience,

His hands on your waist, foreheads pressed, Jason occasionally kissing your neck, cheek and collarbone, and lips.

It was perfect, until, it wasn’t.

A loud shot and someone screaming broke the calm atmosphere.

You look up at him startled and he looks towards the door and to his watch.

“Stay here” he tells you, his suspicions had been correct. Thankfully, it looked like you were away from danger and him being there just confirmed your safety.

He walks towards the door and you pull his arm back, “What the fuck do you mean stay here, Jason?!?!”

You are terrified and he just holds you by your shoulders, “Your family Jason, they could be in danger! We have to go help!!” You are trashing around trying to get out the door but he holds you still and looks into your eyes,

“Do you trust me, mi reina?” He asks softly, not wanting to scare you even worst

A few more shots rang and he felt you tense under his hands, you nod rapidly too panicked for words.

“Then I need you to stay here and trust me, everything will be alright, baby, I’ll come back for you, you just need to stay here and trust me, and under NO condition open this door unless it’s me okay?” He explains and you try to take deep breaths and nod.

Jason leaves the bathroom and only starts to walk away when he hears the door lock. He has lost so much in his life and he couldn’t afford to loose you too

___________________________________

Author’s note: MWAHAHAHAHAHA A CLIFFHANGER!! I LOVE THEM!

[crisalidaseason]

obsessed with your kenuri universe and would love to see some kenny/kuchel fluffy sibling time (why'd have to kill heeeer jk)

You ask and I shall deliver. This took me longer than I wanted (I should have posted it in December but I was very depressed). Also, sorry for having to K my sweet Kuchel, but she is very much alive in this!

Family chaos on Christmas - the prequel

Summary: Kenny is miserably working on the holiday season, Kuchel is very pregnant and Uri is worming his way into Kenny's heart.

Content warning: within my family chaos universe, modern au, a prequel of sorts, some angst, mentions of pregnancy and labor, Kenny is a good brother, Kenny is tired and anxious, mentions of anxiety, slight descriptions of anxiety attacks, fluff, some domestic vibes, sibling bond, pining (Kenny/Uri)

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Kenny waited five seconds after she left to immediately switch the door sign from open to closed.

“Happy holidays, mister Ackerman” the old woman waved as she finally left the shop.

“Happy holidays, ma’am” 

“Fucking finally”

The young man wanted nothing more than to end that shift. He thought it should be a crime to work on December 24th.

“Who fucking needs repair tools on Christmas?? You know, if people were less stupid and more organized all shops could close on holidays”

He had complained while getting ready for work that morning. Kuchel - the little shit that she was - just laughed at his annoyance.

“At least the owner let you close earlier, Ken. It could have been worse”

He huffed while recalling the short conversation. It was easy for Kuchel to not relate to his misery, she never worked on holidays even before she went on maternity leave. For him, working six instead of eight hours on Christmas made no difference in the end, since traffic would probably take the rest of his sanity away. 

“Fuck off” he screamed loudly as he hit yet another traffic jam. It took 30 extra minutes for him to finally arrive at the apartment complex. He groaned while parking, Kuchel’s car was almost giving up - that old thing would die on them any day, Kenny was dreading it. He managed to park and almost cried in relief. Finally home!

Well. He may have rid himself of work, but home was another rollercoaster to get through. 

“Kenny!” the woman greeted him from the living room/kitchen couch “took you long enough”

The older ackerman was sitting comfortably on the couch, reading a book, a heavy blanket covering her round middle section and many pillows stacked around her. 

“Have you eaten?” the man asked “I thought about take out, but traffic was impossible to go through”

“I snacked a little, it’s fine” she assured him, but her face said otherwise. 

She finally reached the ninth month - or, according to her, the 39th week - of her pregnancy. Kuchel was huge and feeling as uncomfortable as her appearance suggested. The last few weeks were filled with low mobility and badly assembled snacks. 

“What about some chicken salad?” he suggested “I pre-made some seasoned shredded chicken”

The woman’s eyes beamed at him.

“Kenny, you’re a lovely lovely brother, you know that?”

He groaned.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever” 

Despite his initial stress and tiredness, there was a calming property in cooking a tasty chicken salad. He was far from a good student in school, but the ‘chemistry’ and ‘physics’ of food always fascinated him, he wished life could subside enough for him to spend more time experimenting with cooking. The satisfaction of eating a good meal was a recent comfort he was thankful for everyday. 

“Here” he handed his sister the plate with plenty of the chicken salad “beverage?”

She motioned the half full bottle of guava juice on the kitchen table, silently denying his question. The Ackerman man sat down on the ground, with his own plate on his lap, leaving a groan of relief at the first bite. He turned the television on, looking for something interesting to watch but only finding Christmas movies or news. 

“Go back!” Kuchel’s voice almost startled him.

“What? The stupid christmas movie?”

She nodded fervently while still chewing. Kenny shook his head and went back to the channel playing a movie - what seemed to be one of those holiday rom coms.

“I thought you hated romcoms,” Kenny commented.

“I do”

Kenny had learned early on that pregnancy made Kuchel even weirder. From the moment she found out the unexpected demon spawn in her uterus, she had weird cravings (not only for food, there were a few weeks she could only sleep by watching animal documentaries). He learned to not question after a while, it kept things easy to handle. 

“Do you think family Christmas dinners are always like that?” she pointed her fork at the tv “It seems so inaccurate”

Kenny shrugged. Still focused on his plate. 

“Well, it doesn’t snow here in december so safe to say it might not be so accurate” his sister concluded on her own. 

They kept eating in silence and the movie proved to be just as stupid as it promised, though he heard sniffling behind him. Now, if there is something Kenny learned ever since he and his sister finally left the foster system to live together was that you don’t question her feelings - especially pregnant. He almost considered patting her on the shoulders in comfort but remembered she still had a good aim and her flip flops were right there, ready to be thrown. 

“What a stupid movie” she mumbled.

He stood up, taking Kuchel’s plate and finally building courage to do the dishes despite his exhaustion. He heard his sister turn off the television and certain sounds indicated she was leaving her cocoon of blankets and pillows, grunting during the entire process. 

“You okay there?” he asked while hanging the dishes to dry.

It was safe to say Kenny panicked a bit too often with Kuchel’s every display of discomfort - the nervousness of her due date always on the back of his mind. The young man was not feeling prepared at all for the big day even with his sister’s advice and thorough explanations of the process - although Kuchel herself was very new to this and also terrified despite not admitting.

“Yes Kenny, the boy isn’t coming out until next week. Relax…Uh!” she let out a shriek. 

He hated her so much. Kenny ran to the living room, trying to see any signs of wetness indicating that the antichrist wanted out, instead he found his sister peering down at his phone - which was silently vibrating with a call. 

“It’s your loverboy” she smiled at him like the little shit that she was “pick it up or I will”

“He isn’t-” he sighed, giving up this fruitless conversation they always had and picking up the phone. 

“Hello” Kenny answered.

“Good evening, Kenny, is it bad timing?”

“No, not at all!” He dried his hands on his beat up jeans, Kuchel waving crazily in front of him.

“Great! I just wanted to call because I thought a message felt a bit too distant. I know you said you don’t celebrate Christmas, but I just wanted to wish you and Kuchel a special good night’s rest.”

The noises on the background indicated Uri, his neighbor, was probably at a family gathering at his family home, Kenny could hear loud voices and holiday music playing softly. 

“Thank you Uri, we appreciate it” 

Kuchel was staring at Kenny so intensely he felt a hole on his forehead, her insistent mouthing of “Can I talk to him?” “Let me talk to him!!”, distracting the man. 

“In fact, she is right here dying to talk to you” 

Uri laughed - a pretty sound that was - and asked to talk to Kuchel.

“Hey Uri! I haven’t seen you today but I wish you a wonderful christmas” His sister beamed at the cellphone.

She talked shortly to the other man, thanking Uri for the well wishes. Kenny was grateful his sister did not try to embarrass him this time - he had enough of her hinting to Uri that Kenny had a slight (giant) crush on the Reiss man.

“Your sister is a lovely woman. I’ll bring some food for you two when I head home”

“Nah, It’s okay, Uri. No need”

“No, I insist Kenny. We have plenty of food here anyway and I know you’ve been working a lot lately. At least we keep Kuchel with a sustainable meal to eat when you’re not home tomorrow”

“You convinced me, but don’t come crying to me when she forces you to have dinner with us and show you the same ultrasound pictures again” Kenny said, chuckling.

To that Kuchel raised her middle finger, mouthing a “fuck you, Kenny”

“Nothing more wonderful than spending the evening with Ackermans” Uri chuckled - what a pretty sound “I have to go, Frieda is looking at me like I am committing a crime, but I see the two of you soon” 

They said their goodbyes and the call went off, Kenny’s heart was doing strange jumps on his ribcage - he was down bad for that man. Kuchel was sitting on the couch, smiling like a mad woman and clapping her hands.

“Not a word” he warned her.

“For the love of god, Kenny, ask that man on a date!”

He ignored her while heading for a shower, if he let Kuchel speak about Uri he would probably end up dealing with feeling he was too tired to process. Kenny preferred to like Uri from a distance - just being neighbors that got along well. His sister constantly telling him the Reiss man was into him did not help at all. 

“Not only is he clearly interested, but he is so kind and patient, Ken! Give the poor man a little chance” she would say.

Kenny tried not to think about it, failing miserably though. He had many opportunities to meet Uri on a more romantic level, the man had invited him for coffee so many times and Kenny always refused politely. He was afraid, Uri did not know the mess he was in the head. And the worst part: Uri was really patient and understanding and respectful and observant…Kenny had a problem. 

“I’m gonna sleep” Kenny knocked on his sister’s room “need anything else?”

“No! Everything okay. You should sleep, Ken”

He wished her a good night and flopped into his bed, slumber quickly taking him. 

He never had dreams, only nightmares or an empty sleep. That night though, he dreamed about him and Kuchel sitting on a huge table full of food. His sister had a nice elegant red dress, contrasting with her long dark hair. Kenny himself looked down to see a nice set of pants and button up shirt. The decorations screamed Christmas - there was even snow outside!- but what surprised him was seeing Uri beside him, equally well dressed…with a baby in his arms. The small little human seemed to be pushing one year old, almost pink in color, pouty face, dark hair, looking at Kenny with light colored eyes.

“You want your uncle, little one?” Uri said, bouncing the child slightly.

As if he had no control, Kenny felt his arms reach out to the baby, his voice coming out in equal involuntary action.

“I know, I’m your favorite” his voice sounded…happy. Not that he was against having a nephew, he just struggled to have a connection with someone he had never met. But in that moment, looking at light blue eyes, he wondered if he could measure how dear that boy was. 

“Typical of Levi to prefer the one who calls him demon spawn” Kuchel said.

The dream faded slowly, with the last scenes of a baby on his lap while they celebrated Christmas just like that stupid movie they were watching. He woke up feeling a strange sense of missing something. Of sadness. He stayed in bed for longer than usual, wondering why he dreamed of that. His only family was Kuchel for as long as he remembers, everything different than that seemed terrifying.

The boy seemed so real. What about Uri? Could he ever be anything more than a friendly neighbor?

Deciding that he can’t afford having an existential crisis, the man finally decided to start his routine, but early morning finally came to test Kenny's bowels. As soon as he saw Kuchel enter the kitchen, seemingly uncomfortable and walking weirdly, he panicked once again. 

“Are you sure it’s okay?” Kenny asked again - to his own demise.

“Kenny!” His sister warned him.

“I’m just worried, you seem to be hurting quite a lot”

Kuchel looked at him unimpressed, not answering. She had woken up that morning complaining of a few contractions. 

“It’s probably false alarm, Kenny, but it still sucks” 

Kenny was in a full pit of anxiety at that point. Everytime she had a false alarm he panicked anyway, a single sneeze and that spawn would pop out of her. He didn't think she would make it to an entire week. 

“I’m gonna try and call your doctor again”

Kenny tried once again the number, without success. 

“We should go to the hospital, Kuch” he tried again to convince her.

“No! They’re just going to send us home again, let’s see if it progresses and then we go”

Kenny was honestly tired, and scared, but he nodded. It took several minutes for Kuchel to finally convince him to go to work for at least the morning shift, but he was not able to concentrate well. He checked her text messages constantly, alongside Uri’s.

Uri Reiss Neighbor: I’m with her, if anything happens I’ll rush her to the hospital

You: Thanks Uri, I promise I’ll be back by 2pm since it’s Xmas day

Uri Reiss Neighbor: No need to thank me, see you soon. I’m making lunch if that’s okay.

That man was a fucking saint. Kenny was down bad. He had to concentrate while trying not to fall in love with that man or dying of worry for his sister. Work was haphazardly done, Kenny practically breaking traffic laws to go home, practically climbing the stairs to his apartment floor, thinking he would have to immediately rush her to a hospital for the antichrist to be born…just to find Uri and Kuchel sitting quietly on the dinner table, tea in front of them and a deck of cards.

“Good afternoon, Kenny” Reiss greeted him.

“Hi, Ken” 

Kenny looked at his sister with confusion. She seemed composed and calm. Uri - as always - was well dressed, smelling like a hundred yards of soft flowers, calmly playing with Kuchel. 

“The contraction stopped as soon as you left” she said, pointing to her huge stomach “maybe he doesn’t like you”

Kenny groaned, sitting on the couch to catch his breath. 

“Demon spawn” he mumbled, smiling discreetly. 

Kuchel turned, burning him with her eyes. 

“He is a perfect little angel”

That was another bickering Kenny did not want to continue so he just surrendered. But he was a demon child! Anything born from an Ackerman was demonic - Kenny was an absolute nightmare as a kid and he was already dreading that baby. 

“Hungry?” Uri asked “There is a plate for you in the microwave”

His noisy stomach answered for him, guiding his already tired self to the kitchen. The food was probably from the family dinner Uri went to last night, good quality meat and tasty sauce. He wondered if he could reproduce that recipe one day and maybe make a special dinner after the baby was born. He ate on the table while watching his sister and Uri play with the cards, attentively listening to Kuchel's gossip of the apartment complex group chat. She was bored to death most days, watching people from the balcony and stalking the chat seemed to be the entertainment of the century.

“It’s okay, Uri, now that Kenny is here he can keep an eye on me” his sister said once Uri hesitated to return to his family’s home. 

“I’ll return tomorrow morning. My mother really insisted that I return to the church’s dinner tonight but if anything happens you can call me” he assured the Ackerman siblings before reluctantly leaving. 

“He is such a nice man” Kuchel quietly said once Kenny had closed the door “I know I bother you with it, but I really think he would be a good match”

Kenny smiled a little, sitting beside his sister on the couch and softly shoving her with his shoulder.

“I know, but I really don’t feel ready right now” 

Love was not something he thought was possible. Not for him, much like it wasn't for his sister. He felt her hand on his forearm, rubbing him softly. 

“I know, take your time” she said in a hushed tone “like I said, he is a very patient man”

Her calm features soon contorted into painful ones. She let a long breath out.

“Another contraction?” he asked.

She nodded, breathing in and out in a slow rhythm.

“It never really stopped, but I did not want to alarm any of you until I was sure it was constant” 

“Kuchel! What the actual fuck-”

“Shhhhh” she said “don’t scold me! I am counting them and I can’t do this if both of you keep hovering over me”

Kenny groaned, visualizing himself shaving her hair bald as revenge for the rollercoaster of worry he felt.

“Do you think it’s for real?” he asked her.

Kuchel nodded, holding his forearm strongly.

“I’m scared” she whispered “I don’t know if I can do this, Ken”

Despite his anxiety, he tried to comfort her by holding her shoulders in a strange side hug - typical of a touch terrified Kenny. She rested her head on his shoulder. 

“I’ll be with you, Kuch”

And he did. When her contractions became too unbearable and close timing, they left for the hospital in the midst of a starting rain. The streets were calm since it was late at night, everyone most likely at the churches celebrating the holiday. 

“Ma’am, my sister is giving birth” he had told the woman at the front desk.

“No father, I’m the one taking care of her” he told the social worker registering the appointment.

“Can you call another doctor then?” he almost yelled when they informed her doctor was MIA.

“Can anyone please check on her for god’s sake?!” he tried to stay calm when nobody would check on his sister when her water broke.

It was a turbulent three hours, time bringing a raging storm that occasionally painted the sky with lightning and thunder. When Kuchel was finally checked on, she was fully ready to push. Kenny was a strong man, but he wanted to die with every scream coming out of his sister’s throat. His hand was still, only because of the iron grip she had on it, otherwise he would be trembling. When the cry of a baby finally broke the room’s chaos, Kenny thought he had lost his hearing. Everything had gone muffled and fuzzy. He did not know, but later the nurses told him that he was almost hyperventilating, still holding Kuchel’s hand despite his eyes losing focus. 

“Look at him, Kenny” Kuchel was crying “he is so small”

The baby laying on her chest was nothing like the grown infant of his dream, in fact, that newborn was multiple shades of red and purple, scrunched face and tiny feet, limbs so thin they could be compared to the girth of Kenny’s fingers. 

“Sir, breathe in and out, you’ll be fine” said a nurse nearby. 

He kept his eyes on the small being, then at his sister. She was sweaty, exhausted and crying profusely. He wanted her cries to be only of happiness, but he knew she was just as terrified of this as he was. They were just two adults with a fucked up story, having to care for a non planned baby. He was barely 25 and had an entire human to watch out for - because he sure would not leave Kuchel to deal with this on her own. 

“Welcome, spawn. I’m your uncle” he managed to choke out. 

Kuchel laughed, more because of the drugs than actually finding the nickname funny. He spent the entire night watching over a sleeping sister and the baby in the bassinet. He admired as the storm raged in the first hours of the morning, the darkness still outside. His cellphone would occasionally ring with notifications.

Uri Reiss neighbor: I got stuck because of the rain, the streets are flooded. I’ll get there, I promise, but it might take a while. Tell me what I can bring to you or Kuchel.

He smiled at the phone, sending Uri his gratitude. Despite the chaos outside, he felt a strange sense of peace. Maybe it was the medication the nurses administered due to his mini anxiety attack, but he liked to think it was a sign that everything would be alright. 

“How are you feeling?” said the slurred voice of Kuchel.

“I should be asking this”

“Well, I'm a bit high” she smiled “and you seem too”

He chuckled, pinching the bridge of his nose. Kuchel looked at the bassinet, warmth in her tired eyes. 

“He is out…”

“On a holiday!” Kenny complemented “spawn made sure to be born at the same day of Jesus”

“Fuck you” she laughed “I think he came to force us to celebrate christmas day in a way or another”

Kenny nodded, not doubting for a moment that whatever ruled this world had a strange sense of humor. 

“He was almost born on the 26th for just a few minutes” he said “he was determined”

The Ackerman siblings kept the comfortable silence, Kuchel not taking her eyes off the sleeping baby nearby. 

“Kenny”

“Hm?”

He looked at her tired eyes, Kenny realizing they were so similar to the baby of his dream.

“I don’t have a name for him” 

“You were never satisfied with the thousand names you picked” he replied.

“Maybe something with a ‘K’? To match us” she said.

“That’s horrendous, Kuchel!” he protested “Me and you having a name with a ‘K’ is already atrocious enough”

“You’re right…” she said “I want something that doesn’t come from parents we barely knew”

Kenny deliberated if he should tell her about the name of his dream. Levi…he remembered something about that name in bible study he was forced into by the orphanage. It meant something specific, meant-

“Connection”

Kuchel eyed him as if he had lost his mind.

“Kenny, if this is your suggestion-”

“No, woman, listen!” he interrupted “I mean that he is connected to us only. Your kid, my nephew, nothing else”

“Well, that’s true” 

“And Levi means connected, joined” He finally said it. 

Kuchel pondered for a moment, analyzing the name by looking at the child’s sleeping shape. 

“A biblical name, right? I remember it from church” Kuchel said.

“It’s just a suggestion-”

“I like it” she interrupted this time “Levi. It sounds firm, strong”

She smiled, as if contemplating calling him that for the rest of his life. Kenny thought she would put up a fight - for being the one to carry for months and not choosing the name. 

“Levi it is” she concluded.

Kenny nodded, happy that she liked it. He did not know if his dream was prophetic or just an amalgamation of anxiety and nine months of constantly thinking about this other being in their lives. 

“Can I ask you something really important?”

He nodded.

“He was born on Christmas” she began “I know we never really liked this day because of all the family bullshit, but now…”

He understood. They were bitter people, but that kid had nothing to do with it. 

“We’re gonna give him the Christmas we never had, right Kenny?” 

[rabbitechoes]

𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐕𝐒. 𝐊𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐊 𝐋𝐀𝐌𝐀𝐑

this post will be a spin-off of my May 2024 Month in Review where i cover the wild rollercoaster that was the Drake/Kendrick Lamar beef that may or may not be still ongoing idk!

After some relatively petty back-and-forth's from Kendrick Lamar and Drake over the last two months, things did seem to get pretty heated between the two over the last few weeks or so. Lamar's response to Drake's poking and prodding by way of "Push Ups" and the "Taylor Made Freestyle" on the track "euphoria" seemed to push this in a direction no one was expecting. It wasn't just light jabs at Drake's artistry, it was a light dissection of his character. It was clear that Lamar wasn't here to play games and he really did harbor some resentment towards Drake. That was the tail-end of April and only a few days into May, Lamar released yet another diss track entitled ...

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"6:16 in L.A." - Kendrick Lamar

Seemingly in response to Drake's alleging that Lamar relies on Taylor Swift features for relevancy, Lamar slides on a beat with production credits from Jack Antonoff, Taylor's longtime producer, and sort of baits Drake into a response. It's just a bit more prodding, this time with Lamar taking aim at some of Drake's associates like DJ Akademiks and the rest of the OVO crew. The former currently being sued for rape and defamation as well, which ties into the themes of later diss tracks to come.

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"Family Matters" - Drake

This is where things really got messy. Drake fires back at Kendrick with a multi-part diss filled with a bunch of pretty weak jabs, like when he says "K-Dot shit is only hittin' hard when Baby Keem put his pen to it" which is just ... like ok. He also pokes at Lamar's critical success with the bar "Kendrick just opened his mouth, someone go hand him a Grammy right now" which is such a weak diss. J. Cole tried to attack from a similar angle and it didn't work. The most damning thing to come out of this diss was Drake insinuating that Lamar and the mother of his children have a strained relationship. He even accuses Lamar of domestic violence ("When you put your hands on your girl, is it self-defense 'cause she bigger than you?"). Ok, that's .... not good. This might be getting a little bit too messy, let's hope it ends so-

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"meet the grahams" - Kendrick Lamar

Not even an hour after Drake dropped "Family Matters," Kendrick fires back with the sinister, absolutely devastating "meet the grahams" diss track. Kendrick talks directly to Drake's family in this cut with bars directed at various different family members. The song opens with this almost villainous Alchemist beat and his first words are "Dear Adonis / I'm sorry that that man is your father, let me be honest" so ... we already knew this was going to get even messier. He claims Drake is a deadbeat dad and that his son deserves a better role model. In the second verse he takes aim at Drake's parents, "Dear Sandra / Your son got some habits, I hope you don't undermine them / Especially with all the girls that's hurt inside this climate / You a woman, so you know how it feels to be in alignment / With emotion, hopin' a man can see you and not be blinded." Those bars are important to Kendrick's thesis going forward. He levies some serious, albeit vague, accusations that Drake mistreats women on the regular. The second verse also addresses his father and Lamar blames him for Drake's gambling addiction (he streams on Kick gambling live). The second verse enters its home-stretch as Lamar gets absolutely venomous, "Your son's a sick man with sick thoughts, I think *** like him should die / Him and Weinstein should get fucked up in a cell for the rest their life / He hates Black women, hypersexualizes 'em with kinks of a nympho fetish / Grew facial hair because he understood bein' a beard just fit him better / He got sex offenders on ho-VO that he keep on a monthly allowance." Ouch.

As if this couldn't get any wilder, Lamar alleges in the third verse that Drake has yet ANOTHER hidden child. This one older than his son who was pushed into the limelight on Pusha T's infamous, pretty legendary "The Story of Adidon" diss. That diss changed Drake's public perception forever and I think this track might do the same once again. Kendrick closes the song with the chilling bar "Fuck a rap battle, this a long life battle with yourself." This is getting ugly and, when you're not swept up in the excitement of two of the biggest stars in music currently fighting out in public, you just feel dirty.

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"Not Like Us" - Kendrick Lamar

After that incredibly eventful Friday night, Lamar fires back with this track not even 24 hours later. A big part of the narrative against Kendrick in these disses has been that he makes "boring music." So, Kendrick slides on a DJ Mustard beat to get his message across. The result is the biggest hit to come out of this diss battle, hitting number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It's a very catchy song and it shows that Kendrick CAN make a club banger. It's just a club banger that calls Drake a pedophile. The line "Certified Lover Boy? Certified pedophiles" has been ringing in my head over the last month. It's important to point out that Drake's uncomfortable behavior towards young and/or underage girls has long been a point of contention. From his flirting with a 17 year old on stage, to his weird friendship with Millie Bobby Brown where she said he "gives [her] advice about boys," this has kind of been an open secret almost. Anyways, this was brutal. Kendrick beat Drake at his own game, gaining the chart success in the process. Maybe it's over now.

It does make me a little uncomfortable that Lamar hasn't commented on the domestic violence allegations at all, especially on this track since I believe it was recorded after the "Family Matters" diss. Maybe he will sometime this month (spoiler alert: he did not).

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QUICK BBL DRIZZY DETOUR

Amidst the chaos, Metro Boomin made the "BBL Drizzy" beat giveaway. Allowing people to do their best Drake disses over it. The track samples the song "BBL Drizzy" from King Willonius released a month prior. I detest the use of AI in music, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't singing "BBL DRIZZY!" around the house for the past month. Anyways, besides some troubling old tweets that surfaced from Metro Boomin after his re-involvement in the conflict, this was a fun detour.

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"THE HEART PART 6" - Drake

A day later, Drake responded with "THE HEART PART 6" diss which is one of the biggest fumbles in rap beef history. Drake, in what might be a Freudian slip, mentions Millie Bobby Brown by name in response to Lamar's pedophile allegations against him. He says that his team fed Kendrick the lie that he had a secret daughter, which makes absolutely no sense if you think about it for longer than 30 seconds. He continues insinuating that Lamar's kids aren't his. It's just like ... dude. Come on. The song starts with a sample of Aretha Franklin singing "Now let me see you prove it" which, is kind of a good point, but it hurts both men involved. Both have brought damning allegations against one another, but no proof has been provided.

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CONCLUSION MAYBE? FOR NOW!!!

Now that the smoke has cleared a bit, this whole thing is just ... sad. Two of the biggest stars in music today leveled serious allegations against one another with no concrete proof provided by either party. These aren't victimless allegations. Pedophilia and domestic abuse have consequences, they're traumatizing. Using them as one-ups in a rap beef seems a bit careless. Using potential victims as ammunition. I don't know, it all just seems a bit gross to me.

Alphonse Pierre, for Pitchfork, wrote a very compelling article about the beef entitled Drake and Kendrick’s Beef Is the Most Miserable Spectacle in Rap History. I encourage everyone to read it as it gives a very nice and level-headed analysis of this conflict and its consequences.

Besides that, there's been a cryptic Twitter account that popped up that seemingly has proof for some pretty damning allegations towards Drake and posts videos in the same style as The Riddler from The Batman film. DJ Akademiks, one of Drake's biggest supporters during this beef, has been sued for rape and defamation. Drake has had violent incidents at his Toronto mansion throughout the month, although they aren't confirmed to be directly related to this beef. And it's all been relatively quiet from the Kendrick camp. Who knows where this goes from here, but this was as bowling shoe ugly as it was exciting.

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[dollsome-does-tumblr]

succession finale thoughts!

romangerri:

i don’t know if any tv show has ever given me as much of a stomachache as this episode, oooooooooof!!! the STRESS. (but honestly, the stomachache was 100% just suspense over whether gerri and roman would ever interact again. everything else, i was very zen about.)

gerri in the video radiantly reciting a dirty limerick like a roman daydream come true and roman watching her fondly!!!!! ugh!!!!! that was so schmoopy, especially for this show!!! he still loves her (not that that’s news)!!!!! and him panicking and losing it at the very sight of her and really feeling the crushing weight of his potential that she so believed in because she could have got him there!!!!!!!!!!! she also gave him a couple little not-hateful looks that might have even been sort of nice or concerned or at least ... okay, and i will cling to those for the rest of my life. but i’m so, so sad we never got to see them talk to each other again. OOF.

i have the most hope for roman just because he wound up self-aware enough to see the reality of the situation. jesse armstrong might think you’ll be a sad guy in a bar forever, but to me, there is nowhere for you to go but up, bb. and into the arms of your woman.

i hate the idea of gerri sticking with the company with tom as the ceo just because her disdain for tom was so strong; putting up with logan was one thing, putting up with roman was another even, but TOM????? tom, getting his melancholy everywhere?? however, i think it’s probably too idealistic of me to suggest that she’d turn it down for that reason. but also, maybe she would? isn’t she tired of idiot men yet??? doesn’t she want to go to the g.d. south of france already???? like, the contrast of the old camaraderie in the video of the party with logan with, like, the stupid dudebro tech culture of mattson ... ugh, i just don’t want gerri to be up in that mess! i want her to reject tom! and stand in solidarity with karl & frank! GIRL, IT’S TIME TO RETIRE!!!!!!! in any case: gerri being un-fireable remains hilarious.

gerri not really having any lines in the actual events of the ep = thumbs down forever. NOPE!

however.

roman martini-pining for gerri as his very last act onscreen.

dear GOD.

AAAAAAAH.

though i’m sure the intention of canon is for their relationship to be over forever, it was so wobbly in its over-ness that i’m pretty pleased. i do think it’s in a place where it can be very patched up in fanfic in a way that’s still canon-compliant. hell, she might roll up to that very bar and order another martini and keep him company and be like, “uh, babe, why is that cut on your forehead burst open???”! anything goes! forever! whoohoo, ao3!

i’m so relieved this is over!!!!!!!!!!

THEIR SCENE AT THE FUNERAL WAS INDEED THEIR LAST EVER SCENE AND IT GOT CUT, CLEARLY FOR MAXIMUM PAIN AND ESTRANGEMENT REASONS, AND I’M JUST GONNA HAVE TO LIVE WITH THAT FOREVERMORE. jesus. will some rebellious intern just edit it back into the episode for me?

in my head they will make up tho. 💗 let the era of fix-it fics begin!

other stuff:

the sibling moments!!!!!! the rollercoaster!!!!! it’s funny how when they were getting along, i believed as much as they did that they HAD IT! and then watching them fall back into the old patterns ... it was that thing this show does best, condensed into one episode of agony. amazing acting, amazing chemistry!

ken starting to get physically abusive toward roman with the crushing hug and then smooshing his face!!!!! when before he stuck up for roman against their father’s abuse. jesus christ. :(

the contrast between the scene in the kitchen and the scene in the conference room ............... OOF!

tom and greg having their little bitchy slap fight in the bathroom, lol. tom putting his little sticker on greg’s forehead, lol.

tom really did marry up! jeez.

conwilla: the not-long-distance era, because democracy shall prevail

even beyond the flawless beauty of limerick gerri (obviously the highlight forever <3), that whole video and the kids watching it?? the emotions!!!!!!

KENDALL IS THE OLDEST BOY!!!!!!!

this episode made me feel So Bad.

roman and gerri need a spinoff where they are just cute and silly. someone please get this happening for me.

[littlespacereader]

My trip to Disney’s Hollywood Studios as a Regressor🥰🎀

Here’s a little thread talking about my time at Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studio. I’ll talk about the different experiences I had, rides, toys and more! Thread below🧵⏬ (SFW!) :)

Just a little disclaimer😁

I went on this trip as a family vacation. So I wasn’t able to regress fully like I normally would when home alone. My family doesn’t know about my regression at all. My mom has a sort of idea but just thinks I’m young at heart. I didn’t fully regress but that didn’t stop me from feeling little at Disney. I mean it’s hard not to at a park made for kids! With that out of the way let’s get into it!

First and foremost let’s talk about Florida right now😬🔥

It’s HOT! When I went we had 85% humidity and 95 degrees outside. Despite putting sunscreen on TWICE I got sunburn on my face, shoulder and back. I think I drank about 4 water bottles and still felt lightheaded.

The best advice is to pace yourself. Anytime I felt myself getting over heated I went to a restaurant and relaxed for a couple or I went to an easier attraction like Muppets 3D show, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Frozen Singalong or Star Tours.

Get yourself a refillable water bottle! There are plenty of spots around the park that have water bottle filling stations which are great for keeping cool under this crazy heat in the summer!

Let’s talk about the best attractions for Regressors😆🎢🎠

For younger Regressors like myself I suggest:

Star Tours - I absolutely love Star Wars. If you love Star Wars too and want a more milder ride then Star Tours is your ride. It’s a thrilling attraction. But the beginning is so cute! You walk through a Star Wars theme “airport” with R2D2 bickering with C-3PO. Then the attractions has C-3PO driving your spaceship while you sit in a seat with a seat belt and 3d classes. If you love Star Wars this ride is BEYOND FUN!

Muppets 3D Vision - As a HUGE muppets fan I love this attraction. It’s the best for those like myself who need a break and some AC. You sit in a theater and watch a 3d show of the muppets! I mean, what more could you want! It also has firework lights on the ceiling and the old men critics are sitting with you in their own little box. So cute!!

Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway - I LOVE THIS RIDE! It’s such a relaxing yet fun ride! The theme of the ride is being able to step into a cartoon with Mickey and Minnie. Goofy is hilarious! There are so many Easter eggs too. Gotta keep an eye out. I was giggling the whole time. There’s a photo I took of the cartoon characters building the railway, (see photo below) and if you look around the photo you can see the walls are decorated to look cartoonish! Super detailed and immersive!

Toy Story Mania - This is another super fun ride! You sit in a ride vehicle with a blaster and 3d glasses. (Now writing this I realized there are a ton of rides with 3D glasses😅😂)

Frozen Singalong - I’ve never personally been to this show myself because my siblings would kill me for even suggesting it. But I’ve seen clips of it and it looks so fun! It’s a Frozen themed show that talks about the story and has the audience sing along to songs from the first movie! Great way to beat the heat and regress a bit:)

Now some rides for older Regressors:

Slinky Dog Dash - This is a milder rollercoaster (in my crazy rollercoaster experience). I absolutely love this ride because it’s smack in the middle of Toy Story land and is themed with different characters spread around the rollercoaster. These characters include: Jessie, Rex, and Squeaky. Throughout Toy Story land and this ride everything is made up of toys, making you feel like a toy yourself. Giant Janga logs and alphabet blocks make up these attractions. The ride itself is literally slinky dog and he talks throughout the ride. It honestly feeling like your on a Slinky when riding it! (See my photos below😁)

Rockin Rollercoaster - This is a high speed, intense, upside down rollercoaster. If you’re a crazy rollercoaster fan like myself then this is your ride! The theme of this ride is that the band Aerosmith wants you to go to their concert so you go in a stretched limo ride vehicle. I will warn those who go on a bit milder rollercoasters, this is not for the faint of heart. This ride starts off launching you from a stand still to 57 mph speeds (91 kilometers per hour) straight into a loopy loop. I haven’t been on this ride in a really long time when I went on this trip. The launch had me really feeling the g-forces. But I’m a crazy rollercoaster fan so I greatly enjoyed it! (See photo below for ride vehicle)

Tower of Terror - Another high thrill attraction. Besides myself I don’t know anyone else who enjoys this ride. The theme is a elevator that suddenly breaks and drops. It drops you about 4 or 5 times and it’s fast! So fast that you fly for a second or two off your seat (don’t worry you’re wearing a seat belt). I like that weightless feeling but it’s not for everyone.

Star Wars Smugglers Run - If you’re a Star Wars fan like myself then you’re gonna love Galaxy’s edge! It’s a whole section of the park that is theme to look like a Star Wars planet! The attractions in this section are Smugglers Run and Rise of the Resistance. Smugglers Run is a simulator ride where you literally pilot the Millennium Falcon! It sits 6 people, 2 pilots, 2 gunners and 2 engineers. I love this ride! Who wouldn’t want to fly the Falcon?!

Star Wars Rise of the Resistance - This is the most immersive Star Wars ride I’ve ever been on. It feels like you’ve been taken into space! I don’t want to spoil much of this ride because there are a lot of surprises but it’s beyond cool! One drop at the end but mostly a smooth and easy ride! (See photo below of an x-wing!)

Alien Saucers - A spinning attraction in Toy Story land. If you’re not for spinning rides it might not be your speed because you don’t control the spinning part of it. It sort of whips your ride vehicle around itself. It’s a lot of fun and adorable themed.

Let’s talk food!🥨🍭🍪

In my opinion Hollywood studio isn’t the greatest when it comes to food. But it does do well with snack. As someone with a lot of stomach issues I stayed away from the greasier options and opted for eating a Mickey Pretzel! For sweets they had funnel cake and a Mickey Mouse cookie! I got the cookie but the funnel cake looked amazing too. For all you muppet fan they have a Rizzo themed pizza restaurant that makes pretty decent pizza. They also have a lot of nicer sit down restaurants like one where you sit in a mini car or a 50’s themed restaurant. Overall not too bad!

For those with Disabilities going to Disney💘

Before you even go to the park, make an appoint to talk with Disney’s disability center. They were super accommodating to my needs and made a plan for how I would navigate my day around the park. This is extremely helpful for anyone with any disability. They were extremely kind and understanding. Without this I don’t think my day at the park would’ve been as easy as it was.

The nighttime shows!🎆🏰

Hollywood Studios offers two different shows to end the day with: Fantasmic or the regular projection firework show.

The projection firework show is nice if you don’t want to be in a crowded show area. There is plenty of space and you get to see a series of different movies and show throughout the years projected on the main theater. It ends the night with fireworks that are super cool!

Fantasmic! - This is there you want to go for the coolest show to end the night at Hollywood Studios. It does get VERY crowded. It’s a major production show complete with fireworks, fire, projections, lights and even water special effects. Mickey Mouse host the show! It’s about using your imagination! The show features: Mickey, the villains of Disney, Pocahontas, Elsa, Moana, Aladdin, The lion king, beauty and the beast, the little mermaid and Erik, Snow White and the Prince, and many more! One of the coolest shows I’ve ever seen!! You gotta see this! My little side was screaming inside! So much fun! The show ends with a river boat with all you’re fav Disney character! (See below for photo!)

What I got myself at the park!🧸🚂

I got myself a stuffie of one of my fav Star Wars characters Princess Leia! She’s not super soft but I thought of her more as a protector to watch over me at night! She’s got her classic white outfit and side buns! As a HUGE Toy Story fan, I got myself Rex! I have a stuffie of him but not an actual Rex! So I got him to join my collection of Toy Story themed toys. I also got myself a pin of baby Minnie. She’s so cute and I felt she related to my little side!

Overall I had a TON of fun being a Regressor at a theme park. It doesn’t matter if you’re with your family or by yourself. You can still regress a little and be yourself at Disney! Disney is for the kid inside of all of us, so let your inner child out! I hope all this info helps you if you plan on making a trip to Hollywood Studios! If you have any questions please feel free to message me!😁🎆🏰

Photos!📸🎞️

Slinky Dog Dash

Rockin Rollercoaster

Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway

Fantasmic

Star Wars Rise of the Resistance