#his humble origins as a girl dad

[lavendermin]

Jing Yuan getting scolded by Fu Xuan for shirking some duties (these are a little trivial but must be done) to go wherever he disappears off to. A quick break with the healer lady, a small stroll through his estate gardens with you, etc.

But as the banter continues and he says there’s still plenty of time on his hands to finish these things up (and it’s true, or he wouldn’t go slack off otherwise), Fu Xuan lets a little comment slip by.

“That’s rich coming from the future father of eight. I suggest you allocate your time well while it lasts, general.” With a huff she storms off, but not without a warning that she expects the documents by the end of the day.

The words process a little too late.

[ham1lton]

THE WINNER TAKES IT ALL!

pairings: oscar piastri x superstar!reader.

summary: when your boyfriend wins his maiden grand prix, you’ve got to show up for him. that proves difficult when no one believes he’s dating you.

faceclaim: isabella peschardt.

author’s note: dedicated to the one anon that sent me this plot and obviously to the one third of my f1 holy trinity, mr oscar piastri for his maiden win!!! <3

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liked by arianagrande, clairo and 4,827,929 others.

yourusername: the tour is finally done!! thank you so much to all of the incredible fans, my fabulous team and everyone else who made this possible! this is all for you!

i’m home now and as a thank you, i’ve released ‘saturn’. i saw all of your tweets and comments about when i’d finally let it out of my music cage and now it’s free! hope you all enjoy <3

view all 907,726 comments

user1: SHE RELEASED THE LIVE VERSION AND THE ORIGINAL????

-> user2: YNNIES WE HAVE BEEN FED TODAY !!!!!

user3: i saw her melbourne show. she’s soooo good live.

-> user4: y’all bullied her into performing drew barrymore thank you for ur service 🫡

user5: so many celebrities showed up to the tour. omg. beyoncé, sza, jay-z, the obama’s daughters, ari, dua, the hadids, justin bieber, and so many others.

-> user6: so many f1 drivers were there? pierre, charles and his gf were spotted at the paris show. lando, oscar, george and his gf, and alex and his gf went to the london show. mick and lewis went to the berlin show. this girl has a HOLD in the motorsport world.

-> user7: i mean, oscar always reposts her stuff on his timeline. he’s probably a ynnie and that’s so real of him.

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liked by landonorris, georgerussell63 and 1,123,828 others.

oscarpiastri: got my first win, not too shabby eh?

view all 567,122 comments

nicolepiastri: WOOOO thats my son 🍾

*liked by oscarpiastri.*

user1: obsessed with this man

user2: AUSTRALIA RAHHH 🐨🦘🇦🇺

charles_leclerc: congratulations son! another win for the leclerc family.

user3: MY GOAT!!!!!

-> user4: a win for gen z.

user5: wym winners are now being born in the 2000s???

-> user6: girl i feel OLD 😭

yourusername: so proud of you! literally cried when you won! i was screaming at the television and everything. my dad got it on camera 😔

-> oscarpiastri: epic, send it to me.

-> user7: HELP?/&/&

-> user8: wym that thee yn yln and oscar piastri text??

-> user9: since when was yn a oscar stan?

-> user10: fr cause she never used to watch f1? she was always a basketball/hockey fan. hmmm…

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liked by ynsgirl, oscarstan1 and 1,727,828 others

ham1ltonshaderoom: after oscar piastri’s maiden f1 win, he was spotted in london with none other than pop’s golden girl, yn yln. they were then posted on a friend’s instagram story, which was then quickly deleted. she was reportedly also seen leaving his celebratory afterparty.

what do you think about the unlikely couple, ham1ltons?

view all 347,928 comments

user1: no.

-> user2: no.

-> user3: no.

-> user4: no.

-> user5: FUCK no!

user6: no way in hell she’s dating him bffr. she has a type and oscar isn’t it.

-> user7: oscar wishes. wouldn’t be surprised if he faked these and paid ham1lton to post it.

user8: i love oscar and yn but separately.

user9: it makes sense a little though. i’m serious.

-> user10: most unserious comment ever.

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liked by yourusername, oscarstan2 and 3,827,882 others.

oscarpiastri: i can’t lose when i’m with you.

tagged: yourusername

view all 728,828 comments

user1: oh they frfr ��

user2: this is so sweet!!! no wonder she was releasing happier love songs recently.

user3: dating the prettiest girl ever, being a formula one race winner, a future wdc, and you’re not even UGLY??? why did god humble me this is sick.

-> user4: exactly 😭 like yn give us some time!! we’ll get there.

-> oscarpiastri: want some tips?

-> user5: U RSICK MYGOD

landonorris: the grapevine was right. oh.

logansargeant: happy for you both!! and ty yn for giving me the signed vinyl for my cousin!! she loved it 😻

user13: USING HER LYRICS AS THE CAPTION MY GOD

-> user14: SNOOZE IS ABOUT OSCAR????

-> user15: oscar is a bad bitch my god. getting one of the biggest songs written about him.

-> oscarpiastri: 1:21 — sideways by jt 😉

-> user16: OSCAR HELLO?2&/9/9/)

-> user17: MCLARENS PR WHERE ARE YOU?

-> mclaren: too busy streaming ctrl by yn 🎧

user6: i don’t believe it. why would she date him?

-> oscarpiastri: and what’s the alternative? dating you?

-> user7: OOP! 😹

user8: yn doesn’t deserve oscar.

*user blocked by oscarpiastri.*

yourusername: i love you 👩🏽‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏻

-> oscarpiastri: i love you so much more actually 💕

user9: CUTEST COUPLE EVER OMGGGG

user10: this is the year of athlete x singer relationships

-> user11: gonna start singing lessons immediately. JUDE BELLINGHAM WAIT FOR ME!!!

-> user12: i can hit a note on occasion landonorris 😏

-> landonorris: just checked your profile, you sound like a screeching cat. absolutely awful.

-> landonorris: i want you 😍

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— all works taglist: @luvsforme @yelenasloverrrrr @donttouchthegnote @chelle1306 @bloodyymaryy @aliciaablueprint @lennnooshh @km-23mr @stinkyjax @f1kenzzz @ctrlyomomma @theblueblub @lavisenri @marshmummy @23victoria @ourlifeforchaos @namgification @tallrock35 @avada-kedavra-bitch-187 @ariellovelynn @shhhchriss @lifeless-firefly @xylinasdiary @evie-119 @itseightbeats @tsireyasgf @landososcar @yongi-lee @maxlarens @velentine @m1892 @blushmimi @evans-dejong (oscar specific tags will be in the comments)

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[charlie-lec-stories]

A lovely mess // CL16

Pairing: Charles Leclerc / Original Female Character

Summary: Four times Charles overreacted to becoming a father and one he actually failed to react. Or Charles being a mess through the best and most scary adventure of his life.

Warnings: None, this is pure wholesomeness.

Author’s Note: This one was inspired by some stories my own dad and uncle told me about the times they had their first children. Yes, some of those stories are based on things my father did when him and my mom were expecting me hahahaha. Rate: PG

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Every man reacts differently to pregnancy, but the most common response is just simply becoming a mess of a human being. And because of that, Charles, for once in his life, could be considerer an average man. He had been exceptional his whole life: excellent student at school, talented in arts, languages and sports, remarkable people skills and loved by everyone. People assumed that he was going to be an exceptional father too, and he knew he was committed to the role since day one, but none of that made the experience less scary. The monegasque had always want kids, he had always pictured himself growing old with a woman he loved and raising a bunch of little humans. When he knocked up his girlfriend he was definitely not planning on becoming a father so soon in his life, but he was happy nonetheless. His history with his girlfriend was kind of complicated too, her family didn't like him much, or more precisely the fact that Charles' job made her travel around the globe, away from her family all the time. He knew that he loved her more than he had ever loved anyone in his life, he knew that every time he pictured himself in the future, that future was shared with her, but it would be a lie if he'd say that the pregnancy didn't complicate things. His in-laws weren't too happy when they found out and Charles' mother was kind of worried about the whole situation. But Charles and his girl loved that little "accident" more than life itself and they actually never cared too much about anyone else's opinions. He convinced his girlfriend to move in with him and she also agreed on keep traveling with him until she ultimately had to stay home for the baby's safety.

"Is six weeks really that bad, Amour? I mean, maybe you're jet lagged or something". Charles nervously wondered from sitting at the bottom of the bed, his girl anxiously pacing around the room.

"That's not how periods work, Charlie". She was trying to stay calm and not bark at him, but that was a difficult task.

"Then let's buy a test and find out". He got up and started walking to the door when she grabbed his arm.

"Wait! You can't just go to a pharmacy and buy a test!". She looked at him like he was insane.

"Why not?". If there was someone humble enough to always forget he's rich and famous, that was Charles.

"Because you're Charles fucking Leclerc, that's why!". She let go of his arm and ran her hand down her face, exasperated. "The press is going to have a field day if you do that".

"Shit, you're right". He sighed and his shoulders sunk. He could see her shaking, scared and stressed and all he wanted to do was give her answers so she could get some peace of mind. "I'm sorry, Amour, I just don't know what to do".

"Let's call Lorenzo, maybe Charlotte can buy it for us".

He watched her take care of everything: call his brother, open the door for him and Charlotte, explain the situation, decide over test brands with his sister in law, drink loads of water, all while he sat on the couch, his mind running faster than he had ever drove his Ferrari. How could she think so clearly even with how scared she was? What would he do if the test was positive? What if she didn't want to keep the baby? Why was he feeling so sad with the mere idea of the test turning up negative? Was he really ready to be a father? There were so many questions and so little answers. He could hear Charlotte walk out the door and his girlfriend go their room, he clearly felt his older brother sit by his side on the couch, but he just couldn't move. Lorenzo said something Charles never caught, too drown inside his own head.

"I really want this baby, Enzo". Was all he let out and his brother just squeezed his shoulder.

Charlotte came back pretty fast, a paper bag with at least five different tests for his girl to do. The older woman explained the younger which ones were more effective so they could compare the results later. The possible future mother lock herself into the bathroom while the other three waited outside. Charles felt like he waited for an eternity before she came out with the five little white sticks. She placed them over a napkin on the coffee table and Lorenzo set the timer. Now, they had to wait again. She was sitting on the same couch he was before, looking at everything but the tests in front of her, so he sat down and took her hand in his, hoping for the contact to be enough to ease her thoughts. He wasn't exactly the epitome of calmness and the sweat that covered his hand made it hard to grip at. She looked at him and smiled, she knew that he was going to be there for them, no matter what, but she was still scared of what he would think, she still needed to know if he really wanted this. Still, she refrained from asking and simply rested her head on his shoulder, searching for comfort on his scent. She had her eyes closed when she suddenly flew to the other side of the couch while Charles' loud yelp filled her ears.

"What the fuck was that?". She looked around, trying to find what could have startled him so much to trow her like that, but all she could see was Charles clumsily trying to grab one of the tests while his feet barely kept him up. She had never seen him so uncoordinated in the two years they had been together. His fingers had a mind of their own and his legs were trembling.

"Two lines, this one has two lines". Charles, who had been quiet and petrified for the past hour, was mumbling like a madman as he showed his brother one of the tests. In the background, the alarm set by Lorenzo started ringing and they all looked down at the coffee table, searching for the lines of truth. Charles grabbed the the tests smiling wide as he showed them to the others. "THEY ALL HAVE TWO LINES". He was hyperventilating, his whole body shaking and Lorenzo couldn't help but let out his loudest laugh as he watched his younger brother loose the little bits of sanity he had. "CAN YOU SEE IT, BABY?!". He shoved the sticks into his girlfriend's face. "It's a baby! We made a baby! Putain de merde! I'm going to be a Papa!".

"Yes, Charlie! I see it!". She said sharing his enthusiasm. But then she saw him go pale really fast. He walked backwards a few steps and Lorenzo caught him from behind before he could fall butt first on the ground.

"Okay, I think you need to process this rollercoaster of emotions while sitting on the couch, Cha". The older Leclerc helped his bother to sit down next to the now confirmed future mama. There, Charles took her hand and smiled, a high-like expression covering his eyes. He may be scared, but he had never been happier.

If Charles' reaction to the pregnancy was that chaotic, it was a sure thing that the following nine months would be as well. Before the first trimester was up, he had already brought another house to move to, where the baby could have their own room and a playroom. He brought every piece of Ferrari merchandizing he could find on the internet, he didn't even care if it was original or not. Was it pretty? Yes. Was it Ferrari? Yes. Then he was buying it. His girlfriend even went to the extent of taking away his cards and threatened with getting rid of wifi to make him stop. He didn't, took her extension in the middle of the night and kept binge-shopping for his baby at 4 am. He brought furniture for the bedroom and the playroom, and then he found his biggest rival till the day. A rival he wanted to beat more than Max Verstappen: a crib. She wasn't even showing and he was already putting a crib together, or let's rephrase it, fighting with the crib and losing pathetically.

"Cela n'a aucun sens". (This makes no sense). He complained while he tried to attach what was supposed to be 'Part B' to 'Part 3.1'. Why there was a part 3.1, he didn't know and was too stress out to try and figure it out. He growled, he literally growled when the whole crib came crushing down in front of him. "Je déteste cette merde". (I hate this shit).

"Charlie? What's wrong? I heard a loud noise". He looked at the mother of his child and all he could feel was embarrassment. "Are you alright?".

"Yes. I'm fine". He answered from the floor, looking at his lap. He wanted to cry, but he also didn't want to upset her.

"Hey, you know you can tell me anything, right?". She sat next to him on the floor and searched for his eyes, but he kept looking away from her. "What is it, Charles?".

"I-". He tried to start talking, but he was cut off by his own sob. She quickly made him turn towards her, looking for injuries, but he seemed to be physically fine. She saw the tears running down his face and did the best she could to wipe the away. Moving to sit on his lap, she threw her arms around his neck and pressed herself flat against him, trying to get as close as she could. He cried on her shoulder, soaking her his hoodie and crushing her with his arms around her waist. They stayed like that for a while, until Charles stopped crying. She scratched his head to calm him down and after some time, he did. In a painfully soft whisper, he admitted his fear to her. "I'm going to be a terrible Papa".

"Don't say that. We both know that's not true". Shushing him, she pulled away and grabbed his face, forcing him to look at her. "Is this about the crib?".

"I've been fighting this crib for four days. Our baby is going to sleep on the floor and it's all my fault". She laughed and for a moment, she regretted it, seeing the hurt in his eyes. She calmed down and pecked his lips.

"Charlie, our baby has barely formed their ears yet, you have more than enough time to figure this out". He didn't look convinced at all.

"But what if I don't?". She smiled at him.

"I know you will. Do you want to know why?". He nodded and she ran her fingers through his hair to move it away from his face, so they could look into each others eyes and make him believe her. "Because you already are the best Papa in the world, Charles".

He won against the crib just in time to catch up with the worst part of the cravings period. They were into the fourth month of pregnancy and the little bump was proudly starting to show. Charles couldn't keep his hands away from it. He was constantly touching the bump, kissing the bump, talking to the bump, even scolding the bump whenever he saw some discomfort tinting his girlfriend's face. In the paddock he practically forced her to go everywhere with him and on interviews he answered every question while looking at her. He insisted on people staying at least ten centimeters away from her and he even took upon himself the task of preparing every meal she ate, just to make sure that it was safe and she didn't get food poisoned. He checked places' and foods' temperatures, chairs' and couches' safety, if her shoes were properly tied (at least 20 times a day), the only thing missing was him wrapping her on bobble wrapping. He safety proofed the every hotel room they stayed in so she wouldn't 'accidentally hit the bump against unknown furniture in the dark'. At some point, she had to put a stop to the madness, specially when Charles' newly-daddy paranoia messed with her cravings.

"Amour, what are you eating?". He asked when he caught her hiding with Lando and Max behind the Red Bull garage, a massive greasy half eaten hot dog on her hands. Lando was opening a mayonnaise sachet with his teeth and Max was feeding her french fries with his bare hands, all three of them sitting on the floor. It wasn't exactly the most sanitary situation, but the fuzzy feeling she felt inside her chest thanks to that hot dog made it all worth it. Charles could swear he had an aneurysm just by the sight of it all. "Where did you get that?".

"Uhm...". Her and Lando looked at Max, waiting for him to answer, since he was the one who brought it.

"Well... It's from a professional, I can assure you that, Charles". The monegasque frowned and Max swallowed, scared, just to find out his mouth was completely dry. He wasn't an easily scared guy, but something about Charles' over-protective-dad mood just terrified him.

"And where's the professional's place? Can you show me?". Max, still sitting on the floor, looked at everything but Charles.

"Oh, you see-".

"It's from the stand outside of the paddock". Lando blurted out, followed by him covering his mouth with both his hands and the three of them heard Charles growl.

"Max did you just feed my pregnant girlfriend a hot dog from a dirty street-stand? YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW IF THE PERSON WASHES THEIR HANDS-"

"They definitely don't, I mean, they don't have where to".

"Lando, you're not helping me, mate". Max advised, not moving his eyes from the fuming Charles above him. Then the pregnant girl decided to intervene.

"Charlie, babe, it's okay. I asked him to buy it for me". Charles then looked at her, his gaze softening a little, but still angry.

"Amour, you know that's not good for you". He walked to her and hooked his arms under hers to help her off the floor.

"But the baby wanted it". Max still followed Charles, afraid of what the future father could do to him for messing with his unborn baby's diet. Lando stayed very still, hoping to make himself invisible. "I was just craving this so bad! And you never let me have this type of food. The baby is fine, I promise".

"Don't do that face, it's not fair". He complained when she gave him her best puppy eyes. She didn't stop, and he finally dropped the attitude. "Okay, maybe we can make some room for a hot dog once in a while. But you have to keep eating healthy, we don't want the little Tifosi to come out malnourished".

"Yay!". She squealed and hugged him tight, the hot dog almost falling from her hand. Charles hugged her back and then directed his gaze towards the other two drivers.

"And you two". Max and Lando looked at him wide-eyed. "This better be the last time you pull off something like this. Did I make myself clear?".

"Yes, sir". Both said at the same time and got up from the floor.

"Okay, go on. And think about what you did". They nodded their heads, Max handing the girl the fries and then walking away with Lando.

"I like you daddy-voice". Charles shrugged at her comment.

"Amour, don't call it that or I won't be able to use it without laughing".

Charles' paranoia got better. He calmed down a little, but then the fear of being a bad father came back. Around the seventh month, already knowing they were having a boy, Charles found himself with insomniac. At the beginning of the pregnancy he was scared of not knowing what to do to take care of a baby's basic needs: bottle feed, change diapers, help him to sleep, and things like that. But as the date of the delivery got closer, Charles' fears shifted to the more existential type. What if he was unable to guide his son through life? What if he failed on teaching him good values and a strong sense of ethics? What if he ended up raising a spoiled kid, arrogant and narcissistic? What if he couldn't make his boy happy? What if his kid hated him? Those questions kept him up at night, turning over and over on the bed, and cold sweat covering his body. He would walk to the baby's room and look at the painting his girlfriend did on the walls, the name 'Jules' written on lilac on a clear sky, over the race track so carefully crafted. What if his son didn't want to race cars? What if he was forcing him to do so when he wasn't even born? Sitting on the rocking chair, he would look out the window, the yachts at the bay clearly visible from there. What if his son didn't like Monaco? What if his son would rather adopt his mother's nationality and culture over his? The dark sky adorned with shinny little dots would look back at him without answers.

"Charlie? Why are you up, love?". He heard his girl's sleepy voice call out to him from the doorway. He smiled at her, his eyes glossy as he fought the tears that wanted to escape.

"Just thinking, Amour. Don't worry". He gave her his best smile, but she could read his real feelings underneath it. "Go back to bed, I'll join you in a minute".

"I think we love each other enough to cut the bullshit, babe". She walked further into the room and stopped in front of him, her big belly at his face's height, and he couldn't help but reach forward and kiss it. "What is it?"

"It's... it's just a lot and it's late. Don't worry, really-"

"Charles, I'm not sleeping until I'm convinced that you're alright". He sighed, and pulled her to his lap. The weight was a little bit more than what he was used to, but he loved that, it made it impossible for him to overlook the fact that his baby was there, with them. He made her rest her back against his chest and rocked he chair, hugging her tight against him and resting his chin over her shoulder. They both looked out of the window and she patiently waited for him to tell her what was going on inside his mind.

"I'm scared. I feel this huge responsibility over Jules". She smiled, loving whenever they talked about their baby using the name they choose for him. "I just want to be a good Papa, but I'm so scared of messing up, of making the wrong choices, of using the wrong words, of leading him in the wrong direction. What if I don't raise him right? If I'm not a good role model?"

"Well, you're not alone in this, Charlie, I'm with you till the end of the line. Like Bucky and Steve. I know that we'll be alright. I just know it". She sounded so sure of herself. He wished he could be that sure about everything.

"How do you do it? How do you manage to always be so sure and composed?". She laughed and he felt the baby kick under his palm, he always kicked when she laughed.

"I've been the least composed person and you know it, Charlie! I break down crying at least five times a day. You've seen that! You're the one who comforts me every time". He laughed softly, that was true, those had been some pretty crazy seven months. A true rollercoaster of emotions. And they still had two more months to go. "I know that we'll be alright because we're already asking ourselves these questions. Because we care about Jules so much that we truly take time to think things through. We are going to be alright because we love our baby and we both know we will always do the best we can for him. We won't let the bad choices from our parents be repeated and we'll make sure to copy the best from them to give to Jules. That's why I'm so sure". She turned to look at him for a moment. "I trust you to be the dad of my baby because I know how great of a human being you are, Charles".

"I love you". He said, feeling a lot better. He kissed her tenderly, and then another kick was felt under his hand. "Thanks for being here for me, Amour".

"Always, just as you had always been for me". She nuzzled her nose against his. Another kick and they both laughed. "Let's go back to bed, Papa".

The two months passed by in a blink. Charles asked Ferrari to give him a leave of absence for the first two races of the season. He wanted to be world champion, but he would rather be there when his son was born. Ferrari let him take his time, but Jules decided to be born at eight and a half months. It seemed like he couldn't wait to meet his parents, because everything happened so fast that Charles had barely had any time to react. They were having lunch at his mother's house, and he was having the best time. His girl looked amazing, all radiant and happy, her belly covered by a cute but comfortable dress, his sisters in law both touching the belly and fighting for godmother duties. Lorenzo and Charlotte were definitely the chosen ones, but they hadn't tell anyone yet, after all both Lorenzo and Charlotte were there for them when they needed them. His mother was showing him little clothes that she had crocheted for Jules and his brothers discussing which one was going to be the 'responsible uncle' and who the 'funcle'. Arthur was definitely unable to be the responsible one, so he was already chosen to be the 'funcle'. Every conversation was cut short when the faint voice of the future mama rang through the air.

"Charlie". Her shaken voice called out, and he turned around to see what she needed. There was a wet patch under her and she was grabbing her belly, a painful expression on her face. "I think my water broke".

"The baby is coming!". Arthur shouted excitedly, but Charles' brain just stopped functioning. He saw everyone running around to grab things, Charlotte and Carla helping his girl out of the house and towards his car, Lorenzo grabbing the baby bag the carried around just in case since the beginning of the last trimester, Arthur pushing him outside and his mother speaking, but he just couldn't move. H was petrified. He felt like his blood pressure had dropped in a second and if it wasn't for Arthur behind him, he would have certainly fallen to the ground. His mother took his car keys out of his pocket and then they pushed him on the back seat, next to his girlfriend. Her hand crushing his brought him back from his outer-body state and he was able to react, turning to face her and running his other hand down her arm, doing his best to sooth her.

"It's okay, mon amour. Breath, breath with me". He instructed her and he started to exaggerate his breathing so she could copy her. She did and that calmed her down enough to count the seconds between one contraction and the next. "That's it, Amour, you're doing so good". He praised her and she smiled a little, her happy expression cut short by another waive of pain. She screamed and cried, sweat covering her forehead and running down her face, mixing with her tears. It was probably the most messy she had ever looked, but he had never seen her as beautiful as in that moment. "I love you so much". He whispered it, but by the squeeze she gave to his hand, he knew for sure she was saying it back. "We're almost there, hung on a little longer".

He almost carried her out of the car and into the hospital the second Arthur parked the car. Then, they found out that she was ready to deliver in that second. Jules didn't want them to keep him waiting, she was brought to the delivery room and Charles was given surgical gown so he could join her. Inside, the whole process was quick, in 30 minutes, Jules was crying on the doctors arms and Charles could feel his heart skip a beat. Wrapped on towel and with the small hat they had for him on, Jules was passed on to his mother, who took him instantly while she cried her eyes out. Charles, still on delay with reality, was trying to process the information. That was his baby, he was finally there, he could finally touch him. The doctor walked to him, placing a hand on his shoulder, Charles couldn't stop looking at his girl and little Jules. He heard a softly "go ahead, meet your boy", and that was enough for him to place a shaking and gentle hand on Jules' head. He ran his thumb over the soft little cheek and the tears started to fall. He felt his girl's hand wipe away his tears and heard her laugh softly. She just found funny that after overreacting about every little thing for the past eight months, Charles was barely able to react that day. He was a mess in that moment, but he was the perfect mess in her eyes. The most extraordinary mess. He finally smiled and reached down to kiss her head, then he looked at Jules.

"I am your Papa, Jules. I love you. I'm so happy to finally meet you".

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I hope you guys liked this one!

[axelsagewrites]

Jace Velaryon*Cocky

Pairing: Modern!Frat!Jace x f!reader

Summary: While originally being fast friends Jace ditches the reader to become part of the in crowd at university only to end up right back where he started. TW: Jace being a douche but redeeming himself, swearing, and stoner Heleana ig?

A/N: I saw headcannons for cocky Jace and my mind ran with it so I present cocky Jace.

Word count: 4240

Masterlist Here

Jace Velaryon was almost a legend at Kingslanding University. All his family were alumni of the school who were always making donations and appearing at university events. One of the student halls was named after his dad’s family, the Velaryon Court, and the Dragonstone library was funded by his grandfather and was engraved with his mother’s maiden name. No one was shocked when he pledged to The Fraternity of the Seven or when he became the youngest captain of the rugby team, a position nearly always held by a Targaryen or Velaryon. His cousins were also on the team and Jace, Aegon, and Aemond were always the talk of the school. The only reason he even went to university was to study business so he could take over the family business after his mother. The company that basically employed half of Westeros. It was no surprise that people wanted to be in with the Velaryon-Targaryen Crowd, but you had quickly learned it was far better to avoid them than share their company.

In first year, you shared quite a few classes with Jace and the other Targs, as everyone called them, and at first, he was nice. Hell, you were even kind of friends. He sat next to you in High Valyrian 101 and freshman English and every class he would text you first to see if you wanted a coffee from the canteen. He would genuinely try in class and attended your study sessions you held in your dorm with friends, and he was always the one who would bring the most snacks for people to share.

It had been his father that had encouraged him to join the family frat but even when he first joined it Jace was a normal guy. He didn’t brag when he made the rugby team or when he got into his frat. Something changed though halfway through freshman year. He stopped showing up to study sessions and instead just asked you to send him your notes. You were fine with it at first, figuring he was just busy with all his new activities. Until you realised his new activities was a girl called Sara Snow who made fun of you and your friends at every opportunity. Jace had known this but clearly, he didn’t care as he sat in class with her tongue halfway down his throat.

It only got worse over time. He basically dropped all of the friends he had made when he started and instead hung out with the senior in crowd who were happy to get a Velaryon in their mix. He stopped eating at the Canteen, turning his nose up at the coffee and insisting on ubering Starbucks to class. He was still passing his classes somehow, but you had stopped replying to his texts asking for notes and realised it was the only thing he still asked you about. The down to earth humble guy had died, and a new frat boy cocky athlete had taken its place.

Unlike Jace you had stuck with your first-year friends and now in senior year you were still best friends with them all. Alysanne, Arra, Lynara and you had formed a strong friendship group whom all shared a mutual hatred of the Targs. Well except for one. Heleana Targaryen was nothing like her brothers or cousins and had joined your group a couple of years ago. At first, she seemed so innocent and shy, but you soon realised she was just a massive stoner who had a special interest in bugs and women.  

The five of you were sat in the canteen eating lunch when Alysanne brought up the upcoming rugby game, “I have to go so you all have to go and we have to look cute.”

You rolled your eyes knowing exactly why she and Arra wanted to go, “You have an unhealthy obsession with Cregan you know?” you said nodding at the pair who were scrolling through Alysanne’s phone looking at outfits. “He’s not gonna see you when he’s mid game,”

“Maybe but,” Alysanne said with a smirk, “He’s been messaging me. So now we have to go support him and I have to look cute for when I not so accidentally bump into him after when he’s all sweaty and glowing from his win,”

“Aren’t they going up against the Dornish Academy? Aren’t they liking the ones who won the whole thing last year? Or was that someone else. Its hard to keep up when they talk about this crap at dinner,” Heleana said. You couldn’t imagine what it’d be like to have to put up with her family all year round.

“Yeah, but this year’s Jace is captain, so they’ll be way better than last year. Marston Waters was such a loser. And a creep,” Despite her obsession with Cregan, Alysanne did genuinely enjoy and followed the rugby team, something you couldn’t understand why. “He actually seems to know what he’s doing,”

“That’s only cause he’s a Valerian. No offence Hel,” you added, and she just shrugged, “If he wasn’t born with that silver spoon up his ass no one would care about him,”

“I mean yeah he can be douche,” Arra jumped in, “But he’s hot and he’s fit, and he can run really fast,”

You gasped in fake surprise, “Don’t tell me you’re falling for a Targ Arra,” you said as you clutched her arm, “Are you ill? Are you dying?”

Arra swotted your hand away as Helena chuckled to herself, “You’re just mad you fancied him in freshman year and he ditched you for Sara Snow,” Arra said.

You hated that she was right and sighed as you took your hand away. He had gone from being so kind to you to pretending he didn’t know you existed. Or maybe he really forgot about you. It didn’t help that Sara smirked at you every time she passed you in the hallway, clutching onto his arm even tighter the whole of first year.

All of this was clearly new information to Heleana since you had sworn them all to secrecy after freshman year. “You used to like my cousin? That’s so gross,”

“Tell me about it,” you muttered before quickly changing the subject, “So how mandatory is it we go with you tomorrow, Aly?”

“Like 100%. He’s invited me to the after party and told me to bring you all,”

“Cregan Stark knows who we are?” Helena asked.

Lynara snorted at her words, “Dude he’s, my cousin. Plus, everyone knows who you are Helena even if you wanna be a stoner loner so bad,” Helena rolled her eyes but couldn’t even argue with her since her last name was all over campus, “Plus Arra and Alysanne went to high school with me and Cregan. No clue how he knows you though,” she said nudging your shoulder.

“He’s probably just seen me hanging around you guys before or something,” you assumed which seemed to satisfy everyone’s curiosity, “Can’t we skip the game and just go to the party?”

Shock and offence plastered Arra and Alysanne’s faces, “Why do you hate me being happy?” Aly asked and you rolled your eyes, “Do you want me to die old and alone and surrounded by 15 cats?”

“Why 15 cats?” you asked, ignoring her question.

“Oh my god will you just please come to the game? If you come, you can be maid of honour and Cregan and mines wedding?” she offered prompted Arra to shout her protests.

You laughed as Arra continued her rant about how she was supposed to be maid of honour before interrupted, “Fine you have a deal. But know. im only doing this to piss her off,”

“You suck,” Arra deadpanned causing you to laugh more, “But as revenge I get to pick your outfit,” you groaned but not wanting to argue allowed it.

Shockingly her outfit choice for the game was fine but it was the outfit for later you worried about. Instead of worrying you tried your best to ignore the sinking feeling whenever your friends brought up the after party and actually tried to enjoy the game to appease Aly.

When the game was over everyone began to rush either on the pitch to talk to the players or out the stadium to get ready for the after party. You and your friends however were stuck trying not to get knocked down by the crowds as Aly swooped in for the kill. You watched her obvious flirting and hair tossing and arm grabbing. Arra was doing the same with a guy from the sulking Dornish team, but her eye lash batting seemed to put a smile on his miserable face. You watched in awe, “How do they do that?” You asked.

Lynara shrugged and tore her eyes off the rugby boys, “Flirt?” she asked, and you nodded, “I don’t know you just like do it,” she said to which you rolled your eyes at her unhelpfulness, “Its hard to explain. You touch their arm, butter them up, act like an idiot while batting your eyes. All the cliches really. Laugh at all their jokes. That kinda thing,”

“What if they’re not funny?”

Helena snorted as Lynara almost face palmed, “This is why your single,” Helena said, and you swotted her in response, “You can’t just talk to a guy about the history of Valyria and expect him to know that means you wanna fuck him,”

“All you do is talk about bugs,” you said as if it was some kind of defence for your own helpless love life. “Is that why you don’t get any?”

“I don’t get any because I don’t want anyone here,” she corrected, “But clearly you do so spill,”

“No, I don’t!” the warm blood rushing into your cheeks did little to convince the pair who started to laugh at your fluster, “This is why I hate rugby,”

“I’m wounded,” a voice said from behind you, and you quickly spun around to see your least favourite Targs standing there. Jace walked to stand in between you and Helena, draping his arm over both your shoulders but you quickly shrugged his sweaty arm off. “If you hate it, why were you cheering for me?” He grinned, not caring about the rejection or the way you wouldn’t even look at his stupid perfect grin.

“We came for my cousin,” Lynara said, and you’d never been so grateful to have a stark on your side.

Jace looked down at Helena, “What about your auntie? You here for him too?”

She snorted, “Please im here to watch the Dornes tackle my brother,” you couldn’t help but laugh as you looked over to where Aegon was getting checked over by the school nurse for concussion. The boy charged into everything blindly and you were shocked he still had any braincells left.

Jace laugh made you stop yours however, but his attention eventually turned back to you, “So if she came for her cousin and she came for her brother. Who were you cheering for?”

Before you could come up with a response or come back Arra and Aly returned with Cregan in tow, “I was just telling Cregan how we turned you into a rugby fan,” Aly grinned as she brought her future husband over.

Jace’s arm returned to your shoulder and a massive grin on his face, “Oh really!” he beamed, “I thought you hated rugby?” he batted his eyelashes like an innocent child, and you did your best not to hit his perfect face.

Shrugging off his arm yet again, and receiving a questioning look for Arra in the process, you scrambled for a response, “I guess its not as bad as I expected,”

Cregan’s smile unlike Jace’s felt genuine and not mocking, “Hopefully we can turn you into a mega fan by the end of the year. Are yous coming tonight? Who can turn down free punch?” and with that your friends committed you to an evening of drinking, fun, and rugby guys much to your dismay.

You tried your best not to ruin Arra’s and Aly’s moods as you all got ready for the celebration, but Lynara was texting you to make sure you were okay. You didn’t know why the whole thing with Jace still bothered you, but it did. And seeing him act so casually flirty and friendly today out of nowhere didn’t help.

Despite it all you stood outside the Fraternity of the Seven with your girls as you waited to get into the party. This was your first official Frat party, so Arra had insisted you looked the part with a tight short black leather skirt, tights, and long sleeve top. Aly’s had done you hair and makeup to match and it had felt good to get ready like this in the dorms. Despite the modesty of the outfit, you felt exposed as the frat boys at the door let yous in and your good mood was soon diminishing.

Aly’s was gone within seconds to join Cregan at the opposite side of the room and Arra was soon to leave as well to join some other guys. Lynara linked her arm with yours and began dragging you to the drinks table. “Beer or punch?” she asked as she grabbed you a cup and filled it with your choice before handing it to you, “You’ll feel better after you drink something,”

“Or I’ve got weed if you prefer,” Helena offered causing Lynara to roll her eyes.

You laughed as you began to drink the cheap alcohol, “Im good but thanks Hel. Im at least going to try and enjoy this,” and you did. You ended up sitting with Baela, who you still struggled to understand how she was related to Hel, and some of her friends.

You were sat on the arm rest of the couch facing the group with your legs resting in Hel’s lap. You did your best to join in conversation, but it was mainly just a couple words here and there not really knowing what to say so to keep your mouth busy you kept sipping your now third drink. As you were laughing at one of Baela’s stories you felt someone’s toned abs lean against your back. “What’s so funny?” Jace asked and you felt your body tense as he draped his arm over your shoulder.

Baela, who was still laughing filled him in on the story and Jace kept up with the conversation, not even acknowledging the position you were both in. Hel gave your foot a squeeze and looked at you as if to ask if you were alright and you nodded, knowing the scene she would cause if you hadn’t. Jace moved his hand to rest on your other shoulder, essentially locking you in place, and you could feel his smirk burning into the back of your head, but you refused to look at him. With Jace behind you you could feel so many eyes on you and you hated to think what they were thinking. Aly looked over and gave you a puzzled look but got distracted by Cregan as quickly as she looked.

At this point your mind was wondering, thinking of what to do or what was happening when Jace interrupted your thoughts, “You want another?” he said as he took your now empty cup from your hand.

“Huh? Oh yeah sure thanks,” you said and for a second it almost felt like freshman Jace getting you coffee again.

“Be back in a beat sweetheart,” and the thought died as quickly as it entered your head.

As soon as he had walked away Lynara had jumped up from her chair, grabbing your arm and pulling you off the couch with Hel following in tow. “Quick lets escape,” Lynara said as she dragged you to the other side of the room. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, im fine I was just like you know,” you said, and she nodded in response, “Isn’t he just gonna come find me?”

“Jace has the attention span of about 10 seconds,” Hel said and for whatever reason it only made you feel worse, “If you want, we can find Aly and Arra and ditch?”

“Nah its fine. I don’t wanna kill their vibe because of freshman stuff,” you said but your eyes were on Jace who was now making his way back to the couch with two cups and a very cutely confused look on his face. It almost made you wanna walk back over but when he looked up and you made eye contact you spun around to face the girls, “Let’s dance or something?”

“You wanna dance?” Lynara said shocked but quickly grabbed your arm dragging you to the dance floor before you could change your mind.

For a few minutes it actually took your mind off it all especially when Arra and Aly’s joined, finally ditching their guys for the evening. You lost track of how long you had been dancing but you were starting to regret not getting another drink, “Im gonna grab a drink be back,” you told Hel who just nodded before continuing her questionable robot dancing.

Once you arrived at the table you quickly poured your drink before deciding to down it and pour another. “Thirsty?” you snapped your head to the side to see Jace who must’ve only just came over. he stood beside you as he poured his own cup, “You wouldn’t have been so thirsty if you had waited for me to get back,”

“Lynara wanted to dance. I got distracted,” The lie slipped easily off your tongue as you began to drink your next drink, to increase the buzz you already had, “I didn’t think you’d mind,”

“I might be a Valerian but even we get offended when girls run away from us,” he said with his cocky grin but this time your buzz made you scoff in return, “What? You think we don’t have feelings?”

you rolled your eyes and briefly debated whether to just walk away but the cheap alcohol had obviously lowered your senses. “No, I think yous are all rich douchebags,” you said and Jace’s jaw slackened as his eyes widened. “Yous are all the same,” you continued despite any logic but you knew your freshman self would be proud, “Your daddy donates a few grand to the school, has your name plastered all over campus, and suddenly you think your mommy’s money somehow makes you the shit,” Jace went to say something but you didn’t stop, “So you ditch all your friends and skip all your classes and pick the bitchiest girls to date. Like seriously yous all chose the same mean girl in a different font its insane. Then you become rugby or football captains and spend all your time partying then take over your family business instead of the people that actually work for it,”

“That’s not fair,” Jace snapped when he could finally get a word in. his face was red, and he looked angrier than he had than during the whole rugby game. “Your barley knows me- “

“No but I do,” you cut him off, “Because you are all the same. And it’s a shame really cause you used to be really cool then you joined this stupid frat and started hanging around with Aegon fucking Targaryen and ditched all your friends to fuck Sara Snow,”

“I didn’t ditch you guys,”

“Im shocked you even remember us,” you snapped, and a silence fell between you both.

You turned back to your drink as Jace stewed in silence, “I didn’t mean to ditch you I just got busy and I-”

“I don’t really care what your excuse is Jace,” you cut him off as you sat your empty cup on the table, “It was fucking hurtful okay? You came to this school normal, and you turned into some Aegon Targaryen 2.0. We weren’t cool enough for you, I get it,” tears began to prick your eyes and threatened to spill but Jace just stood silently with his head hanging down. “I can’t believe I used to like you,” you said, and he suddenly looked up with his eyes wide and a confused look on his face, “Yeah, I know. Trust me to fall for the asshole. I shouldn’t have come tonight,” you said as you started to walk away.

You heard Jace say wait but instead you speed up and pulled out your phone to text Helena that you were leaving because of a sore stomach and began to walk home.

When you were halfway down the street you heard someone running behind you and glanced over your shoulder to see Jace had followed you. You tried to speed up, but he ended up in front of you, “You shouldn’t walk home alone drunk. It’s not safe,”

“Im not drunk,” you said, moving past him.

Jace only followed though, easily keeping pace with you, “Still. I don’t want you to get hurt,”

You snorted, “That’s ironic. What do you just wanna make fun of me? Is that why you were talking to me today? To laugh with your friends about it?”

“Gods you can’t think im that much of an asshole surely?” he asked but you stayed silent, “Look im sorry okay. I shouldn’t have just ditched you it was just like I- “

“You what? You started dating Sara Snow then suddenly I was invisible to you?”

Jace sighed and grabbed your shoulder, forcing you to stop walking despite your protests, “I only started dating her cause you kept rejecting me,”

This baffled you. You felt your head spinning and your whole world being flipped, “I never rejected you? You never even asked me out? What the fuck?”

“Are you serious?” Jace asked and you just shook your head confused. Jace let out a laugh and began to look around, “Oh my gods you’re an idiot,” you went to protest but he cut you off, “I was constantly flirting with you. Like the whole of first year. I got you coffee like every day,”

“Didn’t you get everyone coffee?”

“No!” Jace said and now you were both confused, “I got you coffee and always wanted to hang out and id come to your dorm all the time, but you kept inviting other people with,”

“We were studying!”

“I was trying to flirt with you!” Jace practically yelled as he flung his arms in the air, “I thought you were trying to let me down easy, so I started dating Sara to make you jealous and you didn’t care!”

The weight of it all mixed with the alcohol had hit you like a bag of bricks. “II just wanted you to be happy. I didn’t know,”

“You seriously didn’t know?” Jace had stopped yelling as well and suddenly it was as if his freshman self was standing in front of you. “And if you did know? would it have changed anything?”

It took you a long moment to answer, “I liked you too Jace. I always did. That’s why it hurt when- “

“I know,” Jace stopped you, stepping forward to hold your arms and force you to look at him, “But if you did know. if I had asked you out. Would you have said yes?”

The frat boy was completely gone now. Jace’s eyes bore into yours with a mix of sadness and hope only a puppy could have. His eyes scanned your dumbstruck face for any kind of answer. You didn’t know what to say. Instead, you leaned in without even thinking.

Your lips crashed onto his. It took a moment for Jace to realise what was happening but when he did, he was quick to catch up. His hands slid from your arms to the small of your back to hold you closer. You brought your own arms up to his shoulders holding on to keep your balance as his mouth danced with yours. You couldn’t help but shiver either from the cold or the kiss you couldn’t tell. When you finally broke apart his heavy breath fanned your face, and the heat made your skin tingle.

“I would’ve said yes,” you finally whispered back, and a smile began to tug at Jace’s lips.

He kissed your lips again, this time softer and only for a moment, “I’m sorry for- “

“Being a cocky lil shit?” you chuckled and Jace laughed this time at your insults, “I suppose you deserve to be a bit cocky,”

“Oh really?” Jace asked with a grin as he pulled you in closer, neither of you caring who could see you “Whys that?”

You hummed as your hands moved to his neck to pull his head closer to yours so you could whisper in his ear, “You’re the best kisser at this school,”

“That’s where your wrong love,” Jace corrected you as he moved his hand to your chin to pull your lips close to his so when he spoke, they brushed against yours, “I think you’re thinking of yourself,”

“You wanna have a contest?” You offered and without answering Jace closed the gap yet again. There you were shamelessly making out with the Rugby captain in the middle of the street while a bunch of frat boys started to cheer their captain on from the house. But they didn’t matter. You finally had the real Jace back.

[lexsssu]

Good Little Girl (Marshall Lee)

TAGS: Mashall/F!Reader, Original child character, parenthood, fluff Ao3 ver.

“Mishael Linus Abadeer, get your sorry butt down here already before your dinner gets cold!”

“Jeez, I’m coming down already, Ma”

“If you don’t hurry up I’ll eat your portion of fresh strawberries, kid~”

“Dad, don’t be so unfair when you already have your own portion!”

“Not my fault if you’re a slowpoke”

A handsome dark-haired youth flew into the humble dining room hurriedly, seating himself at his designated chair and clutching the small bowl of strawberries to his chest as if they were a priceless treasure. His skin had a grayish hue to them, pointed ears peaked from his ebony tufts of luscious hair while a pair of sharp fangs poked from his lips. The scowl he wore didn’t make him look menacing, but rather even more attractive than he already was in the first place.

“Now, now, now. Stop teasing our son already, Marsh. You know how he gets when it comes to his strawberries and besides, aren’t you already too old to be competing with him over food?” You stifled a laugh as you raised an eyebrow at your husband who merely grinned, shrugging in response.

“It’s survival of the fittest, babe. If our own kid doesn’t understand that then he doesn’t deserve the plump and juicy fresh strawberries you’ve painstakingly grown, picked, and washed straight from our garden”

The vampire king wrapped his arm around your waist and pulled you closer, landing a quick kiss to your hair as your preteen son gagged at the public display of affection. “No spawn of mine will grow up ungrateful to their beautiful, amazing, spectacular, wonderful mama~”

Dinner passed by without much fanfare aside from the playful teasing your family generally engaged one another with. Though mainly it was just Marshall being the big bully that he was, something Mishael had already grown used to ever since he was young.

While you washed the dishes, you spotted your son fumbling with his phone as he floated back up to his room. A bright smile lit up his face as a tinge of red gave his cheeks some much needed color and contrast from the grayish hue he’d inherited from his father.

“Lemme guess, he’s probably hung up on Fiona & Evan’s kid...Evie, right?”

Years of being with Marshall had trained you to anticipate his sudden appearance at all possible times that you didn’t even flinch anymore when you hear his voice and feel the warmth of his breath on the back of your neck.

“Mhmm, he’s got it quite bad from the looks of it. Kinda reminds me of another lovesick vampire I knew back in the day…” The corners of your lips quirked upwards in a smile as memories of a time not so long ago flashed in your mind like a cinematic movie.

“Whaddya mean you ‘knew’ back in the day? I’m still very much YOUR lovesick vampire until the universe itself collapses and time ceases to exist, thank you very much”

Placing the last plate upon the dish rack, you wipe your hands dry on the dry dish cloth before gingerly taking the raven-haired male’s face into your hands and pecking his nose. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way, my bad little boy~”

A tender looked slithered its way onto the hybrid’s face, snaking his arms around you until your front was pressed flush against his own. You both floated a few feet off the ground, arms around your waist and your own around his neck as you stared into each other’s eyes.

Marshall Lee had his fair share of relationships over the course of his immortal life, but none had ever enamored him the way you do. None had ever made him want to come home so desperately, even if you were the one who gave him all the freedom he wanted to go off on adventures while waiting patiently for him. His once cold, unbeating heart felt the warmest, the liveliest as long as he was with you.

“Forever’s a long time, ‘ya know? But I’ll be more than happy to let you feel why being MY good little girl is worth it~”

[rizsu]

daddy daughter time manjiro, baji | kaveh, al haitham.

sum. dads n their daughters

"hi baby," mikey coos at his daughter, hoisting the little one up on his hips. originally you weren't going to leave him alone with the baby— it's only been about a week after his minor accident on the track, you're sure his body is still injured but yet he insisted; hushing you up with phrases of reassurance.

it's a humble morning, nothing but team umizoomi playing on the tv and your seven month old baby's babbles can be heard. mikey's making her formula, he's really trying to make it but she won't stop grabbing onto the milk's scoop.

once was okay, twice was tolerable, thrice had him fighting back demons but five times? he gave up.

"baby, this is not a toy! let me make your meal." he pleaded but she did not care. like a commander on a mission, she made it her duty to have her chubby hands touch the powder.

sighing in utter defeat, he had to give up on her meal for a while. clearly she was the boss here.

holding her up under her arms, mikey makes a u-turn from the kitchen and to her playpen, carefully setting her down. since he can't fit in there with her he's on the floor leaning back on the couch, watching her in content.

a smile adorns his face; he's can't help but have overflowing love for his little creation.

confusion. he feels nothing but confusion. keisuke's currently staring at his daughter, looking at her up and down while trying to figure out an explaination as to why she's in the bed and not you.

he takes hold of your 4 months old daughter, smothering her with kisses as she giggles, "hi pumpkin."

fiddling with her fingers, keisuke's mind goes blank. he doesn't know what to do. sure he's read lots of books blessing him with education on first time fathers and how to deal with babies but when you're not around to guide him, he becomes lost.

"what're we gonna do today.. mommy's not home." sitting up, keisuke bounces his baby on his thighs thinking about what activites they can do together.

there's not much you can do with a freshly baked baby so what does keisuke do? take her grocery shopping! nothing's more adorable than seeing his little girl dressed up.

strolling down the lanes, keisuke's chatting up with his daughter, nodding whenever she answers his questions (she just made random noises).

"oh shouldn't we send a photo for mommy? she'd love to see you!"

if you told someone you saw kaveh judging funiture with his 10 months old baby on his hip they wouldn't believe you. too bad that's exactly what's happening right now. with a baby girl attached to his hip, kaveh's narrowing his eyes at some wall paper. he's stuck on which to choose to renovate his baby's room.

no, her room doesn't need any additional touches but kaveh's bored and itching to do something. he can stay home and play with his daughter but that's no fun for him now is it?

"here baby, you help daddy pick which one's better." leaning down so she can touch the samples, kaveh watches closely as she continuously slaps on the left one.

"good taste! you're definitely my baby," fixing her back on his hip, kaveh holds the product striding off towards the cashier. he's happy right now— maybe even ecstatic. what's better than doing what he loves most for his daughter!? yeah sure you'd scold him for spending recklessly but that's nothing compared to waking up at spooky hours to calm down a bawling baby.

tapping his pen on the desk, haitham stares at his daughter who's crawling around on the floor. he's staying overnight in the office and decided to steal his daughter but now he thinks that it might've been better to bring you too.

his plan was to finish up whatever work he has at the akademiya while taking care of the little one so you can rest but,, it doesn't seem like it's gonna work.

currently haitham still has 3-4 stacks of documents left but he just can't bring himself to finish it. well, who's gonna scold him? no one other than the lesser lord kusanali can scold the acting grand sage.

"c'mere, let's have a walk to the library," picking her up, haitham makes his way to the elevator. clearly, he's bored. it's not that he finds his daughter boring but what can he talk about with a babbling baby..

just before he steps out, something falls against his chest.

"ah."

slowly he makes a 180° turn back into the elevator and to his office. with one hand patting her back, he holds her closer to his chest making sure no light can bother her.

sometimes, haitham tends to forget babies can't make all nighters and are very sleep hungry humans. a little teaspoon of guilt fills him; he didn't realize she was already nodding off to slumber. had he known, he'd pack up immediately and head home.

[snowandglasslabyrinth]

Damn, the Velma show really sucks. All the characters seem wrong and one-dimensional. There’s nothing funny, I genuinely laughed once and it’s because sarcasm gets me always. Also, specifically it was Velma’s line after climbing the wall to perform a break and enter into Fred’s family’s mansion.

Velma is painfully mediocre as a character, she is contradictory and evidently treats people poorly, laughs in Norville’s face when he says he has a crush on her, and just seemed really mean and poorly written. I also really hate the fat phobic jokes. That’s not right, it’s not funny, it’s just in poor taste and mean. Having it so that she eats french fries out of the garbage is insulting and just pointless. She’s got some massive crush on Fred cause he’s ‘hot’, she’s fairly shallow as a character but loves to point out (see ep. 2) that all the other characters are shallow. People in her school think she’s ugly until she wears revealing clothing, then everyone pays attention to her - in my humble but angry opinion that is a bad message to spread to young adults and teens.

Norville is a whole case, the drug references and jokes are neither funny nor entertaining and after his ridiculous and clunky line about being anti-drugs early in the first episode he pauses as if the audience needs a moment to laugh. It was awful. I get that it’s meant to be a play on the idea that Shaggy was a stoned character but that doesn’t mean it’s funny.

Daphne is vapid, and she’s always been a little bit vain (the stereotypical girl character to an extent because in the original series she was a round character full of depth) but in the show she has become a high schooler obsessed with sex who treats everyone horrifically. The obsession with sex is a thing for all of the highschool girls in the show, I don’t know who had that kind of experience in highschool but I certainly didn’t so it feels uncomfortable and inappropriate (also feels like that because they anime bubble censor a bunch of naked teenage highschool girls as they talk about sex in tv, that shouldn’t have been allowed.)

Fred is just a douche. I mean I know that’s a choice that the writers made but I strongly hate who he’s become (and yes I know I’m supposed to hate him but I think it’s supposed to be because he’s a jerk not just because he’s poorly written uninteresting and a man child that acts like a stereotypical ‘macho’ man). And the amount of times he calls himself a ‘puss’ is annoying and, unfortunately for the show, still not funny, so only sarcasm points for comedy right now.

Some side character notes: Velma’s dad’s girlfriend is an awful and boring stereotype. The show leans on cliches and stereotypes heavily I.e. any character in that show practically. The other students are boring and not memorable. There’s a moment where Fred stands up for Velma and accidentally cuts a student’s foot off, reminiscent of the comedy in those bad adult cartoons that are overpopulating Netflix right now (Paradise PD, Hoops (is that what it’s called?) and others). If I didn’t mention other characters it’s because I don’t remember they exist.

Okay tl;dr the show sucks, it’s not funny, I loved Scooby Doo as a kid so this hurts me, I hate what they’ve done with the characters.

So, I know I usually don’t make my own posts or write reviews but I literally got 10 minutes into the second episode and had to stop because it was bad, very bad. The first episode was bad enough but I thought I would torture myself and then I gave up because I just couldn’t anymore. Thanks for reading all of this if you have, and don’t watch Velma.

:)

[spotlightlowlife]

The Cuphead show could teach Hazbin a helluva lot

First of all, I implore anyone who hasn't watched cuphead or didn't finish it to complete it. It is a complete story and it complements its origin, the game, only stepping away a little to expand on it.

Hazbin, watch the pilot if you haven't or rewatch it, a number of things fall off bytime the series comes about. New isn't bad but the pilot was so loaded and it's rather apparent that it is part of the cannon in how we start off as if we already know these characters. So what we can bring forward and what is no longer cannon? Has there been a time skip?

*spoilers ahead*

The story

A simple story of two humble individuals constantly having to swerve the devils attempts to take a soul he swindled fair and square.

They have many run ins and we meet numberours other comical yet sinister opponents along the way.

Sweet rich girl uses her powers for good. She aims to help the disadvantaged and targeted sinner group by opening a hotel to rehabilitate and redeem them to be heaven worthy.

Charlie has allies but plenty of others don't care for her plans and motives are generally unclear.

The main characters

Cuphead and Mugman, two brothers of ambiguous age who live modestly with an elder in a cottage in he woods. They simply get on with their lives, no goal.

Cup head is immature and foolish, his antics generally land them in danger, Mugman is the more sensible but still chill, not quite babysitter sidekick, someone who could be living trouble free if they weren't dragged into the others havoc, simple association brings unwanted situations and people their way, even when chilling at home.

We are also introduced to the devil himself, who is silly, fun and clearly a whole otherworldly entity in not only abilities but personality and actions. As amusing as his actions are, he does cruel things to people minding their business and enjoys it, he openly exploited his oblivious patrons at the amusement park, before going on to expand business and create the known casino. He has a workforce who we see working. The devil collects souls, a consequence of this is that it makes monsters out of mortals, this is a business, however this business is regulated and dispite how powerful the devil is, he still has to answer to accounts. He can be subdued with magic but ultimately, hell and earth are his playground and aside from the auditor, he answers to no peers or superiors and feels no bitterness or discomfort regarding his home and role, his struggle is simply that one that got away and keeps eluding him. His backstory being irrelevant fits with the quick pace and slapstick, however the latest addition to the game may hint at some mysterious backstory in his bonus boss fight.

Charlie, a youthful woman of ambiguous is the princess of hell and owner of the Hazbin hotel. We don't see much running of a hotel. Charlie is nice, default nice because plot tells us she's helping and cares and she clearly isn't horrible. Charlie wants to help sinners.

First portrayed as hardworking but ill prepared, out of touch hustler, Charlie is now well intentioned, immature dreamer but this doesn't result in trouble, her carelessness doesn't get portrayed as selfish or irritating. Charlie personally has little to lose in her discision making, such as welcoming Alastor, Charlie can have what she wants because everything is set up for her and what she doesn't have is easily in reach, the meeting in heaven attained by guilt tripping her dad being a prime example, but she's not a spoilt brat.

Charlie's other half is Vaggie, her girlfriend who we have to be explicitly told is so if you don't follow the fandom, they have known eachother for years yet Charlie hardly knows Vaggie. Vaggie's degree of interest in Charlie's dreams is unknown, even after her big revelation we still have nothing to show that she's not just the sensible sidekick managing the lead characters silliness.

Not a main but someone very significant, Lucifer, the devil himself and Charlie's dad. He is all powerful, the leader of hell and the one who created this realm, however he is a goofy awkward dad who doesn't appear to be any leader and he hates to the degree of allowing mass slaughter the very people Charlie loves. None of this is an issue. He clearly has or had peers or superiors, he still meets with the angels who serve as the adversaries, with no issue, but this doesn't matter.

The tragic characters

Ms Chalace had it thought throughout life yet tried had to work her way up, she died unexpectedly, nobody cared, she got a second chance to be amongst the living but it comes at a price. Chalice is a charming hustler and entertainer.

In Hazbin, it's everyone, everyone is given trauma, even privileged Charlie who could have been a great spoilt sweet character now didn't have the nice nuclear family upbringing, supportive mother who has a life and supportive yet sceptical dad whose not getting in her way.

Everyone has some history that rendered them a loser in this story however we have yet to learn how anyone got there even though fun, interesting, passing, dismissed Mimzy remembers her life on earth fondly.

The other characters

There is plenty of room to return to this series and feature more characters, but it's no big deal if they don't. This story proudly offers us Saturday villians, only we get to know these charasmatic characters and their villainous motives individually throughout Cuphead and Mugman's misadventures.

This series is fun and life hearted, made for all audiences, there's a lack of real drama yet it manages to not be shallow as we have focus and interactions matter, it is ultimately about Cuphead and the devil, the masses of colour characters we may meet along the way are a fun bonus to and the formula doesn't change, this person brings drama, that's that, now how do they get out of it.

Timing is arguably a major issue with Hazbin, with a big ensemble cast, drama and various plots, it will need a lot of time to cover all that it started, these things being numerous additions to the original story, most of these additions being a whole host of new characters who ultimately don't achieve anything not for lack of trying.

Like its spinoff, this series is big on aquitting those who are there to be liked of their responsibilities and actions, handing blame to someone don't know or have been guided to not like. This strips them of content and growth while makeing their power and influence questionable.

Planning ahead

Rumor has it that The Cuphead show was a complete work of 36 episoses that and broke up into 3 seasons by the big famous platform it's on, to be honest it shows, it is very linear.

Really though, this serves the broadcaster because would keep it in the algorithm longer giving it more time to gain more traction which means more money for the broadcaster and make it look like they're good at renewing projects when this may not entirely be the case.

Releasing the story broken up may have done this show a big disservice as many disappointed reviews were based on how much it deviated from the games and seeming censored, these may not have been concluded had all episodes been released, showing it being to return to its roots by the end.

Still, atleast the story was always going to be told.

As controversial as that situation is, Hazbin too could do with mapping out the beginning, middle and end with a clear and concise story, one with heart that answers questions, balances it's drama, action and comedy and shines some spotlight onto the stories that really need telling. They could do with this already being done or at the very least wrapping up seasons with what we were sold on being relevant.

Planning is well and good but ideas need to be prioritized and coherent. If multiple seasons are planned, this show will need to crack down in order to guarantee them.

[edutainer2022]

Sending hugs and strength as always.

I’d love to know any thoughts you have about the Tracys as kids in the happy times. What do you think they got up to? Do you headcanon the farm / ranch / some other Kansas home? Or did Jeff and Lucy live somewhere more built up / accessible to NASA? What were the kids’ hobbies? What would a family day out have looked like?

Oh, @idontknowreallywhy, thank you for the ask! I actually tend to go hazy on the boys' childhood, because the way kids work is not my forte. In my heart of hearts, I see them as latchkey kids of nondescript rural/smalltown US. A meadow outside the backyard, long bus commutes to school. A kind of chaotic but tight and warm, fun, quirky world, reigned supreme by their mother. Think Gilmore Girls, but a single mother of three boys, initially. With Jeff space-cowboying it would be just her and the back to back eldest three for quite some time.

Also think The Sound of Music - she's the one with piano and art. And the horses. There were sing alongs and movie marathons, and board games, and junk snacks, and bake offs, and magic in that household. That's why I also think, much as Scott worships and seeks approval of a (always away) father, he was Mom's right hand and White Knight. Mom's champion and deputy in wrangling the younger brothers. There would, of course, be SHENANIGANS. Sometimes Mom Tracy would just discover zen of a boys mom and have a glass of red on hand.

Since we have Gran Roca, I also sometimes think Yellowstone. She's the one from old(er) Manifest Destiny ranching money. She knows how to get her hands dirty, but it's removed from Jeff's first generation off the farm experiences. She sees the help, but she's also used to having them around - hence the five kids without batting an eye, given Jeff's military/space career. That would quite organically convert into the boy's we know - humble, generous, approachable, but somewhat sheltered.

I also think that Jeff's soaring wealth, Mom's untimely demise and grief buried in work, would spell something like a Warton Academy. Maybe not a full on boarding school, but a posh prep school with Ivy League pipeline and uniform blazers with embroidered crests. At least for the elder three's high school stretch. That would also, probably, mean shifting base to a bigger city and a dramatic change of pace in the boys' routine.

The boys hobbies? Scott is obviously a Rescue Scout extraordinaire. He's never met a sport he wasn't good at. But I also think School Parliament, Speech and Debate, maybe ROTC (to fit a military stint with my understanding of the timeline). Scott is earmarked for leadership and high pressure operations early on. National Honors Society, hands down. Dad would never tolerate anything less than excellent and Scott intended to be EVERYTHING Dad was - including space track. Calculus may actually be his "nerdy guilty pleasure". I also absolutely don't see how Mom didn't teach him the piano first. It likely didn't go far, but he gets by at the keyboard.

Virgil is the music and arts kid, obviously. He probably followed Scott into many hobbies and clubs, originally, but his strengths and disposition are just so obviously different.

John loves school. The more school - the merrier. Coding, and astronomy, and physics. Languages on the side. Gifted program. The Big Bang Theory worthy combo of Supreme nerd-dom. I'd say music too - comes with the territory of good ear for languages. Sports by necessity - to keep up with the original Turbo Twosome, and to get space rated. He came to actually enjoy sports, on his own terms.

Come to think of it, the Elder Trio are a token comical display of the Prom King always flanked by two sidekicks, who embody the very definition of "geeky uncool". In hindsight, John is sometimes amazed that Scott actually ENJOYED hanging out with them and did so by choice. Still does so.

[brightside-of-the-upsidedown]

I'm not sure how I'll continue it yet, but this is the infamous pastel grunge punk!Steve I ended up writing instead of tentacles, so enjoy XD

Sparked by this beautiful post

By @discodeviant because while I was reading, Beggar's Song by Matt Maeson started playing in my head.

Steve looked into the backroom bathroom's cracked mirror and fixed his hair for the seventh time in the last thirty minutes. It was practically a ritual at this point when he was nervous. Well, maybe it'd become his lucky thing after tonight.

He brushed the hair away from his face and clicked his tongue ring pensively. From one side, his new haircut still had his usual thick brown voluminous waves with highlights that nearly brushed his shoulder. From the other side, he'd had it trimmed down into a disconnected undercut and dyed baby pink. He'd originally been planning on dying all of his hair pink and getting both sides shaved, but had chickened out. He'd still been thrilled by the outcome though.

Or at least he had loved it just this morning. But would everyone else? Had he made a mistake and fucked up one of the only good things about him-

A fist banged on the door and Robin's voice came through the door. "Come on, dingus, you're already pretty. Stop spiraling and let's go!"

Steve smiled and let her in. "Aw, Buckley, I'm pretty? Even pretty enough for you?"

Robin snorted and wrinkled her nose. "Don't push it. Now get your ass up on stage before it escapes those pants and makes a run for it. You're never going to throw those out, are you?"

Steve looked down at his worn thin jeans and yeah, maybe they were a bit tighter than usual in the ass, but their new apartment had a lot of stairs, okay! Despite it being almost more holes than pants, they were comfortable and definitely something his parents would never have let him wear when he'd still been under his dad's thumb. So of course that made them his favorite.

He turned and washed his hands once more. Robin let out a choking noise and pointed at his ass. "That's a new hole."

For a split second, Steve thought she was talking about something else until she poked at a spot on his ass not covered by the pants. There was a new hole in his jeans that showed off a not small peek of his ass and thigh. But it was low enough that Steve wasn't too worried about it.

"Buy a guy dinner first, jeez." Steve teased her.

She just slapped his ass. "Yeah, sure, I know a great little place on Easy Street called Cafe Puttana."

"Did you just call me a whore in my own mother tongue, Buckley?!" Steve gasped dramatically. "And maybe if you dressed like this more often, you'd stop having to resort to handing out free drinks to get a girl's attention." Steve hip checked her as she giggled at him and opened the door. "Now let's get this show on the road before everyone notices their favorite bartenders are both missing. My public awaits." He adjusted his pink jean vest over his Nirvana t-shirt as he stepped out, still picking, still-

"Your 'public' is a bunch of drunks, punks, burnouts, and half dead partiers." Robin hugged him from behind just before they got to the stage in the bar. "So don't let the nerves get you. Just have fun and sing me a song, piano man."

That got a genuine laugh out of him. "I'm no Billy Joel, but I'll see what I can do, uptown girl."

Robin went up on stage to announce him. She hyped him up as best she could given her audience and got a not too bad round of applause. Steve wasn't expecting much, this was a gig he'd just gotten only because he worked at the bar and the band that had been scheduled to play had canceled. He usually worked as their bartender and he was good at it. He probably wouldn't have gotten either job if Robin hadn't stepped up to bat for him.

Steve practiced his breathing exercises as the players they could find on such short notice got ready. He stepped up on stage, gave a friendly wave to the regulars who recognized and cheered for him.

He took a seat at the piano he'd had to tune himself before the show because it got so little use.

"Hey, you bunch of vagrants and drains on society." His words were met with proud hoots and hollers. "It's me, Steve, your favorite bartender." This was met with a loud boo from the bar, Robin playfully heckling him.

"That bunch of assholes the boss hired canceled, yeah, I know. So you get me instead, aren't you lucky? Usually you have to buy a drink to get to listen to my dulcet tones." Steve grinned as the crowd booed, whistled, and catcalled. "So enjoy the music, I wrote it myself. Yeah, that's right, fuck you, I have layers. Or if you don't like it, just shut the fuck up and enjoy the view you bunch of pervs." More catcalls.

Steve signaled the players and waited a moment, waiting for his cue, as they played the intro. They weren't bad for only two days of practice.

Jesus, come talk to me

I am but a blind mess, I am wild and free

I know that I need us more than I need me

One more whiskey, I am wild and free

Steve started playing as he continued singing.

Oh, but I'm a beat-down, washed-up son of a bitch

I got one more cigarette and all my money is spent

But I'ma be damned if I let it keep me down

Oh yeah, I'm a beat-down, washed-up son of a bitch

I got one more cigarette and all my money is spent

But I'ma be damned if I let it keep me down

Steve didn't hear any hecklers, not that he thought anyone was that willing to get on Robin's Shit List, but he still didn't dare look up.

Oh, my mother Mary, come walk with me

I am on four drugs, I am wild and free

I know that I failed less, the less I knew me

Wander through the darkness, and come walk with me

Steve felt good about the beat and the band seemed to be really getting into it.

Oh 'cause I'm a beat down washed up son of a bitch

I got one more cigarette and all my money is spent

But I'll be damned if I let it keep me down

Ay, yeah

Yeah I'm a beat down washed up son of a bitch

I got one more cigarette and all my money is spent

But I'll be damned if I let it keep me down

Yeah, yeah

He timed his breathing as the band trailed into the chorus.

Oh yeah, I'm a beat-down, washed-up son of a bitch

I got one more cigarette and all my money is spent

But I'ma be damned if I let it keep me down, yeah, yeah

Oh, I'm a beat-down, washed-up son of a bitch

I got one more cigarette and all my money is spent

But I'ma be damned if I let it keep me down, yeah, yeah, yeah

Steve nodded and belted the post chorus.

You know that it's not over

It's okay to let yourself hurt

Swimming in the murky water

Won't you come on out? Yeah, yeah

You know that it's not over

It's okay to let yourself hurt

Swimming in the murky water

Won't you come on out? Yeah, yeah

We sing a beat-down, washed-up beggar's song

And we sing it even louder when the money is gone

Because we'll be damned if we let it keep us down, yeah, yeah

Oh, I'm a beat-down, washed-up son of a bitch

I got one more cigarette and all my money is spent

But I'ma be damned if I let it keep me down, yeah, yeah, yeah

Steve blinked his eyes open when he felt a bit of an echo- no, there were people singing along. He recognized Robin's off key voice and smiled. Steve sang out the lyrics with his whole chest.

You know that it's not over

It's okay to let yourself hurt

Swimming in the murky water

Won't you come on out? Yeah, yeah

You know that it's not over

It's okay to let yourself hurt

Swimming in the murky water

Won't you come on out? Yeah, yeah

He could hear a lot more voices raise with his as he sang the last chorus as the band tapered off. "Come on, beggers!"

We sing a beat-down, washed-up beggar's song

And we sing it even louder when the money is gone

Because we'll be damned if we let it keep us down, yeah, yeah

Oh, I'm a beat-down, washed-up son of a bitch

I got one more cigarette and all my money is spent

But I'ma be damned if I let it keep me down

For an embarrassing moment, Steve thought he might fucking cry at the roars from the bar. Yeah, it was a few dozen regulars, drunkards, and partiers blitzed out of their minds, but it was leagues above his self doubt's worst case scenario. He had to swallow hard more than once before he felt confident enough to talk into the mic again. 

"See, that wasn't so bad, was it, you assholes?" Steve knew he was probably smiling like an idiot, but it was hard to care. "Give a hand to the band, they had like two days to fucking practice my crap, holy shit."

The bar clapped and yelled for them. The band looked pleased with the positive attention and a few waved back. One flipped off the audience much to their delight.

"Now, the rest of the songs are covers, the good shit, I promise." Steve announced. "So spend your fucking money, don't forget to tip, and enjoy."

They ended up playing some Nirvana, a little The Clash of course, Dead Kennedys, Siouxsie and the Banshees, through in a Motley Crüe song, and topped it off with his beloved Queen.

To Steve's honest surprise and giddiness, there was a demand for an encore of Beggar's Song. He led them through it one more time before ending for the night. Closing time was in less than an hour and he wanted to help Robin out with last call.

They got a decent amount of tips that he let the band take the lion's share of, but still got a sweet fifteen bucks on top of the thirty his boss had already paid him. He'd be able to buy some pretty good food for him and Robin this month.

That's all I got for now!

The backstory is Robin and Steve moved together somewhere after Robin got kicked out for coming out to her parents.

Maybe she stayed with Steve until her parents told his parents and they called to tell him to send her home, whatever. Robin and Steve decided to strip whatever they could from the house, sell it, sneak into her room while her parents were gone to pack, and they rode off into the sunset. 

Now they have a shitty apartment, jobs at a shitty bar, and they've never been happier. ❤

I have plans to bring Billy and Eddie into it later.

Two Nights Ago

Robin: I volunteered you for a gig

Steve: I've only sang in front of you!

Robin: it's time to fly, I'm kicking you out of the nest, dingus

Steve: does this make you my mama bird?

-Robin throws a pillow at him-

Steve: how could you do this to your child!

[quasiquack666]

Chapter 300 Thoughts:

Contains spoilers so I'll hide this under the break.

(Screen readers stop now)

— Already hate that Gestella was immediately sad as fuck about Kayden defending Jiyoung. Holy shit what is with the writing, she is literally like a 50-year-old woman who barely knows him. My face is permanently smacked into my palm.

— Meanwhile, I actually love Gestella herself. 'No point in looking for someone who decided to leave'? It's wise but also hints at sorrow. I really love her. I haven't known her that long but she's definitely a favourite already. Gestella hits different; she's super hot but I also like her moments of depth and think she's a great character.

— Literally the chemistry between Gestella's Handmaiden and Gestella is more compelling than her and Kayden. They're lesbians, your honor. Kayden can fuck off kindly.

— Handmaiden is a super cool sidekick character, actually. She's getting a lot more personality and development than I thought she would. I definitely need a name for her though, like please writers, name drop? Why does Blues get a name so far but she doesn't?

— I love the Awakener world lore, with Gestella seemingly isolated in comparison to the other Top Ten. It's really neat; perhaps she's afraid of letting people close to her that she's unsure are loyal. Because Handmaiden and Blues seem generally loyal, even though Blues is bonkers. But maybe she values the general loyalty?

— The characterization of Blues is super interesting too. He seemed bonkers, like most of the other antagonists, and he is. But he actually does seem to care about Gestella, similar to Handmaiden girl. I mean, he's clearly obsessive and weird, but it's a bit more nuanced? He was actually in tears. I wonder what part of his past made him obsessed with serving her? (Also applies to Pluton and Handmaiden; I really wanna know).

— Jiyoung slaying is always welcome to my humble eyeballs.

— The 300th Chapter extra art is fantastic, I love it.

Overall Impression:

I don't really see how this advances the original plot of Eleceed, not gonna lie. Like what happened to the Jiwoo family arcs, and why did Subin + Jisuk + Wooin immediately vanish from the plotline again, and why is there more of a focus on romance in the recent chapters than the actual plotline?

Kayden did not need a love interest, he should be able to just be a cute dad to his son and take care of cats and love having a home? Seriously.

Nevermind that adding more characters is frustrating because we barely get information on characters who are already in the plotline. Iseul has poofed into an animal or something, Delein is irrelevant despite being the literal first major arc, Cain is gone, Arthur is gone, Vatore is off the planet, Amyeong has become one with the shadows, Subin + Jisuk + Wooin are barely existing anymore. What happened to those initial, extremely important character development arcs? Now it feels like we get a character, then maybe 5-10 chapters on them, and then they vanish.

Like we haven't even had an explanation of Gestella and Pluton's relationship that led to Pluton going to kill/challenge Kayden in the first place. What the fuck, where is that? That's kinda more important than the romance letter bullshit.

Don't get me wrong, I've loved this webcomic enough to write 30+ fanfictions on it and constantly rant to every online Eleceed fan I know. So I'm not a hater, I'm a lover.

But where the fuck is the stuff I actually LOVE?

[localfanbaselurker]

First time watching Voltron: Legendary Defender and documenting my thoughts

This is Season 4

S1-2 | S3 | S5 | S6 | S7 | S8 |

———————————————————————

<this one is going to be shorter, as I have only recently finished this season, and the grief is still fresh (lol), so the thoughts are only just starting to simmer. strap your asses in>

Pre-Season 4 Thoughts

-> Keith joining the blades is going to be a huge plot device, I feel

-> PLEASE for the love of CHRIST let that poor little girl find her brother and father. If they are dead dreamworks better be ready to catch these hands

->I’ve heard people claim this is the “last good season”, but i stay strong 💪 and will watch till the end

->wouldn’t the paladin switch not make sense now? Cus shiro is back as the black paladin and it makes no sense for Lance to be red like it originally had? If anything, he should’ve gone back to blue, and Allura to red, because Allura is very accepting/encouraging of shiro’s role as leader. I guess they didn’t wanna do it all over again. But I digress 🤷‍♀️

->im gonna miss my Pookie (🤍❤️🤍)

Post-S4

->do they do this every two seasons?? Have an epic battle where they have a big preparation and say it’ll 100% end the war but it doesn’t and something crazy happens after they win and it sets up the next season??

->FUCK YEAH PIDGE GOT HER BROTHER BACK IM SCREAMING CRYING THROWING UP 💪💪🔥🔥‼️‼️‼️🙏🙏🙏🙇‍♀️🙇‍♀️

->^genuinely cried so hard during this scene. would’ve cried more if I wasn’t recovering from the initial shock.

->^cried during this one too, but it was happy tears. I could actually just do a whole reaction post to this episode alone. (if you want me to js say so in the rbs/replies)

->the callback to s1! “color-coded of course, because what are we? animals?” AHHH! I’m going insane I love these siblings sooooo much

->okay I’ll stop gushing over them now

->^only valid reaction to meeting Allura. Homegirl is beauty incarnate

->I LIED. im not sorry im never shutting up about them. SHE SHOWS HIM AROUND THE CASTLE AND TELLS HIM EVERYTHING AND EVERY DETAIL AND SHES SO EXCITED CUS SHE JUST GOT HER BRO BACK AND IS JUST RAMBLING ABOUT HER NEW HOME AND ALL THE COOL STUFF SHES BEEN DOING AND HES JUST LISTENING AND IS SUPER EXCITED WITH HER AND ITS SOOOO AMAZING AND ADORABLE AND I COULD DIE

->AND THEN HE TELLS HER HOW THEIR DAD WOULD BE SO PROUD IM DYING IM LITERALLY DEAD STOP.

->AND AND AND THEY WERE ALL WORKING TOGETHER W HUNK TO MAKE THE GALRA TRACKER THING AND THEY WERE BEING SO COOL WITH EACH OTHER AND BEING NERDS TOGETHER AND AND AND AJEUWNDUWJEBEURBDGWUDKAODHD

->okay. ive calmed down. i am normal and can be trusted to simply watch a show.

->^Get his ass, Zarkon. I needed his smug ass to be humbled so bad. Only time I will agree w Zarkon fr.

->i do NOT like Lotor. Can you guys tell already??

->THE SCENE WHERE THEY TRIED TO GET MILKSHAKES AND WERE SHOCKED TO FIND OUT THAT YOU NEED TO MILK A COW STOP.✋ 😭. My high-score on the giggle-meter went up by 300%

->bro I SWEAR shiro looks different. there’s just something about him. the hair gets a pass cus how good of a haircut can you give yourself in space, yk? but that nose scar is definitely a different shade #notmyrodrickshiro

->THE VOLTRON SHOW.

->^Just. That entire episode. It’s getting a whole post actually I need to yap about it.

->^her armor is colored in a way which makes it look both pink and red while making it look like a trick of the light in a way to symbolize that she is acting as keith yet while being a paladin herself and that being unknown in the public eye and showing how they have to cover that up, any suspicion being thrown as a trick of the light. Oh vld animators ily 🫶

->on another note tho why do they always draw lance and shiro to have 30 pounds of ass. what.

->loved when those lesbians decided to take down lotor. Queen shit 💋 we stan 🙇‍♀️🙏

->Lotor is so stupid and pathetic and annoyingly smug and sus and admiral-zhao-y and I hate him but he’s SOOO FREAKING HOT and I can’t hate him completely because he’s so attractive but that just makes me wanna hate him more. He’s a walking red flag but the flag is heart-shaped and honestly idk what to do w that.

->^WHAT. stop. honestly that’s the real reason he was banned from the empire my ass would not want that fucking FREAK within a 30 light year radius of me either

-> while s3 was the klance season, s4 is apparently the allurance season, they have a lot of sweet moments. (granted all started by lance but still, you can almost see allura swooning)

->^pookie. what are you doing… pookie.. no. stop. i don’t like where this is going…

->^POOKIE NO. STOP. ✋ STOP. SAY SIKE RN.

->^oh thank fuck for Lotor.

->^^wait what. why Lotor.

->^^^heartbreaking: worst person you know doesn’t something good for once.

->he definitely wants something out of this. I don’t trust him.

These are thoughts I’ve had compiled for some time now. I will continue to post my thoughts on the tag “laura’s first vld”

I finished this season on 06/30/24. I am on S5E3 as of today (07/06/24)

[keylovesstuff]

Lost and Found

Mario fandom, may I humbly offer my first contribution lol. A Peach fanfic cause I can't get my mind off this gal. A little idea that's been crawling in my brain for a while, and I finally sat myself down in front of a word doc to just write it up. So, takes place in the movie-verse until the point in the flashback where baby peach encounters the toads and just a tad bit after that.

The small blonde walked through the now abandoned town in search of just anyone at this point. Stores that were once filled with shoppers looking to purchase a variety of different things while workers assisted were now empty. The playground where she'd play and laugh with girls and boys of all ages was now filled with silence. Home, where she had awoken from a nap alone for the first time ever, was missing her mom and dad. The door was left wide open as she scrambled off the couch making a grab for her purple blanket and tying around her neck. With pink shoes now on the best way her parents showed her how to and pacifier in hand she was out the house. What started out as a fun game of hide and seek in the young child's mind, began to grow into worry as the sky went from a beautiful light blue to a bright orange.

"Mommy? Daddy? Hello" The child once again called out, peering around yet another aisle inside yet another building. The three-year old made sure that no area was left unsearched even if that meant stacking items on top of each other to reach door handles. For the tenth time in her mind, she was met with no response.

Small blue eyes began to fill up with tears as she felt her heart break in two. Sniffling, she Reached up to her cheeks to wipe away the wetness and reached inside her skirt pocket for her pacifier. It wasn't much but it did bring her some comfort as it always would. Vaguely she could hear her father telling her mother how she was getting too old for it and should have been weaned off of it ages ago. A small smile would appear on her mother's face while she cooked up a meal in the kitchen laughing as she would always promise to start the process next week only to not follow through. With another failed search in locating anyone, the girl left the store feeling exhausted mentally and physically. Little legs aching for a break after walking for what seemed like forever she finally gave in, sitting on the ground and leaning against the brick wall of the store. 

Taking the blanket from around her neck she covered her body and closed her eyes. The child's mind finally embraced the negative thoughts that started to itch at her brain after the fifth place she looked. 

No, there will be no one at the next place you go.

No matter how loud you call out, no one will answer back.

Yes you are alone and will never see anyone again.

With the last of her hope dissolving, she succumbed to sleep and let the last of her tears fall.

The cold breeze awoke her from her slumber this time, having shifted from her original sitting to lying on her side sometime in her sleep causing the blanket to slide off. Shivering slightly she wrapped the blanket as tightly around her as she could to feel warm.  Wiping the sleep from her eyes, she realized that the sky was now a dark blue and the only light came from the moon and the many of the stars in the sky.  A memory of sitting in her dads lap with her mom on his side pointing out the stars on a grassy field to them flashed before her eyes.  They began to fill up with salty water after removing her sight from the sky to look across the street when something strange caught her eye. Floating and staring was a pink pudgy starry figure that she only ever saw in the picture books her parents read to her during bedtime.  Sitting up she stared right back into the creature's black eyes as she tried to recall the name the stories gave it.

"A Duma?" She took her pacifier out and voiced aloud as its name finally came to mind. It made a sound in a language that probably no one would understand. The Luma beckoned with its entire body to follow and started off down the street. Puzzled for a moment to process things she shook her head standing up and frantically cried out "Wait, please don't go" she grabbed her blanket once again placed it around her neck and pocketed her pacifier before taking off in the direction it went.

The Luma led her to the forest that every adult, be it their families or not in the town warned every child that could walk not to enter. As it went ahead, the little girl came to a complete stop where the town ended and the forest started hesitating to cross. Sensing that she was no longer following, the Luma also came to a stop and turned to face her, repeating the beckoning gesture from before.

"Duma, I'm not supposed to go in there." She explained with a soft voice pointing a finger at the forest  that is full of unknown secrets.  "I'll get in trouble if someone sees me-"  that last word barely escaped her mouth before she promptly closed it, bringing her previous hand to cover her mouth.

The thoughts from earlier crept back into her mind, repeating the phrases she tried hard to ignore throughout the day. This time though a new thought came to her mind. What if everyone went into the forest and was just waiting for her to join them?  A new hope filled up in her chest and she looked at the Luma with a newfound determination and courage.

"Ok I'll follow you, but you gotta promise that there's anyone there" She told the creature and it responded with the same unknown sound. 

"Alright let's go then" she let out a small giggle before looking at her feet one by one as they crossed into the beginning of the forest. The girl turned to take in one final look at the empty and stared for a moment before following the Luma further in.

The two figures ventured in silence for a little while longer. The blonde child only stopped every few feet to glance around and up ahead for any sign of a familiar figure. The Luma came to a stop first and the girl bumped into its body several seconds after being distracted. 

"Hey why did we-" she started to ask but could not continue the rest of her question as she took in her new surroundings. The luma had led them to an area with a stony ground surrounded by huge pillars. What had caught her eye the most was the green object built in between the two pillars as it glowed a white light in the middle. "Wow" was the only word she could bring herself to voice.

The girl suddenly had a feeling that whatever was inside the pipe was calling to her as she started to walk forward only to be stopped by the Luma placing its body against her to keep her in place. The Luma floated lower to the ground and it took the child a few moments to figure that it must have wanted her to sit down. Sitting on the ground she crossed her legs and placed her hands in between them facing the green object. With more than decent patience for a child her age, she started squirming in place the longer they sat there the more she wanted to just get up and go into the mysterious object. From fiddling with the blanket around her body to messing with the object in her pocket to tapping her fingers against her legs, all of that could only distract her but so much from not focusing on the light. What if everyone was waiting for her on the other side and she was holding them up by waiting here? As soon as that thought entered her mind she got up and tried to make a dash as quick as her little legs could go.

All she could process was the sound of the Luma making a noise behind her and bumping into something the next moment before landing on her bottom. Rubbing her head she looked up to what had caused her to fall and what she saw took her by complete surprise left her speechless.A light blonde haired women with a bang covering one eye wearing a crown in a beautiful blue dress was levitating slightly above the ground and holding a star wand appeared in front of her with a smile. While she never knew everyone in the town, she was certain she would remember a person that could float.  The question 'who are you' was on the tip of her tongue but she couldn't bring herself to voice it aloud, It didn’t take much longer for the women above her to speak.

“Hello there little one, It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She kindly greeted the child who still stared at with a confused expression in her eyes and mouth agape in question.

 “You have gone through so much in such a short amount of time. Allow me to heal your mind.” With that said, she lowered the wand to the child's head. It began to glow as all the negative thoughts and memories left.

On one hand it felt as though nothing could hold the child back from embracing any and everything that would come her way. On the other hand it felt as though two important people disappeared and she couldn’t recall who they were or if they ever existed in the first place. The woman removed her wand when she was satisfied with her magic. The girl continued to look on with wide eyes.

“You are going to do so many amazing things and inspire so many in your future.” The woman started to say to the child who looked on with wonder filled eyes.

 “You will meet allies and foes alike. There will be many challenges you’ll have to face but you will get through them with your bravery. I have already seen it.” She assured and moved to the side to reveal the glowing green object once more.

“Go on in, They are waiting for you on the other side. Guide and Protect them. Show them what a respectable and kind leader you can be. Our paths will cross again one day” With that final promise the woman started to vanish before the girl's eyes.

When the figure faded away completely she was once again alone and had so many questions. What did all of it mean? Was everything the women said was true? Who will she meet on the other side? That last question would be answered sooner rather than later as she could finally enter the thing that was pulling her in. While she was mostly ready to take that step, there was a small part of her that was fearful of the unknown. Reaching in her pocket once more she grabbed her pacifier and put it in her mouth to feel that comfort, before taking in a small breath and stepping in. Finding herself flowing aimlessly through this portal, she took in the colors some of which she had never seen before. Despite floating in midair she felt calm and just let the current take her to its predetermined destination. Up ahead she saw another round green object similar to the one in the stoned area, The current around her started to slow down in preparation to enter the pipe again. 

The girl was finally able to stand up and walk on her own two feet the rest of the way. Clutching her hands she took in the environment around her as the exit came closer she placed her hand on the green object to hold her balance as she took a step down. Taking this time to look in front of her she noticed that these rainbowed people dressed in identical clothing and were slightly taller than herself but they had this warm and inviting presence about them that made approaching them much easier so she did. The creatures also approached her but with slightly more caution in their step following the green person who was leading the other two bent down in front of her with a smile. The woman's words of being ‘a kind person’  ringed in the back of her mind. So she did what she thought was the nicest thing and took out her cherished pacifier and stuck it in the creature's mouth who looked on in confusion. Giggling she jumped up wrapping her arms around its shoulders immediately feeling safe and secure as this person also embraced her holding her up.

“Told you that you had a way with kids” came a teasing voice from behind. “Ow what I say?” the yellow person rubbed its arm and stared offendedly at the other person that whacked him moments prior.

“Now’s not the time for jokes, you dummy this is serious.” the red one scolded the other. “Some strange person just came out of the pipe after it's been glowing all day. It could be here to kill us.” It tried to get the other to understand their point of view. “You better take that thing out of your mouth TG, it could be poisonous” he suggested to the green guy. The yellow one scoffed out a ‘really dude c’mon’ under its breath.

“Mmm” TG mouthed before shifting the child's body weight onto one side of its body removing the pacifier and sticking it back into her mouth. “Well it does just seem like an innocent baby, but better safe than sorry. Let’s head to Toadsworth. He could probably tell us what you are. Yes he can” he gave the blonde's belly a tickle drawing out that giggle from earlier. 

“No, don't make friends with it, we aren't sure of its motives yet” The red one tried again with no avail as it began to lead the way back to the others with the other two trailing behind. 

“I like the moon, it's pretty” was the first sentence the child said out loud as she pointed at the object in the sky as they all hiked back.

“Wow you do?” TG engaged with her as she nodded eagerly. “I do too, it's very pretty on nights like these” he agreed with her. Several minutes of this went on where she pointed out things she likes and he would talk with her. At one point even the yellow guy hopped into the conversation much to the annoyance of the red person.

“Hey, what are you?” she asked tapping TG’s shoulder to get his attention.

“What am I? Oh well I’m what's called a Toad. Can you say that? Toad” he mouthed it out loud to her slowly and they both repeated it several times.

“I like Toad, they're nice,” she said, nuzzling her face closer into TGs neck and wrapping her arms around him tighter. Before he could return the compliment the red toad spoke up.

“We’re here guys, let's go.” He knocked on the door three times before a brown spotted Toad with a brown mustache and red bowtie appeared in the doorway. “Something finally came out the pipe that we’ve been keeping an eye on all day. It appears to be a baby of some kind” he added as the three of them were ushered inside.

Toadsworth offered them tea as they all began to gather around the small table. The child continued clutching onto the green toad and only glanced every now and again at the mustached gentleman. The four of them conversed over tea gathering new information from the elder Toad. They first found out its gender which was revealed to them as a female and that she belonged to one of the species called humans, though with there being many galaxies and regions they could reside in, the probability in pinpointing the exact place of origin she was from would be a challenge even a guy as smart as him couldn’t figure out. They also came to the conclusion that based on how she interacted with the environment that she was on par with the toad children starting school. The red toad finally stopped giving the child a look of suspicion and after the third round of tea the host directed the conversation towards the blonde girl reaching for the kettle in the middle of the table.

“Oh how rude of me. Please accept my sincerest apologies my dear.” Toadsworth quickly got out of his seat heading over to the cabinet to grab another cup. “A gentleman must always offer a lady a drink.” He started to pour her a cup of tea before the green toad interrupted 

“I think she might be a little too young for tea or anything with caffeine for that matter, Toadsworth sir.” he said, motioning his head to the child who now had her own seat.

“You are quite right, The youth these days mustn't get used to relying on stuff like this.” Toadsworth chuckled and went over to the fridge to see what refreshments he had in there. “Oh yes I just received a carton of milk from the meadows this morning. Would you like that m’lady?” In response he got an excited round of applause from the child. 

Toadsworth offered to take care of the child for the remainder of the night and start some research in the morning for which planet she could be from and if needed within the next couple of days or weeks put together a group of toads to get this kid back home to her parents. He prepared her for bed first and then went through his nighttime routine which included grabbing a snack for bed, tonight being a fresh bowl of sliced peaches. The girl sat on the bed flipping through a picture book he gave her.

“Well my dear I’m terribly sorry for just now realizing this” He apologized, placing the bowl on the nightstand next to the bed she looked up from the book first to the food and then to him. “My fellow comrades or I failed to ask you your name. So what are you called?” he asked and she stared at him for a few moments before she opened her mouth.

“I want the Peach” she pointed to the bowl that was on the nightstand behind him causing him to reach for the bowl and present it in front of her, smiling when she reached out and grabbed a couple slices.

“Ok now back to important matters.” he cleared his throat into his fist. “What would you like us to call you for the time that you reside with us?” He tried again to get her to focus on what he was asking.

“I like Peach” She said with a smile after finishing the last bite flashing him a toothy smile and he stared at her thoughtfully for a moment.

“Alright I shall call you Lady Peach when you’re in my presence and make sure everyone calls you that as well” He told her and assumed she’d probably have a different answer to the question by tomorrow or the next couple of days.

[lvrface]

❛❛𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐧❜❜

────────────────────

DUCKIE JONES, born as 'Noelle Duckstein', is a wonder of sorts. She's not a humble girl, and one of her favourite activities is looking at her own reflection. But she's not ashamed of it. She loved attention bring on her, she loved being loved. Noelle loved sparkly dresses that neckline's maybe just a bit too low down, always carried around a compact mirror and you would never catch her dead leaving the house without a full face of makeup; even if it was just to answer the door to a delivery. This all most likely stemmed from the fact her mother had put her into this lifestyle at a young age, her own mother being a burlesque performer and pageant queen. Noelle was born to a Mexican woman, Daphne, who grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and whitewashed herself as she grew to gain more opportunities. Noelle never really learnt about her culture. Noelle's dad was a rich man, some fancy lawyer who was an (in)famous criminal defense lawyer but ended up mysteriously dying leaving all his inheritance to Daphne and their only child. He was an all American man, who was born and bred in Brooklyn. Growing up, Noelle's mother entered her into beauty pageants presumably trying to push her daughter into her footsteps.

JUST BEFORE HER FATHER PASSED, the Ducksteins moved from Brooklyn to Miami. It was a rushed move but they ended up in a nice house. Noelle was not even a teenager when her dad passed, being a daddy's girl this death upset her deeply. Noelle and her mother never really got along, and she always had a feeling that Daphne was somewhat jealous of her daughter. There were a handful of heavy arguments but there would never be a conversation that went by that didn't have sly catty remarks made towards one another. As Noelle grew older and went up school years, she became more and more popular due to, not only her looks, but her natural ability to make people want to be her. She did have a handful of people who disliked her, mostly due to her romantic altercations, but she paid no mind to them. Noelle was a cheerleader in her high school, and loved performing and making up routines.

IT CAME AS NO SURPRISE WHEN NOELLE FOLLOWED HER IN MOTHER'S FOOTSTEPS. Her mother originally wanted her to just be married off to some rich man, and Noelle wasn't really opposed to the idea. But she was opposed to the idea that the 'rich man' was a guy who's personality and lifestyle was as dry as a slice of bread. She lived for rushes of adrenaline. Noelle became a popular performer at the 'Babylon Club' being a dancer and occasional singer. She quickly became a local's favourite. Her mother didn't exactly disapprove of Noelle's lifestyle, as it would be hypocritical, but she did believe Noelle could do better than being "some dancer in some club". But Noelle didn't care, she loved her job. But she did always want more. So what happens when the 'more' she was looking for stumbles into the club with a scar across his face?

read full introduction here.

[capyphoenix]

MG is fuming somewhere. Part of her brainwashing is to make him believe he's ugly. If that's wearing off, I wonder what else might be? My delulu hopes remain high. //

Max is someone who was pressured as a kid to achieve things for validation. You win or I’ll leave you at this gas station for you to think.

He was told he was going to be a truck driver.

People like Max, who went through this. Usually can be manipulated by telling them their flaws. They won’t stop thinking about it and start doing things to get that validation back. It’s the Hot and Cold from manipulation 101

Maybe the reason someone is not letting her bf see other people and friends and family. If I meet Max and trust me I’m a die hard LH fan I’ll jump to say “even if you’re not my favorite driver you are THE driver, you’re so talented” and I think Max is slowly getting away from the low self steen spell, even more because he has now 3 WDC, so he can measure his success and validation differently now.

Kelly is like a Jos 2.0 and sadly enough, people like max feel attracted at this hot and cold people who gives them validation or make them feel special and 9/10 cases they are even worse than the original trauma person.

How do I know this? Because my mom and max dad went to the same school of parenting I think :(

Just to tell you what made me pop so you know I’m not exaggerating: when I was 13 I was struggling with fractions, my mom took a kitty from the street, and sat on the dining room with the kitty and knife, the next problem that I failed she was going to 🔪 the kitty in front of me. I remember I was heavy breathing, my sister who adores cats was screaming and crying on the living room.

Did it work? I got an A+? No, I had a severe attack of anxiety and got a D. Means that I am a failure now? Nope, I’m actually very good at math. I wasn’t scared of math I was scared to fail and face my mother.

I ended up dating “Kellys” those moments keep me humble. I was 17 and he was 24. Yep that happened. I needed love and validation so I jump to the first person who I felt wasn’t my mom but sadly they were.

I was a mentally fragile valedictorian. This girl on college told me she hated one of my works. I dropped out and move to another career. Now I regret that. Now if you tell me that you don’t like something I’ll so I’ll be like huh? I have a job and make let’s say a nice amount of money, I live with my boyfriend and for all those who critiqued me I’m like the girl who lives abroad and has a nice life.

And do I talk to my mom? Well, after 7 years of therapy. I move on. I do not talk to her or to other relatives who compared me growing up and push me down as a kid.

So I empathize a lot with Max, and I can see the manipulation. But don’t worry is not permanent. His attitude is like me in 2018 realizing things are lot like my mom told me.

So let’s see him and his fans waking up from this relationship and moving on to something better :) from the bottom the only way is up

First of all I am incredibly sorry you went through this. Your mom sounds like a psycho. Who threatens to off a kitten? Wtf?

Secondly I think a lot of people who went through various childhood traumas can recognise behaviour in him that resonates. That's why so many fans want him to go to therapy to finally realise it himself and get away from the toxicity in his life that plays on his insecurities and uses his traumas to manipulate him before it's too late.

[blissfulseptember]

I so needed this place. I never would've guessed that this little tin bait and tackle shop nestled on the outskirts of town would feel so much like home. I remember playing music here with my dad and his good friend when the shop first opened- it was the night of my senior prom- close to ten years ago. My hair and makeup were ready to go and I was playing my baritone with long acrylic nails that drove me crazy. (I was never again seen wearing acrylic nails strictly because of the sheer difficulty I experienced attempting proper chords)

When I moved back home last spring, the locals all told me I needed to sing at Carey's. I didn't know what anyone was talking about until he came into my work on a slower night last summer while I was tending bar. I had a handful of travelers eating at the back of the bar, and about 8 or 9 local regulars all sitting up at the bar together, insisting I sing for them to show Carey what I was made of. My coworker ran and got my uke out of my car for me and I sang my little heart out for them, sitting on the bartop. I would check on customers and pour drinks between songs, and everyone was having a blast. The travelers in the back left a decent tip and noted that watching the old local regulars gathered around me in amazement as though they were watching colored TV for the first time was the highlight of their stop in our little backcountry town. I don't really like to play unless people ask, because I still struggle sometimes with taking up space. But they ate it up. Carey too. His big toothy grin and warm laugh said more than enough, but he let me know that he remembered me, that he was good fishing pals with my dad, and that I was welcome to come sing on his stage anytime I'd like. "You got pipes, girl. Bring em around the shop sometime. Them strings, too. Donation dinners and $3 beers, but you drink for free. Somebody's gotta have live music around here, it may as well be us."

I've played music there a few times now, and each time I feel more and more like I'm where I need to be. Carey goes out of his way to make me feel wanted, included, and really a part of something special each time I'm there. In recent pictures and videos there, I look the happiest and healthiest I've felt since I've moved back. I was worried I wouldn't have a space to nurture my music and have that outlet here, and feared that that part of me was another thing I would be leaving behind in my previous city life. But it fills my cup beyond what I had expected, and my first memory there being with my dad is even more an added bonus.

I have an old gig poster for Carey to put on the wall next time I pop in, and I have plans in motion to host open mic nights. I'm beginning to think I might have to try to record a little live album in there this year. The acoustics in the shop are killer, and the crowd is always small and laid back enough to get hilarious commentary between songs. Another bait shop performer is, in my humble opinion, probably the best blues and bluegrass guitar player in idaho, and he wants to back me up on my upcoming original ep. Good things are happening, right where it all began for me. I am stoked, humbled, greatful, and ready.