#honestly it’s really wild that i didn’t tell my mom all this back when she visited me in october

[beneathsilverstars]

i’ve been in the car with my mom for 1.5 hours and so far i’ve explained the entire plot of isat, the plot of my favorite isat fanfic, loop’s arc in my own theoretical post-canon epic, and many aspects of The Project including airdropped sketches

[too-deviant]

jackie and wilson.

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summary: you haven’t been given a quest, but you have made it your personal mission to make luke castellan smile.

pairing: luke castellan x unclaimed!reader

word count: 4.1k

content: broody!luke, teenage dirtbag!luke but also not really, sprinkles of mean!luke, r is unbothered and does not gaf about his lil emo boy act, this is four thousand words of r being a pain in luke’s ass, probs will make a part 2 bc i love them your honour 

notes:  speaking my truth: i am a british gal. any banter in this about the new england states is entirely stuff i got from reddit so plz don’t scrutinise my american states knowledge

the layout of this fic is very much inspired by @murdrdocs if that wasn’t obvious but also icarus if u want me to change it i will jus say the word :00

PART I — she blows outta nowhere, roman candle of the wild 

All things considered, you took the news of your heritage pretty well. 

Sure, there was a lot of yelling — mostly through the wall after you locked yourself in your room and started packing a bag — but at least you didn’t sit on it in denial for several hours. 

Honestly, you should’ve seen it coming. 

The first time you realised you could see things nobody else could, you tried to admit yourself into a ward. Your mom went a little panicky, and she never did perform well under pressure, so she caved and said you were special. Too special for the other kids at your school, too special for anyone to know about it. 

After that, she got more tense. Eyes darting around whenever you guys went out in public, hand lingering for a second longer on your back before she sent you to school — as if she felt like she’d never see you again. She would stay up at night and read you old Greek tales before you went to sleep, and acted way too serious about it. More serious than when she would read you Dr Seuss. 

Honestly, it was a miracle you went unknowing for so long. Maybe you were insignificant, or maybe the Stymphalian Pigeon that tried to kill you after school was just slow — because you were seventeen when you got attacked by your first monster. 

You took it out pretty easily — and by that, I mean you outran it through the bustling streets of your hometown until it flew messily into a bus and you dodged your way to your apartment in a flurry. Your mom’s resolve cracked like a thin layer of ice and you were packed and ready to go to this camp she spoke of before the clock had hit four-thirty. 

Most of the yelling that you guys did was along the lines of — “I can’t believe you waited this long to tell me!” — and — “I didn’t want you to leave!” — “I get that, but seriously mom, I almost got eaten by a bird today. A little context going in would’ve been nice!”

You threw yourself into a taxi — much to the disdain of your mother, who insisted on at least getting you to the hill. You then reminded her that she would have to pay the fare all the way back to their apartment and it honestly wouldn’t be worth it and that you’d call her when you got the chance. She let you go with a huff, folding her arms across her chest and creasing the silky material of her pink blouse. 

The next hour was about as awkward as taxi rides go, even more so when you got out in the middle of nowhere. You weren’t even sure you were at the bottom of the right hill but sent the poor guy on his way anyway and prayed to whoever your divine parent was that you weren’t about to get gunned down by an angry farmer for mistaking his land for a summer camp. 

Thankfully, the empty fields shimmered into something worth travelling for when you took a tentative step across its threshold. The sun seemed to get brighter and the breeze became softer. It was nice from where you stood, and it probably would’ve gotten nicer the closer you got. 

Had you not tripped over a rock and tumbled down the hill ungracefully, landing in a heap at the bottom, a few feet away from a dirt path that split off in two directions. You sat up with a huff, blowing your hair out of your eyes and squinting at your surroundings now that they were much closer. You didn’t bother to heave yourself up, catching your breath and letting your gaze flitter over the scenery. 

It was cute. 

Then the distinct sound of horse hooves clipping against the ground evaded your ears, and you looked up to greet the centaur who now stood above you. You thanked the gods for your moms intricately detailed bedtime stories as you pulled yourself up onto your feet and allowed yourself to be introduced to Chiron and Mr. D, who then led you to the four story house that overlooked the valley. 

Your induction was swift and sweet — since you pretty much knew and had accepted everything already. There were a couple of glances and muttered comments about how you had gone so long without being targeted, but Chiron had said he wanted you to get the tour before dinner so you could settle straight to bed after the campfire, and caught some young kid by the t-shirt as he ran past, asking him politely if he could send Luke over. 

The awkward two minutes it took for your tour guide to reach you stretched on for a painful amount of time, but you would relive it a hundred times over if it meant you didn’t have to experience the agony you called your first meeting with Luke Castellan. 

He was tall, with a dark mop of curls that hung over his furrowed brows. His skin was tanned from all the time he spent in the sun, and his shoulders were broad enough to intimidate, but not broad enough that you were intimidated. He was your age, seemingly, and the cuffs of his green cargo pants brushed against his ankles only an inch higher than they would sit on an average person.

His most memorable feature, however, had to be the deep scar that stretched from the top of his left brow all the way to his cheekbone — it was jagged and sharp, cutting across his eye roughly, as if he had been clawed. He probably had. It was raised and shone pink under the sun, so you could tell it was fairly new, but it had healed over enough to indicate that Luke was probably tired of hearing people ask about it. So you didn’t. You barely gave it a glance before you raised your brows at him with a cheeky grin and gave him your name. 

He nodded minutely, one of the only movements he made after he’d parked himself in front of you other than the sliding of his eyes from one person to another as they spoke to him. After Chiron and Mr D had given him the rundown, he gave a slight nod of his head in one direction before walking away and expecting you to follow. 

You caught up to him, sidling up on his left with a huff and a smile, “I’m getting the feeling that you're sorta sick of this giving this tour all the time.” 

He didn’t respond. He just looked at you, and then stopped walking, watching as you froze two steps ahead of him before shuffling back to his side sheepishly. Then he lifted an unbothered hand to the right, “Those are the strawberry fields.” He then gestured ahead, “That’s the beach.” And then to the left, “Those are the training fields.”

Then he started walking again, and you hesitated for only a second before following, “Wow. Don’t give me too much information all at once.” 

Your sarcastic comment was ignored, and Luke nodded towards the bank of cabins you were nearing, “These are the cabins. Twelve. One for each Olympian. You’ll stay in the Hermes cabin until you’re claimed.”

“Right.” You nodded, “God of Travellers. Makes sense.” 

He let out a breath, not pausing in his stride as he passed through the curve of houses, not sparing a glance to any of them. You took notice of how the other kids looked at him in apprehension, with a hint of fear when he got too close. He cut down an alley between two cabins — one with a dangerous amount of barbed wire across the top and another that glowed gold under the sunlight — before the pair emerged through the trees at a pavilion. 

“This is where we eat.” He said. “Dinner is soon.” 

“Cool.” You nodded, “What are the options? Because if food here is lacking, then I will be packing.” 

You let out a useless chuckle at your own joke, but it landed flat. “Yeah, that wasn’t funny.” You muttered lowly. With a click of your tongue, you glanced over the horizon and pointed at something from afar. A tall structure that stuck out the tops of the trees, “What’s that?”

“The climbing wall.” Luke answered plainly. 

“And that?” 

“The Amphitheatre.”

You looked up at him, pulling a face he didn’t bother to glance at. Then you noticed a bunch of campers filing through the trees and into the pavilion the two of you stood at the edge of. They entered in groups and made their way to their designated tables, chattering and gossiping as they did. 

You looked at Luke, “Well, that was…great. Truly, a riveting experience. I will say, though — your delivery needs some work. The dark and gloomy act works most of the time, but not when you’re giving a guided tour.”

That got him to look at you, and you held back your triumphant smirk. He frowned, “What?”

You shrugged, “I’m just saying, nobody is going to listen to you talk about this place if you describe it like this.” You lowered your tone into a subpar impression of his voice, and you swore you saw his brows twitch. Clearing your throat, you waved a hand, “No need to worry about that now, though. Just point me in the direction of the Hermes table and I’ll be out of your strangely well-conditioned hair.”

Another eyebrow twitch. You were getting the hang of this. Maybe one day you could get him to move other parts of his face! 

You half expected the boy to ignore you and walk off — and he did. But it was in the direction of the Hermes table, so you counted it as him showing you the way. Most of the campers were seated by the time you’d arrived, and you were thus forced to sit yourself on the end of the bench, uncomfortably beside him. He was unbothered. 

During dinner you were swiftly introduced to some of your peers — Chris Rodriguez gave you a lopsided grin and informed you politely that you would need to sacrifice some of your food before you got stuck into it. Travis and Connor Stoll sidled up on either side of you as you grumbled at the hearth, and yapped your ear off about the fundamentals of camp. 

(So all the sneaky stuff Chiron doesn’t know about. Like how you can skip out on archery training if Lee is the one running it because he never has it in him to snitch. Or that the pegasi stables were the go-to hook up spot for summer campers, but the back of the Amphitheater was the go-to hook up spot for the year-rounders. When you asked what the difference was, they winked, and when you asked what happened if a year-rounder hooked up with a summer camper, they chuckled and walked off.)

Chiron gave you an introduction that made you feel like a new kid being asked to tell the class one fun fact about yourself, and around six kids at your table asked if it hurt when you fell down the hill. 

Overall, a good first night. As far as first nights at a summer camp for half-gods goes. By the time all the campers had gone back to their respective cabins, you were ready to turn in and clock out for the day. 

But you wanted to try one more time. Last attempt, and then you’d let it go. 

When Luke — who you had discovered earlier was the counsellor of the Hermes cabin, and apparently a role model for the kids — came over and silently handed you a folded orange shirt with a leather cord sitting on top of it, you smirked. 

“Hey, now we can match. How cute.” 

He blinked at you, “Everyone is wearing the same thing.”

“The same shirts, you mean.” You tilted your head, “But we’re both wearing green cargos. And white socks. White sneakers.” Your grin widened as you watched his eyes flit down your form, taking in the outfit you had on. You were right — the only difference between you two was the white tank top you had on, soon to be replaced by the shirt he had just handed to you. You thought for a moment that it would work, that he would make a face, or say more than two sentences to you in response. 

But he didn’t. He just huffed and walked away, and you watched with an appalled expression. You narrowed your eyes. 

Okay, so maybe you weren’t ready to let it go yet. 

The next morning, you were rudely awakened by a small child who was sprawled across your torso, having shifted from his own sleeping bag that was beside yours. He couldn’t have been any older than six, his orange camp shirt sitting like a dress on him, and if he wasn’t snoring into your chest, you would’ve thought he was adorable. 

But you really needed to pee. 

After you slowly but surely lifted him back onto his own pillow, you stood up with a stretch and stepped precariously over the other kids, balancing carefully on the tips of your toes so you didn’t step on any of them. The sun was barely rising, and you were the only one awake, so you held your breath and reached out for the handle of the bathroom door. 

“That’s not your bathroom.”

You flinched, losing your balance and toppling back. A hand between your shoulder blades prevented you from crushing any of the kids on the floor, and you steadied yourself before meeting the eyes of the person who spoke. 

Luke was staring intently at you, his eyes blinking hard as if he’d only just woken up. He was in nothing but a pair of blue sweat-shorts and you fought the urge to rake your eyes over his bare torso, watching as he lowered his hand back to his side, “That’s the counsellor's bathroom.”

“Right.” Came a low mutter, under your breath. Then louder, you asked, “Well, where is the campers bathroom?”

“Outside.” He answered, “Around the back of the cabins.”

“Out—“ You started, and then realised everyone else was asleep and swiftly lowered your volume, but kept your expression exaggerated. Wide eyes, furrowed brows. “Outside?”

“Yes.”

“But…it’s cold out there.”

“We have a controlled climate.” He said, folding his arms across his chest. His biceps tensed, “It’s never cold.”

You let out a sigh, throwing your thumb over your shoulder and pointing at the door, “Can’t I just use this one? You aren’t using it, and everyone else is asleep, they’d never know!” 

He stared at you blankly and stayed silent for a long time. You wouldn’t be surprised if he just never said anything until you walked away, which you were well prepared to do, letting out a deep breath and folding your own arms over to preserve heat as you clambered towards the front door, muttering complaints under your breath the whole time. You made it three feet (or two sleeping bags) away from him when he finally piped up. 

“Be quick.” 

Turning around, Luke was already making his way back to his own bed, and you ogled shamelessly at his back muscles as you shuffled to his bathroom and made your way inside. You did your business quickly as requested and washed your hands under the low pressure of the sink before cracking the door open once more. The cabin was the same, everyone else still sleeping calmly. Luke was standing by his bunk, now clad in black shorts and his camp shirt. He paid you no mind when you padded back to your sleeping bag, grabbing your bag and stifling through the clothes you had packed. 

You walked up to breakfast with the unclaimed girl you had met the previous night — Lana — and listened and she told you intently about the lore of Luke Castellan. 

“He never used to be the way he is. He was happier before, always grinning. More than ready to help anyone here. He was…well, everyone either wanted to be with him or be him.”

“And then what happened?”

“He went on a quest. It went wrong. He came back with that ugly scar and he hasn’t been the same since.”

You made a comment that the scar wasn’t ugly, and if you didn’t know any better, you’d add on that it made him look pretty hot. But you did know better, and you knew that Luke was three people ahead of you in the line and could probably hear what you were saying. So you kept that tidbit to yourself and ate your cereal in silence. 

When breakfast was over, you stood from the bench and turned, only to stop short when you realised Luke was standing behind you. Looking up at him, you raised a brow, “Yes?”

“I’m showing you around today.”

“You showed me around yesterday.”

His lips tightened, “We’re actually doing stuff today. Seeing what you’re good at.”

“Oh.” You ran your tongue over your teeth and nodded, “Well, where do we start?”

“Archery.” 

Turns out, you were pretty awful at archery. Even after you’d stopped firing arrows into the treeline, you still never hit the middle of the target. Lee had to correct your posture four times, and you broke six arrows. Eventually, you decided that Apollo was not your father, and shuffled over to where Luke stood beneath the shade of a tree — where he had been standing the whole hour. 

“Y’know, just because you’ve got this broody bad boy thing going on, doesn’t mean you have to linger in the shadows all the time.” You commented, picking at your fingernails and readjusting the long sleeve you wore under your camp shirt, “You just look weird.” 

Luke pointed at your cheekbone, “You’re bleeding.” 

You huffed, “I know.” You kept holding your bow too close to the side of your face and the feathers of the arrows kept scratching you whenever you let them fly. Lee mentioned how most people make that mistake the first time round, but you’d done it so much that he’d cut your lesson short and told you to get a bandaid from one of his siblings. You didn’t. 

He stared at your cut for a moment, like he was thinking hard about something. But he didn’t, and pushed himself off the tree he was leaning against and brushed past you, “Let’s go to the forges.”

You were better at blacksmithing than you were at archery, but the sword Charles Beckendorf was helping you weld still came out wonky and discoloured. He was a nice kid, funny, and your lowered spirits from your previous task had been quickly uplifted despite you not having much skill in his department. He let you keep the sword anyway, and you swung it jokingly at Luke as he led you to the Amphitheater. 

You made swooshing noises as you did so, chuckling when he didn’t so much as flinch, “Don’t act so tough, Castellan, I could take you out even with a dodgy sword.”

“You couldn’t.” He muttered, “I’m the best sword fighter here.”

You let out an over dramatic gasp, running ahead and swivelling around so you could meet his eyes, “Holy shit, was that…did you just…tell me something about yourself?” You grinned and his frown deepened, “Aw, Luke. We’re getting somewhere! This is amazing, I’m so proud. Soon enough we’ll be best frien — “

Before you could finish your incessant teasing, Luke grabbed your forearm and yanked you in front of him just as a kid on an out-of-control Pegasus toppled past you. You watched him disappear in mild shock, before looking back at the boy in front of you, “Hey, thanks. Almost got trampled. How embarrassing.”

He narrowed his gaze, “Do you not take anything seriously?”

You shrugged, “Not really. I’d ask you the same question, but…” You made a face. It was obvious that he was very serious, even if he never used to be. 

“Let’s go.” Was his boring response, moving swiftly past you and into the Amphitheatre so quickly you would’ve assumed he was trying to get away from you. (Which he definitely was).

You weren’t really all that bothered, not when you were having so much fun pissing him off. 

It took all of ten minutes for Luke to put your sword fighting lesson to an end. Not only had you insisted on fighting with the wonky sword rather than a working training one, you also kept pushing him with your hands whenever he got too close. 

“That’s not how you’re supposed to do it.”

“Hey, it’s working, isn’t it?” 

You were pretty shit at it anyway, so you didn’t fight him when he said you were cutting your lesson short. You simply tucked your weapon onto the sheath he’d handed you and followed him down the hill to the dining pavilion. 

“So, where are you from?”

He didn’t answer you for a couple of minutes, something you’d been well prepared for. But you couldn’t help but ask — he intrigued you. A little too much, maybe. 

You continued, “Because you seem like a Mass guy.”

Luke stopped in his tracks, turning to you, “Mass…achusetts?”

“Yeah.” You nodded, fighting off your amused smile when he pulled a face. Finally, an expression!

Truth was, Lana had told you he was from Connecticut. You just wanted to see how he’d react, if he would react at all — apparently he isn’t immune to everything. 

“I’m from CT.” He made it very clear, and you tried your hardest not to laugh. “Okay? I'm not some Boston Masshole, got it?”

You raised your hands in surrender, “Got it.” 

He stared at you for a second longer, as if to ensure you really did have it. Squinting at your amused smile before nodding and continuing his walk. You thought it would go back to silence, but apparently you’d lit a fuse. 

“I mean, what makes you think I'm from MA?” He asked, his tone of voice so appalled you’d think he’d been accused of some sort of crime. “Do I smell like shit?”

A chuckle, “What?”

But he just whirled on you once more, lifting his arm and gesturing to his pit, “Do I? Do I stink of shit?” 

You didn’t feel like sniffing him, so you just shook your head, still laughing, “No.” 

“Then what — ?” He stopped, narrowed his eyes, “Where are you from?”

You tried to hide your smile, but it was getting really difficult. The last two days he’d been nothing but broody and miserable, one word quips being his only form of communication other than dark frowns. But one mention of Mass and he’s suddenly down to chit chat? You couldn’t help but laugh — unfortunately, it only spurred him on. 

“You think this is funny?” He scoffed, nodding, “Yeah, bet you’re from Maine too.”

Your laughter continued, little giggles spilling out of you whenever you thought about the situation too hard. You shrugged, “I don’t think I wanna tell you after this.”

Luke nodded like he was expecting you to say that, “Something a Mainer would say, I’m sure.”

You grinned wide, very proud of yourself for getting a visceral reaction out of the boy — even if you had to piss him off to do it. Just as you went to reply with a witty comeback that would have him ranting and raving for the rest of the night, the dinner conch sounded, interrupting what you’re sure would’ve been a very entertaining conversation. 

You walked on past him, not stopping, but slowing down so you could cough into your fist, “Flatlander.”

You didn’t look back but you did hear him scoff in shock, and you were sure he stood there frozen for at least twenty seconds because he entered the pavilion way later than you did. He made a point to fix you with an annoyed stare as he sat down a few people away from you — and Chris raised a brow. 

“What’d you do to him?”

You shrugged, digging into your mashed potatoes before anyone could tell you to wait until you’d made your offering, “Told him he looked like a Bay Stater.”

He chuckled, wincing under his breath and shaking his head, “You’re evil. I like it.”

You smirked and said nothing — but whenever your eyes flickered over to Luke, his were just flickering away from you.

[wheatnoodle]

i love you, evangeline

og post | p1 | p2 | p3 | p4 | p5

~🌷🌻~

“so,” dustin says around a mouthful of french toast that has him spewing crumbs everywhere, “can i ask about…y’know…you becoming…you?”

“yeah, sure. ask away. we didn’t do secrets before this,” evie freezes briefly as she grabs a napkin to give him. her face cringes slightly. “sorry about that, by the way.”

dustin flaps the napkin to wave her worry off. “dude, you could literally get killed if you tell the wrong person.”

“way to remind us,” robin rolls her eyes over her coffee mug.

“anyways!” evie cuts in with a clap of her hands. “your questions?”

“oh! right. i wrote them down,” dustin says and pulls out his phone to open his notes.

“he wrote them down,” robin repeats sarcastically under her breath, earning a snort from evie and a glare from dustin that has her raising her hands in surrender.

dustin takes a sip of his orange juice and clears his throat. “okay. did you know before you left hawkins? how did you figure it out?”

“yeah, i knew before i left. i think right around when the whole…vecna thing happened was when i really understood what was up,” evie nods thoughtfully, “like, i always felt…different? or just lost, i guess. and then with starting to find words to put to my feelings, like transgender and dysphoria, it started to feel like maybe i wasn’t so weird. robin and i went shopping and tried on like skirts and stuff and that was wild. and then i started thinking about all the girls i had dated and what that meant, and honestly, i think i wanted to be them rather than be with them.”

“so if you didn’t want to be with them, are you gay? or…i guess straight? like you like dudes?” dustin asks, his brows drawn as he listens.

“y’know, i haven’t really thought too much about it but…yeah,” she shrugs. “i guess i’d say i’m straight since i like men.”

“cool,” he nods with a smile. “damn, so even as a girl, you and robin still won’t date.”

“oh dude, i was struggling helping her out with everything after her boob job. i swear, i was no better than a man,” robin says across the table.

“she wore an ace bandage as a blind fold,” evie laughs, tossing her head back. dustin giggles as he watches robin pick up the newspaper to smack evie with, her cheeks bright red.

“is it only robin and now me who knows?” he continues along with his questioning.

“you two and my dad’s secretary since he didn’t feel like answering the phone. she congratulated me, by the way,” evie smirks at the end. just picturing her dad’s face if he were to hear the news. the rage, the steam coming from his ears. screams that could be heard blocks away as he throws another lamp. and his loyal secretary of 8 years has already congratulated his daughter and told her how happy she is for her. robin high fives her every time she gets to mention it.

“damn! i cant imagine how much that took for you to cal him. nice work,” dustin smiles proudly. “would you ever want to tell more people from hawkins?”

she’s silent for a minute. it’s something she didn’t think she’d ever consider doing. and yet, she can’t outright say no.

“i think so. someday. i hope.”

“i could…ease them into the idea so it’s less of a shock? just like…gauge where everyone’s head is at in regards to transgender individuals, give you two updates, see where to go from there?” dustin suggests with a shrug. robin’s brows raise under bangs. now that’s an idea she hasn’t had yet.

“that sounds…good,” evie nods confidently after a second, a new smile blooming on her face. robin cheers from her seat and throws her arms in the air. “just be subtle! don’t walk in all ‘hey guys, how do you feel about hypermasculine jocks from small towns turning into women who wanna be barbie?’.”

“oh no, you stole my plan word for word,” dustin rolls his eyes. “no shit i’ll be subtle. it’s a shame a side effect of estrogen isn’t intelligence.”

“don’t forget i’m hosting you,” evie warns with a pointed finger.

“yes, mom,” he sighs heavily, “okay, you can stop me if this is too far. you said you got your boobs done, did you get…like…the surgery? like the surgery?”

“not too far, honestly. yeah, i got it about…a year ago, actually! ahh happy birthday to me!” evie claps excitedly.

“does it work?”

“DUSTIN!”

~

“i just don’t get why he hasn’t said anything. he said he would update us what she’s like, i mean c’mon, he’s the first one invited over! the first one allowed over! he promised to text when he got there, what if something happened? did everyone die? him and robin are silent! nobody answers their texts!”

“eddie! will you please just stop? dustin is fine and i am sure he isn’t wooing your fairy princess, love of your life, big stupid crush, ms evangeline,” gareth groans. he’s laying upside down on the couch in his and eddie’s apartment, curls dangling to the ground. it’s been forever of listening to eddie gush about robin’s roommate and now it’s just even worse with dustin staying with them. the least eddie could do is stop pacing in front of him, he’s making him motion sick watching his legs go back and forth.

finally, eddie flips down next to him with a heavy sigh. he takes a long swig of his beer, effectively draining half of it down his throat, before just staring at the ceiling.

“i’m sorry, i’m sorry. you’re right. everything’s fine. plus, it’d be pretty fucked of him to go flirt with her when i called dibs.”

“you can’t dibs a woman-“

“yeah, yeah, shut up.” eddie lightly kicks at gareth’s shoulder. he sighs again, his finger fiddling with the wrapper on his beer bottle. “…do you think he’s mentioned me?”

“that’s it, i need a knife.”

~🌷🌻~

taggie waggies:

@lololol-1234 @xo-r4e @paintsplatteredandimperfect @homohomohoe @charlies-candid-corner @tartarusfairy @howincrediblysapphicofyou @steddie-as-they-go @bestwifehaver @sexymothmanincarnate @zoeweee @romanticdestruction @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @breadboi66 @shadowofaliar @mollymawkwrites @lofaewrites @estrellami-1 @ronance-is-my-wife @afewproblems @heartsong18 @discount-izukumidoriya @mightbeasleep @bookbinderbitch @justforthedead89 @onehandedbitch @anxiouseds @sunfloweringstories @cyranyx @thegingerrapunzel @hequet @herebedragons404 @magpiemuseum @scheodingers-muppet @the-ghost-in-your-curtains @background-noise-headache @steddieloverrr @punctualhowell @musical-theatre-gay @its-a-me-a-morgan @chronically-stupid-human @stevesbipanic @says-swag-unironically

[qtkat]

being eric cartman’s babysitter would include…

gender: female she/her (being referred to as a girl, as well)

warnings: use of y/n (I KNOW OKAY)

request: nope

a/n: thank you all so much for the likes and reblogs on my first post! i appreciate more than you’d think haha. these headcanons are set when you’ve been his babysitter for a while now, and are based on actually liking you, since i love the mother/older sister figure and eric dynamic (and also i don’t think there’d be much to write about if eric hated you, other than if it’s an enemies to friends i guess lol). also if you want these type of hcs for any of the others just lmk! also wanted to lyk i was fucking smacked writing this, so if there’s any mistakes tell me and i’ll fix them.

- eric dragging you along with him everywhere

- like genuinely dragging you by the wrist and booking it type

- he’s probably tried to take you to school with him

- the bell rings when you were just done getting ready for school and he’s just standing there like ‘ 😃 ‘

- you’re just staring back at him confused

- after a while he’s like “well, are you gonna put on your jacket?”

- FULLY SERIOUS

- and you’re like “what”

- and he just sighs, head down, pinching his nose, “jesus y/n, just puT THE DAMN COAT ON.” (squealing like a little piggy btw)

- “christ, okay - okay.”

- you have one arm in as you’re dragged down the path leading up to your house

- he forced you to drive and you were honestly so disoriented you just did it

- he marches into school, jaw locked dude 😭😭

- everyone is staring, like mr mackey fully stopped in his tracks but didn’t say anything

- mr garrison is so confused bro 😭

- “eric!”

- “yeees” (aka yiiiis)

- “why did you bring a teenage girl with you to school?!!!??”

- ofc you had to leave, because duh??

- don’t worry too much though, the little gremlin made your exit very dramatic

- full on screaming punching the ground at you slowly back away

- i read once about eric dragging out your name like he does his moms, and he does that here too

- has probably accidentally called you mom once (we don’t talk about that)

- you guys have sleepovers

- it’s actually so cute, whenever you’re set to come to his house he gets so excited

- like he’s so hyper the whole day of the sleepover

- his mother is not to disturb

- you improvise stories about clyde frog for him all night, setting up a theater with the plushie in hand

- now presenting: eric and clyde frog go to space

- .. -or the wild west, taking over the world, etc.

- he always opens up to you so much at these sleepovers

- like just fully starts telling you about how hard he has it without a dad

- has cried in your arms multiple times (we don’t talk about that)

- you were so there during the stick of truth

- you’re like an alchemist or a red mage (or a combination, if they’ll allow that)

- this is how you formally meet the other boys

- they like you, even though they didn’t really talk with you too much

- i think it’s pretty obvious to everyone eric is a jealous person, so he wouldn’t like sharing your attention much (hence you not really talking to the other boys)

- if you ever need to go away for an extended amount of time he will freak

- tries to manipulate you into staying like how he did his mom in the real estate episode

- also you better hope he’s the only kid you’re babysitting

- oh boy if he finds out you’re babysitting, like, butters or something he would throw a fit

- i swear

- so in conclusion you have gained 10 extra bucks an hour and a child making you hang out with him 24/7

- you guys have a sweet relationship

[cinamun]

This line from shygirlsimmer "Sean really doesn’t owe him any form of loyalty just like he left Jayce alone cuz he didn’t owe him loyalty either…but Mercy…" has been stuck in my head for a while now and I want to ask this what loyalty does Mercy owe Bishop? Bishop has been treating Mercy like an object from the very beginning, isolating her from her son, keeping tabs on her, checking her phone, legit stalking this woman for no reason. I don't know if he has a valid reason for doing all this and if he does have one I don't give a fuck.

She doesn't owe him loyalty.

HE OWES HER FUCKING PEACE OF MIND!

Mercy shouldn't be looking over her shoulder, she shouldn't be stressing about him showing up like how he did, she shouldn't be worried about herself the way she is with Bishop around. She's allowed to be a grown ass woman and do whatever she wants which is moving on and trying to find herself a healthy relationship that isn't with a toxic piece of shit.

I'm sorry for being so mad but this happened to my mom, and I can't get over it.

Oof, friend... don't apologize at all ever and you shouldn't get over it, that's your mom! But lets get into it though because this level of toxic is very common, we just hide it well.... and I love to write about the secrets we don't tell.

*starts prepping wings for tomorrow morning, hands you a lemon*

To you and to me and to everyone else in the Reading Room™ he doesn't owe her shit but less headaches, stress and manipulation. He owes her peace of mind exactly as you said.

But he's Bishop. He's not a man who will give a shit about that. He cares about nothing but himself and what you can provide for him. He will absolutely throw you away or worse if you can no longer serve a purpose. As for now at least, he might be capable of growth, he's getting older.... I can't call it.....

Remember how they met; her husband had just died in the worst way and Bishop somehow magically escaped prison after 30 years. So imagine the level of codependency there...

So when we say "but Mercy..." its because a man like Bishop will put loyalty over a lot of shit. Loyalty is everything to men like him and will get you killed if you fuck that up. He is absolutely one to expect and demand loyalty from Mercy who HE feels carried him during a time when he literally had nowhere to go but underground. A very vulnerable time for him.

She hit him with the lobster mac, some good pussy and it was a wrap. She even put his needs before her son's (think back to him coming home from college and her basically telling him to buy a house.... shit was wild). She's actually IS loyal to him, honestly.

What we see now is ... well... stay tuned friend.

I'm sorry its heavy for you and you don't have to apologize. Men like this just fucking exist unfortunately, and as frustrating as Mercy can be when it comes to him, I haven't completely given up hope for her..... yet.

[calamari-minecraft-corner]

Hey can I pls know more about dnd!Puffy? And like what all went down with her and Dream? How does their meeting again and then later conversation go?

Also, is the syndicate a proper think in this au? And just in general, what're Ranboo and Niki like? Is Steve the polar bear here?

Wow that was an almost completely random assortment of questions, I guess I'm just curious about a lot of things to do with this au :>

Also I just really like the artic commune(my first and most watched pov is Techno's) so I can't help but ask about them :)

Honestly I love random questions like this because I fucking LOVE worldbuilding and character building like YES PLEASE— my Dungeon Master brain goes wild with this so it helps c:

Anyways onto the answers!

1. Puffy is a firbolg Swashbuckler Rogue! Firbolgs are basically half giants and the little thing I have kinda always done with my firbolgs is to make them have more sheep/cow features. Like Caduceus from Critical role

Like this! Also that means she’s like 7 feet tall bc Firbolg are massive.

Anyways— Puffy is Dream’s biological mom in this au- because firbolgs can live to be up to 500 years old! So the math tracks tbh. But yeah she basically raised him on the docks and the ocean, rarely staying in each kingdom for long. When Dream got old enough however he wanted to stay in the Kinoko kingdom because he wanted to help King George (this was before everything) and Puffy let him- she was always supportive of him no matter what.

And when everything happened she was honestly the last one that left him.

Puffy tried to find reasoning for what he was doing- she did. But the more unhinged and more impulsive he got she was obviously worried for her son- and after him breaking his allegiance with George and Sapnap he kinda- went off the deep end.

But he went to her because that’s his mother. And Dream honestly was kinda a mama’s boy back then.

But they got into a big argument when he tried to convince her that the reason why he was doing this was to be beneficial for the continent and that the pain and tragedy would be worth it but she didn’t listen.

He didn’t hurt his mom physically, but he left afterwards and puffy was crushed.

And she joined the final battle to try and stop him- but she didn’t want to hurt him.

She actually went to the prison once to ask if she could see Dream, but Sam told her that he didn’t want to see her- and Puffy believed it and stopped trying.

Fast forward to the current events- Puffy is still a captain, she has no allegiance to anyone and prefers to just make sure the waters are safe. When she firsts sees Dream she doesn’t believe it because he looks drastically different than the last time she saw him/ and she knew something was wrong.

And she heard these new friends (and Fundy) call him Pyre, so she knew something happened.

So she plays it up! Saying that her and Pyre were old friends and that’s why she knew him.

When they’re in private though it’s a lot different. Puffy is worried- concerned on what happened and who did this to him but Dream is too nervous and even stubborn to say otherwise. It takes a bit for him to open up and they do get into an argument one time, him yelling at her and saying why didn’t she visit or at least try and send him something.

But then Puffy tells him that she thought that he said he didn’t want to see her.

And it both clicks for them that Sam was lying to both of them.

After that and the initial shock of the party realizing that’s Dream- things.. simmer. Him and his mom are okayish- they’re rocky but Dream is trying. And Puffy honestly kinda adopts Cala and Spooky since she sees that Cala is trying to help him be better, despite what he’s done and did prior. She hopes it’s a good influence but is worried for all of them. But she still loves her son so so much.

-

2. The syndicate is a thing! But it’s very.. secretive. Like secret secret. Nobody knows about the syndicate, only the monarchs do due to their ways of sabotaging some events as well as going against their laws. But no one knows who’s running it. The Syndicate is a secret faction that works on the belief that there shouldn’t be a monarch system and that these different beliefs aren’t healthy- especially with the restriction of wild magic. So they plan to dismantle it as best as they can and as quietly as they can. Honestly the vibe I get from them is like the Dark Brotherhood from the Elder Scrolls series if that makes sense?

Arctic commune exists though! In the far north is called the “Icebreaker’s Land” which is filled with tundra and Arctic. It’s one of the lands that isn’t run by any kingdom due to how dangerous it is as well as how rural it is. But people still live there! It’s like one of the only options if you don’t want to live in a kingdom, next to the Badlands.

-

3. Niki and Ranboo my beloveds! for Niki, she is a halfling Alchemist Artificer and an Arcane Archer Fighter! Niki was a close supporter of Wilbur back then and they were pretty close friends- but she felt that something was up with him right at the end of the war. And when the war finally ended and he asked her to officially work under his kingdom again- she declined and left. Shes very- conflicted in this au, since she doesn’t know what fully went on with Wilbur but she knows something doesn’t add up. When she’s with the syndicate though it honestly helps her a lot and heals her- but she has her moments. She brings this air of authority around her even though she is a halfling, and Cala honestly looks up to her a lot when they meet.

For Ranboo, Ranboo is a tiefling Aberrant Mind Sorcerer! Ranboo has— been through a lot in this au. He really was only a teenager when the war started and he didn’t realize what was going on.

Dream encountered Ranboo and convinced him to help him- and it resulted in Ranboo being a sorcerer and hating his powers immensely.

Any time Ranboo uses his powers for a long enough time he goes into a blank state, similar to his endwerwalk state actually! And Ranboo was used a lot to help with the battle until Tommy and Tubbo managed to capture him and snap him out of it.

He’s been- coping ever since the war. He’s an adult now- he had a kid with Tubbo and they sadly became distant and they have shared custody. But he’s still unstable, on edge because no one can fix what happened to him except Dream himself. And he does NOT want to see Dream.

It… takes him a while for him to get used to him but he doesn’t forgive what Dream had done to him. He just wants to feel normal but it’s hard- and the course of the au he grows into getting used to his powers after so long.

-

4. Yes Steve the bear is there and he helps a lot, patrolling the commune in general and just being a good emotional support animal for anyone that needs it :3

—

IM SO SORRY THESE ARE SO LONG DHDSJSJ but yes please enjoy this and I hope this answers what it needs to- again I love answering questions like this since I legit planned this au like a dnd campaign HDJDJDKD

[fictive-culture]

Hi it’s the Pokémon fictive I’m back again hi hello

I just got hit with a huge wave of missing my home so excuse me while I talk.

My mom (the one who didn’t try to kill me, aka Amber) was/is a Wooloo/Dubwool specialist. We lived together for many years. She found me in Kalos, trapped inside a cave after who knows how many years. She took me home, helped me recovered, and I never left emotionally her side after that. Even when I was traveling the world p, the feeling of always having someone to come home to was very nice, and not like anything if ever felt in years. I was native to Kalos for the most part. Born there after being created, lived there for millennia outside of traveling and such. The kingdoms of Kalos were established, I had been in the atmosphere, sort of in a hibernating state. Unbeknownst to me, gravity had finally pulled me in. Crashing into the courtyard of the castle. The first one who found me was their princess. I can’t overstate our bond that we shared after that. It was like we were siblings, never taking a moment apart from each other. I seriously don’t even remember leaving Kalos during that time. She’d eventually even became Queen, we were together into her late ages. But of course, as all Kingdoms do, ours fell. I ended up retreating into the wilds, invisible to all. The Queen’s daughter had also been quite… not good for a lack of better word. I ended up feeling the need to leave the Queen’s side for the first time since we’d met all those years ago because of her. I don’t think I ever was the Queen again. I never even got to say a proper goodbye to her. I miss her. And for years I would never feel that kind of deep connection to anybody ever again. But Amber was different. She loved me. She didn’t care I was some weird god pretending to be a human child. She’d loved me all the same. As her own. I miss her so much. We have her in the system but we haven’t spoken in a while. I hope she’s doing okay. Anyways. We lived in Kalos together for awhile until she eventually got a place, a house lab with a large pasture, to work and live at in Galar. I moved with her, to her shocking surprise. I really don’t understand if she didn’t think i’d come with her. She was really just my mother. She had already been taking many Woolf specimens back in our home in Kalos, but now she could own all of them and have them live happily, grazing in the pasture fields. She did have a pet Wooloo even before she found me. Frills. WHO eventually did evolve into a Dubwool back in Galar.

Now to I don’t think anyone’s surprise, I was not emotionally stable, and I still am not. Frills helped me through many mental breakdowns and panic attacks. I think you can imagine having somebody searching every corner of the earth to hunt and kill you is not a pleasant thought. Frills, and my Sylveon, spots. I honestly cannot remember when I caught her. Though it was as an Eevee. I named her after her spotted and splotchy fur. They helped me more than i can express. Countless sleepless nights staring out the window in my room, cold air flowing in, trying my hardest not to just leave and burrow myself into the millions of layers of the earth to sleep forever.

I really don’t like the cold all that much. At least when I can’t manage it. Gotta tell you, being crucified on top of Mt. Lanakila in an attempt to be killed and end the world really fucks you up. Thanks, Lyra. /s

I still love Lyra. At least, in recent times. She came into the system awhile back, she was there when Amber went dormant for the first time. I didn’t know that dormancy could be temporary, so I’d really thought I’d lost my mother forever, for the second time. She helped me through it, helped me sleep. Helped me get through the days afterwards. We called a truce. Though it really wasn’t necessary on her part, as she ended coming from a world where she’d stopped trying to hunt me down after Mt. Lanakila.

It’s really a shame she had to do it on that mountain. I loved Alola, but after that I really couldn’t go back to that place. Atleast not on that island. Also, fuck Violet. Not the game. Lyra’s main assistant. I fucking hate her I hate her so much she’s the fucking worst I hate her so much. She was the worst. Worse than Lyra. So much worse. At least after a while in the timelines where Lyra kept trying to hunt me down she eventually stopped trying to taunt or tease me when she’d be about to try and kill or capture me again. But not Violet. She never stopped. I couldn’t do anything about it. I hated her so much and I still do. I don’t think i’d ever be able to forgive her.

I still want to go home. I want my body back I want my powers back I want my immortality back I want my mother again I want my Pokémon again I want my Spots I want my Frills I want my Sligoo. I want my paws I want my ears I want my fangs I want my fur. I had a necklace that reminded me of the one I had at home but I lost the pendant and i want it back. It made me feel happy. I want to see my sister again. Thorn, if you see this later, I want to talk to you more :( I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.

-🎀🐾 (sorry if this isn’t the emoji tag I used last time, I keep fluctuating between not using the paws and using them.)

Sorry this got so ventish. If you don’t want to post this that’s fine.

Hi! I'm really sorry it took so long for us to post this but we like to read everything before posting and it took us awhile to read this please don't feel bad about that and feel free to send in more stuff like this :) It's what the rambles are for sharing your story and feelings I do hope that you get to see your family again and speak to them more often and just in general I hope that life is kind to you :)

[pumpkinrootbeer]

I am DYING to talk about Alastor. He’s absolutely my favorite, I love sassy little shits, especially when they’re otherwise the picture of manners.

I do think he made a deal with Lilith. They were gone for the same amount of time, he clearly isn’t at full power (wings clipped! Mouth sewn!!) and he at first didn’t seem to like Charlie at all. Sure, she’s powerful, but nobody knew that, especially not her. She annoyed him, but grew on him for sure and how he wants to protect her but can’t since he’s not able to summon his full power yet. Charlie may be able to get him out of his deal, or maybe he thinks she can use her relationship with her mom to convince her to let him go. Hence the favor!

My theory is Lilith asked him to watch over the hotel and possibly to kill Lucifer. She had to get into heaven somehow, and what better way than to betray the man she left Adam for? She sewed his mouth shut so that he couldn’t tell anyone and sent him to help build her daughter’s dream. Possibly also to sabotage it? Although we don’t see him doing this beyond the first episode. Husk clearly knows something, because when he comes back Al specifically turns to Husk in warning before turning to Charlie’s hug.

ANYWAY would love to hear your thoughts!!

I LOVE ALASTOR genuinely its really fun to see an ace character who isn't a robot, or emotionless, or comically innocent. super fun time for me specifically. also quick sidebar, how they went about showing his depth by him literally loosing it was so satisfying and works so well for his character. hazbin baby im so sorry i doubted your writing so onto the theories! i do 100% think lilith and alastor are connected, and i dont think it would be stretch to say she's the one who owns his soul. the reinforced detail of 7 years obviously is a big piece of evidence, along with his hate of lucifer, but her being in heaven reinforces it more for me honestly because of Zestial's line in episode 3 "Some hath spun wild tales of you falling to... holy arms?". imo its either lilith or a character we havent meant yet. (ive seen people throw eve's name around 🤔) now weather or not she wants him to protect charlie and/or the hotel is another matter. its gonna be pretty hard to predict what exactly the terms are and what she wants from him (if anything!) until we get more content. i dont think its really much of a stretch to come to that conclusion and im not not saying i believe it, but im not really sold on it. if it turns out canon i woudnt be surprised tho lol

him hanging around charlie could be her mom wants him to protect her, hence the annoyance he holds towards her at first, or it could be she has status! sure they dont know how strong she is but shes the princess of hell, and everyone respects that to some degree. her side is the winning side! (another side bar alastor actually truly believing in her makes me so so emotionally ill 😭 like he didnt doubt shed be able to rally people. and he lowkey encouraged her with his little shit talk pep talk. mi amor... babito....)

the stitches across his mouth, the way he dances around his 7 year absence, the way he completely switches up with husk when his deal is mentioned could all be unrelated but hazbin doesn't exactly do coincidences. the details are all very purposeful, ever since the pilot, so i do think he cant talk about it.

i also am inclined to believe that he didnt make the deal for his power and the deal is actively restricting it. for one, its more interesting imo. two, the line "once i figure out how to unclip my wings, then i'll be pulling all the strings" he clearly thinks he'll be stronger out of the deal, which sure, could be his arrogance. or the reason why hes so arrogant is because he used to be able to back up his talk 100%. i mean the kind of sheer confidence he has is absurd, he wasnt scared of adam, he wasnt scared of lucifer. he acts like someone who is just not used to being weaker than anyone. part of the reason hed be so desperate for freedom is because the deal is literally a threat on his life. he almost died for them!

tbh not sure if husk knows the specifics of the deal or not, because that scene in the finale could just be alastor being alastor. "haha bitch u thought" type beat. either way!! im pretty pumped for s2 and seeing alastors inevitable downward spiral. beat him up again. also maybe he makes some more friends pretty please

[notstilinski]

Beach Read Starters !

Taken from the 2020 novel by Emily Henry, Beach Read! Some of these have already been edited. You can change them however you see fit! 

“How is it? Is there a sex dungeon?”

“So wise. So deep.”

“What will you do if you realize you’ve fallen in love with a ghost?”

“No way. Blow jobs are for major holidays. What you’ve got on your hands is a good old-fashioned foot job pro quo.”

“What’s disturbing about foot jobs as a form of currency?”

“Could you turn off your sad-boy-angsting playlist?”

“Let me guess: Everyone lives happily ever after. Again.”

“Offending you. One syllable. ‘Ah.’ Pretty impressive.”

“My weird ass neighbor was blasting his crying soundtrack all night.”

“Seeing them out in the wild after all this time was horrifying.”

“No, (Name), I’m not talking about sex stuff.”

“The trick to sobering up is… donuts.”

“How do you know your Googling me wouldn’t be even more amusing g to me?”

“How do you know I won’t keep answering your questions with other questions until we both die?”

“You have a hard time… reading happy endings?“

“Are you honestly saying you don’t believe in love?”

“Sure, love happens. But it’s better to be realistic so shit’s not constantly blowing up in your face. And love is way more likely to blow up in your face than to bring eternal happiness. And if it doesn’t hurt you, then you’re the one hurting someone else.”

“I’m not asking you to tell me. I just… I don’t know. It’s weird to see you like this.”

“Oh my God! Are you slightly misquoting A Walk to Remember at me?”

“Life is meaningless, (Name). Gaze into the abyss.”

“Be honest… Did you bring me here to murder me?”

“This one of your murder spots?”

“I refuse to answer that on the grounds that you might take it from me.”

“You just too me on the worlds most depressing date. The least you could do is tell me a single thing about yourself, and why all this stuff matters to you.”

“Why? Part of your dark, mysterious past?”

“But you were in love with him.”

“It’s okay he dumped me in a hot tub.”

“You can just give me three dollars when I take you home, and then if I ever find out I need an organ, we can circle back.”

“I love seeing where you get your admirable qualities from.”

“It didn’t feel like a lie. Maybe a complicated truth, but not a lie.”

“Life is like us like a box of chocolates. You really don’t know what you’re eating and the chocolate map on the lid is fucking always wrong.”

“If you’re a beard, I’m a bird.”

“Do you feel like your mom just dropped us off here before homecoming?”

“It’s shit like this that makes it impossible for me to believe in happy endings. You never get the paper umbrellas you were promised in this world.”

“There’s nothing to loathe about your face.”

“I HATE falling in love. It’s always ruining my bad boy reputation.”

“You know, as private as they are, I have to pull a lot from context out of our conversations. But yes, I’ve gathered the clues that you two have formed a friendship.”

“She left them on their birthday?”

“I think some things are… inevitable.”

“I brought these in case you’re taking me to a Texan church service.”

“This has been an exact recurring nightmare I’m only just realizing was actually a premonition.”

“You honestly have to write me into your will for this.”

“Happy endings don’t happen to everyone. There’s nothing you can do to make someone keep loving you.”

“I want to know you.”

“I’ve never thought you were stupid.”

“I thought—think it’s grace to believe in love. I mean, the lasting kind. To try for that, even knowing it can hurt you.”

“Not believing in something doesn’t stop you from wanting it. If you’re not careful.”

“I remember. A historic moment in our friendship.”

“I told you I wanted you to know me. You can ask me anything you want.”

“I saw that with my parents, you know? This black hole and this bright light he was always just trying to swallow while.”

“It didn’t overwhelm you to watch them sleep.”

“Like being right mattered less than being… okay.”

“Really? Because in winter, I’d just prefer to be dead.”

“(Name) likes to say I was never a kid.”

“I am, though. I am angry and messed up, and every time I try to get closer to you, it’s like all these warning bells go off and I try to act like a normal person, but I can’t.”

“I thought you understood that there’s no such thing as a normal person.”

“Stop it. You’re not going to break me, (Name).”

“I do, you know. Care about you.”

“That’s you’re right, as an American citizen.”

And again, I’m seventeen in that picture. Please stop objectifying child me.”

“It seemed too crass to invite you to my aunts house and then bring up your ass.”

“Are you praying to me, (Name).”

“You’re so fucking beautiful, like the sun.”

“I really didn’t show up to your sex dungeon to seduce you.”

“I’ll make my getaway and leave you behind if I have to.”

“What? Fun? Are you afraid it’s contagious?”

“Come here to ponder your own morality?”

“I want to be your perfect fucking Fabio, (Name), but I can’t. I’m not.”

“It just means I also want you to be happy, and I’m scared I could never be the person who could give you that.”

“Then let me be happy with you, (Name).”

“I can’t wait to visit and watch him be completely smitten with you.”

“I mean, I hope it was partially an elaborate ruse to sleep with me.”

“I never wanted you to see the world like I see it.”

“When you love someone… You want to make the world look different for them. To give all the ugly stuff meaning, and to amplify the good. That’s what you do.”

“If you can learn to dance in the rain then I can stare the ugly things down.”

“I don’t care if you’re a complete person.”

“The good news is your skin looks like a newborn baby’s. What have you been eating here?”

“What’s wrong with these pants? These are my official uniform now, on account of I’ve officially given up.”

“I both love and hate falling in love.”

“Are we being ax-murdered?”

“It’s not the promise that matters. It’s that I told you.“

“Fine. I can’t know if. But I believe it. I see it. Let me prove I’m right. Let me prove I can love you forever.”

“What is we don’t get our happy ending, (Name)?”

[dulcewrites]

you will hopefully watch hotd s2 and tell us ur thoughts my liege 🙂‍↕️

Ok so i was thinking about how to answer this because like… I’m not going to watch the full thing 💀. I only watched a couple of the episodes in entirety. I would say the only, and I truly mean only, good thing that’s come out of the rampant leak culture within this fandom is that I didn’t have to waste my time on a show that would not live up to my expectations. Which is wild because while I was excited for s2, my expectations were low.

I think my largest problem with hotd is not the changes or the plot points themselves, but how we get there. So I’ll just give you a couple of thoughts I had by character (gonna lump some together bc how storylines went):

Rhaena, Baela, Corlys, and Rhaenys: I’m lumping them together bc that’s essentially what the show does. Now this may be a #controversial opinion but the Velaryons gave Rhaenyra’s cheerleaders in f&b so I’m not surprised that’s their role in the show. People seem to the think the Velaryons were not makers of their own demise when honestly they were. Viserys and Rhaenyra played a big role don’t get me wrong, but they (Corlys) was hellbent on having his blood on the throne. IMO they are being portrayed at beholden to Rhaenyra, which they were in the book. That being said, show doesn’t help an already poor portrayal. Baela not advocating for Rhaena to get the Driftwood throne after Corlys offers it to her makes no sense. The “I am fire and blood” line from her was corny (she is her grandmother’s child lol) and just weird considering she is ALSO salt and sea because of her mom??? She was literally fostered by her grandmother on Driftmark?? It just goes back to this idea that everyone needs to prop up Rhaenyra. And how Rhaenyra’s plight is most important. Bc why cant Baela and Rhaena advocate for themselves while advocating for Rhaenyra. It would actually only strength Rhaenyra’s point.

Rhaenys had her moments but the way the writers clearly use her as a sounding board is heavy handed. Her death fell flat for me bc honestly idc. The writers handled Corlys affair poorly. At the same time Rhaenys being a “he knows where home is” woman makes sense for her lmao. She’s def that brand of faux liberal white women that immediately fold for the men around them. Rhaena possibly claiming a dragon is all around a dumb choice.

Daemon and Alys: Harrenhal did the heavy lifting. I appreciate them leaning into the magic and mystery around it. It is one of the through lines that made sense and was carried out. That being said, and I’m fine with people calling me bias for saying this, but Daemon is simply not very interesting to me. That whole thing was at its most interesting when Rhaenyra was yelling at him.

I like the story they have began for Alys. It would have been very easy to do the seductive, evil witch thing. I like that she’s off kilter but also very grounded and normal. That being said, I don’t trust them with her 🤷🏽‍♀️

Jace: I appreciate them finally acknowledging how Jace feels about parentage. He sees how fragile the lines of legitimacy are and he’s scared. I think it sets a good parallel between Rhaenyra and Viserys as parents. She is putting her children, at least Jace and Joffrey, in the same position Viserys put her in. Despite enjoying the choices, there isn’t that special something there. Emma does sort of act circles around Harry at times and it can be hard to watch but he did a pretty good job with the stuff the writers gave him.

Rhaenyra: I… honestly don’t know what to say about her lmao. I feel like she always gets taken to a point where she can be really fascinating… then they immediately reign her back in fear she will come off “unlikeable”. Which is crazy bc it’s been established that the general public, regardless of what is actually happening, will side with Rhaenyra. So, why not have some fun with her. I often walk away not knowing what kind of character or person they want Rhaenyra to be. I can’t even really call her complex. She’s like a bunch of tropes just sort of mashed together when the plot sees fit. Emma deserves better material idk.

Whew ok now let’s get into the messy part

Criston: Easily had some of the best/consistent writing not only for team green but the whole show this season. But people are hellbent on hating him so much of it just goes unnoticed. The only ire I have with Criston storyline is alicole. Not them together in a vacuum (I said before i see the beauty in both alicole and rhaenicent, though both are better when things are left unsaid), but more not knowing how they got together. The hard cut to them having sex as two repressed people leaves much to be desired. It’s basically set up to make them look like hypocrites despite Alicent being a widow and Criston knowing her for essentially two decades. Very different situations than s1.

Helaena: Ummm ???? Much like how Rhaenys is just a sounding board for the writer to hammer us over the head with, Helaena’s dreams get used at the whims of the plot. Because how did Helaena go from speaking in riddles that even she doesn’t seem fully understand to knowing exactly what they mean? Seeing that far into the future? Either that was just something made up so she could get a dig in against Aemond (blaming him for everything which is… a choice), used to absolve daemon (not good), retroactive try to fix problems created by GOT (yawn) or she’s always known what her dreams meant and just decided not to make them understandable (NOT GOOD!!).

She barely grieves Jaehaerys pass the funeral (that could be said for a lot of dead characters) on screen. I thought the “they killed the boy” line was weird. Why not just say his name 💀💀💀. Alicent calls him the boy too like ???? Also we are supposed to believe the bug girl doesn’t want to ride her dragon….

I think the only bright spot of her storyline has been the bond between her and Alicent. It makes sense that Alicent would cling to her daughter who she sees as innocent and that Helaena would seek refuge in her mother.

Aegon: another #controveral opinion maybe but whenever people are like poor Aegon, I just think of that clip from Big Little Lies where Madeline is like “I don’t give a fuck about homeless people!” 😭 (I swear it makes sense in context). It’s sort of the same problem for me that I had with Jace. The arc is fine, set up well especially compared to others but like… eh 🤷🏽‍♀️. I all the Aegon stans being weird about Alicent are doing too much at times.

Aemond: I did like that they leaned into Aemond, in public, making it seem like he did mean to kill Luke. But in private clearly having guilt over it. I think it was the best choice they could make considering the change to Luke’s death. Just knowing how insecure Aemond is, it would make no sense for him to admit to not having full control over Vhagar in that moment. It’s strange to me that people thought his resentment towards Aegon came out of nowhere. It’s pretty much set up from the moment the two of them interact in s1. I don’t think any of the points Aemond had made about Alicent and the war (ie saying that she was the one that mentioned them being in danger) were wrong but I think the sudden aggressive nature towards Helaena was weird. Like bffr. Them not showing us Alicent’s response to him killing Luke goes in the alicole pile of missed opportunities. Like did he even try to explain or was he hellbent on pretending from jump.

Alicent: well… where do we begin lmao. I already touched on why I didn’t care for the alicole thing. Let’s just address the elephant in the room that this whole “Alicent is free” bs isn’t real bc she’s still under the subjugation of a Targaryen - this time it’s just Rhaenyra So that’s supposed to make it better in some people’s eyes. I’m sorry but even as someone who has gone on record saying that I think the change they made to Rhaenicent was the best one, I can’t just let poor execution slide. I don’t even think Alicent having little legion to Aemond or Aegon comes out of nowhere. She has constantly, to a fault, reaffirmed her trust in Rhaenyra. What I don’t like is the writers first saying that Alicent needs to be humbled… as opposed to what? The super confident Alicent that’s always winning??? Then painting her coming to Rhaenyra as her choosing herself or some sort of liberation. Ok then why can’t she say one mean word about the man that abused her? Why is it that she can see through Otto (or at least she did at the end of s1… another think that was seemingly undid). But not Viserys, the man who happily went along with it. Why does Rhaenyra get have a moment where she realizes much her desire towards daemon was envy for what daemon represented. Or realizing he is a tool in her subjugation and how she’s sort of stuck in this weird space with him. But Alicent continues to insists that Viserys was a good man, father, husband, and king… all things that aren’t true.

Every person in the show at nausea talk about how great Viserys was. The writers say him and Alicent had a “loving relationship” so clearly they don’t think that man maritally raped her. It’s odd they writer her, even without the modern tools we have to explain gross relationships like the one Viserys started with her, to understand her children are by products of what were done to her but she can’t disparage the man who did said thing to her?

People will be like “Well she’s an abuse victim of course she would feel that way. Some victims do unfortunately love their abusers.” But if the narrative continues to tell us one thing, it is clear the writers actually think that. By those rules, they don’t see Alicent as a victim. There lies the issue in how they write her. It sounds absolutely vile to say a rape victim who spent all her adult life suffering needs to be knocked down a peg. Ryan compared it to the Driftmark knife scene which ??? Alicent immediately admonished herself for that and the next episode was begging Rhaenyra to come back. Soooooo

If it was really about protecting Helaena and her granddaughter, why not just go? Why run to Rhaenyra and self flagellate for her someone else’s enjoyment. Why does Rhaenyra essentially spew back every criticism the gp had about Alicent? And why does Alicent just take that….

There are plenty of other people who have expressed the problems with Alicent’s writing better than I have but this is just my thoughts.

[hdchaeri]

𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕’𝒔 𝒈𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒏, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆 ? no one new here, it’s just 𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒍 back with a second muse ! i’ve been so inspired by the community here that i couldn’t help myself, & i can’t wait for all of you to get to know my newest creation. she’s a muse of mine i had once upon a time, but i never got a chance to fully develop her, so here she is now ! her name is 𝒎𝒐𝒐𝒏 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒆𝒓𝒊, & she’s from jeju island, south korea, & has been living in seoul over the last few years. she made her grand entrance into the world on 𝟐𝟎𝟎𝟒𝟎𝟑𝟎𝟔, making her a dreamy pisces sun & 𝟏𝟖 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒐𝒍𝒅. in june of 2020, she was officially signed to 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒄, & hopes to one day début in a girl group as some sort of visual member because she’s not the most talented person in the world, but she has a lot of natural presence & star power. below the cut is a brief rundown of him, & if you’re interested in plotting with us, 𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕 ! ♡

𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔. death tw.

———   she was raised by a single father on the island of jeju in south korea. her mother fled this dimension & entered the wild cosmos shortly after she gave birth, & instead of telling her the truth, her dad let her in on a secret that she’s never been able to forget ;; even to this day. when she was old enough to be curious as to why she didn’t have a mom, her dad told her that her mother is actually a mermaid who lives deep in the sea, & that because chaeri was born with legs instead of a tail, she needed to remain on land with her father forever. however, he also mentioned that, if she ever wanted to talk to her mom, all chaeri had to do was head to the beach, sit along the shoreline, & speak openly into the mist. she obviously never responds verbally, but she’s the best listener, & chaeri still tries to get out to the water from time-to-time for heart-to-hearts with her mother nowadays.

———   in school, kids generally thought she was weird. for one thing, she wholeheartedly believed the narrative that she’s half-mermaid, & would tell that to people. this, clearly, put a target on her back for the rest of elementary school. at home, she was treated like royalty by her father, so when she didn’t receive the same amount of attention from her peers, it really confused her. despite the odds, she made a couple friends who shared her whimsy & vivid imagination, & survived middle school thanks to them. however, in high school, she noticed a change in how people treated her. the girls were still rude, but more-so out of jealousy. the boys ? well, they became much more interested in her. her beauty reigned supreme, & her playful personality endeared them instead of annoyed them, & she loved every minute of it. she really embraces & adores her femininity ;; that blossomed during this era of her life.

———   however, being self-aware & knowledgable of her beauty comes with its fair share of problems, as well as ❝ ugliness. ❞ most of the time, she’s obsessed with her appearance — constantly focusing on how she’s presenting herself to those around her. she even pays attention to the little things :: how she’s standing, how her hair falls down her back, if her resting facial expression conveys warmth as opposed to frigidity, etc. if there’s a mirror nearby, she’ll get lost in it ;; ensuring that she still looks immaculate. clearly this makes her rather vain & superficial, but she’s equally insecure. she’ll occasionally take this out on the people around her because she not only expects perfection out of herself, but out of others, too, causing her to be somewhat judgmental. perfectionism runs deep within her veins.

———   it made sense to her when she was scouted into an entertainment company via her instagram account. she honestly had no idea what she was going to do with the rest of her life since she’s bad at school, & often feels like she has no other skills besides looking good. becoming a celebrity of sorts seemed like something she could do if it worked out. what she lacks in musical skills & talent, she makes up for with stage presence ;; beauty ;; star power ;; presentability. while others might resist only being known for what’s on the outside, chaeri’s fine resting on pretty. she often uses it to her advantage anyway, so it helps her more than hurts her, & she’s aware of pretty privilege. anyway, if the idol thing doesn’t work out, she plans on becoming a model or actress.

———   she’s still pretty quirky overall, & though she’s definitely vain & obnoxious sometimes, she’s pretty harmless. she’s constantly lost in her thoughts, & she seems very checked out & distracted all of the time, but she tries really hard to be there for her friends. she knows that good ones are hard to come by, especially in the company, so if you show her kindness & have her back, she’ll do the same for you ;; even if she’s flighty & scattered. now, a really big weakness of hers is that she gets extremely sidetracked by the opposite sex. i hate it for her, to be honest, but she thinks it’s fun to play around with them & adores mindless flirtation. i kind of expect her to get in trouble for dating at some point, but we’ll see how it goes.

𝒕𝒚𝒑𝒊𝒔𝒕’𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆.

to find out a little more about her personality, click here ! i’m so excited to write her out & develop her more in this space, & she’s open to any & all types of plots. i value complex & deep connections, as well brainstorming something fresh for each interaction, but i’m just as happy to look through any wc’s you might have ! thanks for reading if you did. you’re the best ! ♡♡

[janatm]

well ain't that the pot calling the kettle black || PUCKERBROS

tagging: Jake Puckerman & Noah Puckerman

date & time: October 19, 2024 in the late afternoon

location: Puck's house, in his living room

warnings: none!

summary: Jake needs a little guidance and advice and since no one else is availible he's trusting Puck with this. Ultimately it ends up being useful for them both, who'd have thought?

word count: 3,263

PUCK maybe wasn't always the smartest guy in the room but even he could tell something was up with Jake. Given that the only time his brother had mention Bree was when he told Puck she was with him in the PSU cafeteria, he was gonna make a wild guess it had something to do with her. While he had a fuck ton of his own shit going on, honestly, he could use the break to talk about literally anyone else, but especially his little bro. Sitting down next to him in the living room while Maya had his mom and Santana occupied in the back, he flicked Jake's ear. "Hey, why aren't you out back with everybody else, fucking up my lawn?" He asked with a smile, trying not to look too concerned.

JAKE had been more than relieved to shower, pack a bag, and then camp out at Puck’s. He had needed it after the absolutely fuckery at the cafeteria, and it was nice being around family. But after he’d sent out texts to the rest of the people he needed to check on, he found himself debating what to do about Bree. He’d tried asking Santana for advice, which turned into him sending that reply to Bree’s texts that came in, and he was expecting to be blocked but he didn’t know what else to do. Groaning when Puck flicked his ear, he shrugged. “I was…trying to think for a minute.” He half lied. “Honestly, how were you fucking around with two people at once? I have one and this relationship shit is stressful.”

PUCK laughed. "Don't hurt yourself." He said as he sat back and got comfortable. Completely unsurprised by this being about his relationship that, honestly, Puck didn't fully understand, he couldn't judge, he had just had a pretty intense moment with Eva and there's no way his relationship with her and Morgan make sense to anyone. Mainly because it doesn't even make sense to the three of them yet. "That whole situation blew up in my face because none of us bothered saying what we needed to say when we needed to say it and then when we tried none of us were listening to each other. Is that what's happening with you and Bree?" If there was anything he was learning about actively choosing to be in a relationship, it's that you have to talk to each other, often and honestly and you've gotta listen. Something Puck has never been all that good at, maybe it's genetic.

JAKE rolled his eyes at his brother's teasing. "Tell yourself that." He groaned. He didn't even know why he would want to get advice from his big brother about relationships when he'd fumbled a cowboy and a smoke show at the same time, but even the mother of his child; however, he couldn't talk to his lesbian besties about it. Puck was his only option really, so here they were. He nodded along as he explained what went wrong with the throuple, which had been kinda obvious that day in Professor Anderson's classroom, but he could see what he meant. "Sorta, maybe." He sighed. "Being in that cafeteria felt like the first time I really saw Bree around some of her friends, and I dunno, the vibes were weird. Bree cheered for Sue Sylvester and lived with that weird ass family as a teen, and the vibes between her and two of the sisters, or siblings or whatever, just rubbed me the wrong way. And then we argued about it, and I just..don't know what to do about that situation anymore."

PUCK listened to Jake explain what happened and tried to understand what the underlying issue was, because no way Jake was put off by his- by Bree having friends or people that she's close to. Maybe it's because when they were together the first time he was a secret, so Bree never had him around her people. Maybe he's feeling like thing aren't as innocent with these Sylvester siblings as Bree says they are. Is it insecurity? Puck was pretty well aquainted with the feeling so it was pretty easy to see in others. "Rubbed you the wrong way how? Like she's into them or something?" Truthfully, Puck didn't know much about the connection most of these PSU people had but he kinda knew about Bree and the Sylvester's because of Penny and Logan. "Are you feeling some kind of way because you weren't expecting to see her close to anyone else and you maybe thought only you got softness from her?" To be honest, that would have Puck feeling some kind of way too, imagining seeing Eva be soft and gentle and kind to people he doesn't even know would have him feel less... special.

JAKE took in his brother's questions and briefly thought it over, and he kinda had a point, to an extent anyways. "Bree being soft is rare as hell, but..I don't know. There was just something in my gut that told me to keep an eye on her and two of the Sylvesters, Joni and Sage. Bree was like too soft with them, especially Sage who's...wouldn't be my friend, but to each their own. Anyways, I couldn't figure out what was up with them, so when Bree was distracted, I took her phone. Went through her texts and I was right, about Joni anyways. Apparently they did have something going on about a month ago, and I don't know, maybe it's not really over? And instead of just asking her about it, I was kind of an asshole, which turned her into an asshole, and now I think we're broken up again." He groaned. "Why is this shit so complicated?"

PUCK barely knew who these people were and he's trying to figure out of Sage is the they/them or if that's Joni and Sage is the gym owner. He guessed it didn't really matter. Letting out a breath at his brother's confession, he could tell him that was an invasion of privacy and that now he can't even tell Bree why he felt how he felt without the whole conversation being about his going through her phone, but honestly, it didn't really seem like the point right now, so instead he chose to skip over that for now. "Wasyourgut telling you that or did you just wanna go through her phone to see who she was talking to? Scratch that." He sat up. "Why was your gut telling you it was more than friendship? I mean I get you thought she was being too chummy but I mean, you knew she was close to those people, it can't be that weird to you that she isn't icy with them like she is with everyone else. No offense." Was he was saying that to Jake he didn't know, part of him thought Bree would hear him and think he was talking shit and he did not wanna know what kind of clapback she had locked and loaded about him.

JAKE didn't like his brother interrogating him, but he also knew that this was just him trying to understand it, and help him figure out why he'd done it. It seemed like it made sense in is own head but trying to put it into words that didn't sound like he just had trust issues? Not exactly easy. Thinking over his conversations with Bree about that family, he tried to think back on whether or not she really went into details about her relationship with each sibling, and he shook his head. "She just always said they treat her like family, so that's what I thought. And I don't know them, but something has always seemed weird about those people, which is why I was never around when they were near her, so this was just like my first time seeing them altogether, you know? And I dunno, maybe I saw Joni checking out my girl and it triggered some shit?" He shrugged. "I didn't take her phone until after my gut said something was off. And that's the thing, Bree is cold with her own family, which I can kinda get, but I wasn't expecting to see her be that soft with these fucking weirdos. It was just unusual, bro."

PUCK took in everything his brother was saying and he understood where he was coming from. Not sure that was a good thing for Jake but at least it meant he wasn't judging. "Maybe these weirdos are more her family than her actually family and isn't it good that she has people or do you just want her to have you to lean on?" Just because he understood where Jake was coming from doesn't mean he understood every thought the man was having and he figured asking questions would help him understand his own thoughts and feelings too. "As for this Joni chick maybe checking Bree out, would you care if it were some other chick or dude or person checking her out or is it just because it's someone she's close to and don't know?" Again, he got it, when he had someone he got possessive and territorial too but he also knew that shit could start a lot of dumbass fights.

JAKE hummed as Puck threw out another alternative explanation for the dynamic with Bree and the Sylvesters, and it was starting to make his brain hurt trying to make sense of all of it. "No, no I want her to have people to lean on. And if it were just that, I would be more than okay with it. Her family sucks so she deserves to have people she sees like that and can depend on — even if I get weird vibes from them." Maybe none of this made sense and he was just being jealous, but his gut wasn't wrong so it seemed like it was making sense? He really didn't know. "I'd be pissed if it were anyone, doesn't matter who it is. And one of those texts Joni sent said she missed 'every part' of Bree so come on, bro, you know that shit is sexual." He huffed. "What if they've been messing around for years? Bree loves me but fuck, what if she loves Joni too? She can't even get past me cheating on her before, so what if she cheats this time? Or what if she can never trust me again and then I don't know, leaves me for her? I just don't know what to think, and I don't know where the hell we're supposed to go from here if we can't start trusting each other and move past all of this other shit."

PUCK figured it wasn't a Joni specific thing, because it really seemed like dude was just jealous anytime anyone looked a Bree a little too long. Then he continued talking and honestly, it all started making sense, and for shit to make sense to Puck it's gotta be mad obvious. But from what he could tell the real issue was baby bro is scared he isn't her first choice, that she'll find someone 'better' and leave him. It wasn't the exact same insecurity Puck had but it also wasn't that far off. At the end of the day neither one of them seemed to think they were the best choice for the people they wanted and while Puck tended to take himself out of the game, Jake was trying to take everyone else out. Unfortunately, his best piece of advice was also the simpliest and somehow also the hardest thing to do. "You're probably not gonna like this, but, um, has it ever crossed your mind to tell her all of that?" A pause. "Not saying it's gonna be easy, understanding other people's feelings never is but she loves you, so I gotta believe she'd wanna try and inderstand where you're coming from and you gotta try and understand where she's coming from too. That'll probably build more trust than anything else." Damn, was he good at this? Should he be giving out advice more. Fifteen years of being a dad, finally paying off.

JAKE didn't even know what his brother's real deal was with Morgan and Eva, and he at least knew that communication was an issue, but it wasn't like his brother told him anything beyond that. Santana had been mouthing off her own opinions but he didn't really know how accurate it was, but considering she was Maya's mom and he was starting to see what his niece inherited from both Puck and Santana, he assumed the Latina knew what she was talking about. But as he listened to his brother's advice, Puck seemed to be better at talking someone else through their problems than he did his own. "See, we try to talk, but then after a minutes or after an 'I love you' gets tossed out, we either fight or we fuck. And at this time point, I don't think either is helping. Neither is her constantly bringing up the cheating thing, which I have said sorry for and explained like ten times. I mean, how do you know when it's time to just accept that your relationship doesn't work and to give up?"a

PUCK wasn't really sure what to say to that. I mean that wasn't something he could determine for his brother. "That I can't answer. If you're ready to accept it and let it go then maybe that's when you know." That was really the best he could offer on that point but it wasn't all he had to say. "But you're focusing too much on her bringing up the cheating and no enough on why she's doing it. From what you've told me, y'all explained yourselves, you apologized, you said your 'i love you's' and you forgave each other. So if y'all managed all that, then why are you going through her phone so intensely you done got yourself pressed and upset over something someone else said to her a month ago and why is she still bringing shit up that she forgave you for? Y'all sound insecure and you're gonna have to put all this shit behind y'all if you wanna move forward." Leaning back he put his hands behind his head. "Personally I don't think dumping her and giving up is gonna fix shit because you gonna end up right back on my couch sulking and pissed that she went elsewhere after you and you're gonna act like it's proof that she was always gonna leave even though she didn't leave, you pushed her elsewhere. And imma say it now, I ain't gonna have any sympathy for you 'cause that'd be your own damn fault." Sighing, he sat back up again and looked at his younger brother. "Look, seems like you're in love with this girl, real legit love, that kind of shit that people search their whole lives for. So fight to keep it, fight to fix it. Don't give up on her or yourself. Tell her what you're feeling and tell her you need her to do the same because y'all aren't gonna be able to fix it unless you're both being open and vulnerable with each other." One day, he'll take his own advice.

JAKE sighed as he let Puck speak, deciding to just take it all in while trying to somehow process how the fuck he was even feeling. He didn't exactly want to give up on Bree, but every attempt to fix things seemed to keep blowing back on them so one could take it as a sign that they weren't quite meant to be. Or maybe the timing wasn't right? Or maybe it was the fucking lockdown? He didn't know, but as his brother kept going on and pointing out his and Bree's flaws, he furrowed his brows. Sure, he'd wanted advice, but now it just sounded like his brother was taking cheap shots since he'd opened up, unlike Puck had been doing. And again, his baby mama liked to talk, so he did have her take on it too. "Open and vulnerable, huh?" He repeated. "Like you, Morgan, and Eva?" Jake pointed out as he leaned back this time. "You're right. Maybe I shouldn't give up on Bree if I'm just gonna be here sulking, but pot, meet kettle. Your big tall, lanky ass has been sulking for weeks over Eva and Morgan — so badly that the mother of your child had to step in and do you a solid. She also said something about you getting it on during lockdown, so what? Is this you moving on or giving up?" He questioned, raising a brow as he looked over at his big bro. "You know, after I cheated on Bree and we broke up, I tried being like him. Figured the love shit wasn't worth it so why not just be like my dad, sleep with a bunch of random ass girls, not give a fuck about anyone else but myself. Didn't take long to realize that I'm not him, and I don't wanna be like him. That shit is fun at the time, and you bust a quick nut or two, but then you're the one sulking on your own couch while your teenager is texting her uncle and her mom telling us that you're not your usual self. That you're not as happy anymore. I know Maya doesn't know much of the specifics, but she's a smart ass kid who knows her dad. So maybe we should both take your advice and talk to the people we wanna be with, huh?"

PUCK wanted to clapback at his brother but he was too tired and the dude was right. He'd spend a dumb amount of time sulking, and Santana is right, it is pathetic and his kid is right, he needs to actually look through those therapy resources sitting on his desk and his mom is right that he needs help and his damn veteran's group is right than he needs to lean on his support system. So instead of being a dick to his little brother, he just nodded in agreement. "You're right, I've been giving you advice I ain't never taken a day in my life. Which is definitely proof that you should do what I say and not what I do." He said with a smile. "I'm lucky to have folks who wanna see me happy, who wanna see be be with the people I want and be the kinda man I wanna be. I'm even luckier that they'll help me with all that. Good new for you, little bro, those same people are gonna help you too and they're gonna be just as annoying about." That was the thing about family, it might not look the way you expected it to and if you went long enough without one it's probably tough to adjust to, but they're gonna be there and they're gonna be loud and opinionated and they're gonna love you whether you're ready for it or not. or maybe that was just the family Puck had, either way, they were Jake's family too now. "But I've already talked to one my mine and got plan to talk to the other one tomorrow morning. So maybe you try and undo whatever dumbassery is in those texts and have an actual conversation with your not girlfriend before you don't dump her. Fuck y'all are confusing."

[puckhq]

well ain't that the pot calling the kettle black || PUCKERBROS

tagging: Jake Puckerman ( @puckjake ) & Noah Puckerman

date & time: October 19, 2024 in the late afternoon

location: Puck's house, in his living room

warnings: none!

summary: Jake needs a little guidance and advice and since no one else is availible he's trusting Puck with this. Ultimately it ends up being useful for them both, who'd have thought?

word count: 3,263

PUCK maybe wasn't always the smartest guy in the room but even he could tell something was up with Jake. Given that the only time his brother had mention Bree was when he told Puck she was with him in the PSU cafeteria, he was gonna make a wild guess it had something to do with her. While he had a fuck ton of his own shit going on, honestly, he could use the break to talk about literally anyone else, but especially his little bro. Sitting down next to him in the living room while Maya had his mom and Santana occupied in the back, he flicked Jake's ear. "Hey, why aren't you out back with everybody else, fucking up my lawn?" He asked with a smile, trying not to look too concerned.

JAKE had been more than relieved to shower, pack a bag, and then camp out at Puck’s. He had needed it after the absolutely fuckery at the cafeteria, and it was nice being around family. But after he’d sent out texts to the rest of the people he needed to check on, he found himself debating what to do about Bree. He’d tried asking Santana for advice, which turned into him sending that reply to Bree’s texts that came in, and he was expecting to be blocked but he didn’t know what else to do. Groaning when Puck flicked his ear, he shrugged. “I was…trying to think for a minute.” He half lied. “Honestly, how were you fucking around with two people at once? I have one and this relationship shit is stressful.”

PUCK laughed. "Don't hurt yourself." He said as he sat back and got comfortable. Completely unsurprised by this being about his relationship that, honestly, Puck didn't fully understand, he couldn't judge, he had just had a pretty intense moment with Eva and there's no way his relationship with her and Morgan make sense to anyone. Mainly because it doesn't even make sense to the three of them yet. "That whole situation blew up in my face because none of us bothered saying what we needed to say when we needed to say it and then when we tried none of us were listening to each other. Is that what's happening with you and Bree?" If there was anything he was learning about actively choosing to be in a relationship, it's that you have to talk to each other, often and honestly and you've gotta listen. Something Puck has never been all that good at, maybe it's genetic.

JAKE rolled his eyes at his brother's teasing. "Tell yourself that." He groaned. He didn't even know why he would want to get advice from his big brother about relationships when he'd fumbled a cowboy and a smoke show at the same time, but even the mother of his child; however, he couldn't talk to his lesbian besties about it. Puck was his only option really, so here they were. He nodded along as he explained what went wrong with the throuple, which had been kinda obvious that day in Professor Anderson's classroom, but he could see what he meant. "Sorta, maybe." He sighed. "Being in that cafeteria felt like the first time I really saw Bree around some of her friends, and I dunno, the vibes were weird. Bree cheered for Sue Sylvester and lived with that weird ass family as a teen, and the vibes between her and two of the sisters, or siblings or whatever, just rubbed me the wrong way. And then we argued about it, and I just..don't know what to do about that situation anymore."

PUCK listened to Jake explain what happened and tried to understand what the underlying issue was, because no way Jake was put off by his- by Bree having friends or people that she's close to. Maybe it's because when they were together the first time he was a secret, so Bree never had him around her people. Maybe he's feeling like thing aren't as innocent with these Sylvester siblings as Bree says they are. Is it insecurity? Puck was pretty well aquainted with the feeling so it was pretty easy to see in others. "Rubbed you the wrong way how? Like she's into them or something?" Truthfully, Puck didn't know much about the connection most of these PSU people had but he kinda knew about Bree and the Sylvester's because of Penny and Logan. "Are you feeling some kind of way because you weren't expecting to see her close to anyone else and you maybe thought only you got softness from her?" To be honest, that would have Puck feeling some kind of way too, imagining seeing Eva be soft and gentle and kind to people he doesn't even know would have him feel less... special.

JAKE took in his brother's questions and briefly thought it over, and he kinda had a point, to an extent anyways. "Bree being soft is rare as hell, but..I don't know. There was just something in my gut that told me to keep an eye on her and two of the Sylvesters, Joni and Sage. Bree was like too soft with them, especially Sage who's...wouldn't be my friend, but to each their own. Anyways, I couldn't figure out what was up with them, so when Bree was distracted, I took her phone. Went through her texts and I was right, about Joni anyways. Apparently they did have something going on about a month ago, and I don't know, maybe it's not really over? And instead of just asking her about it, I was kind of an asshole, which turned her into an asshole, and now I think we're broken up again." He groaned. "Why is this shit so complicated?"

PUCK barely knew who these people were and he's trying to figure out of Sage is the they/them or if that's Joni and Sage is the gym owner. He guessed it didn't really matter. Letting out a breath at his brother's confession, he could tell him that was an invasion of privacy and that now he can't even tell Bree why he felt how he felt without the whole conversation being about his going through her phone, but honestly, it didn't really seem like the point right now, so instead he chose to skip over that for now. "Wasyourgut telling you that or did you just wanna go through her phone to see who she was talking to? Scratch that." He sat up. "Why was your gut telling you it was more than friendship? I mean I get you thought she was being too chummy but I mean, you knew she was close to those people, it can't be that weird to you that she isn't icy with them like she is with everyone else. No offense." Was he was saying that to Jake he didn't know, part of him thought Bree would hear him and think he was talking shit and he did not wanna know what kind of clapback she had locked and loaded about him.

JAKE didn't like his brother interrogating him, but he also knew that this was just him trying to understand it, and help him figure out why he'd done it. It seemed like it made sense in is own head but trying to put it into words that didn't sound like he just had trust issues? Not exactly easy. Thinking over his conversations with Bree about that family, he tried to think back on whether or not she really went into details about her relationship with each sibling, and he shook his head. "She just always said they treat her like family, so that's what I thought. And I don't know them, but something has always seemed weird about those people, which is why I was never around when they were near her, so this was just like my first time seeing them altogether, you know? And I dunno, maybe I saw Joni checking out my girl and it triggered some shit?" He shrugged. "I didn't take her phone until after my gut said something was off. And that's the thing, Bree is cold with her own family, which I can kinda get, but I wasn't expecting to see her be that soft with these fucking weirdos. It was just unusual, bro."

PUCK took in everything his brother was saying and he understood where he was coming from. Not sure that was a good thing for Jake but at least it meant he wasn't judging. "Maybe these weirdos are more her family than her actually family and isn't it good that she has people or do you just want her to have you to lean on?" Just because he understood where Jake was coming from doesn't mean he understood every thought the man was having and he figured asking questions would help him understand his own thoughts and feelings too. "As for this Joni chick maybe checking Bree out, would you care if it were some other chick or dude or person checking her out or is it just because it's someone she's close to and don't know?" Again, he got it, when he had someone he got possessive and territorial too but he also knew that shit could start a lot of dumbass fights.

JAKE hummed as Puck threw out another alternative explanation for the dynamic with Bree and the Sylvesters, and it was starting to make his brain hurt trying to make sense of all of it. "No, no I want her to have people to lean on. And if it were just that, I would be more than okay with it. Her family sucks so she deserves to have people she sees like that and can depend on — even if I get weird vibes from them." Maybe none of this made sense and he was just being jealous, but his gut wasn't wrong so it seemed like it was making sense? He really didn't know. "I'd be pissed if it were anyone, doesn't matter who it is. And one of those texts Joni sent said she missed 'every part' of Bree so come on, bro, you know that shit is sexual." He huffed. "What if they've been messing around for years? Bree loves me but fuck, what if she loves Joni too? She can't even get past me cheating on her before, so what if she cheats this time? Or what if she can never trust me again and then I don't know, leaves me for her? I just don't know what to think, and I don't know where the hell we're supposed to go from here if we can't start trusting each other and move past all of this other shit."

PUCK figured it wasn't a Joni specific thing, because it really seemed like dude was just jealous anytime anyone looked a Bree a little too long. Then he continued talking and honestly, it all started making sense, and for shit to make sense to Puck it's gotta be mad obvious. But from what he could tell the real issue was baby bro is scared he isn't her first choice, that she'll find someone 'better' and leave him. It wasn't the exact same insecurity Puck had but it also wasn't that far off. At the end of the day neither one of them seemed to think they were the best choice for the people they wanted and while Puck tended to take himself out of the game, Jake was trying to take everyone else out. Unfortunately, his best piece of advice was also the simpliest and somehow also the hardest thing to do. "You're probably not gonna like this, but, um, has it ever crossed your mind to tell her all of that?" A pause. "Not saying it's gonna be easy, understanding other people's feelings never is but she loves you, so I gotta believe she'd wanna try and inderstand where you're coming from and you gotta try and understand where she's coming from too. That'll probably build more trust than anything else." Damn, was he good at this? Should he be giving out advice more. Fifteen years of being a dad, finally paying off.

JAKE didn't even know what his brother's real deal was with Morgan and Eva, and he at least knew that communication was an issue, but it wasn't like his brother told him anything beyond that. Santana had been mouthing off her own opinions but he didn't really know how accurate it was, but considering she was Maya's mom and he was starting to see what his niece inherited from both Puck and Santana, he assumed the Latina knew what she was talking about. But as he listened to his brother's advice, Puck seemed to be better at talking someone else through their problems than he did his own. "See, we try to talk, but then after a minutes or after an 'I love you' gets tossed out, we either fight or we fuck. And at this time point, I don't think either is helping. Neither is her constantly bringing up the cheating thing, which I have said sorry for and explained like ten times. I mean, how do you know when it's time to just accept that your relationship doesn't work and to give up?"a

PUCK wasn't really sure what to say to that. I mean that wasn't something he could determine for his brother. "That I can't answer. If you're ready to accept it and let it go then maybe that's when you know." That was really the best he could offer on that point but it wasn't all he had to say. "But you're focusing too much on her bringing up the cheating and no enough on why she's doing it. From what you've told me, y'all explained yourselves, you apologized, you said your 'i love you's' and you forgave each other. So if y'all managed all that, then why are you going through her phone so intensely you done got yourself pressed and upset over something someone else said to her a month ago and why is she still bringing shit up that she forgave you for? Y'all sound insecure and you're gonna have to put all this shit behind y'all if you wanna move forward." Leaning back he put his hands behind his head. "Personally I don't think dumping her and giving up is gonna fix shit because you gonna end up right back on my couch sulking and pissed that she went elsewhere after you and you're gonna act like it's proof that she was always gonna leave even though she didn't leave, you pushed her elsewhere. And imma say it now, I ain't gonna have any sympathy for you 'cause that'd be your own damn fault." Sighing, he sat back up again and looked at his younger brother. "Look, seems like you're in love with this girl, real legit love, that kind of shit that people search their whole lives for. So fight to keep it, fight to fix it. Don't give up on her or yourself. Tell her what you're feeling and tell her you need her to do the same because y'all aren't gonna be able to fix it unless you're both being open and vulnerable with each other." One day, he'll take his own advice.

JAKE sighed as he let Puck speak, deciding to just take it all in while trying to somehow process how the fuck he was even feeling. He didn't exactly want to give up on Bree, but every attempt to fix things seemed to keep blowing back on them so one could take it as a sign that they weren't quite meant to be. Or maybe the timing wasn't right? Or maybe it was the fucking lockdown? He didn't know, but as his brother kept going on and pointing out his and Bree's flaws, he furrowed his brows. Sure, he'd wanted advice, but now it just sounded like his brother was taking cheap shots since he'd opened up, unlike Puck had been doing. And again, his baby mama liked to talk, so he did have her take on it too. "Open and vulnerable, huh?" He repeated. "Like you, Morgan, and Eva?" Jake pointed out as he leaned back this time. "You're right. Maybe I shouldn't give up on Bree if I'm just gonna be here sulking, but pot, meet kettle. Your big tall, lanky ass has been sulking for weeks over Eva and Morgan — so badly that the mother of your child had to step in and do you a solid. She also said something about you getting it on during lockdown, so what? Is this you moving on or giving up?" He questioned, raising a brow as he looked over at his big bro. "You know, after I cheated on Bree and we broke up, I tried being like him. Figured the love shit wasn't worth it so why not just be like my dad, sleep with a bunch of random ass girls, not give a fuck about anyone else but myself. Didn't take long to realize that I'm not him, and I don't wanna be like him. That shit is fun at the time, and you bust a quick nut or two, but then you're the one sulking on your own couch while your teenager is texting her uncle and her mom telling us that you're not your usual self. That you're not as happy anymore. I know Maya doesn't know much of the specifics, but she's a smart ass kid who knows her dad. So maybe we should both take your advice and talk to the people we wanna be with, huh?"

PUCK wanted to clapback at his brother but he was too tired and the dude was right. He'd spend a dumb amount of time sulking, and Santana is right, it is pathetic and his kid is right, he needs to actually look through those therapy resources sitting on his desk and his mom is right that he needs help and his damn veteran's group is right than he needs to lean on his support system. So instead of being a dick to his little brother, he just nodded in agreement. "You're right, I've been giving you advice I ain't never taken a day in my life. Which is definitely proof that you should do what I say and not what I do." He said with a smile. "I'm lucky to have folks who wanna see me happy, who wanna see be be with the people I want and be the kinda man I wanna be. I'm even luckier that they'll help me with all that. Good new for you, little bro, those same people are gonna help you too and they're gonna be just as annoying about." That was the thing about family, it might not look the way you expected it to and if you went long enough without one it's probably tough to adjust to, but they're gonna be there and they're gonna be loud and opinionated and they're gonna love you whether you're ready for it or not. or maybe that was just the family Puck had, either way, they were Jake's family too now. "But I've already talked to one my mine and got plan to talk to the other one tomorrow morning. So maybe you try and undo whatever dumbassery is in those texts and have an actual conversation with your not girlfriend before you don't dump her. Fuck y'all are confusing."

[silentstorms23]

friend with ex

So, I met up with my ex from Mocospace, and honestly, I wouldn’t recommend that site to anyone. If I could go back and tell my younger self to stay away, I would. I started using Mocospace in middle school—yeah, middle school—and looking back, I’m pretty sure if my parents knew. That’s probably why they kept snatching my phone.

A lot of us millennials were out here doing stuff on the internet that we really had no business doing. We didn’t know better at the time, but if you know, you know. Mocospace was full of people pretending to be someone else, looking for hookups, and getting wrapped up in messy, delusional situations. And yes, they were targeting younger people. It’s wild to think about now.

But, every now and then, you meet someone cool. That’s how I met my ex. I was 22 or 23 at the time, and she ended up being my first girlfriend. Not the first girl I’d ever talked to on the phone, but the first real relationship I had. We started as friends, just talking, and eventually, we caught feelings. She says she fell for me first, and maybe she’s right—it took me some time to figure out my own feelings.

We went through a lot over the years. She changed jobs, changed phone numbers, and even lost her mom. I was there for her through it all. But this year, it started to feel like we were more like friends than anything else, so I ended the relationship. Not because I didn’t care about her anymore, but because it wasn’t working like it used to. We’re still friends, though, and I still want to be there for her.

But I gotta be honest—it’s not easy. Sometimes I feel like she guilt trips me when it comes to doing stuff for her. For that one time, I did her a favor, and she asked me why I got annoyed or problem with doing stuff for her I told her she always asking for a favor and she got mad at me. It didn’t feel fair, and I had to confront her about it. I try to give her space, " But honestly, it can get frustrating.

Looking back now, I wonder why I was even on Mocospace. Yeah, I met my ex, but most of the people on there? Drama. Fake profiles, people playing games—it’s not worth it. If I could go back and tell myself, or anyone else, whether to use it? Nah, don’t bother. You’re better off without it.

I'm also made me realize that I need to set a better boundaries with my ex

[cafecourage]

The Tree of Legacy - Chapter 4

Previous chapter - Next Chapter

“Where were you?!” Zelda and Claus had found the Professor deep in the book that was thrown at him. “How did you even get here so fast?”

Link just blinks up at the two, ‘I don’t know?’ While he couldn’t really say anything about what he was doing. He genuinely had no idea how he even escaped to the library, since he was right inbetween the two before the whole thing happened. 

“You…” Claus closed his eyes to take a deep breath, as something came to mind for him. “Did it happen again?” He didn’t look annoyed just… tired. Guilt couldn’t begin to describe what Link was feeling at the moment.

‘I think? It was a bit different this time.’

“The fact that this happened more than once is new to me.” Zelda cuts in, also very much done with this night. “Do I want to know?”

‘It was back when we were kids,’ Link lied but they didn't need to know that part. ‘I’m sorry for scaring you two.’ He should probably tell Zelda about these times at a later date.

“It’s… fine we know you can’t control it.” Claus seemed to silently resign to the fact that this couldn’t be helped nor stopped. “Let’s get back to the festival.” He holds out his hand for Link to take. There was a slight hesitation but Link still takes it. Honestly the feastival wasn’t something he really wanted to focus on right now. Even with the bright lights, music, and happy atmosphere.

A somber howl of a wolf rings out. There’s a deep feeling in his brain that reaches in the back of his mind that the call was an apology. Which was not something Link really wanted to dig into at the moment. Since he knows that the Champion of the Wild had a wolf companion. There were also two other heroes that were said to be wolf-like. 

Link really didn’t want to think of anything actually right now, sadly he needs his brain to function. 

“Professor! Hello!” The familiar call of one of his students rings out. Link looks up from the floor to see Aryll waving. Next to her were two of her brothers, which made the teacher pause for a second.

He wasn’t worried about seeing his old classmate again. It’s the awkward atmosphere that Link couldn’t really get over. One glance over, the seasoned adventurer tells all. Cedar has been good, he has been safe. Though he was still wearing his gear so he must have come back home. Iris, the other brother in question, was already speaking to Zelda. Link couldn’t really tell what those two were talking about. Something about testing and ancient tech. Maybe about the time shift stone? Link wouldn’t know.

So it wouldn’t hurt to just… ignore the hynox in the room for now. ‘What are you doing here?’ Link asks Aryll as the museum while it’s open for the public still, not many people come in during festival day.

This question made Aryll beam. “Kuresa planned for all of us to meet here!” She then grabs on to Cedar’s arm “my brother just got back with Zephyr and is meeting Indigo and Jasper here too.”

“It’s a good thing we came here too.” Cedar finally spoke up looking at Link. “Can we talk?” He gestures to the door to the outside.

And…. There was the pit in Link’s stomach. 

The professor looks at Claus who shrugs. ‘Ok.’ Link looked a bit too defeated as he followed Cedar outside. 

Link forgot how cold it was out at night. It was quiet too. “You’re getting anxious.” A sigh left Cedar’s body as he leaned against the museum's wall. Link walks to where the Adventurer was and copies his pose slightly. Back on the cobblestone looking out on the small garden. “It is nice to see you again. I was… well we both- me and Marina have been wondering about how you were keeping up. Nota and Meli too…” 

Link didn’t really know what to say, it’s a conversation he absolutely dreads having. It’s the main reason why he hadn’t spoken to anyone. How was he supposed to hold up after what happened? Link shakes his head ignoring the thoughts. ‘I have been fine. My mom has been fine. It’s as peaceful as it can be.’

“Nothing has changed then.” Cedar nods as he stares out in the distance thinking about his next words. Slowly the sound of crickets fill the space between them, broken only by the leaves dancing in the wind. “There is an increase in monsters.” Cedar was blunt in the end. “We were near Terry Town by the old Citadel to check on some ruins. There was a Lynel there. We were able to defeat it as it was just the one. However there’s more.” He takes a break and finally looks at Link. “The moon is turning pink.”

‘What?’ Link’s eyes widen and that seems to confirm something to Cedar.

“The lab in Dueling Peaks, we headed there to pick up some documents before coming back to Castle Town. We got the summary because the Adventuring Guild needed to know as well as the Queen and the Lab here.” Cedar crossed his arms and studied Link for a second. “You don’t seem that surprised. I can’t tell if you knew about this or if this has happened before.”

This felt like a trapped Link knew what Cedar wanted him to say but there was a consequence to this action. ‘Yes. It has happened before.’ It was part of the truth. Link shouldn’t have to say that there is currently a need for a Hero of Courage. Cedar doesn’t need to know.

“Then. I would like to take Aryll out of your class.” Cedar finally says letting his arms fall to his side. “It’s not because you're her teacher. But if my sister is in danger. I rather her be as far away from the castle as possible. The Castle couldn’t protect your dad. How could it protect her?”

There wasn’t any denial. Link knows this himself that it's the most logical thing to do, however ‘she isn’t going to like this decision.’ Link warns his old friend as he would hate to see this family get strained. ‘She and the others in her class are going to fight this as soon as they hear about it.’

“I know.” There never was a more defeated look on Cedar’s face, it was so foreign and showed how long he had probably been thinking about this. “But I am prepared to be the bad guy if that's what gets her to safety. I cant lose her.”

‘What about Indigo and Jasper. They live in Mabe. If Hyrule Castle goes down then the towns outside on Hyrule field will be the first to fall.’ Link doesn’t understand why there was a rush on these things now. However, he also knew Cedar wouldn’t have a good reason.

“They have a plan to get out when I give the word. Unfortunately because the information is still new I am not sure how bad it will get. I just want to prepare for the worst.” Cedar reaches out and pats Link on the arm “I am just warning you. Since I heard Claus has been going out a lot more on field missions. Also because when we have the official meeting you can have the full context.”

And like that Cedar went back inside.

Leaving Link with another headache. There was too much to think about. Not enough time to think about all these things.

“Link?” Claus pokes his head out “are you doing ok?” Link could only shrug and wander over to the opening. “Zelda is still discussing things with Iris. Apparently she is trying to get him and Vita to come into the lab tomorrow.” With a slight bonk, the Professor walks straight into Claus and leaning into him. 

‘My head hurts.’ Link holds up his hand so Claus can read his sign. ‘I am fine though.’

Claus pats Link’s hair “ok we can head back if you want. Just hold on my hand ok? We don’t want you to space out again.”

‘I’m not going to wander off again.’ Link points out as he hasn’t done it for a while now. ‘Let’s wait for Zelda and try to enjoy the festival.’

“If you want.” It was clear that the enjoyment from the festival wasn’t going to reach the trio. The melancholic atmosphere had already been settled and there wasn’t much to disperse it.

The door swings open with Zelda heading out, she was surprised to see the duo right there in front. “Oh! Good. You didn’t go far.” Zelda linked her arm around Links and pulled him forward to keep walking. “Come on! The night is still young and I don’t want to think anymore.” Suddenly and without complaint Link was trapped between Claus and Zelda. He could agree that tonight he just wanted to shut his brain off. 

That’s if he could in the first part. His mind keeps wandering back to the book the Hero of Time led him to in the museum. Link took it with him, but he couldn’t help but to think that he knew what the answer he was looking for was.

Memories are sparks of color in his mind’s eye. What also sparks up still is Link’s brain as he has started to rack his brain about this only partly paying attention. But it’s fine. He is safe. Zelda has a death hold and Claus is glue to his side.

He will be safe tonight. Safe and slightly distracted with the festivities.

[percontaion-points]

EatCoD chapter 4

Click to see the rest of the snark & image descriptions

Click here for the rest of the series!

Chapter 4

“Your dad is Robert, Alpha of the Southeastern White Tooth pack.”

Why did the father only get a name after he was dead?

I scanned the car once more and couldn’t find a single thing that reminded me of home to bring with me.

Wow, it’s almost like she didn’t bring anything with her? And why would Aaron have stuff in HIS car that would remind Liz of HER home?

“That’s because you have a high fever. At least a hundred and seven.”

From google: Numbers that are cause for concern: 105°F – Go to the emergency room.

JFC, get her to a freaking hospital. 

I looked for anything I could use as a weapon.

[...]

Then I noticed a freestanding toilet paper caddy next to the toilet. It had a pointed end, maybe I could use it as a weapon? But what would I do with the toilet paper?

Oh no, think about the poor toilet paper!!

I dressed quickly, silently thanking whoever was in charge of getting me new clothes that they thought to buy a bra and some underwear. Red lace. Hmmm. Kinky. 

Something tells me that the bra isn’t going to be supportive. The kind of bra you wear only to tease your partner in the bedroom.

And honestly, I’d rather go without a bra than have to wear one of those under regular clothes. 

“Elizabeth? Why is the toilet paper caddy in here?”

Just going to leave this right here…

“Did you just call me dude?” Christian put the plate down in front of him and Avery poured the syrup on his pancakes. 

“Dude, nerd, asshole…” 

Avery put the syrup on the other side of his plate, away from Hunter. “Everybody knows that you take all of the syrup. I’d say that would make you the asshole in this room.” He shoved a triangle of pancakes in his mouth.

Oh boy, I can’t wait to read this for the rest of the series. 

SAID NOBODY. EVER. 

“Could I ride on one your backs?” 

Hunter rolled his eyes and a burst of laughter came from Christian. Hunter took the last plate from my hands. “No, you cannot just ride on our backs. We aren’t your pet.” 

Wow. Talk about a reaction. “Sorry, I didn’t realize.” 

“Not yet, anyway.”

Of course somebody makes it weird. 

I’d taken a couple days off at the mortgage company to deal with pack issues but my boss was going to worry if I didn’t come in soon.

I’ve seen enough true crime documentaries to know that somebody at her work is going to call the police. 

In a logical and just world, they’d see the bodies of Liz’s parents (because you KNOW that they wouldn’t have actually done anything with the bodies) and a huge investigation would kick off. 

But this is a shitty reverse harem romance series, so I’m expecting literally none of that.

There was a clawing in my stomach, ripping and shredding my insides, like a wild beast trying to get out.

Chapter 4 summary: Liz is quick to realise that it’s a dragon… and a big one at that. She’s forced to continue on, since the pack is closing in on her, but then the dragon leaves to go fight the wolves. Another car comes from the opposite way, and a man Liz hasn’t seen before is like “You’re Liz right? Your father is Robert, and your mom is Jane, no?” Liz doesn’t want to get into the car with him, but she feels like she has no choice. In there, he introduces himself as Christian, and the driver as Avery; it’s mentioned that the dragon is named Hunter. 

They drive for a really long time, only stopping for gas once. As they drive, Liz starts to feel worse and worse; like her body is on fire. 

When they get to a safe house, Liz tries to bolt. But then Hunter tackles her to the ground, and she passes out. Liz wakes up hours later, and Hunter comes to tell her that she has a fever of 107. He helps her to take an ice bath, but after they’re done, she’s feeling a little better. She finds new clothes in her room. 

Downstairs, the others have made breakfast for her. The boys act like immature toddlers, and end up spraying water everywhere. As they’re cleaning up, and Liz helps with the dishes, she asks them questions about the weredragons. They say that their species is highly endangered, so they keep to themselves. When asked why they can’t come out to the werewolves, they pointedly tell her that the wolves would attack them. 

They also explain to her that the reason why she’s burning up and has a huge appetite is because she’s finally starting to shift. That they’ll remain at this safe house until after her first shift, then they’ll move on to another safe house. Liz obviously wants to train so that she can go back and kick Scarface’s ass. 

They randomly find a stray kitten outside the kitchen door, and Liz wants to keep it. But then she’s overcome with such a huge burst of pain that it’s the only thing she can think about.