#i didn't hate watch rings of power. i ain't gonna hate watch this.

[icelynia]

EXCUSE ME?!?

I can’t have read that right, right??

WHAT IS HAPPENING

I know I’ve said that I’d love for the remaining books to get adaptations, but not like this!

Everyone who came to this decision, please leave the project immediately. You are obviously not the correct ones for the job and have no idea what CoN is about nor its themes or why it’s beloved.

Back away slowly from some of the best Christian fiction ever written and no one gets hurt and we find you all a project that’s better for you. If you don’t, I’ll do nothing to you, but your reputations would definitely be saved in the public eye.

There is no way this is real, right???

CoN get behind me, you don’t deserve this fate…

I honestly just want to know how and why R&R goes with CoN. If you want to make a CoN musical, bardcore/medieval music is right there!

ah yes, because that's always what Narnia has needed..."a new take"...and that's always what Narnia has suffered from...a lack of "Rock 'N' Roll." tweet | deadline interview

[lilacwineandthesinkingsun]

My reality

AN: This is a submission for @flordeamatista's Loveeeeeee Song Writing Challenge wich i found not long ago! Hope you'll like it!

I did ask for some extra promt though, which i recieved yesterday, and man, did it get my brain going!

The prompt: "I don't mean as much to you as you do to me, and it's fine.". I’ve accepted that as my reality.”

It is also written with Rihanna and Ne-yo - Hate that i love you, on repeat.

WARNINGS: angst, fluff, Bucky being a gentleman(yes that is a warning), heartbreak

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT

It was done, Steve was gone, Sam gave away the shield, the new Captain Amercia was actually a villain and Bucky couldn't really find his place in the world anymore. When you first saw him, he was having dinner with an old man, a friend most likely given they had no similarities at all. It warmed your heart whenever you saw them after that. The old man, Yori as you came to find out later was a regular, more often that not sitting alone at the bar, but when the mysterious man appeared he always seemed a bit happier. It made you a bit more happier too. Something about a sad, old man sitting alone broke your heart everytime. The man, James as he introduced himself a few nights ago, let his eyes find yours from time to time, and you were unable to look away. His eyes had you in a chokehold, but you never talked to him, you never waited for him to start a conversation with you either. Usually you just run to the back saying you need to pack some stuff, or do inventory. Yori always chuckled.

-You should take her out. - he murmured to James one night. He rolled his eyes.

-I'm not ready to date. - James said indifferently.

-I didn't say date, i said take her out. You should meet younger people you know, i ain't gonna be around forever. - he chuckled.

-The hell you aren't, you're over 200 and still more fit than me. - James joked, lifting his beer to his lips as you walked back from the back with a carton of beer to be put in the fridge behind you. You weren't a power lifter, but being a bartender did give you some muscles, yet your skin looked so soft, he had to gulp as Yori chuckled beside him, tearing his eyes away from you.

-What? - he grumbled to Yori.

-Take her out. - Yori said before he got up and walked out for the night.

After you filled the fridge with drinks, you started to clean up, it was nearing closing time and you wanted to get a headstart on the cleaning. The whole time you felt watched, of course James was still here, watching your every move.

-You know.. it's rude to stare. - you smirked without looking at him, he cleared his throat.

-I wasn't...

-Yea you were. - you smiled at him this time and he gave a half smile back. You swear your heart skipped a beat. Yea that smile, that tired half smile of his should be absolutely illegal. You looked away abruptly, resuming the cleaning. He stayed until you closed the bar, only talking then.

-Do you... um.. do you want to have a drink sometime? - he asked but when he saw your - deer in the headights - expression he quickly tried to salvage the situation. -As um friends of course, but you don't ha...

-I'd love that James. - you said cutting him off. Now he had an expression of shock. -i'm working tomorrow, how about after i close?

-Yea, um that is fine. I'll come pick you up. - he said before walking away. You chuckled seeing his retreating form. How strange this man was, how intriguing.

Yori came to the bar around lunch and he sat at his usual spot. He beamed at you, seeing you once in a dress.

-You got a date tonight? - he asked.

-Oh you old man, i think you know exactly. - you smirked at him.

-So he finally asked.

-Don't ring the wedding bells, it's just a friendly drink.

-If you say so sweetheart. - he winked and you gasped, faking being offended before you both chuckled.

After your shift, you waited in front of the now locked door for him, he was running late. You sighed thinking he stood you up. What did you even want from this? Just as you started to walk home a hand gently grabbed your wrist, turning you towards him. You turn terrified only to see James.

-I'm sorry for being this late.. i just.. i. - he stutters as he hold out a boquet of tulips in his other hand. You look at the boquet, then at him and back.

-You didn't have to.. - you start head hung low. He releases your wrist, finger gently hooking under your chin making you look up at him.

-I wanted to. - he says before offering his arm, as you go in search for a bar.

He is more fun than you expected, once he feels comfortable enough you even joke. Then months pass, but he just never makes a move. YOu fall into this limbo of being friends, appreciating his friendship, but he is such a gentleman, you couldn't help but also fall for him. You hear Yori tease him about taking the next step, he says he want's to be there for the wedding, and then you leave, you save your little heart from hearing his answer to the joke. You know the answer, but you wouldn't want to hear it from his mouth.

-See now you chased her off old man. Stop with this, we're friends. - James says as he clenches his jaw then taking a sip from his beer.

-If you say so. - Yori says before going silent. When you get back, the atmosphere is weird, you don't want to address it though.

Another month passes and James appear with a redhead on his arm, introducing her to Yori. Yori passes you a sad look, before taking her hand. You stand there, acting unaffected but from the inside you're burning. Its too cold and too hot at the same time, it hurts, it's like a thousand needles. You keep the tears at bay, you cannot afford to let it show. You walk up to them, asking what you can get to them. The redhead beams at James, saying that they'll have two beers and two whiskeys. You nod and go around to make it.

After you hand them their drinks, you ask the other bartender to cover them for the night. You couldn't do this. Bucky notices your smile falter everytime Nat laughs loudly, you gave away the table they're at. He doesn't know what it is, but he cannot ask. Nat just came back after literally not existing for years, and he's clinging to her. She's one of the last pieces of his old life. She's someone he knows. She's the only other person who knows about you other than Yori.

You pull away after. You don't talk to them, only to Yori, everytime they visit the bar. Nat saw how this hurt Bucky, she couldn't help but be colder to you cause of it.

-It's not her fault you know. - Yori says to Nat one night when you stormed out at the back to smoke, hands shaking. It was one of those nights when you couldn't bear to see them, it hurt too much. Sure, you were just friends, but your heart said something else. You couldn't help it. And now it was broken and hurt.

-What? She doesn't know it hurts him? - Nat rolled her eyes.

-Natalia, they've been building their friendship as they like to call it, for months. Poor girl loved him since the first time he sat foot in this bar. She was patient, she never made a move thinking she's not he's type, telling herself to be just fine with his friendship. And now he's only ever coming in with another on his arms. I know you're friends, i know he's known you most of his life, but you cannot expect someone who hadn't heard a word about you, to not pull away. Since you're back they did not talk.

Nat realizes what Yori means. Well to be honest he quite literally says it. He does not really have a filter, that's what they all like about him.

-Where did she go? - Bucky asks them when he gets back from the restroom.

-Out in the back for a smoke. - Yori says looking in front of himself. Nat motions with her head for Bucky to go after you. And he does. He founds you crouched next to the wall, smoking with shaking hands, battling with the tears that wants to fall.

-What's up ? What happened?

-Nothing happened James. - you say in almost a whisper - i just have a bad day.

-Doll, it's not just a bad day, tell me what happened. Who hurt you?

-No James, i'm not playing this. You just.. why don't you go back to Natalia?

He sighs, his hands in his pockets as he nods and turns around to go back in, walking away once more. That's when you broke down. For once you let the tears fall thinking he couldn't hear them hitting the pavement. His heart breaks even more not knowing why you closed yourself off so much, so abruptly.

The next few weeks the circles only grow under your eyes, you've lost weight too, but at least you sometimes smile now. Only at Yori though, he hugs you too. Oh how Bucky misses hugging you. He still had no idea what has gotten you to distance yourself from him, but he'll have to accept it. Your smile immediately leaves your face when Nat comes in, hugging Bucky. She tries to talk to you too, but you just give her a nod before getting back to work.

Bucky sees as Yori gently squeezez your hand, as if giving you some power to get through the day. Your lips in a tight line as you nod.

Nat leans closer to him, whispering to his ear.

-Did you try to talk to her? To actually ask?

Bucky nods.

-Did you get an answer?

Bucky shakes his head. No. You didn't answer.

-Try again. I'm fed up seeing you both sulking. - she says as he gently kisses his face. Your hands shake again. You need a new job. You cannot bear this anymore. You dropped a tray of beer glasses, cursing as you crouch down to collect the pieces of broken glass. Of course with shaking hands you cut your hand immediately in multiple places. Bucky rans to you, helping you, slotting your hand under the water before reaching for the medkit, to bangade your hand.

-James, you don't have to.. - you try to peel your hands away.

-I want to. Come on. - he says, with a gentle hanbd on the small of your back, ushering you into the back of the bar. You sit down and he kneels before you, gently disinfecting your cuts in silence.

-Why are you avoiding me? - he asks not looking into your eyes.

-I'm no... - you try to say but he cuts you off.

-Yes you are, and i'd at least like to know why, or what did i do..

-James... - his name rolls of your lips with a sigh, breaking his heart a little more. -It's..I don't mean as much to you as you do to me, and it's fine.. I’ve accepted that as my reality. It's fine. You don't have to pretend to care. - you say head hung low.

-Sweetheart, where did you get this form? - he asks making you look at him as he caresses your face, and you can't help but close your tearstricken eyes and melt into the touch.

-I.. i mean.. i've waited patiently for months.. I always hoped that maybe next time. Maybe with the next movie night spent cuddling. But nothing ever happened. And then Nat came and i was forgotten. Again it is alright, you're not obligated to feel anything for me.. I just wish there would be a way to know it before it happens.. To protect my heart from the imminent heartbreak..

-Doll, we're just old friends.. i.. i love you. I was just afraid to take that step.. you deserve so much better. You're so perfect in every way it hurts. - he says looking into your eyes, making you scoff as you wipe your tears away. -Don't scoff. - he says, leaning closer, gently pecking your lips before retreating to look into your eyes lovingly.

[disneyanddisneyships]

@gyubby99 yes I made another one.

I think we've established I will keep making these as long as there are songs that relate to Aponi.

Alastor x OC fic

Warnings: mentions of Valentino, stripping,suicide, and curse words

Ever since the other week when Alastor had seen that singer at Valentino's club, he couldn't stop thinking about her.

It was only a matter of time until he snuck in to see her again.

And that's exactly what he did.

But "sneaking" failed.

"Ah the radio demon back from whatever ring he crawled out of," Valentino stated as Alastor walked into the small booth he was in.

"Hello there Valentino! I'm merely here to see your darlin little dancer that was here the other night!" Alastor explained.

"Ah, Aponi Wings? Oh my best dancer has been training her. She used to be a ballet dancer so she has.... quite a wonderful body. She's on in a few minutes. Why don't you have a seat?" Valentino spoke.

Alastor sat down. "From what I remember, you said she hadn't any appeal to you," Alastor replied.

"Not back then. But a few weeks of watching her practice could change an overlords mind," Valentino stated darkly.

Alastor didn't know why, but he hated the way Valentino spoke about her.

"Ah. She's starting," Valentino muttered as ge sat back with a wide sleezy grin on his face.

Alastor turned to the stage to see Aponi.

She was on her knees leaning on one of the poles.

Your smoke in my hair Hot and dirty like the L.A. air That face, baby, it ain't fair But you don't know what you don't know What you don't know, uh

As she sang she stood up and began to dance, a robe covering most of her body.

Alastor could see how she had been a ballerina. Her legs were strong and as she danced she used them as the main momentum to dance on the pole she was next to.

Ooh-ooh, so you wanna talk about power?

She walked toward the end of the stage and crouched down in front of one of the demons.

Ooh-ooh, let me show you power

She smirked.

I eat boys like you for breakfast One by one hung on my necklace And they'll always be mine It makes me feel alive

She pushed the demon back and stood up, throwing off the robe she wore to reveal orange lingerie underneath.

I eat boys like you for breakfast And I know that you tried your bestest I never said it's right But I'm gonna keep doing it

As she walked back to the pole she began dancing again.

Alastor rolled his eyes.

I'm sick, yeah, I'm sick And honestly, I'm getting high off it Do you wanna see a magic trick? 'Cause you don't know what you don't know But I know

"When is the next time she'll be performing?" Alastor asked, trying not to focus on what she was doing.

"I'm afraid never. She put in her two weeks, two weeks ago. Such a shame. She is a sweet little thing. Easily corrupted, and so naive," Valentino explained.

Alastor raised his eyebrow at that before turning back to her.

Ooh-ooh, so you wanna talk about power? Ooh-ooh, let me show you power

She walked away from the pole and down the stairs of the stage to sit on some of the tables.

I eat boys like you for breakfast One by one hung on my necklace And they'll always be mine It makes me feel alive

She grabbed one by the tie and pulled him in as if to kiss him, only to let him go, making him tumble Back a bit..

I eat boys like you for breakfast And I know that you tried your bestest I never said it's right But I'm gonna keep doing it

She stood up and began walking toward Valentino and Alastor.

I eat boys, I eat boys I eat boys, I eat boys

She glanced at alastor before smiling genuinely.

Your smoke in my hair Hot and dirty like the L.A. air That face, baby, it ain't fair

She leaned on the table as she sang softer, seeming to directly sing to the radio demon himself.

But you don't know what you don't know What you don't know

She got close and leaned down, enough for him to get a full view of her chest before she pulled away.

I eat boys like you for breakfast One by one hung on my necklace And they'll always be mine It makes me feel alive

She sang as she walked back on stage, purposely moving her ass as she did.

I eat boys like you for breakfast And I know that you tried your bestest I never said it's right But I'm gonna keep doing it

The lights went out and alastor let out a quiet breath he didn't know he was holding.

Hours later, Alastor walked back to the hotel he was endorsing only to see everyone gathered around....

"Well what do we have here?" Alastor asked, cheerily.

"Oh hey! Strawberry pimp! This is my friend Aponi! I gott'er to quit Val's and come stay here for free!" Angel introduced.

Alastor's eyes widened and his smile became tense when he realized.

"Oh hey, you were at the club tonight!" Aponi exclaimed.

"Indeed I was, my dear!" Alastor answered.

"You were at Val's club? Why?" Angel asked.

"Angel we've talked about asking people why they were at a strip club. He had his reasons," Aponi stated.

"But 'poni!" Angel whined.

"Anyways. It's been a long night. I'll be up stairs Angie. If ya wanna watch a movie then call cherri, 'kay?" Aponi shouted as she walked up stairs and into her room.

"Oh she is so nice Angel!" Charlie exclaimed.

"Oh yeah. She died via suicide. Hasn't told me why or how yet though. She was a wreck when I met'er," Angel explained.

That made Alastor more curious about her than he would've liked.

[victoriousscarf]

On one hand I do not usually feel like I need to justify myself or my media consumption or the stories I love for whatever reasons (flawed or not) but the Tumblr discourse about the Rings of Power has sorta been blowing my mind.

A. I do not believe moral purity is found in what we consume and I'd take the calls for boycott a lot more seriously if they were consistent in also calling out say the Boys, Good Omens, League of Their Own, etc OR if the actual workers on the show or for Amazon were part of calling for any boycott. I'm not about purity culture y'all and this just feels like another take on it. Consumption is not morality unless the rules of the game on Amazon and streaming in general change a lot. Also weren't we just waiting about the fact HBO fucked up it's streaming and started taking shows down?

B. I'd also take it way more seriously if it didn't feel like the whole "don't even hate watch it give them nothing" didn't feel like it wasn't doing the racist's job for them. In fact if I was more conspiracy minded I might suspect that this whole call was started by a racist trying to figure out what would bring progressives over to their side (yeah, make it about the evils of capitalism! That will get them to do our job for us!) (To give people the benefit of the doubt I hope it was started by someone well meaning who cares about labor and didn't realize they were walking right into these people's hands).

C. The idea of judging something before watching it (they hate Tolkien, all the COC are tokenized) is wrong headed to me. I still remember the way fans ripped apart the LOTR trailer back in 2001.

D. Have we ever gotten a perfect Tolkien adaptation? No. Will we ever? No. But the complaints about this one are sorta like.... Yeah well do y'all remember when Gondor wore no pants because Gondor needed no pants, or when Thranduil was a weird goblin looking dude with a crown of berries or when Peter Jackson took Tolkien's anti-war message and gently toasted it over the burning corpses of a the battle of the five armies? Because man I sure do.

E. This is all to say yes I'm absolutely watching it, no it's not perfect, I would die for Disa (and she doesn't feel tokenized at all she's wonderful). You give me Tolkien of course I'm gonna watch the Tolkien. When y'all boycott Good Omens season 2 you can get back to me.

F. In difference to folks who perhaps have stronger feelings than me all posts will be tagged "granddaddy feanors hammer" along with my usual "all the Tolkien feels." (Because my tags have always been labyrinthian and strange and I ain't changing my ways now)

G.

[stickers-on-a-laptop]

ep 47: jesus christ this was funny

ep 47

oh my god we're so close to the end huh

also my cat demanded pets before i could watch this, but like not where it'd be easy for me, no, she went up to my sister's bed and demanded to be pet there

right the op powers of overpowered

hot lady alert

SCREAMING AT SONOSHI AND THE LITTLE CARPET OF DISINFECTING

ew ew ew bro

DO NOT DO THAT AT ME I DON'T CARE HOW MUCH I LIKE YOU GET CHANGERIONED

KAITO! this is so funny omg

tsuyoshi and tsubasa in the back help

no jirou :(

this just sounds like a marriage ceremony help

AND THEN HE KISSED TAROU ON THE LIPS

kaito looks so done

shinichi will give this applause, he guesses

SONOZA

well tsuyoshi ain't happy

I LOVE HARUKA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i didn't even notice the microphones this is so fucking funny

SONOZA ASKING THE REAL QUESTIONS

i mean yeah but like also don't think that near tarou sonoi he'll get jealous

SHINICHI NEEDS TO KNOW

i hate you fjdsiofsdjiofjsiofsdiofsjio

everyone kick this man's ass! >we just aren't gonna know i bet. kaito is kaito

KILL HIM PLEASE

mustard to turn you normal? TRY THAT ON MIHO

shinichi was like "tf okay"

the ring of forgiveness is just. such. plot.

DO NOT TORTURE THE MAN LORD Y'ALL WILL REGRET IT

SEE! HE'S MAD! 5 FEET 5 INCHES OF PINK ANGER!!!

this is a THREAT

tsubasa. stfu.

sononi you too

KILL THEM ALL TSUYOSHI

right we did forget that tarou can't lie uh ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

kill them all anyways

THAT IS SO MEAN BUT SO FUNNY

how hot would it be to be in the juuto suit and then a brides dress

why make him look like that

Y'ALL ARE SO MEAN FJDISOAJFIDSOFJSDIOAFJIO

HI JIN THE SHOW REMEMBERED YOU EXIST I GUESS

sonoshi please

they do NOT LIKE SONOSHI EITHER PLEASE

of course it's not a problem rn fjsiodjfsodifjsdoifjisodfjsdiofsjiodfijo

getting back on topic? with the donbros?

"which means you fell in love with my son"

why is sonoi standing like chase

"damn. you're THAT gay? alright here"

i hate it here i hate it here i hate it here fjsdiofjsdoifjisodfjidosio GOD of course he has a button!

WUT

KILL HIM

shinichi you know you want to kill kaito do it

i dunno what tea this is but shinichi is INSULTED

no one let the donbros meet kiriya. or yuuto. or any americans.

THAT OK SIGN MADE ME LAUGH OUT LOUD TF IS THAT

NOW you remember jirou

"one second. why didn't i get a nouto. the hell."

damn sonogo he's just talkin! lord

so we put enough feminism into haruka and mentioned miho and sononi is talking about not men! time to make sonogo a vain bitch

SO THEY ALL HATE EACH OTHER LMAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO THEY ARE THE MEAN GIRLS!

i really hope they say that again!!

shinichi has brain cells

SHINICHI TAROU IS GAY. DID YOU FORGET THAT AGAIN.

shinichi has a kill list today

SONOZA TRYING TO SWAY IT

at least he's admitting he's cranky

JIN PLEASE 4TH WALL BREAKING MUCH?

imagine if haruka WAS the last boss?????? fjsdiofjdsiofdsjioafjiosfdjiofsida Y'ALL ARE GETTING SMOKED

hell yeah be rude shinichi

do not bow to kaito

who cares not me

I SAID I DO NOT CARE

sigh

can we get back to like miho actually

SONONI I AM SORRY YOU GOT WRITTEN LIKE THIS

GAH

this is so weird and bizarre and STOP IT!!

why is this an ability she has now and how do we never let it happen again what the fuck remember when she was popcorn about this and it was really funny and now it's just so annoying

you can't have this both ways!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you can't have tsubasa being all in love with natsumi and then whatever the fuck this is with sononi i refuse

I AGREE TSUYOSHI

haruka is so normal, grabbing that microphone to make an inside comment i love her!!!!!!!!!

"RESERVE SQUAD. EW. COOTIES."

i love shinichi SO FUCKING MUCH

nah let sonoza and shinichi fight i think it'd be funny

PLEASE

sononi pls!

THIS FOOL AGAIN

SHE IS 18.

tarou shut the fuck up

THE GAYS ARE FIGHTINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

what the fuck please don't do that again

PLEASE FJSIODJSIDOFJIOFJISDOFJDSIOFIOAIJOF THE OTHER NOUTO COMING IN

send help

two monsters of the week

SHINICHI UP THE TREE

tsuyoshi is me

and then rule of 10

THERE IS LIKE 30 SECONDS LEFT JESUS

when a 2 foot plastic doll has more emotion than the cgi monstrosity

2 blues??????????

jirou next ep yay

DONBROS LIVEBLOG, AS COPY/PASTED FROM MY DISCORD

i did this like i was talking to my friend, so this is the "being friends with stickers' when she's watching something" experience

i think i'll put more thoughts in the tags, but don't count on it for every ep lmao

ep 1

21 years ago is 2001 sounds fake to me

wait i've seen this man--kao dake sensei

not even 20 seconds in and i get interrupted ;-;

moses, peach style (yes i know that's the story of mamotaro it's just that i'm jewish)

oh okay even the logo is rainbow for this one

dabbing in the year of our lord 2022

i have not seen miss silver girl anywhere ever who is that

five way back to back? oh this is going to be AWESOME

hello miss haruka i see TONS on you

fangire?

a kamen rider?

hello mr blue guy that gets shipped with the red

oi no nails on the chalkboard

a BOYFRIEND???

sorry mr boyfriend i do not remember you in zettai bl at all

she becomes a hero because of a spam ad nice

ATTACK OF THE KILLER SUNGLASSES

isn't this colorful??

hello kaito but i think without the adhd

weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

gun!

cubes like zyuohger

okay mr red

bonds again? this IS zyuohger, go meet yamato

this guy is yamato 2.0

isn't that lily/the fourze teacher?

why translate mama as mommy what is the point of that

MORE CUBES AGAIN

i'm guessing this is the fourze school?

hell yeah ask and you shall receive

pfffffffffffffft thinking that mr blue man would be tarou

i like that this chooses when you're gonna fight

FJDSIOFJSIOFJDSIOAJOIA HE JUST KICKS HER OUT OF THE WAY

glasses and then glasses

mom i am watching donbrothers not thinking about how the trains and busses work in this damn country

pink dude

man cgi battles just annoy me like i am SURE i'll like this series but damn cgi battles are for the crossover movies and that's IT

FJDSIOFJSDIOFJDSIOAFJDSIOAFAIO I WANT DANCING LADIES TO ANNOUNCE MY PRESENCE AS I'M ON A MOTORCYCLE

"this one? no. no thanks"

kamen rider sentai

oh the first battle of these two let's go

reverse storm trooper aim

toei this is so much rainbow

man i have to remember zenkaiger gears? good thing i watched it

if you do a zenaki gattai and put "yo" imma "yo ho hoi"

kamen rider kick

is there no dancing song at the end AGAIN???

[watchyourbluesturngolden]

songs that make me think of vampy and why

this is for drea and leyla ONLY thank u

daylight- taylor swift "i don't wanna look at anything else now that I saw you, i don't wanna think of anything else now that i thought of you" bc vampy loves her so much he only wants her 😔 midnight love- girl in red "I know I'm the last one you try to call but I always give in to give you it all" "your silver is my gold" bc miss chiropractor treated him terribly but he loved her with everything and would have gone back to her no matter what watch you sleep- girl in red this one is obvious: bc vampy watches bloodbag sleep :) also "the scar on your spine, you fell off a roof when you were nine" is all appreciating the tiny details about someone and that is definitely something vampy would do :( paper rings: taylor swift "i hate accidents except when we went from friends to this" line without a hook- ricky montgomery "oh baby i am a wreck when i'm without you" bc vampy loves bloodbag so much he just wants to be with her always 😔 dead girl in the pool- girl in red this one is kinda weird but i feel like bloodbag is gonna die at some point and then vampy will just be like "theres a dead girl in the pool (or wherever her corpse is laying slfjskldfjkldsj) i don't know what to do" and then he's gonna make this face

bad habits- ed sheeran bc he was just slutting around before he met bloodbag demons- imagine dragons dont make fun of me for this I KNOW but fr it's vampy renegade- taylor swift "you wouldn't be the first renegade to need somebody" he needs bloodbag 😔 starting line- luke hemmings i can't really explain this one but it's like how you always talk about how his happiness is overshadowed by the fact that he's a monster or whatever million dollar bills - lorde "theres nothing i want but money and time" and vampy has literally all the money and time :) solar power- lorde this is harrys hot girl anthem idk happiness- taylor swift "there'll be happiness after you, but there was happiness because of you" this is him reminiscing on miss chiropractor i wanna get better-bleachers "i didn't know i was lonely til i saw your face" "I didn't know i was broken til i wanted to change" come on 😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔 good 4 u - olivia rodrigo this is his fuck u song for miss chiropractor my tears ricochet- taylor swift "if i'm dead to you why are you at the wake" it's ironic innit 😌 what a feeling- one direction "what a feeling to be right here beside you now, holding you in my arms" please 😔 "everybody needs someone around" 😔😔😔 "but i can't hold you too close now" bc he has severe attachment and commitment issues :) all you had to do was stay- taylor swift "had me in the palm of your hand, then, why'd you have to go and lock me out when i let you in" omg miss chiropractor really hurt him 😔 king of my heart- taylor swift "and all at once you are the one i have been waiting for" bloodbag @ vampy 😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔 cruel summer- taylor swift "I love you ain't that the worst thing you ever heard" bc he knows getting close to bloodbag will ultimately only lead to pain for everyone involved "i don't wanna keep secrets just to keep you" bc he can't tell bloodbag everything about him even tho he probably wants to :( thank u next- arianna grande this is weird BUT if miss chiropractor hadn't fucked him up so much he never would have met bloodbag tear in my heart- 21 pilots again don't make fun of me for this I HAVE AN EXPLANATION "you fell asleep in my car i drove the whole time but that's okay i'll just avoid the holes so you sleep fine" if bloodbag fell asleep in his car he would definitely do this :( shape of you-ed sheeran "now my bedsheets smell like you" his room probably smells like honey and lavender all the time now and he's probably foaming at the mouth constantly cowboy in LA "let's skip the club, lets skip the crowd, i wanna take you on a date" bc they both hate clubs!!!!! "I'll hold your hand I'll hold the door bc that's how i was raised" he's a gentleman 😔😔😔😔 & burn- billie eilish "i'll sit and watch your car burn with the fire that you started in me, but you never came back to ask it out" idk for some reason this has vampy and miss chiropractor vibes take me to church- hozier religious trauma babes 🕺🏼🕺🏼🕺🏼🕺🏼🕺🏼🕺🏼🕺🏼 speechless- dan+shay "i'm speechless, staring at you standing there in that dress" love 😔 yours- russel dickerson "i came to life when i first kissed you, the best me has his arms around you, you make me better than i was before, thank god i'm yours" SCREAMING AND CRYING AND SHAKING tolerate it- taylor swift "i know my love should be celebrated, but you tolerate it" MISS ******** DIDN"T APPRECIATE OR CELEBRATE HIS LOVE MIA- anarbor "thinking about my life and everything i did wrong along the way"😔 lay low- josh turner for when bloodbag and vampy go to a cabin in the woods for a week and just love each other 😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔 who can save me now- anarbor "you stabbed me in the back" this one is pretty literal LSKFJLKSJFLKDSJ "you could have at least been kind enough to let me turn around" ouch 😔 dopamine- anarbor "i'm hooked on your dopamine" vampy and bloodbag ugh lie to me- 5sos this give me vampy and ******** vibes "i wish we never met, cause you're too hard to forget" "while i'm cleaning up your mess i know he's taking

off your dress" bc she probably cheated on him while they were together 😔 and he would have stayed with her if she told him she loved him, even if he knew it was a lie 😔 cotton candy- yungblud it's just a happy song with good vibes like bloodbag and vampy currently have :) small talk- niall horan i don't even have to say anything here pillowtalk- zayn "so we'll piss off the neighbors" chappy 9 vibes dancing with our hands tied- taylor swift "i loved you in spite of deep fears that the world would divide us" vampy rn 😔 once in a lifetime- one direction vampy will live a million lifetimes but he will only ever have one bloodbag 😔 holy ground- taylor swift "tonight i'm gonna dance for all that we've been through but I don't wanna dance if i'm not dancing with you" they've come so far omg 😔 since we're alone- niall horan "you can show me your heart, if you put it all in my hands no i swear no i won't break it apart" crying if i could fly- one direction "for your eyes only i'll show you my heart" rollercoaster- bleachers again i can't explain it but it makes me think of him 😔 so long- niall horan "so if we knew all along why did it take so long" good question bestie current location- LANY "i need your current location to be my current location" they're idiots in love and want to be together all the time 😔 why dont we go there- one direction "hey i don't want you to be the one that got away i wanna get addicted to you you're rushing through my mind i wanna feel the high i wanna be addicted" well hes already addicted to her blood so might as well like you lots- LANY bc they both have issues and can't say love lmao too much to ask- niall horan vampy though wanting love was too much to ask of miss chiropractor 😔 walking in the wind- one direction this one just has his vibes man 😔 heartbeat- carrie underwood "dancing to the rhythm of your heartbeat" bc vampy is obsessed with listening to bloodbag's heart (fan behavior if you ask me) idfc- blackbear this is vampy and ******** bc "tell me that you love me even if it's fake" city of angels- 24kgoldn "i sold my soul to the devil for designer" yes this made me laugh the woods- olivver the kid "waking up in the middle of the woods" "don't you wanna get out of here, out of the woods" flashback to when he was dead in the woods oop "you brought me down to the river, and you pushed me in, hoping that the white rapids would challenge my ability to swim" bc... she's a murderer omg this verse is talking about leaves and i'm freaking out it fits 100% this is crazy "You pick up two handfuls You tell me they're all dried up & dead You know that's nothing like us We'll live forever instead" just a little bit of your heart- ariana grande vampy bc he loves so deeply and completely that he will give all of himself to someone even if they won't do the same my strange addiction- billie eilish bc he is addicted to her blood :) cross your mind- niall horan this is vampy and ******** "love the way you hurt me and it doesn't even cross your mind" "leaving me in pieces (literally lmao) but i swear it's worth it every time" everywhere- niall horan that scene where vampy smelled some perfume or soap or something and it made him think of bloodbag 😔 everything makes him think of her now 😔 "swear it's hard to think it's hard to breathe when you're in the air" put a little love on me- niall horan "you're the only one i need" 😔 bend the rules- niall horan VAMPY AND ******** ALL THE WAY "i'm not saying that you're lying but you're leaving out the truth" heartbreak weather- niall horan "all of my life i've been sleepwalk living, running around the same bars i've been in, it can be so lonely in this city, but it feels different when you're with me" bloodbag and vampy 😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔😔 mr loverman- ricky montgomery "i miss my lover man" vampy is probably dramatic like this all the time now that they're official 😔 bad blood- taylor swift again, just for the irony 😌 vapor- 5sos "i want to breathe you in like a vapor i want to be the one you remember i want to feel

your love like the weather all over me" they're so in love like this 😔 catch fire- 5sos "all my life i've been waiting for moments to come" he's been waiting for bloodbag his entire life 😔 beside you-5sos "i wish i was beside you" they want to be together all the time 😔 black and white- niall horan "that first night i was standing at your door fumbling for your keys then i kissed you" ARE YOU KIDDING ME not in the same way- 5sos this is vampy and ******** just bc they were so toxic lkfjskldfjsdlkjf lonely heart-5sos "and i haven't slept in days" lmao ghost of you-5sos "my feet dont dance like they did with you" thinking about when vampy danced for bloodbag and what if they break up 👁️👁️ why wont you love me- 5sos vampy at ******** 😔 he just wanted to be loved 😔😔😔😔😔 fool's gold- one direction "i let you use me from the day that we first met" "i know your love's not real, but that's not the way it feels" STOP IM SAD last first kiss- one direction "let me be your last first kiss" i want them to be together forever 😔 truly madly deeply- one direction "foolishly completely falling and somehow you kicked all my walls in" bloodbag really snuck into his heart huh 😔 fireproof -one direction "nobody saves me baby the way you do" ugh 😔 long story short-taylor swift "clung to the nearest lips long story short it was the wrong guy" (or in vampy's case the wrong vampire) gold rush-taylor swift "and the coastal town we run around has never seen a love as pure as it" bloodbag and vampy are all i want 😔 no judgement- niall horan bc vampy would never judge bloodbag 😔 daddy issues- the neighborhood again im not even gonna say anything here new angel- niall horan "the touch of someone else to save me from myself" this is vampy 😔 god is a woman- ariana grande vampy after he brought bloodbag home the first time something like this- the chainsmokers "just something i can turn to, somebody i can kiss" ALL VAMPY WANTS IS LOVE sweater weather- the neighborhood idk this song makes me think of him all of me- john legend "all of me loves all of you all your curves and all your edges all your perfect imperfections" KSFLKSDJFKLDJSFLJSDKLFJDSKL i like me better- lauv "i like me better when i'm with you" she makes him a better person 😔 sex- eden "oh no, i think i'm catching feelings" vampy when bloodbag went on a date with someone else half a heart- one direction bc bloodbag completes him 😔 theyre so disgusting 😔 only angel- harry styles "turns out she's a devil in between the sheets" woman- harry styles vampy when she was on a date with someone else bc hes a jealous moron temporary fix- one direction this has chappy 1-2 vibes a.m.-one direction when they first started falling in love and he wanted to be with her more often 😔 something great- one direction "i want you here with me like how i pictured it so i don't have to keep imagining" through the dark- one direction just all of this song 😔 happily- one direction "you know i wanna be the one who holds you when you sleep i just want it to be you and i forever" 😔 electric love- borns "i can't let you go now that i got it" canyon moon- harry styles they're just happy like this rn 😔 sunflower vol. 6- harry styles "kiss in the kitchen like it's a dancefloor" "mouth full of toothpaste" when they brushed their teeth together 😔 adore you- harry styles obviously

[nagdabbit]

Okay who are your favorite female wrestlers? Because you sure get a lot of asks about dudes

YOU CAME TO THE RIGHT PLACE, PAL.

first and foremost, we gotta give props to the true GOAT. the straight up best women's wrestler, and possibly just best wrestler, of all time, manami toyota.

she's also batshit fuckin insane. that woman knows absolutely no fear of man, god, or devil. no one has any business going as hard as she went.

here she is attempting to murder aja kong, also in the running for GOAT. you should look up her matches against bull nakano, another absolute legend.

speaking of bull nakano, easily one of my desert island top five.

the power. the vibes. impeccable.

if you havent dipped into the japanese wrestling scene, especially the 80s-90s, joshis basically invented all your favorite moves. pah, basically.

they did.

chyna. she was fucking incredible. she was powerful and gorgeous, and just a goddamn beautiful person inside and out. she didn't get a smidge of the respect she deserved from this industry.

lufisto. here she is murdering both orange cassidy and chuck taylor. she's a hardcore legend and a big proponent of intergender wrestling. fuckin badass.

obviously, i gotta shout out jade cargill. if you've been following me long enough, you know my feelings on jade cargill. sure would be nice to see her in the ring more often, tk. just sayin.

(actually, smart mark sterling has teased an aew client coming to beyond wrestling, and he said not jade, but could you imagine jade vs megan bayne or trish adora or willow nightengale or masha slamovich at a wwr+ show?! (all of which are also on the list) ugh. (highly suggest checking them out on iwtv, great shows.))

speaking of willow nightengale, the babe with the power. you've seen her lose on dark, do please check out indie shows where she's allowed to go off. willow vs wheeler yuta or trish adora for example. go. fuckin. watch. TRUST ME.

shes also part of a tag team with solo darling. she tiny, she beefy, she got kicks for days. she also has a dog named officer magnum. the only cop i trust.

trish adora is a goddamn delight.

powerhouse, baddass, her finisher is LARIAT TUBMAN. a legend. go check out her hour iron man match against former roh world television champ tony deppen.

honorable mention, tony's incredibly funny wife. very funny, puts up with a lot, everyone's second-favorite deppen after baby deppen.

masha slamovish. tiny, angry, extremely hitty. the ultimate heel, except for that time she beat up mark sterling. 10/10 would trust her with my life ONLY if she was standing between me and someone she hated more than me.

recent favorite, lil mean kathleen. the energy of this woman. shes like five feet tall at most, so fucking loud, so fast, so crazy good for how short a time she's been in the ring. absolute delight, she's a fuckin energizer bunny. cannot wait to see what she does as she grows.

dark sheik (in white and blood). a hardcore l e g e n d. the baddest of baddasses. shes gonna fight nick gage soon, and i gotta tell you, this might be the only time im worried for gage's safety. ain't even a joke. absolutely love to see trans wrestlers thriving now.

edith surreal, i gotta tell you possibly my favorite wrestler of all time. in the gif above this, she was still wrestling as still life with apricots and pears, and she was still one of my favs even then. getting to watch her transition by way of wrestling has been a JOY, friends. and the fact that she decided to share this journey with us? ugh. my heart.

the poise, the style. impeccable.

there's just so much great talent out there. big swole, red velvet, gigi dolan, jody threat, jordynne grace, kris statlander, kimber lee, ashley vox, britt baker. i miss wow women of wrestling so much. these women need a place that will aCTUALLY BOOK WOMEN'S MATCHES.

and i would fuckin' be remiss if i didnt acknowledge the need for queer friendly spaces, specifically in regards to nonbinary wrestlers. there's not really a space in mainstream wrestling because there's such a puritan hangup about intergender wrestling. so performers like sonny kiss and max the impaler are relegated to only the men's and women's divisions, respectively. it's extremely bullshit. need to fix that STAT.

[bourbon-ontherocks]

(Previously, on GG rewatch...)

So I think this might be my favourite episode of all Season 3? Before Beth becomes entirely unsufferable and the plot goes South...

No. Not the G-Wagon. Rio's supposed to be TASTEFUL.

God, who stares at their rearview mirror like that???? Rio is a dramatic bitch and I'm here for it.

Mirrors. Idiots eyefucking their own reflection. A dark and romantic soundtrack. This is Brio in a nutshell, guys. Also. Not even the first time I watched this episode did I believe for one second that Beth and Rio would meet in that scene. This is just such obvious GG fanbaiting...

The Boland dynasty???? Ugh, someone holds my hair while I throw up....

Can we all agree that Marcus does NOT look interested in the airplane at all??

Greg's hairstyle this season is... no, I won't talk about it. It's awful.

BEN!!! <3 <3 Also Mae's acting in that scene is amazing. I don't understand at all the appeal of Annie x Nancy though.

So, Annie is both club valet and gas station manager, Ruby works at a nail salon, and Beth at a card shop, and somehow they seem even more broke than in season 1??? Why?? Aren’t these jobs better?

Excuse me, Judith IRONS DEAN'S UNDERWEAR????? *Retches*

"What would he do?" said the terrifying mini-Rio back in action.

So, um, on the same day, more or less, Beth learns that Turner's dead AND Marcus didn't come to soccer??? And it doesn't ring ANY alarm bell????

Oh hi Gayle, a character I give absolutely zero shit about and had actually completely forgotten...

Gosh, is this show just a waste of excellent actors chemistry?? Like Mae and whoever plays Dr. Cohen really work well together, why did they have to ruin it with such an awful storyline??

Honestly, Dean's thorough dedication to squinting at every spicy detail on a graphic calve tattoo says a lot...

There really are too many French songs in this show. Like seriously, one once in a while is okay, but this is getting ridiculous.

So it's probably the fourth time I'm watching this episode, I still don't understand what is that sort of big sausage Annie shreds to pieces and puts in the oven. It is sweet? Savory? Apparently it can be eaten cold too since she eats a piece while she cuts it. What is it???

The mirorring dinner scenes with Beth and Judith's power struggle are a masterpiece and honestly one of my favourite moment in the ENTIRE season. Also. If my hypothetical husband introduced a quite impactful new religious ritual on our kids because "I thought that would be fun" without asking for my opinion first, I think I'd probably rip his balls off. Dean's relationship with his mother is fascinatingly problematic, and I don't understand how Beth keeps defending him all season after THAT.

I'm not sure I get Judith's point, though. On one hand she seems to sympathize with Beth's housewife frustration, and on the other hand she purposefully doesn't make her life easier. Is she jealous that Beth is having what she couldn't have?

Honestly I'd get mad too if ANYONE reorganized my pantry. It's like, ultimately disrespectful.

Is there a secret code in the world of gangbangers that says that everytime you see a picnic table you gotta sit over it??? Is that a thing? That being said, I really like Beth's western-inspired confrontation with Gil. Rio would be so proud!!

Beth, locking the door and then resting against its GLASS panel makes no sense. If the guy's gonna pull out a gun, you're dead anyway.

Oh, so last week it was croissants and now it's casserole?? Why is this show obsessed with French?

"I killed a frog in science," Kenny said with a smug smile. God, I hate this child.

I absolutely ADORE Beth's face when she tells Judith "We coulnd't have done it without you" while her smile clearly says "I WON, NOW GET OUT OF MY HOUSE, BITCH!!!!"

"SHE AIN'T COMIN'"!!!!!!!!!! FAVOURITE DRAMATIC RIO ENTRANCE OF ALL TIMES!!!!!! Also, love the ringing in Beth's ears

Bonus: Lovebirds. A reunion

[raindrop-on-a-spiderweb]

On The Street Where You Live, Part 3

Last part guys. After this I will try and work on the main story. Hope you enjoyed this crazy AU!

***

Patience stared at the bathroom wall, tears welling in her eyes.

Her period always came like clockwork, every second of the month. It was the fourteenth, and she was late. This morning she had woken up nausea so severe she vomited in the toilet. And the nausea had struck again in gym class.

Someone rapped irritably on the bathroom door. "Are you done in there?"

"NO!" She burst out. 

She heaved silent sobs, burying her face in her hands. There was graffiti on the bottom of the door. EVAN AND BETH FOREVER surrounded by a heart.

She wondered who Evan and Beth were. They were probably a happy couple, waiting to graduate and marry. He would probably have a good job, and her parents would like him, not like Patience and Salvatore.

She pressed the heels of her wrists into her eyes and let her sobs overwhelm her.

***

It was a bright afternoom at the butcher shop, and for once, the only thing that was being chopped there was meat. A black-haired young man was taking inventory when the front door jangled and he looked up.

As soon as Salvatore saw who it was, he appeared frustrated. "What the hell are you doing here, Leo Angelino?"

The boy looked about as out-of-place in the butcher shop as a lion would on a Kansas farm, with his uniform and carefully coiffed hair. "I am not frequenting your lovely establishment for the charming array of services you offer. I am here to speak to a certain person, that person being you."

"You coulda just said 'I'm here to talk to you.'"

"Yes, but then I wouldn't be able to see the charming look on your face as you attempted to the decipher the big words in my speech."

"What the fuck do you want?"

He put his elbows on the counter and leaned forward until his nose nearly touched Salvatore's. "I hear you're dating Richard Winslow's daughter."

Salvatore looked disgrunted. "Well, I was for a while. Don't know where she's gotten to as of late."

Leonardo toyed with the edge of the frayed paper menu. "I think, for the good of you both, you should stop seeing her."

"That ain't none of business, you god damn faggot. What do you care?"

"Just look at you. You already have a criminal record, you work a dead-end job, you have no prospects. You're just a hooligan from the wrong side of the tracks."

He leaned closer, and Salvatore stood his ground, but his fists were clenched and trembling.

"She deserves so much better than you and you know it. That's probably why she's not seeing you anymore. She realized that you're no good, Salvatore. It would be best if you simply... moved on."

"SHUT UP!" 

He pushed Leonardo backwards. "If you ain't buying, you got no reason to be here. If you don't get out right now I'm gonna throw you out."

Leonardo held up his hands, backing away, but kept that irritating smile on his face. When the door swung shut, Salvatore turned and punched the wall, his fist crumpling the cheap wood.

His father barked at him to get back to work, and he did so slowly.

***

Leo was there. He was always there. She wanted to punch him as soon as he looked over at her and smiled.

"Patience honey, welcome home. There's a sandwich in the fridge for your lunch. I'm making pot roast tonight." Marilyn crossed one leg over the other, and Patience noted she wasn't wearing pantyhose. "Can you take the clothes out of the drier?" She flipped her hair ostentatiously, eyes on the young blond man beside her.

Tormented by her thoughts, she trudged down the basement. Her mind was whirring, caught in a circle like a broken toy, and she didn't notice someone enter in after her until the door clicked shut.

She whirled around. "What are you doing here?" Her blood pressure spiked as she recognized the golden-haired menace that had ruined her life.

 "Just here to help with laundry. I'm always around the house, so it's just natural that I help with chores."

The basement was really more of closet. There was enough room for a washer and dryer and that was about it. So he and Patience were stuck very close, so close they could not help but touch as they unloaded the drier. His hand skimmed her breasts, bottom and back, all under the pretense of accidence.

"Stop it!" She snapped. "Just--just hold the basket!"

After she was done loading the clothes, she turned to the door, he held it shut with his arm. He stood there, face an inch from her own, staring intently. He cocked it. "Patience."

For some reason she was afraid, even though he had no way of telling, that he had found out about her pregnancy. He's going to blackmail me. Just another way he has power over me.

"Why don't you like me?"

She started. It sounded like an honest question. Maybe it was. "Because you're sleeping with my mom and making her run around on my dad."

"Hmm. Well, maybe that can change." Leonardo hoped on top of the washing machine, staring down at her. "You really want me to stop fooling with your mother?"

"Yes, I do! Just leave her alone! Leave my whole family alone!"

"Well. Maybe we can come to an agreement." He smiled, showing perfect white teeth. "How about this. I stop with your mother... and you take her place."

She stood frozen, teeth gritted and body made of stone. "I--" and for a moment she thought, then Mom and Dad will stay together. I'm pregnant, he can't do anything to me like he was threatening to. Maybe just--just to keep him away from Mommy--

He took her by the arm and pulled her forward. "My father is very rich. I'm going to Yale next year. I'm an even an Altar Boy at The Church of the Holy Virgin

That boyfriend of yours is no-good and you know. I can buy you anything you want, get you a house, take you to Europe."

He sounded like he was giving her more of a sales pitch than asking her to be his lover. She studied him closely, at his fine, delicate features, his high cheekbones and arched nose and long eyelashes. Could she wake up beside him? 

She just focused on his features, trying to ignore everything else about the boy, all her memories of the way he had slammed her against the wall and forced his way into her, about how her mommy looked at him with adoring eyes, on the disgusting words he had whispered in her ears that fateful night, and just focused on those blue, blue eyes.

He leaned down slowly, giving her time to pull away, and cupped her face. When his mouth was a fraction away from hers, and his breath was spilling over her lips, she yanked away, her gorge rising. 

"Get lost, Borghese. I'm never going to be your girl," she snarled resentfully, her bitterness taking over as she carried the basket of laundry out of the basement.

***

"Well, hey there, Pat. Haven't seen you around lately."

Jack Salandra was sitting outside the butcher shop in a folding chair, smoking a cigarette.

"Do you know where Salvatore is?"

"He's in the back talking to someone."

"I need to speak with him."

"He's busy. You should come back in an hour, I think he'll be closing up."

"No. You don't understand. I REALLY need to speak with him."

Something in her trembling voice gave him pause, and he put out his cigarette and stood up. "Give me a minute."

Soon after, Sal emerged, looking livid. His butcher's apron was stained with blood. "What the fuck is your problem? First we go to the prom together. Then you ghost me for a whole month, leaving me wondering what the hell happened to you. And now you're showing up at my door begging to talk to me?"

She swallowed hard and looked down the street. "It's... it's really, really important. Is there somewhere where we can be alone?"

He led her to an alleyway behind the butcher shop, occupied only by a dumpster where she assumed spoiled meat was dumped because of the smell.

She took a deep breath, skin prickling, and when she spoke the words, the shocked silence was so loud it buzzed in her ears.

"I'm pregnant."

Salvatore's face settled into a blank look of shock. His eyes were so wide around his black iris that it was ringed by white.

"A-are you sure?"

"Yeah. My mom had the same symptoms when she was pregnant with me. And it's--the timeline adds up. I know... it's yours, Salvatore."

Salva slowly sank to the ground, shaking. "Oh fuck. Oh fuck. This isn't happening. This can't be happening. Vaffanculo..." and he began to sob.

Him crying make her start to cry too, but she lashed back. "What are you crying for? You're not the one who's pregnant!"

He wiped his tears off with his bloody apron.

Patience felt the weight of despair crush her, a woman barely into her teens and saddled with the child of the last person she'd want to be pregnant by. How could she finish high school now? What would her parents say? Did she have to get married? She didn't want to marry Salvatore. She wanted to go to college and be a police officer like her father. How could she do that with a child, and married to someone she'd more likely arrest than not? He smoked. He skipped school. He hit her. That 'bad boy' image he gave off that had so charmed her at first now alienated her, disgusted her. How could she marry someone like that? 

Life was going too fast for her. She wanted this to be a nightmare she would wake up from.

"What are we gonna do, Salvatore?" 

"I gotta tell my mom. Fuck, she's gonna kill me. It's all over. You better tell your parents too."

The thought of introducing Sal as the father of her child made her feel sick. She often hated how long the walk back to her house from the butcher shop was, but this time, she wished it were longer. Every step she took was weighted down by concrete blocks.

When her two-story green townhome came in sight, her heart began to pound. When she pulled the door open, she saw her father in a sweater, reading the news, and her mom watching television.

When her father saw her, he got up to hug her. She hugged her father, inhaling his familiar smell. She never wanted to let go. 

"I'm sorry I've been away for so long, baby. Work's been rough. But the Chief is giving me some time off this week. What do you say you, your mom and I do something this weekend? Go to an amusement park? See a movie?"

Oh, daddy. If only you knew.

"That sounds good, Daddy." She kept the sob out of her voice, but it welled up again as she sat down beside her dad to watch TV. Harry Truman was giving a speech. Every single word out of his mouth might as well have been gibberish.

"Honey, have you been crying?" Mommy looked up. She was in her favorite dress, the red gingham one. Patience remembered her wearing it a lot as a child. Her apron was smeared, like she had just been cooking.

 "Are you all right? Did Mr. Oleson yell at you again? Tell your mommy."

"No." She wiped her eyes. "I--I--I need to, talk, to you. About something?"

"What is it, junebug?" Daddy looked down at her, worry knitting his brow. His green eyes, just like hers, were filled with concern as more tears streaked down her face.

"I'm--" her voice caught in her throat like a stone. "I'm pregnant."

For a moment, all she heard was Harry Truman's voice crackling through the speakers.

Then two things happened.

Her father leaped up and started shouting, and her mother began to sob.

"You're fifteen years old! You are fifteen years old! How did you let this happen?"

"No, no, oh god, please no, Patience--"

"How could you ruin your life like this? You were going to college! You're on the honor roll! How, how could you be so--" Richard was shouting, red in the face, and he took her by her shoulders and shook her.

"How did it happen? Who did it? How old is he? Was he your teacher?" Mommy was still crying, but she got her questions rapid-fire.

"No," she managed to get out between sobs. "I-It wasn't. He--was--he's in my high school. He works at the butcher shop around the corner, the one on Franklin Lane. He--his name is S-Salvatore Mallozzi."

The room went silent again, the calm before a storm, and then the storm crashed down.

"SALVATORE MALLOZZI? I arrested that boy for assault and theft! He spat in my face! You're telling me that you let him--"  Richard was shaking hard, and Patience wondered whether he would collapse. He was gripping her shoulders so hard they erupted in pain.

Mommy had lapsed into crying again, except this time, more desperately. When she spoke again, her voice was a scream. She slapped her errant daughter so hard her face exploded with pain. "Why are you acting the whore? Where's your common sense? I thought you would have learned from your Aunt Minnie! A dago? Why did you let some FUCKING Italian--"

"You're one to talk!" She shouted back, holding her aching cheek. Her fury and agony was bursting, making her lash out. "What with you and Leonardo!"

The moment she let those words leave her lips, she regretted it more than anything in her life.

Her daddy loosened her arms, slowly, and turned to his wife. "Marilyn," he said, his voice sapped of emotion.

Mommy looked like a deer caught in the headlights. "I was going to tell you," she whispered.

He sat down, shaken and pale. "Why?" He asked simply. "Why Silvio's son?"

"You were never here," she said. "He was. He told me I was beautiful. He--" she stopped and looked away. "I know I can't explain it to you. I know nothing I can say would explain it. But it's so lonely without you."

Richard said nothing, but buried his face in his hands. 

Patience sat, frozen, aware distantly of her  life crumbling around her. She felt like she was floating above the room, looking down at a bunch of strangers.

"Richard," Mommy said, "I'm leaving you. And I'm taking Patience."

This isn't happening. This isn't happening.

Richard walked over to the liquor cabinet and pulled out a bottle of amber liquid. He chugged his first few swallows straight from the bottle. Then he took a crystal glass and poured a generous amount in it.

Harry Truman was talking about the Soviet Union.

The three sat in absolute silence, the only sound the clinks of Daddy's glass and the occasional sniff of Mommy's.

How much time had passed, she did not know, but Daddy finally drained his glass and sat up before making his way purposefully to the door.

Patience jumped. "Daddy, where are you going?"

He did not answer, but she had a forboding feeling she knew, so she followed him out of the door.

Richard took step after step, and although he was staggering drunk, his mind was laser-focused on one thing. He ignored his daughter's pleas as he headed for the one place Patience feared--the butcher shop.

As soon as it came within sight she seized his arm, but he shook her off like a fly. One hundred and fifty pounds of Massachusetts rage bulled his way into the butcher shop.

Salvatore was sitting at a table, holding an icepack to his cheek. Opposite him was Malone, and a smattering of other undesirables. Richard marched up to the table and decked Salvatore.

The crack was louder than anything in the room, and Salvatore was flung backwards onto the floor. Richard was shouting drunkenly, drowning out the pleas of Malone.

"Winslow! Calm yourself! The boy's mother is crying in the next room!"

"YOU FUCKING DIRTY CRIMINAL WOPS--"

"Winslow! Winslow! The boy has agreed to marry the girl, there nothing to be upset about!"

"As if I would let my daughter marry one of you people! Patience is fifteen! I have my handcuffs here and I am arresting him and taking him to jail! I'm putting him away on statutory rape charges!"

Salvatore had scrambled back on his hands and knees and had his back against the wall, trembling with blood pouring down his face. Malone was in front of him, blocking him from Richard's wrath.

"Daddy," Patience pleaded, hanging onto him. "Please stop this, let's talk, please stop yelling--"

He shook her off, knocking her a few steps back. "My daughter," he snarled. "Is not marrying that boy. She is going to an unwed mother's home, and when the baby is adopted, she is coming back and she is finishing her education. Put the god damn handcuffs on!"

He lunged forward, and Malone pulled a bat out from behind the counter. They clashed with the thud of wood on skin.

Patience sat there, sobbing quietly as her father fought fiercely, throwing punches and shouts against weapons.

And as the other people in the butcher shop closed in, she didn't want to see her daddy beaten within an inch of his life, so she backed out of the butcher shop, her shoulders against the glass.

She ran home, the sky waning on her and the sky beginning to warm with orange on the horizon. Each thudding step she took jolted her to her brain.

The home she saw looked alien now--it held no comfort for her. When she pushed in, heaving her breaths, her mommy was on the phone. She heard the word Leo.

When she came inside, her mommy put down the phone and looked up. She opened her mouth to say something, but said nothing.

Patience stood there silently. 

Surveying the wreckage of her life and the ways it would go from now on, she made the wisest decision of her short life.

***

Patience shoved handfuls of her clothes into her suitcase, breaths trembling and frantic. She stopped by her parents' room and swept the emergency money in the bedside drawer into her suitcase.

She clicked the suitcase shut and ran downstairs, her shoes thudding on the steps. Her mother met her in the living roo, saw her suitcase, and she panicked. "Where are you going, Patience?"

"Away. I'm going away, mommy, I'm leaving, and I'm not coming back."

Marilyn seized her daughter's arm. "Don't do this, Patience! Don't do this! Please, come with me, don't leave me alone!"

"Why'd you do it, Mommy?" All Patience wanted to do was bury her face in her mother's skirt and cry. She wanted to be a little girl again, when her parents loved each other and her.

"You don't know what it's like. You know your daddy is never here. I had to raise you by myself. You think he's the hero? You know why he's gone so often? So he doesn't have to deal with the responsibility. I'm lonely, Patience. And I've been alone ever since I had you. I'm fed up with it."

"But why did it have to be him?"

Her mother said nothing, but there were tears in her eyes too, and an enormous unsaid weight between them.

Patience looked at the face that was so like hers, the tiny nose, the heart-shaped face, the pink lips. 

"I love you, Mommy. But you made your choice. And I can't stay here. I will not live with that man. I'm not going to an unwed mother's home. And I'm not marrying Salvatore, either."

She pushed past her mother, into the road, and chose a direction and started running, away from a broken home she would never return to.

***

Patience walked down the highway, thumb sticking out. Car after car passed her until a rattling sedan with a loose license plate slowed down. "Are you looking for a lift?" Called the driver.

The car was in such bad shape she almost refused, but the sun was going down and she needed a ride before nightfall. "Sure."

She put her suitcase in the backseat and hopped in the front seat. As soon as she slamed the door, the sedan was rattling off down the highway.

The driver was a young man in an ill-fitting gray suit and tie. He had slicked-back blond hair that was graying along the temples, despite his youth. "Where are you headed?" 

"Just outside of town. What about you?"

He laughed bitterly. "Garland City Courthouse. I'm divorcing my wife. You know what the real ironic thing is? I'm actually an attorney. A public defender. But because I don't know jack about divorce proceedings, I had to hire my own. And I really can't afford to spend the money."

The car coughed, like it was agreeing with him. "I'm sorry to hear that. Why did you split up?"

"Because she's not satisfied with the money I make. She always wants new fur coats, new pearls, new nights on the town. Women are never satisfied. It's always something with them."

Patience had a distinct feeling that that was only half the story, but did not pursue it.

"I understand. My parents are leaving each other, too."

"Is that why you're out here all alone?"

She looked ahead as rain began to speckle the windshield. "Yeah. Well, that, and--" she thought of Salvatore, and the baby, and instinctively cupped her stomach. "Other reasons."

"You should go back. I bet they're worried stiff. If my son disappeared on me, I'd lose my mind. Of course, he's only two, so there's not a lot of places he could go."

Patience thought of her mother, lost, staying up nights worrying desperately about her daughter. About her father, coming back to an empty home without his wife and daughter. She rubbed her eyes. I'm sorry, Mommy. I'm sorry, Daddy.

I guess I was just too much of a coward to deal with this. So I ran away instead.

Then she thought of Salvatore, of what he would think, how he would wonder what happened to his child. Would he wonder? Or would he just be glad he didn't have deal with the trouble anymore?

The night was beginning to fall, turning the sky blue-black. Patience spotted a bus stop through the shield of rain, right besside the sign stating Robichaux National Forest. "Drop me off here. I'll catch a bus."

The man slowed down. She hopped out and took her briefcase.

The man propped up his elbow on the steering wheel. "Which way are you headed, kid?"

She shielded her eyes against the rain. The trees towered above her like black, watching sentinels.

"California," she said. "Yeah. California sounds good." Somewhere far, far away, as far as she could get. "Thanks a lot, mister. I never got your name."

"Charlie Sawyer." He shook her hand. "And you?"

On the spur of a moment, she chose a false name, one that, considering who she was talking to, spared her a lot of suffering. "Beth Evans."

"Well, Beth. Best of luck to you."

"Thanks. Best of luck to you too, Charlie."

Patience watched his blinking tail lights vanish into the darkness, and sat down in the sanctuary of the bus stop, waiting for the rain to stop.

She slid her hand underneath her shirt and held it there, as if she could feel the heartbeat of her unborn child.

It's just you and me now, baby. Just us, in this big bad world.

The rain poured down harder, as if it would never stop.

THE END

[punkscowardschampions]

Nancy & Rio

Nancy: Were you really not gonna tell me? 'Cause newsflash, if you were waiting for Buster to grow a pair and do it Nancy: Obviously that wasn't going to and didn't happen, like Rio: It's not just you, I wasn't going to tell anyone Rio: I didn't Nancy: Okay Nancy: Glad to know it wasn't just me Nancy: But you could've said something when they all started finding out and not leave June to break it to me thinking I already knew Nancy: The level of awkward Rio: I'm sorry, Nance Rio: I should've thought Rio: it kinda just happened Nancy: That's my twin brother and I'm the last to know Nancy: You know? Rio: You so aren't Rio: know news is traveling fast but Rio: I don't know, I am sorry Rio: Probably could've done this better Nancy: Anyway its not about me Nancy: So not the point Rio: Yeah but it ain't my intention to make you feel shit with it Rio: or his Nancy: He clearly had no intention either way Nancy: It's actually comforting though, amid this whole personality transplant he's having, he's still able to be a prick Rio: I mean, take what you can get, babe Nancy: I'm sorry but this is Nancy: He's old enough to get married but not mature enough to talk to anyone about it Rio: To be clear, we aren't getting married Nancy: What do you mean? Nancy: You are Rio: I mean Rio: not right now Rio: not for ages, it's not like we've got plans Rio: we would've said then, would've had to Nancy: Then what are you doing? Nancy: Why do you need a ring that costs enough to give my mum and dad a heart attack, right now? Rio: Because we want to Rio: there's no way to say that that doesn't sound bratty but you know what I mean Nancy: Not that long ago he wanted to go to America Nancy: I'm not even trying to sound like a bitch but if I do then it's 'cause I don't understand Rio: I've not said he can't Rio: he's still applied Nancy: I'm not saying that only Nancy: How do you know what he wants? Nancy: I know what it's like to get carried away, like Rio: I know Rio: but this hasn't just come out of nowhere, remember Nancy: It seems like he has to keep upping the stakes, everyone's okay with you being together so he has to take it further Rio: I don't think he wants the fight Rio: like you said, he doesn't even wanna talk Nancy: He says he doesn't, but then does everything he can to have it brought to him Nancy: He's always done it Rio: I don't know what to say Rio: I really don't think he's gonna take it that far, like Nancy: Well, I wouldn't have said so either but it's one drama after another with him lately Rio: There's nothing I can say to convince you, and I'm not going to Rio: but I know he loves me Nancy: I know he loves you too Nancy: But you have to admit, it's intense, right? Rio: Yeah Rio: It definitely is Rio: it always has been Nancy: Are you sure he can handle this? Rio: How do you mean? Nancy: He's always kept everyone at arms length Nancy: Slept with different girls all the time Nancy: Not that long ago Nancy: Has he really changed that much? Rio: I think so, but sure, I can't say so for certain Rio: but it's only me who has to take that chance and trust him Rio: you know Rio: if he hasn't then that's that Nancy: Aren't you freaked out? Nancy: He's already cheated on you, okay not in a cut and dry way 'cause we all know what Chloe is like and what she did but still Nancy: You said yes to forever Nancy: That's Rio: Like you said, not that cut and dry Rio: It was all such a mess idk if we were even together together Rio: it still hurt but Rio: I'm just trying to move on from all that shit Nancy: Yeah Nancy: Sorry for bringing it up Nancy: I'm just Nancy: I'm freaked out if you're not Rio: Nah, it happened Rio: I can't explain how I know Rio: I just do Rio: Maybe it's stupid but it still is Nancy: I don't think either of you are stupid Nancy: Impatient, maybe Nancy: But you're not alone in that, like Nancy: Everything's moving so fast with everyone and I can't remember how to relax anymore Rio: Yeah Rio: It is mental Rio: but this is one of the only things that doesn't make me feel like that Rio: that's what it is, that's how I know Nancy: I can tell its the same for him Nancy: Even if he won't talk to me, I still know Rio: I can make him but you know how well that'll go down Rio: Not got those kind of powers yet, like Nancy: Mum's beat me to the ambush and I can imagine how that went Nancy: I'm not trying to do it Rio: Either really bad or really well 'cos my phones not being blown up so Nancy: Not to be a bitch again, but option 1 is way more likely Rio: Yeah Rio: Reckon your Mum hates me as much as Ro does yet or Nancy: Of course not Nancy: Ro only hates you 'cause she hates herself so much there's no more space there Nancy: My mum would never Rio: Good to know Rio: Self-esteem saving the day yet again Nancy: Not to say she's buying a hat and shoes yet Nancy: But you'll be okay at the next family function Nancy: Mum's mad at Buster not you, and same Rio: What a fashion faux pas that'd be Rio: Make a joke about hiding the bump better than the ring but even I'm not ready for that gag yet Rio: He really is trying, not that I'm going to law school to be his advocate but Nancy: You're getting married before Ro, we're all thrilled about that much, babe Nancy: He's trying my patience, but what's new there? Nancy: We're all trying as hard as we can right now Nancy: It'd be nice if he acted like he gave a fuck about anything besides you and him but Nancy: Just do me a favour and don't have a baby until I'm out of the country, yeah? Rio: Has Drew made an appearance since? Rio: and you've got it Nancy: No Nancy: Even he's not that much of an idiot Rio: Just checking Rio: Don't want 'em sneaking in ahead, like Nancy: If you think my mum is anti your vows she's next level about theirs, don't worry Rio: Ain't we all Rio: Not just 'cos I wanna ride him myself, naturally Nancy: Don't Nancy: So gross Nancy: If that can be the one thing that unites us I'm fine with it Rio: You fancy him too? Rio: Know he's pretty but um Nancy: Oh my god Nancy: Not what I meant Rio: 😂 Rio: Awks, surprised he ain't aiming for the full set Nancy: I'm sure he is Nancy: Happy to disappoint and destroy the myth that he's even pretty Rio: Gasp Rio: Nance, it's all he's got Nancy: Unlucky Rio: Heartless Nancy: Rule 1 of man hating lesbianism, like Rio: I been to the clubs, I basically got the jacket Nancy: You got all the phone numbers too, don't rub it in Nancy: You're already coupled up before me Rio: I didn't get off with anyone 😏 Nancy: Only 'cause you're disgustingly in love with my brother Nancy: You easily could've Rio: Shh Rio: Number one player right there Nancy: Please don't get all boring and domestic Nancy: I need to go out like yesterday Nancy: School is killing me Rio: I don't reckon that's very likely Rio: I do need to ask about and get my name back out so Rio: come with for the crawl, like Nancy: Definitely Nancy: When? Rio: Whenever you can Rio: I was gonna go tonight but gonna take more than one Nancy: I can do tonight Nancy: I need to Rio: Sorted then Rio: Just don't tell your Ma Nancy: She's too busy on labour watch to notice what I do Nancy: Not pregnant or engaged so I'm slipping through the cracks Rio: Aw babe Rio: let's avoid a sister scandal still Rio: Doesn't make the night go with a swing Nancy: Just how hetero is this club if you feel like either outcome is likely for me tonight? Rio: Just 'cos I'm coming for your gayness by getting engaged in a blink of an eye, don't be salty Nancy: Please Nancy: I'm never getting married Nancy: You do you but it's not for me Nancy: I'll keep the cat stereotype Rio: Just saying Rio: you know you could end up wifey'd and ma'd as easy in the gay club Rio: progress, baby Nancy: I could, but I won't Nancy: If I can get through this school year I'll be that career driven bitch Nancy: Glass ceilings to still break, you know Rio: 'Course Nancy: I know you're devastated, babe Nancy: I still love you though Rio: 😂 Rio: How'd you know? Nancy: Settling for the other twin, textbook Rio: That'll be it Rio: Try not to be too smug when you do chat to him, yeah? Nancy: I'll leave that to him Nancy: He does it so much better Rio: Nothing smugger than the higher ground Rio: Sneaky, babe Nancy: You can have that one as a freebie for your married life Rio: 😏 Rio: Still owe me a gift Rio: know you're good for it, McKenna Nancy: Maybe the gift is me tonight, hmm? Rio: Steady Rio: We can't keep doing this Nancy: I know, I know you can't handle me Nancy: I've heard it all before Rio: You heard what they say about redheads too, yeah? Nancy: Absolutely Rio: 😂 Rio: Guess we've said all we need to say then babe Nancy: You haven't told me how high up the bridesmaid rankings I am yet though Rio: You mean you ain't after that best man spot? Nancy: Can't seduce my way up that list Nancy: Also sure that he'd rather die than have me do anything like that for him Nancy: Especially 'cause I'd look better in a suit Rio: Who else would he ask? Rio: Picking the best of his current friends is the best of a bad bunch, like Nancy: You've got more than enough brothers to choose from Rio: Nah Rio: Like you said, kept his distance, who are they to him really, like Nancy: Okay but if you aren't getting married soon who knows what bromances he might form Rio: Who knows how much you'll be twinning Nancy: Gross Rio: You love it Nancy: You do Nancy: I saw you matching him on his feed Nancy: You're such a lesbian now, I can't Rio: Shut up 😖 Rio: we looked 🔥 Nancy: Yeah but it was so gay Rio: I feel hatecrimed Nancy: If you tell me you wanna match me tonight I'm not coming Nancy: Like I am, 'cause I need to, but Nancy: No Rio: 😒 Rio: this is why we're breaking up Nancy: Oh my god Nancy: You could've at least let me break up with you first Nancy: You know how stressed I am Rio: Now you can let off steam with some club hoe Rio: YOU'RE WELCOME Nancy: Now I'll be crying in the club and you'll have to deal with that Rio: Can't keep up with what you want, babe, honestly Nancy: Lesbian 101 Nancy: You never will Nancy: I actually might let off some steam if there's an option though, does that work? Rio: Sounds exhausting Rio: Ooh lala Rio: little TMI but I'm down Nancy: It's a serious question Nancy: Not a proposition for you Rio: Umm, are you asking permission or like Rio: if fucking helps you forget your problems? Nancy: I don't need your permission, we're not engaged, sorry about it Rio: The latter then? Rio: I mean, it's distraction, good as any but it's not fixing anything, like Nancy: If it works as a distraction, I'll try it Nancy: Spoken like I could remotely pull that off after having one girlfriend, okay Rio: Did you Rio: you know Rio: don't have to answer that fully tell me to shut up if you're feeling it Nancy: Yeah but I kind of had my mind elsewhere so I can't really draw on that for much inspiration Rio: Yeah Rio: I wouldn't reccomend going back to old inspiration Rio: goes without saying but that's not gonna help anything Nancy: You're telling me Nancy: Not how I thought my first relationship was gonna go Rio: Cheer up Rio: plenty got you beat Nancy: Is that meant to be comforting? Thanks Rio: Yeah Rio: least you got to be the cunt Rio: feminism, init Rio: the rest of us stuck with our sob stories here, Indie just the latest in line Nancy: I'd rather she hurt me, that's how I deserved for it to go Nancy: As if Buster gets an engagement and I get this Nancy: Such a prick Rio: Well she didn't so you don't get to mope, babe Rio: Come on Rio: Sort it out Nancy: You sound like my mum Nancy: Don't do that around him Rio: Well there's no need for that kinda slander Rio: Might be into it, but I know I can't freak you out with Freud like I did Inds so Nancy: Nothing an old white man has to say about anything is worth listening to Nancy: Even Indie knows that Rio: Harsh Rio: I like him, he knew how to party Nancy: I already know you like old white men, babe Nancy: You can't freak me out with that either Rio: 😂 Rio: Straight up savagery Nancy: Gay culture Nancy: Do I download an app or leave it up to the Gods and fates to decide if I fuck away my stresses? Rio: *Stolen straight from black culture so I trump you bitch Rio: Hmm Rio: Have you lot got a decent app of your own yet Rio: it's easier to swipe away dudes IRL than it is on a screen Nancy: Decent is a stretch Nancy: but yeah, I've swiped away my share of men in the club and out Nancy: Gross Rio: I say leave it then Rio: Plus I know you shy types, you'll front too hard on the socials and feel like dying when the time comes Rio: best to keep all your impressions in person Nancy: I feel so attacked Rio: As you should, direct callout, like Rio: got no time to chill Nancy: Fine Nancy: Acknowledged and accepted Rio: 😘 Love ya bitch Nancy: I'm glad he's not going to America if it means you're not Nancy: Like, I don't know how far away I'll be anyway but still Rio: I know you're hurting rn Rio: but please Nancy: What? Rio: Where you not insinuating you don't even wanna live in the same country as me? Nancy: I'm saying I do want to, not that I know what country I'll be in Nancy: But the way my classes are going I could be stuck here Rio: Ahh, with ya Rio: You cutie Rio: There's no way Rio: even with this bullshit Rio: it's all about your portfolio really yeah Rio: and nothing's fucking with that Nancy: It's just that nobody tells you that when you want to fuck your teacher and it fucks her over none of the other staff are that willing to help you Nancy: She used to help me, you know Nancy: And I can't like hey sorry but can you just help my dyslexic brain figure this essay out please even though you hate me now Rio: Surely there's someone else in that shithole who can Rio: Like, they don't have to be buzzin' about you but Rio: just unprofessional Nancy: I started it Rio: You're a student Rio: in their care, regardless Rio: also hardly the first who wanted to pipe a teacher, like Nancy: I don't know, all I know is everything takes so much longer now and I can't ask mum to help me until this baby comes out Nancy: So we're going out and I'm forgetting that school's a thing Rio: Sure I can't tempt you with a study sesh to go with the pre-drinks, like Rio: may as well, I've got fuck all to do 'til I get a day job again Nancy: You're not married in yet Nancy: You don't have to help me Rio: Come on Rio: Swear, I'm not that thick Nancy: Shhh Nancy: You're smarter than me that's my problem with it Nancy: You think my brother is the only one with an ego? Rio: Babe, please Rio: I'll just help get the shit sorted in your head, I ain't doing it for you Rio: left for a reason Nancy: I mean, if you wanna do it, I'll take the A Nancy: I need all the help I can get Nancy: Especially in Irish, obviously Rio: Don't push it, like Nancy: Come on, homewrecking doesn't end in good homework scores Nancy: Who knew? Rio: Ba mise an dalta ab fhearr liom ach Nancy: You lost me, see this is what I'm saying, I'm gonna fail and then have to go into my uni interviews like well.... Rio: Okay, okay drop the ego at the door and I'll help you out Nancy: You think I'm joking but I've seriously only studied with Buster before I moved schools and my mum since, when she's around Nancy: I wish I could call it ego Rio: Look, I know I can't talk you outta whatever block it is but seriously Rio: no judgment Rio: and none of the others would either Nancy: I know but like, Junior's so smart Nancy: Not saying you aren't, but you left so I don't have to know it everyday, do I Rio: There's different kinds of smart Rio: not to be that after-school special but seriously Rio: you're good at what you want to do Rio: and you'll find a way to make that happen Nancy: I know realistically that you're right but whenever I want to ask someone to help me I just remember what all those fucking girls made me feel like Nancy: About everything Rio: I know Rio: Cunts Nancy: I do need it though Nancy: Help, I mean Nancy: So if you're serious Rio: 'Course Rio: It's no thing, honest Rio: I'll come to you? 'Cos like fuck are you concentrating better here Nancy: Too true Nancy: Okay Nancy: I'll make us food Rio: 👍 Rio: and you say you ain't wifey material Nancy: Oh no, I know they'd be lucky to have me, babe Rio: 😏 More like it Rio: but remember, not why we going out, yeah Nancy: It's all just part of my masterplan to see the engagement ring, don't worry Nancy: There's nothing more important than judging every choice my brother makes Rio: Don't have him taking all the credit like I didn't help Nancy: Lord, imagine Nancy: I've seen so many horror stories Nancy: That straight girl suffering Rio: They love it Rio: First test for hubz to fail so you can cackle with your girls Nancy: They hate men more than I do and that's the truth Nancy: I see you with your separate living rooms Rio: Mhmm Rio: you'd understand if you liked 'em babe Nancy: No thanks Nancy: I refuse to believe the sex is good enough to put up with everything else Nancy: I've heard enough straight girls talk to know it isn't Nancy: Do better, all of you Rio: 😏 Nancy: Don't Nancy: I know what you're thinking and I don't want to hear it Rio: That's why I didn't say anything! Nancy: That emoji speaks for you Nancy: Loudly! Rio: Well, I can't lie Nancy: Disgusting Rio: Moving on Nancy: Thank god I moved before I had to hear that many girls swooning over him Nancy: Just have to deal with you instead Rio: First of all Rio: I'm not swooning Nancy: Sure Nancy: And second of all? Rio: Shut up Nancy: Mean Rio: Deal with it Nancy: Stop hate criming me oh my god Rio: 😂 Rio: The girl who cried hate crime Nancy: The title of my autobiography or no? Rio: Defs a work in progress but don't hate it Nancy: If nothing else the photos will sell it Rio: I know how you meant that and yet Rio: centrefold yo Nancy: Lord Nancy: Go to church please Rio: It sells Rio: we all know it Nancy: If the girl looks like you, sure Nancy: But you're not getting that promo in my autobiography so Rio: Shh Rio: working on my manners but the sentiment's the same Nancy: It's not rude to admit how pretty you are Nancy: You're fine Rio: 🙄 Rio: Such a flirt Nancy: You wish Nancy: You're stuck with my brother now, I'm not saving you Rio: Oh well Rio: that's that then Nancy: Yeah Nancy: Heartbreaking but Rio: Don't break out into a rendition of I Will Survive yet Nancy: I'll save it for the club Nancy: Promise Rio: It is a tune Rio: I'll pick a nice love song to piss you off Nancy: There she goes again with her hate crimes Nancy: So mean Rio: You know Rio: if loving your brother is a crime 😜 Nancy: That was actually the gayest thing you've ever said Rio: I know right Rio: really leaning into this Nancy: Am I proud or am I horrified? Hmm Rio: So proud Rio: Gonna make a speech at the wedding Nancy: If you mean get drunk and call Buster out then yeah Nancy: Of course I will Rio: Please don't ruin my pretend wedding Rio: the drama, this family has had enough Nancy: What do you actually want as an engagement gift though? Nancy: You've caught me unawares and I'm offended Rio: We don't need anything Rio: just get the first round, like Nancy: Did I say need or did I say want Rio: Did I not say a round Rio: you can IOU his Nancy: Fine Rio: Don't be grumpy Rio: So like him Nancy: OH MY GOD Nancy: Is that any way to change my mood? Rio: Facts are facts babe Nancy: Stop it Nancy: I'm pouting 'cause I wanna shop that's not like him at all Nancy: You know he'd just buy it Rio: Yeah he gets so mad when I won't let him splash the cash Nancy: Gross Rio: Mhmm Nancy: Why are you marrying this manchild? Rio: You know you don't wanna hear really Nancy: You don't have to marry him for that Nancy: None of us are religious Nancy: He's slept with girls for so much less Rio: No, I mean Rio: You'd just gross at any reasoning beyond that too Nancy: I know you love him Nancy: We've had that conversation Nancy: My memory's not that bad Rio: Are you drunk already? Nancy: I wish Nancy: But we have to study, right? Rio: Yeah, I can deal with dyslexia but not drunkness, thank you Rio: also omw btw Nancy: I think it's better when I drink Nancy: Like it cancels out Rio: Interesting Rio: still Rio: wait bitch Nancy: I'm not saying we test it now Nancy: I'm just saying test me later compared to now Nancy: Or something Rio: Whips out homework in the club Nancy: I meant my brain in general but whatever you're into, babe Rio: 😂 Rio: You gon be too busy Rio: remember Nancy: Fighting off straight men, sure Rio: Life and times of a mega babe Nancy: Femme struggles Nancy: Woe's me Rio: Poor baby Nancy: But if there are any cute girls there who happen to also be into me then yeah to fucking away my problems, obviously Rio: 😳 Damn okay Nancy: You know how I flirt so you know your blushes are gonna be spared Nancy: You've got more chance than me Rio: You'll be fine Rio: Your Ma ain't about is she Rio: fully avoiding Nancy: She's done her drop in for the day so you're safe Nancy: You don't need to avoid her though, just use the diamond glare like a torch Rio: Bear that in mind Rio: but I'm glad it's safe to come in Rio: get ready to train that brain Nancy: You're really selling it Nancy: Thanks Nancy: We can drink when I'm done, yeah? Rio: Well any jokes about being your sexy tutor are kinda off limits no Rio: Doing my best with what you've left, like Rio: and duh Nancy: Don't this is literally never gonna blow over and be okay, is it? Like Nancy: Excuse me while I move countries again Rio: Oh babe Rio: it will Nancy: If that was true it'd be old news by now, wouldn't it? Rio: Full offense but no one thinks about it as much as you do anymore Rio: it's just part of the craic, like who's fingered who and all that shite Nancy: Ouch Rio: It's gotta be said Nancy: Okay Nancy: Like it did really but you've said it now Rio: I'm sorry Nancy: How did you get engaged and we're still talking about me? Nancy: That's gay culture Rio: 😂 Rio: I like to think if it wasn't to your brother you'd be more receptive but you know Rio: maybe I'm giving too much credit Nancy: Rude Nancy: I want you be happy I'm not that much of a bitter lesbian Rio: I know bitch Nancy: You better know that Rio: Of course I do Rio: it's not that deep, I swear Nancy: You're only getting married, it's not that deep Nancy: You're funny Rio: Oh my god Rio: stop saying it like that Nancy: I'm sorry Nancy: But I can't believe this is something that's happening Rio: You've got plenty of time to get used to it Rio: not like it's happening in the morning, like Nancy: Thank god 'cause I am not having a good skin day Nancy: Club lighting is one thing but wedding photos are another Rio: Nothing but lowlighting I swear Rio: Plus I probably have to go on some mental diet right Nancy: Um NO Rio: Okay, wasn't about to go bridezilla and put all of y'all on it too or else Nancy: If you put yourself on it, I'd kill you, Buster would kill you, my mum would kill you Nancy: We'd all kill you Rio: The family that slays together Nancy: Exactly Nancy: Stop trying to make me give you big gay compliments about how pretty you are Rio: Soz, I'm just SO about it obvs Nancy: Who isn't? With MY track record Rio: Gotta keep everyone on their toes Rio: like you thought you knew our type Nancy: Jesus, I don't even know my own type Nancy: Good luck everyone Rio: We keep it entertaining if nothing else Nancy: One word for it Nancy: I'll just happily accept you and Buster keeping the heat off me with mum for as long as it keeps happening Nancy: Gathering up my free passes to be a messy bitch thank you Rio: Ringing endorsement Rio: You're welcome and cheers Nancy: I can be nice or I can be honest Rio: Why not both Nancy: When they overlap, of course Nancy: Doesn't happen often where my brother is concerned though Rio: 😏 I tried Nancy: You know he's only nice to you, right? Rio: Slight exaggeration Nancy: Barely an exaggeration Rio: Well Rio: I know he tries Nancy: I understand that you love him and you wanna see the best in him but I love him too and that doesn't matter like it should Nancy: Not to him anyway Rio: It does Rio: I know I've not got anything to back that up with but trust me Nancy: Where's he in this conversation? It's just me and you Nancy: And I came to London 'cause I asked you, he didn't invite me Nancy: He never would Rio: I know Rio: he just, does things differently Rio: he thinks that's how you want it Rio: and it's been like that so long, I don't know if he knows how to do different at this point Rio: not yet, anyway Nancy: Things are how he wants them 'cause I burned him years ago by leaving somewhere I literally couldn't be anymore Nancy: And he can't let it go 'cause he'll never talk to me about it Rio: It's not like it's an easy thing to talk about Rio: especially when he did a lot of things he regrets Rio: I get the frustration but it's not easy being the one who has to come on bended knee Nancy: Yeah, he did those things he regrets to me Rio: I know Rio: and so does he Rio: That's what I'm saying Rio: You get it, there's no ego to be salvaged Nancy: I wish he cared a little less about his ego then Rio: It ain't that simple Nancy: Nothing is when he's in the centre of it Rio: What happened happened Rio: There's too much water under the bridge to solve with a simple sorry no Nancy: I don't want sorry, just not to be shut out about everything that's going on with him all the time Nancy: Forget it. It's not like that for you, you don't need to understand how it is for me, like Rio: Well, no Rio: it's a two-way street Rio: he knows as little about you, it takes both of you to keep it like this Nancy: I came to London, I tried, even though he obviously didn't want me there Rio: So that's it, you're good? Nancy: Excuse you, I've been putting the work in since Nancy: He's put the shutters down over this 'cause mum's on the warpath and he can't handle any criticism Nancy: But it's not like I wasn't getting one word answers before then Rio: Whatever, this is ridiculous Rio: I'm not trying to be the go-between for either of you Nancy: Tell him to talk to me then Nancy: He actually listens to you Rio: Why can't you? Rio: You ask where he is but you're in my inbox acting like you expected him to be here Nancy: Please Nancy: I thought things were getting better for a second after the Chloe situation but here we are again, back to square one Nancy: I'm not there 'cause I'm not looking for a fight Nancy: And that's all he wants from any of us about this, for whatever reason Rio: Because he's been making changes since the Chloe situation and has got no positive feedback from that Rio: All he wants is acknowledgment of that Nancy: I know he's doing better but I don't know how to tell him that without sounding like a patronising bitch Rio: I'm not saying it's easy, or even that you have to Rio: but the defensive is his default for a reason and it isn't just that he's a cunt Rio: I'm not having that Nancy: When did it get so hard for us to talk to each other? Nancy: I used to tell him everything and vice versa Rio: I don't know Rio: Maybe it's growing up because even Indie doesn't come to me like she used to Nancy: Everything's so weird Nancy: I hate it Nancy: I'm genuinely glad he's got you, I used to get so worried about him having nobody to talk to Rio: Me too Rio: Yeah, he needs better people around him Rio: I think Uni, wherever he goes, will help Nancy: Yeah Nancy: Where we are in London is like a different world and not in a good way Rio: May can't come soon enough Rio: I am worried what he's going to do 'til then Rio: maybe I can go back and forth but I promised I'd be here Rio: I don't know Nancy: It's not just him, I was a different person there too, more shut off Nancy: It's what you have to do Nancy: He'll come here though, who wouldn't like it better? It's like taking a breath Nancy: Cliche but true Rio: Yeah Rio: It's not good for you though, I mean, you know Rio: you couldn't do it any longer than you had to Nancy: I really do know. I swear I felt too much here for too long 'cause I didn't let myself feel anything there Nancy: And look what happened Nancy: At least none of his teachers are hot, one crisis averted Rio: I mean, Chloe is hardly bangin' but you know Nancy: Therapists don't @ me or my brother, thanks Rio: Your funds, they'll be lining up babe Nancy: Right? I could pay to put their kids through uni before I go Rio: Truly Nancy: Rich kid problems Nancy: I'm aware how I sound Rio: You don't sound any type of way Rio: I'm sorry I had to be a bitch there Nancy: You're not Nancy: I shouldn't put you in the middle, I don't want to but Rio: I know, kind of inevitable Nancy: Tell me shut up next time, like Rio: You got it Nancy: Or you know, do that straight girl thing of 'but I love him' in response to anything and everything Rio: Please Rio: never get you off your soapbox then Nancy: I mean, if you did it enough I'd just die so Nancy: Not that I'm dramatic Rio: 'Course Nancy: Thanks for not pointing out how dramatic he also is Nancy: I could feel you resisting Rio: You know, enough home truths for one convo Rio: Plus I'm here so like, need you to still want me to come in Nancy: Who's more dramatic though, me or him? Nancy: Don't just say him 'cause you don't want me to fight you Nancy: Real question Rio: Hmm Rio: I don't know Rio: you're dramatic in different ways Rio: so diplomatic, I know Nancy: Such a non answer but you can come in anyway Nancy: Hold on Rio: 👍