#i went back and watched the trailer a few times to see what we've already seen in ep 1 & 2 and what we will see in ep 3

[peachblossomdrama]

How am I supposed to wait a whole week for the next episode of Only Friends???

[heathermason6060]

Daryl Dixon x f!Reader: Together Apart Ch.3

Warnings/Mentions: Merle being Merle, History of abuse, neglect, strong language, mentions of character death, alcohol and drug abuse, ptsd, shared trauma, reader is cold, angst, fluff, eventual smut, slowburn, angst

Summary: You reminisce on the old days spent with Merle and Daryl.

Notes: This is mostly flashbacks to life growing up with Daryl and Merle, the good ole days :D Merle says some homophobic and probably racist stuff, cause he's Merle

“Dude, just go apologize, holy shit. You're worse than the teenage girls I went to school with.”

“Mind your own goddamn business. S’between me and Merle.” 

“He's got a point. You're acting shifty as hell. What happened to leaving? Huh? We've got Merle back, nothing's changed, these people still see us as redneck trash, can we just go already?”

“Said mind your business.”

Hindsight is a bitch.

You were five years old when you met Daryl and Merle for the first time. Unless your memory served you wrong, it was the fourth of July, and the trailer park was getting together to set off a bunch of illegal fireworks. You were sitting with your family as your neighbors got everything ready, a few of them grilling hotdogs and hamburgers. Your father had brought your mother a burger, which she split with you.

Your father was the only black sheep in your lives at that point in time. Anyone could tell just by looking at him that he didn't belong there, in a dingy trailer covered in blotches of mildew and rust. He was always clean shaven, no tattoos, perfect white teeth. He never smoked, never did drugs, never even drank. Even his name stood out among the Tammys, the Justins, Tuckers, Mandys, the Brandons and the Krystals. He was a Sebastian. He always wore clean clothes, and it was a stark contrast to your mother, who was the whole reason he was there in the first place. 

She was nothing like him. She had a beautiful face, sure, but that was about the only thing beautiful about her. Most of her teeth were yellow from cigarettes and drugs, some of them missing, and the molars in the back had eventually all turned black. She was never seen without a cigarette in her fingers, her nails a different bright color everyday. Her clothes always stank of cigarettes and BO, but despite all of that, she wasn’t all that much of a terrible human. Not until later on.

Your mother loved your father, and he loved her. She loved you too, even if she was mean most of the time, she never hit or screamed at you until he left. After that she took a dark turn, becoming a woman you grew to despise. She blamed you for him leaving, but  you knew the truth, she was the reason. She’d relapsed one too many times and he had enough, he left and he took you with him, but CPS ultimately dragged you kicking and screaming from your grandmother's house back to the prison that was your trailer.

That fourth of July was one of the last good memories you had with your parents. Your mother had been clean for seven months, and she looked stunning that night in her pink sundress and purple nail polish. She brought you a freeze pop and you ate it like it was a gourmet dessert, sitting beside her on the grass as you watched your neighbors set up the fireworks. 

When you finished eating you went to play with the group of kids, they would end up becoming your last resemblance of a friend group, a pair of girls your age and a handful of boys. One of the older boys made a rude comment about the DIxon brothers, and you decided to introduce yourself. 

Merle was about sixteen then, maybe seventeen, but he treated you and Daryl like you were the same age, something you deeply admired about him. You threw rocks at beer bottles behind their trailer, and you smoked your first cigarette there, hacking your lungs out, much to their amusement. Merle bragged and showed off his father's gun and crossbow collection, and soon after that their mother shooed you all out of the house like stray cats. 

You wished you could say the three of you became thick as thieves after that, but truthfully you didn't have many memories with them. To echo the point, you weren’t really friends. Just people with similar situations that lived near each other.

You took a deep drag of Daryl's cigarette and pulled away from him, holding it in your lungs. 

He didn’t say anything, and neither did you. You sat in silence, your legs hanging off the bridge you sat upon, sharing one of your last cigarettes. 

You turned a spent shell casing over in your fingers as Daryl flicked the butt into the river below. It was Merle's bullet casing, you knew that, the three of you had been on that bridge a few days prior when he let off a few shots into a small group of walkers. It was small, from the little .22 pistol that he’d borrowed from you. He’d never given it back, and it pained you to assume it was most likely still in his waistband, stuck to his rotting corpse until some other survivor came along and took it. 

“C’mon. Let's get back.” Daryl grunted as he hopped off the ledge and slung his crossbow over his shoulder. This was the only thing he said to you for the rest of the day, and for a while after that. 

Once you had said that your odds of survival were higher when there were more people around. World views change fast, apparently, because when the prison group took in the Woodbury citizens, you felt more at risk than when it had been a group of ten. 

Though you always despised the word ‘outcast’, it was the only word good enough to describe your place in the prison. 

It was easier when Merle had been there. It was only a few days but it was nice, you found yourself making an effort to hang out with him more, something he secretly appreciated. There wasn't anyone in his life anymore that enjoyed spending time with him, aside from Daryl. But some days it felt like not even his baby brother wanted to be around him. 

“You know how to fish?” You had asked him one evening as the two of you walked back from a supply run mostly empty handed. 

“Do you know who you're talkin' to sweetheart? Course I know how to fish.” 

You sat on the riverbank as he dumped his fourth trout into your bucket of water. You had caught one small catfish, and that seemed to do wonders for his pride, it gave him another thing to brag about doing better than anyone else in camp. 

“Little asskickers gonna have her first taste of good ole American fish tonight.” Merle laughed proudly, wiping his hands on his pants. 

“I don't think babies can eat fish. I don't think they can eat anything but formula.” You commented and stood from your spot, pulling in your makeshift fishing line. 

“A lil’ fish can't hurt.”

“No, seriously. I don't think she can have any.”

“Psh.” He muttered and picked up the bucket. “Useless fuckers. Can't eat, can't speak, can't walk, hell.”

Before the outbreak, you'd spent the most time with the eldest Dixon brother. Only to buy or trade drugs, occasionally getting high together, but it was still time spent in each other's presence. He very much enjoyed doing speed and teaching you things, normally how to shoot different types of guns, or just sitting in some random person's house listening to his rants about racism, homophobia, whatever he felt passionate about that day. 

“It just ain't natural, and I said, you couldn't pay me a cold million to touch one of you shitlickers. Yessir.” He was laughing then, amused in his retelling of some high school escapade that you weren't really paying attention to. Merle could be tasteless at times, and it was of no interest to you, you were enjoying your expensive high and there was no way in hell you were going to ruin it by getting into an argument with someone like him. 

You must've dozed off, because the long, drawn-out yell of your name had your heavy head lolling back up to see Merle a foot away from you. A grin split onto his face and he slapped your shoulder. “C'mon. Got a hot date, wouldn't look too good bringin’ your ass around. Get up. C'mon now!” 

Maybe you should've stuck around, cause he ended up getting a nasty case of gonorrhea from her. About a week later you found out from the man himself, standing in front of the coolers in your local gas station. They didn't sell gas anymore, too expensive, but they didn't lose any customers. 

“Should'a known a bitch that ugly would be crawlin’ with it.” He cursed, hiking up a six pack of beer on his shoulder as he followed you to checkout, his little shadow following behind.

“Told ya. Just didn't listen.” Daryl muttered, swiping a pack of cigarettes to slip into his back pocket. 

“Yeah, well, that's cause you don't know jack shit about women. The hell would I listen to you for?” 

“Even I could've told you that.” You spoke around the SlimJims between your lips as you handed the cashier a crumpled up ten dollar bill. She said nothing about you obviously being underaged and buying a cheap bottle of wine, everyone in town knew about your mother. “That's what you get for being a dick to that poor kid.”

“You talkin' about that-” The noisy chime of the bells above the front door covered his derogatory choice of words. 

“Those men, yeah. Don't know why it's so hard for you to leave people alone.”

“Cause it's America sweetheart, ain't no place for that kind of degeneracy here.” 

You bit back your quip concerning the women he surrounded himself with and looked to Daryl, who was too busy flipping through an obscene magazine to notice.

You weren't the model student after your father left. Most days were spent by yourself in the surrounding woods, fucking around until the buses prepared to leave. On the rare occasion that you had company, it was usually the senior you bought drugs from. He was weird, overly gentle with a very soft voice, something about him extremely off putting. 

Maybe things would've been different if you had been friends with Daryl back in school. He had only gone for a little while, using any and every excuse to get out of that house, even if it did include going from one prison to another. You weren't sure when he dropped out (technically he didn't drop out, he just stopped showing up), but it was right around the time Merle was out of prison. 

They left their father then, moving from couch to couch, and eventually ended up staying with another dealer you were vaguely familiar with. 

“Holy shit, look at you!” Merle whistled playfully after realizing it was you that had just come through the door. 

“The fuck? Merle?” You could barely recognize him. He looked so different from the last time you saw him, hardened by the months in prison. Daryl looked different too, he'd started growing some facial hair and looked a bit larger as well. It had been about a year or two since your last encounter, so it was to be expected. They stood up from the couch they sat on to greet you, Merle offering you a hit from his glass pipe, which you declined. 

“Nah, you know I never liked that shit.”

Merle snickered and held his lighter flame under the glass orb. “Right, right. Forgot you were too classy for crystal. Only the,” he tapped the side of his nostril, “for you.”

You caught up in the dealer's living room, some guy named Jesse, and enjoyed your purchases. You were happy then, for a few reasons. Jesse's shit was a lot better than what you were used to, so you found yourself a new reliable source, but also because you got to see Daryl again. You got to see him laughing, joking, no black eyes or busted lips. You got time with them as they were, before the world changed. 

You found yourself missing that time, watching as Daryl flung dirt over his shoulder into the grass behind him. It was the present, and you were sitting beside the hole he dug, too hungry to help. You'd forgotten to eat breakfast that morning and it was too early for lunch to be ready, whatever it was Carol or Beth had fixed up for the prison members. 

“What do you think Jesse's up to?” 

Daryl squinted against the sun to focus on you, momentarily pausing his digging. “Who?”

“That dealer you guys used to stay with. Beanie guy.” 

“Oh, yeah. Shit.” He grunted and stretched his back, happy for a break from grave digging. “Hell, I don't know. Probably dead.”

“You think? He seemed pretty tough to me.”

Daryl laughed abruptly at that. “Guy was a prick, but he wasn't no ‘tough guy’. Would go straight to usin’ guns instead of fightin’ like a real man.” 

You would never discover the fate of Jesse, but the decision to bring Daryl's mind back to wander in the past did wonders for bringing the two of you closer once again. 

To everyone's surprise, including you, Daryl dealt with his brother's death far better than you had. You'd expected he'd want to leave after that, go live alone and shut out everyone else. He didn't though, he cried a few times, sure, he got distant and chose to only keep you as company, but while you were still angry and grieving, he was laughing and forming bonds with the new group members. 

You weren't too sure why Merle's death had devastated you that much, the two of you weren't exactly best friends. Maybe it was due to the fact that he was one of the only two things keeping you connected to your past life, even though it was awful, it was better than the constant looming threat of being eaten by dead people. As shitty as your mundane life was, it would have gotten better, one day you would've been stronger than your mother and you would've stood up for yourself, put an end to the physical abuse, and if you were lucky you could've been able to leave and find your father and brother. 

Now Daryl truly was the only bit that remained, not counting material possessions. 

The same went for Daryl as well. The difference between you and him though was that the loss of his brother turned into a good thing. He was no longer a shadow of another human, no longer basing his ideals and opinions on said human. While you dealt with the pain by using Daryl as a crutch, he used it to find out who the unbiased Daryl was, abandoning the ‘Merle Dixon’s kid brother' persona. 

@ophelialaufey @carlgrimesgfofficial @theskinniestjackson-denny @dilfish-daydreams @my1fx

[purple-dragon-queen]

You said when you were watching the Descendants rise of red teaser trailer you didn't get to pause and look for details since it was a quick watch but assuming you've watched it fully now, can I get your thoughts and opinions?

⚠️ KINDA LONG POST⚠️

I will be sharing MY thoughts and opinions on The new teaser trailer for rise of red, so if that bothers you it's time to ski dazzle off of My post 💋

Feel free to Reblog with your ideas aswell. Would love to see em

Okay so the first thing I thought of when kylie(red) pulled out all the spray paint and start doing her thing, was Mal. Like Disney bae it's giving Mal dupe.

Second and this one got me cracking was The Merlin Academy. Like My brain totally disregarded it as in I FORGOT ABOUT IT, so imagine to my horror when red is spray painting I see them BLAM! Plastered on the wall in all their Evil Glory.

Okay so I found this picture on Instagram where someone got a close up and other than Ulyanna, Maleficent, Hades and Hook, I don't know who the others are ( sorry not sorry) Now underneath the picture we can see on a plaque the words "vk students" now this made me realize why the title vk was so accepting when the core four came to aruadon, Because it wasnt the first time the title had been given/used.

Now look at this close up of teen Maleficent all I have to say is Wtf is that.

If those things at the side of her head are supposed to be horns, respectfully she needs to chop them tf off?? And is she wearing a ponytail??? Now I haven't seen Maleficent in a long time but isn't she supposed to have brown hair? Now idc if they give her a different hair color but the outfit and those HORNS especially are not giving!!!.

Like I saw someone do a redesign of this descendantofthesparrow I think and it was jaw dropping absolutely gorgeous, like mam what's your major? Anyways yeah I've seen this person done a ton of redesign and rewrites that when I watch descendants I'm like "oh yeah, this is Canon and the good stuff is fanfic"

Now this whole time travel thing doesn't make sense to Me because am I really supposed to believe that Hades who's older Than all of them by thousands of years went to school with them? Like what.

I'm going to assume Ulyanna is the Leader of the gang because she's in the middle and everyone else is in the back and from what we've seen the Leader is always in the middle.

Now I have a feeling rise of red will be pushing to make Hades and Maleficent a thing so we can see how Mal became a thing, just an assumption. Respectfully If they try to make hook and ulyanna a thing I will jump tf off. There was something else I wanted to say about Hades and Maleficent but I forgot and will most likely reblog this post when I remember.

now this is the Queen of Hearts and once again Descendants isn't following Canon because I'm pretty sure Carlos mentioned at one point that he used to drive his mom to the queen of hearts castle.

Now if I didn't know already that this is the queen of hearts and u shoved this pic in my fave and was like "girly who do you think this is?" I WOULD NOT SAY THE QUEEN OF HEARTS, I MEAN JUST LOOK AT HER SHE'S RED! Where are the other colors??? There's no white, no black just RED. Now as a theatre kid we've done better, with less money!!!. Disney I hope you are ashamed because you should be.

Now descendants brandy Cinderella has blue hair which doesn't make any damn sense so I'm guessing that's why Chole has blur hair. I really wish there outfits were better because with the og 4 we could tell what their main colors were without it being to much but now It's Def too much. I've got a few more things to add because I feel like I haven't said everything I wanted to so maybe I'll reblog with more later. Who knows

[nimata-beroya]

MY THOUGHTS ON THE MANDALORIAN - Chapter 18 "The Mines of Mandalore"

Days late, but here it is my impressions about the latest episode. It was so great that reduced me to a screaming mess, especially with that ending. I still cannot believe it!

As I've watched the episode a few times already, this is going to be more my general thoughts on what stood out more for me than reactions to every scene. I should apologize in advance, because I'll get a bit rant-y on some points (about the fandom, not the show).

So, let's begin…

I love that Din did a pit stop in Tatooine and visit Peli (I love her so much). It was obvious that she was his go-to to find the circuit for IG-11. I've seen people complaining that that bit of trying to fix IG-11 in the previous episode is irrelevant now if Din was getting R5 anyway, and honestly, it makes me shake my head. Haven't any of you watched the trailers? We KNEW Din would fly the N1 with R5-D4 docked in the astromech port. It was obvious (to me, at least) that he was going to use him to navigate to Mandalore. Besides, astromech were made exactly for that function. IG droids were not.

I know that there's the thing about Din trusting one (1) droid, which gives all the feels, but that of bringing IG-11 back won't go to waste. I think IG-11 will be fixed anyway to be Nevarro's new marshal, which fits much better with his original function, don't you think? That'd be great because it'll mean we'll see him again and again as long as the show continues.

I wonder how many languages Peli speaks, because so far we've seen her speaking Basic, droid, Jawaese, Rodian, Frog, whatever it was Dr. Mandible spoke, and I assume she speaks Huttese too. She's a human universal translator!

And Grogu is going to say his first word this season and going to be dad, buir, or an equivalent. It'd be funny if he goes from babbling incoherently to perfect speech in a night. Extremely unnerving, but funny as hell.

Another thing I've seen in other reviews is that some people didn't expect Din going to Mandalore so soon. I was not among those. I think it's perfect. And for what we saw in the trailers, that should've been obvious too. People might think the footage in the trailers covers the whole season. I got news for you, my darlings: it does not. It covers only the first half of the season (just like it did in season 2). So, considering that, Din wasn't going the entire season going from here to there before getting to Mandalore. Remember that this season also is somewhat setting things up for Ahsoka and is upping the stakes. It's no longer only Din and Grogu anymore.

My heart melted completely when Din said "Our people" talking to Grogu about Mandalore. The whole scene is amazing. Not just because of Din including Grogu as a mandalorian, but also because we got more tidbits of his childhood. He confirmed what I suspected; that he's never lived in Mandalore, just in Concordia. And, we got a geography lesson, making canon that Mandalore and Kalevala are in the same system.

Grogu was a ball of anxiety the whole episode, first when Din sent R5 to get the readings, then when Din got kidnapped (me, too), and because of the bird-lizard thing that went after him. Poor baby!

But I can't help laughing at how fast Grogu convinces Din of anything. Repeated knocking or a whine is enough for Din to give in.

An episode where Din doesn't get his ass kicked is not a Mandalorian episode, and like in the premiere he wasn't, he got a double dose in the second 😆 And I like that he still struggles with the darksaber. We need Sabine to train him!

Live-action Mandalore, I love it. It's both beautiful and haunting, the way the crystallized rock resembles explosions. I love the design of the wreckage city, that you almost can see how it was before, especially if you've seen TCW and Rebels (mostly TCW, bc Rebels was set outside Sundari, and in Krownest).

What the hell was that thing that tried to bleed out? take bone marrow? from Din?! I don't know what it was, but first, it sounded a lot like Grievous; and I guess it needed Din's fluids to function/survive. All I know is that it was creepy as hell and well sure it didn't help Din and his trauma with droids.

Grogu being able to control his own pram is the best!. I thought at first that he was moving it with the Force (maybe for going forward) but then I realized there are controls for him in the front.

I must say that even when I'm not a fan of Bo-Katan, this episode made her bloom as an even more complex character. I love that for her. It's obvious that she has plenty of regrets for all she did in the past, but my beef with her is that, sure, she sees now all the mistakes that were made by all Mandalorians, but she hasn't spoken out loud of her part in it. She always speaks in general terms of Mandalorians but never say I did this, I was one of those, except to say I was the ruler and the Empire came and defeat me. She distances herself from her worst mistakes. Not that it isn't a normal human reaction, but it'd be nice having her owning her mistakes.

Putting my personal feelings about her aside, the scene of Bo battling that thing was awesome!!! So badass!!! The ease with which she wields the Darksaber is satisfying to watch. My favorite part is when she slides underneath the droid and cut it open. So cool!

It didn't occur to me until I heard it in a YT video, that when Bo says she didn't embarrass her dad when she took the creed might not mean that she usually displeased her dad and that specific day she didn't, which is how most people took it as. Maybe what she meant was that she DID take the creed while Satine didn't (because of her pacifist ideals), and therefore, embarrassing their father. That it's an interesting theory. I like it. It'd add more flavor to family drama (as if it didn't have enough of it 😆)

Deep down, I knew Din wasn't going to take his helmet off to bathe in the Living Waters, but he would take the rest of his armor, so he didn't sink, exactly like he did. That scene is both beautiful (as he recites the vow) and funny (the moment he sinks). Then fears hits, and I first wondered how he sunk so fast! The only explanation I can find is that the mythosaur pulled him under.

And OH MY GOD!!! The reveal of the Mythosaur was AWESOME!!! As soon as I saw the tusks, I lost it!!! This is when I became a screaming mess. I couldn't believe one of my wildest theories was true!! Since last year, when the Armorer said that the mythosaur would rise up to herald a new Mandalore, I had the feeling that Mythosaur were down in the mines, or at least one. I can't believe I was right!

[myckicade]

I should have been in bed nearly two hours ago, but this thing is haunting me.

I'm going to repeat some points I've already posted, but some things bear repeating.

That was the worst series finale I have ever seen. I thought the finale of Preacher was an ugly little fiasco. My word. It will be hard to top this one! Holy frickle-dickles.

(The X-Files, Supernatural, Fullmetal Alchemist... I'm used to pain, but this tempted me to break out the Jack Daniels).

So, yeah. Ding-dong, the cunt bag... -s are all dead? What was the fucking point of that? EZ, completely expected, especially when it was said, 'We've all been talking'. It was a bit of a push for the poetic, that EZ would pull a Mark Antony quote, then get Julius Caesared. (I feel like I made a comment about that last season, but it might have been a verbal conversation). Anywho. I just don't understand the point of the rest. (After a few hours of sleep, I might be able to gather what they were going for, but we shall see). Taking out Bottles, of all people...

I see some fix-it fics in my future. Some out of spite.

I liked Potter in Sons. I did. He was responsible for his share of shit, but his character was well-written. They ruined him in Mayans, so hard. He's come across half-crazed, and tipping off his axis. I'm so disgusted that he's still walking around, King of the Fucking Hill. If ANYONE needed to catch a bullet - aside from EZ - it was old Pot-Ash.

*ahems*

I'm actually really mad that Emily got her way, too. Not just because of Miguel, but because of the utterly simplistic way it went down. (Let's face it, that wasn't a terribly inventive plot she cooked up). Killing Miguel was just the quick way to tie up another useless loose end, leaving the Gallindo family no different than the rest of the story.

Fucking. Pointless.

List of Other Pointless Things Bugging Me:

* Letty's rage. Don't get me wrong, I'm over the damned moon that she and Sally are in the clear. But, that Letty found Sally, and the bloody trailer, and just... abandoned everything? C'mon.

* Bringing Taza back. Again, y'all know I was ELATED to see the bastard, but not to get him on-screen again?? I find solace in the fact that I didn't have to watch him die.

* Angel spotting the pictures and letters in Miguel's hand during Felipe's funeral. I had hope, and it went NOWHERE. As expected. As usual.

* Sofia's pregnancy, and death. I assume the pregnancy was to make her pointless death more tragic, but it was still a waste of time. (Bitch is no Cleopatra). If EZ had found out? Yeah, maybe. I know the broad was a loose end, too. No question. Had to eradicate (nearly) all that was EZ's. It was just the same writing as the rest of the season:

Sloppy, and lazy.

* The war. That wasn't a war. That was a bunch of kids taking turns beating each other up on their way home from school.

* The pipeline. There was no fixing that shit, and we spent the bulk of the FINAL MOTHERFUCKING SEASON on it.

There's more, but my brain aches for rest.

A Couple of Things I Enjoyed:

* Marcus getting the chance to be a good father. It was nice, given his relationship with Jax Teller. He saw a father lose it all, and now he's getting to have it all. Bonus Dad Points for doing the skin-to-skin contact with the baby. That was just beautiful. ❤️.

- It was also a reminder to keep at the birth control. 🤣. When Marcus started talking about not getting to see his son's children, I got to thinking about how the guy I'm seeing is two-and-a-half decades older than me, and... Yeah. Math, indeed. You didn't need to know that, but there it is!

* That was a nice chat on the bridge. It was. Brought me back to my own childhood, and moments where I had to stay strong to protect my own brother. Solid, believable stuff, right there.

Dude. Was that really all that I enjoyed?

Fuck the J.D. It's time for the Jose Cuervo.

Catch y'all on the fic side.

-Mycki

[darkmoonkestrel]

daily kestrel 12:

we woke up early-ish (I was out of bed by 9:30) to get the house ready for the viewing at 2. we did a damn good job if I do say so myself, everything looked awesome. to reward ourselves we went to IHOP for the all you can eat pancakes (all I could eat was the initial stack of 5 they brought me)

after we got home Paige asked me to use the massage gun on her shoulders and Peyton hit some pressure points for her which apparently helped a lot with the neck/shoulder pain she's been having, so that's good. we also talked about how it's kinda weird that we can't actually 100% tell if someone came by to see the house, we left before the scheduled time and came back over an hour later and everything is exactly how we left it - Peyton pointed out a dry spot in the driveway (it's been sprinkling all afternoon) and Panther hissed at Paige when we walked in which may be a sign of strangers having been in the house? we may never truly know

after that Peyton took a nap and Paige and I set up on the couch with King of the Hill while I played some tears of the kingdom. I finished the puzzles part of the lightning temple while Paige took a short nap, and I got absolutely obliterated by the queen gibdo several times in a row before Maxi came over and I gave up for the day

the three of us ended up smoking while Peyton had a lil drinky drink. we've watched several video essays, all curated by Maxi, which seems to be the standard activity when she comes over. we've watched some things from Strange Aeons (Portland polycule, tumblr post tier list, and my immortal outfits), a frame by frame roasting of the Minecraft movie trailer by jacksfilms, a "pretending the Omegaverse is real" video by a guy who committed really hard to the bit in an impressive and kinda scary way, and we just finished the Lindsay Ellis video about Omegaverse copyright, which is honestly really well done. Peyton and Paige ended up going to Burger King to get dinner at some point

we're now showing her the bhultra Izzy Isn't Crazy video essay, which we may not finish bc it's already midnight and an hour and 40 minutes long, but it's just so good that we have to share it with our resident video essay bestie. Peyton wandered towards the bedroom a few minutes ago but I'm not sure if he's officially going to bed or not, and I'll head there eventually bc I haven't touched my schoolwork at all today so I have plenty to do tomorrow to keep up, but oh well, it's been a good day regardless of what it leaves me with tomorrow

[hisadoringkitten]

2 days...

The timeline got moved up to Saturday, and we've realized the trailer will be unnecessary. The arrangements for the apartment are done, electricity and renters insurance are secured, documents are submitted, and the deposit is paid. All that's left is to set up the internet, but that should be quick and easy. The storage unit is signed for and paid. My last worker's comp appointment was this morning, I turned in my keys and letter of resignation at work and had a few drinks with my boss after. My things are packed, I've found a home for Reggie. All that's left is helping clean out the place tomorrow and spending Saturday with the kids before I leave.

It's surreal now that it's so close. I'm so excited to start my new life, but part of me feels like I'm waiting to die. I guess I'm a way I am... waiting for this life to end. It's not a bad thing, really but it's very strange. It feels like so much is being left unsaid, undone, but it's not. I've said my piece, I've done what I can.

Even my daughter sees it and understands, far better than I ever realized she would. Last night, she said "it's like you were working on a puzzle (your life before us kids) and didn't have it all together yet but then you got a new one (us) and started putting it together. You got that one all done and when you went to start working on the first puzzle, you realized you can't find all the pieces anymore so now you have to look for the pieces and maybe even try and make new ones to replace the ones you lost". She's wise beyond her years. We watched Anastasia last night and she also picked up on the line in the movie where Vlad talks about the name Anastasia meaning "she will rise again" she said "look mommy, don't worry, your name literally means you will rise again!"

I'm her mother, and here she is comforting me. Reassuring me. It's going to kill me to leave them. But better I leave now than draw it out selfishly for a few more days and leave them to process it in the car. It's a kindness to give them familiarity to process it all. I'm making the right decision, I know I am, I have to be. I feel confident in it, and I can not allow doubt to cloud it now, but he's such a mess. He's giving me no reassurance that he can handle this in any way. I worry for them, for how they'll live, for what he'll teach them, for how his negativity and aggression will affect them. I worry that by the time I see them again, he'll have turned them against me. That they'll no longer be my sweet babies. They're already so big, so grown. I worry he'll keep them from me, and I'll have to fight an ugly court battle to get them back. I worry for their safety and well-being. What if something happens and I can't help? What if they need me and I'm not there? How do I live with myself?

I'll deal, I'll process, I'll cope, and I won't let them see it destroy me, you won't let it destroy me. Even if right now I cry so much of the day, even if every quiet moment I die a little. I'll make it better for them, for me, for all of us. With your help, I'll survive this, too. I've survived so much already, and I've done it mostly on my own. With you to steady my gaze, to keep my focus and guide my path, I'll make the life they deserve.

[peaceinambiguity]

Okay, I'm at work and just had my lunch *cracks knuckles* IM READY TO SCREAM ABOUT EPISODE 6. So I have so many feelings, and I'm gonna see how best I can articulate. At first I thought I didn't enjoy this episode as much as last episode because last episode was literal gold, but I got fluttery feelings, and the squealies and just lots of things so I think it's fair to say that I really did appreciate this episode.

Firstly, I love Pat and Pran individually alot so just seeing him sets it off for me, but let's talk about Pat right now. The more I watched the episode, along with some analysis I read earlier in the week, I really couldn't help seeing his desperation and it was so endearing this episode to watch the lengths he was willing to go to talk to Pran. Despite him suggesting not caring about all outside factors that could impact their relationship to Pran, he was already starting to do that on his own. He went on a whole trip by himself (no posse, no safety net), lingered around Pran constantly, even being friendly or sociable to Pran's friends, and was prepared to get his ass beat because he figured that's just the price of trying to hang around Pran while still respecting his wishes and not disclosing whatever relationship they have going on

I really liked Pat's constant pleas to talk, his desire to get everything out in the air, to determine where he stands. And I find it such an interesting contrast to Pran. I'm not sure whether or not I was right in my earlier assessment that when Pran tips over the edge, he won't be able to come back, I might've underestimated the strength of his desires over the years and how much he's been holding that at bay. But I really can't be sure yet because the end of the episode, they do the bet, and post credits, Pat is doing his normal flirting and what does Pran do in return? Lick Pat's fingers????? HELLO? I feel like we've all acknowledged by now that the bet is just an excuse for both of them to confront their emotions from the safety and comfort of the familiar ground of competition. I'm particularly interested to see the scene from the ep 7 trailer where Pran is saying they're both tightlipped and need incentive to talk about how they really feel because firstly, wow self aware baby reads himself to filth and also how did that conversation come up and are we going to get a full fledged heart to heart? I would really love to see it and for pretenses to be dropped a bit, because I think Pran is tired of just not having Pat and Pat is very straightforward so even in the face of this competition, he's going to want to go all in.

All in all, I just want to see them both wooing each other, and flirting and sharing space and having conversations. and then later, they'll navigate their friends and their family. I really love when guys who have touchy families stand up to them right away and are like "fuck you, i'll like who i want, you're weird for trying to control that for me and i am tired of putting up w your controlling behaviour" but this time, i really wouldn't mind a few more episodes of Pran and Pat building trust together as a unit before they face the parents, because Pran's mom... (i might have to make another post about just her) and Pran's trauma from being transferred before.

[probablyintensemuses]

Telephone

Summary: you met Bucky at a grocery store when you were struggling to reach the top shelf— enamored by him you two exchange phone numbers and begin a friendship. But what happens when suddenly your text messages aren’t going through and your phone calls drop? Did Bucky Barnes block you?

Bucky Barnes x reader (tfatws era)

Warnings: fluff, a bit or angst, platonic friendship.

You let out an exasperated groan, almost at the top of your lungs. This was the third day you had called and text Bucky with no avail—hell every time you did your messages never went through. And you didn’t want to be that clingy person, because things were hard post blip and you knew that. You had just gotten your mom and sister back after five long year’s without them, so you knew adjusting would take time and space. But this much space was ridiculous and it was beginning to bother you—a lot. So you grabbed your keys and stormed down your apartments stairs. Heading towards Bucky’s favorite place—the local Japanese restaurant that you introduced him to, where he found solace in you,Yori and Leah.

After practically breaking the door off it’s hinges you storm into the restaurant. Immediately directing your attention to the bar where Bucky sat talking to Yori and going for a swig of his beer. With your keys jiggling in your hands you approach the two men; your arms crossed tightly over your chest as you watch Bucky laugh at a joke Leah told.

Slowly, Yori turned around and shoots you a wrinkled smile before announcing your presence. “Oh, good day Y/n—won’t you join us for some sushi—it’s tuna!” Yuri beamed, pointing to the half eaten plate of sushi in front of him.

When Yori spoke up you watched Bucky still, his entire body frozen. Bucky groaned to himself, taking a last sip of his beer before pushing himself up from his seat, all while ignoring your presence.

You smiled back at Yori, delighted by his offer. “I’d love to, but I’m vegetarian, Bucky would know that, wouldn’t you Bucky?” You said sarcastically.

“Yori, lovely as always—but I’m going to go. Next ones on me!” Bucky said, stumbling out of his chair throwing down a five dollar bill for a tip and brushing past you.

You scoffed, blowing Yori a kiss before rushing after him. You raced after Bucky as he strode down the sidewalk. You had to jog as he was already a mile ahead of you—and his apartment wasn’t too far.

“Bucky, Bucky!” You called, but before you could get his name out for a third time he had already entered the battered building that was his apartment.

“Shit.” You grunted, holding your waist and taking a few deep breaths, because let’s face it you were no super solider.

Composing yourself, you push open the lobby doors sneaking past the landlord who was snoring loudly as a bug landed right on his forehead. Your nose scrunched in disgust—you told Bucky how much you despised this building and if he ever needed another place you had a two bedroom, but he always suggested otherwise. Stepping out of the creaking elevator you made your way down the gloomy hallway, placing yourself onto his welcome mat and banging on the door like a maniac.

“Bucky! Bucky! I know you’re in there! It’s Y/n let me in we need to talk!” You shouted, as you continuously slapped your hand against his door.

You took a deep breath before banging even louder. “James Bucky Barnes let me—.”

“Hey!” A voice called, startling you a bit.

Slowly, you turn your head to where the voice had come from, only to be face to face with a not so happy tenet.

“Some people have to work a twelve hour shift in two hours, so if you don’t mind visiting your booty call later that would be appreciated.” The man snarled

You scoffed, taking a step back. “Okay, whatever.”

“Thanks.” He said rudely, before slamming his door shut.

“Bucky please, I just want to talk to you. I miss you—and I was going to show you Uno.” You knock softly, whispering against his door not sure if he was going to hear it or not.

But Bucky heard every word. Actually he had heard everything because he’d been leaning against his door for the past three minutes. He felt horrible, and it was his own stupid fault that you two were right here. You were like the sibling he never asked for. You were kind and funny—always teaching him about the vast 21st century. You took him shopping and even helped furnish his once barren apartment, and when you two had a sleep over you didn’t judge him for wanting to sleep on the floor instead of in your guest room. Instead you made it the best sleeping arrangement you could—Bucky adored you, he did. But what if the darkness came back and dimmed your light, or what if you got hurt. He couldn’t live with himself. He was already suffering from ptsd, depression, and the massive guilt of killing Yori’s son—he couldn’t live a day if you got hurt on his behalf. So he cut you out, blocking your phone number and avoiding you at the places you two had loved to go together—except it didn’t work this time, as you were right outside his door.

You slide to the floor, pulling a sticky note and pen from your bag. You were a cartoonist and your favorite way to cheer someone up was to make them into one of your “2 minute cartoon skits.” On the sticky note you drew you and Bucky playing uno at his table laughing with glee and chugging beers. At the bottom you wrote ‘this could be us,’ before sliding it underneath his door. You knew he’d see it, there was no way he wouldn’t.

And surely enough he did, Bucky picked up the note between his fingers a small smile creeping on his face as he picked himself off the floor. He figured if he didn’t let you in now you’d stay out there all day—all week if it was physically possible. Bucky took a deep sigh and unlocked his door revealing you, standing there with pursed lips and scolding eyes. You pushed past him and walked inside his apartment plopping onto his sofa.

“Are you serious.” You spat.

“Y/n.” Bucky groaned, pinching his nose with his vibranium arm.

“Bucky you told me that your therapist said you needed to form and keep relationships. This isn’t helping.”

Bucky sighed, placing his hands on his hips as he held his head low. “You don’t think i know that. I’m trying I really am, I’m just—.”’

“You’re just what?” You stand walking towards him.

“I’m scared.” He whispered.

“Of me?”

“Of me.” He said softly.

“Why?” You gasped. “I don’t understand Bucky.” You said, taking his hand and pulling you both onto his sofa.

“Y/n—I’m better off alone.”

You rolled your eyes taking a deep breath, this had to be the fifth time Bucky had said this to you—and every time you proved him different.

“No you’re not! If you didn’t have me who would show you how to work your phone or play just dance.” You spoke.

Bucky chuckled lowly, shaking his head. “I still don’t understand why we can’t just dance to the music.”

“Because I like to watch the characters dance—and it’s a competition, it's supposed to be fun! But that’s not the point, the point is that you don’t need to be alone and you definitely don’t deserve that.” You said. “Bucky I know we've only known each other for a few months, but I care about you and it hurts when you push me away." You cried.

"Y/n." Bucky whispered gently. "I care about you too, but I'm difficult, my life is difficult.”

You squeezed Bucky’s hand, rubbing the top of his palm. “Then let me help you make it easier.”

Bucky nodded. Realization hitting him, he cared for you and he knew you were right. The road from leaving his title as ‘the winter soldier’ and reclaiming his old life as ‘James Barnes’ started here. It started with forming and keeping friendships and he intended on starting with you.

“Okay.” Bucky said firmly.

“Okay.” You affirmed. “So a round of uno?”

Bucky laughed, throwing his head back. “Only if you teach me the real rules and not the y/n rules.”

“Oh you love my rules Bucky.” You snickered.

“I do.” He grinned, the corner of his eyes crinkling.

“I know.”

A/N: This was a cute idea I had for a whileeeeeee, ever since I saw the trailer for tfatws and now I can really do it with more depth and added characters! This is my first character x reader! I do writing for marvel and Harry Potter so if that interest you this is the place to be! Thank you for the support🍄❤️🌈

[twdmusicboxmystery]

Daryl Origins + Social Media

So, just a quick post today to point a couple of things out. I'll have my analysis of the 11B trailer up tomorrow.

The first is this, and I'm quite late in posting it:

Emily posted this about a week ago, and it's super suspicious. The line, "Maybe it's all going as planned" is reminiscent of several things in the show. The "it went the way it had to; the way it was always going to" from 5x09. Even Mika, back in S4 said, "Everything always turns out the way it's supposed to" multiple times.

And of course we at TD are all about the "plans" the writers have had for Beth since S3/S4 at least.

Of course, she did her return star emoji with it. I can't help but always side-eye the things she attaches that to.

And I also notice that she conspicuously included both a lamp and a guitar in the shot. Both heavy Beth symbols in the show.

So, like I said, I'm late in posting this. I know others have already noticed and analyzed it, but I wanted to bring it to the attention of anyone who hadn't. After all, we're only a few weeks out from 11b, and it feels like she's alluding to things from the show. 👀

The other thing I wanted to point out is this:

Norman posted this in his story a few days ago.

For those who don't know, starting tonight (Sunday) and for the next 4 weeks leading up to 11b, they're going to be airing the Origins episodes on regular AMC tv.

That's important for a few reasons. Before, they only aired the Origins episodes on AMC+. So, only subscribers could see them. Those of you who were following me when they first aired already know about them and have seen my analysis (X, X).

But now they're letting the GA, even the ones who aren't AMC+ subscribers, see them. That feels purposeful right before we head into 11b. After all, in Daryl's Origins episode (on tonight, I believe) we get the first official admission that Daryl had feelings for Beth. It's like they're trying to remind viewers about her before we get to the B part of the season.

Now, the above is just Norman promoting the airing of the Origins episode, and it's not even his edit. He reposted it from someone else. But notice a couple of things. First, it says 7.15, which I think is when the Origins episodes first aired last year. So, this is an old edit from 2021. Not a big deal, but why repost this one specifically when it has an old date on it?

I think it's because of the coloring. The first thing I noticed about this, before I even registered that he was promoting the Origins episodes, was the red and green color scheme. We've seen those colors very paired very blatantly on the show, and we believe them to be representative of death followed by resurrection. So naturally, we link them to Beth.

I'll talk about this more tomorrow in my Trailer Analysis, but I feel like they're hinting that there will be a major resurrection of some kind in 11b. Or at least, I hope that's what they're hinting at.

Anyway, I highly recommend watching the Origins episode tonight if you haven't seen it before.

Thoughts?

[nakasomethingkun]

Ezaaaaaaa OMG I just binge watched Enchante and it's such a gem of a show! I watched Cherry Magic because of you too so it's not like I went into it thinking that it wouldn't be good, but it surprised me just how much I'm liking it! Episode 8 was so good and so worth the wait, but now I'm worried about what's going to happen in the remaining 2 episodes 😭 I don't want anything bad to happen to Theo and Akk just when they got together 😭 What do you think is going to happen in episodes 9 and 10?

Yessss my plot to get people hooked on queer asian shows is working hohoho

Hey there!! I'm so glad that you're enjoying Enchante!! :D

that is a great question.... there are a few things that come to mind. first, I think the show is going to tie up any loose ends with the ambassadors. we'll see how Saifa is gonna be living his dream of becoming a singer for the simple price of playing cupid lmao, and we're definitely gonna be seeing Phupha and his mom (based on some clips in the BTS special). They're also gonna want to show what tf is up with Tan and how his relationship with Natee is gonna progress, since it's obvious that he likes Natee. As for Wayo - it looks like his arc is mostly resolved, but I can also see him having a brief interaction with our main boys so that he can get some closure with Theo, given that their last interaction was them throwing hands. Idk. Idc that much about wayo lmao

second, there's the issue of the literature major being phased out.... which I seriously wish will not happen!! because my baby Theo worked so hard on the zine fair!! but. I'm also prepared for the possibility of it happening, because it would be a pretty good source of conflict or dilemma for Theo's character and his relationship with akk e.g., will he change majors? I don't see it happening, given how stubborn he is and how much he loves literature. So will he change schools? Maybe :'( but it'll definitely be a struggle, since Theo obviously would want to always stay close to Akk.

third, they might include some reactions from theo's parents regarding his newfound romance, but I don't think it'll be angsty, since they've established that Theo's mom is okay with her son being queer. They might throw in the whole social class difference thing, but that wouldn't make sense. If status difference was gonna be an issue, theo’s parents would've never let him be close friends with akk in the first place. we already know that Im and Egg are gonna react like the supportive teasing queens they are in ep 9, so I'm looking forward to that :D I always love me some sibling dynamics!!

finally, and probably most obviously, they'll introduce Sun's character properly. He's definitely gonna play a big role in the last 2 episodes. He seems to genuinely like Theo based on the interactions we've seen of him and Theo, but we don't know yet what the nature of his feelings is. I think he's gonna show up in Thailand and trigger a whole crisis in Akk. We know from the trailer that akk is gonna have self-doubts about whether or not he's worthy of Theo, which is just so :((( I hope this doesn't entail him and Theo breaking up tho, because THEY JUST GOT TOGETHER. i'd be so mad if they broke up so quickly lmao. but i do think it'll be good to address Akk's insecurities, and I do think that it makes sense that his inferiority complex wouldn't disappear overnight after he and Theo got together. those things take time, you know?

I can also see them throwing in something that would make theo go back to France :( but if they do, my only wish is that akk will go with him lol

honestly, idk, anon. I personally think that the show has been well-paced so far, so I'm holding out hope that the writers won't throw in too much shit in the final 2 episodes unless it can all be resolved nicely and meaningfully. With all these things needing to be addressed, I hope that they won't have time to come up with some nonsense to drive theo and akk apart lol. so maybe we won't have to experience the penultimate-episode-angsty-break-up curse!!

[thewidowsghost]

The Daughter of the Sea - Chapter 5

(Y/n)'s POV

I have weird dreams full of barnyard animals. Most of them wanted to kill me. The rest wanted food.

I must've woken up several times, but what I hear and see makes no sense, so I just pass out again. I remember lying in a soft bed and spoon-fed something that tasted like (Favorite/Food), only it's like pudding. The girl with curly blond hair hovers over me, smirking as she scrapes drips off my chin with the spoon.

When she sees my eyes open, she asks, "What will happen at the summer solstice?"

"What?" I manage to croak.

She looks around, as is afraid someone would overhear. "What's going on? What was stolen? We've only got a few weeks!"

"I'm sorry," I slur, "I don't . . ."

Somebody knocks on the door, and the girl quickly fills my mouth with the pudding.

. . .

The next time I wake up, the girl is gone.

A husky blond dude, like a surfer, stands in the corner of the bedroom keeping watch over me. He has blue eyes - at least a dozen of them - on his cheeks, his forehead, the backs of his hands.

When I come around for good, there is nothing weird about my surroundings, except they are nicer than I am used to. I am sitting in a deck chair next to Percy - who was looking at me with concern - on a huge porch, gazing across a meadow at green hills in the distance. The breeze smells like strawberries. There is a blanket over my legs, a pillow behind my neck. All that is great, but my mouth feels like a scorpion had been using it for a nest. My tongue is dry and nasty and every one of my teeth hurt.

On the table next to me is a tall drink. It looks like iced apple juice, with a green straw and a paper parasol sticks through a maraschino cherry.

My hand is so weak I almost drop the glass once I get my fingers around it.

"Careful," says a voice.

Grover is leaning against the porch railing, looking as though he hadn't slept in a week. Under one arm, he cradles a shoebox. He is wearing blue jeans, Converse hi-tops, and a bright orange t-shirt that says CAMP HALF-BLOOD.

"You two saved my life," Grover says. "I...well, the least I could do...I went back to the hill. I thought you might want this."

Reverently, he places the shoebox in Percy's lap.

Inside is a black-and-white bull's horn, the base jagged from being broken off, the tip splattered with dried blood.

It hadn't been a nightmare. My mother was gone.

"The Minotaur," Percy asks.

"Um, Percy, it isn't a good idea -" Grover gets cut off.

"That's what they call him in the Greek myths, isn't it?" Percy demands. "The Minotaur. Half man, half bull."

Grover shifts uncomfortably. "You two have been out for two days. How much do you remember?"

"Mom," I say softly. "Is she really . . ."

Grover looks down.

I stare across the meadow. There is a grove of trees, a winding stream, acres of strawberries spread out under the blue sky. The valley is surrounded by rolling hills, and the tallest one, directly in front of us, is the one with the huge pine tree on top. Even that looks beautiful in the sunlight.

My mother is gone . . .

Nothing should look beautiful. The whole world should be black and cold.

"I'm sorry," Grover sniffs. "I'm a failure. I'm - I'm the worst satyr in the world." He groans, stomping his food so hard it comes off. I mean, the Converse hi-top comes off. The inside is filled with Styrofoam, except for a hoof-shaped hole. "Oh, Styx!" he mumbles.

Thunder rolls across the clear sky.

Mom had really had been squeezed into nothingness, dissolved into yellow light.

Percy and I are alone. Orphans. We would have to live with . . . Smelly Gabe? No. I'd live on the streets first.

Grover is still sniffling.

Percy says, "It wasn't your fault."

"Yes, it was. I was supposed to protect you."

"Did our mother ask you to protect me?"

"No. But that's my job. I'm a keeper. At least . . . I was."

"But why . . ." Percy begins and I suddenly feel dizzy, my vision swimming.

"Don't strain yourself," Grover says. "Here."

He helps me hold my glass and puts the straw to my lips.

I recoil at the taste because I was expecting apple juice. It isn't that at all. It's chocolate-chip cookies. Liquid cookies. But not just any cookies - Mom's homemade blue chocolate-chip cookies, buttery and hot, with the chips still melting. Drinking it, my whole body feels warm and good, full of energy. My grief doesn't go away, but I feel as if Mom had just brushed her hand lovingly against my cheek, given me a cookie the way she used to when I was upset and told me everything was going to be okay.

Before I know it, I'd drained the glass. I stare into it, sure I'd just had a warm drink, but the ice cubes hadn't even melted.

"Was it good?" Grover asks.

I nod.

"What did it taste like?"

"Chocolate-chip cookies," I reply and Percy looks at me knowingly. "Mom's. Homemade."

He takes the empty glass from me gingerly, as if it's dynamite, and sets it back on the table. "Come on. Chiron and Mr. D are waiting.

3rd Person POV

The porch wraps all the way around the farmhouse.

Percy's legs feel wobbly, trying to walk that far, and (Y/n), though her legs feel like Jello, had moved to support her brother. Grover offers to carry the Minotaur horn, but Percy holds onto it. I'd paid for that souvenir the hard way. I'm not going to let it go.

As the trio comes around the opposite end of the house, (Y/n) catches her breath.

Percy's POV

We must be on the north shore of Long Island because on this side of the house, the valley marches all the way up to the water, which glitters about a mile in the distance. Between here and there, I simply can't process everything I'm seeing. The landscape is dotted with buildings that look like ancient Greek architecture—an open-air pavilion, an amphitheater, a circular arena—except that they all look brand new, their white marble columns sparkling in the sun. In a nearby sandpit, a dozen high school–age kids and satyrs play volleyball. Canoes glide across a small lake. Kids in bright orange T-shirts like Grover's are chasing each other around a cluster of cabins nestled in the woods. Some shoot targets at an archery range. Others ride horses down a wooded trail, and, unless I'm hallucinating, some of their horses have wings.

Down at the end of the porch, two men sit across from each other at a card table. The blond-haired girl who'd spoonfed (Y/n) is leaning on the porch rail next to them.

The man facing me is small, but porky. He has a red nose, big watery eyes, and curly hair so black it's almost poker. He looks like those painting of baby angles - cherubs. He looks like a cherub who'd turned middle-aged in a trailer park. He is wearing a tiger-patterned Hawaiian shirt, and he would fit right in at one of Gabe's poker parties, except I get the feeling that this guy could out-gamble even my step-father.

"That's Mr. D," Grover mutters to me and (Y/n). "He's the camp director. Be polite. That girl, that's Annabeth Chase. She's just a camper, but she's been here longer than just about anybody. And you already know Chiron . . . "

He points at the guy whose back is to me.

First, I realize he's sitting in the wheelchair. Then I recognize the tweed jacket, the thinning brown hair, and the scraggly beard.

"Mr. Brunner!" I cry.

The Latin teacher turns and smiles at me, then looks curiously at (Y/n), who is still supporting some of my weight. His eyes have that mischievous glint they sometimes got in class when he pulls a pop quiz and made all the multiple choice answers B.

"Ah, good, Percy," he says. "Now we have four for pinochle."

He offers me a chair to the right of Mr. D, who looks at me, then (Y/n), who is leaning against my chair, with bloodshot eyes, and heaves a great sigh. "Oh, I suppose I must say it. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood. There. Now, don't expect me to the glad to see you."

"Percy, why don't you introduce me?" Mr. Burnner says, sending a soft smile towards (Y/n).

"Oh, this is my twin sister, (Y/n)," Percy says.

(Y/n)'s POV

I smile and wave shyly.

"It's nice to meet you, sir," I say. "Percy's told me a lot about you. Even said you were his favorite teacher."

A warmer smile spreads across Mr. Brunner's face and then he turns. "Annabeth?" Mr. Brunner calls to the blond girl.

She comes forward and Mr. Brunner introduces us. "This young lady nursed you back to health, (Y/n). Annabeth, my dear, why don't you go check on Percy and (Y/n)'s bunks? We'll be putting them in Cabin Eleven for now."

"Sure, Chiron," Annabeth replies.

She's probably about my age, maybe an inch or two taller, and a whole more athletic looking. With her deep tan and her curly blond hair, she is almost exactly when I think a stereotypical California girl would look like, except her eyes ruin the image. They are startling gray, like storm clouds; pretty, but intimidating, too, as if she's analyzing the best way to take me down in a fight.

She glances down at the Minotaur horn in Percy's hands then looks back up at me. She says, "You drool when you sleep." My cheeks take on a slight red tinge as she sprints off down the lawn, her blond hair flying behind her.

"So," Percy says, looking anxious to change the subject. "You, uh, work here, Mr. Brunner?"

"Not Mr. Brunner," not Mr. Brunner says. "I'm afraid that was a pseudonym. You may call me Chiron."

"Okay," Percy says, looking totally confused, then looking at the director. "And Mr. D . . . does that stand for something?"

Mr. D stops shuffling the cars. He looks at Percy like he'd just belched loudly. "Young man, names are powerful things. You don't just go around using them for no reason.

"Oh. Right. Sorry."

"I must say, Percy," Chiron - Brunner breaks in, "I'm glad to see you alive, and the chance to meet your sister. It's been a long time since I've made a house call to a potential camper. I'd hate to think I've wasted my time."

"House call?" I ask, interested.

"My year at Yancy Academy, to instruct Percy. We have satyrs at most schools, of course, keeping a lookout. But Grover alerted me as soon as he met him. He sensed he was something special, so I decided to come upstate. I convinced the other Latin teacher to...ah, take a leave of absence."

"You came to Yancy just to teach me?" Percy asks.

Chiron nods. "Honestly, I wasn't sure about you at first. We contacted your mother, let her know we were keeping an eye on you in case you were ready for Camp Half-Blood, and then we learned of Miss (Y/n), here." He nods to me. "But you still had so much to learn, Percy. Nevertheless, you made it here alive, and that's always the first test."

"Grover," Mr. D says impatiently, "are you playing or not?"

Percy's POV

"Yes, sir!" Grover trembles as he takes the fourth chair, though I didn't know why he should be so afraid of a pudgy little man in a tiger-print Hawaiian shirt.

"You do know how to play pinochle?" Mr. D eyes me suspiciously.

"I'm afraid not," I answer.

"I'm afraid not, sir," he corrects.

"Sir," I repeat, liking the camp director less and less.

"Well," he tells me, "it is, along with gladiator fighting and Pac-Man, one of the greatest games ever invented by humans. I would expect all civilized young men to know the rules"

"I'm sure the boy can learn," Chiron says.

"Please," I plead, "what is this place? What are we doing here? Mr. Brun— Chiron—why would you go to Yancy Academy just to teach me?"

Mr. D snorts. "I asked the same question."

The camp director deals the cards; Grover flinches every time one lands in his pile.

Chiron smiles at me sympathetically, the way he used to in Latin class, as if to let me know that no matter what my average was, I was his star student. He expected me to have the right answer.

"Percy," Chiron prompts. "Did your mother tell you nothing?"

"She said . . ." (Y/n) begins and I remember her sad eyes, looking out over the sea. "She told us she was afraid to send us here, even though our father had wanted her to. She said that once we were here, we probably couldn't leave. She wanted to keep us close to her."

"Typical," Mr. D says. "That's how they usually get killed. Young man, are you bidding or not?"

"What?" I ask.

He explains, impatiently, how you bid in pinochle, and so I did.

"I'm afraid there's too much to tell," Chiron says. "I'm afraid our usual orientation film won't be sufficient.

"Orientation film?" (Y/n) asks, quirking an eyebrow.

"No," Chiron decides. "Well, Percy, (Y/n). You know your friend Grover is a satyr. You know -" he points to the horn in the shoebox - "that you have killed the Minotaur. No small feat, either. What you may not know is that the great powers are at work. Gods - the forces you call the Greek gods - are very much alive."

I stare at the others around the table.

I wait for somebody to yell, Not! but all I get is Mr. D yelling, "Oh, a royal marriage. Trick! Trick!" He cackles as he tallies up his points.

"Mr. D," Grover asks timidly, "if you're not going to eat it, could I have your Diet Coke can?"

"Eh? Oh, all right."

Grover bites a huge shard out of the empty aluminum can and chews it.

"Wait," I tell Chiron as (Y/n) sits down on the edge of my chair. "You're telling me there's such a thing as God."

"Well, now," Chiron says. "God—capital G, God. That's a different matter altogether. We shan't deal with the metaphysical."

"Metaphysical? But you were just talking about—"

"Ah, gods, plural, as in, great beings that control the forces of nature and human endeavors: the immortal gods of Olympus. That's a smaller matter."

"Smaller?"

"Yes, quite. The gods we discussed in Latin class.

"Zeus," I say. "Hera. Apollo. You mean them."

And there it was again—distant thunder on a cloudless day.

"Young man," says Mr. D, "I would really be less casual about throwing those names around if I were you."

"But they're stories," I say. "They're—myths, to explain lightning and the seasons and stuff. They're what people believed before there was science."

"Science!" Mr. D scoff. "And tell me, Perseus Jackson"—I flinch when he says my real name, which I never told anybody—"what will people think of your 'science' two thousand years from now?" Mr. D continues. "Hmm? They will call it primitive mumbo jumbo. That's what. Oh, I love mortals—they have absolutely no sense of perspective. They think they've come so-o-o far. And have they, Chiron? Look at this boy and tell me."

"Percy," Chiron says, "you may choose to believe or not, but the fact is that immortal means immortal. Can you imagine that for a moment, never dying? Never fading? Existing, just as you are, for all time?"

"You mean, whether people believed in you or not," (Y/n) says.

"Exactly," Chiron agrees. "If you were a god, how would you like being called a myth, an old story to explain lightning? What if I told you Perseus and (Y/n) Jackson, that someday people would call you a myth, just created to explain how children can get over losing their mothers."

My heart pounds. He's trying to make me angry for some reason, but I wasn't going to let him. I say, "I wouldn't like it. But I don't believe in gods."

"Oh, you'd better," Mr. D murmurs. "Before one of them incinerates you."

Grover pleads, "P-please, sir. He's just lost his mother. He's in shock."

"A lucky thing, too," Mr. D grumbles, playing a card. "Bad enough I'm confined to this miserable job, working with boys who don't even believe!" He waves his hand and a goblet appears on the table, as if the sunlight had bent, momentarily, and woven the air into glass. The goblet fills itself with red wine.

"You're Dionysus," (Y/n) says and Mr. D looks at her. "The god of wine."

Mr. D nods then stares at me as I say, "You're a god."

"Yes, child."

"A god. You."

He turns to look at me straight on, and I see a kind of purplish fire in his eyes, a hint that this whiny, plump little man is only showing me the tiniest bit of his true nature. I see visions of grapevines choking unbelievers to death, drunken warriors insane with battle lust, sailors screaming as their hands turn to flippers, their faces elongating into dolphin snouts. I know that if I push him, Mr. D would show me worse things. He would plant a disease in my brain that would leave me wearing a straitjacket in a rubber room for the rest of my life.

"Would you like to test me, child?" he says quietly.

"No. No, sir."

The fire dies a little; he turns back to his card game. "I believe I win."

"Not quite, Mr. D," Chiron says. He sets down a straight, tallies the points, and says, "The game goes to me."

I think Mr. D is going to vaporize Chiron right out of his wheelchair, but he just sighs through his nose, as if he were used to being beaten by the Latin teacher. He gets up, and Grover rises, too.

"I'm tired," Mr. D says. "I believe I'll take a nap before the sing-along tonight. But first, Grover, we need to talk, again, about your less-than-perfect performance on this assignment."

Grover's face beads with sweat. "Y-yes, sir."

Mr. D turned to me. "Cabin eleven, Percy Jackson. And mind your manners." He sweeps into the farmhouse, Grover following miserably.

"Will Grover be okay?" I ask Chiron.

Chiron nods, though he looks a little troubled. "Old Dionysus isn't really mad. He just hates his job. He's been . . . ah, grounded, I guess you would say, and he can't stand waiting another century before he's allowed to go back to Olympus."

"Mount Olympus," I say. "You're telling me there is really a palace there?"

"Well now, there's Mount Olympus in Greece. And then there's the home of the gods, the convergence point of their powers, which did indeed used to be on Mount Olympus. It's still called Mount Olympus, out of respect to the old ways, but the palace moves, Percy, just as the gods do."

"You mean the Greek gods are here? Like...in America?"

"The what?"

"Western civilization?" (Y/n) guesses and Chiron nods for her to continue. "It started in Greece, then spread to Rome, right?"

"That's correct, Miss (Y/n)," Chiron says.

"And then they died?" I ask, looking between my Latin teacher and my sister.

"Died? No. Did the West die? The gods simply moved, to Germany, to France, to Spain, for a while. Wherever the flame was brightest, the gods were there. They spent several centuries in England. All you need to do is look at the architecture. People do not forget the gods. Every place they've ruled, for the last three thousand years, you can see them in paintings, in statues, on the most important buildings. And yes, Percy, of course, they are now in your United States. Look at your symbol, the eagle of Zeus. Look at the statue of Prometheus in Rockefeller Center, the Greek facades of your government buildings in Washington. I defy you to find any American city where the Olympians are not prominently displayed in multiple places. Like it or not—and believe me, plenty of people weren't very fond of Rome, either —America is now the heart of the flame. It is the great power of the West. And so Olympus is here. And we are here."

"Who are you, Chiron? Who . . . who am I? Who . . . who are we?"

Chiron smiles. He shifts his weight as if he was going to get up out of his wheelchair, but I know that was impossible. He's paralyzed from the waist down.

"Who are you?" he muses. "Well, that's the question we all want answered, isn't it? But for now, we should get you a bunk in cabin eleven. There will be new friends to meet. And plenty of time for lessons tomorrow. Besides, there will be s'mores at the campfire tonight, and I simply adore chocolate."

And then he does rise from his wheelchair. But there's something odd about the way he did it. His blanket falls away from his legs, but the legs don't move. His waist keeps getting longer, rising above his belt. At first, I think he's was wearing very long, white velvet underwear, but as he keeps rising out of the chair, taller than any man, I realize that the velvet underwear wasn't underwear; it was the front of an animal, muscle and sinew under coarse white fur. And the wheelchair isn't a chair. It was some kind of container, an enormous box on wheels, and it must've been magic, because there's no way it could've held all of him. A leg comes out, long and knobby-kneed, with a huge polished hoof. Then another front leg, then hindquarters, and then the box was empty, nothing but a metal shell with a couple of fake human legs attached.

I stare at the horse who had just sprung from the wheelchair: a huge white stallion. But where its neck should be was the upper body of my Latin teacher, smoothly grafted to the horse's trunk.

"You're a centaur!" (Y/n) says in awe, and Chiron's eyes sparkle with amusement as he nods.

"What a relief," the centaur says. "I'd been cooped up in there so long, my fetlocks had fallen asleep. Now, come, Percy and (Y/n) Jackson. Let's meet the other campers."

Word Count: 3702 words

[rustycottoncandy]

My speculations for the new The Owl House episodes based on the trailer

OH BOY HERE WE GO!

The Owl House has been on hiatus for some months now and it comes back in only three days, so I've got to say my speculations before watching the episodes before they come out!

Also don't expect too much. I am not the best person at making theories.

These speculations are based on the season 2b trailer, which you can see here.

/!\ SPOILER WARNING /!\

Note: I have decided to not comment the ones that didn't give me much to theorize about.

Clip one: Luz and King flying above a purple-shaded sea with owlbert. Some rocks can be seen behind.

Hmm, rocks and a sea... I mean we've seen a few already but for some reason this is giving me King's homecastle vibes. Like, the place we saw on Echoes of the Past, which leads me to believe that they'll probably visit that place again in the future. The reason is unknown, though.

Clip two: Luz and Gus staying behind Willow with a scared face while she, determined, creates a plant spell. Her hair has grown, by the way.

This one doesn't really give much stuff to theorize about; only that they're probably scaping from or fighting something dangerous. Willow's larger hair might mean that some time has happened between the last time we saw her and this episode.

Clip three: Luz using an ice glyph with a hat on in some sort of... sand cave with pilars...? I don't think we've seen this place before so woo, new place to see! Also she looked pretty furious, so I'm assuming she's fighting someone. Don't know who or why, but it's something.

Clip four: An angry Eda taking off some sort of jacket/cape with vines behind her.

I know this is assuming way too much, but if she's wearing a jacket maybe it is to hide or sneak somewhere, so I think maybe she's sneaking somewhere in this episode and since the vines might've been created with a plant glyph, there's trouble.

Clip five: Surprised Luz and Amity gasping.

My brain inmediately went: Mouse. I think this might have something to do with the echo mouse and the portal. Maybe a new discovery, or the portal wrking as it's supposed to.

Clip six: A new character???

I don't think we've seen this character before, and if we have, I don't remember, so horray! New character!

Clip seven: Tibbles being punched by an abomination's fist.

For some reason I just think he messed with Amity but that's just an assumption of mine.

Clip eight: An abomination attacking four students of Hexide.

I think maybe they've teamed up for something? Although all of them being from Hexide makes me think that maybe this is an exam to test their habilities.

Clip nine: Young Lilith holding a ball and gasping terrified.

Maybe this has something to do with the Owl Beast? I'm not sure at all, we haven't got any context haha.

Clip ten: A mouth-headed person breathing fire???

I don't know what to speculate from this- but all I can think of is a fight or something.

Clip eleven: Hunter being dragged from the sky to the floor with a vine spell... AT HEXSIDE?!?!?! He's with his palisment Humbert, and I cannot affirm this, but I think he's wearing the Hexside uniform.

Luz did say that Hunter looked like he could be a student at Hexide the first time she saw him without his mask, so... what if he joins Hexide at some point?

Or maybe he's just sneaking in. Both options work, I guess.

Clip thirteen: Harpy Eda!

What if the owl beast and Eda are now working together? Just an idea!

Clip fifteen: Young Raine and yown Eda frowning their eyes, then a small clip of our actual Raine, his glasses' reflect slightly moving.

RAINE'S ALIVE!! Something tells me this episode might be about them scaping who captured them.

Clip seventeen: Luz activating what is most likely the gass spell.

I think she's either sneaking somewhere or scaping someone. Not much I can think about, my apologies-

Clip twenty six: Luz, porta-Hooty and King wandering around a castle-like place with King-like people around.

King's hometown?!?! This leads me to believe Hooty splitted King's father's letter up and that it might lead to that place, so who knows, maybe we get to see him!!

Clip I lost the count: Hunter flying with Humbert... WITH THE HEXSIDE UNIFORM?

It's set! Or I think it is! Hunter's joining Hexside! I wonder why, though, and how Emperor Belos might take that.

From what we see in his uniform, he's joining the potions track.

[blueeyedheizer]

Alive Again - Billy/Four x reader

TW: Language, Blood

--------------

"Eight, I need a hand !"

"Well I'm kind of busy right now. Why don't you ask Five?" You spat, still keeping an eye on your target from behind your sniper rifle. Four groaned at your answer and you rolled your eyes, holding your weapon firmly.

"Come on Eight, now's not the time to be a little bitch! I need backup!"

"Fuck you, Four."

"For God's sake can you two shut up already? I feel like i'm working with actual children!" One barked from the other side of the mic, and you could tell he was definitely getting angry at your childish attitude. There wasn't a day where you and Four weren't fighting, and every mission ended with you two yelling at each other for the silliest reasons.

"Eight, you go help Four, end of discussion." One continued.

"I'm on the other side of the goddamn building, how the fuck am I supposed to make it without dying !" You yelled, clearly loosing your patience as well.

"Two's got you covered, you're not dying today, got it? Now get a hold of yourself and go!" You let out a loud sigh and checked your surroundings carefully before running reluctantly towards the opposite direction of your target. You hated being given a task out of nowhere. You weren't very self-assured so everything you did had to be planned or you just weren't ready for it. The thing is, One didn't seem to get it and that pissed you off more than anything.

Your race against time was abruptly interrupted as soon as you stepped inside one of the building's luxurious rooms; a guard bursted in the room at the same time as you and aimed his gun at you, his finger firmly placed around the trigger.

That's it. I'm dying today. You thought.

The guy took a step closer to you, the grip on his gun tighter than it was seconds ago making you hold your hands up in defense.

"Drop your gun." the man threatened and you shook your head no.

"I said drop your fucking gun!" before you could even process what was happening, a loud bang was heard and the man's dead body fell on the floor, making you scream. His head was half gone and he was already laying in a pool of his own blood. You let out a scream in horror. "Holy fucking shit!"

"You're welcome." Two said, exhaling a deep sigh of relief. "Almost missed him." She tried to joke, but you weren't in the mood for that. Without letting yourself think too much, you swallowed hard and started running as fast as you could. You were used to seeing dead people since you joined the Underground but it was never easy to witness. You might have been declared dead but your feelings definitely didn't die with that part of you.

"Why did I get myself into this?" you whispered to yourself before continuing your way to find Four. You couldn't help but have some regrets about joining the Underground. Watching your family mourn you at your own funeral was one of the hardest thing to do, and you often felt like all of this wasn't worth it. Most of your missions were complete disasters, and the fact that all of you were still alive to this day was a miracle.

xx

After running for what seemed an eternity, you finally reached the opposite side of the building where Four was supposed to be.

"Alright asshole, back to you. Where are you?" you called.

No answer

"Four! Do you copy?"

"Eight-." his mic was crackling. He was in trouble. Just by hearing him say your code name, you could tell he was breathless, almost struggling to speak. You let out a gasp when a bullet flew right next to you, and you rushed to the closest safe place you could find.

"Shit! Guys, I think I'm surrounded."

"Yeah, there's three guys hot on your heels, but I've got them in sight. They won't follow you for too long. Keep running." Seven answered and you nodded before going back to making your way inside the building. "Four i'm gonna need some indications. Where are you?"

Still no answer.

"Four?" Your heart began to race when you heard fighting sounds and screams of pain coming from your mic.

"Eight...please, help..."

"I'm on my way. But I need to know where you are. Give me a hint. Anything you can tell me."

"He's gonna kill me."

"Fuck's sake...Just hang on. I'm coming to you." The mic made another crackling sound and then went silent.

"Guys we've got a problem" Three interrupted.

"God, what now?" you answered, your heart beating faster with every passing second.

"The cops are everywhere, we have to go now. They'll be surrounding the whole building anytime from now." You started running faster, being careful to check if every corner around you was clear.

"Eight, you have to come back. We're running out of time." One said through the mic.

"No, fuck this. I'm not leaving anyone behind. Just go without me, we'll find a way to get back to you guys."

One let out a sigh and rubbed his face with his hands. He was definitely not approving your decision but chose to let you handle the situation anyway. "Alright. Good luck. Don't die."

You closed your eyes tightly, realizing what you were doing. You were walking right into the lion's den, and you got yourself into it on your own.

Quickly, you dashed behind a wall, hiding from any potential enemy. You tried to catch your breath but your bulletproof vest was making it harder. After a few seconds, you peeked around and made your way towards a corridor where you could hear punches being thrown along with some loud crashing.

xx

You finally found Four after what felt like an eternity. He was being beaten up horribly, and you could hardly believe the scene in front of you. Four looked completely helpless, the pain was so unbearable that he didn't even bother screaming for help. You immediately grabbed your gun and shot the guy on top of him, and you heart sank at the sight in front of you. Four's face was covered in bruises, and dried blood matted his hair against his forehead. You held out your hand for him to take and told the team you'd found him. One, Three and Seven were arguing on the other side, but you weren't listening.

"You good?"

Four groaned and grabbed your hand, standing up painfully. "Yeah."

"What the hell happened?"

"Since when do you care?" he spat and you scoffed, trying to hide how hurt you were after hearing those words.

"Yeah, whatever. Let's go. We're running out of time"

----

Back to the HQ, you were sitting in front of your trailer, watching as Five took care of Four's multiple bruises. You couldn't help but feel angry at the sight of them being together. Was it jealousy? No. It couldn't be. You let out an unintentional scoff when you heard her laugh at something Four had said.

"So....Have you two fucked yet?" Two asked, taking a long drag of her cigarette and getting you out of your thoughts. You choked on your drink, making her chuckle.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"Wha- Why on earth would I want to fuck him? I can't fucking stand him." you spat, throwing a cold glare towards his and Five's direction.

"Of course you don't. You just risked your life for someone you hate, nothing weird 'bout that. I would definitely do that too." Two answered as a smirk appeared on her face.

"Oh, fuck off Two. I don't like him. He's- he's selfish, self-centered, ungrateful and he's- he's....he's just a fucking asshole!" You yelled. Two was taken aback by your reaction, not expecting you to take her teasing so seriously. Everyone was looking at you, including Four and Five, and you'd never felt so exposed before. You could feel your cheeks began to burn so you shook your head and went inside your trailer, slamming the door shut behind you.

xx

You were laying on your bed when you got startled by the sound of your door opening. You sat up and groaned when your eyes met Four's.

"Haven't you heard of knocking? What do you want?" You got up from your bed and walked to the opposite direction of him, turning your back at him.

"Five told me I should say thank you for saving my life so, here I am." he was standing awkwardly in front of the door, his hand buried in his pockets. You scoffed.

"Yeah whatever. You're welcome, I guess. Now get out."

"What's your problem, Eight? Seriously. What's this all about?" he suddenly spat, making you turn around. "What did I ever do for you to hate me so much?" he added.

"What's my problem? I risked my fucking life for someone who wouldn't do the slightest for me, that's my goddamn problem !" you yelled, not even caring if the others could hear you. Tears were threatening to fall from your eyes but you fought hard to hold them back. Four stayed silent for a moment, not knowing what to say. He broke the silence after a few seconds.

"You know that's not true, Eight." his voice was soft. So much softer than it had been only a moment before, which only made you want to cry harder.

You scoffed again and shook your head. "Oh come on. You and I both know it's true."

"Eight, come on..." Four took a few steps towards you and reached for your arm but you pulled back quickly, as if his touch would burn your skin.

"Y/N."

"What?"

"My name. It's Y/N."

Four could see how sad and broken you were, and to his own surprise he found himself wishing he could make all your pain go away. You two just stood there for a moment, not knowing what to say. Four was obviously not expecting this when he walked into your trailer. He thought you'd be fighting again like you always did, but finding you so broken was the very last thing he expected to be confronted to. This time you were the first one to break the silence.

"I'm not the person I used to be." You confessed. "I can't even recognize myself and I don't know why I act the way I do." You choked out, as Four watched you with a sympathetic expression. "I'm so fucking pathetic I just-, I'm so sorry."

"Come here, Y/N." He opened his arms for you and you walked into them without hesitation, not caring about anything else at the moment. Him calling you by your real name was enough for you to let go and put all your bitterness aside. No one had ever held you since you joined the Underground, this being one year ago. But that's all you needed. To know that you were still a human being, worthy of being loved and cared about. You allowed yourself to sob against Four's shoulder, something you never thought you'd ever do.

"I just want to feel alive again."

[oceanivoxjoquainx]

Let's talk about Eric Effiong

Let's be honest Eric's storyline and characterization is one of the most appealing out of all the characters in Sex Education periodt. A true gay, fierce, Drag QUEEN and I feel like ranting about this amazing force of nature. (Spoilers. Duh.)

When I saw the trailer for Sex Education it didnt even hit me that Eric was gay until I read the synopsis. Was just like "Oh I wonder which one of these three mains are the gay one people keep talking about" even after I saw him in drag like a dumbass 😣😂. Personally im glad we've reached a point where gay guys aren't overly feminine and even the brightest colours won't differ a character from the rest (unless I'm just a blind bish and he was obviously gay from the trailer) ei 👏🏾 ther 👏🏾 way; his character was refreshing when I started watching the show. I immediately clicked with him and knew what every look he gave or hand gesture he did meant. Felt nice. When Adam pushed him into the locker for the first time and started with the heterohomoerotic bs I knew that Adam had a raging boner for Eric and was another internalized homophobic bully™ and wasn't really excited for what was to come but I knew it was coming and tbh I liked it in the end.

Eric and Otis' friendship is so pure. Like?!? Get me a straight supportive bestie lilke Otis? Ik they fought but even then Otis was respectful and kept his boundaries and let Eric go through the motions before immediately belting into an apology at the first chance he got. Their dancing scene?!? Iconic. The fact that Eric sees Otis' house as safe and another home?!? Iconic. Otis going drag with Eric to watch an LGBT+ movie as a TRADITION (meaning they've done it numerous times)?!?! Iconic. The fact that Otis was straight up ditching Eric and Eric STILL tolerated him and let him do his thing without too much pressure!?! The most iconic of them all. Just pure love and respect all around.

I am so proud of Erics growth over the course of the season starting from a naive and scared gay doormat to facing homophia and getting beat up by those assholes on his birthday no less to losing his best friend and becoming depressed to channeling that anger into defending himself when people tried him to getting his sparkle back and coming back more fierce that ever before.

Speaking of him getting his sparkle back lets talk about that and why that scene is so important. A random guy asked Eric for directions and Eric noticed his nails were polished and the guy was wearing earrings and he was a big ole black dude. He was like Eric. When Eric noticed that the guy was out, loud, glamorous and proud he immediately switched back into the bright colourful and wonderfully gay Eric we all know and love.

THIS IS WHY REPRESENTATION MATTERS!!!!

It shows people that its okay to be who they actually are and inspires those who are lost to find or return to their true selves. Representation isn't just some offhand thing to throw on a character last minute. And even if you can relate to other characters who arent like you, it is always an amazing feeling to have a character that IS like you. It turned Eric from a popularity seeking doormat into a hurricane with 6 inch heels who was ready to straight up beat down a bully he's had for 4 years. It even inspired him to go back to church and rejoin a community that he closed off. That's exactly how it feels to have someone successful in the media and your life to look up to. Eric only interacted with that man for a few minutes but those few minutes changed his life for the better. So that's a lovely reminder for all who love to bash representation.

Back tracking to Eric's dull colourless period after the attack and his fight with Otis. It was saddening to see one of the brightest characters go dull and even the school felt it. He turned from a guy who rarely stood up for himself and what he wanted into the sass master he reserved only for his friends. All of his built up anger was released causing him to explode on Mr Hendricks (who is adorable tbh and just trying to do his best) and Anwar (I was proud of that punch you go glenn co co) and he even sounded off on his dad who he's usually passive aggressive to at worst. Just goes to show that the happiest faces can harbor the biggest pains and can snap. Moral of the story? Protect the happy few.

Eric also has a great family. Like that obviously know Erics gay and wears dresses because its all right there in his room which his parents enter at their leisure and while it seems that they're a bit homophobic its revealed that they (Erics dad at least) just wants Eric to be safe as he's already a target for being black and apart of an immigant family. He accepts Eric for who he is and what he does he just doesnt want anyone else to give him shit for it and if that's not one of the sweetest things in this world idek what is. Eric and his dad was probably one of my favorite dynamics in the show and watching his dad slowly fully accept that his son was strong and able to stand for himself he was able to become stronger too. This dynamic is important because I never see any gay black characters have a close relationship with their fathers and it was very heartwarming to watch.

Now onto Erics love life. He has a crush on the highschools other only gay guy Anwar who's the typical mean sassy gay we've all come to expect in highschool dramas. Otis saying that Eric doesnt have to have a crush on the only other openly gay guy at school was such a mood as its commonly shown that any gays in close proximity should get together. When Eric punched him I internally went "Finally!" Because all those jeers were becoming annoying. I'm glad Anwar got to come out to his mum over it though. And straight up told the audience that Eric didn't like feminine guys (alluding to him and Adams eventual clean up scene as of we didn't see it coming already).

Moving on to Adam tho, like I said we all been knew that this

was indeed coming and even though I hate the bully x bullied trope I still ended up liking it and hoping that Adam would change. The building up to that kiss was long awaited from episode 1 straight through to 8 with all the longing looks that Adam kept side glancing Eric with and the face cupping and the growls and the lingering touches. I just kept going sthdjksksbslaldbd when one of those moments happened followed shortly after with disgust because gays falling for their abuser is washed up but then immediately going back to jajaklamabsldkd because im shipping trash so 🤷🏿. Eric stepping to Adam in at the ball was one of the most iconic scenes of the show (along with the "Its My Vagina" scene) and the exchange between him and Adam gave be actual chills. The tension was THICCCC. Erics OUTFIT to the ball gave me chills 😭😭 dude came to slay and had everyone at that school proper shook and I honestly could NOT be more proud. I was hoping Adam would become a better person over the course of the season but nope so hopefully they cover all the issues that Adam has in season 2 and properly give him a redeption arc cuz he's still a trashy pos he's just a disaster bi on top of it. (Adam immediately going to suck Eric off is confidence I can only dream of achieving 💀💀) The lab scene was also cute but made me mad because how could Adam look scared, confident and still be a douchebag all in the span of a few seconds was beyond me. A+ acting on Connor Swindells part. I can see why Adam would have to stay in the closet and keep their... relationship?? a secret because it seems like Headmaster Groff would be a homophobic piece of shit and would add to the ever growing list of things Adam did wrong. Even so it doesn't excuse the fact that Adam is in fact a bully and Eric deserves much better. Was sad seeing Adam being driven off from Eric in the end tho. Eric thought that Adam didn't want to see him at all and was probably heartbroken and probably thinks Adam left because of him (my poor baby 😭😭). I feel bad for Adam too because he was just starting to express himself and was at the beginning of a redemption arc when he was just wisked away from the boy he's loved for what seems to be a very long time. I just want my boys to be happy and non toxic and I wish their relationship and them all the best in Season 2.

Eric Effiong is my favorite character in the show and I really want to thank Ncuti Gatwa for portraying him so well and for the shows writers who gave him a very fleshed out character with an amazing storyline and conclusion. His growth was incredible and his strength is immeasurable. I'm 100% certain that he will be a character the community remembers for years to come. Patiently now waiting on what's to come in Season 2 💙🙌🏾.

[boondockerblog]

It was such a joy this morning to run alone - no cars, no people, no noise, no man-made objects in our view. Only brilliant sun, blue sky, soaring mountains, and lots of rocks and cactus.

Day 41 and 42  - Quartzsite

These are days to just exist in our daily routine - like the desert just exists doing it's daily routine of sun and wind and super slow change. So we get up with the sun, Maddie and I run, Bill reads the news and does the endless vacuuming, windows, etc of desert or forest motorhome life. I do work emails. We sheet dressed. We cook, eat breakfast and clean up. I work on office projects and have meetings. Bill does various motorhome projects and plans the taxes.

We take an exploration hike or play Frisbee with Maddie. We cook, enjoy dinnerbamd clean up. We read, write and/or watch a movie. We get ready for bed and sleep surrounded by outdoors in our 3 walls of windows bedroom.

...and repeat.

This may sound like a mundane way to use a few days but, number 1 - we've spent the last 17 days driving to a different place each day or at friends' homes so could use some routine, and number 2 - each "routine" day has additions to the routine.  A sampling:

The first night we got to the desert in the dark, and after the slow drive up the bumpy road (that most won't tough out) we didn't even try to scout out the perfect place. We just stopped. The next morning, running, I found something and before dinner we all walked there to see if we should try it.  The answer - yes - so moved.

Every so often Bill puts up the TV antenna hoping, in the no man's lands that we try to find, hoping for some regular channel (or any channel). One night we found Perry Mason - I loved to watch it with my Dad as a little girl.  Boy have attorney and crime solving shows changed.  It was a cultural experience just to be reminded of how people talked, thought about races, religions, sexes and people in authority in the early 60s.

Finding a TV channel allowed us, sadly, to see the news as they turned a simple snow storm and below normal cold into a life threatening event (it has been nice the past 6 weeks to be away from the news media). So our location had a 32 degree low predicted (usual 45 or so). I was all prepared at running time to need heavy gloves and ear muffs . But it felt nowhere near 32 degrees.  Had we not seen the news I'd not have known and would have just dressed for what it felt like (I think when we get home, surrounded again by the trappings of phone weather and the news I'm going to go outside to see what the weather is like I do in the motorhome).

When we were in Quartzsite 3 weeks ago Bill found that only 100 yds from us was a road that went into town. Running I looked at it and thought  it looked like all the other washes (stopping  and starting). No way or was a road or we'd see more people way out here. Now we were parked aost o it so we ran it, and guess what,  it does go all the way into town (about 4 miles).  About 200 yds past us it does a huge and sideways dip, gets narrow and has deep tire tracks suited only for ATVs or small trucks. But still, a road.

We bought slate for kitchen and bathroom backsplash 18 days ago in Cathedral City with Jim and Wally but hadn't had time to put it in. Today was the day and it made almost as much difference as the carpet (see Day 26).

We discovered that we were low on oil in the generator and the oil we had with us miss have been used already.  Neither one of us wanted to drive to town (30 minutes to go a few miles) until we had to water.  So we just planned to not use it - we can do everything the battery except toaster oven, microwave and high heat on the hairdryer dryer. and what happened. After a dinner toasting bread in a frying pan, a breakfast toasting bread under the oven pilot light, 15 minutes of reving the engine to give the battery enough umph to keep the hair dryer going Bill decided to go buy some oil from people in a trailer way up by the road. He came back to tell the story - they didn't have any but they were going in their truck into town and would be happy to get what we needed.  A couple hours later they drove it to us.  Never met them before, likely never see  them again as they're leaving tomorrow. A reminder that we're all in this together.