#if you believe Henry’s a copy that’s fine

[soniccrazygal]

I don’t know why everyone is so quick to believe that the Henry trapped in the studio is just a copy of the real Henry. Sure, Henry admits he’s realized he isn’t human but that doesn’t mean he isn’t the real Henry. Sacrificing people to turn them into ink creatures is a main staple of the story after all. And yes, Joey says the Henry in the studio is a copy, but Joey is a known liar.

[madelynraemunson]

mini series

GO BACK | NEXT LEVEL 🔒 | theme song: new divide - linkin park

player zero: level one

ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴍᴇᴛᴀQᴜᴇꜱᴛ ᴄʜᴏᴏꜱᴇꜱ ʏᴏᴜ — ᴀ ꜱᴛʀᴀɴɢᴇ�� ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ ꜱᴜᴘᴇʀ ꜰᴀɴ — ᴛᴏ ᴛᴇꜱᴛ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴠɪʀᴛᴜᴀʟ ʀᴇᴀʟɪᴛʏ (ᴠʀ) ɢᴀᴍᴇ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴀꜱ ᴠᴇɢᴀꜱ ꜱᴘʜᴇʀᴇ, ʏᴏᴜ ꜱᴏᴍᴇʜᴏᴡ ꜰɪɴᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀꜱᴇʟꜰ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴄᴛᴜᴀʟ ꜱʜᴏᴡ.

I remember black skies, the lightning all around me.

disclaimers: 18+, psychological thriller, blood, violence, sexual themes, swearing, reader interacts with the st characters, eddie falls for reader who goes by “zero/000, player zero”, reader’s gender identity isn’t specified but does have a vagina, unintentional plot divergence, upside down exists, vecna/001/henry exists, everything is basically canon until reader shows up… 😳, joseph quinn cameo at the end | pairing: eddie munson x reader x joseph quinn

a/n: enjoy everyone! i’m sorry this took so long to come out but i am committed to only releasing my best work to you guys 🩶 i hope you all enjoy level 001!!

[WC: 2.0k words]

“Player Zero…do you copy?”

🎮

By the grace of your headset, you begin to scan the dark, almost void-like, aperture that’s hijacked your surroundings.

“Copy,” you report back to James.

“Excellent.”

Everything around you is black, a noisy puddle sits at your feet. The room is crisp from the AC, and the props smell like rubber tires. And soon, with a push of a button, you will come face to face with the Mind Flayer, saving everyone from this ill-fated town once and for all.

You can’t believe this. What thousands will pay to do, you get to experience for free, having been one of the few selected to try out the new Stranger Things: Virtual Reality Game at the Las Vegas Sphere. (Not to mention, you're the biggest Stranger Things fan in your hometown and quite possibly the biggest Joseph Quinn fan in the state of Nevada).

Eddie's death left you completely shattered. He just fit in so well with the older members of the party that you were almost certain the Duffers would keep him around. But to your despair, alongside many others, they did what they do best and killed off another fan favorite.

But there was something beautiful that came out of Eddie's death. Because of Stranger Things 4, Joseph Quinn has been getting booked for acting gigs left and right, getting asked to come to fan conventions, and you were able to find a community on Tumblr who shared the same love for him and Eddie Munson, and with that notion alone, means the silly metalhead lives on through you guys.

Your dream is to meet Joe one day. You’ve been frantically saving up for the day you get to hug him and thank him for everything he’s done for you and others. Whenever that may be. Until then, all you could do is support his work and contribute to all of his supporting franchises. Much like this one.

“I can’t wait to tell all my mutuals all about this game,” you think to yourself.

James permits you to walk around in order to adapt to your environment. You’re already planning what to tell your friends based on your observations so far. But since pictures aren't allowed, your phone remains in your back pocket for the time being.

“Alright Player Zero,” your guide further instructs you. “You’re going to walk through the gate. And from there the game will begin.”

“And what if I need to pee?”

The comment earns you a chuckle from James. “That’s fine. You’ll just have to take your headset off and call out to me.”

James asks you if you have any other questions. You couldn’t help yourself.

“Will I interact with any characters? Like Eddie?”

“No Eddie unfortunately, it’s primarily the Mind Flayer,” James answers honestly. “Goal of the game is to fight the monster.”

“Understood,” you pout in disappointment.

“Hey but I’ll be surprised if you run into anyone though,” James laughs. “Tell ‘em I say hi if you do.”

Just then, a neon orange projection appears from the corner of your eyes, followed by some squelching noises that gnaw uncomfortably at your ears. And as you get closer to it, you can hear the shrieks of some very familiar, unearthly creatures.

“Walk through the gate now, Zero,” James instructs you.

You take a deep breath, a little scared at how vivid the graphics are but reassuring yourself that all of this is just a game.

“Walking,” you report.

Hobbling into the gate, the synthetic warmth massages your ankle as you squeeze your way on in. You land on the bottom tier, a floor below the floor you started on... one that you weren't aware existed until you continued to walk around.

“This isn’t so bad,” you mutter to yourself.

Just then, the noise around you cuts off and your headset broadcasts to black.

Tssssss.

Unsure whether or not this was part of the game, you continue to tread around the nothingness that is around you. Holding your arms out to keep your balance doesn’t seem to help, because the more you graze onto nothing, the more panicked you become.

This is odd. Where’s the Mind Flayer?

“James?!” you call out, your heart nearly beating out of your chest now.

Nothing.

Suddenly, obnoxious TV static overpowers your headspace. It’s accompanied by lightheadedness, the brightness of it all mercilessly stinging your eyes, and the high-pitched feedback noise that soon fills your ears is probably enough to make you go deaf for the day. Great, now you know why this is a trial run.

“James!” you hiss again quietly. “Anyone?!”

No response. You were never warned about this part. Was this even supposed to happen?

Absolutely frustrated now, you reach for your headset to get out of the game yourself. But to your surprise, you’re stunned to have gotten two palms full of your hair, and part of your face. There was no headset on your head. You’re walking in a void of nothingness, with no one around to help you.

“I need to pee…” is your final attempt to connect with somebody.

The ear-piercing, scratching sounds start up once again. This time grainier, louder. It continues for a while as you run around in a panic before halting to complete radio. silence.

“Wh-” you pant. “What’s happeni-”

JOLT!

“OH SHIT!”

You’re then met with an abrupt, devastating PUSH that sends you flying across the room and down — what you could only describe as — an endless black hole. Your hand clutches at your chest as an attempt to soothe yourself. You’re almost sure your heart stopped for a minute due to absolute shock.

SMACK!

In a millisecond, your body lands on a prickly patch that you soon make up to be loose straws of hay. Blending into the scenery now is that of a remote grass field, with the smell of fresh trees and newly cut blades of grass dancing around your nose.

You can’t think of any place in Las Vegas that would have a barren field like this. Nor can you think of a town nearby with this much of a Midwestern flare, this much empty — and grassy — land, and this much Kodak green undertone to its atmosphere. Unless…

It can’t possibly be. Are you in Hawkins?

You're standing around like an idiot trying to figure out how this could've possibly happened.

You knew this experience was 'all-immersive', but judging by the description, you were supposed to be taken to the Upside Down... and the backwoods by Reefer Rick's hideout was a long commute from. Was this Mind Fight going to be after-the-fact?

Trudging towards Reefer Rick’s now, you begin to think of other ways to get James' attention. But when you hear the faint voice of someone else coming from inside the abandoned lake house, suddenly getting out of the game becomes less of a priority.

“Eddie…” the familiar voice softly commands.

Eddie?

The voice you register belongs to no one other than Gaten Matarazzo, or Dustin Henderson in this sense. But that’s impossible, you think to yourself. James said that there were no characters in the game.

“We are on... your side...”

Oh, it’s this scene. Peaking through the door that was open a mere three inches, you're stunned to see the four dimensional manifestations of the characters you've grown to love right in front of your very eyes.

IMPOSSIBLE.

It's them. You almost stumble backwards when you see Sadie Sink and Maya Hawke alongside Gaten; and despite having their backs towards you, you know it is for sure them, and not some workers hired to play the part.

Your eyes travel to the corner of the room. Very much to your surprise, evident by the butterflies in your stomach, you're met with Joe Keery as Steve Harrington, and Joseph Quinn... the love of your life... in the flesh... your Eddie. Both characters are too focused on each other to even register your presence. If they are even able to see you at all.

You continue to be the fly on the wall while taking a few collected deep breaths. There's no way that they're in front of you right now. There's no way a whole SCENE from the show is panning out in front of you right now. Almost as if it's real time.

“I swear on my mother!” Gaten Dustin continues, trying to reason with Eddie so he can drop the knife and let go of Steve. He turns to the others for help.

“Right?! Guys?!”

“Yes, yes we swear,” the party clamors together in attempts to calm Eddie down.

“On Dustin’s mother,” Maya Robin attempts.

“Yeah, Dustin’s…Dustin’s mother…”

Keery’s voice is strained as he gulps in fear. Reasonably so, because there’s a knife pointed at his throat in this scene.

You clear yours at the doorway, causing everyone to deadpan to you in shock. So they can see you. And sure enough when this happens, that’s when your gaze lands on him. And his gaze lands on you.

It’s insane. It’s like you are looking Joseph Quinn in the eyes, but at the same time, it’s not him. It is literally — Eddie Munson. He's even more beautiful than you imagined.

“On Dustin’s mother?” you speak.

“Jesus, where did YOU spawn from?!” Gaten Dustin exclaims.

“Who’s that?” Sadie Max wonders.

“I…don’t know,” Maya Robin answers.

Immediately, Dustin runs to shield Eddie from your sight. But it’s already too late. And plus, Eddie’s eyes have already met yours. Studied yours.

“I’m…” you speak. “I’m here to help.”

You figured while James figures out what the actual fuck is wrong, that you’d interact with the characters. They’re right in front of you after all, and actually responding.

"I'm Zero..." you explain to them. "I'm not... I'm not from here, but I know a hell of a lot about this place. A lot more than you guys think."

“You know about what’s going on around here?” Robin inquires.

You nod. “And I know part of who is behind it all, and what we can do to stop him.”

"H...him?"

Eddie's timid stare pierces straight into you. It's enough for your knees to buckle, but you know you have to keep yourself collected otherwise the projections of these characters would probably freak out at you.

You hear a tiny thud sound against the wooden floor. Eddie has dropped the knife. Breathing a sigh of relief now, Steve sinks to the ground to gather himself. Meanwhile, a small circle gathers around you.

“There are… greater forces at bay,” you explain. “And it goes way beyond what you know about the demogorgons, the shadow monster, the Mind Flayer… There’s this... really powerful warlock…and a shadow that looms over him to do some really horrible things. And it’s not who you’d expect.”

“You know about those too?” Steve asks.

You nod. Eddie only seems more confused.

"A lot more than you know..." you warn him. "Trust."

"What else do you know about?" Dustin questions.

"I know about Eleven, and Will," you answer. "And how they're safer in California than here, but that doesn't necessarily exempt them from danger."

They all exchange looks with one another.

You can't help but look over at Eddie again.

"I know what happened to Chrissy," you say to him. He looks back up at you. "She's that nice girl from the middle school talent show, right?"

"I left her there," is all he says. He knows you understand what he meant by it. "I'm just a coward."

"You're not a coward, Eddie. Nothing you could've done could've prevented what happened at the trailer."

“Zero…” Dustin whispers to himself. Then he looks up at you with suspicion. Pointing an accusatory finger at you, he says, "How do we know you weren't sent by Hawkins Lab to spy on us?! You're a number after all."

"I'm not a number from the lab, trust me," you roll your eyes, slightly annoyed at Curly and his superstition. But it makes sense. "I don't even know Eleven, okay? Just think of me as... a guardian. From another universe. I think I was sent here to help you guys. I know how this shit ends, after all."

“How does it end?” Eddie asks you. “F-for us? For me?”

You turn to him in anguish.

“Not well, I’m afraid,” you respond honestly. “But if you guys are open to my help, I can get us out of this mess unscathed. Build up some leeway.”

You turn to Max who only seems to be backing further away from you. It's definitely in her character to do so, Maxine has always struggled to ask for help. But you know, deep down in those fearful blue eyes, she wants your help as much as she wants to run away from it.

"And we're gonna break you out of that curse," you say to her.

You're no expert on the laws of space-time, but it doesn't take a scientist to realize that you're in a different Hawkins reality. And knowing there are countless outcomes and experiences for existence, you can make this reality your own.

Which means, if you choose to stay in this 'game', and play the cards correctly, the Eddie standing directly in front of you has a second chance at life.

Now’s your chance to fix it. And experience an altered timeline. You don't know how this is possible, but it is. And after all, the Rule of Probability states, "the probability of an impossible event is Zero."

“If you guys want to save everyone in Hawkins, including Eddie and Max, you guys have to do EXACTLY what I say do you understand?”

taglist: @winchester-angel, @arthurcerverogf, @damon-loves-pie, @breezybeesposts, @swiss-mrs,@leelei1980, @skulliecadaver-blog, @katethetank, @mexicanfolklore, @ali-r3n, @nailbatanddungeon, @hugdealer, @wtflindsay, @yourdailymemedelivery, @kellsck, @kthomps914, @daydream-believer19

cyberpunk dividers from: @k1ssyoursister @sillycircus-decoarchive

[resowrites]

Growing Pains - oneshot.

Summary: Henry does his best to reassure his pregnant wife about her changing body…

Pairings: AU!Henry Cavill x Wife!OC

Warnings: fluff, banter/British humour, language, dialogue heavy, nondescript OC body type/appearance, some talk of body image issues, hastily written/lightly proofread.

WC: 1320

A/N: My work must not be copied, reposted, or translated elsewhere. Likes, follows, reblogs and comments are thoroughly welcome and appreciated! Gifs/pics not my own. I hope you all enjoy and thanks for visiting!

Growing Pains - oneshot.

"Are these scales broken?" Her voice echoed from the bathroom, causing Henry to look up from the book he was reading.

"No, why?"

"It says I've gained three pounds!"

"… So?"

"What do you mean 'so?'" He blinked, unsure of the correct response.

"Well… you're pregnant. Surely you expected to start gaining a bit of weight?" Her mouth dropped open.

"Three pounds is hardly a 'bit' of weight, I'm not even out of the first trimester!" She harrumphed and began stepping on and off the scale.

"Careful, you'll break them."

"Why, cos now I've gotten so fat?!" She snapped.

"Okay, this is obviously gunna be a long one," Henry muttered as he temporarily closed his book.

"What was that?"

"Nothing! Ollie, I don't know what you expect me to say, just try turning them on and off again." She began fiddling with the underside of the scales, though a much deeper frown appeared on her face.

"Now it says 'error,' oh God, am I so big I've busted them?"

"No, now come to bed."

"What happened to the manual scales you had?"

"I dunno, all we've got is the kitchen scales--"

"And how am I expected to use them?!"

"Well, I suppose you could always weigh yourself bit by bit and then add up the numbers?" He could see her nostrils flare. "Or I could fill the bath to the brim and measure the volume of water spilled--"

"Carry on matey and I will drown you in that bloody bathtub!"

"See? You don't want my ideas you just want to mean. Well, I'll bid you goodnight, madam." Henry then turned over to go to sleep.

"Oh no you don't!" She ripped back the bed covers.

"You know those scales probably are broken, you must have burned a good two hundred calories just this last half an hour having a go at me--"

"Oh shut up!"

"Why?! All I've done is try and help you!"

"No, you haven't, you've just been a little turd as per usual."

"Well then stop being ridiculous and come to bed, you look fine."

"Just fine?!" He sighed.

"Ravishing, exquisite, magnificent… now come to bed." She stepped off the scales a final time and turned to look at Henry pleadingly.

"Darling, I need you to be honest."

"Uh oh…"

"Is my arse the size of Japan?" He struggled not to laugh.

"… Which part?" She huffed and threw a toilet roll at Henry. "Oh come on, you were begging for that! If you're that concerned about your arse, come over here and let me get a good look at it…"

"I think not, pervert. God, I can't believe I've put on so much weight, at this rate I'll have a backside a hundred miles wide by the end of my pregnancy!"

"That's about the size of Osaka isn't it?"

"Henry, this is not a joke!"

"Well, are you sure you weren't three pounds heavier beforehand?"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY?!"

"Calm down, I was only trying to help! You look beautiful Ollie, always have, always will." But she wasn't listening.

"Perhaps the weight's gone to my chest, do my boobs look bigger?"

"How would I know? You won't rest them on my face for me to be able to tell." That time she threw a towel at him. "Will you please stop chucking the contents of our bathroom at me?!"

"No, I will not. Now answer me, do my boobs look bigger?"

"I dunno, stand to the side--"

"HENRY I AM LOSING MY SODDING PATIENCE!"

"Well, what a bloody surprise! Anyway, you don't want reassurance you just want someone to be mad at. It's not my fault you're pregnant!"

"Oh no, then whose fault is it? Our Amazon driver?"

"Oh that reminds me, did my protein powder come today--"

"HENRY!"

"Alright, alright. And if you're looking for tampons to throw they're on the second shelf in the bathroom cabinet." She then got so mad she slammed the bathroom door, causing Henry to giggle. "Do you want me to bring in your pillow so you can be comfier?"

"Fuck off."

"Suit yourself. I wouldn't sleep in the bath though, it'll make your snoring echo." She unexpectedly opened the door.

"You're right, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to overreact. Come here…" She held out her arms for a hug and he darted out of bed, eager to oblige. But without warning, she shoved Henry into the bathroom and locked the door.

"What… what are you doing? Ollie?! Let me out!"

"No, I don't think I will. Goodnight Henry, if you get cold wrap yourself in the shower curtain--"

"Wait! I'm sorry okay?!"

"No, you're not, you were rude and unsupportive of your pregnant wife--"

"Yes, and I'm sorry--"

"Don't interrupt! You have to learn Henry, and if that means you spend the night in the bathroom, then so be it."

"Well at least let me say goodnight to the baby!"

"Nope, they're annoyed with you too."

"How can you tell?"

"Cos I've got heartburn--"

"Then let me out and I'll bring you up a cup of tea and Rennies--"

"Nope, not good enough." He wracked his brains.

"Alright then, how about a foot rub?" She considered it for a moment. Henry seized his chance. "And you don't look bigger to me, but even if you did it wouldn't matter. I'd love you if you weighed a thousand pounds--"

"Are you trying to tell me I look ginormous?!" He swallowed hard.

"No! Just that I don't care what happens either way. I love you, darling - big arse or small." Henry could practically feel her anger radiating toward him. She then became eerily quiet and he half expected an axe to crash through the bathroom door. "Ollie? Is everything okay? Can you open the door? I'm not sure I locked all the knives away in the kitchen…" But what Henry heard in response sounded like whimpering. She was crying. His heart lept into his throat. "Ollie, let me out, please. Ollie? Oh, darling… I'm sorry, okay? There's no need to get upset, I was just joking! You know I never know what to say, I'm a man, alright? Stupidity is second nature to us… Ollie? Just open the door so I can see you're alright." Reluctantly she agreed and the look on her face made Henry's stomach drop. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. "Now, you listen to me. You're growing a human life. It's messy, difficult, and yes, your body's going to change. But it's the last thing I want you to worry about--"

"But what if you won't find me attractive anymore!" She wailed.

"Don't be daft--"

"Henry, stop acting like we're a regular couple. You could have anyone--"

"Stop right there. I chose you to be my wife for a reason. And no, it wasn't just the sex," she rolled her eyes. "Now, you and your lovely arse are going to get into this bed so it can be appreciated in all its glory--" she quickly dashed to the wardrobe, removing something Henry could only get a glimpse of. When he saw what she put on, he burst out laughing. "I didn't know they were remaking Little House on the Prairie!" She threw an alarm clock at Henry though he managed to catch it one-handed.

"Stop it! You said I was attractive no matter what!"

"Yeah, but there's a limit! Did my mum loan you that?" He pointed up and down at the long, cotton nightie.

"No, she did not! And if you don't mind, I'm already feeling self-conscious!"

"Well, there's no need to wear a potato sack! Hang on, I think I've got some long johns I can put on…" She threw up her hands in defeat and swiftly removed the nightdress. Henry let out a low whistle. "Much better! Come here, you…" She giggled as he chased her into bed.

To be updated on when I post please follow @resowrites and turn on post notifications.

@elizabetharegina @fanfictionaddiction99 @luclittlepond @caffeinatedfestivalsheep @summersong69 @ushijimbo

[lou-struck]

Lost Composure

Levi x reader

Prompt: 🤬+troll

WC: 1.4k

~ You and Levi were supposed to be having a quiet night gaming, but that all changed when you decided to go online and play against some troublesome trolls

Aside from the occasional glugs from Henry’s fish tank, the only sounds that can be heard within Levi’s neon-lined walls are the frantic mashing of buttons as the two of you play through his most recent Akuzon purchase. The video game itself is a first-person combat-based game that is remarkably similar to a game you have played a few times in the human world. You have practiced a few rounds playing against leveled NPCs to get your feet wet. 

Just as you take down the last opponent, The screen flashes the word “Victory’ in bold green letters before taking the two of you to the statistics page. 

Out of the two of you, Levi had definitely been carrying the last three or four matches. At the same time, you had been distracted exploring each room on the virtual yacht, trying to shoot arrows into the decorative pineapples in the kitchen and only really attacking enemies when they interrupted your leisurely exploring.

“Woah, look at the streak.” Levi beams, catching his breath. “Can you believe those were the hardest bots MC?”

You nod semi-confidently, but in truth, you can believe it. Levi has years and years and years of experience, but you do not; if it weren’t for him protecting you as well as he did, you might’ve not made it through the round with the stats you have. “That’s crazy. Do you want to go again?” There are other maps we haven’t gotten to check out yet.”

“That would be good.” his topaz eyes shimmer at your suggestion. But he looks like there is something else he has in mind. “Hey, do you think maybe we could go online and play against some Normies? Uhhh, If you don’t want to, it’s fine; I was just thinking that since we are togeth~”

You interrupt his shy ramblings with a little giggle and place your hand on his, “I think that would be a great idea, Levi; with you on my team, I think we can take anyone on” The little spark from your skin on skin contact turns his fair skin beet red, combined with your sweet words, he looks so flustered it looks as if steam is about to come out of his ears.

“T-then, let’s log on.” he stutters, reaching for the little basket of gaming accessories and pulling out two headsets. He unravels the cords shakily and gives you the much nicer one as if it were second nature. 

“Spoiling me already,” you tease, taking the headset and placing it around your neck.

“It’s not that,” he murmurs, “it’s just that as a demon, I have better hearing than you do, so it’s only fair.” it’s a pathetic excuse, and you know it, but it’s the only thing he can think of to not make himself sound like a total normie in front of you. 

“It’s only fair?” you repeat, giving him a pretend look of hurt. 

It’s super effective!

“Ahhh, fine, it’s because this one looks way cuter on you.” he flushes, covering his face with his hands, “You make it so hard to concentrate sometimes.”

“We’ve got this, Levi.” you encourage as he enters your usernames into the online lobby.

Within seconds, the lobby fills with players, and the countdown to your match has started.

“Wow, I can’t believe this game is so popular.” you murmur, “Look at how many demons are online.”

“Isn’t it crazy?” he grins, “This game only launched a week ago; even I had trouble getting a copy of it before it sold out online.” The countdown on the screen turns a bright Crimson color as the last few numbers flash before your eyes.

5…

4…

3…

2…

1…

“Are you ready, Mc,” he asks. “I have no idea what kind of Demons we will be up against.”

You nod, chewing on your inner cheek in thought. “Should we start out on mute, then?”

A giddy smile takes over his features, and his eyes are about to stream sentimental tears down his face. “You know me so well; I never want to socialize with strangers.”

“Gotcha, so we are muted.” You giggle, slipping on your headphones. The thick padding covers your ears completely, but you are still able to hear Levi next to you. 

Dozens of voices fill your ears as the match starts up. 

The most notable voices seem to be coming from three demons on the opposite team. 

“Let’s gooooo~” one screeches into the mic, the obnoxiously shrill sound bouncing directly into your poor eardrums. 

It may be a Devildom cultural thing you have not witnessed yet, but the initial screech is answered by two nearly identical ones that, had you not turned down the volume of your headset, would’ve rattled your very brain.

“Tsk, these kinds of players are so obnoxious,” Levi grumbles, pulling his headset off his ears a bit. “They don’t have to yell every time they go live.”

As the match progresses, the screeching trio ends up hitting your team down player by player until only the three of them and you two remain. 

Your character is off searching for a weapon upgrade in an abandoned convenience store when suddenly your controller starts to vibrate uncontrollably, little red slashes of damage cut across your side of the screen. You’re taking too much damage. 

“Oh shoot, Levi, they got me.” you gasp as your little screen darkens. Your avatar crumples to the ground as your assailant walks over you and begins to jump on you quite obnoxiously. 

“M-Sheep7 is down,” one of the demons cheers into the chat. “That was too easy.”

“It’s not fun playing with Noobs.” the other sneers into the microphone. “We need some real competition if we want to rank up faster.”

‘Get better, ya ugly Sheep.” The third cackles immaturely, earning wheezing laughter from their friends. It’s definitely just like the games back home, 

Something hits you in your back as you listen to your competitors’ harmless albeit annoying taunts. Turning around, you see that Levi, in his annoyance, had shifted into his demon form. His jaw is clenched, and his tail flicks to and fro as he moves his controller at an inhuman speed. 

“I have been given strength to avenge My Henry,” he growls to you before turning on his mic. “You three Normies don’t know what’s coming.”

“The Hell are ya talkin about Leviachan?” one laughs over the mic. 

“Yea,” the other says through static, “It’s three against one.”

“What a loser; he probably is just playing by himself in his room like a pathetic shut-in.” 

Ouch, it’s one thing when Levi says those kinds of things about himself, but for these three to say it crosses a line. You wince and reach for your mic to tell them off, but Levi nudges you and shakes his head.

“Not now, MC,” he says, covering his mic and puffing out his chest boldly. “I may not be able to stand up for myself IRL, but this is my territory.”

Between the predatory movements of his player and the death grip Levi has on his controller, it is getting harder and harder to decide what to watch. 

Until you hear your online assailants gasp and cry when Levi finds them on the map. Eliminating the first two as if they were the NPCs, you played on easy mode.

“Leviachan! Stop it, Stop it, Stop it.” The ringleader yells childishly as they try to run away from their impending massacre. “My stats! I haven’t lost yet, and I need this dub for my stats.”

“Maybe you should’ve thought about that before going after My Henry.” Levi Laughs semi-psychotically, going in for the finishing blow.

“Wha? Who’s Henry?” the player stammers as their Icon meets its end. 

Unable to just be a bystander any longer, you lean in close to Levi’s mic, “It’s me Bitch,” you giggle, wrapping your arms around the purple-haired demon’s neck as the trumpets of victory sound from the monitor,

You Have Won.

“Mc! Mc! Look, I got them all,” he beams as the mic’s on the other end shut off and the other player’s icons disappear from the lobby. “That was fun. Can we play again?”

You lean up and give him a well-deserved kiss on the cheek before settling back into your chair. “Absolutely,” you say as a competitive fire sparks to life in your heart, “Just wait; next round, I’ll be the one to carry.”

[msmargaretmurry]

would love to know which romance novels you’ve enjoyed!! i feel like we share a lot of “standards” so it would be pretty likely for me to enjoy anything you recommend.

p.s.: have you read any emily henry books? i feel like you might like those. <3

i have not read emily henry but i've heard pretty good things! i actually have a copy of beach read on my shelf that i am hoping to get to this summer. thank you for the recommendation! <3 will talk about some romance novels i've enjoyed under the cut. i am always accepting recs btw!!

my platonic ideal of a contemporary romance novel is evvie drake starts over by linda holmes. the setting feels real, the characters feel real and have real problems, the emotional stakes are proportionate and believable. bonus points for the portrayal of baseball and the main guy's relationship with baseball feeling normal and real. linda holmes's books (i also really enjoyed flying solo, tho not as much as evvie drake) are so character-driven that it almost feels like the romance arcs are secondary to the character arcs, which is ideal to me personally!!

i read a lot more historical romance than contemporary because i find it easier to get over the "that's not how that works!!" of it all in historicals, for reasons not worth elaborating on here. i tend to enjoy kj charles because she's very good at having a strong exteral plot in addition to strong characters! think of england is my fav of hers. for het historical romance i really liked courtney milan's brothers sinister series (esp. the countess conspiracy) and tessa dare's girl meets duke series (can't remember which one i liked best but i listened to them on audiobook at work and i do remember having to stop during a sex scene because i was like oh my god this is actually hot i can't listen to this at work LMAO). i have read every bridgerton and they're all a little dated and some are more mid than others but the francesca book, when he was wicked, is the best one imo.

i liked bringing down the duke by evie dunmore but i did not like the sequel so i haven't read more of hers 😅

it's not structured quite like a traditional romance novel but i really loved peter darling by austin chant, a gay trans peter pan retelling.

i do want to give a shoutout to a romance novel i did NOT think i would enjoy but wound up actually liking a lot, canadian boyfriend by jenny holiday. i was going to skip it because i don't like alternating first person pov but my coworker who loved it told me joshua jackson does the male pov chapters in the audiobook and i was like. fine i will listen to joshua jackson. and i had plenty of quibbles with the book (for one thing i thought the whole book could have been done without the central "fake canadian boyfriend" premise and might have been better for it, lol) but i was surprised by how moved i was by the male lead's complicated grief as a widower and i thought the hockey parts felt realistic and good. going in i was also like urgh ough hockey player/ballet dancer romance is gonna go so hard on the big strong man/tiny dainty woman of it all but it DIDN'T, and i thought the female lead's relationship with dance was nuanced and interesting. i don't think i could have read this book with my eyes due to the povs but the audiobook with alternating narrators worked nicely. and definitely not a perfect book (if i were to rate it on goodreads i'd probably do like a 3.5 rounded down?) but i liked it so much more than i expected to and i feel like i need to demonstrate that i am NOT a hater by default and i CAN be a generous reader when i think a book has earned it 😂

[heartofstanding]

What are the famous rumors about Margaret of Anjou? What's the attack on her? Is there a book that objectively describes her? As for her son Edward, is he really an arrogant and cruel person in the description?

Hello anon, I answered the first part of your question on my Lancastrian history sideblog here.

The book I always recommend on Margaret is Helen Maurer's Margaret of Anjou: Queenship and Power. This is less of a biography and more of an academic study of her queenship so that may not be what you want, but it's pretty much the standard text on her. Maurer writes in her preface that she thought Margaret was a "real bitch on wheels" before she began her research but found a much more complex and sympathetic woman throughout the course of her research so that might count as "objective" in the sense that this is where Maurer's research led her rather than a pre-conceived idea directing her research.

The other books on Margaret are:

Jacob Abbott, Margaret of Anjou. I don't recommend this because it was published in 1877 and is therefore superseded by well over a century of research.

Amy Licence, A Marriage of Unequals: Henry VI and Margaret of Anjou. Licence isn't the best with sources (often giving Victorian historians the same weight/authority as a medieval source) and from memory, she's a bit too forgiving of Margaret but it's fine.

B. M. Cron, Margaret of Anjou and the Men Around Her. I have a copy of this but haven't read it in full; Cron is sympathetic but sometimes judges Margaret harshly. I'm not fond of some of her summations but Cron is one of the leading scholars on Margaret and her stuff is always worth reading.

B. M. Cron and Helen Maurer, The Letters of Margaret of Anjou. This is collection of the surviving letters Margaret wrote, not a biography. Could be interesting for further reading, though.

Joanna Arman, Margaret of Anjou: She-Wolf of France, Twice Queen of England. I haven't read this and I don't have a copy yet so I can't comment fully on it; I believe it's a sympathetic take and I've enjoyed Arman's scholarship on Henry V so I'm cautiously hopeful.

As for Edward of Lancaster...

The truth is we know very, very little about Edward of Lancaster. He was only alive for eighteen years and spent most of his life in exile. The most famous description of him comes from Giovanni Pietro Panicharolla, a Milanese ambassador in France, who wrote:

As the king [Louis XI of France] persisted in his praise of the Earl of Warwick, the duke [of Calabria, Margaret's brother] said that as he was so fond of him he ought to try and restore his sister in that kingdom, when he would make sure of it as much as he was sure at present and even more so. The king asked what security they would give or if they would offer the queen’s son as a hostage. This boy, though only thirteen years of age, already talks of nothing but of cutting off heads or making war, as if he had everything in his hands or was the god of battle or the peaceful occupant of that throne

Panicharolla detested the Angevins (Margaret's birth family and on whom she and Edward were reliant while living in exile in France) so we should hesitate to put too much weight on his testimony. We also have to accept that Edward was living in and had lived in circumstances where this sort of attitude was entirely understandable. From a Lancastrian perspective, the Yorkists were traitors. They had deposed his father, attainted his entire family, disinherited him, and had spread rumours of his mother's adultery and declared him a bastard. They were the reason he had lived pretty much "on the run" since he was a small child and were the reason why he and his mother were living in reduced circumstances and in exile. He was also only twelve years old at the time so he does very much have the excuse of youth.

Chief Justice John Fortescue also gives us a few snapshots of Edward of Lancaster in De Laudibus Legum Angliae. This was a text that appears to be a legal treatise combined with a "mirror for princes" advice text, so whether or not the Edward Fortescue wrote about is the "real" Edward can probably be debated - he might represent an ideal Edward or a figurative Edward who plays the role of studen to Fortescue's teacher. Fortescue includes a wish that Edward would be as

devoted to the study of the laws with the same zeal as you are to that of arms, since, as battles are determined by arms, so judgements are by laws.

But it's impossible to tell if this is a real reflection of Edward's character or a construction of Edward as a student in need of Fortescue's legal knowledge. Here's another snippet:

The prince, as soon as he became grown up, gave himself over entirely to martial exercises; and, seated on fierce and half-tamed steeds urged on by his spurs, he often delighted in attacking and assaulting the young companions attending him, sometimes with a lance, sometimes with a sword, sometimes with other weapons, in a warlike manner and in accordance with the rules of military discipline.

This might sound alarming but it's important to remember that Fortescue seems to be viewing this positively - this is what Edward should be doing (note the reference to "in accordance to the rules of military discipline"). We could also look to the idea that this was something a medieval king or prince was supposed to be doing. Thomas Walsingham criticised the favourites of Richard II by saying:

they were the knights of Venus rather than knights of Bellona [Roman goddess of war], more valiant in the bedchamber than on the field, armed with words rather than weapons, prompt in speaking but slow in performing the acts of war.

We also find a similar comment about Henry V's wild youth, where the Vita Henrici Quinti records that, "although under the military service of Mars, he seethed youthfully with the flames of Venus too". In other words, if Fortescue's criticism of Edward of Lancaster was that he paying too much attention to warfare and not to his legal studies, he at least wasn't neglecting his studies and his military training to become "more valiant in the bedchamber".

Again, this is understandable from an emotional perspective. The only way Edward's family could return to the throne is through warfare so of course he's going to dedicate himself to readying himself for war.

We have very little evidence of anything else. Beyond Panicharolla's account (which, as I've said, is hardly an unbiased account), there is little to suggest that Edward was "arrogant and cruel". Yorkist efforts at denigrating him seemed to focus most on the question of birth and legitimacy. Yorkists (both contemporary and modern) have tended to want to demonise Edward as the head of the Lancastrian resistance, to undercut any support and loyalty he might claim and show him to be the inferior alternative to Yorkist rule. It's not uncommon to see a modern day Yorkist snark about how the Lancastrians were fully aware of their status as illegitimate kings and thus should have stepped down and bowed down to the Yorks. In other words, Edward's arrogance is his refusal to accept that his claim was inferior to the Yorkist claim.

The apparently obvious inferiority of the Lancastrian claim was not obvious at the time, either. There was considerable confusion around the succession throughout the late Middle Ages, no clear-cut answer as to who had the "rightful" claim. And even if there was, the simple fact is that had any Lancastrian king or prince willingly stepped down, they would still be a focal point for resistance to the new king and whether or not they were willing to play that role, they knew this would put them at serious risk. From Edward of Lancaster's perspective, he was the son of the anointed King and Queen of England, his father, grandfather and great-grandfather had all been anointed kings.

We also have to consider the impact of the Ricardian movement on Edward's reputation. Edward, after all, was Anne Neville's first husband and Richard her second. Ricardians generally accept the Yorkist image of Edward as arrogant and cruel, but react to the marriage in two ways, by downplaying the marriage or by insisting on its violence.

In the first option, it is argued that the marriage was never consummated because Margaret wanted to keep Edward free for a more advantageous marriage and intended to get the marriage annulled. Thus, the marriage was never a "true marriage" and Richard III was Anne's one and true husband (with all that entails). Usually, Edward and Margaret treat Anne like dirt - after all, she is not "worthy" of the marriage - to emphasise how horrible this marriage would be for Anne. In the second option, Edward is abusive and rapes Anne, who is generally assumed to be nothing but a tragic pawn forced to reluctantly marry her enemy and bear this abuse as best she can, allowing Richard III to soothe her trauma and show her what love, marriage and sex is really like.

There is absolutely no evidence for either option. It is possible that this is what happened but, imo, unlikely. It would be rather short-sighted, cruel and remarkably stupid to mistreat Warwick's daughter when they were still reliant on Warwick (they did not know of his death until their return to England in 1471) to gain back his throne. They could not risk antagonising him, even if they wanted to - and we don't know that they wanted to. They may have been justifiably angry at Warwick was his past wrongs but Anne was not her father, it doesn't follow that they automatically took their anger out on her as a stand-in for her father. They may have very logically understood that a 14 year old girl was not responsible for her father's actions, and endeavoured to have a positive relationship with her. Hell, they might have even liked her for herself. Edward and Anne could even have become friends or fallen in love! We just don't know because there's no evidence.

We know very little about Anne Neville herself. The fact that Edward was commemorated as her husband in the Beauchamp Pageant (probably commissioned by Anne Beauchamp, Anne Neville's mother, probably made over 10 years since Edward's death) suggests that Anne and her mother's feelings about him were more complex than historians and historical novelists have tended to allow her.

In conclusion: we have no idea but there's not a lot of evidence to support the idea that he was especially arrogant and cruel. This reputation seems to be the result of largely non-contemporary Yorkist and Ricardian narratives and is fairly unevidenced.

[captainx-camino]

I got to Experience Los Angeles Comic Con with my best friends in the entire world over my birthday weekend

We hit the road early in the morning on Thursday the 30th to form the Cross Guild (and Luffy) trip of a lifetime.

We picked up our bestie Fate (Mihawk) first and then headed out to Yeti's house to load up Mama Croc's Minivan.

I wore all the hats before loading them into the car, where we finally started the drive to Cali around 7-8am.

At some point we stopped at Eddie World, where my partner and I bought new friends, bat and platypus plushies we respectively named Jeff and Kiki.

On the 30th as a special gift for my birthday weekend, we stopped at Forest Lawn Cemetery to visit Dwight Frye.

This was an extremely emotional experience for me. I got to tell him how much me and my friends all appreciate his work and how much we all still love him and three little grass spiders crawled out onto the grave to say hello.

I also gave him a rose for everyone I know who wanted to pay their respects, which I truly believe made him happy.

I also cried like a bitch, but that's beside the point. It was incredibly special, the man is one of my heroes.

After that absolute emotional break mb, it still wasn't yet time to check into the hotel, so we swung by Little Tokyo for an early dinner (we each paid for dinner one of the four nights we were there, which was so much fun) I could not have asked for better people to spend my con weekend with.

The hotel was TINY. Like, you had to turn sideways to walk around the bed tiny, but we somehow managed to not kill each other despite sharing a room with no privacy or space (which is just a testament to our friendship tbh)

But, we all managed to make it work and we successfully got our room settled and sorted, picked up our badges Friday around noon (LACC did a fantastic job with their ADA stuff, despite a small hiccup with the stickers.)

We got to be Robin and Raven for the short day, did some shopping (I got some great birthday presents from everyone) and then my Rayray did a shoot in the room, which came out AMAZING.

ON THIS, THE DAY OF MY BIRTHDAY

December 2nd finally arrived! It's my birthday, I got to cosplay as my favorite character, my partner was my other favorite character, and my whole crew cosplayed One Piece with me!

My bestie Fate got to attend Thankmas in the morning, and then we all got back together to get a group photo with Jamie Campbell Bower (and I got a special solo one because it was my birthday)

He was so sweet and nice, and he almost killed me when he called me gorgeous. The picture was me freaking out a little, but it's fine. Lol He made my entire life.

The last day of con, I had also gotten the opportunity to get Jamie's signature - to which I decided to get my fanart of Henry and Eddie/Kas signed by him.

Not only did he specifically choose a pen that complimented the art (because he wanted it to look nice - I love him) but he asked if it was him and Joseph Quinn to which I said yes, it's Henry and Eddie, and he told me it was SEXY. He also wished me a happy birthday and told me I don't look a day over 19, which was wonderful since I'm 33. So, ya know...

Jamie Campbell Bower thinks my art is sexy and that I still look young and fresh. That's my accomplishment in life, I guess. Pretty good accomplishment, if you ask me...

And now Jamie also has a copy of this piece, which I hope he loves.

It truly has been the best birthday I've ever had and I couldn't have asked to spend it with better people.

I already miss my Cross Guild and I can't wait for the next event we attend together.

I never hoped to have friends as wonderful as I do in adult life. I love them so much and they love me just as much back. It's been so amazing having them in my life, I can't even begin to express how grateful I am.

[tattooeddeadtreelover]

How I Annotate Books:

Here's a little tutorial that nobody asked for 🤭🤭 on how I annotate my books because it's fun and I'm obsessed!!

Firstly:

Get rid of that "books are sacred" mentality - or just learn to be okay with only the books you've annotated being a bit messy. (There are also other ways around this: like buying two copies of a book, but im too broke for that 😓.)

Annotating Materials:

You don't need an excessive amount of expensive materials to annotate: a pen or pencil would be perfectly fine!!

However, I usually use:

Black Pen - I would recommend a nice one but like I just use any shitty little pen I can find.

Highlighters - You could use any colours I would either match it to the cover art or to the different tabs I use. (ALSO USE A RULER PLEASE 🙏 🙏 IM BEGGING IT LOOKS SO MUCH BETTER)

Sticky Tab Things - Yk what I'm on about I match mine to the cover cos the neon ones make me violently ill 🤮🤮❌️❌️❌️. But anyways...I usually just use nice coloured ones to match my highlighters or the cover design.

Post It Notes - Again, I always colour match but I found this nice brown ones on amazon which like match the bookish vibe 🤭🤭 so I use them if I don't have any other option.

That's mainly what I use but you could also experiment with colourful pens and gel pens or pencils!! Do whatever you want, but I do advise that it looks best if there is some kind of colour coordination.

Annotating:

Tabbing System: I'll usually have tabs for characters and analysis (dependent on how rich the book's language is) and fave quotes🥰🥰. I know that some people like to tab emotional or romantic parts but I'm not really big on that.

What I Write: Usually dependent on the book, but most of the time its just my stupid little commentary on everything. Sometimes I may actually form an eloquent analysis but that's like once in a blue moon type shit. If I'm feeling smart ig...Anyways some more examples (from my beloved..)

Some of my more stupid notes: featuring me simping over Henry Marchbanks Winter (this is a judgement-free zone!!).

In contrast, more in-depth analysis, or waffle idk?? Depends on your perspective.

^^This is the paragraph for context. 🥰🥰

What I Highlight: Any pretty quotes or prose (Donna Tartt's writing>>>), key plot points or information about characters, or just anything I want to make a note about.

I circle, underline, and draw throughout my books, again, it all really depends on the book and it's genre (A romance is more likely to have doodles and less than intelligent remarks, whereas, literary fiction may have analysis and more detailed annotations).

In summary, you can write, draw and scribble whatever you want in your book: it doesn't have to be an amazing analysis on similes and metaphors (unless you want it to be). Just do what you feel is necessary or what you think suits the book!!! And make sure you're having fun!!🥰🥰 Annotating should be an enjoyable experience not ruining the reading in itself.

Annotating on the first read VS Rereads:

Most people don't like the idea of annotating the first time you read a book because it "ruins the flow of reading" or something along those lines. I personally don't believe that to be the case, but I understand why people feel that way 😁😁 . Like most things related to annotating: it's all based on your personal preference. I like to think that annotating on the first read almost captures and records your live reaction to the book, whereas annotating on a reread gives a chance for more in-depth analysis. They both have their benefits, and it usually depends on how I feel. Just do what you think is best 🥰🥰.

This is a really long post damn....and I think that's everything??? If you have any other questions, then please feel free to ask!!

And yeah,

Have fun annotating!!!

[politelymenacing]

If they're not doing a reboot where they're married, and Henry gets to live happily in England with his two dads and go to a better school than he could go to Kansas???? then why are they showing us this?

APPLE TV EXPLAIN!!

Is that not what happened....?

Must've just been in my head, damn. 😛

OK. Here is my pitch to Apple to make it happen (because is just makes sense):

Why do the bit about Henry acting out and bullying a kid?

Why have Henry failing science (scandal!)?

To me, that should have nudged them in the direction of 'maybe he would be better at a new school in England?' rather than 'he'll be fine just as soon as Ted returns to Kansas'.

Then we have the whole Dr. Jacob of it all... they were clearly hinting at his and Michelle's relationship breaking down (thank god. I can't even go into how much that angered me). To me, that was freeing her of her ties to Kansas so she could move with Henry to England. But instead they just kind of maybe left it a bit ambiguous. Are we supposed to believe that Ted and Michelle would ever get back together? Because no.

Also, it was clear that Henry didn't really like him and would benefit from being closer to his Uncle Beard (ugh that bit outside of the pub with them two absolutely got me 😭)

There's also Dottie. Now, I will admit that that episode fucked me up a little (yay, mums...), so I have only rewatched it once, but if I were Ted her attempt at manipulation would have just made me want to get Henry away from her, so even more reason to bring him to England.

Now Ted:

He's doing better. Ok, not amazing, but he is getting regualr thearapy and he can control his panic attacks

He knows the offside rule. He (re)invents Total Football. He is finally understanding the sport he came over to coach.

He is starting to use British terminology for things! He's acclimatised! Honestly, if he'd been there any longer, he'd have been drinking tea.

They specifically show him interacting with his neighbours and the community.

And then you tear him away from all of that. It is beyond cruel.

Also, even though Sassy was not right for him at all, he was maybe starting to show that he could move on from Michelle and let someone else into his life. (I do not have enough time to lay out the Bi Ted agenda, I'm sure people have done excellent metas about it, but let's just say the Bi Triangles will haunt me forever.)

Which leads us to Trent.

I am definitely missing things because I'm just rattling this off the top of my head, but:

Are we just going to forget that Trent got fired for Ted? And then following his bliss lead him straight to Richmond to write a love letter book about Ted.

What was the whole thing about the right idea just sitting behind a couple of the wrong ones?? In the red string of fate episode, no less!

Whatever was going in during Girl Talk with Rebecca.

Why did Ted tell Henry that it was "good to have people in your life that are excited to be around you" literally the episode after Trent was SO EXCITED about Total Football and how Ted got them there. Like. Seriously.

TRENT’S LITTLE FINGER STICKING OUT IN THE RED STRING OF FATE BIT THAT WAS POINTING DIRECTLY TO THE RED STRIPES ON TED'S JACKET ahem.

Trenthouse magazine. TRENTHOUSE MAGAZINE.

The Robert Redford/Dustin Hoffman thing. Followed by a sodding wink.

And then there's the fact they are both middle aged single dads who have so much baggage. They get one another.

Finally. Because this is turning into a bloody essay. The ending. Ted was FOR SURE asleep and dreaming at the end. I don't give a fuck what Brendan said.

You can't get that close to Stonehenge, it all looked too fake, there's no way Ted wouldn't be there, Jane needs to get in the bin.

How did Sam manage to get into the Nigerian team? (Don't get me wrong, I desperately wanted that for him, but it seemed like it was never going to happen??)

Ted thinks Trent will agree to change the book's title, and even dreams up someone he knows (Shannon) to get a copy singed.

OH AND THE GLASSES. Trent has new glasses. Why? Because Ted doesn't want to imagine him with the ones from before because the first thing he said to Trent was a compliment about the glasses.

Basically, what I'm saying. Is that that is what makes most sense from the ending. HOWEVER, Apple TV, if you are convinced it was all real, here are some ways you can keep that ending (more or less) and still have the Romcommunism ending we deserved that will lead to you picking up this reboot idea:

Ted goes back, gets a final copy of The Richmond Way, the dedication says something about how Trent changed the title because he asked, but it was always about Ted, of course it was. Ted realises his huge mistake. (Maybe he goes to rush to the airport, only to find Trent standing outside his door.)

Trent didn't say goodbye to Ted because he was already on a flight to Kansas to wait for him with a sign that says 'Coach Lasso from England". (OK, this doesn't quite fit with the ending, but you know it's a cute AF idea so shhh)

Trent is singing copies of his book and asks who it's for without looking up and just here's Ted say his name.

In all these scenarios someone says "Is this a fucking joke?" END.

And now you are ready to start your spin off/reboot/series 4 with the footage of Jason and Jimmy at the Emmys. You're welcome.

You can have all of these ideas for free (plus whatever other headcanons you get out of me), Apple TV, if you let me play one of the minimal acting required background players in the AFC Richmond Women's team (Because that is a part of the finale i can get behind and I have credentials if you need to verify I can actually play)

[majorbaby]

actually we are both SO lucky because tumblr wouldnt let me send the ask initially—I had to copy an earlier version and try sending it to myself several times to figure out what the error was. so i DO have an earlier copy of the ask—it was less clean so I'll add more fun colors to make it less of a pain to read. ANYWAY, IT IS AS FOLLOWS:

"THE GEORGE EPISODE...sorry this is gonna be a long ask, I hope you don't mind! I love that ep for personal reasons that have almost nothing to do w/ the episode itself, which is, I agree, aside from the social message of "don't be a bigot" (AND TRAPPERS SINGINGGGG) kind of mid!

but. i was re-watching it recently. and the scene where George comes out and then Father Mulcahy interrupts w/ the football and Hawkeye does a really bad throw, kind of caught my attention oddly.

I know the main purpose of the interaction is to wrap up the scene nicely, give Hawkeye a way to bounce off of George asking Hawk not to tell anybody abt him being A Homosexual. but it also directly connects Hawkeyes Comedic Sports Failure to George's Homosexuality and w/ the way that lack of aptitude in sports is considered a Gay Thing especially back in the day, the little voice in my head that loves looking for meaning in stories said: "This is a purposeful connection the writers are drawing between Hawkeye and George"

and then the rest of my brain kicked up and kicked in and kicked down the door and said "take a breather, you transexual bisexual. not everything is about intentional queercoding." and i was like yeah. fine. whatever. fine. alright.

and while I do kinda believe bisexual reading of Hawkeye is inevitable to any viewer who has ever given thoughtful consideration to how one man might want to touch another man, calling it coding in this scene might be a pretty dramatic stretch. i can't argue with that. sure.

BUT. i was working on a sewing project later and needed something light and easy to listen to, and i poked at the MASHMatters podcast and found they had an interview with one of the writers of that very episode—Gary Markowitz. [ep 71 if u want it]

AND. i have three interesting things to tell u i learned from that.

1) ORIGINALLY the ending of the episode was not going to be "Frank was hiding something embarrassing in HIS past TOO! He paid for his degree!" (Markowitz did not like this ending because he was like "are we really going to say that being gay is something in your past you Should be ashamed of?") but instead. Frank was going to get drunk and admit that there was an older family friend with a tattoo he really. really admired when he was younger. Admired the guy's muscles. Maybe. Sure, maybe he wanted to be him, but maybe...maybe he wanted...Something Else.

Obviously...I mean. I don't think I'd consider that a Diversity Win.

Honestly? In this one weird case maybe I agree with the censors that blackmailing Frank about paying for the answers to the test was kind of better. Esp with the idea that "the most homophobic people are the homosexuals themselves" being a particularly shitty trope.

and I think the explicit confirmation that Frank himself might have some homosexual tendencies might have overshadowed the single-ep-character, George, and come right around to being a "well its ok to bully the annoying homosexuals" message. which would already be a horrible message in an era where I think homosexuality itself was cause for disgust and irritation for many people. but. well. anyway.

2) MARKOWITZ MENTIONED THE RADAR AND HENRY BIT.

Markowitz said they intentionally included the monthly checkup bit to illustrate how, in a situation such as this, men are often very intimate with each other, putting themselves in vulnerable situations with other men, touching other men, already.

Like, sure the rest of the episode maybe you (a homophobic 1970s audience) are freaking out about a man wants to touch other men intimately, but you're totally okay and unbothered about this corporal getting so up in his C.O.'s business that he can see a little nativity scene in his ear?

He said they wanted to make it clear that homophobia is a silly stance to take when men are touching men for all sorts of reasons all the time in a setting like the military. Like. It is just naturally a kind of homosocial homosexual homoplatonic environment just on account of how homogenous the gender variance of any given environment is.

and I was like. whoa. hey. that's a lot more thought than I gave the writers credit for, and that's on me! I really like that scene even more now!

3) Apparently, when Markowitz and his writing partner (John W. Regier) submitted this (their first script to get accepted) idea to the usual MASH writers nobody was Thrilled about it. Like, it was Fine but they were in a friendly competition with All In The Family to tackle social issues, and so they were like "FINEEEEE i GUESSSS we'll talk about THE GAY ISSUE. since All In The Family Hasn't yet. WHATEVER."

which doesn't surprise me in the least given the show itself as well as the time it was made in, but does disappoint me a little.

ANYWAY!!!!!!!

So I took all this stuff and brought it with me when I started thinking about all the other little scenes in there—like when George pauses when Frank mentions The Pink Scourge before Frank clarifies that he means communists.

OR when Henry gets his nails done by the nurse he's sweet on—and asks with an easy familiarity for the buffing treatment. How she calls his hands beautiful, and he says he got them from his mother.

OR OR OR. the one where Hawkeye is painting that nurse's toes, and she says "wow you're really good at this" and then Radar comes over and ALSO says hawkeye is really good at painting toenails. and that scene is RIGHT before he throws the football really badly. and how THAT is followed by Mulcahy getting tackled by a bunch of other soldiers, so it's just a writhing mass of olive drab, men's bodies against men's bodies against men's bodies.

Perhaps it wasn't just to wrap up the scene, but also used just very very subtly reinforce that in some ways, Hawkeye is less of the Red Blooded American Icon of Masculinity than this Gay Soldier, who is begging to be sent back to the front lines to serve his country, despite being assaulted by his own unit—and then. maybe. Maybe the American Ideal Of Masculinity, commonly tied to football, to being in the military, etc, is itself...a little...Hm. You Know. Like when Radar opens the door to the shower while Hawk + Trap are in there, and a crowd outside starts clapping. I think that transexual bisexual impulse is getting the best of me maybe. anyway.

ANYWAY i hope this ask was enjoyable for you you and i thank you for reading it! Your analytical posts about MASH always give me a lot to think about and I find myself wanting to return some of that enjoyment back to you! "

postscript: thank u so much for posting ur thoughts despite the tumblr mayhem, i am eating them!!! slurping them up like a carton of noodles. packaging the rest in a little tupperware to save for later!!

ah thank you for re-submitting it! i couldn't remembering enough of it to summarize your points and do them justice.

... very very subtly reinforce that in some ways, Hawkeye is less of the Red Blooded American Icon of Masculinity than this Gay Soldier, who is begging to be sent back to the front lines to serve his country, despite being assaulted by his own unit—and then. maybe. Maybe the American Ideal Of Masculinity, commonly tied to football, to being in the military, etc, is itself...a little...Hm. You Know

I do think this is what is textually happening in several episodes of MASH, including in George. @marley-manson articulated it very well in a post that i am unable to locate at this time, where she stated that Hawkeye's "hmm" moments are about gender expression. moments that hold him up as something other than "Red Blooded American Icon of Masculinity."

there's lots of examples of this from early MASH but my favourite is this one from Yankee Doodle Doctor. runner up: Frank at some point @ HawkTrap "you-! you... guys!" HawkTrap: "we are notttt~"

totally valid to see that as lending itself well to a trans Hawkeye headcanon (although Trapper is the one following when they dance, not Hawkeye - and big lug that he is, Trapper also manages to subvert trad masculinity in his own masc way... ), but I really like it as is too - there's more than one way to be a man. you don't have to buy what traditional masculinity is selling you. you can be a lover, rather than a fighter.

[inkdemonapologist]

Howdy, do you think Joey wrote dctl? Maybe this is obvious but I just had a big lightbulb moment bout it. Idk I think it’d be nice if they confirmed who all was in there since there’s at least 2 real world people who got put into the cycle in batdr and according to dctl so would Sammy and Buddy if we take it at face value. If it is part of the elaborate revenge fanfic that’s chill but you’re smart with this stuff and I feel like I’m missing something. -Love, long term follower hiding in anon

Omg, thank you for the kind words anon!

So, I’m sure it would be possible to interpret this all kinds of ways, but my primary feeling on the books, in light of the revelation of “in the canon of BatDR Henry is an inky construct created by Joey and BatIM takes place in a pocket dimension,” is that we have no reason to believe the books aren’t intended as real accounts. Like… JDS historically existed in the real world of BatDR. The Ink Machine is real to humans outside the cycle in BatDR.

If we assume the books are genuine accounts in the world of this franchise, that DCTL really happened and the Ink Demon really existed – that would track with Memory Joey’s statement that Joey Drew “created life” when the demon came to be. Audrey and Baby Bendy are able to exist in the real world just fine in BatDR, so there’s reason to believe the Ink Machine can actually make IRL 3D toons like we always thought it could.

But there ARE things to question.

Did Buddy... actually end up in the cycle? Did Sammy even end up in the cycle? Or was Joey just inspired by real events and real people when he made the cycle as his torture dimension for Henry? Mister Drew likely knew what happened to Sammy and Buddy – he was directly involved with Buddy, and knew about Sammy skulking around murdering folks – so maybe when he created the ink construct versions, he based them on a true story. We’ve suspected that the Boris we meet thought he was once something else, but it's also possible that the real reason he doesn’t remember his human self anymore is because he’s an imperfect copy created by a man who never really knew Buddy that well – there’s no actual human self to remember.

Narratively, it’s a bit of a scorched earth approach to making inconsistencies make sense, bUT IT DOES DO THAT… BatIM Sammy begging the demon to set him free from an inky body he hates seems sorta at-odds with DCTL Sammy chugging 50 bottles of ink because he believes the demon wants him to and smiling happily at the results, and I have to admit, “they’re not the same person; Joey just made that first person up” has a stronger argument in BatDR canon than “Sammy completely changed his mind for reasons we don’t get to see and must invent for ourselves.” In that light, the distinctions between the two become interesting – in DCTL, Sammy indirectly calls the demon a god, but doesn’t have the same worshipful, religious language in the way he speaks of it. He’s not desperate to be noticed; he believes he’s been chosen already and is acting on given instructions… so what if all of BatIM Sammy’s desire to be noticed and overtly religious language were added by Joey? After reading TIoL, I commented on how suspiciously on-the-nose Joey’s “who does a god worship” conversation with Sammy felt… well, that makes a lot of sense if the BatIM version of Sammy was actually created by Joey! That’s what he wanted to see in Sammy, and so that’s the Sammy he constructed. Also it’s kind of funny if Joey looked at an employee who seemed to be going mad from an actual cosmic horror experience just offscreen and was like “lets make a version of this guy for the cycle and make him a real loser, just the most pathetic man. Also buff.”

Imo, it’s entirely possible that every single character we meet in BatIM could be a copy, though some, like Sammy and Susie, could really go either way with the evidence we have – there’s not a conclusive answer (I guess we’ll see if Fade To Black gives us any additional evidence one way or another, haha). But whether the cycle contains any human souls at all, or just Joey’s created copies based on real events and how he imagines they would’ve turned out, the books can still be real accounts of things that happened in the world of Bendy.

And while I guess there’s no direct PROOF THE BOOKS DEFINITELY HAPPENED, there’s a few reasons I prefer to believe they did:

If the books didn’t happen in the world of Bendy, they actually are pointless as far as their effect on the world. BatIM’s characters may be copies, but they’re still aware, sapient beings who exist; they’re still real and a story about them is still a story that really takes place in the world. Everything we see happening to Ink Henry in BatIM really happened, even if it happened in another dimension, to an inhuman man who never really worked for JDS. But if DCTL and TLO were just stories made up by Joey, then they aren't real and they’d have no impact on the world at all.

Why would Joey invent these stories? Henry has no access to these books, and the reason Joey created the world of the cycle was, according to Memory Joey, somewhere between revenge and regret, angry at his failures and blaming Henry, creating a world that told his messed-up story in order to punish his partner for not being there to stop him from destroying himself. DCTL would not really add to this.

I don’t think Joey could write DCTL. Joey grew up in humble circumstances, but I don’t think he knows the kind of poverty Buddy experienced and I don’t think he’s self-aware enough about that privilege to write it, to write its emotional consequences. I don’t think the man who obliviously smooth-talked himself into believing he was always destined to be successful can write this kid who’s so deeply angry and ashamed at society’s injustice after eating a meal in a restaurant.

TL;DR:

As far as I can tell, it’s still possible for DCTL and TLO (and, obviously TIoL, though I think that one's less in question lmao) to be real accounts in the world of BatDR, but that doesn’t mean that characters who suffered inky fates necessarily ended up in the cycle. We know that the Allison, Tom, and Henry of the cycle are all inky constructs, but characters like Sammy and Malice and Boris are up to interpretation – there’s clearly meant to be an implication that they could have been human once, but whether they’re copies like Ink Henry with misplaced memories, or the actual original transformed human souls, we don’t know. The originals of Sammy and Susie especially could Just Be Dead (as is now implied with Norman), with Joey making up an alternate ending for them in the cycle. I don’t see any compelling reason to believe that DCTL was invented by Joey, nor is there any real reason for Joey to write this story.

Anyway i hope somewhere in this absurd essay I’ve answered the question you asked. xD I don’t think this is the definitive interpretation – you can decide all the books are, in-world, complete fiction if you want, and I don’t think any evidence contradicts you. This isn’t even the interpretation I’d pick to play with every time -- I like playing with the idea that everyone in the Cycle is a copy, and I consider it to have strong evidence in canon, but there's still something really compelling about folks in the Cycle genuinely being transformed employees whose existence tells us an indirect story about the fate of the studio. Ultimately a lot of things could go either way, but this is kinda, a few of my thoughts on the evidence we’ve got.

[ironhusband]

Rant time because I just watched Red, White and Royal Blue:

Things I disliked

(0. The fact it already took over the wiki I swear to god-)

1. Okay let’s start small. I will never forgive the exclusion of the “your dad is hot” text chain.

2. I also don’t like how the karaoke scene played out but I guess I can live with it.

3. No PowerPoint presentation???? Crime.

4. The texts felt a little abrupt? They were supposed to be showing us Alex and Henry becoming friends and they cut them off in two seconds. It didn’t seem so obvious why they’re suddenly friends at new years.

5. Somehow everything they added was cheesier than the book. I mean the book is cheesy but in a way I loved, but this movie kinda made me wanna gag.

6. Ok yes I know this is petty but. I still think the actors were horrible choices. I was not impressed by the acting if I’m honest and they had fine chemistry but it wasn’t… Alex and Henry chemistry. Like book Alex and Henry had so much chemistry it was electrifying and you didn’t want to take your eyes off them. Movie Alex and Henry are believable as a couple… and that’s it. Plus I didn’t love Alex. Alex is one of my favorite characters of all times and this guy just felt wrong. There were some moments that were good but his inherent charm just wasn’t there.

7. Ok now getting to the less petty reasons. I just. Hated. Everything they decided to do with the “side characters”. I will never forgive the exclusion of June, Alex’s best friend and confidant the person who knows him better than anyone. Watching her and Nora be a couple in the sidelines was my favorite part of reading the book, but even if they would have cut those hints, I just. Am so incredibly angry that they deleted the character altogether. It is simply wrong. June was the person who understood the pressure Alex was on most of all, while still having the tension of disagreeing over their passion of politicos. For god’s sake, June was the person that helped Alex figure himself out…. She was important on her own and to the plot and she was sorely missed from the movie. Bea on the other hand was… confusing. I hated how they dealt with both of the families in this movie, which I will elaborate on later, but if they’re giving us a Henry pov how come we get this dull three lines woman, not the punk with addiction problems that is afraid to go out in public. I mean, even the way she dressed - the real Bea would hate it. And we didn’t even get the ‘I love him on purpose’ conversation with her. Nora was fine, I suppose. Her and Alex’s dynamic was mostly a copy of Alex and June, but I could live with it. Except that we don’t know anything about her that we knew in the book. We don’t know she’s the vice president’s daughter. We don’t know she is a computer whiz or good with math. We don’t know hers and Alex’s history. We don’t know she’s a chaos goblin. She was just there. And Rafael Luna who was so important to the plot is just absent… I think they replaced him with Miguel Ramos (based on the trip story) which. I hate that so much.

In short my complaint with most of the side characters is that you could narrow it down to one friend for Henry and one for Alex, and nothing will change. The side characters were some of the best parts of the book and I hate that I didn’t get to see them but some boring cardboard cutouts with the same name.

8. Henry’s family. I mean I guess it was fine. Except that Bea’s struggle with social anxiety is so important to understand why Henry is afraid of coming out. Except that his relationship with his mom was a sore spot and the fact she showed up to support him meant so much in the book. Except that his grief towards his dad was barely expressed and c’mon we could have seen them watching at least one of his movies. Except that no one in that family has ever acted the way they have in the book - besides maybe his brother - and it was. So unclear why Henry wanted to please them. The queen was absent altogether and the king was surprisingly okay about Henry deciding to own his truth? I mean, things got so bad in the book, that Henry considered giving up his title… the movie shows none of that.

9. Alex’s family - besides the fact that June was missing, I think they misunderstood a big part of Alex’s character- his parents’ divorce. Alex’s childhood in Texas is such an important part of him and the fact his parents aren’t even divorced when that effected him so much… it’s why he often deflects when things get personal, why he prioritises his career over his love life, it’s why he acted like his relationship with Nora is now just a way to mess with the press. It’s why Texas is such a bittersweet place for him. It’s why he hasn’t considered his sexuality sooner either, at least the way I see it. It’s why saying I love you to Henry was such a big deal to him - why being rejected hurt him even more. But this time his parents are happily married? This time he has no one to share the burdens of being in the family with? It just felt wrong.

I also just didn’t like any of them or felt their performances to be true to their character. Alex’s relationship with his mother was so hot and cold and the changes in it felt so unnatural (Ellen herself wasn’t as fun either…). And Alex’s relationship with his dad was ok but it didn’t hit the way it should - he didn’t seem as hungry for his approval, as distant from him because he still feels slightly abandoned. Alex coming out to his dad meant so much in the book because of that - it was the first real connection he had with his dad in years and it gave him the courage to admit how he felt towards Henry. Rafael Luna’s absence and the way he was an important part to understanding Alex and his dad was also very noticeable (Luna being Alex’s connection to his dad through their culture and politics, and also Luna and his dad being friends - all of this part of the reason he was so betrayed by Luna being a republican, and felt more distance from his dad who wouldn’t explain this - but also the way it related to Alex’s relationship with being queer, and being Latino and queer…)

Alex loves politics so much because of his parents too - especially in the wanting the approval thing, making a difference as a Latino politician just like his dad and wanting to help his mom because he believes in her cause especially- and the way they showed it wasn’t it. And of course the whole dynamic felt completely weird without June.

The movie made a good point to talk about Alex’s family as his connection to politics and making a difference and representation, but the book did all that by showing and not telling, so even though I liked the fact they had a conversation about white privilege in the movie, it felt superficial because it didn’t relate to who Alex is.

10. We got very little of the emails too which was weird. And a lot of stuff they transferred from emails to real life. Most of Henry and Alex’s relationship was long distance and the emails showed that. But the sweet poetry, the texts about queer history, the mention of meetings and events…. It was all missing. We missed too much of them in that. Maybe this shouldn’t be so high up on the list but it made me incredibly sad. When I saw edits of the book into a “movie” all I looked forward to was the actors voicing over those sweet love letters as we saw Alex being involved with politics.

11. So much I didn’t enjoy about the reveal. The fact we didn’t see the people’s support too much and the way they loved “history, huh? Bet we could make some” (which wasn’t in the emails!!!). I didn’t love that they skimped over how it affected America politically too. Where’s the reveal that republicans outed the president’s son? Which is part of the reason Ellen won? Where’s the funny tweets calling Henry a ho? Where is the speech at Texas? “To you specifically, I say: I see you. I am one of you. As long as I have a place in this White House, so will you. I am the First Son of the United States, and I’m bisexual. History will remember us.”

We never got to see how much the reveal meant to others. It just meant a lot to Alex and Henry to have support, and I’m sorry but that wasn’t enough for me. That wasn’t the point.

12. Alex’s bisexuality. The way it was handled makes me seethe. Ok they had him say it twice but like. Where is the journey of realization? Where is all the little hints before Alex discovers himself (hello the poster??? And also the fact he made out with guys before like yes ok but he didn’t think anything of it at the time. He was in denial)? Where is the coming out to the public? Alex was so touched to discover queer history and he never once let people forget he was bi, even tho movie Alex was perfectly fine letting multiple people call him homosexual when he isn’t. I loved Alex because of his bisexual journey - because it was “later” in life (as I’m not while he was a teenager) too and because it was a part of him without being a big deal. And this movie stole that from me. It broke my heat. This movie, in every way, forget that representation matters.

13. If One Last Stop’s strength was showing us how the private people that changed queer history slipped through the cracks, Red, White and Royal Blue’s strength was showing us the milestones that brought us here and the milestones we can look forward to. And yet in the movie… there is nothing. No discussion of which political figures were gay. None of Henry’s love of iconic British queer celebrities. No photo of the hands up protest on Alex’s desk, no talk about the 2014 gay marriage legalization. Sure it may seem like small moments… but they aren’t. The book was built on the foundation of queer history and queer culture, both American and British, and it payed homage to it and loved it and showed its respect for it…. But the movie cut it, mercilessly misunderstanding its importance. It may have said “History huh? Bet we could make some” but it didn’t get it.

These are the reasons I felt like this is a ‘I fell in love with a prince’ romcom with a gay twist. Sure they got all the technical parts just fine. But it didn’t show the truly beautiful, mesmerizing parts of the book. I wanted to see the real Alex on the big screen. I wanted to be amused by Nora and June. I wanted to feel for Bea. I wanted to see how sweet and shy and dorky Henry is. I wanted to see the political intrigue that hooked me, the romantic emails that made me swoon, the journey to coming out that was so touching, the specific humor that made me laugh and return again and again to devotedly read Casey McQuiston’s books. I wanted to feel like I was seeing the couple who feels like it’s love or die and in their case maybe it is.

Instead, I feel like I just got the answer to who tops which is the last thing I cared about.

Sure, cuts are necessary and this wasn’t a show… but to me it felt like what they choose to cut was the book’s heart.

Things I liked

1. Zahra

That’s it

[resowrites]

Bell Ringers - oneshot.

Summary: Henry’s taken aback by a surprise revelation…

Pairings: AU!Henry Cavill x Girlfriend!OC

Warnings: fluff, banter/British humour, dialogue heavy, language, pet names, nondescript OC body type/appearance, hastily written/lightly proofread.

WC: 1230

A/N: *Sigh* Let’s see if this one manages to stay under tags lol If not then enjoy while you can!

My work must not be copied, reposted, or translated elsewhere. Likes, follows, reblogs and comments are thoroughly welcome and appreciated! Gifs/pics not my own. I hope you all enjoy and thanks for visiting!

Bell Ringers - oneshot.

“Oh bollocks and arse.” Henry lowered the PC back onto the desk and stood observing it for a moment. “Well there’s nothing for it, I shall have to fetch Lady Cavill.” He plodded into the hallway, turning his head from side to side. “Ollie? Ollieee... where is she? Ollieeeeee...” Still no reply. “MRS CAVILLLLLL!” A minute or two later he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. “Hark, a woman draws near...”

“What you foghorn?! I was upstairs making up the bloody bed. And Mrs. Cavill’s your mum.”

“… Oh yeah, I never thought of that. And no you weren’t, you’re eating crisps.”

“I was taking a break.” Henry laughed.

“Well now I require your assistance.” He swept his arms toward the den.

“For what? Henry, I don’t have time for any naughtiness—”

“No, no naughtiness, though it’s a task of equal importance—”

“I can guarantee it isn’t. Now be gone, I still haven’t started dinner—”

“Alarming though that is, I really do need your help.” She groaned as Henry led her by the hand and into the den. 

“… Why’s your PC on its side? Did you slam a door too hard?”

“No, it went kaput while I was gaming so I tipped it forward to have a look at the wiring and a cable’s slipped down one of the shafts. I need you to try and fish it out.”

“What? Why? You’ve got small enough hands, you do it—”

“Whoa, hang on… did you just say I have small hands?” She stopped still, blinking at him.

“Well, not small exactly. More... slender.” Henry’s mouth fell open.

“Slender?!”

“Mmm.” She shoved a thick stack of crisps into her mouth.

“I... I don’t believe this...”

“I mean to be fair, the rest of you is rather large… so that doesn’t help—”

“No, don’t backtrack, have you always felt this way? Or did someone point it out to you?!”

“… I think the better question is how do you not know the answer to that?” His eyebrows almost hit the ceiling.

“Are you being serious?!”

“Oh for God’s sake, they’re not sideshow small—”

“No, just small enough for you to avoid saying anything for nearly ten years!”

“Well I didn’t want to rub it in.”

“Right, well thanks for all your help, don’t worry about dinner.” Henry picked up a screwdriver and began to undo the casing.

“Wow, are you that upset? Well I can’t leave you to starve, here have some Frazzles…” She held out the bag of crisps. “There we are, stick your little fingers in there.” He let the tool clatter onto the table.

“Okay, apologise please.”

“For what?”

“For this affront to my manhood.” She clucked her tongue. “No, I mean it. You have before you a man so masculine he could even impregnate himself, and all you can do is make blithe statements.”

“Do manly men say ‘blithe?’” Henry pursed his lips. “And I don’t know that fiddling with a computer best illustrates your point…”

“I’m not fiddling with it—”

“No… more like tinkering.” He tried to wipe the smile from his face.

“Say sorry.”

“No, you didn’t hesitate to tell me I’ve got a big arse, so why should I? Although now that I think of it, it probably just feels bigger cos you can’t get a proper grip.”

“Well carry on and it’ll be getting a smack.”

“Except I won’t really feel it will I?”

“Yes you will. Trust me.”

“Nah. It’ll be more like a slight pinch… which is fine as I’m used to a tiny prick.”

“Alright, out. Now.” 

“Why? You said you wanted my help?!” 

“Not anymore. Off you fuck.” Henry signalled towards the door.

“What? Are you pointing at something? I can’t tell.” He looked up at the ceiling and closed his eyes. “Oh darling, it’s really just a matter of perspective. I mean, if you took up the piano you could get really good...”

“Mm-hmm. If you’re gunna stick around hand me that duct tape.”

“What for?”

“Your gob. And this wire, come hold it for me.” She dutifully obliged, taking her time to look over his features.

“What? What flaws have you discovered now?”

“Were you after a list?” Henry tutted. “You know you really are making a fuss over nothing. You’ve got plenty of role models. What’s that Paul Newman film? Small Hand Luke?” He sighed.

“It’s Cool Hand Luke. Right, let me just align the casing and we’ll see if this bloody thing turns on.” 

“Righty-ho. Use both hands.” 

“Ollie, that’s your last warning.”

“Or what?”

“Okay, you asked for it.” Henry finished tightening the last screw and stood back to admire his handiwork. 

“… Oh my God, am I trapped in here? I can’t get my hand out!”

“Oh, that’s odd. Tell me, can you see these now?” He stuck two fingers up at her.

“Henry, let me out please—“

“Nope.” He pilfered the pack of crisps off the desk and made for the door.

“Wait! If you don’t let me out, who’s gunna do dinner?” Henry shrugged.

“I’ll get pizza.”

“But what about me?!”

“Well if you’re good I’ll bring you the crusts.” She sighed. “You could, of course, just apologise…”

“Never.”

“Nighty night, then.” Once again he headed for the door, this time stopping to turn off the light.

“HENRY!”

“What?”

“Don’t leave.” 

“Why not?” Henry still hadn't turned the light back on and all she could hear was him munching away in the dark.

“… Cos it’s scary.” He chuckled.

“Then say sorry.”

“Okay, just turn the sodding light back on and let me out!” Henry did as he was told, though he held down the casing once it was finally unscrewed.

“Well?” She sighed again. “Come on, I know you’ve got it in you. Dig deep.”

“… I’m sorry Henry.”

“For what?”

“For making the observation—“

“Nope. Try again.”

“For saying you have small hands. Though true, it wasn’t my place to point it out.” He shook his head and began screwing the casing back in place.

“Okay, okay… you’re right. Size is subjective.”

“Yes, but we both agree my hands are massive, both in proportion to my body and generally speaking. As are my cock and brains. Correct?” She pursed her lips.

“… What about your balls?”

“Ollie—”

“Can’t we just meet halfway and say average?” 

“No, cos that would be untruthful.”

“Fine. Just let me out.”

“Ah-ah. Apologise one last time. God knows when I’ll get to hear it again.” She took a deep breath.

“I’m sorry…” Henry smiled and finally released her. “That you’re small.” She tried to dart around him, but he was too quick and lifted her into his arms. “PUT ME DOWN KNOBHEADDD.”

“Nope. Come on now, don’t wriggle! Stop, stop, stop. Shhh, you’re not getting away!” Though she certainly tried. “Shush now, there we are,” Henry rocked her gently back and forth, “if you needed attention all you had to do was ask for it.” She gritted her teeth.

“Henry I will bite you.”

“No you won’t. Gimme a kiss and I’ll let go.” She wriggled harder and managed to get one foot on the floor. Eventually, she wrestled free.

“Ha! You can’t even handle me with two hands!” She staggered her way to the door, breathless but triumphant. “Oh, and your feet are small too.” Moments later he was carrying her over his shoulders. 

To be updated on when I post please follow @resowrites and turn on post notifications.

@elizabetharegina @fanfictionaddiction99 @caffeinatedfestivalsheep @summersong69

[armyhome]

(Un) Perfects | Beomgyu

⇢ summary: Lilo is a complicated girl, but also is Beomgyu and the journey of both are a mess.

⇢ pairing: Lilo x Beomgyu.

⇢ a/n: this one is for my community, my bisexuals out there, this is for you all.

Chapter 1: Attention. Chapter 2: Ditto Chapter 3: Hype Boy Chapter 4: OMG Chapter 5: Cookie's

Chapter 6: Hurt

2014 (July)

I hate when he's mad at me, cause means that he cares.

I hate when he's laughing with me because means he enjoys my company.

I hate how my head laid perfectly on his chest  when he hugs me because his heartbeat is my favorite sound in this universe. 

I hate how his facility to get inside my room through the window because, at Henry's house, I only could sleep feeling breathing in his perfume. 

I hate how he became my favorite drug. 

"What is going on here?" Henry's voice brings me back to earth since I woke up I only stares at Beomgyu's face not carrying about time because was Sunday, like every single detail of him was not imprinted in my mind. Beomgyu wakes up scared, I hold his hand, Henry probably triggered Beomgyu with that scream.

"It's okay you are with me, you're safe it's not your dad, is only Henry and I'll never let him hurt you" I look into his eyes "Take a deep breath I'm here"

"Lilo, I'll not ask again…" Henry keep screaming, so Beomgyu cover his ears using his hands.

"Can you please shut up? Don't you see how shocked Beom is?" I cover his ears with my hands "Look at my bear, look into my eyes, you're safe, I'm with you, please breathe, take a deep breath… Henry can you be a little bit useful and call emergency, he is having a panic attack because of your show.." I say while I'm still looking into Beomgyu's eyes.

"You both are doing a show believing I'll fall for this, your mom knows that this boy sleeps with you?" I take a deep breath and Beomgyu copies my move.

"We're both over eighteen," and he doesn't love me that way "We're dating for almost three years now" I took another deep breath to Beomgyu copy my move one more time "I'm not you, I wouldn't lie to my mom, or anyone, this part of your DNA a decline, so can you please call for help?" 

"Why so much scream this early in the morning?" I heard Yeonjun's voice.

"Yeonjun, Beom is having a panic attack call emergency" My voice goes out so automatically that sounds like Siri, "One more deep breath Beomgyu, please copy me"

"What he is doing here?" Yeonjun asks, lord I'll commit murder, so I ask forgiveness already.

So Beomgyu put his head on my shoulder, and I tap slowly his back, please be okay, you need to be okay.

"I'm okay don't need to call emergency…" His voice goes out husky "I'm leaving, don't need to worry" I kiss the top of his head

"No, you will eat breakfast with us this time, the whole house already knows you are here anyway… Are you sure that you're okay?" He holds my left hand, the one my dad and Yeonjun can't see.

"I'm fine, I promise," He says looking into my eyes "I better go because I didn't tell my grandma that I would sleep outside, she probably worried, maybe you should go with me, there is no one will scream with you" He looks at Henry "Lilo is a good daughter, you have no right to scream at her, but I apologize to be inside your house without your knowledge" Henry look at him without saying anything, and Beomgyu complete in signal language for me [I'll wait outside, bring your things, stay with us until your mom come back, I'll not have peace if you stay here after hearing him screaming like that with you].

"Okay," I respond and jump off my bed, starting to pick up my stuff, Beomgyu leaves the room.

"I can't believe your mom knows about that and say nothing" Henry keeps repeating himself.

"What part of I already have eighteen, you didn't understand? I work at Mr. Kang's lawyer's office, I pay for the things that I want to have, and I only stay here to convince my mom that was fine she goes on a honeymoon, but I can definitely take care of myself, and also the Bemgyu factor, we always take care of each other…" I put my toothbrush at last in my purse.

"You take care too much of each other," Yeonjun seems to complain, I can't hold my laugh.

"Yes, that's part of being in a relationship, aren't you and Ariel the same?" I look at him, I'll not lie, part of the reason for me being here was because I know this would drive Ariel a little bit crazy, but only Beomgyu knows that.  

"Where are you thinking you going Lilo?" Henry asks so I throw my bag through the window.

"I gotcha!" Beomgyu screams from the outside. 

"You are not leaving this room for a while miss" I roll my eyes and look through the window, Beomgyu still looking at me. 

"You better don't hurt me" I whisper looking at Beomgyu before I jump, maybe I lost my mind, wasn't that high but I could break a leg for sure.

"You will don't be the one that gets hurt," Beomgyu says holding me in his arms, I hold myself on him with my legs.

"I lost my mind" I confess to him, my heart was going so fast. 

"You only realize this now?" Beomgyu laughs at me, I laugh with him "Let's run before they catch us" Beom put my feet on the grass.

"Yep!" So he holds my bag over his shoulders with one hand and with the other he holds my hand and we start to run.

And we run all the way to his grandma's house, everything in my head was in slow motion, every time he turn his head to look at me smiling, my heart  became weather, so we lay on the grass in the garden in front of the house to took a deep breath.

"Sorry for Henry, you stay because of me, and he was a d…" I start.

"Don't worry, thank you for taking care of me that way" He kissed the top of my head "I love you Lilo…" Those words became ink on my skin, a permanent tattoo in my soul. 

"I love you too bear" In a romantic way, and at the end of the day I'll be the one that gets hurt, I lay my head on his chest hearing his heart. 

"Lilo, I mean it… It's complicated to explain, and understand too,  I know, my whole life, I was all about loving boys, never in my mind, I thought about a girl, I mean I still like boys," He stop saying and take a deep breath "It's all so confusing, I just know that I love you, I wanna kiss you, hold you in my arms, in a real thigh way…" I sit and look at him "I'm not being clear, I know, is just I don't figure out it yet, but the only thing I'm sure I love you, and maybe I'm capable of loving boys, girls, non-binary people, you give me so much love, that I'm overflowing love right know…" I took a deep breath "I sware to you, I'm not being needed, I love you…"

"Beomgyu, breath," I say smiling at him "That's okay," I lay my head on his chest one more time.

"You don't think I'm a perve right?" 

"No, why would you be a perve? Because of that? No Beomgyu" I give a kiss on his chest over his shirt "My oppa boyfriend is like you, remember Taehyun oppa? When he meet you at the restaurant that night, he said we both cursed, cause he was in love with a straight guy  and I was in love with a gay guy, at the end you both were, bisexual or pansexual or just queer, I don't know if you wanna label yourself, but resuming he also think he was straight until fall for Taehyun oppa, he did the inverse way that you did, just that… There's nothing to worry about, relax…"

"Wait, you love me all these years?" Oh lord, why I can't hold my tongue? 

"That's not the point Beomgyu… Are we dating for real now?" I need to put his mind on another thing.

"You wanna be my girlfriend? Even knowing I can like boys too?"  I smile in secret. 

"I would never date a straight boy is against my rules…They're boring" So I feel Beomgyu's fingers holding my chin, pulling up my face so my lips touch his lips, so soft, no one in this world knows me better than him, and I think he feels the same way about me because there's no weird tension on our first kiss, I was with all my clothes, but feeling naked and this didn't bother me, I don't feel shy, Beomgyu was allowed to see every single details of my soul, I don't mind, than I remember what Kai say to me, about have no fear on someone's arms, was like this that moment, the only thing I feel finally got at home, when the kiss ended we took a deep breath "Please, don't think I'm objectifying you, or your sexuality,  because what I just say… was just…"

"I don't feel objectified Lilo, better saying, Julie," The way he says my real name makes my body shivers "But I'm waiting for the moment you actually do" Beomgyu whispers right next to my ear and kisses my neck "I love you Julie"

"I love you Beomgyu" 

[scotianostra]

On December 3rd 1894 Robert Louis Stevenson died on Samoa aged just 44.

It was less than a month ago I posted about his birth so this post is less about his works and life, more  to do with stuff you might not know.

How many of us have been pronouncing his name wrong? He changed ‘Lewis’ to ‘Louis’, but continued to pronounce it ‘Lewis’. He also dropped the ‘Balfour’ middle name, although he would later use it as the surname for David Balfour, the protagonist of Stevenson’s adventure novel, Kidnapped

Despite likely battling with tuberculosis for most of his adult life, a bout of malaria nearly killed Stephenson in California shortly before his marriage to Fanny Vandergrift Osborne in 1880. This bout of poor health preceded some of his most iconic works, including Treasure Island  and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

Half of Stevenson’s original manuscripts are currently missing. The manuscripts are believed to have been sold off by the Scots writer’s descendants around World War I, a time which saw the writer’s works fall out of fashion. Among the missing works are the original copies of The Black Arrow, The Master of Ballantrae and Treasure Island, I wonder if any will ever turn up?

Despite his success as a writer, Stephenson began to study piano and composition at the age of 36. He also took up playing the penny whistle two years later and went on to write 123 original compositions. Stevenson’s musicianship was not as sought-after as his literature – only three compositions were ever published.

Having travelled to the American state to marry Osborne, Robert was honoured with a park in his name. The mountainous area was the location of a cabin where Stevenson and his new wife spent their honeymoon in 1880. Although nothing of the cabin remains, it has been marked on the trail to the summit of Mount Saint Helena in Robert Louis Stevenson State Park, California.

And finally, while he was living on Samoa  Stevenson discovered that the 12-year-old daughter of Henry Clay Ide, the US Commissioner to Samoa, had her birthday on Christmas Day and disliked this. All her friends had a birthday and Christmas Day (and so two lots of presents!), whereas she had to make do with one special day each year. Stevenson nobly signed away all ‘rights’ to his birthday to the girl, as a letter of 1891 makes clear:

‘I … Have transferred, and do hereby transfer to the said A. H. Ide, All and Whole of my rights and privileges in the 13th day of November, formerly my birthday, now, hereby, and henceforth, the birthday of the said A. H. Ide, to have, hold, exercise and enjoy the same in the customary manner, by the sporting of fine raiment, eating of rich meats and receipt of gifts, compliments and copies of verse, according to the manner of our ancestors.’

What a nice man, but I will continue to mark his birthday on the date he was actually born!

Stevenson, author of Treasure Island and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, died on this day 1894 at age 44 and, per his wishes, was buried atop the nearby Mount Vaea. After his wife, Fanny, passed away twenty years later, her ashes were brought from California and interred beside her husband’s remains.

Although Stevenson only lived in Samoa for four short years before his death, the local people embraced him and his family. To this day he is remembered with much fondness by the Samoan people who referred to him as "Tusitala" which means "Writer of Tales"

Through the dedication of the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum Preservation Foundation, the beautifully restored home and gardens opened to the public in 1994, one hundred years after his death, it is now known as the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum.

Stevenson’s family home is the most popular tourist attraction on the island of Samoa, although it may only see a few outside visitors each day. The staff run a guided tour of the home, which is kept as it looked at the time of Stevenson’s death. On fair weather days, visitors can also take a hike to the top of the hill and pay their respects at the author’s burial site.

Under the wide and starry sky Dig the grave and let me lie. Glad did I live and gladly die, And I laid me down with a will.

This be the verse you grave for me : Here he lies where he longed to be ; Home is the sailor, home front sea, And the hunter home from the hill.

Robert Louis Stevenson.

Pics are of RLS on Samoa , his extended “family”, his home and grave.

[damelucyjo]

Here we go!

Episode 3 - 4-5-1

Colin finally getting the recognition he deserves!

But I don't think this is the reveal they expected it to be 😂

His boy is cute though...

OMG the false start with the theme 😂😂

YYEAAAAHH!!!!!

Ted thinking he got maths correct then saying 'are' and Roy shaking his head - perfect

Roy fully understanding Ted’s metaphors now!! ONE OF US, ONE OF US!

Perfect reflection on actual conversations had in an office 😂

BEARD’S ACCENT! Kinda hot??

Julie Andrews talk!! And they all fancy her. My people!! 🥰

Fuck yeah Princess Diaries! But how is that a deep cut?? 🤔

They boys are all incredibly cute

Please never change Dani!!

Uh oh. For Isaac to be the one to make that comment 🫣

Paul & Idris I get, but Norm??? Come on Sam

Oop that classic ‘gay sex’ joke 🤔

Rebecca looking fine, as always! (Also this must be where that clip of Hannah, Juno & Jeremy playing ‘kissy shoes’ is from

Shandy’s first question to Rebecca being ‘how tall are you?’ was very funny to me and I don’t know why 😂

Hannah’s face! 😂

Ooo mysterious Rebecca

(I also have thoughts about the ‘I’m late’ line, but I’ll keep it to myself (unless you ask))

That Virginia line had to be for Hannah

The thigh touch 👀

Who the fuck are you? DO NOT DISRESPECT MY BOY LIKE THAT!!

I am living for angry Rebecca

‘Your desk is covered in biscuit crumbs’ fucking dying 😂😂

Zava is incredibly OTT, but I kinda love him

You are the glue 🥹

Apparently they couldn’t get through this scene for laughing and THIS IS WHY WE NEED THE BLOOPERS!!

Is there going to be something to this whole ‘everyone is enamoured by Zava but Rebecca’ thing?

Oh, & Jamie too

Ted popping out from behind him - may be the funniest thing in this episode 🤷🏻‍♀️

HES 25?!?! Wtf 😂🫣

Roy is really making me chuckle in this scene. Brett, I love you 😍

I mean, they’re all brilliant in this scene to be fair

These 3 acting like little kids is amazing. Again BLOOPERS!!

‘He’s tall’ I see you, Trent 😏

Ooo the psychic 👀

They’re testing each other… interesting

Mentioning Sam then telling her Deb told you is not going to help her believe you, Tish 🤔

I don’t understand why Rebecca has gone to see her though if she’s so against it?? She must believe in it even slightly to agree to see her

Am I the only one confused by the sudden odd smell??

‘A shite in nining armour’ 😂

I have many thoughts and feelings about this whole psychic visit, just like everyone else apparently

This whole interview talk and making it viral makes me think Colin’s story is going to come out amongst all this Zava shit

Roy would do an interview for Keeley 🥹🥹 my heart

The boys!! ‘Makes sense’ 😂

This Wordle bit is purely Jason and Brendan. Tell me I’m wrong

Jamie boy is growing up 🥹

Beard being shocked Jamie knew what he was talking about 😂

Rebecca must wear BBP always this season apparently. I ain’t mad at it!

Ted still really knows nothing about football. So real 😂

Apple getting their Tetris promo in 😂😂

So this new guy is just another Ted 👀👀 interesting

Poor Ted

Rebecca being super excited! We love to see it!

Jamie walking in & straight out again. King

Ted internet stalking the new guy. We’ve all been there 😂

Rebecca still thinking about what Tish said 👀

Poor Roy 🥹

I’d be pissed too if I was Jamie!

He got a job!! Things are looking up for the Bar Boys 😂

We love a little flirty flirt moment over food 👀👀

He’s their couples therapist?! I thought he was Henry’s doctor or something 🫣

Why keep mentioning how great Nate is? He’s coaching a team that was already good… what’s he doing??

That fucking tattoo 😂 and playing Jesus Christ Superstar over it. Genius 😂

Love to see a happy Rebecca. She feels like she’s finally winning!

Dani copying Zava 😂😂

More flirting 👀

Issac is so fucking intense 😂

How long have they been together if the boys have never met him before??

REBECCA MIDDLE NAME WELTON!! That is how you show up to your ex’s new restaurant opening!

‘Told you’ what we’re they talking about for that comment?? 👀

Beard & Jane are terrible but Brendan & Phoebe are brilliant!

Poor Jamie

LOVING this bromance developing here

Fucking pre-Madonna 😂😂

I’m excited for this training

Sassy is such a terrible person?? Like, we knew?? But my god woman

I’m very undecided on Shandy…

So is Rebecca, apparently

Hannah & Juno having a whole conversation with no words 🥰 all the awards to both of them!

I just noticed Zava is wearing a t-shirt with his name all over it 😂

Avocado callback 👍🏼

‘Borderline unethical’ says everything about Sassy

Uh oh. Rebecca beginning to panic so she drinks instead. She’s just like me!

Trent’s so cool

I think it’s gonna be important that Trent was the one to spot Colin & Michael

Also fitting ‘everybody knows’ over that part of the scene - genius!