#it's not even about 'oh now my favorite show is delayed even more than it was supposed to :(' boohoo!!!!! this isn't about that

[jettlawrence]

anyways support writers strikes! support production crew strikes! support any workers strikes!!!

[poppy-metal]

my laptop charger gave out but i finally got a new one 🥳 so i am back and i found this thing in my drafts. can't remember if i already sent it so if i didn't then enjoy.

annoying friend! patrick would 100% convince you to watch porn with him. sitting in his room one day after you both left tennis practice. trying to figure out ways to entertain yourself when he bluntly just says it. probably teases you about how you probably never watch porn, you're too innocent, too much like a baby. a soft defense of yourself "i am not like that!" unintentionally corners yourself when patrick eagerly smirks. 

"prove it," and what else can you do than lay beside him as he searches for something? pulling up a lewd video - something he says is one of his 'favorites' because of course he has one - of woman messily getting fucked. patrick focuses more on your face and reactions as you watch it with wide eyes. the way her saliva falls and collects as the guy in the video pushes her down his cock. how messy she looks afterwards. the close up of the cock quickly fucking into her. you don't notice how tightly clenched your thighs are until you feel patrick slide his hand onto your legs. grinning ear from ear. 

-☕

i hate him i hate him i hate him i hate him

chooses the most scandalizing video on purpose - one where the guy is basically skullfucking the girl on screen and there's spit and drool and snot everywhere - dripping down the mans balls and taint, in strings, the lewd gag of the womans throat being abused loud and obscene.

you're irritated because you're intrigued. if this is one of patricks favorite videos.... "do you like it like that?" you have to wonder, which is bad bad bad - you've done good, you think, of straying away from strictly sexual topics when you're alone with patrick - lines get blurred to easy. and you'd already friendzoned him like, three times. you had to stick to your guns. but still. watching the video - you imagined the man as patrick - and your thighs squeezed.

patricks gaze had been on you, and it still is - he's watched this video countless times. beaten his dick off to it. "you're asking if i fuck girls like that?" there's a tone of something in his voice, the corner of his lips tucked up. you're already sitting pretty close to watch the video play out, balancing on his thighs - but he moves his leg minutely. so it presses against yours. skin on skin contact.

the warm heat of his thigh against yours is tantalizing. it was already stuffy in his room - hotter the longer the video played out. even now your gaze is locked on the screen because you refuse to look at patrick, can feel his eyes on the side of your face, "well." you edge hesitantly. "i mean its just.... messy. all those fluids - not all of that is spit, and like - the sounds. isn't that a turn off?"

maybe if you make yourself sound grossed out by it patrick will feel some shame and close the laptop. fat chance. patrick and shame? they dont know eachother. not even distant relatives.

"no." he says simply. when you glance at him, he bites his bottom lip, runs his teeth along it for a second before he releases it and elaborates. your curious little eyes getting to him. "its hot as fuck. i dont care whats coming out of her - snot, tears, spit - getting messy on my dick like that? gagging on it? feels amazing."

you swallow. "so you do treat girls like that."

his grin is sly, "you wanna know how i fuck? i can show you."

for one blistering moment you're frozen - i can show you - lips parted in shock, and most telling to how you feel about being shown how he fucks, a slick gush in your panties.

but patrick doesn't make a move on you. his shoulder brushes yours as he brings up another video, the thumbnail already making your eyes widen. oh. he presses play -

"i didn't ask to know how you -" you start, a delayed response, cut off when the video plays and your eyes are immediately assaulted by the visual of a mans thick ass and thighs as he hunches over a smaller woman, his cock a big angry thing - "thats not going to fit..." you say to yourself.

"it will." patrick assures you. "just watch," like he knows from experience. and again you're imagining this man as patrick now, his face isn't in frame so its easy. hes tan and the backs of his thighs are hairy like you know patricks are, corded with muscle. your clit throbs when he begins to bully the bulbous head of his cock into the small pout of her cunt, forcing the womans lips apart and notching into her little hole. you bite your lip - mesmerized by the sight as the man bears down. the woman lets out a wall of bliss as she's forced open - you see the struggle as shes stretched and then you see the give - when the man grunts and slams his hips down and his big dick dissappears inside her. his heavy sack resting against her outer lips.

"wow." you say. you pick at your bottom lip for something to do as the man starts fucking her. hard and mean, wet slaps filling the room from the laptop. "guess i need to send get well cards to all the girls you've been with.... "

patricks shoulder moves against yours as he laughs. "they're fine, i assure you."

"but! that has to hurt!" it must, right? no way that'd feel good.... having your cunt forced open like that.... you clench down, empty. imagining a phantom force pushing its way in. patricks cock....

the man in question shrugs. scratches his jaw, "i mean, yeah, if you're a complete amateur. but i take care of what's mine - trust me, they're begging for this big dick before i even pull it out."

your nipples are hard peaks. his voice is so.... when he talks about things seriously. this soft quality that makes your head a little blank. you dont need to question him on his size, you'd seen the print of him tenting his sweats before - you know hes packing a fucking anaconda in there. you think better on pressing him about the whole "take care of whats mine" bit. if he goes into explicit detail about that you'll have to excuse yourself to rub your clit in your own room. tormented with thoughts of being one of patricks zweigs girls for a night - his.

you shut the laptop. "well that was enlightening. i now know more about your sex life than i ever wanted to know before. thanks for that."

he nudges you, "im always happy to entertain."

[biteofcherry]

Hi! ALPHA STEVEEEEE oh my actual days. i have an unhealthy attachement to GoT. If his omega was feeling insecure how would he react? I feel like he would be completely flabbergasted and considering how she is very much independent she might not tell him at first. but if he found out...

A study

alpha!Steve Rogers x omega female reader

warnings: none; fluffy hurt/comfort; alpha has unique ways of improving your mood; but there's also understanding and communication; alpha Steve is a warning okay?

Grain of Truth Masterlist

Main Masterlist

"I guess this one could work," you shrugged, watching yourself in the mirror with growing resentment.

Your words reached Steve with quite a delay. He was staring at you, his mind occupied with images of ripping the fabric off of your body to get his hands on the magnificence of your curves and softness.

You looked absolutely fantastic in that dress - and it wasn't even some revealing, super sexy evening gown, but rather a chic, modest piece. Perfect for attending a conference.

And when you first saw that dress on the display as you passed the shop, you seemed to love it. How could it change so quickly?

Steve's gaze dragged up your body until he met your eyes in the mirror.

It was the very first time you showed annoyance with your looks, even if occasionally you fussed about not fitting into your favorite clothes right before the heat, because your body was accumulating fat to survive days of endless fucking.

"What is it?" Steve's brows furrowed as he took a step closer and you felt the warmth of his body at your back.

His hands slipped onto your hips and he rested his chin on top of your head as he held your gaze in the reflection.

"Nothing," you shrugged again, instinctively leaning into your alpha's embrace. "It's a good dress, but it doesn't really matter, right?"

Steve sensed that clearly it did matter, so he waited patiently for you to elaborate.

"I just have one meaningless presentation, nobody will pay attention to it beside just politely listening and clapping after I'm done." You tried to play it cool, like it didn't bother you that there was going to be a different star at the conference.

"Unlike Hope," you muttered, your tone more bitter than you wanted to let on.

Hope was- not exactly a friend, but not an enemy either.

You went to the same university, shared some mutual friends and occasionally worked on the same projects before graduation. Then you pursued your career goals while Hope went on to rock the world with everything that she had.

She was stunning, always had a line of men and women trailing behind her with dreams of spending time with her. She had a brilliant mind, too. Honestly, she had it all, in your opinion.

Including the freedom of not being driven by designation and hormones, since she was a beta.

As it turned out, Hope now had not one but three degrees and steered her career toward medical science for the military purposes. You were proud of how you were actually helping people day to day, running your small research, but it suddenly felt less significant compared to Hope's straight road to saving the world.

When you stumbled into her an hour ago, your brief, quite warm conversation revealed she was going to be the mysterious grand star at the conference you were also attending.

And she too was searching for an outfit. Judging by the label on the bag she was carrying, Hope was going to have something designer. Perhaps even custom fitted.

Then it turned out Steve was familiar with one of her projects; he saw it used in action when back in the military.

They switched feedback and information about Hope's upgrades so flawlessly and passionately, and you just stood there with a smile, nodding your head in pretend-interest.

Hope had it all. Still. Just like she had in uni.

Including attention of your mate.

You knew Steve loved you, you didn't fear him leaving you to chase anyone else. But love didn't mean he was impressed, or interested in your meager career.

The only profit you'd gain from presenting your study at the conference would be Maria's proud face as she added to your clinic's website information about running research acknowledged at international conferences.

"Hope?" One of Steve's eyebrows quirked up, confusion settling on his face. "That beta we ran into?"

"Yes, that beta whose great improvements to the battlefield medicine-" you mocked Steve's voice- "you were complimenting less than an hour ago," you glared at him, barely stopping yourself from stomping on his foot.

"Sweet brat," Steve's hands tightened their grip on your hips, an almost painful reminder to watch your tone.

"I was a Captain in the Army and sometimes on missions things got really bad. I simply appreciate that Hope's projects helped to save lives of some of my men."

"I know her work is important." You grit out, crossing your arms over your chest. "Which is why I know everyone will look forward to her presentation and discussion panel with her. So I don't need to bother stressing over my showing."

Steve recited the full title of your presentation and research, showing you he was always paying attention to what was important to you.

"Hope's work may be desired by the big, important institutions," he said, "but it's your research that has the potential of aiding people nationally, in their day to day struggles."

Your heart melted at the conviction in Steve's voice. Through the bond you sensed a steady rhythm and a flush of fiery pride that your alpha felt about your work.

"And you know what else?" Steve bent down a little, resting his chin in the crook of your neck, his lips brushing your cheek.

"Hope has nothing beyond her career. Beneath the smell of perfume, there's only the scent of the lab on her. No partner, neither long term nor a fuckbuddy. No remnants of anyone familiar, like a friend or a pet."

"Maybe she chose it that way," Steve mused, rubbing soothing circles on your hips with his thumbs, "or maybe she spends the rest of her day being as fussy as you, feeling bitter that she doesn't have a mate and love like you."

You sighed softly, uncrossing your arms. You rested your hands atop Steve's forearms, caressing his warm skin.

You tilted your head slightly as your placated insecurities slowly retreated, living room to the mentioned fussy streak. That still wasn't entirely gone, strumming inside you with a need to act out.

"So you were checking her scent?" It was a deliberate poke, delivered with a glare.

Steve huffed and closed his eyes for a second. Then he straightened and in one swift move twirled you around.

He pushed you back against the mirror, gripping the back of your neck with one of his large hands.

"If you're sporting for a spanking until you sob all your frustration and insecurities out, I will happily arrange it." His voice remained soft, but dropped to that low octave a breath away from a growl.

"Or maybe we can make you more excited on that stage?" You gulped nervously as Steve's eyes darkened.

His lips trailed along your jaw, teeth just barely grazing your skin.

"You'll be giving your lecture wearing nothing but that pretty dress, while I sit in the first row with your panties in my pocket. Knowing that as soon as you're done with your presentation, I'm going to be fucking you full of my cum..."

Steve nipped your chin in reprimand when your eyes closed, the sting making you open them instantly.

"So that when you do the rounds at the banquet later that beta you're jealous off knows that you've won something she'll never have. A true mate."

Your clamped your hands on Steve's shoulders, gripping the fabric of his too tight t-shirt.

"You can't solve everything with sex, you know," you said breathlessly, clenching your thighs as you felt Steve's free hand slide up the pencil skirt of the dress you were trying on.

"How about we conduct a longitudinal study on that?" Steve chuckled and slapped your thigh.

[babyjakes]

did something bad.

〈 disclaimer: this blog posts content not suitable for individuals under the age of 18. minors are strictly prohibited from viewing, sharing, or interacting with this blog. for more information on this blog's commitment to protecting minors, read our full statement here. 〉

event | kinkmas 2023

prompts | interrogation + weapon play

pairing | soft!daddy!lloyd hansen x little!reader

warnings | ddlg dynamic. lloyd is soft and a little dark; dub-con to be safe (reader is scared but knows she's safe.) restraints. reader gets fucked with lloyd's unloaded gun as a punishment (+ me knowing nothing about guns.) crying kink. dumbification. mocking/degredation. name-calling (reader is called a slut once.) orgasm delay. softer nicer lloyd at the end. reader gets to come.

word count | 1,333

an | this one's dedicated to the sweetest, most wonderful angel in the whole entire world, lloyd's precious girl amalia @stargirlfics 💕🫶✨ hope you like this little story with a soft dark-ish lloyd, i think you replied to that one post a while back where i dreamt of lloyd + gun fucking with a rather unhinged ending, this is to hopefully make up for that!! happy holidays to you sweet friend, hope you're staying safe and warm!

Writhing as your back arched up off of the smooth wooden surface you were bound to, your weak whimpers were sweet music to your daddy's ears. The mustached man stood just off to the side of the desk, finishing up as he wiped the shiny barrel of his favorite revolver clean. "D-Daddy, please! I'm sorry- I'll never do it again," you implored, but Lloyd only chuckled cruelly at your desperate promises, shaking his head.

"Too late, princess. You know Daddy loves to hear you beg, but none of those pretty pleas are gonna work for you this time." He stepped forward to stand at your side, a firm hand reaching down to grope at your tit. It had been a while since he had last stripped you naked and tied you down on his desk; hoping to prolong your anxious waiting, he took a moment to admire his knotwork work. "So cute when you're all tied up like this, kitten. Maybe you need to break the big rules more often."

You struggled uselessly as your nipple was twisted and tugged at, tears stinging in your eyes as your daddy leaned down slightly to croon at you, "Poor baby, look at those big, frightened eyes. You gonna cry for me already, sweetheart? I haven't even started yet." Placing the dreaded weapon he was wielding down near your waist, he used his now free hand to trail down, feeling at your parted slit gently. "Oh my," his voice dropped lower as his fingers were quickly covered in your sticky slick, "looks like someone's getting excited. Is that out of fear, little one? Or is that poor little baby brain of yours getting turned on by Daddy punishing you like this?"

Hot tears of humiliation rolled down your cheeks as you glared up at the towering man. "Aww, don't go all pouty on me," he laughed lightly at the precious face you were making. "If you're good and tell me what I want to know, I promise I'll make sure you like this."

All you could do was watch with frightened eyes as the tall man got to prepping his instrument of choice for your punishment. Retrieving a small bottle of lube from one of his desk drawers, he coated the barrel of the handgun generously, making sure the long pipe of metal would slide in without issue. While the use of the device was meant to teach you a lesson, its goal was to deal you an emotional punishment, not a physical one. The gun was unloaded in front of you beforehand, and the sights were removed to prevent any catching or discomfort. More than anything, it was merely the concept of being fucked with the gun that you found so horrific.

"You're gonna look so pretty all stretched out on this," Lloyd marveled as he held up the weapon to show you before bringing it down to press its opening up against yours. The man grinned in delight as you kicked and fought helplessly against the ropes holding your legs apart, savoring the way your little voice sounded when you were all needy and scared like this.

"Please, p-please Daddy!" you cried, your tears worsening as you felt the cool metal gliding up inside you. Squeezing your eyes shut, you gave in and quit squirming as the revolver was inserted to its handle, twisting and turning cruelly within you as your daddy took his time and played.

"There," he hummed in satisfaction when he finally settled on a position, keeping the hilt sticking upward as he gently began pumping the slippery barrel in and out of your poor little pussy. It was nothing short of sinful, the way you immediately began moaning softly, the queasy fear in your tummy quickly shifting to unapologetic lust as your hips started bucking up to meet your daddy's efforts.

"Such a greedy little slut," Lloyd chuckled as he watched you ramming yourself right up onto the dripping weapon. "Look at you, getting so horny for Daddy's gun. That's it, princess. Keep fucking yourself on it, just like that." He helped you along by returning his free hand to your hardened nipples, pinching and pulling at the poor knots of flesh as burning tingles fanned out across your entire body.

"Daddy, D-Daddy-" you mumbled weakly, your eyes half-closed in bliss as the smooth tip of the revolver bumped right up against your tender ceiling. "Please, d-don't stop... gonna, g-gonna..." Maybe it was the sheer depravity of the situation, or maybe it was Lloyd's skillful fingers working your oversensitive nipples, but something was helping you along to a rather early high as you lay there panting on the desk. Seeing the way your body was starting to give its usual signs of approaching orgasm, your daddy slowed the pace of the gun inside you as he brought his other hand up to cup your cheek.

"Now baby," he tsked, rubbing his thumb tenderly over your tear-stained cheek as you looked up at him with wide, pleading eyes.

"Daddy, p-please! Need, n-need-... nnn..."

"Shhhh," Lloyd cooed, bringing his thumb to rest firmly over your salty lips as a signal to be quiet and listen. "Daddy knows, kitten. Know how bad you need to come," he nodded understandingly, the concern and mock sympathy on his face only causing your tears to worsen, as you knew the ways of his cruel acts and games. "But you're forgetting something, sweet girl- something very important. Remember that Daddy had a question for you?" Sobbing lightly against your daddy's thumb, you nodded weakly. "That's right, baby. Daddy needs to know what you were doing in the armory, right? Because weren't you found in there by one of his guards, up way past your bedtime?"

He let you nod, giving you a soft hum of approval as the gun was pumped at a torturously slow pace, in and out of your quivering cunt. "Now I'm gonna take my hand away, and I want you to answer. Do you understand, little one?"

Batting your eyelashes, you nodded as obediently as you could, earning a slight nod from the man as he did as he promised and released your face, allowing your lips to finally open. "W-was lookin' for a knife, Daddy. One of those shiny ones, with the fancy blades."

Lloyd considered your answer, quirking an eyebrow as he bumped his pace up with the revolver just a hair. "A knife? Now what on earth would you need a knife for, my little princess? Those are very dangerous; you know Daddy doesn't let you touch knives, not even the ones in the kitchen."

"Just wanted to play with one," you mumbled honestly, fearing how lame your answer might come across. "Saw a super spy on TV, she had a cool-lookin' one. Wanted to dress up and play around the castle." Lloyd couldn't help but melt a bit at your answer. Of all the things he thought you might be doing in there, finding a prop for a play-pretend game certainly made sense for your harmless, innocent nature.

"A super spy, huh?" he nodded, finally working back up to his original speed as he resumed fucking you generously with the weapon in his hand. "I see. Thank you for telling me the truth, sweetheart. No big girl knives for you, but we can find you a fake one to play with. Deal?"

"D-deal," your voice was shaky as your punishment seemed to come to its close. You had been so good, taken everything without too much of a struggle, and now it was time for your daddy to reward you. "D-Daddy," you hiccuped as the pressure in your tummy began quickly building up again, but Lloyd was already one step ahead of you.

"Go ahead, princess. You can come; you earned it," he cooed lovingly as he leaned down to kiss your forehead, cradling the back of your neck with his free hand as you finally found your release.

[amerricanartwork]

I saw your lilypad art post, and I got curious: why do you enjoy lilypad? it's not a common RW ship, so I'd be interesting to hear what about it you enjoy!

Hear me out, guys... I must explain myself before I get onto the Lilypad essay.

I made that original comment because, at the time, I wanted to just get the aforementioned headcanons out as soon as possible. Understand, my reluctance wasn't because I didn't want to talk about Lilypad, but rather the exact opposite: I had so many feelings about it, yet had put so little effort into expressing them in a coherent, presentable format that I just knew it'd distract me for the next week or two if I let it rent too much space in my conscious thoughts. But now that little comment has left me with several people asking me to share those thoughts, and, both thankfully and unfortunately, I simply can't resist indulging in thoughts about the characters I love—!

Keep in mind, I haven’t finished Saint campaign yet, and even then I’ve found like less than half the broadcasts in Spearmaster campaign yet, so there’s likely some extra canon info I may be missing that could add to or change some of what I say here. I also apologize if some of what I write here seems really out-of-character. I try not to let my passion for my little headcanons and scenarios make me disregard the canon, but even so, I might slip and think up some weird things occasionally. Nonetheless, I feel like I’ve got enough of the picture to start confidently enjoying this ship, so I’ll talk about it anyway! 

As always, feel free to add to these ideas if you can! Without further delay, enjoy this 3381-word essay, with a few initial headcanons sprinkled in, on why I adore Lilypad!

Oh, and just in case, if you couldn’t already tell, major Hunter campaign spoilers below.

Quetzalli on Loving Lilypad

I’m gonna start this out with a preface: I can generally find the appeal in a lot of different ships and the art other fans make for them, but for me to ship something enough to actively draw it and make my own headcanons about it and such (outside of, perhaps, gifts for other people), it usually has to contain a variety of “ship tropes” that I personally fancy. Many of my most-favorite ship tropes tend to be the ones that aren’t just cute, but that carry narrative significance and seem poetic in some way, usually because they can facilitate character arcs in the involved characters. The more of these a ship has, or the more ship tropes I can portray it with without it seeming too out-of-character, and the more I like those specific tropes, the better. This principle is a major reason why I’ve gravitated towards Artimand as my main slugcat ship, but for now, I’m going to focus on which of these I see in Lilypad — in canon content, other fan-portrayals, and my personal headcanons — that, as opposed to other iterator ships, has currently won me over.

I’m gonna describe the main general things I like seeing in this ship. Some of them are more due to fandom portrayals than what’s in the canon, but they all play a big role in my current love for Lilypad. 

Synergy

I’ll begin with how I really appreciate just how much synergy Looks to the Moon and No Significant Harassment are shown to have, at least in fan content! I always like seeing pairings where the characters aren’t just romantic, but also work really well together as a team or even just as friends. After all, just because the characters may be romantically in love doesn’t mean they must only show it in explicitly romantic ways. To me, Lilypad strikes me as a relationship where Sig and Moon would make an amazing team in many aspects of their lives, whether it's collaborating on projects, sharing their interests, or trying to maintain order in the rest of their group. And their compliment is just really sweet to me, though I’ll get to that later.

A Shoulder to Lean On/The Lady

One of my favorite ship tropes is “character with a lot of weight on their shoulder who finally gets to lift it off and be ‘normal’ for once when around the other”. I’ve always found it sweet when characters like this, especially ones who are normally very selfless, finally get a chance to indulge and enjoy themselves for once! And once again, this is another thing I imagine in Artimand too, and you could project this onto Trafficlights given Suns’s implied high status, but I think it works especially with Lilypad, given Moon’s role as group senior means she objectively has a lot to manage all the time with no permanent escape from it. Even beyond the whole Five Pebbles rot drama, Moon probably had a lot on her plate just in terms of maintaining order between the rest of the group and setting a good example to the younger generations, especially as the group expanded over time, not to mention trying to find the solution herself. Combine this with how I picture her to be the kind of person who cares a lot about her image as a “proper” and  “dignified” leader, and someone who often sacrifices her own desires to promote the group’s welfare, I just find it really soft for her to have someone to lean on, metaphorically (and in a worm-off-the-string scenario, literally), and who better to go to than her best teammate, who knows the power of a good laugh and will stop at nothing to have fun with those he loves? Not to mention, since I headcanon Sig as slightly younger than Moon (2nd gen, specifically), I just find it rather cute in an ironic sense that the older, more serious Moon is soft around the younger, far more chaotic Sig, especially as Moon would go through the realization that she actually kinda likes this little troublemaker! 

This also comes back to something I mentioned in the tags of that beepsnort post, which is that one of my other favorite ship tropes is “guy who loves/is good at making people laugh x girl who has a REALLY weird/embarrassing laugh”, and that just works so well with Lilypad! It’s admittedly a very headcanon-based thing for me, but given how I’ve already explained my perception of Moon as very proper and serious, I imagine one of the best ways Sig takes the weight off her shoulders is by being the only person who can consistently make her laugh so hard! And with the beepsnort headcanon it’s even cuter, because of course Moon would be super embarrassed every time she even so much as gives a half-chuckle at one of his jokes, because Sig is relentless when it comes to getting the giggles out of her, and he won’t stop until she’s rolling and shaking on the floor of her chamber, her beepy-snorts filling the room! My GODDD I love this trope so much, and for beings who are inherently such workaholics, I think getting to genuinely relax and have fun for a bit, once she gets over the initial shock and embarrassment, would be something Moon would really come to value.

Inverses Attract/The Tramp

I’ve mentioned it in my last Artimand headcanons post, but one of my absolute all-time favorite ship tropes is the classic “opposites attract”, although I prefer the name “inverses attract”. As I like to portray it, the trope not only involves characters who are opposites personality-wise, but those being opposites of the same core aspect, and ultimately helping balance each other out by offering the other half of the equation to each other (hence the name “inverses”). The trope I just wrote about above is how Sig helps Moon to relax and have fun, but as I try to do with all ships, how does it work the other way too? Well, I really like to imagine Sig learning to be more openly serious and dedicated! Don’t get me wrong, Sig is a hard worker (it’s pretty much the nature of all iterators), but given he seems to pretty strongly reject the quest for the Triple Affirmative, I imagine the next problem would be in him finding a new purpose to strive for. And what better new purpose than in standing by and protecting the group senior he thinks he just might wanna be more than friends with?

It already works because Moon, of course, would work to keep Sig in check and make sure he doesn’t go too overboard with his shenanigans. But just imagine how inspired he’d grow over time seeing Moon work so hard to keep the group together and keep them striving for their purpose, even if he doesn’t agree with it. I imagine it’s why Sig’s methods are still rather controlled rather than purely chaotic, and there’s a reason to his rebellion. Thanks to Moon, rather than slaving away at a seemingly impossible solution until his mind collapses with his structure, he’ll use his talents to, at the very least, keep the local group together as long as possible, because even if they’ll all be gone one day, that doesn’t mean they have to go alone!

It’s why I’m also labeling these two tropes together as “the Lady and the Tramp”, yet another ship dynamic that gets me every time! It’s a specific instance of “inverses attract” where the noble, proper lady finds a taste of freedom and courage from the dangerously charming tramp, who from her finds a new sense of purpose and honor! And in my opinion, Lilypad is most definitely the best opportunity for this dynamic among Rain World ships!

The Fated Couple

Slow-burn couples seem to be pretty popular in many fandoms, but what about a really slow-burn? There’s something just so romantic to me about the idea that Moon and Sig, from the moment they met, have always just clicked so perfectly, and have been by each other’s side so constantly ever since, to the point it seems practically inevitable to everyone (except them of course) that they’ll eventually get together romantically. Of course, there are two main roadblocks to their romance being 1.) their whole objective and purpose for being created is kind-of fundamentally opposed to strong attachments like love (I mean, if Karma 3 is Companionship, wouldn’t romantic love be considered the worst example of that?), and 2.) even if they did reject this purpose, being massive immovable structures with the only humanoid part stuck deep inside a box, a budding romance seemingly couldn’t really go anywhere anyway. In fact, because of these roadblocks much of my Lilypad imaginings take place in the ever-popular “worm-off-the-string” scenario, especially since the next couple of reasons for why I like the ship play a lot into the themes I like to incorporate in this story concept. 

However, these issues towards such a romance are also what make it so sweet in the end! Just think of Moon, alone in her chamber, beginning to worry about how she’s actually kinda sorta, maybe, hypothetically, possibly, just a little bit starting to like the carefree and charismatic Gen 2 in the local group as even more than just a work partner and a dear friend, but oh no, that’s indulging in a Karmic Sin, and as group senior she can’t just throw away their purpose like that and set such a bad example to the rest! What’s she gonna do?? And then on the other side, Sig puzzling in his chamber, pining so hard for the group senior yet seemingly unable to confess, because, even disregarding Karma 3 and the fact that giant immobile calculators aren’t about to be snuggling any time soon, why would someone as perfect and powerful as her want someone like him, so dismissive of their core purpose and unorthodox in his methods? Is there even a point in having these feelings at all, when they might very well end up simply fading to dust along with the rest of his structure?

Maybe, they both think, it’d be better to just keep these feelings to themselves and quietly love from a distance. That is, until…

Moon’s Collapse and the Slag Reset Keys

The fourth reason is, of course, the most steeped in canon. It goes back a bit to the “shoulder to lean on” concept, but even aside from that, there is something just so romantic about this on both sides.

Firstly, from Moon’s perspective. There’s no doubt that the collapse must have been very traumatic for Looks to the Moon physically, but I like to think about just how much it’d affect her emotionally, too. I mean, being so painfully destroyed by your own brother, with seemingly nothing that can be done to stop it and no one to help you? And then consider how lonely it must have been in her final moments. The only comfort she does get is from Spearmaster’s visit, and even then she sends him off to go deliver her final words, which has still got to be really depressing. And finally, think about how betrayed she must have felt, trying so hard throughout her operation to help her citizens and the local group and be kind to everyone, only to have it be repaid like this, forced to collapse in on herself, being buried under her own body, unfathomable pain all around, and with not a soul to help her.

So then, think about just how shocking and heartwarming (literally, if you think about it) it must be when that lovable Gen 2, always so playful and carefree normally, is the one to give her a second chance and being her back when all hope seems lost, and using such a unique delivery method no less! I mean COME ON, Sig literally brought her back to life, how could one NOT fall in love with someone who did that for them? It links back to the “shoulder to lean on” idea, in that, for once, someone finally looked out for Moon and gave back to her for all the kindness she gave to the world. Think about this as the moment she truly realizes she’s in love with No Significant Harassment, and how tragic it’d be knowing now, it’s too late to say it. But, even so, if he’s willing to go this far to make sure she’s okay, then maybe, just maybe, there’s a chance her love at least wasn’t alone.

Now, my thoughts about this from No Significant Harassment’s side (which also kinda turned into a mini NSH appreciation paragraph that links back to the earlier Inverses Attract and Lady and the Tramp segment), I think it’s very poetic to see him going out of his way to take his messenger concept, originally used for no more than a trivial prank and at most a very experimental and unfinished alternative communication method, and turning it into a noble last-ditch effort to rescue the one he loves. It doesn’t just clearly show how much he cares for Moon that he worked to save her when no one else did (and if that’s because the odds of being able to do anything seemed very low to the rest of them, that makes it even more sweet) I think it shows off a lot of Sig’s character beyond just being a jokester. Like, I’d seen this kind of personality for Sig in the fandom content before, but this action and the other broadcasts are what first made me truly realize not just that it is based in canon, but that, more importantly he’s not just stupid or unfocused, he’s rebellious. He doesn’t joke around because he just doesn’t care, it’s because he’s independent, he’s got other places he wants to go and plans that don’t fit into what most of his peers are used to. He makes light of the world because he sees what others don’t, and it’s honestly pretty frickin’ funny how blind others can be most of the time (case-in-point: him making a slugcat from a messenger, which no one else thought to do because those creatures seemed too “dull” and “primitive” to ever be capable of such a thing). So think about how significant it must be when he’s openly taking something seriously. This is where that dynamic of the Tramp, and how Sig would benefit from this relationship is really highlighted. I just adore it when the easygoing, carefree character finally finds purpose in their lover, and springs into serious action like they never were before! And it makes sense too given what I said about them not getting together before: seeing Moon collapse would show him directly that even beings as durable as iterators don’t last forever, so if he’s got these feelings for Moon, he’s got to make a move while there’s still a chance! And what better way to show his love than to bring her back when all hope seems lost? Which brings me to the final aspects I’ll talk about here, first of which is…

True Love’s Kiss

Yes, you read that right. The real reason I love the slag reset keys as a plot element so much is not just because it shows Sig’s secret strength of character, not just because it finally gives reward to Moon’s kindness, but because it is a real fairytale come true! 

I know this sounds crazy and probably totally unrelated to Rain World, but think about it! You guys have probably seen Snow White and Sleeping Beauty before, or at least one of the two? Isn’t the whole trope that the beautiful princess, fairest maiden in the land, gets cursed through some means or another to die (or in Aurora’s case, fall into an indefinite sleep), which is only undone when the strong and brave prince, riding upon his noble steed, awakens the princess by giving her true love’s kiss? I already love both those movies on their own for various other reasons, but after my description, is this starting to sound familiar in another way?

I mean, with everything I’ve said about Moon in this post so far, there’s no doubt you could perceive her as the “fair princess”, who through unfortunate circumstances is put to a premature and indefinite death. And there’s no doubt Sig fills the role of the brave prince by working to save her with the slag reset keys, which in this metaphor are undoubtedly the “true love’s kiss” that ultimately conquers all, always longed for, and finally delivered! And hey, given Hunter is the one to carry the keys to Moon, a small yet courageous beast who stops at nothing to meet his goals, Sig even has his own “noble steed”! And even if Hunter is technically the one to actually deliver the green neuron, and the death the “princess” succumbs to wasn’t out of genuine malice towards her, I think the sentiment is still there and the parallel is close enough! 

But yes, as strange as it may sound, the fairytale parallel is the main reason Lilypad resonates with me so much! Those classic fairytale-esque romance tropes and that poetic storytelling found in Disney’s first feature-length animated films has always been dear to my heart, and is even more so now that I’m older and can truly appreciate the beauty of them. So now, even in my fandom experiences, ships that win my appreciation over all others are often those that manage to embody those classic romance tropes and themes as best as possible, and frankly, even Artimand loses ever-so-slightly to Lilypad in this regard! Or, as I also enjoy calling them, “Lifeline”, for reasons that are probably obvious now. 

And it’s even better when you consider…

Some Things Never Change

Another trope I’ve recently begun to love is the idea that some phenomena in the world never truly disappear, but simply manifest in different ways, sometimes unexpected ones. And given the whole Triple Affirmative quest and the Ancients’ mass ascension philosophy, this idea is something I especially love seeing in Rain World content. Even the canon events show this idea, but think about how wonderfully it would work with Lilypad beyond just the slag reset keys, especially taking up that “worm off the string” iterator AU concept some have explored in this fandom already.

Just think about how sweet it would be when Moon and Sig, operating primarily through their puppets now, get to finally hug and kiss and be with each other so directly now! Think of the way Sig would speak to Moon about how, even after her collapse, she's still somehow beautiful as ever, and Moon returning with how even all the trouble the group has faced hasn't put a dent in his charm! And it's even sweeter when you consider it’s against everything their creators stood for! Think of Moon, after everything she’s been through and how much she’s probably changed at this point, now willing to give some of these “worldly attachments” a chance, because you can never truly get rid of them, but she knows better than anyone that you won’t be around to experience them forever, so why not enjoy it while you’ve got the chance? And it’d make sense too, not just for her own benefit, but for Pebbles and the rest of the group’s sake too! She’s always strove to set a good example for them, and since their original quest has left them with nothing but pain and trauma, why not show them that maybe all these attachments aren’t so bad after all?

I just think it’d be really interesting to see Moon joining Sig in that rejection of the Triple Affirmative, and what better way to do that than by finally embracing that love they’ve felt for each other for so long? Because love never truly dies, it just appears in new people. And maybe they don’t have to spend their whole lives as grand iterators, the vast infinitely-advanced mechanical deities who embody perfection in almost every way. Maybe, even just for a bit, they can just be people, falling in love just as their creators did all over again!

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

And with that, I think I’m FINALLY done here. HOLY COW, this is easily my longest post yet, and I hope it doesn’t disappoint! Part of the reason it took so long was because I was trying to find the perfect way to express all these ideas without it just spilling out onto the page in some weird half-coherent mess. But eventually I just said “ah screw it, let’s just ramble about this ship and see where it goes!” and my god, did it go far! And I still managed to somewhat organize it, so yay!

But aside from that, thank you SO MUCH to everyone who asked for my thoughts on Lilypad, and everyone who made it to the bottom of this essay! I’ve never really gotten a chance to openly ramble about one of my favorite ships to the rest of the fandom like this, so seeing that some fans, even if it’s ultimately not a huge amount, actually wanted me to do it was such a welcome surprise!

I hope you all enjoyed the drawings and the art! I’ll be around in case someone wants me to write another ship essay or something! And who knows, it’s likely I’ll find more reasons I like Lilypad as time goes on and I see more fan-content and find the rest of those broadcasts! But at least this was a starting point! 

Expect more LIlypad content to come in the future, but until now, thanks again for the opportunity!

[miniisunshine]

It's here! My Kappa x new girl is out

Synopsis : Was he yours if he wanted me so bad

Warnings : AFAB ready, P in V, swearing, dubious consent?, dom Kappa, sort off humiliation kink

Being the new girl in an already established group is never easy, even harder when there's princess treatments for one, but boy oh boy were you determine to move that bitch and take her place sooner or later.

You've met Kappa for the first time in an alleyway; while you were trying to steal from a creepy guy, your plan failed miserably and you ended up trap inbetween him and a brick wall. Trying to escape from his strong grasp, delaying the horrible nightmares who would come next, you were lucky enough to be saved by the long black haired cult leader. Immediately hypnotised by his cold icy gaze, you didn't need to think one minute to accept his invitation to join his "human-robots killers group". I mean, you were already in the crime industry, what could go wrong?

Already head over heels for this man, you were greeted with a cold shower when you first met Kappa's favorite one : Theta. And she made it veeery clear to you that he was hers and she was his, like a prince to his princess.

But what she didn't know was, at night, the one she called "mine" was in your bed, carressing and kissing you, whispering sweet words into your ears as he fucked you until you couldn't see clear and you loved it, even though you still wanted to be more than just his midnight love.

So one night, as you were laying on his chest, drawing circles on his skin, you poured your heart out for Kappa.

"Are you gonna claim me as yours one day?"

"Why are you asking that Sugar?"

You sighed

"I'm tired of being your dirty little secret, i should be the one you show proudly, not Theta.."

"But i love you just like i love her, isn't that enough?"

"No it's not! And you clearly don't LOVE her if you keep coming in my bed every night! Stop lying with those words."

You almost screamed.

Shocked by your anger he got off the bed, raising his hand to slap you, but didn't, like a force prevented him from doing so. Without a word, he stormed out the room, leaving you crying quietly on your matress, deeply affected by his unequival feelings to you.

As the night goes by, sadness grew into anger and anger became vengance: let's see how long he could resist keeping you a secret to the rest of the group.

In the morning, you threw off the sluttiest nightgown you could find, parading in front of everybody, purposefully getting the attention of every man who would get an eyeful of your body.

Bending over to grab the milk in the fridge, your eyes met Kappa's furious gaze, as you slowly poured the liquid in a glass. Because Theta was peacefully eating her breakfast next to you, he knew nothing could be done right now to stop this show you put on before lunch, preventing "his" men from looking at you like lions looking at their prey.

You finished your milk, winking at him while licking your lips, as you went back into your room, changing yourself, ready to attack this beautiful day.

Since nothing was scheduled today, you decided to take on the tasks you were given one your first day : cleaning the house. Washing and scrubing was something you enjoyed a lot and with a boring day like this, it was the perfect activity to waste your time one.

As the hour passed, you were left all alone in the house, cleaning the dining room, while the others benefited from the great warmth outside, or so you thought.

Deeply focus into your work, you didn't heard Kappa's footsteps rapidly approaching, caging you with his chest on your back and his hands trapping yours on the table.

"You have 5 seconds to explain what happened this morning Sugar."

He asked calmly, with a bittersweet undertone.

"I don't know what you're talking about.."

You said innocently, but deep down, this moment was all you hoped for after what you have done earlier.

"Don't act fucking stupid with me. Is it because of last night? Are you now punishing me for telling you the truth sweety?"

You couldn't respond. His dark tone and his tall body towering behind you were making you unable to let any sound come out of your mouth.

"Let's see who's really getting punish in all of this."

You couldn't process what he had said before he forcefully slamed your upperbody on the table, pressing his hard on in your ass.

"W..wait Kappa.. We can t..talk!"

"Too late pretty face, you've reached my limit and now you have to pay for it."

His peaceful voice would have calmed everybody, but the situation made it bone chilling as the words reached your ears.

He cuffed both your hands behind your back with his right hand while he stripped you from your pants and underwear before doing the same with his.

You couldn't deny the excitement in that moment, but you could also feel the anxiety going up as you knew you were in for a rough one.

Against all odds, you felt Kappa's fingers carressing your wet folds, making you whimper.

"Already so wet for me.. Do you really think i believed you when you told me you didn't put that little show on purpose this morning?"

He landed a hard slap on your ass, obtaining a hiss from you, as he lower himself to your ears.

"You want me to show everybody who you belong to?"

You nodded weakly before he inserted himself harshly into you, with a low groan. You loudly cried out of pleasure, but also from pain, as a tear made his way on your cheek.

"Nhg... K..Kappa.."

You tried to tell him to go softer with you but his rapid thrusts could only make you moan.

"Yea, keep calling my name like that"

He grabbed your waist, bruising it with his grip, as if he was scared you were gonna try to escape, but you weren't. The pain you felt earlier was far gone and replaced by pure enjoyment created by Kappa's dick into you.

Both your moans filled the dining room, creating a perfect melody for anybody to hear, and by anybody you meant Theta, who was watching everything from the window, outside. You catched her staring as Kappa kept drilling into you and that's what pushed you to the edge: knowing his favorite girl was watching him gaining pleasure by you was enough to make you come.

Screaming his name, you gripped the table as hardly as you could, legs shaking from the things you were feeling.

"Is my girl already done?"

Kappa's didn't let you came down from your high as he grab you by the shoulders, forcing you to face him and kneel before him.

"Now finish me off"

You licked your lips, pumping his length with your hands before licking it from balls to tip, making him drop his head backwards. As precum started to leak, you take him whole into his mouth, adjusting to his size while your fingers found their way on his balls.

His hands firmly grabbed a chunk off your hair, as he guided your head, sucking him off just the way he liked it.

"F...fuck just like that.. Good girl.."

Tears were creeping from your eyes and spit dripping from your mouth, butyou could only focus on the ungodly sounds Kappa was producing, making you unable to not touch yourself as your clit was throbbing.

Both your paces increased as his breath fasten, signifying he was reaching his limits. Your moans vibrating on his dick, he released his load into your mouth while you came for a second time on your fingers.

Swallowing the milky concoction, Kappa helped you get on your feet, dressing him and you back as he placed small kisses on your body, telling you how good you did today.

You innocently smiled as you leaved the room to go wash yourself up in the bath before Theta blocked you in the hallway

"What do you think you're doing with MY man?"

"I mean, is he really yours if he wanted me so bad?"

Omg i am so sorry it took so long and it being so badly written. I had an idea, but it was done poorly! Hopefully at least one you appreciate it lol

[universitypenguin]

Chapter 18 - Part II

The Princess & The Lawyer Chapter XVIII - Part II 

Summary: Lloyd is rattled by unexpected news from Elliot that sends him into an emotional spiral and delays his return. Aiden is arrested for a shocking crime and Landon gives a profile of the stalker.

Word Count: 6,670 

Masterlist

Warnings: Physical violence, strangulation, attempted drowning. References to stalking, the U.S. military draft process, war and military service, drug addiction, family estrangement, international adoption, murder, and death.

Author’s Note: I apologize for the delay in posting this chapter. I was planning to finish it sooner, but I had a virus of some kind for the past week.

Chapter XVIII - Part II 

The engine of the Mercury purred like the big cat it was named after as Lloyd exited I-15 and rolled to a stop at the light. He admired the way the hood gleamed in the afternoon sun. 

“You did a great job on the body work,” Lloyd said.

“Thanks,” Elliot replied. 

Ahead of them, the light was stubbornly red. Lloyd drummed his fingers on the wheel.

“I was shocked how many people showed up to the funeral,” he said. 

“They weren’t there for him, they came for us.” 

“I know. Can you believe Mrs. Wilcox stepped foot in a Catholic church? Do you think she’ll have to repent before the Baptists take her back?”

Elliot laughed. “No, they have a new pastor. He’s not as hardline as the old one.”

“Oh, man. I bet she hates that.”

“She stopped going to church for a month when he took over.” 

Lloyd tried to imagine Mrs. Wilcox without picturing her going to church three times a week and couldn’t quite fill in the picture. The light turned green and he rolled through the intersection. 

“What ticked her off?” 

“The new preacher didn’t condemn drinking alcohol.”

“Ah… that makes sense. The no alcohol thing is one of her favorite rules. Did you notice she only played Baptist hymns during the service? I was sure she’d pick a classic for the finale, like ‘Amazing Grace’ but she went with ‘The Gate Ajar.’”

“She’s probably hoping to draw some converts to the Baptist with better music.” 

“Hey, if the Baptists can drink now, she’s got a fighting chance.” 

Elliot snickered. Lloyd scanned ahead for the turn off to the rehab facility. 

“Did you know Uncle Joe served in the Marines? I didn’t.” 

“Yeah,” Lloyd said. “I knew he’d been in the corps, but only because I found his draft papers in the basement when I was a kid.” 

“Draft papers? He was drafted?”

“His card got pulled in ‘69 and he did two tours. We never talked about it. I knew better than to ask. Eventually, it just sort of faded from my mind because he never brought it up.” 

“Isn’t that weird?” Elliot asked. 

Lloyd shrugged. 

“Do you think that’s why he was… the way he was?” 

The way he was. Lloyd contemplated the phrase. How was Joe? The first word that came to mind was quite simply: mean. The stern demeanor, thirst for vengeance, and his desperate need for control might have had roots in his time overseas. Who knew what effect the brutality of guerrilla warfare would’ve had on Joe as an eighteen year old. Lloyd wondered if his father had been in a similar state of mind as he’d found himself in at that age. Perhaps the simmering rage had been hardened into something more deadly by the explosive violence of those two years in the jungle. 

“I don’t know. Maybe, but no one can know for sure. Even if it did, Joe wouldn’t have admitted it.” 

Lloyd turned in at the rehab facility and parked near the front doors. Elliot checked in with the admissions clerk, who took his luggage and disappeared down the hall, giving them a moment to say goodbye. 

“Were you serious about staying in touch?” Elliot asked.

“Yeah. I haven’t decided about the ranch yet, but we’ll need to coordinate on that when the time comes.”

Elliot stared at him. “Coordinate?”

“Joe left you half the ranch.” 

“Come again?” 

Lloyd clapped his cousin on the shoulder. “I’ll have the lawyer send you a copy of the will, okay? We’re business partners now. That is, unless you’d rather sell.”

Elliot looked dumbstruck. “Uh-huh. Yeah… I don’t know. Do you want to?”

“I haven’t decided. How about we wait six months to make a final determination? It’ll give you time to get back on your feet and I can think things over. But if you need cash now, I can arrange a sale.” 

“We should talk about that… later.” Elliot glanced over his shoulder to the desk, where the nurse was working on her computer. “Hang on a second, will you?”

Lloyd watched as Elliot approached the nurse, then accepted a small green notepad and pen. He scribbled something down and ripped off the page before handing it back to her. 

“Here. Since you were serious about staying in touch, don’t limit yourself to just me, okay?”

Lloyd looked at the paper. There were two unfamiliar addresses written down, one nearby in Park City and the other in Denver. He looked at Elliot. “What’s this?”  

His cousin shoved his hands in his pockets, rolling his shoulders. 

“I know you’ve never gotten in contact, which, you know… uh… speaks for itself… but I think you should have that. Just in case you change your mind.”

Lloyd studied the addresses and then Elliot’s anxious expression. 

“If you’re still angry-” he broke off, sighing. “You can’t blame them for something that was out of their control.”

“Blame who? For what?” Lloyd asked, losing patience as Elliot skirted around the point without explanation.

“Ingrid and Josephine. They’re your family, too.” 

Words died on Lloyd’s tongue, stolen by the impact of the revelation. He re-read the addresses and cemented them into his memory. 

“Will you say something?” Elliot said, annoyed. 

“I thought they were dead.”

“Dead? Why? You couldn’t find them?” Elliot asked.

Lloyd shook his head, “I never looked… because I thought… I figured…”

“Why would you think they were dead?”

“Joe always settled his debts. Always. If she ran away, that meant…”

He couldn’t finish the thought, but saw understanding flash in Elliot’s eyes.

“They’re alive, and they’d be thrilled to hear from you.” 

“Thank you, Elliot.”

They didn’t hug goodbye, just nodded at each other. Then he watched his cousin walk through the double doors that led to a long hallway. Lloyd slid on his sunglasses and headed out to the parking lot. The note in his hand felt as if it weighed a thousand pounds. He shoved the paper into his wallet and climbed behind the wheel in a daze. He didn’t remember the drive from Salt Lake into Wyoming, but the next thing he knew, he was filling up with gas in Rock Springs. 

He’d planned to drop off the Mercury in Salt Lake and have it shipped to D.C. Lloyd checked his watch and realized that appointment, as well as his flight, had long passed. There were a dozen missed calls on his phone. He wondered why he’d driven east, when he could’ve headed to Park City and seen Josie just as easily. It wasn’t too late to swing down to Denver and look up Ingrid; the stop wouldn’t be too far out of his way. 

What would he say? After all those years of assuming the worst, he'd been wrong. He had to reach out to them and that terrified him. 

They’d want to know why he hadn’t contacted them, why he’d let them go so easily, and ignored their existence for the past twenty years. How could he explain that the risk had outweighed the reward? Denial and avoidance and selfishness had cost him the most important people in his life. He cursed himself for it now and saw the stark truth - he’d given up on his sisters without a shred of factual evidence, leaning on emotional reasoning designed and tailored to protect himself.

He couldn’t explain that, not in his current state of mind, so he turned back onto I-80 and headed home. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

You heard footsteps and jerked around so fast you nearly fell off your chair. The unexpected sight of the man behind you stole the breath from your lungs.

“What are you doing here? How did you get in?” 

“Easy, Princess. It’s just me.” 

Jake raised his arms in mock surrender as you pressed a hand to your racing heart and inhaled through your nose. 

 “Zach let me in,” he explained. 

“Sorry. I’m still on edge from last night. What are you doing here?” 

He grimaced. Your pulse, which had just begun to slow, galloped in response to the expression. 

“Did something happen with the case? To Lloyd? Is he okay?” 

“Nothing happened with the case - as far as I know - and Lloyd… I have no idea. He called me at six-thirty this morning and threatened to rip me apart limb by limb. I’ve been ducking his calls ever since.” 

You frowned. “I’m sorry. I tried to tell him about Aiden last night, but I chickened out at the last minute.” 

Jake quirked an eyebrow. “Well, that explains the phone call. Come on, Diskant is waiting.” 

He led you through the kitchen and dining room, into the living area. 

Zach lounged in the ornate Fauteuil chair on the far side of the room, his right ankle hooked over his left knee. The perfect stillness of his posture belied his casual bearing. The frozen, statue-like demeanor made your heart sink, as your attention shifted to the tall man who rose from the couch to greet you. 

“Good afternoon,” Diskant said, extending his hand.

You greeted him and settled on the loveseat with Jake, directly across from the sofa. 

“I’m sorry to inform you of this, but early this morning, Aiden LeDoux was arrested for attempting to break into your apartment.” 

The words hit you like a trap door opening under your feet. You didn’t know if you should celebrate or shudder. 

“When? How was he caught?”

Diskant glanced at Jake, who shifted nervously beside you. 

“I asked Jake to trail Aiden,” Zach said. 

“Starting when?” you asked.

“Saturday morning,” Jake said. “I’ve been following him all weekend.” 

Diskant spoke. “He found Aiden trying to pick the lock of your apartment door. Jake contacted building security and took video of the act, so we have clear evidence of the attempted break-in.” 

Your arms squeezed around your midsection. “And? Where is he now?” 

“Jail, but we expect him to make bail soon.” 

“Right.” 

Detective Diskant glanced at Jake before meeting your eyes. 

“There’s something else… While investigating the break in attempt, Jake located something unusual. We found a hidden camera in the hallway. It was tucked behind the welcome wreath on your across-the-hall neighbor’s door. The camera was pointed at your apartment and was live-streaming to an unknown IP address.” 

- - -

For the next two hours you reviewed every detail of your case with Diskant. You seized a throw pillow and hugged it to your torso, digging your fingers into its softness for comfort. The detective’s pen scratched on the page as he scribbled in his journal. 

Landon had joined your meeting an hour ago, since his shift tailing Aiden became a moot point when his bail hearing was pushed to Tuesday morning. You felt Landon’s perceptive eyes on you, taking in every detail of your reactions. 

“Remind me what initially caused you to suspect Aiden when you realized you were being stalked?” Diskant asked.

“No one else made sense. Aiden was the only person I’d upset recently, and he’d just gone through a stressful event, losing his job.” 

Diskant frowned. Zach leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees.

“I think we should consider other suspects,” he said.

“What leads you to that conclusion?” Diskant asked.

“Last night, when someone tried to turn us into road kill, Aiden was playing basketball with friends on the other side of town - Jake witnessed it himself. The initial contact from the stalker where he quoted: “Don’t ask who’s there…” that’s a line from Scream, which was released in ’96. In other messages I found more references to horror movies. He quotes Misery and Candyman verbatim in some of the threats. It’s hard to tell if the quotes were deliberate or if the phrases were naturally absorbed into his lexicon. The movies he’s referencing are from the 90s, well before Aiden started watching horror flicks.”

Diskant nodded. You noticed he didn’t take any notes.

Zach sighed and glanced at you, then continued. “The third factor is Aiden’s personality. I made it a point to talk to him a couple times while he was dating Princess. In my opinion, he’s extremely passive aggressive, which isn’t compatible with the increasing level of confrontation we’re seeing from the stalker.”

“What comments did he make that you considered passive aggressive?” Diskant asked.

“He was too good at the art of a backhanded compliment. When I first spoke to him he claimed to appreciate Princess’ independence in one breath and undermined it in the next with, ‘not everyone can handle things on their own, like she tries to.’ There were less specific things too, but overall, he just had a way of taking an innocent sounding statement and giving it a whiff of contempt that set my teeth on edge.” 

Diskant clicked his pen and tucked it in his jacket. “I’ve been mulling over the possibility of other suspects myself. The main problem with that theory is the phone call Yvette received last night. Have you considered that Aiden might be working with a partner?”

Zach raised his chin. “Do you have a line on a potential partner?” 

“Not yet, but putting together the timeline of last night’s events, Aiden called Yvette before going to the park for his basketball game, prior to the hit-and-run attempt. The phone call where he asked if you were home might have been geared towards finding out the exact opposite. I think it’s just as likely that he was trying to find out if you weren’t at home.”

“If he put up a camera in the hallway and saw that no one was coming and going from your apartment, that might explain him contacting Yvette,” Jake said. 

“Once he knew the apartment was unoccupied, he could have sent his partner to distract you with the hit-and-run. We reviewed the security tapes, and it seems that the driver veered away at the last second. I don’t think they were trying to kill you, just frighten and maim.” 

You squeezed the pillow tight.

“Landon, have you finished profiling the suspect?” Zach asked.

“Male, 45 to 55, highly intelligent, strategic, with organized behavioral patterns. Some texts seem pre-scripted and sent on a schedule. There are three main patterns of delivery: rapid fire, cluster attacks with intentional pauses, and a steady trickle.” 

Diskant nodded. “I noticed the intervals, and the scheduled messages. He probably has a full-time job that keeps him occupied from 9 to 5.”

Landon inclined his head. “Agreed. His writing style shows the marks of higher education, which makes me think he works in a white-collar occupation. It would also explain the need for regular hours. The occasions where he’s made contact - the nephew’s birthday party, in the park on Friday night, and then the incident yesterday - they all occurred in the evening.” 

“Consistent with the profile,” Zach said.

“His emotional tone shows that he suppresses enormous amounts of rage. I’m inclined to think he can’t contain it all the time, which would’ve led to court-ordered therapy, probably on a non-voluntary basis.” 

“What about the fact that he hasn’t identified himself in the texts?” Zach asked.

“That’s why I’m not ruling Aiden out yet,” Landon said. “The coyness allows him to feign innocence. He’s being secretive and not taking ownership of his actions. That fits Aiden to a tee. Factoring the technological aspect of the hidden camera Jake found in the hallway, there’s a strong possibility Aiden is involved in the stalking even if he isn’t the driving force behind it.” 

You swallowed hard, disturbed by the description.

“Does the profile ring any bells?” Jake asked.

You shook your head and plucked at the upholstery of the pillow.

“My questions about the stalker’s identity began from the texts as well,” Diskant said. “These messages don’t read like they’re from a romantically obsessed stalker who’s trying to win back their victim’s affection.” 

“The primary motivation behind the messages is clear,” Landon said.

Zach snorted. “Yeah. He’s trying to terrorize her.”

“The person writing the texts is an emotional sadist. They’re motivated by the enjoyment of the hunt and provoking a response.” 

Diskant was nodding before Landon finished speaking. “The movie obsession in the subtext of his messages isn’t based around enjoying the adrenaline rush of fear, like a normal person would. He’s identifying with the antagonists, like Ghostface and Patrick Bateman.” 

“And our current theory is that Aiden is involved with this person?” you asked, fingers clenching in the pillow’s stuffing. 

“It’s one possibility,” Diskant said. “I spoke with Aiden’s father this morning. He mentioned he searched Aiden’s phone for evidence of the messages after you spoke with him. However, after going through his son’s phone, he realized it wasn’t the only device he’d seen Aiden using.”

“What do you mean?”

“Mr. Ledoux reports Aiden has a second phone. He thought it was for work, but he’s seen it several times since Aiden was let go from his employer. His father’s theory is that he wasn’t using his personal device to send the texts.”

Jake leaned in. “Do you have a search warrant for the house yet?”

“We didn’t need one. Mr. LeDoux owns the house, all we needed was his permission. We searched his room from top to bottom and couldn’t find a second phone. A team is searching the rest of the house as we speak.”

“Why is Mr. LeDoux being so cooperative?” Zach asked. “Is it possible he might be Aiden’s partner?”

Your jaw dropped. For a second you were shocked, then horrified. “Mr. LeDoux is too old for the profile and I only met him one time. He has no reason to stalk me!” 

Landon spoke. “I went through Aiden’s publicly available writings when I was analyzing the text messages and compared them. Because of his proximity to the case, I also reviewed Mr. LeDoux’s writing and I doubt either of them authored the messages. But given the information Yvette provided us with, I’m still concerned that Aiden has something to do with the harassment.” 

“When do you plan to interrogate Aiden?” Zach asked.

“I’m not allowing you to speak with the subject,” Diskant said. 

“Why not?” Landon demanded.

“You’re emotionally invested in the case - that’s a recipe for disaster.”

After Diskant left, Zach and Jake headed to the office, while Landon stayed behind as your minder. You retreated to your work station in the conservatory where you stared blankly at your laptop for a few minutes before laying your head down on the desk. 

“Are you okay?” Landon’s voice cut through your misery. 

You glanced back and saw him standing at the threshold between the kitchen and the conservatory, sunlight glinting off his dark brown hair. 

“No. Would you be?” 

“Nope.” He crossed to the table and pulled up a chair, swinging it around to straddle as he folded his arms over the backrest. “Tell me where your head’s at.” 

“Zach and Lloyd might go into overprotective mode. The minute I realized I was being stalked, I was worried about Lloyd’s reaction. After watching Zach’s response to Diskant’s theory…” you shook your head. 

“Zach’s incredibly loyal,” Landon said. 

“That’s why I’m worried!”

“Jake and I will handle them, okay? Bishop already suggested locking Lloyd away before we fill him in. We could always shove Zach in too.” 

“Got a dungeon?” 

Landon snorted. “Not one that will hold them. Listen. This is temporary. The stalking can’t go on forever. It won’t go on forever.” 

“If Lloyd and Zach have their way it will be over quickly and violently. The latter part worries me. I want this resolved but I don’t want them going to jail on my behalf. Just thinking about it makes me sick.” 

Landon’s lips pursed. “Can you think of any reason, other than stalking you, for Aiden to want access to your apartment while you were away?” 

“No. I have no clue.”

“If he planted the camera in the hallway, I’m inclined to think it was placed to make sure you weren’t home. It’s straight out of the intelligence handbook to ensure you’re in and out of a target’s home while they’re gone. Given that Aiden’s father was an FBI agent, he’d know that much about tradecraft.” 

You rubbed your temple. “I don’t understand why he’d do this.” 

“There were no weapons on him when he was arrested. I don’t buy him as your stalker, but the evidence points to his involvement.” 

“It doesn’t make sense. Nothing adds up.”

Landon ran his fingers through his hair, tousling it from its carefully gelled style. “You’re right. And until we get more evidence, it probably won’t. What are you doing in the meantime?”

“Searching for missing persons reports.”

“Okay then. Shall we divide and conquer?” 

The next few hours flew by, filled with research and notes. Daylight slipped away but your eyes remained focused on the screen without pause. You pulled up another report and a moment later, elbowed Landon.

“Hey. Look at this. Li Wei Chapman, age 23, vanished in 1999 from Virginia.”

Landon looked over your shoulder. “Her last known location was at a bible camp her family owned in Fredericksburg.” 

“Is that too far away from Harmony?” 

“It’s only forty minutes by car. The serial killer was most active closer to D.C., but that alone doesn’t exclude this victim. She disappeared on June 14th - right in the middle of his active period.” 

“Look at the notes,” you said, scrolling down. “Her daughter, Zoe Chapman, also went missing on the same day. She was two years old.” 

“If she was his first victim, he might have chosen a location he knew well. Maybe he spent time at the bible camp and was familiar with the terrain,” Landon said. “Fredericksburg has a lot of wooded areas that could be used for cover.” 

“How do you know so much about the geography of Fredericksburg?” you asked.

“It’s on the way to Latimer’s hometown. We use his uncle’s farm for our team reunion every year. This is good. It’s the first mother-daughter abduction we’ve found that matches the details of our victim.” 

“Wait. Marco Latimer? He’s from Virginia?” 

Landon arched a brow. “Yeah. Why?” 

“His accent. I couldn’t quite place it. Where’s he from?”

“Kilmarnock. His accent is Virginia Tidewater, but it’s stronger than most because he grew up on a farm in the middle of nowhere.” 

He re-focused his attention on the missing persons report and was about to say something when the doorbell rang. Your head snapped up.

“I’ll get it,” Landon said.

You trailed after him, but stayed out of sight as he opened the door. A woman in her mid-sixties with ash blonde hair worn in a blunt bob waited on the other side. 

“Hello, I’m Judy Lange. I’m looking for Lloyd’s house sitter. Is she here?”

“Yeah.”

Landon motioned you forward. Mrs. Lange’s eyes glinted in recognition when she saw you.

“Here are the pool keys, for Mr. Hansen. I apologize for interrupting your evening, but I promised I’d have them back before he returned,” she said, handing them over.

“Thank you, I’ll make sure he gets them.” 

“Excellent. And if you need anything, we’re just two doors down.”

You thanked her for the keys and when she was gone, placed the keys in the bowl on the foyer table. Realizing how late it was you checked the time and frowned.

“When does Lloyd’s flight land? Shouldn’t we have picked him up already?”

“He’s driving back,” Landon said. 

“What?! All the way across the country?”

“He’s bringing back a car, at least that’s what Zach said.” 

Your heart sank. You’d confessed your love, and now Lloyd was taking his sweet time returning. 

“What’s wrong?” Landon asked.

“I told Lloyd I loved him last night.” 

His eyebrows rose sharply. “Damn. That took guts. Lloyd’s the most emotionally repressed person I’ve ever met.” 

You groaned and sank down on the couch, head in your hands. 

“What was I thinking?!” 

“Maybe your confession wasn’t such a bad thing,” Landon said.

“Why do you say that?” 

“Lloyd is skittish about sharing his emotions, but under the right conditions he’s made progress before.” 

You rubbed your neck. “I’m worried that he might never say it back. If this relationship keeps going, I’m going to need the words, but I don’t know if Lloyd is capable of saying them… ever.” 

“I think the real question here is, how long are you willing to wait to hear him say it?”

“I don’t know. I love him, but I hate the way it feels to be left hanging like this. Either I get over myself and accept his limitations or… we break up.”

“Perhaps there’s a third option,” Landon said.

“What’s the third option?”

“Give it time. Lloyd is capable of changing. Don’t forget that.” 

“What am I going to say to him when he comes home?” you asked, running a hand over your hair. 

“I’d wait and see if he brings it up on his own. But remember - talking about his feelings is his most underdeveloped skillset. If you don’t remember that, you’re going to be hurt when he fumbles the pass.” 

“I can handle fumbling. What I’m worried about is the possibility that he might never try.”

Landon gave you a crooked smile. “Give him a minute to work things out on his own. Lloyd makes his best progress when he can move at his own pace. He’ll test the waters before he dives in. That’s why I think your confession might be a good thing.” 

You groaned. “It wasn’t a good thing. I humiliated myself.”

“Or you made him feel secure. Lloyd’s always taking one step forward and two steps back with emotional processing. If he knows where he stands with you, that might serve as an anchor. He’ll never be one for eloquent declarations of love, but a blind man could see how he treats you. I doubt the words will come easy, but he’ll find his voice when he’s ready.” 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

It wouldn’t have been accurate to say that Lloyd spent the rest of the drive across the country chewing on the idea of reconnecting with his sisters. Rather, it was the idea that spent the rest of the drive chewing on him. Thoughts of Ingrid and Josie took center stage and refused to let him look away. By the time he was approaching the outskirts of Rockville, he was exhausted and sick of spinning through the same thoughts over and over. 

By the time he parked the Mercury on the tree lined street outside of his townhouse complex, it was approaching midnight, and he felt like a zombie. His back ached and the bruise on his thigh from where Charlene kicked him throbbed. He felt every twinge of sore muscle from the explosion at Holbrook’s stash house as he unloaded his bags. When he stepped inside, the sight of Zach drinking whiskey on his living room sofa took him by surprise. It took a minute before his mind switched on and the details of the conversation on Sunday night came flooding back. 

“Shit,” he hissed.

“How was the drive?” 

“Miserable. I… stuff came up. I didn’t mean to take so long. How is she?”

Zach shrugged.

“I called Jake this morning, but he hung up on me, twice.” Lloyd crossed the living room and reached for the decanter of whiskey to pour himself a glass. 

“Tell me what's going on,” he commanded.

Zach snorted. “Fuck, no. I’m not touching that subject with a ten-foot pole, that’s on Princess. But I’m glad you’re back. Shit’s gotten weird the last few days.” 

“Explain.”

“You look like death warmed over, Lloyd. Go get some sleep. I’ll stay through tomorrow and then I’m clearing out so you and Princess can talk.” 

He felt like death warmed over, too, which led him to climb the stairs without too much protest. Whatever you needed to share would probably go over better if he had a full night’s sleep before hearing it. Lloyd slipped silently into the bedroom and found you curled up on the far side of the bed. He stripped to his boxers and crawled in next to you.

When the mattress dipped, your lashes fluttered. For a moment, you opened your eyes, but they didn’t focus. He eased closer and you reached out to press a hand to his chest. Lloyd took that as a welcoming sign and closed the distance between you. 

He pressed his lips to your forehead and whispered, “I’m home. I missed you.” 

You blinked sleepily, trying to wake up, but failing to cast off the chains of slumber. 

“Lloyd… home…” you slurred the words as you struggled to open your eyes.

“I’m here now,” he murmured, smoothing a hand down your back. You cuddled into his chest with a breathy sigh that made his heart skip a beat. He kissed your hair.

“I’m sorry it took me so long.” 

“S’okay. Glad… you’re back…” 

Lloyd smiled, squeezing you gently as the weight of his worries melted away. You were happy to see him and he was holding you again. Everything would work out. Whatever challenge was lurking around the corner could be dealt with in the morning. As long as he could bask in the feeling of holding the woman he loved for the night, he’d meet the trouble head-on tomorrow.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

In the morning, you curled against Lloyd and watched him sleep, enjoying the peaceful expression on his face. You were happy he was home, but dread clawed at the pit of your stomach. The conversation you’d put off was hours away and his reaction loomed large. Sighing, you showered and dressed before making your way downstairs. 

Zach was at the stove, stirring a pan of scrambled eggs.

“Morning Princess,” he said, with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

You forced a smile in return and opened a cabinet to grab plates. As Zach finished cooking, you set two places at the breakfast bar. You ate in silence with the approaching conversation weighing heavily on your mind.

“So, have you decided what to say?”

“Kind of. I’m planning on starting with the reasons behind my decision before I tell him the details.”

“If he explodes, don’t take it too personally. He’s been known to say things in the heat of the moment that he doesn’t mean.” 

“It’s the uncertainty about the stalker’s identity that I’m worried about explaining. This was bad enough when I thought I knew who was behind it. Not knowing makes it even harder.” 

“I’m meeting with Mr. LeDoux this morning. He kept a log of Aiden’s comings and goings for the past week and he’s willing to share it with me.” 

“That’s good.”

“We’ll sort this out, okay? As for Lloyd, just bite the bullet and get it over with. He’ll come around once he calms down,” Zach said, and patted your shoulder.

You tried to take comfort in his words when your phone rang, interrupting your thoughts. Annabeth’s name popped up on the caller ID. You answered on speaker phone.

“Hey Annabeth. I’m here with Zach Hightower. Did you find something?”

“I have good news: you were right. The unidentified victim isn’t Julia’s sister!”

“Really? What did you find out?”

“There was an error in the initial comparison, which probably came about because of insufficient reference material. Julia came from a semi-isolated community that’s lived on an island for generations, her DNA is harder to interpret. With a deeper analysis, it became clear that Julia and the unknown victim weren’t sisters - they’re actually third cousins.”

“So the error was on Julia’s sample?”

“It can be difficult to interpret the genetics of a person with Julia’s background,” Annabeth said. “While China recognizes the Miao as an official minority, there's limited representation of her ethnicity in genetic databases, which is why the crime lab made a mistake.”

“Do you have a match on the unknown victim?” you asked.

“Based on ancestry DNA, the unknown victim is Li Wei Chapman. She was adopted by Frida and Lyle Chapman from Taiwan in 1977 and lived in Fredericksburg, Virginia.”

“Thank you so much, Annabeth. This is a tremendous help.” 

“Glad I could assist. I’ve emailed you the full genetic analysis, but it might take a minute to download. The file is huge.” 

“I can drop it off this afternoon,” Zach said. 

You downloaded and printed the reports for him, but once he was gone, the anxiety returned. To occupy yourself, you returned to the missing persons reports, pulling up everything on Li Wei Chapman. The breakthrough opened up a whole new realm of possibilities - you hardly knew where to begin. An hour ticked by and you were struggling to focus. Lloyd was still asleep. You felt trapped within the four walls of the house. 

It was too quiet. You were bubbling with energy as your mind raced with thoughts of what to say when Lloyd woke up and the possibilities for the investigation now that the unknown victim was identified. You tried to busy yourself by cleaning the kitchen and re-organizing your paperwork, but anxiety was gnawing a hole in your stomach and the attempts to stay occupied only amplified the restlessness. As you paced around the house, your eyes landed on the keys to the pool. They were still on the foyer table where you’d put them last night. 

Weighing the risk, you decided that the pool wasn’t too exposed. It was in a fenced enclosure behind the townhouses, which meant there’d be a row of three story tall brick buildings and a courtyard with an eight foot high wall between you and the nearest street. Locked gates prevented visitors from entering the recreational area behind the townhouses except by passing through a home. Plus, Lloyd’s back gate was only ten feet away from the pool enclosure. 

You found your regular one-piece suit in the front pocket of your suitcase, which you’d stored in Lloyd’s laundry room. After changing, you took the keys and made your way through the backyard, closing the wrought iron gate behind you, and dove into the glistening blue water of the lap pool. The coolness enveloped you, washing away the smothering anxiety that had been simmering all morning. With each stroke down the length of the pool, you felt the stress falling away.

- - -

Hidden in the shadows, a figure watched you splash through the water. 

He’d spent all weekend figuring out where you’d disappeared to. Finding you and Zach at the Emerald Harp on Sunday night had been an incredible stroke of luck. Since then, he’d been waiting for the ex-SEAL to leave so he could approach you alone. His heart pounded with anticipation as he watched, obscured by a neighbor’s arbor. The structure was overflowing with the thriving yellow blossoms of a Carolina Jessamine that offered sufficient cover from the security cameras.

He’d been planning this for months, even before he’d begun messaging you. He’d learned your routines and watched you, waiting for the opportunity to get close enough. Slipping the balaclava over his face he moved through the pool enclosure gate on silent feet, reveling in the rush of being so close to his ultimate goal. 

You swam to the end of the pool, your back to him, unaware of the danger you were in. Wanting to prolong the thrill of being invisible, he stayed out of your line of vision as you swam toward the end of the pool. You reached the wall and surfaced with a gasp, treading water for a moment before reaching for the ladder. Unaware of him, you climbed out and collected your towel from a nearby chair. Adrenaline thrummed in his veins, pulsing through every capillary, and sharpening his senses. He bided his time and relied on the crepe soles of shoes to mask the sound of his footsteps as he drew closer. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Lloyd woke up, feeling well-rested and content. Beside him your spot was empty, and the sheets were cool to the touch. He listened but didn’t hear anyone else moving around in the house. A glance at the clock showed it was past ten-thirty. It surprised him to have slept for so long. Usually he didn’t sleep more than six or seven hours in a single stretch. He showered and brushed his teeth before descending the stairs, looking forward to seeing you. 

As his foot landed on the bottom step, a blood-curdling scream pierced the air.

Adrenaline surged, and without hesitation, he sprinted to the backyard, where the scream had originated. Another scream guided him towards the pool enclosure. He crossed the yard in four strides and didn’t bother opening the garden gate, just leapt over it and pivoted toward the pool enclosure, nearly losing his footing as the loose gravel shifted under his bare feet. 

You were locked in a struggle with a masked figure who had you by the throat. The masked man looked up and saw Lloyd barreling towards him. He threw you down on the concrete and seized a handful of your hair, then shoved your head under the water.

Lloyd charged. He slammed into the assailant and they tumbled across the hot cement, exchanging a barrage of punches and kicks. The masked man was stronger and more competent a fighter than he’d expected. An elbow to the jaw sent Lloyd’s head snapping back, and he cracked the crown of his head on cement. For a second his grip slackened, and the intruder broke free. Lloyd was on his feet in an instant, ready to chase after him, when he saw you unconscious on the ground.

The intruder was already disappearing around the corner into the courtyard. Lloyd knelt and pressed his fingers to your throat, feeling for a pulse. Your skin was ashen and your breathing shallow. Kneeling down, he cradled your head to his chest and stroked your cheek.

“Princess? Wake up… come on, honey…” 

You didn’t stir. His hands trembled as he found his phone in the pocket of his chinos and dialed for an ambulance.

- - - 

He paced in the waiting area, bubbling with tension as the doctors took their sweet time scanning you in radiology, where he hadn’t been allowed to follow. The door opened, and he spun around.

“What happened?” Zach asked.

“Someone tried to drown her in the swimming pool. I got there just in time.”

“You look like you need a bandaid yourself.”

“I’m fine,” Lloyd said. 

“Princess?” 

“A concussion for sure, they’re scanning for other injuries now.”

Worry lined Zach’s face. He crossed his arms and before Lloyd could question him further, the waiting room door opened again to admit Jake and Landon. 

“What happened?” Jake demanded. 

Lloyd gave him the run down and noted that Landon didn’t seem as surprised by the description of events.

“I stopped by your place and spoke to Mrs. Lange,” the dark haired man said. “She gave me a copy of the security tapes from the pool complex. I haven’t had the chance to look at it yet.” 

Jake was already pulling out his laptop. They huddled around the screen and watched as the technical specialist reviewed the footage. The assailant had done a good job of avoiding being captured on his way in, but the frames taken after his fight with Lloyd showed clear images of him fleeing through the courtyard.

“Let me try this,” Jake muttered. 

His fingers flew over the keys as he applied measurements to various objects in the footage, giving the software a frame of reference. The program calculated and analyzed for a minute as he isolated the figure of the assailant. 

Jake read the result and took off his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

“Shit.”

“What?” Lloyd growled.

“The attacker is only 5 '9, which means Aiden is six inches taller than the man who attacked Princess. It’s possible to make yourself taller, but six inches shorter? There’s no way he’s the assailant. We’ve been looking at the wrong guy all along.” 

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

Next - Part XIX

Behind the Scenes: Lloyd’s post-chapter reaction

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

Masterlist

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

@denisemarieangelina

@before-we-get-started

@buckysteveloki-me

@patzammit

@badassbaker

@meetmeatyourworst

@whiskeytangofoxtrot555

@thiskindahotkindamusic

@jesgisborne

@charmingprinces

@amiets2

@seitmai

@elle14-blog1

@chaoticsteverogers

@kaleidoscopepov

@fangirl-and-doctor-help

@terry2227

@jesevans

@openup-yourmind

@kandierteveilchen

@adoreyouusugar

@awkwardgiraffe726

@pono-pura-vida

@mysweetlittledesire

@liecastillo

@marantha

@literaturelove  

@babyevansblog 

@lizzzaaaaaaaaaaa

@thegirlnextdoorssister

@ladygrey03

@cynic-spirit

@rosedpetal

@jeremyrennermakesmesmile

@bambamwolf87

@yiiiikesmish

@calwitch

@peachiestevie

@texmexdarling

@here4thefanfics

@rogersbarber

@spikeluv84

@dear-fifi

@crayongirl-linz

@bigcreatorwombatdreamer

[kaiowut99]

Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX Episodes 115 & 116 Subbed (Finalized)

(Previously: Episodes 113-114 Subbed [Finalized])

(Check out my Subbed!GX Stream Masterpost!)

TURN-115: Giese the Spirit Hunter

Cobra's second assassin was sent after Judai and the others--that assassin being Giese, who is capable of seeing Spirits. He captures Sapphire Pegasus, one of the Gem Beasts, alive and uses him to coerce them into dueling. In Judai's stead, due to his exhaustion of stamina, Johan confronts him, and a duel between Johan and Giese begins. Giese activates his Hunting Net Counter Trap, as if to hunt down Johan's Gem Beasts, and captures Amethyst Cat. Johan attempts to save his Gem Beasts, but even more traps would await him.

TURN-116: The Gem Beasts VS Hell Gundog

Giese proceeds to capture the Gem Beasts with various Trap Cards, while also summoning his Hell Gundog to pour on the attacks against Johan. Feeling anger at Giese's dirty dueling, Johan starts his counterattack, anticipating his Traps and overcoming them strategically by summoning Topaz Tiger and Emerald Turtle to attack with. Cornered, Giese goes for Johan's weakness, making him hold off on any of his attacks. With Johan unable to interfere with his moves, Giese activates his Substitute Pain Permanent Magic to inflict damage on him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sooo, accidentally ran later with these than intended--not helped by realizing while drafting this full release post over the past two days that I missed a couple spots with a few of my usual animation fixes 🙃--buuut with that out of the way, finalized!115-116 are now up and ready to go! This isn't a catch-and-release I promise

These are always a nice pair of episodes in terms of establishing more around Johan's bond with the Gem Beasts and how he sees his relationship to Spirits, as shown as he encountered Tom and when he finds out that Giese was the one who stole his card and Spirit (meanwhile, the dub decided to give them history for reasons); that Pegasus cameo as he introduces them to the Gem Beasts was always cool, and his "Jesus!" line is iconic haha. Also notable for showing the start of the "What am I dueling for?" question starting to stir within Judai's head after his duel with Satou (which is also conspicuously absent from the dub). Always did find Giese's ultimate fate after Johan crushes him--to "Camula's Theme," at that, which always slaps (and is especially nice given the easter egg that Johan's VA, Kanako Irie, also voiced Camula)--a bit ambiguous since we never do follow up with him, but it is implied the Spirits he hunted (and the one he actually saw as a friend?) either consumed him or took him to the Spirit World or what-have-you; I wonder if they would've added a quick follow-up had they had some room in the episode runtime.

Animation error-wise, well, that was part of the reason for the delay, as overall I handled about 31 throughout both episodes, split roughly evenly between them; varied from smaller quality-of-watching things like split-screen timings (with some border errors mixed in, at that) to card errors (moreso in 116 given how often Hell Gundog wound up on Johan's Disk...) making up the bulk of them, along with helping Topaz Tiger see better well good in 115's preview for 116 due to an error with his eye. Given the amount of fixes worked on, as with 113-114, I'll once again go through the usual edit breakdown in this separate post for the interested!

Anywho, enjoy! Up next, I'll hopefully be working on the Judai vs Cobra three-parter in 117-119 together; I'll be detouring back to TFSP to work on Crow's events in the 5D's character stories, mixing in some work on 117-119 as I go. In particular, looking forward to revisiting 119 since it's a favorite (between the art/animation, music, Cobra's message to Judai echoing Satou coming back later... *chef's kiss*), but 117 will also be interesting for the Yubel/Amon interaction, and of course the surprise fight sequence! Stay tuned!

[alicepao13]

Hudson and Rex S03E04 - Under Pressure

And that is literally.

Charlie: *"casually" drops that he's a dive master because he thinks this will make him look cool* Sarah: *treats this information as teasing material* "So, are we talking higher or lower than a Jedi?"

He caught Covid, didn't he? Unless some writer got inspired by zoom meetings.

"Why don't you do that with groceries?" Oh, so it's not enough that he solves every case for you?

One more explosion.

Charlie having some trouble with the board. Rex is missing Jesse.

"Jesse I am not." "No, you are not." And then they flirt shamelessly.

Joe: "They were responsible for the bombing last year of the Canada Pipeline which successfully resulted in a 12-month delay of the project". Sarah: "Thank god". Joe: *exasperated look* Sarah: "That we're finally going after these hoodlums".

This scene is so funny because Joe is like, do I have an ecoterrorist supporter on my hands, while Charlie is just amused and somewhat proud.

Millennial shade. Tread lightly, Joe.

Rex just recognized someone's personal handwriting from the way they were dotting the "i"s. Everyone is fired. Rex takes over everyone's jobs.

Sarah: "You're getting pretty good at that". Charlie: "Yeah. Who needs Jesse?" More flirting.

Sarah: "And you can see how it's by a thermocline". Charlie: "Oh, am I expected to know what that means?" Even more flirting!

"Who needs a warrant when you have a Rex?" No, Charlie. We're trying to change our ways, Charlie.

You can call her a geek all you like but we know you're into that. Charlie is getting turned on by Sarah explaining scientific phenomena because that's less weird than him saying that Sarah is sexy when she's trying to intellectualize an irrational fear (S5).

So, this is about gun smuggling now?

"Please, kind sir, will you tell us what you know?" When everything fails, send in Rex with the puppy look.

"If I ever go full eco-terrorist, I am so working for Barry". Okay but you're currently at a precinct working for the police. Also, Charlie's open fish mouth reaction is hilarious.

The guns are coming from the US. That I can believe.

Time to dive!

"I'll be back". Famous last words.

Rex doesn't like this at all.

"Charlie's a dive master, I'm pretty sure he'll be perfectly fine". Unless another master is trying to murder him underwater.

I really thought he'd stabbed him the first time I watched. Sadly, no.

"Like hell I'm gonna sit there and listen to you about where Charlie should and shouldn't have been while my buddy is in trouble. Adios!"

No offense to Joe, but I'd have wanted Sarah on that. For maximum angst.

"I think you owe someone a trip to the butcher shop, get him a t-bone". He owes Rex a million t-bones at this point.

I've read a fanfiction in which Charlie gets the bends from surfacing too quickly, which is probably more realistic than what happens here. Fun whump stuff.

"You know when you left me to die down there, it was indescribable fear. Worst way to die. Only thing worse would be knowing I was going to be behind bars for the rest of my life because my plans were ruined by a dog."

We're getting deep into what I call Charlie-trauma episodes, by the way.

"I'm glad to see you alive". Instead of in the morgue, you mean. Why didn't she hug him? This episode is a failure. (Just kidding.)

I've watched the episode like fifty times and it's the first time I'm noticing Jesse's costume has a J? And of course Jesse would want to go to Comic Con. Let the nerd live.

Fun experiment: Show these screenshots without providing context to people and ask them what's happening in this scene. I'm sure the answers won't even come close to "she's trying to convince him to help clean up the ocean and he wants to hear her call him 'dive master'".

That was a lot of flirting. And some whump. Favorite ingredients for an episode. Featuring a very different Rex save.

[writingwhimsey]

Married to The Enemy- Shingen- Ch. 38

No Shingen in this chapter. In this chapter we see what the rest of the gang back in Kasugayama are up to when the Oda come to visit!

Also, gets quite steamy between Yuki and Saki! NSFW 18+ (though not explicit)

Chapter 38

Back in the Sengoku…

A bad storm had swept through and delayed the arrival of the Oda forces a few days. Yukimura was honestly glad for that. It had given him more time to prepare. They were all standing at the castle gate…Kenshin with them, waiting to greet the Oda on their arrival.

“I am growing bored.” Kenshin muttered as he popped a pickled plum in his mouth. The others had already started plying him with sake and his favorite treat in an effort to keep him calm.

Yukimura sighed. “Please don’t say that, Lord Kenshin…” He knew exactly what happened when Kenshin got bored.

Just then there was the sound of horse hooves on the ground and then the Oda forces were appearing. “What a welcome party this is.” Nobunaga declared. “Though it seems some are missing.”

“Where is Ava?” Hideyoshi asked, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. He wasn’t usually one to jump to a fight, but if the one he considered his precious little sister was hurt…

“Calm down, if you notice, she’s probably off somewhere with Shingen. He’s not here either.” Ieyasu said. 

“But if you’re looking for a fight, I’d still be happy to engage you in battle.” Kenshin said to Hideyoshi.

Yukimura heaved out a sigh. “Lord Kenshin, please.”

Kanetsugu was at his lord’s side. “My lord, I can see why you would be ready to jump into battle. But it is not wise to do so here.”

Kenshin nodded. “Alright.”

The Oda were dismounting and attendants were taking their horses. “So, where is my lucky charm and that tiger?” Nobunaga asked.

“Well, given how things have been progressing, they finally decided to take their honeymoon, my lords.” Saki answered.

“Really?” Hideyoshi asked.

Saki nodded. “Yup. I think before too long we might be hearing news that there’s an Oda-Takeda baby on the way.”

Hideyoshi looked like he was about to faint at that thought. Nobunaga looked amused. Ieyasu was repressing a groan.

“Why did you have to phrase it that way, Saki?” Yukimura asked.

Saki just giggled. “Oh, come on. Like you’re not as aware of what’s been going on as I am.” She teased, elbowing him in the ribs. She was then turning back to the Oda forces. “Now, if you three will follow me, I’ll show you to your rooms so you can get ready. We’ll have a banquet tonight. Lord Yoshimoto has arranged for some entertainment for everyone that I think will be perfect to keep everyone happy.”

Ieyasu looked over at Yoshimoto then. He had seen him when they’d first arrived, but didn’t believe it. A ghost from his past…but he seemed different here. 

Saki was leading the Oda forces off to show them to their rooms. Yukimura heaved out a sigh of relief. “Okay, that went better than I thought.” He said.

“Don’t look so relieved. We still have the banquet and the next few days to get through.” Kanetsugu reminded him.

“You really couldn’t just let me have that, could you?” Yukimura asked.

“I just didn’t want you to let your guard down.” Kanetsugu replied.

Inside with the Oda forces…

“Saki, you would tell us if there was something more going on with Ava, right?” Hideyoshi asked once they were inside and away from the others. They were standing in the common area of the group of rooms the men would be staying in.

Saki nodded. “You know if something were wrong I would tell you, my lords.” She said. “I came here with Lady Ava to stand by her and support her. If I thought she was in any kind of danger, I would say so.”

“You should calm down, Monkey.” Nobunaga reminded Hideyoshi. “I believe my lucky charm has fully captured the tiger. When Saki called us here before because of those rumors that had been going around and upsetting Ava, Shingen couldn’t even look at me with the same hatred as before.”

Hideyoshi nodded, but didn’t look happy about it. Saki patted him on the shoulder. “I promise you, Lord Hideyoshi, Lady Ava is perfectly happy with Lord Shingen. He has been treating her VERY well.”

“He’s just grumpy because he wanted to see her.” Ieyasu said, clearly outing Hideyoshi.

“As if I am the only one.” Hideyoshi said. “Everyone wanted to come and see her. You just happened to be the one to win the game that you all played to see who could take the third spot.”

Ieyasu’s cheeks reddened. “The game I was forced to play by Masamune.”

Saki was giggling. “Oh, it’s nice to see some things never change.” She said. “I am sure Lady Ava will be sorry she missed all of this.”

Hours later…

Everyone had gathered in the main hall of Kasugayama for the banquet. Everyone was feasting and drinking and enjoying themselves…well except for Yukimura who was nervously attending to everything in his lord’s stead…and also worrying over whether Kenshin would get bored and stabby or not.

“You should relax and have yourself a drink.” Saki said as she poured a cup of sake for Yukimura.

“I can’t relax.” He replied. 

“Everything is going just fine.” She told him. “Lord Yoshimoto’s play went over well and Lord Kenshin and Lord Nobunaga are engaged in a lively conversation over tactics and exchanging battle stories. Lord Ieyasu and Kanetsugu seem to be getting along. Lord Hideyoshi is…well being himself by trying to mother everyone.”

Yukimura looked around the room and noticed Saki was right. Everyone did seem to be getting along despite everything. “I still don’t think I’ll be able to relax till this entire visit is over.” He was then taking a drink of the sake.

“Well, then I might just have to do something about that.” Saki declared a glint in her eyes.

“What are you thinking?” Yukimura asked.

Saki was reaching for his hand. “Come with me.”

“We can’t…”

“Everything will be fine for a little bit.” Saki said. “We’ll be right back. Just stepping out for some air.”

Yukimura allowed Saki to lead him from the room and out to the moonlit garden. It was a clear night with bright stars and a big full moon. They made their way to a secluded spot well away from the castle. “Saki, what are you thinking?” He asked.

“Just that YOU needed a distraction to help you relax.” Saki replied turning to face Yukimura. She then wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body close to his. “A distraction that only I can provide for you.”

Yukimura’s cheeks reddened. “Saki, we really shouldn’t we have th…” HIs words were cut off by Saki’s lips pressing against his. Instantly his arms wrapped around her waist and holding her tightly to him. Her kisses were easy to get lost in and make him forget about the rest of the world for a little while.

The kiss deepened as Saki’s lips parted on a sigh and Yukimura slid his tongue inside to twist and tangle with hers. The taste of sake and the sweet buns she’d been eating lingered on her tongue, adding to the deliciousness of the kiss. 

Slowly they sank to the soft grass beneath them as the kiss continued to grow more and more passionate. Yukimura found himself slowly losing control and even forgetting about where they were. He pulled Saki into his lap so that she was straddling him as the one deep kiss turned into a steamy makeout session.

He let his hands wander over her body, feeling her curves through the fabric of her kimono. Saki’s hands explored Yukimura with equal enthusiasm. Yukimura trailed kisses down the side of her neck, his hands loosening the collar of her kimono so that his lips could continue to explore her collarbone and chest. “Mmm…I want you…Saki” Yukimura found himself saying, having completely forgotten anything other than his beautiful lover in his arms. He’d been wanting her for so long, but had managed to restrain himself, afraid of taking things too far too fast.

Saki let out a low moan and ground her hips against his. “Mmm…I want you, too…Yukimura…”

That was all the invitation Yukimura needed to completely lose his control. Robes were quickly pushed aside as fingers and hands began to explore each other, working each other up further before their bodies finally fully connected.

“Ngh…Yukimura…” Saki moaned as she began to move her hips, riding him, relishing in the feeling of being fully connected with her lover.

“Mnh…Saki…” Yukimura moaned back, his hands squeezing her hips, his lips exploring her skin. “You’re…so…beautiful…”

“And you’re…so handsome…” 

The pair relished in their love-making out there in the moonlit garden. They continued to move together before finding release together. Saki was giggling as she slowly came down from her pleasure high.

“What’s…so funny?” Yukimura asked, reaching up to move some of her hair from her face.

“It seemed…my distraction was more effective than I had anticipated.” She replied.

Yukimura’s eyes widened. “We…I…”

Saki giggled again as she took Yukimura’s face between her hands. “It’s alright.” She told him. “The castle isn’t on fire. So I am sure all is well.”

“Well…it’s not just that…I thought…our first time should be more romantic…” He replied with blushing cheeks.

Saki smiled. “It was perfectly romantic.” She replied. “I mean we have a moonlit garden setting…and well it’s you.”

“What do you mean it's me?” Yukimura asked.

“Just being with you is what makes me happy and is what I want.” Saki answered. “Being with you is what makes a moment romantic, dummy. Because I love you.”

Yukimura smiled. “I love you, too.” He said, pecking her lips. “We should probably still get straightened up and head back inside. Make sure no one has killed anyone yet.”

Saki giggled. “Probably.” She agreed.

The pair quickly separated and straightened themselves out before heading inside. They stopped at a mirror in the hall to make sure they looked presentable before heading inside. Saki was thankful Lord Masamune wasn’t there. He definitely would have noticed and teased them both…though she could tell by the look on Lord Nobunaga’s face HE knew.

“It appears the tiger isn’t the only one the women of the Oda find charming.” Nobunaga observed with a smirk. “He must have taught his vassal something.”

“Well, that would make Lord Shingen very happy to learn.” Saki replied, playing it cool, causing Nobunaga to chuckle.

The banquet went on the rest of the night, no incidents…well except for Hideyoshi drinking a bit too much and maybe being a bit too honest before Nobunaga commanded him to quiet down and go rest for the night. And somehow Lord Nobunaga and Lord Kenshin ended up agreeing to a round of sparring the next morning. It was honestly all going very smoothly.

Saki smiled as she watched everyone. Just wait till you come back Lady Ava and hear all about this. She thought. She knew Ava would be happy to hear it all.

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

on a very random note (and hope you don't mind me talking about it ^^;), I do think Studio Bones is doing a great job at adapting Season 4 and I'm really enjoying it!

Though sometimes, I wish that they didn't omit some manga panels because it makes me a little sad that the weight of certain moments is taken away:

Exhibit A: Dazai laughing at Chuuya's impression

Exhibit B: Chuuya talking about Dazai leaving the mafia

Exhibit C: Dazai getting arrested

Exhibit D: Ango visiting Odasaku's grave

and the last one because this moment destroyed me when I read the manga and cause he's my personal favorite:

Exhibit E: Rampo facing Mushitarou on his own

genuinely, I'm really enjoying the adaptation right now and it's not that I don't appreciate the effort put into this <33

And it's true, these are minor manga panels so it wouldn't be too much to change or discard it and yet in taking away such minor panels, it also takes away the grand depth and complexity of what the characters are thinking and feeling in those moments.

It takes away the weight of the scene.

And that's the thing, bsd is a series that has so many complex characters with intricate dynamics, thoughts and moralities that it's a little bittersweet to know that the anime falls short sometimes when capturing certain moments and deprives us of the struggles, humanity and genuineness that these characters have and are going through.

again, nothing against Studio Bones but I often think of the things that could have been :<<

@langdahling

Hey you two! First off, I want to apologize for the huge delay. I was trying to think of what to say in response and I think I always make responding to asks way more work than they ought to be...

But anyways. Here are my general thoughts on the BSD anime, which I'm probably only going to elaborate on here once, and then drop it.

I enjoy the anime, really I do. But it's strange to think how drastic the difference is in the way the characters are interpreted between those who have only seen the anime and those who have also read the manga (and perhaps also the light novels).

First off, let's go over what the anime does well, since I want to ensure we're appreciating what is still a lot of effort from everyone in that studio. Animation, and all the things that need to happen to get a show off the ground, is not easy. Here are some things that stand out to me:

Those backgrounds: you know what I'm talking about. The stained glass, the sunsets, the city shots, the imagery. Beautiful, stunning work honestly.

Use of imagery and clever animation choices: there are some things that are going to change by necessity when adapting from page to screen. The clever animation teams will use this to their advantage - I don't think Bones always does this effectively, but when they do... oh man, is it ever good. I, for one, really liked the kind of projector effect over Dazai's farewell to Chuuya in s5.

Use of colour and light: go back through any scene and pay attention to who has what colours and the way the lighting is positioned. Again, these are those smart animation choices I was talking about.

The music: Score's really good. I wish the music was used a little more consistently (there's some weird choices made... why Wake Up Call for the Tachihara fight???) but the music itself is catchy and sets a good tone.

The voice acting: It's so good. See, even when I wasn't convinced about how the scenes were going to be framed, I never doubted the voice actors would carry it. (I'm talking about the Japanese actors here specifically, but the English dub is pretty good too... sorry I can't speak on any other dubs though...) I really love Kyouka's seiyuu (Morohoshi Sumire) and the way her voice takes on more inflection through the series as Kyouka comes into her own especially.

The abilities and the use of writing: Love the way the abilities are animated. And the use of text to emphasize character intros and key scenes was always good, but I legitimately freaked out when they used it for the Page's narration over Nikolai's speech in Season 4 - good! artistic! choices!

And we're lucky enough to have an adaptation that follows the major plot beats pretty much to the letter! ...so. Why does it tend to disappoint fans of the manga so often?

Well I know a lot of people have their opinions on it. owlyflufff I agree with you - the exclusion of certain panels make for very odd characterization choices - as in, it totally changes the context of the scene and what the character might be thinking. See Exhibits A through C for the best examples. For Exhibits D and E, I personally feel that we got enough in the scene to draw the same conclusions about motive and intent, but that Ango panel... oof it hurts so much. I'm ok with the Dark Era flashbacks personally though: same character motive, just with different artistic interpretation.

langdahling, you're also right though. Pivotal emotional moments aside, I feel a lot of shows (not just BSD) don't know how to let their characters breathe. Pacing is a huge issue in a lot of things I find. You have to let us know who these characters are. Let the characters breathe, and give us, the audience, time to breathe with the characters. It's important. It's really important. It's something the manga does well - it's endearing. Every character gets a little endearing, silly moment. This is necessary for a series that is fundamentally about humanizing its cast.

As for my own opinion on what the adaptation lacks... well, I have a bit of an interesting view because both my mom and I actually watch this show. I, as you all know, am a deranged little weirdo about it who has literally gone through everything BSD I could find and inserted it directly into my brain cells. My mom, on the other hand, has only seen the anime, but is privy to other information about the series um. Because I talk about it non-stop (sorry mom). I happened to be visiting her when season 4 started airing and we watched the first little bit together - the Untold Origins adaptation. To be clear - this adaptation was good. I think it was probably the best after Dark Era. But. My mom turns and looks at me at the scene where Ranpo breaks down shortly before Fukuzawa lies about him having an ability (because I've told her the rough summary of it before) and says "I don't think Ranpo's desperation came across". She said it felt like a breakdown, sure, but it's not the same as the pent-up frustration and fear that was made so incredibly clear in the novel. She said if I hadn't explained that Fukuzawa realized it was kind of his last chance to reach Ranpo, that he had to do something to save this kid, that she would've been left completely bewildered as to why Fukuzawa would tell him such a massive lie. (Never mind the exclusion of his parents, which was why nothing but a lie would work but I digress...) This happened later in the series too. Kunikida was given a prolonged fish-eye closeup through Jouno's entire speech about his ideals instead of the balloon symbolism used in the manga (literally one of the most baffling changes to me - I don't really feel any which way about the fish eyes in general, but imo doing any kind of prolonged like 20 second close up of one character's face during what is a pivotal moment for them is uh... a weird, if not outright poor, animation choice). Poor Akutagawa's death scene being... like that. He dies with grace! He DIES WITH GRACE! That's important!!! He made a choice and was satisfied!!! For all of the Bones and Asagiri Dazai favouritism, he's probably one of the worst examples of watered down emotion - it's no wonder so many people mischaracterize him. Why is he smiling when Jouno arrests him? Why does he look unbothered when he realizes Chuuya's been vampirized? Where is the scene after Q attacks where he conflictedly realizes he'll have to resort to underhanded tactics to win??? Thank god for Miyano Mamoru and his voice acting because otherwise. Geez. And then Sigma. Oh my god. You need that scene where he helps the casino guest. That's his first scene. They condensed his backstory. Sigma's entire character was watered down. And I knew it was going to be before I even watched Sky Casino arc, because this is the core problem I have with the anime in general -

There is a lack of desperation. And it comes, primarily, from the watering down of intense, pivotal moments, and then, the removal of some of the more lighthearted or kind scenes in favour of getting quickly to the action.

I feel that contrast is what's necessary to give these emotional beats weight. And often... it just doesn't hit. It's odd to me, as imo one of the core themes of BSD is desperation. Every character has this desperation at their core - a desperation to succeed, a desperation to live, not having a reason to live and being desperate to find it. It's all desperation - and this really, really does not come across well in the anime. Not consistently. I think the most egregious example is the Sky Casino arc. Both Sigma and Teruko are just as desperate as each other. Teruko stopping the plane was not a guarantee but a play on her part that could very well have resulted in her death. There's heavy implication the bones in her arms shattered in the manga. Her and Tachihara had to take a quick breather after it. That's not in the anime. Sigma's backstory being condensed does a great disservice to explaining why he is so desperate to save the casino - I felt we were primarily told rather than shown. And so the Sky Casino arc, with desperation at its core... was underwhelming. As I figured it would be before it even came out, as the anime already had a history of cutting details out, rushing through the build up, and making odd artistic choices that dampen the emotion of said pivotal scenes. It sucks, really.

And while it's fun to get two seasons in one year, I find myself very, very worried on behalf of the animators and the workers in that studio. I would've been happy to have two in one year... if I thought they were at all prepared for it. But I don't think they were. Season 5 feels very rushed and I know I'm not the only one who's said this. Makes me worried for the pressure everyone's under to churn this out so quickly.

In the end, I rationalize most adaptations of anything as having two (or multiple!) cakes. The BSD anime is enjoyable! And fun! I love seeing my little guys walk and talk and use their cool powers. It's a completely different experience to the manga. Unfortunately, for anyone who's read the manga, it's... a bit of an underwhelming experience, but still. It's a fun watch - even if it's not really what I was hoping for.

[miamochi-writes]

Daycare Snacks Vash AU Part 11

A/n: Again I apologize for delaying this chapter! But I hope you enjoy! Also I apologize for this being a long post to scroll through. There’s a lot I needed to add so I’m going to split this part up. Expect another update on this very soon <3

It was another hectic week at the daycare with Vash and Liz. Since the holidays were coming up, everyone was either decorating or trying to cram in as many lessons as they could for the kids. Even some of the kids were a bit more rowdier than usual as they were excited to celebrate. Then there were some who were starting to feel sad that they couldn’t see their friends or favorite helpers. Overall, there wasn’t a dull moment with anyone. It was the week before the holidays started and you were having your lunch break with Vash.

Ever since the night you invited him to the arcade, you’ve been telling Vash more about your actual favorite shows, games, and some of your collectibles. He never once interrupted you and just admired how passionate your were about your interests. Sometimes he’ll ask or remember the things you mentioned and would share memes or news about it that always put a smile to your face. Today at lunch, Vash wanted to show you a new video about one of his favorite video game series coming out. 

“Okay so Y/n, think of it like this. It’s more open world so you can explore and do more things than what the original game series is known for! Just look at how beautiful the graphics are and the music too!” Vash gushed as he had to stop himself from shaking with joy while steadying his phone. You were captivated by the game trailer he showed you as you’ve never seen a video game look that beautiful with its gameplay with a simple but effective art style.

“That looks really cool! And you said it’s coming out soon right? Do you mind if I watch you play it once you get it?” you asked him.

“Of course! I’ll message you once I get it. Plus you’re more than welcome to come over to watch! And I can teach you how to play it if you like! It’s not that hard to play. I’m pretty sure I can adjust the settings for you so it isn’t too hard,” Vash explained as you couldn’t help but smile at how much he was willing to include you for things like this. Meanwhile, Liz and a few other coworkers were staring from the distance with a few smirks on their faces.

“You think they would’ve gotten together by now?” one of the workers mentioned as Liz waved them off.

“Listen, it’s getting there. Ever since I told Y/n I couldn’t make it to that cafe, things have been going smoothly. But maybe we can push ‘em a little more in the right direction,” Liz commented as she started racking her brain with a few ideas.

~*~

It was the end of the day where you and Vash waved goodbye to the last kid who got picked up. You both cleaned up and were about to gather your things in the employee lounge until Liz came in with a cup in her hand. Turned out she wanted to do a small gift exchange for the holidays next week for fun. Both you and Vash agreed it was a nice idea and picked out who you were going to gift. The only thing was, none of you can say who you got until next week when it was time to gift each other. After you picked, Vash took you home.

You were resting back at your apartment watching one of your favorite shows to pass the time before going to bed. As the plot twist was revealed, your phone rang and started you by surprise. You checked to see it was Vash calling you. You took a deep breath and picked up.

“Hey Vash, what’s up?” you greeted.

“Hey, Y/n, is this a good time to talk?” he asked.

“Yeah, you’re not bothering me or anything,” you replied as you heard him relax on the other end.

“Oh good! I was calling because one of my friends told me that there’s this big marketplace event called Traders Village happening tomorrow at the neighboring city nearby. There’s going to be all kinds of vendors there including local and big named ones too. I was wondering if you wanted to go with me? I figured it would be a good place to find some gift ideas for our gift exchange. It’ll only be a 30 minute drive to get there, but I hear it’s worth going to. Up to you,” Vash offered as you pondered on the idea. 

“So what you’re saying is it’ll be a mini road trip?” you clarified as Vash laughed.

“I can provide the entertainment and snacks if you like,” he added as you giggled.

“Sure, I’d love to join,” you answered.

“Aw Y/n it’s going to be great! You won’t regret it. I’ll pick you up at 9!” he gushed as your smile grew bigger by how excited he was.

“Okay, I’ll see you then. Good night Vash,” you spoke.

“Good night Y/n,” he commented and then hung up. You grabbed the plushie he got you and then dialed Cora’s number. You explained to her what happened as she teased you to where your blush kept deepening in shades of red.

~*~

The next morning, you were dressed in your most comfy yet stylish clothes with a cardigan that pulled your look together. You even brought one of your bigger bags to carry a few items with you for today. Vash messaged you that he was on his way, while you waited outside your apartment for his car to pull up. You then saw his car parking and went downstairs to meet him. He unlocked his car so you can sit in the passenger seat. Vash was wearing a black turtleneck with a white button up where he left a few of the top buttons loose. He wore slightly black pants and some familiar combat boots.

“Morning! Someone looks ready to have fun!” Vash greeted as you flashed him a smile.

“I am, thanks for inviting me! So I’m curious what you have in plan while we get there,” you spoke as you buckled in your seatbelt.

“Oh I have lots of things ready for today. Just sit back and relax,” he added as he put his hand behind your seat and started to reverse the car. Turns out Vash made a playlist for this little road trip last night so you could be comfortable and jam out. He even packed some of your favorite snacks that you would ask for at the daycare and a couple of waters just in case. Vash made you the DJ for the first part of the trip while you talked to him as he drove. If he ever asked for a small snack and water, you got him covered. You actually surprised him by packing a few of his favorite snacks as well.

“Wait, you remembered?” he asked as you handed him his favorite treat from your bag.

“Of course I do! You’ve been treating me whenever we hang out and when you get me my snacks at daycare. Now it’s my turn. Although, I know it’s not much,” you answered as he grabbed the snack from you.

“No this is perfect! Thanks Y/n! I was actually craving this earlier, but the store near me ran out,” he replied after taking a few bites. Vash would continue talking about how great the market was. When you passed by certain areas, he would also point out how those were other memorable places that he wanted to take you another time. 

After being on the road for 30 minutes, you both saw the sign for the market event as Vash drove to the nearest parking place. When he said it was called Traders Village, you had no idea that what he said was literal. It looked like the whole event took up the biggest space possible with multiple colorful tents for each shop. The place was much bigger than any convention space you’ve ever seen. Your mouth was agape from being awestruck that you didn’t realize Vash was opening your side of the door. He helped you get up as he had the biggest smile on his face.

“So what do you think?” Vash asked.

“I feel like I’m going to get lost, because this place is huge!” you commented. 

“Just stay close to me and I’ll show you around! I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen. You let me know if there’s a booth you want to check out and we can take a look,” he offered his hand to you. You couldn’t believe how lucky you were to have him with you as you grabbed his hand. Vash led the way as you followed him. You got a glimpse of the entrance to see tons of people walking around to different vendors. The place was lively to say the least as you looked to see what each person was selling. Vash led you to one vendor who was selling trinkets and stationary items that had some characters you recognized on TV. You then pointed out another vendor who was selling vintage merch of old shows that Vash was gushing over as he showed you his favorites.

It wasn’t until you landed at a vendor who was selling jam and fruits at their table. You stopped Vash from moving forward and told him you wanted to check this place out. Once you walked up, you noticed the person was offering free tasting samples. You asked to try a few and the minute you tasted them, you were astonished with how sweet the flavors were.

“These are so much better than the grocery store!” you commented as the vendor laughed.

“I grew these myself, and took a lot of playing around until I got the right flavor. Are you interested in any?” she asked.

“Yes! Can I grab two of your most popular fruit and one jam?” you asked as she prepared some items. Once she rang you up to pay, Vash got in front of you and offered his card to the lady.

“Vash no!” you called out as Vash just gave you a grin.

“Just this one time,” he argued as you got slightly red.

“One time? You mean the multiple times you’ve done this every time we hang out?!” you questioned as you tried to pull his arm back and offer your card to the lady.

“I’ll cover this for today and you can pay whatever you like at the next vendor,” Vash offered as he slammed his card while the market lady just laughed.

“Y’all are the funniest couple I’ve seen today,” she commented as you turned a deeper shade of red after hearing that. Little did you know, Vash was also flustered from hearing that as you stuttered.

“Oh, w-w-we aren’t a couple. We work together and he invited me here,” you explained as the lady was still smirking at you both before handing over your items in a bag. Before you could answer again, Vash pointed out another vendor to check out. You noticed he was also flustered and that his ears were a tinge of red. You started thinking about what it would be like if you and Vash were a couple. But you mentally shook that thought out and had to focus on why you were here. Gift shopping. You can worry about Vash later.

The both of you looked at more booths and saw Vash purchase a few items for himself on some rare collectibles from a video game he couldn’t pass up on. Meanwhile you spotted a few notebooks and handmade jewelry that Vash didn’t stop you from buying. If anything, he was happy that you took the time to show him what caught your eye and gave his honest opinion about you wearing them.

“Those look great on you!” he would say as you happily purchased them. It wasn’t until you spotted one vendor who had the perfect item you could gift to Liz. You told Vash you wanted to stop by the booth and he agreed. But, he wanted to let you know there was another booth nearby he wanted to grab for his gift exchange and that he’ll be there or try to rush back to you. You figured it was okay as you went to the next vendor. 

They had a variety of items, but what caught your eye was the handmade tumblers they had with different characters and logos on them. Liz was a coffee drinker and you overheard her talk about how much she loved this new show she was watching and one of the tumblers had the logo and a few characters on it. You never purchased an item so fast. The vendor also decided to give you a buy one get one free deal. You then picked a tumbler for yourself that you could see yourself using. Then you spotted the booth had some DVDs up for sale and one DVD caught your eye. It was the Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood DVD and Bluray collection with additional items as well. You remembered Vash telling you how much he wanted this but couldn’t find it anywhere. 

“How much for the DVD set?” you asked.

“I would sell it for $80 but since you’ve bought a few things for me, I’ll give it to you for $40,” he offered as you immediately handed him your card. You glanced over to make sure Vash didn’t see you buying this as you made sure to double bag the item so he couldn’t see. You thanked the vendor before making your way to Vash. It looked like he was still at the booth but there were two people talking to him. Maybe it was people he knew? Upon closer look, you saw Vash’s face look uncomfortable as he was slowly backing away and frowning. You walked closer and started to hear their conversation.

“What? We just wanted to say hi to our old friend. Remember the nickname they gave you back then? Vash the Stampede? Or the Humanoid Typhoon?” one commented.

“Yeah, you were such a klutz back then! I can never forget how much of a mess you left that one time back in home period!" the other guy brought up. You noticed Vash was looking more timid.

“Nice to see that you guys are doing well,” Vash said in a more dejected tone that you never heard before. 

“So what brings you here? Are you planning on stampeding this place too?” the guy asked. 

“There you are! I was wondering where you went,” you chimed in as you held onto Vash’s arm. You could feel Vash slightly jump from your touch as he looked at you. His blue eyes looked into your e/c eyes and saw a mix of emotions.

“Oh and who’s this cutie? You didn’t tell us you brought someone with you Vash,” they commented as you kept a smile on your face, but mentally you were ready to throw hands at them.

“I’m Y/n, one of Vash’s friends. We work together at a daycare,” you introduced yourself as the guys chuckled.

“Vash? Vash the Stampede at a daycare? I bet it must be a lot of work cleaning up after his mess. Do you know how much of a riot he was back then in our class?” one of them laughed.

“Actually, Vash is the most responsible person I’ve ever worked with. The kids, parents, and staff trust him with everything. In fact, he mentored me when I first started working and had to clean up my mess. So if anything I was a handful,” you retorted with high praises but slowly started to glare at the two. You were so focused on the two guys that you didn’t notice yourself squeezing Vash’s arm and getting closer to him.

“Look we’re just saying as his old friends what we knew about Vash back then. Just wanted to warn you about him is all,” one of the guys was defending himself as you took one step forward.

“You know last time I checked, friends don’t bring each other down like that. Also warning me? That’s for me to decide about who I pick to be with. And I pick Vash. Now if you’re done talking, we got places to go,” you said a bit aggressively as you pulled Vash away. You kept walking until you found a bench to sit on and noticed Vash was too quiet for you liking. You looked at him to see him staring at you with wide eyes.

“Everything okay Vash? About earlier, I kinda overheard and couldn’t standby. In my defense they didn’t seem like good friends,” you spoke trying to get a feel of the mood right now. His blue eyes never looked away from yours as you were starting to fidget a bit.

“No, I’m okay. I just wanted to ask...everything you said back there. Did you mean it?” he asked.

“Of course, I stand by what I said back there. You’re such a huge help and someone I look up to. And once we started hanging out more, I realized anyone is lucky to have you in their life. As for your “friends” earlier they’re still jerks,” you answered as you pouted at the thought of those guys.

“Would you still say the same if I told you what they said was true? Like them calling me Vash the Stampede? Humanoid Typhoon? The guy who was known to make messes wherever he goes? Would you still hang out with me?” Vash asked once more as you looked away to think.

“You know my parents once told me this saying. Life is kinda like a movie. When you meet someone, you meet them in the middle of the film. You can’t stop the film, so I have no idea what happened before then or what will happen in the future. I guess what I’m trying to say is I met you right in the middle. I have no idea about what happened before. BUT, I’m willing to listen how you listened to me like last time. I’d like to learn more about you if you let me. The good and bad. So I’m sticking by you regardless,” you answered as you flashed him a fond smile as you felt yourself blush. It took a lot for you to say that, but after how Vash asked you...he needed to know. 

Vash was still quiet, but his blue eyes started to light up at your answer. You could even see his cheeks turning pink which you found absolutely cute. He then pulled you into a tight hug and whispered, “Thank you, I don’t know how I got lucky on meeting you.” Oh you were extra grateful that Vash couldn’t see how much your face was turning red as a tomato. Everything he did was making your heart rush to where you might have to call an ambulance for what he was doing. You then hugged him back as best as you could before he pulled away.

“Sorry for making you worry earlier and asking that. My mind tends to wander. Hope this didn’t ruin our market day,” Vash apologized as he scratched his cheek and let out a nervous laugh. You shook your head and waved off his comment.

“Oh no, not at all! You have nothing to apologize for! Besides I needed a quick break before buying some more again. Plus, we haven’t even explored a good chunk yet!” you reassured him as he looked at your bags.

“Woah, you bought a lot there. Is that for the gift exchange?” he pointed out as you looked at the bag filled with gifts. You made sure it was hidden well so he couldn’t see the contents inside and nodded at him.

“Wow! Whoever you got must be really lucky!” he commented. You giggled trying to hold back the surprise and thought oh yeah they’re pretty lucky.

“Oh speaking of, I spotted this booth you might like! Come on, let’s hurry before they run out of stuff!” Vash mentioned as he got up and pulled you with him. He even grabbed some of your bags because he insisted. You gave in as he made a puppy face at you, but you made sure you held your most recent purchase.

“Hang on tight, don’t want to lose you in this crowd,” he finished and quickly turned to look at you while flashing you that beautiful smile of his. With the way he was holding you close, hand-in-hand, and then that face, you felt your stomach turn in knots as your heart raced once more. Oh if only he know what exactly he did to you so effortlessly.

A/n: Hi! Thanks for reading probably my longest chapter! Again this is half of the full chapter I wanted to release. But I rather split it up for everyone who reads this. Thanks for being patient with me! I hope you like this and like the next one <3

@marydragneell @daschstuff​

[legolasghosty]

I love all the celebrity fake dating prompts! So hard to choose just one but how about for willex, the prompt: wearing each others clothes publicly to 'keep up the image'

And reason: To tick off a certain group that has been being jerks lately. (My brain instinctively thought to piss off the homophobes and stick it to the “fans” who refuse to believe that he is gay, but that is optional!)

- @beencryingfor25years

Hehehehe hello @beencryingfor25years, thanks for the prompt!!! The holidays have been a little nuts, so sorry for the delay, but here it is!!!

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Alex asks, bracing the phone between his cheek and his shoulder so his hands are free.

"Duh," Willie answers on the other end of the call. "This is like dating 101. Honestly, it would be more suspicious if we didn't."

"But this looks ridiculous on me," Alex insists, tugging at the fabric that keeps brushing against his abdomen.

Willie laughs and Alex is glad it's not a video call. At least this way Willie can't see how Alex's cheeks are warming at the sound. Why did he decide to do this again?

"You're just not used to it," Willie responds. "Shoot me a picture, I'm sure it looks fine. Or just ask Julie, she'll smack some sense into you."

Alex sighs. "Fine, one second," he says. He removes the phone from his ear and flips over to the camera. It only takes a moment to snap a photo of his reflection, but that's a moment longer than Alex wants to be looking at himself. "There, happy?" he asks after he sends it.

There isn't a response at first. Oh no, Alex thinks. It must be just as bad as he thinks and Willie is trying to figure out how to tell him without being rude, because that's the kind of sweet person they are. But honestly, the tan and blue shirt that looks so nice on them just doesn't suit Alex as well. It's so awkward, even with the high waisted jeans Julie told him to wear with it.

"Alex, you look amazing," Willie says finally. Something in his tone sounds odd though, but not like he's lying. Alex can't put his finger on it. But it's definitely something.

"You sure?" he questions instead of pointing it out. "You can tell me if it looks bad, I won't be offended or anything."

"No seriously, dude, you look great!" Willie exclaims. Alex can almost picture their wide grin and the sparkle in their eyes when they're hyping him up for stuff. "Honestly, you look better in it than I do."

"That's a stretch," Alex responds, chuckling. "But fine. And fair's fair, now you gotta show me yours."

Willie giggles and Alex feels his heart speeding up again. Honestly, he should have asked someone less... incredible than Willie to be his fake boyfriend. Because this has only brought them closer together, and curse Alex and his everlasting curse of falling for guys that are totally out of his league.

But honestly, how could anyone not fall for Willie, at least a bit. He's funny and sweet and has a mischievous streak that terrifies and excites Alex in equal parts. Plus the fact that they're basically the prettiest person Alex has ever met. And the two of them have a lot in common, despite the fact that Alex is a pop-rock drummer and Willie is a gaming streamer. Even though they've been sort of friends for almost a year after a rather awkward run in at a convention, and pretend dating for just over two months, they still haven't run out of things to talk about.

So yeah, Alex has maybe developed a crush on his fake boyfriend. Which is a problem.

His phone buzzes in his hand, pulling him out of his head.

"There ya go, hotdog," Willie says.

Alex opens the message and... okay he is not having feelings about Willie in his favorite pink hoodie. He isn't. But Willie took more than a second on his picture. The selfie shows Willie in their gaming chair, dark hair loose around their shoulders, his legs pulled up and crossed even though the arms of the chair get in the way. And the light pink fabric of the hoodie in question is covering his torso in a way that is entirely too attractive for something that Alex has worn to bed a million times. Alex is 99% sure that if he actually walked in on Willie wearing that in person, he wouldn't be able to resist the urge to kiss them.

"Well?" Willie asks. "How do I look?"

Alex clears his throat, suddenly realizing how long he's been staring at the photo. "Um, it looks great, very, uh, boyfriend-y."

"Well this hoodie does seem to be made of boyfriend material," Willie teases after a second. "Gonna piss off some homophobes for sure."

"Perfect," Alex responds, laughing. "I mean, what's the point in this if we don't?" Which is something he has to remember himself...

"Alex, we gotta get going!" Reggie calls from outside of Alex's bedroom. "Quit flirting with your faux-boo and let's go!"

"One sec," Alex yells back. "Sorry, I've got to go," he says into the phone. "Content Day calls."

"Yeah I gotta prep for stream in a few anyways," Willie sighs. "But good luck!"

"You too, I'll hop on to watch for a bit if I have a break," Alex promises.

"You spoil me, baby," Willie responds. "Talk to you later!"

"Bye, Willie," Alex answers, ignoring the flush in his cheeks at the pet name as he disconnects the call.

Reggie gives him a smirk when he joins the rest of the band in the living room of their apartment, but Alex just shakes his head. Now is not the time to talk about his crush. They pile into Alex's van and head for their favorite cafe.

----------

A few hours later, Alex has almost managed to put the image of Willie in his hoodie out of his mind. But he has a minute to himself while Luke and Reggie are filming a little studio tour, so he pulls up Willie's stream on his phone. And... well. Yeah.

Alex.exe has stopped working.

Willie is playing some new farming sim at the moment and getting hopelessly lost on the map. He's laughing at the conflicting directions he's getting from the chat and Alex wants to be there beside him, enjoying that rush of joy in person.

Willie must recognize his username on the chat log, because he breaks off midsentence. "Hey, Lexi, you're here! Everyone, my boyfriend has decided to grace us with his presence for a few minutes, be nice."

The chat immediately goes wild and Alex can't help but laugh at some of the comments. He types out a quick hello message, then adds that he probably can't stay long.

"No worries, babe, I know you have your big fancy music job to do," Willie responds. "But I'm glad you're here. Anyways, does anyone know where I can find the blacksmith?!"

"You should talk to him."

Alex nearly falls off his chair onto the floor at the voice just behind him. He turns to see Julie looking down at him with a bit of a smirk, two bottles of water in her hands.

"What?" he says, trying to remember if he's forgetting some content thing.

"Willie," she clarifies. "It's pretty obvious you like him for real, and it sure looks to me like he likes you too."

"What, no, they're like..." Alex stammers. "I mean, Willie is way out of my league. He doesn't like me like that. It would just make things weird."

"Please, you're like a solid 10," Julie responds, smacking him on the shoulder with one of the bottles. "And they have a massive crush on you, it's so obvious."

"Their a good actor," Alex points out with a shrug. "It's a fake relationship, we're supposed to look like we're in love."

"Okay but you also stay up way too late texting," Julie counters. "And he knows your allergies even better than Luke, who has known you since before you knew about all of said allergies. You two have memorized each others' coffee orders, sensory icks, and medication schedules. I'm pretty sure he likes you back."

Alex sighs. When she puts it like that, it seems so simple. But...

"Don't give me that look," Julie adds. "Just talk to them."

"Fine," Alex groans. "I'll try."

"Andddd, here, in his natural habitat, we have the elusive drummer boy," Luke cuts in, bursting through the green room door with Reggie on his heels with the camera.

Alex heaves a more dramatic sigh. "Sue me for wanting a break from you weirdos," he teases, taking the water Julie offers him. "Are you almost done?"

"Just about!" Reggie answers.

"Then I'm going to go check my sticks," Alex tells them, disconnecting from the stream on his phone and heading for the studio.

He has to admit he's a bit distracted for the rest of the day though. Does Willie actually like him back? Is that even possible?

Only one way to find out, he decides during dinner.

[beingfacetious]

please give us the correct negative Ted lasso review

Oh my God. This feels like a trap but I can't help it

update from the other side, this is no joke 2k words long and it's not uh happy lmao so dead dove do not eat

TL;DR:

Bill Lawrence's involvement lessened every season and it fuckin' shows

There were arcs and plot points established over the first two seasons that the writers very obviously just changed their minds about for this season

Takes about this season being dark/ending sad on purpose are MUCH too generous. like giving WAY too much credit.

It turns out most of my feelings boil down to "it's not aggressively bad it's just nonsensical"

How tf was every episode twice as long as in previous seasons but everything important happened offscreen

FIRST OF ALL, since MONTHS before the season started airing, I've nursed a conspiracy theory that Bill Lawrence left the show because of creative differences with Jason Sudeikis and that therefore this season would be significantly less good than previous seasons. This started when I saw Bill tweet that he was going home, basically, and I figured we'd get "season 3 is in post" news shortly thereafter but instead there was that weird stuff about things being delayed because of rewrites...? Anyway, that is mostly to say that I was ready to think this season was worse because I love Bill Lawrence's storytelling and have forever and you should give Cougar Town a shot if you haven't yet it's no Scrubs but it's sweet

There were interviews early in the show in which I swear Jason/Brendan/whoever said they pitched the show to Bill because he's fuckin' good at TV and he basically said "this is a great idea but you're writing to the wrong ending, it should be this," and they were like "wow you're right that is a better ending." I can't find that now but I did find this from a more recent Bill interview:

I ran that show the first year because Jason was still shooting movies while we were doing the writers room. Then, at the end of that year, much like Gary with me, I was like, “Ah, I’ll spend a couple of months teaching him how to edit.” But after like a day or two, he’s like, “Yeah, I got it.” (Laughs.) So, the second year, we ran it together, and I’m only able to do other things now because that guy ran the show himself the third year, as it should be. It’s his voice and his world this season.

Now look, Bill Lawrence is obviously not trying to throw shade here because he's lovely and also this is a Hollywood Reporter article and how immature would that be, but I can throw shade for him and I will: Jason Sudeikis is a talented comedic actor and seems like a very nice man and he had a good idea for a show, and his instincts to involve an extremely experienced showrunner with an insane talent for feelsy found family sitcoms were good and he should have stuck to them!! Telling Bill Lawrence you're good after two days of editing instruction or whatever is stupid!! Insisting on your voice and your world when BILL LAWRENCE'S VOICE IS AVAILABLE TO YOU and also you CO-CREATED THE WORLD whatever gdi

OK fine I'll do Ted/Rebecca next. Obviously I was in for Ted/Rebecca. I wanted them to put their faces together. But look, I'm not a shipper over all else; over all else I want a good storyteller to tell me the story they want to tell. If I expect things or see them coming, that's not bad! That's good! If I'm surprised by things, that's good too as long as it holds together! "Subverting expectations" shouldn't look like spiting the audience, a lie is not a twist, etc. SO. If Ted and Rebecca were meant to be platonic soulmates, that's fine!!! I don't NEED them to kiss!!! But I do not believe these people are even friends in season 3, after season 1 and tbh most of my favorite parts of season 2 were about how much they impact each other's lives. That's a dropped ball and there's NO REASON to have not made time for them to interact meaningfully because every episode was so fucking long. Instead I guess we had to know how super sad Rebecca was about not being able to have children but not need to talk to anyone about it and immediately be fully over it. Also see a lot of lingering shots of Rebecca...looking at a matchbook...

sfjbkfgs early in the season they very obviously established that Rebecca's arc was going to be realizing she actually loves the team and wants to support them and see them succeed because of her own heart and not to spite Rupert, and I guess that happened but why didn't it happen gradually in ways I could see, why did it happen in an episode in which I'm supposed to have known all along that this has to do with her childhood self ?? and in which Rupert has a FULL personality change to facilitate her sudden realization. In what fucking world would he invite her to that meeting, because she's smart or because she brings ~diversity or because maybe he wants to sleep with her again? None of it tracks at all lmao but it was also the episode in which I really enjoyed Tony Head so whatever

speaking of not tracking, Nate.........I've never been invested in Nate especially but he was SO cartoonishly evil at the start and then kind of never again. I was braced for a redemption arc I wouldn't care about but that didn't even really happen?? he got a girlfriend and realized Rupert was a bad role model? it turns out his dad thinks he was a prodigy and always just wanted him to be happy, which, lmao WHAT where????? and what am I supposed to believe about Jade changing her mind about him btw because she's seen people be terrible to him at that very table before AND she has to know he loves the place and the food because he's there all the time, so what was the revelation that turned her from relatable-via-Nate-ambivalence to suddenly heart-eyes just fdslelugatw so much of my feeling about this season isn't even like it's bad it's just it's nonsense

One of my big complaints about the season is just Keeley's whole deal. Separating her from the team/rest of the cast was a wild choice. Barbara is fine but I also would have been perfectly fine without her and none of the other new characters for the PR side story added anything to the show. Especially if at the end Rebecca is just going to write Keeley a check for the chump change she needs to run the agency. Why didn't we just do that to begin with??? I guess this season I'm supposed to think Keeley ~learned to be independent in various ways but, again, I don't ?? And her needing to not be with Roy I guess as part of that and then get back together offscreen but then not really be together maybe but then also possibly having throuple vibes later that never get acknowledged feels, whatever, like something Bill Lawrence didn't write sdfjlsefaj,lwte I know this is my unsupportable argument that post I RBed was making fun of but idc

also Jamie wanting to be with Keeley at the end of the show feels extremely Harry Potter epilogue to me lmao Jamie you don't have to marry someone you went to high school with there are so many people

Roy was fine this season. He didn't have much to do but that's probably for the best lol. Him taking Ted's job is probably the only main character ending I feel like makes sense for this season and the overall show. Him training and begrudgingly becoming friends with Jamie was always funny.

OK one of the wrong reviews was basically like if you don't appreciate this season you don't appreciate classic tragic structure. Fuck off with that. First of all this was a sitcom about soccer so even if they were going for a classic tragedy in season 3 that's stupid and they shouldn't have been. But I also just don't think that's what was happening ??? I think I'm supposed to believe everyone gets a happy ending and I just don't. Like the whole oh it's sad that Ted ends up where he started and it's about how persistent optimism and kindness can burn you out or whatever, that's...if that's what they were going for, again, why tf, and also could we have seen that like. at all. Ted barely Teds for anyone this season (frex the previously mentioned never talking to Rebecca). ROY Teds more than Ted in season 3. If we got to see Ted trying to Ted even, like, twice, and either not being able to dig down and find the positivity or I guess noticing that he needs someone to be that for him, OK, fine. A Ted/Keeley scene would have been a PERFECT vehicle for this. Didn't happen. idk if we're supposed to think he's getting back together with Michelle but that would be so...so bad ??? like what about Tan Lines??? why even have Tan Lines??? even if not, we just left completely unaddressed her starting a relationship with their marriage counselor, which is also BAD lmao. God why did I have to see so much of Michelle this season. Michelle video calls every other episode and two lines for Dr. Sharon. Nonsense. lol one of my friends summarized Ted's ending as "yeah going back to the unfulfilling life that didn't work before the show started is a victory for our protagonist"

Even the soccer of it all re that whole thing was silly. Oh marriage counselor boyfriend is a bad guy because he doesn't care about the soccer game. Oh Ted is happy now because he's coaching Henry's rec league soccer team. like it's fine that EVERYONE is still together in Richmond but he's "home" now and still around soccer which is good because we definitely saw him learn to love soccer during the course of the show. sure Jan

(to be fair I am not the audience for "it's about the kid" plots so even if I felt like it worked from the start of the show for Ted to choose moving back to where Henry is, which I don't, I wouldn't care for it, so maybe those criticisms aren't especially valid) (I didn't care about JD's kid either)

speaking of the soccer though every single scene that revolved around the actual soccer team was essentially perfect. Great use of so many of those boys. Very few notes. Sam in particular had a few nice things this season and of course Colin. Another incorrect review by a critic I actually like very much was complaining about Colin's story this season and it being tired and overdone and not caring about Trent's or Isaac's parts of it, but I actually really disagree! It was well done and it was nice to see in the context of professional sports where, sorry, coming out and being received well is not a cliche thing that happens a lot! Also, hot take! Zava was a good part of this season! Nice contained little story that impacted some characters I actually care about plus he was legit funny! Sometimes things in a comedy should be funny! I'd honestly watch three more seasons of Richmond-focused half-hour episodes with idk probably Brett Goldstein in charge

I haven't mentioned Beard because I just never understood what I was supposed to think about him lmao. By far the funniest character overall but I never felt settled on whether he was meant to be a manic pixie comic relief BFF or if he was like...a real person?? It strikes me as potentially bad that he was so worried about Ted's mental state all the time and never really mentioned his own and that was sort of a thing in the weird s2 episode but then not again? I felt so much ire about so much else I didn't have any for him marrying Jane lmao but I do understand the people who are upset about that because that sure seemed pretty toxic, but wasn't it supposed to be played for laughs? Does that fit in a show that's supposed to mainly be about people treating each other well because we're all we've got? idk, RIP Beard, sorry your best friend in the world wasn't at your wedding because it would have been narratively underwhelming to see him leave and then see him back at a future major event or whatever

idk idk, season 1 Rebecca was one of my favorite characters ever and I was so angry in the middleish of the season about how much I felt like she was being wasted, but by the end I was just like...I mean, what's to be mad at. She's not even her anymore. Ted wasn't Ted anymore. Nate I guess literally reverted back to season 1 Nate which also is that...okay...him ending up lower than he started out feels not great

Good for Mae and the bar boys though, used just the right amount this and every season and always a damn delight

OK this is ridiculous I'm going to be done now. I do want to say I enjoyed several episodes this season a lot! A couple top 10 potentials! I really enjoyed the Amsterdam one actually because it reminded me of like a Nancy Meyers movie, very nice and warm, but it feels worth noting that that is not a feeling I would describe as being struck by fucking lightning :))))))

in conclusion maybe we as a nation can move on now from giving SNL alumni we find charming huge budgets and ethereally talented casts and collaborators and letting them get us emotionally invested in their midlife crises sandbox playing

[iantimony]

tuesday again

late in the day again this week because i spend so many fucking hours today in errands and waiting around. literally awful. totally fucked up my meal schedule and even worse i did No Work today because of it. im so fucked

listening: whatever i have on my phone. mostly fallow, nothing new. oh i guess the new sammy rae single is alright sammy rae and the friends - no rulebook. (coming home song is still my favorite out of the singles released for this new album)

reading: wikipedia page on fasciation

interview with dashcon creator

(some of) this article on body cams for cops and how it's all bad all the way down forever

new goya found! it's haunted

some french horn articles (1) (2) because i need a new mouthpiece and have never bought one before, the one i have is over a decade old and i stole it from my high school band director, it's not even branded and there's exposed brass on the mouth part now which is very uncomfortable...and i wouldn't be surprised if my dogshit mouthpiece has been impacting my progression with the instrument...but also mouthpieces are So expensive and have So many little details (rim diameter thickness and contour, throat size, shank length, etc) that can differ and i have No Fucking Idea what will work best for me. i think i have settled on getting a laskey 75g because it's not too expensive and someone on reddit said it was a good starting point. lmfao.

and finally, an article about interview with the vampire season 2 costume design choices

watching: as you may have guessed from my last reading article, i finished interview with the vampire season 2. i had so much fun watching this show. my god. very excited to see sam reid eat up the scenery as rockstar lestat next year. more emma/made in the moment, reacting to crochet hot takes 1 and 2.

playing: started playing some minecraft again! my friend b has a friend who has a modded minecraft server up and i was like. fuck it. i want to mined some craftz. i haven't done much yet - basically just installed a new mod launcher and made sure i could actually access the server - but things look really cool and fun and im excited. many mods.

making: crocheting normal-ass granny squares like from a few weeks ago (the multicolored ones, not the yellow). just something to keep my hands busy waiting in line at the bank, etc.

eating: boyfriend made a DELICIOUS shrimp curry thing. so fucking good. unfortunately No Recipe because he's just like that

misc: i'm starting to get really stressed about my research stuff simply Not Working. like it's plateaued again in a bad spot and i know i just have to keep pushing it through it but i'm just. ugh. really really stressed about it. i wanted to do my preliminary exam in august but now i'm not sure if that's doable and i REALLY wanted to try getting it done before my hectic travel fall started...and i don't want to push it off further than early spring because after that it will start delaying my graduation. fml. grad school not even once etc

[blackberrywars]

I just realised I wasn't following you yet? Which is honestly a crime. For your Witcher ficlets, I'd love to see some grandpa Vesemir bonding time with Ciri as a child. Just a lot of fluff, preferably modern where Vesemir gets to spend an afternoon alone with her

Hi hello sorry for the delay and thank you for this prompt!! It's very cute, and the fluff was a nice treat.

Title: Grampa's House

Rating: G Words: 1,945 Relationships: Vesemir & Ciri, Background Vesemir/Guxart, Background Yennefer/Geralt Additional Tags: Family Bonding, Fluff, Young Ciri, Grandparents & Grandchildren, The Magic of Your Grandparents' House

Summary: Vesemir struggles to figure out what to do while watching his five year-old granddaughter for the weekend because he’s an old-ass man with old-ass man hobbies, like bird-watching, whittling, gardening, and making coffee on the stove because who needs a fancy machine anyway? Turns out, she’s happy to do all those things with her grampa.

AO3 LINK

——————————————————————————————

When his idiot son drops his squealing granddaughter onto his porch, not even Yennefer can hide a sheepish grin. “Business trip,” his bony ass. He can smell a swinger’s party from here. Still, their hesitation doesn’t stop Ciri from running toward him and wrapping her skinny, freckled arms around his thighs.

“GRAMPA!!”

She hits him with the force of a gale wind, and Vesemir can’t help but run a hand through her hair. Whiter than his, but not quite so pale as Geralt’s. Before that thought overwhelms him, he takes both a deep breath and her little, inexplicably sticky hand. She proudly shows him her missing incisor as she yells hello, and she’s so much bigger now, but even still, the straps of her tiny backpack barely fit over his elbow. Her wolf plush toy has a dark stain that might just explain the state of her fingers, but he holds them anyway for the goodbye kisses and hugs. Yennefer gives him a less-stiff hug than usual, and Geralt shoots him a wry smile over her shoulder, nodding in what he probably thinks is encouragement. Vesemir just shakes his head. The pair of them slide back into the ever-beloved shitbox, Roach. Which leaves him with a five year-old granddaughter.

He’s raised several boys over the years in the Wolfe home, all of them hellions in their own special ways. Half of his grey hairs have nothing to do with his age.

That was nearly twenty years and two knee surgeries ago.

Guxart had told him in the morning that he’d do just fine, but that was just before the bastard had blown him a kiss from the driveway and sped off, off to his own weekend away. It was right about then that he realized he has no idea what little girls like to do. Ciri has only been with his son for two years, and they’d got along well, but he’s never watched her for more than a few hours. She’d been littler then. What can he offer her, now that he is old and his own boys are grown, most of their favorite toys destroyed, given away, or lost? When he was younger, this might have been easier. He had more energy then, enough to chase and tumble after a tot without fearing his worse knee would give out.

Cleaning her up is probably a good place to start.

That decided, Vesemir finds an old stepstool and guides her onto it, making sure she washes her hands. He takes some dish soap to Mr. Wolf, who is much fluffier, but just about as gray and scruffy as himself. All the while, Ciri tells him about her life.

“At recess, we play Lions and Ant-lopes! I run really fast! I like taking my shoes off, but Mama gets mad when that happens.”

“Oh? And why is that, lass?”

“It gets my socks dirty. An’ stinky. And —kitty!”

She points to the edge of his windowsill, just behind where the dish soap had been, to a tiny wooden cat figurine. The chubby little creature had been yesterday’s work, hidden in its little nook where his partner would never find it, because the bastard hates washing plates more than anything else. Vesemir chuckles.

“Hm? Oh, yes, for Guxart. It needs some work, but it’s almost done now.”

“You made that?” she asks, eyes wide as dinner plates, “How?”

“Well, if you’re interested…… I suppose I can show you.”

“YES!” she balks a bit, smiling sheepishly, “…please?”

Vesemir spends the next two hours answering that please. He gives Ciri a full tour of the garage-turned-woodworking-shed. Explains to her the difference between his chisels —paring, mortise, tang, that fancy one Eskel bought him that he still doesn’t know the name of— and almost starts in on the mallets before he stops, with no small amount of trepidation. The poor lass must be bored to tears. He braves a look down at her face and finds wide blue eyes and pursed lips. One of his larger chisels is polished enough to show her reflection, shining with curiosity. As deftly as he can, he pulls the little cat out of his pocket, holding it out to her.

“As for this little beast… are you listening?” Vesemir tweaks a pale curl, just to hear her giggle (and to distract from the chisels because she probably shouldn’t touch those until she’s at least eight or so), “What he needs is to be sanded down and polished so he’s shiny.”

“Howdja do that?”

“Sandpaper. The grains smooth out the rough bits. Here. Feel it.”

He fans out his collection, arranged from 40 to 180 grit, and lets her pet each one. He doesn’t worry for her soft skin even though she winces at the roughness because she quickly reaches for the next one. She picks out the 120 grit sandpaper —a bit too fine for this, but he allows it— and lets him show her how to gently smooth out the figurine. Her fingers are still small and clumsy, but she dutifully keeps to the direction of the grain, and the cat feels even softer than her little hands once they’re through. She paints it with a sponge brush and his own polish, a mixture of olive oil and lemon juice, gasping as the red bubinga wood reveals all its colorful stripes. Again, it receives pride of place on the windowsill.

“So…” Ciri asks, somehow even more excited than before, “whad’we do now?”

She’d liked his workshop, dusty and turpentine-smelling though it is.

“Hmm. Why don’t we go outside? I have some birdhouses I made there.”

— — — — —

Ciri squeals over the birdhouses, especially the dark purple one that “looks like Mama!” but the real noise comes when the painted bunting couple —unusually late in the season, spirits bless them— pops out of it. The little husband’s rainbow coat is vibrant as always, and while Vesemir scolds Ciri for trying to chase him, he can’t blame her for wanting to pet his colorful feathers. She agrees, thankfully, apologizing to the ruffled pair. Vesemir settles into the rocking chair he made, and once she finishes cooing at the green little wife, Ciri leaves Guxart’s alone in favor of his lap, and they sit to watch the birds until his hips start creaking.

His garden provokes similar wonder. Vesemir points out each plant and all the weeds that had sprung up in between the rows, which she happily plucks. Ciri categorizes his herbs by smell and taste, ranks sage as her favorite, and eats a little bit of dirt as a control group. He nods approvingly, because little immune systems need help, and then offers some dandelion roots instead, since they still have dirt on them and are more nutritionally useful. Maybe tomorrow they can take a walk and he’ll teach her how to forage properly. It’s good knowledge, especially for a tot. If her stomach is anything like the bottomless pit that was Lambert’s, she should know what will be delicious and what could make her sick, spirits forbid.

By the end of the afternoon, his knees are dirty and sore, and he desperately needs a coffee. Sunshine and sweat have tired Ciri out, but she’ll be up again before long, which he’d need more than a little artificial energy to survive. Quickly, he herds Ciri back inside and into the bath with as little contamination as possible. Once his sleeves are soaked to the armpits, he sets her into a chair with two pillows stacked atop it and heads over to his wood stove. The greca is an old, battered thing now, but it still makes his brew as sweet and strong as it did the day Guxart brought it home. As soon as it’s full, he pours himself a mug and turns back to the table.

“Do you want some?”

Ciri wrinkles her nose, “Coffee tastes icky.”

“That is why your abuelo uses lots of milk and sugar.”

He adds both into her sippy cup to fix what Guxart calls a tetero and puts a suspirito on the plate beside it. Then gives her another three because he’s a grandfather, and it’s his job. They eat in mostly-silence, aside from the gummy sound of her chewing the cookies through her first missing tooth, and the clink of his own mug on the table. Ciri finishes her cup with an exaggerated ah! and he can’t help but smile.

“You liked it, lass?”

“Mmhm! I din’t even taste the coffee.”

Which is usually exactly what Vesemir says to Guxart when he’s making fun of him, but it’s hard to argue with this kind of sincerity. Especially not when she tips her mostly empty cup back again, trying to get the last few drops between the gap in her teeth.

“Grampa, can we watch a movie now? Do yours have color in them?”

His knees cheer for joy even as his eyebrows quirk of their own will, which might just prove her point, along with the fact that he barely had any movies at all. Thank the spirits Geralt had given him a DVD along with her overnight bag. He remembers the fat, seal-like creature on the cover.

“Yes, we can watch a movie. How do you feel about Neighbor Toto?”

“Grampa!!” Ciri bursts out laughing, knocking over her sippy cup, “Nooooo, it’s My Neighbor Totoro!”

“My Neighbor Tot-ro, then.”

“Noooooooo! To-to-ro!”

He smiles and takes their dishes to the sink, letting her pester him until he finally says it right. She nods imperiously, and he can’t help but ruffle her white-blonde hair. She’s more or less a quiet presence beside him as he cleans the greca, right until he pulls out his jar of popcorn kernels. Apparently, those are supposed to come in a brown paper bag, and they get cooked in a microwave. Vesemir owns neither.

“Well, lass. This way is more fun —watch, now.”

For once, he’s glad for the new glass lids Guxart bought, since they let Ciri ooh and ahh and the popcorn exploding with butter (and a little bit of brown sugar). It’s easy enough work to herd her onto his admittedly-ancient couch. Less so when he has to remember how to play movies.

“Spirits, how does this damn thing work again?” he grumbles, unsuccessfully starting to put the brick through the slot, and then pivots back to Ciri, with her wide blue eyes and perked up ears, “Don’t repeat that.”

“Why not? Papa says bad words all the time.”

“Yes, well I tried my best with him. You’ll have to be better.”

“Aw damn.”

He barely restrains a laugh, settling for a cough as he retrieves the ever-so-slightly burnt popcorn. The movie is made slightly grainy by the TV he hasn’t changed in twenty years, but it plays nonetheless, and he can understand Ciri’s defense of it. She’s utterly enraptured, practically bouncing in her seat before she settles in beside him. He wonders if he could carve a Totoro before Ciri has to leave. By the time he hears Ciri go quiet beside him, he’s fully planned out the size and polish he’s going to use, but should he paint it? It’s never been his strength, but he should try, at least. A gentle snore interrupts his thoughts, and the weight against his side grows heavier. Ciri is fast asleep against his arm, drooling ever so slightly from the gap in her teeth. He’ll have to wake her for dinner and clean the (yet again) sticky child, but he can let her sleep until the credits roll. He yawns.

She can help him paint the Totoro on her next visit.

——————————————————————————————

Well that was some tooth-rotting fluff, and I enjoyed every second of it. I tried my best to keep the story in line with Vesemir's gruff disposition, but softened for the modern era and prompt. Ciri gets to be baby, and an utterly curious delight.

greca: a stovetop mokapot, popular throughout Latin America abuelo: grandfather tetero: baby bottle/Venezuelan term for coffee made with lots of milk and sugar, usually given to children or used to mock people who drink coffee this way suspirito: a small, bite-sized meringue cookie

Taglist: @karolincki, @hellinglasses, @girls-and-honey, @halehathnofury, @the-butch-of-blaviken, @keirametzbrassknuckles, @t4tlambert, @alllthequeenshorses, @round--robin, @on-a-lucky-tide (if anyone wants to be added/removed, pm me and I'll have it done no problem)