#luci being done is going to be a running theme

[three-realms-archive]

Beel is Paint

“No, no - not like that.” Asmo gently pulls the paintbrush away from his younger brother’s mouth. Said younger brother pouts.

“But I want ketchup…”

“Red paint isn’t ketchup, my dear little brother.” Asmo shakes his head, glancing at Beel’s easel. On it was a garish amalgamation of mud-coloured paint strokes… and a chunk bitten off the top-right corner.

Since he had drawn her before, Beel had insisted on taking another shot at bringing Ruri-chan to life - this time using acrylic paint. He had told Asmo that, after seeing Levi had hung up his picture AND used it for his Chat background, he wanted to make some art for all his brothers to use. Starting with making another Ruri-chan masterpiece for Levi. Asmo had coo’ed at him fondly, unable to resist his little brother’s cute, puppy-dog eyes.

... But actually painting with Beelzebub was proving to be incredibly challenging.

“Beel,” the fifth-born begins, “how about this - forget Ruri-chan for now. Maybe all you need is a warm-up!”

Beel puts down his paintbrush and palette, confused. “Like a jog?”

“Kinda! Art is an expression of the heart! Of your deepest, truest feelings!” Asmo exclaims matter-of-factly. Beel nods along, seriously. “Just hold the brush and let your true feelings choose the colours and flow onto the canvas. Your painting needs to stand out - no. Your paint needs to pose!”

“Pose?”

“Pose!” Asmo repeats dramatically, flinging himself onto a nearby chair and looking his brother dead in the eye. Posing. “I'm offering my services to you as a universal, well-dressed inspiration. Look at me, and let the paint pose on the canvas! Now! Pose!”

“Me?” Beel blinked. “I thought the paint was pos - you're gonna hurt yourself bending your leg back that far, Asmo.”

“Pose, Beel. You are the paint.”

“I’m the - “

“Be. The. Paint.”

Beel nods, obedient. He picks up his brush. “I am paint.”

“Yes.” Asmo whispers. “Paint is you.”

“Paint is me.” Beel whispers. He looks at the brush, then back at the easel, determined. “Beel is paint.”

...

Mammon had told Lucifer that Asmo and Beel were painting in the foyer, so the Avatar of Pride decides to check they aren’t up to any shenanigans - knocking before entering. He doesn’t hear a response. There’s loud chanting and a motivational song blasting from the room.

When Lucifer hears that the words being chanted are “Beel is paint!”, he leaves.

(i've written so many of these silly Beel stories you don't even know ahahaha - they'll all trickle onto this blog slowly. i'm pretty sure levi's already associated with being the good one at art since i think he draws manga?? but i'd like to think asmo is great at fine art purely because 1) really fancy self-portraits of himself 2) he can draw fashion designs on himself to try clothes on without getting out of the bath.)

[still-a-morosexual-help]

honestly tho om lucifer is such a comfort character

you know mammon's my all time all around favourite no contest but like

lucifer just hits different

he's so tired and he's so overworked and he loves his family so much it makes me sick he's willing to kill and die for them at any chance he made the misfits of the celestial realm his family despite being the perfect example of an angel himself he thinks his brothers are adorable he just wants them to have one quiet day

he's such a bastard he's arrogant and prideful and he'll willingly meow like a little kitty cat because his boybestfriend is sad

he's got daddy issues he's terrified he's traumatised his greatest fear is his father he spent years fighting a pointless war and never questioned his father about whether they ever even tried to find a way to end the war without just mindlessly trying to kill people who really aren't that different from them for a reason no one knows he's willing to be given piggyback rides by another high profile man in a public area

he's a dog person he's weak to puppy dog eyes from everyone he cares about he's constantly done with Mephisto's shit he gets jealous because one of his friends complimented their mutual friend's cookies

he's willing to villainize himself in the eyes of his family to keep them safe he's sadistic his first response to being cornered and scared is to kill anyone who's making him feel that way his love language with his brothers is being a little shit to them he's somehow connected to/the starting point of all the issues/trauma his brothers have he has empty nest syndrome even though all his brothers live at home he hasn't realised the extent to which his actions and words have fucked up his brothers and is constantly surprised and devastated by it when he realises

he has a son he pretends is his brother whom he only ever canonically acknowledged as his son twice which led to huge blowout fights one of his younger brothers bullies him into going to the pub with them once a week his son runs a club with his youngest brother dedicated solely to making his life miserable

he's sadistic he genuinely enjoys seeing people suffer he's so polite he'll allow himself to be poisoned by food he knows is bad he bought dinner for a whole restaurant because it was the owner's birthday he wore a silly outfit and worked at a themed restaurant as a favour for a friend he gets visibly more aroused when he's ordered around he insults his brothers but gets upset whenever an outsider does the same

he loves his human so much and he's so annoyed at them he's so frustrated with them he's so angry at them and he's so worried about them so protective of them so incredibly proud of them he has tried to kill them many many times

he's a borderline alcoholic he's immortal he's greying he gets migraines he forgets to eat and he sleeps at his desk he does the mom thing and orders takeout for his children when he goes out to eat without them he likes dad jokes his greatest wish is to visit a factory he likes good socks he's a grumpy old man

he's over 10 million years old he's an eldritch horror he's the personification of the sin of pride he needs glasses to read his childhood friend? ex-boyfriend? kind-of-brother? old coworker? brother in arms? calls him luci

he's a naggy paranoid perfectionist he removed the entire bathroom because one of his brothers forgot to clean it he had to literally be kidnapped to send him on a vacation he ripped out multiple sets of his own wings he doesn't like being seen shirtless he lectured jason voorhees about him not killing efficiently enough

he's a respected and recognised drag queen he believes love is love he's canonically so beautiful but no one ever makes a move on him because the whole realm thinks he's in a committed long term relationship he refuses to believe his best friend is in love with him despite multiple people saying so

he's the type of person you want to please the type of person you want to make proud the type of person you want on your side because you know no matter what he'll always have your back you're safe that as long as he's there everything will be okay the type of person you want to be held by while everything is falling down around you

he's even queer

[euphemiaamillais]

favourite crime - coriolanus snow

coriolanus snow loves you… but when he learns that he’s being sent back to the capitol—well, he can’t have any loose ends left back in district 12.

dark possessive!coriolanus snow x district 12!reader

cw: 18+//dead dove do not eat!!!//snuff//mentions of loss of virginity//mentions of murder//coriolanus snow’s disgusting inner monologue//murder//strangulation//piv sex//mentions of guns

reader discretion advised!! i do not condone any of these themes, this is merely a work of fiction

IB: @shellxrls

when you’d first laid eyes on private snow at the hob, you never would’ve thought you’d end the night with your lips wrapped around his cock. no, you were a good girl. you didn’t do things like that, and certainly not with strange men in darkened corners. but coriolanus was different. he made your core burn with desire, and your heart skip a beat every time his icy eyes flicked over you.

you spent many evenings with him—friday nights especially—legs spread, letting him touch you in ways you’d never known before. he liked that you had been a virgin; the thought of corrupting this stupid little district girl and turning her into his whore. you belonged to him now, and he’d have you whenever he pleased. you were nothing more than a hole to fill his desire with.

you were head over heels for him—so when he told you he’d been given a discharge to return to the capitol, he’d thought his pretty little doll would be delighted for him. you’d had fat tears streaming down your cheeks, mascara running—you’d worn it just for him, to look pretty—clutching at his arms and begging him to stay.

you couldn’t leave district 12, no. you didn’t belong in a place like the capitol.

the way you were begging was so pathetic; getting on your knees, weeping, voice strained with frustration. he couldn’t believe how he’d done this to a girl—lucy gray was never like this. when he’d left her for you she’d simply resigned herself to singing not-so-subtle tunes about how much of an asshole he was. well, at least before he killed her.

you were different. you were his little doll. his and his only. that’s why you had to return to the capitol with him—he’d have packed you into his bag if there had been enough room. it was a shame they didn’t allow for pretty whores to travel with the peacekeepers.

‘please, coryo,’ you cried out, hands clutching at his trousers. ‘don’t leave me, i- i love you!’

your attempts at flattery were ridiculous, but in a way he knew that you did love him. he didn’t love you, exactly. he loved knowing that he possessed you, that your heart entirely belonged to him. but he could never love a whore from the districts—especially not 12 at that.

‘is my bunny sad that i’ll be going home?’ he cooed, clutching your chin with his large hand. you were so small. he could break you if he wanted to…

‘mhm. gonna miss you so bad, coryo,’ you gazed up at him with wide-eyes—they looked so innocent as they glistened with the tears of your upset.

‘gonna miss your cock, and your tongue…’ you sighed wistfully. ‘gonna miss riding you and having you fuck me full of your cum.’

your lips are turned into a pretty pout, and he wonders then and there whether or not he should get his cock out and shove it past them. make you drink up his seed one last time. or perhaps he could bend you over his bunk and put a baby in you—then you’d always have something to remember him by.

no—that would make you a loose end. and he can’t have loose ends. you can’t know that he shot the mayor’s daughter because she pissed him off too much—or that his songbird, lucy gray, now lay somewhere at the bottom of the lake by the cabin.

he decides he can spend one last night with his little bunny. just one night. but then he’s clearing up loose ends. you’d never assume what he had been planning, no, you’re far too dumb to understand that. you see the good in everyone; and that made his chest burn with fury. how could you be so fucking innocent?

‘bunny…’ his voice trailed off. you nod, awaiting him to tell you something, anything—did he love you too?

‘i’ve got an idea. one last special night, just the two of us, hm? down at that cabin by the lake,’ he stroked your cheek. how sweet you looked like this, all red in the face. ‘i’ll give you a night worth remembering. let you sit on my face.’

you gave him an eager smile, and he knew his little bunny was just too stupid to know she was falling into his trap.

—

this was where he’d killed lucy gray, too. that had been a cold, rainy day. just like this one. you’d been so easy to lure into his trap; meeting him by the hanging tree in your prettiest dress—one with tiny pink flowers that came just above the knee. you’d even tucked a flower behind your ear. how sweet.

you couldn’t wait to spend your last night with coryo. you’d been singing all day, and practically skipped to meet him with a little bag full of some food and your toothbrush. you’d flung yourself into his arms, not caring about the consequences of being caught with a peacekeeper. he’d be gone by tomorrow morning anyways.

the walk to the cabin had tired you out considerably, and so you clung to coryo like a pathetic little bunny, letting him lead the way. you’d miss clutching his biceps, feeling the taut muscle beneath his shirt, the way his dog tags slapped against your face as he pounded your cunt raw.

he delighted in the way he’d get to have you one last time, tonight. that at some point, the only thing warm in your body would be his cum, leaking out of that tight cunt of yours. even though you were stupid, he did have to admit that your willingness was something he adored. the way he could just fill you up at any time, and in any hole—you never complained.

he’d corrupted you, watched you bleed as his big cock stretched you out that first time. he loved the way your eyes swelled up with tears and you begged him to stop—‘it hurts, coryo!’ you had clawed your nails into his back. ‘too big!’—but he didn’t stop. he knew you had to learn to take it, and that you did. you had such low self-esteem, you would practically grovel at his feet everytime you so much as made him frown. you’d do anything for him, and that was the way he liked it.

complete control.

the cabin was warmer than the tender breeze outside, and you were so grateful to get in there, shivering in your little dress. coryo had dressed more appropriately, in his day clothes, and he watched as you shivered. god, you were so helpless.

he set his things down, and when you had laid down on the bed to rest your eyes for a while, bundled up in the ratty old blanket, he checked under the floorboards. there it was—one last gun, wrapped in a green cloth. if you tried to run, he’d use it on you. he’d deliberated over which way to kill you, which way wouldn’t damage that pretty little face of yours.

he thought that one simple shot to the chest would do it—it would be instant too. but he wanted to watch the life drain out of you, watch as you whined and begged for him to save you. watch how your brows would furrow and your eyes would grow wide with fear and realisation that you were just another loose end to him. he’d never loved you. he’d loved the control.

but coriolanus had also debated choking you out—maybe he wouldn’t remove his cock from your throat while he fucked it, and pinch the tip of your nose so you’d stop breathing. how pretty you’d look, trying to take his cock and at the same time, fight for your life. he’d shoot his hot load down your dead little throat once you’d stopped breathing. a reminder that you were his, and no one else’s.

no, he couldn’t let you live.

he shut the floorboards when he heard you stirring—you must’ve fallen asleep. how sweet. in a few hours you’d go to sleep one last time—but it would be an eternal slumber. he wanted nothing more than to bring you back to the capitol and make you his little whore—you couldn’t be his wife; think of the shame and embarrassment that would bring. but you could be at his every beck and call, be there to relieve any tension he had. it was just so unfortunate that he wasn’t allowed.

he’d put your body to rest with lucy gray’s, down in the lake to let your pearly white bones be the fishes’ dinner. he couldn’t bury you out in the woods; they’d find you there, one way or another. instead, he’d let them think you’d just disappeared. people disappeared out in the districts all the time. especially stupid little girls. who would care if a pathetic runt who took peacekeeper cock vanished? he doubted you had many friends, and your parents were both dead.

you wouldn’t be missed.

it was some time later that you woke, and your stomach grumbled. coriolanus was sitting in the rickety old armchair, carving what looked to be a spear with his pocketknife. you watched his muscular arms move back and forth as he stripped the stick of its bark. something about his strength made your thighs burn.

you got up, bare feet cold against the wooden floorboards, and peered into your bag. you’d made enough food for the evening; you had even splurged and gotten yourself a precious block of cheese. you figured it was only appropriate, what with it being your last night together and all.

he looked up from his makeshift weapon—though it wasn’t all that, really—and gave you an award-winning smile. your heart leapt at his sweetness. you couldn’t believe he wanted to spend one last night with you.

‘you’re so pretty, bunny,’ he remarked, watching as you laid out the food.

there was bread, a few flimsy butter knifes—you’d not be able to defend yourself with those; besides you were just so weak. you’d even snuck a bottle of wine at the market when the peacekeepers weren’t looking. you wanted it to be special, to send him off happy and thinking of you.

your chest twinged with a heavy sadness. you wished you could go with him, follow him to the capitol and maybe, stupidly, marry him. you wanted to be his forever. you’d give him lots of children and they’d have white-blonde hair and icy blue eyes. you’d make sure he was satisfied every day, and cook and clean and whatever he required of you.

but you were to remain here, in district 12. marry a man covered in coal who worked himself to the bone in the mines. have skinny little babies who starved from the lack of food, struggle tooth and claw just to put dinner on the table every night. your time with coriolanus had been your only taste of luxury, of richness. he’d told you how in the capitol, there were buildings that reached the sky, and that every night people would feast on the finest food from the districts. you were reminded, with your own hunger pangs, the sacrifice that you had to make.

no, you’d never be good enough for him. future president of panem.

‘coryo, come eat,’ you said, standing proudly beside your food which you’d laid out neatly on the table.

he obliged—he was hungry, after all. he’d not eaten since last night. the food looked tolerable too, and the bottle of wine tempted him to be more considerate. just so his little bunny wouldn’t be suspicious. he doubted you were clever enough to figure out his intentions anyways.

‘i hope you like it,’ you remarked meekly, sitting down beside him and beginning to devour the food.

he opened the bottle of wine, and although it was completely uncivilised, he took a large swig. it was terribly sour, not like the good stuff they had in the capitol. he reckoned you’d never even tasted real wine. how pathetic.

‘how lucky did i get, with my little bunny,’ he smiled, stroking your head fondly.

‘i’m the lucky one,’ you said in your saccharine tone. he wanted to roll his eyes—you were so sickeningly sweet. ‘you’ve been so good to me, coryo.’

‘yeah?’ he asked. he liked how much you sought to stroke his ego. it made his cock hard the way you were just so utterly desperate to please him in every manner.

‘mhm,’ you said, chewing on a piece of bread. the cheese made it taste so delicious; sweet and creamy.

‘does bunny like the way i always give her whatever she wants? fill her up with my cum just like she asks?’ he watched as your cheeks burned red with abashed shame.

‘coryo…’ you whined, pressing your thighs together.

he loved the way you were already squirming, just from the mention of being fucked. what a fucking slut. he bet you had soaked through your panties, just waiting from him to bury his cock deep inside you as you whined for him to go harder. he’d show you harder. perhaps he’d wrap his big hands around your tiny, little neck, and squeeze too hard. god, you’d look so pretty with the air sucked out of your lungs, gasping and panting as he filled you up one last time.

‘oh bunny, don’t tell me you’re wet already?’ he cooed, standing up from his chair.

whatever, he didn’t really need to eat anyways. he couldn’t possibly be hungry when he’d been feeding himself with the own sick ideas in his head. food could wait—he’d need to tend to his little bunny first.

you nodded dumbly, clenching your thighs as the slickness pooled in your panties. you couldn’t help it, it was your last night with coryo. you wanted him more than anything else, more than you ever had done before.

‘p-please,’ you whimpered pathetically.

‘does bunny want me to fuck her? make her cum?’ he laughed, stroking your smooth arm. you were so warm. so full of life.

‘mhm, yes,’ you moaned, slipping one hand between your thighs to rub at your aching clit.

seeing this, coriolanus yanked your hair, causing you to gasp and sputter. how dare you touch yourself? you were his! his to have and do as he pleased with! you felt a few tears spring to your eyes, and he laughed, seeing how stupid you looked, weeping because he pulled your hair. he wondered how much you’d cry when he squeezed at your airways; watching them constrict between his big hands.

‘you know my rules, bunny,’ he clucked his tongue in disapproval. you glanced up at him, his icy eyes singed with coolness.

‘i’m sorry, sir,’ you replied. that name made his cock stir. he couldn’t keep himself from devouring you for much longer.

he dragged you from the chair and shoved you down against the bed. you were giggling and gasping like a little fool—it made his blood boil. you wouldn’t be laughing when your heart pumped with its last beat and your legs went still.

‘be a good girl, bunny,’ he commanded, trapping one leg between your thighs to stop you from grinding against the mattress.

you watched as he unbuckled his pants—he was never one for dawdling, preferring to get straight to the point—and eyed his bulge hungrily. you wanted to use your mouth on him, feel him stretch your lips out and fuck your throat as you gagged on his length. you’d miss how big he was—so big that you often ached for days after he fucked you.

he cupped your chin in his hand again, and pressed a kiss to the corner of your jaw. he had no intention of being gentle with you, this final time. you were merely his to use for pleasure. a little fuckdoll to fill up with his cum.

you moaned as he pulled his boxers down and his cock sprang free. you would never get used to the sight of it—the huge, throbbing thing. you couldn’t wait to have him bury it inside of you, feeling it nudge against your most sensitive spots.

‘need you, coryo,’ you panted. ‘need you in me.’

you pulled your panties off, feeling your own slickness pressing at your inner thighs. coriolanus grabbed the base of his cock with one hand, and pushed you down against the bed with the other. he wanted to take you like this, so he could watch the life drain out of your eyes, one last time.

‘gonna fuck you so good, bunny,’ he mused, hiking your dress up and sighing at the sight of your wet cunt. he would miss it, he did have to admit. what a shame it wouldn’t get wet for him anymore in a few hours. but if he couldn’t have you, nobody could.

‘mhm,’ you gasped as he pressed the tip of his cock at your sopping entrance.

god, you were so pathetic. so wet for him, so fucking desperate for his cock. he knew you probably wouldn’t have even let anyone have you, after he left. but he couldn’t bear the thought that somebody could take advantage of you, coax you into their bed and let them bury their cock in you. no, your cunt was his only. nobody else could dare touch his bunny.

he groaned as he pushed himself all the way in, feeling your walls stretch around him. you were still so tight, even after all the abuse to your hole with his big cock, the way he stretched you out, you were still tight as the first time he’d had you. you didn’t complain as much anymore though, not like you had that first time—weeping for days after with the dull ache of being fucked.

coriolanus began to thrust, grabbing your hips with firm hands, bucking into you with lusty vigour. your tits bounced in your dress, and you couldn’t help but gasp and mewl each time his cock bucked into your tight hole. his cock throbbed, feeling you clench around him, the way you sucked him in with your slick want.

he’d never forget this night. the last time he’d have you. the way you were so utterly perfect.

‘taking me so well,’ he grunted, watching as you moaned at the pleasant feeling of his big cock burying itself deep inside you, brushing against your cervix.

‘harder,’ you gasped, clutching at the sheets. you wanted to know you were his.

coriolanus couldn’t resist this, of course. he wrapped your legs around his waist, and plunged himself deeper into you. his balls were slapping against your perineum now, and the cabin filled with the reverberation of skin against skin.

you kept gasping and begging as he drove himself into you. you could feel yourself edging closer—you’d been so wet the whole way here, you were soaking at the thought of him having you one last time.

it was beginning to piss him off, though, the way you were being so loud. normally, he loved it, your moans letting everybody know how well he was fucking you, branding you as his own with his cum. he wondered what you’d do if he choked you right now—would you attempt to run? if you did, he’d get that rifle and shoot you. he couldn’t risk having you running about district 12 when somebody else could get their hands on you.

no more loose ends, he reminded himself.

he reached his free hand out, caressing your cheek, and then trailing them down to your neck. you giggled as he wrapped his fingers around your neck—it was so little that his whole hand could fit you inside of it. he’d choked you before, and so you didn’t assume anything of it. he pressed lightly, and you let out a sigh, body humming with want.

‘good girl,’ he mused, pounding you with his cock at the same time.

you let out a pretty moan, pussy clenching just right around him; he couldn’t help but grunt at how pleasant it was. you’d probably still be tight for a few hours after he kills you. maybe he’d fuck you again, but you wouldn’t be warm, or wet. just cold. he decided against it. he’d fill you up with his cum just as the life drained out of your eyes.

he pressed harder, and you feel your breath catch in your throat. it hurts, and you glance up at him with a worried look, eyes stretching wide. he doesn’t pay heed to this, and merely keeps thrusting, moving your hips closer to his to hit at a new angle.

he saw your breathing go rapid, and your eyes dart about the room in panic. poor bunny. he really didn’t want to have to kill you, but you can’t be his forever, and how can he accept that? if you’re dead, you’re nobody’s but his. especially since he’ll fuck his cum deep into your stiffening body; you’ll have part of him in you forever.

he could hear the sounds of your vocal chords straining as he clasped tighter at your throat. it would be a shame that you’d be left with a rosy imprint of his fingers around your neck, but it made him smile a little, that you’d be branded with his mark until you rotted.

‘coryo!’ you whimpered, clawing at his chest.

‘shhh, be quiet, bunny. take my cock like a good girl,’ he murmured, slamming into you.

it hurt—the way he was crushing your neck, your tendons beginning to strain around his touch. it felt like there was no air left in the world; you were beginning to grow tired, your breaths haggard.

‘p-please,’ you felt tears spring to your eyes, and watched as he laughed, a maniacal grin creeping across his lips.

he shook his head, grunting as your walls contracted around his cock. he was so close, but you were being a bitch and taking too long to die. he clamped down on you harder, causing a gasp to escape your lips. you couldn’t speak—your hands were clawing about desperately, legs flailing about.

you were terrified—what was he doing?! why did he want to hurt you? just minutes ago he was telling you how much he wished you could come back to the capitol with him and be his wife. he wanted to dress you up like a pretty doll and make you grow fat with his children.

‘don’t cry, bunny,’ he laughed, watching as your legs stilled.

you were so tired. it felt like there was no blood in your legs; they grew stiff and numb. your head spun.

‘you’re all mine bunny, forever,’ he smiled as your body grew limp.

you were terrified—eyes beginning to lose their shine, lips trembling with fear. you couldn’t feel your arms now, or the way he was bucking into you. his thrusts were slower now—he was close. watching the life drain out of you made his blood course through his veins with a delicious speed.

you mouthed out a ‘why’ as your body went completely frail. in one last act of betrayal, your cunt gushed around him as he squeezed your neck; airways completely constricted. your lips were beginning to blue now, and he frowned—he had really liked how plump and red they were when you sucked him off.

coriolanus felt himself finish; cock shooting thick loads into your still-wet cunt. he couldn’t help but grunt as he spurted himself into your pretty hole. the way you’d finished just as your heart had stopped beating and your lungs had given out. your final breath wasted on cumming. you really were a whore.

he ran his hands over your body, frowning at the ugly ring around your neck. at least he didn’t have to deal with your blood. that would’ve been so fucking messy. having to mop it up, and the way you would’ve screamed. at least you couldn’t scream when his hand was clamped around your neck.

when he pulled out, he watched with sick delight as his cum spilled out of your pussy. the thick, pearly loads trickled down your thighs. your limbs would be pliable and floppy for another two hours, but he couldn’t bring himself to fuck you again. that was too far, even for him.

he looked at your face, which was stretched into one of fear. your eyes were still, but wet with the tears. so were your cheeks—they still retained that innocent rosiness which he so loved.

he wished lucy gray had looked so pretty when he’d killed her. she’d screamed when his bullet pierced her chest cavity, and she’d bled all over his jeans as he’d held her. you were so docile, even in death. you’d given him one last thank you when you’d came, and he knew you’d be his forever.

darling, dearest, dead. the words rang clear in his head. he’d read them in an old novel. they were fittingly appropriate for the situation. it was so sad that he had to kill you, but it was a bitter and necessary pill to swallow. he had to return home to the capitol, marry that bitch livia cardew, and set his sights on what mattered most.

you were just a little doll he’d had his fun with on his summer vacation—you were just a poor district girl. what did you matter? nobody would miss you, and when he became president, nobody would know that he’d watched the life drain out of three pathetic girls.

that would be terrible for his image. he did what needed to be done. his pretty bunny would be his forever, and he’d secure his place in the world.

no more loose ends.

[its-in-the-woods]

Coyote Head - Part 6 - Postcard Perfect

master list

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

Pairing: Cooper Howard x Lucy Maclean 

Includes many other characters from Fallout

Synopsis: So much can happen in one morning. A picture perfect moment, and meeting with a ex.

MINOR GET OUT. Rating/Warning:  Animal/people death,, Alternative Universe, Slow Burn, Death, Aging, Family Feuding, Older Man/Younger Woman

Note: that I will not be spoiling any of the reading. So you have been warned. I will keep my tags relevant without spoiling what is happening in the story.

*Actually pretty fluffy... for now.. enjoy

The next three days go by fast, cow checks happen every four hours, every day, like clockwork. Morning, afternoon, dinner, and then two overnight. Cooper handles the ones during daylight hours, his brother Mark handles the night ones. Lucy was grateful for that, not that she slept much, between nightmares and random knocks on the house. She’d kept most of that to herself, but Cooper had noticed, he noticed a lot of things. He'd even offered to do the first shift so she could sleep in, but she, of course, refused. The routine meant she got a moment out of the house, it also meant she got to hang out with the kids. 

Matthias still wasn’t her biggest friend, but his guard was lowering slowly. On Friday, when Cooper brought the kids over after school, he had handed Lucy a drawing. For being twelve he was pretty talented. He’d taken the time to draw a field, cows, and calves with the sun setting in the background. Lucy had thanked him and promptly put it up on the fridge which granted her, her first real smile from him. She’d do anything to hug him, but for now, she’d take the picture. She knew what it felt like to be young and not understand why a parent was gone. To not understand why things had changed suddenly. Lucy was just grateful that he had Cooper, what she would have done to have had at least one parent with her. Even though she loved her Grandparents, it was never the same without either of her parents. 

Janey was a whole different story, she loved to tell stories, and read stories. When she had discovered that she could read from Lucy’s bookshelves she was over the moon. Lucy doing her best to persuade her from anything too adult-themed. Settling on a classic, Hobbit. Cooper had shrugged in agreement, mentioning that she had always loved to read as soon as she learned. So Lucy let the copy go, the little girl was immediately taken by it. 

Lucy woke up Saturday morning having finally slept, she actually felt somewhat refreshed. Her mind was always wandering to Cooper. The more time she spent with him, the more she wanted to spend time with him. Even though they were nearly living out of each other's pockets, she couldn't help herself. Mind wandering to what kissing him would feel like, how his hands would hold her. Lucy flushed and finished getting herself dressed in comfortable clothes and made her way to make a pot of coffee. Feeling her feet get wet as she walked into the water.

“What the-” Lucy cussed, as she lifts her foot to inspect a large pool of water. “Dang-nabbit.” 

She runs back to her room digging out a handful of towels and toeing off her socks before running back to the kitchen. Lucy lays out the towels on the floor, scrambling to open up the under-sink cupboards. The various detergents and cleaners are thrown out as she tries to see what’s leaking. The space emptied, so she could see that the pipes had been split. 

“My goodness, why!” Lucy grumbles, realizing that the pipes had split just on the other side of the shut-off valves. 

She gets up too quickly and bangs her head on the underside of the sink. More words fall out of her mouth as she rubs the bump. Moving swiftly to the door she unlocks it and walks out, stepping around the rocks and stones as she goes to the side of the house. Swinging open the crawl space door she ducks in, happy that the water shut-off valve was inside. Lucy turns it off, her feet covered in the black mud as she stomps back into her house. Lucy closes her eyes for a moment to collect herself, before she starts to mop up the water that’s left on the floor. 

“Lucy?” Cooper’s voice comes in from the doorway.  

“Just in the kitchen,” Lucy replies, happy that help has finally arrived. 

“What’s goin’ on?” Cooper says, placing his hat on a nob by the front door. Walking into the room to observe the mess that was spread out onto the floor. 

Lucy sighs, as she drops the last towel into the sink. “The pipes under the sink burst, split just on the wrong side of the shut-off too.”

Cooper crouches right beside her, the smell of cigarettes and coffee wafting off of him. Lucy shuffled over so that he could see what they were working on.

“Well that’s weird,” Cooper squints, leaning forward to kneel on a rolled-up towel. “Never seen that happen before. Unless it froze, which would be odd for the beginnin’ of April.”

Lucy sighs, rubbing at her head, “Everything is insulated, and the heat tape is still on it. Plus it would have burst other pipes too.”

“Move’er, sweetheart,” Cooper murmurs, Lucy shifts over, as Cooper crawls into the cupboard pulling a pocket knife out of his pants. 

Lucy swallowed as his shirt rode up a sliver of tanned skin being exposed. Lucy feeling like she was fourteen seeing a boy shirtless for the first time, averting her eyes she chooses to stand up. Looking around trying to figure out how to hide the flush that was now staining her cheeks as the man fiddled around under the sink.

“Do you want coffee?” Lucy asked moving over to the cupboard to dig out cups. “I got a spare to-go mug.”

“Yeah, s’good.” Cooper said, voice echoing from below her. “Do ya’know if you got some spare PEX pipe hanging around?”

A knock on the door, had Lucy spilling coffee on her hand, Cooper banged his head under the sink. A whole slew of curse words spilling out of both of them, Lucy moves to the door. Completely forgetting with the mess that Dane was coming over to work on the tractors. 

“Lucy,” Dane says, a smile fading from their face as she takes in Lucy. “Oh, shit. Are you okay?”

Lucy tries to smile which turns into more of a frown, “Pipe burst. My kitchen is a mess, but I have coffee?”

Dane chuckles, looking into the kitchen Cooper standing with a pieces of Pex in his hand, his other hand rubbing at his head. The two of them give awkward smiles at each other. 

“Oh! This is Cooper.” Lucy said, wandering back into the kitchen to pour three cups of coffee. “Cooper, this is Dane, they have come over to work on Tim’s old tractors.”

Cooper nodded, reaching a hand out to shake Dane’s, “Nice to meet you Dane, please excuse the mess, pipes seem t'have burst.”

“Not a problem, at least there is always coffee.” Dane nods, happily accepting the coffee Lucy hands over. 

“There is sugar in the gnome on the counter, cream is in the fridge.” Lucy says, handing Copper his mug of coffee. 

Cooper took a few sips, before helping Lucy place things in somewhat order on the counter. Lucy takes all the sopping wet towels into the laundry room hucking them into the washing machine. 

“We do have calf check, but I can show you where the tractors are. There is pretty much any tool you could need, along with an arrangement of parts.” Lucy chatters, as the trio make their way to the door.

Across the yard the three go to the big green and grey barn, Cooper helps slide the heavy wood doors open, Lucy had worked hard to get the place functional. It hadn’t had many animals in it, Tim had turned it into a workshop, engine hoist, and a large tool bench. The two tractors are slotted side by side. 

“This is perfect!” Dane beams, coming over to inspect the two beasts. “They look brand new! I bet I'll have them running by end of the day.”

“Thank you so much, Dane.” Lucy smiles, “I'll leave the house open, help yourself to whatever you need. We'll be about an hour or so barring any problems. You can always text me.”

Cooper was digging around on some shelving, grabbing some PEX pipe, fitting, and a few tools. “These should fix'd problem, I will drop’em off inside before we head out.”

Dane and Lucy stand there watching Cooper walk away. Lucy’s cheeks flush as she admires the man. Dane looks at Lucy, rubbing at the side of their face. 

“So are you two,” Dane makes a gesture between Cooper and Lucy, “A thing? Or?”

Lucy feels her face go even more red, she looks away for a moment, before looking back at her friend. “Umm, no. We are friends, neighbors. Helping each other out and whatnot.”

Dane chuckles as they go over to the closer tractor, “I am not one to judge,” Lucy watches them opening up one of the tractor’s bonnet. “Has he told you what happened to his wife?” 

Tilting her head to the side Lucy raises her eyebrows. “I know he is a widower. But I haven’t pushed any further than that.”

Dane nods, already starting to fiddle with different parts, “I’d ask him about it. Especially if you’re -ah- interested.”

A pool of anxiety fills Lucy’s stomach at the words, “Yeah, I will ask him.”

“We ready to go?” Cooper asks, Lucy nearly jumping at his voice having not heard him come up behind her. 

Lucy puts on a smile, reminding Dane again to call if there is any issue before leaving with Cooper. The man moving at a good clip to the already running truck. He opens the door for Lucy, she smiles and slides into the seat. It was hard not to let her mind run over Dane’s words. She needed to ask him, or she was going to explode. She wasn't good with secrets, or not asking questions she wanted answers to.

“Umm,” Lucy fiddles with the gloves in her pocket as they roll down the gravel road. “Can I ask you a question?”

Cooper’s brows are raised as he turns to her, “Yeah, I am an open book Luc.”

Lucy licks her lips, staring at the newly leafing trees, “Can I ask what happened to your wife?” 

Oh good Lucy, just straight to the point. No tack, for this poor guy who lost his wife, whose kids are still emotionally wrecked from it, Lucy thought to herself. Wishing she'd learn more tack as an adult.

Cooper shifts, sliding in his chair a little as he looks out the window. Lucy half expected him not to answer, or tell her that it was something he didn’t want to talk about. He gripped the steering wheel tight, knuckles white against the black leather.  Eyes focus on the gravel road ahead of them as he searches for the words.

“I was outta town, helpin’ my brother-in-inlaw move cows to summer pasture. I got a call around four from Barb’s parents, sayin’ she hadn’t come to pick up the kids. They’d gone to the house and she wasn’t t’either. Barb was a champion rider, Thunder, was’er ride. Big beautiful deep black stallion, she rode’im three times a day. Mornin' after droppin’ the kids off, afternoon before the kids came home, and evenin’ after dinner.” Cooper rolled his shoulders as they drove into the field. Lucy jumping out to open the gate, climbing back in once he was through and the gate was closed.

“I went’ome, drove way faster than I shoulda. But Barb. Barb was never late, the woman was punctual to a fault. So we searched, and searched, called the police. More searchin’. We had about forty acres mostly forest’d that Barb rode. That entire area scavenged, the house turn’d upside down, the barn gone through. They picked apart everythin’.” Cooper’s voice was shaking as they drove towards the herd. His eyes are glassy, as he rubs the back of his hand over his nose. 

“They tried-” His voice shook as his eyes continued to scan the horizon. “They tried’t blame her disappearance on me.”

Lucy felt her heart clench in her chest at the words, the thought that he’d been accused of his wife’s disappearance made her stomach turn.  

“But I was in another county, my brother-in-law, thankfully, vouchin for me.” Cooper points at a fresh calf, the two working with practice ease to tag the little thing.  

Cooper sat in the truck for a moment, eyes flickering, “Then we found Thunder.” Cooper works his lip into his mouth for a moment. “He’s on the side of the highway, inna ditch. Over a hour drive away from t’farm. Looked like he had been dumped. It made no sense, wasn't any sign of how the animal had pasted either, just restarted’eir investigation into me.” 

“Cooper,” Lucy said quietly, her hand finding his hand on the bench seat and squeezing it. 

Cooper nods his head but continues, squeezing her hand back. “They wouldn’t lay off, I did everythin’ to cooperate. Then after the third time of them tossin’ my house I blew up. I gotta lawyer, I told’em not to come back t’my property.” Another tag, and Lucy feels dizzy by the foggy emotions flooding the truck as she sits back down. 

“They’d everythin’ to turn everyone against me.” Cooper blinks a few times, “My in-laws stood beside me, pushin for the police to look anywhere. But nothin’ came of it. Just no answers, nothin', just gone.” 

Lucy brushed her own tears out of her eyes, so many questions bubbling under the surface. His hands gripping the steering wheel as he parked the truck on top of the hill looking out towards the valley. 

“T’was too hard to stay, the whole town won’t look at me.” Cooper swallows, “It won’t hav’been so bad if it has just been me, but they came after the kids too. Mathias was gettin’ picked on. That was the final straw, sold everything and left. They never figured out what happen’d to Barb. I think about her every day. Wondering what I could've done different.”

The silence in the vehicle was deafening, the two of them watching the cattle move along the lower field. Lucy’s heartbreaking hearing how Cooper had lost so much with no answers. 

“Thank you for telling me,” Lucy said quietly, her hand finding his again. “I can’t imagine how hard this must have been for you. To have to leave everything the two of you built.”

Cooper nods, his fingers lacing with Lucy’s, “t’was hard, I keep waitin’ for it to get easier. For there to be answers.”  Cooper turns looking at Lucy, hazel eyes looking over her face. “I am goin’ to be forward here.” Lucy nods her head, willing to hear whatever he had to say to her. “You’ve been a bright spot for me, I look forward to this.”

He gestures at the pasture, the sun hanging in the sky, clouds drifting in. Cows mooing for their calves, as the calves chased each other through the freshly growing green grass. It was so serene, postcard-worthy her Granddad would have said. 

“I look forward to spending time with you, Lucy,” Cooper states, eyes watching her closely, as the sunrises into the truck cab.

Lucy took her shot and slid across the bench seat, Cooper looking at her eyes wide as she leans in. Her hand gently touches the side of his face, the beard stubble rubbing under her fingertips as she presses her lips against his. Lucy going to lean away, when Cooper doesn't respond, Cooper immediately moves after her. Something has snapped in the truck, Cooper easily pulling Lucy onto his lap. She pushes his hat up so she can kiss him deeper, her hands moving up into his hair as he pulls Lucy against his chest. Lucy sucking his tongue into her mouth, the taste of coffee and cigarettes flooding in. His large hands come to rest against her hips, fingers running along the top of her jeans. 

Cooper breaks the kiss, Lucy wanting to chase after it, scared that if they stop it won’t continue. The smile crossing his face has her pausing, Lucy worrying her lip into her mouth. Copper’s fingers pushing under her shirt to feel her skin. A shiver running over Lucy’s skin at the feel of his calloused warm hands. 

“This isn’t how I imagined it,” Cooper hushes, his tongue running over his bottom lip as he looks at her. 

Lucy raises her eyebrows, “Oh? What did you imagine? Would it be weird if I said I was thinking about you too?”

Cooper’s smile gets bigger, “Was going to invite ya to the spring dance. Felt a little, ahh, school crush, but I want’d a reason for-” Cooper swallows, “A reason for us t’go somewhere nice.”

She can feel her cheeks red at the statement, “I’d go with you. If you still want to go.”

Cooper leans in and kisses her gently, “I’d like that Lucy.” 

***

Dane is covered in grease, a smile on their face as the larger of the two tractors starts up. Black smoke pumps out as the machine stutters to life, Dane doing a fist pump and jig as it roars. Lucy grins as Dane hops up and takes it for a spin around the yard, before parking it just outside the barn.

“Well, that one is running well. Have to get the attachments dug out, make sure the PTO is working the way it should be.” Dane beams, walking over to Lucy who has a sandwich on a plate for them. 

“I cannot thank you enough for getting it running again Dane,” Lucy replies, “I think the smaller shed has some attachments if you’re up for taking them out.”

“Yeah, I am gonna let this one run for a bit, I think I am going to need to source a few parts for the second one,” Dane says walking into the barn, holding up the pieces of what was supposed to be a part. “I’d normally make something, but this has to be calibrated properly.”

Lucy nodded, “Get what you need, I am not too surprised there are parts that need to be replaced. Whatever is needed, got to get’em running properly.”

Dane nodded, washing her hands with the hose before grabbing the sandwich, “I will keep at it, thank you for the food by the way.”

“Of course, and make sure you invoice me for everything, k?” Lucy states, Dane nodding as they continue to eat the food. 

Lucy walks back towards the house, head-turning up when she hears a car coming down the drive. A small blue Nissan rolling down the gravel, Lucy stopping in the middle of her drive to see who the hell it was. The car stops door opening up as Max steps out; average height, with tight black hair, dark skin, and equally dark eyes.

“Max?” Lucy asks as if she isn’t looking right at the man. He stands there awkwardly, not really smiling but not frowning either. He straightens himself up and closes the door walking towards her. 

“Hey Lucy,” Max grimaces awkwardly, rubbing a hand over the tight black curls on his head, “Sorry, it’s taking so long to get here.”

Crossing her arms, Lucy narrows her eyes at him. “What are you talking about?”

Max stops a few feet away from her, arms resting against his slides, “I wanted to come see you, it’s been a few months since we spoke.”

Lucy walks forward, anger pooling in the pit of her stomach, jaw clenching as she stares down her ex. “Yeah, 'cause we broke up. You didn’t want me moving back up here. Actually, I am pretty sure you said if I left not to bother contacting you. Seemed pretty cut and dry to me.”

Max opens his mouth several times before closing it, gritting his teeth and looking away. “I didn’t think you’d actually stop contacting me. We’d been together for almost a year.”

“You’re kidding, right?” Lucy huffs, her voice shaking, their relationship hadn’t been great. They’d met at the imaging clinic, Max was shy and a little awkward but charming. They’d hit it off over lunch one day, which led to him inviting her out to go with him for dinner. He was the opposite of what she had grown up around, it had been appealing at the time. Over time the charm had faded, and the sicker her Granddad got the worse their relationship got. It ended up with Max telling her that if she moved away they were done.

“Lucy, sweety,” Max goes to move to touch her and Lucy backs away. Max’s face falling, his mouth set in a thin line.

Throat clearing has both of them turning, Cooper stood on the front porch shirtless staring down Max like he was going to blow his head off with a glare. Lucy’s mouth opening slightly at the tan skin exposed before her, trying to get herself to focus on what was happening. 

“Not sure the lady here,” Cooper states walking down the steps towards them, “Is interested in your company.”

Max looks equally as flustered as Cooper steps beside Lucy, eyes downcast as his cheeks flush.

“I just wanted some closure.” Max swallows, looking away from the two of them. “Maybe change Lucy’s mind.”

Lucy let out a sigh, moving towards Max, carefully putting a hand on his shoulder. “Max, you’re a good guy, but we both know this wasn’t going to work out. You hate the outdoors and bugs, and you’re allergic to hay.”

Cooper had taken a few steps back, well-muscled arms crossed his chest as he watched the two of them. Dane had made their way down the hill, brows furrowing at the clear standoff happening. Max’s shoulders were tight as he listened to Lucy’s words.

“Is this what you want?” Max said finally turning back to her, his eyes glazing at the words. “Like to be here? On the farm.”

A tight-lipped smile graces Lucy’s face. “Yes Max, I think you knew that though. Knew it won’t work out between us.”

Max looks at the company in front of him, his hands fiddling with the pockets of his pants. Head ducked down like he was trying to make himself smaller. He nods his head several times. 

“Well, I guess that settles that,” He twitches his nose, looking out towards the forest. “I am staying in town for a few days, just visiting family. You got my number still?”

Lucy nods her head, desperately wanting to make things right, but knowing that it wasn’t worth it. Things needed to end between them, and if he needed to drive three hours to figure that out then so be it. 

“Goodbye, Max,” Lucy said quietly, Max nodding as he got back into his car to drive out. Her stomach turning, the thought that this wouldn’t be the last time she saw him gnawing at her mind.   

Part Seven

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tag list: @toogaytofunctiondangit

*I can't believe we are 6 chapters in, this one is slow, but hold onto your hats for chapter 7!

**As always likes, comments, shares are soooo appreciated, you can find me Ao3 as well

** Want to be on the tag list let me know

[cowgurrrl]

Please Come Home for Christmas

Pairing: rockstar!joel miller x actress!reader

Summary: The Christmas season with the Millers [1.4k]

Author’s note: I got a wave of Christmas nostalgia and said fuck it we ball

Warnings: age roll call (Sam: 8, Issac: 6, twins & Lucy : 4, JJ: 1, Sarah: 32, Ellie: 28) mentions of aging animals, pregnancy/babies, Joel not only being a DILF but a GFILF (grandfather I’d like to fuck), reminiscing, NOTE: While Christmas and Christmas themes are prevalent in this fic, readers religious views are not specified and very easily can be added in!!

The house is chaos. Lucia and Tommy are in the kitchen, loudly speaking Spanish to each other over Tejano Christmas music while the kids run around under their feet. Hank warns them about "gettin' in Abuela's way when she's cookin'" and escorts them to the backyard with a quick kiss to his wife's cheek. The tree is sparkling in the corner, cramping the otherwise large living room with the messy handmade ornaments of a well-lived childhood hanging from the branches. You could spot Joel's toothy kindergarten photo from across the room if you tried. Maria opens the back door, wine in one hand and a half-made Christmas garland in the other, to yell at the kids for roughhousing too hard and earning an apologetic wave from Hank. 

You sit on the couch with Maria and work on stringing popcorn and cranberries on a long piece of fishing wire. She sighs when she sits back down, and you struggle to remember what you were talking about when Daisy suddenly steals a piece of popcorn from the bowl and runs away. "Daisy Mae!" You scold, but when her big, droopy eyes meet yours, she knows you're not really mad. The years have flown by, and the sweet puppy who showed up at your door one day now has white on her face and struggles to keep up with the kids when they want to play. She can have as much popcorn as she wants as long as Joel doesn't know about it. 

"God, do babies always smell bad or just mine?" Ellie asks as she walks into the living room with a squirmy JJ. He turned one a few months ago, and now all he wants to do is run around with the big kids. You open your arms, and Ellie hands over said smelly baby without hesitation.

"They smell bad for a little bit, but then it gets better." You say in an obnoxious baby voice as you smile big at the baby. 

"I told you!" Dina announces as she taps Ellie's hip to get by her to throw away a dirty diaper. You can hear her asking Lucia and Tommy if they need help, which they vehemently deny before shoving her out of the kitchen. "They run that kitchen like the goddamn Navy." She says upon reentry, and you laugh.

"Trust me, I've been trying to infiltrate for years now, and they haven't let me."

"Guests don't cook!" Tommy calls from the kitchen, and you roll your eyes. The backdoor slides open again, and you expect one kid or another to be crying from a fall or a bending of the rules, but you find Sarah and Ethan coming back inside. Well, you see Sarah's belly before you really see her. She, like Ellie, is wearing a red sweater, and her curls are half-up in a green bow. She's glowing. 

"I'm ready to be done with this pregnancy. This is bullshit," She breathes as Ethan helps support her into Hank's big Lazy Boy. Her hands rest on her bump, and she looks at you. "I don't know how you did this so many times." 

"I've only been pregnant twice, remember?"

"Oh, right. Twins," her eyes widen as she looks at Ethan. "We are not having twins. We're done."

"Yes, ma'am." He says diligently before kissing her forehead and asking Lucia for entry into the kitchen in Spanish. She greets him with loud kisses on both cheeks and gives him a glass of water for his heavily pregnant wife. You always knew you liked Ethan, but seeing him be such an attentive dad and husband only solidifies it for you.

"I remember how miserable I got at the end with JJ, too. Hopefully, you'll go into labor sooner rather than later." Dina sympathizes, and Sarah pokes at her belly.

"D'you hear that? People other than me want you out, you little terrorist."

"Honey, please don't call our daughter a terrorist."

"When she's the one sitting on your bladder, you can call her whatever you want."

"Daddy's home!" Your eight-year-old sprints through the living room with a posse of children behind him. Issac can keep pace with his long legs, but the girls— Lucy, Sophia, and Violet— struggle with their little, four-year-old strides. Poor JJ is left in the dust and gives you the saddest face ever as his cousins run past. Dina coos and takes JJ to soothe him and give him a chance to get in on the action as Joel trudges over the threshold with a gaggle of children and H-E-B bags slung over both arms.

"Little help?" He calls as he enters the living room. Everyone starts getting up from the couch to help unload the groceries, but Joel lifts a grocery-clad hand before Sarah can move a muscle. "Not you, mama. You rest." 

"Thank you." She says, and he hums, kisses her head, and elbows his way into the kitchen. One by one, you unload the groceries from the bed of Hank's truck and into their respective places around the house. Sam and Issac run away with an impressively large slab of brisket to give to Hank, and all three of the girls get distracted by the large metal tins of Christmas popcorn, complete with images of Santa wearing a cowboy hat on the side. 

It's chaos, but it's perfect chaos. Festive music and sweet smells float around the house as the sun sets on a chilly December Texas day. The lights around the house and on the tree cast the rooms in a comforting red, green, and white glow. You catch the kids laughing and whispering to each other as Tommy and Lucia dance together between stirring, patting, and baking. Dina and Ellie guide JJ around the house, helping him strengthen his wobbly legs and letting him feel involved. Ethan steals snacks from the pantry and brings them to Sarah's throne of a chair. You think he'd bring the world to her if she asked for it in this moment. Hank is in the backyard and bounces between showing the boys how the barbeque works and how to make the cows moo back. 

You're smiling at the insanity when Joel jerks his head toward the front door. "Got one last thing in the truck I need help with," he supplies. You figure it's something from Santa or something he didn't want the kids to see and get excited about. So, you agree and follow him out into the orange dusk and shiver a little at the sudden temperature change. You get all the way to the driver's side of the old pickup when he looks up at the tree he parked under, making you look up, too. You can't stop the laugh from leaving you at what you find. Hung above the truck in a tree older than Joel is a tiny sprig of mistletoe tied with nimble guitarist fingers. 

"When did you even have time to hang that?" You ask, and he shrugs.

"Anythin' is possible with Christmas magic." He snarks. You laugh and step into him, looking between him and the mistletoe as his cologne wraps around you.

"You're cheesy," you say. "And also stupidly romantic." 

"Yeah, yeah." He says as he leans down to kiss you. His beard scratches your face, but he makes up for it in the sweet way he holds you. He's warm and firm and so fucking perfect it makes you wish you could freeze this moment forever. He mumbles a quiet "I love you" and presses kisses all over your face like he's worried the spell will break if his lips leave you. 

Ten years ago, you got married on this same property. Eight years ago, you brought your son here for his first Christmas, and then four years later, your daughters. Your grandchildren have also spent their first holiday seasons here (Lucia was more than willing to buy a menorah and learn about Hannukah for Dina the second she found out she didn't celebrate Christmas). Every Christmas, you've brought Daisy and watched her run in the backyard. Then walk. Then lay down in front of the door, sighing like an old man. You know, perhaps someday soon, you'll have your first Christmas since your twenties without her. Someday, the kids will have their own traditions and families. Someday, Lucia and Hank won't have the energy to host the entire Miller-Hernandez-Caradonna clan for holidays. But that's someday. Right now, you're kissing Joel under an old tree with fairy lights and mistletoe strung throughout its branches, and the air is cold and full of nostalgia, and it's chaos. It's perfect. Until a distant cow moos loud enough for it to reach you all the way in the front yard and makes Joel pull away from you with an astounded look on his face.

"Was that fucking Roger?"

TAGLIST: @abbyhaslongshorts @kiwiharrykiwi @sumsworldz @myloveistoolittle @anavatazes @marantha

[petruchio]

Bestie I think you’re so right about the movie altering Lucy and Coryo’s romance to better convey the themes within the limitations of the medium!

Like it’s actually a huge book! I knew they would have to cut a lot for the sake of run time so I was fully expecting them to sacrifice some of the details that do so much heavy lifting for the deeper themes.

But I was so pleasantly surprised, and I honestly think that preserving the themes must have been a central goal in the production! I was noticing small changes - but they all seemed to serve keeping the major themes in tact?

Like I saw it with my family (who all read thg but not tbosas) and I went in wondering. Like how are they going to make a meaningful, faithful, adaptation of such a large book?? Will my family understand The Themes? And they did!

I think it speaks to Suzanne’s writing ability (her themes are layered throughout every level, so a few cuts won’t gut them entirely) and smart/intentional alterations.

Like you mention with cutting the kiss, I think doing so highlights the transactionality of this moment. Coryo won’t kiss her OR give her the compact until she denounces Billy taupe! Like literally he won’t save her life (do the right thing, like Tigris says) if she’s in love with someone else! Interesting!

But like you say, if they do !finally! kiss (without that monologue) it’s easier to miss how manipulative he’s being in that moment and the importance of it!

I think they made a similar smart choice with being shipped off to 8 - I might be wrong here!! But I’m pretty sure he isn’t ordered to be a peace keeper? He CHOOSES that because he sees it as his only avenue left? (Which I thought was some military industrial complex commentary sprinkled in but now I’m afraid I imagined this whole thing LOL)

So assuming I’m not misremembering - I thought making highbottom force him to become a peace keeper also worked similarly. Like letting him choose that (without the internal monologue) makes his motivations seem genuine when they aren’t fully. So it’s just better for the movie medium perhaps?

Anyways, rambling done lol thanks for listening 🌟

ohhhh how i love all of this!! i love you for taking the time to send all this to me -- and thank you for validating my reading of the altered love story!!

and YES i was so pleasantly surprised by how well they managed to maintain a lot of the thematic content of the book, esp because we KNOW how much they gutted it in the original trilogy. i have a couple theories on why: the first is that the filmmakers are devoted readers of my tumblr blog and they understood the importance of preserving the political themes from the novels when adapting them to the screen (ok obviously i am joking.) my real theories are -- the cultural conversation has shifted a LOT since the original films got made, and i think they were more aware and more *able* to be more explicit with so many of those ideas. i also wonder if the act of adapting the story of someone from capitol was easier than adapting someone from district 12 -- there's been much ink spilled over how we, the privileged moviegoers who are watching the film in theaters, are much more like capitolites than we are like katniss herself. and i wonder if that made it easier to adapt -- because one of the big critiques of the thg films is that they really glam jlaw up even when she's in district 12, and it makes scenes like the "remake" scenes kind of lose their power and biting social commentary. whereas with snow, and the capitol, and the games themselves, we're meant to understand that they ARE a facade, and the movie can really lean into that. (side note, my least fav costume in the whole movie was lucy gray's swimsuit. pretty much for that exact reason -- it was too ~perfect~ for the setting.)

to your point about the change with snow deciding vs being ordered to become a peacekeeper -- i honestly couldn't remember either so i went to see if i could find the quote from the book and it's this:

[...] But as he approached the dean, a cold dread washed over him. There, arranged on the table like lab specimens, were three items: an Academy napkin stained with grape punch, his mother’s silver compact, and a dingy white handkerchief. The meeting could not have lasted more than five minutes. Afterward, as agreed, Coriolanus headed directly to the Recruitment Center, where he became Panem’s newest, if not shiniest, Peacekeeper.

honestly i wish i remembered what exactly is meant by "as agreed" but i do think you're right that in the book it's more implied that he doesn't have another choice -- because he didn't win the monetary prize, he has to enroll. so i think you're right that the point is that the idea that it's his choice at all is in question because it's societal pressure and his family's financial status that kind of forces him into the military industrial complex. but i think, because they made this scene so explicit in the film, that you're right that having him be ordered to do it instead of hearing him justify it in his head manages to accomplish what we need it to for the sake of the plot moving forward (if kind of weakening that angle of sc's commentary)

also, here's something to chew on -- i was thinking as i was watching the film if part of the reason some of the changes didn't irritate me so much was because i was more forgiving of the need to shift things around to account for the lack of internal monologue because the book is written in third person instead of first person. i mean, obviously i am overly attached to pretty much everything about katniss, and yes that comes down even to her internal monologue, but i did wonder if that made some of the changes feel more natural to me, because we still kind of get them explained to us in the book as an observer, instead of listening to someone explain themselves to us (i don't know if that makes any sense?) -- but i guess what i'm trying to say is that maybe reading tbosas is more like watching a film, vs reading thg which is more like you are experiencing something alongside katniss? and that's because of the pov choice?

WELL that was a ramble! i'm always amazed by how much we can say about these books and films!! they're just so layered and so fascinating -- i'm loving all the conversations i've been seeing about tbosas. i feel like a lot of it is really starting to gel for me the more i read people's thoughts and analyses. (i still think the third act is messy though. no matter how great suzanne's themes are, i do think the pacing is rough. lol!)

[popculturebuffet]

Don't worry. I actually do like adult animation and have interest in it. I mostly just held back on asking due to those shows not having as many unified studios or networks like Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, Warner Bros, Disney, and The Hub/Discovery Family, I'm fine doing Adult Swim. Next up, favorite character from the mid-2000s Adult Swim shows: The Venture Bros, Stroker & Hoop, Perfect Hair Forever, Tom Goes to the Mayor, 12 oz. Mouse, Robot Chicken, Lucy the Daughter of the Devil, Minoriteam, and Moral Orel?

True but you can just do netwrok for some of those. Anyways... thank you. moving on to this one and including Aqua Teen since i somehow missed it last time.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Shake. It used to be carl but Dana Synder gives his best performance here and a lot of the series best lines are thanks to this asshole cup. The show itself is excellent. It skids a bit as it goes on but the first few seasons are just non stop joke factories and the dr weird segments are a treasured part of my teen years and even now still are fantastic. It's a great show with top notch voice acting, fun surreal stuff and lots of fantastic episode. There's even some great later ones like Bible Fruit and Totem Pole that live rent free in my head. The show kinda deserved to live it's horrifyingly long life and will no doubt return again. Aqua Teen Hunger Force Forever

The Venture Bros: Anyone who knows this blog or my history of crossover ships (I.e. maybe two people on the latter) willlikely be able to guess but

It's the boy. Hank is a consitently funny characte rfrom the start of the series but grows from a mild jock who sucks at being a jock and bullys his brother, to a loveable weirdo who has no idea how to interact with people, wants to be batman, and yet has a lot of confidence and a genuine heart you just can't help but love. I need to write this character one of these days in fanfic and i've been working on batshit insane ideas like him being a dtective duo with sasha from amphibia that I will probably go with. Hank is one of my faviorite fictional characters and I miss him dearly.

Venture Bros is a show i've covered and PLAN to get back to next year, fingers crossed, after covering another show that flows through my veins. For now i'll say Venture Bros is one of the best adult cartoons period. It started in a simlar place with a lot of dick jokes, some transphobia and way too much stuff that hasn't aged well to get into, but grew into a show with a deep world, a heart and a lot of neat points about toxic masculinity and over obessing on your passoins long before the latter two were wildely known issues. It loves nerd culture but also makes a spectacle of the kinds of people who take it too far, is clever and despite being written by the seat of creators and sole writers Jackson Publik and Doc Hammer, they still manage to make a coherent saga with tons of character growth, humor and Hank. It's one of my faviorite shows period and the best show Adult Swim has done, and it has some stiff compettition.

Stroker and Hoop: The car, because he was hilarous. This show was one I didn't like a lot as a teen and care even less about now. It's a pretty bleh run of the mill adult cartoon.

Perfect Hair Forever: Not sure. The show itself is solid, but didn't last long, is vaugely racist in places and hasn't aged all tha twell. It was fine, but not really a great adult animated cartoon or an anime parody. It feels like a guy who hasn't watched a ton of anime's impression of what anime is which is right in some places, like perverted old men or characters claimed ot be teens being used for fanservice, but otherwise it's just kinda.. there.

Tom Goes to the Mayor; JEFFERTON ALIVE! While I like Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job More, we'll get to that, this was a solid start. My faviorite is the wizzard whose theme is stuck in my head

The show itself is solid.. but is hampred by the formula. You can only watch Tom's life implode so many times before it becomes hard to watch. But i've come to appricate the weirder gags and less cruel moments. It's telling the best parts are the live action commericals that tim and eric would perfect with their next show.

12 Oz Mouse: great theme song, barely remember this show. Some think it's a masterpiece, I think.. ti exists. I like the shark? I don't have much here

Robot Chicken:

Protect the Environment or he'll fucking kill you! A show I haven't watched in seasons but have fond memories of the early days. Some sketches have aged like hot milk. Others aged so well I still quote them or will review pluto nash soley because of the pluto nash day sketch. A solid show with a lot of invetion.

Lucy Daughter of the Devil: One i'll have to give another look at.. and i'm shocked came BEFORE metalocalypse. The Devil probably. It's a show I do want to rewatch as it was not only Lauren Bouchard's last show befor ehis breakout with bobs burgers, but it's solid. Its' art style is hit and miss, but the concept, the anti christ dates Jesus whose an arrogant dj while the Devil tries to tempt him, is great stuff.

Minoriteam: This show sucks. I didn't like it as a teen and tween as an adult it comes off as horrible shock humor trying to be edgy but failing. There's a reason Adult Swim has mostly buried this thing. I don't think it should be.. but only so this failure can be stuided to avoid other racist shock stupidity.

Morel Orel: Hard to say these days as I haven't watched it in a while. But the show is excellent. I did'nt like it as a teen in seasons 1 and 2 but rewatching episodes when season 3 aired changed my perspective, and the show itself is awesome. In hindsight it's a great deconstruction of this sort of religious dogma, a problem the country still has. It also introduced me to the mountain goats, something that's paid off for years. I may not listen to every album but when one hits for me, it fucking hits. An excellent show that needs to be protected

[luucypevensie]

🐼 + my beloved fire baby Skye? 💜

YAS MY LIL' FIRE WITCH THANK YOU FAE! tagging @dancingsunflowers-ocs @bi-ologistofthehills and @ginger-grimm because they love skye too

Would they consider going onto a game/talent show on TV? If so, which one have they always had in mind? definitely american ninja warrior because skye KNOWS she could dominate the course due to her cheerleading skills

Have they ever done something stupid to try and impress someone? what HASN'T she done to impress the love of her life lucy pevensie? there's of course the spontaneous garden kiss and there was the one time she tried to juggle fire through hephaestus and her magic and any of her death-defying cheer tricks...

Something they collect: skye loves to collect different paintbrushes (they help with whenever she wants to experiment different styles of painting)

Their theme song: gravel to tempo by hayley kiyoko

If they get sick easily or not: unlike her sister skye rarely gets sick much to her displeasure

Their go-to destination for a day trip: any park that is nearby because in skye's opinion it has everything from soccer fields you can run on playgrounds to play on and space to spread a blanket and have a picnic or enjoy the fresh air while reading

If they've ever worked a summer job, what was it was: that would be dairy queen once again (besides being her first job it was also a good summer job because skye got to be out of the heat and eat ice cream whenever she wanted to)

Last year's Halloween costume: daenerys targaryen

Their go-to flavor for anything: cinnamon

Is there one thing they always manage to break no matter what? What is it? her body (seriously though skye's body is like a warzone from the many times she has managed to break a bone while doing something; allison wants to cry in frustration whenever she learns that her sister is back in the er again)

[kissorkill16]

A Golden Memory: A Hello Neighbor Fanfic

By JJ

Summary: Nicky and Maritza at Golden Apple Amusement Park.

If there was one thing that Nicky was glad he did back then, it was going to his first theme park.

Specifically, Golden Apple Amusement Park.

That place brought back so many memories.

He went there with his parents to meet up with his friends, Aaron, Mya, Lucy, Maritza, Enzo, and Ivan. He'd never been to an amusement park before, so they made sure to give him the best time ever.

And Nicky did have the best time ever.

He got to ride rides, play games, win prizes, and he even had his first golden apple. It tasted so sweet. He remembered Aaron once said that he loved them just as much as he did, and he wouldn't sleep for days after having one.

It was the best day ever...

Until Rotten Core.

He'd never been on a rollercoaster either, so when the new star attraction first came out, he wanted to get on the ride alongside his friends.

Nicky knew he wasn't the only one who was nervous. He could've sworn he saw Lucy hesitate to get on before her father reassured her that it was all going to be okay. But still, she got on and pretended to be brave, but Nicky could tell she was scared.

Nicky wishes he'd have done more. He wished he told her that if she didn't want to go on the ride, she didn't have to. He wishes that the cart hadn't flown off the track and landed in a tree...

He wishes it was him instead of her.

All of those thoughts made Nicky toss and turn in his bed, he threw the blanket off of him and stood up.

Suddenly, he was putting on his shoes, jacket, and goggles.

Then he opened the window and jumped out, running down the street.

He didn't stop running until he saw a street of brick and cobblestone, and a golden gate that was built so tall, not even the tallest people in town could reach the handle.

"You are now entering Golden Apple Amusement Park. No trespassing.", said a mechanical voice.

Nicky grabbed the gate, jumped onto it, and climbed over it.

When he was on the ground, he walked all around the park, passed the concession stands and hammer games, and he stopped once he made his way to the carousel.

This was Mya's favorite ride.

This was the first ride Mya brought him to, this was the first ride he tried out on his first time being here.

Nicky climbed onto the mechanical horse and held onto the pole, almost like he was expecting it to just turn on. He tried joking to lighten the mood.

"Hey, Mya! Look!", he said, "Remember this? This was the first ride you took me to."

Crickets.

"You once told me this was your favorite ride.", he whispered, "And I'll admit, I like it too. And you know why? Because it was my first amusement park ever, and because you made it feel special to me. Thank you."

More crickets.

Suddenly, Nicky felt tears falling down his face. He was talking to a dead little girl like he expected her to answer back.

It was no wonder kids at school still think he's crazy, because he did stuff like this.

Then, from somewhere in the dark, he heard a bush rustle. He turned around to see where the noise came from, but he didn't see anything.

"Could've been my imagination.", Nicky thought. He slowly walked away from the carousel, and was about to run towards the gate, but then someone bumped into him from behind him, and he instantly jumped back and let out a scream.

Whoever or whatever let out a scream as well.

When Nicky calmed down a little, he saw that it was just...

Maritza?

"Maritza?", said Nicky, "What're you doing here?"

"Me? What about you, Nick? I haven't seen you here ever since...ever since..."

They both looked at the ground. Maritza didn't need to finish that sentence, he already knew what Maritza was talking about.

"Yeah...", said Nicky. "I didn't think coming back here was appropriate, especially since it's where the incident happened. But I guess I just needed a minute to clear my head. I don't know why I chose to do it here, but I'm already here, so I might as well at least pretend to enjoy it."

Maritza laughed.

"What about you?", asked Nicky, "Why're you here?"

Maritza turned around and walked away, and Nicky trailed after her.

"I don't know either, Nicky.", she said. "I don't want to be here either, this place brings nothing but bad memories. But I guess I just come here whenever I miss...Lucy and Mya."

Maritza stopped walking. "They were my friends, and they were so young too. Lucy's life ended before it even began, and God knows where Mya is right now."

Nicky didn't want to tell her that he had recently found out in the basement that Mya was dead, because Aaron accidentally pushed her off the roof. He didn't want to upset her more.

He put a hand on her shoulder, "I know how you feel, Mari.", he said. "Even though this place holds a tragic event, I think it could still be a wonderful place to have fun. Think about all of the times where you've been here with all of your friends."

It was silent for a moment, Nicky guessed that Maritza was actually thinking about it.

Then out of nowhere, Maritza started crying. She tried to cover her face with her hands to muffle it, but Nicky could tell she was crying.

She jumped onto Nicky and wrapped her arms around him, trapping him in a tight embrace.

"I know, Mari. I know...", he said, beginning to choke up and start to cry himself. "I miss them too."

As they hugged, a tall, distorted shadow crept up behind them. It split into two and took the forms of Lucy and Mya.

Lucy went to Nicky's side, and Mya went to Maritza's side. Then they both wrapped their arms around the two.

"We miss you guys too."

[runningfrom2am]

LTPF QUESTION OF THE DAY!

when do you think the fallout between tigris and the presidential couple happened or did it happen at all?

would the reader’s presence have any effect on the matter?

EXCELLENT QUESTION BESTIE I LOVE IT

also this is long so buckle up-

i feel like being realistic, she saw them for what they were and who they became and tried to slowly distance herself. i think more so than coryo, r took it very personally and was like “why don’t you care, she’s one of our best friends and she’s your family she’s supposed to be here for us” and he’s kinda like “whatever she’s either with us or against us and she’s made her decision” so he just cuts her off. BUT i feel like r would try and hold onto that relationship for as long as she possibly could. so in this case, i’m not sure there was a fallout necessarily until either r gave up OR she snapped and was like “why are you pulling away? we’ve given you everything!” and tigris is basically like “nah i’m out you’re both crazy and it’s embarrassing“

ALTERNATIVELY if there was some nuclear dispute that ended it it would be over something so minor, but r makes it a big deal for no reason because of what happened with lucy gray and sejanus. i feel like trust issues would be running rampant in that house (but not between the presidential couple- never between them bc they’re “perfect” and also almost share the same mind). so tigris could just for example, not like a colour theme r chose for the right wing of the house and is like “i mean, that shade of red is not my favourite but i think if it’s done well it could be lovely!” and r just loses her MIND over it and is convinced she’s conspiring against them somehow. bc as we know, it’s her way or the highway. and i think at that point, coryo would just go along with it bc he doesn’t “need” tigris anymore, she didn’t need to care for him in the same way anymore now that they had all this money and success. besides, what other relationships could he really need if he had his wife who is perfectly agreeable to him and his every desire or whim?

i think this would happen well after they had their children, and it’s also possible (i’m realizing this just now but it’s totally a stream of thoughts so i won’t delete the last section lol) and very likely that it had something to do with their kids. like, maybe she disagreed with how they were being raised. i feel like although they would be loving parents and a billion times better than r’s, they would spoil them rotten and push their kids academically because that is all they had ever known, and tigris would be like “they’re just kids. let them be kids.” and they would not like that at ALL, bc what on earth would she know about being a parent? (the answer is a lot, considering she practically raised coryo when she was just a kid herself, but they don’t see it like that.

i think that would open the door too for her to be so bitter that when mockingjay pt2 comes around and she smiles at the statement katniss makes, that she’s there to kill them, it’s because they stripped her of any relationships she had with her nephews/nieces (and i like to imagine she was extremely close to them) and she couldn’t forgive r and coryo for raising them the way they did.

[firstdegreefangirl]

Run, Run Rudolph

Theme: Day Five - Reindeer @12daysofchristmas

Fandom/Character(s): Tim Bradford/Lucy Chen (The Rookie)

Word Count: 1676

Ao3 link here!

“7-Adam-100, please respond to south side of Westfield Century City Mall. Security requesting assistance with an escaped reindeer.”

“Control, 7-Adam-100 respondi – Control, could you repeat the nature of the call?” Tim has one hand on the steering wheel, the other on his radio, and his jaw halfway to the floor of the shop as he processes what he thinks he heard the dispatcher say.

“An escaped reindeer, south side of Westfield Century City. Outside the Nordstrom at the time of call.”

He knows that voice. There’s only one dispatcher he can think of who would try to pull a fast one on him like this.

“Control, can you 10-3 to another channel for more information?”

“7-Adam-100, going to eight.”

Tim flips the dial on his radio until it chirps the new number.

“Nell, I swear to god, if you’re making this up …"

“Sergeant Bradford!” she gasps. “I would never abuse city channels for fun and games. Even reindeer games!”

“So you’re telling me that there’s a reindeer in the mall? What, is it some dude in a costume?”

“Mall security asked for animal control too, so presumably not.”

“How did the reindeer get into the mall?”

“I’m sorry, which one of us is the investigator?” She laughs, and Tim rolls his eyes, even though she can’t see. “So how about we both get back to doing our jobs, and you can fill me in on everything later.”

Tim glances over to Lucy, sitting in the passenger seat.

“What do you say? Up for drinks after work?”

“With Nell and Elroy? Always.”

Tim promises her a follow-up at the end of their shift, then switches back to the main channel, just a few blocks before they arrive at the mall.

“Control, 7-Adam-100 on location for the … fugitive reindeer. Entering Nordstrom now.”

He pulls the door open for Lucy to walk in ahead of him, one hand already resting on his taser. He’s not sure if it’ll do much against a reindeer, should the situation come to that, but it’s the best move he can come up with. As soon as they’re inside, it’s easy to figure out which direction they need to go, based on where the crowd is gathered and shouting loudly.

“LAPD!” They both shout, working their way through the throng of shoppers. Mall security is right outside the exit of the store, a middle-aged, balding rent-a-cop who’s trying to do crowd control without getting off of his Segway. He’s red in the face, clearly overwhelmed just from trying to keep shoppers in line. Tim looks around.

There’s no reindeer in sight.

“What’s the situation?” He stops in front of the security guard and folds his arms across his chest. “Dispatch said there’s a reindeer on the loose?”

“Thataway.” The guard points over his shoulder. “Last I saw, it was running toward the food court.”

“How did a reindeer get into the mall, anyway?” Lucy asks.

“Part of Santa’s Village,” he explains. “For an extra 15 bucks, your kid can touch a real reindeer after they meet Santa.”

“And how did it escape?”

“The guard onsite said some tyke screamed and spooked it. Broke through the plastic fence and took off.”

“Does anyone need medical attention?”

“Don’t think so. Not yet, anyway. My guys are trying to keep the crowd in check, but 911 said they’d send animal control for the dirty work.”

“They’re on the way,” Tim says, actively trying not to grimace at the suggestion of animal control being “dirty work.” “While we wait, Officer Chen and I will go see if we can locate the reindeer.”

“Snowy,” someone else chimes in from behind him.

“Snowy?”

“It’s her name. I’m Meredith, with Santa’s Season’s Greetings.”

“You’re the … handler?”

“I’m the reindeer control specialist, yes.”

“Great work,” he deadpans.

“She’s never done this before!”

“I’m sure she hasn’t. Ma’am, do you have any treats or anything for …"

“Snowy,” Lucy whispers behind him.

“Snowy,” he repeats.

“I had a full bag this morning, but we ran out. The pet-a-reindeer add on has been a huge seller this year.”

Before Tim can say anything else, there’s a scream from a few storefronts down. He and Lucy run toward the noise, and the small crowd of people pouring out of a handbag store.

“Get over there!” Tim shouts, waving them behind him with one arm. “Behind the security guard!”

At the back of the group is a reindeer – or at least, he assumes it’s a reindeer. Whatever it is, it’s a huge creature with giant antlers. She turns the opposite way out of the store, ambling away from the crowd.

At least there's that going for them today. The last thing Tim needs to figure out this afternoon is how to write up a reindeer stampede.

He and Lucy give chase, jogging behind the animal as she makes her way further into the mall. He’s not sure where she started out, but nothing they’ve passed so far looks like a Santa’s Village, so he hopes that maybe she’s going back where she needs to be.

But no, by the time they reach the winter wonderland, Snowy has picked up speed. The faster he and Lucy move, the faster she goes ahead of them, until everyone is running breakneck through the rotunda.

Tim knows they’ve got to get her slowed down – they're coming up on the food court and the outside automatic doors. The best thing they can do is keep Snowy – and the mall patrons – safe and contained until Animal Control arrives. He tells Lucy as much, and she slows down immediately.

“Lucy?” Tim drops his pace to match hers, suddenly worries. She doesn’t usually tire out this quickly, has run further foot persuits and hardly been out of breath.

“We’re scaring her. Or she thinks it’s a game or something. The faster we go, the faster she goes. I’ll double back and get the escalators, come down on the other side and head her off. Keep her moving, but look – she's already slowing down.”

Lucy is right: in the time they’ve been stopped, Snowy has returned to her leisurely stroll. Which is still faster than Tim and Lucy walk, but much better than the way she was running a moment ago.

He’s worried about letting her face off against a giant animal on her own, but doesn’t see a better solution. So he squeezes her shoulder, reminds her to be careful, and lets her hurry back toward the escalator they’d passed earlier.

From the rotunda, Tim is able to watch her go up to the second level, and run along the railing that gives way to the open center of the mall. She gets to the other side and comes back down, holding her hands out in front of her slowly.

By the time she’s back on the ground level, Tim and Snowy have almost caught up to where she’s at, taking slow and careful steps toward the reindeer.

“Hey there, Snowy,” she coos, in a voice Tim recognizes from the way she’ll play with Kojo after work. “Aren’t you a pretty girl? I’ll bet it was scary when you got screamed at, huh?”

“Lucy, stop trying to rationalize with the wild animals!” Tim calls toward her.

“Yeah, Sergeant Bradford is silly sometimes, isn’t he? You don’t want to hurt anyone, do you? You just got a little freaked out and wanted some time to yourself, right?”

Obviously, Snowy isn’t answering any of Lucy’s questions, but she is slowing down again, eventually coming to a stop a few feet away from Lucy. Snowy snuffles, and Lucy closes the space between them, resting one palm on her snout.

“That’s a good girl, that’s it, there you go.” Tim reaches for the taser again, ready to react if Snowy tries to get aggressive. But he has to admit, Lucy seems to have the situation under control. “You’re such a pretty girl, LA must be so new to you. You’re so far away from the North Pole, aren’t you?”

They’re really not equipped to move Snowy anywhere, and Meredith is nowhere to be found. Tim isn’t willing to leave Lucy alone with the massive reindeer to go find her, so they wait together for Animal Control. The whole time, Lucy keeps talking to her, in that same high-pitched voice. After a few minutes, she runs out of compliments to give, and starts telling Snowy stories from her time in the academy, riding as Tim’s rookie, anything else she can come up with.

She’s halfway through the secret to her homemade chocolate chip cookies – a splash of almond extract in the dough – when Tim sees the Animal Control officers coming up from the other side of the mall. He motions for them to be quiet and points at Lucy, who’s stroking Snowy’s face with both hands.

Lucy nods when she sees the Animal Control officers, and steps back slowly when they wave her back. She keeps talking to Snowy as they toss a lasso around her neck and start steering her back toward the other end of the mall.

Their work done, Tim and Lucy turn for the nearest exit, in silent agreement that they’d rather walk outside than deal with any more reindeer fallout.

“Control, 7-Adam-100,” Tim says into his radio, as he slides an arm around Lucy’s waist. “Animal Control is on scene. Um, suspect in custody? Show us Code Four.”

“7-Adam-100, Code Four.” Nell’s voice echoes between them. “I can’t wait to hear all about it.”

“That was fun!” Lucy says to Tim as he opens the door for her. “I’ve never even seen a real, live reindeer before today, and I got to pet her too? She was so sweet! Y’know, once she wasn’t so scared and freaking out anymore.”

Tim looks over at her, and when he sees the wistful look on her face, he cuts her off.

“Oh no. No, no, no.”

“What?” Lucy turns to him, blinking her eyes.

“I know what you’re thinking. Absolutely not, we are not getting a pet reindeer!”

[narrativelysignificantturtleduck]

the sad old fire gays playlist

bold = jeong jeong, italics = piandao, both = both

1. let this remain - alana henderson

meet the basic need in me then get up and be gone / take the heat, retreat and leave the room to carry on / so between me and you / let this remain / but you could be the only one i don’t regret (yet)

they start their relationship trying to convince themselves it's just some physical thing. it'd be easier that way, less complicated. but it's not.

i didn't intend this, but in my fic killer, jeong jeong all but quotes this song, telling piandao "you are the only part of that life I do not regret".

2. two birds - regina spektor

two birds on a wire / one tries to fly away / and the other / watches him close from that wire / he says he wants to as well / but he is a liar

one of them ran away from the fire nation, the other did not, despite having the same beliefs. i think after jeong jeong deserts, piandao considers following him, wants to follow him. but he never does. he's just a liar.

3. goodbye, my danish sweetheart - mitski

explained here

4. round we go - marika hackman

oh my god, what have i done? / left my hands above the flames

this ended up on here because in the second chapter of my fic beyond your darkness, piandao burns himself while staring into fire thinking of jeong jeong. this song is pretty opaque, but that imagery, plus the lines about "i'm inside my head / rolling around my skull like a flesh-colored marble" makes me feel like this song is about that exactly that situation - burning yourself while turning over a past relationship in your head. round you go.

5. i don't smoke - mitski

explained here

6. disclaim - thao & the get down stay down

i don't believe it's your destiny / to always chase my memory / how could it be insincere / to very clearly disappear

jeong jeong thinking about piandao post-desertion, hoping that he moves on with his life. i meant no harm to you, the song repeats.

there's also something very gender about a woman singing the line "i was once an honorable man". very jeong jeong's gender, specifically.

7. tactics - japanese breakfast

a love that has to / move a great distance from you / cross a sea, keep you from me

along the same theme as the previous - jeong jeong left piandao behind because he cared, didn't want to drag him down too.

shockingly, i'm pretty sure i wrote the peach memory in ghosts before i heard this song. then i just had to add it to the playlist.

8. burning house - cam

laid beside you and pulled you close / and the two of us went up in smoke

i heard this song on the radio during the three months i worked retail and i was like "that sounds like a dream jeong jeong would have about piandao". and then i added it to the playlist. love how the album cover does not match the vibe of the song at all.

9. as it was - hozier

tell me if somehow / some of it remained /how long you would wait for me / how long i've been away

one of the first songs i thought of as pianjeong - blorbo from my albums meets blorbo from my shows! a song about returning home to your lover after a draining and chaotic time away, apt for jeong jeong reuniting with piandao after being on the run for years. i also think the last lines -

and the cold cut as sharp as my baby / and the nights were as dark as my baby / half as beautiful too

fit piandao pretty well.

(that said, the main conflict in ghosts is that jeong jeong knows that everything can't be as it was.)

10. i will - mitski

explained here. i really tried to limit the amount of mitski songs on this playlist. i really did.

11. timefighter - lucy dacus

i fought time / it won in a landslide / i'm just as good as anybody / i'm just as bad as anybody

the weight of the years hangs on jeong jeong. but ultimately, it's healing to realize everyone has good and bad. the years have caught up to both of them, but it's brought wisdom.

12. mars - sleeping at last

we were young enough to sign / along the dotted line / now we're young enough to try / to build a better life

the former soldiers healing and building a better life after the war.

13. hot & heavy - lucy dacus

this song came into my notes app and plagiarized from the early drafts of ghosts. absolutely rude behavior from lucy. i demand financial compensation.

then again, maybe we were both writing about someone who goes back to the place they're from and reconnects with an ex-lover and both of them have changed so much and seeing this person again brings up so many old feelings and memories. also fire imagery. maybe that's it.

jokes aside, i can't pick just one lyric to sum up why this is on the playlist.

being back here makes me hot in the face / hot blood in my pulsing veins / heavy memories weighing on my brain

jeong jeong is super uncomfortable being back in the fire nation.

how could i deny a diamond in the rough?

piandao as an exceptional person from a lower-class background, piandao as a person jeong jeong loved in the miserable environment of the military.

you were always stronger than people suspected / underestimated and overprotected

piandao was underestimated as a nonbender - maybe not overprotected, but the point still stands.

when i went away it was the only option / couldn't trust myself to proceed with caution / the most that i could give to you was nothing at all

jeong jeong deserting the military bc he knew he'd snap if he stayed, not telling piandao because that kept him safer.

you were a secret to yourself / you couldn't keep from anyone else / now you're the biggest brightest flame / you are a fire that can't be tamed / you're better than ever but i knew you when / it's bittersweet to see you again

piandao has gone from the underestimated young soldier to a respected master. jeong jeong had always seen that potential in him even if he didn't see it himself. but given how jeong jeong thinks about firebending, calling him a bright flame that can't be tamed is also a bit of an insult, that he's become this respectable fire nation citizen. he's better than ever, but jeong jeong knew him way back when. it's bittersweet to see him again.

14. curses - the crane wives

every word i say is kindling / but the smoke clears when you're around

this song has so many key jeong jeong words - curse, fire, war. even has my personal jeong jeong word "ghosts". throw in "river" and you've got them all! it's almost TOO obvious.

15. killer - phoebe bridgers

can the killer in me / tame the fire in you?

our title track, as well as the title of my fic killer. despite all the destruction that they have done and witnessed, there is something waiting for them.

16. any human friend - marika hackman

i'll take you to the far side / where it won't be wrong

they get together after the war, in that faraway "place" where it's finally safe for them to be themselves. i put this as piandao's perspective because he's the one "made of stone", who maybe seemed cold and unfeeling for so many years because he had to hide. (jeong jeong may be repressed, but unfeeling is not the word for someone who yells that much). mostly, though, this song has such a warm golden energy. it's the slow fade-out on a sunset, the closing credits of the movie. the happy ending, in song form.

[aaeds]

While we settle down until the gavel drops on the series,

Here’s a reminder, to those who like the show and haven’t, to pick up the books and give them a go. 

Lockwood & co in my opinion was given the best adaptation by one of the best crews and casts. I’ll never be a purist and adaptations will always deviate from the original content, while picking them up again for another read I didn’t feel robbed of their core concepts.

That said, the first two books which are covered in season one have so much more content (what might have been considered filler) to flesh out the real horrors and nature of the story and what the world is all about. The final 3 do as well, and they’re worth the time and effort. 

The parallels that can be drawn from each character to a counter organization are subtle but well done, from familiar traits to what each character lacks individually and gains as a cohesive group to round themselves out to do and be better. And though it’s not as overt as the series, Lucy and Lockwood are not so subtle for readers to miss a connection that runs deeper than any YA novel on book-tok. Love and belonging will always be hallmarks of character development, along with trust and solidarity. (Also please think more deeply about the Holly and Lucy dynamic, please. There are some hot takes that just make me want to die from a critical reading standing.)

Which, speaking of subtle but intense - there’s a scene in The Creeping Shadow (I believe) which describes depression without actually acknowledging depression itself through Lucy’s POV. I think it’s very unique and personal where the horrors become more human than ghost. Truly the emotional constipation is a sight to behold on page but it all really comes down to their profession. When Jacobs writes off an agent’s death in the series to Lucy’s remark (George's in the book I believe) to Kipp’s high mortality rate you can see that even the protagonists understand their worth in society is lauded - but expendable. In the books the characters are much younger, Lucy was 8 when she started and her mother no less neglectful or emotionally abusive. She has six sisters, where Lucy is the youngest, and all the signs are indicative of a life of working for approval or love. Pride, as a small child, that she has worth and something to be recognized for in an industry - which is terrifying.

My interpretation of Norrie over the addition of 6 sisters was to show how Lucy feels she must apply herself for attention and how that attention can be gone in an instant without rhyme or reason and how the Problem has robbed her a great many things - namely connections to the living. Norrie was a great representation of something she didn’t have to work for and found a responsible, wise sort of love she never had in her family. Someone who looked after her and later trusted with her life, their relationship wasn’t entirely professional. Lucy found her ‘family’ in her work life after being alienated from a normal one. Lockwood calling her an asset was akin to her mother’s signing her up as a dependent into Jacob’s company for money.  Though a misunderstanding, it showed they all still had a fair ways to go from being fully on the same page as as team and as friends. There are growing pains in the script which aren’t quite in the books - but there are plenty of pages to show everyone’s character development over time. 

Also Kipps is one of my odd but favourite characters in a sympathetic sense. He was a genius addition to the crew from another angle of the industry as an older agent. What does one do when their talents are fading and you lack a full education? How much more can you be exploited?  I could type until my hands fall off about how much I love the running themes in these books and how interwoven it all is with the characters and how they grow. I am hoping for a season 2, but if you are new here and haven’t yet and we won’t get a season 2 - do yourselves a favour and get closure by reading the books. They’re truly like a piñata of all the good things adventure should have and that were (largely) fairly left out of the tv adaptation for the sake of time.  And now I have to go cry or draw fanart or write a fanfiction. 

[addictedtostorytelling]

That Lucy Knight ER post/analysis ... It's soooo good. And sooo much more heartbreaking.

ER is one of the best shows I've ever watched, with so many good stories, big and small. But Lucy...even after all these years, when I read, hear or think about ER, I think about Lucy dying. It was so devastating, but such moments, such tragedy made this show so damn good!

Well, done!

hi, anon!

thank you for your kind words! i'm glad you liked the post. is it wrong to say (given the subject matter) that i had fun making it? ;)

in all seriousness, i am right there with you on still being devastated by lucy, even going on twenty-three years later now.

i had watched er during its original run from its premiere in 1994 (when i was seven) but for the first several seasons was too young to really understand much of what i was seeing. it was only around the time that s5 started airing that i was finally old enough to really comprehend the larger stories, beyond just the simple patient-care interactions.

lucy, as a kind of audience surrogate, was the character i latched onto at that point—the first character i ever truly fell in love with.

her death in s6 honestly changed the chemistry of my brain.

i was thirteen years old at the time, and i couldn't stop obsessing. without realizing that that's what i was doing, i wrote fanfic and meta about it. rewatched old episodes—lovingly recorded on vhs during the summer rerun season—and had my little mind blown as i realized that so many of her early scenes suddenly seemed to have been imbued with increased significance in light of her eventual death. i turned the story over and over again in my mind, thinking through all of the myriad ways it broke my heart.

looking back, i learned so much about the function of tragedy and the structure of tragic narratives from (over)thinking so much about her character arc and its culmination, so it seemed only fitting to pay tribute.

making that post, i was reminded of how many moments there were during s5 and s6—even beyond the ones i included in the set—that foreshadowed her ultimate fate.

in a lot of ways, hers is a circular or even chiastic narrative, replete with callbacks and repeated themes, everything seeming to work together to bring her to one inevitable end.

it's almost hard to believe that her death wasn't planned from the beginning, given how tight those story elements are with her.

she is very much a girl marked to die from the beginning.

it's a tribute to her and the writing of er that even over two decades later, her death still hits home in the way that it does not only for me but for so many fans.

it's truly one of the most memorable stories in the entire series.

[ruotsalainen-kettu]

So I visited Åbo Svenska Teater today and I gotta ramble about their Dracula production because I love analysing things but am too tired to do it IN Swedish rn. If you speak Swedish or any similar Germanic language - Or Finnish, because they have subtitles (!! Subtitles in theatre!! I was shooketh) Go there. Seriously.

Anyway: It's a musical. It's a comedy. Its all over the place but in the best way. Spoilers ahead. (Surprisingly.)

Last time I stepped into a theatre was in 10th grade and uh. Let's not talk about that.

This was... intense? Not just the acting but also the sets and props and all, it's super cool. On a technical level - they use confetti as blood, the lighting is incredible, the use of space is VERY well done, they even have a rotating part in the stage. The coach scene was FANTASTIC, as was the ghost ship. Super spooky! Not to speak of the choreography. It's not fucking Dance of the Vampires or whatever, but the theater is pretty small so what gives. Shit, they had more than one person drop from the ceiling both in a harness and with these sheet things. It was sick!

Everybody has a theme, which are VASTLY stylistically different. Van Hellsing is metal ofc whereas Dracula is a classical singer.

The color symbolism was prettt neat too. Vampires are the only ones wearing red, with Dracula being the only one wearing both on occasion. (And some killer heels.) Both Mina and Lucy get red accents on their black dresses once they are connected to Dracula and Lucy, once she was turned, wore white with red. This gets even clearer in the last scene, where the humans are all clothed in black and the vampires red. (And Van Helsing is olive but that's a different story.)

Anyway, I could write an essay about what they changed in relation to the book because it's a lot, least of all the weirdly indistinct setting of "jokes about excel and mansplaining but everyone's dressed like the 1880s in glitter" BUT it's for comedy, I didn't expect them to bust out period-accurate clothing. They left out scenes that would have been impossible or plain boring to translate to theatre and some of it was changed to give more interaction, such as conversations between Dracula and Lucy or Mina.

The only thing I have actual gripes with is that they took out Quicey Morris.

Well not took out. He's there in name, but they turned Quincey "Texas finest cowboy" into a shy dude who has one line in the first act (establishing he's the character and that he seems to have a crush on Lucy). His entire point in the story arc is that he's unremarkable and forgettable because that's the underlying conflict between humans and vampires (leaving traces etc... very philosophical). Like excuse me??? The original Quincy is a fan favorite because in a book made to be scary and menacing he's the one (albeit accidentally...) dude who's actually funny. He's big (in personality) and he's brave and important enough the Harkers name their kid after him. I see the logic behind the choice but that doesn't mean I have to like it 🤨

On the up side the dynamic between Dracula and Jonathan is super gay, but that's just accurate to the source. (Also... Dracula x Van Helsing anyone?)

Van Helsing was a bit of a dick, which is surprising considering he has like 5 lines total and just looks badass otherwise. Running off like a fucking diva after Mina rightfully questions him? Bruh. More "older bear Nathan Drake" than wise mentor. Oh well.

I have more thoughts but I'll leave you (the three people who actually read this lol) be. Go support your local theater.

[followmykpopsideblog]

I fully get where you're coming from! And I also hope we get some redemption for the Rat Grinders and some actual closure on some of the arcs and themes going on this season

However I will also say that this is a battle for the fate of the world. The Bad Kids have to be getting dangerous enemies off the field. I don't remember if Jace's subclass has been mentioned but for some reason a part of my brain is saying I think it might be Divine Soul? (if that's not right fully correct me if anyone knows!) but if he is Divine Soul he has access to revivify. And now there are Four of him.

High level Conjuration Wizards (if they get a chance to actually get a turn ofc) can do some crazy stuff and if one of the (4!) Jaces could spend an action just hitting Oisin with a quick reviv and getting him back on the field that could be a big problem (and even if I was wrong and Jace doesn't have access to revivify Buddy obviously does) so Riz wanting to prevent a strong enemy from easily being able to come back into the fight makes a lot of sense in context!

(Especially a Conjuration Wizard! Because if given the chance Oisin can summon even more enemies using conjuration spells!)

Additionally as nice as it would be to be able to talk it out and get the Rat Grinders to be on the good guy side it's a little past the point of a logical conversation both because of the fact they're literally under the influence of rage magic from the rage stars (something the Bad Kids don't yet know how to undo) and because in terms of reasoning with people they kind of literally Don't Have Time for that right now

Anyway, in summary the Bad Kids need to put as many enemies 'out of commission' as possible and do their best to make sure they can't be easily brought back into the fight. Obviously that's very brutal but for The Fate Of The World it must be done and all that other pretensious nonsense

Now after the world is saved I do hope the Rat Grinders are brought back and given closure. The fact that Lucy's death has been brought up as something that 'time is running out' to reverse, to me seems like a teaser that once the way is found out to reverse the rage star thing it would be possible to do. And if Lucy's death is able to be reversed I don't see why the deaths of the other Rat Grinders wouldn't be

Tl;Dr: Sorry for the essay. We still have one more episode and I choose to trust Brennan and the Intrepid Heroes and stay optimistic that the true conclusion of the show will be satisfying! And if it isn't then we can all bitch about it. But for now the Bad Kids are making logical strategic moves in the heat of battle and there's still room for a Rat Grinder redemption being possible in the future after the world has been saved or whatever

People flinching at "Make sure to chop his head off so he can't be revivified" and acting like it's a wildly too brutal or somehow out of character (???) thing for Riz to say are weak and have forgotten our roots

Do y'all not remember shooting Biz's fingers off one by one? Do you not remember "Take his eye!!! Do you want it? I'll bite it out for you!"

Our special boy has always been an unhinged little violent maniac, and frankly? Good for him! 💗 That's my favorite guy!