#matilda may series

[the-blossica-fan]

Evil Mercuria, I feel, is... very, very angry. The type to try and stay calm at all times but is quick to anger

Now, Kanjira is very much afraid, and stays some time away, but Matilda is a lot more brave (or stubborn), staying by Mercuria's side (while also musing if this is how she feels secretly...)

After it's over, Mercuria is... the only word to describe her after that was "horrified", and even that doesn't do her justice...

She's quick to be hugged. She may or may not cry 🥺

Oh Lord, angst...

Mercuria is probably not a stranger to impotence and closeted emotions, especially because doesn't express it in a normal way. She's more of moving around and dancing to show her emotions, so an "evil" side of herself would be more vocal about her emotions.

I'd say verbally abusive due to her amplified emotions and anger. I wouldn't say she's calm most of the time, in fact, it's quite hard to get to her in this state. Being clumsy in her movements and awkward in the way her body conveys her emotions.

A very expressive face as well, probably scowling a lot but you can see more clearly how some things affect her.

Kanjira's natural easy going and hyperactive nature tends to clash a lot with Mercuria's now easily emotional state to the point where insults and profanities would get thrown around a lot. For both of them, it was best for Kanjira to stay away.

It hurt Kanjira a lot too, some things were stuff Mercuria found cute but now, in this "evil" state, she found it repulsive. Of course it took a big hit for Kanjira but she couldn't let that show and end up affecting Matilda, who was already too busy trying to meditate with Mercuria.

Speaking of Matilda, poor girl is overwhelmed. Her stubborn self tires Mercuria a lot, some harsh words were exchanged but, as much as I hate to say it, Matilda is quite used to them. She had to get her to calm down, to let others alone and try to get her into different activities to ease her mind. Matilda didn't get enough time to comfort Kanjira, much less try to think of herself.

After the days of mental and emotional torture that this was, Mercuria found some time alone to think of everything she did on the week. It was hard to think of Matilda having to endure those words, or Kanjira who couldn't even get close to Mercuria.

She took her time to gather herself and apologize to both, neither were mad at her, just a bit tired and, well, mentally exhausted, but they didn't blame her at all.

It kind of turned into Matilda comforting the two, Kanjira would cry her heart out while hugging the other two and this would also make Mercuria tear up and cry a lot. Someone had to comfort those two. Thankfully, Matilda is quite strong herself, emotionally and physically, so she could get by with two bodies sleeping on top of her.

[l35213]

them: you better not be doodling gomens sonas when i get home!!

me and @blondish34:

[claire-starsword]

Evaluating pixel art via prints sucks bad, but I'm pretty convinced that this encyclopedia is using an older version of Matilda's portrait. The rightmost part of her hair swirl doesn't quite reach her eyes like in the final, her mouth is a pixel thinner, and there seems to be no shading in the white parts of her clothing. Maybe there's also some different pixels in her eyelashes but the prints are definitely stretched horizontally a bit so i'm not sure.

Either way it's not even the only beta image i've seen in the book, this game truly is something, they must have a whole outdated press kit or something. Like, as of this writing at least, the modern Shining World website uses beta screenshots. It's that bad.

[heatherfield]

Bromtilda 25, 39, or 45, your choice. :) Or all 3 if you want.

#45 - Tell Me a Secret | A “Headless” Drabble

Summary: Four times Matilda had a secret and one time she didn't.

Chapter Characters/Pairings: Brom and Matilda (plus a bit of Kat and a cameo by Matilda's dad)

Rating: Teen

Author’s note:  This was so much fun! I loved being able to explore some different moments in their relationship that I don't normally get to. And I might have gotten a little a lot indulgent.

Link: AO3.org

Send me a pairing and I'll write you a drabble.

[the-enawon]

My animated series concept is literally this, but it's just mentally ill people from the House of Normandy who didn't ask to be reincarnated trying to survive in the 21st century while also trying to unravel their traumas while also having to acknowledge their fuck-ups while also not being able to go back in time to change the outcomes of their past decisions while also-

[cosmicalls]

if you like dead poets society, you may like these!

just for fun: a little list of movies, shows, and books i like that i feel have something in common with dps. hopefully you'll find something you'd like, too!

not in any particular order. just the order that i thought of them in really

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A Separate Peace

by John Knowles - published 1959

a coming-of-age novel set at an all-boys new england boarding school. follows two boys, Gene and Finny, and their experiences during the summer and winter sessions of 1942. talks a bit about WWII and what role the boys may have to play in that, but it stays pretty focused on the school and the emotions involved during this time in one's life. all the growth and transformation and oddly homoerotic, perhaps very codependent, friendship of a bildungsroman that we love to look for.

one of my personal favorite books, even considering that it was assigned reading. i truly believe many of you would like it and i know for a fact some of you can vouch for me

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower

by Stephen Chbosky - published 1999 movie adaptation: dir. Stephen Chbosky - released 2012

follows Charlie and his general struggles of high school and with being, well, a wallflower. from goodreads: "Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it puts him on a strange course through uncharted territory. The world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends. The world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that the perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite."

very emotional. that's all! i preferred the movie, but i liked the format of the book being completely in letters that Charlie was writing. they're both good! (if you watch the movie, the english teacher's name is Mr. Anderson. so do with that information what you will...!)

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Matilda

by Roald Dahl - published 1988 movie adaptation: dir. Danny DeVito - released 1996 musical adaptation: dir. Matthew Warchus - released 2022

a young girl with an aptitude for reading discovers she has telekinetic abilities at the same time she begins attending school. unfortunately, the principal is an extremely harsh woman, and none of the students seem to enjoy it there. Matilda uses her courage and newfound powers to change her environment for the better, both at school and in her abrasive home.

such a good movie, a childhood favorite. the musical has a great soundtrack too!

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Good Will Hunting

dir. Gus Van Sant - released 1997

a janitor is recognized as a mathematical genius by an MIT professor, and he goes on an emotional journey to embrace his intellect. starring Robin Williams, our dearly beloved inspiration, as the therapist Will goes to see for much of the film.

i only saw it once and my description is lacking but ooh it hurt...... just trust me on this one

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A Series of Unfortunate Events

by Lemony Snicket - published 1999-2006 tv series adaptation: aired 2017-2019

JUST HEAR ME OUT ON THIS ONE okay. it's about a trio of siblings, orphaned, who are shuttled from one parental unit to another while being followed by a man after their immense wealth. they quickly discover they are in the midst of an intellectual conflict in a secret organization. they must rely on only each other, seeing as all the adults around them are wildly incompetent and/or unhelpful. and it is filled to the brim with literary references!!

both versions have really fun and witty narration, and the tv adaptation is extremely faithful. i don't know how else to describe it without going overboard so i'll settle for not descriptive enough! just trust me. yes it is a kids' series and yes it is one of my favorites ever. it's the vibes of it all

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If We Were Villains

by M.L. Rio - published 2017

about a group of Shakespeare theater students at a very pretentious arts school who find themselves in a very high-tension dynamic following a disaster that occurs after their halloween performance of Macbeth. lots and lots of Shakespeare, lots of dramatics, and the book itself is divided into five acts.

i finished this in about two nights and it was extremely creatively inspiring. it was a bit predictable, but that's not a bad thing. it still had me clutching my pearls and dropping my jaw

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"The Artist of the Beautiful"

by Nathaniel Hawthorne - published 1844

a romantic era short story about a man who feels utterly trapped by his occupation. he would rather concern himself with the delicate beauty of nature, and he attempts to realize this in his passion project - much to the disdain of the people around him.

a bit of a sneak sorry. i just think it's just in line with neil's whole thing you know. it's a lot of long and flowery sentences but it works really well i promise

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The Breakfast Club

dir. John Hughes - released 1985

the letterboxd synopsis really says it all: "They only met once, but it changed their lives forever. | Five high school students from different walks of life endure a Saturday detention under a power-hungry principal. The disparate group includes rebel John, princess Claire, outcast Allison, brainy Brian and Andrew, the jock. Each has a chance to tell his or her story, making the others see them a little differently – and when the day ends, they question whether school will ever be the same."

i don't have much to add and to be honest! kind of a stretch for this list! but i have faith

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obviously there are other shows and movies with the dead poets society leads, but i wanted to sort of branch out a bit for the bulk of this list. i will still list the ones i had in mind though

House M.D. (2004-2012) - tv series about genius diagnostician Dr. Gregory House and his team at a hospital in new jersey. Robert Sean Leonard stars as House's best friend and head of oncology Dr. James Wilson. very comedic but also very heartwrenching.

Tape (2001) - three friends meet at a motel room and dredge up and argue over unpleasant events of the past. starring Ethan Hawke and Robert Sean Leonard.

Before Sunrise (1995) - from letterboxd: "A young man and woman meet on a train in Europe, and wind up spending one evening together in Vienna. Unfortunately, both know that this will probably be their only night together." Ethan Hawke plays one half of the lead duo.

and yeah there's a LOT more but those are the ones i've seen and sincerely recommend. not to say others aren't good but this is a (very) curated list you see.

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phew that's not as many as i thought i had in my back pocket but it's still pretty good. plus, there's some things i havent read/watched yet that perhaps would have made it but alas! such is life

absolutely add to the list if you'd like!! let's all share our favorite stories

[miss-oranje-disco-dancer]

you are my sunshine (not old enough ch.9)

pairing: leon x reader

cw: oral sex, only a lil smut, so much fluff, brief mentions of labor and birth

summary: the final chapter, little snippets of your life with leon <3

a/n: i'm sorry i'm awful at fluff :( i've been lowkey dreading this chapter, but i have to give them the happy ending they deserve. thank you all for reading the series! there may be more sexy spinoffs of this, but for now, this is the end <3

wc: 3.7k

ao3 link

Before Matilda made her appearance, the nursery needed to be finished. Since neither of you had any friends or relatives with kids who’d grown up that could give you hand-me-down baby furniture and accessories, you had to go on a shopping spree. A crib, a rocking chair, a changing table, a dresser - Leon didn’t even let you look at the receipt, fearing you’d pass out and endanger the baby. 

As it turned out, a crib has to be built, which was obviously Leon’s job. This was one of the few times that you didn’t protest his insistence on you doing as little work as possible during your pregnancy. You’re all for getting rid of stereotypical gender expectations, but you would’ve posed yourself as ‘just a fragile little lady’ if he’d asked you to help build any sort of furniture whether you were pregnant or not. 

There was an added plus to Leon doing all the handy work that you had not anticipated - he looked hot as fuck doing it. You walked in to offer him something to drink and you caught him lifting his t-shirt to wipe sweat off his forehead. His biceps in the tight shirt, his abs, the v-line of his hips, the light trail of hair leading down from his belly button - you caught a glimpse of it all. It didn’t take an expert in psychology or mathematics to understand the association -  sweat plus striptease equals sex. You were no longer thinking about offering him a drink or asking him how he was doing or anything other than getting on your knees and -

He caught you standing in the doorframe, gawking at him. 

“Whatcha lookin’ at?” He could tell exactly what you were looking at by your face. 

You didn’t say anything, just walked closer, dropping to your knees in front of him. 

“Honey, what are you doing?” he asked as if it wasn’t entirely obvious. 

You still declined to respond, mind fixated on one task, your small hands found their way to the zipper of his jeans. Before actually ripping off his clothes, you looked up, asking, no, begging, for consent. You saw the two sides dueling behind his eyes - should he do the ‘right’ thing and offer to do this in the bedroom or at least, grab a pillow for your knees, or should he give in right here and now? As usual, arousal beat reason and he nodded, gently running his hands through your hair, pulling it back for you. He sighed, fully resigning himself to the fact that he was not going to be the hero in this situation.

When his cock sprung out, ready, like it’d been waiting for this moment, Leon said, “Do you think this is wrong to do it in the nursery?”

With his dick in hand, already stroking it because you both knew how this was going to pan out anyway, you said, “Leon, we had sex to make her. It’s a human thing.”

“Isn’t a blowjob a little diff-” he tried to say, but was cut off by a groan when you licked one long stripe from his balls all the way to the tip and then immediately took as much of his cock into your mouth as you could. 

You pulled off to ask, as a tease, “What were you saying?”

“Never mind,” he said, his hand on the back of your head coaxing you to continue.

He watched your head bob up and down and said, tilting his head back as if to speak to God, “What did I do to deserve this?”

God did not respond. And neither did you, mostly because you had his dick down your throat - Leon’s not God’s - and were trying not to choke.

You might’ve told him, “you deserve so much more than this because you’re such a good person and yadda yadda yadda” or, more likely, you would’ve said, “it’s not like I’m doing you a favor, in fact, it’s mostly selfish, I’m trying to memorize the way you look right now, so I can touch myself later while picturing it”. That is, if you couldn’t goad him into fucking you. 

You lost yourself in the sounds of his moans, and your mind was entirely empty until he pulled your head away. He didn’t respond to the pout on your face, instead he said, “close your eyes,” with a devious smile. You obeyed without question and he finished himself off. You didn’t see it, of course, but you felt something hot and sticky hit your face in spurts. 

“Wait there and keep your eyes closed,” Leon said and grabbed something from across the room. 

He wiped your eyelids and lashes with a tissue because, despite being naughty enough to come on your face, he didn’t want you to get any in your eyes. 

Then he said, “you can open your eyes now.”

When you did, you smiled at him - instinctively, though well-timed because Leon had grabbed his phone and was taking a picture of you.

Half-amused, half-surprised, your mouth was wide open, but you couldn’t help laughing when you saw his shameless grin. 

“You look pretty like this,” he said, patting your cheek.

“I’m sure I do,” you said, a bit sarcastic.

“You wanna see?” he asked, proudly holding out his phone to show you the picture of yourself. 

You looked at it and said, “I suppose I can see the appeal.”

“Yeah, see,” he zoomed in, “I got a good shot of your tits, too.”

“You act like this is art.”

“Is it not?”

“A photo of jizz on my face, which as you noted, also captures my cleavage.”

“Exactly. It’ll come in handy later.”

“Double entendre?”

“Huh?”

“Come in hand-y.”

“Unintended, but I wish I had thought of that.”

“You’re a builder, a photographer, and a comedian. How lucky am I?”

“You forgot a fine artist,” he pointed out, “I did a fantastic job painting your face in my opinion.”

“Gross,” you laughed and playfully smacked him on the thigh.

He helped you stand up before finally pulling his pants back up. You were about to exit the room to find a washcloth when you said, “Send me that pic, so I can get it framed for you as a father’s day gift.”

You winked at him and then made your way to the bathroom, all the while, you could still hear his laughter from down the hall. 

You were biting your nails waiting for Leon to speak with Chris. Leon said they’d have a talk after your little dalliance with Chris while Leon was away. The guilt festered inside you until the moment Leon set up a time to meet with Chris. Much to your disappointment, you were not allowed to mediate. You really hoped ‘have a talk with’ did not mean get into a physical fight, similar to the one in the parking lot outside that club. 

He was gone for a lot longer than you thought he’d be. You knew this meant one of two things: either it was going phenomenally well or it was going catastrophically badly. 

According to Leon, it went well, and since he came home with a smile on his face rather than any bruises, you took him at his word. 

It was awkward at first. They met on a Saturday at the park because Leon was trying to quit drinking again and you wanted him far away from any temptation in case things went awry - no bars, you told him. 

Leon sat on a park bench overlooking the Potomac, watching couples walking hand-in-hand, families, friends, getting lost in thought, when Chris sat down beside him. 

“Hey,” Chris said, unintentionally startling Leon. 

“Jesus, when did you get there?” Leon, the dramatist, held his hand over his heart like he was about to drop dead from fright. 

“About five seconds ago.”

Leon didn’t respond, but refused to break eye-contact, trying to see if he could get Chris to speak first. 

But it was Leon who bit the bullet and began with, “So…” “Look, I’m sorry,” Chris began, “and I know that doesn’t cut it, but I want you to know that I mean it.”

“Were you going to tell me?” Leon asked in a prickly tone. 

“Honestly, no. I didn’t want to ruin what you two have.”

“Didn’t think of that beforehand? What if she hadn’t told me?”

Chris looked toward the sky and sighed in genuine contemplation, “I don’t know… I’ve made a lot of bad calls. If you want someone to blame, blame me.”

“Blame doesn’t get me shit. I just want to know that my girlfriend and my friend won’t go behind my back like that again.” It was a threat. And if you do… the rest was left unspoken. 

“Swear on my life. I can’t swear on hers, but she loves you, but I think you already know that.”

“I do know that, yeah.”

A woman jogging, a couple with a picnic basket, the boats in the Potomac - Leon watched them all pass in front of his eyes. Time passed quickly as he aged, and wisdom brought him the revelation. A sense of urgency, too. “Fuck it, I forgive you,” he said. 

Sometimes - far too often - Leon was too forgiving, and people had been known to take advantage of his kindness. Forgiveness was his knee-jerk response, he was a natural people-pleaser. A therapist had advised him to weigh the pros and cons in situations like this and to be a little bit selfish in his choice. This time forgiveness was the right decision. 

“Thanks, I appreciate it. I didn’t want to lose your friendship over this,” Chris said.

“Yeah, well, I’m getting out of shape, so you’d have an edge over me if we fought, so I feel like forgiveness is my only option,” Leon opted to lighten the mood. 

“You think I don’t already have an edge over you?”

“Are you challenging me right now?”

“No, I’m just stating the obvious.”

“Do you think you would’ve beaten me back at that club?”

“Hell yeah. You were wasted. I could’ve taken you down in one punch.” “That’s where you’re wrong. My alcohol intake would’ve lowered my inhibitions and my pain tolerance.” “Sure, but you were practically tripping over your own feet.”

“If you could’ve beaten me, then why didn’t you?”

“Because Claire pulled me away.”

“You said you could’ve taken me down in one punch. You got more than one in, and guess what? I’m still standing.”

“Yeah, okay, maybe I didn’t want to leave you unconscious in the parking lot.”

“Hmph. I guess I should thank you then.”

“Let’s just call it even… after everything that’s happened.”

And that was the last they spoke of the matter. 

The day was nice, though, so they lingered at the park. Leon watched as a mother walked by with a stroller and smiled, thinking of you. 

He realized that he wasn’t sure if Chris knew.  

“I suppose I should tell you the good news.”

“You’re retiring,” Chris said, assuming that was the answer. “Yes, but no, and who told you that?”

“Just a guess.”

Leon couldn’t hold back the secret. With a hint of giddiness, he said, “I’m gonna be a dad.”

“No fucking way.”

“Way.”

“Holy shit. Congrats.”

Chris went in for the hug, and Leon accepted. Yeah, it went well.

You weren’t sure how to feel about having a full-on baby shower, but Leon’s friends - now, your friends, too - insisted on planning you one. 

“We have to celebrate,” Claire insisted, “this is the first baby to be initiated to the friend group.”

“Initiated? Is that what they’re calling being born these days? ‘Initiation to life’,” Leon joked. 

“Ugh. I don’t even want to think about giving birth,” you said.

“Sweetheart, I hate to tell you this, but,” Leon said, pointing to your bump, “you’re gonna have to do it.”

“I’ve heard it’s not that bad, you know, once you get the epidural,” Chris offered.

“You’ve heard it’s not that bad? From whom?” Claire asked in disbelief. 

“Women I know,” Chris responded. 

“We’re like, the only women you know,” Claire said, “and neither Jill, nor I, have ever given birth.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t need to,” Jill said, “I take care of babies

for a living regardless.” She tilted her head towards Chris, who didn’t deny the accusation.

“Agreed. I could never do the whole pregnancy thing,” Claire said, “this one is much stronger than me.” She playfully nudged you. You didn’t believe that for a second, but you were fully aware of how rough pregnancy was, and may never have wanted to go through with it if it weren’t for Leon. 

Claire appointed herself as party planner, so she gave the orders - to everyone besides you. “The future mom deserves some rest,” she said. 

“But the future dad doesn’t?” Leon said. 

“Men,” she scoffed, “you’re all the same.”

Cake, decorations, invitations - they handled it all. Leon was the one to write the guest list. You didn’t know many people in the city, but it was far from lonely. Your tight knit circle, which would soon add another member, was all you needed. 

“Just keep it short,” you said. 

Claire, Chris, Jill, who else did he know? Hunnigan? He’d pretty much patched things up with her, might as well. Ashley? Leon hadn’t heard from her in a bit. Definitely should invite Sherry, she’d come. Ada? No way. It’d be a little funny to send her an invite though. Too bad Leon didn’t have her address. It came down to this: Claire, Chris, Jill, Hunnigan, Rebecca, Helena, Ashley, Sherry (Jake, by extension), not Ada. 

“Does this look good, honey?” he asked, handing you the list. 

You didn’t look up from your book, What To Expect When You’re Expecting. Oh, if only a book could tell you. “Just tell me how many people we’re having,” you said.

Leon counted on his fingers like a grown man should. “Including me?”

“Sure.”

“10.”

You could handle 10. Hopefully, they didn’t expect anything fancy. You struggled to fit in your party outfits, and you rarely had the energy to do a full face of makeup and style your hair these days.

The day of the shower, Claire walked in at 11:30 AM, cake already in hand, frantically calling Jill. 

“I can help you put up decorations,” Leon offered.

“I don’t trust your interior decorating skills,” Claire said. 

“Fine, put me to work wherever I can be of use.” His tone was already snippy. 

You walked downstairs in a pink sundress and got a standing ovation from the two people in your living room. Claire put a sash around you that said “Mama to be”. Flashy glitter wasn’t really your style, but it was kind of cute, and apropos of the event. 

All of Leon’s friends were lovely, and you shouldn’t have been surprised - they’re Leon’s friends, of course they’re sweet. 

Ashley had always been a story to you. She looked even prettier in person than in the tabloids, and she really was America’s sweetheart, her bubbly personality was as real as her blonde hair. As it turned out, she has a great taste in baby clothes, too. 

Similarly, Sherry was only a voice over the phone until the party, granted you’d seen a picture of her once. She brought a man with her - you’d heard only a little about him, but they seemed like a cute couple. You could see yourself attending her baby shower. She seemed like she’d be a good mom. 

You were nervous to meet Hunnigan, but you shouldn’t have been. Similar to how you felt when you met Ada, you could see how Leon liked Hunnigan, and you felt bad for harboring a bit of a vendetta against her. She was nothing but friendly, and she even apologized for the fact that she didn’t let you speak to Leon while he was away. 

“No, it’s okay,” you told her in response, “I understand why you did it”. You hoped she knew what you meant, which was “you got the love of my life home safely, nothing else matters”. 

When it came time for you to open your gifts, you realized the purpose of baby showers. Clothes, bibs, pacifiers, diapers, you name it, you got it. 

You weren’t expecting a gift from Leon. After you’d opened your gifts from the rest of the partygoers, Leon stood up, and said, “Can I take my turn now?”

A hush fell over the room, as many of your friends were privy to the event that was about to unfold. Leon got down on one knee. 

“Yes!” You said before he could open his mouth to give you a speech he’d prepared and immediately forgotten. It all amounted to “I love you”, his mantra when it came to you, plus four new words: “Will you marry me?”

You nodded with your face already buried in his neck, hiding your tears from the audience that surrounded you, clapping as they watched the spectacle unfold before their eyes. 

Leon slid the ring onto your finger. It fit perfectly. “How’d you know my size?”

“You’re a heavy sleeper.”

“You measured my finger in my sleep?”

“I sure did.”

“You did a good job picking out the cut, too.”

“I had some assistance,” he admitted, looking at Claire and Jill, who were both grinning ear-to-ear. 

As were you.  

A package arrived a day after the shower. No return address. It had your name on it, but Leon insisted on being the one to open it because he was paranoid about it being anthrax or whatever. It was not anything deadly. It was a gift, in fact. A teddy bear with a note that said, “Congratulations!” signed “A.W.”, and you both knew who it was. Ada, of course. 

“Aw,” you said, “that’s so thoughtful. I wish we knew her address so we could send her a thank you note.”

“Very thoughtful,” Leon echoed your words, but they seemed to hold a greater weight when he said them. 

“What?” you asked when you noticed the amusement on his face. 

He told you about the charm on the key to the jetski - the one Ada gave him back in Spain when he was famously rescuing the president’s daughter. 

“Would Ashley recognize it?”

“Maybe. Why?”

“I was gonna text her.”

“You have her number?”

“Yeah, she gave it to me. I’m stealing your friends and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

The baby arrived early. On Halloween of all nights. Your water broke at a get-together with friends. You couldn’t party while pregnant, but you could eat a fuckton of candy and wear a cute costume. Leon drove you to the hospital without changing his - or your - clothes, so you both showed up in costume. One day you would be able to tell Matilda how you and Leon were dressed as Daphne and Fred from Scooby Doo the day you got to meet her. What To Expect When You’re Expecting did not contain any information about how to prepare for labor when you’re wearing a Halloween costume. Like most of life’s greatest joys, Matilda Grace Kennedy took her sweet time to arrive after a long, exhausting labor.

It was all worth it. One night, looking down at your baby girl you sang to her as Leon looked upon you both fondly.

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.

You make me happy when skies are gray.

You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you.

I love you more and more everyday.

The other night, dear, while I was sleeping,

I dreamt I held you in my arms.

When I awoke, dear, I was so happy

That I hugged you all day long. 

You’d noticed the confusion on Leon’s face towards the end of the first verse, but he didn’t comment until the song was over. Once he was done clapping for you - which made you roll your eyes - he said, “The lyrics - did you change them? Or am I misremembering the song?”

“My mom changed them. She used to sing to me when I was a baby, and she thought the song was too sad so she made up her own words. They’re hers, not mine, but I’m gonna pass them on.”

“How does the original go?”

“The ending of the first verse is ‘please don’t take my sunshine away’, and the ending of the second verse is ‘I was so sorry that I hung my head and cried’.”

“Those are depressing. Yours are better. Plus, you have a beautiful voice.”

“You’re just saying that.”

“I’m not. If you sang to me, I’d fall asleep, too,” Leon said, pointing to Matilda who was passed out in your arms. 

One afternoon, you heard Leon in his home office - he was singing something. You approached quietly, knowing that if he heard you, he’d stop. On your tiptoes, you pressed your ear against the door, and heard him singing your mother’s version of You Are My Sunshine. It was a catchy tune. 

You didn’t tell him about it at the time, but that night, he was holding Matilda in the rocking chair in her nursery, and you walked in to find him singing it to her. You started to tear up and couldn’t even blame it on the pregnancy hormones anymore. 

Leon didn’t notice you standing in the doorway. He was much too focused on the little girl in his arms. Towards the end of the song, he stopped, forgetting the lyrics, so you jumped in and sang the ending for him. 

“I didn’t know you were standing there.”

“I know. I didn’t want to say anything because I didn’t want you to stop. You have a beautiful voice.”

“You’re just saying that.”

“She likes it.” You pointed towards the sleeping baby. 

“I wish I could sleep like her.”

Once Matilda started sleeping through the night, so did you and Leon. According to scientists, dreams are our subconscious processing our waking hours, reliving our days in fragments. Agent Kennedy - briefly Officer Kennedy - a man married to his work who carried a gun as his sidekick, had frequent nightmares. Leon S. Kennedy, your husband who carried a little girl up on his shoulders while you walked alongside the Potomac on spring mornings when the cherry blossoms were in bloom, had only good dreams.  

[lvnleah]

୨⎯ Masterlist ⎯୧

AWFC x Reader ✧˚ · .

• Rough Flights

whilst on a flight to Australia, you become travel sick and experience the worst flight you've ever been on. (Leah, Steph and Caitlin x reader)

Alessia Russo ✧˚ · .

• Moving Day

it’s moving day and your wife, Alessia, gets protective over you due to you being pregnant.

• Sunrise Mornings

your three year old twins decided to wake you up at 5am so you spend the morning at the beach watching the sunrise.

Beth Mead ✧˚ · .

• Valentine’s Day

it’s valentine day and your wife, Beth, surprises you throughout the day and makes you feel like the luckiest girl ever.

Leah Williamson ✧˚ · .

• Thunderstorm Cuddles

Leah comforts her you and your four year old daughter when a thunderstorm happens during the night as both of you have a fear of thunderstorms.

• Passing Shadows

You're a nurse and your job gets a little too much so your fiance, Leah, helps you do a different career.

• Drunken Kisses 18+

after years of you and Leah being best friends you drunkenly sleep together after the last game of the season. you agree to stay just friends but things change between the pair of you, leading to awkwardness and you both avoiding each other.

• Matilda series

a teen reader struggles with endometriosis and doesn't have the best relationship with her parents meaning three of her teammates become mother like figures towards her.

• Lazy Mornings

You and Leah have a slow and lazy morning together during her day off.

• The Last Time

you and Leah breakup.

• Euros Glory

you and your daughter watch on from the stands as your wife, Leah, wins the euros.

Lia Wälti ✧˚ · .

• Protective Love

You get injured and Lia Wälti becomes a protective girlfriend.

• Healing Whispers

you get a concussion and Lia becomes your very own nurse.

• Secret Transfers

You and Lia have been dating for five years and Arsenal put in an offer for you. You accept it but keep it all a secret from Lia.

• Movie Nights

a team bonding movie night makes you and Lia realise you have feelings for each other.

Lotte Wubben-Moy ✧˚ · .

• Auntie Duties

You and Lotte babysit your niece and nephew for the evening.

My Series ✧˚ · .

• Matilda series

a teen reader struggles with endometriosis and doesn't have the best relationship with her parents meaning three of her teammates become mother like figures towards her.

• The Williamson’s

follow the journey of Leah and her wife as they become parents for the very first time.

• Double The Love

Leah Williamson x Lia Wälti and their daughter Sage 💗

—

update days are usually Sunday and Wednesday or Thursday. I take my time writing my fics so update days may vary depending on how much time I’ve had that week. Requests usually take 2-3 weeks.

© lvnleah | 2024 you do not have permission to steal, rewrite, or translate any of my works.

[vamphorica]

How would a female Mello, matt, and Near be?

absolutely wonderful question, anon, thank you so much. if you've been on my blog for any length of time, it is probably not surprising that i've given this a lot of thought and, putting aside my intricate transgender speculations for the time being, let's gender swap the wammy's creatures, and consider how that could impact their narratives within death note.

note: i will still be referring to all three using he/him pronouns, but this is not intended to be intentionally contrary. feel free to substitute whatever pronouns your heart desires throughout.

♀ mello -> mihaela may be a little bit obvious, haha, but if mihael is a croatian name that means 'who is like god', and we need to retain the letter 'm' for obvious reasons, i think it works well as a feminine alternative name. mello is relatively androgynous as an alias, if not slightly masculine, but i think it is fine given what i'm about to talk about.

mello's canonical gender expression is already nonconformative, so it is interesting to speculate what he would he look like if he were a girl. one of my absolute favourite genderbent depictions of mello is this piece by thekatzone because it still retains mello's visual ambiguity but in the opposite direction. i do think he would dress more masculine as a woman not only because his subversive appearance is a very significant aspect to his character, but also because of how it might relate to his position in the mafia.

mello spends a significant amount of time in the manga and anime in hypermasculine environments despite his presentation, and i think it is important to retain this idea even if he were to be genderbent. i do think mello would have had a much harder time, if it was at all possible, in attaining a leadership position within the mafia as a woman. the women who frequent the base are implied to be sex workers, and so i'm genuinely curious as to whether mello would have felt able to approach the organisation as a masculine presenting woman, or whether he'd seek out a different group. in which case, what would that group be? would he have been able to effectively carry out his insane plans in the same capacity?

i have very little doubt mello would still have been ambitious, but i actually don't think that he would have been able to pursue his goal to catch kira before near as he went about it in the series. certainly light would not have taken him seriously if the voice he heard down the phone was higher pitched, and that alone could have greatly impacted how sayu's kidnapping played out, as underestimating mello could have easily resulted in her death.

♀ matt -> apparently mail as a name means 'pleasant', and that is very funny to me. i quite like the name maille, which is irish, so fits nicely with a vague headcanon i haven't fully developed. i also learnt it is the name for a brand of mustard, and i think he would appreciate that. matt as a pseudonym might have to be changed to matilda, or martha.

while i am under no illusion that matt would be the kind of girl to give a shit about their appearance, i do think in another life, he would have made an excellent e-girl twitch streamer. i can imagine him wearing cat ear headphones and miniskirts, and referring to "chat" every five seconds. rest in peace, mail, you would have loved twitch subs.

regarding matt's gender identity in the canon series, i think that it worth considering how he might have responded differently to surveying others as a woman rather than as a man. i think matt's approach to watching others is very informed by his own personal biases, which I think are definitively masculine. The most clear example of this is how he describes misa as "an awfully cute japanese girl" which, while isn't necessarily the worst thing said about a woman in this godforsaken series, demonstrates that matt's perspective on women is superficial at best. this isn't helped either by the fact that he completely fucks up when guessing misa's age, even going so far as referring to her as a "child".

i think a female matt would probably feel the most overwhelmed of the three by societal expectations of women, and may even distance himself away from femininity. i'm not trying to suggest here that matt's comments imply he's misogynistic, but i actually think matt is the most masculine of the wammy's kids, which may be controversial, i don't know. i believe that he retains his masculine personality in this genderbent scenario.

♀ near -> i love the japanese pronunciation of near's name, nia, as a girl's name that he could use as an alias. natania has the same meaning as nate – 'gift of god' – which does not match his character at all, haha, but that is what i managed to come up with.

near is the easiest to consider gender swapping because to me, he's a girl anyway. you can point to his female voice actors in the anime, or his long hair in the 2020 manga one-shot, but he is also so clearly coded as a feminine character, a contrast from not only mello's aggressive impulsivity, but the masculine environment of law enforcement. with halle as a notable exception (who herself is very masculine, but another post, perhaps), near is markedly different from every other character in the series. some might say he resembles his predecessor, but i think they are very distinct from one another as characters.

my personal opinion relating to mello and near's gender identities (which you may disagree with) is that mello expresses his gender ambiguity externally whereas near does so internally. essentially, if we interpret them both as androgynous, mello's appearance is far more expressive of this, whereas near's behaviour is his more nonconformative trait. this can be a slightly tricky area to navigate as it's important not to dive headfirst into gender essentialism, but i think near's mannerisms can, and should, be explored here.

girl near would still be able to work as head of the spk, without the disadvantages girl mello would face to become head of the mafia. i really don't think there would be much in the way of significant plot deviance if near was female, other than maybe light freaking out over the fact he was caught by a woman, which would be very funny. in the one shot, near's internal androgyny has manifested itself as a more external expression, and i really like that decision.

to conclude, i do love the concept of the wammy's girls, and i think it invites some interesting discussions relating to how femininity is often dismissed in death note. there's a lot of creativity in genderbending characters. mello, matt and near each have complex and interesting traits that are very fun to explore when thinking about them from this perspective.

[anti-kawaii-daily]

Anti-Kawaii Character Archetypes You'll Probably See Here Part 1

Yandere: Arguably the most well-known "Anti-Kawaii" character archetype in pop culture. The word "Yandere" is a portmanteau of the Japanese word yanderu or 病やんでる in the original kanji (which is another way to say that you or someone is mentally sick, not to be confused with Menhera), and the word deredere or デレデレ in it's original kanji (this word basically means "lovey-dovey").

This archetype consists of character who when they fall in love with someone, they fall harder than most normal people. By that I mean that they obsess over their love interest in ways ranging from mildly unhealthy all the way to destructive to themselves or others. The most known type of Yandere is the type that hurts or kills anyone who may try to "take" the love interest away from them, but Yandere behavior is more of a spectrum than a one-size-fits-all type of situation. And despite most people associating this archetype with unstable, knife wielding, boy-crazy girls, Yanderes can be of any gender identity and sexual orientation.

Here is an example of some characters that fit into this archetype:

Left to Right: Yuno Gasai (Future Diary), Kotonoha Katsura (School Days), Himiko Toga (My Hero Academia), Alex Forrest (Fatal Attraction) and Eobard Thawne/Reverse Flash (DC Comics)

Yangire: Other than the Yandere archetype mentioned above, whenever someone thinks of crazy and violent characters in Japanese media, they tend to refer to the Yangire archetype. The word is a portmanteau of the word yanderu or 病やんでる but unlike the archetype above, the "dere" is replaced by the word gire or ギレ in kanji and gire basically means "to snap".

This archetype consists of a character who may be a decent or maybe even a nice person, but if they were to snap in a mental breakdown, then they get very aggressive, violent, dangerous and unpredictable. There are commonly two types of Yangire characters: they either A, have a split personality or any other mental illness that makes them act violent; or B, they just happen to be cruel and deranged people. But occasionally there are characters who are a mix of both. What truly separates Yangires from Yanderes is that Yanderes tend to do messed up things out of love, while Yangires do messed up things because they can.

Here is an example of some characters that fit into this archetype:

Left to right: Kurumi Tokisaki (Date A Live), Rena Ryugu (Higurashi: When They Cry), Yoshikage Kira (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure), The Postal Dude (Postal series), and Agatha Trunchbull (Matilda)

Dorodere: A lesser known "Anti-Kawaii" character archetype, this term's name is a mixture of the word "dorodoro" (ドロドロ in the original kanji) which translates as muddled or confused, and the word deredere or デレデレ.

This is a character archetype that refers to characters who are mentally disturbed, or has lots of bad feelings (such as grudges or resentment) towards people like their loved ones, but they hide all of that behind a sweet and friendly façade. In western countries this archetype was misunderstood as describing a character that has violent thoughts but who doesn't act on them, but Doroderes while mostly malicious, they can reach a level of violence similar to a Yandere or a Yangire once their true nature is revealed. In most cases there are two types of a Dorodere; type 1 Doroderes have the character genuinely liking their love interest/best friend and type 2 Doroderes who feel a mixture of love and hatred. What separates these two types is that with type 1 characters their "doro" side is hidden by the "dere" side, while with type 2 characters their "doro" side has a small amount of "dere" in there.

Here is an example of some characters that fit into this archetype:

Left to right: Luca Trulyworth (Air Tonelico), Nagito Komaeda (Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair), Makima (Chainsaw Man), Billy Loomis (Scream) and The Other Mother (Coraline)

[igncrxntripley]

masterlist & rules

requests are CLOSED!!

HELLLOOOO EVERYONE!!! thanks so much for stopping by! before you make any requests, please read through the following rules. thank you!!

requests will be posted as i have time to write them; i cannot promise they’ll be posted immediately 

i write smut, fluff, angst, and have shared some prompt posts on my page that i’m more than happy to use in a request 

i reserve the right to not fulfill a request if it is something i do not feel comfortable writing or feel as though i cannot do the subject matter justice

if you don’t specify if you’re requesting headcanons or an imagine or anything else, i will choose what ends up being written

my limits on smut are as follows:

i will NOT write anything with virginity/taking virginity/anything non-consensual (including CNC), gore/extreme violence, pedophilia, incest, or ageplay/age regression. everything else is fair game unless the request makes me very uncomfortable 

the people listed in my masterlist are who i usually write for, but the following is a more comprehensive list

the judgement day as a whole

rhea ripley

damian priest

dominik mysterio

finn balor

seth rollins

becky lynch

liv morgan

brooks jensen

josh briggs

house of black members - mostly malaki black and buddy matthews

adam page

jon moxley

jungle boy

if you have a specific person to request that is not in this list, please still request them and depending on who it is i may still fulfill the request if i feel as though i can give you what you’re looking for

please check the masterlist to see if a request has been fulfilled already

when sending a request, please make sure you include who to write for, what you’d like me to write (specifics are nice, but too specific is tricky), and a prompt from a list if that’s what you’d like. also specify if you’d like headcanons or a drabble. 

check here for all of my writings! i’ll have them organized by series/superstar and hopefully this makes it a lot easier to access everything! i’ll update as things are posted! ❤️

their secret weapon (the judgement day):

regular series: pt. 1 pt. 2 pt. 3 pt. 4 pt. 5 pt. 6 pt. 7 pt. 8 pt. 9 pt. 10 (written by @witcherfromwallachia ) pt. 10 (my version) pt. 11 pt. 12 pt. 13 pt. 14

headcanons: secret weapon’s aesthetic

headcanons: secret weapon and dominik

headcanons: secret weapon and finn

headcanons: finn’s a meanie

headcanons: in sickness and in health

headcanons: secret weapon and rhea

headcanons: secret weapon and damian

headcanons: movie marathon

their secret weapon: little black dress

their secret weapon: tag team

their secret weapon: spa night

their secret weapon: happy birthday 

their secret weapon: hall of fame

their secret weapon: and new...

their secret weapon: bad dreams

their secret weapon: first kisses

their secret weapon: attack (work in progress)

damian priest:

haters gonna hate

headcanons: meeting the parents

double trouble 

sworn enemies (spy!au)

becky lynch:

backstabber

it takes two to punish a brat (w/ rhea ripley)

brooks jensen:

headcanons: brooks jensen’s buckle bunny

giddy up

dominik mysterio:

loss

sunshine and snuggles

winners 

headcanons: bully

headcanons: father’s day surprise

rhea ripley:

nerves

blood is thicker than water

matilda 

headcanons: thunderstorms

forgiveness

headcanons: friends with benefits

finn balor:

backstage admirer

deal with a demon (series):

pt. 1 pt. 2 pt. 3

cody rhodes:

attention

‘jungle boy’ jack perry

one more night

[thegreathuxton]

Came and Never Left

Pairing: Anthony Lockwood x fem! Reader (No use of Y/N)

Inspired by "The Day That I Met You" by Matilda Mann.

Summary: "You're wasting your potential at Bunchurch, you know... Call me, and I will take care of you. I promise."

Warnings: I'VE READ THE BOOKS SO THERE MIGHT BE SPOILERS. Cannon-typical violence. Reader has parent issues (Father isn't in the picture, and mother just passed). Depictions of death/homicide. Slight mentions of the reader being bullied/put down by coworkers.

A/N: Maybe series incoming? Idk, we'll wait and see. BTW, don't worry about the little numbers. I like separating my work into sections, just in case you accidentally close out and lose your place. Just remember Chapter/Part Whatever, Section 69, or something like that.

(PART 2)

1.

It was pouring outside and just minutes before curfew. You cast a nervous glance at the phone book, sitting on a table by the door. The yellow pages glared with agency ads, especially from Rotwell's and all of their new technology developments, such as iron tape and ghost alarms. The ghost alarm was bogus, you found. It was nothing but a rod, some spiderweb, and a bell attached to the end. It did ring, sure, but incredibly late. Your mother had bought it before she died. It rang an hour after her apparition attacked you in your living room, late one evening. And the iron tape was something you had bought on your own time. It now lined your bedroom walls.

The page the phone book was open to had another agency ad in particular that made you antsy. The silver and black stood out against the vomit-yellow color.

A. J. LOCKWOOD & COMPANY.

Beneath was a phone number, provided for leisure. They were small and they were cheap. And you knew no one from that company, which made you feel better.

There was a sudden knock on the door that broke your attention away from the book. You took a deep breath, fixed your wool cardigan so it covered you (you didn't think about the way this was a very grade-school English teacher moment), and unlocked the door. You expected a team to be at your front door, but no. Just one boy, about your age. Tall, strikingly handsome, and charming without having said a word. He was dressed in a fine-pressed suit, which was only kept dry by the stark black umbrella looming above his head.

"Good evening," he said. His voice emulated milk and honey. "My name is Anthony Lockwood, head of Lockwood & Co. I've been informed of your situation, and I'm here to help. May I come in?"

2.

You brought him to the kitchen and put on the kettle. He sat down at the table and had a few biscuits that you politely offered to him before sitting down across from him, nervously twiddling your thumbs and trying to act natural. You didn't want to make yet another enemy from an agency other than the one you were currently employed at.

He ate while flipping through the week-old newspaper. Once he was done, he sat back and smiled at you. It was like the sun had just come blasting right through your window. You sat up straight, and he fixed his tie.

"So, you're an agent as well?" He asked you so bluntly, but his smile never faded.

"I am..." You murmured back, unable to meet his gaze now.

"I'm sorry to sound so rude. I just noticed the rapier and work belt hanging by the door when I first stepped inside. Which agency are you from? Rotwell? Fittes?"

"Bunchurch," you said. "My mother worked there when she was a kid, as a researcher, and she was one of their biggest donors and contributors into their own research of The Problem before she passed."

"Ah, I'm sorry to hear that. What talent do you possess?" He showed a brief amount of sympathy before moving on.

"I'm an all-rounder, as my supervisor likes to put it. I'm pretty mediocre at everything there is. I do some field work, but..." You trailed off. "They usually stick me on the research end of things."

Lockwood nodded, once again, sympathetic.

"Again, I'm sorry to hear that, but I must ask you something." He then leans forward. His hands come together, and he rests his forearms on the table. "Why did you call on us rather than Bunchurch?"

You stiffened at the question. He was forward and all business. You obliged him, not wanting to be a burden.

"They don't exactly treat me as well as some would want to think," you began, fingers now mindlessly picking at your mother's choice of tablecloth. You stuck your pinky finger through a small burn hole, left by one of her cigarettes. "And if I told them I couldn't deal with one measly ghost on my own, they'd probably laugh and put me out on the street..."

You look back up again, and Lockwood's eyes are glued to you. His eyes are such a pretty brown color. You look away again.

"What makes you say you can't deal with the ghost on your own?" Lockwood was very quiet when asking this.

"It's my mother," you said back, equally as quiet. You both sat in silence for quite some time. He took a patient breath.

"How did it happen?"

"Burgurlary gone wrong," you whispered, still picking at the cigarette burn. "I was out on a job. Mom had horrible hearing. She lost the ability to hear out of her right ear when she was fifteen. Some idiot on her team had horrible aim and hit her with a salt bomb. It went off when it hit her face. Robber came right in the dead of night, and she didn't hear him. She woke up and went downstairs just to get some water. Guy thought she had seen him, and just..." You made a gun with your hand and put it to your forehead. You slowly lowered your hand. "Neighbors called the cops. Cops called DEPRAC, and DEPRAC called me while I was on the job."

"And she attacked you?" He asked. You nodded.

"Three AM, just a few nights ago. I went downstairs to get a glass of water, just like she had, and there she was..." You sighed. "She could be rather cold, personality wise, but I never imagined her coming back as a cold maiden."

"Type two?"

You nodded once more, and Lockwood does as well. The kettle started to scream from the stove. You quickly stood up and tended to it.

"English breakfast or Earl Grey?" You asked.

"Earl Grey, please, with a dollop of honey, if you have it."

3.

You helped him set up in the living room. It was the least you could do in exchange for his kindness and patience.

As you laid out a circle using the iron chains he had packed in his dufflebag, he examined the room, all the pictures that hung on the wall, and the traces death-glow left on the wooden floors. Your mother, unfortunately, had been shot on her favorite white carpet. DEPRAC had rolled it up and took it to the furnaces to be incinerated, along with a few other items that had been spattered with blood. Many other items were packed in cardboard boxes.

"Planning on moving, I assume?" He hummed.

"Just to the quarters within Bunchurch for the time being. I can't afford to keep up with rent on the house on my own," you explained and linked the chains perfectly together, just as you were trained to do. You then went to stand beside him as he admired a piece of artwork, just above the fireplace and resting on the mantle. Your mother would always stare at it when she was home. It was like a piece of resistance in her eyes.

When Lockwood tuned to face you, his scent, unburdened by the rain, washed over you. He smelled strongly of freshly clipped lavender and clean laundry. There was also a faint trace of burnt toast and magnesium. He smiled down at you.

"Do you have a safe place to go while I do my business here? Or would you feel better if you supervised?" He said, still smiling and making your heart beat a little faster.

"My room should be safe," you said to him. "As long as that iron tape from Rotwell's holds up."

He laughed at your answer. "One of my associates has a habit of buying that junk too. He rambles all the time about all of that Rotwell nonsense. Can you believe it?"

You smiled back up at him and blushed.

"You have to give them credit. A lot of the stuff they sell is junk, but it can be useful some of the time."

"Oh, spare me," he openly joked with you. "George will definitely get a laugh at that. He went on this huge rant just the other night about the stupid ghost detector stick he bought with his entire paycheck."

You continued with the small banter and kept him company until the old grandfather clock that sat in the corner struck twelve. Lockwood had been sharing jammy dodgers with you that he had tucked in his coat pocket, when the metallic twang rung and had the two of you in a spellbound trance.

Lockwood looked at the clock, checked his watch for the accuracy, and then unclipped the thermometer from his belt. The black box read 17.2 degrees Celsius. He let out a small laugh, chuffed with himself.

"I suppose you best be heading to your iron tape fortress rather quickly," he said while showing you the reading. "It was twenty-four degrees in here about 10 minutes ago."

With that, you both stood. He went to his iron circle and dug in his bag for a moment. When he stood back up, he turned to you.

"I'm sure you have a million and one of these stashed somewhere, but just in case you can't reach one of yours, take one of mine," he grinned and placed a salt bomb in your hands. "It'll give me some peace of mind when you go upstairs."

You smiled down at the thing in your clutches, then nodded, grinning just as big as he was.

"Don't let her bully you," you teased him, tucking the salt bomb in your pants pocket. "She was always kind of mean to strangers."

Lockwood shrugged and kept smiling. He waved you off and watched you disappear upstairs.

4.

You couldn't sleep. You kept thinking about the boy downstairs, doing God knows what in your living room. He was probably sitting in his little protected circle and eating another biscuit. You smiled at the very prospect.

You sat in bed, one hand resting over the salt bomb still sitting snuggly in your pocket, while the other held open a book, but your eyes didn't bother reading anything. Your ears were too busy listening, which took up most of your brain power.

The grandfather clock would echo up the stairs and to your bedroom. One passed, then two, and before you knew it, it was two forty-five. Fifteen minutes before things began to happen.

Each night, at precisely three in the morning, a horrible scream would rock the house. You gave these details to the company working downstairs over the phone. You never dared to explore more, always too terrified of dying at the hands of your mother's spirit to try. Your thumb twitched over the salt bomb again.

You stared at the pages of your book until the clock struck three, and the seconds seemed to slow. Like clockwork, the scream came rippling through the house. It was louder this time. Loud enough, it made you cover your ears.

Five seconds after came the loud BOOM of a magnesium flare and then the CRACK of a salt bomb. Another terrible shriek tore the house asunder and had you putting your house shoes on. You glanced at the clock.

It read 3:06. Another bomb went off, and you heard furniture start to crash and rumble. You gripped the salt bomb in your pocket and then rushed to your closet. The thought that scared you more than facing your undead mother was the thought of another agent, dealing with a dangerous type two ghost and thinking they could do it alone.

You found your grade three rapier. It was shorter than the one you used now, but that one was downstairs by the door, and you couldn't possibly go for it now.

You threw a robe over yourself and threw open your door. The temperature change was horrendous. Your room was a comfortable and warm temperature, but as soon as you stepped beyond the door, you could see your breath perpetrating in the air. Thin layers of ice grew on the walls and cracked at the crumbling wallpaper. Another terrible shriek pierced the air, but it wasn't feminine. It was Lockwood.

You rushed down the stairs and turned to see the scene before you. The walls were burned from salt, magnesium, and ectoplasm. Lockwood had been knocked on his back, and his coat was steaming from the ectoplasm burns. The iron chain had been snapped in two. His rapier was far across the room, stuck in the wall like a decorative art piece. Above him was your mother. Her apparition was blue and terrifying. You could hardly look at her without wanting to turn away and sob. There was still a bullet hole in the center of her apparition's forehead. Tentacles of ectoplasm lashed out at Lockwood as he laid on the floor, and he was trying his best to dodge each one. He was out of flares and out of time.

That was, until you rushed to his aid.

You unclipped the salt bomb and threw it. It exploded and blinded both you and Lockwood. Your mother screeched and disappeared briefly, but she was quick to start reforming. You ran to Lockwood and helped him stand up by his shoulders. His eyes were wide and wild and he loomed at you with his mouth agape. You stared back, just breathing hard and speechless. Your heart was going a mile a minute. His eyes suddenly flicked away from you. He grabbed you by your waist and pulled you to the side quickly. He slammed his back against the wall and kept you tight to his chest. You realized he had just pulled you out of the way from another lash from an ectoplasm tentacle.

"I thought you wanted to stay with your iron tape fortress!" He panted, smiling at you as he let you go.

"I couldn't let you deal with her alone," you said back, then turned to face the bigger problem in the room. Your mother had reformed herself, right in front of the chimney. She screamed again, and it rattled your brain inside your head. You screamed back and threw your rapier.

The point of the blade struck her blue chest. Her apparition disappeared as the blade went entirely through her and landed in her favorite painting on the mantle, like a dart in a board. You watched the blade shake and then still. Steam bellowed from it.

"The fireplace," Lockwood muttered and he came to stand beside you. "The source has got to be in the fireplace."

You nodded in agreement.

Lockwood approached his dufflebag quickly and retrieved a silver net. He pulled his rapier from the wall and looked to you.

"You go up there, and I'll watch for her. Okay?"

He gave the silver net to you. It wasn't an option anymore. You both cautiously approached the fireplace, and another screech rang from the house and shook the ice-chipped, ectoplasm stained walls.

"Not getting any younger here, Bunchurch," he said cooly, keeping his rapier steadily pointed while his eyes flickered all over the room, carefully watching.

You wasted no more time, climbing into the fireplace with no light. You relied on your hands, feeling the bricks and only finding thick grime and soot.

"Lockwood!" You called. "I'm not getting anything! I don't think it's here!"

"I think it is," Lockwood said, now sounding tense. "Because your mom's back, and if you thought getting a spanking with a wooden spoon was bad, you're definitely going to hate what she's about to do here in about ten seconds or so."

You searched all the more frantically, and you stretched up on your tippy-toes. Your fingers dived into a mesh of spiderwebs suddenly, and it took all of your willpower not to pull your hands away and wretch with disgust. You dug deeper, wincing as you heard the visitor scream again. Your hands then felt something wooden lodged between a couple of bricks. With no hesitation left, you grabbed it and yanked it down. You wrapped it in the silver net, and as soon as you did, all was silent. You could hear the ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner and Lockwood's loud panting.

5.

You crawled out of the fireplace, and the first thing you saw was Lockwood's smiling face. He put both of his hands on your shoulders and beamed so brightly at you.

"Well done, Bunchurch!"

You began to beam, too.

He took the silver net from you and set it somewhere safe, where it wouldn't be disturbed.

"Did you see what it was?" He asked you and took a seat on the floor. The couches were still thawing from the bitter cold and the walls now dripped from melting ice.

"No," you sighed. "A box, I think."

He hummed. You sat on the floor with him, next to him. He produced a bar of chocolate from his now near-empty duffle bag. He split it with you, and you made a new kettle of tea in the kitchen, where you both soon moved to sit more comfortably.

"Hang on a second," he suddenly mumbled to you. "You've got soot all over your face. Let me get it for you."

He wet a napkin and then approached you. The smell of lavender was overwhelmed by the magnesium, but still there all the same. He wiped at your cheeks and forehead with the wet napkin and got as much grime as he could while the water in the kettle started to boil. He was so gentle with you, it made you blush profusely, and his eyes had a new gleam to them that you hadn't seen when he first stepped foot into your house.

"If you want," he spoke softly while using his other hand to tilt your chin up more, "I could stay with you until dawn and we can see what the source was in the morning, when it's safe."

You thought about it for quite some time, then shook your head.

"No... I don't think I really want to know what it is," you sighed and looked up at him. He had paused with dabbing the napkin and now just mindlessly rubbed your chin with his gentle thumb. "I've spent the past two weeks trying to heal after her death. I think seeing what it is will put me back quite a bit."

Lockwood stood there for some time, just gazing at you while you spoke. He dropped his hands and nodded, finally, after some time of thought.

"As you wish, Bunchurch. I'll take it to the furnaces first thing," he smiled at you, and you smiled back. He placed a comforting hand on your shoulder, and you placed your hand on top of his, in return. You saw the pink rise to his pale cheeks, and he gave you the faintest hint of a laugh. He stayed with you for some tea and a light, congratulatory breakfast. Not long after that, he was packing his things and getting ready to leave.

6.

"You know," he spoke softly as you walked him to the door. "You saved my life tonight. You'd be surprised at how many people there are in this world who wouldn't do the same."

You smiled at him.

"From one agent to another," you said with sincere warmth in your tone. He smiled back at you.

Dawn was just beginning to peak in through the window above your front door. He turned to face you just as you reached for the handle.

He stuck his hand in his coat pocket and brought out a small business card. Scrawled on it was the same name and number you had gotten from the yellow pages.

"What is this?" You murmured, confused. It took you a moment to realize that the number on the card was different in the slightest of ways.

"It's my personal phone number. We have two phones. One for business and one for other things. Give us a ring sometime, using that number," he spoke and pointed to the card. "You're wasting your potential at Bunchurch, you know. The way you acted tonight more than proved you deserve to work on the field rather than some dusty library. Lockwood & Company will always have room for more people like you." He cupped your hand, the one holding the business card, and curled your fingers around it for you so you could hold on tight to it. His hands were warm and comforting around yours. His warm, brown eyes never left you. "Call me, and I will take care of you. I promise."

It seemed like only a few heartbeats before he was gone. You watched from one of your living room windows as he went to the corner of your road and hailed a cab. You sat and watched his cab drive away, still clutching the card, just knowing from the feeling you got, you'd be leaving your job at Bunchurch very soon.

[claire-starsword]

Sheela always gave me the impression of being the oldest or at least oldest-sounding woman in this team, but paying attention, she and Sarah are the two members with the highest voices actually, on par with most young girl NPCs. Taya, Janet and May have a slightly deeper voice on par with the adult woman NPCs (I think May's has a slight difference but I can't confirm due to the sudden storm that decide to boom just now).

Meanwhile Karna has a noticeable deeper voice that's on par with Eric, Peter, and other male characters. So that's a peculiar fact.

[bethanydelleman]

do you have any book recommendations beyond classic lit + Jane Austen? Love your blog by the way!

Thanks! I read/have read a ton of books. My favourite genre as a child was fantasy, but I read almost everything except true crime*, thrillers, murder mysteries, self-help, and biography. But I do sometimes read those, my favourite thriller is Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney. I'm going to start with children's books because honestly, I find so much imagination in that genre.

Children's/YA Books: Gail Carson Levine, specifically The Princess Tales 1 & 2, and Ella Enchanted, among others Jean Little/Kit Pearson - these authors have the same vibe to me. Willow and Twig is a favourite from the first one, The Guests of War trilogy and Awake and Dreaming from the other. They both write coming of age novels for girls, both Canadian. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs - I loved the whole trilogy (haven't watched the movie). The story being based around real antique trick photos is my favourite part The Echorium Sequence by Katherine Roberts - a trilogy of books about magical singers with blue hair and their interactions with half-human magical creatures Margaret Peterson Haddix, specifically Running Out of Time, the Shadow Children series, and Double Identity. Margaret Buffie, who writes stories about teenage girls and ghosts. Also Canadian, which I guess isn't that surprising. The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. Re-read it last summer and it's as good as I remembered. Roald Dahl, I really loved Matilda as a child, it's been fun to read some of these novels with my kids. Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar - and it's sequels. Amazingly quirky and funny stories about a class of students in a weird school

Fantasy: Mercedes Lackey, specifically the Five Hundred Kingdoms series and The Obsidian universe. I also loved the Elvenbane series, but due to the death of Andre Norton it may never be finished. I would advise caution if sexual assault is triggering for you, the ones I like are mostly free of it but that can come up in her other works. Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien - obviously. Also loved The Hobbit, have not read further The Broken Earth trilogy by N.K. Jemisin - the book opens with the triggering of an apocalypse. The world contains people who can control earthquakes A Baroque Fable by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro - this book is so hilarious but I don't know if anyone has heard about it Once Upon a Winter's Night by Dennis L. McKiernan - and it's sequels. This is a romance retold fairy tale series

Science Fiction: Michael Crichton - who spans a bunch of genres but I'll put him here. I've read everything he's written and I recommend most of it. State of Fear has not aged well. His books are very fast-paced and Timeline has one of the best enemies to lovers. Orson Scott Card - I am aware, but Ender's Game is a masterpiece. He also has this single novel called Magic Street that is a sequel to A Midsummer Night's Dream. I also loved Memories of Earth but it's been a while since I read it. I, Robot by Issac Asimov - short stories about artificial intelligence and how it might go weird

Graphic novels: Astro City by Kurt Busiek - superhero, but more focused on how living in that world would affect normal people Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra - every male on earth dies, except for one, and his monkey Fables by Bill Willlingham - after being attacked by an army of wooden soldiers, fairy tale characters and creatures seek refuge in a non-magical world (ours) Nimona by ND Stevenson - a villain gains a shape-shifting sidekick, but she is not what she seems Scurry by Mac Smith - post-apocalyptic earth, the main characters are all surviving mice. Best artwork I've ever seen in a graphic novel American Vampire by Scott Snyder- vampires have different traits depending on their home country, this is about the new, American species. Asterix and Obelix by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo - a small group of powerful Gauls defend themselves against the Romans using a magical potion

Non Fiction: Stephan Pinker, I've read both of his trilogies on language and the brain. Trying to get through his huge book about violence The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks - writen by a neurologist, fascinating book Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick by Maya Dusenbery - what it says on the tin

Toddler/Young Child Books: The Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone - I give you a 100% guarantee that if you read this book aloud, the kids will be fascinated. It is literally always a hit Robert Munsch - most of his books are amazing, but if you don't want to cry, DO NOT read the backstory of Love You Forever. The Paper Bag Princess was one of my favourites as a child. Little Critter - only the older ones, the new ones are religious for some reason. Just for You and I Was So Mad were favourites for my kids. Early lesson in unreliable narrators. Phoebe Gilman - Something From Nothing, the Jillian Jiggs series, The Balloon Tree... so many good ones! Really good illustrations too Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal - a book about a pea who hates eating candy. This book is fun to read and my kids loved it (I have the box set) The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak - kids love when adults have to do weird things I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen - perfect opportunity to do a lot of funny voices The Mitten by Jan Brett - a whole bunch of animals squeeze into a mitten. That's the whole thing. It's great. The Very Cranky Bear by Nick Bland - and the rest of the series. These are fun to read because they rhyme. Jonathan Stutzman - my kids LOVE Tiny T. Rex and the Llama series. We haven't read the others An Elephant & Piggie by Mo Willems - we have this entire series, they are a delight. An elephant and pig are very silly friends. Good drawings Dr. Seuss - be careful with him though, his books are quite long and can be hard to read, so I recommend waiting until your kids are a bit older. But The Lorax slaps and my personal favourite as a kid was The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins

Other: Still Alice by Lisa Genova - or any of her books really. She is a neuroscientist and her books are really interesting explorations of different disorders. Book is better than the movie Warm Bodies by Issac Marion - zombie Romeo and Juliet Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder - a novel that is also an intro to philosophy course Calvin and Hobbes - I own all of them, so excited for when my kids can understand them. I also love The Far Side, Zits, and the earlier Dilbert comics The Women in Black by Madeleine St. John - this book is absolutely charming. I saw the Netflix movie and then bought it right away.

*I avoid true crime because I have heard that the genre causes harassment to victim's families

General Note: I am aware that some of these authors are now considered controversial, some for more serious reasons than others. Sometimes flawed people make really good art. I mean, flawed people make all art because nobody on earth is perfect.

[femmehysteria]

Best Character Named X Poll

FOLLOW @best-character-named-x-poll

I'm doing a series of "Best Character Named X" polls where all the characters have the same first name but are from completely different media, feel free to send in name/charcacter suggestions, I'm posting one poll a day. New polls scheduled for 1:30PM GMT everyday.

ask box closed for now

WILL BE POSTING POLLS ON @best-character-named-x-poll FROM FEB 1ST

If your favourite character is not included in the poll very sorry i have either never heard of them or actively chose not to include them as theres only 6 characters per poll. Characters will only count of that is their first name, surnames do not count.

Round 85: David

Round 86: Tiffany

Round 87: Charlie

Round 88: Sandy

Round 89: Cody

Round 90: Amanda

Round 91: Jeremy

Past Polls and Poll Ideas under the cut

Names that I have a complete list for*

Caroline, Tyler, Louis, Leonard, Rebecca, Steve, Nicole, Isabelle, Victoria, Katherine, Jade, Alex, Sophie, Greg, Jake, Ellie, Isaac, Robin, Tony, Annie, Lisa, Margaret, Oliver, Clark, Kara, Phoebe, Emma, Ruby, Bart, Alfie, Beth, Julian, Nancy, Penny, Margaret, Tessa, Erica, Theresa, George, Kevin, Sebastian, Felix, Martin, Michael, Erin, Caleb, Helen, Charlotte, Kyle, Martha, Diana, Elsa, Gary, Zoe, Connor, Colin, Daisy, Eric, Maya, Adam, Andy, Magnus, Alma, Nora, Alice, Spike, Leon, Marcel, Kim, Juno, Sue, Chris, Otto, Donald, Daphne, Kate, Todd, Ned, Ken, Angel, Judy, Jo, Hazel, Naomi, Diego, Miranda, Joel, Lila, Duncan, Dexter, Meredith, Pearl, Lily, Malcolm, Napolean, Joan, Nico, Jamie, Nadia, Velma, Jill, Kiera, Rory, Evan, Tam, Klaus, Neil, Derek, Michelle, Luna, Laila, Cordelia, Zack, Imogen, Felicity, Cindy, Alicia, Kelly, Alan, April, Astrid, Delilah, Jodie, Claudia, Juliet, Karen, Jonas, Milo, Celia, Hannah, Joy, Ethan, Katya, Aria, Atticus, Ian, Cynthia, Faye, Frank, Boo, River, Corey, Gabrielle, Minerva, Ebony, Zia, Beverly, Rudy, Georgina

Names I have an incomplete list for (welcome to send character suggestions)

Richter, Sean, Troy, Cain, Agatha, Warren, Percy, Reggie, Mina, Ryan, Felicia, Dylan, Josh, Shirley, Debbie, Jared, June, Mabel, Ray, Chad, Moe, Hugh, Fearne, Christine, Joe, August, May, Scarlet, Alana, Leela, Manny, Dean, Francis, Mason, Oscar, Quinn, Guy, Ulrich, Wally, Yasmin, Tobias, Woody, Sabrina, Quentin, Margot, Alina, Matilda, Freya, Kendra, Angus, Ophelia, Leisel, Zelda, Adora, Piper, Scarlet, Sheila, Valentine, Laurie, Laurel, Fitz, Violet, Gabriel, Ford, Artemis, Owen, Bianca, Newton, Summer, Darcy, Noah, Taylor, Miriam, Hugh, Aurora, Hank, Henry, Dawn, Delia, Cosmo, Wanda, Zeke, Cecil, Aiden, Calvin, Ayesha, Beatrice, Parker, Chase, Hunter, Tina, Misty, Amaya, Amara, Harvey, Talia, Tatiana, Tanya, Orion, Eugene, Kit, Bo, Duke, Blue, Cameron, Rudolf, Mara, Marianne, Carl

Feel free to send more suggestions

*subject to change, you can still submit a character if there is no strikethrough if you think theres a character that its an absolute crime i dont add. Please don't suggest anything for the names with a strikethrough as they are polls that are already in my queue waiting to be published.

Past Polls

Round 1: Peter : WINNER: Peter Parker (Spider-Man)

Round 2: Elizabeth : WINNER: Elizabeth Swann (Pirates of the Caribbean)

Round 3: Jason : WINNER: Jason Mendoza (The Good Place)

Round 4: Eve : WINNER: EVE (WALL-E)

Round 5: Fred : WINNER: Fred Jones (Scooby-Doo)

Round 6: Rachel : WINNER: Rachel (Animorphs)

Round 7: Arthur : WINNER: Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)

Round 8: Amy : WINNER: Amy Pond (Doctor Who)

Round 9: Tom : WINNER: Tom (Tom and Jerry)

Round 10: Claire : WINNER: Clare Devlin (Derry Girls)

Round 11: James : WINNER: James (Pokemon)

Round 12: Max : WINNER: Max (Black Sails)

Round 13: Simon : WINNER: Simon Belmont (Castlevania)

Round 14: Jane : WINNER: Jane Crocker (Homestuck)

Round 15: Victor : WINNER: Victor Nikiforov (Yuri On Ice)

Round 16: Mary : WINNER: Mary Poppins (Mary Poppins)

Round 17: Will : WINNER: Will Graham (Hannibal)

Round 18: Laura : WINNER: Laura Palmer (Twin Peaks)

Round 19: Ben : WINNER: Ben "Obi-Wan" Kenobi (Star Wars)

Round 20: Chloe : WINNER: Chloe Price (Life Is Strange)

Round 21: John : WINNER: Jonathan Sims (The Magnus Archives)

Round 22: Lydia : WINNER: Lydia Deetz (Beetlejuice)

Round 23: Mark : WINNER: Marc Spector (Moon Knight)

Round 24: Jess : WINNER: Jesse Pinkman (Breaking Bad)

Round 25: Theo : WINNER: Theobald Gumbar (Dimension 20: A Crown Of Candy)

Round 26: Sarah: WINNER: Sarah Jane Smith (Doctor Who)

Round 27: Richard : WINNER: Richard Gansey III (The Raven Cycle)

Round 28: Cass : WINNER: Cassandra Cain (Batman)

Round 29: Edward : WINNER: Edward Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist)

Round 30: Carm : WINNER: Carmen Sandiego (Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?)

Round 31: Hal : WINNER: HAL9000 (2001: A Space Odyssey)

Round 32: Sid : WINNER: Sydney Adamu (The Bear)

Round 33: Jack : WINNER: Captain Jack Harkness (Doctor Who)

Round 34: Stephanie : WINNER: Stephanie Brown (Batman)

Round 35: Ash : WINNER: Ash Ketchum (Pokemon)

Round 36: Veronica : WINNER: Veronica Sawyer (Heathers)

Round 37: Kurt : WINNER: Kurt Wagner aka Nightcrawler (X-Men)

Round 38: Eleanor : WINNER: Eleanor Shellstrop (The Good Place)

Round 39: Nathan : WINNER: Nathan Young (Misfits)

Round 40: Fiona : WINNER: Princess Fiona (Shrek)

Round 41: Gale : WINNER: Gayle Waters-Waters (Chris Fleming)

Round 42: Barbara : WINNER: Barbara Millicent Roberts aka Barbie (Barbie)

Round 43: Sam : WINNER: Samwise Gamgee (Lord of the Rings)

Round 44: Grace : WINNER: Grace Chastity (Nerdy Prudes Must Die)

Round 45: Barry : WINNER: Barry Bluejeans (The Adventure Zone)

Round 46: Raven : WINNER: Raven (Teen Titans)

Round 47: Dan : WINNER: Danny Fenton (Danny Phantom)

Round 48: Mia : WINNER: Mia Fey (Ace Attorney)

Round 49: Matt : WINNER: Matt Murdock (Daredevil)

Round 50: Rose : WINNER: Rose Tyler (Doctor Who)

Round 51: Robert : WINNER: Robbie Rotten (LazyTown)

Round 52: Lola : WINNER: Lola Bunny (Space Jam)

Round 53: Scott : WINNER: Scott Summers aka Cyclops (X-Men)

Round 54: Olivia : WINNER: Olivia Octavious (Spiderverse)

Round 55: Finn : WINNER: Finn the Human (Adventure Time)

Round 56: Emily : WINNER: Emily Charlton (The Devil Wears Prada)

Round 57: Elliot : WINNER: Eliot Spencer (Leverage)

Round 58: Sonia : WINNER: Sonia (Pokemon)

Round 59: Gideon : WINNER: Gideon Nav (The Locked Tomb)

Round 60: Jen : WINNER: Jennifer Check (Jennifer's Body)

Round 61: Miles : WINNER: Miles Morales (Spider-Man)

Round 62: Lana : WINNER: Lana Skye (Ace Attorney)

Round 63: Spencer : WINNER: Spencer Shay (iCarly)

Round 64: Tracy : WINNER: Tracy Turnbald (Hairspray!)

Round 65: Luke : WINNER: Luke Skywalker (Star Wars)

Round 66: Natalie : WINNER: Natalie Scatorccio (Yellowjackets)

Round 67: Harry : WINNER: Harry Du Bois (Disco Elysium)

Round 68: Lucy : WINNER: Lucy van Pelt (Peanuts)

Round 69: Damian : WINNER: Damian Wayne (Batman)

Round 70: Tabitha : WINNER: Tabitha Casper (Dan and Phil Games: Sims 4)

Round 71: Nick : WINNER: Nicholas D. Wolfwood (Trigun)

Round 72: Gwen : WINNER: Guinevere (Merlin)

Round 73: Paul : WINNER: Paulette Bonafonte (Legally Blonde)

Round 74: Abigail : WINNER: Abigail Hobbs (Hannibal)

Round 75: Jordan : WINNER: Jordan Baker (The Great Gatsby)

Round 76: Donna : WINNER: Donna Noble (Doctor Who)

Round 77: Morgan : WINNER: Morgana (Merlin)

Round 78: Allison : WINNER: Alison Cooper (BBC Ghosts)

Round 79: Patrick : WINNER: Patrick Star (Spongebob Squarepants)

Round 80: Linda : WINNER: Linda Belcher (Bob's Burgers)

Round 81: Philip : WINNER: Philip J. Fry (Futurama)

Round 82: Clarisse : WINNER: Clarisse La Rue (Percy Jackson)

Round 83: Jeff

Round 84: Maria

[liightsout]

the blue - part one

﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎

✯ summary: introducting mattie and adam!! both have some news to share, one being better than the other. no danny ric content in this one, but it's coming, i promise! ✯

✯ pairing: daniel ricciardo x fem!oc

✯ content warnings: none rlly, light swearing ✯

✯ now playing: you're on your own kid - taylor swift ✯

✯ series masterlist ✯

﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎﹎

May 2020 

“Mattie, are you even listening to me?” 

Looking up from her phone at her friend she frowned. She hadn’t been listening. Not even a little. It wasn’t that she wasn’t interested in what her friend had been saying, it was just that she had a lot on her mind.

She sighed softly “I wasn’t Adam, I’m sorry, what were you saying? Something about a new driver on the team?” 

Matilda and Adam had been friends since childhood, the pair had met on the first day of junior school. She had just moved to the small town over the summer and was starting school a complete stranger amongst all her peers.

Her mum had reassured her she’d make friends quickly, but she wasn’t so sure. Looking around the playground she could see that almost everyone already knew one another. She spent the first few hours of school that day on her own, carefully shying away from drawing too much attention to herself. 

Then came lunch break. She remembers it like it was yesterday, Adam came bounding over to her, scruffy uniform and beaming smile with a few teeth missing. He asked her if she wanted to play race cars with him. She explained nervously that she didn’t know anything about racing and he should probably ask someone else. Adam had scoffed at the idea and said that he didn’t want to play with the other kids.

Adam spent the rest of the hour lunch break explaining everything he knew about racing and telling her about his favourite driver ‘Michael Shooomacker’ and the red car he drove. 

Their friendship had lasted throughout their schooling days, all their awkward teenage phases and early adult years. It was a no brainer for the both of them to decide to move in with each other when they both found themselves in need of a home.

Rent in and around London was expensive, and there was no one on Earth either of them would rather live with. Which had proven to be a blessing when 2020 had rolled around and Covid had hit. The pair of them agreed that they would have lost their minds had they spent so many days locked inside with anyone else but each other. 

Adam had gone to University when they turned 18 and earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering, hoping to further his dream of being an engineer for one of the top Formula 1 teams when he was older. It wasn’t long before he had achieved said dream and found himself a spot on the engineering team at Mclaren.

“At least you’re honest! I said I got a call this morning from my boss,he confirmed the driver that’s going to be replacing Carlos next year. It’s Daniel Ricciardo” explained Adam, with a beaming smile.

Mattie paused trying to put a name to a face. “Which one is he?” Adam laughed “as if you don’t remember! He’s the Aussie you think is fit, the one who used to drive for Red Bull.” 

“I thought that was Mark Webber?” the girl questioned, pulling out her phone getting ready to Google the new driver her friend would be working with for the next season. Adam’s laugh got even louder “close, but not quite” he said. 

Mattie rolled her eyes and continued her Google image search. Yep, she remembered who Daniel Ricciardo was now. Adam was right; she did think he was fit. More than that, she thought he was one of the most beautiful men she had ever seen.

She looked up from her phone to the knowing eyes of her best friend “yeah I remember who he is, but anyway, irrelevant, is this a good thing for you? Are you happy?”.

Adam nodded enthusiastically “oh definitely, he’s one of my favourite drivers, getting to work with him is huge. I reckon him and Lando will be a great pairing as well, roll on 2021 as far as I’m concerned”. 

Adam had always been obsessed with Formula 1. Even from the age of 10 he had been so sure that it was the career path for him. He had spent countless hours as a teenager working in his dad’s garage and learning everything he could about cars, engines and the mechanics behind them.

This was something Mattie had always been jealous of. Not that she had also wanted to be a mechanic, definitely not that. She had been jealous of his ability to decide exactly what it was that he had wanted to do with his life, seemingly from the minute he had learnt what Formula 1 was. 

Mattie did not have the same luxury. Growing up she had toyed with many ideas about what life would have in store for her, but none that ever had really seemed to fit.

When she was 13 she had wanted to be a famous pop singer; the dream was soon crushed when a music teacher told her she could barely hold a note.

Then came fashion. She had spent a whole summer reading through every copy of Vogue she could get her hands on. Drawing up rough designs of different clothes and garments she would try and craft herself. This dream ended with a high school textiles teacher telling her that she was terrible at stitching and would never pass the class.

The list was endless, dream after dream quietly crushed by being told she would never be quite good enough. 

For a while she thought that maybe she had set her expectations too high. She wanted too much, dreamt too big. She wanted extraordinary, but needed to settle for ordinary. 

Until she had realised at the age of 17 that it had been staring her in the face her whole life. From the moment Mattie had learnt to read she had her nose in a book. She had become infatuated with literature and everything about it.

She loved that no matter what was going on around her, she could always find solace in a good book for a few hours. She loved reading about different characters who could live every life she had ever dreamt for herself. It was at the age of 17 that she decided she would study English Literature at University. 

She quickly found a job after leaving University, working for a small independent publisher. She loved her job and although she was disappointed she would never be a famous pop star, at the age of 24 she knew that it was probably for the best. 

“Well, I’m happy that you’re happy and hopefully this will be a good thing for Mclaren as well. It’d be nice to see you guys moving up in the constructors championships!” Mattie smiled at her friend who was practically buzzing with excitement at the prospect. 

“Enough about me, we’ve been talking about me all afternoon. Did you find out from your boss anymore about your job?” Mattie sighed, admittedly she had been avoiding the subject, but such was Adam that he would bring it up eventually.

She had received a call from her boss around a week ago explaining to her that due to the financial pressures Covid had placed upon the small company she worked for, that it was likely they would be liquidating the business before the month was up.

Mattie had been blissfully ignoring the issue, escaping to the dreamland in her head where everything was fine and her employment wasn’t in jeopardy. That dreamland had come crashing down around an hour prior when she had gotten an email from the CEO explaining that they were all being let go effective immediately. 

“Yeah, so, Glenn sent an email about an hour ago confirming it… bit shitty of him to do it over email, but yeah, I’m unemployed” breathing deeply Mattie held back the tears she knew were threatening to escape from her eyes.

“Oh fuck, Mattie, I’m so sorry, I can’t believe you’ve just let me sit here and tell you about all this when you’ve got this bottled inside you, why didn’t you say anything sooner? Are you ok? Do you want a hug? Or is this one of those times where if I hug you it’ll make it worse and you’ll start ugly crying? Do you want me to beat up Glenn? I’ll do it-” 

“Adam stop. I’m fine. Honestly, it sucks, and yeah I’m upset but we knew it was coming. It’s fine, I’ve got some money saved up so I’ll be alright for a little bit and I’ll start sending out CV’s to some companies and I’ve got connections now. I’ll find something, it’s just, yeah, it’s just shit” Mattie said, cutting off Adam from his rambling.

Adam was great, she knew that no matter what she could rely on him to have her back, but he did have a tendency to panic when he thought that his friend was sad.

That’s just how he was, over protective and ready to punch her boss in the face if she asked him to. 

Adam nodded, checking for signs of tears on the girls cheeks. Once he was satisfied she wasn’t going to start crying he stood up and headed for the fridge, opening the door and pulling out a bottle of rose wine he knew Mattie kept there for emergencies.

“Well, in that case, I’ll order us a pizza and what do you say we get drunk and watch a movie? I’ll even let you watch Tangled seeing as I’m such a good best friend”. Mattie grinned looking at him from the sofa. She was so glad he decided to play racing cars with her when they were kids.

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✯ authors note: hey guys! it's been a bit of a crazy couple days... as a a ferrari gal i'm still a little bit in shock and processing the news tbh. anyways, i've got like 6 days off work so i'm hoping i'll be able to post a couple updates if anyone's interested and reading. still finding my feet a bit with writing/editing again so if anyone has any (helpful) suggestions or feedback pls let me know. asks are always open and would love to chat with some of you :) ✯