#my aunt was able to get 2 bought

[diah-the-demon]

YES I FUCKING GOT TICKETS FOR ADO WORLD TOUR FUCK YES

[sodacowboy]

anyway I’m gonna list some good things that have happened to me/in my life in the tags

[puckinghischier]

Choices

Jack Hughes x fem!reader

summary: jack proves that he will always choose reader, no matter what anyone has to say

notes: so, the first part of this is literally my favorite thing i’ve ever written. the ending? meh. i don’t hate it, but i definitely think it could have been done better, i just struggle so hard with endings 😭. i also lowkey don’t like the title, but literally couldn’t think of a different one. anyways, i hope you enjoy!! happy reading! 🫶🏼

can be read as a part 2 to this fic, but can also be read by itself

request: Could you write something with Jack getting defensive/choosing her? Maybe he gets cornered by an ex flame or someone about what makes reader so special to get him to commit to a serious relationship when he didn't with her

[6.7k]

“Are you sure I don’t need to dress up tonight? I know you said they’re just some old family friends, but I want to make a good impression,” you question Jack, standing in front of the full-length mirror propped against the wall.

You’re wearing a pale, yellow sundress with daisies imprinted all across the fabric. Jack insisted the Lawsons were just old friends of the family, having owned the house down the street since he was just a kid.

Since meeting Jack’s family last year, you’ve been his plus one to every single trip he’s made home. At thanksgiving he brought you home for a quick, two day trip to meet his grandparents and a few pairs of aunts and uncles, before having to fly out again because of his game schedule. Around Christmas the two of you split your time, spending the actual holiday with your family, then flying to meet Jack’s family for New Year’s activities, where you met several cousins and old school friends of Jack’s.

This year, you’re celebrating the Fourth of July in Michigan, finally getting to experience the infamous Hughes lake house. Jack was able to convince you to spend an entire month here at the large house, telling you the trip was for the Fourth festivities, but suggesting you leave a few weeks beforehand, wanting you to get the full lake house experience.

You had spent your days switching between joining his family on the large pontoon boat sitting at the end of their dock and going out on adventures with Jack alone on the pair of Jet skis Quinn had bought after his first paycheck came in during his rookie year. A few nights a week, Jack would tell you to put on something nice, showing you around the small town a few miles away from the house, taking you to each of his favorite childhood spots for dinner.

One night he had told you to put on the nicest dress you brought, then proceeded to take you to an old, beach themed bar. He sat across from you at the high top table in a collared shirt and khakis, the rest of the patrons around you in their bathing suit cover ups or shorts and t-shirts.

You scolded him, telling him you two looked like fools in there, all dressed up to eat fried seafood. He laughed, telling you the only fool in the room was him, because he was “foolishly and wholly in love with you.” You rolled your eyes at his mushy-ness, a blush making its way to your cheeks at the same time.

That memory, however, is the reason you no longer trust Jack when he tells you to either dress up or dress down for dinners. Including tonight.

“I promise, you don’t have to dress up. You could wear your bathing suit for all I care,” he calls out from the bathroom where he’s ‘fixing’ his hair, which usually means brushing it and then ruffling it around with his hands. “I mean, mom might not be too happy if you’re sitting at the dinner table in just a bikini, but I’d sure enjoy the show.”

You scoff at his words, turning to go and stand in the doorway of the ensuite, crossing your arms.

“I’m being serious, J. I want to make a good impression on these people. They’re really good friends of your parents. Your mom was telling me how you all used to spend almost the entire summer together, constantly over at one another’s houses for dinner and fire talks,” you remember how excited Ellen was to be having her friends over for dinner tonight, claiming she hadn’t seen them in years because of how busy their lives had gotten.

Ellen also mentioned they had a daughter around your and Jack’s age who was in with her parents for the summer. Her name is Sarah and she’s a department director of some big advertisement company in New York. She stopped coming around as often around the same time Jack got drafted to the Devils, according to Ellen. Her job being too demanding for her to make the trip every summer.

You were excited to meet yet another person that knew Jack as a kid. You were hoping to rope a few stories out of her over the course of dinner, wanting to know as much as you can about Jack’s childhood from those around him. Sometimes you really hate the fact that you haven’t known Jack his whole life. You count yourself one of the luckiest people alive to be able to share his life with him now, but you’re always picturing him growing up, wanting to know every detail of what makes Jack, Jack.

Quinn and Luke are always eager to tell you anything you want to know about Jack, from the time he wanted to be “TP man” for Halloween and proceeded to wrap his entire body in toilet paper, wearing the empty rolls on his hands, to the time he wanted to ask his eighth-grade crush out on a date, but instead blurted out that he had to go home to massage their dad’s feet.

You always enjoyed hearing stories about him from people that weren’t his mischievous brothers, though. Like when his grandma told you about the time she got home to see that Jack had rearranged her kitchen cabinets, placing everything he saw her use on a regular basis closer to where she could reach it after watching her drop her favorite mug while trying to put it away on the second highest shelf that morning. Or when his best friend from high school told you about the time Jack gave him a ride home from practice, stopping in to say hello to his parents when Jack heard his little sister crying in her room because she couldn’t figure out her math homework. Jack stayed over for nearly two hours to help the little girl with her multiplication table and gave her words of encouragement the entire time.

You knew Jack was someone special, his calming energy easing your nerves from the first time you ever spoke to him. Hearing the stories that confirm he’s been this way his whole life, from the people that have known him far longer than you, though, makes you burst with so much love for the man you think your heart might actually explode one day.

“And I’m being serious, Sunshine, what you’re wearing is fine and won’t change the fact that they’re going to absolutely love you, just like everyone else does,” Jack walks over to stand in front of you.

You uncross your arms, letting them fall to your sides. Jack reaches down and takes each one of your hands into his, stepping forward slightly.

“I just…I care about how the people that know you view me. It’s important to me that the people important to you know that I love you, not that I’m just trying to ride on the back of some hot shot hockey player,” you whisper, referencing a blog post you were sent by one of your coworkers back in Jersey, asking if the girl in the picture was, in fact, you sitting on Jack’s lap in a crowded bar you went to for a post-game celebration.

The post talked about how you had been seen with Jack at a few games and were seen leaving several bars with him over the course of a few weeks early into your relationship. The blog site was a silly, hockey gossip blog, more concerned about who the players were sleeping with than any of the games themselves, but the accusation made your heart sink nonetheless. You knew you were with Jack for no reason other than you love him and he makes you feel safe, comfortable, and loved. Jack knows you’re not with him for his money, and anyone close to him knows you’re not with him for his money or fame.

He could quit hockey tomorrow and it wouldn’t change even an ounce of your feelings towards him. With or without hockey, he’s still your Jack. The Jack that makes you honey lavender tea every night because he knows it helps you sleep. The Jack that somehow manages to bring you flowers after every home game, no matter how late it is. The Jack that insisted you move in with him after your lease ended because his apartment is closer to your new job, but really because he was tired of not coming home to you every night. The Jack that showed up to your graduation this spring, bringing nearly his whole team and his family, the group cheering so loud when you walked across the stage everyone in attendance laughed, the person handing you your diploma commenting “sounds like you have a few fans out there.”

Even though you know that Jack knows, and his family knows, each time you meet someone new from his life, you feel the need to prove yourself. It’s part of the reason you were so anxious to meet his parents all those months ago. You worry that each person you meet has seen or read an article like the one you were sent. You worry they’ll think you’re not right for Jack, or that you’re only with him to get a taste of the popularity and lifestyle that comes along with his job. All you want is to show them how much you love him for him, and how you never want to leave his side.

Jack looks down at you, bringing your joined hands up to his mouth, pulling them together and kissing your knuckles.

“I promise you, no one here thinks that,” he starts, his words oozing with sincerity. “There is not a single person that matters to me in my life more than you. And absolutely no one’s opinion of you matters to me other than your own. Do you think you’re with me for the wrong reasons?” He asks you, waiting for you to answer him.

You shake your head no, breaking his eye contact.

“Hey, look at me,” he squeezes your hands that are still resting near his mouth, bringing your eyes back to his. “Then absolutely nothing else matters, okay? I know who you are, and you know who you are. Last time I checked, we’re the only two in this relationship, so that’s the only two people I’ll ever be looking to for opinions concerning my choices in this relationship, got it?”

You nod, a little embarrassed you were ever worried in the first place after his small speech, but still needing the hear his words nonetheless.

You’re still looking up at him, opening your mouth to tell him how much you love him when your stomach growls between the two of you, loud enough you nearly jump back.

Jack’s eyes flicker down to your stomach and back up to your eyes, the amusement in them making the blue shade shine even brighter.

“On that note, let’s go get you something to eat,” he chuckles, kissing your forehead before dropping one of your hands, the other still intwined with yours, pulling you out of the room behind him.

Jack led you down to the kitchen, digging around in the fridge to sneak you a snack before everyone sat down for dinner, knowing the meal wouldn’t be ready for at least another hour.

After he was satisfied that you weren’t going to starve, thanks to the small bowl of fruit he found, the two of you walked out to the back deck, joining everyone else.

The Lawsons had already arrived, Jim and Ellen standing on the other side of the large deck, conversing with Mr. and Mrs. Lawson separately.

Mrs. Lawson is a short, slim woman. Her hair is flawlessly styled into a ‘looks lazy but really took an hour’ up do, wearing a light purple, short sleeve pleated dress that fell just above her ankles, a simple pair of sandals on her feet.

Her husband is a tall man with salt and pepper hair, wearing a matching polo shirt and khaki shorts, a pair of Hey Dude brand shoes on his feet.

As soon as the two of you walked out onto the porch, Ellen was immediately halting her conversation to introduce you to the guests.

“Oh! There they are! Aren’t they just dolls? Look at them!” she gushed, walking over to greet the two of you.

You smile warmly at her, your relationship with Jack’s mom almost as dear to you as your relationship with your own. The two of you were able to sit and talk with one another during the hockey game her and Jim had come into town for the first time you met them. You both were invested in the game itself, considering all three Hughes boys were on the ice that night, but the intermissions were full of conversations and stories. You left the rink that night feeling like you had gained another mother, exchanging numbers with Ellen and promising to keep in touch. You now have weekly phone calls with Ellen, her interest in your life and well being matching that of her interest in her son’s.

“Mom, we literally saw you an hour ago on the boat, calm down,” Jack tells her, earning soft smack to his chest from you.

“Don’t be a grump, Jack. She’s telling us how good we look and you choose now to suddenly act like you don’t love being told you look pretty,” you scold.

Jack looks down at you with his mouth slightly open, putting on his best fake offended face.

“See, I told you she keeps him in check for me. Now I don’t have to carry the burden all by myself anymore,” Ellen tells Mrs. Lawson, earning a laugh from the woman standing just behind her.

You and Jack continue to have a small stare down until he conceded, choosing to flash a smile at you instead, sticking his tongue out like a child and earning a small giggle from you.

“Y/N, this is Deborah, but we all call her Deb. Deb, this is Y/N, my new baby girl,” Ellen breaks up yours and Jack’s moment, introducing you to Mrs. Lawson.

“Hi, it’s so nice to meet you Mrs. Lawson,” you say, removing your hand from Jack’s so you could step forward and give a small, greeting hug to the woman in front of you.

“Oh honey, Mrs. Lawson was my mother-in-law, please, call me Deb,” she tells you as she pulls back from the hug.

“Okay, Deb is it,” you laugh, stepping back beside Jack.

“C’mere, I need a hug from you too, Jack,” she motions Jack over to her, your boyfriend walking over to give her a slightly longer hug than you shared with her. “My, you’ve grown up, haven’t you? Last time I saw you, you were just getting ready to declare yourself draft eligible. Now look at you, the real deal.”

Jack blushes as he steps back towards you, knowing how shy he gets when complimented.

He may be cocky on the ice and in interviews, but you’ve learned that when it comes to the people that are close to him, Jack is extremely humble. He turns a light shade of pink any time you compliment how well he played after a game, or when his mom calls to tell him she watched his game on tv and cheered so loud she woke their cat up anytime he scored a goal.

“Just enjoy playing the game, is all,” he slips his hand back into yours. You give it a light squeeze.

“Ron, quit talking golf and get over here! Come say hi to Jack and his girlfriend!” Deb turns and shouts to her husband behind her. Both Mr. Lawson and Jim leave their spot by the heating grill and walk over to join your small group.

“Jack, how are ya, boy?” Mr. Lawson walks up, pulling Jack from your hold, bringing him in by his arm for what you call a ‘guy’ hug, each having one arm slug over the other’s shoulders, their clasped hands trapped between their chests.

“Getting by alright. Happy to have a bit of a break. Couldn’t wait to show Y/N here the ways of the lake house,” Jack motions to where you stand slightly behind him.

“Oh gosh, where are my manners. Hi, sweetheart, I’m Ron,” Mr. Lawson sticks his hand out towards you, shaking it softly.

“Hi, Jack’s told me a lot about you two. It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Lawson” you reference both of the Lawsons, repeating part of your greeting to Deb.

“Oh, no, Mr. Lawson is my father, I’m just Ron, dear,” he mirrors his wife’s earlier statement, stepping over to place his arm around her waist.

You chat with the couple a bit longer, noticing after a few minutes that Quinn and Luke are nowhere to be found. Neither was their daughter Ellen had mentioned earlier.

“Not to interrupt, but where are Quinn and Luke?” you ask just as Ellen finishes telling Ron and Deb about a recent cruise her and Jim had been on.

“Oh, they took Sarah out for a spin on the boat before dinner. She said she missed the water, so away they went,” Deb explains, looking over to Jack. “She’s so excited to see you again, Jack. She always talks about wanting to get across the bridge to see a game, but you know her, a workaholic and all.”

You sense a slight rigidness in Jack’s body language at the mention of Sarah. He responds with a simple “Yeah, that’s a shame,” not offering any other words about the mystery girl.

You were confused. You had thought Ellen said the boys were friends with Sarah growing up. Why did Jack tense up when she was mentioned? Had there been some sort of falling out? Was he not excited to see her? He hadn’t mentioned anything when you brought her up earlier, causing you to assume he just didn’t know much about her, having lost contact after they both were busy and didn’t have as much time to spend at the lake anymore.

As soon as Jack had finished speaking, you heard loud laughter coming from the long deck at the end of the house’s yard, seeing three figures quickly approaching the porch you were standing on.

“See, told you I could still beat you, just like when I was a kid!” you hear an unfamiliar voice call out, footsteps coming up the wooden stairs leading to the porch.

“Not fair, you didn’t tell me it was a race until you were already at the end of the deck,” you recognize the voice this time, Luke uttering his words between fast breaths.

As you look towards the stairs, you see one of the most beautiful women you’ve ever seen in your life step onto the porch.

She had jet black hair that fell to her mid back, perfectly pin straight. She had the greenest eyes you think you’d ever seen, and her tan skin was a shade that people usually had to be photoshopped to achieve. She was wearing a sundress similar to yours, but hers was a baby blue color, complementing her skin tone and hair perfectly. It fell right at her mid-thigh, and had a floral print running across the fabric.

“Hey, everyone. Hope we didn’t miss dinner,” she said, waltzing over to the wet bar to grab a bottle of water as Luke and Quinn make their way up the stairs, coming to stand a few feet from you and Jack.

“Oh, not even close, honey. You’re just in time. Your dad and Jim were just about to put the chicken on the grill,” Deb tells her daughter, beaming at her.

She walks over to join everyone, not stopping until she’s stood right in front of Jack.

“Oh, Jacky! I’ve missed you so much! It’s been so long!” she wraps him in a hug. His arms stay pinned to his sides, his body going rigid with discomfort. You notice the looks from Quinn and Luke, confused at their wide eyes.

He coughs, causing her to detach herself from his body, but not removing her hand from his shoulders.

“Well, that hockey training sure has been good to you, hasn’t it Jacky,” she continues, squeezing his biceps with a smirk before dropping her hands, completely ignoring you.

The second her hands leave his body, Jack is stepping back over to you, placing his hand on your waist.

“Uhh, Sarah, this is Y/N, my girlfriend. Y/N, Sarah,” Jack says, squeezing you to his side.

“Oh! You’re the new girlfriend my mom was telling me about. How sweet!” she coos, placing her hand on her chest. “Jack, she’s so pretty. But, what happened to Macey? You know, the one with the pretty blonde hair? Oh, and the absolute insane body. Seriously, I need her personal trainer’s number,” she asks, looking around at everyone.

You think about your brunette hair and know exactly what she’s trying to do.

“Not in the picture anymore. Didn’t really like the fact that she kept sticking her tongue down some Philly player’s throat when she came to visit me during an away game,” Jack spat out, grinding his teeth.

“What a shame. I liked her,” Sarah waved it off, making a small pout with her lips. “But, I’m sure you’re great too!” she added as an after thought, flashing the fakest smile you’ve ever seen.

You feel a presence step up behind you, Quinn slyly whispering “ex-girlfriend” in your ear, suddenly making Jack’s body language and her backhanded warmth towards you make sense.

“Okay, well, time to go get the food on the grill. Food will be ready in around thirty,” Jim claps his hands together, sensing the need to break up the awkward moment.

“Oh great, I’m absolutely starving,” Sarah exaggerates her last word, turning and walking towards the sliding glass door leading to the kitchen.

You stand there, not knowing how to process what just happened, Jack’s grip on you as tight as ever. You look over to Ellen, who gives you a sympathetic look.

“Oh, my sweet girl,” Deb sighs and shakes her head in amusement, completely oblivious to her daughter’s fake niceness and obvious flirting with Jack. “She’s something else, isn’t she? Such a little firecracker,” she reflects, nothing but adoration in her tone and on her face.

“Yeah, one that backfires into the innocent bystanders,” Quinn mumbles under his breath, earning a snort from Luke. Ellen shoots them a glare, darting her eyes towards Deb to see if she heard, but the older woman was still staring adoringly at her daughter in the kitchen through the glass doors.

Thirty minutes later, just like Jim announced, everyone was sat at the large outdoor table, food covering the large surface.

The food was amazing, the bowl of fruit from earlier long gone as you sat down to fill your plate, wanting seconds of almost everything.

“Jack, will you hand me the potato salad, I swear, I can’t get enough of it,” you ask your boyfriend who’s sitting to your right.

He reaches over and grabs the bowl, scooping a spoonful on to your plate for you. “That good? Or you want more?”

“No, that’s good. Gotta save room for dessert,” you tell him, picking up your fork to dig in.

Jack places his hand on your thigh, smiling over at the little happy dance you do when you scoop the potato salad into your mouth.

“Oh, I’m so full,” you hear Sarah say, raising her voice to make sure the whole table hears her. “I wish I could be like you, Y/N, I’d love to have seconds, but I just cannot hold another bite, I’m already so bloated as it is,” she places her hands over her stomach to emphasize. “You’re so lucky you’ve already snagged a man and don’t have to worry about watching what you eat anymore.”

You stop mid-chew, her words sinking in.

You look around the table, everyone looking at you. Deb and Ron are smiling at you, not at all reacting to their daughter’s words, likely not even understanding the connotation of what she just said. Ellen and Jim are looking at Sarah, their eyebrows raised in shock. Quinn is glaring at her while Luke’s mouth is dropped open.

Jack���s hand is digging into your thigh, his other hand closed, clenches in a tight fist on the tablet next to his glass of water.

You finish chewing your food and swallow thickly, placing your fork down and sliding your plate away from you.

“Oh, no, don’t stop on my account. I’d kill to be able to be as comfortable as you are. Not having to worry about impressing anyone anymore, just being able to know you’re loved, no matter what you look like,” she continues, taking a sip of her water to hide her smirk.

You bow your head, your face a shade of red you can physically feel, refusing to meet anyone’s eye.

Luke coughs, a faint “bitch” heard by your ears.

“Okay, I think it’s time we clear the table for dessert, shall we,” Ellen pipes up, her own smile strained.

“Great idea, let me help you,” Deb, either still oblivious or intentionally ignoring the hurtful nature of her daughter’s words, starts to stand.

“No, I got it,” Jack surprises you by standing, taking everyone’s plates and quickly stomping off of the porch.

You could feel the anger radiating off of him when Sarah was talking, probably choosing to leave the area before he said something he would regret.

“Here, let me help, too,” Sarah stands, taking a few food dishes in her hands and stepping inside behind Jack before anyone could protest.

The table is silent after she leaves. You sit there, debating on just sliding out of your seat and under the table, wanting to hide. Luke, who was sitting next to you, brings his hand over to rest on your shoulder, trying to provide some comfort.

You look over at him to see a concerned look as he mouths a silent “You okay?”, nodding your head yes, despite the heavy feeling in your stomach.

You look up again, straight at Sarah’s parents, wondering how they can be so ignorant about their daughter’s malicious words.

You meet Ellen’s eye, seeing a sad, pleading look, begging you to forgive her with her expression. You give her a small smile, shaking your head to tell her it’s alright.

Ron is the one to finally break the silence, looking around at everyone with a genuine smile, once again proving your suspicion they’re unaware of the shift in atmosphere.

“Ellen, please tell me you made your famous cheesecake. It’s been too long since I’ve had a slice,” he speaks, unable to read the room.

Ellen partakes in empty small talk with Deb and Ron about how she makes her cheesecake when you decided you need to go check on Jack.

“I’ll be right back. I’m gonna go help Jack,” you say flatly, standing from your seat and all but running inside, the urge to walk over and shake the Lawsons while shouting “your daughter’s a bitch!” in their face your cue to leave the table.

You enter the kitchen, seeing the dishes both Sarah and Jack brought in littering the counter, but neither one of them was to be found in the spacious area.

You walk through the house, calling out Jack’s name softly as you pass the stairs, making your way to the small sitting room at the front of the house.

“Jack, I don’t get it. What does she have that I don’t? What about her makes her any better than me?” you hear the sound of Sarah’s voice coming from the foyer.

“What the hell do you mean? Everything! She has everything you don’t!” you hear Jack exclaim, stopping in your tracks.

Were they talking about you?

“Jack, we were good together! We had fun. I don’t understand why you ended things between us. Hell, I took a job in New York because you said you were probably going to New Jersey to play. We could have been the new it couple of New Jersey!” it was Sarah’s turn to raise her voice.

Jack shakes his head, a dry laugh making its way out of his mouth. “What part of I didn’t want to don’t you understand?” Jack spits out. “You had fun. You chose to move to New York. You thought were good together. There was never any we in any of that.”

You can practically see the veins popping out on Jack’s forehead through his tone, even though they were out of view.

“All you ever cared about when we were together was the fact that I was about to play professional hockey. You didn’t care about me, you just cared about what I could offer you!” he shouts again. “The fact you just admitted you cared more about being the “it” couple more than you cared about wanting to be with me proves it.”

“Well, sue me for wanting to live the life of the rich and famous,” Sarah says, scoffing.

“See, that’s what I’m talking about,” Jack huffs out. “Y/N doesn’t care about living the life of the rich and famous. She just wants me. She wants Jack, not ‘Jack Hughes, star forward, number one overall draft pick’,” he puts on his announcer voice.

“All my life, people have only ever cared about how well I played hockey. Every coach, every teammate, every girl. They all saw me as a hockey player. They wanted me on their team, or in their bed, because they wanted what came with me: attention and popularity,” Your heart breaks at Jack’s voice, never having heard him sound so deflated before.

“Hell, you introduced me to people as a future professional hockey player before you ever introduced me to them as your boyfriend,” he continues. “With Y/N, that’s far from the most interesting thing about me. When she first introduced me to her family, she told them I was her best friend’s brother,” he refers back to the first time you took him home to meet your family, the subject of hockey not coming up until your dad asked if he liked sports, only to berate him for not being a football player. Later that night he asked him how hockey worked. Your dad has never missed a Devils game since, either in person or on tv.

“Her favorite fun fact to tell people about me isn’t a stat, or how many hat tricks I’ve scored,” he keeps going. “It’s that I love to sing Shakira when I’m in the shower. Or that I’m the only other person other than her dad that has ever made her laugh so hard water has come out of her nose,” Jack lightly laughs.

“Hey, Y/N, everything okay-“ you hear Quinn’s voice rounding the corner.

Cutting him off with a “shhh” you place your finger on your mouth to tell him, and Luke who trails behind him, to be quiet, pointing to the sitting room where Jack and Sarah are arguing.

“So, yeah, I would say I’m sorry you didn’t get what you wanted out of me, but I’m not. I’m not sorry that I broke things off with you. I’m not sorry that I found someone that actually loves me for who I am. And I’m not sorry that I brought the woman that I plan on marrying here with me, and you just so happened to be here too,” Jack tells her, his voice still holding a slight trace of anger.

“I am sorry that I never told my parents what really went down between us, telling them we just agreed it would be too hard and we needed to go back to being friends, because maybe they wouldn’t have invited you over tonight. I am sorry that I didn’t take Y/N out for dinner, trying to avoid what’s happening right now. I am sorry that you can’t begin to fathom someone can see through your forced smiles and backhanded comments, seeing how cold and rotten you really are on the inside. And I am sorry that your poor, sweet parents were given such a malicious bitch as a daughter,” He finishes.

“You know, my mom said Ellen told her you showed her a ring, but I thought it was just a gift. You’re really going to propose to her?” Sarah asks, annoyance clear in her voice, spitting out her last word with unmistakeable disgust.

“Of course it’s true. Bought the ring months ago, been carrying it around with me every since. Showed mom the night she met her, told her I was serious about her and that she’s the one. I think part of me knew that from the moment I met her,” you hear Jack say, hearing the tenderness in his voice when the subject turns to you.

Your head whips over to Luke and Quinn, your eyes wide and your mouth handing open. The panicked look on their faces is all the confirmation you need to know that you heard Jack right. He bought you a ring. He bought you a ring and showed his mom. He bought you a ring and showed his mom and was going to propose to you.

Before you know what you’re doing, your body is leading you to the entryway where your boyfriend is arguing with his ex-girlfriend.

“Y/N, no, wait,” Quinn tries to stop you, but it’s too late.

“You bought me a ring?” you ask as you enter the room, seeing Jack and Sarah standing several feet apart from each other.

“Oh, great, the woman of the hour,” Sarah rolls her eyes at you, throwing her arms up and letting them fall to her side.

You shoot her a glare, not at all concerned about her comments from earlier anymore.

You turn your head to Jack, who’s face looked as panicked at Luke and Quinn’s.

“Jack, you said you bought me a ring. Is that true?” you ask him, begging him to answer you.

Jack gulps, nodding his head yes.

“Right…” is all you can say, trying to digest what’s happening.

You look back and forth between Jack and Sarah, your gaze finally landing on the unimpressed one of Sarah.

“Listen, I don’t care what happened between you and Jack however many years ago, but I don’t appreciate you coming to his family’s house and acting like a nasty bitch to me because you got dumped and I’m the one getting the ring,” you tell her, earning a shocked scoff from her. “So, if you don’t mind, I’d appreciate it if you took your nasty attitude and sad insecurities out of this house and elsewhere. I have something I need to discuss with the man that chose me .”

You hear the faint snorts of Quinn and Luke behind you, while Jack’s face moves from panicked to shocked as he looks between the two of you.

“God, you don’t have to ask me twice. All of this melodrama is giving me a headache. You’re not worth this. I can get any guy from the Knicks roster, I don’t need to waste my time on hockey players anymore,” Sarah says before she storms out of the room.

You watch her go, giving her a sweet smile and a wave on her way out.

“That was…the hottest thing I’ve ever seen you do,” Jack tells you, walking over to where you stood.

You roll your eyes at him, hitting him in the chest once he gets close enough to you.

“Ow! What was that for?” Jack asks you, rubbing where you thumped him

“For not telling me that Sarah was your ex-girlfriend when I was telling you how excited I was to meet her earlier” you exclaim while looking up at him, poking him in the chest with each word

“I didn’t want you to feel like you had anything to be worried about and get even more in your head about this dinner,” he tells you, grabbing your finger and pushing your hand down to your side.

“Yeah, well a lot of good that did,” you roll your eyes, bringing your hand up to softly smack his chest again.

“God, woman, stop hitting me!” Jack yelps again. “What the hell was that one for?”

“For buying me a ring only a few months into our relationship! And then for not telling me you were going to propose, you idiot!” you exclaim, throwing your arms around.

“Well, I don’t know if you know this or not, but most proposals are usually a surprise,” he tells you, grabbing your arms and holding them apart, preventing you from hitting him again.

“Still. Why would you buy it so soon into us dating, Jack? What if you ended up hating me once we hit six months, or you found out I snored and decided you didn’t want to share a bed with me for the rest of your life?” you ask him, earning a laugh from your boyfriend.

“I knew that you were it from the moment I met you. There’s absolutely no chance of me ever getting sick of you, or hating you,” Jack tells you honestly, the intensity behind his eyes causing you to believe his words. “Also, you do snore, and I think it’s cute, don’t worry.”

You try to hit his chest again, but your arms are still being held by his hands.

“So, is this a good time for me to say I never really liked Sarah,” Luke chimes in, reminding you that him and Quinn are standing in the entrance of the room.

“Luke, you’re such an idiot,” Quinn tells him, flicking him on the back of his curly head.

“What? It’s true. I liked Y/N the second I met her, but Sarah was always just a bitch,” Luke rubs the back of his head as he speaks. “Why do you think Quinn and I took one for the team and took the wicked witch out on the boat so we could keep her out of your hair for as long as possible?”

“Thanks, Luke,” you chuckle, shaking your head.

“Well, I guess it’s time to tell mom that she knows you’re proposing,” Quinn says, looking towards Jack.

“Oh, no, no one is going to know that she knows. I had this whole thing planned out, and I’m not letting Y/N ruin her own proposal,” Jack says, finally letting go of your hands.

“Do I at least get to see the ring?” you ask him, hopeful.

“Nope,” Jack shakes his head, popping the ‘p’.

You huff, crossing your arms and looking at him with a pout, until you remember his words from a few minutes before.

“Wait, you told Sarah you carry the ring with you everywhere, does that mean it’s here? In this house?” Jack’s face falls, eyes looking anywhere but your own.

“No…”

Your face lights up, looking towards the stairs before back at Jack, turning and making a run for your room.

“Oh no, you don’t!” he runs after you, catching up to you in no time.

He grabs you by your torso and swings you around, sitting you back at the bottom of the stairs as he guards them.

“Not fair, your stupid hockey speed and reflexes can shove it,” you pout again.

As you stand at the bottom of the stairs, Quinn and Luke watch the two of you, admiring how perfect the two of you are for each other.

Luke thinks back to when he decided to introduce you to his older brother, knowing he made the right decision, the two of you bringing out the best versions of the other.

And when he stands, hidden with his family as he watches his brother get down on one knee, proposing to the girl that stood at the bottom of the stairs, demanding to see her ring, he knew sneaking into Jack’s room and moving the ring to his own room was the right move, the shock on your face worth the two week long silent treatment you gave him when you found out what he had done.

[eternalravendreamer]

Hey, I know I mostly just reblog stuff and don't post much of my own stuff, but I wanted to put this out there.

I'm Raven (pls ignore my real legal name in the GFM), a queer autistic healthcare worker, and as of June 3rd my family and I are unhoused.

We lost our house bc my aunt, who lived with us and owned the house, died without leaving a legal will. So the bank took the house and refused to give us the opportunity to buy the house back, even at full price, unless one of us took on the debts she left behind. We couldn't afford that, so they auctioned off the house and it was bought by a private equity firm.

We are 3 disabled people, 2 of whom are former EMS and then me, a current healthcare worker. We also have 3 pets: a cat, a bird, and a dog. Unfortunately, the hotel we're staying in has a hard 2 pet limit, and our dog is a pit mix, so we had to leave her with a neighbor until we can find a place.

Which is hopefully where some of you come in!

See, my mom has a lot of health issues, so ideally, we'd be able to find a place still close enough to all her doctors. But if any of you know the Delaware County, PA area or King of Prussia area, then you know it's not cheap unless you're willing to live in the more dangerous neighborhoods. I've already been approved for a $175k mortgage, but a lot of places start at $200k around here so I'm trying against all odds to raise an additional $100k to help us get a house within reasonable distance. It's a big ask, but I've seen social media work miracles before. I promise to provide receipts and proof as requested!

[therealcocoshady]

Could you make a one shot where Marshall x Reader have been dating for almost 2 years, they start talking about kids and the thought of reader pregnant is a big turn on for him.

Author’s Note : Thank you for your request 💕. I hope you enjoy this ! ⭐️

If you like my writing and want to support it, here’s my Ko-Fi (I’m also open for commission. It’s like a request but that way you’re 100% sure I see it fast & indulge you 😉 - rn I have 200+ asks in my Inbox. Also, by commissioning my work, you’re literally helping a struggling neurodivergent student get by !).

Baby talk

You were the first one to be surprised when you felt it. The desire to have kids. You had never been a kid person. You had always found these tiny humans to be terribly underwhelming. To be fair, you didn’t hate them. But you never really understood what all the fuss surrounding babies was. Puppies ? Yes. Kittens ? Absolutely. Human babies ? Meh. When you were a kid yourself, you didn’t show an interest in babies and, as far as you could remember, you had never really enjoyed playing with dolls. And growing up, you hadn’t shown more of an interest in the topic of motherhood. Older people had told you you’d change your mind and eventually come to want kids of your own but you doubted it. When you became an adult and got into serious relationships, you had that talk with your partners and you told them you didn’t want to have children. You enjoyed your free time, being able to sleep until noon if you wanted to, the possibility of spending money on silly things like an impromptu girls trip to Vegas or a new handbag instead of diapers and an overpriced daycare. In your mind, it was clear that you weren’t meant to be a mother. You did have a lot of love and admiration for parents around you, but you didn’t envy them. So you built a child free life that was absolutely wonderful. Sure, it hurt a bit when your previous partner ended up breaking up with you because he changed his mind about kids and you didn’t. But you understood his decision and knew it was the right thing to do, rather than forcing yourself to have kids when you did not have any actual desire for it. You didn’t want to force yourself to live a life that did not resemble you, taking the risk of one day resenting the children you never wanted to raise in the first place. It all worked out in the end : your ex went on to marry a woman who, from what you heard, was wonderful and have a kid with her, and you ended up meeting the love of your life. 

Marshall was everything you hoped to find in a partner. He was kind, funny, thoughtful, knowledgeable on a lot of subjects and handsome. Yes, he was older than you, but he was definitely young at heart. If anything, you benefited from his experience in life. Also, him being older and having three grown-up children meant that he was « done with all of that », which was a relief. The feeling was mutual, his lack of desire for more kids having caused a couple of breakups for him as well. But just because the two of you decided not to have babies didn’t mean you didn’t have your hands full with them. Marshall was a loving uncle to his brother’s three kids and you were entering that stage of your life where all your friends were starting families. So whether it was a birthday party, a basketball game, a recital or a baby shower… you had your share of kid-related activities. You liked it though. More than you ever thought you would. Marshall being very family-oriented, he loved that you were involved with his family. Together, you built a perfect life. You had all the fun that came with being around kids, without the obligations. You were the fun aunt and uncle, who enjoyed spoiling other people’s kids rotten and playing with them, before happily handing them back to their parents and letting them handle the sugar crash and the noise caused by the toys you bought them. You thought you’d spend the rest of your life just like this, perfectly content, enjoying a peaceful existence with your boyfriend, with whom you would eventually grow old. 

But then, without seeing it coming, you found yourself thinking about it. Wondering how you would look like with a baby bump. Pregnant ladies had always looked like aliens to you, but you started thinking you’d actually be cute, carrying a little baby. Marshall’s baby. A baby with the cutest nose, pouty lips and the most beautiful blue eyes. The thought of a baby that would be part you part Marshall had your heart melt. And you knew he’d be such a good baby daddy, too. Obviously, he had raised three amazing daughters he was very proud of, but he was also amazing with other people’s children. He was his nephews’ favorite person in the world and he was so great with your friends’ babies. So you found yourself thinking that, if you got accidentally pregnant, it wouldn’t be the worst thing on earth. Sure, it would be inconvenient, but maybe you’d keep it. Not that it would ever happen anyway, since you were more than diligent with birth control. Then, it turned into thinking about what your life would actually look like with a little one. And you figured that, what you would have found dreadful years ago, maybe wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe you’d crush it as a soccer mom. Maybe there was actually something beautiful in having kids with someone you love, teaching them stuff and watching them grow up. 

Then, one day, it hit you like a ton of bricks. You actually wanted to have kids. With Marshall. You were at the store, doing your weekly shopping. How you ended up in the baby aisle, you weren’t sure. But you found yourself mesmerized by the tiny items of clothing. Eventually, you came to your senses and mentally slapped yourself. You were with a man in his fifties, who already had his kids and did not want more. Now was not the time to change your mind. As if to imprint the thought in your brain, you went and stocked on condoms, buying a fuckton of them. The cashier even threw you a weird glance. You probably looked like you were doing  a comparative study, getting a bit of everything from ribbed ones to flavored ones. Marshall chuckled when he saw them in the bag. 

That’s a lot of condoms, he chortled. 

Yeah, there was some kind of sale, you lied. 

He shrugged it off and promised to put them to good use. You knew he would make good on his word and figured you just needed to have that silly idea banged out of your system. Except that it didn’t work. You went a few months without talking to him about it. But the more time went on, the more you realized you really wanted a baby with this man. You still liked the idea of having a flexible schedule and 9 hours of sleep a night. But you didn’t love it as much as you loved the idea of carrying this man’s offspring. And the more time went on, the harder it was not to talk to him about it. You dreaded this, though. Because you’d been on the receiving end of that conversation. Of not wanting kids and having someone you loved tell you that they wanted to start a family with you, and having to disappoint them and see the heartbreak in their eyes. So you put it off as long as you could. Until one evening, you weren’t able to hold yourself. 

I think I want a baby, you blurted out when you walked in the kitchen while Marshall was cooking dinner.

You think you want what, baby ? He asked as he turned to you. Sorry, I didn’t hear you over the noise of that kitchen fan. 

No, I said I-I think I want a baby, you repeated nervously. 

You think you want a baby ? He repeated carefully. 

I mean… yeah, you simply said. 

He looked at you with a raised eyebrow. Clearly, you were taking him by surprise. He turned off the fan and the kitchen stove, before walking to you. 

That’s new, he said matter-of-factly. 

Kind of, you admitted. I mean… I’ve been thinking about it for some time now. 

So you don’t think you to have want a baby. You know you want to have one, he pointed out. 

Y-yeah. I’m sorry, you mumbled as you looked down. 

For how long have you thought about it ? He asked. 

I’m not sure, you admitted. Does it matter ? 

I thought you didn’t want to be a mom, he said. That you were perfectly happy with being an aunt. That it was the best of both worlds. That’s what you said. 

I know, you replied. And I meant it. I’m as surprised as you are, really. But then I thought about how I’d react if I got pregnant. And I realized I wouldn’t mind that. Having a baby that’s part you and part me. 

Oh wow, he said as he scratched the back of his head. 

Yeah, you hummed. And I thought it was just something random and that I’d forget about it. But I can’t. And it’s been months now, and I think you have great genes and that our baby would be really cute. And Target has the most adorable baby clothes and I know condoms are cheaper than a college education but there were little bunnies on the pajamas I saw the other day and I also found out that they make baby Jordan sneakers that look like the ones you love and-

You caught yourself rambling and stopped talking. Now, you weren’t making any sense and you were just dumping the whole thing on him. Probably not the best way to go about it. He was staring at you with an amused look on his face. 

I’m sorry, you said will a sad voice. I know you’re done with it. We’ve talked about it and I know it really sucks that I’m changing my mind but I needed to tell you because I’ve been thinking about it a lot and-

Do you plan on letting me speak ? He asked with a smile. 

Yes. Sorry. 

Ok, he chuckled. I have a few questions. Is there a reason why you changed your mind ? 

Well… you, I guess, you shrugged. I mean, I love you, and I see what an amazing father, what a great uncle you are. 

Ok, he said. And, another question : is that something you want ? Or is it something you need ? 

I don’t know, you admitted. I’m really happy with our life just the way it is. I don’t need a baby to be fulfilled and for my life to have meaning. But I can’t stop thinking of how much I’d like a baby with you. 

Ok, he hummed. So… it’s not something you’d break up over ? 

No, you said. I love you. I want to spend my life with you. And I don’t think I want a baby if I can’t have it with you. You’re the reason I want one. Because the baby I have in my mind… he has your eyes, your nose and your smile. 

Meh. Doesn’t sound too cute, he chuckled. If anything, it sounds like an ad for contraception. 

Oh, come on, you giggled. 

But… he ? He asked with a smile. 

Sometimes she, you corrected. I never really wanted kids so I don’t really care, I guess. Look, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to just dump this whole thing on you… we both know this talk sucks. But I couldn’t really keep it to myself. I needed to tell you. I’m sorry. 

Quit apologizing, babe, he said reassuringly. I’m glad you told me. 

Really ? You asked nervously. 

Of course, he replied. I can tell it hasn’t been easy for you. 

You nodded and he pulled you into his arms before pressing a kiss to the top of your head. You closed your eyes and inhaled his scent. You definitely felt lighter after telling him, even though it didn’t really change anything. 

So… can I get back to you on that ? He finally asked. 

Huh ?! You asked as you looked up from his chest.

I think I’m gonna need a bit of time to think about it, he continued. I can’t promise I’ll say yes. But I’ll consider it. 

Wait… seriously ? You asked in shock. 

Isn’t that why you brought it up in the first place ? He mused. 

I don’t know, you said. I guess I mostly expected you to convince me it was a terrible idea. I mean, you’ve broken up with people over that. 

So have you, he pointed out. But it’s you. It’s us. What we have is different. I feel like my family’s complete so I never really wanted to have another kid. But I’m in love with you. And if there’s anyone I’d give it a shot with… it’s you. 

Ok, you said with an emotional smile. 

I’m not saying yes to anything, though, he warned. Don’t get your hopes up. 

But you’re not saying no, you pointed out with a smile. 

I’m not, he agreed. Because even though having kids can be tough… it’s pretty great, too. And I know you’d be a great mom. 

You flashed him a smile and buried your face in his chest.  The simple fact that he was willing to consider it because he loved you filled your heart with joy. 

You didn’t really bring up the topic in the following weeks, but you could see a change in Marshall’s demeanor whenever someone around you talked about kids. You could absolutely tell he was thinking about it. You weren’t too sure what the best way to go about it was. Of course, you were curious to know how he felt about it, what was on his mind. But you didn’t want to be annoying and press him on the matter, so you figured that it was probably better to wait for him to get back to you on that, once his mind was made up. 

Waiting was trying, though. Because in the meantime, you had to watch him interact with countless babies and young children, feeling like your ovaries exploded. Patience is a virtue and that waiting period was definitely an opportunity for you to practice it. Thankfully, it finally came to an end when you came back from work to Marshall waiting for you in the living room, with a bouquet of roses on the table, as well as a paper bag. You greeted him and thanked him for the nice gesture.

What’s the occasion ? You asked. 

Since when do I need a special  occasion to treat my woman to some roses and a present ? He asked back. 

Touché, you giggled. Thank you my love. Can I open the bag ? 

Not yet, he said. I want you to have a look at this first. 

He handed you some papers and you skimmed through it. It was a printing of his schedule for the foreseeable future. You looked at him with a raised eyebrow. 

That’s, erm, fine ? You said, unsure of what he was expecting you to say. 

It’s my schedule, he said. For the next two years. 

I see that, you chuckled. I’m just not sure why you’re showing it to me ? You usually don’t consult me when it comes to your work schedule. 

As you can see, I’ve moved a couple of trips that were already planned, he explained as he pointed to a few dates. Meaning that I’ll be going to LA a little bit more in the upcoming three months. But after that, no more work trips and I put a hold on the performance planning. I’ll stay in Detroit. 

Ok ? You said - still not grasping what he was getting at. That’s nice. But why did you change the schedule ? Is there a specific reason why you need to stay here ? 

Apparently, when you’re trying to have a baby with your woman, it’s better to be in the same city, he grinned. 

You stared at him in shock, your mouth slightly agape. Marshall was smiling from ear to ear. Next thing he knew, you were in his lap, arms wrapped around his neck, peppering your face with kisses. 

Oh my God, you said emotionally. Really ? Oh I love you so much, Marshall ! 

I love you too, he hummed. 

I can’t believe it, you whispered. Wait- What’s in the bag ? 

Open it, he chuckled. 

You reached for it and saw it contained a bunch of ovulation prediction kits, pregnancy tests, some folic acid and some lube. 

Apparently, these are the basic essentials for trying to conceive, he commented. 

You’re amazing, you said with the biggest smile on your face. So… we’re doing this ? We’re making a baby ?

If you haven’t changed your mind, yeah, he nodded. 

As a response, you threw yourself in his arms and kissed him passionately. He chuckled into the kiss and cupped your face, staring at you lovingly. 

I’ll give you the cutest baby, you promised. 

I have no doubt, he grinned. 

Do you think I’ll be a pretty pregnant lady ? You mused. 

Are you kidding me ? He asked. God, you’re going to be so hot. The thought of you carrying my baby… You have no idea the things it does to me. 

Oh yeah ? Like what ? You asked defiantly. Show-

Before you had the chance to finish your sentence, Marshall had you pinned to the couch and was grinding against you. It didn’t matter that you were both fully clothed, you could feel his excitement through the fabric. 

I’m gonna fill your pretty pussy, he promised. And I’m gonna make a pretty mama out of you. 

Mmmyes, you whimpered. 

Gonna give you a pretty belly, he continued. I can’t wait to see you carry our child. Can’t wait to start trying. 

When ? You asked pleadingly.  

How about now ?  He whispered in your ear. 

[thecolorblockcurator]

What is your love story and how you fell for your partner? (if it's not too personal!)

Aww of course it's not too personal.

We met almost exactly 15 years ago! I was just shy queer college kid in the middle of nowhere in the midwest. And I found a dating website for lesbians- it was actually curve magazine's personals that made into a little dating website. And I made a profile and like 2 days later I found my wife's profile and almost dropped my computer, because it was like I had known her forever. But in order to talk to her I had to pay a subscription. So I bought it so quickly and sent her a winky emoji. And within a week of talking I deleted my profile. We met up for coffee- I rode a bus for the first time ever to meet her there & I didn't know how the busses worked. lol I thought there was just like 1 bus- but it actually was a commuter bus to the universities 2 campuses that ran like ever 15 minutes. I also forgot to grab a sweater or jacket because I was running late. and I ran out the door in a tank top. because I didn't want to miss that 1 bus and therefore miss my meetup with her. And I was freezing the whole time because it was April in the midwest. The meetup went so great, we immediately connected. But just few days after the meet up was the end of the semester & I had planned on spending the entire summer working with my aunt on Nantucket - she is a basket weaver. So the whole summer we talked. That's actually why I joined Tumblr - so she would be able to get to know me through my blog. I shared cute & funny photos that I knew she would like. We talked non-stop. And when I came back to school we had our first official date in august.

We dated for about a year & she proposed. & then a few months I proposed right back. We had really long engagement I think 6 ish years after I finished up undergrad & grad school. Yeah it's been amazing. She's incredible & my best friend.

[dinosaurcharcuterie]

It still kind of blows my mind that it's 29 years ago since my grandfather, two aunts, my mom, my uncle, the pharmacist and her treating doctor had to harass state health insurance to testify that my great-aunt would benefit from an at-home blood sugar meter, even if she didn't have type 1, as opposed to going to the doctor 3-5 times a day to have it measured. The thing was the size and weight of a brick, took several drops of blood to read, and the test strips were the size of my grade schooler pinky. It was accurate...ish. Text was gray on Nintendo screen green, and about the size of Arial 10. Three people were schooled on how to use it, in case it was necessary while she was unconscious. She had to pay for it herself as a pensioner who had never worked, and the entire family chipped in to make it happen, before they got on more of a first name basis with the ambulance drivers than they already were, what with there being just-in-case pastries in the house daily to "make sure those boys ate lunch".

Today I have my own blood sugar meter that I bought for less than 10 bucks "just in case". I've lost test strips down the back of the sofs and never had to be horrified about how much money I'd just wasted. My doctor just read out my hb1c value from a pinprick of blood in less than 2 minutes. The second I need constant monitoring, I'll get CGM sensors that work with my phone, paid out by insurance.

Most millennials are older than the concept of all kinds of diabetes being able to be monitored reliably, easily and affordably at home. It feels kinda unreal.

[not-too-many-eyes]

For some reason I decided that, despite having wrist pain and my right hand currently being in a Brace, it was a good idea to type analysis in my Umineko Liveblog Document (I am at the end of EP 3 no spoilers please)

Oh well, I just think it's interesting how much projection the moms do, and how they Say their motives out loud.

This is ultimately an example of what Battler notices about Chessboard Theory in Ep 2

Umineko Ep 2 Part 56: Fleeting Resistance

In the end, chessboard theory is a technique of thinking where you project yourself on your opponent. So greedy people see their greedy selves inside their opponents...

While most of the characters don’t explicitly use Kyrie’s chessboard thinking, most of them do try to play detective, and project themselves onto the “culprit” in their own ways. Revealing more about themselves in the process.

Which is something Battler thinks about in regards to Rosa in Ep 2.

Aunt Rosa had proclaimed that she couldn't trust anyone who had not been killed. Aunt Rosa's chessboard thinking... saw herself inside her opponent. In other words, Aunt Rosa might have been an isolated woman, unable to trust anyone and unable to let her guard down.

We can apply this to the motive she assigns the servants.

Umineko Ep 2 Part 55: Devil's Proof II

Rosa: “You! And you!! I’ll bet you were all bought by that witch, that your eyes were blinded by gold!! Do you really want money that much?! That’s right, isn’t it?! You want to live the easy life for as long as you live?! What value could a life like that possibly have?!”

(Used the Mangamer tl here since that’s the one I’m actually reading, and since this line was in a picture I thought I might as well transcribe my existing screenshot.)

Umineko Ep 2 Part 60: Banquet of the Witch

I can't let go of the gun that protects my body. I can't let go of the gold that protects my future. But even so, I let go of the hand of my daughter, the person who is my future...?! —-------- Aaaaaaaaaaaaah, what am I doing... I'd had the gold, which would have been worth several million yen. I might have been able to start over with that!! And yet I fell, lost it, and that's not all, my own life is in danger, even Maria's life is in danger?! What has my life been?!!!

This applies to Eva as well, as we can observe that the things she says about others in Ep 1, reflect her/Evatrice’s motives in Ep 3. (Thanks to my friend for pointing this one out.)

Umineko Ep 1 Part 15: The Curtain Rises on Tragedy:

Eva: "I'm the one who would gain the most from these murders. Since I'm going to be suspected anyways, I might as well get it out in the open myself." I had tried to trick her by joking around, but it looked like it hadn't worked. Eva: "The inheritance will be divided between the siblings. But right now, the four siblings are just me. All of the assets of the Ushiromiya family will become mine. Eheheheheh." Battler:  "If uncle Hideyoshi heard you, he'd say 'Could you give it a rest, it's not a joke'..." Eva:  "I'm sorry? No matter how I try to smooth it over, I'll just be suspected anyways, so I was just fooling around. So I've been thinking, from my point of view, this murder might have been planned to cast suspicion on me. Unfortunately, my alibi for last night is weak."

Umineko Ep 3 Part 84: Coronation II

Eva: "...You idiot, isn't it obvious? This is that haughty Krauss nii-san and that sly Rudolf we're talking about. Even if we do announce it eventually, it's certainly too early now." Eva:  "Unless we carefully investigate how to make our next move, it's possible that all of the gold we've finally found will be snatched away by Nii-san." Eva thought she was saying something extremely natural. So when she saw Rosa's expression suddenly cloud over, she was a little surprised.

Umineko Ep 2 Tea Party

Eva nee-san is a real adult, so she's very smart. So she hated the stupid kid, Rosa. She was always a very sly person, and she often lied to me, tricked me, bullied me all the time.

Umineko Ep 3 Part 93: Real Magic

Eva: "...I thought that if I could gain the position of the Ushiromiya Family Head, that alone would be enough. But then, as soon as I saw that mountain of gold, my greed grew. I was struck by a desire to have that mountain all to myself..." Evatrice:  "That's nothing to be ashamed of. After all, it's your natural right as the Ushiromiya Family Head. How could you give up even a bit of it to anyone else?"

While Eva and Rosa share similar motives and reasoning for being the culprit. Natsuhi actually stands out quite a bit, as when she starts accusing the servants and also the 9 year old in episode 1 she doesn’t really bring up the gold.

She assumes them to be the Subordinates of a Ringleader (Genji) like Eva does in Episode 1 since she thinks Natsuhi did it, but assumes the motive is due to Devotion and Obligation to Kinzo.

Umineko Ep 1 Part 25: Besieged III

Natsuhi: "Doctor Nanjo, it truly pains me to say that you are suspicious...! But as Father's head physician, as his only peerless friend, you've been together with Father for a long time. You might even know about Beatrice. Are there any old obligations that you're hiding?!" Nanjo:  "How could there be...!! Calm yourself...!" It was pitiful to watch Doctor Nanjo frantically pleading his innocence. It was probably a normal reaction that anyone would give if they were suspected. Kumasawa was the same. Since Jessica had started suspecting her in the murder of Kanon, she had been totally flustered. That was why Genji's still calm appearance looked so bold. Aunt Natsuhi pointed the barrel of the gun. Natsuhi:  "...Genji. You were Grandfather's number one subordinate. Was Beatrice an illusion you showed to Father, with you as the performer?!" Genji:  "...If by suspecting me, you recognize me as the Master's greatest servant... then it is a great honor to me, regardless of the circumstances. However, I am not the one who put the letter there."

Though her reasoning for Maria is couched in this idea that Maria is a pest that just wants to cause conflict and nothing else:

Natsuhi: "Silence!!! I don't want to label you as the culprit, but there is no longer any doubt that you enjoy making this situation unpleasant and are providing assistance to the enemy!!"

Since this family hates autistic people, and Natsuhi as a character values keeping the sanctity of the family and its image above all else. Nanjo and Genji are loyal servants. Maria is not. They are allowed the “honor” of their motive being an ultimately sympathetic one in service to a greater person, while Maria gets ascribed the unsympathetic motive of someone who only wants to “cause trouble” and nothing else. 

(Though, arguably this could also be a reflection of Natsuhi’s inner fears of just being a “borrowed womb” and how Natsuhi is ultimately a Very Loud and Very Passionate person who is unable to be the “perfect quiet wife” of Krauss, and is commonly told to stay silent, or cool off, or to “know her place.” After all, this family hates autistic people.)

So that’s all really fun and all, but then, as I always do when I think about chessboard theory. I have to ask what that means for Kyrie. She's the one who first brought this up after all! And I’ve been having a blast rereading previous Kyrie dialogue with what I learned about her in ep 3 and ep 2 in mind.

So, I went to look, and the motive she assigns Beatrice is:

Umineko Ep 3 Part 68: The Witch's Written Challenge II

Kyrie: "Yes, that's right. When people have an overwhelming advantage, they tend to get arrogant. And when they do, they want to show off that advantage to the losers, so they sometimes take on small risks. A moderate amount of risk adds a little spice to the joy of victory. It'd be boring to win without any risk." Eva:  "...I understand. I like that kind of thing too... Yeah, I understand it well." Kyrie:  "I thought of a few plausible explanations for the true motive behind Beatrice's letter, but I think this really might be the truth. The emotion hidden behind that letter was... arrogance." Eva:  "...Arrogance." Kyrie:  "She's trying to throw her weight around, looking down on us, as if there's no way we could figure out such a difficult epitaph. It might even be possible, if surprising, that the epitaph wasn't written by Father, but by her."

Considering Kyrie’s favorite hobby is Psychological Manipulation, and has been on the good side of basically everyone while playing all of them. 

Umineko Ep 2 Part 37: Guest of Honor

Rosa: "I must join in as well. If I don't assert myself, those people will quickly forget that there are four siblings." Kyrie:  "...It's pretty tough for you too. Maybe I didn't choose my words well. My apologies." Rosa:  "No, I don't mind. I'm the one who should be apologizing. As a pair of mothers with daughters, we must interact more often. Every time we meet, we talk about something strange..." Kyrie:  "...That's the fault of the atmosphere in this mansion. Once we breathe in this air, everyone gets so strained. Just once, I want to drink a nice, long cup of tea with you, Rosa-san, when you aren't attending a family conference. There's a wonderful coffee shop in Ginza which is a favorite of mine. Please let me invite you sometime soon." —-------- Rosa: "I, I'm sorry, I'm going outside for a second. I'll be right back!" Rudolf: "...What the, what's going on with her, really..." Kyrie:  "It's fine, right? She'll be right back. More importantly, should we begin? Our main topic." Eva:  "That's right. We can keep talking about that without Rosa. Let's return to our discussion." Kyrie:  "..."

I think you can call that an Overwhelming Advantage. So I'm very curious as to where this will lead.

[never-not-ever]

Life is pretty fucking good at the moment.

I've seen my friend group a couple times in the past month and I'm heading to a pool party later today for one of their birthdays.

I started taking one of the boys-Benny, outside and he absolutely loves it. He's currently crying at the back door cause he wants to go back out! It's become a little routine when I come back from the gym we go outside and I take my coffee with me, today I took my breakfast.

I've been meaning (actually have a couple drafts I think) to talk about how different things are with the food and the weight loss and the obsessions... On Tuesday I forgot to step on the scale in the morning. You know life is more meaningful when that happens and you don't freak out. You just shrug your shoulders and move on. Every single day since mid-December I've stepped on that damn scale, even brought it with me overnight when I went to the Cape. I was going to bring it on my trip coming up but there's better things in my life now than obsessing over the number on the scale and letting that affect my mood for the day.

Last night I made cinnamon toast with cream cheese, took a bite and did a happy dance cause it was so damn good! In fact I might go make a slice after this. It feels so good to be able to eat and enjoy food again. I'm not weighing out and measuring every little thing. At one point I bought a second food scale to leave at my cousins cause I was using it whenever I was there. I haven't used either of them in weeks.

Things are getting a little rocky with my cousin. It makes sense, cause I've been spending so much time with her so eventually we're gonna get on each others nerves. I love her and care about her so much but I need to create better boundaries (not oversharing too much) for my own wellbeing.

I just realized I made an updatey post yesterday. I was about to get into the nitty gritty with this new guy I'm talking to and my cousins opinion but I just realized I already talked about it lol.

Next topic: I'm leaving on Friday and I'm SO excited. I'm flying down to NC, renting a car for the weekend and staying with a friend. She's part of the friend group I've been seeing lately and she moved down there for school a couple years ago. We Facetimed last night and I'm so excited to go see her and have my own adventure! On Sunday I'm driving up to WV to stay with my Aunt and Uncle for a little over a week. I haven't been there in 2 years! I usually use it as a reset but it's funny cause this is probably the first time in a long time that I'm going down there and not needing a reset because mentally I'm in a better place than I have been in years.

When I get back I'm applying to Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. I'm hoping to start asap cause I'm ready to start this new chapter which to be honest I kind of already started....

I feel so fucking good. I end the night (usually after talking to him, although it was brief last night cause he had to fly out early this morning) in such a good mood. Dancing around to my current favs which I'll get to lol. But yea last night was a maybe 4 min Facetime just to say goodnight compared to the 3 hours the nights before lmao. But after that I talked to my cousin, tried to figure out Snapchat, typed up a long ass post on here that just went in my drafts lol, cooked some breakfast (yes at 11pm) put half of it away for this morning-t'was delicious after the gym, and then started watching 50 Shades, oh and made a Tik Tok lol. So even doing my own thing at night, I still went to bed in a great mood so I'm not really worried about the whole "don't put all your happiness into talking to a guy" cause I'm not. My life has many little joys now, he's one of them but there's so much more to it, so much to look forward to.

Lastly- current favs for music: I've been listening to a lot of old Kesha (C'Mon, Blow, Sleazy, Blah Blah Blah, Your Love Is My Drug) mixed with some Sabrina Carpenter (Manchild, Busy Woman, Taste, Espresso) and then these random songs are my on-repeat -obsessed: Sports Car, Sue me, One Thing, Diet Pepsi.

Okay, I'm off to make some iced coffee and toast and then get started on some housework before I need to start getting ready to go out later, also wanna finish the movie but we'll see if I have time.

[groovebunker]

cc x fran fic masterpost

been meaning to do this for a little while - indulge me so i can pin it.

ongoing work

it's all there in black and white [teen - 5/?]

when newspaper editor maxwell sheffield wants to introduce an advice column, he pairs veteran political reporter cc babcock up with his newest hire, fashion columnist fran fine. the only problem? cc wouldn't take her own advice at gunpoint. oh, and she hates fran's perfect face and stupid laugh and general existence. there is that. aka the agony aunt au.

chapter one -- chapter two -- chapter three -- chapter four -- chapter five

i burn for you (you don't even know my name) [explicit - 2/5]

when fran lets a beautiful blonde take her home from the bar, she doesn't expect to see her again. neither, it turns out, does the blonde.

chapter 1: i don't got a single problem with provocative -- chapter 2: i was so cool but then, all of a sudden, you saw me look at you

and i know that you think it's just a fantasy [teen - 1/?]

when cc reluctantly shows up on fran's doorstep on the first day of summer, she can't even begin to imagine how one broken leg (not hers) can change her life. or the cougar fran x butch gardener cc au we deserve

chapter 1: not for the first time -- chapter 2: the sea before it storms

what would you do?

what would you do (if they never found us out?) [explicit - 11/11]

after what was supposed to be a one time thing in the wine cellar, cc and fran find they can't keep their hands off of one another. but it's only because neither of them can get maxwell. right?

i. how it started -- ii. furious -- iii. do you trust me? -- iv. beautiful -- v. missed you -- vi. promises -- vii. i'm glad you're here -- viii. i've got you -- ix[a]. only bought (you) this dress so i could take it off. -- ix[b]. needing -- x. what would you do if they ever found us out

what would you do (the vignettes) [explicit]

i. the smoke gets in your eyes -- ii. while you were sleeping -- iii. it's good to be home -- iv. special -- v. it's been a while

eight oh five [teen]

cc asks fran out for dinner. it's not the worst idea she's ever had.

anything for you [explicit]

when cc reveals a fantasy, fran does her best to make it come true.

it's alright to need a little help sometimes [explicit]

fran needs some help to switch off when everything gets a little too much. cc's got some tricks up her sleeves.

drunk on something stronger [explicit]

fran's always been a lightweight. so what happens when cc's the one buying drinks all evening?

Notes:

the latke-verse

i like you (a latke) [teen - completed - 1/1]

fran doesn't want to show up to her ma's chanukah party alone. cc's fed up of seeing her sad since she got back from paris. no ulterior motives here, none at all. aka the fake dating chanukah fic.

seventh time is (hopefully) the charm [teen - completed - 1/1]

cc gets some help with valentine's breakfast.

won't you?

won't you just let me pretend that this is the love that i want? [teen]

there's a lot of things cc and fran never talk about. until they do.

won't you just show me the love that i need? [teen]

cc's never been good at being needed. unless, obviously, fran needs her.

won't you just give me the love that i long for? [mature - 2/2]

neither of them are sure how it's so confusing to be able to have what you want. until it's not.

chapter 1 -- chapter 2

won't you just show me the love i've been missing? [explicit - 4/4]

sometimes, you have to go back to where you started for anything to change.

chapter 1 -- chapter 2 -- chapter 3 -- chapter 4

should be over all the butterflies [mixed ratings]

a series of vignettes set in the won't you universe.

august two thousand and nine: the fence -- two thousand and six: crossword -- two thousand: the beginning -- two thousand and three: the first time -- two thousand and seven: look after her -- two thousand and eleven: no such thing as bad thoughts -- two thousand and fourteen: how did you know? -- two thousand and seventeen: i wish you hadn't -- two thousand and four: told you that i loved ya -- two thousand and seventeen: not a stupid woman -- two thousand and sixteen: taste of home

autumn came, december went [teen]

five times fran finds photos she isn't expecting. and one time cc does the same.

i hate to say it but...

you wish it was me (don't you?) [teen]

Niles fixes her with a death stare from the front of the church when the priest asks if anyone knows why Max and Fran should not be married. As if she’s going to interrupt. As if she’s going to ruin the happiest day of Fran’s life.

but i told you so [explicit]

fran's been frustrated lately. luckily, cc's always been a selfless woman.

now we stumble over all our dreams come true [explicit - 2/2]

fran makes an impromptu trip to new york and finds herself looking up at a familiar apartment block on the upper east side. but it doesn't mean anything. it can't mean anything. not after five years. it shouldn't mean anything at all.

chapter 1: it always leads to you in my hometown -- chapter 2: i don't wanna look at anything else now that i saw you (i can never look away)

enough (for now) [teen]

niles puts the pieces of the puzzle together after mr sheffield tells him what fran did in new york.

one-shots (for now)

trick or treat (or: how cc babcock learnt to enjoy halloween) [mature]

c.c. does not like halloween. fran's absolutely not going to stand for that.

fran fine, sweater thief [teen]

five times fran wears c.c.'s sweater and one time c.c. turns the tables.

can't reach the moon up above, don't dare touch the fire [explicit]

cc's never been sure how to want things. fran's determined to show her how.

wise men followed the star (the way i followed my heart) [explicit]

when the phone rings at 11 on christmas eve, fran doesn't expect cc on the other end.

i want your midnights [teen]

c.c. does leave maxwell but that's not the only reason she runs away from the sheffield house. when she and fran end up at the same new year's eve party, can she convince herself to stand still?

i still see it all in my head (burnin' red) [teen]

soulmate au: the world is black and white until you see your soulmate for the first time. or: how red becomes c.c. babcock's favourite colour.

i only liked a lot of things before i knew (the way i love it when you touch me now) [explicit]

cc admits she's never been with a man who got her off. fran's nothing if not persistently helpful.

three minutes [teen]

fran finds someone unexpected on the other side of the table when val accidentally takes her to lesbian speed dating. unexpected but not necessarily unwanted.

black coffee morning on the east side [general]

fran's not sure what cc stands for. but she's absolutely going to find out. or: the one where fran's a barista and cc's a very beautiful stranger who drinks freshly brewed black coffee and blushes a lot.

canine teeth in the side of my neck [explicit]

cc's really thought about her halloween costume this year. fran reaps the benefits.

too darn hot [explicit]

when the ac goes on the fritz at the house, fran deals with it in her own way. and then cc has to deal with that.

an idea that i was slowly sinking [explicit]

fran knows that she'll never be enough for cc, not until she gives her the one thing she can't bring herself to surrender. or: the toxic vampire!cc x familiar!fran au we all deserve.

in from the snow, your touch bought forth an incandescent glow [explicit]

fran's been trying to befriend cc since the moment she met her. only befriend her. what happens when the worst storm to hit new york in decades leaves them snowed in, alone, at the sheffield mansion?

spaced out on sensation [mature]

fran gets stuck in the middle of nowhere, at the mercy of the mysterious blonde who runs a guest house. and if there's something about her that seems not quite right, then fran's not sure that's entirely her business.

who the fuck is cc babcock anyway? [teen]

some men truly cannot be helped when faced with fran in a mini dress. which isn't to say that niles doesn't try.

[briceterry]

HAPPY TENTH ANNIVERSARY SPLATOON!!!

Today is officially Splatoon's tenth anniversary. Time feels like it doesn't exist anymore to me. And I cant believe that Splatoon, Undertale, FNaF 4 (The true finale of that god damn franchise in my eyes), my first dive into content creation on my old laptop and the The Angry Birds Movie Trailer will be ten years old this year... Damn, I'm a fucking young grandpa.

I didn't buy a Wii U because my family wasn't rich, so I had YouTube videos to watch videos of games I wanted to play on that console and one of them was Splatoon, I followed Splatoon during the hype and the launch and that was also the source of my nickname "The Original Marie Stan", one night when I was sleeping in my parents room VIA two removable cushions from a couch I used to have (Look, My older sister wasn't there because she went on a trip with my cousin, aunt and uncle, and I didn't wanna be alone at night in our room on the top bunk and I still feared the dark, okay?) and I was a naughty little boy who brought his iPod with him and watched videos on YouTube, and one of them was a boss walkthrough with DJ Octavio's ugly mug on it. And after watching the video and hearing the bop that was Calimari Inkantation, I had a paranormal experience, with one of my toys going off at night. I think it was probably my dogs or the batteries being werid or another toy hit it, I just love to think that DJ Octovio caused the paranormal experience.

And during June 2016, I learned what the word fanbase was. And I checked out the stuff that Splatoon fans were making during this time and they were really amazing. And you probably know my story with Marie if you seen my May 7th Splatoon Direct tenth anniversary art. I first saw Marie there and she became a childhood crush and Waifu. And when the final Splatfest for Splatoon 1 was happening, Who was the better Squid Sister. I probably was in happy tears from seeing her win. And that day was absolutely amazing in general, watching the DHMIS web series and the Salad Fingers series for the first time, watching my first adult anime (No, not a Hentai) One Punch Man, and all I could think of was Marie's happy face after winning that Splatfest. And although I had a little bit of a falling with Splatoon (Because I find Off the Hook overrated, sorry Off the Hook fans) but after watching Chuggaconroy's Splatoon 2 LP, I felt like coming back to the fandom and I bought Splatoon 3 in February of 2023 (And I bought another cartridge months later when getting stuff for redesigning my bedroom because the old cartridge was wonky), and while I was gone, a lot has happened in the fandom, There was more creative stuff more than ever. Blogs on tumblr, more art, stories, OCs and a bunch of other amazing stuff, and while this fandom isn't perfect like every other fanbase, This is the most creative fanbases out of the most I've been in. And then on June, I created my Tumblr account thanks to a friend from highschool who was into the same nerdy shit as me, including Splatoon. and I used my old nickname that I gave to myself and that was "The Original Marie Stan" and while during my Camping trip in 2024, I drawn Marie... and then after a lot of improvement, I've been somewhat better at art. And while I'm not big in the Splatoon community like the amazing Dr. Spectre, Fuzzyoctoplushie and MaddeningTrash, I do enjoy the people that like the stuff I do in this community, even though I go bonkers with my Marieism sometimes. Without this community, I wouldn't be able to draw better than I did many years ago. Thank you Nintendo for making this franchise, for making my Waifu Marie, and for also making my art skills a tad bit better... Now it's time for this young grandpa to go to bed.

[purely-angelix]

Vent

I have two separate vents I wanna get out. Nn I really just wanna be babied and loved and it feels like it's been so long since I was able to just regress happily, I was so close to slipping the other night and then I lost it.

(1)

Last night it stormed really really badly nn I cried nn got scared nn it was horrible 😭 Winds were up at 70 mph an the lightning and thunder was so big and loud.

(2)

My family is awful. I cannot stand a single member of it longer than maybe an hour except the aunt I live with because she is kinda just like me. We don't agree a lot of the time, but we also just don't care to fight about anything so we just don't. My mother is marrying my abuser in September. He abuses her too obviously, but she.. doesn't seem to care. Now I'd go to the wedding because it's my mom. But she is having it IN ANOTHER COUNTRY. I have a toddler, I'm broke, I'm disabled, my fiance is the only breadwinner. Today aunt2 (the one I don't live with) decided I just had to go to the wedding. She bought me. Fucking a whole. Ass. Cruise. I have to go on a five day cruise with them! With my abuser, a bible-thumpin misogynistic prick, and a whole buncha other horrible individuals that I do my best not to ever have to interact with. I'm so upset. Because hey! I'm also PETRIFIED of ships. I have a deathly phobia of them. But ya know. They don't give a crap. I'm so scared and upset and just. Uhg.

[nickyrothfan]

What if everyone got super powers?(part 2)

Nicky didn’t know how he got himself involved in this.

First, Trinity persuaded him to help her with the investigation, then Delroy beats him up, and they just leave him behind (seriously, who does that? He expected better… from her.). Next, they gather with the club, and it turns out everyone, except him, has some stones with possibly unlimited power, and they… absorbed them? Even Delroy had one!

Nicky quickly left the club room, his thoughts focused on something else. He didn’t want to get involved in this mess; he tried to… but it seemed like nobody needed him, otherwise they wouldn’t have just thrown him away like that.

It was time to become ordinary.

At the same time:

“Alright… then we’ll meet there in the evening,” Trinity said to the others, and everyone nodded.

“Great. Then, I’ll head home for a bit to drop my things off.”

“This was amazing!”

Now, Enzo and Maritza’s feelings:

Today was great! First, Maritza’s leg healed quickly, so she was already walking without a cast.

Enzo finally started saying more than two words around Bales.

And they got stones that gave them energy.

Maritza felt like she could run for an hour without stopping. She also noticed her strength had increased, the ball that broke the window was proof of that.

Enzo also felt different, more confident. He felt a bit bad that Nicky didn’t get the same, but his thoughts on his own joy quickly replaced that.

Their mood soured quickly… Squirrels attacked their parents!

And that damn Officer Cornwell fined them for feeding them.

Also, Maritza found a golden coin from her father, the same as Trinity’s, only bent.

They didn’t know why this was happening, but they were going to tell Trinity about it tonight.

Ivan Torre:

Ivan was quite excited, his thoughts were full of positivity.

Why not? He, the nerd, now had power! Power that he could use to help his friends and stop Crowface.

He immediately went back to his invention, though he slightly miscalculated the power, and literally flattened it to the ground…

“Well, there are the downsides of big power…” he scratched his head.

Other than that… nothing special happened today, except the strange behavior of Principal Abanante around him. It was as if she was expecting something.

Maybe he should tell someone about it?

Delroy:

Yeah, it’s been a weird month, actually, a few of them.

First, I learned about tunnels under the school.

Then our favorite school oddball – Nicky Roth – disappears for a month! Seriously, even Finch, of all people, started to worry about him, though she only told me about it… Did she get interested in him?

Then he came back… changed. New eyes, new attitude, his old arrogance replaced by gloom and aggression, he became… more sensitive, much easier to piss off.

I just woke up yesterday and saw this white stone, I thought my aunt bought it for me, so I picked it up… and then the flash was all that happened.

I remembered that I needed to help the “girl” of that sick guy last night, so I had to go. I wonder, if Finch really is interested in him, will there be a fight? Although Trinity quickly dropped him after beating him up and ran after Crowface.

I found new strength in myself… something amazing, I only lightly pushed Roth, but he flew back like I’d never been able to do before.

And then I found out that everyone in the inventor’s club, except Nicky, had these stones. Are we like… chosen?

After school and the gathering, I got a call from my aunt, my dog “Dog” ran away, I went to look for her, but I only found… her corpse.

I know for sure that taxidermist guy is shady. His face and smile literally scream “I am pure evil incarnate.”

If anyone is Crowface, it’s him.

Finch:

I woke up yesterday pretty calm. My life was good. Popular in school, everyone loves me, I’m the principal’s favorite, and she lets me get away with a lot.

But… still… why did I care so much about Nicky’s absence for a month?

Of course, he was my golden ticket, but…

When he came back, well, how can I put it… if he had said it, it would have sounded like: “Aliens sucked the youth out of me.” What a weirdo.

But at the same time… I don’t know, I don’t feel like making fun of him anymore, maybe a simple conversation will sort this out.

Though who am I kidding, he’s still a goldmine.

In the evening, at the amusement park:

Enzo nervously paced back and forth, where was Trinity?

“Man, can we meet at the mall or something?” Delroy was losing his patience, why did it have to be the amusement park?

“Too many strangers,” came a voice from the bushes, Ivan got scared and hid behind Delroy, making him angry, and Delroy faked a punch, so Ivan stepped back, raising his hands.

“At least here, there will be only one… Crowface,” she emerged from the bushes.

“Are you alright? We were worried that—” Enzo was interrupted.

“You were worried, Romeo,” Maritza teased her brother.

“Did you guys bring Nicky?” Trinity didn’t notice him there.

“Oh, thanks for not worrying about us. We were attacked all day, thanks for not asking,” Maritza snapped.

“What happened?”

After a while of story-telling (no, seriously, nothing changed, except Ivan mentioned that Abanante was acting weird).

“So… who’s Crowface?” Enzo asked.

“Maybe it’s Abanante, she was acting weird,” Ivan suggested.

“And she hasn’t left me alone since I got here,” Trinity backed him up.

“It’s probably Officer Cornwell, he took Peterson’s bag of coins,” Enzo remembered that cop.

“No, dude, it’s definitely that Commander guy who loves stuffing dog corpses,” Delroy shook his whole body, trying to spook them.

“So… Crowface could be anyone in the town? Great job, team,” Maritza said sarcastically, not getting any closer.

“This is just a problem. We just need to investigate more,” Ivan wasn’t ready to give up that easily.

“Wait. There’s someone who’s familiar with these coins. Knows the club well, and is familiar with Peterson’s obsession,” the leader’s words made everyone glance at each other, realizing who she meant.

Now, at the Roths’ house:

“Are you serious?” Nicky’s voice was strange, tired, but there was anger in it.

“Nobody is accusing you of anything… I’m just saying…”

“I mean… you’re acting very suspicious now/ You were like Sherlock Holmes in Raven Brooks,” Ivan’s words made everyone look at him.

“You’ve been acting… completely different… from before. We’re worried,” Trinity continued her rant.

“Come on Nicky, you’re hiding something from us?” Enzo wanted answers.

“Yeah, like why nothing happened to you when this happened to all of us?” Maritza interrupted her brother.

“Nothing happened to me?” The guy sighed, his fingers gripped the wooden window frame. His breath was uneven, his voice full of anger. Nothing happened? He went through hell!

“She didn’t mean it like that,” Trinity quickly waved her hands to calm the tension.

“Crowface is hunting us, and somehow these coins are a part of it. The coins from the amusement park. Did you hear anything when you were… well, you know, Peterson’s guest?” she took out a coin and showed it to him.

“Guest? I need to go…” he turned around and was about to leave, not wanting to see them anymore.

“If you can’t help, we’ll have to go to the source!”

“Source?” Delroy didn’t understand.

“After what he did to me?!” Nicky slammed his hands on the window sill.

“Are you nuts?! He’s a monster!” Nicky’s shouting drew attention from the neighbors.

"If you have any better ideas, I’m all here. But Mr. Peterson’s coins? Mr. Peterson’s map? Maybe he was looking for Crowface too?!"-the girl screamed back.

“YOU WILL ALL DIE! If you don’t stop now, Peterson or Crowface, or whatever this damn town was built on, will come for you!” the lights in the houses started turning on, silhouettes of people watching everything that was happening.

“Your families! Everything you care about!” He raised his hands and slammed the window down, breaking the glass, and scaring everyone.

"You are gonna die! All of you! There’s no hiding, none of you are safe! No one is safe, no one!"-he grabbed chair and throw it on the street, even breaking more grass.

Finch, seeing this scene, took a photo of the guy and left, smirking.

At that moment, Nicky’s parents came and took him away.

…

Well, from here, everything proceeds like in the episode.

Yes, I know the chapter seems… weak, because the events practically didn’t change, except that Merto dropped out of the suspect list.

However, even with the powers, this episode is literally about nothing, even in the future, none of the super abilities that the characters will gain will be able to stop what they don’t know, so the Bales household is going to blow up anyway.

And about Finch, I’m not sure what to do with her yet.

And now about the stones…

I think everyone understands they’re like the Chaos Emeralds from Sonic, right?

Well… there will definitely be more than just them (time stones, Chaos Rings, World Rings, Master Emerald, Phantom Ruby, Sol Emeralds, and more in the story, possibly even more).

And truth be told… the cult will also have powers, because otherwise, the kids would wipe the floor with them.

And as for Nicky… I think everyone is wondering what will happen to him… Anyway, Dark…(maybe).

Hope this helps! Let me know if you’d like to adjust anything.

[kernyen-xo]

Long time!

Firstly, how y’all been? I’ve been wandering in from time to time and reading some of your posts. I just haven’t felt like posting myself until now.

Here we go.

What In the World: I walked out of Daiso and almost gave this woman a heart attack trying to get into my parked vehicle. My first thought was why in the world was this lady sitting in my vehicle, and why in the world the driver’s seat of all things?! I mean, why not the passenger side or the backseat?? And, why won’t my key unlock the door!? And then, almost immediately, after trying to open the door a second time, I was like, “Hold on now.. Uh oh. Oh no, this isn’t my vehicle!” Holy hot pockets! I immediately backed away, put up my hands, and told her, “I’m sorry,” several times, and then said, “My mistake, wrong car.” She just stared at me through the closed window, scared shitless. In case she didn’t understand what I said, I stepped back and gave her a respectful bow, and then hurriedly got into my car, which was parked in the next row. I hoped that when she saw me drive away, she was able to put 2+2 together because we had the same vehicle (same make, model, and color). Needless to say the humiliation of it all stuck with me the remainder of the day. I am such a dweeb.

Houston, We have a Problem: Went to Houston last month for my niece’s wedding. I just want to say that I don’t get why Houston is the 4th most populous city in our nation. I mean, the weather. It is pretty miserable. It was super humid and most of us were bitten by these mutant mosquitoes! Every wedding event my niece had was outdoors or it didn’t have A/C. Like the inside pickleball courts. She had a farewell outdoor crawdad boil for her guests, and the wedding and reception were also outdoors. All the events were pretty much held in the Heights area, which despite the weather is a nice historical area. But, you know what? I was glad that I went to Houston because my niece had a great wedding. I loved catching up with my nieces and nephews! I loved the serve yourself margaritas machines! Great people and great food and drinks! The kid and I went to Tenfold, a popular coffee place where I had my first cold brew with lemonade. It was was delicious and refreshing. On another day, the kid and I walked to have breakfast at this cafe with a great vibe. Attached to it was an antique shop, which we perused after we ate. We also did some shopping at Rice Village. We wanted to visit San Antonio but our schedule couldn’t spare the time.

The Kid Jr: My granddaughter graduated from the 8th grade last week! I’m so proud of her. I gave her a Kindle, which I was pretty excited about because she’s starting to enjoy reading, something she didn’t like before.

Saying Good-bye: I also attended my aunt’s funeral last week. Out of 8 kids, it’s just my mom and Uncle Junior that remains. It seems like yesterday when my generation of cousins were kids and our parents were still young and getting into their own shenanigans. It was a sad and bittersweet day. There were a lot of relatives that I didn’t even know, all of them cousins.

Books: I splurged. I decided I needed to start building up my personal library. It’s been a while since I’ve bought an actual book. I have been reading on my kindle or listening to audiobooks from the library app, Libby. It was time to start reading from actual books and adding to my home library. I used to have over 1,000 books but I got rid of most of them because it was becoming too much to pack and move them - especially when I was moving about 3 times a year. But now I have my own home and I’m not planning to move - at least for 5 years.

So, let the book buying begin!

The current book:

If you love birds, you’ll enjoy this book. Amy Tan’s backyard is a bird’s paradise. In this world of birds, you’ll learn about their habits, heartbreak, wonderful curiosities about the whys and why nots of birds’ actions. A lot of times unexplained, but if you are an avid bird watcher like Amy, her reasonings as to why the out of ordinary behaviors were interesting and entertaining. You will enjoy her drawings too.

The Kid and Me: Here’s what we did at the wedding 😆

The beautiful bride and her groom:

(Houston, The Heights May 2024)

How can they look so good in the sticky weather?

The Kid takes a picture of Yours Truly: (Grass Valley, May 2024)

My Loves:

(Sac-Town May 2024)

This post has been brought to you by Toodles, Inc.

[sparklypinkflightsuit]

The Witching Hour: Chapter 5

Pairing: Detective!Bob Floyd x Reader x Sheriff!Bradley Bradshaw

WitchAU

Warnings: Angst, Fluff, Smut, Danger, Witchcraft, Swearing, Love Triangle

- Chapter 4 Here -

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18+ Only Beyond This Point

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“Bree? Bree, wake up. We gotta get moving.” You heard his hushed voice as you roused from sleep, a gentle shake of your shoulders.

You blinked as your eyes scanned the dark room.

It had been 2 weeks since you’d made a run for it, and you’d cast a warning spell on a single Bloodroot flower so that when the witches got within 50 miles, the flower would open and close repeatedly in quick succession. This did mean that you and Bob had to take turns sleeping, but if it meant you could keep him safe, you didn’t mind.

“Is the flower…?”

Bob nodded. You shot out of bed and quickly dressed, brushed your teeth and threw your new clothes in Bobs duffle bag. A routine you’d come accustomed to in the last two weeks.

You quickly loaded the car with what little belongings you’d salvaged from Bobs apartment in the first week, your Bloodroot carefully wedged in between a comforter and the duffel bag, and you hit the road.

You glanced at the clock on the dashboard and groaned. 3:43am.

“Don’t they sleep? Like at all?” You huffed, still groggy from your 4 hour nap.

Bob chuckled, “Maybe we should buy a boat and just… disappear to a little island in the middle of nowhere.” He joked.

You considered it seriously for a moment, but the reality of the situation made you want to cry.

“They’re never gonna stop. They’d find us on the moon, let alone an island.” You said softly as you gazed out the window into the darkness.

You were exhausted, your spirit greatly diminished. You so badly longed for a place where you and Bob could just be, without a constant threat looming over you.

Luckily the location spell your aunt and the rest of the witches used was not exact. It gave them a rough parameter so it bought you some time while they scouted the towns you had just left. The location spell was only able to be performed under certain conditions, most importantly a clear sky so that the moonlight was bright enough to cast a shadow. This meant the moon had to be high enough in the sky so they often had to wait until close to midnight to find your next location, which bought you more time. But it was only a matter of time before you messed up and they got the upper hand, you knew they’d outsmart you eventually.

The longest you’d managed to stay in one place was 3 days, and it was bliss. You and Bob fell into a routine around your shifts. You had booked into a beautiful cabin in a small mountain town, it felt safe and secure, and every night you made dinner together, ate outside in the fresh air, and then cuddled up together next to the warm fire.

You longed for that, uninterrupted. And you knew it would be a very long time before that happened, if the witches ever gave up. You were slowly making your way to New York, you figured if you hid in a big city it would be so much harder to find you.

Bob noticed your mood and wrapped a hand around your thigh and squeezed, you looked over at him and he smiled at you reassuringly.

“I’m sorry, Bob. That I’ve put you through this.” You whispered.

“I’m not.” He said, his eyes trained on the dark road ahead. “I mean, sure it sucks that we have to keep moving, I’d love nothing more than to just have a normal life with you, but I’m convinced we will, eventually. I’m just happy you’re in my life. I’ve felt like you always have been to be honest.”

You welled up as you listened to his deep voice. You weren’t so sure you’d ever have a normal life, but you were prepared to do whatever it took to keep Bob safe, even if that meant eventually giving yourself up to set him free. Selfishly though, you wanted Bob for just a little while longer before you did.

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At some point you must have dozed off again, because the next thing you knew you were being gently shaken awake and the sky was a medium blue, the sun just barely announcing its soon to be presence.

“Hey, we’re here.” Bob whispered, and you stretched as you looked around. Another cabin, although this one seemed to be in a more heavily wooded area.

You climbed out of the car and helped Bob with your belongings before climbing the stone stairs up to the pretty little cabin, which stood high overlooking the woods below. A good vantage point of the long winding road far down below.

“It’s beautiful, it didn’t look this nice in the pictures.” You chuckled.

“Yeah let’s just hope the inside looks as nice.” Bob mumbled.

He found the key under the doormat as the landlord had confirmed and unlocked the door. He pushed it open with a creak, and dust billowed out.

You both coughed as you walked in and began opening curtains and windows.

“He did say it’s been unoccupied for a while, too far out for most.” Bob explained. You began removing sheets from the furniture and a few minutes later you and Bob had aired and cleaned out the small cabin enough to feel comfortable. It didn’t have to be perfect, as you knew it was only temporary.

You sighed, exhausted from constantly moving. You’d moved so much you and Bob hadn’t even had time to do more than cuddling, and it was starting to have its own effects as frustration began to rear its ugly head.

The sun had begun to rise and you turned to see Bob on the porch, leaning against the railing, watching the sky turn from a deep purple to a fiery red.

You slowly walked up behind him and admired how peaceful he looked, almost unperturbed by the horrible reality of his new life.

You cleared your throat, and Bob turned with a smile, the same smile that took your breath right out of your lungs the first time you saw him.

You couldn’t help but smile softly back at him as you joined him at the railing.

It was silent for a moment while you both watched the sky change colours, birds chirping as they awoke from their nests in the canopy of thick trees below you.

“This really is a beautiful spot, Bob. I only wish we could have this forever.” You said sadly.

Bob crooked his neck to glance at you, before you felt a strong arm slink around your shoulders.

“We will, one day. I promise.”

“You shouldn’t be the one promising me that. I should be comforting you, I got you into this mess.” You murmured.

Bob chuckled.

“What?” You shot him a confused look.

“You’re quick to blame yourself but you forget that I had just as much to do with this as you did.”

You didn’t say anything, you decided it best to just enjoy the sunrise for a moment.

“You must be tired.” You whispered after a while.

Bob nodded, “A little. I’d rather spend some time with you though. You wanna go into town and grab breakfast somewhere?”

You grinned, “Yes, please.”

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Bob drove you into the small town about 10 minutes from your cabin. He parked up in front of a quaint coffee shop and let out a long yawn before unbuckling.

You chuckled, “Ok after breakfast you’re gonna take a long nap.” You instructed.

Bob grinned and shot you a look as he climbed out of the car. You followed and met him in front of the store.

“What?” You pried.

“When are we gonna ‘take a nap’ together?” He hinted, taking your hand and walking through the glass door.

You looked up at Bob, a little surprise, and you were about to answer when your shoulder knocked into something hard and steady.

You looked up and apologised as a man in tanned uniform turned to face you.

“No problem sweetheart.” A gruff voice replied, the moustached mouth smiling down at you.

You clocked his badge and the gun on his hip and realised he must be the towns sheriff. He had pretty brown eyes and gold tinted hair.

Bob, being a man of law himself, smiled politely through his jealousy and pulled you away towards the counter.

You shook off the feeling of the brown eyes that bore into the back of your head, and sidled up to Bobs side as you looked up at the menu board.

“Did I just detect a hint of jealousy Detective Floyd?” You grinned, your skin flushing hot.

Bob chuckled, “I don’t know what you’re taking about.”

Bobs eyes didn’t leave the menu board in the desperate hope you’d let it go, but part of you felt flattered that he was jealous.

You ordered coffee and breakfast and found a table near the window, the sheriff now long gone, and sat in comfortable silence for a moment while you waited.

“I wish we could stay here.” Bob finally spoke.

“Me too.”

“No, I mean it. I’d do anything to settle down, to stop running. I haven’t even had a chance to really hold you, to sleep with you in my arms for the fear we’ll miss something.” He sighed, a hand running through his caramel locks as he leaned back in his chair.

You frowned, “You don’t think I want that too?” You said quietly, staring out the window at the quaint, leafy little street.

“No, I didn’t mean that you don’t, I just…”

“You’re tired. I get it, so am I. I just don’t know what to do, they won’t give up.” You were still looking out the window, your eyes welling up when you felt Bobs strong hand envelope yours. You hadn’t noticed that Bob had gotten up from his seat and was now crouching next to your chair.

“Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.” He hummed, his free hand moving up to cup your face.

“You didn’t, it’s just this whole situation. I’m scared, like really scared, all the time.” You sighed, your hand brushing a strand of hair from his cobalt eyes.

“I need you to believe me when I say I won’t let anything happen to you.” He whispered, pulling you gently by the back of your neck until your forehead was resting gently on his.

“It’s not me I’m worried about, if anything happened to you I could never live with myself.”

“Nothing will happen to either of us, eventually they’ll give up and we can have a somewhat normal life.” He chuckled sympathetically, placing a gentle kiss on your lips.

You pulled him back to you and kissed him again, slightly longer this time, savouring the feeling.

The bell above the door jingled and you both jumped, an elderly woman making her way to the counter.

You chuckled, “Ok I think we both need some good sleep and maybe meditation or something, we are way too on edge.”

Bob stood from his crouching position and grinned down at you before he bit his lip. “I know something that will relieve stress much more effectively.”

You coughed in surprise but before you could respond the waitress brought over your coffees and breakfasts. You fully intended to wolf yours down and get back to the cabin as soon as you could.

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You burst through the cabin door with Bobs lips attached to your neck, immediately fumbling with the buttons on his plaid shirt and peeling the material off of his broad, muscular shoulders.

Bobs teeth grazed your skin and you gasped as his strong hands lifted you onto the countertop in the kitchen.

You tangled your fingers in his hair and moved his lips to yours, your arms wrapping around his neck.

Bob kissed you passionately and leaned you back against the counter, gently trailing back down your neck with his lips until he reached your collarbone. He stood straight and panted as he looked down at you, your eyes blown and desperate for more.

Bob placed his hands on the top of your legs and squeezed, before slowly sliding up towards your hips. He hooked his thumbs into your waistband and yanked your jeans down.

You suddenly felt shy and exposed in just your panties and tank top, and goosebumps erupted down your legs. Bob lifted one of your legs and brought his lips to your ankle, kissing a line down to your knee as your goosebumps subsided and your skin turned to fire. You moaned at the feeling and your back arched as his lips encroached onto your upper thigh, getting dangerously close to the place you so desperately wanted him, when suddenly…

Knock knock knock.

You gasped loudly and shot up into an upright position on the counter top, yanking your leg out of Bobs grip, your heart racing from desire and fear.

“It’s ok, it’s ok.” Bob cooed softly with a finger against his lips, motioning for you to stay in the kitchen, which was just out of sight from the front door.

You scuffled off of the counter top and hopped into your jeans, as Bob scooped his shirt off the floor and put it on, buttoning it up as he slowly made his way to the front door.

The door didn’t have a peep hole, so Bob took one long, deep breath and opened the door a crack.

You listened quietly with bated breaths from the kitchen, and it took everything in you not to rush out and protect Bob from whatever awaited him. You buttoned up your jeans and took a deep breath, ready to pounce…

“Oh, Sheriff. Hello, to what do we owe the pleasure?” You heard Bobs surprised voice.

“Hi there, I just wanted to welcome you to the neighbourhood. It’s such a small town, whenever there are new residents it’s such big news we simply can’t ignore it.” The sheriff chuckled.

You rounded the corner, surprise etched across your features.

“Ma’am.” The sheriff smiled, his brown eyes creasing. The man was slightly older than you and Bob, but not by much.

“Hello sheriff.” You forced a breathless smile as you walked up to the door.

“Please, call me Bradley. I just wanted to welcome you both to the neighbourhood and to say if you need anything, don’t hesitate to call.”

“Thank you, we’re not staying long, just passing through actually.” Bob explained, frustration evident in his deep voice.

The sheriffs smile faltered slightly but was quickly replaced with a handsome grin. “Sorry to hear it. Nonetheless if you need anything, I mean anything, just give me a call.” He handed Bob a card and smiled at you over his shoulder. “Was nice to officially meet you.”

Sheriff Bradley disappeared down the drive and Bob let out a huffed laugh. “Well that was a pointless interruption.”

You chuckled, “Maybe for the best. We wouldn’t want our first time to be while we’re tired and jumpy. Think we can risk a nap together?”

Bob grinned, wrapping an arm around your shoulder as he kissed your temple. “I think we can risk it this once.”

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- Chapter 6 Here -

[youplush-moved]

some of my childhood stuffed animals!!!

let’s go!!! nostalgia time!!!

first up we will look at all the webkinz (except for my frogs bc those ones are on a shelf)

there was this lil store in town that would sell webkinz for cheaper than meijers, so if i got good grades or something my mom would take me there and let me choose 2! but meijers always had a better selection so sometimes we would go there, but they were more expensive so i could only get 1.

lil kinz grey n white cat my beloved… i got her from my aunt for christmas one year :’) first ever webkinz, i was so excited!!

my mom hated the mohawk puppy because she thought mohawks were a sin

the signature clouded leopard introduced me to the animal and i was obsessed with them for a while!

the clydesdale horse is kinda special! my dad got it for me from ebay :) he normally never got me stuffed animals because he thinks they’re a waste of money. i also thought it was cool, because the internet was new to me, and i didn’t know you could buy stuff online!

not going into details about the traumatic event obviously but it’s kinda funny, because basically i had to pack a bag super quick and i spent forever deciding which plush to take with me lol (i think i was in shock or something, because i was not thinking clearly)

okay that was a lot of plushies… now i am tired… oof.

claw machine prize time!

i love claw machines, i would play them all the time! my favorite was this little one at little caesar’s in the next town over. the machine was really easy to win! i also remember walmart used to have a bunch of claw machines!

not going through the whole box, because most of them aren’t very interesting.

my first ever claw machine win is the little angry tiger! i was probably 4?? and it was at walmart. my dad moved the claw into position and i pressed the button :) i was so excited!!!!

the black and white bunny was a win from the little caesar’s i mentioned earlier. i loved it! the plush is super soft and good quality. normally claw machines have cheap toys so i was impressed!

the carrot farmer bunny is super cool! she originally had a straw hat, but the claw ripped it off :( i was never able to get it…. but that’s okay! also one of her legs is sewn on backwards. weird. but i still think she’s super cute!

next is miscellaneous plushies

i am even more tired now, so i’m not going through the entire box… sorry

these are mostly from garage sales! some of them were bought brand new though (and those ones were always so cool to me)!

i loved that chipmunk so much. i carried him with me around the house and i would sleep with him every night. i got him from the zoo on a field trip! i remember there was so many plushies, it was hard to choose just 1! unfortunately i did puke on him once, so my dad put him in the washer then dryer. when i saw him after he came out of the dryer i was so upset. he’s different! i hate change. i cried. he’s not soft anymore. i still loved him though, because it’s not his fault that his fur got messed up.

i don’t remember where the white dragon is from, but she’s so cool! i’ve heard it could be worth money but idk.

okay i’m done. super tired now. gonna sleep on the floor. goodnight <3