#new episode tonight let’s freaking go

[slushi-chan]

Tw: talking about a creepy dream and distress (Spencer Reid was in it for some fucking reason, why’d he have to be in a bad dream)

Had a dream yesterday while napping where I was in the past but I was invisible and watching the past unfold and Spencer Reid was in the dream and going through it (poor bby can’t get a break even in dreams) and he visited some guy and I was there in the past as this guys pet like I was straight up treated like his pet, not in a sex way but like literally like I was just some animal and I remember present me in the past kept saying things just like commenting on what was happening or saying things to Spencer even though he couldn’t hear me and I kept trying to interact but I couldn’t and I remember Spencer was crying at one point and I wanted to hug him but I couldn’t and there’s other stuff that happened that I can’t remember and there’s some stuff I vaguely remember but can’t verbalize it’s just in my head anyway I can’t stop thinking about that dream and it’s really uncomfortable and distressing and I’m about to go back to bed now and I have this pit in my stomach and I just feel really bad right now and I needed to just vent. I wish Spencer was here to just hold me as I fall asleep and make me feel safe it’s so unfair he’s not real

[mortish-writes]

Weekly Progress Report - February 3rd - 9th

I rather naively planned on spending a single day writing the NSFW scene for the Heretic route. Then it went from being 2,500 words to 7,000 because of all the pedantry. I love how it played out and I'm really satisfied with the scene. It was pretty painful to provide an alternate route without it, both because it was so solid and because it was kinda sad going back to the regular character dynamic after writing these raw moments of carnal understanding between the characters. As I mentioned previously, if you do go the NSFW route on Night IV, your night will go down a different branch with completely different scenes. The full route is around 13,000 words, so it makes for a very meaty episode.

The Zealot night and the non-NSFW Heretic night will be around 8,000 words each. I'm going to have the alternate Heretic night tied up tonight, then I'll be editing it. It will definitely be ready and uploaded on the 14th (possibly even the 13th), but the Zealot route may take another day or two depending on how long I spend on editing. I'm going to have to really pore over the Heretic route, as there's nothing quite so awful as being deeply immersed in an intimate scene only to stumble across a typo or an error. I'll keep you posted.

I'm almost ready to launch the Patreon. Rather than putting the NSFW content (Bound/Unbound modes) on Patreon I've decided to make a version with additional tendencies that offer unique romance/intimacy options, as well as early access to new nights. This will allow patrons to tailor a story and MC that's more to their liking, without taking content away from free readers. The first of the new tendencies are already established in the Night IV supporter edition. They're "coy" and "assertive" and you'll be able to flex them within NSFW scenes and romantic dialogue. This month, patrons will be able to vote on a new tendency for Night V, as well as which existing tendencies they'd like to see more of. Once we hit the Week One mark, I will be revising the entire week to add in the tendencies patrons have voted on, giving you new options from the prologue onward.

I'll be launching the Patreon this weekend once the Zealot route is finalized and uploaded to Itch. As soon as it's ready, I'll be sending out gifted months to everyone who has supported on Ko-Fi. Special thanks to UnknownOblivion for last week's ko-fi! I'm grateful to everyone who's supported the story, be it on Ko-fi or just leaving feedback as I get the hang of adapting my story and characters into an interactive format. It's been such a freaking joy to share them with other humans. I'll be checking in daily this week to let you know how Night IV is progressing. It's my favorite night yet. Granted, that's probably because I've been dying to get to the NSFW, idk. I just think all RO's are better once they've gotten a taste of the MC.

[[Play Bride of Shadows]] [[Ko-Fi]]

[lemotmo]

I just want to say good luck to you and Ali tonight because I just know your ask boxes are going to be absolutely a nightmare tomorrow morning.

Between an Eddie episode and the fandom’s impatience and expectations of everything in 1 episode.

Ryan interviews after the episode.

People already freaking out over a new Eddie LI based on nothingness.

You two are clearly the fandoms strongest soldiers 😅😅😅

Yeah, I'm afraid that a lot of people expect Eddie to magically come out as gay and in love with Buck all in one episode. I know that is what happened with Buck, but Eddie is so different. His story needs a different approach.

I am expecting 'something' in tonight's episode though. Maybe a little something to spark the thought of him not being as straight as he thinks he is. Or maybe something to do with Buck through a Face Time call? It'll be small and subtle, but it'll be another step in his journey.

Mostly I expect a lot of Eddie trying to make it work in El Paso and failing at almost everything. His attempt to reconect with Chris might go wrong and his parents won't be a big help, we know that. So yeah, I'm just expecting a lot of Eddie drama and I'm here for it. Eddie is my favourite character on 911, so I'm living for episodes where he takes the lead like this. 🙂‍↕️

The Ryan interviews will be interesting, but he'll try to deflect, because what else can he do? And yeah, like clockwork, people will spiral over him saying things that sound vague and unclear.

Let's all keep in mind that the actors can't spill anything in these interviews.

Speculation on a new Eddie love interest? Really? Who is it this time? Hot gal or hot guy? *sigh* 🙄

I wouldn't exactly call me and Ali strong soldiers.😋 We often spaz out together about the show and the storylines, but we try to do our best to keep up the positivity.

Ali does it by being brutally honest, which I appreciate immensely. And I do it by trying to remain calm and positive in my replies to people.

I mean, I get it. It's a lot sometimes. People need to vent once in a while. Totally understandable.

I'm just saying that the Buddie storyline has just officially and obviously kicked off. Let's enjoy the journey. You know? 🤷‍♀️

[6feathered6siren6]

Repeating

Notes: Part 3 of the time loop reader, have a happy holidays! I will be celebrating by sleeping after posting this.

Trigger warnings

Light trans speculating

Mentions of death and killing

Depressing episode's

Slight ooc of Vince(I am trying to any info about this man)

P1, P2, P3, P4, P5

˚₊‧꒰ა❤︎໒꒱ ‧₊

『00:92』

 Nightmares only welcome you when you sleep, the murders you’ve done, seeing the ones you loved either dying in your arms or hands, or you dying. And it seems each gets worse than the last. It leaves bags under your eyes and the anxiety of anything that could happen. After just 2 months of joining the server, it leaves a mark on the server to the point of worrying everyone in it.

You were just supposed to take a simple shower, less than 5 minutes. You couldn’t stand looking at your body. The missing scars, the random flashes of blood, the injuries you gained but now missing, your hair, either changing in color or being cut. It all was freaking you out at the moment. The amount of times you broke your mirror couldn’t be counted on your fingers. You could barely see yourself in the mirror. You were so done with this time loop bullshit. 

You felt the anxiety, your breathing quicking, your eyes burned against your reflection. You couldn’t look away. A moment of black and your fist was bloody again. Your mirror was broken. 

“Fuck…” You let your breath go. It was the only thing you could do. Your vision blurred with tears threatening to fall.

A knock. A few of them, but someone was here. You slowly open a drawer and slip out the knife you placed. With how anxiety ridden you’ve been, you hid weapons everywhere. With Victim playing with you, you needed something. Something to protect you. You crept up to your bathroom, holding your knife with practice and ready to strike. Slowly opening the door, you dropped your knife. It was a familiar face.

“Woah, woah. Watch that pretty blade, sweet slayer.” It was Ronin, but what was this dumbass doing here? He sees your shorter messy hair, your bathroom, your face, then to your fist. You were covered in new clothing but with slight blood from your injured hand. His eyes soften, but you don’t recognize why. 

“Bad night, heh?” He had that fake smirk you can recognize quickly. He picked up the knife and placed it onto the bathroom counter, away from you and himself. His trace back to your hair and fist. 

“Yeah..” You hugged yourself, and shifted your gaze away from him. You couldn’t see that fake smile of his. But felt a hand on yours, it burned like hell to you. He had your injured hand, and slowly went to the sink. 

“Got any tweezers?” You pointed the drawers beside your sink. “You got yourself good there. Impressive damage. Could probably kill someone if you keep at it.” He gently shoved you onto your covered toilet. 

You stared at your fist, the glass was deeper than before. You could easily treat yourself, it wasn’t the first time it happened. Ronin was in front of you, grabbing your hand, and picking out the glass. It was quiet, but it was a nice quiet. Not like the loud noises before. 

“How… How are you here?” You spoke a bit above a whisper. You didn’t want to break the quiet, peaceful moment. 

“Angel begged me to check up with you. A few others as well. Everyone was worried. And since I was the closest near you, I showed up.” Now twisted words nor any confusing lies. He’s blunt. Rare.

“Thanks.”

“Darling, got some demons dancing in your mind? Tainting you?” You rolled your eyes, but you nodded. “Well, luckily, the devil can quiet them tonight. Now, what’s rotting your mind?” You could see the quick glance to the mirror and your face. 

“It's…” You paused. Can you really tell him? Would he call you crazy? You looked down. “Nevermind..”

He finished pulling the last one before putting the tweezers down. He looked up at your hair, he raised his hand about to graze his hand over it. He had this… look. Like it was familiar to him, but you still couldn’t put your finger on it. He took his hand away before even touching it. He sighed and stood up, grabbing the first aid. “Wash out your hand. I’ll bandage it.”

You nod and do what you are told, putting the water lukewarm and washing your hand. As he sorted through the first aid, he spoke again. “How long have you been like this, driving yourself mad.” 

You look at him before going back to the water. “Years. I guess…”

“Well, welcome to the fucking club, gender dysphoria does the worst to ya. Can be a massive bitch.” You stiled… Did he think… Did he think that you were having a meltdown about your gender? You mean, you did questioned it but with this whole fucked up situation, you couldn’t. There were more important things to worry about. But it was funny to you. You started laughing. 

The Butcher himself, looked at you confused. You can see him questioning if you were insane. 

“Sorry, just… sorry… this.. Wasn’t that.” You turned off the water and looked at the male. “I promise.” 

He looked at you before giving a small huff. “So what, you're into fighting mirrors and cutting your hair. Looks like you fought a raccoon and lost.”

You rolled your eyes as you sat back on the lid of your toilet. Giving your hand to him again, you smiled. “It’s a long story…. A bit… personal for you to know yet.” 

He took your hand and gave you the cocky smile, “Well, we have all the time in the world for me to get to know your demons.” 

Yeah, all the time in the world.

『00:93』

You were done mopping again, after the last loop of having that sweet moment with Ronin. You wanted this to end, you thought back to the past loops, the time you spent. It was December, 2 weeks from Christmas, you forgot you were in VC until Vince joined in. 

“Hello, (User), how are you?” The Sunset Slasher spoke up while you were deep in thought. You realized you never got to know him nor his wife. You instantly felt bad. Now thinking of it, you barely got to know some of the people from the server. Sure, you know Luca and Felicity were into each other, Luca likes surfing while Feli is in Uni. You barely knew them, dragging you into another mopping rabbit hole. 

“User?” Vince spoke again. Pulling you out before it gets worse.

“I’m here, I’m here. Sorry, got deep in thought!” You spoke quickly. You looked back at your screen. 

“Ah, well, how are you today? Hope the sunset was great.” 

“I wasn’t able to see it today, I got pulled into a call by Ronin and Angel.” You said, you saw the time. 3 hours after they left. You were always losing track of time, and it was getting worse by the loop.

“Well, hopefully, you take a photo to share tomorrow. I know movie night is in an hour, but do you want to talk beforehand?” He sounded interested in talking to you. Maybe… you can get to know him. 

“That sounds good. Hope I won’t bore you.”

“You won’t, you have been interesting since you joined. A cryptid killer with little to no call off. I want to know how you kill.” You paused. Have you killed anyone in this loop? Like you got the same bat before but… did you use it yet? You did start having gaps in your memory every once in a while. But you guess you could be honest, you have killed people before, hell, became a mass murder who wasn’t caught yet.

“Well, my main weapon would be a bat. Smashing their knees then their heads.” You said as you thought about what you did in the past. You also used a knife and a gun. But a bat? That's your weapon. Afterall, Victim has started to use them when you kill them. 

“A bat? Huh, I guess you and Ronin do have similarities.” Which perked you, you didn’t pursue him, but Angel. “Feli and Luca were right, she does have a certain type.”

Which makes you pause again, like… Ronin… Shit… are you… like them now? A killer? You shook your head. No, you are doing this to find whoever did this. “Well, how are you doing? I never got to ask.”

“I’m doing well, same for my family, my wife and I will be with our kids for the next few weeks, so I’m happy to be with them. Especially, two days from now.” He sounds happy, you wish you were able to be older and without worrying. 

“Well, that sounds exciting. I’m happy for you..” You were able to mask your voice, making him think you were happy. 

『00:95』

You were with V, somehow you reached into his bunker, earlier than other loops. He realized you weren’t a killer, at least, not in this loop again. 

You sat at his kitchen table with a cat on your lap. Listening to classical music playing from his computer. Surprisingly, they were calming to you. If you weren’t in this bullshit time loop… These sweet moments were soft and you always wanted more, or at least to stay in a loop. But your wish will always be denied. 

As you get deeper in your thoughts, the cat bites your finger, making you yelp as you pull away. “Ow, careful, pretty one.” 

V looks over to you, hearing you yelp. “Are you okay, Love?” 

You turn your head to look at him. “Yeah, she just nipped me, I’m good.” 

He paused, he just stared at you with such a thinking face. Deep in thought. “Were you… thinking of something not…” Pausing. “Reader… Have you been having depressive episodes lately?” 

“What do you mean?” You raised an eyebrow. He never really stumbled on his words before. And depressive episodes? You… you never got them. “No, why?”

“Well, that cat on your lap, her name is Mango. Her past owner passed and was kidnapped by the killer. Brought her here. But she is a service animal for mental episodes. She nips sometimes when someone is in an episode. Soo..” He gets up and sits across the table. “Are you sure that you are fine?”

You realized something there. This loop thing… it’s fucking with you.

『00:96』

You sat at the desk, just staring at your hands. You were fucked. This time loop thing was fucking with you. You saw murder was okay. Killing someone was normal, felt normal. You were fucked. You are a killer as well. Memories were flooding in, when you killed the four you liked. Your… partners? You didn’t know anymore. YOU DON’T KNOW. You were fucked. 

How could anyone decide from here? No one had this problem before. You looked everywhere for a solution, you tried to kill people to find the Victim. And who were they? And why did this curse affect you?

『--:--』

A person was on the roof of a building. Their hair was flowing in the wind as they looked down. Staring right at you. There was no sadistic smile, just a neutral one. Throwing an envelope down to you before walking off. 

“Just killing randomly won’t work. Nor doing what you were doing. Use your brain dumbass. - Victim”

『00:99』

Triple digits. 100… You stared at your drink. It was the next loop. Maybe you do need help.

[alloutofgoddesses]

I am soooooo normal about tonight’s 9-1-1 episode. If you want to see how normal, there’s stuff to look at under the cut.

S08E11 - Holy Mother of God

- HE’S MOVING IN

- Hi Maddie you freaking cutie

- Oh Buck why are you sleeping in your big sisters house

- Hi Mama Nash and Brother Nash

- I just know this woman has some wack ass breath

- EVANGELICALS DOWN

- Heyyyy 118

- RAVIIIIIIII MY MOST FAVOURITE MAN

- Oh nooooo Bobby called him Eddie

- AND HE’S USED TO IT

- Oop

- What in the good goddamn fuck is a gennie

- So sorry Ravi

- HA LMAO I love you Bobby

- Buck on a ladder can only go well. It’s not like he’s cursed or anything

- Homophobia?

- Is this a bad time to say this actress looks and sounds like my partner’s mom

- Not Ann, the lady on the cross

- Like she isn’t but they could absolutely be related

- What is this actress’s last name bc if it’s the one I’m thinking of the possibility is Not zero

- “That work has already been done” lmao

- Buck is Jesus lmao

- Of course Eddie is missing this

- And the 118 go “Wait his mom is alive?!?!”

- Good night Jee!!

- Maddie. Shoes on the COUCH

- Place your bets now, how long will Maddie have a scar

- Btw thank you JLH for the hair upgrade

- Awwwwwww Buck :(

- He can’t make new friends, he only has one

- Hi Athena! Hi Bathena’s new house!

- I love youuuuuu whoever dresses Athena

- I love all the knitted stuff

- There is no reason for him to mend that fence if he doesn’t want to wtf

- Buck sweetie

- A WHOLE SHIFT LMAO

- Frolf. Frolf.

- Fucking FINALLY btw Ravi deserves friendship

- Charlieeeeeeee

- And Buck but I digress

- I’m sure she does

- Charlie we don’t care what that man thinks

- Bobert

- Ann

- YouTube Athenaaaaa I will always love her

- Athena being Southern Baptist does make sense but my knee-jerk reaction oof

- Damnnnnn Bobby

- Ravi I am so sorry x2

- Eddie joined an underground fight club

- Exactly Ravi

- Also Eddie became a dad at 19

- EEEWWWWWWWWWWWW

- Ravi why would you do this

- Eddie you petty ass bitch lmao

- Buck WTFFFFF dude

- Cut sleeves Buck I-

- Buck is a CUTIEEEEEEE

- Scream?!?!?!

- COMPETITION

- COMPETITION COMPETITION

- Uh huh

- HELLO?!?!?

- SO YOU DO HAVE FEELINGS FOR EDDIE?!?! WHAT

- Bye Tommy die in a hole :)

- LET! BUCK! SMASH THINGS!

- A life alert slay

- OH SHIT WHAT

- WHY WOMAN IN DIRT

- SIR

- Not hard enough to commit murder Buck. I know you’re salty rn but Not The Time

- RIPiss you piece of shit

- Well

- Wouldn’t be crazy

- Uh huh

- Well. I do definitely want you pining but not hopelessly

- Maddie I am sorry that your little brother is Like This

- Also I am Freaking Out I have gone back multiple times to get all this down

- BIG HOLE

- Tommy deserves mean :)

- It does suck I agree

- UNPACK WHAT BUCKLEY

- I SHOULD CALL HIM?!?!

- Oliver Stark is having the time of his life rn

- Maddie, again, he does not register his emotions unless they hit him over the head with a frying pan

- Ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

- The brothers Nash

- Hello totally unfamiliar hospital room that I have definitely never seen before

- ADHD man moves in, so real so true

- All the workout gear teehee I lob you Buck

- Have fun Athena

- Poor poor woman

- Night terrors oop

- A fire? On the firefighter show? No wayyyyyy

[justjenah]

do you rly think latvia mike was replaced last ep?

Ha! Oh, I have no idea.

But, this is a season in which we have VHS Michael telling us that it's important to keep the iterative lineages straight and not let other iterations "pollute" them which really raises concerns for all the iterations.

Notably, unlike Mikey or Michael, in all 174 episodes the only times we've had two (or more) Latvia Mikes are situations where it was purely issuing a correction (Axe, Ride, and Panther). In fact this is stated explicitly in Axe when Mike clarifies "We’re on adjusted time. No new iterations tonight". Of all the iterations Latvia Mike has been most stable this entire show, so any sort of disruption there would be pretty alarming.

And then of course there was the cowboy accent. Until 174, Mike just can't do it, even when he tries. The closest Mike ever comes is in ramifications when Mikey is freaking out and says he can't handle what's happening, Mike tells him "you can and you will pilgrim" and even then, he doesn't do the accent so much as he lowers his voice a smidge.

Even at times when Mike is sort of channeling Michael and wearing the cowboy hat, such as in 82: Digging and 135: The Conundrum Of The Cowboy's Codex, he never does the accent.

Plus, the way the entire scene in 174 is set is incredibly disturbing.

Mike's use of the cowboy accent and giving MW the same Wilderness speech that Michael gave him could easily have been a really poignant moment, but it is not played that way and it seems very intentional.

The music is deliberately discordant, seeming intended to make the audience feel unbalanced and uncertain of what's about to happen. There was a moment there where I genuinely expected Mike to kill MW at the end of that speech.

Finally, him showing up and immediately referencing the boars head is concerning. The boars head (indeed dead boars in general) seem to have become sign posts for violence in WOE.BEGONE. From Michael using the boar's head as a distraction when killing compound Mikeys, to Mike and Michael nearly dying on a mission immediately after Michael brings the boars head into the apartment, to Boris gutting a boar in the kitchen while obliquely threatening Lieutenant. The boar's head being mentioned, to me, does not bode well. For whom? No idea.

So to answer your question, I have no idea what's going on with Mike. But in a season seemingly all about iterative lineage, I am concerned for him.

[yullalightk]

The new smg4 episode review!

Alright! this'll be a different one for tonight, and sorry for not posting again. But, anyhow you read the title so let's start with the Puzzles club house episode!

So, I just wanna say.. this episode was by far what I expected. I knew Mickey was going to make a deal with him! and I wasn't expecting the plot twist near the end!! But I also had fun watching this one.

1st, This scene made me think that this wasn't the first time Mickey asked Puzzles to make a deal with him. Nothing important but, thought it was nice.

2nd, when Mickey mentioned that the engine room was the most important I knew Puzzles was plotting something!! Poor Mickey didn't see it coming!😂 Plus this face is my new favorite now, don't ask me why. I just love sassy facial expressions!

And, Puzzles's sassyness was hilarious during the episode and I'm actually glad he wasn't dumb enough to join Mickey. At least not quickly, and I'm glad the creators didn't downgrade him!

3rd, I freakin' love these scenes!, and like WHAT THE HECK!!!!!!! Puzzles my guy!! WHO KNEW YOU HAD THAT IN YOU!!!!! ASGFHHGGYTNGSYGGLUDXHTJYUKGHHDRYETFVHHESY Sorry, for overreacting but you know! He killed Mickey and remade this carnival into his own! I can't be the only one who freaked out during this scene!! And he new faces holy crap! Those three new ones were just *Chefs kiss* perfecto!

Also, glad he's become intimidating again, I genuinely thought the creators didn't want to ruin the fanbases image of the guy. You know, the 'uwu cutesy Puzzles' I'm just glad they took the idea to give us a reason to be afraid of Puzzles.

Side note: I loved him when he said the line. Ya'll have no idea how many times I replayed this specific scene.

4th, More of Puzzles backstory!?! yes! I was excited to know more about him!

And I take back what I said when I thought Puzzles's father was a great person, like boy! was I wrong!!😂😂

Also, I saw a commenter on a community post on Youtube saying that the showgrounds was Puzzles's first attempt on making his dreams a reality, but he abandoned it. Which I find pretty saddening cause he had a dream to make people happy and entertain them with his carnival.

Side note again: Isn't this forshadowing him turning Meggy into Leggy forcefully?? you know, in the last part of the episode where he ordered his guards to crush Meggy into Leggy?!!

5th, Hearing him saying this was genuinely heartbreaking imo. All he ever wanted was to bring a smile to people's faces to entertain others, his father and (probably his classmates) got in the way of that. Although I won't forgive him for his actions, I certantly understand why he acted the way he did, and became a villain.

Side note I'm sorry there's so many!!: These scenes were funny as fuck. Don't change my mind.

6th I was wondering what he was doing in the engine room.

Oh, now I get it!! must've been painful to merge yourself with that thing though.. now I feel even more bad for him than before.

Overall this is the best episode by far!! I also love how the creators showed how Meggy is traumatized and angry at Mr Puzzles, (Rightfully so) and she didn't forget about it. I just don't know what to say, I know I'm late to the hype train but I'm just glad to see this masterpiece!!!!

[fairytales-and-folklore]

Task Failed Successfully

The Owl House » Huntlow

Title: Task Failed Successfully

Author: fairytalesandfolklore

Fandom: The Owl House (Masterlist)

Relationship: Hunter | The Golden Guard x Willow Park

AO3 Rating: Teen & Up (a complete collection of author's notes, inspiration credits, content warnings and tags can be found on AO3)

Summary: Convinced she'll never feel the same, but intent on not keeping any secrets from one of his best friends, Hunter's grand plan to confess his feelings for Willow backfires in the best possible way.

Hunter takes a deep breath, studying each change in Willow's expression. In the last few seconds, her face has gone from pale to pink to a deep shade of scarlet, and for a moment, Hunter worries that he has made her angry, or at the very least, embarrassed her. Because of course he has. This is embarrassing. He is embarrassing. He thought he was doing the right thing, being honest about how he feels, but maybe he was wrong. Maybe dumping all of these unwanted, one-sided feelings on her had been a mistake, because now she's faced with the uncomfortable task of rejecting him, and someone as sweet and kindhearted as Willow should never have to— "Do you want to go out with me?" Willow blurts out in a giddy, flustered rush.

Read On AO3 | Read On Tumblr:

One of the best things about having a fully functioning portal back up and running (you know, aside from the whole not being trapped in another realm and having no idea if your friends and family are still alive thing) is that the demon realm has access to wifi again, which means Gus gets to borrow Luz's Netflix password and binge-watch all the popular human realm tv shows he wants.

It's become something of a tradition these past several months, sleeping bags strewn across each other's living room floors, all five of them crowded around Luz's old laptop, marathoning movies and mindlessly shoving popcorn into their mouths — a comforting bit of nostalgia from their time in the human realm. 

But today is Luz and Amity's one year anniversary, and Willow had noped out the minute she found out the new show Gus wanted to watch featured some kind of demonic plant entity as its main antagonist (she doesn't need to give herself nightmares every time she goes to work in her greenhouse, thank you very little) so tonight, Gus sets up camp on his bedroom floor, queues up an episode of Stranger Things, and waits for Hunter to come over.

In the meantime, Gus is texting Willow, who has finally, finally admitted to having feelings for Hunter. Only took her the better part of a year.

See, Gus has known for quite some time now that Hunter and Willow have got it bad for each other (it's painfully obvious to everyone but the two of them.) And look, he's not interested in playing matchmaker or anything (he's not Hooty, for Titan's sake) but he does want to help nudge them in the right direction. Much as Gus loves his best friends, he's not sure how much longer he can stand to watch the pair of them make heart eyes at each other whenever they think the other isn't looking.

So he's texting Willow, telling her it's obvious to anyone with eyes that Hunter likes her back — boy blushes so hard whenever he's around you I'm afraid he's gonna give himself third degree burns — encouraging her to go for it and tell Hunter how she feels, but Willow won't budge. Keeps insisting that it'll just freak him out. That if he does like her back ("and that's a very big if," she says, and Gus has to fight the urge to roll his eyes) then she needs to wait for him to make the first move.

Which would be super sweet, if it wasn't totally a front for her own insecurities. Gus has known Willow for a long time, and while she's made some amazing strides in gaining back her confidence, evolving from the soft-spoken, brokenhearted little girl who used to let herself believe she wasn't good enough, to the strong, fierce captain of her own self-started team, fearlessly fighting alongside friends that she knows, without a shadow of a doubt, she could trust with her life…deep down, there's still that little tendril of fear, that what if that stops her from going after what she wants, if she thinks there's even the slightest chance she'll get rejected by someone who means the world to her, all over again.

And then there's Hunter, whose inherent lack of self-worth is so hard-wired, he won't even entertain the idea of asking. He just assumes unrequited feelings are an inevitable certainty, automatically rejecting himself before anyone else even has the chance.

At least, that's Gus's guess, but he'd like to think he's gotten pretty good at reading his closest friends.

He's about to text back something along those lines — a softer, more tactful version, of course — when he hears a familiar set of footsteps trudging up the stairs, and instead types out a hasty, "he's here, we'll talk more about this later," smiles at Willow's reply of, "sounds good, you boys have fun," and vanishes his scroll.

On cue, Hunter comes strolling into his bedroom, sleeping bag, pillow, and little pink frog plush curled under one arm, the other laden with all manner of tooth-rotting snacks, some of which fall to the floor as he hastily tucks his scroll into his back pocket. As he swoops down to pick them up, Flapjack flitters out of his makeshift nest in Hunter's hair and lands on the bed next to Emmeline, the two of them striking up cheerful conversation.

"Darius says I can sleep over tonight, but that I need to, and I quote, 'go to sleep at a reasonable hour or so help me Titan, I will go full dad mode and ground you, we don't fly coach in this house and those duffel bags under your eyes aren't designer'," Hunter says, huffing out a laugh as he drops his overnight bag on the floor and settles in at Gus's side, dumping all his snacks into one big bowl so the two of them can share.

Two minutes in and they're completely transfixed, concepts like sleep and dinner thrown out the window as they marathon their way through most of the first season, shaking each other by the shoulders as they shout things like run! and hide! and don't be an idiot, tell them what you saw! at the characters on the screen. 

They're picking through the remnants of the snack bowl, playing roulette with handfuls of Skittles and M&Ms, when the iconic friends don't lie scene comes up, and Gus nods sagely, mumbling, "So true. What a lovely random moment of wholesomeness amidst all this horror and chaos," through a mouthful of rainbow corn syrup.

And Hunter just sort of blue screens because, well, shit. 

Every once in a while, Hunter's past mistakes catch up with him, seemingly out of nowhere, triggered in ways he never would've expected (like, say, a line of dialogue from a television show.) It's been over a year since the whole recruitment incident, and he knows they've all forgiven him a thousand times over, but in this moment, Hunter can't help the guilt that courses through him when he hears the words friends don't lie, when he sees Gus so readily and enthusiastically agreeing with the sentiment, branding it as a law of friendship. He doesn't think he's lied to any of them since that first day, unless…

"Hey Gus?" Hunter asks, hesitant. "Do secrets count as lies?"

"Hmm?" Gus says distractedly, far too engrossed in the episode to give Hunter's query his full consideration. "I mean, I guess so. Kinda depends on the context."

Hunter mulls it over, momentarily panicking that he's been a bad friend this entire time without even realizing it, because, well…as it happens, he's kind of been keeping this monumental secret from all of them for months now.

But maybe if he just comes clean, it'll all be okay?

Oh, but talking about it is scary.

But friends don't lie, and if secrets count as lies…

"Okay, if that's the case, then I need to tell you something," Hunter prompts with the somber severity of someone about to deliver shocking news. He takes a deep breath, steeling his nerves as Gus turns to face him with a look of mild concern, and says, "I think I might have a crush on Willow."

As soon as the words leave his mouth, Hunter winces, waiting for the inevitable fallout — laughter, ridicule, a lecture about how stupid and hopeless he is, or, oh Titan, maybe Gus'll give him the shovel talk, complete with a novel-length list of reasons he'll never be good enough for Gus's long-time best friend and honorary big sister — but to Hunter's immense surprise, Gus merely blinks at him, mouth curving into a smile that's half fond, half amused, and says, "Yeah, I know. That's not exactly a secret."

And Hunter panics even harder because what? He thought he'd been hiding it so well. After a bit of a freak out, during which Gus has to reassure Hunter that he hasn't been embarrassingly obvious about his feelings for Willow (a white lie, because while he's been obvious, Gus wouldn't call it embarrassing, especially since Willow is just as bad) Hunter breathes a sigh of relief, feeling like a Titan-sized weight has been lifted off his shoulders, and sets about plotting his next course of action.

"Willow is my friend," he reasons, twisting the ties of his pajama bottoms until the threading comes loose. "And friends don't keep secrets from each other, so I think…" Hunter swallows nervously, a muscle ticking in his jaw as he squares his shoulders and gives a resolute nod. "I think I need to tell her."

Gus purses his lips to hold back a beatific smile because this is it! Willow has been waiting so long for Hunter to make the first move, and now it's finally gonna happen! His best friends, falling in love and finally getting their shit together. This is truly a momentous occasion. He wonders which one of them will win in the fight to have him as their best man…

"I think that's a great idea," Gus says encouragingly, hastening to add, "As long as you're ready to. For the record, it's not a requirement of friendship for you to divulge all your secrets. You're entitled to your privacy." 

Because ultimately, this needs to be something Hunter does because he wants to, not out of some misplaced sense of guilt or obligation.

Hunter takes another deep breath, much steadier this time, and nods. 

"Thanks," he says, lips tugging up into a small, self-assured smile. "But I think I'd feel better if I did, so…yeah, I'm ready."

• • •

A few days later, Hunter comes barreling into Gus's room with a whiteboard under his arm, a fistful of note cards, and a foolproof plan. Tomorrow, after flyer derby practice, he's going to pull her aside, deliver his confession as professionally and succinctly as possible, and when (not if, but when) Willow politely rejects him, they can move forward as friends with no secrets left between them.

"So, what do you think?" Hunter asks, a little breathless after reading from a set of cue cards upon which he has handwritten some long-winded confession speech. Gus stares at him in disbelief, glancing back and forth between Hunter and the whiteboard, where two poorly-drawn stick figure representations of Hunter and Willow appear to be shaking hands like they're closing a business merger.

Well…at least Gus can say he knows his friends very well. He didn't want to be right, but…called it.

"Hunter," he says with as much patience as he can muster. "Buddy, I don't think you've thought this all the way through."

"What?" Hunter huffs out an incredulous laugh. "But I have a whiteboard! I made cue cards! I—"

"No, I can see that," Gus reassures him, pursing his lips in an effort not to laugh. "I just meant…I don't think this confession is gonna go the way you think it is. I think you need to be prepared for all possible outcomes."

"Oh," Hunter says, looking crestfallen. "What, like…you think she'll be mad?"

"No, that's not—" Gus falters, patience wilting by the second. How in the world is he supposed to talk date night contingency plans with a guy who won't even entertain the idea that this little confession plan of his might actually work out in his favor?

"Look," he sighs. "All I'm saying is…have you considered the possibility that Willow might reciprocate your feelings?"

Hunter stares at him for a moment, arching an eyebrow like Gus has just spoken some strange alien language and he's waiting for the script to finish running through an internal translator.

And then he's doubled over, bursting out laughing.

"Oh sure," he says, rolling his eyes like Gus has just suggested something utterly absurd. "Like someone as beautiful and sweet and smart and strong as Willow would ever fall for someone like me. Pfft. Good one, Gus."

Gus heaves a long-suffering sigh, resisting the urge to facepalm.

"I think you need to give yourself a lot more credit here, dude," he tries, but Hunter is already making his way out the door, still laughing, whiteboard and cue cards in hand.

"They're both utterly hopeless. Worse than Luz and Amity. I am hanging on by a thread here, Matty," Gus groans a little while later, sinking down the length of his bed and ending up in a puddle on the floor in front of his crystal ball, where Mattholomule's smirking face stares back at him, one eyebrow arched because seriously — pot, kettle.

(Little does he know, Matt has been dropping hints like crazy, but every time he tries to ask him out, putting all of Steve's dating advice to good use, Gus just assumes he's asking to hang out as friends. Honestly, it's a wonder anyone in their friend group managed to get into an actual relationship.)

• • •

"Alright team, that's a wrap for today!" Willow calls out across the field as she dismounts from her staff, beaming around at her fellow teammates, breathless but euphoric. "You guys did amazing out there. We're totally gonna crush Glandus at next week's tournament!"

She's about to head to the front gates, zipping up her sports bag and slinging it over her shoulder, when she rounds the corner and crashes face-first into Hunter, who stutters out an apology and blushes bright red when he glances down and notices that Willow's hands are splayed across his chest in an effort to brace her fall.

"Hunter!" she exclaims, cheeks flushed an adorable shade of pink from the efforts of their practice session, turning darker as she lets go of him with a breathy chuckle and moves to readjust the strap of her bag. Hunter has half a mind to offer to carry it for her, but if he's being honest, he thinks even the weight of a feather would be enough to knock him down right now.

"Captain!" he says, wincing at how loud and screechy it comes out. "I was wondering if I could talk to you about something…just the two of us?"

"Oh," Willow replies with a soft little gasp of surprise. "Um. Yeah, of course. What's on your mind?"

In the distance, Hunter catches sight of Gus giving him an encouraging thumbs-up, arm in arm with Skara and Viney as the three of them make their way through the front gates, leaving Hunter and Willow alone together on the field. 

"Captain," he prompts, spine ramrod straight as he forces himself to maintain steady eye contact as a sign of respect. "It has come to my attention that friends don't keep secrets, and so I must inform you of a secret I have been keeping from you for quite some time now."

Willow arches her eyebrows, gazing up at him expectantly.

"You see, several months ago," he starts, so nervous he's practically shaking, palms sweating, voice cracking, full body blushing like someone's just poured a vat of fire bee honey down the back of his shirt, but somehow, he manages to barrel his way through it. "I became afflicted with an ailment that caused me to experience momentary lapses in cognitive function, heart palpitations, and fever-like heat concentrated primarily in my face, any time I found myself in your presence."

He maybe takes the professionalism a bit too far, diving straight into pretentiousness and speaking like he's from the Deadwardian era, but he thinks he still manages to get the point across well enough. He presses on, willing himself to get through the hardest part  (i.e. the confession) without said heart palpitations and fever blushes tripping him up.

"Extensive research into the subject lead me to the conclusion that I had developed something called lovesickness, and that the object of my affection was— is— you. I had hoped that, in time, this malady would fade, but it's only gotten worse the stronger our bond has become. I think it's because…well, you make me happier than I ever thought I could be, and I—" he falters, heart threatening to beat right out of his chest as Willow's lips part in surprise, a soft gasp escaping them. "I've never been in love before, but I'm pretty sure this is what it feels like."

"So," he exhales on a shaky breath, forcing himself to keep going, to get to the part where Willow lets him down gently, reassures him that she'll keep being his friend, and then everything can go back to the way it was. "Before this gets any more out of hand, or you find out through some other means — as it has recently come to my attention that I am not very good at keeping feelings of this nature hidden from the observant eyes of our friends — I thought you should hear it from me. I hope that my candor will not negatively impede your life in any way, and that, now that it's all out in the open, we can continue to move forward as friends."

He holds out his hand, actually holds out his hand for her to shake, and for a moment, all Willow can do is stare down at it in utter astonishment, because what? Did that really just happen? Did he really just tell her that he likes her and then reject himself before she even had the chance to—

Hang on.

Willow's brain rewinds the conversation, zeroing in on one cardinal detail — I've never been in love before, but I'm pretty sure this is what it feels like — and a blush like a summer sunset spreads from the bridge of her nose to the tips of her ears.

Hunter takes a deep breath, studying each change in Willow's expression. In the last few seconds, her face has gone from pale to pink to a deep shade of scarlet, and for a moment, Hunter worries that he has made her angry, or at the very least, embarrassed her. 

Because of course he has. This is embarrassing. He is embarrassing. He thought he was doing the right thing, being honest about how he feels, but maybe he was wrong. Maybe dumping all of these unwanted, one-sided feelings on her had been a mistake, because now she's faced with the uncomfortable task of rejecting him, and someone as sweet and kindhearted as Willow should never have to—

"Do you want to go out with me?" Willow blurts out in a giddy, flustered rush.

"What?" Hunter blinks at her, certain he must have misheard her.

"I just figured—" Willow falters, suddenly unsure of herself. "I mean, I like you and you like me, so maybe we could—"

"You like me?" Hunter blurts out, positively awestruck.

"A bit more than like, if I'm being honest," she says, shy smile dimpling her sun-kissed cheeks, and for the first time in months, possibly his whole life, Hunter's mind goes blank. Blissfully, wonderfully blank. No thoughts, head empty, just her. All he can do in that moment is stare at her, a slow, utterly besotted smile spreading across his bright red face.

"So, does this mean we can be together now?" she asks, gazing up at him with a hopeful smile, sending his heart into overdrive. "Do you want to be my boyfriend?"

• • •

Hunter lays against his pillows later that night, not entirely certain how he'd managed to make it all the way back home after his brain melted into soup and spilled out of his ears onto the flyer derby field. 

All he remembers is that somehow, in his delirious state of giddy euphoria, he'd managed to stutter out the words, "yeah, absolutely," and then offered to walk Willow home, singular brain cell zeroed in on the feeling of her fingers interlaced with his, how soft and warm and small her hand had felt holding onto his. Cheek still burning from where she'd stood on her tiptoes to kiss him goodnight, the way her dads had smiled at him and called him a nice young man. 

He's pretty sure he's going to have permanent dimples from how hard he's smiling right now.

Hunter feels his scroll vibrate in his outstretched hand and absentmindedly lifts it up to check his notifications. There's a new message from Gus — "So??? How'd it go???" — and a notification from Penstagram informing him that Willow Park has updated her status to in a relationship. 

For a moment, Hunter's whole world crumbles, heart sinking into a pit of despair, until he realizes, with no small amount of wonder— oh Titan, the relationship is me.

He didn't just get one date. No, they are dating. They are in a relationship. Willow is his— he can't even think the word girlfriend without breaking out into a full-body shiver. Of all the ways he'd imagined confessing his feelings would go, he never once considered the possibility that this could be the outcome.

Willow Park is his girlfriend.

He is Willow Park's boyfriend.

Oh hey, who's that blond guy walking down the halls of Hexside, hand in hand with the most amazing witch in all the realms?

That's Hunter, Willow Park's boyfriend.

He sends back a quick, "it went amazing, thank you for everything" to Gus, and then logs onto Penstagram, clicks the little heart on Willow's status update, and swiftly sets his own to in a relationship, wearing his brand new title with far more pride than he'd ever felt as the Golden Guard.

A few seconds later, a notification pops up informing him that hello_willow has just commented on his status with a trio of green and gold hearts. Hunter buries his face in his pillow, kicks his legs in a little flail, and lets out a hysterical laugh so loud he's got Darius knocking on his door a few seconds later, asking if everything is alright. Hunter resurfaces, rolling over and laying flat on his back with his scroll clutched to his chest.

"Oh yeah," he responds with a swoon-worthy sigh, beaming over at Darius with one of those rare smiles that puts the adorable little space between his two front teeth on full display. "Everything is just fine."

"Oh? Did something happen today after practice? Something involving a certain plant witch, perhaps?" Darius prompts with a knowing smile, folding his arms and leaning against the doorframe.

In lieu of a reply, Hunter buries his face into his pillows and resumes his manic giggling, the tips of his ears practically glowing bright red.

Darius chuckles, shaking his head in fond amusement as he closes the door behind him, murmuring, "Oh thank Titan, finally," as he heads back to his room.

The plot of this story was inspired by this post by lollytea and the title was inspired by this comic by moringmark

[tommyactually]

okay so @downonyourbuck's post reminded me of an episode from the wonderful world of mickey mouse called "Just the Four of Us" where donald and daisy lie to get out of going on double dates with mickey and minnie, but they use the excuse of being sick (big mistake) and now m&m are coming over to take care of them.

the thing is the episode is framed as a thriller/horror so d&d try to hide while m&m basically hunt them down (with love... and medicine)

it's so funny to picture eddie and josh being unable to keep up with the lovebirds buck and tommy who are just so extroverted and out there, compared to eddie and josh who just wanna stay home

so they decide to lie and call up buck and tommy like

eddie: hey buck, sorry man, we can't make it tonight... why? *looks at josh who just shrugs* uhh, we're sick! anyway bye!

josh: what have you done??? why the fuck would you say we're sick! now they're gonna come over here and take care of us. you know how they are

and here they come, these two giant brickhouse men, trying to bust down their door because they know eddie and josh are terrible when under the weather. so of course buck and tommy take it upon themselves to bring some soup, maybe some tea, a whole pharmacy - ya know, the basics.

it's too late to pretend they're not home. eddie's car is in the driveway. thankfully christopher is over at a friend's house for the night, so he doesn't have to witness his dad and his dad's boyfriend try and fail (miserably) to hide from buck and tommy

and here is where you'd have to take some artistic liberties. somehow eddie and josh manage to escape the house. they're running from these two very fit, very athletic men - not to say eddie isn't fast but we've seen buck and his long ass legs, and josh doesn't strike me as much of a jogger. certainly not one up to par with those two olympians.

they've been cornered. josh is tired - he just wants to go back home and catch up on some trashy tv show that eddie pretends he isn't that invested in. it's raining, josh is pretty sure his shoes are ruined, and his pants are gonna be a Bitch to clean after having slipped on some mud further back.

josh: i'm done i've hit my limit. my shoes are fucked, my pants... i don't even want to think about the dry cleaning bill..

josh: listen, eddie, we had a good run. it's a shame we didn't get to fuck one last time, i really wanted to try something new, but this is the end. you just had to say we were sick, didn't you?

eddie: wh-... so you're pinning this on me?? it's not like you were coming up with anything

josh: well i wouldn't have said we were sick, i'll tell you that much...

something something they pass out, buck and tommy catch up and bring them to the hospital. blah blah blah they wake up

eddiejosh: at least now we can finally be alone. just the two of us

bucktommy: you mean the FOUR of us. being out in that storm got us sick too.. i managed to talk the nurses into getting a room for all of us so we could still hangout while we recover, isn't that great?

the end.

oh! in the episode there is a moment where goofy steps out of the bathroom (literally scaring the skin off of donald) and he's like "hey thanks for letting me use the shower. it's that time of year again." and donald goes "SHHH!! you didn't see me!!" *hides in the bathroom* then goofy freaks out "i didn't see him?.... i'm going crazy!!! i gotta get outta here!!"

i couldn't figure out who that'd be in the 911verse, but have at it.

[rapha-reads]

IWTV rewatch

Season 1 episode 7 [The Thing Lay Still] - part 2/3

- AAAAAAH IT'S THE DANCE SCENE EXCUSE ME I'M NOT READY AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH.

[Louis] "So much would be written about that grim night in New Orleans, but not a single mention of our last hour at Latrobe's, as if the only crime unfit to print took place on that dance floor." - and what do we say to homophobia, both "period-typical" and current? FUCK OFF.

It's the way they cannot… Aaah, need to say it in French, sorry. Use your translation tool. Ils ne peuvent pas se quitter des yeux un seul moment, même pas quand leurs pas de danse les forcent à se tourner le dos, Louis fermant les yeux jusqu'à ce qu'il soit de nouveau face à Lestat, ou qu'ils doivent se tenir l'un à côté de l'autre, leurs regards irrémédiablement attirés l'un par l'autre, comme deux aimants, magnétiques et plus fort que tout.

[Louis] "It was my sole duty to distract Lestat, but in his mirrored eyes, the distraction reflected back onto me. And in the dead center of the whispering gallery, I lost the thread to my plotting and fell once more into the well with no bottom. I was his, and he was mine."

I haven't said a word about Jacob's voice acting yet. But the way Louis' voice is so soft and slow. As if Louis is lost in his memories and back there, feeling all the love and the frenzy of that night, but also the pain and grief of the long decades since.

- Oof, I'm barely midway through the episode. I'm pausing it so much to not miss a single line that my player is starting to complain.

- "'Claudia, born 1903, I drank the water in 1917. I'm 36 years old.' 'Louis de Pointe du Lac. Born in 1878.i drank of the water in 1910. I am 61 years old now.' 'Lestat de Lioncourt, born 1760. I drank the waters in 1794. 180 years old… this coming November.'"

Ooooh, canon divergence! Not Louis and Claudia, them, we know, but Lestat. Born 1760 but turned in 1780 at 20 years old in the book. Interesting! I wonder why that change. There's another element given in s2, when Armand's writing his little Lesmand fanfic, but otherwise I guess s3 will give us an answer to why that tiny time change.

Meanwhile Tom fucking Anderson continues to be a nuisance.

- FINALLY. BYE TOM.

Love the music. Love the blood. Love the violence. Love the magnificent entrance of the three, in white and red. Vampires are freaking cool and the werewolf crowd can bite my a… Ahem, sorry, werewolf buddies. I got carried away.

- Aaaand goddamn Antoinette about to make her entrance. Aaaargh. But also I am very bi and she is very hot so I can't entirely hate her.

- [Lestat]"'Quite drunk this one. Rosemary… And something else. What is it, my love?' [Louis] 'I… I think it's gin.' [Lestat] 'I wasn't talking to you.'"

Bitch how dare you call someone else your love right in front of Louis, I'm offended.

Oh, wait, actually I can perfectly hate Antoinette, GET YOUR HANDS OFF CLAUDIA.

- [Claudia] "'Lestat… You must think me an idiot. 'She was at the ball tonight.' Not just the ball. You shoulda let that train go, Uncle Les.' [Lestat] 'How? Who?' [Claudia] 'He who called you him… Always the petty lights with you, Uncle Les.'"

Ah, I knew I hated Tom Anderson for more than his slimy, racist, homophobic ways. Nice planning, Claudia!

- Ooh, oh, no, baby, not the cane sword, no no no no. I hate (not) when the foreshadowing comes full circle.

- [Lestat] "Louis! We are joined by a cord, by a cord that you cannot see, but it is real. It is real. I have loved you… with all myself. I'm happy it was you… here with me… à la fin."

*cries*

No but can you imagine Lestat's anguish, the pure suffering and desperation he must have felt? Yes, yes, I know he's done plenty of wrongs, he's hurt Louis and Claudia a lot, he made mistakes after mistakes, he was prone to anger and abuse and violence.

But à la fin he's still a little boy who was neglected by his mother, abused by his father, hated by his first love, kidnapped and raped by his maker, hurt and threatened by the first vampires he's met, and was so lonely, afraid and hurt he didn't know how to love honestly even though he was deeply in love.

"Are we the sum of our worst moments", can we not feel pity and sadness for the monster in the woods? Can we not show kindness to the monster even after he's slapped our hand away, isn't kindness what could make the monster accept the hand?

I wrote a thesis about kindness being the true core of the story of Beauty and the Beast last year, about how it's true kindness and not love that Beast relearns how to be human and builds the self-esteem and self-respect needed to truly fall in love with Belle and have her fall in love with him in turn (there's more to my thesis, it's a 100 pages long, but that's the main point I wanted to make), and I can't help but draw parallels with Lestat.

Beauty and the Beast is French and it was first written in 1740, then rewritten and condensed (from 125 pages to barely 30) in 1756. Lestat definitely must have heard the tale, by the 1770s, 1780s, it was quite popular both in noble salons as in lowlier classes.

Do you think he ever fancied himself the Beast, and saw Louis as his Beauty? Do you think he ever thought he was cursed - despite claiming he never saw his condition as a vampire as a curse - and saw Louis as his salvation? Do you think he felt the fairy tale shatter irreparably around him when he realised that this time he could not keep Louis with him? Do you think in 1945 at the trial he saw himself as the Beast freed from his curse finally, heard and avenged, only to then realise that the curse was still there and stronger than ever because he had deeply misunderstood it? Do you think he spent 77 years living off rats in a dilapidated shack in the city that held his heart because his story went from Beauty and the Beast to the Ice Queen, or Koschei the Deathless, heartless and waiting for the one person that could unfroze or unbury his heart?

Ooooh, Lestat versus folktales. I think I can write a whole other thesis with just that idea. Or maybe a series of fics. Too many thoughts.

- [Louis] "The blood poured out of him as it might never pour from a human being… all the blood he had filled himself with. He lay now on his back, his eyes staring wildly at the ceiling, the irises dancing from side to side."

[Louis] "His irises rolled to the top of his head, the white went dim. This horror that had been Lestat… I stared helplessly at it. The thing lay still. There was no point in lingering."

No comment, just… Can you hear in Louis' voice the anguish, still, after so many decades…

- Huh. Bye Antoinette for real I guess, fire doesn't forgive. So no Antoinette at the Court.

- [Louis] "It was as if we'd expected Lestat to disappear in a puff of smoke or get sucked back into hell." - no but see, that's what I'm saying, the fairy tale ended and now you're left facing the very real consequences of the plot you thought you were living. Lestat ain't no fairy tale monster, just a regular (albeit vampiric) one, flesh and blood at the end. This ain't Buffy. Vampires are flesh here, animated flesh and when you kill them by any other means than fire or the sun, you are still left with the painfully visible reminder of the man that was the monster.

[I really like this part because I hadn't thought of the whole Lestat/folktale before and now I'm having a million of ideas knocking around my head.]

ep1 | ep2 | ep3 | ep4 | ep5 | ep6 | part 1 | part 3

[hheartsdramas]

okay tonight will be catching up to 33/34 of blossoming love since i got distracted by always my general and a work trip

have we talked about how this ost is low key full of bangers?

in every life he just wants her to be able to have her own life and be happy 🥺

i love this scene between pearl and the princess. they’re both so grounded. and kind of a role reversal from their later lives, with pearl being the innocent trusting one and princess more jaded.

i love how he zhou is the biggest shipper (“pearl will be heartbroken!”)

well i guess the good news is that after all the miscommunications, secrets, and misunderstandings of the first life…every single one of these people got to their second life was was like, “you know what? imma communicate”

who’s made a gif of pearl taking that first gulp of wine because it was fucking adorable

it’s a good thing that i fell in love with mu xuanling first because pearl is the kind of pollyanna character i usually bounce off of, but because i got invested in mxl and know we’ll be getting back to her i can enjoy pearl for her sweetness without getting annoyed

piggy back ride!! they’re so freaking adorable

god princess is truly a tragic character i wanna give her a hug

wait they just let them burn?? that feels…heartless. they could have run away together or something

zhao ming is such a mensch, i’m getting seriously stressed about what happened to turn him into demon daddy

oh good second couple did run away together! but these idiots are going to drag them back into the bullshit clearly

YOU CAN’T HAVE HER FATE SHE’S NOT YOURS

wow i had a lot of thoughts on these episodes. i’m super busy the next few days so i’ll probably have to wait and binge the last few episodes (last few episodes *cries*) on monday.

[alivingtypo]

I take notes when i watch new episodes so may i introduce my completely sane and succinct thoughts while watching 7x09

911 7x09 ashes, ashes 

wheel of fortune is fun 

Starting ahhhh the medal ceremony

Buck sitting between Tommy and Eddie is insane

I’m so proud of them omg 

Bobby’s proud face

Bobby MEDAL OF VALOUR

oh no Bobby 

Oh no Bobby 

Chim and maddie are so sweet

RAVI MY BOY

Tommy and buck are cute tho 

Oh fuck 

Gerard 

Homophobic cunt 

I love when Maddie interacts with others

Bobby freaking out ahh

Oh no the mayor or whatever councilwoman 

Oh my god I’m going to lose it if she fucks with the Wilson family I’m gonna lose it 

Oh my god talk you out of something RESIGNATION FUCK I WAS RIGHT 

BOBBY RETIRING 

IM FREAKING OUT 

WHO IS GOING TO REPLACE HIM 

if they split up the 118 I’m gonna throw up 

For fucks sake Eddie

A rowboat with your dead wife’s doppelgänger

WHAT WHY YOU SEEM SO FAMILIAR

this is wild 

Eddie pull yourself together she is not your wife or your girlfriend (or your husband) 

She’s really digging right to the core of him 

Amir is back 

Athena stop breaking the law 

Athena and Amir friendship feels right 

Is Bobby gonna kill himself bc I can’t handle that 

Bobby I’m going to cry 

He’s looking at his family 

Why is the music making this so much worse

His last call with the team maybe 

Bobby calling her Mother hen then looking at buck and Eddie 

He’s dading Ravi I’m gonna cry 

He’s having a dad moment with everyone one last time 

“What are you making” Not me you” “you’re the chef tonight”

Buck being the new 118 chef I’m gonna throw up

Bobby stop it 

Buck loved Bobby’s approval 

I’m crying 

Buck is so cute god

Father son moment I’m gonna throw up 

“Here’s to seven more” 

DAD SON DATING TALK MOMENT 

IM GONNA THROW UP 

OH NO 

KIM BUCK IS SEEING KIM

BUCK WATCH OUT 

HES LIKE FUCK 

WHO DID YOU SAY YOU WERE

Would you mind giving these to him for me. Bucks gonna go to Eddie’s and it’s gonna end bad 

DIAZ HOUSE 

HES LIKE WHY IS BUCK HERE 

BACK DOOR LMAO

MIRRORING THE SHANNON AT THE FIREHOUSE SCENE FUCK

EDDIE PLS BE SO FUCKING FOR REAL

they’re gonna argue aren’t they

It’s not like we’re having an affair GURL BE REAL RN 

I’m worried about you SAME 

The Wilson’s and Hans are so sweet

I’m gonna cry I love them 

Oh no fucking councilwoman is meddling isn’t she

We’re halfway through and I’m shaking 

Kim is shocked at least he told her I guess 

But I’m not her (pls let this be the end of it) 

Ok at lease he’s apologising 

Pls tell her you have a girlfriend

I want Marisol to walk in 

Eddie pls go to therapy

I think she was (the love of my life) girl rose coloured glasses 

Unfinished business

Omg he’s gonna say everything to her for closure (and then Marisol can walk in) 

Amir at the grant Nash house

I’m sweating 

Amir and councilwoman team up would end the world

Amir getting very angry Bobby is gonna lose it 

Oh no Bobby and Athena fight 

Getting your affairs in order oh my god no 

Bobby therapy pls 

Bobby baby 

Bobby and Athena are so sweet together

Pls communicate losers

Councilwoman I’m gonna fight you 

If councilwoman swoops in and takes Mara I’m gonna throw up 

She’s gonna ruin everything I’m gonna throw up

This is so fucked up

I’m gonna throw up

This is so fucked 

I’m gonna fight the councilwoman

Eddie oh god is that Marisol 

WHAT THE FUCK 

SHES DRESSED UO AS SHANNON WHAT 

OK SO MAYBE FOR CLOSURE BUT THIS IS FUCKED 

THE PSYCHOLOGICAL DAMAGE

he’s going for it 

Ok this is fucked but also kinda sweet

If they end up in bed I’m suing 

Go to therapy 

This is fucked 

I want Marisol to walk in 

YESSS 

CHRIS NO 

Bobby’s fucking house 

Pls 

Why is his dad in the kitchen ok dream ok 

Bobby mental break 

NOT THE BOOK 

ALL THE PEIPLE YOU DIDNT SAVE

YOU WERE A CHILD 

do you smell that

Fuck the poor house 

Not the garden that’s where the family all get together 

Athena oh no

Oh no oh no 

It’s gonna end on this isn’t it 

Oh my god 

Why isn’t Athena waking up

Oh my god 

The poor house 

NOOO NOT A HEART ATTSCK

HIS HEART STOPPED FUCK OFF

NO IF THEY KILL BOBBY IM DEAD 

THATS A CRUEL ENDING 

TRAILER 

Athena waking up and no Bobby

On a ventilator 

THIS IS FUCKED

so yeah i obviously have a very very clear mind while watching my weewoo show

[stevenbasic]

Growing into the Job, Post 377: The Beginnings of Empire

“Do we have to watch the news?” Julia asked, pouring a half-refill into Josie’s red solo cup, which she’d balanced on her what-could-almost-be-called prodigious chest. Fed by each of Dr. J's little expulsions at Missy’s hand, it was becoming quite the nice cup holder. 

Josie Jensen liked these kind of nights. Even if it was a Tuesday, even if they needed to work the next day, even if they weren’t out partying. Being together, with the girls, just felt right. The group of them - Randi, Amelia and Julia, and her new friend Lakshmi - had been at the Tipsy Taco earlier this evening. The 'Missy' effect  or what some of the girls were calling the  'Blissy' effect or simply ‘the Bliss’, had come during their first round of drinks. Missy and Dr. J were obviously having fun together somewhere and it was making the buttons nearly pop on all their tops. Nice way to start the evening! Now completely full, they were vegged-out, gorged to the gills on hamburgers at Josie’s place. Lounging around, watching TV. Amelia was doing Lakshmi’s nails. Julia had made them some more margaritas. Josie felt bloated and chubby and somewhat regretting her little binge.

All of them sorta missed Melissa and - what the fuck, why could they feel it in their bones like this? - Dr. J. The dude was a nerd but nnnngh, maybe they’d get some more Bliss off him in a bit. Odds were good, since they could all still feel that Missy and J were still together. 

“There’s a new episode of ‘Stinkers!…we should watch that,” Julia suggested.

“Oooo our patient is in that, right?” called Lakshmi.

“Yah,” answered Randi, voice extra-smoky tonight. She’d been showing off her new skills of getting big shit into her mouth at the bar, freaking out some guys. Her hand, one of their hands. A pint glass. It was quite the trick.  “Adrienne’s like, taking over that house with those new tits of hers.” 

“She’s getting so pretty,” someone commented. 

“Dude, no, this is important,” Josie replied, raptly watching CNN over the rim of her margarita and trying not to let its plastic straw poke up into her right nostril.

Her mom had started back to work recently, at first a marketing consultant for a bunch of 'New Woman' campaigns, and now she was transitioning to more permanent positions on staff with a few of the recently-elected women headed to Washington. So, Josie had picked up the politics bug over the past few months; it was really fascinating. The world was changing so fast, and it got her excited.

 “I’m taping ‘Stinkers!’ anyway, we can watch that after this,” Josie allowed.

It was a cool reality show, but she really wanted to see what was happening in East Makata. 

“What’s the U.N.’s reaction to this going to be?” came the anchor’s question to their guest, a sweaty doof with a comb-over. 

It had just been reported earlier today. Some company had taken over a small country. Listening to the anchor-lady behind the news desk, and the guy she was interviewing tell it, it sounded like something between a coup d’etat and a purchase. It hadn’t really made big headlines, but Josie had seen it and there was something about the story that gripped her.  

“Where’s Makata anyways?” Julia, the shapely redhead among them asked. She emptied the last of her pitcher into Amelia’s empty cup.

“East Makata,” Josie corrected. 

“It is in Central Africa,” Lakshmi offered, nodding at the map on the big screen over her shoulder. 

“Kind of near Wakanda?” Julia posited.  

“Wakanda’s fake,” Amelia retorted, “East Makata’s not. You’d know that if you ever paid attention in Geography.”

“I never heard of it,” Julia shrugged, walking away back towards the kitchen ostensibly to make another pitcher.

Josie rolled her eyes. She guessed the similarities were there: tiny African nation, pretty isolated, landlocked. Removed from lots going on in the larger world. But, unlike Wakanda, East Makata was poor as fuck and beset by constant violence and the machinations of warlords. This big corporation, it was kind of ambiguous which one still, though this guy had his theories, had come in and bankrolled their way into power. How they were going to run it was still unclear.

“Isn’t the company this guy’s talking about the same one that we think kinda owns Evolution?” asked Randi. 

“The Russian thing?”

“I did not think the Collective was in the business of politics,” Lakshmi offered. 

“I guess they are now,” drawled Amelia. She was starting with a clear coat of polish on Kiki’s left hand. “All hail The Great Mother, right?”

Amelia’s comment made Josie tingle, and her hair wiggled on the sofa pillow beside her. If it was KOLECTV, and the Eastern European conglomerate was everything she’d heard, this was super-cool news, thrilling. East Makata, an actual nation, was now in the hands of women. Not just governed - that was happening everywhere, around the world - but owned. Women controlled it completely. They could do anything.

“They’re a small nation, yes, but I’ve been watching this unfold for a while now,” came the guy’s onscreen voice as he defended his positions, “and my investigations have shown that this ‘Collective’ and its network of subsidiaries has been purchasing up land in the surrounding countries as well. And doing similar things worldwide. The U.N., or someone, really has to step in.” The guy had begun to drone. “It’s the responsibility of the larger world to-“

The girls all watched, but attention had started to wane.

“This guy sounds like a tool.”

 “He’s definitely mansplaining.”

That should be a federal offense, Josie mused to herself, maybe it will be someday. She pulled the red solo cup from out of her top, took one long drag of a sip, and put it aside. 

 “Who is this reporter guy anyway?” asked Randi, “Some author?”

“I dunno,” Amelia said dryly, “I’m sure he’ll disappear soon.”

"Yeah.. "

“Hey, wanna put on ‘Stinkers!’?”

“Sure.”

…

…

“...I miss Dr. J,” someone said. 

“Me too,” Josie answered, pulling her phone from out her top. 

“Yeah I could really use some cock right now,” Randi chuckled, stretching her jaw and bringing giggles from others. 

Josie opened up her phone, raised it above herself to take a picture. 

“Let’s send him a kiss…”

===========================

big thanks to RiF for some above-and-beyond editing, and my usual team of ninja assassins for guidance

[lemotmo]

Tired. Also heads up on the inbox stuff.

Q. How are you not upset or freaking out right now? This is not good in any way!!!

A. Okay so this is the last anon message I'm going to answer at least until after the episode. If you want to spiral in my inbox you are going to have to do it with your name. So for the time being anon message capability has been turned off. As for this ask, there is no part of this that is bad news in the grand scheme of things. Am I annoyed by it? Yes. Is it the laziest way to get there? Yes. But it's also objectively hilarious because he's not the one. None of this is about him. So while I am annoyed about how stupid this whole thing is, I also understand what they're doing with it. At this point I genuinely don't know how anyone can be confused by the storyline they're telling here. Episodes 9 and 10 exist in canon. They didn't occur accidentally. Buck is going to try to take an ex home to EDDIE'S house and attempt to have sex with them IN Eddie's bed. The entire thing is about Eddie. And it's objectively hilarious given who the rumored ex apparently is. The spiraling is baffling to me. They could be planning their wedding and someone somewhere would post a dooming speculation post and some of you would crash out immediately. I genuinely don't understand this pattern. Media literacy is a thing. We, and the journalists I might add, didn't invent the stuff we've been seeing since last season. Olive teased a slow burn. He teased wanting a will they/won't they. Welcome to the party people. Relax and let the story unfold. It's going one way and one way only. This part might suck but it's entirely temporary.

Thank you Nonny!

Yeah...

We haven't seen the episode yet, so I'm still cautious on whether or not these 'leaks' are true. So take all of this with a grain of salt.

First of all I owe an apology to the Nonny that came into my inbox a few days ago, talking about the exact scenario from those 'leaks' and that that might happen. I thought it was a ludicrous idea, but if this leak turns out to be true tonight, it will still be ludicrous but fact. So, wherever you are Nonny, I'm very sorry. I was wrong. It has happened before and it will no doubt happen again.😽

I agree with Ali all the way. I'm not angry, just confused by this show's insistance to continuously write up very strange scenarios when it could have been so much easier. But whatever? 🤷‍♀️

You all know that I was already convinced T would be coming back to play the last act in his plot device arc, but I didn't think the show would take it this far. I suppose Buck is having his own little crazy Vertigo moment here. It is what it is.

I'm not upset. I am going to get through whatever it is they'll show us of this very bad decision, because I know there's a light at the end of this tunnel. The man is head over heels in love with his best friend and if this is the way for him to realise it? Well, c'est la vie.

It'll all be part of buddie's 'will they won't they' romance. This truly is the slowburn to end all slowburns.

Silver lining? At least he didn't bring home someone else and we'd have to go through the whole cycle of people jumping ship going 'OMG Buck and that random woman/man' were perfect for each other. They are soulmates' phase. Better stick with the annoyance that we know than to add new unknown and unpredictable annoyances to this fandom.

Everyone should be watching this episode though. Don't let T stop you from watching and enjoying Buck's first moment of realisation in 7 seasons. Don't let T stop you from watching Buck crash out over Eddie. Don't let T stop you from exploring more strange Bobby lore. Most of all though... don't let T stop you from enjoying Aisha's directorial debut. It'll be wonderful if we could all support her as she deserves.

So I'll be sitting down tomorrow morning to watch the episode, as unspoiled as possible at this moment. I never open any social media on Friday morning and happily watch whatever story is about to unfold.

Heads up! For anyone who is giving me the shifty eyes for reposting Ali's updates instead of reblogging. Read this.

Remember, no hate in comments, reblogs or inboxes. Let's keep it civil and respectful. Thank you.

If you are interested in more of Ali’s posts, you can find all of her posts so far under the tag: anonymous blog I love.

[nerdieforpedro]

Weekend Update 04/14/2024

Nerdie, you’re kinda late tonight.

Yeah, it was all taxes this weekend. 😭 Ugh. But it’s done. Let’s not talk about it anymore.

OK…So what’s new?

Back to work after time off. Adjusting and writing. I did watch the Ryan Gosling SNL episode. I laughed so hard.

I did get a manicure and pedicure - 💜 purple hehe!

I did read some fics this week:

1. Something Old by @fhatbhabie (Javi G x plus size female)

2. Sexting by @reallyrallyauthor (Steven Grant x Marc Spector x Jake Lockley x You)

3. Enchanted to Meet You by @beskarandblasters (Din Djarin x f reader)

4. Fires at Midnight by @inept-the-magnificent (Lucian Flores x f reader)

5. A Midnight Plea by @soft-persephone (Marc Spector x fem reader)

6. A Galaxy Far Far Away part 6: Halloween at Juniper Cottage - Pick your own pumpkin by @grogusmum (Din Djarin x earthling f reader)

7. I’ll Give You The Moon by @soft-persephone (Marc Spector x fem reader)

8. Mi Santa by @fhatbhabie (Frankie Morales x reader)

I did write some this week 👀 I’m sorry I’m advance. Things ended up dark. 😭 Those are marked with the red.

Back & Nose, Hair and Hat - (Only Parts of you Mr. Morales Series)

Her smile was worth it - for the iamasaddie writing challenge 2.0 (Pero Tovar modern AU DARK FIC)

Interlude Two - Tell me about her and Part Seven Merging the Star Clusters - (The Lake between us Series)

Scarlet Stains and their Echoes (DARK FIC) - Post Apocalyptic Fluff and Stuff

Chapter 3: Can we talk for a minute? - This is the Neighborhood Din Series.

This week there were a few things, like the writing challenge 2.0 @iamasaddie put together. We sent in asks, pick a color (I did it to myself, I asked for mob enforcer- where else was the fic to go but dark?) Despite being kinda freaked out at what I wrote (I’ll need to process that later) I like it. I usually don’t do dark fics but given recent themes in my writing it’s there. 👀 So I’ll write it if it pops up in the brain.

And this past weekend (I totally missed but sweethearts @perotovar and @honeyedmiller tagged me in) was the @swiftiscruff friendship exchange. From what I saw, people are writing fics for each other, making gif and moodboards and proving much needed friendship and fun. 😎

I’m sure there are other things. But I dunno what they are. 🤣 I hope everyone enjoys what they’re working on. And if you need to rest, drink some water, dance around, nap, all the things.

This week there will another chapter of Din’s neighborhood, I FINALLY have more Din fluff. Well in the neighborhood and Star Ocean Series. I should have another chapter of Benny and actual fluff post apocalypse. It escaped last week. So we’re bringing it back.

No more Ezra and his gumbo or tanktop 🥺 Part 8 will be up next Sunday. His prose will be no more for now. 🙃

My Frankie miniseries will be almost done. This Friday and the next Friday of my math is right. lol

Special thanks:

@mysterious-moonstruck-musings for finding an excellent pic of Frankie’s back and giving me notes on smut that I chose not to use for now

@connectioneverywhere for letting me talk their thumbs off and putting them to sleep. 🤣

@soft-persephone I see you 👀 Two words: Dem noses. 👃 You know. 😄

@megamindsecretlair You need to write about some curls! Telling me and Softie to write about them. You know which curls. 🤭

@soft-girl-musings Songbird, Cabbie and loud ass Marcello on drums. Why did I half expect him to be playing drums on SNL? 😂 He was wearing a very loud shirt so half credit.

@tinytinymenace it’s always fun seeing your namesake laying and just relaxing. 😎 With a dope poof.

@604to647 I really appreciated your ask and messages this week. 💜

Have a great week everyone! 🥰

Love Nerdie ❤️❤️❤️

[she-karev]

Quarantine (Andrew DeLuca x Alex Karev’s Sister Covid Imagine)

Previous Part Here

Age Rating: 12+

Chapters: Two of Three

Fandom: Grey’s Anatomy

Ship: Andrew DeLuca x Amber Karev (Alex Karev’s Sister)

Canon Episode: Season 17 Episode 4

Summary: Amber continues to quarantine in her hotel room and gets a surprise visit from Andrew outside the door who gives her a care package. She is bitter towards him at first but begins to soften when he tells her why he cares so much about her.

Words: 1880

April 15th, 2020

Amber Karev is in her hotel bed watching Netflix with the curtains open revealing the city life at night which to Amber is more entertaining than what she’s watching right now. She kept hearing about this Riverdale show and decided to give it a shot but she soon started to regret it. Despite how bad it is Amber can’t stop watching it while she blows her nose for the 20th time tonight.

In case you haven’t noticed, I’m weird. I’m a weirdo

Amber groans at that sulky line from the Disney kid, “More awful than covid.” She takes a big sip of her water bottle before she hears a knock in her door, “Finally my soup. I’m coming!”

Amber stands up feeling the body aches, but the call of room service is stronger as she pulls her white cardigan around herself and grabs her mask. She coughs on the way before reaching the door and looking through the peephole to see it’s not room service to her displeasure.

Andrew DeLuca is outside her door wearing his casual clothes and black mask. He is carrying a black backpack and a white takeout bag with a dragon symbol on it. Amber inhales as much as she can and exhales to keep her anger in check. She thought this morning would be the last time she would see him for the next two weeks but as usual she knows there’s a force out there that wants her to suffer more and sent her ex to help.

“What the hell do you want?” Amber asks annoyed in a nasal voice due to her stuffy nose, “I was already checked by a nurse an hour ago and another one is gonna take my blood tomorrow.”

“I saw this morning that you were lacking in things other than a TV, clothes and oral hygiene so I thought I would get you a care package for the next 11 days.”

Amber pinches the bridge of her nose over Andrew not taking a hint. No matter how many times she tells him she doesn’t want to be with him he still tries to crawl back into her life with sweet gestures that do nothing to mend the pain he caused her.

Not seeing her reaction he continues, “I got you a couple of Harry Potters a couple of new releases and some spicy chips. I figured you needed something to spark your taste buds for a few seconds. Also, I got you that chicken soup from that Chinese joint at Weller you love so much.”

“What part of ‘get what you need and leave me alone’ do you not understand?” Amber asks with venom in her tone that catches Andrew off guard, “I am sick and I am tired and I don’t need you coming in trying to butter me up when I’m lonely hoping I’ll get desperate and let you in this room on day 14.”

Andrew tries to set the record straight, “Amber that’s not what I’m-”

“Because it has been months since I have touched another human being, but I am not desperate enough that some soup is gonna make me forget all the pain and have one gross night with you. Despite how low you think of me I respect myself enough not to whore myself out to you.”

Andrew closes his eyes in frustration, “Look can you let me-”

Amber keeps going in anger overlapping with Andrew, “So this whole concerned ex act is not gonna work on me so just take your freaking soup leave me the hell alone. It’s like you said to me the night you kicked me out I don’t want you here and I don’t need you here!”

“Will you just let me talk?!” Andrew yells back from his side catching Amber by surprise. She inhales and stays silent letting Andrew say his piece expecting him to piss her off again. Instead, his next words take her by complete surprise.

Andrew inhales from behind his mask before starting, “My nonna and two of my uncles died over the past few weeks because of covid.”

Amber is caught off guard by that fact and guilt immediately replaces her anger. She has been so angry with him and so distant she never considered that he’s suffering in silence because his home country is a hot zone for the pandemic. She never considered that she wasn’t the only one worried about her family in this scary time.

Andrew sighs in grief but continues, “I said goodbye to them over Zoom but still I wish I could have gone there and taken care of them in person. It might not have done much but at least I could feel like I did something to help instead of crying over a damn webcam. And then there’s my father, I’m scared for him, I’m mad at him but that doesn’t mean I don’t care. You and I both know he is probably ignoring the rules and not caring about the consequences without me and Carina there to help.”

Andrew clears the lump in his throat outside Amber’s door not seeing her leaning against the door listening to him. She shakes her head at herself for giving him a hard time when he has so much on his plate as it is. And hearing him telling her about his turmoil makes her feel sympathy towards him. She almost wants to open the door and hug him but knows it’s not safe for either of them.

Andrew continues, “Look I’m not here for an agenda, I’m not here because I’m hoping there’s a reward for me at the end in your bed. I’m here because I can be, and I don’t want to waste it. If your gonna keep insulting me and letting me know what an ass I am then so be it because I can’t lose you. I can’t lose you; I won’t survive and nothing you say is gonna make me stop feeling that way.”

Amber closes her eyes at that statement hearing the Andrew she fell in love with instead of the manic man who brought her down. It’s hard to believe that those two are the same person but for now she’s glad to hear the one who makes her feel loved and seen.

Andrew assumes Amber is still dismissive from his side of the door, but he continues, “I know you don't want me around but I'm not gonna stop caring about you. I might not be able to touch you or hold you but I’m here for you. No matter what you need. So, I’m gonna leave the backpack and soup out here in your door, I’m gonna keep a safe distance so I can make sure you get it because I put a lot of thought into it, and I know whatever your watching is making you want to kill yourself.”

Amber rolls her eyes at her ex knowing her so well but hears shuffling and footsteps from the other side. She looks through the peephole and sees no one there telling her Andrew is down the hall. She puts her mask on, cautiously opens the door and sees the backpack and takeout bag on the floor right outside her door.

She looks to her left to see Andrew two doors down looking at her in worry. Amber sniffles before focusing on her gifts and grabs both of them before closing the door behind her. She puts the backpack on top of the dresser drawer and unzips it.

Andrew was telling the truth as she sees her favorite Harry Potter books, Prisoner of Azkaban and Order of The Phoenix inside. There are two books as well that she is not familiar with and knows Andrew probably grabbed them from the new releases section. After pulling out the books she sees a big bag of Takis inside that she hopes she can taste.

In the small pockets she pulls out the essential needs for her condition. There are cough drops, Nyquil severe cold and flu PM, packets of lemon tea bags, travel size aloe tissues, spare masks, and ibuprofen for her headaches. The sight makes her inner doctor nod with approval.

She opens the white takeout bag next and is silently thrilled at the sight of the sealed container inside. Amber takes the lid off confirming its chicken soup to her joy. She inhales the rich aroma deeply loving the special soup so much it might make her quarantine bearable. Amber moves back to her door that is the barrier between her and Andrew.

“Are you still here?” Amber asks nasally.

“Yeah I am.” Andrew confirms from his side.

“You do realize this backpack is gonna have to be burned after this right?”

Andrew chuckles lightly, “All for a good cause. Do you need anything else? I don’t mind being your own Postmates, it probably pays more than what we make.”

“I’m okay for now thanks…and I’m sorry for what happened.”

Andrew nods, “Yeah me too. Do you need me for anything? Are you feeling worse?”

“I feel like my body has turned on me but that’s not new from this morning.” Amber tells him in a numb tone, “I’m fine it’s nothing I can’t handle, you can go if you want.”

“Okay.”

Amber sips her soup container tasting the rich liquid for a few seconds until her loss of taste kicks in to her disappointment. She has to remember to cancel room service since their soup is subpar to the one in her hand. Amber stands by the door for a few silent moments and can still feel Andrew’s presence outside.

She moves closer till she’s near face against the dark wood, “Andrew?”

“I’m still here.”

“You can go if you want.” Amber repeats more requesting than demanding, “I’m gonna have a nurse come in the morning and I still feel better than most right now anyway.”

“I know I just…” Andrew sighs and confesses his fear through the door, “I am afraid that if I leave, and you fall asleep you’re not gonna wake up this time and this is gonna be the last time I’ll see you.”

Amber’s heart swells at this confession as she can tell he is sincere in his worries. She decides to comfort him and make it clear that she is not going anywhere.

“It won’t be.” Amber tells him from her side, “I’ll call you in the morning and let you know how I am. I promise. You should go and get some rest before you go to work, and I should enjoy this soup you got me.”

Andrew grins at that, “Okay, I’ll be back tomorrow night and check on you. Call me if you need anything I don’t care what time it is, I’ll come.”

“I know.” Amber says with a grin as she can see he’s making an effort to make these a tolerable two weeks, “Good night.”

“Good night.” Andrew says with a grin before walking away from the door to leave Amber to her quarantine hoping this is the start to them reconciling while Amber is in her room beginning to see Andrew in a way she never thought she could again.

Next Part Here