#no I’m not stopping raggedy Ann content

[zzineedsleepzz]

My welcome home OC may have showed up late to the party, but at-least she brought snacks!

MEET BAILEY BONBON!

The owner of the local welcome home diner!(I haven’t designed it yet)

Base sheets:

[bbyboybrock--archived]

His Little XPLR (Colby Brock Imagine)

Summary: *REQUEST* Hi! Tell me how you feel about this colbys daughter is sick with strep laryngitis and a throat infection and basically Colby baby’s her and takes care of her. I know it’s short but it’s the best I got and I’m not the best at explaining

Written: 2020

Word Count: 1,346

Warnings: fluff, swearing

Masterlist

“I should come home. I’m flying home right now. I’m going to book a flight and call my manager. I can be home in like 6 hours. I knew I shouldn’t have gone on this trip.” I hear Y/N panicking on the other line. I hear her muttering to herself and packing up in the background.

“Y/N, babe, stop packing. Stay in New York, you’re on a work trip. I can handle Bea on my own. It’s just a cold I’m sure. I only called to keep you updated on her. I gave her some medicine and I’m going to check on her in an hour. If her fever isn’t gone, I’ll take her to urgent care. You’ve been planning this meeting for a while and it’s a big one. Stay and do your contracts and stuff.” I reassure her. I peak my head into Beatrice’s room and watch the four-year old’s small frame rise and fall slowly.

“You’re right,” she says sighing, “but if she gets worse, I’m on the first flight out of here. I don’t care. You better fucking call me Colby, I swear to God—”

“I know, just go back to your meeting. I love you.” I say softly.

“I love you too, Colby. Call me.” Y/N hangs up her phone and I’m left with a sleeping Bea.

Bea hasn’t been feeling well for the past couple of days, and for a four-year-old, you can definitely tell. She’s done nothing but sit on the couch to take naps or watch tv. She’s a very active child, she takes after me that way, she’s almost always in the backyard climbing over shit, my little explorer. Ever since she got sick, Y/N has been wanting to cancel her trip. When she got pregnant with Bea, she pretty much put off her career.

Her channel has mostly become a family channel so she can balance work and home life. I know she misses doing her old content and making music. She’s been putting off meetings and collabs so she wouldn’t have to leave and I can do my own stuff. She was ready to go back last month. She planned meetings with her manager and some YouTube big wigs up in New York. So I pushed her to go and start getting her career back. I can handle staying with our daughter for a few days. If I need help, Sam and Kat live nearby.

I leave Beatrice’s door open and head out to the living room. Normally, I would take this time to clean up, but there isn’t much to do. Bea’s toys have been neatly put away since Saturday. The only toy she’s played with is some creepy ass doll that Jake bought her when she was firstborn. That thing gives me the creeps, it’s like a raggedy Anne doll on crack. I kept trying to hide it, but she would throw a fit. She’s sleeping with it now. She also took the blanket she was sleeping with on the couch with her.

I pull out my laptop and flop down on the couch. I opened it up to my email. I could edit some videos right now, but that’s too time-consuming. I don’t know when Bea will wake up and I want to be able to give her my full attention. It’s hard doing this as a single parent. I need to remember to kiss Y/N when she gets home for somehow dealing with Bea while she was sick and I was away on a Sam and Colby trip.

****

“I want to go home!” Bea cries from my lap.

Her fever got worse and her voice was nearly gone when she woke up from her nap. As promised, I called Y/N, who told me she would be home in about 6 hours. We’re sitting in one of the beds in the urgent care waiting for the results of the rapid strep test. We were going to be in the waiting room longer, but Bea threw up on the floor and I had to unleash my inner Karen.

I stroke Bea’s hair, trying to soothe her. This must be hard on her little body. I don’t think she’s been in this much pain in her entire life before. It must be confusing to her. She told me this morning that she had a headache, and I know for a fact she’s never had one of those before. I wish I could take all of her pain away and be sick instead.

“Daddy?” I hear Bea ask softly.

“Yes, princess?” I whisper back.

“I want mommy!” She starts to cry again.

“Shh, I know. Mommy is on her way now. I promise.” I readjust Bea so she can put her head on my shoulder. I pat her back and rub soft circles on her back.

“Mr. Brock?” A small nurse knocks on the door before poking her head in.

“You got the results back quickly,” I reply. Bea has stopped crying and is asleep now.

“Yeah, the lab isn’t too busy. The doctor wanted me to tell you that it is strep and to send you home with this prescription and packet about how to take care of Beatrice and you can go. If you want to ask him some questions, he can come in a few minutes. His number is on the packet just in case.” She hands me a stack of papers and I quickly look over them.

“Thank you. I’ll just take Bea and go now. I might call in about an hour, but thank you again.” I put the papers in Bea’s backpack and leave.

****

Bea hasn’t left my side since we left urgent care. I had to take her with me to both the grocery store and the pharmacy after we left because I couldn’t find anyone to watch her last minute. Well, I knew Kat would but she’s pregnant and I don’t want Bea to get her sick. When we got home, I gave her the antibiotics that she was prescribed and some soup. She took a nap on the couch while I did the laundry and clean up the messes I made while Y/N was away. When she woke up again, I gave her a popsicle.

Right now, Bea is cuddled next to me on my bed watching tv. It’s about 3 am but she woke up to go to the bathroom earlier and couldn’t go back to sleep. She fell asleep here earlier. Y/N and I didn’t put a tv in her room yet and I wanted to fall asleep in an actual bed. In the corner of the room is a humidifier helping her breathe.

“Mommy!” Bea says tiredly.

“Hi, baby, what are you two still doing up?” Y/N whispers coming into the room. I must have been dozing off because I didn’t hear her come into the house.

Y/N drops her bags on the floor and climbs into bed next to Bea. She hugs her and kisses me on the cheek.

“I would have picked you up from the airport? It was a nice surprise though.” I tell her, kissing her forehead.

“I thought Bea was asleep already. I didn’t want you to have to wake her up to get me. It’s fine though. But how has she been.” Y/N asks as she pulls the thermometer from the bedside table.

“She’s doing better. The antibiotics are helping, she played a little bit today. She’s been asking for you though.” I brush Bea’s hair out of her eyes, which are just like mine. She mostly looks like Y/N, except for her eyes.

“That’s good, and her temp is good too. Well, I’m glad you two were fine while I was away, I was worried. How have you been?” She asks. Bea is now cuddled on her mother’s chest, slowly falling asleep.

“I’m better now that you’re home,” I whisper, kissing Y/N again before going back to watching tv.

[trashyswitch]

Stupid Tickly Feeling...

Virgil is plagued by the usual itchy feeling. But it keeps occurring right on the spots that tickle when itched! Virgil accidentally puts himself into a lee mood, and asks the dark sides for help. Though, it looks as if only one side can help...

This fanfic will have a bit of crude humor because...Remus. But, I've kept it very minimal.

Also, this fanfic was suggested by @agarus-fallen-lershal on Tumblr. Thank you for the merged ideas! and I hope you enjoy!

Virgil had been sitting in his room watching something on his phone, when he felt it: a tickly feeling on his foot. He looked up and looked at his foot for only a few seconds, before he pulled his foot closer to itch it. But while he was scratching the bottom of his foot, his fingernails were unintentionally tickling his foot while he itched. This caused a small, wobbly grin to appear on his face.

Virgil big his lip as he felt the itchy spot reach his toes. Uh oh...Those were a REALLY bad ticklish spot! But...He had to itch it! So, Virgil ignored his sensitivity and scratched under his toes. OOOOHOHO BOY! So much as one simple stroke of his fingernails would pull his grin wider! The more he itched under his toes, the more the ticklishness made him titter and pause his breathing. Stupid ticklish feet...Who’s idea was it to make his feet so ticklish?! And WHY?! It was such an inconvenience!

Finally, through the titters and wonky smirks, Virgil stopped itching. The tickly feeling seemed to have left...For now, anyway. Virgil sighed in content and grabbed his phone again. He needed to rewind his video a little bit to rewatch the spots he had missed. It didn’t take long for Virgil to get caught up on the video. Eventually, the video ended, and Virgil was back to finding something else to watch.

But quickly, the ticklish feeling returned! This time, on his hip. Oh NOOOOO...Why there of all places?! Virgil gulped in embarrassment, rather than annoyance. If there’s one spot he’s not gonna itch, it was his hip. So, Virgil tried to ignore it. He focused on finding a new video instead. He scrolled and scrolled through the many youtube recommendations, and narrowed down the videos he might wanna watch. But then, the ticklish feeling increased! And it spread to his armpit! Virgil sighed and did try to scratch under his armpit. But the moment he had jumped from his own nail jab, Virgil stopped. Damn...So much for ridding himself of the itchy feeling…

To make things worse, the ticklish feeling had moved from his hip to his ribs! Virgil scratched at the spot, and continued to unintentionally tickle himself. Though his ribs weren’t nearly as ticklish as his hips, they were ticklish enough to make himself jump when scratched. He grunted slightly as his body jumped and twitched from the digging and scratching. Why was he so ticklish? And why couldn’t the ticklish feeling move somewhere that wasn’t as ticklish?

The other part about his struggles was that the moving itchiness and his ticklish scratching...might’ve been putting him into a lee mood. Even though the scratching made himself jump and smile all wobbly, it didn’t really make him laugh. It barely tickled enough to make him giggle! And what he really wanted to do right then, was giggle and laugh under another person’s fingers. But who in the world was gonna tickle him without judging him? Virgil finally stopped scratching and thought to himself.

Well, Virgil could easily take Roman off the list because He judges EVERYONE, both out loud AND in his head! He even laughed his head off at Janus’s name! What kind of a man does that?! No one laughed at his name! So why would he laugh at Janus’s? All in all, Roman as a ler? BIIIIIG no-no!

Logan would be quite good if given the opportunity, and he wouldn’t lie to you about his thoughts on it. But Virgil sensed that Logan would also make it feel really awkward. And everyone knows awkwardness just kills the mood in no time. So...scratch him off the list.

Patton most likely wouldn’t judge him. But he’d be too worried about how much is too much. So much so, that Patton would kill the mood with his own carefulness! And the truth was, Virgil wanted rough! Like, quite rough! Much more rough than what Patton was capable of doing. So sadly...Patton’s scratched off the list too.

Janus was a big fat maybe. He would be good at covering up his feelings about it, and would probably make a good ler! I mean the man has 6 separate arms! That idea alone, can send shivers up any lee’s spine! So Janus?...He gets a star key.

Lastly, the least judgemental, and the most daring and rough of all: Remus! Now THERE was a monster waiting for lees! Remus was basically a real, human version of the tickle monster from that Raggedy Ann series! What were they called again?

Oh! Gazooks!

Yup! Remus was DEFINITELY a human Gazook!

So off to Remus he ran, in hopes of lots of tickles! Virgil just couldn’t wait! He knew Remus would never judge him for something as weird as this! In fact, he knew Remus would encourage something as weird as this! That made this quest even better! Virgil slowed himself down in front of Remus’s room, and walked himself up to the door. A simple knock was all that was needed to get Remus’s attention.

“Come on in, Virgil!” Remus declared happily. Virgil happily walked in and watched Remus close the door behind him. “What brings you here, Virgey?” Remus asked.

“I...have a small secret I wanna tell you...Please don’t laugh.” Virgil begged.

Remus gasped and quickly sat Virgil down. “Oh, of course! I promise. Now tell tell tell! Please tell me! I’m all ears!” Remus begged, making his ears bigger with a wide grin.

Virgil giggled and sat down. “Well...I’m in a mood…” Virgil told him.

Remus nodded. “Uh huh...I see that! What kind of mood?” Remus asked.

Virgil bit his lip and cleared his throat. “Iwannabetickled.” Virgil told him really fast.

Remus gasped and cooed as he felt a hurt expression fall onto his face. “Awwwwww! I would love to help you, I really would. But…” Remus leaned in and put his hand up to shield the air from hearing his secret. “I’m in a lee mood too.” Remus whispered to him.

Virgil’s eyes widened. Wait, WHAT?! Virgil backed up and looked at Remus with his jaw dropped. “No way…”

“Yes! I’m actually in a lee mood myself! It’s so rare, as well.” Remus admitted.

Virgil frowned and looked down. “So...you can’t tickle me?” Virgil asked him with hurt eyes.

Remus looked at his own nails. “Well I could, but I wouldn’t be as effective.” Remus admitted. “You know who WOULD be a good tickler though?” Remus asked. Virgil leaned in to listen. “Janus.” Remus replied.

Virgil smiled widely and nodded. “He would be perfect for the job.” Virgil admitted.

“And the best part? He can tickle us both with 3 separate arms!” Remus added.

Virgil gasped. “I didn’t even think of that!” Virgil admitted.

Remus giggled and loosely covered his mouth with his palm. “So what do you think?” Remus asked.

Virgil clapped his hands and stood up. “I think we should ask.” Virgil told him.

“Woooooow! Getting eager, are we?” Remus teased, bouncing his eyebrows up and down.

Virgil wrapped his entire hand around Remus’s face and pushed him away. Remus laughed as he flopped onto the bed. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s get him!” Remus declared.

Virgil and Remus quickly ran out of the room and sprinted right up to Janus’s bedroom door.

“Will you do the honors, my lee-ige?” Remus asked politely.

“I’d rather you do the knocking.” Virgil admitted. “Oh! And by the way?” Virgil paused his words and flipped him off with his right hand.

Remus, smirking like the idiot he is, made his hand into the ‘okay’ sign and bounced the circular O part of the sign up and down around the middle finger to make the gesture unnecessarily dirty. Virgil slapped Remus’s hand away and knocked on the door instead. Remus just guffawed at this and waited for Janus to answer.

“Oh! Remus and Virgil. I suspected as such. I was totally not expecting just Remus.” Janus greeted.

“We need help.” Remus told him.

“Lots of help.” Virgil added.

“Hm...Totally don’t feel rushed at all…” Janus muttered out loud as he let the boys in.

“Virgil and I are both in a lee mood. Can you please tickle us?” Remus asked.

Janus widened his eyes and blinked in surprise. “...I…”

“I was in a lee mood and I went to Remus for help. But Remus told me he was in a lee mood too. So we both came to you because we both wanted tickles…” Virgil admitted, biting his thumbnail nervously.

“And your 6 hands looked very intimidating and helpful for this certain problem.” Remus added. “So may you please use your tiiicklish fingies to throw us into a puddle of hysterical laughter?” Remus asked.

Janus smirked and wrapped the both of them up in one arm each. “I will happily drive you insane with my tickly fingers.” Janus replied proudly. Janus quickly started skittering ten fingers each on Remus and Virgil’s ribs first.

“oHOHOHO GEHEHEHEHEEZ!” Virgil’s lips immediately morphed into a toothy smile as he fell into hysterical laughter.

“HAHAHAHAHAHA! YAAAHAHAHAHAY!” Remus kicked his feet and cheered confidently. He wasn’t even afraid to hide his love for tickles! He was just happy to experience it!

Virgil looked at Janus’s skittering fingers that moved up and down his ribcage. “IHIHI GUEHEHESS WEHEHE’RE STAHAHARTIHING OHOFF STROHOHONG!” Virgil reacted.

“Believe whatever you like, Virgil…” Janus said with a big smirk.

Virgil shook his head back and forth and flapped his arms around. He was strapped right into Janus’s grasp with just one arm! Normally it would take 2 arms to capture the wiggle worm without losing his grip. But the tickling was quickly weakening Virgil, making him easier to trap in one single arm. “IHIHIHI- HOHOHOW AHAHARE YOHOU SOHOHOHO STROHOHOHONG?!” Virgil asked, not realizing the situation.

“Now why would I tell you that?” Janus responded back.

Remus was a puddle of snorts and giggles. Janus’s left fingers had moved to digging into his hip, while the other hand had started poking and twirling in and around his belly button. “WAHAHA! *snort* NAHAHAHAHA! NOHOHOHO- *snort* NOHOHO BEHEHELLYYYYY!” Remus squeaked as he failed to cover up his sensitive spots. Janus had captured Remus with his arm under his armpits. So any attempts to cover up the ticklish spots were impossible. He couldn’t reach down to stop any of the fingers! Meaning he had to deal with his exposed belly button and his vulnerable hip being dug into and poked! It was just unfair! And that almost made the situation even BETTER!

“WAHAHAIT- WHAHAHAT AHAHARE YOU DOHOHOIHIHING?!” Virgil asked loudly. Virgil watched in horror as the hands moved down to his feet. While one of the hands grabbed Virgil’s ankle, the other hand had summoned a feather and started fluttering it on his inner arch. “Uhuhuh ohohohoh! Notthere! Nonononono PLEEEEEEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEASE!” Virgil tugged on his foot desperately and cackled loudly. His foot was way too ticklish for such an attack! “WHYHYHYHY THEHEHE FEHEHEHEATHEHEHER?!” Virgil asked.

Janus giggled. “Why, what a great question to ask!” He reacted. “I chose to use a feather because it is one of the softest tickle tools a ler can ever use against a lee. They’re soft, yet stiff. They can be rough, or they can be soft. They can make a person all giggly and melt in one’s arms, or they can drive a person mad with how abnormally soft the touch is.” Janus explained in excruciating detail.

Next, Janus summoned a second feather and started tickling Remus’s belly button with it! Remus squeaked and blushed brightly. The man couldn’t even stare at it! it was so flustering to see, let alone get tickled by it! Remus was starting to physically melt into Janus’s arms. “Nooooohohohohohohohohoho! Yohohohou’re beheing ehehehevihihihil!” Remus told him.

“Me? Evil? Never.” Janus reacted.

Janus moved Virgil’s feather up to the back of his knee next. Virgil’s laughter cooled down into giggles. “Ahahahalrihihihight. Thahahahank yohohohohou Jahahahanuhuhuhus.” Virgil told him.

“Let’s see just how long Virgil and Remus can handle giggling while a feather tickles in their giggle spots...” Janus decided.

Remus was a complete mess of giggles. He was blushing a scarlet red color, barely moving, and actually cuddling Janus while he was being tickled! It was completely clear that Remus was enjoying it. He was just not afraid of showing people that! Then again, this is Remus we’re talking about: He’s not afraid of showing people ANYTHING! He’s the most blunt person you’ll meet! It’s quite hilarious most of the time. This time though, it made Remus look really cute!

Virgil was leaning his head back and giggling with a toothy smile on his face while his knee pit was lightly attacked. As seconds turned into minutes, Virgil started slowly lessening his wiggles. When minutes hit double digits, the tugs started to slow and Virgil was falling limp to the softer giggles. He couldn’t believe he was saying this...But lighter tickles were surprisingly more overwhelming than the stronger tickles!

Janus decided to drop the feathers and dig into both boys’ hips. Remus AND Virgil’s eyes bursted open to the size of dinner plates, and shrieked like toddlers! Remus’s bursted into witch-like cackles and kicked his feet wildly, while Virgil threw his head back and laughed hysterically! Both boys were wiggling back and forth as much as their weakened bodies could. But Janus had already dominated them with his strength! And he was NOT afraid to weaken them further.

Soon though, Janus finally gave the boys a long break. He laid each lee down onto the bed and calmly put a blanket onto them.

...Only for Remus to kick the blanket off and throw it into Janus’s face. “You think I’m cold after being tickled?” Remus reacted.

“Well if you’re gonna be an ass about it, then have it your way! No tickle cuddles for you.” Janus declared, as he put a blanket onto Virgil.

“wwWWHAT?!” Remus shouted. Remus stuttered in offence, before finally flopping onto his pillow and pouting. “F-Fine!” Remus whined as he turned away.

Janus rolled his eyes and laid beside Virgil. He gently wrapped two of his arms around Virgil and rested his chin onto his chest. Virgil smiled at this and turned to face Janus. “Thank you Janus. You’re a life-saver.” Virgil told him before snuggling himself into Janus’s arms. Janus smiled and wrapped his arms around him again while softly humming a familiar melody.

Soon, Remus’s pouty frown softened into genuine hurt. It didn’t take very long for Remus to start feeling guilty for his actions. His hunger for love quickly overcame him as he turned himself onto his back. “I’m sorry Janus.” Remus whined. He laid his head onto Janus’s shoulder. “Thank you for the tickles.” Remus told him.

Janus smiled and looked over at Remus with love and appreciation in his eyes. Janus wrapped his arms around Remus’s shoulders and back, and pulled Remus closer to cuddle him. Remus happily took the cuddles and softly snuggled into Janus’s side.

With both boys in the snake boy’s snuggly warm grasp, Janus slowly brought the pair of lower hands to Virgil and Remus’s side and started very gently skittering. The boys started to giggle and slightly wiggle in his arms at the tickles, and didn’t push the distracting nails away. They welcomed every scratch, every wiggle and every poke and prod. Virgil and Remus found tickling to be quite fun! Especially when coming from an exceptionally great ler! Speaking of the ler..,

This wouldn’t have been nearly as fun or worth the fear, if it weren’t for Janus. The snake’s judgement-free attitude made it easier for them to tell, and his response made everything all the more enjoyable.

So...thank you Janus. And thank you Remus as well!

[toonsforkicks22]

Slow to Accept (Amphibia oneshot fanfic)

(I just HAD to make this after watching Toad Tax! Seriously, that episode gave me feels!)

It had been a day since the warrior toads had come along, nearly tearing Wartwood inside out. One day since the brave human had been willing to risk her life for the townspeople, despite their disrespect prior to the events. 

That moment really opened the villagers’ eyes (for Wally it was still just the one). Since then they truly did see Anne as one of their own. Their savior, their special addition, their friend. 

Soon as the toads departed from the town, Anne was immediately checked on for the injuries she obtained. Hop Pop was quick to medicate and bandage her arm, albeit with trembling anxiety over the process. Anne had never seen the old frog so overwhelmed like this, probably horrified that she nearly got killed and had the bruises to prove it. Once her arm was put in a sling, she could have sworn she felt a wave of emotions coming from the villagers upon seeing her in such a state. 

Was it guilt? If anything, Anne was the one who should have felt guilty. After all, she played the toads’ game and nearly lost her frog family. The young girl never expected sympathy from the villagers. Some of them were rather misty-eyed upon seeing her arm. Heck, even Wally had been wracked with so much guilt he gave back the beetle jerky to her. 

Although unsure about the gesture, Anne accepted it. During all this, she didn’t realize how little she had eaten. The taste of beetle-flavored jerky had never been greater. 

After being declared a hero and her cast was buried in signatures, Anne was exhausted. When she got to bed that night, she wondered if things would be much different from then on. 

Or go back to the status quo if the townspeople were forgetful, ungrateful jerks... _____

Turns out it was truly the former. 

Anne was sitting on the couch with Sprig and Polly, watching the season of Suspicion Island all over again. She leaned against the side of the furniture, her bad arm laying on a pillow for elevation. Although wearing a cast, Anne craved some activity. She wanted to play with Sprig like they always did, possibly doing something dumb and run off laughing afterwards. However, even the slightest bit of movement nearly gave Hop Pop a heart attack. The old frog insisted (actually begged) Anne to not go risking her health again. 

There was a knock on the door. As soon as Hop Pop opened it, a tiny, adorable spider scurried past him. It was Larcy, Mrs. Croaker’s pet spider, and it barked upon seeing Anne. It immediately hopped onto the human’s chest, which wasn’t too hard of an impact since Larcy was small. Thankfully, the adorable creature hadn’t landed anywhere near Anne’s arm. 

“How is the little dear?” Mrs. Croaker asked Hop Pop, holding a pitcher with its contents sending a nice aroma. 

“Oh, Anne? She’s healing.” the head Plantar explained as he gestured to the aforementioned individual, who was petting Larcy affectionately. 

“Hi, Mrs. Croaker,” the Thai-American greeted. She proceeded to wave, not realizing she was doing so with her bad arm. “Ow...”

“Anne, please!” Hop Pop practically begged, sounding a bit exasperated. “What have I told you about moving that arm?”

“Oh, the poor child,” Mrs. Croaker crooned as she placed the pitcher on the table. “I made you some of my special tea, kiddo. Hope it’ll make you feel better.”

The surprise was not lost on Anne’s face. She did not expect this gesture at all. Still, the aroma was heavenly. 

“Oh, thanks,” the girl said politely, “that’s really nice of you.”

“You take care now, alright darling?” Mrs. Croaker told her sweetly before exiting the house, Larcy in tow. 

Soon as she left, Anne let the moment sink in. 

“This is weird,” she said aloud. 

“The tea?” Sprig asked. 

“No, I mean-” she began but was cut off by another knock on the door. 

Hop Pop opened it to find Felicia Sundew. She gave a worried grin, holding a tray of scones. Anne recognized the pastries immediately, knowing very well they were of the beetle variety. She had been in Wartwood for so long those scones were practically her favorite. 

“How’s Anne?” the proprietor of the town’s cafe asked, trying to keep her anxiety in check. 

“Well, she’s-” Hop Pop began, but as soon as the redheaded frog saw the girl, Felicia quickly barged in. 

“Oh, honey, how are you feeling?” the female amphibian asked timidly. 

“Um, I’m great...” Anne responded, feeling a bit uneasy by the sudden shower of affection.

“I made you special scones!” the cafe owner said as she placed the tray right next to the pitcher of tea. “Made fresh this morning! Beetles and all!”

Somewhere deep down Anne was actually craving for some beetle. She had been in Wartwood for so long beetle was becoming her new favorite flavor.

“Oh, you didn’t have to do that...” the young girl said, feeling slightly embarrassed. 

“Honey, it was no trouble at all!” Felicia Sundew promised. She reached over and picked a leaf out of Anne’s hair. “Now you rest up and let that arm heal, alright, sweetie? After all, you’d been through quite a lot for such a little girl!”

Anne wasn’t sure what to say. She didn’t expect this kindness from her at all. 

Soon as the female frog left, Hop Pop was just about to close the door. Only for something to stop it. 

“What the-?” the old frog exclaimed before glancing over to see a familiar one-eyed amphibian. “Wally, what do you want?”

“Easy, old man!” the town’s squalor-living resident said heartily as he made his way in. “Just thought I’d visit Anne and bring her this.” He held up a bag of beetle jerky...with spicy larva flavor. 

Now Anne was really questioning her priorities as she stared at the bag. Beetle with additional larva was quite a treat...and a reminder just how long she had been in this town. 

“’Ello there, Annabelle!” the one-eyed frog greeted, waving over at the human. “How’s that arm doing? You know, I recall a place where they can sell you spare body parts if the old ones aren’t working. I could take you there to get your arm removed and-”

“That’s quite enough now, Wally!” Hop Pop cut in impatiently, taking the bag from him and pushing the raggedy frog out the door. 

But Wally wasn’t the last to knock on that door. 

Soon, the living room was flooded with food and gifts. Anne just stared at them while Sprig and Polly enjoyed their sudden bounty. But she didn’t even touch anything, simply staring at it all. 

“What’s wrong, Anne?” Sprig asked, unwrapping a present only to find it was a frilly dress not even Polly would be caught wearing. 

“The townspeople are being nice to me...” the Thai-American muttered. “Again.”

“You seem troubled,” Hop Pop noted. 

“How can I not be?” Anne exclaimed as she picked up a “thank you” message that was knitted onto a blanket. 

Hop Pop came over and placed an assuring hand on her shoulder. “I know this complete turnaround is a lot to take in.”

“Complete turnaround?” she cried. “What happened to that dumb motto about how it’s slow to accept and even slower to respect? The last time they were even considerably nice to me was when I had my zits!” She dropped the blanket on the floor. “I mean, how long will this last before things go back to the way they were and I’m just the local freak again?”

The old frog wasn’t surprised by her feelings on this. He had watched every day since taking Anne in how the other villages treated her. There were some characters who paid Anne good respect prior to her defending the town. Unfortunately, the only person Hop Pop could think of was Stumpy, whose restaurant wouldn’t have become successful had it not been for Anne. Other people only ever paid any mind to Anne when she was with the Plantars. 

Anne placed her face in her hands. “I don’t know if I could get used to this...I mean, part of me feels like this could all just disappear and they’ll start treating me like dirt again...”

At that Hop Pop, slowly smiled, albeit still worrisome. 

“Well, perhaps you got a motto yourself,” he declared. “’Slower to accept, even slower to realize just how much of an impact you put on this community.”

As his words sank in, Anne glanced over at all the presents the townspeople left her. Unlike before when every item was laced with a message of “We love you Anne!”, these actually felt like tokens of gratitude. Still, that part of her that was afraid to drink all this in wouldn’t leave her alone. And maybe it would take a while before she would begin to trust the townspeople sincere respect towards her. 

She picked up one of Felicia Sundew’s beetle scones. It was still warm. 

“Yeah,” Anne sighed, a worn out smile on her face, “I guess I just need time to adjust.” And she bit into it.  -------------------

What do you think? That episode was just SO good! 

[teacherunicorn]

Opposites Attract (Chapter 78)

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15  Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24  Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 48 Chapter 49 Chapter 50 Chapter 51 Chapter 52 Chapter 53 Chapter 54 Chapter 55 Chapter 56 Chapter 57 Chapter 58 Chapter 59 Chapter 60 Chapter 61 Chapter 62 Chapter 63 Chapter 64 Chapter 65 Chapter 66 Chapter 67 Chapter 68 Chapter 69 Chapter 70 Chapter 71 Chapter 72 Chapter 73 Chapter 74 Chapter 75 Chapter 76 Chapter 77 Chapter 78

Tag List: @the-chick-with-the-best-fandom, @does-it-matter129, @dcgoddess

Despite the soft smile that usually graced his face her presence, Jervis Tetch was not a happy kid. Which was why Alyssa was so confused when he showed up at her house one day with the singular widest smile she’d ever seen.

He grabbed her hand -- something else he never did -- and yanked her outside with him before the door even closed behind his sister, who had come to play dolls with Jamie.

“What’s happening?” Alyssa gave him a look.

“You gotta see this!” he said, his grin still firmly in place. He spun to face the cracked sidewalk in front of the shack of a house, a hand digging into his pocket. “Hey!” he called out to the first person he saw; a blurry looking man who was more than likely only standing on that corner for...business reasons.

“Jervis, what are you doing?” Alyssa’s voice took on a worried tone. One of the staple rules of living in Gotham slums was not to call out to this type of person. Even those doing business with them approached quietly.

“Just trust me, ‘Lyssa.” he walked up to the man with a confidence the Jervis she knew yesterday did not posses, leaving her to run after him.

She missed the initial conversation that took place. By the time she caught up with Jervis he’d taken his hand out of his pocket to reveal one of the beat up pocket watches he liked to tinker with. The ticking coming from it sounded...odd...

“Listen to the watch.” Jervis said smoothly. “The way it’s ticking....synchronizes with your heart beat, doesn’t it?”

Alyssa looked between her friend and drug mule with a frown. Any other day such a man would be threatening them with his gun by now. But he wasn’t. Instead he seemed....she wasn’t sure. His eyes were glassy, and his arms hung limp at his sides like a rag doll’s. To be honest, she was surprised the man’s feet were still holding him upright.

“Look into my eyes.” Jervis was saying. “Not above them, not around them, but deep into their center....”

Though this man’s eyes were a thousand yards away, Jervis’ were lively and gleeful when they looked to her.

“Tell him to do something.”

“Huh?”

“Tell him to do something.” he repeated. “Anything.”

Quietly thinking her friend had finally snapped and lost his marbles, Alyssa gave the older man a look. “....Jump up and down.”

To her utter amazement, the man did so instantly, the contents of his jacket pockets shaking as he did so.

“What in the --?!”

Jervis laughed. “Stop.” he ordered the man, who immediately froze. “Bark like a dog!” A series of yips and growls started coming from his mouth.

“Jervis, what’s happening?”

“It’s the watch!” he exclaimed, holding the old thing up to show her. “I don’t know how but, something about the way it ticks, it can make people do anything!”

“You made a pocket watch that can control people?” Alyssa said incredulously. Her friend nodded.

The day Jervis first showed her what he could do, Alyssa had been very young. Though living in Gotham was a hard thing to do, even she had been an innocent child once.

It was perhaps this day, that began to put an end to that.

She turned to the barking man with a mischievous sort of smirk that only a child can manage. “Hey Fido!” she drew his attention. “You got any cash on you?”

Eyes glassed over and looking right through her, the man reached into one of the pockets of his jacket and pulled out a large wad of rolled up bills.

“Hand it over!”

Money was an extreme rarity in Alyssa’s life. While she understood the need to pay for things like food and heat more than a seven year old should, she still craved the shiny material things in life that any other child her age did.

Which was why, once her fingers wrapped around the wrinkled bills, she didn’t think twice about pulling on Jervis’ hand and heading for a toy store.

*******

It seemed as though every time Alyssa attempted to put some light back into her life, the world laughed in her face.

Ivy Pepper, who had taken up a permanent residence at the Safe Haven Hotel, was meant to be turning sixteen next week. Key word meant. No one seemed to know where she was, and it wasn’t like her to disappear without telling someone to water her plants.

Alyssa ran her fingers over the petals of a flower with a sigh. She, Selina, and a few others who had grown close to Ivy had been so excited to put this greenhouse together for her. It was the girl’s literal definition of paradise and she was certain she’d have loved it, if she ever got the chance to see it.

“....’Lyssa?” a small voice broke her out of her thoughts.

Alyssa turned on her heel and her breath caught in her throat. “Alice?”

******

Jervis insisted on spending the majority of the money they’d gotten on Alyssa. She’d told him several times to look for something for himself, but he refused to leave her side to do so. Had she not been so wrapped up in her shopping spree, Alyssa may have noticed the way the boy was watching her with a transfixed adoration.

Because Alyssa was who she was, the majority of her purchases were somewhat sensible. A sturdy pair of converse that would hold up longer than her duct tape covered sneakers. A black canvas jacket that not only kept away the city chill but it actually fit her as opposed to her oversize secondhand clothes.

But a display in the window of a higher-end toy store caught her eye. Delicate dolls in Victorian era gowns with perfect little china faces were sitting down to tea. It looked a little like one of Jamie and Alice’s set ups, and she was sure in their minds this was exactly that.

“Do you like them?” Jervis spoke up from behind her.

“I’ve never had a doll before....” Alyssa said more to herself than to him. True, Jamie was the Connors girl who was more likely to want to dress up a doll or set up a wedding for her raggedy Ann and Andy, but Alyssa could not recall the last time she had purchased a toy that did not end up being her sister’s. The older Connors simply did not have the time to play with them.

“Which one’s your favorite?” Jervis looked between her and the window display.

Alyssa studied the miniature garden party. The dolls were all extremely fancy and looked nothing like her in her jeans and t-shirt. There was one doll however that had shoulder-length brown hair like she did. Her dress was a velvety maroon color with silky accents. She had feathers in her hat.

“The purple one.” she decided, staring at the display longingly. How nice it would be to sit down to a tea party with her sister and wear a dress that wasn’t moth eaten, using a tea set that all matched. The ding of a bell over a door broke her from her daydream and she looked up to see Jervis entering the store. “Hey!” she ran in after him.

Jervis was talking to the man at the front desk and pointing towards the window display. The next thing Alyssa knew a box was being placed in her hands, the doll from the tea party staring back at her through a plastic lined window.

She looked up at Jervis, who was smiling shyly at her. A wide grin broke out on Alyssa’s face and without a second thought, she planted a kiss on his cheek. Jervis’ eyes went wide and his face flushed, making her giggle.

“Ya know somethin’ Jer? You’re the sweetest boy I’ve ever met.”

*******

The blonde had appeared shaken upon entering the greenhouse, but a smile broke out across her face at Alyssa’s recognition.

“Oh my god!” she wrapped her arms around the smaller woman. “Is this for real, are you really here?”

“Yeah, I am. It’s good to see you.”

Alyssa pulled back from the hug and studied Alice’s face with a sigh. “Wow, the last time I saw you, you were pulling the marshmallows out of a box of lucky charms. What are doing here?”

“I-I’m in trouble.” the happiness had faded from Alice’s face. “I heard you were in town, I heard about what you’ve been doing, I thought....”

“You’re safe here.” Alyssa assured her. “I promise.” her own nostalgic happiness fading, it occurred to her that if one Tetch was here the other may not be far behind. She hesitated, unsure how to approach the topic. Alice had been small at the time, but the last time Alyssa had seen the siblings in the same room was when Jervis had finally snapped. “.....Jervis?” she finally asked.

Alice looked down and shook her head. “He only got worse. Social services sent him away just before I turned ten. I didn’t get to see him after that.”

“And you said you’re in trouble....”

“Yeah.” she sighed. “‘Lyssa.....he’s obsessed with how things were when we were kids. It’s all he’d ever talk about. Sometimes....Sometimes it was like he’d even forget I wasn’t five and he wasn’t eight anymore.” she blinked and looked up in startled realization, Alyssa sharing her expression as they both remembered the piece of the puzzle that was still unaccounted for.

“Jamie.” they said at the same time.

As if on cue, the phone attached to the far wall rang.

******

Alyssa and Jervis were extremely close after that day. They took an innocent sort of delight in getting what they wanted; they were so young that the gravity of what they were doing did not occur to them.

Jervis crafted a second watch that carried the same hypnotic tune. Where his was old and beaten up, this one was a shiny gold with a design of gears and a crown on the front.

In his tinkering, he developed a small pile of spare parts. He presented the second watch to Alyssa, along with the odds and ends which he had crafted into a small golden bird on a silver chain. She seemed to like this better, but allowed Jervis to assist her in securing both around her neck.

His fingers lingered, brushing across her hair for a bit longer than they should have, but what ever trance the poor boy was under was broken when his friend turned back to face him with a wide smile.

Yes, when they were together, Jervis Tetch was the picture of innocence.

When they were apart, however....

Alyssa laughed at something the man had said. He was too far away to have heard it, but he’d know that wide smile anywhere.

Andrew Lewis was becoming a problem. It was one thing when Alyssa had been able to use her friendship with the older man to get extra sweets from the food bank he volunteered at, but thanks to him they no longer had need of food banks, therefore they no longer had need of Andy.

Yet despite the fact that it was Jervis who had given her the world, his sweet Alyssa still spent the time she was supposed to be spending with him with this...this...

He saw the smallest of smiles cross his friend’s face and his anger evaporated instantaneously. Sweet, sweet Alyssa. Though she put up a strong front, he knew that deep down she was just as broken a vulnerable as he was. She wanted what any child wanted; a family that cared about them. As her own blood failed to meet such requirements, she looked for comfort in any place she could find it.

The poor thing saw Andrew Lewis as the father she’d never had.

Well, he could fix that. A little practice and time to set up, he could make Andy obsolete.

After all, why would his Alyssa need to search out a perfect father figure when he could fix the one she already had for her?

******

Alyssa’s hand shook as she picked up the handset.

“Hello?”

“Lyssa!” a bright, cheery voice said from the other end of the line. “You don’t know how lovely it is to hear your voice again.”

Alyssa swallowed the lump in her throat. He had a point; it was one thing to see him as himself again, but it was another thing to hear his voice after all these years sans Hatter rhyming. “Jervis...” she said, glancing at Alice, silently conveying that both their fears had been confirmed.

A satisfied hum came from the other end of the line. “I know you were surprised to see me last night. It must have been jarring to see me as,” he laughed a bit. “well, as myself after so long.” he spoke of it so lightly, as though forgetting everything about yourself and becoming someone else entirely was a commonplace thing.

“...Yes, it was.” She cursed the break in her voice. It had been over twenty years, she shouldn’t still be this afraid of him!

“I was hoping to invite you to tea, for old time’s sake. I ran into a friend of yours that brought a few guest of his own.” the was a small shuffling sound. “Say hello, Victor.”

“Hello Victor.” Zasz’s voice crackled over the line.

A string of curses ran through Alyssa’s head while Jervis merely laughed. “Sorry. I slip sometimes.”

“Let them go.”

“Oh but Alyssa dear, the party is yet to begin! Can’t start without the guest of honor after all, can we my queen?”

Alyssa couldn’t help but flinch. The title had sounded kind and innocent coming from the Mad Hatter, but coming from Jervis it sent chills down her spine.

A sound came from the background, a muffled sort of wail. Jervis chuckled. “Seems I’m not the only one eager for the fun to start. I must say, that Victor friend of yours does know how to do his job well. All it took was the address of the hospital and Jamie was brought here in a flash.”

Alyssa was beginning to feel ill. Zasz and his girls, she was quite certain, could withstand almost any injury Jervis placed upon them. Even if she did not want to see them hurt -- not that she would ever tell Zasz that -- she knew they were built to handle it.

Jamie on the other hand was not. She was innocent and soft, and despite her skills at repairing injuries, she did not have the tough outer-shell that everyone else involved in this situation shared.

“.....What do you want?” her voice came out submissive and quiet, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to care.

“Now that’s more like it.” she could hear the smile in his voice. “Like I said, the party can’t start without the guest of honor. And if I know my sister I’m willing to bet she’s already found you. Bring her along as well. We can have a proper tea party like the old days.”

“I don’t know where you are.”

“Oh, not to worry my dear. Someone should be by your office with a car and proper attire shortly.”

******

When Alyssa blearily opened her eyes as the first rays of sun were beginning to poke through her dirty bedroom window, she was certain she was still dreaming.

There was no way she was smelling the sent of freshly made bacon coming from her own kitchen.

Still, a glance at the clock told her that she needed to get up to deliver her newspapers. So she dragged herself from her bed and headed into the living room, rubbing her eyes.

She rubbed them again for good measure when the pile of newspapers that was typically waiting for her on the table along with the days mail was not there. Instead, a glass vase with single orange rose sat in it’s place.

Alyssa stepped forward and ran her fingers over the petals. It was real, it was fresh, and the vase had water in it. She blinked in confusion just as the smell of bacon wafted from the kitchen again. Her mouth watering, she followed the smell.

In the kitchen, were both her parents. Wide awake and with smiles on their faces, her father was frying bacon and flipping pancakes while her mother was on the other side of the small kitchen squeezing fresh orange juice.

Okay, now she was definitely dreaming.

“Morning sweetheart.” her mother greeted her with a smile, the usual signs of a hangover on her face not present. “Breakfast will be ready soon. Your father drove around and delivered all your papers for you; we figured you could use the extra sleep.”

“The money’s in the front pouch of your backpack.” her father added in a pleasant voice she hadn’t been aware he possessed.

Alyssa could do nothing but gape. Even on their good days, her parents were never this productive. She’d never seen either of them conscious before 11am, and she could not think of a single, solitary time that they had actually given her money. Usually she had to hide it from them or one of them would take it.

Several stuttering noises came out of her throat as Alyssa raised a hand to make a point, only to lower it as she looked behind her for signs of the black hole she had apparently stepped through.

“...W-What’s happening?”

“Do you like it?” a new voice made her turn on her heel. There was Jervis; a large grin on his face, his watch dangling from a chain clipped to his pocket. “I admit working out the details took quite a while. It seems to take a great deal of effort to get someone to act so opposite of their typical nature.”

He said this with the air of intrigue he discussed all his experiments with, leading Alyssa to realize that a black hole was not the cause of her parent’s shift in behavior.

Upon closer examination, while both adults wore pleasant faces with smiles, the smiles did not reach their eyes. Instead their eyes were blank, regarding everything around them with a familiar glassy look.

Alyssa glanced back and forth between Jervis and her parents a few times. Sure, this was the happy family set up she’d always secretly wished for, but it had been such a far off wish that the change was drastic and jarring.

“You’re tense.” Jervis said sympathetically. He walked around her and pulled one of their kitchen chairs away from the table. “Here, sit, eat. I’ll get Jamie and Alice up and ready for the the day.”

“What are we doing?”

“There’s a lot of errands to be done this weekend.” her father informed, setting a plate and a bottle of syrup on the table in front of her. “Your mother is taking you and Jamie to look for new clothes as you girls are growing like weeds, and I’m on grocery shopping duty.”

“You know where the grocery store is?” Alyssa frowned.

“Course I do, kiddo.” he chuckled and ruffled the hair on top of her head.

Alyssa had flinched at the coming of his hand on instinct, but somehow the affection felt worse than the usual hits and shoves that usually came her way every time he touched her. In fact, Alyssa could not remember the last time he’d shown any kind of physical affection, if any affection at all.

Huh. So this was what it was like to have a normal family.

******

Both the car and the man driving it reminded Alyssa of her experiences with Falcone far more than she was comfortable with.

When Jervis had mentioned ‘proper attire’ for the tea party, she had been expecting fancy dresses with far more frills than necessary. Well, that was what Alice had gotten, Alyssa had been handed torn up jeans, a tshirt, a pair of black converse, and a jacket eerily similar to the one she had not worn since she was ten.

It seemed Alice had been right, and her brother was taking the phrase ‘living in the past’ to new levels.

As she slid the jacket on, on of the pockets came down heavier than the others. She reached inside and her heart stopped for what had to be the ninth time that day.

Jervis had sent her the golden bird necklace.

******

It was strange. Her parents were acting like....well, like parents. Her mother bought her clothes that were new and actually fit, her father presented her with a tub of ice cream he’d purchased from the store upon their return -- moose tracks, her favorite, something she was certain he hadn’t known.

This was the life she’d always wanted. So why was it freaking her out?

How far did Jervis’ watch actually go? Had it implanted all these details about her sizes, her favorite things, or were these things her parents had known before this morning?

It was a bitter-sweet thought if it was the latter; on one hand, they paid enough attention to her to know specifics about her, but on the other hand, they’d never put them to any use.

God, she just couldn’t be satisfied with anything could she? Here she was, hopes and dreams dropped into her lap, and still finding something to lament over.

Sigh. She needed some juice.

She pushed herself up from her bed -- newly made with Care Bear sheets -- but frowned when she noticed Jervis was missing from the room. There were Alice and Jamie, fast asleep and with properly filled stomachs for once, but wear was Jervis?

This whole day had been very odd, but something in this moment didn’t quite sit well with her. She grabbed her black canvas coat and darted from the room.

The weight of her watch in the right-hand pocket of the jacket hit against her hip as she pulled it on.

[sophiemarstonphoto]

Article on Annabelle the Haunted Doll.

Not many people know that the demonologists that made the Amityville Horror House famous also runs a haunted objects museum. They’re sort of really into this stuff. Anyway, sometime in the 1970’s two young nursing students were living in a tiny apartment happy as could be until one of their moms bought an antique Raggedy Anne doll and presented it to her daughter as a birthday gift. The gesture was sweet and comforting… until the doll came to life. Just like Robert it would change positions while the girls were away. At first it was little – maybe someone had bumped into the doll or forgotten they’d messed with it. However the doll got increasingly brazen until it would just wander into completely different rooms and get itself into all sorts of odd positions around the house. Eventually the doll was put in lock down in the poor young woman’s bedroom. Like a haunted doll respects a lock down! This one sure didn’t and decided to keep busy writing creepy notes on paper no one in the apartment owned. Most read cryptically, “help us” or “Help Lou.” Of course the first thoughts that come to mind is, “Wow, what a twisted doll” and “Who is Lou??” Lou was a friend of the girls who complained the doll was evil and they should get rid of it, obviously not winning any brownie points from the doll. The girls were equally scared by the doll’s new hobby of stigmata – where it would appear with bloody hands. Charming.

In order to answer some of their burning questions about the doll the girls hired a medium. The medium held a séance during which a bizarre story came to light. She claimed a seven year old girl who once lived on the property died there and restless and with nowhere else to go she decided to inhabit a doll and become close to the two girls. OK, that’s not freaky at all. Soon the doll was being treated like a seven year old, out of pity. She’d be played with, given attention, talked to, dressed up. The doll adored the attention and garnered up energy to terrorize Lou. In a very typical succubus type of way the doll came to Lou in the night, paralyzed him, crawled up his leg, and sat on his chest where she wrapped her soft little hands around his neck and started throttling the poor guy who blacked out. Not content with this she would later be found luring Lou alone into a booby trap and using him as her own personal scratching post.

The girls started to realize their new red-headed friend was kind of psychotic… so they called a priest. The priest scratched his head, said something along the lines of, “I’m an Episcopalian not a Catholic, I don’t know how to exorcize a doll…” before giving the case to the famous Warren couple. The Warren’s looked at the doll with a deep suspicion. They felt it was a demon controlling the doll, one that was looking around for a human host like some sort of paranormal parasite. They decided to take the doll away from anyone it could harm.

Apparently the car ride home with the doll was quite a story! The car stalled, sped up, wielded wildly out of control, swerved towards trees, but Mr. Warren was strong willed. He stopped the car, got out, sprayed the doll with holy water, as one does, and continued on his way. Now the doll sits at his museum, the Warren Occult Museum, in Connecticut. Its said she’s still not particularly calm as she sometimes growls at visitors and is said to have killed some guy who taunted her in a tragic motorcycle accident right after leaving the museum. I’m intrigued and think I might schedule a visit to Connecticut to see for myself…

I have highlighted parts of the article that i find interesting and that can inspire my photographs.