#quarantine ask meme

[askquarantinedredheart]

Here it is! With original posts, morning/evening reblogs, and random shitposts taken into account, it's Post #100 of Quarantined Redheart! Also, it's safe to say that the way that Red looks here is a sign of things to come for Volume 1...

[stardoopy]

it feels like everything is somehow related to danganronpa these past few weeks

[victoriademedici]

would you be mad that I just confused twilight with TVD? Hehehehehe oopsie

[sketchedatrocities]

IT'S SLOWHOG - IT'S THE BOY

Slowhog is a gag fakemon whose stats are bad and movepool is bad and is bad. I love him. His lore is that he's highly edible, slow and weak. A slug/pig that recovers from steak being carved off it without issue. I want a plushie of him. The shiny version of him is green.

I decided he needed to be explored in every way and typed him out like an eeveelution. 

Porkpast was well received.

I know I did well when people pointed to each one and said it was slept on. Google 'Velvet Worm' and 'Sea pig'.

Having done all the types I moved onto Pre-evolutions.

Brekkie won hands down, I'm sorry P-Flop lovers but there you are. It's shiny would also be green. The Progress of: Brekkie -> Slowhog -> Porkpast is the correct line as it's: Breakfast -> Lunch -> Digestion Digestion is also Dinner but lunch is haunting you.

The Hogly Trinity

The Devs mentioned adding a new 'Strange' Type in the next update, which gave me something to new Hog with

This satisfied me at the time.

Running out of Hogs to Pork Post with I moved on to special forms. His Oinks will save us from the Kaiju.

Lack of new Hog made me plyable in my morals and I made meme material with him.

'Hogchamp' is now a server emote.

At this point someone in the discord posted a Slowhog made in SPORE which I grasped onto as a new hog to draw. I was grateful for this.

Next came Pride Month, which is a time we draw Slowhog.

Obviously. This is Pridehog and it's shiny version. You did not need me to tell you this.

It had been a while since I had hogged. I awoke from a dream about pork and sketched this out on a loose sheet of Clipstudio raster layer I had laying next to my bed. This is a sound type, I think. I imagine hell sounds like this at all times, except when you say something embarrassing, at which point it all cuts out and everyone looks at you condescending.

hink honk, honk, hinkhink honk - it went I tried to ignore it but the next dream told me I was 'needed'. I woke up uncomfortable and bussed into to the Sex Factory, where I work. My eyes were bleary after my shift (which I can't describe due to Tumblr's tos) and I stared at one of those bus seat patterns like you remember from school trips. I thought I was going mad. I took a picture.

"Do you see this?" I asked the tall and busty woman who kept dropping her keys and saying whoops and bending over in front of me. The other woman who had her keys on a loop through her jeans kept staring at her, assumably in dismay at her lack of practical key handling. "Huh?" She said. "Sorry about my keys they-" I snapped my fingers rudely (I was scared) "Do you see that Pink pattern on the bus seats?" She looked confused and dropped her keys again. "No? They're fully blue." I looked back at the seats, they were fully blue. The picture on the digital camera I carry with me as an ironic anachronism displayed the slowhog pattern in full. I got off the bus and decided to draw some details on the Slowhog Evolutions.

You can also get Porkpast by inflating Hogone enough. You can't inflate Porkpast though, he's a ghost.

I felt refreshed, cleansed. But also a touch greasy. I had another dream, but this time the dream creature was a dog who spoke in polish and I realised I was just unhealthily sleep deprived.

Thank you for reading.

Why not download Pokemon Quarantine Crystal for SameBoy or other good Emulators? Perhaps join the discord too. It's fun.

[yeloenk]

Not a traditional request, but I'm curious to see how your art is formed and what your process is. It's so cool that your art is similar to comyet's!! I always wondered what other people in their newer artstyle would look like but they only ever drew Ink. I guess now I have a chance :D

Drink water and i hope you have a good day!!!

this is a really interesting request!! thank you for asking, actually! i like questions like these :-D

i'll start by explaining my personal art process—how i, 12-year-old me started out, and then explain how i got where i am with my art today! buckle up, because this will probably be a lengthy post :-)

The Progression of my Art

my first ever art posted online was at the beginning of 2020, when quarantine first hit. i had always had a knack for art; doodling in class, making OCs, etcetc. however, when i heard about undertale through a friend, that's when i really started to take things serious.

i did all the things kids do when they first find out about undertale—i watched countless comic dubs, animation memes, looked up fanart, etc. i first started my real art journey when i began making fanart for undertale and the AUs. this is why undertale is so special to me, and why i have loved it for so long! it has fueled my creativity for almost five years now.

this is the first fanart i ever had done. i posted it on amino sometime in may.

i was SO so proud of this piece. i showed it to my friends & family, and then decided to show people online! this was my first big milestone as an artist.

as time went on, i improved more and more, creating countless UT AU artworks in my spare time. and it was all because of the people who were kind and supportive of my art! the UTAU amino will always hold a special place in my heart, because of the positive experience i had. the positive feedback i got is what drove me to really want to start improving my skills and become a better artist like the ones i looked up to 💛 this is why it's so important to be kind to beginners. even if their art isn't the best at first, you bet your asses it'll be in the next few years!!

SO! i drew and improved, really just trying to find my own style that i liked. i had always loved ink sans, and that prompted me to look into his creator's artwork around late 2022-early 2023. i followed her instagram, and at first, just admired her work from afar.

then, i tried out replicating her style! this is the first piece i ever drew inspired by mye! i made this last fall, in 2023.

after that, i tried to find my own style some more, leaving the lineless style behind. but, in may of this year—2024—myebi decided to hold a DTIYs, and that's when i decided to replicate her style!

i know, i know, kinda defeats the whole "draw this in your own style" thing... but i had been wanting to try and replicate their style for quite some time, and i saw this as a perfect opportunity to try it out!

this is myebi's OC, aheran, that i drew for the contest !! it isn't exactly like her style, obviously, since i didn't want it to be too similar and weird mye out. however, i did replicate the lineless style, the grain textures, and the shading style as best i could. i also played around with shape language.

this piece was SO fun to do, and i did end up earning an honorable mention!

this was also my first post on instagram. after this, i started to draw all my art in a style inspired off mye's!

How do I draw in Comyet/Myebi's style?

here is where i'll be answering your question: what does my process look like when I'm replicating myebi's style?

i'll try my best to break it down into seperate steps that i usually take!

1. References!

References, references, references! References are the most important thing you need when trying to replicate something specific. I am currently at a point in my style where I do not usually need references, but you bet I used them big time when I first began to replicate mye's style!

Personally, I believe her instagram (@mye_bi) is the best place to get recent refs of her style! It's the social they post most often on. For Undertale specific references, I gathered them from her Tumblr (@/comyet) because her insta doesn't have Undertale related art. You may have to scroll a bit, but you'll find it on her blog!

I also have some niche references from other online sources, but I had to dig quite a bit for them. You don't need to be that thorough lmao

all art by myebi/comyet!

2. Sketching

After I gather references, I start with a sketch! Really, it's just taking a bunch of references and finding things you like/need to replicate in your piece. If there isn't a reference for something you are trying to draw, then the best you can do is guess! I have to make guesses on how Myebi would draw something all the time, because I draw a wide range of different characters. It's all about experimenting and doing your best!

sketch by me, ink reference by @/comyet, error reference by @/loverofpiggies

3. Coloring over the sketch

After I finish the sketch, I go straight over it with all my base colors! I typically do everything on seperate layers, which procreate... hates. I use a lot of layers.

And, to finish off, I really just add details! Lines, textures, shading, etc. I can't quite explain how I do it—I just go off Myebi's style!

Finding the right brushes

I have spent a long time trying to find brushes that best replicate Myebi's style, and the one I linked below is the best I've been able to find! It's the pack I use right now.

I use Weak Pencil 3 for any lineart I do, I use Fine Pencil 2 for color blocking, and Weak Pencil 4 for the grainy textures/shading :-)

The pack does cost a bit of money, but unfortunately, I haven't been able to find a free brush pack that gets the job done quite the same!

and that's all there is to it! i hope this answers your question and gives you some insight on how i make my art :-D

DISCLAIMER: i am not attempting to be a "myebi 2.0" or anything like that. i simply really enjoy how their style looks, and i enjoy drawing in a similar style! i mean absolutely NO ill intent towards mye—she is my biggest inspiration, and i will always have the most amount of respect and admiration for them and her work. 💛

[ideas-4-stories]

Cross Guild romance AU -

Buggy makes his own explosives, which doesn't sound all that important until you sit back and think of the ramifications and knowledge required for that. Buggy is damn good with chemistry, math, physics, and I bet he was the brain to Shanks's brawn on the Oro Jackson; he'd probably have been all over Crocus whenever he could to learn more about anything and everything.

Crocodile and Mihaw don't really put the two together, given that they see Buggy primarily as an idiot and coward. It's when an epidemic spreads on the island that some odd things click into place-

Buggy has forgone the big costume, is in comfy and sturdy clothes. His face is painted minimally, hair tied into a tight bun, bandana on, and he's working side by side with the medical professionals. He's elbows deep in checking vitals, organizing charts, and even synthesizing medications. More members are sick than not, and they go under a near-quarantine lock down to handle the illness. Between working in the medical tents and taking care of his people, Buggy has also had a hand in organizing for resources to be sent and delivered.

Neither Croc nor Hawk had even considered some of the balls Buggy has gotten rolling. They both have very strong immune systems, so they rarely face or think of illness or sickness as something to prepare for or to account for, but this just exploded one day seemingly without warning, and the clown had a plan in motion by eevening.

It's at this point that they begin to wonder if maybe there's something more to their Chairman than they first thought...

((Bonus points, they catch Buggy coming back from a long shift at the medtent, sent off by the other's to get some rest, so he's just at that sweet spot of tired enough to lose filter. They ask about the medicines, and Buggy goes on a mini infodump about chemicals, hormones, enzymes, antioxidants and antibiotics, mentions that he and a few others already have a few batches baking, and sleepily chuckles about how "the simpler ones seem to work well so far, thank goodness. I was worried... *yawn* that I'd have to dip into my supplies for my testosterone... *falls asleep at the table*.

Croc just becomes the Spiderman meme of "TRANS???" when Buggy wakes up))

I LOVE this is an understatement, this is so good!!! I love Competent!Buggy so much!!! Why can't the clown be a fucking genius while being clown-failure babygirl he is?

Buggy having a plan by evening is because he has so much anxiety, I mean, look at the poor clown! It's always the things that he didn't think of that happens that gets him in trouble. But this, he can do this. I also love the headcanon, that Buggy learn a lot of things from Crocus, so he has this in the bag!

It would be funny if Buggy could be fine in a really bad pandemics, but the flu and whatever the happened near Laugh-Tale is his biggest sickness problems. What am I saying, back to this cool ask!

Buggy being competent because he doesn't want his crew to die or get really ill, not because he needs them to work, but because he wants them healthy and happy. Buggy forgoing the pillow onesie for something better, and not taking that much time on his makeup is so good, that just shows how he priorities his Nakama before himself is so cute! I have a headcanon that Buggy has a least a Field Medic degree or a Nurse one. Mihawk and Crocodile watching at the sidelines is what I see them doing, because like the clown's being competent and they see there's not much they can do in this.

Yes, on Buggy rambling on and on about things he does, I want Buggy to infodump so hard. Like really really hard, Buggy could go on and on about things that interests him for a while.

Buggy is every gender and nothing at all to me, and the spiderman meme with Crocodile is the only one pointing at Buggy while Buggy is confused and sleepy, while Mihawk is just there on the sidelines. Is really funny to me.

[vc55bughead]

Welp....guess it's time to out myself 🫣🤭

presenting my very first fic ever:

This Slope Is Treacherous...

(on AO3: rated M) by: ChaoticV (aka me)

Synopsis: This is a canon-compliant take as to how maybe Shourtney got together over quarantine and the relationship that follows! We also get some flashbacks and juicy slow burn with delicious pay off! It's my first fic so be patient lol!

"....Just tell me what happened in Australia please! Quarantine has officially driven me insane, Keith and Noah shoved me into a groupchat where they only communicate via unhinged memes, the zoom meetings we have every week are chaotic and borderline depressing, and Sam is forcing me to watch all of 'Star Wars' against my will. So please- spill the tea!"

But there was barely any tea.....other then the fact that they almost kissed in a cocktail induced haze after pub hopping in Melbourne.

(The fic is also available on wattpad but only the 2 first chapters are posted so I recommend ao3)

Well- that's my big secret lol! I will be continuing the fic but I'm going through a bit of writers block trying to follow up the last chapter I posted *iykyk* SO! That's where yall come in! Leave asks about the story, or suggestions, ect- that'll help inspire me so much! Love you guys!

(and you're welcome 😉)

[forthegothicheroine]

My 12 best fanfics

Multiple people have tagged me to post my 10 best fanfics! I did 12 so that I could easily format a bunch of Penguin Classics covers for them. If you write fic and haven't done this yet, consider yourself tagged!

Darkest Timeline: My infamous Evil Lancelot series which I wrote in a quarantine-induced brain spiral, for which I am still expecting the Arthuriana fandom to excommunicate me. Please read the warnings, this is an emotional Dead Dove Do Not Eat.

Bride of Thorns: Morticia the gothic heroine marries Gomez the brooding hero.

The Most Poetical Topic: Jonathan "Scarecrow" Crane makes a date with a cute bookseller. Original Character Do Not Steal!

The Mel Brooks Cameo in Twin Peaks: Audrey Horne visits an old Jewish gangster. Mel Brooks worked with David Lynch on The Elephant Man, so what if they had continued their partnership?

Sir Wishbone and the Bad Day: A Wishbone episode about Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Joe getting his first detention is just like having to meet a guy to get your head cut off!

Opera Fantastique: Christine's bad reincarnation memories from the 1989 Phantom of the Opera film are just beginning.

Et in Arcadia Ego: A folk horror episode of The Prisoner. Is Six in the sway of black magic or just hallucinogens and manipulation?

Beware the Beetle: Batman has to read The Beetle by Richard Marsh when someone starts doing Beetle-themed crimes. Written for @bluestockingbaby's wonderful idea!

Gentle Wolves: A fairy tale-style confrontation between Vulpes Inculta, Craig Boone and the Courier. A fan favorite on the Fallout Kink Meme.

The Dream Journal of Lucy Westenra: Lucy has pleasant dreams of a romantic visitor which soon turn much less pleasant. My response to the idea that Lucy was 'asking for it'.

Alice in Camelot: Reading Arthurian legends can feel like reading Alice in Wonderland. Alice herself questions the logic.

Nyarlathotep: A Midrash: Moses's Pharaoh was Nyarlathotep, and Moses's miracles were dark and strange. One way or another, his people will be freed.

[wolfythewitch]

ohhhh your zombie au makes me so feral you have no idea wolfy

any details/ideas on the kristin/bedrock bros side that you wanna expand on?

(also not me having to mentally work out how techno was at a recital while wil was being dropped off at school before remembering that timezones are a thing 😭😭😭)

UMM SO Kristin is either a doctor or scientist in this one, haven't fully decided yet

Techno is around wilbur's age, or maybe a year or two older

I saw an ask wonder where he got the bat, cause it seems too big to be Tommy's size and he got it from the adult section 👍 and then later on gave tommy a knife just in case

He was playing the violin at the recital and smashed a zombie's head in with it

They meet Kristin by hiding in the same abandoned apartment, and it's like the spiderman pointing meme

Honestly bedrock bros were doing pretty well for themselves, and Kristin also found a shotgun and sooo much ammo, so they decided why not stick together for now since Techno and Tommy knew the city more from having lived there, and Kristin had a literal gun and also medical knowledge. Win win

Before all internet and signal eventually died, Wilbur, Phil, and Kristin has one last call where Kristin, jokingly, told Wilbur to take care of his dad, and Phil in turn clapped his son's shoulder and promised to keep him safe. And they promised to find her, to make their way over to where she was. She couldn't leave at the moment, because the city was in a state of quarantine so all she could do was tell them to be safe

[void-of-unparalled-chaos]

Twice now I have tried to make a reblog reply about Walter and twice now Tumblr has eaten it. So let's try it this way @chaos-bringer-13

Allow me to take you back to the ✨QUARANTINE DAYS✨ and tell you the tale of a pumpkin that may or may not have housed a god

So back in good old 2020/21 we are in the thrall of the COVID-19 pandemic. My state in particular had super heavy quarantine restrictions, and as someone with lung issues, my mom and myself were not taking any chances. I haven't left my house in maybe 5 months. Nor have I seen any of my friends outside of video calls. Senior year of High School so far has sucked.

I'm talking to my friend, we'll call her Marie, and I mention off hand "Yeah I'm starting to feel a bit lonely." Now Marie has known me for a solid 8 years at this point. She knows my type of humor and attachment to what we would now and days call "skrungly" objects. She decides "hmm. I can fix this!"

Marie's mom (who was... certainly a human being) for some god forsaken reason decided to buy a white pumpkin and give it to Marie with the idea that she would harvest the seeds from it and plant them in the garden (why she did this instead of just buying pumpkin seeds I will never know). Instead of doing this, Marie takes this pumpkin and draws a realistic face on it that can only be described as similar to the handsome squidward meme. She drives to my house, sets the pumpkin on my doorstep with a note, and then FUCKING BOOKS IT.

I open the door to see this pumpkin with a note that reads "Hello Momther, I am Walter."

(Not the best photo but this is in fact Walter sitting in the dark in my front yard while Marie (not pictured) stands on my driveway holding a single candle and chanting).

Anyway immediately I take him inside completely smitten and unknowing as to what this pumpkin will create.

At this point of quarantine, we have gone back to classes but they are completely online. I decide that the best thing I could possibly do with Walter is set him on a stack of notebooks behind me so that when I turn my camera on he would be there... watching. Notably, one guy who never unmuted himself did so just long enough to ask "Void... what the fuck is that."

Needless to say I got endless entertainment from the reactions, but all good things have to come to an end. Unfortunately, I live in a desert and pumpkins simply don't survive. They typically would rot within a few days where I was living at the time, so my Mom told me to move it outside at least. I decide to put him by the front door. This front door has a little half wall that leads up to it. I put him on top of it facing the walkway so whenever a package is delivered the mailman would be faced with Walter and have to make eye contact before leaving the mail. I figure I'll probably get a couple more days out of him before he rots.

This is where it starts to get weird

Another week passes. Two. Unlike every single pumpkin I've ever had for Halloween, Walter shows no signs of rotting despite being exposed to the elements. The pumpkin is at this point about a month and a half old and still perfectly fine. Marie, our friends, and I all kind of laugh it off as a random one time thing and expect it to rot within another week.

IT. FUCKING. DOESN'T.

4 months into having Walter and he is still as good as new. Around this time the vaccines for covid started rolling out, so my friends and I get to see each other again. They are just as baffled as me about Walter. Of course, us being us, we have been referring to Walter like an actual person this whole time because that's just our humor. We give him little head pats and forehead rubs as we enter or leave my house and say hello/goodbye to him.

Also around this time, my mom and myself are beginning to prep for moving to another state. We have also started doing some in person classes again. I had been cleaning out my room one morning, and just so happened to leave a piece of sea glass in front of Walter as I left for school. I had a strangely good day. Managed to get an A on a test if I remember right. I come home, see the glass in front of the pumpkin, and start thinking. The next day I leave him something else. Another good luck day! I try this again and every single time I leave him an offering something good happens! I tell my friends about it and they start doing it too and experiencing the same results. We decide that he must be some god of luck inhabiting this pumpkin vessel and rewinding time on it to keep it from rotting.

At some point someone gave him an orange and I swear to god the pumpkin started getting orange marks on its forehead. He still wasn't rotting though! We decided that he obviously has been absorbing the power from the offerings.

Around this time I realise the I have somehow created a partially serious cult and decide I might as well lean into it. I actually enlisted the help of the neighbor kids to take this photo.

Time passes. Walter is about 10 months old now and still going strong. We have graduated highschool and I'm going to be moving in a week. I can't take Walter with me, so Marie decides she will take him. But first, she is going to help us move. It's a 6 hour drive. We put Walter in the passenger seat window so that all the cars passing us can see him.

After she helps us, Marie and Walter continue on to yet another state where Marie will be attending university. Walter is almost if not a year old when he finally starts to rot. Marie, in her dorm room mind you, makes a plaster cast of his head and redraws his face on it. To this day Walter hangs in his new, more durable vessel, guarding her spice cabinet.

By the end of Walter's reign, he had reached his 1st birthday, scared who knows how many mailmen, met 3 of my teachers in person, visited 3 USA states, and briefly had an instagram account.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

so this happened a while ago but i still feel quite a bit of guilt over it and i’m honestly wondering whether i was in the wrong or not. i’m almost 18M now but i was 15M at the time (almost 3 years ago).

at the time of the pandemic i (15M) got very bored in quarantine and ended up making online friends with P (17NB) and later G (18NB) after P introduced me to G after the two had talked for a considerable amount of time.

the three of us were very close for a long time (this was the first friend group i’d had that referred to me as he/him, additionally as i had very little experience with online friends before now, and because P and G were both also trans like me it felt more comfortable).

P and G began dating after a while and met up once or twice, but as i live further away from them it was more difficult (additionally my mother was very restrictive on having online friends, so this was kept from her).

i had a very big puppy crush on both of them at this point but kept it to myself. however i did feel confused for a bit as although they were dating, P and G would tease me a little bit, calling me ‘good boy’ and sending me screenshots of them teasing each other ab their kinks then calling me a voyeur, stuff like that— in a teasing way, not in a genuinely flirting way but it made the crush a lot more intense for me.

P and G dated for almost a year but towards the end things started going wrong (at the end of the relationship, P started talking about how he didn’t feel attracted to G anymore because G wasn’t a cis man and didn’t have male genitalia. which came off as a little weird to me as both of them were transmasc?) but they agreed to part ways

they broke up soon after and i kept in contact with both of them seperately (probably not the best decision as P would constantly talk shit about G in a group chat even months after they broke up which i didn’t like). but P ended up suddenly talking to me and saying that i was talking too much to G, then giving me an ultimatum of either i stop talking to G or they wouldn’t talk to me anymore for their own mental health

this also happened on new years which just put me in the worst headspace i’ve been in ever. i ended up saying no, blocking P and telling G about it (even though G was a little disappointed that i’d been given that ultimatum in the first place and we just ended up not hearing back for a long while

the only reason something started up again was that later, a mutual friend of ours mentioned they had seen P post some concerning things on his story on instagram (about cutting off toxic people, more stuff about G, but also suicidal ideation kinda stuff on his close friends) and i realised i still had access to his vent account (which didn’t have a lot on there but enough that it would probably make the average person worry a bit).

G was worried about P even though they’d broken up and asked me to send him some screenshots of the vent acc’s newer posts so he could relay them to his family and hopefully get some help. i sent maybe three or four posts over and G sent the posts to his mom who then had a conversation with P. i then got a lot of messages from P calling me a horrible person and saying i was wrong, which i was really confused and stressed over because i genuinely thought i was doing the right thing and some of the things P posted were scaring me a lot. P’s two friends also messaged me later as well, calling me vile and saying i was horrible for doing what i did

i ended up apologising to P later because the guilt was eating me alive and i couldn’t take it anymore, and we ended up civil as the only thing we’d really talk about from that point was writing ideas for their blog, but then they decided to send me a random ‘congrats, you ruined my life’ emoji meme which made me really confused because i thought we were okay again. we haven’t talked for ages now but idk. the guilt gets to me sometimes and i think maybe i might’ve been horrible without realising because i genuinely wanted to help……. basically aita for sending the screenshots to G?

What are these acronyms?

[askquarantinedredheart]

A stupid shitpost based on a recent ask

[butchhamlet]

you probably get asked this Really Often so i am very sorry but. when did you start reading shakespeare/how long did completing the canon take you? it’s something you i really really want to do but i’m at a grand total of 3/38

also i am currently on the bus and have decided i can’t scroll through your blog anymore because it’s making me feel too hyped and i can’t keep my expression neutral. i Love your hamlet analysis So Much

first of all, THANK YOU <3 <3

second of all, i definitely took my time with it! the great thing about shakespeare is that he's always gonna be there, and you're not going to miss out on any new upcoming releases if you don't catch up on the whole histories saga right this instant. i read my first shakespeare play in high school, in my freshman year english class (romeo and juliet), but for the next, like, three years, i only read a handful more (i think it was hamlet, macbeth, then much ado, then the tempest, then lear?). basically, i picked one up whenever i felt like the time was right--like, my high school was putting it on (macbeth), or i suddenly remembered part of the plot and wanted to know what it was actually like and i had a ton of time because it was suddenly covid quarantine (lear).

in, uhhh, i want to say 2021? one of my friends and i talked about doing a shakespeare-canon book club. we only ever read othello together, but it inspired me to actually try to read all of them, so then i made that my fixed project for that year/the first half of 2022. by which time i was a freshman in college, so. four years? five years? but even that might be kind of fast, depending on how you like to read! taking my first shakespeares slow was really enjoyable, because after each play, i really immersed myself in meta and memes and art, which i think kind of helped me ease my way into familiarity with shakespeare's language, common themes, history, etc.

i guess my main (rather unsolicited) advice here is that there are no rules! it does feel kind of impressive to get to say you've read the whole canon, but i don't think anyone should feel obligated to do so just because shakespeare is The Great Bard. you gotta do what works for you! (and "no rules" also means it's not somehow shakespeare-illegal to audiobook it, or watch a production before/rather than watching the play, etc etc. i read all of the plays but that's because i have a terrible fucking attention span lol)

[baby-alien11]

Late Prom Night (Y/N Ulrich Universe)

This is long, so grab something to eat and drink and make yourselves comfortables

taglist: @volturi-girl-imagines @dessxoxsworld @aonungsgirlfriend @ethanlandryluver @wenvierismycomfort @aliciacat20 @gabbylovesreading @nikfigueiredo

Thanks to the fact that Jack just finished filming his new movie last week he was back in town, which meant make up for the time they were separated (except for the birthday weekend and the TS concert)

The gym dates every morning were also back, so after Jack picked you from your house in his car, both of you entered the gym greeting Josh, Hayley and baby Rogue to start streaching for the workout of the day

"Y/N, thirty minutes in the treadmill", Hayley instructed next to you, "The first ten minutes at velocity three, the next ten at five, and the last ten at seven, understood?"

"Absolutely", you nodded

Placing your phone, water bottle and towel in the small table next to you, you configured the treadmill to start with your workout, at the same time that yours and Jacks workout playlist started to sound throught the speakers

While you were focused on the first part of your routine, you couldn't ignore how your phone started to sound with a lot of notifications of messagges, which you asumed they were from the groupchat with Jakob and Naiia

After finishing with the treadmill, you took a big sip of water and grabed your phone to see a lot of messages from your old high school group

'This is weird', you though while frowned, the group was dead since the graduation

Openning the group chat, you were quick to notice a lot of excited text along with gifs, stickers and memes making you smile in fun, until you saw a flyer

"You've got to be kidding me", you murmured

"Are you okay?", Jack asked aproaching you

"Remember how I didn't had a prom because of covid and ended up graduating via zoom?", you asked at which Jack nodded in response, "Well, the school is making a dance for us in two weeks"

"I would say that sounds cool, but based on what you told me about your high school experience I don't know exactly what to say"

Smiling with sweetness bacause of what he said, you were quick to tangle your fingers in his hair, which caused Jack to put his head in your shoulder

"So, what are you going to do?", Jack questioned

"I don't know, I mean I hope the two years of quarantine helped some people to be better", you rambled, "But I still friends have from there who I rarely talk lately and it will be nice to see them in person again"

"In that case, what's the veredict?"

"We are going to that dance"

"Yes!", Jack exclaimed rasing his hand for a high five which you did, "Is there a theme?"

"Hollywood Extravaganza", you responded looking at the flyer, "Babe, this is our theme"

"We are going to be the best dressed", Jack nodded

"Guys, we are happy that you're having a prom night", Josh interrupted, "But we still have to finish the training"

Laughing a little, you and Jack shared a small kiss before continuing with your routines

When Jack said to be the best dressed, you didn't expected to see two designers from the Armani team in your doorway, and even more surprised when they started to fill the dinner table with books with designs and fabric samples

"Dad, what the hell is happening?", you murmured next to him, both with cups full of coffee

"First, don't say bad words in my presence", Skeet said in the same low tone making you smile in fun, "Second, I don't know"

"Y/N", one of them called interrupting the little conversation, "We are ready to start"

Sharing a glance with your dad you aproach the table to sit in front of them, while Skeet went to his office

"We can see the confussion in your eyes, so here it goes the explanation", the other one spoke, "First, we loved to work with you and Jack for the looks for the LA premier of Avatar, and his stylist called us a few days ago about asking for some options of suits for a prom dance, and we instantly asked for you, about what you were going to wear"

"That explains why the other day Jack called me for a second asking me that", you joked making them laugh

"After he told us that you didn't even started to look for outfits, we decided to pay you a surprise visit", the first one continued, "Armani is going to dress you both, so, is there a theme?"

"Hollywood Extravaganza", you nodded

"This is perfect", one of them commented, "You are a legacy child and VFX artist in the making and Jack is a rising star"

Starting with the meeting, they show you some haute couture and ready to wear which none of them catched your attention even if they were beautiful, so the next option was to do something custom made

During the next hour, the three of you spend the time making different designs acording to the theme and looking at the fabric samples, until one of them was the chosen one

"You are going to shine with this dress", one of the designers commented making you smile, "Before we start taking your measurements, we need to disscus the shoes for the lenght of the dress, do you have any that can go with the dress, if isn't the case we can also provide them?"

"I have a pair of black Aevitas that Camila Mendes and Lili Reinhart gave me this Christmas", you answered, "The ones with the 15.5 cm heels"

"They perfect, those are kinda like universal shoes, they go with everything", the other designer said, "Can you bring them so that way we can start with the measurements?"

Nodding, you were quick to go to your room and take the shoes and return to the living room to continue with the dress making process

When the day of the dance arrived, your living room was full since early in the morning with your dads stylist who were also yours arrived to get you ready for the night, starting with some facials to get your skin ready and get your nails done during noon

At lunch time, Jakob and Naiia arrived with food for everyone before starting with the hair and make up

"Look at you, getting all glamed for your prom dance", Naiia joked sitting next to you while the team started with their work, "By the way, the dress is beautiful"

"Thank you", you smiled in response

"So, how do you feel going this late to your prom?", Jakob asked eating french fries

"It's only like year and a half later but a little nervous", you answered with sincerity, "I don't know, I haven't seen any of them in person since the pandemic started"

"And now you are returning in your way to be succesful, and with a boyfriend that we all love, and both dressed in Armani", Jakob said, "Let's hope that that girl Kira has changed in these years"

"Amen", you and Naiia exclaimed

A few minutes later, the front door was knocked which made Skeet leave his spot on the dinning room to attend, returning two minutes later with a big floral arragement

"Tornado, this is for you", Skeet announced leaving it in the center of the dinning table

"Oh my God, they are so beautiful", you exclaimed streching your hand to take the note attached to them reading the envelope, "It's from Jack"

Happy prom night gorgeous! I'm so happy that we get to do this together

I can't wait to see you in a few hours

Love, Jack

Smiling because of the sweetness of his words, you took your phone to send him a text thanking him the flowers, before taking a photo of them and uploading it to your instagram stories tagging him

"I don't know where are going to put them", Jakob commented, "This isn't the Kardashians household"

Thanks to that comment, you, Naiia, Skeet and the rest of the glam team started to laugh

"We are not the Kardashians", Naiia said still laughing

"We should have our own reality show", you joked, "Keeping up with the Ulrichs"

"Screaming with the Ulrichs sound better", Skeet pointed

Keeping with the little jokes and conversations, the hours spend quickly until the front door was knocked again, when your make up in dark blue and silver colors with your nude lipstick and hair styled like Gigi Hadid in the 2018 MET Gala were ready, and again, Skeet went to answer the door this time returning with Jack (who was completely ready) and Anna

"Hi, beautiful", Jack greeted sitting next to you taking your hand, "You look absolutely gorgeous"

"You look handsome as well", you responded smiling, "I love the flowers, they're beautiful"

"I'm glad you loved them"

"Guys, sorry for interrupting the moment", one of the stylist spoke, "But we have to get you dressed right know, but the shoes are going first"

"Okay", you nodded

With the help of the girl who did your nails, you put on the high heels adjusting the straps in your ankles in a way that they don't feel loose before walking to the makeshift dresser in the living room with Naiia and two more styilist to help with the dress and gloves

Once everything was put in place with the outfit, you along with the little crew came out of the makeshift dresser getting instant reactions for everyone

While the glam team put the silver earings and a small and simple silver chain style choker (one of Bailey's gifts for your birthday), the Armani photographers started to take photos of Jack to post later on Instagram, then it was your turn with the whole outfit, and last of both of you, and they were lucky to have two serious photos because after that, the rest were doing funny faces and silly poses

Lastly, before leaving, family photos were taken which ended up being funny because your dad and siblings were basically in pajamas

After a twenty minute car ride, your old school was in sight, also noticing some students of your generation in the entrance

"I haven't been here since march 2020", you sighed while Jack drove towards the entrance were a red carpet was placed, "It feels weird and nostalgic"

"Are you comfortable with this?", Jack asked before stepping out of the car

"Totally", you nodded, "Besides, as you said, we are the best dressed"

Kissing your gloved hand, Jack got out of the car which caused a reaction in some of the ex-students because they didn't expected to see one of the young actors of the moment in there, and they were more surprised when he opened the passenger side streching his hand to help you get out of the car and helping to fix your dress, while one valet went to park the car

Interwining hands, both of you started walking throught the carpet to the inside of the school towards the gym

"Y/N!"

You heard someone screaming your name, which caused both of you to turn in that direction

"Sarah!", you exclaimed with excitement

Happy to see one of your friends in person after months, you almost run towards her which ended up in a hug, while Jack stayed a few steps behind smiling

"I thought that you wouldn't come", Sarah said breaking the hug but still holding your hands, "That dress is amazing"

"I contemplate about coming or not, believe me", you laughed, "Your dress is also amazing, and I want to introduce you to someone"

Being his cue, Jack stepped closer taking your waist

"This is Jack, my boyfriend", you introduced proudly, "Jack, this is my high school best friend Sarah"

"Nice to meet you", Jack smiled with a hand shake

"It's nice to see my best friend happy", Sarah responded watching your face, "Let's go to the gym, almost all our group is in there"

Interwining your free arm with hers and Jack now holding your small purse, the three of you walked towards the gym now decorated as if it was from an award ceremony

"This remind me of the Critics Choice", Jack commented

"But with more space between tables", you joked remembering how small the space was

"One of you has to invite me to a future premiere or event", Sarah spoked with fun, "I want to experience that world"

"Dude, you went with me and my dad to the season one premiere of Riverdale", you pointed with fun

"Yeah, in 2017", she reminded

Laughing, the three of you continue walking throught the gym until a table with familiar faces for you and Sarah, ending in an excited reunion with hugs and meetings, before taking seats

"Dude, I'm going to be honest with you", Noah, another friend of the group spoke towards Jack, "I was scared of you in Scream"

"Thanks, I guess", Jack laughed with his arm in the back of your chair

"You went all psycho killer", Abby, one of the girls of the group said, "Y/N, you nailed your five second cameo, I actually went to see the movie multiple times just to spot you"

"Abby, I love you, you are the sweetest", you said with sincerity, "So, what is everyone doing?"

"Studying fashion design in New York", Scott said

"Training to be a cast member at Disneyland", Abby continued

"Studying law at Standford", Sarah spoke

"Gamer in twitch", Noah finished, "What about you?"

"Practicing to be a VFX make up artist", you answered proudly

"She is awesome at that", Jack exclaimed showing some of your early works making you blush, "Like, this looks so real"

Before anyone of your friends could say something, one of your former classmates stopped by the table interrupting the conversation

"Y/N, hi!", Diana greeted at what you get up from your chair to hug her since she was polite and friendly during your school years, "I'm so happy you are here"

"I'm also happy to be here, I missed you girl", you responded breaking the hug

"Me too, I'm glad that you changed your mind and actually came", Diana smiled making confussion in you and your group, "See you around"

Waiting until she was far, you turned facing your group

"First Sarah told me something similar, now Diana", you pointed taking a seat in your chair, "What the hell is happening?"

With a hand signal from Scott everyone inclined in a way to be closer and listen

"I heard from Irma, who heard it from Daniel, who heard it from Bethany, that Kira said that fame just got to your head and you felt superior to any of us", Scott explained leaving you shocked, "Kira actually tweeted it"

"Is she fucking for real?", you yelled-murmured, "I'm not the egocentric one, she is"

"She has always been ridiculous and jealous of you", Abby pointed, "Like, starting rumours about you is pathetic"

"Here is the tweet", Noah gave you his phone with the tweet on screen

Recieving the phone you read the tweet that only had two likes, but what caught your attention was the username

Leaving the phone on the table you reached your phone which was on one of Jack's jacket pockets unlocking it to enter to your saved tweets

"I thought you quit them for there", Jack frowned looking at the hate tweets from two months ago

"I forgot to do it", you responded finding the ones with the user name, "For context, two months ago I found hate tweets towards me, some of them were from the user name ReginaGeorgeHeir"

"That's Kira's username", Sarah exclaimed

"Yeah, two of them were 'she isn't that pretty' and 'she's a nepo baby, you know how they are'", you read with anger in your voice

"Fucking bitch", Noah exclaimed noticing movement at the entrance, "Speaking of the devil"

Hearing that sentence, the six of you turned towards the entrance of the gym to watch how Kira and her minion Bethany entering

"Wait, that dress looks familiar", you pointed with narrow eyes

"I think is the same one that you wore to the Los Angeles premier of Avatar", Jack said remebering were he had seen it

"More like a dupe", Abby commented

"Girl, if you want to let go your Billy Loomis side on her we won't blame you", Sarah spoke in your direction, "We will help you hide the body and be your alibis"

"And if they ask where we were, let's say we where at econ", Jack joked, "It worked for me"

After that reference joke, your whole table started to laugh incontrolable gaining the attention of people next to you, including from the mean duo

"I give you an advice", Scott talked after the laughs calmed, "First, what are you wearing?"

"Custom Armani", you answered

"Girl, you already won the one sided battle", Scott continued, "I mean, your dad is an icon, you are starting to gain more fame of your own, you are wearing Armani to your prom, you and Jack are the IT young couple of the moment, Kira is the girl who peaked at high school and stayed mean because is everything she has"

"Scott, is right", Sarah nodded, "So let's forget about her and have some fucking fun!"

Agreeing with her, the six of you continued to talk and update about everything, taking pictures, even the boys imitated Jacks "chad face" for some pictures, doing tik toks and sharing the snacks the school provided

When people started to fill the asignated dance floor, your group did the same founding a spot for the six of you

During the next hour and a half, the time was spent dancing the popular songs of the moment that the DJ played and having fun with each other, until a slow song "Love On The Brain" by Rihanna started to sound causing the couples in there to start dancing slowly

"Are you having fun?", Jack asked with his arms circling your waist

"Lots", you smiled with your arms around his neck, "I'm glad that we came"

"Me too", Jack smiled in returned, "And your friends are really cool"

"I think they like you more than they like me", you joked making him laugh

"I actually think that they are testing me to see if I'm good for you"

"You are perfect for me"

Following that small conversation, both of you shared a small kiss that was followed with smaller ones accompanied with giggles from both of you

A few more slow songs followed after the music was stopped causing everyone to look at the stage were Kira was taking a microphone and Bethany was standing in the corner behind her

"Don't tell me she's going to do a speech", Noah groaned

"Hi everyone!", Kira exclaimed

Hearing her voice made your group (and some other people in there) groan in silence

"It's so nice to see everyone here in person", Kira continued with a fake smile, "Like we all look so expensive with our dresses and suits, so as former student president I'm honnored to give a little speech, first of all, I'm so happy to see that every one of you is being succesful, some in college, some working, some having personal bussiness, others taking advantage of parents fame"

"Someone shut her up", you murmured making your group to hold back the laughs

Unfortunately, she heard that thanks to the silence in the room noticing your group a few meters from the stage

"Y/N Ulrich!", Kira exclaimed which made all the heads to turn in your direction including a light from the stage focusing in the six of you almost blinding your group, "So happy to see that your fame didn't stop you from being here with your friends and your famous boyfriend"

"Yeah, I'm not happy to see you ReginaGeorgeHeir", at the moment you said that phrase her face fell, "I know you were one of the people who send hate tweets towards me two months ago"

"I don't know what your talking about", Kira laughed nervously

"Wasn't you the one who tweeted 'she isn't that pretty'?", Abby exclaimed reading her phone

"Or 'she's a nepo baby, we know how they are'?", Scott continued

"It was a little joke", she tried to minimized the situation but you already were walking to the stage with Jack behind you

"It's not funny to bully someone, online or in person", you replied starting to climb the stairs with the help of Jacks hand on your waist and holding one of your hands, "Thanks babe"

"Anytime, gorgeous", Jack nodded staying in the gym floor

"Okey, I tweeted that", Kira admited rolling her eyes, "But everyone was doing it, I just jumped in"

"It's wrong to do that", you claimed, "You bullied me for years in person until you knew who my dad was, and it was because you saw him on Riverdale, and tried to be my friend after years of torture, that's hypocrite, and you and Bethany also torture a lot of us during school years, and know you claim to be happy to see us?"

"You need to chill", Kira replied not knowing what to say, "And if I were you, I would use my dad connections to be succesful as an actress, not singer because your voice is horrible"

"There is the bitch, and your voice is also horrible, well, all your personality is horrible", you spoked causing all the ex-students to cheer, "Fuck, it feels good to finally say this!"

"You know all this that you said people are going to twisted make you seem like the bully, right?", Kira tried to intimidate

"Actually not, I'm live on instagram!", one of your former classmates yelled with his phone up, "1,504 people are seeing this"

"See, I'm not the only one in here that you bullied", you shrugged

"So what, you are going all ghostface on me?", Kira joked

"I mean, people callme the 'Ghostface Princess', my dad was a ghostface, my uncle Matthew was a ghostface, my boyfriend was a ghostface, it wouldn't be weird", you threatened now close to her face, "Boo"

Even if that was a whispered word, she still jumped in fear a little causing everyone to laugh at her

Smiling because she now felt how it was, you started to walk to the stairs taking the hand that Jack was holding to help you

"Oh", you exclaimed turning to look at her, "Nice dupe dress"

"It's original, idiot", Kira argued trying to gain the situation

"It isn't, I know it because I wear the same dress in december, to the Los Angeles premier of Avatar", you smiled, "The original has higher neckline"

"I had it to do some changes"

"It's actually a 2009 Giorgio Armani, basically an archive piece, those are only borrowed, which means no drastical changes can be done"

Smiling and feeling powerful, you and Jack walked with your hands interwined followed by your friends who soon joined you while the rest of ex-students laughed at Kira and Bethany

jackchampion, naiia, madelyncline, and 97, 216 more

yn.ulrich succesful prom night

tagged jackchampion, sarah_woods, abbycutie, not.scott.disick, noahtwitch

jackchampion I said it before, but I'm glad we get to do this together

› yn.ulrich I love you

› jackchampion I love you more

not.scott.disick thank you mom and dad for taking us for a snack after prom

› jackchampion anytime my child

madelame shine my baby, you deserve it

› yn.ulrich thank you favourite red

[cellarspider]

18/30 Alexa, play Despacito

(Previous) | (Index) | (Next)

⛬

And now, we return to Prometheus, which is trying to redeem the last two fifths of itself through blood sacrifice. Content warning for discussion of eyeball nastiness and death by immolation, Holloway.

Taking things slightly out of chronology this time, because there’s an excellent, quiet scene sandwiched in between lots of screaming: I'm sure they meant to put it in juxtaposition with this to heighten the emotion, but I refuse. We'll save that one for later. As a treat for me. And now, as a treat for me, Holloway is dying! Hurray!

So, turns out we’re spinning the wheel of Inconsistent, Ominous Black Goo effects again, and landed on “hangovers aren’t supposed to make your eyes grow tentacles”.

Holloway, apparently in denial, does not recall this fact until he’s gone out with what could generously be called a rescue party, to try and locate Millburn and Fifield. Janek belatedly and unwisely goes along to help, while David appears to go on a pleasant Sunday drive in his golf cart. He’s heading to a better scene, the lucky scamp.

Millburn is very dead–a rubber snake jumps out of his mouth, so you know he’s toast. Fifield’s body is nowhere to be found, and it will make an underwhelming return later.

Holloway collapses, covered in creeping black veins. Shaw finds this distressing. I would be fascinated to know if anybody in the audience agreed with her. I usually would, if only because certain kinds of screaming can kick me into sensory overload, but apparently there’s a psychological component to that response. And so I placidly watched Vickers meet them at the Prometheus vehicle bay with a flamethrower.

I appreciate her belated interest in quarantine and sanitation, but frankly, it’s a little late for that. I already had my rant on that earlier. At this point, things have gotten so bad that even Holloway realizes that the only solution is to go 40k on his ass.

[Video description: A 40k meme clipped from TheRussianBadger’s review of the game Space Hulk: Deathwing: A player says “BROTHER. GET THE FLAMER. THE HEAVY. FLAMER.” Sudden cut to almost incomprehensibly fiery gameplay, with a dramatic choral soundtrack and in-game voice lines “WE ARE THE ANGELS OF DEATH!” “MY FURY IS MADE MANIFEST!”, and ends right before a player yells “I WOULD LIKE TO REGISTER A COMPLAINT” and spins wildly around, spraying flames everywhere.]

Yes, Holloway burns to a crisp! I don’t know what the movie wants me to feel here, but whatever it is, I did not feel it. Did it want me to feel sad about this, because Shaw doesn’t want this to happen? Does it intend to raise the tension by having things spiral further out of control, demonstrating that a drop of the Ominous Black Goo is enough to kill a man in under a day? Am I supposed to take sick satisfaction in watching him die? All these are possible in bog standard horror movies.

However, this is a movie that wants to speak to something thematically. Holloway is positioned as a character we are not necessarily supposed to find sympathetic. As previously mentioned, the Engineers did not invite humanity to this planet. They were warning humans that if they continued to stray in their behavior, they would be killed by something that would come from here. 

Perhaps we are thus supposed to be asking questions about this: why would the Engineers do this? Why create humanity and then threaten to destroy their creations? What was their justification? David has turned this weapon on Holloway, making the choice that at least one man deserves the fate the Engineers planned for all humanity. Does he deserve that? Does anyone?

I was not thinking any of those things in the theater. Because what I actually felt was a desire to return to the scene interwoven with this one, which we will get to next time. This is the danger of creating an unlikeable, expendable character: the audience may feel no pathos when they die, nor question the death’s necessity. If they’re not along for the ride, then they may simply shrug.

Particularly when the rest of the movie is such a mess. This is only their second day on the planet, does anyone else remember that? I mean, I’ve been here for what feels like eternity, but they behaved so stupid, so fast, that this feels less like the inevitable falling apart of dozens of smaller mistakes, and more like one gigantic katamari of mistakes that will not stop rolling until it has collected every mistake in the world, and is thus deemed worthy of becoming a star all on its own, to forever shine out how badly they fucked it all up.

Next time: one of the two good scenes people tend to remember.

(Previous) | (Index) | (Next)

⛬

Citations for alt-text rambles:

https://www.swtor.com/ 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSpFnDQr88xCZ80N-X7t0nQ 

https://youtu.be/vy5fgDvb9-c HYEEh-HAA!

Overflow Ramble, because tumblr lets you put in more alt-text than it will actually display in-browser:

A wide shot of Holloway with his arms outstretched, walking toward the vehicle bay ramp. Is this pose supposed to be a crucifixion allusion? I hope not! That would be baffling. Though as these posts have proven, something being baffling doesn’t rule out Prometheus doing it. Shaw is on the ground behind them, restrained by Janek. 

I’m trying to figure out if this was done on a studio stage, or on location. You’d think the latter wouldn’t be possible, but I’ve seen behind the scenes shots of them filming in the volcanic desert of Iceland, they definitely were in places that looked similar. But the background may still be fake after a certain point–outdoor green screens are a thing. 

The lighting on Janek and Shaw doesn’t quite feel right. Part of it’s the shadows: they’re darker on the people than in the background, which is a common problem for CG elements.The visual fidelity of the gravel behind them kind of has a sudden shift about halfway up Shaw’s head, and I’m not sure if that’s just focus or what.

If it is a composite of real and CG, it makes sense that it looks a bit off, though: these are background elements that are not supposed to be your main focus, on a shot that’s not held for too long. There’s always been trade-offs like that in visual effects, they’ve just shifted over the years. Anyway, back to Charlize Theron with a flamethrower.

⛬

(Previous) | (Index) | (Next)

⛬

[cal-daisies-and-briars]

Hod so many of your fics sound good! 😍

In order of preference right now (just in case you don't feel like (or have the time to) doing all of them 😅

🛏🛏🛏🛏🛏🛏🛏🛏🛏🛏

📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖📖

⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡

Thank you so much! 😊

THANK YOU!

30 for 🛏️:

---

Eddie bites his lip. He looks at the ceiling. Buck thinks Eddie probably knows he’d be asked this question, and is still scrambling to come up with a coherent explanation anyway. Which is actually all the explanation Buck needs. 

“Eddie,” he begins to let him off the hook. “You-”

“I just can’t be there on Father’s Day,” Eddie blurts. His eyes are big and pleading. “It’s so quiet. And it’s so loud because it’s so quiet. And no one is talking to me, and…”

Buck steps forward to hug him, lifting his arm awkwardly around the duffle bag.  

“Of course you can stay here,” he says soothingly. “You can stay as long as you need.”

Eddie slumps forward, just a little. Leaning his weight against Buck. Good. Buck wants to take it. 

“Thanks,” he mumbles.

“Of course,” Buck says. “But, uh… You know we’ll be going quarantine-style, right?”

���What?” Eddie asks, pulling out of the hug. 

“I don’t have a couch, Eddie.”

“What?” Eddie asks. “Still?”

“You’ve been here! You know this!”

---

30 for 📖:

---

 “I got this one, kiddo.”

“Thanks,” Christopher says.

The man rhymes off an email that tells Buck two things about him. One, his name is Edmundo Diaz. Two, he works for the city. Which confirms the whole firefighter tee shirt thing. 

“Alright,” Buck grins at the pair of them. “I’m gonna print your card and then you’re all set.”

“Yes!” Christopher whoops.

“Why don’t you go pick out some books, bud?” Firefighter Edmundo Diaz smiles at his son. 

“Okay, Dad!” Christopher replies confidently. “I’ll be in the kids’ section.”

Buck tries not to laugh. He’s so damn cute. 

Christopher walks off towards the kids’ section, turning in the direction of the nonfiction books. Ah, a kid after Buck’s own heart. How many books about beetles is too many books about beetles? Insert Mean Girls meme. The limit does not exist. 

Buck collects the printed plastic card from the machine, and hands it, still warm, to Edmundo. 

“Thank you,” he says, taking his son’s card. 

“Yeah, of course,” Buck smiles. “Welcome to the Los Angeles Public Library.”

“Not just for the card,” Edmundo says. “Thanks for letting him answer the questions.”

Buck raises an eyebrow. “Why wouldn’t I?”

---

30 for ⚡:

---

“He’s not allowed to watch R rated movies. No matter what he says.”

“I know, Eddie,” Adriana says. “I lived here for a bit, remember?”

They’re moments away from leaving for their trip. Too many moments, if Buck is to be believed. But Eddie has to make sure his sister and Ravi really understand the gravity of their responsibility. Christopher may be nearly fourteen, but Eddie doesn’t care. That’s. His. Baby. 

“Yes, but that was a while ago,” Eddie reminds her.

“I know CPR,” Ravi interjects. 

“I’d sure hope so,” Eddie replies. 

“EDDIE!” Buck calls from the driveway, where he is finished loading the car. “COME ON!”

“This is really giving me family road trips flashbacks,” Ravi whispers to Adriana.

“Have you and Buck secretly been married for twenty-five years?” His sister asks. “If so, why did we pay for a wedding gift?”

“Adriana, I am serious,” Eddie says sternly. 

She rolls her eyes. “No R rates movies. No coffee, don’t trust him when he says he’s had it before. No video games after ten. Check his English homework, sometimes he’s sassy about the novel assignments. Anything else?”

That covers it, really. 

Eddie taps his foot nervously.