#renee really needs some help to find out whats happened to them

[ninyard]

Okay I NEED some Allison headcannons

Here’s some ideas if you need any lol:

Like how does she help Neil feel more “normal” after everything that happened? I feel like Matt, Dan, and Renee would probably walk on eggshells around him for a while, even after Nathan dies and the championship game and everything, cause now the adrenalines over and now they have to deal with the aftermath. I feel like Allison would just treat him normally. Not unkindly, but give him a sense of normalcy, yk?

favorite ice cream flavor

How does she react to Seth’s death post-aftg? How do the rest of the Foxes help her process her grief about Seth? Cause from Seth’s death to the last championship game is about 8 months, and death (especially of someone you love) doesn’t just go away like that fast ofc

Favorite brands? (She definitely owns AT LEAST once juicy couture set)

Music taste?

How do you think her relationship is with the other foxes? What are some things that she talks about and does with one person, but might not do with another?

How motherly she is with Neil. Seriously we all know she dragged this boy by the ear to the mall so she can buy him some real clothes.

Some chaotic Allison cause this bitch (affectionate) definitely has done some crazy, weird shit

Girls night with The Girls!! (And Neil, he’s an honorary member)

her friendship with Andrew (srsly i so hc them being friends..they’re both judgy rude bitches (in a good way) so there’s no way they’re not like..secretly watching shitty reality tv together)

Sorry about how long this is! Make sure to go eat and drink some water Nin :)

-💜💜✨

YOU CANT DO THIS TO ME bc now i just. want to write about them all so

I feel like Allison wouldn't tiptoe around the things Neil's been through or done. She's been straight up with him before about all of his lies and how she doesn't/didn't trust him, so I think if there's something on people's minds, she's not going to step around it or avoid the elephant in the room. If she's pissed, she'll tell him. If she doesn't understand something, she'll say it. But I think Neil would appreciate that more than knowing people are talking about him but won't just come up and ask him something themselves. It'd feel more normal if she addressed it, rather than just leaving a tension in the air/nobody feeling like they can joke about it or anything with him.

Some sort of sorbet. She used to say something like lemon, but truth be told her favourite is raspberry.

God, grief works weird. I think she cried. A lot. I think she spoke to Bee about him a lot, and I think every time she heard his name or saw his picture it was like she was finding out he was dead all over again. I think it was really, really hard for her. As much as they fought, as much as they broke up and got back together again, he was her rock. He was all she had, he knew her. She doesn't really have family to rely on, she can't call her mom or dad up to be like "My boyfriend died and it's destroying me". I think it was a very lonely time for her no matter how much the team insisted they were there for her. (I would worry about her recovery in the immediate aftermath of his death - I like to think that Abby was really looking after her for those first few weeks to keep her on track and make sure she was being safe and kind to herself)

Youre SO right with the juicy couture. That's just such a given when it comes to this series. Maybe she wore Abercrombie and Fitch too but i don't really know any other brands from 2006 oops

She's a bubblegum pop girly i think. Probably fucked with Avril Lavigne and Rihanna at the time. In my head she's a girls girl so Kylie, Britney, Fergie, P!nk and Beyonce. All the ladies like that.

I've mentioned my thoughts on her and Kevin before and how their relationship as friends develops post-TKM but as for the others. I think Dan, Matt and Nicky are the ones she's closest with, but the first one she'll call for advice is Renee. I feel like Nicky is literally like her gay best friend and they're ALWAYS arm-in-arm. If she needs someone to go shopping with it's always him. They're always bitching and gossiping. Her and Aaron aren't very close, especially considering the choking incident, but I feel like they still appreciate each other on the court and still with hug and congratulate each other when they do well. I don't know about her and Andrew either. That's a tricky one, also considering the choking thing, but I know she's also not afraid of him, either. She sees what he did for her after Seth's death, and so that have a sort of mutual respect, but I don't think they're exactly friends. I feel like her and Neil would be pretty good friends, but aren't exactly going out of their way to hang out with each other.

I LOVE how much she cares about Neil. I think he's cute to her. I think she literally wants to pinch his cheeks and cuddle him even though she knows everything about his past and what he is capable of. He has that Wesninski smile and she's like AWWWW

Like. Listen. I do feel like Allison can be NUTS. I feel like if she didn't restrain herself she's the kind of girl to key someones car for cheating on her or pop someones tyres because they catcalled her. She'd fight anyone on a night out to stick up for her friends, even if she's just about blackout drunk, she's ready to fight. I feel like she's had one of those movie moments on the court where she screams. Like you know what kind of scream I'm talking about. One of those movie girl screams. She can be a total cunt if she wants to be. But most of the time she doesn't

okay i want to write more about the last two but im trying so hard rn to clear my inbox and drafts because i feel like so many ppl think i'm ignoring them so i will leave you with these few thoughts on Allison <3

[aurorangen]

Arriving home to find a letter...from Veronica.

Transcript:

Hi. Things have been happening in Strangerville and I have to return. I'm sorry that I've left so abruptly and without saying my goodbyes…I know my time was short here, but they said it's urgent. That I'm needed there.

Thank you for everything guys. I've done and felt things I've never before, explored the city with everyone and I really valued the time we had together, especially with you Renee. Thank you for showing me the world. Please don't worry about me, I am only returning to my hometown. And please, don't come looking for me.

It's for everyone's safety. It's best that you all stay away from Strangerville, outsiders aren't welcome. If the time allows me to, then I will come looking for you all again. But for now it's goodbye. Veronica.

[jtl-fics]

I wonder what happened to the Wesninski house in Baltimore. It was definitely roped off as a crime scene for a long time but eventually it had to go somewhere and Neil’s the only beneficiary it could really go to.

Do you think it enters his custody and there are plenty of people who want to buy it, either because it’s a nice house or because ‘it’s the BUTCHER’S house’ and they want to turn it into a tourist attraction. Neil’s getting bombarded with real estate, city planning, victims advocacy, etc.

Maybe it’s only Neil’s 3rd year that he gets possession of it and he’s already stressed because it’s his 1st year as a captain and he needs to show the Moriyamas and the professional teams that he is worth investing in.

Maybe Andrew sees all of this and reaches out. Maybe all of the OG Foxes brave Baltimore one more time and maybe they spend all of Spring Break destroying every single nice thing that house ever had. For the Foxes it’s just fun to break shit, for Neil it’s destroying and rejecting his father’s legacy, he’s desecrating his father’s grave, it’s the most cathartic thing he’s ever done in his entire life and that includes telling Riko off his freshman year. They shatter chandeliers, furniture, appliances (the gas is well and truly turned off), watches, jewelry, clothes, plates, glasses, and anything they can find and destroy.

Allison has a running tab on who has done the most in property damage. The one who wins is Matt because he brought his own sledgehammer to the party.

Maybe the Foxes help Neil destroy his father’s legacy but also...maybe Dan grabs pictures of Nathaniel smiling at the camera with a missing tooth.

Maybe Nicky finds a recipe book hand written from Nathaniel’s maternal grandmother hoping her grandson will like them and it is set aside to be saved.

Maybe Matt finds a hidden corner where Nathaniel had drawn on the wall in crayon and he cuts out that chunk of drywall.

Maybe Aaron finds some letters Mary wrote to Stuart about what a good boy Nathaniel is and he pockets them.

Maybe Renee finds a stuffed animal with a missing eye and carries it to safety.

Maybe Kevin finds a set of child Exy equipment that goes into the Maserati.

Maybe Allison finds children’s clothes that have been sewn back together because the person who wore them loved them so much so she puts them in her purse.

Maybe Andrew finds a tiny bloody hand print in the basement and Andrew’s hand eclipses the hand of the bleeding child who left it and Andrew doesn’t forget things but the thought is easier when Neil’s hands engulf his when they hold them later that night.

Maybe the Foxes go and save every piece of Nathaniel they can from that house. Nathan can rot there, Neil is having the house demolished in a week and then he’ll sell the land to the Baltimore parks department.

But maybe Nathaniel’s grave is somewhere else. Maybe they let him rest somewhere other than Baltimore. Maybe Neil can’t take anything they had saved from that house yet so Nathaniel’s memories rest with them until Neil can take it.

[lonelywhalien22]

trust me

pairing: bang chan x reader

rating/genre: comfort, fluff, sprinkle of angst

summary: you're having a bad day and your boyfriend chan is there to try and make you feel better.

warnings: reader is low key hella sad in this (take care of yourselves yall <3) + a steamy kiss (very self indulgent ik i'm sorry)

word count: 2.7k

song(s) to listen to while reading: steamroller by phoebe bridgers (reader is hella sad so are we surprised lol), renee's song by bazzi, fall by chloe x halle

note: while i try to tame some bigger fic ideas into submission i'll occasionally polish up + share some of my more decent smaller pieces from years past. pretty sure i wrote this one in the throws of the p*ndemic while struggling with college and feeling hella touch starved...so yeah...enjoy lol <3

————

It was one of those days - one where that funny feeling had bubbled up inside of you, seemingly out of nowhere. You knew it all too well by now, knew its signs and its symptoms. One moment you’d be fine, and then it would happen - a dreaded phone call for an appointment that you could no longer put off, a tedious task at work, a much needed item that you’d misplaced and couldn’t find - sometimes it was all of these things in one day and more, and suddenly you weren’t ok. And as much as you’d try to not let all the frustrations of life get to you, as much as you’d try to hold on to the good, to the light, sometimes bit by bit it would still slip from your grasp until you were tired of trying and there was nothing left inside of you but a dull gray.

You hated when you got in these sorts of moods - used to think there'd be some stage in life, some milestone you could reach, thing you could achieve that would make them go away forever, but you’d survived enough of them by now to know that it was a lifelong battle. There were highs and lows, and today just happened to be one of the lows.

Today also just happened to be one where your boyfriend Bang Chan was supposed to be coming over. His presence was one that so often brought light into your life - fun and laughter and a smile to every situation, but despite having accepted that you were in a sour mood, the thought of him seeing you this way made you feel worse instead of better - like a recluse undeserving of such sweet affection. As if he could hear your thoughts from afar, your cellphone began ringing on the kitchen table, temporarily snapping you right out of your self pity.

“Am I still good to stop by in an hour?" You could practically hear the excitement in his voice, imagining his charming smile immediately, but the warmth in your chest only lasted for a second before you just felt even more upset with yourself. You didn’t wanna burden him with your feelings - tramp all over his joy with your frustration.

"Hey Chan. I'm sorry, but I'm kind of feeling like trash right now." You thought maybe that would be the end of it, hoped that he would read between the lines, but he was completely oblivious, a caring tone seeping into his words as he tried to help you instead.

"Are you sick? I can pick up something for you and bring it by if you want.”

"No, that's not exactly it," you began, struggling to find the words. There was a long pause on the line, and you could hear Chan shifting, as if he was sitting up. You cursed in your head. There was no way he was gonna let this go now - not when you were being so distant. 

“Babe, you know you can tell me anything right?” His use of the nickname made your heart flutter again, gently coaxing you to open up to him - to be honest.

“I know.” 

“Then talk to me.”

“I just…I don’t know, it’s stupid.”

“Nothing you say is stupid,” Chan said immediately. “Tell me what’s going on.”

You let out a sigh before nervously continuing. “It’s just…sometimes I’ll get in this really weird headspace and it makes me feel like crap and...I'm just annoyed with myself. I'm sorry if that doesn't make any sense...I think maybe I just need to be alone right now," you tried to get the last words out but began to break down a little as you really thought about what you’d said. Something about hearing it out loud made it feel all the more real, your eyes beginning to water and throat beginning to dry up.

“It sounds like you're upset. You sure you don't want me to come over?” 

You took a big breath, trying to calm yourself before speaking again, but no matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t find it in you to say anything else. It felt paralyzing - being stuck between the part of you that just wanted him to be with you and the part that was afraid you’d scare him away forever with your feelings. The more you thought about it the more emotional you got, and you felt a tear run down your cheek before you started to sob silently into the phone.

"Babe? Y/n?” Chan asked, voice becoming laced with concern. 

"Yeah?" It was all you could manage to sob out.

"I'm coming over right now," he said quickly, making the decision for you. You could already hear shuffling sounds in the background as he presumably scrambled to grab his things.

"Give me like twenty minutes ok? And just stay on the line with me please? Can you do that for me?" 

"Yeah. I'm sorry." 

“There's nothing to be sorry for," Chan said softly.

————

In less than twenty minutes you heard a hurried knock on your door. Hanging up on your phone, you pulled yourself off of the couch and shuffled over to the entrance of your apartment, unlocking and pulling open the door to reveal your boyfriend's slightly panicked face.

“Hey…” he whispered gently when he saw you. You moved out of the way and he quickly stepped inside, setting down a bunch of bags before he turned back around and immediately enveloped you in his arms. The warmth of his body pressed against yours easily disarmed you, walls falling down so that all you could think about was his sturdy embrace. 

"I'm sorry,” you mumbled into his chest, trying to look at him. “I didn't mean to worry y-" 

"Hmm. Shush. No apologizing. Just let me hold you for a minute, yeah?" 

You nodded your head against him, silent as you slowly relaxed all the muscles in your body and let yourself really feel his warmth, feel all of the love radiating from his body into yours. He smelled like his shower gel, a hint of spearmint seeping into your lungs as your breathing began to slow and your eyes closed, whizzing thoughts in your head beginning to dissipate one by one. Your fingers curled into the fabric of his black sweater, holding on as if you never wanted to let go, and he let you - staying wrapped around you for an entire minute, just like he said. One of his hands stayed firmly wrapped around your waist while the other went up to start rubbing all the way from your head to the middle of your back, repeating the motion leisurely. You released a sigh of content as he did this, feeling yourself start to calm down, heart rate beginning to slow. Eventually he loosened his arms just enough to pull back a little and look at your tear-stained face.

"Let's sit down and I'll get you some food to eat hmm?" he said quietly, thumb wiping across your wet cheeks. You nodded, feeling a bit like a child as he lead you to your couch and wrapped a blanket around you before getting you some food from one of the bags he brought. When he came back you noticed his hair was a bit wet, presumably still drying from a shower he must have taken right before calling you, strands curling from the dampness. And as you looked down at the container of food he’d placed in your hands you realized it was your favorite meal from your favorite place. He even remembered how you always asked for extra sauce. 

Chan stayed silent as you slowly picked up your fork and began to eat, still sniffling a little. He easily found the remote to your tv, switching it on in a practiced familiarity, and put on one of your favorite movies, letting it play softly in the background before digging in to his own food.

When you’d both finished eating, he silently patted his lap, and you knew without any explanation that he was asking you to lean yourself back into his embrace. You did so shyly, Chan grabbing the blanket and draping it around the two of you before he wrapped his arm around your shoulder and pulled you even closer. Finally you relaxed, leaning your head into the crook of his neck and turning slightly so that you could shamelessly wrap your arms around his middle, no longer even focusing on the tv at all. It felt so comforting to be in his arms that your eyes immediately began to close, his embrace luring you to sleep.

————

When you woke up it was dark outside. You blinked a couple times, shifting slightly before realizing that you were still completely wrapped up in Chan’s arms. To your embarrassment, you caught him peeking at you with the softest look on his face, your heart beating a little faster because you’d never been this close to him for so long before. 

“Better?” he asked you simply, thumb moving to rub against your elbow gently.

You opened your eyes a bit wider, immediately beginning to shift up on the couch.

“I’m sorry, I didn't realize how late it was," you said quickly instead of answering his question, feeling guilty as you shifted a little from his embrace. You’d essentially used him as your own personal pillow for who knows how many hours. “I didn’t mean to keep you here like that for so long,” you continued to ramble, but Chan only shook his head in response.

“Y/n. Hey - look at me,” Chan said with a soothing tone. You stopped your shuffling and did as he asked.

“Do you feel better?” he repeated his question from earlier, and you finally nodded a little before picking at the blanket on your lap.

“Yeah. I’m just sorry I wasted your time because of some dumb mood I was in," you responded, annoyed with yourself as you pushed your hair out of your face roughly.

“You know it’s not a crime to feel sad, right?” Chan started gently after a couple beats of silence, clearly trying to find the right words as his thumb continued to lightly rub against your skin. “Even if there isn’t a clear reason - that doesn’t make how you’re feeling any less real.”

“I guess.” You dismissed his words easily, clearly not taking them to heart.

"Why do you always do that?" he asked lightly.

"What do you mean?”

"Talk yourself down. Dismiss how you're feeling,” he elaborated, a little concern in his voice once again. “It makes me worry about you.” 

Your eyes widened in surprise before you looked off to the side. 

“I don’t know, I guess it’s just out of habit.”

Chan tapped your elbow, silently asking you to look at him again. 

"Can I tell you something?” he whispered into the quiet. You nodded curiously.

"I care about you - so much that it scares me sometimes,” he said earnestly, raking a hand through his hair. "You're so thoughtful, so kind, such an amazing listener - you make it so easy for me to be honest about how I'm feeling, and I've never felt more comfortable talking to anyone else,” he continued, looking down a little as he said that last part.

His words made you feel shy all over again, not expecting him to be so open with you. You willed yourself to keep looking at him.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that…I wanna make you feel safe too - safe to share how you’re feeling with me, the good and the bad. Because that’s how you make me feel.” 

“Chan…” you said, lightly smacking his arm in jest as you looked away from him, tears flooding your eyes for a different reason. But he just leaned forward and kissed your temple, pulling you back into his arms gently before continuing.

“Trust me, ok?” Chan asked as you nodded into his chest. “I want you to know that you can always share how you’re feeling with me - even if it’s sad or you don’t think it makes any sense - even if I can’t fix it for you - I’ll always at least be here to listen, I promise. Just don’t hide from me, yeah?”

Tears were falling from your eyes now - not because you were sad, but because Chan’s care for you felt so unconditional, so devoid of judgement - and you’d never known care like that from a partner before. You didn’t have any words to respond in that moment - all you knew was that you wished the two of you could stay on your couch, just like this, forever. 

"I didn't mean to make you cry again," Chan said, a little worried as he saw your expression. "Let me get you some t -”

But you leaned up and kissed him gently, cutting off his words. This wasn't your first kiss, but it was definitely the first that you had initiated. Usually you would just stare at his lips longingly or give the tiniest of hints until he finally caught on to what you wanted, but this time you couldn't hold yourself back. You just felt this boost of confidence, an unrelenting need to express a feeling that words couldn't define. 

Chan was shocked at first, but he quickly fell into it, closing his eyes and immediately wrapping his hands around your waist oh so gently as his lips began to move against yours slowly, lightly, with the utmost care. You each tilted your heads instinctively to opposite sides, still not coming up for any air as you maneuvered yourself back into his lap and brought a hand up to caress the side of his face before combing your fingers through his hair instead, a tiny noise of contentment leaving you in that moment. 

“Y/n…” he groaned softly against your smiling lips. 

"Hmmm?" you responded, still in a feeling of utter bliss. Your other hand was rubbing across his upper chest and shoulder soothingly, and you leaned in and kissed him again before he could even muster enough sense to respond, unable to stop yourself. Chan’s lips began moving against yours again, and he started to lean forward until your back was against a pillow on the couch and he was hovering over you completely. It felt as if he was trying to reach your heart with just the movements his warm, pillowy lips made against yours.

His thumbs started rubbing soothing circles into your waist and you felt like you were floating on a cloud, mind becoming hazy as your head became filled with thoughts of him and only him. He left three final pecks on your lips, finally mustering enough self control to pull back before things got even more heated. His hands slid from your waist all the way up to your cheeks, caressing them softly. 

You were smiling softly but genuinely, in complete bliss as he leaned in and kissed your forehead sweetly before finally saying, “I love you, you know?"

“I love you too,” you whispered quietly, just enough for him to hear. 

He rubbed his thumb near the corner of your lips, eyes crawling all over your face before he said a little regretfully, "I hate for this to end but I don't wanna keep you up any later than it already is."

“Then just stay over for the night. Please?" you begged a little bit and put a pout on your face. He immediately kissed it off of you and you couldn’t help but laugh a little.

"Are you sure?"

Neither of you had ever spent the night at each other's place, so it was completely new territory and you could tell he didn’t want to seem like he was taking advantage of the entire situation. You shifted up a little to kiss his forehead back.

“Chan, I want you to. I promise. Please?”

You meant every word. You wanted nothing more than to hold him all night long.

"Ok," he said quietly, grin growing on his face until you saw that cheeky smile you loved so dearly.

————

That night was one of the most peaceful you’d ever had in recent memory. Buried deep under your sheets, nestled under the stars, you curled yourself into his arms - so close that you could feel his heartbeat against your cheek, slow and steady. And you fell asleep just like that - sweet dreams eventually melting away into the morning sun.

[mdoesitmatter]

I feel like my English is not good enough to write a fanfiction and because it’s been rotting in my head for months, here is my “Neil Josten is a vet and Andrew Minyard is a criminologist” Andreil AU:

So basically Andrew Minyard (and his mental support cat Sir) moved from US to Austria to get criminology degree (why? because I said so?). So, he lives in small city of Austria, Graz. Aaron also studies here is medical school and Kevin sometimes flies from Ireland to visit them on holidays. Niky is still salty theу chose Austria over Germany, (he will live). His life is quiet and peaceful. He is been doing good lately.

For the finals, this year, he needs to write a research paper about some interesting case. He pick the case of Baltimore’s Butcher. Whole research goes great until he stumbles across infuriating lack of information about Butcher’s son, which is well-needed for his paper, so he just stares on only available picture of Nathaniel for hours, trying to figure out what happened years ago.

But as he writes his paper (at 3 am) his cat suddenly gets really sick. (like really sick) He calls Renee (cuz she is a vet, duh) but she is out of town and can’t help, so she gives him a number of her colleague (you guessed it) — Neil Josten. He calls him and ask for help.

Neil agrees to help and literally sprints to Andrew’s place to help Sir (good thing they live close to each other, right?) he makes it on time and saves Sir’s life. Andrew like a super grateful owner offers him a tea.

As they are drinking tea at his kitchen, Minyard stares at Neil (covered in Sir’s puke, dark circles under his eyes, messy hair, tired af, y’know, the definition of sexy) then his eyes find his laptop (that still has Nathaniel’s photo on display) and then they dart back to the guy that just had saved his cat and he goes like:

Andrew: wait a minute, what the actual—

To be continued…

Thanks for coming to my TED talk. I know it’s cringe, but it brought me tons of pure joy to write, so I don’t care. Would you read something like this?

/

Ps: Also if someone by any chance can read Ukrainian, I actually had already written first chapter of a fic based on this story. “Кошача блювота та інші приємності життя” on ao3. Enjoy.

[caffeinatedattorney]

caped crusader spoilers!!! I need to let my half baked thoughts out. spoilers under the cut

Animation is good! voice acting is good! I love how the caracters sound!

That said, this show... is so mid. The best parts are Barbara, montoya and harley. Bruce kinda tags along which is more than fine, he's not the only character in the show but i cant help but feel like this whole elseworld thing was an excuse? they arent different enough and theres other stuff that just... didnt click with me. like, penguin looked so good but shes never mentioned outside of ep 1? she was so interesting but she feels underused??

The women in this show feel so interesting! and so fleshed out. I loved the harley & barbara & renee thing. I loved penguin, i loved selina, i loved them, i wanted to see more of them.

the other guys are fine? clayface has a similar motivation to btas and as an observation, i find that this show isn't quite btas in exploring on theme with bruce / batman but a weird mission? not necessarily a bad thing but some eps def dragged on. Again, barbara is the star of the show. she and montoya move a lot of things along.

Its weird that bullock sticks with flass for so long. Like, i guess he's a Thorne lackey first and foremost?

And DONT even get me started on Harvey. That whole schtick about him being corrupt didn't change shit, considering his ending and the way his story works, which is the same btw. he puts a dangerous person behind bars and gets Dented tm. then he has a breakdown and does fucked up shit (would've worked anyway)

and his death pissed me off because of teh above. It's like, hes not the tragic character with the abuse backstory but he changed his mind at some point about his own actions??? idk where that happened or where i was supposed to feel like he did so i just feel like the show is trying to convince me that he was good all along or that he wasnt that bad.

like a lot of things in this show are cool with harvey (the date with bruce, his explosive self loathing, his suicidal ideation, his understanding to other patients, him wanting to save people but only near the end) but the fact they have to come packaged with him being an ass that's cool with corruption feels wasted in a way. Like, you can only redeem him when he's already done horrible things and not the guy who wanted to do good (btas) and did horrible things later.

I appreciate the bruharv but his death sticks with me in a bad way. I don't feel like it's earned? its like i, as a fan, want to feel something for this harvey, but i dont. then when i think, okay, whatever, he's cool i guess, the death is there, not as a tragedy of who harvey is (and bruce seemed fine with harvey being corrupt?? he knowingly endorses him and hangs out with him?) but about bruce being so far gone he felt too close to the edge like harvey and that scared him

And its not him saying that, its alfred, who he calls pennyworth. (uh, this bruce isn't a nice bruce and while that's fine, its so... hard to sympathize with his choices sometimes)

just my two cents. I don't wanna hate this. I really don't but man, the last ep made me want to type this out.

EDIt: Love some of the design choices. Hate others. Animation is serviceable. Bruce looks so... weird to me. Harvey what i can only call eVil eyebrows and compared to everyone else they just didnt click with me unfortunately.

[poedameronwifey]

A true home (The hobbit Fanfic)

Chapter 17

Hey y'all. Things are about to get super duper emotional. Make sure you have a box of tissues because I can assure you, there will be crying and there will be laughing. Al I know is that this is gonna make you feel stuff, So good luck, Enjoy and happy readings. Now onwards, my readers.

Also super sorry about this late post. I have been extremely busy with university but I will be posting more chapters soon. Don't worry!!!!!

___________________________________________________

Kate's Pov

To say that everyone was surprised would be an understatement. I'm pretty sure one or two of them fainted. I mean it's not every day that they find out that Thorin Oakenshield has a daughter who is part-elven and who has been with them since the beginning of the trip. But once we passed all of that, they cheered and gave Lilith hugs, congratulating her. Fili and Kili were beyond happy to have a cousin. They hugged her so tight, I'm surprised that she didn't burst, Balin gave her a warm smile and hug, welcoming her to the family. Renee and I just stood on the side, looking at how happy everyone was. We couldn't be happier for Lilith. I found my father and Lilith found her family. I looked at Reni with a sad look. She doesn't have a family anymore. She's the last one. It's not fair. They should be here.

It was night-time now and everyone was sitting around the fire. The girls and I decided to tell them the truth. The dwarves were surprised to learn that they were from a famous book. Renee explained how we got here.

"So you went into a cave and saw a pool inside it. Then walked out and found yourselves here?"

"Yep. We know it's weird. I mean we were surprised when we realised we were no longer home. But now I'm glad it happened. Lilith found her family and I found my father. Still a bit mad that Mama didn't tell us but I don't blame her."

Renee nodded. Lilith was sitting in between Balin and Thorin. She had her head on Thorin's shoulder. His arm wrapped around her back and his coat around them both. Soon Bofur took over, telling stories about the Blue Mountains. Everything just felt right. I smiled at my new family. I couldn't ask for anything better. My eyes gravitated to Fili. He was smoking his pipe, leaning against the wall with his legs up, laughing with his brother at Bofur' s story. He looked so beautiful. I couldn't help the blush that made its way to my face. I can't seem to get him out of my mind since Bag End. I needed some time to myself. I got up and excused myself and walked around. I stopped when I found a small pond. I sat down on the edge and put my hands in the water. It was so cool and comforting.

Then I thought, what if I had magic? I mean I did also go in the pool when I was a baby so maybe it did something to me. I decided to test that theory. My hand hovered above the water and I concentrated. The water rose from the pond to my hands, making him lose concentration and the water went back into the pond. I decided to try it again and the same thing happened. I stood up and watched as the water kept rising and I let out a surprised noise. I was able to manipulate water. I did some cool tricks that I saw in movies and TV shows. I laughed as I played with the water. It was all around me, entwining around my hands like vines but made of water. After a while I stopped, returning the water to the pond. I can't wait to tell the girls. They're going to freak out.

I heard footsteps coming up behind me. I turned around and saw Fili walking towards me. I smiled at him, making him return it with a wink. I just rolled my eyes.

"Well hello stranger. What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you."

"Ooh did you miss me that much?"

"Of course my lady. It's boring when you are there. Plus I can't let you walk around alone. You might get lost."

I raised my eyebrow, a smirk making its way to my face, " Oh really? And you have the whole place mapped out? Oh, thank lord you came. I am saved. Now I won't have to worry about getting lost. My prince- no wait, My dwarf in shining armour. My hero."

I dramatically put my hands over my eyes and sighed. I started to laugh. He joined in. I waved him over and sat on the edge of the pond, he sat down next to me.

"Ah, that was fun."

"Aye, it was. Who knew you could be just as dramatic as Renee and Lilith."

"Where do you think they learned it from? Sure as hell wasn't the drama classes they had when they were younger. I'm just kidding. I just don't show it often. I leave that to the main drama queen; Reni, Lils, Thorin and Kili."

"Don't let Thorin hear you say that." I got up and turned to him, hands on my hips and standing on one leg.

"Or what? He's going to kill me with his majesticness? Or he's going to stare at me, hoping looks can kill? Please at least give me a challenge. Now, Reni, she's a challenge. You never know with that one. One time in school, I told this boy to shut up because I couldn't concentrate in class. He ignored me so I stabbed him in the hand with my pencil. Well next to his hand. He got angry and stabbed my hand with his pencil. When Reni found out, she was pissed. Confronted the dude to try and make him apologise to me but he just laughed. Reni's whole mood shifted. It was like she had no feelings or emotions. She walked up to him and kicked him in the stomach. Then she punched him in the face. She kept beating the shit out of him and almost broke his arm before I finally stopped her. She then said to him: "If you ever hurt my sister again, I will ruin your life, slit your throat in your sleep, burn your body, make everyone forget you ever existed and get people to feel sorry for me. And then still get away with it. You mess with my sisters, you mess with me" and walked away without care while he had a panic attack. Soon everyone heard about it and never messed with us again. Her mind goes blank and it's like someone else takes over. She has no memory of what she does when she's angry. That's why she just doesn't get angry. She'll get irritated or annoyed but never angry. And if she does, oh pray to whoever you believe in and say your goodbyes. You'll be dead before you even turn around. Lilith is kind of the same but she's not as dangerous as Reni unless you have royally screwed up."

"Reni doesn't seem like the type to do that but then again you never know. The boy got what he deserved. Now I know I will not get on her bad side."

"Yep, but she's only like that with loved ones. She's too kind for own good."

Fili nodded in agreement. They started talking about random stuff. Fili told stories about his childhood while Kate laughed and stood up to make sure she didn't fall over. Turns out that princes can be very mischievous. That explains why Thorin has grey hair. All of a sudden it was quiet so I turned to Fili and he was looking at me with that look again. When he saw me in that dress, I couldn't take my eyes off him. He walked to me, his eyes never leaving mine. When he was right in front of me, one of his hands cradled my face as he touched my forehead with his. I could feel his breath on my face. He put an arm around my waist pulling me against him, making me gasp as we stared into each other's eyes.

"Kate, I have to tell you something. I cannot wait any longer. I love you. I love you more than all the stars in the skies. I tried to deny it but I can't anymore. My heart belongs to you. You are my One."

Kate didn't know what to say. "You love me? But I'm a hobbit and you're a dwarf. A prince nonetheless."

"I don't care. I know what my heart wants. It wants you. But you do not need to say anything. I just want you to know."

He removed his arm from her waist and placed a soft kiss on her head. He turned to leave. Kate finally felt cold and realised that Fili had walked away. He loved her. Even though she wasn't a dwarf. But what did she feel? Did she love him? She thought back to the moment they met. How he blushed when he introduced himself, he covered her in his coat to make sure she didn't freeze. He was always there by her side. He made her feel safe and loved. She couldn't get him out of her head. She wondered why but now she knew, She was in love. With Fili. She had to tell him. He was almost out of her sight when she shouted.

"Fili, wait." He turned around and looked at her. She had tears running down her face. She walked to him as she spoke.

" Fili, at first I was scared. I've never felt like this before. I didn't know what this feeling meant. You never left my mind. You make me feel butterflies whenever you look at me. Whenever I'm with you, I feel safe and happy. You make me happy. I thought it would go away on its own but if anything, it just got worse. I tried to deny it, to run away from this feeling. But my heart wouldn't let go. I love you Fili. I have loved you since the night we met. I don't want to run from my feelings anymore. My heart belongs to you, it always has."

By the end I was in front of him, putting his face in my hands. His hands were wrapped around my waist, pulling me into him. Tears ran down his cheeks as he touched my forehead with his.

"Amrâlimê. I love you so much."

"I love you too, my love."

He leaned down, pulling me into a kiss. I closed my eyes, kissing him back. I wrapped my arms around his neck. It was passionate. It was full of love. His love. We pulled away, foreheads resting against each other as we looked into each other's eyes. I never thought this day would come. I never thought I'd fall in love. But now, I'm so happy I did. I sighed happily as he pulled me into his chest, cheek on my head. He placed a kiss on my forehead and ran his fingers through my hair. We stood like that for a few minutes. Nothing else mattered at that moment. It was just us, nothing else. I pulled back looking into his eyes with a smile. He brought my hand to his lips, kissing my knuckles. At the notion, I let out a giggle. And I never giggle. I was so happy. I never thought I'd ever find love. My sisters are going to tease the hell out of me. I put my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat while he ran his fingers through my hair. We stayed like that for a while, just enjoying each other's company. I realised we'd been gone for too long. We had to get back to the others before they got suspicious but I don't want to leave. He's so fucking warm and cuddly. I pulled away, putting my hands on his chest and looking into his blue eyes.

"We have to head back. The others will get ideas and the last thing we need is my sisters making it worse."

He nodded with a smile, kissing my forehead. We walked back to the others, hands intertwined but as soon as we got close, we let go, smiling at each other as we parted ways. That did not go unnoticed by Renee and Kili. they smirked at each other. Damn it. Well, I know how I'm going to die. Teased to death by my annoying sisters. She caught my eyes, smirking and wiggling her eyebrows at me while I rolled my eyes and gave her the finger with an innocent expression. I loved pissing my sisters off. It's so much fun.

Third Pov

It was the next morning and the girls were busy training their powers in the forest near Rivendell. Katherine managed to manipulate water molecules to make water move in any form: Solid, liquid and gas. Lilith could control the plants around her and listen to nature and everything it was saying. A howl cried out, alerting the girls. They looked at each other before running to where the sound came from. They had their weapons out just in case. They came to a tree where the sound came from and saw a little black wolf pup with bright blue silver eyes crouching closer to the tree, scared and alone. The girls put their weapons away and put their hands out to show ads that they mean no harm. Lilith walked towards the little pup, not breaking eye contact and kneeling in front of it. It seemed to trust Lilith so it came out of hiding and walked slowly until it was right in front of her.

"Hi, sweetie. It's okay I'm not gonna hurt you and neither will my sisters."

Do you promise?

Lilith had no clue how but she could understand what the little pup was.

"Can you understand me little one?"

Yes.

"Okay, Why don't you tell me where your parents are?"

They're dead. I'm all alone.

"Oh, sweetie. It's okay. You want to come with me?"

The little wolf pup nodded its little head and ran into Lilith's arms. She stood up and rubbed its fur. Renee and Kate had confused looks on their faces. Lilith explained that she was able to understand what the pup was saying, They concluded that she was able to talk to animals. Renee rubbed the little one's head, smiling at it.

"Wait, is it a boy or a girl? We need to know if we're going to give it a name."

Lilith checked and confirmed it was a boy. The girls walked back to Rivendell, coming up with a name for the little guy.

"Hey, what about Hades? He reminds me of him from Percy Jackson, the book more than the movie."

"That's true. Well, then your new name is Hades. Do you like it?"

Hades nodded, causing Renee to swoon at how adorable he was. Lilith rubbed behind his ear and Kate gave him a kiss on his forehead. When the girls got back to the company, Thorin was the first to notice them, smiling at his daughter. He then noticed the little wolf pup in Lilith's arms. Lilith went up to him while Kate went to Fili, putting her head on his shoulder and Renee sat next to Kili, putting her legs in his lap and leaning against the wall. Lilith explained what happened as Thorin listened, He then looked at the little wolf pup and smiled, rubbing behind his ear. He kissed Lilith on her head and went over to Balin.

Soon it was time for the meeting with Lord Elrond. Thorin, Bilbo, Balin and the girls all went to Lord Elrond's study where he was waiting for them along with Gandalf.

"For goodness sake, show Lord Elrond the map."

"It is the legacy of my people. It is mine to protect, as are its secrets."

"Save me from the stubbornness of dwarves."

"Oh save me from the fucking stubbornness of dwarves."

Both Gandalf and Renee said in an irritated tone at the same time, Renee facepalming and shaking her head in irritation. Lilith hits her dad across the back of the head, causing him to look at her with a hint of mock betrayal which she just responds with a mock glare.

"Now I know where this one gets her stubbornness from. Look just show him the fucking map Thorin," Renee pleaded.

"Your pride will be your downfall. You stand in the very presence of the few in Middle-earth that can read that map. Show it to Lord Elrond."

Bilbo and Kate side-eyed Thorin, unsure of what he would do. Throin debated it internally before swallowing his pride and giving Lord Elrond the map. Balin tried to stop him.

"Thorin, no."

Lord Elrond took the map and opened it to examine it,

"Erebor? What is your interest in this map?"

"It's mainly academic."

"I mean these sort of artefacts contain hidden text, right ?"

Lord Elrond looked at Renee suspiciously before looking back at the map He then started walking to the light, holding up the map.

"You still read Ancient Dwarvish, do you not?"

Lord Elrond and Lilith said something in a language Kate and Renee didn't recognise. Luckily Gandalf seemed to have read their minds.

"Moon Runes. Of course. An easy thing to miss."

"Yeah because you missed it," Renee muttered to herself but she knew Gandalf heard her because he just gave her a look. When he turned away from her, she pulled her tongue, making her sisters laugh. Lilith leans closer to Thorin.

"I think Gandalf needs a pair of glasses. I think his eyes are getting on a little."

MotherFucker just smirked at her, feeling a sense of pride while she just winked at him.

"In this case, that is true. Moon Runes can only be read by the light of the moon of the same shape and season as the day on which they were written."

"Can you read them?"

Lord Elrond led them to a cliff where there stood a glass platform where he placed the map. Lilith stood next to him, looking at the map.

"These runes were written on a Midsummer's Eve by the light of a crescent moon nearly 200 years ago. It would seem you were meant to come to Rivendell. Fate is with you, Thorin Oakenshield. The same moon shines upon us tonight."

Stand by the grey stone when the thrush knocks

And the setting sun with the last light of Durin's Day

Will shine upon the keyhole.

"Durin's Day?"

"It is the start of the dwarves' new year when the last moon of autumn and the first sun of winter appear in the sky together."

"This is ill news. Summer is passing, Durin's day will soon be upon us."

"We still have time."

"Time? For what?"

"To find the entrance. We have to be standing in exactly the right spot at exactly the right time. Then, and only then can the door be opened."

"So this is your purpose, to enter the mountain?"

"What of it?"

"There are some who would not deem it wise."

"What do you mean?"

"You are not the only guardian to stand watch over Middle-Earth."

The girls looked at each other, knowing who he spoke of,

Sauron's Cockwarmer *cough cough cough*

_____________________________________________________

You guys can try and figure out who were talking about. Also I didn't come up with that. My co-writer did and I just had to put it in the book. Anyway who else is surprised that Fili decided to tell Kate that he loves her. I know I am because dude is a scaredy cat when it comes to this stuff but its okay, we love him. At least she wont die alone or a virgin...Hopefully. Anyway I hop you enjoyed that. The Bold was the wolf pup speaking. Dwarvish is in Italics. Byeeeeeeee

Roxie_Love

The wolf cub

[just-here-for-iolaus]

Hercules and the Lost Kingdom

The great HTLJ/XWP/YH (re)watch continues!

I watched this movie for the first time the other day, and I think I liked it better than 'Hercules and the Amazon Women'?

Firstly: Renee O'Connor is in this one!

How much does Deianira act like Gabrielle in the pre-sea-serpent parts of the movie??

Another familiar face: Nathaniel Lees! ♥ (He plays Cheiron in YH, and I got excited when I saw him, lol. He plays the Blue Cult priest in this movie.)

Obviously I was disappointed that Iolaus didn't make an appearance, but I guess he's not the focus.

The movie opened with some people searching for Hercules to get help, just like the first movie did. But Hera kills two of them, and honestly the second guy just seemed very okay with it, idgi. Just calmly accepted that he was the one the rock was going to bash in the head. (Let's ignore the faulty physics of the scene. It's god stuff.)

Hercules trying to eat in peace... I actually felt bad for him when the giant showed up haha. Actually, to be honest, I was surprised at how happy I was to see him (Hercules, I mean). I think he's winning me over despite my Kevin-Sorbo-aversion.

Hercules hates god worship.

This is something we saw in the Amazon Women movie that is a pretty big focus again at the beginning of this one.

He turns down the villagers' offer to build a shrine to him (since he killed the giant). When he says he "wouldn't know what to do with one" this gets a laugh from Zeus, but I assumed he meant it literally.

Zeus suggesting that Hercules make a sacrifice to Hera is just so fucking tone deaf. Even if Hercules did try to honour Hera, I don't think that would help, and Hera just literally killed a man in Hercules's arms so WTF my dude. (Apparently one of 100 men she killed who were all sent to find him.)

Herc then interrupts a sacrifice to the gods and tells the people to irrigate instead. I like his pragmatic approach. At least this time he was giving them concrete, workable advice, and not straight up suggesting they piss off the gods directly.

When this character showed up I had a huge reaction!! Something set off whatever the positive version of alarm bells is. IDK if this character (Waylin) shows up in the show or something or the actor plays another character, but something deep in my memory was like 😍 for some reason. (And he was cute in this movie! ♥ But I've definitely not seen it!)

Just as an aside: How was Deianira able to just walk up to the palace and knock on the front door?? Multiple times?

As much as it was cute that Deianira really did have a father who was a handsome king that loved her so much he sent her away to be safe...... I hated that the reveal happened when only Deianira was with the king, and that he died right after. Like, everyone in Troy just has to take her word for it that she's his daughter (well I guess the one dude heard the King say her name). She comes out of the tent totally redressed and gives a speech and... everyone just accepts her as their leader immediately. Idk man, I don't buy it. But, I'm not one to follow monarchs, haha.

I hate Deianira flirting with Hercules and I'm really glad it wasn't mutual.

Again idk if this is him swearing off all women after Hippolyta was killed because of him, or if he thinks she's too young, or if he just really isn't that interested in women at all... Either way, I'm good with it in this movie.

The rock thing.

He tells the people from Troy that in order to be warriors and kill people, they need to be like a rock. "A rock has no mind or heart or hope or fear." BE HARD.

I gotta say this doesn't really feel like the Young Hercules characterization of Herc (which I know more), and I am not sure I agree with the philosophy. (I am reminded of Buffy saying that her emotions give her strength in S2 of BtVS.)

And I get that in the end, the rocks help them defeat their enemy, and that's fine as far as how cheesy a twist it was and all. I just don't agree with the philosophy and I don't want Herc to think this way. I want him to be able to have emotions and be happy and enjoy life and stuff and it makes me kinda sad to think he thinks he needs to abandon having a mind/heart/hope... Like, he's a demigod already, he will be strong enough to help people even without closing his heart off... Maybe this is a coping mechanism for him, idk. I look forward to seeing how this keeps up through the series (or not).

Short thoughts:

Once again I enjoyed Herc giving Zeus shit. (Re: helping them take Troy back from the Blue Cult.)

I wasn't a fan of the subplot with the guy from Troy that saw Herc as a love rival for Deianira.

"Cow-herd's way" was... dorky. It amused me.

Herc shouldn't have needed to pick up a piece of rubble to hit the priest with, if he was able to punch a giant to death. Maybe it was to spare his hand?

Herc not wanting a slave is totally in character, played into the previous themes re: god worship etc.

Deianira wtf?

Deianira is so ready to die for her people, to "fulfill her destiny". Okay, cool she wants to protect the people of Troy, but why is she so convinced that she needs to be sacrificed to the gods after she learns that she was saved from that as a child by her father? (I guess trying to avoid prophecies that are actually inevitable is a Greek thing tho.)

I don't love that Deianira became a helpless damsel, lost and confused, and wearing a billowing white dress while being threatened by a monster man... for Hercules to save. At least it's not to bone her?

WHAT IS THIS?

Herc gets yeeted out of there. It was really silly. I guess he's taking Deianira's place as Hera's sacrifice kinda (but not really)...

It should have ended here, tbh. We shouldn't have seen him again. We get a nice little wrap up that Troy will be okay. Perfect!

But then we get this:

And while it's, like, nice to know he didn't die, I guess... IDK him just getting yeeted back to wherever Troy is cut off from, and having someone need his help... feels like a much weaker ending to the movie. Maybe this was so the movies could be watched out of order and they wouldn't have to explain how he survived Hera in a different one. That's logical, I just don't like it.

So... final thoughts... I don't see this being one I watch over and over again either, but... I think I had a better time watching this one than the Amazon Women one. The plot didn't feel as cheesy/heavy handed. I felt a lot more connected to Hercules already, and the other familiar faces were nice, too.

I wanna see that one guy again! Waylin! Is he a recurring character or just the actor? Where am I pinging him from?? He was a delight.

[incorrecttowerofgodquotes]

Gundam: The Witch from Mercury Episode 10 Review

- The start of this episode is very cute. Watching Suletta get all these victories and becoming more comfortable talking to others (she didn’t stutter at all early on). Chuchu especially was pretty adorable with her happy jump and laughing hard enough she coughed.

- Miorine’s scene with Delling was pretty cute. He finally complimented her and she seemed pretty happy. Also liked her scene with the pilot lady. Hope she becomes pretty important cause she’s really cool.

- Guel is apparently missing, which makes me think he ran away instead of taking his dad’s offer. Also cute we got to see Petra, but where’s Felsi?! I will not accept a substitute like Renee!

- Secilia and Rouji finally got character development. They left the couch! Also their relationship is pretty cute.

- Belmeria is the only good adult in this show. She tried her best to give El4n a good life and cares for Suletta. However sadly she didn’t get to acquire into what was happening in the cockpit. Kinda thinking she’ll die which would eliminate the one reasonable adult.

- Now for the heavy shit. Shaddiq is becoming even more of an asshole by plotting to kill his crush’s dad. He’ll do whatever it takes to climb the ladder even if it’s a horrible act. It seems Sarius just wants his son to live a school life and do things fair and square but Shaddiq is very cutthroat. And his scene with Nika was very chilling. Girl feels indebted to the man that raised her so she’s willing to work with Shaddiq to help him, but darling, you need to see that Shaddiq is gonna throw you away as soon as you’re useless. Also poor Nika thought the key chains were for her, but when she found out differently, she realized just how separate she is from everyone.

- Dawn of Fold seems to be an Earth resistance group that salvages old suits in order to use for their mercenary deeds. Basically they’re the IBO group. The two suits the girls are piloting are Lfriths which means that at least some of the technology survived and was transferred into the hands of rebels. However are the girls genetically engineered to handle it? Or are these suits like Aerial and don’t need linking? We also now know why Nika was so enthralled by Aerial. She’s worked with Gundams before so she must’ve been pretty happy seeing another one

- The Elan’s are officially the worst boys but I can’t help but love them. El5n is a real piece of work, not even bothering to act like his predecessor, which Elan Prime at least attempted too. He’s probably just like Shaddiq, wanting to climb no matter what he has to do. Also he’s a slut. But Elan Prime should probably wipe that smug look off his face. If El5n is like Shaddiq, then that means he might try to fully replace him. Clone Wars time

- This episode we got introduced to a new character, Bob! I’ve only had for a few minutes but I already love him, I wonder why?

- All joking aside, it’s so nice to see Guel find worth and support in a job separate from his identity as a Jeturk son. He started as an arrogant man getting angry at any slight against him to a hard working employee finally living a life he feels comfortable in. His smile near the end was the happiest we’ve ever seen him and I love it. His boss has been a better father figure to him in the two months he’s been working than Vim has his entire life. But as always, the universe can’t help but conspire to fuck Guel over at every opportunity it gets so not only is he on a ship heading to a soon-to-be assassination spot, but it got hijacked by Gundams. Poor guy can never catch a break. However I expect him to somehow get a suit and either kick those girls asses or come in to save Suletta and Miorine. And if he dies… I’m dropping the anime.

- But the real problem this episode was Suletta and Miorine’s relationship tripping on a rock and tumbling down a hill. The tomato’s in the greenhouse aren’t ripe enough yet, but will they get their chance or will they be plucked too quickly?

- Miorine is very similar to her father as much as he hates him. I’m guessing the reason he’s such a shitty father is because he focused on work rather than his family, and Miorine is showing the same tendencies. She doesn’t realize just how important tending to the greenhouse was to Suletta and she didn’t even have a discussion about it.

- Meanwhile Suletta is too scared to actually confront Miorine which leads to her getting heart broken. Though it also doesn’t help that she was almost assaulted right before by someone she thought was a close friend (Still waiting for the bomb to drop on that one). She’s becoming more liked by her peers but the two people she’s become closest two feel like strangers now (and in Elan’s case that’s literal). I expect this misunderstanding to either be fixed in the cour 1 finale, or we’re going to go into cour 2 with some serious shit to work out. And with Prospera maybe assassinating Delling, the relationship could be split entirely. (Is now a bad time to say I ship GuelSule?)

- We have two weeks until the next episode but my brain worms will keep me fully functioning. Next episode is gonna be a real kerfuffle. Suletta and Miorine are both gonna. E part of the thunderdome and Mio’s probabaly gonna witness her father getting killed, maybe even directly by Prospera. Then Prospera will go into some big Char speech and break the news about what the fuck is up with Aerial and Suletta. I also expect Guel’s going to get caught in the crossfire and have to choose between running (gaining one, himself) or fighting back (gaining two, Suletta and Miorine.) Shaddiq will probably stroll right in to claim ownership, with his harem and a scared Nika in tow, and Chuchu’s gonna be crushed. Then we’re going to have to deal with a possible disbandment of the school and if so, here are my predictions for all the characters

Miorine, Suletta, Guel, all the Earth House kids (minus Nika), El5n, and possibly Belmeria will be on the run and will eventually use the school as their base ala 3 Houses Style

Shaddiq, his harem, and Nika will fully take over Grassley and work on fully disbanding the Benerit Group. Dawn of Fold will join as a mercenary group but will wait her betray or be betrayed in the future

Lauda, Petra, and Felsi will work with the Jeturk House, Lauda becoming a replacement for Guel and attacking our group of heroes to “save” his brother. Petra and Felsi will be his unnerved allies who eventually join GUND-ARM because they can’t stomach the horrible shit they have to do and want to be with Guel-senpai

Secilia and Rouji will be staying at the school and managing it as the group Secilia belongs to owns it and Rouji just wants to work on his little robots. The two will eventually become management for GUND-ARM.

Prospera will be elected as the new leader of the Benerit group with Vim as her dog. Peil and El0n will just be watching everything go down and planning to jump ship if things go south. Sarius will be very opposed to Prospera and may also get killed.

- Overall, this episode gave me a lot to think about and a lot of memes. Please, Bob, live!

[simonwimon]

Its 7:30 Am Perfect Time To Post OC Refs

also typed All Of That out under the readmore in case it's hard to read. this would have taken so much less time if i just didn't insist on handwriting it all LMAO

Tessa Yadid Ahava Hassan

he/they

30 and lovin' life

under no circumstances a scientist, despite the get-up

lives out of his scooby doo van

unnaturally unlucky but SUCH a good sport about it

DOES NOT have lightning powers.

just... the power to strike himself with lightning.

TOTALLY different!

not visible here, but has lichtenberg scars down his back

does his darndest to be a good person & put good vibes out into the world

...despite those good vibes never coming back around his way :(

"oh fuck i have to respect women *runs into oncoming traffic*" kind of guy

their unlucky streak is how they explain "almost running over a random man" AKA meeting rae - though that's more about the "nearly killing him" part rather than the "new van roommate" one

speaks in a kind of sing-songy, overly-fancy way. type of guy to say "jolly good" unironically

their unlucky streak ALSO leads to them getting tied up with rae's past. literally.

imagine the next pic here

31 and still kickin'

more prominent white hair

right hand missing ring & pinky fingers' last 2 digits

bad right leg - uses a cane when need be

lichtenberg scars now down back & both arms

traded the goggles & labcoat for glasses with side shields & a Grandma Sweater :)

turns out being held hostage by a shapeshifting alien hivemind, interrogated regularly for information on your not-husband, and kept in a hole the rest of the time is Bad For You

has A LOT of identity & confidence issues on account of the same shapeshifter taking tessa's place back home

doing their best to Not Explode

despite all the difficulties the last year presented, rae has been helping them A Lot. which they cannot thank him for enough

still keeps their Goofy Helpful Guy personality, just. a bit more subdued

ok now imagine the rae pic here

Renee Rosalinda Romero ... aka just Rae

they/it/she/he (stick with one, alternate, anything works!)

Incomprehensible Age Disease

everybody's favorite time-traveling identity-issue-having gay alien symbiant

the species he belongs to survives by befriending other sentient creatures, living alongside them, and slowly (over the course of several generations) changing their own biology to almost perfectly mimic the other's

...so when a different alien species trying to eliminate all disease and "faults" within its society finds them, it turns out they make Really Good Lab Rats

rae Spawns long after that becomes the norm. he's a test subject for curing & treating fatal diseases

the Big One he's used for is very deadly, but rae is MOSTLY unaffected - the only side effects are both Physical Teleportation and "Mental" Teleportation

basically: rae clips thru walls and his consciousness jumps back & forth to past & future raes

translates as rae having random amnesiac episodes, OR knowing what's going to happen for however long

anyways. gets so stressed during "treatment" one day he just teleports away through time & space To Earth

wandering around 'til he nearly gets hit by a van & meets tessa

sticks with them initially out of confusion, but ends up getting attached

actually Develops A Personality now that he's not constantly stressed as fuck

extremely laid back guy. usually has some sort of quip for every situation

if he's in anti-amnesia mode, 9 out of 10 times, he just uses his knowledge for goofs & gaffs instead of changing stuff

tessa helping out with amnesiac episodes has made him a lot more casual about them

is often accidentally intimidating. in reality wouldn't hurt a fly

eventually, rae's past catches up to him.

ok now imagine the next rae pic ok we're almost done

Incomprehensible Age Disease (+1 year)

big ol' clump of white hair now

eyesight a bit worse, especially in his left eye. used to have fake glasses as a placebo but tessa got her real ones

lichtenberg scars around left eye

got ONE WHOLE INCH TALLER!!! short king.

his style stayed mostly the same, but she started wearing tessa's old sweater. it's comfy. :)

all of the physical changes to his body help ground her when any particularly bad What Timeline Am I In Now episodes come up

dealing with the whole Fake Tessa debacle has made him a bit. Self-Doubt-Y

but having his not-husband's shoulder to lean on helps them both

despite... ALL THAT, she has somehow gotten more upbeat than she was before

turns out getting to explode (at least one part of) the weird hivemind trying to track you down and kidnap you is sort of cathartic

[renee-writer]

Awake Chapter 97 Boy or Girl?

AO3

By the fifth month, Bella is felling better. Still occasionally sick, mostly in the mornings but well enough that Jacob can return to work full time and run with the pack.

 

“This baby better be a girl because, I am not going through this again.” She tells Alice and Jasper the day before the ultrasound.

 

“I can understand that. I know how bad you were feeling.” Carlisle brought Jasper to sit with her and use his gift to help with the severity of her symptoms.

 

“Oh man. Did I ever thank you for what you did to help?”

 

“Yes, you did. It is really no problem, Bella.”

 

“No problem! Shoot, you are the only man who knows what major morning sickness feels like.”

 

He shrugs it off.

 

“Bella, if this baby happens to be a boy, what will you name him?” Alice asks.

 

“Well, we want to stay with S, so we are thinking Samson.”

 

“As in Delilah?”

 

She laughs. “Yes, but also as in strong and invincible.”

 

“That’s appropriate.” She has to admit.

 

“We think so.”

 

“A girl is Faith Renee, right?”

 

“Right, after both our moms.”

 

“Nice.” Jasper smiles at her.

 

The next day

 

“Okay, the baby is measuring right where she is supposed to.” Carlisle smiles as he waits for them to catch it.

 

“She!” they say together.

 

“Yes, a definite girl.”

 

“Thank God! Thank God!” Bella prays.

 

“A daughter. That is so excellent.” Agrees her daddy.

 

“She is alright?”

 

“She is perfect.” He turns the monitor around.

 

“Well hello Faith Renee.” Jake’s voice catches.

 

“It’s a girl.” Alice walks in, a huge smile on her face. The things she can do with a girl, the clothes she can buy.

 

“Yes, thank God!” Bella exclaims.

 

“Congratulations. She will need all new clothes. She cannot wear her brother ‘s,” the very thought makes Alice shudder, “so can I please get her some?”

 

“Of course.” Bella is laughing as she watches her daughter move around.

 

“Rose, Emmett, Jaz, Esme, they are having a girl.”

 

Rose is just as excited as Alice. They all are. “All but one.” Bella thinks, “I wonder how he would react.”

 

When they walk into the Cullen’s  massive living room to tell their sons, they find out not everyone is happy they are having a girl.

 

“Samuel, Solomon, mommy and daddy have some news. You are going to have a baby sister.”

 

They look up from the trucks and cars they were playing with and then look at each other.

 

“No, baby brother.” Samuel says.

 

“No Samuel, mommy is having a girl.”

 

“No girl. Baby brother.” He insists as Solomon nods along.

 

“Oh boy.” Bella shakes her head.

 

“Yes boy!” Samuel shouts.

 

Emmett, watching this, burst out laughing. The boys laugh with him.

 

“Not helpful Emmett.” Jake says even as his own giggle escapes.

 

Bella finds none of this funny. She turns to Carlisle. “What do we do?”

 

“Don’t worry Bella. It is normal for them to be fixated on their own gender at their age. Besides that, they are surrounded by males. It will be hard for them to imagine having a sister.”

 

“So what do we do?”

 

“Just keep telling them they are having a sister. They will get it even if it is after she is born. If they have any little girl playmates at church, having some play dates will help.”

 

“We can do that.” Jake replies.

 

“Congratulations you guys.” Esme hugs them.

 

“Thanks. A daughter. I am so excited.”

 

“It is going to be so much fun!” Rose squeals.

 

Later that day, after the boys and their parents have left, Carlisle calls his son.

 

“Edward, I thought you might like to know, Bella is having a daughter.”

 

“Is she?” His voice is dulled by pain.

 

“Yes,” he tries to cheer him up, “and the boys aren’t happy about it. They insisted they are having a brother. It was quite cute.”

 

“Well, they don’t know anything else.”

 

“That is what I told them.”

 

“Good. Well they got their little girl. That is one reason they decided on another. It worked out.”

 

“Edward, they didn’t do this to hurt you. They are just living their lives.”

 

“Yes, I know that Carlisle. Tell her congratulations from me.” He hangs up.

 

Carlisle stares at the phone in his hand. Edward has never hung up on him before. He has to get him back home. He will not lose his son.

[jakehawk]

Operation Bulbasaur: Phase One

In which Jake and Renee get locked up by their kids during the Redwood Prom.

@reneebrxndxn

Jake

-It wasn't like Jake had been waiting all night to see Renee at the Prom but really, that was exactly what he had been doing. Sure, he had socialised with other Redwoodians and he was having a good time. But he really wanted to see Renee, all while trying to not seem like that was who he was waiting for. Dealing with the Hawks helped. He was currently following Leo who really wanted to show his Pops something; that something being Renee.-

"Hey."

-Jake said to Renee as Leo said something about needing to find snacks, almost like he had planned this.-

"You look amazing."

Renee Brandon

-after finally getting out of the stupid supply closet, Renee had intended to go back to the prom and try to enjoy herself but opted to hang out in the hall outside of it for a moment to compose herself. She was leaning against the wall, steadying herself when she heard Jake. Her head shot up and she looked over just as Leo disappeared- Hey. -she pushed off the wall a bit to stand up straighter- Thanks, although I don't know if that's completely true right now. You look good... -he really did- ....are you having fun at the prom?

Jake

-He smiled as she complimented him, her opinion meaning more than anyone else's in his mind. He glanced back at the main room of the Community Centre where people mingled and danced-

"Yeah. So far this Prom has been way more fun than my previous one. How about you? You 

having a good time?"

Renee Brandon

Oh, you know, it's prom. It has it's ups and downs. The boys are having fun and everyone else seems to be enjoying themselves, so that's good. -she follows his gaze into the main room before looking back at him- I take it the Hawks are enjoying themselves too. I've heard a lot of laughing children tonight.

Jake

-he noted how she didn't really answer his question but he decided to leave it where it was for now. It's too early in the conversation to bring out their 'safe word'.-

"Yeah, they've been loving this whole night. It's good to see them be kids, y'know? Like Cass and Cody have been hanging out with their friends all night and Leo, Willow and Erin have been dancing up a storm between the three of them."

Renee Brandon

-a smile drifts across her face- It is. I think I even saw Erin dancing with Oliver a few times. I'm glad they're enjoying themselves. -she contemplates whether to ask or not but decides to ask anyway- You dance with anyone tonight?

Jake

"Willow has insisted on a couple of dances but that's it so far. You?"

Renee Brandon

Just the boys. I've been preoccupied with making sure the snack bar is stocked and cleaning up spilled punch.

Jake

-Jake let out a snort-

"So basically you've been taking care of everyone else but yourself. That's not having fun, Renee. For once, let someone else take care of the clean-up."

Renee Brandon

I'm a mom, I can't help it. -she laughs a little as she shrugs- And I like feeling useful. Plus, the less mess there is now, the less mess we have to clean up once everyone heads home for the night.

Jake

-opens his mouth to argue some more about this but realises that will be a waste of time. Instead he shakes his head.-

-Before he can try to divert the conversation in a new direction, Erin runs up to them-

"Quick, you're both gotta come with me! No time to explain!"

-With that, Erin takes off, heading through the crowd and out of the Community Centre. Jake glances at Renee before running after her-

Renee Brandon

-Renee notices how he's about to say something but doesn't. She doesn't think it could be anything to warrant their safe word but she was about to ask when Erin runs up to them. She's running outside and with Jake following after her, she takes a second to remove her heels so she can run after them. Her heart is pounding as her motherly instincts kick in and she worries something might have happened to one of the kids-

Jake

-Jake doesn't wait for Renee to catch up as he chases after Erin. She leads him to the library, standing by the front door for a second to make sure he had followed before ducking inside. He followed her in to find her leading the way to one of the study rooms on the ground floor. In there, he found Cass sat on the floor, her head in her hands.-

"Shit, Cass, honey, what's wrong?"

-Jake crouched next to her and put his hand on her shoulder.-

Renee Brandon

-it takes Renee a minute to catch up, her legs definitely shorter than Jake's, but she follows them inside the library. She quickly spots Cass on the floor and she moves to kneel next to Jake- Honey, are you hurt? What happened?

Jake

-Cass waited until both Jake and Renee were next to her. From outside of the study room, Jake heard Cody yell: now! Cass jumped up to her feet and dashed out of the room. Oliver slammed the door behind her, leaving Jake and Renee alone in the room. Jake could hear a collection of giggles and shouts from the other side of the door, plus the distinct clicking noise of the door being locked.-

"I think we've been tricked."

Renee Brandon

-Renee looked over her shoulder when she heard Cody and was frozen in surprise as Cass ran out and she saw her oldest close the door. It didn't take long to put two and two together and she sighed with a shake of her head.- I think you're right. -she pushes herself to her feet and tries to open the door, not being surprised that it's locked- Oliver....Mom needs you to open this door right now.

Jake

-He doesn't even bother trying to open the door. Instead he walks over to the desk that sits against one of the walls in the room and leans against it to watch Renee negotiate with Oliver-

"Do you think this has anything to do with Operation Bulbasaur?"

Renee Brandon

Sorry, Mom, but Erin said not to let you out just yet. -Renee sighs as she hears the kids run off and goes to sit down at one of the desks.- I think this very much has to do with Operation Bulbasaur. Erin seems to be the ringleader.

Jake

-he shakes his head in disbelief-

"Yeah, makes sense. You know, one day Erin is gonna rule the world and we'll all be at her mercy."

Renee Brandon

I would not put it past her. -she laughs a bit as she leans against the desk and holds her head up- How long do you think they're going to keep us locked in here?

Jake

-He glances at his watch-

"Either they let us out quick to end the prank or they all get distracted by the Prom and we're in here until Lucien gets back and finds us."

Renee Brandon

-Renee looks at the door before back at Jake- I think we might be in the latter category. Pretty sure I heard them run off already.

Jake

-On the one hand, he gets it. The kids had obviously picked up on something happening between Jake and Renee and wanted to do something to help that along. He kinda wished they had thought of a different plan than locking them in a room together but he guessed they had good intentions.-

-On the other hand, Jake didn't want to be locked in this room with Renee all night. Not when they still hadn't fully resolved everything that was going on between them and her with Andy.-

"Don't suppose you've got a deck of cards on you, do ya?"

Renee Brandon

-when he asked about the deck of cards, she laughs and shakes her head- I left them in my other skirt, I'm afraid. -she looks around the room- think there's any paper and pencils in here to play hangman or something?

Jake

-He smiles as she laughs, not stopping himself from showing how much he adores hearing that sound from her. He nearly says something about other things they could do to pass the time but he knows that's a bad idea.-

"Or we could play eye-spy?"

Renee Brandon

Eye spy? -she smiles and huffs a laugh- Yeah, that works. Although I don't know if there's much in here for us to guess.

Jake

"It's either eye spy or we have to create a new game ourselves. Or else we'll have to converse and we both know we're terrible at that!"

Renee Brandon

-she manages a laugh but it sounds a bit more hollow- Yeah....and we used to be good at talking. -she looks around the room- So....I spy with my little eye something......green.

Jake

-he starts looking around the room for something green but stops. He figures 'fuck it'. They're locked in here together, might as well hash things out so to speak.-

"Time out. Circle back to 'we used to be good at talking.' I know things have gotten really complicated between us and I know we're trying our best to navigate our way through all the mess but c'mon. Are things really that bad between us now?"

Renee Brandon

-She breathes out a long, loaded and tired breath- No, that's not.... they're not that bad, Jake. It's been a bad night and I'm one more wrong move away from breaking down, so please.....I spy something green."

Jake

-He studies her for a long moment, weighing up the pros and cons of pushing ahead and trying to get her to open up about why tonight had been so bad for her.-

"Eye-spy is really what's gonna help right now?"

Renee Brandon

Yes? -she pauses because even she doesn't believe that- No? -yet that didn't feel right either and she cradles her face in her hands for a moment as she takes a deep breath- Just so we're clear, getting tricked by our kids to getting locked in the library with each other is not what's made this a bad night.

Jake

-He watches and waits as Renee works through this, whatever this might be. The urge to walk over to her and hold her is strong but he ignores it for now.-

"I can think of much worse ways to spend an evening, for sure. I promise I won't Bulbasaur you right now. We'll play eye-spy, if that is what's gonna help but you can't keep whatever's bothering you bottled up. You know that, right?"

Renee Brandon

Yeah. -she breathes the word out. she eyes him with a grateful stare but he's also right and she knows it- I got locked in a supply closet.....with Ike, which went as well as one might expect. Shortly after I ran into Vi, who Ike had told about what happened and she was under the impression that I had intentionally tried to get him killed which wasn't true, but that doesn't seem to matter because no matter how many times I say it's my fault and try to apologize or make up for it, it's not enough. It's never enough. I say one thing and everything gets worse and I don't know what to do.

Jake

-It turns out he doesn't need to spring their safe word on her since Renee lets the details of her bad night spill with very little prompting. The urge to take her in his arms rises up again, enough to make him move from his perch on the desk to grab a chair and sit next to Renee. He can't hold her but he can be close to her.-

"Fuck the bunch of 'em."

-Had Renee acted foolishly by running into that clinic before it had been cleared? Yes, incredibly so. But there was nothing that could be done to change what had happened.-

"Sometimes all you can do is apologise and the person you apologise doesn't have to accept it. After that point, all you can do is carry on but show you learned from whatever mistake you had to apologise for."

Renee Brandon

-Renee watches him come to sit next to her and she can't help it. She leans against him, her head on his shoulder. He doesn't need to wrap his arm around her and maybe she shouldn't be leaning against him like this but she needs it- Vi thinks I should step down from the Council....and I think she's right. I can't do this, Jake.

Jake

-For less than half a second, his posture freezes as Renee leans into him and puts her head on his shoulder. But he then relaxes, despite himself.-

"Then step down. But do so because it's your own choice and because that's what's best for you and the town."

Renee Brandon

-She breathes out a heavy sigh- What do you think I should do?

Jake

"I think you should give yourself a break, in every sense of the word."

Renee Brandon

-The ghost of a smirk appeared on her face as she rolled her head so she could look up at him - A break, huh? I think you need to teach me what this magical break thing is.

Jake

"Jeez, have you ever let yourself relax? Like ever?"

-He's gently teasing her at this point, hoping that by maybe making her laugh, she'll feel a little better.-

Renee Brandon

-She managed a small laugh- I don't have time for relaxing, Hawk. Have you met our kids?

Jake

"That's why there's this wonderful thing called babysitting in which you get someone you trust to look after your kids for a couple of hours while you look after yourself. C'mon, surely you're heard of it?"

Renee Brandon

Oh I have. In fact, I utilizie that any time I have work to do. -she's smiling a bit more relaxed now- Not sure where I can go, though to get away and relax. There's not many places around town to go that don't remind me of work that needs to be done and outside the walls aren't exactly that relaxing.

Jake

-He can see the more relaxed nature in her smile now and he relaxes a little more himself-

"You need a new hobby. Something to take your mind off of everything else."

Renee Brandon

Well, if you have any brilliant ideas, I am all ears. -she pushes off his shoulder, rolling her shoulders before a shiver runs through her- I am really regretting not wearing something a bit warmer.

Jake

-Without waiting to be asked, Jake shrugs off his jacket and hands it to her-

"That's what you get for choosing fashion over function."

Renee Brandon

-she eyes him as he shrugs off his jacket and hands it to her- In my defense, I thought I would be chasing Oliver and Henry around the whole community center. -she takes the jacket and loops her arm through the sleeves to slide it on over her- Thank you. I'll give it back whenever we're freed.

Jake

"Yeah, best laid plans and all that. I'd offer to run laps around the room with you but I can't imagine how we'd explain that if someone other than our kids find us in here!"

Renee Brandon

Honestly, I think if someone caught you running laps around here, people might not question it as much. -she breathed out as she curled her hands into his sleeves to keep them warm- I don't think we'll have to worry about that. It's quite believable that our kids locked us in the library together. Just a shame we'll miss the rest of the prom.

Jake

"What do you think we're missing right now? What gossip is being made right now that we'll hear about tomorrow?"

Renee Brandon

-Renee hummed as she sat back in her chair- I don't know. I don't pay much attention to town gossip. But people are probably getting drunk, I'm sure someone has snuck off with someone to hook up, Cole got into a fight with someone so he might be looking for round two.....oh yeah, and they'll crown Cass and Sol as prom king and queen. What about you? What do you think?

Jake

"OK, back up: who's sneaking off with who to hook up? The weirder the combo, the better!"

Renee Brandon

Hmmmm..... -she taps her chin with her the edge of his jacket- Zack and Ike. That would be volatile as hell.

Jake

"Oof, OK. Yeah, you're right: volatile as all hell! Alright, who's fighting who? Apart from Cole since you've already mentioned him."

Renee Brandon

Oh no, I chose who is sleeping with who. You get to choose who is fighting who.

Jake

"Alright. Fine. In that case... Fleet and Cass but it's not a fist fight, it's a singing fight and it's real close between the two of them!"

Renee Brandon

Oh, that would be fun to see. Too bad we're stuck in here and missing it. -she laughs a little as her arm drops back to hugging herself- What other gossip do you think we're missing?

Jake

"Someone's made David laugh and I'm not there to see it. Nicki and Val are playing a drinking game and getting way too competitive about it. Cian and Cass are having a pun-off and it's a tight race."

Renee Brandon

-Renee laughs, leaning her elbow on the desk and cradling her head as she watches his face- Sounds like one hell of a party. Too bad we're missing it.

Jake

"Yeah, well, there's not much we can do about that unless we're willing to wreck a door and then explain that to Lucien in the morning."

Renee Brandon

Yeah, I don't feel like being on the wrong side of Lucien's wrath. -she hums her laugh as she sits up- Too bad there's not music in here. We could throw our own little mini prom in here.

Jake

"Neither do I."

-He laughs too.-

"I'd offer to sing but that would only put a damper on things, believe me!"

Renee Brandon

Oh, you can't be that bad of a singer.

Jake

"I'm not about to demonstrate now so don't even try it!"

Renee Brandon

Oh, pleaasseee. -she pleads and gives him her best puppy dog face-

Jake

"Ugh, the puppy dog eyes! How dare you!"

-He crosses his arms and shakes his head-

"The only person I'll sing for is Erin and that's only because she doesn't yet know how flat I am."

Renee Brandon

-she lays it on him a bit more, waiting to see if he'll crack- Please......

Jake

"Jeez! Fine! But you can't watch me. I know that makes no sense; just humour me."

Renee Brandon

Okay, okay. -she smiles victoriously as she turns in her seat so her back is to him and waits patiently for him to start singing-

Jake

-At least she honoured his request by turning her back to him. He turns in his seat too so they're now back to back. He shakes his head as he takes in a deep breath and considers what the hell he's going to sing. After disregarding the first few songs that come to mind, Jake starts to sing 'Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now' by Starship. Was it a cheesy as all hell song? Yeah but it was a classic and he's kinda hoping Renee will join in to sing along with him to hide how bad he thinks he is-

Renee Brandon

-Renee sits patiently, watching out the window as she waits for Jake to sing. Then he starts singing and she bites down on her lower lip as she listens to him. He's not bad at all and she enjoys his singing in silence while swaying in her seat to the song-

Jake

-He can feel her swaying along to the song as he sings and he takes that as a good sign, that maybe he's not so bad at singing after all. Not that he'll be singing karaoke in the Community Centre any time soon. When he reaches the part when the woman singer takes over, he nudges Renee with his elbow, indicating that's her cue to join in-

Renee Brandon

-she's been humming along but she's caught off guard when he nudges her- Me? -he can't see it but she's blushing. She takes a minute to recall the words before very softly taking over the song-

Jake

"Yeah, you."

-He grins as she starts to sing, her voice soft but he can hear every note in the silence of the rest of the room. After a couple of moments of just listening, he starts to smack his hands on his thighs as if he was playing drums to accompany her. When she reaches the chorus, he joins in with singing along with her-

Renee Brandon

-she looks over her shoulder at him as she sings, wishing she could see his face and see if she was as bad as she thought she was. but he doesn't laugh or do anything except starting to play the drums on his legs, which she takes as a good sign and keeps singing even when he joins back in-

Jake

-This is going better than Jake could have ever expected. Not that he was planning on a repeat performance any time soon. They reached the end of the song and Jake clapped his hands-

"Not too shabby, huh?"

Renee Brandon

-as the song ends and he claps she laughs and turns around- Yeah, not too shabby. You're not a bad singer, by the way.

Jake

-He's conflicted about her compliment. He wants all the praise he can get but at the same, he can't quite believe she means it, just saying it to be nice, even though he knows Renee wouldn't bullshit him for the sake of it.-

"Thanks. You're good, you know?"

Renee Brandon

You don't have to lie, you know. I cannot carry a tune. You only think I sounded good because you were singing.

Jake

-He turns in his seat so he can face her with the look of disbelief he's currently wearing-

"You think I'd lie to you?"

Renee Brandon

-Renee sits up a bit and quickly realizes what it was she said- Oh....no, that's not what I meant. I just meant that..... -she smiles awkwardly and shifts in her seat- Gimme a second to pull my foot out of my mouth.

Jake

-Almost immediately his face softens and he gives her a gentle smile instead-

"Just take the compliment, Brandon."

Renee Brandon

-Renee laughs awkwardly but in relief- Alright, fine. I will take the compliment.

Jake

"Alright, good."

-He gives her a smile and looks back around the room before letting out a chuckle-

"Back to eye spy?"

Renee Brandon

-she glances around when he does and nods- You still haven't guessed what I saw that is green.

Jake

-He looks around the room, really looks, trying to spot this green thing. He doesn't spot it yet so time to make a wild guess-

"Tree?"

Renee Brandon

-Renee laughs as she shakes her head- Nope, try again.

Jake

"Frog?"

Renee Brandon

Close, but no.

Jake

"Don't tell me there's a Bulbasaur in here?"

Renee Brandon

I mean, the voice of Bulbasaur is, but no, there's not one in here. -she laughs as she shakes her head-

Jake

"But I wasn't actually Bulbasaur, I was Harry who's consciousness got swapped into a Bulbasaur- You know what? That's not important. Something green, something green, that's like a frog but not a frog."

Renee Brandon

Oh trust me, I know. Oliver would watch that movie on repeat, if he could. -she laughs as he keeps looking- Do you give up?

Jake

"Do I look like the kind of guy to give up so easy? A toad? The Incredible Hulk? Other such green things!"

Renee Brandon

-Renee was laughing harder and harder with each thing he named off. She shook her head as she felt how warm her face was- You can't just give some blanket statement like that! That's cheating!

Jake

"Why not? Who said it was cheating? How dare you?"

-At this point, he's just saying stuff to make Renee laugh more-

Renee Brandon

-Renee can't even get a word out, she is laughing that hard. She has the bury her face in her hands because she's laughing and struggling to breathe but in a good way- You are ridiculous!

Jake

-Jake is now laughing too. It feels refreshing for the two of them to be laughing like this.-

"Fine! I've run out of green things. What is it?"

Renee Brandon

-Renee takes a minute to compose herself before holding up a finger while standing up. She walks over to one of the desks and picks up a green pen that was sitting on top of it- Tada!

Jake

-He watches as Renee pulls herself together and walks across the room. He groans loudly as she picks up the pen.

"How was I supposed to see that tiny thing from here?!"

Renee Brandon

-Renee puts it down and starts laughing again - I'm a mother, Jake. I see everything.

Jake

-Jake grins as Renee starts to laugh again. It's a sound he'll never tire of after all.-

"Everything? You didn't see how our kids were gonna trick us and lock us in together."

-He cants his head to one side and clicks his tongue.-

"Not that I saw it coming either so I shouldn't mention that ever again!"

Renee Brandon

You're right, you didn't see that either. And it was your little mastermind that came up with it. -her laughter quiets just a bit as she nudges him- Your turn.

Jake

-He acknowledges the fact it was his kid behind the plan with a short hum, his lips briefly setting in a thin line. But he shrugs that off and starts looking around the room for his object to spy-

"Considering you see everything, I'm guessing you're gonna get it in, like, one guess. I'd bet on it, actually!"

Renee Brandon

Oh yeah? What are you willing to bet? -she doesn't think she will but if he wants to make things interesting, why not?-

Jake

"A dance."

-The words are out of his mouth before he can stop them. Dancing led to certain things the last time they tried it, the same certain things Jake was trying his best not to think about.-

Renee Brandon

-Renee ponders it for a moment. It could be a bad idea, but they were alone in here. Where was the harm in that?- You're on

Jake

-He grins as she accepts the wager-

"So, in that case! I spy with my beady little eye, something that's... yellow."

Renee Brandon

-Renee ponders in thought as she glances around the room. Her eyes are scanning for anything remotely yellow- The glow of the lights from the community center?

Jake

-He looks smug-

"Nope!"

Renee Brandon

Damn. -she looks around again- My hair?

Jake

-He continues to look smug as he shakes his head-

Renee Brandon

You know because you bet I would get it on the first try that I technically win this bet, right? -she laughs a little as she looks around- The book on the top shelf?

Jake

"You might have won the bet but you haven't yet won this round of eye-spy because that's your third wrong guess."

Renee Brandon

-Renee laughed as she shook her head- Alright, I give up. What is it?

Jake

"You didn't even list all the possible yellow things it might be!"

-He gets to his feet and walks over to the bookcase on one side of the room. There he picks up the yellow object: a small rubber ducky-

"I can't believe you didn't see this!"

Renee Brandon

-Renee laughs as she watches him walk victoriously over to the rubber ducky- Maybe I cheated and didn't say it so I could win the bet. -she was teasing, of course-

Jake

-He hands her the ducky-

"I reckon you should keep that as a souvenir for prom night. Did you really cheat? And here I was thinking you're an upstanding citizen!"

Renee Brandon

I will treasure it forever. -she laughs as she takes the ducky and shakes her head- No, I didn't. I'm just as fallible as anyone else.

Jake

"Well, you won the bet. You want your prize now or..."

Renee Brandon

-Renee laughs under her breath as she sets the rubber duckie down on the desk and stands up- I think now is a good as time as any.

Jake

"I just wanna make it clear: I'm not singing and dancing at the same time, OK?"

Renee Brandon

-she laughs and shakes her head- That's fine, I can live with that. But I do get to ask what song you're singing in your head so I at least know what rhythm you're imagining.

Jake

"Will 'What's Up' by the 4 Non-Blonds work for you?"

Renee Brandon

Yeah, that'll work just fine. -she laughs as she wraps her arms around his shoulders gently-

Jake

-He makes sure to put his hands in perfectly respectable places and they start swaying together to the imaginary music.-

"Having fun?"

Renee Brandon

Yes, loads of fun. -she smiles as she sways with him. She does feel a bit silly dancing to non-existent music but it fits with Jake- You?

Jake

-She seems to mean it when she says she's having fun. He gives her a smirk-

"Considering nothing has gone to plan for tonight, I wouldn't change a thing."

Renee Brandon

Nothing? And what did you have planned tonight?

Jake

"Getting tricked by my kids wasn't on my itinerary."

Renee Brandon

Really? That's shocking.-She laughs- what was on your itinerary?

Jake

"Hmm, let's see..."

-Jake is about to list the various activities he had hoped to indulge in tonight but the sound of someone running down the corridor outside, followed by someone banging on the locked door interrupted him-

"YOU BANGING YET?"

-Erin yells followed by the sound of her laughter. The sound of more rapidly approaching footsteps echo down the corridor as the rest of the kids join Erin on the other side of the door.-

"How many times do I have to ask you to stop asking that?"

-Jake yelled back to his youngest. He looked back at Renee-

"I'm so sorry about her."

Renee Brandon

-It took Renee a second to register what Erin yelled. When it did, her face turned beat red and she covered her mouth to stifle the laughter- Did you teach her that?

Jake

-For half a moment, Jake is appalled that Renee would ask him that. But then he remembers that, actually, it's pretty on brand for him.-

"No, I didn't."

-He goes over to the door and tries the door handle again. It's still locked-

"You gonna let us out?"

-There was a scuffle on the other side of the door, with raised voices between the kids as they argued about whether or not to let their parents out.-

"Do you promise we're not in trouble if we do?"

"I'll promise that if all of you promise to never try anything like this again."

-Jake glances over at Renee to see if she wants to add anything as the kids discussed the terms of the agreement some more-

Renee Brandon

-Renee can't help herself and laughs as she watches Jake walk over to the door. She can hear the kids on the outside as they discuss their next steps. So she walks up next to Jake- You have until three to open this door. One.....two...... -she smirks at Jake victoriously as the door unlocks and opens-

Jake

-Jake is impressed as Renee uses her stern mom voice. As if on cue, the door is finally unlocked and it swings open. Jake is now faced with his Hawks and Renee's kiddos. The majority of the kids look fairly sheepish. Except Erin. Because of course she looks as proud as punch about this whole thing.-

"We're gonna have a talk about the pitfalls of imprisoning people against their wills, Squirt."

-He tells Erin who just grins up at him, no regrets to be seen in her demeanour as she starts to fill her Pops in what he had missed-

"Willow gave Mr David a flower crown and he wore it."

Renee Brandon

-Renee turns her attention to the other side of the door as it opens and she gives her boys the look. But she softens and holds her arms out so her boys can run up and hug her- Sorry, Mommy -her boys said it unison and she shakes her head as she kisses the top of her head. She picks up Henry as Erin tells Jake about David and she can't help but laugh- You should go see if he's still wearing it. I don't think you'll want to miss it.

Jake

"You gonna be OK?"

-Jake blurts the question out before considering how Renee was obviously going to be OK but he doesn't take it back.-

Renee Brandon

-the questions catches her off guard and she gives him a smile with how sweet he is- I'm probably going to take these guys home. Henry has tired eyes. But, uh....I feel better. You go have fun.

Jake 

-Not for the first time tonight, Jake is nearly overwhelmed by the want to take Renee into his arms. He resists and instead gives her a smile.-

"Thanks for the dance."

-With that, he turns his attention back to his kids.-

"Take me to the flower crowns!"

[finndoesntwantthis]

I've always been a fan of The Elite and have always been on their side when it comes to the brawl out, but seeing them actually talking about it on All Access really makes me feel for them even more. The whole situation really just sucks, because they want to move on, they're trying to move on. But unfortunately, no matter what they do going forward, that's gonna be a dark cloud that hangs over them forever and they don't deserve that. They deserve to be able to move on and to continue enjoying their passion and to be happy. I honestly don't blame them for not wanting to talk about it. When Kenny was on Renee's podcast and she asked him about, you see the hesitation and how reluctant he was to answer the question. But he still went ahead and answered the question, gave a classy and professional response. Overall, I just hope that they'll be okay and happy.

it makes me incredibly sad to see that this is something they're gonna have to deal with for the rest of forever. it's like the montreal screwjob, like it was bad for everyone and fans have obsessed over it to the point of turning it into wrestling folklore. it sucks because, yeah we weren't there, but i do find it hard to believe the elite were instigators. the bucks and kenny continue to be classy about it. i think maybe some day a loooooooong way from now they might lay out every single thing that happened from their perspectives, but its fine with me if they just want it to die. i dont think it will at this point, but who knows.

i just hope that if certain people eventually do want to come back, they get the help they clearly need in expressing negative emotions in healthy and professional ways. that could have been a conversation. but it was a fight. shame.

[thespineoftherighteous]

I'm thinking that a Matt and Aaron bromance is an inevitability, actually

between them being roomies and the thing with Matt's mother bailing Aaron out and Aaron being free from his deal with Andrew to actually make friends, it's bound to happen

and i know that some of Aaron's general distaste for the upperclassmen is just him, but because a lot of it came from the isolation of being one of Andrew's people, once that's not a factor and the thing standing in the way is mostly just Aaron, it's just a matter of time

and if anyone's going to get through to him it'll be Matt. if Matt can sometimes balance Kevin out on the court, Aaron should be lightwork

(Matt also has Dan behind him imploring him to take advantage of his proximity to Aaron to further strengthen team bonds because he was always the monster that felt most unreachable)

also like. backliner solidarity

and also i really like to think Aaron develops some kind of relationship with Matt's mother, because that scene in the EC where she gives him a hug is everything

one might say Matt is Aaron's first actual friend

anyway so like

video games are a big part of their bonding. Matt is better than Nicky and Kevin and on par with Andrew so it gives Aaron a refreshing competition and it also gets him to loosen up a bit

it takes a little time for Matt to break Aaron of his habit of needing to immediately reimburse Matt every time he so much as picks up coffee for him..Aaron is at first uncomfortable with letting this kid he's never been very nice to just casually spend money on him but then he realizes it's a two way street. the first time Aaron brings Matt ice cream Matt has a whole Moment..until Dan, who was hanging out in their apartment, pipes up with a "and you didn't get ME any?" which effectively killed it

Aaron subtly watches Matt with Dan and subconsciously picks up on the way he treats her and mirrors Matt’s behavior when he's with Katelyn (because 1. Matt is smooth and suave as hell and 2. they're one of the first healthy relationships Aaron has seen up close so he uses them as a blueprint because he wants to make sure he's doing it right) and Matt is oblivious

Renee notices though and she quietly keeps it to herself but thinks it's sweet. Allison too picks up on it and she mentions it to Dan and Dan thinks it's the cutest thing and now whenever she notices Aaron behaving similarly or quietly observing them, she starts grinning and Matt will be like "what? what's so funny?" and she refuses to tell

even though it stopped for the most part once the team smoothed out their bumps, after spending time with Aaron Matt gets the others (mostly Allison) to quit talking about Andrew like he's a freak for good

you could see how Matt had a concerned-parent streak in him when Neil wasn't sleeping well and when he was getting involved with the monsters and that streak eventually carries over to Aaron too. especially where Aaron is both a university athlete and a premed student..kid has it rough. so Matt will wake him up when he falls asleep at his desk to tell him to go to sleep (the first time or two Aaron responded with a pleasant "fuck off" but now he just peels his face off his textbook and slouches to bed) and subtly make sure he's eating decent

when Matt wakes up one night to find Aaron trying to drink away his anxieties about his trial, it doesn't take him long to realize that he can't help but Andrew probably could. and something changes between Andrew and Matt when Andrew sees the concern for his brother in Matt's face

when the girls come over to hang out and Aaron is there he'll usually melt into the corner or go in the bedroom but they usually rope him into their conversations anyway. and somewhere between the tenth and eleventh time he was forced to play tiebreaker for one of their arguments he became comfortable enough around them and lost the need to disappear whenever they showed up

it's actually really beneficial to have them over sometimes because Matt is a hard person to be an asshole to, so having Allison around gives Aaron a good outlet

Matt learns quickly to leave Aaron alone for at least half an hour after his therapy sessions with Andrew

Aaron is good at being able to notice without being told when to leave Matt and Dan the apartment and spend the night down the hall or at Katelyn's

Katelyn and Matt hit it off immediately from the first time Aaron brings her over (very few people are immune to the Matt Boyd charm, I'm telling you) and he doesn't know how to take it because he's just getting comfortable with Matt after knowing him for two years whereas it's been ten minutes and these two are already exchanging phone numbers and discussing last Friday's game as if they've been friends for years

also when Katelyn becomes friends with the girls it's even worse and they just completely steal her from him

and, like Neil, they enjoy watching Aaron become a completely different, lighter person when Katelyn is around

Matt is big on like jocky terms of endearment and uses them casually all the time and though Aaron shoots him a look of distaste when he calls Aaron "bro" or "my guy" for the first time, it starts to grow on him

to the point where one time they're watching a film and Matt (who's a big talker during movies) keeps making comments until Aaron is just like "BRO shut UP" and Matt just grins and he's like "so we're bros huh?"

and because Matt knows that, even though it's casual, insignificant guy talk, that's the most affection he'll ever verbally get out of Aaron, he makes sure to be annoying about it and puts a "bro" in every one of his sentences

"I'm not your bro"

"ah but you don't get to decide that. bro"

"fine well you're not my bro"

"that hurts bro"

"stop calling me bro"

"can't, my guy. we're bros"

*sighs*

*nods confidently* "yeah we're bros"

(they’re bros)

[king-fluffikins]

Aftg headcanons

I firmly believe that the foxes banded together after tkm to get Neil a smartphone

Mostly so they could track him at all times, but also so that they could video call each other when they graduated and moved away

At first Neil had trouble understanding that he had People Who Cared About Him enough that he could just. call. Whenever.

But after that one time where he needed something sports-related from Matt and decided to call him, and Matt picked up in the middle of a bench press, no questions asked, and stayed that way until he’d finished helping Neil ten minutes later, Neil realizes the power he holds

He calls everyone all the time now

For the smallest things

He’ll call Renee to show her a pretty flower, then he’ll add Matt and Nicky to the call to show them the squirrel a few feet behind it

Matt calls Dan, who calls Allison, etc etc etc, until it’s one big fox group call

These calls can last for hours, to the chagrin of the other people around them

Even Andrew joins, if only to prop the phone against a pot plant while he does something else and occasionally winds in and out of frame

Aaron also joins, but not as much

Mostly he’ll tune in to see one thing and then mute the call instead of leaving to continue studying

Nicky, of course, is the one who most often instigates these mass calls

Once, someone added Wymack to a call. nobody knows who. most suspect Andrew, on charge of chaotic tomfoolery, but nothing has of yet been confirmed

Wymack said exactly one thing: “fuck off” and then he left

The fox group chat is now affectionately called “fuck off”, and Wymack laughed his head off when Kevin showed him

Speaking of the group chat, I am adamant that Neil is the main minion meme provider

As soon as Dann and Nicky introduced him to memes, he could not get enough of them

He has a whole Pinterest board of memes

But not the tasteful ones

The kinds that middle aged soccer moms send on Facebook groups

He finds them all hilarious; but literally nobody else does

Eventually he makes his way onto TikTok and becomes super famous for his botched dances and compilations of Andrew saying increasing percentages

(Nobody knows what the percentages mean, but there are multiple running theories. Some more outlandish than others.)

But things REALLY get good when Neil discovers Rickrolling

There are a few pages on tiktok that circulate videos that have been edited to cut to Rickrolls, which Neil needed explained to him first (Nicky was very helpful)

He goes through a love-hate relationship with the meme, as it makes him experience intense (Riko-)levels of anger, but on the other hand he also finds them funny as hell

He sends along every Rickroll tiktok he finds to the group chat, which always starts a shouting match

“FUCK YOU NEIL, I WANTED TO KNOW WHAT WOULD HAPPEN WHEN THEY MIXED RED BULL WITH PEPSI.” (Nicky)

“Literally nothing, dipshit.” (Aaron)

“🖕.” (Andrew)

“That’s not very nice, Andrew.” (Dan)

“Why are we not talking about how he put a fullstop after an emoji????” (Nicky)

“🙂.” (Neil)

[four second voice note of Nicky screaming, with Renee harmonizing in the background]

I digress

One day Neil realizes he can make his OWN rickrolls

He’s gotten into the habit of sending video messages; I.e. filming himself talking and sending that, rather than typing or recording an audio

It has to do with his rising self esteem and so on and so forth but that’s for another post

And eventually he just. clicks. That he can stick Rickrolls onto the ends of these videos

And the foxes will watch them every time

But there’s just one problem.

He has no idea how.

These days, the foxes play RickRoll Roulette with all of Neil’s videos, because they never know which are genuine communications and which are memes

They’re wrong every time

But nobody knows yet that Andrew is the one who edits the videos for Neil.

[rivertalesien]

Messy thoughts and spoilers for Motherland: Fort Salem, episode 3x9, "But I Don't Even Have A Dress.'

The choices...were not great.

This episode was so crammed with Tying Up Loose Ends, it forgot to tell its story.

That's been the problem all along with Motherland: Fort Salem, mostly since season 2: not enough episodes to fill out the scope of this universe and not enough will to take what is essential and make it the focus.

This episode managed to stuff a courtroom show trial, the return of Wade, Alder's rescue (from an ice cave in Germany), a double wedding, and another attack on Fort Salem into 40 short minutes; just one of these plot venues should have been an episode in and of itself, with all the anxiety of the outcome it could muster.

One of the most long-anticipated moments of the series, a significant character outcome, setup almost from the beginning: Raelle and Scylla finally getting their escape to Scylla's lighthouse, lasted all of maybe ten seconds. Just a hint for the audience and not the Moment We've All Been Waiting For.

Instead of focusing on the one relationship this show actively sells, the one that kicked off all the drama on the show?

They gave more time to Tally's sex-at-the-wedding-with-the-most-random-guy-ever. I mean. Wtf.

Fortunately, the actors had another idea

Why? Did Freeform demand *that* visual to 1. Erase all the "Talder" teasing the show provided up till then and 2. undermine "Raylla?" Just poor editing choices? Whatever the case, it was bad. Tally had more significant interaction with M this season than she ever had with Grigorio, whom she hasn't seen in what, a year or more? Time is so compressed in this show its hard to say. This hookup felt like a slap in the face after all the (rather good) Talder material (Sutton and Rene really do shine together), and makes it al look like queerbait, which I have a hard time believing.

Adding some more injury, we have to ask the question of WHY was Scylla in uniform at the end? Forced back into service? She's one of the characters who has been continually squashed by all the difficult choices this show makes and one of the worst now is the fact that, as Spree, she had been previously held under arrest (remember the end of season 1?) for being an actual terrorist. She was a traitor. A mass murderer. Did they forget? I mean, there is no moment where anyone says, well, she did help us fight the Camarilla and Raelle loves her, so all is forgiven. It is implied, but not in any logical sense that actually honors where any of these characters have been.

And it leaves the awkwardness of General Petra Bellweather, who should be holding both Scylla AND Nicte Batan to account, to just decide to host a wedding and

1. Forget all about the last wedding that happened there;

2. How the Camarilla (who attacked that last wedding), might attack this one as well, if only to prevent the "union of Earth and Sky" aka Abi and Adil?

With the President in attendance?

Security didn't look that tight.

Because, as much as I get the need to have a happy ending for those two, everyone getting dumbed down to make it happen (while Nicte Batan *is* held to some account by Wade) has been a serious drag.

Scylla (and Raelle's) story deserved to be told in full. Consequences, redemption, all of it. The show dropped her a little too hard and, unfortunately, I think it was reflected in the actor's performance, which seemed to me that it couldn't find a center. This is such a shame.

Imagine if the show had decided to focus on the very thing it began with: the monster in the house, the one who strives to be something else, the one who gave the song that connected Raelle to the Mycelium, building the Camarilla threat around that, instead of all the wild plot threads that got away from them? It was all there, right from the start.

And as much as I loved Izadora's Xena moment (with frying pan!) at the end, and as much as I get she always wanted to connect to the Mycelium, I don't think killing one of the best characters on the show was the way to do it.

I hope there's payback.

Don't touch my frying pan, bitch

Something good?

I loved the painting of Sgt. Bellweather, until now only seen in the opening title: Abigail having a deeper understanding of her family's struggles was a nice moment and I wish the show had more time for it.

I do hope this show gets another chance.

I hope they make better choices.