#she also makes all the important phonecalls

[des-no9]

when your teeny Tief gf makes sure your order of brains is correct. fresh, NOT pickled thank u very much only the best for her Emperor

[polaroidcats]

sometimes you spend a week ignoring real life and being a tourist in your own city with a friend and then the crushing weight of adult responsibilities comes back in full force

[reflections-in-a-critical-eye]

This is complaining day because I realized there's more than one thing that got on my nerves lately and it's not just about the treatment of a kpop idol's mother. Let's begin.

Please, stop refering to Jungkook's mother as mama Jeon. I know the tendency is to ignore so many of the cultural differences that exist, but in SK, people don't change their surname after marriage. It just sounds idiotic and westernized in a ridiculous way.

So, Jungkook's mother loves all BTS members. She LOVES them all. How does army know that? How? I'm genuinely curious and genuinely asking. Because they say it as a certainty. Or, forgive me if my memory is faulty as well, but the only instance that we as outsiders were privy to in which we heard that woman speak for the first time, it was in early 2021 on another phonecall with Jungkook when she said I love you to Jimin.

Of course, the same ot7 narrative came as a buldozer at that time too. Damn, does that mean Jimin = BTS? Sometimes yes, but only when Army wants to diminish Jimin's importance and doesn't allow him to stand out individually too much. Musically or otherwise. But back to this Big Love that Jungkook's mom is supposedly feeling for everyone and which has been invoked once again when that woman mentioned Jimin twice while talking to Jungkook on the phone. Cause she already knew they were in Jeju. I bet she didn't have to find out randomly from a schedule group chat.

So what happens? An assumption is turned into certainty because of small people being extremely insecure. Because they see that one person is once again given more importance on a personal level and we can't have that. No sir! So in a panic, they tweet, they post on tumblr, tiktok, youtube the old age, boring af, sounding like a broken record sentence: "Mama Jeon loves all seven". Fuck me gently with a chainsaw cause that sounds a lot better than the feeling of throwing up I get whenever I read such things.

No, she doesn't love all of them. That is not a fact. It could be true and it's not impossible. But it is not a fact based on the knowledge we have at the moment.

Also, it shows once again that an entire fandom is actively creating a reality of their own which is not even like some sort of simulacrum of the reality they must live through. In Army world, the mother of one member of a k-pop group must love all the members of such group. It doesn't matter than irl, our mothers a lot of the times don't even like all our friends, besties or partners. We might have the most incredible connections and it would mean nothing to our mothers.

In that same vein, another narrative that makes me want to pull my eyes out is the "awww, their bond is to die for, they are (like) siblings after all". Do any of them never had any siblings? Never saw other people and their relationship with their siblings? Or with their family?

I also had to read (which was followed by me blocking it immediately) how Jimin and Jungkook's relationship is the sum of the other relationships they have with other BTS members. I mean, why would I have any sort of expectations from any of these people when they are completely incapable of looking at JM and JK as actual people. As persons with individual minds and an intellect of their own. Let alone the fact that their world does not stop with the presence of 5 other men. In what realistic scenario does this translate in real life? That's not how it works. Yes, we are social creatures and a product of our surroundings, but it is not in the way in which these stans believe it to be. They think that living in a dorm for a few years and working together with other people, it means that those experiences are the only ones that actually shape the personality of a person. They are real people, not fictional characters. I've never heard such ridiculous theories in my entire life, to be used as talking points about someone's behavior or relationship with another person.

Maybe the need to create this elaborate fantasy comes from the lack of love in their life, which then gets projected into this Disney, kumbaya, capitalist heaven narrative in which everyone is a big family and they love each other so much and equally and all the parents of all the children love every single member and thus, harmony is created. Love is always platonic and ever present. The complexity of human relationships must not exist.

[notademon10]

Kris has a crush on Susie and I can prove it

GREETINGS, I HAVE COME WITH KNOWLEDGE THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE.

First of all, my goal is to demonstrate that Suselle ISN'T the only ship that's being built up, but Krusie aswell. (That doesn't mean that Suselle doesn't have any evidence)

WHERE THE HELL DO I BEGIN????

Evidence

To begin with, when you give Susie Tea to Kris, they'll get a 120 heal, with extra dialogue, which is as follows:

S: STOP LOOKING AT ME!

R: (They seem into it.)

This is very interesting, since not only is it the tea that heals the most to Kris, it also implies that they are 'into' Susie, which has romantic connotations.

Of course, this isn't everything, because the Susie fight has some secrets in there as well.

When you have the 'option' to fight Susie in Scarlet Forest, if you wait long enough, the heart will move by itself and choose Let's not fight for a split second. You can actually see it on ANY playthrough if you look closely.

In the fight, there's an act you can do with either Susie or Lancer, which says Anything, and if you click it for the first time on either of them, Kris will complement them over how their hair flows in the wind. If you do this on Susie though, she will say 'Really?...Shut up and fight!' Granted, this isn't very solid, as Kris will say the exact same thing to Lancer.

There's ALSO the fact that after the Spamton NEO fight, the game makes a point of the fact that Kris wants to be hugged by Susie, not Ralsei.

I would also like to mention Poppups, of all things... One of the many interactions Kris can have with them is 'You unconsciously clicked on a popup about "monsters 4 humans" "in your area"

This shows that Kris is romantically interested in monsters. Perhaps they already have a crush?

NOW I BEGIN WITH THE MINDFUCKERY: KRIS' RED SOUL MAIN TRAIT: Love

We KNOW this is the case because of Papyrus. In one of his phonecalls for Hotland, he says: "MAYBE L STANDS FOR LOVE"

Undyne: "But isn't love supposed to be FIREY RED?! Like a cartoony human-heart?

Then, they talk about how Undyne turns people's hearts into green.

And, well, all the main human's souls have been exactly that: firey red cartoony human-hearts. Which is very interesting, because the only times they go out of our control is when they have to do with either Susie, or when they show their FIREY RED EYES, after all- they ARE the window to the soul. In fact, at the end of ch 2, when Kris takes out the soul, the first thing they do is look at Susie in front of her, before doing all the weird things they do.

Conversely, the only time when we can completely control them is in the weird route, which has connotations of a toxic romantic relationship (remember the ThornRING?). After all, LOVE can mean two VERY different things.

This also means that the red soul can't be the player's soul, as they are just as likely to be Love than Perseverence, for example.

AND FINALLY: THE SWEEPSTAKES

This is important because in new girl, Kris takes a bite of the already bitten apple by Susie, which could be interpreted as planting an indirect kiss. There's also the fact that Kris never tells their mom about Susie, showing that they don't want her to get punished. And how could I forget about the very mysterious thing they said to her that somehow managed to get under Susie's skin? I honestly don't have a solid answer for this, but I just mentioned this just in case.

End

And that's everything, I think? This post was originally going to be about Susie's own crushes, but the evidence for Kris' crush on Susie was so unfathomably big this HAD to be it's own post. I just hope I made you think about the relationships of these characters a bit more. I would also like to add that I have more theories in my head that aren't just shipping, so if you want more, let me know by reposting and liking. Consider following as well. That's all.

PS: I MADE A PART 2!!!!

[aphrogeneias]

eddie showing you around hawkins 😭 he takes you to the hideout and is telling you all about how he would play there every Tuesday and friday and how for the longest time it was just a couple of his friends and then whoever was already there listening to them play. he also takes you to meet wayne in the nice little house eddie bought him with his first big check as thanks for taking him in and always supporting him

i genuinely think that wayne feels like he already knows assistant!reader before he ever meets you because eddie would mention you all the time. in phonecalls, in letters, in postcards, when he visits. you're not all he talks about but he talks about you a lot, about the things you do for him and how incredible you are at your job and the way you take care of him and how he wants to do the same for you. to the point where wayne has to ask him, "are you serious about her? do you think she's the one?", and eddie can't lie to the man who raised him. even before you were ever official, he told his uncle you were it for him.

so, when you meet wayne, it's like you're family already. he takes you in, makes you coffee, shows you eddie's baby pictures, one particularly adorable one where he's holding wayne's old acoustic guitar and it's too big for his toddler body. you ask him for a copy of it and gives you the original, because he knows you'll take good care of it. you talk for hours, exchange stories about the most important person in your lives, and eddie can't help but feel he's the luckiest man in the world in that moment, in that house. everything he's accomplished in the past few years can't compare to that feeling

the three of you visit the hideout together. there are corroded coffin posters all around outside, announcing their one and only, sold out, concert that would take place that night. hawkins' prodigal sons back for one night only. you sit together in a booth inside, the bar empty for the afternoon, and eddie tells you all of the stories he had of that place. the day he tried to stagedive and fell to the ground because no one caught him (almost lost a tooth, according to his uncle, it was a pain in the ass), when he tried to organize a battle of the bands, the day gareth got into a fight and had to be dragged out, the day he sneaked his freshman friends in and they almost got arrested. wayne acts unimpressed but you knew he was just as amused at his boy's shenanigans.

you laughed until your cheeks hurt, and your heart grew twice the size. you took the feeling in and stored it somewhere in your heart, the same place where the munson's little family began to take root as well.

[cheekyowldraws]

Series: Pokemon Horizons

Characters: Main plot: Murdock, Friede Minor part: Rockruff, Mollie, Orla, Ludlow Mentioned: Katy, Liko, Dot, Roy, Blanca

Ships: FriedexMurdock also called Capncrunchshipping or Airfryshipping

Summary:

The story plays right after the fight against BlackRayquaza and before the Trio offically start their training at the Orange academy.

Murdock seems to work in Katys bakery and logically should stay in this town during that time. So I wanted to explore his feelings about being away from everyone, especially Friede and how they spend their last night together before being apart for a while. Lots of emotions, kisses and a little suggestive part at the end <3

Three days have passed since the big fight against BlackRayquaza, were the Brave Asagi got heavely damaged. It is heartbreaking to see their home being in this terrible state, but luckily nobody was injured during this incident and that's the most important thing. The ship can be fixed after all...even if it might take a while until they can go back to what they are used to...until the ship is filled with chaos and laughter again instead of silence and working noises. For the time being Liko went back to her parents house and Dot and Roy were able to stay at Blancas place until they can officially start with their Terastal training at the Orange academy. Only the adults stayed at the ship for now, but as soon as Orla officially begins with the repair they gonna have to stay at a hotel to not be in her way.

Murdock was sitting in his room heaving out a big sigh. He was glad that at least the kids could stay at a more positive environment right now. Seeing the damaged ship everyday just would make them relive this scary experience over and over again. Or that what he is believing anyways, knowing that he himslef is still struggeling with getting that disaster out of his head. He kept a brave face in front of the children, but in reality the cook was as scared as them, not knowing what happens next. Can the ship really be fixed completely? What are they gonna do if it's not possible? Will this the be end end of the RVTs? The cook couldn't help himself but worrying about these questions. Friede seems more faithful then him or at least knows how to overplay such thoughts. "PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER!" Murdock scolded himself while he slapped his own hands against his cheeks, squeezing them with a slight agression. "You are not a child anymore, so don't act like one!" Murdock remaind in this position for a while before he loosened his grip, letting out another deep sigh.

The chef inhaled and exhaled sharly several times to calm his nerves. There is no time to feel scared. He knows exactly what he has to do. In fact everyone knew repairing the ship wont be an easy task and will keep Orla busy. But for the mechanic to even being able to start with this endeavor, she needs materials and that in turn means they need money. Lots of money. So Murdock already decided what he personally can do to help. After all working hard is something he can do best.

A small smile formed on his lips while he looked at his phone. Only yesterday he mailed an application adressed to Katy's bakery in Cortondo, hopeing she gonna accept him and allow the pastry chef to work there until the ship is as good as new. To Murdocks surprise she personally called him back this moring to tell him he's hired. Needless to say that the chef almost dropped his phone, because he was so nervouse and honestly didn't expect such a fast answer, let alone a positive one. And on top of that he was told he can already start working in five days. Though the cook needs to leave a day earlier to get the keys for the small room he rented near the bakery, right after this hopeful phonecall earlier.

His smile fastly shifted to a more sad one. Working there means he need to leave for a while and live in that town...thinking about that fact alone made him feel wistful. Murdock don't even wanna think about getting seperated from everyone for an extended period of time that he cannot yet grasp. Especially being apart from Friede fills his thoughts with horror. Having him around all the time feels so natural and became part of his daily life. Being able to go to the other man whenever he wants, just to hang out or when he feels overwhelmed or just needs a safe place. Simply just having him by his side, to feel his touch, his warmth. Before Murdock completly got comsumed by his fear he felt something cautiously licking his hand. The cook was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't noticed his puppy climbed on his lap. Rockruff knew somethings was wrong and visible was worried about it's dad. "Sorry I didn't wanted to worry you." Murdock automatically wore a soft smile and gently patted his puppies head before he lifted it up to pepper it with kisses. Cuddeling with his little angel certainly helped to ground him and let him tackle this decision rationally. The chef knew that he had to tell Friede at some point, but he also didn't want his boyfriend to start brooding about this and having to go through all those feelings for days now as a result just like him...one suffering is enough. Murdock settled to only tell Mollie, Orla and Ludlow about his plans for now.

As expected the two woman appreciated his plans but side-eyed him when he pleaded them to not say a word to Friede about that. Nointhenless they gladly did respect his wish who he was very thankfull for. From this point on Murdock tried to tell Friede as well several times. When they were shopping together, when Friede was keeping him company while cooking, when they went for a walk...he tried to tell him...he really tried but everytime he chickened out the last second and brushed it off, finding a silly excuse for his strange behaviour. There was no way that the professor didn't started to get sceptical.

And before Murdock knew it the day before his departure had arrived. It already was dinner time to be exact. The chef was spending most of the day in the kitchen to make everyones fave meals. He just had too, because he doesn't know when he will be able to cook for them again. Murdock could feel tears filling up his eyes, but hastely blinked them away, before he served it all up. "Hope you all are hungry, because I made plenty!" the chef voiced with a bright smile while watching everyone slowly gathering around the table.

"That smells great!" Friede took in the scent a bit more before sitting down and filling up his plate. Orla and Mollie digged into the food as well. Ludlow on the other hand just silently watched the scene for now, sipping his tea, observing, already knowing something gonna happen. And he didn't have to wait long. "So delicious! I gonna miss Murdocks food!" Orla spouted out, mouth full. "ORLA!" Mollie promptly scolded her, but the brown-haired woman didn't realized what she just said. Murdock on the other hand froze in place, wanting to run away. "Please don't let Friede have heard that!" the cook was pleading in his mind. But the white-haired man DID hear and now looked at Orla with a very confused look on his face, swallowing down his food before asking "Hmm? What do you mean you gonna miss his food?" Realisation hit Orlas brain like a thunder bolt. She didn't meant to say that and tried to hastly come up with an excuse. "Ah that...well I mean when we start staying at the hotel he won't be able to cook there right?" Orla cleared up while slightly laughing awkwardly. "Right Murdock?" she then added hoping he gonna help covering her white lie but to everyones surprise his seat was empty. The tall man must have taken the oppertunity to leave while all eyes were on the mechanic. Friede felt like a fool and was visably confused. The professor hated when he didn't know what was happening and didn't realized how his face got very serious. "What is this all about?" he now asked with a slighty annoyed sound in his voice. The damage was already done so there was no reason to keep up this farce. "We promised Murdock to not tell you, I don't know why he asked for that though, so it might be better to ask him yourself." Mollie finally explained. The conference room was now overshadowed by a negative vibe.

"Listen to the wind, it talks. Listen to the silence, it speaks. Listen to your heart, it knows." Ludlow spoke with a calm and encouraging voice, breaking the uncomforteable silence that had settle over the group. Friede stared at his gramps for a moment before his eyes wandered back to his plate of food. His face slowly shifted into a sad but also concerened and betrayed expression. What did Murdock felt comforteable enough to tell literally everyone but him? He needed to know but...if he haven't told him yet why should he tell him now? Friede suddenly started to heavily shake his head, trying to get rid of those unwanted thoughts. With his eyes now filled with determination, the professor promptly finished his fill and then headed to the kitchen, were he was sure to find his 'target'. Ludlow was smiling as he saw the young man leaving the room ready to clear things up. When Friede entered the kitchen Murdock was busy washing the dishes not daring to look at the smaller man. The professor didn't knew how to start the conversation, he wants to know what the chef is hiding from him, but he also doesn't want to pressure him either. The white-haired man is certain that the cook must have a reason why he haven't told him yet, so he tries to approach the subject slowly. "That was delicious as always. I'm full!" Friede praised, putting on a smile. It wasn't a fake smile though, he meant what he said. Murdocks food is always the tastiest, still he felt more like crying right now. The taller man was taken abakt by that, because he was sure Friede straight up gonna confront him and ask him questions. "I'm glad to hear that. It means a lot to me. Thank you." the cook looked at Friede for a short moment to return the smile, before focusing at the dishes again. An awkward silence filled the whole kitchen. The only sound left was the suttle cliring of the table ware Murdock kept cleaning.

With every minute passing the chef started to get more nervouse. "That's your last proper chance to tell him you idiot!" Murdock started to scold himself in his thoughts. "COME ONE JUST TELL HIM YOU COWARD!" his thoughts went further and the cook got so angry at himself, that he abruptly stopped in his tracks, starteling Friede a little. Murdock was snapped back to reality by a gently touch on his shoulder. It was Friede who now was giving him a worried but warm glance. The cook took a deep breath and slowly let out the air again.

"I'm gonna leave tomorrow to work at Katy's bakery in Cortondo and wont be back for a while. We need that money or Orla can't fix the ship so it's unavoideable." Murdock started to explain, pausing for a moment to inhale deeply before continuing. "I wanted to tell you earlier, but the more I tried the more I couldn't bring myself too..." his voice now started to tremble "If..." he had to clear his throat before being able to continue. "If I had told you four days ago, you surley couldn't have helped but brood about me leaving all these days...and I didn't want you to go through the same thoughts that kept haunting me over and over again...I gonna miss you ya know?" the cook couldn't hold his tears back anymore and started to sob bitterly. "I'm so sorry I couldn't tell you until now I'm..." before he could speak any further he was pulled into a tight hug, while a hand gently caressed his back. "You idiot..." the small man said with a shaky voice himself. "You choose to keep all this feelings to yourself because you didn't wanted to make me suffer but..." Friede now had teary eyes as well "But imagine how you must have felt all those days, being all alone with those thoughts...that's what breaks my heart!"

"I'm so sorry...i didn't mean to hurt your feelings...I'm sorry...I'm sorry..." Murdock's voice softened as he continued to apologize, hugging Friede even tighter, but gentle enough so the smaller man could still breath properly. "Shhh it's okay I'm not mad at you." The smaller man kept stroking Murdocks back in gentle and firm circles to calm him down. This went on for quite a while until Friede felt that the other mans sobbing eased. He then proceed to sat down Murdock on the small wooden stool, who was busy wiping away his tears and was still softly sobbing.

"I want to apologize myself...No I need to apologize to you!" the white-haird man stated while he rubbed the back of his head. Murdock just looked at him with wide eyes, waiting for Friede to continue. "The words gramps said to me before had me thinking. I mean you did act a bit strange all of a sudden, but I refused to question it any further believing you surley gonna tell me if somethings the matter and..." "So you did notice..." Murdocks eyes wandered to the side in embarressment. Friede had to giggle at that sight. "Are you kidding me? When we went for a walk yesterday you literally kept staring at me with such an intense look , that you ended up running into a street lamp!" Friede now started to chuckle. "You should have seen your face!" and with that he bursted out into laughter. "STOP LAUGHING THAT'S NOT FUNNY!" Murdock tried to complain, but the moment he saw Friedes genuin smile while laughing like crazy he couldn't help himslef but join, laughing away all their worries. A few minutes passed and they now were sitting on the floor, right next to each other, tummies still hurting from their laughing fit. "Guess we are both idiots!" the cook stated while beaming a smile at Friede who returned the favour agreeing with a cheerfull "Yeah!"

And without a warning Friede was leaning in for a passionate kiss, making the tall man shudder in surprise. As soon as their lips touched Murdock literally melted into this sensation. The cook gently layed his hands around the other mans arms to pull him even closer. Both of them let themselve fully taken in by this moment, there hearts are pounding in synch, hoping this pleasent feeling would never fade. They tried to delay the unavoideable, but unfortunatly they had to break the kiss at some point to breath again. Now staring into each others eyes with such warmth.

"Soooo we can either have some fun now or just cuddle all night." Friede now looked at Murdock with playful eyes and a cheeky smile. The cook just looked at him with wide eyes, cheeks still rosy. He tightened his grip a little, his eyes nervousely flickering back and forth from looking into Friedes eyes to staring into the void. Friede just amusingly watched his future husband getting all flustered, while waiting for an answer. "Wh-Why not both?" the cook finally managed to declare, taking the professor by surprise, not that he is complaining though. He kinda was hoping for that outcome, because he wants both of them to enjoy this night to the fullest. "Never thought you can get greedy." the smaller man sassily returned, while purposly coming closer to Murdock's face who then started to pout a little "So what if I'm a little greedy?" the chef playfully growled back. "Nothing wrong with that." Friede assured while trying to kiss Murdock again. The emphasis is on 'trying' because his attempt got stopped by a big hand gently pressing against his lips. "W-Wait! N-not here!! Besides I need to clean the kitchen first and..." the cook got cut off mid-sentence by Friedes lips sealing his once again. It was only a short lived kiss this time meant to stop Murdock from blabbering nonsens. Friede now was looking into Murdocks eyes dead serious. "As if I would let you do the chores right now, the dishes won't run away, I gonna deal with them tomorrow." the yellow-eyed man explained. "But...!" Murdock tried to argue, but this time it was Friede pressing his hand against the cooks lips. "No buts! I already let the others know so don't worry!" the professor replied with a snippish grin while holding up his phone to show Murdock that he in fact send a message.

»Just put your dishes in the kitchen later. I'll deal with them tomorrow. I have to take care of Murdock tonight <3«

"T-Taking ca-care of me?" Murdocks cheeks turned into an even more intense pink admitting his defeat "G-Guess I have no choice then!" he stutterd softly. Pleased to hear that, Friede then purposely placed his hand on Murdocks crotch, making the cook jump at the sudden touch. His whole head turned into a bright red now and before the professor could make his next move he got lifted up by Murdock, bridal style. The cook now was dashing into his room, while gently carrying the smaller man in his arms, locking the door behind him before he allowed himself to be all over Friede.

At the same time in the kitchen:

"Guess we better sleep with our ear plugs in tonight." Mollie said after she read Friede's message while looking at Orla, who visibly was relieved about this outcome. With their minds at peace the two woman continued eating. Ludlow did join them as well now and was seemingly happy.

The next morning:

Friede and Murdock layed in bed cuddeling together. The smaller man was resting his head againsts the cooks chest, while the taller man wrapped his arms around him. Both were snoozing softly, enjoying this harmonic atmospehere until Murdocks alarm rang. The chef turned it off as fast as he could so Friede not gonna get waken up from it. He had to blink his eyes open several times before his vision was clear and he could see Friedes peaceful face, thankfully still sleeping. The cook decided it won't hurt to stay in bed for five more minutes, before he cautiously climbed out to not wake up the other man. He didn't want too, but he needed to leave soon so he had to dress up and get ready. When he came back from the bathroom he found Friede right were he left him and couldn't hold back a smile. He looked cute when he was peacefully sleeping. Murdock than hastly pulled out his phone to snap a shot he can look at whenever he misses Friede. Not that he already has a full album full of that. Happy with the result he now was thinking about waking the professor up to properly say goodbye for now. But wouldn't that be selfish? To tear him from his sleep just to catch another kiss? As Murdock was mostly silently debating with himself to either wake up the other man or not he suddenly got hugged from behind. The smaller man tightly wrapped his arms around him. "Good morning!" Friede muttered while letting out a big yawn. "G-Good Morning Friede. Did I wake you up?" the cook replied. "Nah I was already awake before you climed out of bed, but I wanted to let you get ready in peace." The white-haired man explained while he released the hug trying to catch a glimpse of Murdock's cell phone "Sooo did you get a nice shot?" Friede asked with a cheeky voice resulting in a high pitched scream leaving the cooks mouth, while the latter tried to hide his phone. But that just made Friede even more curious, now wearing a big grin on his face "I know you made a photo of me while I was supposetly asleep." Murdock was now trying to hide his blushing face behind his phone. "M-Ma-Maybe!" he managed to stutter out. "Good thing I also got a cute shot from you." the smaller man joyfully chirped. A small chuckle left the professors mouth when he saw the chef getting all flustered. Friede then took his chance to pull his boyfriend into a kiss, which immediately made the bigger man calmer. Both closed their eyes and enjoyed this delicate moment. Taking in every second, burning this feeling into their brains. They whined a little when they had to part, but they knew it was now time for Murdock to go. " Don't overwork yourself okay?" Friede wanted to make sure and with a "Don't be too reckless okay?" and a warm smile Murdock then left for his new temporary job.

[byersfanclub]

i too think it’s unrealistic for any of the party to not be surprised by mike and will, lucas was one of the ppl who pushed mike into being in a relationship with el because he was convinced mike was in love with her because “she’s the only girl not grossed out by you” and dustin went along with it all,

I don’t think dustin has an inkling about mike or will having any issues because dustin also just wants to play dnd and be a nerd! i think it’s why it’s important he was involved in a different plot point in season 3 because if he’d been there he’d probably be in agreement with will.

in season 4 i think it’s important that dustin and lucas both realize how much will being gone is affecting mike and how they both notice how depressed mike is. lucas on the line might not be officially canon, but parts of lucas on the line do show in season 4 like mike being holed up in his basement all the time, his basement looks LIVED in, like much more than before, there’s a whole bed setup on the couch and old dishes and things scattered everywhere. all mike apparently does is play nintendo and not talk to anyone for months. and why I believe this is solely, mainly about will and not el is because mike is doing all the things he wishes he could do with will, he’s compensating hard. will wanted to play nintendo, will wants to play nintendo and board games in mikes basement for the rest of his LIFE. mike joining hellfire? didn’t he make fun of will for still wanting to play dnd in s3? mike also wanted to play dnd but was so focused on wanting to be a normal teenager with a girlfriend that he threw away his own hobby and time with will for this sense or normality and heteronormativity he craves but cant truly enjoy.

Dustin mentioning that mikes whines about the byers phoneline always being busy means mike has directly been whining to dustin about not being able to get ahold on will. Because phonecalls are for will.

i think with all of this combined, dustin and lucas will be surprised BUT it will also make sense because they saw firsthand what mike wheeler was like without will byers as a constant in his life for the first time and it was miserable.

[fakecrfan]

TMAGP 30 Thoughts - Overall

This episode was pretty good-- but it was also just "pretty good" to me, which in itself is disappointing. I attribute this to the pacing.

Every single individual element of the episode is entertaining. The fed up custodian, his statement, Alice freaking out, the bored cabby, Gwen's triumph and smugness, Celia's betrayal--all of it was excellent individually. But the way it came together left me feeling a bit miffed.

Again, this is because the pacing sucked.

Instead of the frenetic, climatic pace of the season finales in TMA, this one was very slow and had a lot of unnecessary elements. For example, Alice arguing with the cabby was fun, but a mistake. It slowed the whole pace down, and added no information that we didn't already have. We already knew that she was chasing after them, did we really need to see every individual step of her journey along the way? Did we need to hear her questioning the cab guy?

It would have been much more effective for her to have the phonecall with Colin where she decides to go after Sam instead, and then to cut to her finding the custodian melted into the concrete. Seriously, are we supposed to be frightened at any point during this horror show, or aren't we? Cut to the scary bits already!

This underlines a greater tendency to waste Alice's screen time on stuff that is repetitive and unnecessary.

Another problem was--for once!--the GWEN bits! I did love to see her triumph and to see her utterly cold and smug reaction to it. But the stuff with her absolutely slowed the whole episode down. Especially since we cut from Colin's almost certain doom and Alice unknowingly making a Sophie choice between him and Sam--to Gwen.... getting what she wants, and laughing about it.

And then we cut from Alice finding a guy melted into the concrete--to Gwen having a conversation that doesn't give us any new information and only reinforces what we already learned from her convo with Lena.

All of these choices underline a more fundamental problem I have had with the way TMAGP has set itself up. Every time something exciting happens, it undercuts the building tension with 1) something boring 2) something slightly funny but unnecessary or 3) something that we already heard before. Usually Alice's plotlines have gotten the short end of the stick from this writing method, but in this one Gwen's plotline was actually the drag. We DO need to see the culmination of Gwen's season plotline, but it was in entirely the wrong place.

Here is I would have done it: Have Gwen's moment first. We don't need both Trevor and Lena to confirm that she both got the power she wanted and now is mega fucked, either. We only need one scene for this. One. Stop. Repeating. Information.

Then we can cut between Alice and Sam + Celia for the rest of the episode. Cut down the unnecessary transitional scenes. The cabby conversation was funny, but cut it. This is a finale. It's not time to add a bunch of cute banter if it doesn't naturally fit in to the action.

This episode was good, but it did not need to be 40 minutes and was not served by being 40 minutes. The TMA season finales were much more exciting with much less material because they knew to only give you the most important and most adrenaline pumping moments. That serves horror much better.

....but since this is how the entire series has been thus far, I don't have high hopes that this is going to change. I'll resign myself to what the show actually is. It's not bad, like I said. And I like enough individual elements to keep listening.

This also might sound overly critical, but this isn't because I dislike the series. It's more that I like the series, but not as much as I could have, and I am making note of why so that I can use it to improve my own writing in the future. Maybe if you're reading this, you really liked the slower pacing that is padded with tangential incidents! If so, feel free to share your own breakdown.

[russellsppttemplates]

Pierre confessing to his wife he's afraid he won't be a good father because he's away a lot, and her confessing she's afraid she wont be a good mother because she didn't have a good role model growing up.

Tw: mentions family issues

"That's in two weeks", you heard Pierre say on his phonecall, his tone already indicating the frustration that was building inside him. He thought he had the whole month at home, remote meetings, and very few things to do in the factory that needed him there for the whole time, hence he thought the had that time to spend with you, near you. He had begun to set up the nursery, had been to every appointment with you and was counting on accompanying you to the rest of them. You were in the kitchen, sitting by the kitchen island checking the calendar to make sure you had written everything down correctly, "what are you doing, amour?", Pierre came up behind you, looking at the appointment you were erasing, "the nurse just sent a message in saying this appointment has to be moved forward, something with a machine not working", you shrugged your shoulders, "she said it isn't anything urgent", you finished, showing signs of not being bothered by it.

Just by Pierre's luck, the appointment had now been moved to the week he had to travel, "Amour, I just got a call and I'm not here from this day to this day, will probably arrive late too", he pointed to the calendar, making you mark a small line on the days he wouldn't be in, nodding to make sure you had it right, "I'm sorry, amour, I really thought I'd be here this whole time", he offered, "it's okay, my love, no worries about that", you said before putting the calendar back up on the wall and heading to the living room once you held his hand in yours, desperate for some comfy cuddles.

Dinner had been weird, Pierre didn't talk much, and it scared you a bit, had you done something wrong? Was it not tasty, not good enough? Had he been worried about something else? Questions ran through your mind while your husband showered, rubbing your body oil on your growing bump while you waited for him to come to bed. It didn't take long before he left the bathroom, only a pair of shorts covering his body, the frown on his face marked, "is something bothering you? Did I do something wrong?", you asked in a small voice, making him break his expression, "No, no, no amour, what makes you say that?", he conforted immediately, his hands coming to hold yours, "You've had an angry expression all afternoon, you didn't say much at dinner, and it's weird, it's not your usual", you listed, enjoying the way his thumbs, almost reassuringly, rubbed your hands, "it's nothing with you, amour, I promise. I've just been thinking about how I have to leave you in a few days, and how that is something I have to do a lot, like, I will spend some days away from you, and I won't be here as much during the season. How is that something of a good father? I don't want to make you follow me everywhere, I know how hard it is to have that routine, or rather lack of it", he expressed his concerns, making you unlatch your hands so you could caress his cheek to make him look at you, "Pierre, that is not what defines being a good father", you said, "you don't think?", he said, trying to gather his thoughts, knowing that it was a sensitive topic to you but also knowing you'd want to hear his concerns and worries, "I can't know for sure, but I can tell from experience that it's not because of that. Little one will love you because you love them to bits, and it won't be because you're not always here. Maybe they'll be confused but I know you, and I know you'll always make them feel loved and cherished", you replied genuinely.

"I'm sorry to bring this up, but it has been bothering me recently, I know how much this is important to you", he said, "I feel like that too sometimes, I mean, I did not have the best role models, and while I know what I don't want to do, and will never do, I'm still unsure of what I want to do, how I'd like to do it", you gulped, "if I'll be good at it".

Smiling reassuringly, he held your face between his hands, "So this all just means that we will learn as we go", he comforted, "day by day, we will see what works, what doesn't, I'm sure we will do the best for our family, because I love you, and I know you love me, and we have everyone around us showering us with love and help", he kissed the top of your head, "we will be just fine".

(Thank you for submitting an ask 🤍)

[inposterumcumgaudio]

Prudence Holmes?

So Prudence's story should be serving a pretty crucial point to the narrative, but it gets impeded by design flaws and glitches. People also get hung up on the "mystery" of Mr. Kite and disregard how Prudence's escape connects to the rest of the story.

The most glaring problem for understanding Prudence's story is that Prudence's body in the tunnels suffers from a glitch in that game that will sometimes fail to spawn narrative-triggered corpses. The same thing will happen with Bobby Hickinbotham, for example. He should be passed out on the couch when you arrive at the Reform Club, but sometimes, all you find are his things strewn about. Lucky you don't have to search him to get the ID card you need!

Same thing happens with Prudence when you get to the motilene mines. And if you're the sort of player who isn't paying rapt attention when Arthur comments on it anyway and connects that to the ongoing plot about her, you may then never find out what happens to Prudence.

And that's assuming that you have been dutifully answering the telephones in the Garden District every morning and are invested in that. Which one may very well not be. I play quite efficiently these days, but I think even most new players do not spend enough time in the Garden District to be there on ten separate mornings to answer the phone ten times.

I do wonder if the quest "An Awkward Courtship", in which you're asked to return to the same Garden District set piece five nights in a row to eavesdrop on a couple meeting clandestinely, wasn't meant to sort of nudge the player into spending more time in Lud's Holm than they might have otherwise. If you look at it as trying to set the player up to be in the Garden District at dawn to answer the phone, then that quest seems a little less like a pointless time sink.

And all of this stems from the larger problem WHF has that the areas are so large and so samey unless you are in a set piece that one gets environment fatigue. So a player is probably wanting to get out of the Garden District as soon as possible, rather than linger about.

So they then also made it an achievement to listen to the phonecalls. A merit badge that Steam reports only 1.5% of players having collected. Welp. The generous thing to do would be to make your progress on the phones carry over to Sally's act, but I suspect we'd be asking quite a lot. (And then you'd miss Agent Sally the Super Spy's meandering and astute observation that it must be some sort of secret message.)

Speaking of environments, you're also supposed to be guessing at what the coded language in the calls means, but that's hard to do if you've never played the game before and don't know the landmarks or characters yet.

WHF is a game that very much benefits from multiple playthroughs, but let's be real, it's kind of a slog and most people do not complete it even the once. (High five it if you're here though, means you made it!)

But let's imagine a world in which all the information about Prudence that the player should have collected from those phonecalls is given to them in a way memorable and in the course of the average playthrough.

Like I said, people get hung up on the whole thing of who Mr. Kite is, but that's actually not important. It's okay for a plot element like Mr. Kite to be simply be without further explanation. You already know everything you need to know about him.

And actually, you already know everything you need to know about Prudence's escape too!

The important thing is that Gemma doesn't.

Prudence (and to a more obvious but muddy degree, Johnny Bolton) are your clues that Gemma does not have the entire picture of the situation on her conspiracy boards and is unknowingly trying to fit pieces of separate puzzles together. That she has Bolton, Prudence, and Harry Plantagenet all together means she suspects Verloc in all of their disappearances. By the time you're reading Gemma's boards, you could have met Bolton in Lud's Holm and know that he's alive and well-ish and even with all the impediments to Prudence's story, you probably picked up her journals in the Barrow Holm and Maidenholm hatches and would know that she left of her own accord and has been following Mr. Kite's path out of town. Prudence is the most reliable point that what Gemma has concluded is not the the actual facts, but merely supposition.

If - big if - you're following the phonecall stuff, you'd know Prudence is still kicking about and not locked in Haworth Labs.

Other Proodle thots:

Arthur was apparently smitten with her when they worked together at the Department of Archives, Printing and Recycling (such that Prudence even notes his making "googly eyes" in her journal), but does not recognize her voice on these phonecalls.

Which I personally elected to mean that it's not actually her or Mr. Kite on the phones and that when it's a message for them, it actually is. Prudence does mention coming back from the phonebooth herself in her journal, being chased by the bobbies she's electrocuted in the Maidenholm hatch, but bobbies are rarely seen in the Garden District, the only place in Wellington Wells with working phonebooths. She also writes that she's "leaving a message" when she needs to inform Mr. Kite that she needs a new shelter because the Maidenholm hatch smells like rotting corpse. She could be euphemistic in her own diary (it's par for the course in Wellington Wells to speak that way), but you could also interpret that literally as I do.

Prudence also says in her diary that Victoria always suspected a resistance movement plotting away, but that Mr. Kite says there isn't one. And I think that is the case. There are some disparate resistance actions happening in Wellington Wells (Mr. Kite's Underground Railroad, William Godwin's overt protests, Johnny Bolton's operations, whatever it is the Reform Club is doing) but none of them are organized. They don't know about each other and aren't working together.

Isn't it very interesting how Arthur more or less forgets all about his infatuation with Prudence the second Sally reenters his thoughts? He really only mentions Prudence when faced with her existence, when he's answering a phonecall.

I like to think that his two week "holiday" from the O' Courant and sudden move to civil service was related to his feelings for Sally. And that he ends up working under Victoria? The Ploughboys call him her "pet" and she does seems somewhat invested in him. She very likely took him under her wing so she could keep an eye on him and encouraged him to move on, chemically and otherwise, in any direction other than Sally. So maybe Arthur's attentions on Prudence were never really founded on anything other than that he already had those feelings but was willfully forgetting their actual subject and needed someone else to hang them on.

Which would be quite convenient for Victoria if it worked out. Much as everyone loves the idea of Victoria/Prudence, I have to think it was unrequited. Obviously Victoria would never act on those feelings if she had them, but what a character doesn't say is as important as what they do and not once in Victoria's DLC does she ever mention Prudence. She doesn't even remember Prudence's goodbye letter in her own recollection of her house.

[scienceoftheidiot]

Ao3 First Lines Tag Game

Rules: Share the first lines of ten of your most recent fanfics and tag ten people. If you have written fewer than ten, don’t be shy and share anyway.

I've been tagged by @klainelynch @dairogo and @goneadrift 😳🥰 thank you all ❤️ (and I'll take it as fic recs 👀 many links yayy)

So this will be Royai only 😅 I don't really know what counts as the first line, so I've taken the first part, that would make sense enough?

I'll put all under the cut, meanwhile I tag @heirsoflilith, @qs63, @musing-and-music, @residentdormouse, @riotbrrrd, @trombonesinspace, @littleragondin, @shutterbug-12, @waterloou, and @lassusog

Bro's night out (Maes visits Roy in East City, canon compliant, humor and angst)

"FINALLY!" A happy voice boomed as the doors to the empty cafeteria of the East City army HQ burst open. Roy, who was convinced he was alone in there, startled, spilling his coffee on his hands, saving his uniform in extremis thanks to the reflex of spreading his arms. He turned to see Maes Hughes walking towards him, beaming.

2. Every dog has its day (Black Hayate has fun driving Roy crazy (Riza is mortified), canon compliant, humor)

"You can have him off leash, he's got a great recall. Let him sniff around for a while. Just, beware of cats. He doesn't attack them, but he's curious. Call him back if you see one." Hawkeye's weak, muffled and croaky voice echoed again in Roy's mind. Good recall. As if.

3. Everyone learns faster on fire (AU - Roy stays blind after Promised Day, post canon, angst (with a happy ending))

"Lieutenant Hawkeye will be my eyes." And she also became Roy's guide. And his cook. And his overall caretaker. A fucking nanny, that's what she was. This time, for real. He'd already hated that nickname for her before, but now? He loathed it.

4. Burn (Riza needs Roy's touch to stay sane, canon compliant, secret relationship, angst/smut fic (explicit))

Some days, Riza could not help it. She knew it was dangerous. She knew she was putting them both in the line of fire. And most of the time, she managed to resist temptation because she cared about him. His plan. His vision. It was much more important. He was more important. And some days, she wanted to throw everything into the fire. Some days she thought, she felt in her gut, that she would happily face a firing squad if it meant that she would be allowed to once, just once again, feel his hands on her. Today was one of such days.

5. The Night After (happens immediately after Promised Day, canon compliant, angst and fluff or hurt/comfort)

This silence was deafening.

It was dark, cold, empty. Like this hospital room. No, of course, there was some noise. From the open window, a light, warm breeze was coming in, bringing the singing of some nocturnal insects, making the curtains sway slightly in a rustle of fabric. From his bed, these were the only things that linked Roy Mustang, newly appointed General, to the outside world.

6. Gunshot - (Riza witnesses Roy getting shot through her sniper sight, hurt/comfort, post canon)(Tumblr prompt)

No. No, no, no, no. Riza froze behind her sight, for a split second, then she started frantically searching through her lens for the black form on the ground, the one she was supposed to have protected from this. But she had seen nothing, even if the moon was on her side, her full face drenching the scene in an eerily cold but surprisingly bright light, and pitch black shadows.

7. Phonecall (Riza has nightmares, angst, fluff, post canon)(prompt)

The phone startled Roy awake. Disoriented, he got up in a hurry, groaned when he blindly walked into the door, pawed at the wall to find the light switch, put the lights on, and ran to the living room, blinking under the sudden harsh light. He had no idea what time it was, where he was, who it could be - probably late at night, his appartement in Central, and at this time, the only person who could call was -

8. Poker night (Team Mustang plays poker and someone is a bad sport, humor, canon compliant)

The atmosphere in the office was tense. Or maybe it was just him. Roy shot a suspicious glance over his hand at the whole party, sat at the table with him. The office was filled with Havoc's cigarette smoke, and lit brightly by the neons on the ceiling. The whole team sat around the central table, cards and multi coloured chips disorderly spread on the dark wooden surface.

9. Dancing with our hands tied (or, flirting under the frat laws, canon compliant, fluff)(Tumblr prompt)

Riza was used to being overlooked by her superiors. It had less to do with being a woman - though in some cases it did, of course - and more with being a lower ranked officer, and above all, being Colonel Mustang’s litteral shadow. Everyone was so used to see her follow him everywhere that she didn’t matter anymore.

10. Anticipation (Roy and Riza are undercover at an event, canon compliant, humor (very short!)) (Tumblr prompt)

Roy knew it was going to be hard not to react and stay in his role, but he had not expected it’d be that hard.

[wingsyliveblogs]

oh nooooo not the sad music... she’s got to be missing her mom too but she’s probably afraid of saying even that much 

So... is communicating solely through emojis normal for Luz? If not, that in itself might be suspect, though it could easily be written off as her being unusually busy. 

The more important issue here is probably that the emoji she’s using is the exact opposite of how she’s actually feeling (oof) and that it’s really easy to lie over text and now that I think about it, have they even called each other at all since Luz left? I can imagine why Luz might be hesitant to call, but I’m a little surprised the subject hasn’t come up at all, since texting clearly isn’t an issue.

That being said, Luz has ample motive and plenty of opportunity to make excuses to avoid awkward phonecalls, so it’s possible she’s just been dealing with that issue the same way she’s been dealing with everything else involving her mom.

Aaaaand that serious mood lasted all of five seconds. We can always count on you to lighten things up, Hooty!

...hold up, is that Luz’s signature on the picture in the background there? I wonder when she made that? (I must also wonder if it was visible in an earlier episode and I’ve just forgotten since, because that’s quite plausible all things considered. I can always go back and check, though!)

[imo-byler-endgame]

Why i'll always ship Byler;

In spite of risking being told i'm extremely selfish for what i am about to say, i'm gonna say it.

The main reason i ship Byler, a reason that changed through the years because the story has been developing, is Will's unconditional and selfless love for Mike.

And it's not an 'i ship them because i feel bad for Will' it's an 'i ship Byler because Will is willing to break his own heart for Mike and also, Mike really deserves to be loved that fiercely'.

This is where i think people might think i'm being selfish, because, what about Mike's feelings? what about El's feelings? A couple is not just about one of the people in it feelings. And please believe me i know that, i've been there myself, being on a relationship just because the other person wanted me when i really didn't.

But the truth is, look at the three of them and tell me to my face the relationship and communication between El and Mike goes as deep as the one Mike and Will have. Please, tell me so and convince that that El will be as heartbroken as Will was in s4 while trying to fix Mike and El's relationship.

I've been thinking a lot about the fight at Rink-O-Mania only to understand that Will really wanted to see Mike, he even made the painting for him, he has been in love with Mike all the time he's been in Lenora, while his heart kept breaking everytime he didn't get a phonecall or a letter from Mike while El did.

Will still went all his way out with his painting and his happy face to the airport just to be met with awkwardness and a cold shoulder pat from the boy he's in love with.

There's no time nor way to bring a different love interest for Will at this point, he is just not gonna get over Mike, probably ever. Which means we'll never see him heal from a rejection if it was to happen in s5.

Are they really gonna end an *actually * uplifting show about friendship, unconditional love and being different being a good thing on such a sad note?

Could happen, but it would break my heart if it was the outcome of everything we've seen on Stranger Things.

It's obvious that two of the characters that suffered the most on this story are El and Will, there's no way around it. And you could ask, why should Will get the happy ending with the boy he loves but not El?

And to that i really want to ask you, can't she get a happy ending without Mike? Because so far she seems pretty miserable while being with him.

And that's super important to me.

El is being miserable when she is with Mike, while Will is being miserable when he feels he can't have Mike.

Sure, Mike is his own character and there''s a lot to say about him, so let's look at him for a minute. Which relationship looks more fullfilling for Mike at this point in the story? He is boy with a severe case of low self-esteem and feeling inadequate.

Look at him at the beginning of s4, while you see Dustin going to look for Lucas's replacement for the dnd session, he goes to the people he knows. He asks Steve, Max and ultimatively he comes up with the idea of asking Erica.

Mike is seen looking for his sister first, who says no and it makes sense, because even though she was nice years ago to the boys dressing up as an elf for a campaign, now he has to look outside, talking to people he probably doesn't even know, because since the Byers and El left Hawkins, it has not been the same, and yes, there's Lucas, Max and Dustin, but it's not the same for him. Mike lost something when the Byers left Hawkins, something he's gonna bring home by the end of s4.

I'm obviously talking about William.

He said he was gonna get Will home, and that's something he has always done. He was able to find El in Mirkwood, the one person who could help them find Will when he went missing. He was on the shed telling the most heart wrenching story of how important was the day he met Will for him and managed to help getting through Will's possession, hence finding a way to bring Will home again.

The one time Mike didn't manage to bring Will back; "Will, come on, you can't leave, it's raining" everything went downhill and it ended with the Byers and El leaving Hawkins.

But once again, when everything went to shit in Hawkins and they needed El and Will back, Mike was already in Lenora and it ended on all of them, once again, getting back home to Hawkins.

But what is home? Is it Hawkins? Is it Mike's basement?

As Mike himself says, he feels he lost Will and now Hawkins is not the same. Maybe Hawkins doesn't feel like home the way it did before. Maybe "home" is not the same without Will in it.

Or maybe that one phrase saying "home is where the heart is" is right and says a lot about Mike's feelings.

[thetravelingymleader]

((Offscreen post: Phonecall))

"Alright, here goes nothin'..." Nox hesitantly dials the number and presses the 'call' button before he has a chance to change his mind. This needs to be done, he needed answers.

"Hello~?" The trill of his aunt's familiar voice suddenly shakes him, "Hello-?"

"Sorry, Hi Auntie. It's me."

"Noxie~! Bonjour, mon petite. Is everything okay?"

The trainer pauses, absentmindedly chewing on his lower lip, "Well, actually... no. I need to talk to you about something... important."

A short pause occurs between the callers. "What is it, mon amour? You can talk to me about anything."

Nox takes a deep, shaky breath, he just needs to get over this anxiety and just. Say. It. "Why did you lie to me?!" -Alright, Maybe not the best place to start.

"... Pardon?" His aunt's voice is filled with obvious confusion and Nox mentally curses at himself. Fantina then presses further, "Nox, 'lie to you' about what? I do not understand-"

"About my father! You and Agatha both lied to me about him," A quiver builds in his throat, "I-I f-found out h-he's still a-alive a-and in A-alola. S-s-so, WHY-?" Wincing, he chokes back tears threatening to fall. His aunt falls silent, taking everything in at once.

"Nox... amour, I- I am so sorry..." Her voice drops, "I was going to tell you when you came back-"

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" Now he feels his insides boil tight with anger. He doesn't want to be mad, but it's the only emotion expressing itself at the moment, "Why-"

"Nox, sh-sh-shhh..." Lowering her voice, she speaks in a purposeful, soothing tone. She understand his anger, she may very well deserve it, but, "-I need you to listen to me, Okay? Please."

Nox sniffles, reflexively nodding even though she can't see him. When her nephew doesn't respond, she begins her explanation.

"Nox, I- I am sorry you found out... however, you did, but I never meant for you to go this long without you knowing. Just... with you working to become a gym leader, and all the stress you were dealing with, I didn't want to make it worse-" she sighs softly, "But, I guess I did anyway..."

"Yes, your father is alive, and yes he is somewhere in Alola. As for the reason I didn't tell you? It was because my mother... threatened to take you away from me , if I ever told you about him." Fantina takes a moment to breathe, "She had lawyers on her side, and at the time, I had none. I suppose I could have asked Aunt Bertha for help, but... she was busy with the league as well as helping me get a job. I did not want to place anymore of my problems upon her."

Nox wipes at his tear-stained cheeks on the back of his hand and sniffs, Now his fury is directed at Agatha, "She threatened you? But you're her daughter!"

"Well, she never did forgave me for causing her to lose her only son, but anyway-" she pauses for a moment to recollect herself, "Agatha is also the reason you have no photos or any knowledge of your father, she tore all of his photos up and got rid of any information about him. She also dropped any and all contact with him after he moved to Alola. I... I assume he is still there."

Nox sighs deeply, of course it was Agatha, it was ALWAYS his stupid grandmother mucking things up in his life. Even after death, she still managed to affect and hurt him. He took a moment to calm himself, taking several deep breaths.

Mulling over the conversation, everything Fantina told him DID make a lot of sense, however, there was still one more question he had, "Aunt Fan?"

"Yes, amour?"

"What... was my dad's name?"

Silence. That was worrying.

"I... do not remember. It has been so, so long... I am sorry, Nox." She hears her nephew sigh dejectedly, biting her lip thoughtfully. "If... I find out anything about him, I will tell you, I promise. Perhaps Aunt Bertha knows!"

"Maybe..."

"Are you going to be alright, mon chou?"

Nox now finds himself trying not to laugh at the cute nickname, "I-I think so. I just need some time to think... Thank you auntie"

"Of course. Call me again if you need anything else. I love you."

"I love you too. I-I'm sorry for yelling at you."

"It's okay, mon amour. You know, I will always forgive you. And I am sorry for keeping this secret for so long... Now, get some rest, oui?"

"Oui- I mean, Yes." A smile breaks through his face, as Fantina chuckles lightly with her nephew. Finally, the phone call ends. Nox feels himself sink deeper into Caitlin's ridiculously, comfy couch, thoughts swirling around in his head.

Now he just needs a way to get to Alola.

[andromerot]

mabel, episode nineteen: la peregrinación. in which the present eats the past

you could never leave you could never leave* i'll come back i'll always come back i promise..

*can someone with better audio processing skills tell me if the house here is voiced by bdlr or mm. it is extremely important. thanks

"of all the things i missed i think the sun is the most significant. light and warmth. is it just a poor substitute for you, i wonder?" sigh....

SHE WAS SOOO REAL FOR THIS ONE

mabel martin will be like i dont know anything about you because youre so secretive (because you hate me) also i know exactly what you want from me and what motivates you (which is that you hate me). but also she's so real for the whole of me would make you run screaming

i guess that's nice. i cant tell. im nothing like a person SHE GETS IT!

MY HEART IS CURVED CRUEL LIKE A CLAW!!

BUT I AM NOT A FAITHLESS SPECTATOR AND NEITHER ARE YOU!!! also WHAT did she see. what. was is it the riddle of stone from sixteen i think it was the riddle of stone....

i snuck you inside this place = i am making you an accomplice in this. they really are making the same voyage backwards

shes not being weird that's just what phonecalls are like

OH ANNA I THINK YOU ARE NOT A GIRL I THINK YOU ARE A SPIDER -> I AM A MANY WEBBED SPIDER

as i understand it there are two possible explanations for mabel hearing anna is out in the world: a. these phonecalls are themselves an "illusion" if such a thing even makes sense within these narrative givens b. despite the veranest forming in episode 20? time is fickle and veratrine is out there doing anna things, which is infinitely funnier to me. how's she doing

IM ANGRY AT YOU FOR BEING GONE THE WAY A CHILD WOULD BE BUT I WOULD NEVER LET YOU BE CAGED. ANYWAY

[lonelier-version-of-you]

Well, Casualty tonight was excellent!! Apart from Faith Cadogan, of course, but that's the norm and I try to pretend she doesn't exist as a character at this point lol.

Jaye Jacobs and Charles Venn absolutely carried the episode, I think - Donna and Jacob are both always highlights of the week for me anyway, but their performances in this one were incredible.

Jacob's phonecall to Billie just about tipped the scales in favour of Jacob's storyline being the best part for me, though Donna's storyline almost won that title. I wasn't expecting Jacob to be as prominent this week as he turned out to be, so I was very pleasantly surprised! Yay for Jacob!!

Jacob continues to be one of the very best portrayals of a trauma survivor I've ever seen in fiction. I thought this ep wove his storyline in wonderfully, and a lot more than I expected it to. I thought he would mostly just get patient storylines and that would be it, so I was so happy they finally went back to discussing his trauma and even more so that they acknowledged his breakup with Billie. The scene where he and Iain were talking about it was fantastic, though it made me sad that he seemed to feel so guilty for how he talked to her. (Not saying it was okay, he definitely shouldn't have done it, but I really do get where it came from in regards to his trauma.)

I'm just... I'm just so glad Jacob exists, okay? I love him so much and he's very important to me. Sorry, I know I say that whenever I talk about him. Also, on that note, I thought the way he got that man to let Iain go was very clever on his part! He was so wonderful and kind all throughout this ep. :)

And I adored the last scene, when he called Billie to say sorry for how he'd treated her. That was just a beautiful scene (the parallel with Charlie's talk with Jacob back in May made it even more so). Jacob admitting and taking accountability for how he acted - that was great. Maybe next he'll even make that therapy appointment! I really hope he can find some healing and support and forgiveness for himself, he deserves it even if he thinks he doesn't. I think this was a positive step for him mentally and emotionally, and I'm glad of that. I hope his mental health/trauma storyline continues to be this good.

Also, I think Billie will be coming back after all, which I'm pleased about! I really like her as a character and she has wonderful chemistry with Jacob. I'm also very happy Jacob is now a fully-fledged paramedic, even if I'm still confused by him doing all the training in such a short space of time.

Charles Venn has really shown yet again why he's worthy of his Inside Soap Award nomination for Best Drama Star this year. Not only that, he'd be more than worthy of a win! :)

I loved Donna's scenes so much, and Jaye Jacobs was brilliant! Seeing Donna's kindness towards Ashley was just so nice. The scene with her and Ashley on the stairs was possibly the best moment of the episode to me (although Jacob's aforementioned phonecall comes so close).

I also think Donna's coming closer to telling the truth, which is good.

And they've aged Mia's character up a bit - Donna said Mia is 19, tonight, when she should be more like 17. That was odd. But I feel like it's going to end up being a Fredrik situation anyway (Holby made Fredrik younger and then reversed it less than a year later) so I'm not too bothered by it.

I hate Faith, and this week gave me even more reasons to. I don't want to waste too much time thinking/talking about her, but I'll just say... you know how I praised Jacob for taking accountability for his actions? Yeah, that stood out not only as a positive step for Jacob, but because it contrasts so massively with Faith - who is doing anything but.

What am I even supposed to say about all this? Faith saw a woman literally suffering from cancer and Faith's apparent only thought was "oh hey, I could tell Stevie I've got the same illness so she feels sorry for me and I can get away with anything!". There's something so awful about her not only lying about being seriously ill, but doing so for such a trivial reason.

I have so much sympathy for Stevie here - she's only recently got away from Marcus, and now she's basically being emotionally abused all over again. I hated seeing Faith gaslight and manipulate her like that.

I hope Stevie figures out what's going on and ends her friendship with Faith for good. Then Stevie can go be friends with Dylan instead. They could be like the Henrik/Jac friendship equivalent for Casualty.

Cameron being fed up with Ryan was nice, in part because I am also fed up with Ryan. Having said that...

I really liked the scenes with Ryan and his patient (did they ever say what his name was? I have to assume they did, but I didn't hear it). Those were cool, and I always love some good disability representation from Casualty!

Are Jodie and Cam going to get together? Only time will tell, but I'm curious now. On that note, I would've liked more Max and Jodie scenes this week.

So yeah, tonight was a good one for Casualty, and I'm thrilled about a potential Jacob/Billie reunion! Yay!