#she's good about attachment to people but to IDEAS? woof.

[bosooka]

satine is such a fascinating character to imagine as a jedi and i'm not just saying this because i have an au. okay

like the big things about her personality are already jedi-like, her dedication to her duty and her principles equally (fascinating discussion to be had about the level of responsibility of the duchess of mandalore vs. a jedi knight and how she'd handle not having that level of power) and her self-sacrificing nature.

but the things that are NOT jedi-like about her are just so very Not Conducive To The Life, because she is so mandalorian, self-righteous and aggressive and incredibly stubborn, so the balance of the two sides is just so fun to imagine within the order. at least, it's fun to me lol

[luxaofhesperides]

I'm not sure if you're still taking Ghostlights requests, but if you are: Dick asking Duke to take Haley to the dog park for him in order to set up a meet-cute for him with the guy with the weird green rottweiler

And if you aren't, just know that you're doing great and I appreciate the hell out of you

“Oh, shoot!” 

Hearing Dick rush around as a frantic mess is not uncommon while he’s in Gotham. There’s too many people wanting to spend time with him that he ends up pulled in a bunch of different directions. Dick’s always in a rush, always busy, always making time for people because he has more love than Duke has ever seen in a person.

Dick’s also got pretty good time management skills after years of doing this. He’s only cutting out a few minutes early for their designated three hour catch-up session. 

That doesn’t mean he’s going to do it gracefully, though.

“Almost lost track of the time!” he says, moving to the couch to pick up his jacket. “Hey, Duke, can do you me a favor while I’m out?”

“Sure, what is it?”

“Can you take Haley to the dog park? I usually take her twice a week around this time, but I totally forgot to include that in my calendar this week so I’ve got plans with the Titans just outside the city, and no time to take her out.”

“Yeah, man, of course I can take her to the dog park. The one attached to Robinson Park, right?”

Dick nods, shoving his shoes onto his feet. “That’s the one! Her treats are also in the bag hanging next to her leash. Oh, and she has a friend at the dog park! Don’t be scared when you see him, he’s just green.”

“Oh…kay?”

“Great, thanks! Bye, Duke, I’ll see you later!”

And with that, Dick is gone, closing the door to his safehouse as he dashes into the hall. 

Duke is left alone in Dick’s Gotham safehouse, blinking dazedly at the empty space where he once was. He’s certainly a whirlwind of activity when he realizes he’s going to be late. He’s also skilled in just saying things and leaving before any questions can be answered.

Haly jumps up onto the couch next to Duke. They share a look, then Duke shakes his head. “You have to deal with that every day, huh?”

Haly, the good girl that she is, doesn’t say anything bad against her owner and just puts a paw on Duke’s thigh, her tail wagging. 

“I hear ya, girl. Let’s go to the dog park to meet your green friend,  I guess.”

He has no idea what that means, honestly. Is Dick just talking about a dog that got its fur dyed green? Or is Haly’s friend like… a mutant dog? 

Well, he’s not going to find out by stalling. 

Duke pets Haly, then stands up and walks to the door. Her head perks up as soon as she hears the jangle of her leash being moved, and then she’s running to the door, looking up at him expectantly. Smiling, Duke slips the harness onto her, then attached it to the leash. He gives her another quick pet before shoving on his shoes and grabbing her bag of treats and waste disposal bags. 

He double checks that he has his phone, then takes hold of Dick’s spare safehouse key and steps out into the hallway with Haly. She waits patiently as he locks the door, checks that the lock holds, then runs down the hallway, ripping the leash right out of his hands.

“Haly! Wait! Stop, girl!”

She happily ignores him and goes straight for the elevator, leaving him to run after her and quickly scoop up the leash as soon as he’s close enough.

“Of course you’re a little escape artists,” he says to her, “Just like your owner.”

Haly woofs softly, then stands up and scratches at the doors of the elevator. Shaking his head, amused, Duke pushes the button to call the elevator and wonders if Dick has to deal with this every time they go to the dog park. 

On one hand, it wouldn’t surprise him since Dick is absolutely the kind of guy to give in to his dog’s every whims and spoil her rotten. On the other hand, Duke fully believes that Haly is smart enough and cute enough to misbehave only when Dick isn’t around so he never believes people when they try to tell him about all the mischief she’s caused. 

Dogs and their owners really do reflect one another. The internet was right about that.

Duke makes sure to keep a tight grip on Haly’s leash once they leave the apartment building. The streets are busy, as they tend to be on weekends, and the sight of Haly straining against her leash, ready to run, brings a smile to more than one face. 

He plots the route to the dog park in his mind, then starts up a light jog, tugging lightly on the leash to prompt Haly to follow him. 

It’s nice to run just for the sake of it. Haly makes a good running partner as well. 

How long has it been since Duke had time to relax and not be prepared for the worst? All the running he usually does these days is to catch up with criminals or run for his life. Being out during the day, moving through the city, without any lives in danger? Genuinely nice and relaxing. 

Maybe he can offer to take Haly to the dog park from now on. Join Dick whenever he goes. Create a set few hours where he doesn’t do anything but enjoy being outside in one of the few places where the smog of pollution and chemical toxins isn’t so thick in the air. 

He’ll just have to make sure Dick doesn’t agree to something else during those days. It’s still strange to think that Dick could forget to do something involving Haly when he’s such a good dog owner and a pro at juggling various responsibilities and a busy schedule. 

Well, they all have off days. This must be one of Dick’s.

The sidewalks get wider once they reach the street that leads to the park. Families fill up the space, walking with strollers in front of them or lined up at a food cart. The vivid green of spring fills the grassy fields that lead to the large patches of trees, marking the edge of Poison Ivy’s territory. Clovers decorate the ground, bees moving from flower to flower. 

There are other dogs on walks as well, making circuits around the park or running after toys. Duke spots a cat in a walking harness as well and wonders if he can convince Damian to get one for Alfred the cat. 

The dog park is on the other end of the park, as far away from Ivy’s territory as possible. The fenced off areas are separated into big dogs and small dogs, with a helpful guide as to which dogs go where posted at the entrance. 

Duke slows to a walk, breathing deeply to help settle his heart rate back down to something normal. Haly walks by his side, tail wagging, as she watches the other dogs run back and forth behind the fence. 

She’s still small, just growing out of puppy size, so Duke leads her into the small dog area, carefully making sure the gate doesn’t open enough for any quick dogs to make a break for it. He walks over to a bench and sits down before undoing the harness on her, setting her loose. 

Haly licks his hand once, then darts away, barking lightly as she joins the other dogs tumbling around each other. 

Amused, Duke leans back at watches as the other dogs sniff her, then do their funny little bowing stomps, moving back and forth before running off so she can give chase. 

He figures staying for an hour will be good enough. That should get the most of her energy out, and then they can make the long trek back to Dick’s safehouse so he can pick her up before he heads back to Bludhaven. Pulling out his phone, Duke settles in to wait, keeping half his attention on Haly just in case any of the other dogs decide to get a little too rough.

The first twenty minutes pass peacefully. Haly runs around and the owners of the other dogs give her pets when she runs up to them. One even went over to Duke to offer him a pack of fruit gummies. 

Then a loud bark fills the air and Duke jerks upright, watching with wide eyes as a colossally large dog, green and glowing and slightly transparent, comes barrelling down the street, headed right towards them. 

He doesn’t have time to yell Haly’s name before the dog is in the fence. None of the other dog owners look alarmed, though, so he watches carefully, prepared to jump up and save Haly at a moment’s notice.

“Cujo!” someone yells from down the street. A guy with dark hair comes running up and smoothly jumps over the fence. “Cujo, how many times do I have to tell you not to run off like that?”

The green dog, apparently Cujo, barks happily.

“And you’re too big for this park right now, buddy. Shrink, boy. It’s time to be small.”

And then Cujo… obeys? The dog shrinks, and instead of being the size of a bus, it’s now small enough to be carried in someone’s arms. 

Green dog is not enough warning for all of that. Dick owes him so much for this.

Actually, he’s kind of shocked that Dick never mentioned this to anyone. Surely a giant green dog would get people’s attention. Why is this the first time he’s heard about it?

“You new around here?” someone asks, and Duke turns to see the person who gave him the fruit gummies.

“Kinda? It’s my first time coming to the dog park. I’m looking after Haly, that one right over there.” He points out Haly, who is running in circles around Cujo.

“Ah, I see. Dick mentioned someone new would be coming today.”

Duke narrows his eyes. He’s starting to get the feeling that he’s been set up for something, but he’s not sure what. 

“I’ll give you the spiel we tell all newcomers, in that case,” they continue. “Cujo is a ghost dog. Poor thing died during some animal testing, far as we know. Danny looks after him, since Cujo got attached to the kid years ago before he moved to Gotham. He’s a kind one, but very nervous, and we’ve all got an agreement to keep quiet about him and Cujo round this parts. You better be holding your tongue, as well, ya hear me?”

“Sure thing,” Duke nods. “My lips are sealed.”

He’ll just ask Dick about the ghost dog situation and do his own investigation if needed. But Cujo is just a dog, and his owner is just a guy. Nothing threatening, nothing requiring a Bat’s attention.

“Good,” they nod. “I’ll get out of your hair now.” They’re gone before Duke can reply, adjusting the hat on their head as they head back to their group in the back left corner of the dog park. 

Satisfied that things are under control, Duke relaxes back into the bench, watching Haly and Cujo tumble around with the other dogs, barking happily. Haly’s still growing into her paws, so she trips and falls often, but gets up without a moments pause, ready to keep playing.

From the corner of his eyes, Duke catches sight of someone walking towards him. 

He looks over and finds Cujo’s owner—Danny, wasn’t it?—approaching. Their eyes meet, and Danny offers him a sheepish smile and a wave. His eyes are a dark blue that seem to glow with some otherworldly light, and Duke can swear he sees something shifting around him, as if the air has turned visible and twists around his body like wisps of smoke. 

“Mind if I sit with you?” Danny asks, and Duke moves to the side a bit.

“Go ahead,” he says.

“You’re Duke, right? Dick told me about you last week.”

It’s looking more and more like Dick is up to something, and Duke will need to get his revenge. “Did he? All good things, I hope.”

“Aha, yeah, all good things. Um, actually I think I should apologize? I maybe said you sounded like my type so Dick promised that he’d get you here somehow. Sorry if this is messing up your plans for the day.”

Oh. Oh! 

Well. That’s interesting. 

Duke quietly shelves his plans for revenge against Dick and takes a proper look at Danny. He’s shy, but with a bright smile, glowing eyes and strange smoke curling around him still, and messy black hair windswept from chasing after Cujo. There’s a flush in his cheeks and his long fingers fiddle with the string of his dark red hoodie. 

“Don’t worry, I didn’t have any plans today. This is way better than just sleeping all day.”

“Well, I don’t know about that,” Danny laughs, “There’s nothing I like more than being able to sleep all day. That would fix me for sure.”

There’s a loud bark, and Danny’s eyes snap back to Cujo, who is growing bigger. “Cujo!” Danny yells, voice sharp. “Shrink down, or we go home.”

Cujo grumbles, whines, then goes back to being little. The green dog only has a moment to look sad before Haly is tackling him, sending them back into another chase around the park. 

“Sorry about that,” Danny says, slouching against the bench. 

“It’s all good,” Duke replies. “So. I’m your type, huh?”

Danny’s cheeks turn a deep, charming red. He looks away, then nods and ducks his head down. 

“And that hasn’t changed after meeting me?”

Danny shakes his head, then peeks over at Duke, gaze slowly moving up his body until he meets Duke’s eyes. “Definitely hasn’t changed,” he says.

Now it’s Duke’s turn to feel his cheeks burn, flustered and pleasantly surprised by Danny’s boldness. It doesn’t help that Danny is cute, someone he can see himself falling for. 

“Good,” he says, then knocks his knee against Danny’s. “I wouldn’t mind getting to know you more. On one condition.”

“Oh? And what would that be?”

“Tell me what Dick told you about me. I wanna make sure he wasn’t sharing an embarrassing stories about me. If I’m gonna make a fool of myself, then I’ll do it myself with no outside help.”

Danny’s laugh is bright and warm and sends butterflies dancing in Duke’s stomach. “Fair enough!” he says. “And you know what? I’ll trade you for embarrassing stories. Trust me, I have so many. Nothing you’ve done can be worse that the dumb shit I do on a regular basis.”

“Woah, woah, woah, confident, aren’t we? Don’t say that until you’ve heard about some of the stupid situation I choose to throw myself into.”

“Please, I’m an younger brother. If anyone knows how to be stupid, it’s me.”

“I’m part of the disaster that is the Wayne family. I think that has you beat.”

“My parents are mad scientists and my dog is a ghost. Try again.” The teasing smile on Danny’s lips makes him want to be reckless, to keep pushing, to go down this path as far as he can.  Duke can’t remember the last time he clicked with someone so instantly, to be so comfortable with them so soon. 

Damn. He’s gonna have to thank Dick for this, isn’t he?

As if on cue, his phone buzzes in his pocket. Duke pulls it out with an apologetic smile to Danny, who leans back a bit to give him some privacy.

The text that pops up is from Dick. It’s a photo of him and Danny from the side, heads bent close together as they talk with bright smiles. He can just make out the wild red curls of Kori’s hair. 

“I’m gonna put jello in his socks,” Duke says cheerfully, already looking around to find where Dick is hiding. 

He probably already moved locations, the ass. 

“What’s up?” 

He holds out his phone so Danny can see the screen. Danny stares at it, then looks around, then stares at the screen again. 

“...Is he watching us?”

“Yep.”

“...Should we do something about it?”

Duke shrugs. “I mean, I’m up for hunting him down and tackling him if you are.”

“I can do you one better,” Danny says with a sharp grin. He whistles, and Cujo comes running over, Haly at his heels, and he skids to a stop to sit before Danny. “Cujo. You remember Dick?” Cujo barks, as if answering. “Fetch! Go fetch Dick!”

Cujo jumps to his feet, grows from the size of a pug to a bear, and takes off for the art instillation farther into Robinson Park. Moments later, they hear a yell followed by loud laughter, and Cujo and running back, Dick hanging from his mouth, with Kori, Donna, and Roy following after him at a leisurely stroll. 

“I think we’re gonna get along great,” Duke says. “He’s gonna wish he never set us up.”

“That’s the way to do it,” Danny agrees.

“Say, wanna grab lunch together tomorrow?”

Danny blinks, then blushes again. “What, like a date?”

“Yeah, as a date. You up for it?”

“How could I say no? I was promised embarrassing stories.”

He watches as Cujo drops a rumpled looking Dick to the ground, half his shirt soaked with saliva. He dramatically mimes being shot in the heart when he sees them both looking at him, and goes limp when Kori picks him up and tries to set him on his feet. 

Then he tries to act very calm and cool as Danny leans against him. “Think he’s gonna follow up on our date?” Danny asks in a low voice.

Duke closes his eyes and tries not to despair. He didn’t even think of that. “Worse. He’s going to tell everyone else, then we’ll have every available Wayne kid stalking us on our date.”

“Guess I’ll have to rely on you to chase them off, huh?”

“Or we can sic Cujo on them again.”

“Or that,” Danny nods. “It’s always effective.”

He’s really going to have to bring his best to the date tomorrow, just to stay a step ahead of everyone else. Maybe he’ll ask Barbara for a favor and get her to lead them off? And if Bruce gets involved, then Duke is fully prepared to flashbang him, grab Danny, and run. 

It’s going to be a disaster.

It’s going to be fun.

He’s already looking forward to it, and from the mischievous smile on Danny’s face, he’s not the only one.

[cadykeus-clay]

i would low key love to hear your tangent about the differences there are between how VM and TM9 react with the world

ah, the perfect excuse for me to put off my 30 page reading, thank you :3

(i’m also going to preface this by saying most of this is stuff i’ve picked from other people’s various metas and i absolutely do not remember who those authors might be so i apologize jsdlkfsd)

....

but uh ... basically i feel like vox machina and the nein have a completely opposite standard for how they interact with the people the consider to be their “inner circle” vs. everyone who doesn’t qualify as that. 

vm is a group of individuals who, overall, had one cruel person that slighted them but didn’t really destroy their faith in humanity. (their faith in themselves is a whole different horse. that ones .... woof. looking at you percy scanlan tary keyleth.) Percy had the briarwoods, Grog had Kevdak, the twins and tary had their father. so, the way that they interact with just random people that they meet is - with exceptions of course - amicable, or at the very least, respectably polite. 

they’re the saviours of emon, the freers of whitestone. they have festivals held in their honor. they have kid fans and random farmers knocking on their doorstep for aid because they’ve heard tales of the kindness. sure, vex can be a hassle when she’s haggling down a price, and keyleth tends to poke buttons in way that gets her arrested a fair amount of the time, but at the end of the day they’re the people’s heroes, and they’re happy to be that!

their inner circle, however, is much more closely guarded. they have a few chosen allies (gilmore, allura, kima, kash and zahra, cassandra) and that’s it. They’re hesitant with anyone else trying to creep into their personal fold. Hell, it took beating up tary and him breaking down sobbing for them to even consider liking him. they’ve been burned by raishan and clarota and hotis, by individuals they let in and who then stabbed them in the back. they’ll do almost any favor for a stranger who asks, but they’ll be damned if they trust anyone to actually join their midst. vox machina is vox machina is vox machina and that’s incredibly hard to change. 

the nein, on the other hand, are fundamentally a group of rejects. some of them have specific people they can point a finger at and say “i hate you”, but those problems stem from a greater societal rejection. beau has daddy issues, but she also felt rejected by the entire cobalt soul until dairon found her. caleb has trent’s fucked up shit, but he also has this constant pressure of having failed his entire country, not to mention the faceless hate piled up on him from living homeless for a year. jester’s whole deal is that she had to hide from LITERALLY ALL OF SOCIETY for her entire childhood because she wasn’t supposed to exist.

and so, the nein are shitheads to society right back. they’re mean to random barkeeps, they trash their inns and don’t say sorry, they mock most NPCs behind their back (or sometimes right to their face. @ marius).  Every favor asked of them comes with a ton of deliberation and arguing about whether its bait or not (ie bowlgate, the giants in the mine outside rosohna, essiks “favors”). 

but, on the flip side, they’re willing to tug just about anyone into their ranks. if society already hates them by default, what’s there to lose if they get close to someone? nothing, there’s only more love to be found! so it’s adopting random bird girls on the road, its sending cupcakes to a hag that cursed your friend, its sending messages to everyone you’ve ever met just to check in, it’s making someone sit in the hot tub with you and share trauma and then when you find out he started a war you say “we get it bro” and kiss him on the forehead. it’s “welcome to the mighty nein”. 

and it’s also very interesting, i think, to talk about the ways in which the party interacts with themselves. vox machina was a family, undoubtedly, as is the nein now. but vox machina ... had a lack of desperation to their attachment. i mean for one, they took a full year off from adventuring together and scattered cross continent. even if the nein gets down time like they did, i expect they’ll just trail each other around like lemmings. (its kind of what they’ve been doing from hiatus until now with the eiselcross arc starting). 

but vox machina just ... went. and scanlan walked away from the party and (after the heat of the moment), they agreed to just let him be. and pike would spend weeks on quests for sarenrae without much of a complaint. even at the end - and this will be a controversial take, i know - but they let vax go pretty easily. (sure, mechanically they were wiped from fighting, but besides tears the only attempt to defy trq was from percy, which even he gave up on with minimal struggle because vax said to stop it). that’s not to say they don’t miss each other when they’re gone! of course they do!!! but they trust each other to go off into the world, because the world as whole is a place they trust. 

(the one exception to this might be vex, who fought every one of these situations adamantly, but that’s a whole separate essay about her issues stemming from an innate sense of ‘failed family’ that she’s desperate to not repeat, and less about a mistrust of everyone until proven otherwise)

the nein on the other hand. hoo boy. they’ve been hot glued to each other’s hips since day one. So many quotes (many from beau, which could be worked into my previous vex essay, as they’re very much cross-campaign foils. getting sidetracked again) are about their inability to separate. “You don’t get to choose who cares about you”; “No one goes”; “If one of us is gone for more than 7 days assume we’re dead and have a funeral”; “Do we have co-dependecy issues?” Jester’s cool personal vacation to her god’s get together turned into a party with everyone because why would she go anywhere without the nein? Veth’s time with Luc and/or Yeza is constantly overrun with the rest of the nein dropping in for fun. Even small things like shopping trips are so much more “oh well if you’re going then i’ll go” snowballs than they ever were with vm. 

Also, ashley’s absences had to be much more forceful than in c1. Post episode 11, the only time yasha left the group (rather than someone else piloting her) of her own free will was when she ran in grief from molly’s grave. And yes, there’s something to be said about “oh they were on a boat for a long time she had nowhere to go” but if Matt can justify astral projection pike, i feel like he could justify ‘the stormlord teleports yasha away for a bit’ and he chose not to. 

Because!!!!!!!!! of the dynamic that the nein has!!!!!!!! Because of this idea that the world is bad and cold and full of hate and in here in our little hut (soon to be mansion??????) it’s safe and good and full of love and no one can leave because then you’d be going somewhere much more dangerous and we can’t have that, now can we? 

.....

well uh. that’s a lot of words. i hope they made some sense??? and were at all what you were expecting???? thank u for sending the ask tho this was very fun to write!!

tldr: vox machina is a group of people who were betrayed by one bad figure, so they trust the world and are wary of the individual; whereas the nein is a group of people who were failed by the world at large so they welcome the loner and fear the pack. 

[takerfoxx]

Here, have some more of the WN girls watch The Rebellion Story, this time stretching from Moemura turning back into classic Homura while monologuing to herself to when she shoots herself in the head!

Yes, this is the one with the gunfight.

Reminder:

G=Gretchen

H=Homulilly

Op=Ophelia

Ok=Oktavia

Ca=Candeloro/Mami

Ch=Charlotte

...

Op: Dramatic transformation!

H: All I did was take off my glasses and ribbons.

Op: And you did so dramatically! Complete with a slo-mo hair flick while framed by the full moon!

Ch: Which is apparently about to crash into the city, given how close it is.

Ok: “This is a witch’s labyrinth.” Gee, yah think?!

…

Ok: Okay, where exactly are you headed?

H: Deep into the bowels of the earth, apparently.

Op: Quick! To the Homu-Cave!

G: So, uh, can you see all those windows with the witches, or…?

H: Probably not. It probably still looks normal to me.

Op: Now that just sucks! If you’re going to monologue dramatically you at least ought to be able to appreciate the accompanying visuals!

Ch: “Previously, on Homura Magica…”

G: We probably should have watched the show first. Maybe then all of this would make sense.

Ch: I sincerely doubt it.

…

Ch: Why do all of my scenes have me looking like some brand of idiot?

Ok: Have you seen yourself whenever you get within sniffing distance of a piece of mozzarella? If anything, the doll you is way more composed!

Ch: Oh, so I stick teacups on top of my head, is that what you’re saying?

Op: No, usually you smash them and anything else that’s between you and that sweet, sweet cheesy goodness.

…

Ok: Oh, exposition!

Ch: About my idiot counterpart. I really hope I am the villain and this is all some kind of clever ruse, because otherwise, my God.

G: This is really cute, though. And at least you two are close in this universe too!

Ch: I’m basically a pet.

Ca: Well, if I must have a pet, I’m glad that it’s you.

Ch: Woof-woof.

=from outside, Cheese starts screeching=

Che: Bitch-ass cayennnnnne!

Ca: Whoops. He heard.

…

Ch: …Candy? Are you okay?

Ca: I’m…fine. Just memories.

G: You mean it was really like that?

Ca: Well, Charlotte obviously wasn’t a doll, we weren’t trapped in a bizarre facsimile of the city, and there were no Nightmares, but yes. It was a lonely time.

Op: Because of me, wasn’t it?

Ca: Ophelia, you had literally just lost your family, and I…wasn’t as sympathetic as I ought to have been. So no. It wasn’t because of you. Besides, we did make up later. Had a long conversation and everything. There were even tears.

Op: Well, that’s good to hear.

Ca: Actually, it was pretty close to how it is in the movie, once everyone had shown up. The five of us spending all our time together. Fighting together, training together, celebrating together, and just being girls together. For me, it was probably the happiest I had ever been.

Ok: Right up until my love life went sour.

Ca: Oh, there was so much more to it than just that. Besides, it was all just a temporary thing, a staving off the inevitable. What we have now might be much less exciting but is so much better.

Op: I dunno. Fighting demonic teddy-bears every night sounds like my idea of a good time.

Ca: We didn’t have teddy-bears, remember?

Op: Well, we should have.

…

Ok: Um…Homulilly?

H: Well, this has gotten interesting.

Op: You know, there are a lot of jokes I could be making about you freezing time right next to your crush, but I won’t.

H: Thank you.

G: I don’t get it...Actually, I do. Never mind.

Ok: Shoot the rat! He’s right there!

Ch: Oh, no. She’s going after me. Huh.

H: Huh indeed.

=Charlotte and Homulilly shoot each other an odd look=

Op: So…are we gonna get Homulilly vs. Charlotte?

H: More of Homura vs. Bebe, it seems.

Ch: So…I am the villain.

Op: If you’re lucky, you’ll get an overly dramatic and campy solo number, complete with a pipe organ!

…

G: This is getting a little hard to watch.

Ch: It’s not me.

G: It kind ofis.

H: Charlotte, I would like to take this moment to say that you are a dear friend of mine, and the actions of my counterpart do not reflect my feelings.

Ch: Thanks. Same.

=pause=

Ch: Though could your other self please stop choking me? It is getting kind of weird.

…

Op: Okay, that cinches it! Homura can definitely see the weird!

Ok: How do you figure?

Op: The fact that she’s leaping from dessert tray on a stick to dessert tray on a stick! Why would she be doing that unless she could see them?

Ok: I don’t know. Maybe they just look like telephone poles to her.

H: No, the illusion has clearly dropped, at least for me.

Ch: I’m about to get executed and that’s what you choose to focus on?

Op: For all you know you’re about to snap and bite Homura’s head off.

Ch: I…seriously doubt that. I mean, she is kind of the main character.

Ok: Though hey, wouldn’t that be such a wicked twist? To build up someone as a super-important character only to kill them off like a quarter of the way through?

=Candeloro frowns, a puzzled look on her face=

…

Op: Erm…

H: Well, this is certainly condescending.

Ca: It’s not inaccurate, though. I did struggle with many doubts and insecurities, and often found it difficult to put on a brave face.

Ch: That’s just called being human, babe.

Op: Most humans never went through what we went through.

Ca: That’s also true. Like I said, Homura isn’t wrong. I often felt like I was on the edge of cracking. There was more than one time when one of you would get hurt during a fight, and I would make a big show of being calm and unbothered. I’d encourage you and maybe lightly scold you for letting your guard down, and when you were all healed up I’d reassure everyone that I knew everything would be fine and try my best to carry on as normal. And then, when everyone was gone, I’d spend the rest of the night crying. You were right to assume I would react badly if you accused my close companion of being some kind of nefarious villain.

=long, uncomfortable pause=

H: Maybe so, but I think that my other self here wasn’t in the habit of giving people the benefit of the doubt. I think that her frequent failures might cause her to assume the worst of everyone, and act accordingly. I don’t think that she is giving you a fair shake.

Ca: That’s sweet of you to say so, Homulilly. But realistically speaking, she had reason not to trust me with this information.

…

Ch: Yeesh.

H: It’s okay. You can say it.

Ch: Say what?

H: That this alternate version of myself is kind of…shall we say…

Ok: Incredibly terrifying?

H: Just a little psychotic, yes.

G: Well, I mean, considering what she went through. You were lucky to stop after four loops. How many times did she have to relive my death over and over?

Ch: Still doesn’t make watching me get shoved up against a wall and the life choked out of me any more fun to watch.

…

Ch: Hold up!

Op: Well, hey! Wife to the rescue!

Ca: But…how…?

G: Oh. That is…a long ribbon.

Op: Did you have that attached to her foot the whole time?

Ca: I mean, I guess…

Ok: How did she even know you were up to something?

Ca: Intuition, I suppose. Maybe the lack of glasses and the new hairstyle tipped me off?

Ok: Why would that-

Ca: I don’t know, I’m just throwing guesses out.

H: Well, consider me impressed. Clearly, this other me underestimated you.

Ca: Thank you.

Ch: OKAY! If having my stupid doll face on every billboard in town doesn’t tip you off, then nothing will!

G: Homura’s probably the only one that can see it like that. Mami probably just sees a shoe advertisement or something.

Ch: You know what? That’s actually kind of a relief.

…

Ok: Oh, shit!

Ch: Could you stop trying to kill me? Please?

H: Believe me, if I could stop me, I would.

Op, suddenly sitting up straighter: Hold on, is this going where I think it’s going?

Ok: I think it is! I think it is!

Ca: Oh, here we go.

G: What?

Ok: Homura and Mami are going to fight!

G: Oh. Oh!

H: Candeloro, just like I said with Charlotte, the actions and beliefs of this alternate self of mine-

Ca: Homulilly, relax. It’s fine. These other versions of ourselves took different paths than we did. I don’t hold any of this against you.

H: Likewise.

Ca: Good.

=pause=

Op: Fifty talents on Mami.

Ch: Oh, good Lord.

Ok: You’re on! Time stop, Fee! That’s so overpowered!

Op: Which our girl neutralized without Little Miss Sleuth even knowing.

H: Is this really-

Op: Plus Mami’s the veteran fighter, remember? The tanky heavy?

Ok: Uh, Homura’s got multiple timeloops of experience, okay. That trumps Mami’s couple of years.

Ca: It was more like three…

G: I’m in! I’m betting on Lilly!

H: On Homura. I’m not fighting anyone.

Ok: Same diff! You better win, though. We’ve got money riding on this.

Ch: Well, I’m joining Fee and betting on Mami. I think you’ll find her more of a handful than you’re bargaining for.

Ca: Out of all the childish-

Ch: Buck up! You’ve got fifty talents to win me!

=Homulilly extends her hand across the couch=

H: Hey. May the best fighter win.

=pause, then Candeloro sighs and shakes her hand=

Ca: Oh, why not. You’re on!

…

Ch: Well, that ribbon ain’t going nowhere. Time stop, still neutralized.

Op: Ha! What I say?

Ca: My Bebe’s life is in danger. My will is resolute.

Ch: You are not turning Bebe into a pet name.

Ok: Come on, come on. Get with the fighting already!

=long pause as Mami and Homura have their staredown, and then they leap…=

Op: Oh, yeah! Here we go!

…

Op: Holy shit!

Ok: Go! Go!

G: Wow. That is a lot of guns.

…

Ch: Come on, babe. You can do this.

Ok: THIS! IS! SO! FREAKING! COOL!

G: Look at their faces! They still don’t want to hurt each other.

Ch: Oh, come on, doll-me! Get out of there already!

…

Op and Ch: Let’s go, Mami!

Ok and G: Ho-Mu-Ra!

Op: Let’s go, Mami!

Ok and G: Ho-Mu-Ra!

H: This is easily the weirdest thing we’ve ever done.

Ok: Oh, what? The thing with the sea-monster wasn’t weirder?

H: That was just…messy! We’re watching me and Candeloro’s alternate future selves in a fight to the death and you four are treating it like a pro-wrestling event!

Ca: Yeah. And I’m going to win.

=pause=

H: Did I say you could stop chanting?

Ok and G: Ho-Mu-Ra!

…

Op: Downtown is getting fuuuucked uuuup!

Ch: Just wait until she unfreezes time.

G: Jeez, I can’t tell if you’re both terrible shots or just extremely good at dodging!

H: Definitely the second.

Ok: And now we come to the stand-off.

Op: Nowhere to go, barely any room to breathe. Hey, Lilly, is the kinetic force of those bullets maintained?

H: What?

Op: I know they’re stuck in time, but can you just pluck them out of the air, or would you still be damaged by the heat and contained momentum?

H: I…have no idea.

Op: Best not to touch them then.

H: Probably smart.

…

Op: And time starts up…now.

G: Oh, that looks so unsafe.

Ok: Yeah! I mean, sure, if they hold still they won’t get hit with the bullets right next to them. But the freaking air was full of them! What’s keeping a spray of bullets from raining down from above and turning their heads into swiss cheese? Oh, sorry Char.

Ch: Y’know, unlike my moronic counterpart, I can hear the word “cheese” without freaking out.

Op: And that’s not getting into ricochets. They ought to be perforated right now.

Ca: My bullets were magic. They only ricocheted when I wanted them to. Most times they’d either pierce right through or exploded on impact.

Op: Homura’s aren’t.

Ca: True.

…

Ok: So much for your surroundings. Where the hell are you guys anyway?

H: Looks like some kind of cathedral. Only a very…eccentric one.

Ok: City’s getting weirder by the minute.

G: It could be symbolic for something. Like, I don’t know, violence in a place of sanctuary or…something?

Ch: Or gothic architecture just makes for an awesome place to stage an action scene and the animators and directors know it.

Ok: Stop killing the magic!

Op: Though, hell, speaking of which, would they actually die if they got shot? I mean, I know it would hurt, but…

Ca: Hypothetically? No. So long as the soul gem itself was unharmed, any damage would eventually heal.

G: Like we do?

Ca: Er, sort of, but not in the same way. Their bodies are still flesh and blood. Injuries back then tended to be…messy. And healing used up magic, and if those injuries were too great…

Ok: Witch time?

Ca: Bingo.

…

Ch: “Not getting anywhere.” Now there’s the understatement of the year.

G: So who won? Was it a draw?

Ca: So far, but I don’t think it’s over yet.

H: Indeed. I seem to be…up to something.

Op: Okay, if none of those big honkin’ rifles and machine-guns weren’t working, what good is that little peashooter, gonna…hold on!

=Homura puts the gun to her head. Half-a-second of stunned silence, and then everyone starts yelling at once=

G: Oh, no. Oh, no.

Ch: Oh, my God. They are going there.

Op: Okay. OKAY!

Ok: What the hell is she doing?!

Ca: No, no, no, no, no, no, no…

H: What is wrong with you?! Why are you like this?!

=bang=

=collective scream=

[taeswurld]

Ace II [Dawgo]

pairing: bakugo x fem!reader

genre: humor, romance

TW: violence, cursing, angst, fluff

Summary: Shifting into My Hero was a total mistake, all those tiktoks you watched on a daily about shifting somehow convinced your brain to take part. Now the question is how to wake up, and most importantly, DON’T GET ATTACHED TO STUPID DRAWINGS!

A/N:

Hi! Welcome to chapter two! I try to keep everything in my story as neutral as possible discussing appearance, economic status, and family dynamics! If something seems uncomfortable to you, or you think I am getting too specific, please let me know!

{ACE MASTERLIST}

Okay, okay, okay. 

Just calm down, all you need to do is find the way to get out of here without another person seeing you. 

Also, find out just WHERE you are. 

Although, after seeing the short girl with the cute little blue bob, you might just have a slight clue. 

The thing is, how are you in a fucking anime? Like that should literally be so impossible but make so much sense at the same time. The way everything is so familiar, the halls, the room, the fact that the building you’re in is HUGE. It just makes sense but at the same time it doesn’t. 

If worst comes to worst, you can always just explain to someone you aren’t from here, but then they would think you’re crazy and probably throw you in a psych ward. 

Ding. 

Shit. Shit. Shit. 

Okay, okay, just act normal. Pretend you’ve been here forever, jus-

“Yo, you good?” 

You bring your face up to see a boy with blonde, or well piss-yellow fits the description more, hair and a little black lighting bolt. 

“Huh? Oh sorry what?” Stop sounding like an idiot! At this point they’re bound to know you aren’t from here!

“I asked if you’re good, you seem a little jumpy. Although, it would make sense after last night. Recovery girl said you were gonna wake up with a pretty bad headache. Speaking of which,” he called out as he started walking away. “There should be some painkillers in the kitchen. Just ask one of the girls, they’re the ones who always take it for some goddamn reason.” 

Oh, okay so apparently you weren't wrong. 

You somehow managed to get into a stupid cartoon. But the question is how...

“Woof!”

You quickly snapped out of your trance to take a peek at Hiro. He was stretching out and whining. 

‘Hey, don’t forget about the food. I’m starving here.’

You decided to follow the way the boy went just to avoid getting lost or something. God knows you don’t need anymore confusion right now. 

Which comes to the question...what happened last night? 

From what you remember, you spent until 3 a.m. watching stupid tik tok videos about shifting and transferring energy and shit. You remember seeing this one girl say you need to believe in yourself and calm you aura down or whatever that means. You couldn’t remember the actually stuff you were supposed to do when you succeeded, but then again you never planning on actually going into a different dimension. 

But what happened here last night? What was the accident the boy mentioned? 

Also weirdly enough, you can’t remember his name, even though you’re pretty sure you’ve watched the show at least a hundred times already and even resulted to reading the manga and some fan fiction. 

You’re obsessed with these characters and storyline, so why can’t you really remember anything? You have a rough idea of the timeline, but nothing too clearly. You are aware that you had a life in an actual dimension, like you can remember your home, and your family, and your neighborhood. You remember almost every scar on your body the the story behind it, and you remember that really embarrassing thing in middle school. So why can't you remember anything that pertains to the stupid T. V. show your stuck in?

God none of this is making your headache any better. You need that Tylenol, and ASAP. 

You make your way into what seems to be a common room, a bunch of people are mingling around, getting breakfast, turning on the morning news and some of them are even reading newspapers. Not a single phone in sight. 

Jesus is everyone here secretly 50 or something? 

You have Hiro walk in front of you, and do a quick little whistle note to keep his guard up. 

Apparently, that whistle happened to catch everyone else’s attention as well. 

“Hey! You took a pretty hard hit last night! You feeling any better?” 

A girl with a brown, short fringe comes up to you. She has a cute little round face, and has two little blush marks etched on her cheeks. She gives you a quick little smile of reassurance and comfort, while also seeming a little concerned. 

Before she's able to get into 6 feet of you though, Hiro starts growling and showing his teeth in an act of dominance. He quickly puts his stance up, and lets her know to back off. 

“Woah, woah L/N! You need to calm your dog down before he hurts someone!”

Some guy in glasses comes up to you. He's kinda stiff, with an undercut and you needing to look up at him, since he’s actually extremely tall. Jesus, he had to be at least 6′3. 

“He’ll back off when people stop pestering me and give me space. You yelling isn’t exactly making it better.” you quickly announce. There’s way too much confusion going on, everyone is caging you and if they don’t quit it, Hiro is gonna go crazy dangerous in a couple of seconds. 

“I need everyone to back the fuck up. My dog isn’t dangerous but he’s really territorial. This can get really ugly, really fast if y’all don't back. the. FUCK. UP!”

“Hey! Okay! Okay! We’re giving you space, but you need to get your pet under control! If he attacks a student, I’ll have no choice but to report you to Mr. Aizawa and have him removed from the premises!” the tall dude with the glasses quickly announces. Jesus does this motherfucker have an off button? “Yeah, yeah. I heard you. Jesus what crawled up your ass and died?” You mutter rolling your eyes. It’s not even 8 in the morning yet, and you have a headache, you’re hungry, your dog is hungry, and you’re fucking confused. 

“Look does anyone have any Tylenol? I’m in a shitty mood and my head hurts like a bitch.” You quickly grab onto something feeling like your gonna pass out any second. 

“Hey you shitty extra! Watch your fucking hands!”

Oh my fucking God. 

[hopevalley]

Season 8, Episode 8: A Parade and a Charade

A lot happened in this last episode so there’s plenty to discuss! I’ll try to keep my thoughts...a manageable length. :)

Plotlines:

The Christopher Report

Triangle Tribulations

Bill’s Wounded Pride

Miscellaneous Stuff (FloYo, The Canfields, Dress Shop, Jesse, Infirmary)

This episode has been a little different from the others this season in that we had two pretty big plotlines going on, one medium-sized one, and a bunch of small flickers of plots. Things still managed to flow together pretty well over all, though, I think, but it was a shift I felt was noticeable.

For what it’s worth I mostly enjoyed this episode. There were a few little nitpicks (as usual) but I’ve really been feeling this season that we have a good batch of actors that work really well together and that’s been nice to see.

--

The Christopher Report

Mr. Christopher Hughes, resident Bad Boy™ and the object of Rachel’s immense and expansive Thirst™... 

I’m sure his character arc is going to match that of the average Adopted Child. That is to say, I feel that his arc will follow the same patterns that characters of his archetype usually do. He hates his biological parent who abandons him but becomes curious against his better judgment. He meets his biological father and feels anger/resentment at first, but there’s something there that feels Human and he can’t ignore it. Over time he starts to care, again against his better judgment. In Christopher’s case, it seems likely that the original reason for striking up a relationship will present itself later in the story (perhaps not this season, but next); it won’t be a wholesome attempt to connect, but rather an intent to bamboozle.

Remember Rosemary’s words from earlier: she knows a performance when she sees one. But we’ll get to that.

It’s a good idea for a storyline, and I have some faith in the payoff being worth it if we keep the same head writer for next season. This is the kind of thing best explored over a period of time and they’re doing well with the pacing. 

This episode, we first see Christopher when he surprises Rachel at the dress shop.

He mentions they haven’t taken in the sights in town yet, and Rosemary overhears from the back room. She asks him what sights and he switches his story to saying that he was thinking that Rosemary and Lee could take both he and Rachel around town and show them everything. Rosemary says it’s a great idea and of cOURSE they can do that! As soon as Christopher is gone, Rosemary starts lecturing Rachel on the type of freedom she’s trying to experience in Hope Valley. She pretty much says she and Lee don’t approve of Christopher while Rachel ignores her and sneaks out the back door.

The very next scene Christopher surprises Rachel again, but this time with a, uh...hands on approach.

He tells her he’s not afraid of her aunt or uncle, and she says she knows he’s not afraid of Lee because she saw him steal his pocketwatch when he arrived in town. He’s surprised that she didn’t say anything and he calls her “a little sneak.” She starts throwing things at him playfully and he asks, “You’re not afraid of me?” She says she isn’t and he tells her he’s as gentle as a lamb.

She says she doubts that, and he walks through the fire of her throwing hats (or whatever they are) at him and grabs her wrists. She takes the opportunity to kiss him and he laughs. They’re broken up by the sound of people coming closer so he tells her he’ll come to her house tonight and to listen for a sound at her window.

In the next scene, Henry walks into Nathan’s office where Bill seems to be...assisting Nathan? That’s my best guess as to what’s going on. Bill strikes up a conversation with Henry and Henry says they could have gotten drinks to chat if that’s what Bill wanted (it seems very Small Talky but Bill ain’t that kind of man). In fact, Bill destroys the peaceful atmosphere instantly and makes it clear that this is a business discussion, and his questions were business-related.

If I was a bettin’ man I’d wager that Bill will piece together some problems in Hamilton with Christopher, but eh, let’s not overextend my brain just yet.

Bill’s first and only real question is to ask when Christopher arrived in town but Henry gets upset and says Bill just wants to blame someone. I’m surprised Henry didn’t mention the bad blood between him and Bill leading to this, but I’m pretty sure that’ll be coming in the future. Nathan comes in and says nobody’s accusing anyone, they just turned up at the same time so they have to check everything. 

Later, Christopher runs out of Henry’s office and to the infirmary yelling for help. Henry was having trouble breathing and he got dizzy. There’s a big commotion about it and Faith tells Christopher that his father has very high blood pressure and they’ve been struggling to get it under control.

Christopher hones in on Lucas and goes after him for hiring Henry back even though he knew he shouldn’t be working. Bill intervenes and stops Christopher from getting too close to Lucas.

(Aside: I haven’t lost hope that they’ll do something with Bill and Christopher, at least from the angle of Bill having raised Christopher’s (dead) half-brother (which means Henry abandoned two women and two children straight-up), but I am starting to think it won’t happen this season.)

Around dinnertime, Henry talks with Carson and is in a good mood. When Carson asks why he’s had a sudden change of heart with wanting to get better (health-wise), he says Christopher called him “Dad” when he was worried about him, and it makes him want to do better because it means Christopher cares about him.

Y’all...that scene was so good. But. BUT. I feel like Henry has a big storm comin’ as it relates to Christopher. I just hope Henry’s self-improvements don’t backslide when he inevitably ends up disappointed in Christopher for one reason or another.

Outside, Christopher is sitting on the steps of Dottie’s Apparel across the way from the café and Rachel approaches him. She asks why he didn’t come to see her and he gets sassy about it, but she actually seems to understand exactly what he’s going through and calls him out excessively gently about it. I don’t like her instant attachment to Christopher but they’re young and dumb and at least she seems to Get Him.

She tells him that he’s not having dinner with his dad because he’s scared—scared of getting close to him, scared of feeling an attachment to him. The only way to protect himself from that attachment, and from the inevitable loss that you will one day experience in regards to them, is to not let it form in the first place.

He asks her what the solution is and she says he needs to take a chance. And then she ruins it by saying “Like when you stole Uncle Lee’s watch.” ?????? This is definitely some Into Bad Boys Teenage Girl Logic right there. There is literally no connection.

She gives him his handkerchief back and when he mentions it still has her lipstick on it, she says, “I know.” THIS GIRL IS TRYING TO GET HER A MAN AND SHE IS TRYING VERY HARD. I wouldn’t be surprised if these were things she read about in her tame bodice ripper novels though LMAO.

They then share a kiss and he promises to come and see her the next day at the store.

Rosemary and Lee mention to Elizabeth that Rachel’s mom wants her to come back home right away, and the next morning Rachel confides in Rosemary that she’s afraid that once she’s back in Bellingham she won’t ever be allowed to return to Hope Valley. Rosemary explains to her that she shouldn’t worry about that; leave it all up to her instead.

Christopher is busy working, digging a trench. He’s getting out some of his frustration and anger by doing this and Lucas seems a bit annoyed by him but otherwise accepting of his, uh, issues. At least...for now. Lucas seems to have come up to the worksite to suggest Christopher spend more time with Henry, as he feels bad that he didn’t realize Henry’s health was actually as bad as it was. 

But Christopher won’t go and just keeps angrily digging his ditch, and in fact he’s so consumed by this he doesn’t notice when Rachel leaves town. When he’s on break, he comes back into town only to find that the store is locked up for the day.

Seeing as how Rachel just found out the night before that she was leaving town, I think it’s plausible to imagine that...he doesn’t know she’s actually Gone. I almost feel bad for him.

Honestly, this young man is a whiz of an actor. He’s likable in that Fun Character kind of way where you never know if you should root for him or not. I’m not the type of person who generally likes characters like this, but color me intrigued. This show rarely has interesting characters in it that get to remain interesting. I hope Christopher gets to develop for the next couple of seasons if indeed they choose to keep him around. The guy can act! He plays funny, slimy, rude, arrogant, emotional, and even twitterpated really well, and he ain’t afraid to get dirty to sell the part. I respect that.

Can I just say how sorry for Henry I feel though, knowing—or at least feeling—that he will be blindsided in the near future with Christopher’s uh...faults? Woof.

--

Triangle Tribulations

There’s a huge part of me that doesn’t even want to discuss this. I just want to say, “That’s a yikes from me, Chief” and move on to the next point. It seems easier. And less awkward. And also...let’s be honest: I have no horse in this race.

I don’t care that much about Elizabeth as a character, and I care even less about what gentleman she might choose to set her sights on in the long run. 

But it’s become the central talking point of the show, so let’s discuss it!

Three years is a perfectly acceptable mourning period, but I think the show’s inability to hold its horses these last couple of years is just now catching up to it in the worst way. It puts Elizabeth in this awkward position where she has men interested in her and the show has framed her as being ready ish to move on, but then a new writer stepped in and was told to make sure the triangle lasted through most of the 8th season. How can he make it last when things have been set up for her to move on? Uhh, quick! Come up with something!

Oh, realism! She’s not actually ready to move on!

I mean, I don’t blame John Tinker for this. I blame the writer for S6 and S7 that rushed through the storytelling and gave us...whatever that was, where two men showed up out of nowhere and both set eyes on Elizabeth. I blame the marketing that made sure to sell S6 and S7 for the love triangle instead of the family-friendly or heartwarming elements of the story. It’s really sad that the triangle has come to...this. It didn’t have to. If they hadn’t tried making it a central point in S6 (literally months after Jack died when nobody was ready to really move on and nobody felt that Elizabeth would be ready, either) I don’t think things would be so awful, but it’s too late to go back, now.

Don’t get me wrong, the triangle feels pretty good this season. It’s tense. It’s interesting. Lucas really has shone in this season thus far (instead of coming across as creepy as he sometimes did for the first two seasons he was in), and Nathan is learning to be a little more...forthcoming with his feelings. I guess.

But it should have been S7. S7 should have had this level of care put into it for the triangle so that S8 was a chance for the choice to get some air.

Anyway, I’m not happy with it. I’m glad it’s almost over. I just want it to end. I do not care who the choice is, I just want her to choose.

In this episode, she confronted Nathan right out of the gate, and he wasn’t exactly pleased about it. She acts like he went into the adoption ceremony knowing damn well what Allie had done, but he insists he didn’t know and seems a bit hurt that Elizabeth would accuse him of being mean to her when he tells her that Allie’s list didn’t even have her on it.

Elizabeth later mentions this as a truth (the list, her name not being on it), so I don’t know what we’re supposed to think here. I’m gonna go with: her feelings were hurt and she lashed out.

Nathan’s temper is apparently done with Lucas, as he tells him to Save It at the end of the scene. I want to say I’m living for it but Lucas hasn’t really...done anything wrong, so...it feels misplaced.

(I want to say something about the fans being divided and this feeling more like fanservice/an attempt to stir the pot than anything that makes any sense.)

Elizabeth goes on to spend a little time with Lucas and it was very cool to see his office for the first time ever! Also, “pardon my French” was actually pretty funny here.

Nathan wants to talk to Allie about the adoption ceremony catastrophe but is called away before they can sit down and talk, which Allie is...sad about...for some reason? I guess even if it’s negative attention it’s better than no attention? That seems in line with her age. Elizabeth comments to Lucas about feeling sorry for Allie and wanting to comfort her, but in my opinion this is kind of misplaced and Lucas points out that he doesn’t mind her sharing a friendship with Nathan, but that...he doesn’t think Nathan will settle for it.

I’d probably be against Lucas on this matter but I already know that Lucas is right. Elizabeth seems to not to want to believe that but...I dunno. Part of the problem is that in a town this size, it’s really hard to have space. She wants to forget Nathan and focus on Lucas, but she’s constantly seeing both Allie and Nathan, and that makes it hard.

Around dinnertime she goes to Lucas’s office and he begs off dinner because he’s just not in a good state of mind after the whole thing with Henry, and he also seems like he’s had a few drinks. She offers to let him sit with her and it’s...uh...very cozy (probably the closest two bodies have ever been to one another on this show, hahaha).

He says he doesn’t want to be impatient and that she should leave. Which she does.

Fanning herself.

The next morning, Nathan approaches Lucas at the oil derricks to tell him that he hasn’t given up on Elizabeth just yet, to which...Lucas says he can do whatever he wants, but he needs to make sure he has the best interests of Allie and Elizabeth in mind, not his own. Nathan tries to say something else to him and Lucas says, “Save it.”

Which is fair and valid. I’d respect it more if Nathan’s “save it” had felt more believable earlier, though.

Either way, I’m at a point in this series where I’m starting to think Nathan’s just being selfish. His writing took an absolute beating in this episode and this isn’t even the worst part!

Allie invites Elizabeth to dinner. I hated this scene mostly because I think it will only make the hatred for Allie worse. Team Lucas fans tend to hate her because she acts so unreasonably and this scene was the worst example of it so far. She’s a young teenage girl (13/14 years old I’d guess) but this childish illustration card? Is something a 9 year old might pull (circumstances considered).

I’d find it more plausible if we just had more time with Allie, but we get so little and everything we’ve been getting hasn’t felt...quite right to me lately. I could understand the whole “inviting only Elizabeth and Nathan” because that’s actually quite clever of her, and even funny. She’s young and doesn’t understand the...bigger picture, or the Adult Feelings involved. I’m fine with it. But this? Oh please. They’re not doing Allie any favors.

I think she could have done something else that was more in line with her age. It could still be cringey, but not...like this. I’m certain it was meant to be a sassy response to being scolded because neither of them were aware they were the only ones invited (and Allie’s hand-drawn invitation makes it clear they’re the only two invited lol), but...eh.

The very next scene is Elizabeth confronting Nathan, though, which I do appreciate. This thing with Allie is so far out of hand by this point that he needs to absolutely sit her down and have a VERY serious heart-to-heart. She’s hurting and it feels like nobody is telling her the right thing.

Just before the adoption ceremony Nathan told her that Elizabeth was seeing Mr. Bouchard and Allie complained but Nathan did a great job of telling her that they should be happy that Elizabeth is happy and I LOVED THAT. So why does it feel like he didn’t mean any of it? Why didn’t he confront any of the other things Allie is probably feeling? 

Like, you know...that Elizabeth can still be her friend even if she’s seeing Mr. Bouchard?

Elizabeth asks Nathan for a word, and when she tells him that she wants to speak with Allie he tells her that Allie is home and is afraid to talk to Elizabeth without him being there. 

She asks why Allie is afraid but the fanfare starts for Bill, and Nathan doesn’t want to be rude but Elizabeth insists on continuing their conversation. 

Elizabeth tells him she was afraid it would happen if things didn’t work out between them.

Nathan says he doesn’t know what to tell her. He’s tried talking to Allie but nothing he says has convinced her that Elizabeth isn’t to blame. Elizabeth tells him that she thinks Allie should blame her because it’s Nathan she’s attached to/loves.

Their conversation is paused for a moment by Bill’s appearance but they pick right back up after Bill rides away on his horse. She says she tried to tell him at the parent/teacher conference that he is everything to Allie and he says he knows that, and that’s why he’s trying really hard not to show Elizabeth how he feels about her, and it’s why he turned down the promotion to inspector.

He wanted to leave but he couldn’t do it because Allie was so happy in Hope Valley. Elizabeth says that’s why they have to figure out how to make things okay again, because he said it himself, he stayed because Allie was happy!

He said, no, I said that was part of the reason.

And he looks away like he didn’t mean to say that, like in saying that, he’s said Too Much. And this isn’t about his feelings. This is...something else.

Elizabeth has suspected all along that he was hiding something and not telling her the whole truth about Fort Clay, but this behavior isn’t like him and she calls him out on it. She says she knows he’s hiding something and she wants to know what it is.

He tells her that at Fort Clay he was in charge of the training mission, not Jack. But he was disciplined for an earlier incident and they sent Jack instead. He says he’s sorry but there was never the right time to tell her.

The episode ends there.

I am...disappointed. I was hoping it would be something small that might have still weighed on his mind, like finding Jack’s body—having never met the man, having never known him, it would be so odd to know his wife and the home he loved but to have never known him. And to never really have a right to...ask about it either because it’s not your place.

But no, they really had to go there. They really had to make it like that. We’ve been guessing this since Nathan arrived in town as a possibility and I wish it had never happened.

I agree with all the people who think that there would be no point in the love triangle without Nathan being end-game, but ugh.

I’m fine with forgiveness and moving on, but back in S5 and S6 I made it very clear how I felt about the direction they were taking Abigail and Henry. For the purpose of clarification, Henry was actively awful (he was cruel to Abigail many times over and was part of the VERY DIRECT reason her husband and son died) and that was the biggest reason I opposed it. I think comparatively Nathan is harmless. But... I dunno.

It feels to me like they really want to tell that Type of story and...I’m not a fan. You can forgive someone without hooking up with them. In fact, that’s a way better moral to be dropping on this specific audience anyway.

I’m mostly disgusted at Nathan and have to now worry how they will write Lucas next to make sure he’s on equal ground. :(

Maybe Nathan’s posting in Hope Valley wasn’t out of guilt but the way he reacted to Elizabeth sure makes it seem like it was. Like he chose to come to Hope Valley to keep an eye on Jack’s family. And if it stayed at a friendship level I could respect it. I might even like it.

But... ugh. I mean, Nathan feels guilty. He knows his actions indirectly killed Jack. No, he is not to blame for it and I don’t think he blames himself—at least not in a traditional way. But the knowledge is there. He should have kept his feelings to himself. He should have NEVER decided he wasn’t going to give up on Elizabeth after she walked away from him. She didn’t say no but she shouldn’t have to. 

So he knew he was indirectly responsible for Jack’s death and he still let himself tell Lucas he wasn’t giving up on her. What the hell? 

I guess you can consider me #teamstaysingle now.

--

Bill’s Wounded Pride

This wasn’t a long or deep storyline but I wanted to dig into it a little bit since Bill’s my favorite character and all.

I really appreciate that they are giving Lee a chance to be a good listener. He got kind of overshadowed by Rosemary’s personality a bit in the past so it’s good to see a consistent show of it now. He’s so nice to Bill. I don’t feel like they’re great buds, but there’s a kind of...mutual respect there that has definitely been earned on both sides. Lee’s offer to listen to Bill vent was really nice.

After Bill goes off on Henry (sorta? barely?) Nathan calls Bill out for placing blame on Christopher by association of Henry, since he knows he and Henry have some bad blood between them.

But then Nathan kind of gets this self-righteous ramble about how maybe he’ll feel differently when he’s asked to hand in his serge, but it’s not helping Bill to prolong the process/put it off.

Which...while Nathan has a point, he’s just written throughout this entire episode like a selfish jerk. I get that he’s not that attached to his uniform (he’s younger, he’s willing to quit to settle down and marry), but you’d think he’d have a little sympathy for someone whose entire career was the Mounties and who is struggling to give up the last connection he has to that part of his life.

If Nathan was 18 or 19 I’d feel his reaction would be fully believable, but he’s probably in his 30s and should have a little more emotional maturity than this. 

Again, yes, Bill should just get rid of the uniform and be done with it. But it’s not as if Bill doesn’t know that. He’s struggling! A word of encouragement might help more than telling him to rip the bandaid off. If he talked this way to Allie it’s no wonder she’s so messed up.

Later that morning, Molly greets Lee about the lumber shipment Carson ordered for the infirmary and Jesse is grumpy. She jokes that she’s dealing with that, too, but with Carson and Faith. Lee adds that Bill is also in a bad mood, because he has to turn in his uniform. They briefly discuss that nobody has ever seen him in uniform.

Lee tells Molly that she’s in charge of fixing everyone else’s problems and leaves.

The next day, Bill walks into Nathan’s office to see Molly spying on his stuff...

She claims she’s there to wish him a good trip and he says he’s not looking forward to riding all the way to Hamiliton. She mentions his uniform and he’s surprised she knows about it, but says only that “word gets around.”

Bill says yeah, well, he should have told them that if they want it so bad they should come and get it. Molly tells him that “rules and regulations can strip a man of his pride.” Which is. A weird line of dialogue but okay. 

Bill tells her that it was a proud day when he put the uniform on—even though back then it didn’t have any of the decorations on it, of course. She says he must have felt ten feet tall he and replies with, “Ten years and three months.”

You know it meant a lot to him if he remembers the exact amount of years he wore the damn thing. Molly encourages him to try it on and he tries to excuse it by saying it doesn’t fit. She tells him he’s hard to read (probably because she thought he wanted the excuse to try it) but he’s “worth it, cover to cover.”

She goes on to say that “WE” know that turning it in means a great deal to him, so it means a great deal to his friends, too, and as he should know, the uniform doesn’t make the man.

She goes to leave and tells him it will definitely fit (HAHA maybe she was checking that while he was gone) and to do everyone a favor and put on a good show.

A short time later, Mike and a couple of others from town start playing some fanfare music outside the Mountie HQ and Bill emerges.

He’s touched by it, but also maybe a little confused lol, and asks them if they know that he’ll be right back.

And then...it’s off and away with Bill.

I’d have liked this storyline so much more if it felt...deeper? A little extra fanfare for him is nice, but it doesn’t really...deal with any of the emotions he feels. That said, I’m almost certain this is to get him to Hamilton where he might run into Christopher’s parents and/or hear more information about potential misdeeds of Christopher to move that plot along. 

--

Miscellaneous Short Plots

FloYo: Florence and Ned were cute but I wish they hadn’t tried to do anything with it in this episode. We didn’t really need to see Ned being grumpy about things as a like...Moment. It just didn’t feel very meaningful even though they had that cutesy “nobody can replace you” resolution. This episode was a bit of a miss for them for me because of that. And hey, don’t get me wrong; I generally like them, but trying to make everything wholesome all the time gets draining and there was so much other stuff that felt more rewarding to me comparatively.

The Canfields: Very cute, good. I need to know what Joseph’s plans are. And Angela learning braille and being so sweet... AHHHHHH I LOVED HER.

Dress Shop: I’m disappointed they had this plotline drag out for episode after episode and then die out. I guess it could be interesting if they blew it wide open by Dottie selling it at the end of the season to someone unexpected, but what bored me about this was that nobody was that stressed out about the situation and nobody seemed relieved that Dottie wasn’t selling. I’ll hold out hope that something comes of it anyway.

Jesse: FINALLY. I appreciated that he and Mike got to talk. It explains where Jesse was all that time...and Mike is a good friend. I love him. I hope he gets more screentime next season because he honestly deserves it. Also, I’m glad Jesse went to talk to Clara and asked if they could sit and talk. SIT AND TALK. YES PLEASE. Thank you. It was a simple step forward but I really appreciate it. Also, the Canfields and Bill hightailing it out of there as soon as Jesse shows up...haha.

Infirmary: GOODBYE HAM SANDWICH CARSON. I mean... I’m of two minds. Expanding the infirmary would be a good idea. It wouldn’t hurt to have a little more room for patients that might need to recover for longer, and to have a little bit more privacy for them. On the other hand, Carson’s sudden lashing out against the Hope Valley infirmary is...odd. I loved how he and Faith both got so excited but for different reasons that culminated in a completely different mindset. You can tell Carson really wants to go to Boston but feels weird about it. I love Faith’s dedication to the town.

--

My brain feels dry and crusty after typing all this up, and I didn’t proofread it at all, so sorry in advance if there are any errors in it. As always, I’m looking forward to the drama next episode, particularly with Carson and Faith (BREAK UP BREAK UP BREAK UP).

I’m still kind of stunned they went the route they did. I find it hard to imagine that Elizabeth is capable of a choice within the next four episodes, but I guess we’ll have to see what’s in store for us.

Also, for a little laugh, my husband watched the full episode with me for the first time in a few seasons. He was pleasantly surprised by Angela Canfield and said that he liked “the property brother.” I think he’s #TeamLucas but he told me later last night that actually they’re both fine and he’d take either one for himself if the opportunity arose LMAO.

What are your thoughts on this episode? Opinions?

[echodrops]

Home and a Half Pidge Headcanons

An ask I got yesterday reminded me that I never posted the HaaH headcanons for Pidge like I promised, so here they are! (I’ll answer the actual ask as soon as I can with some new material instead of headcanons I already had written... oops...)

Anyway, without further ado, some headcanons for Pidge related to my fic Home and a Half!

Pidge:

- Grew up in the picture of the nuclear family: mom, dad, two kids, dog, nice upper-middle-class house in a quiet neighborhood, dinner on the table at 7:30pm on the dot… Of all the paladins, Pidge had the most stable and “average” childhood… at least on paper.

 - In reality, there is not a single person in the Holt family who isn’t eccentric as fuck. Grandma Holt? May or may not still be an active intelligence agent for MI6. The dog? Woofs in Morse code. Auntie Ariana? Has actually seen the Jersey Devil. Colleen Holt? Has killed a man. If you ask Pidge, she’ll say that her upbringing was perfectly normal and she’ll genuinely mean it, but this is a consequence Pidge having no idea what “normal” even means.

 Rest under the read more to save your dash:

- Not actually a girly-girl when she was young. Although they’re eight years apart and thus unlikely to be mistaken for one another, very early on Pidge got frustrated by how similar she and Matt look, and she definitely did not want to wear his tacky hand-me-down clothes, so she pitched a royal fit and insisted on wearing dresses and hairbands so that her family would have to buy Pidge all her own things. (They probably would have bought them anyway if she’d just asked calmly, but Pidge was three at the time, and they were all very impressed by her grasp of cause and effect.)

 - Of course, when Matt disappeared on the ill-fated Kerberos trip, those tacky hand-me-downs ended up being some of the most important items in Pidge’s life. Even outside of infiltrating Garrison, wearing Matt’s old clothes was one of the few comforts Pidge would allow herself—when she cut her hair and put on his baggy shirts, for a second, looking in a mirror, she could almost convince herself he was still there—

 - Pidge has no intention of changing the way she dresses or styles her appearance until she’s reunited with Matt and her father. After that? Well, they may not be the coolest looking things ever, but Matt does have a point that baggy t-shirts are very comfy…

 - And okay, because I’m sure everyone expected this headcanon first: Pidge and gender is a surprisingly uncomplicated subject. Side note before I go further: I’m sure everyone has their own headcanons for this and none of what I say here should be taken as rejecting or invalidating any other fan’s views on Pidge. The only thing invalid in the Voltron fandom is canon. Anyway, I personally like to imagine that Pidge is very ambivalent on gender. There is so much else going on—the war, Sam and Matt being missing, freaking giant robot space cats—that sitting down and sorting out the question of “Do I identify as male, female, nonbinary, or anything else?” is just really, really low on Pidge’s to do list. Pidge thinks of Pidge as “Pidge” and even that’s rare because Pidge doesn’t sit around thinking about herself or what other people think of her.

 - In fact, what strangers think is, in general, extremely low on Pidge’s radar. Although she used to be more self-conscious due to bullying from both classmates and her teachers, the combination of her parents’ consistent support and Matt’s… extreme tactics (“I’m telling you Pigeon, nanobots in their lunches will solve all your problems.” “That’s illegal, Matt.” “Nothing is illegal until you get caught.”) Pidge (mostly) overcame the phase of being affected by other people’s opinions. Who cares what strangers think? Absolutely none of them will ever be even close to as smart and talented as her family anyway. (My IQ is three times yours, your argument about my gender is literally invalid.)

 - By the way, I’m using “her�� simply because that’s what I’m used to seeing in the fandom and to keep the fic and headcanons consistent, but in the functional world of HaaH, Pidge answers to any pronouns and doesn’t have a preference for any set in particular over others. In fact, Pidge is used to going by different sets of pronouns coming from different people, and might be “he” to one person, “she” to another, and “they” to yet someone else. Pidge is just… Pidge.

 - Again, with the war and Voltron and missing family and literally everything else going on--and the fact Pidge is far more practical than all of the rest of her fellow Team Voltron members combined--she isn’t wasting time and energy doing something as troublesome as falling in love with an alien. (“Keith, can’t your melodrama wait until after we win the war?” “My drama waits for no man.” “Then please explain how you and Lance manage to engage in synchronized dumb-fuckery at least three times a week.”) Eventually, after life has settled down and Pidge has had some time to think about it, she’ll realize that the reason she somehow managed to avoid any romantic entanglements in space isn’t because she’s just much more mature than her teammates (although this might be true)—it’s that she’s just not really interested in romantic engagements with anybody, period. 

 - Pidge’s one true love is discovery; she feels far more passionate about knowledge and learning new things, encountering new puzzles, and grasping new concepts than she does about anything else. In between all her creations and codes and experiments and observations, it just doesn’t feel like there’s room—or that there needs to be room—for a romantic relationship with a real person.

 - Pidge will make room for friends though, if and when they insist on worming their ways into her life. She tends to be a fairly private person who has never really had a large friend group (back on Earth, before Garrison, there wasn’t anyone but Matt and her parents who really understood her, and she didn’t have much in common to discuss with children her own age), but once someone earns Pidge’s trust, she does open up and form close bonds and she will give her all to help and be there for her few, but close, friends.

 - Meeting Hunk at Garrison was a huge revelation. Up to that point in Pidge’s life she had never really met any young person outside her own family with a soaring genius-level IQ that was a match for her own. Although she and Hunk bicker frequently because their approaches to science are extremely different, she’s still over-the-moon to have someone who doesn’t stare at her like she’s talking gibberish whenever she goes off on one of her tangents.

 - If you ask Pidge, she will violently swear up and down that Lance never and in. no. way. reminds her of Matt, fills in for Matt in the lame-older-brother role, or helps her miss her brother just a little bit less. That did not happen, never had a chance of happening, what are you even talking about—

 - But if you ask about Shiro, she will be flat-out honest and admit she totally thinks of him as Space Dad. It’s not her fault. Shiro literally hero worships Sam Holt (still to this day!!) and may or may not have taken on more of his mentor’s mannerisms in order to fill the leadership role for Team Voltron. Sometimes Shiro will say or do something and Pidge will be absolutely dumb-struck because he got that from my dad is an actual thing she has to deal with.

- “Pidge” is actually a derivative of “Pigeon.” Everyone in the Holt family has a bird-based code name. Mr. Holt is Eagle Two.

 - People often get the impression that Pidge is scatterbrained because she can talk about ten different things at once and pounces on leaps in her own logic that other people just can’t follow, but her thoughts and speech are very organized. It’s not her fault you couldn’t understand her system of organization if you tried.

 - Put Pidge on the spot on a subject she doesn’t know, though, and watch the awkward jump right out. (“Oh, you meant the pop band Galileo, not the person. You know, that’s really an easy mistake to make. You can hardly blame me when you stop to consider all the similarities between modern chord progression and the trajectory of supermassive objects like—”)

 - And if it’s not awkward, it’s defensive. Pidge may be hyper-intelligent, but she’s still very, very young, and it’s hard not to get snappish when challenged by people whose opinions she really does care about. She has a far quicker temper than Matt (who is a “revenge is a dish best served cold” champion), a trait she shares with their mother. Colleen, in turn, blames it on her having been born in New Jersey. Pidge has flipped so many tables on the Castleship that Coran and Lance eventually went around and bolted them all down.

 - Do not even so much as hint that Sam and Matt Holt might be dead instead of just missing in space. Keith is still scared after his last attempt at reasoning with Pidge about her family’s fate.

 - Has a bad hoarding habit. Back on Earth she had her parents there to insist she clean her room at least once a week, but in space, things are getting a bit crazy. The Castleship closets and cabinets can hyper-condense their contents and she’s STILL running out of room for all the neat doodads and parts and scientific wonders she finds on their adventures across the galaxy. Is definitely in the “Look, there’s still a mostly clear path to the door; it’s fineee” category. It’s not like she finds it hard to let things go once she’s gotten attached to them or anything. Nope. Definitely not.

 - Pidge’s mess is absolutely of the “everything has a proper place” type though. Move anything with her name on it and you will feel her wrath.

- As the only one of the Earth paladins to have technology on her when they were unexpectedly swept off to war, everyone on the ship relies on Pidge’s laptop for their monthly dose of Earth nostalgia. Good thing for them Pidge and Matt’s pirating skills put Pirate Bay to shame, and she’s got basically every Earth movie from 1980 to the present. She even has every episode of the timeless classic F.R.I.E.N.D.S. (Keith hates that show with a burning passion that even he cannot explain.)

 - Speaking of technology Pidge had on Earth—every single person in the Holt family is (and has been for decades) aware of the existence of aliens. Pidge’s family tree has been involved in communications, radio wave technology, and interpreting space observations since those fields were first invented. When Earth first identified patterns of waves that obviously corresponded to alien communications going on outside Earth’s galaxy, Pidge’s great- great- grandfather was there. When world governments covered up the discovery, he was the loudest voice of dissent. Since then, the Holt family has been deeply involved in military and space operations across several countries, operating from within an oppressive system they fundamentally disagree with, using their positions of authority to monitor the Milky Way and beyond, keeping tabs on what the aliens might be saying—and what messages Earth might be inadvertently sending back.

 - Of course this is top secret work—secret even from the Garrison and government where the Holts were employed. Other kids learn how to play piano and soccer; Pidge and Matt learned how to hack virtually impenetrable military databases and hide their data behind uncrackable ciphers instead.

 - But the Kerberos Mission was supposed to be safe. They’d all monitored the chatter so closely—there hadn’t been anything hostile anywhere even near Earth’s galaxy, no sign at all of any technologically advanced race like the Galra in years and nothing about one little Earth mission that would disturb any other intergalactic travelers anyway… Why would they...

 - Pidge is surprisingly athletic for a self-professed nerd. With youthful energy to burn and a family to save, Pidge took to Allura and Coran’s intense Altean training like a duck to water, and while she’s not quite Shiro or Keith when it comes to hand-to-hand combat, she can definitely holds up better than Hunk or Lance.

 - Favorite color is actually yellow, and if Green wasn’t totally The Coolest™ lion, she’d be sort of salty about Hunk getting the Yellow Lion instead.

 - Absolutely capable of cursing up a blue storm, and hasn’t been friends with Hunk quite long enough yet to remember to censor herself around him all the time like Lance does with his “Holy crow!”s. She’s trying, dammit!

 - Big on pets. Gets attached to pet-shaped creatures (whether living or robotic) very easily. 110% kept the space caterpillars, who live happily free-roaming the piles of space junk in her bedroom. The space caterpillars and the space mice do not get along, however, as the space mice do not take well to having their status as the favored fuzzy team mascot squad threatened. In their micro-Cold War, which is occurring without any of the ship’s humanoid occupants being aware, the space caterpillars are currently winning.

 - The caterpillars’ names are Copernicus, Kepler, and Newton.

 - Remember that one post about Lance drawing angry brows on the space caterpillar and siccing it on Keith? I very much accept that as canon. Pidge was Not Happy™ when she found out what Lance had done and she is NOT letting anyone else near her caterpillars again any time soon. Is very, very careful not to let Niresh see the space caterpillars so that they don’t end up stolen right from under her nose.

 - Speaking of the kids, Pidge is super awkward with them and skedaddles at the first sign of tears. Next to Allura, there is probably not any member of the team worse suited to babysitting duty. That said, as someone who has lost members of her family in the war, Pidge is probably the member of the team who most directly understands Dulsara’s anger and the children’s loss. That doesn’t mean she’s really ready to let herself sympathize with the Galra though, at least not until she finds her own family first.

- Pulls all the most bullshit moves in Monsters and Mana. Whenever the team reminiscences on the truly legendary moments from their campaigns, somehow Pidge is the star in all of them.

And that’s all I’ve got for now!

[ofastereae]

@stories-from-thedas​ whispered: 💝💝💝 - Elisabeth, Mia, and Edgar send 💝 + a muse and i’ll talk about my ship preferences for them

ELISABETH AMELL

ELISABETH & ALSTAIR - okay, i was kind of posting about it last night but alistair literally means the world to eliza, romantic or not.  he’s the first person she meets outside of the circle (besides duncan) who really interests her and takes an interest in her.  he’s funny, friendly, sort of stupid, and kind of really fucking cute.  on top of that, they go through this huge trauma together which has a way of bonding people rather they like it or not and she really attaches to him after that.  she loves him - in any verse, no matter what, and she’d do anything to keep him safe and i think it’s really cute but also sort of tragic.  because she’s been so deprived of love all these years that she doesn’t know how to love in small doses and i think she keeps it bottled up once she realizes it, even though she knows it’s safe, because she’s scared of scaring him with just how much she cares about him.  but she’s always got his back, and obviously alistair always has the warden’s back, and i think they’re just... very sweet. 

ELISABETH & LELIANA - hah.  i bet anyone who knows me expected me to say elisabeth and cullen second but i’m actually dying to ship her with a leliana.  i think that they’d be really fucking cute because they’re both BABY in origins and leliana has all these incredible stories and fun tales and eliza eats all of them up like she’s so desperate for this knowledge that leli has to share.  i think about them traveling together after origins and just seeing things and seeing orlais and writing letters when they can’t be together and being gay and shit and it literally just.  ugh my poor lesbian heart can’t fucking take it.  i think they’d be adorable.  where the fuck my leli’s at. 

ELISABETH + CULLEN - yeah it’s here.  i’m a slut for cullen / amell and i think everyone knows it.  i really like the two of them together because i like the healing aspect of the ship.  like they’ve both been through so much shit and they’re both carrying so much weight on their shoulders and i think they can find a lot of forgiveness and solace and healing in each other and that’s very sweet.  elisabeth is so ridiculously proud of who cullen has become and how he’s grown and she’s just... happy for him.  when they meet again in inquisition and she’s there because leli wrote her and she sees him she’s just happy for him.  she’s so happy and proud and i think they’d be a very sweet slow burn or slow rekindling of romance type thing. 

there are more but someone else asked about liz so i’m saving them <3

MIA RUTHERFORD

MIA & AN INQUISITOR - i don’t have preferences.  it’s fun to write her against trevelyans but really i think she and any inquisitor would be cute and interesting so long as the personalities meshed.  i like the idea of her stealing a love interest right out from under cullen’s nose because she and i are petty that way.  but also i think the idea of someone just kind of showing her how to lighten up and enjoy herself would be very cute and a lot of fun. 

MIA & BLACKWALL - do you know how long i’ve been writing mia and i’ve shipped her and blackwall this entire time and i have YET to find a blackwall.  i think they’d be SO FUCKING CUTE, brian.  i don’t have a huge reason, but the way he calls his li a lady would have her swooning on the floor.  and the idea of them sparing together?  woof.  and just how sweet he tends to be and how playful and flirty and sort of fun and UGH.  i think they’d be so cute.  i’m gonna die. 

MIA & JOSEPHINE - i don’t have a huge reason for this.  i just think mia and josie would be really really really fucking cute. HFKDLSHLKER

MIA & CAILAN - honorary mention.  i think they’re precious.  i clearly have a thing for putting mia in relationships where her status as a normal lame ass peasant girl would be an issue and potentially make her really uncomfortable.  but it also has the added benefit of being the kind of relationship that would convince mia to relax.  and i def think there would be some self worth learning there for her which is def something that needs to happen. 

EDGAR STEINER

EDGAR & HAWKE - cute.  they’re just cute.  it’s like anders and hawke without the extra angst because ( sorry anders u know i love u ) edgar isn’t batshit insane.  but also like... edgar is a lot more laid back in general than anders tends to be as dragon age progresses.  he doesn’t bring a lot of that heavy emotional stuff to the table and i think he would be good for someone who needs that sort of more carefree or laid back personality.  he values his freedom a lot, and that includes his personal freedom, so he does well with someone who has a life outside of him.

EDGAR & ANDERS - ironically, i think they’d be good together too.  i think edgar would be a sort of balancing influence on anders extremism and i think anders would be a grounding influence on edgar’s more lacksidasical lifestyle.  i also think it’s important that they clearly have similar goals, though edgar doesn’t go to the same extremes anders does and wouldn’t ever really entertain the thought.  he doesn’t completely disapprove, however.  he’s supportive of anders in the end and even considers him a hero, it’s just not something he would’ve done. 

EDGAR & MERRILL - i think edgar would be the only mage companion who doesn’t look negatively at merrill for being a blood mage.  he doesn’t enthusiastically support her, but he also wouldn’t be quite so on her ass as anders is.  i think they could have a similar vibe to merrill and isabela, which is one of my fav ships.  like... idk they’d be cute. 

[bubbyleh]

I See La Vie en Rose - Chapter 2

Tommy texting moments.

Chapter 2: Texts From Heaven, Today!

Tommy: Hey there! It’s me, the guy from the park. I didn’t introduce myself yesterday, so my name’s Tommy :)

With a sigh, Tommy places his phone back down on his desk. It took him ten minutes to come up with that text, but now that it’s finally done, he can focus on today’s work! He picks up a paper, ready to get started on reading some prayers.

After two seconds of reading, Tommy’s phone buzzes. He has to physically stop himself from reaching out for it because he already fell behind on work yesterday. If he lets himself get distracted today, things might get a little fucky down on Earth.

But… what if it’s Darnold?

Just the thought of that is enough to convince Tommy to check.

Gordon Freeman: [Image Attachment] Gordon Freeman: [Image Attachment] Gordon Freeman: [Image Attachment]

Tommy doesn’t have to check to know that they’re all pictures of Joshua. Every so often Gordon spams them all with Josh pics, and while Tommy loves the kid, he’d rather drop in for a visit than have his phone blown up. He sees Joshua practically every day, the cloud they live on isn’t that big!

Dang, he regrets teaching everyone how to use phones.

While Tommy’s clearing his notifications, another message comes in.

Darnold Pepper: Hi Tommy! Darnold Pepper: How are you doing?

Ack! Tommy feels a heart attack coming, and he’s technically immune to those!

Tommy: I’m doing good! :D Getting some work done. What about you?

While Darnold types out his reply, Tommy looks back to the prayer he’s received. It’s just a kid who wants help finding their lost pencil. He can’t help but smile a little at that. With a kiss (not a necessary step, but Tommy likes to think it adds a little extra luck), Tommy folds the paper. It begins to glow as he drops it out his window, down towards the Earth.

Darnold Pepper: That’s good to hear! I’m actually also supposed to be doing work, but then you texted me!

All the prayers serve to do is add a little bit of luck. Increases your odds. There’s no way Tommy can get through every prayer that comes in on any given day, but he supposes that’s how the system balances itself out.

Tommy: Oh, I didn’t mean to bother you! You can get back to work, and we can text later :(

Tommy reads another prayer. Someone wants to find their way to the cloud. No. Denied. Mortals aren’t allowed up here for a reason. He balls the paper up and tosses it aside, secure in the knowledge it will disappear once tomorrow begins.

Darnold Pepper: You’re not bothering me! Darnold Pepper: Actually, do you want to hear about what I’m doing? It sounds weird, but talking to you yesterday actually helped.

That’s not surprising, though it was unintended. People tend to take Tommy’s title as God of Discovery quite literally, though anyone who does their research into the Gods would know that his power tends to extend a little bit into the metaphorical and intangible, such as inspiration and research.

Tommy: Go ahead! I’m reading your texts between tasks. :)

Darnold Pepper: Okay. Darnold Pepper: You know how we talked about soda yesterday? Darnold Pepper: Well I want to make one. But it’s going to be really special! Darnold Pepper: See, I have a background in potion-making, and I think soda is great. So I thought, why not combine them? Darnold Pepper: The hard part is mostly figuring out how to get a good taste AND a good effect.

Tommy’s eyes are blown wide, but honestly he feels it’s justified.

Tommy: Are you serious!?

Darnold Pepper: Is it a bad idea?

Tommy: No! It’s amazing! It’s an incredible idea! Tommy: Using alchemy in sodas could be so useful! Like if you’re really tired after working out! Or if you spend a late night working! :D Tommy: How has nobody thought of this before? Regular potions taste like crap!

Darnold Pepper: Well, that’s the hard part.

Hard part, huh? Tommy has a feeling he can help with that.

Tommy: Do you ever, um… Tommy: Ask people for help?

Darnold Pepper: Oh! Er. Darnold Pepper: Not really. I don’t know a lot of people who COULD help, you know? Darnold Pepper: Sometimes when I start the day, I pray? It sounds kind of weird, but praying to the God of Discovery kind of makes me feel like I might get it today?

Praying to…

Darnold’s been praying to Tommy? Aw, dang. Tommy can feel his entire face heat up. He even knows he can pray to him for ideas!

Darnold Pepper: Sorry, that’s stupid. Darnold Pepper: Wait. Were you asking to help me?

Tommy’s too flustered to even think about what he says next.

Tommy: Yes! Tommy: And it’s not stupid! >:(

Darnold Pepper: Well, I mean… Darnold Pepper: It hasn’t really gotten me anywhere.

Oh this guy! Tommy’ll show him! All he has to do is… ignore everyone else in the whole world and sort through his giant pile of prayers until he finds Darnold’s. Which he knows for a fact the others will chide him for.

Hm.

“Sunkist!” Tommy calls out, and he can hear her stir downstairs. Then, the sound of her scaling the stairs that wind around their tower-like residence, and finally, she makes her way to the top floor, Tommy’s workroom.

“Hey, Sunkist.” He pats her head, because she’s a good girl. “You remember- you remember that guy we met yesterday?”

Sunkist does a soft woof, which Tommy knows to be an affirmative.

“Well.” Tommy fidgets with his fingers. Damn it, where did he leave his stim bracelets again? He eyes the pile of prayers, an ever-growing stack of paper. “Do you think you could find his prayer in here for me?”

Sunkist looks at the papers in the center of the room. Then she looks back at Tommy.

“Please?”

Sunkist doesn’t move.

Tommy sighs. “We’ll- we’ll go to the nice pet store we like. And I’ll get you a new chew toy! A- a big one!”

That seems to do it for her. Sunkist begins sniffing around the pile, circling a few times before she unexpectedly dives in. Tommy laughs at her, turning back to his phone as he does so.

Tommy: Anyway Tommy: Do you want me to help out? Tommy: I’m not always going to be available :( I have a job and all. Tommy: But! You could say I have “pretty lax hours” Tommy: So it’ll be often! :)

Sunkist emerges from the pile with a paper in her mouth. Tommy pets her for a job well-done, taking the paper as Sunkist wags her tail. He also picks up a few that his dog managed to trail behind her, because he really should get back to work.

Tommy reads Darnold’s prayer.

I pray for the knowledge to make potions taste like something a human could willingly ingest.

Tommy takes a picture of that, for his own sake. Then, he kisses the paper, folds it, and drops it out of his window. He watches as the shimmering disappears, because… that felt good. Better than almost any other prayer had.

Weird. Tommy was more used to feeling happiness about his luck granting a while after the fact.

Darnold Pepper: I’d be honored for you to work with me. Darnold Pepper: And don’t worry about scheduling! Just text me when you’re available, and if I’m not making potions, we can at least hang out. Darnold Pepper: :)

Tommy: Cool! Tommy: I REALLY should start working again, haha. Tommy: My coworkers make fun of me when I fall behind :/

Darnold: That’s fine! We can start talking again later. Darnold: Oh I just realized. Darnold: What do you do for work, Tommy?

Crap. Uh.

Tommy: Just boring office stuff. Tommy: You wouldn’t really be interested.

[let-me-love-you-loki]

Shopping Too Late

A/N: This idea came from @lilred91​    

   “No,” I said looking back at my daughters, both of whom were sitting at the kitchen counter doing their homework. Mattie was working on adding and subtracting. Nicole was tracing her letters. “We agreed on a puppy. Not a kitten, not a hamster. A puppy.”

           “But, Mama, it’s not fair,” Mattie whined. “I want the hamster. Why does Nikki get what she wants?”

           I sighed put down the knife I was using to cut up vegetables for dinner. “It isn’t about Nikki getting what she wants, Mattie. The puppy is for us as a family. A hamster is a one person pet.”

           My eldest slammed her pencil down on the counter and leaned back, pouting. “I don’t want a stupid dog. I hate dogs.”

           “No, you don’t,” I sighed. “You’re just disappointed, and that’s okay. I promise you’ll love the puppy when he gets here.”

           “I don’t care,” Mattie spat, jumping down from her chair and stomping down the hallway to her bedroom.

           A headache started behind my eyes. I washed my hands and slipped into the living room to check on the boys. Lee—now two—was asleep on the sofa with one of fan-made stuff dolls Nick and Matt had gotten over the years. Our newest addition, six-month-old Ronjon—who we called RJ—was watching the mobile in his swing. He grinned when I came near, his grey eyes lighting up. I leaned over and pressed a kiss to his sandy brown hair. As I straightened up, I heard the garage door slide up and then rattle back down a moment later. I massaged the ache in my temple as I went to the door.

           It was Nick. The trunk of the car was open, and I could see him moving some things around. I opened the passenger door and immediately heard the faint yipping from a box in the seat. Pushing aside the flap, I saw a mass of black and grey and white fuzz. The dog—definitely not the puppy I’d been expecting—hopped up onto his hind legs and watched me with ice blue eyes.

           I reached out and scratched behind his ears. “What is he? How old is he?”

           Nick’s head popped around the side of the car. “They’re pretty sure he’s part husky and part corgi, but there’s definitely something else in there. And, like… two they think?” He came toward me, a grin on his face as he reached down and scratched the dog roughly under the chin. “I know we talked about puppy at the shop, but I went by the rescue place first and this little guy caught my eye. I thought the kids would love him.”

           I let my head fall against Nick’s shoulder as I sighed. “Mattie’s mad about the dog. She still thinks that we’re only getting the dog because Nikki wanted it. She stormed into her room.”

           He sighed, looking suddenly sheepish. “Don’t kill me, okay?”

           “What did you do, Nick?”

           Without a word, he turned and went back to the trunk. When he returned, he had a small cage in his hands. It was filled with curling wood strips on the bottom. There was a plastic dome nestled into the strips and a metal wheel attached to the side next to a water dispenser.

           “She was so upset, and I think it’d be good for her. Some responsibility, you know? And something that’s hers,” he said, his blue eyes wide as he tried desperately to convince me. I felt the scowl slip onto my face. I saw the moment he realized this wasn’t going to be as easy as him grinning and batting his long eyelashes to get me to cave in.

           “Take it back,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest. “We talked about this, Nick. We wanted a family pet.”

           He leaned against the side of his car and sighed. “We’ve got one,” he pleaded. “Please, Y/N. Let her have this. It’ll make her happy. She needs something to be happy about.”

           I lifted a brow. “What do you mean? Nick, what’s wrong?”

           Nick stepped past me into the house, looking around to make sure that Lee, Nikki, and RJ were okay. Then he sat down on the threshold, the cage between his feet. The dog hopped out onto the floor and sniffed the hamster for a moment, then circled and plopped on top of my feet. He took a deep breath and scrubbed his face with his hands, wedding band glinting in the fluorescent light.

           “When Matt and I picked her up from school yesterday, she got in the car and started crying. Her teacher said she’d been having a hard time with some of the other kids.” He sighed, took off his ball cap, and folded the brim nervously in his hands. “She just started bawling. The other kids have been teasing her because she’s got a mom and two dads.”

           I sank down onto the passenger seat of the car. “Lots of kids have a mom and two dads—a dad and a step-dad. Why are they teasing her?” Something raged in my chest. How could anyone hurt my perfect, sweet little girl?

           “We’re on TV, Y/N. People know who we are. They know Matt and I are brothers. I’d even bet some of the kids who are teasing her are fans.” The pain that splashed over his face made me want to break down. Mattie was his love. He’d die for her, kill for her. I could only imagine how he felt.

           It was quiet for a while. Then I stood and looked over at the hamster rutting through the bedding in its cage. “Give it to her,” I said at last.

           Before he could respond, the garage rumbled open again and Matt’s car slipped in between mine and Nick’s. When he came into view, he stopped, his jaw dropping as he saw the cage at his brother’s feet. My jaw dropped when I saw the second cage in his hands.

           “What the hell, Nick? We talked about this,” Matt said.

           “That we were getting her a hamster,” Nick replied, gesturing at the cage on the floor. “I got her the hamster.”

           Matt swore. “We said I was going to get the hamster and you were going to get the dog.”

           “We’ll have to take one of them back.”

           I sighed and put my head in my hands for a moment. If I wasn’t so heartbroken for our baby girl, I would’ve been angry at them for going behind my back to do something like this. As it was, I couldn’t even muster up frustration that they failed so miserably at communicating with each other. Instead, all I could do was laugh at the absurdity of my husbands and how much I loved them. Even when they were the worst kind of idiots.

           “Oh, you’re not taking either one of them back,” I said at last, grinning. “Let her have them. She’s got two dads that love her. Let her have two fucking hamsters.”

***

           Matt took the hamsters and the dog to his house. He used an old baby gate to block the dog in the kitchen while we had dinner.

           We sat around the table, Matt, Nick, and I trying to keep straight faces about the surprises waiting next door. Matt helped Nicole with her spaghetti. Nick had Lee on his knee feeding him small bites of meatballs and pasta sauce. Mattie pushed her food around her plate looking surly the whole time. And RJ sat in his highchair, his baby fingers squishing noodles against his mouth.

           Halfway through dinner, Matt leaned on the table with his elbows and looked at our eldest. “Tea, Mama said you had a little temper tantrum today.”

           She huffed and side-eyed me like I’d betrayed her. I raised my brows. “I don’t want a dog, Papa. Nikki wants a dog. And Nikki always gets what she wants.”

           Matt dropped his fork onto his plate and laced his fingers. “I know, Tea. But throwing a fit isn’t the way to get what you want.” He looked down the table at me and Nick. “Maybe we shouldn’t get the dog either. No pets at all.”

           “No!” Nicole whined. Her blue eyes filled with tears as she looked at her sister. “Mattie! Papa says we can’t have a dog now!”

           Lee looked up at Nick and grinned making little woof noises. His father leaned down and bumped their noses together. “Dog says woof,” Nick replied.

           Mattie heaved a sigh that was worthy of a desperately exhausted teenager. She looked from Matt to Nick and me and back again. Then she sank down in her chair and groaned. “I guess we can get a dog.”

***

           After dinner, we went outside to the backyard and sat by the pool. Nick was dangling Lee over the water, letting him kick his toes in it. Matt sat on the diving board with Nicole and Mattie, talking quietly as he tried to solve the sibling rivalry that was springing up between them. I sat next to Nick, swishing my feet and ankles in the pool as I cradled RJ against my shoulder.

           “Why didn’t she tell me, Nick?” I asked, my eyes still on Matt. He dipped his head to look them both in the eye. As I watched, he tapped each one of them gently in the chest and pointing from one to the other.

           Nick rested his chin on the curve of my shoulder. “Because she wants to be strong like you.”

           “I’m not strong,” I said, blinking back tears.

           “There are four kids and two grown men who would say otherwise,” he replied softly. “You’re her hero, Sunshine. And I think she knew that you would raise hell at school if you found out.”

           Before I could say anything, Matt came over, each of the girls holding one of his hands. “We’re going to go talk inside, okay, Mama?” He winked at me, his lips curving into a smile that brightened his cheeks.

           I nodded as he walked by with them toward his house. When they’d passed behind, I grinned at Nick. “It’s in the kitchen,” I whispered, standing up. Nick joined, tossing Lee over his shoulder until he laughed.

           The squealing began before we even got the door open. When we turned the corner to Matt’s kitchen, the girls were already in the floor rolling around with the dog who was desperately excited to have playmates. Mattie got a very sloppy dog kiss on the cheek and grinned.

           “Look, Mama! Look, Dad… he’s got blue eyes like us!” Mattie sounded as if she’d gotten over her sudden hatred of dogs.

           Nick put Lee down on the other side of the baby gate and looked up at his brother, the two of them having one of those conversations without words. He dropped a kiss to my forehead before slipping down the hallway to Mattie’s room.

           “What are we going to name him?” Matt asked, crouching down and rubbing the dog on the belly.

           The girls conferred, quickly agreeing that he looked like cookies and cream. Nicole leaned in and put her hand against Mattie’s ear, whispering gleefully. Mattie nodded, flashing a smile just like her Papa’s.

           “Oreo,” she said, looking back at her sister who nodded enthusiastically. “Oreo.”

           Matt looked up at me, his dark eyes beautifully bright, and my heart thudded against my ribs. RJ snuggled against my chest. Nick came down the hall with a hamster cage in each hand. He sat them on the floor and leaned against the doorframe.

           “My love,” Nick said, rapping his knuckles on the wall. Oreo yipped at the sound, and followed behind as Mattie crossed over to the gate. He lifted her over and crouched in front of her, taking both of her hands in his. “You know that Papa and I love you very much, right?”

           She nodded, confusion settling on her brow. I stroked her hair back off her face. Nick smiled. “And you know sometimes Papa and I do stupid things that make Mama wonder why she married us?”

           Our daughter grinned and nodded more enthusiastically. I glanced over at Matt, who was laughing and trying to figure out if Oreo knew how to do any tricks. “All the time,” Mattie said, looking up at me. I nodded back.

           “Well, we did it again today. But we’ve talked to Mama, and she says that you can have them.” He glanced up at me, something beautifully soft in his eyes. “Because you’re the strongest little girl in the whole world. Just like your mom.”

           He reached back with both hands and pulled the cages forward. She looked at them for a moment before bursting into tears. But instead of reaching for Nick, she turned and buried her face in my shirt, arms thrown tight around my waist. I settled my hand on the back of her head and leaned down, kissing her hair. “I love you, Mattie. So very, very much.”

           Mattie squeezed me hard before turning toward her Dad, wiping her eyes. She knelt down between the cages and wiggled her fingers at them. They were quickly dubbed Bandit and Ranger Jackson. Surprisingly, Nicole was too happy with Oreo to want a second dog to match.

Tag List

@mox-made-me-do-it​ @imagineall-the-fandoms​ @waywardstrong​ @lilred91​

@lakamaa12​

Meet Oreo

Meet Bandit and Ranger

[scottsflow]

NO ONE can deny that if they are in fact skating to that song that there is more meaning behind that. it is so explicitly said within that song. i cant believe theyre that out there with it. like what does J think when she hears that song and them skating to it? lol that would bug the shit outta me. that must be a shitty feeling that you werent the one, you were the rebound/2nd best..

I have no idea what she thinks about all this but frankly, I would have never touched Scott with a ten foot pole in the first place given his emotional state at the time they first started hooking up because it was so obviously Not Good.

I mean all of Canada, and a lot of America, shipped them. We all saw them at the Olympics, we all saw them during SOI, it was so obvious how attached to each other they were. They were Canada’s Sweethearts and everyone in the WORLD expected and wanted them to be together. So you tell me, Anon, would you hook up with one half of that duo like weeks after he got out of a realtionship with that other person? Hell no is the answer for me.

So yeah, I look at this and it just makes me shake my head even more because Jackie shouldn’t need another sign that this is a Bad Plan but even if she didn’t ask for it, she got it. Those lyrics… I mean good god. For a man who has said ‘Tessa kept me alive’ to have the words ‘Don’t know if I’ll survive in it’… woof is all I can say.

This song combined with how either dead/sick/angry Scott has looked lately should be a HUGE red flag to all involved how terribly he’s dealing with things. Scott is not in a good place right now did you see him at that hockey game? Or when he was talking about his engagement? Or when he looked like he wanted to punch someone at the mention of Tessa dating someone else?

People can ignore these red flags if they want but it’s frankly crazy at this point. They are actually spelling it out for us with this song, you don’t have to guess it’s explicit in the text.

And yeah, I’m not sure how Jackie is cool with the idea of being the rebound in all of this after she just had a previous marriage fall apart. Surely she would be WAY more careful this time around when choosing a husband but instead she’s manged to find this guy who is incredibly emotionally unavailable and, if Jackie wasn’t who she is, I would feel pretty bad for her.

But, as it stands, I find it hard to feel bad for her because she’s clearly just seems content with this version of Scott and is rushing into this engagement to make sure he doesn't leave and trying to make it seem like she’s in some way equal to Tessa in his eyes what with the whole bullshit first partner narrative and what not. Not to mention, she’s got Cara hawkeyeing him at every event. Did you see that video that got posted from the hockey game today? She just KEEPS snapping her eyes over to them every time they move it’s so fucking creepy.

So yeah, this whole realtionship is a mess and how anyone thinks it has any chance of lasting or being healthy is beyond me. Scott is making a huge mistake here and I just hopes he wakes up before they actually get married and things become a lot more complicated.

[imyourliquor-youremypoison]

A Girl’s Best Friend (Peter Parker x OC) - Part 3

Synopsis: Diamonds are man’s best friend- or dogs are girls’ best friends, wait… how does the saying go again?

Warnings: Family issues; Peter has a crush and it’s complicated; mention of assault; good dogs; College AU; aged up! characters; TONY STARK IS ALIVE AND WE ALL LIVE IN A HAPPY PLACE CALLED DENIAL

A/N: In this story, Peter has Tom’s dog, Tessa.

Word count: 2.5k

Part 2 <<< >>> Part 4

MASTERLIST

                Despite following her home, Peter hadn’t felt right since that night a week ago, and his mind constantly jumped back to the scene he had witnessed on his way back from his daily beat around Queens.

                He kept thinking he could have taken another way, he could have gone home ten, or even five minutes earlier or later, and then he would have missed her. So many little things had factored in the fact that he saw what happened and intervened before it was too late, it made him dizzy to think about it. So many what ifs…

                He had seen her again in class, but she looked completely out of it too. She was a diligent student who always completed her work as far as he knew and seeing her zone out and distractedly doodle in her notebook inside of taking notes made his stomach churn. He knew she was shaken up by what happened, as any person would be in her stead, but it felt wrong that she would keep it all bottled up.

                It confirmed his guess about her having no real close friend to talk to, and he had half a mind to stand up in the middle of their applied physics tutorial to sit next to her in a show of support. Except it wouldn’t do, because the last time – and the first time – they interacted, she had yelled at him for standing in her way and not even donating his blood.

                Honestly, that wasn’t fair, but he couldn’t exactly tell her why he didn’t donate, now could he? Therefore, he stayed where he was, glancing at her every now and then, as if to make sure she hadn’t burst into silent tears or whatever, and barely listened to the tutorial himself.

                It wasn’t just in class either, Peter thought about it all the time. He thought about it way too much for someone who didn’t even talk to the girl or have any kind of relationship with her whatsoever. It kept him awake at night; it made him zone out during conversations with Ned; it distracted him to the point where his dog had to whine to get his attention when she needed to go out for a walk.

                It reached a point where he simply had to go talk to her, if only to put his own mind at ease and go back to his routine without having her constantly plague his thoughts.

                Like right now, for example. A little snap was all it took to make Peter come down from his cloud.

“Tessa! Tessa!” he called after his dog, who was now dashing away and through the campus, quickly disappearing from sight.

                He gave a disbelieving look at his hand, still holding the leash. The short leather leash that just snapped a second ago, allowing Tessa to run away like the devil himself was chasing her. It was more likely to have been a squirrel than the devil that got her to run like this, but the result was the same.

“Fuck,” Peter cursed before running after her.

If there weren’t so many people around, he could have caught up quickly, he could have used his powers – but no, Tessa had wanted to go for a walk now. In the middle of the afternoon. She was already so far ahead, his heart was pounding in his chest.

“Tessa!” he shouted, frozen amidst the crowd, looking around with a panicked look on his face.

  *

                  Emmeline had reasonably good reflexes. Granted, her mind was a bit elsewhere these days and she often caught herself being distracted in situations she should have been paying attention instead. But when she saw a blurry form dash towards her at lightning speed, recognizing it immediately, she jumped into action so quickly her brain didn’t even process what happened.

                She had been walking across the lawn to go to her favorite Sushi shop to buy tonight’s dinner, playing with her stress ball because it was the only thing grounding her this week, when it all happened.

                Emmeline brought two fingers between her lips and whistled loud enough to get the dog to freeze and look for the source of the sound, then she quickly threw her little ball to get its attention. Its ears perked up and it lurched forward to get the ball, not caring that it was a small moss ball. The idea was to distract the dog so its master could catch up – Emmeline was no stranger to dogs making a run for it and she saw the broken bit of leash still attached to its collar.

                It was a beautiful female pitbull with a light gray coat. She approached it slowly, making sure to not alarm the dog who didn’t know her, but she seemed friendly enough and let her into her close vicinity.

“Here, sweetie,” Emmeline purred, trying for a pat.

                The young pit immediately sat down and wagged her tail, looking at the girl with big, happy eyes, tongue out, ball in front of her.

“Well, aren’t you a nice girl,” she continued, now giving her ears a good scratch. “Where’s your master? Mmh?” she hummed, unable to stop talking to the animal.

                Now kneeling on the ground, Emmeline took the golden medal hanging at the dog’s collar between her fingers. It said ‘Tessa��, and on the back was a phone number.

“Let’s wait a few minutes before I call your master, what do you say?”

                Tessa answered with a low woof and then raised a paw, as if asking for a treat.

“I’m sorry, I don’t have anything with me at the moment.” She usually did carry around dog treats in her bag, but not when she was going to buy food. “I’m sure you’ll get plenty of treats once we return you to your master. He’ll be so happy to see you again.”

                People were starting to look at her weird for kneeling on the grass and cooing at a dog that wasn’t hers, having a full-on conversation with it too. She hadn’t talked this much to anyone in a week now, and it felt good just to not be silent all the time.

“Tessa! Tessa come here!” she suddenly heard someone call from a distance.

                Tessa must have heard it too, because she turned her head around, searching for the person calling her name.

“See? Didn’t need to call him.”

                Emmeline stayed down, holding Tessa by the collar since her leash had broken off, and waiting for the desperate shouts to come closer.

“Here!” she called, waving her arm to get the boy’s attention when she spotted him. He ran so fast, he was in front of her in the blink of an eye.

“Oh, my gosh, Tessa!” He nearly threw himself on the ground to hold his dog, making Emmeline laugh and finally stand up, dusting off her jeans who were now green at the knees. “Never do that to me again!”

                Emmeline said nothing but observed the two being reunited with a fond smile on her face, watching the boy shower his dog with love.

“Thank you so, so much-“ he started, looking up at her with a large smile full of gratitude. Then his smile dropped, and Emmeline frowned a bit too.

                It was him.

                She could tell he wanted to stand up, but he couldn’t just let go of Tessa what with the absence of leash. A slight blush crept to his cheeks and he looked a little bit to her left, right above her shoulder instead of meeting her eyes.

“S-sorry about her,” he started, stuttering out the first word. “She must have seen a squirrel or something, and this leash is so old, I should have bought a new one ages ago.”

“There’s a veterinarian just round the corner over there,” Emmeline said, not answering his apology. “You can’t go home like this, I’m gonna go see if they have a spare leash, stay here.”

“Wha- wait!” he called after all, still sitting on the ground. “You- you don’t have to- I can-“

“Just stay here,” she told him, glancing over her shoulder. “I’ll be right back.”

                She strode off as quickly as she could, going straight to the veterinarian. Her own cheeks were burning hot – with embarrassment. It was the boy from the Red Cross donation, the boy she had yelled at and belittled in front of a bunch of other students for no valid reason. Gosh, of course it had to be him, she couldn’t finish this week on a positive note.

                She shook her head. No, she couldn’t think like that. This was the perfect chance for her to apologize and make things a little better. It was a good occasion to flip this awful week around. Set her karma straight.

                Her feet brought her right outside the office, and she waltzed it like she owned the place. There was a little corner where they sold stuff, and Emmeline grabbed the most expensive leash - the same leash that she had at home, this way at least she knew this one was sturdy – and bought it, removing the tag as she stepped out.

                The way back was even shorter, and her legs were a little stiff from the tense power-walk. She was just finishing giving herself a pep talk when she reached Tessa and her master.

                He was now full on sitting crossed legged on the grass, giving Tessa belly rubs and letting her play with Emmeline’s stress ball. She would need a new one soon.

“Here you go.” She handed him the leash in a rather stiff manner, cursing herself for being so weird about this. Maybe he hadn’t even recognized her?

                Bullshit, he had recognized her the second his eyes had landed on her.

“Oh, thank you. You really didn’t have to-“ he started, clipping the new leash on Tessa’s collar and getting rid of the old one.

“Yes, I did,” Emmeline cut him off, hands in her pockets, staring at her boots. “I’m sorry about last week.”

                Peter’s shoulders relaxed and he finally stood up, Tessa by his feet, looking at the girl who had seemed so tough last week. She didn’t need to apologize, but he could see it made her feel better, so he didn’t try to convince her otherwise.

“It wasn’t that bad,” he chuckled a tad awkwardly.

                When she looked up and met his eyes, the laughter died in his throat. She had impressively deep eyes, very dark, captivating really. He could feel his face heat up again.

“It was uncalled for. I was upset and took it out on you,” she continued. “And I wanted to apologize, but I didn’t see you again, so…” she trailed off, pouting a little.

“We actually have a few classes together,” Peter told her, earning a startled look. “I’m Peter, by the way.”

                She sucked in her cheeks a little bit, staring at the hand he offered her. Just when he thought she was going to ignore him she took it in hers.

“Em,” she simply said. “And I’m also sorry for not realizing we shared classes.”

Could she embarrass herself any more than she already had in front of this boy? He seemed kind, she observed. The little crinkles at the corner of his eyes told her he smiled often. He looked like the kind of person who didn’t have a single mean bone in them.

“That’s okay, I’m very unnoticeable,” Peter teased her in an attempt to get a smile out of her. She had been smiling so bright when she petted Tessa, but her entire face dropped as soon as she stood up and began to talk to him. “Invisible, you could say.”

“That’s not necessarily a bad thing.” She shook her head a bit, wishing she was a bit more invisible to the world. “It could be a superpower.”

                Peter laughed weirdly, it was a bit forced, but then again, Emmeline wasn’t the most at ease in this conversation, and it might have rubbed off on him.

“A superpower, yeah,” he repeated. “I’ve always wondered if the Invisible Man had to be naked in order to be fully invisible.”

                He could have smacked his head into a brick wall for saying that to this pretty girl who had just saved the day. It was their first real conversation, and he was geeking out on her and talking about nakedness. Just the way to a girl’s heart.

                But she laughed this time. And she brightened up the same way she had when she cuddled Tessa.

“Solid theory. You can see his glasses and hat after all, it would make sense.” She shrugged.

                Peter was so thoroughly dazzled that he did not know what to say in response to that. If he were having this conversation with Ned, he would know exactly what to answer, but this wasn’t Ned at all. This was the girl that had caught his eye a while ago, and who had just saved him from losing Tessa, and she just made a funny remark about a comics character.

“I- euh-“ Peter blushed so hard he had to look at his feet for a second to collect himself. “I’m going to finish this walk and go back to studying,” he blurted out. It wasn’t a lie, but he could have made a bit more time to talk to her before leaving.

“Yeah, sure.” Emmeline nodded a bit too vigorously. “I also have… things… to do.”

                She sure had gone a long way downhill since seventh grade when she had won that elocution prize. It was back when she didn’t cuss every other word.

“How much do I owe you for the leash?”

“Nothing.” She brushed it off with a wave of her hand. “Just bought the cheapest one, and I owed you a real apology so… take it.”

                Peter wanted to argue but she had a way of just ending the conversation that made it clear she would not take his money even if he shoved it into her wallet directly. She crouched down to say goodbye to Tessa, who licked her hand just as she reached for her chin to give her a few scratches.

“Tessa, c’mon,” Peter groaned. “Sorry about the dog saliva,” he told Emmeline with a sheepish look, his lips brought in a thin line.

“No worries, I’m used to it. I chose the dog owner life,” she laughed, rolling up her sleeve just a bit.

                Peter knew that of course, but he had to pretend he did not.

“What kind of dog?”

                Emmeline took her time in answering the question, eyes still focused on Tessa.

“Same as you. Female pit. Light brown with just-“ Her finger hovered above Tessa’s left eye to trace a circle. “One white spot here.”

                He didn’t say anything else because he couldn’t think about anything other than the way she smiled at Tessa, probably picturing her own dog, eyes full of affection. For a split second, he wondered what it was like to be on the receiving end of such a stare.

“Well, I’ll be on my way now,” she told him suddenly, standing up again and meeting his eyes with her intense dark ones. “I’ll keep my eye open in class and… maybe say hi?”

                God, Peter would like nothing more than that.

.

.

.

Reblog to save a writer

[butdidyousee]

9 Days of Christmas movies🎄🎅🏻☃️

With Christmas approaching rapidly, I decided to give you 9 Christmas movies(one to watch each day.) that I really like, both currently and when I was a kid. A couple of honorable mentions in here as well(In case some of my list just ain’t your bag). I would also like to say, I thought this would be easy; but once I got started I had to leave out a ton of titles and rounded it out to a few favorites.

🎄Jingle All The Way(1996) - Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sinbad star in this great classic. I always forget that Arnold is a jack of all trades with his acting. Action is in the bag for this dude. He nails down family fun and comedy often. This is a fun movie that will bring some 90’s nostalgia to any millennial. Was this movie the year of the Furby or tickle me Elmo? Objective of movie: get the toy to get kids love. Kid loves you anyway.

🎄A Bad Moms Christmas(2017) - The bad moms are back, this time their own mothers drop in during the holidays. What’s an over-worked mother to do? Rebel against Christmas in the way the bad moms do. Really cute and funny movie with great underlining messages. Also, Christine Baranski and Santa strippers, Woof!

🎄Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer(1964) - This classic stop motion movie has been around for generations now. Although the filming seems primitive, the message and fun are clear and it’s got great songs that I have been singing for years. Besides, every kid should know about Rudolph and misfit toys.

🎄The Night Before(2015) - Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon- Levitt have a nack for “bro” type movies. This is no exception. An annual night of debauchery searching for a holy grail of Christmas parties while running around NYC with your best friends whilst wearing your proper ugly sweater. I don’t think it gets more holiday than this super fun adult movie.

🎄Prancer (1989) - I never believed in Santa growing up and the thought of magical reindeer sounded so odd to me. But when I saw prancer on TV for the first time, I cried and really did wish this was all real.(gimmie a break I was like 6). As an adult now I understand. Thanks to prancer that it’s so much deeper then the magic. It’s belief. Everyone around our protagonist thought she was crazy but she cared for the animal anyway and her belief was not for nothing come Christmas time.

🎄Four Christmases(2008)- The baby throwing up scene, the baby throwing up scene, the baby throwing up scene. Ok now that’s out of the way. This was a funny fast paced movie with 2 big names attached. A bit of holiday lessons but funny over all. I will say this movie doesn’t hold up. But, I did love watching it at the time. It also reminds me that I’m not the only person that’s not into family during the holiday.

🎄How the Grinch Stole Christmas(1966/2000) - Another holiday classic. This movie has been remade and remade, the message stays the same but weather it be live action or CGI animation. This movie is always a laugh when you’re a kid and brings you back as an adult. Jim Cary was also an amazing grinch. He was born for the role truly. I also find myself singing your a mean one Mr. Grinch waaaay more than I truly should during the year.

🎄The Santa Clause (1994) - This is one of the first movies I saw in theaters and owned. This is a great memorable movie with some great lines and a fun time to watch. Tim Allen’s style of comedy truly helped make this movie a delight.

🎄A Christmas Story(1983) - Another nostalgia sake movies. This movie will play on TBS for 24 hours every Christmas and is always a fun watch. Looking back now. It holds the test of time story sake and does the best it can for the time. But, the chances of someone getting you a leg lamp as a gift is silly. That’s what makes this movie great. That and it taught me not to lick a pole in a cold winter day.

🎅🏻———🤶🏻———🎅🏻———🤶🏻.

❄️Honorable Mentions❄️.

☃️Office Christmas party(2017) - This was an underrated film in my opinion, TJ Miller plays himself as normal but running a company and basically throwing a gigantic rave as a Christmas party. As an adult, it made me wonder how many of my co-workers would just unwind if the situation presented itself correctly? Easpecially at the end of the year.

☃️Home Alone(1990) - You can never beat Macaulay Culkin’s big break out role. This movie also raised a lot of questions such as how did Mr. McCallister afford to take all those people to Paris during Christmas time being a single bread winner with such a large household? How did Kevin burn his face when he didn’t even really shave? Also for a stay at home mom, Mrs. McCallister didn’t keep very good track of her children.

☃️Christmas with the Krank’s(2004) - Another holiday good time with Tim Allen. Just add a little Jaime Lee Curtis and some Christmas Shannanigan’s while trying to avoid Christmas and you have a funny cocktail that’s fun for everyone. Good easy watch and the over acting make it funny to watch.

☃️The Nightmare Before Christmas(1993) - I felt like I had to throw this in because so many people love this movie. I for one have thought it’s been overrated for sometime. I understand that for the time the animation was something to write home about, But it just felt to me like all the goth kids finally got their mainstream movie. But I do love the idea of Halloween at Christmas, Danny Elfmen and Tim Burton did have a great partnership here, no denying that.

What are some of your favorite holiday films or shows? Or know of Something I should check out? Leave me comment below✌🏻

[angel-scythe]

Chloé : Chapter 16

Heya!

Chapter around my Lizzie! I’m so happy when she’s there! (But I hate it when OC takes all the place so I try to not have her around but she’s Gavin’s daughter and he’s a good papa sooooo)

(Fun fact, I listened to ‘johny, Johny’ yesterday and typing ‘papa’, the song jump in the front of my brain.)

Anyway here is the door... smash it to hug my little Lizzie? (but maybe you’ll have a fic instead =P)

|   ° | (oh or just keep reading?)

6th December, 17:56

 “Can we keep hiiiim?”

“Eliza’!” Gavin voice went out harshly.

The little girl wasn’t use to it and snorted sadly. She looked toward Connor, crouched near her. He was there since few minutes and had finished his report in Hank’s car but it was time to go back home. Even Gavin thought about that, it was a thing!

Felix was looking them, perplex.

“We will see us very soon, Elizabeth, don’t worry.” Connor smiled to the young and took her in his arms softly.

“But I’ll miss you. I like you very much, Conny.”

“I like you too. I can’t wait to see you again but you can have some time with your papa and that’s nice too. Isn’t it?”

“Yes. Because my papa is awesome.”

Hank coughed. Worry, Connor got up and came to give him a glass of water. Felix still looked the scene as Gavin sighed and looked meanly the Lieutenant.

“Thanks you, Eliza’” he said in the same time. “Don’t worry this di…ldo will come home soon enough.”

He stiffed. What?

Hank almost choked with his water.

“This what?”

“Just searching a non-insult! I skid, okay?!”

Connor had wild eyes while the little girl tugged his t-shirt under the maroon leather vest.

“What is a dildo, papa?”

“Absolutely nothing. I said Dino.”

“Ooooh! Yeah! Conny is a Dino. Rawr!”

Connor caught the little girl and rose her in the air, making her laugh. As soon as he lowered her, she threw her arms around him.

“I’ll miss you so much.”

“Me too.” He caressed her hairs. He wanted to offer to play with Felix but looking toward him, he didn’t think it was a good idea. “When we see us again, you must tell me what’s happen in Hallowe’en party, okay?”

“I swear.”

He put a kiss in her cheek then put her in the floor.

Since it was only eighteen, the commissionership was full of people, Wanda, of course, but also Ben and Chris, Fowler and few others people. The Android wanted to kiss, at least, Gavin’s cheek too but they he just couldn’t. Never the cop could bear the fact that he liked as much an Android.

He couldn’t do that to this person he liked very deeply.

“You come, son?” Hank asked as he went toward the exit.

“Yes, I’m coming, Lieu… daddy.”

“Winky face,” Gavin said with a smile pretty pawky.

Connor didn’t care about that, knowing it was for Gavin the way he’ll show his feeling. He really needed to buy a phone, maybe he could send soft messages to the man he cared. The… man younger that he daddy cared about? Well!

He waved the hand to Elizabeth and ran after Hank to catch him up at the exit door. The Lieutenant opened the car for him and let him install himself in the siege. He attached the belt and smiled to the man when he was, too, installed.

“I’m so happy I could come live to your place. And I’m sorry to make you wait.”

“I understand you had things to do. The little Lizzie really like you, she’s cute and even cuter when you play with her.”

“Yeah, I really like her. She’s cute and adorable. Gavin has a nice girl.”

“Yes. Surprising knowing the dude.” Hank turned the keys in the motor contact and threw the car in the road and the music too.

It was a nice band between jazz and metal. It was pretty avant-garde and he liked it.

“Do you know her daddy?”

“Yes. Not personally but I know who he is. Fowler said it’s a nice guy.”

“Everybody know him?”

“Well, the Captain already came to took her or let her at Gavin. It depends. He seems to be a nice guy. Don’t know how he ended up with Gavin and why they decided to adopt together. I think it was a surrogate mother? I could remember him leaving earlier to take care of the youngie when she has few days. However, the girl wasn’t as cute as Cole.”

Hank tightened his hands around the flywheel. In fact, Connor could feel the uneasy of the man. When they were in car together, the Lieutenant was very very carefully as he drove. It was painful but also a sweet thing.

“Of course she wasn’t.”

“It’s nice to you to care about her despite what the father did to you.”

“Yeah…”

Connor didn’t say a thing, didn’t want to say he was sad to don’t receive a kiss before they left.

They talked about a lot of things, the case, what they loved, what Hank will eat, what they could watch and talk a little about bad habits. For Hank to drink, for Connor… to lick evidence. He did this earlier too and the man wasn’t happy at all.

 6th December, 18:21

 The key turned in the door and then the wood was pushed. A woof came from the living room and Connor almost bounced of joy.

“Can I play with Sumo? Please?”

“Yes, of course. When you’ll have finish…”

“I would never!” Connor replied as he dashed toward the dog.

Dog who bark joyfully and went on his heavy backpaw to fall on Connor. The Android laughed and caressed him while the tongue bathed him.

Hank smiled and took off his vest and his shoes.

“When you’ll have finish, I said, you can go to your room. I’ll show it to you.”

“Okay.”

Connor knew it, in the fact. The house was quite tiny and there wasn’t much room. A kitchen separated from living room only because of the change of floor, a garden which needed to be pampered, as the wall of the house, and two bedrooms. Then you add the bathroom and, of course, you could understand what the bedroom available once bore as little sleeper.

“I don’t need to sleep, if it needed…” he tried, a little uneasy.

“Yeah? And? You need a place to rest and do your stuff.”

Hank went to the kitchen to search already prepared food. If he cooked it a little and add things, Connor would see it as a good meal and won’t annoy him.

“Okay… Then…”

“Yes?” Hank asked as the question didn’t come.

“Can I keep Sumo with me? He can come to the bed?”

The old man sighed a little then smiled.

“Why not.”

“Yeah, thank you!”

“Are you competent for Selfie’s things?” Hank asked while ruffling his hair.

“Yes. Oh, Fowler wants me to have a cellphone, since we’re talking about that.”

“Why don’t you order one in internet? I won’t help you with that, you know. I still have mine from the moment Johanna offered me this one.”

Connor rose the head to look him. Johanna… it was the first time he mentioned his ex-wife in his presence. He knew she asked for divorce not long after Cole’s dead. Maybe she reproached the death of their son to him? One time, he searched for the Lady… she even didn’t live in Michigan anymore. For Connor, it seemed it was a good thing. Less chance to cross her road because of the hazard.

“Didn’t it remind her to you?”

“Na. That’s just a phone. Why should it remind her to me?” He shrugged. “You want to take a Selfie with me?”

“Oh! Yes. And one with Sumo?”

“Of course.” Hank smiled. “I’ll end up to believe you prefer the dog to me.”

“Nooo.” Connor kissed Sumo’s head and jumped on his foot before ran toward Hank to hug him.

The man laughed and hugged him back.

“Love you too, son.”

He pressed his head against his soft hairs.

 6th December, 18:05

 “Okay… Pick up your stuff, Eliza’.”

“Okay!”

The little girl put down her crayon and folded her drawing with care to put it in her schoolbag. It was a drawing for Connor and she didn’t want to damage it.

In the room, there still was Wanda, Felix and two Humans cops for the night shift. The little girl couldn’t help to look toward the RK900 as she took her father’s hand. She frowned a bit and still waved her hands to him as she followed the man.

They went out of the office and Gavin bring her to the care, opening the door. He let her install herself and checked she attached her belt before taking the place before the flywheel.

“Papa?”

“Yes?”

“Who is this man looking like Connor?”

“Don’t pay attention. It’s a useless thing.”

“A Connor’s friend?”

“No.”

“Oh…” The little girl looked shy and she looked her father. “Did you have a good day?”

“Ugh. The worst. And you? You did nice things?”

“Yes! We worked multiplications and it was nice. I should show you! We’ll do homework when arrive?”

“Yes. Do you have a lot?”

“No. But I must study. The teachers said we have control before Christmas.”

“Okay. I’ll make the supper while you study.”

The little girl looked her daddy, moving her legs shyly. Gavin didn’t miss it when he threw a look in the window.

“What?” he asked.

“Can’t I help you with the supper?” she asked more shyly.

Gavin thought about Connor. He was kind of mad against him because now his life changed but he always did his best for her daughter to be happy. If making supper with him could get her happy, was it so bad?

“Only if you have finish your homework soon enough.”

“Yes! I have only math left. You’ll see, I’m getting good at it!”

“I’m happy for you, sweetie. Can’t wait to see it.”

“Yeaaah! At school, we had parents that come to talk about their job. Emma was sad so I stayed with her… But Andy’s papa was there and he talked about his job.”

“Hm? Who?”

“Andy Smith, papa. I already told to you about him. It’s the little guy with glasses.”

“Can’t remember.”

“It’s the one who hit me in the nose when I said I was happy to have my daddy’s good vision, sorry papa.”

“That’s son of the…motherless goat!”

“Yup,” the little girl laughed.

“One day I’ll fucked him up.”

“His dad is a lawyer. Lawyer must be a cool works.”

“Lawyer? The man his lawyer and his boys is a little shii…iitake mushroom? God. … Anyway, lawyer is a cool job. You can help innocent to live normally.”

“Yeah, he said so.”

The car stopped in front of the huge building the little family lived. Elizabeth checked around as her father asked her to do, then opened the door.

“He said he worked with policemen so I said my daddy was Captain then my papa and my stepfather Detective!”

Gavin frozen as he opened his door.

“What?”

“They were all impress. But Andy told me I was a liar.”

“This boy is a poo on a stick. Don’t go near this fu… dgecake.”

“Yeah! He even wouldn’t believe it was an Android. He said nobody was dumb enough to be with an Android. Then… I bite him!”

She bounced toward the front door.

“You…”

Gavin went to his girl and crouched to be at his tall.

“My Queen, my love. Inside my heart, I’m very, very, very proud of you. If someone annoys you, don’t let him upset you. But as a cop, and since I don’t want your daddy to piss me off, it’s bad to bite people. Or hit. Punch. Or whatever.”

“Even if he’s a fucker?”

“Even if he’s a don’t-use-that-word-in-front-of-your-daddy.”

He passed his hand in her hair.

“You’re a little devil but I still love you.”

She jumped at his shoulders and he rose her up, opening the door to go to the staircase. The lifter was a good thing since they lived in the seventeen stories but it always stink. He was sure peoples peed there.

“And why do you say to everyone you have a stepfather?”

“Because I do.”

“Tell me more, I’m interested.”

“Conny is my stepfather! I’m sure the wedding will be awesome.”

Gavin sighed.

“There won’t be haven any wedding. I never married your daddy, I’ll certainly not marry a guy I met one month ago and a fu…n Android never.”

“But they can marry now.”

The man put down his daughter.

“Now you walk. Eh, end of the conversation. Let’s talk about Santa Claus. Did you already prepare the list for him?”

“Yes! Since weeeeks! I wanted to have biiiig stuff instead of little but daddy says Santa Clause prefer to split it my presents between you and him. But I don’t get why he always give less when I’m here… he doesn’t like you? But we prepare cookies for him.”

“Hm. I think it’s because we don’t have much room. He doesn’t want us to be overwhelmed.”

“So he’s awesome!”

“Yes. And will make him nice cookies when the time will come.”

“Yes!”

The little girl smiled as she followed him in the stairs. As they climbed, they continued to talk about things and others.

[imaginetonyandbucky]

Hi there. I'm always on the look out for some fluff and I've seen this one with others: the 101 Dalmatians meet-cute. Either Bucky and Tony as Pongo and Perdita or as Roger and Anita, I'm good with either. But I def see Bucky more as the scheming doggo or bachelor and Tony as the more prim but subtly interested one. I've taken to imagining the corresponding couple usually to be Steggy or Clintasha but it doesn't really matter since the focus is obvs WinterIron. Thanks xoxo

A/N: It didn’t turn out to be a 101 Dalmatians AU but a general doggo AU, I hope the prompter isn’t too mad at me for that, but I found having Bucky and Tony be different breeds a bit more fitting.

Tony is a Chihuahua mostly because of this picture by Josh Lynch: [clickable link].

Bucky is a Czechoslovakian Wolfdog[wiki link] I found out that the beginning of this breed was a scientific experiment by the czechoslovakian military done in 1955 and if that isn’t fitting.

Their humans are Peggy and Steve respectively, but there is not much pairing happening and it can easily be ignored if that is not your thing.

The fic is in two parts and about 4000 words long.

Warnings: implied dog trauma and past injury

----

Borks and Scritches - Part I

Bucky loved the park.

There was lots of space for zoomsand nice dirt patches to roll around in and Steve, his human, alwaysthrew the flying disk here. Bucky loved the flying disk.

The park also had a lot of otherhumans but there was enough room to stay away from them. Bucky didn'tlike those, he didn't exactly know why, he just didn't, they scaredhim.

Today was a good day, it was windyand Steve threw the disk very far, Bucky ran after it at top speed,even with three legs he was very fast and caught the disk before ithit the ground. Sometimes he did a tumble though when he was too fastand couldn't stop in time. One front leg wasn't enough to get himthrough curves sometimes and he did a roll over his left shoulder,but Bucky didn't mind. It had been a lot worse when his leg had stillhurt, he couldn't run or jump, couldn't even walk properly. It wasbetter not having a leg at all and he was still fast. And sometimesSteve scratched where his leg used to be and it felt so good, likescratching an itch he didn't know he had.

The flying disk was high in theair and Bucky jumped just in time to catch it between his teeth andhe didn't do a tumble. Steve would be proud, he hoped, but when helooked back Steve wasn't even looking. A little disappointed hetrudged back and sat down, holding out the disk.

Steve didn't react, he was lookingat something - someone. There was another human, not far away on abench. She wasn't looking back so Bucky didn't know why Steve was sodistracted. Bucky huffed. He jabbed the disk into Steve's stomach andfinally he had his human's attention again. Steve took the disk andBucky shuffled backwards, ready for another throw.

The disk flew again.

Excited Bucky started a fast zoombut had to stop after just a few meters because the disk did a sadflop and landed on the ground not very far from Steve. Bucky lookedat it, looked at Steve, then looked at the human on the bench andpicked up the disk.

He ignored Steve's calls - now hewas noticing him - and slowly approached the human on the bench, earsclose to his head, tail tugged in. Something had to be special aboutthis one and while Bucky didn't like other human's besides Steve anda few of the neighbours that gave him a sneaky snack sometimes, hewanted to know more about this one.

[Read more ahead]

She didn't smell bad from adistance and when he approached she held out her hand for Bucky tosniff at. Once he had examined her scent more closely he thought shesmelled quite nice, very calm, not aggressive and not scared at all.A lot of people smelled of fear when Bucky got close to them, butthis one had none of the bad smells he had come to associate withother humans. Maybe Steve had smelled that too, but Steve's smellIngskills were quite bad, Bucky knew because he had once hidden sometreats under the couch cushions and Steve hadn't even noticed.

There was also the distinct smellof another dog. Bucky's ears perked up, he couldn't see the dog buthe was definitely there.

Steve was behind him now andtrying to hold onto his harness but Bucky hobbled closer, curious. Onthe other side of the human, there was the dog, in a small - house? -with an opening in the front. It reminded Bucky of his crate at homejust...smaller.

"I'm sorry, he usuallydoesn't do that. Bucky, come back."

The dog was tiny and he hadsquished himself into the back of the container, looking at him withbig black eyes. Bucky could smell he was scared.

"Bucky!"

Bucky turned, Steve's voice wasmore commanding this time and he dutifully gave him the flying diskwhen he held out his hand. He wanted to go back and look at the tinydog again but Steve threw the disk and it's allure was too strong andBucky couldn't help but chase after it. When he came back howeverSteve was talking to the other human and didn't pay him any attentionagain. The tiny dog still smelled really scared, so Bucky walked tohim and gave him the flying disk. It was his favorite toy and it madeBucky really happy, so it had to make the small dog happy too.

Well, he tried to give it to him,but the tiny dog's house was too small to fit the disk into theopening and Steve was bothering him again pulling on the harness. Sohe dropped the disk on the bench, he would have to find somethingdifferent.

"He seems to be reallyinterested in Tony." The female human suddenly said.

"I'm sorry." Steve saidand tried to pull Bucky away. "Usually, he stays far away frompeople, I don't know what got into him."

Bucky was on a mission however andvery easily got loose again to run across the lawn. A stick wouldcertainly fit into the house.

As it turned out, sticks didn'tfit, Bucky didn't understand why, they were perfectly fine sticks, agood size for throwing and chewing, but they didn't fit. It wasfrustrating. Steve had settled next to the other human and they werelaughing at him every time he came back with another stick. He'd showthem though, he had another idea.

It took him some time but afterwandering around the park for some time, carefully avoiding thehumans, and staying in eyesight to Steve so he didn't run away, Buckyfinally found what he was looking for. An abandoned toy. It was abright color and shaped like a bone, it didn't taste like a bonethough and was really soft. He tested if it was a squeaky by bitingdown and to his delight it was. It was perfect.

The toy smelled like another dogbut it was just lying around so Bucky figured he could take it.Happily he ran back to the bench.

Steve jumped up when he saw thetoy, probably very proud of Bucky because it fit perfectly intoTony's house. Bucky placed it very carefully at the entrance and thennosed at it until it was properly inside. Tony uncurled from the backand looked at him, then got up and smelled the toy, and thensomething magical happened because their wet noses touched for amoment and Bucky was overcome with happiness, his tail going haywire.

It only lasted for a momentbecause a human was suddenly yelling and Bucky pulled his head out ofTony's house to growl at them.

"Get your fucking mutt undercontrol! He stole my dog's toy!" A large man was approaching andBucky backed away, towards Steve, grr-borking the entire time. Therewas a big black dog with the human. He wasn't as big as Bucky butnevertheless he tried to be intimidating, he was pulling on hisleash, barking loudly, showing a lot of teeth.

Bucky was scared and soughtshelter behind Steve's legs, the man smelled aggressive and violent.He growled, trying to keep the human at a distance but he came closerdespite all his efforts.

"Hey, no need to be rude.Just a dog being playful, here's your toy." It was Steve's newfriend who spoke and she took the toy out of Tony's house and handedit over. Bucky whined, that was Tony's toy, but he didn't dare doanything else. Steve's hand was on his head and it calmed himsomewhat but he howled pitifully as he watched the evil human leavewith the toy.

"Thanks, Peggy, I think it'stime to go. It was nice to meet you, and Tony."

Bucky howled again when Steve putthe leash on him and tugged him away from the bench, away from Tony.

This was not a good day.

-----

The next day Steve took Bucky tothe park again. Bucky was excited and immediately checked if Tony wasback as soon as they stepped into the park. Unfortunately he couldn'tzoom very well because Steve was still attached to the leash. So hehalf ran, half dragged Steve to the bench and yes Tony was backagain. And Peggy too.

He sniffed Peggy's knees for ashort moment before sticking his head into Tony's house. The littledog booped his nose and Bucky barked excitedly.

"Hey, Steve." Peggysaid.

"Hey," Steve greetedback, "sorry about Bucky. He was really sad yesterday after weleft, wouldn't stop whining and howling, wolf dogs man. I mean, itsounds nice but not at 3 am. You tell me when it's too much for Tonyand we'll go to a different part of the park, alright?"

"I think Tony likes theattention."

Finally Steve detached himselffrom the leash and Bucky was free. He flopped down into the dirt androlled onto his back, Tony was looking out of his house, so Buckyrolled back around, keeping his front low, paw outstretched, rearhigh, he wiggled about woofing encouragingly to get Tony to play.

They were friends now and Buckywanted to play.

"I don't think Bucky's goingto have much luck trying to lure Tony out." Peggy said, soundingsad. "He only leaves his carrier around the house. I still thinkit's a miracle he doesn't growl and bark at Bucky at all. Every otherdog would have bite marks on their nose."

When still nothing happened andTony was just looking at Bucky, tilting his head slightly, Buckyrolled onto his side and huffed. Tony was frustrating, why couldn'the see that Bucky just wanted to play? Bucky closed his eyes,defeated. There was no purpose in his life now if his best frienddidn't want to play, he might as well just lie here. He howled sadlyevery once in a while.

Bucky lied there for an eternity,thinking of all the fun things he could have done with Tony untilsuddenly Peggy yelled and then four tiny paws landed on his rib cage,right were his leg used to be. Bucky's head jerked up and he was noseto nose with Tony, who had the audacity to lick across his muzzleafter letting Bucky wait for so long.

Before Bucky could lick back Tonyjumped off of him and started sniffing the ground. Bucky scrambledonto his legs and followed suit, finally something was happening.

"I can't believe this ishappening." Peggy whispered. "He's never...never donethat."

Tony really was small, when Buckystood next to him his ears didn't even reach Bucky's chest. So Buckywas careful and protected his little friend. They sniffed at theground together and Bucky wasn't even mad when Tony marked over thespot on the trash can that he had marked. They stayed close to thebench but that was alright, there were lots of things to smell anddiscover when one paid close attention.

And after discovering everythingthat could be discovered Tony wanted to play and Bucky was so excitedhe thought his tail was going to fly away from wagging too hard. Theybarked at each other and Bucky snoofed Tony in the stomach, whichTony reciprocated by playfully biting at Bucky's throat. It was allvery fun.

They wrestled a little bit in thedirt, well Bucky was rolling in it and Tony was jumping around andonto him. Until Tony yawned and trotted back to Peggy who picked himup, but instead of putting him back into his house Tony settled onher lap and watched as Steve threw the flying disk for Bucky. Withhis new friend watching Bucky put even more effort into catching it,doing more than one tumble in the process. He made sure to nuzzleTony every time he came back before running after the flying diskagain.

Eventually Bucky was exhaustedfrom all the running and rested his head on Steve's knee for headscratches. Steve and Peggy were sitting really close and so he couldsneak his snout into Peggy's lap and sniff at Tony, who had gone tosleep at some point. Tony didn't seem too interested in Bucky, butBucky was happy nevertheless. He had new friend, he never had afriend before. When Steve put his leash back on he only whined alittle bit that it was time to go home now.

~James

[abundantchewtoys]

HS Epi, Meat p6 reaction

I gotta say, snatching people from the Game Over timeline was a good way to invest us back into these characters. Plus, unlike the post-canon selves, they don't have 'certain victory' all written over them - by which I mean that I think it's unlikely they would be killed outside Universe C, since its existence and their ability to live in it was their Ultimate Reward. Admittedly, the planet they've inherited is less than ideal, but that was never stipulated in the rules.

Meanwhile, John himself with his retcon powers remains more earthed in the plot, also because this was the timeline he originated from in the first place. Still unsure how the fact there's 1 John but 2 versions of his selves will get resolved though.

I kind of doubt the New Game Plus versions (Cosmic Reset? still unsure on what to call them) are going to be joining their adult selves in Universe C, though the idea of the post-canon selves serving as guardians amuses me. I also doubt the NGP's are going to create their own timeline in Universe C to inhabit, with John joining them after 7 years. They would be deprived of 7 years of John, and even though he mostly kept to himself in the post-canon timeline, that would kind of suck, and not even Dirk creating an Autoresponder for John could bridge the time difference adequately. So, I figure they might just pick up one of the spare teen Johns (or rather, export one from the timeline, just like how John is now duplicating the Game Over selves). Maybe the one (John) that John sent to LOWAS when he went back to consult Terezi.

... Hmm, after seeing Blaperile checking out the Load Game & Save Game links on Homestuck, I think I've decided to call this new timeline the Reload timeline!! :D

Anyway, I suppose we're in for a perspective switch back to John now, and indeed like I said previously, I think LOLAR is the most likely candidate. It wouldn't feel entirely right for John to leave Rose hanging for now in favour of, say, fetching Dirk first.

---

"The sky is really blue. But it’s a different kind of blue than Earth C’s sky; it’s less, somehow, like someone took a photo of the sky and turned the contrast down a little, just enough to make the clouds blend into the horizon." ... This is Andrew Hussie criticizing his own art, isn't it? Hahah! This must be LOLAR, so I guess it's back to John now, since we're in Command Prompt Land again.

"That is to say, it isn’t the kind of sky promised by a paradise planet. Just an ordinary one." Oh sure, that's the in-story explanation: it lacks promise.

"You realize suddenly how much you’ve missed the ordinary, as opposed to the supposedly perfect." Oooh, heheh, guess John got bored by the idyllic parts of Earth C.

"You’ve been away from home almost as many years as you lived there. It’s not just the sky. Everything else is exactly and nothing like you remembered it: the scent of damp grass, the quality of the air, the solitude." Wait what? John went back to Earth?? What plot point could he mess up there without messing up the events leading up to the Reload timeline? ... Has he travelled back to his own atmospheric page? Since he says he's "home", it isn't the exile's future or Dirk and Roxy's. Guess it'll be either John's actual home or Jane's, but... What could he do here that wouldn't mess up the timeline?? ... Steal Jane's Dad just before she Enters? No, wait, she tried to follow him around on LOCAH...

Yeah, Blaperile's correct in that if he sees his Dad, he'll be very sad.

"A woodpecker raps away incessantly at the tree with the tire swing outside your old bedroom window." XDSFSFSF, so it's really his home, in the past! ... I would rather like him to visit his Dad's past, but I doubt we'll ever see his childhood. Still, what could Rose have sent him here to retrieve?

"You couldn’t think of anywhere else to go, so you and your little army are sitting in a circle in your old backyard exactly one week before the meteors hit." Hopy shit, he didn't zap them to blankspace???? Hah, I guess John's at school and Dad's at work. And the neighbours... Well, the suburb might be deserted during office hours, actually. Would be funny if in the background, an elder crazy cat lady is seen ogling them from behind her curtains, or something.

Wow, okay, so, in case he's already went and fetched... everyone of the B1 and B2 kids, and his "little army" is complete, this must be a time skip! That must've been an awkward meeting altogether! Welp, so much for the conversation with Terezi, and seeing Karkat & Kanaya's response (in case he fetched Jane right about the time she was on LOFAF).

"It’s you, Rose, Dave, Jade, and all four of your teenage progenitors, each dressed in god tier garb. No trolls. No one who can die" Yep... Guess, like some of the platform conversations, as well as the LOMAX ones, we'll just have to imagine all the fluff. It's the Meat path for a reason, after all. We're jumping straight to the Meat of the rest of the "meat-up". :mspa:

"No one who can die from anything less than a heroic sacrifice. At least, this is what you assume to be the reasoning for Rose’s instructions to assemble your party this way." Well, Rose might have had a Light vision showing only they went to confront Caliborn, so then this is just self-fullfilling prophecy. Guess we're left with the idea that, in the abandoned session, everything might still have gone to shit, if no-one of these kids came back. We know how the confrontation between Aranea and )(IC went, and how the trolls fared against them all. Eeesh, I hope that's not the fate in store for these versions of Terezi, Kanaya and Karkat. One Game Over death for them was enough.

"Wind slices down the street, between the neat rows of bungalows. It’s chilly, carrying air from the mountaintops with it. Even that feels different. The wind moves through you now, under your skin and right into your bones, skimming their hollows the same way it does the homes of your salamander neighbors, or the open mailbox in front of your childhood house." The wind still skims the void, but the boy is part of the wind now. Hey, I didn't know of the mountains near John's home. Are they in the direction of Pipe lake?

"The smell of a cake baking wafts from the open window and the sick stench of browning sugar fills the yard. You used to hate that too, but now it makes you want to—" ... PFffff, so Dad IS home. Unless he put a cake in the oven and put a timer on, we know he owns a timer. Now I picture Dad seeing a bunch of people in coloured pyjamas in his yard and immediately putting a cake on. Those poor, homeless clowns deserve some real food after all. :mspa:

"> Dude, don’t cry in front of all the cool teen versions of your friends.

You hold back your tears with a big, ugly snort." Aww... I actually thought he wanted to just run in and hug his Dad, actually. But this...

"Jake is sort of ruining the mood anyway by bouncing away on your old Green Slime pogo. Doesn’t he realize how dangerous that thing is? Of course not. The fool." Jake, stop, what are you doing. Behave yourself, man! It's like he's a goddamned empty-headed consort.

"Dave fractures the silence by broaching a subject that’s on everyone’s mind but yours, apparently." Why he's an adult now?

"DAVE: so whats gonna happen to everyone we left in the wrecked time line" ... How thoughtful, actually. I mean, John can't just dismiss them as irrelevant. No matter the actual state of the timeline and their relevance to the ending, Kanaya's Rose's girlfriend, Terezi is Dave's ex, Karkat is still John's buddy and the mayor is the mayor! The other dudes, PM and the villains, as well as the sprites though, are less relevant to this party. Hope John doesn't say the timeline has vanished into the void by now, like Alt Future Dave's.

"JOHN: uh, well. JOHN: i don’t know actually. i’ve been to that time line four times now and it always pretty much goes to shit." It also happens to be your timeline. So, what does he count as his separate appearances in the timeline, then? He appeared in Dave's room, out in LOHAC, on LOFAF, on Derse, went back to LOHAC, appeared after Game Over, zapped back to meet with Terezi, and now he's zapped back to retrieve everyone! Maybe he's taking some of those appearances as a single one. Like the original Game Over is one, Reload is two, and then some other times?

"DAVE: oh ROSE: This has been bothering me as well. Is Kanaya going to be ok? ROSE: And by Kanaya, I guess I mean... everyone?" I knew it. ... Can Kanaya be a euphemism for everyone from now on? :mspa:

"DAVE: yeah what about karkat DAVE: and terezi DAVE: and the MAYOR?? JADE: oh my god!!!!! DAVE: what JADE: actually dave, i hate to say it but... JADE: i think john might have actually saved the mayor by bringing us all here?" Okay, Jade is indeed fine again. Hey, yeah, she was about to threaten the mayor to get Dave to cooperate, wasn't she? Ooooh, this marks it, this is the first time every B1 kid was featured in the same conversation. What a unique accomplishment!

"DAVE: jade that is seriously uncool JADE: i KNOW! JADE: i was gonna kick him right into the lava! DAVE: that is fucked up on so many levels i dont even know where to begin DAVE: its like an escher staircase of cartoon villainy" Yes, Grimbark Jade wasn't all bark! But her idea of villainy was childish on some levels still, because that's just what she's like!

"DAVE: i got nothing DAVE: its so DAVE: so... JADE: grimbark? :B woof woof DAVE: jesus no jade its stone cold evil DAVE: i cant believe you just said that shit and then woofed at me DAVE: i cant DAVE: i cant even look at you right now" Yes, Dave was really attached to the mayor in this timeline, even more so than in the final timeline leading to Universe C. But uh, welp, I hope this doesn't cause any fractures! We got to remember, they aren't in the best place here, emotionally. All of them still have all these unresolved psychological issues, more so than the post-canon selves.

"JOHN: uh, everyone, can we...

Everyone turns to look at you immediately, like you’re an authority. Which you kind of are." Yes, John, you can't bring a group of teenagers together as an adult without knowing something about handling emotional outbursts. Face it... You're a dad now. :P Or at least a big brother.

"You are struck with the sudden and uncomfortable realization that you are the only adult in the yard. You’ve never felt like an adult until this moment. Eighteen came and went and nothing really changed except that you’re pretty certain you could grow a bitchin’ mustache now if you wanted." That's just how it is, you feel like the same vaguely irresponsible person until you are trust back into a group of people where the age difference is felt the hardest. And heheh, now I'm reminded of Davesprite's note impersonating Dad, chiding John about growing facial hair in his absence. :P

"And you might even have one by now, if you didn’t feel a sense of duty to uphold the sacred Egbert family tradition of shaving at least once per day, even if it isn’t really necessary. You owe at least that much to the memory of your departed father." Aww.

"JOHN: let’s chill out for a minute. i’m sure this is all very confusing to all of you. JOHN: about the time line you’re leaving behind... yeah, i get it. it’s weird. JOHN: i’ve already left one major time line behind. well, two if you count the one i just came from, where we’re all adults. JOHN: the truth is, i have no idea what happens to these time lines and all the people living in them, when i just... zap out of them, to use my retcon powers to change stuff?" For doomed timelines it's simple: you either die and become a ghost, you go back to change the timeline, or you get erased when someone does the second thing. But for John's retconned timelines, yeah, it's not as clear. If it doesn't work like with doomed timelines, there's already a bunch of duplicate timelines out there with associated ghosts in the dreambubbles. Meaning a lot of new confused human ghosts, which we haven't seen anything of until now. I wonder, dead or alive, if any of these duplicates will be brought up again. Well, besides a John like I've already theorized.

"JOHN: they might stop existing completely. i don’t know. JOHN: the thing is, we can’t really think about it. JOHN: it’s tough, but if we’re all acting like heroes here, and trying to do the right thing, then we have to put it all behind us. JOHN: it’s a sacrifice we’re making. JOHN: i mean, we’re risking our lives by fighting a powerful monster, sure." This would be a rousing speech if you weren't the one to have kidnapped them. And, seeing as you're an adult and they're teens, kidnap is still the right word here. Can't wait to hear input from the B2 kids about this, actually. Dirk could blow all John's arguments of the table in a heartbeat, actually. Heheh. HEARTbeat.

"JOHN: but the sacrifice i’m talking about... is saying goodbye to the life we thought we belonged to, and all the people in it. JOHN: probably forever. JOHN: it sucks, and i’m sorry i had to ask this of you all. JOHN: but there’s no other way. JOHN: everyone who has ever existed, and will ever exist, is counting on us... i think? JOHN: so... JOHN: yeah.

> Shrug." So on the one hand, John acknowledges he might have left Earth C forgood, but on the other hand he saw it as a goodbye, not a farewell. Still, he's right to address the threat Lord English poses to Paradox Space as well as the continued existence of the universes inside Genesis Frogs. I mean, the continued existence without threat of annihilation by a time travelling mobster.

"It’s all you can think to do to punctuate your speech of lukewarm inspirational value. Judging from the confused looks from the others, all of them may share your assessment of your own oratorical skills, except for one person. She’s perked up at your spiel, regarding you with alert and admiring eyes." Boyfriend material, isn't he, Roxy? :P Yeah, how's John going to take this rehash of their first meeting. It's one thing to long back to a moment, but to revisit it, him an adult and she a teen? Awwwwkwwwwaaaard.

"ROXY: that was a fine ass speech and idk if i speak for the rest of my peeps here but im fuckin psyched ROXY: lets do this shit" Well yeah, Roxy did have her shit together the best out of everyone. She overcame her character flaw (the drinking) on her own.

"She *wonks* at you." Her typos transcend media.

" JOHN: uh.

You weren’t prepared to get passively hit on by the Definitely Not Legal version of a girl you used to have a crush on at the age she was when you first met her, only a few hours after you watched the Actually Legal version of her engage in passionate hand-holding with her possibly aromantic skeleton alien monster girlfriend. You start to sweat, and again the unwelcome odor of undercooked meat emanating from your body makes itself known to your nose." Of course Roxy is more okay to hit on him, see her Dad crush. Meanwhile, John has all this *history* he's thinking about. Also, he might actually don't want to interfere with the "whatever" that is Roxy/Calliope! That would be sportive of him, if it were true. Lastly, how many times is the meat-odored sweat going to remind John which path he's in, hahah. ... Is it the same in the Candy path, some sickening sweet smell sticking to him? Crumbs of sugar in his hair?

"You quickly distance your mind from any additional discomfiting thoughts about your old and semi-ex flame, and propel yourself into a wildly unrehearsed tactical planning session. You review each of your abilities, strengths, and weaknesses, and then cobble together a reasonably sound approach to besieging a young and bratty version of Lord English by way of surprise attack. The planning is mostly disorganized and structureless, although some common themes that often recur involve you and your original three friends leading the charge, since you are the oldest and wisest, and therefore the strongest, with the exception of Jade, whose gaudy array of powers make her the most formidable of the group, bar none. Aside from that, it appears the consensus is that the melee will likely devolve into an absolute free-for-all—at least going by the general patterns of incoherent banter, shit-talking, and points of pedantic tactical disagreement plaguing the jam session. You overhear someone making mention of... a huge, gay hope bubble? That can’t be right, but you didn’t catch who said it. A flamboyant pink spell? Yeah, this conversation is off the rails now." Yeah, these guys were never good at the finesses of planning things out. Partially due to their teen problems, but in the final timeline before Collide, they weren't really planning anything either beyond deciding how to split up. ... How and where did the Hope and Heart powers of Jake and Dirk become known to the B2 kids, though? Did John whisk them away at a later point in their timeline, after Brain Ghost Dirk had already manifested and Jake was killed once by Aranea? Oh, and only by rereading do I understand John designated himself as the oldest and wisest and strongest barring Jade, I thought he meant all four B1 kids, that couldn't be right.

"At the precise moment you believe the meeting has outlasted its usefulness, Jake does you the favor of effectively pounding the gavel for adjournment by rocking back a bit too far on your lawn pogo and launching himself over the top of the ride on the next bounce. He face-plants right into the dirt." Still the cosmic butt monkey then. Gotta love the juxtaposition with his more 'mature' version on the previous page. Also, maybe Blaperile is right and the Hope & Heart powers were speculated on, not actually witnessed. Unless Rose had a Light epiphany.

"Dirk goes to help your yard clean the Jake off its dirt." ... Yes. That is definitely a thing that can be really happening.

"Jade follows, to help out. It seems she wants to chat with Jake, considering it’s the first time they’ve met, from her perspective. Some eruptions of chatter can be heard from other members of the group." Aww, okay, it's time for a platform conversation parallel. Who'll approach John then, Roxy? But Rose would want to talk to her at some point, too.

"It’s easy to forget, since the reunion between your friends and all your young relatives happened so long ago from your point of view, but this is all quite novel to everyone here. They’ve hardly had a moment to process it, since your plan to drag them all off to fight Lord English has understandably stolen the thunder of an otherwise poignant homecoming. Poor kids, you think." Wow, this alienation is really something. It must be jarring to experience some shit for the semi-second time, seeing people with baggage that, from your perspective, they've already cast aside.

"You decide to give the teens some space to work through their shit before you take off to save the universe." Off screen reunion time! But where will John head to?

"You end up wandering all the way around to the other side of your house," Is he going to meet Dad by accident? Or at least watch him from a distance? I figured he couldn't do much in the yard without being noticed if Dad was home, but maybe I was wrong. I like Blaperile's idea that John will leave him a note. He could forge one, making it look like Nanna wrote it, actually. ... Or maybe he will write something his teen self wouldn't know how to put into words, yet...

"Your dad’s sitting right there, smoking his pipe and operating his professional-looking, boring, gray PDA. He’s got the kitchen timer set up on his desk, and you can hear the notes of his favorite fatherly jazz album filtering out through the window, which is open only an inch." Oh, so Dad is home!! Guess he was to engrossed in his interests to notice anything amiss, and John was ignorant of his Dad's actions that day, apparently. ... No mention of the Crosbytop, but then that might have been too silly for this emotional moment. Poor John. He won't be able to contact him without messing up the timeline, and anything less than direct contact (a note, PDA message) might ring hollow in his ears too. It's sad to think, but there's no saving his Dad, not without creating another timeline, and that might have unforeseen consequences. But John might still have thought about it, or start thinking about it. Unless he feels that doing so would rob the event of importance, plus that he would start feeling obligated to save everyone's loved ones once he started. His Dad raised him better than to be so self-centered!

"The sun is hitting the glass in such a way that you can’t see his face." Oh, he's facing the window? I thought he was sitting behind the desk, but apparently he was somewhere else, near the grammophone, perhaps. Also, featureless guardian, that never stopped being a thing!

"> This is probably the last time you’ll ever have the chance to talk to him...

The urge is overwhelming. But you can’t, and not just because your feet won’t move and your throat is closing up. It’s just that... it would be a really bad idea to bother him. It would totally freak him out, to have an adult version of his son show up out of the blue and knock on his window like a creep. He probably wouldn’t even recognize you."

:/ True enough.

But John didn't think about rewriting the timeline to save him so much as how his immediate action would be responded to in the moment.

"> Fair enough. It’s time to go, John." The narrative prompts are a lot more lenient and respectful than in Homestuck proper.

"You return to the backyard. Your teen friends have split off into genetically segmented groups: Roxy and Rose sitting in the grass, Jade and your shared ecto-parents laughing together by the Green Slime pogo, and the Striders leaning against the farthest fence, with a tense foot and a half of space between them. It’s heartwarming." I think the Strider conversation is going about as good as on LOPAK. Hopefully even smoother, because the original took a while to get going.

Though it must be a tad painful for John to watch all this unfold, seeing as he can't have the reunion he so desires.

"But something doesn’t feel right about it to you, possibly for selfish reasons. It’s the selfishness of your own perspective, of wanting the memories you had of the reunion between all these people to be the most notable and legitimate manifestation of this event. To see the moment echo, or play out all over again, to overhear the heartfelt confessions repeat themselves... It feels cheap. To you, that is. To the man who lived through it all before and selfishly doesn’t want to have the memory tarnished with a tawdry reprisal" Yeah, John was hoping that lending them legitimacy through the retcon would improve on the conversations being had. And his memory of the event he experienced was already so gilded, his expectations were sky-high in this regard. ... I feel like the narration might be acknowledging the grown-up fans in this.

"You wonder. Do you see these teen versions of your friends as “real”? Are you treating them, at Rose’s behest, as simple puppets? Doing your part to insist they fill friend-shaped recesses in an essential plan to stabilize all else that can be considered important, a distinction no longer applying to them? Do you care at all about whatever fate it may be that you are sentencing these children to? Are you becoming as complicit in the fatalistic evils of Paradox Space as Lord English himself? Are you becoming a monster, John Egbert?" These are good questions for John to have. Because for him to not have qualms, he would be the monster he fears to become. John has to open his heart to them. Blaperile has a good point though, John might have felt this alienated from the post-canon versions of his friends too, whether he realizes it or not. That could explain him losing touch with them. But yeah. He's here now, adult or not. He's got to make due, and see if he can't reconnect with either version of his friends. He'll become a better friend for it.

John never had a problem with meeting another version of himself like the other kids had, but maybe it was all along because that kind of existential crisis is only caused in him through meeting people he should love but feels alienated from: Dad, these versions of his friends, all the ghosts in the dreambubbles...

"JOHN: uh, hey kids... ROSE: Please, Adult John, don’t do that." Oh hell yes. Better nip that denominator in the bud, Rose. (Heh, Rosebud.)

"It’s obvious that she’s trying very hard to hide her apprehension. ROSE: Is it time to go? JOHN: yeah. JOHN: i mean... JOHN: no, if you want to be technical. i can zap us in wherever, whenever. we have all the time in the universe if we want it. ROSE: But if we don’t leave now, you’re afraid we never will? JOHN: heh."

I love how in-tune Rose and John are, no matter how much time and space has separated them.

"JOHN: i guess it’s true that people don’t really change. they just grow up?

Rose gives Roxy a strange look, appearing to silently acknowledge an entire conversation that has been taking place, using a great volume of words that aren’t being spoken." Heh, Rose and Roxy's conversation on the platform was about their moms and how different or not the other was to that person. I take it their conversation went in the same direction this time around. I think John's response is just more proof to the veracity of the claim. Also, more proof on the pile of the ultimate self, on the side, actually. The idea being kind of like, they're the same person but different due to the circumstance.

" ROSE: I guess.

She smiles." Also, for Rose it must be nice to see the boy she knew still lives inside the man she doesn't know yet.

"> Get the show on the road. JOHN: okay everyone... i’ve never zapped this many people before so let’s all just... JOHN: uh, hold hands, maybe? in a circle, i mean. that should work. DAVE: god this is so lame JADE: its not lame its perfect!!! DAVE: nah JOHN: shh! JOHN: alright. is everyone ready, then?" Kumbaya, my lord, kumbaya. :P Dirk, Jake and Jane didn't get any lines yet, that'll be something for a later page. ... Hah, Blaperile has a good point. John zapped a planet away, twice! Why would this bother him now? :P

... Is the Masterpiece really up next, wow. (After a scene change to Universe C.)

"Only Jade says yes enthusiastically." God, I really missed simply happy Jade. We might still see her on Universe C, but it's with the knowledge she spent three years without any real sapient friends but Jaspersprite & Nannasprite.

"The last thing you hear before zapping away is your dad’s kitchen timer going off in his study." Time's up! Appropriate, if they're really going to confront Jake now.

I got to say, it would be very nice seeing the Masterpiece how it really happened, and not what Caliborn told us. I wonder what he lied about, if anything. It would seem noteworthy to mention John was an adult, but then again, humans might all look alike to cherubs. It's true that Arquiusprite wasn't mentioned on the character list, but I blaim it on Equius being Voided out, it's been a theme before. It's his aspect, the Expatriate's sign hid the cue ball from Doc Scratch' sight, Gamzee used Equius blood to erase himself from the tomb, and so on.

I also think there are odds that characters without dialogue are not mentioned on the character list, like WV. Though it would be weird for Equius/Arquiusprite to be the only troll without dialogue. Davepeta represents the Collide timeline's Nepeta, so that explains her absence from the list.

Still, it would need to be explained how Arquiusprite got there and from what timeline. My money is on him uploading himself through Lil' Seb.

... I thought of something. If we start from the assumption Caliborn's Earth is Earth C in the far future, and not put their by say Condy after Game Over, then logically Lil' Seb, Arquiusprite and Gamzee are all from the Collide timeline.