#sorry i haven't watched more of the show i'm still stuck on that episode :'))

[quatregats]

"Carta de navegar" or a great alternative ending for Hornblower Episode 2: The Examination for Lieutenant

[imagines-for-the-fangirls-soul]

But Daddy I Love Him - Jacaerys Velaryon

A/N: Oh hi! First of all, thanks for all the love on my last Jace fic. I'm sorry it's taken so long to post my next, I've had a crazy couple of weeks, but I wanted to make to get something out before this week's episode. I can't believe there's just 3 eps left of the season! I am hoping to get my Jace chapter fic out before then, so I have put most of my focus there. Anyways, I hope you enjoy!!

TS Prompt #8: But Daddy I Love Him

Pairing: Jacaerys Velaryon x Lannister!Reader Word Count: 5.3k Synopsis: Jace and the reader fall in love, much to the displeasure of the reader's father.

Warnings: smut

Jacaerys Velaryon is beautiful.

It is tourney day in King's Landing, and your eyes are stuck to him as he makes his way out into the arena. Around you, there are scattered conversations whispered not low enough, about how the prince has matured in the last year, how handsome he has become.

He has not yet put his helmet on. This leaves his hair out, curls whipping around him in the gentle breeze. He flicks his hair back and there is a chorus of awes around you. You smirk at the reaction.

"The arrogance," your father, Jason Lannister, mutters from your side. You barely spare him a glance, not wanting to remove your eyes from Jacaerys.

"What do you mean?" you ask.

"He's showing off," your father says, disgust in his voice.

"It is a tourney," you say, "Isn't that the point?" He doesn't respond, just continues to monitor the arena space.

Jacaerys mounts his horse and with bated breath, you watch as he accepts the lance from the Master of Revels. His opponent is a knight you haven't met yet, a Ser Estermont. He has done well in the tourney so far, though, which makes you nervous.

As both men prepare to make their joust, you lean forward in your seat, needing to see as closely as possible, what is about to happen.

Unlike the matches before, this one is over in one round. Jacaerys aims his lance to the perfect angle, and expertly knocks over the knight from Greenstone.

Applause erupts from the viewing gallery, and you nearly stand up and cheer, you are so relieved about his win. Jacaerys rides around the stands and stops in front of the gallery you sit in. He lifts off his helmet and smiles in a way that makes your heart race.

"Lady Y/N," he says, and you think you hear discontented sighs from behind you. "Might I request your favor, that I may excel through the rest of this tournament?" You smile and reach for your wreath of flowers. For one moment, your father grips your wrist, as if he means to keep you from going. But it does not last long. No matter what your father may think of Jacaerys, he is still the prince, and future heir to the the throne. To deny him would mean scandal.

As you approach the railing, you try to fight off the grin at seeing him. Jacaerys extends his lance so that you may drop the wreath onto it easily.

"Thank you, My Lady," he says, eyes locked onto yours.

"Good luck, My Prince."

He rides off into the arena, garnering more applause from the stands, as you return to your seat. There are jealous eyes upon you. Even your father looks angry. But you pay them no mind. There will be more rounds, and Jacaerys is sure to succeed time and again, which will have him request the favor of more ladies.

Smiling as you sit down, you think of the girls who will bestow upon him their own wreaths. You might even feel bad for them, for surely, they will assume that his attention means he might court them. But you know that his affections lie only with you.

To you, the prince was just Jace, and you had loved him since you were a girl. Three months ago, he had declared his love for you, too, and ever since, the two of you had been hiding your love, waiting for the right moment to proclaim your intentions.

"He did quite well," you say to your father, making another effort to talk up Jacaerys to him.

"Ser Estermont was an easy opponent," your father says, disinterest and dismissal reflected in his tone.

Once the tournament is over, Jace makes his way into the castle. Several lords and ladies stop him on his way, congratulating him on his victory. He thanks them in passing, his thoughts only on getting into the castle, where he knows he will find you.

There is a feast to be held after the tournament, and while most everyone heads that way, he dismisses himself, saying he wishes to change before then.

When he turns down the hallway towards his quarters, the area is empty. The guards that usually stand at his door were at the tourney and are now sitting down for the feast.

You come around the other end of the hallway, your red dress immediately drawing his eye. You glance around cautiously before breaking into a run, launching yourself into his arms. He catches you easily, laughing as his arms settle around you.

"Oh," you say on a breath, pulling back just enough to face him, "You have no idea how worried I was for you."

"Have you so little faith?" he asks with a smile.

"I believed in you," you say, hand to his chest, "But belief doesn't change the fear that comes at watching a lord twice your size sprint at you with a lance."

"I'm alright," he says, his hands running gently along your back. You smile at him and lean in to kiss his lips softly. Jace hums contentedly into the kiss, his arms wrapping tighter around you as he pulls you into a corner and deepens the kiss.

Together, you stay locked there for a long moment, relishing the quiet that is so hard to find. Jace's hands travel through your hair and over your body, greedy to get his fill of you while he has you.

"I should get to the feast," you say softly when you break for air, your forehead pressed to his.

"Stay with me," he says, entwining his hand with yours.

"My father will be looking for me," you say. Jace's smile drops. "I'm trying," you say, "To sway him to our favor."

"I know you are."

"Your victory today should help with that," you say, giving him a small smile. "Congratulations, by the way."

"Thank you, My Lady," he says with a laugh. "I'll see you at the feast."

"Yes, My Prince."

By the next week, your father's attitude still hasn't changed. At the feast, you tried to talk about the prince, but he wouldn't hear anything of it. Jace had even come over to greet your family. Your father was diplomatic and only spoke to the prince for as long as he had to.

"I don't get why he won't give his blessing," you say, looking down at Jace. His head is in your lap, his eyes closed. He is so peaceful at this moment, you hate to bring this up again, but there seem to be fewer and fewer times for the two of you to be together. Even now, you are supposed to be with other ladies of the court, practicing your needlework. Instead, you snuck off to the Godswood to be with Jace amongst the blossoming trees.

"I'd be queen one day," you continue. "What more could he want for me?" Jace opens his eyes and looks at you with a frown.

"It's because of the rumors about me," he says lowly. You want to say he's wrong, but you wouldn't even believe yourself. The rumors of Jace's parentage had only grown in the last few years. It seemed that as he became older, and King Viserys grew sicker, the accusations only multiplied.

"I don't care about that, though," you say brushing your fingers through his hair.

"You should," he says, taking your hand in his own. "There are some who would see my brothers and I slain, rather than see us inherit our birthright."

"All the great houses swore allegiance to your mother," you say, squeezing his hand. "And you are her trueborn son. To do so would be--"

"Treason," he says, "But there are still those who would try it."

"My father wouldn't," you say. "As stubborn as he is, he is loyal to King Viserys, and by extension, your mother." Jace sits up, a serious expression on his face.

"Tensions are high amongst my family," he says, taking your hands in his. "In the entire kingdom, really. I am worried what may happen. Your father is smart, and that is why he must worry, too."

"You all fear something that may never come to pass," you say, "Are we to be separated in the name of what ifs?"

"We are to be separated until we can convince your father that I can keep you safe."

"And how do we do that?" you ask. Jace lays his head back on your lap.

"I don't know," he says.

The room is dark when you enter your father's quarters that night. He sent word to your lady's maid to see him immediately, but she couldn't find you until now, because you and Jace had been intwined in the Godswood all afternoon.

"Lady Clegane said she did not see you today," your father says right away, before you can even greet him. "Were you not to be under her tutelage this afternoon?"

"I don't need to study my needlepoint, Father," you say, stopping in front of him. "No man alive cares how well his wife can stitch."

"You were with the prince, weren't you?" he asks, standing. He towers over you, but you hold your head high, meeting his gaze.

"Why don't you like him?" you ask. He merely shakes his head.

"It is not a daughter's job to pick her husband," he says, "That duty lies with her father."

"And who would you have me marry instead? A lesser lord of the Westerlands? Someone directly under your control?"

"If that is what I demanded, yes," he says, bracing your arms. "I raised you to obey me, Y/N."

"No, you raised me to cage me," you say, tugging from his grip. "I would be Jacaery's queen! There isn't a more advantageous match out there for me. Yet you refuse to even hear us out, because it is not of your doing!" His face reddens, a telltale sign of his rage. You have never raised your voice to him before, and are now slightly scared of what he may do.

"I think it's time you return to Casterly Rock," he says lowly.

"What?" you ask, momentarily stunned.

"Your time in King's Landing is over," he says firmly. "You have become disobedient and careless."

"Father--"

"Do you think I am the only one who sees it, Y/N?" he asks, taking your hands in his desperately. His eyes are wide and pleading. "Do you think no one saw the two of you in the Godswood today? That no one can see the secret looks you exchange? That family is shameless, and I will have you take no part in it.

"I will not allow your reputation to be ruined by the prince's," he says. Tears begin to form at the finality of his words.

"When do I leave?" you ask, setting your jaw as you fight off the tears.

"I'll escort you the day after tomorrow, so you can make your goodbyes," he says. He can't meet your eyes.

"Very well."

Jace is speechless when you tell him. He found you sitting outside of his chambers the next night, tears streaming down your face. He invited you inside, a hurtle the two of you had yet to pass until then, and held you close while you told him your fate.

"We'll only have tonight," you say quietly.

"Maybe it's for the better."

"How can it be when it separates us?" you ask, looking up at him with watery eyes.

"Just for now," he says, brushing your hair back gingerly. "When things relax, we can try to convince him again."

"How long will that be?" you ask, "He'll have me married off as soon as possible, I know." Jace frowns down at you, his eyes searching for an answer in yours, that he knows he can't find.

"I won't stop fighting for you, Y/N," he says. "I promise."

"I won't either."

"We'll find a way," he says. You nod your head, a new wave of tears incoming, and relax into his chest. He holds you in his arms for a long time, his had tracing patterns along your back. The fire is nearly out in his hearth, and the room grows dark quickly.

"When did he say he wanted you back?"

"Fuck what he said," you say, looking at him intently. "I am not leaving your side tonight." With a hand to his cheek, you bring your lips together. The kiss is slow, a bit salty with the tears streaming down your face, but it is all he has ever wanted. He tries not to think about the fact that this might very well be the last time he ever gets to taste your lips, ever gets to hold you.

But it seems that your thoughts go there as well. Quickly, the kiss turns passionate. Your teeth scrape against his lip, like you can take him with you to Casterly Rock. His hands move down your body, to places he hasn't dared to explore yet. As one, the two of you move, so that he has you pinned to the couch, his body atop yours in a way he's only dreamed about before. You moan into his kiss as his body rocks into yours.

“Y/N,” he says breathlessly, forcing himself to break away from your kiss. Your lips are red, swollen from his touch. Your hair is spread out around you in a cascade of curls. It is torture to see you like this and not bring his body clashing into yours again.

“What?” you ask, your hand trailing down his chest, as if you need to touch him however you can.

“We should stop.”

“Why?”

“If anyone ever found out, you would be disgraced. Your father already doesn’t like me, I don’t want to give him any other reason to—“

“I’ll tell you something right now,” you say, “My good name is mine alone to disgrace. Being here with you now, doesn’t change a single thing about my honor.”

"Are you sure?"

"I need you, Jace," you whisper. You are barely able to finish the words before his mouth meets yours again, fiercer than before. He doesn't stay there too long. He needs to taste you everywhere, savor every moment he's got left with you.

His lips move across your face and down your neck. He loves the sounds you make when he bites down softly, the way your back arches your body into his. He sits the two of you up for just a moment, so that he can pull at the laces along your back.

When the top of your dress falls, he stares at your bare chest for a long moment. You smile at him, your skin flushed.

"You are so beautiful," he says. You grab hold of his face, kissing him again as you fall back onto the couch. Jace palms your breast, kneading gently as you whimper into his mouth. You pull at his clothes, too, until you rip his shirt off over his head.

Skin to skin now, Jace breaks from your lips to kiss down your chest. He lingers for a moment on your breasts, but his need to take you is growing too urgent. He moves down lower, tugging your dress down with him until you are fully exposed to him.

"Y/N," he says on a sigh, marveling at the sight of you.

"I love you."

"I love you," he says, dropping his lips to the folds at your center. The moan you let out is nearly enough to send him over, but he won't deny himself the opportunity to feel what it's like to be inside of you. He focuses on your pleasure, kissing the sensitive bud at the apex of your thigh, watching your face with rapt attention, seeing what action makes you cry out, which makes you thrust into him.

When you cry out his name, his watches proudly as your body clenches, waves of pleasure roll through you. Jace keeps up his actions for a few moments longer, tasting and savoring the moment as you come down.

When he sits up, he watches the rise and fall of your chest, the satisfied smile on your face. He kisses your lips passionately, treasuring the little sounds of happiness you make as he does.

He drops his trousers next, rubbing his cock against your slick folds. He presses into you slowly, barely able to keep his control, his need is so great. You gasp as you take him in, grabbing hold of his shoulders. He begins to rock into you, his movements gentle. As your sounds become more frequent, he picks up his pace, until the only sound he can hear is your cries of pleasure, and the collision of your two bodies.

He comes soon after that, his body collapsing on top of yours. For a long while, the two of you lay there, sweaty and happy, waiting for your breathing to return to normal.

"Jace," you say on a breath, breaking the silence first.

"Yes, my love?" he asks, his eyes meeting yours.

"This cannot be the last time," you say, cupping his cheek.

"It won't be. We'll find a way, I swear."

It's early morning when you return to your chambers. Your father collects you an hour later, and although the look he gives you suggests that he knows where you were, thankfully, he doesn't say anything.

The journey to Casterly Rock is long, taking nearly three weeks, and the entire time, your thoughts are on Jace. You bring him up a few times with your father, but after the most recent, he stops looking at you, stops speaking altogether, and rides astride his horse, leaving you alone with your thoughts.

When the news of King Viserys's death breaks, you hear it from your lady's maid. You shoo her away when she tries to finish braiding your hair. You know you should feel sad - Viserys was a great king, and had been sick for a long time. The last time you saw him, he looked like a walking corpse, and you had to avert your gaze.

But his passing means that Rhaenyra will be crowned queen. She will return from Dragonstone, where she fled just a week after you left King's Landing, and Jace with her.

You run from your chambers and burst into your parents' quarters, and find them talking in hushed, urgent tones. Your mother turns at your arrival and the look on her face scares you. There is panic in her gaze, mixed with a sadness that seems to grow when she sees you.

"Y/N," she says softly.

"I just heard the news."

"Yes."

"I expect we'll be leaving for King's Landing soon?" you ask, looking to your father. "For Princess Rhaenyra's coronation?"

"My dear," your mother says, a hand out to call you to her side. "Maybe you should sit down."

"What is it?" you ask as she sits you down in front of their empty hearth.

"Rhaenyra is not going to be queen," your father says.

"What do you mean?"

"Aegon has been crowned."

"He usurped the throne?" you ask in shock. "Are we gathering our bannerman? Should we--"

"Y/N," your father says with a sigh, taking your hands as he sits across from you. "We won't be calling our bannerman. We are supporting King Aegon."

"You swore allegiance to Rhaenyra," you say icily, looking between your parents' faces.

"I can't explain it all to you, daughter. There is much you don't understand."

"Uncle Tyland?" you ask quietly. Certainly, your level-headed uncle would see reason, when your father could not.

"He sits upon Aegon's small council," your father says.

"How long has this been planned?" you ask, moving away from your parents. The room suddenly feels too suffocating. Watching them, waiting for their response, you catch a quick look between your parents.

"How long have you known about this, Father?" you ask, stepping closer to look him in the eye.

"Rhaenyra was never going to be queen," he says lowly. "Regardless of the parentage of her sons. Although, that certainly didn't help her cause." You pull back from him, a look of disgust on your face. "And Aegon will make a good king."

"What will happen to Rhaenyra? To her sons?" you ask, the second question coming out broken. He doesn't answer. You look to your mother, hoping for some words of support from her, but she shares the same sad look on her own face.

"You've known this for so long . . ." you say, thoughts racing, "That's why you wouldn't approve an engagement between Prince Jacaerys and I."

"Yes," he says, "And I won't feel sorry for it. He'll be killed, no doubt. I don't want the same fate for you."

"But Daddy," you cry, calling him by a name you haven't in years, feeling as helpless as if you were still that child, "I love him!"

"It's already done, Y/N," he says, pain in his eyes. You let out a strangled sound before sliding down the wall.

"I'm having his baby," you say through a sob.

"What?" your mother asks urgently, crouching at your side. "What do you mean?" But no words come to you. The tears are falling too fast, any words choked by hiccupping.

Eventually, they bring you to your room. They both asked more questions about the baby, but you don't answer them, you can't. You don't trust them.

Your father had known this fate would befall Rhaenyra, would befall her sons. He knew you loved Jace, and he still let it all happen.

The next morning, your mother comes into your room. Her eyes are bloodshot, with dark circles underneath them. She brings you a cup of tea and kisses your forehead, before she says anything.

"Tell me about the baby," she says. "Are you certain?"

"No," you admit, bringing your knees to your chest. "But I haven't had my blood in a few weeks." Your mother nods and looks down sadly at her own drink.

"You'll need to drink moon tea," your mother says softly.

"I won't."

"Then you'll need to get married immediately, and claim the child as your new husband's."

"I won't do that either."

"Y/N," she begins with a sigh.

"You've already slammed the door on my whole world, I won't let you take this one last piece of him I have. If I am to have his child, I will keep it and I won't claim it as anyone else's."

"You'll be ruined," she says. "And if Aegon finds out that your child is Jacaerys's--"

"He won't. Nobody needs to know."

"Your father won't like this," she says gently. "You do not wish to make him angry."

"He's been angry. I've made my decision."

The next week, your cycle arrives, and you cry all day long.

"Sending another raven?" Rhaenyra asks, stepping out onto the cool balcony beside Jace. He gives her a tight lipped smile and nods. "Have you heard back from her?"

"Here and there," he says. He has been sending ravens to you for the past two weeks.

"I'm sorry your feelings fell into the middle of this mess."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Mother," he says seriously. She gives him a sad smile, a palm to his cheek.

"Baela tells me you have a plan to get her out," she says. Jace looks at her with wide eyes. He hadn't technically asked her permission, and what he was doing would be dangerous for their position.

"I know I should have told you," he starts.

"Yes, you should have. I would like to help," she says. She laughs at the bewildered look on Jace's face. "Do you think I would let you suffer here, knowing she's there, probably suffering too? Tell me your plan, Jace."

So he does. He gives her the same instructions he just sent to you. She gives him her support, while offering a few suggestions. She leaves him on the balcony after, giving him space to think over his plan, and to try and quell the hope building up inside of him.

All he is waiting for is one word from you, and he will enact this plan.

A day later, a raven knocks at his window, waking him from sleep. He leaps up immediately to grab its message, and finds just one word, written in your handwriting.

Yes.

On the morning of your escape, you awake with a smile on your face. It has been weeks since you felt anything at all. Your lady's maid enters into the room to ready you for the day, and you greet her, "Good morning."

"Good morning, My Lady," she says, looking at you in bewilderment. You're not sure you've spoken to her since you arrived at Casterly Rock. "I trust you slept well, then?"

"The best yet," you say.

As she moves about the room, getting your clothing together, you make sure to pick out the dullest dress in your wardrobe. When she sits you down to do your hair, you have her tuck your tendrils into a woven braid. Everything for indiscretion, or this plan will not work out.

When you walk into the breakfast room, your parents are gathered around a table. You give them a kind smile, playing the part of the dutiful daughter, knowing that your plans for escape were all laid.

"Good morning," your mother says, an air of suspicion in her voice.

"Morning," you say, sitting down next to her. "Good morning, Father."

"You haven't forgotten about your commitment today, I hope?" your father asks.

"No, I remember I am meeting with Lord Lannys today," you say innocently. He studies you for a moment like he doesn't believe you, but then his expression changes, or he forces it to. He forces himself to believe that you have finally pulled out of your darkness.

"Perhaps I'll accompany you down there," he says, "It's been a while since I have checked in on Lannisport."

"No," you say quickly. "You said you'd let me go with just a few guards."

"So I did."

"I have so little freedom," you say, "Am I to be chaperoned every day of my life?" The look on your father's face is one of remembrance, that this is the behavior he expects from his daughter.

"You will stay close to your guards," he says firmly.

"Of course."

"Our world is not as safe as it once was."

"I know."

"Very well."

You thank him and your mother, and when you bid them farewell, it is bittersweet. You try to see them as the loving parents you had when you were younger, but now you only see the causes of your heartbreak, and know that you're making the right call.

"When will she be here?" Joffrey asks impatiently, for the third time.

"Soon, I think," Jace answers.

"Why has it taken so long?"

"You don't have to wait with me, Joff," he says with a look to the younger boy. "It takes a long time to get here from the Westerlands."

In his plan, Jace had wanted to assure that your route would not be easily followable. The plan was for you to go to Lannisport and get aboard a ship that would take you to Seaguard. From there, you would travel by horse to Gulltown, where the Arryns would assure you passage to Dragonstone.

Yesterday, he got word that you arrived to Gulltown safely. If all went well, you would be in Dragonstone anytime now.

But the waiting was agony. Many times, Jace thought about saddling Vermax and flying out to you, just to get one glimpse of you. He knew himself, though, and knew that if he saw you, even from the air, he wouldn't want to let you out of his sights. He needed to wait patiently.

He was as bad as Joffrey, though.

When he finally sees your ship on the horizon, his heart starts beating faster. He rushes from his balcony and makes his way through the castle. Joffrey tries to keep up, but Jace loses him somewhere along the steps leading down to the shore.

Jace gets to the pier just as the small boat does. He doesn't think he is breathing as you step off the boat. Your eyes are searching for his and when they find him, a smile breaks across your face. You run towards him and he does the same, meeting you in the middle of the pier.

The second you are in his arms, you break down into tears. You cling to every part of him, your hands needing to touch him, needing to know that he is well. He realizes he is doing the same, his hand tangled in your hair, the other on your back.

"Oh, it's so good to see you," you say, pulling back just enough to look him over. Before Jace can say anything, you kiss him quickly, but fiercely.

"I'm so glad you're here," he says, hugging you again. You laugh, squeezing him just as tight.

"You're probably exhausted," he says, taking your hand and leading you back towards the castle. "You've had a long journey."

"Just a month," you say with a shrug, making him laugh.

"Well, you deserve your rest. I'll bring you right to my room," he says, "But there's one thing you'll have to do first."

"What's that?" you ask, furrowing your brow.

"Speak to my mother."

Dragonstone castle is not that much different from King's Landing, but it's unfamiliar, and unwelcoming. At least, the men sitting around Rhaenyra are. As you stand before them, some of your courage starts to slip.

"I am relieved to see you here safely, Lady Y/N," Rhaenyra says with a gentle smile.

"Thank you, Your Grace," you say. She stands and moves closer to you.

"I am sorry for having to do this, but seeing as your house has pledged their support to my brother, I have to ask where you allegiance lies," she says, stopping in front of you.

"With you, of course," you say immediately.

"You must know the risks, Y/N," she says, "You could very well be killed for supporting my claim and Jace's." For a moment, you glance back at your prince, and gather strength from his encouraging look.

"I'd burn my whole life down before I listen to another second of my father's scheming, and well before I bend the knee to Aegon Targaryen," you say.

"I love your son very much, I would never do anything to jeopardize his future, or yours, My Queen." Rhaenyra gives you a smile that is so much like her sons. She nods her head.

"Thank you, Y/N. Welcome to Dragonstone."

"Thank you, Your Grace," you say. Before you can even turn around, Jace's hand is in yours. He is looking down at you with a smile.

"Come on," he says, pulling on your hand gently. He leads you through the castle, up to his chambers, which will now be your own, he explains.

Once the doors close behind you, he is upon you, wrapping you in his arms as he kisses you. You smile into the kiss, realizing that this is not a dream, or just a passing moment. You'll get to stay in his arms for the rest of your lives.

"I love you," you say when you break away. "Thank you for getting me out of there."

"You're my lady, Y/N," he says, "And very soon I'll make you my princess. Of course I sent for you. I love you."

You wrap your arms around his neck, bringing your body into his again as your lips connect again.

"You must be exhausted," he says breathlessly. "You'll want to sleep."

"All I want is right here."

[ofmdrecaps]

08/03-04/2024 Weekend OFMD Recap

TLDR; David Jenkins; Rhys Darby; Taika Waititi; Samba Schutte; Ruibo Qian; Rachel House Dominic Burgess; Nathan Foad; Articles; Fan Spotlight; OFMD Colouring Pages; Our Flag Means Fanfiction; Love Notes; Daily Darby/Today's Taika

Okay yall, I ended up being up all night for days with a grumpy kiddo so I am yet again behind, I'm really sorry. Here's the weekend recap. Aug 5 will go out tonight if I have to chug espresso for the next 4 hours!

== David Jenkins ==

Source: David Jenkins Twitter

== Rhys Darby ==

Our Captain is out in Edinburgh Scotland! Doing his Live Cryptid Factor show with Dan Scheiber and Buttons!

Lots of short videos on his Instagram Stories:

The Cryptid Factor Live - Edinburgh - Buttons CraftTime

The Cryptid Factor Live in Edinburgh - Dan's Book

The Cryptid Factor Live In Edinburgh - The Crypid Factor

The Cryptid Factor Live In Edinburgh - The Caves

Source: Rhys Darby's Instagram

Source: petrichorpond On Twitter (per @mon-ster-chen's Post)

= Astras TV Awards Nominee =

Rhys has been Nominated for BEST ACTOR in a Streaming Comedy Series in the Astra TV Awards! The TV Awards ill be held on Aug 18th so keep your eyes peeled around then!

Source: Hollywood Creative Alliance Instagram

== Taika Waititi ==

Happy Wedding Anniversary to Taika and Rita! (Aug 4th 2022). They were caught smooching out in London recently <3

Source: Instagram

== Samba Schutte ==

No context, but Samba called it "Man in the Mirror"

Source: Samba Schutte's Instagram

== Nathan Foad ==

Nathan's weekly Saturday Celebration

Source: Nathan Foad's Instagram Stories

= Ruibo Qian =

Just some stills from the Ms. Holmes/Ms. Watson BTS I wanted to include cause they're adorable.

Source: OldGlobe's BTS Video

= Rachel House =

So these are a week old but I found them via a more recent post from someone else there, so putting them in today! Rachel out with friends <3

Source: Instagram

= Dominic Burgess =

Dominic sending us goodnight cat pictures. What a guy <3

Source: Dominic Burgess' Twitter

== Articles ==

Thank you to @adoptourcrew for highlighting this article!

https://telltaletv.com/2024/03/20-iconic-queer-and-trans-characters-of-color-on-tv/

Source: Adopt Our Crew Twitter

https://screenrant.com/tv-shows-always-recommend-good-regardless-genre/

Source: Adopt Our Crew Twitter

== Fan Spotlight ==

= OFMD Colouring Pages =

Another set of colouring pages from our fab friend @patchworkpiratebear - I love that we're getting multiple versions each time now! These are super cool!

Source: PatchworkPirateBears Tumblr: Teacups / Flag

= Our Flag Means Fanfiction =

Another episode of the Omegaverse! This time hosted by Tessa! Check them out on your favorite listening platforms here!

Source: Our Flag Means Fanfiction Instagram

== Love Notes ==

Hey Lovelies!!! Found this really adorable artist this weekend and I thought I'd share them with you because they really express a lot of things that I tend to think--- like how much I love you all, seriously, did you know you're fucking FANTASTIC?? and fucking BRILLIANT AND AMAZING AND TALENTED!?

Whenever I'm stuck doing work, or other family/life stuff, I always come back to thinking about this awesome fandom, and how much I miss talking too you all and how much I love all the crazy stuff you all get up to every day! I haven't been interacting as much because it's really hard for me to focus with so much going on (yay neurodivergence!)-- but please know I'm watching and laughing, and crying and smiling, and wishing you all the best and cheering you on! Hope the end of the weekend and beginning of the week is treating you wonderfully <3 Take care lovelies!

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A post shared by James (@sunlightafterdark)

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A post shared by James (@sunlightafterdark)

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A post shared by James (@sunlightafterdark)

== Daily Darby / Today's Taika ==

Just needing some of the Cinnamon Sugar, Salt and Pepper boys smiling together for this one <3 Gifs courtesy of more of our gif-masters @eddie-redcliffe and @thunderwingdoomslayer!

[miss0atae]

Random Thoughts about High School Frenemy (EP 5 - 6):

I'm so obsessed with this show right now. I know I could get all my answers by watching the OG version, but I don't care about the OG version. I care more about this version of the characters.

Usually, I get annoyed when a situation gets drag on for too long. I feel like it makes no sense to spend too many episodes on a conflict between two characters. However, here, I'm fascinated by the love-hate relationship between Shin and Saint, especially as it is quite obvious for us viewers that the hate part isn't that big. Shin always declares that he hates Saint and he would never forgive him. Yet, there is a longing in his eyes where you can see how much he would like to start again. I'm impressed by how Saint never let any rebuff stopping him from saying how much he misses Shin and how much he loves him or how much he wants to be his friend again. The bromance is high here (so BL-coded and so sad it's not a BL too).

Unfortunately, what Saint did, certainly changed the course of Shin's life and he can't let go of the grudge. Obviously, what happened (even if we haven't seen it yet) must have been terrible to destroy their tight bond. However, many characters have already said to Shin that holding this hatred of the past will never give him peace. It will keep him bitter and sad. Forgiving Saint wouldn't mean that he would forget what happened. Forgetting is not and never was a required outcome of forgiveness. They will probably never return to what was their relationship before the "incident", but Shin should be able to rebuild trust and safety.

I feel like Shin's life is stuck or frozen in time from this "incident" time. Since then, he hasn't really been able to grow. He made new friends in his school and he still defends the same values, but he hasn't been able to heal from his "incident". He also has to suffer from the reputation of the Tsunami, a name he took for himself, despite not being his, at first. Jeng, because of everything that is associated with this nickname and what Shin did to save Chatjen, put his resentment and sadness over the death of his brother on Shin (even though he is not responsible and Jeng should have been a better brother). Jeng isn't a normal person, he is part of a violent gang. This violence can get to Shin in various forms and it must not help him have a positive view on his life. It just reinforces the idea that nothing will ever be good since Saint has been responsible for his legs' injuries and changed his life.

Now, most people know about the supposedly murder he did. Even if some are defending Shin such as Chatjen or Saint, no one really listen to them or believe in the truth. The school board, apart from Sung and Jan, are set on expelling Shin to make an example. However, we've seen from the beginning that they are so unprofessional and incapable of finding a real solution to the violence between Udon Phithak and Thep Burapha. I wasn't expecting them to actually think properly, this time either. This new threat in Shin's life will not help him be able to heal from the past. It will just convince him that things are ineluctable because he can't change anything and everything has been terrible since Saint's actions towards him. I hope the teachers and his friends will help him.

I didn't expect Sung to have a deeper role and to be partly behind the main conflict that still opposes Udon Phithak and Thep Burapha. You see how much he wants to correct his "mistakes" (sorry I couldn't find a better way of saying it) and that's probably why he became a teacher. However, this past guilt is still present in his life. He may be the metaphor of the idea that there’s No Such Thing as “Forgive and Forget”, but to heal you must forgive yourself to be able to live and do better. Memory plays a key role in supporting and managing relationships or your actions.

Two other characters made a great impression on me in these episodes. Of course we have Chatjen who has always been a positive force in this story. He is really trying his best for Shin and he is a very good friend to him. He is also supporting Saint so he can mend his relationship with Shin. Let's not forget that this character is as remarkable as he is because he is being played by Mark Pakin. The second character, I really like is Ken. I know he is supposed to be a bad guy, but I feel so much pity for him. I feel like he is the victim of his environment. You can see how much he hates following Jeng's orders. He also fears him and he doesn't know how to escape the hold Jeng has on him. I really hope he will get his redemption and that he'll find a way of escape.

I could say so much more about this series, but it'll be too long. I already can't wait to see the next episodes.

[dead-freight]

for the character ask game- edward little :)

send me a character

you'll have to forgive me as i haven't watched the show in full for a little while and i also haven't read the book but!! here we go.

first impression: could not have picked him out of a lineup. i knew his face and i knew his name but those were entirely separate and honestly i barely paid attention to him. he blended in with all the other dark haired scruffy boys T_T ned i'm so sorry. some of us have a lot to say about your backbone but truly you were the backbone of so many events and i couldn't even see it.

impression now: i like him a lot... i have trouble talking about him because i'm sort of prone to projecting and so i worry i'm reading him entirely wrong (this goes for a lot of favorite characters to be honest) but to me he has the vibe of someone who has the world's strongest work ethic but simultaneously would rather be doing anything else. naturally he's in a really bad position (being stuck in the ice with a bunch of sailors with cabin fever lmao) so like who would wanna be there but. i dunno. he's just so so tired but he persists!!!!!! without complaint! he's just like me fr

favorite moment: hard to pin it to one. i'm going to go with the scene where he goes to erebus to talk to james. and i guess the following scenes, going back to terror only to be brushed off and told to GO BACK into the cold for something that seems so trivial. it's just really interesting to see him interact with jfj, being caught in the middle of him and crozier. i don't really have the words for it but you can really see how ready he is to break. but he doesn't.

idea for a story: sorry i am not an ideas guy hehe...

unpopular opinion: i actually don't know if this is unpopular but he has a tendency to be woobified... and i totally get that like it's fun to call him a poor little meow meow. but he's really difficult to pin down in my mind and it just seems like there's more to him than people give him credit for. i wish we'd gotten to see that missing scene where he's supposedly slamming his cabin door and getting pissed lmao. he has a rage inside of him that he keeps tightly locked down (he's just like me fr). i just think there are a lot of sides to him we're not given in the show.

favorite relationship: with crozier... this is another one i don't really have the words for. but there's something about them that makes me very sad especially in the later episodes. crozier really seems to overlook him and treat him really? flippantly? i guess. but that edward still looks to him and doesn't turn on him even when given the chance is fascinating to me. and when he wants to go back for him... i don't know? is it only because he doesn't want the pressure of leadership? did he really want to save his captain? i don't know! and i know it can be chalked up to the naval hierarchy but their psuedo father/son coded thing is so everything to me. the last scene with him... ugh. ough.

aside from that though you know i love a bit of joplittle (o: the show very strongly gives the impression that they have an understanding that we're not privy to. and honestly i love that it can be left up to interpretation. we talk about The Look in that can scene and i know it seems silly to some people but it's so important to me. nonverbal communication of like, "hey, we're both so tired and this sucks really bad. but i see you and you see me." like. come on.

favorite headcanon: honestly? i haven't seen very many that have stuck in my mind so i don't know 😭 but i'd love to hear them from anyone who's got some to share.

[tua-five]

Season 3 Episode 3!!

⚠️⚠️ You know the warning, don't read if you haven't watched this season! ⚠️⚠️

Don't be Elmer's guys. That's just mean.

I love how Diego is obviously stressed, flipping his knife, and when Stan makes one noise, he yells, "Stanley! Now is not the time to be doing karate, okay?" Like, he'd yelling but still sounds like he isn't trying to be mean. But then he says that Stan's mom isn't wrong when she says he needs to practice karate. I mean... at least he's trying.

With the way that they're siblings, I'm surprised they don't blow up at each other more. I mean, Allison is constantly blaming Five. I'd scream at her and tell her it isn't my fault, but Five just calmly says he's just the messenger.

I am in-between, however. Viktor says that Five has a good track record of this stuff, and they should listen to him. I mean, sure. If you count getting stuck in one of the apocalypse for 45 years, failing to stop it the first time, causing another one, stopping that one only to head back to their timeline where they don't exist and causing another one. But to be fair, most of it isn't his fault. And in all honesty, I'd probably be Allison, too. Blaming Five and all that. Even if I do hate it.

As much as it was unnecessary, I do actually like the random fight scene between Lila and Five. Grabbing the shampoo and squirting it in her eyes was just smart. I mean, that hurts.

Sorry, but Allison calling Fei a flock of shegulls was actually really funny.

She is dumb however for saying they had Marcus.

It seems all the hargreaves need to do is actually talk to each other. Five and Lila just walked off with both briefcases. Diego knew they had both briefcases. But Allsion and Viktor still think the Sparrows have it.

"Pills, bills, and num nums." Wow, okay. Reggie's life is sad now.

Gotta say, I really love the Five-Lila duo. They're literally just perfect. The best platonic relationship in the show.

Luther being oblivious and missing everything while he was gone is just... well, honestly, it fits for him and this family. I'm glad Diego and Luther are making buddy-buddy, tho.

And poor Stan studying the elevator 😭

Another thing I love is the father son bonding moment with Reggie and Klaus. Reg is just so out of it. Not his normal self because of the pills, but his real self still peaks through, and Klaus is literally just chilling. Talking to him like normal and giving him tips on how not to take pills.

Also, Luther wanting to make Viktor feel loved and throw him a party to welcome him to the brother side is so sweet.

I feel like Klaus is always on side missions. Doing absolutely for the plot but just there for some comedic relief. And then something will happen, like he'll find the kugelblitz in the basement and then everybody already knows, so it doesn't matter. But at least he finally knows.

When the Sparrows show up and both sides of the family face each other, people take pictures. Like that's the best thing they've ever seen. And it probably is, I mean, the superheros they know that protect their city are supposedly meeting with a random group of deranged adults. I hope they showed those photos to as many people as they could before they got kugelblitzed. Just to cause some chaos.

Also, I thought this episode was longer. I desperately want to watch the next episode to watch the interactions with Harlan and Lila saying she'll miss Five, but I'll wait.

Today's gifs

[multiverse-imagines]

Hey howdy hey!

I see you are starting to write fics for trigun! I just started watching the newer anime and a bit of the old as well and it’s great! Vash is my favorite! He’s adorable!

I was wondering if you would do headcanons on what he would look for in a partner or s/o? Not body wise cuz I don’t think he would just anyone on that, but maybe personality wise? Would they be bubbly and goofy or dark and mysterious? Can totally be bender neutral for everyone to enjoy! And if you wanna do both New Vash and OG Vash that’s fine too! I’m ok with whichever or both 😊😊

If that’s not something you feel comfortable doing that’s totally fine and I completely understand! Thank you very much and I really enjoy your fics so far! I hope you continue to do more!!

I see your og Vash vs new Vash and raise you the additional Manga Vash.

MaxVash- Manga Vash

AniVash- ogAnime Vash

StamVash- Tristamp Vash

***For those reading in the future, this is written 3 sub episodes into Tristamp. If anything is inaccurate, it's cuz I haven't seen it yet. No one has. I can't wait to get to know him though.

**Technically spoilers for the manga. Not end fight stuff, but like, final wrap up chapter stuff.

What Vash looks for in an s/o

Overall, Kindness has to be the #1 thing in all 3 Vash's books. His s/o must be kind to everything and everyone wherever possible. Children, Elderly, adults, and even animals all deserve the same respect in his eyes. As much as he would prefer them to be a pacifist like himself, as long as you're not like, straight up murdering in front of him (spiders or otherwise), he should be fine. a kill in the past, or previously working as a bounty hunter or assassin etc, is forgiven, "just no more killing okay?"

All 3 have to quintuple check that you're 1,000% okay with living a life where you can never ever settle down. You'll always be on the run, never staying in one place, and unable to make many real friends. You'll essentially only have each other. So many people have turned against these boys, and they want to know you completely understand what this life will be giving you. 

General personality isn't necessarily a barrier to him. He can get along with basically anyone. They obviously have to treat him kindly, be respectful, and be able to handle his goofy antics in stride. From playing with the neighborhood kids, to partying at the local bar, they gotta keep up. They don't have to participate, but knowing that that's where Vash spends a lot of his time without being upset about it is important.

They also have to be able to handle the trauma these boys have stuffed in them. Not to be his therapist, but let him cry about the shit in his past, losing his friends, etc and then never bring it up unless he asks. 

I think AniVash would enjoy the contrast of someone scruffy, rough, and a little edgy, because they can keep him grounded, and see angles he can't. He's very stubborn, so sometimes someone who can knock him out of his rooted ways of thinking would be relatively healthy for him. 

StamVash, however, would prefer someone bubbly and big into self care, because he kind of seems stuck in his own pity party, and needs someone to pull him out. He needs to see the good that he's done where he has so far. 

MaxVash would want someone to hold him and unapologetically wants someone to take care of him. By the end of the Manga, He's so tired, even though he can't show it. He's been searching for his brother, he has used up all of his power, and he's at the end of his life. He's been fighting for so long, and even after he's essentially saved the planet, he still has a gigantic bounty in his head.

Bounty hunters and the Space military are still after him for what happened at the end of the manga. Even the Insurance girls- I'm sorry, Reporter girls are after him to get the scoop for their TV series! He just wants to sleep. He's tired of being on the run because he has to, and he wants someone to take care of him now. 

In reality though, MaxVash would never really admit to that. He also wants to show you off to his friends. The group of you Him, Milly, Meryl and Livio can just go to a bar, get drunk, and have a good time. Maybe even with Knives joining them, and no one giving two shits about his bounty. 

AniVash would want someone to keep him company. His journey is full of a lot more travel, and he seems like he just needs someone to play cards with, chess, and have intellectual conversations with. And, not that you'd be playing therapist by any means, but he wants someone to talk about his time before July. Sort out some thoughts, and have an outside opinion.

StamVash seems like he needs someone who will simply stick by him, no matter what. In the third episode, he didn't even hesitate when he was told to leave. Just picked up his bag that happened to be at his feet in the wreckage and left. I think at this point yes looking for companionship, and someone to actually live in his world with him. Someone who shares his efforts in stopping Knives from taking the plants from humans, and doesn't have to hide anything from.

[kmze]

Finally decided to do a TVD rewatch now that the 'verse is complete. Since I know how everything ends I thought it would be interesting to see how I react with that knowledge. Curious if my feelings might change about characters, ships, storylines etc. (obviously I am fully aware there's going some bias).

Adding my thoughts after I complete the half-way mark of each season (there is simply too many episodes to do a recap of each one). I am talking to the void mostly here but feel free to leave comments, thoughts on my posts for those who still follow me or just find this post. However, I am not here to argue, I simply DO NOT CARE whatever you think is right totally, please leave me alone.

Recaps tagged with k rewatches tvd

S1 Episodes 1-11

I am loving the dark atmosphere of the first season, feeling so much nostalgia! Nice to go back in time to when vampires were scary on this show. That's not really criticism because every supernatural show goes through this. The big bad must always be upped as it goes on but it was nice when the stakes were lower and the mythos was being developed.

Damon makes me feel so uncomfortable so far... I know he was the 'villian' for most of the beginning of the season but his treatment of Vicki and Caroline is just so predatory and gross. Which brings me to...

WHY HAS NO ONE GIVEN CAROLINE A GOD DAMN VERVAIN NECKLACE ALREADY!!! Stefan and Elena both know Damon was using her (and they know damn well he hasn't stopped). Her Mom has the vervain to give her and just has not for no reason!! GET AWAY FROM HER ALREADY! I got so mad when Damon was compelling her AGAIN in the 10th episode. I'm so glad she outlives them all, justice for my baby!

I'm sorry but Stefan is so creepy and self-righteous in the beginning, I remembered this but did not remember how bad it was. Also he did not need to kill Vicki, that pissed me off. I don't think it did as much when I first watch this (mind you that was literally 14+ years ago) but just knowing how freely everyone neck-snaps around here it was bullshit. His one cool moment remains when he told Logan he can't walk in the sun. The manipulative way he used Elena’s adoption to get her to forgive him had me rolling my eyes (then of course she used it against Jenna to get out of trouble lol).

I can't remember who the other vampire is who turned Logan, I'm thinking its Pearl's henchman but yeah I don't remember that part. I also didn't remember the crystal so I like that some of this is like a 'mystery' again.

I did remember that I thought Tyler was such a dick in the first season and yeah confirmed. Though now I remembered his Dad was an abusive piece of shit. Still, fuck Tyler for now.

Alaric looks so different I don't hate him (yet).

I still hate Matt #bias

The progression of Bonnie realizing her powers has been well done, again nice to just see the simple magic again. (Stefan totally wanted to bang Sheila back in the day... maybe they did)

Jeremy just met Anna and I still love them, I wish they got more time. They were the only 'ship I like in this season when it first aired.

The Bonnie, Elena and Caroline friendship is nice but I am annoyed they haven't done more to protect Caro from Damon. Especially when she doesn't know what's going on and they do (though Bonnie only just got all the deets). This might be magnified by my love of Caroline I admit but I hate the prop-y way she's being used so far.

I kinda rolled my eyes at the whole Katherine/Damon/Stefan stuff before Elena knew they were vamps because OMG Stefan is 17(!!!) Does no one thinks it's weird he's like "it was a long time ago" A LONG TIME AGO LIKE WHEN YOU WERE 12?! They should have made him at least 20, just bothers me.

I liked that not every vampire had a daylight ring and it was more of a novelty. That is something that could have stuck more in the later seasons.

Lines that made me laugh:

Caroline: Yeah, Elena wasn't so lucky today. It's only because you missed summer camp. God, I don't know how you're ever going to learn the routines. (Bonnie offers to help her) I guess we can put her in the back. (all right in front of Elena lmao oh Caroline never change)

Caroline: So, Elena...how long do you think this fight with Stefan's gonna last? Is it...like a permanent thing? (eyes on the prize baby! lol)

Stefan: (imitating Damon) Now that the secret society of vampire haters is off our back, I can go back to my routine of how can I destroy Stefan’s life this week. (never gets old!)

Damon: *shoots Logan with wooden bullets* Payback's a bitch, isn't it? (all in the delivery here lmao kudos to Ian)

[jerzwriter]

So, I have to admit, I didn't love Daisy Jones and the Six. I liked it, but I did not love it. Sometimes I felt like the story dragged on and on, but they weren't delving deep enough. I was connected to the characters to a degree, but I didn't love the characters. I went into the final two episodes assuming I'd leave the series feeling as "Meh" as I did about the first eight episodes.

Wrong. The last two episodes, particularly the last one, were very well done, and I'm glad I stuck it out.

The day that led up to their final concert... the perfect storm of absolutely everything going wrong, yet you have to show up big, like it or not. Man, you haven't lived until you've experienced that, and they did a wonderful job conveying the emotion that goes along with it.

Karen and Graham broke my heart. They weren't meant to be, that was fairly obvious from the start, but you don't have to be destined for forever to love... that's a lesson many don't understand. Just because you're not end game doesn't mean it wasn't real.... it doesn't even mean that it ever fully ends.

Eddie - oh - Eddie. "It's fine. I'm fine." It's not fine, it was never fine for him, and it doesn't appear it ever will be. The conversation he had with Warren is so poignant... but there is no right answer. What's the right thing to do? Surrender and accept where you are? I mean, it worked out great for Warren. He seems pretty happy... for the most part. Eddie, not so much. But I don't know, I'm not sold on settling, but maybe I am? I have to let that one simmer.

Camilla and Billy.... ugh... what to even say? I'm so conflicted. I never got the "love of my life" vibes for real from him, no matter what he said. And for so much of the story, it really felt like Camilla was the sacrificial wife, the one who would always be there, the one who would always "win", but it just felt like such a consolation prize. I'm sure others saw things differently, but that's how it made me feel. Even in the end, she felt like the long-suffering wife, living a happy, albeit tragically short life, but it felt like there was always something missing.

I didn't have any knowledge of the book, or the story, going in... so I was shocked that it was Camilla & Billy's daughter, Julia, filming. I also didn't fully understand why, though the ending put that into perspective.

Now Daisy. I've been told I would love her even more in the book, and I did not really love her for episodes 1-8, but somehow, in 9-10, she reeled me in. The conversation with her "mother" (using that term generously) the day of the final show was... ouch! God, I hate to say it, but I know that person, and I know that feeling, and for a moment, I was gutted... but I love how she responded - "turn on the fucking radio." BAM! The moment when you realize that the person you were begging to love you for your entire life was never worthy of the love you gave them. THAT is when it all changes ... for the better. And for Daisy, it did, and that made me happy.

But rebirth is no different than birth, and there is a lot of pain to go through before you get to the beautiful end result; watching all of them so broken that night was sad, but for most, the future was bright... you don't get there without the work.

Oh, and in spite of all this, Rod was still my freaking favorite character on the show... followed closely by Simone and Teddy. It is too late for Teddy, but the other two need a spin-off. lol

So while the series didn't even touch TLOU (sorry, lol, I'm very spoiled, and my expectations are very high right now! lol) It finished strong, and I'm really glad I watched stuck it out - it was an enjoyable series.

[brainyxbat]

Chapter 7: A Hex on Luffy! Colors Trap

(episode 75)

"Broggy-san!"

"Now, then! Accelerate, Candle Service! Turn these people into wax figures!"

"My hands won't move! I don't wanna die this way! Can't we do something?!"

"Hey, old man. Whadya say we crush these guys together?"

"I'll fight alongside you, and your fighting spirit!"

"Don't be stupid! What can you possibly do?!"

"I'm gonna kick your asses, just so you know!"

"What?"

"These guys spoiled the old giant guys' duel!"

"Master Broggy! We've taken on your frustration!"

"Usopp..."

"For now, could you bust this pillar for us, Luffy? I leave the rest to you."

"Alright, no problem!"

"I wouldn't be so sure."

"Break the pillar, Luffy!"

-

As Luffy, Usopp and Venus tried to think of a plan, Zoro stood with his left hand on his hip, and his right holding one of his swords up. "Zoro!" Nami turned to him, stuck with holding her left elbow. "What are you doing?!"

"If I'm gonna be solidified, I prefer this pose."

"This is no time to be playing around!" Vivi protested, her arms simply dangling.

"I'm not playing."

"Anyways, do something about your leg!" Nami complained. "It's painful just looking at it!"

"Then quit looking at it."

"You're the idiot who suggested cutting our legs off in this situation, so we could escape!" Vivi stayed quiet during the argument.

"That ain't true! I was gonna cut 'em off, so we could fight."

"That's even stupider! Get serious!"

"Just shut up!"

"Honestly! You have no common sense!"

'We still haven't even escaped from this situation, yet neither of them seems to sense the danger at all,' Vivi thought.

"Hey, runt," Broggy addressed the swordsman with a grin, "Is that all the struggling you got?"

"Yeah. Looks like it's someone else's turn now."

"I see..."

Ms. Golden Week watched calmly from the picnic. "Mr. 3, those people don't seem concerned at all."

"I could say the same about you, Ms. Golden Week!"

"Hey," Zoro turned to the girls, "If you're gonna do a pose, now's your chance."

"Don't put me on your level," Nami refused.

"Mr. Bushido! Please be more serious about this!"

"I'm always serious."

"More like stupid," Nami snarked.

"Like you're one to talk!"

"It seems we're being mocked!" Mr. 3 glared. "This is truly displeasing! Ever since he showed up, they've been- it couldn't be!"

Luffy. "Alright!" He punched his fists together, ready to fight.

"He hardly seems to be that reliable of a man."

"Mr. 3!" Mr. 5 approached him with Ms. Valentine. "We'll finish him off."

"Finish him off? Don't be silly. Just look! He showed up here alive, and well because your attacks don't work. At the very least, he's at a level that's too much for you to handle." Mr. 3 prepared to battle. "You two take care of the others! I think I'll add Straw Hat Luffy to my wax figure collection."

"You guys are too damn annoying!" Usopp glared. "You've gone a bit too far! Give yourselves up!" Karoo quacked in agreement.

Mr. 3 smirked pridefully. "Small fry." He started forming some wax from his hand.

"Let's do it!" At Usopp's command, Karoo ran... backwards, into the jungle with him. "Alright! Preparations are complete! We got your backs, guys!"

"Hm?" Luffy turned around. "Did you say something?"

"Now you're mine! Candle Lock!" The captain's ankles were trapped in a waxy restraint.

"Luffy!" Venus' eye widened.

"What is that?!" Usopp exclaimed.

"Lufy-san!"

"Damn, he's already gotten caught?!" Zoro griped.

"Idiot!" Nami complained.

Luffy looked at his stocks in confusion. "What is this? It's heavy, like a mallet!"

"How simple. Now, for your hands!"

Luffy knocked on the wax, and had an idea. "Oh! This is perfect!"

"Candle Lock!"

"Whoa!" Luffy jumped away in time to avoid the attack, and pushed himself in the air. "Old giant guy!" He started wrapping his stretchy arms around one of the spikes on Broggy's Viking helmet. "Sorry to bother you!"

Mr. 3 watched in shock. "What?! What's he up to?!"

"Gum-Gum... Mallet!" Using his stocks, he sent the pumpkin topper collapsing.

"He did it!" Nami and Vivi cheered.

"Yahoo!"

However, their joy turned to terror when it started falling towards them... only for it to land on the next tier.

Luffy held onto the spike, his ankles now free. "Lucky! The mallet on my legs broke too!"

"Luffy!" Venus yelled out. "It's spinning again!"

He turned around, and realized she was right. "Huh? Huh?!"

Nami panted from the scare. "I'm alive."

"We survived," Vivi sighed in relief.

"That didn't help things at all!" Zoro complained.

"Whew, that was dangerous! Why didn't you guys run?" Luffy asked obliviously.

"We can't move! Isn't it obvious?!" Nami and Vivi raged simultaneously.

"Oh? Really? But you guys told me to break the pillar! Were you lying?"

"Is it really a good idea to put our lives in his hands, Mr. Bushido?!"

"Don't look at me. That's the only choice we got here. Plus it looks like my arms are stuck now."

"Please be serious about this!"

"Hold on... it feels like my body is hardening more and more now," Nami realized, and her breath shuddered, "I can't move at all now."

Mr. 3 laughed evilly. "Fools! With the candles closer, your hardening has sped up! Now you can become wax figures even quicker!"

Usopp watched angrily from the sidelines. "That guy thinks he can act all smug and arrogant!"

"Hey! You guys are gonna be wax figures?"

"That's what we've been trying to tell you!" Nami shouted.

"Just destroy this set, Luffy-san!"

"R-right! Okay!"

"I told you, I won't let you interfere! Wax-Wax Arts! Harpoon!"

"Exploding Star!" Usopp shot an explosive in Mr. 3's direction... only for Mr. 5 to eat it himself, as Luffy managed to dodge the wax weapon, and jumped down to the ground.

Mr. 5 belched out a ring of smoke. "That was rather bland. You don't use very good gunpowder."

"He ate the Exploding Star!" Usopp gaped in shock, alongside Karoo.

On the structure, Zoro was starting to feel stiff himself. "This is bad. It really is fast. Good thing I posed beforehand."

"You idiot!" Nami raged.

"Luffy-san! Please hurry!"

Luffy sent his fisted hands reeling behind his back. "Alright! That pumpkin's the bad thing, right?! Hang on! Gum-Gum..."

"It's no use! Candle Wall!" Mr. 3 formed a large wall in front of him.

"Bazooka!" To his dismay, he hit the wall instead of the pumpkin. "Hey, you! Don't get in my way!"

"That would be my line," He smirked, "I'd appreciate it if you didn't interfere with my creative abilities. Candle Lock!"

Luffy grinned when his right hand was encased in wax. Just as he was hoping for. "I got a mallet! Gum-Gum..."

"Oh no! Candle Wall!"

"Mallet!" He hit another wall... but it crumbled, along with the mallet, so he was hit.

"Hurray! Hurray!" Usopp cheered with Karoo.

"Yeah, Luffy!" Venus pumped her fist.

"Mr. 3," Mr. 5 watched him fly away.

"Impossible!"

"Luffy! Hurry, and break this set while there's still time!" Nami pleaded.

He was suddenly very calm. "No."

"Quit joking around, and hurry!"

"No."

"This is no time to be acting stupid!" Zoro scolded.

"Luffy-san! Please!"

"Luffy!" Venus exclaimed. "What's gotten into you?!"

He kept standing in place, almost like he was in a trance. "What should I do? I don't feel like saving you guys."

Nami stared on in horror. "What are you saying?"

"Colors Trap." Turned out, Ms. Golden Week had interfered in some way.

"Hey! Luffy!" Zoro shouted. "There's no time! Do something about this thing already!"

"Yeah... I know."

"Then hurry!" Vivi ordered.

"Yeah, Luffy!"

He was standing on a strange, black circle painted in the grass. "I know, but... but I don't feel like saving you."

"Why do you keep saying that?!" Nami yelled angrily. "We're the ones about to be wax figures! Understand?! We're about to die!"

"Yeah. But for some reason, I just can't get motivated."

"This isn't a motivation problem!" The trio shouted all at once.

"Venus-san!" Vivi called for the witch. "Can you use your magic energy balls to break this thing?!"

"I'll try!" A determined Venus prepared an attack. "Witchy-Witchy... Ball!" She shot an energy ball at the pumpkin... only for the spinning to not cease one bit. It left barely a dent. "No good! It's too hard!"

"Try to make a bigger one!" Nami ordered. "And hurry!"

"Alright! Mm..." Venus started to try willing the energy ball to grow between her hands. It was working!

"Oh no, you don't! Candle Lock!" Mr. 3 restrained her wrists in front of her, sending her attack flying away uselessly. She toppled to the ground, unable to handle the heavy weight.

"Venus!" Zoro's eyes widened.

"Venus-chan!" Usopp watched from afar, as Luffy still didn't move. "D-dammit! What's happened to him?! Our friends're gonna die if he doesn't hurry! I'll bring him back to his senses! Let's go, Karoo!" Before they could go in, Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine suddenly appeared in front of them. "W-when did you-?!"

"Give it up," Mr. 5 ordered, "He's already fallen into a trap."

"That's right. See where he's standing?"

"Where's he standing? Let's see here." Usopp flipped up the lenses of his goggles, and noticed the paint under his feet. "What's that? There's a strange, black pattern; what's so important about that?!"

"You're right, it's nothing. It's just paint." Ms. Valentine laughed evilly.

"Paint?"

"In other words, both of you are goners!" Mr. 5 went to swing am explosive kick at Usopp and Karoo, but they managed to fly away.

"Karoo!" Usopp grabbed his reins. "Let's just run for now!"

"He's planning to escape on the bird!" Ms. Valentine glared.

"Let's get 'em."

"Sprint at full speed!" Usopp ordered, but it was given too soon; Karoo ran even faster, leaving him behind. "Hey, you! Wait! I haven't gotten on yet! Karoo!" He looked back, and realized he was trying to catch up. "Hey! Alright! Stop! Let me get on!" He only ran faster. "What's the point of being scared of me?!"

From the structure, Vivi noticed a certain someone standing behind Luffy. "Ms. Golden Week! This is your doing!"

"Colors Trap: Betrayal Black." Venus' eye widened from her place on the ground. "Touch the black paint, and you'll want to betray your friends, no matter what they say."

"What does she mean?!" Nami asked. "What happened?! Explain!"

"She's a realist painter, who can even create real colors of emotion!" Vivi replied.

"Eh?!"

"Her refined sense of color can manipulate people's minds through the use of her paints."

Zoro glared down at the ground. "Manipulate?! That's not good! That simpleminded idiot is already easy enough to manipulate!"

"Then doesn't he just need to get away from that paint?" Nami suggested. "Luffy! Get away from there!"

"No, don't!" Vivi protested. She had a plan up her sleeve, "Luffy-san! Whatever you do, do not move from that black circle! I'm begging you!"

"Vivi! Why?!" Nami exclaimed.

"We don't want you to save us at all!" Vivi continued.

Venus listened in surprise. What was she doing? "No," Luffy said bluntly after a beat of silence, and stepped out of the paint.

"I get it," Zoro commented, "You made him do the exact opposite of what you said."

Luffy's head snapped up, now out of the hex. "Huh? I-I was kinda weird just now."

"Luffy-san! Hurry!"

"Alright! I'll save you right now!" He started winding up for an attack, only for him to burst into hysterical laughter. "But never mind, you guys! I just wanna laugh!"

The trio gaped in horror. "Why?!" Nami glared.

"Why, you...!" Zoro raged.

"Now what?!" Vivi shouted.

There was now a yellow patterned circle painted on the back of Luffy's red vest. "Colors Trap: Laughter Yellow." He was on his stomach in the grass, punching and kicking. "You know you're not supposed to move." He just continued laughing.

"Now it's on his clothes!" Nami fussed.

"Luffy! Take off your vest!" Venus ordered.

"N-never mind that!" He sat up, and hugged himself. "I just feel like laughing!"

"Not good!" Zoro complained. "If it keeps raining down at this pace, we won't last one more minute!" From above, he saw Usopp on Karoo's back, running away from Mr. 5, and Ms. Valentine. "Did you guys come here to play?!"

They sprinted all around the area, soon bumping into Luffy. "Look! When Usopp ran into him, the paint on his back smudged!" Nami pointed out.

Luffy was out of his trance. "Did I wind up doing something again?" He then turned to glare at the artist. "Hey, you! Knock it off, you jerk!"

"Was Laughter Yellow funny?"

"Shut up! Are you stupid?! Stupid!" He then averted his attention to his friends. "Anyways, I gotta break that pumpkin! Gum-Gum...!"

"Colors Trap: Bullfight Red."

"Bazooka!" To his confusion, his hands laid on the new, red mark.

"Where are you aiming?!" Zoro exclaimed.

"You're not allowed to break it!" Ms. Golden Week ordered. "You'll make Mr. 3 angry!"

"What is this?!" Luffy shouted. He couldn't move his hands away!

"Just as bulls rush at red capes, you feel the urge to attack that Bullfight Red mark. Too bad."

Luffy let out a scream of frustration. "I can't stand you anymore! Get out of here! Gum-Gum Bazooka!" He tried again, but still wound up on the mark.

"Having fun?"

Nami watched the exchange hopelessly. "It's no good. This isn't his kind of fight. All his power is useless!"

"Now to finish it with this! I'll mix the Laughter Yellow on your back with Sadness Blue. Colors Trap: Tranquil Green!"

Luffy seethed in rage, before he relaxed, and joined the picnic. "Such nice tea."

"You idiot!" The trio shouted.

"So, what happens now?" Nami asked.

"See?" Zoro smirked. "I told you, you should've posed! Too bad for you!"

"How can you still be so calm about this?!" Vivi exclaimed.

Meanwhile, Usopp and Karoo were still dashing through the jungle, with Mr. 5 and Ms. Valentine hot on their heels. "Damn, they run away fast!" The former griped, then leaped into the air. "Nose Fancy Double Cannon!"

They managed to dodge, and ran out of the smoke. "You missed! Way to go, Karoo!" Mr. 5 landed back next to Ms. Valentine. "My turn! Special Attack: Lead Star!" He shot a bullet, but it was easily dodged. "We gotta go back to Luffy, and the others again!" They soon disappeared into the trees.

"We're getting nowhere, chasing them all around," Mr. 5 remarked.

"Yeah," Ms. Valentine agreed.

He took a revolver out of his jacket. "I didn't want to use it on such small fries, but there's no dodging this. A.44-caliber, 6-shot flintlock revolver. A new South Blue model; it can fire continuously, and if I use it, the bullets are invisible."

'Luffy's acting that way, because of that paint the bad guys mentioned!' Usopp thought through the sprint. 'They're related somehow! There was also some on his back when I crashed into him earlier! No doubt about it! If I can just do something about the paint!' "Hurry!" When Karoo ran faster, they made it back to the clearing. But he could only gape in horror; Zoro, Nami, Vivi, and Broggy were wax statues!

"Ahh, such nice tea." He turned around, and saw Luffy having a picnic with Ms. Golden Week. "Such nice..."

"Luffy! What're you doing?!"

"He was hit with Tranquil Green!" Venus replied.

Despite his calmness, Luffy was deeply frustrated, and feeling helpless. "Such... nice... tea."

"What are you doing, you idiot?!"

[katenepveu]

9 Fandom Peeps to Get to Know Better:

from @measured-words!

3 ships I like: I don't think these will be a surprise based on the volume of my reblogs:

Lan Wangji/Wei Wuxian, The Untamed (specifically the show; I still haven't read the novel);

Hua Cheng/Xie Lian, Tian Guan Ci Fu by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu (a.k.a. TGCF a.k.a. Heaven Official's Blessing; I'm behind on the donghua and haven't read the manhua but I don't believe there's any particular reason to distinguish adaptations at present);

Gideon/Harrow, The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir. Unlike the other two, this is an ongoing work and not a romance, so I am not particularly holding out hope for a happy ending. That's okay! It'll be the right ending, and that's more important. (I'd say, and we'll always have fic, but I haven't had much fic-reading urge for this series. Who knows what'll happen when it's over, of course.)

First ship ever: this is a surprisingly tough one! Of the important books of my childhood and adolescence, some of them had romantic relationships, but I never really wanted to bang the characters together like dolls and say "Now kiss!", which is what shipping feels like to me. (You'd think there'd be something in Mercedes Lackey but mostly I wanted various characters/a nap.) I did get mushy over the very early, as in the first book, Lan/Nynaeve scenes in The Wheel of Time, which I think predates anything else that comes to mind?

Last song I heard: unfortunately the talus battle music from Tears of the Kingdom is stuck in my head, which is driving out all else.

Favorite childhood book: well, not to be a complete nerd or anything, but I did use to check out the three paperback volumes of The Lord of the Rings every year in elementary when we went to Vermont on vacation, so.

Currently reading: nominally re-reading TGCF along with folks on Mastodon, but I am of course behind. I have three Naomi Mitchison books in (gasp!) paper to read, as she is Memorial Guest of Honor at Readercon this year; The Conquered is due back the soonest so that's theoretically next. In practice I have a very busy few weeks coming up and the answer is probably "some comfort fic rereads."

Currently watching: the TGCF donghua. I rewatched S1 on mute at 1.5 speed (sorry, I know) and have seen precisely one episode of S2.

Currently consuming: water?

Currently craving: pectin jelly beans, which used to be available around this time of year but Russell Stover has apparently stopped making them. There are candy shops on the Internet that sell them but I'm not sure I want to go that far.

Tagging people on Tumblr terrifies me, so please chime in anyone who likes!

[sunshinexlollipops]

Hello! Hope not to bug you, I just read acw for the first time and WOW. It was by far the most beautiful, intricate work I've ever read in my life. Really, you are a novelist. I noticed that it hadn't been posted in about 3 years and I was wondering if it was orphaned? Just curious, no hate! Absolutely love your works, thank you!

help there anon!

sorry my notifs always get fucking eaten on this app and I'm inept too which doesn't help, bUT I just wanted to say that in general, ACW isn't abandoned!

I know it's been a hot minute since I have written anything but I've had a lot go on since the start of 2020, as you can imagine. not only in the world but personal life. and it just carried over into 2021. and 2022. and now into 2023. however, I am A LOT better now than I was at the start.

not trying to personally dump because there's just too much to summarize on this app, and some things I'm just not comfy sharing, but I got diagnosed with things like ADHD and depression, and not only am I working on treatment/management with my psych and therapist, altogether it's been a process of adaptation after knowing why my brain do what it do.

slowly I've been getting back into creating. bc I didn't. for all the time I was gone, I didn't produce really...anything. writing, art— nada. I've made some good progress esp since late 2022 when I started to come back to some things, but it used to be I wouldn't even read fic, watch movies/shows, engage with things... I was basically in a massive depressive episode. so I've been slowly reconnecting with art and in turn just that side of me.

I'm sure people who follow me/pay it mind (and it's okay if you don't lol) have seen recently I've been making and posting art I've made since I got back from LA a little bit ago.

I haven't drawn or been artistic like that in a long while. and while I've created things here and there, it was usually for someone else/social things I was doing. I struggled even with that, so it probs happened altogether less than 10 times over the last few years... this is the first I've just been creating and enjoying myself since then.

there's a lot that is still changing for me. and there's some major things shifting behind the scenes for me still that are playing out. I still intend to finish ACW, I'm just having to handle myself, and overall, I'm coming back into what used to feel like second nature.

so apologies for the wait. in a way, I kind of have been stuck with y'all during the hiatus. I got as much out of it as y'all did, lol. but I'm hoping with this continued improvement, and once things settle a bit more on my end, that writing will come back to me more and more. I've been able to do things here and there, so I'm hopeful.

also, another issue is google. my old acct ran out of space so anything I have made is completely locked up. I can't even EDIT my old docs. it's bad. I've tried to free shit up but it's like google replaces what I delete somehow and I'm always at my limit. so that's been a hassle in and of itself and I am working around that too.

fingers crossed this ship finally leaves the harbor I've docked it at for some time. I love ACW. I see what y'all write. and I know I don't often respond to comments but I read them. I see them. and I'm honored my story has had the impact and love that it has. ACW legit is one of my most beloved works by both myself and its readers. so thank you for that.

but I hope everyone does know that even if it may take me a while, I plan to come back and complete it once I'm properly able! and thank you for your understanding and patience w me. 💕

[initiumseries]

Hi! Smallville Anon again, I just finished season 2 (life has been difficult lol) and I just loved it so much. Season 1 was really great, totally blew my expectations away of what superhero shows could be, but season two? Season two had everything that made season one a standout and developed it further. So many of the episodes are really great stand-alone episodes, and I feel like I could watch them anytime, something that I love about 90s and 2000’s shows that don’t happen now. As for my other random thoughts: MY HEART WAS SO BROKEN AT THE END OF SEASON TWO WHEN CLARK PUT ON THE RED KRYPTONITE AND LEFT LANA. I just keep thinking that if Smallville came out today, that would have been the cliffhanger ending that ends up being a series finale since all shows pretty much get cancelled now haha. And it would have been terrible! I’m just really pumped for season 3 now and I thank you for talking me into watching season 3! As for Clark and Lex, you had very valid points about them not really being a friendship. I guess I meant more that I like their two characters interacting rather than there being enough writing to solidify them as a friendship. Or maybe I just like their platonic chemistry, I’m a little unsure, but it could be both. I do feel for Chloe when it comes to liking Clark, and I don’t feel like their chemistry is bad, but it just felt like it should always be platonic to me and it still does. Pete being the one to know Clark’s secret first was a nice touch despite me wanting Lana to know first for shipping reasons LOL. I read spoilers about why Pete leaves and it’s such a bullshit reason to me that I’m not going to be happy when I see that episode in season 3. You just know that the, most likely, white writing room didn’t care to develop his character or give his character time so I feel for the actor. It seemed like he wanted to stay and I think his storylines could have been something better. Lastly I love Jonathan and Martha together! The casting director struck gold with this cast, and I think a big reason why I like this show is down to the family dynamic with them and Clark. They are totally believable and exude warmth as characters and as family. Sorry this is a long follow up, but I hope you enjoy some of my thoughts!

Thanks for sharing! I pretty much agree overall. I'm glad you stuck it out for season 3! Season 2 is great fun, and I'm glad you enjoyed this (imo), more refreshing take on a superhero show, that 's more invested in the interpersonal dynamics than the actual superhero-ing, and holding the audience hostage to a dogged plot about these Big Supervillain Plans or whatever (*cough The Flash, Supergirl, the entire Arrowverse*cough*).

I too love the Kents as a family, because while I find Jonathan profoundly unhelpful and frustrating, he's still incredibly believable as That Dad, and ultimately you know Clark's parents just want the best for him. I think it's also refreshing that, with most supernatural/superhero/teen shows, parents are more often than not, obstacles to what the teens need to be doing, so they end up being absentee most of the time, whereas the Kents are present and help Clark figure out these weird things happening to him and his friends in this town. They don't always agree, but it's cool to see him not having to hide from his parents, but rather hiding from everyone else, and being at home with his parents. It's a dynamic I haven't seen anywhere else.

Yeah, Pete leaving is a drag. Even though his presence wasn't as big as it could've been, it is constant, so you do feel his absence, and as a result, he and Chloe aren't as close, because the dynamic definitely doesn't work without Pete to round out the group.

Yeah, I get what you mean about Clark and Lex. Narratively they're supposed to be close, but I just don't think that makes it onto the screen, especially when the dialogue has them constantly questioning each other and distrusting each other. Hahahaha season 2 was ROUGH man. Clark and Lana FINALLY getting together, and then Clark leaving? Wait for the beginning of season 3 lol. It makes me cringe from second hand embarrassment, because Clark on red kryptonite is SO terrible lol.

Anyway, I'm glad you're enjoying it! I hope you keep watching.

[thewritersaddictions]

2023 : Eddie Munson- Episode 3 No Longer Kids

Pairing: Eddie Munson x OC!Lilly Miller

Pov: Eddie Munson

Warnings: 2023, Lonely feeling, kids have grown up, Dustin and his kids, Robin and Steve tied the knot, Jane (11) and Max are together, he finally meets her for the first time, Will and Mike are together which he totally saw coming, Robin being nosy (but in a cute friendly way) Eddie totally has a crush on Lilly, just is to dumb to see it

Summary- Eddie learns a lot about the kids and his friends. Steve and Robin are married. Dustin and the other kids are all grown. He meets El and Will. El and Max are together, while Will and Mike are together. Robin points out that Eddie might have a crush on Lilly. 

A/n- firefly=grpahics for dividers

WC- 5.5k

Stranger Things Master List // The Adults Master List // 2023 Series Master List

"The two of you married instead... I was so sure that you and Nancy were going to get together." I'm looking at Steve and Robin's hands. identical rings on each of their hands. On the right hand, they are married. Robin isn't shy about it, she shows off her rings coming over to me. Steve on the other hand is more focused on the fact that I'm here. Standing in front of him."We had a funeral for you and everything." It's hurt. The words are harsh and could cut right through the glass. 

They're aren't tears in his ears, but there's some sort of relief all in the same sentence. "Rob, He's right here and standing in front of us and you're concerned with showing off that fake ass ring." Steve is harsh and mean. I can only imagine. Dustin will be throwing and chunking shit at me."Oh yeah, I got over that the second I saw him. What's the point of yelling at him, he looks like he hasn't aged a day. Let's just go. We're too old to be fuckin' yelling at each other." Rob yells back at her husband, at Steve.

He rolls his eyes. I open my arms. In an attempt at a friendly hug, Robin is there within seconds. Steve watches, "Come on you dingus." I hear Rob mutter from the side of her face. I open my arms again and make more room for him. He comes over slowly, there's a little bit of a limp in his left leg. He manages and makes his way into our hug. There's a relief that hits my chest. The urge to cry is strong, but instead of crying I breathe steadily. 

I take in the time that Steve is giving the both of us. "What happened?" Steve whispers. I try to explain to come up with words, but a shrug is all I can give him and Robin. "Have you seen Dustin or any of the other kids?" I ask as Steve leaves the hug, Robin is still stuck. "Rob? Come on let the guy breathe." Steve fusses at her. I smile shortly at the way that they haven't changed a damn after nearly forty years.

"Sure we see Dustin all the time. His kids gosh they're like extremely like him. He tells them stories about the upside down all the time." Rob rattles off, Steve is back to rolling his. "Robin." He shouts, "Sorry." She apologizes but at who, I shrug my shoulders. "The other kids haven't left either. Everyone stayed right here. Dustin didn't want to leave after you disappeared. He felt like he wasn't doing the right thing, something about you being the best of friends and how you wouldn't dare leave if he had died." Steve says.

The three of us are standing in front of my uncle's grave. "What are you two doing here at the damn cemetery?" My thoughts running with the ADHD. Running back and forth between one and four different things. "Oh, we have to stop by and make sure that Steve's parent's grave look proper." Robin is pointing out a few rows forward, there's a huge mausoleum."We came to fix it up," Steve says coldly. I gather that he wasn't close to his parents. Close was the wrong word to pick. "They were dipshits and forced me and Robin to marry just so they would get the fuck out of my hair about how I wasn't married," Steve mumbles.

"Oh" Was all I could think of, so close was the worst word. "Steve’s parents were pricks," Robin says, she took the word right out of my head. I just shook my head. "We were at his funeral," Steve says simply as he looks down at Wayne’s grave. "Dustin was the one that told your uncle that you were gone. Dead. God Dustin gonna flip when he finds out you aren't dead. Oh shit Rob we have to go get Eds, Claire, and Beth from that camp class." Steve is rushing trying to grab Robins wrist.

"Hold on a fuckin' sec." She looks over at me. "We still live in Steve's house, it's brighter now. Come over in a few days. We can re-introduce you to everyone. Some people you never got the chance to meet too. I missed you, Eddie. Glad you're back." Rob says sweetly coming into my space and grabbing me tightly hugging me hard that it causes me to cough a little when she lets me go. Steve waves at me while the two of them walk away. I look down at Wayne’s grave. 

"I should have figured that this shit would happen once I left Lilly’s trailer. I bet you're loooking down at me with absolute horror at the mess I've caused for myself." I can imagine his chuckle and the roll of his eye as he’d wave me off. There’s something that I just miss about my uncle. Wayne had been through everything with me. It’s hard to imagine that I wasn’t there for him when he needed it the most that some other person was there. Regardless though I guess I have to suck it up and be glad that someone was there for him. 

The urge to sit down was strong. Sit down and not say a goddamn word just sit there in the warm air. “Wayne I wonder what your thoughts are on Y/n? She’s really pretty it’s hard sometimes for me to focus on anything other than that.” I whispered into the open air. Regardless of the answer that I thought I might have gotten from my uncle I never got an answer. Just the sounds of birds flying past and a few cars driving past the cemetery. I only sat on the grass for a few more moments. “I think I’ll go visit the kids if they even wanna see me.” 

With that, I got up and patted the hard headstone that had my uncle’s name imprinted on the marble stone. I took one last look at his grave before walking away. I had to get back to Lilly’s trailer. According to Steve and Robin, all the kids were still here, and Dustin has kids. He named one of those kids Eds. It makes me wonder on my walk back to the trailer park if he named his son after me. If my disappearance had that great of an effect on him. I wonder if he missed me that much. 

Had I not realised just how much I had affected Dustin’s freshman year of high school. Had I not realized just how important I was to Dustin’s life, how important I might have been to every one. I walk and walk until I somehow make my way toward the trailer. I’m not sure why I think that Lilly will continue to let me stay here. I might have to get a new place to stay, but I walk further up the porch. I don’t just walk in I can only aimigne catch Lilly in a rather compromising position. 

I wouldn’t want to make the only other person I know in this hollow and broken town uncomfortable. Maybe I was just thinking to hard about everything. Seeing Steve and Robin had only made me think more about the things that I had been taken from. That some evil force had taken me from y mtime and my friends all because of what. Was it all a sick joke on me. The best prank in the godamn wall. I knock hard on the outer glass door. The lights are on inside. But I think about just running, far away from her front door. That’s until she’s opening it and staring at me. 

“Eddie, you came back?” She asks ushering me back into the calm space she’s created. “I thought you just up the trailer earlier.” Lilly is dragged me towards her couch. I might had just woken up this morning and left, grabbing my boots and shoving them on before running out of her trailer. The ceiling was still staring at me, looking deep into my soul. “I just had to get out, it’s still just a tad weird to know my uncle isn’t here anymore. I went and vivisted him by the way.” I murmured as we settled on the couch. 

“You should have let me rive you there it’s a long walk to the cemetery.” Lilly said getting more comfortable on the couch. I was looking down at the contact she had created by grabbing my wrist and dragging me into the trailer. “I’m sorry it’s still weird for you. I should have realized that.” With that Lilly had let go of my wrist and retracted her hands into her sweatshirt pockets. I tried to say something but nothing came up to console her. “I bumped into some old friends, from my time I guess.” Lilly’s eye light up gleefully. 

“You did? Did they reconginze who you were? Are they nice?” Lilly asks about too many questions for my racing mind to answer them. “I think they weren’t mad for my disappearance. They invited me over for dinner. To meet the friends that were in that group.” I rattled off. Lilly was so close to me on the couch that i wasn’t able to focus. No girl not the many yearsthat I had lived in Hawkins was ever so attentive, or caring to me. It was an odd and new feeling one that scared the living shit out ot me. 

“Eddie are you alright?” Lilly asks, scooting somehow closer into my personal space. Not that that was the problem. It was more the fact I was trying desperately to keep all of my emotions under wraps in a rather difficult situation. “I… You’re… Yeah I’m okay.” I managed to sutter out. She looked down between us, like she had somehow noticed how much she had gotten close to me. “Oh shit I’m sorry I… I di– I didn’t mean to get all up in your space.” She mutters a small apology. “It’s alright Lilly, I’m a little hungryl, you?” 

She cocks her head in the cutest of ways. Her bangs flowing infront of her face. “You mean like do I want something for lunch?” She looks for more information in my eyes, and when I shrug my shoulder she gives up rather quickly. “I can make a mean grilled cheese.” It’s not great food, but it’s something that I can do for her as a weird thank you for letting me stay with her. “You can really make a mean grilled cheese why don’t you just show me, Eddie.” Lilly coaxed me, her brows raised like she was challenging me. 

I saluted her and went behind the counter to get a sense of the kitchen. Not that it was any, or much different from when I was living here. Not that I originally spent much time in the kitchen. Wayne had always cooked dinner, and when I was in the kitchen it was to put a bowl of spaghettios into a bowl and heat them up. I got tto work quickly though, only having to ask Lilly where a few things had been placed. Never did she come into the kitchen. I even heated up some soup to share together. 

When I was done cooking I strutted out of the kitchen and placed her plate infront of her. I wasn’t sure about a lot of things regarding Lilly. So, I made sure to grab her a set of utensil if she wanted them. The bowl of soup went infront of the two of us, I tired to sit further away from her just to give us a arms length of space. Lilly’s first bite could never have been better, a dealious moan fell from her lips, and the more she kept eating. The more my knees buckled at the sound. 

“HOLY SHIT Eds. This is fucking perfection.” She giggled as she wiped her face of bread and cheese crumbs. I tried to stuff my face so I didn’t have to say a single word. I wasn’t ver y trusting of my own voice. “Thanks.” I was able to get out with a mouth full of brunt cheese, and bread. There wasn’t much beside that little conversation, before Lilly was reaching for a remote. That my attentio was turned to the screen intfront of me. “It’s a flatscreen, really thin too.” Lilly said as she flicked back and forth between channels. 

The quality was mamazing better then anything I’d ever seen, and that wasn’t really anything to go based off of. “Are you okay if we watch something?” Lilly turned to look at me, her hair was up. Guess she had gotten upset by the random strands that I was coming to like very much. In a few more seconds I’ve returned my attention back to the bright and high quality screen. There’s some sort of dramatic show playing in the background as Lilly goes back to eating her food. It’s getting closer to evening so the sun is setting beautifully. 

“Do you remember me saying that I was invited over for dinner with my old friends?” I throw the question into the comfortable air. Lilly lifts her head from the pillow on the couch, her legs are tucked in her bottom. “Hmm yeah, what about it Eddie?” She asks, as Lilly tries to pay attention to both the tv show and my conversation with her. “I was thinking that maybe you could I don’t know join me? I know that you probably don’t really care, but I… I just really don’t want to go meet my old friends without you.” 

The words come out rather sentimental like. More like I needed her, like I wasn’t able to think about anything other then her. I just… the truth was that I didn’t want to feel out of place in a new place or rather a new time. We stare at each other, in the dimming room as the sky line turns darker and the tv screen becomes brighter. Lilly is staring at me, her eyes sparkle. Brown eyes staring hard into my own. “You want me to go with you?” She asks. “Yeah.” She smiles, “Yeah I’ll go with you, Eddie.” 

It’s for a few more days until, I gather myself and Lilly into her car and drive us down to Lake Nora. Lilly fucks with the radio in her car, “Do you have a certain music type you like to listen to Eddie?” Lilly asks me as I pull up to a stop light. Not that the trailer park is far from Lake Nora. In the time that I had been selling weed and other speicalitys in Hawkins I had only ever been invited to one King Steve party. That drive was creep as shit, something I’d rather not repeat. 

I turn looking at Lilly, “Don’t laugh now, I’m a metal head. I like the way the music rumbles through my bones. Used… I was a part of a band at one point here in Hawkins.” I offer my thoughts. She doens’t laughs, rather instead she finds a metal radio station. “Here you go, listen this until we get to your friends house.” She rests back in her seat and let’s calm unknowing in the music. The music is little odd, stuff that I’d never heard. But the guitar, and drums in the background broke through sounding rather familiar sorta. 

When I pulled up to Steve house the lights are beaming inside and there’s a few cars already in his drive way. A mini-van, and a few other compact cars. I move the car to make sure that we aren’t in any ones way if they need to get out before we ourselves leave. Lilly is in a pair of black jeans that have purposeful holes in them according to her. A red blouse that make sure her shoulders on visible. “So my friend in there.” I say eyeing the front door. “Yeah your friend in there?” Lilly echos me. 

“Steve, and Robin are married. Steve got a thing where his hair always has to be perfect. And then his wife Robin is really talkative. Like she’ll talk your ear off. I don’t know about anyone else.” I say with a sad shrug. “Eddie?” Lilly brings my attention up to her. “Eddie everything will be fine I promise you that. If you need to leave or you just feel out of place come find me. Okay?” Lilly whispers even though we’re alone in her car. I nod, and grab to unbuckle my seat belt before getting out of the car. 

The air is somehow different out of here. Just like it was when I first came to the this house to sell. The sound of Lilly’s passenger door closing makes me jump, as my eyes don’t dare leave the front door of Steve house. I don’t leave my trance until I feel Lilly’s hand slip into mine, another jump out of skin moment. “Come on Eddie, I’ll knock on the door.” She takes me and we walk towards the front door, when we make it to the porch I can hear the sounds of happy screaming children. No backing out. 

Before I know it Lilly is knocking on the door, and it’s a long pregnagnt moment of silence and waiting. Then the door is opening, Steves is staring at the pair of us. “Hey, I didn’t realize you were bringing someone with you.” he says calmly. “Yeah he didn’t want to feel to out of place.” Lilly speaks up for me. I smile and Steve only nods before opening his door all the way open. The sounds of screaming children pass again as we walk into his living room. There’s life in this house, such a contrast to the past. 

“Everyone is in the dining room, if you’d like we can just go eat now or you can met with dustin. You know he’s bound to freak out once he sees you.” Steve says as he takes Lillys coat from her hooking it around a hanger and into the coat closet by the front door. “Who;’s Dustin?” Lilly asks as she looks back over at me. “He was my kid best friend I guess.” I say trying to think how best to explain it. “Like a younger brother that I never got.” I say changing my mind. Steve laughs. 

“How about I just meet everyone all at once.” I suggest. Steve shrugs his shoulders. “Whatever you want man.” He guids us towards the dining room. Robin is the first one of to see us. “Eddie! You’ve made it!” Heads turn, and then everyone is staring straight into me. My sheild come up as I shuffle through the faces. Mike is there he’s got a little grew growing in his black shaggy hair. the red headed girl Max is older, but smiling holding someone’s hand I don’t know. Erica is staring at me with those scary eyes. Then there’s Dustin. 

I can still hear the kids running in the background. There’s like background music now. Dustin is staring me down, tears are floating at the edges of his eyes. He won’t stop looking at me. I grab onto Lilly’s hand. I feel like I’m floating and I need to feel like I have some sort of anchor. Lilly squeezes back, letting me know she’s there. “WHAT THE FUCK!?!” Dustin screams, someone, well everyone looks at him. There’s a new voice, “Dusty take a breathe please.” The female voice says. “I can’t fucking beialive this. Steve what the fuck is this??” 

Dustion is throwing cruse words around like they’re aren’t young ones around, just running past. “No I won’t fucking calm down either Suizs. He was fucking dead. And everyone here knows it. We all watched how he didn’t come back through the fucking gate. Don’t you dare tell me that this is Eddie. I don’t… you… i had…” For a moment Dustin calms down. I let go of Lilly’s hand, amking my way towards Dustin. “Dustin” I try, he looks up at me almost automatically. “I’m not some creep or some upside down monster. I’m just me.… I’m Eddie.” 

I mutter, there’s silence in the entire space of the dining room. “Dustin please just know that I’m here now and alive now. Let’s just eat and you can introduce me to your kiddos. I bet they’re just the best just like you kid.” I say softly. He looks like he’s crying, verge of tears. “Eddie.” He says quietly. “I thought… I thought you were dead.” He said, coming to hug me. I hugged him back, and let him take all the time he needed. “Hey kid, do you think we could eat.” I ask after a few long moments. 

“Yeah we can eat.” he says with a small chuckle. Steve and Robin had moved in two new chairs and everyone had made room for us to sit down. Dustin went back to his seat. “By the way this is my wife, Suize.” Dustin says as he sits back down. Dinner is already on the table. “We’ve got three kids, and we named one of them after Eds.” “Yeah Dad!” There’s a yelling coming from the other room, and I can’t help but smile at the sound of happiness and joy coming from the kid. Dustin rolls his eyes. “Kids” 

There’s peace and quiet in the moments of eating. “Steve is the best cook in town. I swear it.” I hear Robin mumble through a mouth full of food. Steve rolls his eyes at his wife not wife. There’s moreeating in silence, I don’t feel my heart beat as fast as it was before. What I can feel is a soft hand on my knee, rubbing a thumb over my kneecap. I don’t dare look over at Lilly. “So, who’s your friend?” I hear Erica ask. Of course it’s Ecria. I remember that kid always having so many little thoughts. 

“Well, she’s um…” I look over at her. I’m not sure how to describe it, so I give her the reins of this conversation. “Well I’m Lilly. I live in the trailer park.” Heads turn with forks in mouths. “The trailer park?” Dustin questions her. “Yeah kinda funny I live in Eds old trailer.” She answers with giggle. I can see the wheels turning in Dustin and Ercia heads. It’s as if a day hasn’t passed since they were in school and little kiddos themselves. “So you’re saying you live in Eddie old trailer? How’d that even happen to you?” 

It’s Dustin asking the questions. Everyone beside Ercia isn’t really paying the most attention towards our conversation, for reasons I don’t know yet. Maybe they’re all confused as to how I’m here. Along with the others who I’m not sure who they are just yet. “Well, if you must know I was great friends with Eds Uncle Wayne. I helped him a lot in the trailer park and he eventually gave me the trailer to live in. I helped with his funeral when it came time.” Lilly says softly, her hand has yet to leave my knee. Empowering the conversation. 

Once dinner is done or atleast everyone is done eating people are on the move to get onto the comfy large couch in Steve’s living room. “So there’s a few people you um…you didn’t get the chance to met.” Steve says his voice almost echos in the tall house. Everyone is now sitting on the couch. Two women are sitting next to each other, Max and a women with dark brown curly hair. “This is Max, who you know from before, and her wife Jane or El.” Steve introduces me to the pair. “Are you the girl with the powers?” 

I ask, there a tense that comes over the room. “Yeah, I once had powers, but haven’t needed them in a long time. It’s nice to met you Eds.” Jane says as she nudges into Max’s side. I can’t help but copy her as i do the same to Lilly. She looks over at me and smiles. Steve takes me attention by introducing me to someone new. “This is Mike, you know he was in your hellfire club, but you haven’t met Will. These two are married.” Steve says. I had known a few gay people that lived in Hawkins. 

“It’s nice to finally met you. I don’t know if you can tell but Mike really took a liking to your whole style.” Will says as he reaches over to give me a handshake. It’s firm but as he smiles at me I notice what he’s talking about. Mike had pratiaclly ripped off my style. Black jeans and leather jacket. I laugh at yet another thought of how much I might have imprint on these kids. Another thought comes up, maybe one of soreness and tightness. Maybe one that will make the whole room go silent but I cant think. 

“So the whole fighting Vecna thing?” I ask. There are a few strong inhales, like they hadn’t thought one day about it. “Yeah we killed that son of a bitch long ago, that was sorta the end of it.” Jane speaks up from her corner next to Max. Max giggles and kisses her wives cheek before shaking her head in agreement. “It was honestly revenge on my part.” Dustin says, there’s more tears but I’m not sure what they’re based on. “Once it was all over lots of people left town. Scared of how scary Hawkins was starting to become.” 

“Do you wanna meet my kiddos?” Dustin asks, Suize is starting to visibly fall asleep on her husband shoulders. They’re such a cute little couple. “Sure kid.” Lilly has yet to leave my side and I squeeze her hand once more, thank her sielntly for coming with me. “You’re welcome.” She murmurs before resting her head on my shoulder. “Kids do you mind coming in here?” Dustin shouts from his spot on the couch. There’s loud thunderish footsteps, “Hey Uncle Steve, dad what’s up.” “I have someone I’d like you to met.” Dustin points over to me. I smile wide. 

“This is your dads best friend from when he was still in school.” Dustin says, “Eds why don’t you met Eddie.” His kids eyes light up, “You’re my uncle Eddie, the guy I was named after, I can’t help but smile wider, “I guess so kiddo.” “I’ve heard so many cool stories about you, like how you totally were the best D&D DM ever, dad got me into that game by the way.” Eds say extasically. I laugh how similar the two are. “I was and still am the best DM.” I encourage him on. I love his style. 

He looks a little like his dad and a little like his mother. Curly hair, but a wide goofy smile. Clothes that I wished that I could have pulled off. “So how old are you Eds?” I ask him. He turns to his dad. “He just turned fourteen a few days ago.” I remember being fourteen and thinking that the world was ending, my dad wasn’t there anymore so I ran and ran until I got to Uncle Waynes trailer. “Well you make the most of it kiddo.” I say patting his shoulder, he goes off sitting next to Suize. 

“Come on Claire. Come meet your Uncle Eddie.” She’s more shy, her long hair is down to her back and she uses her hair as a coping mechinase to hide her anxiety. She moves slowly until she’s right infront of us. “You know I do the same thing when I’m nervous.” I say softly so no one else can hear me. Everyone is watching the both of us. “You do?” She says “Yup, I like to do crazy things like this.” I move my hair from behind my ear and rope it over my lips. Making a fake mustache beard. 

She giggles, and laugh before repeating me. “I like this!” She very verbal once you get her out of her shell. “So how old are you?” I ask, She swallows. “I’m eleven year old. I just got back from camp.” She says point down at her shirt. ‘Camp Lagoon’ Is written on her lime green shirt and a little beetle bug must be there mascot there. “She’s a fan of her science camps like Dusty here was.”Suize comments. Claire moves quickly to move into her mothers lap. “Hey Mama.” She says looking up at her. “There’s one more kiddo.” 

“Beth baby, you wanna come here.” Dustin calls out, There’s nothing for a few moments, then Steve is getting up and going to find her. Clarie and Eds have somehow fallen asleep on their mother. It’s cute and makes me heart ache just a little. Reminds me of my own mother how she always the sweetest women, never forget about me regardless of the fighting that happened between her and my shitty dad. “I’ve got her, she’s was working on some lego bricks.” Steve says. He kneels in front of me handing me the child. She just looks at me. 

“Hello Beth, how are you?” I ask, I’m guessing she isn’t to much younger then her sister. She looks down at my fingers and plays with them. “I’m otay,” Beth whispers. “You okay too?” She asks, I laugh at her whispering but play along. “I’m good too Beth, so how old are you then… let me guess!” I say, I pretend to think for a moment and I feel Lilly’s eyes on me I can’t help but blush from the staring. “I’d say that you’re nine.” It’s a totally shitty guess, she rolls her eyes, I look over to Dustin. 

“Beth is only six, smart little girl though huh.” Dustin comments, “She reminds me of someone I used to know, kinda of a smarty.” I commented, Dustin laughs loudly waking his sleeping child. Beth continues to play with my fingers and then Lilly starts to talk with her. “You’re such a cutie Beth.” Beth giggles and launches her head into my shoulder. “I think you made her shy,” I say looking over at Lilly for the first time in a while. Her smile is hard to miss, but there’s something behind her eyes. Like a longing for kids, the feeling. 

Beth ends up falling asleep on my shoulder, cozying up in my shoulder. Before I know it Dustin is trying to get up frm the couch with a kid in his arms, and one kid in Suizes arms. “Can you help us with Beth?” Lilly had fallen asleep on my shoulder. I get up slowly to let Lilly’s head move down to the couchison. I walk with Dustin and his wife towards the front door and their car. Beth weight doesn’t bother me at all as I watch and stand waiting for Dustin to buckle in his son. “Here’s Beth.” 

Once I get back into the Harringtons home. I’m being dragged by Robin towards the kitchen islands, “Shit Robin.” I manage to huff out by the time she’s stopped us. “You’re totally in love with that Lilly girl aren’y you?!” She asks, theres exctiemnt behind her eyes, and the sound of footsteps stops me from saying the truth of how I’m truely feeling. “God robin you can’t just spring that on someone.” Steve whispers, trying to lower the sound of our conversation. “So do you? Do you like that girl you brought with you?” Steve asks prolonging the conversation along. 

“What do you want me to say. I fell throug her fucking ceiling and now she’s just… she’s just so damn sweet and supportive. I’m not sure I should even…” There’s a pause in my throat. “So you do like her?” Robin beats the word like further into my head. “Maybe…” I saw softly as I look back through the doorway towards Lilly’s sleeping body on the couch. “We should probably get going…” I comment, “What before you go take some of dinner with you.” Steve says shoving a few tupper ware containers into my chest. Looking over at Lilly. 

I tried my hardest to juggle both the containers of food, and Lilly as I walked us towards the car. The food goes into the back of the car, and Lilly goes into the passenger seat. Lilly isn’t fully aware of what is going on around her, but once the engine starts in the car. She right back to sleep. Somehow the drive back to Lilly’s trailer is different. The air is cold, the streetlights stream through the car’s window. I keep looking back between the road and her. Somehow feeingl so utter alone even though I know I’m not. 

It’s weird how cruel your own mind can be to you. I try my hardest making my way towards the trailer park entrance. It reminds me of Chrissy. Driving down the dirt and gravel road with Chrissy sitting next to me staring off into space. I don’t think at all I was aware of what the reality of what was happening around me. I don’t even get out of my head until I hear her voice. It’s not Chrissy’s it’s Lillys and for some reason it calms me almost immediately. “Are we home?” She asks in a sleepy voice

Completed on: 04/18/23

Posted on: 04/28/23

The Adults- @yourfavdummy

[go-our-own-ways]

I keep tweeting my thoughts abt 8loom and tsunapi when I REALLY ought to be putting them HERE jasdfoiawherogh I keep forgetting aggghhhh

ig for now the tl;dr is after falling down the 8loom/kimi no hana ni naru rabbit hole, my new hyperfixation now is tsuna keito and hachimura rintaro, but there's way more watchable/leisure content of tsunapi (bc of being in industry longer + being an established actor already) so I've been watching his stuff

started out with ookami ni wa damasarenai, and have been flip flopping it with ryusoulger! it's been a fun time

admittedly feeling kind of bored by ryusoulger, but I'm gonna try my best to finish it (I'm like almost halfway through anyway). I think it's just not my cup of tea, sentai series... it's a lot less engaging (for me) than I thought it'd be compared to kamen rider ;; I've seen several kamen rider shows at this point and I know sentai isn't the same but I had hoped for like...clearer plot, I guess? but I'm halfway through with a lack of plot other than episodic like monster of the week style plot orz not a bad thing! just not my thing in particular, I guess

BUT it's still worth my time for tsunapi, so I will persevere

meanwhile ookami has been...interesting lol. I keep cringing at the romance element, even though I know it's just the medium through which they're trying to determine who the werewolf is. I couldn't stand the tension so I spoiled myself already, so at least that's out of the way? but also because like. my jp isn't THAT good, so it's a little hard for me to follow all their logic right...so I figured meh, doesn't hurt to know in advance lol

tsunapi is very charismatic and cute throughout ookami (: makes me happy to see him here, actually. my one gripe is that his end-game coupling is with an 18 year old, when he was 22 at the time lol. why does japan keep doing this... ; u ;

also been browsing t1kt0k a lot lately... yep I finally fell into that. I use it almost exclusively for 8loom content though, since I realized that these boys (well, most of them) have one, and the official account posted a lot of their stuff there, too. plus, it's been a nice place to find a lot of random content I missed from their insta lives, magazine shoots, and whatnot (:

on a more..serious? note

I get mildly disgusted with myself whenever I think too hard about the next hyperfixation I enjoy, because it feels like the age of the boys just keeps getting younger each time TT I'm trying to tell myself that I just like cute faces + jdramas have a habit of always picking up new cute faces so it's inevitable I'll find younger and younger actors... but ugh god I don't want to become a cougar or some shit TT I could never actually deal with someone younger than me by more than like. 2 years probably LOL...

I think maybe also what's going on is that even though I'm nearly 30 (insane, but time sure flies...), my soul is still stuck at like. 26 or 27. because that's when the pandemic happened. lmao.

I feel like I haven't lived life, had a crazy romance, or anything...so it just gets funneled into the next idol or actor hyperfixation... TT

sorry god for being a disgusting human I guess ;__; though I know my intentions are not dirty, but I know there are z gen kids now who would find me disgusting so... I'm sorry... ; ;

so yeah...that's me lately LMFAO

now note to self COME BACK HERE TO POST YOUR BRAINWORMS...I need to unaddict myself from twitter lmfao

[lycan-troth]

Yeah, I can see that. It would be awkward for him in that aspect, and from Kaylee's (in your fanon), it makes sense for her to not feel as uncomfy. It must be pretty awkward to have their dad dating someone around their age, I don't think it'd be good irl, but it's fiction ✨️I really like how you flesh out their relationship,I find it interesting and they have good chemistry, and all based/inspired from what is in the game too 👀 Haha, thanks for entertaining that thought, it could be he'd have one in wolf form, but don't they have no genitals? I've always thought that detail was a bit odd, like they'll show you a decapitated head and someone getting their face blown off, but they draw the line at werewolf bits it's kinda amusing tbh.

That's sad, but it does make sense for your fanon of him, and in canon tbh. He seems sort of lax about it in the game. Obviously, finding Silas would be great, but you're right it's mostly Travis who is pressured and actively goes looking for Silas. Your version of him deep down accepting his curse as being something he's stuck with adds up to me. He needs to keep hoping for the sake of his kids, but it's been years, and still nothing. I don't blame him for losing faith in finding Silas. It's a depressing situation with their family life, mental health, work, trying to keep his thing with Ryan neutral, and the hikers he sometimes has to bury. I think a lot of the fandom focuses on Travis more because he gets more screen time. Therefore, he's more likeable than Chris, who doesn't get much screen time and is depicted as a bit sus and strict during that time. This is honestly one of the things I was disappointed about, I wanted Chris to get more screen time. David Arquette did what he could with it and left me wanting to see some more, so I think he did good depicting him. Also, I realised I'd seen Travis (Ted Raimi) before and couldn't remember where, anyway I was rewatching early seasons of Supernatural and he's in S4 during the episode "Wishful Thinking" it's not relevant to my ask, but I also found the ep name ironic considering Travis yk, but it can appeal to Chris too. I'm honestly low-key, surprised that Travis/Laura fans haven't done an au of that episode yet. His character in that (Wesley) makes a wish with a magic coin to make a girl fall in love with him, and she does, sort of. The coin takes wishes and twists them, so the girl becomes obsessed with him to the point that she doesn't have any autonomy. It gets so bad that she goes and makes a wish too, and her wish was for lightning to strike down the mc (Sam), who wanted him to take back his wish of her loving him. Sorry, I know this bit is super rambly and you probably don't know the show I'm talking about, but idk I feel like Travis/Laura shippers are missing out on a potentially interesting au there, lmao.

I think you're depicting his obsession fairly well atm. So far, we've seen the cracks like you've said, Chris is slipping more and more each day. I can only imagine what he's going to be like when it's out in the open. It's funny I still don't quite get why Chris enjoys watching him so much. Don't get me wrong, the content you're serving us is delicious, and I love it as always, but I still don't quite get it. He's obsessed fr, and I'm living for it. He just loves watching him, ig. It makes me think of this sound on tiktok I saw one time: "Despite his criminal mind, this man is behaving well. His reward is the canoe. This time, he can sit in the canoe for up to an hour." I know before you told me it was about feeding his obsession, of being able to be up close to Ryan but not really. I just know Ryan is gonna like the attention (in theory). The barn scene was so awkward for him, like damn, lmao. And the way you showed us Chris cracking a bit there was great. We could just tell what was lurking underneath it all, and Ryan, too, to an extent. I feel bad for Chris fighting back and forth with himself like he does. It makes sense for him to wanna "protect" Ryan from himself by staying away, but he wants him to come back at the same time. I find that element of Chris, that selfish part of him wanting Ryan to keep coming back, to stay close to him; I find it kinda cute tbh. I feel like it shows what you said about him not really having someone like Ryan in his life, so it's easy to obsess. To have a person that needs him and wants him in the same breath. Tbh, before I was thinking of Ryan being the clingy one, which he totally still is in my mind, but with this insight, I can see Chris being a bit clingy too. I know this is probably maybe gonna be a given since GP is the more obsessive darker route for them, but will we be seeing an openly possessive/obsessive/territorial scene of them? When I say open, I mean that it's not really something they hide from each other like they did in ASB and have been doing more or less so far in GP. Buuut back to the previous ask, Chris willing to push back his selfish wants to prioritise Ryan's wellbeing/needs is the angst that keeps on giving. It's like he (you) are dedicated to making me sad, lmao. Ryan really wouldn't appreciate it much at all, haha, and yeah WCA depicts that very well. Ooh yeah, that most certainly was a dick move on Chris's part. I was thinking the same like "Chris, what do you mean 'shoot me'? He's just killed someone for you, wdym you wanna die now? *sigh* smh." Ryan's refusal to kill Chris in that, and him feeling like Chris wants to abandon him was SO sad. I'm still not over that 🥲.

Aww, that'd be cute! The moving in together au without moving in together, haha. I can imagine Ryan settling in a place near/in town or something when/if he'd get the money to buy his own place. The differences he'd face in the country I can only imagine, haha. I grew up in a busy place/main road, not in a city but yk, we didn't have a garden or amything that was very uh "nature" 😂. I remember going to a forrest/wild nature walk place where I live now, and I was sooo out of my element, haha. The bugs, the animal shit, the smells, the ground hurts depending on the type of shoe you wear, and my sense of navigation is shit. So I can only imagine suddenly living in a place like Hackett's quarry, especially with it being SO hot, I'd perish for sure in that heat, haha. I like the idea of them spending a lot of alone time like that. Aww, it's so cute when Ryan doesn't wanna worry, Chris. He knows he'd go out of his way for him when he probably shouldn't considering their financial situation. feel like there'd be good opportunities for bed sharing. It's not like there'd be anyone to question or hide it from.

Apart from maybe Kaylee or mostly Caleb, lol. Maybe Kaylee and Caleb would finally have somewhere else to run off to when they're sick of being at the house with their grandparents. Imagine Ryan's just settling in for the night when suddenly they just pull up to his cabin and state that they're staying the night. Ryan just gradually gets used to spontaneous sleepovers forced upon him. Poor socially awkward introvert hassled by werewolves, tbh that could be a way he finds about them. Like they just become so comfortable around Ryan that they let him in on their secret, and wouldn't that resolve how they were feeling, or at least how Kaylee said they felt in her letter to Constance? They'd finally have someone to confide in, or at least not hide from. Their whole thing was being upset at hiding from people, so maybe having that one person, a bit similar to Chris being able to listen to them and understand/validate them could be enough to soothe them a bit.

Haha, I think I beat you with my response. It's a bit more rambley and longer than yours, lmao. I get carried away with my ideas/ramblings. There's no judgment here, haha 😂

How do you think Kaylee and Caleb think about Ryan and Chris? In ASB, Kaylee was trying to subtly push them together a bit, so I got to wondering how they view Ryan liking Chris and their dad liking Ryan. This sent me down a mini rabbit hole of thoughts that somehow led me to thinking, "Does Chris have something like a knot like in popular werewolf fiction?" I honestly can't remember how I got to wondering about that, and idk how it'd even work either, lmao.

Then, from that thought, I naturally jumped to the next randomised one, which was wondering about how Chris spent the year when Ryan wasn't there? The tapes he has of Ryan wandering around and staring into space got me thinking that maybe he'd watch those sometimes? They have eachothers phone number, too, so they call like they did a bit in ASB. It was just interesting to think about in the context of GP because the nature of their relationship is different. Chris has his obsession, and Ryan atm isn't quite on the same level rn, but he's still pretty fixated on Chris. With these things in mind, I just wondered how it might change how Chris feels/reacts to Ryan's absence during the off-season of camp.

Then, finally, I thought, "What if Ryan stayed with Chris during the off-season?" Idk what the circumstances would be, but Ryan just doesn't go home or doesn't live with his family anymore? I was thinking about what they'd do, obviously with Chris's parents around, he can't bring Ryan to the house. So they'd be at the lodge, or at least Ryan would be. It leaves a lot of room for potential domestic fluff or smut. Without the campers and counsellors around, Ryan would truly be in the wolfs den. I'd imagine Kaylee and Caleb might visit more without the noisy campers and nosy counsellors there.

i’d say, that they prob don’t think about it too deeply. like, ryan’s crush is pretty clear to everyone, who bothers to inspect his and chris’s relationships for more, than 2 minutes. but while kyalee thinks, that it’s fun and might be good for chris, i feel like caleb sort of avoids the topic. and not bc the hates the idea of it, more so, bc it’s very awkward lol. i mean, he’s the older out of the 3. he views ryan on the same level as kyalee, like as someone, who’s clearly younger than him. and his sister has a habit of having new, non-serious crushes pretty often. so he might assume, that ryan is the same in that regard. like that he’s confused or smth. and then, chris is his dad, who he considers to be good-natured, but a bit lame. not to mention, that ryan is around the same age category as them, and learning that your father is a ‘dirty old man’ surely doesn’t help, haha. so yeah, caleb would try to not dig too deeply into it. and nope, chris doesn’t have it, haha. i mean, in human form surely not. in werewolf one, he prob does, haha. but i struggle to imagine ryan surviving such an encounter tbh. 

ah, that’s a good question. i imagine, that chris has a lot to do around the campground, even when no one is around. then, he and the rest of the hacketts prob try to track down silas and all that business as well. but i feel like, chris doesn’t really believe, that they would ever find him. one would imagine, that it’ll be travis, who low-key gave up on everything, when in fact, trying to kill silas is in part of what keeps him going. compared to this, chris has a more cynical view on it. at least, in my fanon, haha. i guess, i always picture him as a guy, who really wants to help others, but considers himself to be beyond help. or maybe, not even worthy of it. i mean, i feel like while fandom adores fawning over travis’s situation, no one ever considers why chris had to be the one, who runs the camp. i don’t think, that it was a gift from his parents. i actually, assume that he was ‘trusted’ (read conditioned) into that position, bc travis was always a scapegoat of the fam, but in a way, he was ‘let go’. he could do whatever, bc no one cared all that much, which is still pretty bad, don’t get me wrong. but with this in mind, and added fact, that bobby is clearly the favorite child, it would mean that chris was automatically put into position, where literally no one, but him could ‘inherit’ the hackett’s quarry. and where he had to be the one to have a family, and be ‘the ideal man’ or whatever. all eyes were on him, bc there were things expected from him. nothing was expected from bobby. and in a way, from travis as well, but for different reasons clearly. with this being said, i don’t think that chris had it ‘worse’ than travis or smth, it’s just that he had to suffer through different sorts of parental pressure and most likely abuse too. travis has a stockholm syndrome toward his family, and chris was basically conditioned into filling the role, that no one else could. sorry, tangled up, haha. 

but like with all this in consideration, it’s fairly easy to imagine why he would get so obsessed with ryan. and yeah, he for sure would rewatch the tapes, and enjoy phone talks, that they have. he never had anything like this before. a thing to truly look forward to. his kids are adults, so in all fairness, they no longer need him like they used to, and i feel like chris gets very aimless, when there is nothing for him to do, no one to care for, bc he has no idea how to live for himself at all. and yeah, in GP ryan’s and chris’s levels of obsession are a bit different. i suppose, partly bc chris’s mental state is also worse, than it was in ASB. he tries his best still, but cracks are starting to show more and more often. as for how he feels, when ryan is not around for months, i think that it’s a tricky question. chris is party terrified of himself and what he can do, so rational part of him says, that it’s good that ryan is far away from him, and that it might be better if he never comes back. but then, he also always longs for him to be back all the same. need vs care. obsession vs common sense. chris is very morale dualed, haha. esp when it comes to ryan. but i feel like, he’s prob one of the rare kinds of characters, who can overpower his own selfishness more often, than not. like, if i had to put all my supermassives otps into situation, where they had a choice to basically keep their ‘better half’ with them or have a chance to let them go with hope, that they can do better, that it would essentially be better for them, only chris and andrew would be capable of smth like lmao. everyone else, ryan included, would have the ugliest tantrum imaginable. even john with a similar level of self-hatred as chris, wouldn’t have been able to stop himself from being terribly selfish and keep andrew, no matter what it would have taken. this is partly why chris was okay with ryan killing him in WCA. he just assumed, well, it would be better for ryan. kinda a dick move tho. like ryan killed people for him, and he then, asks him to shot him lmao. 

and oh, funny enough, i had un-used plot, where ryan gets kicked out of the house by his mother. idk, where his grandparents are. maybe, they don’t exist in that au or they’re not close. so as result, ryan literally has nowhere to go. he asks kyalee and caleb, if they can hook him up with some temporary place, until he finds a job and will get out of their hair. but naturally, they call him an idiot and say, that he can just stay on the campground during that time, chris won’t mind. i imagine, that ryan would ask them to not tell chris why he’s here, make up some story. it also leaves a lot places for humor, bc ryan is city kid, he doesn’t know much about life in the country. but chris be there to teach him. so yeah, they would spent a lot of time together. just two of them. kyalee and caleb would also indeed have a chance to hang out with ryan more often, show him around and such. for a while everything will be alright with the world. which is smth that i really about the quarry tbh. their set-up is so deceptively cozy.