#still bogged down about thoughts of my dad

[mminu]

at the time in my life where i am stressed about credit scores… i think every life should only have 1 Big Thing at a time to be stressed out about… cannot handle this many

[kennahjune]

Teen Dad AU

Part 2!!

Starting the tag list with: @mugloversonly @jackiemonroe5512 @thestarslittleking @jonesen4coffee @virginlemontea @blackpanzy @littlebluejane @paintsplatteredandimperfect @astrid-nomically-steddie @maferisa-7 @phantomrose17 @child-of-cthuhlu @sofadofax @thoughtfulbreadpolice @fandomnerd103 @artemisiscursed @croatoan-like-its-hot @silenzioperso @myownworstenemyyy @feral-possums-in-the-bog @mente-sindescanso @mrslectermoriarty @y4r3luv @a-couchpotato @aknelimdoogladania @she-collects-smut

…

Thursday came in a false sense of security.

Steve woke up to the gentle sun in his face, the breeze of an open window in his hair, and his son’s chubby baby fingers wrapped around his hand.

Steve grinned sleepily at Louie and laughed when baby Louie smiled so wide back at him that his paci fell out.

Steve held Louie close while preparing a small breakfast of eggs and toast, then continued to hold him while making his bottle and setting out a few cheese puffs for him teethe on.

Steve made sure Louie ate first, helping him hold the bottle and then laughing at the pure mess he makes with the cheese puffs. Then Steve himself ate. Clean up was quick enough witch a wet rag and a speedy wipe-down.

Later on, just as Steve was thinking about preparing lunch, the front doors opened.

“Shit. Shit shit shit SHIT.” Steve angrily whispered to himself. Little Louie stared at him from where he was propped on the couch, not a thought behind his wide eyes. Though he obviously knew something was wrong with his dad.

Steve was quick to buckle Louie into his car seat, bundling him up with a blanket and giving him his bear.

“Stephan? Are you in the living room? Come grab our bags, please,” Cynthia Harrington called from down the hall.

There was no getting out of this. No way of getting Louie to the car without his parents seeing. But he’s sure they already knew of the baby, or suspected something. Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln were nosy motherfuckers set on ruining Steve’s life.

Steve sighed and looked at Louie. He knelt in front of the car seat and rubbed a hand gently on his son’s face. Louie grabbed his finger and smiled around his paci.

Steve wanted to cry.

“Stephan! Your mother called you so answer her!” Richard Harrington yelled. Steve heard the wind outside pick up aggressively and cursed the mornings sunshine.

“Coming!”

Steve padded into the hallway where his parents were taking off their jackets. Cynthia and Richard were picture-perfect— or they would’ve been. If it weren’t for the pressed line of his mother’s mouth and the hard line of his father’s jaw. Steve knew what was coming before they did.

“Stephan, the bags.” Were his mothers first words to him. Not “Hi, son, how have you been?” Not “Sorry we’ve been gone for nearly 8 months.” Not “How are you feelings after that concussion from last November? We’re terribly sorry we couldn’t stop work to simply call and make sure you were ok.”

No. None of that. Instead he was demanded around like a fucking dog.

“Um. Actually, I had to talk to you both. If you don’t mind—“

“Save it. Take the bags upstairs and meet us in the living room,” Richard stated harshly.

Steve flinched. He hated himself for flinching. But they couldn’t go in the living room. Not while Louie was still in there.

“Actually, dad— it’s very important and I just really need to talk to you guys—“

“Stephan!”

Steve winced at the pitchy tone of his mother.

“Please, I promise— It’ll be worth your time, just— just give a minute, please.” He was begging now. He hated begging.

Richard had grown tired of Steve’s fumbling for words and shoved past him. Steve knocked into the wall with the harshness.

“Stephan, you will listen to your mother and take the bags upstairs and meet us—“

“Dad, wait—“

Richard stopped in the doorway to the living room, whatever insult or command he was going to throw Steve’s way dying on his tongue.

“Stephan. Why, in the Lord’s name, is there a baby’s car seat in my living room?”

His tone was calm. Steve knew better than to think he was actually anything other than furious.

“Thats— that’s what I needed to speak to you about. Please, I—“

Steve should’ve anticipated the slap.

But he didn’t. And his head snapped to the side with the force that left him seeing stars.

Steve didn’t stay long enough to listen to his dad yelling slurs or his mom crying. He simply grabbed Louie’s car seat, picked up his shoes by the door, and left.

.

Steve had been driving for near three hours before he pulled over. He’d circled the entirety of town before finally pulling into a small dirt path by the quarry. Belatedly he realized someone was crying.

He hurried to get out of the car, rounding to the back and sliding into the backseat to sit next to Louie’s car seat. But Louie wasn’t crying, he was sound asleep.

Steve realized he was crying.

He startled when a broken sob tore itself out of his throat. He hurried out of the car and dragged himself the few yards to the edge of the quarry.

He sat down and let the rain pelt him from all angles. His face stung. Steve knew the slap would bruise phenomenally in the morning. It’d probably affect his tips at work.

He swung his feet idly on the edge, belatedly realizing he wasn’t wearing his shoes or even socks for that matter. His heels where starting to bleed from each time he rammed them into the rocks on the edge of the cliff.

Steve doesn’t know how long he sat there in the rain. He snapped back to reality when a particularly loud burst of thunder rumbled in his gut. He went back to the car.

Louie was still sound asleep. Steve figured he himself should most likely sleep as well. He didn’t know when he’d be able to get a place for them, but he’d already been saving up.

He curled up in the back seat next to baby Louie. He didn’t bother with a blanket, and he knew he’d get a cold with his clothes still being wet, but he deemed it fine.

Steve’s sleep was fitful and restless. Filled with slurs and yelling and running from monsters that shouldn’t exist.

.

It was a week before he finally got a place.

Not that long, sure. But it was a week of pure dread and exhaustion and nightmares.

The trailer he was looking at was located near the edge of Forest Hills. It was two bedroom one bathroom and had a small living room (with no ceiling light) and a kitchen (that barely had any wiggle room). But it was his.

He’d been at work when he got the call— as that was where he told the landlord to call. Mason— the line cook— called him back.

“Hey Steve-o! That landlord guys on the phone!”

Steve jumped so hard he nearly spilled the waters he was carrying.

“Be right there, Mace!”

Steve was quick to get the waters to the table 7 and take their orders for the night before he rushed back. He tossed his notepad at Mason and snatched the phone.

“Hi, Mr. Gardison!” he greeted cheerily.

“Stephen, hi. So…”

And Steve was given the trailer.

He was vibrating with excitement by the end of his call. When Steve returned the phone to its holder he was picked up from the ground in a bear hug. He laughed and hugged Mason back.

“You got the place!” Mason cheered.

“I got the place!” Steve laughed.

The rest of his day went swimmingly. He would be able to officially move into the trailer on Friday— which was fine by him. Two days of waiting was nothing.

Steve was given congratulations from a few of the regulars. Mr. Jinkins gave him a good slap on the shoulder while Miss. Gladson pulled him into a hug. They tipped him an extra 5 dollars each before they left.

At the end of his Wednesday shift, Steve gave out hugs to most of his coworkers. Mason, Allya, and his boss Michelle got hugs while George and Gwen got high fives. Steve left feeling light on his feet with a to-go bag for dinner.

Thursday was filled with the lunch rush. Steve had to take his break early to check on baby Louie in the back. He felt bad turning George’s manager office into a daycare but George assured him it was fine.

“Hey honey,” Steve’s cooed at the baby in his arms. “How are you doing, huh love? You’ve been cooped up for so long I know.”

Louie gripped his baby hands into the front of Steve’s apron. He was back in the kitchens today, Allya taking his place up front waitressing.

Steve hopped around and lightly bounced Louie against his chest, humming quietly and gently.

Louie whined and continued to cry.

“I know Louie, I know. You hungry? Hang on baby.”

Steve made sure Louie was fed and burped and laid him done for a nap. He only had an hour of his shift left.

Thursday finished off normally and Steve left with his usual dinner. He drove out to the quarry and parked before sitting in the backseat with Louie to eat.

Eventually he took Louie out of the car and sat with him on the rocky ground of the quarry. Steve held Louie close in his lap, letting the baby play with his hands and fingers and babble about nothing and everything.

Steve occasionally answered with little gums of encouragement, but for the most part he let baby Louie talk to himself. He was lost in thought, daydreaming about the trailer and how they got to move in tomorrow.

Before Steve knew it Louie had fallen asleep and he himself was on the verge. He got them both settled in the backseat once more and allowed himself to drift off.

…

We’re finally, maybe, getting somewhere lol. Tag list is open to everyone still, feel free to ask for a place!! We’ll get into some of Steve’s school life in the next part hopefully 🤞

Part 3:

[taki118]

Yakuza Fiance ep 3 Manga Comparison

Ep 3 of Raise wa Tanin ga Ii aka Yakuza Fiance, just aired, and you know the drill there are some important and/or fun things that slipped through the cracks of adaptation. Since I am SUPER normal about the manga I got everything here under the cut. Warning these are fan translations cause I'm lazy.

So for reference yes the manga chapter does start like that but there is a little back and forth in the scene overall including this

Kirishima actually has to beg more for Ayano (thats her name) we loose some good bits, such as Aya being a bikini model and having a boyfriend she complains to him about, and how Kirishima describes their situation like its your bog standard high school romance.

This scene was really cut down to be like a cold open there's more but there's this

We get more insight into Kirishima's situation with these women and confirmation there are more and that they are aware. Another thing is Ayano does help Kirishima work through some thoughts and cutting down their back and forth looses some of that. (maybe i'll do a whole thing on this later)

I actually really like how they did the first sleep scene in the anime except

Why did they leave out the line where Yoshino guesses it was Kirishima? Its so odd but again this scene of Yoshino in the kitchen is longer in the manga

Most importantly it makes clear a full day has passed and that she was trying to sus out info from him at school. Also she ponders if he poisoned her water filter before she has her freak out that he's so crazy it's becoming normal for her.

Overall the second sleep scene is done fairly well I like how it's animated the manga just gives you a feeling its going on longer as Kirishima makes a bunch of braids in her hair so her jumping makes more sense but also we loose this bit

I dunno I just think Kirishima worrying about the futon and her hair is funny.

Honestly I'm actually surprised how closely the convo they have after this is so close to manga. I'm glad cause it's important I could talk about it but thats not what this is for (getting so many ideas though)

So again there is more back and forth about Kirishima calling Gaku (where he says he thinks he shouldve gone in person to apologize) and more on Yoshino's dad, with her asking how much he's looked into her and Kirishima admitting it was a bit. Yoshino also states it was because her dad was normal she had some hopes of being with a normal guy, and that all the men in the house feel like fathers or brothers to her which I do honestly think is important for her so I'm sad thats out. Its not alot but it is some added context.

so ok this guy at the summit, (excuse my shitty picture)

Yeah he's not introduced in the manga at this point, every other character is there but for some reason the anime added this guy to the scene. Like he shows up WAY later and doesn't do much had it pointed out to me but its still weird. Anyway surprisingly the meet is very accurate to the manga thought for sure they cut something but no instead of ending with Akime giving an ominous stare we get this guy glaring at Renji, and like I think it really undercuts the scene cause it makes him seem more important than he probably is.

Anyway the scene with Hotei is again longer in the manga and like the scenes with Renji a lot of the warmth is lost again you don't really get a sense for their dynamic like technically there's nothing really missing but it doesn't quite have the right feel.

So I am very surprised with how much the cut from the SHouma shopping scene. Such as this

Like Yoshino is literally dragging him around cause he can't be bothered and Yoshino points out he went through the trouble of booking a room but not packing luggage, grade A Shouma logic, (also why that added bit in ep 2 makes zero sense) But we also loose some more explanation as to why he's here now.

Its not needed needed but it does provide extra context. What I am upset with is they didn't do the pay off for a set up in ep 1

Like the weirdly cut out the part of their conversation about the bullying Yoshino got in ep 1 explaining who she sent the picture to and why she did it. It's so weird honestly cause again this shows us how close they are and what their dynamic looks like. Also it just makes the conversation flow more naturally, in the anime is a little odd.

Well at least they kept Kirishima's weird ass basement.

Again though a LOT is cut from the dinner scene with Yoshino and Shouma the conversation is a lot longer.

She brings up Kirishima after rolling down his sleeves (which is funnier in the manga) and again the flow is better. Yoshino gives a much more in-depth explanation about why she can't really describe him to Hotei. But there is some character stuff here in her feeling comfortable enough to tell Shouma, also he makes some funny faces.

Anyway the explanation about the gang stuff is kinda the same overall but the manga feels less expositioney about it what with how its presented and how it feels more like a conversation

It just feels less like Shouma is talking at her but rather with her.

So again I don't get why the anime keeps removing the humor from the series like this

The idea that Yoshino is dying from over eating but Shouma wants to get some ramen and how he compares her to a sea lion, like its fun anime why do you seem to hate fun. But again a LOT of context is taken out of the scene from between Yoshino complaining about Kirishima to Shouma saying he'll kill him

Like the pieces are here but they arent quite fleshed out enough, the anime makes it seem like Shouma just offered to kill unprompted but Yoshino brings it up first in the manga and the way she talks there he does sound more dangerous.

The convo again is similar but lacking in depth, both because its shortened and because a lot of the build up is missing. Honestly theres just sooooo much in this ep I'm not surprised but I am surprised where its cut from. The ending is exactly the same with Kirishima and Shouma meeting (again why that bit last ep??) with the exception of missing out on this golden undercut

Like seriously why take out these jokes anime? this better be in ep 4

[miniwrites1]

Oh my goodness!! The little Ominis and his daughter having a tea party fic was the CUTEST THING EVER!!!! If requests are still open and you’re comfortable writing this, I’d love to request an Adult Ominis x Fem!MC/Reader, where she’s about 6 months pregnant with their baby and she calls out to him cause she feels the baby kicking and doesn’t want him to miss it and he runs out in a panic cause he thinks something’s wrong and it’s just really cute and soft!

I, myself, am actually about 6 months pregnant and a very similar scenario happened about a week or so ago with my husband lol!! We actually figured out what to name our baby thanks to the game (Poppy for a girl and Gareth for a boy) lol! Thanks! Your writing’s great and I’m excited to read more of your work! ^^

Little Kicks - Dad!Ominis Gaunt

Requested! - Thank you for your request! 😊

Word Count - 500

Themes - Fluff

As the sun began to set over the hills of the Scottish Highlands, casting shadows across the valleys, you stood in the back doorway of your cottage, gazing out at the scenic views, placing a hand on your stomach absentmindedly, rubbing small, soft circles. You were almost six months pregnant with your first child.

As you stood there, lost in your thoughts, you felt a sharp kick just below your ribcage. You placed your hand gently above the impact, rubbing small circles again, unable to help the small smile spreading across your face.

“Hello little one.” You mumbled softly. “You’re getting so strong now.”

A small smirk form on your lips, an idea forming in your mind. You wanted Ominis to join you for the moment with your child, to feel the little kicks that they were letting out, however he’d been bogged down with work for days now. You needed to find a way to distract him for a while.

You called out his name, loud enough for him to hear across the cottage but not so loud as to scare him. “Ominis! Come here, quick!”

In the living room, Ominis sat at his desk, parchment laid out in front of him, his magic quill scribbling away his words in dictation. Ominis’ head snapped up at the sound of your voice calling out to him, he quickly waved his hand, commanding the quill to stop. He heard you call out to him again, slightly louder this time, a wave of panic rushing through him. Was something wrong? Was the baby coming early?

He bounced to his feet and raced into the kitchen, his heart pounding. “(Y/N)? What’s wrong?” He asked somewhat breathlessly. You smiled at him softly, taking a couple of steps towards him to grasp his hand.

“Nothing’s wrong love, I just wanted you to feel the baby kicking.” You replied softly, placing his hand upon your stomach, the baby softly kicking against Ominis’ hand.

Ominis let out a breath he didn’t realise he was holding and rubbed small circles on your belly, the warmth of your skin radiating across his fingertips. He could feel the baby kicking against his hand.

"Wow," He murmured. "That's amazing. Doesn’t that hurt you?" You shook your head, it didn’t hurt, however it did make you jump occasionally when a kick was well placed towards your bladder.

You laughed, delighted at his reaction. " It's like they're saying hello."

For a moment, you both stood there, lost in your own world. As you both felt the baby move and kick, and your hearts swelled with love and excitement. It was a moment that you would always cherish.

As the evening wore on, you and Ominis sat on the sofa together, cuddled up in a cosy blanket. You talked about your plans for the future, about the kind of parents you wanted to be, and about the joys and challenges of raising a child.

Throughout your conversation, the baby continued to kick and squirm, as if eager to join in on the conversation. You both laughed and marvelled at the baby's energy and spirit, feeling more connected to your child with each passing moment.

[totallynotokguys]

Lego Monkie Kid Rewatch: Special

Embrace Your Destiny 5/5

Last Time: The animators chose perspective as their secret weapon for this fight, MK and Wukong showed unconditional trust in each other, the power of friendship defeated evil, Lady Bone Demon had a moment of clarity before she vaporizes into nothingness, and I used way too many pictures… apparently.

And finally, on with the show!

“He was saving that for me, because ya know- I’m his mentor!”

Someone is still salty about s1ep9. Though seriously, I am always so amazed and grateful how quickly Wukong forgave MK for that blunder. And he really did forgive him. No holding it over the kid's head, no doubting or being suspicious of where MK’s loyalties lie. The writers could have seriously bogged us down with a ‘I don’t trust you anymore’ arc. But once again Wukong shows just how mature he can be plus how much he believes in the goodness of MK’s heart. It's almost like it's ingrained in him to just trust MK no matter what. Hehehe…. funny that, right?

Don’t think about season 5, don’t think about season 5, don’t think about season 5.

Macaque making sure to say goodbye to MK. And not just goodbye, a promise to see him again.

Welcome to fatherhood, Macaque. MK always needs more dads.

“I know I can never make it up to you. Honestly I never thought I could live as long as I have, let alone be someone’s mentor. Turns out I’m not very good at it. I guess what I’m trying to say is… I’m sorry MK, for all of it.”

I just…. Just let me cry for a moment. An adult making sure to appologise to a child. To admit their wrongs, justifying the hurt feelings of abandonment the kid may have felt because of them. Wukong really cares about MK, and is finally ready to be vulnerable and honest with him. This means so much to me!

“Sometimes I just play dumb to lighten the mood.”

Speaking of honesty. 

Man MK, way to make the audience scream. All of those fanfic writers, theorists, and artists who were headcannoning your goofy attitude as a defense mechanism to deal with tough or tense situations were basking in validation at this moment. I know I was.

Every season needs to end with these two hugging. I swear. Its so good for my mental health.

Bai He my precious daughter!

Love to see Pigsy and Mo go right back to work warming hearts and healing lives.

Its my girl! And our two favourite scoundrels!

They are friends! Oh I am so happy for her! Look at Scorpion Queen exploring new places and making new friends all on her own! She’s really come a long way from her isolation in the forest.

In a show that only has 20 minutes an episode (excluding once a blue moon where they get a short movie) quick scenes like this are the only way the show has to let us know they haven’t forgotten the side characters, and that those peeps are getting further development- even if most of it we have to glean from subtext. 

Wha- whathwhwhwhaahwahwaWHAWHAWHAAAAAAA!

I have been rewarded once more!!! Rewatch this show guys there is so much you’ll pick up that you missed or could not have possibly realised was relevant/foreshadowing/important-to-the-story-later on. The buildup of this universe is fantastic!

Anyway, that’s a wrap for the special! For real this time.

I cannot wait to get cracking on the next season. Azure was a very cool character and now that I know a little bit more about the Journey to the West, I’m sure I’ll discover new and insteresting details to drool over.

[atonalginger]

WIP Wednesday

@therealgchu tagged me earlier today for WIP Wed, thank you for the tag! I've been behind with Wed and Sun updates due to stress, medical appointments, husband getting ready to and starting his new remote job, and more stress. Everything is fine and I'm getting back to a more normal routine which means I have snips to share again!

I decided to dive head first into working on the next Libertatia fic, the one I've been hammering on since like...April? Off and on. A fluff fic really about a little girl's wild west b-day party!

[narrator interruption: it is not a fluff piece. the 'subplot' is full of drama and angst.]

anyway...here's the snip!

--

They sat there quietly sipping their drinks and letting the breeze through the window and door cool them off. It would be another day before Jazz got the power to the indoor spaces running for the fans and refrigerator. A small compromise that took a lot of negotiating with Sophie since she wanted everything authentic. It took getting her to spend one hour in the saloon in an outfit similar to her costume for her to cave, admitting the last thing she wanted was for Bog to get sick from the heat.

Bella watched Cora and Manny walk by with Rokov, everyone loaded up with targets, empty bottles, and clay pigeons for the trick shots show a few of the crew had dreamed up. A question she’d asked Jacob popped into her head, his answer not satisfactory, “Did they say anything about Cora not being the ‘right girl’. Jacob had no clue what the fuck Jimmie was on about.”

Fox groaned and sank in his seat, “yeah and it’s stupid as shit.”

“Oh really,” Bella leaned in.

“The way Mom explained it sounded like some grand conspiracy,” he talked through his hands, “Whoever has been feeding them information spun quite the yarn and…you’re going to make me regurgitate that crazy?”

“Si, habla!” Bella motioned for him to continue.

He mumbled a string of obscenities before tipping his fresh beer back and taking a long drink. He sat the bottle down, took a breath, and shook his head, “it’s fucking stupid.”

“They believed it enough to risk fighting my husbands, I need to know,” she laughed.

“Whoever their informant is told them that Cora, real life Cora,” Fox pointed down toward the range, “is a little girl Jacob adopted to solidify the ‘lie’ that Sam had moved on with Lillian and that the ‘real’ Cora is a seven year old girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. They bought it because the Coes are mostly blondes and we have some blondes on the Bakers side so genetically it works out. They were told that was the reason Jay bought the Core Manor years back was so she could have Cora on Akila and let her Dad and Jacob see her in secret. Then two years ago they decided to stop living in secret and got married. Mom even showed me pictures given to her by the informant with ‘actress’ Cora dancing with ‘real’ Cora or ‘real’ Cora was sitting on Sam’s lap while Jay fixed her hair.”

The amusement Bella had felt was gone, burned away by the wrath growing inside of her, “they think Sophie is Cora?”

“Si,” Fox said sharply and took another drink, “never mind that Sophie is a near perfect replica of you, they believe that she’s actually Cora and that Jay had you come live with her to help take care of her so Jacob could keep his cover story going.”

“But that doesn’t make any fucking sense!” Bella shouted, “Sam and Lillian divorced years ago, there was no need to wait until two years ago to go public.”

“Jay was still building her brand then,” Fox rolled his eyes, “I asked them why they thought any of it made sense, why they thought Jacob would feel the need to fake anything since he clearly liked Jay so much or why they would name their daughter the same name as the ‘cover’ and they said their informant told them it was to save face since Jay chose to earn her masters and Ph.D in New Atlantis. He needed the family to look like a strong Freestar family and Jay was a liability at the time. The way she talked it was like the whole of the Core District was in on it.”

“That’s…”

“Stupid? Absurd? Absolutely ridiculous?” Fox opened his arms wide, “and before you ask: yes, I asked them where the informant got those photos. They said that they never met the informant directly, always through proxies, and that they had no idea where they’d gotten them but they were assured they were legit. I took them and told them that I’d be handing them over to the Rock for an investigation because those were wedding photos I took and the only people who have copies are me, Jay and Sam. Which means their informant broke into one of our homes to get those pictures.”

Bella sat slack jawed in her seat, her imagination running wild with scenarios she did not want to think about.

[cyncerity]

I am becoming a utter bitch for Jackmanifold so I was curious if he is in your Epic au and if so tell me about him

Hi hi hi!! I know this ask was sent like a year ago but uh in case you’re still curious, he’s basically Tommy’s nanny! Phil got tired of Tommy running off so he’s been hiring people to try and keep an eye on him (keyword: try)

Anyway Jack is my comfort streamer so I always want to include him in stuff, so I wanted to write a short little thing to show his dynamic with Tommy and Niki. This “short little thing” turned into a full story and character designs because I have no self control! Hope you enjoy!!

(btw anyone who can pick out the song quote in here and tell me what it’s from gets a cookie)

“Hold on, get back here!” Jack yelled running after the young prince, who stopped his sprint down a hallway to turn and look back at Jack with a disapproving stare. Jack stopped and took a few deep breaths from exhaustion before continuing through pants. “I promised his majesty that I wouldn’t let you out of my sight, and I intend to keep that promise. The last thing I want is the fuckin king mad at me…again.” Tommy simply rolled his eyes, hands on his hips as he took a few steps towards the older leafmen. “Ooo King Philza this, King Philza that,” Tommy said in a mocking tone. “Let’s be honest with ourselves here Jack, if Phil hasn’t fired you yet he’s not gonna. The last guy got kicked after losing me like 4 times and you’re already way past that. The only reason you still have a job is cause you’ve got connections in high places.” “Is not!” “Is too!”

“God you’re so immature,” Jack said, having finally fully caught his breath. “Maybe if you could actually be responsible and not fuckin disappear every day then the king wouldn’t need to assign you a-“ “Babysitter. You’re a babysitter.” Tommy cut him off, only angering Jack further. “You’re such a fucking child! Why can’t we have one normal conversation about you disappearing under my watch, it’s like you want me to get exiled or something!” “Oh my dad’s not gonna exile you,” Tommy responds nonchalantly, “Niki likes you too much for that.” “There are only so many times you can lose the crown prince before his dad will get fed up. Niki isn’t more powerful than the fucking king, Tommy.” “No, but she’s one of his best soldiers, which means her and her happiness is important to him, and for some unexplainable reason you’re part of that happiness. Phil isn’t gonna risk losing his General cause he dismissed her best friend like he dismissed the rest of the fucks he hired to watch me.”

That made Jack pause. He knows Phil; they’ve had plenty of talks personally (well, personally with Schlatt in the room too, as if Jack would ever pull something with the ruler of the whole goddamn forest). In all the talks he’s had with Phil, he’d never guess that anyone’s personal happiness was important to him. The kingdom’s happiness? Sure, of course, that was his fucking job, after all. But, personally? Jack just always assumed that Phil was kind of a cold guy. To hear that he valued Niki’s happiness personally, even for his own gain, was…an odd thought. “Phil cares about Niki?” Jack asked, though he wasn’t quite sure why. Tommy seemed just as confused, before shrugging it off. “Yeah, ‘course he does. She and Schlatt are, yknow, his friends.” That genuinely shocked Jack. “There’s something in that guy to befriend??” He questioned, though as soon as the words came out of his mouth he regretted it. Tommy’s face wore absolute shock, and Jack quickly slapped a hand over his mouth as they both stared at each other in silence.

“I- I’m so-“ Jack’s poor attempt at an apology was cut off by roaring laughter from Tommy, the teen bent over to his knees wheezing as Jack stood terrified. He’d almost forgot that he was in the presence of the second most powerful person in the forest, magically and politically. That the boy in front of him was just as capable of exiling him to The Bogs as King Philza was. And, just as a bonus, Tommy never let Jack doubt the fact that he didn’t fucking like him. And now he’s just gone and insulted the king and gave his son a free pass to get rid of him for good. Oh fuck.

But, to his shock, when Tommy righted himself his face was absolutely beaming. He wiped a tear from his eye as he slapped a hand on Jack’s shoulder. “Ok, I take it back, maybe I can see why Niki likes you, just a little bit though.” “S-so you’re not…gonna tell Phil..?” Jack asked, his fear only slightly relieved. When Tommy’s face morphed from humored to smug, though, that fear was immediately back. “Well, I think that can be arranged…for a price.” “Price?” “Yeah, let’s put it like this; you let me go right now and don’t make me tell you where i’m fuckin going, and I don’t report you for lèse-majesté.” Tommy stuck out a hand, and Jack shook it before he could even fully fathom what he was agreeing to. “Deal, a hundred times deal, your dad would fucking kill me.” Tommy just laughed. “Good man. Well, i’ll see you later then, Jack! Good luck with Schlatt when he comes to ask where I am!!” Tommy chuckled as he began to walk away.

“Wait, your majesty!” Jack shouted, and Tommy turned, seemingly slightly annoyed that Jack was still trying to talk to him when he so clearly wanted to fuck off to wherever he went to when he disappeared for hours. Jack knew he had to be careful with this; he’d just made Tommy like him a little bit, he couldn’t lose that yet. “Just…when you get back, can we talk about this? A bit? I don’t care where you go, for fucks sake you can do magic, I know you can protect yourself, but can we like…work out when you leave or don’t? So your dad doesn’t absolutely fucking hate me? He may be a bitch but he’s still my boss.” Jack hoped that insulting Phil again (as horrified as it made him feel) would open Tommy’s mind to the idea since it had seemingly worked before, and given that Tommy seemed less annoyed, it apparently worked. “You mean…you’d cover for me? Without even knowing where I’m headed off to? You would lie to the king for me?” “I mean, sure, man, why the hell not. Right now I don’t know where you are and I get in trouble, I’d much rather not know where you are and not get in trouble. Plus, who’s gonna turn me in for lying, you? You’d be turning yourself in.”

Tommy stood in shock, like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing, and that scared Jack. Shit, had he overstepped a boundary somewhere? Was Tommy angry that he would advocate a scheme against his dad? Did he just fuck himself over?? But Tommy, ever so full of surprises, just smiled at Jack. “We’ll see, let me think about it. I’ll let you know when I get back.” He said, and held a fist in front of him. Jack smiled unsurely and fistbumed him, making Tommy chuckle as he turned and continued down the hallway.

Oh Prime, what has he got himself into?

~~~

“So, Jack, where is my son?” King Philza said, sat at his desk in his chambers, and Jack could barely utter a word. Schlatt stood behind Phil on his right, face as stone cold and intimidating as ever. Niki, bless her heart for arguing to be in the room with him for this, stood behind Phil on his left, eyes pleading with Jack for him to think of something. But, truly, in the dozen or so times he’s had to do this because Tommy fucking sucked, he’s never had an excuse. He’d always just apologized and Phil had disappointedly sent him home for the night with the command that he’d better be able to do his job tomorrow. That he’d better know where Tommy was the next night. It never happened, he never did, and this “i’m not mad i’m just disappointed” routine with the fucking king had become a nightly routine. Jack was getting kind of sick of it.

“Jack?” Philza repeated, and Jack sighed. “Your majesty, I-“ The door was kicked in suddenly, scaring the shit out of Jack and no one else in the room (fuck the royals and the guards and their unnatural lack of fight or flight), the prince in question proudly standing in the doorway, panting and exhausted but excited looking. “Holy shit!” he shouted. “You were right Jack! This was a tough book to find!” Tommy chuckled only mildly unbelievably before chucking a book at Jack, who quickly caught on. “Ah, yes! I was just about to tell his highness your father that you were down in the library grabbing a book on…uh, gardening…yeah! Yeah, we…we gardened today.” Jack lied through his teeth. “Yeah, we were looking into where the best place for crops would be so the bugfolk have a good harvest this spring! Y’know, doin some charity work, spreading peace and kindness and all the shit you preach, yeah?” Tommy continued, waltzing up to the king’s desk and leaning on it. Jack had to keep himself from gasping, reminding himself that Tommy was the prince and therefore wouldn’t be harshly punished for showing such disrespect in a royal’s presence. He himself was a royal, after all, though that didn’t make his lax behavior any less unexpected in an area that Jack had come to know as strict and horrifyingly stressful.

“So you were…out gardening.” Philza repeated, seemingly not buying a word, and Jack felt his heart stop. Tommy, however, was unfazed. “Yeah!” Tommy exclaimed, ignoring his father’s skepticism in favor of pulling a map out of the book in Jack’s hand. The map was a hand-drawn top view of the forest, with doodles, circles, arrows, and written notes scribbled all around it. He proudly came around to Phil’s side and excitedly began rambling about every little thing on the map. If Jack didn’t know that Tommy was his son, he’d assume that Phil was on the verge of exiling him based on his face alone. He seemed…more than annoyed, he seemed straight up miserable sitting and listening to Tommy talk. Yeesh, maybe this was why he had to hire someone to be around him. It seemed like an overreaction to listening to his kids talk about plants, he looked like he wanted to die right then and there.

“-so I think the best place for the sugar cane would be this spot where there aren’t any trees so it gets super hot, and it’s close to the lake but not too close so the soil doesn’t get waterlogged, which means the dirt will be ideal fo-“ “Stop!!” Philza shouted, slamming his hands on his desk and startling everyone in the room, even his guards. He dropped his head into his hands and sighed, fully missing the reaction of everyone in the room. Schlatt’s eyes were wide and Niki looked panic. Tommy looked…scared. Well, scared for all of .2 seconds before his expression shifted to something smug. Phil looked up at him with pity and Tommy’s reaction quickly changed into innocent confusion, slipping a mask back on to continue his act.

“Just…just stop. Listen, Tommy, I’m glad you think you’re helping. I am. But we can’t involve ourselves in the bugfolk’s problems. Their crops provide absolutely nothing to us, it’s a waste to fix what they need to be fixing amongst themselves.” Jack saw Tommy’s mask crack a bit. “But they’re like us, dad, they’re our people! This winter has been rough for them and they need all the help they can ge-“ “No, Tommy.” Phil interrupted, eyes turning hard, any and all pity gone. “They may be our people, but they’re not like us. They will never be like us. They’re in our land, and we allow them to be, with all of the benefits that come from living here. That’s all we owe them, nothing more, nothing less. End of conversation.” Tommy’s facial expression was blank, though if looks could kill, Jack was sure that Tommy would have needed a coronation by the next morning. He was pissed at Phil. A bubbling, festering anger that was sure to explode and cause permanent damage at some point in the near future.

However, it wouldn’t today.

Tommy, ever the actor, breathed out deeply to compose himself before rolling up his map. “‘Course, dad. Whatever is best for our p-…for the forest. You know best.” “You’ll learn, Tommy.” Philza said, reaching out to hold Tommy’s fists that curled around his map. “You’ll be a great king someday. A wise man once said: ‘the line between naivety and hopefulness is almost invisible.’ You just haven’t found the line yet, and I don’t expect you too at your age. In time you’ll learn just as I did exactly what needs to be done to keep the people you care about safe.” Tommy just stood, pointedly not answering. Philza sighed. “You are dismissed, Tommy. And Jack, good work today, keep this up. You are dismissed as well.” Tommy, deadpan as ever, walked back towards the entrance as Jack bowed in response. Well, tried to. Tommy yanked him by the shoulder and dragged him out of the room midway down, almost making him drop the gardening book.

As soon as they were far enough away from the chamber, Tommy dropped jacks arm and started screaming with clenched teeth, yanking on the petals on his head and kicking the nearest wall to him. Jack figured it was best to just…let him have his moment. “UUGGHHH, just, who does he think he is?! ‘oH Tommy they’re not liKe uS, they’re our people but they’re woRsE cause they’re not LeAveS’ it’s fucking ridiculous!! He barely knows anything about them, who is he to just decide that we just shouldn’t help with their crops?!” Tommy yelled, kicking another wall. “I- i don’t know, man.” Jack whispered, unsure if any of what Tommy said was rhetorical. Tommy looked over at him and just sighed.

“Sorry, it just drives me up a fucking wall. He thinks he’s the prime example of a fucking king and meanwhile he hates like half his citizens, and 3/4 of the forest as a whole, it’s fucking ridiculous.” Jack stood for a minute, eyes wide. What did he say? 3/4 would imply that he was upset that Phil hated…the enemy? “Well…he, uh, at the very least protects us from the boggins, but yeah…all that stuff about bugfolk, that wasn’t, uh, that wasn’t cool, man.” Now it was Tommy’s turn to be shocked, before he quickly tried and this time failed to put a mask back on. “Oh, yeah, ha! Whoops, sorry, I, uh, yeah, no fuck the boggins. Totally, yeah they suck. They’re, ha, yeah they’re horrifying, i’d hate to ever have to face one of them, thank god Phil keeps ‘em out!” Tommy rambled awkwardly, which led to a far more awkward moment of silence between Jack and Tommy after he finished.

“Look, man,” Jack finally broke the silence, “I appreciate you helping me out of that. I think Phil was really done with me that time.” “Well, I figured it was a good enough idea. Would benefit both of us, anyway. You wouldn’t get in trouble, my dad gets to think i’m doin’ shit, it’s foolproof.” “So, it’s official?” Jack said, offering a fist. Tommy laughed and fist bumped him back, a genuine smile on his face. “It’s official. We’ll work out the details tomorrow, though, I’m tired as shit. See ya, man.” Tommy said as he turned away, waving with one hand and holding a map in the other…

He was still holding a gardening book.

“Wait, Tom!” He didn’t know when he decided that it was ok to call the crown prince by a nickname, but given that Tommy didn’t correct him when he turned in response, he supposed the nickname was accepted. “You forgot your book.” He said, holding it out to a very relieved looking Tommy. “Shit, right, thank you! Can’t believe I almost forgot this.” He said, unrolling his map and placing it back in his book. “I gotta say, man, that’s a lot of effort to put into a map for a bit.” Jack said. “Where did you even get this gardening book? I’ve never seen it in the library.” “Oh, it’s not from the library, it was a gift from a friend. And the map wasn’t for the bit.” Tommy said gleefully, ignoring Jack’s shock for probably the fiftieth time that evening. “I wasn’t lying this time, that’s genuinely what I was out doing all day. I didn’t have time to think of a fake out story. But don’t expect me to tell you everything from now on, that’s just a thank you for helping me out. Night Jack!” Tommy said, waving and running down the hall towards his room, leaving Jack in confused shock. Jack huffed and shook his head as he started in the opposite direction towards the castle’s exit.

“Jack, wait up!” he heard a familiar voice call as his best friend caught up with him. “Hey Niki, don’t you have important General shit to do?” “C’mon, you’ve been a personal hand to the royal family for almost a month now, i’d say it’s important to make sure you’re escorted home safely.” She snickered, and Jack rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, as if the king would care if I got home safe.” “Well, he might start to if you make a habit of keeping track of the prince! It’s been a while since he’s even told us how his day was.” “Has it also been a while since his highness had a freak out like that or is that a regular thing?” Jack whispered. A pause, before Niki sighed and whispered back. “He’s stressed. I…I haven’t seen him get like that in a long while. Phil is my friend, I know him, I know how he is, and that isn’t him.”

Ok, so getting the confirmation that Phil and Niki’s relationship wasn’t strictly professional and was an actual friendship was unexpected, but that wasn’t the topic right now. “Was it Tommy? Does he really hate the idea of gardening that much? Does he just…not like being with Tommy? Is that why he needs me?” “No, not that, definitely not that.” Niki responded urgently. “He loves Tommy, I know he doesn’t show it well, but he does. I…I think it was more the topic. Not the gardening, more the idea of who it was for.” “The bugfolk? Why?” “Beats me, but Phil doesn’t ever really like to talk about them. If we’re trying to be more specific, though, something happened recently. More territory shit, some leafmen got hurt, we’ve been dealing with it so it doesn’t turn into an uprising. It’s been getting handled, but I think it was just bad timing, we haven’t told Tommy about that incident because it’s contained, so he wouldn’t have known that talking about helping the bugfolk would set Phil off.” “Prime, man, that’s…that’s rough. Not like it’s Tommy’s fault, though, felt kinda wrong for King Philza to snap at him of all people. Plus, some of that other shit he was saying was…how do I put this…..distasteful.”

Niki looked…uncomfortable, to say the least. “I know, and I agree with you,” she sighed, “but he’s my king. He’s my friend. He has his reasons to be like this and frankly? Our kingdom is thriving, so what’s the harm?” The harm is that he might hurt bugfolk like he’s hurt others, Jack thought. The harm is that he could exile an entire species out of the forest to a place of rot and death and savage beastly occupants and the worst part is that it wouldn’t even be the first time he did that. The harm is that he’s destroying his relationship with his kid and making said kid standoffish to anyone who attempts to befriend them. And oh, didn’t that just make so much sense? Maybe it wasn’t that Tommy was just brash and rude, could it…could it be self defense? Was he pushing people away on purpose? Now that he thought about it, he’d never actually seen Tommy talk to…anyone. Prime, did this kid have friends? He doubted it, if his general approach is the same one he used with Jack. He would have given up with the prince a long time ago if it weren’t for Niki and the fact that a royal job pays well.

“Jack?” Niki said, snapping him out of this thoughts. “Sorry, sorry Niki, I’m just…I’m just tired.” “I can only imagine,” Niki laughed, elbowing Jack in the arm, “you’ve got to be exhausted if you were out gardening with Tommy all day.” And oh, Jack hadn’t thought of this part: he’d have to continually lie to his best friend for this plan to work. Fuck his life. “Yeah, yeah, ha..takes a lot outta ya.” He laughed uncomfortably, though Niki didn’t seem to notice. “Well, you’re almost home and I’ve got to get reports in from the soldiers in my unit. I’ll talk to you later Jack! Good night!” She gave him a quick side hug before turning back towards the castle, leaving Jack alone in his thoughts.

Ok, so new notes for the day: the prince is…tolerant of him. Dare he say kind of likes him. He’s kind of still reeling from the realization that Tommy may just be acting out due to daddy issues and loneliness. The king likely knows they’re full of shit and just doesn’t care, Niki trusts him and he’s going to have to break that trust and lie to her because the prince is a secretive prick, and, oh yeah, the king might be a fucking bigot. Great.

Fuck.

[alysinscotland]

'I'm not always very attached to being alive'

CW: Suicidal Ideation (But truly it's hopecore promise)

Luminance shone against my face the first time I read it, finally hearing words my underdeveloped brain thought she understood, up late when I was meant to be asleep inside my super cool, super trendy, crushed velvet bed. The first time I felt seen - like the thoughts stuck in my brain had permeated through my skin into existence. It's almost like I gained conscience that one late night in 2019, tucked up with my face smushed against my favourite teddy reading an article on my phone on what was probably a school night. I used to always stay up late when I knew I wasn't supposed to, my heart would beat so fast anytime I heard my dad move downstairs in fear of being caught. Everything felt so existential to me then, my brain would just never turn off and the doom-scrolling calmed my brain in a way no doctor could. The feelings I had at 15 kept me so bogged down that the lack of sleep never caught up. Till now, the old age of 19. Looking back at this article often fills me with trickling dread and while I hate to invalidate myself, I cringe. The feelings I felt at the time were so real to me that looking back it's hard to conceive that maybe, I wasn't suicidal and maybe, I was just a girl with big feelings in a tough place. In this world, it felt hopeless to be hopeful when all I could notice was the evil out there to get you, and in the cultural era of 2019, it felt like compassion had left us, another unnecessary death every time I unlocked my phone, evolving out of our human nature and watching it float away into the atmosphere, adding more pollution to our world. The repetitive scrolling almost became a comfort to my rotting brain. I was genuinely the human form of 'what's the point of living if we're all going to die'. It's hard to be attached to life even now - when I'm unsure what life is. I do hope that my thoughts are translated into words eloquently because, with the benefit of hindsight, I can understand my tween brain's connection to the article, whether she actually knew how she felt or not. Life is numbing, no really, as I type this and really think, like really think, I struggle to comprehend how I feel about life, like a blank wall has just appeared instead of my forehead and then I'm actually not sure I feel this way at all. Because I don't want to die, but the concept of enjoying life and hating the way I'm made to live it is a nuanced, sticky feeling. What I'm trying to say is that while I still feel that little girl's angst, this is my one and only life. There is hope, and there is love. When scrolling on TikTok today (some habits never die) I saw someone say, 'Be where your feet are'. Where my feet are is pretty good right now, and while I know im only speaking for myself, and the hate is perhaps more alive than ever, my hope will never die, my love will never die and my fight will never die. Nothing is ever perfect but without action how could it ever be?

Idk. I'm on my period.

If you would like to read the original article, I've attached it above.

Remember there is always hope.

- Thanks, Alys

[baldy-wan-kenobi]

Okay people, here we go:

Baldy's Book Club

Episode 1: "Into the Storm"

By Taylor Anderson, Book 1 of the Destroyermen series.

Okay, so, on the recommendation of my most esteemed mutual @frogblast-the-ventcore , I have been coerced to read the Destroyermen series, and post my thoughts about them as I do.

So, for part 1, here we go. I'm going to assume those of you reading have read the book, cause if you haven't, you should be going to buy it, right now. I mean it.

First and foremost, this book was written by a ww2 nerd, for ww2 nerds, and by god does it show. Taylor Anderson is a professor of history, and it shines through in every part of the book. From the technical details of the USS Walker, to the shortcomings of the Mk. 14 torpedo, to the attitudes, lives, and habits (both good and bad) of a 1942 Asiatic fleet destroyerman. Speaking of which, call me Dean Kamen, cause that's a perfect segway to talk about

The Characters

To begin with, do not expect a normal person's assessment of these characters. Expect a Normal™ person's view of them.

First: Captain Matthew Reddy. Oh my lord this man. He's an absolute mess, knows it, and yet cannot let that show, because, well he's stranded in an alternate universe with humanoid lemurs and sapient velociraptors. In my head, he's got total divorced dad energy going on, 30-something going on 50 because of stress, greying at the temples but still hot in a DILF kind of way, not overly muscular, and with one hell of a voice. (I'll admit the audio book colored my perception, but it's a fantastic audio book so I don't care.)

Next, Chack-Sab-At, the biggest and most baddass guyfailure to ever live. "Oh, I'm a pacifist" then the very second that an enemy without moral repercussions comes along he's all "I love violence and killing and murder and death and injuring people and blood and biting and cutting and-" like, seriously, dude says he's a pacifist before turning around and becoming Furry Doomguy.

Next, Dennis Silva, he-who-was-told-not-to-fuck-the-monkey-cats-but-did-it-anyway. Moving on,

There's literally more I love about the characters than I want to sit here and type out, so I'm going to cut it short, but Oh My God these characters are A+.

Next, I just want to touch on something these books made me feel. A lot of times, as an USAmerican with an actual brain, I can get bogged down in the fucked-up shit my country has done and feel like I can't celebrate what makes the US cool without making it sound like I'm excusing all the bad stuff, but this book kinda made me stop for a minute and go "man, the US is kinda fucking rad, when you think about it." Because, you know what? It is. Yeah, we've done fucked up shit, but we've also done some pretty awesome stuff. For every My Lai Massacre, there's a moon landing. For every Trail of Tears, there's a Berlin Airlift. Sometimes, it's okay to take a moment and just go "Fuck yeah, guys. Were pretty cool." Because this book really makes you feel that, at least it did to me, but I'll get off my red, white and blue high horse and keep going.

Alright, now we come to the part that I need to get out...

THE BRITISH EAST INDIA COMPANY

Literally everywhere in my life, I am haunted and stalked by the specter of a long-dead megacorporation. In every piece of media, in every topic I research, no matter what, they're there. As the Frogman quoted from me in a meme a while back "I'm being haunted by the ghost of English imperialism". What the fuck? Anyway, if you wanna chat about the book, please do, because I am at terminal levels of Fandom.

Anyway, if you want to read along for the next Baldy's Book Club, we'll be reading Crusade, the next book in the Destroyermen series.

(P.S. Frogman, I know this review isn't very good, but my brain is soup rn so this is whatchu get.

[isca-rambles]

5x06

Oh no, the introduction of Monica. Ugh.

Aaron. My sweet sweet boy. Please don't leave. I'm holding onto how that one article phrased it as 'won't return as a series regular' so we can still see him from time to time. Maybe he transfers or takes a leave of absence, swaps to part time (can you do part time? idk). I just really love him and Tru's been such a great addition to the ensemble. I don't want to lose the dyamic he has with everyone :( Good riddance Ashley, Tim'll be fine. Grumpy boi ignoring his sunshine girl, c'mon Tim. You really think she'd let you get away with hiding things from her? And Aaron again with his beautiful face and expressive facial acting. Oh god, I thought it'd be bad enough going through the show knowing what's to come for Chenford, and now I have to go through knowing we're losing Aaron? Monica. Ugh. Villains should not take away screentime and character storytime from the ensemble. Aaron you cutie please. How are you this adorable? Ya know, Bailan is growing on me. It's still not going to be in the top 5 ships on this show, but they're not awful. I think the show just gets too bogged down in having them so involved in every episode. Lucy riding on her own makes me so sad. She just bounces so well off of other people, so the idea of her driving around talking to herself :( but oh, how her face lights up when she realises she has a way to figure out what's going on with Tim. Literal sunshine human being right there. Angela and Nyla utter cuties. God my commentary has gone right downhill today. It's just mostly me being sad about Aaron and saying everyone is a cutie. Which is accurate but still. J. AUGUST! OH MY GOD J. AUGUST! God I love him so much. I had no idea he had a guest role. It's criminal he's not in more. Having him in Agents of Shield was such a blessing, even if he wasn't in it anywhere near enough. I'd say he needs to be in this show more, but knowing my luck he'll be dead or in jail by the end of this episode. Aaron stop being so adorable it's not helping! Celina keyed in on that ship so hard. The fact that Tim knows it's Lucy, because he knows how well they know each other. Just picturing them sitting in the shop over the years, Lucy getting those little snippets of Tim's life and real-self out of him, maybe without him even realising. God he can't even stop himself from smiling when he's with her. The fliiiirting. Guys, you're at work. There are people around. Tim just tell your wife what's wrong. Don't give her soft heart eyes and then lock her out. Lila is the absolute sweetest. I hope we don't lose her completely from the show. Again, I need my Lucy babysitting Lila or having a girls' day out with Lila and Nyla fics please and thank you.

Okay, every scene with Monica is just going to be an 'ugh' from me. Nothing against the actress. Just...ugh. Also, Wesley, I expected better of you. I still love you but I expected better. I do love Nolan and Celina's relationship. I still don't think he's the best TO for her, at least not right now, but they have got a very sweet dynamic. Tim it's illegal to ignore your sunshine person. How does Lucy exist as a character? How can one person be so adorable? Del Monte. Another ugh. J. August survived \o/ and he's not in jail. Oh please bring him back as a recurring character. God Lucy/Melissa, it's not fair how gorgeous she looks in every scene. Tim can't help himself. He has to tell her. He knows how much it means to Lucy to be able to help him, to know what's going on with him, and the second she concedes he can't stop himself. The lingering silent look until Chris interrupts. The longing as he watches her go. The missed backwards glances. Good lord these two have been, are, and will be the death of me. See I don't mind Elijah as a villain. But with Monica? You guessed it. Ugh.

5x07 Oh Jan, you poor thing. I wish I had a Celina in my life. I need someone fixing my energy. Nyla and Angela having to ask dad!Grey if they can take their little sister Lucy out for the day. Aaron's puppy. Oh. Yep, now I'm sad about Aaron/Tru again. God I'm so deflated today watching these episodes. I know there's so much Chenford goodness coming, I've seen all of it already a million times, but I still just feel so sad watching knowing we won't get Tru back. At least not as a regular. Oh I hope his departure wasn't over anything negative and he's open to coming back as a guest. Damn right you are, Lucy. God I really need more Nyla and Lucy. I'll never stop saying that because it'll never stop being true. I want more of Lucy with everyone, but Nyla is her biggest supporter and Lucy needs more people in her corner.

Lucy, our queen. I need a little fic of her and Tabin talking in the car before they get out. She slips into character so easily, you can tell a second before she was probably reassuring him and telling him it'd be okay. Tim's face the entire time, especially with the gun. He trusts her so much but the tension in his jaw and his eyes. This man cannot handle being this far away from Lucy when she's potentially in danger. Oh Aaron. Sweetie. And Lucy struggling so hard when she sees someone vulnerable like that, but she knows she can't do anything. This is why, as good as she is at UC, I think she'd struggle long term. She needs to be helping, teaching, guiding, protecting. UC does that to a degree, but it's a painfully drawn out process. That she tells them she has to keep her cover but the instant she sees Tim and Aaron in potential trouble, all that goes out the window. Like I said, she's great at UC but she has such an overwhelming desire to protect people, whether it's the people she knows and loves or the vulnerable, and it's not easy for her to ignore that desire. Another lingering look. Oh my god these two.

[kyraxyrespace]

What if 'Gundam SEED' was told from Flay's point of view? How would they approach it? Would it have been better?

I don't know about better, but the Western audience probably wouldn't have cheered the death of a troubled fourteen year old if she was given a bit more focus. If we're going strictly on the beat-by-beat of Gundam Seed, then all that'd change is that we'd be following her and probably getting the audience to see things from her side.

Now if you're letting me completely change Gundam SEED with Flay being a more prominent character, then buckle in.

I'd probably feature her experience at Heliopolis and capitalize on her terror. Then probably on the episode where her dad arrives, show a flashback of a little Flay and her dad to really hone in how much she loves her dad and follows in his footsteps. It won't explain away her racist feelings toward Coordinators, but how many teenagers don't think like their parents on political views? Also, if I remember, I don't think her sentiment was completely in the minority? Still wrong, but the way the Western audience treats her it's like she's the ONLY ONE EVER to have this thought. She'd also still try to kill Lacus because she's desperate to save her father.

She'd still blame Kira and hatch her plan to kill him and have him kill the other Coordinators because hell hasth no fury like a woman scorned. She'll still stay on the Archangel as in the original as a way to keep Kira there and in the fight too, but I'm going to go one step extra and have Flay become a pilot when they get their hands on the Strike Rouge. I recall that Flay was supposed to pilot this Gundam, and I think that'd be a fun addition. I don't know when/where'd they'd get the Strike Rouge, but at some point before they touchdown on Earth they get it and Flay begins to pilot it to further incentivize Kira to die in battle for her but to also personally kill the enemy for killing her father. It's through this and Kira's loving feelings that start to sway Flay away from the dark side. She'll see the fighting is rough and takes a toll and further she doesn't get that same satisfaction as she thought she'd get.

She still keeps Kira away, but this is kind of also on the friends who are just bogged down in work, and the adults who are just okay with kids just not being watched. Plus, as a fellow pilot, she really gets what Kira is going through and keeps up her "my thoughts will protect you."

I don't think I'll have them break up before getting to Alaska. It may be the Kira/Flay gal in me, but I think it'd be better if they were still dating when Kira is "killed" in action in Alaska. It'll bring her more anguish as she realizes, in that moment, she genuinely loved him from the bottom of her heart and she never got to apologize for her actions. She won't seek comfort from Sai and Mira like she had in the original just because she'll have become too distraught and collapsed in on herself. Somehow she'll still find her way into the medical wing where Dearka is being confronted by Miri (maybe Flay had an emotional/psychotic breakdown that she wound up there and was sleeping) and she'll still pull the gun on him because how dare he get to live and breathe while Kira had to die? The original tried to paint it as her still having anti-Coordinator hatred, and while I'm sure she did at that point, it always felt like an excuse for her still reeling from Kira's death. So I'd present it as her being furious that one of Kira's enemies is alive and he'd dead and she'll fix that.

As fun as it'd be to keep her on the Archangel, I'll send her off like in the original. They stated in the original show that her plea to stay on the Archangel the first time around was compelling, so they wanted her to do it again, thus making her their poster child. Since she's now a pilot, this will be even more appealing to everyone. She'll of course be against this and when the base is under attack try to return to the Archangel only to get nabbed by Rau.

From here, things will play out pretty normally like from the show, though we get some more time to see her under ZAFT's hands. She'll be apprehensive at first considering her role as a pilot that engaged battle with them one too many times, but they don't hold it against her, treat her civilly, and Flay starts to not only see that she was wrong about Coordinators, but also begins to desire peace.

Now at this point I've gone back and forth in my head on whether or not she goes to the Dominion, but as a Kira/Flay gal, I'm going to say no. Since she's a pilot, she's familiar with the radio system, so unlike her original self who was hitting whatever button in the hope of reaching the Archangel, Flay is able to open the appropriate channel. Kira will of course hear her voice and be overcome since he had been distraught to learn she'd been transferred out while he was MIA. He'll rescue her, and the opposing side will only realize too late that they'd rescued a pod.

Kira and Flay will get their reunion in a fashion similar to when Kira had rescued Flay in the life pod, except this time they kiss. She'll make amends with her friends, show no hostility to the likes of Athrun and Lacus (she'll even apologize Lacus and Cagalli for the way she treated them) and take up her place as the Rouge pilot. Also any romance between Lacus and Kira is ended here because of Flay's return. This is nothing against Lacus who is a great girl. It's just that in this what if scenario I'm canonizing Kira/Flay, so his flirting/affections with Lacus has to be pinned at some point.

There can be two ways to end the series: killing Flay or not. While her death does spur Kira to unlock his seed and go ultimate, I'd much rather go for a 'perceived' dead. He thinks she died, but she actually didn't and maybe even helps him towards the end of the final battle. Then the two recover from the war and go to live a peaceful life until SEED DESTINY starts up.

I haven't seen Gundam SEED in years, so most of this is just what I can remember from the show. I don't think this would be better than the original, I just find this one fun. As for keeping Kira/Flay the main couple instead of canon Kira/Lacus is that I like their storyline more. Flay was HORRIBLE to Kira, there is no question of that. But the beauty of their love is that his pure love for her changed her. Love made her a better person.

So hopefully that answered your question.

[mlobsters]

supernatural s15e15 gimme shelter (w. davy perez)

DEAN Well, right now, weak is all we have, okay, 'cause nobody's found anything. And without Amara, we're screwed. So, Atlantic City? All-you-can-eat prime rib, and possibly one all-powerful cosmic being. Come on, man, sounds like a roadtrip to me.

it sounds good to me but i've been striking out with this season in the fun department :p

cracking up at cas trying to get sam to back him up that taking jack on a murder investigation is a bad idea, but sam backs dean instead and dean is so pleased. and jack is just happy to be involved. reminds me of that scene in hannibal 2x10

(rocktheholygrail)

all right so we get cas and jack being awkward with local law enforcement, that's a combo.

JACK Like Sam always says, when in doubt, try social media. CASTIEL Oh, yeah. I did that once. There were so many cat photos, it was just... There were too many cats.

gasp

JACK It says I need a parent or guardian's permission to join. CASTIEL You have my permission. JACK Ah. I have his permission.

cheap but i'll take it, it was cute

ZACK No one's making deals. Like, at all. Uh, Rowena has a hard "people will end up where they belong" philosophy. It can be nice, less quotas. But, like, look at me, uh, a crossroads demon who can't bring in a deal? Like, what even am I? CASTIEL You're a deviant soul corrupted by Hell. ZACK Well, yeah, yes, but II mean more in, like, a work-life-balance sense.

look at this, throwing the bog standard demon a bone and having some personality, and the potential changes rowena would make

SAM That's not what I meant. We've been on the road for almost two days, and I get not wanting to talk about it, I do, but, you know, what we're planning on doing, killing Amara. DEAN Well, we're not pulling the trigger. SAM Sure, but we still have to find her. And then, if we find her, we have to lie to her. We got to set her up for her own death. DEAN Hey, man, Billie called us "Messengers of God's Destruction," okay? Did you think that was, what, gonna be easy? Bloodless? Mhmh. We knew there was gonna be a catch. Least this time it's not you or me.

okay. i'm not sure i'm following here. it's like they have some good feelings about amara and they're bummed about having to kill her. but aside from the whammy on dean, do they? like, she decided to not wipe out existence and no one had to kill themselves to take her out, and she brought mary back so maybe there's some feelings from that? anyway, don't really get this but ok. i'm also not convinced she actually has to die, but whatevs

JACK Well, I have more dads than most, and I always just feel like I'm letting all of them down.

a) cute cute b) oh, jack

spn s5e8 steve bacic as dr. sexy / s15e15 as pastor joe

thought this pastor joe guy looked familiar, apparently he was dr sexy in changing channels 5x08. and 3 episodes (as different characters) of the xfiles! oh okay i looked him up before lol, he was in the episode pusher as someone who was compelled to kill themselves by the baddie. didn't apparently deem it worth an hiky though

PASTOR You have kids? CASTIEL I, uh... It's complicated.

find it kind of interesting how jack talks about his dads straight up but when other people talk to said dads, they deflect to avoid saying they have a kid specifically. or maybe i just selectively remember the times they worm around the question

PASTOR It's kind of part of the job. My wife, she grew up in this church and loved it. They were a bit more hardcore back then. Chalked everything that happened up to God's will. Never seemed to realize that– CASTIEL God just doesn't care.

getting some laughs out of me. look at you, davy

sitting on the cold, wet car 😩

appreciate their commitment to filming in whatever weather, and at least in some shots showing them with the rained on/snowed in hair

so, based on that dun dun DUN type music, are they wary about the amara business just because she's you know, a juiced up god and presumably hard to kill? and not because they don't want to kill her?

SAM How'd you find us? AMARA I smelled you from two states over. You have a very distinctive musk. DEAN Thank you.

okayyy. that's something. he's pleased, for whatever reason

CASTIEL My name is, um well, my name's not important. I do know what blind faith is. I used to just follow orders without question, and I did some pretty terrible things. I would never look beyond the plan. And then, of course, when it all came crashing down, I found myself lost. I didn't know what my purpose was anymore. And then one day, something changed, something amazing. I… I guess I found a family, and I became a father. And in that, I rediscovered my faith. I rediscovered who I am.

ha. after i just said they never tell outsiders that they do have a kid. here's cas, stepping up. i have no clue what the timeline would be on the, found a family thing. i have a terrible time keeping his plotlines straight

SAM The former Death, he told us you were the firstborn. AMARA Or he told you what you needed to hear.

they seem a little rattled about that, but they know billie hasn't always been right about everything in the past so it seems reasonable to not talk everything she says at face value? and presumably same for death 1.0

AMARA Chuck and I, we're twins. Creation and destruction, light and dark, balance. And when we split apart, all this was created. SAM The Big Bang? AMARA Eh.

huh. ok. how does that work with the alternate universes then? i feel like this is a very loosely thought out idea :p

this is very se7en :p if dude wakes up to thrash around....

DEAN No, no. No. Why did you bring her back? You said that you wanted to show me something, that you wanted to, uh to teach me something. I don't know if you were following along, but your little experiment, it came to a not-so-happy ending. My mom is dead. So what exactly did you want to show me? What was the point?

AMARA I wanted two things for you, Dean. I wanted you to see that your mother was just a person, that the myth you'd held onto for so long of a better life, a life where she lived, was just that, a myth. I wanted you to see that the real, complicated Mary was better than your childhood dream because she was real. That now is always better than then. That you could finally start to accept your life.

kind of shocked we're having this meaningful character moment and not plowing along with the plot. i... well. i'll be generous and attempt to believe that this was actually thought about when they brought mary back

DEAN And the second thing? AMARA I thought having her back would release you, put that fire out. Your anger. But I guess we both know I failed at that. DEAN You're damn right. Look at you. Just another cosmic dick rigging the game. You're just like your brother.

can't really argue with that, but they're making her out to be very nice this time around

AMARA It was a gift, Dean, not a trial. DEAN I'm not angry, Amara. I'm furious. To know that all my life, I've been nothing but a hamster in a wheel, stuck in a story. And you know whose fault that is? Chuck's. And it ain't just me. We're all trapped. Sam and Cas and Jack and even you. And you want to talk about the people that he's killing right now AMARA Stop. DEAN Why? He's not stopping. And you're doing nothing to stop it. Think he gives a rat's ass about you? Well, now who's living in a dreamworld?

this is all very convincing manipulation if he's just trying to maneuver her into a situation where she can be killed

PASTOR Whatever she needs, whatever it takes, I'll find a place where she can get help. I spent my life taking care of all these other people. Should've been taking care of her.

the subplot of the murdering pastor's daughter, all the meaningful looks between cas and jack. cas getting to come in and save the day, fingers, gut stab wounds

now cas and jack get to have a nighttime car chat about their feelings

JACK When we – When I kill Chuck and Amara, I'll die, too. CASTIEL What? JACK Billie's spells have been turning me into some kind of bomb, and when I go off, God and Amara will cease to exist. And... I won't survive. JACK Don't tell Sam and Dean. CASTIEL Oh, yeah? Why not? JACK They won't understand. But I know... This is the only way they'll ever forgive me.

of course! well, i can't say i'm surprised

CASTIEL No. I watched you die once, and I will not do it again. JACK It's not your choice.

true that

DEAN Wait. What's happening? Where are you going? CASTIEL Going to look for another way. I have to. DEAN What the hell are you talking about? CASTIEL Dean, in case something goes wrong and I don't make it back, there's something you and Sam need to know…

distressing way to leave the episode but ok. so that mean he's not keeping jack's secret? that's good

(wiki)

Alex Calvert posted a photo of the volunteer registration form Jack filled out at the Community Center

lol ok. that's a lot of exclamation points. and the marital statue made me laugh

didn't bitch my way through this ep, i'll take it

[kimbap-r0ll]

Matchup Commission for @dubioussupernova

Thank you for the request! As for the matchup for your OC Adile, she could go with so many different characters but here are my picks...

Kalim

Look it’s Scarabia! She reminds him of Jamil, perhaps it’s a bit of an opposites attract moment for the two, but he really thinks she’s cool. He probably thought at first, she really liked being a model student and being one of the stronger students in Diasomnia was a flex in itself. However, after getting to know her a bit more he finds out that she’s under a lot of stress and has developed a cynical view of the world. He wants to change that of course, mainly because he’s optimistic but he also doesn’t want to see Adile down. He really likes it when she smiles, even if it might be because he did something a bit stupid.

“I want to be someone that can make you happy anytime, hopefully I can reach that goal!”

One thing that the two of them first connected through was music. He’s extremely interested in all kinds of rhythms and beats, so he would love to see Adile do rhythm games at some point. Who knows, she might want to teach him how they work since he’s never had the chance to try them out! She might not be a dancer, but he would love to dance with her too. He might just turn on a song that the two of them like and stand up, taking her hand, and just jumping around the room haha. Speaking of music, he wants to hear what kinds of analysis Adile has when it comes to his favorite songs. He likes hearing her talk about what she likes to do, and seeing her eyes light up makes him smile.

The two of them are similar in loyalty too. Kalim’s someone who will be extremely trustworthy with anything, though he might be a bit clumsy. If she ever wants to talk to him about anything, whether it be how she wants to cook but doesn’t have the energy or if she’s overwhelmed by academics, he’ll sit down with her and listen. He doesn’t care how long she talks, as long as he can help out and be someone she can rely on that’s all that matters. If she’s someone who likes flying, she will be invited to a carpet ride often. He likes doing a bunch of tricks on it (which might result in some accidents :/) but he wants to hang out with Adile as much as possible.

He’s not the best with his classes, so it might tick off Adile a bit with how slow he seems to pick up things that she may have no trouble with, but he is quite skilled nonetheless. He just has a different way of absorbing lessons, so the two of them will need to be patient with each other if they choose to study together.

Overall, I think the two of them make up each other well. His outgoing, often laid-back persona might be refreshing for Adile who’s often bogged down by the pressures brought by outside forces but even herself. He wants her to know she the best person and that no matter what she does, he’ll be cheering for her.

Lilia

Look it’s Diasomnia! Adile likely caught his attention from the first time the two of them met each other during orientation. He wanted to know how she was able to juggle so many classes and jobs but still maintain a perfect status in all of them. He might have tried to scare her a few times by popping out of nowhere (from the ceiling) but she’s likely given him a deadpanned face and walked away, making her even more interesting to someone like Lilia. He's the type to enjoy getting people flustered too. He probably finds out that she’s being overworked and that’s where his mom (dad?) instincts kick in. He hates seeing Adile super stressed, so he’ll do what he can to calm her or at least give her a break from studies.

He’s a music, pop culture enthusiast. Whatever she’s into he’s likely into it as well. He might be getting into electro-swing actually since while he loves death metal, he also likes the bounciness of swing music. The two of them will likely exchange playlists since why not. He’s also a gamer, which brings more things the two of them could do together! If there happens to be an arcade nearby that the two of them can visit, maybe they could do some games together? He’s probably super good like Adile is, so the two of them will probably have a friendly competition to see who has a higher score. He probably hopes she’ll join the Pop Music Club since yes he sings (horribly?) but he also would like to see him and Adile do a duet together. It sounds cute (plus Sebek and Silver will love it).

He’s horrible at cooking, so the two of them are doomed if they decide to try making food for each other. He’s not particularly a sweets person, but he will have them if need be. He does like tomato juice (which is sort of sweet?) so he probably steals some of her snacks from time-to-time haha.

He wants her to know that it’s alright to be a bit relaxed, especially coming from someone who’s been alive for a really long time he wants her to take care of herself. If need be he’ll just carry her over to a couch and let her rest for a bit. Also he’s shorter than Adile, so she’s free to tease him about that if she wants to haha.  But nonetheless, Lilia wants her to know that she’s more than good at what she does, she’s literally the best. Words might not work but the way Lilia assures she’ll be fine is very comforting. He’s been a parent before, he knows how important it is to take care of one’s health. He might offer to cook her something, but she should just refuse it for her own sake haha.

I feel like this will be a nurturing relationship for the two of them. He’ll want the best for her and will be understanding of her internal conflicts of being a perfect student but of also feeling burnt out. He’s a bit possessive too, so the two of them share this trait. He'll often be found with an arm around Adile.

“Love this song, Adile. Care do dance with me?”

[krafterwrites]

Normally when I play/read/watch something Sonic related, I try to make the most of it and like it as much as I can, since I usually don't enjoy being a hater about my biggest interest. I really didn't like the Knuckles show, though, so I don't feel bad about being a hater in this instance. Wade and his subplot that hogs a majority of the screentime in the show drags it down so hard, but even the moments that don't feature him are mostly just alright, overall I wouldn't say it's worth watching. My thoughts/summaries of each episode are below the cut

Episode 1: By far the best episode because it has Sonic and Tails, and also some pretty fun scenes with the antagonists. Wade's presence obviously weighs it down, but it's not that bad because he doesn't hog that much screentime yet, and he's also constantly suffering

Episode 2: Not as good, but still decent. The agents continue to be decent, and Wade continues to suffer, but the focus on him becomes a bit heavier

Episode 3: SO BORING. If you're going to watch this show, you can skip this episode because literally NOTHING happens during it, it's just Wade having family drama with his equally annoying sister and his somewhat likeable mom

Episode 4: This episode is almost entirely about Wade and barely features Knuckles, but unlike the previous episode, it's not boring. I wouldn't call it good, but the dream sequence partway through is so insane that it's hard to not have your attention grabbed by it. Everything outside of it is just more Wade nonsense though

Episode 5: More or less the same as the previous episode, Knuckles is only in the beginning and end so the rest is just Wade bowling and talking to his dad who left him (lmao). The antagonists finally come back for some scenes in the middle and end, but they're not as entertaining as they were in the first two episodes

Episode 6: Again, same thing. After a mildly interesting fight with the two agents (where they literally die) that's bogged down by Wade and his sister, the rest of the episode is just more of Wade's plot. It briefly cuts to Knuckles getting bodied by a mech for like 15 seconds, then it goes back to several more uninterrupted minutes of bowling and family drama. Knuckles and the mech show back up again at the end, and while the fight is an alright spectacle, it's also pretty short and the choreography is nothing special

[spikybanana]

fic writer tag game

@to-proudly-go thank u for the tag pal <3<3 (I very definitely love your poetic angst & your art)

How many works do you have on ao3?

25 :) 15 for hp and 10 for star wars

What's your ao3 word count?

144,107!

What fandoms do you write for?

hp and star wars, though I've definitely brought the marauders fandom habits (delusional obsession w main character's dad and his best friends) straight to the prequels

What are your top five fics by kudos?

"trust" the inscription said (hp/wolfstar)

then he came home (hp/wolfstar)

don't let's die as heroes (hp/jegulily)

the prophecies spoke of you and I (sw/obikin) (which is also my most recent work, so it's crazy to me that it's up here)

slipped back in (hp/wolfstar)

Do you respond to comments?

I always do eventually!! even if it's the smallest comment I like to send a smiley face in reply. It's just that I might take forever coming up with what to say, especially for the super nice ones ;3;

What's the fic you write with the happiest ending?

hmm I'd say don't let's die as heroes for the marauders (literally turns 3 canonical funerals into a wedding) and Designation for obikin. & I usually write happy endings (minus canon fics) even if they're more "the future is uncertain but bright" rather than happily ever afters

Do you get hate on fics?

none so far! & they better not because if I do get hate I will cry

Do you write smut? What kind?

listen. listen. this is a whole Thing. as your neighbourhood ace, smut is like science fiction/horror to me. which is to say I have written both mlm and wlw sex scenes lol. it happens very rarely, but it has happened before & will happen again.

Do you write cross-overs?

I hope you know that I'm constantly thinking about how sirius/remus and anakin/obi-wan are homomorphic creatures and I really want them to meet. but also, so far, no. except if you count the wolfstar sw au sitting in the docs.

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not afaik!

Have you ever had a fic translated?

not afaik either!

Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

I don't think so, but I would absolutely love to try

What's your all time favourite ship?

wolfstar and obikin are the same ship actually, so both. (unserious)

What's your WIP you like to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I read back on What You Will earlier today and scared myself so possibly that. (it's a jegulily parody of Shakespeare's twelfth night, and has already been rewritten from scratch twice, so maybe mayyybe there's a sign)

What are your writing strengths?

errrrr. occasionally poetic-ish description? I like writing pretty vibes. and occasionally punchy-feely stuff. where you stand above & survey a life through tiny poignant snippets far apart. quite a few of my fics are like that

What are your writing weaknesses?

so many. definitely more than I'm aware of too. I feel I'm awful at pacing & easily get bogged down in tiny details, which is why long fics have not worked out for me lol. It's also hard for characters to feel real to me, like I'd just stop in the middle of a story and think "my darling I do not understand you at all"

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I definitely love when I see them, but I've not tried it myself. it feels impossible to merge Mandarin and English in a way that feels natural (or write it down in English characters), even though come to think of it I do it with my brother all the time. huh.

First fandom you wrote for?

drarry! and I still wanna go back sometimes

Favourite fic you've ever written?

awh but I always like them better before they're words on the screen/on ao3. ideas are just pure vibes and potential yk? rather than a dozen annoying imperfections you're not good enough to fix. lol sorry, if I have to pick, Once Upon a Green Haze. it's unfinished & only has 3 chapters for now, but I like them.

I've seen this going around the dash for a while now, so open tag :)

[imaginmatrix]

i don't know if you've mentioned it in the fic yet and I've missed it but what was lukes grandfather's big scandal ? is it still to be revealed? I initially thought it was a sort of reference to canon like Kronos is his grandfather ?

It hasn’t been explicitly stated (and that’s on purpose haha) and I won’t explain it fully yet because I’m PRETTY sure it’ll come up next chapter, but there’s some very very heavy implications that you could probably figure it out from (chapter 17 and the most recent one (26) have a lot of this (it might be on others too I don’t remember off the top of my head)

BUT I can give some background on Luke and his life that likely won’t come up in the story because it is simply not relevant (I’m marking this as SPOILERS just in case, so read only if you want to know more about him now!)

So Luke Castellan was born into this very rich family that owns and runs a few high end universities and is well respected in academia. His grandfather is absolutely a reference to Kronos— someone who majorly influenced Luke’s life and outlook in a negative way.

His grandfather raised him— his dad is a bit of a deadbeat who prefers to travel the world rather than stay home or take on the family “business” (the school) and he had NO interest in raising a kid. Luke was not planned, and was born to a much less well off young woman who loved him but absolutely did not have the means to take care of him. Luke’s grandfather essentially paid her to leave the toddler to be brought up in his father’s family and to never contact Luke again.

Luke DID find her shortly after entering college. Unfortunately, the money given to her was long since gone, and she had been in and out of homelessness, and her mental health extremely deteriorated. He was glad and surprised that she seemed to recognize him as her son, before realizing that she seemed to think every young man she came across was her son. This was devastating, but Luke promised himself he’d take care of her and paid for her to live comfortably into a care home until she died of illness a few years later.

He decided to go into education, specifically studying to become a Dean himself and interested in research on the newer and more innovative ways to teach, hoping to help students with learning disabilities and accommodating anyone who needed it. He minored in philosophy, and as such while working on postgrad degrees, his grandfather got him a job teaching it at NAU, which also served as a mandatory prerequisite. He continued after graduation and later met Annabeth in his class.

He deeply admired his grandfather, believing him to be a great man who got bogged down by this “scandal”— Luke does believe the man made a mistake, but doesn’t think to compare his own choices to those his grandfather made that he disapproves of

ANYWAY I hope that shed some insight! I’m curious what you guys think of his backstory?