#t: dylan

[reallife6anoufriev6boy6]

of course! go ahead i dont mind it... :-) -🕶️💫

dylric + cozy winter/christmas stimboard

dylan goes over to erics house for christmas for the obvious reasons and he really enjoys being there and celebrating with him.

im sorry but i need them both to decorate cookies together and make hot chocolate and watch christmas movies….please itd be so cute….

prior to christmas dylan should come over and help decorate the tree and decorate the house. i need the two of them to argue about where things go on the tree and for eric to be too short to put the star on top so then dylan has to do it.

they absolutely buy presents for each other. no questions asked.

dylan will sometimes stay over on christmas eve and will sleepover. him and eric will be all cuddled in bed and would be all cozy and warm together. then theyd wake up and wreck havoc on everything.

its a traditional for my family that we make a big breakfast on christmas morning and i think eric and dylan would fuck that shit up.

[ghostradiodylan]

Reposting from @drylan because apparently you can't share a video on a reblog (what? why?) But I'm always fucking saying this!

And every streamer massively underreacts to that dialogue. Except for this guy:

[source]

Dylan is taking out a loan, he’s signing up for the credit card with all the benefits, he's buying his fucking life insurance through that ass. And who could blame him?

[unhingedlesbear]

I believe I forgot to post this. A while ago I was drawing the quarry werewolves but like… as regular wolves. I originally was just gonna do the ones we see as werewolves but then one thing led to another and I just did every character that gets infected at any point. So yes, that includes Abi, Ryan and Kaitlyn. It also includes Bobby and unfortunately Travis so I included them too.

Did them in sections which is why they look a bit weird together.

Wolves are fun to draw guys

[dailymarvelstudios]

O-T Fagbenle as Rick Mason | Secret Invasion 1x05

[mystical-one]

images of bob dylan that make me nauseous with gender envy

[chaosduckies]

Restoration (Chapter 10)

I cut this one a bit short since I want the next one to be long. THAT’S where I’m deciding to put the TWO scenes I thought of. It will make you cry, and at the same time make your heart melt. Anyways, enjoy!

Word Count: 3.1k

CW: Witnessing a birth, mentions of death, That’s all for this one!

10-Ryker 

Everything was going downhill. 

There were warnings everywhere around the neighborhood I lived in. That humans living here should find a place to stay on the human side of the city. The riots were getting out of hand. Of course that was something to worry about, but I was really just worried about one other thing. Where would Lucky and Angela live? 

They can’t stay here. If those people come around and they find them, I don’t think I could ever forgive myself if something bad happens. It was better if I find someplace for them to stay. Away from the people that want to kill them. I was not about to let something bad happen to them because I kept them here. 

I had talked with Jasmine, and she said we should take down all of the elevators and hide the human room in case someone decides to barge into our house looking for harbored humans. It was smart, but it might take a while to get rid of all the elevators. There were a lot. I still didn’t have a place for Lucky and Angela to go. 

Nathan could always… no. That’s asking too much. Taking care of my own siblings? I couldn’t ask him to do that. I’m sure his mom doesn’t want two other people to look after either. I really didn’t know what to do. Maybe if I ask? No. Nonono. No asking. I’m sure Nathan already has his own problems to deal with. I can’t put more stress on him. The movie last night was great until I thought he would be fine if I just grabbed him. He absolutely freaked out and I didn’t know why I even did that. So could he really handle a four year old who absolutely loves hugs and a fifteen year old who is just so full of energy and loves playing sports. Is that a good combo with someone who was wary about being touched and hates the cold weather? No. I don’t think so. 

I groaned, leaning against the kitchen island and burying my head in my hands. What do I do? I can’t just give them to some random person! What if they hurt them or something worse? I guess I could always call Lucky, but what fi they take away his phone? 

There was small giggling from in front of me. I picked my head up, seeing Angela holding up a picture she drew. Of course I can barely see it when she’s standing so far away, but I just forged the best smile I could and scooped her up. She giggled even more, hugging the stuffed panda Nathan had given her. Speaking of… I need to find him a gift. 

“What is it, Angel?”  

“Lucky told me we have to leave. Is that true?” She pouted. Nothing goes unsaid in this house. Everyone finds out eventually. I would of had to tell Angela sooner or later. Or at least before she had to leave and go live with someone else for a while. It might actually be harder for me to watch them leave. 

“I’m sorry, Angel. I just want you to be safe.” I apologized, but she only hugged what little portion she could of my thumb. Like I said, she loved hugs. 

“I don’t wanna go thoughhhh.” She didn’t let go. I sighed, lightly pressing the back of my finger up against her back. I smiled softly, “You’ll miss me?” She nodded her head, finally letting go as I pulled my finger away. She was jut a kid, I can’t tell her that some people want to kill her just for being born. That would be bad. She wouldn’t understand yet either. 

I set Angela back down on the counter, watching her take the elevator back down probably to go see what Jasmine was up to. I still remember the day she was born. Everyone was shocked. Mostly my parents, but I remember being excited to have another baby sister.

——————

We could barely hear the crying. The doctors stared in shock as they held the tiny human-sized baby in their palms. Mom was barely conscious while dad was telling her how beautiful she was. None of us could see her face. She was too small. Isabelle was asleep on the couch, Dylan and jasmine stood there shocked at the events that just took place, meanwhile, Lucky was smiling. He was going to have a human sized sister. 

The doctors told the news to our mother, who was even more shocked than us. They carefully handed her the tiny life that had immediately stopped crying after she was safely in my mother’s hand. Mom had started crying happy tears, cooing at the extremely tiny baby she was holding. 

“It’s rare, but happens. The baby is completely healthy and otherwise normal.” The doctor smiled, reading off the clipboard. I walked closer, the doctor moving out of my way so I could see. She was so tiny. Maybe the size of my fingertip. I smiled, letting out a sigh of relief. 

“Say hi to Angel, Ryker.” Mom laughed, a shaky hand reaching to the infant. Angel? I liked that name. 

Soon enough everyone was gathered around the hospital bed. Mom didn’t let the younger ones hold her, only Jasmine and I and Lucky since he was a human. When it was my turn, I swear I heard a tiny little giggle escape the baby’s mouth. I smiled, looking in awe at how tiny she really was. Adorable. 

Angel was passed back to my mother, who held her all throughout the night. We never once heard her cry at night. Not at all when she was a baby. We needed some help to get her baby clothes since none of us could fit in a human-sized store except for Lucky, who was barely eleven at the time. Dad asked a few work friends, who were happy to help. When they weren’t around, mom had to use a pipette to feed her. One tiny drop at a time. 

——————

Mom loved her so much. She kept on saying that she was an angel, so that’s what her name would be. Angela. We call her Angel because that’s what mom called her. She really was an angel though. Mom never had a hard time getting her to sleep, feeding her, rocking her. Even if she was so much bigger than her own daughter. 

So, I was not about to let anyone just watch her. We were all so protective of her because of how she was brought into the world. Supposed to be a miscarriage, but here we are, with a happy little sister. I couldn’t let her see the bad part of life yet. It would make me a terrible older brother. 

As for Lucky, I didn’t want him to go back to a place where no one wanted him. Where he was afraid. The adoption center we found him in treated him badly as he was the only human there, so I was just glad I convince him to come with us. Now look at him. He was glued to Dylan and wasn’t scared of anything anymore. Could I let him go back to that terrible place? No. I will not be at any point in time. 

Nathan was my only choice. I didn’t trust anyone else, and I couldn’t let them stay here. Plus, Angel and Lucky like him. I doubt Nathan is able to physically hurt someone anyways. It was my best option. Now I just have to hope that he’s okay with it. 

I picked up my phone, and texted him. 

———Nathan———

My phone went off. I was in my room finishing off one of the books the librarian recommended to me. I picked up my phone, stuffing my bookmark where I left off and checked my messages. 

Ryker: Sorry for bothering you so much lately, but I have a hugeeee favor to ask you 

I already knew what he was going to ask. After what we saw on the news last night, I’m sure he was looking for a place Lucky and Isabelle could be at. Assuming I was the only other human he knew besides his own siblings, I was probably his best bet. I don’t mind though. Lucky and Isabelle are both my friends so how could I say no? 

Nathan: You’re not bothering me :) 

Nathan: What’d you need?  

Ryker: Could you maybe watch Lucky and Isabelle? Just until this whole riot thing blows over 

Ryker: You don’t have though 

Nathan: It’s fine! 

Nathan: I kind of expected this after last night 

Nathan: Let me just make sure my mom was okay with it 

Ryker: TYSM you’re the best 

I laughed, placing my phone back on the desk by my bed and heading into the living room where my mom was finishing up some papers for work. She smiled when she saw me walk in. She took the day off to finish up her work and stay with me. School was cancelled until after Christmas break because of what happened last night. The riots were getting out of hand, and people nearly died. She just wanted to make sure I would be okay at the house alone. Apparently I wouldn’t be alone all that much this time. 

“H-hey mom,” I started, “Ryker asked if his human siblings could stay here. B-because of what happened last night. He doesn’t want them to get hurt and he just asked if they could stay here for a week or two?” 

She smiled softly, putting her pen down, “Of course! You sure it won’t be too much on you? You know I’m working all week.” I nodded my head. If I can take care of myself and my mom, then I’m sure two others won’t be too bad. Plus, I’m sure my mom has some tips for Angela. She absolutely loves kids. 

“Alright then, I can’t wait to meet them!” She cheered as I walked back to my room. I knew she would say yes, I just had to make sure. It’s nice to know I can start slowly repaying Ryker for everything he’s done for me. This was just one small, insignificant way to repay him. 

Nathan: Yeah they can come! When though?

Ryker: Ummm in about three hours? Bus stop? 

Ryker: I don’t want go at night and I want to get them as far away from here as possible

Nathan: Sure! 

Nathan: I’ll be waiting

Ryker: Thank you so much  

Nathan: Anytime :D

Three hours wasn’t that long. I could finish my book and get ready to head out. I don’t know if my mom would want to come. Probably not since she’d most likely have some kind of greeting for them. Maybe she’ll just summon a gift out of nowhere. She does that sometimes. I’ve learned to never underestimate her when it comes to gifts. 

I finished the book, ending with the main character presenting his portfolio while also reflecting on everything that’s happened to him. His brother died, his other brother was broken because of it, he had to be the one to fix his family, and he did it. I liked it. It was a sweet ending. I still had about an hour and a half left until I had to go pick up Lucky and Angela. What should I do in the meantime? Well the first thing that pops up in my head is to bake. Because of course it is. It’s my main coping mechanism and it’s easy to do when you’re pretty good at it. 

Walking into the kitchen, I grabbed everything I needed for just some basic cookies, measured everything up, mixed it, and put it in the oven. My mom had appeared out of nowhere and sat down at one of the stools. 

“Smells good.” She smiled. I smiled back, taking a seat in the stroll next to her. 

“Everything alright, Nate?” She asked. She knew when I bake it’s because something is wrong. Today though, I was just doing it for fun. Also because I didn’t want Lucky and Angela to come without me giving them something. I’m just trying to make a good impression. 

“Yeah. Just making them a little gift.” 

“You care a lot about Ryker, don’t you? I mean, you are taking care of his own siblings for him,” She started, placing a cold hand on my shoulder, “He sounds like a nice friend though.” 

I nodded my head, “He is… I’m just trying to pay him back. F-for everything.” I started playing with my hands. I’m no longer as scared as I was before I met Ryker, I’ve been able to have someone to talk to, I’ve had the experience of actually having a friend, and I feel bad that I can’t give him anything back. 

“Nate, buddy, a good friend doesn’t ever ask for something in return I hope you know. You don’t always have to pay him back.” She advised. I sighed. I knew that… but I wanted to do this. It was the right thing. Was I just about to abandon his siblings to be left in that neighborhood where people were practically trying to weed out any and all humans on their side. 

“I know. But it’s nice to know that I’m at least helpful in some way.” 

My mom patted me on the back lightly, making me sit straight up and offer a nervous smile. She muttered a sorry before heading back to the living room to finish her paperwork. Five more minutes until the cookies were done. I couldn’t do anything else for Ryker except do what he asks me to. I mean, that’s what it means being a human right? You can’t do anything for anyone if they’re not the same size as you, yet a giant can give so much to a human, and still give more to their own people. Wait… Why was I thinking so hard about this?I didn’t even expect Ryker to give me anything. Ah. I’m spiraling again. 

I took the pan out of the oven, seeing the perfectly golden-brown cookies. They smelled delicious as always.  

——————

I waited by the bus stop, constantly checking the time and immediately stuffing my hands back into the warmth of my pocket. I can’t wait to get home, get under the blankets, and cuddle near the heater. Weird? Don’t care. I’m freakishly cold right now, and it was only getting closer as Christmas came around the corner. 

Ryker came into view, a sad look on his face. Right. Parting ways with his siblings he’s lived with his entire life. Why do I get the feeling Jasmine was going to threaten me again? I shuddered at the thought, but smiled and waved as soon as they had stopped in front of me. 

There was no way in heck that I was ready to see Ryker standing up to his full height from the ground, so I just focused on something else. The many cracks in the sidewalk, how many pieces of grass stuck in between the cracks. It helps. Only a little though. 

First up was the goodbyes for Angela. Jasmine was slightly crying, but she wiped those tears away. I knew they were close. Isabelle had hugged Angela up close, and then Ryker and Dylan all gave her a makeshift hug. Angela ran up to me, giving me a tight hug. I only slightly jumped, trying to seem comfortable around Ryker’ siblings. I admit, the ugly bothered me, but was I just supposed to deny a four-year old child a hug? I remember when I was little that was all I wanted. 

Dylan joked around with Lucky before letting him down on the ground. Lucky waved a goodbye to everyone. I was kind of surprised that was it. Then again, he was fifteen. I doubt he’d want his own siblings embarrassing him in front of me. I wouldn’t think anything of it. Not like I don’t do anything embarrassing all the time. 

“Thanks again. You didn’t have to.” Ryker thanked me, giving his best smile. I couldn’t help but catch the way the edges of his mouth twitched. This was hard for him to see them leave. It would be hard for me too if you only had your siblings left in the world and now they had to leave because it wasn’t safe for them. Maybe they don’t trust me all too much… If that’s the case then I was their only hope. 

They had all left, except for Jasmine, who crouched down and brought her face close to me, a mean and annoyed look on her face. I let out a quiet squeak, backing up. Lucky just stood in front of me, shaking his head. He doesn’t have to defend me- 

“If I find out that they even have the slightest little bruise, I’ll murder you.” She promised, standing up and now joining the rest of her siblings. A shiver ran down my spine. 

“Ah don’t take her seriously. She’s a real softie once you get to know her.” Lucky patted me on the back while Angela grabbed his hand. Yeah… Only joking he says. I think she means it when she gets that close to me. 

We walked back to my house where my mom handed them a plate full of my cookies, which they both gladly took and ate in the matter of seconds. My mom sat with Angela in the empty room playing, “tea party” with whatever stuffed animals Angela brought. Meanwhile, Lucky and I were watching a movie on the couch in the living room. 

“Thanks,” He started, I picked up my head, “Ryker told me about what happened last night. When he tried to grab you I mean.” 

I looked down at the floor. I still feel bad about it. Who wouldn’t? He wasn’t even trying to hurt me and I just… Agh. 

“You’re not afraid of him in general, right?” He asked. I quickly shook my head. He could never purposely scare me. It’s what he can do that scared me. Not to mention that I sometimes get those terrible nightmares which make everything a million times worse. So, no, it’s not Ryker I’m afraid of. 

“Well, all I can say is that you’ll feel better if you tell him about whatever happened to you. I know from experience. He’ll help in any way he can.” Lucky flashed me a smile, then continued to watch the movie. 

Would he really though? Anytime I’ve ever told someone and they tried to help, they just give up on me about two weeks in. What’s so different about this time? That it’s someone my age? I think that makes it worse. 

But, maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea… maybe I should? 

———————————————

Ahhh oh how I love when it ends with a rhetorical question. Will he? Will he not? Hahaaa I can’t wait to post the next chapter. (I’m crushing my own soul with this one) :D

Thank you for reading!!!

(Also, WHATTTT two chapters in the span of 24 hours?? Impossible)

[reallife6anoufriev6boy6]

Stern angel eric and mischievous devil dylan fanfic except eric ends up being a helpless bottom while dylan becomes serious/rough.... 🥩🩸(hope these combos arent taken yet)

stern angel!eric and mischievous devil!dylan stimboard

i loved this idea so much i made it into a stimboard.

anon this sounds absolutely amazing. i was highkey waiting for someone to request angel-demon stuff. i will be writing this eventually.

[timeagainreviews]

Bursting Your Bubble

Liam Lynch once said- “The internet is a glimpse into how rude people will be in the future.” At the time it felt like just another funny little line from his song “Internet Killed the Video Star,” (not to be confused with the Limousines’ song of the same name) but nowadays it feels prophetic. Just this morning I made the mistake of reading the comments section and it’s thrown my day off considerably. From the comforts of our keyboards, we can write horrendous things. Treat strangers with contempt. It’s sometimes easy to forget there are actual people on the other end of our glowing screens. Insularity breeds contempt for the different. We live in our little bubbles.

It would be easy to blame the posters, the content creators, the influencers. A few bad apples spoil the bunch. But as psychologist Philip Zimbardo would say- don’t blame the apples, don’t blame the barrel, blame the barrel makers. The people who put the apples into the barrel in the first place. Despite everything Russell T Davies’ “Dot and Bubble,” is trying to say, one question hangs over it and the rest of this season- who is the barrel maker? Things in Finetime are anything but fine, but by whose design? One might assume it’s Susan Twist’s character, but who is she? This is the overarching question of season one, but is the question beginning to feel a bit drawn out?

From the outset, “Dot and Bubble,” acts as a sort of Black Mirror version of “Blink.” We’re given a young blonde woman who finds herself in a dangerous situation that requires her to look at something she would usually ignore. All the while, the Doctor and his companion are forced to talk to the young woman through a screen. The difference here is that while Sally Sparrow had gumption, Lindy Pepper-Bean is about as useful as a wicker toilet. She lives in “Finetime,” an actual bubbled world. Her “Dot,” device then creates yet another bubble around her head. It’s bubble inception. The bubble tells her when to wake up, how to walk, and even when to pee. (Shout out to my boy Dr Pee!) Because of this, Lindy lives an unobserved life where hard questions need not bother her.

Everything about Finetime is a hyper-realistic nightmare of overstimulation. It’s like “A Clockwork Orange,” meets “The Stepford Wives.” Lindy can ignore her problems when there’s always a new Ricky September video on the horizon. As Frank from Brad Neely’s “The Professor Brothers” said- “We danced like those people in the hyper-tight light of fried chicken commercials.” Lindy and her “friends,” can completely ignore the fact that their friends have slowly begun disappearing. They don’t even seem to notice when they’re the only ones in the room, how would they notice gigantic slugs eating each other?

With Ncuti Gatwa away filming season four of “Sex Education,” the show had to do a couple Doctor-lite episodes. These are usually hit-or-miss among fans, but as “Blink,” proved back in 2007, they can become fan favourites. The Doctor and Ruby’s roles are reduced, but this episode does a good job of making them feel like a recurring part of the story. Even though they spend the bulk of the episode in what looks like the intro to “The Brady Bunch,” it never feels like we’re being underserved.

Lindy’s friends float around her like talking heads in her holographic bubble. But she keeps getting interrupted by the Doctor and his bad vibes. Even though Ruby is also invading her privacy despite not being on her friend list, Lindy is willing to hear her out. We’re not told why up front, but there is a reason Lindy can believe Ruby might feasibly be tech support, but the Doctor could not. Due to Lindy’s impatience, Ruby is forced to talk to Lindy as if she were a child, but not so much that she catches on. Anyone who stops Lindy from either working or playing is a massive drag to her. She really just wants Ruby and the Doctor to go away. How do they not know how society works? Why are they asking such stupid questions when the answers have been drilled into everyone since they were children?

We learn that Lindy’s mother is Penny Pepper-Bean, but she’s actually another Susan Twist cameo, so she could be anyone. Thankfully, both the Doctor and Ruby recognise her this time, and it’s not in an aborted timeline. I saw someone mention on Facebook today that they felt the Doctor recognising her felt rushed, and I couldn’t disagree more. It was high time we got something from this storyline. While it has been nice to genuinely be curious about Doctor Who’s mysteries again, this one has felt like a lot of the same. With the Doctor and Ruby now clued in, we have somewhere else to go in the future. Maybe now Susan Twist will come out from behind the mask and we can learn something more about her. Maybe now the Doctor will start looking into her involvement.

I’m usually not interested in fan theories as they’re often filler content when YouTubers and bloggers don’t have anything else to talk about. But here I believe we’ve been given quite a lot to work with to formulate a theory or two. I know I said “It’s probably not the Rani because it’s never the Rani,” but at this point, if she’s not the Rani, they’ve wasted their biggest opportunity to reintroduce audiences to her that the show has ever had. At this point, it would be weird if she wasn’t the Rani. The things she’s been involved with have all of her usual hallmarks. We have genetic manipulation in “Space Babies,” humans are being treated like lab rats in “Dot and Bubble,” and then there’s the whole disguising yourself in plain sight aspect. At this point, the bigger question isn’t whether or not she’s the Rani. The bigger question is why wouldn’t she be? Why would the show come so close to revealing her and then pull back?

Ruby finally convinces Lindy to look beyond her bubble where she witnesses her co-worker being eaten by one of the Man-Traps. Usually Lindy could just ask her Dot to guide her to safety, but for some reason, it feels more than ready to direct her right into the open mouth of a Man-Trap. Lindy must walk without the aid of her Dot, and man does she suck at it. She quite literally cannot walk talk and chew bubblegum at the same time. Part of me was worried the episode was going to spend all of its time making fun of young people and their phones. It’s cliched and honestly, I’m tired of it. But within the context of the episode, Davies isn’t attempting a technophobic condescension toward the youth of today. Instead, the episode endeavours to highlight the danger of relinquishing your thoughts and actions to outside entities. If we let others tell us what to like, who to like, or how to live, you may as well become worm food.

Having narrowly escaped death by slug, Lindy is forced to bumble about outside while the Doctor and Ruby direct her like the most exasperated form of Google Maps ever. An interesting aspect of this scene that I’ve not heard anyone talk about is the greenish-blue blood seen from a body being dragged away. You may not know what I’m talking about, but I’ll post a picture below. You may look at that and say “That’s not blood, that’s slug goo.” But where else in the episode do we actually see the Man-Traps leave behind any kind of snail trail? I’m going to go out on a limb and say I think the people of Finetime are blue-blooded, and considering what we learn about them, it makes sense. Blue blood is often a symbol for aristocracy, but it can also be used as a way to imply an inbred nature. In this case, we could infer that the citizens have blue blood because they don’t “dilute,” it with the blood of non-white people. Oh did I not mention the Finetimers are racists? More on that in a bit.

Throughout most of this episode, only one of Lindy’s friends seems to be concerned with the fact that people are going missing, and that’s Gothic Paul. Gothic Paul was a nice little addition to the episode because a trans man plays him and they didn’t make a big deal about it. He wasn’t even killed for being trans. He was killed for being delicious and too dumb to notice. A diversity win! Compare this to Chibnall’s gay representation where a character says “By the way, I’m gay,” and then spiders eat her face. LGBTQ+ people are allowed to exist in such a manner that it doesn’t feel like “kill your gays,” when they kill our gays. Representation has been so good that it’s not even problematic that a drag queen made a child disappear. You know, the thing all of those conservatives are worried about with drag story hour? That’s just the Maestro’s schtick. 

After the battery in Lindy’s Dot goes dead, she’s basically a sitting duck. That is until she hears a familiar voice call out. A voice belonging to none other than the dreamy Ricky September. Maybe it’s the insular nature of being a pop star, but Ricky isn’t bogged down by his Dot. Instead, he’s learned to appreciate existing offline. Because of this, Ricky reads things about their people’s history. And even luckier for Lindy, Ricky can actually walk and move about in the world. After a bit of starstruck awe, Lindy takes his hand as he leads her away from danger. It’s almost sweet if you don’t suspect what’s coming.

Ricky leads Lindy to Plaza 55 where a door leading to the river flowing beneath the bubble can lead them out into the Wild Woods. Knowing a bit about coding, Ricky simply needs to type in two digits every five seconds and the door will come open eventually. With no Man-Traps about, Lindy needs only to sit tight and let Ricky work his magic. While she waits, Lindy is able to charge her Dot which enables the Doctor and Ruby to contact her again. The Doctor infers that the Dots can see the Man-Traps, but willfully encourage people to walk directly into their mouths. As it turns out, the Dot hates Lindy and her friends about as much as the audience does. The AI has gone rogue and it’s taking these airheads with it. Sadly, this is also when the episode starts to get bogged down by the season's overarching plot.

The Doctor deduces that the Man-Traps are eating the people in alphabetical order. This leads him to believe that the AI must have created the Man-Traps, otherwise they would eat whoever, whenever. The reason I feel this feels bogged down by the overarching plot is that I can’t imagine these golfball-sized Dots being capable of growing creatures in a laboratory. The most they can do against Ricky and Lindy is act as a projectile. They don’t even have thumbs. Because of this, it’s logical to imagine that there is a third party involved. It’s not hard to imagine who that third party is, considering Susan Twist’s cameo. But in the meantime, we as an audience are left in a state of limbo where this is either part of some greater plan, or an unsatisfying plothole. Albeit, not an incredibly episode-breaking one. After all, the Daleks manage quite a bit with only a plunger.

With Lindy’s Dot trying to bash their brains in and Lindy being next in line, alphabetically speaking, we are finally introduced to who Lindy actually is as person. Using her mega fan knowledge about Ricky September, she informs the Dot that Ricky’s name is a stage name and his real name is Coombes. Ricky can barely believe the betrayal from the woman he’s tried so very hard to save. But her gamble pays off as the Dot refocuses its attention on Ricky, giving Lindy enough time to escape to the river while the Dot strikes down poor Ricky. As face turns go, this is one of the worst in Doctor Who history. However, it’s not entirely without warning. Certain lines of dialogue have clued us in to Lindy’s true nature throughout the episode.

Before we leave him behind like Lindy so callously does, I’d like to take a moment to talk about Ricky September, as I don’t think we’ve seen the last of him. It was hard to tell what the Dot does to Ricky because the camera looks away, but he could have survived. Why I think this is because they spend a lot of time building Ricky up as a character. Both the Doctor and Ruby have shown a romantic interest in him. There have even been rumours that there would be a sort of love triangle between the Doctor, Ruby, and Ruby’s boyfriend. On top of that, we’ve got another blonde-haired blue-eyed person with RS for initials. Even further, the S in both names indicates a point in time- September and Sunday. And just because Ricky comes from a community of racists doesn’t mean he is one. Like he said, he does a lot of reading. Perhaps he’s learned better. Or I’m wrong and he has a Dot-sized hole in his head.

Finally, we get to see the Doctor and Ruby in the flesh. Even more finally, we get to see them both in the costumes they wore in their first costume reveal! Lindy gives the Doctor and Ruby some shitty excuse about Ricky turning back to save more people. She even gives a begrudging thank you to them, but ultimately can’t bring herself to let the Doctor help her or her friends. Lindy and her fellow survivors can’t bring themselves to interact with the Doctor because he’s black. It’s as heartbreaking for the Doctor as it is infuriating to Ruby who can only stand there and watch her friend experience this ugliness. But the Doctor is still the Doctor and he’s a bigger man than their small minds. He continues holding out a lifeline to some of the most undeserving group of spoiled narcissists to ever grace the screen of Doctor Who.

I’ve seen people complain that the Doctor does this. That it doesn’t mesh with the same character who once punched a man who was racist toward Bill. But that was the Doctor drawing a line and defending his friend’s honour. The Doctor’s compassion is so great that he’s willing to forego his sense of self-respect to save lives. This is the same man who tries to reason with racist genocidal aliens, he doesn’t stop just because they look human. I know I would have let them die, but the Doctor is a better person than me. That’s not to say any of this is easy for him. It very clearly cuts him to his core. Ncuti Gatwa gives an earth-shattering performance here, and when you consider this is the first scene he filmed after the Giggle, it’s fucking astounding. This is the exact type of range I was hoping they would bring to his character.

As a white member of the audience, I am left with a lot of uncomfortable realisations. Like, I barely batted an eye at the fact that Lindy’s friends were all white. I’m also left wondering how many people the Doctor has saved in the past who might have also treated a black Doctor differently. But I also feel like this ending took me by surprise for a different reason than my own ignorance. I simply never expected Doctor Who to go there. The topic of racism is not new to Doctor Who. Martha experiences quite a bit of it, especially in “Human Nature.” But even their more recent attempt with “Rosa,” fell short by implying that in 3000 years, no other black person would stand up for their rights. It was an oversimplification of the civil rights movement that left me wondering if Doctor Who was capable of tackling such heavy issues. I never felt like the show properly addressed the Doctor being a woman, so believe me when I say how much I appreciate them addressing the Doctor’s race. Even further, I loved that it ultimately isn’t the Doctor who will suffer from their racism. Their prejudice has doomed them without anyone else’s help.

It’s weird to look at this episode on the TARDIS wiki and see the Dots and Man-Traps listed as the main enemy. Because really, it’s Lindy who is the real monster. It’s Hoochy Pie and her wack-ass trumpet. Also, can we not come up with a better name than Man-Trap? What about Erascists? They erase e-racists. Just some good little sluggy bois taking out the trash. I stan a king. The Dots hate those evil trust fund dickweeds, and honestly, same. Evidently, the name Man-Trap was introduced in Doctor Who Unleashed, which for the 4th week in a row, I’ve forgotten to watch. One of the side-effects of Doctor Who’s screwy release schedule is that now I completely forget Doctor Who Unleashed even exists. One benefit, however, is that I often get to rewatch the episodes the next day with my partners who didn’t want to stay up late. The benefit is that I’ll notice things I missed the first time. It also allows me to experience the stories for what they are, as opposed to what I expected them to be.

Being able to watch “Dot and Bubble,” with hindsight has given me an even greater appreciation for this story. Over time, I feel people will eventually regard it as one of Davies’ best. Its tone and themes remind me of something you would find in the Seventh Doctor era, which is high praise coming from me. Ricky feels like the promise of a character like Pex from “Paradise Towers,” properly realised. Hopefully, like the graffiti says- “Pex lives.” Dylan Holmes Williams does a fabulous job directing as the episode wastes nothing. It’s a Doctor-lite episode that manages not to waste a moment of screen time with the Doctor. In less than five minutes, Gatwa manages to be the command performance in an episode of solid performances. But much like “The Fugitive of the Judoon,” this strong episode remains feeling unresolved due to the plotline still hanging over its head. Once we have the hindsight of knowing how it fits into the greater storyline, it could appreciate in value. One can only hope.

[mcd9v7ds]

me when T-Rad scores his 1st as a Cap, technically wins the game, and scores back to back off Stromer… Erie Otters for life, eh?

[olivexing]

Just wanted to say I absolutely LOVE your art. Your poses particularly are very impressive and creative and real?? Like they feel exactly how it would be in real life and I can't get over it. They have such weight behind them. And the nsfw art is just *chefs kiss". Very nice to see some good quality gt nsfw in such an amazing style and developed characters

Bless you for sending this ask!!! this made my night. Thank you friend!!

A lot of the poses are in fact pulled from real life!I’ve climbed into a lot of boxes to get that “claustrophobic giant about to outgrow a room” reference; not just for the photo, but as research for what it would FEEL like.

Same with being tiny. Being dangled from one arm HURTS if you don’t engage your shoulder properly (being pinched by the waist hurts as well if you don’t engage your core!). I don’t expect my audience to pick up on those little details, but it’s a treat when you do! So thank you!!

[gonenannurs]

my wonderful animal ocs that i love very much

Curious Cat | twitter | dA | ko-fi | commissions 🐾

[v3nd3tta-aka-heisenb0ld]

They should really remake

ZER0 H0UR!!!....

-...with me...... lul . . ; ) ; ) - ; ) . . r0fl0l0l0l0l0l0l0l . . |

I sm0ke a l0t 0f d4 gr33n..

..DK St0n3b0Ld..

m8.

[sunnytoonsproductions]

Y'all!! Look what am drawin' now!! >w<

Am finally drawing the class of 4000 characters!!! Ever since the few months after May, I finally started drawing them all!!! =^///w///^=

And this is a treat for Aaliyah @ducktopia90264 since I know she likes my muppets and class of 3000 counterparts, but even my shows in general =^////^=

And! I won't be goin' to school on monday since it's gonna be the Independence day of Bosnia =^.^= 🇧🇦🇧🇦🇧🇦🇧🇦

[chaosduckies]

Restoration (Chapter 5)

And in this instance, all chaos ensues. With a little bit of comfort, fearplay, and a backstory dump because why not.

Word Count: 8.9k

CW: Death, description of a dead body, fear, trigger warnings, anxiety, and panic attacks.

5-Nathan 

It was cold. Too cold. 

I looked down, seeing that my dad’s jacket was wrapped loosely around my skinny and frail frame. My breath shaky, the floor cold and hard. A dim, flickering light shone above me, offering no sense of relief. Body trembling, I wrapped around myself for any sort of warmth. Where was mom? 

A quick look around, and there were thick, metal bars encasing me in whatever cage I was trapped in. Not again. 

My breathing quickened, hyperventilating. I snuggled closer to my dad’s torn-up jacket, hoping for this nightmare to go away. Was I here again? Was nothing real? Was I just dreaming for so long? Is my mom… Nononono. Bloody tears started stinging my eyes. I can’t do this anymore. 

My stomach growled from hunger. When was the last time I ate? Doesn’t matter. They wouldn’t give me anything anyways. At least unless they wanted to keep me in a condition where I could still be alive. 

I sniffled, silently crying to myself. My body hurts so much. So many fresh cuts I felt on my back it stung every time the fabric from the jacket pressed on it. My arms were covered in dirt and mud. My head felt dizzy from the loss of blood. Or maybe I was in shock from the pain. I felt so weak that I could barely move my limbs to get comfortable. Not there was such a thing when you’re used as a stress toy for others. Some for entertainment.  

The light above me suddenly went out. Leaving me in a dark room. Cold. Alone. With nothing but my own silent cries. Where were my parents? Did they do something to them? Why weren’t they here with me? That didn’t matter though. If they had them, there was nothing I could do. 

There were agonizing whisperers all around me. Taunting me. I covered my ears, not feeding into their lies. Looking up just once, I saw my dad’s dead body. A cold, heartless, body laid before me. With whatever energy and strength I had left, I crawled over, tears falling faster and blurring my vision. I remembered how they threw him right in front of my mother and I after they mercilessly murdered him. The way I was too shocked for words. The way my mother crumbled in front of me, crying on his lifeless chest. I remember being so scared at how they easily killed him with not so much as a struggle. Just went lifeless with a pinch of their fingers. 

I cried and I cried upon seeing his dead body again. Why did this happen? I hugged his limp body, hoping that would bring him back. 

“Quit crying you annoying you little pest.” 

Something dragged me away, my face being scraped along with concrete floor and still reaching for my dad, who was only getting further away. I screamed, still crying and blood falling down from my head.  

——————————

I woke up in a cold sweat, sitting up and breathing heavily. Looking around, I found my room just the way I left it the night before. Laying in my bed, my backpack up against the wall, and seeing the stuffed teddy bear my dad had bought me all those years ago still right beside me. I quickly grabbed it and held it close, tears escaping my eyes. This was all mom and I had left of him, and mom let me have it. 

“Honey? Everything okay in there? You sounded like you were crying.” My mom came in, her voice soft and sweet like always. She stopped at the doorway, seeing me holding the bear close and my eyes watery from tears. She smiled softly, sitting down next to me, “What’s wrong sweetie?” 

I sniffled, wiping away loose tears and letting new ones escape, “Just… Just a bad dream.” I waited for her to give me a hug, but I knew she wouldn’t. Not because she didn’t want to, but because she was traumatized. Everything they did made her scared of anyone touching her. Including me. I hated what they did to us.

“It’ll be okay, Nate. Nothing bad will happen to you ever again, okay? Your father loved you so much,” She planted a soft kiss on my cheek, and stood up, “Now, come get some breakfast! I made your favorite.” And I couldn’t help but wonder how she never talks about dad. 

——————————

It was Friday, which meant that today was the day I was actually going over to Ryker’s. I wasn’t too excited, but I’ve grown used to Ryker just like Lucky had said the other day. Not too much though. I’ve been expressing myself just a little bit more. Laughing whenever he would ramble on about things that he hated, liked. He would ask me questions to try and get to know me a little better. I’ve learned to be some-what comfortable around him. That doesn’t mean that I wasn’t scared though. I was still scared of his hands… scared every time they moves closer to me or when it seemed like they were closing in on me when they weren’t. Otherwise, it was getting just the slightest bit better. 

Yesterday, Ryker told me that he had a lot of siblings. Not just two or three, but five. How he deals with that? I have zero idea. Especially when Lucky was a human. Upon hearing the news, I nearly had a panic attack, but he told me it wasn’t too much to worry about. He also mentioned that he had a little sister that was human, which meant that there were four giants. Who they were? I have zero idea, and I was scared to find out, but I was just glad he was telling me this so I could be prepared. I bought a little panda stuffed animal for his little sister yesterday just to make a good impression and since I couldn’t really get presents for giants… This was the only way I knew how to seem like I wasn’t just the weak human everyone knows I am. 

As I made my way through the halls, people were staring at me. For what reason? I didn’t know. I didn’t know any of these people. Was I wearing something weird? I just had on a hoodie and some regular jeans. Was it the way my body trembled as I thought about everything that could go wrong during my time at Ryker’s? Or the way I tripped over my own two feet every five minutes. It was embarrassing but I couldn’t really help it. I was nervous about later today. What they would all think about me. I don’t even know who these people are. 

I walked into the classroom, seeing the same chaos as the other days and stayed close to the walls. Everything was going to be okay. Just stick With Ryker and Lucky and I won’t have to do anything too crazy. Hopefully. Just meet three other giants without passing out or thinking of what they could do to me. Who was I kidding? Something was bound to go wrong. Horribly wrong. I mean, what if they just keep me there against my will? That they were just lying to trap me in another cage? There goes my overthinking again. And it wasn’t entirely wrong. 

Ryker was sitting down at our usual desk on his phone. I climbed into the elevator, noticing that he looked a lot more tired than usual. Not just because he had bags under his eyes either. More like he was physically tired too. I felt bad, but what could I do? I was only human. 

Today felt like a good day. Sort of. Besides the nightmare I had this morning, but that can just stay between my mom and I. My grip around my bag tightened as I took the first couple steps onto his desk. For some reason it felt like something heavy was on top of me, holding me down. More precisely my back. My gaze fell to the ground as I slowly turned to look up and saw a hand reaching for me. I blinked, scooting backwards and nearly falling on my butt. There was no hand. Just Ryker’s confused and sympathetic face. Just overthinking things, Nathan. I told myself as I stood back up. 

“Everything alright?” Ryker had asked, shoving his phone back into his pocket. I nodded my head, biting the side of my cheek. That hand wasn’t real… What was going on with me? No, it’s just from that nightmare I had. Nothing was wrong. That heavy feeling on my back never went away though, and it made it hard for me to move any closer to Ryker’s hand. 

My body remembers how badly they tortured me. The scars on my back were burning, making me jolt up and take a few deep breaths. If I hadn’t had that stupid nightmare everything would have been okay. I would’ve had a normal day and maybe, just maybe, I would be able to survive being away from home for a couple hours. I wouldn’t have been overreacting like now. 

I forced my body to take the few shaky steps forward, falling on my face as usual when I stepped onto Ryker’s hand. I really have to figure out how to get on without giving myself a bruise. Not just for my sake either. Ryker didn’t say anything today, but he wore a worried expression until he made it to his first class. 

During lunch, Ryker had put a show on his phone. The same one we started watching yesterday. He always claims that if I don’t want to watch it I didn’t have to, but I always did. Not just because the show was actually really good, but mostly because I have fun listening to him complain about some of the characters. Even if I can’t say anything about them either. I mostly agree with everything he says anyways though. 

The rest of the day went by fast. By the time I knew it, it was already the last period of the day and nothing super eventful had happened. Surprising since this was a high school and something always happens. But no. Not today. At least that’s what I thought before this period. 

When we walked into the classroom, the projector was on. Not super abnormal, but what scared me more was what video she was playing for us today. The recent riot that happened just last night. I’ve always hated seeing these things. Someone always injured, and I hated seeing it. It keeps reminding me of my dad. 

“So for today I was going to give you all a test,” The whole class groaned besides Ryker and I, who’s eyes were glued to the screen, “-but since there was a certain… mishap yesterday, I’ll just ask you questions throughout the video as your test grade this week. If you get uncomfortable, please exit the classroom.”

Mrs. Kay turned off the lights and played the video from a police officers view.The camera was shaky and people were yelling right outside of a building. Did I know which one? No. This wasn’t on the human side of the city. It kind of looked like a club or party place or something like that. 

I gulped, unconsciously scooting backwards, bringing my knees close to my chest. I remember my mom telling me about this when she came home last night. That there were five people who were injured, and two of them had died from their injuries. Was I about to watch how they died? No, they couldn’t show that at school, right? 

The officers tried to get the people out of the way and hold them off. The signs reading, “Humans have no place!” And, “Down with their hierarchy!” 

The weird thing about it was that everyone there looked so angry. They were all grown men. None of them looked like mature adults. It looked like they just wanted to kill. Just like the people who captured us… I couldn’t watch anymore as I heard the insane screams and yells coming from the crowd in the video. I wrapped my arms around my knees and buried my head. This was the only way I knew how to ignore things around me. I guess it didn’t help that the room was dark just like in my nightmare. 

The video ended with ten minutes until the bell. I took a few shaky breaths before turning around to face Ryker. He looked kind of shocked before asking me a question, “Are you okay? Seriously, I’m genuinely worried.” I nodded my head, lying. What was I supposed to do? Just admit that I really don’t think I can handle being around so many people? That I was terrified of just being around Ryker for too long? I get anxious and my mind gets fuzzy sometimes so it’s a good thing that he lets me have breaks during lunch and his seventh period. Otherwise I’d be all kinds of stressed. 

“Well, tonight we were gonna watch a movie if you wanna stay for that. You don’t have to of course. I’ll take you home before then.” He had offered, an encouraging smile on his face. A movie did sound good… and my mom has been working all night lately. I’ll jus tell her I’ll be coming home late. What could another two hours do? We were just going to be sitting at a couch watching a movie. It’s not like anyone will be focused on me more than the movie either. 

I nodded my head, agreeing to watch the movie with him, and I couldn’t help but notice how he silently cheered. Like it was an accomplishment that I wanted to stay there for longer than necessary. If I were being honest, I just didn’t want to be at home by myself anymore. It gets lonely. Really lonely. And quiet. 

So far, everything was good. He was just walking along the concrete path that had accommodations for humans on the side that was furthest from the road. Mostly because humans also live on the giant side of town. Me? I’ve never been. How could I when I was still afraid? Somehow, Ryker made that a little easier today. Or maybe that was because I knew I wouldn’t get trampled on the instant I took a step as long as I was in his hand. 

Thoughts clouded my mind. Like, what if his siblings don’t like me? What if his parents don’t? What if I’m just a pest like everyone thinks I am? What if his siblings don’t think I’m a nice person and do something to me? What if I’m just grabbed by one of them? 

“Nathan? You’re trembling again.” Ryker stated worriedly. I muttered a sorry under my breath, for some reason expecting him to hear that. I just calmed myself down, sitting comfortably in the middle of Ryker’s palm. I was used to this. Lucky was right. 

“Are you nervous?” He asked with a slight chuckle, taking a turn and waiting for the signal on the traffic light to say he could walk along with two other adults that look like they were just going to take the bus. I nodded my head to his question. Nervous, anxious, stressed, all the bad things and so much more. 

“It’ll be fine. They’ll love you. Plus, you don’t have to deal with anyone but me for another hour before they come. Jasmine has a club meeting afterschool and has to watch Isabelle and Angela before she comes home with both of them, and Lucky goes practically no where without Dylan, so he waits for Dylan to finish whatever sport he has practice for.” Ryker explained, sighing like it was a lot to keep up with. It sounded like it honestly. I could never have to watch over that many siblings. How do his parents even handle it? It seemed so chaotic. With six kids? I’d honestly be crying nearly every night. 

Ryker went silent for a while, thinking about what to bring up before he took another turn down a busy part of the street. There were people everywhere trying to catch a bus, or just waiting to be picked up by a car. It didn’t help that there was a popular coffee shop on the corner that had tons of people crowding all around. I nearly passed out from the amount of people. I looked to the human sidewalk, seeing that there were still so many of them walking like there wasn’t just an entire crowd directly above them. I shuddered thinking about how easily Ryker could drop me right about now. But he didn’t. Effortlessly dodging the crowds of people and getting to a calmer portion of the street. 

“You’re fine with pizza for dinner, right?” Ryker brought up randomly, taking another turn and getting to a neighborhood with huge houses. That was such a random question, but I nodded my head. I was fine with pizza. If I was up to the task of putting any kind of food into my body. 

He walked up to one of the houses one the very edge of the road. It had a huge backyard with a pool in the back, flowers and plants that look like they were about to wilt from the cold front that was coming next week. When Ryker opened the door, there was a huge living room with two L-shaped couches, photos of what seemed to be his family, which was a lot. But it looked like it was and old picture. There were picture frames of what looked to be Ryker’s parents on their wedding day sitting on the little cabinet by the hallway. It was dimly lit since the curtains were covering the windows, and the tv sat right in the middle of the living room sitting on a stand that had a couple movies laying around. I also noticed that there were little human-sized pathways that led to almost any counter and cabinet in the house. All coming from one human sized door that was in the hallway. 

This place was really big. Not even counting the second floor where the carpeted stairs led up to. I guess you did need a big house if you had six kids. I’m surprised the place isn’t a mess. How do his parents manage all of this? I know I’ve brought it up a billion times but I’m genuinely confused. Honestly with how big this place is it made me feel unusually small and uncomfortable. Not that I don’t already feel that way at school, but still. It nearly made me dizzy. 

“And welcome to my house. It may look big, but when you have five other people living with you it gets crowded.” Ryker introduced, taking us down the hallway and to the farthest door on the right. His room? Most likely. 

He set his backpack down up against his bed. I looked around, not knowing that he was watching me. His walls were covered in what looked like hand-drawn posters and paintings. Including one picture frame of himself by the door. His desk was up against the wall by his bed, with a lamp, a laptop sitting in the middle, and a couple of pens and markers. A bookshelf lined right next to the window that would have peeked outside if he didn’t have the curtains closed. But wow did he have a lot of books.  

“It’s not all that exciting, right?” He laughed. I jumped, not realizing that I was still looking around for anything else to focus on. Was it rude to look around? I wouldn’t think so as long as I wasn’t snooping through his things like some creep. Not that I could anyways. 

“Sorry, you’re probably tired of me holding you.” He walked over to the human-sized door in the hallway, slightly tilting his hand to make it easier for me to get off. I admit, it was getting a little overwhelmed, but it’s nothing I couldn’t handle. Plus, he could’ve been holding me in a fist or just shoving me in a pocket so I wasn’t about to complain. 

“Make yourself comfortable. I’ll be in the kitchen when you want to come out.” He smiled, standing up to his terrifying height and gesturing towards the kitchen. So he wasn’t just going to keep me around him constantly? I feel like he would have to do that with Lucky and Angela. So he just doesn’t? How do they function in this house? 

I walked in through the door, being met with a tiny human-sized house. Maybe just like a little house that has the necessities. Kitchen, two bedrooms that were down the hall with the door closed, bathroom, laundry. There wasn’t all that much space, so that made me wonder if Lucky and Angela slept in here. 

Setting my bag by the door, I gave myself a quick tour, but never opened the bedroom doors. I didn’t want to be in someone else’s business. But overall, they kept this place pretty clean. But what I liked most about this little space is that it blocked off everything big. It gave me a sense of peace and comfort with being around so much. Maybe that’s what they use this for other than giving basic needs? I don’t know. I’m not the one living with giants.  

I took around five minutes to compose myself to be willing to be around Ryker for another couple hours without having an anxiety attack. That was including his other siblings who probably don’t even know I exist. I didn’t know if they would want to talk or interact with me. Preferably not but I didn’t want to be rude. 

Ryker was sitting down on one of the stools before I walked over, not really knowing how to get up there. So was this like the library where I didn’t know how to get his attention? Still, it was a little nerve-racking to see so big so close. I wasn’t used to craning my neck just to see barely to his shoulders. I frowned. How was I supposed to do this? If I can’t even get his attention how would I even be able to stay around for another… six hours? 

My eyes landed on one of the little elevators that looked like the ones at school, except there was no gate blocking you from falling out. Just railing that you hold on tightly to. My eyes darted back and forth from the elevator and Ryker, who was now holding his head up with one arm. This was terrifying. I was still recovering from being played around with like some toy. But, if I was going to get better at this, I guess I could take baby steps. 

———Ryker——— 

I stared at my phone, wondering what we would even do for the next hour and a half. I’m sure Nathan doesn’t even want to be here, and I think it’s a crazy idea that Mrs. Kay even forced him to come, but he was doing just fine as of right now. Watching him look around my room was surprising since I was so sure that he would have wanted to be away from all of that. Instead, he actually looked so interested. Much like when I annoy him by talking about the most random things. I would have thought he had ignored me half the time if he hadn’t ever reacted. I talk too much.

What do I do now though? Usually when I’m home alone I finish up whatever homework I have and take a shower before everyone uses up all of the hot water. The thing with that is I didn’t want to leave Nathan alone. Mom always said it was rude to leave guests all alone with nothing to do, and I didn’t really have a plan for the day. Just watch a movie later when everyone was here and try my best to keep Nathan from running off like that day in the cafeteria. 

Next thing I know, there he was, stumbling out of the elevator dad had to install so Lucky could get around on his own. I shoved my phone in my pocket, still trying to figure out what he’d want to do. It’s going to be hard to guess when he doesn’t talk, but I’ll figure out a way. Hopefully. Why was I freaking out about having someone over again? I forgot. 

Nathan sat down on the left side of me. Kind of like he was waiting for me to do something. What was I supposed to do? I hadn’t really thought this far. I pretty much expected him to stay in that room the entire time seeing as I knew he didn’t like being held or even being around me. Yeah. I noticed how he flinches anytime my fingers get a little too close, or how he moves away anytime I was too close to him. I never questioned it, but my guess was that he’s never been around giants. Or at least all too much. Maybe he was from the country, or maybe he just stayed away his entire life, but it was pretty noticeable. I wouldn’t be surprised if people there told stories either. Whatever his parents told him as well. 

“Did you want to do something? We could just finish that episode from lunch. If you wanted.” I really hoped that he would give me a verbal answer because I didn’t want him to be bored here or do something he didn’t want to. Nathan just nodded, agreeing to everything I say. What was I supposed to tell the little guy though? It’s not like I knew why he just agreed to whatever. 

“You sure?” He nodded his head again, fidgeting with his hands. Something was wrong, but I wasn’t about to make things even more awkward between us. Even though I really wanted to help with whatever was going on. It wasn’t my place to dive into his personal life. Not unless he trusted me enough. 

I put on the episode we were watching during lunch and watched it with him. I feel like I should make us some popcorn but I think we only have enough for whatever movie they wanted to watch tonight. Maybe a snack then? I mean it’s only for a little while. It couldn’t hurt to grab something. Especially when I know he at least hasn’t eaten lunch. Nathan never complains or leaves though. 

I grabbed a granola bar from the pantry, breaking off a tiny piece for him that was still really big but he can just tear off an even tinier piece. I can’t exactly grab any human-sized food and Lucky and Angela don’t seem to mind when I do this. 

Nathan flinched, looking back from me to the piece I was holding out for him. What else was I supposed to do though? He just shook his head, offering a nervous smile practically saying, “No thank you.” But in a sweet voice. Why doesn’t he like me helping? I’ve wondered that for a while. 

“I’m not entirely certain, but I’m pretty sure you haven’t eaten anything since breakfast today,” I started, still holding out the piece for him to grab, “Plus, I don’t know if you think I’m going to judge you or something, but I’m not like those sadistic jerks from the other day.” I laughed, trying to lighten the mood. I was guessing it worked when he genuinely smiled tore a small piece off. I’ve never seen him smile unless he was laughing at something I had said. 

——————————

The day continued on with me complaining about most of the people from the show and seeing Nathan laugh when I would get mad or make a comment. It was nice knowing that he wasn’t as timid or afraid when we first met. Or that we could have fun even when it was only me talking. Most of the time we weren’t even paying attention to the show, just having a one-sided conversations. 

I heard the door being unlocked, checking the time to see that it was already going to be six in the afternoon. An hour later than when they should have been home. Everyone should be here in a little bit. I grabbed my phone, ordered the pizza that had a wait time of about forty minutes, and watch all hell get unleashed. 

———Nathan———

It was fun hanging out with Ryker. I mean sure there were times when I would get a little nervous about certain things, or when his hands moved a bit too close to me, but otherwise it was fun just listening to him complain about how “Dramatic” these characters were. Sure, they definitely were, but it’s not even a true story. 

Everything was going great before I had head the front door open. I knew this would have happened eventually, but it felt so sudden. It seemed like everything in my body was trying its hardest to make me get up and run away, but I couldn’t do that. I’ve already done so good so far, so why not keep it going for another couple hours. I’m surprised my mom hasn’t called me either. Was everything okay? I’ll call her in a little bit. 

“Sorry we’re late! We stopped by the fast staton to grab some more popcorn and snacks since someone didn’t go grocery shopping.” It was a loud, unfamiliar voice. Ryker’s younger brother? I had no idea. 

“It’s not my fault they scheduled a practice yesterday! I’ll go tomorrow so you can stop being such a baby.” A feminine voice that did not under any circumstance sound all too happy at the moment. 

A shiver ran down my spine as Ryker let out a sigh, muttering an apology to me before running over to where all the voices were. I couldn’t see sine there was a wall blocking my view. I was too scared to go down on the floor because they wouldn’t even know I would be there without looking down. Not the best option at the moment, but I didn’t want to stay on the counter. Not that I had a choice. 

I tuned out whatever they were talking about in the other room, and soon enough Ryker came back holding two bags that were filled with drinks and snacks. I hadn’t even noticed Lucky was with him until he called my name and Ryker just laughed, letting him down. I really wish he hadn’t made it obvious that I was here. I was just hoping no one would really notice me in all honesty. 

“So how were the two hours of torture with Ry? Grueling, exhausting?” He joked around with me, setting a bag of his own down to help me up. I chuckled a bit, shaking my head, “It was fun…” The quietest whisper I could manage. 

Lucky rolled his eyes laughing, “Wanna help me put these away for later? You are staying for movie night, right?” I nodded my head, following him into the elevator and walking in through the same human-sized door from before. Except this time the lamps were automatically turned on and you could see light under both of the bedroom doors. One was a dark blue and the other a light pink. Now I could tell who’s was who’s 

I opened the bag, seeing a mini box of popcorn packets plus some boxes of candy and gummy bears which I was guessing were Angela’s. 

“Oh yeah, we didn’t know what kind you liked so we just grabbed whatever.” Lucky had said, putting away the box of popcorn and grabbing a couple drinks, stuffing them in the fridge. 

“‘We’?”  

“Hm? Oh yeah. Everyone knows you’re here. Dylan, Angela, and I picked out some snacks that you might like. Jasmine and Isabelle helped out with drinks. It was a team effort really.” Lucky shrugged his shoulders. Oh. Now that just made me feel so much more worse. They all picked out something for me and I only had a present for Angela? That seemed unfair, but how could I have even bought them anything if… never mind. It’ll be okay. Though, I don’t like this news that everyone knew I was here. It kind of made me even more anxious and scared at the same time. 

I helped put some of the candy boxes in the cabinets, while also doing a secret task of locating all of the ingredients for brownies, which they surprisingly did have. So I could just make them while they were all getting ready for the movie and I could sneak these in. Who knows, maybe I could actually make a good first impression? 

“You… d-don’t mind if I make something… right?” I asked Lucky cautiously. He shook his head with a smile, “Go for it.” He leaned against the counter as I grabbed a bowl and some other things. I would make cookies but they didn’t have chocolate chips. 

I was about to pour the mix into a pan to bake before I heard voices outside that sounded like the one girl that didn’t sound too happy, and another one that sounded like she was a kid. 

“Okay. Go tell Lucky to set your shower up, Angel.” Wow. She sounded nothing like she did before. But I guess that was a good thing. Now I didn’t have to worry as much. Nope. Still worried. 

The human sized door opened, revealing a little girl who had curly, black hair that was to her shoulders and wearing a Dora The Explorer backpack. I was guessing this was Angela. So was she adopted too? I wouldn’t be surprised. 

“Luckyyy. Jasmine told me to tell you to set my shower.” She ran up to Lucky, her arms out like she wanted a hug. Which Lucky happily gave to her. I quickly finished pouring the batter in and shoved it in the oven before Lucky caught onto what I was making. He was already asking questions. 

“Alright, just give me a second.” Lucky left the room while Angela stumbled into her room and came back out without her back pack and ran up to me, “What’s your name?” Lucky in the background smiled and gave me a thumbs up while grabbing some clothes for her.  

“Nathan. And you’re Angela?” I laughed, looking to my backpack. I still had that stuffed animal to give her. But would she even like it? Because I was afraid if she didn’t she might tell everyone else and then I’d all be on their bad side which would be the exact opposite of what I wanted. I was trying to make friends here because apparently everyone thinks they can help me. 

“Cool!” She excitedly hugged me, and I couldn’t help but jump at the sudden embrace. It felt warm. And nice. Even if this was coming from some little kid who was only in, what, kindergarten? I hesitantly hugged her back, seeing as she just giggled and let go. I forgot how much I missed physical contact. 

“Hey, your brother, Ryker, told me about you. Soooo I bought you a little gift.” I reached for my bag, pulling out the little panda stuffed animal. She gasped, grabbing the stuffed animal from my hands and hugging it tightly in her arms. 

“I’m gonna name her… Livvy! Thank you!” She giggled, running over to her room as I noticed Lucky smiling by the doorway like I had just done some kind of surprising act. Was I not supposed to get her anything? She seemed to love it. Especially with the way she named it so fast. Livvy was a nice name though. 

Angela was taking a bath, and Lucky hadn’t stopped teasing me about the panda. But otherwise everything was going great. What I had thought would be a big mistake was actually a great success. 

“You bought her something and not me? Favoritism is apparently a thing.” Lucky teased as I waited for the brownies to be done. Just another five minutes but I doubt lucky wouldn’t let me hear the end of it. 

“Not favoritism. Plus, I’m making something for both of you right now.” I laughed softly, taking out my phone and not seeing anything from my mom. It’s been almost four hours… Maybe now I should call her? Yeah. I quickly called her, hearing it ring a couple times before she finally picked up sounding tired and out of breath. 

“Everything all right sweetie?” She asked, catching her breath. 

“Oh um, y-yeah. I was just calling to see if you were okay.” Lucky left the room, mouthing to me that he’ll be right back while pointing to his room and I nodded. 

“Oh yes! I’m sorry, Honey. I meant to call earlier but it’s just so busy right now. I’ve been running around the place like a lunatic,” She laughed, “How’s everything going? Are you coming home by nine?” 

“It’s going good. Nothing too crazy. Also, they wanted me to stay a while longer for a movie. Is that okay? I should be home around ten.” 

“That’s great! Of course you can stay a little while longer. Just make sure to eat something, okay? I’ve got to go, but I love you so much, be safe, love you.” There was a lot of confusion in the background on her side of the call before she hung up. 

The timer for the brownies went off as soon as she did. I took them out, letting them cool down before cutting them into even slices. I just hoped they would like them. Or that they didn’t mind that I did this. Would they? That wold not be good if I wasn’t supposed to do that. We’ll find out when I get out of here. I had no idea what they were doing, but I heard Ryker talking to someone. Most likely the girl from before. 

“Boo.” I physically jumped, nearly falling over. Lucky snuck behind me, snickering the entire time as he tried his hardest to catch his breath. That was a bit much. I may or may not have overreacted. Probably the latter seeing as I was still visibly trembling. It took me a couple breaths to get back to normal, but it was alright afterward. 

Lucky snagged a brownie from the pan before they entirely cooled down, burning his mouth as he bit into it. We were both laughing as I grabbed a cold water to give to him. Just to keep the heat down. I wasn’t a medical expert like my mom on these things. 

“So worth it,” Lucky had cheered before taking another bite, “These are amazing. Where’d you learn to bake like this?” He happily took another bite. Did I really have to answer that question? What was I even supposed to say? ‘Oh yeah I learned how to bake from a mental hospital.’ I can’t just say that! I can’t say school either, and my mom doesn’t like baking so if he ever met her… 

“A secret.” I nervously laughed. Truth is, they used to teach me how to cook and bake in the mental hospital before I came here. I would just tweak the recipes a bit to make them tastier. Like more brown sugar in cookies to make them taste more sweet. Or add a little of coffee in brownies to make it taste like there’s more chocolate. Just a little things here and there. It keeps me calm instead of being scared like I was right now. 

“Angel will love these. So would Ryker if he could eat them. He has a sweet tooth.” Lucky grabbed another one from the pan shrugging his shoulders. Maybe I’ll just give Ryker the recipe then? It seemed like the best option honestly. I didn’t mind if he had it either. As long as I could pay him back for everything he’s done up to this point. I was actually having a great time here. Even if I haven’t been around anyone new besides Angela. 

After Angela was done with her bath, Lucky rushed me out the door where it was actually kind of quiet. Maybe because no one besides Ryker and another younger girl were in the living room. Angela went back inside the room to quickly grab something, which was Livvy, before slowly running over to the girl who was sitting down in the middle of the carpet wearing a pair of purple sweatpants and an over-sized shirt. She looked a older than Angela, and of course taller since she was a giant. He hair was a just a little bit wet as we she was playing with little building blocks. 

“Isabelleeee. Whatcha building?” Angela ran over, walking around what seemed to be the base of whatever Isabelle was building. I had no idea, but I was terrified. Giants were one thing when they were an adult, but kids had always scared me the most. I still remember being forced to be put in those over-sized clothes while also being thrown around like some rag doll. So yeah, I think I have a pretty valid reason to be terrified and currently hiding behind Lucky. 

“What’s wrong?” Lucky had asked, turning around and taking me out of view as I everything in my body threatened to shut down this very moment. Was that what Isabelle would do to me? Make me some kind of doll to play with? A pet. I shuddered, remembering all those times I came back to my parents with black bruises all over my body. Bleeding sometimes. 

“You’re… scared of Isabelle?” Lucky had asked, looking at what I was staring at. Isabelle was giggling with Angela as they finished building whatever it was they were making, but those images wouldn’t leave my mind. It won’t happen here, right? They won’t let anything happen? 

“Wait. That’s why you ran away that day! You’re scared of giants!” Lucky whisper yelled, trying to get me back to reality. I really did try to calm myself down. Really, really hard. It did end up working, but at a cost. Lucky figured out why I ran. Why I was so terrified to be around giants. Why I couldn’t even talk around them. He wouldn’t tell though, right? He will. 

“D-don’t tell th-them. I-I’m trying to get used to it.” I stuttered in as quiet a voice as I could manage. Lucky gave a smile, “I wasn’t planning on it. I kind of figured it out the first time you ran away.” 

I wasn’t really expecting that. I thought he was going to go around screaming that I was some kind of scaredy cat. That would be embarrassing I might just drop out of school so I didn’t have to deal with him constantly teasing me. I’m glad it didn’t come to that. 

Lucky told me to keep my eyes on the ground as he guided me to wherever we were going. I wasn’t really paying attention, but I’m pretty sure it was towards Ryker. Not that I minded. He was the one I was the most used to anyways. Stick to the plan. Stay with Ryker and Lucky. Nothing bad could go wrong. 

“Ry!” Lucky yelled for his attention. Ryker yawned, letting a hand down as Lucky climbed on, helping me up seeing as I was much weaker and short than himself. I was grateful for the help, but also confused at the sudden change. Why was he helping me instead of making fun of me? It seemed so unreal. 

“Did you need something?” Ryker asked, yawning again while offering his hand on the arm of the couch. He really looked like he needed some sleep. I stepped off his hand, but Lucky stayed on. Ryker raised an eyebrow while Lucky stuck his tongue out. Was this like some kind of sibling telepathy going on? I don’t know. But obviously Ryker was the one to give in first, letting Lucky onto his shoulder while holding his head up with one of his hands and closing his eyes. How could Lucky do that? I couldn’t be that close. I’d freak out. 

“When are we gonna start the movie?” Lucky had asked, making himself comfortable. I was alright with just sitting here. Even if it was an insane height away from the ground. I just have to ignore that part. 

“When I feel like it.” Ryker responded, a smirk on his face as Lucky playfully kicked him. Yup. I would not have the courage to do that. Even if I knew that Ryker wouldn’t care. Since he obviously doesn’t. But they were siblings. It’s different. Ryker and I were only friends. At least that’s what I’d like to think we are. 

Another person walked into the living room. He was tall with light brown hair like mine, wearing a long-sleeve t-shirt with some grey sweatpants. I was guessing his name was Dylan? I’ve heard his name being thrown around once or twice. I was piecing together who was who. There were a lot of people to memorize. It was weird how he has so many siblings and I had none. No… weird wasn’t the word for it. More like it was… nice? Amazing? I’ll figure it out eventually. 

“So we’re just waiting on Jasmine then?” Dylan groaned taking a seat on the other side of the couch, turning on the tv and putting on Bluey, to which the two girls happily grabbed a blanket and snuggled up with each other to watch it. Wow. That was oddly sweet. 

“Yeah.” Ryker replied, holding his hand out for Lucky. He happily climbed on as Ryker passed him on to Dylan. They had teased each other for a good while before Dylan had glanced in my direction, flashing a smile. No doubt there that Lucky had told him something. I did a sad little wave before hearing them go back to the teasing. I looked back to Ryker, who just seemed out of it. I had no idea what had happened while I was in that other room, but obviously he’s been tired all day. The weird part is that no one here seemed to really question him. Was he okay? Was I making him do something he didn’t want to do? Was I the problem? 

I really hate my overthinking. 

A couple minutes later, a girl had walked in wearing a sweater and a tank top with her hair in a wet bun. I was guessing that one was Jasmine. The only name left on the board. Ryker pulled out his phone, checking whatever before standing up and walking over to his room. Leaving me alone with everyone. It’s just for a couple minutes. What could happen? Nothing. Hopefully. 

What was only a couple minutes stretched on for what seemed like hours. Jasmine was now sitting on the floor next to Isabelle, watching Bluey with them. Dylan and Lucky were playing a game on their phones. I felt pretty naked at the moment and I couldn’t exactly get down from here without help. 

I stood up, looking for a way down and sadly not finding any. I made my way back to where I was, seeing Ryker come back with some money in hand and, as if on cue, a knock on the door. Right. Pizza. I wasn’t all too hungry honestly, but I already know my mom would get really mad at me if she found out I didn’t eat. 

Everyone had started moving all at once, making my anxiety grow. Ryker set the boxes on the coffee table in the middle, opening it up and handing out plates for everyone. 

“So we’re all fine watching Up, right?” Ryker asked, putting the disc in and standing up. I had instinctively scooted all the way back into the back of the couch. A safe distance from everyone. 

Everyone answered Ryker with a yes, while he left one more time. Probably for the popcorn. I was guessing he left with Lucky too since Dylan wasn’t talking or laughing at the moment. So I was really left alone now. I paid more attention to the movie playing, trying to ignore that I was just left alone with people I barely even knew. Please be back soon. I told myself. Just to prevent me from having a panic attack at the moment. 

Ryker walked back in the room with a bowl of popcorn, and carrying Lucky in his other hand. He sat back down next to me, flashing a smile before offering a hand. I climbed on, never so happy to be in a giant’s hand before. What? I didn’t know anyone here besides Lucky and Ryker. What would I do if they just wanted to talk to me? I wouldn’t be able to. Then they’d really be questioning me. Then they’d be mad at me… 

Ryker set me down on the coffee table where Angela and Lucky both were. I was guessing he wanted me to eat too. Weird. He’s the complete opposite of my captors. 

I only ate one slice, but at least it was something. Lucky told me to grab another since I was already extremely skinny, but I didn’t. I was honestly having a pretty nice time. I mean, without having to interact with any of his other siblings was nice, but I’m pretty sure Dylan was going to ask or introduce himself to me soon. Jasmine I didn’t know, and Isabelle was a different story, but if I can manage it without talking, then that’d be great. 

I checked my phone for the time, reading nine thirty. We were barely halfway through the movie. I did say ‘around’ though. Plus, my mom doesn’t get home till around midnight. I’d say I still had time. At least that’s what I thought before she had called me. 

“Mom?” I whispered, standing up and walking away from Lucky. 

“Honey, are you still at your friends house?” She had asked, sounding very, very serious. She’s never sounded like that unless something bad happened. This can’t be good. 

“Y-yes. Why?” Ryker glance in my direction, looking from me to the tv and offering a hand and pointed to the hallway. I climbed on, wondering why he was going through all this work for me. But, at the moment, I was more focused on what my mom was freaking out about. 

“Okay, honey, this is going to sound crazy, but can you ask your friend if you can stay the night?” The world stopped as she said the words. This was crazy. I wasn’t expecting that. What happened? Why didn’t she want me to go home? Seriously. Ryker open the door to his room, and turned on a dim lamp, setting me down on the desk. 

“W-why?” My voice was a little shaky, but otherwise soft and clear. Ryker couldn’t hear what I was saying anyways. 

“There’s another riot happening and I don’t want you anywhere near it. So could you please ask to stay the night? I don’t want to see you hurt.” There was a big commotion happening wherever she was at. 

I glanced up to Ryker, who had a worried face on, “S-sure, Mom.” 

“Thank you. I love you, please be safe.” 

She hung up again. Oh. This was bad. Really, really bad. Now I had to stay here? Overnight? Does she realize what she’s going to make me do? This was crazy. Could I even do this? I didn’t know. What happens when they say no? What if they just kick me out? Leave me outside while there’s a crazy mob that wants to practically murder humans? What happens then? What if- 

“Everything… okay?” Ryker softly asked me. Physically? Yes. Mentally? No. I couldn’t even talk to him. How would he even reply if I couldn’t even bring it up to him? I’d just have to force myself. Even if I didn’t want to stay here. Even if he says no. 

I took a deep breath, preparing myself, “Th-there’s a-a-a riot… a-and my mom d-doesn’t want me t-to go home. Sh-she wants me t-t-t-…” I winced, seeing that his full attention was on me, “T-to stay h-here overnight. I-Is that… O-okay?” I flinched, waiting for some kind of laugh to come out, or some kind of punishment for asking him anything like that. But nothing came. 

“Of course? You think I’d say no?” He nervously asked, “Is your mom okay though? You looked kind of worried.” He asked. I nodded, feeling drained from they day. 

“That’s good. But, yeah, of course you can stay here. I’ll just tell Lucky to get you a blanket and some things. Sound good?” He smiled softly. I smiled back, my knees nearly giving out on me, “Thank you.” 

His palm was laid out flat, but I still had a hard time climbing on without help. That went much better than expected. It’s just that my brain makes everything so much more worse than it needs to be. I’m really grateful that things never go according to my brain. So glad. So, I did the exact opposite of what my mind had been telling me the past two weeks. 

I hugged Ryker’s thumb (Or what I could of his thumb), trying to hide the tears that escaped my eyes. Maybe it really was time to give life one more chance.

—————————

And here’s the long awaited chapter!

If you couldn’t already tell by reading, I absolutely love the trope where one partner has a ton of siblings and the other is an only child. Sooo that’s where all of the siblings come in!

We’re almost at the part I can’t wait to write, so trust me when I say there will be more interactions for Nathan and Ryker. Don’t be afraid to ask any questions either! I love answering!

Thanks you for reading! Love you guys ❤️