#there’s so many layers I’ve been so entertained

[rigginsstreet]

Thank you for posting about Scandoval because I'm so intrigued but it's a lot to watch and catch up on so this is a perfect little dose

Get ready for a big storm coming I think the finale airs tonight (the episode they filmed picking cameras back up after the scandal broke) and then it’s reunion time baby!!! But I think there’s a gap between air dates somewhere in there…I don’t know I gotta look it up but whew BOY are we really in it now and I will be having thoughts!!

[p1utofairy]

★ your next glow up?

note — i wasn't gonna post this now but i figured fuck it why not?! enjoy, my loves! this is for entertainment purposes only <3 take what resonates and leave what doesn’t. p.s. come in my ask box and tell me what you think!

PILE ONE.

pile mf ONE, you are really stepping into a new era! when i tell you this new you is gonna turn HEADS. tuh, you’re gonna be looking like new money. nicki minaj’s ‘new body’ verse is coming to mind lol “you ain’t fuck me, you fucked the old body. you ain’t fuck nicki, you fucked nicole body! ain’t no miles on this here new body, off with they heads these bitches is nobody’s.” OH YEAH OKAYYY, PILE 1. maybe you’ll be hitting the gym more, switching up your diet or possibly getting some cosmetic work done?

whatever you’re doing differently, it’s gonna be noticeable. people are gonna feel like something changed with you overnight like “um when did pile 1 get so bad?” and this isn’t to say you aren’t already attractive…there’s just something about your energy and confidence that just amplified x1000 and people are really gonna feel and see this change in you. you might start experimenting with your outfits a little more, giving off a more seductive vibe. it’s like you're breaking out of your comfort zone especially if you usually opt for baggier clothes or a more conservative look. wait cause why am i thinking of ‘pretty little liars’ when emily is talking to aria about hanna and she’s like “haven’t you heard? she’s the it girl now.” PERIOD, PILE ONE. giving serena page vibes from love island.

there will be a lot of talk about you and even if you don’t hear it directly, trust me, people are gonna try to keep tabs on you. i’m seeing people re-watch your instagram stories tryna figure out who took you that place and who you’re doing it with — oh these people are spiralingggg. this could very well be potential suitors tryna scope out the scenery, but they’re not sure if you’ll be interested in them. they might fear rejection because you just look so damn good and it looks like you’re in such a better space in life and got your shit together; whereas they feel like they lack the resources/finances to be with you. these potential love interests see you as high value, pile 1. they’re intimidated by your beauty and aura. you’ll be more so focused on attracting a partner that can actually make shit happen.

you don’t have time for the cat and mouse games. you want the real deal and i do see you getting the person that you want. you manifested this person into your life and i sense them feeling like they won the lottery with you! i’m hearing that you are sooo mesmerizing on the outside and your heart & personality makes you so much more beautiful. there’s layers to you and i think this next glow up will allow you to really shine and be yourself unapologetically – you’re leaning into the different aspects of yourself that makes you unique. if there’s anything you’ve got your mind set on or something specific you want to do, go for it! whatever you do, you’ll stand out effortlessly and be successful. say yes by floetry is coming to mind. “see, i’ve been watching you for awhile…your smile and style. wanna know if i can be with you for the night, alright.” i meannnnn need i say more?!

how to tap into this energy?

listen closely to your intuition! work on your third eye because i’m hearing that you’re a powerful manifester and you don’t even truly know it. even if you do know this, you start doubting yourself and limiting your own thoughts. always think big and bigger because it’s in your reach. don’t get so caught up in the “how?” because your manifestations can appear in many different ways, not just one. you have a clear vision into the future – you just gotta adjust your lens and focus on what it is that YOU want. who cares if it doesn’t make sense to anyone else, as along as you see the vision then it’s a go! listen to ‘i want it all’ by sharpay evans lol you need to embody that song and its energy.

PILE TWO.

hey, pile 2! i’m hearing you’ve been putting up with the bullshit for wayyyy too long and this next glow up is gonna be a proper FUCK YOU to all your haters! i feel like people take your kindness for weakness and you feel like you don’t get the respect you deserve. you can deal with a lot of passive aggression in your relationships or friendships and people expect for you to suck it up and be okay with it. what i’m mainly picking up is that you like to keep the peace. you don’t want to ruffle anyone’s feather, but it just makes it worse for you because you’re not truly expressing yourself and your emotions. this keeps you up at night like “ugh! i should’ve said this or I should’ve stuck up for myself and finally cussed so and so tf out.” but you don’t because you know why, pile 2? you’re better than them, simple as that.

you wouldn’t treat anybody how some people treat you, and the reality is that it’s so much harder to be nice than it is to be mean. anybody can be mean and say hurtful shit if they really wanted to, but to always be graceful and kind in the face of adversity and ignorance? rare af. +10000 aura points! don’t let anybody make you feel less than or like you can’t speak up for yourself. this next glow up you’re going to use your voice and really make it known that you are not to be fucked with, okay?! you will be standing your ground and really popping your shit in the most calm and collected way possible & people are gonna be like “wait…did [y/n] really just clock me like that?!” and you’re gonna be standing 10 toes down on it as you should. they’ll have no choice but to respect you lol. you will start to realize what is worth your time & energy and what isn’t.

you might start cutting off people that don’t mean you any good and really start to focus on yourself and your energy. no more walking on egg shells and sparing peoples feelings, this is YOUR life and you have a voice just as much as they do – so use it! i think you’ll also be meeting new friends & a potential love interest during this next glow up. i’m hearing ‘how stella got her groove back’ lol so yeah some of you might be playing the field a little bit.

some of you might just want something casual and nothing more because you just want to focus on your own healing journey. you’ll start to understand why things had to happen the way that they did & why certain relationships didn’t work out the way that you thought they would. you’ll be able to decipher what you are and aren’t willing to put up with and honestly i just see you bossing tf up and advocating for yourself no matter who doesn’t like it. that tiktok “nobody loves you baby! you should only love yourself – ON MY SOUL!” just randomly came to me lmfaooo this is your ‘i’m focusing on what really matters aka me’ era and i think it’s exactly what you need pile 2.

how to tap into this energy?

i think you need to transmute the negative energy that people try to project on you into something positive. 12:12 on the clock, yeah. like look at this way, if people doubt you, don’t respect you or don’t feel like your capable of achieving great things then use that to your advantage. let them underestimate you all they want, and then BAM boss up on them and show them who tf you are. what they don’t know only makes you stronger. you have the power to make some powerful ass connections and make a name for yourself so be calculated & strategic with your moves. people will be eating their words when it comes to you, pile 2.

PILE THREE.

pile 3 your next glow up is gonna be a bit of an emotional rollercoaster ngl, but very rewarding nonetheless. i’m hearing that one tiktok sound “you gotta take the good with the bad, smile with the sad. love what you got and remember what you had.” so yeah i think you’re really gonna be figuring out how to transmute your energy and create something from it – whether that be a job opportunity, a love offer, a trip, etc. there’s something that you really want and you’re doing the work to make it happen. you have the plan, you just need the platform lol.

for some of you, i see a major relationship coming to an end. this could be a lover or a best friend, but this person will be exposed because they’re not who you thought they were. this person has very sneaky/deceptive energy and you’ve been in the dark about this for way too long. this person/connection means a lot to you, so you will feel like this is a tough situation to completely walk away from; but my sweet pile 3’s you will be more than okay! you will be spectacular! 10:10 was just on the clock.

allow yourself to sort through your emotions and learn from the situation, don’t let it weigh you down. sometimes we get too caught up in how long we’ve been with somebody and all of the good memories we made with them, that makes us hesitant to move on. sometimes things just run its course and you’re no longer in alignment with that person. you can’t force anything or anyone in your life that doesn’t align with your highest self and that can be very hard to process when emotions are involved but i’m happy to let you know there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

i see some of you traveling to a place you’ve always wanted to go and possibly meeting a potential love interest. in this next glow up, you’ll be doing things that you’ve always wanted to do cause there’s no one holding you back. you’re stepping out of your comfort zone and just taking a leap of faith – high risk, high reward. you’re gonna be making time for yourself and also prioritizing your hobbies/interests. this is beautiful, pile 3. i see you really getting in touch with who you are at the core. be kind and gentle with yourself, because you are a precious gem that a lot of people value and care about.

how to tap into this energy?

stop giving your power away. work on your throat chakra, my loves. your voice is your power and it’s one of the major keys to your success. a closed mouth doesn’t get fed, so you need to speak up and communicate what it is that YOU want and not just say what people want to hear. this next glow up will really have you standing in your power. release is needed especially verbally cause you know that tight feeling you get in your throat when you’re tryna stop yourself from crying? yeah no more of that. no more walking on egg shells, pile 3. say what you feel and stand on it & watch how the tides turn in your favor. mwah!

PILE FOUR.

alright, pile 4! for this next glow up i see you moving. some of you might actually be moving into a new home or apartment and it’s gonna grant you so much peace and comfort. for others of you, this could be you moving on emotionally from a toxic relationship and/or familial bond and finally getting the clarity and peace you need to cut all ties and move onto something better. whatever the situation may be, it was weighing heavy on you and making you feel very down.

you’re gonna feel so free when you leave this situation behind, it’s not even funny. i’m hearing that you were a gilded bird in a cage. some of you could’ve been moving from place to place, not feeling quite settled or financially stable. if you feel lost right now and like you don’t know what to do with your life/where it’s taking you, i just wanna say keep going – W.A.Y.S. by jhené aiko is coming to mind. “if there's one thing that i learned while in those county lines, is that everything takes time. you have gotta lose your pride, you have gotta lose your mind just to find your peace of mind.” awww yeah that’s your theme song for this next glow up. things might not make sense right now, but please trust me when i say that everything is going to work out in your favor & things will be better than you could ever imagine.

you will be blessed with the tools you need to get to this next phase of your life. you are the source, pile 4. whatever you put your mind to, you can surely achieve! don’t let 3D circumstances throw you off, you are so abundant and prosperous you will see in this next glow up just how much of a powerful manifester you really are. you’re still trying to find yourself and figure out where you fit in in the world, but you don’t have to put yourself in a box, pile 4. pave your own way and once you do others will want to follow suit. no one can see your future the way that you do, so keep doing your thing because i’m seeing that you will come across people/friends that share similar interests and niches as you. awww pile 4 you’re going to find your soul tribe.

you have this flighty energy about you (air sign energy/esp gemini) like you’re from one thing to the next and you can’t figure out what you truly want to do. some of you might be in college or almost about to graduate and when people ask you “do you know what you want to do?” you’re like uhhhh….]>|>]^>.]€]€]£ like you truly don’t know but like that’s okay cause actually you do know! on a soul level, you know. what’s understood doesn’t have to be explained pile 4 lol people might not get it now but when you pop out living the life you’ve always dreamed of, TUH. they’ll understand then.

how to tap into this energy?

get out of your head so much and just vibe, pile 4. you can plan plan plan all you want but the reality is: shit happens! it might annoy you or make you feel incredibly frustrated when another problem or inconvenience pops up in your life, but there’s nothing you can’t overcome. it’s life. you will be greatful for these experiences in the long run because it will be another bridge that you’ve already crossed and dealt with, so you won’t fold under pressure – you’ll just already know what to do. you got this, pile 4. shit is about to get really good for you.

[petalsprompts]

Dame Margaret Natalie Smith, CH, DBE 28th of December, 1934 — 27th of September, 2024

She received  numerous  accolades,  including  two  Academy  Awards,  five  BAFTA  Awards,  four  Emmy  Awards,  three  Golden  Globe  Awards  and  a  Tony  Award,  as  well  as  nominations  for  six  Laurence  Olivier  Awards.  She  was  one  of  the  few  performers  to  earn  the  Triple  Crown  of  Acting.

“ Do  not  be  stilled  by  anger  or  grief.  Burn  them  both  and  use  that  fuel  to  keep  moving.  Look  up  at  the  clouds  and  tip  your  head  way  back  so  the  roofs  of  the  houses  disappear.  Keep  moving. ” — Dame Maggie Smith in her memoir; You Could Make This Place Beautiful (2023)

"My  wife  and  I  were  deeply  saddened  to  learn  of  the  death  of  Dame  Maggie  Smith.  As  the  curtain  comes  down  on  a  national  treasure,  we  join  all  those  around  the  world  in  remembering  with  the  fondest  admiration  and  affection  her  many  great  performances  and  her  warmth  and  wit  that  shone  through  both  on  and  off  the  stage." — King Charles III

"The  end  of  an  era  of  the  sheer  definition  of  what  it  means  to  be  an  actor.  You  created  characters  that  clung  to  us,  moved  us,  entertained  us  ......  made  us  look  within.  You  defied  the  expectations  of  age....  crossed  generations.  You  were  greatness  personified  Dame  Maggie  Smith.  'A  lady  always  knows  when  it's  time  to  leave'  [...]  Godspeed  ♥️"  —  Viola  Davis

"She  was  a  fierce  intellect, a  gloriously  sharp  tongue,  could  intimidate  and  charm  in  the  same  instant  and  was,  as  everyone  will  tell  you,  extremely  funny...  The  word  legend  is  overused  but  if  it  applies  to  anyone  in  our  industry  then  it  applies  to  her."  —  co-star  in  Harry  Potter,  Daniel  Radcliffe

"Maggie  Smith  was  a  truly  great  actress,  and  we  were  more  than  fortunate  to  be  part  of  the  last  act  in  her  stellar  career.  She  was  a  joy  to  write  for,  subtle,  many-layered,  intelligent,  funny  and  heart-breaking.  Working  with  her  has  been  the  greatest  privilege  of  my  career,  and  I  will  never  forget  her."  —  Downton  Abbey  creator,  Julian  Fellowes

"Maggie  Smith  was  a  great  woman  and  a  brilliant  actress.  I  still  can’t  believe  I  was  lucky  enough  to  work  with  the  “one-of-a-kind”.  My  heartfelt  condolences  go  out  to  the  family  …  RIP."  —  co-star  in  Sister  Act & Sister Act 2: Back In The Habit,  Whoopi  Goldberg

"When  I  was  younger  I  had  no  idea  of  Maggie’s  legend  –  the woman  I  was  fortunate  enough  to  share  space  with.  It  is  only  as  I’ve  become  an  adult  that  I’ve  come  to  appreciate  that  I  shared  the  screen  with  a  true  definition  of  greatness."  —  co-star  in the  Harry  Potter film series,  Emma  Watson

"Heartbroken  to  hear  about  Maggie.  She  was  so  special,  always  hilarious  and  always  kind.  I  feel  incredibly  lucky  to  have  shared  a  set  with  her  and  particularly  lucky  to  have  shared  a  dance."  —  co-star  in the  Harry  Potter film series,  Rupert  Grint

"Anyone  who  ever  shared  a  scene  with  Maggie  will  attest  to  her  sharp  eye,  sharp  wit  and  formidable  talent,"  on-screen  son  in  Downton  Abbey,  Hugh  Bonneville

"I  had  the  unforgettable  experience  of  working  with  her;  sharing  a  two-shot  was  like  being  paired  with  a  lion.  She  could  eat  anyone  alive,  and  often  did.  But  funny,  and  great  company.  And  suffered  no  fools.  We  will  never  see  another.  God  speed,  Ms.  Smith!"  —  co-star  in  Suddenly,  Last  Summer,  Rob  Lowe

[weebsinstash]

Hi I’ve been watching Hazbin Hotel and I found your blog which is amazing by the way , and I was wondering what are your thoughts on yandere Alastor ?

Thanks babe! ^^ so i was discussing this with someone recently and, to avoid doing that thing where I have too any concepts on the same post, I'm going to stick with a specific idea I've had of him recently which I will call "canon accurate yandere Alastor"

imma be honest and say this version would fucking suck depending on your preferences because he

-doesn't love you romantically and doesn't let YOU date

-doesn't wanna fuck you either AND DOESN'T LET YOU FUCK ANYONE ELSE EITHER

-probably does not consider you an equal by any means, like he considers you a good friend and you're charming and lovely and whatever, but he sees you like.... you'd be puking into a trashcan and he's the one holding your hair back, "now see my dear, this is why you shouldn't go out drinking without a proper escort~" like there's a vague layer of condescension and there's a huge massive power balance and experience balance between you two

Like. He's. He's kind of condescendingly cunty to you, he's vaguely looking at you with the energy of "MacKenzie oh my gosh MacKenzie you're so drunk, you're wasted, oh my god let me drive you home, no girl I'm taking your keys, you're too--" like do you get what I mean? He's a traditional gentleman and he comes along and uh, he thinks he sees this raw potential and charm inside of you that he thinks is being wasted by your modern lifestyle which can literally include

- your diet

-your tech use or what you use from day to day

- how you dress

-how you TALK

-how you spend your time

-who you hang out with

Just picture he meets you, you catch his eye, maybe you're at the hotel, and he's entertained by your sarcastic witty replies to his antics that maybe even get a chuckle out of him. You're a spitfire and he likes that!

.... and then the next time he sees you you're like vaping weed from a pen, looking at him with half lidded eyes, playing a game on your phone, too scattered to fully hold a conversation with him, to focus, to be as entertaining to him as before, and he's grinding the teeth in his smile, "oh no, this won't do at all", especially when he sees negative affects such maybe you're watching things he doesn't approve of or you're being harassed idk

I feel like since Alastor canonically drinks and is quite a heavyweight apparently, he wouldn't mind his darling drinking, but he would definitely control how much after a while. If you get too wasted in front of him too many times, he'll completely cut you off. Folks are you aware that getting too drunk can cause an alcohol induced panic attack that can literally take away your ability to move your hands and arms and make your mouth numb. I found this out recently :) whoops. And I feel like Alastor sees that shit and you'd have to EARN HIS TRUST for him to let you drink again and uh, I don't think that's possible

You're kind of like a bestie but you're also like a toy he's playing with and he doesn't like to share. He'll drag you away from doing other things with other people, especially if he doesn't approve of what you're doing and or with whom. He basically views you dating other people as lowering yourself to people who are beneath you and would only want you to give yourself to someone who deserves you, and he doesn't think ANYONE deserves you except him, and he DOESNT LIKE YOU THAT WAY so the man is just like FORCING CELIBACY ON YOU. Like have you ever seen videos of people taking their domesticated lovely groomed pets outdoors and like a stray or even wild animal version of it comes along to. Hump. And the owner is freaking out, "get the fuck AWAY I don't know where you've been" or at least Should? THAT'S Alastor watching 'other people trying to predate upon you' aka YOU trying to get laid or date

You'll be cooking something and he'll come up and try some without asking, "Hah! This is terrible!" and either watch you so he can tell you what he thinks you did wrong once the dish is finished or he takes over and asserts that he wants to show you to do it "the proper way!" and if you're female he potentially inserts a comment about how as a lovely lady you should know your way around a kitchen (in like a positive "I'll show you so you can know for yourself" way but like the underlying misogyny is there lol)

He'll take you out drinking and dancing but don't you dare let him catch you throwing it back or being mildly sexual, or he'll immediately tell you you've had too much to drink and take you home and you two spend the rest of the night like drinking tea listening to the radio, reading books, or watching old timey TV.

Lastly... I can absolutely see Alastor making some kind of deal with his darling for their soul. He CAN do that (and I think technically anyone in Hell can deal with souls, it's apparently part of the becoming an Overlord process). But I can just see him taking his darling's soul in exchange for anything, it might be really small, it might be really important, but he sees it as safeguarding your beautiful lovely little soul from anyone else who might take it. It truly is like THE HIGHEST FORM OF OWNING YOU, CONTROLLING YOU. It's all according to whatever is in the deal, but I'm sure there's other basic caveats you get... like him being able to summon you at will if you agree to it so he's randomly yanking you away from other people or tracking you when he doesn't know when you are.... or restraining you so you stop running away from him and running out on the town to act so... vulgar

[akookminsupporter]

ARE YOU SURE?!: MY THOUGHTS ON THE EIGHTH EPISODE AND THE SHOW IN GENERAL

I know I might be sounding a bit repetitive, but I seriously can’t believe AYS is over. When it was announced and we saw it would last for weeks, it felt like such a crazy long time, but now it seems way too short. It’s just not fair! I want more!

The last episode was the perfect depiction of that final day of your holiday—one you don’t want to end for a million reasons. For Jimin and Jungkook, that last day was their last ‘Freedom Day’ (dramatic, I know!), so it makes sense that it felt a bit melancholic.

I have no doubt that Jimin and Jungkook are just like they were in AYS in their private lives. Even with cameras around, they felt more natural, more themselves. AYS didn’t feel like a show made for us; it felt like they were entertaining themselves and just decided to share it with us.

I loved the last episode because, as I’ve said non-stop these past weeks, I adore how relaxed it was. The slow pace of everything they did, the lovely domesticity—it’s honestly the main reason I love AYS so much. In this last episode, they seemed more laid-back, and Jimin appeared a bit more melancholic, which is totally understandable. I loved that they got to watch the first episode of the show and laughed as much as we did watching them have fun together.

They really tried all sorts of food on the show, and honestly, I hope they paid for it all with the agency's card, haha!

Jimin and Jungkook are incredibly similar in so many ways, yet also different—they’re uniquely the same if that makes sense. They get each other’s jokes, meme references, video clips, and songs. They understand each other's looks and unspoken words; it’s amazing to see. AYS showed us why they never get bored of each other and why they often say they spend hours talking. While others take a break or rest, they’re off playing, chatting, and laughing together. That’s why AYS didn’t feel forced or like just another job for them. It explains why they obviously enjoyed making the show and why they decided to keep filming after they wrapped in the US, even though that wasn’t the original plan. It also explains their comments about wanting to do something similar in the future—12 more seasons, according to Jungkook!

AYS didn’t confirm that they’re a couple or that they’ve been married for 40 years with 30 kids, but it definitely reaffirmed just how close Jimin and Jungkook are. It showcased how different their dynamic is compared to their relationships with other members, especially when Tae was around. If there’s one thing that should be clear after this, it’s that. The fact that they chose to enlist together should be the biggest confirmation of all, but I know for many, that’s still not enough.

AYS was perfect in every sense, from start to finish. I would’ve loved for them to talk a bit more about their decision to enlist together and even about making the show, but then again, it’s Jimin and Jungkook, and there are things they’ll never discuss. It’s frustrating, understandable, and a bit funny all at once.

I’m really going to miss waiting every Thursday for a new episode. I’m going to miss seeing all the different reactions to the same clips on my timeline. I’ll miss the comments on everything new they did and the joy of discovering another layer of Jimin and Jungkook’s relationship. But most of all, I’m going to miss Jimin and Jungkook. I reckon unless they’ve got more things planned, we won’t see them until June 2025. Sure, there are the behind-the-scenes bits and the concert DVD from Seoul, but…

The last clip we saw in the episode, the day they enlisted in the army, was a bit of a shock, and I felt it was a bit cruel of the editors to do that, haha! But at the same time, it was a realistic way to end the show because that was the conclusion of it all, right? The final destination for Jimin and Jungkook. The lovely thing is, they made that journey together, and even after that ending, they’re still together.

I can’t wait to see Jimin and Jungkook in 2025. I’m so curious to see how their dynamic changes after military service. I feel like if they were unbearable together before, they’ll be even more so after!

All I can say is thank you. Thank you, Jimin and Jungkook, for such a beautiful gift. AYS confirmed that seeing you happy makes me happy, and while that just highlights the parasocial relationship I have with you, I also know I’m in this for life.

I can’t wait for 2025!

Note: Here's my list of favourite episodes with links to the posts with each reaction and conclusion:

Second Episode

Sixth Episode

First Episode

Eighth Episode

Fourth Episode

Seventh Episode

Fifth Episode

Third Episode

[solarmorrigan]

hallo! I saw the angsty prompt list thing, and the “don’t trust me.” One kind of stood out to me. You don’t have to write it, but you’re one of my favorite writers on here so I thought it might be cool :)

Hullo! So I did fill this prompt once already, but I'd had a bunch of ideas for it and I was in the mood for something a little softer, so I did another! Thanks for giving me the opening to write it (and for the compliment, you're so kind?? 😭)

[General warning for mention of Steve's shitty parents and their generally shitty parenting technique]

Angsty-ish Prompt List

-

“Why am I the one doing this?” Steve grouses, straining slightly as he struggles with the full box on the top shelf. “Instead of, y’know, you?”

“You’re stronger than me,” Eddie replies readily.

“Bullshit, I’ve seen you lugging amps and shit around during your shows,” Steve shoots back, grumbling as he works the box free from the high shelf.

“You got me.” Eddie grins, though Steve’s back is turned to him. “I just like watching you work, sweetheart.”

From the depths of the storage closet, Steve gives an audible snort of laughter, but he also stops arguing. Then, with a little noise of triumph, Steve finally manages to tug the box free, holding it aloft long enough to back out of the closet and then heaving it down onto the floor, where it lands in a clatter of plastic and jingling bells.

“Excellent.” Eddie falls upon the box, rubbing his hands together in anticipation before tugging at the tucked flaps. “There’s one more box, would you mind? It’s on the floor; long rectangle.”

“You said there was one box,” Steve says, eyes narrowed.

“Whoops, miscounted,” Eddie says breezily, smiling up at Steve with as much innocence as he can muster. “You know how bad I am at all that academic shit.”

“Says the guy who plays a math game for fun,” Steve drawls.

For the sake of time, Eddie leaves the bait where it is, instead batting his eyelashes up at Steve. “Pretty please, pretty boy? It’s definitely the last one.”

Steve holds out for exactly five more seconds before retreating into the closet with a roll of his eyes. “If you suddenly remember one more after this, I’m suddenly gonna remember something I have to do back at my house and leave you to do all the decorating on your own,” he calls back, muffled from behind the coats Eddie can hear him shoving aside to find the last box.

Eddie’s at least eighty percent sure he’s bluffing, but it’s no matter – he hadn’t been lying. Most of what he needs is in the box in front of him: strands of garland, wrapped tangles of lights, and the same ugly pinecone wreath with the world’s most annoying string of jingle bells attached that Wayne’s been hanging since Eddie was a kid. Everything else—the ornaments, more lights, and, of course, the tree—is in the hefty, rectangular box Steve is currently hauling out into the entryway.

Normally, Wayne would be there to help, but his and Eddie’s work schedules have fallen out of sync in the hectic holiday rush of extra shifts; if one has the day off, the other is too tired by the time they get home to entertain anything as energy-consuming as getting up on a ladder to hang lights. Eddie and Steve, however (somehow; miraculously), share at least one day off a week, which has seen Steve recruited as Eddie’s backup decorating partner.

“That it?” Steve breathes as releases the box and stands straight, tugging his sweater down from where it’s ridden up (Eddie can’t believe he’s dating someone who unironically wears ugly Christmas sweaters. He can’t believe Steve makes them look good).

“That’s it,” Eddie promises. He plucks two balled-up strings of lights from the box in front of him and stands up, one under each arm. “So here’s what I’m thinking: I’ll get started on the outside, while you,” Eddie puts a boot to the tree box and shoves it towards Steve with a grunt; even across the laminate flooring it doesn’t slide easy, practically cocooned in layers of packing tape from so many years of opening and resealing, “get the tree going.”

Already halfway wrapped up in how he’s going to string the lights (he’d always loved decorating the outside of the trailer, and now he gets to figure out a new configuration for the tiny porch on his and Wayne’s equally tiny new house; it ain’t much, as they say, but it’s home – or, at least, it’s starting to feel like it), Eddie nearly misses the look of confusion that crosses Steve’s face.

“Uh… how do you want it set up?” Steve asks.

Eddie cocks an eyebrow at him. “Stand goes on the floor, pointy end goes up. I have faith in you, Steve.”

Steve rolls his eyes again, but with his frown in place he looks like he might actually be irritated. “I mean, you have to tell me how you want it, like, decorated and shit. Where it’s supposed to go, that sort of thing.”

“I’m pretty sure you’ve decorated a tree before, man,” Eddie says. “I know I saw one at your house last time I was there.”

“Yeah, but that’s my house. This is yours. You have to tell me how you want it,” Steve says.

Once again for the sake of time, Eddie leaves the obvious opening for a joke where it lies. “Steve, it’s – y’know, lights, garland, ornaments, it’s not rocket science. I trust you to do a good job.”

“No, don’t trust me, just tell me how you want it decorated,” Steve insists. “If you don’t tell me, I’m going to do it wrong.”

“It’s… a Christmas tree, sweetheart,” Eddie says slowly. “You can’t do it wrong.”

“Oh, I assure you, I can,” Steve says with a laugh. “Seriously, like – people are super particular about how their trees are set up, I think. My mom always has been. I remember when I was, like, ten, she and my dad had been away for a while, and we were coming up on Christmas pretty fast, and none of the decorations were up, so I figured I’d at least put the tree up. Surprise them when they got home, right? Except my mom lost her shit when they got home and saw it.”

“Noooot in a good way, I take it,” Eddie hazards.

“Nah, I did it all wrong. The tinsel wasn’t spread out right, and there’s only supposed to be a certain number of ornaments on each branch, and she wanted the angel on top, not the star, so she made me take the whole thing down.” Steve shrugs. “So, seriously, even if you don’t think you have a certain way you want it done, I’ll probably manage to find the exact way you don’t want it, so you should just tell me.”

“Steve, I promise, that tree is, like, older than I am; you can’t make it worse. As long as you don’t set it on fire, I’ll be happy with it,” Eddie says.

“That’s not–” Steve cuts himself off, running one hand through his hair with a strained little laugh. “I don’t understand why you won’t just tell me how you want it done.”

Eddie shakes his head, dropping the bundles of lights back into their box; he hates when this happens – hates when he stumbles over some mundane thing that Steve’s parents have fucked up for him that Eddie only manages to poke like a kid with a sharp stick at a beehive because he didn’t even realize it could be an issue. Who the fuck gives their kid a complex over how the Christmas tree is decorated? Who does that?

(Then again, Eddie’s pretty sure it’s about more than just their expectations for the tree.)

“Okay, I need you to listen to me,” Eddie says, voice firm but hands gentle as he reaches for Steve’s own. “I swear I’m not trying to set you up for failure. I’m really not. The tree isn’t supposed to look perfect. It’s supposed to be kinda crooked and covered in dumb ornaments you can’t even remember the stories behind and only have, like, half a string of popcorn around it because you ate most of it when your uncle wasn’t looking and didn’t leave enough for the tree.”

Steve stares at him, brows furrowed, like he’s trying to piece what Eddie’s telling him into what he already knows about the world, like he needs both things to be true, even though they don’t fit together.

“Actually…” Eddie says slowly, deciding that it may be best to change tack, “come to think of it, there’s one thing about decorating the tree that I should’ve told you. Most important thing, really. Can’t believe I forgot.”

“What?” Steve asks, halfway between wary and eager for the instruction.

“You’re supposed to do it together. That’s what makes it good.” Eddie lets go of one of Steve’s hands to smack the heel of his own to the side of his forehead. “Duh. Silly me.”

Steve shakes his head, letting it hang forward with a little huff of a laugh as some of the tension leeches from his shoulders. “You’re such a dork, do you know that?”

“Mhm,” Eddie hums, grabbing Steve by the front of that stupid, ugly sweater (it has reindeer on it, how does it not look awful on him?) and pulling him up for a quick kiss. “So how about you help me do the outside lights, and then we’ll come back inside and do the tree together?”

One last flicker of uncertainty crosses Steve’s face. “What about Wayne?”

A flutter of fondness rolls through Eddie’s chest, the same as it always does when Steve doesn’t just consider Eddie, but the things and people important to him. “His favorite part is stringing the popcorn. We can do that when he gets home.”

“Oh.” Steve nods, as though he is considering this very seriously, then smirks at Eddie. “Should we make some to eat before he gets back, so you leave enough for the tree?”

Eddie smacks him on the shoulder, holding back a laugh. “Alright, Harrington, just for that, you’re the one untangling the lights.”

“What, like it’s a punishment?” Steve asks. “I’m great at untangling Christmas lights.”

“Oh, baby,” Eddie presses a hand to his heart and pretends to swoon over the box of decorations, “when you say things like that, it makes me want to keep you forever.”

And Steve’s answering grin at that is far brighter than anything they’re going to decorate with today, Eddie is certain.

[wisteria-blooms]

sunburns & dragons (charlie weasley & reader) 2/??

CHAPTER DIRECTORY

TAGLIST: @badgerqueen07 @superduckmilkshake (Let me know if you want to be tagged!)

CHAPTER 2: If you thought last night's dinner was terrible, you are proven wrong the very next morning. What could be worse than the return of Charlie Weasley, who lands right back in England, in the middle of a conversation about dating his older brother? (3.9k words)

CHAPTER 2: FASTER WE'RE FALLING

Leaves crunched under your feet as you walked across Diagon Alley. The town was still draped in silence at just a half hour past dawn, and there was a distinct fall chill in the morning air. The chill wasn’t the only thing lingering; you were replaying the scene you’d caused at dinner yesterday. You and your father were at obvious odds this morning when you passed each other in the hallway. When he’d curtly announced he had important business and therefore wouldn’t be at breakfast, you were elated. 

But that was all the reminder that there were only thirteen days to find a lover. A true one or not. 

Not much else was open at this hour except your favourite café, Cauco, which was also known as Cauldron Concoctions. It was most renowned for its brunch but was a beautiful restaurant at all hours of the day. 

So, you walked like a woman on a mission, holding a tray of drinks, trying your very best not to spill it on the cream sweater that you’d layered over an oversized white dress shirt. The faint sun would undoubtedly swelter in a couple of hours, so you had an option to peel off layers. 

“Good morning!” you called as you pushed the door open with your back to Weasley Wizard Wheezes. 

“Good morning!” George called back.

“We’re not open yet,” Fred said, standing by the entrance. “Make like a tree and leave.”

“Ignore him, (Y/N),” George instructed, throwing his towel onto the table. “Seeing your beautiful face always brightens my mornings.”

You couldn’t hide a smile at both the banter and the relief being here brought you. Fred and George had been your best friends since your first year at Hogwarts. In a way, you supposed forgotten misfits always found each other. They taught you how to be yourself and to stop caring about other people’s opinions. Your friendship carried strongly over the years and beyond graduation. They’d seen you through your best and worst, and was your stronghold when you were having trouble with your family.

“What’s this?” Fred asked, eyes falling on the tray you were carrying. 

“Fuel,” you responded.

“Aren’t you a sweetheart?” Fred complimented, snatching a latte for himself and George. He wafted the sweet scent of pumpkin and made a pleased expression. “But I have a peculiar feeling that drinks mean…. you require something.”

“Not always,” you said. 

Fred rolled his eyes. “Out with it. What kind of trouble did you get yourself into?”

“I said some things I shouldn’t have.”

“Okay?” Fred quirked an eyebrow. “What else is new?”

“Ever since my cousin’s wedding in France in August, marriage is all my mother will talk about,” you confessed. “She’s pressuring me to get married, despite there being multiple steps missing in between. My father is pissed off that I’ve embarrassed him by ditching the sons of his friends at the country club, so he’s strong-armed me into entertaining Goyle for dinner.”

“And you agreed?” Fred asked. 

“Of course not,” you said, irritation creeping in at the thought of rolling over to Lucius’s demands so quickly. “I told him I already had a boyfriend.”

“Which isn’t true,” George said. “Unless something’s changed since last week?”

“I mean, it can be true,” you said. “I just haven’t been able to find anyone to make my statement true.”

“I thought Malfoys had a whole web of connections,” George remarked.

“Malfoys never burn bridges, Malfoys never lose,” you recited. “But I’ve broken so many of these sayings that I may as well renege my last name.”

“Is this a proposal for me to fill in the gap?” Fred asked excitedly, holding a hand over his chest. “I’d be delighted to go out with you. High time you asked.”

You laughed. “You couldn’t keep a straight face if your life depended on it.” In truth, you would’ve loved to take Fred with you. Just his last name would absolutely piss off your parents, namely your father and so much so that Lucius might actually crush the wine glass in his hands. And you had so much built-up anger for his favouritism of Draco over you that it would be fulfilling to see it—the idea of you and Fred Weasley—unravel.

“Do you want to rent someone else instead of taking this clown?” George asked. “We can offer some old friends, maybe some siblings, but be careful with who you choose.”

Siblings. 

You had to laugh at the idea. “You’d offer me a sibling?”

George nodded. “Slim pickings, but yeah, I can pull some strings.”

You sifted through some faces for your own amusement. You knew Ron was happily taken, Percy was never going to say yes, and Charlie was never in England. So, you naturally landed on Bill. Bill was the eldest. The age gap between you and him, a whole eight years, would be enough to make Lucius’s head implode. What could a 31-year old want with his sweet daughter? That would be corruption beyond even his understanding. You hadn’t seen Bill in years, and you were never in school with him. But from quick glimpses of when he’d come home during vacations, you could remember long hair, piercings, and a fang earring that Molly was always trying to tug off at the table. 

Wait—

Why was this actually a good idea?

The prospect of the chaos he could cause at the dinner table made your heart ache happily. 

And like the last pair of heels in your size at Madame Malkin’s, you just had to have Bill Weasley. 

“Well, anyone in mind?” George asked. 

“Bill!” you said confidently.

A moment of silence. 

“(Y/N),” George managed to get out. He was breathing through clenched teeth, trying not to implode with laughter.

“What?” you demanded.

“You’re a fucking homewrecker.”

“What?” you spat.

“Bill is married,” George lectured.

“What?” you trilled.

“Yeah,” Fred added matter-of-factly. “It’s taken mum a while, but she finally came around on their wedding day a year ago.”

“Charlie was blasé about the marriage, he was just happy to be best man,” George said, providing background. “Percy figured that since Fleur was the global liaison for the same company Bill worked at, it was considered a workplace romance and so he professionally advised against it. Almost reported Bill, his own fucking brother, to human resources, but we reckon he was just jealous. Of course, Ronnie was mad because he’s wanted Fleur for himself since his fourth year. And Ginny, well, maybe it was a cultural shock for her, but she hated the idea of Bill and Fleur.”

“And now you want to tear them apart? This only gets better!” Fred rubbed his hands together. Then, a serious look crossed his face. Then, he wagged his finger. “Actually, you should do it. You can get back at her for stealing Davies from you during the Yule Ball.”

“No one told me they were married!” you protested, heat tickling your cheeks. “And I didn’t know he’d married Fleur of all people.”

You remember the uproar that Fleur caused in your sixth year during the Triwizard Tournament. She was this perfect blonde magnet that literally hypnotized every man that walked by to the extent that even you were jealous of her. In a way, she was everything your parents wanted you to be, and you’d never fit that mold. 

“You should stay in town more often, but you were taking your annual Tour de France last year,” Fred said.  “Maybe you could’ve crashed the wedding. Mum would’ve probably preferred you as his wife anyway.”

You made a face at Fred, grossed out by what he was inferring. “I’d only want him for a weekend.”

“Sure, o-okay.” He swung around and resumed unpacking some boxes. “Keep thinking about it, (Y/N).”

With a hmph, you sat down on the couch in the middle of the store. This seat was usually a hotbed for parents, sitting for hours waiting for their children to finish perusing. It was weird being here without the usual bustling crowds doing a last haul before rushing off to Platform 9 ¾. All the kids were back in school, and now it was just the occasional local or group of tourists.

As Fred worked in front of you and George mounted a ladder, you sipped on your latte and drummed your fingers on the leather couch. You were running through other possibilities in your mind like a madwoman. Bill’s occupancy left a hole in your heart despite you never even considering it until George brought it up. Worst case, you could head to a bar tonight and propose the idea to a guy drunk out of his mind. You knew you were amenable to mostly anything when you were three drinks in, hence the lingering scars on your legs from when you were drunkenly running around London after midnight with Fred and George last year. And maybe it was better that way, not knowing who was going to play your boyfriend. 

As you mused, a loud crack rang out in front of you. You barely flinched. You were more than accustomed to random loud noises having been around Fred and George for so long. 

“Charlie!” Fred’s voice rang out. 

You slowly looked up and saw a tall figure towering over you. You assumed that, from Fred’s comment, this was Charlie turned away, standing in front of you, inches from your knees. A worn jean jacket covered his noticeably broad torso. You could see the gleam of a silver necklace circling his neck. Long and wild ringlets of ginger hair grazed his shoulders.

“Hey, long time no see,” Charlie greeted.

“Don’t you know it’s bad manners to apparate directly inside?” Fred mocked. “Charles Weasley, how many times have I told you? You should always apparate outside the house and then knock until your host invites you in!” 

“You’re open, mum’s not here, so what’s the problem?” Charlie said with a shrug. He took a step back. In a split second, you realized what he was doing. 

He was trying to sit. On the couch you were on.

Without recognizing you were right there. Holding a cup of steaming coffee. 

“Hey, watch out!” you warned, but it was too late. 

A crushing weight was quickly falling on your lap. You bent your free arm to brace for Charlie, hoping your forearm would lighten the impact on your legs. He’d always sported more muscles than any of his siblings, and if even Fred was heavy enough to knock the breath out of you, you couldn’t imagine trying to support Charlie. The issue was that your other arm was the one holding the coffee. And as Charlie landed on you, your latte spilled everywhere, staining your freshly-starched blouse and the softest wool sweater you’d owned.

Just as quickly as Charlie had sat down, he got up.

“Whoa!” Charlie exclaimed after realizing there was someone behind him. “I’m sorry,” he said. He turned around to assess the damage he’d done: a hot splotch of coffee on your now brown sweater, dribbling down your thighs to your knees and down your legs. 

“Good thing it wasn’t a white t-shirt,” Fred snickered. “But maybe you would’ve liked that, Charlie.”

Charlie burst out laughing. But when you shot him a look, he quickly bit his tongue. “I’m sorry about spilling it on you, erm—”

“(Y/N),” you finished for him. 

“(Y/N) Malfoy!” He slapped his head, a bright smile resulting from the action, like there was happiness shooting from his palm. “How could I forget you?” Charlie extended a hand to you which you took. The first thing you noticed was how callused and rough his hands were, likely sculpted from his work with dragons and other beasts. The second thing you noticed was that you barely had to do any work; his muscled arm lifted you with ease until you were on your feet. “Mum can fix you up,” he said. He pointed to the left breast of his jean jacket where a button should’ve been. Instead, it was a ripped seam. “A Peruvian Vipertooth got cheeky with me and snatched my button off. Mum’ll have to take a look at repairing it so you may as well come with me.”

“Why are you even here in the first place?” Fred asked. “Did all the dragons escape under your care?” He paused for a second, letting his imagination run wild. “Have you been debarred?”

“I was forced to take my accrued vacation time,” Charlie said. “Amongst other things, but we can talk about it later at home.”

“You should make it up to (Y/N),” George called from the second floor, after leisurely watching the debacle.

“Oh yeah, of course,” Charlie responded. He eyed the now empty cup of coffee on the side table. “Do you want to get another cup of coffee?”

“Smooth,” George sang. “Not even a minute back in England, and already trying to woo a lovely lady to go out with you?”

“You know me,” Charlie admitted, his hands in his pockets. “I don’t like wasted time.” He cocked his head at you. “What do you say, (Y/N)?”

“It doesn’t matter to me,” you said. You had more worrisome things to attend to than a lost coffee.

“I don’t mean just coffee, Charlie,” George corrected, descending the ladder. “Did you hear the rest of the conversation before you sat on (Y/N), or have you stopped eavesdropping?” 

“I’ve only kept the bad habit of apparating in where I shouldn’t,” Charlie said with a wink. You blinked at him, confused.

“Let me fill you in,” Fred offered, stalking over to Charlie’s side. “(Y/N) was asking us about the best way to break up Bill and Fleur’s marriage.”

“What?” Charlie guffawed. “You’re not serious about that, are you?”

“Talk about a loose interpretation of events,” you murmured. You didn’t want to add fuel to Fred’s fire so you kept silent.

George shook his head and explained in your defense. “(Y/N) shot herself in the foot last night and is on a mission to find a boyfriend to take to dinner before she’s forced to marry Goyle.”

“Gross.” Charlie contorted his face. “I only knew his older brother, (Y/N), but if the younger Goyle is anything like him…”

“I’m not marrying him regardless of what happens!” you protested. “We also don’t have to talk about it here.” You looked over at Charlie. You were embarrassed. You hadn’t seen the second eldest brother in years and now all of this drama was unraveling as his welcome home present.

“Whoa,” Charlie said. “Let me take you out for a date first before we meet your parents, (Y/N).”

“That’s not—”

George just hummed. 

“Here, take this,” Charlie said. He quickly shed his jean jacket and handed it over, the chain around his neck dangling as the material swept it. He wore nothing but a white t-shirt underneath.“Cover up the stain before we go to,”—he grabbed the empty white cup and inspected the lettering,—“Cauco? You’ll bankrupt me before our second date, (Y/N).”

“Charlie is more of a Coffee Pot kind of guy,” George said with a snicker. He was referring to a cafe near Knockturn Alley where the price was more palatable than the coffee. 

“Hey, don’t share my finances in front of (Y/N),” Charlie protested. “Come on, (Y/N). Let’s get going.”

“You really don’t have to,” you said, giving Charlie a last chance to escape. 

“I insist,” he tutted.

You sighed in surrender.

As you accepted the jacket, you couldn’t help but notice the faint scars running up his forearms. Some were evidently deep scratches from what you assumed were caused by dragon talons. The rest had to be burn scars. A shudder ran up your spine and you willed yourself to stop thinking about it.

You looped your arms through Charlie’s jacket. You were immediately enveloped in the scent of cinder and ash, like you were transported into a deep grassy forest in the middle of autumn. The frayed hems of the jacket reached midway down your thigh and were sufficient to cover the ugly mess on your sweater. You popped the collar of your dress out, rolled up the sleeves, and followed Charlie’s lead out the door. 

Cauco was brimming with business when you arrived for the second time today. It was situated in a particularly attractive part of town where the higher-end stores stood. The open air terrace spilled onto the cobbled streets. Lavender and wisteria hung from the roof providing beauty and shade. It was full of patrons enjoying a morning coffee, much more of them now than when you’d walked in earlier. As you strode past the glass door that Charlie held open, you realized the inside was no better. Every seat underneath the high ceilings was occupied. Beautiful and fresh pastries, a collection of breads, tarts, and cakes, lined the glass displays. The espresso machine was pristinely polished. You and Charlie passed by a line of people in queue to be seated. 

“I reckon we should just get this to go, yeah?” Charlie said. He tilted his head to the right, trying to see the menu printed behind the counter. 

“You were thinking of sitting down?”

“I haven’t been able to properly relax in hours. Sleeper trains are terrible.” He extended his arms over his head in a stretch. “And I don’t fit too well in the berths.”

‘I can imagine,’ you thought, looking at the taut muscles he was working. As you looked up at Charlie, you realized there was so much you hadn’t noticed about him before. Maybe it was because you’d only known him before your body was flush with hormones. After all, you’d barely spent two grades at Hogwarts with him before he went off to Romania. And he was much too cool and preoccupied with Quidditch to pay attention to you. 

Charlie wasn’t the tallest Weasley child but his broad shoulders and frame more than made up for it. You’d put him right next to Fred and George in terms of height, but he just looked physically more intimidating. As if, if he had to brawl with Fred, you’d place all your bets on Charlie. You’d place the estate on him in any sort of fight. Charlie’s jaw was chiseled, the angles cutting like glass and meeting to form a square chin. A faint dimple unveiled itself when he laughed, which was often. His brow was cocked, eyes angled, and he wore a permanent smirk, as if he was always calculating his next move. When the sun caught him just right, his eyes were the colour of the sea: bright blue blending with a ring of aquamarine in the centre.

Charlie exhaled as he eased the tension in his body. “So, what are you going to do?” His voice was deeper and huskier by nature. You hadn’t heard it in ages and had almost forgotten its distinct quality.

“What about?”

He bit back a laugh. “The Goyle thing.”

“I don’t know,” you admitted. “It feels nice to get it out in the open, at least. I might have to chat up a random bloke at the bar.”

“Hey, don’t do that,” Charlie warned, his brows furrowing. “That can be dangerous.” Then he leaned in a little closer, a mischievous glint in his blue eyes. “You know, you can always ask me.”

“No way,” you deflected with a laugh. You weren’t sure if he was serious. 

“But you were considering Bill?” He placed a hand over his chest. “I’m offended. I’m more fun than him.”

“That was a joke,” you mumbled. “I didn’t know he was married, otherwise I wouldn't have said anything.”

“I didn’t know he was married either,” Charlie admitted.

“What? I thought you were the best man.”

“I was,” Charlie said. “But it all happened so fast. One day, he’s saying he’s met this girl. Next week, he’s in love. Then, he wants to propose, and before I know it, I’m standing at the altar.” Charlie chuckled. “Bill just knows what he wants. There’s no such thing as wasted time with him.”

“But there’s wasted time with you?” you teased.

“Likely, yeah. But let’s rewind, you said there’s dinner involved?”” Charlie wound the topic back to your predicament. “I’m famished, even more so thinking about what dinner is like at the Malfoy manor. How many courses would it be?”

“Seven,” you responded.

His eyes lit up. “I might even pay to go with you.”

Before you could respond, a young woman called you up to the counter. For a fraction of a second, you caught her eyes looking at your oversized jean jacket. And for a fraction of a second, you felt entirely out of place dressed like this in such an upscale establishment. 

Charlie leaned in slightly. “Morning.”

“Good morning,” the young woman responded, red dotting her cheeks. Now, her eyes were locked on Charlie. And you were starting to understand why.

“May I have two lattes, a jambon beurre,” he leaned back and to observe the pastries in the display. “And a pain au chocolat.” Then he turned to you and asked: “Do you want one, too, (Y/N)?” 

“I’m alright,” you said. 

After Charlie paid for the order, you were instructed to wait off to the side so as to not disrupt the dining patrons. You were near the kitchens, so the noise of clattering dishes, clanking cutlery, and chatter was all-consuming. 

Charlie leaned down and whispered, “I reckon my body will eat itself if I don’t feed it enough.” 

As if he needed to justify his order.  Still, you laughed. “I wouldn’t want that to happen. The dragons need you.”

A natural silence landed over you and Charlie, small talk running low, and you began to glance around the restaurant. The host at the front was a man in his fifties. His name was Jacques, a familiar face. He’d been working here for ages, for as long as you could remember. His suit was perfectly pressed, his grey hair perfectly slicked back, and he was standing ready for the next patron. When two men walked in, Jacques recognized them immediately. 

‘As any good host should,’ you thought.

“Good morning, Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Lemieux,” Jacques greeted pleasantly. “Your table is ready for six. Please follow me this way.”

“Hey,” Charlie said. He’d obviously been following where your eyes trailed off to. “Isn’t that your dad?” 

As if silenced by a hex, no words came out. Especially not when Lucius slowly turned to his left, his steely eyes immediately recognizing his own daughter. Irritation immediately crossed his face when he processed the ridiculous outfit you were wearing—the oversized and frayed jean jacket which was clearly not yours. His face only got redder when he appraised the man standing beside you. The man who your jacket clearly belonged to.  

A Weasley. 

And you could imagine what putting two-and-two together resulted in: breakfast after a morning romp in the sheets with Charlie Weasley, wrapped in his jacket after he’d shed all your clothes.

“Excuse me for a second,” Lucius said to his business partner, swallowing his anger for appearances. Mr. Lemieux nodded and followed Jacques to the table instead.

Without a word and with just a quick jut of the head in the opposite direction, you knew exactly what your father was commanding. With a gulp, you followed him.

NEXT CHAPTER >>

<< CHAPTER DIRECTORY

[lindszeppelin]

https://www.instagram.com/p/C8uVjDEpG6K/?igsh=NWNhNXl0ZmppMjVi

Kaia is a brand ambassador for Omega and she’s been doing work with them. For some reason I can’t help but find this kind of ironic yet funny, because you’d think someone as big and important as Kaia Gerber would be doing stuff for brands like Bvlgari or Tiffany & Co. but she’s not. Heck even something like Gucci or Chanel, the “major brands”.

I know that Omega is also a big brand, but the way Kaia and her team try to play up her importance, as well as the way her family basically lives off of status, you’d expect her to be doing bigger things with bigger more well known household brands.

I also find it interesting that Cindy hasn’t really done anything of big importance in recent years, perhaps she’s pushing Kaia to do bigger and better things. Perhaps many of the things we see Kaia doing are ideas she got from Cindy. I doubt Kaia is tried of doing these things, but maybe she feels she has no other choice. It’s all she and her family seem to know.

That brings me to her acting career. The last “major” role she had was AHS and she bombed that horribly. Now every time we see her in a role it’s either so simple and minor, or she barely has lines. Yes everybody has to start somewhere, but the biggest thing about Kaia is she uses her connections to succeed. You’d think with all those connections she uses she’d be doing bigger roles with more line and screen time, look at Dakota Johnson, she’s not very good either but she stars in movie, but Kaia isn’t and probably won’t ever. That’s because even though these people are doing favors for her family, they know she’s a horrible actress so they give her these crumbs to appease her and in turn her parents. I think it’s the same with the fashion world. Her walk isn’t groundbreaking, her face never serves anything other than constipated, and she cannot pose for the life of her. We know she’s only a model because of her mom, but the fact that she hasn’t been given opportunities like Bella, Gigi, Kendall, or any other nepo baby model says that the people running the fashion world know this just like the people in acting world.

I saw someone say that people are going to tire of the brand she promotes with the random useless paps walks and calls for attention in anyway she can get it. Saying all that I’ve said above, I’m lead to believe that even the entertainment industry is tired of her. Why would they need one layered boring Kaia who is only worthy of attention when she’s being compared to her mom or dating someone who’s career is one fire? Especially when they already have 300 of those in stock, what Kaia is doing is literally what so many before her have done and still do. The Kardashians are a perfect example of this, but at least they give the public something to talk about and work with. Kaia literally gives us nothing, not even teasing crumbs, especially because she surrounds herself with people who don’t work that way. She’s constantly around people who are private as hell, and then she pretends to be the same while still calling any attention she can get to herself. It also doesn’t help that she doesn’t have a personality, like at all, and when she does it’s fake and never consistent. No one is going to want to work with something that changes every few business days because it’s not easy to market. Why work hard as fuck to market her when there are people easier to market?

She tries to play up her importance so much and yet every so often we’re shown she really doesn’t have much importance at all. Like the Met Gala this year, no one really gave a damn that she was there. She was a background thought to many. At the LA Bikeriders premiere she thought she was important enough to to be on carpet, hell she thought she was important enough to walk said carpet and she just isn’t. Same with Palm Royale, yes she got some attention, but not the amount that she’s lead many to believe she deserves. Same with the other movies she’s in. Unlike with Austin and many other popular actors like Zendaya or Timothee, when she’s cast in a movie her name doesn’t make headlines, she’s written in as a footnote. The attention to her roles is so small you’d forget she’s there until you see her.

I do think she’s starting to realize this and I also think that’s part of the reason her latest activity had made such a dramatic turn. Not only is she at the end of her “relationship” with Austin, everything she’s done during that time, and before, hasn’t worked for her. She’s got to realize she’s wasted all this time with this man, who she hasn’t been able to make love her. I believe she believed she would make him love her over time and that didn’t happen, I mean why else would her and her team keep pushing this “settle down” angle? She’s spent three years, and honestly longer because of her time with Pete and Jacob, being someone she isn’t to get something she’ll never get because she’s went about it the wrong way.

She could try and change, but after all this time is would simply expose how fake and unauthentic she is. She’s at a point where she’s pretty much stuck. And it must suck for her, to realize she’s not as important as she’s pretended and she’ll never be more than the daughter or girlfriend of. You can tell the mask she’s put up is slipping and the spoiled entitled brat she is coming out. If you compare how we see her now vs 2 years ago, even a year ago, she has more of an attitude. She seems less pleasant to be around, very bitchy. Her spoiled childlike nature is showing because everything she’s doing is akin to a kid throwing a tantrum after not getting their way. She’s acting out and I guarantee she’s taking it out on Austin, or at least trying to. His behavior at the premiere and after shows exactly that. I believe no more than ever he is over it all and is really done. I think the reason he’s waited so long is because now it’s easier for him to slip away because she is showing these colors. Even if everyone isn’t paying attention enough people are and they’re starting to call Kaia out, they aren’t letting her manipulate them any longer.

I know a lot of people feel helpless when it comes to this relationship, but believe it or not when we speak out about her and the relationship it helps Austin. In Hollywood image is everything and if Kaia’s image takes enough damage, Austin could get away completely unscathed. The Life&Style article said everything it said purposely. They could’ve leaned more into the “They have nothing in common” angle, but they brought her career up and they brought it up for a reason. Also they didn’t just say acting or modeling specifically, they just said career, which could mean Kaia takes nothing she does seriously. Which she’s proven many a time.

This is long sorry, but I’ve been thinking about this a lot.

SHEEEEEEESH ANON THIS WAS AMAZING. this deserves to be a #1 New York Times Best Seller. everyone...read this right now lol

all i really wanted to add was that Omega is getting blasted right now because they use alligator skin for their watch bands. and all the comments on kaia's branded post you just shared is NOTHING but spitting in Omega's face for promoting animal torture for their watches. and honestly? slay to the comments. kaia is so stupid for not doing her research (or not caring at all) to work with a brand that is so troubling that they aren't cruelty free. i think every brand is making an effort to be more animal friendly. so for her to work with this stupid watch brand and for her campaign with them to be filled to the brim with nothing but controversy is her karma.

[azure-firecracker]

the x files of course!! AND a fandom you want to do and/or think I would enjoy 🫶🏽

Aah thank you💚💚💚

TXF

Favorite female character: Scully the absolute love of my life! An icon. She will murder you with wit and science and a glare. She’s also the most protective person you’ll ever meet. She’s loyal to a fault and rational to an even greater fault, but also both of these save her (and Mulder) over and over. She’s nuanced. She’s sassy. She’s hilarious. She’s a badass. She breaks my heart. Character of all time.

Favorite male character: Mulder the absolute puppy of a man that he is. He has trauma. His self preservation skills are nonexistent. He would die for the truth but he will live for Scully. No one carries more love in their heart than this man. He almost dies every episode. He’s a genius. And an idiot. And a lover. And a fighter. But really mostly a lover if he didn’t have *trauma* I adore him!

Favorite Season: Season 5 could theoretically take this but for now still Season 2! In all its raw soap opera love story type glory. This is the season of desperate hand holding, of racing through the dark after one another and screaming into the night, of pulling each other back from Hell and undying loyalty in the face of unspeakable horrors. It’s desperate embraces and collapsing into each others arms and gloom and new love and every emotion is at level 100. Season 2 you will always be special to me.

Favorite Episode: I have two! One is Irresistible (which I have talked about extensively on here), and the other is Demons (which I will talk about extensively on here). You can see my love for angst and hurt/comfort and rescues lol (and you can find my thoughts on both episodes in my masterpost!) In many ways I think these episodes mirror each other, and they sort of form an episode quartet along with Unruhe and Anasazi. But that’s a topic for another post.

Favorite Cast Member: Gillian Anderson!

My favorite ship: “Mulder, I wouldn’t put myself on the line for anybody but you” “Scully, you are the only one I trust” MSR my beloved.

A Character I’d Die Defending: Fun fact Dana Scully has done nothing wrong ever actually all of her skepticism is valid and she’s a perfect human being.

A Character I Just Can’t Sympathize With: I don’t care if he’s a failed writer or whatever CSM is just an asshole and (hot take) not that entertaining to watch.

A Character I Grew to Love: Skinner! He started out lowkey boring, but I quickly was like “ooh he’s cool I like him” and then he got really interesting and nuanced (much more so than I anticipated).

My Anti OTP: I once saw a Scully/Krycek fic. That man had a hand in her abduction. No.

I think you’d probably like Buffy the Vampire Slayer if you haven’t seen it already (I’ve only seen 4 seasons but it’s always a fun rewatch for me)

Favorite female character: I have two! First is Faith who follows my trend of evil girls who are really just misunderstood and have never been loved. She was also my first real character crush! Second is Willow, who I just relate to a lot as a witchy lesbian nerd, and I want to give her a hug whenever she’s on screen and she’s so lovable and so layered and I love her very much.

Favorite male character: Probably Giles. I have a soft spot for parental figures and his relationship with Buffy is so sweet and layered and complex. Also he’s just an awkward British librarian who’s way too attached to a group of teenagers and I love that about him.

Favorite Season: Season 3! As dark as Season 2 but less melodramatic, plus Faith is there being hot and gay and evil! It’s not a perfect season but over half of these episodes are excellent.

Favorite Episode: Oh I’m not sure since it’s been a hot sec since I watched the show. I LOVED This Year’s Girl/Who Are You from Season 4, even though the season isn’t that great. I also love Five by Five from the spin-off Angel, if only for the ending scene.

Favorite Cast Member: Charisma Carpenter! I won’t get too into it here and I don’t know everything but she did some very brave things by speaking out against the show’s creators and I admire that.

Favorite Ship: Willow and Tara have my heart, but Faith and Buffy are SO fun! It’s a tie.

A Character I’d Die Defending: I won’t say Faith since I’ve already talked about her a lot. Instead I’ll go with Cordelia, who went through a lot of growth (especially if you watch her on Angel), and her growth was often unacknowledged by the show itself. Justice for my girl!

A Character I Just Can’t Sympathize With: This is ONLY about Buffy and not Angel, but I got SO sick of Angel by the time season 3 ended. He just sat there and was emo. I ran out of patience for him. He was great on Angel though (they let him do things besides mope and brood).

A Character I Grew to Love: Buffy! At first I thought she was sort of just a generic protagonist with some teen girl fun sprinkled in, but she’s got so many layers to her character and her fun is sprinkled with a real gravity that’s sort of a heartbreaking back and forth when you realize how young she is. I’ve also come to relate to her a lot more as I’ve gotten older, and the more I do, the more I like her.

My Anti OTP: Remember that time they tried to make Xander and Willow a thing? No? Me neither.

Ty for the ask:)

[the-crimson]

I am just… so obsessed with the foolhalo aquarium conversation from last night. Like both of them were talking with 3-4 layers of obscurity that even a viewer without proper context would have no idea what they were talking about.

Like, Bad was talking about naming a new pet fish and just by giving the fish the color blue Foolish was able to piece together that bbh was going to take the blue fed worker prisoner AND that he already had one (Ron) but anyone else listening to their convo would have no clue

Just, the way bbh is laying the crumbs for Foolish across multiple days/conversations has been fascinating to watch.

It all started with “I only have one [cage]” and “owning a cage isn’t illegal, it’s what’s in the cage that may or may not be illegal” and “if life gives you lemons torture information out of it” and those hints allowed Foolish to make the leap last night of fish = fed worker and that bbh already has at least one.

Q!bbh knows q!foolish is so much smarter than he lets on and - for some reason - trusts him more than anyone else - or rather, perhaps bbh knows Foolish is just as morally ambiguous and trusts Foolish’s desire for chaos and entertainment that foolish would rather help than turn against him, for now.

I’ve watched Foolish’s reaction of realizing blue fish = blue fed worker so many times and their entire conversation at least 5 times and I just AHAHAHAHA these two are incredible scene partners and idk where I’m going with this the ccs are just both so incredibly intelligent role players and it’s scenes like this that will be with me forever

[starrypawz]

AO3 Send a Heart Kiss Prompts 🖤 kissing while crying / goodbye kiss / desperation So this was in my list of prompts but can't find the ask so I'm not sure if I've deleted it, mis remembered or filled this prompt for someone else but hey have some rare hurt/comfort from me for @the-passenger-if

“Jonny?” Lucas mumbles, voice thick with sleep as he blinks a couple of times bathed in sleep-induced confusion but it’s soon replaced with panicked concern. The hand that groups his shoulder is shaking, grips hard enough it hurts and Lucas gives a soft hiss of pain and that makes the hand relax but it still clings to the fabric of his t-shirt. 

There’s a sound in the dark, what suspiciously sounds like the shaky swallow that comes at the tail end of a sob. 

“Jonny,” Lucas reaches up and cups Jonny’s cheek in the dark and finds it damp, “Hey I’m here, I’m here,” 

And then gasps as he feels the breath knocked out of him as Jonny clings to him.

He manages to reach over to turn on the bedside lamp and they both wince in the sudden light and Lucas gets a brief glimpse of tear glistening green eyes rimmed in red before his breath is knocked out of him as Jonny kisses him, hard, desperate and salt tainted. 

“You’re… you’re still here,” Jonny’s voice shakes as his hands and Lucas has a feeling Jonny’s not really talking to him, hasn’t quite come back down to earth as the heartbeat under his palm still races. 

“Course I am,” Lucas sighs as he brushes Jonny’s brown hair out of his eyes before he cups his cheek warm and damp under his fingers, “Not going anywhere if I can help it,” 

“Shit,” Jonny swallows voice thick and Lucas hears a mumble that sounds like someone trying to count back from ten as he closes his eyes, “I… haven’t,” He pauses and opens his eyes, “I… I don’t think I’ve ever had a nightmare like that… “ And reaches up to shakily and  gently tuck a pink dipped stand of blonde hair behind Lucas’ ear, “Not even as a kid,” 

“What was it about?”

“Take a guess,” Jonny sighs, sounding almost like his usual sarcastic self, and Lucas feels something sour deep down as his brain entertains several ideas, none of them pleasant.

“Sorry,” He offers up weakly. 

Jonny raises an eyebrow, “It’s not your fault?”

Lucas sighs, and catches his lip as he feels the bitter counter of, “It is” bubble up in his throat but manages to swallow it down as instead he runs a thumb just under Jonny’s eye and wipes a tear away from damp skin and Jonny looks away. 

“Shit,” Jonny mumbles, “I… I don’t know when I last cried either,” He looks back and gives a trademark bitter huff but there’s little weight to it, “Shit… I fucking cried,” 

His voice turns soft near the end. It’s been soft before, it often is when they’re alone, seemingly one of many things that’s just for him. But this is a different type of softness, something that makes him seem so much smaller. Throws him back to that vision of the fractals of all that he had been, all that he is and all that he will be. And it does make him wonder just what Jonny had been like before he’d wrapped up that soft core in layers of bitter cynicism and combat boots like some sort of fucked up Tootsie Pop. 

Oh, those thoughts are way too fucking raw for this hour.

“Don’t worry,” Lucas chuckles weakly, “I won’t tell anyone,” 

Jonny snorts and Lucas presses his forehead to his and then Jonny pulls him into a kiss again and Lucas sighs against his lips. The kiss is soft this time, slow,  but still salt tainted before he tucks himself under Jonny’s chin and finds himself cocooned again in long limbs once they’re back in darkness.

That familiar warmth of their bodies entwined returns but then Lucas flinches slightly (He’ll find fingertip bruises there tomorrow, not an uncommon occurrence by this point but those bruises are ones he asks for) and Jonny tenses, “Shit.. sorry,”

“It’s ok,” Lucas soothes as the heartbeat under his palm slows, and Jonny sighs before he places a kiss to the top of Lucas’ head and Lucas does his best to will only pleasant dreams for them both.

[annakie]

Part One: I Do Not, In Fact, Have the Power

Part Two: Let’s Spend Lots of Money!

Part Three: All These Things That I’ve Done

Part Four: I Really Want to Stay At My House

A little interlude.

Part Five: Power Down

Part Six: You Will Leave Some Paint

-----

Fixing The House Part Seven (Sorta) - Let's go Backwards to go Forwards

In the summer of 2003, it felt like all of my friends were moving forward with their lives but me.

Two of my friends had gotten married a year or two earlier and were living a ways away but had rented a house.

Two more friends had just gotten married, and were buying a house.

Two more had just gotten into a serious relationship, and he decided to buy a house. She was moving in and paying rent. A year or so later they'd get married, too.

I wasn't in a relationship but was the oldest in the friend group and I was still renting a one bedroom apartment.

I got the bug in my ear that I should buy a house, too.

Once again, a very long post.

I just want to make it clear -- this is more of a flashback episode than updates on what's been going on. But it's important.

Those three couples all eventually had houses all in the same neighborhood. I couldn't afford their neighborhood. Honestly I couldn't afford a house at all but that was right during the time that banks were handing out mortgages like candy.

I shouldn't have been house shopping, but I did it anyway. Somehow my mom agreed to co-sign with me. She shouldn't have, tbh I was a bad bet credit wise at that time, but she did.

After losing out on a couple of bids, I finally found this house I really loved from the outside. The thing was, they weren't letting people inside for awhile, but the price was great and it looked great from the outside.

I put in an offer before seeing the inside (Pro Tip: never do this) with money I didn't really have, and despite many warning signs that I shouldn't be buying this house, I went ahead and did it anyway.

For several years, it was a really bad decision.

This house had been a rental for like 20 years before I bought it. It was severely neglected, but it had been fixed up just enough by the previous owners to hide the most glaring problems with it.

So much went wrong those first few years that I was more or less always in debt, lurching from problem to problem, borrowing money from my parents to keep the AC going and sewer flowing. Eventually my mom just paid to fix the sewer rather than call a plumber every month or two. (Eventually, I paid her back). Now I just have to call one out once a year or so.

And y'all, the house was ugly inside. Just really not updated almost at all since the 60's. Nobody gave a shit.

A few things had happened, three layers of wallpaper in the bathrooms and kitchen, and two layers of peel and stick tiles on the floor.

But most things were original to the house, or maybe updated in the mid to late 80's at the newest.

In 2004 when I'd done what I could with the place I started writing a walkthrough with pictures. It's not complete, I never did the bedrooms or master bath... I think I have pictures of those, I'll fill in later. But just scrolling through that and taking a look is super cringe for me and maybe entertaining for you. Also, hey, some of my friends and family are in there, too.

It will give you a decent idea of where I started, so later you can see where I am now and why doing this has been so damn important to me.

-----

I had a few bits of good luck, one of those couples mentioned above gave me their old washer and dryer which I still have and use to this day, I bought a dishwasher and fridge at the Sears Scratch and Dent store and the fridge is still running... for now. And my house had come with a home warranty that was paid for the year AND GOT USED HEAVILY. It saved my ass a time or two. And at least once I got ripped off by a new furnace install that was an utter disaster and almost killed me with carbon monoxide poisoning until I got them to send out a better repair guy who probably saved my life.

My parents would come once or twice a year and help me do all the repairs and improvements I could afford, and usually kick in some of their own money to help.

I had secondhand and salvaged furniture, much of it came from relatives who downsized or passed. I scoured yard sales for stuff to put in the house. I was paying off $4000ish on a $1700ish bedroom suite. I was at a job that was severely underpaying me and then everyone there got a paycut in 2007. I had no savings, maybe I'd scrape up $1000 which would get eaten by a new emergency every time I got it together.

It was bad. I was barely scraping by.

I made a post about it 10 years ago, and I still agree with basically everything I said in there. And that was when things had just started to turn around for me financially so that I wasn't lurching from paycheck to paycheck.

These are also linked there, but in 2008 my mom came into a little money and gave me a couple thousand and I was able to get all of the floors redone, and new countertops/sink in the kitchen.

These Flickr sets show even better just how bad it was, and how much it was improved. Except I made a huge mistake and got carpet in the bedrooms instead of Laminate everywhere. Something I'd start regretting days into the new floors and would keep regretting deeply for a few years. New Floors

New Countertops

With the countertops came a sink and faucet. Instead of laminate countertop from 1963 that had worn through and had holes in it, I had the cheapest countertop Home Depot had but it was new and looked decent. Instead of peel and stick linoleum I had the cheapest laminate flooring on the market but it was way better than the forever-stained brown carpet from the 80's.

That was the first time the house felt livable at least, finally.

In 2012 I got a better job, and finally started having some savings. I spent about $1500 one weekend with my parents upgrading the bathrooms. We bought $250 cabinets from Home Depot, two of the same ones, two of the same faucets, two of the same toilets.

We re-painted the bathrooms because I was thinking of selling the house at that point.

I was a big dummy and never finished painting the hall bath -- ever. It was still only like 90% done for nine years. I have no excuse for that. I just kinda stopped seeing it.

The very worst problems of the house were solved then, and my house was... okay.

The pictures in that Flickr set make it look almost nice in some places.

Except for a few things.

Like that when you took a shower in the master bath it had started having water seep through under the trim back into the bathroom.

I hadn't taken a shower in my master bath since about 2009.

And the hall bath, while it worked, the entire tub area was a nightmare. A horrorshow, honestly. I mean, it worked though. It was just really ugly, and a little grosser every year. But hey, as long as you kept the shower curtain closed, I only had to contend with it a few minutes a day.

----

In 2019, things had spiraled a bit in the house. I made a couple of posts about this, and how my friend Ange came to visit so I did a big cleanout of the house, and replaced the carpet with new laminate.

Here's the first and second post. Well it's the second post that links to the first post.

Here's the followup post.

It was a huge blessing that I did this, that Ange's visit got me to get my house in order. I put a lot of work into it, and in the end it paid off not only because I wasn't that ashamed of most of my house when Ange was here (I mean, still, the garage was a huge Problem, the bathtub had continued to deteriorate and still wasn't fully painted, and the dining room was still full of STUFF that needed to be sorted and put away when she got here) but it was enough.

Then, you know, 4 months later we all stayed home for a year or two and having a house that was improved and decluttered significantly went a long way towards being OK mentally that year.

----

Four years on, and some of the things that had been bad had gotten worse. For instance, the 1960's electric wiring. The house once again had more clutter than I was comfortable with, and the tub situation had gotten fucking dire. Also, the cheap, cheap laminate in most of the house from 2008 was really showing its wear... it had not only started separating at the point in the house that got the most traffic, but it had water damage there, and in other places, too.

Things that were bad, like the state of the windows, hadn't gotten better. The kids across the street shot BBs at my garage one day and one went through one of my garage windows (I didn't catch them in the act but I saw them with it a few weeks later. I love those kids, I'm friendly with the family, and at that point I was like IDGAF, tbh.) The patio roof was a few years from falling down from rot. And a whole host of other things I've posted here and some I haven't.

-----

Y'all, I'm aware that I'm damn lucky to own a house, especially in this market. I'm lucky that I was old enough to buy one before prices skyrocketed and I bought one cheap enough (even in 2003 prices) that I ended up not losing it when the housing market exploded in 2007 and I sailed out of that OK when so many others didn't.

I am aware I'm talking about something now that it's ridiculously out of reach for so many people, and that situation is just unbelievably shitty, and I'm sorry for that.

-----

At one point when all these renovations started, a friend of mine, one who is in a lot of the 2004 pictures and was one of the couples who bought their house in 2004 asked me if I would still buy a house knowing everything I went through the first few years, all of the things that have gone so very wrong with this place. All of the ugly things that didn't get fixed for 21 years, and how much money this place would cost me.

At the time, I told them I wish I could go back and tell myself do not buy THIS house. Get a house, just not THIS ONE.

But then, a few hours later I re-thought my decision. There's a few reasons why... even through it all, I'd get this house.

Here's the three most important reasons.

And about a half dozen other cats, and two dogs, that I've rescued and re-homed, or just ferals I've taken care of, because I lived in this house.

I wouldn't have Fry, or Pemily, and I wouldn't have had Patchy (or re-homed her babies) if I didn't live here, because they all came from my backyard. I don't think any of them would have survived, and Pemily probably would have never been born.

I also have good neighbors. We look after each other but also mostly mind our own damn business. We're not in a floodplain, taxes are relatively low. It's a decent place to be, even if all my friends who used to live near me moved farther away except one.

So, yeah.

After 21 years I'd saved enough and in the end when I found someone I liked and trusted and who didn't charge crazy amounts of money (HONESTLY I think Arturo didn't charge me ENOUGH) all of this spiraled from "Well we'd better get the electricity fixed so the house doesn't burn down" to... well... what it is now.

It's starting to wind down. We just need a couple more good days of work and it'll be over, for now.

Hopefully then I'll have time to finish this extremely long story and share all the pictures and all the stuff that's happened, more than I have, and show you what Arturo and I made from what you've seen in all the pictures in the links above, if you looked.

I'll be back as soon as I have the time. :)

[kinnporsche]

okay, because there are so many talented writers in this fandom, i decided to make a little rec list of the incredible fics (all by different authors) that i’ve read recently—likely to be the first list of many! all of the fics in this list are completed (though if it’s a series it may not be yet) but the next list i put out will most likely be wips to help spread the love around! the list order is according to length, from longest to shortest! make sure you read the tags, and check out all these authors further because they’re all so amazing! [part 1/?]

— blue blood by ahdriking – explicit / 121.6k words

In the dark, low places of the underworld is a club called Sang Bleu, a place where the depraved and the debauched can enjoy themselves with reckless abandon, and enjoy the brutal fights that take place in the infamous pit. Kinn finds himself amongst them, invited by the owner to celebrate a newly formed alliance. He doesn’t expect to be entertained by the mindless violence and spectacle, until the next match is announced; a fight to the death, in his honor.

And then he appears; the Phoenix, a man with golden skin and dark eyes and a saunter in his step that makes Kinn’s blood hot. He doesn’t stand a chance, not against an opponent twice his size, but the arrogant jut of his chin says he believes otherwise. For the first time in a long time, Kinn feels intrigued. Against his better judgement, he places a bet.

— but you’re everywhere (yes you are) by fortunehasgivenup – explicit / 92.4k words

What if Porsche, upon remembering the kiss on the pier, went to Kinn and said that he remembered? What if there was no diamond auction? What if they’d had a different start? Would it make them any softer?

(No.)

— paperwork promises by surrealsunday – explicit / 80.5k words

Filing paperwork and tending to the needs of rich, stuffy executives was never Porsche’s dream career, but a job is a job. That job is made a lot less easy—but maybe a bit more interesting—when the boss he’s been avoiding since that very first day in the elevator, gets a lapful of coffee and an eyeful of Porsche. Just when Porsche was getting used to the monotony of the every day…

— the king’s tree by luckydragon – explicit / 78.5k words

Kinn was seven when he woke up one morning to discover a small silver circle on the back of his left wrist.

— between the sheets by daswarschonkaputt – explicit / 70.5k words

“And who’s that?”

“Oh. That’s Porsche. He’s Khun Kinn’s live-in boytoy. He’s harmless, mostly. Just a pretty face.”

(A boyfriend can go so many places a bodyguard can’t. As the threat of a potential leak in their security forces looms large, Khun Korn hatches a plot to place an added layer of protection around his heir presumptive. Enter Porsche, former bartender, current bodyguard, and reluctant fake boyfriend of Kinn Theerapanyakul.)

— crimson clover by daltoneering – explicit / 52.4k words

Kinn falls silent, holding his gaze for a long, uninterrupted moment. Sizing him up. Porsche meets his stare defiantly, squaring his shoulders and lifting his chin. He won’t let Kinn know how much he is internally quaking about what he’s agreeing to do, or how much it aches to think that he doesn’t even know when he’ll see Chay again. He’s doing this for Chay. He’s doing this to save him. (Or: Porsche reluctantly agrees to help the mafia out on a quick job at a diamond auction, because he’s desperate and probably also insane. As it turns out, he’s signed up for a lot more than he bargained for.)

— i’m the one for your fire ‘series by kurtstiel – explicit / 48.4k words

This series is canon compliant with the exception of Kinn and Porsche being in an established Dom/sub relationship. All parts can be read as a stand-alone.

— for you (i’d burn the world to the ground) by cuteandtwisted – mature / 41.8k words

Porsche is Kinn’s most vicious bodyguard. Feared by most and respected by all, he flinches at nothing and fears no one. (And if he feels his knees give out whenever Kinn enters the room, then nobody has to know.)

(Or: AU where Porsche grew up at the compound after his parents died serving the main family and spent his childhood/teenage years annoying his way into Kinn’s thoughts (and heart), before an ‘incident’ turned him into Kinn’s most lethal weapon.)

— you picked a dance with the devil, you lucked out by aby01 – explicit / 34k words

Feral alphas are devastatingly violent, brutally vicious and absolutely loyal. To have one under your control means great power. Kinn has been looking for his own for years now. He just didn’t think he’d find it in a mouthy beta that tricks him out of his favorite watch.

— la fortissimo ‘series by mirrorofprinces – explicit / 23.1k words

Moments during episodes 2-5 when Kinn and Porsche could have (should have?) hooked up, if Kinn was just a little meaner about it.

— nfwmb by vesna (mrsronweasley) – mature / 18.8k words

There’s a rushing in Kinn’s ears, a noise he can’t shake. It almost makes him miss the next thing Arm tells him. “He was supposed to check in, as per protocol, but—”

“But what,” Kinn snaps. A headache is building behind one of his eyes.

Arm’s eyes are wide right before he lowers them and says, “He hasn’t been heard from in two and a half hours.”

(Or: Porsche is kidnapped. Kinn goes through it.)

— show me yours, i’ll show you mine ‘series by sirvaria – explicit / 15.8k words

Kinn and Porsche having fun in and outside of bed.

— heartlines ‘series by oliviacirce – explicit / 5.8k words

Kinn and Porsche communicate through sex. (Or: connected PWPs set during the one month time skip in episode 14.)

— stuck when you get sweet by butterflylungs – explicit / 3.2k words

There’s a hunger nipping at his heels that begs him to cling to Kinn, to climb under the other man’s skin and make a home for himself there; no matter what he does, the feeling has never gone away since he met Kinn.

(Or: Kinn takes Porsche home to continue what they started.)

— your teeth round my organs by androktasia – explicit / 3.1k words

“Aren’t you meant to finger me?” Porsche asks, breathless, as Kinn smears lube around the rim of his hole. Kinn looks up, pausing his movements, and Porsche shifts slightly, almost unconsciously, as though trying to get him inside.

“Where did you hear that?” Kinn asks.  

“I watched some porn,” Porsche says, and Kinn raises an eyebrow at him, unimpressed. He remembers the kind of porn Porsche likes—shrieking women lying back and taking it from coarse, grunting men. “Gay porn,” Porsche clarifies after a moment.

[autumnslance]

Year of the OTP - August 2023 - Snowstorm

(Whoops, fell off with this thanks to Other Writing Projects, but let's get back into the swing with 2500 words of Heavensward pre-relationship and a draft I have sat on for years and am finally reworking and yeeting out here...Original prompt list here! Something of a sequel, or at least a similar situation, to Sandstorm.)

“This seems familiar,” Aeryn said as they shoved the old door closed against the howling winds.

“In some ways,” Thancred agreed, unable to stop his teeth from chattering. “Should we worry about heretics or creatures?”

“Durendaire cleared this hamlet recently,” Aeryn said. “I remember talking to Redwald about it, so figured it was safe enough for shelter.”

Thancred nodded and stamped his feet, following her from the foyer to the cramped sitting room of the abandoned house, one of many dotted across the icy countryside after the Calamity. The farmhouse wasn’t large, nor had it seen recent upkeep from weather such as the blizzard winding up outside.

It didn’t help that Thancred was soaked up to his thighs, having slid off an embankment and onto ice thinner than it had looked while they had fought their quarry for Clan Centurio, a rogue aevis of unusual size. It was a part of Nidhogg’s emboldened brood and had been terrorizing the supply lines from Falcon’s Nest to the Convictory and Tailfeather.

The dragon was dead—but they would be too, if they didn’t get a fire going soon. The temperature was noticeably dropping.

“Been awhile since we outpaced a storm like that,” Thancred said while they did their best to shut themselves into a single room. “Not sure if I wish to be in a sandstorm instead, though.”

“This is much too cold for my Thavnairian blood,” Aeryn sniffed. A quick check showed some remnant firewood made of broken furnishings. She got the fire going, using magic to speed the process.

“You’re half-Coerthan,” Thancred replied. “Surely that affords you some acclimation.”

“I left when this place still had proper seasons,” she countered. “You have to get those boots off.” She dug into her pack for blankets or anything else to help. Despite the spellwork making it capable of carrying quite a lot without burdening the wearer, Thancred knew what a crowded mess her bag was, and shuddered.

Or maybe that was just the cold.

“Working on it,” he replied, shrugging off the winter coat he had donned for this venture. He hung it over a nearby chair that yet survived, turning it to the fireplace to help dry the fabric, his gloves left on the seat. Then he sat heavily on the large, fuzzy rug—it was ragged, but at least in this cold there probably weren’t fleas or other vilekin—and began fumbling at the buckles and laces of his boots, fingers not as nimble as usual.

“Let me help,” Aeryn said, dropping a blanket next to him as she knelt on the rug.

“I’ve got—” He growled in frustration as his fingers slipped past a buckle again. Her hands caught his, pressing his fingers between her warm palms. “Fine, I don’t have it,” he admitted, breath caught at the feeling. At least there was a feeling.

“You’re colder than I thought,” Aeryn said, frowning. She let go of his hand, and it was an effort for him to not whimper at the loss. She quickly got his boots off, and the socks beneath them, pulling the wet fabric carefully. The feel of her fingers on his legs sent more shocks through him. “Um. Your pants are soaked, too,” she said.

“Then they’ll have to go,” he replied. “I can manage that, as entertaining the idea of you further undressing me is,” Thancred joked. He couldn’t help but grin at her expected blush.

“Well, you’re not so far gone as I’d feared,” she replied dryly. But she smiled in return, relieved he had the energy for his usual teasing demeanor.

“You’re not rid of me that easily,” he said. “And you should remove your own damp layers, Aeryn.”

She nodded in response, turning away from him as she removed her coat and boots. While she did, he managed to unlace and unbutton his pants and wriggle them off, dropping them aside while keeping the blanket over his lap for her sense of modesty more than his own. At least he had smalls on; while staying with the Vath, that hadn’t been an option. He pulled his sweat-damp top off while at it.

He distantly watched her hang up their gear to dry, over random old furnishings or even carefully off the mantle. She dug through his pack, too, for anything to help with the cold. He ought to help, but mostly wanted to sit and doze by the fire. She knelt by him again, and he thought the way the firelight framed her was rather pretty. “How are you feeling, Thancred?”

“Cold and tired, and my feet still feel number than I like.”

“May I?” At his nod, she pushed up the blanket and began examining and massaging his feet and calves to stimulate circulation, her skin warm and soft against his and gods. He swallowed hard and watched as her shoulders relaxed. “I don’t think you’re in danger of frostbite, just cold—”

“Could you keep massaging just a bit longer?” he blurted. “It’s helping.” He didn’t want to try to explain how much he didn’t want to lose the sensation of another’s skin on his, the simple touch of another person. He kept his eyes down as she studied him briefly, but then she nodded and continued for a few more minutes.

It was heavenly.

“It’s still getting colder,” she noted, finally moving away to look for more fuel for the fire; there wasn’t much left in the room. “We’ll have to strip down and sleep next to each other for warmth.”

He raised a brow, surprised she had been the one to suggest such. Then again, she had been living in Coerthas for moons now and had learned from her hosts. That was what he meant to say. What slipped out was an attempted jape: “Is that how things started with Lord Haurchefant?”

Aeryn’s face reddened as she fumbled with an old, broken set of shelves. “No!” she snapped, focusing on the fallen bits of wood to carry to the fire.

“I’m sorry, I’m not thinking clearly,” Thancred said, rubbing his arms. “I know his loss is still recent and naught to joke about. I do admit to a bit of confusion, as I recall you not caring for romantic matters and yet—”

“Stop.” Her tone was sharp, her back to him as she tried to busy herself by the fire. “Please,” she added after a moment.

He frowned at her back, more irate than he perhaps should have been. Probably just the cold.

“It wasn’t like that,” she finally said so quietly that he almost missed it. “I know about the gossip, and the godsdamned songs and poems the local bards have spun up since that day in the Vault, and since my return upon Midgardsormr.”

Which was how Thancred had first heard; he wouldn’t have given such the tavern bawds credence, however, if he hadn’t also spoken to the Fortemps servants about how besotted the young lord had been with their guest, and how she was so carefully interested in return, and wasn’t it all just so terribly tragic, she had been so aggrieved…

“If I could stop all those rumors, I would,” she practically growled. “Haurchefant was…a friend. That’s…that’s all.”

Thancred peered at her. She was still turned away, staring into the fire. “You’re still a bad liar,” he pointed out.

Aeryn did turn now, to scowl at him. She looked about to say something, then blinked, her irritation turning to concern. “Hells, Thancred, you’re freezing.”

“There is a blizzard out there.”

She shook her head, finishing removing her own clothes until she was just in her band and smalls, then dove under the blanket with him. He expected back to back, but she wrapped her limbs around him and was not only warm, but the close contact with another person again left him heady.

Thancred thought for a moment. How long had it been since he had touched, and been touched, by another person so intimately? Moons, certainly, even counting his brief tryst with Hilda on his first arriving in Ishgard. That had been...different, than this; more desperation than anything, sating an immediate need for carnal contact with willing company (and that wasn’t insectoid).

All right then; how long since he had experienced an innocently friendly, intimate touch with no other expectations? He really couldn’t say, as he wrapped his arms around Aeryn in return.

“I’d…tried to reciprocate his affections,” Aeryn said after a moment. Thancred frowned. Her head rested on his shoulder, dark strands of hair tickling his cheek while her breath was warm on his collarbone when she spoke. “He was my friend, and I cared for him as such—and realized, too late, that was how it was. He wanted something else. Then everything happened and I never got—never took—the chance to clear the air with him before…everything happened.”

“I’m sorry,” Thancred said, wincing. “For how that turned out, for that loss of a friend, and for my thoughtlessness and heeding of base rumors.”

He could imagine the little thinking crease between her brows as she took a long moment to respond. “Thank you,” she said eventually, not elaborating. Then she sighed. “Not the first time I’ve made such an error. I thought I’d grown past such, knew myself better. I hate feeling like I led the man on, or used him.”

“Knowing you, I doubt that’s what happened,” Thancred said. “Still, nice to know our Warrior of Light’s yet fallible,” he teased gently, jostling her.

She whined a little. “Keep that up and I’ll kick you all night.”

“Ah, is that the danger I face?”

“Only if you listen to my sisters. Or Yda. Or Y’shtola. Or—just go to sleep.”

He chuckled, watching the fire and listening to the wind howl outside. It was as cold as the Hell of Ice outside of their little nest of blankets. So stay put and don’t examine any other reason besides staying warm as to why that seemed like a nice idea.

Thancred shut the mental door firmly there. Aeryn was a friend and colleague, and they’d both been through too much hell in recent moons. His time of isolation had affected his mind and physical reactions when he was literally freezing and she only did what was necessary to keep him in good health, despite his acting like an ass. Had their positions been reversed, he’d have done the same with no thought of anything but her safety.

Well, he may still have made a few jokes, just to make her scoff and smile and snark back the way she usually did when he teased. He had truly missed that, and was truly sorry for causing distress by bringing up those rumors.

He merely wanted to look out for her interests and her own bruised heart. That was all.

—

He was alone. The plain was unending, empty but for the buzzing of insects and the distant roar of dragons. The wind howled, sounding like the shouts and screams of men in blue uniforms. Their ghosts sliced at his bare flesh as he ran, calling out the names of the Scions until he was hoarse while cold shadows blotted out his vision and Ultima burned through his veins as Lahabrea laughed…

—

“Thancred!” Aeryn’s voice jolted him awake. It was soon followed by the warmth of her hand on his face, checking his temperature. “Are you all right?”

“Bad dream,” he rasped, clearing his throat. “Apologies if my thrashing woke you.”

“More your clinging,” she said. She was one to talk, given how she had latched on like a barnacle. Aeryn started to remove her hand, but he caught it, holding it against his cheek, needing to keep that gentle touch, noting her scars and calluses, letting that reality ground him in time and place. “Thancred?”

“Apologies,” he said. “I simply…” Am acting a fool.

“You were alone for a while,” she said gently.

He smiled wanly, finally lifting his gaze to her. She was propped on her elbow, watching him. His eye covering had slipped off in his restless slumber; his left eye was beginning to throb from the aetherial underlay it showed, a result of the damage he had taken from the Flow before being spat into the Dravanian wilderness. He temporarily forgot the discomfort it caused as he finally looked at Aeryn with his eye uncovered. She glowed with bright aether, sparking across every ilm in shimmering blue, tracing her limbs, outlining each muscle, every scar, the well of brilliant strength within her possibly fathomless...

“The Vath are not the best company for a fleshling, unfortunately,” he admitted after too long spent staring. “I didn’t realize how lonely I had been until...well, until you all found me again.”

She pulled him close, letting him lean on her this time in a simple embrace. “You’re here,” she said quietly. “You’re all right.”

He let out a heavy sigh and listened to the steadiness of her heartbeat, breathed in the hint of her violas mixed with the tang of earlier activity sweat. “Do you ever tire of taking care of people?” he asked, only half joking.

“Sometimes,” she admitted, like it was a recent realization she was still parsing through. “But not right now.” Another pause, and a slight squeeze. “I’ve spent too long worried for all of you. Wanting to find everyone, and we still haven’t—“ She stopped.

“I’m glad you found me,” he said. “And with your good luck, it won’t be long until we find the others.” Until we find Minfilia.

He thought to wait until Aeryn was asleep again before adjusting to a more appropriate position— he was aware of exactly where her thigh was despite the innocence of their situation—but then her fingertips brushed his bare left cheek, startling him. “I just realized your bandana fell off.”

“It’s fine, didn’t mean to sleep with it on at all,” he muttered, reveling in the sensation of her fingers tracing along his cheekbone. Ever-caring, their Aeryn; she was simply helping him (again, a part of him hissed, a part he told to shut up) after so long on his own.

“No scarring; I thought you were injured?” she sounded like she wasn’t certain if she should be annoyed or not.

“Not physically, as such,” he answered. Her fingers ghosted over his eye, and there was an ever-so-slight bit of warmth and light; the only indication of magic used. He could no longer feel the shift in the aether, but he kept that annoying fact to himself.

“Aetheric damage,” she said, resting that hand on his shoulder.

“One does not traverse the Lifestream unscathed,” Thancred answered. “Even as a passenger.”

“Any pain?”

How to explain it? In the end, he simply said: “Not especially; eye strain headaches, hence keeping it covered most of the time. Nothing I can’t manage.”

“You try to manage much by yourself.”

He chuckled wryly at that. “But honestly, it’s mostly an inconvenience, I promise you.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” she replied.

“I don’t doubt that you shall.”

They faded off into sleep again, and this time there were no nightmares. Tomorrow they would dig themselves out and return to Ishgard, job done, and not speak of the details. Tonight, however, was friendly warmth and comfort while the storm raged outside.

[mifeeey]

during december last year i had... a mental health moment and suffered something psychosis like (not trying to self -diagnose) but let's just say generally i wasn't doing hot. while that was happening i started writing a fic and I want to share a snippet, just to see if there is interest in reading this... thing bc i think the concept is interesting, I'm just very nervous about how it would be received.

I probably won't finish it unless there is sufficient demand but I also think that letting this rot on my google docs would be a waste. But after you read the snippet pls vote

Here it goes:

Prometheus (Kazuscara)

(click keep reading for fic snippet)

[...] Scaramouche's eyes narrow ever so slightly as he studies the aged photograph. A surge of emotions, long suppressed and buried beneath layers of deception, momentarily flickers across his face. The younger version of himself stares back, frozen in time, a ghost of centuries past.

"Well, I'll be damned," Scaramouche mutters, his cool demeanor faltering for just a moment before he catches himself. "Quite the resemblance, I must say. Lucky coincidence, I suppose."

Kaedehara's gaze is intense, unwavering. "It's no coincidence, and you know it."

Scaramouche leans back in his chair, crossing his arms as he reasserts control over his emotions. "Look, kid, I don't know what fantasy world you're living in, but people don't live for centuries. It's just not possible."

“Yes it is!” the young man insists with a slight tremble in his voice, “That’s you in the picture, I know it is! I’ve been looking into this ever since I saw you in class for the first time, you keep popping up in so many pictures over multiple generations!”

Scaramouche leans forward, locking eyes with Kaedehara. The room feels like it's closing in, the air thick with tension. "Let's entertain this little fantasy of yours," he says, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial tone. "Suppose, just for a moment, that I am the person in that photograph. What does that mean to you?"

Kaedehara hesitates, as if choosing his words carefully. "It means you're not just some TA in a college. It means you're something more. Something that defies the natural order of life and death."

Scaramouche sighs, getting frustrated with not being able to stop this questioning. "And why would that matter to you, Mr. Kaedehara?”

Kaedehara takes a shaky breath, attempting to calm himself, “I-It has to be true. No, I need it to be true.”

The determination in Kaedehara's eyes is unsettling. Scaramouche has encountered curious mortals before, but this is different. The fervor in the young man's voice speaks volumes of something deeper than mere curiosity.

"You need it to be true?" Scaramouche repeats, masking his intrigue with a facade of disinterest. "And why is that, pray tell?"

Kaedehara's fingers tremble as he clutches the aged book, his gaze fixed on Scaramouche. "Because if it's true... Y-You might be able to help me.”

Scaramouche finally takes his shades off, raising an eyebrow at Kaedehara, “Help you?”

The young student nods, “There is… something wrong with me. I don’t know when and how this happened but… I don’t think I can die. I-In fact I can’t be permanently damaged at all.”

..............................

Summary I wrote:

Scaramouche has lived for centuries, cursed by his nature and his creator to wander the mortal realm, plagued by a perpetual beast like hunger for the flesh and blood of the humans surrounding him.

There is no sense in getting attached, they are all just short lived sources of sustenance for an immortal like him.

That is until one of Scaramouche’s students cuts off two of his own fingers before his eyes and grows them back immediately.

OR

Two immortals killing each other slowly. This is a love story.

[positivexcellence]

Jensen Ackles Likes Where ‘Big Sky’ Season 3 Finale Left Beau & Jenny

I have to say how seamlessly Beau has fit into the world of Big Sky since his introduction last season.

Jensen Ackles: It’s never easy coming onto an established show and trying to find your footing. I came in [the] third season on The Boys; now I’m coming in third season on Big Sky. I’m just like, OK, here we go again. It’s like the new kid at school. But everybody was very welcoming. Everybody was very gracious, and yeah, they gave me a character I thought filled maybe a little bit of a void in what we were seeing in the show. I just tried to hit those notes and bring a little levity to what is essentially a pretty grim basis for a show, which is just murder mystery constantly. But it’s good to layer in some of the lighter moments. I think it just gives the show and the storyline some complexity that makes it makes it more entertaining.

At the beginning of the season, you joked with Elwood Reid about when you would go all Liam Neeson, and you certainly got to do that in these last two episodes with Avery (Henry Ian Cusick), Sunny, and Buck to save Emily.

Yeah, I feel like that might have been a little prophetic for me. [Laughs] I think I said it, and I willed it to happen, and Elwood was like, “look, man, it was your fault; you said it.” I was happy with the way it ended up. I kind of figured that that was where we were going, and I was looking forward to getting to show a different side of Beau and get to play that less happy-go-lucky, good ol’ boy and more of just a father in absolute misery and fury.

At the end of the season, Beau is kind of torn between moving back to Houston with Emily and Carla (Angelique Cabral) and facing his ghosts there and maybe staying and looking forward. Do you think he has any idea what he wants to do?

I don’t know. The show leaves Beau, I think, in a real contemplative state. I think that he has a strong desire to reconnect with his ex-wife. I think he still does love her. Obviously, he wants to be in as close proximity to his daughter as possible. That’s very enticing for reconnecting with his ex-wife as well. But then, at the same time, does that just lead to the same place that ended up breaking them up in the first place? And is this new role and a new place with new faces and new friends a fresh start for him that he needs to kind of move past what he was coming from in Houston? I think it sets up those questions in a great way. Whether or not we’ll answer them that’s not up to me.

How does Beau feel about Jenny? I kept expecting something to happen in that final scene…

Yeah. In my opinion, that’s just good TV. Leave the audience wanting more is something that I’ve heard many, many times, and I think it’s just a formula that works. And I think we gave just a little bit of what some of the audience was hoping for. There was a moment there, and there was a connection there, and there were clearly sparks. But do we need to play it out in a graphic sex scene? I don’t know. That’s for the streamers. We’re still doing broadcast TV here, still trying to keep it a little friendly.

Kisses do tend to happen in finales…

Let me ask you this, would it have been even worse had we started leaning towards the kiss and they cut the credits?

Probably.

Probably, right? [Laughs] Or would you have rather seen, like, boom, kiss, and the bedroom door flies open, and we’re just hungrily attacking each other, and we fall onto the bed, boom credits?

I was expecting to be left with the question of whether they would even go further than a kiss and cross that line.

Yeah, absolutely. I think that was that moment. A kiss wasn’t necessarily needed for the moment of, “OK, the walls have just come down. The lines are certainly being crossed, but let’s not jump across the line. Let’s tiptoe for now until we figure out what this is.” I thought that was a nice way of doing it in a way that wasn’t scratching that itch that everybody wanted to scratch so much, you know what I mean? I appreciated it, but I could also see why people were like, “Oh, come on, give us the goods.”

Is he ready to open up to Jenny about his ghosts? He says after a few more beers, but that’s different from being ready.

That was just like; I’m not ready yet. I’ve got to warm up to that. As I would know, a way for a Texas guy to say that is, “well, I’m gonna need a few more beers before I get into all that,” which is just, “I need to be a little bit more comfortable. I need to know how I’m gonna phrase it, how I’m gonna say it. Because you start to think about how you’re gonna react and how I’m gonna feel, and do I really want to open up that Pandora’s box with this person who I work with on a daily basis? I’m gonna have to see her on Monday. Is this something that now it’s gonna be awkward?” So there’s, I think, a lot of questions in that moment, which fired it up in a way that that made it not so sexual. It made it like two humans really, truly connecting. It wasn’t just like, oh, let’s rip each other’s clothes off. It’s like, oh, let’s strip away the walls that we’ve been hiding behind all season, and let’s maybe get to an emotional point here with each other that could certainly then lead to intimacy.

Katheryn and I talked about it. We talked about that a lot more than I think normal. She and I usually come in guns blazing, we’re ready to go, and we can hit those script notes and do our job. But this scene took a little bit more kind of ironing out just from the emotional standpoint where we wanted to land and how we wanted it to go from A to B and B to C. And I thought it was a deeper, richer way of going about it in the fact that it was less just, oh, here’s two adults that are attracted to each other, and so let’s start making out and head of the bedroom, and more about, this is a friend who clearly there’s chemistry there, and she wants to know about my backstory. Maybe it’s now time to drop those walls down and start opening up to this person — which we know when you do that, that just leads to more things. So I think had there been 15 more minutes of the episode, we probably would’ve seen Beau leaving the next morning.

Talk about filming the Beau-Buck fight.

Yeah. I kind of knew that was coming down [the] pipe, and Elwood had mentioned that this was gonna roll out. I was really excited because I’m just such a huge fan of Rex. And I told him that the first day. He showed up with Reba, and everybody was like, oh, Reba, Reba, Reba. And I just ran right up to Rex. I was like, “dude, I watched so many of your movies. I grew up watching you. I’m such a fan.”

He and I are both were both born and raised in Texas, and we just got along really well. And so, to get to work with him in that capacity, I was tickled. It was a lot of fun. He’s such a great performer and scene partner and just a good guy all around, not just working with him on camera. Just throw a football with him, just hang out with him, drink a beer with him. He’s that kind of guy. So to get to do that kind of work with somebody like that just made it all that much more fulfilling and fun and exciting.

I liked the nods to Supernatural this season, especially Beau giving Cassie salt for her new house, so she’s protected — “from demons,” as she remarks.

I can’t remember if that was in the script because it was so long ago. I think it was an ad lib — because I did a few different versions of that. That was one thing that they kind of encouraged me to do was do one scripted, and then if I’ve got some ideas, I can ad-lib some stuff. Not changing the script, but just changing a word here like that, for instance, I’ll just throw it in. It’s not gonna change the scene at all. It’s not gonna change the moment. It’s not gonna change anybody else’s dialogue, but it just kind of keeps it fresh. I got to do that quite a bit this season, which is a lot of fun. And I think that that was just an ad-lib that I think that I threw out there. [Laughs]

Tv insider