#this is why I didn't invite Roxy

[thewertsearch]

TG: ooof jake jake no please TG: this is a conversation that cant happen cause i started it and i blew it by saying stuff so u have to foroget it

Yeah, that tends to happen when you're shitfaced.

Impulsive though it was, Roxy's clumsy reference to Jane's crush probably stemmed from a genuine desire to help her out. Crocker is lovesick, and Roxy wants it to be resolved, one way or another, so that the poor girl can stop pining already.

GT: Ok but may i say this? TG: mrm? GT: If in the future i would like to bring up certain topics completely unsolicited by one who may be sworn to secrecy on those very matters… GT: And im in need of i guess neutral and totally non compromising advice from a friend do you think that miss zuipperpips might unseal those scandalous metal choppers for a bit?

I still can't tell if Jake knows about Roxy's crush. If he does, then this is a pretty cruel request to make. He's basically asking her to bury her own feelings, and facilitate his relationship with someone else instead.

I have a sneaking suspicion that he is aware, actually, because he's cognizant of the fact that this conversation could interfere with Jane and Roxy's friendship.

...yeah, I'm pretty sure you know what's up, Jake English. Why else would you think that asking Jane out would bother Roxy?

TG: im totals your bee eff effsy jake TG: i am like TG: AT PEACE with that reality fromerly known as a raw fuckin deal for what avenues it closes betewen u and i that bein your bffsy has got to mean but yeah GT: Wait what? TG: i am just chill as fuck about being a pale friend to all varieties of cute and eligible as hell peeps TG: do you see my shoulder and how it says hey friend plz deposit tears here? TG: that is a LEGIT invite and is like sincere as fuckin BANANAS

...and if he didn't know before, he definitely knows now.

This kid's life is getting very complicated, very fast - and if Roxy's bringing quadrants into the mix, then things are about to get hairy.

TG: and not that im back pebbling but what about your best bro TG: dont you get 2 talkin to him about girl troubles ever GT: Yeaaaah… GT: Well. GT: Like i said the whole thing is complicated. Best not to get into it all until im ready to you know… GT: Really start manhandling these bushel loads of prickly pears.

There's also the very real possibility that Jake's not into girls at all. He might be actively crushing on Bro, instead - or, he might think he's into Jane and/or Roxy, but is actually much further up the Kinsey Scale than he's realized. Maybe he feels that he should like girls, and his obsession with blue women is more of a performance of heterosexuality than the real deal.

If anything like that is going on, Jake's most ethical move is to declare to everyone involved that he's not ready for a relationship, and won't be until he understands his feelings a little better. The issue, of course, is that everyone involved is a hormonal teenager, so we can forget all about straightforward communication. This is going to be a mess.

TG: as an early wigglin day thing u know what ill do GT: I still dont really get the wiggling thing but no what? TG: ill enable the brobots novice setting again for you

Does Roxy know that that's the gay setting, or...?

[venbetta]

I watched Sinners the third time (it will happen again)

And because I can't be fucking normal about things, I will be headcanoning how the Glamrocks would be able to convince you to lt them in (you are well acquainted with them)

Note: This isn't BASED in the universe of Sinners, so it's very disconnected from the film itself. Ironically, wasn't very into vampires until this film, so this is mostly for fun/silly... fully recommend this movie 10/10.

How would they get in?

『 Glamrocks as vampires 』

Freddy

"My, you look stunning in that outfit..."

- He looks relatively normal, well put together

- He speaks very bubbly, mentioning how excited he was about attending your get-together

- He even brought refreshments!

- He's very focused on you, not really breaking his gaze for anyone else passing by...

- The small talk ends with you beckoning him to join the party, he knowingly smiles as he enters...

- He hovers around, giving you longing glances every so often

- He seems to be really happy to be around you, to the point where he's salivating as he drinks...

Bonnie

"You're throwing a really good-looking party here..."

- He's well kempt, walks up with a suave lean on the paneling

- He's looking you up and down, possibly checking you out. Of course, he tosses a sweet comment on your attire

- He mentioned having caught wind of the get-together down the grapevine, and thought of dropping by

- He looked past you sometimes, but he kept his gaze on you

- He reminds you of your previous times together, briefly reminiscing on the good times you shared

- He doesn't mind reconnecting with you again, if that's all fine with you

- You felt nostalgic talking to him, and so, why not let the feeling linger a little longer

- He glides in without missing a beat, and he locks arms with you as you both return to the party, a loving smirk on his lips.

- You both found yourselves in the dimmest corner of the dance, speaking softly under the music.

- Despite it being dark, you could feel his gaze, looking up to see glowing irises on you...

Monty

"Gee, you didn't think to invite me?"

‐ He's a little scruffy, but he still knew how to throw something on. You thought you saw an odd stain on his blouse, but were distracted by him messing with his hair as he stepped up.

- He fidgets with his hat as he jested about not being notified about the party

- You mentioned you had sent him an invitation, and he feebly grumbles about it possibly being misplaced

- He swayed as he spoke with you, eyes looking past you, a little grin on his face

- He seemed flushed, probably from the summer heat

- His tail twitched every other word

- You sensed he was feeling awkward about the miscommunication and exhausted from the journey, so you offered him some refreshments inside

- He hurried in, clumsily thanking you, hand finding its way to your backside as you led him in

- Over at the bar, he doesn't keep his burning eyes off you, even as he takes a nice long sip from his drink, before making his way over...

Chica

"You put this all together yourself?"

- She was an old friend, coming up with a nice little outfit.

- She shows it off to you even

- She said she was looking forward to partying with you again, giggling as she roved over your outfit, eyes lingering on other places

- She also mentions being starved, having not eaten since earlier that day

- Something about wanting to save her appetite

- Of course, you point her over to the counter, and she skips in with a giggle, yanking your arm as she asks for suggestions... squinting as she gave you a nice once over

- All while going over the food options, the only menu item she seemed fixated on was you...

Roxy

"Surely, you have room for one more?"

- She showed up with a glamorous outfit, sticking out in the best way

- She fixed her hair as she stepped up, eyes looking you up and down

- You didn't forget about her, of course, she was well known around these parts

- You didn't waste a second stepping aside, letting her in as she strolled by gracefully

- She huffed in appreciation, leering your way as she passed

- Most of the other party goers greeted her, and she soaked in the attention

- You were, somehow, always in her line of sight at every instance of the night

- At one point, she declares the room being too stuffy for her liking, and insists you accompany her outside for a quick breath of fresh air on the patio

- And while out there, she smiles at you, her sharpened fangs glistening under the moonlight...

That's it for now... I just wanted to make something vampire related for the glamrocks...

[writersblockedx]

Winter's Protection: Chapter Two

Pairing - Bodyguard!Bucky Barnes x Fem!reader Summary - Your bodyguard takes things a little too far when you're threatened at a party. Warnings - Reader experiences sexual assault, violence, drinking Words - 2.4K

Read Part One Here Masterlist

It was a strange norm to get used to. Coming down to the solider cooking, reading, living a life in your own room - without any invitation. You barely spoke. Odd bickering moments when you begged for privacy, but he always won such with the threat of your father.

But of course, the time came when you were once again invited out for drinks with your friend group. A time when you would usually let loose, leave any kind of security and escape into a free city. Alas, you highly doubt the winter soldier was going to let you go so easy. You did as you always did. Getting ready without even mentioning the fact you were leaving. Maybe then he would let you slip away, maybe.

Though, it hadn't taken him long to realise what was going on when you wandered downstairs with your hair in rollers and your glamour makeup glistening. "You're going out." The soldier observed, taking in your frame for just a moment before he stood from the sofa.

You pulled your handbag over your shoulder as you faced the man, "Is that a problem?" His head shook. He stayed silent; how predictable. "And, let me guess, you're coming with." Another silent nod of recognition that he had heard you.

A sigh fell from your lips as you headed for the door, the soldier trailing behind you. "If you've got to join, will you at least drive me?" You turned to him, uncertain of his response.

He gave no nod or shake of his head. He took a moment, and thought on it, before speaking, "Sure." 

The soldier slipped into the front seat, slowly revealing his metallic hand that was once hidden beneath the safety of his leather glove. You watched him carefully, placing your bag at your feet in the passenger's side. "Where to?" He requested, switching on the engine, barely glancing at you.

"Roxie's." Your eyes followed him cautiously like he couldn't be trusted. The truth was, none of your bodyguards had ever driven you anywhere. Most of them didn't care to do so, some of them too incompetent. "It's downtown area, near the east quater-"

He cut you off, "I know where it is." He answered ever so bluntly.

So you kept your lips shut as he drove, taking all the back roads and shortcuts. You pretended as if you weren't wondering about how the Winter Solider knew where everything was, how he knew the bar you and your friends attended religiously every weekend. Each thought you had seemed tainted with blood. That seemed your only answer as to why the Winter Solider would ever attend anywhere you had been. He didn't have his freedom, he didn't have weekends, he didn't have nights off, he just had orders. Orders to kill. Or, in your position, to protect.

Even to your surprise, he was able to grasp a spot right outside the front doors of the bar. You didn't move until the engine was switched off. From there, you threw open your door, heel grazing the concrete pavement as you grazed over the neon light which seemed ever so inviting at this time of night. You took one step to the right as to join the queue which waited behind a red rope.

And then a firm grip took a hold of your forearm, forcing you to a stop. "No." He stated and guided you towards the front door.

He ignored your resistance. "What are you doing? You can't fight your way in." Your words were hushed but angered nonetheless. "It's fine, I don't-"

Your words became silenced as you faced the security of the bar. "What can we do for you?" One of them asked, obviously irritated at the pair who had stopped her from doing her job of letting in the crowd of customers.

You could only watch as the soldier placed his metallic hand on the woman's shoulder. It wasn't so much of a threat, it was an introduction: he was the Winter Solider. She quickly sucked in a breath and nodded, "Just through this door." She pointed behind her before stepping out of the way for yourself and the Soldier to walk through. 

The two of you slipped into the sea of flashing lights and booming house music. One of which should have helped you ease. Alas, you found yourself in the mix of drunken youth, glaring back at the man. "What the hell was that?" You snapped at him, fury building up within your pupils.

"You wanted to party," He said, nonchalantly. "You're welcome."

You bit your tongue as to not let more anger fall from your lips. You didn't know what might happen if you were to fight back against the Winter Soldier. For now, you were happy not knowing, not testing the limits.

 "Y/n!" Came a booming voice from behind the two. You turned, facing your friend once again, she smiled your way until her lips snuck into a smirk at the sight of the bodyguard once again. She gazed him up and down like she about to bite her bottom lip. If she wasn't your friend, you might rolled your eyes. "See you've brought your bodyguard, once again. What's your name, pretty boy?"

The soldier didn't reponce, barely seemed to even have it in him to look down at the girl. "Where are we sat?" You interjected, sensing the irritation that your bodyguard suddenly extruded. Though, it did have you wandering what the Winter Soldier name truly was, if he even true, if he even cared to remember a past memory.

At such question, your friend interlocked your arm with her own. "This way." She pointed to a back booth where old money kids and inspiring lawyers mingled. Also known as your only group of friends. "Oh, and you should know," Her voice became hushed before she continued, "Ryan's here."

The soldier must have sensed the way your chest tensed at the name drop, before you knew it, he was right at your side. You swallowed, "What-? What do you mean? I thought we all agreed to stop inviting him." You protested against the thought of such a touchy man slivering his way back into your life.

"He sort of just invited himself." She shrugged before tugging you along. "Come on,"

The two of you, with the Solider right behind, wandered up to the booth. It was already littered in empty shot glasses, glitter and vapes. Your friends all invited you in, even Ryan passed you a smile which you didn't return. One of the boys, one which came from a famously wealthy family, smirked at he gazed at the bodyguard. "Whose this? New boyfriend?" The soldier didn't move an itch but you still caught the way Ryan seemed to grit his teeth.

"New bodyguard." You answered, taking the glass of champye which was offered.

One of your other friends scoffed between her red lips, "Thought you were ditching all that?"

You gulped at your drink, "Can't upset Daddy dearest anymore, think he'll throw me in a cell if I run away from any more bodyguards." You explained, intending to leave out the part where said bodyguard was in fact a nortious assian for the taskforce your father ran.

Ryan drew forward towards the soldier, a firm hand landing on his shoulder. A movement of which was returned with a harsh glare. "Well, I hope you no how to have fun." He was silent. You watched carefully, wandering if he was about to snap. A moment passed. Ryan let his hand drop from the shoulder and grazed past your figure. "What great company you've brought us, Pierce." He laughed to himself. "Why don't you entertain me on the dance floor?"

There was a sick tone in his voice that made you want to throw up. "Never happening." You snapped back.

"Really?" Ryan smirked to himself. "I recall you having quite the night last night we danced together."

The memory flooded your brain in blurs. It was still disconnected after the month which had passed, still parts missing, yet the thought of what you did remember made your skin shiver. "I was drunk." You seemed to have to remind him - not that he seemed to care.

"Sure," He replied before returning to seats in the corner of the booth.

What you hadn't realised was that the expressionless soldier, had been listening to every word. He was smart like that. Trained to be an eavesdropping, trained to gather information. He watched as you tugged at your friend's arm, dragging her away from the wanna-be lawyer. "Hey, can we go somewhere else?" You begged.

"Bar?" With your nod, the two of you practically rushed away from your group, towards the back of the bar where you placed an order.

For a second, the solider lingered, his eyes trained on Ryan and then way he seemed to be flirting with every girl sat at the table. When he had enough of watching such, he returned to your side. "I want to punch him." He heard you say.

"I know." Replied the friend before offering you a shot of something alcholic. "Here."

You sucked in a breath, chugging the substance as it burned your throat. "I still want to punch him."

And so, another drink was handed your way. This time, with mixer. "It's a double, don't worry." Your friend assured.

Sipping at your drink, you leant your back against the bar, staring across at the crowded booth. "I can't go back up there."

"Okay, so don't." Your brow raised at her comment. "Come here." She extended a hand out for you to take. When you did, even with reluctance, she dragged you towards the sea of flashing lights and intoxicated customers.

From there, the two of you sipped at your drinks while letting yourself sway to the music. Smiles gracing at your lips, focused on nothing but each other. A while back, the two of you would have been on the hunt for someone to make your night worth wild. Alas, for this night, all you needed was one another. And the solider that still watched from afar, not seeming to dare let his eyes from your body.

But such bliss was short-lived. The booming chatter of voices your recongised soon came into earshot. Your entire group had moved from the booth onto the dance floor, Ryan included. Your eyes glanced to your friend, worry written in your pupils. You preyed he kept his distance. But that wasn't ever in Ryan's nature. For the first couple of songs, he kept his distance. For a second, you even relaxed. Maybe he wasn't about to try anything.

"I'm gonna get another drink!" Your friend yelled over the far to loud music.

Even when you shouted back, "What?" She didn't hear. Before you knew it, she was walking away, leaving you seemingly unprotected.

It didn't take him long. He clocked on to your vulnerability the moment your friend left. And like that, he swooped along side you. "You don't seem to want my company tonight?" Ryan observed, his words whispered against your ear.

"No, I don't." You thought you had made it abundetly clear. Maybe he was just dim-witted, or maybe he thought you we're playing a long game of hard to get. Knowing the size of his ego, you were betting on the latter. 

"That's just too bad." He continued to speak into your ear. As his words left his lips, you suddenly felt the presence of his hand on your hand. You wanted nothing more than to swat it away, but your body seemed to bretay you; you froze in the same way you did whenever you thought of your last night out with the boy.

Your breath hitched. "What are you doing?" Seemed to be the only question you could muster, despite the desperation to yell at him to get his sticky fingers away from your body.

"Nothing." His smirk returned, as did your sudden want to throw up.

Such only worsened when his hand slipped further down. And it kept going. "Ryan don't-"

"What?" He acted smug, like he wasn't making your whole body crumble from the inside out.

When you felt his hand on your arse, you forced yourself to snap out of it. "Ryan." His name said with a stern snap. He didn't stop, we you felt him pinch, you shoved him away from you. "Ryan!"

Even with your words, he wasn't giving in. His smug expression never left his eyes. "What? Come on, I'm just having fun." You wanted to scream, and you wanted to punch him now more than ever. But God forbid a woman make a scene.

You put a firm hand at his chest, pushing him away with enough force that his hands finally let your skin. "Yeah, well I'm not." You snapped back at him. 

You barely had a chance to take another breath before Ryan was suddenly bleeding. A harsh punch to his chin, enough to cause a brusie in the morning. Everyone stopped, staring at the soldier and his metallic hand, now tainted in spots on red. No one had time to do anything before Ryan was thrown onto the floor, alerting the fellow dancers of the scene. Several punches in and more blood casted against Ryan's sickly pale skin.

It wasn't long before a sea of the bar's security crew rushed in. But either their attempts to prey the soldier off were futile. So you found yourself stepping forward, "Stop!" Your hands gripped at his arm, yelling once again, "Stop."

When the soldier raised his hand for the next punch, he slowed. His furious eyes turning to yourself. They seemed to ease. "I'm going." You tugged at him further, a silence instruction that he needed to follow, because they were his orders, not to continue punching some egotistical dick. "Leave him." Suddenly, you felt a rush of power. Oneof which always made you feel sick. Having a human at your will, for whatever you needed, to obey anything you requested. A role you dad had seemed to take on effortlessly in the past.

And so, with the winter solider at your side, you slipped away from the scene. Your body still shaking. Though, you weren't sure if that was at the fault of Ryan's behaviour or watching how easily the Winter Solider could have broken the man in two for you. You wondered what else he had done to men. How easily he seemed to let his hands turn red, dripping with blood. You wondered how you would sleep at night knowing that was the man who now lived alongside you for every breathing moment. 

[agrosehamada]

Dear Diary: Rose Hamada, January 16th, 2058

Dear Diary,

Today we had a new girl in class--her name is Cassie Lupin! She just moved her to San Fransokyo from Utah with her moms. They had a few delays with their moving truck which is why she was kinda late starting the semester--of course her starting late has everyone curious about her!

I'm always too shy to talk to new people at first, but Hermione and Sunny are braver than me, and when they noticed she had a bunch of video game patches on her backpack they went right up to her and invited her to eat lunch with us. And she actually said yes!

She seems kinda quiet like me, but nice. She was pretty excited to find out that Sunny has two moms like her, and that I have two dads and that Hermione's dad is aro ace--she said back at her old school a lot of people made fun of her for having two moms, which is so not okay! I think it helped her feel safe sitting with us, though :)

Her moms' names are Roxy and Chika, until recently they performed in a mascot band (how cool is that?) with her uncles, but apparently there was some big fight recently and the band broke up, so her moms decided it was time for a fresh start. She didn't really want to talk about the fight, which I totally get--who wants to talk about family fights? But she said she missed her cousin Gregory a lot.

She was more excited to talk about what her moms are doing here--they're going to open a retro arcade with go-carts and some other attractions, which sounds really cool! I know my family would love that, especially Dad, we'll totally have to check it out once it's open!

It's really nice making a new friend, I hope Cassie hangs out with us more--she had to go home after school today to help her moms, but we invited her to come hang out at the Lucky Cat Cafe with us sometime and she said she'd ask her moms for permission!

Have a good night, diary!

Love,

Rose

((So yepppp I finally made a doll of Cassie from Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach - Ruin! SHE'S SO CUTE OMG!!!!!! I thought it would be fun for her to be friends with Rose and the girls--I'm going with a human AU for Roxy and Chika, buttttt I mean there could totally be an AU with the actual FNAF stuff going on--I'm just not super good with spooky stuff (ironic considering how far I deep dived into FNAF, I know!) but it's fun to think about!))

[gideonsuggestions]

spto rewrite

okay so I've been thinking about how I would fix this thing in a way that pleases both the old fans and the new ones and I think I finally got it. since bryan didn't want to tell the same story over again, I'm going to respect his wishes (bear with me here) and have a fresh, new take on the franchise that completely does away with the genre, themes, symbolism, magical realism, slice-of-life elements, and pacing like spto did. in fact, why even make this a show? we could just have a great animated movie instead. 1h10, tops. that's probably close to the combined length of all eight episodes anyway. and in the spirit of glorious change I think we should switch dreary canada for somewhere more warm and humid, like a rainforest. bear with me here. like spto, I'm going to keep the time period vague and interchangeable, so my rewrite will combine modern humor and 2000s music with ancient incan society. good, right? right. of course, I'll keep the characters as close as possible to their original incantations, to satisfy the comic fans. scott is an egotistical, small-minded moron with a victim complex and a need to be worshipped. gideon is an old scheming, self-obsessed drama queen. roxie is a kind-hearted and caring but occasionally gruff person. ramona is cool and sexy. lucas is a secretly-good himbo. I would also make some other changes that keep in line with bryan's goals for spto: roxie, for example, will get a bigger role. in fact, she should be a main character. ramona has had enough screentime, so in the spirit of wokeness we'll make her roxie's wife. who needs a league of evil exes, anyway? we're tired of telling the same old story again, after all! also gideon and lucas have a pre-established evil friendship. so we begin the story in basically the same way: egotistical scott pilgrim thinks the world revolves around him. he's been spoiled and coddled his whole life, he's terrible to women, so on and so forth. he's got his own theme song. now let's say that one day he gets into some trouble with gideon- maybe scott is the one who takes away his metaphorical throne instead of spto matthew. so gideon and lucas head down to their secret lab to concoct a scheme to kill him and steal back their throne. their first plan, to create a league of guys who want to kill him, would probably cost too much, so they just decide to poison him. so they invite him over for a nice dinner to make amends, and lucas slips the poison into his drink. but it doesn't kill him! in fact, it turns him into a llama and h

[psychedelic-ink]

Loving the Dave York apologies all day every day obvi ✌️…now consider this your invitation for a teeny tiny jack rant? One headcanon you can’t live without?

Oh god you just opened pandora's box because my rant about the movie doesn't end with Jack it's for the entirety of Kingsman 2

buuut I'll just keep my rant limited to Jack. Spoiler alert, I'm a jack apologist as well, fight me

First of all, I'm still confused as to when Jack decided to let every drug user die. But from what I understand he just decided to switch during the snow scene since there was no indication in the movie that he was plotting with Poppy all this time

That man did not deserve to DIE, LET ALONE GET MINCED

I get so so mad that they just decide to shred him. Especially when Eggsy just brushes it off by telling him to "put jel on it now"

SO YOU'RE TELLING ME EGGSY, WHO WAS GONNA KILL THE ASSHOLE THAT WAS HITTIN HIS MOTHER WITHOUT A SECOND THOUGHT, DID NOT RELATE TO JACK'S STORY AT ALL??????? HELLOOO?????? NOT EVEN A LITTLE???????

As if Eggst didn't kill Charlie moments ago for vengeance

It's dumb that eggsy has 0 conscience there. They could've just sent him to statesmen prison or something. And I like the kingsman franchise, I had fun during the first movie (tho very salty about how they treated roxy which is my second reason why Kingsman 2 just rubs me the wrong way) but the writing for the second one is just not it. I hate shock-value death.

But loved the fight scene. Like can I point out just how skilled Jack is. He went head to head with two kingsman agents TWO

I know Jack was "the asshole" of the statesmen but no one questioned his death. Just how big of an asshole was he????? We don't even get much clarity about why he doesn't want Ginger to be a field agent, we're just left to assume he's either misogynistic or just jealous Ginger might do well or---which is my personal take on it; he was just worried for her. In my head I have conducted an entire angsty story about those two and why their relationship is strained

But long story short just like with Dave, Jack did not deserve to die like that. It's not like he was straight-up evil. Man was grieving, throw him a bone for christ's sake lock him up or something

JUSTICE FOR JACK

[teebsbutyoudontknow]

Sing A Wonderful Song: A Pokemon Masters Winter 2024 Event ReWrite

I just wanted to make this event really shippy lol!

Bugsy had just finished hanging out with Aaron. It was a cool winter day; Christmas would be soon. While most of Bugsy’s other friends were busy with preparations, Bugsy and Aaron had little else to do, so they decided to just hang out; train, battle a little bit, talk bugs. The usual fare for them.

“The music of Kricketune is said to be as good as violinists in the old Kalosian days! I would know, I’ve heard it before.” Aaron explained. As a Sinnohian, and as a Bug-Type expert, Kricketune was a Pokemon he knew very well.

“Music, huh? I can’t say I ever listen to much, other than the sounds of nature. But one day, I should give music more of a try.” Bugsy smiled as he sat across Aaron at the outdoor table. But with a yawn and a stretch, Aaron waved a hand. “I’m gonna go cash in for the night. Feelin’ tired and I need my beauty sleep!” Aaron chimed in. “Catch ya later, Bugsy. Take care.” The two parted their ways, and after a little while later, Bugsy would find himself trekking back to the Center. 

Throughout the city streets of Pasio, Bugsy was looking up in the sky seeing the mid afternoon day turn dusky. Suddenly, a big dark ring appeared before Bugsy. Out came Hoopa; the only Hoopa known in Pasio. It was Lear’s.

The mischievous Pokémon giggled, and dropped a note directly into Bugsy’s net. It disappeared as soon as it arrived, through the same ring it made it's appearance known.

The whole event took Bugsy by shock.

“...What just happened?”

Bugsy looked into his net and pulled out a green and red striped envelope. He opened it quickly.

“You have been selected by Lear. Visit me in my castle tomorrow, 1400 sharp. Do not be late.

~ King Lear”

Bugsy gulped. He looked to his left to see his Scyther, who was just happily staring back at him without a care in the world. It made him feel better.

But only by a little bit.

—

“But why me?” 

Having been exactly five minutes earlier than the time given by Lear, Bugsy was standing before him. Lear was flanked by his assistants Rachel and Sawyer. They had just informed Bugsy that he was to be the conductor of their upcoming winter musical festival in Pasio. 

Bugsy barely even knows how to read a music note. Compared to his friends Viola or Burgh, he was hardly the artistic type.

“Simply put, the other musicians in Pasio… eh…” Lear furrowed his brow behind his shades and crossed his arms.

“Don't match the viiiibe.” Rachel chimed in.

“That's right.” Sawyer added. “The music that Roxie, Piers, Ryuki, and the like specialize in, is all too… loud and boisterous. Not the fit for the mood we want for the Christmas parade this year.”

“I see…” Bugsy nodded, but he had to admit to himself, it still didn't make him feel like he was prepared for the task at hand.

“Besides, you're not alone. Lillie will be here to help you; her and Primarina will be assisting in the parade as well.” Lear said, arm outstretched into her general direction.

Bugsy turned around, seeing Lillie walking up to the four. She was trailed by Elio and Selene. Bugsy didn't know she was invited, too.

“Of course! Lear really wanted you to be a part of this, Bugsy.” Lillie added, looking quite chipper as she scurried up some steps. “So he asked me, someone who's led quite a few events on Pasio before, to help!”

That made Bugsy smile, knowing he had someone experienced assisting him.

Lear continued to speak. “And don't forget, some of your friends have participated in festivities before, too. Such as Viola, and Jasmine.”

“And your girlfrieeeeend~.” Rachel teased, making Bugsy turn red in the face.

“Actually, with regards to that.” Lear cut off his subordinate with a glare at her. “I am going to ask you to not let Whitney know you're joining the parade until later.”

“Why's that?” Bugsy questioned.

“When Rika debuted on Pasio, she and Whitney held a contest over which of their Pokémon was the cutest. Dare I say, I made a mistake, and neither her nor Rika won. It made her quite upset…” Lear shook his head.

“I still feel the sting of having a failure like that on me. To own up to my mistake… I wanted you to be a part of this as a Christmas gift to her as an apology.” Lear was red in the face as well, albeit his blushing was due to him admitting his own mistakes. A rare sign of bashfulness from the King.

“So utilize your friends for assistance, but please, try to keep it a secret from her like you would a gift for her.”

Bugsy nodded, understanding the gravitas of the situation. But he did have one burning question left.

“Alright, but who will I form a sync pair with?” He asked.

Lear smirked. “Do you not know of any Pokémon with musical prowess?”

The Walking Bug-Type Encyclopedia, in a flash, recalled his experience with Aaron earlier. His voice echoed in his head���

“The music of Kricketune is said to be as good as violinists in the old Kalosian days! I would know, I’ve heard it before.”

A smile practically exploded onto his face.

“Kricketune! Oh boy, Lear, you're a genius!” Excitedly, Bugsy ran up and hugged the white–haired man, who let out a confused yelp.

“Bwack!? E-enough of the sappy stuff, save that for the actual day of!” Lear grumbled and tried, hopelessly, to push the eager boy off. He wasn’t having it; and the others just laughed at the sight of it all.

—

Bugsy and Lillie were practicing in a special hall inside of Lear’s castle. The privacy gave them some room to try and really jam out their tunes to see what worked and what didn't. Joining them was Lyra, Jasmine, Selene, and Elio.

Jasmine was assisting with lighting, using her and Ampharos. Elio, Lyra, and Selene were going to participate in the festival as well, and they were assisting in harmonizing for the event as well.

With Bugsy and his Kricketune, and Lillie and her shiny Primarina, the musical ensemble was going well, but the gang decided to break for the time being.

“My mom told me a lot about you, Bugsy.” Lillie spoke to Bugsy once they sitting down to take a break.

“She did?!” Bugsy replied with genuine shock. His purple strands of hair almost exploded out everywhere.

Lillie giggled at his shock. “She's a nice mom, really. She's not perfect; no Mom is, but we've gotten to mend a lot of things together here in Pasio. I'm very thankful for Lear bringing us together.”

Bugsy listened intensely.

“Anyhow,” Lillie continued, “Clair put a bad first impression of Johtoians to her. But when you paired up with her, she really liked how much you seemed to care and be interested in Guzma’s Pokémon, and Pheromosa. I can't promise you anything, Bugsy, but if you ever want to go to the Aether Foundation once this is all done, I'm sure she'd be happy to invite you!”

Bugsy's smile slowly cracked wider and wider as the realization that this really could be his way in to becoming a Pokémon professor! Sometimes it's not about what you know, but who you know.

“But for now, let's focus on the practice, okay?” Lillie added, beaming with a smile.

“Yes, of course!” Bugsy replied.

They returned to their positions. Bugsy was the conductor for the event, using a new rod to guide music. While he wasn't a master of it right away, he found it a bit easier than he had planned. He felt like he could guide the music in a way that wasn't too different than guiding his Pokémon in battle; much like he could direct where his Scyther were to strike, he could direct where the harmonies should rise and fall. He got himself lost in the music, becoming one with the wall of sound.

“Erm, Bugsy?”

Soon, the ensemble was done playing, leaving just Bugsy and Kricketune playing. When his name was called, he blinked his eyes open to see Elio trying to talk to him.

Bugsy just nervously laughed, which made the rest of the ensemble laugh too.

“As long as you stay focused, I think we'll all do great!” Lillie chimed in.

—-

A few days later, it was time for the festival parade. Everyone was in their winter outfits; at around nightfall there was a light dusting of snow on the ground. There was a clear path in the middle to make room for the parade’s path. Along the sides, were Whitney, Erika, Jasmine, and Viola, all in their festive apparel.

Whitney whined. “Hmph, where's Bugsy?! It isn't like him to be late like this…”

Erika just smiled knowingly. She had been informed by Jasmine earlier about where Bugsy truly was.

“I think he'll be here before you know it. Just trust me.” Erika smiled, huddling up close to Jasmine.

“Everyone!” A voice boomed out into the crowd from stereo speakers.

“This is Lear speaking! Please, give a warm welcome to our Pasio Holiday Parade!”

There was a tall curtain held up by several Ribombee, fluttering about to make sure that the cloth obscured whoever it was behind the crowd. Suddenly, they all let go and fluttered away, revealing Bugsy at the front with Kricketune to his side. He was dressed up in a white and red conductors outfit, that matched his partner Pokémon just as well as the festivities. His beret on his head and his boots stepping to the rhythm, he led the parade as a soft tune played throughout the air.

Raising his arm in rhythm, behind him were Elio and Lillie instructing their Primarina to sing a soft tone that almost began to enchant the listeners. It was melding with the wonderful falsetto of Lyra's Jigglypuff, singing into the air, as they fused with the timbre of Kricketune’s violin-like tune.

Whitney’s eyes went wide. This was the first time she ever saw Bugsy in a new outfit for Pasio. In any normal circumstance, she'd shout out and go absolutely bonkers about it given her intense love for her boyfriend, but she found herself entranced by everything. The sweet snow falling, the sparkle of the frosty air, the love of her life in a dapper outfit marching on, and the gorgeous tune that they were playing. All she could do was watch in delight, letting out a smitten swoon as she saw Bugsy lead the parade.

Bugsy, however, was focused on the parade as much as he could be. He definitely saw her through the corner of his vision. So he tried extremely hard to not look at her, which was definitely a challenge for him. He just focused on leading the parade; after all, all of Pasio counted on him.

Once he fell his mind and senses get lost in the music, it was like the sound took over for him. He flawlessly conducted the parade, and the gorgeous music alongside it, until at the end of the path he swiped his arms down to denote the end of the song. He looked up and everyone stopped, before uproarious applause erupted from the crowds. Bugsy smiled and panted; conducting took a lot out of him, but he was so happy he could be the star for once here in Pasio.

Suddenly, he heard footsteps rapidly approaching. Before he could even catch his breath, he saw Whitney running at him, with all her speed she had from her days at the Pokéathelon. She tackled him in a hug and planted a deep kiss on her lips. Bugsy's beret almost fell off. He embraced her back and enjoyed the sensation of her so close to him. He cooed, his eyes closed. She was the perfect thing to feel after the stress of performing for all of Pasio went away.

Everyone else stayed around to speak for the festivities. Having witnessed it all, Lear grinned. He considered it all a success. He retreated for the night, Sawyer and Rachel in tow.

Whitney and Bugsy found themselves a small clearing from the crowd, giggling and chatting amongst one another.

“You were perfect. Really, I mean it! I swear I was seein’ sparkles lookin’ at ya!” Whitney exclaimed, making Bugsy blush until he was almost the same shade as Kricketune.

The two were strolling through the crowd again, waving and giving pleasantries until they were close to the Christmas Tree set outside. Suddenly, Viola showed up.

“Bugsy! Whitney! It is so good to see you both! Bugsy, you and Kricketune were absolutely fantastic! Trés fantastique!”

Bugsy couldn't help but chuckle. Being the center of attention REALLY was something else for him, that's for sure! “Haha, thanks Viola!”

“Can I take a picture of you both? I need to capture this memory!”

Before Bugsy could even say anything, Whitney held him close. Posing cutely as she always did, she held up one of her hands in a V sign, while her other secured her boyfriend close. Bugsy smiled warmly at the camera, one arm holding Whitney as Viola snapped the picture.

This Christmas was one they both were always going to remember.

[sugarywishes]

Remember Monica? The oc sister of Gregory? I have a few ideas for her, Also, how would she interact with Cassie?

Outdated Lore Post

Yes I do! She is very much still an active part of my AU, she's just getting redesigned at the moment lol

(Sorry for changing her looks, her original design was too 'edgy' and 'cool' considering her backstory and personality lmao, had to give her a more loser vibe) if anyone wishes to help pick a design then reblog with your answers!!

As for the Cassie section, there are two ways it goes

So, considering that in my AU, Gregory presumably met Cassie while he was still a runaway orphan (IN UTAH NONETHELESS) Monica would've never met Cassie (if Cassie stayed in Utah anyway, which she didn't...later on lmao) and once they do meet, Monica was initially confused as to where this little girl came from and why she's talking about her brother (again, Monica thought he died, and once he did come back she just thought he stayed hidden for years)

I think it would be super funny if they did end up befriending each other eventually, think of it as a 'substitute' (bootleg) Roxy and Cassie, I guess (or maybe just, Cadence and Twilight from MLP kind of friendship 😭)

As for version 2 (for another...potentially work in progress AU with the Casas family, I know I said PBTA was the only universe they existed in but I wanna branch out...maybe) (Basically in this AU, no one died, but that doesn't mean everything turnt out good...especially for one, aged Evan Afton 👀)

Monica would've likely become the Roderick to Gregory's...Greg and Cassie's Rowley, annoying and messing with her brother (and his only friend at the time) all the way

(worth mentioning that in the 2nd doodle they're meant to be 6 years younger, 6 y/o Cassie and Greg and 10 y/o Monica)

I must clarify that she isn't a straight up bully/abuser like younger Michael was, she has limits she wouldn't cross no matter how much her friends would egg her on, she and Cassie do get along to an extent! Monica also kinda counts as the Buford (from Phineas and Ferb) since she's the 'mean character' who sometimes tags along on the adventures, so she probably got invited to a few play dates with Cassie and her brother sometimes (tea parties, video games, etc)

But regardless, I'll keep my ideas to myself for the meanwhile, this is still a work in progress AU, and I've got lots more coming ! (Hopefully maybe sorta I dunno :( )

[dasboligrafo]

7 Takes on The Double Life of Veronique

You know the thing where you like the same thing as a terrible person?

I guess even Lear-esque cringey edgelords like great movies and Keith McNally is not wrong about Sexy Beast and definitely definitely not wrong about the Double Life of Veronique, a movie I've now seen 3x, 2 of which ended in helpless tears (the only way I know if something is art).

This movie was a selection by McNally at a Roxy Cinema mini-festival in October 2023. As I told the crew who I invited (tricked?) to see the movie: now it's your turn to think about it for 15 years!

I love the moment after the movie when people are asking helplessly -- but what does the movie mean?!? And I really, really love the moment when people get angry at the end of the movie. These are real emotions! What's the last time a movie made you think anything other than "god, that was 45 minutes too long?" (The Double Life of Veronique is under 100 minutes! yessss)

[I didn't hear it cause I was, like, weeping, but my friend said at the end a guy behind us was angrily griping that the movie was too slow? Huh? Stuff is literally happening every moment of the movie? There is not a single wasted scene, line or frame? What even are these senses whose proofs we can so liberally ignore?]

Since it might be another 15 years until I see it again and I don't have the benefit of just having written a college thesis that was mostly about Lacan via Zizek, I thought I would type out a few thought exercises/interpretative frameworks that I think apply to this movie:

The contingent nature of the universe/the senselessness of existense -- probably the easiest to justify, especially in the context of Kieslowski's complete ouevre, in consideration of his personal history, based on the interviews he's given, etc...

What to do about emotional apocrypha — what do you do with and about feelings that seem to come from nowhere? Feelings are "real" and we know now (i.e. the science is now there to tell us, eg Lisa Feldman Barrets's fascinating work) they're not in any way subservient in value or usefulness to "reason"; like if anything the opposite, emotions are the "why" and reason is the very patched together and incomplete "how" behind what we are and what we do. Worth thinking about why it is Kieslowski's most compelling films have female protagonists given the historical association to the binary genders for emotion vs reason.

The duality and dichotomy of post-war East/West Europe -- I think this one is sorta obvious but not less resonant? There's a good article out there about how the film predicted a lot of the consequences of the EU. Elsewhere I've read that Polish critics pilloried Kieslowski for a traitor to his kind over this theme, which reminded me of the story about how Bach's works were sometimes not well received by the church patrons who got to hear a lot of it first because they thought it was too dour -- imagine you have the greatest musician who will ever live as your church musician and your biggest peeve is his music isn't fun enough for Sunday. In any event this is a major theme in Three Colors, and I'm sure there's no accident that this movie and the Trilogy are connected by the same fake composer (key work = "Song for the Unification of Europe"...)

Return to theory in film (Zizek) -- he wrote a whole book about it. I'm not sure I agree Kieslowski's films make the case for the return to Theory (ie I think you can interpret his movies without it.) But the fact that you can so unbelievably seamlessly integrate his films to a Lacanian framework gives me that feeling of the inevitability of Lacan.

Art Cinema's enduring interest in interrogating the limits of its medium -- which of course is also present in art literature for its own medium, and frequently not only present but foregrounded in theatre. The Puppetmaster is a clear analogue to the filmmaker (and of God, lmao...they can't help themselves), but also all the unbelievably uncomfortable sex scenes in this movie are a masterclass on the male gaze and how you constitute and undermine it...etc.

Space-time Travel (Zizek) -- right away, I'm going to say I don't think this one is all that interesting, but it's what Criterion chose to accompany the 15th year re-release of the movie. So...ok 🤷🏽‍♀️ I'd say that listening to physics podcasts has convinced me of the value of a literary education (those hermeneutical skills come in so handy), so I see the relevance of thinking of these two together, but I also feel like the fake math is the part of Lacan I always found a little too silly to stand.

The agony of art as vocation -- I'm sorta lazily splitting this out from #5 just because when I originally wrote this post I had 7 points and now I can only remember 6 of them, and I like the resonance of 7....There's a Badiou-esque invocation of the four types of truth procedures at work in this movie that could easily fill the pages of another unread senior thesis: science -- the zizek time travel thing, the way the movie is, actually, concerned with the explanation of what is happening and why, rather than just accepting as a premise that there can be doubles in the world; politics -- the scene where Weronika meets Veronique is at a political rally, the east/west thing mentioned above, etc; art and love, obviously.... But the key to the "plot" of Veronique's life is "Does she keep singing, even if it kills her?"

Random closing thoughts:

I'm still thinking about and cannot resolve the mystery of the subplot about Veronique testifying in her friend's divorce(?) trial. What does it mean?

One thing that always bothered me about Kieslowski is a feeling i have that his movies are slightly (high key???) exploitative of his actresses, which seems like shabby repayment for their taking considerable artistic risks. Maybe I'm just getting this feeling from applying Lacan and Zizek to his movies though (that's two dudes who definitely don't understand about women...). I'd like to think I'm wrong about this, his masterworks are all with women and "about" women. I don't think he doesn't get this, though, see again the Puppetmaster (surely one of the creepiest dudes to ever grace an art film and that's saying a lot).

[black-arcana]

Ex-NIGHTWISH Members TARJA TURUNEN And MARKO HIETALA Announce September 2024 European Tour

Following a triumphant series of performances in South America with several sold-out gigs where Marko Hietala joined Tarja Turunen as a special guest, the two former NIGHTWISH members are set to captivate European audiences with their enthralling collaboration.

The European trek, which will kick off in September in Germany, promises to be an unforgettable experience as these two familiar voices reunite on stage once again.

Tarja recently released her first greatest-hits album "Best Of Tarja - Living The Dream". Her live show will feature a selection of songs from her career, also found on "Best Of", including fan favorites and her own personal picks.

Adding to the excitement, Marko and Tarja recently collaborated on the duet single "Left On Mars", which received widespread acclaim.

Marko will perform his own songs with his band before joining Tarja on stage for a night that promises to be nothing short of memorable.

Expectations are high as the duo continues to delight fans with both old and new songs, building on the success of their South American tour.

Tarja and Marko's "Living The Dream Together Tour 2024" European dates:

Sep. 08 - DE Berlin - Huxleys Neue Welt Sep. 09 - DE Bremen - Aladin Music Hall Sep. 10 - DE Saarbrücken - Garage Sep. 12 - DE Leipzig - Hellraiser Sep. 13 - DE Hamburg - Grünspan Sep. 14 - DE Herford - Kulturwerk Sep. 16 - NL Groningen - De Oosterpoor Sep. 17 - NL Utrecht - Tivoli Vredenburg (Ronda) Sep. 18 - DE Bochum - Matrix Sep. 20 - DE Ulm - Roxy Sep. 21 - DE Obertraubling - Eventhall Airport Sep. 23 - DE Frankfurt - Batschkapp Sep. 24 - DE München - Backstage Sep. 25 - CH Pratteln - Z7

Earlier this month, Hietala was asked by El Planeta Del Rock if there is any chance of him and Turunen launching a new project together. He responded: "I won't close that option off. We haven't talked about it, putting up a group together or anything like that. But at the moment, it seems that we've got a different kind of connection than it was [in the] past. Because then the camps were really divided already when I stepped into [NIGHTWISH]. And it was hard to find the truth of things, because a lot of it was like a managerial turf war where we got told certain things by one side and told certain things by the other side and lots of confusion — blah, blah, blah — and in the end, yeah, what we already realized a few years back when we were all together there doing the Christmas shows in Finland that after all the hassle has died and the noise has died and everything, you still find out that you lost a friend. And that was the main [reason] why we are basically doing this together again."

In a recent interview with Thiago Rahal Mauro of Brazil's Metal Musikast, Tarja spoke about what it was like to team up with Marko to perform a cover of "The Phantom Of The Opera" during their special open-air concert in July 2023 at Z7 Summer Nights in Pratteln, Switzerland. Tarja and Marko both played individual sets at the event, with their rendition of the main theme from Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical coming during Turunen's portion of the show.

"I got a call from a promoter to take part in one festival in Switzerland last year in a European summertime in July," Tarja said. "And then I got to know, when I had accepted to be the artist of the evening, then I saw that they had also invited Marko and Marko's band to perform in the same festival. So I thought, 'Hmm.' And I was actually sending a message that I wished to reach Marko, because I didn't have his contact any longer, to ask him to perform with me 'The Phantom Of The Opera' in my show. And he responded 'yes.' So, after 18 years [laughs], we were about to sing the song together. And it was super exciting. It was really beautiful. The people got very emotional about this.

"We had met already before — we had been singing on a few occasions in Finland a few years before — so we kind of cleaned the table on that occasion already," she explained. "So we were in good terms, so to say, but now singing 'The Phantom Of The Opera' together after all these years was amazing."

Tarja also elaborated on her friendship with Marko, saying: "It's a new relationship with him, because he's not the same person anymore than he was in the band. He has changed a lot, and many years have passed by. I've changed myself. Life has changed us. So it is a new relationship, let's say. And it had made me very happy to get to know him better after all these years."

Last November, Tarja admitted to Chaoszine that she was "nervous" before performing "The Phantom Of The Opera" with Marko at Z7 Summer Nights. "I believe that he was nervous as well to meet up with me, but we were both very excited to go back to the stage and to sing the song," she said. "We sang 'Phantom Of The Opera' in Switzerland for the first time. Then we went over to Finland to perform it again, did a show together there — he with his band and me with my own. Wow. It was pure emotion. I think it was really beautiful, but it made me kind of… I was, like, 'I'm in peace,' sort of. The feeling was great. I think it was even more for Marko, because I saw him standing there after my concert, when I finished my set, and he came like almost in tears, saying that this was important. We reconnected, and it's great."

Turunen was fired from NIGHTWISH at the end of the band's 2005 tour by being presented with an open letter which was published on the NIGHTWISH web site at the same time. In the letter, the other members of NIGHTWISH wrote: "To you, unfortunately, business, money, and things that have nothing to do with emotions have become much more important."

NIGHTWISH keyboardist and main songwriter Tuomas Holopainen later called the decision to part ways with Turunen "the most difficult thing I ever had to do." For her part, Tarja said the way she was kicked out of the group proved that her former bandmates were not her friends. "Maybe one day I'll forgive, but I will never forget," she said.

In 2019, Turunen dismissed Internet chatter about her possible return to NIGHTWISH after her December 2017 onstage reunion with the band's then-bassist/vocalist Hietala during a "Raskasta Joulua" concert in Hämeenlinna, Finland.

"I know a lot of fans would love to see something happen, but it's a very long distance away," she told Kerrang! magazine. "Personally, I don't see anything happening with me and them, to be perfectly honest. Marko came a little later into the band; he wasn't there since the beginning. He was always a guy I was close to. Me and Tuomas Holopainen, however, haven't seen each other in a long time… but we have been in touch. It's not bad. The past is what it is; we can't change that. We can only change the future."

NIGHTWISH's authorized biography, "Once Upon a Nightwish: The Official Biography 1996-2006", was published in Finnish in 2006 and in English three years later.

Turunen's husband, Marcelo Cabuli, and his business partners later sued the parties behind the book for defamation. Named in the lawsuit were the publishing house Like Kustannus Oy and the author of the book, Marko "Mape" Ollila. Cabuli and his Brazilian business partners argued that the book includes false accusations and insinuations that have caused them suffering and financial problems.

The book blamed Cabuli for the events leading up to Turunen's dramatic expulsion from the band in late 2005.

In 2011, the Helsinki District Court dismissed Cabuli's lawsuit, ruling that the book — which criticized Cabuli on only a few of its 380 pages — did not detrimentally affect his work or reputation in South America. In addition, the court determined that Ollila did not maliciously portray Cabuli in a negative light.

Nearly two years ago, Tarja was asked in an interview with Top Link Music manager and concert promoter Paulo Baron and music critic Regis Tadeu if she would consider doing a tour with NIGHTWISH if all of her former bandmates apologized to her about how their split happened and invited her to share the stage with them again. She responded: "It is very, very hypothetical that all what you said will happen, first of all — it's very, very hypothetical.

"I'm living in a world, like we are all living in a world, that things happen without us noticing," she continued. "I mean, I can't really close any doors in that sense; I'm not that kind of person any longer. I learned so many things in this life already. I take them as they are.

"So I don't know. It would be very hypothetically possible," she added. "It would be unlikely to happen."

Hietala announced his departure from NIGHTWISH in January 2021, explaining in a statement that he hadn't "been able to feel validated by this life for a quite a few years now." He has since been replaced by session bassist Jukka Koskinen (WINTERSUN),who made his live debut with NIGHTWISH in May 2021 at the band's two interactive experiences.

In an August 2022 interview with Finland's Chaoszine, Hietala revealed that he went through a dark period in his life, which included depression, insomnia, anxiety and an eventual attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis. Speaking about how he eventually came to the realization that exiting NIGHTWISH was the right thing to do, Marko said: "It was a long process. Of course, the COVID year that was there, where I had a lot of time for soul searching, it obviously gave me the last incentive that I need something else, that if I just continue with this I'm just gonna get sicker and sicker. But, of course, it's a process.

"I've been chronic depressive since 2010 [or] 2011, so I've been on a permanent medication ever since," he revealed. "Sometimes you get used to the meds [and] you will need more. We did raise [the dosage] during the years also, but it just didn't work. And now that I started to do… I had psychotherapy for over four years now, and then I also talked to psychiatrists and some doctors and did that also in Spain. Then my psychiatrist here in Finland said that I should do these ADHD neuropsychological tests, which I then did in Spain. And, okay, I got it."

Hietala reiterated that he "had been thinking about" leaving NIGHTWISH "for a while" before making the final decision. "Because I had a lot of weight. And I tend to… With the attention disorder, it tells me that when there are lots of trouble, then the disorder makes it into a real chaos," he explained. "There's a shitload of stuff coming and going and no peace anywhere. And for a year or two, I was already waking up every night at three o'clock to bad dreams and anxiety. So I'd say that the whole process probably started already with my former divorce [in 2016]. That was a very sad time when you think about your kids and your broken homes and all that. And then, when I started to get clear from that, then there were, well, all kinds of things. I don't really wanna go any deeper to what kind of things I'd gone through, but I'd gone through enough."

Acknowledging that making NIGHTWISH's latest studio album, 2020's "Human. :II: Nature.", was a "difficult" experience for him, Marko denied that his mental state at the time resulted in a diminished role for him on the final LP. "I think the original idea was to have that… we'll do a couple of [solo vocal appearances], or one solo for me and Troy [Donockley], and the rest Floor [Jansen], and then the harmonies; that was the idea originally for that," he said. "So I don't know if it affected. I think it was sort of as planned. But at that time I already had serious trouble with concentrating and serious trouble with a constant black cloud over my head."

In July 2022, Hietala told Finland's Iltalehti that he had not kept in touch with NIGHTWISH since his departure or followed the activities of his former band.

In May 2021, Holopainen said that Hietala's decision to leave NIGHTWISH "came as a bit of a surprise." He told Finland's Kaaos TV: "Marko informed us in December [of 2020 that he was leaving the band]. And even though he has been very open about his state and problems during the past years, it still came as a bit of a surprise for us. So it was a really tough pill to swallow. And for a few days, I was actually quite confident that there's no coming back, that this is it. I remember talking to Emppu [Vuorinen], the guitar player, and we were, like, 'You think this is it?' 'Yeah, I think this is it.' I mean, enough is enough. So much has happened in the past. Something that broke the camel's back, as they say. Then, after some time had passed — a few days — we started to think that it's been such a ride of 25 years, with so many ups also, that this is not the way to end it."

Tuomas elaborated on NIGHTWISH's reasons for carrying on, saying: "I think we still have something to give, and that's the main point. The music is still there. We felt that there's still so much music that needs to come out from this band that, 'Okay, let's give it one more shot.' And then finding the new bass player was really easy."

He added: "It's not like we do this just because we need to do it and there's nothing else to do. On a personal level, I feel that there's still so many stories and melodies that I want to share with the world with one lineup or another, so that's why you want to continue and keep on going.

"I've said this a million times, that a lineup change is the ultimate energy vampire, and that's how it really felt and still feels."

In June 2021, Jansen spoke about Hietala's exit from the band in an episode of her "Storytime" YouTube video series. She said: "That was a very sudden surprise that, of course, was not fun at all. But we understand — I understand — it was a necessary thing for him to do. And from there, we had to think of how to continue without him, and that also, in preparations towards the virtual show, that was a huge challenge."

In December 2020, Hietala was crowned the winner of the fall 2020 season of "Masked Singer Suomi" — the Finnish edition of the popular masked singing contest. He was disguised as Tohtori — the Doctor.

Photo courtesy of Nuclear Blast Records

[myloveforhergoeson]

20

20: she's got a boyfriend now by boys like girls

(send me a number 1-100!!!)

augh... tasw namesake song. at first it started as a jealous james song in my mind when dak and roxy were together, but now it think it fits mag and brand new day pretty well...

this follows the scene in chapter 31 after mag invites roxy to the bnd album release party

-

Slipping back into apartment 5-A, Mag pocketed his keys as he strode into the near empty living room.

The beige walls and suspiciously stained shag carpet were already such an eyesore, and he and Dani had been in LA for months at this point, but neither of them could bring themselves to use their precious free time to decorate. Their manager was working them hard, day in and day out, leaving making the space their own pretty low on the priority list.

For now, the two, old lawn chairs in the middle of the room did, while their small portable TV was sat atop of one of the moving boxes on the longest wall they had. Dani was sitting there, not moving at all at the sound of Mag's arrival, watching an old heist movie Mag thought was vaguely familiar.

It took Dani a second, they were always so invested in the plot of these stories despite watching them over and over, but eventually, when there was a pause in the dialogue, they asked, "How'd it go?"

From their tone, Mag knew they were only being polite when they asked. Inviting Roxy to their album release party had been his idea; Dani didn't seem interested if she came in the slightest. Which the singer felt pretty strange, considering how close the three of them used to be.

"She's got a boyfriend now." Joining Dani on the free lawn chair, Mag practically fell into the uncomfortable seat. "Isn't that weird?"

The chattering on the TV continued in the background.

"That's not what I meant." His friend replied, eyes still glued to the screen. Nonchalant as ever. "Is she coming or not?"

A heavy feeling set in Mag's chest, one he couldn't explain, and while it was annoying, the boy did his best to ignore it. "Only if her boyfriend can come... Like they're connected at the hip or something"

The singer fiddled with one of the zippers on his battle jacket, waiting for a reply that never came. Chest still constricting, he sighed once more.

"It's sad what this town's doing to her." Mag blurted out, unprompted. His palms were slick with sweat, sticking to the plastic armrests. A slight metallic taste from his lip ring settled on his tongue. "Letting her put her feelings over a good networking opportunity..."

Now, Dani finally looked Mag's way, giving him a quick once-over with furrowed brows before turning back to the movie. "If you want her there that bad, invite him."

"He'd stick out like a sore thumb."

"So don't invite him."

"But Roxy needs to see what she's missing out on!" Mag was still fighting back, voice slightly raising. "Leaving us behind only to run off to Hollywood with some stupid boyband? What a sellout..."

"So invite him!" Dani was beginning to push back as well, turning up the volume on the TV with the remote in their hand. "I literally couldn't care less about this... jealousy thing you've got going on."

"I am not jealous." He bit, realizing that only made him sound more jealous. "Just doesn't seem like her is all. Writing for a pop band, dating some airhead prep, playing by someone else's rules... It's like she's a whole different person."

"Are you still the same person you were a year ago?" Dani asked and Mag was quick to nod his head.

"Aside from a fat record contract and a couple new tattoos? I'm the same guy I've always been."

Huffing again, now signaling the conversation was over, Mag stood up and stocked off to his room.

If that's the case, he asked himself as he slammed the door and flopped down on the edge of the bed, reaching for his baby blue electric guitar, why did seeing her make me feel so different?

[ninjadeathblade]

Moulin Rouge Discotrain AU (party thirty eight)

Summary: Now that they're together, Conductor and Grooves are slowly settling in with their love for one another. Both have strong feelings for one another but don't always know how to express it.

Beginning | Previous | Next

Word count: 949

Warnings: None

Author's notes: Sorry this took ages to come out. Anyway, I am finally allowing them to kiss so it was worth the wait. I got inspired by this art by @nasubeenwithcat. Her art is amazing, do go check out her blog. Anyway, enjoy!

Grooves smiled at the happy look on Conductor's face as both of them looked at the tree.

The lights decorating it twinkled in the otherwise dark room, spilling splashes of rainbow coloured light across the walls.Felt decorations of all shapes, sizes and colours were strung across its branches, giving it a cosy feel.

The owl sighed contentedly and leaned back against the penguin's chest.

Conductor was back to a chill temperature, having gotten a necklace from the train to suppress his powers.

“Thank you for inviting me,” Grooves said quietly as Roxie positioned the star on top of the tree.

Conductor tilted his head around a little further, pressing a quick kiss to Grooves' cheek. “Anytime.”

The penguin felt his heart stutter at the words and a small ripple of anxiety went through him.

It couldn't be anytime, could it?

Conductor would get sick of him eventually, the same way everyone always did.

Conductor turning around brought him back out of his negative thoughts.

“Would you dance with me?” Conductor asked sheepishly.

Grooves realised that the old radio on the shelf at the side of the room was playing a slow tune, piano notes cascading in the quiet air.

“Well, we do need practice for the movie,” Grooves joked, earning a chuckle from his companion.

Conductor hummed along with the tune until the lyrics began.

“That certain night. The night we met. There was magic abroad in the air. There were angels dining at the Ritz. And a nightingale sang in Berkeley Square.”

Grooves let out a surprised huff of air as Conductor dipped him slightly.

“I know I'm meant ta be the confident one in the movie but I'm pretty sure yer the confident one out of the two of us,” Conductor teased.

Grooves pushed back upwards, counterbalancing them and leaving Conductor hanging in his arms.

“Didn't realise you were one for flirting, angel.”

The owl's feathers ruffled slightly before his mouth twitched into a smirk. “Yer gotta remember that although you had the ideas, I wrote the dialogue for Christian and Satine in almost every romance scene.”

“Okay. Fair point,” Grooves admitted, pulling him back to stand.

“I want some fresh air,” Conductor declared, beginning to tug him towards the door before stopping and turning back to his daughter. “Rox, yer good to get the little ones ready for bed?”

“Don't worry about me, go be lovey-dovey or whatever,” Roxie said, walking over to the pile of chicks on the sofa.

“The air is so clean out here,” Grooves marvelled as Conductor led him outside.

“It's why we raised Roxie out here when she was still little. Wanted her to grow up healthy,” Conductor explained, pulling him round one side of the house.

The owl climbed onto a ladder leaning against the side of the house. “Do yer wanna see something cool?”

Grooves gazed adoringly at his beloved’s excited grin. “On the roof?”

“Better view up there,” Conductor reasoned, clambering the rest of the way up to the roof.

Grooves chuckled and followed him, the two of them lying down side by side.

“Woah.”

The sky was adorned with sparkling lights, hues ranging from blue through to purple, painting it like a masterpiece. The moon shone like a spotlight above them, illuminating the edges of a couple clouds.

“I always loved lookin’ up at the sky out here. Made me wonder if I'd ever visit somewhere big out there,” Conductor said quietly.

“It's beautiful,” Grooves breathed as he looked at the night.

“Yeah, it is.”

Grooves glanced over at Conductor.

The owl had rolled onto his side, staring at the penguin.

“You brought me up here to look at the sky,” Grooves pointed out, a blush heating his cheeks.

Conductor slung an arm over Grooves and moved closer to him. “It's cold.”

Grooves smiled, knowing this was Conductor's way of subtly asking to be closer.

“You're always cold.”

“It's night time in winter, of course I'm cold.”

“You'll freeze to death one day.”

“You'd never see another of my movies.”

“I'd publish your theatre club acting.”

“You would nae dare.”

The bickering held no real threat, none of the venom their arguing would have about a year ago.

Conductor sat up slightly, leaning over Grooves. “You… you wouldn't really though, right?”

Grooves pushed himself a little more upright as well, their beaks hovering near each others'.

“I promise I wouldn't.”

Conductor's feathers puffed up slightly, as if hesitant.

The owl looked away, paused for a moment, shook his head gently, looked back.

He slowly raised a hand to cup Grooves' cheek. “Can I kiss you?”

Grooves sighed in relief that it wasn't something more serious.

“Yes."

Conductor smiled softly before leaning in and kissing him tenderly.

The owl nervously retreated a few seconds later.

“I'm sorry I should nae have done that it was stupid of me,” Conductor began to ramble, words bumping into one another. “I'm so sorry Grooves I promise I will nae-”

The owl went quiet as the penguin placed his flippers against his cheeks.

“It's fine diamond.”

Conductor let out a shaky breath before looking back up at the sky and let out a small gasp.

“Shooting star.”

Grooves looked up just in time to catch the streak of white light across the sky.

“Make a wish,” they said simultaneously before bursting into laughter.

“You first.”

Another bout of laughs.

“I wish that you would accept how amazing you are,” Grooves said.

Conductor chuckled nervously and pressed a quick kiss to his beak.

“I wish you would be remembered forever for yer role as Christian. You're a great actor.”

“When did you become so sweet?”

“When I met a very sweet penguin.”

[adams-rockstar]

Amanda’s Missing Piece: A Saw Fanfiction

Chapter 8: Just An Observation

“Watch your step.” Amanda warned, as she let Adam and herself into her apartment.

The place, although fairly cluttered, was definitely in better shape than his…...then again, whose place wasn’t?

The bar was pretty much below the ground, as far as he was concerned.

“It’s alright, I’m used to it.” He chuckled, browsing around the general area, as she shut and locked the door behind them.

“It’s not, really, but thanks anyway.” She insisted

Adam just chuckled even more at the idea that anyone could actually feel the need to excuse a place like this, after seeing a place like his, even if she did…...to his knowledge, anyway, only see a quarter of his apartment, and only very briefly at that.

“Are you kidding me?” He laughed. “Didn’t you see my place? You’d think I’ve never had anyone over.”

He followed her back, toward her kitchen area, where she paused her little tour to set some stuff down on the dining room table and start skimming through her cupboards for something.

In doing so, he immediately became sidetracked, when he noticed a familiar little piece of paper laying near the middle of it.

It looked a little more worse for wear, for sure, likely having spent some time folded up in Amanda’s pocket or bag for who knows how long, but the name and details for his buddy’s show, the very one that he had originally tried to invite her to, could still clearly be read.

He smiled to himself, staring down at the flyer while Amanda did her own thing in the kitchen, before peering up from it.

“Hey, what does Roxy like to eat?” She called out to him. “.......Adam!”

She called out to him again, still waiting for an answer.

“Huh?” He finally responded.

“Roxy.” She repeated, coming back out to where he was. “....what kind of food…”

She smiled back at him when she saw how his face seemed to have lit up, upon noticing she still had the flyer. “.......what kind of food do you usually feed Roxy?”

“Hmm? Oh.” He chuckled, sort of embarrassed-like. “I actually have no idea.”

“What?” She laughed.

“Yeah, my uh…” He started to explain. “..one of my neighbors was generous enough to pour something out from their dog’s food, for me to keep on hand for her.” His face lit up at the recollection of it, and her. “Like I said, I’m not exactly the only one around there, she's got wrapped around her little paw.”

“Well, from the looks of it, you were at least her favorite.”

“Well, no. I’m pretty sure that’s you, from what I saw.” He pointed out. “...anyway, why do you ask?”

She smiled at the claim, opting to let him have his little win rather than argue it, as she offered him a small, rolled up bag of kibble she’d found left in one of her cupboards.

“My last roommate had a dog, just a little bigger than her.” She shrugged. “..guess she didn't take everything with her.”

He opened the bag and smiled a little more, as he gave it a quick skim over.

“Well, she’s definitely not picky. I can tell you that much. I think it’ll do.” He chuckled. “Thanks.”

“Well, I just remembered you mentioned you didn’t like the idea of her being outside all night, so that’s assuming you think we can catch her, of course.”

“It’s definitely worth a shot.” He agreed, smirking a little, as he glanced back down towards where he’d set the flyer to take the bag from here. “...so, what’d you think?”

“Your call. If you think we can, and bring her in for the night.” She shrugged, turning back to grab something from the fridge, thinking he was still talking about the dog.

“I’m grabbing something to drink, you want anything?”

“I’m okay, thanks.” He laughed, sensing he might be about to call her on a bluff. “...and I meant about the band.”

“What about it?”

“Ohh, so that’s not why you kept the flyer, then?” A little smirk crept back across his face. “...interesting..”

She shot him her own little amused look, one that was expressing just a little more amusement than she’d intended to let on, before rolling her eyes. “What? Would you rather I have thrown it away?”

“No, no.” He assured, that same little smirk not leaving his face. “....just an observation..”

“Mmhmm…” She smirked back, her tone clearly conveying just how unconvinced she was. “...an observation, huh?”

“An interesting one.” He corrected.

“Right, then, smartass…” She teased, glancing out her kitchen window. “It’ll be dark in a couple hours or so, you wanna go try our luck with that now?”

“Like I said, it’s worth a shot.” He chuckled. “I usually bring her a couple little slices of ham, as a little treat, when I can.”

“I see…” She returned back to the fridge to scope it out a little more, before comin back with some roast beef slices. “Will she settle for some roast beef?”

“She’ll love it.” He assured her, as he took it and slid it into the kibble bag, as they headed back for the door. “...am I driving this time? Or you?”

“Very funny.” She teased back, watching him, as she let him go out ahead of her.

“I thought so.”

She grinned a little, to herself, over him as she shut the door behind the two of them.

It didn’t matter in the least to her, how much time she spent with him.

Seeing this side of him, the side that had caught her completely off guard and which she completely adored while she was watching him before, was never going to get old

“You coming?” He called back to her when he noticed she hadn’t caught up with him yet.

“Right behind you.” She chuckled.

[lunarsilkscreen]

The Melin Account

After a while; a couple of people decided to sell their accounts for $$. While SSgt Hicks had a Job, he knew, that Melin's account was important. Even though he might've not known why at the time.

I remember posting my age as my "Level" to my deviantArt account. One day; that level was simultaneously too low, and too high.

When that split occured? I dunno.

At one point, I just figured my level was just higher than my age.

A friend of mine blogs about their journey with DiD(Dissociative identity Disorder) I'm making spelling mistakes like when I was younger ... I fixed it tho.

They talked about playing video games and how they'd wake up to find another new character under their account. They knew it was theirs but they couldn't remember making it.

They came up with an elaborate scheme to "talk" with their other characters through in-game means. And when asked why they had multiple characters, and if they just focused on one or two; they could join the end game faster.

Games that allowed them to respec into different classes based on "who" *they* were on any particular day went a long way towards making their in-game experience more enjoyable.

Then they, all of them, buckled down and worked together to focus on a single character to enjoy the end game.

They talk about how it helped them a lot.

Melin was the child who could come out and experience life when SSgt Hicks was at work. Sometimes she'd come out at work; and it would be hard to do work.

In that regard; Melin was closer to a pet cat. Stuck in an apartment with her sisters: Roxie and Georgia. And I, wanted a character that represents myself, Hicks couldn't though, it'd take too long to level; so he'd chose the Male avatars in other games.

And then, those Male characters stopped serving their purpose. As Melin started taking over in game after game.

My roommate at the time... I think served as a pseudo-parental figure to Melin. Where Melin could play and be Melin, with the safe space of a trusted person.

Who, many times, got very annoyed at her penchant for mischief.

"You're like a whole 'nother person sometimes Hicks."

I wanna blame him for encouraging her smoking habit; and I wonder; if I simply "dropped her off" to random people I knew would take care of her... Like my parents sometimes had a penchant for doing.

Just so SSgt Hicks could sleep every now and again.

Which; sorry about that, and thanks.

I eventually created a second Melin Character on the same server. M'elin. Because Hicks needed to be the adult in the group of Raiders; and Melin still wanted to play more.

Some players that I routinely played with picked up on a "change in behavior" during certain times I was playing.

Many of them were used to watching their friend's kids play games on their friends accounts.

I remember applying to join a static raid group and saying something a long the lines of "Better than playing with teens and twenty-somethings"

And the hesitation in their voice like "Yeeee... Is this a joke? Who is *this* sassy child?"

Melin got really made at my mistakes too. She was always a better player than I was.

M'elin eventually took over the Main Melin character again, and didn't have a need to play "on the side". It was a much better arrangement for both of us.

It was around this time I was invited to play Pathfinder with friends, and I decided to let Melin deal with those.

She was terrible at it. But at least I wasn't alone in a group of people who desperately needed their "inner children" to have some freedom.

This is where the character creator inception comes in. Her character; Named Dirk Docks (After Dirk Gently,) a Detective and Alchemist.

For the first time; she was making her own characters, instead of trying to represent herself. Based on the person she used to be.

Er. Me.

I'm fairly certain it's more clear to the reader who can clearly visualize two distinct people. Where; I Am and also Am; and there isn't really a boundary line between the two.

My old Voice, however, isn't the main character anymore, and hasn't been for a long long time. So he, is in the background as Melin takes control.

She cries a lot less now, but she's still a brat.

During COVID... SSgt Hicks no longer had to show up at work. So Melin was able to grow and become a more complete "Person" while He, took a well deserved nap.

Melin may have also prevented him from showing up to a Zoom meeting or two when he really should've gone. (That's his excuse, I did no such thing.)

See, confusion.

She was the star of the show when we changed games. And sometimes SSgt Hicks would come out to play the single-player games on his bucket list.

And she dominated the servers when she was just... Allowed.. to be herself.

That artificial construction of Tommy was no longer necessary, and Melin has been in charge ever since. Every decision she made after that point was legitimately her own; aside from some *conscious* tweaks here and there because she has no filter.

Those decisions that *I* wouldn't have made before, were largely painful and hot-headed.

But I wouldn't make any other decisions if I had to do it over.

[sosimsofmaddi]

Gunnar Shifts in Front of Kelley

"How can you invite him over here?" Roxana demanded, following her sister downstairs and lowering her voice as they passed Kelley, asleep on the couch. "It's bad enough that you slink out in the darkness to meet up with him. How can you invite him around your son?"

Reese took a quick steadying breath and braced herself at the sink with her sister at her back. "I only told you to give you the option to leave if you're not comfortable, Roxana. I didn't tell you so you could make me feel like a bad mom continuously for the last day and a half."

Roxana stuffed a stray strand of blonde hair back into her bun. "You're not a bad mom, but you're making a bad choice. The further you get in with this guy, the harder it'll be to separate yourself. To separate your son."

"My son needs help," Reese argued, turning around to face her sister. "He's eight years old and he's going through something nobody understands. I barely survived it myself, Roxie, and I won't have Kelley go through it the way I did. He needs help, and Gunnar can help him."

Roxie was quiet for a moment. They rarely, rarely talked about Reese's life prior to Roxana showing up here in town. Reese never shared any of the difficult parts, and especially not the wolf parts. So Roxana had to bite back the urge to ask Reese about her life and refocus on her nephew.

"I don't want either of you to get hurt," she pushed, wanting to take her sister's hand but knowing that Reese wouldn't like it. "I don't understand why you have to go somewhere with him? Why can't you stay here and talk?"

"Because Kelley needs to see the truth," Reese answered. "He's been told what will happen to him, but he needs to see so that he can learn not to fear it."

The word 'fear' hit hard with both sisters. Their childhood was steeped in it. Their father even more so. They both feared the wolves their entire lives; Reese had feared herself and what she might do to others. She saw her father's fate like a premonition of her own.

But if Gunnar could stop it, if he could teach Kelley control, then maybe Kelley wouldn't struggle the way she did. Maybe he wouldn't be a werewolf with a deficit. She knew that Kelley would never be as strong as a werewolf raised in a pack, but he could certainly be stronger and more capable than her.

Gunnar showed up at the back screen door moments later, but Reese knew that he'd been outside for at least ten, giving the sisters room to argue. She felt him arrive like a tension at the base of her spine, and that hook only grew tighter when he opened the screen door and stepped inside.

He watched Roxana warily, glancing to Reese then to Kelley asleep on the couch like Roxana was something they needed to be protected from.

Roxana and Gunnar saw each other when Kelley was sick. Reese hadn't even stopped to think of the consequences of letting her sister see him before Reese even explained, told her, that she befriended a wolf. Roxana had been dropped into the deep end, and Reese was unapologetic as she chose Gunnar's presence -- his ability to help Kelley -- over Roxana's feelings about werewolves.

She hadn't wanted them to meet again, but Roxana hadn't left like she expected. So now she had to introduce a wolf and a woman who hated them. Reese stood between them, backing up into Gunnar. "Gunnar, this is my younger sister, Roxana. Rox, this is Gunnar."

Saying his name alone felt so underwhelming. She wanted to share the truth of him so her sister would understand the depth of who he was. She wanted to explain his life and the experiences that paralleled hers. She wanted to say his name again, then again, then again until Roxana could understand.

But Reese couldn't even understand that drive, so she bit it back. "I'm going to wake up Kelley and get him changed," she warned Roxana, letting her in on the fact that she would be left alone in the room with a werewolf. She wasn't going to ask Gunnar to wait outside.

Roxana nodded, but didn't move.

Reese gave Gunnar a preemptive apologetic look. He took everything so easily, so unbothered, but she worried what Roxana might say to him. She knew he would recognize the hostility, even if Rox didn't say a word.

"I'm sorry for how my sister acted," Reese told the wolf as they walked side by side. Kelley raced ahead of them toward the playground they brought him to a town over. It was filled with other children and parents, swathed in light from the setting sun.

"She didn't say anything bad," he answered, defending her in a way. "She didn't say much of anything really."

Reese squeezed his forearm, watching her son race around a group of other kids and head for the monkey bars by himself. "Still, it must be difficult to be around someone who openly hates wolves."

Gunnar gave her a look. "It's the same for you."

That made her falter, but she just gave a conciliatory smile and hoofed it across the sidewalk to the wood chips. The benches were taken by other adults, so she found a spot at the side of the playground and sat on the wooden beams that denoted it.

Gunnar sat at her side, thigh flush against hers.

"Do you spend a lot of time around humans?" she whispered to him, taking in the other children and families dotted around. For an evening, it was busy, and it occurred to her that she was sitting with a werewolf in the middle of a park. As he said, it was the same for her, but she'd grown up in the human world, raised her son in the human world.

Gunnar was inundated by his pack, sheltered within in his own community. It was strange to think he didn't belong here.

He smiled at the question, because she already knew the answer. He knocked his shoulder into hers, but his eyes were on the people. "This is you," he said, nodding toward the mothers and the fathers. Her world.

"What would you like to experience next?" she joked. "Maybe a $17 movie at a theater and another $40 in snacks?"

He gave her a look, confused.

"Okay, maybe not," she assuaged, "but what about a child's birthday party? Let's say, a nine year old's with cake and presents and twenty hyper children?"

He grinned at her, eyebrows raised. "I grew up in a pack, Reese," he reminded her. "Twenty hyper children is a small number where I come from."

She smiled, nodding.

"Who's birthday?" he added. "Kelley's not nine yet."

She tucked her smile into her shoulder and shrugged. "He got an invite from a friend at school." She sounded overly pleased, relieved almost. They'd been here a year and he'd never been invited anywhere. He talked about his two friends at school, but they didn't live in Moonwood, and she didn't know much about them.

Gunnar shrugged into her. "I'll go with you if you want," he offered easily, not thinking twice about it.

Reese flushed. Taking Gunnar into her world. She wasn't the PTO parent or sitcom mom, but she was human -- in a way -- and she had a human life that she had to show up for. Taking Gunnar into it felt like claiming him. In front of all the other human parents.

That's what it felt like tonight too, as they sat and watched her sun race around the playground. He was tall for his age, so he easily scampered up the pole to the top of the money bars. He laughed so brightly that Gunnar and Reese heard it clearly, and his blonde head whipped around to look behind him, where they sat.

He lifted both his hands and moved like he was about to push to his feet. Gunnar must've heard Reese's heart miss a beat because he was on his feet in seconds and crossing the distance.

He was tall tall so he easily reached her son atop of the bars. Reese scanned the immediately area, watching one of two heads watch him. His t'shirt rode up, exposing the delineated muscles of his stomach and the flat expanse of skin. The bottom of his chest scars just barely peeked out as he lifted Kelley from the top of the monkey bars and set him on his feet.

Something squeezed in her chest when they walked over hand-in-hand.

"You ready to go?" Gunnar asked, words full with double meaning.

Kelley whined, but Reese got up and playfully clamped a hand over his mouth. "We're not going home," she placated, brushing the wood chip dust out of his hair. "We've got something to show you."

Kelley's eyes lit up. He'd been asking to see them change into wolves for weeks. He'd seen both of them as wolves, but Reese never wanted him to see the transition. It was almost gruesome for her. For Gunnar, it much faster, but still brutal. She'd finally agreed to let Kelley watch Gunnar shift.

He needed to know what he was in for.

[celticsorcerer1]

Aisling McKeen Vs the Question

—-

Roxanne “Roxie” Richter looked out her bedroom window one morning. Snow was falling, blanketing the neighborhood in white. It looked pretty, like one of her paintings, but Roxie knew that winter was brutal in Canada. Especially for her. She didn't like the cold.

Roxie shivered. “Nothing can get me out in that weather. Nothing short of a galley opening, anyway.”

Just then, her phone blasted the chorus of S Club’s hit song “Reach.”

Roxie smiled. Her awesome girlfriend Aisling McKeen was calling. She answered the call quickly. “Hey, babe. What’s up?”

A light giggle. “Oh, nothing much. I was just wondering if you wanted to come over. I have something to ask you.”

“And it can't be asked over the phone?” Roxie asked.

“It’s something I want to ask you face-to-face. It’s important.” Aisling implored.

Roxie looked out the window again, frowning. “But, baby, it’s cold outside.”

“I know, I know, but I promise, you’ll want to hear what I have to say. Besides, I want to see you. I miss my half-ninja cuddle bug.”Aisling countered.

Roxie blushed. “Well… I can’t say no to that, now, can I?”

“Oh, you can if you want. I know you don't care much for the cold.” Aisling replied gently.

Roxie shook her head. “No, I’m on my way. I want to see you. I’ll be over as quick as I can.”

“Well, be safe all the same, Honey. I love you.” Aisling said.

Roxie smiled. She hoped that she would never tire of those three words. “Love you more, Ash. See you soon.”

As soon as she hung up, Roxie dashed to her closet and put on her thickest black winter coat, pulled on some mesh leggings (they wouldn't do much against the cold, but she liked wearing them), and tugged on her winter boots. “Hold on, Ash. Roxie’s comin’,” she whispered.

—-

*ding dong*

Aisling walked up to her front door and pressed her ear against it. “Who is it?”

“A humble half-ninja seeking shelter from December in Toronto,” Roxanne replied.

Smiling, Aisling opened the door. “Then, come right in. “I’m brewing tea as we speak and I’ll grab the fluffiest blanket I have.”

Roxie smiled as she shut the door and shed her boots. “Huggies first.”

Aisling hugged her girlfriend, shivering. “Roxie, you’re frozen solid!” she squeezed Roxie’s middle tight and kissed her cheeks repeatedly. “Gotta warm you up!”

Roxie laughed. “And to think, three months ago, you thought you weren’t into girls. Now you can’t get enough of me!”

Aisling giggled. “I guess you’re just good for me.”

When the tea kettle whistled and the girls had steaming mugs in their hands, Aisling draped a white Sherpa blanket over them.

Roxie smiled as a familiar scent tickled her nostrils. “I see someone’s been using the mint tea I gave you.”

“Well, it’s delicious,” Aisling replied. “Where did you get it?”

“One of my ninja cousins makes it herself. She sends me some for my birthday every year,” Roxie nudged Aisling’s shoulder. “Which reminds me, I still don't know when yours is. I haven't missed it, have I?”

Aisling shook her head. “I don't make a big deal about it or anything. But, to answer your question, it’s the 14th of December.”

“Hey, that’s right around the corner,” Roxie huddled against her. “So, not that you need a reason to invite me over, because I love spending time with you, but why the invite? No way it was just for tea and snuggles.”

“Well, no,” Aisling admitted. “I wanted to ask you something and I thought it would be best done snuggled up together.”

Roxie gently blew on her tea. “I’m all ears, Ash. Lay it on me.”

“Well. I’m planning on visiting the family for Christmas. I'm going back home for two weeks.” Aisling began.

Roxie winced. “Two weeks? How the hell will I manage?”

Aisling blushed. “I was thinking the same thing… so, I was wondering if you would…like to come with me?”

Roxie let out a small gasp. “R-really? I mean…you don’t think that’s moving too fast? We’ve only been dating for a month.”

“Well, maybe… but, if I’m being completely honest…” Aisling looked at Roxie and shyly smiled. “I can’t imagine going without you.”

“Aw, Ash…” Roxie kissed Aisling’s cheek. “I’d be honored. When are we leaving?”

“The night of the 13th. Is that okay?” Aisling asked.

Roxie smirked. “As long as you don't mind if I fall asleep against you on the plane.”

Aisling giggled. “I wouldn't mind. I’ll probably fall asleep on you too.”

“And I get to wake you up with birthday kisses. It’s a win-win.” Roxie smiled.

Aisling raised an eyebrow. “What exactly separates birthday kisses from regular kisses?”

“I don't kiss you 23 times in a row every other day,” Roxie replied.

“Alright, fair,” Aisling smiled and rested her head on Roxie’s shoulder. “Want me to put on a movie?”

“Nah, I’m good just sipping tea with my favorite person by my side.” Roxie kissed the top of Aisling’s head.

“You’re my favorite person too, Roxie Rose,” Aisling smiled. “I can't wait to show you where I grew up.”

“It’ll be nice visiting somewhere that isn't a big city,” Roxie admitted. “And I hear the seafood there is something special.”

“Oh, you have no idea. There’s this amazing restaurant in Sydney that you’ll love.” Aisling beamed.

“I can’t wait,” Roxie playfully booped Aisling’s nose. “Of course, by awesome girlfriend law, if you take me to that restaurant the night of your birthday, I’ll be treating you.”

“Then I guess I have something to look forward to,” Aisling replied.

“And I’ll make it worth the wait,” Roxie pulled Aisling close. “Cuz you deserve to be treated like the amazing girlfriend you are.” she locked her lips with Aisling’s. Asking kissed back, her eyes closing as she surrendered to it. Outside, Winter was unleashing her frozen wrath. But inside, both young ladies were toasty warm, their love like an extra blanket