#unfortunately did not get geoff..

[shardsofapril]

more silly tucker

[hetagrammy]

It's 1183, and Arthur being the tween menace that he was thought it would be a fantastic idea to have the whole family at Christmas Court. Shall they hang the holly or each other?

[ahyperactivehero]

i asked on election night if anyone wanted a little drabble to help with the stress, and unfortunately it has taken me a little longer than i would like to get them out!

@det-agency: please write Edwin getting turned into an orb for the first time pre-canon and Charles freaking out i think itd be so fun

(fun fact, this is my first orb fic! i've wanted to write one for a minute, but this is the first that i've actually sat down and wrote out!)

Drabble 5 (Orb Fic)

London, 1991

Getting chased by a vengeful ghost was not exactly what Charles had planned for when they’d set off to speak to their client, but he supposed that’s what you get being a ghost detective.

Edwin sprinted ahead of him, his long legs easily giving him the speed that he needed to leave their client in the dust. 

“Who woulda thought our client was the guilty one?” Charles yelled out to Edwin, who glanced over his shoulder. 

“It is certainly a twist,” Edwin said. He suddenly veered off to the right, racing towards the bedroom mirror they had come through earlier. If they could get there, they could head back to their newly established office and regroup. They’d certainly need to think of a better plan now that their client had turned on them and absolutely wasted their original suspect.

Edwin reached the mirror, his hand outstretched as he concentrated on getting them back to the office. Charles turned around, his hands immediately finding comfort in his cricket bat. If that bastard even thought about getting close to them he’d smash him.

“Come on,” he heard Edwin mutter under his breath. “Find it, find it, find it.”

Mirror travel was something Charles had yet to master, but Edwin was aces at it. It would probably only take him a second before–

A choked, gasping sound came from behind him, followed by the tell-tale sound of someone stepping through a mirror. He spun around, worried for a moment that Edwin might have fallen through the mirror and been separated from him, when he felt his soul go cold.

Their client, Geoff Mann, stepped from the mirror. His hand was already through, and in his fist was an iron knife.

An iron knife covered in ghostly blood.

“Edwin!” Charles yelled, rushing forward just as Edwin staggered backwards.

His hands were on his throat, blood seeping through his fingers. Charles felt panic like he never had before. Iron hurt ghosts, but could it kill them? Was stabbing enough to obliterate a ghost? Maybe not, but what about cutting their throat?

Edwin fell straight into his arms, and Charles would have dropped his cricket bat if it weren’t for the vengeful ghost of their client standing over them. Blood dripped off of the knife and pooled on the carpet and it seemed wrong that it wouldn’t actually stain it. Not that Charles wanted anything to be stained with his best friend’s blood, it just seemed wrong that it wouldn’t.

“Hold on,” he said in what he hoped was his most reassuring voice. Gently, and without looking away from Geoff, he slid Edwin to the floor. He ignored his hand dragging down Charles’s arm, begging him to stay– to not leave him alone.

This would only take a moment. Besides, he needed to take care of the threat before he tended to Edwin.

“You fucked up,” Charles said, twirling his bat. Geoff didn’t even have the decency to look the least bit frightened. 

“You’re gonna make me move on,” Geoff said. “And I ain’t doin’ it.”

They weren’t. That’s not what their Agency did. They couldn’t force someone to move on if they didn’t want to. It wasn’t even what Geoff had originally hired them for!

But none of that mattered now. Not when Edwin was behind him, gasping and potentially dying. 

(He wasn’t even sure what dying would mean for a ghost. Would he go back to Hell? Disappear?)

He didn’t even give him a chance to respond. He swung his bat against his arm, almost enjoying the way it cracked and forced him to drop his knife.

Charles wasn’t a violent person, no matter how much he feared being like his father. But the satisfaction he got from seeing that man drop to his knees in pain after what he’d done to Edwin? Well, he might need to reflect on that.

The urge to keep going was strong– after all, what was to stop him from coming after them later? – but he forced himself to stop. 

“If anything happens to him,” Charles warned, holding out his bat against the other man’s head. “I’m comin’ back.”

Quicker than the other man could react, he bent down and picked up his knife and turned back to get Edwin. 

He laid there, air and blood gurgling as he tried to keep his wound closed. At some point his eyes had screwed shut, like that might help block out the pain. They sprang open at the first sign of Charles’s touch, that faint bit of panic he’d seen when something reminded him of Hell shooting across his face before flattening out into something more manageable.

“Let's go,” Charles said. He put his hands under his armpits, intending to haul Edwin up if he had to, but a flash of light overwhelmed his vision and Edwin disappeared.

“Edwin!” he yelled and looked from hand to hand as if he might have somehow been hiding there. 

A small orb, just a bit bigger than a cricket ball, floated there in front of him. There was no trace of Edwin, just the small, pulsing yellow orb.

“Edwin?” he asked, unable to keep the disbelief out of his voice.

The orb bobbed for a moment, as if it were answering. The yellow seemed to glow brighter for a second before dimming until it was a faded, off-white color. 

Forget it. Charles had no clue what was going on, but he didn’t have time for this. He snatched Edwin up and booked it through the mirror,  no destination in mind– only intent on getting them as far away as possible.

It took several tries before he got back to the office, and by then his nonexistent heartbeat had slowed down to something far more bearable. Without even thinking he tossed his bag and bat to the floor and uncovered the ball of light he’d been keeping safe in his hands.

There was an unexpected feeling to it, not quite a weight but certainly a warmth. It reminded him of when he was alive and he’d stick his cold finger next to a heater or run them under warm water once they’d gone numb.

It was the first time he’d felt warmth since he died.

He held the orb closer to his face and chest for inspection. It was perfectly round, the edges of it reminding him of an impossible mix of glass and a cloud. It wasn’t solid, but he also couldn’t put his hand through it, even if he tried.

“Edwin?” he asked again. Could this really be Edwin? What had that ghost done to him?

The orb pulsed, yellow light coming back to it before fading again into that cool, white light.

So it really must be Edwin. 

He glanced over at Edwin’s slowly growing collection of books and wondered if there was something about this in one of them. The subject of orbs had never come up before, but then again, neither one of them had ever been as hurt as Edwin was before. 

Was this what happened when something hurt them? How badly did they need to be hurt in order for it to happen? 

“Hey,” Charles said as he ran his hand over the orb. “Don’t worry, I’ve gotcha.”

There was another pulse. The orb seemed to hover above his hands for a moment before gravity seemed to take over it and it dropped back down. 

In a sheer panic, Charles caught it. Or not it, he supposed. Because this thing had to be Edwin. If it wasn’t that would mean that either Edwin was gone or he’d left him behind with their insane client. 

The idea that he might have done that nearly sent him into a tailspin. Should he double back and check? What if this was a trick and the real Edwin was somehow still there? Or what if there was something special about his knife that had turned Edwin into an orb?

Gently, he cradled Edwin to his chest as he turned to look for his bag. He’d picked up the knife, hadn’t he? Thankfully, it only took a few tries before he successfully pulled it from his bag. Ha, take that Edwin, he was getting better at using it.

“See, mate,” he said, his voice low and soft as he spoke over the orb. “I told you this bag was worth it. Already earnin’ its keep, hm?”

The handle of the knife was thankfully not iron coated. Charles hadn’t even thought about that earlier when he’d grabbed it. All he’d been thinking about was that Edwin was hurt, and he’d needed to disarm the guy.

Blood covered the blade, but aside from that there seemed to be nothing interesting about it at all. Not strange markings, no traces of magic that he could tell. It looked exactly like every other boring knife out there.

Except this one had hurt his friend.

The orb– Edwin, Charles supposed– pulsed again, the light from it peeking out between his fingers. Had Charles squeezed it by accident? He’d been so focused on the knife, so caught up in thoughts of their client hurting him that he hadn’t really…

Slowly but with more force than Charles anticipated, the orb pulled free from his hand. It bobbed around the room, floating here and there as if it were looking for something. It lingered above Edwin’s chair, the space where the other boy spent most of his time in the office. 

Yet there was nothing for it to do. It’s not like the orb had hands. It couldn’t hold a book or write or do anything that usually interested Edwin. 

As if it had realized this, it lazily floated back over to Charles. That yellow light seemed to be getting even stronger, calming Charles’s nerves just a bit. A strong light had to be a good sign, yeah? Surely that meant that Edwin was fine. 

Except what if he wasn’t fine? What if yellow was bad and he was trying to warn Charles? What if he needed help, and Charles couldn’t understand him? How was he meant to do anything if Edwin couldn’t talk to him anymore?

The orb bumped into his head, the softest, gentlest headbutt Charles had ever experienced. His thoughts slowed down as he lifted his hands up to cup the orb again.

“Well, mate,” Charles said. “What do you think we should do?” 

Edwin didn’t answer. Not that Charles thought he would.

“What if I read to you?” he asked. “I love it when you read to me. Helps me relax, yeah?”

Edwin seemed to warm up in his hands again. Charles took that as a good sign.

He strolled over to Edwin’s bookcase (our bookcase, Charles, the Edwin in his mind reminded him) and browsed their selection. Most of them were detective novels, but Edwin had recently started to collect more on magic and the supernatural.

No, he thought, should really stick to a classic.

“What about Sherlock Holmes? You love him,” he said, as if Charles didn’t also love him.

He grabbed one of their Sherlock Holmes books at random and made his way over to the couch. “Might as well get comfy, eh?” he asked and sprawled out.

For a moment, Charles was sure Edwin was going to float away. Maybe he hadn’t been as interested in reading to him as he’d thought. Instead, Edwin merely rolled down until he was resting on Charles’s chest, that warm, familiar feeling spreading all over him.

So Charles read to him. He read to him until he had finished one book, and then started on another that he could reach. His voice was a low rumble, the sound fading into the background as he split his attention between the words and Edwin. Time passed slowly and hazily, the sort of dream-like quality that only came when it didn’t really matter.

Eventually, when he thought he might go insane from reading so much, he talked. He told Edwin how he was sorry he hadn’t been fast enough to stop him– because really, Charles had been right there after all– and how he hoped that Edwin forgave him. He told him that when Edwin felt better, he would do anything he wanted. He’d even go see that play he’d been talking about that Charles couldn’t remember the name of if he wanted. And there was a show that Charles was interested in going to, but they could stand at the back where it was quieter and they were less likely to get stepped on if Edwin wanted to come.

He told him how much he missed him. How worried he was about him. How he knew that it had only been about a day since he’d gone into this form, but he didn’t think he’d missed anyone this much. Not his mum or dad, not his friends or teachers. No one.

Finally, he fell silent. He was sure that if he dug down deep enough there was more for him to say, but what was the point? Edwin was still stuck looking like the world’s brightest cricket ball, and he had just spilled about everything he had in him.

“I’m just worried,” Charles said. His arms wrapped around the orb so tightly it doubled as a self-hug. “Y’know I worry.”

Then again, maybe Edwin didn’t know. Charles loved to portray himself as this confident, friendly guy. Sure, he could be protective, but did Edwin know he was serious enough that he could worry?

Something shifted. The solid, golden color the orb had been since he’d started reading to him briefly changed. It flashed blue, a color that Charles normally loved but reminded him too much of Death in this instance, before it faded, and the orb was gone.

Before he could worry whether or not Death had actually come for them, he felt a solid weight pressing down on him. And there, in his lap, laid out across him, was Edwin. His feet were tucked up, allowing his long body to fit neatly onto the couch, his head cradled against Charles’s chest.

“Edwin?” he breathlessly asked.

Edwin shifted, his head tilting back just enough to look up at him. Charles had to loosen his death grip on him to allow even that. “Charles?”

Immediately, Charles hugged him closer. He smashed Edwin’s face into his chest and pressed his chin to the top of his head. “Don’t ever do that again, mate,” he said. “I mean it.”

For a moment, Edwin was frozen. Then, he thawed and relaxed himself into Charles’s hug. “I did not mean to worry you,” he said softly.

“Yeah, well, you did,” Charles said without any heat to it. Finally, he let his arms slide away from Edwin and allowed himself to get his first real look at his friend.

The first thing he noticed was that he looked tired. Dark bags lined his eyes and blood still smeared his collar, although whatever wound had been made was gone. He seemed paler than normal as well, but Edwin was always so pale it was hard to tell. 

“Alright?” he asked, still looking for any sign that he wasn’t.

Edwin nodded. “Yes,” he said. His voice sounded stronger than before, and God if it didn’t sound like Heaven to Charles. The idea that he might never have heard his friend speak again hadn’t truly hit him until this moment. “I believe I am unharmed.”

Charles’s eyes darkened. “You were stabbed. In the neck,” he said. Or close enough, anyways. “And then you turned into this glowing ball, and… well, I didn’t know what to do.”

Edwin flinched at the mention of his wound before soothing his expression into one of fondness. “Yes, I… seem to remember that,” he said. His hand came up to touch his throat, only to find no wound there. “It would seem I have healed.”

“Maybe that’s what that was?” he asked and made a gesture with his hand to show orb-sized Edwin. “Maybe that was like ‘ghost healing’?” 

Something between annoyance and acceptance flashed across Edwin’s face. “I believe you have it right,” Edwin said. “It would seem that would be the form ghosts take when they heal.”

Charles nodded. “Kinda brills, honestly. Like a turtle goin’ into their shell or something.”

Edwin squinted his eyes at the comparison. “I suppose,” he said. And then almost immediately collapsed when he tried to get up.

“Oi!” Charles said and wrapped his arms around him. “What’re you doing? You wanna be an orb again?” 

Edwin huffed as he settled back down. His face had washed out even more after his ill-advised attempt. “No, I do not,” he said. “But it hardly seems appropriate for me to just… lay all over you.”

Before he had died, Charles might have agreed. There was a certain amount of weirdness to it, he supposed, but that didn’t mean that he wanted Edwin to get up. In fact, he wanted Edwin to stay right where he was until he was strong enough to stand without passing out again.

Edwin rolled his eyes when he said this. “I did not pass out. Ghosts cannot do that,” he said. Yet he laid his head back down against Charles’s chest, his now ruffled hair tickling Charles’s chin. 

“Go back to sleep,” Charles said. Before Edwin could argue, he held a hand up and used it to gently bop him on the arm. “And don’t say ghosts can’t sleep. That’s basically what you were doing before.”

Edwin started to shake his head, but the motion quickly became him snuggling down against Charles. “I am merely resting my eyes.”

Charles grinned, a sudden wave of fondness he’d never felt for anyone else overtaking him. “Yeah, well rest your mouth too.”

Edwin tried to flip him off but failed. “Almost had it,” Charles teased.

“I’ll figure it out one day,” he said before fading back off to sleep. 

At least this time he stayed a ghost.

[rvb-canon-grimmons]

RVB RESTORATION THOUGHTS!!!!

LONG POST IM SO SORRY I HAD A LOT OF FEELINGS

(Im so sorry this got so long, but i got emotional while writing it so please bear with me, read this like its the morning paper while u eat breakfast or something i have alot to say)

Before I go into the things I didn't like I do want to focus on some positives.

-Like I said in an earlier post, Geoff's acting…he absolutely killed it, and maybe this is because I'm a little bit Geoff/Grif biased but he was giving so much emotion and everyone else felt a little bit flat. Also only he could have delivered the "Come with me" line with so much Homoeroticism -I Had a pretty fun time watching the fight in the second half, The references to Monty we're sweet and getting to see Tex and Carolina fight together was pretty epic! -A good handful of jokes got me good. "23rd in my class" Shelia translating Caboose's Spanish to Lopez

Ok……. the next bit of this will get a little bit negative, but I do want to say this is coming from a place of deep love and care for this series. I have run this blog for like 6/7 years now and I've been a fan of this show for double that. My biggest fear is that fans get the same treatment we did when no one liked RVBZero. I have criticisms. This is a 21 year old series that so many people have had a part in and so many have loved. I was not looking for perfection, I wasn't even looking for something good. I was looking for an ending to the stories of characters people have held in their hearts for 21 years. Unfortunately, what I feel we were left with was a hastily thrown together hour of basically nothing.

-Why weren't they friends…..Why weren't they friends…No one cared for the others. I understand that we have semi warped perceptions of the characters from fanon works and things of that nature. But even in canon, the reds and blue care about each other. On their own team and the other team. Simmons, Grif, Tucker, and Caboose spent MONTHS together in chorus and same for Donut/Sarge/Wash. I've recently rewatched blood gulch and Caboose and Sarge have a great dynamic! Tucker and Grif canonically get along pretty well. Simmons was ON BLUE TEAM for like a hot minute there. THEY KNOW EACH OTHER AND CARE ABOUT EACH OTHER. This was zero percent present in this film. No one had any motivation to look for Tucker. No one cared that it was Tuckers body inside the suit. THE REDS LEFT CABOOSE FOR DEAD!!!!!! THEY JUST LEFT HIM!!!!

-Tucker, I'm so sorry baby girl, this was supposed to be your arc, your moment. You were hardly in it. No build up to how he became the Meta. The scene where he breaks out of it to not kill caboose was the best part of the arc. And he just wakes up and remembers it "like someone elses Nightmare??" ok sure

-Wash………………WHAT THE FUCK???? WHAT THE FUCK???????????????? WHAT THE FUCK??????? WHAT THE FUCK???? TO RUIN THIS MANS ENTIRE CHARACTER ARC BY MAKING HIM COMPLETELY OBSOLETE. PUTTING HIM IN SOME RANDOM HOSPITAL FOR AN UNKNOWN INJURY THAT HAPPENS OFF SCREEN AND ISN'T EXPLAINED. HAVE HIM HALUCINATING DOC FOR SOME FUCKING REASON. HAVE HIM SHOW UP TO THE FINAL BATTLE AND DO ABSOLUTLEY NOTHING BUT JUMP OFF A FUCKING CLIFF AND NOT SAY A WORD TO ANY OF THE RED AND BLUES I AM LIERALLY ABOUT TO FUCKING CRY TYPING THIS I AM LITERALLY SO FUCKING PISSED OFF. AGENT WASHINGTON, THE CHARACTER THAT WAS SO HAPPY IN THE SEASON RIGHT BEFORE CHORUS JUST TO BE ON BLUE TEAM AND HAVE A FUCKING FAMILY AGAIN. JUST SIDELINE HIM FOR NO FUCKING REASON AND THEN NOT LET HIM SPEAK TO ANY OF HIS FRIENDS EXCEPT CAROLINA AND DEAD DOC. AND DONT EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THE FACT THAT TUCKER BEING THE META WAS LITERALLY A PLOT POINT CATERED TO HAVE WASH BE INVOLVED. THIS IS LIKE AGENT WASHINGTON ANGST BAIT 101. YES IM A TUCKINGTON SHIPPER BUT PUT ALL SHIPPING ASIDE, THEY WERE STILL FRIENDS, THEY WERE FRIENDS THEY WERE FRIENDS.

Grimmons. I am disappointed. But really not surprised. Honestly for everything I disliked I thought Grimmons was handled ok… at this point im like….. they couldn't even throw us a bone. company was dying, final season airing, and they couldn't even throw us a solid Grimmons queerbait joke. Its whatever….I don't wanna get too upset about shipping because at the end of the day, ships becoming canon isn't what shipping is all about (says Tumblr user "RVB-Canon-Grimmons) you get what im saying.

-Donut…..where was he…..Fucking Homophobic honestly

-DOC IS DEAD?????????????????????????????? FUCKING WHY???

-Sarge's death was fine, I'm not upset by it I just didn't feel like it was emotionally satisfying. Especially after the shock of them leaving Caboose and the much better scene of tucker fighting the meta's control over him to not hurt caboose.

-PEOPLE CALLED U SIR ALL THROUGHOUT CHORUS SIMMONS WHAT THE FUCK??????????? WHY IS SIMMONS PROMOTED AND INCHARGE OF NO ONE???? WHY DID GRIF LEAVE HIM???

Im sorry………..this is so long………just remeber this is only my opinions and if u don't agree thats totally ok!!!!! I am just a critical bitch….

[mamawasatesttube]

Technically I could google it, but what’s the deal with the new 52, and flashpoint, and rebirth etc… I think you’ve mentioned before that Kon has several different origins and stuff… wild.

so technically kon has one main origin that's just been altered by a couple of retcons, and then there's just a whole entire Other Fucking Guy dc made up and also named kon-el because they hate happiness. i'll get to that in a second sdfhdkjs

SO. "new 52", "precrisis", "postcrisis", and "rebirth" all refer to different periods of dc continuity! precrisis is the oldest and refers to comics written before crisis on infinite earths (1985). when anyone refers to "the crisis" you can generally assume they mean coie, as it's the Most Significant one. coie's meta purpose was to consolidate all of the timelines and not-really-in-continuity stories into a more cohesive overall dc universe.

thus we ended in the postcrisis universe, also known as new earth (after all the fuckery ended and some timelines kinda reset etc etc). a lot of titles like superman, wonder woman, etc., got relaunched in 1987 after coie ended. this is frankly, in my and also many other people's opinions, dc's best era (1987 - 2011); this is where we got storylines like the death and return of superman, saw characters like the cast of young justice '98 introduced, and followed a lot of different characters as they grew and developed, such as tim drake moving from 200+ issues of robin towards a new mantle (red robin) towards the end of the era.

unfortunately, for some reason, this guy working at dc named dan didio who was just like absolute god at coming up with terrible ideas, was like. hey so the timeline's getting cluttered and complicated again. i know what we need to do. another entire fucking universe reset! and this time we'll just absolutely bungle it. i'm talking edgier characterizations. throwing out established character relationships and dynamics. edgier everything actually. this will be fucking awesome.

spoiler alert it was not fucking awesome. this was the new 52 and it was massively unpopular. it was kicked off by an event called flashpoint (this is why sometimes you will see people referring to pre-n52 as pre-flashpoint). sales were pretty Not Stellar. it was a fucking mess with absolutely no preplanning or anything. for more on what a shitshow n52 was, here's an article.

and so new 52 kon specifically? yeah. not a clone of superman. a clone of some other guy (specifically, an alternate universe son of superman and lois lane named jon lane kent). this is where the "kon means abomination" thing came from (the author is scott lobdell and i throw tomatoes at him in my mind on the daily, for this and many many other crimes). it does not apply to main continuity kon because it got retconned out of existence and also literally did not happen to him because n52 kon is an Entirely Different Fucking Guy.

so all of five years after n52 happened, dc was like. okay everyone hates this and wants the postcrisis continuity back. uhhhh... okay! and so in 2016 they launched rebirth, also known as prime earth, in a story that more or less just undid flashpoint except not exactly. this restored a lot of the general broad strokes of postcrisis continuity (except where it didn't, and boy did a lot of things fall through those cracks, such as... the entire kon-el. he was not in continuity at all until young justice (2019). he just simply didn't exist anymore until this guy bendis was like well wait a minute we should bring that guy back! and proceeded to do it in the stupidest way possible... but i digress.)

thus kon really only has one origin: reign of the supermen. there have been some retcons that change the details of that origin (due to the byrne era "last son of krypton" mandate, the relaxation of that mandate, and then geoff johns being fucking stupid, in that order), but overall his origin has not changed. it's just that there is also some other guy out there named kon-el (who is.. currently not in continuity? i think? i don't really know. i haven't read any n52 superboy/titans stuff bc i was like well that's not my kon so i don't care slkdjf but i'll probably get there one day or another...)

[dozing-marshmallow]

Hi sorry to send in another ask but I was wondering if you would be willing to write Eva, Geoff, Tyler, and Alejandro x shy male reader who they’ve been crushing on coming up to them and giving them a drawing that they just made of them. I’m just imagining like half of them blue screening.

If you don’t like this or don’t want to do it no worries. Thank you for your time.

Hey, thank you so much for remaining so patient! The amount of time I took to complete this was unacceptable, so I apologise and hope you enjoy.

SHY! MALE! READER GIVING A DRAWING TO TDI CHARACTERS (ALEJANDRO + EVA + TYLER + GEOFF)

ALEJANDRO

Alejandro announced that he would be taking a flight to Spain for the rest of summer.

You had one of your closer friends, who wasn’t from the show, help you navigate your way into the airport.

When you got in, you looked up at one of the screens and saw the gate number for Spain so you followed the signs.

You were worried that you may have misread it, until you saw the familar suave face of Alejandro, rotated right in your direction.

As though he had anticipated you!

“My, (Y/N)! Is that really you?“ He smiled benevolently to you,"What a delight to see you here before I must go! What have you come here for?"

“Alejandro, hello...” you greeted, giving a small wave,”I know you need to go to uh, board your plane soon, but I...” you gulped.

You decided to finish your sentence by presenting him the drawing.

“What’s this?” he questions rhetorically, taking the paper,“You..did this?”

You nodded sheepishly.

“Ay... I...really wasn’t expecting this.” You glanced up confused. The way he was speaking. That wasn’t a tone you recognised. Was it...

Before you could finish that thought, Alejandro shakes his head and his charming speech pattern was present again, hand on his cheek,“Oh how generous of you! To take such precious time out of your day to truly capture my mediocrity on paper!”

Mediocrity?

Oh. You get what he was trying to do.

Though, that didn’t stop you from contradicting his intentionally self deprecating comment,“No, don’t call yourself that... You’re not mediocre.”

“No? Then what am I? Below average?”

“Beyond average,” you murmured, but he heard it.

“Oh my dear amigo! Your words have touched my heart. You are too kind! Is there any possible way to repay this? You must tell me.”

“N-No, don’t... There’s no point in drawing you if I wanted something in return..”

“Your heart indeed is made of gold.” he claimed, delicately storing it away in his backpack,“Many thanks. I shall never pass this over.”

“You’re welcome.” you say, now running out of things to say, you reminded the brunette of his flight.

“Oh, yes! Ah, what unfortunate timing!” he comedically slaps a hand to his forehead,”If it were in my hands, I would freeze time to go into deep praise about your talents!” he grabs the handle of his suitcase,“Farewell, (Y/N). May sunshine follow your days.”

You knew Alejandro was probably trying to use the drawing to lure you into a facade of security.

Which was further from the truth.

As Alejandro joined the queue and watched your fading figure, he wondered when the right opportunity would come.

EVA

The gym was the best place to find Eva.

And right you were: when you walked in, you found the sports-driven woman.

She seemed really focused on her weights... That frown was putting you off... 20kg like it was nothing...

Okay... Um... After she’s done, I’ll...give it to her then.

And when that time did come, you were still so nervous. The whole time, she carried this dark aura, warning you to not come close.

At least she’s not doing a set now... So I’m not exactly disturbing her from anything...but I am still disturbing her by doing this, aren’t I?

When will you get to have another opportunity like this? After a deep breath, you quietly stepped towards her towering body.

You’re close enough... Now, you could get her attention...

You flinch when you do.

Annoyed, she turns around and ripped an earbud out of her ear and sneers her question,“Yeah? What do you want?”

That sounded more like an imperative than a question... You regretted what you’ve done now...but there’s no way she was going to let you off until you did what you wanted to do. Just keep your eyes away and your voice low,“Sorry to interrupt you... Can...I give something to you?”

“I’m busy. Give it later.” she grumbled, grabbing a new pair of weights.

Oh. Never mind,“Ah...okay. Sorry.”

“Nghh. You know what.” she had her hand squeezed on your shoulder,“Give it now.”

You sigh and handed her the drawing,“I just...thought you looked nice. Sorry...for wasting your time. I’ll go now.”

“Now hold on just a minute...”Uh oh,“You come to me when I’m busy with this drawing and you’re walking away without me even getting my thanks in?!”

“...Sorry?”

She playfully punches you, and you could see how wide her smile was,“Man, I can’t believe I was about to let you go when I had this thing to look at! It’s the first time someone’s drawn me in this way!”

“Oh... So, people have drawn you before?” That was surprising.

“Yeah, but in ways that really get on my nerves. They colour my face red and even give me demon horns!” she explained, seeming to clutch the paper out of progressive anger.

“Oh...” you felt very awkward now,”I’m sorry about that.”

“Don’t sweat it. I usually throw their faces in the mud and throw water over as retribution.” she added, now back to smiling.

...Eva’s wrath was no laughing matter.

Though it looks like you found the loophole.

TYLER

You knew Tyler would be at the local swimming pool.

Standing outside of it, you checked over your drawing one last time to make sure you didn’t accidentally draw a horrible caricature drawing. 

It was the same piece you intended to give to him, but you realised you forgot to add his signature red sweatband.

Curse your forgetfulness as you messily wrote down an apology to the side of paper Tyler’s head.

You went down to the swimming pool, taking caution as you walked on the slippery floors. You spotted Tyler in the deeper end of the pool, though feeling embarrassed that shouting for him would draw attention, you decide to let him notice you.

And when he does, he grins, waving wildly,“(Y/N), hey!” and attempted to swim faster, however when he got up, he ended up slipping and fell right on his back...then back into the pool.

You winced. This isn’t the first something excruciating happened to him, though the sight of it still gets you every time,”Oh God, Tyler, are you okay?”

He resurfaced and swam weaker than before and cautiously went up the ladder by your feet,”Yeah yeah, I’m still alive! What are you doing here, did you decide to sign up for the swimming team for next year?”

You shake your head,“No no, not this year... Uh... I actually came to see you... Because I know we won’t see each other until September...so I made this in appreciation of you.” not wanting him to ruin the drawing with his dripping wet limbs, you held it up for him to see.

He blinked, and took it anyway,“Is this me? Doppppe! My first fanart!”

“Uh...” you blinked,”Fanart?”

“Yeah! I’m gonna frame this and put it on my wall at home!” he clapped his wet hand with yours,“Thanks man! You’re real talented!”

“Oh!” you blush,“No worries!”

GEOFF

Geoff had thrown a party for all the Total Drama contestants of your generation and you would have skipped it if you didn’t know the people.

The perfect chance to give him the drawing.

When you arrived, Geoff was there by the DJ booth.

Taking a deep breath, you went over to him,“Hello Geoff...” you smile softly.

He enthusiastically tips his hat to you,“Yo, (Y/N)! My favourite party pal! What’s smokin’, bro?”

You kept your meek smile, a contrast to the internal turmoil to give it to him now,“...Hi Geof. I hope I’m not bothering you, but I wanted to um-“

“No friend is either a bother, man! What’s that you wanted to show me?” no going back now. He sees that your hand is preoccupied with something.

So, you gave that something over to him, facing down.

With a curious expression, he takes it and flips it over.

His jaw drops. He hates it-

“Yo (Y/N)! Did you do this? It looks incredible!” Huh?,“How do you get my chin right? No one ever gets my chin right!”

“Really?... I didn’t think much about that chin... I was worried about the shading...”

“The shading? You shaded this thing!?” Geoff exclaimed even louder as his eyes frantically scanned the paper again,“No way! I look almost look as good as that Mona Lisa gal! Sorry I didn’t notice that before dude, I love this to bits! Massive thank you man!” he suddenly surrounds you with a friendly embrace.

You gasped, but once you registered the gesture, a sense of security flowed through your veins. Geoff, however, didn’t get the last part and let go of you immediately.

“Sorry sorry, lost myself for a sec there, bro! It’s just, this art! It’s so good, it’s like putting me under a spell! You were fine with the hugging, right?”

You give a small smile,“Of course.”

“This is like an early birthday gift! Or late.” he turns to you curiously,”If your birthday’s six months from now, does that make it six months early or six months late?”

Another quirky question!,“Um...both?”

“Yeah! You’re right! Both still make a valid reason to party!” he grinned,“Thanks again man!”

[sodium-chloride-blog]

Honestly, thinking about RvB Restoration coming this fall and the recent ANMA Podcast I listened to where Gus and Geoff talk about the script recordings they did for it... I just know this final season is going to break me.

It's a mix of emotions, honestly, ranging from joy and relief because we're getting even more rvb and subsequently, a better ending than whatever rvb zero was supposed to be, but also apprehension from knowing that Trocadero won't even have a part in it (unfortunately), and sadness knowing we're finally, really, truly at the end, for good this time.

Some parts from the podcast got my attention that I wanted to share with you guys (I do recommend watching the full episode though.)

It is so over, it's so fucking over, I just know I'm not emotionally equipped for this ending.

As absolutely devastating as it is to know Trocadero won't be part of the final season (I have very confusing, conflicting feelings on RT right now, all things considered), despite their music being such an integral part of rvb from start to finish, I can't help but feel confident that we're going to get a proper send-off with Burnie back at the helm for one final season.

It's also heartwarming to know this is such a big deal for Gus and Geoff the same way it is for us, to finally say goodbye to characters we've grown to love.

Also obligatory grimmons mention (the captions fucked up, Geoff actually said 'Grif and Simmons gave us careers, gave us grimmons')

It's baffling in retrospect, that a silly little halo machinima series from 2003 (which is literally older than ME), that was supposed to last literally only 6 episodes, has grown into something so much bigger. And now — over 20 years later — with 18 seasons, 5 mini-series, a PSA series, and over 300 episodes in total, it's finally coming to an end.

Honestly? It's a little hard not getting choked up about it. RvB is probably my favorite series ever. Of all time. It's definitely not perfect (and neither is the company behind it, good lord), but I wouldn't trade it for anything. I'm definitely nervous, since the ending might not be something I'm personally happy with, but I know it's going to be a good ending regardless.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens when the season drops this fall...

[lousypotatoes]

All Over My Blonde South

"Boy, you make it, make it right

My temperature is super high

If I scream, if I cry

It's only 'cause I feel alive~"

Turn Me On - David Guetta, Nicki Minaj

Previous Next

Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doing fine

You guys are on my mind

You asked me what I wanted to be

And now I think the answer is plain to see

I wanna be famous

I wanna live close to the sun

Well pack your bags 'cause I've already won

Everything to prove nothing in my way

I'll get there one day

I wanna be famous

Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na

I wanna be

I wanna be

I wanna be famous

I wanna be

I wanna be famous~

Y/N stood at the top of the cliff, looking down in the water below her, legs shaking in fear.

"Okay, today's challenge is threefold," Chris said to the twenty-three contestants, all standing in their swimsuits. "Your first task is to jimp off this one-thousand-foot-high cliff into the lake."

"Piece of cake," Bridgette mumbled to Y/N.

"There's no way, it's that easy," Y/N mumbled back.

"If you look down, you will see two target areas," Chris explained. "The wider area represents the part of the lake that we have stocked with psychotic, man eating sharks."

Y/N felt like she was gonna barf, faint, and her pee herself all at once.

"Inside that area is a safe zone," Chris said. "That's your target area, which we're pretty sure is shark free."

"Excuse me?" Leshawna asked.

"For each member of your team that jumps and actually survives," Chris said, ignoring Leshawna. "There will be a crate of supplies waiting below. Inside each crate are supplies that you'll need for the second part of the challenge, building a hot tub!"

"The team with the best one gets to have a wicked hot tub party tonight." Chris said. "The losers will be sending someone home. Let's see, Killer Bass, you're up first."

'I'm going to die,' Y/N thought. 'I'm literally going to die.'

"Oh wow," Bridgette said, looking down into the water. "So, who wants to go first?"

Nobody on the Killer Bass team said a word.

"So, who's up?" Eva asked.

"Ladies first," Duncan said.

"Fine, I'll go," Bridgette said shakily. "It's no big deal. Just an insane cliff dive into a circle of angry sharks." she finished, swan diving off the cliff, not even screaming.

Looking down, Y/N saw that she landed right in the safe zone, waving up at them.

"She did it! Yeah!" Tyler exclaimed. "I'm next!"

Tyler got a running start and jumped off the cliff.

"Cowabunga!" Tyler screamed as he fell down.

Instead of landing straight into the water, Tyler landed one of the buoys, then slid into the safe zone.

"Duncan, can you promise me something?" Y/N asked as Geoff jumped down.

"What is it?" Duncan asked, his eyebrow raised.

"When I jump down, could you maybe help me out of the water?" she asked.

"You don't know how to swim?" Duncan asked, as Eva jumped off shouting, "Look out below!"

"I do," Y/N explained. "I just don't like not being able to touch the bottom. It freaks me out."

"Sure thing, sweetheart, I'll help you out." Duncan said.

"Thanks," Y/N said.

"Don't mention it," he replied before jumping off.

Next, it was DJ's turn to jump.

He was looking down in the water, a scared look on his face.

"Uh-uh, no way man," DJ said. "I'm not jumping."

"Scared of heights?" Chris asked.

"Yeah, ever since I was a kid." DJ answered.

"That's okay, big guy," Chris said. "Unfortunately, that also makes you a chicken, so you'll have to wear this for the rest of the day!"

Chris placed an ugly, yellow chicken hat on DJ's head.

"Oh man, for real?" DJ asked.

Chris then started clucking like a chicken, making Isabell cringe.

"That means the chicken path down is that way," Chris said, pointing to an escalator behind him.

Y/N watched as DJ sadly went down the escalator.

Next, it was Ezekiel's turn to jump.

On the way down, Ezekiel hit a very big rock, but still landed in the safe zone, making the rest of the team cheer.

"Yes!" Harold exclaimed, jumping down in the splits position.

As he fell, he fell hard, slapping his groin against the water.

His cry of pain rung out all throughout the camp, making Y/N wince.

'Sheesh,' she thought. 'Hope he's okay.'

"Ooh, hate to see that happen." Chris smiled.

"Excuse me, Chris, I have a medical condition," Courtney said.

"What condition?" Chris asked.

"A condition that prevents me from jumping off cliffs." Courtney answered.

"You can chicken out if you want," Chris smirked. "But it might end up costing your team the win. And then they'll hate you.

"It's a calculated risk," Courtney smirked. "I've seen the other team, and I don't think nine of them will jump."

"All right, here is your chicken hat," Chris said, placing the ugly hat on Courtney's head.

"So, let's tally up the results," Chris said, pulling out a clipboard. "Hold on, that's eight jumpers, and two chickens. We're missing two."

Before Y/N could speak up, Katie and Sadie interrupted her.

"I'm not jumping without Katie" Sadie whined.

"We have to be on the same team Chris!" Katie cried.

"Please, please!" the two of the begged.

"I'll switch places with her," Izzy said, raising her hand.

"All right, fine," Chris groaned. "You're both on the Killer Bass now. Izzy, you're on the Screaming Gophers."

"That means you're up girls," he said to Katie and Sadie.

"We're coming Killer Bass!" the two of them screamed as they jumped.

"We still have one more jumper left," Chris said. "Y/N, you're up next."

Y/N looked down in the water, her legs shaking and her lip quivering.

She could hear the rest of her teammates either telling her to 'jump already!' or 'you can do it Y/N!'

"You can do this Y/N," she mumbled, hyping herself up. "You can do this."

Taking a deep breath and plugging her nose, she jumped off the cliff. She could feel her H/C hair whip around her face. She squeezed her eyes shut, not making a noise, even when she felt the cold water smack her skin.

Trying to hold her head above the water, she coughed and sputtered.

"Gimme your hand!" yelled a voice.

Looking up, she saw Duncan in a boat, holding out his hand.

Y/N grabbed his hand, and mustering all his strength, Duncan pulled her into the boat.

"I told you I would be there to help you," Duncan panted, the boat taking both of them to shore. "You okay?"

"Yup," Y/N laughed, rubbing her eyes. "I can't believe I just did that."

"Yeah," Duncan chuckled. "For a second I thought you weren't gonna jump."

"Oh, it truly wounds me that you think that low of me," Y/N said, the two of them getting off the boat and onto shore.

"Oh my gosh! Are you okay?" Bridgette said, running up to Isabell.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Y/N sheepishly said. "I'm just not a very strong swimmer."

"You're so cool for jumping even though you can't swim!" Katie suddenly cheered.

"Oh well, um," Y/N blushed. "Thanks, I guess"

Suddenly, they all heard Heather screaming.

Y/N turned and saw Heather splash in the water.

"Leshawna!" Heather screamed up. "I'm going to fucking kill you!"

"Hey, I threw you in the safe zone, didn't I?" Leshawna yelled back, before jumping off the cliff.

"How many people you think are gonna jump?" Bridgette asked Isabell.

"Hopefully less than us," Y/N replied.

Next to jump was Lindsay, then Gwen, Cody, Izzy, and Justin.

Justin landed very far from the safe zone.

"He's toast," Duncan mumbled.

Y/N saw the sharks getting closer and closer to him.

"Oh, I can't watch," she said, closing her eyes, but keeping them open just a little.

Instead of attacking him, the sharks started fawning over Justin, bringing him safely to shore.

"Woah," Y/N chuckled. "That's something you don't see everyday,"

"You're telling me," Duncan laughed.

The next person that was supposed to jump was Beth, but she got too scared and chickened out.

"Let's just hope two more people chicken out," Bridgette said.

The only person left to jump was Owen.

"Okay campers, there's only one person left," Chris called down with a megaphone. "You guys need this jump for the win. No pressure dude."

"Okay, there's pressure!"

~Confessionals~

"Oh, I was pretty darn nervous," Owen said. "See the thing is, I'm not that strong a swimmer."

--

~Confessionals~

"I'm looking at this guy and thinking 'there's no way he's gonna make it.'" Geoff said.

--

~Confessionals~

"I actually thought, 'if he jumps this, he's gonna die.'" Gwen said.

--

Y/N looked up at cliff in suspense, biting her nails.

In what seemed like forever, Owen finally jumped off the cliff, screaming as he fell.

When he made contact with the water, he created a big splash that knocked Y/N off her feet.

Y/N now was soaked, again.

"Great," Y/N groaned, wringing her hair out.

"Yes! Yeah!" Owen exclaimed, still in the water. "Who's the man?"

The Screaming Gophers started cheering, making Y/N glare at Courtney and DJ in distaste.

She mostly glared at Courtney, though.

"The winners, The Screaming Gophers!" Chris called down with the megaphone.

Owen started looking around the water, a concerned look on his face.

"That was awesome dude!" Trent said, then seeing Owen's concerned face. "What's wrong?"

"I uh," Owen stuttered. "I think I lost my bathing suit."

"That's disgusting," Y/N said, walking off to change into her regular clothes.

Using all her strength, Y/N tried pushing the crate of supplies down the shore, staring at the other team, wishing she had the cart.

"I swear, if we lose this challenge, I'm committing a felony," Y/N said through gritted teeth. "I did not jump off a one-thousand-foot cliff just to lose."

"This fucking sucks," Duncan panted, leaning on his crate. "When this is over, I'm taking a fat nap."

"Ow!" Courtney said from behind Y/N. "I think I just got a splinter!"

Eva walked over to Courtney, picked up her crate and slammed it back down on the ground.

"Shut it and pick up your fucking crate!" Eva snapped. "Chicken!"

"Hey! I'm the only one with CIT camping experience here," Courtney whined. "You need me!"

"You're only saying that so we don't vote you off," Y/N glared. "Now please stop complaining, you're giving me a headache."

Courtney gave Y/N a dirty look, but went back to pushing her crate.

Y/N continued pushing her crate, wincing every time she got a splinter in her hand.

"I got to take a whiz," Tyler spoke up.

"Hurry up, we're already behind," Eva said as Tyler walked off.

"Oh, I have to go to," Katie said.

"You do?" Sadie said. "Oh my gosh, me too!"

"Can you three please hurry up?" Y/N called out.

"Someone's impatient," Duncan smirked.

"I hope you get eaten by a shark," Y/N rolled her eyes.

"Ooh, that hurts sweetheart," Duncan laughed.

Y/N smacked his shoulder.

"Are you like this all the time?" Y/N asked.

"Pretty much, yeah," Duncan replied.

"Oh yay, lucky me,"

After a few minutes, Tyler, Katie, and Sadie came back from peeing, the team started pushing their crates again.

If Y/N heard Sadie and Katie complain about their itchy asses one time, she was gonna snap.

It had been almost forty-five minutes, and The Killer Bass were still nowhere near the campground.

Chris noticed this and pulled up a four-wheeler.

"You guys are way behind the other team," he said. "Like way behind. What's the problem?"

"Their butts are itchy," Y/N heard Courtney say.

Y/N turned around to say something but then saw Courtney and jumped in surprise.

Where her eye was, there was a massive bug bite, all swollen. Y/N could barely see her eye.

"Gah!" Chris cried, also seeing her eye. "Holy shit, that's bad!"

"Did you guys squat down when you peed in the woods?" Bridgette asked Katie and Sadie.

"Yeah," Katie answered, scratching continuously at her butt.

"Did you happen to notice what plants you were squatting over?"

"They were kind of oval shaped, and green, and all over the place." Sadie said.

"Were they low to the ground? About this big?" Bridgette asked, trying not to laugh.

Katie and Sadie nodded.

"You guys squatted on poison ivy."

Y/N started laughing really hard, she had to lean on her crate to support herself.

"No way," Chris laughed, as Katie and Sadie whined and screamed. "That's awesome!"

In what seemed like forever, The Killer Bass finally made it to the campsite. Y/N saw that the other team was already WAY ahead on building their hot tub.

"There's no way we're gonna win this," she mumbled.

"Let's just try to do our best," Bridgette said, but it seemed like she already knew that they we're going to win as well.

They set their crates down, Y/N stretched out and popped her back.

"Finally," Harold sighed.

"Hey, what's up guys?" Trent smiled.

"Hey, aren't you missing a couple of white girls?" Leshawna asked.

Y/N couldn't care less if Katie and Sadie were missing. They were annoying and gave her a headache.

"They're getting a drink," Courtney said.

"Yeah, if they drink with their butts," Harold said to Ezekiel.

"Funny," Ezekiel laughed, making Y/N back up in disgust.

Leshawna stared at Courtney in horror, making Y/N giggle.

"Oooh, what happened to your eye, girl?" Leshawna asked in shock.

"Nothing, just an allergy," Courtney said.

"I think it's getting worse," Ezekiel pointed out.

"Shut up!" Courtney whispered. "We don't want them to know that?"

"Why?" Y/N asked. "Are you afraid they're gonna use it against us?"

Courtney glared at Isabell but ignored her.

"Okay, dudes," Geoff said from the top of the crates. "It's not too late, we can do this!"

Y/N backed up farther away from Ezekiel when she saw him picking his nose.

"Ew!" Courtney said.

"What?" Ezekiel asked, wiping his hand on his pants.

"That's actually super gross," Y/N grimaced.

"Okay, look guys," Courtney said, standing up. "We have a hot tub to complete, and we need a project manager. Since I've actually been a CIT before, I'm electing myself. Any objections?"

"Where do we begin cyclops?" Duncan said.

"Open the crates," Courtney snapped, getting in Duncan's face. "Bridgette, go find those itchy girls. We need all the help we can get."

"This hot tub fucking sucks," Y/N mumbled, after they were all done. "I bet even poor people have hot tubs that look better then this."

"Woahh," Duncan laughed. "That's harsh."

"I only speak the truth,"

Chris inspected the other teams hot tub, looking for any kind of mistakes.

After a few minutes, he finally said something.

"This is an awesome hot tub!" he said.

The other team started cheering, making Y/N glare at Courtney and DJ.

Mostly Courtney, though.

She didn't know what, but there was something about Courtney that Y/N absolutely did not like.

Now, it was time for the Killer Bass' hot tub to be inspected. Y/N already knew they were going to lose, but she still waited in anticipation.

Chris tapped on the base of the hot tub, and water instantly shot back in his face.

As he wiped the water off his face, the hot tub fell apart, wood and water going everywhere.

"Well, I think we have a winner here," Chris said, staying silent for a moment. "The Screaming Gophers!"

Y/N looked down at the ground in disappointment, while the other team cheered. She already knew they were going to lose, but she still didn't like the feeling of it.

"Gophers, you're safe from elimination, and you get to rock this awesome hot tub for the rest of the summer! Bonus!"

The Screaming Gophers started to cheer even louder.

"Killer Bass, what can I say? Stinks to be you right now. I'll see your sorry butts at the bonfire tonight."

Deciding she didn't want to be there any longer, Y/N started walking around the island.

"Hey, wait up!" Duncan said, catching up with her. "Where you going?"

"Anywhere where the other team isn't," Y/N groaned.

"Hey, we'll win the next challenge," Duncan said, trying to cheer her up. "DJ and Courtney are just a bunch of pussies."

Y/N laughed. "Yeah, hopefully you're right."

"It's the end of the challenge now," Duncan smirked. "Didn't you say you were going to tell me your name, sweetheart?"

"I don't know if I really want to tell you it," Y/N said, a sly smile on her face. "I kind of like it when you call me sweetheart."

Duncan's eyes widened, and for the first time since they'd been on the island, he didn't have anything to say, not used to a girl flirting back with him.

"Oh calm down, Duncan," Y/N laughed. "I'm just messing with you. Y/N. My name is Y/N. Are you happy?"

"Very," Duncan remarked, now being able to talk. "Y/N. A pretty name for a pretty girl."

"Oh, stop you're making me blush," Y/N smirked. "It's almost time for dinner, so I'll be heading to the mess hall now. Care to join me?"

"You don't even have to ask, Y/N," Duncan said.

It was quiet in the mess hall, the only noises that could be heard was the sound of chewing and silverware clanking. Y/N sat in between Duncan, and to her dislike, Courtney.

"So uh, what do we do now?" Katie asked.

"We have to figure out who we're gonna vote off," Courtney said.

"Isn't it obvious?" Y/N said, swallowing her food. "It's either going to be you or DJ."

"What?" Courtney gasped. "Why?"

"You two are the only ones wearing those ugly hats," Y/N said.

"And if we ever have to lift a truck," Duncan added on. "I like our odds with the big guy."

"I second that," Y/N said, making DJ smile even wider.

"You guys need me!" Courtney whined. "I'm the only one-"

"We know," Bridgette interrupted. "You used to be a real CIT. So would you pick?"

"What about him?" Courtney said, pointing to Tyler.

"No!" Lindsay suddenly yelled from the other table.

Everybody in the room looked at her in confusion.

" I mean, no salt," Lindsay stuttered. "There's no salt on the table, bummer."

"Fine then, what about her?" Courtney pointed to Y/N.

"Excuse me?" Y/N snapped.

"Hey, at least she jumped off the cliff, chicken wing," Duncan snarled.

"Shut up!" Courtney yelled.

"I think you're the one that needs to shut up you uptight bitch," Y/N mumbled.

"What did you just call me?" Courtney glared.

"You heard me," Y/N smirked.

"Oh, you are so dead," Courtney snapped.

"Okay, let's just chill out," Geoff intervened. "This is getting way too heavy."

"I've had enough prison food for one day," Duncan said, getting up. "I'm gonna go have a nap."

"You can't do that!" Courtney called out. "We haven't decided who's going yet!"

"Well, I just don't get why we lost, ay," Ezekiel spoke up. "They're the ones that have six girls."

Everyone in the mess hall gasped.

Y/N, Bridgette, and Eva crowded around him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Bridgette angrily asked.

"Yeah homeschool, enlighten us, "Eva said, smashing her fist on the table.

"And you better choose your words very wisely," Y/N snarled.

"Well, guys are much stronger and better at girls than girls are," Ezekiel replied without a second thought.

All the guys in the room backed away from any of the girls they were near.

"Oh snap, he did not just say that!" Geoff laughed.

"Not the time Geoff!" Y/N snapped.

"My dad told me to look out for the girls here, ay," Ezekiel said. "And help them in case they can't keep up."

Y/N had to hold herself from punching that little freak.

Eva grabbed him by his neck and lifted him up in the air.

"Still think we need your help keeping up?" Eva asked.

"Uh, not really," Ezekiel said.

"Okay, guys, let's give him a break," Geoff said.

Eva dropped Ezekiel down to the floor.

"At least he doesn't think that guys are smarter than girls." Geoff said.

"But they are,"

"That's it," Y/N snapped before pouncing onto Ezekiel.

Y/N knocked him back onto the floor. With one of her hands she grabbed onto his neck, and with her other hand, she started punching all over his face.

"Still think guys are smarter, hm?" Y/N angrily said.

She could hear all the other girls cheering for her.

"Mess him up, YN!" Katie and Sadie said.

Suddenly, Y/N felt two pairs of arms latch onto her. As much as she tried to fight them, the pairs of arms lifted her off of Ezekiel.

"Woah, calm down, Y/N!" DJ said.

"That was fucking crazy!" Geoff exclaimed.

Y/N shrugged their arms off her. She smirked when she saw that she had given Ezekiel two black eyes and a bloody lip and nose.

"If I ever hear you saying shit like that again," Y/N said in a dark voice to Ezekiel. "I'll do more than just give you a black eye and a bloody nose."

Everyone stared at her in in either awe or horror as she walked out of the mess hall.

She couldn't wait to tell Duncan what just happened.

It was now the time where the Killer Bass would have to watch someone walk onto the Dock of Shame and go home.

All of the girls, including Y/N were smirking at Ezekiel.

"Dude, you've got a lot to learn about the real world," Duncan said to Ezekiel, disgust on his face.

"Killer Bass," Chris sternly said. "At camp, marshmallows represent a tasty treat that you enjoy roasting by the fire."

"At this camp, marshmallows represent life," Chris said dramatically.

Y/N saw that Geoff was making a cute gesture to Bridgette making her giggle. When Y/N made eye contact with Bridgette, she wiggled her eyebrows, making Bridgette blush.

"You've all cast your votes and made your decision," Chris said. "There are only eleven marshmallows on this plate. "When I call your name, come up and claim your marshmallow. The camper who does not receive a marshmallow tonight must immediately return to the Dock of Shame to catch to Boat of Losers. That means you're out of the contest. And you can't come back. Ever."

"The first marshmallow goes to...Geoff,"

Geoff smiled and walked up to claim his marshmallow.

"Tyler,"

"Woohoo! Yeah!" Tyler exclaimed. "Place at the table!"

"Katie,"

"Bridgette,"

"DJ,"

"Harold,"

"Yes," he said.

"Sadie,"

"Oh yay!" she said, hugging Katie. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Duncan,"

Duncan smirked and walked up to claim his marshmallow.

"And Y/N,"

Y/N breathed a sigh of relief and got her marshmallow, standing next to Duncan.

"You really did a number on that guy," Duncan whispered.

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" Y/N whispered back.

"Obviously,"

"Then thanks,"

"Campers," Chris interrupted. "This is the final marshmallow of the evening."

Y/N glared at both Courtney and Ezekiel. Although she didn't like both of them, she would rather see Ezekiel get voted off.

"Courtney," Chris finally said, after a long dramatic silence.

Courtney sighed in relief and ran to get her marshmallow.

Ezekiel had a look of sadness on his face, making Y/N feel a little bit bad, but not really.

"Can't say I'm shocked," Chris said. "I saw you picking your nose, dude, not cool."

"Dock of Shame is that way, bro," Chris said, pointing in the opposite direction.

With a satisfied smile, Y/N watched Ezekiel walk down the dock, and get into the boat.

"The rest of you, enjoy your marshmallows," Chris said. "You're all safe. For tonight."

~Confessionals~

"Yep, this camp pretty much still stinks," Gwen said. "But now that I'm here, I guess I might as well actually try to win."

--

~Confessionals~

"Maybe this show won't be that bad," Y/N said. "If you're watching this Dad, I love you and I miss you tons."

--

Y/N walked by the Screaming Gophers hot tub, staring at them with jealousy.

Oh, how she wished she was in a hot tub right now, soaking away her worries.

As she walked back to the cabin, a lot of things were on her mind. Her dad, losing the challenge, Duncan.

But what was on her mind most was winning the whole competition. She would win Total Drama Island.

And she wouldn't let her dad down.

sorry that it took me a little bit to upload

i've been planning a trip to disneyland, so that's taken up a lot of my time

stay safe and drink lots of water <33

xoxo, Izzy

[elviehun]

So she's 22 years old TODAY.

My baby. My love. One of THE greatest influences that formed me as a young person, the one that I've never, ever, ever stopped loving, not even when heartbreak was so all-consuming that I couldn't even think about listening to anything they put out for more than 3 years. I've never stopped loving her. She's my safe place now, the no.1. place my mind escapes to when life gets too much or too little or too mundane or too painful. I still think it's their best album, despite the almost religious reverence I feel about The Black Parade, Bullets is, in my world, the MCR-est of MCR ever to exist. She came at a very performative period of my life, and I'm pretty sure, even after all these years, that at least 30% of my personality is formed thanks to her. Sure, there were Thursday and Thrice and Lifetime and Midtown and Green Day and Oasis and Texas is the Reason before her, and I'd be a liar if I said those bands didn't play a huge role in making me as a teen and a young adult, yet she will always stand out. I couldn't even explain why.

I just... when I listen to Bullets, I always get right back to this place, not even in my own life, but an imagined place in THEIRS, trying to put myself in the shoes of an obscure band from the same scene where I found Thursday, a scene that, over the years since, became so legendary, so canonical, that it almost feels like either historical or mythical. These beautiful, ungodly talents getting together in the weirdest ways of twisty, tangled life decisions, on the trails of tragedy and hopelessness and the inevitable change of our perspective on life and death and safety and togetherness and apartness after said tragedy, to follow a calling coming inevitably from something higher, bigger, wiser than humanity as a whole at that point, to become something nobody, especially not those handful of mercurial boys, could have even imagined. They formed and transformed a decade after the turn of the millennium that needed transformation SO BAD and exactly in the form of a couple of young talents decidedly trying to make a difference for the better because they, as young as they were, saw all what was wrong with the world.

And She was the first stepping stone in that process. I'm so grateful for having been there, even if not exactly from day one but at least from the beginning of '03 when my cousin moved back home from NYC with a cassette case (among a few others) containing Bullets, for me. Because it finished the process of changing everything. And later, when they became big worldwide too, and my heart grew twice its size with pride that those guys, MY GUYS, made it, really made it, in even greater terms than Thursday did, I found this sense of... belonging. I didn't go to concerts, I was too much of a wuss and an agoraphobe even at 19-20, I only got the feeling of community in the world of lagging and unfortunately slow internet forums and the knowledge that what I felt, what these guys, miraculously, felt too, and somehow managed to channel and broadcast, was something thousands and thousands of young people across the globe felt too. It was my first experience in that sense and I will never forget what it all gave me. They made it this big because they are one of a kind, and explosive, and just what the world needed right then. What I needed right then. And, even counting the inevitable fallouts because life became very different in a very short time for me and not long after that, for them, too, what I still seem to kind of need at this point in my life.

Geoff Rickly, as always, was right. They did become the biggest band in the world and looking back now, even if we'll get nothing more than WWWY '24 and what we got in the past 3 years, all the heartbreak is gone and all I feel is gratitude. All I feel is warm fuzzies thinking about their days spent in basements and vans and rest stops and studios and VFW halls and then festivals and arenas, is that I want to go back in time and space and be a fly on the wall, to be with them, be them, be ALL of them at the same time, each time when all the magic happened, at every step of the way, through good times and bad, young, clueless them in the beginning, with a crappy van and a celestial dream, and also current, wise and experienced them having lived everything that happened and couldn't happen, all the beauty and tragedy and growth, but also wanting to relive everything again on the receiving end, knowing nothing about how integral their magic will be throughout my adult life, but also from the perspective of the now, the reunion, the rekindling of my love for them, the new hopes, the new shows, everything, while knowing that, even faking their death for years, it never stopped. I still love each and every one of them so much. The visionary with too much raw and exposed nerve endings for this not-OK world, the unstoppable creative machine and comfort blanket of a guy in one person, the gentle and humble genius that always preferred the background, the thoughtful empath who didn't really believe in himself enough till almost the end. I love them. I love their music, all their songs, all their albums, but when I count my artistic experiences as one counts their blessings, I WILL ALWAYS, ALWAYS COUNT BULLETS TWICE.

Happy Birthday, you impossible magnificent thing.

[honeyhoneypot]

I did this when it reached 5k so in celebration of curl up like a pill-bug hitting 10k hits (OMG), here are some more head canons!!

Noah spent two months trying to convince his landlord to let him get some kind of pet after moving to be Chris's assistant again-

unfortunately, he wasn't able to sway the buildings 'no pets under any circumstances' rule in his favour, but in retaliation he started leaving plates of birdseed out on his balcony for the local crows.

(The landlord's getting suspicious about the number of birds that've started circling the building every day.)

Chris doesn't drink; everybody thinks he does, but he thinks that even a drop of alcohol could ruin his 'tv-star physique'.

Sierra, Geoff, and Katie and Sadie are the biggest enablers of the Total Drama Gossip Chain. (Between them, they know EVERYONE'S business and it's a little bit terrifying.)

Gwen hasn't spoken to Duncan properly since their very-public break up.

Noah hates when people leave dirty plates, mugs or lunchboxes on their desks at work, so he spends a significant amount of time telling people to clean up after themselves when he could, quite frankly, be doing anything else.

("-Are you kidding me? It's a mug, it's not that hard to clean it when you're done with it, Jesus Christ."

"Noah, he's an intern, he's been here two weeks, leave him alone-"

"No! You're actively making this office worse when you leave things lying around; do better, do your dishes."

He always apologizes when he realizes he's been mean about it, but Chris and Chef think he needs to tone it down.)

The movie mentioned in chapter 2 that Gwen was supposed to see with Courtney was a rom-com she didn't remember the name of; she hadn't really wanted to see it, but she was so whipped that she would've seen anything she wanted, no questions asked.

Heather almost doesn't approve of Noah and Alejandro reconnecting, but that's just because Alejandro won't stop talking about him and it's driving her insane.

Cody's mario kart main is toad, Gwen's is Rosalina, and Noah's is red shy guy. (They play on Cody's switch every few weeks, and Gwen always wins.)

(All of these can be considered curl up like a pill-bug canon!! If you have any questions about the fic then send an ask through it'd be so cool omg!)

[raytorosaurus]

i've been so curious about this 'unofficial therapist' that thursday had???? which member is he? how did they find him?? could he always play an instrument or did they ask him to learn so they could keep him around? did he actually help that much? how did it change thursday's writing? i don't expect you to have the answer to all of these things but you seem to know a lot about them and if nothing else i need to know who their therapist is and what 'unofficial' means in this case if you can help at all!

oh lol haha unofficial in the very literal sense so my guy andrew everding of the "no one ever expects it" chest hair fame from my chemical romance in the studio 2002 (@3:10) is like...the y/n of thursday.

he's just a nice dude who hangs around and everyone likes, good friend of the guys in thursday, and then his house burns down and he has nowhere to stay so thursday were like yo just come tour with us and he did. because he's also a very talented (multi?-)instrumentalist and, as it turns out, a great composer too. also at some stage he lived with geoff's mom? it is unclear if this is before or after the fire and/or joining thursday as a touring member. he also photographed their first west coast tour in 2002?

so like anyway by 2003 he's playing keys for the watt tour which is like.....I'd say the darkest point of thursday's history but that would be a fucking lie lol. let's say the darkest point of thursday's history so far. the guys are super stressed, super overworked, super depressed, and under loads of pressure from their label who's saying they're underperforming the expectations they had for them. geoff in particular is copping a lottt of criticism for his singing which he really internalised, and basically everyone in the band is miserable. they were also. not fucking talking to each other. like at all. they would just all constantly bitch about each other behind everyone's back and never say shit to their face. andrew, as a touring member but not official member, and as a Nice Guy, ends up becoming like...the intermediary to whom everyone in the band went to vent. so he's like trying to fix their shit and be positive and he puts his foot down and is like guys you NEED to learn to COMMUNICATE. (spoilers they didn't) but anyway the band after a particularly nasty and conflict-laden tour of australia in 2004 are like fuck this we're breaking up! but then as soon as they agreed to breaking up they were like wait. so much of the pressure is gone now. actually we're good we just need a break :) but media has kind of already picked up on the story of them breakup up so it was all dreadfully will they/won't they. this is also right as three cheers is blowing the fuck up btw 😭😭 #we'retwosidesofthesamecoin #he'smyvillain.

oh shit and then they go on warped 04 as what would have been kinda their last thing but they're like hey look at this we're sorta starting to work on our problems! oh and then at the vegas date 24yo geoff gets shotgun married to a woman he'd been dating for two years with mcr, tbs, and the bouncing souls as the wedding party 😭😭😭😭😭.

ANYWAY. they end up not breaking up but take a break from touring and then all move in together for a while? i think bc they were a little scattered at that point and geoff might have been living in sydney (his wife was australian) at the time idk so when he came over to do thursday shit they just like lived together apparently. and they write city by the light divided (so titled bc the band, naturally, was totally divided on how they wanted the album to sound lol). anyway the main difference now is this time round they've invited andrew to join as an official member!! :DDD

...unfortunately for andrew, this is also the time thursday stops being even slightly commercially viable lol so he's like technically im earning less money now than i had been on a tour salary lolz. anyway he becomes a big part of the writing process, especially for that album and no devolucion, the instrumentals if which were apparently driven pretty heavily by him!

then in 2008 onwards thursday were all broke as fuck and needed to get day jobs to pay rent. most of them went into like...food service or painting houses, but tucker drummed for mcr for a bit and andrew worked as.....a guitar tech? for patd????? (also after the break up, tucker was in boy band the wanted for a while as their touring drummer. he loved it lol <3)

anyway tragically, andrew hasn't appeared at any of the reunion shows 😔. he's private so no details but he was dealing with some health issues towards the end of thursday that contributed to the band deciding to break up and has a baby and shit now. but he did continue touring as a musician a bit, like with neil finn in 2014!!!!!! playing some wacky fancy midi/synth electronic instrument iirc? epic collision of my childhood fave and new-adulthood fave.

anyway lol this is all typed out in bed on my phone off the top of my head so there might be some chronology errors in there, but a lot of this is from their documentary, kill the house lights! it's a comedy. dark comedy.

#andrewnation <3

[willows-adventures-in-words]

I've been putting off posting this for literally no reason. Anyway, here's a continuation of my Friendly Fire prompt from October. I can't promise when more will be posted for this, since I'm working on 5 different stories simultaneously. But I do have the scene when Geoff and Layne meet back up for the first time since the incident in the prompt.

Title: Can You Survive 7 Days? (this one actually has a title) word count: 2,192

~-~-~

Geoff woke with a gasp. He was alive. How? He'd looked down the barrel of a gun. Layne shot him. Why would he-? Geoff shouldn't be alive. He couldn't have survived a point black shot to the head. Realizations started to settle. But if Layne killed him how was he here. Alive. He blinked up at the evening sky between the tree branches. Wait... Slowly, he sat up. He's laying under a tree. But... he was just at a gas station. With Layne. How was he suddenly here? And where was here? What the hell was happening?

With a bit of a headache, Geoff looked around. He spotted a backpack sitting against the tree. He frowned as he noticed something. There was a patch on the top half of the backpack that had his name on it. That's weird. Layne had one exactly like it, just with his name on it instead. Geoff stared at the bag, trying to work out what was going on...

~ ~ ~

He'd woke up to find that he was the only one home. Which was already strange since he'd woken up the same time he usually did. But neither Kathy or his son were there. What made the situation even stranger was that he couldn't find his phone. Geoff searched all over the house. Nothing was out of place other than his missing phone. Which meant he couldn't even call her to find out where she went since their vehicle was gone. His only option was to wait.

When he went to start up his computer, it wouldn't boot up properly. He ended up giving up on that and made some breakfast. Geoff kept an eye on the clock. When he was almost finished cooking something dawned on him. It was unusually quiet. Not a single sound from outside. No cars driving by, no people, and no animals. Even the birds had quieted. Once his breakfast was done, he looked around for his phone again, though no luck, then sat down to eat. Maybe he'll check in with the neighbors when he was done. See if they knew why it was so quiet out.

It was well after nine and he was really getting worried. There was still no sign of Kathy. Still unusually quiet outside. And he still couldn't find his phone or get his computer working. He figured it was time for that walk. Grabbing his keys, Geoff locked up as he stepped outside. As he walked down the sidewalk, he looked around. Nothing seemed strange. Just quiet. He stepped up to his neighbors door and knocked. Silence greeted him. Geoff tried once more, just for the sake of trying. Then turned and kept walking down the sidewalk. Once he'll reach the end of the block he'll turn around.

The entire walk there and back was in silence. No traffic. No sounds of people at all. Something was definitely wrong. It was like everyone just up and left. As he started up to his house, Geoff stopped. That's not right. This wasn't his home. He looked to the neighbors house. That was their house. Looking around to the other houses. Everything was right. Except his house was wrong. Hesitantly, he stepped up to the door and tried the key. It didn't work. He heart pounded. This was where he lived. Where his house was supposed to be. There was no way he could have this wrong.

Geoff walked back down the sidewalk. Then turned and walked the other way. Something was very, very wrong. What was happening? Then he stopped. Maybe nothing was wrong. What if this was some vivid, lucid dream. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. If you know you're dreaming you can just wake yourself up, right? Geoff tried to clear his head and stood quietly for a moment. Hoping that would work. Unfortunately it didn't. When he opened his eyes nothing had changed. Except one thing. A distance ahead of him someone was walking. Well, it looked more like they were dragging their feet a bit.

He started walking towards them. “Hello!? Excuse me!” Geoff called out as he got closer. The person grunted and turned around. Geoff froze. A chill ran down his back. He knew more than enough about apocalyptic scenarios to know what that was. As he took a step back, Geoff realized that, no, this wasn't a dream. It was an absolute nightmare. The zombie groaned as it approached him. Turning, Geoff ran back down the street. He sure as hell hoped he'd wake up from this soon.

~ ~ ~

It's now the evening on the second day of all this starting. And, if he assumed this was all one big, long, nightmare, it seemed dying didn't wake him from it either. And most of the time he didn't even think that it was a nightmare since it was so vivid. Felt real. But this couldn't be real... Geoff died. Was killed by his friend. But he wasn't dead. Or undead. He was just... alive again.

He had no idea where the backpack came from, but, assuming he was going to be dealing with this situation for awhile, dream or no dream, it would be useful to have. Though a bit hesitant, Geoff grabbed the backpack and opened it up. He hadn't expected anything to be in it. So, he was a little surprised to find a cooking pan and a bottle of water. Pulling the water bottle out, he tucked it into the side pouch of the backpack before closing it back up and, as he stood up, pulled it on his back. It was getting late. He'd better find somewhere to hide out for the night.

~ - ~ - ~

When Layne had woken that morning, everything seemed normal. At first. He'd assumed Cyndi had simply gotten up before him. As he went to get up he reached for his phone, only to find it not on the bedside table. Weird. He'd been sure he left it there last night when he'd gone to bed. Probably forgot it by his computer. Picking out some clothes for the day, Layne stepped into their en-suite bathroom to get washed up and dressed.

After he left his bedroom the first sign of something being wrong hit him. It was too quiet. No one was in the living room or kitchen. Layne checked out the window. Their cars were still there so no one left. “Cyndi?” he called out. There was no response. A pang of worry rose in his chest. But he tried to shove it down. Maybe she was with one of the girls? Careful not to wake anyone if his daughters were still asleep, he started to check the bedrooms. After the first two were empty of occupants, he couldn't ignore the worry any longer.

Though once he realized the bedrooms were all empty, Layne called out for his family. Each of them. Then it hit him. His phone. He could call them. Running to his home office he checked his desk, then the floor in case it fell. It wasn't there. He hurried back to his bedroom to make sure he hadn't missed it. He hadn't. The living room? Kitchen maybe? No and no.

Okay. Stop and think for a minute. Maybe he somehow left his phone at the studio? No, he was sure he'd used it after he got home. Layne shook his head. He could figure that out later. Maybe drive down to Pattycake. He was the only one home, so did they leave a note? Taking another lap around the house told him that no, they didn't. Was there some event or something that they were going to that he'd forgotten about? But weren't all their cars still here? Layne checked outside again. They were. Maybe they got picked up?

He just had to find his phone. Then he could call Cyndi. Or even one of his girls. Grabbing his keys he started to the door but stopped and went to check once more around the house in case he missed it in his panic. No luck. He scribbled out a note saying he was going to PattyCake Studios and left it by the door in case they got back before he did. Then he left, locking the door on his way out. Layne stopped when he got to his car. He walked past it and checked their backyard before heading back and getting in the drivers seat.

Before he left he searched his car but found no sign of his phone. Starting his vehicle, he pulled out of the driveway and headed towards the expressway leading to Oviedo. Normally, he would consider this sort of reaction a bit extreme. But something told him, a gut feeling, that something was very wrong. And he realized pretty quick that it was right. There were no other cars out driving. There were a few parked on the side of the road but no one was in them. Then, suddenly, his car seemed to stall and coast to a stop. Glancing down to his gas gauge, he saw it on empty. “There's no way it's empty. It was at three quarters yesterday.”

Layne let out a sigh as he rested his head on the steering wheel. He was going to have to walk all the way back home. At least he didn't turn off on the expressway yet. It was already a chaotic morning. With all the strangeness going on, to none of which he had answers, he didn't even want to think about anything else that could go wrong. Then he jumped at the sudden bang on his window. He looked over. Then froze. His heart pounding as he stared at what was there. “No way…” As he looked over toward the passenger side he unbuckled his seat belt. There were more. Shuffling towards his car.

There was no way he'd be able to clamor over to the passenger side and get out before the zombies reached his car. The sound of the window splintering brought his attention back to his side. He was running out of time. There was only one on his side. So, there was a chance at least. Reaching for the door handle, Layne prepared to open it. He took a breath, then shoved it open as hard as he could pushing the zombie back a couple steps. Scrambling out of his car, he turned to run but felt fingers grip onto his sleeve. He panicked and yanked free before running back down the road. Layne had thought he felt something graze against his ankle as he got out of his car, but he had no intention of looking back to see what it was. He just ran.

~ ~ ~

His body ached when he came to. As he opened his eyes, Layne lifted a hand and rested it on his abdomen where the worst of the pain was. He stared up at the darkening sky. It will go away soon. Or at least it did last time. But he didn't have long. It was going to be nighttime soon. And he learned the hard way that the zombies were more dangerous at night. Taking a breath, then slowly released it, Layne sat up and looked around. He was alone. In the middle of nowhere. Though he spotted his backpack a few feet away.

Geoff... He did come back. Right? If he didn't he wouldn't have disappeared. He wouldn't have... But, there was no way to know for sure. This was the first time he'd been there when someone else died so he had no idea what it looked like. How it worked. He just had to wait and see if they met up again.

But if he didn't he had himself to blame. If he didn't... that meant... Layne shut his eyes and swallowed. He didn't want to think of what that would mean. If he did he'd most definitely have a break-down. It was bad enough that he was already regretting his decision. It was just, in that moment, he couldn't let Geoff die by that thing. It is a horrible way to die. Excruciatingly painful. What he did was quick and- Layne shook his head and reached over for the backpack. He had to stop thinking about it.

Opening the backpack, he looked to see what there was. If there was anything new. Other then what was in there when he dug through it earlier, he did find something new. A bottle of water and more bullets. Which he found a little annoying since the handgun was gone. “Of course I have more now,” he muttered. Layne zipped the bag back up and, pushing himself to his feet, slung the bag on his back.

So, he was once again weaponless. He'd have to be careful unless he wanted another gruesome death. Looking around, he squinted through the darkness trying to see if there were any buildings in the distance. Unfortunately, there were none. He let out a sigh. “Well, time to start hiking...” After choosing a direction, Layne started walking.

[rillette]

to you, what is hal jordan? (would love to read your rambles about him)

oh boy! umm i wrote like. too many paragraphs whoops! under the cut so i dont clog up the dash

hal is a little goody two shoes square that has been absolutely dragged through the mud by life and geoff johns. he's the type of person that people make fun of for being a little too straight-laced; he doesn't cheat, he doesn't lie (except to himself), he won't even jay-walk. He's so incredibly genuine and honest about everything that he assumes other people are just as honest as he is, making him a bit gullible. Part of this honesty is why he's so painfully bad at keeping his ID secret. man can't lie to save his ass!

Hal's a people person, he loves being friendly and meeting new people, but he's also a bit shy and introverted. type of guy to be acquaintances with a lot of random people but never really reach out first unless they're a friend. he's also the type of guy to ask the groupchat about major life decisions bc he doesn't trust his own opinion. hal holds himself in very low esteem, mother fucker is his own public enemy #1. he's only happy and relaxed when he's certain that he's fucked up yet again. someone get this guy a therapist!

hal is also incredibly unfortunate. whatever can go wrong will go wrong and he'll end up homeless and jobless yet again, scrambling to regain control over his life. hal is really good at picking himself back up and starting over again from scratch. he's also really smart!! i know it's popular fanon on here to potray hal as like the dumb himbo punchline, and yeah he can be ditzy and dense but the guy is really fucking smart physics/mechanics-wise. he's got a degree and everything! he's also incredibly responsible??? i genuinely dont know where the trope of hal being irresponsible came from. hal would not be a really fucking good test pilot if he was irresponsible. if you want a green lantern punching bag, g'nort is right there. we need more g'nort content anyways.

he's also great with kids! the man has like a billion nieces and nephews! he was taking care of helen! where did helen go, dc! bring her back or else! also i think it's important to note that there is a distinction between hal and GL. he's a lot more confidant as GL than his is as hal. it's the type of confidence he really only has when he's flying planes.

Hal also desperately wants to be accepted and approved of by authority figures. this informs the relationship he has with the guardians. he's also under a lot of external and internal pressure to fit in with his peers. part of this is bc hes #autism coded and part of this is bc he's just not a masculine manly-man! dc please his closet is glass. please.

[jules-has-notes]

Aca Top 10: Disney Villains — VoicePlay music video

Many actors contend that it's more fun to play baddies who get to indulge their darker desires without regret. The same often applies in musicals, whether they're on stage or screen. Disney knows how to craft a good villain song. These are some of their most fun, slick, seductive, and dastardly.

Details:

title: Aca Top 10 – Disney Villains

original songs / performers: "Friends on the Other Side" by Keith David as Doctor Facilier in The Princess and the Frog (2009); [0:33] "Mother Knows Best" by Donna Murphy as Mother Gothel in Tangled (2010); [0:50] "Trust In Me" by Sterling Holloway as Kaa in The Jungle Book (1967); [1:08] "The Siamese Cat Song" by Peggy Lee as Si and Am in Lady and the Tramp (1955); [1:28] "Oogie Boogie's Song" by Ken Page as Oogie Boogie in The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993); [1:52] "Cruella De Vil" by Bill Lee as Roger Radcliffe in 101 Dalmatians (1961); [2:16] "Gaston" by Jesse Corti as LaFou & Richard White as Gaston in Beauty and the Beast (1991); [2:50] "Hellfire" by Tony Jay as Claude Frollo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996); [3:06] "Poor Unfortunate Souls" by Pat Carroll as Ursula in The Little Mermaid (1989); [3:25] "Be Prepared" by Jeremy Irons as Scar in The Lion King (1994)

written by: "Friends on the Other Side" by Randy Newman; "Mother Knows Best" by Alan Menken & Glenn Slater; "Trust In Me" by Robert & Richard Sherman; "The Siamese Cat Song" by Peggy Lee & Sonny Burke; "Oogie Boogie's Song" by Danny Elfman; "Cruella De Vil" by George Bruns & Mel Leven; "Gaston" by Alan Menken & Howard Ashman; "Hellfire" by Alan Menken & Stephen Schwartz; "Poor Unfortunate Souls" by Howard Ashman & Alan Menken; "Be Prepared" by Elton John & Tim Rice

arranged by: Geoff Castellucci & Layne Stein

release date: 22 March 2019

My favorite bits:

Layne kicking things off with scampering percussion before settling into a swingy groove

J.None showing off his smooth lower range

the vibratto Earl puts on that final high ♫ "motheeer" ♫

both Eli and Layne doing snaky hand motions during "Trust In Me" 🐍

Geoff's big bass drops on ♫ "ey-yyyes" ♫ and the final ♫ "meee" ♫

that crunchy harmony on ♫ "don't pleeease" ♫

all the shenanigans with the tiny kitty figurine 🐈

getting a preview of the "Oogie Boogie" production to come

that funky take on the second half of "Cruella"

the back row's dubious reactions to Geoff asserting his intimidation factor in "Gaston" as Layne fixes his hair

the extended transition — ♫ "Gimme hip-to-hip" ♫ ::Eli and J start flossing:: 🕺 "Chapstick!" ::Earl holds up a tube::

the clever coordination of ♫ "[tur]-ning me to" ♫ and ♫ "number two" ♫ at the end of "Hellfire"

Layne's bubbly percussion during "Poor Unfortunate Souls"

Earl getting annoyed at J and Eli joining him on the lyrics of "Be Prepared" before they return to harmonies

the three octave unison between Geoff and Earl

that nice clean ending

Trivia:

○ VoicePlay had recorded or performed several of these songs before.

They did a full version of "Cruella de Vil" in collaboration with Disney for the Diamond Edition release of 101 Dalmatians on Blu-ray. They also included an excerpt in their aca-Disney medley to celebrate 20 years of Disney shows on Broadway.

"Gaston" is part of their Beauty and the Beast medley, Tale As Old As Time, on their 2012 album "Once Upon an Ever After". (They also later included it on their 2024 compilation album "VoicePlay Villains".)

"Be Prepared" is part of their "OUaEA" Lion King medley, The King Has Returned. (That's also where the snippet over the end screen is from.)

"Mother Knows Best" was part of "The Story of Rapunzel" that they performed at Disney World's 2015 Social Media Moms Celebration.

○ They had also previously created a shorter villains medley including several of these songs for Jonathan Freedman as part of their Disney Sessions collaboration with the Aladdin stage cast.

○ Since this video was released, the guys have recorded longer versions of several more of these tunes.

"Friends on the Other Side" was their Halloween video for 2021, as well as their first reunion with J.None after he left to join the U.S. Navy Band.

"Oogie Boogie's Song" was their Halloween video later in this year.

"Poor Unfortunate Souls" was included in their Little Mermaid medley with Rachel Potter a year and a half later.

"Hellfire" was their Halloween video in 2023, also with J.None as the featured guest.

Geoff did a short of "Trust In Me" on his solo channel in 2024.

○ The guys' shirts are once again thematically appropriate.

Eli — Darth Vader from Star Wars in the style of Leonardo Da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man" drawing

Earl — the face of Hades from Hercules in blue and purple linework with yellow eyes and teeth, surrounded by blue flames, all with a glow effect meant to imitate neon lights

J.None — a full-body portrait of Claude Frollo from The Hunchback of Notre Dame with one hand extended to the side (I couldn't find the exact design, but I found one that's somewhat close and did a bit of editing to get it closer.)

Geoff — the stylized face of Scar from The Lion King

Layne — Dr. Facilier from The Princess and the Frog mirrored in the style of a playing card, with glowing red cards floating near his outstretched fingers and his name on a banner across the middle

○ Geoff later mentioned in his interview on The Charismatic Voice that he'd considered auditioning for Gaston at Disney World when he worked there, but that the guys who play the role are usually four to six inches taller than him due to the costume and choreography required.

○ They garnered a bit of praise from prolific a cappella arranger Rob Dietz, who they'd met during The Sing-Off, and who would become a frequent collaborator in a few years.

○ An artist fan was inspired to create a gender bent version of Cruel-Layne De Vil.

drawing by rtlndr_ on Instagram

○ The boys busted out some of their best evil laughs to further entertain their social media followers.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by VoicePlay (@thevoiceplay)

○ This is the final entry in a mini-series within their "Aca Top 10" series, which was preceded by countdowns for "Disney Heroes" and "Disney Sidekicks" over the previous year and a half.

[constellaj]

One question about your Multiverse AU that I've always been dying to ask and have now gotten the courage to do so: How did the Geoff and Alejandro who got to become Vaquero meet and then subsequently fuse?

I'm also happy with just any tidbits about Vaquero because he seems like an incredibly interesting character.

Oh man that is one of my favorite stories !!! As always, pieced together with the help of @crystalfloe :)

So our multiverse has a pseudo-government, not necessarily in the collecting taxes sense, but in a very strict "detaining people with highly volatile personalities or magic powers" sense. So strict that you can be detained for something you did in a past life-- and you will be!

This is what happened to Geoff. Dude has no idea what he's in for, but one day he's shipped from a dinky little temporary holding cell into the massive, main DIDU complex (Dangerous Immortal Detention Unit).

He's supposed to go to some "rehab" program while he's here. A program that just so happens to be run by Alejandro!

Alejandro is a little more experienced when it comes to dealing with the multiverse; some might say too experienced. He's got a kind of terrifying powerset, and kind of hates his job as a therapist, but it pays well- and he really, really needs the cash.

See, Alejandro is a "pairhunter." Two immortals can "pair" with one another (almost always on accident) when their auras intertwine, giving them a powerful combined boost in magic. If this relationship is severed, however, the results can be unstable and catastrophic for the people who've paired. Oftentimes, without the support of their pair's original aura, their physical and mental forms break down until they're nothing but a conglomerate of goo wandering the multiversal plane, looking for their lost pair-- a creature known as a Pairhunter.

While it's unclear the circumstances that led to this Alejandro becoming one, we know his former pair was a Geoff-- probably an asshole, Aftermath-hosting one.

Pairhunters are almost always quarantined by the DIDU. Alejandro's employers don't know he is one, because he's found a temporary work around-- buying suspicious pills on the black market! Some lovely lady out there is extracting aura from a bunch of imprisoned Geoffs and condensing it into capsule form, which helps our little Al stave off total deterioration.

Geoff pills don't come cheap, though, which is why he has this job in the first place. Unfortunately, he leaves Geoff himself unattended in his office. More unfortunately, while rooting around for contraband (to bring back to the boys, bro!), Geoff finds and accidentally absorbs his medication.

Geoff has no reason to know it, but his power this lifetime is energy absorption. Pills made entirely of formless aura seep into your skin *quick,* especially if that aura is *yours.* He has no idea what just happened or even what those pills were.

What he *does* know is how panicked Alejandro is when he gets back. Total 180° from his usually suave, if disinterested, behavior-- talking about how he's going to lose his job and his mind. Geoff might be in jail, but that doesn't mean he's an asshole, so he does what you learn to do after a lifetime of prison; he grabs Alejandro and hides from the staff.

In a cramped little broom closet he sees something he hasn't before; a man breaking apart into abstract form, dripping onto the ground. Without the stabilization of those pills, Alejandro's basically done for. Confused and offput by this needlessly charming man in tears, Geoff does what a Geoff does best. He hugs the dude.

Turns out, when a being *made* of uncompressed energy and a being that *absorbs* uncompressed energy collide, they fuse.

Vaquero's first appearance is brief, but it changes the stakes. Even just those few seconds fused stabilized Alejandro better than a lifetime of pills. (Hugging your boyfriend is not a substitute for taking your antidepressants. This is fiction. go take your meds man). The two make a pact; Alejandro stops trying to mold Geoff into the ideal 'reformed prisoner,' and Geoff doesn't tell any guards what's happening. They continue their therapy sessions, of course, as scheduled, but those very quickly become nothing but the opportunity for Vaquero to form again.

And, naturally, over time they develop feelings for each other. Classic gay shit.

Unfortunately, every part of this plan is illegal, down to the act of fusion itself. Through a series of stupid mistakes and cocky attitudes, one guard (pseudoname Helix) develops his suspicions. Alejandro is pressured and interrogated. Worse, Geoff gets planned to move to deep solitary, with no hopes of ever seeing Alejandro again.

Who's ready for a good old fashioned prison break?

With Geoff's prison buds and Alejandro's knowledge of the complex, Vaquero manages to make it out into the central city-Hub of the multiverse. He loses Helix in a mostly condemned back alleyway, hiding in an abandoned building.

Once the lights come on, he realizes this place is perfect size for an illicit bar.

And so opens Club Vaquero, an underground and entirely secretive operation that hides the misfits and criminals of the wider multiverse. Run by a man you've never seen before, not at any Bridgette beach parties or Carlos soccer meets-- a man unlike anything you've seen in the multiverse before, a man with no parallel versions.

Let's just hope Helix doesn't hear about this place.

[mamawasatesttube]

Cassierose, cass(cain)rose and cissieanita

WOMEN IVE HEARD OF THEM.

i love cassierose. deeply homoerotic absolutely insane. i definitely think theyve fucked. im always torn on whether i like them actually being in a relationship or just never actually unpacking all their feelings past some powerfully homoerotic """hate"""-fuelled makeouts. because i don't think cassie would like, be a total bitch to rose forever! she is generally nice she's just going through shit and kind of takes it out at rose for a minute (<- my interpretation of geoff making her catty and bitchy). but at the same time her internalized homophobia is SO strong. i feel like she'd be so ashamed of her attraction to/fooling around with rose. and rose would not take that well. she'd taunt cassie about being her dirty little secret (tim vc It is not a secret literally everyone knows i Literally walked in on yall hardcore making out in the communal kitchen please stop doing that btw.) but in actuality cassie being ashamed of her would make her feel SO shitty. i like this as a mess of a situation first and foremost i think. but yeah if you can't tell by the giant ramble paragraph it absolutely compels me skjdfhkjds

cassrose is similar, in some ways, except that it IS always marred unfortunately in my mind by how much i disliked batgirl '08 for slandering cass so fucking hard. but i mean. "is she... like me?" + the inherent homoeroticism of cass slitting rose's throat and knowing deathstroke wouldn't let her die. honestly (because there are so many things wrong with rose) i think rose gets flustered when she thinks about that later. i reiterate. many things wrong with her. like yeah she almost died but also... damn. i feel like... if they ever were to actually have feelings + act on any of them, it'd be a future scenario, not anywhere where they are at the present. like i think rose would have a "hate"crush on cass (and a lot of feelings about cass being the daughter of an assassin who got out and did better than she perceives herself to have done), but cass wouldn't realize she even likes women for long enough that rose's thoughts on her would fade for a few years. but then maybe later...!

cissieanita. they make a lot of sense and i do like them but they don't make me as insane as other ships do. part of this is bc i just like... need to figure out how to Fix anita's storyline in my head (like, i think her forced retirement was Stupid As Fuck, but then if she continues heroism that would introduce Issues with her and cissie's relationship that didn't exist in canon bc she retired, you know?) and bc i haven't figured out what anita's future looks like in my head fully, it's hard for me to have concrete thoughts on the two of them. that being said, there's Definitely something very compelling abt the way anita looked up to cissie and cissie got jealous of her for replacing her and they had to work through it. it's a good and solid ship i just need to work harder to be insane about it properly.