#Colleen is just trying to make her son feel better

[imhereonthekitchenfloor]

as someone who has read exactly three (3) CH books, big agree there IS better fiction out there, but I also see the appeal. The ease of reading them makes u feel like u accomplished smth! even if it's enjoying a bad book.

as for CH herself, she's def the kind of author I would say if you want to read her books borrow them from the library or from a friend, but don't spend your money. A) they're not worth that but also B)she's kind of a weirdo about S*xual Assault. what i have heard is that her son was accused of SA and she basically said all the girls coming out about it were liars. very bad look given what she writes about.

i think her reaction to that, plus the general ick she gives people who work in the book industry, i try very hard to not give her my money. and it does seem like people have lost interest in her and her writing style now that she's not the hot new thing BookTok is becoming obsessed with (that's Romantasy now).

anyways i wanted to Yap about CH. take this info with a grain of salt if u would like <3

Thank you for the review!! This seems kind of aligned with the little tidbits I have seen around tumblr. The thing about her son is really disturbing💀 The vibes I get from her are gritty ugly romances that (I have seen people say this online) glorify abuse. And that is not at all my vibe. But I feel like if you were to read it you would be like "wow look at me with my complex adult romances" and that's why people are into them? Just a guess though because I don't get it. As someone who is into fantasy/romance (not necessarily romantacy because I read a lot of YA), I think fantasy is generally a lot more entertaining while often having just as strong of characters. I get bored with contemporary books and it feels like Colleen Hoover is the epitome of the ugly side of contemporary romance and I personally would be so bored reading it and also probably disgusted 😂

#dramaticallytrue #ask

[the-firebird69]

We took over Trump's companies and we have 85% of the money back we purchased the stock with and we're going to take the rest of it with a warning attached do not ever try and touch our friends money ever again or our people and if he refuses to acknowledge it or listen to it will take the rest of his money out of his personal accounts right now it moves the ships up Tommy f is engaging and destroying him and he's down to a few hundred thousand ships no it's a couple million but insist on saying stupid crap everybody checks Target ships it's a freaking a****** and smiles cuz he's a moron I'm going after you dummy you're going to be extinct you can smile you want he's a crap I don't feel bad for you in any way at all and her son says it last time

Along with the ships advancing his idiots are coming here Max are aware of it and tell me if is and they called for his to be exterminating fully and anybody is supporting him. Huge crowds of them are dead gigantic crowds trying to come in or dead they Don't really defend themselves much they have this blabbering going on

We're here hitting them too but we are amazed and how many Mac is hitting not really sure exactly what the source is probably that the dick head is just stuck to our son like some sort of idiotic crazed f** it's worse than anything you've ever seen he's at every turn making every comment today you showed up five times and a sunset two very clearly the three is looking at the guy it's like the stream of stupid coming out of him and Harry saw it as Colleen powers to speak tall idiot of Who wants to be someone else and doesn't have the brains too or the personality or the ability to imitate him this wants to be him take his stuff and be a thief so she put warnings out there for us because our people are in jeopardy with this creep around and we went after him very hard and she was saying it about us she did a great job it's no reason why she can't be around here she's around she pops in everyone else in a while and he says it's going I'm like Tom Cruise and the 4th of July for Christ's sake and she says this is terrible nobody's doing anything effective it's just squirting people saying what are you doing nothing you're bothering me literally has a squirt gun don't have the piece of s*** say that so it's either trace it and all sudden they they called her into the management office and this was no but they're trying to start killing them off so there we go there's the answer you're right you can have me too stupid you know so it's going to happen we're doing that and tons of them are complaining suddenly Max's why don't you shut your yaps you would be dying if you weren't complaining so much I said no I said okay so get rid of him so we're both getting rid of him we hear them all complaining I'll say it's cuz of you yelling at a character they think of Hera and she said no you're wrong. Turns out to be Sarah and she's being a big b**** and she caused trouble but just sitting there hissing all day long which an assholes. Second one after that little vermin and she's doing things and not right and it's Lily and she's real small and stupid looking threatening to be better looking I started hitting there I never came this vulgar noises so he hit her more I'll suddenly heard this come out of her I've never heard it seen someone hold diarrhea in them for so long it's going to come out and he goes dead you're done you have a little b**** so good let's get her and move on with the order out if it doesn't get done tell the party to hand it off to another one after a certain time I'm going to do that

Going after Jason too he's a freaking prick and teaching people what to use it is demons burning and world War II and you jump out of there and you attack people and Free people won't leave us alone you're messing up playing up in your own it's people are very dangerous you're encouraging him cuz your idiots and you can't see anything cuz you're stupid so he ordered his tons of hits and that's going on now

So we're going to try and help him keep some complaining and could you please fix this he's not laughing he needs things done I'm not laughing I got to send him people we got to get Gamera out it's starting to really drag on here I don't know who the hell likes these idiots doing things to our son and else you got to stop doing it you're going to find

Thor Freya

This stuff is for idiots okay if you're falling for make him sick so he feels better you're nuts it's way over the top and it's too hard for us to do

Frank Castle Hardcastle

I need to have a moment to go get my gun look there's a lot of around him and we need to have people here and we're moving in and they don't like it and they're complaining what he says is we should move in more when they complain because that's life with these idiots if you don't they're going to keep on doing it but it works or not and that's kind of what they've been doing and saying so we're going to move in and shut them down Blockbuster

Duke Nukem Blockbuster

You need to set up a some sort of packing order here he said he said that's fine I'm in charge and you're in charge too and I'm saying to get troops here there's a picking order if they don't listen it's to their own detriment when ordering it my kids have been ordering our kids I mean is there ignoring me it's criminal negligence

Zues Hera

It was funny I'm starting to feel some pain from this I ordered you people to get people over there here's the numbers and here's the numbers that are there what are the excuses and being detected so did you verify so they say no please text because there's stuff stops working so just say that we're coming here what stops working on who and I started getting mad again so you got to shut them down on him it's not to be used as a gauge it's very disrespectful evil too

Thor Freya

You cannot let them use me as a gauge you might not be doing it but you cannot let them allow them or even accidentally encourage it's supposed to be controlling the situation now we like we let this area go okay and my contrite is suffered this is this is a huge burden for my children and it's it's way over the top it's not being looked at still what do I have to do

Zues Hera

You know about it even screaming yelling for it I just want to see what you're saying you're telling us to do stuff they tell us not to soda and we're listening to them this is really the facts and he says we're idiots as soon as they were not but right here we are being a little stupid said switch gears turn into survival mode I'm going to do that

Olympus

I can't believe this is happening there's too many people bothering him you can't see anything and we're not bothering to do anything still so I'm sending in a huge amount of troops to see what it is you said you're sitting here blind who knows what they're doing

Nuada Arrianna

That's another thing we don't have enough people here to understand it perfectly he's been saying it for years and we just sit here watching them tell us we don't know I feel sad about this I want someone to figure out why this happening I'm going to start investigating everyone this is some lousy s*** here the crapping on him too there's something going on here if there is I'll find it

Thor Freya

I don't want to listen to any orders coming from this s*** ass bastards I don't want my son to be bothered or tortured by these moments anymore and I'm going in there and I'm going to do something about it

Gu Oya I do hear if it's not insulin or anything else it's frustration people are not listening to him he's a leader he said my judgment is that it's time to come in here you got to figure out everything about it or we have a problem here and we haven't it's negligence it's gross negligence he said somewhere on Earth is a they're holding on your off and then go to find out what it is I'm going to find out now so I'm going to do that

I'm going to do that too whether it's here or whatever the threatening you to hold us off or they're doing it elsewhere in here I'm going to find out where it's ridiculous

Nuada Arrianna

I'm going to work towards the school it's extremely angry and frustrating isn't right the whole time you said tons of stuff to try and get us to figure out what's going on here now we haven't really figured it out so we have a problem if you have a lot of it but not all of it

Thor Freya

I'm going to check it out now I'm going to send in forces to do it I'm going to get Intel everywhere

Olympus

[whump-tr0pes]

Honor Bound 2 - 9

Honor Bound 2 - 9 (cold-blooded torture) - @badthingshappenbingo​​

Red X is for posted, white X is for requested.

This is a series. Start here, continued from here. 

This is a sequel series to Honor Bound. 

AO3

Cw: death mention, medical whump, blood, flashbacks, emesis

He was making a splendid recovery. At least, that’s what the surgeon said. He’d been discharged from the hospital days ago and was starting to feel more like a person again. More whole. More alive.

His mother had been doting on him endlessly, tending to his every need, waiting on him hand and foot. It’s not that he minded, but he’d never felt so dependent on someone else.

Maybe that wasn’t entirely true. When he’d woken from his medically-induced coma when Isaac had broken his nose, cheekbone, and eyesocket with just his fist, he’d needed more help. He’d been cathed, for Christ’s sake. Couldn’t even pee on his own.

His mother had had a husband when that happened, though. Now she only had him.

The house had seen a revolving door of relatives and friends passing on their condolences to him and his mother. He’d received them graciously, as graciously as he could when slightly buzzing from painkillers. He’d withstood their hands on his shoulder, gritted his teeth against their raised eyebrows when he refused to shake hands. Nevermind that it sent agony shooting through his chest when he moved, or tried to move, or thought about moving. Nevermind he’d been bedbound for the first eight days of his recovery, unable to do so much as lift his head without feeling like he’d been shot all over again. Nevermind that it was his father who’d been murdered, slaughtered in front of his eyes like prey. They had expectations of him, and he was being disappointing.

His mother swept into the room, her eyes sparkling like he hadn’t seen since… He winced. He couldn’t go an hour without some crushing realization that something was happening without his father, and the fact that he’d never be there for him again. He sat up slowly on the couch, face twisting as he shuddered against the pain. “Hey mom,” he rasped. “What’s up?”

“I have a surprise for you.” Her lips curled up into a smile that looked almost happy.

“Great.” His voice was flat. “What is it?”

“Come with me. I’ll show you.” She offered her hand to him.

He looked at her hand, then up at her. “Is it ok if you bring it to me? I’m…really hurting right now.”

She pursed her lips at him, mild annoyance coming through in her eyes. “No, darling. Come on. It’ll make you feel better, I promise.”

He hung his head in supplication. “Ok.” He took her hand, groaning softly as the pain crescendoed in his chest. He squeezed his eyes shut and stood still for a moment, blowing out a slow breath as he waited for it to fade again. He blinked his eyes open to see her staring expectantly at him. “Ok. Let’s go.”

She led him through the kitchen out the back door and into the yard. The house was small, more like a cottage than anything else. But Gavin had asked specifically to stay there for his recuperation. Out of the way. Away from other people. So I can relax, be by myself. She led him across the small yard to the small work shed that held the tools the help used to keep the property perfectly, imperfectly manicured to resemble the quaint wilderness-feeling that some cottages in the country had. He looked at the ground as they made their way to the door.

She turned back to him and clasped her hands under her chin. “I know it’s still early in your recovery,” she said, gazing at him fondly, “but I really think this will help you feel better. Get you feeling more like…yourself again.” Before he could ask her what she meant, she pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Gavin’s eyes went wide as he realized what exactly she had meant by a surprise: there was a young man tied to a chair, gagged, and looking absolutely terrified.

He turned to her with wide eyes. “Mom…”

“I know, I know. Maybe a little early for this. But…” Her hand went to his cheek and for a moment, her smile fell away to reveal the aching sadness beneath. “It’s been…hard…since your father died.” She smiled gently and tears ran from the corners of her eyes. “I want you to be reminded that not everything has to change.”

“But mom, I…”

“This is Peter.” She presented him to Gavin with a sweep of her hand. “I wanted to do something for you to help you feel better. You’ve been so brave, sitting through all these visitors, you’ve been so brave through the pain…” She picked up a knife from the bench and passed it to him. “Let’s do something just for you.”

He looked down at the knife, held loosely in his shaking hand. His mouth felt bone dry. He felt the stir of something in him, something dark and unsettling and unwelcome. It wasn’t the excitement he normally felt when he hurt someone. It wasn’t that sweet flutter he got in his stomach when he imagined what it would be like to lay someone open with a knife. It was…something else.

It was fear.

“Mom, I…” He wet his lips. “I don’t think I can.”

She placed her hand gently on his arm. “Sure you can, sweetheart. I’ll help you.” She took the knife from his hand and turned to the poor man – man, he looked closer to a boy – and held the knife to his throat. He dissolved into sobs behind the gag, thick tears rolling down his cheeks as so many sounds of fear came bubbling out his throat, one right after the other. For a moment Gavin felt the familiar fluttering in him that normally rose when he heard sounds like that. Immediately on its heels was a creeping dread that he shivered against, a feeling that told him last time you felt this way, a monster shot you and slaughtered your father in front of you. His lips trembled. He realized she was looking at him, waiting for him to step forward. He did, on legs that wobbled.

She took the knife away from his throat and drew it down the side of his arm. He whimpered, twisting away from the pain. A slow drop of blood rolled lazily down his arm and dropped with a tiny splatter to the floor.

Gavin’s hands started to shake.

He took another step forward until he was standing almost between the man’s legs. His eyes were red and raw, like he’d already been crying for hours. He licked his lips. “Where did he come from?”

“Does it matter?” She sounded confused. She brought the knife to his arm and made another cut, much deeper. The man screamed, jaw clenched tight against the gag. A steady stream of red wound down the man’s arm and began to dribble onto the floor.

His voice shook. “N-no.” The blood was so red, garishly so. He hadn’t seen anything that color since… He squeezed his eyes shut against the flash of memory, of his father’s blood gushing down Vera’s chin and throat and onto her shirt. He swallowed hard. I did this to Sam. I cut them in the same exact place. He balked at the sudden, unwelcome thought that jumped into his mind.

“Don’t worry about it, honey.” The knife flashed as it went to the man’s arm again, carving into him. Gavin felt dizzy with his screams. Why do I feel so weird? Usually this makes me feel good. He experimentally fished around in his mind for the familiar sensation, the warm feeling that spread through his bones at the sound of screams, at the sight of blood. At the sight of a face made haggard with agony. He swallowed hard.

His mother stepped back and passed the knife to him. He tightened his hand around it, trying to feel the weight, the familiar heft of it. In a fluid motion he brought the knife to the man’s other shoulder and drew it over his skin. It split under the knife, opening him up, letting the blood spill out. For a split second, for a brief moment of bliss, Gavin felt the feelings inside him, sharp and warm and so, so good. His heart fluttered. Maybe I just needed a second to get back into it. He drew the knife down the man’s chest this time, cutting his shirt and the skin underneath, watching the red stain grow along the edges. His own chest ached with the motion of his arm. He put the feeling away and went to make another cut across the man’s arm. The man’s gaze darted around the room in panic and desperation. His eyes flicked up to Gavin’s for a moment, pleading and scared and so delicious.

Then, somehow, the smell of blood hit him all at once.

He staggered backwards, nearly dropping the knife. He stood stock still as memory after memory crashed over him, of his father, his throat hanging open, the blood soaked into the floor, his and Gavin’s, of the mind-numbing terror of lying on the floor of his childhood summer home, bleeding out onto the carpet. A choked sob tore from his throat.

“Gavin, honey?” His mother took a step towards him, her hands held out and stained with blood. “Honey? What’s the matter?”

“This used to make me feel good,” he whispered, tears threatening in his voice. “Now this just makes me feel scared.”

She stared at him, dumbfounded. “What, sweetheart?”

He held the knife out to her. “I’m sorry. I need…maybe I just need more time.” He glanced at the man, whose eyes were flicking between him and the knife.

“What, you don’t want to try again?”

He squeezed his eyes shut. “No.” He swallowed. “Please.”

Hesitantly, she took the knife. “Ok, honey.” She walked behind the man. “Just let me get rid of this.” Before Gavin could say anything she drew the knife across the man’s throat, cutting deep. He screamed and jumped back from the fountain of blood that poured from his neck. The man immediately paled, shuddered, died. Gavin turned and bolted to the door, barely clearing the threshold before he vomited into the grass. He groaned as he retched, the motion sparking fire in his wound. He heard his mother right behind him, felt her cool hand rubbing unsure circles on his back. He sobbed and sank to his knees.

Continued here

@untilthepainstarts​​, @womping-grounds​​, @free-2bmee​​, @quirkykayleetam​​, @walkingchemicalfire​​, @inpainandsuffering​​, @redwingedwhump​​, @burtlederp​​, @castielamigos-whump-side-blog​​, @insomniacscoprio​​, @whumpy101​​, @whumpywhumper​​, @stxck-fxck​​, @omega-em-z-02, @whumps-the-word​​

#honor bound 2 #honor bound universe #bad things happen bingo #cold-blooded torture #medical whump #death mention tw #gunshot wound #blood tw #knife lady #flashbacks tw #emesis tw #look guys #Colleen is just trying to make her son feel better #death tw #my oc: Gavin

[kaimelia]

It Ends With Us

a/n: okay first off, I would like to replace that this is partially inspired by one of my FAVORITE BOOKS EVER! it’s called It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover and I will recommend it until the day I die. a life-changing read, honestly. but, this is a post 17x08 fic and it reminded me of a scene from the book!

----------------

"Okay," she whispered, pushing lightly against his chest, "you really do smell like whiskey." Link winced and stepped away from her.

"Yeah, I didn't think about that." He brushed his hand through his hair; his lips pursed tightly. "Crap, I'm sorry." Amelia shrugged, sitting back down onto the bench and grabbing her mug from the windowsill.

"Where did you go today?" Link leaned against the half wall behind him.

"To Jo's." The neurosurgeon nodded in silence, watching him fiddle with a zipper on his jacket. "I shouldn't have left earlier. I just needed some space, and I wasn't thinking."

"Zola was telling me about her project. With the pill to live forever," she smiled, nursing the mug of tea between her hands, taking small sips. "She said you'd take it." He returned the smile on her face and nodded.

"Of course. I would never have to worry about leaving you and Scout." Link looked behind him at the night sky. "Seeing the fallout of Andrew's death, I just would hate to put everyone in my life through that pain." Amelia hummed softly and stood up, resting her arms on the wall beside him and leaning on them.

"I'm sorry that I got so upset about the whiskey." He glanced down at her. "I've just been thinking more about drinking recently and how I wish I could. Then I found the bottle, and it reminded me of being a teenager, hiding drugs and drinks from my mom." His face softened as he watched her observe the stars, a single tear rolling down her cheek. She wiped it away. "It's not your fault."

"No, I should've talked to you. I've been thinking a little selfishly recently." The neurosurgeon met his eyes. "When Jackson and Winston were over yesterday, I said something about how Meredith dying would screw up my life." Amelia couldn't help but laugh, covering her mouth with her hand.

"We're all thinking it. That doesn't mean that you don't care about Mer and her wellbeing." He grimaced. "I've been thinking the same. The kids are so sick of us; they just want their mom back. I don't blame them," she admitted.

"Can I ask you something?" She raised her eyebrows at him and smiled. "Remember when we found out you were pregnant, and we were trying to decide if we wanted to keep the baby?" He waited for the nod of her head before continuing. "If you had known about the pandemic, would you have made the same decision?" She looked back out into the sky and sighed.

"I mean, now, I wouldn't change anything. Scout's the best thing to happen to me. But I think if some magical, all-knowing voice had told us that the world would fall apart in front of us right after our son was born, we probably wouldn't have chosen to keep him." He didn't recognize the expression on her face, her blank stare and solemn features looking colder than usual. "We both were a little terrified," she mused, staring down into the empty cup in her hands.

"We both are still a little terrified," he joked. She nodded in agreement.

"I wanna go get more tea. Do you want some? I like being out here with you and just talking."

"I'll go shower real quick, wash my body really well and scrub the whiskey smell off." She smiled.

"I'll meet you back out here soon." Link followed her into the house, running up to their bedroom and pulling out some neatly folded pajama pants, and heading into the bathroom. He showered in record time, dressing and running back down the stairs. Amelia had settled back on the bench, wrapped up in a knitted blanket with a steaming mug of tea in hand. Link grinned at the sight, watching as she flipped the page of the book she was reading. She looked up a moment later. "Hi," she whispered, patting the empty space next to her.

"You looked peaceful," he commented, taking the mug she was handing him. He sipped the tea as she adjusted the blanket to drape over their legs. The exhaustion resting in her face was evident to him, and he felt a tang of guilt.

"Everyone was surprisingly well behaved today. And now I get to relax out here." Amelia wrapped her sweater around her body tightly as a breeze hit. "Tell me something."

"My parents set a date for their wedding. July 25, they think everything will be over by then."

"That's only a month away."

"I basically told them we're not coming. There's no way I'm leaving the state to go to a wedding." She frowned. "I'm trying to talk them out of it."

"Nancy's practically trapped my mom in her house. She's worried that if mom leaves too much, she'll get COVID and die," Amelia muttered, tugging at the string of the teabag in the cup. "Are they still asking about visiting Scout?" He nodded.

"I told them no visits until there's a vaccine."

"That could be a year; you're sure you don't want to quarantine somewhere and meet up with them?" He shrugged. "I don't blame you, though. I'm just lucky my family understands how bad this is."

"Amelia, are you really worried about how much I drink?" Her eyebrows rose at his question, her head snapping to look at him. "And, I'm genuinely asking. I think I should be conscious of it," Link confessed.

"I mean, I'm an addict. I'm always on high alert when someone drinks, so I think I'm more likely to overreact about it." She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "I've just seen so many people who've lost everything to alcohol." A soft laugh escaped her mouth, almost a doubtful one. "I've lost everything to alcohol. And now, I have you, and I don't want to lose you."

"You'll tell me if you get more worried, alright?" The brunette agreed, shifting on the bench to lay against his body.

"I notice it even more because I've been thinking about it a lot," she breathed heavily, avoiding his eyes. "I keep drinking tea and water and juice so that I always have something in my hands." Amelia sipped her tea.

"Do I still smell like whiskey?"

"No, you smell like soap, now." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him. "Thank you for being out here with me. Taking the time to talk."

"I feel like we've forgotten how to be a couple with this whole pandemic. It's all about the kids; now, we need to make time for us." She sighed contently and laid her head on his shoulder.

"Everything was perfect right before he was born. We had our routine; having dinner, taking a bath or shower, talking about everything before I fell asleep. And you'd massage my feet every night. I miss that," she played, gazing up at him. "I feel like I don't know you anymore. I only know you as a parent." Link rubbed his hand up and down her arm gently, comforting her and attempting to ease her mind.

"Honestly? I only know myself as a parent now." He chuckled almost nervously, placing his mug behind him. "I'll do better to make time for us. Whenever I'm walking Scout around to get him to sleep, I'll find you. We can just talk." Amelia smiled up at him and set her mug beside his.

"We can start now," she whispered, shifting from under his arm. She placed a leg on the other side of him, straddling his lap on the bench. Her hands settled on the sides of his face. "No more secrets," she kissed him. "No more running." Another kiss. "No more hiding." He opened his eyes and took a look into hers, a more vulnerable expression staring back at him.

"I promise," Link responded. He placed his hands on her hips, pulling her closer to him. "No secrets," he affirmed. "From now on, no more hiding."

"It ends with us."

#amelia shepherd #amelink #amelia x link #atticus lincoln #amelink fanfic #amelink fanfiction #grey's anatomy #greys abc #greys fanfic #my fics

[invisibleinorange]

Chapters: 12/? Fandom: Bridgerton Rating: T Warnings: Presumed Character Death Relationships: Colin Bridgerton/Penelope Featherington,  Eloise Bridgerton/Penelope Featherington(besties),  Bridgerton Family Dynamics, Simon Hastings/Daphne Bridgerton Characters: Colin Bridgerton,  Penelope Featherington, Eloise Bridgerton, Anthony Featherington,  Benedict Bridgerton,  Portia Featherington, Violet Bridgerton, Genevieve Delacroix Additional Tags:  Bridgerton, Polin Summary:  Unexpected bad news arrives for the Bridgerton Family (and friends) regarding Colin's travels. This will be a series that is set after "The Duke and I" or season one of the show. It is a companion piece to "Goodbyes".

It took nearly a week for the tensions to calm down after what posthumously was dubbed ‘the night of the burnt dresses’.  Anthony for his part had attempted to make things right by purchasing a series of new dresses for Penelope.  He knew that he took things a bit too far but he’d only wanted to protect her like he would any of his sisters.  At the end of the day, he wouldn’t change a thing about the actions he’d taken.

He wouldn’t come right out and say it but he also felt a bit like he’d done the poor girl a favor.  Her mother had clearly been dressing her in poor fitting dresses in the poorest excuse of fabric colors for years.  Dressed in decent clothing, it was abundantly clear that had she had her new wardrobe in the last season, things might have played a little differently for her.

He knew better than to put that out into the universe though since he’d barely escaped unscathed from the daily glares, silence and intermittent tongue lashings from the family.

Benedict hadn’t exactly been forgiven either.  Whenever he came into the room, people got up and walked out all together.  Eloise and Benedict had hardly went a day since Eloise was born without talking to each other and even she was keeping her distance.

It was enough to drive anyone mad.  There was only so long that Benedict could avoid being home by drinking and making art.  As much as he needed his outlets, he also did enjoy the comfort of family around him.

He needed to take action but he didn’t know what to do.

Fortunately for him, he didn’t have to do anything.

He was alone the study when he heard the door open.  He was busy working away with a sketch with his charcoals and he didn’t bother to look up. In his mind it was either going to be a servant or someone who would walk right back out.

He was surprised when it wasn’t.

“Benedict,” he heard after a long moment.

He looked up and there was a strange sense of déjà vu that hit him.  Just like she’d sought him out before on the swings and things had seemed to be working themselves out, she was there again.

She cleared her throat.  There was something quiet, unsure about her voice which reminded him of how she’d always been instead of the confident girl that he’d been watching her grow into.

“Can we speak?”  she asked.

“I’ve been trying to speak to a week,” he said knowing there was some edge to his voice and he softened it once he caught himself. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings or deceive you.  I was just caught off guard and -  I would have told you I didn’t send the dress.”

“This isn’t about the dress,” she told after a moment, lips pursing into a tight line.  “I know that none of you would intentionally hurt me. It was my thought for jumping to conclusions and thinking that you were trying to romance me. I’ve never actually had anyone attempt to romance me so I was too blinded by it to think logically and Eloise didn’t help.”

“I didn’t know that you wanted me to romance you,” Benedict said after a long moment raising an eyebrow.   It was uncanny really that even now the thought of actually romancing her was foreign, weird.  Even after all these weeks, he still thought of her like another sister. If he set his mind to it, he could do this properly.  “I mean, I thought that you hadn’t set your mind to accepting my proposal so I was honestly giving you the space you required.”

“I don’t know what I want,” Penelope confessed after a long moment.  That didn’t seem an accurate depiction of how she felt though since she knew precisely what she wanted and it was something that she could never have.  All the time in the world could pass and she’d still wonder about how differently her life might have been had Colin not been lost at sea.  “I won’t begrudge you secrets because I have plenty of my own – I can’t marry someone that I can’t trust and I wouldn’t want that for someone else.  You can’t grow to love someone if you can’t trust them.”

It was that point that he realized she was still wearing the ring he’d given her and everything seemed to fall into place. She was actually considering going forward with this after everything.  An even bigger alarm went off in his head at the fact she thought she could have some secret so big that he might have a problem with it. He cocked his head gazing at her as if trying to read through it all to figure it out.  There was literally nothing there.

“I won’t lie to you any more then,” he said after a long moment. “And while I can’t think of anything more than a white lie that you are burdened by, I suppose you can do the same.”

Penelope visibly winced at that.  There was something about the expression on her face that made it clear that she was holding back something big and he was at a loss so he just listened and waited, prepared for her secret to be something absolutely innocent.

“Then I must tell you something now,” she started. “You must promise to never tell anyone.”

“I promise,” he told her. He nodded, anticipating building and a chuckle already threatening at his lips for whatever would come out of her mouth.

“I’m Lady Whistledown,” she confessed.

Confusion flooded his feature and that chuckle did escape though almost waiting for her to laugh as well. Surely, this was a joke!  There was absolutely no way.

“Did Eloise put you up to this?”

“No, I’m serious.”

“But – that’s impossible!” he found himself arguing knowing that there was no way that the awkward little wallflower who hung around his little sister was that the proprietor of that wretched gossip column. “There is no way that you’d have nearly ruined yourself and the whole Marina Thompson thing easily could have –“

“Colin,”  she said after a long moment as if to justify it. “I couldn’t let Colin go through with it.  I tried to talk him out of it and he wasn’t listening so I used the only tool that I had that would stop him.  I’d rather be a spinster than someone who lets. I regret the hurt that it caused but I don’t regret – well, I do actually.  If I’d not done it, he’d still be here now and you wouldn’t be trying to ruin your life by marrying me.”

That was enough to render his speechless and he rose from where he’d been sitting, pacing for a moment to try and gather his thoughts.  His family had been absolutely obsessed with that woman, trying to figure out who she was every time they delighted in what she said or were angered.  He didn’t know whether to be upset or proud that Penelope was capable of such a stir.

The truth of the matter was that she’d never said anything that was false (as far as he was aware) about their family or other families. She merely speculated, stated what she observed and candid.  He couldn’t hold that against her, especially when more times than not she’d saved them.

The fact that she blamed herself for saving Colin from a loveless marriage built upon a lie hit him like a ton of bricks and the heaviness of it reminded him of the grief that he’d locked down. He wasn’t happy that his brother was gone but he didn’t blame Penelope or anyone else for the death.  He could have just as easily blamed Anthony for the fact he’d felt like he needed to see more of the world.

Benedict let out a long breath of air that he didn’t know he’d been holding before crossing the room,  decisively taking her hands as if to show that this information didn’t bother her.  He wasn’t going to go and tell the Ton this information.

“You’re not the reason he’s dead,” he said after a long minute.  She wasn’t quite looking at him though so he reached down to force her to look up at him.  “Besides, Colin would be furious if he knew you were blaming yourself for that.”

She was clearly going to dismiss the words but it was essential that he knew as much.

“Well he at least wasn’t furious enough to come back and haunt me,”  she said quietly after a minute. She’d honestly begged him to do it and he hadn’t.

“Well you’re just not looking in the right place. He’d haunt the kitchens. Even in death he’d be a bottomless pit,”  Benedict added, with a sad, wiry smile. Even if it was painful to talk about him, it did feel nice to have Colin’s name not be avoided.

“I can’t argue that,” she said after a long moment.  “Are you really sure though?”

“Yes, I’m sure,” he insisted.  “You’re just crazy enough to survive our family.  We might as well make it official.  I suppose, I could put one condition on it.”

“And what might that condition be?”

“Our first born son,” Benedict said after a long moment pausing to try and make the words feel less weird. “He’d have to be named Colin.”

Something about that touched Penelope to the core and she felt tears forming in her eyes. She wasn’t quite sure how much of that was still grief and how much was the moment.  Her words didn’t form for a long moment.

“What if we only have daughters?” she finally asked.

“Colleen clearly,” Benedict added with mirth.

--

Beloved Readers it appears that the mourning black of recent days is about to transform to new, exciting shades. It  thrills me to announce that the confirmed bachelorette Penelope Featherington will not be forced to spend season as a wallflower.

As previously reported, she took up residence with the Bridgerton Family some time ago. While there was speculation around the Ton to what this might mean,  we can now confirm that from grief new beginnings have formed.

Benedict Bridgerton, the second eldest son of the family, has allegedly proposed and said proposal has been accepted.  The news has brought joy where in recent weeks there has been little positive news to report…

LADY WHISTLEDOWN'S SOCIETY PAPERS, 7 OCTOBER 1813

#⚜ writings — polin #polin #penelope featherington #colin bridgerton #benedict bridgerton

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #368

“whatever doesn’t kill you, is gonna leave a scar”

Have you ever bought a YouTuber’s merch? My favorite shirt is the Day of the Dead design by Cloak, which is Markiplier's and jacksepticeye's clothing brand. Mom's friend/former co-worker also got me a Ninja Sex Party shirt because she knew I liked them. There are SO MANY YouTubers I wanna support by buying shirts. Do you think oatmeal tastes better when made with water or milk? Milk, 110%. Have you ever left a note in a library book? No. What time of day do you prefer to wash your hair? Morning. Has anyone ever spread lies about you? Yes. Have you ever taken a photograph with a celebrity? If so, did it turn out the way you wanted, or do you wish you could retake it? No. If you could move out of your home country permanently, would you? If so, where would you go? If it didn't mean being so very far from my family, I would love to move to Canada. Is there a celebrity that everyone else seems to love, but you find totally overrated? Why is it that you don’t like them? I legit don't know who's considered currently popular, and I especially don't know who they are as people. If you could volunteer for any charity, which one would you choose? Do you think it’s more important to help humans, or are animal and environmental charities equally important? Something relating to animals, and I think they're both equally important. Do you prefer holidays where you relax, or actually do things? I like a mix. Something chill, but you still do some stuff as a family. Do you think that after we die our spirit is still alive? Yes. Has anybody ever told you that you could be a model? Someone has mistaken me for a model in a picture I once took. It was one of the most flattering things I've ever heard, haha. Do you use different kinds of moisturizer for different body parts? ie. hand lotion for your hands, face cream for your face. Or do you just use one moisturizer for all body parts? Yes. Have you ever felt like you were someone’s rebound? No. Has anybody ever broken up with you over something really pathetic? What was it? Have you ever been dumped in a disrespectful way? (eg. through text, through a friend..) I have 100% been dumped in a very cowardly and disrespectful way; after dating Jason for nearly four years and being very serious, he broke up with me very abruptly over Facebook Messenger. His reason was valid, but at the same time, he NEVER talked to me about it. Apparently my depression was dragging him down. If he'd fucking communicated it, I would have explored new treatment options so goddamn fast. But no, he decided to snap his fingers and disappear. That's exactly WHY it was so traumatic, I think: it was so unexpected and sudden. Did you have a lot of role models as a kid? Animal enthusiasts like Steve Irwin and Jeff Corwin for sure. Do you feel like anyone looks up to you? Why or why not? God no. I'm just... not someone to aspire to be like. What was the last thing you found offensive? I'm not sure. Who is the nicest person you know? My mom. Do you feel safe in your country? I feel safe in NC, rather. Like I don't expect an atom bomb or terrorist attack or something in this obscure area. In the U.S.A. itself, sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. America is definitely not loved by every other country. Do you feel safe where you live? Not in this city, no. Have you been falsely diagnosed with something by a bad doctor? Yup. Did y'all know I apparently have ADHD? I know, shocking. Have you ever had a doctor refuse to treat you? No. Name the strangest game you’ve ever played (video game or real game): The first Silent Hill, probably. It took a lot of reading to get it. Do you know anyone who has been struck by lightning before? No. Which cartoon character would you want to keep as a pet? Does Stitch count? Or a Pokemon. Do you like marshmallows? Yes. What is your favorite flavor of candy cane? I really like the Jolly Rancher candy canes, I think they are? Have you ever fostered an animal? No. Do you still take hot showers when it’s hot out? Not as hot, but not cold except on very extreme occasions. When writing $ sign, do you draw one line through the S or two? Two. What animal have you always wanted as a pet but couldn’t have? I'm thankful that my parents were pretty open-minded to what pets I really wanted, but one I was never allowed to have was a ferret because of how messy and smelly they are. List three people you’ve had crushes on: Jason, Sara, and Sebastian were probably my biggest crushes. Have you ever thrown up from cramps? No, but god have I felt close. List three people you had a hard time forgiving. Jason, Colleen, and my dad. Who is the most spiritual person you know? Probably my sister's mother-in-law. Would you ever start a vlog? God no, I'd bore people to tears. Are your dreams coming true yet? I mean, I guess in some ways with my mental health. In my deepest depression, what I have now was a dream, even though current me is very discontent with it. Most of my dreams, though? No. Do you struggle with depression? I've been diagnosed with severe depression since 7th grade. Are you haunted by your past? A few things won't leave me alone. What medical conditions do you have? Just a lot. There are even more that are up for debate. I've talked about my diagnosed conditions enough. Do you use a Magic Bullet? No. What does your apron look like? I don’t have one. What are your favorite spicy foods? Hot Cheetos, Takis, hot wings, jalapeno pizza... Man, I love spicy food. Which do you like better: being an adult or being a kid? Being a kid. Were you excited to be a teenager on your thirteenth birthday? I had very mixed feelings. Did you feel insecure in high school? Shit, I still do. Would you ever be friends with someone who was suicidal? What the FUCK is this question? No fucking shit I would be. Someone being suicidal in no way affects who they are as a person. Who was the biggest bully in high school? I don't think there really was one. What was your favorite class in high school? Art. Would you rather have a daughter or a son? If I wanted kids, a daughter. Have you ever written to an advice columnist? No. Have you ever had a doctor not believe what you told him? Maybe? I did however have an employee at the ER the first time I went try to pry out of me that my self-mutilation was for attention, and it wasn't until I insisted about a dozen times that it wasn't that he believed me. It's odd looking back that I got REALLY attached to him during that stay, knowing now that it was absolutely horrible and extremely unhelpful for him to do that. If you’re female, would you feel uncomfortable having a male gynecologist? I would absolutely refuse to have a male one. Do you like Lisa Frank? Yeah, like can you talk about aesthetic. What gives you nightmares? Boy, I wish I could tell you, given how much I have them. Were you ever hospitalized as a child? No. Did you get senior pictures taken? No. What color is your bicycle? I don’t have one. Did you ever have to take home a fake baby in health class? No, thank fuck. Would you rather wear ivory or white on your wedding day? What color will your bridesmaids wear? I'd rather wear black. I think red will be the bridesmaids' color. Would you rather have a swimming pool or trampoline? I want a swimming pool so damn badly so I could exercise my legs without worrying about sweating, and I can stop and rest whenever I want, unlike going walking or something. I don't think my knees could handle a trampoline. Do you think babies are cute? Some, sure. But a lot, not really. Do you dream about the future a lot? Yeah. Do you think about your past a lot? Way too frequently. How good are you at living in the moment? I'm trying to get better at it. Have you ever questioned God’s existence? Yeah. Vanilla frosting or chocolate? Chocolate. What’s your favorite foreign cuisine? I've actually been exploring Italian pasta lately. I'm not a big fan of foreign food that I've tried, though. Have you ever moved to another state? No. Did you do anything productive today? No. .-. Can you say the alphabet backwards? No, actually. Do you like flowers? Of course; does anyone not? Have you ever thought you were gonna die? I didn't care if I did or didn't. What kind of mood are you in today? I was honestly really depressed through most of it. Just health stuff was really getting to me. I just woke up from what was honestly like a four-hour nap and I feel all right, I guess. What are you craving right now? I REALLY want Domino's jalapeno pizza. Is there anyone you would seriously punch right now if you had the chance? No. What is worse, physical or emotional pain? Definitely emotional. Have you ever walked in on somebody doing something… questionable? When Dad still lived with us, I think he might have been watching... you know... on TV when I came into my parents' room for something. Idk for sure though. I didn't ask, and I don't want to know. If you were to make videos on YouTube, what would they be of? Oh god, idk. I don't want to make any. What I'd have most fun with would be reptile education, but I 1.) have literally one snake, 2.) am not extremely educated on a good number of them and don't want to be misleading, and 3.) I would run outta content fast. So, leave it to Snake Discovery, haha. Posting pictures of yourself in a bathing suit on the internet - ok or not? Yes, it's okay????? If you're talking about me personally though, you won't see me dead in a bathing suit picture. Do you typically laugh when somebody falls down? No, I gasp and see if they're okay. What is the most disturbing movie you’ve ever watched? Paranormal Entity. The ending is... a lot. Your opinion of Katy Perry, please? I like a couple of her songs. If you could say anything to your Mom right now… what would it be? "Thank you for absolutely everything."

#survey #surveys #questions #lyrics: ''leave a scar'' by marilyn manson

[hopevalley]

Season 8, Episode 2: Honestly, Elizabeth

I think I’ll do all my write-ups this year scene-by-scene. It’s easier to keep track of everything that happens in the episode that way, and I can write up thoughts while I’m watching the episode.

I’ll just jump right in!

Scene 1: Narration/Jack Jack

The first scene starts out with Elizabeth writing in her journal about the arrival of Lucas’s mother to town, and I think the writing here was actually polished up as to be concise and fairly decent. I didn’t mind seeing Jack staring at his father’s picture, but I think what would have made a much more compelling scene would have been for him to turn away from the picture and pick up a toy off of the ground and just start playing with it. Something symbolic of moving on, or at least of Jack’s lack of connection to his father at this age. While he’d certainly be curious when he gets older, at his current age he has no real reason to care.

Elizabeth waxing poetic about how strong and brave Jack was, and how her son embodies those same traits is…I don’t know. It came off a little silly to me—like it was trying just a little too hard to be meaningful.

—

  Scene 2: Lucas check on Helen

I like that Lucas seems to care for his mother a lot, and that he wants to help her. I think he realizes there’s perhaps more to her visit than merely wanting to see Elizabeth, but isn’t willing to push for that kind of information. My guess is that they’re just not that emotionally close to one another.

—

Scene 3: The Crate of DOOM

Joseph from the railroad brings a delivery for Lee and in helping Joseph carry it, Lee hurts his back. This was a genuinely good scene. CALLCARSONCALLCARSONCALLCARSON. It also has the advantage of making everyone feel friendly and neighborlike. Elizabeth popping out of her house, Jesse just stopping by… It was nice.

—

  Scene 4: Nathan and Elizabeth Talk

Opal’s dress was really cute in this scene, and Robert really is growing up fast! I’m glad Allie and Opal seem attached to him; the show feels more cohesive with its little friend groups and it’s been hard to really show that off since Cody left. Allie fills that void easily and I think gets better lines/dialogue/scenes as well. She gets treated like a character of the appropriate age.

Also, Nathan treating Robert respectfully is nice. It comes off like he recognizes Robert’s good intentions and genuine enthusiasm and treats him appropriately, too.

The little quip about Allie being interested in boys was cute (and not over-the-top), and I like that Nathan is the first to bring up the missed…dinner date. Elizabeth’s response is interesting to me; she does seem a little more enthusiastic, at least about how fun it would have been had she followed through on it. When Nathan suggests they could try it again, though, she clams up. I think what’s interesting about it is that she doesn’t look disgusted or unhappy with the idea, just…a tad uncomfortable—like she wants to say something but can’t/won’t. A pretty good scene.

—

  Scene 5: Introducing Joseph Canfield

At this point in the episode I knew I’d love Joseph. He’s so wholesome and pleasant both in his demeanor and his offer to pray for Lee.

—

  Scene 6: Nichols and Dimes

I really am enjoying Fiona’s interactions with Mike Hickam. Actually, I’m enjoying that Mike gets any lines at all. He’s a pretty good actor and deserving of the screentime. Also that man has a butt and they’re showing of in like, every other scene he’s in LOL. Fiona trying to explain the reason for the name of the shop is quirky without being too over-the-top I think. It works well enough and I think lends some more personality to her character.

This scene gave us some more low-key genuinely funny stuff with Jesse repeating “Nichol isn’t spelled that way, right?”

Henry’s surprise at the barber being a woman isn’t too over the top either. At this time, barbers would just about always be men, because not only did they handle haircuts and shaves, but it served as a gossip (and business, as Fiona mentioned in the last episode) center for all the men in the area AND the barber usually also treated things like toothaches and first aid if a doctor wasn’t around.

I admit her reaction to all the men running off was...a bit surprising. I figured her feelings would be hurt, but she literally just laughs it off, maybe just too excited at having her own business to continue to think about, you know, what will happen if she doesn’t get customers.

—

 Scene 7: Joseph runs out of gas.

There isn’t much to say here, but when he walks back to town he sings “It Is Well with My Soul” which was always one of my favorite hymns. My pastor had his own piano arrangement of it and everything. I knew from this moment forward that I would defend him to the death.

—

 Scene 8: At the clinic

 This is probably not the most...accurate medical scene ever, but it wasn’t bad. The best part about it was actually Molly, though. It looks like she’s really thrown herself into working with Carson and she’s used to it and even enjoys it!

—

 Scene 9:Nathan and Bill talk

 The scene is super simple but I think it was excellently done. Nathan wants to adopt Allie and Bill thinks that’s a fine idea in theory, but in starting proceedings (court filings, public notices, et cetera) he could stir things up. It sounds like Bill and Nathan spoke about Dylan since Bill knows how Dylan found him (the newspaper article). 

Bill mentions a fee and at first I thought this was going to be the start of a really sour joke about Bill being greedy or something, but to my surprise (AND IMMENSE RELIEF), they were just discussing it like a business transaction...which it is. Nathan trusts Bill to be fair with that... AND I LOVE IT. 

Allie’s mother’s full name is Colleen Mayes Grant. Allie’s full name is Allison Mayes Parks. Would Parks also be Colleen’s full name if she were married to Dylan? Am I missing something here?

Anyway, Nathan and Bill then talk about the money that Nathan used to trap Dylan, and Nathan admits he got it from Lucas, which...surprises Bill.

“You asked Lucas?! You do love your niece.” Nathan is a little amused by it, but I think this is interesting. I mean, 1) Nathan asked Lucas in the first place, which is telling, but also, 2) Lucas loaned him the money without even asking what it was for. Maybe they are not on such bad terms after all, lol. ;)

Nathan points to a map and asks about some land, and Bill says he owns that land, and that he was thinking of building a cabin on it but he’s just not really that sure he wants to. Nathan asks if he’d be willing to sell and Bill (jokingly) asks, “How much of that money did you give back to Lucas?”

Good scene, wholesome scene. I genuinely enjoy watching these two interact. It almost reminds me of the older seasons when Bill and Frank and Jack would all scheme together; stuff like this just helps build up the characters a lot, and it helps the town feel...real.

—

 Scene 10: Lucas and Elizabeth Chat

 This was a short but nice scene. I think it’s clear Lucas is a bit worried about his mother and asks Elizabeth to visit her in the hopes that it might encourage her to talk to someone or feel better.

At first I thought this was perhaps a bit much, like...she barely knows the woman why would Helen even want a visit from Elizabeth? But then I thought...well, Lucas is probably thinking of the fact that Elizabeth has spoken with Helen now and again about her writing, so a visit from her would be expected since she’s in town. 

I like Elizabeth’s honesty in admitting she was intimidated by Helen. “So she does bite!” Kind of a cute/silly scene. I liked it.

—

 Scene 11: Rosemary and Elizabeth talk.

This was probably the second weakest scene in the episode. Rosemary just says hi and tells Elizabeth she can’t help with anything regarding Lee, and then Elizabeth says she’s off to visit Helen, and Rosemary says “Oh, the old saying...the way to an editor’s heart.”

Elizabeth replies with, “I don’t think that’ show that saying goes.”

I think they were trying for Funny here but it misses its mark and doesn’t really add anything to the episode. I’d have rather had an earnest word of encouragement from Rosemary. 

—

 Scene 12: Elizabeth visits Helen

 There are a lot of things to like about this. Helen takes her job very seriously, and corrects Elizabeth (“book” vs. “manuscript”—it ain’t a book yet!). Helen comments on Elizabeth being undisciplined but this is an objectively true statement (whether Elizabeth likes it or not).

I think Helen is actually really understanding when Elizabeth blurts out that she was late with her first draft because, “I decided not to let my writing interfere with my life.” She’s pretty calm about it, and says maybe her trip was for nothing.

Elizabeth springs back and hurries to explain that while her writing means a lot to her, and she takes it seriously, it’s also not her main source of income. I was really worried that Helen was going to come off as this huge bitch hurting Poor Widdle Ewizabiff’s Feewings but I think she’s actually pretty great in this scene. She doesn’t come off as the bad guy, but neither does Elizabeth. In fact, I feel like both characters communicate quite cleanly and it seems Helen appreciates Elizabeth’s spunk, haha. 

—

 Scene 13: Henry and Lucas have a meeting

 The writers straight up wanted to negate some of what happened last season, and I think that was a smart choice. There are some lines in this scene that I really enjoy a lot. “I like you, Henry. I don’t know why, but I do.” I think Lucas likes Henry because he’s been mostly up front with Lucas about his methods...which he does here, too.

“I’m willing to get my hands dirty.” 

Henry’s proposal is that he will double the crude output in the first year he’s back as Lucas’s partner, and if he doesn’t manage it, he will walk away. However, if he is successful, he becomes majority owner at 60% and is allowed to make all business decisions.

This is a very good opportunity for Lucas, provided he trusts Henry can at least maintain current output. He loses nothing if Henry walks away and he loses hardly anything (in fact, he loses a bit of profit and a LOT of responsibility) if Henry manages it and stays on.

When asked why he had a change of heart, Henry says he “has his reasons.”

—

 Scene 14: Joseph comes back to town + Fiona’s 

This actually isn’t its own separate scene, but rather, the camera pans from the previous scene to Joseph walking into town.

 Joseph stops Hickam about getting some gas, but Hickam is sent away to hold up his end of a bet while Jesse helps Joseph.

The camera then is in Fiona’s barbershop, so I’m counting these two scenes together. Hickam asks for a trim and she agrees to do it. He apologizes for running off earlier and she accepts his apology with grace and says she’s glad he came back. He tells her it was the right thing to do and she calls him out instantly for having accepted a bet from Jesse.

This is a pretty funny little joke, but the best part about it is actually how it ties Hickam and Jesse together. They’re around the same age and they could be friends; I like the implication. Some of the male friendships have suffered a bit in recent years so it’s nice to see those getting a splash of attention.

Anyway, Fiona doesn’t take offense and Hickam seems relieved.

—

 Scene 15: Sergeant gets some pats

 Sergeant is a good boy and so deserves some pats! The only thing I hate about this scene is the dialogue. Robert is like, a farm boy...and you’re telling me he’s never ridden a real horse? Please. This is in a time period where most of these kids would know how to ride a horse. He’s no larger a horse than any other horse in town! The bigger concern should be that Sergeant is an ex-mounted police horse, which means he needs a more experienced rider (and that certain signals could mean different things to Sergeant than they would mean for a farmhorse).

It’s still pretty cute overall, but I think they could have had the kids currying him or something instead. “We can start by patting him” seems a little silly when this horse has been patted by everyone in town 3 billion times by this point.

The camera then adjusts to the window of the saloon’s upstairs room where Helen is watching Elizabeth spend time with the kids. 

She’s more or less smiling and watching Elizabeth and the kids, studying them. As predicted, she has already decided she likes Elizabeth.

—

 Scene 16: Hickam narrowly avoids death

 Or more like, he moves while Fiona is trying to cut his hair and she gets his ear with the scissors. He literally runs out of the barbershop, past Helen and Lucas who are now out for a walk, and straight to the clinic.

—

 Scene 17: Rosemary talks to Elizabeth and the kids

 This is a continuation of the last scene where the camera catches Rosemary from outside the clinic (as Hickam goes in) and follows her over to Elizabeth where she says hello (they are still with Sergeant but over by the church now).

I’m a little tired of these Cute Widdle Opal moments. She’s like, nine years old. The fake smiling and “oh my goodness!”ing is too much for me at this point. I probably hated this scene the most.

—

 Scene 18: Lucas talks with his mother

 Helen calls out the situation exactly for what it is: Elizabeth is the reason Lucas has settled in Hope Valley, and Lucas and Nathan are vying for Elizabeth’s hand. Lucas admits these are both true.

Just a nice little scene. Helen seems pretty normal and good here.

—

 Scene 19: Elizabeth talks to Nathan

 On her way out of the mercantile (with a cloth to clean Opal’s face) Elizabeth runs into Nathan who is on his way up to Bill’s land to check it out. She says he must be serious if he’s going in the middle of the day out to look at it, and he says he is. “I think it’s time I settle down.”

She walks down a step or two and turns after him as he’s about to go into the mercantile: “Nathan? When you’re back from your trip, perhaps we could get together?”

And he agrees to this, almost in a tone that’s like, he doesn’t want to seem too excited.

As soon as Nathan is in the store, Robert goes flying by on Sergeant with the worst posture I’ve ever seen.

Elizabeth steals Newton from Nathan and goes after Robert, catching up to him and dragging him back to town right in front of Jesse and Joseph.

Joseph is of course iMMEDIATELY like: “I want to live in this crazy place.”

This isn’t how I would write a scene like this, mostly because I would assume that Robert could ride a horse (and his posture later kind of says this...lol) and it’s really hard to film something like this without it Actually Being Dangerous (mostly due to the gravel in town—a horse could kick that into someone’s face and they’d be messed up, or they could slip in it)(also, the filming location doesn’t have a lot of Large Spaces where they can really let a horse gallop safely). I’d probably have a stunt double dashing off at an actual run if possible, and show Elizabeth catching up to Robert who has been thrown from the horse. He’s fine (landed in some prairie grass or something) but then it’s actually really scary.

Her “catching up” and “helping” just doesn’t work very well when it’s very clear these horses are moving at a leisurely pace.

But if you can use your imagination it wasn’t a bad scene. 

—

 Scene 20: Lee and Rosemary

 It’s the next morning, and Rosemary helps Lee sit on the couch. Rosemary gives him his coffee but there’s no sugar in it (this is hard to believe; they’ve been married how long? She’s been making this every day for how many years?) and she boogies over to Elizabeth’s.

—

 Scene 21: Rosemary and Elizabeth have a chat

 Rosemary talks to Elizabeth about the chase after Robert and then to little Jack and there’s a little moment where she looks at Jack and talks about how her and Lee like hearing him laugh when the weather is nice and the windows are open. It was a nice touch.

Rosemary offers to babysit until Laura arrives.

It’s a nice scene but I’m a little tired of the babytalk for a child that is way older than they’re acting. This is a 2-3 year old child, not a baby who can’t talk.

—

 Scene 22: Bill meets Joseph Canfield

Joseph came back to town to have another look around and consider buying the gas station. He mentions the church, and Bill says they don’t have a pastor right now because “he left to become a missionary.” I’m not sure which pastor they’re talking about here: Zeke or the guy before him, or even Frank? My guess is Zeke since they took the time to give him a name, and there’s no reason why Frank would do that when he’s been written away as finding his calling in mentoring/pastoring/caring for terminally ill children.

Joseph says he’s looking to settle down and would like it to be Hope Valley, which is....sudden. I’m not sure what the script could have said instead, but maybe if there was some kind of hint that his wife isn’t happy in their current situation? Or maybe that he’s been looking around and that he found Hope Valley when he wasn’t even looking—just doing his job.

It’s a hard sell either way. There’s a whole lot of nothing in this area, so it’s hard to imagine Hope Valley wouldn’t be on the map with a railroad stop...lol...

Joseph says he doesn’t want to build, so Bill says he knows a guy.

Good scene. I’m always happy when Bill gets normal interactions, and it seems like in this scene we’re meant to imagine that he is actually on his rounds (since Nathan is away).

—

 Scene 23: Elizabeth and Helen edit...

Helen says “dour” in a way Elizabeth has never heard it said, and it sounds kind of clear that everything Helen says, Elizabeth just blanks out and can’t discuss reasonably. 

“I’m just not used to writing this way.” You’re...not writing. You’re editing. There’s a difference. And Helen seems to be trying to get at the Author’s Intentions (“Would you describe this character as dour?”) to ensure that Elizabeth’s writing matches what she’s going for.

They’ve made it past ONE page at this point. They do share a chuckle over how slow their progress is, though, and I mean, as a writer that’s a whole entire mood, so it’s fine. 

—

 Scene 24: Henry’s cabin

 For some reason Henry owns a cabin and Joseph, Bill, and Henry are checking it out. Bill is mostly snooping to find things wrong with it lol, which is very in character for him, considering Henry is (or at least was) the enemy.

Joseph decides to buy the place because it’s not too far from town and there’s room for the kids to play.

Boom he’s in.

Welcome Hope Valley, Joseph!

—

 Scene 25: Robert’s Sorry + Helen’s Truth

 Robert has atoned for his sins by cleaning all the stalls out or something. Helen and Elizabeth meet Robert on a walk. He’s atoned for his sins by cleaning the stables.

Helen and Elizabeth chat a bit, and Helen drops a bunch of Truth Bombs:

-Authors often feign indifference to the characters they create, or insist they are mere fabrications outside themselves.

-Elizabeth is honest with herself and with others, and honest in her writing.

-Most people are uncomfortable and afraid, and hide behind characters they’ve created for themselves.

She then says that she’s like that (kind of an awkward delivery line) and then instantly launches into saying she came to see Lucas and to see her, too, but if she’s being completely honest, she’s come because her husband has left her.

(Scene break for commercials)

Elizabeth runs after Helen and calls her “Mrs. Bouchard” but quickly corrects herself to call her “Helen” (NOW IT MAKES SENSE WHY HELEN DOESN’T WANT TO BE CALLED MRS. BOUCHARD!) and asks if she wants to talk about it. 

“There’s really nothing to say. It’s not going to change anything.”

Lucas’s father is in London, supposedly, and as Lucas walks over to the two of them, Helen asks for Elizabeth to keep this just between them, as he doesn’t know yet.

I’m not sure where they’re going to go with this, or how they’re going to resolve it, but it’s possible this was just a misunderstanding (seems farfetched but hey, it’s Hallmark).

As an aside, the flowers they have out on display are all summer flowers. Does it matter? No. Am I pointing it out? Yes.

Lucas offers to take both women to dinner and Elizabeth says she isn’t able to go. I think she should have stated she had a prior engagement (so she didn’t appear to be rude), but Helen takes him up on the offer.

Walking away, Elizabeth runs into Laura, Emily, Anna, and Timmy, which was nice because all the mentions of Laura without actually seeing Laura made me worry she wasn’t on the show anymore, haha.

Laura isn’t with Jack because Rosemary wanted to watch him for the day. Elizabeth turns around and asks Lucas for his help with something.

—

 Scene 26: The Surprise for Rosemary and Lee

 Elizabeth comes over to collect Jack with a surprise: a nice dinner all premade, a bottle of wine, and some mood music. ;)

This is a wholesome and sweet scene. Elizabeth leaves with Jack and Lee struggles to his feet to dance with Rosemary.

—

 Scene 27: The letter

 Henry goes to the mercantile to see if there’s any mail and there IS...the letter he sent out last episode has been returned...opened.

Henry’s upset by this (he seems genuinely hurt) and asks Ned if he opened it. Ned says he didn’t, and Florence defends him by saying he would never do that. Henry leaves and Ned says he forgot to take care of something in the back and wishes Florence good night.

Very suspicious. I don’t think Ned opened the letter but I do think he read it. He looked a little upset himself...? Not sure what’s going on here. Could it involve a relative? Nora? A business proposition?

—

 Scene 28: Florence and Molly

 At the saloon, Florence and Molly talk about the letter, and Florence says she thinks the person who opened it was the person Henry sent it to.

Molly notices Bill laughing and having a good time with a woman she doesn’t know and stares at them. Florence points it out and says Molly must be bad-tempered because she’s hungry and suggests they order and eat. Molly gets up and marches right on over there and embarrasses Florence with her BS.

She mentions the chili in the cafe and then fakely says, “Oh nooo, I’m being rude,” and introduces herself to Helen.

Helen doesn’t shake her offered hand but does give her name. She’s extremely awkward and leaves in a hurry, with Florence on her heels.

Helen tells Bill he must have a “fan.” 

Bill says he wasn’t aware of that.

The classic Bill Squint™.

—

 Scene 29: Mike returns 

 Mike comes back to have his haircut finished. She says she’ll be more careful this time; he admits it’s his fault...and they both agree that they’re both to blame a little bit. 

Clara and Faith drag their men in and insist on them getting haircuts/trims. I liked the scene with Fiona and Mike, but didn’t really care for the last bit as much. Mostly because everyone hates the idea of her cutting their hair and this is supposed to be funny, even to her? Like...I don’t know. It just falls flat for me.

—

 Scene 30: Rosemary is a bad influence

 Rosemary asks Elizabeth how the meeting went. They talk about the fact that Lucas and his mother are nothing alike and Rosemary says, “Well maybe he’s like his father.”

Elizabeth is like “Let’s hope not.”

And of course that gets the ball rolling. Before long, the truth is out: Helen’s husband left her.

Elizabeth really should have...shut her mouth lol. But at least Rosemary believes that’s a bad position for Elizabeth to be in.

Lee comes in with Jack wearing a little outfit...

And then the truth comes out that what’s in the crate is a LOT of coffee. 250lbs of it.

—

 Scene 31: Bill and Molly Talk...sort-of.

 Bill chases Molly out of the cafe and insists they talk about what happened the night before, and Molly says she made a fool of herself. Bill tries to figure things out by saying he’s been a bachelor for a long time (probably trying to ease into it by admitting he just hadn’t realized she was Interested because he’s not used to the whole thing, to take some pressure off you know?) and Molly stops him like, “Are you under the impression that I’m interested in you as a suitor?”

Bill is more or less like, well...yes (but I wasn’t alone in that thought).

Molly tells him she was curious about the woman with whom he was dining. “True, I have mentioned to Florence that it might be nice getting to know each other seeing as how we’ve lived in the same town for years...”

Bill: “Well, see? You are interested in me.”

Molly: “You flatter yourself.”

She then leaves.

Anyone who knows me will know why I don’t like this scene lol, but at least neither character is being made a fool of, here. Pretty sure Molly is both curious and jealous.

—

Scene 32: Henry’s tirade

I think they should have rerecorded this scene because it 100% sounds like Henry is drunk off his ass and not just angry. More punctuated words would have fixed this easily.

Anyway, Carson comes by the mercantile just in time to see Henry yelling at Ned and Florence about the letter (but specifically Ned). Henry sees Carson come in and leaves, but falls outside. His blood pressure is ridiculously high. Outside, the acting is fine and he sounds angry (but deflating). 

“Sometimes what you do in between [birth and death] just isn’t enough.” 

This makes me really curious about that leTTER... It almost has to be a personal matter: family, perhaps?

—

Scene 33: The Confession 

Elizabeth runs into Nathan while she’s out with Sergeant and they talk about Bill’s land. Nathan’s very enthusiastic about the land and the idea of living there.

LOOK AT HIM.

This is probably the most animated we’ve seen him!

(I think this talk of land and building on it might be forcing her to think of Jack, by the way. They already have the profession in common and now the land/planning for the future thing, too? A future she never got to have with Jack? OOF.)

I think at this point she’s worried that he wants to do this FOR HER and the guilt is what prompts her to speak. She goes on to tell him that he means a lot to her, and so does Allie, but she thinks he’s looking for more than friendship.

He says he wasn’t trying to hide that, and she thanks him for his honesty. She goes to express that he wants more from her than she can give. He was shot that one time when she thought it had been him who died, and she can’t go through that for real, not again. She doesn’t want to lose him the way she lost Jack.

He says he wouldn’t let that happen and she gets (RIGHTFULLY!) upset because that isn’t something he can meaningfully promise, and it’s pretty insulting considering the way Jack died; he isn’t better than Jack, after all. Anything could happen.

So Nathan says that his solution, what makes his promise different, is that he would quit the Mounties.

And she says, “No!”

Then we get the lines:

Nathan: I know you feel the same way that I do.

Elizabeth: I can’t.

Nathan: Elizabeth, I’m in love with you! 

Elizabeth leaves hurriedly on Sergeant and that’s the end of the episode.

—

I don’t want to end this without talking about the last scene a bit. I think some people might be a bit confused about it. I think she has feelings for Nathan and has been repressing them because it’s too scary a thing to consider. She wants to let the idea go but knew she couldn’t just cut things off without saying anything.

But how do you say something like that kindly? How do you do that without hurting feelings or looking stupid?

I feel like the talk about the land, as well as Nathan’s comment earlier in the episode about settling down, has forced Elizabeth to be honest with Nathan the way that she is honest in her writing, and she does this specifically because she doesn’t want Nathan to go making decisions based on feelings for, or a potential future with, her. It isn’t fair to Nathan or Allie.

For those of us who haven’t lost a spouse traumatically, I don’t think it’s easy to understand this specific brand of anxiety/fear, but this episode made it really clear that this is something she’s really struggling with. The heart wants what it wants, but it also feels fear sometimes (and in this case, rightfully so). 

Nathan offering to quit was wonderful but I think it would frighten Elizabeth just as much to feel she’s the cause for someone giving up something they’re passionate about. I personally think she’s thinking too much of Jack when it comes to that. Sure, Nathan’s a Mountie, and sure, he likes his job and is good at it like Jack was, but I think for Nathan family and safety would always come first.

It didn’t come first for Bill. It didn’t come first for Jack. But it would for Nathan. I don’t think Elizabeth realizes this—that for Nathan this isn’t him giving up his passion for love (or to settle down). It’s settling down because he wants to make a life here for himself and doesn’t want to ever have to leave, a choice he won’t get if he stays with the Mounties

For Jack, the Mounties were a Calling, a lifelong passion.

For Nathan, they were a career he enjoyed.

I’m interested to see when this will be revealed in the story and how that will make Elizabeth feel. No matter what, it’s scary to be the person ‘forcing’ someone else to give up something big, in this case Nathan’s livelihood (in exchange for her peace of mind). I have some personal experience with this. In fact, when I was dating my (now-)husband for the first time, he wanted to move to be with me. We were young. He had a college picked out. He had a career path. I had a job doing physical labor and I was living at home. If he needed help, my family would be too poor to assist and we had no extra space for him to stay. I refused. We actually broke up over it. There’s just so much pressure on the person who isn’t giving something up: fear of feeling indebted to someone, fear of the relationship HAVING to work out (or it was a waste of everyone’s time and money)...

Anyway, this storyline could mean a lot to me if it’s done right, so...I hope it is. :)

—

Overall this was another enjoyable episode. I was shocked at the intensity of the ending, and pleasantly surprised by most of the rest of it. Fiona’s actually growing on me as a character (she’s made of sterner stuff than some of them). I’m definitely looking forward to next week and I hope you are too!

My only real criticism so far, other than the ones outlined above, is the sheer number of scenes. I think it might be...a bit much. Almost...scattered? But we’ll see how they do in future episodes.

Feel free to message me with any thoughts/opinions/et cetera. ♥

#when calls the heart #analysis and meta discussion #character studies and information #long post

[x-justanotherbookblog-x]

currently reading: Tiger’s Curse by Colleen Houck 

pages: 0 / 403

2.1.2021

january reading list: 

1. Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong 2. Empire of Night by Kelley Armstrong 3. Forest of Ruin by Kelley Armstrong 4. Tiger’s Promise by Colleen Houck  5. The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare et. al.  -- DNF 

february reading list: 

1. Tiger’s Curse by Colleen Houck 2. Tiger’s Quest by Colleen Houck 3. Tiger’s Voyage by Colleen Houck 4. Tiger’s Destiny by Colleen Houck 5. Tiger’s Dream by Colleen Houck

i finished all but the bane chronicles for my january reading list, but i also finished midnight sun during january so i hit my five book goal after all. i don’t think i’m going to read it right now but i will this year because there is cassandra clare on my 2021 reading list. but i want to work through some series/new books i got over the holidays, so the tiger’s curse is up. 

forest of ruin and tiger’s promise book discussion below (with spoilers): 

forest of ruin // age of legends series 

i am so underwhelmed to the ending of forest of ruin. the series was good, i give it 3.5 stars over all, but the ending was so anticlimactic in my opinion. the action leading up to the end was excellent -- the shadow stalkers in the children, zuri, alvar showing up, the slaughter of the Tatsu heirs, gavril taking that last blow; but the actual ending after gavril gets struck...alvar just gives up, and that doesn’t seem to make sense to me. i understand that alvar was a coward and that’s what he was trying to show, but if not losing his son, he lost his heir to the empire he was trying to build after trying and trying to have children and never succeeding, so i feel like his death would at least cause him to fight. i think he would stand up and fight even in a blind rage because of gavril’s death. he wouldn’t have just stood there. 

everyone was also so shocked when gavril came back to life because they couldn’t believe that alvar played with death magics to bring him back...but was the entire series not centralized about shadow stalkers, which are literally corrupted spirits, or death magics? also, i get that alvar brought gavril back so he could still carry on his lineage, but alvar obviously did not love his son, so i still don’t quite understand why he was brought back. like i feel like leaving him dead brought a something to the novel and series that it needed because up to this point, everyone that died hadn’t had a connection to the readers. i honestly liked that gavril died because it was unexpected and added a secondary level to the action of the novel. and then she brought him back had alvar basically forfeit the fight, and like breezed to the end. 

things that also should have happened: an epilogue that showed us if moria’s vision came true and if she was part of it; a resolution to the curse thing that happened in the first few chapters of book one that they never acknowledged again even though it was a greater curse and ashyn put it back, not moria; a better resolution to the ashyn/ronan story;  more of the children throughout the novels, because i often felt that they were pushed to the background when they had been the initial catalyst. i just felt like she tied the story up too neatly and there was more that needed to happen. overall, i’m keeping 3.5 stars because it was entertaining and enjoyable, but seems like it just wasn’t edited like it should have been. 

tiger’s promise 

i’ve read tiger’s curse before, the core 4 books, and it is my favorite series. i was soooo excited about when i heard there was a prequel and a sixth book to the series. the minute i got them, i couldn’t wait to read them, and that’s why i’m going to read them in february. 

but the tiger’s promise novella was kind of underwhelming. it was important to see yesubai’s background and how she bonded with both men, but ren’s affections for yesubai make no sense to me. kishan’s do, and i felt like there should have been no competition. however, i get why it’s there and why people thought it was important to know those parts and i am glad that i read it, but i kind of wish it had been longer so i could get more from it. it felt like a summary of the things that were happening, though i know that the focus was her father, i would have wanted more of the romance because that is the driving force behind the curse and behind the entire core series. but i liked it still it was a good little addition to the story. three stars. 

#age of legends #forest of ruin #tiger's curse #tigers curse #tigerscurse #forestofruin #ageoflegends #kelley armstrong #kelleyarmstrong #colleenhouck #colleen houck #currentlyreading #currently reading #books #book #goodbook #goodbooks #good book #good books #bookish #booklr #book blog #bookblog #book discussion #bookdiscussion #yalit #ya literature #ya lit #yaliterature #ya fantasy

[realyouearthing01]

Feel some relief after grounding!

Colleen Flynn is a 76-year-old Australian woman who has had fibromyalgia for more than sixty years, a result of multiple stresses in her life: the early death of her father, growing up in various homes, caring for a new husband incapacitated by a back injury, then a son born with a severe immune system deficit, the sudden death of her husband hit by lightning. and a double mastectomy (breast cancer). There were times, beginning as a girl, she told us, that her body was so painful that no one could touch her. Even a mere breeze made her feel worse.

“Over the years, I went to so many specialists to evaluate what I had, and after patting me on the back, they told me that there are just some people that doctors can’t help and I was one of them,” she said. Finally, she received a diagnosis of fibromyalgia, along with medication that helped her to some degree. Still, her pain issues continued. In the afternoons she would often collapse into a chair to watch TV, tired and in pain from just “doing the little bits around the house that I could manage.” She said she would frequently just stumble painfully to her room for a night of more pain. In the spring of 2014, she heard about David Richards, an Australian physician not far from where she lived, who was grounding his patients “and getting great results for people with pain.” Although skeptical, she went to see him and obtained some Earthing bands. She recalled the first time she used them. “My daughter had come over for lunch, and afterward we sat on the sofa. I put on a wristband. After 45 minutes, my daughter asked me if I felt any different. I replied I didn’t think so. Then I fell asleep, a deep sleep. When I woke up, I was full of energy. I cooked pikelets (pancakes) for tea, then cleared up and wouldn’t let anyone help me. I did the lot. I went to bed and slept all night. Later I got an Earthing throw and a sheet. I soon realized that when I use them, I have little or no pain.” One of Colleen’s doctors suggested she form a fibromyalgia support group in her hometown. Since its formation in 2009, the group has attracted about 30 members and holds monthly meetings.

“We are all trying to control some level of neuropathic pain,” she said. According to Colleen, Earthing has helped many individuals in her group. She offered several examples:

– “One lady also has Parkinson’s, restless legs, and incontinence. She obtained an Earthing sheet but couldn’t use it because of the incontinence. So she decided to go for a walk with her dog each morning barefooted. In about six weeks, the restless legs were gone as was the incontinence. She now sleeps grounded on her sheet. The change in her has been remarkable.” – “One of the young women has several serious problems. She obtained an Earthing sheet but when she put it on her bed she felt silly, that it was probably just a gimmick and wouldn’t work. The next morning she texted me to say it was the first time she had slept all night in five years. When I saw her next, the difference was remarkable. Her face looked so rested. She said she was sleeping on the sheet pain-free.” – “At one meeting, I brought some grounding wrist bands for others to try. One woman stood up at the end of the meeting and said she was now pain-free. She suffered also from irritable bowel syndrome and had a pain that never left her.” – “We have about sixteen people in our group grounding themselves indoors. All of them get great results.”

Colleen said that when she gets into bed and onto her Earthing sheet, she usually sleeps all night: “I am getting that deep restorative level of sleep. I wake up in the morning feeling fresh with energy and ready to face the day. If I have to get up to go to the bathroom, the pain will come back strong all over my body and sometimes I think I won’t make it. Once I get back on the Earthing sheet, I can feel the pain being drawn out of my body. The pain goes away and I usually fall back to sleep. If I don’t go back to sleep, I lay awake and simply marvel that I’m not in pain. When I am having a tough time through the day, I go to bed and the pain leaves me.”

Colleen said that Earthing has infused her with energy and enabled her to reduce her dosages of medication.

“I have discovered the magic of Earthing. When I go to see my specialists, I arrive fresh and alert, not tired at all. I am having a much better quality of life. I am now able to play and converse with my beautiful grandchildren and great-grandchildren, instead of struggling and pretending when I really wasn’t coping very well at all. I teach scrapbooking and can sit and work for two hours and control my pain. I am living. My challenge now is to pace myself and realize I can’t do everything. ”

For more information, please visit https://realyouearthing.com/

#health & fitness #photography #earthing #grounding #home & lifestyle #nature #short story

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

Once Bitten, Twice Stupid prt 125

125

A nice big bed. Plenty of soft blankets. A few bags of A+ blood. Lance held plenty of fake hope as he was marched along, well aware that’d he’d gone and got himself kidnapped. There’s been stairs, now things smelt damp, this was definitely a secret lair of some sort and he already hated it. People these days had no respect at all for pregnant people. You accidentally vomit on someone and suddenly your missing half your teeth. He was so stupid as to be intentionally uncooperative. He wasn’t that stupid... well, maybe he was. He’d gotten his arse kidnapped thanks to what was now obviously not a message from Shiro.

Marched along, he kept his mouth shut, playing docile. The fabulous hospitality he’d been shown ending with him literally kicked into some kind of dirty cell, before the grating of clearly metal bars. Fucking idiots. He was a vampire. You know. Stronger than the average human. What were bars supposed to do?! Hissing as his knees scraped on the stone floor, they could have at least taken the stupid bag off his head and untied his hands

“I’m leaving you the worst YELP! review ever! 1 star and a stern warning about your manners!”

The stupid bag was dosed with orange scented... surface spray if he had to hazard a guess. All scents wiped out thanks to “dumb” and “dumber”. Hearing someone moving, he automatically tensed, preparing to lose his head, yet instead, all he lost was the obnoxious bag. Matt, Sam, and Curtis sat together in the corner of the dark room, craning his head up, he tried not to smile at Shiro

“Hey, guys. If you were going to throw a party, you could have invited me the normal way”

Shiro chuckled humourlessly. Lance felt that to his soul. He was going to be in sooooooooo much shit when they got out of here

“We didn’t think we’d be seeing you here. Let me get those restraints off your hands”

“Thanks. They’re really not comfortable, and probably not my colour either”

Crouching down behind him, Shiro started working at the biting restraints. Lance trying not to hiss as the pins and needles sensation in his hands burned

“Does Keith know you’re here?”

“Nope. He went with Coran to pick Rieva up”

“She’s okay?!”

Lance nodded slowly. Matt’s eyes were glowing yellow and he really didn’t want to be turned into Lance paste. He really didn’t appreciate the lingering scent of orange at all. He might just risk scurvy because it’d be along time before he went near an orange again

“Yeah. Everyone’s pretty much like joined up. Pidge is safe, so’s Colleen, and Hunk and Allura”

“Thank fuck for that...”

There was a burning need to question how this had happened, instead that hiss finally escaped as Shiro pulled the restraints of his hands

“Sorry. Matt chewed through ours...”

“Yeah. I feel like Sendak is scraping the barrel with his new hires. No brain cells there at all”

Moving around him, Shiro offered his hand, Lance letting himself be pulled to his feet before half collapsing again Shiro from dizziness and relief. Shiro wrapping his arms around him as if he thought this was an intentional hug

“Did they hurt you?”

“Knocked a few teeth out. Zero respect for the pregnant”

“And they didn’t...”

His face was their punching bag, which he’d be more grateful for if he didn’t have to feel his teeth growing back

“Nope. I’m sorry, but I’m pretty much sure you guys were used to distract everyone so they could kidnap my dumb arse”

Shiro asking

“How did they even get to you?”

“Used your phone. I stupidly went out the front. Douche canoes got me with a tranquilliser or something...”

One moment he’d been up, the next the ground was rushing to say hello

“You should sit, here, take my jacket too...”

Even in a situation like this Shiro was a worrier

“You need it more than I do”

“You’re still in Keith’s sweats. You might not be cold now, but we need to keep your warmth up”

Right. That. This wasn’t exactly a tropical beach... and why were they still in the cell?

“Why haven’t you guys busted out?”

Matt bitterly spat

“Lead and mercy on the bars. Plus they shock you when you touch them”

“Did you try covering your hands?”

“Nah, I thought what’s a little more fucking burn”

Okay. Matt’s ego was dented and his mate hurt. It wasn’t time for Lance’s ego to keep cracking wise arse remarks to hide the fact he was secretly panicking. He could feel he’d let go of it too much. Feel his fear and annoyance feeding its cockiness

“Sorry. Sorry, I’ll just... yeah...”

Shut up is what he needed to do. So he would. He was dumb for thinking they hadn’t already tried to break out.

Shiro sat him a little farther away from the others than he would have liked. Matt’s anger stank so bad that he could taste it instead of smell it. Covering his shoulders with Shiro’s jacket, he pulled his knees up to his chest, burying his face between them. This sucked. This sucked so hard. He’d felt like something was wrong with Shiro’s message but he’d run off instead of calling Keith who hadn’t called him even though he said he would. Lance already knew they wanted him. They’d talked about how he was a valuable sample now the pregnancy was confirmed. Curtis wouldn’t have wanted to talk, but his friend couldn’t help if and it wasn’t fair at all. He wanted to feel angry over it, but they’d definitely said Curtis confirmed he was pregnant. Not told them outright like it was fresh information. He was a goddamn vampire. A sleepy, cranky, ready to blow his lid, vampire... Who didn’t love dark and scary spaces unless he was exploring with his friends.

“Are you okay?”

No. He wasn’t. He was tired and hungry and couldn’t imagine what Keith was going through. Softly he mumbled, trying to deny Shiro sitting next to him made him feel a tiny bit better seeing the man surely had years of experience under his belt and would come up with some amazing plan

“I’m fine... you should go sit with Curtis. I’ll be okay”

“Lance... Keith would...”

Keith would want him to rely on Shiro. To rest and gather as much information on his surrounds, but hearing his boyfriend’s name was too much. He really fucking missed and it’d only been a short time

“Keith was a wreck. He left me at VOLTRON so I’d be safe. Instead I fucked up...”

“Oh, boo hoo. It’s not like he was shot right in front of you”

“Matthew! That’s enough”

Lance whined softly. He deserved that. He only knew what it felt like to be scared shitless in front of someone holding a gun on Keith. Not to see it happen... Sam scolded his son, another whine slipping out as Shiro settled next to him, wrapping his arms around him and pulling him up against him

“We’re obviously going to be here for a while. You should rest”

AKA he should shut up and stop with the pity party. No one wanted to hear it. Not when Matt was worried about Rieva and his father. Mutely he nodded, wondering if the smell of orange was blocking out traces of Keith’s scent on Shiro. Sendak had to have some fucking master plan... Lance kind of wanted to skip punching him in the dick for ripping off his testicles. He was old and he was tired. The bastard ruining his plans... but he also never wanted to set eyes on Sendak again. He’d rather be locked down here with Lotor for the next decade of his life than stand before Sendak and be made to feel all those messaged up things again.

*

Dozing off without meaning to, Lance kept his eyes closed as he listened to the others. Shiro had moved from beside him. Sam and Matt talking technical stuff while Curtis and Shiro fretted about having Lance in the cold and how it couldn’t be good for his mental health... that and how Lance was going to need blood. He could have kept up the charade if he hadn’t been suddenly made aware of why he was awake, throwing up violently beside himself. Fuck. Pregnant. Right. His twins didn’t care they were making his father throw his guts up at random times.

Hacking and coughing, Shiro came over to him

“Lance, you okay?”

“Morning sickness... sucks”

“It’s alright, buddy. Let’s get you away from the mess”

“Not much point when I’m...”

Yep. There he went, gasping like a fish out of water before throwing up again. The cold had crept in. Holding his ego down was hard. Those bars looking pretty tempting despite their construction.

Shiro sat patiently by him until he was done. Letting himself be moved by Shiro did nothing for his ego. His nails extending as the hunter sat him down closer to the group

“You just had to throw up, didn’t you?”

“Fuck off, Fido”

Growling at him, Matt pushed the wrong buttons. Lance snarling back in his friends face with his fangs extended, Shiro looping his arms around Lance’s waist as if he was trying to hold Lance back

“Enough! Matt. Your ego is out of control. Rieva is with Coran. He’s the best person to help her. Lance... can you try to bring your ego back under control. You’re making your scary face”

“He can’t fucking help it. He won’t settle until he sees his mate. And I can’t stop my fucking morning sickness. Fuck this”

Unexpectedly Sam chuckled

“I never thought I’d ever hear you swear quite as many times as you have. Somehow it’s quite relieving”

Ugh. He had been swearing a lot. And thanks to Keith “Fuck” had slipped more and more into his vocabulary. No one really used it swear any more as it was. It was just a convenient word for summing up all sorts of feelings in different situations

“That’s because my Mami taught me to have manners. I’m not usually this angry”

“Usually he’s pathetic”

Lance nearly snarled at Matt again. He would have if Shiro hadn’t sighed, changing topics

“Okay. Lance, we started discussing exit strategies on the way out. Naturally we assume everything we’re saying can be heard”

Lance nodded because it did make sense

“Sendak would hear it. If not him, he’ll have someone listening out”

Technically he didn’t know if it was Sendak. He was simply the assumption seeing Lotor was at VOLTRON and they were here. Lotor also knew he was pregnant and probably that he hadn’t been well. Maybe if he could have turned into a bat, he could have gotten them all out by now. Half talking to himself he said his inner thoughts out loud

“If we can overload the bars then we should be able to bend them”

Either he had to grab them or Matt did. He obviously couldn’t because of the twins. Matt had been through enough as it was. Maybe...

“If we put something against them will the current shock it? Like... maybe we could start an electrical fire and trigger a fault?”

“Or we could start a fire and die in it”

That was too close to Keith’s nightmare for comfort and way too close to how he’d lost his father. He wouldn’t do that to Keith. Sam pretended it was a good idea

“We’ll keep that in mind. Matt, can you check if you can see any kind of cabling or switches?”

“Why? We’re on the wrong side of the bars to do anything”

Ugh. Even Lance got that they needed as much information about the environment they were being kept in, and he was falling back to sleep

“Your eyesight is better than ours. It’s so dark in here I can barely see a thing”

Matt got up, walking over to the bars, he stood there for a good moment and a half

“I don’t see anything. I’d say we’re in a basement, but other than a few scraps against the wall, there’s no switches”

“Nothing on the roof?”

“No”

“How thick is the outer wall?”

Oops he was asking questions again... Matt sighing at him. Matt really wasn’t great at this “captivity thing”. He expected more “Let me out!” And “I’m going to piss on your leg!” from him

“How is that supposed to help us?”

“I don’t know, we’ve got a vampire, a slightly cursed human and a werewolf. If we can’t go through the wall we can always go through the roof”

“And what do you know about construction?”

“I know enough. I renovated my house inside out, plus dust and mould don’t really affect vampires like it does with humans”

“Dude, you’re so weak I doubt you’d make any impact if you tried. Why don’t you just go back to sleep?”

Lance had had enough of Matt’s attitude. He was trying... even if he was failing, he was still trying... Matt might be able keep his hunger under control, but a few days and Lance would either go completely crazy or collapse unconscious and be no help at all

“Matt’s right. You need your rest”

Now Shiro was agreeing with Matt?! Maybe he wasn’t the best “prisoner” but it hurt to be dismissed. Whatever. He was going to keep his temper and hopefully his mouth in check.

*

Lance had hit cranky. By his estimate it’d been something around 12 hours since he’d been rudely stolen. They were resting in shifts. Shiro urging Sam and Curtis to rest. Lance trying not to feel any kind of jealous over the pair of them at least being kidnapped together. He missed his boyfriend and hunger was setting in. He was cold. Cold. Tired. Hungry. Lonely... and mostly cranky. There should be kind of clause to this morning sickness where you only threw up when there was something there to actually throw up. Rubbing his stomach in soft yet agitated circles, he couldn’t bed himself down like the others, instead getting up to pace.

“Lance?”

Shiro sounded sleepy. He’d known the hunter was still awake, but had wondered if maybe Shiro was really simply sleeping with his eyes open

“I’m fine”

“I didn’t say you weren’t... but I would understand if you’re lying to me right now”

“I’m fine, Shiro. You should sleep”

“Nah... I’m good”

Well this was awkward. Why was Shiro trying to talk to him if he didn’t have anything to say? Walking over to the door into the cell, Lance stared down the lock. It was keeping him from his Keith and he didn’t like it

“Don’t touch it”

“I wasn’t going to”

“I know it’s hard but the best thing we can do at the moment is wait it out”

“There’s lots of other things we could be doing”

Whoops. He was letting his crankiness show. Seriously though. He didn’t get how a little bit of electricity was keeping everyone so obedient. Covering your hands would protect you from the lead and mercury. A hard blow against the gate would probably work to knock the damn thing unlocked. His hunger was definitely affecting his thought process.

Climbing up from where he’d been sitting, Shiro walked over to him

“Matt got shocked when he tried touching the bars”

“I figured that much out already”

“I know you’re anxious and you want to see Keith...”

“Sorry, Shiro, but don’t even go there right now. I know he’s your brother, but to me... He’s the love of my life and the father of my twins. Like Matt can’t keep his temper worried about Rieva, I can’t keep my temper right now”

“Then what do you need?”

“Other than out of this ridiculous cage? Oh, I don’t know. My boyfriend. My bed. Blood. A good nights sleep. Honestly, pick one”

“If you need blood...”

“Don’t. I’m a ticking time bomb and you all know it. Starve me and I’ll lose control. Don’t tempt me with your blood”

Shiro sighed at him as he pinched the bridge of his nose

“Lance... You can’t help what you are”

“I’m not about to fucking feed on you. I have some self respect left under everything”

“It’s not about self respect. Look. We don’t know how long we’ll be in here”

“Well maybe if we fucking thought of an actual plan, we could break out”

“And what’s on the other side of the door? How many vampires are between us and getting out?”

“And how long until Matt wolfs out? How long before I lose control. I’ve fucking had it! You’re all here because I’m pregnant. Keith’s going to be fucking blaming himself. We have no clue what’s going to happen. I swear I’ll take my own fucking life before I let them hurt Keith’s children”

“We need to wait. Patience yields focus”

“I’m fucking focused enough. We don’t even have to start a big fire to short the bars out. We could collapse the fucking ceiling between me and Matt. Yet we’re sitting here like good little children. They hurt Keith and I’m not going to hold back when I see them”

“Keith’s fine. He was with Coran”

Physically fine meant nothing when Keith would overthinking absolutely everything

“That’s not what I meant and you know it. You didn’t see the look on his face at the news you guys were missing. I did. He’s going to be tearing himself apart. Blaming himself for everything. He’s been through more than enough”

“And if you get hurt? Then what? He wouldn’t want you hurt”

“At least he’d know I tried my hardest to get back to him”

Shiro wrapped his arms around him

“We’ll get back to him. You’ll see. He’ll be fussing over you and the twins in no time”

“I... just want to see him again”

“I know. We will. For now all we can do is wait”

Lance sniffled, returning Shiro’s hug

“I hate what this is doing to him”

“I know. I also know whatever he’s doing, he’ll have Krolia, and Coran, and Allura. He’s not going to be alone”

“Not until he snaps and pushes them away, or takes off on his own thinking he knows best”

Shiro chuckled

“They’re not going to let that happen. He’ll be cranky, and probably won’t let you out of his sight, but he’s not going to care about anything once he sees you again”

“You too... it was like the worst feeling hearing Rieva was shot and you guys were missing... I felt so useless”

“At least you’ve got hilarious friends to keep you preoccupied”

“I don’t see anyone hilarious in here”

Shiro chuckled again Lance’s weak humour

“Alright, come sit back down, kiddo. When the moments right, we’ll all get out of this together”

#once bitten twice stupid #oncebittentwicestupid #ashratherose

[rabbitcruiser]

National Dog Day

No one can win hearts like man’s best friend and in honor of this bond between man and canine, Dog Day is celebrated.

Take time to appreciate the love and value that dogs bring to our daily lives, and to do your bit for homeless and abused dogs the world over. From keeping us safe working for the emergency services to supporting people who are blind, deaf, or disabled, dogs do a lot for us humans, and this is an opportunity to give something back.

Learn about Dog Day

No matter how little money and how few possessions you own, having a dog makes you rich.

Dog Day has been created so that all breeds of dogs are celebrated; mixed and pure. The day helps to galvanize the public so that they can recognise the number of dogs that must be rescued on a yearly basis, from pure breed rescuers, rescues, and public shelters.

The day is all about paying tribute to these incredible animals who work selflessly to bring comfort, keep us safe, and save lives. Every day, these animals put their lives on the line. There are dogs that protect our safety and freedom by detecting drugs and bombs, as well as those that pull victims from wreckages and tragic situations. Plus, we have dogs for the disabled, blind, and law enforcement. From these heroic dogs to our family friends, these dogs hold special places in our lives, and so it is only right that we honor them.

Amazing facts about dogs

Let’s take a look at some incredible facts about dogs to help you get a better understanding of these amazing creatures. Did you know, for example, that the most successful hunter in the world is the African Hunting Dog? These dogs are successful in 50 to 70 percent of their hunts. They even hold the Guinness World Record for it. Another Guinness World Record goes to the Saluki for being the oldest dog breed. This breed actually dates back to 329BC. Back then, in Ancient Egypt, these dogs were kept as Royal Pets. There are rumors that this breed can be traced back even further, as there are carvings located in the South of Iraq of a dog that looks very much like this breed and they can be dated back to 7,000 BC. Pretty incredible, right?

Did you know that dogs have three eyelids? This is something a lot of people do not realize about their furry friends. The third lid is a nictitating membrane, which is known as a haw. It is important for ensuring the eye is lubricated and protected. There are also some distinct features that are associated with specific breeds of dogs. For instance, Shar-Peis and Chow Chows have black tongues. Also, 30 percent of Dalmatians are deaf in one ear. Also, did you know that if a cheetah and a greyhound were to go head-to-head in a long-distance race, a greyhound would win? This is because greyhounds boast exceptional long-distance speeds. They can keep up a pace of 35mph for as long as seven miles.

Inspiring hero dogs

It is only right that we give a mention to some of the world’s most inspiring hero dogs in honor of Dog Day. In fact, this is something that we like to do every Dog Day – read up about tales where dogs have done incredible things – and we recommend that you do the same too. It can be incredibly eye-opening and very heartwarming.

Let’s begin with Killian, a Labrador Retriever who saved his little friend from prolonged abuse. Jordan and Benjamin Hope had hired a babysitter for their son after spending some time online researching. They were so confident with their selection that they decided to hire the babysitter for five months. However, Alexis Khan was not the incredible babysitter she made out to be. She would slap the baby and constantly scold him. The abuse would have gone on for at least five months if their dog, Killian, did not warn the couple. Whenever the babysitter would arrive, Killian would stick close to the baby and display aggressive behavior toward the babysitter. It caused concern, and the parents decided they would hide an iPhone underneath the sofa to record what was going on. This revealed everything, and if it was not for Killian, they would never have known.

Another amazing story is about a Golden Retriever called Toby. When his owner, Debbie Parkhurst, got a big chunk of apple lodged in her throat, she couldn’t get it out and had to beat her own chest to try and dislodge the apple, but to no avail. Her two-year-old Golden Retriever noticed her despair, and jumped up and down on her stomach to force the apple out, saving her life! There are plenty of other stories just like this only, so we definitely recommend giving them a read. You will be amazed.

History of Dog Day

The love of a dog is a pure thing. He gives you a trust which is total. You must not betray it.

You may be wondering who started this incredible day, and we have Colleen Paige to thank for it. Collen is an Animal Advocate and a Pet & Family Lifestyle Expert. The day marks the date she adopted her first family dog, Sheltie. The day has been adopted around the world, and it is even written into legislation in New York, showing just how important it is.

How to celebrate Dog Day

Recommendations for ways to celebrate Dog Day range from adopting a dog from a rescue home to giving your dog a holistic spa treatment or even buying yourself and your dog matching t-shirts.

The National Dog Day Foundation supports all breeds and varieties of dogs and discourages purchasing from unethical backyard breeders and puppy mills; instead, support reputable breeders or adopt from rescue homes.

Dog Day has been supported by such high profile individuals as former US President George W Bush whose own dog, Barney the Scottish terrier has his own website and has even starred in a series of short films. So celebrate dogs and their varied talents today, both by taking the time to treat the dogs in your own life and by supporting dogs in need.

You can also celebrate Dog Day by making a donation to an animal charity of your choice. You will probably find that you have a local dog charity or shelter in your local area. All you need to do is a quick search online, and you will discover more about the amazing charities out there that are doing incredible work. There are charities and rescue shelters for dogs without a home, as well as organizations that organize dogs for the deaf, as well as therapy dogs and guide dogs. Making a donation to one of these organizations can make a massive difference.

Of course, you may decide that the best way to do this is to fundraise. In order to fundraise, you purely need an idea that gets everyone involved so that awareness and money can be made. It does not have to be a complicated idea. This is why fun runs and bake sales are so effective. You simply need to make sure that you have something that the community can really get behind. Alternatively, you could decide to take on a challenge and ask people to sponsor you, such as a skydive or walking a certain distance. The options are endless.

It is worth mentioning that fundraising does not have to involve an event of any kind. There are plenty of other ways you can fundraise. For example, you may decide to get a T-shirt personalized and sell them. This could be a T-shirt with some sort of animal quote on it in honor of Dog Day. you could then donate all of the proceeds, or at least a percentage of them, to a dog charity or organization of your choosing.

It is not all about donating money, either. There are a lot of organizations that would appreciate your time just as much. Why not spend the day working with an animal charity or organization? If you are going to be able to donate more of your time in the future, we are sure that this would be greatly appreciated.

Needless to say, another great way to honor Dog Day would be to give a dog a home that really needs it. Your life really does change once you have a dog, and for the better! However, bringing a dog into the family is not for everyone and you may feel that you are not at the stage in your life whereby this is right for you. Plus, you may simply not be able to. Some landlords, for example, do not allow their tenants to have any pets in their homes. If this is the case, why not sponsor a dog instead? By doing this, you will donate a small amount of money per week or month and in return you will help to provide a dog with the home they deserve. You will get updates throughout the year so that you know what your money is going towards and how your dog is doing.

Another great way to spend Dog Day is by watching a dog movie. There are so many great films about dogs, so you should have no trouble finding one that you have not watched before. One of our favorites is the old-classic Old Yeller. If you have not seen this before, we definitely recommend watching it. It is an exemplary coming of age tale. You will go on an emotional journey as you understand the incredible bond between humans and their furry best friends. Of course, you can go for something more fun and less tear-jerking, such as 101 Dalmations. Some other films that we recommend looking into include Heart Of A Dog, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit, Lassie Come Home, Lady And The Tramp, Lassie, Isle Of Dogs, Togo, My Dog Tulip, Bolt, Sounder, The Incredible Journey, and Megan Leavey. The latter is about the bond between a young marine corporal and how she saves lives because of the bond she has with her military combat dog. It’s a great movie, and there are many, many more, so get the popcorn in and spend the day binging on some dog films.

Source

#NationalDogDay #National Dog Day #Sushi #original photography #travel #vacation #Europe #2021 #2020 #English Bulldog #my brother's dog #pet #animal #nature #cityscape #landscape #beach #InternationalDogDay #Mediterranean Sea #flora #fauna #national day #international day #26 August

[crystalninjaphoenix]

And the Show Goes On

A Horror Septics Story

(I’ve been sitting on this for a while, but I finally managed to finish it. Let’s check back in on Stacy, John, and the boys, why don’t we? Surely nothing else could go wrong in their lives ;) )

—————

The road was a simple, narrow path, only two lanes. It cut through the trees of the deep forest, the branches above stretching to cover it like a canopy, the roots causing cracks in the asphalt. It was almost like the woods were trying to reclaim the narrow stretch of man-made land. The canopy caused an artificial twilight, and the car driving down the road had to turn its lights on to be able to see.

“I think we’re almost there,” Stacy said, peering through the windshield. It was hard to see far, what with the darkness caused by the trees and the weird fog hovering around the trunks. She glanced in the rear-view mirror to look at the backseat. “How’re we holding up, boys?”

Mathew made an OK sign with his hand, headphones on. Larkin was busy staring out the window, his coloring book discarded.

“Great, glad we’re doing tip-top,” Stacy commented.

John, sitting in the passenger seat beside her, chuckled. “Tip-top?” He asked.

“Yes, tip-top,” Stacy said, doubling down on the phrase. “We’re all hunky-dory.”

“God, you’re so American and cheesy,” John muttered, smiling a bit. He was leaning back against the seat, eye closed and deliberately not looking out at the trees.

“Hmm.” Stacy hummed, nodding. She fell into quiet thought for a bit. They’d come a long way from their small town in California. Two years ago, she would never have guessed that she’d end up halfway across the world, running away from some...supernatural evil. Or, well, two of them, technically.

“Oh!” Larkin pointed out the window. “Did you see that?”

“See what, Lark?” Stacy asked.

“There was a...a Cheshire cat out there,” Larkin said. “In the forest.”

John suddenly whipped around, looking over the seat. “Don’t look at it.”

“What? Why not?” Larkin asked.

“Just trust me on this one,” John said, voice lowering. “Okay?”

“What do you mean by a Cheshire cat, Lark?” Stacy asked cautiously.

“A smiling cat! Didn’t anyone else see it? Matt!” Larkin reached across and started pushing his brother. “Did you see the cat?”

“No, I didn’t see any cat,” Mathew muttered, adjusting his headphones and sinking further into the seat.

Stacy frowned, and considered saying something, but was distracted by light appearing at the end of the road. “Oh, I think that’s it!” she said, trying to sound excited.

The car passed out from the forest as if leaving a tunnel. Afternoon sunlight abruptly appeared. The road winded down a sloping hill, leading to a collection of buildings down below. The car passed a sign made of stone, reading Welcome to Foraois Hollow.

“Still the most uncreative name,” John muttered. “Foraois is literally ‘forest,’ how very original. I bet the English had something to do with it.”

“Do you speak...whatever language that is?” Mathew piped up.

“Irish, and yes,” John said. “Not fluently, but better than I used to.”

“People still speak Irish?” Mathew asked.

“Yeah, of course we do,” John said, laughing a bit. “Especially in the actual country we’re from.”

“You’re Irish?!” Stacy remarked with some surprise.

“Yeah. Can’t you tell?”

“I...can now.” She’d always sort of picked up that John had an accent, but hadn’t registered which accent it was. Until he brought it up.

John smiled sadly. “‘S okay. Not your fault.”

The rest of the drive into the small town was quiet. The buildings of Foraois Hollow wouldn’t have been out of place 200 years ago. Charming houses with peaked roofs and white walls lined the streets, until the streets eventually clustered together in what looked like the business quarter, around a paved town square. People were walking around, going about their day...though Stacy couldn’t help but notice that a lot of them stared at the car as it drove past. Perhaps that was because most people seemed to prefer walking here, but she got the feeling it was more than that.

Stacy pulled to the side of the road right next to the square. “Alright, break time,” she said. “Let’s stretch our legs while I look for a hotel. Or something.”

Larkin opened the car door and hopped out, looking around. “Cool!” He said. “Mom, can I go look around? Please?”

“Look around? Hmm…” Stacy gave the town square a once-over. There were a few booths selling food and trinkets. The people walking around seemed normal, but you could never be sure. “Alright. Just stay where I can see you, ok?”

“Okay!” And with that , Larkin ran off, running up to the nearest booth and getting on his tiptoes to inspect the wares.

Mathew climbed out of the car as well. “Huh.” He lowered his headphones. “This is, like...quaint.”

“Yes, it is,” Stacy said cheerfully. “I’ve never heard you use that word before. Did you read it somewhere?”

“Uh...yeah.” Mathew leaned against the car. “What? It fits.”

“It does. I’m not saying you’re wrong.” Stacy pulled out her phone and typed ‘hotels near me’ into her browser. She squinted. “Huh...no results? That’s odd.”

John pushed open the door and leaned out. “No hotels, huh? Yeah, I think I remember that.”

“So you’ve been here before,” Stacy clarified. She’d been suspecting that.

John nodded. “Stopped by,” he said vaguely.

Stacy dropped it there. It was clear from his tone that John didn’t want to talk about it. Instead, she turned her attention back to her search for hotels. The wifi connection was secure, so it wasn’t that the results weren’t loading, it was just that there were no hotels for miles. The closest one was appearing in the next town over, the town they’d left two hours ago. She tried changing the search to motels, but got the same results. “Why don’t they have any hotels? Isn’t that a bit of an oversight?”

“People don’t really stop by here often,” John said. “And I don’t know if they want people to stay.”

Stacy shivered a bit. “That sounds...ominous.”

“Oh it isn’t, really,” John said casually. “It’s for everyone’s good. You remember what I said on the way over here? About the forest?”

Stacy nodded. “After we finish driving through it, don’t go in there ever.”

“Exactly.” John looked away, turning his attention to watching the town square. “I think if people stay here, they might eventually be tempted to do that, so there are no hotels or anything to discourage long stays.”

“But...we’re supposed to be staying here,” Stacy said slowly. “To stay away from Jaq—that...thing.”

“Yeah, but we know better,” John said.

Stacy wasn’t so sure about that, and the sentiment didn’t make her feel better at all. “Still…” she said, slowly changing the subject. “Where are we going to stay? You’ve been here before, where did you stay?”

John blinked. “I...I live in a tent,” he reminded her.

“Ah. Right.”

“Hey Mom,” Mathew piped up. “Why don’t we just ask someone if there’s a place we can stay?”

“Ah. Yes, good idea, Mat,” Stacy said, nodding. There were a whole bunch of locals in the square, surely one of them would have an answer. She straightened, looking around to see who was most approachable. But her eyes landed on someone else. “Oh? It looks like Larkin’s already making friends.”

Larkin had moved on from the booth he was originally interested in, and was now running circles around a different booth, chasing a boy who looked about his age. The two of them stopped and switched direction a couple times, like they were reenacting one of those comedic movie scenes where people tried to duck around a central item only to find their opponent blocking them. Chuckling to herself, Stacy walked over. “Hey Lark. Having fun?”

“Hi Mom!” Larkin stopped the chase. “This is Nick!”

The other boy, shorter than Larkin and with dark curls, grinned and waved at Stacy. “Howya, Lark’s mam?”

“I’m doing very good. It’s nice to meet you, Nick,” Stacy said cheerfully.

“Nice t’meet you too!” Nick said. “How long are you gonna be passin’ through?”

“Yeah, Mom!” Larkin added.

“Oh. Well, we’re actually going to be staying for...a while,” Stacy explained. “But we don’t really have anywhere to stay.”

Nick’s eyes widened. “Oh oh oh! You should stay with me! Then me and Lark can play all the time!”

Larkin gasped. “Mom, please? Pleeeaase?”

Stacy smiled, but it contained a hint of sadness. It had been a while since Larkin had so easily hit it off with a kid his age. “Well, I think Nick will have to ask his parents—”

“I can do that!” Nick squealed. He ran over to a nearby booth, selling bundles of yarn and what looked like other sewing or knitting supplies. The booth was being manned by a woman about Stacy’s age, with the same dark curls as Nick. “Mammy! Mammy! Maaaam!” Nick yelled, jumping up and down right by the woman.

“Hmm? What is it, pancake?” The woman asked, looking down and blinking slowly.

“Mammy, this is Larkin Allen and his mam!” Nick said, pointing back at Stacy and Larkin. “They’re gonna be stayin’ for a while. Can they stay with us, Mam? Please?”

The woman looked over at Stacy, giving her a quick once-over. Stacy waved. “Why’re you stayin’ in town, can I ask?” the woman asked in a flat tone.

“Oh! Uhhh…” Stacy tried not to squirm at the awkwardness that question raised. She wasn’t sure how much to say about the weird supernatural stuff that was following them, even if there was apparently weird supernatural stuff in the nearby woods. “My friend suggested it,” she finally decided on, pointing back towards her parked van where John and Mathew were having a chat. “He said this would be a...safe...place,” she said slowly.

“Mm-hmm.” The woman rubbed her eyes. “I see. Well, I s’pose that’s subjective, but if you insist. I’m Colleen. Colleen Iontach. And you are? And your friend?”

“Um, Stacy. Stacy Allen. My friend’s name is...John,” she settled on. “He’s over there with my other son Mathew.”

“Alright, Stacy. If you’re wantin’ t’stay, I’m not gonna stop you.” Colleen shrugged. “And might as well house ye for as long as that is.”

Nick and Larkin gave out a loud cheer, and immediately began buzzing with chatter.

“Oh. Thank you so much,” Stacy said. “Really. I tried to look up hotels, but—”

“There aren’t any nearby, yeah,” Colleen finished. She took a spiral notebook and pencil out of her pocket, scribbling something down and tearing off the page. “This is my address. Head down that street over there to get it. If Nick wants, you mind givin’ him a ride home?”

“Oh, no problem,” Stacy agreed, taking the paper. “Kids? Did you hear that?”

“Yeah, I’d love t’drive home with you!” Nick shouted. “I can tell you if you’re goin’ the wrong way!”

“Alright, let’s go then!” Stacy laughed.

Heading back to the car, Larkin and Nick rushed ahead, with Larkin introducing his new friend and his brother to each other. Stacy went more slowly, taking a moment to read the address.

“So I guess you found a place, then, huh?” John asked.

“Yep.” Stacy folded the paper and put it in her pocket. “We’re heading there now.”

“Great.” John watched the three kids interacting. He frowned. “I think I know...nevermind.”

“Hmm? Sorry, didn’t catch that,” Stacy said.

John shook his head. “Nevermind, just thought this kid looks familiar, but, you know, can’t be sure.”

“Huh. Well, isn’t it a possibility, if you’ve been here before?” Stacy prompted. “Maybe ask him if you’ve met.”

“Can’t,” John said shortly.

“...okay, then. Let’s, uh, go.” Stacy rounded around the car to the driver’s side, hopping inside. John just got stranger and stranger the longer she knew him. But there was a sadness that hovered around him, a sort of...grief, almost. So she wouldn’t be pushing it further or blaming him for sometimes seeming a bit odd.

* * * * * * * * * *

There was nothing extraordinary about the address Colleen had given her. It was a house just like all the others on the street, the only difference between it and them being a smudged chalk drawing on the sidewalk in front. Stacy guessed that was Nick’s work, probably done a day or two earlier.

As soon as the van pulled to a stop, Nick hopped out—a little before the car had completely stopped rolling, in fact. “C’mon, c’mon!” he shouted. “I’ll introduce you to Grandmam!” And without another word, he ran inside.

“Hey, wait up!” Larkin jumped out of the car as well and followed him.

Mathew stared out the car window. “So we’re really gonna stay with these people?” His tone was less than enthusiastic.

Stacy sighed. “Yes, Mat. For now, at least. Why? Is something wrong?”

Mathew shrugged. “No.” He climbed out of the van before Stacy could say anything else.

“...huh.” Stacy stared after him, biting her lip. He’d been pretty quiet on the drive here. Though she supposed there was a reason for that. After all, the last thing they’d seen right before leaving was a monster coming after them. That would be enough to freak anyone else. Larkin seemed fine, but maybe he was just repressing it...

“You okay?” John asked.

Stacy jumped, and tried to smile. “Yeah, I’m fine, just...thinking about the kids.”

“They’re good kids,” John said. He paused, and in a softer voice, added, “They’ll be alright.”

She didn’t respond, silently climbing out of the car and walking towards the house’s front door. After a moment, she heard the van door open and slam close as John followed her.

The inside of the house was as quaint as the outside. Wooden floors and walls papered in a design that looked fairly old. The furniture also looked old, not in that it was run down, but in that the style could’ve been taken out of the 1930’s. There was a huge fireplace, with a rocking chair nearby that Mathew had settled into, once again pulling his headphones on. A wide doorway led to a hallway, through which another arch showed the kitchen, and Nick and Larkin inside talking to someone.

“—and his mam—” Nick glanced over, catching sight of Stacy. “Oh! She’s right here!” He waved. “Hi Ms. Allen! Come meet Grandmam!”

Stacy wandered over and entered the kitchen. Nick was tugging on the skirt of a tall older woman, who had her gray hair pulled up in a bun. The old woman was standing at the kitchen counter, chopping carrots and other vegetables with a large knife. She stopped and looked up once Stacy entered the room. “Um, hello,” Stacy said, waving. “I hope you don’t mind us staying. I’m Stacy, this is Larkin—”

“Hi!” Larkin said.

“My other son, Mathew, is in the front room.” Stacy turned around to point behind her, and saw John standing in the doorway, staring at the old woman with wide eyes. “Oh. And, uh, this is my friend John.”

“Well nice t’meet ye,” the old woman said. “Don’ worry about stayin’ it’s no trouble. We often play inn to people passin’ by. The name’s Roisin Iontach. I see you’ve all met Nicolas, and must’ve met my daughter Colleen.” Roisin smiled warmly, then looked away from Stacy and over at John. She nodded. “Nice t’see ye again.”

John started, and made a strangled choking sound. “You...remember me?” His tone was shocked, but contained a strange hopeful note.

“Can’ remember your name, and I can’ recall your face,” Roisin said idly. “It took me a while to recognize the Evil Eye around ye, and then it came runnin’ back t’me.”

John stared at her, absolutely stunned. Stacy, confused, glanced in between the two of them. “Um...so you two know each other?” she asked, trying to keep up a pleasant tone.

Roisin returned to chopping vegetables. “I suppose we do. Now why don’t you all get your things set up in the guest bedroom? It shoul’ be large enough for all o’you.”

“Oh! Oh! I can show them!” Nick said, grabbing Larkin by the hand and running out. He grabbed Stacy’s hand as well as he passed. “C’mon!”

“Ah! Alright, alright, slow down!” Stacy found herself being pulled down a hallway towards a set of stairs. She glanced back behind her to see John still standing there, frozen, staring at Roisin with a strange expression that she thought might be awe.

* * * * * * * * * *

Things settled into a routine fairly quickly. Stacy and the kids stayed in the guest bedroom of the Iontach house, while John returned to his tent, which he’d set up on a small patch of grass behind the house that wasn’t big enough to be called a yard. The Iontach family seemed friendly, but Stacy was still a bit wary. Of course Larkin seemed happy to hang out with Nick. The two of them made an energetic pair, running around the house and nearby area while Nick showed Larkin everything. Colleen didn’t seem to be home often. She was either at work or running that booth in the town square, which apparently served as an additional source of income. As far as Stacy could tell, Colleen was the only parent in the house; there wasn’t a Mr. Iontach anywhere to be seen.

Roisin sometimes seemed a bit...odd. In a way that couldn’t be explained by age. Stacy couldn’t forget that small interaction the older woman had with John. She kept trying to find the time, or the nerve, to ask Roisin what that was about, what she meant by the Evil Eye. But every time, her anxiety got the better of her. She tried asking John about it, but of course, he refused to say anything.

And besides, Stacy thought there might be something else she had to devote her attention to. Mathew had been quiet ever since arriving in town a few days ago. Very quiet. All he seemed to do was mope around in the guest bedroom listening to music. True, he did that before, but not nearly as often. She was starting to get concerned.

About four days after they’d settled in to stay with the Iontachs, Stacy headed up to the guest bedroom, finding the door closed. She knocked on the solid wood gently. “Hello? Anyone there?” There was no answer, but she knew Mathew was inside, so she pushed open the door and peered inside.

Mathew was lying on the queen-sized bed he’d been sharing with Larkin recently, staring at the ceiling. He was wearing his headphones, but Stacy knew he could still hear her.

She quietly walked in, stopping next to the bed. “Mind if I sit here, Mat?” She waited for Mathew to shrug in response before sitting down on the edge of the bed. The room was quiet for a bit. “Do you want to talk about anything?” she finally asked gently.

Mathew exhaled slowly. He blinked. “Mom,” he finally said. “Are we fucked?”

Stacy made a strangled choking noise. “M-Mathew, I’ve told you, that word isn’t allowed until you’re fifteen. But, um, anyway. What do you mean by that?”

He sighed, and reached up to rub his eyes. “I mean...there was that ghost...thing...in the first house we moved to. That made us move again. Then there was that thing pretending to be your friend. That made us move here. Are we just...just going to have...things...coming after us forever?” His voice went very quiet on that last question.

“Oh, honey,” Stacy said. “No, don’t worry. We’re going to be safe here.”

“But there’s something in the woods,” Mathew whispered, finally looking over at her. “Larkin saw it on our drive here. And John knows about it. And I think everyone here knows about it.”

“Well…” Stacy hesitated. “It’ll be fine as long as we don’t go in the forest, yeah? I think it’s stuck there.”

Mathew sighed again, and looked away. 

“...Look.” Stacy scooted closer. “I know, this whole thing is...scary. It’s very scary. And honestly, it still feels kind of unreal. But we’re going to be alright, okay?”

“You don’t know that,” Mathew muttered.

“You’re right, I don’t.” She inched closer still. “But I do know that we’re one smart, brave family. We’ve been through a lot so far, and we can weather through more.” She gave him a small smile. “We’re gonna be okay. And I’ll make sure you and Larkin are safe, no matter what. I promise.”

A pause. Then: “Thanks, Mom,” Mathew said quietly. He was blinking furiously, eyes welling up.

“Is there anything I can do for you now? A snack or anything?”

“Nah, just tell me when dinner’s ready.”

“Will do, Mr. Mattykins.”

Mathew laughed a bit. “Mom, I’m not five.”

“I know, I know,” Stacy relented, grinning. “I just had to. I’ll see you later, okay?” She stood up, and headed out, leaving the door open. Mathew didn’t ask for her to close it.

* * * * * * * * * *

The next day, Colleen approached her while she was sitting in the living room, reading a book she’d picked up from a local shop. “Hey Stacy?” she asked. “I hate t’do this, but can you watch the yarn booth today? I just got called in for a shift.”

“Hmm? Oh. Um, sure.” Stacy slid a bookmark in between the pages. “Um, where do you work, by the way?”

“Hospital,” Colleen said absentmindedly. “Simon used t’work there, too.”

“Oh. Your...husband?” Stacy asked carefully.

“Yeah. He’s not with us anymore.”

“Yeah…” Stacy looked down. “My husband isn’t, either.”

“I figured.” Colleen’s tone was very dull, as it usually was. “How’d it happen?”

Stacy squeezed her fingers into fists. “Car crash. Drowsy driving.” Even though it was almost two years ago, she felt a lump in her throat. “Um...what about Simon?”

Colleen looked her dead in the eye. “He went into the woods a month before.” She fell quiet. Stacy shifted uneasily in her seat. “He was from out o’town. Like you guys. Anyway, the booth is pretty simple. Here’re all the things ye need.” She pointed to a couple canvas bags on the ground. “Set it up. Casheirin’ should be easy. Good luck.” And she disappeared out the front door.

“Oh. Uh...okay,” Stacy said, hurriedly standing up.

The booth was pretty simple to run. If a customer stopped by, be friendly. If they asked her who she was, she explained that she was new and staying with the Iontachs. Things proceeded quickly from there, and she closed up around seven, gathering up everything unsold and replacing it in the bags to drive back to the house.

Just as she was finishing packing up, she felt a chill run along the back of her neck. Immediately, she stopped, and looked around. The town square was pretty empty. And of the few people here, none of them were looking at her. But she could see, from a distance, a view of the forest, visible due to it being up on higher ground. Squinting at the forest, she took out her phone and opened up the camera, using it to zoom in on the trees. It was still hard to see anything, so far away. But...for a moment, maybe something moved. Maybe. She couldn’t be sure.

Shivering, she quickly headed back.

* * * * * * * * * *

Seven o’clock was already quite dark at this time of year. When she arrived back at the house, parking on the street and heading in, the entire street was bathed in shadows. Stacy hurried inside.

Roisin was sitting in the rocking chair, knitting and generally being the perfect image of a kindly old grandmother. She looked up when Stacy entered, and smiled. “Ah. Welcome back, Ms. Allen. How was the booth?”

“Um, good.” Stacy set the bags down, and was about to head up to the guest bedroom to look for the kids, but she hesitated and turned back. “Hey, um, Roisin. I have a question.”

“Hmm? Ask away, then.”

“So, this morning, Colleen said her husband, Simon, was from out of town,” Stacy said slowly. “And also, I think you said she was your daughter? But I was wondering about your last name, then. You’re all Iontachs, but how’s that possible? Did Colleen go back to her maiden name after her husband...passed?”

“Oh no, Simon took our name,” Roisin said cheerfully.

Stacy blinked. “Ah. So...is that a tradition here? Taking the wife’s last name?”

“No, not exactly,” Roisin continued, pausing in her knitting and focusing on Stacy. “The Iontach name is a powerful one, Ms. Allen. It is old, great, and magnificent. We’re descended from the magicians who settled this valley long, long ago. The only ones left who’re descended from them. So we know t’carry the name on. In marryin’, not takin’ the Iontach name is a, oh, how’s it said...a dealbreaker.”

“Oh. There are...magicians,” Stacy said slowly.

Roisin looked back at her knitting, needles clacking. “Well, perhaps not how ye think. Not like the wizards in fantasy, more like the witches that still exist today. Ye heard of Wicca?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“Exactly. Same sort o’practices.”

“Oh.” Stacy hovered awkwardly for a moment. “So...would being descended from witches or whatever be part of the reason why you, uh...made that comment about an Evil Eye to John on our first day here?”

“That poor young man,” Roisin said, shaking her head. “Anyone wit’ the proper gift can tell just by lookin’ at him, yes?”

“Uh...I guess?” Stacy laughed nervously. “I mean, I have no idea what you’re talking about—”

“You don’?!” Roisin dropped her knitting and stared at Stacy in utter shock. “Oh jesus, I thought you knew. Your son, the one friends with Nick—I s’pose he gets his sight from his father, then.”

“Wait, what did you say?” That phrase was somehow...familiar. Hadn’t she heard someone say that recently?

“Those of us who know the truth instinct’vely,” Roisin explained. “We can see past the lies and illusions the creatures of the world keep up. I assumed Larkin—nice, strong name, by the way—I assumed he got his sight from you. After all, you are runnin’ here to stay away from one o’them, aren’ you?” The old woman squinted, giving Stacy a once-over. “Yes, ye’ve been marked, same as your friend. Well, not exactly the same. Yours is older, smelling of dust. An’ the hold on ye is quite a bit weaker. Quite a bit.”

“I—I—uh—I mean, yeah but—not—” Stacy stammered. All this new information was a bit much. Larkin could see these things? Her instinct was to balk at the notion, but then she remembered back in the house in Bronainise. Larkin had been the first one to see the thing in there, and had apparently been friendly with it...and he realized right away what Jaqueline was...but really? He got that from his father? “I mean...my husband was really just an average guy. A bit of a dork, but funny and energetic. He couldn’t have been involved in all...this.”

Roisin had begun knitting again. “Well, it’s not like he’d have told ye he coul’ see monsters, woul’ he? Or maybe he didn’ know, himself.” She shrugged. “Anyway, it’s not like it’s of any matter in the end. You’ve been marked all the same, an’ now you’re all here t’hide.”

“Okay, so, one last question,” Stacy hurried to say. “What...what do you mean by marked? Because that...doesn’t sound good.”

Roisin didn’t answer for a long while. She simply sat there, clacking her needles away. The silence went on for so long that Stacy sighed, and turned to leave. She was in the doorway when Roisin called out, “It means one o’them is int’rested in ye. For whatever end purpose. I’m sure you already know what yours is.”

Stacy hesitated in the doorway, then quickly left. 

* * * * * * * * * *

She woke up in the middle of the night, gasping for air, a cold sweat covering her. Was there a pressure on her chest? Had the last few months been a dream? Was she back in that house? Her eyes were closed tight, but she had to know. She had to be sure. Dread poured into her stomach as she cracked open her eyelids—

There was no thing there. No thing staring at her from the foot of the small bed she was sleeping in. No thing lurking in the corner of the Iontachs’ guest bedroom. She let out an audible sigh of relief.

It was fine. There were no whispers hovering in between awake and asleep. In fact, there was no sound at all. The room was very quiet. Honestly, it was a bit odd. Usually Mathew snored a bit. Stacy rolled over to look at the larger bed on the other side of the room where the boys appeared to be fast asleep. Appeared to be. They could always be pretending. In which case, she’d better let them get back to sleep.

She started to roll back over, but paused. A weird something had glinted in the corner of her vision. Her eyes darted around the room, now on high alert as her heartbeat rose. Ah, there it was. A small bit of spider thread in the corner of the window, reflecting the moonlight outside, just visible through a gap in the curtains. See? It was fine. No need to worry.

Stacy closed her eyes and firmly told herself to go back to sleep. Even if dreamland wasn’t so appealing, she needed the rest.

The curtains fluttered in a silent wind.

* * * * * * * * * *

It rained a couple days later. It drizzled all through the cold morning, keeping everyone inside. Roisin showed Stacy how to make “real hot chocolate” (in her own words) on the stove for the three boys stuck in the house. Colleen still went to work; it seemed she was absent most days, leaving the house wearing blue scrubs and returning late at night. Larkin and Nick took a few old board games out of the closet, and managed to convince Mathew to join them.

The rain slowed into occasional droplets sometime in the afternoon, and Stacy grabbed her coat and headed out to the small patch of grass out back where John had pitched his tent. She hadn’t been seeing much of him lately, and she was a bit worried.

She hit on the side of the tent like she was knocking on a door, droplets of water getting her hands wet. Inside, John cried out. Movement rustled, and the tent entrance unzipped. “Can you please, please not do that?” John asked, sticking his head out.

“Sorry,” Stacy said, taking a step back. “Just wanted to, uh, see what was up with you. With the rain and everything, maybe it got wet out here.”

John shrugged. “I’ve been in worse weather. And with worse shelter than a tent, too.”

“Are you sure?” Stacy prodded. “Because you can come in the house, you know.” She hesitated. “I mean, unless you don’t like them or something. I’m not gonna make you.”

“They’re fine,” John said, rolling his eye.

“I mean, I just—Roisin knows you, so you’ve clearly met them before, I wouldn’t want to drag up old wounds or anything.”

“Stace, if you want to ask me what the deal is between me and the old lady, just ask, you don’t have to dodge around the subject.”

“...uhhh,” Stacy felt her face grow red with embarrassment. “So...you’ve been in this town before.”

“Foraois Hollow, yeah.” John scooted up close to the tent entrance and crossed his legs. “How do you think I knew it would be a safe place to hide from the thing in the red hood?”

“And there’s that, too,” Stacy added. “Don’t get me wrong, I am really glad we haven’t seen...that...in the week and a half we’ve been here. But why?” She glanced through the rainy skies, and pointed at the trees of the forest, up on the hills. The fog still lingered around their trunks. “Because of that? Is the forest, like, alive or something?”

“Or something,” John said casually. “Look, just understand that it’s really territorial, but it doesn’t come into town, so you’re good.”

“I—okay.” Stacy decided to drop it there for now. There was time to talk about that later. “Did you, uh, stay with these guys the first time you passed through, too? Or did you just know Roisin? Actually it’s probably that, otherwise Nick or Colleen would’ve said something—”

“No, I knew them,” John said. He was looking down at his lap, fingers picking at a hole in the knee of his jeans. “Didn’t know any of them really well, but they were nice enough to let me stay a few nights. Couldn’t stay long, cause this was before—” He suddenly stopped. “I-I wasn’t expecting any of them to recognize me. The fact that Roisin did is a miracle.”

“She said you were marked by this Evil Eye thing,” Stacy said, prodding gently. “That she remembered that. Apparently she has some sort of weird sight. Maybe the others do, too, but maybe they’re not as practiced at it?” It was a flimsy reason for why the other two Iontachs couldn’t remember John, but it was all she could come up with.

“She said that before, too,” John muttered, pulling a thread loose.

“Uh-huh.” Stacy nodded. “Um...I talked to her a few days ago, and she said that…” She hesitated to say it, but forced it out. “That I was somehow...marked...too. A-and that meant that something was...interested in me.” John didn’t say anything, still looking down. “It—it’s gotta be that thing from the house, right? Jaqueline—or that thing, whatever, it said as much. I mean, that’s why we’re here, isn’t it? Is...is that why you came here, before? To get away from whatever...it was that...?” She trailed off,  realizing she was basically thinking out loud and not expecting an answer.

To be fair, John didn’t really seem that ready to give her an answer either way. He hadn’t moved, still pulling at the loose thread. Looking closer, his hands were now shaking. John took a deep breath, and looked up at Stacy. “Look...there’s not much to say about it. I was...I was on the run, came across a tiny town, and...found something in the forest. Found there were more...of them. Out there.” His voice lowered, barely audible. “And even they don’t want anything to do with me.”

Stacy was quiet. “I’m...sorry, John.”

“My name is ìŗĆºŷĻ.”

“Uh...sorry, I couldn’t catch that.”

“Nevermind.” John’s voice was heavy and tired. He backed up into the tent. “Thanks for saying I could come in. But I’ll just...just stay out here. See you later.” And he zipped the entrance back up.

“Um...see you.” Stacy turned and walked away, footsteps splashing in a puddle that marked the boundary of the grass and the paved stones that covered the rest of the house's “backyard.” She looked around at the rain pattering on the ground. Or...actually, there was no pattering to be heard. No splashing, either. Stacy blinked, and reached up to clear her ears. Soon after she did, the normal sounds of the world returned. That was...odd. Very odd. Was her hearing going? If it was, it was probably the result of stress. Or...was it something else?

She spun in a circle, looking for anything weird. But everything looked the same. Nobody was out except for her, not even driving about. Nothing was moving within eyeshot. Still, she felt uneasy as she headed back inside the house.

On the house’s roof, a loose shingle fell to the ground as if disturbed, yet it made no sound as it crashed and broke.

* * * * * * * * * *

The rain stopped by nightfall, leaving slick puddles that reflected the yellow light from the street lanterns. It was about ten o’clock. And Stacy was starting to grow a bit...concerned.

In the time she and the boys had been staying with the Iontachs, Colleen had always been home by nine thirty on the days she worked. It was possible that she’d had to stay late. Didn’t nurses often have to do that? But something didn’t sit right with that.

Larkin and Nick had gone to sleep, Mathew was hanging out in the house’s office, and Roisin was in her bedroom, getting ready to go to bed as well. Stacy was alone in the living room, playing a mindless bubble game on her phone and glancing at the front window every so often. Look back at the phone. Then at the window. At the phone. Then the window. Phone. Window. Phone. Wind—

Stacy gasped, almost dropping her phone. Colleen was staring at her through the window. She waved. Stacy waved back. And Colleen disappeared, opening the front door. “Stacy?” she asked.

“Y-yeah.” Stacy tried to laugh. “You scared me, jeez.”

“Sorry.” Colleen smiled easily. “Didn’t mean to.” She paused. “Hey, this might sound a bit strange, but I think I’ve found something you need to see.”

“Um...yeah, it does sound a bit strange,” Stacy said slowly. “What is it?”

Colleen glanced over her shoulder. “Well, I think it has to do with why you’re here. What you’re running from. But I need you to see it to make sure.”

Stacy perked up, shoving her phone in her pocket. “Okay, but what is it?”

Colleen hissed through her teeth. “Difficult to explain. And that’s saying something, considering what I’ve seen. It’s...dusty. Strange in this rain, isn’t it? Smells odd, too.”

Dust. Stacy stiffened. “Hang on a second, I need to get something.” She stood up and quickly headed upstairs, sneaking into the guest bedroom and doing her best trying not to wake up Larkin, who should be fast asleep by this time. She opened the dresser drawer and pulled out her handgun and holster, putting it on. Glancing over at Larkin, she sneaked back out and headed down.

“A gun?” Colleen was standing in the exact same place as before. “Didn’t know you had one. Isn’t that a bit unsafe, with the children and all?”

“At this point, it’s less safe to have one than to not,” Stacy muttered, pulling on her coat. “Alright. Lead the way.”

Colleen smiled, a quick movement like someone was pulling on her face to make it. “Great. We’d better be careful, though, it’s a bit...odd. These things could be dangerous, but I’m sure you know that.” She turned and walked quickly out the door, Stacy hurrying to follow her.

“It’s some ways away,” Colleen said, briskly walking down the street. “Came across it on my walk home.”

“Okay. A-anything else?” Stacy asked, panting a bit. Colleen was really walking quick. She didn’t know she was that fast. “Like...what size is it?”

“Oh, about yea big,” Colleen pantomimed a box. “The size of a human head, I’d say.”

Stacy nodded, and fell silent as the two of them turned a street corner. She didn’t exactly appreciate that comparison; it made her imagine all sort of gruesome things this surprise could be.

“Just a block or two farther.” Colleen sped up more. Stacy broke into a light jog. How was Colleen simply walking this fast?

They rounded another corner, and Stacy immediately noticed something on the sidewalk, sitting in a circle of light caused by the street lanterns. “That’s a box,” she muttered. “It was difficult to explain that it was a box?”

“It’s a bit more complicated than that,” Colleen said She’d stopped walking, and now looked reluctant to get closer.

Stacy took a deep breath, and walked up to the box. It was a cardboard cube, covered in the gray dust that had plagued the house in Bronainise. A sharp, alcoholic smell was coming from it. She reached out, and stopped. Instead she grabbed her gun and leaned forward, prodding the cardboard lid with the end of the barrel. Nothing seemed to happen, but she still didn’t touch it. Carefully, she used the gun to push the lid off the box, dust falling to the wet ground, but not sticking. She leaned forward and peered into the now open box. And frowned. “There’s...nothing inside.”

“Oh? How odd,” Colleen said from her spot at the edge of the light.

Standing up, Stacy looked around. There wasn’t anyone nearby. Or anything, really. And she couldn’t hear anything either. Which...actually, that was kind of strange. Her eyes locked on a tree in the distance, leaves blowing in the wind. And she could feel the same breeze against her face. But she couldn’t hear it. She turned her attention to Colleen, who was standing almost perfectly still. “Have you seen anything...weird around?” she asked slowly. “Besides the box.”

“Not a thing,” Colleen said, shaking her head. “Why? Anything in particular you’re concerned about?”

“Uh...not really.” She was just noticing it now, but Colleen was speaking a bit...differently. Was it just her, or had her accent faded? “Do you hear that?”

“Hear what?” Colleen asked politely.

“I...exactly. I don’t hear anything.” Stacy paused. “Wait a second.” She tilted her head. There were faint strains of...was that music? Where was it coming from? She tightened her hold on the gun as she tried to find the source of it, turning around. She stopped turning once she realized it...was it coming from Colleen? Stacy froze.

Colleen tilted her head. “Is something wrong, Stacy?”

“Um...so, h-how’d you know that this box was related to me?” Stacy asked slowly.

“Oh, I had a feeling,” Colleen said dismissively. “Misery has this feel to it, you understand?”

Her heart skipped a beat. “What did you say?” she asked breathlessly.

“You heard me.”

Misery loves company. That was what the thing in the red hood had said. And there was something about the way it was said...and the way Colleen said it now...Stacy stepped back and squinted at Colleen. No, it was definitely her. Her appearance wasn’t fading, details turning to vague impressions of a face like Jaqueline’s had. But she wasn’t acting normal either. Standing too stiff. Stacy took another step back.

“You’re looking a bit nervous, Stacy,” Colleen took a step forward. “Maybe you should calm down. Take a break.”

Stacy started to raise her gun, but stopped halfway through. This still was Colleen, wasn’t it? She couldn’t shoot her. 

As if she knew this, Colleen smiled. “No need to be harsh. After all, doesn’t she have a kid? A gunshot would put her ability to provide for him at risk.”

Stacy took a few more steps back, chills running down her spine as she managed to point the gun. But still, she couldn’t do it.

Something glinted in the street light. Stacy’s eyes darted towards it, looking for it again. She couldn’t quite grasp it, but it was hovering above Colleen. What was it? Her mind went to some sort of thread, but that was impossible. Except that...it certainly appeared to be some sort of string, rising up into the air, heading toward the street lantern above her head.

Another set of chills ran down her skin. With trepidation, she looked up.

Her eyes widened as she tried to scream, but no sound came out.

* * * * * * * * * *

The Iontachs didn’t have much in the way of computer tech. Mathew figured John would like that; he seemed to have a thing about that. But it meant that the only place Mathew could watch YouTube was on the clunky desktop in the office. He sat in the tall desk chair and kicked his feet, headphones plugged into the speakers as he looked for a new let’s play to watch.

The door opened, and Mathew jumped and spun around. Stacy was peeking into the room. “Uh, hi Mom,” he said.

“Hey Mathew,” she said cheerfully. “Do you know where your brother is?”

“Uh...isn’t he still in bed?” Larkin wasn’t really the type to try and stay up late. Though maybe that would change when he got older.

“Ohhh.” Stacy nodded. “That would make sense.” She backed up, then reappeared in the doorway. “While I go get him, do you mind going out to the car?”

Mathew slowly unplugged his headphones. “Um. Are we going somewhere?”

“Yes,” Stacy sighed. “I’m sorry, but we’re going to have to. You know why, yes?” She paused meaningfully. “Anyway, get ready and go on out. I’ll be there soon with your brother.” She backed up and disappeared for good.

Mathew slung his headphones around his neck and pushed the desk chair backwards. He grabbed his phone and charger from where it was plugged into the walk, checking to see if it was full. It was, so he put it and the cord into his hoodie pocket. He swiveled around, ready to stand up. And then he didn’t. His heart had sped up, stomach starting to squirm. What happened to cause this? Were those monsters back? He physically shuddered as an image of the thing in the red hood twisting its head into place flashed in his mind. If that was the case, they’d better hurry.

He went right out to the car, climbing into the back seat of the unlocked van. Staring out the window at the rainy street, his eyes wandered over to the alley that would lead around the back of the house. Was John going to come with them? He did the last two times. But then again, he wasn’t really involved with this, was he? Well, a little bit. He did save them from the thing in the last city. But the thing hadn’t been...after him. So maybe there was no reason for him to come with. Still, Mathew thought John was kind of cool...you know, for an adult.

The door opened again, and Stacy placed a sleeping Larkin, wearing pajamas borrowed from Nick, in the other seat. “There we are. Oh, we need the buckle, don’t we?” She slid the seatbelt across him.

“You didn’t wake him up?” Mathew asked.

“No no, let’s let him sleep.” Stacy closed the door and walked around to the driver’s seat, quickly climbing in and starting the car. “And here we go.”

The van rolled down the dark streets of the city, tracing the same route it had taken on the way into town two weeks ago. Mathew stared idly out the window as they passed beyond the town limits and up into the forest. Mist curled across the ground, forming strange shapes. He shifted uneasily. This place was freaky. Wasn’t fog supposed to disappear after rain? Maybe he was getting that wrong. In any case, this just felt weird. He glanced over at Larkin, still fast asleep. Quietly, he leaned over and shook his shoulder gently.

After a bit of this, Larkin stirred. He blinked open his eyes and looked around, obvious confusion causing his face to scrunch up. “Mat,” he whispered, leaning closer. “What’s goin’ on?”

“I don’t know,” Mathew whispered back. “Mom said that we had to leave and we all got in the car and drove away.”

“Aw.” Larkin’s face fell. “What happened?”

“Dunno.” Mathew shrugged. “Ask Mom.”

Larkin leaned around the seat of the car to look at Stacy in the driver’s seat. She didn’t look back at him, eyes fixed on the road. Larkin’s eyes widened a bit, and he scooted a bit closer to Mathew. “We should get out of the car,” he whispered.

“What? Why?” Mathew asked.

“Mom’s being...weird,” Larkin said, glancing back over at her.

“You’re weird,” Mathew muttered.

“No you.”

The two of them straightened. Mathew looked out the window again. Okay, if they wanted to get out of the car, then obviously they needed it to stop first. He got an idea. Doubling over, he groaned and clutched his stomach. “Mooom, I think I’m getting carsick.”

Stacy didn’t even look at him.

“Mom?” Mathew leaned forward. “Mom, I’m gonna throw up.”

Still no response. A sudden chill ran down Mathew’s spine. He looked over at Larkin in a silent plea for help. Larkin thought about it. Then he unbuckled his seat belt, stood up, and screamed right into Stacy’s ear. Yet she didn’t even flinch.

“Shit,” Mathew said under his breath.

“Don’t say that, it’s a bad word,” Larkin said automatically, then moved on. “What d’we do?”

Mathew glanced out the window again, then turned his attention to the door itself. It wasn’t locked...and Mathew knew that their van didn’t have a child lock...if it was necessary, he could technically...

Deciding it was necessary, Mathew undid his seatbelt, pushed the car door open, and jumped out.

Luckily, the car wasn’t going too fast. But he still fell hard, skin scraping on the cracked asphalt and bruising his bones on the ground as he tumbled for a good while. Eventually he lost momentum, staring up at the branches overhead and trying to get his breath. “Owww…” he groaned. Well, he would never be doing that again.

He sat up, and looked down the road, seeing the red tail lights of the car even through the mist. Those lights were moving farther away, but then they stopped. The car started to back up, but then one of the doors opened and Larkin darted out, running farther into the forest. The car braked suddenly, and Stacy jumped out. “Get back here!” she shrieked, running after Larkin. Mathew watched this happen, feeling a bit disconnected to the situation. It was like something from a movie, or a cutscene from a game. Not quite real.

And then he saw a shadow move. His eyes naturally glanced toward it—up toward it. He let out a soft gasp as he realized the shadow was on top of the car. Had it been there the whole time?!

The shadow stopped, and he had the sudden feeling it was looking at him. Mathew scrambled to his feet and ran, heading deeper into the woods.

Dark trees passed by him, almost indistinguishable from the shadows coating the forest floor. Mathew tripped over roots and undergrowth that was invisible beneath the white mist. Branches caught on his hoodie, but he kept running, heart pounding. What was happening?! What was wrong with his mom?! What was up with that shadow? 

After a while, he realized he had no idea where he was, and he slowed to a stop. Panting, he tried to look for anything distinguishable, but everything was darkness and trees and mist. His mind immediately went to wolves and bears in the woods. He’d have no idea they were coming. And then he remembered that shadow, and the things he’d heard in town about the forest, and his stomach started to sink. What was he doing out here? What was he thinking?

And then the image of Larkin running in the other direction returned to him, and he felt a sudden blast of cold fear seep into his bones. He’d left Larkin in these woods. Alone, with who knows what else here. Immediately, he turned around, pivoting on his feet to try and keep track of where he was, and headed back. Eventually he’d reach the road, right?

No, apparently not.

He’d been stumbling in the dark, trying to keep a straight line for what felt like twenty minutes, and he finally had to conclude that he was lost. Frustrated, he punched the nearest tree, then cried out. This was the worst. It was an actual nightmare. He hurt all over from jumping out of the car, he was lost in a strange forest, his mom was acting weird and scary, and Larkin was somewhere out there alone. Tears started to choke his throat. He wiped his eyes.

“Are you lost?”

Mathew cried out, flailing for a moment before pressing his back to the tree he’d punched. He looked around, eyes straining to see anything. The only thing that was really visible in the pitch-black forest was the fog...which was actually a little strange. His vision traced the patterns in the mist, watching it swirl. It seemed to be swirling around a particular spot. No...there was something there that it was spinning around.

“You look a little lost.”

Mathew jumped again. The voice was coming from the thing in the middle of the swirling mist. He looked up, trying to get his eyes to adjust to the darkness. If he had to guess, it looked like a person. It was vaguely shaped that way, at least. “Um...maybe?” he said, voice small.

“You’re just a child. What are you doing in the woods?” The person-shaped shadow walked closer, looking like it was gliding across the ground.

“Uh...I’m...my mom...” Mathew tilted his head back to look at the shadow’s face. That head wasn’t exactly person-shaped. It looked more like an animal...but it might’ve been a mask. “She, uh...drove us out here, and, uh...”

“‘Us’?” The shadow prompted.

“My brother and me,” Mathew said. Was it weird that he wasn’t freaking out? He was a bit on edge, but shouldn’t he be panicking more? “He...ran the other way, I’m—”

“You’re looking for your brother.” The shadow flashed a smile. No, it had been smiling the whole time. “I can help you find him, if you’d like.”

Mathew hesitated. Little alarm bells were going off in his head, and he could practically hear his mom and dad’s voices reminding him to never go anywhere with a stranger. “I don’t need help. But, uh, if you were to say where he is out loud, I, um...wouldn’t stop you.”

“Hmm?” The shadow tilted its head. “I think you do need help.”

“No, I-I’m fine,” Mathew said, voice cracking. He started to edge around the tree. “I’m going to, uh, go now.” And he pushed away, quickly walking in the other direction. The hairs on the back of his neck told him the shadow was following him.

“It’s very dark out, isn’t it?” The mist was swirling faster, rising from around Mathew’s knees to around his hips.

“Uh...yeah,” Mathew said.

“And you’re going in the wrong direction. Your brother went north.”

Mathew stopped walking. “How do you know that?”

Something grabbed the back of his hoodie and started pulling. “We should head this way.”

“H-hey!” Mathew squirmed, reaching back to try and loosen the grip. But his hands felt nothing but the mist. “Let go!”

“Why?”

“I don’t—I don’t want to be pulled!”

“You want to find your brother, though.”

“Yes, but don’t—I’ll just follow you, okay? Let go!”

“Sounds perfect.” The thing let go of him, and he whirled around to see it standing very close, looking down at him and grinning. The mist was barely moving now, dropping down to hover around his knees. “Come on. This way.” The person-shaped thing turned and headed to the left, leaving the mist agitated in its wake. Mathew hesitated. He took a single step in the other direction, but the mist rose into the air, tendrils reaching out. It felt like it shoved him away. Mathew gasped gently, then hurried to follow the thing. Clearly there wasn’t much of an option here.

The forest was oddly quiet. He could hear his footsteps, rustling the undergrowth. But nothing else. And he couldn’t see anything either. “Um...is there any way there could be...light?” he asked tentatively. Maybe asking the strange forest creature questions was a bad idea, but he was tired of stumbling around.

“You tend to carry lights in your pockets now.” Luckily, the thing didn’t seem to mind.

“What? Oh.” Mathew reached into his hoodie pocket and pulled out his phone, switching on the flashlight. A circle of white light lit up the forest, bouncing off the mist. He scanned the nearby surroundings, and—

“Aaak!” He jumped back, fumbling to keep hold of his phone. Once it was securely in his grasp, he pressed a hand to his chest to try and calm down. “Mom?!”

Stacy looked a bit of a mess, a few stray leaves in her hair and dirt on her coat like she’d fallen down. And there seemed to be the faint sound of...music coming from nearby. Staticky, tinny music, like it was on an old record. Instead of acknowledging her son at all, she looked at the shadow with wide eyes. “I’ve lost the smaller one.”

“Really?” Though the thing didn’t stop grinning, it sounded a bit disappointed.

“She isn’t fast!” Stacy protested. “Or at least not faster than the smaller one!”

“You should’ve dropped her and grabbed him yourself.”

“What’s done is done,” Stacy said dismissively. “Where did he go?”

“This way,” the shadow said, a bit smugly.

“What’s going on?!” Mathew asked, voice rising. He tried to point the flashlight beam at the shadow, but barely caught the edge of something—fabric or fur or more mist, he couldn’t tell—before it started off in another direction. “Mom? What’s happening? Where’s Larkin?”

Stacy didn’t answer him, following after the shadow. Mathew stared after her. Tears started to well in his eyes, and he blinked them away. This was not his mom. But he still followed after her, hoping that if they found Larkin, he’d be able to...he didn’t know exactly what. Do something.

They walked for a few minutes more. Mathew kept scanning the forest with his flashlight, lighting up the mist around them. The strange music seemed to now be coming from all around, a bit louder now. Until suddenly, the shadow stopped.

“What’s wrong?” Stacy asked.

“I was too focused on the boy,” the shadow said, its voice low. “I didn’t notice it.”

“Notice what?” Stacy said impatiently.

“Uh, it’s probably talking about me,” a familiar voice said. Mathew gasped, and spun around. His flashlight beam landed on two figures, one taller and one small. “Oh jesus, be careful with that,” John said, blinking in the sudden light. “You could blind someone.”

“John? What’re you doing here?” Mathew asked. He tilted his light down a bit, now looking at the smaller figure standing half-behind the man. “Hey, Lark.”

“Hi Mat,” Larkin said, waving a bit. He glanced at Stacy and the person-shaped shadow, and shrank back a bit.

“You shouldn’t be here,” the shadow hissed.

“Yet here I am,” John said casually. “Anyway, Mathew, I’m here because I noticed your mom leaving for some reason. Then coming back and grabbing you two, without saying anything to anyone. Not like her, y’know? Then I noticed the reason for such out-of-character behavior.” He glanced over at Stacy, then moved his attention upwards, into the branches of the trees above her. “You shouldn’t be here either. Isn’t Forest Guardian here supposed to be, like, super territorial?”

“There are exceptions to every rule,” Stacy said plainly.

“Get out,” the shadow snarled, still glaring at John.

“Fucking make me, why don’t you?!” John snapped. “Go ahead. Throw me out of here with your freaky fog.” He waved at the nearby mist, which twisted out of the way. It was like it didn’t want to touch him. No, it definitely didn’t want to touch him. There was a small circle of clear area around him, free of mist. Larkin was standing barely inside the clearing, holding onto John’s jacket like it was a lifeline. “No, you can’t. Cause you’re afraid. That’s the one fucking perk I get with this, and you can bet your ass I’m gonna use it. If you have one.” He laughed, then looked back over at Mathew. “Are you alright?” He asked, voice softer.

“Uh...yeah,” Mathew said. “Just...confused. And freaked out.”

“You jumped out of a car,” Larkin reminded him.

“I mean, yeah, but I got better—” 

Stacy growled, and lunged forward, grabbing Mathew by the arm. He yelped, and tried to push her away, but her grip was iron. “We can just get the two of them, right?” she said in a suddenly raspy voice.

“It wants all three,” the shadow said.

“Can’t we grab the smaller one after dropping off these two?”

“Oh my god, this is still to do with the thing in the house, isn’t it?!” John kicked the ground. “Jesus! How far is it gonna follow her? Is it even really worth it at that point?”

“Oh, you would know, wouldn’t you?” the shadow drawled. 

“Let go!” Mathew screeched, now slapping Stacy’s arm with his free hand. He tried kicking her shin, but Stacy might as well have been a statue. “Mom! What’s wrong with you?! You’re—you’re scaring me!”

Stacy blinked. Something in her eyes seemed to flicker, and her grip loosened. Just a bit, but Mathew managed to pull away, falling onto the ground. He was already running before he even got to his feet, and soon was standing next to Larkin and John. Larkin immediately switched to clinging to him.

“What was that?!” The shadow hissed, now looking into the branches above Stacy’s head.

“Some strong emotion,” Stacy said in a strangled voice. She was shaking slightly. The still-playing music was slower, a bit distorted. “I have it under control now.”

John stepped out in front of the two younger boys. “No, no, we’re not doing this. You don’t have anyone under control. You’re going to let her go and they’re going to leave here all fine and happy.”

“Or what?” The shadow asked. The mist rose, reaching Larkin’s shoulders and Mathew’s waist. It spun in hypnotizing, agitated patterns. The music distorted further, now sounding hellish.

John hesitated, and said nothing. Mathew looked between him and Stacy. There had to be something they could do about this. Why was his mom acting like this? And why was everyone talking to the tree branches? Was there something up there? Curious, Mathew raised his phone, pointing the flashlight into the branches above Stacy’s head. “Holy shit!” He gasped, nearly dropping the phone.

It looked like a person. Sort of. More like something made to look like a person. With strings dangling from limbs and spirals where eyes should be. It was crouched in the tree branches, and as the light shined on it, it scurried over to another tree, the strings tangling and untangling. Stacy walked with it, always standing beneath it.

John’s eyes widened, and he turned to the boys, pulling them close. “Okay, I got an idea,” he whispered. “But you two need to run when I say to, alright? Go straight that way, eventually you’ll hit the road. And watch out for the mist, okay?”

Larkin nodded, but Mathew just gaped. “What?”

“Just do it, okay?” John hissed, turning around to face the shadow and Stacy. “Okay, so you’re hiding in the trees like a coward. Good to know.”

“Who said I was hiding?” Stacy hissed.

“Oh yeah, also you’re using someone else’s voice. Real brave there.”

The shadow snarled. “Not all of us are capable of the same feats, ĸø¹ŭ§. And not everything is as lucky as you are.”

“Yes, I’m very lucky,” John said darkly. “Which is why—run!”

Larkin caught on immediately, grabbing Mathew, still a bit confused, by the hand and running in the direction John had pointed earlier. Behind them they heard an animalistic scream, and the music rose in volume and speed. Mathew glanced over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of John starting to climb a tree. Then he saw the shadow looking after them and he faced front again, picking up the pace.

Around them, the mist rose and thickened, covering both their heads. Breathing became difficult, like trying to breathe with your face buried in a pillow. They tripped over unseen obstacles on the forest floor, tree trunks coming out of nowhere to block their progress. Mathew gripped Larkin’s hand tight. They were still going straight, weren’t they? It was hard to tell. It felt like something was grabbing them—like there were hands in the mist, made of the mist, snatching at their clothes and yanking them off course. But the music was growing quieter, more distant. So they had to be making progress.

Suddenly, Mathew felt the forest floor beneath his feet turn to hard asphalt. The grip of the mist lessened, becoming a little less thick, though tendrils still wrapped around them to pull them back.

“Okay, the car has to be here somewhere, right?” Mathew panted.

“Look!” Larkin pointed to their right. Two yellowish lights were barely visible through the fog.

“Great, let’s go.” The two of them stumbled through the mist until the front of the van was visible. Mathew put his phone back in his pocket and put his hand on the car, walking around the side. “Here we are, front seat,” he muttered, pulling open the door to the passenger’s seat. “In you go.”

“Larkins first,” Larkin said cheerfully.

“It’s ‘ladies first,’ actually. I didn’t know you were a lady.”

“I could be. I’d be a very pretty lady.” Larkin hopped into the car and climbed over the seat into the back. “You wouldn’t be. You’d be too sad and weird.”

“Well you’d be too tiny and weird,” Mathew started climbing in as well. “Though I guess—” Something grabbed his ankle and he screamed. He looked behind him, but saw nothing except more mist, spinning and twisting. The thing around his ankle started pulling, and he grabbed the edge of the seat to brace himself. But it was persistent. He shook his leg and tried to pull himself in. Larkin gasped, and grabbed his arm, helping to pull him inside. They made slow progress, but he felt more things wrapping around his legs. “Let go of me!” He yelled, kicking his legs. With one final yank, he tumbled inside, and immediately turned around to slam the door shut. 

“Oh my god,” Larkin whispered. “Are you okay, Mat?”

“Y-yeah, fine,” Mathew said, pressing a hand to his chest and feeling his heartbeat. He looked out the car windows, seeing nothing but fog. “Um...now what?”

“Do we wait for John or Mom?” Larkin asked.

“I...I guess so.” Mathew paused. “Oh, she left her keys in the car.”

“Mat, you can’t drive,” Larkin said, poking him.

“I can in, like, two years.”

“But we’re not in two years, we’re now.”

“Look, all I’m saying is I could probably figure it out in an emergency.”

The two of them fell silent, looking at the mist outside the car. Minutes passed. “Poor faces,” Larkin muttered.

“What are you talking about?” Mathew asked, looking at him.

“The faces in the fog. I mean, sometimes there’s hands too. But mostly faces.” Larkin pointed out the window, tapping the glass.

Mathew squinted. Then he gasped. There were vague faces in there, appearing in swirls then melting back into the fog. “Oh god. It’s like soul sand. That’s creepy.”

“No, it’s sad,” Larkin insisted. “Cause the demon with the cat face probably put them there.”

“Uh...yeah, probably.” Staring out at the mist, Mathew sat straight up. “Wait a second. There’s...there’s something there,” he whispered. Something was moving the mist around, disturbing it and causing tendrils to move about. “Hang on.” Mathew started looking through the car, pulling open the glove box. There had to be something to use as a weapon, didn’t there? Something heavy, or—

A hand pressed against the driver’s side window, another one waving away the fog. Mathew jumped. Stacy’s face slowly came into view, pressing against the glass. Her eyes widened as she saw Mathew and Larkin inside, both huddled as far away from her as possible. She raised her hands, gave a smile, and slowly opened the driver’s door and slid inside. “Um...hey, pumpkins,” she said softly.

“Mom?” Mathew asked, voice squeaking.

“Yeah, it’s me, it’s...I’m so sorry.” Stacy covered her mouth with her hand. “I didn’t mean—that wasn’t me, I would never ever do anything like—I didn’t want to scare you, I—”

Mathew stared at her. Was his mom...crying? Well, he supposed that wasn’t too odd. She cried when the news about their dad came in, and many times after that, staying up late at night with a bottle. She never wanted either of them to see it. “Mom…” he said slowly. “It’s okay.”

“Yeah, it wasn’t your fault,” Larkin said, slowly scooting closer. “It was that freaky puppet thing.”

Stacy wiped at her eyes. “Thank, boys,” she whispered. “We...we should get out of here. I think the fog is getting even thicker.” And she reached down to start the car.

“What about John?” Mathew asked.

“He can handle himself,” Stacy said patiently. She glanced out the side window. “Those things won’t bother him. But they will bother us.”

The car rolled forward. Stacy gripped the steering wheel tight, eyes wide and staring out the front. They weren’t going that fast, but for the limited visibility, it was as quick as they could go without worrying about running off the road.

It felt like forever before they finally broke out of the thick fog. As soon as they were clear, Stacy hit the gas, and the van shot forward. Mathew and Larkin glanced at each other, then quickly put their seatbelts on. “Mom,” Mathew finally said. “This is...this is because of the ghost thing from the house, right?”

Stacy didn’t answer for a bit. Then she nodded. “Yes, I think it is.” She laughed drily. “I guess they all know each other, or something.” She paused. “Don’t worry. We’re...we’re going to go farther away this time. It’ll be fine.”

“Mom,” Mathew said. “Don’t...”

The silence filled the car for a moment. “Don’t what, Mat?” Stacy asked.

Mathew let out a long breath. “Don’t...do that again.”

She smiled sadly. “I’ll be more careful next time. I promise.”

* * * * * * * * * *

Two days later, a mom and her two kids were standing on the deck of a ferry, watching the gray clouds overhead. Stacy sighed. She would’ve preferred to fly back home, back to the town they’d lived in before they knew anything about things in houses or forests. Bad memories be damned. But her savings were quickly running dry, and the flight over an entire ocean would’ve cost a lot more. “You two doing okay?” she asked.

Mathew had his headphones on, listening to music on his phone. He nodded. Larkin was in the process of sitting down and poking his head through the railings to look down at the water below, giving a quick thumbs-up. Both of them were wearing new outfits she’d bought at the last town.

“Good, good.” Stacy sighed, looking back at land. It was slowly shrinking into the distance. She folded her arms, feeling the handle of her gun hidden beneath her coat. “We’re all...good.” They all went silent and watched the shore fade away.

#jacksepticeye #jacksepticeye fanfiction #jacksepticegos #septic egos #tw: horror #marvin the magnificent #jameson jackson #brigid writes fanfiction #horrorseptics

[rwdestuffs]

Done dirty: Gods

I’d like to make the point that the light god, the dude who killed Oz repeatedly and abused Salem to the point that she became the villainous being that we know today, is somehow on the “Heroes Wiki.”

Because I guess abusers are heroes now.

Oh, and also, I HAD TO USE GODDAMN SOUTH PARK AS PART OF MY OPENER!

Let’s get this out of the way for any of idiots out there: Salem was NOT responsible for Humanity 1.0′s death. She may have provoked these two asshats, but she wasn’t the one who

1: Loaded the gun.

2: Aimed the gun.

3: Fired the gun.

What did Salem do?- She just stood up to them and, inadvertently, gave them a target.

As far as I’m concerned, these gods were the villains of the story, and what I wouldn’t give to see Yang punch one of them in the face.

When making these “Godly” characters, it’s okay to give them flaws. In fact, that’s what makes the Greek Gods, Norse Gods, Japanese Gods, and Egyptian Gods so interesting. They have flaws, weaknesses, and more relatable personality aspects that makes it seem like we could have the guy responsible for the ocean’s tides as our next door neighbor, or the adorable little dog across the street as the one responsible for the sun coming up… and beating up a fish in a giant mech suit. Goddamn, I want to play Okami again.

I got off-topic. The point is, is that it’s okay for these Gods to give flawed advice… Provided that they gave advice at all.

See, Light God was insensitive to Salem’s plight, and in all likelihood, used the same rhetoric that her father used to lock her up in that tower as an excuse to just brush her off.

So when Salem goes to Dark God, and he does fulfill her request, it’s honestly like Salem is now picking a side. Except, it turns out that Dark God actually has to answer to the Light God.

Does the relationship between the gods seem… manipulative to anyone? Like… The Light God (Fuck it, let’s call him “Lumin” for now, I’m not typing out that whole thing) is abusive to his brother?

Acording to… I think it was Qrow, possibly in a WOR, the Dark God (Let’s call him “Ebon” because that’s a badass name, and I’m honestly not in the mood for “Light = Good, Dark = Evil” to be the underlying theme here) made his creations first. then Lumin was all “I can make something too!” and made humans to one-up his brother.

Like… Does that at all seem healthy to you?

But regardless of that relationship, Lumin basically acted like that one abusive parent who destroys all of the child’s toys just because they went to the other parent to do something that the first parent was callous in denying them to do. Sorry if that brought up any bad memories for people.

Also, can we go back to this line that I highlighted for a moment? I think I mentioned this before, but this wasn’t necessary. I’m sure that Colleen Clinkenbeard was a big name that they wanted to use as much as possible, but this narration was just unnecessary. They could have just paid a female intern $50 to just do the introductory lines and let Chase McCaskill and Bruce DuBose do all the dialogue along with Aaron Dismuke as Ozma and Jen Taylor as Salem for everything else.

Since there’s human remains there, how about when Salem shows up, instead of Jinn narrating what Ebon was feeling, Ebon himself just says “It’s been a long time since a human entered my domain willingly.”

We get a better insight to Ebon’s character, it shows just how desperate Salem is, and we don’t have pointless exposition.

Not to mention the relics. Outside of their purpose to resummon the gods, they don’t really do much. But these are literal artifacts left behind by said gods.

Plus, Lumin give Oz an impossible task of uniting humanity. It’s like he wants Oz to fail because he just wants an excuse to wipe them all out again.

Lumin treats humankind as an “experiment gone wrong” as if he’s just playing with peoples’ lives for his own amusement. If anything, Ebon is more sympathetic because he actually listens to their problems and wants to help them out.

Meanwhile Lumin is all “Sucks that your man died. Now get out.” at best.

Let’s take a look at another set of flawed gods in the form of The Norse Pantheon. Namely, Odin, Loki, and Thor. In myth, these guys were all given tasks that were basically impossible. Thor was tasked with drinking the ocean, and failed. Odin wrestled with time, and was brought down. And Loki lost an eating contest to fire. These flaws and weaknesses in regards to their hubris are part of them.

I mentioned this briefly in my “Done dirty: Oz” post, but Oz was basically brought back to cause conflict. Because… I guess Lumin was bored?

But the narrative wants people to see that Lumin and Ebon are “All good. All caring. And all knowing.”

Which is a load of bullshit. The narrative tries to paint Salem as some unsympathetic witch who couldn’t let go. When…

1: The woman was abused and locked in a tower until Oz came to rescue her.

2: She was willing to fight God to get him back. If anything, that shows true love. If you want my opinion, if you’re not willing to deck a deity in the nose for your loved one, then you don’t care about them (Take that, Abraham. Willing to sacrificing your own son just because your God told you to. Bet you wouldn’t see that from Amaterasu).

What I’m saying is that these gods are detached. Which would be an interesting aspect if the narrative had bothered to show that as being a bad thing.

Then again, this is all being told by Jinn, a creation of the Gods (Namely Lumin). So maybe there’s some bias in there where they’re trying to make Salem out to be irredeemable while the gods are the undisputed good guys- and holy SHIT!- Jinn’s in on the gaslighting.

i mean… I still want everyone to eventually realize that Salem was gaslighted into being the villain of the story. because that sounds way better than the “Abused woman lashes out and becomes evil” angle that they seem to be going at.

But given the writers’ ability to handle racism (or lack thereof), I don’t exactly have a lot of confidence in this.

Then again, the did call her Salem…

… But also again, they did write the WF plot as that horrible mess…

But they also looked into a lot of fairy tale aspects for their characters…

But…

I…

#rwde #done dirty #gods crit #light god crit #dark god crit

[alounuitte]

cactus blossoms

(or, some can only bloom with water from a desert sky)

Adam needs some support while he recovers from a surgery, and Shiro volunteers to be his best friend's roommate for the summer after their first year in the Garrison. Somehow, it turns out he's not the only one Adam gets a chance to get closer to, and an operation isn't the only thing he's recovering from. (pre-relationship, but no romance will be in this.)

Couple minor warnings for this chapter: some brief medical discussion and (external) description of anxiety/sensory overload.

Chapter 6. 

-

Everyone else must be just as hungry as Matt, because there’s a solid five minutes where they’re all too busy eating to speak. Shiro finally puts down his fork long enough to say, “This is really good, thanks for making it.” 

“Yeah, thanks a ton, Mrs Holt,” Adam agrees. “You didn’t have to go to this much trouble.” 

“It’s not trouble to celebrate moving with the two of you,” Colleen says, laughing. “That’s what community is for.” She takes a sip of her juice and then adds, as an afterthought, “Speaking of which, if you’re still looking for a congregation here, you should attend service at ours sometime and see if you like it.” 

“Oh,” Adam says, ducking his head. “Thanks. I already go to Bet Shalom Yisrael, though.”

Colleen frowns slightly, but all she says is, “Oh, I see.”

“Well, I’m glad you’ve found a place you’re happy,” Sam says cheerfully. “But Etz Chayim always welcomes visitors, if you ever want to stop by!” 

“I’ll keep it in mind,” Adam says, with a faint smile. 

“So, Shiro, what classes are you taking this summer?” Sam asks, pushing his glasses up his nose. “I saw you’re on the roster for my tech development class.”

“I’m also doing applied aviation physics in the afternoons,” Shiro says, grinning. 

“Oh, I’m taking that, too,” Adam says, lighting up. “Awesome.” 

“Oh, I didn’t know you were taking classes,” Sam says, surprised. “Thought you were having a procedure done?”

Adam shrugs. “I’m exempted from training and drills,” he says, “but I don’t want to waste the whole summer when I should be cleared to take classes once they start.”

“What are you getting done, anyways?” Matt asks with his mouth full. 

Next to him Shiro feels Adam go tense. 

“Is it your eyes?” Matt continues, oblivious, and points to his own wire-rimmed glasses. “That’s the first thing I’m gonna do when I join the Garrison! I won’t ever have to wear these again.” 

Shiro laughs at that, and across the table Colleen puts a hand on Matt’s shoulder. “Sounds like you’re both going to be busy,” she says. “But those should be interesting classes, right?”

Adam relaxes a little, laughing shakily. “I hope so,” he says. Under the table Shiro can see his hand pressed into his leg, fingers restlessly curling and uncurling. His throat feels tight. 

Matt must have already forgotten his original question, though, because the next thing he says when he stops eating to talk is, “You guys must be, like, really good at math and stuff to learn all that! You’ve gotta take a bunch of tests to get into the Garrison, right? Were they super hard?”

“They’re pretty intense,” Shiro agrees. “You’re gonna have to study way more than we are right now to pass them.”

Matt’s eyes go wide behind his glasses. “For real?” he asks. 

The hint of a smile creeps onto Adam’s face again as he leans forward. “They’re the hardest exams you’ll ever have to take in your life,” he says seriously. “I hope your dad helps you more than my parents did; you can’t just fall back on family legacy.” 

“Don’t terrorize the poor boy!” Montgomery says, shaking her head. “The entrance exams are tough, but nothing a dedicated student can’t handle. If you’ve got your dad’s smarts, you’ll be fine, kiddo.”

“He’s got better than that,” Sam says, chuckling. “He’s got his mother’s.”

“Maybe so,” Colleen says with a wry smile, “but he’s got your curiosity.” 

“Guuuuuyyyyyys,” Matt whines, pouting. “You’re so embarrassing.” He turns to Sam and adds, wide-eyed, “You’re gonna help me study, right? So I can get in?”

“Only if you keep your grades up in school,” Sam says, ruffling his hair. “Don’t worry, though, you’ve got another three years before you need to worry about that.”

“Yeah,” Matt says, “but I gotta start thinking about it now so I’m ready!”

Shiro laughs, but Adam is quiet, his smile forced and his dark eyes darting from one person to another. From a foot away Shiro can feel the tension in his shoulders, humming like a live wire. He wants to help comfort him, somehow, but can’t think of how, at least not without drawing more attention onto him, and from the way Adam’s drawn his shoulders in on himself he thinks more attention is the last thing he needs.

As everyone is finishing the last of their food, Colleen takes advantage of the quiet to say, “You boys must be getting tired. You did a lot of work today, too, and you’ve got an early morning tomorrow.”

“Great point, sweetheart,” Sam says, getting up from the floor. “We’ll help you clean up before we go, no need for you to get up.”

“Thanks, Sam,” Shiro says with a rueful grin, as how exhausted he is suddenly seems to sink in. 

“I really appreciate all the help,” Adam says, managing a faint smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “I don’t think we could’ve done all this without you, sir.” 

“No need to be so formal, son,” Sam says, laughing. “You can feel free to let me know if there’s anything else we can help with.”

“And do the same for me,” Montgomery adds as she climbs to her feet. “I’m here to help support you both if there’s anything you need.”

She and the Holts move over to the kitchen to tidy up, and Shiro leans back against the couch, stretching his legs out under the table. “You okay?” he asks Adam under his breath. 

Adam nods, trying his best to smile again. “Just tired,” he whispers back. 

“Kind of a lot of people, huh,” Shiro says sympathetically. 

He hunches his shoulders, looking away, and doesn’t reply. 

“Best of luck on your exams tomorrow, kids,” Sam says, beaming at them, as he heads towards the door. “You’re both gonna do great.” 

“Thanks, Sam,” Shiro says, waving. “See you later.” 

“Bye!” Matt calls over his shoulder as Colleen ushers him into the hall. Montgomery flashes them both a smile and waves with one hand before disappearing into the hall, and the door slides closed behind her, leaving the apartment in silence. 

“Sorry,” Adam mumbles after a moment, drawing his legs up to his chest to lean his head against his knees.

“What?” Shiro asks, frowning. “No, why would you be—? I get it, seriously.” 

Adam glances up at him, biting his lower lip. “You like people, though.” 

“I already know the Holts,” he replies. “It’s different with strangers.” More quietly, he adds, “And to be honest, I’m a little overwhelmed, too.” 

That gets Adam to laugh a little, and he takes off his glasses to scrub at his eyes with the heel of one hand. “You handle it better,” he says. 

Shiro shrugs. “I dunno about that. I think you’re probably just more tired than I am.” 

“I guess,” Adam says, and swallows hard. 

“We should probably both get to bed, anyways,” Shiro points out with a wry smile. “Colleen’s right, we need the rest for tomorrow.” 

“Yeah,” he agrees, and gets to his feet, grabbing his duffel off the couch as he heads towards his side of the room. Shiro follows, slinging his own bag over his shoulder, but as he reaches the edge of the partition, he stops as Adam says, suddenly, quietly, “Hey, Shiro?” 

“Yeah?” he asks, turning to look at him. He’s staring at the floor, hands clasped together in front of him and twisting around each other anxiously, and it’s a second before he speaks.

“Thanks,” he says finally. “For understanding.” 

“Yeah, of course,” Shiro says. When Adam still doesn’t move, he takes a couple steps closer, reaching for his shoulder without touching him, waiting for him to respond. 

Adam looks up, giving him a crooked smile, before he steps forward to hug him, and Shiro finds himself grinning as he hugs back. 

#voltron adam #voltron shiro #voltron #voltron legendary defender #takashi shirogane #adam voltron #adam weismann #sam holt #matt holt #colleen holt #professor montgomery tag #willwrites #vld #vldfic #belong to the sky verse

[linkispink1995]

Better Together (3) Surprise

Previously

Series Masterlist 

Chapter Warnings : language , lots of fluffiness 

I had just finished helping Jackson with his reading , it was Friday and Buster had been with us for an entire week and I was slowly starting to get used to him. Friday meant it would be another late night for Steve , which also meant tonight was going to be hard for night for him since Jackson would most likely be asleep when he got home. After Jackson had his pajama's on and was settled onto the couch with Buster and some cartoons , I began to wash dishes. I had dried the last dish when I heard knocks at the door on the front door , did Steve come home early and lose his key. I sighed before opening the front door to see Matt holding Emma who had just turned a year old recently in his arms. I spoke saying "hi Matt is everything okay" he nodded saying "yeah it's Friday" I shrugged at his confusion before he added "It's the last Friday in September". I shrugged again before he continued with "you offered to watch Emma for the weekend while Colleen and I go to California". I then somewhat remembered that I said that , Matt's sister moved to California after high school and Matt and Colleen haven't had a minute to themselves since before Emma. I being a good friend offered to watch her for them only to forget , I nodded saying "yeah of course I remember" Matt responded saying "your a horrible liar Y/N" before I could respond Buster perked up and began to bark at Matt and Emma. Matt spoke again saying "when did you get a dog" I Shook my head as he added "I told him not to get a puppy" I rolled my eyes before peeling Emma out of Matt's arms before saying. "Where's Colleen" Matt responded saying "in the car she's already said her goodbyes a dozen times to her" I nodded as he added. "She's usually pretty chill , she goes to bed at seven and she usually sleeps through the night unless there's a thunderstorm but I doubt that'll happen since it's been nice out today. she should be pretty tired her and Colleen spent the whole day doing errands so she might fall asleep early , and she might be a little fussy going down sometimes Colleen reads to her and sometimes that helps". I responded saying "sometimes" he nodded saying "yeah most of the time Emma's sleeping with us". I nodded before saying "hey Matt" he nodded before I added  "was I this crazy when I left him with you'll" he nodded silently before handing me her bag and placing a kiss on Emma's cheek before leaving.

After Matt left I placed a blanket on the floor in the living room and scattered a few of the toys that were in Emma's bag onto it before I sat down with her. It felt like it was forever ago that I was sitting on the floor playing with my sweet baby boy , who was now laying on the couch by himself since the moment I sat down and started to play with Emma , Buster imminently became interested in her since she was probably the smallest thing he had ever seen. "Why is she here" Jackson asked for the third time since Emma arrived , I responded saying "Uncle Matt and aunt Colleen have to go out of town and I offered to watch Emma so why don't you come sit with us". He shook his head before I heard the front door and open and close , I stood up before placing Emma on my hip. I walked into the kitchen to see Steve placing flowers in a vase , I spoke saying "how was work" he responded saying "fine I guess , hey listen I-" he stopped when he turned around to see Emma in my arms before he repeated Jackson word's from earlier. "Why is she here" I responded saying "Matt and Colleen are visiting his sister and I offered to watch her for the weekend" Steve sighed saying "really" I nodded saying "yes really" he rolled his eyes saying "fine whatever , I planned a nice dinner for us after we put Jackson to bed but yeah that's fine". He placed the flowers down before walking back down the hall towards are bedroom before shutting the bedroom door , was Steve mad. I shrugged that feeling aside before walking back to the Livingroom with Emma.

I was sitting on the floor playing with Emma before Steve entered the living room which imminently caught Emma's attention , for some unknown reason Emma was very intrigued by Steve. He took a seat next to me causing Emma to abandon her spot by Buster and imminently sit on Steve's lap. I got up from the floor to get a glass of water from the kitchen , when I returned Emma was tugging and pulling onto Steve's hair and that's when I realized exactly why she was fond of Steve.

after Jackson went to bed and I had Steve set up Emma's portable crib I stood in my room rocking her , she was almost asleep before I heard the sound. The sound Matt said was the only one that would disturb Emma her sleeping , thunder. I sighed before Emma started fussing , she clung to her blanket as she began to wail , thankfully Jackson was a heavy sleeper. I remember when Jackson was younger he was beyond terrified of thunderstorms and would have to sleep with me , and he sometimes still would when a storm came across. I knew exactly where he got it from , Steve when he was younger was afraid of them too and I know this because I distinctly remember teasing him about it when we were kids. It felt like just yesterday I was cradling Jackson and comforting him from a storm , I felt like my baby boy was growing up faster then I thought and holding Emma in my arms made me wonder , did I want another baby?

                                      ******Flashback****** It was almost two months after Jackson was born and for what felt like the first time in a while Steve and I were in a really good place. we weren't arguing , we were communicating better and not only that Jackson was doing great. he was a bit more alert , he was starting to make so of the cutest little sounds and was the absolute most adorable thing I had ever seen. Steve's Parents were out of town visiting his sister and since I felt bad that Steve would be by himself and that I didn't want him getting lonely. I decided to pack a small bag for Jackson and I so we could stay there with him , we had all finally settled down for the night when I heard the faint sounds of Jackson cry. I quickly got up leaving the peacefully asleep Steve  , I picked Jackson up from the basinet before rocking him in my arms , I tried everything , rocking him , singing to him , giving him his pacifier. Nothing absolute nothing was soothing him I tried standing , sitting I even went downstairs and tried walking around . Lights on , lights off and nothing he was still upset which started to worry me since I knew he was feed and changed and that's when I looked out the living room window and noticed something , it was raining. Not raining but pouring , I could see some lightening in the distance before a clap of thunder which seemed to upset Jackson even more. It was the storm that was bothering him , I remember Steve was afraid of them when he was younger and still was (but didn't like it when someone brought that up). Before I could turn around and took him upstairs I heard a voice say "Y/N" I turned to see Steve standing by the stairs. I spoke saying "thunderstorms he's afraid of thunderstorms like you" Steve sighed saying "I am not afraid of a stupid storm" I sighed before I added "I'll probably be up with him for a while". Steve shook his head saying "no that's ridiculous just come back to bed" I again sighed saying. "I can't I-" he cut me off saying "just put him in between us he'll be fine" I responded saying. "He can't he's tiny" Steve responded saying "he's two months old , and if your really worried I'll put him on my chest , he won't move an inch. I spoke again saying "are you sure he'll be okay" he nodded saying "I'm sure". I awoke the following morning in Steve's arms to the view of Jackson perfectly asleep , and I swore he was snoring almost just like Steve does. I carefully escaped his arms before grabbing the camera out of my bag , that I threw in there last minute before capturing the perfect moment between the love of my life and our son. ******Flashback Over****** I almost had Emma asleep again before another clap of thunder woke her , Steve entered our room before saying "still not down yet" I shook my head before he said. "can I try" I shrugged as he added "It would give me practice" I sighed saying "practice for what". Steve was silent until he responded saying "for if we have to watch her again". Not that I believed his excuse I nodded before handing Emma to him since I was a bit tired from work , taking care of Jackson and Buster and then adding Emma to the mix. Even more time had passed and Emma was still awake , I then remembered what helped Jackson during thunderstorms and what Matt had said early. I walked into the kitchen where Steve was swaying Emma in his arms while whistling what I was pretty sure was a nursery rhyme. I spoke saying "Steve bring her with us" he shrugged while Emma was pulling onto Steve's hair. I added "just put her between us and when she falls asleep I'll put her in the crib" Steve sighed saying "fine but will that even work"

The storm continued throughout the night before I awoke to hearing a voice call for me several times , I quickly sat up to see Jackson standing by my bed. I spoke saying "hi sweet pea , are you okay" he shrugged before I added "is it the storm". Jackson quickly shook his head saying "no I just wanted to see if you were okay" I knew exactly what he was doing , Jackson was currently going through a faze where he would pretend to not be not bothered or afraid of certain things that both Steve and I knew did bother him. Giving that I knew this information I spoke again saying "well can I tell you a secret" Jackson nodded before I added. "I'm a little scared of the storm , so how about you come snuggle with me and daddy" he quickly nodded before saying "mama". I responded saying "yes sweetie" he then added "can Buster lay with us too". I sighed saying "yes Buster can lay with us" he quickly ran out of the room before he returned with Buster and his blanket. as everyone got settled I swore I heard the faint sound of Steve chuckle to himself.

I awoke the following morning with not only Jackson snuggled to me but Emma and Buster , I carefully tried to move but both Emma and Jackson clung to me. I sighed before seeing Steve standing in the doorway with a mug in his hand , he walked over before placing the mug onto my bedside table. He placed a kiss atop my head before saying "good morning" I responded saying "good morning" he then added. "Okay who need's to be moved first" I chuckled before saying "they're fine , could you hand me my coffee though" he nodded before handing me the mug saying. "I'll uh go make breakfast" I nodded before taking in the view of my son and my niece snuggling to me as well as Buster , which I didn't like to admit but I was growing very fond of him. A few minutes of peace and quiet and one by one they each woke up , first Jackson who then decided to wake Buster , Then Emma who realized she wasn't in Colleen's arms but mine. She of course began to fuss before she saw Buster trotting around to which she then quickly got up and began to follow him. After breakfast Steve went to take a shower , It was shortly after I got Emma dressed I heard knocks on the door which I knew meant that was Matt's dad coming to get Emma. After she left Steve walked out of the bedroom dressed with his hair still wet saying. "Where's Emma" I responded saying "oh Mr. Patterson just got her" Steve frowned saying "oh just now" I nodded before Jackson ran over to Steve saying "daddy now that Emma's gone can we go to the park". Steve shrugged saying "yeah that's fine I guess" Jackson ran by the door to get his shoes before I notice that Steve seemed somewhat sad that Emma was gone maybe even upset. It was odd the way Steve was acting and there was no way Steve was still hung up on this baby stuff right ?

Let me know if you’d like to be added to the taglist , please don't plagiarize my work and stay safe and feedback is defiantly apricated  Thanks - Meg

Taglist @disneyprincessbuffyannesummers @queenofthehairharrington @charmed-asylum @art-flirt

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington fanfiction #steve harrington imagine #dad steve harrington #dad! steve x reader #steve harrington au

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #408

“tied to the rat race  /  a big bird in a small cage”

Who, whether a person or company, emails you the most? I really don't check my email enough to even know. If you were given an assignment to draw anything besides stick figures or just doodles, what would you draw? A meerkat of course, ha ha. Do you play the games on MySpace/Facebook? I never did. Well no, I did play "Dragons of Atlantis" when Facebook bought it or whatever, but now that it's a mobile game, I don't play anything on there. When was the last time you were sunburnt? Ha, actually now. It's from riding an hour to and an hour back from the TMS office every weekday; the sun coming in through the window got my arm. Who all do you live with? My mom and my two pets. Has a guy ever let you wear his jacket? Yeah. It was so comforting when Jason gave me his leather jacket to wear if I was cold; it was pretty big on me at that time and just really cozy. Thanks survey, now I feel like crying. :^) How many friends do you have of the opposite sex? Like, one. Do you have bird feeders hanging up outside? What about any hanging plants? No. Does your house have sliding glass doors? No. Was the last food item you ate part of a meal or a snack? A snack. What color is your hair brush? I don't use a brush, but a white comb. Would you rather it be sunny or rainy? I think I prefer sunny for the sake of helping keep my depression at bay, but sometimes I really do enjoy some nice steady rainfall at the window. Who’s the last person that you hugged, not family? I have no idea. What will your next piercing be? Probably getting my nostril re-pierced. How many people have you kissed, that you can HONESTLY say you loved? Two. Can you recall the last time you liked someone a lot? uhhhhhhhhhh now What’s scarier: spiders or worms? Worms gross me out, but a spider is more likely to actually scare me, but at the same time fascinate me. Do you play poker for real money? No. If you were pregnant, how long would you wait to tell the dad? I'd tell him immediately. Would you ever date out of your own race? I have in the past, and I would again. Do you still watch movies intended for children? Yeah. Hell, more than half the time they're better than "grown up" movies. What’s your favorite movie trilogy? Uhhhh does TLK count? ha ha What would you like to take lessons in? German. Whose Facebook password do you have? Just my own. Have you ever been suspended or expelled from school? No. Have you ever crawled through a window? Yes. Are you too forgiving? Yuuuup. Ever have a sleepover with the opposite sex? Well, we were dating. Have you ever gotten someone suspended? No. Have you ever wanted to be a teacher? No. Would you live with someone without marrying them? Yes; I believe you really probably should before getting married so you see if you "fit" as far as household habits and such go. Have you ever wanted to strip naked in front of someone? Yeah no. I'd feel way too awkward. What are you listening to? A John Wolfe video. Who was the last person you visited in the hospital? My mom. Did anyone watch you the last time you kissed someone? I mean possibly, it was a public place, and some people are definitely caught off-guard by seeing two girls kiss. Do either of your parents have any tattoos or piercings? No. Mom wants a tattoo, though, dedicated to all of us kids and her grandkids. Are you desperate for anyone’s approval, in particular? -_- Would you ever stalk a celebrity? Um, no???? You don't stalk ANYBODY. It's a violation of space, privacy, basic respect... Do you have any National Geographic magazines lying around? No. Have you ever been mistaken for the opposite gender? No. Do you use liquid foundation, mousse, or just powder? None. Have you ever picked out a song to listen to on a juke box? Maybe? I don't remember. Have you ever eaten 3 meals from 3 different fast food places in one day? Oh god, I hope not. I don't remember ever having done that. Have you ever ridden in a limo? No. I always wanted to as a kid. Have you ever tried to put a huge puzzle together? Yeah, I have. I used to like to do that with my mom especially. Ever wake up early on Saturdays to go garage sale shopping? Yes, actually. My family used to love to do that. Do you keep magazines by your toilet? No. Ya better just bring your phone. What did you last take a picture of with your camera? On my actual camera, a hydrangea bush. On the camera on my phone, I believe my cat. Are you proud of who you are? Not... really. If you were a waiter/waitress, would you make good tips? Nope. I'm too awkward and I would NEVER write the orders down quickly enough. I write so slow. What are the best kind of Girl Scout cookies? The chocolate and peanut butter ones. If you hit an animal while driving, would you stop to see if it was okay? Well I doubt it's okay, but I would absolutely stop to move it away from the road and sob my eyes out. I'd probably try to find some flowers to rest on it. What's your favorite kind of pasta? Spaghetti. Have you ever played computer solitaire for hours on end? I don't even know how to play solitaire. What's the dumbest thing you've heard of that supposedly causes cancer? Who the hell knows, everything does apparently. If you saw wet cement, would you place your handprint in it? No. Can you honestly tell the difference between DiGiorno and delivery pizza? Absolutely. Do you own a lava lamp? No, but I would looove one. What charity or cause would you donate $1,000 to if possible? Off the top of my head, the Trevor Project. I'd probably research before actually donating, though. What would you say is your greatest strength? I guess that I care a lot about people. What's one food that you find too disgusting to eat? Things like clams, es cargot, sashimi... just ew. What's something that will never bore you? Uhhhh good question. Pizza Hut or Domino's? Domino's, by a long shot. What's something that always, no matter what, makes you laugh? Stupid Vines, lol. Have you ever been in a canoe? No. How many vehicles does your family own? Just one, my mom's. Are you generally afraid of taking risks? Yes. Have you ever caught/swatted a fly in/with your hand? Ew, no. Would you ever dye your hair bubblegum pink? Yeah. What was the last thing to happen that you really weren't expecting? The woman whose wedding I shot TWO YEARS ago finally reaching out to me about buying some pictures. What does it mean when you start eating less? What does it mean when you start eating more? If I'm eating less, odds are I'm extremely serious about losing weight. If I'm eating more than usual, high odds are I'm depressed or bored. Or I'm on my period. What’s the strangest named pet you’ve ever had? Harry Potter, ha ha. He was a guinea pig. What are some defense mechanisms you find yourself using when in an argument with someone? I'm very likely to just metaphorically flee from it because I fear confrontation so much. Do you know if there is anyone who was once important to you that you will never talk to again, even though you could? If I have any say in it, I'm never talking to Colleen again. List the initials of every person you have ever kissed, from first kiss to most recent kiss. (Put “?”s in the place of initials you don’t know.) I'm not listing their last initial, but anyway: J, T, G, S. Does your face break out right before your period? Not "break out," no. I'll just get a pimple or two. What did you dream about last night? All I remember was that it focused on Jason and his late mother. I miss her so much. I hope so much that whatever exists beyond death, she found the peace she was so worthy of. Do you think the United States health care system needs reform? FUCK yes I do. Our health care system is a disgusting fucking nightmare. Who was the last person you cried over? Jason. My PTSD has been doing quite well, but I had an emotional episode recently nonetheless. Do you prefer ceiling fans or fans that stand up on the floor and you plug in? I use both, but I think my preference is ceiling ones. What would you do if your son was at home, crying all alone on the bedroom floor because he’s hungry, and the only way to feed him was to sleep with a man for a little bit of money? Hypothetically, if I had a child, if I'm totally honest, I probably would. I would hate it, but I'm not letting my child starve to death if I can do something about it. Why do you think evolution is true/false? Because there is substantial evidence for it and imo is the most logical theory we've thought up. Some things about it seem kinda far-fetched, but I still have faith in it. I trust scientists and the evolution we see firsthand, such as caterpillars to cocoons, tadpoles to frogs, etc. Who came through for you at a time when you really, really needed it? Colleen. She let me live with her when I was technically homeless. What turned out better than you thought? Good question. What object did you used to, or do you still, keep hidden? My drawings. I've flipped my shit when Mom's found them in the past, even though she went on and on about how "amazing" they were. I don't draw anything "bad" at all, but still, I don't like people seeing my creativity. Who can’t you figure out? My damn self. What are you hoping for? The most recent thing would be hoping Shonda buys a lot, if not all, the wedding photos I took. I desperately want to use the money along with what I have left from Christmas to buy Venus' terrarium and proper supplies all by myself. What’s the best physical object that you kept from a previous relationship? Idk, there's a few things. What is the most socially unacceptable thing that you have no problem with? Maybe women not shaving. Like I couldn't care less. What have you done that you surprised yourself by doing? *shrug* What used to be a secret about you? Hm. Anything that used to be a secret probably still is one. What is the most stalky thing you’ve ever done? Just Facebook digging, and that's not something I've done a lot off. What did you wind up liking that you didn’t want anything to do with at first? The only thing that comes to mind at the moment is something sexual, so let's not go into that. Who do you owe your life that you can never pay back? Mom and Jason have both saved me from what would've been suicide attempts.

#survey #surveys #random questions #lyrics: ''monkey tree'' by mother mother