#but that movie was a feast for the freaks everywhere

[foxwithapen]

Just saw Wonka 2023. Timothée Chalamet I agree didn't feel like Wonka, but he was still really fun. He was unhinged in another way you know. And don't get me started on those three old men they were hilarious (the green one reminds me of tma). That was a delightful time I had a blast.

#i had worried it wouldn't be funny #but that movie was a feast for the freaks everywhere #catch me. drawing wonka 2023 fanart wouldn't that be wild #delighted #Wonka movie #wonka 2023 #wonka

[skateboardtotheheart]

Please, give us some Christmas headcannons I beg you! They are freaking adorable and I have butterflies in my stomach reading them 🥺

omg hell yeah i'll give you some christmas headcanons!!

wille has never been a huge fan of christmas because at the castle it usually means a lot of press and events and always getting stuck wearing uncomfortable clothes. the only part of christmas he ever did enjoy once he outgrew the childhood wonder was sneaking away on the 24th to exchange gifts with erik

simon LOVES christmas. he gets in the spirit on november 1st and doesn't let it go until well into january 

the christmas after the video was the worst one either of them have ever had. they were both utterly miserable and wallowed and grieved the entire day. after getting back together and discussing how awful it had been for them both, Simon declared that it didn't count and they should get a do over. the next weekend, wille went over to simon's to find his boyfriend's room turned into a christmas wonderland and they spent the whole day watching children's movies, wearing warm sweaters, drinking a saved bottle of christmas soda, and exchanging gifts. it's the happiest wille has ever been on a christmas, even if it wasn't the actual holiday

simon buys them matching ugly sweaters. wille tries so hard to be nice because of how excited simon is about it but looking at the thing honestly makes him want to tear it to shreds, it's so awful. it has pompoms and bells and lights that work. he wears it every time simon asks him to and when the season is done he puts it protectively in the back of his closet

they both struggle like crazy to get each other a gift. wille doesn't want to get something that makes simon freak out about how much it costs and simon knows he can't spend as much money as the types of gifts wille might be used to. they both freak out about it until on two separate occasions, felice smacks them upside the head and tells them to just do something meaningful and sweet

in the end, wille writes simon a lengthy letter about how happy simon makes him and how much he loves him, pairing it with a framed print out of simon's favorite photo of them. simon lands on doing a handful of recordings of him singing some of wille's favorite songs which he thinks sound really bad but make wille cry. both of them struggle to stop smiling for D A Y S

simon makes it look like the holidays threw up in wille's room. he walks in one day to find tinsel everywhere and handcut snowflakes hanging from the ceiling and a soft candycane blanket on his bed and snowmen EVERYWHERE and he has never regretted leaving simon alone in his room more. even still, he doesn't take down a single thing and enjoys the way simon's eyes light up when he sees that wille left it all

since wille has to be at the castle for the 24th, he does a celebration with the eriksson family on the 22nd before he leaves. linda cooks a feast and wille insists on helping her out while simon and sara are both in the living room, shouting updates about what's going on in the overly cheesy christmas romcom on tv. it's so warm and comfortable and happy that wille practically forgets why he doesn't like christmas in the first place

wille still buys erik christmas gifts. on the 24th, during the late afternoon as it always was, wille sneaks into erik's room to put the gift in one of the now emptied out drawers. he's pretty sure most of the staff knows he's been doing it, but none of them say anything and the gifts are still there the next time he's in the room

even though he’s not a christmas guy, wille really does love winter (one of the reasons he allows simon’s decorating a pass). he’s the cheesy one who buys them both hot chocolate and drags simon on a stroll through the middle of town while snow drifts down around them. when simon starts getting too cold wille wraps simon in his own scarf and lets simon stick both his hands in wille’s coat pockets for extra warmth. at least five times he can’t resist the urge to lean in and kiss the tip of simon’s nose. it’s like something straight out of a movie and the next day, there’s pictures on the internet of the crown prince and his boyfriend huddled together as snow falls from the dark night sky and besotted smiles take up their faces

simon is an extremely skilled snowball fighter from years of doing them with rosh and ayub. wille has never had a snowball fight in his life but is determined that he will beat simon. the game has been going on and off for weeks now. they’ve both recruited classmates for sneak attacks on the other and now nearly every other first year is involved. it has become a war. there is no ceasefire in sight. chaos reigns on the hillerska campus

#young royals #young royals headcanon #young royals season 2 #prince wilhelm #simon eriksson #wilmon #yr s2 spoilers #christmas #winter #christmas headcanon

[gillianthecat]

The Devil Judge: Episode 6

I just finished The Devil Judge and something about this show compelled me to take copious notes - it had emotional intensity and layers of mystery. These are long and rambling, so they're likely not of interest to anyone else, but since I spent all that time writing it I decided, why not post it. Perhaps someone will find it interesting.

Below are my moment-to-moment reactions, predictions and analysis as I watched episode 6.

eps 1&2  ep3  ep4  ep5  ep6  ep7  ep8  ep9   ep10  ep11  ep12  ep13  ep14  ep15  ep16

I wrote about my initial impressions, up to episode 5, here and here.

This is cleaned up only slightly. I followed the spelling given in the Viki subtitles. I mostly don't explain what I'm reacting to, so this will probably only make sense if you've seen the episode recently. Occasionally I give timestamps.

Does this mean JSA is also on a personal revenge quest? I'm not sure how I feel about that. Or obsession?

Ok. Getting into conflicting memories, the un/trustworthiness of flashbacks. I'm not feeling as negative about this. Or at least like it might not ruin JSA as a character

Both these child actors are fabulous 

Hmm thoughts "no one to protect"

I don't think any major changes in how I'm thinking about JSA? She hasn't been flattened out yet which was my fear - her motives still feel complex or at least opaque enough. Power? Money? Ownership? Revenge? It could be a specific obsession with Y but I don't actually think so. 

Hmm, G and e's convo at  (3:30), (13:45)

Gothic house! (17:53)

(18:15) This scene in the study! Domesticity! Y's face! Stares at G and then covers up E Tripping on the chair - somehow unexpected and surprising realistic capstone to the whole stylized scene with JSA. A release of the tension, letting go of his game face. 

Hmm... evidence of him deceiving with the complete truth. Also Ga-On really does not want to hear about his sex life. Which pleases Y. (Who wore his robe slutty style to where he knew G was sleeping.)

(21:25) "I'm tired of this family. Let's eat rice like normal human beings."  !!!!! LET'S! Is he starting to think of them all as a family!!! Domesticity! Governess romance story in this house! 

Y's outfit! "Why are you staring at Ga-On's butt?" projection much? That cute little run. G's pleased smile and whole thing at serving them this feast. Y's pouting, but he's being so unguarded even though he's pretending to be guarded. 

I can't even.  They are all so cute. Such a contrast with everything everywhere else. Except actually, now that I think about it, in G's early rooftop scenes with YSH. He's a man who likes having a family to take care of. 

I do want to know what the story is wit Y and e's relationship 

Ok, but the way Y ate that... while staring at G... his tongue... and now he's stuffing his face of course he loves the food. 

(23:50) "16 years as the son of restaurant owners and living alone for 13 years." I guess he's about 29 or 30 and his parents died when he was 16

Oh, the housekeeper is hurt... Y never eats her food (but he wants G's!) Y is embarrassed (so cute and awkward trying to run away) "this unfamiliar harmony that doesn't fit with this house"

G definitely hides his cleverness behind pretending obliviousness or naivety 

Hmm this charm offensive on Elijah. Only what it seems or is he trying to give the cop an in to the house?I would buy either at this point. 

(25:53) E's questions about their relationship.  They both look a little shifty hmm 

All day G has been more playful than we've seen him. I don't know why. 

So Elijah is 16. 

Y is starting to freak out. 

Ah. She is there as a cop. But that (seemingly) wasn't his intention. 

(27:35) convo on pre-fire donation. (In case I need to put together clues later)

She's maybe protective of Y against an outsider?

Oh wow. Scared and angry y. Does he have a tracking device on her? Or is this movie magic?

Many thoughts about all 4 of them. But also this is very governess romance. 

Ji Sung is gorgeous but also the nuance he can convey. He's amazing. 

(29:48). The contrast between the way the domestic and the political are filmed. All these mirrored upside shots. Here there's a literal mirror. 

The house is dark but warm - wood, sunlight seen entering, fabrics. Color palette still limited and muted, but a shift towards browns. Political world is glass and marble and metal. Artificial lights. Black and white and maybe grey. Reflections. The other setting is outside with the public - disorganized, messy, lots of soft clothing though, closer to the domestic palette? Not sure how YSH and G's roof fits. Do we ever see inside his actual house? (My prediction is we will return there temporarily and briefly once or twice when G or Y or their relationship is in crisis.) G and YSH often meet in outdoor spaces. Also G with his mentor?

We have JSA with unknown people. Male idols and older rich women? Ah! What is Cha doing, what's the stated purpose of this gathering, what is subtext?

Wow this has to be a deliberate gender reversal of this kind of scene. This amazing choreography around the cigar! 

Is this an intentional reference to the castration stuff from last episode 

(31:40) political convo around dream village 

I assume JSA orchestrated all this? To bring down prices on the land? Or just to incite chaos?

Ah, these two are the businessmen's wives. And that was Jae Hui whispering to JSA 

Ah, JSA returns to offer a solution. And they volunteer to donate the land. 

Cha was doing this for JSA I guess in return for her help with her son, although I'm not clear that JSA has done anything that actually helped yet. 

(34:02) Cha: "But who's the real Master Seo? Is it that old man who disappears at the drop of a hat to go into prayer? Or..." bites a mint and stares significantly at JSA

"Just catch Kang Yo-Han, like you said you could."

I do feel likes there's erotic tension in the way these two are filmed together. Not sure if it's intentional or not. 

(36:15) Back home. This is what Y looks like when he's actually angry, not pretending to be more or less emotional than he really is. It's because of his fear for E,  but perhaps also because he already instinctively trusts G with his true self? Even when he's furious at him? 

In contrast to the scene immediately before, where JSA is wearing masks even when totally alone. 

The threat scared G, but he's not terrified 

Who is mentor meeting?

Is G fucking insane? He doesn't even know if she's a major threat! I'm not clear actually why he's going after her. He was suspicious, but I don't think he's seen enough of her to be that suspicious?

What a good boy grabbing the helmet first (I'm sure it's because of stunt doubles but it's cute)

Ok, I was not expecting this action movie sequence but it's fun.  But what do we think of G as an action hero? Does it fit him? This is the quickest thinking he's done yet.

But not the wisest since it turns out to be a trap. And they want G to think motorcycle woman works for Y?

JSA and Jae Hui are cute together.  

(40:55) mentor looks alarmed to see G watching

hmm, I wonder if I should be suspicious of him. Not sure yet 

Jeong Seon-Ah is definitely flirting with judge Oh. Or using flirtation or however to describe it. 

(43:00) first overly feminist statement. From JSA to judge oh 

After the sweetness of that breakfast, a rift is regrowing between Y and G. They trust each other less again. 

Return to the theme of danger of the televised trials - turning the public toward vigilanteism and mob violence. 

(45 ish). Doctor safety (Jang Gi Hyeon) withdraws lots of cash, YSH tails him. 

Are these all JSA's seeds?

YSH's cop boss is conspiring with Mysterious Assistant. And the funds were from judge Kang? Or at least he knew about them? 

It's like Y and G are in one genre at home and another outside. But it works somehow?

Oh fuck. Is Y behind this attack on YSH? I don't want it to be true but the phone convo was definitely trying to imply that to us. 

What is happening! (51:30)

Hospital at (50:15)

Minister Cha's statement (51:30)

Confrontation (52:20)

JSA home or bath at least marble metal porcelain white and cold like public spaces. Opposite of the gothic castle 

And we're already getting hints that Jae Hui was the attacker on JSA’s orders. 

Was that some sort of threat on the rooftop? Obviously deliberate and planned. But what's the plan? Who's in control of what? 

That's a lot of plot all at once. 

Isn't this all on Chairman Parks tv channels? Or he doesn't even care if he’s accused as long as it's big tv?

JSA's expression. She doesn't look upset. Amused by the twist? Happy at the downfall of some or all of those players 

The mutual staring of course. In case we got distracted by the political intrigue and forgot. 

eps 1&2  ep3  ep4  ep5  ep6  ep7  ep8  ep9   ep10  ep11  ep12  ep13  ep14  ep15  ep16

#the devil judge episode 6 #kind of like liveblogging #the devil judge reaction #the devil judge #the devil judge spoilers #reaction by gillianthecat

[cosmiccannibalcamille]

Short Story Time!

Fun fact: in addition to be a snarky-yet-savvy astrologer and astrology writer, I also write fiction. And I recently wrote an astrology satire of "Romeo and Juliet". It's a 3-act short story, written as a journal, with lots of astrology and humor. Enjoy!

Tales of the Leo New Moon

7.28 – ♌ 🌑 

Something marvelous happened today. Actually, it was both marvelous and tragic, like the movie Glitter. (Well, that film was just terrible. Tragic, even.) Today’s new moon in Leo was lighting up my natal Mars and Jupiter in Leo. 

One time, Deidre, my Capricorn mentor, said that when you have a new moon positively aspecting Mars and Jupiter, you’ll encounter a potential sexy lover (Mars) / potential guru (Jupiter)—and OMG, was she right!

OK. I was at Whole Foods with my Taurus BFF Vani, even though I was adamantly against being so. I mean, Ivywild, CO has so many more amazing places to hang out than a freaking grocery store. And tbh, I had a lot better places to be than at a grocery store on a Thursday morning. Especially on this Leo new moon. 

“You say that now,” Vani said with a slight tone of mocking as she parked her car, “but just wait until you see the hot guys working here.”

Hotties at Whole Foods? She must be joking. 

Except she wasn’t. Vani was right: Whole Foods was teeming with hot guys. They were everywhere– in the produce department, in the front end, getting grocery carts—I mean, it was a feast of sexy fellas, an outbreak. Gorgeous guys in their jeans, button downs, and black aprons were hustling through the grocery store, rolling crates and stock carts, looking FINE as WINE. I could hardly believe it.  

“See what I mean?” Vani said, noticing how my jaw had dropped at this wondrous sight.

“Yes, I do,” I said slowly, still aghast. 

It had been so long since we had been around this many good-looking guys in the flesh, I almost forgot what a hot guy really looked like. (Almost. I mean, I still had my Pinterest boards of Tom Hiddleston and Robert Downey Jr. pics to stare at on lonely nights.) Anyway, Vani and I did as we normally do: we started flirting with nearly every guy asking them their zodiac signs as we pretended to shop for stuff we knew we weren't gonna buy. 

Vani took 15 minutes chatting with a Scorpio barista whom she said was “sexy AF” as we ventured away from the Whole Foods cafe. (Tbh, he was not sexy. He looked like Bill Gates with a short-fade haircut. Talk about ew.) And it was when I was finishing up a rather saucy conversation with an Aries about peach jam and nectarine jelly, that I stopped short. 

The hottest guy I’ve ever seen was standing in the produce section, stocking cucumbers lettuce, and other green things. He looked like an Adonis against the backdrop of lush greens and bright-colored veggies, a demi-god in a modern-day Eden… He had ocean-blue eyes; an angular–yet-slack jaw with just the right amount of groomed scruff; full lips, gauged ears, and –best of all –a man bun (gawd, I love man buns). And he was dressed in a blue flannel shirt over a white v-neck and jeans, just like an Urban Outfitters model… 

He was an Adonis, and Urban Adonis. 

“Oh my gawd, Vani,” I said, grabbing her arm, “look at him.”

“Ooh,” Vani said, giggling slightly, “what do you think his sign is?”

“No clue,” I said slowly as I continued to watch the guy. 

Then he looked up and– OMG it was incredible. It was like he was looking not at me, but through me, and like he was just as amazed and impressed by me as I was him. 

Emboldened by this and also hella curious about his sign, I marched over to where he was stocking cucumbers and lettuce to talk to him. Something swirled in the air as I did so, like a magic spell was being cast or a thread of fate was right then being sewn between us.

We stared at each other in stunned and expectant silence. Well, sorta. Internally, I was yelling at myself to say something–anything–when this genius one-liner came out: 

“Er–What’s your sign?” 

Urban Adonis leaned back and stared at me, and his bright blue eyes flickered with something I couldn’t read. Like, I couldn’t tell if he was taken aback, freaked out, or thankful that I had gotten to the point. (He had to be wondering about my sign too, right?) 

After what felt like hours of us sitting there staring at each other in the produce section like a couple of wide-eyed, open-mouthed Precious Moments dolls, Urban Adonis tilted his head and gave me this deliciously playful-yet-wolfish look. Then, he spoke.  

“What’s your sign?” 

OMG even his voice was hot. Seriously. It was like a choir of hunky alto and baritone angels had come together to produce the heavenly sound that was this Adonis’s voice. And I was so taken aback by the gorgeous sound emanating from his chest that I… 

Well, I stammered quite a bit, actually. 

“N-no,”  I stuttered, my stomach giving a nervous jolt, “I—I want to know your sign.” 

Urban Adonis didn’t say anything. He folded his arms across his chest and gazed back at me. This sent my pulse racing and I felt myself flush with fever. 

“I’m a Gemini,” I said.

“A Gemini,” he repeated slowly, as though tasting each letter of my zodiac name. This nearly set me ablaze and melted me into a puddle. 

Growing impatient, I again asked: “So, what’s your sign? I mean, when’s your birthday?” 

My tongue tumbled over the words as though they were thick oatmeal. WTF? 

Urban Adonis’s brilliant blue eyes widened once more. He bit his lip, holding the lip bite for several seconds as he gave me a quick once-over. This sent little tingles up and down me.

“January,” he said, “I was born in January.”

January? WTF did he mean by January? 

“What day in January?” I asked, trying to hide my confusion. 

“The 26th.”

OH DEAR GOD NO. 

This was the moment when my world came crashing down. This was the moment when all that sweet meet-cute crap turned sour, when the marvelous turned tragic. 

“So, you’re an Aquarius?” I croaked.

Urban Adonis gave me a wolfish grin. “I guess I am.”

I nodded and smiled like you do when you hear horrible news you would have preferred not to hear but can’t let the other person know that you think the news was horrible.  

How could this hottie with a body be an—Oh, I can’t even say it. It’s too tragic: the most gorgeous guy I’ve ever seen, the potential love of my life, was born under the one sign I will never be able to date (besides Scorpio).  

7.29 –  ♌☽ ☍ ♄ ♒ + ♃ rx  

Aquarius? Urban Adonis is an Aquarius?  

How can a guy as gorgeous as Urban Adonis (and who is so obviously into me), be born under the ONE sign I can’t stand (besides Scorpio)? Why? Why does the universe hate me?

I mean, OK. Of course I got Urban Adonis’s digits yesterday and he, mine. I also got his name–Tyler–but I have no intention of ever texting or calling him, let alone seeing him again. 

How can I when he’s an Aquarius? 

“Oh, Vani,” I moaned, “How could the universe have forsaken me with this–this disaster? I feel I’m a sailor lost at sea, with nothing steering my sails!”

“Stop being such a phlegmatic Pisces Moon right now,” Vani said, which I took great offense to; mostly because I didn’t know what she meant by “phlegmatic”, but it made me think of that giant Mucus character from those Mucinex commercials. Is that how my best friend of nearly 23 years thinks of me, as an obnoxious anthropomorphic ball of phlegm? 

Anyway, it wasn’t my fault. Today’s transits had me feeling like that vile phlegm-ball (figuratively and literally: I was quite stuffy, today). First and foremost, Jupiter, the planet of luck and opportunity, stationed retrograde mere hours after yesterday’s new moon (that would explain why my luck with Urban Adonis suddenly took a turn for the worse.) Plus, the Moon was now moving towards an opposition to Saturn. My horoscope from astrology.com said that transit imparted feelings of overwhelm and restriction and I was likely to face an emotional crisis. And boy was it right: This Tyler-Aquarius stuff has me in dire straits.    

Vani came over to my place to comfort me. Actually, all she really did was sit on my bed flipping through Linda Goodman’s Love Signs (I know she was looking at Taurus-Scorpio compatibility. She got that barista’s number yesterday even though I told her it was a bad idea) while I paced my bedroom, mourning this tragedy for the 800th time in the past 24 hours. 

“So he’s an Aquarius,” Vani said, putting the book down, “what’s the big deal?”

“I’ve never gotten along with an Aquarius, that’s the big deal!” I cried. “Remember Keith from our high school English class who loved Swedish death metal and Heart of Darkness?”

Vani gasped. “Ew. He’s an Aquarius?” 

“YES! And we hated each other,” I said, adjusting my glasses. “It’s all my Leo placements: Mars, Jupiter, Ascendant! Leo and Aquarius are opposite signs. Why do you think I tell you and every other Taurus to stay away from Scorpios?”

She thought for a moment. “Because you got spurned by a Scorpio, and have become incredibly biased towards the sign, and really, any other sign besides yours and mine?” 

“That’s not true,” I huffed. “I don’t have any astrological biases. I tell you to stay away from Scorpios because they’re your opposite, just like Aquarius is Leo’s opposite.”

“Even so,” Vani said, sounding unconvinced, “you’re a Gemini, not a Leo. Aren’t Gemini and Aquarius compatible?” 

“In theory, yes,” I said, “If Aquarians didn’t suck. I mean, have you seen the list of notable Aquarius celebs: Michael Bay, Guy Fieri, JOHN TRAVOLTA. Um, ew, ew, EW. More like John T-Revolting amirit?”  

(OK, Travolta was hot when he played Danny Zuko, but that’s about it.)

“That one ex-Navy mechanic I dated for a week was an Aquarius, and he was a freak,” Vani said, sounding convinced. “There’s not enough foundation in the world that could cover up his weirdness. Second conversation we had, he talked about butt plugs and X-Files. He’s now a mortician. That says it all.” She shuddered. “But they can’t all be bad, can they? Tyler seemed very charming. What does his birth chart say about him?”

“I don’t wanna look!” I bellowed, covering my face. “Knowing my luck, he’ll be 50% Aquarius and 50% Scorpio, and I can’t face another disappointment like that. Not again.” 

“I don’t know, you got his birthday and his phone number. I wouldn’t say that’s a disappointment,” she said, patting my leg. “Besides he wouldn’t stop staring at you the whole time you two were talking. Who cares if he’s an Aquarius? He likes you, I’m sure of it.” 

As Vani returned to Love Signs, I sat on my windowsill and gazed outside. 

The Moon was barely a sliver above the mountains, and pale stars speckled the night sky. Warm lights from all the bars and buildings a few miles yonder broke up the darkness. 

The worst, most shameful part was that, even though he’s an Aquarius who may have some Scorpio in his chart, I liked Tyler. A LOT. He was charming and playful and sooo freaking hot. Still, he’s an Aquarius, the sign opposite my Leo Ascendant, which placed his Sun on my Descendant. Which is–oh, let me explain. 

The Ascendant and the Descendant are two of four critical angles in the birth chart. One’s Ascendant (or Rising Sign) is the zodiac sign rising in the eastern horizon at the moment we take our first breath; this sign is sooo important because it rules the 1st House of the Identity and how you operate in the world. It’s basically the front door of your horoscope. Whereas the Descendant is opposite that; its sign describes the qualities of your open enemies. They possess the qualities you lack (and vice versa), which creates subconscious animosity (like the animosity that exists between Kylie and Kendall Jenner.)

It’s so hard to guess a Rising Sign. Really, you need the whole chart, but in order to know Tyler’s Rising Sign and his whole chart, I’d have to ask him what time he was born, which meant I’d have to text him, and I was firmly against texting, calling, or ever seeing him. 

Still, I was curious… There was something about this guy, Tyler. He was more than just a hot guy. I mean, Whole Foods was teeming with hot guys yesterday, but Tyler and I were drawn to each other like magnets. Still, I wondered why… Why did I find him so intriguing? 

It had to have something to do with fate–or, at the very least, astrology and our astrological compatibility. I mean, how else would you explain how two people could be drawn to each other in an instant?   

Quickly, I reached for my phone in my back pocket and without really realizing what my thumbs were doing, I texted Tyler:

Hey, this is Camille :). Weird question, but: Do you know what time you were born?

And it happened as soon as I sent the text, like a message from heaven, he replied with only three words (and an emoji):

3:30 a.m. Why? 😏

Without replying, I inputted his birth data into the chart generator on astro.com, and–

OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG. OMG.

7.30 – ☾ ☌ ♃ in ♎ 

This is unreal. Honestly. 

Today, The North Node of Destiny is aligning with Uranus the Awakener sometimes known as the planet of electricity and ah-ha moments. And boy, did I feel awakened and electric! Like, I feel light as air yet bubbly at the same time and led to a massive discovery. (Seriously, I felt like I was drunk this morning–but in a good way! Like, I was drunk with delirium or something.) And it wasn’t just the transits that were causing this. No, it was the fact that…

“He’s my soulmate!” I beamed as I traipsed into my fave botanical shop, Metaphysicum, where, after passing shelves of herbal teas, bath bombs, soaps and spritzes,  I would find my Capricorn guru and former astrologer-turned-herbalist, Deidre. 

She sat behind the counter in the middle of the store, putting labels on a few small dark vials. There were dried flowers, sprigs of herbs, and a strong scent of citrus and rosemary. 

“I just mixed up this essential oil for energy and positivity,” Deidre said, apparently ignoring me and my MAJOR, LIFE-CHANGING NEWS. 

“Smell.” 

She handed me a vial, and I took a whiff. Suddenly, I felt even more energized. 

“What is it?” I asked in awe, momentarily distracted. 

“Lemon, rosemary, peppermint, pink grapefruit and sweet orange,” Deidre said. “It’s been a tricky blend. Oils can complement each other or combat each other, but the nose and the body will tell you if something isn’t right…”

“Um, ok,” I said. WTF was she talking about?

“This blend is for vim, vigor, and energy. Lately, I’ve found myself to be lacking both.” She gave me a once-over. “Though you don’t look like you need any more of either.”  

Oils complement each other and bring out notes you may not have ever sensed

“This is true,” I said coyly, barely able to stand still

“Why are you bopping around like Tigger? Is this about the barista?” Deidre asked, sounding bored AF.

“No, Vani’s the one who likes him,” I said, taking a seat even though I didn’t want to sit. “This is about something–or, I should say someone else.

“And he might just be the most splendiferous someone else I’ve ever met in my entire life: Eyes like the ocean…sinewy, tatted forearms, neck and god knows what else…and a man bun to boot. Ugh, how could I have been so, so blind to Water Bearers before? How could I have not seen that one would match with a Twin Lion-Fish? In my natal chart he is my complete opposite, yet he also balances me entirely. Oh, astrology is a fickle thing, isn’t it?” 

Smiling, I turn to face my Capricorn guru. Surely she would understand. 

“What the hell are you talking about?” Deidre asked, sounding annoyed. “Speak English, or I won’t keep up.”

“I’ve fallen in love with the enemy, my Capricorn friend,” I continued, “an Aquarius.”

“Oh, for god sake,” Deidre groaned. “Weren’t you just enamored with a Sagittarius from a Marijuana dispensary? What was his name, Ross?”

“His name was Roz. Like I would fall for someone named Ross. Ew. And he didn’t sell weed, he worked at Natural Grocers,” I corrected. “But I’ve forgotten all about him. I now love someone much more handsome, much more electrifying, and so utterly perfect for me. Plus, he works at Whole Foods.”

“Ugh,” Deidre groaned, “you Geminis are so fickle. Before the sun even sets, you’re falling for someone new. How many more of these grocery store Ganymedes will there be before you see that for you, love has nothing to do with your heart, and has everything to do with your eyes?” She shook her head. “You see a hot guy and BAM he’s your soulmate.”  

“That’s not true,” I said, stung. “It’s when I find out a guy’s sign and look at all the harmonious aspects in our compatibility chart that I think he’s my soulmate. Duh.”

Deidre can be so crusty sometimes.

“Besides, why are you chiding me for loving my Aquarius soulmate?”

“You, my friend, are doting,” Deidre said, “you’re not loving.”

“That’s not true!” I countered. 

Well, maybe it was a little bit true. Tbh, I don’t know how anyone could fall in love with anyone in less than a week, but I couldn’t tell Deidre this. After all, she’s the cynical old earth sign and I’m the spritely, I-believe-in-love air sign. Right?

“How have you reached this conclusion that this guy is your soulmate, if you just hated him yesterday?” Deidre asked.

“I didn’t hate him,” I argued, “I hated his Sun sign, but I don’t hate it anymore. I realized that Aquarius is a perfect match for a Gemini like me, especially when talking about an Aquarius like Tyler.”  

When I looked up his chart, I was ASTOUNDED by what I saw. Every freaking planet in Tyler’s birth chart–Sun, Moon, Venus, Mars–aligned perfectly with mine. (OK, maybe not perfectly perfectly,  but they were close enough: I’m a Gemini Sun, Pisces Moon, Leo Ascendant with Venus in Cancer and Mars in Leo. And Tyler is an Aquarius Sun, Taurus Moon (#howhot) and a Gemini Ascendant with Venus in Capricorn and Mars in Aquarius; ergo: WE’RE ASTROLOGICALLY MADE FOR EACH OTHER)

“Deidre, if you’d only take a look at our synastry chart, then you would see how well this Aquarius balances me–”

“He doesn’t balance you,” Deidre interrupted. “True compatibility is based on favorable Venus-Mars, Moon-Venus, and Sun-Venus contacts.”

Blah, blah, blah. She just wanted to rain on my parade.

Honestly. Deidre can be so old sometimes. (She must be at least 53). Plus, she’s an earth sign, which means she’s crusty and pragmatic and BORING, and she has no clue what she’s talking about because she’s obviously forgotten what it’s like to have fun. 

Still, I wasn’t backing down.

“Here,” I said, nearly slamming the birth charts on the counter, “read it and weep in humility and joy, for you’ll soon see how wrong you are. Tyler and I have perfect astrological compatibility. Where I have fire, he has air, and where I have water, he has earth.” 

Reluctantly, Deidre took the birth charts and gave them the same judgmental stare she gives me. It was several moments before she spoke again. 

“Hm,” she said, “maybe you’re not so far off, young waverer. These alignments of both your planets and astrological houses do show potential for pure love.” She put the charts down. “Even if he’s your enemy.”

“Well, on that account,” I said, nearly jumping off my seat. “I have to go tell Tyler–”

“Don’t tell him anything yet,” Deidre interrupted. “They stumble that run fast.”

I was too excited over Deidre’s confirmation to bother figuring out what the hell she had said. If only the old and crusty Capricorns listened to us Geminis more often; they would learn a thing or two about life, let me tell you. Besides, I’m the one with a soulmate, aren’t I?

#fiction #short story #short stories #indie author #astrology #zodiac #zodiac facts #gemini #aquarius #leo #sagittarius #aries #zodiac signs #taurus #capricorn #cancer #libra #pisces #virgo #scorpio #leo new moon #new moon #natal chart #romeo and juliet #humor #chicklit #astrology facts #birth chart #astrology signs #astrology lessons

[knowlesian]

for some godforsaken reason i keep having intense feelings about izzy “only human in a muppet movie” hands, the joke has officially infected my brain and morphed into being kind of sad for that incredible mess of a man. 

as such: everybody gets to suffer with me.

if you think about the show from izzy’s perspective, he went to bed in a gritty pirate drama where nobody gets to be happy for long and if you gut-stab a motherfucker, they have the common decency to fucking die already. he had both feet firmly on the ground in this world: he understood his place in it. he knew the goddamned rules!

and then one day he wakes up and blackbeard says “say, how about you go fetch me a fancyman” and once he finds stede, somehow this incompetent little weirdo beat him with the power of friendship, chutzpah, and a well-chucked coconut. 

and then blackbeard lets stede get away with it—not just get away with it, but he celebrated izzy’s deeply embarrassing loss to a bunch of greenhorns, and he’s allowing the source of izzy’s confusion and humiliation to parade around calling him ed. 

(i feel like that matters a lot to izzy—it’s pretty clear in his mind, using edward is a privilege he takes seriously and something that’s Special and Just For Him. and now stede is all “ed this, ed that, ohhhh ed let’s have tea and cakes and wacky hijinks and be all tender and adorable and emotionally available to each other in a healthy, open way” and ed doesn’t just let it happen. he likes it!)

lucius gets the better of him (using information only ivan or fang could have told him! O U C H), nobody wants him around now that they can have muppet adventures, and then it all culminates in blackbeard-now-ed going back on his plan to pull a single white female but make it none of those things actually and the duel.

ohhhh, the duel. where the final law of gravity izzy understands just... breaks. everything about his life is so very sad and it’s his own fault, but man. i can’t help it, i feel bad for the little freak.

he woke up in a different genre and whenever he tries to be like “okay, but yesterday i could have sworn linear time had meaning? and sepsis actually existed? is anybody else seeing this shit?????” everybody around him says “but izzy, we’ve ALWAYS BEEN MUPPETS.” 

the choking/Toe Moment in the finale, beyond being disturbing as all hell/a kinkmeme fill on parade, carry a new resonance with that framing. he’s crying in happiness over getting to do the Weird Vore, sure, but this is a realignment. his world finally makes sense again!

(also he’s so in love with blackbeard he can’t do anything other than drown in it, but that’s another post too.)

anyway, all that to say: stede crashing into his life was basically a mindfuck so intense it was full-on eldritch horror times for izzy and i just think that’s neat!!!! also so, so deeply sad.

#our flag means death #ofmd spoilers #omfd #izzy hands #izzy 'only human in a muppet movie' hands is canon gdi #it's hilarious too! until you pull a me and think too hard about it #then it's sad AND hilarious #oh izzy you weird little freak i will not find you love #okay i should get back to writing about the finale i just had to stop and yell about izzy #everywhere i turn on this show: a feast for mine eyes #a fulfillment in mine heart #a marked increase in the silly/purple aspect of mine prose #my ofmd meta #since i guess this is just What I Do Now #this is who i am!!!! #anyway it's almost time for regionals. #the silly/genius intersectional muppet extravaganza

[dream-a-little-bigger-x]

Quarantine Lovers (Part 3) | Charlie Gillespie

A/N: Happy Halloween, you guys! I hope you’ve had an amazing day so far, whether you go all out for the holiday or not! Hope you enjoy this little imagine-fic-thing of celebrating Halloween in quarantine with Charlie :) Love you guys! xxx

Pairing: Charlie Gillespie x Reader

Warnings: fluff

Words: 2, 827

Happy Halloween, Witches

Ah, 2020. The year that canceled everything thus far. No traveling, no real summer. You couldn’t even get back to work and neither could Charlie. You had spent your time writing up ideas for new shows and pitching some ideas over Zoom to the rest of the Outer Banks writing team. It sucked. Mostly because you couldn’t see any family or friends in real life. And now that October has come around, it seems nothing has changed much. In fact, it’s gotten even worse. 

There was a second lockdown looming and you could just about see  your perfect Halloween night shattering right before your eyes. Sure, you were just planning on inviting some friends over and watching horror movies, eating pizza and snacks, but it still sucked that wouldn’t happen now after all. 

Charlie had noticed on Monday how bummed you were when you realized things were getting worse. He knew how much you loved the holiday and how excited you were to see friends and spend some time with them. So, he set his plan in motion. 

On Saturday morning, you wake up to a cold, empty bed and the sound of clanging pans and cutlery coming from the kitchen. Confused, and still a little sleep-drunk, you get out of bed and slip on Charlie’s sweater to keep you at least a little warm since you were just wearing a shirt of his. (You’d almost think you don’t ever wear your own clothes anymore). From the little corridor that connects the bedrooms to the living and kitchen area, you can already spot him at the stove. Curious and a little endeared that he’d be cooking this early in the morning, you make your way towards him, only to be surprised by the living room being coated in full Halloween gear. Spiders in spider webs everywhere, pumpkins, skeletons, ghosts in every nook and cranny. 

“Char… Wha--?” he turns to you, eyes widening first before his smile appears instead. 

“Get back to bed, I was gonna wake you up with a song.” You walk over to him, peeking over his shoulder to what he’s making. Pumpkin pancakes. He’s actually making pancakes in the form of little pumpkins. Could he be any cuter? 

“You’ve missed your true calling, baby,” you tell him and kiss his bare shoulder. A light chuckle arises from his body, making his shoulders shake slightly. You then turn around to eye the feast he had already spread out on the table. 

Everything is in theme. Halloween doughnuts, a giant fake pumpkin with fruit seeping out of its mouth. You assume he just went on Pinterest to inspire him and then, when walking down the aisles in the shops, just grabbed everything that seemed even slightly Halloweeny. “Can I help you with anything?” you ask, looking around for a job to do. Charlie turns around to place the plate with a pile of pumpkin pancakes on the table, placing a gentle hand on the small of your back as he leaned past  you. 

“No, I got it covered,” he presses a kiss to your hair before turning to go to the fridge. “Sit down, baby.” Slightly disgruntled, you sigh and sit down on the chair closest to you. 

“Why are we doing this, Gillespie? Got something to make up for?” you ask teasingly after taking another glance at the breakfast spread in front of you. 

“Can’t I just surprise my girlfriend with the breakfast of dreams?” He asks and places a hand on the back of your neck while leaning forward to pour some orange juice into a glass. His fingers softly scratch your scalp, and you can’t help but lean into his touch. “Besides, I noticed how bummed you were about our plans with our friends falling apart, so I came up with a plan to make it the best Halloween I could, despite being stuck inside with me.” You nearly melt at this idea of his. He did all of this. For you. Just because you were bummed about cancelled plans. How did you ever earn a beautiful, good soul like him? 

“I would’ve enjoyed just watching movies tonight with you, too, you goof,” you say, which sends a smile right up to his lips. “But thank you.” He leans down to press his lips on yours quickly before turning to grab a few more things and then joining you at the table. 

“So, I have an entire day of fun things planned for us,” he starts when you take your first bite of pumpkin pancake, a delightful moan escaping  your lips at the amazing taste tingling your taste buds. Charlie shoots you an amused look with risen eyebrows and a smirk. 

“These are good!” you exclaim, “But go on, what are the fun things you planned?” Charlie is seemingly brought back into reality by that question as he slightly shakes his head and blinks his eyes a few times quickly. 

“So, remember when you kinda joked we should go as each other for Halloween?” You nod your head slowly, that was something you did suggest as a Halloween costume last month when you were planning the whole night. All your friends would’ve come dressed up. It was mandatory to do so on Halloween, you thought. “I think we should do it. We should dress as each other and then we’re going to the shops to get us some tools and pumpkins…” Your eyes widen at this, already know what the rest of his plan is. 

“We’re gonna carve pumpkins?!” you nearly scream. This makes him laugh, shaking his head at how freaking adorable you are with your little bounds of excitement. It’s the same way he gets excited about the things he’s passionate about. 

“Yes, we are! And then we’re gonna bake some Halloween cookies, order pizza and watch movies all night long!” You shriek with exhilaration, and get up to run around the table towards your boyfriend, attacking him with your lips on his. He chuckles against your lips, pulling you down to his lap. You deepen the kiss while your hands tangle up in his hair. This makes him stop giggling as he melts right into you, his hands roaming from your waist down your thigh and back up. 

“You are the greatest boyfriend, you know that?” you tell him when you pull back, resting your forehead against his and staring in his eyes. He pecks your lips once more before leaning over to grab a piece of fruit and feeding it to you. 

“You deserve it, baby,” he tells you with a shrug whilst you grab another piece of fruit and hold it out to him to eat. “We both love Halloween, so it seemed a little lame to just watch movies together,  you know? That’s a regular Thursday in this household.” You giggle at that. He’s not wrong. During lockdown, you’ve watched so many movies, you’ve lost count. 

“I love you,” you whisper and kiss him again. The taste of strawberry still faintly on his lips. 

“I love you too, like so much.” He plants another kiss on your lips before you both turn back to your breakfast, but staying where you are; on his lap. You feed each other fruit and pancakes and doughnuts whilst chatting about how excited you were about the entire day. 

After breakfast, he let you get dressed first whilst he cleaned up the kitchen. You’d suggested to help, but he insisted on you getting dressed and ready instead. So, you do. You shower, dry your hair and curl it, then put on very minimal makeup, just to hide those bags and blemishes. As an outfit, you picked out some dungarees (because, let’s be honest, Charlie looked cutest in his dungarees), steal his Sunset Curve Summer Tour ‘95 shirt to go underneath it and your white Adidas on your feet. You also steal one of his snapbacks since his lockdown-hair has needed some support to keep it out of his eyes. 

Once ready, you check yourself in the full-length mirror, then nod, satisfied with the ensemble. You can’t wait to see Charlie’s reaction to this costume of yours or what he has planned for his costume. 

“Cover your eyes!” you yell into the direction of the living room. 

“Covered!” he yells back, and you make your way cautiously into the living room where you find Charlie on the couch with his phone in his lap and his hands over his eyes. He looks like an actual toddler like this. It’s the most endearing thing you’d ever seen, so you quickly snap a picture before stepping in front of him. 

“Okay, open.” He slowly takes his hands away from his eyes, and lets them wander over your entire body. His lips part as some excess air needs to leave his lungs from that breath-taking view in front of him. “You like it?” you ask, twirling around, so he can see the entire thing. He quickly places his phone on the couch and stands up, placing his hands on your waist. 

“You look better in this outfit than I ever would, Gorgeous,” he mumbles before leaning down and pressing a chaste kiss to your lips. “You make me crazy, Y/L/N.” You comb your fingers through the front of his hair, making his gorgeous eyes more visible to you. 

“Ditto, Gillespie,” you whisper and kiss him once again. “Now, you get dressed. I’m curious to see what you come up with.” After having kissed your nose quickly, he dashes past you and into the bedroom, leaving you all by yourself. It takes him about fifteen minutes before his voice chimes through the apartment. 

“I’m ready! Close your eyes!” You place your hands over your eyes, a smile tugging at your lips in excitement. “Okay, open.” His voice sounds closer, a little teasing, even. You slowly remove your hands, your eyes widening and your mouth dropping at the sight in front of you. He’s wearing a loose, black boiler suit, complete with red-and-white belt, exactly how you’d wear it. On his feet, he’s wearing Dr. Martin’s ankle boots. 

“This is the best thing I ever did see!” you exclaim excitedly as he makes a little twirl. “We need to take a photo!” You grab your phone from the pocket of your dungarees and get it set up on a self-timer and so that it takes multiple pictures in one take before placing it on the tv stand. Once you press the button, you hurry to Charlie, who has his arms open. 

“Jump!” he says, and you quickly do so, wrapping  your legs around his waist at the same moment your phone starts taking the pictures. For the next few, you keep your feet on the floor, leaning against your boyfriend. The first ones, you’re looking at the camera, but Charlie’s looking at you. Then you’re looking at him but he’s not. And on the last one, you’re staring in each other’s eyes with wide smiles on your faces. For the last group of shots, you squat down and cross your arms, Charlie following your example. In the second shot, you both hold your hand up in a rock sign, sticking out your tongues. The last one of that group of pictures is of both of you falling on your butts due to the lack of balance. 

“Those last ones are hilarious,” he says, pointing at the ones where you’re both on your ass, throwing your head back with laughter. “Let’s go get our pumpkins now first!” 

Back home with the two biggest pumpkins you could find, -- there weren’t very many left -- the two of you start by covering the floor with an old sheet before getting your new utensils out and starting the carving process. While you’re spooning out pumpkin seeds, there’s music playing in the background, and the two of you are talking about what you’re about to do to the pumpkins. Charlie’s going to go for a Pennywise face whilst you’re cutting out three ghosts. He couldn’t help but smile at that idea of yours. You really were the cutest when you’re in your element about this holiday. 

“I think I’m done,” you say, leaning back to take a last look at the entire finished product. Charlie rests his head on your shoulder, peeking over to see your piece of art. “The guitars were really hard to do.” You point to Ghost Reggie’s bass and Ghost Luke’s guitar. “But the drumsticks were easy.” Charlie chuckles and plants a kiss underneath your ear, tasting a bit of pumpkin. This makes him scrunch his nose in disgust. Raw pumpkin does not taste that great.

“How in the holy hell did you get a little pumpkin behind your ear?” he asks and takes his finger to wipe any residue away. 

“I’ve got no clue,” you say and turn your head to face him, only to find a pumpkin seed stuck in his long hair. A laugh erupts from your body, shaking you from head to toe. “You’ve got some in your hair.” He tries to pluck it out, but keeps missing, so you help him out instead. “I shouldn’t have showered this morning,” you laugh, shaking your head at your own stupid desicion. Charlie laughs too before getting up with his pumpkin in hands. 

“Let’s put them on the kitchen island,” he suggests and makes his way there. “I’ll grab some tealights.” While he does that, you get up too and place  your Julie and The Phantoms one next to his Pennywise one. They don’t look too bad in your opinion. 

Charlie returns with two little tealights and places one in each pumpkin whilst you grab the matches, but Charlie stops you before you can light them. “It’s still light out, babe. That’s not gonna have much effect,” he chuckles. “We’ll light them later. Let’s bake now!” You nod your head vigorously and skip into the kitchen. 

That afternoon is spent baking cookies and cupcakes, and ends in a food fight with flour everywhere. To say this is the best Halloween you ever had would be the biggest understatement of the year. Even though it’s not exactly how you planned it, it’s still the most perfect day ever, thanks to Charlie. And that’s not even all he’d planned. 

By nightfall, the two of you had lit your pumpkins, placed the treats on the coffee table and had a movie ready to play on the tv when Charlie’s phone started to ring. A little confused and disgruntled about the interruption, you peer over his shoulder to see who’s calling him. Owen Joyner wants to facetime Julie and the Phantoms

Charlie glances at you with a smirk on his face before picking up the phone. The blonde guy you’ve come to love appears on the small screen, along with Jeremy and Carolynn, and Madison.

“Hey guys!” Charlie greets excited while you offer an excited wave. 

“Happy Halloween, Witches!” Owen yells. That’s when  you realize they, too, are dressed up. Owen has fake blood run from his lip and has a black cape draped over his shoulders. Carolynn and Jeremy are dressed as angel and devil whilst Madison is a witch. 

“What are you dressed as?” Owen asks, peering at his screen to try and figure it out. 

“Each other!” you reply, which sends all of them into a fit of laughter. 

“That’s very original!” Carolynn compliments. “You rock those dungarees, Y/N!”

“Thanks, angel,” you retort, a little flustered at the compliment. 

The FaceTime call lasts for about an hour and a half until Charlie decides to call it quits and start watching movies instead. You bid your goodbyes to your friends before cuddling up to Charlie as he puts his phone away. 

“This has really been the greatest Halloween, Char. Thank you,” you whisper and lean up to meet his lips for a sweet, long kiss. 

“Anything for you, Gorgeous.” You lie down on his chest again, getting kissed on the head as  you do so. You can’t help but sigh happily. Charlie really went all out with the surprises. From the breakfast spread to carving pumpkins and baking Halloween cookies to the surprise phone call from the guys and even the costume. 

That night, you post a bunch of pictures to Instagram. The first is one of the posed one of your outfits, then follows the one of Charlie covering his eyes on the sofa, your carved pumpkins and the one picture where you’ve both fallen on your ass after losing balance. 

“Wanna thank this little goofball for going all out on my favorite day of the year. Guess I should be more bummed about little things from now on if it means getting pumpkin pancakes, dressing up as each other and all the other amazing surprises. Thank you, baby. You really are the greatest of all time. @charles_gillespie 💗 Happy Halloween, Witches! 🎃”

Taglist: @hannahhistorian92​ @marinettepotterandplagg​ @thequirkybookaholic​ @bookdealer5​ @tenaciousperfectionunknown​ @hemmingsness​ @iainttakingshitfromnobody​ @ifilwtmfc​ @angryknightstatesmantrash​ @kiss-themoongoodbye​ @rudysbay​ @thedarkqueenofavalon​​ @caitsymichelle13​​ @calamitykaty​  @parkeret​​ @lukeys-giggle​ @gingerxarmy​ @lovesanimals​ @lolychu​ @perfectlywrongformend3s​ @luckylouiebug​ @camiladelrio98​ @myfriendscallmebeans​

#julie and the phantoms #julie and the himbos #jatp #charlie gillespie #charlie gillespie fic #charlie gillespie x reader #luke patterson #reggie jatp #jeremy shada #alex jatp #owen joyner #julie molina #madison reyes #carrie wilson #savannah lee may #flynn jatp #jadah marie #jatp fandom #jatp fic #fantoms #halloween #quarantine lovers

[ateezbabygirl]

Ateez Mafia Reaction : Aftermath of when their S/O sees them kill for the first time

Part 1

PARK SEONGHWA

When Seonghwa took you home, he couldn’t decipher the damage that was done to your relationship. All he knew and understood was that he had to act fast. He urged you to go to sleep, but even though the silence was deafening you lay awake.

But Seonghwa would be flittering around the house without a sound. He would place roses bouquets all over the house. And order your favorite takeout just to turn it into a candlelight dinner. It would be a feast. Only when he’d be sure of his efforts, he’d come to you. An impromptu bubble bath and massage to relieve your stress that was directly caused by him. Although the silence still hung in the atmosphere, it was more comfortable than before. And the dinner would also pass by smoothly. Seonghwa would want to talk to you but not before you talked to him first. So he’d try harder to show through his actions that he would never hurt you. And he was still the same was that you fell in love with.

KIM HONGJOONG

Hongjoong would be barely able to get a grip of himself. The last thing he’d ever wanted was that his other half would be scared to death. He’d worked so hard to make things alright and put so many efforts in your relationship but his line of work was something that not everyone would be able to deal with. So he knew even if you left him, it’ll be neither side’s fault. All he wanted was somebody to love. He wanted to protect them, to make them feel safe.

Hongjoong would eventually find courage and would ask you about your recent feelings. Both of you would breakdown halfway through the conversation and he’d just pull you into a hug and stand there. No words would be needed as you melted in each other’s embrace and you clothes were soaked until no tears would be left. You both would apologize for everything and promise to love each other harder. Because at the end of it he’d never treat you like that. Hongjoong would wish for you to never think of him as a monster but the man you love.

JEONG YUNHO

Not even five minutes away from the love of your life, you’d suddenly turn around and without thinking run back to the crime scene. It wasn’t until you reached back, you would witness Yunho being carried out on a stretcher. The previous thoughts occupying your mind would go down the drain as you take notice of the blood staining Yunho’s abdomen. The feeling of your heart being torn apart would consume your being until you meet Yunho’s eyes, his face would be flooded with relief but pain was still evident. You would rush to his side in a heartbeat. He would then take notice of your dried tear marks and scared face, even though he was in pain he would try to ask if you were alright. Whereas you’d do the same. You would be yelling at him through your tears, not caring that his men were watching.

Yunho would wait for you to finish and then gather you on his arms as your sobs racked your body. Sudden realization would hit you that Yunho would die for you at any given moment under any circumstances. That just made you sob harder as you soaked Yunho’s shirt completely with your tears. That very day you would understand how much Yunho meant to you and pledge to yourself that you would die for him.

KANG YEOSANG

Yeosang would pay more attention to than anything else. He’ll put his work on hold for you and make sure you’re comfortable. He’d be there to comfort you and make you tea when you’d wake up in cold sweat and tears in the middle of the night because of a nightmare. His soft and gentle side would come out more often than you could imagine. He’d plan a small vacation for you both so that you’d have a change of environment and also so that you could spend some quality time together. He would treat you like a princess by spending lavishly and giving you all the attention he could. And as much as you wouldn’t want to admit it to him, it made you fall in love with him even more.

You’d assure him that he’ll the be only man you love and nobody else. But no matter what or how much you assured him a part of Yeosang would always be insecure about what went down. So he’d make sure that you are completely over it before even thinking about diving back to the mafia scene.

CHOI SAN

San’s heart would clench in pain every time he would remember the look on your face before you ran away from him. He was supposed to be your safe haven but has managed to become the source of your nightmares. wouldn’t really know what to do. He would be very confused so initially he would try and wait for you to come , but by each passing day he would grow more anxious and miserable. He would feel as if he was losing his sanity without you.

San would barely restrain himself from chasing you down and making you talk to him. But would rather try to ease you into it by small gestures. Making coffee for you in the morning to leaving small heartfelt post its everywhere. And this would go on for a bit till one day you walked in on him crying. Tears would adorn his face as he watched a video of you two on his phone. His sobs would get louder as your laughter rang through the room. You would soon find yourself wrapped up in his arms as he poured his heart out to you and how much you meant to him.

SONG MINGI

Starting next morning Mingi would be all over the place, trying to make arrangements for you guys to spend more time together. He would pull in some connections so that you get take time off your job without affecting your future. And then would definitely take time off his work too. He would specifically let everyone know not to bother him and leave the Mafia under his close confidants watch. And all that would take place before you woke up.

When you’d wake up finally, Mingi would take you out for breakfast since he couldn’t cook anything edible enough for you to eat. And he wanted nothing more than to treat you like a princess. Although the breakfast date arouses your suspicions, you wouldn’t think much about the night before. Seeing Mingi try so hard would melt your heart. Soon that night would be long forgotten. Just like any other couple he’d take you out for movies and lavish dinner finishing up with long drives. Anytime you’d mention his work, he’d let you know that you were much more important to him than his work and he won’t go back until you’re comfortable enough. And that’s how he’d spend the rest of his days off with you. Assuring you that you were his top priority.

JUNG WOOYOUNG

Wooyoung would be a little taken aback but would eventually start feeling guilty of not being precautionary measures regarding his work. He would immediately rush home only to find out that you weren’t there. So from then on his anxiety would rocket as his mind would be filled with different scenarios about what would lie in your relationship ahead. would feel bad and wait for you at home. As the clock kept on ticking Wooyoung’s heart would grow heavier with despair and anguish.

He’d be barely holding himself back to go out and find you, when you get home. He’d rush to you and pull you into a hug. Wooyoung would have tears streaming down his face as he repeatedly apologized to you. When he would have calmed down enough to get a grip of his emotions. He’d start rambling in his high pitched voice that he’ll try his best to make sure you never have to see it again and how apologetic he was of the whole ordeal.

He’d also promise to take you out on dates, spend more time with you and communicate better as long as you stay by his side because he wouldn’t want to be with anybody else but you. But deepdown even he knew what his line of work was and so there would always be broken promises. But he’d made up his mind to treat you better and not let that get in the way.

CHOI JONGHO

When you’d reach back home and get out of the car in silence, Jongho would observe you silently from the corner of his eyes. He’d think that the best thing to do was to give you space so he would get comfortable in the lobby. But not for long. When you enter the lobby with two heavy suitcases right behind you, Jongho would question your intentions. Jongho would freak out when he understands your actions that were caused by his harsh words.

He’d come closer to you to get you to talk to him but when he’d realize how intent you were on leaving, he would break and kneel down in front of you to beg you to stay with him. He would try to tell you how much you meant to him and how he couldn’t live without you but the words wouldn’t come out. Jongho would struggle through his tears and it would hurt your heart to see him in pain. Your strong pillar breaking down in such a way would outweigh your need to leave.

You’d drop down on your knees and comfort him. When Jongho realizes that you’re giving him another chance he would suddenly start blabbering how he would never hurt you and you were the most important person in his life even though he couldn’t show it all the time. He’d be constantly apologizing to you as you embraced each other for what seemed like hours at most.

#ateez #ateez fluff #ateez imagines #ateez mafia au #ateez smut #ateez smut reaction #ateez boyfriend #mafia ateez #jongho #hongjoong #san #seonghwa #mingi #yunho #wooyoung #yeosang #ateez choi san #ateez reaction #ateez blurb #ateez scenarios #ateez angst #mafia au #mafia reaction #smut

[rvmmm21]

[ V V S her diamonds ] – ch 04.

[5:45 p.m.] Washed-out rays of sunshine flood the arcade cafe, and Seungwan can’t contain her flourishing smile at the thought of Bae Joohyun visiting her at work. 

. . . . .

Sometimes I wish I could go and live in the clouds of your fantasies.

Being a part-time barista is a safe-haven for all of hers.

The junior buzzes around behind the counter, systematically preparing orders of cakes and coffees on the tiny overhead order slips. A satisfied hum sounds as she finishes prettying the dessert display and slides the glass window closed.

Cake display, check. 

Watermelon lychee-mint crush, coming up.

She dries her hands after spooning the frozen watermelon chunks into the blender, and the crinkle of her leather apron sounds brand new for some reason. Perhaps it’s because she feels brand new. Either way, her customers seem to pick up on her good mood too, and it blows her usually gruelling shift by like a light summer breeze. The hustle of work-pressed university students scrambling for their sugar rushes and extra shots of caffeine dulls in her ears, the memory of the past three weeks sitting at the very forefront of her thoughts. 

The past three weeks of back and forth texting, weekly study dates and a volantly climbing heart rate– wait no, a steadily building friendship.

About halfway through the afternoon, the regular tempo of her shift suddenly interrupts with a swish of silky hair and an award winning smile. 

“Wow, a barista. Cute and talented, I see. Where do I sign up?”

Seungwan adjusts the straps on her apron, blinking. “Taeyeon sunbaenim?”

“Kidding, kidding,” the girl laughs, holding her hand out as if that would somehow quell the bout of unease that had begun to well in the pit of Seungwan’s stomach. 

Remaining professional, she answers with a nervous laugh of her own. “What can I get for you today, sunbaenim?”

Taeyeon hums, tapping a delicate finger to her chin while she stares down at the fancy little menu. A vague smirk graces pink lips as her fingertip traces the bold laminated print. “Hm, what do your pancakes come with?”

Seungwan leans over the cash register to glaze over the small description underneath and then snaps back up, knowing the ingredients by heart already. “Oh! They’re plain buttermilk, but you can choose your topping! Uh… strawberries and ice cream is– it’s a customer favourite, if you’d like.” 

A hum of deliberation. “I see. And do I get special service?”

“S-Sorry?” The suggestion in her tone chokes the girl, unsure of what that means. 

Taeyeon gracefully giggles and leans over the counter to playfully tap Seungwan on the shoulder. “Yah, you’re too funny. I meant an extra scoop of ice cream. Since we know each other, obviously. Why, what were you thinking?”

“Ah! Of course I can do that for you,” she chuckles awkwardly, keying in the order. Seungwan’s fingers flinch around the Amex Black Card when it doesn’t slip out of Taeyeon’s as easily. Chestnut eyes peek up at her, and from the casual smirk on her face, the older girl seems to know what she’s doing.

“Oh yeah,” her expression contorts as though she’s trying to recall why she’s now holding up a small queue of foot-tapping, huffing customers. “How’s your project going?” 

She answers hastily, eyeing the holdup. “It’s great! Joohyun unnie is really helping me with this class.”

Taeyeon raises a brow. “Unnie?”

“Y-Yeah, Joohyun unnie’s great, can– can I take your card, please?” she reiterates.

“Ah,” the other girl finally nods in realisation, “you two are close friends now. That’s great! I’m glad to hear it’s going well.” The grip on the credit card slackens. “Thank you, Seungwan.”

Seungwan purses her lips, stiffly rocking on her heels as they both wait for the card reader to go ‘beep’. Once Taeyeon walks away, her tension dispels with a heavy sigh and she signals for the next customer.

Softy’s Autumn Morning comes on the set playlist shuffle. Pleasant lo-fi beats ripple through the cafe and Seungwan gently bops along as she works, carefully eyeing the bubbling pancake mix to make sure it doesn’t burn. 

Time seems to slow to a glacial pace. That is, until the little bronze bell chimes and a certain someone walks in. Seungwan recognises that vintage Balenciaga Defile Sport hoodie in a heartbeat. Her legs kick into gear and she rushes over to meet her. Joohyun approaches the counter with her signature gaze of boredom, but hides a laugh behind her sweater paw when she sees the barista almost trip over her own sneakers. 

Five minutes later, said barista is hunched over a small cup of latte, hands steadily crafting two pointy milk ears with the help of a toothpick.

As she pops a little bonus on the saucer in replacement of their standard Lotus Biscoff biscuit, Seungwan wonders where Sooyoung and Jennie are, melting a little at how Joohyun looks so small and harmless without the final duo to complete her killer posse. God, when they're all three together, it gets really hard to not believe she'sthe precious daughter of South Korea's most elusive mafia boss. The rumours have to come from somewhere, right? She takes a deep breath to steel her nerves before serving the mafia daughter sitting by the window.

“Enjoy your coffee, unnie!” she chirps, setting the steaming drink down. Service with a complimentary home baked cookie is her way of saying ‘I think you’re super cool’. 

Totally embarrassed at her dumb little gift, the girl slinks back to her station with sizzling ears before her senior can even thank her.

How cute.

Joohyun’s lips curl into a secret smile at the milk foam cat happily greeting her from her latte.

. . . . .

[7:45 p.m.] Seulgi whines when she goes to get a Cola from the fridge and finds the door wide open with Yerim chugging milk straight from the carton. Her roommate calmly caps the lid, dutifully ignoring her.

. . . . .

Polystyrene containers of spicy tteokbokki, salmon sashimi, crispy pork mandu as well as skewers of various glazed meats glisten deliciously under warm living room lights. It’s the perfect go-to cheat day feast. 

“Unnie, you’re like those tragic lovers in my dramas,” the youngest blurts, chewing on her Yakult straw. “Literally every one of them. Too dumb to confess and then drowns in their tears at night. You gonna break the cycle or what?”

Shock seizes Seungwan’s expression before she shakes her head at the way this heartless dongsaeng just takes her feelings and tosses them around like a salad. Still, she thinks, there’s no harm in being honest.

“What’s there to confess? We’re just friends."

Seulgi and Yerim exchange a silent look at the neat pile of tteokbokki on Seungwan’s plate. They remembered only a month ago, their friend seemed to have eyes for nothing else. The dish was so tasty she could marry it, apparently. But its charms seem to have worn off; now overshadowed by Joohyun’s endearingly obnoxious laughter and just about everything about her.

"Plus, you know, I doubt Joohyun unnie sees me that way either."

An epiphany strikes Yerim and she slaps her hand on the table, jabbing a restless finger at her shocked dorm mates. “Zenitsu, Zenitsu! Unnie, you’re Zenitsu, I’ve freaking figured it out.”

Confusion colours Seungwan’s face. “Zenits… who?”

“Zenitsu from Demon Slayer.”

“What?”

“That mopey kid.”

“Yerim-ah…” 

“Demon Slayer. Yerimie’s bingeing it right now. Anime on Netflix or something,” Seulgi explains through a mouthful of dumpling, “she won’t shut up about it. God help us there’s a movie out already.”

Curiosity soon has the confused girl peering at her screen, determined to find out what she’s being called. Thank god for YouTube. 

The youngest feels the heat as she watches her unnie’s expression become more and more deadpan with every passing video.

“Yerim. What, exactly, do you see of me in this?” Seungwan threateningly questions, holding up a paused clip of a cartoon boy grovelling at the feet of a pretty girl. She wonders if it’s wrong to want Joohyun to actually have mafia connections now… and if she’d be willing to share them with her for… purposes.

She shrugs defensively. “What? Don’t you think he’s cute?”

"Don't worry Wan, I don't see it either," Seulgi jumps in.

‘Cute’ isn’t quite the term. The blonde nonchalantly brings the chopsticks to her mouth and bites down… onto thin air. Much to the amusement of the two across her. “Hey how’s it going with Sooyoung?” she turns her attention to the girl sitting cross-legged opposite.

Seulgi tuts in reply, dangling a salmon slice in front of her unimpressed roomie. “Stop trying to change the subject, Wan. It’s sooo obvious.” After a pregnant pause, she grins like a kid on Christmas morning, spilling her own adventures with her third of the black velvet trio in one breath. “But thank you for asking because we’re going to the cinema this weekend.”

Yerim chopsticks another tteokbokki onto her plate. “Ooh, what movie?”

“Oh, uh…” Seulgi shrugs, “dunno… I think Sooyoung knows more about what’s good, so I’ll–”

“You’re gonna let her decide, is what I’m hearing,” the maknae scoffs with an eye roll.

Seungwan smiles.

“Simps… simps! Help, someone save me, you guys are everywhere!” Yerim pretends to drown on land and her friends resist the urge to jump her on the spot. 

. . . . .

[11:09 a.m.] The raven-haired senior catches her unsuspecting junior on her way through campus gardens the next morning and pries her for answers. 

. . . . . 

“Why a cat?”

Seungwan’s eyes form joyous crescent moons. “Unnie!”

Suddenly, she has to keep her focus from dwindling into how good they’d both look sitting under the shade of that big old oak tree. 

Somewhere through the cottoned clouds of her daydreams, they’re on one of their many picnics. Doughnuts, corn-dogs, toasted sandwiches and bottled juice litter the peach gingham mat they’re sitting on, and Joohyun offers her a corner of her Gilgeori toast. Of course, she cheekily tries her luck, leaving her with just the corner instead. She yelps when Joohyun gives her a shoulder thwack well deserved. 

Clumsy knees knock together as they laugh themselves silly, the powdered sugar on their lips melting into a sweet river every time she connects them with a kiss. 

Seungwan bites her lip, wringing her mind of those thoughts, trying to play down the elation at hearing her senior’s curiosity. “A cat? I-I don’t know, I just think they’re funny and– kinda cute.” Her voice goes squeaky with excitement. “You liked it? Unnie! You should order more coffees with milk in them. I’ll draw you a bunny next time!” 

Joohyun nods, willing to buy the cafe’s entire stock if it meant she got to see Seungwan beam like a praised puppy, all too eager to learn its next trick.

And she might’ve just marched down there right now to do as she’d said… if they weren’t ten minutes late for their class. Suddenly they’re both panickedly clutching at each other, torn between sprinting like they’re being chased by hyenas, turning up fashionably late, or hopping around and freaking out about the fact that they’re already eleven minutes late, now.

Joohyun’s wrist is grabbed just as she’s about to suggest the fashionably late option. Then she’s hurtling forward, struggling to keep her books from falling whilst poorly protesting the early-morning PE session. But Seungwan is too busy shouting nonsense into the skies about how this is the final chance the lightning gods get to strike her down and charge her up.

Which would’ve been convincing had her voice not cracked on every other word.

As the pair clumsily sprint down the path of pastel flower bushes, the older girl can’t remember the last time she’s laughed this freely. She can barely get the words out but she feels like she’d explode if she didn’t. 

“Seungwan-ah! You’re giving me a six pack!”

And when Seungwan turns back to laugh with her, something in Joohyun’s static heart ignites.

. . . . .

In the diamond, star-dappled sky, Cherub wakes from his silken cloud. Lily-white wings unfurl at the latest calling.

#red velvet #wenrene #wendy #irene #university au #seulgi #joy #yeri #joygi #a budding relationship #i mean friendship

[foolscapper]

Someplace Warmer, Someplace Safer - (How the Wild Things Start Universe)

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is not edited/beta'd, so please forgive any rough spots! I'll be cleaning it up and posting it on ao3 at a later time! This also takes place after How the Wild Things Start, and is based on a request sent in by @saintedjack -- thank you!

WARNINGS: PTSD responses, MENTION OF CHILD ABUSE (SEXUAL), please tread carefully if that's hard for you!

In the year of our Lord 2020, Sam Winchester didn't think that Christmas would feel so much less... sore of a spot. Maybe that's because he's practiced a handful of Christmases with Leia and Lilly now and has realized with some clarity that holidays can sometimes be about as good as the number of kids who get excited over it. When it was just him and Dean, it was a coupla beers and memories of little kids who sat in hotel rooms waiting for their parent — singular. Now Lilly is coloring pictures of reindeer and eagerly reminding Dean of what she wants for the hundredth time. ("Yeah, yeah, I got it," Dean grumbles, without even the smallest bit of heat to it, "How could I forget when you drew it on my bedroom wall?") Meanwhile, Leia's fourteen, so the appeal of a 'Santa Claus' isn't really there for her; she and Sam are too alike on that front, having lost whatever magic Christmas would've had when they were very little. But she loves that Lilly loves it. She helps her hang up tinsel and all those basic holiday ornaments around the bunker. When Sam and Dean are out to get the kitsune her dietary needs, she prays to Castiel, makes him trek all the way to Lebanon — just so she can ask him to drive her to the rental box in front of the liquor store for holiday films. Anyway, uh. Sam feels... good. He feels good about it. About Christmas. 

First time in forever, he knows, but things evolve over time, right?

Whatever makes them happy makes him happy, and it doesn't help that Dean's starting to get into a bit of a frantic holiday mood himself when he realizes Cas and Leia rented National Lampoon's Holiday Vacation. With one girl on either side of him, his brother chatters on and on about classics, movies like A Christmas Story and the Grinch, and Sam can only roll his eyes in good humor and sound fondness. It's a good day. He hasn't had a nightmare in days — hasn't slept-walked in almost as long (not that it stops Dean from keeping the front door locked, so Sam can't wander out again and scare the shit out of them). It's the day before Christmas, though, and there's plenty of cereal, boxed mac 'n cheese and canned Chef Boyardee, but absolutely nothing that rightfully belongs on a dinner table for the holidays. "I'll be back; just gonna pick up some stuff," he says, while the three are in the middle of Mr. Grinch, you're a bad banana, Mr. Grinch, with the greasy black peel-. Dean snaps out of the trance that had made him 10-years-old for a moment and looks critically at Sam; Lilly doesn't look away from the television, but Leia's sharp gaze shoots to Sam at the same time as Dean's. Dean says, "You sure you don't want us to go, too?" And Sam waves it off. Waves both of them off, since Leia's trying so hard to judge him under her bangs "I'll be fine. Just hitting the grocery for something that works for tomorrow. Please try not to feed them straight sugar while I'm gone?" "Yes, honey," Dean huffs, but there's some hesitance in the way he turns to look back at the TV. He couldn't really blame him, considering what shitty lucky they had apart. Or, well... considering the guilt that still festers in Dean like old, greenish wounds. Sam knows it's there every time his brother glances at pale scars intersecting on his arms, or when he manages to rouse him from a bad dream, or when Sam spaces out at the dinner table until something startles him to attention. Sam's screwed up, and Dean's still gnawing at his own leg for letting it happen. ... Shit happens. Sam tries not to think about it anymore than he has to, because it's not like the muscle memory ever goes away, nor those phantom smells or those reels of the monster rings. No, no, he's not going to think about it. Because today's a good day. It's a good week. He takes the keys to the truck he's kept to himself, makes a mental note to call Castiel and see if he'll stop by for visiting. The air outside is cold and bitterly unfair to the lungs, but he tugs his jacket tighter around himself and wills the old truck AC to start heating him back up. The drive isn't far, and the people at the place he's driving to know him well enough. He's not sure if that's a good or bad thing, especially now that they see him changed so drastically; he's pretty sure Dean just tells them all he'd gotten deployed somewhere and ended up hurt, or something. Sam doesn't bother figuring out the cover story, because he's not ever going to be in the mood to talk about it with Joey Behind the Counter or Leticia Stocking the Shelves, no matter how much he likes them. The bell to the store rings, they wave him in, ask him about his plans for the holidays, tell him all about their kids — he surprises himself by talking about his own, albeit vaguely, because you never know who is truly safe. And even though he has little to no skill in hearty, holiday feasts, he knows the basics from television: cranberry sauce, turkey, stuffing, eggnog, so on and so on. Despite his complaint to Dean not to overfeed the kids on sweets, he ends up grabbing two boxes of themed cookies, too. It's not until he walks out the front door that he feels something's off. He'd never claim to still have the powers he did at age 22, but — the hairs on his neck stand up, goosebumps running along his arms beneath his thick coat. It's hard to say what even caused it; there's nobody around. He glances uneasily left and right, and then makes a slow, cautious walk toward the parking around the corner. His heart thumps in his chest and his mind plays cruel games with him: what if it's a hunter coming for him? Looking for him and his family, after what happened at their old cabin? It hasn't been that long. "Hello," a little, polite voice chirps from seemingly out of nowhere. Sam nearly leaps out of his skin, teeth snapping together as he turns in a fraction of a second — ready to fight, dropping his grocery bags as his hand reaches around the back of him. (Bright lights, feral howls of pain, blood on dirt and black eyed spectators-) His breath catches at the startled teenager with sandy-blonde hair standing in front of him. He's dressed in clothes he's clearly worn for a long time, the knitting on his gloves and cap frayed. The smell of an alleyway greets Sam belatedly, and shame creeps into his face when he realizes just what he's actually looking at here: some homeless kid whose smile has faded into a look of uncertainty. Wanted a buck, but ended up with some over-sized freak having an episode at him. "S—sorry," Sam chokes out. He's trying not to let himself get pulled under, but the lights have... always been so bright. The kid seems appeased by the way Sam steps back, though, and moves to rather calmly start collecting the fallen goods from the ground; for a moment, Sam wonders if he's just gonna take them for the trouble, but the boy starts putting them back into the brown paper bags they'd come in. "It's fine. I must be scarier than I thought." It's said in such an easy way, and he looks up with a kind, gap-toothed smile. "I was going to ask if you could spare some money, but I can see now that I should have made my presence more obvious." ... That's a way for a teenaged boy to put it. It reminds Sam of a particular angel of Thursday and his straightforward, over-complicated way of talk. With a somewhat forced smile, he bends down to quickly collect what the kid hasn't. "No, no, I'm — I'm good at being on edge. It wasn't you. Sorry for... that." He's not sure how to put it. He has a hard time remembering how to talk to people, sometimes. There's something particularly distracting about this one, though. Maybe it's the fact that he's so youthful, covered in dirt and red in the nose. Looks at him like how Leia had — with the hope that Sam can help him. Or is he just projecting? He pinches the bridge of his nose, smiling tiredly. "What's your name, kid?" The boy says, almost proudly, "Jack." "... Um, well. Jack. I'm Sam. It's good to meet you. I think you deserve something nice for not thinking I'm a total weirdo, so... if you wanna carry a bag to the truck for me, I've got some cookies and dollars to offer you?" It feels kind of demeaning in a way, like he's giving the poor kid some basic task to 'earn' what Sam'll give him. But Jack just nods and walks along side him. "Thanks, Sam," Jack says. He says Sam's name like he's testing out the weight of it, forming it carefully in his mouth. Despite Jack's appearance, he radiates something... well, something. It's warmer than the weather. "Where are you from, Jack?" Sam asks, tilting his chin forward to look down. His voice is softer, more careful. "From everywhere," Jack says, and looks over at Sam. "I honestly don't know. I've just always been... like this." "... Homeless?" Sam offers. Jack cocks his head to the side, gazing ahead of them. "Homeless. Yes." It's not a long walk, so it's not like there's much more to talk about before they reach the old truck. They load up the groceries, and Sam provides one box of cookies (in this case, the box that is less crushed from falling on the asphalt). It feels like a meager kind of offering, all things considered. "Here — I mean, if you like sweets. I bought way too many, so... Um. And — " "I like cookies," Jack says as a matter-of-factly. "Thank you, Sam." Doesn't feel good enough, though. Sam gnaws his lip and feels... some sort of way about all this. Like he's doing something the wrong way, here. Leia and Lilly have ruined him for life. "Where are you heading, anyway? Do you live in town? I've never seen you here before." Jack's already got the box of cookies wrenched open, and he's eating them too fast, a lot like how Sam used to eat his rations when he lived in a cage, in the dark. Sam's already predicting that he's gonna get sick, and he can't really hide the wince as the crumbs start to collect on Jack's old jacket. Jack looks like he's unsure how to answer, not for the first time. "I'm just moving around. I have nowhere to be, as long as it's — " He struggles for the right word. "Safe." "Safe," Sam says. Jack nods with a mouthful. "Shafe," he says. Sams hands twitch nervously at the thought of sending the boy away with his 'rewards'. Whatever the hell cookies constitute as, anyway. It's not safe out there, that's for sure. It's gonna be below freezing for a while in Lebanon, and — He sighs softly. No... No, it's not smart. Not smart to being a stray into a house full of supernatural lore books, weapons, monster children. He would freak out. He'd panic and he'd know where they live, and he could tell anyone with an ear open about where a guy named Sam lives with his odd little family. But... "You want me to drive you somewhere? I mean, there should be a homeless shelter around here somewhere, if you need somewhere a little less... this." He gestures to the world around them, swathed in a fine layer of snow. Jack seems mildly uncertain, a crooked line of uncertainty to his lips. Sam recognizes maybe he looks like he's one-half a serial killer in his plaid, with his weird flinching and nervousness. "You don't have to, but... I don't want you to freeze out here." After a moment, Jack does seem to relent; nobody likes to be cold, and Sam could tell even if he was handling it well, it was not a pleasant experience he wants to endure any longer than he has to. So he nods at last, and Sam nods to the passenger seat. "Climb aboard, then. I think I remember the street and everything; you'll be warm in no time. And, uh. We can get you something better than cookies, actually." "I don't know what can be better than cookies," Jack replies, sliding into the passenger seat, "But I'm willing to consider it." The truck stutters to life, and Sam makes a beeline for the nearest Taco Bell there is. Cheap, but you get a hell of a lot with a little; he and Dean were no stranger to that particular drive-thru back in the day, when Dean was too tired to eat expired food and Sam was too tired to go buy himself a decent salad and sandwich. The Helping Hands Homeless Shelter is a good distance, so Sam learns a few things in-between Jack scarfing down burritos and soft tacos: he's fourteen or fifteen (he thinks?; Sam's mortified by the thought of him being on his own all this time), his mother died when he was born, he's not sure where his father is, and he's always been moving. No grandparents, no uncles or aunts, nobody that he's familiar with. Once the last wrapper is thrown on the floorboard as designated, though, Jack looks uneasy. "... Is this 'a trade'?" Sam glances over, brow furrowed. "A what?" "A trade," Jack reaffirms, and his eyes — glance down, towards Sam's crotch. Sam feels like he's going to puke, his stomach twisting and heart lurching. He almost slams on the brakes then and there, in the middle of the street, but he manages to avoid doing anything so fucking stupid as to scare the kid. Sam and Dean have both had their fair share of close calls growing up — Sam's had to scream at peeping toms through hotel windows, or weird men at gas stations who keep sizing them up while they read magazines, or — But. But they both had rules, and Dean always had an extra eye out on him. The thought of — the implication of it, it makes his blood boil, rushing in his ears. He thinks of Lilly and Leia and — Sam's been quiet too long. So Jack speaks up again. "It's alright. I don't do anything if they don't ask first. If they don't have something to give me," Jack says, confidently, and Sam wants to scream. "No," Sam manages, voice tight. "No, that's not okay. Anyone who asks something like that, they're monsters, do you understand me? They're evil, and you shouldn't trust them. Not for a second." Jack leans back more comfortably in his seat, confused — but glad. Sam's hands are itching for a blade and someone to hunt. A monster in a ring to rip into. He breathes out instead and looks at the road. It doesn't take long before Jack finds himself tired of the quiet, though, and his gaze moves to Sam's wrists, instead. His hands. The sliver of arm that peaks out under his sleeve. "What happened to your hands?" he asks, innocently. Concerned. Sam's shoulders sag, like the kid has gone and popped that balloon full of rage. "... Monsters hurt me, too," he says weakly, because he figures the kid deserves the truth. "A different kind of monster, but monsters all the same." Jack reaches over, and Sam startles at the hand cupping over his damaged knuckles. "I'm sorry," Jack says. "About the monsters." Sam kind of wants to cry, honestly. "Me, too." He was supposed to get a Christmas dinner, in and out of the store, nothing more to it. He was supposed to just give the kid some money and maybe a snack. He's supposed to just drop him off somewhere a little warmer and safer. (Leia looked at him like a hero, once, like he was going to swoop in and save her; Jack isn't looking at him like that, though; he's just a guy giving him a ride and cookies). Sam's phone rings. He doesn't need to look to know it'll say DEAN in white letters on the screen. Just a minute 'til they get to the shelter. (You're not a hero, you barely managed to protect your girls, he reminds himself.) "Sam?" Jack asks. Ring, ring. Ring, ring. (But Leia looks at him like he’s a superhero. A shaking, high, rabid superhero, hopped up on demon blood, with hands so tense and locked, they look like claws in the darkness. And beside her — a crying boy, a few years younger than her. There’s a burn on his leg, a shake of his shoulders. Worst of all, there’s skin sloughed off around him, and it’s only then that Sam realizes the boy looks different than he had an hour before. A shifter? A small, scared shifter. Like Glenda had been.) He pulls over on the side of the road. Reaches into his jacket pocket, retrieves the phone with a shaking hand. When he answers Dean and hears his brother asking nervously what's taking him so long, he can't help but look at Jack. Jack, who is looking at him with an uneasy amount of trust. How he has it, Sam's not fucking sure, but he feels like he has to do this. (He thinks of two little girls, holding hands as they watch Christmas cartoons.) "I — I'm bringing someone back with me," he manages. "His name is Jack, and he — needs a place to stay, for a little while." He does a u-turn, driving toward the bunker as snow begins to fall once again, soft, delicate. Jack looked awed, still looks awed. He looks at Sam like this was destiny. Fate. Something. "I thought so." "... You thought what?" Jack smiles slowly with that warm, gap-toothed smile. "That something about you, it felt like an angel."

#spn #supernatural #spn fanfiction #sam winchester #jack kline #dean winchester #cw child abuse mention #cw csa mention #cw ptsd descriptions #how the wild things start #myspnfanfic

[nad-zeta]

Matchup Duo

Heyyy I’d like to submit a request to matchup if it’s still open! Here is me:I’m friendly but reserved in the beginning. Once we get to know each other, I’m warm and full of energy. I give lots of love in a relationship and need tons of affection in return.My significant half is a strong and capable guy who shares his tender side with me & only with me. I can be bratty in a relationship and I appreciate having a partner who finds it adorable. ☺️I love to hike and travel, whether just across the state or 2 flights over to the other continent. I also like putting on my favorite dress and hit the best cocktail bar in town. Having said that, some of my best memories area staying at the back yard with soft music on, watching the birds flying by while he handed me a cup of coffee; or having a few closest friends over for an evening.So that’s me and thanks for your patience! Looking forward to your replay. 

Stay healthy and safe!Oh gosh and sorry about the back and forth…I forgot to mention that I was requesting for Ikesen matchup….thx!!!!

Hi, there love thanx so much for the request! Hope ya enjoy it and have a good day. Also sorry for taking sooooo long to finish it lol <3

So I match you with……………… Nobunaga

Selfie matchup 

The first time Nobunaga sees you, he has to squint a little cause you are just honestly too radiant to look at.

You radiate bright and warm like the sun

He was enchanted by the way your hair caught the light; your hair reminded him of waves of earth, it looked so soft and silky flowing in the breeze

Oh, how easy it would be to compare thee to a warm summer’s day

All he could think was that he would love to caress that sun-kissed skin of your shimmering in the rays of sunlight

Hells you were enchanting

And don’t get me started on your eyes, he could absolutely get lost in those pools of dark cinnamon. Your eyes held depth and heaviness of a thousand untold stories. They were dark like the night sky and would light up with stars when you smiled

OMW how he loved your smile, and darn all he wanted to do was poke that small cute little dimple on your cheek

Your smile and face radiated a warm, welcoming energy that would just melt anyone heart instantly at the slightest grin

You were truly a hot summer fireball bringing brightness and warmth with one flash of a smile

 Okay matchup section 

Gosh, the first time you saw Nobunaga, you couldn’t help but be instantly attracted to him. He was beyond handsome and definitely just your type. You always did have a thing for strong manly, man guys. And Nobunaga fits that brief perfectly.

You were named Oda princess, which sounded like the most tedious job imaginable. You love to travel and explore. Not sit around in a stuffy castle playing cards all day. Even though you might be a little reserved around strangers, you looked him dead in his crimson eyes and said NO, you would much rather earn your keep instead of sponging off other’s kindness. The act of defiance was most amusing to the devil king. Although Hideyoshi beside him looked like a dog on a leash ready to attack you for daring to speak up to his lord. Nobunaga then decided to name you as castle chatelaine, and the rest was history

You were the most amusing woman standing up to him every chance you could get. You were definitely not taking this man’s shit. He requested to see you that night, and you simply rolled your eyes while making your way up to his room. You found him sitting there lazing against his armrest, and his eyes instantly lit up when he saw you enter into the room. He, in his usually demanding tone, declared that you were to entertain him for the evening. Cue you refusing his request once more. He gave you a dissatisfied frown and narrowed his eyes. You rolled your eyes and finally relented. If he wanted to be entertained, then you were going to entertain him by surprising him. You sat down across from him and handed him some tea. He was super confused; this is definitely not what he meant by entertainment. You smirked at him and said that you were going to entertain him with a story of your travels. This was just your way of low key, distracting him from the real reason he had summoned you to his room. He eagerly agreed to listen to your story. Once done, he commended you, you breathed a sigh of relief, but that was short-lived cause the next moment, he called you out for distracting him for the true purpose of you being summoned. The two of you kind of just laughed it off. You told him that you definitely weren’t going to get intimate with a man you had only just met and that the l only entertainment you were going to be providing him was with stories of your travels, well until they would run out of course. He wore his usually cocky grin and agreed, bidding you a good night as you left to retire for the night

Little did you know both Mitsuhide and Hideyoshi was eavesdropping the whole conversation. They both looked at each other and smile. You were now cleared of any suspicions of being an assassin. They really wanted to believe that you were indeed a warm, kind person. They had seen how hard you worked for them the past week, and the maids sang your praise at the friendly, wonderful person they had come to know you to be. And your conversation has now just proved that you indeed are who you said you were. 

Nobunaga would invite you over to his room almost every night. You wondered when this man even got time to sleep. It had been a few weeks of your nightly visits to Nobunaga’s room, and the two of you really got to know and understand each other through the little chats. It had become a bit of a tradition now to sit in his room and drink sake while exchanging exciting stories. You had long run out of travel stories and was now telling him about the plots of books you’ve read and movies you had seen. The most entertaining story Nobunaga had heard to date was the one that you had come from the future, which he 100% believed after you had shown him proof, of course. Tonight was a little different, though. When you walked into his room, he wasn’t wearing that classic smirk if his. Instead, he was slumped over his desk, writing some documents. He was so absorbed in his work that he didn’t even hear you knock or come in; only once you were sitting in front of him with warm concerning eyes did he lookup. Red tired eyes met yours; you could see from the dark bags under his eyes and a weak smile that he definitely hasn’t taken a break for a long while. He told you that he was too busy with work to chat and drink with you tonight.

You boldly stood up and walked towards him. You gently took his hand in yours and led him over the area of the room where the two of you would usually chat and drink. You sat down and pulled him down to rest his head on your thigh; you knew the man must have been tired by the lack of resistance shown to your actions. He simply submitted. You whispered softly that he needed to take a break and that you would stay awake to protect him. It had come up in your many conversations the real reason he had only slept 3-4 hours a night. You gently pulled your fingers through his raven hair and caressed his face while he closed his eyes. He fought the sleep as long as he was able, only intending to rest his eyes for a few moments and then get back to work. Perhaps it was your soothing presence or the pleasant feeling of having someone play with his hair. He was quickly losing the fight for consciousness, as you coaxed him into a deep sleep.

Nobunaga woke up in the middle of the night; he couldn’t remember the last time his body and mind had allowed him to fall into such a deep slumber. He was honestly so relaxed he could probably get in a few more. He looked up, to see you slumped over. Little did you know Nobunaga gave you the gentlest softest look. He got up, easily lifted you up in his arms, and tucked you into his futon, getting in behind you and warping his warm arms around you as he nuzzled into your hair and drifted back into a deep sleep. The last thought Nobunaga had before drifting back off to sleep was that he may genuinely have met his match with this fireball in his arms and that he will now spend the rest of his life trying to earn and gain your affection. Little did he know you had long ago fallen in love with him. The two of you subconsciously cuddled closer to each other in your sleep. 

Nobunaga woke up late that morning, having slept the best sleep of his life. He had slept with many a woman, but none brought comfort to his soul, quite like you did.

You woke up that morning feeling so warm and cozy, you had slept in way past noon, but you couldn’t help it everything around you just screamed comfortable. You slowly opened your eyes only to see you were mere centimeters away from Nobunaga’s face. No words were exchanged; the two of you simply just stared into each other’s eyes until finally, Nobunaga spoke up. “Fireball? What would you say I told you that I love you”. He tucked a strand of hair that was in your face behind your ear, letting his fingers linger. You could see by the look in his eyes he was serious and a little scared of rejection. You just smiled up at him and gave him a feather-light kiss on the lips. Had this been a few months ago, you would have lost your shit and freaked out, but you had spent so much time with this softy boy that you couldn’t help but fall in love with him

Gosh, did the two of you love to sneak out and travel around. You would leave abruptly only leaving a small note for Hideyoshi to find saying BRB. The two of you would go everywhere. He loved to take you on his favorite hiking trail. The two of you would hike up the mountain for hours, Nobunaga had even brought along a picnic basket prepared by Masamune. Once the two of you reached the top of the mountain, he threw down the soft blanket and started laying out all the food. The two of you had a feast, just chatting and eating away. He led you to the ledge of the mountain, he wrapped his arms around you and pulled you to sit on his lap. He nuzzled into your neck and nibble on your ear. The two of you sat there for a while, basking in the last rays of the sun. The sunset was incredibly beautiful, even more so when sharing it with the man you loved.

Nobunaga loved you so much; he treated you like his most precious fireball. One day some local daimyo came to visit in hopes of marrying off his daughter to one of the warlords, more specifically Nobunaga. As a princess of the Oda forces, you were to dress up according to your title and status. You put on your favorite dress that Nobu had commissioned for you a while ago. It was the perfect combination of old and modern. It was a black dress with gold and red trimming that matched Nobunaga’s outfit perfectly. As you were getting dressed and ready to greet the guests with the rest of the forces, Nobunaga snuck into your room to give you a quick gift. He gave you the most beautiful hairpin and spent a few moments chatting with you. He was feeling a bit grumpy cause he wasn’t in the mood to entertain; he would much rather spend a quiet night drinking sake with you. 

At the banquet, you were feeling a bit bratty. Especially seeing the way, the daimyo’s daughter was clinging to Nobunaga. You were chatting with Mitsuhide and Masamune’s side-eyeing the whole situation. Nobunaga could see the light pout on your face from being away from him for so long. He knew you were a bit “bratty,” so to speak, but honestly, he found it incredibly cute. He was sitting on his dais, leaning on the armrest. He wore that same old stone-cold smirk with a haunting gaze. Only those close to him were privileged enough to see the real Nobunaga, and only one was special enough to see his sweet loving side. He had, had enough of the small talk between him and the woman trying to gain his affection; he looked over at you, trying to catch your eyes to call you over. Finally, when the two of you locked eyes, his expression softened, and he motioned for you to come over to him. Once in front of him, he took your hand in his and pulled you to sit in his lap. He then nuzzled into your neck, saying how much he had missed you. The daimyos daughter was furious and started to bad mouth you. Nobunaga then, in his loud commanding voice, decided to make your relationship status clear to everyone around so that no one would question it again. “This woman here in my beloved little fireball and the keeper of my heart. She is and will be the only woman that will ever conquer my heart, and to her, I give my life”. Needless to say, the two of you spent the rest of the banquet together in each other’s arms, smiling and chatting away.

You love Nobunaga so much; he is so sweet and soft-hearted, a side that was reserved for your eyes only. He would go to the ends of the earth to see that radiant smile grace your face and would give you the world, sun, moon, and stars if you asked him. The two of you can often be found sitting on the castle rooftop listing to soft music in the distance. During this quiet time, the two of you would look up at the stars and moon, drink sake, and chat away merrily. Expect lots and lots of kisses and cuddles. Nobunaga love to touch and kiss you, he will legit shower you with his affection and love. He loves nothing more to spend the quiet evenings with you, his head resting on your tight, and you pull your fingers through his soft raven hair. He will close his eyes and think back to the first time he saw that beautiful warm sunshine smile of yours. He will smirk at the memory, thinking that he is so happy to have met his soulmate

Other potential Matches………………. Hideyoshi 

I hope you enjoyed it, love! And I hope you are staying safe and well @mineko811​ !

#oda nobunaga #ikesen nobunaga #nobunaga oda #matchups #ikesen matchup #match ups #nobunaga matchup #submission

[houseofbrat]

What is katun 2 ahau? I saw you mention it and am quite curious

Sorry for taking such a long time to answer this question. Meant to answer it a few ago, which then became weeks ago, except then I got busy.

K'atun 2 Ahau comes from Mayan/Mesoamerican cosmology. I’m not thoroughly familiar with Mayan cosmology & astrology, but I happened to read an e-book by Kenneth Johnson about the Mayan Long Count calendar back when everyone was freaking out about 2012. Kenneth Johnson is a western astrologer, a Vedic astrologer, and now a Mayan daykeeper. Anyhow I read his e-book, The Mayan Prophecies: The Renewal of the World 2012-2072, seven or eight years ago. (If you’re interested in it, you can still buy it on his online store for $8. It’s basically a pdf, so you can read it on anything. I recommend getting it if you’re interested because it’s an easy read and not expensive.)

Anyhow, when I saw this post, it reminded me of Parasite, Bong Joon-ho’s movie, due to the mention of South Korea. I haven’t seen Parasite yet, but I do know it’s about capitalism, class, and greed just based on things I’ve seen mentioned about it.

Which I suppose brings me to a (hopefully coherent) explanation of K'atun 2 Ahau. A K'atun is a unit of time that is close to twenty years. It’s part of the Mayan Long Count. In Kenneth Johnson’s book, he goes over in detail the Mayan Long Count and how it’s calculated. In the last part of that book, he writes his opinion of what he thinks the next 60 years would be using the Mayan Long Count and world history. And you can use world history for the basis of prediction because each K'atun has a different focus and saying attributed to it.

I mean, at the very beginning of the book, KJ lists this quote: “Pathih hun ten e; bey he u patal u lac e. It could happen once; the like could happen again.” ~ Yukatek Mayan Proverb

Due to how the Mayans kept records, you can use the dates of prior K'atuns to see what historical events correspond to each K'atun. K'atun 2 Ahau has occurred in previous history from 731 to 751, 1500 to 1520, and 1756 to 1776. There are other occurrences prior to 731; however, the written record is much more sparse and provides less of an ability for comparison.

The translation for the associated saying by Chumayel for K'atun 2 Ahau is: “It was halfway famine; it was halfway feast.” Now, you have to remember that this is trying to convey an idea with poetic metaphor and can’t necessarily be taken literally. Kenneth Johnson gave a subtitle to the period as “The Haves and the Have Nots.” He then examines the previous periods I listed above and the notable societal inequities that occurred.

And that’s why I mentioned K'atun 2 Ahau. Because there is massive societal inequity happening in the world; you can see signs of it everywhere. Now, this is not to say that social inequalities did not exist prior to this period, but instead these issues are certainly more prominent and pervasive now than they were ten years ago.

In his book, Kenneth Johnson mentions the Occupy Movement that was happening as he was publishing this book. I would point out that Pope Francis was elected to the papacy in 2013, which is after this K'atun began. I’d say both of those things are indicative that Johnson was correct in pointing out that we are in K'atun 2 Ahau.

In Vedic astrology, often the Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions are used to determine general societal trends. They currently don’t align with the Mayan K'atuns since the next one happens later this year in 2020. But when reading or listening to what other Vedic astrologers have to say about future trends, I think what Johnson has written provides more clarity on the situation we’re all in. Part of that is also because while you can get a lot out of going through the individual country charts like James Kelleher does. (He does an excellent one every year, and I recommend checking it out if you’re interested.) However, sometimes I feel that certain things are still unacknowledged in that process, and I think what Kenneth Johnson has written about the next sixty years based on his own opinions and research has helped fill out the gaps.

This is probably a LOT longer than you were expecting or asking for. But these are some of the things I had in my mind when I made that comment. Also, it’s been on my mind a little bit more recently since I had a text conversation with a friend/acquaintance who does/follows mainly western astrology but has an interest in Vedic. She’s very comfortable with the status quo and can’t understand why people aren’t interested in having an actual oligarch–Mike Bloomberg–as US president. I mean, we’re talking 1788-Versailles-France mentality. I wanted to tell her that she doesn’t seem to understand how many people in the US are #eattherich already.

Perhaps that’s the most clear example I can think of. Many people in power think the status quo is perfectly fine. Plenty of other people are, like, fuck the system; we need change. And let me tell you, if things don’t change or the inequities aren’t addressed, then change will be forced on people. The next K'atun is not a peaceful or tranquil one.

#ask #Mayan cosmology #astrology #vedic astrology #movies #inequality #wealth inequality #income inequality #USA #election 2020 #oligarchy #history #ancient history #the future

[abigailmaitland]

Andi Mack 4B Plots

My 4A Plots

Trigger Warning for depression - nothing too dark, but it is a significant plot of this season.

Extra 4A plot to be nestled somewhere before the finale:

Halloween!

The GHC & Co. trying to decide whether they’re too old to go trick or treating. Intense debate with Cyrus, Andi, and Marty on one side, TJ, Buffy, and Jonah are on the other.

“How can you be too old for free candy?!” Cyrus exclaims.

“I’ve always hated dressing up,” Jonah rolled his eyes.

“Halloween is the best time to practice sewing!” Andi expresses.

“I hate sewing,” Buffy groans. “Besides, I’m trying to put my dentist out of business.” 

“It just seems like none of you want to have any fun.” Marty says.

“I’m on the high school basketball team. I have an image to keep.” TJ crosses his arms.

“Is the image a boring, funsucker? Because you’re nailing it,” Marty teases.

Eventually the opposing group crumbles underneath the pressure of their friends and free candy. Planning their route is also intense - Cyrus definitely has maps of Shadyside and a detailed house list of who gives the best candy with averages he’s kept throughout the years.  

The Crafty Crew joins them for trick & treating. 

Cyrus dresses up as Waldo. 

Andi makes a ‘cereal killer’ costume, including a cereal box skirt, blood, the whole shebang. Even Cyrus groans at the pun (but secretly high fives her). 

Buffy goes as Buffy the Vampire Slayer & Marty goes as Fred from Scooby Doo. Buffy says he was supposed to be Spike from BVS, Marty laughs and says he thought Buffy and Fred were a better match.

Jonah puts those fake vampire fangs in and some fake blood on his face. Buffy chases him around all night. TJ dresses up as a failed math test because it’s the scariest thing he can think of. 

Walker dresses as Miles Morales & Libby dresses as Hawkeye (we deserved a deaf hawkeye!) 

And finally, the episode ends with an intense candy trading session. Lots of smiles, laughs, and friendship/couple moments. Halloween episodes should always be the most lighthearted!

4B.

Episode One.

Bex is laying in bed. She’s awake, but she’s not doing anything but staring. Her phone goes off and it’s revealed to be 3pm. Andi’s calling. Bex hesitates, then answers. “Mom - are you okay? You were supposed to pick me up fifteen minutes ago.” 

Bex shuts her eyes, then opens them again. Suddenly, energy is in her voice. “Oh yeah - you know me, just running late. Traffic! I’ll be there soon, Andiman.” she hangs up quickly, she sighs. Her eyes are distant. She rushes to get ready, throwing on whatever she can, v messy, not caring how she looks.

Next scene Bowie is seen in a restaurant kitchen cooking. They ask him if he can stay late - he says no, he’s got to be at Red Rooster Records for the open mic night, revealing that he is working two jobs to try to start saving, referencing the potential for a second child (as Bex listed financial fears as a main reason).

We see Jonah’s apartment when he invites Cyrus over to hang out. Jonah says “it’s kind of small,” but Cyrus smiles and says “You know, it’s actually cozy. My house can be so...lonely.” Jonah kind of scoffs and rolls his eyes, muttering something about rich kid perspectives. He admits he had to get rid of a lot of stuff, including his old baseball gear and complains that he can’t play his guitar after a certain hour because his neighbors complain because the walls are basically paper thin. “Basically, don’t say anything you don’t want Dave to hear. He’s basically a member of the family at this point.”

Bex is off on the drive home with Andi. Andi’s talking non-stop about school events and how she failed the last project (revealed in the 4a finale) and how she needs to improve, but she feels so out of place in the school. Bex is saying “yeah” and “mhmmm”, barely listening. When they get home, instead of cooking, Bex orders pizza but doesn’t really eat much. Andi starts to get worried and asks if Bex is okay, but Bex just says she thinks she’s getting sick. Bowie comes home exhausted and both him and Bex fall asleep on the couch during a movie that they were supposed to watch as a family.

Cyrus is a little bothered by “the rich kid perspective” comment and tries to analyze how much his upbringing colors his opinions. The next day, he’s talking about it with Buffy and Andi at The Spoon and how he’s worried that he gives off entitled-rich kid vibes. They laugh and say sometimes he’s oblivious and dumb with money, but he’s not entitled. Andi complains about how tired Bowie always is now and then mentions how strange Bex was acting yesterday. Cyrus’s brain jumps to the worst possible conclusions. Buffy has to reassure Andi that everything is probably okay. As a distraction, she talks about how happy her parents are to be back together and shows off goofy pictures of them. She says her father hasn’t stopped talking about her mom in church since she’s gotten back. GHC smiles.

Episode Two.

Bex’s work has started to get a little sloppy and customers are leaving bad reviews. Celia presses into Bex, saying she didn’t invest so much money into this business just for Bex to get lazy. Bex sighs, shakes her head. “Reschedule my appointments for tomorrow, mom. I think I’m sick.” Celia’s eyes widen, as if she suddenly understands something. Bex goes home and slips back into bed. She doesn’t really go to sleep, but just scrolls her phone aimlessly.

Now that TJ is out at school, Cyrus asks him if he’s going to introduce him to his parents as his boyfriend. TJ awkwardly laughs and says “I should, shouldn’t I?” Cyrus nods. “But if it helps, we can have dinner as boyfriends with my parents first?” TJ’s eyes widen. “All of them? At once?!” Cyrus laughs. “No, we can do dinner at one house and dessert at the other?” TJ nods. “Uh, yeah okay.” Cyrus holds TJ’s hand. “Come on, Teej, you have nothing to worry about. They already love you.”

Jonah bumps into Amber in the hall and brings her to a quiet spot in the hallway. He grins and says he’s going to therapy. Amber asks him how it’s going and he shrugs, but doesn’t seem upset. He says “it sucks, but you know...it really does help. I really didn’t like it at first and didn’t talk, but he asked me to play some music the other week and that helped break the ice,” Jonah explained. Amber smiles and hugs him. “Congratulations, Jojo. I’m proud of you.” He asks how she’s doing. Amber says she’s getting there, but that she wished she was a freshman again because she’s struggling with her AP classes, driver’s ed, her job, and her family issues. He said it sounded like a lot, but that he’d try to be there for Amber because she was there for him. Amber nods and says she’ll keep that in mind. Suddenly, there’s a security guard telling them they have detention for skipping class.  At first, Jonah and Amber look at each other scared, then they crack up at the situation they’ve gotten themselves in.

Andi comes home and sees Bowie sitting with Bex in the bedroom. She overhears Bowie comforting her and then hears Bex saying “I don’t want Andi to know…” Andi freaks out, texting the GHC group chat saying something is wrong with her mom.

Episode Three.

Friendsgiving episode! GHC + Crafty Crew all get together at Andi’s apartment a week before Thanksgiving and have a huge feast. Cyrus put together a spreadsheet and organized who brought what. Buffy and Marty have a competition to make the best dessert. Jonah buys store-bought microwavable mashed potatoes. Andi decorates the entire space and Bowie makes the turkey. TJ brings the BEST Green Bean Casserole and everyone bothers him the entire episode to give up the recipe. They give each other updates; like the dinner with Cyrus’ parents went really well, Jonah and Amber talk about how their detention teacher hated them because they kept laughing, Buffy talks about her parents, etc. Everyone also shares traditions their family does for the holiday.

Walker says that his family covers the table with paper and everyone writes/doodles what they’re thankful for throughout the meal. They then hang it up until it’s time to decorate for Christmas. 

Libby says her family go on a long walk after dinner with each other.

TJ says his whole family plays football together before and after dinner.

Cyrus says he has several Thanksgivings and too many traditions to name - but his favorite is his mom’s side, who volunteers first and then have a small meal afterwards.

Buffy says after dinner they decorate for Christmas, which is her parent’s favorite holiday.

Jonah says they play a bunch of different board games and family games.

Amber says that her family doesn’t argue for the whole day - and also watches old home movies.

They ask Andi what traditions her family has. She seems upset and explains that they used to go to pop’s family and celebrate, but now they have to make new traditions without him because he left them. Everyone comforts her. Bowie overheard and tells Bex - they both want to give Andi the best Thanksgiving in the world. Bex tells Bowie that “all this family drama is why I don’t want Andi to know…” 

Episode Four.

Cece takes Andi out for a bonding day, saying that she’s been missing her. Andi says she misses her too. They go to an art museum and have lunch where Andi talks to Cece about not doing well in SAVA and maybe she’s not great at art like everyone thought. Cece tells Andi that when she was a toddler, she grabbed a pack of crayons and for weeks, she wouldn’t put them down. Cece would catch Andi awake at night DRAWING. Andi would fall asleep with a pack of crayons cuddled close to her. She’d color in the car, at restaurants, in the bathtub with bath crayons, everywhere she could. “And that first year you went to camp, I’ll never forget how excited you were about crafts...Andi, I don’t think you’re bad at art. I think you think you’re bad at art which is making you bad at art.”

Andi says “wow…” and knows that Cece is right. SAVA wouldn’t have chosen her otherwise. They go out to have Fro-yo and Cece asks how Andi is doing at home. Andi tells Cece that it’s been weird having Bowie working so much and then mentioned that Bex is acting strange too. She asked Cece if she knew anything about that and Cece nods. “Yes, but it’s your mother’s choice to tell you.” Andi complains that no one’s ever told her anything. 

Cece rolls her eyes and then says “Well I have important news. My dad is moving in with me.”

Andi asks “Wait, why? Is everything okay?”

“He’s okay, yes. He’s still healthy, especially for his age - but,” Cece pauses. “You know, he misses you and Bex. He’s been spending so much time with Mei and Ling and the twins and Ronald, he thought it’d be a nice surprise.” “Yeah, it has been awhile since we’ve seen him, but...he doesn’t need to move in with you. He could just visit, couldn’t he?”

“I asked him too.” “Why?”

“I thought it’d be good to have someone in the house. I know you, Cyrus, and Buffy still have sleepovers there, but it’s just been too empty for too long. I know how important Andi Shack is to you and how important the house is to your mom, so I decided to keep it.”

“Oh. Cece - I’m sorry. I guess I got caught up in my own stuff again…” Andi says, hugging Cece.

“It’s okay. You’re the child, remember?”

Cece drops Andi off. She calls Bex outside and they close the door. 

“Rebecca,” Cece says. Bex avoids her eyes and focuses on the ground, her nails pressing into her skin. You think it’s going to be a lecture, Bex thinks it’s going to be a lecture, but Cece pulls Bex into a hug. “Andi’s worried about you. You need to talk to her.”

Plot B of this episode is Buffy and Cyrus hanging out at Buffy’s house. We’re introduced to Buffy’s father (headcanon: he’s black. I know sofia is mixed, but I think it’d be cool to have men of color in the show). He wears a cross necklace and is clearly religious, but Cyrus never feels uncomfortable mentioning his boyfriend TJ. Buffy’s father treats Cyrus with nothing but love, honestly, and mentions that he’s the son they never had while eating dinner.

Episode Five.

Jonah reveals that he’s gotten a job as a cashier at The Red Rooster. He’s not immediately great at it, which causes a spike in his anxiety, but instead of having a panic attack he’s able to ground himself using techniques his therapist taught him.

Andi’s teacher, the one who was critical about her art, notices a huge change in Andi and her work and compliments her new project, stating that she knew Andi had it in her. Walker, Libby, and Andi all celebrate together at The Spoon.

Buffy & TJ hang out - they play basketball and get to know each other better. “I don’t think we’ve ever hung out without Cyrus,” TJ laughs. “Yeah...I don’t think so? This is nice,” They play H.O.R.S.E, as well as a game they made up where each basket they make, they get to ask a question. The harder the shot is, the harder the questions they can ask.

At home, Bex is pacing the bedroom. Bowie is sitting on the bed. Bex complains that she doesn’t know what she should do or how she should even talk about it. Bowie listens, nodding his head. “You know, when my father was sick, he didn’t want to tell me. He wanted to be strong and proud. And he almost didn’t tell me, but I found his medication. I was terrified because something bad could have happened any moment and it would’ve been a complete surprise to me.” he pauses. “Andi is worried about you and probably thinks something really bad is going to happen and I don’t think it’s fair to hide it. Besides...she’s starting to get to that age where maybe it’ll start to affect her…”

Episode Six. 

Christmas is coming up and the GHC + Crafty Crew go to the mall. They split up into their normal groups; TJ, Jonah, Marty + Walker and Cyrus, Andi, Buffy + Libby. They’re playing Secret Santa for each other so they’re trying to hide the gifts they’re buying and throwing each other off. Of course, they’re also buying gifts for their SOs. 

Secret Santa List -

TJ has to buy for Marty

Jonah has to buy for Buffy

Cyrus has to buy for Jonah

Marty has to buy for Andi

Andi has to buy for TJ

Buffy has to buy for Cyrus

TJ fretting about what Cyrus would want and if he should even do a Christmas gift because Cyrus doesn’t celebrate (he would celebrate non-religious aspects with Buffy & Andi some years)

Cyrus complaining that Christmas is so materialistic - but then also trying to find the best gift to give TJ and Jonah.

But while TJ, Jonah, Marty, and Walker are shopping trouble arises when they’re wandering around a store, picking up different things, putting them down and whatnot. At some point, Walker notices a security guard staring him down. He feels uncomfortable, but knows he didn’t do anything wrong and continues to just walk around the store with Jonah, Marty and TJ. But it all goes wrong when the group tries to leave the store. They’re all stopped by the security guard, but Walker is singled out. The guard says that he knows that somebody in this group stole and that he has his suspicions as to who. The group all look at each other and furiously shake their heads, saying none of them stole. The guard asks Walker to empty his pockets. Walker does, he has nothing in his pockets besides his wallet and house keys. The guard lets them all go with a warning. Walker is embarrassed and angry that no one else had to empty their pockets. The group buy him some food to try to cheer him up and all agree that it was really wrong.

Episode Seven.

Christmas/Hanukkah special.

They all celebrate their respective holidays. Cyrus invites TJ to celebrate Hanukkah the day after Christmas. TJ of course agrees. We see Cyrus’ family celebrate Hanukkah. Andi, Bex, Bowie, Cece, her dad AND Mei, Ling, her husband, Ronald, and the twins celebrate at Cece’s house. Mei and Cece start to argue, but their dad reigns them in. They finally call a truce after their entire lives of competition and decide their feud isn’t worth it. (“What were we even fighting with to begin with?”) Buffy goes to church and celebrates with her family. Marty celebrates with his family; it’s the first Christmas with his step-siblings. 

The gifts they all bought for each other are revealed when GHC + CO get together during Christmas afternoon. TJ gets Marty a joke gift (probably something about always forgetting him), Jonah buys Buffy a bag full of all of her favorite snacks/candy, Cyrus got Jonah an anchor necklace to keep him grounded and a guitar tuner, Marty buys Andi some weird gag gift like a yodelling pickle, Andi buys TJ a Troy Bolton basketball jersey, and Buffy buys Cyrus a mug that says ‘you’re so weird, i like you’ because she knows Cyrus loves mugs.

TJ and Cyrus psyched themselves out and ended up panicking and getting something neither of them really liked. They laugh about it and then realize they should get to know each other better.

Buffy and Marty treated it like a competition. Buffy got Marty a pace tracker that goes on his sneakers, a scrapbook for his future marathons, and those weird toe socks. Marty gave Buffy two of his hoodies, a necklace shaped like deer antlers which symbolizes strength and gentleness, and an NBA video game that they can play at his house. 

The episode is light-hearted and easy, but the whole episode Bex is still just a little off. Bowie and Cece are extra mindful of her. Andi is still really confused and worried. At the end of the episode, when they all get home, Bex sits on the couch and says “Andi...I have something to tell you.”

HIATUS.

Episode Eight.

Special opening similar to the gun-control episode, as well as the anxiety/panic attack opening talking about how mental health is important and if you or a friend are struggling, tell a trusted adult and take care of yourself.

“Andi...I have something to tell you.” Bex’s voice is serious. There’s a lot of tension. Andi seems worried. Bex seems nervous. Bowie has his hands on Bex’s shoulders comfortingly. 

“Mom? I’m scared...are you sick?”

“Yes,” Andi seems shocked and scared at this revelation. “But not the way you’re thinking, Andi...gosh, this would be easier if I was still just your cool, older sister.” because this is the kind of thing that ‘cool, edgy’ older siblings go through. Not parents. “Andi, I have depression. I’ve had it since I was about your age. It...doesn’t go away, but I’ve been on medication since my twenties and it worked great. But, with work stress and everything that happened with Pops, well...it stopped working. I should have been more open with you and everyone and gotten help when it started…”

Andi stops tensing. She sits with Bex on the couch. “Mom...I didn’t know…”

“Yeah, only Bowie and Cece did. I wanted to be the best mom in the world, especially after giving you up for so long. I wanted to do everything and be everything for you - I didn’t want you to have to worry about me or feel like you had to take care of me. I wanted to be strong.”

“Mom, I love you. You don’t need to pretend to be something you’re not or do more than you can.”

Bex hugs Andi. She’s definitely crying.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, Andiman. You don’t have to worry or take care of me ever, okay? I’m the adult. I’ve talked to Bowie and Cece. I’m going to get my medications adjusted and I’m going to go to therapy.”

Andi feels like a huge weight has been lifted off of her chest but it only lasts momentarily. She gets out of the hug.

“Mom, I learned about depression in school…” She pauses. “It can be genetic...what if I get it?”

“Then we’ll help you through it. No matter what.” Bex and Bowie wrap her in a hug again. “You talk to us, though, okay? Don’t hide it like I did.”

PLOT B. Buffy and Marty have a massive fight. This leaves TJ and Cyrus in awkward positions because TJ thinks that Marty is right and Cyrus always sides with Buffy. This leaves Jonah has a tie-breaker and he totally panics and exclaims that this is why he hates relationships. When they realize that he got really anxious choosing a side, they realize they were being stupid and shouldn’t have put anyone in the middle of the fight. They all apologize to him and make up.

Episode Nine.

Buffy’s birthday!

Similar to Bowie, Buffy has never liked huge birthday parties or attention on her birthday. Andi says “Buffy likes attention everyday...except her birthday.” Cyrus and Andi make sure to tell Marty the first of the month that under no circumstances should he try to surprise her. He asks Cyrus and Andi what they do for her birthday then. Cyrus says that they have a Buffy birthday tradition that they’ve been doing since the second grade.

They meet at Buffy’s house for a celebratory breakfast of Froot Loops and chocolate milk because Buffy went through a phase where that’s the only thing she would eat and drink for breakfast, then they walk to school no matter what the weather because on her birthday in second grade, she demanded to be able to walk alone because she was “all grown now” (her parents followed them, just further behind. If it’s a weekend, they walk to The Spoon). After school, they walk back to her house and they play Buffy’s favorite game at the time “Twister” (Cyrus’ least favorite game) and have a silent dance party (at the time, her mother had just come back from war and asked them to not make too much noise). Then, they eat “garbage pizza” because Buffy had just learned the name of it and thought it was hilarious, and her favorite cake. Then, Andi and Cyrus stayed up as late as possible watching whatever movies Buffy wanted to watch.

During lunch, while Cyrus, TJ, and Jonah are getting their lunch, Marty asks Buffy if he can join in on her birthday traditions. Buffy is pretty rigid and likes the traditions as is, but says that maybe they can create their own birthday tradition. Marty comes up with the idea of a three-legged race (Him and Buffy vs TJ and Jonah) and then going out for ice cream - that way, all of Buffy’s new friends and boyfriend can be included before she goes back home to celebrate with the GHC.

That goes just about as well as anyone would think. Hilarious montage, honestly. This is the silliest idea I’ve come up with and yet, I love it. 

Episode Ten.

After school, Jonah and Buffy decide to hang out. They go to a skatepark. Jonah is much better than Buffy - which he celebrates and exclaims “finally!” She’s determined to learn a pop-shove it.

While at work, Bex thanks Cece for supporting her during her depression and tells her that she got her medications adjusted and is starting to feel better. Cece nods and says “I’m really sorry for not supporting you when you were younger. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.” Bex forgives her.

TJ and Cyrus experience some homophobia both in school and outside of school. Cyrus gets upset and insecure, TJ loses his cool. They sigh and realize that it’s probably something they’ll have to go through a lot - but at least they have each other to go through it with.

Andi, Bex, and Bowie go to Cece’s house to spend time with their grandfather/great-grandfather. During the visit, Bex and Andi brush up on their Mandarin, they play games like dominos, cards, and Mahjong, and they eat traditional Chinese food. 

Episode Eleven. 

Amber got her driver’s license. She surprises Andi & Buffy on a weekend for a road trip. They drive to the town nearing Shadyside and have all sorts of adventures. They take lots of pictures to always remember this momentous occasion.

Cyrus is sick which leaves Jonah, TJ, and Marty alone unsupervised. They decide to have an adventure of their own and have a giant game of “The Floor is Lava” in public. They get kicked out of multiple locations. They end the day by going to The Spoon and having an eating competition to see who could finish their burger, fries, and milkshakes first. Being that TJ and Marty are used to bulk eating, Jonah is definitely the one who gives up and almost throws up.

Episode Twelve.

Walker, Libby, and Andi are preparing for the end of the year project where they could potentially be accepted into the school’s gallery, which is an honor and a party. Andi knows that she can create something amazing - but doesn’t know what she wants to do yet. They’re all stuffed into Andi shack, bouncing ideas off of each other. Walker wants to do a self-portrait vs. how the world sees him, Libby wants to create a sign-language sculpture, Andi is conflicted and has no idea what she wants to create.

Buffy/Marty + Cyrus/TJ double date. Lots of hijinks. They also definitely go bowling and Cyrus tries to bowl without bumpers. At one point, TJ ran to the bathroom and told Cyrus to take his turn (it didn’t matter because he was so far ahead, there was no chance of Cyrus ruining his chances of winning) Cyrus rolls a strike and celebrates. He then tries endlessly to replicate it for his own turns to no avail.

While at work, Jonah is talking to Bowie about life. He says that therapy is going really well and he hasn’t had many panic attacks since. He thanks Bowie for being there for him in the beginning and Bowie says that it’s no problem at all and that he’s glad Jonah is getting professional help. Jonah says that he really looks up to Bowie and tells him that today was career day and that the high schoolers were prompted to think about what they want to do when they’re an adult. Jonah said he has been thinking about pursuing music and wants to join a band. Bowie smiles and tells Jonah that he reminds him a lot of him when he was Jonah’s age. He advises Jonah to join a band, but to do it for the music and not for fame, because when he’s older and traveling, he might regret not being home for big things. Jonah tells Bowie that if he doesn’t do music for the rest of his life, he doesn’t know what else he would do. Bowie shrugs and says “You might not know what you want to do now, you might not know what you want to do when you’re 23, or 45, or 55. Life isn’t a straight line, it’s full of twists and turns. Just follow your heart and listen to The Universe in those times and you’ll end up where you need to be.”

Episode Thirteen.

Andi has decided that her end of the year project will be focused on her family. She decides to create a literal family tree - she crafts a tree and each branch has a picture of each family member. Branches, like Pops and his family’s, are clearly snapped at the base to show that it’s a broken tree and he left. Bex’s branch has the picture of her as a teen after just giving birth to Andi, Bowie’s branch splits into two to show that he was absent for 13 years, but then heavily involved, etc. (IDK. I know nothing about art and couldn’t come up with anything else lol)

Bex starts to participate in her photography club again, has been doing better at work, and has become more involved in the PTA at SAVA again. Bowie asks her if she remembers what they were talking about earlier in the year. Bex says “Another baby?” Bowie nods. “Yeah...I’m ready now.” He grins and tackles her in a hug and lots of kisses.

TJ gets his first A in math class, on the final test to boot, after a lot of hard work, tutoring, and accomodations. Cyrus takes him out on a date to celebrate.

Buffy and Marty are in this episode at some point, probably not a big part tbh. Mostly because I’m losing steam lol.

Episode Fourteen.

Andi made it into the gallery. Her entire family, GHC+, and Crafty Crew turn up to the gallery to see it and they all go to the after party for her. Cece says “I told you you just needed to believe in yourself first…” Bex and Bowie tell Andi how proud of her they are and because they are literally awful at timing, tell her that they’re going to be trying for a baby. Andi has very mixed feelings about this, but Walker interrupts and drags her out to dance and party with everyone.

The night ends with Cyrus, Buffy, and Andi having a sleepover. Lots of hugs, celebrations, and love. They definitely squish Andi when she’s sitting between them on the couch while watching movies.

At the end of the episode, Andi texts Jonah about how mixed she feels about having a sibling. Jonah says he can understand - she feels like she might be being replaced, that he felt that way a couple times. Andi asks, like when? Jonah admits that he felt that way when he saw Walker and Andi at the Bar Mitzvah and that was his first panic attack. Andi said that she had no idea he was having panic attacks that long, Jonah says “well now you know. Sorry for not telling you.” Jonah tells her that he’ll always be there to listen to her if she needs it.

#andi mack

[maythemarvelbewithyou]

The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner book review

Dill has had to wrestle with vipers his whole life—at home, as the only son of a Pentecostal minister who urges him to handle poisonous rattlesnakes, and at school, where he faces down bullies who target him for his father’s extreme faith and very public fall from grace. The only antidote to all this venom is his friendship with fellow outcasts Travis and Lydia. But as they are starting their senior year, Dill feels the coils of his future tightening around him. The end of high school will lead to new beginnings for Lydia, whose edgy fashion blog is her ticket out of their rural Tennessee town. And Travis is happy wherever he is thanks to his obsession with the epic book series Bloodfall and the fangirl who may be turning his harsh reality into real-life fantasy. Dill’s only escapes are his music and his secret feelings for Lydia—neither of which he is brave enough to share. Graduation feels more like an ending to Dill than a beginning. But even before then, he must cope with another ending—one that will rock his life to the core. 

This book just knocked a whole lot of books down on my favorites list and it's a young adult book. It's one of my top books ever . Travis is a big guy that dresses all in black with a dragon necklace and his homemade staff. He wants to take that dang staff everywhere he goes. He is obsessed with a fantasy book series called Bloodfall and except for his two friends Dill and Lydia, he would rather live in his fantasy world and escape his abusive father.He was the most adorable dork to ever dork in the universe. He's OBSESSED with fantasy, specifically this trilogy which he can't stop talking about. He's big and kind and unassuming and just downright lovely. I loved him from the begining.Maybe because he reminded me of myself both from my high school years and today too.What is Bloodfall to him is Star Wars to me.When the real life gets hard I like to escape to the Galaxy far far away.When ever is just watch to movie or play SW games or read the comics/books.

"Rest, O Knight, proud in victory, proud in death. Let your name evermore be a light to those who loved you. Let white flowers grow upon this place that you rest. Yours was a life well lived, and now you dine in the halls of the Elders at their eternal feast."

Lydia is that free spirit. Her family is actually pretty well off and very supportive, but Lydia doesn't fit in with the small town Bible belt because she can't conform. She wears eclectic clothing and is sarcastic. She runs a blog on fashion advice called Dollywould. Lydia can not wait to get out of this hick town and take on the world . Then you have Dill. Dill's preacher dad recently went to prison. Not for having his congregation handle copperheads and rattlesnakes or even for having them drink strychnine, but Dill's mom and of course his dad blame Dill for him ending up in prison. Dill hates life in the town and is teased and ridiculed because of who his father is. He and his mom swim in debt that his father left them and his Jesus freak mom can't wait for Dill to quit school and help her share some of the load of his father's bills. The only shining lights in Dill's life are his two friends and Lydia is leaving soon. That is just a small peek at these characters. Because they all three are just so much more. He describes depression like I've never read before. If you haven't had a time in your life where you just could not get out of bed and make yourself function..this book puts you there. But it's not just that. Don't think it's just a "head in the oven" book. It's a book about feeling trapped and moving on. Feeling you can't do what others say you can't and moving on. Standing up for yourself and moving on. It's about that light still shining. "I read somewhere that a lot of the stars we see don't exist anymore. They've already died and it's taken millions of years for their light to reach Earth," Dill said. "That wouldn't be a bad way to die," Lydia said. "Giving off light for million of years after you're gone." 

I was reading it last night and didn't even tried to keep the tears coming down my face.I can't even explain why I loved this book so much without sobbing.I cried all through this dang book even though it's not entirely sad. The writing did that to me.

#the serpent king #jeff zentner #book #book review #review #reader #bookworm #faves #reading

[renee-writer]

From a Knight to a Laird Chapter 27 The Rest of Christmas

Claire Jamie Tianna Jennifer Raymond

Claire

I watch my husband's eyes get comically large as he takes in the laden table.

"I haven't seen a feast like this since the gathering and there was much more people there."

"This is why you only got toast to break fast." Raymond says as we all sit down. Jamie, muted by the bounty before him, merely nods. We all eat until we are stuffed, sharing bits of our past as we pass the plates and bowls. Jamie recalls the Hogmany celebrations of Lallybroch.

"The house would be almost as light as this one from the amount of candles. Green hung everywhere. Was a magical time."

I told of a Christmas I had spent in Bethlehem. Paul and Tianna listen with wide eyes to our tales. It saddens me that their childhood memories are not happy. Raymond and Merlin discuss all the different places and times they had been in. Jennifer is quiet, just listening. I wonder about her past.

After dinner, I drag my protesting husband into the kitchen to clean up.

"But Sassanech, I am to full to move."

"You needn't move much to dry. Raymond cooked, it is only right." He grumbles but does it. I allow him to collapse on the sifa after.

Tianna comes up," Would you like to open Jennifer's gift now?" Her eyes are alight with anticipation. I must admit, I have been wondering too. We head upstairs.

Jennifer

I follow them up. I need to explain part. Claire looks at me. "Is it the loo, then, or do you want to see us open your gift?" She asks with a smile.

"I need to see you. I must explain part." We all walk in her and Jamie's room together. They pull the bags out from under the bed.

"I have been curious about what you gave us that we couldn't open in front of the others." Claire comments.

I smile and say," Open them. Then you will understand." They do. Claire pulls out the blue neglige with matching knickers she had eyed at Victoria Secrets. Tianna pulls out the red.

"Ohhh. This is very sweet of you. To remember."

"Well Claire. You are trying to start families. I thought they would be helpful."

"No doubt. What is this?" They have discovered my other gift, the one I need to explain. "It isn't a bra and knickers, is it?"

"No, it is a swim suit."

"A wot?"

"It is what qoman wear.in this time to swim. You will wish to swim on your honeymoon and, unless you plan on swimming in the nude, which you can do at night, you will need them."

"Ohhh, thank you." Tianna looks concerned.

"Try them on. I will turn my back and hold the door closed." They do, helping each other. When I turn to look at them, I gasp.

"The men are going to freak. If you aren't pregnant by your honeymoon, you surely will be after."

Tianna

"I thank you I just.." I don't know how to say it.

"What is wrong?" They both ask.

"You remember what Paul called me when seeing me in modern clothes. I fear much worse with..."

"If he has enough blood to his brain to form a sentence, I will be surprised." Jennifer says. I look at her confused.

"Jamie has promised him a talking to if he is to do that again. Don't worry." Claire says.

"What if he has the same response?"

"Then I will give him a talking to. Let's change and hide these. We don't want the men to see us yet."

Jamie

The lasses are upstairs a long time. I start up to check on them when they come down, laughing together. Claire heads towards the kitchen to get drinks. I follow.

I wrap my arms around her as she makes up the tray. Five whiskeys and two cokes. She leans back into me for a moment.

"What is going on with ye lasses?" I ask.

"You will know soon. Patience, my love." We head back into the living room. Raymond had something different on the telly. A movie called 'James Bond'. Attracted to my name, I sat down to watch it. I am soon completely engrossed.

Claire

When Raymond gets up to set out leftovers for dinner, I take the opportunity to help, to escape the strange movie my husband is watching so intently. I am soon joined by Tianna and Jennifer.

"You guys too?" I ask. They both smile and shrug. "So what are your plans for tomorrow?" I ask Jennifer. I see Raymond look up from cubing meat to go with the cheese I am cutting, awaiting her answer.

"I have been onvited to a friends house, but am not really enthused about it."

Raymond

It is the opening I have been waiting for. Trying to be casual., I say," You are welcome to be here. The ladies enjoy your company. We all do." The ladies exchange a look. I may not have been as smooth as I thought.

"Really, I would love that. It wouldn't be an imposition?"

"You will be living with us soon, so no. None at all."

"Thank you. I gratefully accept." I smile as I go to call the men in to get plates. They all three run in, grab plates and run back in in front of the telly. I look to the ladies, shrug and join them. To my delight, so does Jennifer.

Claire

"He really likes her." I say to Tianna.

"I know. I don't mind. I want to see him happy."

"Good. Something is bothering you?"

"I was just wondering when to wear the new night clothes. Should we wait?"

"I was thinking New Year's." I say as I make up a plate and go to join my husband. I find him on the other side of rhe door. He had obviously been eavesdropping. I glare at him.

"What did you hear?"

"Naught but New Year's. I swear."

"Hmmmppff." My Scottish noises of diversion are getting more impressive, I must say. I join him for the end of the movie.

"Come husband. Let's clean up."

"But, we did earlier. Isn't it Paul's turn?"

"Paul wasn't eavesdropping."

"But, there is something good on the Telly." I glare at him and he foolows me.

"If we hurry, you can catch Emerdale Farm." We do and he does. It is an hour Christmas special, much to Jamie and Paul's delight. After, Raymond announces that Jennifer is spending the night. He is also delighted.

"She will be here for Boxing Day and has had whiskey. We have a spare room. It is logical." He explains.

"Do you need help with the bed " i ask him.

"No thank you. I have it. " i smile at them both before joining Jamie in bed.

#my writing #jamie and claire #outlander fanfic #cannon divergence #the 80's one #from a knight to a laird #the rest of Christmas

[fanwarriorfictions]

One-

A Stranger Things Fanfic

Chapter Eight- Part Three

Phina didn't know exactly what happened, all she remembered was the smoke, the pain, and then the darkness. Her head throbbed, like she had gotten punched in the temple ten times in a row.

She sat up, holding her head in her hands. She let out a low groan, the pain getting worse from the movement. Phina tried to shift her body, so she could look at her surroundings, which sent a burning sensation throughout her right leg and up her side. She let out a shriek, looking down at her blood covered body.

Four deep claw marks adorned her leg, starting from her upper thigh and ending at her calf.

She looked around her, trying to place where she was. She was laying in the parking lot of the middle school, but, not really. No, she was in the upside down. The scene looked familiar, like, like, well, she didn't know. All she knew was that she had seen it before, and she was willing to bet her reoccurring nightmares had something to do with it.

The Demogorgan must have grabbed her, before bringing her to this place. Why she wasn't dead yet, she didn't know. Clearly, she was bleeding enough to attact it, but if it wasn't interested in her, that meant, their was more blood, more food for it to eat.

"The kids," Phina realizes, involuntarily jumping, which caused her to groan in pain.

She needed to get to her kids, she needs to save them. Phina tries to bend her leg, but endes up screaming out instead, there was no way she would be able to do anything like this, she has to stop the bleeding.

Phina grabbes the shredded material of her jeans, tearing away the pieces until her right leg was completely bare. She places her hands on her leg, where the bleeding was the worst, concentrating on the fire within her.

Normally, flame or heat would not affect her, so she had to make this hot, very hot. Her eyes began to glow golden, her palms heating up. Within seconds, her skin began to burn, the wound cauterizing. She bit her lip, hard, to keep from screaming, blood now pooling in her mouth.

   The smell of her own burning flesh made her want to puke, she bit down on her lip harder to prevent it. The blood begins to slow down in that area, almost completely cauterized. Phina pauses for a breath and then she is sending even more heat into the wound.

It stops bleeding completely, and Phina spits out the blood in her mouth, breathing deeply. She gritted her teeth and stood up, screaming out as many curses as she could. In answer, she heard the shriek of the Demogorgan. It was inside the school, screeching as it slammed itself into a wall, over and over again. Phina limped towards the noise, trying her best to block out the pain, but she could feel every agonizing step of it.

Phina turned the corner, into the hall of which the Demogorgan's shrieks came from. A portal, like the one her and Nancy had crawled through in the forest, opened on the wall, and the Demogorgan forces its way through it.

Phina sees her chance, and she boltes, the adrenaline keeping the pain of her leg at bay for the moment. She hears gun shots being fired from the other side as she neares the portal. As she dives through it, they go quiet, the only sound she can hear is the Demogorgan's shriek.

Phina falls to the ground, watching as the Demogorgan jumps on top of a man. Phina gets to her knees, watching the monster, waiting for it to see her. Then, she freezes, not because of the Demogorgan that was feasting away upon its dinner, but because of the man who was the feast, Dr Brenner.

Memories that have been locked away for 11 years slammed into her, and she felt no need to save that man, none whatsoever. No, not with the things he put her through, not with what he put Eleven through.

Her eyes fill with tears, a low, aching sob passing her lips, Brenner lookes up at her, the pain in his face as the monster ripped into his stomach turning into agonizing confusion.

"One," he whispers, "One, help me."

Phina let out another quiet sob, "papa," then she was running.

Tears streamed down her cheeks, but she didn't turn back, she just ran. Every memory her brain had suppressed flashed through her mind like a movie. Going backwards through the painful memories, until it landed on her earliest one, Dr Brenner, the man she had once known as, papa.

   He had raised her for the first five years of her life, and she lived in pure agony. She was tested on, experimented on, cut open and analyzed. She was a specimen of which they had never seen before, the birth of their crazed obsession with gifted individuals. Then she got away, killed her way out as at only five years of age, yet not a child, not even close.

When the gunfire starts up again, Phina followes the noise, pushing her past back into the corner it had been hiding in for all of these years. She runs faster, turning down a hallway, seeing the kids running towards her almost instantly, Dustin carrying El in his arms.

"Phina," Mike shoutes, confused, but relieved to see his sister, with her here, that meant they had a protector, and he knew Phina, she would make sure they were safe.

She cries out to him, "Mike!"

She runs towards them, towards their shared goal of a classroom to hide in. The kids ran into the room, Mike waiting for his sister to get in before slamming the door behind her. They didn't stop to reunite, just followed Dustin to the back of the room, where he and Lucas lifted El onto a table.

Phina almost sobbed when she saw how weak the girl looked, she looked near death. El clung to Mike, like he was her life line, which might of very well been true.

"Just hold on a little longer ok," Mike pleaded with El, "he's gone. The bad man's gone. We'll be home soon. My mom, she'll get you your own bed. You can eat as many eggos as you want.

"And, we can go to the Snow Ball," Mike smiles.

"Promise," El shakily asks, her voice breaking.

Mike looks at her, "promise."

They smile at each other, and Phina smiles at them. Phina feels weak in that moment, the adrenaline coming down from its high. She places her hand on Dustin's shoulder to keep from falling over. He looks up at her, seeing her incredibly pale face, then down at her leg, his own face paling.

"Holy shit Phina," Dustin yelled, "what happened to your leg!"

"I'm fine," she says, but almost falls right after she says it.

Lucas and Dustin support her, letting her lean on them.

She lets out a breath, "just a little dizz..."

Shrieks and gunfire sound from just outside the door, the lights flickering worse than before. Dustin yells out a little and Phina pulls him and Lucas into her sides, ready to protect them. They all watch the door, Phina pushing the boys behind her. The gunfire stops, and everyone glances at each other.

"I-is it dead," Dustin stutters.

After a few moments of silence, Dustin gets his answer. The Demogorgan slams through the door, breaking it from its hinges. The boys freak out, Phina pushing them backwards.

"Get the wrist rocket! Get the wrist rocket," Dustin screams.

Phina shares a look with El, one that speaks a thousand words. As the boys freak out, firing rocks at the monster, Phina and El silently say a million words to each other, each a different variation of I Love You Sister.

Phina helps El from the table and takes her hand. Lucas fires a large rock at the monster, hitting it in the chest as El uses her power to make it fly back into the front of the room. The boys stare at it, shocked, as Phina and El push their way in front of them. They walk forward, towards the monster.

"Eleven, Phina, stop," Mike shouts, running after them, only to be thrown backwards by El.

Phina, with her new found memories, uses her power to grow a cage of green vines around Mike. Her power, was more than just the fire she knew she had, it was all the elements.

The girls continue towards the Demogorgan, it's painful whimpering the only noise. As the wall cracks behind it, dark purple vines from the upside down crawl outwards, wrapping around the monster, adding to the crushing weight of El's power.

As the girls came to a stop in front of the monster, they turned back to the boys. Phina's heart broke as she saw her crying brother, and the distraught boys standing on either side of him.

"Goodbye Mike," El says, then looks to Phina, "you don't have to."

Phina looks at the girl, confused, before realizing what she was saying. Phina started to rapidly shake her head.

"No. You are not doing this alone," Phina says assertively, "do you understand me!"

Before El can even answer, Phina is turning back to the monster, raising her hand towards it. El follows her lead.

"No more," El tells it.

   Phina hesitates one more moment, looking back at her boys, "I love you boys. I always will, don't worry, all will be well."

Phina turns forward, and she releases a stream of fire from the palm of her right hand, her left reaching out to grab El's. The monster lets out the loudest roar she'd ever heard, she ignores the pain that eruptes in her head.

Phina vaguely hears El begin to scream, and her own scream begin in answer. Her senses slowly begin to fade, her hearing, smelling, tasting, and then her sight. She is left with just feeling, the heat of her fire at her palm, the tight hold El had on her hand, and the shaking of the Earth beneath them as the sister's release themselves upon it.

And then she's completely in the dark, no longer feeling El's hand. Phina falls, El screams louder, and the world takes a shuttering breath.

-1736 words-

Probably on of my favorite parts to this story. And finally, Phina gets her memories back, and along comes new powers. I know the whole "controlling the elements" thing is a little over done and is used basically everywhere, but hey, I'm cliche and I don't give a damn, it's cool. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter, this is about the last of the intense action so I hope you aren't disappointed.

-Morgan

#steve harrington #steve harrington x oc #stranger things #stranger things fanfic #strangerthingsfanfic #strangerthings #slow burn #one #romance

[thatlesbiannudistcult-stories]

Finding Goddess (Chapter Eight)

The weekend passed by without further incident. The two naked women were able to return to Beringall without getting caught, Henrietta managed to get back into her clothes, and after all the panic and excitement in her died down, the two decided to wind down and enjoy a relaxing evening with plenty of leisurely small talk, romantic movies, and frequent bouts of lovemaking. All throughout, Henrietta whispered sweet fantasies into Carol's ear about how much she would love it if her friend would become a Zenrist, and Carol, in all her horniness, was all too happy to indulge her.

"You're going to be naked forever!" Henrietta would say as Carol stood tall and proud above her, grinding her crotch into her own, meeting each other clit to clit, while her hands reached up and took hold of each of the nudist's beautiful, bouncing breasts.

"I'm going to be naked forever!" Carol would utter back, grinding harder, jumping higher. "I'm going to be naked forever!"

"Inside. Outside. At the park. At the beach. In the grocery store. At school with your daughters. Everywhere."

"Everywhere! Everywhere. I want to be naked EVERYWHERE!"

They came to those words multiple times all throughout the night, and a couple more times in the morning. But alas, like all good things, it had to come to an end. Henrietta had a big meeting on Monday to prepare for. By noon, she was fully dressed and out of the house, but not without giving her naked girlfriend a kiss on the lips, a squeeze on the ass, and a quick swipe on her slit.

"Goodbye, love," she said. "And I do mean what I said yesterday and all last night. I'd love for you to be naked forever, and I think you'd make a wonderful Zenrist."

With her gone, that left the place to Carol alone. To lounge around and take it easy the way she liked to be: without a stitch of clothing. No pesky daughters around to keep an eye on, clean up after, or worry about scarring for life if they ever saw her bare boobs jiggling around. She was free to run around the house in her birthday suit all she liked, and nobody could stop her.

...

It was pretty boring.

Carol grabbed her phone and started dialing. Henrietta may not have been around to entertain her anymore, but the nudist knew of someone else who'd be all too happy to. She was fortunate to know a couple women in this town who were willing to have benefits with her, and she knew one girl in particular who would most definitely drop everything and come running at the slightest invitation.

"Hey, you've reached the number of Katherine Summers," said the automated voicemail message of said girl on the phone. "Sorry I'm not around right now, but if you just leave a message after the beep, I'll be sure to get back to you. Bye!"

Carol's heart dropped like a lead weight. In her experience, if Katherine didn't pick the phone up when you called, then she most likely wouldn't pick it up until tomorrow. Still, if the mother left the right message, it might incentivize her lover into being more...timely.

"Hi Katy, it's me. I have the house all to myself. It's so cold and lonely here, especially since I'm," Carol took a deep breath before speaking again in a humid tone, "completely naaaaaakeeeeeed. Won't you please come over and warm me up?"

Knowing that was all she could do for the time being, Carol hung the phone up and placed it back on the counter. Goddess, what was she supposed to do now? She looked out the window. The day did look pretty nice. Perhaps she could just go out and try to enjoy it.

But that would mean she'd have to get dressed. She'd have to put clothes on. Her girls would have to be tied up, her love tunnel would have to be covered, and her delectable derriere would have to be hidden under a detestable layer of cloth. As would most of her thighs, her stomach, her arms, and likely her shoulders. Her nude streak would have to come to an end. It had the potential to be the longest one she had in years, and it was already the craziest one she had in her life, and she'd have to give it up, just like that. And she knew she wouldn't get another streak like this again for a long time.

Carol sighed. Those Zenrists had it so good. They could run around everywhere in their natural states to their heart's content. Even now, there were at least a few dozen or so ladies enjoying the day, doing things like eating lunch, swimming in the pool, playing in the park, working out in the gym, or drinking at the bar. All while as naked as the days they were born.

It wasn't fair! Why was it okay for them to have all the fun, but not her? Because she didn't believe in a kooky, sex-obsessed goddess?

Carol pouted and let her body sink into the couch. Normally, she would have enjoyed the simple sensation of letting the poofy, velvety cushions mold themselves all around her body. They felt good as they seeped into the contours of her back and the cleft of her buttocks. It was like sitting on a cloud. But right now, she was just too huffy to like it. She didn't want to be naked in the house. She wanted to be naked literally everywhere else!

Well, she was in here all by herself with nothing and no one to distract her. That gave her plenty of time to ruminate...and read her new book, which was currently resting on the counter by her phone.

Guess I could pick up where I left off, she thought as she opened it up. Though I have to ask just how many lovers does this freaking goddess need?

She had read a fair bit of the Scripture during the drive home. So far, not much had happened in it; mostly, the Goddess went back and forth between making women to have lesbian sex with, and then having lesbian sex with them. It was endless. She would make a woman out of clay, as gods were wont to do since they were too good to try experimenting with other building materials, screw her until she fainted from exhaustion, make another woman, screw her to exhaustion, and then make another one all for the same purpose. Oh sure, each sexual encounter was different; some girls favored oral, some favored vaginal, some were givers, some were receivers, some were completely submissive, and others even thought they could dominate a goddess. But it was still all the same pattern.

When looked at with an eye reserved for snooty literary critics, Carol had to admit it was rather repetitive. But she didn't think of it that way at all while she was reading it. If anything, it had been the single most engaging thing she ever remembered perusing in her life! Not only that, it also filled her with a deep warmth within her core, like someone was tickling her gently from the insides. It was that hot of a book! She got the sense that if she hadn't already been naked while she was reading it, she would have taken whatever she had on off.

It is a page-turner, I'll give it that, the naked woman mused as she got ready to read the next section. Might as well keep going.

***

And so twelve lovers fell into blissful sleep for the twelfth time, and the Goddess dipped Her hands into the clay again. But as She began to give shape to what would be Her Thirteenth Wife, She realized this would not be enough, for creation is a miraculous but exhausting process. And Zenriah knew She would never be able to craft all the lovers She desired by Herself.

But as She looked upon Her slumbering wives, each a beautiful reflection of Her splendor and radiance, the light of inspiration flowed through Her once again.

Come the morning when they awoke, Zenriah welcomed their embrace as She always had. She feasted upon Her wives as they feasted upon Her, suckling and flowing and bucking and bursting with every collective beat of their hearts. She allowed them to squirm all over Her form, explore every corner of Her majesty, and seep into every crevice of Her being.

Feeling Her First Wife crawl upon Her ripened flower, the Goddess knew it was time. She bloomed even further, welcoming Her lover inside Her sweet-smelling depths. She took her eyes, tongue, and visage as She had countless times in the past, letting her loll about inside Her as she drank of Her nectar and inhaled of Her essence, causing her petals to flutter in ecstasy. And then, without warning, She took her heart and her breasts and her womanhood, and all else there was to her.

And Zenriah's First Wife gladly gave it all. Her Goddess' pleasure was her pleasure, and to be so deeply immersed within the Goddess was to turn herself into a tool of ultimate pleasure. Even as she was pulled ever more inside Zenriah, she continued to kiss, continued to caress, continued to wiggle like a wet serpent inside the heavenly flesh until it became her entire world, all there was, and all there would ever be. Gently, it pulsed around her, molding her form against their succulence, shaping her like she was made of clay again. With every touch, she felt her whole Goddess quiver from within as joy erupted in Her holy being, which only pulled her deeper inside. More and more, Zenriah's First sank within her Goddess, writhing and dancing and rolling in that which was most holy of all as the Goddess' cries of bliss echoed all around her. Zenriah's love held tighter around the woman, it moistened and slickened her 'til she was naught but a gyrating drop of nectar in a sea of pure divinity, unable to see, unable to breathe, unable to escape...until with one great climaxing shudder, the Goddess burst. Her holiness spilled out of Her flower and upon Her Wives, while Her First was pushed all the way in until she was nestled in the enveloping darkness of Zenriah's loving womb. And there she remained.

The same fate awaited the rest of Her wives. One by one, the Goddess would pull them to her, one by one the Goddess would swallow them up, and one by one, the Goddess would seal them within the greatest depths of Her being.

In there, Zenriah taught them Her greatest secrets. She taught them how they would experience the ultimate pleasure. She taught them how they would experience the miracle of life. She taught them how they could go about creating themselves. Most of all, She taught them how they could become goddesses in and of themselves!

When She had told them all there was to tell, the Goddess released Her wives from Her womb, letting them each experience the joy of birth for the first time in their existence. Then She issued to them a decree for what would be their greatest duty to Her.

"Make me more wives, my loves. Make me more wives to slake my everlasting thirst."

And so the Twelve obliged Her. Happily, they expressed their love for Her and each other with their newfound knowledge of creation, molding their children and Her wives within their holy wombs through the fires of their passion. Just as the Goddess had created them and bestowed them with life, so too were they able to create and bestow lives of their own.

From Twelve Wives were birthed twenty daughters. Each daughter was presented to the Goddess as an offering and as a token of their immortal love for Her. And the Goddess happily took them all and gently cradled them against Her bosom.

"Make me more," She commanded. "Make me more wives for whom I may love, and of whom may love Me, for all eternity. Make me more until all the world is enveloped in your love for Me. That is your duty."

And so they birthed more daughters. And their daughters birthed more daughters. And they birthed and they birthed until all the land was covered in the succulent flesh of Womankind. And the Goddess smiled, for as She looked upon Her creations, She knew She finally achieved what She desired for so long.

#finding goddess #carol #zenrist #zenrism