#mainly my dad and also my brother even though my brother isn't here

[hello-nichya-here]

How do you feel about Monica and Richard's relationship? Do you think he was her soulmate instead of Chandler?

I think they were a pretty great, adorable couple (Richard trying to find a neurosis of his own to make Monica feel better about her OCD lives rent-free in my head), had a lot of things in common, did their best to work through their relationship issues and the actors had fantastic chemistry. Richard was THE perfect guy for Monica in my eyes... until I saw her fall in love with, date, and marry Chandler, her actual soulmate.

Now, I know a lot of people are creeped out not just by their 21 year age gap, and, more importantly, by the fact that Richard knew her since she was a child because was best friend's with her father (they even say they're like brothers, and at least here in Brazil she'd have absolutely grown up calling him UNCLE Richard).

However:

1 - They're not real, so who cares?

2 - I'm a degenerate and I'm into it.

3 - They did spend years without having any contact (to the point that he doesn't even recognize her at first) and it's very clear that Richard only ever started feeling attracted to her when she was an adult - and not in a "He was waiting to get on her pants the very second she turned 18" kind of way, but rather as "She's literally 27-years-old, she's been a fully grown, adult woman for a LONG time."

And even though Friends, like any sitcom, is known for having the characters in very unrealistic situations for the sake comedy, drama or both (and that's a feature, not a bug) the way Richard and Monica's age difference was handled was pretty realistic.

Monica clearly likes that Richard is this suave, cool older man - but unlike with the rich guy she dates after him, it's obvious that she actually does like him for who he is beyond the superficial stuff, and isn't just giving this relationship a shot because she wants to get married and have kids, and needs a guy to achieve that. I felt soooooo sad for Richard when he was feeling like "one of the guys" then Joey and Chandler let slip that they like hanging out with him because their DADS were not as cool, and Monica was super sweet to him after.

The entire episode of her parents finding out about them on her dad's birthday was freaking amazing, mainly because the writers took full advantage of literally every opportunity for a good joke. Monica is asked if she'll tell them that night, and replies with "Yeah, for my father's birthday I decided to give him a stroke." Their mother asks if they thanked Richard for the ride, innocently just acting like a mom making sure her kids are being polite to their father's friend, and Ross just says "I'm sure Monica thanked him for the both of us." And, of course, everyone awkwardly singing happy birthday right after they had a falling out.

And that episode was also an exemple of Friends, a show that both fairly and unfairly described as very sexist, actually being pretty ahead of it's time when it comes to pointing out the full on misogyny that people often give themselves permission to engage on the very second a girl dates someone much older.

All of the guys are talking about Richard banging a younger woman (that they don't know is Monica) in a really gross way, with her own father even comparing it to the time he bought a cool, expensive car to deal with his mid-life crisis, and, much to both Richard and Ross's horror, suggesting they trade for a day. Sure, it's painting Richard as at least a bit of a loser for dating a younger woman after a long marriage that ended in divorce, but they're still expecting him to brag about it, seeing it as something cool and worth envying him for, and quite literally treating the "mystery younger woman" as an object instead of a person that genuinely cares about him, and that he cares for as well.

The women at the party aren't any better either, making wild assumptions about how Monica is probably just a stupid slut with nothing to offer, and that maybe she's even ugly and the only reason Richard is into her is because she is "Just young enough that everything is still pointing up." They literally know nothing about her beyond "She's younger than him, met him after he got divorced and started dating him" and are all still acting in such a spiteful way that, hearing one of them talk without any context, people could easily assume something like "Oh, she was with Richard first, and this story about him meeting this younger girl after the divorce is bullshit. He met while he was still married, had an affair, filled for divorce, and now the ex-wife hates this girl"

Even Monica's own mother gets all condescending the second she hears her daughter say the word RELATIONSHIP. It all makes for great television because it's a conflict that is not at all forced, makes you really root for the characters' romance to last, and, again, the writers took ALL the opportunities to make jokes about it.

But more importantly, when it was time to make their age gap be the real why they broke up, they didn't do it by turning Monica into an immature moron that was not good enough for him, or retconning Richard's characterization to make him all condescending, arrogant and assuming he knows better just because he's older - or worse, adding a cheap twist that he actually IS a creep that only liked her because she was an adventure/trophy, would cruelly toss her aside the second he got bored, and that he had secretly been screwing younger girls all the time behind his ex-wife's back. NOPE! None of that.

Instead the writers did the smart thing and acknowledged that both Monica and Richard wanted to get married and have kids... but Richard already did it. He got married, had kids, had grandkids, and then got divorced. If he marries Monica now, even if she turns out to be the love of his life and his absolute soulmate he is simply not gonna do all of that again just for her sake, nor should he, because he is in a different state of life and just wants someone to grow old with. It would not be fair of Monica if she tried to force him to have kids again - and it would not be fair of Richard if he expected her to just skip a whole stage of life that she had been super excited for, all because HE already got to have it, enjoy it, and reach the stage where HE was done with it.

And sure, during the drama when Chandler is pretending he will never be interested in marriage and kids, just to surprise Monica with a proposal, they kind of retcon that a bit by having Richard say he regrets that decision and WANTS to have children with her, but I accept that writing choice because:

1 - Literally no one else could fit that role as Chandler's rivals for that storyline without it feeling completely, and it was one of highlights of the last seasons of Friends, aka part of why I'll defend said seasons forever despite the drop in quality.

2 - Richard doesn't seem to have had a truly serious relationship with anyone after Monica because he's clearly not over her, so the pain of seeing her happy with someone else could easily make him start seeing the absolutely correct, but still very difficult choice he made in the past look like THE biggest mistake of his life. When he hear of him later he is not becoming a dad again, so I'll just choose to headcanon that once he found the right person he realized he dodged a bullet when Monica chose Chandler.

3 - Monica did, in fact, choose Chandler. Over Richard. The guy he had been all insecure about, for good reason because Monica would have clearly married him if it wasn't for the not having kids thing, and they had lingering feelings for each other for a looooong time. Her being given the perfect chance to go back to him, and not doing so, is the best way to show to the audience that no, she's not just settling for Chandler because she couldn't have Richard.

4 - Chandler and Richard's talk in which Richard agrees that he already had his chance and that he needs to step aside now because what he is doing isn't fair, Chandler calls him a good guy, and Richard then brags about AND says he hates that is adorable and very funny.

So there you have it. Richard is not Monica's soulmate, but in an AU in which she never met Chandler, or in which they remained purely platonic forever, Richard would be the ONLY acceptable endgame for her because That. Storyline. Was. So. Fucking. Good.

#asks #mondler #richard x monica #monica x richard #friends #f.r.i.e.n.d.s

[luvchungha]

CAFE CUTIE - chapter 19

"jaeyun, why is your little brother here?" you turned to look at him, seeing the boy on his shoulders, the usual smile on his face. even though jun was smiling hard, jake looked apologetic.o

"look im sorry, there was nobody to watch him at the house, so i had to bring him with me. he won't bother anyone or mess up anything."

"it's fine, don't stress about it. he's a good kid as far as i can tell so i know he won't destroy anything. he might as well help everyone." as you said this you thought, why didn't he just not come? watching his brother was more important than a setup and a lunch outing. you could've just had him help with the next school event.

"there's an outdoor and an indoor portion of the dance." you started to explain to him. there were too many students to fit inside the gym, and keeping food outside for hours isn't sanitary. "most of the photoshoot areas and the food will be inside the gym, and the dj setup will be outside."

he nodded at your words, listening very closely to each word you were saying. "we'll start in the gym first though, so we can hang up the banners and such."

suddenly another voice spoke up, "yn! can i help too?" jun asked, "of course you can! can you put these cups and plates on that table over there?" you pointed to one of the tables across the gym, as he followed with a small ok! as he walked further and further into the distance.

later, it was time for your little "date". you both went home to change into more appropriate clothes, rather than the lazy clothes you both were wearing to be comfortable.

you both met at a small sandwich shop a few minutes away from school, it was a popular weekday spot that students walk to after school, though it was usually quiet on the weekends. you had thought about applying for a job here, but you decided to wait unless the school workload became too much.

jake did offer to pick you up from your house, but you declined not wanting him to waste gas, since it was very pricey these days. luckily your aunt was kind enough to give you some money for gas every once in a while, not having to worry about it as much.

after you both met up inside the shop you decided to sit inside at a little table in the corner, both of you ready to eat your sandwiches due to the hunger you both built while setting up at school.

"jaeyun, why is your sandwich mainly lettuce," you questioned, confused why the sandwich barely had any toppings.

"im picky! and it's not just lettuce. theres turkey and cheese and onions too." he opened one of the flaps on the bread to point out the different ingredients.

"also, you are the only person that calls me by my actual name, it's kinda odd" he mentions, taking a bite into his sandwich with barely anything in it.

"are you gonna complain after everything you've done to me so far? plus, saying jake doesn't sound right when i say it. you know what, why don't i just call you jaeyunnie." you grinned, remembering the nickname his little brother calls him by, him being very openly embarrassed about it.

"hey! stop! he tells you, visibly embarrassed before proceeding to laugh. god his laugh, it was so contagious and so was his smile. it was hard not to smile if he was smiling too, like one of those people that makes you happy just looking at them.

"you know, jun is like the spitting imagine of a smaller me"

"i know, ive seen him. he looks like your mom more though, you look more like your dad"

"how do you know what my parents look like, stalker," he says, smiling again and taking a sip of his drink he ordered who knows when.

"maybe if you took a look around your house you'd see all of the family picture frames, im observant you know, and it's hard to miss," you reply

"nooo my embarrassing baby photos are everywhere please tell me you didn't see them" he pleaded, hands together like that was the worst thing in the world.

you both fell into a nice silence, the only voices coming from workers and the other 2 people on the other side of the shop. you both ate your sandwiches peacefully, along with some more small talk and trash talk about the lack of toppings on his sandwich.

he has his chin resting on his palm, as he burns holes into your eyes.

"you're staring," you tell him

"i know, you're pretty, it's hard not to,” he boldly says, hiding in embarrassment a few seconds later, "I'm sorry i didn't mean to be so sudden" he looks down at the floor, ashamed in case you didn't l yeah

"it's okay...and thank you. you're honestly not so bad yourself-"

"hey! you guys are on a date too?" you hear a familiar voice from the door, louder than usual. at the entrance stands soobin, and what your assuming is yeonjun since he hasn't walked in yet. soobin starts quickly walking over, pulls a chair from another table, and sits on the other end.

you can tell jake is visibly confused at what just happened, and so is yeonjun as he walks over to the table a little slower and politely greets you and jake with a smile, mouthing a "sorry"

you punch soobin's arm, whispering to him "what the fuck are you doing, go somewhere else" before hitting him again and giving a nervous smile jakes way.

"im sorry for the intrusion- we were just leaving haha" yeonjun spoke up, grabbing soobins arm to drag him out the shop, scolding his behavior before they both waved to the two of you before exiting

later, while you were both preparing to leave there was suddenly an elderly woman who had stopped at your table as she was walking in.

"you guys are such a cute couple," she said, putting her hands to her heart

"oh we're not-"

"thank you, we're a year strong" jake suddenly said, his hand grabbing yours and holding it up like it was a prized possession. the lady gave him her thanks and she went on to order her sandwich.

"do you even know that lady?”

"no? i couldn't break her heart i was just being nice"

previous masterlist next

a/n: this is so bad but it took me so long to write and also i think im only gonna write for skz from now on i find it hard to write for enha

@16luver @junebug032 @zuyairus @bluxjun @iadorethemskz @kwiwin @heartsforhyunjin @thisisnotjacinta

click here to be added to the taglist

#jake x reader #enhypen jake #jake enhypen #enha jake #jake sim #sim jake x reader #sim jake smau #sim jaeyun x you #sim jaeyun x reader #sim jaeyun smau #sim jake fluff #enhypen x reader smau #enhypen fluff #enhypen x you #enhypen x reader #enhypen smau #enhypen fanfiction #enha x reader #enha fanfic

[gaygoetia]

Background Details in Helluva Boss S1 E5 - The Harvest Moon Festival

Millie's Family

We can see from the family photos in Millie's parents' home that Millie has three brothers in addition to her sister Sallie-Mae, though their names aren't mentioned in the episode. We see two of them briefly helping load pumpkins into their dad's truck, looking visibly older than in the family photos.

Also this isn't a background detail as such but unlike most female imps shown in the series, Sallie-Mae has striped black and white horns and her hair is white at the roots, implying that she dyes it. This suggests that Sallie-Mae is a trans woman, something which I believe has been confirmed by the show creators and/or the trans voice actress who plays her.

Moxxie being a theatre kid

There are several fun references to Moxxie's love of musical theatre in this episode, including the music notes on his wallpaper and alarm clock and theatrical posters in his bedroom. His phone case says "I don't cry, I sing" and the stickers on his suitcase also reference the theatre (one says "break a leg" and the other is a picture of tragedy and comedy masks)

Striker's Motel

The Motel Striker stays at is called "The Hideaway Motel" and the guy that tried to kill you definitely isn't there.

Blitzo's Car

Once again the little horse decoration makes an appearance but we also see that the back window includes a decal of Blitzo, Loona, Moxxie and Millie.

Stolas being horny for imps

Just a couple of Stolas details this episode but both relate to him having a thing for imps.

The book he's reading at the dinner table while Stella is openly making arrangements to assassinate him is called "Imps in the sheets".

He's also fanning himself pretty emphatically when Blitzo and Striker (both of whom he's canonically attracted to) are wrestling in the mud. This may or may not be for horny reasons but knowing Stolas it probably is.

Blitzo's Horse Thing

Blitzo's thing for horses manifests in this episode mainly as him admiring Striker's hellhorse Bombproof. Don't have much to add to this except look how cute his lil face looks! If Stolas witnessed this he would probably buy Blitzo a horse on the spot.

Blitzo and Stolas' bedroom scene

I wasn't sure whether to include this because once again it's more foreground than background details, but I thought while I'm talking about this episode I might as well.

This scene is probably the most insight we get into Blitzo and Stolas' sexual relationship. It starts with Stolas tied to the headboard and absolutely beaming so clearly something kinky has just gone down. This is also apparent from the harness he's wearing and the ball-gag around his neck (which additionally references the fact That Blitzo doesn't like it when Stolas talks about/during sex)

Another thing I thought was interesting in this scene is that Stolas stubs his cigarette out on Blitzo's horn to no visible reaction on Blitzo's part. This leads me to believe that imp horns either don't have pain receptors or that they have some level of fire resistance even within Hell which is preventing this from harming him.

I also think this moment and this scene in general is a great example of why Blitzo thinks that Stolas views him as a novelty and a plaything. This gesture is so casually objectifying and Stolas' tone of voice comes off as quite condescending. I don't think either of these things is intentional on Stolas' part but it shows that Blitzo's cynical view of their relationship hasn't come out of nowhere.

That's it for episode 5 but you can see all my other Helluva Boss background details posts here.

#helluva boss #hb background details #hellaverse #hellaverse background details

[zoeykallus]

Could you do the batcher reacting to their kid going on their first date? I love your writing sm! It literally makes my day💖💖

I could :)) This might be fun! Thank you so much! ^.^

The Bad Batch HC's - Their Kid's First Date

Hunter

Boy:

"Okay son, just remember, be polite, treat them with respect and everything is going to be fine"

Hunter is very aware of his education, he wants his son to be a good man and either way who he's dating, girl/boy/diverse, he wants his son to be respectful. He provides some credits for the date to.

"Here, take them somewhere nice and have a good time, but don't do anything stupid, and please forget about the tips uncle Crosshair gave you, that's nothing you should do on a first date!"

He's still a bit nervous and will wait for his son to come home, just to be sure everything is alright.

Afab Child:

He's a mess.

"Boys have filthy minds, sweetheart. Don't do anything you don't feel like doing, even if they ask you nicely, okay?"

He gives his child hundreds of advices, repeating the awkward talk about sex, and insists on a tight curfew.

"You are back at ten, the latest!"

Hunter won't go to sleep or doing anything else. He's standing at the window from the moment his kid leaves til they come back, with his blaster ready... just in case.

If his girl is dating a girl, he's a little confused at first, but mainly relieved. He's still waiting at the window, though.

Echo

Boy

"Okay, you know how to behave. Be nice and respectful. But don't forget, you deserve to be treated the same way"

Echo is not that worried, he knows he did well educating his son and in any case, he has his com to call if something goes sideways. He's a little excited, his kid is growing up, and it all happened so fast. At least that's what it feels like to him.

He's still surprisingly relaxed about it.

"You can take my speeder today"

Echo also provides some credits and a last good advice, "If you feel like this isn't good for you, in any way, just be polite, bring them home and come back here"

Afab-Child

"I don't know... Do you really want to go on this date?"

He's so reluctant to let his little girl go, no matter how old she is, he's super nervous and protective about her. Echo keeps reminding her on all the rules, the com number she needs to call for emergencies, and that it's okay when she wants to come back home early.

In the end, his daughter will call one of her uncles to have an eye on her Dad.

Wrecker

Boy

He's relaxed about it. Wrecker is proud of his son, slowly but surely becoming a man.

"Remember to be respectful", is pretty much all he says before he lets his son go on this date.

Wrecker isn't worried, he taught his son to be nice and how to look out for himself if needed. He's pretty confident everything will be fine. His brothers envy him a little for his calm and confidence for that matter.

Afab-Child

Wrecker is relaxed. He knows his daughter knows everything she needs to know, about being respectful, defend herself if needed or call for help. He knows where she is going, he made sure he knows who she's with and the other kid's parents.

Wrecker is prepared and pretty calm. He is waiting for his daughter to come home later, but not because he doesn't trust her, much more because he's excited and wants to know if she had a nice evening.

Tech

Boy

Tech's son is prepared. He told him everything he needs to know, probably even more. He's got everything ready.

Giving him condoms he says, "You shouldn't even think about using them on a first date, but... well just in case, better safe than sorry"

"Be respectful, you know how to behave"

He knows the kid his son is going out with, he's not really worried. But still, he makes sure to tell his son everything one more time, before letting him leave for his date.

Afab-Child

Tech will tell his daughter everything about STD's, in some gruesome detail too. He gives her condoms and a taser.

"I hope you use the taser for contraception.... I mean... well, you shouldn't go too far on a first date"

Tech is cute and annoying at the same time.

He's not really stressed but a little nervous, and in Tech's terms that looks like someone on the verge of a breakdown.

He calls after his daughter as she leaves, "Don't hesitate to use the taser!"

Tech will wait til she comes back that night, asking a million and one question.

Crosshair

Boy

There is not much to say, he leaves that to the mother, mostly. He provides some credits and condoms when the Mom isn't looking.

"Have fun kid, but be nice, your Mom kills us both when you disrespect your date, she'll blame it on me"

Afab- Child

He takes full charge here.

"You are not going on a date"

"But-"

"No"

"Dad!"

"Daughter"

"Please, Dad!"

It's a back and forth for quite a while. He doesn't want to be a buzz kill, so far his daughter's friends all admired him as the coolest Dad, he wants to keep it that way. But he will still play it safe. Aside from giving her condoms and credits and an emergency com, he will follow her, with his rifle in tow. She has no idea, that her Dad is laying in wait on a house next to the open air cinema she's at with her date.

Ko-Fi (If you feel like giving me some coffee)

@rintheemolion

@andyoufollowyourheart @clone-whore-99

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@misogirl828 @tech-deck

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@starwarsnerd111

#star wars headcanons #tbb headcanons #headcanon #star wars #tbb #bad batch #hunter #echo #wrecker #tech #crosshair #tbb fanfiction #crosshair tbb #echo tbb #hunter tbb #star wars tbb #sw tbb #tbb crosshair #tbb echo #tbb hunter #tbb tech #tbb wrecker #bad batch echo #the bad batch #bad batch crosshair #bad batch hunter #bad batch tech #bad batch wrecker #hunter the bad batch #star wars bad batch

[gemini526sdumptruck]

Pac-Personalities (+ some other factoids)

I had talked about some of my personalities for the characters before on my DA, but I really wanted to share them here too, especially since I had tweaked them a little bit since the last time.

Also for images I'm just gonna reuse the most recent digital pictures I've made of the characters because lazy lol.

The Pac Worlders:

Pac (Pac-Man): Pac is a very cheerful and extroverted kind of guy. He’s also got a tendency to come off as snarky and smug, especially when he’s confronting an opponent. He’s very well known for having a huge appetite, and at times can get a bit greedy for food. Pac is not only very determined to stop Betrayus’ attacks on Pac City, but also to find out the whereabouts of his parents. He tends to get a bit caught up in these things, and sometimes leaves his friends behind in his pursuits, but he really cares about them. At first, Pac’s pretty afraid of ghosts due to not really encountering many in his lifetime. So when he meets the Ghost Gang, you can only imagine how freaked out he was. After befriending them though, his fear of ghosts settled down. Pac has a bit of a frenemies relationship with Blinky, and they often fight over how they want things to be done, though the anger is mostly on Blinky’s side (Also in this universe he isn't the last of his kind, in fact yellow pac people are quite common, it's just that he comes from some special bloodline. Like I think I had planned that his dad was the OG Pac-Man).

Cylindria: Cyli is a friendly and pretty smart person. She’s also seen as like this super cool girl, mainly due to her looks and how she does things. Like how she’s as fast as lightning on skates, or how she can control a hoverboard with ease. Getting along with Cyli is usually pretty easy, but she does have slight trust issues with people she doesn’t know. In fact, she used to be very skeptical of the Ghost Gang when they first met, but similarly to Pac, grew to trust them. She’s particularly pretty close with Inky (and Pinky too to an extent).

Spiral: Spiral is Pac’s best friend, and ever since they met he’s always stood by his side. He’s an upbeat and active kind of guy, finding the most enjoyment in sports. Spiral has a natural ability to spin around super fast as an attacking method (so basically like a Beyblade lol), even being able to hover if he goes fast enough. Spiral is loyal to all his friends, from supporting them all the way to standing up for them against bullies and evil monsters. Spiral’s also made pretty good pals with Clyde, who often expresses great interest in playing games with Spiral.

The Ghost Gang:

Blinky: Blinky is the self-proclaimed leader (and also the oldest) of the Ghost Gang (which he also named). He’s rough, tough, unruly, and a huge hothead. He’s quite the prickly ghost, but many think that he has a soft spot somewhere. He’s the older brother of Clyde, and even though he doesn’t always publicly show it, Blinky loves him to bits. Blinky is also very stubborn and never likes to admit defeat, and so even when he’s very clearly losing in something, he keeps trying to come out on top. Before the Ghost Gang became full on allies with Pac and his friends, Blinky used to be very antagonistic towards them. At the time, he still saw them as enemies. When the Ghost Gang did team up with them, Blinky still had a bit of a grudge against them, but over time he grew to like them. Blinky is a fire ghost, meaning he has fire powers and can swim in lava (He also has a nickname for Pac, “Munchy”).

Pinky: Pinky is the youngest member of the Ghost Gang. She’s girly and bubbly on the surface, but she’s more than just cute. Pinky has one heck of an attitude, and is a very headstrong kind of ghost, even being a little pushy at times. If she’s provoked in any way, she’ll be quick to fight back, no matter who or what it was that set her off (friends are usually an exception). Pinky has a not-so-subtle crush on Pac, and often tries to impress him every chance she gets. Pinky is a speedy ghost, giving her the power to go super fast. She also leaves a bright pink trail when she moves fast (kinda like the Powerpuff Girls).

Inky: Inky is the second oldest and also the “second in command” in the Ghost Gang. Inky’s very shy around new people, and when meeting new folks, he tends to be quiet. When you get to know him a little better though, he becomes more comfortable talking, and is actually a pretty friendly guy. He’s Blinky’s right hand man, always being there for him and the others when they need him most. Don’t let his bashfulness fool you though, because he’s much braver and smarter than he looks. Similarly to Blinky, Inky was also a little hesitant to get to know Pac and the others, though he wasn’t near as aggressive about it as Blinky. Inky is a goopy ghost, meaning he can attack, make things, and even clone himself with goop, or in his case, ink. Water and he don’t mix though, he melts in that stuff (And yes he’s wearing eyeliner. Yes he made it droopy like that on purpose. No I don’t know whether he’s an emo or a goth lol).

Clyde: Clyde is well…Clyde! He’s calm and carefree, and he has a huge heart. He’s the younger brother of Blinky, but the middle child in his family. Clyde cares a lot for his friends and family, especially Blinky. He also seems to tolerate Blinky’s angry outbursts more that some others, and sometimes gives Blinky a big hug to try and make him feel better. Clyde isn’t exactly known for being the smartest of the gang, however. He’s not completely stupid, but he does have a lot of dumbo moments. He’s also very easily distracted, and somewhat of a coward. Clyde is a bubbly ghost, meaning he can create fizzy bubbles from his trail and his hands. He can also create large durable bubbles to trap things in.

I also like to imagine that sometimes the Ghost Gang have little group huddles when they're about to do something big, and then at the end they do the thing where they put their hands in the middle and then raise them up. Like Blinky says "1", Pinky "2", Inky "3", and Clyde usually says "4" but also says something random. And then they all just go "Ghost Gang!" or something lol

I might get around to doing some additional characters some other time, but these are the personalities I had for the main characters of my little Pac-universe!

Feel free to ask anything about this if you want

#repost because something very weird happened with the tags #i have no clue what happened but ima try again #pac man #pacman #pmatga #pacman and the ghostly adventures #cylindria #cylindria pacman #spiral #spiral pacman #blinky #blinky pacman #pinky #pinky pacman #inky #inky pacman #clyde #clyde pacman #repost #personalities #pacman ghosts #arting

[sunnybugz]

papyrus, orchid, cactus, and daffodil for the ask game :)

papyrus : if you put your on repeat playlist on shuffle, what's the first song that comes up? what do you like about it/associate with it?

touch tank by quinnie !! it makes me think about my ex oops 😭 i used to listen to it and fantasize about us living together in a cute apartment and being in love 🙃 (almost two months post breakup and our 5 year anniversary would've been two weeks from now so im yearning srry) . i do still like the song bc it's horny bubbly yearning music which is my whole personality

orchid : what's a song you consider to be perfect?

ok this is so hard bc i LOVE music but here's a few :

red side of the moon - trixie mattel

good luck, babe! - chappell roan (BEEN ON LOOP SINCE IT CAME OUT)

broom people - the mountain goats

intersection - slaughter, beach dog

sober to death - car seat headrest

a pearl - mitski

townie - mitski

bridge over troubled water - simon and garfunkel

landslide - fleetwood mac (i want my first dance at my wedding to be to this song 💗)

riches and wonders - the mountain goats

cactus : something you're currently learning about ?

ok most of the stuff im learning is school stuff which is just theories of media whoops . learned a lot of music lately though !! i just finished my honour band program which was so fun and i learned so much about playing my instrument (trumpet) and a bunch of new music that actually challenged me

daffodil : do you have siblings ? in what ways are you similar or different to them ?

i have lots of siblings !! 4 or 5 (complicated question, you'll see why)

d (technically oldest sister) : ok so she's Very Dead like . died 20+ years before i was born but the only reason im including her is we look the EXACT SAME . which is weird bc i look exactly like my mom and we don't have the same mom ? but yeah

p (oldest sister who i count, 31) : we are scary similar 😭 once again we look the same (i look like my mom, she looks like her mom, our dad has a type) . we're both very positive people who love to look on the bright side, we're both very interested in activism, both extroverts, and we're both very resilient :'-) most of our differences are generational-- she's 31 and im 19. but she's also more forgiving than me oops i think i hold grudges a lot more which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

r (older sister, 28) : we are not very similar at all-- i don't get along w her very well bc of this and because we weren't raised together. however we both have very strong senses of justice and work at nonprofits !

r (older brother , 23) : we aren't very similar either-- he's rlly introverted and focused on his interests which differ wildly from mine (comics and dnd mainly). but we're both very friendly + very focused on our individual interests even if they're super different (aka the Autism ...)

d (younger brother , 16) : we are so different but also the Same Fucking Guy . my fav family member he is literally the fucking realest . idek how to explain our similarities he's just the only sibling im close in age with (2.5 years) and we Get Each Other . differences wise he's an athlete (star wrestler + football player) whereas i quit sports 5 years ago, he plays video games and i don't, and he gets pissed off way easier but yk . 16 year old boy 😭 we also look SUPER similar especially when we were younger, except he has brown eyes and mine are green (and his eyebrows are 1000× better than mine NATURALLY)

#personal #asks #soleil speaks

[inner-community]

also, idk. i told her last week i think a lot of parts are getting closer. so for instance with the Adult Us, i think it's becoming pretty hard to tell when we are switching? at least for me. i feel like there are hints that something has changed (like bandit will be more irritable when interrupted, jb spouts off intellectual thoughts and is more coherent than the rest but also is compulsively smoking weed, (part formerly known as andie but doesnt like it now because its our Name to people) is very very Polite and reserved...) but i don't think between them there is as much amnesia and it's like... idk maybe more of like a gradient shift of consciousness than flipping a switch. which is good i think!! i do have a hard time telling though if that is really like... an integration step or if i am just so busy i'm not noticing things/keeping myself in this adult mode more often. but i also notice the smalls are getting closer to the adults. (adults using more of the verbage that the smalls do, which helps us ask for things or express needs, and smalls being more involved in Big tasks)

soooooooo idk!!! it's really weird to like. notice this kind of healing i guess?? and i KNOW what a large part of me feeling so good currently is just weather, because spring brings back like all of my vitality, but we had such a mild winter that i feel like it didn't have as bad an effect on me as usual this year i think. sooo idk.

and my problems are mainly just like, interpersonal with my family now. i think a lot of it comes down to not being able to handle when everyone else has unregulated emotions and acts as unpredictable as they usually do, because no one is really working on their issues in a helpful way. and it makes me angry sometimes because i have problems equal to theirs, but i have put in years and years of work into being a better and more stable person. and i have DID!!! (my family definitely all have parts to some extent but refuse to either believe that or work with them. my sister is convinced she can just like. evict one from her head and i keep telling her that is only going to make it harder to integrate later.)

and two things.. my sister acts JUST LIKE my mom. every little thing is a big deal. if someone stands in her way for a second, or she drops something, she starts yelling about how shes "GOING TO LOSE HER SHIT!!!" and if she hurts someone and they comment on it she starts threatening self harm. and then when we have said that that makes it so everyone coddles her she throws a fit about that too. she talks shit about me and my wife in earshot and is mad if we say something. she is unpredictable and makes my dad take care of her (food, weed, cigarettes, driving her places, driving her 2 hours up to her 35 year old boyfriends house.... (she is 21) and if he doesnt do all of these she goes up to her room to scream-sob at her friends.)

and my dad? is just unpredictable and immature and he can't deal with his problems or his kids' problems and he can't just tell them to be fucking adults! (he also financially supports my brother who doesn't even live with him... my brother who refuses to get a job even tho he is 24. and again, weed, cigarettes, fucking gifts for his online friends, he bought him $700 plane tickets last year...)

and then amidst all that. me and my wife pay him when he needs help and we don't ask him for money or to buy us things. and then he is out here telling us we aren't ready to move out. mf we weren't ready to move IN with you!!!!!!!!!!!!! we moved here dec 2019 and were going to near immediately move, but my sister lied that she would be saving money and moving with us, then covid hit, and now we are still here but thank fucking god we HAVE to move because my wife is going to a school 3 hrs away next spring. so he CAN'T do shit to keep us here.

but it's like... HE isn't ready for us to leave. because we are the only responsible adults. but we are desperate to go, our dog causes my sister to be even bitchier so we want to take him out of the situation, we fucking hate how no one will clean up after themselves, and we just want a QUIET AND CLEAN HOME. where people dont scream at us, our dog, the other animals, the fucking inanimate objects, and themselves ALL THE TIME.

#this is about everything so i will STOP #im just GROUCHED. #see heres some therapy topics LMAO #the problem is me n w (therapist) have been talking abt these things for ages #and the only real Fix is me and wife moving #so its just riding it out until we get there! #which also makes it frustrating that my dad wants us to do xyz things to manage the house and we are like. 4 months from being GONE. #i barely wanted to plant out my garden this year!!! #i actually dismantled a lot of it and made it flowers instead of stuff im gonna harvest #and my veg are in pots #i just hate it here and i hated it here before i moved to denver #and i hate it even more now!

[rickie-the-storyteller]

Steph's Crew - Part 9: It's Too Late to Apologise

(cw - strong language)

Intro

This picks up right after the party left off, so I'll give a quick recap of what went down at the party:

Bret is relapsing into his bad habits again

Elise gets frustrated with him for it (as well as not obeying her house rules about smoking. The party was held at her house btw.)

Alice arrives late because she was never properly invited by any of them (oof). She remains mad at them the whole time for it

Bret breaks Elise's precious vase (aka the last present from her grandparents before they passed), and now Elise is furious at him

Alice is also furious, mainly at Dylan and Bret for not inviting her (when they express that they weren't even sure she'd enjoy it considering she's usually too busy to go out and party with them)

Elise leaves the house, too upset to stay any longer (but nobody knows where she's going). Bret feels bad and tries to run after her and convince her to come back, but fails

Party ends on a sad, awkward note, with Bret tearfully expressing his guilt (mainly about hurting Elise, but also about kind of ruining the party)

So yeah, that party was a lot. In this part, Bret finds Elise and tries to make amends with her. We also get a bit more of Alice and especially Dylan here. They have a bit of a falling out at the start, mostly because of Dylan's stressful family situation, and he eventually reaches breaking point and decides to take action.

(Dylan, home late from the party)

The journey home (after the party's over)

Dylan: (to the Uber driver) Thank you. (opens the car door for Alice) Man, can you believe that party? What a fucking mess…

Alice: (laughs) Yeah, it was wild. I can't believe Bret broke El's vase. That's just so typical of him.

Dylan: Indeed it is. Whatever, though. I'm just glad it's all over.

Alice: Yeah. Me too.

(the two of them walk in silence for a while)

Dylan: I really need another drink.

Alice: (teasing) Oh, Dylan. You and your drinking. Why do you do it? You know it only causes you problems.

Dylan: Oh, shut up. You don't know anything about my problems.

Alice: That's not totally true. I know that your mum leaving and getting married again to a guy that isn't your dad is really stressing you out. That counts as a problem, right?

Dylan: (abruptly stops walking) Fuck you, Alice. You don't know shit about my family!

Alice: What the- I'm sorry, Dylan, I was just trying to make a joke. I didn't mean to upset you. Honestly, I-

Dylan: (interrupts) You know what? Forget it. You can just head home yourself. See you later.

Alice: Wait, Dylan! Don't be mad. Please! I was just teasing. I didn't mean anything by it.

Dylan: Whatever. Goodnight. (Storms off, leaving Alice alone in the middle of the street)

Alice: (Shouts after him) Fine, be mad! See if I care! (sighs, mutters to herself) Great, now I have to walk home alone in the dark… Thanks a lot, Dylan!

Dylan gets home

Dylan: DAD! SAM! I'm back now!

Dad: Dylan, where were you? Why are you home so late?!

Dylan: Uh…Nice to see you too, Dad. How's your day been?

Dad: Don't you try that with me, Dylan. Not now.

Dylan: Geez, Dad. Calm down, will you?

Dad: Calm down?! Do you have any idea how worried we were? Me and your brother?

Dylan: What the fuck, man? I'm home now, leave me alone.

Dad: (scoffs) You're drunk, aren't you? You smell like a damn brewery.

Dylan: So what if I am? I'm allowed to have fun and let loose with friends, aren't I?

Dad: Fun? You call getting wasted and coming home late fun?! Dylan, have you lost your damn mind?

Dylan: My God… Dad, we were having a going away party for a friend. It was going to run till evening. You knew that! Why are you being like this?

Dad: What's the matter with you? You're lucky I don't kick you out of this house right now.

Dylan: Whatever, man. I'm sick of this shit. I'm going to bed now. Goodnight. (starts to walk away)

Dad: Where the hell do you think you're going, boy? We're not done here!

Dylan: I know I'm done. I'm done with all of this. And I'm done with you. (sighs, then yawns) Later.

(Dylan goes to his room and closes the door, but his brother opens it)

Sam: (angrily) Dylan, what the hell man?

Dylan: Uh… what?

Sam: You said that you'd be home in time to take me to Jack's birthday party today. You promised me you'd take me! And here you are turning up at bedtime!

Dylan: Oh shit, I forgot. I'm sorry, man. I was hanging out at the party, Bret was being Bret, and there was just all this craziness tonight. I guess I lost track of time.

Sam: That's not an excuse. You always do this. Always! You always make promises and never keep them!

Dylan: Look dude, I said I'm sorry, okay? (sighs) I'll make it up to you, I promise.

Sam: Yeah, right. (shakes his head, mutters crossly) You always say that too, but you never do anything.

Dylan: Just leave me alone, okay? (sighs, flops on the bed) I'm tired.

Sam: Fine! (slams the door) But don't expect me to forgive you so easily this time.

(Dylan groans into his pillow in frustration)

Bret tries to make things right

Bret: (calling Elise) Come on, El. Pick up, pick up, pick up…

(Elise doesn't answer, Bret leaves a voicemail)

Bret: Hey, El. It's me again. Look, I know I screwed up big time, but I'm really sorry. I promise I'll make it up to you. Just please call me back when you can. We need to talk about this. I messed up, I know. I just want to make it right. Bye.

(Bret sends Elise a text message saying, "Are you ok? Where are you rn? Call me asap")

Bret: (to himself) Wait, El's brother! Maybe he knows where she is.

(Bret goes to Adam's flat to ask him where his sister is)

Bret: Hey.

Adam: Uh, hey. Do I know you?

Bret: Probably not, no. I've seen you around before, and I'm friends with your sister. That's how I know about you. I'm Bret Carter.

Adam: Ah, right! So you're Bret. Ellie's told me a lot about you. It's nice to meet you, man.

Bret: Nice to meet you too. I just came by to ask you if you knew where Elise is staying. I've been looking for her. None of us have seen or heard from her since the disaster party, when she took off, and I've been really worried about her. Plus we really need to talk. I need to apologise properly and try to make things right with her.

Adam: You mean Ben's leaving party?

Bret: Um… yeah. How did you know about that?

Adam: News travels fast around here. Plus, she told me.

Bret: …Oh.

Adam: Yeah. She's staying with me now, actually. She was really upset when she came by that day. Said she couldn't stay another minute in that house.

Bret: I know she's upset. It's my fault she's upset… I broke the vase.

Adam: What the- Dude, you didn't. Not the vase. Not that vase. Not the red vase from our dead grandparents-

Bret: Yes, that vase. It was an accident!

Adam: No wonder she's pissed at you…

Bret: And now I need to fix things. Could you please let me in? I have to see her. Now.

Adam: I don't know, man. She's not in the greatest mood right now. I don't want to make her more upset than she already is.

Bret: Please, man. I need to do this.

Adam: (pauses) Follow me.

(Adam takes Bret to the spare room where Elise is)

Adam: Good luck, bro. (pats Bret on the back, then walks away)

Bret: (opens the door, smiles when he sees Elise) Ellie! You're ok!

Elise: (sighs) What do you want, Bret?

Bret: Look El, I know you're mad. And you have every right to be. But can I just have a moment to just bask in my relief at the fact that you're ok? I mean, I haven't seen or heard from you in ages…

Elise: It's only been two days, Bret.

Bret: (walks over, sits next to her on the bed) Well, I spent these last two days doing nothing but try to reach out to you. And all you've done is ignore me!

Elise: Probably because I don't want to talk to you, Bret. Did that thought ever cross your mind?

Bret: I've been calling, texting, leaving you endless voicemails…

Elise: I never check my voicemails, Bret. You should know that by now.

Bret: I thought something terrible had happened to you, El. You have any idea how worried I was?

Elise: (pauses) I'm sorry I worried you, Bret. I didn't think you would.

(awkward silence)

Bret: Anyway, the main reason I wanted to see you is because I really owe you an apology. Properly, this time. Not like before.

Elise: (slightly annoyed) Bret-

Bret: (interrupts) Ok, El, but please just hear me out. I need to say this to you. I'm sorry. I know I messed up, and I'm sorry. I didn't mean to break your vase, and I definitely didn't mean to hurt you. All I want is to make things right between us.

Elise: What, did you really think an apology would fix everything? You think you can just waltz in here, say a few words, and make everything okay again?

Bret: No, El, I don't. I know it's going to take more than an apology to make things right. Look, I had no idea how big a deal that vase was to you at the time.

Elise: And that makes it ok?

Bret: No! Of course it doesn't… I just want to show you that I'm serious about fixing this. You're like, the best friend I've ever had. I don't want to lose you.

Elise: (sighs) I don't know if I can forgive you, Bret. I mean, you really hurt me. You let me down.

Bret: I know, El-

Elise: (interrupts) It isn't even just this. It's you! You always talk big, saying that you want to do shit, but never actually follow through on what you say you're going to do! Like, you call me in the middle of the night to ask me to help you be more responsible, and then you do this.

Bret: (hurt) El-

Elise: And I've tried so hard to be supportive! Arguably too hard! And I'm not saying that I regret it, or anything, because I'm your friend, and I've always believed in you. But I can't help someone that clearly doesn't want to help themselves. You always act first and think later. You always do things without thinking about how they'll affect other people. You don't think about anything or anyone beyond you. And this even relates to the way you excluded poor Ally from the party! I hope you and Dylan apologised to her, too, by the way.

Bret: I- (he remembers that he didn't do that) Um...

Elise: You know what, Bret? I'm done. I'm done with all of this. I've officially given up on trying to help you become more responsible. If you really want to change your life, you have to do it on your own.

Bret: What?! No! No, come on, El, you know I'm trying. I've been going to all of our lessons and everything…

Elise: Which is great, but it's clearly not enough. You need to take responsibility for yourself and your progress. And newsflash - for this to properly work, you have to actually want to improve yourself, not just do it for me or anyone else.

Bret: But I do want to!

Elise: I'll believe that when I actually see you making the effort to change. Actions speak louder than words.

Bret: Alright! I get it. I'll try harder, I swear.

Elise: I hope you do, Bret. I care about you and I want you to be happy, but it's not my job to fix you. Remember that. Change can only come from you.

Bret: I understand…

Elise: Do you? Because again, you always say you'll change, but then you go and do something like this. How can I trust you?

Bret: (takes Elise's hand) I promise, El. I'll do better. I'll do whatever it takes to make it up to you.

Elise: (pauses, then pulls her hand away) I need time, alright? I appreciate the apology, but I can't just forgive you right away.

Bret: Ok. Just… please don't shut me out completely. I need you in my life.

Elise: (smiles) Don't worry. I won't. I just need some space right now.

Bret: (smiles back) Ok then.

At school the following week

Alice: (nervously) Hey Dylan, can we talk about the other night? I'm sorry for getting on your case about your family stuff, I know it's a sensitive subject for you.

Dylan: (sighs) Look, can we not do this right now, Alice? I'm really not in the mood.

Alice: Oh, come on! I know I can be a bit much sometimes but I really didn't mean to upset you.

Dylan: You didn't upset me, you just annoyed the hell out of me. It's not like it was a big deal or anything…

Alice: Right, ok. It's just that it seemed like it was a big deal at the time-

Dylan: And I'm trying to deal with my own shit right now. I don't need you adding anything on to it.

Alice: Alright, alright, I get it. I'll back off. But... you should just know that I'm here if you ever want to talk about it. Or anything. You're my friend, Dylan. You always have been. I want to be here for you.

Dylan: Yeah, sure. Thanks.

Alice: You're welcome! So, what are you going to do about your dad and brother?

Dylan: I don't know, probably just avoid them for a while. Maybe move out and get my own place, like Steph.

Alice: Whoa, big step… Are you sure you're ready for all that?

Dylan: I don't know, but it's worth a shot. Anything's better than living in this house with those two right now.

Alice: Okay, well I support you no matter what. But if you ever need it, I do have a spare room at my place.

Dylan: Thanks, I'll keep that in mind.

Alice: Alright, well I'll let you get back to your brooding. But seriously, if you need anything, just let me know.

Dylan: Yeah, sure. Bye. (walks away without even briefly giving her eye contact)

Alice: Uh, ok. Bye.

Asking Steph for some advice

Dylan: Yo Steph!

Stephanie: Hey!

Dylan: Can I ask you something?

Stephanie: Sure, what's up?

Dylan: Ok, so I'm thinking about running away from home. You know, like how you did a while back.

Stephanie: You- what?! No! Dylan, no. That's a really bad idea. Trust me, I've been there, I should know.

Dylan: But it worked out for you, didn't it?

Stephanie: Well, kind of. I mean, I am happy with my life right now. Mostly. But it's not as glamorous as it looks. It was hard, and I was homeless for a while. If it weren't for Ben taking me in, I don't know what I would've done.

Dylan: But you made it work!

Stephanie: Yeah, I did. But it took a long while for me to get to the place I'm at now, and it's not something I would recommend. Listen, if you really want to leave, you need a plan. A place to go, a way to support yourself. And most importantly, you need to be ready to deal with the consequences.

Dylan: Consequences? Like what?

Stephanie: Like being cut off from your family, not being able to see your friends for a while, not being able to go back home. It's not a decision to be taken lightly.

Dylan: Huh. I guess you're right. But I just can't take it anymore, living with my dad and brother. And now my mom is getting remarried and moving away, it's all just too much.

Stephanie: I understand, but there are other options. Have you talked to a counsellor or therapist? Maybe they can help you work through your issues with your family.

Dylan: I guess I could try that. Thanks, Steph.

Stephanie: No problem, Dylan. I know running away may seem like the easy way out, but believe me, it's not. It's a long, hard road, and it's not one you want to travel alone. Get yourself some support and think this one through.

(later on, in Dylan's counselling session)

Dylan: (sighs) Man, I don't know why I thought this would be a good idea. I can't talk to you about any of this stuff.

Counsellor: It's okay, Dylan. Sometimes it takes a little bit of time to open up and talk about things that are difficult.

Dylan: Yeah, well, I don't have time. I have to go.

Counsellor: Wait, Dylan, where are you going?

Dylan: I'm out of here. I'm gonna go live with my uncle in Cambridge. He's always been cool with me and he's not always on my case like my dad is.

Counsellor: Dylan, I don't think running away is the best solution. Maybe we can talk more about this and find a different way to handle the situation.

Dylan: Nah, I've made up my mind. Peace, counsellor. (gets up and walks out of the office)

Counsellor: (shaking head) Well, that didn't go as planned.

Dylan says goodbye

Dylan: Hey Steph, can we talk?

Stephanie: Sure thing, what's up?

Dylan: The counsellor… it didn't work. It hasn't changed my mind about the whole "running away from home" thing.

Stephanie: Oh no!

Dylan: (voice breaking) Yeah. And I really tried, too. I really thought this would work. I wanted to feel better, but I feel even worse than before.

Stephanie: Oh- Dylan… (gives Dylan a hug) I'm so sorry. It'll be alright, don't worry. (sighs) What are you going to do now, then?

Dylan: (sighs, hugging back) Well, I've been thinking about running away from home and… it's decided. I'm going to do it. I'm even more determined than ever to get out of this hell hole once and for all. And I guess I was wondering if you could give me some advice. Like, how'd you prepare for it when you left?

Stephanie: Oh, okay. Well, first things first, make sure you have a solid plan. You need to know where you're going, who you're going to stay with, and how you're going to get there. And make sure you have enough money, because trust me, it's not cheap living on your own.

Dylan: Yeah, makes sense. What else?

Stephanie: Well, I made sure I had all my important documents with me, like my ID and my birth certificate. And I always made sure to have some extra clothes and essentials packed. You know, just in case things didn't work out with Ben.

Dylan: Alright. I mean, you guys not working out is not even a possibility, but I guess it's good to always be prepared. That's a useful thing to keep in mind. Thanks, Steph.

Stephanie: No problem. Just make sure you're careful about it, Dylan. Try not to make any drastic decisions, okay? Running away is a huge step and it's not always the best solution.

Dylan: Yeah, I know. (pulls away from the hug, wiping tears away) I'm going to miss you a lot, Steph.

Stephanie: (welling up with tears) I'm going to miss you too.

That's it for now.

Dylan has had it up to here with his family drama (some of which he is actually responsible for, imo lol). He wants out. But (spoiler alert) it won't work out exactly as planned. Because of course it doesn't…

And we get a bit of Bret and Elise in this part as well! Their part was my favourite to write, honestly. It also took me the longest lol.

Bret is remorseful over hurting Elise the way he did, and he really wants to make things right with her. Elise isn't quite as patient and forgiving with him here as she used to be (she knows that it's not her job to fix his life, and she's not afraid to put him in his place and call him out on his crap lol), but she'll eventually come around. At this point, Bret is realising just how important his relationship with Elise is to him… and this will get explored even further next time.

Hope you liked this part!

#rickie-the-storyteller #rickie writes #steph's crew #writerblr #original content #original story #original work #original characters #relatable #stephanie smith and her friends #Dylan #Alice #Bret #Elise #Stephanie #story planning #dialogue planning #dialogue practice #family struggles #family drama #broken home #blended family #runway #running away from home #forgiveness #hurt/comfort #counselling #strained relationships #daddy issues #make amends

[madd-nix]

I love it when I complain about certain things not having more representation, like when a show or movie doesn't have any LGBT characters even if it should, then my family shoots in with "Oh, don't ruin this for me by complaining" or "But they're making plans to add a gay character in eventually"

Like, cool cool cool, glad we'll get one gay person at some point even though it totally could've happened way sooner and I'm glad that you all get to see yourselves represented while I just get ridiculed when I even just suggest that a character could be gay

#this is very much a callout for specifically my family #mainly my dad and also my brother even though my brother isn't here #but i know he hates it whenever i suggest that any marvel or star wars character is gay #i just hate it how anything related to lgbt stuff gets an eyeroll or a shrug from my family #sometimes it's just so annoying #and also my dad nearly outed me to my grandparents earlier making some joke about me being gay #it wasn't a mean or bad joke but like i haven't told my grandparents i'm gay yet #i'm just glad that they didn't react and it seemed like they didn't hear him #i don't plan on coming out to my extended family until i send out wedding invites #that way i know who is and is not a homophobic asshole when i see who comes to the wedding #and if i only tell them in a letter attached to the invite then maybe it'll be less stressful #anyway i'm just basically tired of being the only queer person in my house #me talking #rant #vent #also yes the movie that brought this up was a marvel movie #endgame and specifically the scene with the unnamed gay guy at cap's therapy session #it's been over ten years and marvel still hasn't done shit with any sort of lgbt rep and i call bullshit

[helloalycia]

The Wrong Lifetime – Seven // Wanda Maximoff

chapter six | story masterlist | main masterlist | wattpad | chapter eight

author’s note: hope y’all like this one 👀

The Maximoffs were just as a good at throwing a party as my own parents were.

Celebrating a new book that was published at Pietro's business, they threw a party in their back garden big enough to host half the town if they wanted to. Actually, now that I thought about, half the town was probably there.

We were invited to celebrate along with them because we were 'family' now, as Oleg and Iryna pointed out, so I found myself standing in their garden getting a drink under the night sky and trying to blend in with the snacks table so I wouldn't have to mingle. Parties still weren't my thing, clearly.

People-watching was more my forte. It was amazing the things people did when they thought nobody was looking. One guy coughed into his hand and wiped it on his pants – I reminded myself not to shake his hand – whilst some woman checked if her teeth were clean on the back of a serving tray.

My gaze raked the garden, indifferent to the men who attempted to get women's attention with a boyish grin and terrible pick-up lines, or the women who lifted their dresses a little higher than necessary to steal a man's attention. I spotted my parents talking to some guests whom I'd never see before, then there was Wanda's parents laughing alongside Pietro as he told a joke to some important looking people.

Eventually, my eyes fell to the remaining Maximoff, who was looking especially beautiful tonight. A deep lilac gown adorned her figure and she wore it like it was uniquely made just for her. She probably didn't even realise, but all eyes were definitely on her; a simple stride around the garden had people turning heads to see who the lilac beauty was. Y/B/N was the most envied man of the evening, with every guy here wishing they could have Wanda on their arm.

I'd wanted to tell her just how truly stunning she looked tonight, but I hadn't been able to pull her away from my brother's side for even a second. Everywhere he went, she went, too. I'd caught her eyes maybe three times tonight since she was so involved with whatever she spoke about with the people who worked for Pietro. I didn't take it personally of course, but it didn't make me feel any better.

Y/B/N had his hands all over her, probably suspecting just how many people were checking her out tonight, and I hated the way it made me feel. Envy and jealousy came over me and it wasn't pleasant. His hand was permanently fixed on her waist, at times moving suspiciously lower and making me roll my eyes. Occasionally, he'd lean over and whisper something in her ear making her flush – involuntarily or not, I didn't know. Wanda was a good actress, appearing as the perfect fiancé to him and couple to everybody else. Or, at least, I hoped it was acting.

"Pretty ladies shouldn't be standing by their lonesome," said someone with a Sokovian accent, but sadly not the one I wanted to hear.

"Pietro," I said with an amused smile, turning to face the man of the evening. "Congratulations on the new published book!"

He smiled appreciatively. "Thank you, Y/N. How are you finding the party?"

I glanced around, disguising my discomfort with a nod. "It's great."

He chuckled, as if suspecting that was a lie, before changing the subject. "So, the book. Have you read it?"

Glad that this was something I could actually talk about, my shoulders relaxed and I nodded. "Yes! I bought it yesterday as soon as it was published. I've only read the first six chapters, but what I've read is beautifully written."

Pietro snickered, raising his brows. "Only? That's further than anyone here has read."

I smiled bashfully, eyes veering elsewhere with embarrassment. "I guess I just have a lot of free time."

He hummed with amusement. "And you must really like reading... Wanda mentioned you write, too. It's nice to know it runs in the family."

Certain my cheeks were flushed, I nodded. "Yeah, our dad, he taught Y/B/N and I how to write when we were kids. That's where my love of literature began."

"And what do you like to write?" he asked, intrigued.

I shrugged, the grip on my glass of champagne loosening as I grew comfortable. "I don't know... short stories, drabbles, novels. I mainly deal with themes of love and romanticism. We're so intent on leading our lives with what other people want that we rarely take time to think about we want... I write about that."

Swallowing, I looked to Pietro, hoping I wasn't boring him. He was a publisher after all, besides my soon-to-be brother-in-law. His opinion was important to me.

"I must admit, Y/N, my interest is piqued," he admitted, watching me with an inquisitive gaze. "Do you have anything I could read?"

"It's probably better than it sounds," I said dismissively, knowing this was just small talk.

He chuckled, shaking his head. "I doubt that. You shouldn't say such things. You never know, you could be my next signed author."

I tried not to laugh. "Nice try, Pietro."

He smiled widely. "What? I'm serious!"

Tilting my head towards him knowingly, I sighed. "We both know that can't happen."

He was grinning now, clearly entertained by my unamused expression. "Says who?"

I motioned around us with my drink. "Says everyone? The world we live in?"

He began to list authors on his fingers as he said, "Jane Austen. Emily Bronte. Mary Shelley. Louisa May Alcott. Dare I name more?"

"Okay, okay, I get it," I said, pushing his hand down and rolling my eyes at his smug expression. "But I can promise you that all of those women fought tooth and nail to get published. Their families probably weren't as accepting as they wanted them to be. There's still people now who talk about how unprofessional and lacklustre their works are. They didn't have it easy. Still don't. And don't even get me started on the reputation side of things for you... d'you know how much backlash you'd get for signing a woman?"

Pietro shrugged, sipping his drink, before saying casually, "I only care about talent, Y/N. And if you have even a quarter of the talent your brother does, then I'm happy to go from there."

I quirked a brow, trying to gauge if he was pulling my leg or not. But the kind eyes looking back at me suggested he may not have been. Either way, the idea of actually being published – something I'd been dreaming of since I was a kid – was enough to raise my suspicions and make me shake my head.

"Thanks for listening, Pietro," I said conclusively, hoping he got the hint.

He nodded, accepting my word, thankfully. "Anytime. Hopefully this isn't the end of this conversation, though."

I cracked a smile, knowing it was but giving him the benefit of the doubt. He pursed his lips, glancing around briefly before attempting to hide an amused smile.

"What are you smiling at?" I teased, nudging him in the arm slightly.

His eyes met mine, sparkling with mischief. "You've probably not noticed, but as we've been speaking, almost everyone in this garden has looked our way."

I cocked my head with confusion, smile still present. He nodded subtly, eyes flickering to the right, so I followed his gaze and inconspicuously looked around. He was right, as murmurs of gossip escaped people's lips, their eyes trying to get a good look at the two of us. Even our parents were looking our way, no doubt discussing our future wedding affair.

"Wow," I breathed out, trying not to laugh as I looked back to him. "You'd think they'd have something better to do."

He leaned in, muttering, "Wanna give them a show?"

My eyes flickered between his, seeing that roguish charm of his come to life. I couldn't resist his mischievous attempt to piss off our parents, so of course I nodded with a stifled laugh.

"Care to dance, Miss Y/L/N?" he asked, a little louder than he needed to, attracting more attention.

I grinned, grateful for the idiot that was Pietro. He was already making my evening ten times better than it was.

Resting my hand in his outstretched one, I nodded. "Thank you, Mr Maximoff."

I barely had chance to put my glass down before he led me to the area before the live band that was strumming a lovely upbeat ballad. We joined the other couples that were also having a dance, unbothered by their nosey stares.

Bowing dramatically, he smiled and I curtsied before resting a hand on his shoulder and the other in his. He rested a hand on my waist respectfully before a grin spread across his lips and he began to dance me around everybody else, way too fast for me to keep up.

"Pietro!" I exclaimed between fits of laughter, trying not to trip over my feet or his.

"You said we could dance," he answered simply, before spinning me around.

My eyes went dizzy as he dipped me, making me laugh joyfully. For the first time all night, I was having fun. When he pulled me up, his eyes motioned to the left of us.

"D'you think our parents have already picked the wedding venue?" he teased.

"Definitely," I said with a nod, before shoving him back slightly. "But you, mister, need to slow down. You're like a speedster with the dancing. We should call you Quicksilver."

He laughed, continued to dance me around but much more slower this time. "I like that. You're clever. I can see why Wanda has taken a liking to you."

I knew he didn't mean it like that, but my heart dropped to my stomach anyway. A hearty chuckle escaped his lips as he noticed my expression. Thankfully, he didn't question it and we continued to make a fool of ourselves for a few more songs before taking a break by the snacks table.

"You're an idiot," I told Pietro as we caught our breath, but a delighted smile was on my lips. "You know you've probably convinced our parents that we're a couple now, right?"

"Hey, you're the one who started to fluff my hair like you loved me!" he retorted with humoured eyes.

"Because you're just so darn cute!" I mocked him, before moving forward and going in to fluff his hair yet again.

He attempted to smack my hand away as he said, "Hands off the hair, Y/L/N! I styled it perfectly!"

Grabbing my wrists, he held me back and I tried not to cry with laughter at the expression on his face.

"Such a child," I decided, pulling my hands away. "Whatever happens from here on out is definitely your fault."

He scoffed, as if ready to refute that fact, but before he could say anything, my brother's voice was heard.

"It's nice to see you actually conversing with people for a change, but maybe not my publisher."

Pietro and I turned and saw Y/B/N and Wanda approaching us. My brother seemed entertained by Pietro and I, looking between us with pre-conceived ideas that we may have already fancied each other, just like everyone else had tonight. Wanda, meanwhile, was watching me with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"He's good company, what can I say?" I joked, returning my brother's smile.

"Oh?" He raised a brow, knowing look in his eyes.

I rolled my own, trying not to laugh at his insinuation. There was no point trying to convince him otherwise.

"I was just giving Y/N here the best evening ever since she was moping around in the corner," Pietro explained nonchalantly, making me smack his arm.

"I was not moping!" I defended myself.

He shrugged, ghost of a smile on his lips. "Whatever you say."

I gave him a playful glare before focusing my attention to the couple before us.

"As lovely as it is to see whatever this is," my brother continued to make things awkward as he motioned between us, "I came to get Pietro. Someone from the press is here and has questions about the book."

At the mention of this, Pietro straightened up and neatened his bow tie, flashing my brother his most confident smile. "Lead the way, Y/B/N."

After assuring Wanda he'd be back in a second, Y/B/N let go of her waist and guided Pietro to the members of the press. Glad that he'd finally left her side, I looked to Wanda with a soft smile.

"Hey," I said quietly, glancing around before saying what I'd wanted to say all night. "You look radiant tonight, Wanda." 

Unexpectedly, she crossed her arms and pressed her lips together firmly. "How was your dance with Pietro?"

Her green eyes, literally green with envy, watched me with distaste. It didn't take long for me to recognise that familiar jealousy entwined in her expression because it was probably the same way I looked when she was with my brother. For some reason, this made me smile with amusement.

"He's a very good dancer," I said, half truthful and half trying to poke fun.

She wasn't amused. "Yeah, everybody saw. You've been all over him."

I covered my mouth, trying very hard not to laugh. "I mean, he's pretty funny to be around. I can totally see why everybody wants us to get married."

Her jaw clenched as she narrowed her eyes at me.

"C'mon, it's a joke," I said lightheartedly, nudging her in the arm. "You know that."

After internally debating whether or not to believe me, she relaxed her shoulders and unclenched her jaw. "I know."

"So, what's the problem?" I asked, raising a brow and smiling playfully.

She rolled her eyes. "Nothing."

My smile faded as I searched her eyes. "C'mon. What is it? You know you can tell me."

"Forget it, Y/N," she muttered, avoiding my eyes.

Realising she was still clearly bothered, I sighed dramatically, hoping to lighten the mood. Making sure my voice was low enough for only her to hear, I said, "I only danced with him to annoy our parents. Same with him. He's clearly not interested in me and neither I with him. That's why we get along so well." Teasing her once more, I added, "If circumstances were different, I'd like to think we'd be good friends. He's quite handsome, though I think the good looks are a Maximoff twin thing. Maybe if–"

"I'm in love with you!"

I paused, blinking, unsure if I'd heard correctly. Her cheeks were flushed as she looked to me with exasperation.

Glancing around to make sure nobody was attracted by her outburst, I swallowed hard. My heart was pounding in my ears as she said what I'd been struggling to accept for the past two months.

"What?" I breathed out, raising my brows with surprise.

She licked her lips, realisation replacing her look of admission. Opening her mouth to say something, she stepped forward, but my brother returned with an oblivious smile on his face and interrupted the moment.

"Wanda, the journalists want a picture of us for their article," he said enthusiastically, returning his arm around her waist and tugging her close, making my skin crawl.

Her gaze lingered on me for as long as she could before looking up to my brother with a halfhearted smile.

"Sure," she agreed reluctantly.

My brother nodded at me before leading Wanda away. She gave me one last look, her eyes trapped with unsaid words, before leaving with him. My mouth went dry as Wanda's words echoed in my mind. She was in love with me. And I knew I was in love with her, too. I had been for a while.

But wouldn't admitting that make this whole thing a lot more complicated?

—

"Will you stop shaking your hand? It's very distracting."

I stopped shaking my hand and gave my mum an apologetic glance before facing the door again. I was extremely eager and nervous to see Wanda again, as I hadn't been able to see her for the rest of the party last night.

Her words were permanently resounding in my mind all night, making it difficult to fall asleep. The reality of our situation had dawned on me and I knew that even though everything would become more difficult between us, I had to tell her that I felt the same way. The last thing I wanted was her panicking that I didn't. Because these last two months loving her in secret were better than anything I'd experienced in my life.

Iryna and my mum had made plans to hang out today, including Wanda and I in the plans without actually telling me until this morning. I didn't mind though as I was hoping it could be an opportunity for us both to finally speak.

The front door opened to reveal Iryna with a bright, inviting smile. She exchanged greetings with us both and ushered us inside instantly. There, waiting, was Wanda, looking as gorgeous as ever. A calm suddenly enveloped me as I looked to her, my heart fluttering in my chest more so than usual. She loved me and that thought alone made me feel giddy inside.

"You must come upstairs to the closet with me," Iryna insisted before I could utter a word to the brunette. "I've been very silly and impulse-ordered a bunch of new dresses. Of course, the only way to fix that is to try them on."

My mother laughed alongside her and the two of them looked to Wanda and I questioningly. I smiled their way, glancing at Wanda, before following them upstairs. Maybe later.

I spent the next hour trying on clothes against my own will, modelling them for Wanda and our mothers awkwardly. Ecstatic, our mothers threw their opinions out at me, but I was barely listening because all I could seem to focus on was a quiet Wanda. I couldn't read her mind for the life of me – she was getting better at hiding how she truly felt.

Wanda also tried some dresses on, still not as enthused as she usually was, but neither of our mothers seemed to take notice. I sat on the lounge sofa alongside them, eyes unable to look away from Wanda as she modelled the dresses. I had no words, my mind hazy and tongue tied as she stole my breath away for the millionth time. She was ethereal.

"...what do you think, Y/N?" Iryna asked, forcing me to look away from Wanda and to her. "She should keep this one, shouldn't she?"

I hummed in agreement, looking back to Wanda, who was avoiding my eyes. "She should. I don't think I've ever seen a dress so perfect for someone before."

Our mothers didn't seem to think much of my comment, but Wanda finally looked up, not ignoring me for the first time since I got here. I offered her a small smile, hoping she could see what I'd been wanting to say to her since last night. But she looked away, chewing on her lip and looking down.

"I'm gonna change," she mumbled, before turning to go back behind the curtain.

A sigh escaped my lips as I leaned back against the seat. I'd just have to find a spare moment.

Iryna and my mum proceeded to try on a bunch of dresses before we called it a day and were ready to eat lunch.

"I want you to have these, Y/N," Iryna told me as we all stood up, motioning to the pile of dresses on the arm of the sofa. "It's my gift to you."

I raised my eyebrows. "Oh, Iryna, you don't need to give–"

"Don't be ridiculous," she cut me off with a wave of her hand. "You're family now. Anything for my daughter-in-law."

I smiled awkwardly, not missing the eye roll from Wanda, before nodding. "Thanks..."

She looked to her daughter. "Wanda, medovyy (honey), can you help her pack them away and meet Y/M/N and I outside on the patio for some lunch?"

Wanda, having no other choice but to say yes, nodded and forced a smile in her mum's direction. "Sure, mum."

Our mothers fell into conversation as they left the room, finally leaving Wanda and I alone. I released a breath, grateful for the privacy, and looked to the Sokovian in question.

"You okay?" I asked slowly, wanting to find a start before erupting straight into my feelings.

She nodded, nibbling on her lip. She looked like she wanted to say something more, so I watched her patiently.

After a pause, when I thought she may just stay quiet forever, she spoke. "If what I said last night was out of line, I'm sorry."

I shook my head, a smile curling on my lips. "It wasn't. I'm in love with you, too."

Surprised, she finally met my gaze, eyes swirling with confusion. "You are?"

"Of course I am," I said quietly, stepping forward and taking her hands in mine. "I didn't mean to make you jealous last night. Pietro and I were genuinely just hanging out as friends."

She shook her head, eyes flickering between mine. "It doesn't matter about that. Forget it."

I still felt guilty, adding, "I know, but it does matter. I don't want to–"

She pressed her lips to mine quickly, cutting me off. Her fingers tangled in my hair as she tugged me closer with her other hand, making me gasp when my body touched hers. I kissed back, closing my eyes and moving my lips against hers in perfect sync.

I probably could have kissed her all afternoon, but the sound of the door opening made us both jump apart, startled. It was just a servant who was coming in to clean up the room. When she saw us, she gave us a small smile before moving around the room carefully. My eyes fell to Wanda's excited ones, and I smiled at her before nodding to the dresses.

"We should sort this out before they wonder what's taking so long," I told her, moving to pack them.

She nodded, grabbing my hand and squeezing it gently before helping me. We packed the dresses in no time before joining our mums out on the patio where they were sat with our lunch. I tried to keep my eyes off Wanda as our mothers spoke to us about God knew what, but it was hard when all I wanted to do was kiss her over and over, telling her just how much I loved her.

"...nice to see you both getting along lately," Iryna was talking, and I only zoned back in when I realised she was looking at me.

I blinked. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

Wanda stifled a smile as my mum gave me a disapproving look from across the table.

Iryna didn't seem to mind as she chuckled. "You and Pietro," she continued. "You both seemed very comfortable at the party last night."

I settled on a polite smile. "He's a gentleman. Very nice to be around, I guess."

Iryna smiled knowingly, exchanging glances with my mum before patting Wanda on the forearm, getting her attention. "How does that sound, dear? Your brother and Y/N together?"

I shook my head instantly, realising how she'd taken my words. "That's not what I meant."

Humming in response, Iryna continued to look to her daughter. "You may have to start sharing your new best friend with Pietro."

Remembering Wanda's jealousy last night, I spared her a glance of concern, hoping she wouldn't let this get to her. She was smiling, but her eyes were dimmed with dismay.

"Uh-huh," she played along with her mother's words, before using her fork to pick at her food.

As our mums began to talk about it, I found Wanda's hand under the table and laced my fingers in hers, hoping she'd know I only cared about one person and it was her. Though she didn't look up, her hand tightened around mine and she didn't let go.

The rest of the lunch went by as expected, though the more Iryna and my mother mentioned the wedding, the more Wanda and I grew uncomfortable. It was so much harder to hear about it when I knew my feelings were growing stronger for the brunette every day. By the end of the meal, my mother was happy to go back home and said I could stay to hang out with Wanda, which of course I did.

After bidding her a goodbye, I let Wanda drag me upstairs and to her bedroom, though the door closed when she spun around and pushed me against it, immediately kissing me. Before I could even question what was happening, she pulled away and looked at me through a half-lidded gaze.

"I don't want to share you with my brother, ever," she rasped out lowly, before licking her lips. "I don't want to share you with anyone."

She breathed out, her breath mingling with mine. Her hands rested on my waist before she reattached our lips, moving hers slower and more thoughtfully against mine.

I closed my eyes, grabbing her face and holding her gently, letting her slip her tongue between my lips and play with mine. Then she sucked on my lower lip, teeth nibbling gently at the sensitive skin, and made my insides go warm and fuzzy.

When she let go, she trailed kisses down my jaw and to my neck, having me at her mercy.

"Wanda," I moaned, hand moving to the back of her neck as I tried to regain some control of the situation, but the longer she sucked at the exposed skin, the more my knees wanted to buckle.

Already lowering my dress to my shoulders, her hand untied the back of it and I flushed at the contact of her fingers against me, not used to the feeling but also not opposed.

"Wanda, are you sure?" I asked between bated breaths, attempting to get her attention by tugging at her dress.

She pulled back, hand rising to my jaw and caressing it with her thumb as she looked between my eyes. Hers were dark, clouded with an arousal I hadn't seen before.

"I am," she said with certainty, before asking, "Are you?"

I swallowed hard, the warmth in my core growing hotter as she stared at me with lustful eyes and swollen lips. "Yes."

She gave me a slight smile before pressing her lips to mine again, allowing me to wrap my arms around her neck. I heard her lock the door behind me as I undid the top of her dress, struggling to do so without breaking contact from her. We moved to the bed clumsily, trying not to stumble over our discarded dresses, before I laid her down and straddled her.

Leaving a trail of open-mouthed kisses down her neck, I felt her fingers grip my waist, keeping ahold of my body on hers. I shivered as her nails scratched gently against the skin and grew warm when she lifted herself up gently to get more comfortable, her clothed centre rubbing against mine.

Taking a breath, I pulled away and hovered over her, revelling in the beauty that was Wanda Maximoff. Her cheeks were dusted pink as she opened her eyes, green eyes sparkling desperately as they flickered between mine.

"I love you," I told her softly, leaning on my elbow and caressing her forehead.

She smiled, nails trailing up my back and sending shivers down my spine. "Ya tozhe tebya lyublyu."

I tried not to laugh as I tilted my head with confusion. She smiled a little wider, hand reaching for the back of my bra.

"I love you, too," she translated in English, hint of amusement in her eyes, before she managed to undo the bra strap.

I rolled my eyes at her attempt of mockery before chasing down her lips once more. Everything about the woman before me was absolute perfection and I was glad I could finally share how I felt about her without having to hide it anymore.

The potential consequences of our actions was not my concern right now... all I cared about was treating her with the respect and care she deserved.

#wanda maximoff au #wanda maximoff x you #wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff imagine #wanda maximoff #scarlet witch #scarlet witch imagine #marvel #mcu #marvel imagine #elizabeth olsen #elizabeth olsen imagine

[idrawtoomuch-gw2]

IT'S 2AM AND THIS WILL PROBABLY MAKE ZERO SENSE BUT

I'm thinking about and finally starting to be satisfied with how some basic character dynamics go in my head between Kai and specific npcs; Taimi, Braham, and Gorrik. (the Braham bit got a bit long oops)

- Taimi is his first (unofficially) adopted daughter. Kai basically took one look at this tiny asura kid with no parental unit and went 'I guess I'm your dad now' and that was it. He's very protective of her, and sometimes still sees her as a kid and has a hard time processing that she is in fact, an adult who is quite capable on her own. He gets better with that overtime but there are still moments where he forgets.

- Braham and Kai would have had a more brother type of bond at first because 1- Braham is only a year younger than Morgan and therefore within 'sibling range' and 2- Eir was still around at the time. The parental bond on Kai's side was kind of there starting mainly from HoT, but since Braham was hurting and Kai isn't good at dealing with his own emotions nevermind helping someone else, it wasn't as strong until LWS4 which is also when Braham would have begun to see Kai as a father figure. (While I'm here- Kai would have attempted to talk with him during HoT about loss and grief (using his experience from Claw Island as a point of understanding) but Braham being an Angry 18(?) year old + Kai with a temper and poor handling of emotional stuff would have resulted in repeated arguments instead. LWS4 during Bug in the System when Braham and the Commander do get to (briefly) talk is when I feel like Kai would have been able to finally talk about Claw Island and why he became Commander in the first place; He was angry over the death of someone he looked up to and wanted to kill a dragon, and that he knows what Braham had felt and is there for him now even if it was hard for him to be there before.)

- Gorrik is like... your kid's best friend who's over every day to the point they may as well live there and you'd do anything for them and treat them almost like they were one of your own even though they're not actually your kid. That's kind of what Gorrik is to Kai. Basically Kai is still protective of him like he is of the others but the 'parental bond' is not quite the same? This would mostly be since Gorrik didn't come in until later so the feeling of 'This CHILD is in need of a DAD' wasn't really there. He would still be 100% willing to die for Gorrik like he would for the others though.

#chara; kai gunnar

[kris-p-banana-bread]

Here DOAFP fandom, have some organic, locally-sourced, home-grown pain. This is basically just me, a scarred older sibling, projecting on Bobby, another scarred older sibling. I really reached into my post-loss psyche for this, so I hope you enjoy the headcanons and meta (AKA I hope you shed at least one tear).

It won’t let me link it here so the post that inspired this is under the read more at the bottom ✨

- When I first watched doafp, I couldn't understand Elena's aversion to Sam becoming a prominent figure in her mom's and her life. Now I understand it almost too perfectly. There was never supposed to be someone after Robert. He and Gabi were deeply in love and happy. Robert was it; he was the first and true love of Gabi's life. Sam showing up probably felt like a huge and utterly disrespectful slap in the face of Robert's memory, because he wasn't even supposed to be there. I don't know if that's as eloquent as I wish it was, or if it makes sense, and it probably sounds really mean to Sam, but it's not even really about him. It was always supposed to be Robert; Sam hasn’t earned the right to be apart of or associated with her family

- After Robert dies, Gabi and Bobby make it a habit to find and keep photos and recordings/videos of Robert, even if the latter only has him saying one sentence. They won't make Elena join them for the search, but after they find some of those old audios of Robert, they'll sometimes play them back for little Elena

- Bobby put up the keep out sign (I credit this to a few other blogs for discussing this tho) because that's where he would cry sometimes. He actually used to be pretty close with Elena, but after he put up that sign and started distancing himself from them a bit so they wouldn't see the times he cracked, he got a little more short and jaded with her. It's that, plus just growing into a teenager and stuff. And I'm not saying that he and Elena have a bad relationship, but he's become more snappy and has more walls up than he used to

- Sometimes Elena feels bad because she doesn't always remember her dad's voice. She was pretty young when he died, so even though she recalls it a bit, and the recordings help, it's been a while since she's talked to him in person, so of course she doesn't quite remember what it's like to actually talk to Robert and she's forgotten some of his mannerisms. She likes to think she's all done (she marked the stages down in her grief journal after all) but grief isn't linear or all that rational, so it hits her hard sometimes

- I keep reading as an action close to my heart because that's a strong bond me and my mom shared. She would rec books to me, and we would joke and talk about them, or she would hint to some future event and then refuse to tell me until I caught up to that part. So Elena and Bobby do something similar in their grief. Elena has writing and words, because that's something Robert loved if I remember correctly (but if I’m not and that’s not canon, then I now declare it so) and Bobby has tennis. But besides tennis (I sent a couple anons to @freshlybakedfandoms about it but I'm not sure where she went) Bobby also was taught to play guitar by Robert (I liken it to Devi Vishwakumar and her harp) so when he misses his dad or is just sad, he'll take out his dad's old acoustic and strum

- (This next one is something I also think a lot about so this is pretty much 98% projection) Bobby thinks sometimes about the fact that he was never able to come out to his dad. He hadn't really started growing into that part of himself yet, and he never got to show it to his father. He wonders what he would have thought of him. Would he be angry? Would he dismiss him and say it was just a phase? Bobby didn't think so, but a little part of him insisted that you could never be too sure. After he comes out, Gabi and Cami assure him that Robert would've been so proud of him and would've loved him regardless (Since we know virtually nothing about him, I maintain that Robert was one of those dads who teases their kid relentlessly about their crushes and I think he would've done that with Bobby and eventually Elena)

- When Elena's quince rolls around (if she chooses to have one of course), Sam dances with her during the father-daughter dance. A part of her still hurts, still aches and wishes that Robert were dancing with her too; still knows on some fundamental level that he and Gabi had planned for this day, but he had simply never made it. But she's known Sam long enough that she feels comfortable here. Nobody can replace Robert, but Sam is her family, and it feels right like this.

- I might do some more research and deliberate, but for the moment I'm saying that Robert had cancer, I’m thinking along the lines of colon. My mom was terminal, but idk if I should make Robert terminal? Maybe towards the end. Or maybe he was diagnosed as incurable early on but Gabi kept it from the kids because, tbh, being told your parent is balancing on that kind of edge is traumatic for them. So anyways, I’m going on that assumption for this last point, and I’ll see if I can recover some of my old knowledge and talk about technical stuff later if anybody would like to hear it

- Elena and Bobby were both pretty young. Bobby understood about PET scans and tests somewhat, and knew generally what different answers from doctors meant. Elena mainly just understood what was happening by reading her parents' and brother's expressions when getting lab results in from the doctor. They both remember on some level what it was like when Gabi would leave the kids with Cami and take Robert out to the car (later she would have to help him) and they would all feel like they were holding their breath until they got back and confirmed that everything was ok (and later, the little shocks of fear when the answers were no longer as positive and there was more apprehension and risks. After all, cancer doesn’t deal in absolutes)

- Bobby can still remember Robert when he had to stop walking around a lot. He still remembers the phone call that Cami got from his mom, saying that something had gone wrong, and if this last treatment didn’t work, he wouldn’t have much time before he passed. Still remembers Cami rushing into a room when she got that call, and trying to hide what was happening until Gabi could get home and explain it; but Bobby was a sharp kid believe it or not. He heard about the treatment, heard Cami crying. He still had hope... but when Robert came home in a gurney, when he could barely stay awake sometimes, when his voice was quiet and his skin was a little jaundiced, Bobby felt incredibly empty. But Robert always had a smile for his wife and his beautiful kids, even if it was small and very tired, his eyes still crinkled the same. He always had a smile; right up until they had to say goodnight and get some sleep one night. And then... he passed.

- After he passed, the Cañero-Reeds needed help, and a lot of Gabi’s coworkers would bring food or materials if they were running low. Cami and Danielle would babysit and would distract the kids when Gabi needed a good cry.

- Like you’d imagine, and because of what is sort of implied in canon and in my own head, the kids dealt with it in different ways. Bobby put up that sign, and withdrew. He wasn’t awful, but his patience with certain people got a bit shorter and he was a bit quieter. And he was a really good helper when he had the energy and he cared deeply, but he would sometimes get physically and emotionally exhausted after helping Gabi/Elena/Cami/anybody else with something and would go into his room or mentally tap out to recharge. He took comfort in things that seemed natural and that he sometimes took for granted before, like video games and skateboarding (hehe bobby skateboards. Anybody second me on this?) and clothes etc... and other stuff. A lot of materialistic things or experiences that he would skip out on before. But they bring normalcy back to his life now so he loves them for that.

- Bobby doesn’t wanna think about big themes or anything anymore, which I can’t remember but I think it was Vi (freshlybakedfandoms, again, idk where she is and I hope she’s ok) who said he was a math and science person and I think that as much as that could transfer over to those subjects as well, it’s much harder to avoid existential and emotional themes in English and History class and Bobby doesn’t like it as much as Elena does for that reason. He had to live with the back and forth of his dad’s treatments and tests, so math and science is comforting because it’s more concrete (There could be a million arguments for why he would distrust math and science because of his dad’s passing though, I realize) Ultimately, though, it reminds him of Robert too much.

- On the other hand, after a period of shock and confusion, Elena threw herself into new things. First it was a grief journal, to make sure she was going through the motions. Then she read a lot, and when she felt too alone or like she wasn’t doing enough, like she was stagnant, she’d just find something to focus and persevere on again. That feels like her personality type to me; something is wrong so let’s fix it right away. But that could also transfer sort of negatively into “Something feels off or I’m very sad, let’s get this thing done and be productive so we can put off having to confront that but at least we get work out of it” but I could be entirely wrong (this is based off some of my family members and how they dealt with the loss.) And Elena throws herself into history and english because her dad loved it, and she wants to remember more of him. Because she believes words have power and history is a lesson and that’s incredibly interesting for her

#bear talks #doafp #robert cañero reed #bobby cañero reed #gabi cañero reed #elena cañero reed #camila doafp #sam faber #fun times #sorry? #I can write a cute fluffy fic to make up for it #i cri #also sorry if I made these a bit too much about bobby #I just relate to him as the older sibling #I added some more so if it got out of hand I’m sorry #tell me and I can make it neater #my meticulousness might just make myself do that on my own tho

[killiansprincss]

Could This Be Us?

This is my work for @csjanuaryjoy​ this is my first year taking part and I’m excited to share with you all! I’ve made it my goal to write more this year and this seemed like the best way to do that goal! This is just a cute fluff missing scene that I hope brings you joy!

Also on A03

Summary: set in the few weeks before 4b when everything was clam, Emma and Killian agree to babysit Neal and Emma slowly begins to let down her walls and Killian becomes vulnerable. Pure fluff. Babysitting adventures.

___

Emma was happy. The Snow Queen was gone and Gold was banished to the real world. There was nothing and nobody that could hurt them anymore. They could begin their normal life, well as normal as a town filled with fairytale characters could be. Her parents were Snow White and Prince Charming and her boyfriend was Captain Hook, so it was a little crazy, but for the first time in her life, Emma was truly happy.

She goes downstairs to see her parents cooing over her baby brother. Again, still weird that she was 30 and the same age as her parents, and had a newborn baby brother. Even weirder that he was named after her dead ex boyfriend, but his death did allow them to defeat Zelena. And she couldn’t tell them the horrible things Neal did to her, it would only ruin their sense of hope and belief that everyone could be a hero.

“Morning Kid, want me to drive you to school?” Emma asks her son, as she pours her coffee.

Henry spent 4 days at the Apartment Lot with Emma and his grandparents, and the other 3 days at Regina’s. It was their best attempt at normality, and Henry seemed to like spending time with David, dropping not so subtle hints that he wanted to take up sword fighting lessons.

“It’s okay Mom. I think I’ll walk, Ivy is meeting me early as we’ve got our science project due today so we need to go over everything.” He tells her. He was getting pretty friendly to this Ivy girl, Emma was sure he had his first crush, but wouldn’t say anything in case she ruined anything.

Checking the time and realises she’s late, she takes a final sip of her coffee before saying, “I’ve gotta go. Killian’s helping out at the station today and I’m meeting him at Granny’s for breakfast.” It had become a weekly tradition to meet Killian for breakfast, she was getting him to try everything on the menu, and this week was Pancakes with bacon and maple syrup.

“Wait, Emma before you leave.” David says, picking up Neal from his crib. “We wanted to know if you and Hook would babysit tonight. We haven’t had a night to ourselves in a while.”

Emma smiles, “We would love to. And since when do you approve of Hook babysitting? Does this mean you like him now?”

David rolls his eyes, but can’t stop the smile from his face. Truth is he was warming to the fact that a pirate was dating his daughter, he was a good guy, he cared for Emma and he was proving day by day that he wasn’t the man he was years ago. “He’s still a pirate dating my daughter, so he’s under careful supervision. But if he makes you happy I’m not standing in your way.”

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

“Morning love.” Killian waits for Emma outside the lot, which he really didn’t have to do seeing as he lives in the room he rents at Granny’s.

She gives him a quick kiss, and takes his hand as they start walking. “So my parents have asked us to babysit my brother tonight. I told them we would, I hope that’s okay.”

Killian gives Emma a worried look. “Just so you know Swan, I know nothing about babies, I’m not so sure how helpful I can be.”

Emma smiles at her boyfriend, he could’ve easily said no, but he didn’t. “That’s okay. I didn’t raise Henry, I also don’t know the first thing about babies, so it’ll be an adventure for both of us.”

Killian was so lucky. He truly was the luckiest man in the universe. He never imagined Emma would be with him in the way that she is. He also never imagine he would help look after her baby brother with her. If Liam could see him now, he hoped he would be proud.

They walk into Granny’s hand and hand and sit down in the booth. Emma orders them both Pancakes with bacon and maple syrup, and waits patiently to see what he thinks of them. She shows him that he has to cut into the fluffy circle stack and pour the syrup all over them, the more syrup the better.

His eyes go wide as he chews and realises it’s delicious. “It’s so sweet. This is breakfast food?”

Emma laughs as she digs into her plate. “Oh yeah it’s breakfast all right. I don’t know what you eat for breakfast in the Enchanted Forest but we have many sweet options in this world.”

“Much better than the things I was eating whilst at sea.” He says as he pours even more syrup onto the pancakes.

“And what was that, Rum and more Rum?” She teases as she takes a bite off her plate.

“Ha-Ha Swan. Contrary to your belief, I did eat actual food as a pirate. Not nearly as sweet as this though, it consisted of dried fruits and nuts, then once we docked into port, we were able to have bread and other fresh pastry delicacies.” He chooses to leave out that in Neverland his diet did consist mainly of Rum and non poisonous fruit from the Island.

Emma smiles. This is what happiness looks like. Watching her pirate boyfriend eating Pancakes for the first time. She could get used to it.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

That night, Killian comes over around 6. Her parents had decided to go to a restaurant in town that wasn’t Granny’s, but after constant reminding that Emma had their number to call should anything go wrong. Not that it would. Hopefully.

Emma’s donned her leather jacket for some comfy clothes, leggings and an oversized hoodie, hair in a messy bun. Not her usual sheriff, or saviour look. Killian however is still in his modern leather jacket and jeans, not quite understanding that babysitting would be much easier in comfy clothes.

“Here, put these on.” She tosses him a pair of David’s clothes, sweatpants and a grey t-shirt, hopefully her dad won’t mind, he did say he was liking Hook more and more every day.

“Swan, the clothes in your world are utterly ridiculous.” He says as comes out of the bathroom, looking a lot less like a pirate, and more like a man.

Emma smiles, she had to say he looked good in sweatpants. “Trust me if Neal pukes all over you, it’s a lot easier to get it out of an old t shirt that it would out of leather.”

Killian looked vulnerable. For the first time really. She’d seen him in a lot less clothing before, but she never noticed how vulnerable it makes him look. Underneath all the leather, was a man who had been broken before.

He looks down at his Hook, “do you want me to take this off?”

Emma immediately tells him no. “I don’t see why you should. It’s a part of you, and he’s gonna have to get used to it.”

Killian smiles, the little prince will have to get used to it. Because he’s not going anywhere, he’s sticking around. He will never leave Emma like all those before.

“So where is the Little Prince then?” He asks.

Emma leads him over to the crib in the corner of the room, “Do you want to hold him?”

Emma trusts him. Wholeheartedly. So he agrees to hold the baby.

Neal fusses at first in Killians arms, but he fusses with everyone. He just needs to get used to it.

“Am I doing it okay Swan?” Killian asks as he fusses, but he isn't crying which is a good thing.

“You're doing great.” Emma smiles at him. This was a rare sight, Captain Hook in sweatpants holding a baby. Emma was getting butterflies in her stomach looking at it. She and Killian had been together for a few months now but she could already see a future with him. Being with him was so different than it ever was with Neal, even Walsh, despite it being all fake, was so different to Killian. He never tried to shower her with gifts or presents or big romantic gestures like Walsh. Killian was just there, by her side. And that's all she wanted.

“I think the Little Prince likes me.” Kilian beams as Neal starts laughing at the faces Killian was pulling.

It was scary. Emma was sure she was in love with him. She just couldn’t bring herself to say the words out loud. Because as soon as she said them, things would change between them and it would become real. When she told Neal she loved him, he left her. Killian wouldn't leave, she knows that. But it still scares her.

“Oh no. No. Swan. What’s happening, why is the little lad crying?” Killian asks frantically, starting to panic that he was doing something wrong.

“He’s hungry,” Emma tells him, grabbing his bottle from the counter. “This should be warm enough by now.”

Killian takes the bottle and gets Neal to drink.

“You gotta make sure you’re holding his head, it’s sensitive at this age.” Emma says making his arm support her brother's head.

“You’re good at this you know.” He says as she helps him. “How is it you know all this?”

“Just watching my mom do it really. Also, my cursed memories of me raising Henry. Even though it didn’t happen, I remember learning everything from the books. I remember staying up all night when he cried, and learning how to be a mother at barely 18.” She decided to confide in him, she’s never told anyone about her cursed memories, or about her time in prison, but she feels like she can confide in him, tell him anything without being judged.

“I was 17 when I gave birth, cursed or not, I turned 18 a month later and a few weeks after that I was released from prison. It wasn’t my finest moment, but in my cursed memories I had Henry to keep me going. When I woke up and got my memories back, it made me wish I never gave him up. Because those 12 years were the best 12 years of my life.”

It feels good to open up. She’s letting him in slowly, but it feels nice. He doesn’t pry, he doesn’t ask too many questions, he just listens to her.

“After our father abandoned us, Liam practically raised me. I felt empty and hurt, but Liam, he was there even in my darkest days. The best years of my life was when we were in the Navy together, before it all went wrong.”

They were two halves of the same coin, both abandoned and lost everyone they ever cared about. But together they were healing, both themselves and each other.

“I think he likes you!” Emma says wiping her tears away as Neal becomes fascinated with Killian's Hook.

Killian looks down at the little prince in his arms to see him trying to grab his Hook with his tiny little fingers. “Everyone likes me Swan. I’m not surprised your brother does too.”

“I didn’t like you at first.” Emma teases.

“Aye but my charming wits and looks won you over eventually.” He teases back, causing the smile that he loves to see.

It would be so easy in this moment to say the three words. Killian knew it the moment she kissed him back in Neverland, and in the missing year he realised how much he loved her when he thought he’d never see her again. But he knows better. If he said the words right now, it would cause a rift, and maybe cause her to run. So he doesn’t, he will wait for her to say the words first. He’ll wait forever to hear her say it, it doesn’t matter. As long as they’re together.

“I think I’m getting the hang of it Swan!” He speaks too soon as he begins to rock the little prince to sleep, he decides to bring up the contents of his tiny stomach all over Killian.

Emma tries not to laugh, but she can’t help it as laughter fills the lot.

She takes Neal from Killian so he can clean the sick off his shirt, “told you this would be a better idea, imagine trying to get that off your leather vest. There's another one of David shirts on top of the dryer, you can put the dirty shirt in the basket with the other dirty laundry.”

Looking after her baby brother with her 300 year old boyfriend is honestly not even the weirdest thing about her life at the moment. But it’s something that she never thought she would be doing, she was 17 when she gave Henry up and she thought she would never want kids, or even be ready after that. But just seeing how good Killian was with her brother, it got her thinking could she want this life? It wasn’t off the table. A baby with her hair and Killians eyes. Maybe one day.

___

“He won’t stop crying. Why won’t he stop crying?” Emma cries. They had been trying to settle him for almost an hour now and she’s getting tired. If this was a recurring thing then maybe having a baby of her own wasn’t something she wanted. Especially as it was barely 8.30.

“What else can we try?” Killian asks with Neal in his arms trying to send him to sleep by rocking him slowly.

“I don’t suppose you know a lullaby?” Emma asks, half joking, not really expecting him to.

Except he starts to sing, or hum a melody. It’s quiet enough that she can’t hear the lyrics properly, but Neal seems to like it. So much so that it stirs him off to sleep.

Emma’s really impressed. “That doesn’t sound like a sea shanty. Since when does Captain Hook know a lullaby?”

“My mother used to sing it to me and Liam. Before she died that is.” He tells her, putting Neal down slowly into his crib.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don't be, love. It was a long time ago.”

“Can you tell me about her?” She asks.

“I was 5 when she died, Liam was 8. I don’t remember much about her, Liam probably remembers more. But I know she was tough, she wouldn’t have taken my fathers bullshit. She used to sing that to Liam and I every night before we went to sleep. I sang it to myself sometimes on the Jolly in Neverland after Liam died. It comforted me.” He brushes it off as if it’s nothing, similar to how Emma talks about her past. She takes his hand and interweines their fingers as she leads them back to the couch.

“I like hearing stories about your past. About your pre-pirate days. Reminds me you weren’t always cursed.”

She wraps her fingers around his Hook, she’s never been afraid of it. Or afraid of the man attached to the Hook. She can’t help but imagine one day a baby with her hair and his eyes fiddling with his Hook the way her brother did tonight. And that’s scary.

Emma has a way of seeing the good in him, despite his cruel actions she sees beyond it, sees the pain it’s caused him in the past few years as he attempts to better himself. “I certainly was cursed with bad luck but sadly my actions were of my own accord. But I’ll tell you one story of the time Liam and I got caught in a storm at sea. Liam was a Lieutenant at that point and wanted to prove he could handle it, the stubborn arse.”

And so he tells her stories of his time in the Navy. He tells her anything she wants to hear, and he realises this is the first time anyone has really asked about Liam, or his past. The women he spent the night with back in the Enchanted Forest, well they never did much talking. And with Milah, she was focused on forgetting her past so didn’t care much to ask about his.

“I wish you could’ve met him. He would’ve loved you.” It’s nice, speaking about Liam, telling her the stories he hasn’t really ever told anyone-or thought about in centuries.

Snow and Charming return a few hours later, to find their daughter and Hook asleep on the couch, Emma’s head resting on the Pirates chest. Snow smiles at the sight, and even David isn’t appalled at the sight either, appreciating that his daughter is happy. Snow grabs a blanket and covers the two of them.

“Is that my shirt?” David whisper screams at his wife seeing the pirate wearing his clothes.

#cs January joy 2021 #csjj 2021 #captain swan #killian jones #Emma swan #cs ff #captain swan fanfic #my writing