#A Minute with Mavis

[maxandgracestudios]

What's the Mews? The Real Mews!!

Hey there and hello again. Although Max and Grace Studios and Della and Max will continue to truck under the same names (and domains), we’ve made an important change to the web address of our MGS “news” website. I know, I know – pick a lane, right?! Well hopefully this will be the last one (and technically it was actually the first): Welcome to The Real Mews at www.therealmews.com!   Oh and…

[canongf]

⠀ 🌷🌸🌷🌸

🌸🌷🌸🌷🌸

Λ🌷🌸🌷🌸🌷

( ˘ ᵕ ˘🌷🌸🌷

ヽ つ＼ ／

UU / 🎀 \

♡Happy Valentine's Day!♡ Here's a Eddie Moodboard for you Liv!!

— @maviwavis

AAAAA MAVIS!!!!! 🖤

this made me gasp and cover my mouth with my hands, it is stunning!!! stunning!!! that's my boy!!! thank you so so SO much!!!

i hope you're having the happiest valentine's day!!! i hope you're feeling loved and getting pampered!!! you deserve it!!! please tell phillip hi from us!!!!! 🖤

[ltcolonelcarter]

MAVIS

I’M SCREAMING

THIS LEGIT GAVE ME GOOSEBUMPS OH GOSH

(THIS IS A COMMENT UNDER THE EXTENDED VERSION OF RUN WITH ME AND IT JUST HURTS TO IMAGINE HOW TRUE IT IS)

THANK YOU YES THIS COMMENT IS A GIFT AND SO ARE YOU

[ryanstillwrites-if]

I. for funsies

Impression: What do other characters first think of your character, based on their body language and way of speaking? Is this first impression usually accurate?

the usual first impression of Adelaide is that she's incredibly rude and off-putting, which is generally accurate.

Hayden's first impressions varies between 'wow, they're so nice!' and 'wow, they're a little intense!', and both are pretty accurate.

because Gabriel looks big and scary, people assume him to be big and scary so they don't bother moving past that. you and i both know though that that's just not true and if more people knew that, the world would be a better place.

people's first impression of Jordan is that they're intelligent, confident and someone they know they can rely on, which is all pretty true.

Mavis/Maverick comes across as the loosest of all canons, which some people gravitate towards and other don't. this is only half true because while they do go off the rails probably more than they should, they always know when to rein it in and be serious.

[hirunoka]

2008-2009 müziklerine benziyor gibi hissettim, çok güzel olmuş :o

[i-mean-my-baby-bi]

Fathers get surprised when they don't hear from you

Same fathers thinking that they lies just don't appear to you

Same fathers goin' through they lives without a shred of truth

Pained fathers cheatin' on they wives without a hint of guilt

five minutes writing from the bottom • MAVI

[anistarrose]

The thing about the Heart Attack segment in Wonderland is that they put so much aromantic subtext in it. They accidentally put SO much aromantic subtext in it, on behalf of multiple characters, and I'm thinking about it constantly. Let me tell you all about it.

Magnus is dropped into a dating game and literally leads with "I cannot stress enough how uninterested I am in this." Now, it's perfectly valid to read this as due to him waiting for Julia, or just him being plain old uncomfortable with having his love life put in the spotlight. However! I cannot stress enough the exchange that happens just a minute or two after that line:

Magnus (describing his ideal date): ... and we don't see each other again, ‘cause I'm really not interested in dating. Audience: [exaggerated] Oooooh! (cheers) Griffin: The silhouette is like, fanning itself. Lydia: Playing hard to get, huh? It seems like our contestant is into that.

And I just have to say: unfortunately, this is one of the most aromantic fucking experiences I've seen represented in fiction in my life. I mean — saying you're not interested in romance, then having those words twisted on you, like they're some secret coded way of saying that you are interested in romance? Not having a single way to express your disinterest that'll actually be believed? That's some aro shit right there. God. Fuck.

As an aside, it's enough to really tell that Heart Attack is not designed to be a reprieve from the pain, even though it's the "good outcome" of Trust or Forsake. It's designed to be uncomfortable. To funnel suffering to Edward and Lydia, just like all the other games do. (More on that later, in fact.) But in summary:

Magnus is a character who can be read as uncomfortable with romance for either aro-spec reasons or unrelated reasons. But in either case, his discomfort attracts reactions that reek of amatonormativity — and therefore, resonate with aromantic experiences. (Psst, I did recently write a gray-aro Magnus fic!)

Two more analyses below the cut (and only one of them is for another Horny Boy):

Obviously the next character I need to talk about is Merle. I've found aroallo readings of his character to be compelling for a long time (having sex with plants so you don't have to worry about romantic commitment, am I right?), but the way he describes his "ideal date" is another factor:

Merle: I volunteer to drive her vehicle, and tell her it's filthy, and so we go through the uh- drive through vehicle wash and she pays for that too. Um, and then I take her to have dinner with my family, and- Magnus: Wait, like your wife and stuff? Merle: She meets my ex-wife.

Merle's probably exaggerating as a joke, continuing on about both him and his partner being miserable, but I think the fact that Merle's mind goes here is genuinely drawing from a lot of poor romantic experiences in the past. He didn't get a choice about being on Heart Attack, and his marriage with Hecuba was similarly "arranged".

It's also worth noting that at this point in time, Merle is putting in the work to be part of Mavis and Mookie's lives again, but is not interested in doing the same for Hecuba — he instead just asks Mavis how Hecuba's doing. That said, given that Magnus is the one to put the focus on Merle's ex-wife, I think it's fair to read the "family" comment as Merle actually expressing that he'd rather spend time with his kids than give any special romantic attention to his date. Moving on to the rest of the "joke":

Merle: She's having a miserable time and she's really mad, she can't wait to get outta there. I take her back to her house, and so I lean up against the door jam and say, 'Sure you don't want me to come in for a few minutes?' and she slams the door in my face.

It's possible Merle just has a more roundabout, self-deprecating way of expressing a similar thing to what Magnus did: Merle just isn't interested in dating. To me, the last line implies he might not say no to sex, if offered — but overall, it reads as if Merle is putting minimal effort in because he's looking for an excuse to get out of this relationship anyway.

It's also possible that Merle's "rejection" of a suitor being so disguised as humor could point to him still coming to terms with his disinterest in dating. Particularly, in comparison to Magnus, who is so vocal and unashamed about it, while Merle might still be figuring this all out.

(Honestly, the self-deprecation Merle turns to here is actually kind of sad, when viewed in that light — he already lets himself be the butt of jokes so often, and now he feels like the way romance doesn't click for him has to be a joke, too? Oof. Someone give him a hug and tell him he's not broken this instant!) But regardless:

Merle views dates, and perhaps romance in general, as things that will inevitably turn disastrous for him and any party involved with him, and he would rather spend time with his children than repairing a relationship with an ex, or cultivating a relationship with a new partner. This is not an experience exclusive to the aro-spec umbrella, but you can't say that an aromantic reading of his character doesn't fit him like a gardening glove...

...which he wears while fucking his plants. Because plants don't demand emotional intimacy, nor take too much time away from the platonic relationships that matter more to him. And you know what? He's fucking valid for that! Fly your flag, nasty grandpa!

But moving on: I promised you aromantic analysis of characters outside of our protagonists, and henceforth, that analysis I will provide. And not just because I admittedly see Taako as the token alloromantic (though clearly an aro ally; if he hadn't chosen Forsake we wouldn't have gotten all this incredible characterization!)

I digress. So let's go on to addressing the lich twins in the room: Edward and Lydia.

Remember my argument earlier that Heart Attack serves the purpose of collecting suffering just like the rest of Wonderland does? How it's just a subtler way of making Wonderland's victims fundamentally uncomfortable?

...Using, of all things, romance?

How the vogue twins, for whatever reason, felt inspired to make people uncomfortable with matchmaking and adoration? How, some way or another, they noticed how much potential romance had to induce suffering? Being pressured into a relationship, being told that no matter how firmly you say you're uninterested, you're not really uninterested?

...Relatedly, I have always gotten the sense that Edward and Lydia projected relentlessly onto their victims.

Edward: This resolve, this desire to do whatever it takes no matter the cost to save yourselves — do you know who you three remind me of? Magnus: No? Merle: Who? Edward:��Us!

I'm even going to go a step further and say that on top of projection, they want their victims to go through things they went through. Swallowing the guilt of having fucked someone else over to survive, of course — that's basically self-admitted. But possibly also... the feeling of not being able to get back what you lost (Keats). The feeling of being able to heal (Keats).

So, where does that leave Heart Attack?

Lydia: It was the three of us, surviving against all odds. The world against us.

Their family of three was (is) indescribably important to them. I'm not necessarily saying that societal expectations of romance, especially of romance as a priority above that of family, left a bad taste in their mouths — if not downright contributing to their trauma — but, okay, I wrote the rest of this post and now that I'm back, I can no longer deny it. I'm definitely, absolutely saying that.

At the time of the podcast, we know Edward and Lydia's own relationship is heavily strained. Until the end, they are lying to themselves and to each other about the fact that they continue to be emotionally and magically reliant on each other. After all, Lydia wouldn't say "I guess we really needed each other after all" in her dying moments with such surprise otherwise.

This is the second reason that I... well, I wouldn't quite call it a "theory," but I find it most impactful to read Edward and Lydia as characters for whom the concept of Love has baggage. And always has, from their origins as youth in a tough spot in an already amatonormative world.

Maybe the constant societal devaluing of platonic, familial bonds left them with serious emotional scars. Maybe the constant conflation of Love and morality just weighed on them and weighed on them and weighed on them until they decided: well, we don't love the way people expect us to, so we might as well give up on being the good people they expect us to be. We might as well embrace this new fuel of suffering.

...And you know, I hope this gets across what I mean when I always say I headcanon villains as aromantic to make them more sympathetic.

Edward and Lydia, textually, are already tragic villains. As twins and liches, they're also textually foil characters to several of the Seven Birds. But I also like to think that they have a lot in common with Magnus and Merle, and the possibility that tugs at my heartstrings the most is the possibility of them all falling under the aromantic umbrella.

[dixondystopia]

From the Forest: part 1

Masterlist

~Meeting Daryl in the woods~~Daryl Dixon x Female Reader~ This is just set up for the rest of the story :)

Warnings: Typical Walking Dead violence/abuse, references of past and current abuse.

Word count: 2747

-The divider is my own-

“Yo, Y/n!” A voice called out to you from the path.

You were out washing laundry the old fashioned way, a bucket full of water and a washboard, squatted down next to the creek. Your arms were soaked to the elbows, your short sleeved shirt speckled with water droplets that had already sunk into the fabric.

Your head turned to see a guy walking down the path to you, a familiar yet not entirely friendly face. It was the spunky ‘kid’ from your camp, and you searched his features in an attempt to remember his name. Short black hair, skinny, rounded face but his cheekbones were sunken. Ahh yes, the kid who always seemed to be sporting a black eye, Randall.

He smiled at you. “Hunter wanted me to tell you that we are headed out a bit for some target practice… You mentioned you wanted to learn, so I guess he remembered that.”

You watched him for a moment, smiling. You were weary about this camp. You had only been here for a few days, but some of the guys here did not seem like the friendly type. Most of the women were decent though, and you had actually made ok friends with some of the wives here. But hey, a little target practice would protect you from the randos right?

“Great! Who all is going?” You ask, turning back to the washboard and continuing to scrub down your clothes.

“Just a few of us, me, Hunter, Gabel…” Randall said. “And a couple other guys I don’t know the names of.”

You nodded. “What about Mavis and Margaret? They mentioned they wanted to learn.”

“I dunno, they might be coming,” Randall said. “Hunter can tell you the details, I've got to finish my chores. We’re headed out in an hour.”

You looked at him. “An hour? It’ll be dark by the time we make it back.”

Randall nodded, seeming slightly hesitant. “Yeah, but they wanted to go huntin’ first thing in the morning… Right now is the only time they could fit it in.”

You hesitated.

“Look, you want to learn or not?” Randall said. “If you do, meet us by the supply tent in 45 minutes…” And with that, Randall left you sitting there.

You looked down at your wet clothes against the washboard. You really did want to learn: it was the only way you would be able to defend yourself out here. Not to mention, the people in the camp hadn’t given you a reason to doubt them before. If they thought the best time to go out was now, who were you to argue?

40 minutes later, you met Randall by the supply tent. You had gotten changed out of your wet garments and into more durable clothes, and a pair of hiking boots someone had found that was surprisingly in your size.

It was only Randall and a couple other guys there so far, people you didn’t know the names of.

Randall smiled, getting off of the truck bed he was sitting in and walking over to you. “Well aren't you early.”

You returned the smile out of politeness. “Better early then late,” You say, looking at the other, bigger guys standing there. “What guns will we be learning with?”

They exchanged a look with Randall, and Randall looks back to you as he walks over next to the guys. “Just some basic stuff, pistols, rifles if you're feeling brave. Hell, even a crossbow if ya want it.”

You chuckle, leaning against the truck next to him. “Crossbow would be quiet.”

“Yeah, but ya have to hunt down the arrows and that’s a whole thing,” Randall pointed out.

You nodded your head in a so-so manner. “True.”

You and Randall continued the small talk for a while. It was nice to chat with someone about simple things, and the longer you talked the more you trusted Randall. He was just a funny, spunky kid from no-wheres-vill, who probably couldn’t have survived a day without this camp. That didn’t matter though, he was still an ok guy to chat with.

Soon another guy, Hunter, the ring-leader of the camp, approached the truck with another guy behind him. “Y'all ready?”

The other two guys nodded with a smile, and Randall gave a thumbs up.

Hunter turned his attention to you. “You ready to learn?”

You nodded, “Yes, more than ready.”

Hunter gave a curt nod. “Good. Let’s roll out!” He announced, and the guys gave a whoop of agreement.

How you got stuck in the backseat, you didn’t know. Randall was on your left, some other guy on your right. Hunter was driving, his second in command in the passenger side. The last guy was begrudgingly in the truck bed, watching the grass go behind them as they drove.

Being surrounded by the big guys was making you uncomfortable enough, not to mention their smell. It was clear to tell that they hadn’t bathed in at least a month. Randall kept looking over at you with a small smile, which was nice in a weird way. From what you had seen today, and around the camp, he really did just seem like a spunky kid getting dragged along in all of the bigger guys stuff. Like a sidekick almost.

It was a half an hour before Hunter pulled the car to a stop, removing the keys and shoving them into his pocket. The truck had driven through a field before finally passing some trees. When the trees got thicker and thicker, turning into a forest, they parked.

Everyone got out of the vehicle, grabbing out some guns. Actually, you counted five guns, but there were six of you. That struck you as odd, but figured that you didn’t all need one at once.

It was another half our hike before you all made it to a small clearing. It was one large cleared out circle, a small pile of ash in the middle. This was one of their campsites for hunting.

You smiled, breathing in the smell of fresh air. It was heading towards dusk now, and the whole forest was getting darker.

“Now you gotta be careful, don’t go wandering, this forest is full o’ Walkers,” Hunter said, and the other guys chuckled. You didn’t respond. Was that supposed to be a joke?

“So where do we start?” You asked, and a couple of them smirked.

Hunter nodded his head to the side before stepping back into the middle of the clearing. “Come over here and we’ll show you how to load one.”

Randall was behind you, hands on his hips with a small smile.

You glanced around, taking a cautious step forward, following Hunter.

Your internal dangor radar began going off as Hunter looked at you, a smirk on his face as he stepped slightly closer. Before you could do anything, he took a hold of your arm in a hard grip, putting his face close into yours. His other hand snaked down, holding your hip.

“Hey! What are you?!” You struggled against his hold, only making his grip harder, his knuckles turning white, your hand tingling as the blood flow was cut off.

You looked around at the other guys, who were approaching you now. You looked towards Randall with panic, but he was still smiling.

Flight or flight kicked in immediately- your breath and heart rate speeding up, eyes wide with fear.

You sent your knee up into Hunter's groin, slamming it between his legs.

He immediately let go, crumpling the ground.

One of the other guys took a grip on your other arm, pulling out a knife from his pocket. Before he could do anything with it you yanked your arm free, catching his knife in the process, the blade running down your arm, leaving a large cut. It immediately started bleeding and the pain set it.

You turned and started to run, someone catching a fistful of your shirt. You turned on your heel, turning your hips and punching him square in the face.

Randall reached for you himself, and you ran.

You ran, crashing through a set of thorny vines, cutting up your legs through your pants.

“Where you goin’ girly!!” One of them yelled, and it was followed up by another guy laughing.

“Tons o’ Walkers out there girl!!” Another yelled. They were whooping like animals.

You ran, feet coming down against the ground hard with each step.

They were right behind you. You could hear them.

You passed one, maybe two Walkers who were attracted to all the noise, but instead of going after you they went after the loud men chasing you.

You heard gunfire, and your hands immediately covered your head, ducking as you ran. They were shooting at Walkers, but you didn’t want to get caught in the firing.

The forest was getting darker and darker.

You could hear stray animals in the distance coming to life in the night, owls, dogs, Walkers… But more importantly the people behind you, chasing after you. The people who had lured you into the woods just to use you then discard you…

The sun…

Finally…

You could tell by the brightness of the forest that it was getting to be daybreak.

Your running had turned into walking, then finally desperate stumbling throughout the night.

The men had given up following you after an hour or so, hopefully heading back to their camp.

Exhaustion was setting in now, your feet sent sharp pains through your body, and you felt weak with blood loss from your arm. You had taken off your shirt, wrapping it around your arm desperately in an attempt to keep it from bleeding out… But it was soaking through your shirt slowly.

You shivered again. It was Georgia, so the warmth of the day would be back in no time, but being in just a sports bra was making you cold and exposed.

Your head felt fuzzy as you wobbled along.

Footsteps… Behind you?

Growling. Groaning. The hiss of a desperate long dead thing searching for its next meal.

You stumbled somewhat faster, seeming like a toddler desperately staggering about to keep from falling.

One root- boot getting caught- and you fell to the ground with a groan, rolling onto your back, trying to catch your breath as the Walker stumbled above you, its drooling maw opening and closing as it hissed.

You squint your eyes shut, holding your hands up, bracing for the impact of the Walker above you…

Thunk.

You opened your eyes as the world started spinning in circles, the Walker collapsed on the ground, an arrow sticking out from its mangled eye socket.

You look up, taking breaths as the world kept doing its pirouettes.

All you saw was a figure- a silhouette of a person as the sun was rising behind them.

You heard the voice of a man, his tone low and accent thick, as the world faded away in a dance of swirls.

“Ya’ ok…?”

Birds… Light…Trees?...

The world slowly came into view, your eyes fluttering open. You took a slow moment, watching the birds hop around in the trees above you before you fully came into consciousness.

You sat up slowly, wincing once, looking over at your arm. It was wrapped in a chunk of fabric, your torn shit, but better tied together so it wasn’t bleeding anymore.

“Ya’ bit?” A husky male voice asks, and your head turns towards him, eyes focusing against the brightness.

It was a man. He was holding a crossbow, an arrow clicked into place ready to fire, pointed at the ground. He had a small amount of stubble, squinted eyes, and unwashed brown hair. He was wearing a vest. It was buttoned up, but it was clear that he wasn’t wearing anything under it. His pants looked pretty scuffed up, too.

You watched him for a moment, taking in what he looked like, deciding if he was a threat.

“Ya’ bit?” He repeated, a little more forcefully this time.

“No,” You muttered. You were startled by your own voice, it was hoarse, your throat dry.

“Scratches? What are they from,” He grunted, watching you from above.

You squint, thinking back bitterly. “Men.”

He squinted at you. “Men…?”

“Not Walkers if that’s what you're asking…” You mutter, swallowing nothing. Your whole mouth was dry.

“Ya’ sure? The one on your arm, what was it cut by?” He says hesitantly.

“A knife, I think… The ones on my legs were from thorns,” You say.

He gives a curt nod, seeming to believe you. He bends down next to a tree, grabbing a canteen you hadn’t noticed was there before. He hands it to you with a nod.

Your eyes widen at the sight. You didn’t want to accept it from a stranger, but your thirst took over. You unscrew the cap with your good but still shaky hand, swallowing down a few gulps of water. You lower it from your lips with a satisfied sigh.

“Thanks.”

He nods. “Ya got a name?”

“Y/n.”

“Y/n…” He repeats. “Why did they attack ya?”

You shake your head with a sigh.

He doesn’t ask you to answer again, just waits.

You look over at the wrappings on your arm. It looked much better than when you did it, and it was wrapped together sturdily. For the first time you notice that you were also wearing a shirt. It was a red-orange button up, way too big for you and smelling of sweat and mud.

You use your good hand to hold the bottom of the shirt in gesture.

“This is yours?” You ask.

He nods.

“You fixed my arm wrap?”

He nods again.

You wait a moment before speaking. This was the first time anyone had actually taken care of you since the apocalypse began. You had a family before… But now…

“Thanks…” You mutter.

He nods, accompanied by a grunt.

“Why did you do it? You could have let that Walker eat me and not waste your time,” You ask, watching him.

“I ain’t like that. Couldn’t just leave ya for dead,” He says, shifting his crossbow over his shoulder, deeming you not a threat. And even if you were, you couldn’t do much of anything in your condition anyways.

“I’m lookin’ for someone, a girl,” He says. He holds out his hand in a gesture of a child's height. “ 'Bout yay high, brown hair, carries ‘round a doll.”

You shake your head. “I haven’t seen any little girls around.”

He nods. “Those men coulda gotten ‘er?”

“Doubtful… They're miles away by now…”

He grunts. “How many of em?”

You shake your head, sighing. “I don’t know… Pretty large camp… I had only been there a few days.”

“How long you been runnin’? How far away is their camp?”

You shrug. “I ran all night… They drove us there… Hard telling.”

He grunts. “Not planning on going back are ya?”

You shake your head. “No way in hell.”

“What did they do to ya?”

“Those guys… They tried to…” You suddenly found yourself self conscious of how pained your voice sounded. This wasn’t the first time men had attempted doing that to you since world broke down. You cleared your throat with a small cough. “They tried to use me. Five guys. They said we were going out for a lesson on how to shoot.”

He nods, brows frowning. “Worlds even more full men like them than it used ta be.”

You nod, feeling exposed.

He watches you for a moment longer. “Family? Friends? A group other than them?”

You shake your head as he speaks. “I’ve got nothing.”

He watches you for a moment longer, picking up the canteen and hanging it from his belt. “Can ya walk?”

You lean against a tree for support and stand upright. Your legs still felt like jelly from all that running, but you could walk. You nod.

He grunts, turning around, crossbow in his hands. “Come with me. We gotta medic that can get ya fixed up and on yer way.”

You blink, walking behind him. “A medic? You have a group?”

He grunts, nodding once.

“Wait- what’s your name?” You ask, stumbling along, trying not to trip on any large sticks or roots again.

The archer grunts, glancing back at you momentarily before focusing on his surroundings, keeping an eye out for people or Walkers.

“The name’s Daryl. Daryl Dixon…”

Masterlist

[ghost-proofbaby]

oh, what a wonderful feeling (eddie munson x reader)

when you have a bad day with your chronic pain, eddie is prepared to take care of you.

→ warnings: none! pure, soft, good old-fashioned fluff <3

→ wc: 1.8k+

→ a/n: just some absolute softness with eddie taking care of reader with chronic pain, for my love @big-ope-vibes. divider by @firefly-graphics. title is inspired by the song "the man in me" by bob dylan, and i highly recommend listening to it as you read. <3

Eddie knows something is off the moment he walks through the front door. 

Usually, you’d greet him with a brilliant smile and open arms. The two of you had it down to a science these days; he’d get off work at the local auto shop around five, and be home by six, you already waiting by the door as you bounced on the balls of your feet and prepared to exchange gossip of each other’s day. A glass of wine in your hand, a beer in his. He’d tell you all about the shitty customers of his day, ranging from the old man who thought he knew more about his car than Eddie (he didn’t) to the woman who had thrown a full-fledged tantrum when all of her obnoxious flirting didn’t come to fruition (he still charged full price). You’d catch him up on your office’s latest gossip, about the manager who was trying to seduce his scandalously young receptionist or the ongoing war of who was stealing Mavis’ lunch out of the communal fridge (it was the newest intern. It’s always the newest intern).

It was so mundane, so simple, and yet managed to be his favorite part of every day. 

Except today. Today, he’d gotten home on time, even five minutes earlier than normal, and there was no sign of you or your glowing smile. 

“Babe?” he calls out, toeing off his work boots, grunting when he has to accept defeat and lean down to untie the laces. 

No answer.

“Baby?” he draws out the last vowel, glancing around the dark living room for any sign of you. The couch was empty, a soft throw blanket draped over the back of it. A mug of coffee from this morning was left to grow chilled on the dining table. 

Finally, though his ears have to strain, he hears you softly call out, “In here.” 

He heads straight for where your voice had echoed from, down the hall and into the bedroom. All the lights were off, and he made no move to turn a single one on. He already knew the layout of your shared apartment by heart, every creaking floorboard and every leaky faucet. 

The moment he sees you laying in bed, face down into the pillow, a weight lifts from his shoulders. A warmth spreads over him, comfort swaddling him just like the first time he’d laid eyes on you. 

It didn’t feel like he’d come home until he saw you. 

“You okay, bub?” he asks gently. He notes the way the bed is still made, the comforter only ruffled from where your body dips into the mattress. The subtle shake of your head nearly breaks his heart. “What’s up, buttercup?” 

He’s overdoing it on the nicknames, and for good reason – the muffled laugh that you release into the pillow you’ve buried your face into. It’s a symphony of gold to him. 

“You’re so stupid,” you mumble, and he has to lean in as he crouches down beside the bed to hear you clearly, “‘S my back.” 

The worrisome furrow between his brows smoothes out, his features falling slowly as he breathes out, both in empathy and relief, “Your back?” 

There were good days and bad days when it came to your body and chronic pain. When the two of you first began dating, it had worried him to no end. He had nearly smothered you with an abundance of doting. But time and practice had finally equipped him to be better prepared for the bad days, knowing what to do when the pain reared its nasty head without driving you insane. 

You finally turn your face, cheeks squished as you reveal your eyes to him. Big and glowing, even as they squint in pain, “Yeah. It’s killing me. I can’t even walk, it’s so bad.” 

“Have you taken anything?” He's poised and ready to leap up, to retrieve whatever painkillers you’ve filled the medicine cabinet with. But when you nod, he relaxes, crossing his arms and resting them on the edge of the bed before mirroring the smush of your face as his cheek presses into his forearm. 

“Four Advil. They haven’t done shit,” a frown settles into the corners of your mouth. 

He widens his eyes dramatically, mocking your pout, “Wow, that’s a lot of Advils.” 

“Don’t patronize me,” you groan, freeing an arm to throw it out into his direction, attempting to aim a slap to his forehead. He dodges it easily.

“I’m sorry,” he laughs out, dodging a second attempted slap, “I’m sorry! Sheesh, for someone in pain, you’re in a fighting mood.” 

He finally stands and grimaces at his own knees popping with the movement, cursing his own aching joints at the ripe age of twenty five, before he settles to sit on the edge of the bed. 

You must truly be feeling awful, because you don’t even scold him for doing so in his dirty work clothes. 

“What can I do?” he asks, bringing a tentative hand to rest on your shoulders, feeling the tension even between layers of blankets and clothing. 

You manage the smallest of shrugs, an ever-permanent wince gracing your features more roughly now. 

“I just want it to…. To stop,” you grit out in irritation, “I’ve barely gotten any work done today, and it’s just gotten worse and worse. It’s shooting down my leg now, down my… down my… that one nerve, you know? The stoic nerve or whatever they call it.” 

“Sciatic,” he corrects with a hushed chuckle. 

“Right, sciatic. Anyways, I can’t walk, and I can hardly stand to sit up. And it was my one day off. I was supposed to do the dishes, and then the laundry, and then… and then walk Gertrude’s dogs….and…” you trail off your rambles as your body slowly relaxes. As you’d been speaking, his hand had moved in soothing patterns over your shoulder before traveling down the path of your spine, applying just the right amount of pressure that he’d learned wouldn’t inflict any more unnecessary pain. Instead, it would simply soothe you, as it is right now. 

“I’m sure Gertrude can walk her own mutts,” he muses of your elderly neighbor as you sigh out deeply, “And I can handle doing the dishes and laundry. I’m a big boy.” 

“You couldn’t even tie your own shoes this morning,” you remind him in a teasing tone with a corner of your mouth still hidden in the plush pillow. 

“Unfair,” he whines, his hand finally reaching your lower back, taking more precautions in where and how he rubs circles, “I was still half asleep, and you offered.” 

“You were only half asleep because you ignored your alarm, and I had to kick your ass out of bed.”

“I was tired. Sue me. Also, I had a very comfortable pillow - or should I say pillows?” he references to your chest, leaning himself down to press a sloppy kiss to your cheek as you twist to finally face him fully. 

You’re still smiling through the whine that hitches in your throat from the movement, jokingly wiping away his kiss as you shake your head, “Are you still in your work clothes?”

There it is. The scowl and the tilt of your nose he had been anticipating, clearly displeased in his filthy state even as your eyes spell out your adoration for him. 

“You’re cute when you try to be angry with me,” he grins like a young boy, features lighting up with a youth only you could draw from him. He leaves no room for protest as he stands from the bed and claps his hands, “Alright, here’s how the night’s going to go - I’m going to go order your favorite takeout, and pour you a glass of your favorite wine. And then, you’re going to take a bath-” you open your mouth, a squeak of protest falling off your lips, but he simply holds up a finger and shakes his head, “Nope. Hot bath, wine, dinner. I know you probably haven’t eaten today, have you?” 

Your silence is all the answer he needs. 

His grin softens, and he fights back the urge to trail a ginger finger over your cheekbone, not wanting to risk getting any of the residual oil and dirty on his hands across your face, “I’ll be right back.” 

“Wait!” you finally call out, sitting up quickly and nearly doubling over, “At least take a shower first. I’ll order the food.” 

“You will not order the food. I’ll do it and then shower, but you better not lift a damn finger while I do, baby. I’ll kick your ass, I mean it.” 

“Not if I kick yours first.” 

His chest blooms with love for you, the terribly stubborn beauty with a wicked sense of humor that has managed to keep him on his toes the last several years.

You’re a pain in the ass, but you’re his pain in the ass – he doesn’t care how cliche that is. 

You both follow through on your promises; he showers, and you don’t lift a finger. By the time he’s running a scalding bath, getting it hot enough it would burn him but somehow comforts you, the food has arrived. 

The night goes exactly as he had said it would. You sink in the bathtub and your skin is already flushing pink as he returns with a glass of wine for you in hand, the other holding a plate stacked high with your favorite food. He sits on the floor beside the tub as the two of you sit in silence at first, content with passing the plate back and forth before he tries to feed you your bites, which leads to snarky remarks and playful banter until he drops a piece of food into the bath. It has you screeching about how gross it is, but he can only cackle as he fishes it out, nearly knocking over your glass of wine, which leads to more scolding from you. You’re not mad, though, or even irritated in the slightest. He knows by the cracks in your voice and how hard you have to bite your lip to hold back your own laughter.  He knows by the way you press a kiss to his forehead after he shakes his still-damp curls out in your direction, if for nothing else than to pester you. 

And when the wine and food has been finished, when the bath has run cold and you’ve finally gotten each other up to date on the day’s latest gossip, he has a warm towel freshly fluffed in the dryer awaiting you. He insists on another back rub, this one more thorough as he lays you on the bed and carefully straddles you, peppering in kisses this time along with the working of his nimble hands. A trail of love notes written across your skin in his breath, in his murmurs of affection and his whispers of devotion. 

You’re his favorite part of his day, even on the bad ones. 

You’re a stubborn pain in the ass, but my God is he glad that you’re his stubborn pain in the ass.

[merci-bitch]

Charlize’s characters being jealous?

Hi!!

Well, what can I say. 😺

Warning(s): NSFW mentions, mentions of death, jealousy, semi public, PDA, possessiveness

Also, not my gifs! Credit goes to whoever made them ! <3

Lady Lesso

- Yikes

- Girl is possessive

- If you do it on purpose.

- I’ll come to your funeral.

- She will go feral. I mean crazy

- Lesso isn’t bitching around

- Don’t fuck with her

- Again, if you decide to play wicked and do it on purpose, she will kick your arse. ;)

- She will show you, who you belong to.

- She won’t play nice

- Lesso doesn’t play nice with bratty little girls 👀

- She will not let you walk properly for weeks

- She will make it her own personal mission.

- If it wasn’t on purpose that certain person suddenly goes missing.

- She doesn’t know what you’re talking about.

- She will still take you to bed, make sure you know who you belong to.

- Girl ain’t sharing one bit of you.

Andy

- To be fair

- I’ve seen people say she doesn’t get jealous

- Course she does

- She’s just lived so long it doesn’t effect her as much as perhaps Lesso

- She will be a little, perhaps colder in her behaviour

- She will pull you closer to herself

- Perhaps wrap her arm around you

- She trusts you, and trusts you won’t do anything to hurt her

- Cause she can’t handle another heartbreak

- She might be a little feisty. But not too much because she trusts you with her heart

Elaine Markinson

- She’s similar to Lesso

- Only she will backfire it

- If she notices that you’re doing it on purpose

- She will make you jealous

- Elaine doesn’t take shit

- She takes what she wants

- When she wants

- Daddy’s blue ribbon girl

- If you wanna act like a brat?

- Go ahead. See how fun it is

- Cause if you’re doing it purpose, she will give you your punishment in a whole other way

- Cold shoulder

- Call you a slut perhaps 🤷🏼‍♀️

- If you’re not doing it on purpose, she’ll be all handsy.

- Make you sit in her lap

- Whisper filth in your ear

- Her hands on your thighs and hips, occasionally giving a squeeze

- She would, without doubt, make out with you in front of anyone who’s a much as tries to steal you from her

- Telling them to fuck off as she openly asks you if she should take you home for a good fuck

Charlotte Field

- Now she does get jealous.

- Charlotte was used to you getting jealous from when she used to chat with the Canadian prime minister

- She loved the thrill of it

- Sex was amazing - quote from Ms. Field.

- But when it’s her?

- She gets pouty.

- Perhaps a little insecure

- Even though girl loads of confidence

- She’s always scared of losing you because of her job

- She doesn’t always have those 5 minutes to be affectionate

- Margret will always spoil your plan

- If you intend to do it on purpose, she will know

- She will try to backfire it , sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t

- She doesn’t like to jealous

- Doesn’t like to be teased

- Girl is desperate

- She’s bossy af

- Loves when you’re jealous though

- Loves to tease you about it

- Cause she knows you will flip on her

- Sex was amazing - Ms. Field.

Clea Strange

- Well

- Is it possible?

- I think, if you’re trying to do it on purpose, she’ll find it amusing

- I don’t think Clea is the jealous type like that

- I don’t really think she will act out on it

- Perhaps she’d still give you a little reminder

- If you’re in a relationship with both Clea and Stephen, S will get jealous

- Again, I don’t think Clea is the jealous type

Mavis Gary

- Be prepared to die

- Ask Marri

- No but she will go crazy

- She’s already in such a bad place mentally that she wouldn’t be able to handle it

- And it’s so sad

- Because she’s a teasing type

- She just doesn’t have the energy for it

- She will feel broken by it

- But if she’s in a better state mentally, and knows you’re only doing it to get a rise in her

- Boy are you in for a night

- I think she would go crazy

- On you

- In you

- She will threaten you

- Tease you

- Leave you on edge

- Too bad you got yourself in this position in the first place 🤷🏼‍♀️

Lorraine Broughton

- Honestly, if we’re thinking outside the box and adding her American self

- I think she would be like Clea

- Find it amusing

- She will still get jealous, perhaps a more quiet jealous until you’re alone

- If she trusts you, knows you, loves you

- I think she would find it rather amusing , knowing she could leave you weak with just a simple touch

- She will be all smug about it before she takes you home

- Absolutely rails you

- Perhaps in your more normal way, just more teasing

- She doesn’t need to tell you who you belong to

- She will make you voice it

- Aftercare is bomb, cuddles

Cipher

- Tough cookie

- Well

- Do I have to explain?

- She’s got big dick energy

- Either beg for forgiveness or prepare to DIE

- Girl ain’t having it

- Choose your death

1. Choked to death

2. Shot in the head

3. Begging on your knees before her

- If it wasn’t your fault

- She would jsut kill the person

- Honestly

- She doesn’t give a shit 😭

- But if you need a reminder ?

- Well.

- GOOD LUCK PAHAHAH

Ravenna

- Eh

- Don’t

- Don’t even try to make the Queen jealous

- If it’s before the second movie, she will threaten to take your beauty for herself

- Seeing the dear fear in your eyes

- She loves it

- Gets her going

- That knowing smirk on her lips

- She just have to raise her eyebrow at you

- Daring you to continue

- It’ll leave you a mess for days

- Second movie

- Love is illegal because sis girl is trying to be special

- It’ll be more fun

- Cause you can get away with it more

- It pisses Ravenna off because she can’t go take you now and then

- In secret she’ll have you wish you could beg for mercy

- Freya asking why you seem sick or injured

- Ravenna sitting in the back, biting down her own grin

[maxandgracestudios]

The Della and Max Theme Song

Hey everyone, Della and Max have a new theme song, and it’s available to stream on www.dellaandmax.com! Be sure to stay tuned as we’re also working on a new Della and Max book, but until then we hope you enjoy the new music! Mavis LeFevre is Editor-In-Chief at The Local Scratching Post, the recipient of five Purr-Litzer prizes, and an official spokescat for Max and Grace Studios. Click here to…

[strangerthingsn]

Snake

summary: your new boyfriend met your parents and came to yours for the first time, he found out you had a baby cornsnake now he won’t leave it alone..

a/n: I have a cornsnake myself (the snake on the first and last photo is mine:)) and Eddie seems like anyone who would love one because it’s “metal”

no warnings just a sweet lil story :)

When you guys are hanging out at yours: “Eddie Im serious leave that poor thing alone” You’re making your homework but Eddie keeps taking your petsnake out of his terrarium. When he first saw the terrarium standing he had mixed feelings. But when you showed him the tiny baby cornsnake instead of a huge python he already loved it.

“not she wants me to pick her up”

“Its not a cat” You try to continue working with your home work.

“but she likes me” your stubborn boyfriend sits on your bed, leaned against the pillow while your lil snake is in his hands.

“If you get her too much out of the terrarium she will have it cold, there is not for nothing a heat lamp in there”

“but i have warms hands”

“that’s a lie. You always ask me if you can put your hands in my shirt.” You turn around to look at him.

“please just for 10 minutes, then I will put her back and will leave her alone” he gives you those puppy eyes. You wanna say no but those eyes make it impossible.

“fine..” you sigh and gets up from your chair and lay down on the bed next to him. He smiles and wraps his arm around you.

“do you think your parents will notice if i smoke a joint in hire?” He chuckles.

“You want the snake high?” You joke.

“no ofcourse not, I mean when I put her back in her terrarium” he let the snake go over his chest.

“Well I don’t think they will..”

Eddie with his brilliant plan:

You’re walking through the hallway of Hawkins high with your boyfriend.

“So tonight is hellfire right?” He starts.

“Mhm?”

“so I was maybe thinking of, Mavis, your snake, can I barrow her for a champagne for tonight?” He asks wrapping his arm around you.

“Are you serious? I mean.. with so maybe people around that lil thing, besides he is not just gonna sit still on your board.”

“pleaseee, I can make some holes on my lunch box with a hot water bag in it so he won’t be cold and you can play with us so you can watch him”

“fine.. you’re crazy you know that” you giggle.

——

Its 9pm and after Eddie got everything ready for dnd he drove to your house to pick you up but mostly Mavis.

“hello hello” you open the door and give your boyfriend a pec.

“hey baby” he picks you up and gives kisses all over your face.

“are you ready for tonight?” He sets you down carefully.

“i am but i don’t think Mavis is” you laugh a little.

“Lets get her” He smiles.

“mhm” you walk inside and walk upstairs. Eddie walks behind you and squeezes your ass.

“oww” you slap his hands away with a chuckle.

“How sorry I am” he laughs. When you walk into the room you sit on your bed and Eddie kneels down by the terrarium setting the chest he’s holding down. It was in the theme of dnd because Eddie always needs to have everything perfect for his champagne.

“is it soft inside?” You wonder.

“mhm and on the bottom there is a hot water bag, it has also holes to breath ofcourse” He is looking in the fake plants for Mavis.

“you made it yourself?”

“I bought the chest but I did the inside and painting myself” he finally find the baby snake. “Gotcha” he smiles while picking her up and putting her in the chest.

“Well Lets go then” you smile.

Eddie telling Wayne about the snake:

“Y/N has a snake did I tell you already?” Eddie starts while he’s having dinner with his uncle.

“no?”

“well, it’s a baby cornsnake.. this tiny” he shows with his hands a length. “And it’s adorable, cornsnake a have no teeth just kind of… hairs or something” Eddie looks at his uncle with a smile. “And last week I brought him to my dnd champagne.

“poor snake” Wayne mumbles.

“no he loves dnd he’s gonna join next week too”

“sure he likes it” Wayne eats again.

“can I have one too?” Eddie asks playing with his food.

“absolutely not son. Don’t want snakes or whatever I’m this trailer.”

“but-“

“no you heard me, you can play with your girl her snake. I think she doesn’t mind to share it”

“fine.”

“now eat your dinner before it gets cold”

The snake ring:

“I got a present for you babe” you give him a tiny black bag with some kind of jewelry logo on it.

“how sweet” he kisses your nose and opens it. It was a snake ring, actually a joke beche can’t have a real one.

“o my god.” He puts it on, it fits perfectly. “ I love this!”

“you love it?” You laugh a little.

“Yes I will definitely be wearing this forever, so I think think of you and Mavis” he hugs you.

“well.. it was actually meant as a lil joke…” you chuckle while hugging him back.

“why?” He looks confused and pulls away to look at you.

“because you can’t have a real one” you were still giggling.

“I don’t care you know I love rings, plus we kinda share Mavis.. right?”

“Sure if you want to” you shake your head with a grin.

—— • ————- • ————-- • ————- •

I hope you liked this lil fic :p

[lg-123]

Stoner-Ajax P

Summary: The vampires and gorgons don’t socialize normally, that is until y/n finds out Ajax has the best stuff.

Pairing: Ajax Petropolus x y/n

masterlist

Summary: The vampires and gorgons don’t socialize normally, that is until y/n finds out Ajax has the best stuff.

Pairing: Ajax Petropolus x y/n 

Vampires and gorgons didn’t associate too much inside Nevermore. Sure, there were some who were friends in larger groups, but for the most part they stayed separate. It may be because vampires aren’t affected by the snakes, or because the vampires can’t feel the gorgons’ emotions, but either way y/n knew to stay clear of them. 

Y/n sighed as she made her way out of class, she was stressed beyond measure. Her mother had sent her a letter reminding her that she was falling behind her siblings, having yet to drink human blood. Y/n didn’t want to, and she thankfully had found some friends who were on the same page, but this only angered her mother. Her friend Mavis had advised her that smoking weed would help, did y/n understand how? Not at all, but she always listened to her friend’s advice. 

That’s how she found herself leaning against the wall, outside fencing practice. It only took a second for y/n to spot him, his beanie covered his head making him stick out against his friends.

“Hey Ajax!” The girl said, causing the boy to turn on his heel, questioning why the Y/n Y/ln wanted to speak to him. 

“Well, what do I owe the pleasure?” The boy took in the girl in front of him. He knew exactly who she was. Her curly hair was tucked behind her ears and her teeth showed lightly as she bit her lip. Ajax would never admit that this girl has been on his mind for the past two months. 

“I- uh I need some stuff...” y/n whispered, looking around the hall to make sure no one could hear. Ajax was shocked, vampires usually didn’t mess around with getting high off marijuana, usually they used people for that. 

“Do you need it to get high?” The gorgon questioned. “Can’t you just go into town and-” 

“No!” The girl had interrupted, her face growing flush with embarrassment and Ajax realized she wasn’t like the other vampires at Nevermore. “I just- do you have anything to help with stress?” She looked at the gorgon, fulling taking him in as he seemed to be in his own thoughts. His nose was thick, but it suited his face, y/n could see slight muscles under his shirt, having just come from practice. He was cute, she couldn’t lie, but vampires couldn’t like gorgons. 

She was interrupted out of her thoughts by Ajax speaking again. “Yeah, I got some stuff, but you can’t take it alone. Do you have anyone to stay with you while you do it?” Y/n racked her brain, Mavis was the only one she trusted to take care of her like that. She shook her head no and frowned slightly. Ajax noticed the crease on her forehead and before he could think spit out the words:

“You can come to my dorm and take it, that way I can make sure you are okay.” Mentally Ajax was punching himself, that was way to forward but surprisingly the girl nodded in agreement. 

Y/n had no idea why she agreed to take it in Ajax’s room, but he offered and her responded before she could think. And that’s how she ended up hanging upside-down off Ajax’s bed, smoking a blunt and giggling at God knows what. She felt so much more relaxed, the pot helping take her mind off her mother and talking to Ajax wasn’t as bad as she thought. And so, it became their thing, Y/n would get stressed and text Ajax and 5 minutes later they were smoking in his room.

----------

“Dude it’s been two months of you guys meeting up twice a week to smoke, ask her out already.” Xavier whacked Ajax on the back of the head. He was tired of his best friend coming to him daily and talking about the vampire but not doing anything. 

“Dude no, what if she rejects me, then things will be awkward. I’m perfectly fine just letting her use me for smokes.” In all truth, Ajax was not fine at all, in the past two months Ajax and y/n had grown to be best friends. They would talk about any and everything, sometimes not even smoking, just sitting in each other’s presence until y/n felt peace. And as much as Ajax loved it, y/n loved it more. 

“Y/n next time you go to his room just kiss him!” Mavis yelled at the girl. Y/n had realized over the past two months what a major crush she had on Ajax, to the point where she missed an entire lecture because she was too busy staring at him. Y/n was against this idea Mavis had though, because she was so sure he didn’t feel the same. Y/n left shortly after to meet up with Ajax, who was already on his bed, joint in hand. 

Within no time they were both high, giggling and the most random things when all of a sudden Ajax stopped. Y/n looked up to see him staring at her, memorizing her face. Her cheeks flushed and she mumbled a quiet “what?”. The weed definitely was in Ajax’s favor because he shot back immediately with:

“You’re beautiful.” 

Both of them froze, realizing what was said. Ajax began cursing at himself, laying back on his bed and shutting his eyes, praying it as all a dream. “Ajax” y/n whispered, causing the boy to open his eyes and sit up. Her eyes were focused on him intently, and the weed was also in her favor because she leaned forward and grabbed the back of his neck. Pulling him into a soft kiss, both afraid it wasn’t real. They pulled apart, unsure of what to do next. 

“Would you want to go out?” Ajax said, breaking the tension.  “Yes!” Y/n said, pulling him back in to meet her lips, and that’s how they stayed for the rest of the night. 

[lullabyes22-blog]

Snippet - Blut - Forward but Never Forget/XOXO

And it only took Vi... *checks*... 32 chapters!

Forward but Never Forget/XOXO

Snippet:

Blut.

Vi's mind, struggling against the epiphany, bursts at the seams. Memories burst too: a red tide gone blue. She'd spent all this time fixated on him. The man who's ruined her sister, and her life, and all that was possible within it. The man whose accent—when it lapses from sterling correctness—bares the serrated edges of the Lanes. Whose voice—when it's not spouting high-minded affectation—becomes familiar as a bedtime story.  Whose eyes—red and blue—are a mirror reflecting more than her hatred back to her, but the uniformity of a safer palette.

("It's bedtime, Pet. You're dreaming.")

("Dreaming?" She nuzzled close. "You're a dream?")

("I am. A bad, bad dream.")

"You," Vi chokes. "I know you."

"What?"

Vi's breath sticks in her lungs. Gods, she'd been so stupid. She'd had the puzzle sitting right in front of her, and hadn't seen it. Because she couldn't accept what it meant.

The man who's taken everything from her, the man she's hated for seven long years, and the man she's determined to hate until her dying breath: they're the same.

She remembers him—Blut—tossing her toward the ceiling in time to her gleeful shrieks. Sitting, crosslegged, with a comic book open in his lap, and reciting the dialogue in funny voices. Scooping her into his arms and carrying her up the stairs of the Last Drop, humming a tune that's now embedded into her bones...

"Girl." Silco's knuckles rap on the table. "What's gotten into you?"

She wants to say, "Nothing."  Except her throat is glued. So are her eyes. 

This man. This murderer. This stranger... and who he once was.

A ghost in her brain.

"It's you," she whispers.

"Me?"

"Blut."  She points a quavering finger. "The one Vander always talked about. God, why didn't I—?"

Silco's expression morphs from surprise, to understanding, to the smallest iota of wariness. "What did he say about Blut?"

"He was Vander's childhood friend." Vi can barely squeeze the words out.  Her heart is racing a mile a minute. "He was—the smartest guy Vander knew. The bravest. The kindest. And he—he was my friend, too. When Mommy and I were staying at the Last Drop, and Dad was gone, Blut was there. He'd call me Pet, and tickle me, and make me laugh. In the evenings, we'd play in the cellar. Hide-and-seek. Sock puppets. Whack-a-mole. Sometimes, he'd read to me. The old comic books from the trunk—"

Very quietly, Silco says, "Mavis and Mutthead."

"He'd put on a show. Like a vaudeville act. He'd do the funniest voices." She tries, and fails, to replicate the squeaky tone. "'Hoy, Mavvy! What'd the ceiling say to the wall?' 'Dunno, Mutthead. What?' 'Hold me up, I'm plastered!'" The laugh is a painful paroxysm. She can't breathe, can't think, can't do anything but process the enormity of it. "Vander told me... he'd died on the Day of Ash. Killed during the blast on the Bridge. Nothing left but cinders."

Silco's jaw works, as if his tongue has burnt to cinders too. "Vander said that?"

"Every year." Her breath hitches. "I never forgot. But I never put it together. He—you—"

Silco's expression holds a shadowed emptiness. The shark-eye is a deadened black. The blue, eerily bright.

"It's a lie," he says, after a long silence.

[ifbench]

Pokemon Emerald Retrospective, from the perspective of a first-time mainline Pokemon player

To preface this, before playing Emerald, I had very, very scarcely played mainline Pokemon. I played about 40 minutes of Soulsilver back in 2013, and played Legends Arceus and Violet to the credits in 2022, but not much else.

My passion lies with Pokemon Mystery Dungeon. I played Rescue Team DX, Explorers of Sky, Gates to Infinity, and Super all in a row back in late 2020, and I've been obsessed with them ever since. You can find my retrospectives on those if you look back on my blog.

So why play mainline?

To put it simply, some of my friends were doing it, and I wanted to do it.

A friend of mine boldly proclaimed that they would play every single mainline Pokemon game without reusing any Pokemon species. I decided to challenge myself to do a less strenuous challenge: play one mainline game for every mainline Pokemon region, but I can't use a guide. If I get stuck, I have to ask my friends for advice.

And so, I started Emerald. Why start with Emerald and not Firered? I don't quite remember. But it's where I started.

My first impressions were...rough.

It was slow, clunky, and a lot of stuff I was accustomed to through PMD, Legends Arceus, and Violet, simply weren't there.

Then I got the running shoes, and stuff began to pick up.

I picked Treecko, and named him Apoyime after my PMD Explorers protagonist. With his help, I was able to defeat Roxanne in one fell swoop, thanks to rock's grass weakness.

I caught two more Pokemon on the way there, a Zigzagoon I named Mavy, after the character from Quenched Torch, written by my best friend Sudmensch, and a Tailow I named Tilio.

With them, I made it through Granite Cave, and managed to do it without Flash! I also caught an Aron and named her Serald.

Brawly was more difficult than Roxanne, but thanks to Tilio, I managed to defeat him too.

Then there was Wattson.

Wattson was brutally difficult. I could often get to his Magneton, but every time I did, my team got curbstomped.

It was here that I started seeing the cracks in Emerald again.

You see, Emerald's EXP Share is extremely easy to miss, and doesn't apply EXP to the whole party. Instead, it just splits it between the Pokemon that participated...and one, single other Pokemon, that has to have the EXP Share as a held item.

I really, really hate grinding in games.

So, I visited the Game Corner, and tried to gamble my way to a Flamethrower TM for Mavy.

Even with using savestates for this specific occasion, though, it was a bust. The roulette tables were far too slow, and the slot machines were rigged.

So, I sighed, and decided to ride back and forth on my bike in front of the daycare in order to make number go up.

After hours of this, I managed to get my team up to a large enough level that I could finally, finally beat Wattson.

I decided to take a break for a few months after that ordeal, and resumed my playthrough in January.

And then, there were the HMs.

Before this, I didn't understand why everyone hates HMs so much. Now, I very much do understand why.

HMs force you to reserve either a party member slot for a Pokemon exclusively dedicated to HMs, or to use up move slots on your Pokemon on these moves that are often completely useless in battle.

I sighed, caught a Poochyena for Rock Smash, and named her Hiova.

I pressed onwards, fighting Team Magma atop Mount Chimney, then fighting Flannery in Lavaridge.

Flannery was also very difficult. I had to grind a bit more in order to defeat her, and at this point my patience was wearing thin. I was considering abandoning the marathon at this point.

Not helping this was the fact that the game was very unclear about where to go next. I thought I had to travel through the Route 111, but it was a dead end with nothing but the Mirage Tower.

I did catch a Trapinch here, though, and named her Raga after the Flygon from Tetra's fic Home is Where the Hoenn Is.

Eventually, a friend informed me that I should head back to Petalburg to face Norman, but that he'd be the biggest difficulty spike yet.

And so, I gave up. I turned on a cheat that gave me infinite rare candies, and leveled up my Pokemon that were lagging behind Apoyime.

And so, I took on Norman. It took two tries, but I managed to win!

I had already taught Strength and Shock Wave to Mavy, and decided to teach him Surf as well, making him the jack of all trades of my team.

Thinking it was the next objective, I explored the Abandoned Ship. It was fun, but I got little out of it.

I then saw Wattson wandering around in Mauville, and decided to talk to him, which granted me access to New Mauville.

Gotta say, it's a lot different in the game than it was in the Adventures manga, but it was still cool and fun, and the music gave me lots of inspiration.

Next up, I made my way to Fortree, and was stumped by the invisible blockade in front of the gym until a friend told me to go further, into Route 120.

After giggling a bit and making a bunch of PMD references from the invisible blockades being Kecleons, with the Devon Scope in hand, I returned to Fortree and took down Winona.

Next was Route 120 proper, which was a surreal experience. I had researched it a bit for my fic In Tandem, but playing through it was something else entirely. It was like childhood wonder.

Mount Pyre was really neat. Same music as New Mauville on the inside, which paired with the graves created a very eerie atmosphere.

But outside, there was a fast-paced track that got me feeling ready to take on both Team Aqua and Team Magma.

Then I made my way to Lilycove, where I decided to try a contest with Apoyime.

I failed miserably, getting last place.

And then Emerald stumped me with the most baffling detour yet.

The Aqua hideout was blocked, the ocean routes were blocked, it seemed like I had nowhere to go.

I wandered around for quite a while, until a friend told me that I had to go back to Mount Chimney of all places, and examine a random rock, now that I had the Magma emblem.

This was probably the point where I was angriest with Emerald. More than Wattson's difficulty spike. More than HMs. More than the lackluster EXP Share. More than having to grind.

But I took a deep breath, and pressed onwards.

The Magma Hideout was nothing special, but it got the plotline rolling! Seeing Groudon become active was so cool to see.

And from there, it was a straightforward trip back to Lilycove to infiltrate the Team Aqua hideout.

The Aqua hideout was some of the most fun I had in the game so far. The maze of warp tiles, combined with the great music, and even being able to find a master ball tucked away past a tricky set of warp panels, it all came together to form something very fun!

Then it was a simple surf to Mossdeep, and I battled the Magma grunts there.

After the battle alongside Steven, though, tragedy struck: Hiova turned into a Bad Egg, and I saved before I noticed.

I have no idea why this happened, but Hiova was gone.

After taking a moment of silence to both calm down and to grieve, I looked up what to do in the case of a bad egg.

I deposited the bad egg into the PC, turned off the infinite rare candy code, and went to Route 120 to fetch a new HM buddy, a Marill.

After that, I went back to Mossdeep, and defeated Tate and Liza.

Next up, I began searching for the Deepsea Cave. It was a difficult search, and I managed to find Sootopolis City first, but eventually, I made it inside, and faced off against the evil teams of Hoenn one last time.

With Groudon and Kyogre both awake and both fighting, and after consulting Wallace, I made my way to Sky Pillar.

And...Rayquaza flew out without me fighting it at all. I was honestly kinda disappointed.

After making my way back to Sootopolis, Rayquaza stopped Kyogre and Groudon's warring in a really cool cutscene, and the main plot of the game was over.

But mainline Pokemon is weird. Unlike PMD, the game doesn't end when the plot ends. Instead, there's still the gym, Elite Four, and champion to go.

And so, I battled Juan, and won.

Next up was Ever Grande City, which, side note, really didn't live up to expectations. I was expecting a city as grand as the name implied, but all it was was a Pokemon Center, Victory Road, and the Pokemon League.

Speaking of Victory Road, it was a nightmare to navigate, especially with no Flash and no guide. It took me quite a while to get through it, but eventually, I made it to the Pokemon League.

It felt so tense going inside. I was about to face a gauntlet of the five toughest trainers in the main game, with no Pokemon Centers in between. This was it, my sea of time in Hoenn.

Sidney was relatively easy, but that relatively is doing a lot of work. He still nearly took down Raga and Serald, but I managed.

Phoebe was tough. Her Banette's Curse took down Raga, and she left most of the rest of my team with low health, but I won. Using a revive on Raga, and restoring everyone's HP, I pressed on.

Glacia was easier, about the same level as Sidney, but still nearly took down Serald, and dealt a hefty blow to Mavy as well. But I won.

I just had two trainers left, and this would be my toughest challenge yet.

Drake was brutal, as much as Wattson was. But I had come a long way since then. I just barely scraped by, with Mavy and Apoyime being the only members of my team not fainted when I took him down.

And then, after healing up my team, it was time for my final challenge.

Wallace was very difficult. Almost all his Pokemon were of higher level than most of mine, with his Milotic matching Apoyime's level. And with the move Recover? That Milotic was very, very difficult to defeat.

But I pulled through. I won. I made it into the Hall of Fame.

I consider that one of my greatest accomplishments I've ever done in a video game, up there with beating Champion's Road from Super Mario 3D World solo.

It was tricky. It was brutal. But I did it.

Maybe I'm just bad at mainline Pokemon, but I'm proud.

Emerald, while not my favorite, was mostly a great experience to play through for the first time.

However, it had its flaws. HMs, lack of directions, and grinding made some parts of it a slog.

Overall, though, I enjoyed it, and it was a fantastic start to my mainline Pokemon marathon.

Hoenn is now one of my favorite Pokemon regions.

[gerardway-is-my-babygirl]

I need everyone to consider Renfield watching the hotel transylvania movies and falling In love with the Dracula In those films. He'd love that series with all of his heart and force real Dracula to watch the first one. They only get a few minutes In before Dracula turns away In disgust at how soft and weak he Is being portrayed In media. "THIS Is how people view me?!?! How DARE they!!!" and then he goes on a massacre and kills a few people while Renfield sits at home with a bucket of popcorn and enjoys his silly little movie.

I think he'd hang up posters of hotel transylvania In his house and complain that Dracula won't have a daughter with him. He'd love Mavis too and Imagine what Lillian would've been like at her age and then cry a lot. Dracula gets Intensely jealous of Renfield's relationship with this fictional character, but does nothing about It since he doesn't want Renfield to call him sensitive.