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#I'd be really grateful if someone explained it to me
pigidin · 1 year
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I've been a big fan of Snape-Harry interactions recently, but there's one thing I can't figure out.
I have a soft spot for their platonic interactions but here lies one problem. As far I know, a term severitus is commonly used (and was basically made) for father-son-like relationships between the two, which also involves mentorship. But I've seen bunch of people using severitus when talking about platonic as well AND referring to platonic interactions as synonym to mentorship. And this kinda left me confused, coz those two terms, well, are kinda different and you simply can't put equal sign between those.
Some even say severitus was made as a name for platonic version of their interactions, but they usually still mean mentorship by saying this. Due to that I genuinely don't understand what I should call their platonic interactions as plenty other fans use names for romantic relationships, but with the emphasis that it's a platonic version of one. Seems partly fair to me, but saying "platonic snarry" can be a bit strange.
Moreover, AO3 eg uses & to differentiate platonic relationships, but referring to it as snarry can be confusing.. so...
I really don't know which one is better as severitus isn't really about friendships (or at least it's not commonly used in senses different than mentor-ish) and snarry in its nature is specifically a thing for non-platonic stuff. Like.. I'd be very grateful if someone brought some light to this, as.. it confuses me a lot.
Much bigger problem tho.. is when talking about queerplatonic kind of relationship. Coz this way it becomes much more obvious, that it lays neither in romantic snarry nor mentor or perhaps sometimes platonic severitus. It's basically neither. Btw, in this situation I don't even know whether to use / or &. Neither fit.
There is practically one single qpr story between them and it's tagged as slash but even tho I agree that it fits much better than gen for instance, it's still not entirely right, as.. well ships usually mean romantic/sexual stuff going on, and qpr defies those on its nature.
I actually ship Snape and Harry exclusively in qpr, but calling it snarry seems off a bit. So yeah. I know that people were suggesting using ~ for qprs, but it's not a very common move. So.. any thoughts on that?
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zhuhongs · 2 years
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i am so painfully american in so many ways that I never even realized,,, like the Pain. Today I went out with my friends mom who doesn’t speak any english and oh my god was I a deer in the headlights all day. I feel soooo bad, also like she refused to let me pay for anything and gave me sooo much food and drove me around all day. I really don’t know how to thank her enough. I tried to give her a gift and she returned it to me without me even noticing... oh my god. ms. huang.. rlly.... TT thank u also I’m so sorry i’m so painfully timid and awkward
#i've never eaten like.. so many kinds of meat bc like.. yk.. americans only really like the "desireable' parts of the meat. so yea.. also i#have like a fear of swallowing bones.. long story. if u were here u were here for it. if u dont know .. its a Story. but yea so i was like.#this is... a painfully awkward meal. also i dropped my chopsticks TWICEEEEE.. pain. also I've never had shirmp with the head on so she#put one on my plate and i was like... uh.... i dont know how to eat this but I just looked out how the ppl around me did it so i got used t#it.. kinda.... god yea. and then she really kept giving me food but I have a small appetite due to the aforementioned fear of bones thing#it was a spell of disordered eating in hs. left me with a damaged throat and a reduced appetite. not body image related but trauma related#etc. etc.. so yea. i felt so bad. I was so full. she bought me so much. im sooo sorry.... but good news is i wont need to buy food at all#tmrw... and then sometimes she'd ask me a question and I'd legit have no clue how to respond. I;m so used to speaking multiple languages#with my classmates and my roommates so if i ever forget smth i can just use a diferrent language to explain and its.. so much harder to#speak only one language than i thought and hhhhh. also sidenote i COMPLETELY understand why my friend is the way she is... like yea no she#IS her mothers daughter hundred percent.... forceful. kind. not afriad to bargain. overall big appetite for life and yea no.. it makes sooo#much sense... i understand it ALL now...also her little brother is so rude.... god i don't like him. i see why she doesn't like him#like id never blame someone for hating their family but yea no i get it#hhhh so yea.. it was rlly fun but also.. a lot. super super grateful tho.#🐌.txt#also i am so tired.. what not getting enough sleep for a week will do to a mf
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love-belle · 1 year
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you're losing me !!!
*ੈ✩‧₊˚ in which she's losing him and he's not fighting for her either.
or
for when you lose someone you thought you'd spend your lifetime with. ˚ ༘♡ ⋆。˚
social media au // max verstappen x fem!reader
sequel - i hope i never lose you ⋆·˚ ༘ *
warnings - language
author's note - my heart broke while writing this :// still, i hope u like it!! lmk if u want a part ii though i'll write it anyway. i love you, thank you for reading <3
≡;- ꒰ °instagram ꒱
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yourusername when the flowers that we'd grown together died of thirst
9,926 comments
username MOTHER?????
username max :///
username if they break up i simply give up, it's that easy x
lewishamilton sending you hugs and love from me and roscoe ❤️
-> yourusername missing you both ❤️
username guys............what if they did b word u word ?
-> username don't spread lies 😘😘😘
-> username they break up and i stop believing in love ☺️
lilymhe i could be a better boyfriend just saying 😮‍💨
-> yourusername you're already my wife 😘
username we really went from "the first flowers he ever brought me became my favourite" to "when the flowers that we'd grown together died of thirst" huh
username im just gonna ignore this!!
≡;- ꒰ °instagram ꒱
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maxverstappen1 pole position!!
very happy that we managed to put the best bits together for qualifying today! great work by everyone in the team redbullracing & hondaracingglobal 👏
looking forward to be racing again tomorrow 👌
7,972 comments
username NO Y/N????????
username im delulu
username is it just me or did he not seem really into it like idk
-> username if me and my fiancée broke up i'd be the same
danielricciardo proud of you mate! 👏
username need y/n to comment rn so i can be at peace
username nice prank guys 😐😐 REALLY funny 😐😐😐
username NO BC THE WAY HE ALMOST MENTIONED Y/N WHILE TALKING TO A REPORTER BUT STOPPED HIMSELF
-> username NO BC MY HEART BROKE SEEING
-> username they're really over huh
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f1newzzz formula one driver, max verstappen and singer/songwriter y/n y/l/n called it quits on their engagement, source close to the pair claimed. "they just wanted different things, their goals weren't aligning," the source explained, "marriage had seemed like the picture perfect ending at that time, when max had proposed, but in the long run, they both would've been very unhappy." though the exact reason for their split isn't very clear, many speculate that it was actually verstappen who ended their 11 month engagement. for more details, click on the link in our bio.
479 comments
username ur telling me that the woman who wrote "your past and mine are parallel lines, stars all aligned and they intertwined" about her man wanted "different things"??????? ok.
username max i just wanna talk ☺️☺️☺️
username no bc they were so in love everyone could see it
username she did not write "i don't wanna look at anything else now that i saw u" for u to write this fucking shit post
username "she's been my rock, my biggest supporter, my proudest fan and im very grateful for her, forever will be. i don't deserve her and i don't know what good i did to have her in my life but im very glad i do" NO WAY HE BROKE UP WITH HER
username idk man if u write 3+ albums about someone and stuff like "all that u ever wanted from me was sweet nothing" or "all's well that ends well to end up with u" the universe should it impossible for u to break up
username just a daily reminder that u should drink rat poison before falling in love bc it never works out
username the day i stopped believing in love
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yourusername you're losing me is finally yours. this is easily the most vulnerable, heartbreaking, raw and personal song that i have ever written and sharing it with you all is like sharing a big piece of myself. you are, at some point in their life, at a place where you're begging someone to love you the way you love them and i think that's a saddest thing someone can do, i've been there. this song is a messy compilation of my feelings, my thoughts and the enigma in my mind, i hope you like it. and finally, to that one person, thank you for being my forever. it was real.
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username I WOULDN'T MARRY ME EITHER A PATHOLOGICAL PEOPLE PLEASER WHO ONLY WANTED YOU TO SEE HER
username the way we went from "i'd marry u with paper rings" to "i wouldn't marry me either"
username DO SOMETHING BABE SAY SOMETHING
danielricciardo in awe of you and your talent 🤍🤍🤍🤍
-> yourusername danny i heart you
username no bc what really hurts is that throughout her albums and songs she's always been like "i can't wait to marry you!!!!" like from lover and paper rings and now it's hinted that max didn't wanna marry her and the way she's trying not to blame him by saying "i wouldn't marry me either"
-> username "she would've made such a lovely bride what a shame she's fucked in her head" to "i wouldn't marry me either"
username the way that some people were saying that they got married secretly and the whole time they were broken up and she still continued to act like everything was fine like my heart's hurting for her
username "thank you for being my forever, it was real" IM CRYING IH NY GKD
carmenmmundt the most talented person i know 🤍 i love you so much y/n/n
-> yourusername you own my heart 💌
username the 1 is gonna start hitting different now
-> username "it would've been fun if u would've been the one"
username her heartbeat in the song i died.
username thinking about "he didn't try at all though" vs. "do something babe say something"
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barcaatthemoon · 6 months
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tiny prancer || alanna kennedy x reader ||
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you talk to alanna about your feelings after watching her play with harper.
"higher! higher!" your eyes drifted away from the interviewer once again as you heard harper's shrill shrieks of delight. she had been devastated whenever she saw you on the pitch, but had been immediately told that you were busy by gorry. luckily, alanna had swooped right in and picked the girl up before her pout could dissolve into a fit of tears. and now, you were swooning while trying to complete your media stuff for the day.
"sorry, sorry. this has been a hard comeback, but i'm grateful for my manchester family. i'd hate to give united their props, but those girls have also been so supportive. for our rivalry to be put aside, it means a lot. i'm very thankful for so many of my fellow players in the league from teams all over the country," you said. it was a good answer, one that people could tell came from the heart.
you had been away for nearly a year after a huge injury and bigger setback. it had truly been a freak accident, your knee giving out on you and the subsequent fall breaking your leg as you fell. there hadn't been any dirty tackles, and aside from alanna, the first person who had been at your side had been a manchester united player. some of those girls had really become some of your best friends when you needed a break from your teammates.
"well, everybody is excited to see you come back on the pitch this weekend. it has been overdue, and if the practice footage from this week is anything to go by, you're definitely in top form." you thanked the interviewer for their kind words before both of you were dismissed. almost immediately, you turned and jogged over to where alanna and harper were playing.
"do you have room for one more?" you asked. as into playing with alanna harper had been, she was quick to go to you. it had been hard for you not being able to play, but still going to practices over the course of the year, and harper was a big part of that. gorry had joked that you and alanna were like her other mothers, something that had always caused alanna to tense up a bit. although, you had noticed that she had seemed more okay with the joke, occasionally having a longing look on her face for the next week or so.
"of course we do, don't we harper? we always have room for prancer, don't we?" you rolled your eyes at the nickname alanna had not-so lovingly given you back at youth camp in australia. truthfully, the two of you had legitimately hated each other a little bit back then, but both of you had done a lot of growing up since then.
"we love prancer," harper said. you knew that she had probably been working on that for a while. harper had never called you that without alanna being directly beside her. alanna nudged her side, and harper stood up to give you a hug. "do you get to play at the game?"
"i do for a little bit, so i can't sit with you on the bench at first, but they don't want to hurt me again, so i'll probably be there for the second half," you told her. harper pouted a little, but she understood. there had been several long talks about you going back on the pitch where you belonged.
harper wordlessly handed you a doll to play with, explaining much better than alanna tried to what was happening. that game didn't last very long due to alanna's antsiness. the three of you played a game of tag, which ended with alanna and harper ganging up on you. alanna picked you up in her arms, gently placing you on the ground where she peppered your face and neck in kisses while harper tickled at your sides until gorry came to get her.
"i was nervous when we got here," you admitted. alanna knew it already, but you had been stubborn in insisting that you were fine. "everybody always says they can't wait for someone else to make their return, but i know what they weren't saying."
"don't think about it like that, okay? think about other things like how harper and i kicked your ass at tag," alanna joked. you punched her in the shoulder, earning you a bite to the thigh. "be nice. if harper sees you being mean to me, she'll think it's okay. i swear that kid loves you more than anybody else sometimes."
"we've become bench buddies, that's all. i bet when we have a kid, they'll love you the most. you'll get to be the fun parents, and i'll have to be strict," you sighed. alanna shot up and stared down at you, a confused, yet hopeful look on her face. "what?"
"what did you say?" alanna asked. you shrugged as you moved up onto your elbows. "you said 'when' not 'if' we have a kid. d-do you want to have kids with me?"
"kids? someone is getting ahead of themselves, but yeah, of course i do. i've been thinking about it, and seeing you with harper confirms it. before you came along and fucked everything up for my little 14 year old self, i was going to accept a promise ring from a boy. who knows how many kids i'd have now?" you said.
"i like the idea of a bunch of little prancers running around, but only if they've got the last name kennedy," alanna said. she leaned down and pressed a kiss to your lips. you kissed her back, smiling into it a little. "how long have you wanted little kennedy babies?"
"alanna, don't," you tried, but it was too late. she was on something trying to get this out of you. truthfully, it had been before you were even injured, but you knew that you had been lucky then if alanna wanted to admit you were exclusively together at that point. she had fancied herself a player, something that only got worse whenever leila arrived at the club and they became friens.
"come on, i deserve to know. maybe if i've kept you waiting, i'll be sweet," alanna offered. you knew that she would be extremely sweet, but you'd have to get through the annoying phase first.
"fine, the first camp that i said we were together and harper was there. all the girls kept making fun of me because trying to tie you down was still a 'lost cause' or something," you said. alanna did the math in her head. you could tell whenever she had gotten there because a smile broke out on her face. "please don't be an ass about this, okay?"
"you thought i'd be a good parent back then?" alanna asked. you shrugged, unsure of what you had really thought. you just knew that you trusted alanna and wanted to do something special with her. "wow, maybe you really did love me back then too."
"of course i did. alanna, i've never been someone who could sleep with anybody i didn't love." you looked away from her, slightly ashamed of yourself. the girls had teased you a lot about your body count, which was the girl you made yourself fall for to forget about alanna hating you, and alanna herself. they had sort of thought you were joking, especially alanna, until you blew up at them for making fun of you.
"well then, i feel honored to be your person. and as much as i'd love to go to the doctor now and try to get you pregnant, your parents, gorry, and macca would kill me if i did," alanna pointed out. "so, what do we do?"
"let me play this season, and if things don't physically feel right in that way, we can look to starting a family sooner. we don't have to do this any other way than the one we want, remember that." you cradled alanna's face and pressed a kiss to her nose. despite the fact that you wanted a baby then and there, you were fine with waiting until alanna felt more comfortable.
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axelsagewrites · 3 months
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Well if you still could 👀
Do you think you could do another Ned x f!wife!reader? I really enjoyed the horny!ned fic you already have but I'd be happy with anything. Fluff, sunshine, rainbows, or babies. ❤️ have a nice day 😊
Ned Stark*Sweet Wife
Pairing: Ned x wife!pregnant!reader
Word count: 942
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Warnings: pregnancy and pure fluff
Masterlist Here
“My lady I don’t think you quite understand,” Lord Karstark said as you bit your tongue and tried to pretend you hadn’t had better plans for your morning than been chased down by a disgruntled Lord who thought you’d give in easier than your husband, “If you allowed my family to use that land, we would maintain it for you. Free of charge,” he said as if offering you the best deal in the world.
You took a breath before speaking, trying to compose yourself, “And while I am grateful for the offer my Lord, those lands do not belong to you, and we are already in discussion for how we will divvy them up to- “
“Okay but,” he cut you off making you sigh this time though he did not notice, “If I am trusted with them- “
“Lord Karstark,” Ned’s voice came from behind you with an unusual iciness to it. “I do believe my wife,” he said, his arm gently going around your back, his hand resting on your hip, “and I have now both explained to you your assistance, no matter how generous, is not needed in this matter. However, if your family is desperate for farm lands I’m sure a trade deal can be arranged- “Karstark opened his mouth to speak but Ned didn’t stop, “Which you can take up to the owners of the lands once I have declared them. now if you don’t mind my wife and I are late to a very important meeting,”
Karstark grumbled something under his breath but nodded, “Of course my Lord, my lady. Goodbye,” he muttered before turning to leave with his nose in the air.
“Do you think he is sniffing out the new owners?” Ned leant down, to whisper in your ear making you laugh.
Ned took your arm and began to guide you through the busy corridors, “Who do we have to meet?” you asked, eyebrows scrunched, “I don’t remember setting up a meeting,”
“I arranged it,” Ned said, smiling politely at some passing Lords, “It is of the upmost importance that we attend,”
“And whys that?” you asked as you suddenly stopped outside a meeting room.
He opened the door, ignoring your question for now to lead you inside. Once the door was shut behind you, he stepped forward, closing the gap between you with his finger tilting your chin up to face his cheeky grin, “So I can do this,” he leant down to press a soft kiss to your lips.
You giggled a little into the kiss before pushing him away, “Someone could walk in,”
“So?” he asked, hand moving to rest gently on your hip, “We’re married now remember. It’s allowed,” he teased though his hand gently rose to rest on your stomach, “And soon everyone will know anyway what we get up to,”
“Shut up,” you laughed, pulling him back down for a brief gentle kiss. Your bump was barely noticeable under all the furs and wool you wore to keep the cold out but you both knew it was there, “I hope she doesn’t inherit your cheek,” you teased.
“She?” he asked, a hopeful grin on his face, “How’d you know?”
“I just do,” you smiled but it quickly faded, “I hope that doesn’t disappoint you- “
“Of course not,” he said, cupping your face in his hands, “Nothing you do, especially not this, could ever disappoint me,” his thumb gently stroked over your cheek bone. It was a tender moment, of course ended once again by his antics, “Besides I’ll take any excuse to try again,” he said with a cheeky grin.
“As if you ever needed one,”
Your laughter both stopped when there was a knock on the door. Ned held a finger up to his lip, “Maybe if we’re quiet, they’ll go away,” he whispered.
“Lord and Lady Stark may I have a moment?” said a voice behind the door. You could swear it was the diplomat Lord Bolton sent.
“I swear if this is about those lands, I may just burn them to the ground,” Ned muttered before you both stepped back to open the door.
-
You barely got to see Ned for the rest of the day. Every Lord or noble man seemed to need his attention today and you were running around Winterfell organising a banquet for Ned’s upcoming nameday. It wasn’t till you walked into the hall for dinner you saw him again.
“Hello husband,” you greeted with a small smile as you took his seat.
“You need to slow down,” he said, not even bothering to say hello making you roll your eyes, “you’ve been running around faster than the servants,”
“That’s because I need to finish organising the details for- “
“What you need is rest,” he said, cutting you off and placing a hand over yours.
You sighed, tempted to push it away but you knew his heart was good, “You cannot confine to my bed out of fear,”
“If I was to confine you to our bed it would not be for that,” he whispered making your cheeks burn.
“Ned!” you scolded, slapping his thigh making him laugh, “You are so lucky I love you. Otherwise, I’d kill you,”
He smiled softly at that, “lucky indeed. However, I’d be even luckier if you would let me announce our news,” he said, squeezing your hand gently.
You couldn’t help smiling a little despite his antics, “Perhaps it would be a nice announcement to make on your nameday,” you finally conceded, “I just wish we could keep it a secret a little longer,”
“Then your wish is my command, sweet wife.”
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purplekissinger · 8 months
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I am the pretty thing that lives in the castle
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And I pray one prayer - I repeat it till my tongue stiffens - Catherine Earnshaw, may you not rest as long as I am living; you said I killed you - haunt me, then!  Emily Bronte, ‘Wuthering Heights’.
Y/N became a ghost instead of Myrtle. She couldn't care less about Tom. He wishes he could say the same. Wordcount: 3k.
At their first meeting, Tom even shrieked a little (as he later justified, solely because Y/N took him by surprise). He crept towards the sinks that bathed in the bluish light of the moon, and did not at all expect that someone would jump at him from the ceiling with a  “Boo!”
“Boo,” Y/N said reluctantly and passed through him like a light bluish cloud. Tom closed his eyes, but didn’t feel anything.
“Good evening to you too,” he said, looking at her cautiously. Y/N floated up to the ceiling and was now studying the stucco, running her ghostly finger absentmindedly over the frozen gargoyle masks. “What's new?”
“As you may guess, absolutely nothing,” Y/N responded, “but I like that you’re trying to be polite. It's nice.”
“Do you feel ‘nice’?”
“Not really. I'm using words that I learned in life, but they don't quite describe my experience because I've never experienced anything like this before. I'd rather you be polite than rude, and that's my new “nice.”
Tom looked at her, a luminous spot against the black wall, which trembled slightly, like the wings of a strange butterfly. Y/N died wearing a thin shirt, but there was no longer any way she could be cold or get sick.
“If I didn’t know you were a Ravenclaw, I would have guessed by now,” he said.
“I was different when I was alive,” Y/N said judiciously. “More lively”
“You sure were”.
“No, I mean it. I can't explain it enough for you to understand, but this experience is...changing. Everything becomes so transparent, unreal. If I were the same, I would have already cried barrels of tears and flooded the toilet”.
“There is someone who is eager to do that for you,” Tom said gloomily. “Myrtle has been whining all day long, telling everyone what a wonderful friend you were.”
“Me?”  Y/N sounded surprised. “I can’t remember that we were friends. However, I did stand up for her a couple of times…”
Tom kept silent a little longer, angrily tapping his fingers on the broken edge of the sink. When falling, already dead, Y/N hit her head here. They didn't fix the sink, instead, they put a lock on the toilet door, but Tom sneaked in almost every evening.
“Is that why you’re not angry at me for killing you?” he finally asked.
“Well, technically you didn’t kill me. You just released a basilisk, which also didn't do anything against its nature, so it's kind of like an accident. Although I can understand why you didn’t tell anyone about it all,” Y/N said. “No, that’s not the reason why”.
“You are very understanding,” said Tom. “Is it okay if I stay here a little longer? I need to prepare an essay on the history of magic, and tomorrow is the final match between the badgers and Slytherin. All of Hogwarts is shaking”.
“Make yourself at home,” Y/N said indifferently.
She went down to the Chamber of Secrets with him when the time came to seal it. Hovering silently two steps behind him, she looked at the tunnels and rusty gratings that were many, many centuries old, and for the first time something like curiosity was reflected on her transparent face. For some reason this made Tom feel almost happy. Y/N’s curiosity became almost human when, rustling its scales, a huge snake slowly crawled out of the black hole in the wall and surrounded them with a ring, and put its terrible head so as to get a better look at the guests, and hissed in greeting.
“I've read that those who speak Parseltongue can look a basilisk in the eyes and survive,” said Tom, looking down, “but I don’t want to test that.”
Y/N  looked fearlessly with her dead eyes straight into the face of the creature.
“Yes, the cost of a mistake would be very high,” she said. “What is your pet's name?”
“Susie,” Tom said quietly. “It's a girl”.
Y/N smiled weakly.
“Hello, Susie,” she said. Susie let out a squeal that sounded more like a laugh. “Nice to meet you. Unfortunately, this is not for long, because we have come to seal the Chamber of Secrets forever.”
“For a while,” Tom corrected her. “Susie, I'll be back, I promise. I don't know when, but I'll be back”.
He closed his eyes and stretched his hands forward. The basilisk poked its terrible mouth into his chest, and Tom hugged her. 
***
When Tom returned to school the next year, no one noticed anything, and he even began to think that the ritual did not work, but as soon as he crossed the threshold of the toilet on the third floor, a quiet exclamation was heard from under the ceiling:
“Oh! Tom, what happened to you?”
Like a feather or a petal, Y/N slowly descended towards him. Tom looked at her and thought that flying suited her well.
“Is it that noticeable?” he asked suspiciously.
“You have become very small,” Y/N said, flying around him. “Like this,” and made a small circle with her hands. “Where did half of you go?”.
This is how he learned that ghosts see the effects of Horcruxes.
“I won’t tell anyone,” she promised. “Who was it?”
And Tom told her. About everything, about how he found out who the Gaunts were, about how he found his uncle, about the Riddles, about how scary it was to look at his father’s corpse, because he was so very alike him, about how he made a Horcrux right there while the bodies were still warm. It was easy for him, he wanted to talk, to free himself from every detail, take it out of his head, let Y/N look, discuss, judge.
She was in no hurry to judge. She just said:
“This could backfire on you.”
“How?” Tom suddenly felt offended. He just now realized that he would like her to admire what a cool magician he is, and maybe even clap her hands.
“I know more than you,” she said vaguely. “Not everything, perhaps, but more. Yes, I’m still on the threshold, but from where I’m standing, it’s clear that you acted very rashly.”
“What do you mean by ‘still’?"
She didn't answer.
All autumn, winter and summer he went to visit Y/N, even leaving textbooks in a niche by the window. It was quiet and somehow very cozy there, the light from the window was so gentle, and on sunny days the stained glass windows seemed to light up with colored lights. Y/N was silent for the most part, but seeing her figure out of the corner of his eye and hearing her thoughtful humming under her breath was... nice. This was his new “nice”, because something inside of him began to change inexplicably, irreversibly and horribly.
In winter, he asked her to come to the Yule Ball, and she agreed, and she blew out all the candles and ruined the chandelier. Oh, the chaos!.. And in the spring they celebrated Y/N’s first Deathday Party. For this occasion Tom stole a lemon pie from the kitchen, but Y/N politely thanked him and said that she couldn’t eat that. She fluttered back and forth, he chewed on the pie, they argued about the technique of using Fiendfyre, and it was a nice evening.
“I won’t come back here in the fall,” Tom said suddenly, because in fact that’s all he’s been thinking about for the last few days.
“I know,” Y/N said. “You are in seventh year. I can count to seven”.
“But I’ll come back someday,” he said stubbornly. “I just don’t know when”.
“I think I’ve already heard this once”.
“I’ll come back for Susie too, don’t you worry.”
“And what will we do then, riddle me this?”
“Seize the Ministry of Magic,” he blurted out. “Y/N, I'll miss you. Will you miss me?”
“I would like to tell you something nice in response, but I’ll tell the truth. Maybe I won't be here soon.”
He suddenly felt very hot. Then terribly cold.
“What do you mean you won’t be here? Where are you going to go?” Tom asked in an unnaturally high voice. “Aren’t you here forever?”
“Not really,” Y/N answered evasively. “You see, when I died, I was not at all ready for this”.
“Can anyone possibly be ready for this?”
“You must be ready, Tom. Now I know that. I was confused and made... the wrong choice. Stuck on the threshold. Didn't go any further. But I can step forward at any moment, I just need to think it over carefully and make a decision”.
“Can’t you step back?” Tom asked. He did not put hope into these words, but it sounded nevertheless.
“No,” Y/N answered simply. “I died, Tom”.
He rested his hand on his cheek and watched her spin, arms outstretched, right up to the ceiling, the invisible wind blowing her hair. He said:
“I regret that I didn’t know you when you were alive. I think we could become friends.”
“We could,” Y/N agreed. “But for this to happen you shouldn’t have killed me”.
Tom jumped up sharply and, his burning face hid in his hands, quickly walked out of the room. The door slammed so loudly that the noise echoed throughout the entire corridor.
***
Tom did not soon cross this threshold again.
He walked from Dumbledore's office after the first unsuccessful job interview in his life, he wanted to get out of the castle as quickly as possible so as not to endure this humiliation anymore, but his feet themselves led him to the third floor.
“You have become even smaller,” said a familiar voice, which he had only dreamed about in the morning. Loud, distant, but somehow comforting. “You're barely visible”.
Tom was silent. He looked and still did not believe that he was seeing her again. Finally he grinned and stepped forward.
“But you’re still the same,” he said.
“The same, but not quite,” Y/N objected, going down to meet him. “I thought a lot and almost decided to take a step further”.
“But not yet?”
“Not yet. This is a complex process, and it doesn't get any easier now that I have all the time in the world”.
“What exactly are you doing?” Tom asked, leaning against the wall. A forgotten feeling of comfort covered him in a cool wave. He felt like he wanted to stay.
“I’m thinking,” Y/N said. “A lot”.
“Don’t you need to, I don’t know, take revenge on your murderer?” he asked and realized that it sounded like a request. Lord Voldemort had a lot of requests that day.
“No, thanks,” said Y/N. She looked him up and down with a curious look and added: “It seems to me that there’s not much left of him anyway.”
Tom tiredly sank to the floor and tucked his legs under him. He wanted to talk to her again and again, so that she would answer sharply, but always to the point. He wanted her to scream at him, to rush to claw his eyes out, he wanted her to thirst for revenge.
“I sometimes saw you in my dreams,” he said. “Like we’re friends or something.”
“I have nothing to do with this,” Y/N said. “Have you made any living friends over the years?”
“Wait for me,” Lord Voldemort said without listening to her. He wanted it to sound like an order, but it turned out to be the third request.  “Y/N, I figured out how to defeat death.”
“Sure you did”.
“I am not lying. I really fought it all this time and almost won”.
“I wish you would know how stupid you look now.”
“Are you going to listen or not?! I tell you, wait, I will bring you back, I will fix everything, you will be alive again, I will get you out…”
“Promise?”
“Yes, yes!”
“Lord Voldemort's promise?”
She smiled. Unable to look at her, Tom stormed out.
***
The third time he returned to the castle was on May 2, 1998. He walked along the empty corridors of the third floor, and his steps echoed loudly. He was going to congratulate Y/N on her yet another Deathday. In his hands was not a lemon pie, but an Elder Wand.
The door to the girls' toilet was blown off its hinges by the explosion. He crossed the threshold and saw that the stained glass windows were broken, and golden dawn rays were pouring into the room. For a second it seemed to him that the place was empty, that he was late.
“Oh, Merlin!” a familiar laugh rang out. “What's happened to you, Tom? You have become so very small, smaller than a mouse!”
She came down from the ceiling as before, but for the first time he saw her in the pink rays of the sun, and she seemed almost alive. For the first time he saw her almost alive.
“Come with me, Y/N”, he said softly. His hand trembled a little, grasping his wand. “I will bring you back to life. I will give you back everything and  even more. Soon I will have the Resurrection Stone, and you will live again”.
She laughed even louder, twirled as if in a dance, and he felt uneasy.
“Stupid, stupid Tom,” Y/N said. “Still don’t get this, do you? Everyone gets smarter over the years, but you seem to only get dumber”.
And no Avada Kedavra could shut her up.
“But I'm glad you came. Really, I am. I wanted to say goodbye to you, Tom. I'm finally making that step”.
“No,” Lord Voldemort said in a changed voice. “Don’t. Don’t you dare”.
“Or else what?”
“Don't do this”, when was the last time he begged for something, pleaded? Was it with her?! “Stay. Stay, Y/N. I told you, I'll bring you back!”
“You forgot the magic word”. Y/N giggled. She sank to the floor and looked at him cheerfully and seriously at the same time. “I feel sorry for you, Tom”.
He had heard it once before, but coming from her it sounded and felt like “Crucio.”
“I have to go, really. There's no time to chat. I’ll tell you one more thing. Soon you will be offered a choice one last time, so please, please, don’t be stubborn. Can you do this for me?”
Tom looked at her desperately, afraid to blink, and still missed the moment when Y/N melted into the air.
***
The empty platform shines white, as if it were covered with snow. There are no trains here. No people, too. The bench blackens on the platform like a wound. A faint whimper came from under the bench.
A girl is walking along the platform.
She is wearing a thin shirt, but there is no way that she could be cold. The blue tie is fluttering in the invisible wind. She hurries to the bench, bends down, carefully takes out the bundle of robes from there, and opens it, and smiles a little and carefully presses it to her chest.
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elliewithcellie · 4 months
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Right in front of you
summary: reader complains about their bad luck finding a guy when the guy for them is literally right there (Steve Harrington x Reader)
wc: 796
cw: mention of bad boyfriend in the past, friends to lovers speedrun, reader is a little dummy but we love them. Gender neutral, but might be implied more fem. One bad word. Steve POV more or less
a/n: Just a little blurb i found in my files, nothin to it, but the ending made me smile so i figured i'd post it
“When will it be my turn, ya know?” you rambled on to your friend, Steve. “Like, you know I’m thrilled for my friends. The girls have gone through so much, and to see them grow and learn that they deserve the best and take on love again is more than anything I could ever ask for. I’m so happy for them.”
You paused, looking down at your hands, fiddling with a stray string on your sweater.
Steve sat in the silence, waiting for you to fill it again. But he knew you. He knew you weren’t sharing the whole truth. He watched your eyebrows furrow like you were fighting with the words in your mind.
“I’m sensing a ‘but’ in there,” Steve said.
You sighed. “It’s silly.”
“That’s ok.” Steve brushed the hair from your face to behind your ear. “Talk to me.”
“It’s just that I was with them through all of it. We all started in the same place. We all came from these shitty relationships, and we all worked together to heal. I worked so hard, Steve. I want you to believe me—”
“I do.”
“—When I tell you how hard I worked with these girls, I mean it. They became my everything. We became a family when I felt like I had no one.”
Steve couldn’t help but wince. It was hard hearing you talk about your past. His senses always overloaded with anger. For his dear friend he cared for more than anyone to be treated the way you were made his temperature rise. His heart pounded in his chest, but he let you continue.
“But I guess I’m just confused. You know? It’s like they’ve moved on without me, carrying on with their lives. But they were my life. Gosh, I wish you could meet them. You’d fit in so well with the whole gang, I swear.”
Again, Steve’s heart jumped. God, did he want that. For you to introduce him to your friends. Steve’s mind began to wander, thinking about the two of you traveling up to Utah together, meeting the girls that made you who you are today. He’d want to thank them individually for taking care of you. For allowing you to be comfortable enough to be vulnerable with him and allow him to love you. ‘Love you’? Oh, god. He didn’t realize.
“I’d love that,” he choked out.
“But what about me, Steve? What about me? I’m stuck in these patterns I want to get out of. I want to be independent and free. Just like them. But can I be super honest?” You looked up at Steve for the first time in this conversation.
“Of course.”
“I—I think I’m lonely. I’m really grateful that we’ve become friends because I don’t know what I would have done without you. But what do I have to do to have that special someone? I’ve put in the same work. But people aren’t looking at me like that, I guess.”
“That’s not true.”
“What? Of course, it is. How else do you explain that the only relationship I’ve been in was a narcissist taking advantage of me?”
Steve was taken aback by that. He watched your eyebrows crinkle together at the bridge of your nose, a last defense to fight the tears.
“Where’s my lineup of men then? Explain to me why I’m skirted at the bar so they can talk to Brenda, or I’m approached only so they can ask for her number.”
Steve huffed out a laugh. “You’re so dense sometimes, you know that?”
“Huh?”
“You’re so lost in your own head that you don’t even notice what’s right in front of you!”
“Oh, please. Name one guy who’s even flirted with me.”
“ME, you dumbass.”
“I, er, you, what?”
Steve didn’t waste another moment. He placed his hands on your cheeks and pulled you in for a kiss. It was brash, almost harsh in quality, with fervor as Steve pressed his lips against yours. He felt you settle against him, your hands reaching out to the back of his neck and hair.
Steve pulled away and looked you in your eyes. “Everything you want,” he began, “I want to be the one to give it to you. The intimacy you crave, the best friend wrapped in a man, that’s literally me. If you’ll have me, we can heal our scars together and work toward the goal of independence, one step at a time.”
“You really want that?”
“More than anything.”
This time, you pulled him into a kiss. This time, it was softer, kinder, but the passion remained.
You giggled. “And to think. I was crushing over you this whole time!”
Steve laughed. “God, you are a piece of work, you know that?”
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directdogman · 5 months
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Commenting on DT fan OCs!
Alright, I'mma take a look at some DT fan OCs! I've been sent quite a few, so I'll try to keep my comments for each one short 'n' sweet!
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great name, snappy dresser. diggin' the bowtie! the pins are also a fun accessory!
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Another snappy dresser! Tied well to an existing location in-game and the idea to explain the stickers is cute! attire is unique/memorable and the blues/browns compliment each other well. solid design. I do appreciate him!
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Yo, this guy was in the last one! what is this, a crossover episode???
the bandage on side of face is a nice touch! digging the pinstripe pants too! graveyard shift at a convenience store is also quite an authentic job for a DT side character to have too! very nicely done.
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Solid OC! well-drawn, unique job and her fit's stylish (it probably goes without saying that i'm a sucker for TV heads with dogs on them. that's gotta be a given, right?) The stickers on the back of the head are also a nice addition! well done!
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Stanley's a real cad, huh? pizza delivery guy with a novelty pizza phone head is genius - making him flirt with milves on the job is just inspired though. i almost wish i'd come up with this guy, as i can totally imagine people around town talking about him. excellent job!!!
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he's aptly named for an arcade dude! dig the fit too, especially the black + purple fingerless long sleeve gloves! the decals on the phone are neat too!
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I approve of his activities but the lack of a visible mouth threw me off, since i've seen these old toy phones before, ofc.
i was about to ask "how does he drink ocean water without a mouth", before realizing that id been bamboozled into asking the fandom-favourite question of: 'how does he eat without a mouth?', only to then remember that practically no DT characters have visible mouths.
i hope you know that you've strained my weary brain today. cool OC, though.
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banana phone's a fun concept! also, i must say your username's quite fitting. crept up on me from my peripheral as I gazed upon the banana phone, like a bizarre centipede of some sort. well, i'd assume so. in hindsight, most centipedes i've encountered have been pretty straightforward with me. i guess i should be grateful for that.
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i like mary's fuzzy phone matching the trim of her dress but martin's really got my attention. cool name, neat quirk (he kills people, that takes moxie. hell, even pizzaz too, dare i say?) The dial being a lil clock is a neat touch since it ties his interest into the design. also quite like the cord tail matching the phone head's colour. solid design!
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i like his head-type and the attire/pale skin gives a nice bit of contrast!
hard to say how randy'd feel about him, as someone who's only seen his design and 2 lines of dialogue (as someone's personality dictates randy's opinion on them far more than their appearance.) if you feel they'd get on though, you're probably correct! (randy isn't too picky, after all!)
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Funnily enough, one of the earliest sketches for crown has a similar bolted plate stuck to a mostly intact phone head. it was even sticking from one of the sides. or corners. i'd have to dig up the notebook, as it's been like 4 years since I came up with the character. Sorry, just made me remember since the earliest sketches had one too.
Copper phone head's a neat idea. Contrasts well with his attire as well (nice and complimentary.) if only his attempts to deter jesse from the za worked out as well, eh?
Alright, that's it for me! thanks for the submissions, these were real creative! good job, everyone!
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rainstormwrite · 3 months
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The new update is now public.
Hello again, people!
That's it. This is the day.
The new update is now public.
(You're required to start a new playthrough if you don't want any game-breaking bugs, by the way.)
What's done:
All three routes are finished.
All the POVs are rewritten to be in the third person (they actually feel way better than I thought they would be).
Some parts of the first fight scene are fixed and clarified.
Some pronoun bugs are fixed.
What's planned:
Writing another update, obviously.
Word count:
Including command lines: 271245 Excluding command lines: 260837
But, I would ask you to temper your expectations in terms of the new content's single playthrough length. I'm going to paraphrase this from my previous post: the actual amount of content that was added with this new update is somewhere between 15 to 25 pages (approximately).
Even though the word count increased from 53k to 260k, the only event to happen in this update is one conversation/confrontation (ridiculous, I know). This is primarily due to the overwhelming amount of variable text that changes depending on your earlier choices and due to the number of routes you can take. If you're interested in the reasons for me to decide to do that, check out my previous post.
So, basically, each reader will experience the new content very differently but may not get as much satisfaction due to its shortness. If that is the case, I can only suggest you make another playthrough with different choices, but, if that's not your cup of tea, I would totally understand. But, overall, the game is very… how do I put it..? Multiple-playthroughs-friendly, I'd say.
Safe to say, the update will be incredibly polarizing, no doubt, but I'm always open to feedback.
And, even though I haven't found any bugs or inconsistencies, I am obviously aware that someone else may find them, so, if you are that someone, please report the bugs to me.
I think that's all regarding the update itself, so go ahead and play it. Hope you will like it!
PLAY THE UPDATE
Now, onto other interesting things…
From this point onward, I'm starting to take writing seriously, and that's why I've finally decided to open my Patreon page.
I've made a free introductory post there that explains what I'll be offering, but, right off the bat, I want to tell you that I can't offer you things that other creators are usually offering: Q&As and What-if scenarios. If we're talking about Q&As, I don't want to do them because I consider mystery to be a big part of my work, so I don't really want to wiggle around every question that people will ask me because it won't be fair to them and won't feel good to me. As for What-if scenarios, I don't want to write out some hypothetical scenarios when I can spend that time to progress the plot forward in the actual story. And, trust me, if I'm going to spread my attention too thin, I'm never going to finish this project… And I don't think you and I want that.
What I will provide, however, are progress updates, sneak peeks, early access, and monthly side stories, which the community will be able to choose by voting.
So, I'd advise you to read through the new update first, decide whether you're willing to put up with my approach to the content, and then consider subscribing if what I offer on Patreon is enough for you. If, after all that, you decide to become a member, I'll be very grateful to you. If not, I will still appreciate you being interested in my work and taking the time to read through it.
Thanks for tuning in, and have a pleasant day or a peaceful night!
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dunmeshichilchuck · 3 months
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For That One Guy on Tumblr, part 4
Chilchuck x !fem !halffoot reader
You were going to have to be strategic about this. You didn't want to step on Chilchucks toes after all, and you didn't know if there would realistically be work for more than one halffoot. It sounded like Chilchuck was strictly no combat, so maybe you could pick that side of it up? But even if you could convince them of your usefulness, would they be willing to sign a contract to take on a new party member? You frowned, considering.
You heard your name and glanced up. "yes, sorry, what?" 
"What do you think you want to do?" Marcille asked. "I'm afraid that I can't cast the leaving spell to get you out of here, it's not my specialty, but maybe we could get you back up to a higher floor? You could find another party and work your way back up."
"....I was actually going to ask if I could travel with your group." You hesitantly explained. "You wouldn't need to pay me or anything, and I don't eat much. I am skilled in my field and I could definitely be a big help to Chilchuck in disarming traps and giving advance warning of threats." You continued on with something that was only half a lie. "I think your group really can take down the mad mage, and I'd like to be a part of that." 
You were also pretty good at drawing monsters away or distracting them, or even engaging in combat if necessary. But you figured you'd keep that little tidbit to yourself while you figured out the dynamics of the group. Chilchuck had seemed to be pretty against the idea of halffoots as bait and combat participants, if you really needed to use it as leverage you could, but otherwise it wouldn't be wise to offer services he'd shut down already. After all, alienating the other halffoot in the party could only go badly. 
Marcille looked surprised, but before she could say anything, Laois jumped in. 
"Yeah! That would be great! Chilchuck you've talked about the difficulty of disarming traps before, if you had a helper wouldn't it be a lot easier? You guys could work in a team! And she's right, halffoots don't eat much." 
Chilchuck frowned consideringly. "Hmmm, I usually don't work with others....I guess we could give it a shot but if you get in my way and aren't helpful you'll have to stand back with the rest of the party. I'm good at my job and I don't need anyone jumping in trying to help and fucking it up."
You nodded, trying to keep a look of some kind of humble gratefulness on your face, reminding yourself firmly that you needed to stay on the good grace of the guy you'd be working with. But internally you felt the full concentrated wrath of a thousand suns. Who the fuck did this guy think he was? The god king of traps? All you were suggesting was working as a team to do shit like simultaneously disarm arrow and pressure traps and shit. You'd have to be fucking stupid to not be useful to another trap disarmer. Maybe he had more experience in this dungeon than you, but you'd hit plenty of other dungeons before this one was even discovered.
Senshi piped in. "I'd want to have y/n along for a bit anyway." He turned to you. "I'll need to draw up a careful food schedule for ye. I think you'll need to be eating a small amount once every couple of hours for the next few days."
Everyone kind of nodded, and...that seemed to be that. Through the rest of the night, you kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, more questions to be asked, someone to demand you demonstrate your skills, but it never happened. No one pried into your business, and it seemed to be just business as normal.
Once nighttime hit you were set up to share a bedroll with Marcille. A little awkward but Marcille was skinny and you were half her size so you actually both fit pretty nicely without having to be too tightly packed. 
Laois attempted to suggest that perhaps you and Chilchuck could share a bedroll, being the two smallest party members, but Chilchuck shut it down with a clearly practiced level of defensive aggression. 
Before bed Senshi popped up with a bowl full of delicious smelling soup. 
"Took me a bit but I've made some hearty stew with the lamb chops! I'm just giving you the broth to drink right now, but in the morning you should be able to eat it fully."  
You drank the broth slowly and carefully under the watchful eye of Senshi. You also noticed that Chilchuck casually positioned himself strategically close to you, although he was feigning an air of unconcern. 
So NOW the fucker cared what happened to you. He'd insult your ability without even knowing about you, but apparently he'd deign to babysit. 
You shot him a somewhat halfhearted glare as you pointedly sipped your soup with all the patience of a woman determined to prove she did actually have survival skills. 
By the time you were finished with your food, everyone else was already settling down. You slipped into Marcilles bedroll as quietly as possible, and almost immediately passed out cold. 
Tag list, ask to tag:
@night-shadowblood-writes2
@thoughtfulbelieverstrawberry
@dunmeshimeshi
@leguink 
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wheeler-fan · 2 months
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Could someone who ships byler explain this to me please? I'm mileven shipper and I'm just trying to understand your way of thinking on this matter, but I think I'm lost 😭 (I'm not trying to be rude, so I'd be grateful if someone could try to explain it calmly, please)
I mainly mean this transitional stage from mileven breakup to canon byler
first of all: many people claim that the relationship between Mike and El clearly deteriorated in s4 (especially El's behavior after Mike's monologue) and that this is the reason for their breakup/the beginning of the consideration of breaking up
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BUT everyone claims that their breakup is a rooftop scene that takes place a few years after the events of s4 (you can easily tell by El's hair)
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does this mean that even though their relationship deteriorated so drastically in s4, they were still together for a few years? Why?
secondly: many people say that during this scene Mike and Will are already together (and even if not exactly during this scene, everyone still says that they are together during the events in s5) does this mean that Mileven's breakup and the beginning of the relationship between Mike and Willem is a few days or even hours difference? Does anyone really feel comfortable with Mike going from a relationship with one of the byler/hop siblings to another in such a short period of time?
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in my opinion, there should be some break between one relationship and another out of pure decency, ESPECIALLY if the next partner of this character is somehow related to the previous one (although El and Will are not biological siblings, but still siblings)
please tell me how you see it, maybe I didn't pay attention to something, thanks❤️❤️
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roosterforme · 1 year
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The Curveball Part 11 | Bob Floyd x OC
Summary: While Bob is away, Molly struggles with the silence around her. And Bob can't seem to sleep without her soft, sweet body curled up next to his. But when he mistakes someone else's interest in him for kindness, Bob could risk losing everything he loves.
Warnings: Angst, fluff, swears, pregnancy, smut, 18+
Length: 6500 words
Pairing: Robert "Bob" Floyd x Female OC (this story accompanies Batting Practice!)
Check my masterlist for more! The Curveball masterlist
Thank you to @mak-32 and @teacupsandtopgun for the beautiful banners!
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Molly was ridiculous. Truly pitiful. She knew it. She could admit it. She was an adult who had lived on her own for many years, but she had become so attached to Bob, she could barely handle the silence of being alone now. 
The silence when Bob was here? Well that silence was delightful. It meant he was reading a book or contemplating something. It meant she had asked him a question and he was still gathering his thoughts. But the silence without Bob was actually unbearable. 
She found herself making excuses to visit her sister. Or even just call her. One night she called Bradley and pretended she was very interested in the Phillies score so she had someone to talk to about something. She was sure Bradley knew the real reason for her phone call, but bless his heart for talking to her for thirty minutes anyway. 
The calls from Bob were so sporadic and sudden, she kept her phone on her at work. One time she had to sneak away to the supply closet to talk to him, but it had been worth it as she stood there surrounded by antiseptic wipes and sterile syringes. 
"Mo," he sighed. "I can't stand this, Honey. I can't get any sleep without you next to me."
That call had been brief, but she made sure he knew she missed him and his particular brand of silence. And his cock.
Because that was the other thing. The pregnancy hormones were outrageous. The only two things she seemed to want to do were cry and orgasm. She found herself crying all the time. Like even in the middle of Costco when she saw a brand of cheese called Floyd Farms. But it was really hard to cum without Bob. She and her toys weren't as patient and sexy as he was. 
On the Monday of her anatomy ultrasound appointment, Molly cried in the car on her way to the medical complex. And she was still crying when her sister arrived to join her for the appointment. "I'm sorry," Molly said, wiping her eyes. "I shouldn't have asked you to leave work early. I could have done this by myself."
But her sister wrapped her up in a tight hug. "Do you think I'm not excited to find out if I'm getting a niece or a nephew? Please, I'd choose this over work any day of the week!"
Molly nodded as her sister led her inside. She was used to this kind of medical setting, but it was always weird being the patient and not the nurse. So she held her arm out to have blood drawn even though she could have done a better job herself, and she sat quietly while the nurse explained things she already knew. And her sister was with her the whole time, holding her hand. 
It's not like she wasn't grateful, because she was. But she whispered, "I miss Bob," when the ultrasound technician was washing her hands. Molly rubbed her hands along her round belly and looked at her sister. "I love you so much, but I wish Bob was here."
"I know," she replied with a small smile. "I wish I could swap places with him for the day. How hard could it be to navigate a Super Hornet and interpret radar imagining while trying not to barf?"
Molly laughed, already feeling better as they got started. And when it was time to find out the sex of the baby, Molly's sister made the tech pause for a minute until she was sure she was getting a video on her phone. 
"Okay, I'm ready," she said, giving a thumbs up, and then Molly smiled for the phone camera.
"Miss you, Bob. Or should I say, Daddy. Ready to find out if you're going to have a son or a daughter?"
Then she nodded to the tech who brought the images up on the monitor, and as soon as she said, "It's a boy," Molly felt like everything made perfect sense. She just lounged there on the table while her sister freaked out and nearly dropped her phone. But all Molly could picture was a tiny version of Bob with glasses, immaculate manners, and tidy hair. Yes, it made sense. 
"Calm down, or I'll name him Everett!" she told her sister as a big smile broke out on her face. It felt nice for her to be the calm one right now as her sister cried into the camera, gushing about having a nephew. 
But now it was almost midnight, and Molly was waiting up, expecting a call from Bob. She had promised him she'd email him as soon as she found out what they were having, but she held off, knowing this call was supposed to be happening. Just as she was dozing off on the couch with an opened bag of gummy bears on her chest, her phone started ringing. 
It was a FaceTime call. "Bob?!" she practically screamed when she answered it. And then his handsome face was there, bathed in sunlight. 
"Honey! Did you have your appointment today?" His eyes were eager, examining Molly's face as she smiled at him. 
"Yes, I did, Cowboy Bob."
His eyes went slightly wider, and Molly could read the anticipation there. "Well?" he asked, pressing his lips together. 
She didn't want to make him wait any longer. "We're having a boy."
His eyes welled with tears as he bumped his glasses up onto his forehead and wiped at his eyes. "A boy?" he asked softly. "Molly, really? A boy?"
"Were you hoping for a girl?" she asked with a grin. There was no way Bob would survive having a daughter like Molly, if that's what would have ended up happening. 
"Not really," he replied, openly crying. "It didn't really matter. But now that I know it's a boy, I just-" He shook his head for a few seconds. "I just can't wait, Mo."
She popped a gummy bear into her mouth as her baby boy kicked her in the spleen. "How's your deployment, Daddy? I must say, it's a real treat getting to see your sexy face right now."
Bob smiled and adjusted his glasses, looking around at wherever he was standing. "It's boring. And I can't sleep at all. I've been up at night just thinking about you and our son. I miss sleeping with you. Wrapping my arms around you. I miss our bedroom. I know it's silly."
"It's not!" she insisted, sitting up a little straighter. "I miss the way you smell and your voice and the taste of your cum."
"Mo," he groaned in a warning tone. 
"What?" she whined. "I do! And I miss the way you'd put your hands on my bump."
He looked at her reverently. "I love you. Both of you. But I need to go get ready to get up in the air, okay?"
Well now she felt like she was going to cry for sure. "You'll call me again soon?"
"The first moment I'm allowed to, I'll call you again, Mo."
-----------------------
Bob was a week into his deployment when he gave up and left his bunk in the middle of the night. His roommate didn't snore, so sleeping shouldn't have been an issue, but without Molly's warmth next to him, it just wasn't happening. The lounge had decent coffee, and it was quiet. There was a shelf lined with books. He'd go there and see if it made him sleepy. 
When he walked in wearing his gray sweatpants and an old gym shirt, he felt eyes on him right away. He turned to his left to see a woman around his age look up from her book to smile at him. "Hi," she whispered, and he knew she must have been talking to him. There was nobody else around. 
"Hi." Bob returned her smile and went to investigate the bookshelf. Didn't they know he wasn't going to want to read about US naval history right now? He ran his fingers along all the spines until he found a well worn mystery novel. That might hit the spot. 
So he settled down on the chair across from the woman, and when he opened the book, she said, "I read that one last week."
"Oh," he replied, glancing at the cover again before meeting her eyes. "Any good?"
She just shrugged and said, "Passable. But almost everything else in here is the history of the navy part seven thousand, or something equivalent." 
Bob laughed and leaned across the table. "I'm Bob. Bob Floyd," he said, extending his hand. 
"Annamarie Clarke. It's nice to meet you, Bob."
He nodded and had every intention of just opening the book on his lap, but when Annamarie asked him what he was doing awake at two in the morning ship time, he ended up setting the book aside. She was nice and soft spoken and kind of mousy. She was the type of woman he would have asked out before he met Molly. But right now she was just someone who was willing to talk to him, and maybe that was exactly what he needed. 
"This is my first deployment in about a year," he told her after a few minutes of talking. "And I wasn't expecting it. Which is silly, I know. But... I have a lot going on at home."
"Sounds heavy," she replied with a soft smile. "Wanna talk about it?"
Bob leaned back in his chair and pictured Molly and her bump and her silver barbells and her smile. He wanted to tell Annamarie everything, because he knew it would feel good to talk about Molly and the baby. But it also felt too sacred in a way, so he just simply said, "Maybe another time." And then he cleared his throat and asked her why she was awake so late.
Her voice was oddly soothing to him as she told him about her home in Virginia. They compared the Pacific Fleet to the Atlantic Fleet. She made Bob laugh so many times, he lost count. He finally felt himself yawning, and he stood the same time she did. 
In another time, he would have thought she was sweet. He would have been a stuttering, blushing mess in her presence. She would have either laughed at him or thought he was adorable. He might have asked her to hang out again. But he had Molly now, and there was no going back from that. He didn't blush and stutter like he used to, especially not around another woman. The only one who could bring that out in him was his girlfriend when she was whispering in his ear about something she wanted to do to him. She was the only sweet thing he wanted in his life.
So he told Annamarie goodnight as they paused in the doorway together, and he intended for that to be it.
But she squeezed his hand gently and said, "Maybe I'll see you again, Bob." And then he turned one way down the hallway, and she turned the other.
------------------------
Molly was trying to straighten up the condo on her day off, but the smell of the bleach cleaner in the bathroom was making her gag. She hadn't been eating well, and this morning she hadn't eaten at all. Making food after her shift at the hospital was way too much work. If she didn't have time to stop at her sister and Bradley's place, then she just munched on whatever snacks she could find.
When her phone vibrated in the pocket of her sweatpants, she was sitting on the floor outside the bathroom trying to force herself to go back in there. "Shit," she gasped when she saw that Bob's mom was calling her. 
She cleared her throat and answered with a simple, "Hi!" Then she felt like an idiot until she heard the friendly voice on the other end of the call.
"Molly! Are you home, sweetheart?"
"Yes!" she answered, still too chipper for her liking. She cleared her throat again. "Just trying to clean the bathroom and make lunch."
"Well don't. Rachel and I are about to head to the city to see you. I'm sure you must be exhausted after work every day, and I made dozens of meals that can go in the freezer so you don't have to make lunch, okay?"
"Okay," Molly said before pressing her lips together to keep from crying. She was being mommed. She missed being mommed. She loved it when her sister mommed her, but this was just as good. 
"And don't open any cleaning supplies. I'll do that when I get there."
Now a tear really did leak down her cheek. "Too late. It's making me nauseous."
"We're in the car now. Crack open a window in a different room, and we'll see you soon."
Three hours later, Molly was eating a homemade meal while Rachel talked a mile a minute. The condo was spotlessly clean, and Bob's mom was taking the trash out to the dumpster. 
"I want to say thank you again, but I'm afraid I'll start crying," Molly whispered when Rachel took her empty plate to the dishwasher. 
"Nah, you already thanked us a dozen times. My mom wants to help. I mean, so do I. It's hard when Bob is deployed, but it must be miserable for you. Being pregnant on top of everything."
Molly nodded and twisted her fingers together, trying to keep her voice calm. "I miss him so much, it physically hurts. Like sometimes it's hard to breathe. And it's too quiet here without him."
Rachel smiled sympathetically. "Bob doesn't make much noise though."
Molly licked her lips and closed her eyes. "He's quiet. So when he decides to talk about something, it's always worth listening to. And he's been the sweetest man in the world, especially since I told him I was pregnant."
Rachel kind of shrugged. "Listen, I know this isn't the 1800s, but are you and Bob going to get married?"
Molly's eyes went wide. "I-" She slammed her mouth shut, unsure about what she wanted to say here. 
But Rachel continued on, undeterred. "It's just that, Bob seems like the type who'd want that. And I'm not trying to call him a prude or anything, but he's pretty conservative when it comes to his personal life. I just thought he would have taken you to the store to get a ring the same day." She seemed to rethink what she had just said. "I'm sorry, I'm overstepping. I'm just surprised you're not married to my baby brother right now."
Molly kept thinking about it. There were times when Bob promised her forever where she really thought about marrying him. She already knew he'd be so good at being a husband, but marriage seemed like something else Molly would probably just fail at over time. But that wildflower meadow filled her mind again. Bob holding their son surrounded by daisies, poppies and violets. Bob sneezing but insisting he was fine. Okay, yes. She wanted it. 
But then Bob's mom walked back in, and Molly started to wonder why Bob hadn't asked her to pick out a ring by now. Maybe his family was wrong, and he wasn't completely sold on her. Sure, she'd told him she didn't want to get married yet, but now she was surprised he hadn't insisted that's what he wanted to do. And he hadn't brought it up again. 
--------------------------
"So where do you live, Bob? I know you're stationed out of Top Gun. Do you live in Coronado?" Annamarie asked, playing with the loose ends of her hair. It was the second night Bob had ventured to the lounge, and she was there again. He tried to fall asleep for the past few nights without leaving his bed, and he'd been mostly successful, but he'd finished his book and came to pick a new one. He was surprised to see her when he walked in, and he wondered if she had been here every night. 
"How well do you know San Diego?" he asked, thinking about his condo. Thinking about all of Molly's stuff everywhere in their condo. "I live in Hillcrest."
"I know it well enough," she replied with a soft smile, leaning a little closer to him. "And Top Gun is just impressive. You must have some amazing credentials under your belt."
He shrugged. "I'm just a weapons systems officer," he muttered. "I'm actually a little out of my wheelhouse, because the pilot I'm used to flying with isn't here. It's been a bit of an adjustment. And I'm missing my place back in Hillcrest. A lot. I'm still having such a hard time sleeping here."
She trailed her fingers down along her neck and asked, "What's your place like?"
"Oh, I have a condo. I bought it two years ago. It felt huge at first, but my girlfriend moved in a few months ago. Now I might have to sell it."
Her expression fell and her shoulders sagged. "You have a girlfriend?" she asked, her tone flat as she pouted. But her pout didn't light him up inside the way Molly's did. It didn't really phase him at all.
"Yeah. Molly. She's something else," he said with a laugh. "We're going to have a son. He's due in March."
"Oh," she said, nodding slightly. "That's great, congratulations."
"I think the reason I can't sleep is because I miss her so much," Bob said quietly, looking at his hands. "She's a spitfire. Honestly, she's a bit of a handful. But I'm just so used to her now. Even though she's wild." Bob closed his mouth. He'd lost himself there thinking about her. 
Annamarie was quiet for a few seconds before she asked, "You trust her?"
"Yes," Bob said right away as he met her eyes. He did. He trusted Molly. Even though she said she didn't want to get married to him. Even though sometimes she shied away from the topic of forever. 
"Even though she's wild?" she asked, echoing his words with an edge of sarcasm.
He thought about how Molly's face lit up when she saw him. And the way she'd call his name through a crowd of people, seemingly delighted to be with him. Bob was sure she was only wild for him now. 
Annamarie must have mistaken his silence for hesitation. "Do you think you'll ask her to marry you?" she asked, leaning closer across the small table.
Bob would have asked already, but Molly had shut that idea down cold. "I don't know that she'd say yes."
She touched his hand again. "Then maybe she's not the one for you."
-----------------------------
Molly thought she was doing alright. She was having a pretty good day. Nothing to be concerned about over here. Nope. She wasn't missing Bob to the point of devastation. Not at all. Just a completely normal day where she went to work and came home only to get changed and hear a knock on the door while she was on the verge of tears.
"Coming!" she called out, stretching her back where she was starting to feel really sore. If she could just stop thinking about Bob all the time, then maybe the ache would go away. 
As she reached for the knob, she hoped it was Phoenix. She'd been stopping over randomly, but she usually texted first. But when she saw a kid who couldn't have been older than eighteen standing there holding a bouquet of gas station flowers, she erupted into tears. 
"Uh, are you Molly?" he asked, holding the flowers out and looking a little concerned.
"Yes," she said, wiping her eyes with the backs of her hands.
"Then these are for you. From some guy named Bob."
She held them in her hands like they were the most delicate and beautiful things in the world. "How did he do this?" she marvelled, taking in the sight of each bloom through her tears. 
The kid shrugged. "He gave me a hundred bucks a few weeks ago to make sure I brought them here today." And then he walked away, leaving Molly to kick the door closed before reading the card that was tucked between two stems.
Molly, 
It's been exactly six months since the first time I told you I love you. And I have loved you every day since then. I can't be there in person, but I wanted to make sure you knew I was thinking about you. I'll get you more gas station flowers as soon as I get home. I love you so much.
Bob
She went to the bedroom and threw some random things in a tote bag. Then she made sure everything was turned off before she locked the door behind her. Molly's hands were shaking as she drove through familiar neighborhoods until she pulled up in front of her sister's house. It was late now, and she was sure Ev would be in bed. So she texted and called her sister's phone. When she got no response, and she knew she couldn't stand the isolating silence for one more minute, she got out of the car and let herself in the front door. 
Her hands were shaking, and she realized she had been holding the flowers continuously since that kid gave them to her. She looked around the dimly lit living room, and a second later, everything was illuminated. Bradley was standing at the top of the steps in his boxer shorts, holding a baseball bat like he was a power hitter. 
"I'm sorry. It's just me," she said pitifully. He looked even more relieved and even more annoyed as he lowered the bat. Molly supposed it was a nice sentiment about her brother-in-law that he was ready to take someone's head off before he'd let anything happen to his family. 
He grunted and turned back to the bedroom, and Molly could hear him say, "Your sister's here." A minute later, Molly was enveloped in a mom hug.
"I can't," Molly whispered. "I can't stay there alone another night. I hate being away from Bob. You know what he did? He got the guy from the gas station to deliver the flowers to me today, because it's the six month anniversary of the first time he said he loved me."
"Oh, Molly," her sister whispered, kissing her forehead. 
"He set this shit up before he left!" she wailed. "I don't even know what he's doing today, because I haven't talked to him in a week. A week! And now I interrupted you having sex, and I can tell Bradley's mad at me."
"He's not mad at you, Molly. He just thought you were a burglar or something."
"I'm sorry," she moaned, holding the flowers tight as her sister rested a hand on her belly.
"Stop apologizing. You can stay with us until Bob gets back." 
Molly tried to shake her head, but she was led upstairs. She wasn't exactly sure what her sister and Bradley said to each other, but a moment later, Bradley kissed her on the forehead before he went down the hallway alone.
"Come on," her sister coaxed, and Molly climbed into bed with her. "You've been alone for too long. It's not good for you."
Molly dozed off to the sound of her sister's voice and soft breathing, clutching one gas station flower as she fell into the best sleep she'd had since Bob left. 
---------------------------------
Bob was anxious to FaceTime with Molly. It had been two weeks since he heard her voice. Now it was a few days after Halloween, and he managed to log into his email for long enough that he saw a photo of her with her sister, Bradley, and Everett, standing in front of an enormous inflatable pumpkin. They looked like they were dressed as a ragtag baseball team. He scrolled down in his email to find more photos of Molly. 
It appeared that she was no longer staying at the condo, which had him really concerned. But then he saw a photo of how big her baby bump had gotten. And then there was a photo of her and Everett wearing 3-D glasses and making faces. And then there was a photo of Molly completely naked and pleasuring herself. 
Bob nearly dropped his phone on the metal grating of the midship deck. She was going to be the death of him. If he didn't die from lack of sleep, he would die falling overboard after his phone. Either way, it would be mostly her fault, because he couldn't stop thinking about her. His body was aching for her hands to touch him. When the wind blew, it felt like her fingers in his hair, and for a second his heart leapt. 
He was lovesick. That had to be it. He never thought this was a real ailment before, but even his heart seemed to be beating to the rhythm of her name. He could picture her when he closed his eyes. He simply missed her to the point of sickness.
And the baby. Bob missed cradling her belly in his hands until he felt a kick. He missed the way Molly would walk around talking to the unborn child about her day at work, as if it was an adult. He missed the ultrasound photos that he's put in chronological order on the refrigerator. He thought up baby names all day long. He had two countdowns going: one to the day he could see Molly again, and one to the due date in March. 
He jumped when he felt a hand on his back. "There you are." He turned to see Annamarie looking him up and down. "You look nice in your flight suit." 
Bob swallowed hard. He nearly forgot he was about to fly a mission. He wondered briefly if Annamarie had come out here to find him. "Thanks," he murmured, suddenly sick to his stomach over the thought of how many times Annamarie had touched him. It was innocuous. She knew about Molly and the baby. And Bob was just Bob. Nothing special. She'd provided him some comfort late at night when he was too lonely to go to sleep. That was all. 
But, sometimes she looked at him like she wanted to keep touching him. And he should have said something by now, but it would have been embarrassing. He was misreading the cues. He was just overly sensitive without Molly here to accept all of his love and feelings. 
He loaded into the Super Hornet and got to work. This is why he was here. This is what he was good at. This mission should exhaust his brain enough for him to fall asleep.
But when he landed back on deck as the sun was setting, he knew he didn't stand a chance. His mind drifted, wondering where his girlfriend was. Wondering if the baby was okay. He was only fooling himself when he thought he'd be able to sleep. So he finished reading another book from the lounge and decided to return it. There were only a handful of nights left now. He'd make this his last visit to the lounge.
When he walked in, it was just Annamarie as usual. He was going to put the book away and tell her goodnight. He was going to tell her he didn't want her to touch him, and he was going to say goodnight. But then she met him halfway, and her hands were warm on his chest through his undershirt. And her lips met his, somehow soothing him and making everything worse at the same time. 
Bob jumped back instantly. "No," he gasped. "No. I was supposed to tell you not to touch me. Why did you do that?"
She took a step closer to him as he wiped at his lips with his fingertips. "I think there's definitely something here," she whispered, gesturing between their bodies. "Right?"
"No," he gasped again, ready to cry now. He looked down at the gray sweatpants Molly got for him and his undershirt which was a little stretched out from her wearing it over the bump last month. "You're going to ruin everything."
Now Annamarie rolled her eyes. "Why did you keep coming here to see me if you didn't want to take this back to one of our bunks?"
Bob was going to throw up. This sort of thing had never happened to him, and he wasn't even remotely prepared for it. "That's the farthest thing from my mind, Annamarie. You must know by now that I'm absolutely dying to get back home to my Molly and the baby. I'm lonely for them."
"It was worth a try," she whispered bitterly. "You're sweet. You're too good for her."
As she walked out of the lounge, Bob cradled his face in his hands. What was he going to do? If Molly wouldn't hear him out and accept his apology, what the hell was he supposed to do?
---------------------------
Molly got into, well, a lot of bad habits while she stayed with her sister and Bradley. She ate all the Halloween candy. She accidentally got Everett asking for a pet. She didn't clean up after she did arts and crafts with her nephew. But perhaps the worst habit was the fact that she would sneak across the hallway and slide into Ev's bed for about a half hour each night after Bradley and her sister went to their room. 
"Hi, Aunt Molly," Ev whispered, lifting up the covers so she could climb in next to him. "Uncle Bob comes back tomorrow. Are you excited?"
She kissed his cheek and squeezed him as tight as she could with her belly in the way. "Ev, I'm so excited! I can't wait! I can't wait!" She was trying to be quiet, but she was overjoyed. The only contact she had with him in the last ten days was an eight paragraph email gushing about how much he loved her and wanted to be with her forever. She received it last night and read it so many times, it felt like she was floating on a cloud. 
"I missed Uncle Bob, too," Everett said. "I'm happy he'll be back in time to come to my adoption day."
God, this kid was so excited to be officially related to Bradley, it was almost comical. "At least someone thinks he's cool," she muttered. But she didn't mean it. Bradley had welcomed her here as much as her sister had. In his own way. Even his teasing had nothing behind it anymore. She had worn him down. He not only loved her now, he also liked her.
"Ev? Do you think I'll be a good mom?" she asked softly, holding her breath for his answer. Kids were so honest, there was a chance this might hurt.
"You already are," he said through a yawn.
She rubbed her belly and asked, "What do you mean?"
Ev snuggled in a little more against her. "You always take care of me and love me. You like, do the same stuff my mom does, but actually in a funner way. And you were there before my dad got here. You already do all the mom stuff."
Molly cried herself to sleep in a twin bed with her nephew, but her heart was full. And the next morning, she was up and ready to go before anyone else. 
"What the hell is happening?" Bradley asked when he walked into the kitchen to see Molly making breakfast. "Is this the Twilight Zone?"
She rolled her eyes. "If it was the Twilight Zone, I wouldn't tell you it was. And besides, everything would be in black and white."
"You're so annoying," he said, patting her on the head as he went to pour some coffee. "You're finally leaving today, right? Back to being Bob's problem instead of mine?"
"Har, har, har," she said, flipping some pancakes that looked slightly inedible. "You should be thanking me right now. How many times did I take Everett out so you could fuck my sister?" she asked, glaring at him. "Hmm?"
"Yeah," he conceded with a grin. "That was pretty nice of you."
"I'll send you my Amazon wish list. My birthday is in a few weeks."
He shook his head and walked away, but not even the turd-in-law could dampen her mood. Her body was thrumming, just knowing she'd have Bob's cock in her before the end of the day. And the baby was kicking like he knew he'd get to hear his dad again soon.
But being back on the dock again later that morning made her more anxious than she anticipated. She could remember the sick feeling inside when she said goodbye to Bob. She needed to touch him right now. He would take all of the icky feelings away. And then he'd make her feel so good. 
She was wearing a little dress that showed off her bump. Her makeup looked perfect. She'd switched the silver barbells for the ones with the glasses charms. The plan was to take Bob home, suck his dick as many times as he wanted, fuck him in their bed, and then take him to her sister's for dinner. The perfect day. She was about to have the perfect day. 
But then she saw him. And oh, he looked terrible. Suddenly that eight paragraph email was pressing down on her like a weight. Like a warning. Like an ending instead of a beginning. 
"Bob?" she called out, shuffling forward to meet him. He didn't look happy. Why wasn't he happy? There was a woman glaring at Molly from the other side of the ramp like she wanted to physically hurt her. And Bob looked upset. "Bob?"
"Molly," he sighed, his face looking devastated. But she needed him, so she cautiously wrapped her arms around his neck. "Mo, Honey." His face was buried against her neck, and finally she felt whole again.
"We missed you so much," she whispered, kissing his jaw and raking her fingers through his hair. "Bobby, I love you."
He was crying. 
"What's wrong?" she asked, pulling away from him and holding his face in her hands. His pretty greenish-blue eyes met hers, and she waited for him to speak. Because this was the silence she could deal with. She could probably deal with anything now that he was here. 
"Molly, I love you more than anything," he said, letting his big hand rest softly on her bump. "I don't want anything or anyone besides the three of us." His voice was shaking as he cried. 
"You're scaring me, Bob. What is going on?" she demanded, brushing his hair back from his forehead. 
"A woman kissed me a few days ago."
Molly gasped as her stomach lurched. "Who? Why?"
"Another officer," he said miserably, and Molly knew she was going to be sick. "I couldn't sleep at all, because I missed you so much. She was kind to me. Or that's what I thought. All I did was talk about you and the baby. I didn't think I was encouraging her."
Molly squeezed her eyes shut tight as tears leaked out. That's why the woman was glaring at her. "Are you leaving me?"
"Mo!" he gasped so loudly that her eyes snapped open. His hands were on her back, pulling her closer until there was no room between them. "Never! I told you I want forever. I want forever!"
"I don't understand," she said. He was acting like he didn't want to let her go, like he was afraid she was the one who was going to run away. 
He kissed her forehead over and over before he said, "She was making me uncomfortable after a while. I was getting ready to tell her. And then she kissed me. And it meant nothing to me, Molly. Nothing. I just want you."
"Did you kiss her back?" she asked, needing to know.
"Of course not," he swore.
"And it was just one kiss?"
"It only lasted a second," he said. "Then I reminded her that I'm in love with you."
Molly sighed deeply. "She made you feel uncomfortable?"
"Not at first. But later on, yes. Nothing like this has ever happened to me. Women don't do this kind of thing to guys like me."
"Guys like you?" she asked softly. "You mean perfect men? Bob, you're exactly the kind of guy this sort of thing happens to, because you're the kind of guy every girl wants."
He was breathing deeply, pressing more kisses to her forehead. "Molly. Can you forgive me? Please tell me you can forgive me for not saying something to her sooner. Or I won't be able to live with myself." 
She examined his face. He looked distraught and sick. The dark circles under his eyes let her know he was telling the truth about not getting enough sleep. He was holding onto her so tight, it almost hurt. But it was so obvious that he was telling her the truth. It was plain to see that this was eating him up inside. 
"I can forgive you."
Molly ran her fingers along his cheeks, wiping away his tears and kissing his lips softly. He chased her for another kiss and another. Bob devoured her and made her feel whole again. "I can't lose you. Ever," he whispered against her lips. "You're the love of my life."
"Bob," she gasped before kissing him silly. She kind of hoped that the other woman was watching, but she kind of didn't care at all. She didn't belong here with them. She didn't belong where Molly was.
"You know, I think maybe the gray sweatpants were too powerful," Molly mused as she wrapped her arms around him. "You really have no idea how attractive you are, do you?"
Bob just shrugged. "It doesn't matter. There's only you."
She kissed him as she wrapped her hands around his biceps. He was husband material. She knew that. She'd known it all along. "That's very flattering, Coach Cute Glasses." 
"It's the truth." His lips found hers again, and Molly let herself enjoy the feel of him. But then he said, "Molly, it might help if I was wearing a wedding band in the future."
"Oh," she gasped. It was like he could read her mind. But she wasn't fully prepared for another overwhelming conversation right now, so she laced her fingers with his and led him to her car. 
"Will you let me spend the rest of the day showing you how much I missed you, Honey?" 
"You better."
-------------------------------
Baby boy Floyd! The next chapter may be the last one! Thanks to @mak-32 and @beyondthesefourwalls and everyone who bugged me to make Molly and Bob a thing
PART 12
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snapscube · 2 months
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hey penny!! i hope you're doing good :] not sure if you're looking for any feedback right now for midnight snap so if this message is unwarranted then no hard feelings at all <3 maybe it's just me and tbh it's hard for me to tell bc it's probably subjective, but as someone who's particularly sensitive to sound it sometimes feels like your voice gets lost in certain game music in your videos. i've listened both on mobile and on desktop and i think it's worse on desktop, more comfortable on mobile (for some reason). like, i find myself straining to hear you and pretty often i need to pause to take breaks because i get easily overstimulated. it's definitely not sfx that get me, just background music you know??? i especially noticed it in your freddi fish video around the start of the second game, but it's in other videos too like when you played animal crossing. it isn't too bad though tbh, still overall a super cozy series and i'm grateful you're still doing it!! if everything stays the same, i'll still watch it. i'd really love to know what you think and if you can confirm if anyone else has said something like this, i wonder if there's any merit to what i'm saying cause i just wanna help ^^;
i appreciate the feedback! i'll admit i'm still definitely trying to nail down the sound mixing of Midnight Snap. there's a LOT that goes into it between recording environment, VST setups for my live microphone effects, post-processing effects when it makes it to the actual edit timeline, etc. also admittedly this is a genre of content i'm still relatively new to making (never dabbled in asmr or anything) and though it's easy to put out a super long video normally and have people say its good for sleeping as a fun side effect, actually trying to make something FROM THE GROUND UP for relaxation comes with a lot of consideration i'm still not quite specialized in yet haha, especially with how long the breaks have been up to now. none of this is meant to handwave ur issues btw im taking everything into account here, just wanted to explain why its somewhat in flux right now!
my approach for the last few episodes of the show has been to heavily compress the dynamics of the audio, which might contribute to what ur dealing with here. although at the end of the day there's not much i can do to anticipate literally every individual user's listening conditions cause there's gonna be sooo much variance there. i can definitely try to put more focus on maybe separating the heaviest frequences of the voice track vs the game track though. as it stands i tend to cut back on the high frequencies a lot in both cases cause i personally just find higher frequencies a lot more distracting and harsh and to me what ends up sounding soothing is a very smooth and rumbly kind of profile. but of course audio mixing is all about balance so i'll see how i can maybe dial that in a little more distinctly! hopefully as i continue to standardize what editing software i use for the show as well as how it's recorded i can do more to brush out any remaining issues in the sound design :) thanks again!
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This might seem like a weird thing to get hung up on, but in reference to your post about Wyll's hairstyling, someone made the comment that they imagined Mizora used magic to braid his hair as part of their pact. You replied that this was a racist idea and offered to explain why, but they never commented back. If you're still willing to discuss it, I actually would like the explanation. I'm not disagreeing that it's racist, I just think I'm missing some of the nuances/reasoning.
The only explanation I can think of is the way that Wyll's relationship with Mizora is treated, both in and out of game, just makes the joke really not funny. I hate that Mizora is treated as a quirky, love-to-loathe-her side villain when she's essentially Wyll's abuser. She should be treated with the same gravitas that the writers treat Astarion's relationship to Cazador, or Karlach's relationship to Zariel. Then you've got the fans, who can write loads of rants and analysis of Mystra "grooming" Gale on what I would consider very little basis (adults can have teachers too), but stay pretty mum about Mizora, who started manipulating Wyll when he was 17, isolated him from any support systems he might have had, and literally tortures him with the torments of Hell for disobeying her. I forget which conversation it is, but Wyll even describes her visits to him after he completes a task for her as her "saying all the right words" and "touching him in just the right ways."
Maybe I just haven't seen people talking about it because I'm not looking in the right places, I tend to keep most fandoms at arm's length so I'm not swallowed whole by their nonsense. I'm sorry if this turned into an extra long vent message, but I hope it shows I care about Wyll as a character and the work you're doing in general to improve the portrayal of black characters in fiction and fandom.
I mean, you pretty much said it all. I mentioned in my hair lessons that hair is very important to Black people, and that it's also a matter of consent. You wouldn't want just anybody touching your body, and that includes your hair, yes? So it would be incredibly violating for some white person that is essentially your abuser touching your hair, your body, something that is important to you! How can there be real consent if someone OWNS you? Hair is something that requires trust and intimacy. Especially with the idea that a white person would know better how to do your Black hair?! No thanks.
It's also something that ties into my most recent lesson with stereotypes, plus issues with how men are perceived with abusers. The idea that a boy should be "grateful" that a woman is attracted to/attached to them, even when it's inappropriate. For me, what I see when I see Mizora is a white coded woman allowed to mistreat a young Black boy into his adulthood, and treated as though he brought it on himself, as if he deserves to be mistreated by someone who took advantage of him. I see that people won't take that violation seriously, bc no one cares about the dignity of Black bodies nor do we offer them grace under fire.
Whereas if this were a young white girl, and an older Black coded male demon had done these things to her, all hell would break loose. Fans would immediately understand that that sort of relationship is not appropriate and we should not just assume that "oh well it's just sexy".
I mentioned in the last lesson that this sort of "attraction" has gotten Black boys and men killed at the whims of white women. It's not "funny" to me to think that some white coded woman is allowed to treat Wyll that way and everyone is just... Cool with it. I'd be very nervous to ask your opinions on real Black people.
It's honestly why I felt uncomfortable getting interested in the fandom to begin with, in addition to everything else involved with Wyll and his VA Theo. BG3 doesn't seem like a welcoming place fr, and I too have to keep fandom at an arms length for racism reasons, but as I've done with fandom before this: that's my chance to maybe create something that's missing. 👍🏾
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valley-of-headcanons · 4 months
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If I can request, you did the way the bachelorettes react to ex-stardom. I enjoyed it so much and would love to see it for the bachelors too?
I love your writings ;u; ♡
bachelors reacting to your ex-stardom || headcanons
being in the limelight was fun for a while, but settling down is definitely what you needed. but how would your partner react to your past? part one here!
warnings: nothing that i can see! :)
requested by: anon! hii, thank you so much for the request! this topic is pretty interesting, and i really enjoyed writing for everyone! be sure to check out part one, it adds a little more context and i think it's super duper cool and you're definitely missing out. anyway! hope you enjoy :)
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alex
• You and Alex were on the beach, resting after tossing around the Gridball. He got on the topic of his dream of playing Gridball professionally, and how although he wanted to make it big and turn his passion into a profession, he wouldn't know what to do with himself. He's been such a shut-in these last few years, only really hanging out with you and his grandparents. The fame sounds so scary. But ... you knew that all too well. He didn't know that, though. Maybe it was time.
• You slowly told Alex that you knew a lot about being famous, before explaining who you were. “Wait- what?! Why didn't you tell me sooner?! I love your music! Genuinely, like I listen to it all the time ... I know it's not really the manliest choice and it's my guilty pleasure- not to say men shouldn't listen to your music! Oh my yoba- sorry- ... I love your music. That's what I'm trying to say. It's really really good.”
• As you explained why you left the limelight, Alex nodded understandingly. “Yeah, Gridball will always be a dream of mine, but the people I'd be around are probably not good. Maybe staying in the town isn't such a bad idea, huh? I don't think anyone could really beat hangin' with you, grandma, and grandpa.”
• Alex soon opened up about which of your songs was his favorite, and asked in depth about them. There were some that really spoke to him emotionally, and he had a really bad time dealing with that sort of stuff. The fact that you created something he relates to makes him happier than ever! He scored pretty good, if he says so himself.
• Regardless of your old fame, he's still deeply in love with you. He admires your talent, but that doesn't overshadow how you've helped him in his life since you've actually been in it. He will still listen to your music, but maybe a little more publicly. He wouldn't tell anyone unless you said it was okay, but he'd totally be bragging about you if he were allowed.
elliott
• Elliott was not having a great writing session. He invited you over, incredibly stumped with his latest novel. He was bouncing ideas off of you left and right, but nothing would stick! You mentioned that music could be an inspiration, and it was like a lightbulb smacked him in the forehead. He raced over to his stereo and turned on the radio. A cheese-y pop tune ... YOUR cheese-y pop tune. He was embarrassed over the pop playing and immediately turned it, but he did notice your expression and inquired.
• You explained that the song on the radio was a song that you wrote and sang yourself. He was startled at first. “I didn't know we had such a big star in our midst! Are those your lyrics as well? I didn't pin you as such a wonderful writer, but I am so grateful! Someone that shares my writing prowess! I knew some invisible string brought us together!”
• As you continue to explain your past and why you came out to Pelican Town, Elliott nods along, hearing your story. “I didn't realize how similar we are. I understand wanting to get away from it all, that's why I'm out here as well. I suppose you came here to get away from your work, and I came to get closer to it. How awfully poetic that is, don't you think?”
• He asked a lot of questions, really diving deep into your mind. Of course, he only asked if you were comfortable with it. He loved analyzing people's minds, especially if they were different from his own. He may or may not use some of these aspects of your life in his new novel. With your permission, of course. You've always been his biggest muse.
• Elliott is invested in your life, like any good partner should, and admires your creative talent. This only heightens his view of you, as you are an artist, just like him. Despite the different mediums, you two share a lot in common. He would love you regardless of this aspect, but this only draws you two closer.
harvey
• Harvey was giving you a check-up, which was a bit unethical now that you were dating, but eh. He's the only doctor in the town and he's very worried about your health. He noticed that you mentioned a previous injury when checking your knee reflexes. This injury has occurred in a rehearsal for one of your tours. You didn't want to lie to your sweet boyfriend, so you had to admit the truth.
• As he wrote on his clipboard your reasoning, he stopped for a moment. “Tour? Popstar? Is this one of your sarcastic comments that I'm not getting? ... oh, really? You've never mentioned that part of your life before. Please, if you want to open up about it, show me some of your work once we get home. I hate to admit, but I'm fairly curious,” he said with a soft, caring smile.
• When you two get home after the checkup, he starts to cook dinner. “Please, keep me company while I cook. If you'd like to share some stories ... well, only if you're comfortable with it, I know that you got away from fame for a reason, but ... I want to know that part of your life, just like I know this one. Indulge me, if you would, my love.”
• He tries his best to support this part of your life, even if he wasn't involved. He ends up purchasing a lot of your old music and keeping a collection, showing it as a sign of affection. He listens to it while he does household chores, humming along to your songs happily while you're away.
• Harvey didn't mind this aspect of your life. It was another thing that made you the person he loves. He listens to everything you say and pays attention, specifically to the parts of fame you enjoyed and didn't enjoy. He only asked about the stuff you liked, and allowed you to open up about the hard times on your own, when you were ready. He was incredibly careful about the whole thing, and wouldn't dare make you uncomfortable.
sam
• As you and Sam were relaxing in his room one day, he was fiddling with his guitar. He seemed super stumped, strumming random chords to try and make some sense. Nothing was working ... he eventually showed you something that sounds sort of functional? But this rhythm was VERY similar to a song you put out a long time ago. You let out a soft giggle, which left Sam confused. You had to explain now.
• You drop the fact that you were a popstar in a nonchalant manner, trying to make it not a huge deal. But it's Sam. Of course it's a big deal. “No. Fucking. WAY! You're kidding, you've gotta be fucking with me! And you didn't tell me?! For SHAME! As punishment, you've gotta tell me all about it and I will refuse to change the topic. Now SPILL!”
• You explained who you are and why you left everything behind, which Sam thought about for a moment. “Wow ... I never really bought about fame that way. That must've been a lot, and I really do get why you came all the way down here. I'm just glad you're here now, y'know? ... but if you do end up getting the itch to create some music again, with no strings attached to fame, I'm always here. I'd love to create somethin' sick with you.”
• Sam always asked questions about the parts of fame he didn't know much about. Did you go to any parties? Was this person actually chill or were they a dick? He was so curious and asked probably the weirdest questions imaginable, but they were refreshing. And if you weren't the first person Sam showed his music to before, you were now. He always asked for your approval, and asked how to improve. It was extremely sweet.
• Even though he was excited about everything you had presented to him, he tried his best to be respectful. If you asked him to stop, he would with a nod and a quick apology, giving you a small kiss before putting the topic to bed. He still loved you for you! This aspect about you is just so cool and interesting to him. He adores you regardless, and wouldn't trade the current version of you for anyone else.
sebastian
• Sebastian had just finished working for the day and needed to relax. He flopped down on his couch and pressed the button on his radio. The pop station came on, and he was about to turn it before you walked in. You were shocked to hear your own song playing, staring at him with wide eyes. He makes some sarcastic comments about how this is actually his music taste and you just don't understand him. He doesn't understand why you're so shocked, though.
• As you slowly drop the bomb, he lets out a little chuckle. “Hah. Funny. You can drop the act, I can tell you're fuckin' with me ... are you really a world renowned superstar with several albums with hundreds of chart toppers? Like I believe that! Why the hell would you choose Pelican Town of all places to live, huh? This is the type of town you need to run away from.”
• You eventually have to explain why you left, why that lifestyle really wasn't you. He's actually at a loss for words for a moment, before nodding. “I didn't expect that out of you, you really are full of surprises. Tell me more, if you wanna. I'd be willing to listen. If you don't wanna talk about all that shit though, it's fine. Whatever you wanna do,” he said with a welcoming smile.
• Your music was FAR from what Sebastian listened to commonly. His Radiohead collection can attest for that. But ... he decided to take a listen to your music. He's very picky usually, so this is a pretty good feat. He actually kind of enjoyed it, for once. Maybe you're leading him down the path of liking something that's not edgy. Hmm. That's nice.
• Sebastian found this part of you incredibly interesting, but he didn't ask many questions. If you wanted him to know, he would, and he respected that. He loves hearing you talk about anything that you're passionate about, or just hearing you talk in general. It's arguably one of his favorite past times.
shane
• You and Shane were sitting by the pier one night. This was Shane's safe spot, attempting not to start drinking again. You two spent several afternoons sitting under the glow of the stars with an old cassette player and some of Shane's favorite songs. One of these nights, he mentioned that his childhood dream was to be an actor, and how weird fame seemed. He would hate being famous ... and you did too. This would be a perfect time to drop this bomb.
• You mentioned your past to Shane, but he brushed it off. “Uh huh. And I'm actually a famous bowler but I fucked up my arm and now I'm destined to live the rest of my life in this little shit hole. Oh, my poor dreams. How sad,” he said, his dry humor biting with sarcasm. He noticed your facial expressions ... they weren't sarcastic. “... I'm sober right? You didn't spike my drink or somethin' and you're tryin' to fuck with me ... huh. Now that's a topic.”
• You explained everything, mainly about why you came back here. You figured Shane wouldn't really know much about who you were, that's not his type of music anyway. “Huh. Nice. I figured you were just some corporate big league who got tired of the white walls. A lot of things make a lot more sense, I guess. You're a lot more talented than I thought ... sorry, that was mean- let me rephrase ... you are talented. I really am tryin' to get better about that ...”
• Shane didn't ask much about it further, but would listen if you brought it up again. He ended up stumbling across your work ... it was way better than he imagined. Maybe because it was you. It was a source of comfort to him, and he often listened to your beautiful voice when he was in a dark time. It helped him through a lot.
• He didn't mind your past, you had a lot less skeletons in your closet than he did. He liked hearing your voice, so it was a win-win. He got this down-to-Earth side of you that he enjoys being around, but he can also listen to his star-studded partner whenever he wants. He wouldn't tell you that, though. That's his little secret.
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m1ssunderstanding · 7 months
Text
Understanding Lennon McCartney Rewatch Part 2.4
It's in the paper that Allen Klein was involved in 40+ lawsuits and John doesn't question it? At this point, I feel like he just didn't want to let Paul be right about anything. 
My question is who did that work on before? I mean who fucking does business like that? Let alone business with the most successful man in the world. 
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John's complaining about Paul being too good at his job is both hilarious (what the hell is Paul supposed to do with that) and sad (it shows just how far their musical relationship has degraded from partners to rivals)
How did they lose Northern Songs? Genuinely, if anyone can break it down for me I'd be so grateful. Anyway I'm sure it was devastating for both of them. “Who'd have the children?” “Dick James”. 
I know I'm insane, but can I be allowed to see a glimmer of goodness here? I really do think it's John's kinder side winning out when he decides not to lie. Like, yes, he gets a buzz off of watching Paul go white at his words, but I think he also just – in that moment – didn't have the heart to trick Paul into staying. 
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But also. Why are we trying to maneuver Paul at all if the end game is for John to leave? It just doesn't make sense to try to trick Paul into signing the contract unless John's divorce threat is at the very least not meant to be final. 
I will never understand this picture. Even in the emotional state he's in, he's still hamming it up? There is something seriously wrong with this man. 
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I do find it interesting that the fact that Paul cried his eyes out after that meeting isn't even mentioned in the doc. I wonder why. 
Let's put the bizarre, super-warped timeline in this quote aside for a minute. Apparently the depression started after Brian died and it lasted for about two years and John was still in it during Pepper. Okay. That aside . . .
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I have to assume this negative lense on what I can only assume means the period between 66 and 68 is highly influenced by hindsight bias. I agree that John was depressed at the time, in an unhappy marriage, doing too much LSD, etc and that looking at Paul's prolific talent and expansive , fast-paced life would have been maddening. But everyone go back to the end of part one really quick. He looks extremely happy. He sounds extremely happy. Everyone who knows him says he's never been happier. I think he just can't accept right now that there was so much good and he's lost it. 
“I look from the wings at the play you are staging . . . I don't know why nobody told you how to unfold your love.”
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Insanity quote Hall of Fame. Paul explaining why the Beatles just had to break up, obviously, because he and John "didn't marry the same girl." Someone write the fic where John and Paul both marry the same girl. Could be Yoko or Linda. Sister trad wives au. 
Okay, cool, so this means I have full permission to interpret and tin hat about any lyrics I want then, right?
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But also. Are we just not going to talk about the fact that Paul dumped a bucket of garbage water and punched this person? And are we not mentioning the depression and alcoholism and heroin abuse during this time?
It's so embarrassing how he looks to her for confirmation here. John, they asked you what you think. Just you. Not some complicated definition. Not Yoko's definition. Just your own thoughts.
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“I couldn't wait for them to make up their mind about peace or whatever. About committing themselves.” Yeah, John. You sound real committed to peace. Or whatever. Here's a theory that anyone can shoot down if they want: John asked Paul for some kind of commitment (a friendship wedding, a partnership contract, a mutual wanking pledge) in India and Paul was a chicken about it. 
What was that day like, I wonder? I imagine extremely stiff and professional and horrid. But who knows. Maybe it was nice, and maybe that made everything worse.
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I will go to my death believing that instant karma was for Paul. 
Do we think John actually did send Paul “about twenty postcards from Denmark” all covered in hearts none of which Paul responded to? Paul could be just as cruel in his lack of reaction as John was in his over reaction.
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I'm sorry but that is not what a man says when he's just lying to the press to buy time for business. That's what a man says to the press when he's trying desperately to communicate with someone who he can't get through to any other way. 
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But really, I just don't understand why the creator chose to minimize Paul's emotional response to John's divorce statement. If we don't see him bawling his eyes out and losing the will to live, he comes off like a self-assured, uncaring, jerk. Which. To be fair. John didn't see those things, and that is exactly what John thought of Paul during this time. But still. The audience now comes away from this doc with a skewed view. 
All we get is Paul being pissed off about Phil Spector butchering Let it Be without his consent and John and George trying to change McCartney's release date without his consent. Which are both a) understandable and b) strong, male, angry reactions. Making this section portray Paul in the same one-dimensional hyper-masculine way that John so often is. Which isn't my favorite. But hey, it's my only complaint about this doc so far.
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Anyway, update: I won't be able to do part three until it gets reuploaded, so we're on hiatus for this project for the time being.
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