#Rachael you’ve done it again

[loveiis]

oh you fancy, huh?

chris sturniolo x black!fem!reader

summary: chris pretty much has a thing for seeing you all dolled up for a just a day of spoiling you. he loves spending his money on you all the time and seeing your reaction when he randomly takes you out to get your nails done and go shopping.

warnings: suggestive jokes, cursing, fluffy, NOT PROOFREAD

(A/N: i am somewhat proud of this but also not at the same time. i literally wrote this because apparently it was an idea i recently had. idk.)

“come on ma, you’ve been in that bathroom for an hour already.” chris called from the other side. “sorry bae, im coming i promise. one more thing.” you responded, dragging your lip gloss across your lips.

you forced the applicator back into the container, and walked out the bathroom to see your boyfriend scrolling on his phone. he looked up at you, looking at how beautiful you looked dolled up like this.

“damn, i didn’t know you were doing all that.” placing his phone in his pocket, he kissed up and down your neck softly. “chriiis, let’s go i’m ready.” you cupped your hands around his neck as he kissed up your jawline and finally placed a kiss on your lips.

“mm, i like that cherry.” licking his lips and tasting the bit of lipgloss on his lips now. “ew, chris. dont eat the lipgloss.” you swiped it from his mouth with your thumb. “i’ll eat you if you don’t stop touching my lips like that.” he looked down at you with low eyes.

you removed your thumb from his mouth and instead held his hand. “lets go, please. you’ve been waiting and i feel bad.” you say softly. “its okay, ma. it was worth the wait to see you look like a full course meal.” he smirked.

“chris.” you glared at him. “okay, sorry. let’s go.” he started walking, keeping his hand intertwined with yours.

he opened the car door for you, giving him a small “thank you” before settling in. he got into the drivers seat and started the car.

“we should go get your nails done before we go shopping.” he stares at you. “how’d you know i needed to get them done again?” you quirked an eyebrow.

“cause’ i got you a tech without your permission. you haven’t been able to tell by the amount of times i’ve taken you to get them done again?” he replies.

“no, actually i didn’t notice. that’s so sweet of you, baby you know you don’t have to do all this.” you hold his hand as a thank you.

“actually i do, spoiling you is my middle name.” he kissed the top of your hand. yeah, you’re marrying this guy.

he pulled out of the driveway, starting his destination to the place you usually get your nails done at.

——

“hey girl good to see you again!” the nail tech, rachael, greeted you. “heyy!” you gave her a nice hug. “so what we getting today?” she asked. you didn’t really plan this out, since it was kind of a last minute decision made by your boyfriend.

“ummmm….” you slowly turn to look at your boyfriend, who’s again, scrolling on tiktok. “ma, you know you can get whatever you want. i’m not going anywhere.” he deadpanned.

you rolled your eyes as you thought about what you should get. “uh, lets just do regular coffin french tips.” you turned to smile at her. “feet too? or no?” she asked. “no, not today.” you shook your head. “okay, lets get started.” she walked towards a manicure table and sat in the chair, as you followed behind and sat on the other side.

your boyfriend sat in the chair next to you, at the other manicure table. she started to get to work on your nails, as your boyfriend sat patiently next to you, occasionally checking on the process to make sure they look nice.

——

“baby, they’re done.” you wiggle your fingers in front of him, showing off your new set. he immediately looked up from his phone, smiling. you smile, doing a little shoulder dance, happy with your new nails.

chris loved to see you like this, happy with new things he bought you, looking like the happiest girl in the world.

you both stood up from your chairs, moving to the front desk to pay. “you look so pretty, baby.” chris stood behind you, his hands on your hips and kissing your neck.

rachael smiled and mouthed the words “yall are so cute”. you smiled at her comment. “how much?” you asked. “twenty dollars.” she leaned over the counter. “twenty? thats different from the last time i got these.” you questioned.

“yeah, twenty dollars because i love you guys. we’re like family now.” she shrugged. you chuckled, reaching into your purse to grab a twenty dollar bill, until a hand slapped your wrist.

“ow! what the fuck chris?!” you twisted your head a bit to look at him, who was still kissing your neck. using his left arm to hug your waist, he used his right to pull out his black card and hand it to you. “its just twenty dollars, jesus you don’t need to flex. its only rachael.” you rolled your eyes, handing rachael the card.

she scanned the card, and handed it back to you. “have a great day guys!” she waved at both of you. chris stopped kissing your neck and waved as you did too. you both walked out of the place, chris’ arm wrapped around your waist. “thank you baby.” you kissed his cheek as a reward.

“you say thank you in that tone again and i swear to god im gonna fuck the shit out of you.” he says, pressing the button to unlock the car. “whats going on with you today?” you get in the car as he holds the door for you.

he gets in the car, starting it up. “nothing, you’re irresistible, you know that.” he pulled out the parking lot, his right hand on your thigh.

——

you arrived at the mall, chris holding your hand as you both walked in together. chris had felt pretty scared since you were looking a little too good today and you were out in public.

“lets go to windsor.” you suggested. “wherever you want, just take me there. don’t even ask.” he once again kissed your hand, but kept holding it as you led him to windsor.

you looked around at the dresses, grabbing a formal one, and a sundress. he wasn’t really paying attention to what you were grabbing, so you went into the fitting rooms with him.

he waited outside while you tried on the formal dress, it was a sparkly blue skin tight dress.

“okay, im done.” you came out the tiny fitting room, stopping in front of your boyfriend who was sitting down on the complementary bench. he looked up at you. “what’s this dress for?” he caressed your sides with his hands.

“maybe for like parties or something, when i wanna go out with my girlfriends.” you looked at him, knowing he was going to say something stupid.

“oh you fancy, huh?” he smiled at you. “boy what do you know about fancy?” you chuckled.

“i listen to that song, what do you mean?” he continued rubbing your sides. “mhm, sure baby.” you laughed. “don’t doubt me, ma.” he said. you shook your head, and went back to the room to try on the next dress.

you came out again, this time with the sundress on. you gave him a little twirl and asked him what he thought about it.

he didnt say anything, but he stood up and got closer to you. he placed his hands on your hips and smiled. “you look so fucking beautiful. in everything. even in what you were wearing today.” he started to kiss your neck, again, for like the third time today.

“does this mean i can get both dresses?” you removed his face from the crook of your neck and looked into his eyes. “yes, baby. get whatever you want. just grab it.” he looked back at you.

he seemed entranced by you. like you put him under a spell today, he has never said no to his sweet girl, and he never will.

you kiss him softly on the lips and go back to the fitting room to change back.

you grab both of the dresses and head to the register, chris immediately giving you his black card again.

you started to hit more stores, never forgetting to say thank you to your lovely boyfriend everytime he got you something. even though there were clothes he didn’t like, but you did, he couldn’t say no. you were his weakness, and the way you looked today just made him even weaker.

chris carrying about four clothing bags and you carrying three sephora bags headed back to the car. putting the bags in the backseat you sat in the front as he got in the drivers seat.

“i love you so much chris. thank you for today, you know you didn’t have to.” you smiled at him. god he was gonna lose it if you smiled at him like that again.

“i do have to, i’m never going to not spoil you. i love you too, okay?” he lifted your chin with his index and thumb and placed a light kiss on your lips. “still liking that cherry flavor, ma.” he licked his lips, smirking. you rolled your eyes as he plugged in the aux cord.

“oh lord, what’re you about to play now?” you looked at him. “you’ll see.” he grinned at you.

“Go, go 'head (Go, go, go)”

“oh my god, chris.” you smiled, knowing he was playing Fancy by Drake. he started to head bop to the beat, you joined in after a little while.

“this song was made for you baby.” he says, driving out the parking lot. “that’s what you think.” you looked out the window, listening to the song.

“oh you fancy, huh?” chris sang along with the lyrics.

——

when you arrived back home, you both took the bags inside and placed them upstairs as you started to get unready.

chris was now in grey sweatpants and a white shirt, while you removed your makeup and wore one of chris’ shirts and nothing but underwear underneath.

chris laid back in the bed, waiting for you to finish whatever you were doing. you came out, no makeup or anything like that on. “you still look so pretty. how am i so lucky to have such a beautiful girl?” he opened his arms as you climbed into them.

you laid on his chest, his right arm around your waist and your right leg across his. he used his other arm to pull up the covers, and then placed it back on you.

“thank you baby.” you lifted your head a bit to look at chris, then scooted up a bit to cup his cheeks in your palms, and placed a bunch of kisses all over his face. you wanted to show him how thankful you are for a man like him.

“stop kissing me im seriously about to lose it.” he halted your actions. you went back down to your position, chris rubbing your back in up and down motions.

you get more comfortable as your eyelids started to feel heavier, falling asleep in your boyfriends arms.

[adzeisval]

Goodbye Note

Lucius notices that there is something wrong with Izzy. Also on AO3.

There was something wrong with Izzy. Well there was a lot wrong with Izzy but this was something new. Lucius vaguely noticed Izzy coming back on board from their trip to Jamaica looking bruised and fucked up but he didn’t think much of it. It wasn’t unusual for one or more of them to come back hurt or still drunk. In the week that followed though there were several incidents that indicated that something more was going on. 

Two days out from Jamaica they had a party for Oluwande’s birthday and Lucius had to help Jim get Olu back to their room. Izzy wasn’t at the party, which was odd but sometimes Izzy didn’t seem to be in the mood for parties. They tried to be quiet passing Izzy’s room no one wanted to wake Izzy up. On his way back up to the deck Lucius heard something from Izzy’s room. He paused and thought he heard Izzy crying. Or maybe he was just drunk and imagining it. 

Four days out from Jamaica Izzy caught Lucius and Pete in the storeroom and just sighed and went away. No snarky remarks, no teasing, nothing. 

Lucius spent the next day watching Izzy and he just seemed so off. Usually Izzy made his rounds around the ship to make sure duties were being done. He issued commands and orders and seemed to always be moving around. Now he was just standing and looking out at the water for a long time between half-heartedly doing his duties. 

That night was the crew meeting; they’d started the meeting after the Captain’s got back together to form a union of sorts so they had a say about what went on. Stede was a fan of the idea and Ed just shrugged and let them have the meetings. 

“So I’ve noticed…” 

“That something’s wrong with Izzy?” Jim finished.

“He hasn’t been as much of a bastard lately,” Roach said. 

“I…think I heard him crying the other night,” Lucius said. 

“I guess we need to try to get him to talk,” Roach said. 

“I might try,” Lucius said, “I guess that’s the only thing to do.” 

Lucius thought about how best to approach Izzy but Izzy seemed to spend the day avoiding them all. Lucius went to bed frustrated and uncertain. A few hours later Lucius woke to someone shaking him. He jumped a little when he saw it was Jim. Jim scoffed at him. 

“Get up,” they said. Lucius tried to think of a reason Jim would be waking him up in the middle of the night. It was dark but he didn’t think Jim was holding a weapon. Lucius got up and followed Jim below deck, which was probably a stupid idea. 

Jim walked right past their room and up to Izzy’s door which was open just a little bit. 

“We’re coming in old man,” Jim announced. God what was it about them that made them able to get away with that? The knives? Probably the knives. Lucius followed Jim into Izzy’s room. Olu was there sitting on a chair across from Izzy’s bed. Izzy didn’t look up from where he sat on his bed. Izzy took an unsteady breath and let out a little choked noise. 

Fuck, he’d been crying. 

“What’s going on?” Lucius asked. 

“Nightmare. We think,” Olu said, “He woke us up screaming and crying.”

“It didn’t even look like he recognized us at first,” Jim added. 

“Izzy? Can I sit down by you?” Lucius asked.

Izzy nodded.

“Do you want to tell us what’s going on Izzy? We’ve noticed you’ve been…not yourself. We’re worried about you.” 

That got Izzy to look up at them.

“It doesn’t have to be all three of us,” Lucius added, “Could be more or less. Please Izzy.” 

For a while Izzy was quiet then he spoke, “Alright.” 

*****

Izzy had been going to Rachael’s Tea House for almost twenty years. He’d found the place while trying to avoid another fucking barfight. He just wanted a place to sit by himself and spend some coin on food and drink.

A year and a half ago Izzy had gone to Rachael’s to find his old friend sick. He’d talked to her for a long time and wished her well. When he retired six months later Rachael was gone. 

It was almost exactly a year later when Izzy found himself at Rachael’s again. They’d kept the name the same and he knew Rachaels daughter and husband were running the place. He felt a little nervous going in, but really how much could it have changed in a year?

Izzy walked through the doors and at first nothing seemed that different. He saw several regulars there, people he’d seen almost every time. He approached the counter where Anne, Rachael’s daughter was washing dishes. 

“Afternoon,” he said. 

Anne looked at him and gasped, “You…” 

Izzy frowned a little and continued to stand at the counter even as Anne rushed to the back. He managed to glance back at the other people in the tea house who were all staring. What the fuck? Why on earth would Anne run off? Izzy had never so much as raised his voice in the tea house, he’d always paid with good coin and often extra when he had it, and he’d never fought on the premises. Rachael had known what he was, they probably all knew he was a pirate but…

“You need to leave.” 

Izzy looked at the man before him, Anne’s husband, still in a state of shock. 

“Leave and don’t ever come back you bastard,” he said. 

“What the fuck did I ever do to you?” Izzy growled.

“You tormented Rachael for years. Terrified her. You’re the reason she died so young!” 

“Piss off you nasty pirate,” someone called out from behind him. 

“We’re done putting up with your filth here,” someone else said. 

“Fine,” Izzy growled and walked out. His head was reeling and he didn’t understand what had just happened. He was so lost in thought that he didn’t notice he’d been followed until someone pulled him into an alley and punched him in the gut. 

Izzy went to his knees. 

“Serves you right you little fuck, mom and dad might want to just get rid of you but you deserve worse. Grandma was terrified of you.” 

Izzy looked up at two young men who looked familiar. Ahh, Rachael’s grandsons. He looked at the men, both were over six feet tall and huge. In his younger days Izzy thought he might be able to take them but he wasn’t sure now. 

“Fuck off,” Izzy said and tried to stand. He dodged one punch but not the second which landed heavily on his jaw and sent him against the wall. Another hit to the head sent him sprawling on the ground. One of the men took the opportunity to pin Izzy to the ground on his stomach.  Izzy thrashed and tried to get up but the other one pushed him down, a hand to the back of Izzy’s neck the other pressing his back so hard he could barely breathe.

“We don’t need pirate fucks like ou around here. Only one way to get rid of you for certain.” 

Izzy started to panic. The men could easily kill him and he didn’t think anyone was going to come to save him. No one knew where he was.

Every time one of them would kick or punch him Izy tried to get free, tried to find some sort of leverage as blow after blow came. He was starting to feel dizzy and sick and he wondered if he was about to pass out or die.

 The man pressing his upper body down started  laughing, so much so that he let off the pressure,  just a little. Izzy made one last ditch effort to knock the men off and…it worked. Izzy scrambled up and bolted, not daring to look behind him. He ignored all the pain and bit his tongue to try to stay awake even though he was seeing spots and felt like he would fall over any minute. 

He only felt safe again once he got to the Revenge.

***

Lucius stared at Izzy, mouth open in shock. Fuck. He heard a sound and saw Jim twirling their knife. 

“I’m so sorry Izzy,” Lucius said.

“We’ll go kill those fuckers for you, I’m gonna fucking enjoy it,” Jim said. 

“No. No killing.” 

“Why the fuck not?” Jim said. 

“They’re Rachael’s family. If we were to kill them that makes me exactly what they think. I don’t want to destroy what she built. She…might have been a friend. That bothers me more. I keep thinking back to all the times I talked to her. I never thought she was scared of me. I don’t know if she was. I’m bad with people sometimes. I don’t mean to be. Fuck, I don’t know.” Izzy started to cry again. 

“We’re here for you Izzy,” Olu said. 

“I…fuck I hope I didn’t torment her. I can’t…did I really…what the fuck is wrong with me? That I couldn’t see it?”

“They could have been lying. Putting the blame on you because they’re grieving. Which is still beyond fucked,” Lucius said. 

“If I was there I would have slit their fucking throats for daring to touch you,” Jim said. 

“Are you alright? Physically I mean?” Lucius asked. 

Izzy shrugged, “Bruised and sore. I’ve survived worse.” 

“What can we do for you Izzy?” Lucius asked. 

Izzy frowned then let out a little sob, “I don’t know.”

“If you think of something let us know,” Lucius said. 

“Just don’t tell Edward or Stede please. And I’m sorry Jim and Olu, nightmares should go away soon.” 

“Just remember we’re here,” Lucius said. He wished that he could do something more but if Izzy didn’t know what he needed or wanted Lucius didn’t. He supposed he would just be kind to Izzy and check in. 

In time Izzy got back to normal, or closer to it anyway. There were still times when he seemed to get distant and sad and it seemed once a month or so he would wake crying or screaming. 

About a year later they went back to Jamaica. Izzy claimed to be sick and said he was going to stay on the ship. Jim stayed with him. 

When they got back Lucius noticed Stede handing Izzy a piece of paper. Izzy looked at it like it might bite him and quickly went downstairs. 

Later when Izzy came up he looked a little…off.

“Something wrong Izzy?” Lucius asked. 

“I don’t know. Yet. Can you…can you help me with something Spriggs?” 

“Sure, well unless it involves murder then maybe you’d better ask Jim,” Lucius said. 

Izzy snorted, “It’s not that. I need you to read something for me.” 

“Alright,” Lucius said, still confused, but he followed Izzy down below anyway. 

“Stede came by this letter. It’s addressed to me. From Rachael, before she died. I recognize her handwriting. I’m too nervous to read it myself, fuck, that’s stupid.” 

“It’s not stupid, I’ll read it to you,” Lucius said.

“Thank you,” Izzy said. 

“My dear Izzy, I wish I could tell you this in person, but I’m afraid by the time you return I will be gone. I’ve given control of the tea house to my daughter and her husband. They are trying to change things, draw in richer clientele. I fear this means they won’t welcome you there. I’m sorry. I hope you know how much I enjoyed your presence over the years. I hope you are well and wish you the best. Your friend, Rachael.” 

Izzy took the letter from Lucius and read it carefully. Izzy started to cry as he clutched the letter to his chest. 

“I didn’t scare her…they lied…thank you Lucius,” Izzy said. 

“You're welcome. I’m glad it was something good,” Lucius said.

[the-blind-assassin-12]

Rachael, once again I am blown away by your photoshop skills. Graphic design truly is your passion.

Also this made me laugh as soon as I saw it, so thank you for that. And thank you for still being excited about this story even though all I've done is talk about writing it for a year. It's finally time.

Here's a snippet from Part One - A Long F*cking Day :

“I… I can’t leave him alone like this, Ginger.” There was no need to pretend that your desire to stay by his side had anything to do with research this time. Your study on the effects of the nanites and the way they knit brain cells back together had already been completed and submitted to Champ for review. But more than that, Ginger knew how you felt about Jack. “I’ll just-“ Your eyes scanned the room and landed on one of the empty bays, the cranial device lifted away so that it was essentially just a bed. “I can sleep here and-“ 

“No.” She shook her head, her short hair swaying to brush the collar of her white coat, her decision firm. The expression she wore was gentle and sympathetic though, as she reached for your shoulders with both hands. “Gonna put my foot down on this one. You’re running on fumes, Maraschino. You’ve done all you can tonight.” But- She sighed, lightly squeezing your upper arms before dropping her hands to her sides. “I’m sorry. But you need to get some real sleep. And some food and maybe a shower.” 

You nodded, your attention shifting from her eyes and falling behind her, where Jack lay motionless. The sight made your whole chest ache, made your breath shudder. It was bad enough knowing what had happened to him, what he’d suffered physically to put him there. But unlike the last time you observed him undergoing the Recall procedure, this time you knew what his trigger image was. This time you knew exactly what was waiting for him when he woke up - the soul shredding loss of his wife and the son he never got to meet. 

And you knew not because you had gained access to his file through higher clearance. You knew because Jack had told you. 

“He shouldn’t be alone.” Your voice - thin from exhaustion and tremulous with worry - was hardly audible when you spoke, and at first you weren’t sure if you had actually said the words aloud. 

“He won’t be.” Ginger shook her head again, the motion smaller and slower this time. “I’ll stay. I haven’t been here for two straight days like you have. Besides, I have some files from Merlin to go over. I can do that here and keep an eye on Whiskey.” 

--

I'm about 2k words into part one, and my goal is to get this sucker up by the end of the month, so stay tuned!!

[ledenews]

Rachael Haney: It’s Her Plan and She’s Sticking to It

What she was is exactly what she wanted to be. The local news lady. Sure, Rachael Dierkes was another talented female reporter with WTRF-TV 7, and yes, veteran news director Brenda Danehart has mentored a great number of anchors straight out of town and to a larger media market, but Rachael wasn’t interested with all that larger market/moving away part. Nope, she was happy with being that local news lady like Danehart was for decades before moving up the industry’s ladder. She wanted to be the Shadyside native who tells us about the first new baby every New Year’s Day, to report the names of each local high school’s summa cum lauds each May, and to offer us the next-best “Taste with Rach” every Thursday evening. Rachael wanted to be the local news lady who tells us the good news along with the bad during the ultra-important 6-and-11 p.m. broadcasts, but … you see … Rachael wanted an Eric and an Aubrey even more. And, of course, her husband and her little girl win that battle every single day. For now, perhaps? Rachael and her husband are avid skiers, so Aubrey is learning how to navigate the slopes, too. What is the one thing you miss most about being on the TV news? I had to answer this question last. It’s like opening Pandora’s Box for me because I miss almost everything. But my immediate response is always “Taste With Rach.” This will always be what I’m most proud of during my time on local news. It started as an opportunity to showcase locally owned restaurants and it grew into something so much bigger. I had no idea the stories I would hear. The incredible people I would meet and still stay in touch with to this day. I laughed and cried over many plates of hand cut French fries, grandma’s pie recipes, sandwiches named after kids and tables built by hand. I’ve been able to sit back and watch some of these places flourish and grow, move to new buildings, expand menus, and open new locations. I feel so honored to have had the opportunity to tell their stories. I always said even if a feature only brought in one new customer, I’d feel like I made a difference. What is your daughter’s favorite TV show now and what was your favorite when you were her age? There is a tie for a favorite TV show. It’s between Bluey and anything Mickey Mouse-related (You’d be shocked how many variations there are). While I’m sure many people are familiar with Mickey — let me turn you onto Bluey if you’ve never watched. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m fully immersed into this life, but I could write a thesis statement on how incredible this show is. Each episode is only 7-8 minutes long, so it gets right to the point, but it’s essentially about a dog family that lives in Australia. The main character being the older daughter “Bluey.” It’s hilarious and creative, the situations are incredibly relatable for any parent of young kids. We’ve learned so much about creative play and parenting from watching. And yes, it’s a cartoon. I had to ask my mom about my favorite TV shows as a four-year-old. She said I loved Reading Rainbow (Maybe a pre-cursor to my future career reading on TV?). She reports I used to love to sing the theme song. My all-time favorite movie was The Little Mermaid, though, and when we went to Disney this year, I actually teared up riding the Little Mermaid ride and meeting “Ariel.” The Haney family has had a lot of fun with the holidays. What have you had the most fun doing as a mother? I have loved every second of watching Aubrey grow into her own little person. Developing interests and personality, making friends, finding things she enjoys doing, and figuring out what she does not like doing. Plus, realizing the moment a new skill “clicks” for her, and seeing wonder in her eyes when we experience something new. Being a parent is tough. There’s the obvious factor of being responsible for raising a child. It’s the most adult thing I’ve ever done. But I’ve also got to be a kid again in so many ways. I’ve enjoyed learning how to slow down in certain situations and just enjoy the moment. I get to sit down and play Barbies. I get to be silly. There are so many things I’ve learned to love again seeing it through a child’s eyes. Who does most of the cooking at home? I do most of the cooking. I always joke I never realized how mentally taxing meal planning was (I definitely took that for granted as a kid), but we spent a lot of our relationship before Aubrey rarely getting a chance to sit down and have dinner together. Because of my schedule, I went to bed many nights before Eric was even home from work. Something I’ve cherished about my stay-at-home mom life is making it a priority to sit down at the table and have dinner as a family as often as possible. Like many things in my life, I used to make dinner so complicated and think it was too hard to accomplish. But once I started just going with the flow, I realized I actually enjoy cooking. She enjoyed her "Taste with Rach" food segments the most during her TV career. How often do you watch the local news on WTRF-TV 7? This is tough for me because I wish the answer was more than I actually do get to watch. The short answer is “I’m busy” and rarely even realize what time it is to turn on the TV. I’m partial to morning news, so I always try to catch the last 10 minutes of 7News This Morning. We also try to catch the A-block of the evening shows. When I’m looking to learn more about a specific story or situation, I will do better to tune in at watch. I think local news is something people take for granted. I knew when I was there and I know it even more now. Even though I don’t have the time to tune in like I’d like, I know it’s going to be there when I need it. Read the full article

[rachbabe6-blog]

Some of the words of encouragement for Keith from friends, family and even strangers 10/19/2021

I can only imagine the struggle, the fear, the worry that you're feeling, Keith. But you have done so well in your life. You have tried things that many others wouldn't have risked. You have done your job at the lake with efficiency, kindness and joy. You can come back from this and win through. I look forward to seeing you at the drive thru again. Be well young man.

-+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Keith ,

One breath at a time ,one movement at a time..as frustrating as it is to move slow ,all the little movements lead to big

healing.. sending prayers of strength, patience, and healing.

Mama , don't forget to take care of yourself too 💕

±+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Stay strong Keith. Keep fighting and working hard during therapy so you can get better. You’ve got this, you are strong like your Mama and she and your family need you to push hard each day. Stay positive. You are strong, you are tough and you are loved and cared about.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Keith, I know you've got lots of your Mom's strength! So many people are supporting you and I'm sending you more strength and love. Rachael, you are an amazing Mom! Lots of strength and love to you, too.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Stay strong Keith. I'm sure your strong and a fighter like your mom. You can do this.

Keep taking one second, one minute, one day at a time and you'll get there. You've got a great support system, from God, your mom & family, friends and strangers. We're all praying and pulling for you. Keeping you in my prayers.

±+±+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Keith, I have never met you but I have watched your adventures for years. When life knocks you down, you always get back up.

You have never given up on anything. You are a wonderful man -give yourself some grace and time to heal.

We are all out here cheering you on because we KNOW you will beat this just like every other obstacle in your life.

You can do this!

We know you will.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Hi Keith. I am

following your mom and her posts about you.

Just wanted to let you know that you are doing amazing! Might not feel like you are, but you have come a long way in 9 days.

You will continue to improve each day. Keep fighting because you have a huge crowd and support team following you.

Show us how strong you are 💪🏼

So many people are rooting for you 👏🏼 and we can’t wait to see you walk out of the hospital!

YOU GOT THIS, KIDDO!!!!!!! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

±+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Not sure if you know me (Jennifer’s sister). I’ve been following his story and have been hoping for a speedy recovery! I work in Occupational Therapy and have worked with covid patients. Let him know, even though I’m a stranger to him, that therapy works! And to keep pushing. Things may be really hard, but he will improve if he puts forth the effort in Physical and Occupational therapy. I tell all my patients to celebrate the small victories in each therapy session and that seems to help. I encourage him to do the same! Thinking of you guys. 🙏🏻

±+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

October 19,2022

He ended up having thousands of prayers and so many words of encouragement.

The support Keith and I got through this was beautiful.

Online, in person, family, friends,a community and strangers followed his story daily. There wasn't a day that there wasn't given love and support.

It's been a year since he had covid and almost a year since Keith has passed away. I miss him. His friends and family miss him.

I hope he's watching over us smiling knowing how much he is loved

[talesofarcadia78]

Sorceress of Arcadia || Gnome Your Enemy

Summary: Y/n Lake is Jim Lake's older sister. She discovers  that she is sorceress and her brother is the Trollhunter. She and the Trollhunters go on adventures together, they save trolls and humans. Along the way, a friend becomes more than just a friend and discovers their secrets.

Warning: None 

Word count: 5,784

Tags: @lunariasilver

Previous >> Wherefore Art Thou, Trollhunter? • Next >> Waka Chaka! 

“For centuries, the troll and human worlds stood seperate and at peace, divided by bridges that acted as doorways between our two realms. But the Gumm-Gumms wanted to devour all of mankind. They were led by Gunmar ‘the Black’. The rest of trollkind fought against him, culminating in the great Battle of Killahead Bridge, the portal to Gunmar’s Darklands. After many moons, good triumphed over evil, and our great Trollhunter, Deya ‘the Deliverer’, lock Gunmar away, exiling him to the Darklands, and sealed the Killahead Bridge with the sacred amulet. After, we tore it apart, stone by stone. We left the old world in search for peace. We stowed away on a ship called the Mayflower, just a handful of us and some gnomes we’d brought along for companionship and nourishment. Finally, we arrived in a strange and exotic realm,” Blinky explained. 

“New Jersey,”Aaarrrgghh commented.

“We kept walking. Eventually, we came across a new Heartstone, and we realised we had found a new home… under Arcadia,” Blinky finished as you heard Jim snoring.

Blinky groaned and walked over to Jim. He slammed the book in front of his face.

Jim startled up, "¡Lo siento, Señor Draal! ¡No me mates!"

You had done Spanish in middle school, so you knew what he had just said.

"I'm sorry Mr. Draal! Please don't kill me!"

You giggled at his outburst. Jim glared at you quickly before he turned his attention to Blinky.

"The training of troll history might seem like a minor duty, Master Jim, but--" Bliny started to explain but was cut off by Jim.

"Sorry, I pulled an all-nighter studying for my Spanish Comprehension exam and my brain is muy gooey. I don't know. I guess I thought if I'm facing Draal in a week, my training would be a little more… active" Jim yawned, standing up.

"Yeah, like, when is he going to learn Troll-kwondo? Or Rock-itsu?" Toby inquired.

"Well, Jim has to learn why he fights, so it's kinda important to learn this," you explained.

"Miss y/n is correct. Before one fights, Toby D., one must understand why one fights. For these precious early steps will decide whether a young Trollhunter will become a Deya ‘the Deliverer’…" Blinky explained.

"Or Unkar ‘the Unfortunate’," Aaarrrgghh added.

"Well, tomorrow, my Spanish exam is with Señor Uhl ‘the Unforgiving’. My main concern is for my immediate future," Jim informed Blinky.

"A-ha! But, to learn what will happen in the future, one must only look to the past," Blinky explained.

"Ugh!"

"I recommend A Brief Recapitulation of Troll Lore by the venerable Bedehilde. Volume one of 47," Blinky recommended.

"Wow, that's a big book," you commented as Blinky gave Jim the book.

Due to the book being so big, Jim struggled to hold it. He eventually got a good hold of the book. Jim placed his Spanish textbook on top of the other book.

"Okay, but if I don't pass the exam, I'm grounded and I can't be the Trollhunter. Sorry, Blinky, but the amulet chose me, and now I have two lives to keep up," Jim explained.

Then, Bagdwella came running in stopping in front of you, panting.

"Are you okay Bagdwella?" you asked, putting your hand on her shoulder.

She shook your hand off, not wanting your comfort.

"Oh, no. Is it the Heartstone?" Blinky panicked.

"No! No!" Bagdwella denied.

"Stalkling?" Aaarrrgghh asked.

"Is Gunmar out?" you also asked.

Jim gave you a look that said 'Who's Gunmar?". You just rolled your eyes in response. He really should've been paying attention to Blinky's lecture.

"Is Bular in Trollmarket?" Jim guessed.

"No! Gnome! Rogue gnome!" Bagdwella yelled, her voice echoing throughout the Forge.

The six of you walked to Bagdwella's shop to investigate what the matter was.

"Get your toasters here!" a random troll exclaimed.

"First, I couldn't find my monocle, then my collection of bed coils. Now something disappears every minute!" Bagdwella explained.

Suddenly, a gnome whizzes past, stealing an item and making Bagdwella fall over.

"Ah, yes. Gnome," Blinky said, lending his hand to Bagdwella, but she slaps his hand away and gets up herself.

"Oh, dirty little pests. Up to last week, the glue traps were working fine," Bagdwella said, showing you all a skeleton of a gnome.

Just before you could say something, the gnome snatches the skeleton, making everyone gasp.

"Fix it, Trollhunter!" she begged.

"Uh yeah, I'm really sorry about that. See you need a gnome-catcher, and I'm well, the Trollhunter, so--" Jim explained, but got cut off by Blinky.

"Oh no, Master Jim. The Trollhunter cannot refuse the call. And what better a call for you to train with than a pint-sized quarry?" he explained, coming up behind Jim.

"Blinky's right, Jim. This'll be a start to your Trollhunting. Plus, I think the task will be easy for you," you agreed.

You heard rapid footsteps around you, then a guitar play. You all try to look for where the sound was coming from. When you did, the gnome revealed itself. The gnome started to play his guitar once again and started to sing.

"He's trying to distract us! Hold tight to your valuables," Blinky warned.

"Well, I don't need to hold onto anything, I got nothing valuable," you chuckled.

"Yeah, right," Jim scoffed.

"Seriously, I don't have anything valuable. Unless if you consider my a hundred year old phone 'valuable'," you retorted.

"Okay, maybe you don't have anything valuable," Jim agreed.

Then the two of you see Toby going up to the gnome.

"Why? He can't be that bad," Toby chucked, clapping.

Before you knew it, the gnome had taken Toby's belt.

"Oh, no! My belt!" Toby cried. Then he sighed, "At least he didn't take my Nougat Nummy."

"Uh, Tobes, I don't think you should--" you warned Toby, as he took out his favourite chocolate out of his pocket, only to be taken by the gnome.

Toby gasped, "We need to catch that gnome."

All of you tried to catch the gnome, but he was way to fast for you. One time, Jim had caught him, but somehow, it escaped from his grasp. Jim then realised that his amulet got thieved.

"Oh no!" Blinky cried.

Jim and you chased after the gnome until it went behind a wardrobe. Aaarrrgghh pushes the wardrobe aside to reveal a small hole, which the gnome was probably hiding in.

"Hole," Aaarrrgghh stated.

"Yes, it appears the plot quite literally deepens," Blinky said, looking into the hole.

Jim slides his hands through the hole opening, hoping that his amulet would come back to him.

"Come back, come back. Shouldn't the amulet be coming back to me right now?" Jim questioned.

"Dolefully, that rule only applies if you've rejected it. When thieved, it's another story. If you had read A Brief Recapitulation you would have known that," Blinky explained.

"Technically, Jim didn't even have time to read the book, since you know, we're right now doing some Trollhunting business," you pointed out.

Jim gave you a quick smile, before Bagdwella spoke up.

"Some Trollhunter you are. Jim ‘the Baby Handed’.”

You glared at Bagdwella, as she snatched a bag of food from Toby.

I'd like to see how good you are at being the Trollhunter.

You turned your gaze over to Jim and Blinky.

"Master Jim, press on. This is not the moniker you want," Blinky said.

"What else can I do? I can't fit in that hole," Jim shrugged.

"Hmm, currently," Blinky thought.

"Bad idea," Aaarrrgghh warned.

"What's a bad idea?" you asked, but no one answered the question.

"No Trollhunter has ever lost his amulet. We'll need time to procure the Furgolator," Blinky argued.

"Uh, the Furgolator?" Jim doubted.

"Uh, don't you worry about anything, Master Jim. tend to your studies. We'll watch over the hole. Tomorrow, you'll return refreshed to deal with this, uh... little problem," Blinky said, and the three of us headed to the surface.

Toby and Jim headed to Arcadia Oaks High, while you headed the opposite direction to Arcadia Oaks Academy.

Once you had gotten your books, Izzy and Rachael both ran up to you.

"Y/n! Guess what just happened!" Rachael exclaimed.

"Uhh, you won the state lottery?" you replied.

"Nope, way better," Rachael denied.

"What can be better then winning the state lottery?" you asked, getting a bit curious.

"I got into the state math comp!" Racheal squealed.

"Wow! That's great, Rachael. So, when are you going?" you asked.

"Tomorrow, that's why I was texting you the other day, I wanted to hang out with my two besties before I headed off to the competition," Rachael replied.

"Oh, sorry about that, I was... busy," you said.

"Well, are you free after school?" Izzy asked.

You thought about it, you didn't need to go to Trollmarket or have any other plans.

"Yeah, I'm free," you nodded.

"Great! We'll meet at Sam's at 4, then we'll go from there," Rachael said.

You nodded. Suddenly the bell rang, making you jump a little.

"See you guys at lunch," you called, as you ran to your first class.

As you took a seat, you noticed that everyone was focused on the board. You glanced at the board to see everyone's name with a bunch of classes next to them. You searched for your name and saw your classes. You had chemistry, biology, calculus, literature, geography and history as your subjects for the next semester. Then, you noticed a certain name that you had not been expecting to have the same classes as you, well except biology. Tyler. You heard someone sit down beside you.

"Hey, y/n," it spoke.

You turned to see none other than, Tyler.

"Hi, Tyler," you smiled.

"I guess we have almost the same classes. What a coincidence, right?" Tyler chuckled.

"Ha, yeah," you commented.

"Hey, wanna sit next to each other in classes, you know since you'll be the only person I know," Tyler requested.

You hesitated. You didn't know Tyler that well, and seeing his anger the other day in the cafeteria, you weren't so sure.

Then you were saved by the bell.

"I'll see you in class Tyler, and I'll think about it," you said, rushing out of class.

You headed towards the lower office, since you needed your new timetable. As you were walking to the lower office you bumped into a certain emo-boy.

"Sorry," the two of you apologised.

You looked up at the person, to see Douxie.

"Oh, hey, Douxie!" you smiled.

"Hey, y/n! Going to get your new timetable?" Douxie asked.

"Yep," you responded.

The two of you got your new timetable. The two of you looked at each other's timetable, wondering if you had any classes with each other.

"Hey, we have mostly the same class, except instead of geography, I have economics," Douxie pointed out.

"Cool!" you said.

"Wanna head to class together?" he asked

You nodded and the two of you headed to class.

When you entered the classroom, you noticed two seats at the back of classroom weren't occupied so you nudged Douxie. Once you had gotten his attention, you pointed to the seat and headed there.

Once the two of you had taken a seat, you saw Tyler walking in. You groaned.

"You okay, love?" Douxie asked.

"Tyler wants me to it next to him in every class. It's a coincidence that he has all the same classes as me," you explained.

"Ahh. Understood. You can sit with me in every class then, well, except for geography of course. You'll have to deal with him then, but other than that, you can always sit with me," Douxie offered.

"Thank you," you grinned.

Soon after, Tyler started looking around the room. When his eyes fell on you, you were in a deep conversation with Douxie.

"Wait, so your actual name is Hisirdoux?" you asked.

"Yeah, I have no idea why, but it's my name!" Douxie nodded.

"It sounds very 12th century," you commented.

"I know right!" Douxie exclaimed.

From the corner of your eyes, you could see Tyler fuming at Douxie.

Huh? Why does he look mad at Douxie?

You thought he was going to come up to Douxie and start arguing with him, but instead he took a seat at the front of the class, right in front of the teacher's desk.

After a few minutes, your class started.

You had a hard time figuring out what the teacher was saying, since she had a very quite voice, luckily, she was only a substitute. The actual teacher was just away on leave because he was sick.  

After an hour, the bell rang to indicate next class, which was calculus, great. You sucked at calculus and science. You and Douxie headed together to calculus, avoiding Tyler.

The next two lessons kinda sucked, they all just introduced your new teacher's and what you're going to be learning for the next semester. Luckily for history, you had an assignment not an exam.

Soon, the bell rang for lunch.

While, you and Douxie were walking to the cafeteria, you were suddenly surrounded by all of Douxie's friends. Well, band mates.

"Hey, Douxie! How'd all your new classes go so far?" Henry asked.

"They went good. I found a friend that's doing the same classes as me," Douxie replied, gesturing towards you.

"Hey," you shyly waved.

"Wait, you're the girl that Douxie brought back stage at our last concert, right? Y/n, was it?" Jason recognised.

"Yep, that's me," you confirmed.

"Well, we're going over to the band room to practice, wanna come?" Jason asked both of you.

"Sure, why not. I'll just grab some food," Douxie replied. "Y/n, I'll grab you some food as well, you head over to the band room with the other's."

"Oh, no. I don't want to disturb you guys with your practice, I'll find my other friends," you denied.

"You're not going to disturb us, in fact, you can give us some feedback!" Jack said.

"But, I promised my friends that I'll sit with them today," you mentioned.

"What about, you and Douxie find your friends, and bring them to the band room? We really need someone else's point of view of our music," Jason suggested.

You thought about it for a moment.

Izzy wanted to meet the Ash Dispersal Pattern for a while now, and Rachael, well, she can make some new friends, since she doesn't really hang out with anyone else other than you and Izzy.

"Okay," you agreed.

"Great!" Jason exclaimed, walking away with the rest of the band.

You and Douxie saw your two best friends in the line to get food.

"Yo y/n! Where were you?" Izzy asked as she saw you going up to them.

"Just talking with Douxie's band. Want to go meet them? They're in the band room. They said that you guys can come," you offered.

"Oh, you had me at 'Douxie's band'," Izzy grinned.

"Just let us grab some food first, "Douxie said, walking into line, pulling you along.

After grabbing some food, you all walked over to the band room, getting welcomed by a lot of laughter.

"What's so funny?" Douxie asked, grabbing a seat for you and your friends before grabbing one for himself.

"Nothing, it's an inside joke. You won't understand," Henry said.

"Okay..." Douxie nodded, getting a bit suspicious, sitting down. "Anyways, meet Rachael and Izzy."

Rachael shyly waved, while on the other hand, Izzy waved very energetically. You instantly saw Jason blush when Rachael waved at him while she also blushed.

Who knew, Rachael had charm. She's usually not the type to get involved with the boys and crushes that much.

"Looks like we have a fan," Jack pointed out, looking at Izzy energetically waving at them.

"I'm your biggest fan! I go to every single one of your concerts!" Izzy beamed. "Well, I couldn't make it to your concert last week. But other than that, I've been to every single one!"

You, Rachael and the entire band laughed at her enthusiasm.

After getting introduced to one another and getting autograph from every single ban member, they started to practice.

"Wow, Jason is good," Rachael commented.

"Of course you'd say that. You have a crush on him," you teased.

"I do not!" she retorted.

"Sure," you and Izzy smirked.

After about 10 minutes, you heard the door open. You glanced towards the door to see Tyler.

"Hey guys!" Tyler waved.

"Hey, Tyler! Wanna practice?" Jack said.

"Jack, I don't see any of our guitarists away right now. There's no point," Douxie claimed.

"Well, Douxie, I see you're getting a bit tired of playing. Tyler can fill you in while you rest," Jack said.

"I'm not tired," Douxie stated.

"Uh, Doux, not to be rude, but you're kinda missing some chords and not keeping up with the beat," Henry commented.

"What?! I'm not missing any chords! You guys are just going faster than you're meant to!" Douxie exclaimed.

"And you're getting a bit short tempered," Henry added under his breath, but you all heard it.

"I am not getting short tempered!" Douxie fumed.

"Yeah, dude, take a pill and chill. Y/n, can you take Douxie for some fresh air?"Jason requested, snatching the guitar off of Douxie and handing it to Tyler.

"Sure," you nodded, lightly pushing Douxie out the room.

As you closed the door, Douxie started walking down the hallway. You ran up to him and made him slow down.

"Douxie, are you okay?" you asked.

"I'm fine. Those guys over there are just going faster," Douxie grumbled.

"They're not, Doux. You just need to take a break," you advised.

"I don't need to take a break, they need to take a break," Douxie scoffed.

"Doux, this is not you. This is not the person I have met and befriended with," you said.

"Well, this is me! Get used to it!" Douxie yelled, stopping in his tracks.

Your eyes widened at the tone of his voice, making you step back away from him.

Douxie's eyes widened at what he just said to you.

"I-I'm sorry y/n, I didn't mean that at all. I've just been so stressed out lately. I just exploded," he apologised.

You smiled at him, putting your hand on his shoulder, "It's okay. Everyone has those days. You know you can talk to me about it you know?"

"Thank you, y/n. It means a lot," Douxie smiled.

"We should probably head back," you reminded.

"Yeah," he agreed.

The two of you headed back into the band room, getting greeted to everyone just chilling.

"Hey, y/n, Douxie," everyone said.

You noticed that Tyler had left.

"Is Douxie...?" Jack questioned.

You nodded and took a seat next to Izzy.

"What happened to band practice?" Douxie asked.

"Stopped a few minutes ago. We were discussing on hanging out this afternoon," Izzy informed. "Y/n's already coming, what about you Hisirdoux?"

"I'm free. And how do you know my actual name?" he inquired.

"Your mates here told us," Izzy explained.

"We're meeting at Sam's at 4," Henry told Douxie.

Soon after, the bell rang for class.

After three hours, you headed to your bike and peddled home.

You finished up some chores and waved goodbye to your brother and headed off to Sam's.

Once you met with the others, you all headed over to Lucia to watch Danger House 2: More House, More Danger. You were going to sit with Izzy and Rachael but there were seat numbers, so you didn't have much of a choice. You ended up sitting at the end of the row next to Douxie. The two of you shared popcorn while watching the movie. At times, you didn't want to see a scene, so you hid your face in Douxie's shoulder. While you weren't looking, the others snuck some photos of you two, especially when you hid you face in his shoulder.

After the movie, all of you headed across town to The Bluff to watch the sunset. Everyone hated the bike ride up the steep hill, but surprisingly, you didn't. It was kinda easy for you.

Must be the advantage of running from danger.

In the end, the ride up the hill was worth it, since you all got to see a beautiful sunset afterwards. As everyone was enjoying the sunset, taking pictures and goofing around, you saw Douxie leaning against a rock, staring at his phone. You strolled over to him and leaned against the rock with him.

"You know, you can't enjoy the sunset without, y'know, looking at it," you told him.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I know. I'm just looking at something," he mumbled, not taking his eyes of his phone.

You peeked over his shoulder to see what exactly he was looking at.

He was looking at his email, more specifically, emails about bills. The numbers weren't huge, but if you're Douxie that worked 2 jobs and hardly got tipped, that would be a lot.

"You worried about the bills?" you whispered, making sure no one heard.

He nodded. "I don't know how I'm going to pay all this. Thankfully, I requested the companies to give me more time to pay them. I got a few extra months, but I don't think that'll be enough."

You nodded, trying to think a way you could help your blue-tipped friend.

"Do you have any extra rooms in your apartment?" you asked.

"No, but I do have a lot of space in the bedroom. I’ve got two double beds that have been lying around," he explained.

"What if you get a roomie? Like they would give you rent every week, while you provide them shelter, food, etc.," you suggested.

"That's a great idea!" he beamed. "Thanks! I'll start to work on your plan tomorrow!"

"I'll come to help," you offered.

"Oh no. I don't want you putting time aside for me," he denied.

"I'm not, I have a lot of free time. And even if I did, it would be worth it. Helping a friend is always worth my time," you said.

"Okay. I'll text you my address and tell you what time you can come over. Probably on the weekend, but I'll just text you," he explained.

You nodded.

"Now, let's enjoy the view."

After the sun had set, you all rode over to Stuart's Taco Truck. Jason, Jack, and Rachael all went to get the burritos, while Douxie, Izzy and you chatted, waiting for your friends.

"So, y/n, have you been thinking about what you'll be doing after graduation?" Izzy asked.

"Uh, I don’t know. Maybe go to college, like every person does?" you guessed.

"Wow, I'm just gonna get a job and do that, it's just easier," Izzy said.

"Yeah. You never wanted to go to college," you agreed.

"What are you going to do, Douxie?" Izzy asked, turning her focus onto him.

"Well, I'll probably pursue my dreams of being a guitarist while having a job," Douxie replied.

"That's cool," Izzy commented.

Soon after, your burritos arrived and all of you dug in.

Once you had finished your burrito, you checked your watch to see it was starting to get late.

"Okay guys, I'm going to head back, it's getting late. I'll see you all tomorrow," you declared.

"Wait, y/n, I'll come with!" Douxie added.

You waited for Douxie to throw his rubbish in the trash and peddled your way home with him.

Before the two of you went your separate ways, Douxie thanked you for your suggestion.

"Thanks for your suggestion before, y/n."

"It's no problem."

"Well, I'll see you soon, love," he grinned, giving you a flirtatious wink along with a two-finger salute.

You blushed and returned the two-finger salute, riding your separate ways.

Once you got home, you saw Jim was finishing up washing the dishes.

"Hey, Jimbo!" you sang.

"Hey, y/n!" Jim called. "How was your hang out?"

"Good, but I'm beat. I'm heading to bed. ‘Night," you yawned and trudged to your room.

"‘Night," Jim called.

The next day after school, you, Jim and Toby headed down to Trollmarket. You were glad to take a break from everyone. Today was just not your day. Everyone from the hangout had uploaded to social media of the photos of you hiding your face in Douxie's shoulder and the both of you sharing popcorn. The post made you attract the crowd at lunch. People bombarded you with questions related to Douxie. Most of them consisted of 'Are you two together?', 'Are you a couple?' and 'How long has it been?' Luckily, Douxie came in time and saved you from the crowd, again.

You approached Blinky, Aaarrrgghh and something covered with a piece of cloth.

"Remember when I told you all Trollhunters must start small?" Blinky asks, revealing the Furgolator.

"Full disclosure, I'm a little worried how I let you talk me into this," Jim doubted.

"A 'little worried'? I'm full on concerned!" you gulped.

Blinky turns on the Furgolator, making the doors open up.

"Still bad idea," Aaarrrgghh warned.

Jim steps inside and the doors start to close, "Wait a minute. So, how does me going into this thing help me get a gnome out of a hole?"

"If a gnome won't come out, the Trollhunter must go in," Blinky informed.

"Wait, what?" Jim questioned.

"I think Blinky plans to make you small enough to fit inside that hole," you hypothesised.

"Yeah, right," Jim scoffed.

"Exactly! We often use the Furgolator to compress minerals. And now for the anthracite!" Blinky agreed.

"See?" you teased.

Jim rolled his eyes playfully, but you saw the fear in his eyes.

"But you've done this a few times on flesh and bone, right? Right?" Jim yelped.

Blinky placed the rock inside a compartment, "Not exactly." Then the machine started up, "But I'm not concerned."

"Well, that's because you are not the one trapped in this thing," Jim complained.

"Nothing to worry about, Master Jim. We work best under pressure," Blinky shouts.

"I can't see anything!" Jim coughs. "Why is there so much smoke?"

The machine started to make weird sounds. You and Toby ran to the Furgolator, trying to get it open.

"Come on, you guys gotta get him out of there!" Toby cried.

Blinky rushed over to help us, "Don't just stand there, Aaarrrgghh!"

Aaarrrgghh comes over and pulls the doors open.

"Looks like it didn't work. Hope you have a plan B," Jim began, but then realised he had shrunk.

"On the contrary," Blinky said.

"You sure we need a plan B? I think plan A worked fine," you chuckled.

"He's like an action figure!" Toby gushed.

"The Furgolator functioned perfectly!" Blinky laughed.

He picked up tiny Jim, holding him in his palm. Jim looks at his tiny figure. You quickly took out your phone and took a photo of your little brother. Jim groaned, not liking you taking photos of himself.

You all made your way to the hole that the gnome had escaped into. Blinky placed Jim just outside of the hole.

"Real subtle. ‘We've got to start small. Deal with the little problem.’ This is a huge problem! I can't be shrunk! I have exams to take! I have sinks to reach!" Jim raged.

"You have a gnome to catch. Now, onward, Master Jim, and fetch your destiny!' Blinky reminded.

Toby grabs a pencil and hands it Jim to use as a sword, "Your sword, my liege."

Jim pokes the pencil on Toby's palm, earning a yelp from him. He attempts to walk into the hole, but he falls down, earning a giggle from you. But he eventually got into the hole.

"Oh, and one last thing to know when dealing with a gnome, Master Jim, and this is of dire importance: Do not touch its hat!" Blinky forewarned.

"Of course. It's right there in A Brief Recapitulation," Jim taunted.

"You remember!"

"Of course not! Nothing in this world makes sense!" Jim yelled.

You backed away from the hole to see Vendel walk pass.

"Miss y/n, you should go and continue your training with Vendel. We will handle things here," Blinky advised.

"Are you sure?" you asked.

"Completely."

You nodded and jogged over to Vendel.

"Hello, Master Vendel. Do you have time to teach me how to make objects move?" you inquired.

"Hello, Miss Lake. I am not known to any troll as 'Master', but it sounds good coming from you. And yes, I can instruct you how to make objects move," Vendel said.

The two of you walked over to the Heartstone and began your lesson.

Soon after, you could move objects easily, with just a quick gesture of your hand or finger.

"Thank you, Master Vendel!" you beamed.

"Your welcome. Next time you come, with some spare time, I will teach you something new," Vendel replied.

You nodded and jogged back over to the hole to see Toby backing away from the hole.

"Why hasn't he come out?" Toby asked, his voice full of worry.

"What happened?" you asked.

Aaarrrgghh explained to you what happened to your brother.

You all waited for Jim to come out safe and sound. You then saw the gnome walking out with Jim following behind him, wearing the gnome's hat.

'You summoned the armour and caught the gnome! Well played, Master Jim!" Blinky beamed.

You all clapped at his heroism.

"Thank you, thank you. I don't want to forget the little people," Jim smiled.

"Expedient and-" Blinky started.

"And good humoured," you finished.

"Oh my hero!" Bagdwella praised.

Toby captures the gnome into a bag and sets aside.

"And what about this shrinking stuff? When does it wear off?" Jim asked.

"Don't worry. Sleep it off. By morning, you'll be as good as new. And how you have earned it! Jim "the Gnome Slayer!" Blinky reassured.

"He was so young. There was so much music left in him," Toby commented, playing the little guitar.

You ignored him.

"All that is left is for you to take care of it," Blinky instructed.

"Wait, what? Take care of it?" Jim puzzled.

"Rule number two," Aaarrrgghh reminded.

"‘Always finish the fight’," Blinky quoted.

"And by finish... " you began.

"Deaden. End. Le coup de grâce," Blinky finished.

Aaarrrgghh moved his thumb across his throat, indicating to kill the poor gnome.

You and Jim shared worried glances. Neither of you were killers, but you had to follow the rules. But, it was up to Jim, since he was the Trollhunter.

You headed home, while Jim stayed at Toby's house.

As you opened the door, you saw your mom unpacking food.

"Hey, Mom. What are you doing?" you asked.

"Just unpacking the food I got. As you already know, I'm not a good cook, so I thought some takeaway would be good," she explained.

Soon, the two of you sat down and dug into your food.

"Y/n, where's Jim?" your mom asked.

"He's staying at Toby's place," you answered.

"Well, since he's not here, want to have some girl time?" she asked.

"I'd love to," you replied.

Once you two had finished dinner, the two of you sat down and binged watch watched Mistrial & Error together.

After a dozen or so episodes, the two of you started to play truth or dare.

"Okay, y/n… Truth or dare?" Mom asked.

"Truth," you answered.

"Hmm... so, that friend of yours, Douxie. Is he just a friend or...?" Mom questioned.

"Douxie?! He's... uh... um..." you stammered.

"And my question is answered," Mom cheered.

"What?! He's not. Uhh..." you cried.

From that, you and your Mom started to talk about your love life, more specifically, Douxie.

"I saw on one of your friends posts that you were hiding behind him during your little movie night," she said.

"It was a scary movie! Some scenes were just absolutely terrifying, so of course I’d hide behind him. That's normal," you defended.

"You could've just shut your eyes," she suggested.

"Um... well... uh..." you stuttered.

"I guess my suspicions are true," she smirked.

"Mom!" you cried.

"Okay, okay. We'll have this conversation another day. I'm tired, so I'm heading to bed, kiddo," she said, getting up from the couch.

"Me too. I need to go to school," you agreed, following suit.

Next morning, you woke up to the sound of clattering downstairs. You got up and got dressed into a t-shirt, pair of jeans and sneakers and rushed downstairs to see what the commotion was about. You found the source of the commotion, your mom.

"What are you doing?" you asked.

"Nothing for you to worry about, kiddo," she said.

You shrugged and realised that there was nothing for you to eat for breakfast.

"Sorry, y/n. No breakfast. Maybe grab something in town," she suggested.

"Will do. I'll head out, love you!" you called and rushed out your door, hastily grabbing your bag on your way out.

You made your way to Toby's house, checking on Jim. You knocked on the Domzalski's door. It opened to reveal Toby.

"Hey, Tobes!" you grinned.

"Hey, y/n! Checking in on Jim?" he guessed.

You nodded and you followed him to his room. On the way, Toby's Nana forced you to eat a blueberry muffin.

As soon as you entered his room, you noticed Jim's absence. But then you realised he was in a doll house.

Toby opened the doll house to reveal a startled Jim.

"What's wrong, Tiny Jim? Did you not sleep well in Nana's dollhouse?" Toby asked.

"Why am I still small, guys?" Jim whined.

"Maybe the stuff works different on trolls than it does on humans?" you theorised.

"Oh, my gosh. The gnome! You did it? I told you I was supposed to-- Oh no! School!" Jim panicked.

"We have to call you in sick. Tell them you ate too much chocolate. That always works," Toby ordered, shoving his phone into Jim's little face.

"No, Señor Uhl can sniff out a lie a mile away," Jim refused. He thought for a second when his eyes lit up. "That's it! Toby, I need you to do me a huge favour. Well, maybe a small one. But huge."

You gave him confused look.

"Look, I have a plan, just trust me on this," Jim explained. "Plus, you should be heading to school right now."

"Fine, but I want you to be normal size by the end of the day. I can't take you home like this," you said, gesturing to his size.

"Okay. Now, go!" Jim said.

You rode off to school, hoping your brother would return to his normal size.

[path-of-my-childhood]

Brian Mansfield shared on Twitter that he found a thumb drive with data showing music Taylor was listening back in the day when he worked and interviewed her for USA Today. Article in question can still be accessed with the help of Wayback Machine, if Flash is enabled in your browser. Alternatively, you can check out the whole list, with around 500 song, HERE.

You can also check out playlist on Spotify that Brian made with the songs that 18-year-old Taylor listened to the most on her iPod, or you can check them out below the cut.

Taylor Swift's iPod When She Was 18

Family Force 5 - Love Addict

Damien Rice - The Blower's Daughter

Patty Griffin - Christina

Better Than Ezra - Breathless

Metro Station - Now That We're Done

Gwen Stefani - Hollaback Girl

Trace Adkins - Every Light in the House

Gorillaz - Feel Good Inc.

Jem - 24

Damien Rice - 9 Crimes

Yung Joc feat. Nitti Explicit - It's Goin' Down

Savage Garden - I Want You

The Cardigans - I Need Some Fine Wine and You, You Need to Be Nicer

Ingrid Michaelson - The Way I Am

Mat Kearney - All I Need

Aslyn - Be The Girl

John Mayer - Comfortable (EP Version)

Patty Griffin - Heavenly Day

The Corrs - Breathless

Brandi Carlile - What Can I Say

Coldplay - Sparks

Corinne Bailey Rae - Put Your Records On

Josh Rouse - It's The Nighttime

The Wreckers - Cigarettes

Chantal Kreviazuk - In This Life

The Veronicas - When It All Falls Apart

Hellogoodbye - Here In Your Arms

Coheed and Cambria - The Suffering

Gwen Stefani ft. Akon - The Sweet Escape

Dixie Chicks - Top Of The World

Dixie Chicks - Easy Silence

Mat Kearney - Where We Gonna Go From Here

Rachael Yamagata - Worn Me Down

Tyler Hilton - Kiss On (Revised)

Gavin DeGraw - Follow Through

Ben Jelen - Come On

Colbie Caillat - Feelings Show

Emerson Drive - Fall Into Me

James Blunt - Goodbye My Lover

Liz Phair - Why Can't I?

Paris Hilton - Nothing In This World

Dashboard Confessional - Vindicated

Jimmy Eat World - The Middle

Lenny Kravitz - Again

Diana Anaid - Last Thing

Maroon 5 - Harder To Breathe

Metro Station - Shake It

LFO - Every Other Time (Radio Edit & Album Version)

Mindy Smith - Come To Jesus

Patty Griffin - Burgundy Shoes

Patty Griffin - Peter Pan

Plumb - Stranded

Better Than Ezra - Our Last Night

Def Leppard - Pour Some Sugar On Me

Fort Minor feat. Holly Brook & Jonah Matranga - Where'd You Go

Lil Scrappy - No Problem

Patty Griffin - When It Don't Come Easy

Ryan Adams - Come Pick Me Up

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - American Girl

Dem Franchize Boyz - Ridin' Rims

Unkle Bob - Swans

Jann Arden - Insensitive

Rilo Kiley - Portions For Foxes

Landon Pigg - Can't Let Go

LeAnn Rimes - The Right Kind Of Wrong

The Fray - Look After You

The Wallflowers - Closer To You

Matt Wertz - Red Meets Blue

The Veronicas - 4ever

Beyoncé - Irreplaceable

David Mead - Nashville

Something Corporate - Ruthless

Blu Sanders - Like the Movies

Britney Spears - Do Somethin'

Fefe Dobson - 8 x 10

Frankie J featuring Baby Bash - Obsesion (No Es Amor)

Gavin DeGraw - Belief

Kelly Clarkson - Some Kind of Miracle

Miranda Lambert - Kerosene

Pat Benatar - Wuthering Heights

Shakira - Don't Bother

SHeDAISY - In Terms Of Love

Tori Amos - A Sorta Fairytale

The Fray - How to Save a Life

A Fine Frenzy - Almost Lover

Coldplay - Yellow

Dixie Chicks - Cold Day In July

Gary Allan - Promise Broken

Kelly Clarkson - Low

Sheryl Crow - It's So Easy

Dixie Chicks - Godspeed (Sweet Dreams)

Fefe Dobson - Revolution Song

Jet - Look What You've Done

John Mayer - Slow Dancing In A Burning Room

Michelle Branch - Goodbye To You

Plain White T's - Hate (I Really Don't Like You)

T.I. - What You Know

The Corrs - Summer Sunshine

Divinyls - I Touch Myself

Goo Goo Dolls - Here Is Gone

Pitbull ft. Lil Jon - Culo

Jake Owen - Ghosts

Lil Scrappy ft. Young Buck - Money In The Bank

BarlowGirl - Never Alone (Radio Remix)

Coldplay - The Scientist

Dem Franchize Boyz, Peanut, Charlay - Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It

Hope Partlow - Don't Go

Matchbox Twenty - Long Day

Semisonic - Closing Time

U2 - One

Brandi Carlile - Turpentine

Brandi Carlile - Throw It All Away

Mr. Big - To Be With You

Gabrielle - Out Of Reach

Colbie Caillat - One Fine Wire

Anna Nalick - Catalyst

Dashboard Confessional - Hands Down

Dixie Chicks - Not Ready to Make Nice

Fefe Dobson - Take Me Away

Staind - Everything Changes

Del Amitri - Roll To Me

Jake Owen - Eight Second Ride

Anna Nalick - Breathe (2 AM)

Bruce Robison - Virginia

Dixie Chicks - Lullaby

Dwight Yoakam - The Back of Your Hand

Maroon 5 - She Will Be Loved

The Veronicas - Everything I'm Not

Three 6 Mafia - Side 2 Side

Vertical Horizon - You're a God

Jason Mraz - I'm Yours

Joanna - Screaming Infidelities

David Gray - This Year's Love

Rachael Yamagata - Be Be Your Love

Sarah McLachlan - Fallen (Album Mix)

Backstreet Boys - Crawling Back to You

Pat Benatar - Hit Me With Your Best Shot

The All-American Rejects - Dirty Little Secret

Avril Lavigne - Fall To Pieces

Pat Benatar - Heartbreaker

Def Leppard - Photograph

Vanessa Carlton - Who's To Say

Mannie Fresh - Real Big

Alanis Morissette - Hands Clean

Ben Lee - Catch My Disease

Beyoncé, Bun B, Slim Thug ft. Bun B and Slim Thug - Check On It

Fefe Dobson - Don't Let It Go To Your Head

Grace Potter & The Nocturnals - Apologies

Jack Johnson - Taylor

James Blunt - You're Beautiful

Katie Herzig - Fools Gold

Matchbox Twenty - If You're Gone

The All-American Rejects - Swing, Swing

Third Eye Blind - Semi-Charmed Life

Jonas Brothers - Tonight

Acceptance - Different

Alison Krauss & Union Station - New Favorite

Ben Folds Five - Brick

Brandi Carlile - Fall Apart Again

Courtney Jaye - Can You Sleep

Dashboard Confessional - Ghost Of A Good Thing

Fefe Dobson - Bye Bye Boyfriend

Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah

John Mayer - Your Body Is a Wonderland

Mozella - You Wanted It

Oasis - Wonderwall

Shop Boyz - Party Like A Rock Star

Wheat - I Met A Girl

John Mayer - Waiting On the World to Change

[aion-rsa]

Why Tom Holland Was Terrified of Playing a Bank Robber in Cherry

https://ift.tt/3aIcnLv

All of a sudden Tom Holland is everywhere. He’s got two movies out right now–the sci-fi thriller Chaos Walking and the drug/crime drama Cherry–and the latter is making its premiere on Apple TV+ this weekend after a limited run in theaters. He also recently wrapped production on the long-developing adaptation of the Uncharted video game franchise, and he’s currently working with director Jon Watts again on their third standalone Spider-Man adventure together, Spider-Man: No Way Home.

In Cherry, based on the best-selling semi-autobiographical novel by Nico Walker, Holland stars as the title character, a young Cleveland man who joins the Army after his girlfriend (Ciara Bravo) announces she is going away to college. He returns home from Iraq with PTSD, develops an opioid addiction, and eventually turns to bank robbery to support his habit.

The often harrowing film is directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, making it the first motion picture directed by the Cleveland-born brothers since 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. Cherry marks Holland’s fourth collaboration with the Russos, following Endgame, Captain America: Civil War (2016), and Avengers: Infinity War (2018), but his first time working with them without a superhero costume.

Cherry is also one of two recent movies, the other being last year’s grim The Devil All The Time, in which the British actor steps away from his generally sunny, innocent demeanor to take on a darker, more tormented character. We touched on that, working with the Russos, researching the world of addiction, and more–including little nuggets on No Way Home and Uncharted–when we hopped on Zoom recently with the young Mr. Holland.

Den of Geek: What did you respond to in the character of Cherry, as well as the script? What was your emotional and visceral response to his story?

Tom Holland: I think my initial response was that I was terrified of the idea of playing this character. It’s the type of role I’ve definitely never done before, and I was a little sort of apprehensive and questioned whether I could do it. Knowing that the Russo brothers were going to be there to support me through the job is what kind of tipped me over the edge into saying yes. But my initial response was, “I don’t think I’m the right person for this job because I don’t know if I can do that.”

You probably had a level of trust established with the Russos from working on the three Marvel pictures you did together. Did that make you feel comfortable right away?

Yeah. Absolutely. Still, I had that element of awe when it came to the Russos because they were the directors of the Avengers films, and I was still very much the new kid on the block when I was making those films. It was really nice for me to get to know them both on a more personal level and, obviously, that level of trust grew as the film progressed. It grew and it grew and it grew, and it’s now to the point where Joe and Anthony could ring me up, and I would be on set for them in a heartbeat. The trust between the three of us definitely grew.

How is their style of directing different on this? Was there more of a personal rapport because of the fact that they’re not dealing with the same kind of visual effects as in the Marvel movies or servicing 50 different characters?

I felt a little spoiled to be honest, because I was getting their utmost attention. But I mean, their direction style didn’t change in the way that they spoke to people, in the way that they addressed people, in the way that they treated people on set. But the style in which they would use the camera or the way they would get you to portray or work in a certain scene is very different because, obviously, it’s a very different type of film.

But from a logistical standpoint of how they made the film, they were basically the same two guys, just having fun. It’s nice to see two people who are so in love with cinema just having a good old play and figuring it out as they go along.

Was it interesting and maybe refreshing for you to do a film where you’re not in the Spider-Man suit for so much of the movie, and you’re not acting against a green screen?

Absolutely. Working on green screen and blue screens and wearing a spandex Spider-Man suit is amazing, and it’s awesome and I love it, but there’s something freeing about everything on set is what is in the shot, what is in the story. I don’t have to imagine anything, because everything is a tangible asset and is right there in front of me. It’s a different process, and I love both equally. But it was nice to kind of have a change of pace and dive into something a little bit smaller.

How was it working with Ciara on her first feature film? Was it easy to establish the rapport with her?

We were so lucky with Ciara. I remember when I watched her audition tape, when the boys had cast her, and they sent it to me just to say, “By the way, this is the girl who’s going to play Emily,” for the first time in my career, I was so intimidated. She just has this gravitas that she brought to the character in her take that was so amazing.

I was really excited to work with her and I was really happy when I found out that her and I were very similar and had a lot in common. We became very, very good friends, which was so valuable for us, because this film was such a difficult film to make, physically and emotionally. The fact that we got along so well meant that we could help each other through the process. She was like my emotional support person, and I was hers, and it was great. We were a little team.

Do you take a role like this, or something like The Devil All the Time, knowing that these are going to not just challenge you as an actor, but show a whole different side of you to an audience that maybe only knows you as Spider-Man?

I love playing Spider-Man, and I think it comes with its own set of challenges. I think sometimes people overlook that superhero films do require performance, a character arc, building up a backstory, an objective of where you want to go. It’s just these films are very different. They’re very different in style, but they’re not very different in the way that you make them. The process of making a film is pretty similar. They just spend less money, and it’s less blue screen. But, yeah. I enjoyed the sort of creative freedom of making a film a little bit darker.

Read more

TV

Marvel’s WandaVision and What’s Next for the MCU

By Jim Dandy

TV

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier Season 2 Is Unlikely, Anthony Mackie Confirms

By Alec Bojalad

Did you get to meet and talk with Nico Walker? I know you did meet with some people with addiction problems, as well as some veterans.

I’ve never actually met with Nico. We were supposed to meet a few weeks ago, but for some reason, our schedules kind of got a bit jumbled up, and we couldn’t get together. But I hope to meet him. He’s obviously the one person that I’m really nervous about watching the film, because we took a portion of his life, and we turned it into this piece of art, and I hope it’s something that he likes.

But we did loads of research when it came to speaking to veterans and people suffering from PTSD and substance abuse, and it was so valuable in the making of this film, because I couldn’t have made this an authentic experience for the audience without having that information from those people. I’m very grateful that the men and women I spoke to were very open to talk about the things that they’d been through, which were sometimes very harrowing.

What did you learn that maybe you hadn’t known before and were able to apply to the part?

Wow. I could go on and on. I think one of the biggest things for me that helped drive a lot of the motivation in the scene was that once you’re hooked on heroin, all you can think about is getting more heroin. It was a really good kind of catalyst to tell these stories authentically. I think that was one of the most valuable things I took away from my research.

What was the most physically challenging aspect of the shoot?

The most physically demanding portion of the film was dope life, when I was losing all the weight, and I was skinny, and I was having to starve myself. And robbing the banks was tiring, because I was so weak from being so skinny and frail, I guess. So that would easily be the more physically demanding aspect of the film.

Apple TV+

You also play this character as he ages over 15 years. Is it fair to say this is the first time you’ve actually played a character who’s aged over that kind of span of time?

Absolutely. On The Lost City of Z, a James Gray film I did, there was quite a large progression in age, but I was no way the lead of that film. A lot of my stuff sort of happened off camera. Obviously in Cherry, you are with this character from the beginning to the end. That meant that I had to do a lot of the growing on screen, and it was difficult. It was tricky, because trying to play older, to me, felt very fake. That’s where I was so lucky to have my amazing makeup artist, Rachael Speke. She did a wonderful job of aging me up throughout the course of the film.

It was difficult, and I just had to trust the Russos and that they knew what they wanted and they were happy with what they were getting. But it wasn’t the easiest thing in the world to do.

Is that something that you would like to apply to other characters? As you continue to play Spider-Man, would you like to see him age a little more noticeably, if it’s appropriate?

Yeah. Peter Parker is a character that everyone knows and loves. It would be really interesting to sort of find a side to him that people haven’t seen before. Whether or not we do that, I don’t know.

What can you say about Spider-Man: No Way Home in terms of how it expands the MCU and how it evolves Peter’s character?

Well, there’s not really much I can say, obviously. What I can say is that I’m having the time of my life making it. It’s so fun being back with Jacob [Batalon] and Zendaya, and [director] Jon Watts. The film is incredibly ambitious, and I’m delighted to say that we’re succeeding in making it. It’s going really well. We watched a fight scene that we had shot a few weeks ago, and I’ve never seen a fight scene quite like it in the MCU. I’m really excited for audiences to see that.

You also just recently wrapped Uncharted. What do you think people will see in that if they’re not fans of the video game?

Well, an interesting idea and one that I really think lends itself to our film, is that when you watch a video game film–if you’re a fan of the games–I often wonder, “Why would you watch the film?” Because it’s less immersive. You can go and be that character. Why would I just want to watch that character?

But what we’ve got is we’re telling the prequel story of how the character, Nathan Drake, became this worldwide known character. For the fans that love the games, they’re getting an aspect of the story that they’ve never seen before. And the people that haven’t played the games are getting a really nice introduction to a character. It kind of works for everyone.

It’s a really fun film, and the action is amazing, easily some of the coolest action I’ve done so far. I had a lovely chat with Tom Rothman, the chairman of Sony, he saw the film, and he’s over the moon with it. If the boss man is happy, then everyone is happy. We’re really good.

Cherry premieres on Apple TV+ on Friday, March 12.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

The post Why Tom Holland Was Terrified of Playing a Bank Robber in Cherry appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3exlZMQ

[imaginesblvd]

Begin again

Jaskier x Reader

Part 4 of 10(?)

I’m so sorry this took so long. Life has been a hassle lately but I’m slowly getting back into writing when I have free time so here is part 4, I’m working on Part 5 now and hopefully it won’t take as long as this one did. Hope everyone that reads enjoys! Also I couldn’t find any gifs of just Roach. 

A whole day is wasted waiting for some spell to work. You probably had done something wrong. Before You had joined the woman out here, in their little camp, you checked the spell work. You had everything for it, said the words right but yet no results. What could you do now? Keep waiting for Yen to show up? You had to do something now and not wait around. Geralt would probably have figured this out by now. He's so smart when it comes to this monster stuff. He is a witcher. Maybe you'll go through his bags when you get back, knowing he has to have something in there. A book on all the beasts he's come across, unless all that knowledge is stored within his brain then you'll be shit out of luck.

You wipe at the sweat that has formed on your brow as you hand the freshly skinned rabbit over to Rachael. She smiles softly as she takes it from your hands. Maybe you should ask her, but she's told me as much as she knows already. You just want to go over it all to make sure she hasn't left anything out. She wouldn't do that on purpose though? Would she? You glance over at her as she's cutting the meat off the rabbit.

What she's already told you so far is, silver, gold, and metal knives do nothing. Calling out the beast's real name should have shown her weakness but nothing and you didn't want to tell them the name they made up for the lady sounded fake because they already figured that out for themselves. You heard about that before though. You have no idea how true that really is though. Geralt taught you about some monsters but nothing really matches up with what these women are telling you. Plus it seems they've tried everything you would have done.

"Rachael?" You call her name as you wipe your hands clean of blood "Is there anything you might be leaving out? It doesn't matter how stupid it sounds, I need to know absolutely everything" your tone is soft, not wanting to sound demanding

"Well, there is one thing" She pauses as she discards the meat into the cauldron "There was this young girl, Sabrina, she couldn't take the waiting. Waiting for some hero to come help us" she pauses as she meets your gaze "The lady left for a couple days, and Sabrina went into the pub, for what felt like a lifetime, but really only a few minutes went by before she came back out with her boyfriend and she didn't wait to tell us how she did it, she just ran off"

“I’m sorry. I can’t imagine how that must have felt” You say, as you reach out taking hold of her wrist, giving it a squeeze

"She could have helped us get our men back, we tried to look for her but couldn't find her, the coward is probably halfway across the word now" the anger in her tone sends a shiver down your spine. You make a mental note not to get on her bad side.

After you eat, you thank them for their help and promise to do some digging around. It doesn't ease the worry wrinkles from their face and you regret saying it. They've probably had so much hope for you to figure this out. A fresh mind, clearer eyes, and more fight because what happened to them how many weeks ago is fresh to you. You also came into town with a witcher, so they probably think you have all this knowledge but being the one to take down the monster is new to you. You've mentioned before how Geralt shared some knowledge with you but it wasn't enough, plus you only ever helped him find the jobs. You listened to the stories he would tell you when Jaskier passed out from drinking too much, he probably thought it would help you sleep. It did the opposite of that but you would never tell him that. You can't fail them, you'll look for Sabrina.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

When you step back into the town, you hear the sound of a lute. A smile spreads across your face as you look over to the pub. Closing your eyes you try to imagine a different time, a time where you've just finished bathing and you’re heading over to the pub to hear Jaskier play to a crowd. His eyes would only be on you as he plays, he'd wink and smile brightly. Then after you both would walk back to the inn, his arm wrapped tightly around you. He would stay in your room, talking for hours about anything and everything. A tear rolls down your cheek, and you wipe at it quickly.

"Y/n?"

"Yen?"

Looking around you see Yennefer coming out from behind the Inn, you smile in relief as the weight of the world lifts from your shoulders. Only to come crashing down as quickly as it left because Geralt steps into view. Your eyes widen in shock and fear, the air in your lungs gets caught in your throat as you begin to shake your head. You can't seem to get your voice out, the warning you wish to scream out to her sounds like a gasp rather than the scream you wanted to let out.

Yennefer is knocked to the ground. Geralt hoists her up into his arms as the lady steps out from behind him. She wears that wicked smirk on her lips as she beckons you to come toward her but your legs are stone, keeping you in place. Your beating heart dulled her voice to a murmur, as the thought of putting another friend in danger dawns on you.

"... I know everything that happens in this little village, when are you going to realize that?" The lady laughed as she came closer

You can't speak, your eyes are on Yennefer. You look up at Geralt and see the guilt swirling around his eyes. He looks to the lady, and you follow his gaze. Her brows are raised, waiting for you to answer whatever the hell she asked you. Shaking your head you try to clear your mind of what just happened so that you could respond to her, to say anything other than what you wanted to.

"What deal did the woman make with you" Rushes out of your mouth and she smiles, her eyes light up like I've given her everything she's wanted

"I'm so glad you asked, I give them 2 weeks to try and figure out what I am, and when they do, I give them back what I've stolen from them, but if they don't figure it out, well I'm sure you already know what I'm going to do with these men" she finishes with a wink

Take the deal, your mind screams at you. Rachael says they're almost out of time and you didn't understand until now. Maybe she thought you would leave if you knew about it but why would you leave? You have reason to stay the same as theirs. You look over at the lady, she's playing with the ends of Yen's hair as Geralt watches with some sort of awe and disgust to his eyes and face. Maybe you could get something out of this, you know Geralt is okay, but maybe you could get a few minutes with Jaskier before you take off to find Sabrina.

"I want something in return, Yennefer stays with me, and I want to see Jaskier" You demand, your voice sounding stronger than you felt "I see Geralt is okay and I know you won't take care of Yennefer" You added, and she nods.

The lady orders Geralt to take Yennefer up to your room as she guides you towards the pub. You glance back over to where Geralt disappears into the inn. Before the lady and you reach the door, it opens. A man stands before you both and his smile is wide but his dead eyes are what sends a shiver down your spine. It's worse than any monster you've ever seen, including the woman next to you.

Once inside you look around and see Jaskier standing by the bar, he doesn't look up to smile like all the others. You feel her arm leave you and you start walking over to him. You see his notebook is laid out in front of him, his pen moving faster than you've ever seen before. You want to tap his shoulder but you don't want to spook him as he's working, so instead you clear your throat.

Jaskier turns, his bright blue eyes cause you to smile sadly. You're dreading the thought of the light behind them dying. His smile only lasts a second before it's replaced with a frown. He turns back, closing his notebook as he slams his hand down on it. He lets out a sigh as he turns to face you once again, his face in a deep scowl.

"What're you still doing here?" He asks annoyed "I thought I told you to leave"

"I know but the lady asked me to come back, she says you're having trouble with your songwriting. May I?" You lie as you nod towards the seat next to him and he nods reluctantly "Let me see what you're working on and I'll see if I can help"

This brings a huge smile to his face. He opens his notebook back open as you watch him. You could see the faintest dark circles under his eyes and his fingers were a touch red. You wonder how often she has him playing. Soon his fingers won't just be red, they'll be bleeding. Your heart aches in your chest, almost painfully. You close your eyes, almost imagining the last time you've done this. How close you both were, the loving look in his eyes. It had to be love, it couldn't be anything else but that.

"So it starts off strong, like a ballad of love should go but then it turns to this" Jaskier turns the page and your breath catches in your throat.

Your eyes widen. What the hell is this? You almost want to ask aloud but for the second time tonight you can't speak. You don't ask for permission to pull it from his hands but you do anyway. Your fingers lightly touch the rough paper as you read his almost unreadable writing.

Only a few things sticking out to you, he's pleading for help and apologizing. You look over at him as he says there is more on the other side. You flip the page and try to fight back the tears that threaten to spill over. You'd let them fall freely if you didn't have to face the lady on your way out.

"I won't leave you Jaskier, I-" You clear your throat once more "I'm going to figure this out, okay?" You whisper as you take his notebook

He nods as he takes a shot of whatever is in his mug before picking his lute up and spins around. He looks towards the lady, and she smiles at him. He begins to strum his lute as you walk over to the lady. Telling her you'll take the deal but you'll be roaming around the village freely, leaving and coming as you please, and she nods telling you that 2 weeks starts now.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

A two day ride back to the city that you, Jaskier, and Geralt had left behind days before. You tie Roach up. You tell her you'll be back with food and water, she neighs in response as she almost headbutts you. You smile at her as you turn to head into the market, you wouldn't bring Roach through here, it's far too crowded here. You ask so many people if they've run into anyone new, besides you. You give them a description of what the two look like but they haven't seen anyone that fit it. You climb up onto a fence and look around for a woman with copper hair, and a man with bright blonde hair.

You figured if Sabrina really thought of Rivercrossing as a home then she wouldn't have gone far. This is the closest town and no sign of her. However, there was still one more place to look. It's in the opposite direction about a three day ride. You fight back the feeling that this might just be a waste of time. You can't give up yet, you won't give up. Your friends needed you to figure this out and you won't quit until you find Sabrina, but if you can’t find her then this is going to be harder.

Once Roach is taken care of, you lead her out of the town. You climb up on to her and start on your way. You don’t want this to take too long but you don’t want to push her past her limits. It didn’t even take you too long to get here. It should be dark by the time you reach the turnoff to Rivercrossing, but you won’t be stopping there. You want to just keep going to find the small village that sits at the fork in the road just a few miles up from Rivercrossing.

You should be reaching the small village of Crossroads by dawn. It might take longer than that, you’ll stop to give Roach a rest and a small catnap for you but in the end getting there is the goal plus you’ll still have twelve or eleven days when you get back.

You can only hope the woman of the Rivercrossing don’t do anything stupid while you’re gone. You told them not too but you never know, they might not listen. You probably wouldn’t listen to you either if it meant figuring something out. You did leave Racheal a book you found in Geralt’s bags, hopefully she reads it all. She did say she was going to make notes in case something like this ever happens again with another monster that why she would know what to do. You also left them with some loose paper you ripped out of Jaskier’s notebook. He can yell at you about that when he’s sane.

Roach stops at the turnoff. You tell her to keep going but she’s stuck in place. You climb down, pulling a dagger you had taken from Geralt’s things and listen closely. You don’t hear anything besides Roach’s breathing. Sheathing the dagger back you pull an apple from your bag and hold it up to her mouth.

“We have to keep going, okay? One more town and we can come back, but if they have seen the people we’re looking for then we have to keep going, okay?” You tell her

You climb back on her and she takes off once more.

Dawn comes quicker, and the small village comes into view. You smile tiredly, that catnap really didn’t help. You dismount Roach, as you tie her up. Telling her you’ll be right back as you walk towards the inn. There’s a tired man standing before you, he smiles though. Walking over you lean against the counter. You ask him if anyone new has come to stay here, and he says no just people passing through. This gives you a little hope and you begin to ask him if he’s seen a woman with copper hair, about half your size, or a man with blond hair and about 6 foot tall.

“Ask the barkeeper across the way, he get more visitors than I do” He says as he rubs at his tired eyes

“Okay, thanks” You walk back out and head over to the bar.

Pushing the door open, you look around. It’s almost empty. You take a seat across from the man behind the counter. Asking him the same things and he says no. Someone has to be lying there is no way they passed through here without stopping for something to eat or drink. You tap the counter with a gold coin before getting up.

“Is there anyone else I could ask?”

“There’s an old lady at the end of the way, she lets people who have nothing stay with her, she might be sleeping so you’ll have to wait a while”

You nod and walk back out and over to Roach, there is no way you’re waiting here. If they’re there and they leave because you’re here? This all would have been for nothing. You untie Roach and give a small tug to her reins, and she begins to follow.

This old lady better have some answers. You don’t know what you’ll do if she hasn’t seen them. What if Rachael is right? What if they’re already halfway across the world? You can’t go too far with only twelve or eleven days left. They have to be here, or somewhere close by. What did she do? You wish you could just know what she’s done or even better know what the lady is.

You just want this all to be over. You wish you didn’t run into that lady, or even make camp that day. You should have pushed Geralt to keep going even when you wanted to stop that day you should have kept going. How could you say something like that? The woman of Rivercrossing would have been left to die along with their men. You hate yourself for even thinking that. You should have bought Rachael but she’s the only one you trust to keep the other woman in line. You just wish someone was here to help pass the time.

Time didn’t exist with Jaskier. One second the sun was going down and the next it was coming up. You both would stay up with each other talking or just being with one another, not saying anything. He would hum, or sing sometimes. You would tell him some made up story of anything and he wouldn’t interrupt you he would just listen. You wonder if this would change him, but so much has happened to him and he’s always been the same. This would be different though, would he remember it? Would it be like sleeping to him? When it’s all over would he only remember the night you both spent together. Would you have to fill in the details for him? Would he even want to know the details? You hope not because you don’t want to have to relive this.

Roach nudges you as a light in the house turns on. You thank her as you stand. Wiping the dirt from your bottom as you walk over. You knock on the door, and wait a few seconds before the door opens. The old lady smiles, as she steps off to the side. Inviting you in but you shake your head.

“I just have a question” You say and she nods “Have you seen or housed anyone new within the last week?”

“Yes, this wonderful couple. They only stayed a night before leaving” She answers

“A young couple? A girl with copper hair? A man with blond hair? One 6 foot and the other about half my size?” You rush out

“Yes, they said they had to go back home, they left yesterday morning” The old woman smiled and you thanked her as you took off towards Roach.

. 

.

Tag List:

@the-british-koala  | @dancingwith-thesunflowers  | @littlecarowrites  | @spacegay-s​  | @chickens-are-life​  |

[warandpussy]

omg PLS talk more abt ur 12dole!

sure! link

fyi I barely remember writing this, all i remember is that it's super weird i suppose the point is it's about being lonely. i love s10 for the way it slows down, gives the doctor a home base, a time to breathe. but i also love how, with that, he has to deal with the demons in his head scrabbling at the door; he can't ignore them any more. like. his wife just died. so this fic was like, i want to explore that loneliness and that grief.

to be clear, it's also about the doctor getting off with a decapitated robot head.

i'll put this under a cut

The Doctor stares into the mirror on the wall.

It isn’t – it’s not something he likes to do. It’s uncomfortable, he thinks, to observe the evidence of a long life carved into a face. To confront the evidence of age and time passing, old regrets scoring delicate lines over the brow, the cheeks, beneath the eyes. He considers his reflection and swallows the lump in his throat.

It’s with a trembling hand that he reaches out to his glass counterpart, feeling that even a touch of his skin will send it shattering to the ground at his feet, that a press of his fingers against something that isn’t even him, not really, could break him apart. You’re lonely, you’re lonely, his brain cackles at him, and it sounds like –

In the end, it’s just cold, smooth. Nothing.

He runs his finger over the image of his lips, lets himself slip into memory, lets himself remember being touched there. Allows himself the indulgence of it. A wicked grin; a puff of curly hair; ‘hello, sweetie.’

so we start here. you ever been so lonely you just touch your own face to imagine someone else doing it? yeah. i guess the doctor feels like someone who never really gets to process any of this a lot of the time, because one series will end with a tragedy, and then the next one will just pick up on the next adventure. but if your wife died, you got trapped in a university with a woman who hates (?) you and a bitchy robot, you'd probably have some issues.

i wanted to start it here, on his own, because that's the thing, really. he's alone. or he feels alone. and it's a bit dramatic and over the top because when you're miserable that's what you do. the world is falling apart. i'll be alone forever.

the next scene is him and Nardole, and it's like, a drastic shift in tone

“How’s the new head working out?”

“Oh.” Nardole reaches up a hand and pats at his ample cheek. “Quite well, actually, sir.” He strokes his neck a little, tracing a light finger underneath his collar where the seam in his skin is. “Much more efficient processing power.” He gives a little self-conscious cough. “I’ve been having new ideas every fifteen minutes or so.”

“Wonderful,” the Doctor tells him, picking up Rachael Simmerton’s essay on – faith and free will, apparently – and pretending to read the introduction. It’s not, of course. Heavens above, he doesn’t need Nardole having ideas. He’ll have to fix that in a later upgrade. “That’s – fab. Great to hear.”

none of the above is coming through. he's masking it, of course he is. the worst thing about being lonely is that you can't say you're lonely, otherwise people will know how lonely you are - and isn't that to most pitiable thing. no - best to.. uh.. snog a robot head, apparently.

i wish that was how it worked in real life

i really like this scene for the banter between him and Nardole. they're so awful together. I love them.

Nardole pushes himself up with his elbows and stomps over to the Doctor’s desk. He jabs a finger in his face. “Rude. That was rude.” The Doctor shrugs. “You’ve been in my room before, and it was fine.”

“There were pants on the floor.”

“I was in the shower!”

“Ugh.” The Doctor shudders again, deliberately meeting Nardole’s gaze as he does. “Don’t remind me.”

“It’s my room, I can leave my pants on the floor if I want to.”

“My spaceship,” the Doctor reminds him. “And I don’t make you pay rent.”

Nardole rolls his eyes. “Good thing, too, given you don’t pay me at all,” he says, and trundles irritably into the TARDIS.

So yeah, the Doctor gets Nardole to bring out one of his spare heads (it's a whole thing, there's a cupboard full of heads, they have some kind of shared memory drive, the old ones go a bit insane the longer they're detached from the body).

It’s a little disconcerting, having your cyborg assistant’s decapitated head on your desk, but at this point the Doctor has seen enough of Nardole’s body, given all the upgrades he’s had to do over the past seventy years, that it doesn’t faze him. He’ll end up seeing a lot more, most likely; they’ve still got over nine hundred years still to go. This doesn’t faze him either – certainly not as much as it would have done back when they’d first been stuck here, uncomfortable in their stillness, squabbling with each other just to pass the time.

The first time he’d had his hands in Nardole’s chest, sometime in the late nineties, tinkering with the artificial heart he’d had installed, Nardole had asked him why he even bothered.

“Can’t have my manservant dying on me, can I?” he’d muttered, irritated at the question.

“Oh, is that what I am?” Nardole had bitched.

Covering his face with his welder’s mask, the Doctor let out a snort. “If you shuffle off this mortal coil, Nardole, I’ll have to hire a new assistant. I can’t be bothered.”

“Let me be clear, you're giving me eternal life so that you don't have to hold job interviews?”

“Yes.”

Nardole had looked at him for a long time after that, uncharacteristically silent. When the Doctor was done, he’d grabbed his wrist and squeezed, before standing and making two cups of horrifically sweet tea. The Doctor had drunk the lot.

i was talking about this the other day with you. i guess i tend to think there's a real power in delay, in writing. when the real scene is going on, but then the characters trip into a memory. the Doctor's nervous about what he's going to do (and, in a doylist fashion, the reader doesn't KNOW what he's going to do) so by pausing the 'real' scene and tripping into this memory, we get to hold off on that reveal for a little longer

but we also get to explore the Nardole and Doctor dynamic. which is, here, one where they bitch and squabble with each other, but they still obviously deeply care for one another. #married.

Carefully, he probes behind the left ear for the on-switch, flipping it over with a slight press of his finger. It takes a moment, but the eyes flutter open and the mouth pulls itself up into a tiny smile. The smile drops off his face when he sees who’s holding him up.

“What do you want?” Nardole snipes.

he's such a bitch i'm obsessed with him

The Doctor sighs, and buries his face in his arms. “In the past, it was always – adventure, fun, heat-of-the-moment, explosions, running, kissing,” he mumbles. Nardole grunts at the acknowledgement of it. “Now,” the Doctor goes on, “now I just sit here.”

quarantine vibes.

no, but seriously, quarantine vibes. when i wrote this in february i was working the most gruelling, horrible job i've ever had in my life, and also i was in lockdown AGAIN and i couldn't fucking go anywhere or do anything fun. my whole life just became this awful job, that i did sat at my desk at home. i'd get off work, go lie in bed and cry, and then go back to work. now i just sit here indeed.

“Main Head said he was talking to you lot daily,” the Doctor says. He gives him a look.

Nardole puffs out his cheeks. “For a few minutes, sure. But it’s not like we get on.”

“You are exactly the same person,” the Doctor says, exasperated.

me @ me

(sorry this isn't going to just be all me laughing at my own jokes)

yeah. so they make out. there's like, negotiation on what Nardole (Spare Head One) is going to get out of this deal - he wants to go outside (mood) and he wants sweets and tea (bigger mood). he also doesn't want the Doctor to fall in love with him (uhhhh biggest mood??? i feel like if the Doctor falls in love with you you're doomed to a horrible ending).

“Guh,” Nardole says, and the Doctor pulls him off, lips tingling. Nardole’s face is red, which is interesting from a technical point of view – no blood, how does that work? – but the Doctor finds he doesn’t really care to think about it at the moment. He feels suffused with life; that empty cavity in his chest at least partially filled in, something present that had been missing.

The body is made to touch, after all.

for this i really need to insist on something. this is sci fi, nominally, but i DON'T CARE about the science. i really don't. why is Nardole's face red? how does he have spit? i don't care!!!!! i don't care about worldbuilding. i think, personally, for me, the "science" part of science fiction is just about finding a way to heighten a concept to reflect back something about the real world.

also i feel like it makes it more doctor who the less i give a shit about the science but that's by the by.

i guess this is like. THE scene. the scene of the fic. the point of it.

“I can’t believe you’re taking me with you to visit her,” Nardole says, scathing. They’re wandering through the grounds, as promised, the Doctor clinging onto the ears and holding out the head in front of him.

The Doctor snorts. “You’re not coming in with me.”

“What?”

He gestures at the sports bag he’s got slung over one shoulder. “I’ll chuck you in here.”

They walk past a clump of students who are chattering among themselves. They don’t even balk at him carrying an extremely lifelike head around with him. None of them have. Nardole had said it was because he was ‘super old’ and that young people don’t even notice he exists unless he’s looking frail and delicate next to a traffic light. The Doctor had frowned but hadn’t been able to dispute it.

Still, he makes Nardole hold his expression very still whenever they’re near other people. He’s got a whole story planned out in case he does get asked.

“Professor! Professor Doctor!” some enterprising young thing would say, jogging up. “What’s with the mannequin? It looks just like your assistant!”

“Ah,” the Doctor would say, stroking his chin like he had a goatee – he’d done that once in front of Missy and she’d told him he looked very refined, and offered tips for growing one – “you see, I’m planning a lecture series on death masks in Ancient Greek culture, so I’ve been experimenting with plaster casting.”

“Oh, how fascinating!” the student would say, fluttering their hands in front of their chest. “I’ll have to sign up!”

The Doctor would nod dismissively and stride away as if he had something important to go to. Nardole would almost certainly grumble about the Doctor saying he was dead, but he’d not have a leg to stand on – ha – because he was a robot and therefore had never even been alive. (Well – maybe he had… the Doctor didn’t really remember Nardole’s backstory – River had explained it once while they’d lain together in bed, but he’d zoned out, staring instead at the fine whorls of her ear).

Anyway, no one has asked yet, but he’s prepared if they do.

again - delay, so important here. the Doctor and Nardole (Spare Head One) are walking round and about the grounds on one of Nardole's requested walks. the Doctor is Not Doing Great, but he's trying to fake it. he gets triggered into a memory where Nardole calls him "super old", and then, almost as a defence to that, imagines a world where the students (who are ignoring him) all come fluttering up to him and admiring him in that way that he likes.

that's not happening.

It’s one of those cold spring mornings where the sun casts its light over the world in a glittering array, bouncing off dewdrops, shattering through windows. The air is sharp and bright, bracing the breath, probing his lungs with its chilled fingers. Everything teetering on the verge of too much. Too bright, too cold, cutting like a knife.

I'm really proud of this paragraph. I was trying to imagine how you would describe like, beautiful weather, on a day when you felt like shit. it's "glittering" "shattering" "sharp". it "probes him with chilled fingers" - it's invasive, harsh, awful. and it triggers another memory.

The last time he’d been out, alone, on a morning like this, the Doctor remembered, he’d embraced this muchness, let it fill him up, let it consume him. He’d thought it was the only way to feel touched again. Not by a person, but by the world. Then he’d berated himself; so pathetic, so maudlin. People don’t owe you their touch. It’s enough to have felt it at all. Enough to know.

Greedy, he’d thought. Insatiable. Selfish.

He falters by the sycamore tree, dropping Nardole lower. There’d been a cat here.

There had been a cat that had rubbed up by his legs, purring. He’d been so bright, so lonely. He had it picked up, holding it upside down so he could rub gently at the soft hot fur of its belly. It had let him, for a moment, lax in his arms, blinking, squinting up at the cold sun. Then, it had wriggled and squirmed, saying let me down, let me down, and he had thought, oh, not even you?

Not even you, he had thought as he set it down again, not even you want to touch me, and it had scurried off, heading to the cafeteria where the students likely would give it scraps of bacon sandwiches and drop pieces of cheese into its pleading mouth.

“Sir?” Nardole says quietly.

"not even you want to touch me"

like, that's the whole point - what he's been circling around this whole time. he came up with this crazy coping mechanism (snog a robot head, let's not forget his solution was to snog a robot head), but it doesn't fix the root cause which is that his wife is dead and his friend/enemy is locked up and he's lonely

anyway. they go to visit Missy (Nardole zipped up in a bag the whole time).

“What’s with the bag?” she asks. “Not seen that one before. You joined a basketball team?”

“Tried that once,” he tells her. “Got kicked out.”

“You thought it was netball, didn’t you?”

He huffs a breath through his nose, smiling again. “I thought it was netball,” he admits.

Missy purses her lips, eyeing the ceiling. “Makes sense,” she says. “It’s a net, and a ball. Honestly. I would understand it if they were chucking balls into baskets.”

“Football has a net too,” the Doctor says.

“And tennis.”

“I might just start calling every human sport ‘netball’ and see how angry they all get.”

Missy frowns. “I thought I was here to learn how to be nice to the wee humans.” She raises her eyebrows, tilts back in her chair. “You’re a bad example, you are.”

This is what they do now, this talking without really talking. Lots of words that say nothing at all.

he wants to connect with her so badly, but nothing they say has any meaning. they're just talking, blandly, about what's in front of them. they're there, together, but there's no connection. you can be lonely even when you're with other people

then Missy plays the piano for him (and there's NO duet, which as I'm sure you know, means that there is NO INTIMACY)

sex joke:

When the Doctor gets back to his office, Nardole is reclined in his favourite armchair, reading a saucy magazine. The Doctor peers over his shoulder.

‘HIS SECRET SEX SPOTS’, the article screams, ‘HOW TO PLEASE YOUR MAN IN THREE EASY STEPS’.

“Why are you reading that?” he asks before he can stop himself. Nardole looks up and fixes him with a look. “Actually don’t tell me.”

“I’ve got a boyfriend.”

The Doctor blinks. “What about Sharon?”

Nardole sighs loudly. “Haven’t you heard of polyamory?”

“Your spare head hasn’t told me about a boyfriend.”

“Oh!” Nardole says, narrowing his eyes. “Is that why you wanted him? To gossip about my comings and goings?”

“I definitely don’t want to know about your comings,” says the Doctor.

sorry i promised not to just laugh at my own jokes but honestly why else would i be here

they do this for a while. then Bill catches them.

“What are you doing?!” someone squawks.

Instinctively, the Doctor surges up and flings Nardole’s head clear across the room.

It’s Bill, standing in the doorframe, backlit by the light from the corridor. She’s looking at him, her face a picture of pure shock. Horrified. “Did you behead Nardole?”

oof. poor Bill, she goes through so much.

she drags Nardole to the office, and

He swings his feet back to the floor, turns to the two of them. Three of them. “You know,” he starts, “that I have been alone since my wife – left me.”

“Died,” Spare Head Nardole supplies.

Bill’s mouth drops open. “You’re married?”

Main Head Nardole elbows her. “He was.” He spins the photo of River on the Doctor’s desk around, making as if to grab it, and the Doctor is suddenly furiously, furiously angry. He slaps Nardole’s hand away.

“Do you mind!” he snaps, and clutches River’s picture close to his chest. His breaths are coming harsh and ragged, his throat tightening again. “I have been alone,” he says at last, “for seventy years. Alone in this office, in this building, in this city.” He puts the picture frame back on the desk, focusses on straightening it out, puts it perfectly in its place. “So yes,” he says, and breathing is coming easier now, “we came to an agreement. Me and him.” He gestures to Spare Head One.

“Him and me,” Spare Head One says.

“I see,” Bill says after a moment. The Doctor has hopes that that will be the end of it, that these two might piss off now, but then Bill ruins it by continuing to speak. “So you’re lonely.”

he can't even say it, that's the worst thing. he can't even say "she died" because it hurts too much. easier to say she just left. easier. better. because then maybe she'd come back.

Nardole doesn't let that happen though. he's someone that just like... says things, as they are. he just says it. she's dead. Bill's the same. you're lonely.

she's dead, you're lonely.

honestly wtf would the Doctor do without these two.

Bill goes like... you literally have a girlfriend locked up downstairs just talk to her for heaven's sake

Bill snatches up Spare Head One, who lets out a small squeak, and turns to the door. “How about we just go and get everything sorted out? Communication’s what it’s all about, you know!”

yeah Bill! comminication IS what it's all about

the problem with her plan - which is, as far as I can tell, "get the two weird Time Lords to speak to each other, maybe" is that she forgot to account for Missy being as weird as shit as well

Missy cackles. “Of course he doesn’t.” She whips the mango off the shelf and plunges her hand into the base of it. “That’s because he’s here!” And with a dramatic spin, she whips out another Spare Head from inside the mango.

“What was he doing under there?” Bill asks, baffled.

Missy rubs her nose. “Well,” she says, pointing at Spare Head One, “he offered.”

“So you fixed him,” Bill says, “and then you just shoved him under a thing on a shelf and – left him there?”

“No,” says Missy. “I bring him out from time to time.”

Bill frowns. “What for?”

Missy’s painted-red lips spread into a wicked smile. “Kissing.”

Bill blinks at her for a second, and then rolls her eyes. “Jesus Christ,” she says. “You two deserve each other.”

there's like... symmetry to it, right? synergy. they were lonely, there were some spare heads floating around, why not have a snog

OBVIOUSLY their problem is that they don't TALK to each other, they don't acknowledge their pain and they just like... cope, in the worst possible ways. but also i think it's funny so that's why i did this

the mango is obviously a reference to my other missydole fic, where Nardole gets his head stuck in a mango

obviously

THEN we get to the REAL weird bit

“Doctor,” she says, voice low, and hands him the head. “Kiss him for me?” The Doctor chokes on his own spit. “I want to watch.”

The Doctor turns his eyes to Nardole, who twitches his forehead in a way that might mean might as well, or might mean get away from me. Slowly, he leans in. Nardole’s eyes get big and round, but he doesn’t say anything, and as their mouths touch he lets out a soft sigh. The Doctor pulls away again and turns his head back to Missy. He raises an eyebrow. “Happy?”

“Very much,” she says, and plucks Nardole out of his hands.

“No, sir, don’t let her!”

“Oh,” Missy says, nostrils flaring, “I fix your head but I’m not allowed a little thank you kiss?”

Nardole narrows his eyes. “Only if you fix me, too.” He sniffs, and darts his eyes over to Spare Head Two, who sits still on the piano watching them all silently. “Like you did him.”

“Done.”

“Oh fine then,” grumbles Nardole, and she presses a dry, almost chaste kiss against his lips. When she pulls back, he has the impression of her lipstick all over his mouth.

“Your turn again,” she says throatily, and passes Nardole back to him. The Doctor leans in again and licks the lipstick off his mouth, smearing the red between the two of them. Missy leans in and whispers in his ear, breath hot, while he does, “It’s almost like you’re kissing me, by proxy, isn’t it?” He grunts, and kisses Nardole harder.

They part with a slick sound, and the Doctor eyes Nardole’s mouth with satisfaction, the faint pink stains all over his lips. He runs a finger over them. Missy leans over, and as the Doctor turns his head she kisses him on the corner of his mouth, pulling back with an irritated scowl.

"You were aiming for my cheek, weren't you?" he accuses.

“Give him to me,” Missy says, and he complies. She stands, Nardole clutched close to her chest, and wanders over to the piano stool which opens to reveal a full tool set. She grabs a screwdriver, and starts fiddling around in Nardole’s neck.

“Oh, we’re done, are we?” the Doctor says, trying not to sound petulant, and not really succeeding.

She gives him a disdainful glance. “Wanted more, did you?”

look i just want things to be awful and horrible for them all. like these are literally such rancid vibes. i think it's funny.

(oh, another note - in my FIRST publishing of this fic, did the Doctor and Missy kiss? no. did you come sobbing into my DMs about it? yes. did I write an entirely new bit just for you? yes)

i think. there's probably a version of this where they talk more. they open up to each other more. but i liked this more quiet, subdued version, where Missy fixes the other head, and it's more about what's implied than what's outright stated. i mean, yes, i love a good love confession, but i think there's almost something more intimate about this quiet understanding.

they've kissed, she's fixing something.

he knows things are going to be okay.

and, last words to the Doctor and Bill:

“I didn’t mean to make you feel bad,” she says. “I’m sorry. You can – obviously, you can do what you want.” She swallows. “I didn’t know about your wife.”

Oh. The Doctor puts the essay back on the desk, and opens his arms. Bill burrows into them, resting her head on his shoulder. “It’s okay,” he murmurs. “You didn’t know.”

“How long?”

“We’re time travellers, it’s difficult,” he deflects. She doesn’t say anything, but pulls back and gives him a look. “About seventy years.”

Bill smiles sadly. “That’s a long time,” she says, “to be alone.”

The Doctor looks down at her hand, and holds it in his own. He smiles at her. “I’m not alone,” he says. “Not any more.”

YEAH

i guess that's sort of explicating what was implied in the previous scene. he's not alone. he's got friends. he's got a plethora of spare heads. and he's also got Missy.

i think OBVIOUSLY i wanted this story to be funny and silly and wild and i wanted the Doctor to have a really embarrassing time snogging a robot head, but i also was really trying to say something about what it feels like to be lonely, and i am like, genuinely proud of it. i think it's probably one of the best things I've written.

i wrote it at a really horrible time in my life, like i said, and i don't really remember writing it for the most part. reading it back was actually like.. good. which is honestly so nice.

like, i wrote this for like two people (hi), and myself, and it's very much my brand of humour, which is that it's funny but it's also sad because i think funny hits harder when it's balanced on the knife edge of tragedy.

SO. YEAH.

~~fin~~

[the-blind-assassin-12]

This post is being edited with tumblr’s new 👻 afterlife editor 👻 which allows one to keep screaming into the void after they’ve left this earthly plane.

I’m happy that I have been selected as a beta-tester for this new function, as @something-tofightfor just sent me chapter 9 of Aphelion and without access to 👻 afterlife editor 👻 there would be no way for me to inform you all that you are NOT READY for what is coming your way.

👻 you have been warned 👻

[whatiwillsay]

submission:

thanks eggs! im gonna add in some more dates of early swiftgron

*******************************************************

Speak Now tour arm lyrics:

Swiftgron meet cute day: “Tell me everything you want to hear – like that was your favorite year.” – Dixie Chicks, Favorite Year. Power Balance Pavilion in Sacramento, California on September 3, 2011.

“You’re just somewhere that I’ve been and I won’t go back again.” – Selena Gomez, Ghost Of You. Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon on September 6, 2011.

“You are the ever-living ghost of what once was.” – Band of Horses, No One’s Gonna Love You. Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Washington on September 7, 2011.

“There was always something that meant more to you than me.” – Jessica Andrews, There’s More To Me Than You. Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on September 10, 2011.

“Where were you when the world stopped turning.” – Alan Jackson, Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning). Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on September 11, 2011.

“Be a best friend. Tell the truth. Overuse ‘I love you.'” – Lee Brice, Love Like Crazy. Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee on September 16, 2011.

“This one’s for the girls who love without holding back.” – Martina McBride. This One’s For The Girls. Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee on September 17, 2011.

“Love, save the empty and save me.” – Erin McCarley’s Love, Save The Empty. CenturyTel Center in Bossier City, Louisiana on September 20, 2011.

“Do you realize that you have the most beautiful face?” – The Flaming Lips, Do You Realize. Bank of Oklahoma Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma on September 21, 2011.

*Dianna Agron and Naya Rivera kiss as their Glee castmates cheer them on at the Governors Ball. - September 21*

“I hope you know that even if I don’t, I wanted to.” – Rachael Yamagata, Even If I Don’t. Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri on September 24, 2011.

“But it flew away from her reach so she ran away in her sleep and dreamed of paradise.” – Coldplay, Paradise. Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado on September 27, 2011.

“Little girl, you’re in the middle of the ride.” – Jimmy Eat World, The Middle. Energy Solutions Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah on September 28, 2011.

“Just as free, free as we’ll ever be.” – Zac Brown Band, Free. Phillips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia on October 1, 2011.

“No telling where it will take you, just live your life.” – T.I. [feat. Rihanna], Live Your Life. Phillips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia on October 2, 2011.

“It’s easy saying nothing when there’s nothing to say.” – KT Tunstall, Fade Like A Shadow. Verizon Arena in Little Rock, Arkansas on October 4, 2011.

“She’s out there on her own and she’s alright.” – Shawn Colvin, Sunny Come Home. New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana on October 5, 2011.

“A little voice in my head said don’t look back, you can never look back.” – Don Henley, Boys Of Summer. Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas on October 8, 2011.

“Through autumn’s advancing we’ll stay young, go dancing.” – Death Cab for Cutie, Stay Young, Go Dancing. KYC Yum Center in Louisville, Kentucky on October 11, 2011.

“Can you still feel the butterflies? Can you still hear the last goodnight?” – Jimmy Eat World, For Me This Is Heaven. United Spirit Arena in Lubbock, Texas on October 14, 2011.

“I hope to God I would’ve done something good with my life.” – Ronnie Milsap, My Life. Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on October 15, 2011.

“Memories fade, like looking through a fogged mirror.” – MGMT, Kids. Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California on October 20, 2011.

“May angels lead you in. Hear you me my friends.” – Jimmy Eat World, Hear You Me. Jobing.com Arena in Phoenix, Arizona on October 21, 2011.

“Where love is just a lyric in a children’s rhyme, a soundbite” – Keane, Is It Any Wonder? AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas on October 25, 2011.

“And I never saw blue like that before. Across the sky. Around the world.” – Shawn Colvin, Never Saw Blue Like That Before. Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas on October 26, 2011.

“Cause happiness throws a shower of sparks” – The Fray, Happiness. Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky on October 29, 2011.

“But darling, I wish you well on your way to the wishing well” – Patty Griffin, Nobody’s Crying. FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee on October 30, 2011.

“It’s love’s illusions I recall. I really don’t know love at all.” – Joni Mitchell, Both Sides Now. Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas on November 5, 2011.

“Birds flying high you know how I feel.” – Nina Simone, Feeling Good. Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida on November 11, 2011.

“I could rest my head knowing that you were mine.” – Guns N’ Roses, November Rain. St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida on November 12, 2011.

“Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly.” – Anonymous. American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida on November 13, 2011.

“I feel lost again but this time for the best.” – Gregory & the Hawks, For the Best. Time Warner Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina on November 16, 2011.

“We learned more from a 3 minute record than we ever learned in school.” – Bruce Springsteen, No Surrender. RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina on November 17, 2011.

“Where would we be today, if I never drove that car away.” – Darius Rucker, Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It. Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina on November 18, 2011.

“May these memories break our fall.” – Taylor Swift, Long Live. Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York on November 21, 2011.

“Bring all the pretenders, one day. We will be remembered.” – Taylor Swift, Long Live. Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York on November 22, 2011.

*Dianna (and Karlie) tweet in response to Taylor’s vogue shoot* - January 17 2012

“I am on a lonely road and I am traveling, traveling, traveling.” – Joni Mitchell, All I Want. Burswood Dome in Perth, Australia on March 2, 2012.

“We sleep underneath the same big sky at night. And dream the same dream we can fly.” – Chantal Kreviazuk, In This Life. Adelaide Entertainment Center in Adelaide, Australia on March 4, 2012.

“She said watch your back, I’m nobody’s girlfriend” – Matt Nathanson, Modern Love. Brisbaine Entertainment Center in Brisbane, Australia on March 6, 2012.

“The war outside your door keeps raging on. STOP KONY 2012” – Taylor Swift, the Civil Wars and T. Bone Burnett, Safe And Sound. Brisbaine Entertainment Center in Brisbane, Australia on March 7, 2012.

“Go cut through the noise so you can know what love sounds like.” – Natasha Bedingfield, Neon Lights. Allphones Arena in Sydney, Australia on March 9, 2012.

“If things go right we can frame it and put you on a wall.” – Ed Sheeran, Lego House. Allphones Arena in Sydney, Australia on March 10, 2012.

“We Love our lovin’ but not like we love our freedom” – Joni Mitchell, Help Me. Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia on March 12, 2012.

“Last time I talked to you, you were lonely and out of place.” – Our Lady Peace, Somewhere Out There. Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia on March 13, 2012.

“All romantics meet the same fate somehow.” – Joni Mitchell, The Last Time I Saw Richard. Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia on March 14, 2012.

“Keep your feet ready, heart beat steady, keep your eyes open” – Taylor Swift, Eyes Open. Vector Arena in Auckland, New Zealand on March 16, 2012.

“Every lesson forms a new scar” – Taylor Swift, Eyes Open. Vector Arena in Auckland, New Zealand on March 17, 2012.

“You know wherever I am, I’ll come running to see you again” – James Taylor, You’ve Got A Friend. Vector Arena in Auckland, New Zealand on March 18, 2012.

**Taylor goes home (running to see someone again?) and The Swiftgron spring kicks off and all these two girls do is hang out all spring and summer**

[ragnarachael]

Spring Has Sprung

Pairing: Peter Parker x Stark!Reader

Word Count: 2,883

Summary: Spring Break meant coming home and running away from your problems for a week or two. However, the second Peter Parker comes to your place to crash for a few days, you figure out that your problems followed you into the comfort of your own home. (request)

Author’s Ramblings: hello and welcome to rachael is getting her shit together and churning out all of the requests she has! this is one of four that i’ve got on the roster, and hopefully this productivity stays for a hot minute so i can get all this content out for y’all! stay safe and i hope you enjoy!!

Warnings:  reader and peter get a lil spicy... but papa tony makes it 1000x more embarrassing for all of them before anything gets too crazy. READER AND PETER ARE 18+ COLLEGE STUDENTS!

MASTERLIST !  FEEDBACK !

“Mom?” You called out just as you got out of the driver’s side of your car, keys that were attached to your lanyard being shoved into your back pocket.

Morgan was first to pop her head up from where she was helping Pepper garden when she heard you shout before squealing your name and abandoning her work to rush to where you stood for a hug.

“Mo!” You exclaimed, laughing as you squatted down to her height to wrap your arms around her and scoop her up into a hug.

“You’re back!”

“Of course I am!” You exclaimed as you stood up straight, hugging her tightly into your chest, “it’s Spring Break!”

You and Morgan laughed together as Pepper caught up, a wide smile on her face as she worked on pulling her gloves off.

“How was the ride over?”

“Nothin’ I couldn’t handle.”

“You know you could’ve called—”

“Mom, I’m perfectly capable of driving myself to and from campus,” you replied sternly. Pepper didn’t hesitate to roll her eyes fondly and pull you into a hug and pressing a kiss to your head.

“I know that. But it’s just you drive like your father—”

“I do not!”

Morgan tried to pull her head from where it was trapped between yours and Pepper’s. “You do!”

You gasped and pulled away from Pepper slightly to let Morgan’s head out. “Excuse me? I drive like Dad?”

“Hey! Take that as a compliment, champ,” Tony shouted from the porch of the house, using his prosthetic hand to wipe off his real hand. “You drive great!”

“See!” You exclaimed, moving to put Morgan down after Pepper let you go. “I drive great.”

After properly greeting your father once you met him at the porch, you were quick to unpack your stuff from your car and start helping around where you could. Whether it be helping Tony tinker with something he was working on in the shed, or helping Morgan learn weed the garden while Pepper planted more fruits and vegetables.

Once you cleaned up from gardening, you convinced Morgan to draw you something for your dorm room while you offered to help with dinner for the night.

That's how you ended up in the kitchen with Pepper and Tony when there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it, it's probably the kid—"

"Wait, kid as in Peter?" You questioned suddenly from your position next to your mother, rolling up your sleeves so you could get ready to clean off some of the vegetables that were just picked this afternoon. Tony didn't hesitate to let out a yes in response before he disappeared into the hall that led into the foyer.

You took in a deep breath as you slowed rolling your sleeves up. You haven’t seen Peter since the summer, since your so-called.. relationship ended.

Or fling. Since it only really lasted a summer. You don't know what else to really call it.

Pepper said your name softly as she stood next to you, using the empty counter space to pretend she was continuing to prepare the ingredients as you both heard Tony and Peter carry their conversation to the den. You turned your head to look at her before putting on a smile, grabbing the head of lettuce she was passing you. 

"Sorry."

“You're fine, sweetheart," she started softly before you started to do your job rinsing. "Does this have to do with the past summer?” 

You couldn't fight back the sigh that passed your lips, making sure the running water got between the leaves of the lettuce. 

“Would you be shocked if I said yes?”

Pepper snorted softly, the sound of chopping coming from her spot next to you now. "No, I wouldn't."

"Why is he even here? Wasn't he going to be with May so he could see Ned and MJ?"

"Your father thought it'd be nice to give May and Happy some time off from babysitting—"

You let out a groan, throwing your head back as you momentarily stopped cleaning the head of lettuce. "Mooom."

"I know, I know. He's meddling. I told him to stop, but you know how he gets."

"Can I hide his arm again?" You questioned suddenly, checking the rest of the lettuce leaves now to give your eyes something to look at so you didn't try to poke your head out from the archway that led into the den to look and see what was happening. Pepper was definitely scolding you as she gave you a stern no in reply. Part of you wanted to whine like Morgan does when she's told she can't have a popsicle before dinner, but another part of you knew you had to be an adult about this.

Even if you wanted to curl up and die right in this very moment.

You and Pepper worked in quick unison, getting everything for a quick side salad together before you both seperated, Pepper working on the main course while you were tasked with assembling the salad.

"Wait," you started slowly as you started to slice heirloom tomatoes on the cutting board you grabbed, "if May and Happy are out of town, he's just going to stay at their apartment while he's here, doesn't it?"

"I would think so," Pepper replied, starting to grab some seasoning for the chicken she was beginning to work on. "Unless your father's meddling goes deep."

"How deep are we talkin'?"

"Deep enough to where he's staying here until they're back."

"I really hope Dad doesn't hate me that much," you huffed, carefully moving the first set of tomatoes into the bowl where the lettuce was. "He would have consulted you first, obviously."

"Hey, Pep!" Tony shouted from the den just as you finished talking. 

"Yes?" She called back, leaning to her left to look out into the den. You were trying to pay attention until you heard Morgan running down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Hey, little miss!" You exclaimed as you tried to focus on cutting, "what'cha need, jelly bean?"

"I can't find my markers," she huffed, glancing at the countertops as she stood in the middle of the kitchen. "I'm so close to finishin' the drawing and I can't finish it without them."

"Check the den? If they're not there I'll let you use some of mine once dinner is done, okay?" You bargained successfully as Morgan smiled and agreed, making her way into the den before exclaiming Peter's name.

You really wish the night was over.

Once you finished the tomato you were on, you noticed that Pepper was no longer in the kitchen with you. You easily connected the dots and let out quiet groan, wishing you could put your head in your hands but continued assembling the salad.

Peter was definitely staying until May and Happy were back. You didn't want to admit it to yourself, but you had to face the facts. Your father, Tony Stark, was trying to meddle and he may or may not hate you—although, you knew you were being dramatic. But you're a Stark. You don't know how else to react.

Pepper was conversing with Peter as she walked back in. You knew your assumption was right as you heard her tell him that the guest room was actually finished this time around he could actually have a room to himself and not have to sleep on the couches in the den.

Although, that was in the summer. And he wasn't sleeping on the couches.

But she didn't need to know that.

You continued minding your own business as they continued to converse as you tried to find more things to chop to put into the salad, but everything was done. The salad just needed to be seasoned properly, and you didn't trust yourself to do that right now.

"Hey, Mom?" You questioned once their conversation had ended and Peter walked to the fridge. "Do you think I could actually help you with dinner tomorrow night?"

Pepper smiled sympathetically, nodding before she pressed a kiss to your forehead as she walked over to where you stood with the salad bowl.

"You're free to go. But you better help tomorrow night," Pepper said with a false stern tone that made you laugh a bit.

"Fine, if you're forcing me." You could feel the second pair of eyes on you after the fridge shut, but ignored it to walk into the den and tell Tony about how you'll be in your room until dinner is done.

Dinner was... tense. In almost every sense of the word. You were quiet while everyone was happily conversing.

You didn't expect Peter to affect you this much after having so much time away from him, and you hated this feeling almost as much as you hated the fact he was "stuck" here until May and Happy were back from wherever your father shipped them off to.

You'd have to ask when the hell they'll get back, you noted in the back of your mind as you shoved a fork full of the salad you had.

Tony tried to get you and Peter both to do the dishes, to which you asked if you could actually head up to your room because you weren't feeling well. He didn't even hesitate to say yes, probably noticing your discomfort. After a quick thank you, you were up the stairs while Morgan cheerily asked if she could have a popsicle.

Once you were in your room you let out a long, slow breath and leaned against your door, rubbing your face tiredly.

This wasn't how you planned Spring Break going at all. You wanted a nice time with your parents and little sister, maybe have a water balloon fight or two as well as a bonfire night you've been craving since the middle of the semester.

All somewhat ruined thanks to your father and his meddling.

You were certainly being extra about your anger, but you couldn't help it. You had no control over the situation, so you had no clue how to handle anything.

After having a small crisis against your bedroom door, you finally decided to get ready for bed. You chose a plain tee-shirt, trying to dig around to find your favorite pair of sleep shorts in your suitcase, only to realize you left them back in your closet in your dorm. You've never been so close to screaming.

Sadly, you opted for the pair of silk heart sleep shorts Peter gifted you as a joke on your birthday one year, since you had no other option before crawling into bed and under your covers so you didn't have to look at them too much.

While you were playing on your phone when there was a knock at your door that caused you to glare at the hardwood. You didn't want to ask who it was, you had a very, very good idea of who it could possibly be. You heard the creak of the door as it opened.

"Hey, can I uh, can I come in?"

And god, you hated it when you were right.

"I guess," you replied from your bed, shifting to stay under the covers as Peter carefully stepped into your room, closing the door behind him.

The tension was palpable as you stayed in bed while Peter looked around to notice some of the small changes. You couldn't help but let your eyes linger on his tight black shirt he wore with a pair of flannel pants.

"Look, I'm sorry."

"I'm sure you are," you replied, continuing to scroll on your Instagram explore page. "Sucks when you just get ignored for months on end and try to reach out only to get nothing, huh?"

You could tell that made Peter recoil.

"I should have told you—"

"Told me what, Pete?" You asked suddenly, sitting up straight in your bed, "that you were just looking for a summer fling? Is that all I was to you?"

"No!"

"Then what was I? Because clearly, we both don't know."

Peter sighed and let his hands rub over his face, moving to sit at your desk chair.

The silence was just as tense as it was at dinner between the two of you as he tried to work out his thoughts.

"I... I wanted it to be more," Peter said suddenly, letting his hands fall from his face to his knees. "I wanted us to be more than a fling. I just.. I-I didn't know how to tell you."

You blinked as you locked your phone, leaning over to place it on your nightstand before pulling yourself to the edge of your bed and pat the empty spot next to you. Peter wordlessly moved to the spot, sitting next to you.

"You wanted to be more?" You questioned softly, finally making sense of the situation. "Like... not just a "one time" thing?"

Peter nodded as he watched you speak, his hair slightly bouncing. He must have gotten out of bed for this specifically. You could feel the wheels in both your heads turning in this moment.

He wanted it to be more. More than a fling. An actual relationship, just like you wanted all those months ago.

"I know you're probably wondering—"

You leaned forwards and cut him off with a kiss. Your brain was cheering you on mentally as he kissed you back, his hands moving to cup your face and keep you close.

Sure, you'd have to talk out this whole situation later. How to make the long distance work with you attending NYU while he attends MIT and other things like that, but you just kept thinking about the fact he wanted to be more.

You scooted closer to Peter on the bed, deepening the kiss exponentially as you nudged his leg with yours before pulling away.

"Are you.. Is this your way of saying you also want it to be more than—"

"You can be a damn idiot sometimes, you know that, Pete?" You huffed, moving a hand to his thigh. "Obviously."

"Good," Peter said slowly, nodding as he took in your features for the first time since the summer. "Good."

"Now, are you gonna kiss me again or what?"

Peter let out a quiet laugh at your forwardness before diving back into a heated kiss, pushing you back onto your bed smoothly as his hands held his weight just above you so you could move your legs from the awkward position they were in if you wished.

And you did. However, you turned the tables on him by flipping the two of you over so Peter was on his back and you were straddling him this time. You weren't as smooth and had to disconnect from the kiss to laugh as you tried to position your hands near his head while he got a good look of your sleepwear.

"You're still wearing those stupid heart shorts I got you as a gag gift?"

"What? They're comfortable, Spider-Boy."

Peter let out a huff and moved his hands to pinch at the skin of your sides, "it's Spider-Man, Miss Stark."

You rolled your eyes as you leaned down to kiss him again, your lips brushing against his as you spoke: "like I care."

Peter couldn't hide his laugh against your lips as his arms wrapped around your middle to hold you on top of him, happily letting you kiss all the breath he had out of him.

Your kiss was just as intoxicating as it was in the summer, and he loved it.

Until Tony came barging in.

"Hey, I was just wanting—" Tony held the door open with his hand, old man glasses perched on the bridge of his nose as he watched the two of you instantly pull away from the kiss you were sharing. "—now is a bad time, isn't it?"

"Dad, I—" you started, pulling Peter's arms from your middle frantically as you practically flung yourself into your mattress and off Peter's lap.

"No, no!" Tony exclaimed softly, waving you off with his prosthetic hand as he started to slowly back out of your room, "don't worry about it! I'll talk to you in the morning about... This. The both of you."

"Mr. Stark—"

"In the morning," Tony said sternly, squinting at the both of you, trying to fight back a small smirk. "All I ask is the volume is kept to a minimum—"

"Dad! Oh my god—"

"And! Use protection and lock the door—"

"Oh my god," Peter mumbled to himself, rubbing his face with irritation and embarrassment.

"Goodnight!" Tony sing-songed, happily shutting the door behind him with a soft click as to not wake Morgan across the hall. You and Peter both groaned once you were sure you were alone. Both you and Peter's faces were flushed from the interaction as you laid on your bed, trying to get over the awkwardness your father just happily made for you.

"We're gonna get an earful in the morning," you sighed, shifting a bit to lean back on your elbows to look at Peter who just stared at your ceiling.

"Yeah, we are." Peter turned his head to look at you with a small, boyish smile. "I'd say it was worth it, though."

[a65232-joshywoshy]

Colorado Crybaby

Chapter 9     

     "I'm so sorry, Penny. I didn't mean to get you in trouble." Rachael reached out for her friend's hand.

     "Oh, Rachael, no." Penny snickered and smiled. "I'm not in any actual trouble. I'm not being assaulted or unjustly punished or anything. I mean, I will get my butt spanked, but I broke the rules. I broke a play agreement we had discussed a while ago. We're play partners. We set up a scene, like we did here, we have boundaries in place, and we still make sure to have some fun. Through this whole 'getting in trouble' thing, there wasn't one time where I got near any of her or my actual boundaries. I didn't ACTUALLY offend her. I broke her play rules…” Penny smiled a mischievous grin, “kind of on purpose."

     "Oh. Wow. I guess I don't know much about how that kind of relationship works." Rachael sat back in her chair and eyed Penny inquisitively.

     "Yeah. And we never do anything sexual. That's a hard limit. I mean, she'll spank my butt with her bare hand. She probably sees… me... but she doesn't touch anything. She's..." Penny giggled, remembering her past infantile states, "She’s my Mami. She's changed my diaper before. So she saw me all laid out, but we never do anything sexual. I mean, don't get me wrong. Once she leaves, or that night, I'll hump my brains out. But… that just works for us."

     "Okay.” Rachael was smiling. “That sounds like a lot of fun, honestly. Especially being babysat. It's partly terrifying, partly amazing."

     "Like she said, you can play with us this weekend, if you want. She's so much fun to be with. See, me calling her “V” was actually an agreed-upon trigger to begin a small play session. If she didn't want to, she would have started talking about how the weather will affect her outdoor plans. Veronica is a little annoyed by that name, so we decided to use that name as a starting point to escalate me getting in trouble. When I didn't tell you about the diapers I bought earlier today, that was on purpose, too.” 

     Penny continued. “Sorry. I'm supposed to announce the diapers to my close friends when they’re around. It's part of our agreement. If I don't acknowledge my little side by saying it out loud often enough, she forces me to acknowledge it when she’s around. When I don't acknowledge that side of me, I have a valid reason to be in trouble. I've let that side of me build up too much before and It wasn't good for me. It can take me to bad places, which is why she’s in my life. She helps me to stay leveled out. The bratty whining at the end was just me acting out, because it's so fun to do."

     “That… is amazing.” Rachael just kept smiling. “So you two have all these little phrases and words set up so that you can play…” Rachael gestured to the club. “Pretty much in public? That’s really cool. And nobody knows any different. I’m sure the dialogue is a little more laid back when it’s in public public, like at a movie theater or something.”

     “Of course. We don’t want any nilla’s getting their panties in a bunch. Do you want to go cuddle the giant teddybear now? I know I do. Just leave the…” Penny huffed, “diapers... here. No one’s going to touch someone else’s diapers.”

     Penny got up and walked over to the bear in the corner of the room. She plopped down next to it, rested her head on its arm and closed her eyes. Rachael followed her over to the bear. As she walked across the room, she was much more aware of the diaper under her shorts. Penny was padded, too. She had almost forgotten. A couple to her left were wearing onesies as they shared a plate of nachos. A woman to her right sucked on a pacifier as she played a game on her phone. There was an aura of familiarity to the room and Rachael felt like she was in her element. She felt as though she belonged here, with these people. It was a group of people who didn’t know each other, but had at least one common trait. They were people whom she could immediately identify with, at least in part.

     "Can I borrow your sweater?" Rachael was starting to get cold, just like Penny had predicted.

     "Of course.” Penny snickered. “Silly babies like you don't know how to plan ahead." Penny smiled as she took off her sweater to hand Rachael, then leaned back against the bear.

     Rachael put on the sweater, then sat down cross legged on the other side of the bear. She looked over at Penny.

     "Silly babies like Penny get in trouble for not following instructions." Rachael grinned at Penny again.

     "Well… " Penny blew raspberries at Rachael and they both chuckled.

     It was fun to act childish. They both believed that adulting was too hard, at times. It seemed like the best way to wind down was taking time to be childish, play, and relax. They had both heard their grandparents say that retaining youthfulness was best accomplished by acting somewhat childish. So acting childish, at times, was a key to retaining youth. The girls fully intended to do their best to act childish when they could get away with it.

     "Penny, I'm thirsty. What do they have to drink here?"

     "Only the finest of concoctions, prepared by artisan crafters and aged to perfection." Penny looked at Rachael with a mock seriousness. "Strawberry… or chocolate. The flavor is but a minor choice, for the decadent liquid which you will consume will satisfy your palate in ways you've never imagined.”

     Rachael laughed. "You are ridiculous. What do they sell here, thousand dollar wine?"

     "Strawberry or chocolate? Pick!" 

     "Chocolate, ma'am."

     "As you wish, my lady." Penny got up and bowed at Rachael. "I shall fetch the lady her royal beverage."

    “Thank you, Penny!” Rachael put on her best British accent. “Mr. Bear and I will discuss your exceptional service while you’re away. Hurry, now.”

     Penny laughed as Rachael watched her walk away. Rachael marveled at how wonderfully silly and adorable she was. She could see that Penny's dress had caught on the diaper underneath. Nothing showed from underneath, but Rachael couldn't help but stare at the distinct fold in the fabric that was caused by fabric hung on something underneath. 

     “Mr. Bear,” Rachael watched Penny walk towards the bar as she started a pretend conversation with the bear. “I like that girl. I mean, I really like her. She’s sweet, smart, fun, kind of a rebel at times. She’s a diaper girl, which is, of course, amazing. I mean, for so long, I thought I wanted a guy. But, I mean, it’s really just different parts. People are people. She's got a great personality. She’s just a great person to me. She might have literally saved my life today, too, Mr. Bear. Some scary dude came up to me and Penny drive him off like it was nothing. She’s perfect, Mr. Bear.” 

     Rachael sighed and leaned back against the bear's shoulder, still watching Penny order drinks from the barkeeper.           

     “Part of me wants to throw myself into a serious relationship with her, but another part says it’s too soon. I mean, we’ve known each other for 5 years, so we’re not strangers. We took a nap in the same bed today. We’re close friends that are getting closer as time goes on. She’s coming back.”

     Rachael whispered as Penny started to walk back. “Are those bottles? We’ll talk later, Mr. Bear. Thanks for listening.”

     Penny came back with two baby bottles, both larger than normal. One had strawberry milk inside, the other had chocolate. Penny stuck one of the bottles in Rachael’s mouth as she sat in the bear's lap to face Rachael.

      "Hey!" Rachael mumbled through the bottle, smiling all the while.

     “See? Finest of concoctions.” Penny started to drink her bottle unashamedly, seeming to have done this before.

     Rachael blushed slightly, having had a baby bottle shoved in her mouth. She took a drink of the cold chocolate milk, enjoying the richness of it. 

     “This is good,” Rachael said, taking a break from drinking. “And out of a baby bottle. You’re right. This place is amazing.” Rachael smiled and continued drinking.

     Penny sat and drank her bottle, staring at Rachael all the while. She was enjoying watching Rachael in her element. She could tell the experience was still a little new, but Rachael was taking to it quickly. Penny had felt uncomfortable for the first several times here, too. After having visited for over 2 years, drinking a bottle here was as comfortable to Penny as breathing.

     “Penny?” Rachael had been too busy looking around the room to notice Penny staring at her. 

     “Yeah?” 

     “I like you.” Rachael smiled brightly as she looked at Penny.

     “Well, I like you too, silly.”

     Rachael blushed a little more.

     “No, I mean, I LIKE you like you.”

     Penny had caught Rachael’s meaning.

     “Oh.” Penny smiled back at the woman sitting beside a giant stuffed bear. “I… um… I like you too, Rachael.”

      Penny looked away, though she was happy to hear how her friend felt about their relationship.

      “Do you want to… you know…” Rachael’s cheeks burned red now.

      “Date or have sex?” Penny’s cheeks started to turn red now. 

      "What?! No!" Rachael laughed. "Sorry. Date. Can we start dating?" 

     Meekly, Penny said, “Yes. Who could be better to date than your best friend?" She smiled.

     Rachael moved to be between the bear’s legs, next to Penny, who was sitting on a leg. She wrapped her arms around Penny’s waist. Penny wrapped her arms around Rachael’s neck.

      “I love you, Penny… DeLa Cruz.”

      “Wait. Whoa. Why did you pause? Are you so blushy that you forgot my last name?”

      They both laughed.

     “No. I forgot your middle names that Miss Veronica said.”

     Penny huffed. “But then you’ll know my full name for when I’m in trouble.”

     “But it’s part of who you are, Penny. I really want to know everything about you. Including your middle names! Which you have a lot of, by the way.”

     “Yeah, it’s a common thing for us Mexican girls." She sighed. "My full name is Penny Rosita Eleana De La Cruz. You better not repeat that ever again.”

     Rachael laughed. “I won’t. I know your whole name is to be used in emergencies only. It’s very pretty, though.”

     “Thank you. Drink your milk. You drink so slow.” Penny continued drinking her bottle. It was half way gone already. Rachael had barely drank a fourth of hers.

     “Hey. I’m not a baby bottle guzzling champion like you, Penny. I guess you really are a baby if you know how to drink from a bottle fast.” 

     They both smiled.

     “I guess maybe I am kind of a baby.” Penny said. Having Rachael here with her at the club was helping Penny feel more comfortable with herself as well.

     "I'd rather you be a complete and total baby than be like Nick. I hope I never meet another soul that's like him." Rachael shivered.

     Penny moved to sit beside Rachael, between the bear's legs.

     "It's been a while since you talked about him. He was the guy who started trying to gaslight you, right? The guy who wanted to convince you that he was the best thing since sliced bread?"

     "Yeah. That Nick. Can we get out of here? I don't want to talk about him here."

     "Yeah. We can go. We've done everything I wanted to do here. I just wanted you to see this place."

     The two got up and walked back to their table where they picked up the box of diapers. They walked back out, said goodbye to Pablo and got back into Penny's car.

     The mention of Nick put Rachael in a bad mood. She was quiet as Penny drove to Rachael's house. Penny didn't say much, either. She only commented about other drivers on the road on occasion. Penny knew that Rachael would need some time and space to relax.

     They finally arrived at Rachael's house, and Penny got out to take her box of diapers inside.

     "I'm so happy I got to hang out with you today, Rachael. I know you just want time and space… just… call me if you need me."

     Rachael had been lost in her head for several minutes, but she still processed what Penny had said. Rachael didn't want Penny to go, but she knew they both needed to get ready for work tomorrow. They had to go back to being adults, living their separate lives again.

     "Thank you for today, Penny. You make me so happy." 

     Rachael kissed Penny on the cheek. It was the first time their faces had ever touched. Penny smelled wonderful to Rachael. There wasn't any particular scent to her. She just smelled like Penny. Rachael's lips had felt her warm cheek against them and it felt wonderful.

     Penny hugged Rachael. 

     "I'll see you at work tomorrow, okay, kid?" 

      Penny kissed Rachael's forehead, then turned to go back to her car.

      "I love you, Rachael."

      "I love you too, Penny."

[dragon-kazansky]

One year special

Chapter one - The pickup and arrival

In any spare moment I get, I like to write. There are so many movies and shows I loved immersing myself with, and nothing makes me happier than sharing my stories with other people. Through my writing I have made many friends who share the same interests, so you could say I'm grateful all these shows exist.

I just never expected the characters to be grateful back.

On this day I had every intention to carry on writing and finish those requests I've slowly been working on, but I suddenly have other plans. An envelope, one that stood out among all the other mail, caught my eye. I toss everything else to the side as I open it. My name is written neatly on the front. Inside is an invitation, written in the same neat handwriting.

Rachael

You are invited to the one year anniversary of your fanfiction on tumblr party!

As a thank you from us to you.

Be ready by 6PM, your pick up will be there on the dot.

See you soon!

Your extremely grateful muses.

I smile, despite being very confused. After all, there is no way the characters I write for are real. I'm happy to know someone out there put in the effort to thank me with a pretend party invitation. Some people are super creative like that!

Putting the invitation to the side I go up to my room and turn my computer on. I change into some comfortable clothes, not wanting to wear my work clothes any longer, and go put on the kettle for a well needed cup of tea.

I pull out my phone to scroll through tumblr. Of course there is plenty of Doctor Who and Dracula on my dashboard. I scroll, like and reblog some of the posts I see, while also wondering which requests to finish and post tonight.

I pay no mind to the time.

I make my cup of tea and head back upstairs to start writing. I manage to get one request done and decide to post it right away. 

It's 6PM.

I post the request and prepare to carry on with another while I wait for dinner. Just as I type the next sentence, I hear a noise.

It's a noise I'm very familiar with, but I'm sure I'm going mad. I had long since changed my ringtone from that noise, and I know my sister doesn't watch the show unless I'm watching it downstairs.

Actually, that noise sounds really loud. It's as if it's right outside. Luckily my desk is right by the window. I pull back the curtain and peer outside. Across the road, opposite my neighbours house, is a gate that leads to a private residential area. There is space there for cars to turn around, but it's currently occupied by a big blue box.

I blink slowly. That's not possible.

I grab my coat and hurry downstairs and out the house. It's as if no one else has noticed the big blue box across the road. No one in my house has acknowledged it being there.

I hurry across the road and look up at it.

I'm confused, but I'm also excited. I've been watching Doctor Who since Matt Smith took over the role, so any sign of a TARDIS would make me smile, no matter if it's a prop or a design on a bag.

I have the urge to reach out and place my hand on the door. Being a fan I know that in the show the TARDIS is alive, the Doctor does this often. I wasn't expecting anything, just me being my nerdy self and pretending for just a moment that I'm the Doctor. A chuckle to myself. I'm glad no one is around to see me.

Though I could feel a faint vibration. Either I'm going mad or this is a really accurate prop.

I step back to look it over again. Even if it is a prop, what is it doing on my street? My street is surrounded by more streets and the fair doesn't come to town until May.

Before I can think too much about this, the door flies open and I have no idea what's going on any more. A familiar blonde pokes her head out and smiles when she sees me. She steps out and comes a little closer to me.

"There you are! Though I would have come to your door. Hmm, I'm sure they said to get ready on the invitation, do you need more time? Good thing I have a time machine." She smiles. "You can get dressed on board if you like. We'll arrive right on time."

I blink slowly.

"I'm sorry…. What?"

She furrows her brow at me.

"You are Rachael, right?"

"Yes…" I look her up and down. This is very obviously Jodie Whittaker. She's in costume and she just stepped out of the TARDIS. There are no cameras and the last season only just finished, so no way they have started series 13 yet.

"I'm here to pick you up, you're very important to the party, so I need you to come with me." She smiles softly.

"I'm confused. Can you start from the beginning?"

The Doctor looks a little amused.

"You're Rachael. I'm the Doctor. This is the TARDIS. There's a party in your honour to thank you for all you do. Lots of people will be there to thank you. You did get the invitation didn't you?"

"That was real?"

"Yes."

I did wonder how it got delivered to my house. None of my followers knew my address and none of the people I knew had any idea about my blog.

"That makes sense…. I guess? Wait… so you're real?" I look her up and down again. "You're actually the Doctor?"

She stands there and nods.

I smile.

"Can I do something?" I ask her.

"Uh, sure, I guess. What are you going to do?" She sounds concerned.

I smile and step closer. I wrap my arms around her gently and slowly. I smile when she tenses in my embrace.

"Thank you." I whisper.

Slowly I feel her return the hug. I tighten my embrace a little and give her that well deserved hug. I can't see it, but I know she's smiling. I just know.

We part and smile at each other.

"So, that's actually the TARDIS?" I look over her shoulder.

She nods.

"Can I?"

She nods with an excited grin.

I walk past her and push the door open. This is a moment I had always wanted to experience. I smile as I take in the actual fact that it is bigger on the inside. I walk in and take in the console room.

"Wow."

The door closes behind the Doctor as she comes to stand beside me. She smiles at me.

"Like it?"

"I love it." I smile and walk over to the console. "It's so much better in person. I can't believe I'm standing in the TARDIS."

The Doctor comes up to me.

"It's an honour to have you on board. I'll have to make sure to take you on an adventure in the future." She smiles brightly at me.

This is totally like something I write about.

"I'd love that."

"Now, the wardrobe is down the hall to the left. Dress nicely, there will be a lot of people there." She gestures to the door behind me.

Right, the party. I nod and follow her directions, I'll fangirl over the TARDIS some more later. I hurry into the wardrobe and find myself at a standstill. There was so much to look at in here. I take some time to go through the outfits, passing some familiar clothes. I see a long brown coat, a fez, a long colourful scarf and a red velvet coat. I smile at each of them.

Further along are some nice outfits perfect for a party. I don't go out often, but I always try to look my best when I do. I pick something not formal, but smart enough to make a good impression. I had no idea who was going to be there, though I hoped to see some certain faces… hoping the Doctor wouldn't mind, but I wanted to put in some effort since they were throwing me a party.

When I'm done I go back to the console room. The Doctor inputs something into her console, which is a little overwhelming to see her do in person. I go up to stand beside her and she looks up.

She looks me up and down.

"You look good."

I smile.

"Thank you."

The Doctor looks at me for a moment longer and then turns away, putting the TARDIS in motion.

"I'll have us there right on time." She says, bot looking at me.

I continue to smile as I stand beside her.

I'm not sure where she's taking me, but it doesn't take us long to get there. The TARDIS lands and I watch as the engine comes to a stop. 

The Doctor looks at me and I smile at her. She seems to be thinking about something. I want to ask her what's on her mind, but she just holds out her hand. I smile softly as I take it. She gently squeezes my hand and takes me to the door. She steps out first and I follow her.

We're standing in a hall. The TARDIS has fit herself perfectly in an alcove in the hall, standing out of the way should any require walking past.

I can hear voices coming from behind the double doors up ahead. The Doctor takes me over to the door before letting go of my hand  and pushing them open. The voices grow louder and we enter, I'm shocked with the turn out. The room is full of people. People I write about because of how much I adore them and their adventures.

The Doctor smiles as she sees the expression on my face.

"Welcome to your party!"

The voices begin to quiet down when they notice I've arrived.

"Our guest of honour is here!" I hear someone say. Everyone claps and cheers.

This is surreal.

The Doctor stands a little closer to me and places her hand on my back as I look around the room.

"They've all come to celebrate."

"To celebrate me?"

"Yeah. You've done so much for us, so it's our turn to do something for you."

I can't express how happy this makes me.

To the left of the room I see a group of wizards I definitely recognise. Newt is standing with Tina and Queenie. Jacob is there too! He's waves, I wave back.

Grindelwald is standing not too far away from them, but it's obvious they're trying to avoid him. He's smirking over in my direction. 

I turn away and my eyes land on Lee Scoresby. Lyra and Roger are with him, their daemons obviously with them. They all wave and smile.

To my right, taking up a lot of the room, I see a lot of superheroes and villains. These range from Captain America to the Joker. It's strange to see them all in one room. Most of them are just smiling, others are pretending not to notice me. I chuckle.

Up ahead I see Crowley and Aziraphale. I know I'm going to have to go over and talk to them at some point. I have a couple of apologies to make.

Distracted by so many faces I recognise, I somehow miss a certain person coming up to my left. I went to look at the Doctor, but she had disappeared, I can see her walking further into the room, clearly trying to approach someone. As I turn around I'm startled by the giant beside me. I let out a little scream as I looked up at the handsome man.

Dracula was looking down at me smugly.

"I didn't hear you coming." I told him, feeling extremely small next to him. I'm only 5'3.

"I know." He's smirking at me. "It's called the element of surprise. I succeeded."

"Ha ha ha, well done." I roll my eyes, but I smile at him. "I'm glad you're here."

"It's my honour to attend." He grins, his teeth on show. "I have been looking forward to meeting you."

I blush softly and turn my gaze away from his sharp eyes. I can feel his gaze on me as I look elsewhere. I hear his deep chuckle and suddenly his arm is around my shoulders and he's leading me away from the door. I let him guide me further into the room.

"I hope you'll save me a dance later. I hear there's going to be karaoke too."

"That sounds fun! Though, maybe we shouldn't dance." I chuckle awkwardly.

"Why not?" He looks a little concerned.

"Oh no, it's nothing against you. It's just… you're so tall." I blush and look away again.

Dracula chuckles. It's a deep rumble through his chest which sends shivers down my spine.

"We can figure something out. I intend to dance with you at least once tonight." He lifts my hand to his lips and kisses my knuckles.

I blush once again.

Dracula lets go of my wrist and stands upright once again. I miss the glance over my shoulder that he sends to someone.

He looks back at me.

"I shall see you later, looks like someone else wants to speak with you."

I turn around and see someone I hoped would be here. I smile. I wondered if he would come and here he is.

The Master walks over to me as soon as Dracula walks away. I can't read his expression, but he at least doesn't look unhappy to be here.

"Hello." I say, smiling at him.

"Hello." He looks almost surprised by casual greeting. He knows I know who he is. I know they all know I know them.

"I was hoping you would be here."

"I really wasn't expecting that, but I'm glad you said it." He smiles. "I've been looking forward to meeting you."

I smile.

"You have?"

"Yes. You've been writing about me." He grins.

"Yes, I have." I grin back. "You're fun to write about."

"I hope so." He steps a little closer.

"I'm going to keep writing for you. As will others. You deserve all the happiness I can give you." My smile softens as I look at him.

His smile softens too.

"Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me." I tell him. "Just keep being you. Sure, you're insane and a danger to others, but that's part of why I like you so much."

"Just part?"

"Well, your wild personality is only part of you. Your handsome good looks might be another part." I chuckle. "Don't tell Dracula, he might get jealous."

"Will he?" He steps a little closer.

"Maybe." I whisper.

The Master smirks as he takes in my features. The silence that falls between us isn't awkward. It's so strange, yet so exciting to be standing in front of him.

"I should probably go say hello to some of the others." I say, shuffling on the spot.

"Alright. I'm not going anywhere, don't go forgetting about me." He smirks.

"Impossible. I couldn't even if I tried." I grinned.

The Master seems happy with my reply and leaves me to go greet the others.

I take a deep breath as I look around the room.

This is surreal. Super surreal.

I still can't believe this is happening, but at the same time, if it's a dream, I don't want to wake up.

I look around and decide to go greet some more people before the party actually gets going. There's so many people I can go talk to. People who I wrote about and adored.

This was going to be the best party ever.

[dementia-by-day]

How to call someone who isn’t alive anymore

This post is inspired by a question I received the other day on my Facebook page about my podcast. (So many mediums to find me!) Anyway, this reader asked about her mother, who constantly wants to visit and call her own parents. My reader is distraught by how frustrated her mother is—“Why don’t they ever visit or call me?”—and doesn’t know what to tell her. I completely understand, and I have a solution based on something I actually did years ago.

About three years ago, I was working at a dementia care community and sitting in my office when one of my residents approached. “Hey hun,” Renata started. “Can you help me with something?”

“Of course,” I smiled. “What’s up?”

“Well,” Renata paused. “I...haven’t heard from my son in a while...do you think I could use your phone to call him?”

Damn it, I thought. Renata’s son had died a couple years earlier. Certainly, I did not want to remind her of this awful fact, but how could I help her? She was asking me a very direct question with a very obvious solution. I thought quickly and responded, “Sure!”

I picked up my office phone and dialed my cell phone’s number. I waited until it rang a few times and heard the start of my voicemail, “Hi, you’ve reached Rachael Wonderlin...” and turned to Renata. “It’s going to voicemail,” I said. “Would you like to leave him a message?”

“Oh yes,” she said, accepting the phone. “Hi Lenny, it’s your mother...I hope you’re doing well, just wanted to check in with you. Please call me back soon and let me know how you’re feeling.”

She hung up and handed the phone back to me. “Thanks, hun,” she said, sighing lightly. “I feel a little bit better.”

Renata never asked about calling her son again. Instead of solving the FACTUAL problem—whether or not she could actually reach this man—I solved the emotional one.

This is how you solve a dementia-related “problem” like this: focus on the emotional problem, not the physical, tangible one. Use the tangible things around you to help the person feel better, like a phone call. Never, ever use these tangible things to convince that person that their loved ones have passed away. Instead, find ways to make them feel like they’ve done what they set out to do.

Learn more about what I offer.