#THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LETTING ME DRAW YOU AND MARIE!!! SHE'S SO CUTE OMG ❤❣🧡💕💛💞💚💙💓💜💗💘💖💝❤💟💞💌💗❤💜❣💚💞💕💛💖💓💗

[shy-nightmare]

Slice of Life

Finally. After four months, I completed a new gift drawing. This one is for our dear @lastofautumn. Autumn 🍂, THANK YOU SO, SO FREAKING MUCH FOR LETTING ME DRAW YOU AND YOUR BELOVED BABY PUMPKIN MARIE 🤗🤗🤗! I am so unbelievably sorry this took for-fucking-ever to finish 😭😭😭, but I really hope you enjoy this.

@weaselnerd, @spookiifi, @amberfox232, @heartsissopure, @imaginarytoon1, @just-kit-ink A.K.A. @thatnerdgirl7, @basiabd, @marinerainbow, @trashogram A.K.A. @mantisandthemoondragon, @los-angeles-toon-patrol, and @slashingdisneypasta A.K.A. @wicked1will0sparkles, I have a huge favor to ask. Marie sadly passed away this January of 2025, and I think we can all agree that Autumn needs a lot of comfort right now. Autumn, I am so, so sorry for your loss 💔. It is truly a horrible, tragic and unfair way to start a new year, so I have high hopes this long-overdue gift drawing gives you a sense of solace. You bring a beacon of light into our lives, and I’m absolutely certain Marie knew that herself 💛🧡💛

She will always be with you forever 🫂❤🫂

And if anyone else has gone through this heartbreaking experience too, please accept my deepest condolences 🙏. I also wrote a drabble because I felt like the twins should do something special to help Autumn heal.

Autumn and Marie belong to @lastofautumn (A.K.A. herself)

The Twisted Toonz Twins belong to me

~

The night was usually so comforting. While the days of gold bring long hours of sun-basking warmth and clear blue skies painted by iridescent beams of rainbow renewal blessed by the first few drops of spring rain, the night brings solace in its own way. The sky is a canvas of deep blue ink, providing a sense of serenity for weary travelers and lost souls lingering and seeking a restful slumber. True, one must never forget the foreboding tales of darkness, mystery and the unknown lingering in the shadows once the last few rays of light vanquish. However, words cannot describe the celestial wonders this world is blessed with.

The night is a black velvet curtain, studded with diamond stars and the moon is a glowing pearl. Like specks of fairy dust, the stars twinkle and shine miles beyond the limits of the sphere, radiating the immense, endless galaxy. Moonlight shares the same symbolism of a rainbow; renewal, beauty, and the unseen bridge between the earth and the divine. And the stars symbolize hope and light, as well as guidance during times of conflict and grieving.

And yet, there are no stars tonight. Not a single one.

Autumn sighed, “Figures.”

She had been standing out in the terrace of Bistro de Lumiere, an exquisite restaurant located in Uptown Toontown hosted by Lumiere himself, which included a lovely view of the lake on the second floor. The charming candlestick has really put in a lot of thought to ensure the guests feel welcome, she had to admit. Everywhere she went, the bistro was top-notch in not just having friendly staff, excellent food, music and chic décor. Candlesticks from all around added a touch of warmth and hospitality illuminating the establishment’s bright prosperity. Even the pillars were decorated with glimmering, silver gems of diamonds and pearls.

But despite their best efforts, it wasn’t enough.

It had been four months since the tragedy that completely shattered her life. Four months since Marie. And it had been the worst few months of her life.

Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, but she quickly sealed them shut and veiled them with her palm. Her throat hurt, even now after the champagne, and she struggled to take a calm, steady breath. It sounded shaky and heavy like the weight on her shoulders…and her heart. It hurts. Everything hurts so fucking much. No matter what she’s done, no matter how many days she spent trying to heal, it would never go away. The despair, the anger, the loneliness, and the pain. It felt like her heart had broken into a million pieces, their sharp shards stabbing her soul over and over again with merciless intent.

“It’s not fair,” she choked, wincing at how hoarse she sounded. “It’s just not fair.”

“Grief’s a bitch, ain’t it?”

Scared out of her wits, she turned her head so fast she could have gotten whiplash. For a moment, she panicked at the thought of coming across a stranger only to instantly felt at ease upon recognizing the newcomer.

“Tom!” she exclaimed agitatedly, her heart thundering and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She cursed, “Maldita sea, you scared the hell out of me! Was that really necessary?”

“Nice to see you, too,” the gunslinger greeted her, chuckling. He unzipped his jacket pocket and grabbed a lighter while digging out a small cigarette box from his pocket. Autumn caught a glimpse at the small black box labeled with white lettering contrasted by a bright red triangle for an A. She recognized the brand name. Djarum Black.

Tom caught her looking and politely offered the box. “Want one?”

She blinked back into consciousness and wanted to facepalm for zoning out. Her sleep schedule is off the rails, and it’s high time she gets some time-off. “Sure, thanks.”

She took one and like a gentleman, Tom lit the tobacco base for her. Autumn took a slow drag and exhaled a puff of smoke, and her lips pursed as her tastebuds adjusted to the flavor. Indonesian cloves; a subtly sweet flavor paired with other rich, sweet spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Added with a touch of bitterness, the flavor is intensely aromatic. Her nerves slowly but surely began to relax, and felt some of the tension leave her shoulders. Damn, Tom surely knows his smokes.

She exhaled a puff of smoke and talked.

Although it was nice to share a smoke with a buddy, her chest still felt sore from the immense waves of anguish flooding her heart with such intense force and pressure. She was parched, not from thirst, but from the endless hours of despair. Everything she shared brought a sense of relief, knowing that getting it all out helps tremendously, but at the same time it was torture feeling the claws distress and sorrow tearing at the heart piece by piece, relentless and constant. Grief really is a bitch, huh?

Her sweet little Marie. She rescued her when she was a kitten. A fuzzy little seedling, as small and adorable as a Jack-Be-Little. The moment she looked at her with eyes as wide as a doe’s and as radiant as jades, emeralds, aventurines full of love and innocence, Autumn knew she could give her the life she needed. The life she deserved. Life was nothing short of bliss, many years of endless joy, warmth, and companionship. Everything was perfect.

But now…

She hates how this year started. She hates it and its guts with a burning vengeance.

Autumn’s frustrated venting dried up, and she’s left with Tom staring at her. Cigarette limp in hand, and his eyes were solely fixed on her, not a single word spoken since she began sharing her grief. His eyes, known to pierce the hearts of even the coldest bastards and as black as the inky void, were so soft it’s almost hard to believe a feared horror Toon like him would ever allow himself to express a rare moment of sympathy. She ducked her head. “S-sorry, it…it just hurts.”

Tom stared a moment longer, then took a slow inhale of his cigarette. Autumn chanced a glance and the Twisted Toon Gang leader seemed…thoughtful, if not pensive. He slowly nodded, gesturing for her to go on when she was ready.  

She blinked, surprised. Then began to feel at ease knowing that she doesn’t have to mourn alone.

Turns out that despite being infamous for his reputation as a vicious vigilante with a fearsome temper (not to mention, a brutal kill count), Gunslinger Tom Toonz was a young man of humility and compassion. He hasn’t told her to stop. He never even interrupted her, not once. All he did was listen and provide a literal and metaphorical shoulder to cry on.

So Autumn continues to talk without a filter, and the constant shores of relief and heartache continue to flood over her, the waves rising and crushing. By now, her cigarette had reached half its course, but she really needed something to help her cope. And besides, it was sweet-flavored.

“This is so fucked up,” she said, her throat burning and her voice low and raspy. A gulp of fresh air could only do someone so much good, yet her lungs still felt constricted. She dabbed her eyes again with the handkerchief Tom offered, continuing, “It’s so fucking unfair. I mean, what kind of New Year’s is this?”

She gritted her teeth hard, her heart inflamed by thousands of fiery, angry embers. Her shoulders rolled, shuddering as a breeze of the evening spring wind blew past her as if attempting to help soothe her grieving. “I just…” she breathed out, mentally and physically exhausted due to fatigue. “I just want her to know that I loved her.”

“She does, Autumn.” Tom finally spoke for the first time.

The brunette turned to him again. His expression was grim and stoic, but the gentleness in his eyes never wavered. He took another deep drag, and exhaled, “That’s the thing about grief. It hurts like hell, but grief is a great act of love we give to those we loved. Where there is deep grief, there was great love.”

He caught Autumn glancing at him, and he instantly clicked his tongue, cursing. “Shit, sorry. Got a little sentimental—”

“No, no,” Autumn shook her head and smiled, “Please. I’d like to hear it.”

He was still for a moment, then elaborated. “What I mean to say is, just because her soul has moved on doesn’t mean she’s not here with you anymore. You gave her everything she needed; food, shelter, a place to call home, and above all…love. Your love for her gave her the strength and happiness she deserved in life, and she knows that to this very day. To her, you were her life, her happiness, her everything. That’s why she’s not really gone.”

Not really gone? Autumn titled her head, confused. “What do you mean?”

He let out another puff of smoke, chuckling sheepishly as he rubbed his nape. “I…I’m not good at this, so I think it’d be better if Twyla takes over the reins.”

Autumn blinked. “Twyla?”

“Hi, Autumn.”

“AAAHHH!” the human woman shouted, her heart pounding so loud she could’ve gone completely deaf as she palmed her chest, feeling the repetitive beats thump against her hand. She aimed her cigarette at the possible foe like a sword, only to groan exaggeratedly as her sleep-deprived brain recognized the second newcomer. “Twyla! You—ohhh, yyyooooouuu!!!” she wiggled her index finger at both of them, making them both laugh. “You guys don’t just sneak up on people! What’s wrong with you?!”

“Everything, apparently.” The ravenette shrugged, smirking. Her ears lowered, and her smile dropped at the sight of the Latina’s state before she placed a comforting, sympathetic hand on her shoulder. “I heard what happened. I am so, so sorry.”

“Thanks,” Autumn thanked her, but then raised a brow. “Wait. How do you know that?”

Twyla chuckled, pointing at her ear. “No man nor mouse gets past a wolf’s ears. Or even a mink’s, for that matter.”      

She carried on before Autumn would pry further, “So listen. I know this sounds silly, but…” she trailed, “I know how to help you with your grieving.”

Autumn blinked, more perplexed than ever. Bewildered was an understatement. Twyla can help her?

Her heart soared with full gratitude at the generosity of the younger woman’s wholesome offer. It would, in fact, be very nice to have more things to provide the comfort and solace she needed over these last couple of months. And since Tom was being so uncharacteristically nice tonight, who’s to stop her from accepting Twyla’s suggestion?

She nodded. “I’d love that, Twyla. Thank you.”

The strategist returned her nod. “No problem.” Then, she gently reached her hands up and instructed, “Hold my hands?”

Autumn lightly giggled but complied. Twyla’s hands held her in a gentle, steady grasp.

“Very good. Now, close your eyes and take a deep breath.”

She followed the horror halfie Toon’s instructions and took a slow, deep breath. The moment her eyes sealed shut, the world around her faded into obscurity. A soft wave of calming, tranquil energy slowly but surely began to take hold of her being as the two remained still and serene. Her shoulders, once stiff and rigid due to stress and grief, now fell content without the bulldozing, massive pressure weighing on her back. Every fiber of her, once tied and tangled into messy knots, now broke free and roamed aimlessly as she continued to breathe. And then, she felt a new sensation. Warmth. Now that the first blossom of spring bloomed, the days were much warmer and the nights were much gentler without the ice-cold remnants of snow biting at her skin. The warmth Autumn was feeling right now, it was as if she was lying on the lush, verdant grassy knoll, basking in the golden beam of sunlight blessed by the summer goddesses Aine and Auxo. It was a rare, but unforgettable kind of warmth. The background chatter from inside the bistro ceased in her ears, the remaining cacophony of rushing cars and traffic disappearing into the far corners of the Tooniverse. Everything was peaceful and quiet.

“Meow.”

Wait. Does that sound like…?

“Meow.”

Autumn opened her eyes…and her heart nearly exploded out of her chest.

Facing her with a pair of beautiful, pearl-white angel wings streaked in luminous streaks of gold, was a smiling, happy little tabby. Her pumpkin fur was as vivid and bold as she remembered, and as smooth and adorable as a baby Jack-Be-Little pumpkin. An intense aura of heavenly, angelic light surrounded her, radiating her celestial presence. Her eyebrows and tiny whiskers were also painted in bright, glimmering gold and every time she blinked, a trail of sparkling golden pixie dust bounced off her lashes. She was clad in a whimsical, but charming and delightful pumpkin-orange outfit decorated with tiny, smiling Jack-O-Lanterns, a satin green ribbon bow accented her neck like a necklace, and a small hat crowned her head, shaped like the stem right below her halo.

Her forehead face and forehead carried chocolate kisses, and her innocent doe-eyes shone as bright and radiant as jades, emeralds, and aventurines.

A waterfall of tears rolled down Autumn’s cheeks but not tears of sadness. Her wobbling lips pulled in a joyous, exhilarating smile as a newfound euphoria washed over her, and her soul ascended to the jubilant, overpowering waves of elation. Her heart, once broken and shattered into a thousand shards of glass, now repaired and held onto each other as she comprehended the fact that this was no joke. This wasn’t a dream. Her little Marie, her sweet little pumpkin, had returned to her.

“Marie!” Autumn cried out, and her darling cat meowed and trilled happily as she was taken in the brunette’s arms. Her little snow mittens held onto her as much as she could as Autumn embraced her lovingly, her wings fluttering and tail swooshing with equal excitement as she was once again smothered in kisses. Autumn held her with one arm while zooming over to yoink the twins in a one-armed bear hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she thanked them, sparing them no mercy.

The twins gasped out, unable to breathe. She was quite strong for a human. Fortunately, she eventually let them take a moment to regain oxygen as they watched her twirl Marie around, dancing the night away in the light of the full moon as she was cheered on by thousands of sparkling, diamond stars. They sang and danced with her, ringing the bells of heaven.

Tom was unable to hide a smile as he watched their companion rejoice in the joy of her reunion with Marie, playfully elbowing his sister’s shoulder. “You did good, Twy.”

“Speak for yourself, tough guy.” Twyla returned the gesture, right in the chest and leaving him gasping for breath as the wind was literally knocked out of him due to her enhanced strength. He nearly collapsed to the floor, hadn’t it been for the railing to grab onto.

The forensics specialist rolled her eyes, “Wimp.”

Tom glared at her in response, but eventually regained his composure once he was certain his sternum hadn’t been ruptured. While he straightened his collar, he glanced up at the moon shining down on him and couldn’t help but feel…melancholic. It’s been so long since he gazed at the moon on rarely peaceful nights such as this. Hell, he can’t even remember the last time he did it. It all felt so long ago, the memories buried deep in the shadows of a past that can never truly be forgotten, no matter how hard he tried. The stars twinkled again, albeit sadly as if they could sense his own grief and pain.

The fearsome gangster shook his head, forcing the demons out of his mind before they could rear their ugly, twisted claws into his skull and tear apart whatever remnant of sanity he had left. It’s over, he reminded himself. It’s over. I’m not the scared little runt I was before.

He took one final drag of his cigarette before joining the girls back to the bistro, and turned his back on the world once again.  

[mochi-chan-2006]

When all the kids are hurt. (Mystery)

* all children are injured *

Eric: Oww! It hurts me!

Annie: It hurts so much too!

Tiffany: SO FUCK ME!

Jack: I have a headache!

Kid Brittany (Fake Princess):Oh gosh! He looks very ugly from those bruises and wounds on me! l:(

Kid Isabella (Sporty):* Blood is running out of my nose * Oh my God my nose is running out of blood!

Maggie: I have a bruise on my eye!

Theodore (Son of Aaron):And my knee is bleeding and I can't stand and because of this pain I can't eat my lollipop!

Kid Amy (Artist):My hand hurts and I can't draw something!

Sam and Samantha: We are in pain!

Kid Peyton (Inventor V.2):It hurts so much!

Kid Mary (Spy):It was painful!

Kid Olivia (Bagger V.2):Ouch! It hurts me the same!

Eric: * He has an idea * Hey we have someone to heal us all!

Annie: Yes we know we have someone to heal! :)

Kid Mary (Spy): Yes! :D

Kid Brittany (Fake Princess):Yes...

Kid Amy (Artist): Brittany know who I have to heal these wounds and scars and they disappear without a trace!

Kid Isabella (Sports): We know who!

* All children will know*

All children: Chuck! :D

Kid Isabella (Sports): Yes! Called him and he will cure all of us of these injuries!

Tiffany: Yeah, and he'll heal the goddamn wounds!

* All the children of the children will shout "Kid Chuck (Medic)"to help them*

All the children: * Shout his name * Chuck Chuck we need your help!

*** in some room ***

* Hears someone calling Chuck for help *

Kid Chuck (Medic): Hmm !? I think someone needs help with me!

* Leaves this room *

Kid Chuck (Medic): Where are you?

All the kids (In the other room): We're there Chuck!

Kid Chuck (Medic): Okay, I'm going there!

* He follows his cry for help *

*** In some room ***

Eric: He'll be here soon!

Annie: Yes he will! :)

* With Chuck in the room under the door *

Kid Chuck (Medic): Are you in this room?

All the kids: * Scream * Yes Chuck we're here!

Kid Chuck (Medic): Okay, I'm in now! * Opens the door * I am alread-* Notes that all the children are injured * Oh my God !? 0_0

Eric: You're here, help us!

Kid Chuck (Medic): How did you all get hurt !?

Eric: We'll tell you later now, heal us!

Kid Chuck(Medic): Okay!* Starting to heal *

*** Later after they were cured ***

Kid Chuck (Medic): Okay, you can get those dressings off yourself!

All the kids: Yeah Chuck!

* All children take off their dressings *

Eric: * notices that the wounded one has already disappeared quickly * Oh gosh! How quickly it disappeared!

Annie: Oh my no longer wounded!

Kid Brittany (Fake Princess): OMG! Wow my skin looks like new and there are no disgusting wounds and scars!

Tiffany: Damn how he did it to make the damn wounds disappear!

Kid Chuck (Medic): I know my ways!

The rest of the children: We don't hurt anymore!

All the kids: Thank you Chuck!

Kid Chuck (Medic): Thanks so much everyone! <)

Kid Mary (Spy): Thank you so much Chuck. * She kisses his cheek and blushes *

Kid Chuck (Medic):!?* Blushes a lot * Hehe thanks so much Mary.<3

Kid Mary (Spy): Please Chuck! * She blushes even more *

Kid Peyton (Inventor V.2): How cute is that!

Kid Brittany (Fake Princess): Yes his Mary ... |:(

Kid Chuck (Medic): Okay, let's all look for those keys to this basement now!

All children: Yes! * Except Kid Brittany (Fake Princess)*

Kid Brittany * Fake Princess * No, I'm not going to look, I'm gonna be doing a make-up! |:(* Goes to the couch and does makeup now *

Kid Isabella (Sports): This pink (kid Brittany) instead of helping us, she does her makeup all the time, right.

Kid Chuck (Medic): Yes you are right Isabella and now we are not marble time now let's look for those keys!

All Children (Except Kid Brittany): Yeah. Let's Seek!

* Starts looking for her *

(It took me a long time to write this but I'm done it is well written.)

Mystery belongs to my sister (@askkassandragf-v-2 / @hello-neighbor-three-aus )

(Kid Chuck (Medic) is my character)

[togrowoldinv]

Midnights Thoughts!!!

Okay y’all I’m dropping my first thoughts on midnights below. Let’s chat about the album!

Overall, I love it, I love it, I love it! Very lyric styles of folklore and evermore meets the sounds of Lover and Rep!

Lavender Haze:

-Okay this is the pop music standard

-the lyric “one night or a wife” so true

-we are back in bridge city

Maroon:

-sick New York reference

-bopping chorus

-“so scarlet it was maroon” very Wanda

-“carnations you thought were roses, that’s us” JESUS CHRIST

-scarlet lips seems a lil fruity

-easily a fave

Anti-Hero:

-this is for the archer girlies

-“I’m the problem, it’s me” ☹️

-“I wake up screaming from dreaming”

-it is definitely exhausting being the anti-hero

-it’s giving Natasha

Snow On The Beach:

-the beginning of this song is like when you aren’t sure if you really saw someone or you just wanted to see someone so your brain told you that you did

-“stars by the pocketful” is actually so cute

-lyrically brilliant

-where’s Lana though?

-the key change is good

You’re On Your Own, Kid:

-immediately chills

-this makes me nostalgic for high school

-reminds me of my friends and how I love them so much and how we have each other even as time changes

-“just to find my dreams aren’t rare” SHUT UP TAYLOR

-“pages turned with bridges burned” end of rep vibes

-very big sister energy

Midnight Rain:

-the beginning is wild

-lyrically I enjoy it

-very true of thinking of someone after a long time

-could make a good fic

Question…?:

-“a color I’ve searched for since” very illicit affairs like

-she says “her” a lot

-upbeat but sad

-“did you wish you put up more of a fight?”

-bridge city

Vigilante Shit:

-great vibes

-definitely the revenge she spoke of

-the girl from mad woman

-girl power anthem

-“don’t get sad, get even” tattoo this on my forehead

Bejeweled:

-“didn’t notice you walking over my peace of mind in the shoes I gave you” it’s giving my tears ricochet and the jewels she gave them

-obsessed with the way she says ✨shimmer✨

-this song scratches the itch in my brain

-one of my faves

Labyrinth:

-I cried a lot

-the breathing instructions, thank you Dr. Swift

-“I’ll be getting over you my whole life” PLEASE SEND HELP

-crying, shaking, throwing up

-Natasha Romanoff’s song

Karma:

-vibes

-lol spider boy reference

-“karma is my boyfriend” so true

-the voice layering is cute

Sweet Nothing:

-Joe!!!!!

-this is what love sounds like idc

-please someone love me like this

Mastermind:

-absolute banger

-get what you want bestie

-“I’m the wind in our free flowing sails”

-this song feels like the end of a movie when everyone comes home after a long day

Omg plus new tracks!

The Great War:

-okay the drums rock

-I like it and processing it is a lot with this chaotic surprise lol

-“I vow I will always be yours” cute!!!

Bigger Than The Whole Sky:

-“every single thing I touch becomes sick with sadness” SAD but good fic material

-“I’ve got a lot to live without. I’m never gonna meet what could’ve been would’ve been” 😭

-I am a shell of a woman

Paris:

-funky fresh

-“draw a map on your bedroom ceiling” adorable!

-I love love

High Infidelity:

-great rhythm

-“the slowest way is never loving them enough” ouchie

-feels regretful yet unapologetic

Glitch:

-sounds like a rain stick lol

-interesting vibes

Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve:

-intro has similar sound to Mary Jane’s Last Dance

-“the gods honest truth is that the pain was heaven”

-Taylor don’t be shy and release the rock and roll version please

-“I regret you all the time”

-“god rest my soul, I miss who I used to be” GOOD GRIEF

Dear Reader:

-younger me needed this

-her whole heart is in it

-advice for Nothing New stans

[illfoandillfie]

5 Simple Rules for a Successful Fake Relationship: One Small Hitch

READ PART 1

Pairing: Ben Hardy x Reader

summery: You and Ben have your first official date and settle into your "relationship". But, with filming coming to a close, you'll need to be more committed to the act than before, especially when Ben's keeping secrets.

Warnings: Again, nothing much. Some language. Drinking. Nothing else I can think of.

Words: 8355

AN: Chapter 2 is finally here! Sorry for the delay but hopefully the next part will be up faster. I'm really really enjoying writing this series and I am so very excited about what's coming! The song mentioned is Reckless Serenade by Arctic Monkeys. Sidenote: Can anyone work out the theme of the chapter titles?

Taglist:  @laedymoon​  @dtfrogertaylor​  @vee-ndetta​​ @atomic-watermelon​ @kellypenac​​ @labessieisallama​​ @deakyclicks​​ @jennyggggrrr​​ @drowseoftaylor​​  @hannafuckingsucks​​  @i-cant-hangout-im-drumming​​ @queenmylovely​​ @supersonicfreddie​

“I’ve got something for you,” you half shouted at Ben when you saw him walking towards you from across the field you were filming in. You shuffled your shitty takeaway coffee into your other hand so you could reach into your bag, pulling out a piece of paper folded in half. He took it and pulled you into a hug, pressing a kiss to the top of your head.  “Funny cause I have something for you too,” Ben said as he let you go, reaching into his backpack and handing you a magazine, “Oh, shit, it’s our rules. You want page 15 by the way.”  “Figured you’d want a record of them. What exactly am I looking f-” you let the word hang as you found the right page. It was decorated with a photo of you and Ben kissing on his doorstep, his hand around your back, the shirt you’d borrowed riding up just enough that it was clear you didn’t have shorts on underneath as you clutched at him. There was some text beside it, mentions of your most notable roles and his, a brief description of the movie you were in the process of making, and some speculatory remarks with a couple of innuendos thrown in. The usual gossip mag fare. On the other side of the paragraph was another photo, both of you leaving set the previous Friday, hand in hand and smiling.  “We look pretty good together,” you laughed, getting only a noncommittal grunt in return. He’d suddenly become very interested in the sheet you’d handed him, staring at it like he hadn’t been there when it was written. You reread the brief article, trying not to gawk at the photographs. It certainly looked believable.   “I’ve had about four people wish us well this morning,” Ben suddenly said, seemingly pulling himself together, folding up the rules and shoving them into his back pocket, “and I’ve not been here long. It’s kinda weird having everyone know we’re together. Or think we’re together,” he quickly corrected himself.  “Yeah, Mel kept asking me questions about it while she was doing my makeup this morning, so I hope she took my awkwardness as me wanting to keep things private and not me not knowing how to answer some of them.”  Ben chuckled, “yeah, Gail gave me a bit of a grilling too. I just told her we’d been sort of seeing each other for a few weeks and had only just like made it official or whatever and she seemed to buy it.”  “Good, I told Mel the same sort of thing. Hopefully that’s enough for them.”  “I’m more concerned with what my friends are going to say. I don’t think any of them read Heat��though so hopefully it doesn’t come up any time soon,”  “Lucky. My friend Felicity has the dumb site bookmarked. Checks it religiously. Bloody miracle she hasn’t called yet.”  “Better turn of your phone then,”  “And come back to a full voicemail and about a hundred texts demanding to know why I’m ghosting her?”  “Tell her you were filming. I do it all the time,” he was grinning at you and you couldn’t help but grin back as you pulled your phone out and shut it off, “atta girl,” he pulled you into his side and gave you an affectionate squeeze that you leaned into , fully aware of how many people were around you, potentially watching. It was a feeling that didn’t really let up. You knew, rationally, that everyone there was focused on their jobs, but you couldn’t help feeling like you were constantly being scrutinised, and not just for your acting. It didn’t help when Seth had to stop recording to fix a problem with the boom mic and, good-humouredly, said, “don’t worry lovebirds, we’ll have her running in a second.” Or that one of the ADs delivered your call sheets for the next day with a, “I always thought you’d be cute together.” And it certainly didn’t help when you turned your phone on at the end of the day to find a series of texts from Felicity each with more exclamation points and capital letters than the last, and a missed call from Mary.   “Better call her back,” Ben said, following you towards the carpark.  You rolled your eyes, already holding the phone up to your ear listening to it ring.  “Y/N, I was just about to try you again,”  “Sorry, Mary, I had my phone off while we were recording, what’s the matter?”  “Are you free this weekend?”  “Um yeah, I think so, why?”  “We’d like for you and Ben to go on a date this weekend. Somewhere in London preferably but it’s up to you. You saw the article in Heat? It seems to be going well. The hits your names have got on google have increased and there have been a few tweets about it. Nothing huge, you’re not trending or anything but you’re still relatively unknown so we weren’t expecting that to happen, certainly not overnight. But we think if we get a date story out quickly it’ll really help get people interested.”  You rubbed your temple as you tried to process everything she’d just said, “Okay, I’ll talk to him and we’ll organise something. I’ll text you the details once I have them.”  “Okay, let me know as soon as you can though. And send Peter the info too.”  “Will do. See ya Mary.”  “Was that about me?” Ben asked, smiling as he leaned against your car.  “You up for a date this weekend? Apparently the first story went well and they want a follow up ASAP.”  “Sure, where are we going?”  “I don’t know, somewhere around London would apparently be best, but we get to choose. Any thoughts?”  He thought for a moment, “This isn’t our first date is it? Like, we’ve said we’ve been on others before, right?”  “Yeah, why?”  “Well normally for a first date I take girls out for dinner and then, depending on the girl and how the dinner went, either a quiet drink or like a romantic as fuck walk in the park or something.”  “That’s pretty standard stuff, Ben,”  “Yeah, but in the fiction of us as a couple, this isn’t our first date. This’d be, what?”  “Fifth maybe?”  “Fifth. So I’m still trying to impress you a bit, but it’s like, more relaxed. We’ve done the dinner date, we’ve done coffee and a movie, we’ve even done the Museum. Now we’re getting into the fun shit.”  “Museums don’t count as fun shit?” you chuckled, not sure where his train of thought was taking you.  “It’s a bit overdone is all.”  “What do you have in mind then?”  “There’s this place that runs art classes during the day, right? Life drawing or like painting for beginner's type stuff. But a couple of nights a week they run these art and wine nights. They’ll give you a canvas or a ceramic figure or something like that and some paints and you can have a few drinks and do something arty. I did it with some mates a while ago, had heaps of fun. Seemed like the sort of thing yo- a girl might like to do on a date.”  “That definitely sound fun.”  “Really? You’re into it?”  “Yeah, for sure.”  “Okay,” Ben pulled out his phone and began typing, “shall I book us in for the Saturday night ceramics session?”  “Go ahead. What time was that, so I can let Mary and Peter know.”  “Seven thirty. If we get a cab in a little earlier we can grab something to eat on our way.”  “Cool, okay I’ll text them. Is it BYO?”  “Yeah. They do sell some stuff but it’s a pretty small selection.”  “Okay, well that’s something to look forward to. Anyway, I should be going since I have about a million texts to sort through, I’ll see you tomorrow.”  “Wait, one thing,” Ben said before you could open your car door, “There’s a few people coming off set now so I’m going to kiss you, okay?”  “Thanks for the heads up,”  “No worries,” he stepped closer, his hand rising to cup your cheek as he kissed you softly. He took longer to break away than you’d expected, letting the kiss deepen instead, but you didn’t mind too much. It was a good kiss. And if it hadn’t been for Ben and the movie, you would have been severely lacking them recently. Which explained the vague feeling of disappointment that hit you when he did step back.  

On your way home your phone beeped with another text from Felicity but you ignored it until you were inside and changed into the comfiest clothes you could find, flopping down on your bed to scroll through what she’d written. They varied from, “omg why didn’t you tell me about this Ben guy?” to “Y/N!!! Answer my texts!!!” all the way up to, “BITCH!!! CALL ME!!!!”   She picked up on the first ring.   “Where the fuck have you been all day?”  “Some of us don’t have office jobs we hate,” you laughed, “I actually had to work, funnily enough, and because we were on location I had to keep my phone off while we recorded.”  “Well I’ve been going crazy over here. Imagine my shock when I boot up my computer and open Heat and see your fucking arse being grabbed by your co-star.”  “He was not grabbing my arse.”  “Close enough. You didn’t tell me how fucking gorgeous he is.”  “No, well, I don’t usually think about the people I work with like that, do I?”  “Which is why I was so surprised to see you’ve shacked up with one of them.”  “It’s not quite that serious.”  “One night stands aren’t your usual thing. Definitely not with guys you work with anyway.”  “I never said it was a one night stand, just that it wasn’t super serious!”  “How many times then?”  “We’ve been on like four dates.”  “You fuckhead! You mean to tell me you’re actually dating this guy, who by the way looks like he could be a fucking underwear model, and you didn’t think to tell me? No so much as a I got dicked down by a total babe aren’t you jealous message?”  “I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it if it wasn’t going to go anywhere.”  “But still, I’m your best friend, I tell you about every shag I have.”  “In graphic detail,”  “Exactly.”  “Look it’s just a bit weird still. Neither of us have really hooked up with a co-star before and we didn’t want to say anything until we worked out what was happening.”  “I guess that makes sense,” you could tell she didn’t mean it, “But, now that it’s out you owe me. I want to hear all about it.”  “There’s not much to tell. We became quite good friends during all the pre-production stuff when we were rehearsing and all that. Our director wanted to make sure we clicked and had the right chemistry and stuff, since it’s a romcom and our characters get engaged in the first scene, so we hung out a lot. And then just before filming started he asked me out. Took me to this nice Chinese restaurant. It was fun so we agreed to go out again and it’s sort of just kept going.”  “Those photos, was that the first time you’d stayed over at his?”  “Second. First time was a couple of weeks ago. The night that led to the photos was just a few drinks after work with some of the others and we ended up ducking out a bit early and wound up at his.”  “And?”   “And what?” You had a hard time not laughing when you heard her groan. Her eagerness to know every sordid detail made her easy to fuck with, and that made the whole business of being secretive a lot more fun.  “And, how was he?”  “I mean…y’know,”  “Y/N, I swear to god,”  “He was good, okay? Really good,” you remembered what Ben had told you to say, trying not to laugh too much while you repeated it, “like, three orgasms good.”  “Shit, really?”  “Uhuh. And then another in the morning.”  Felicity replied with a long whistle, “shit, girl, hold onto that one then. That’s definitely worth any trouble working together could cause."  “Believe me, I know. We’re going out again this weekend.” It was surprisingly easy to lie about dating Ben. Though, of course, you weren’t technically lying since you would be going on a date.   “Shit man, date five. That’s serious shit. You better tell me everything, in graphic detail.” 

When you told Ben about the conversation the next day, admitting you’d spent ages praising his sexual prowess, he laughed and then thanked you, pulling you into a tight bear hug. You thought it was a slight overreaction considering he’d been the one to tell you what to say but his happiness was infectious, and you found yourself smiling more than normal as you hung out between scenes. An attitude which could only help your performance, making people more ready to believe you were a couple. His easy laughter and bright smiles continued until the afternoon when you were telling him more about Felicity and what you’d talked about.   “She thinks you’re a keeper and kept telling me not to let you go.”  “Your friend knows what she’s talking about.”  “Lucky for you I can’t let you go since it’s all written up in a contract,”  Ben laughed but when you glanced at him his smile seemed to falter.   “You okay?”  “Brilliant. Just had a bit of a late night and it’s catching up on me. Think I might try to have a quick nap before we’re needed again.”  “I was thinking of grabbing another coffee if you want one?”  “Thanks Y/N but I think the nap will do me more good.”  “Probably better people don’t see us heading off to a trailer together anyway or they’ll suspect we’re getting up to mischief.”  “Very true. I’ll see you a bit later.”  “Sleep well!”  Ben turned to leave, his smile seeming more forced than earlier. You would have worried except he seemed to be back to normal when he was called for your next scene. And it continued on through the week, his happiness only getting more pronounced the closer it got to the weekend.  

You couldn’t quite match his energy on Friday, anxiety over your date getting stronger the closer you got to it. Hanging out at his place had been easy, even if it did include leaving half dressed. All you’d had to do was kiss him which you’d done enough times during filming that it was no longer too odd. But a proper date was something else. It was going to be the first real test you faced, the first time you’d really have to sell yourselves to the public as more than co-stars and more than a hook-up.  “Hey are you okay?”  “Huh?”  “Your jiggling your leg a lot which you only do when something’s worrying you, what is it?”  “Oh,” you forced your leg to stop moving, “nothing,”  “Is it about our date tonight?”  “What if it’s bad? What if we don’t look like we’re actually together and Mary and Pete have to cancel the whole thing?”  “I’d get a decent night sleep not thinking about us,” he muttered.  “What?”  “I’ve been worried about it too,” he said louder, “but I think we’ll be okay. It’s not like we’ll be starved for conversation and we’ll have the paint and the wine and we’ll be fine. Plus, weren’t you the one who said this would be easy?”  “Yeah I was,” you said sheepishly, “but -”  “No buts. It’ll be a piece of cake. We go and have a good time painting a couple of plates or bowls or whatever, and then hold hands while we head home. They’ll get whatever shots they get, and they’ll spin it so we look like a couple.”  “Yeah, you’re right. Sorry,”  “It’s okay,” he reached out to rub the back of your hand, smiling softly at you, “the nerves might actually help you look like you’re legit. And worst comes to worst we can always run lines. I’m honestly so much more nervous about shooting that scene tomorrow.”  “The one where we’re playing matchmaker?”  “Yes! Have you seen how many names are in there?”  “Theres like six, Ben,”  “Yeah but they’re all repeated, and I know I’m going to get the order wrong,”  You giggled and shook your head, “You’re unbelievable,”  “Oh whatever,” he pushed your shoulder almost making you overbalance, “Just cos you know the lines already.” 

Ben’s efforts to calm you down worked and you got through the rest of the workday without a hitch. Though your stomach was once again tight with nerves in the hours before the date. You spent a solid half hour standing in front of your wardrobe, freshly washed hair slowly dripping down the back of the towel you had wrapped around you, trying to settle on what to wear. When you were finally dressed you checked and rechecked the contents of your purse, and, in a moment of panic, you grabbed the heavily highlighted and notated script pages with the matchmaker scene and shoved them in beside your lipstick and bank card. By the time Ben arrived in an Uber to pick you up, ushering you into the backseat with a kiss on the cheek and a complement about how lovely you looked, you felt like you were on the verge of throwing up. But, once again, Ben’s natural charm eased your mind. The way he talked to you and smiled constantly had your heart rate slowing and your stomach settling within minutes. Even the way he squeezed your hand when he helped you out of the car, and the way he laced his fingers with yours as he led you towards your destination were welcome comforts.  “D’you wanna grab something to eat?” Ben asked, stopping on a corner and looking around, annoyed people passing by on both sides.  “Uhh, s’pose so.”  “Has anyone ever told you you’re indecisive?”  “I swear I’m not normally.”  “Oh? Do I make you nervous, snookum?” he asked, playfully.  “No, you git,” you laughed back, though you found it hard to meet his eyes, “I just don’t know I’m that hungry.”  “Well, keep in mind there’ll be wine drinking. Don’t want to do that on an empty stomach.”  “Valid argument. What’s nearby?”  After some wandering you ended up in a McDonalds, Ben wolfing down a burger while you picked at the fries, not quite certain you’d be able to keep your food down. It was when you were coming out of a bottle shop, Ben holding the wine you’d agreed on, that you spotted the photographer. It was the same one who’d been outside Ben’s house when you stayed over, camera aimed at the two of you. Quietly you nudged Ben. He just wrapped an arm around you, pulling you into his side as you walked. You struggled to not watch the photographer as he followed you towards the art studio, having to keep reminding yourself to pretend he wasn’t there.  “Relax,” Ben said softly in your ear, “He’s not important.”  You nodded, afraid if you said anything you’d lose the meagre dinner you’d had. Ben’s thumb rubbing over your own gave you something else to focus on, counting each soft, smooth stroke, until you reached the right place.  

You weren’t the only couple there, far from it. Most of the claimed tables were taken by pairs sitting close together, hands clasped or laying on thighs as they talked. A few tables held larger groups, double dates maybe or perhaps just friends. You felt a few eyes on you as you found a table close to the clear glass of the shopfront, but they turned away again quickly, more interested in their own little bubbles than yours. You glanced outside to check if the photographer was still there but couldn’t see much more than the reflection of you and Ben. His knee bumped yours under the table as he leaned toward you, pressing a finger to your jaw to turn your head towards him.  “Forget the photographer. Forget Mary and Peter. Forget our arrangement. We're just two friends having a fun night out, okay?”  “Okay,”   “Okay. So what are you thinking of painting then?” He unscrewed the bottle of wine and grabbed one of the glasses you’d been handed on arrival.   “Well what are my options?”  “Well there’s your classic teacup, mug or plate options. There’s a couple of different jewellery boxes, I think. And then there are the statues, ummm, fairy, dragon, alien. Maybe a princess one, I can’t remember.”  “More than I thought there’d be. What were you thinking?”  “I did a dragon last time I was here. But I think I’m going to do a mug this time. Need some extras if you’re gonna be staying over more often.”  “Maybe we should both do mugs, then? Something we can use at each other’s places.”  “Alright, deal. But we can’t look at what the other is painting until they’re done.”  “That’s going to be so hard!” you laughed, feeling properly relaxed for the first time all night.  “Yeah but it’ll be fun though. Wait here, I’ll go grab us the mugs.”  You took the opportunity to look around the room, trying to think of what Ben might like on a mug. There was art everywhere – paintings hanging on walls, examples of what the classes could teach you, decorated ceramics lining windowsills and shelves. Judging by the wildly differing levels of talent displayed, you assumed at least some of them were left behind and never claimed. There were plates decorated with fruit trees and ocean scenes, jugs covered in splatters of different colours, aliens in shimmery blue and princesses with green hair and orange dresses. But nothing that sparked your imagination. The noise of the room was steadily growing as everyone got stuck into their creations. Ben sat down, took a drink and got to work mixing colours.  “You know what you’re going to do then?”  “I have an idea. But I will warn you I’m not a particularly good artist so it might not look anything like what it’s meant to.”  You picked up your blank mug and put it down again, tapping the end of a paintbrush against the table as you tried to come up with an idea. What did Ben like? He liked coffee. And dogs. And his guitar. More than once he’d brought it to set, playing it in his downtime. He’d been embarrassed the first time you mentioned overhearing him as you passed by his trailer, but you’d assured him you’d liked listening to him. You’d had the song stuck in your head for a week afterwards.   “Made up your mind, have you?” Ben asked, glancing up from his handiwork as you mixed a pale peach colour.  “No peeking,”  “I wasn’t peeking. If I’d been peeking, I would have done this,” Ben craned his neck, leaning over to where your mug was.   You laughed and pulled the mug closer to you, pushing him away with your other hand.  He caught it in his own, taking the paintbrush from you, “Oi, careful with that.”  “Oops, sorry,”  Ben laughed and kissed your palm before letting you have your hand back, “No harm done. But y’know if you splattered me I’d have no choice but to get payback.”  There was no need to reach for the script you’d brought as you and Ben fell into conversation while you painted. He asked if you’d had any more awkward phone calls with your friends and told you about what had happened when his mates had found out. Nothing like the conversation you’d endured, though there’d been plenty of teasing. You had to admonish him for nearly getting paint on your work when he began using the largest brush he had to artistically spray drops of paint over his mug. And then he’d laughed when you paused, admitting out loud that you weren’t actually sure how to paint the thing you’d planned on painting. He’d promised not to peek while you whipped out your phone to look up a reference image, going to far as to cover his eyes just to make sure. Once you gave him the okay he went back to painting, switching to a thinner brush and shushing you so he could concentrate. It was ridiculous how cute he looked, tongue between his teeth, bent over the mug as he slowly outlined the design. You shook your head to clear the thought and went back to your own work. 

“Okay, I’m done. You wanna see now?”  “Yes, absolutely. Unless you think we should wait until after they’ve been glazed?”  “Fuck that, we can’t pick them up for a couple of days, I wanna show you now.”  “Alright, show me then,” you put down your brush, focusing all your attention onto the mug in Ben’s hands. The base coat was a light purple, with splatters of darker purple over top. Slowly he turned the mug to show you the design on the front. It bore a slightly wonky engagement ring, similar to the one his character gave yours in the movie. On either side of the ring, in thin, not quite straight lettering, was the words we’re really good at this dating thing.   You smiled as soon as you read the quote from the script, “I love it, Ben”  “Thought it was kind of fitting,” he chuckled, “plus it’ll be a nice little souvenir once the movie wraps.”  “That was a fun scene to shoot. Best proposal I’ve ever had.”  Ben smiled and carefully turned his mug back towards him, “Best proposal I’ve ever given,” He seemed to be about to say something but stopped himself, shaking his head.  You lowered your voice, “Promise I’ll get to keep it after we break up?”  “Promise,” Ben said, matching your level and leaning in close, “Until then maybe you can use it as a reminder whenever you feel anxious about this whole dating thing.”  “Thanks, I will.”   You were suddenly very aware of how softly you were speaking, how close you were sitting, leaning in to hear each other over the rest of the room, and for a split second you thought he was going to kiss you again. But then the moment passed, the noise of the room intruding as Ben leaned back in his seat, “So do I get to see mine?”  “Uh, it’s not quite done,” you said, picking up your brush again, the moment gone, “give me another couple of minutes.”  “Masterpieces take time, I get it,”  “This is by no stretch a masterpiece,”  “I’ll be the judge of that thanks very much,”  Ben turned to look out over the room while you tried to finish your painting without smudging anything, occasionally making comments about other people there or the art that decorated the room.  You took one last look at what you’d painted, the guitar with the words stun gun lullaby written in cursive beside it, “Alright, I’m done now, you can look. Careful, some of it’s still wet.”  Ben gently took hold of the handle and turned the mug so the design faced him. He broke out into a grin and you felt relieved that he liked it.   “It’s definitely a masterpiece. For someone who didn’t know how to draw a guitar you’ve done an incredible job. And how did you know that’s one of my favourite songs?”  “Is it? It's just the song I overheard you playing that one time. I thought that line was a good one for a mug. Nice and short so I didn’t have to paint too much.”  “This is definitely my new favourite mug.”  “Oh stop it.”  “And hey, they kind of match.”  You laughed when he pointed out the similarities, “Guess they do. Y’know that’d make a pretty cute Instagram post.”  “You going to tag me as my mug?”  “Of course. You could post a photo and tag me in it too,”  “I don’t know. I don’t really post much personal stuff online.”  “Well at least comment on mine,”  “I can do that.”  

After you’d taken a decent photo and posted it online you cleaned up, handed your mugs over to the woman running the night’s activity and stepped back out into the night. There was no sign of the photographer anywhere and you supposed he’d got what he needed and then left.   Still, Ben grabbed your hand as you walked back up the street, just in case you’d missed the photographer in the crowd.   “Guess that means we don’t have to worry about going home together,” you said, nudging Ben.  “Guess not,” his lips quirked down in a soft frown.”  “What is it?”  “Nothing, nothing, just...feels kind of weird to just end the date here, I guess,” he scratched the back of his head and laughed, “Normally I’d offer to give you a lift home. Or at least give you a good night kiss, but I guess that’s not really needed now.”  “Well, it’s like you said, we’re just friends having a fun night out. We could share a ride home though, if you wanted. You live near enough to mine it wouldn’t matter.”  “Nah, don’t worry about it. I actually might go grab something to eat, don’t think that burger was quite enough. See you on Monday?”  “Oh, yeah, okay, see you Monday.”   There was a pause, both of you hesitating and then Ben gave you a much too quick hug before he walked off, disappearing into the crowd. You sighed and hailed a passing cab, spending the whole ride home wondering what the hell had just happened. But you pushed it from your mind once you were home, going through your usual nightly routine and very deliberately thinking of anything other than Ben. It didn’t help much. You still dreamt about him. Dreamt about the goodnight kiss you’d missed out on.    

When you woke you had to laugh at yourself. You were sure that, had you binged a few episodes of a tv show or read something before you’d gone to bed you would have dreamt about it instead. Brains were suggestable like that. When you felt awake enough you rolled over and grabbed your phone finding a text from Ben and one from Felicity and an email from Mary. You opened Mary’s first, skimming over it and vowing to look at it properly once you had a coffee in your system. Ben’s was much easier to understand, a short message to say he had fun last night and that he’d pick the mugs up on his way to work on Monday. Felicity’s was just a series of question marks. You sent back a short response saying the date had been a lot of fun. It wasn’t enough and she was bound to come back at you asking for more details, but it would have to satisfy her. Slowly you got out of bed and made yourself a coffee, setting your laptop up next to you at the kitchen counter so you could try to read Mary’s email again. There was some information about some scripts she was going to send you, a couple of potential future roles, but the majority of the email was about you and Ben. She’d already seen the photos, apparently, and some of them would be run in the coming week’s magazine while others were being put online. She’d also seen the Instagram post and commended you for thinking of it. Another date would have to be organised, but it was better to wait until the next weekend or even the one after, so as not to fatigue the public.  

So you and Ben fell into the routine of it. An email from one or other of your agents sometimes as vague as just telling you to organise a date, sometimes much more specific in what they wanted you to be doing, then the date itself, and in between work where you played up the romance as much as possible. You got good at pretending to stay over at each other's places, often just hanging out watching TV or running lines until the photographer called it a night and you were free to leave. Once or twice you’d opted to sleep in your own bed but get up early and head over to Ben’s for the required morning after shots but that process got old very quickly so you ended up actually staying over more and more. There was one day when your period came unexpectedly while you were at Ben’s. You were halfway through asking him to take you home when he offered to run to the store for you instead.  “No, no, you don’t have to go out of your way like that, I’ve got plenty at home I just didn’t think I’d need any today.”  “Y/N, I promise, it’s no trouble. I feel bad I don’t have anything here for you already. Been a while since I’ve lived with a girl and it didn’t even cross my mind. Seriously, it’ll take me two minutes.” When you still weren’t convinced he continued, “Plus, if I go we won’t ruin Peter and Mary’s plan for today. And the Paps can get a shot of me staring at boxes of tampons like a good caring boyfriend. It’ll help our image.”  “Oh alright, as long as you don’t mind.”  He was out the door a second later and back within ten minutes, though you did get a call from him at the shop, asking what brand you preferred. Once he was home, he made you a cup of tea, gave you a painkiller and, after checking you didn’t mind, cuddled up with you on the couch, teasingly calling you his cuddle bunny as he pulled you back against his chest. You almost complained, almost cited Rule 5, but it wasn’t so bad. Some might even go so far as to call it cute. It was better than snookum at any rate.  

 The dates themselves got easier after the first. You knew what to expect now so it wasn’t as nerve wracking as before. And Ben was always fun to be around, your list of inside jokes steadily growing as he became the one person you spent the most time with. You let yourselves relax a bit. On your third date Ben’s arm stayed glued around your waist as you walked around the zoo, only losing contact when a lemur jumped on his shoulder and you stepped back to take a photo. It wasn’t low enough to violate the rules you’d put in place but his hand was dangerously close to falling below your belt, and it was definitely something you would have put a stop to when you first started the charade. The Instagram posts had got more frequent too, though Ben still refused to post anything to his own profile. But he commented on everything you posted whether it involved him or not. And people were buying it. You’d been moved from page 15 to page 13 and then to page 10 in the magazines. You both picked up more followers online as your photos were shared across Twitter and Facebook and Tumblr. There were some downsides like rude comments and nasty messages but mostly they were easy to ignore. Worse were the phone calls and messages from family members and friends asking when they’d get to meet Ben. He’d had to fend off his own family as well, but you both stuck to Rule 4, making up excuses and promising it would happen eventually, but it just wasn’t possible right now. But your biggest problem was the issue of intimacy. It wasn’t the lack of sex itself, that was easily managed. It was that Ben had started to intrude on your fantasies. You’d be there with your fingers or your toys and suddenly it was Ben’s voice you were thinking of, Ben’s hands, Ben’s teeth and tongue and chest. Ben’s name falling from your lips. And you knew it was just because you were pretending to date him, on and off set. It was the dumb suggestable brain thing again. The thoughts were only there because you were pretending to be in love with him and usually sex was tied up with love or at least relationships. And really, you hadn’t been attracted to anyone much lately because you hadn’t been looking because you’d been pretending to be attracted to Ben so it’s really no wonder you’re brain got all confused and mixed him into those other thoughts. The first time you saw him after it first happened you wondered if he could tell, a slightly flustered awkwardness hanging over you. But it wasn’t worth mentioning to anyone. You just vowed to push him out of your mind as much as you could.  

Nearly two months later you found yourselves back in the office where the idea of pretending to date was first floated. With filming drawing to a close Mary and Peter were keen to check in with you. The first thing either of them said when you and Ben turned up is how well the story was going.  “Projections have the sales for this movie increased by five percent, just because of your relationship and that number is expected to grow as we get closer to release,” Mary spoke fast though whether that was excitement at the boosted numbers or just a busy schedule rushing her along you weren’t sure.  “What happens now?” Ben asked, “I mean, since we won’t be filming together anymore after this week,”  “That’s exactly why we wanted to talk with you both today,” Peter opened a pocket notebook and thumbed through a couple of pages, “so not much will change but we may occasionally need to balance out the loss of on set photos with shots of you out and about together. Nothing stressful and all very easily staged. You probably wouldn’t even need to be out for more than an hour or so at a time. People have been loving the domestic sort of photos you’ve been putting online, Y/N, that one of you using the coffee mugs you painted was especially good. So we’d like a few more of those sorts of moments. The two of you grocery shopping or walking a dog, do either of you have a dog? No? Hmmm, we could hire a dog and write a story about you sitting for a friend. We’ll put a pin in that for now. But yes, just some candid shots of you walking around London and doing regular everyday things together.”  “We’ll also need to schedule the argument soon. We’re thinking somewhere within the first two weeks of filming being over. It means we can run speculation about whether the relationship is on the rocks now that you aren’t working together anymore. We’ll see how things go this week and make some decisions later, but we’ll give you plenty of warning before you have to perform it. Obviously, it has to be scheduled so we can guarantee someone will get photos but we need it to seem as natual as possible so we’ll leave the specifics of the argument up to you.”  You nodded along but Ben had more questions.  “What does this mean for any jobs we might be looking at taking after this movie wraps?”  “You can still take on whatever roles you want provided they’re filming here. It’s harder to keep you in the public eye if you’re separated and while the drama of a long-distance relationship might be interesting at first, it’s not sustainable.”  “If it was filming somewhere else in the UK we could maybe organise something. We’d have to look into it and see if it was possible to stick to our same plan but just shift the location. Maybe have a weekend visit angle to it, Y/N flies out to see Ben, Ben comes home to see Y/N, that kind of thing.”  “Leave it with us Ben and we’ll get back to you on the logistics of it all.”  “Oh, that’s okay, I don’t have anything set in stone, I was just curious.”  “Is there anything else you have questions about?”  “No, I don’t think so,” He looked towards you.  “No, I’m all good.”  “Okay, well, if you think of anything you can message us any time.”  “Really, though, this is going very well. It’s already paying off but we need to keep the momentum during the post-production phase, so we need you both to be committed to this.”  “We are.”  “Unbelievably committed,” Ben added. 

You and Ben left the meeting joking about potential arguments you could have and for the rest of the day, whenever you passed each other in the halls or had a moment alone you’d try to one up each other's suggestions. It was a good way to keep your spirits up even though the end of filming was fast approaching. One by one each cast member recorded their last scenes, saying an emotional thank you to the crew when the director called cut. You and Ben were the last to finish since you were the leads. A small pillow talk scene that you could do in your sleep. It was a nice way to end it, lying in bed with Ben’s arms around you, even with the heat of the studio lights. While you were waiting for the cameras to be positioned you and Ben joked around with the crew that were flitting around angling mics and adjusting set decorations.   “Hey, Seth,” Ben said suddenly, “can you pass me my phone. I think we need to document this moment. What d’you say, cuddle bunny?”  You laughed and poked him in the side but agreed. Ben stuck his arm straight up into the air, trying to angle the camera just right but he couldn’t quite get the photo to take without blurring. Seth took pity on you and offered to take the photo himself, allowing you and Ben to snuggle in close.  “If you post it on Insta you better credit me,” Set laughed, turning it round to show you.  “I’ll do that,” He said with a smile, “It’s pretty cute, I think I have to post it.”  “Really?” you asked, surprised he’d volunteer to do such a thing.  Ben didn’t have a chance to respond because everything was ready to go. Seth put the phone back away so you could film the scene, laughing in between takes until everyone was satisfied.   “That’s a wrap on Ben Hardy and Y/N Y/L/N everybody,”  A round of applause started as you pushed yourself to sit up, trying to stop yourself from welling up.  “And that’s a wrap on The Perfect Match.”  The applause continued and Ben pulled you into a tight hug, rubbing your back and pressing a kiss to the top of your head. You had to say a few words but you managed to get through it, and Ben’s little speech, without completely losing it. Afterwards, as people packed up the equipment and you headed back to your trailers to change, Ben pulled out his phone again.  “I guess I should post that photo now, how’s this caption,” he said each word slowly as he typed it out, “Thank you Y/N for being the perfect Edith to my Andy. And thank you @theperfectmatchmovie for finding me my perfect match.”   “Did you tag me?”  “Of course,”  “Did you tag Seth?”  “Uhhhh, camera emoji by @seththesoundman. Now I have,”  “Then it’s perfect. Little bit cheesy but I’ll let it slide.”  “I’ll post another lot of photos with everyone else later and write a longer thing about how much fun this movie was and all of that, but I think this’ll do for the minute. Mary and Peter better fucking appreciate it.” 

That evening most of the cast and crew headed out for drinks at the local pub. The official party would come later but everyone needed to get out and celebrate for an evening. You and Ben stayed for a few hours, Ben getting a little more clingy with each drink he finished. You limited yourself to only a couple. Ben wasn’t going to be able to drive so you decided to fall on that sword, switching to water quite early on. When he reached the point of intoxication that had him constantly complementing everyone you decided to call it a night, taking a final lap to say goodnight to everyone. There were a few wolf whistles and slurred comments about getting some as you left, Ben’s arm around your waist and his laugh in your ear, but you waved them off and led Ben out to your car.   “C’mon Benny boy, I’ll drop you home.”  “What about my car?”  “Well you’ll have to come get it in the morning, won’t you.”  He hummed and lay his head against the back of the seat, chatting animatedly as you made the trip to his. You wished him goodnight as he got out of the car and watched him make his way up to his front door. There he paused, patting his pockets.  “Everything alright? You called out to him.  “I don’t have any keys,” he laughed, turning around to come back to the car.  “You fucking goon, did you leave them at the pub?”  “Guess so,” he shrugged, “Can I crash at yours?”  “Get in,”  “Thanks cuddle bunny, you’re the best”  You rolled your eyes, “Guess this means I’ll be your taxi tomorrow, running you around to find your keys and your car,”  “That’s what girlfriends are for,”  “If you say so.”  

Once at yours you headed to the kitchen to make tea, Ben following to grab a glass of water and a snack. He knew where you kept everything by now, making himself a sandwich with whatever he found in your fridge, and then carrying it out to the couch. By the time the teas were made Ben already had Netflix queued up, ready to play the next episode of the series you’d started watching together. Nearly Twenty minutes into the episode Ben’s phone dinged.  “Ah shit,” he said as he glanced at it, “forgot I said I’d call Joe. Do you mind if we pause the ep? We’re trying to organise travel stuff for him and it’s easier if we talk it through rather than texting it all.”  “Sure,”  “I promise I won’t be long.”  “Take your time, it’s fine,” you were already reaching for your laptop.  Ben smiled at you before ducking out of the room. You head him walking down the hall, footsteps fading as he got further away. For a while you just enjoyed the quiet as you checked your emails and social media profiles but after commenting on the photo Ben had posted and replying to a few messages from people you knew there wasn’t really much left to do. You drummed your fingers on your keyboard trying to think of another website you could visit. There was still no sign of Ben and you didn’t want to continue the show without him so you stood up, stretched, and headed back to the kitchen to grab some chocolate from the stash you kept. You were just about to shut the fridge when you heard Ben’s voice coming from the other side of the wall. Your spare room where he’d clearly gone to make his phone call.   “Yeah, Joe, I fucking know. But I don’t have much choice.” He sounded more sober than he had when he’d got up. There was a pause as Joe spoke and then you heard Ben again.  “I don’t know what I was thinking getting into this mess…..Yeah maybe. Doesn’t really matter though now does it…. What’s that supposed to mean? I can’t just call it quits now, the story is doing too well and Peter has assured me that the numbers are promising or whatever I don’t really know how they measure it. All I know is that people are going to see the movie because of us.”  There was a long pause. You quietly shut the fridge and took a step back towards the doorway. This was not a conversation you should be listening in to. But then Ben spoke again, and curiosity got the better of you.  “It doesn’t matter Joe. It doesn’t matter how I feel.” He laughed but it was completely devoid of humour, “Of course it sucks. It’s fucking shit, man. I just keep waiting for her to tell me she feels the same but it’s not happening…... No, I know it’s completely one sided…..No, I don’t think she knows. She wouldn’t have wanted to do it in the first place if she knew…. I just wish things were different. I love being around her and being able to hold her and kiss her but it fucking sucks that it’s only in public….. I don’t know. Maybe not filming together will ma-”  You could feel your cheeks burning as you tiptoed back towards the lounge room, not quite sure what to do with yourself. You paced back and forth for a moment before deciding to go to the bathroom, at least then Ben couldn’t walk in on you as you tried to process it. You let the door shut loudly behind you, hoping that if Ben had heard movement he’d think you’d just got up to use the loo. He couldn’t know you’d overheard him. You leaned against the sink and tried to make sense of what you’d heard. Ben couldn’t have a crush on you, he just couldn’t. But it was the only thing he could have been talking about. What the fuck did that mean for your arrangement? What the fuck were you meant to do now?

[anxiousdepressedintrovert]

Otome Thursday

IT’S BRAM!!!!

Y’all, you have no idea how excited I was for this route/series to start. I wasn’t a big fan of Ravi.

ANYWAY

Bram Route

Episode 1 (The free one 😉)

-I really dig the beginning of the route.

-Like a land hidden from even the Elves? Nice

-Also also, I like that this series, Love and Legends, AND Reigning Passions all take place in the same universe and it makes sense. Unlike the more modern series where the crew just sticks characters in the stories to say “Hey, look, notice these characters”

-Sorry. I’m ranting

-Focusing now

-I named my MC Mari Rya

-She’s beautiful

-She’s got a little, sprite/fairy/thing named Ness

-I love them

-I only know the name of the new land because I played the Ravi short but it’s called Tallav

-Mari’s got a reputation as a researcher.

-But this is also a lifelong dream of hers.

-Ness doesn’t speak (what I’m going to call) English, but Mari understands her anyway

-Ness uses They/Them pronouns. RESPECT IT

-Magic time!

-Ness magic time!

-Mari can feel all the living things. I feel like that’s not a human thing.

-But I will reserve judgement

-She’s had a rune stone since she was a baby. Yeah, she’s def not human.

-Holy shit a bear!

-…with a shield and a spear on it’s back.

-Subtle

-The way these sprites move are fucking hilarious

-Mari said “Nope not today”

-Can’t out run a bear. What does this bitch do?

-Drop down to play dead. Cause that’s totally gonna stop a bear from chewing on your spleen

-the “bear” is able to turn her over to her back (duh)

-it turns into a man and…oh what a man

-this CG is so fucking cute!

-he’s like “Is she alive?”

-She’s like “the fuck is he doing?”

-I’m like “Squeeeee they’re both so stupid rn”

-Oh those eyes…

-I haven’t been this in love since Razi. Or Renzei.

-Oh no! headbutt. Gives me a headache just reading it.

-Fuck look at those abs.

-LVS really knows what they’re doing with these character designs

-And Mari’s being thirsty too. It’s not just me

-Whew chile, the way she describes this man. Girl,

-Thank you, Ness, someone has their head on properly

-Never mind. They’re just as thirsty

-I still wanna know how Mari can talk to them

-He knows she’s a human cause she’s wearing clothes. Good lord this series is gonna be a riot in the first couple seasons

-Oh Mari…you’re sounding very Colonizerish

-I don’t like that

-Though it is kinda cute how she nerds out

-I can see her doing this with any thing she comes across.

-Thank you, Ness. Time and Place Mari!

-Invasive is one word for it

-Not much to write.

-She’s gushing. He’s listening. They’re both hot

-oh no, not an eyebrow lift!

-from both of them!

-I can’t do this.

-This bitch just walks away from a question ‘cause she got caught staring!

-I can’t! This is me. Running away from all my problems

-Bram follows cause, y’know, stranger in the woods

-Bram likes Ness. It’s adorable

-Anthropologist=Skald? Maybe.

-Apparently rune reading is impossible, so is befriending a Puck (Ness)

-Mari is def not a human. At least not fully

-See, I feel like if she showed Bram the rune stone she carried with her, that would help bridge this gap.

-But y’know. Whatever.

-Oh they are two bull-headed people

-He’s got (understandable) prejudices against humans/bipeds

-She’s like “MY RESEARCH”

-I’m like “Girl, they’re living people. Respect their boundaries. And Dude, Learn a little”

- She’s very forceful with the fact that she ‘needs to do her research’

-It’s very Colonizerish and I don’t approve.

-Mari, You can’t prove that the Duke who hired you only wanted you to do pure research.

-Ha, Bram called her pretty

-Ohhh Mahuwin Villiage

-Cue Victor from Underworld: “YOU MUST BE JUDGED!!”

-damn he called her insidious

-Mari…honey. Going to a village, you’ll get to see how they live and see how the justice system works. Calm down.

-Of course, no one’s ever been so unwelcoming. You’ve been dealing with other humans and elves.

-Girl!

-I’m judging you so hard rn

-Whew chile that took a lot outta me

Episode 2

-Awww I do feel bad for Ness tho

-They’re scared too

-Bruh, Bram JUST said he doesn’t know what an anthropologist is. You barely related it to a Skald. Showing him your notes means nothing.

-Bram, dude, I get you’re supposed to protect but you’re seeing enemies in the wrong people. Though I get why you’d suspect her.

-The Dinae have no secrets between their tribes (I’m assuming) so there’d be no need for an anthropologist to go looking for old history.

-Also he called her cute (again)

-Ohkay. I draw the line at you accusing Mari of torturing Ness.

-Only a heartless monster would lay hands on Ness.

-I need you to think baby: WHYY WOULD NESS STAY? If Pucks are magical creatures, surely you don’t think that Ness would be foolish enough to stay with a powerless human.

-Oh. Don’t make me insult your intelligence

-Oh don’t make me

-Mari. Don’t do anything stupid. Please. He’s actually being nice. In a weird way. Taking you to be judged. Someone else would’ve just killed you

-Mari…you can’t do your job in someone else’s country without permission. To get permission, you need to go to a village.

-I’m starting to question your intelligence

-Oh good. The bull-headedness is back

-No shit it’s more than just a job! I think you would have gathered that from the fact that to enter Tallav you had to pass a BEAR statue

-Oh no not the sad face

-I know LVS is gonna use that face to get money out of me in future scenes

-Mari, you’re both stubborn. And if I had it my way, you’d’ve gone with him already

-MARI! HE’S NOT A SOLDIER!

-ARUGH

- Not the type of roleplay I thought I’d be reading in this story but sure. Have some hearts

-I wanna smack her so bad and the first season’s not over yet.

-Usually the urge to smack doesn’t kick in until at least season 2.

-She’s a record setter

-Uh oh Bram, you called her an interrogator.

-And he STILL doesn’t fix it!

-They’re both so rude

-Ok, so he gets the why.

-We’re making progress

-This woman can’t let her thirst rest for five minutes.

-I mean same but come on

-Ah! Progress on both sides!

-Still don’t like how forceful Mari is about her job. How would she feel if her job put people in danger?

-You kinda did Mari. You kinda did say “I’m going to do what I want anyway”

-Not in those exact words but enough

-My point!

Bram: You ever think that if we wanted to be bothered by any kingdoms, we would have officially contacted them

That’s my point

At the same time, Bram and his fellow Dinae have their fellow prejudice against bipeds. As I said, mostly justified but they act that they can’t adapt or change

-Mari, interest isn’t always flattering…we aren’t in high school

-Now she’s running away. From a guy that can turn into a bear

-I’m very much questioning her intelligence now.

-Cause she dumb dumb.

-And thus begins an infuriating game of human and bear

-Oh yeah Mari, cause you can totally break the hold of a guy WHO CAN TURN INTO A BEAR

-As Mari is kicking and screaming, Bram: Am I hurting you?

-LMFAOOOO

-Awww Ness trying to help.

-Bitch. He puts you down and you climb a tree. Like bears don’t climb trees?

-Thank you Ness for talking some sense into this stupid girl

-Why is she so defensive?!

-Why can’t they just give me the option of “Fine.” FOR ONCE

-Seriously Mari? If you had stumbled upon a village during your wandering that really HATED humans, the chances of them killing you are SUPER fucking high. Doing it this way is arguably a lot safer

-YO  WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT!!!

-That looked like a swamp deer  monster from It Lives Beneath

-FUCK THAT

-RUN BITCH…FUCKING RUUUNNNN

-Why is run never an option when we are clearly outmatched?

-Oh god why does it have to look at the screen!!!

-I don’t like that

-and ewwwww they did detail on the muscles

-Yeah no shit it’s targeting Mari, Bram!

-I think that’s pretty obvious!

-Thank again Ness for saving One Stupid Bitch

-We…we get to RIDE Bram?

-I can (and will) make so many jokes about that

-I’ve already restrained myself from making Bear jokes. So, you’ll deal with that

Episode 3

-Hehehehehehehhehe

-We rode him

-Hopefully this won’t be last time

-and the next time won’t be in bear form

-Ohkay. I’m back. The chapter’s loaded

-Wait one more

-And we can use that rope for something else too

-Idk how to do the lenny face so……just imagine it

-Ok. NOW I’m done.

-Finally, a decent option. THANK YOU, BRAM

-Yeah Mari get that through your thick fucking skull. He’s a defender. He defends.

-Awwww Bram isn’t comfortable with praise. I’m gonna take every opportunity to do it now

-Mari, this is why we don’t talk shit up.

-Hehe still riding him

-Ewww that thing is back.

-Plus side?

-FIGHT SCENE

-Oh nooooo Bram’s hurt

-MARI CONTROL YOUR THIRST THE MAN IS INJURED

-Thank you, Ness! I swear they’re the only character I haven’t been pissed at

-Mari begins to nerd out over plants. Honestly same

-OMG HIS BLUSH

-GUYS. HIS BLUSH

-The stuff of nightmares was an Abberation. I like my name better so it and all its freaky brethren will be called The Stuff of Nightmares

-And Bram’s back to being suspicious. Sigh. And we were having such a nice time

-The Dinae don’t have pets and that’s the saddest thing I’ve read all day.

-Mari just realized that Bram’s been naked this entire time.

-Lol

-Oh so, if Bram trusted Mari, he’d happily tell her everything she wanted to know.

-Hmmmmmm

-I certainly can’t say no to that face. So neither can you Mari. Here. Have some hearts

-See, they say fur covered thigh, all I hear is, cuddling for the winter.

-OMG SHE COULD SQUISH HIS PAW BEANS

-IF SHE DOESN’T SQUISH HIS PAW BEANS WE’RE GONNA HAVE A PROBLEM

-Mari stahp being so thirsty. There’s a stream next to you. Go dunk your head.

-Ness is adorable and I want a plushie of them

-Oh NOQOOOWW she has a problem with riding him

-…Ok, I mean…her explanation makes sense.

-See, every Dinae does it!

-Bram is so tired of her. It’s so funny

-WAIT. THERE’S WOLVERINES

-….is one’s name Logan?

-I’ll leave now

-I’m so glad they’re starting to understand each other more. Cause I was ready to jump through my phone screen.

-Things are still tense, of course.

-Wait a fucking minute. Going through a patch of brambles saved you a fucking DAY of travel? WTF

-I’m very interested in seeing how this plays out as opposed to Ravi’s route.

-Let’s meet Chieftain Mael!!

[bisexualsforprompto]

Teen Titans AU Part 10

OMG I JUST REACHED 100 FOLLOWERS! Wow! Thank you all so much for your support! I’m so happy to be writing and have others enjoy it! Without further ado please enjoy part 10 of the Teen Titans AU!

She woke up in a dimly lit warehouse tied up and gagged on a chair. The first thing that came to Marinette’s mind was Adrien. She quickly checked to make sure she could still feel the necklace which she had fashioned to hang Chat’s ring around her neck. She was relieved that it was still tucked away safely, but she wasn’t sure who tied her up if not Adrien. Marinette had left Tikki in her room when she had gone to shower, which meant she couldn’t transform. Marinette surveyed her surroundings and heard a small thud, she turned to see Adrien, it had been him after all. He must not have realized she had his miraculous. Adrien ran towards her and took the gag out of her mouth. Before she could scream he shushed her and whispered in her ear, “Puzzler is in the next room, he took you but I’m here to rescue you!” Marinette sighed, it made some sense, especially since she had bested his father. She wasn’t happy with Adrien’s appearance though, she knew he’d only make matters worse. Adrien brought his face to hers and before he could kiss her she spat in his face. Adrien was extremely angry, he looked like he was about to blow a fuse, even slap Marinette, “First you go around kissing some random guy and cheating and now this?!” Adrien growled as Marinette realized that he must’ve been watching her when she was in Gotham. But how did he know I was in Gotham? She wondered to herself. She didn’t have time to dwell on it though, Adrien was too unpredictable to not be watched. She looked back at Adrien and saw his eyes glued to her chest, she scowled, what a pervert. Then she realized that he was focused on the ring shaped lump peeking out of her shirt. Oh no… Adrien held her by her throat and ripped the necklace off her chest. “I can’t believe you would bring me this present back Mari, you’re redeemed princess.”

Adrien took the ring off the chain and slipped it on his finger. Plagg materialized and looked in horror as he saw who donned the ring of the black cat. “Plagg claws out.” Adrien yelled. “Kid no wayyyyyy” Plagg said as he was sucked into the miraculous, the kwami’s were slaves to their owners.

Just as Adrien had been transformed Edwin came out in a rage. “So you’re here for her huh? Just try to beat me little cat, I’m not as easily bested as my dear old dad.” Chat ran after him, turning his focus away from Marinette as Puzzler ducked out of the way. Marinette heard a thud from behind her as the boys fought. She felt her ropes being undone hastily and she felt a strong, warm arm draw her close. She knew who it was immediately.

Robin was standing in front of her as he gazed into her eyes, he was beyond relieved that she was okay. Marinette held onto him tightly as he shot off his grappling hook onto a nearby balcony in the warehouse. The two villainous boys who were fighting over her realized she was gone. “Where’d she go?!” Puzzler asked. Chat was proud, he had saved his princess, she would definitely love him now. Chat snapped out of his thoughts when Edwin threw another punch at him and they were immersed in battle once more.

Marinette looked at Damian, her boyfriend? She was happy he saved her, but she was also panicking. “I have to take his miraculous back!” She said in a low whisper. Damian clutched onto her tightly, he didn’t want her battling that freak. He knew she had a duty but for god sakes she gave him a heart attack! When he couldn’t find her he could barely think straight and it didn’t help that his brothers and father had to fight the Joker at the same time Marinette was discovered missing. Joker was too unstable and they couldn’t risk going into battle without more than one member of the batfamily, so they left him, with dissatisfaction, to let him handle Mari himself. Thank god for Tikki and his tracker. He understood that his family couldn’t help, really he did it’s just he knew he couldn’t lose her, so it annoyed him when more of his family couldn’t help.

He slowly let her go to get Chat’s miraculous back but a portal opened and Slade pulled Adrien forcefully back through it. “Damn it!” Marinette screamed.

Puzzler was a bloody heap on the floor and Chat had gotten away. Damian held her in his arms as he shot another grappling hook and headed straight for the batcave.

His brothers and father were there, a little bruised from their run in with the Joker, but all in one piece. Marinette was thoroughly, and rightfully pissed off. One of the most dangerous miraculouses was back in the hands of Adrien fucking Agreste. She huffed as Damian gently laid her down on the cave floor.

“Care to explain Robin?” Asked Batman, he knew Marinette had been missing, but with even Damian left leadless, it was up to Robin to storm in blind, without information by pinpointing her tracker’s location once again. Damian scowled, “Not particularly father. Can this wait?” He motioned to Marinette who had gotten up and made her way to the computers, searching vigorously. “God damn it!” She screamed, “How did Adrien know where I was?!” She bowed her head down in defeat as Damian walked over to her and massaged her shoulders soothingly, he’d never seen her like this. The batfamily could only watch as Damian tried to calm her down, “Angel, take a breath...Now, please tell me what you are upset about other than some different freak taking you.” Marinette sighed and tried to stay calm, for Damian, she thought. “Adrien has been watching us since at the very latest, yesterday night in Gotham. We didn’t tell anybody we were coming here besides your family and the Titans, so how did he possibly know?” Damian hadn’t thought about that, to be fair he hadn’t had much time to think, “He’s working with Slade I think...Now that you mention it, he has been really ahead of the game lately, always knowing where the Titans will strike next, even knowing our moves, so that rules a tracker out...” Marinette looked up at Robin, he wore a calculating look on his face, under better circumstances Marinette might have called it cute. She could see the dots connecting in his mind, and she desperately wished she could know what he was thinking about, her wish was granted though, by Batman who had realized exactly what had happened. He narrowed his eyes and spoke,

“Looks like the Teen Titans have a mole…”

Tag list (again please let me know if you’d like to be added or if I missed you!):

@zebrabaker

@2sunchild2

@northernbluetongue

@violatiger8

@mochinek0

@beaversuenightly

@poshplumcot

@queen-of-the-trash-planet-tm

@heaven428

@worlds-tiniest-spook-pastry

@indecisive-mess-named-me

@captainmac6

@mandy984

@emjrabbitwolf

[ramblingshit]

Jane Eyre - 1934 - 4/5

Vodka-less and tired and very cold, we begin our journey to the very first talkie version of Jane Eyre.

ow my bra hurts. I wish I had vodka. this is so sad. wait i have a rokerdelig brb. depression strikes syet again - i drank it earlier. alright lets get started in the 30s whoop. wow audio quality 10/10 lolol. opening with john reed hunting her down and she's blonde oh no she's been found.  holy fuck he's throwing shit at her - SLAP BITCH GET HIM. nooooooooNOOOO why is it errored. okay fixed. aunt mary? oh damn she collapsed cause he pitched that cup at her what an ass - bessie is reading to her naw. she's cut out of a lot of them and never shown so kind at the time she's actually. oh shit. ahaha 'they're bad and i hate them.' 'since you hate us so much i bet you'll be happy to know i'm sending you to an orphanage.' 'yes i am happy' looool. 'go away! GO AWAY! goodbye!" hell yeah lil Jane you stand up to that bish. not quite the snappy shebang she says in the others but very satisfying nonetheless - a lot braver and more obstinate love it. oh no her curls snip snip. ohh her hair is cute af. and very 30s ahaha what a coincidence. wow she talks back like hey ahah. she's looking down at lowood preacher dude down her nose ahah. didn't say hell? ahahaha omg this is great so far. she's the best lil Jane I think I've seen. ohh interesting way to show passing of time - the flipping book pages and the showing of the top of the next chapter - skipping quite a few ahead. skipped helen? straight to her ahah oh shit -- teaching. she's standing up to brocklehurst like no ones business. 'you're dismissed! get out!' 'I'll get out - gladly!' ohmygod she's great she's so great none of that simpering and passivity she's taking the world by the balls.  'you cruel dingy childbeater!' 'you ought to be tarred and feathered you ugly old crocodile!' lmao im in love with her. she walks off laughing and happy about being dismissed. miss temple loves her and gonna miss her so sweet, brocklehurst was like holy damn wtf. ahaha her drivers a drunk, fukn flying across the road she's like bye m8. she's proud and above him and annoyed she has to walk rather than die in a carriage crash. oh damn now she meets no? yeah she's not even made it --oh fuck that horse FLIPPED. she helps unprompted and isn't hesitant in talking back and speaking up oh my god she just stalked off after helping him up ahaha. ahaha oh shit the drunk driver works at thornfield and when they asked why she walked instead of taking the carriage she covered his ass and said she just wanted to walk through the meadows and he's like oh thank fuck thank you jesus she just rolls her eyes with a smile. she speaks 3 languages and draws and plays - very accomplished. he's adele's uncle? Samuel Poole ey what a g m8. and he warns her out of the blue to keep her door locked at night. that 30s makeup is crazy awesome. round face, rosy cheeks, long brows and dark eye makeup and lips. short hair. Adele gives her the tour. she's proud and self-assured. poh damn they're only allowed on one side of the house - sam is married to grace poole. just dunno why she's blonde? probs cause she's supposed to be like angelic? anyway she's gorgeous and the angles are nice and the lighting is good--andw what era are these dresses jfc there's no way she could afford that dress fuck. and who curled her hair and that's a low bow whats happening it looks like a southern gone with teh wind situation. he's smaller than she is. he's bathed in darkness - the light is dimmer on him than her. she's even got a necklace. they're not sitting by the fire. he was too busy looking at her to notice her giving his tea. awkward sips ahaha. it's got like a diamond on the necklace. he looks like he's squatting on that tiny chair. oh shit she's gonna sing instead of play. yikes i hope she can--she's literally taller than him. oh she's gonna play and sing. she looks like blanche is supposed to look? and of course she can sing - all framed by candlelight and hanging crystals. the audio is crackling ahah wow incredible they can do it at all - one of the first talkies damn. 'lovely' wow she a mary sue? please don't be a mary sue.sings and yeets outta there not even finished her tea. far out that dress is not doing it for me. what world would a governess be dressed like that? she wears nothing but white. and journalling is never a good idea. but my god she's gorgeous---lots of SCREAMINGGG. and they're telling Jane that its just a servant and its clearly not grace poole doing the screaming? Fairfax knows? Jane can't blame Grace? Jane's like not freaked about it - i suppose she's journalling about it. Adeles a 'mischief' lol nice. she's ran from her lesson and climbed a tree and now she's stuck up there and Jane like doesn't hesitate just scales that tree after her 'uncle edward help! my foot's caught!' 'her foot's caught' 'her foot's caught, so i gathered.' he seems so gentle and kind and pleasant. gets adele out of the tree - 'and where would you like this package delivered, miss eyre?' ahaha cute ooh they know when rochester is leaving to london. he's handsome i'll give him that, it's better --wait when was blanche introduced. asking him when he's getting married and he says next month and adele asks if he's gonna marry blanche and he avoids the question and she starts on but is interrupted by a frantically gesticulating Jane shaking her head, and she cuts herself off and skips away all innocvently lol til she slips moron kid hit her knee ahahaha what a dumbass. Jane's helping clean the chandelier? and Adele is helping as well, that's cool. wtf this kids a moron getting herself headdown stuck in a vase and JAne smashes that shit and snaps at Rochester's amused quip at breaking his shit and blanche laughs and Jane turns on her lol what a savage and storms off. dancing around her room to the sound of the music downstairs that's nice and cute I'd do the same thing ahaha. she's all petulant cause brought blanche who hasn't been introduced properly? is she gonna put her fancy dress on? no? i hope not. damn they're in a ball room? nice. blanche has dark hair and looks much older than any other, not a bad thing just different. they call her beautiful and pretty - not even trying to pretend she's plain and simple. he's suddenly all over her staring intensely and accompanying her into the room and now they're dancing no way? no? no. governesses and landowners don't dance? she's down here without adele. he's sad she didn't dress up - she didn't want to appear as anything than what she is : a governess! at least she's proud of it. he's amused. and charmed. she thinks he's mocking her. now they're being introduced - an interesting way of doing things but rather natural compared to immediately knowing each other. Adele's sitting here with some old guy talking shit about people wow that's mean. fkn kids and this lord ingram is encouraging the hell out of her ahaha. but when she taunts him suddenly its not so funny ahaha. blanche is nice but sarcastic? it's a wedding party ooooh? adele m8 letting things slip? it's 2am and she's dreaming of him - and damn she's going straight for the curtains with that candle and its not lighting? then we see an altogether put together lady return with teh candle to the room upstairs before crazy cackling. god Jane is pretty. oh shit the house is on fire. nah just his room. there's no dramatic music - yes! she's the one to tear down the curtains and open the window - she's legit the most assertive main character i've seen - he's woken up and the fire is like already out. she's got this sorted all he has to do is give her a blanket 'why didn't you call for help?' 'I didn't think it necessary...' noice. here have some alcohol - from the same cup: might as well kiss. she burnt her hands and HE KISSED THEM. she's like bye. she is outies not taking any of his affections like she got better things to do, like sleep. he's in her room? he brought her a book. they're standing very close. he wants her to help redecorate the west wing - he's quite sure he's getting married in a month and that she'll have things to suit the lady's taste. eyeyeyeyyy. its a pupppppppppppyyyyy. oh it's adele's room. ohmygod so fuckin cute rochester is putting adele to bed and she's saying that she wants an aunt that she can choose and she wants it to be miss eyre and he says she wont have them and she says he has to ask her and she'll make sure she says yes. 'that'd be very nice'. cute af ma8. 'don't forget to ask her!' he grins happily. she chooses a cutain (?) and rochester jumps in 'we prefer this one!', and ol mate says 'i congratulate the lady on her discerning taste - the room will look delightful!' what a thing to say. she looks fkn miserable lolol she thinks she's choosing shit out for blanche - they're choosing out jewels now. she's fkn despondent. she flees the jewellers, he follows her and she cries and tells him she's off on holiday. he's not happy like did you think that would go well?? she's not even saying goodbye to him ahaha bye adele and fairfax nevermind here he is marching up the stairs weren't you gon' say goodbye????? tajes her bags and back upstairs to show her the room she designed? she loves it and he's happy and taking the coat off - 'it's incomplete' 'incomplete? everything seems to be in its proper place - what's missing?' 'you.' ohmygodddddddd. 'can't you see i've been falling in love with you all of this time?' rochester yaaaassss. she's not about to argue lol. whoops - 'you must never decieve me again' she chides lovingly and he laughs and shakes his head. like duuuuude i haven't forgotten this is Jane Eyre. okay he's very handsome and she's gorgeous what a lovely couple. now she's dressed in enormous dresses and jewels much more fitting now I suppose, though she did just say she didn't want to be lavished and pampered. oh what the fuck lol what 'edward my husband!' ahaha oh shit bertha just popped nicely out of nowhereeeee -'you can't separate me from my husband again! no one shall!' oh shit. oh shit. wow that was so brushed over - 1930s sensibilities??? Jane's like uhhhh what was that explain yourself he's like I love you you make me so happy i didn't want to tell you I was married to a psycho that I keep in the attic and take care of. she almost forgave him then he rushed off to help with his violent wife - what she gon do?? she waiting forever surely not she's better than that. yas ohmygod is she gone? SHES GONE AHAHAHA YAS DAMN GO GIRL. she wrote a goodbye note to Adele but not him ahaha savage I love her. ohh a star wars cut noice. he's just gon sit in his library? took mrs fairfax to be like yo dude she couldn't have gone very far ahah she's hiding from him in the shadows all misery and rain. searching for her in the dark- thornfield's on fire! oh yikes it's seriously on fire.  get out of there ya;ll. it's so odd not to have any action music oh damn he's going into the house to get bertha he's in his tophat ahaha fire effects! fire effects! fire effects! whoo. she's found herself in a soup kitchen very nice Jane you're an angel. she's going to india huh oh damn we speeding through this bit - 30 seconds after we meet Rivers he's proposing ahaha. she looks insulted, thanks him and storms out. she's pouring soup an hour before her wedding to Rivers and Sam's just popped up looking fucked uppp. i think he's just drunk tbh. bertha burned to death. Jane's frantic and upset m8 and yeah Sam's drunk af. so JAne went to him - he's blind and angry and an't see her and she's crying and he's shocked my god he's in the light and he's in the dark and he's reaching toward the light and touching her face - lol she raced back to thornfield in a day. lol you want some tea Eyre, it's nice for you to call. he's convinced ---ohhhhh--- "strange, you pity me when I'm blind and yet when I was worse than blind you had no mercy.' he's sending her awayyyyy noo he literally just told her they never belonged to each other and they never did like damn son that is fuckin colldddddd. she's so emotional and he's like yep I guess. She was awesome, he was handsome and had his fine moments. It was cute af m8 noice.

[secretagentspydetectiveninja]

Rewatching Gigantitan

This is the funniest episode in the show I’m already laughing

I JUST WANT TO SAY FIRST OF ALL THAT I LOVE THE GIRL SQUAD SO MUCH AND THEY’RE MY FAVES AND I’M SO GLAD THEY GET THEIR TIME TO SHINE IN THIS EPISODE okay moving on (Mylène sits so adorably omg)

...I’m not gonna lie, out of context it looks like Marinette and Alya are trying to tell everyone that they’re girlfriends

THEY’RE SO ADORABLE WHEN THEY LAUGH and I can’t get over the fact that they all just Know that Marinette likes Adrien, like, do they know she’s Ladybug too? Do they just not say anything? Who knows? And they all just agree that the boys are dumb and haven’t noticed anything like what kind of Girl Solidarity, I’m so proud

Okay they all sit adorably actually? From left to right top row then bottom row: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, Hufflepuff

I bet she got this big Trocadero map image from Google Earth

They’re still so adorable but this is so funny because like... Mylène literally actually has a boyfriend, she knows what she’s talking about so she actually has Good Advice

I can’t get over how giant Rose’s eyes are even when she’s squinting

Here are all the adorable drawings for you to look at, you’re welcome but I’m crying because Alix doesn’t get one

Look at this statue

They’re so ride or die for Marinette at this point, like, purposely get an innocent man into trouble with the police? Sure why not

Okay but if they had been expecting their plan to work, did they not think Roger would realize the fake signpost is on a trolley and not actually an actual signpost in the ground? Eh whatever

JULEKA PATTING ROSE ON THE HEAD IS SO CUTE I’M STILL NOT OVER IT

This screencap is still so funny to me akdjfhskjdhksjg, also THANK YOU someone finally pointed out how creepy it is that Mari knows Adrien’s entire schedule

Theo’s back and as usual, he runs every job in Paris

Well played, Zag, very well played...

Fake Adrien’s reaction to fake Marinette’s gibberish is priceless

And you know who else is priceless??? ALIX FREAKING KUBDEL

The fake date is so funny not just because of how cheesy it is, but also none of them wonder if maybe Adrien will be idk CONCERNED that his bodyguard is nowhere to be found?? But nah he won’t care he’ll go off gallivanting around with Marinette

The falling flower petals represent my tears of laughter when watching this scene

There’s the pink bubbly background too I’m DYING (btw the fake date is all in widescreen)

Oh my goodness Rose has actual literal tears in her eyes if you look carefully, I love her

MARINETTE SDKJFHDKJGHKDJHF

I love that Alix acts all outwardly supportive etc but then if you look at her she’s sitting in the corner cringing like “I’M TOO ARO FOR THIS” like can everyone else step up their Relatableness game because flower petal skater child is winning

YESSSSS GO GIRL SQUAD GO

Why does Adrien just model in his normal clothes? What is Gabe trying to advertize here? I mean I know Wayhem wears those clothes too but he’s Wayhem, that’s different

I’m so glad to see this guy is back

Juleka’s codename is Rose... here’s Juleka, surrounded by roses... hmm... remember what happens later in the Zombizou episode... I’m just saying... what I’m saying is she’s gay and Julerose is canon

Theo’s reaction to being roped into this plan though

I love that Juleka feels the need to randomly clear her throat before she starts pushing the cart, that’s somehow a mood

Bless her, she’s trying so hard

Mylène is frickin shredded, we totally missed that somehow

Alix just chills on the bridge the entire episode half forgotten, occasionally providing snarky commentary, I cannot express in words how much I adore her

It’s nice that Roger recognizes his daughter’s classmates - and it’s so nice that he recognizes Juleka, of all people! She’s come so far since the Reflekta episode :’) (of course Roger immediately starts complaining about pigeons...)

Juleka overcoming her social anxiety to yell about illegally parked cars!!! YES!!! YOU GO GIRL I’M SO PROUD!!!

“Hahaha don’t mind me just casually hugging this signpost...”

He’s still at it with the acrobatics

I can’t get over August crying an actual waterfall of tears askfhskjdfhksjd it’s like Syren-levels

I wonder what the Gorilla was doing on his phone... do you think he plays Pokemon Go?

Idek what to caption this just look at all three of them and Rose chasing after in the background

Marinette you good child, you’re such a hero even without the mask ily

This is seriously so great, I need more Secret Mission episodes like this

Hndfngjdfjdhn they’re not even trying to make it look casual now

Adrien’s car doesn’t even have a numberplate

DUDE WHY WOULD YOU AKUMATIZE THE GUY YOU PAY TO PROTECT YOUR SON WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU

Actually the Gorilla is now winning the Relatableness game because I, too, immediately become happy and lose all negative emotions whenever I see Adrien Agreste

THIS IS SO HILARIOUS?? And then instead of just de-akumatizing the baby who has no teeth and can barely speak, like any normal evil supervillain would, Hawky just rolls with it and doesn’t even think about how spectacularly this is going to backfire

Wow I love Honey I Blew Up The Kid

You can even see some of the Girl Squad

Awwww Juleka has her arm around Rose

CMON ALYA NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO DIE

August’s lil (well, big) baby bracelet has his name on it

I feel so bad for the Gorilla because he’s having such an unbelievably bad day in so many ways

I love how season 2 has so many more real Paris places etc, it’s a cool detail

Girl Squad group hugs are so good

SDNNFJFGNJDNJH I LOVE THEM

They’re so good and brave though, literally facing akuma villains to go find Marinette

The strings don’t even go in front of him

This whole scene where they’re trying to distract the baby is so good omg, I guess Adrien didn’t inherit the Bad Parenting Skills from his dad. And it’s nice that the owner of the car left their windows wide open for Chat to climb through

PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF

HE JUST KNOCKS OVER THE EIFFEL TOWER, I SWEAR THIS POOR TOWER IS WRECKED SO OFTEN IN AKUMA ATTACKS PARISIANS MUST BE USED TO SEEING IT LYING ON THE GROUND IN RUINS

Alix is still just chilling on the bridge, staying out of all the nonsense, like she can probably hear all the doom and destruction going on through the bluetooth and she doesn’t even care

No!!! Let Adrien eat!!!

See look at this thing. It’s like a giraffe that tripped over. How many people were on there do you think? How many got crushed underneath? It’s like the Mime except it actually hit the ground this time

THERE THEY ARE AGAIN!!! Using the fake signpost to save the day!!! And apparently they stole Theo’s rickshaw too, chaotic good

It looks like she was about to dab but got surprised by something

Chat’s smile in the Ladybug-o-vision is adorable

Amazing

Thighs of STEEL

They look like a married couple with their child, I love it

More Girl Squad group hugs!!! Look at those height differences

Where was she carrying that?

These are the best characters in the show and you can’t change my mind

And the best of all is tiny Alix who just stands there deadpan chucking flower petals at them, what an ICON

THIS IS THE BEST END CARD oh wow my cheeks are hurting from smiling so much, Zag stop making hilarious episodes about my favourite characters you’ll give me a heart attack

[the-taintedtruth]

‘13 Reasons Why’ Season 2 trailer - a frame by frame analysis (long post)

First of all the song is eerie as f

The school is going to be a big factor again

Clay is still pretty mopey and looks exactly the same (but the cut on his head has finally fucking healed thank GOD)

And he is possibly being threatened by dickhead Bryce who shouldn’t even still be walking around school!!!!!!!!!!! get the f out

Someone got pretty snap happy with their new Fujifilm mini. Polaroids are the new tapes, watch this space

Something tells me we’re not gonna find out who the other one is/ones are until the last episode and I’m gonna be calling in sick to work to find out immediately

Hannah’s sticking around in flashbacks and in Clay’s head (obvs cus how else can she lol). Oh and her hair grew back

I love these two together even if it’s all PRETEND

This pair are possibly working together like child detectives so everyone better fucking watch out. And Tony’s still rocking that leather jacket, you go girl

Almost forgot about this guy

What is this????? I don’t remember a letter in S1 except for the one Zach didn’t throw away, but why would Tony have it and why would he burn it? hmmmmm

“Who would believe a drunk slut” erm me actually????? I got u Jessica

Who’s this idiot living with now, he should be in jail too

Jessica’s made new friends (probs for the best)

Who the fuck is this imposter, I’m done with him already

Clay is losing it and clearly needs some therapy

What’s this and who is Picasso????

Lol just Ryan. Fuck off Ryan with your shit drawing

Tyler is still being pushed the fuck around yawn

More Polaroids. The photographer must be rich, do you have any idea how much film costs for those things

Also this is Clay, Sheri and who????? maybs Justin but why

Clay is done with ur shit Sheri

HE. So the Polaroid snapper is a he????? interesting

Justin seriously needs a shower, he used to be kinda cute :(

Someone’s whacked Bryce, congrats whoever you are

Also he says “we’re all in this together now”. REALLY who made u king of the world

Ok then Zach, traitor

HEREEEE he fucking is. Someone tell me he ain’t still a counselor

Sheri got a makeover and looks like she should be in Bratz the movie

I hate this motherfucker

Jess also had a makeover, lovin the hair

“This is proof of who they all are” i swear if this season focuses on a bunch of newbies who had fuck all to do with the tapes ill lose my shit

Possibly the door to Bryce’s pool house?????

Who’s dis running with Tyler

Omg no someone save my baby Clay!!!!!!!

However it looks like they’re doing this in the boys locker room at school and thats just stupid someone could easily walk in

Feel like Montgomery is gonna be a big part of the cast in S2 and i’m not sure how I feel about that. (He is cute tho)

Aw jess its all gonna be FINE

YESSSSS its what he deserves

“STOP THE SPIN” what does that even mean........

Momma baker got a new hair cut and its gross but i am excited to see daddy baker he was super cute

Now THIS is exciting, love a courtroom drama. he’s obvs gonna lie his fat ass off tho

U cant tell but Tony is shaking his head here like “youre a right piece of lying shit bryce ill run u over with my sweet mustang”

I’m 100% certain teachers cant do this to students but im FINE WITH IT

So Justin finally took a shower and looks pretty dapper here

“YOU TALK YOU DIE” whatttttt who did this????!!!!!!!!

(Also the music vamps up here and i live for it)

Angry clay getting angry slamming doors when im pretty sure his mom always tells him to leave it open

This is like the worst squad ever

Ffs who is THIS!!!!! I zoomed and think it’s a female but dont quote me

And who is this with Clay, he looks sketchy as f

Baseball is the new basketball

Who who who!!!!!! i need answerssssssss

Ugh bryce is such a gremlin get OFF HER

Tony getting ready to do serious damage

Possibly to ex bf Ryan?????

GOOD you should be crying (also get some new sweaters)

I don’t trust this bitch already

Clay and who???? And WHY put that down clay you’re like 10

Like seriously he cant ride a bike but he’s popping bullets?

Looks like Clay’s been beaten up AGAIN. seriously where are your parents (no for real where are they, i really like his mom)

Justin working with Clay??????

Feel like this scene is gonna leave me SHOOOOK. The way he says “no one’s gonna get justice for her” tears into my actual soul

Seriously clay put it down, who do u think u are

Oh my sweet angel. This breaks my heart every time, you should be resting in peace baby

IS THIS BRYCE TAKING THE PHOTOS

This makes me super uncomfortable but i enjoy her top

Detective Olivia Baker has had enough of your shit, ready for justice

Totally forgot about some of these people - Skye, ALEX, Pratters, COURTNEY!!!! where u at bitch

Someone fucked up Baker Drugs omg

I’m loving this friendship for some reason?????

More baseball ugh (also I don’t recognise anyone here and its making me sad WHERES THE ORIGINAL CLAN)

There they are lol and UGH there she is!!! And hold the fucking phone----- IS THAT ALEX????????? YAY HE’S ALIVE AND WITH NEW HAIR

Also this looks like they’re in a police station omg whos confessed to what

Who are u GET JESSICA’S UNIFORM OFF

This was super hard to screenshot, it could be Ryan and Tony but I dont think so

***Updated: It’s possibly Tyler and a newbie or two newbies

Looks like Bryce is getting an award for some sports shit again even though he’s raped half the people watching, no big deal

(Fun fact - his mom is Brenda Strong who played Mary Alice Young in Desperate Housewives and thats exciting to me. But anyway)

Tony punching Monty. I approve

What’s jessica running after!!!!

Ok this is a shit screenshot but it’s someone falling off their bike. it’s gonna be clay let’s be honest

AWWWWWW KISS HER

Or just scream in her face, whatever suits u xxxxxx

NOT LONG GUYS

[writtenthroughtime]

Master Fanfiction List | July 2017

For those of you who have been asking me for my updated master list, ask and you shall receive!

Here is the Master List for all of my current completed and works in progress Fanfictions for Outlander.  All of my stories can be found on AO3 under the same name of WrittenThrough Time. I do NOT write about real people, so please don’t ask or expect to find those on here.

Enjoy!

My Blog Prompts

A Life Unseen - An AU, Frank cheats on Claire story. Frank cheats right before Claire falls through time and how her relationships/experiences will differ from the books since she doesn’t have that anchor of Frank trying to get back to. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10

Mo Chridhe - Modern AU of Claire and Jamie’s lives Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12

Briste - Modern AU where Claire believes she is unlovable and will never find love. However, life doesn't always turn out the way she believes it will... Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13

The Crook Chronicles - My half is set for Mr. Crook Part 1, Mr. Crook Part , Mr. Crook Part 3, Mr. Crook Part 4 COMPLETE

@lenny9987 and I have paired up for this series and she has written Mrs. Crook Part 1,Mrs. Crook Part 2, Mrs. Crook Part 3, Mrs. Crook Part 4 COMPLETE

Endlessly - Story based on @gotham-ruaidh‘s Endless Loop Theory Part 2

For the Love of a Soldier - Also known as 1940s Claire and Jamie, it’s an AU set in the 1940s with Jamie a Scottish soldier and Claire a nurse meeting during WWII. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8 COMPLETE

A Second Chance - Yet another AU where Claire goes back through the stones with Bree, 2 years after leaving the past before Culloden. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Changing History - One shot AU where Jamie and Claire were successful in getting the Bonnie Prince to go back to Italy and not start the rebellion. Their experience after with a certain Captain of Dragoons. COMPLETE

Just a Man - Currently a one shot, but soon to be multi-post, from Jamie’s point of view. Current post is set (book world) right after the wedding when Claire faints. COMPLETE

25 Days of Outlander - Posts are tagged with 25 Days of Outlander, Gotham-ruiadh,& Lenny9987. There are a series of 25 “Favorites” that I’ve chosen to writeshort fanfictions based upon. Currently there are 11 posts for that particular set. Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, Day 8, Day 9, Day 10, Day 11

Claire’s Not a Fetch - Completed AU where Claire goes back and stops Jamie from marrying Laoghaire in Voyager. COMPLETE

The Sorcerer and the Stones - Master Raymond based story (currently complete. Future chapters possible) COMPLETE

A Flurry of Green and Red - Bree goes through the stones before Claire. deviation from Voyager Part 2 COMPLETE

Christmas Faith - Christmas themed one shots based with Faith Fraser as a main character. Alternate Christmas Faith    COMPLETE

Christmas on the Ridge - Fluffy Christmas day story COMPLETE

From One to Another - Frank has a child with another woman, abandoning Claire hours after giving birth to Brianna. COMPLETE

Ma Famille - Fluffy Fergus AU at Lallybroch with Claire & Jamie. COMPLETE

Mutually Beneficial Pleasure - Fic based on an image and the caption “Imagine him looking down at you like that.” SMUT COMPLETE

Untitled Ramblings - Meet cute for Jamie and Claire set in an unidentified Modern Universe. (completely separate from Mo Chridhe.) This fic could also be continued for now marked complete. Untitled Surprise COMPLETE

La Bibliotheque Parisinne - Modern standalone piece of Jamie and Claire in Paris. Smut for Smut’s Sake.SMUT COMPLETE

Forever and A Day… - Rewrite of DiA where Claire stays in the past. Written for @mybeautifuldecay

A Whole New World- JPOV s2ep13: Dragonfly in Amber AU

Scottish Sun - Sweet Jamie and Claire moment COMPLETE

Outlander Drabbles - Collection of Drabbles based in any setting of Outlander Wedding Night Drabbles, The Newsroom, Smut Drabble, Motorcyclist, Drunken Night, Obedience School, Anniversary Gift, Trouble, First Night Alone, Puppy Days, Walks, Ring Bearer, The Halloween Party, Happy Second Anniversary, Happy Halloween

Singin’ in the Rain - ONE SHOT: Roger and Bree moment on the Ridge.Book 9 setting SMUT COMPLETE

A Kiss a Day Keeps the Whores at Bay - Claire saves Jamie from Laoghaire COMPLETE

Life Drawing - This would totally be an AU fic but I would love to see Claire teaching a figure drawing class and Jamie being one of the students draws her.

Letters For Christmas - Secret Santa 2016 for @akb723. For Christmas Jamie writes a letter to his wife remembering different moments in their shared history.  Letter One - 1944 Letter Two - 1946 Letter Three - 1949 Letter Four - 1953 Letter Five - 1957 Letter Six - 1959 Letter Seven - 1969 COMPLETE

Prompts for Imagine

Always With Me - Imagine Jamie going all proud poppa mode with baby Faith if she had lived COMPLETE

Born Out of Time - Bree is sick in the 20th Century and Claire has to bring her back to the 18th Century to heal her. Part 2: I Need A Healer, Part 3: Return of the Red Man and Red Child COMPLETE

Main Du Chroi - Faith asks Jamie if Claire is really a faerie Part: 2 COMPLETE

The Darkness That Leads to Remembrance - Sir Fletcher allows Claire to see Jamie. (Endlessly Spin-Off) COMPLETE

The Steam Rises - The hot baths did win….for both of them. SMUT COMPLETE

Oidche Math - AU where Jamie has premonitions/dreams of his Sassenach before they meet in person. Part 2: Et Somniatores    COMPLETE

An Aching Wish - The stones failed the second time around and Claire goes to France. Chapter 2 COMPLETE

Lallybroch’s Newest Healer - Rewrite of Always With Me where Faith Lives and is NOT a dream. COMPLETE

There Can Only Be One (aka Legwhore Smackdown)- Claire goes back slightly earlier just before Jamie leaves for Edinburgh and he still lives with Laoghaire COMPLETE

Together in Paris - Life for the Frasers had they stayed in Paris instead of fighting in the uprising. (AU where Faith lives) Part 2: Older Brother, Older Sister, Part 3: La Petite Mort

Wanting to Be….A Daddy’s Girl - Fic about Brianna never bonding/having that fatherly relationship with Frank and her reaction when she finds out who her father really is. AU with wee Bree and Frank dies early, Part 2 COMPLETE (for now)

Petit Mircale - Multi-part rewrite of what I believe should have happened in ep. 207. *Spoiler Alert* FAITH LIVES. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, & Part 5  COMPLETE

Neighboring Love - Set in the 18th Century. Young lovers Jamie and Claire. Prompt: So there’s this post on tumblr that’s like “the most beautiful man in the world lives in my building but every time I see him I’m a mess” and I was like OMG THIS NEEDS TO BE A FIC, so imagine Jamie and Claire in this situation. Part 2: 362 Days…, Part 3: Unwanted Affections, Part 4: Since the Very First Day, Part 5: Hidden Letters

Èirigh na Grèine - Set in the 18th Century where Bree is born and grows up then. Jamie talking to, showing, and explaining things to a baby Bree. Part 2  COMPLETE

Away with the Faeries -  In season 2 finale, Bree said Claire is always away with the faeries…Coult you do a prompt of instances of Bree at different ages like 5,9, 14 and 20where she notices Claire is far away (thinking about Jamie and such) and at those different ages what Bree thinks of her mother because thoughts change when you get older :)  COMPLETE

Of Innocents & Voyeurs - Imagine if Mary and/or Louise walked in on Jamie and Claire in the throws ;) SMUT COMPLETE

Sticky Fingers - #5 Claire catches a bairn in her surgery. (this is a multi-fic post where each of Imagine’s mods wrote a piece based on a list of prompts. You’ll find Stick Fingers as number 5 on the list) COMPLETE

Cruinne Malartach - Imagine there are stones that don’t send you through time but into alternative universes.

Owl Post - Imagine Bree explaining Harry Potter to Jamie. Gotham graciously let me borrow her Modern Glasgow world and add this little gem to the universe. Gotham’s Modern Glasgow

Tales From the Past - Claire and Uncle Lamb are folklorists and discover a Scottish Legend deep in the North Carolian Mountains Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV COMPLETE

Angel Baby - Anonymous submitted: Could you please write a prompt where little Bree asks Claire for a sister, Claire tells her about Faith but Frank overhears and confronts Claire? Thanks :) COMPLETE

Guardian Scotsman - What about a story about Claire as a child or a teenager and somehow gets raised by Murtagh?

Baking Disasters - Imagine Claire trying to be the perfect WI wife for her husband doing baking and crafts and gardening and she's kind of awful at it. Chapter 1, Chapter 2

A Shock to the System - Hi, could You write a Fic where Jamie managed to avoid Geneva´s blackmailing (that never happened) and later she met Frasers and SEE THEM TOGETHER (gladly with bairns)? Love to see Claire give her (G) a hard time – kill that little brat!!! COMPLETE

Separate Beds- "Do you wish for us to live separately?" What if Claire wasn't ready to forgive Jamie yet? How would he gain back her trust? COMPLETE

The Laird’s Foster - Because I am missing my favorite characters of late, can I get some Roger and Bree story? I'd like to see the evolution of them falling in love with each other. Too much? Anything from you will do. Pretty please? Thank you!

On the Road - Could you do an story where Claire and Jamie return to Castle Leoch before going to the colonies. Bonus points for one where Jamie never married Laogherie :) (up to you!!) COMPLETE

In the Eye of the Beholder - Using a mirror, Bree paints a picture of her and William together and they give it to Jamie for his birthday. Jamie is so touched he tells them a dream he had in the cave of the two of them playing together. COMPLETE

The Arrangement - Christmas Special with @mybeautifuldecay  This little fic is a combined work from both of us with no chapter separation or author separation. We wrote this in tandem, inspiring one another as we went. We hope you will enjoy this Christmas Wedding Bells edition of The Arrangement!

The French Frasers - Imagine a French family (couple, kids and a granny) arriving to the Ridge. They recognised the gran as Suzette, the Paris maid and making counts about her son age they noticed he could be also Murtagh's son. COMPLETE (for now)

Maman’s Boy - Fergus making his way from the battlefield, just wanting to see Claire and Jamie. He realizes that he thinks of them as his parents. COMPLETE

Drunken Nights - Write a scene where Jamie returns home in Paris, completely drunk and the effort Claire has to put in just to get him into bed with him fighting all the way because he wants his Sassenach. COMPLETE

SAWNY -  Jamie's first meeting with Fergus in the tv show where you find out he's the one who took Sawny so I thought a story about Jamie actually giving it to him either just before Culloden or before he arranges to get himself arrested would be really nice. COMPLETE

With Unseeing Eyes - What if someone had told Claire that Jamie was in love with her when she was first staying at Leoch? Chapter 1, Chapter 2   COMPLETE

The Cat’s Delight - Drabble on Imagine for the 2nd Anniversary of the Wedding Episode. COMPLETE

The Historian, the Healer and the Warrior - Imagine Frank had already remarried when Claire came back.

[nikowldrabbles]

This is for @saucey-and-spicey because I’m such a dumdum and I accidentally deleted her anon ask :c I’m sorry XD BTW I LOVE ANSWERING ASKS SO IT’S OKAY TO RE-DO :D

1) What got you into Tumblr ?

-I don’t remember when and how I made my Tumblr account, but I remember being addicted to Percy Jackson ? I liked almost ALL Percy Jackson fb pages, and I noticed they use posts from Tumblr a lot… Then there was this art that’s just—w o w. Amazing. I was really amazed and, I don’t know, I wanted to draw like that ? So I thought “who tf is this” and went to find the artist name—and it was Viria ! Yep, the almighty Viria. I found out her DevArt and I followed her there—then I also found out she had Tumblr so… I made my own. And followed her @-@ Is this creepy ? Fuck it sounds creepy—but yes, I did ! And so I thought “huh I wonder if Soul Eater is alive here” because truth hurts but… Soul Eater is dead in mostly every other website other than here :( SO I searched the SE tag and FUCK I’m not disappointed ! ;v; So many art, events, resbang, SE friends… AHHHHHHHHHH—

So yes. That’s how I got to Tumblr 😂 Cheers to @bbbutterfingers for inspiring me to draw Soul Eater things because of her cute af art ;v; And cheers to @mrsashketchum for being my first PH friend who also likes Soul Eater ! ;-; You are so rare mak omg ily 2) What made you passionate about drawing ?

-Soul Eater ! :D fuck, now you can tell how much this anime ate my life, huh ? XD Soul Eater was my first anime and it left something… Idk, great. In me. And while I was watching I can’t stop thinking about how the animation was simple but LIT, so when I got back home I decided I’ll draw them. I was like, nine ? Or ten. Somewhere before fourth grade… I drew a lot, EVERYWHERE, even in notebook paper. I copied from references in the hopes of me being able to draw them from heart, which is what I’m doing right now ;v; My art is still not perfect but I’m still practicing, and I plan to, like—take a course in college that can improve it ? I plan to be an artist in the future <3 I don’t know, I guess in the middle of all the copying of references and staring at digital drawings (until I got my drawing tablet), I developed the passion to learn more and draw… If one day, I’m able to PAINT Soul and Maka digitally, I’d be so fucking proud I might cry @-@ (I can also show you my very first drawings if you want, I kept them… It’s cringey but I’m proud because I’ve gotten so far without even realizing it :’) ) 3) Why do you love Soul Eater ?

-FUCK, I’VE WAITED FOR THIS QUESTION FOR SO LONG—

I love Soul Eater for A LOT of things. Soul Eater opened a lot of opportunities to me—drawing, writing… I first saw Soul Eater with my cousins. My family and theirs have this tradition that over summer vacation, I’d spend a week in my cousin’s house. And there, well, my elder cousing (let’s call him Kyle) told me something about “a girl being able to lift a scythe easily and a boy who can’t” ? And yes folks, that is SE, ft. Maka and Blackstar. So I was amazed, like “woah she sounds cool”, and because of that, the three of us watched the anime. And I was shook, okay—I already shipped SoMa at such a young age XD And I was so eager to draw them ! I wanted to draw Maka and Soul so much—I wanted to learn to draw them without references because I saw my eldest cousin (Kirsten) drawing Kid from her computer. It has been years though, and they’ve moved on from the show, but I haven’t @-@

Also, uh… A few years ago my life went a bit downhill and… I developed anxiety ? I haven’t consulted a doctor but I think I did, and… I don’t know. I never finish a day without being so terrified of something—may it be a deadline, or an argument, or something I did… It was also those days when I missed Soul Eater so much. So one day, I was scared of approaching a friend to apologize from a fight, then something came to me, like “What would Maka do ?” And it hit me—exactly. What would she do ? And I thought, she’d be really scared like how she was when she and Blackstar had that fight (episode 33 I guess ?) but… She’d face it. Then there’s also this “fear makes us stronger” quote she said and… Since then, that was how I cope. It helped me face things recently :D

The bottomline is, Soul Eater helped me a lot with life. It gave me passion, gave me an inspiration to fight something I hardly can. The characters were so great and I learned something from each and every one of them, and I don’t think I’ll ever forget how much this anime helped me ;-; Okay this is getting dramatic now Mari I gotta stop—

Thanks for sending an ask ! Even though this asshat was a dumdum who accidentally deleted it <3

[swearronchanel]

Am I making this a thing too often? Oh well, I HAVE THOUGHTS IM SORRY

Series 6 is finally here & the first episode was pretty intense so I’m watching it again & I guess just posting my thoughts that no one actually asked for 

- COLOR! Or COLOUR, either way new intro 

- Ok I actually really like this, time are changing #LetsGetIt1962 

- Shelagh and Angela omg, Tim shaving! Cute Turner Morning but now that I’ve seen this once, this could’ve been a chance to show Shelagh having morning sickness 

 - Sister MJ dancing is the cutest thing

 - welp here comes Sister Ursula ready to ruin everything. If she wants to “gyrate” let her wtf 

- Patsy fixing Delia’s hair is cute but let’s be real Patsy’s needs the fixing - Ugh again Sister U, go away

 - welcome home fam, it’s about to get real

 - I miss my bby Trixie but I’m not going to dwell on it because I know she’ll be back - like the minimal food isn’t even the worst of it, just get ready. *** ALSO, Sister Ursula is lowkey petty with that line “don’t sit down yet please, the mother house will be calling soon” She’s knows what’s about to go down and is enjoying it. 

 - Sister Julienne’s voice cracking, she looks so sad. My heart. Why would she be demoted?! I still don’t get it. 

 - * Awkward clapping *

 - So did Patrick not notice Shelagh was constantly sick and carrying around those rennies? 

 - “Biscuits are for fainters”, which is funny because she tells Mickey later on to go with her and find the biscuit tin. 

 - No Patrick we’re not having a raffle lol 

- “We’re taking a gamble is you ask me” Shelagh’s accent sounds so cute in an serious tone haha 

- Sister MJ’s little angry moment with the duster, I feel. 

- Can we see sister MJ with Angela please? - Why does Mickey need a patch for astigmatism? My brother has it in one eye and always just wore regular glasses. I feel the glasses struggle though, I love my frames but I hate wearing them. Okay off track whoops - 

 - I knew the husband(Lester) wasn’t to be trusted from the get. - - WHERE DID SHE TAKE THE DAMN TV? 

- aw Tom. 

 - That’s all lol. I don’t know why this ring story isn’t that appealing to me? kinda boring 

 - PATSY IN JEANS YES, HERE FOR THE NEW WARDROBES 

 - Also all the cocktails, I love it. Barbara was some “practice” haha. Patsy’s toast was cute  

 - That random guy telling Phyllis “give us all a thrill” and she cringed. That’s me  

- Lol @ Barbara’s Zsa Zsa Gabor reference but she just died so RIP - - I wanna knock Lester tf out 

- This is period drama indeed but sadly, this is not an issue of the past. - 

 - Everyone feels bad for Sister J 

 - “No I can’t prescribe, because I’m only 15!” 😂😂 I’m dead. - I wish he would get more screentime haha. I’m almost hoping he’ll feel weird about the new baby so he can have some kind of interesting storyline 

- Sister W’s face telling Tim “comb your hair”, why does she make the funniest faces - “Cape Town Tummy” lol if that’s what you wanna call it 

 - Thank the climate appropriate bri-nylon for Baby Turner - Can Patrick please make a joke about it? Like Fred can squeeze his wife’s ass, let Patrick at least have a good line 

 - “Is it both ends?” wtf sister W😂 why would you ask?

 - Shelagh’s so polite “the smallest room haha" 

 - IM LAUGHING BUT CRINGING AT SISTER WINIFRED’S FACE I LOVE IT - 

- Lol here’s freco Fred 

 - Why does it even matter if Barbara has a ring to show off Violet, we didn’t see yours lol - 

 - Oh no he’s taking Mickey right 

 - Shit yes he is, WHYY - this kid is so precious omg 

 - Why would he tell is son this 

 - THIS STRESSES ME OUT UGH I KNOW WHATS GONNA HAPPEN

 - Coño this man pisses me off 

 - Mickey 😪 

- Damn it Peter why do you always have bad news - 

 - "Television kills the conversation” no you kill the conversation 

 - PHYLLIS’S REACTION IS GOLD

 - what are Patsy and Delia doing? 

 - YES LESTER YOU’RE A DISGUSTING COWARD, I WISH I COULD PERSONALLY HURT YOU 

 - my heart hurts but I’m also furious 

- lol babs with pottery is symbolism of me handling university

 - Why was this relevant though, that could’ve been another Shelagh scene 

- Yes Trudy with the knife. So strong. I’m here for her 

 - HOW DARE SISTER U QUESTION SISTER MC’S FAITH 

 - YOU DONT EVEN KNOW HER 

- Trudy really walked her way over like that’s incredible, she just was hit so hard. 

 - YES SISTER JULIENNE 

 - I can’t wait till she storms out again bc that was empowering, forget that vow of obedience for a second 

 - I don’t even care the Sister U is nice to Mickey, it’s too late for redemption I know what you say later to Dr Turner and it cancels out  

- MUCAS EXTRACTOR 

 - Shelagh’s best at that  

 - Why was there no scene showing Mickey at the Turners !!? That would’ve been precious 

 - Phyllis 💔 I freaking love her. Especially her with Trudy at the end 

- “You contradicted my authority last night” YES TF SHE DID IM PROUD 

- YES SHE LEFT, NONNATUS IS STILL YOURS SISTER J 

 - SOMEONE GIF THAT JACKET PART  

 - Yes Trudy. She played this so well 

- I wish I cared more about Barbara and Tom

 - They’re cute but idk I just don’t care enough. The ring part at the end is cute because who cares about convention I’m here for that.  

 - Oh no this is the part right 

-  shoot yea it is. Sister Mary Cynthia 😪 

 - PATRICK SHOULDVE PUNCHED HIM 

- sister J not forcing her way in, I’m glad 

- Sister MJ 💔 my freaking heart is shattering 

 - Give Bryony an award for this 

 - Such a heartbreaking, accurate yet beautifully performed depiction of mental illness 

 - THE GROUP HUG, THIS IS WHERE THE TEARS STARTED  

 - AYE COÑO SISTER J AND SHELAGH 

- THIS IS WHERE I LOST IT THE FIRST TIME, RIGHT AFTER “IM SO AFRAID” - I’m going to insert a picture because I’m serious I was sobbing 

 - Shelagh’s skirt is so pretty 

- I’m here for her outfit, lets get it 1962 

- Okay let me press play and cry again  

 - Give Laura an award for everything - HER FACIAL EXPRESSIONS, HER ACTING, SHE’S SO AMAZING 

 - Ah damn I’m crying again 

- Sister J “I never stopped praying” omg💔 

- I’m so glad she told her first. 

- Why is Trudy’s mom a bitch? Wtf care about your daughter and grand kids? 

- SNARKY PHYLLIS

 - what’s this bs. 

- YOU DONT BLAME A VICTIM 

 - I HATE HER MOM 

- PHYLLIS BACK HER UP - 

 - Patrick is so empathetic and understanding because he legit was on the other side 

- “That means you can be healed" 

- YES YOU CAN BE HEALED 💕 

- If Patsy is in the next episode they should’ve just brought her problem with her dad for the next episode? Since this episode does seem jammed packed but it’s all good

 - PHYLLIS AGGRESSIVELY MAKING A COCKTAIL IS ME 

 - except I’m a poor university student so it’s no cocktail 

- Phyllis knows something’s up looking at Pats acting weird w/ Delia 

  - Patrick suggesting Northfield. That’s character growth 

 - GET SISTER U OUT OF HERE 

 - PHYLLIS HANGING UP THE PHONE TO SET PETER STRAIGHT REAL QUICK 

- Patsy and Delia having a cute moment. I think everyone wants a significant other like Delia? Like Patsy always shuts her out when something happens but Delia doesn’t leave

 - Does Patsy’s dad have Lou Gehrig’s disease or what’s it really called - oh ALS? 

- Here come the rest of the feels. Phyllis is amazing, Trudy is amazing. I just love this freaking show. Phyllis never judges and truly helps and I just need her to give me a hug and tell me it’ll be alright - I do like this part. Good for you Babs. Defy convention, it’s 1962. 

 - So much more diversity in the community centre I love it 💕 

- Can we get a Latino/Hispanic family story on here please Heidi

 - ANGELA IS SO CUTE AH 

- THEY’RE DRAWING YES 

- I’m so glad for Trudy 

 - THE PARALLEL 

 - "Patrick you gave me a note once..” *internally screaming* 

- I forgot Shelagh can draw 

 - “PLEASE WILL YOU BE MY DAD” AW MY HEARTTTT 

- but honestly though Patrick should’ve been freaking out with more excitement like it’s a legit miracle 

- MY BBYS ARE HAVING A BABY 

 - Doesn’t matter that was perfect for me, I love parallels it’s so cool 

 - PHYLLIS WAVING BYE AWW And Vanessa Redgrave’s outro And the end. Wow what an episode, ready for next week 

[thedegenerateasexual]

more let’s talk about love under the cut, chapters 17-26:

chapter 17:

this is fully just a feenie and alice fight and tbh feenie is so in the wrong it’s ridiculous

“[Ryan] thinks we ditched you last night.”

“You did ditch me.” She laughed a little.

“Yeah. Well. Anyway, just call him.”

Alice couldn’t even pretend to be mad. Ryan had to be the sweetest person on the planet and besides, it had all worked out. “So you’re just not going to apologize?” she joked.

“Are you going to apologize?” Feenie shot back.

“For what?”

“For fucking leaving.”

(Ah, there it was.)

(Damn it.)

“Um, well, not to be petty, but you left me first.”

“We went upstairs. You actually left the party. That is not the same thing.” She looked Alice right in the eyes. “I’m not going to apologize for having sex with my boyfriend when you fucking jumped ship the first chance you got because you couldn’t stand being alone for thirty minutes. Miss me with that bullshit.”

WOW

dude she was ASSAULTED and could have been RAPED you do not get to be like that lmao it was unsafe for her to be there alone

so much for feenie being the good egg

chapter 18:

so she’s telling takumi about the fight and feenie and ryan and:

“Tell me about them. What do you like most?”

“Ryan is the literal light of my life. I don’t think I’ve ever met someone as considerate and driven as him. He’s all-around amazing. And Feenie, well, she’s my oldest friend and soulmate. Her word, not mine, but I believe it,” Alice said before laughing at a random memory that popped into her head. “When we were little, people used to call us Ebony and Ivory, which is kind of offensive now that I’m thinking about it.”

“But she’s dating Ryan? And you’re okay with that?” The back end of her taco fell onto her plate with a small bit of it landing on her shirt. Takumi passed her some napkins.

“Oh, it’s not like a romantic kind of soulmate,” she said, dabbing her shirt. “Feenie’s pretty hardcore, but she has her sentimental moments. Once she said if reincarnation were real, we’d meet each other in every single life because nothing can keep us apart. We’re meant to be.”

He looked confused. “If you’re soulmates, aren’t you supposed to be in love with each other? That’s how it works.”

“I suppose it could be romantic or whatever, but she has Ryan. They’re meant to be right now, but we’re meant to be forever, if that makes sense.”

He finished chewing before saying, “Not really.”

Oh Boy

omg aw he offered to let her crash at his place for a bit until it blows over

“I never lived with my best friends, but I know what it’s like when they start dating and suddenly, everything feels like them versus you and they’re all you have. You don’t have to slink around feeling terrible. If you need space, I have space.”

She wanted to kiss his cheek.

Kiss. His. Cheek.

alice is so gone. i have only liked someone enough to voluntarily kiss their cheek one (1) time. it’s a rare feeling. i guess she cheek kisses more than i do tho. she platonically cheek-kisses!

hahahahaha and so since he’s babysitting his nieces that evening guess who gets roped into it! i would probably literally kiss a stranger on the cheek before i willingly interacted with their children alone

chapter 19:

while crashed out at takumi’s alice looks at one of his photography albums:

Near the end of the album, it happened: Takumi and the girl kissing.

“Wow, you’re real fond of that whole kissing thing.”

“And you’re not?”

“I don’t dislike kissing.” Alice closed that album and picked another. “I also don’t take pictures of myself while doing it.”

alice u liar u hate kissing

haha look at her fishing around to see if it’s safe tho

“So,” Alice began, drawing out the word, “kissing is important to you?”

“Honestly expressing my feelings is important to me.” He flipped a page. There were several pictures of a bonfire at night. A Southeast-Asian guy with dewy brown skin was wrapped in a red blanket, laughing in one photo. “Sometimes that means kissing. Or spending three days editing photos and videos together for my brother. Or letting a girl I just met stay in my house and look through my pictures because she’s scared to go home.”

i cannot BELIEVE he is being so smooth when she is literally going thru pics of him & his ex...also like How Candid honestly

“I spend a lot of time trying to figure stuff out. Like, my feelings and sorting through my thoughts. I don’t think I overthink, but I like to know why things are the way they are for me and why they’re different for someone else.”

“I think everyone does that.”

“No, they don’t. At least, I don’t think they do. Not the way I do it,” she said. “So. Like. If I ask you something and it seems strange, I’m not being weird, I’m trying to understand.”

ACE MOOD like i said it’s a contemplative existence

chapter 20:

aw man alice went back to therapy after all just to talk about feenie and ryan (theyre still not speaking)

it’s not a v long chapter but anyways

chapter 21:

Ryan caved first.

THANK GOD

Feenie took longer to come around. No one mentioned anything, let alone apologized. Her simply consisted of asking Alice if Family Night for that week could be on Thursday. When she had learned Alice had been hiding at Takumi’s, she curiously had nothing to say, no questions to ask, no teasing jokes to make Alice squirm.

yikes

yk tho for real feenie is a really well written character...like alice, you want to like her, but part of you also wonder if the relation has played its course, which is heartbreaking. nice job 10/10

anyway she and ryan are hanging out and takumi called her from a bar for a ride lol he’s hammered 

and ryan like...really really tried to get her to not leave again and she kissed him on the cheek again? and before i was like, aw, cute, how platonic! and now i am Wary of both ryan and feenie. like is he emotionally cheating on feenie with her...is that a thing...i don’t like it

OH SHIT back at his house he’s gotten kind of rambly and:

“If you were dating someone, and you knew they loved you with their whole heart, had absolutely no doubts about it, could you cheat on them?”

Obviously, that question sent her mind into overdrive, connecting all the dots. A roommate who moved out suddenly. A part-time job to cover his rent. Essie telling her he’s single “now.”

Takumi had a someone.

A someone who had, apparently, cheated on him.

hhhhholy shit

“Me personally?” she asked finally. “No. I mean, it’s highly unlikely.”

Cheating on someone was one of those things she was destined to never understand. Choosing to not have sex with someone else didn’t seem like that hard of a concept to grasp, and yet she had comforted more than one person who had been cheated on.

you should NOT have to be ace to understand this shit why are people Like this

So he told her.

All of it.

Everything Alice did and didn’t want to know.

Takumi and his ex-girlfriend and former almost-wife, Rena, had started dating in college when they were nineteen. And it just … worked. They had gone to the same college, lived together for two years, and then earlier this year, she cheated on him. She had always been a social butterfly (his words) and an innocent flirt (her words), but when it came to some guy named Thad (Alice’s words: “Really? That’s his name?”), that innocence fluttered. Except it wasn’t only Thad. She cheated again with someone else. And once more for good measure before they broke up.

They began talking again a few weeks ago, very tentative (his words). Tomorrow night, they were supposed to have dinner to talk about being friends again and possiblyseeing if that could lead somewhere back to being together, but he had seen her kissing some guy downtown earlier. Which was why he was so drunk. He realized that even though she might have missed him (her words), she didn’t really want to be with him anymore (his words).

Y I K E S

ohhh man this is so sweet though like he asked her for relationship advice and she totally fumbled through it because of limited experience but she honest-to-god tried her best

chapter 22:

lol alice’s mom called and is on her ass about being a lawyer again...alice was like gimme 3 weeks to come up w/ a new plan bc i cant deal w/ being a lawyer im proud of her

oh shit it’s feenie backstory time

“Marie called me yesterday.” Marie—Feenie’s mom. “She worked whatever connections she has and had my case for fighting that dude in the bar last year thrown out. Apparently, that gave her the right to interrogate me. She wanted to know when I was going back to school, why I was wasting my life, why I was embarrassing her like this.” Feenie exhaled. “I want to have a family with Ryan because that’s what’s right for me. I don’t get how me wanting to get knocked up and be a housewife affects her. She doesn’t want me to have kids, so she’s never going to see them. Even if I die, she will never see them.”

Alice knew that. She’d known it for years.

In elementary school, when they were told to be doctors and astronauts and firefighters, Feenie stood up and said she wanted to be a mom. Back then, her favorite game had been House. Feenie was always the stay-at-home mom, while Alice was the working mom, and they had seven stuffed-animal children. Feenie did all the cooking, cleaning, and made sure Alice had her newspaper when she got home from work.

She wanted to be everything Marie hadn’t been for her even then.

Their relationship ultimately died when Marie wished Feenie had never been born. She said Feenie ruined all the plans she’d had for herself.

ohhhhh honey ))): okay some of my waryness has abated no wonder she’s like that

oh nevermind feenie immediately bit her head off when she mentioned takumi feenie sucks

chapter 23:

movie night with takumi and alice!! not much to copypasta but this near the end:

She took a deep breath. “I’m not ready to share. I don’t want to tell you.”

It was his turn to fix her hood. (He knew not to touch her hair.) “Okay,” he said. “You don’t ever have to tell me anything you don’t want to.”

But part of her did want to. Her secret shouldn’t even have been one—it should have been a nonissue. Why couldn’t being asexual just be accepted?

Why did she have to spend the rest of her life coming out over and over and over…? And once she did, would people always expect her to talk about it? It would always be a huge deal, she would always be subjected to questions, and she would always have to defend herself.

Would it ever stop feeling like A Thing, a barrier, between her and everyone else?

LITERALLY! god what a mood

chapter 24:

also short, but when alice spotted feenie shopping for wedding dresses and offered to come along we had this exchange:

Feenie clicked her tongue. “Sure you can pry yourself away from Takumi long enough to spend time with me?”

Alice sighed and stood up. Feenie didn’t stop her.

ok look 1. feenie was so disappointed they didnt bang and now this?? 2. she gets to ditch alice at the party to be with her BF but alice doesn’t get to date anyone?? wow

chapter 25:

i could have honestly pasted the entire thing because it’s so goddamn cute and i can’t pick a favorite part but the tl;dr is that takumi is sick and alice went over to take care of him and he kept talking about how great she was in a slightly fever-addled way

wait no i can paste my least favorite part:

“Yeah. I haven’t heard from him in two days, but he called in sick on Saturday.”

Ryan twirled the screwdriver between his fingers, focused. “Are you sure he’s actually sick?”

“It’s either that or he’s packing and needed some time off.” Alice shrugged. “He already signed the lease for his new place.”

“Maybe he’s doing something else that doesn’t involve you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Ryan’s face was so open, so honest. It always told the truth before he was ready to speak.

(Basically, he couldn’t lie to save his life.)

“I just think it’s funny that you talk to him and see him every day and all of a sudden he disappears and doesn’t tell you why. I mean, you’re guessing he’s sick or packing. You don’t actually know.”

WHY are they being like this with her wow they are HORRIBLE best friends

also, theyre getting married in 6 months vs two years suddenly. feenie moved up the date :/

chapter 26:

ALICE AND FEENIE AND RYAN ARE FINALLY HAVING IT OUT:

“You spend a lot of time with him.”

“You two spend a lot of time together without me.”

“That’s different. We’re engaged.”

“So I’m just supposed to sit around and wait for you both to remember I exist?”

“Of course not, but you shouldn’t edge us out. You’re the one making it as if it has to be him or us.”

“How am I doing that? And why is this all my fault? Why do you two have a Get Out of Ditching Alice pass that I’m supposed to accept because you say so? How is that fair to me?”

“We don’t ditch you,” Ryan said.

“You do. You have for years. I just don’t say anything because I don’t want us to fight, but the second I find an actual friend on my own, you two act like this. Neither of you said anything when I spent time with Margot. Why is Takumi suddenly different?”

shit dude! she’s right! and then feenie enters:

“Maybe we minded then and didn’t say anything either.”

Alice whipped around at the sound of Feenie’s voice. Feenie leaned against the refrigerator, arms crossed.

“Maybe,” she continued, “we were really hurt, but you were too busy being happy to notice. Just like right now.”

An enraged fierceness made the edges of Alice’s vision turn red. She balled her hands into fists. “I wouldn’t even have met Margot if you hadn’t decided to move in with Ryan at the last minute. The millisecond you two started dating, he came first. You started to choose him over me every single time.” She turned that rage on Ryan. “And you have always chosen her over me.” Her phone buzzed. “Takumi’s outside.” She slung her purse strap over her shoulder while marching for the door.

man this is fucking sad i hope they make this better somehow :/

anyway she goes to hang out w/ takumi and 

“You wound me, madam.” He clutched his chest, wincing. “Especially since it’s your fault. It’s hard not to have an ego when you’ve told me you love my beautiful face.”

“Shut it.”

“How beautiful are we talking here? What’s my code?”

She groaned. “Not this again.”

OMG IS SHE GONNA TELL HIM...i’m on the edge of my seat here

“Tell me and I’ll bake you cookies when I’m not sick.”

“What kind of cookies?” she asked, leaning back into his arms. “And you have to use real flour. None of that ultra-buckwheat high-fiber stuff.”

“Oatmeal chocolate chip?”

“Deal.” She stared at the ceiling. “Black. I’d like two dozen cookies, please.”

just shrieked

“Black? I thought the Cutie Code was Green to Red.”

“It is. Was.” The gears and wheels turning inside Alice’s head locked into place as realization sank in. Meeting Takumi had challenged everything she thought she knew about herself, made her work to find out who she was on a fundamental level. He challenged her in the best way possible, wholly unaware of the effect he had on her, pushing her so far out of her comfort zone she had to question everything. She had discovered, no, was still discovering, who she was now, who she wanted to be, what she could and could not handle. He had given her a reason to reconnect with herself.

Feenie had been right—this, he, would always be someone she would want to remember.

“You exceeded my Cutie Code,” she said. “You’re the reason why I retired it. I don’t need it anymore.”

NOOOOO she should keep her cutie code! don’t throw it away fro some boy! even a great boy! it’s too good!

“I need to tell you something.” She took a step back. “Like, whatever you’re going to say, don’t say it because I need to tell you this first.”

O H S H I T HERE IT COMES

i know this is probably a happy book and he’ll accept her but i’m still so stressed out

“So you know how some people like jogging?”

“I’m one of those people, so yes.”

“Ah, yeah, okay. That worked out.” Her breathy laugh sounded forced. “So, you see, I am not one of those people. I don’t care about jogging.”

“Mmm…” He squinted at her for a moment. “Somehow, I knew that.”

“Oh, great. Good. This is going well.” Her hands began to shake. She pressed her fingers to her lips to steel herself before continuing. “Now take the word jogging and replace it with sex.”

“You don’t like sex?”

(Wow, he asked that fast.)

“No.” She held up her hand. “No, the correct sentence is I don’t care about sex.” She took a deep breath and held it. “Because I’m not sexually attracted to anyone.”

HTAT’S A GREAT ANALOGY

that’s much better than my “i’m the way gay guys feel about girls and the way gay girls feel about guys all at the same time”

“Huh,” he said, face neutral. “I thought you were bisexual.”

“I am. Minus the sexual.” She waited, watching him process through her answer. She waited for the judgment, the questions, the confusion, the thoughtful concern followed by the inevitable interruptions. Second by second, it dawned on her that she waited in vain because he was waiting for her. “My sexuality is nope.” She laughed with relief because still, second by second, he continued to wait, to listen. So she laughed again, tiny bubbles of happy that floated out of her.

HES LISTENING TO HER I LOVE THIS NOBODY ELSE BOTHERED BUT HE’S LISTENING

“How many people have you told?”

“Explicitly? You’re number four. Feenie, Ryan, and a counselor I’m seeing.”

Takumi started to speak but closed his mouth and stood up straight, focusing on the counter. Each second he didn’t look at her made tiny seeds of dread bloom in the depths of her soul. “That’s why you’re happy,” he mumbled. He nodded as if he couldn’t stop and sighed before looking at her again. His eyes had taken on a glossy, reddened tint.

“Thank you for trusting me. Realizing that, um,” Takumi said, pausing for a moment, “that hit me kind of hard.”

“What do you mean?” Alice asked quietly.

“Four. Obviously, you’ve been keeping this a secret for a reason.”

She hadn’t been thinking about trust when she told him. Ryan and Feenie had been there when she figured it out (thank God). Dr. Burris had to pry it out of her, didn’t he? And she still couldn’t say the word properly to him. Telling Takumi had been a choice—not by chance or out of necessity. It was her decision, completely on her own.

(She trusted him.)

htis fucking book hasnt made me cry in like a dozen chapters and i thought the heavy shit was over but nooooooo

and like lol i keep saying this text is calling me out...not to get personal, Again, but literally u realize stuff about urself when you read shit like this...i always play like i’m so comfortable with everything but the truth is i put ace on my profile and let other people google it and it has nothing to do with me i never see it--i dont think i’ve ever told ANYBODY irl so like...tbh i couldn’t get it out as well as she did i bet like you go alice

“I wasn’t trying to have sex with you the other night,” he said. “And I am so, so sorry if I made you feel that way.”

He was so close and so far away, as if there was an imaginary pane of glass between them. She wanted him to hug her and make the tension go away.

“No, I didn’t think that at all. That’s not why I told you.”

“This should go without saying, but I’m going to say it anyway, partly because I want to, but also because I think you need to hear it. If knowing you’re asexual makes someone see you differently, then they don’t deserve to be in your life. My feelings for you are exactly the same as they were an hour ago. This doesn’t change anything between us.”

HEYYYYYYYYYY YEAH!!!!! i’m so happy for her!!!!!!!!!!!!! if anybody ever said anything like this to me i’d die on the spot!!!!!!!! YOU GO ALICE

gotta break this post here bc it’s getting long again, hopefully i can finish the rest of the book before dawn & in the next one