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argylemnwrites · 3 years

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Why Are We Still Waiting? - Chapter 3

Pairing: Drake Walker x MC (Riley Liu)

Book: The Royal Romance (It Couldn’t Wait Another Moment universe)

Word Count: ~4900

Rating: PG-13 (brief language)

Summary: A trip to meet the newest Beaumont isn’t off to the greatest start.

Author’s Note: So, since it has been ages since I updated this story, I feel like a quick recap is in order. Drake and Riley are in Cordonia to meet Savannah and Bertrand’s new baby girl, Caroline. They just met Liam’s new girlfriend, Iris, and her innocent questions about their postponed wedding made it clear that Drake is very frustrated by the fact they aren’t married yet. To catch up/jog your memory fully on this series, you can check out the It Couldn’t Wait Another Moment masterlist (link in bio).

“Oh, for Christ’s sake,” Drake groaned as Riley reached forward to start scanning across the radio stations.

“What?” she asked. He noticed her give a tiny shrug out of the corner of his eye as she leaned back after settling on a Greek Top 40 station.

“I knew it. I swear you pick this one just to annoy me, Liu.” Drake had made the mistake of complaining about this particular station on one of their first trips back to Cordonia, right before she’d gone back to university. It was all over-produced and sugary, and the DJs were just fucking obnoxious. Of course, that last point probably didn’t actually bother Riley, since she couldn’t understand a word they said.

“Maybe I just like this station.”

Drake glanced over and took in the giant shit-eating grin plastered across her face and just rolled his eyes. “Uh huh, sure. Let’s ignore the fact that this station plays a ton of songs in Greek.”

“I’m just trying to broaden my cultural horizons.”

“Says the woman who refused to watch Parasite because it has subtitles.’”

“If I wanted to read something, I would pick up a book,” she said, but she did lean forward again to flip over to a different station.

“Thank you,” Drake said, clicking on the turn signal as he switched into the right lane.

“You make it too easy sometimes,” she said, Drake noticing that she shrugged a little out of the corner of his eye. “If you didn’t act like that station was pure torture, I probably wouldn’t enjoy it so much.”

All Drake could do was shake his head. “You know, some people might not be so open about liking something out of spite.”

“No, it’s not spite.” Drake glanced over and raised his eyebrows at that, so Riley elaborated. “Spite is mean-spirited. I know you like my teasing too much for it to be spite.”

“Really.” Drake deadpanned, although he wasn’t able to hold back his grin and fully play along.

“Uh huh. What other explanation is there for you hanging around me after all these years?”

“I can’t think of a single one,” he said, earning him a flick of her fingers against his shoulder.

“Well I guess I will have to keep teasing you then. Otherwise I might have to settle for a guy who would have made me get up before six this morning.”

Drake looked over at her at that. Even after years together, her ability to jump from intensely sarcastic to gently sincere in an instant still amazed him. Last night, Maxwell had called and offered to pick them up from the palace after dropping off Mom and Aunt Leona at the airport, but they had a very early departure time. Drake had turned him down, feeling like it would be a shitty move to force Riley to wake up early on vacation, particularly since she never complained about using her limited vacation days to visit his family. Yet here she was, appreciative of his gesture that cost him nothing.

“Maybe I just didn’t want to spend two hours in the car with Maxwell.”

She let out a laugh at that. “Well, at least I rank as better company in your book.”

“Always, Liu. Always.”

“Seriously though, thank you.”

“Of course.”

Her left hand settled on his shoulder and gave him a little squeeze at that, but she didn’t say anything else, just glanced out the window as Drake turned off the main road and onto the smaller one that led to the Beaumont’s estate. Within a few minutes, they were pulling onto the driveway. As they climbed out of the car, they heard an excited little voice calling from the direction of the estate’s entrance.

“Uncle Drake!”

Drake closed the driver’s door and pivoted around quickly, crouching down and extending his arms. Bartie ran across the drive and threw his little arms around Drake’s neck, laughing as Drake scooped him up and hugged him tightly.

“We saw your car diving! I wanted to go out. Say ‘hi’ like Mommy or Daddy. Uncle Maxwell said I had to stay inside. Had to stand still ‘til you stopped,” Bartie rambled off, barely taking time to take a breath.

“Thought that a little toddler darting in front of the car might not be the best start to your visit,” added Maxwell, strolling over to their car. “Hey, little blossom,” he added as he hugged Riley.

“Oh, you don’t get to just ‘little blossom’ me after you convinced Liam to keep me away!” she chuckled as she gave him a playful shove. “What happened to me being a Beaumont and always welcome here?”

“He told you guys?” Maxwell asked, turning to glance at Drake.

“Of course he did!” Riley said, drawing Maxwell’s attention back to her. She laughed a bit and shook her head before walking around the car to Drake and Bartie. “Hey, Bartie! Wow, you’ve gotten so big!” Drake passed Bartie over to her, watching as she gave him a squeeze, but Bartie started squirming in her arms, clearly wanting to be released from the obligatory hugs.

Riley placed him down, and he turned right back to Drake, grabbing his hand and tugging on it. “Uncle Drake, come see my new playhouse!” he said, attempting to drag Drake along after him as he started moving back towards the estate.

“Hey, my favorite dude, do you remember why Aunt Riley and Uncle Drake are here?” Maxwell said, crouching in front of Bartie.

Bartie kicked his foot against the driveway before he answered. “Everyone wants to see Caroline. But she’s boring. She doesn’t do anything!”

Drake was trying to figure out the best way to deal with his nephew’s clear jealousy, but Riley stepped forward and bent down next to Maxwell. “I would love to see your playhouse, Bartie.”

“What do you say?” added Maxwell. “Why don’t we show Aunt Riley while Uncle Drake goes to see your mom and dad and sister?”

Bartie was silent for a few moments, but then nodded, grabbing Riley and Maxwell’s hands and heading inside without a glance back. Maxwell chuckled, twisted around, and called out to Drake, “You remember where the nursery is, right?”

Drake nodded and raised a hand in acknowledgment, taking the time to pop the trunk and grab their luggage before venturing inside himself. He went straight upstairs, pausing only to place their bags in their usual room, before heading down the hall, turning to the left and entering the private quarters, making his way to the small room located all the way towards the end of the hallway, the last door on the right.

It seemed like just yesterday he was building a crib in there for Bartie when Savannah was moving in. The room looked much the same, the walls still a pale grey, the furniture all pure white. The layout hadn’t changed much, with the crib placed against the far wall beneath a painting of stars shining over a lake with a squid waving a tentacle in the air, the changing table right next to it, and the dresser next to the rocking chair in the corner. The only thing that looked different, as far as Drake could remember, was the sheet tucked around the crib mattress. Back when this had been Bartie’s room, the sheets were covered in a variety of zoo animals, the only splash of color in the otherwise greyscale nursery. Now, they were a black and white check, much more subdued.

Laying in the center of the crib, wrapped tightly in a light pink blanket, was a sleeping baby. Drake didn’t have a lot of experience with infants, but even he had heard you never wake a sleeping baby, so he stepped further into the room carefully, trying not to make a sound. When he reached the crib, he couldn’t help but stare. This was Caroline. His niece.

He wasn’t sure how long he stood there, just taking her in, but eventually Savannah’s voice caught his attention.

“Didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s a bit creepy to just sneak into someone’s home and watch their child sleep?”

Drake turned his head to look over his shoulder. His sister was standing in the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest, an eyebrow cocked. “Hey, Sav. Maxwell sent me up here.”

“I should have known,” she said, walking over to join him by the crib, wrapping an arm around his waist as she gave him a half-hug. “I see you’ve met Caroline.”

“She’s beautiful,” Drake said, looking down again at the little baby in the crib, a few fine brown hairs covering her head. His niece. She was so tiny. It was kind of overwhelming, seeing her like this. When he’d met Bartie, it had been such a total shock that he even existed. Plus, he had been so much older than this. “Congratulations.”

“You can pick her up, you know.”

He shook his head. “I don’t want to disturb her.”

Savannah let out a few little chuckles. “She is the one who disturbs everyone most of the time. Besides, she’s just about due for a feeding.”

“I don’t know…”

“Come on, Drake. Just go wash your hands, and then you can hold her.”

And so a minute later, Drake found himself being handed his niece, so small and fragile-seeming. “Is this okay?” he asked, trying to make sure he walked the fine line between being gentle and holding her firmly as he tucked her against his chest.

“You aren’t going to hurt her!” Savannah laughed out.

“I just… I’ve never held a baby this little before. I don’t want to mess this up,” Drake said. Caroline felt so light in his arms. She was blinking, slowly becoming more alert after being shifted from her crib. Her bluish-grey eyes finally seemed to lock on his. “Hey, Caroline,” he said, “I’m your Uncle Drake.” But before he could think of anything else to say, she opened her mouth and let out a piercing wail.

Drake glanced over at Savannah. “What do I do?”

She laughed again. “God, what is Riley going to do with you when it’s your kid? She’s a baby, not an alien. She’s either hungry, sleepy, or has a dirty diaper.” But before she could poke fun at him any further, she reached over and shifted Caroline into her arms. “And since she’s hungry, I’m really the only one who can handle that.”

“Oh, do you want privacy or should I…”

Savannah shrugged. “I use a nursing blanket since Barthelemy walked in on me and made things real awkward.” And with that she settled onto the rocking chair, adjusting her top, positioning Caroline, then tugging a little cover over herself.

“What did Barthelemy do?” Drake asked as he moved to the side wall, leaning against it.

“Just acted real weird about the whole thing, talked to Bert about reminding me how a duchess should comport herself.”

“What a jackass.”

Savannah let out a sigh. “Bertrand was very apologetic when he relayed the message. But using a nursing blanket is not a big deal, and if it makes things easier for Bert with his dad…” She trailed off, staring down at Caroline, reaching under the nursing blanket to adjust something before she spoke again. “Having him around here has not exactly been some big happy family. I don’t know if his illness changed him, or if my memories of him were just fuzzy, but he’s an odd duck.”

Drake glanced over to the doorway. “Uhh, Sav. Not that I care, but the door is wide open and-”

She laughed and shook her head. “He’s at his rehab and physical therapy appointment this morning.”

“Ahh, gotcha. Any more talk of him trying to regain the title of duke?” Back when Barthelemy had returned to the estate, Sav had confided that it seemed like he was hinting that Bertrand should renounce his title and return it to his father. But since their wedding, it had seemed like most of that talk had died.

“No, he and Godfrey laid on the pressure after the honeymoon, but as soon as we announced the pregnancy, he backed off. His new mission seems to be to convince Liam that either Bartie or Caroline should be appointed as heir to the throne, which is crazy to think about, but it keeps him busy, so…” Savannah tilted her head to the side and raised her eyebrows, letting the thought just hang there in the room.

Drake was bothered by the implications of that statement, but he knew that pressing Savannah on it would not really get him anywhere. As inappropriate and concerning as he found the implication that Savannah and Bertrand weren’t shutting Barthelemy down completely with that shit, he knew voicing his objections now would not solve anything. Discussing this all with Liam would make much more sense. So he just filed the statement away and moved to change the subject.

“Is it easier this time around, knowing what you are doing?”

Savannah smiled before glancing down at Caroline. “I think it’s more that I have a support system. And yes, I know it was my choice to not have one before,” she added before Drake could interject. “I guess in some ways at least I know what to expect, but Caroline is way more cranky than Bartie was at this age. Besides, I don’t think any parent ever really feels like they know what they are doing.”

“Nah, you seem to have it down.”

“It’s just a lot of trial and error. You’ll see when you guys have a baby.”

Drake ran his hand across his jaw, glancing down and watching his toes nudge into the baseboard. “I have a feeling that’s gonna be a while for us.”

“Oh come on! Don’t you want your kids to grow up with their cousins?”

Drake swallowed before taking a breath. “Of course I do.”

“Then what are you waiting for?”

“Well, getting married to start.” Shit. “Not that I think people have to be married to raise a kid or-”

“Relax, Drake,” Savannah said, cutting off his apologetic ramble. “It’s not like Bartie was a planned pregnancy.”

“Neither was Caroline,” he thought, but kept his mouth shut, not wanting to risk offending his sister or make her feel like he was judging her and her family.

“I know you have an old-fashioned streak-”

“Hey!” Drake interjected, but Savannah just kept on going.

“-but I think you guys should think about having kids soon. You were going to be married by now anyway! And isn’t that the modern, New York thing to do?”

Drake didn’t know where all this was coming from. Why she was so insistent about something that didn’t involve her. But man, he wished she would move on to any other topic of conversation. Because what could he say? That he was ready to be married with kids? That he would have no problem starting a family with Riley tomorrow? He couldn’t share that with his sister, at least not without sharing things about Riley he was pretty confident she would never want Savannah to know.

The fact that she had decided on a birth control option that would last for three years made it pretty clear where her head was at with the whole kid thing. She wasn’t really ready, not by a long shot. And until she was ready, there was really nothing he could do about it. Drake was just going to have to wait until she felt like the time was right, whenever that might be.

Maybe it was just that he was four years older than her. Maybe that’s why he felt so ready to take those next steps when she seemed so unbothered, so willing to just roll along. And to be fair, it’s not like they were ever going to be a couple like Hana and Catherine, who had timelines and life plans and five year goals. But deep down, Drake couldn’t help but wonder why Riley seemed so ambivalent about them getting married and starting a family. Was she unsure about something in their relationship, unsure about something with him?

It’s not that she didn’t want kids ever, as far as he knew. She’d mentioned wanting kids before. And they’d planned that first wedding without issue. But now it seemed like she was stuck. No rush to get married. Not thinking about having kids for years. And Drake didn’t know how to approach the whole topic without seeming like he was demanding things. Putting pressure on her. He was happy. They were happy. It was something his younger self would have never thought possible, and it should definitely be enough. But maybe he was selfish, because there were times where it just didn’t feel like enough.

Maybe it would be helpful to talk to someone about this, but that would feel like violating Riley’s trust. He knew Riley had her therapist she talked to, and he was sure their relationship was a topic of conversation there, but that was different. The therapist wasn’t someone who knew Drake, who was his friend or family. Anyone Drake would feel comfortable talking about this with knew Riley. Knew her well, quite frankly.

So for now, he was just going to have to keep moving forward. Keep hoping that Riley would start to feel ready soon. And at the moment, that meant sidestepping his sister’s questions and prodding.

“Geez, Sav! We haven’t even been here for an hour, and you are laying it on really thick.”

“Sorry, sorry! I know it’s not my business! If it makes you feel better, it’s not just with you. Kiara also told me I needed to back off when I started asking her about when she and Oliver were going to have kids right after their wedding.”

“Wait, when did Kiara get married?”

“Oh, Drake! At least you have an excuse for not knowing all the news now that you live abroad.” she said, shaking her head. “They eloped maybe… four months ago?”

And then Savannah was off, filling Drake in on tons of gossip he didn’t give two shits about. But it made her happy, and it was a safe topic of conversation, so who was he to complain?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Riley sat crossed legged on the floor in Bartie’s room at a little table, Maxwell seated across from her. Meanwhile, Bartie was hard at work at his toy kitchen set, organizing pieces of plastic food on plates. He wanted to show off and make “lunch” for them. Riley supposed that this was probably a common way for a three and a half year old to want to play, not that she had any such memories from her own childhood. What wasn’t common, she was sure, was the formal table setting Bartie had carefully placed in front of each of them, the perfectly pressed white apron he’d asked Maxwell to help him tie on, or the fact that he was arranging his plastic lettuce, eggs, and meat on actual china.

“Looks excellent, my favorite dude,” said Maxwell as Bartie carefully carried over several plates to the table. “What’s on the menu?”

“Steak tartare with a fresh greens salad,” he said before turning and heading back towards his little kitchen.

“Wait, aren’t you going to join us?” asked Riley, trying to keep from bursting out in laughter at the thought of a preschooler preparing such a meal.

“Aunt Riley, no aprons at the table!” he said his eyes wide as he turned back to face her.

“Yeah, come on Aunt Riley, where are your manners?” Maxwell winked before twisting to look over at Bartie. “You need any help untying your apron there?”

“No, I can do it,” Bartie ground out, tugging on the ties without much luck.

“Okay, well I’m right here if you do need help,” Maxwell responded. Within five seconds, Bartie was back, standing right next to him.

“Thanks, Uncle Maxwell!” he said, happily pulling the apron off and jogging over to hang it up nicely once Maxwell had it untied.

“You’re working hard to maintain your title as best uncle.” Riley said.

“Every time you guys come to visit, he suddenly wants to go fishing and camping instead of having dance parties with me.”

Riley laughed at that. “We’re new and exciting, what can I say.”

“Easy for you to say, you’re the favorite aunt by default.”

“What does default mean?” asked Bartie, plopping down on the floor next to them.

“It means no other choices, dude.”

“Oh,” Bartie said, nodding before picking up his silverware, pretending to cut into the plastic in front of him with surprising coordination.

“So has Uncle Maxwell been hanging out with you a lot since your sister came home?”

Bartie shrugged. “I guess.”

“We’ve definitely been seeing some jealousy,” Maxwell said with a nod. “I kind of thought this might happen, so I made sure to clear my schedule for a handful of weeks around the due date.”

“That was thoughtful of you.”

Maxwell tilted his head to the side and smiled. “Hey, I’m favorite uncle for a reason.”

“Uncle Drake is my favorite,” said Bartie, causing Riley to burst out laughing.

“Dude, that wasn’t the deal! You’re gonna pay for this,” Maxwell said, leaning over and wiggling his fingers. “The squid’s about to attack.” With that, Maxwell started tickling Bartie, triggering wild giggles and Bartie rolling backwards on the floor.

“Bartie!” Bertrand’s voice cut across the room. Riley twisted over to find him standing in the hallway, his eyes scanning over the scene in front of him. “We don’t make our guests sit on the floor, do we?”

“No, Daddy.”

“Bertrand, it’s fine-” Riley started, but he held up a hand, cutting her off.

“What do we say, Bartie?”

“Sorry, Aunt Riley.”

All Riley could do was nod, accepting an apology from a toddler that felt entirely unnecessary.

“Good,” said Bertrand, “Now go wash your hands and get cleaned up for lunch.”

Bartie scampered out of the room, turning to his left in the hallway.

“I offered to play with him, Bertrand.”

“Well, he was told that you were coming to visit Caroline. He should have known better than to monopolize your time.”

Riley opened her mouth, ready to respond, but Maxwell grabbed her wrist and shook his head.

“How are you, by the way? I apologize for not being there to greet you and Drake.”

“I’m good, Bertrand,” she said as she pushed herself up on her feet, walking over and giving him a loose hug. “Congrats, by the way.”

“Yes, thank you. Drake and Savannah have Caroline in the private lounge if you want to go meet her. If you’ll excuse me, I need to go check and make sure Bartie isn’t making a complete mess in the bathroom.”

And with that, Bertrand was off, following the path down the hallway that his son had just taken.

“Yikes,” said Riley as soon as he was out of earshot.

“Yeah, I know,” replied Maxwell, looping his arm around her shoulders and guiding her in the opposite direction. “That is another reason I made sure I didn’t have any need to be on set or in LA for any writers meetings for a few months.”

“He’s more of a tight ass than ever.”

“I think he’s very anxious because he missed this part of Bartie’s life. The amount of research he did and the number of parenting books he read is insane. But any time any little thing isn’t what he expects, he flips out.”

“What does Savannah think about that?” Riley asked, following Maxwell down the stairs.

“Either she’s too sleep deprived to notice, or she’s just pretending not to see it. I decided to give him two months to settle into things. If he’s still snapping at everyone then, well… I guess I’ll have to stage an intervention or something.”

“Wow. Well at least you’re here to look out for the kid.”

“Yup, figure I can keep things normal-ish for him. Though I will say between watching Bertrand spiral and hearing Caroline’s shrieks, any faint consideration I might have given to parenthood has gone straight out the window.”

Riley laughed, prompting Maxwell to keep going. “I’m serious! I know I told you I was pretty sure I was good being the fun uncle, but these past few weeks have really locked in that decision. Don’t tell anyone I told you this, but Bartie is right - Caroline is boring. And loud. And I am so glad she is not my responsibility.”

All Riley could do was laugh more. “Do you need me to make up an excuse for you so you don’t need to be in the same room with her?”

Maxwell nudged her with his shoulder. “Oh, laugh it up! I don’t have any issues with her. She just confirmed that fatherhood is not for me, no matter how cute she is when she isn’t screaming her head off.”

At that point, they entered the lounge, so Riley dropped any further teasing she had for Maxwell. “Hey, Savannah. Congrats!” she said, walking across the room and giving her a hug.

“Thank you, Riley. It’s so good to see you!” Savannah replied as they pulled apart. Riley moved to sit down next to Drake on the couch, who was cradling a baby against his shoulder.

“This must be Caroline,” she said, watching as Drake tapped his hand against her back lightly.

“Either that or I have a lot of explaining to do,” Drake said, glancing over at her. Riley just smiled and nudged him lightly with her elbow.

“Drake, why don’t you let Riley hold her?” Savannah asked. “She should get to meet her aunt, too.”

“Do you want to?” Drake asked, his eyebrows raised.

“Of course,” said Riley, reaching over and helping him peel the tiny little girl off his chest, nestling her into her own arms.

Caroline was awake, her eyes roving around as Riley shifted back onto the couch more fully to try and get comfortable. After a few seconds, they seemed to settle on Riley’s face. All she could really do was stare back, taking in this child, this baby girl who might not have been planned, but would certainly be loved by so many.

“Yeah, I know I’m a stranger right now. But in a couple of decades, I’ll be the one you come to when you want nightclub recommendations in New York City.”

“Hey, I want in on that invite,” said Maxwell as Savannah let out a few chuckles. Riley glanced over at Drake, expecting him to be rolling his eyes or shaking his head, but instead was caught off guard by the intensity of his gaze. He was staring at her holding Caroline with such passion, such longing, she felt almost exposed. All she could think to do was drop her eyes back to the baby, not wanting to dwell on what that meant at that moment.

Unfortunately, Savannah must have noticed Drake as well, because she said, “Oh, I see that look. ‘A while’ my ass. I bet you’ll be pregnant by the end of the year.”

Drake let out a sort of sputtering cough at his sister’s comment, but before he could say anything, could so much as get a word out, Riley felt her own mouth opening. Her own response spilled out so glibly, without a second of thought. It was almost like she heard someone else saying the words, even as she knew she was the one speaking.

“Don’t give him any ideas.”

She felt Drake stiffen beside her, saw Maxwell shifting in his seat, and heard Savannah mutter out a little apology, but all of that was just background noise as her brain screamed at her. How could she have been so fucking stupid? What possessed her to say that? Or at least to phrase it like that? There were ways to shut down Savannah’s prying without implying that Drake had baby fever and she wanted no part of it.

The uncomfortable silence in the room was broken as Bertrand and Bartie entered. “Lunch is ready in the dining room,” said Bertrand, gesturing to the door behind him. Bertrand then stepped over to Riley. “I can go put her down,” he said, gesturing at his daughter still in Riley’s arms.

“Oh, sure thing,” said Riley, passing him Caroline before standing up. Savannah, Maxwell, and Bartie had already left the room, but Drake was still seated, his eyes locked on his knee that was bouncing up and down.

“Drake, I-” she started as soon as Bertrand had stepped out, extending her hand to help him to his feet. But Drake ignored the gesture, pushing his hands into the cushions of the couch instead.

“I’m hungry. Let’s just go eat, Riley.”

“I’m sorry, I don’t-.”

“It’s fine, Riley, Really. We can talk later” He nodded at her and started walking towards the door, leaving Riley to follow after him. And more than the brush off, more than his refusal to hold her hand, the fact that he’d not called her ‘Liu’ let her know that she had made a huge fucking mess.

Perma: @walkerswhiskeygirl @octobereighth @kimmiedoo5 @mom2000aggie

TRR/TRH: @twinkleallnight @iaminlovewithtrr @mskaneko @axwalker @jovialyouthmusic @marshmallowsandfire @kingliam2019 @sirbeepsalot @texaskitten30 @princessleac1 @ladyangel70 @debramcg1106 @masterofbluff

Drake/MC: @no-one-u-know @iplaydrake

ICWAM: @thequeenofpixels @sunnyxdazed @sammie0220

#drake walker #drake x mc #trr au #trr au fanfic #trr fanfic #choices fanfiction

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alphysmd · 7 years

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HERE IT COMES!! A POST WHERE I RAMBLE ON ABOUT CARTOONS??? ARE YOU EXCITED???

seriously though, under the cut i ramble about cartoons in a post that took me like an hour to type up, i didnt proofread any of it, thats my warning

ok but seriously. lets talk cartoons. there is a a lot that’s been on my mind as of late, i think we are on the changing tides of cartoons and we can be in for a great couple year of toons or we might hit another...dry spell.....

let me start with Cartoon Network, since they seem to be cleaning house over at their network, Regular Show is over, Adventure Time has little less than a year, i forget the exact amount that is left, like 40? at the upfront that just happened it sounded like ANOTHER mini series was about to come out, picking up right where Islands left off, which makes me wonder what is left of the show? is the rest of the episodes just going to be plot based? or do we have some one-offs and goofy adventures left? im not sure what i want but i’m really hoping for the best possible ending for the show and im crossing my fingers the theatrical movie is still coming out! i would really love to see one final adventure on the big screen, cartoon network hasn’t done a film since Powerpuff Girls, (well, i don’t think the Aqua Teen movie counts, i think that’s considered a Williams Street film), and I think theatrical cartoons like that are just like a thing of the past and it makes me sad. that being said, it’s been confirmed that Clarence is on it’s final batch of episodes, a show that i fucking adore and i feel never really got a chance to shine. i know so many people refused to watch the show after what happened with the creator and it was sad because Clarence is such a pure hearted kids show, it’s filled with really lovable character and i just think it sums up what it means to be a kid so damn well. I’m really glad it got as many episodes as it did (looks like it will probably have just over 100 when it ends!) but i’m really sad to see it go because there hasn’t been a show like this in a real long time. with everything besides We Bare Bears (a show i never got a chance to get into), Gumball (a show i fell off years back for no real reason) , Steven Universe and Teen Titans Go ending, I wonder what direction they are gonna head in? I wonder if CN is going to fall into fan pressure and cancel SU? I mean I still love the show to death and think most of the criticism is bat-shit insane but I wonder with the cancellation of the two shows (adventure time and regular show) that brought CN back into a golden age if they are gonna kill the only other show that has close to the size of the fanbase either of those shows did? i mean i say this because CN is still pushing TTG as the best show on their network, and don’t get me wrong if you are a fan of that show, but it’s really not fair that it takes up like 85% of the networks air time. i hope CN sticks with SU because i think it has a lot of steam left in it (i thought the same with AT, RS and Clarence but I DIGRESS), and i think such a positive show like that deserves to be on the air more often.

on the Adult Swim side, things seem to be picking up. Samurai Jack’s new season is beyond incredible and for me is setting a new standard of what adult cartoons can be? i mean we see action shows from japan all the time but there hasn’t been anything this adult and this well put together from western animation in ages. I’m hoping that Adult Swim/Toonami starts pushing for new series like this, and it seems like they might, with those new FLCL episodes coming out in the near future. it’s also pretty obvious now that Rick and Morty is Adult Swim’s new flagship series, and I’m gonna be pretty shocked if that gets the axe anytime soon. Based on Season 3′s first episode, i think the show is still going to be pretty great, i was a bit worried about it because it seemed like from interviews that Justin and Dan were arguing a bunch and trying to make it the best they possibly could. I hope they can continue to go on weird adventures and try out new things, and based on the final several mins of the new episode it looks like things are changing, and maybe even getting a lot darker, which i’m all for! i’m still sad that Aqua Teen got canceled because they still have not found a proper replacement for that classic Adult Swim absurdity. i think the closest they have come was Mike Tyson Mysteries, right down to that old school Hanna Barbara style, it felt like they almost from the ground up made one of those “recycled properties” shows that Adult Swim was filled with in the early days. if you are a fan of the real absurd, that real classic contrived plots that filled shows like Aqua Teen or Sealab, check out Mike Tyson Mysteries because it makes me laugh my ass off. i guess the other night (UNLESS IT WAS A PRANK) they said season 3 of Mike Tyson was coming in May, but they also announced that Hot Streets and Apollo Gauntlet were picked up for series which is great because those are more in the realm of weird cartoons that Adult Swim is known for. (PLUS while it’s not FULLY a cartoon Dream Corp LLC is getting a new season which is GREAT because i think that show really finally became it’s own in the final few episodes!)

the other big news concerns this piece of news about Nick ( http://deadline.com/2017/03/spongebob-loud-house-sherlock-gnomes-1202054433/ ) it seems like Nick is about to go all in on theatrical cartoons again which im HYPED for. I’m really shocked that The Loud House is getting a movie but i’m really excited because I thought I was the only one who was really enjoying that show. You can never know how a show is doing on Nick since all they play is Spongebob reruns and that’s why shows like Harvey Beaks got killed so early on. While I never watched Harvey Beaks, I honestly saw no promotion for it from Nick and when it died I thought a similar thing was going to come for Loud House. I hope these Nick Movies go well because I want to see more feature cartoons from big companies like Nick, maybe this will give Cartoon Network the nudge to get in on the big screen game too. But with the Loud House movie in the works, I’m CROSSING my fingers it’s in the vein of something like A Goofy Movie, you never see those classic cozy road trip cartoon movies anymore, it always has to be some big loud SAVE THE TOWN/WORLD like story, i would love to see more down to earth things and I think with The Loud House it might be a perfect fit. I feel like I should note that the article lists that two UNNAMED NICKTOONS are getting feature films as well, and I may be spitballing or dreaming big here but remember a few months back when CH Greenblatt said that Jhonen Vasquez was working on an Invader Zim movie with Nick and then promptly removed the post about it? i mean i was just thinking that he spoke too soon and it was going to be like the Hey Arnold TV movie that’s happening this year or that Rocko’s Modern Life TV movie (1 hour special as i see it being referred in some places) but WHAT IF, i mean hear me out, Nick is really going to go all out and do an Invader Zim theatrical film. I mean....fuck. I would die. I would straight up die.

OK THAT’S ALL THE CARTOON TALK I GOT IN ME FOR NOW, I WAS JUST GOING TO MAKE A FEW TWEETS AND CALL IT A NIGHT BUT I COULDNT SO SORRY FOR A LONG POST NO ONE WILL READ OR CARE ABOUT but if you do read all of this and want to respond please do i love talking cartoons like the big idiot i am, and i’ll probably respond and write even more about cartoons, thanks bye.

#eli talks about cartoons for way too long

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ecotone99 · 5 years

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[MF] The Monster

The Monster

“Mikey what did you find?" Jack asked, then kicked at a rock and looked at the distanced figure of his friend.

Silence.

There was a monster in the field beyond the train tracks. That was this summer’s hottest topic; the menace in the field. Mikey knew about it. He saw it, then dreamt about it each night. And under the scorching heat of the sun, everyone was just dying to see it.

T-minus one week to the end of the world.

One night Mikey told his sister about the monster. He sat in their room all night babbling about it. The creature from beyond the trees was black as a moon-less night and had the sharpest teeth. His sister ran out of their room crying.

"Don’t talk nonsense honey! You’ll scare your sister!" his mother said the next day. “You probably just saw an animal. There are no monsters here, don’t think about it too much.”

Mikey dreams of white light and dark holes every night. He never tells Mother.

T-minus 6 days to the end of the world.

There was nothing to do around this dying town. The kids went to the creek, more kids than usual, they all wanted to know more about the monster. Mikey was sitting on the grass, it was tall, itchy and dry. It felt like worms were crawling up his legs, up the thighs. He didn’t want to talk about it anymore, he wanted to find his friends instead. Jack was there, he was sitting on a rock, and Lily was swimming. No one else but them mattered to him. Time was crawling.

Lily comes by him. She’s dripping water. The sole of her feet must burn on the hot ground."They say you saw a monster at the fields," she asks, hesitantly, curiously.White lights."I think I lied,” he says and tries to smile at her, "let’s go swimming."

That night he dreams of being eaten alive by a monster made of black holes and white light. He doesn’t tell Mother.

T-minus 5 days to the end of the world.

It might be Saturday morning. The fan is loudly buzzing overhead. It is so loud that it drowns out the sound coming from the TV, and it is so hot that the heat overcomes the weak flow of air. Mikey feels like he’s decaying under the buzz. Mother, Father and Sister are going out. They want him to come with them, so he pretends to be asleep. Father turns the TV off. Mikey does fall asleep later. He dreams that a swarm of black wolves comes out of the forest to devour them all.

T-minus 4 days to the end of the world.

Mikey, Jack and Lily are going to the rusty playground. They’re kicking at rocks. Mikey drags a long stick behind him, marking a line in the sand. He looks at Jack, he’s a small, a silly kid, and his best friend. He told Jack to not tell Lily about the monster. “She’s older than us, she’ll never believe it. She would say monsters are not real”. But Jack did tell Lily, he was too scared.

Mikey looks up ahead towards Lily. Her skirt is so red. She was also scared by the monster but doesn’t show it. Her skirt is so red that it hurts.

There are too many kids in the rusty playground when they arrive there, and Mikey just wants to go home.

T-minus 3 days to the end of the world.

The sun is eating them all alive, Mikey is sure of it. The air is stale and humid, like it’s meant to sustain no life. He’s lying in a hammock. It’s mid-day and the sun is going to KILL all that stands in her way. Everything feels sticky and smells bad.

Mikey thinks of the monster. Was it really there? What is it doing in this heat? Does it struggle to stand it like everyone else do? Maybe it was real. Maybe he is the one who brought this inhuman summer on them as a punishment, as an evil monstrous act.

T-minus 2 days until the end of the world.

Mother and Father said he must be nice to his sister, because he has been behaving odd lately and it scares her. His sister is smaller than Jack and younger than him too. Last night he told her she should never ever be afraid of monsters because

White lights.

“Please Mikey, enough with the monsters,” his mother says, “you just saw an animal, a wolf. Did it do anything to you? Did it scare you that much?”“I’m fine,” he says. It’s embarrassing to say more.

His parents are going visit Grandma. They want him to join them this time. "Please stop laying here looking half dead honey".

They’re sitting outside on the porch for supper, overhearing wolves or coyotes crying to the moon. His mother smiles at him. He thinks of black holes and white light and he’s staring at the wooden table, at his food and at his family as if through a thick, hazy, dirty glass.

T-minus one day to the end of the world.

They’re tracking along the train tracks. Mikey is poking at a mass of rotting flesh with a stick. The smell is unbearable. Lily begs him to stop. Jack starts crying.

T-minus 21 hours to the end of the world.

They’re tracking along the train tracks again. This time with more kids. Walking aimlessly. The kids are talking about how it’s already August and how school starts back soon. Mrs. Janison always wants them to share a ‘summer adventure’. Summer has been a haze since the monster. Mikey wonders if she will believe his monster tale.

T-minus 19 hours to the end of the world.

They sit around a bonfire. Mikey tells them how he saw a horrible monster in the field beyond the train tracks. The fields are on the other side of the train tracks and none of the kids are allowed to cross over. "What was it doing? What were you doing? Did you run? Did you fight? What did it look like?” They ask him so many questions. He tells them it was a wolf made up of black holes and white light. He notices Jack is crying again. Silly kid.

The kids decide they are going to find the monster, hunt it down and bring it back as proof for their summer adventure.

T-minus 15 hours to the end of the world.

Mikey dreams of the end of all times. In his dream, a bomb fell down from the sky and rained death and destruction. The sky was bleeding and screeching.

T-minus 10 hours to the end of the world.

Lily comes over. She tells Mikey the kids are going to find the monster today. She tells him they’re gonna kill it. There’s a gleam in her eyes.

T-minus 2 hours to the end of the world.

They start tracking along the train tracks, towards the field. Kids armed with sharp sticks and baseball bats. One boy stole his older brother’s hunting knife. They’re going to find Mikey’s monster and kill it. He’s angry. Jack starts crying. Smart boy.

T-minus 10 minutes to the end of the world.

There is a field beyond the train tracks. The field hides behind a long line of tress that surround the tracks. Mikey sits on the grass. The grass is yellow and dead. It feels like worms crawling all over him.

He met it on the good side of the train tracks, but it came from the other side. It was a wolf, a wolfman, a monster that walked out of the woods.

T-minus 7 minutes to the end of the world.

The sun was hanging low in the sky. A monster came out of the woods and took him by his hand. They walked over the train tracks, over the trees, to this unknown land.

T-minus 5 minutes to the end of the world.

The monster had no face. It was a black hole that was hovering above with no end, towering over him. It laid him down on the grass to consume him. The sun was hanging so low in the sky. The sky was bleeding pure, raw red.

T-minus 2 minutes to the end of the world. Mikey lies down on the grass. The monster has sharp teeth and sharp claws. Nothing will ever exist ever after.

T-minus 1 minute to the end of the world. He is dying inside the monster’s mouth and under its claws. He used to think he lived to tell of it, but it was probably just a dream.

T-minus 40 seconds to the end of the world. Mikey opens his eyes. The sky is supposed to be bleeding red. Instead, it lights up. There is a big burst over the horizon.

T-minus nil to the end of the world. The light over the horizon is consuming the field, consuming the tress, consuming the train tracks, consuming the monsters, consuming the town and everything beyond and on its way. Like a big bomb that fell down from the sky. It all went white and then there was nothing.

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