#beach body season is upon us and if i hear 1 more person tell me theyre tryna lose weight to fit a beauty standard for holiday imma flip

[nerdie-faerie]

Life's meaningless, buy a cake

[rovewritesit]

Angel Of My Dreams (Chapter 4) John Deacon x Reader Series

Series Summary: After reluctantly joining a band with your childhood best friends, you are thrust into oncoming stardom with no sea legs and an overwhelming sense of anxiety. But you just might find your way, thanks to some seasoned pros by your side. And the interest of one particular bassist.

This series is a work of fiction, and is loosely inspired by real people and events. Absolutely no offense is meant to actual Queen or their families.

PART 1 - PART 2 - PART 3

Pairing: John Deacon x Reader

Chapter Warnings: Strong language. Feelings of anxiety.

Chapter Notes: This one was a doozy! Don’t start your very first fic with only a vague idea of where it’s going, friends! Quick reminder that this is a slow ass burn. Gonna take us a bit to get there but want to point out there will be no infidelity. Also fun fact: my grandfather actually did work at Elaine’s and the Mick Jagger story is true.

Song/Title Inspiration: Angel - Fleetwood Mac

Songs Mentioned:

Hallelujah, I Love Her So - Ray Charles

Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) - Billy Joel - [I know it wasn’t released till the 90s but I couldn’t shake it]

Taglist: @yourlocalmusicalprostitute​ @brianmays-hair @deacyblues @squishy-geckboye @hae-bee @aprilaady

- - - - - - -

July 1982 - Freeport, Long Island

“I’ll be right back,” you sigh to no one in particular, pushing yourself off of the faded paisley couch in the basement of Steve’s parent’s house and making your way upstairs for a glass of water. The dull pounding in your head had only gotten worse from repeatedly staring at the green shag carpeting leftover from the prior decade. Navigating the layout of the familiar house with ease, you make your way to the kitchen.

“Oh, Bunny! Wonderful, I was just about to bring down some iced tea,” calls out Steve’s mother upon seeing you.

“Thanks, Mrs. Castellano. You didn’t have to do that.”

“Well, you know me. It was too quiet when you were all away.” The Limbs had recently gotten back from a small European tour--the album having spread beyond England; to Scotland, France, Germany, and Belgium. “I can’t help myself when I get all of you back under my roof. Speaking of… how’s it going down there?” she presses.

You keep your deadpan expression glued to your face as you lock eyes with the kind woman.

She grimaces, “I had a feeling. You better bring this back yourself then,” she hands you the pitcher.

“Will do. Thanks again, Mrs. C,” you tell her as you start to trudge your body back towards the basement. You let out a deep sigh before yanking the door open and descending into the pit of your own personal hell.

Lawrence’s voice booms from below, “I said simple! A simple four to the floor, and that’s it.”

The rest of The Limbs were right as you left them. Eddie and Rich lounge on the couch that is pushed up against the wood-paneled walls, their guitars strewn casually over their legs as they watch the ongoing argument. Lawrence paces around the room, his hands seemingly glued to his head as he pulls on his hair, and Steve sits behind his drum kit that’s tucked away in the corner. Padded blankets hang from the ceiling around him - a sorry excuse for soundproofing.

“Oh c’mon, I’m just adding some flavor to it! I’ll be as boring, sorry simple, as you want when we actually record it,” Steven replies, twirling a drumstick in his right hand.

Rich lets out a sigh as he clocks you making your way back. “Bun, any help here?”

You softly place the pitcher on a table off to the side before turning to the group, leaning back on your hands. “I just don’t get why we need to debut something new if it’s obviously not ready,” you say carefully.

“Of course you’d say that,” Lawrence grumbled, gesturing in your general direction. “Do you not want to sing it? Because you all told me you thought it was good!”

“It’s not that, and you know it, it’s just-”

“It just needs some work before Sunday, so let’s run the rhythm section again,” Eddie cuts in impatiently from his perch on the back of the couch. He untangles his spidery limbs and makes his way over to where you’re camped out.

“Okay, I’ll explain it again,” Lawrence huffs.

“We don’t need this stress two days before we play,” you tell Eddie softly.

“It’s a hometown show, Y/N,” he looks at you pointedly. “These folks helped get us to where we are. It’ll be nice to give them something new.”

The label had secured The Limbs a night at the Jones Beach Theater, the largest outdoor venue on the island. People from all over traveled to watch such acts as Jimmy Buffet, James Taylor, and Aerosmith, the height of entertainment for the suburban droves. And now they’ll be camping out for the first hometown Limbs show since they’d been signed. It was a huge deal, and you knew it, but you didn’t need something unfamiliar to throw off your already wavering shadow of a presence on stage.

Rich begins to pluck out the new bass line, carefully watching Lawrence’s reaction as he plays. On the pick-up, Steve again adds a light flourish as he joins in.

“Steve! For god’s sake! What did I just say?!”

“Live a little, will ya, Lawrence!” Steven shouts back.

The door to the basement wrenches open, and you all freeze. Mr. Castellano’s footsteps are heavy as he stomps down the stairs, somehow staring all of you down at once.

“Kids. If you’d be so kind as to keep it down a tad. I already have to watch the Yankees hand their asses over to the Blue Jays up there. I would at least like to hear it.”

“Sorry, Dad,” Steve mumbles.

“Thank you.” He starts to make his way back up the stairs but halts, turning to you once again. “Oh, also, someone from your label called before,” he adds on casually.

Steven jumps up from his stool, “What?! Dad!”

“What?! Steven!” he mimics. “I’m not your secretary.”

“Can you just tell us what they said?” Steve scoffs at his father.

“Something about being invited to a show at The Garden tonight. Some band. It’s… Dang it. I wrote it down somewhere,” he mutters, making his way back up the stairs.

“I wonder who it is,” Rich thinks aloud, glancing around to all of you.

Eddie notices as your body immediately stiffens beside him.

“Bun?” he asks slowly. “Do you know who’s playing Madison Square Garden tonight?”

Your eyes find the green carpet once again. Of course you knew who was playing tonight. Queen was beginning their two-night stay at the venue. Dawn wanted to get tickets, but you had argued that it was getting harder for you to go unrecognized in public. That, and the fact you had come to the realization you could only act like a complete fool around any of the band members. You weren’t keen on adding another entry to the list.

“It’s Queen!” Mr. Castellano calls from upstairs. “Starts at 8. You kids should get going if you’re gonna make it.”

“Queen’s playing?” Lawrence marvels. “How did we miss that?”

Rich rises, clapping a hand on his shoulder. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe all the incessant practicing you’ve been holding us hostage for?” 

“She knew,” Eddie smirks, pointing at you with his thumb. You stick your tongue out at him.

“Why didn’t you say anything? I’ve never gotten the chance to see them live before!” Steve questions, already rocking back on his heels with excitement. He had become quite the Queen fan since your run-in with Freddie after sticking to him like glue that entire night.

You shrug, trying to act nonchalant, “I thought we had more important things to focus on.”

“No, that’s not it,” Eddie deduces, narrowing his eyes at you. “You’re just embarrassed that you went all jellied around Mr. Mercury the last time.”

“You’re the one who had to go and tell him all about me fawning over them on MTV!”

“Ooor, maybe it’s because the entirety of the UK saw you making eyes at their bassist on that game show,” Lawrence elaborates.

“There were no eyes being made at anyone,” you grit out defensively, knowing full well that their words were ringing true.

“I, for one, am happy you have a crush, Bun. You know it’s been a while since…” Rich trails off, leaving out the name of a dreaded ex none of you speak of.

You push yourself off your perch on the table with a huff. “You know what? We’ll go. Let’s go. That way, I can disprove all your wildly inaccurate assumptions,” you retort, wanting to get the heat off you fast.

Steven chuckles, “Oh no, she’s broken out her dictionary, folks. Looks like we’ve hit a nerve.” He pokes your side playfully.

“Shut up, please,” you tell them, making your way over to the stairs. “We have a train to catch.”

- - - - - - -

You’re late.

The muffled bass from the arena hits your ears as the Limbs dash up the steps leading from Penn Station to MSG. You all but sprint to catch up with the boy’s long gaits as they approach the box office window.

“Hiya, there’s supposed to be some tickets at will-call for us from the band,” Eddie explains to a woman behind the glass as he tries to catch his breath.

“Name?” 

“Uh… Lo & The Limbs?”

“Don’t have anything under that name. Could it be something else?”

“Can you try just The Limbs?” he guesses, turning back to the group with wide, panicked eyes.

“Nope, sorry,” she answers in a monotone.

“How about The Legs,” you offer up from your spot behind Rich’s tall figure. She just shakes her head.

“Well, fuck,” Lawrence sighs, slapping his palms against his legs, obviously ticked off from the 45-minute train ride you’d all barely caught because Steve had changed his shirt a minimum of three times before you could all head out.

“What about Bunny?” Steve asks with a giggle.

The woman raises her eyebrows before checking the list yet again.

“Ah, there you are. Bunny and friends,” she concludes with a sigh.

A chorus of chuckles erupts from the boys. You point your finger at Eddie.

“I’m coming for ya. Eds. You’re not gonna know where or when, but I’ll get you back for this one day,” you tell him playfully. 

“Oh yeah, and when you kill me, you can be free to go off and start your solo group, Bunny and Friends.”

She hands you all large laminate passes and gestures for you to follow a security guard. They deposit you in one of the skyboxes on the 10th floor. The Limbs tentatively enter, glancing around at the mishmash of people gathered. Extra crew, friends of the band, some execs, you guess to yourself. The boys immediately descend on the small bar set up in the back of the room.

“Here, I assume you need one of these,” Lawrence shoves a beer in your shaking hands. 

“You assume right, good sir.”

“How the hell did we lose Steve already?” Eddie gripes. Rich easily spots him over the tops of heads surrounding them, pointing to a tall figure pushing his way towards the front of the box that opens up into seating. You all follow, mummering polite excuse me’s and thank you’s as you try to keep up. You can hear Play The Game get louder as you approach the view. 

Steve rushes to the first row of seats, leaning over the railing of the balcony. “God, will you look at all these people?” he marvels, watching as the dancing lights illuminate the mass below him.

But you’re not looking at the crowd. Your gaze immediately finds the stage, where Freddie is situated behind a piano off to the left. His voice booms as if he were standing right next to you, and you’re positive that even without a mic, it would be heard by all 20,000 individuals. His eyes are closed as he slams hard on the piano, seemingly in his own world, yet the entire crowd is wholly entranced.

Brian then casually lopes to center for his solo. He smiles out at the crowd as his fingers dance across the frets gracefully while Eddie screams in appreciation throughout. He then jogs back to his mic, nearly missing his cue for his backing vocals, but his fingers never rest. Roger’s gravely falsetto catches your ear, and you train your eyes on the multitasking drummer. Even up behind his kit, his presence takes center stage while he keeps perfect time. The group ends the song in perfect synchronicity as the lights cut to black.

The chords for Somebody To Love start with a few majestic trills from Freddie’s voice, but your attention is once again grabbed away. Towards the back of the stage, still cast in darkness, you see John. He quickly shrugs off a fitted leather jacket to reveal an even tighter full cerulean blue ensemble before a roadie slips the strap of his bass over his head. He strolls into the light just as Freddie finishes his improv, lightly bouncing on the balls of his feet as they begin the song.

While he keeps his gaze mostly pointed to the ground, his body already thrums with anticipation. As it really gets going, you watch as he comes to life. You can’t help but hang onto his every movement; the unintentional jerks of his head, the light two-step of his feet as he shuffles along to his bass line's groove. He seems entirely at the will of the song and loving every minute of it. A pang of jealousy hits your chest as you wonder if you’d ever feel that free on stage.

Not much conversation passes between you and the boys as you watch on, more than a bit awestruck. You’re not sure how many songs pass, but fresh beers repeatedly appear in your hands every so often. The lights are dizzyingly bright as your eyes skip around the stage, trying to absorb as much as you can. You find they consistently flick back to John, sucking in every minutia of his performance. Your chest tightens like it did the day of Pop Quiz. Every time he had caught your eye, you remember having to push down the inescapable thoughts you were having. You would tell yourself you don’t know what it is about him, but you’d be lying. 

A voice jolts you out of your stupor. “You must be Fred’s young friends he met in New Haven.”

The group turns to find a small man situated in the row behind them wearing an impeccably tailored suit.

“Jim Beach, manager for the band,” he holds out a hand for each of you to shake. “Sorry for the last-minute invitation. Fred was simply beside himself when he remembered you’re all from New York. So glad you could make it.”

“This is incredible, thanks so much for having us,” Rich tells the man sincerely as his gaze keeps being drawn back to the stage.

“Glad you’re enjoying yourselves. We’ve always been big fans of playing here.”

“It’s quite the spectacle,” you muse. “I've never seen The Garden this decked out before. I mean, those lighting rigs alone must cost…” you trail off.

“Believe me, you don’t want to know,” Jim replies with a quirk of his lips. “If you’d all like to follow me downstairs, they’ll be finishing up soon, and I’m sure Fred would love to thank you for coming.”

Steve leaps from his plastic seat, “Yes, please!”

- - - - - - -

The green room is unlike any you’ve ever seen—rust-colored persian rugs litter the floor, the grey slate underneath barely peeking through. Tapestries and various paintings line the walls, somehow giving the usually sterile space a homey feel. Multiple buffet tables filled with every accoutrement imaginable are tucked away in a back corner.

The room is scarce of people for the most part. Crew members filter in and out, grabbing waters, some puffing on cigarettes as they wipe down their sweaty foreheads. A select few have migrated down from the skybox as well.

Lawrence plops down on one of the many leather couches, taking in the room. “So this is what it’s like when you make it?”

“Seems a little excessive even for a band of their stature,” murmurs Rich as if reading your mind.

The deafening roar of the crowd is heard from above, and Queen closes out their encore. The crew members who are now needed for the post set break-down hurry from the room as it gets quiet. You all sit there in near silence for a few moments until a light cheer erupts as Freddie, Brian, and Roger all enter the room, swaddled in thick robes and towels around their necks. They're breathing heavy, still radiating the energy from their set, knowing full well that it was a fantastic show.

“Thank you, darling,” Freddie says as someone hands him a bottle of cold water, glancing around at the people who are still giving the band a wide berth. He spots the group of you huddled out of the way. “Oh!” he exclaims with a clap of his hands, making his way over, “You made it!”

He kisses you all on the cheeks, leaving a ghost of sweat on your faces. “My gangly young saplings! It’s lovely to see you.” He locks eyes with you, a wicked grin on his face. “And you most of all, my little cottontail.”

“You were fantastic Freddie, thank you so much for thinking of us, really,” you tell him genuinely.

“And who have we got here?” a towering Brian May appears behind Freddie.

“Oh yes, may I present to you, Lo & The Limbs!” Freddie says, spreading his arms wide. So he does remember the name; you laugh to yourself.

Eddie pushes further into the group to immediately extend his hand. “You slayed tonight, man. I mean, really slayed.”

Brian returns the shake with a surprised laugh. “Why, thank you. I’ve heard your album, and I have to say, you all… slay as well.”

“Oy, you!” A disheveled looking Roger Taylor makes his way over to the group, people parting like the red sea before him. He marches straight up to you, his finger inches from your nose. “I lost quite a lot of quid, thanks to you.”

You shrink back a bit. “I’m sorry?”

“It would be like John to bring in a ringer at the last second. And after we’d already threw down our bets.” You glance at Freddie with a confused look still on your face.

“What a lovely way to welcome our new friends,” Brian throws an arm over Roger’s shoulder before turning to you. “We may have made a slight wager on John’s most recent Pop Quiz appearance.”

“Slight?” Freddie smirks. “My new Gucci loafers would disagree, darling.”

Roger lets out an incoherent grumble. “Well, he usually fucks it up, doesn’t he? That is until you snuck in there.”

“I’m… sorry?” you offer, failing to find a witty remark for the situation.

He heaves a dramatic sigh, “I guess you’ll just have to make it up to me. I’ve been looking for someone to help me bury the bodies, or do my taxes, or be on call if I perhaps fancied a shag in the middle of the night?” he raises his brows in an overtly teasing manner.

You let out a sharp snort. “Fancy a shag? God, that sounds so much better than “ya wanna go fuck?”

Roger chuckles heartily, “Alright, alright. It was touch and go there for a bit, but I’ve come ‘round. I like this one. She can stay.”

“Y’know, we made a bet of sorts as well,” Lawrence reveals with a mischievous grin. The men all look to him, intrigued. “How long Y/N could keep her cool around that bassist of yours. She failed miserably, and now we shall reap the benefits by teasing her mercilessly until the end of time.”

You swear your mouth couldn’t have dropped open faster. Really need to work on that poker face, you tell yourself.

“Someone was trying to be cool around Deacy? Are you sure you’ve met the man?” Brian laughs.

Staring blankly around, all you know is you need to get out of this situation fast. “I need to pee,” you announce loudly. Really, Y/N? “Excuse me.”

Quickly ducking out of the room before anyone can say anything, you lean your back up against the wall in the hallway as you collect your swimming thoughts. What was it about this band that made you get all dumbstruck? Truth be told, you weren’t usually a timid person. Sure, everyone had bouts of social anxiety now and again, but you navigated social interactions seamlessly for the most part. It had always been easy for you to make friends or crack a quick comeback at a joke. Teasing was a form of endearment where you came from. But ever since you’d entered this new world, it was as if you were a stranger in your body. Who happened to be almost mute apparently. You push yourself off the wall to find a bathroom, your mind still fully occupied by your inner ramblings.

“Points!” a roadie shouts at you, trying to get your attention as they push a cart of cumbersome looking sound equipment right into your path. Before you have time to react, two hands grip your waist and pull you back to your previous position against the wall. 

Once again, you are face to face with a familiar chest. You watch as a light chuckle rumbles through it.

“I know it’s cheesy to say, but we have to stop meeting like this. Or do you make it a point to always bumble about in narrow hallways?” John pulls his hands back to his side as you meet his attractive colored eyes, amusement flickering in them. 

“John. Hi,” is all you manage.

“Good to see you again, Y/N. Freddie mentioned you all might be stopping by. Glad you could make it.”

You try and will your new persona not to take hold, but all you can do is smile meekly at him. He regards you patiently, cocking his head to the side slightly.

“Did you enjoy the show?”

“Yes, very much,” you rush out quickly. “I’ve never seen anything quite like that before. The Garden’s not an easy place to play.”

“Thank you. You’re kind," he smiles bashfully. "The crowds in New York are some of my favorites. I wish we got the chance to spend more time here, but it seems we’re always passing through.”

“Am I interrupting?” Freddie asks with raised eyebrows from the doorway, a grin on his face.

John makes his way over to him. “Not at all. Just heroically saving Y/N from a near-death run-in with Ratty.”

“Sounds about right,” Freddie muses. “Now, if we’re all safe and sound, I’d like to get out of here. I’m positively starving.”

“Where to?” John asks.

“I want to go someplace real New Yorkers go,” he looks to you expectantly.

“Bun-bun?” you hear from inside before Steve pokes his head around Fred.

“Is your grandpa working tonight?”

- - - - - - -

Even John knew of Elaine’s. He’d hadn’t heard about it because the notable food, but rather the wide variety of clientele it boasted. Writers, directors, actors, and musicians alike frequently filled the establishment for the ambiance and lively conversation. Freddie would love it.

The large group enters through the wood door under a large awning, immediately hit by a wall of sound. The small place is packed to the brim. Raucous laughter can be heard from most tables as the patrons sardine together, shouting over one another. It had a certain charm, he guessed, taking in the decor of signed book covers and hand-painted murals.

“Bambina!” A small italian-looking maitre d' steps from behind the counter and spreads his arms wide as he engulfs Y/N into a hug. “You didn’t tell me you were stopping by tonight.”

“Sorry, Papa. It was last minute. Just in time for the 10:30 rush by the looks of it.”

An infectiously warm smile spreads across his face. “Do you see me complaining? You hardly visit anymore now that you’re running around the world with that guitar. I’m so proud of you,” he adds softly, kissing her forehead. “Look at these boys!” he greets the rest of The Limbs like family, clapping each man on the back with love. “Am I shrinking already, or are all you still growing?”

“Probably a little of both, Dom,” Eddie laughs with the old man.

“And there’s even more, I see,” he inquires, finally noticing Queen.

It was unusual for them not to be the center of attention in any given situation, all of them hanging back except for Freddie, who marches right up to the man and places a kiss on his cheek.

“Freddie Mercury, a dear friend of your Y/N. It’s a pleasure.”

He looks to Y/N suspiciously. “Are they musicians? You know what happened that one time. I had to pry Elaine off of beating that tiny Mickey guy. I’m telling ya, it was ugly.”

“Not Mickey- Mick, Papa. How many times do I have to tell you?” Y/N shushes him, looking a bit embarrassed.

Dom waves his hand at her, “Whoever he is, that kid owes me his life. I expect these ones to behave.”

Roger snorts from the back, “Not very likely.”

“We promise,” Freddie swears. “And might I say, I love the suit. Very dashing,” he adds on for good measure.

“Well, how else do you think I got this job?” Dom smiles at him with a wink. “C’mon,” he gestures for all to follow as he leads them through the narrow restaurant, to a long table in the back. “Enjoy, boys,” he tells them as he heads back to his post up front, kissing Y/N on the cheek before leaving.

“Come sit next to me, my love,” Freddie calls to Y/N, patting the seat beside him. “If any of your other family members are as outrageous as that man, I want to hear all about them.”

The group moves to squish in around the table. Roger silently catches John’s eye and motions to the seat next to Y/N. He quirks his brows at him, confused, but makes his way to sit between them.

Eddie has taken his rightful place next to Brian with Rich in tow, the three already in deep conversation about the current music scene. Lawrence and Roger sit opposite each other, tearing into the bread basket and chatting about the show. Next to Freddie, Steve is eagerly hanging onto every word he says as he chats to Y/N about her upbringing.

“I’m just hoping one day we get to do something like that, man. Our show on Sunday should be a pretty big deal, though,” Lawrence tells Roger.

“Where are you playing? CBGB? The Palladium?” 

“Nah, we’re playing out on the island. Jones Beach.”

“Huh, Long Island. We’ve never been to Long Island before,” Roger ponders, intrigued. “What’s there to do on Long Island?”

“Well, do you like bowling? Strip malls?” Lawrence pauses for effect. “Bowling at strip malls?”

John lightly chuckles. An arm brushes his shoulder, and he moves back slightly as a large woman weaves her hands around Y/N’s shoulders.

“My little Y/N has come back to us! And surrounded by even more devilishly handsome men than usual.”

Y/N turns around in her seat to give the woman a proper hug. “Elaine! It’s been too long.”

“Let me get a good look at you,” she gestures for Y/N to spin as she regards her. “If you need help beating em’ off of ya, I have my bat behind the counter.”

Y/N rolls her eyes, teasingly, “Don’t I know it. I have a vivid childhood memory of you chasing Ron Galella around the dining room with that thing.”

She lets out a larger than life laugh at the memory, patting the young girl on the back. “Oh, those were the good years. So, aren’t you going to introduce me to your new friends?”

“Elaine! I’m hurt you don’t remember our beautiful time together,” Eddie teases her from the table's end.

“Shut it, Eddie,” she reprimands him with a point of her stubby finger.

Y/N turns to the group, spreading her arms wide. “Guys, this is Elaine Kaufman, of Eliane’s, obviously. Elaine, this is Queen.”

She attempts a half-hearted curtsey. “Your majesties. Welcome.”

Before long, Elaine has pulled up a chair as she cracks dirty jokes back and forth with Freddie, which has the rest of the group (and some nearby diners) howling in laughter. Y/N’s now-familiar cackle sends tingles through John’s body once again. She’s more relaxed than he’s previously seen her be. Her hair is tied back in a ponytail, showcasing her broad smile as she looks on fondly, hands waving about whenever she joins in the conversation. Her face is mostly free of makeup and he catches the hint of a dimple on one of her cheeks as she glances over at him to share in a joke.

Freddie gasps as he catches someone entering the front door. “Is that Shirley MacLaine? Slap my ass and call me Sally, that woman does not age.”

“Come with me,” Elaine says, rising from her chair. “I think she’ll like you.”

Food appears without any of them having to order, along with bottles of wine Elaine insisted they’d love. John tentatively takes a bite of one of the dishes set before him.

“Oh god,” he blurts out upon tasting.

Y/N snickers beside him. “Bad, right? I recommend the tortellini if you want something remotely edible.” She pushes a plate towards him, snagging some for herself.

He gulps down water, trying to rid himself of the bland taste. “I would ask why this place is packed, but it seems I’ve already met her.”

“And you would be right. She’s a riot, but I fully blame her for my vulgar vocabulary,” she reveals, taking a giant bite of pasta.

“You and Freddie seem to have that in common.”

Y/N chews slowly as she muses over that sentiment. “That seems to be the only thing we have in common,” she says softly. He cocks his head at her in question.

“It’s just,” she starts, a somber look replacing her previously buoyant one. “Watching him on stage tonight. All of you actually. You seem so free, so comfortable up there. And Freddie is just magnetic, you know that. It’s as if he makes the crowd fall in love with him again and again with every song. I could never do that…”

“I find that quite hard to believe,” he mumbles, continuing on quickly. “Freddie’s a performer. Everything he does up there is for that crowd. Whereas I’m just a musician, I think. It probably helps that I don’t sing. It'll just take some time to find your footing. You don’t have to be both. You don't have to be either for that matter.”

She scoffs lightly, pushing the food around on her plate. “Don’t I? Ever since this all began, I feel like I’m some paper doll or something. People just dress me up and mold me into what they want. And I go right along with it because I don’t even recognize this version of myself if I’m being honest. So I just keep that mask on until I get back home and I can finally breathe. Because then, at least I don’t have to stare at a stranger in the mirror anymore.” 

She breaks out of the daze she fell into while rambling. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t unload on you like this,” she catches herself. “I guess I just had a very different assumption of what my life would look like... I think I'm afraid of losing who I am in all this."

John takes her in, catching glimpses of his former self in her cracks. He itches to soothe her distress. “I can understand,” he tells her sympathetically. “Hell, I thought I was joining a band to play with on the side at uni and look at us now. Sometimes I still feel like I’m leading a double life. I tried to convince myself all this was just a job at first, but I’m sure you’re finding out quickly that’s not always true.”

Y/N looks at him intently, and it’s the first time he truly sees the depth of her eyes. He clears his throat before continuing.

“I've come to learn that the concept of home is a funny thing. For a long time, I held onto the idea of it that I always had for myself, but it’s harder than it looks with what we do,” he sighs, running a hand through his short curls, not wanting to dwell too long on his unpleasent situation back in England. 

“But home can be anything really. It can be people,” he says, glancing at his bandmates. “Or even the stage, which sometimes I think is Freddie’s. Or you can be Roger, and make yourself at home wherever you go.”

They glance over at Rog, who is in the middle of an animated story, waving his glass of wine around as it drips on the tablecloth.

“So all you can do is find whatever that home is and hold onto it the best you can. And it might change, but that doesn't mean you have to," he nudges her shoulder with his.

Y/N smiles down at her lap. “Thank you,” she tells him quietly, still swimming in her own thoughts.

“Of course,” he assures, pausing to breathe- not used to giving long-winded explanations. Nervous that he’s pushed too far, he glances over, catching as her shoulders relax.

The restaurant was mostly cleared out by now, save for a few regulars sitting at the tall wood bar. The staff chats casually amongst themselves as they clean off empty tables for the night. Steve is giving Freddie details of the New York club scene, probably hoping to earn himself an invitation one day. Elaine’s regaling Brian, Eddie, and Rich with a story about two writers and a feud of accused plagiarism. Lawrence and Roger were currently attempting to turn their napkins into amusing hats for each other. John finds himself enjoying the young band's presence, their chaotic energy seeming to match Queen’s dynamic quite well.

The group collectively jumps as the music drastically raises in volume, the intro of Ray Charles’ ‘Hallelujah, I Love Her So’ pouring out.

“Oh god, no,” Y/N groans next to him as the waiters all turn their attention to her. Dom appears beside her with an outstretched hand. “Papa, not now, please.”

“Indulge your grandfather, Y/N,” he winks at her as she reluctantly takes his hand, pulling her to the middle of the room. John’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise as the old man springs to life, twirling his granddaughter around the room with ease. The pure spryness of someone that age was genuinely shocking.

“Oh, this is fabulous!” Freddie laughs as he leans his chin forward on his hands.

And it was. The staff cheers, hinting that this was a familiar routine for them. The rest of The Limbs sing along with the track, watching the two affectionately like old family.

Y/N’s apprehensive look fades away as she gives in to the fun, pure joy flashing across her features as she glides along, following her grandfather in the swing dance rather gracefully. She looks free, John thinks to himself, drinking in the true version of the young woman. She was dazzling as her hair fell messily from her ponytail and her laugh was louder than ever as Dom dips her low to the floor, her body bending with him. If this was home, he could see why she was reluctant to leave it behind.

He’s mesmerized by her every movement. She was still an enigma to him, each detail he pulled from her, just making him hungry for more. 

You shouldn’t. You’re still married. Well, technically. Papers aren’t signed yet.

“Alright, I’m convinced,” Roger shouts at Lawrence. “Looks like we'll have to stop in Long Island.”

- - - - - - -

“Fuck, it’s cold,” Brian announces, burrowing further into his white windbreaker.

The Jones Beach Theater was tucked right up to the shoreline, causing the spray of the Atlantic to chill the air despite the summer heat. John had never seen a venue like it. It’s as if the vast sea acted as an extended backdrop to the stage, reflecting the stars and inky drape of the night.

The crowd didn’t seem to mind at all. They had been brilliant the entire night, singing along to every one of the songs and dancing in full force. It was perfectly clear how proud they were of their hometown heroes.

The Limbs themselves were a sight to behold from the wings of the stage. The energy from the packed seats had bled over, and all 5 members were indeed feeling it. They had been in perfect sync with each other the entire show, and John was certainly amused by their own way of interacting with their audience. It mostly consisted of them hurling humorous insults back and forth to each other in between songs.

Even Y/N seemed to be enjoying herself, despite her confession the other night. She had taken Freddie’s note that he’d given after seeing her dance and was now stepping out from behind the mic stand for her songs. She slinked around the stage effortlessly, interacting with the other members and the crowd, much to their glee.

“Before we say goodnight to you all, we’d like to leave you with a little something,” Rich calls out over the deafening cheers. “A lullaby of sorts from one of our favorites.”

Y/N drags a stool out to the center of the stage as Lawrence begins a somber melody on the keyboard. The audiences erupts in cheers and John recognizes it as a Billy Joel song.

She takes a seat behind the mic as she gazes out over the crowd. The exhilarated face she had been sporting all night was gone, a shade of melancholy in its place now.

Goodnight, my angel, time to close your eyes

And save these questions for another day

I think I know what you’ve been asking me

I think you know what I’ve been trying to say

Her hypnotic voice pierces through the now-silent crowd. The type of voice you immediately feel in your chest, as if it’s personally strumming your heartstrings. No one dares to sing along, afraid they'll miss a moment of her inflection.

I promised I would never leave you

Then you should always know

Wherever you may go, no matter where you are

I never will be far away

The familiar sight of lighters being illuminated flickers through the sea of people before them, casting a hazy glow on the previously faceless patrons. Their peaceful stares fixed on Y/N, entranced as if she was siren of sorts.

Goodnight my angel, now it’s time to dream

And dream how wonderful your life will be

Someday your child may cry, and if you sing this lullaby

Then in your heart, there will always be a part of me

Her voice breaks a bit, giving away the glassiness of her eyes. They’re not fixed on the crowd, but instead on the sky beyond them. John watches the panes of her face intently. She wasn’t singing to them, he realizes. This was to herself. Possibly to that image in her mind, she had confided in him, the one she was struggling to leave behind—her piece of home.

Someday we’ll all be gone

But lullabies go on and on

“She’s going to be something else, isn’t she?” Freddie asks, mostly to himself.

They never die

That’s how you and I will be

John watches as a single tear slips off the slope of her nose as she finishes, bowing her head.

“Yeah, I think she is.”

[zrtranscripts]

Season 9, Mission 5: Sandstorm

Summer Holiday

~

[ship horn honks, waves crash on shore]

PETER LYNNE: Listen, all I'm saying is he could have dropped us off a little bit nearer.

JANINE DE LUCA: Our captain was clear from the outset, Peter. Our information on Tunisia is limited. He did not wish to deliver us to a port which might present unknown dangers. Or docking fees. Hence the empty stretch of coast we've landed on.

SAM YAO: Oh, it's nice though, isn't it? The sandy cliffs, the crystal blue sea, the rocky beach. Way better than that tiny ship's hold. Not that I didn't enjoy helping Janine tick “win 1,000 consecutive games of chess” off her bucket list. Oh, oh hey, careful how you carry the briefcase, Five. Remember, it's got Veronica inside. [shouts] You okay in there, Veronica?

VERONICA MCSHELL: Sam, for the last time, this case contains hardware running a full copy of my personality connected to a full suite of sensor systems, including auditory. You do not need to shout. Janine, Amelia gave me a message to play upon our arrival in Tunisia. Stand by.

AMELIA SPENS: Hello, Tunisia team. Let's make this super clear: you are not over there sightseeing. You're infiltrating a secret base codenamed Red Scorpion at the behest of General Bakari. He's directed you to a city near Red Scorpion called New Agadir. Until you reach New Agadir, where you must impersonate the mercenary group Death's Hand, you should pretend to be independent UK traders.

This is a covert mission, so if things go badly, I can't help you. Remember, the red fungus endangers the whole world. If it's in Red Scorpion, we need to know. Don't mess this up. Amelia out.

PETER LYNNE: Right, right, right. So just-just to make sure I've got this right, we're in another country with no support and we left our only doctor on the boat. Fantastic!

VERONICA MCSHELL: It's fortunate Maxine was present to identify the measles outbreak on the ship. If we hadn't left her to take care of it, it might have become a pandemic, Maintaining herd immunity via vaccination has proven almost impossible since the apocalypse.

JANINE DE LUCA: I see a road atop the hill heading west. Miss Spens’ preliminary scouting identified settlements on the Tunisian coast. That road leads to an outpost called Kalaat El-Amal. From there, we can arrange transport south towards New Agadir. Miss Spens also provided me details of a contact she's established in New Agadir who can assist us, a man by the name of Mohammed Boujettif. We must find him there.

Aside from anything else, we may need him to take Dr. Myers’s place in Death's Hand, although if he has no medical experience, that could prove difficult. The alias of the team member Dr. Myers was to impersonate is Doctor Death.

International subterfuge... it has been some time. Remember people, we do not know how the apocalypse landed here or what dangers await. Watch out for each other and keep your wits. Up the hill to the road, run!

~

SAM YAO: Oh, I thought the going would get easier once we reached the top of the hill, but now the road's covered in sand!

PETER LYNNE: Well, there's not much to stop it blowing in from the desert. As far as local scenery goes, you've got potholed roads and sand dunes and that's basically all you're going to get.

SAM YAO: So I get that we're pretending to be traders for now, then when we reach New Agadir we'll be impersonating Death's Hand, but what do we do if the actual Death’s Hand show up? I mean, my briefing said my cover is someone called Sven “Psycho” Mountback, who I don't exactly want to meet.

PETER LYNNE: Well, Amelia is recruiting the mercenaries now for a job in the UK. That's a trap that'll keep them out of our way. And they mostly work in the shadows, so their faces aren't well-known. So in theory at least, we should be able to pass for them. And Bakari swears he can get them - by which I mean us - onto the base.

JANINE DE LUCA: Gamma 1 insertion protocols, as Tom would have said.

FRANCES DEMPSEY: (in the distance) Guys, it's me!

SAM YAO: Does anyone hear that? Look, behind us. There's someone coming up the road dressed like a deckhand from the ship, waving.

FRANCES DEMPSEY: Guys, it's Frances!

PETER LYNNE: Oh, you've got to be kidding me!

JANINE DE LUCA: Miss Dempsey, what are you doing here?

FRANCES DEMPSEY: I, uh, stowed away on the ship. Hid in a storage crate, swam to shore when I'd heard you'd landed. Bribed a sailor to tell me when you did. A bit wet from the swim. I know you didn't want me to come, but I swear I'll be useful.

JANINE DE LUCA: Miss Dempsey, this is unacceptable! You were expressly forbidden...

SAM YAO: Uh, Janine? Usually you don't drift off when you're berating people.

JANINE DE LUCA: The sky, it's turned white. Winds are rising. If my memories of Algeria hold true, this indicates an incoming dust storm. We must get to cover quickly.

FRANCES DEMPSEY: Does that mean I can come?

JANINE DE LUCA: It means, Miss Dempsey, that since there is no way to get you back to the UK, you are unfortunately in danger with the rest of us. There, gleaming structures on the horizon. Kalaat El-Amal. All of you, in that direction. Run!

~

[wind blows]

SAM YAO: The outpost is ahead. Yeah, I think I see an outer wall. It's hard to make out in this sand. [spits] It really gets in your teeth, doesn't it, Five?

VERONICA MCSHELL: Changing global weather patterns, likely brought on by a large increase in methane emissions from decaying flesh, have left this region more prone to dust storms. My sensors should have alerted us to the stormfront. And I failed to predict Frances's arrival.

FRANCES DEMPSEY: Um, quick question. Why is the suitcase talking?

PETER LYNNE: That's our... computer expert, Veronica. She's our expert... who is also a computer.

SAM YAO: Guys, look behind you. There's-there's like a solid wall of sand looping towards us.

JANINE DE LUCA: We're on the storm's periphery, but the eye is approaching fast and the dust already feels cutting in these winds. Everybody switch to comms, cover your mouths. You should have desert goggles and masks in your packs. Miss Dempsey, take mine. I will use my shirt.

PETER LYNNE: Wait, wait, wait. Janine, that's ridiculous. She can have my mask.

JANINE DE LUCA: It is done, Peter, there is no time to argue. I see no rocks large enough for shelter. Our only hope is reaching Kalaat El-Amal before we're subsumed. Run!

~

[wind whistles]

FRANCES DEMSPEY: God, it's like being in a blender full of dust! Getting hard to balance in the wind. Five, grab my arm so we don't get separated.

JANINE DE LUCA: I do not see the road! Does anyone have a visual?

VERONICA MCSHELL: Janine, I have run estimates on the wind speed and density of the storm. There is less than a 3% chance of our surviving.

PETER LYNNE: Oh, fantastic! Thank you, Veronica. Helpful as always.

VERONICA MCSHELL: If I'd warned you of the storm sooner, you might have been able to shelter near the cliffs. I'm sorry.

PETER LYNNE: Janine, not to seem overprotective, but obviously you should take my mask. I'm literally indestructible!

JANINE DE LUCA: You have an anti-P-type bomb in your body, Peter. Inhaling sand might damage it. We cannot risk that. I appreciate you're afraid of losing me after the Hebrides. I let you join this mission because I trust you, but I'm as worried for you as you are for me. Do not disobey my orders!

[zombie shrieks]

SAM YAO: What was that?

PETER LYNNE: Look, those are human shapes being whirled about in the wall of sand behind us. Some are missing limbs or torn in half. They're all thrashing about. Yep, they're zombies.

JANINE DE LUCA: We cannot let them catch us. We have no idea if the zombie virus has variants here. Even if we survive the storm with our cure stocks intact, they might not be effective. Likewise Mr. Yao's immunity. We can't let them catch us. Go!

~

[wind whistles]

SAM YAO: Five! Five, is that you? If you can see me, I'm waving.

FRANCES DEMSPEY: Sam, we see you! Five and I are to your left. Keep moving through the dust.

SAM YAO: Oh, thank God. I can barely make out your outlines. I was worried you were zoms. Have you seen the others? We were trying to keep hold of each other, but the winds kept knocking us down. Storm's interfering with comms beyond point blank range.

FRANCES DEMSPEY: Everyone's been scattered, visibility's practically zero.

VERONICA MCSHELL: I'm trying to calculate everyone's probable vectors, but there are too many variables. At home, I would have more processing power, but this portable me can only handle so much.

During our voyage, I heard Peter talk about Frances's desire to join the mission, but my limited resources did not allow me to model her probable behavior. I was also unable to perceive the worsening weather because my capacity was devoted to reviewing mission files. My limitations have undermined my usefulness.

FRANCES DEMPSEY: Not as much as this sand will if any of it gets in your circuits. We've got to get you inside, Veronica. Janine shouldn't have given me her mask. What if she chokes? She's the most important person to the mission.

SAM YAO: Don't think like that, Frances. We just got here. We're not losing people already, not like the Hebrides. I promised Sara we'd come home safe, that we'd bring her fun travel stories.

JANINE DE LUCA: [static] Repeat. [garbled audio] Repeat.

SAM YAO: Janine!

VERONICA MCSHELL: I am detecting faint electromagnetic activity. It may be the outpost.

[zombie growls]

FRANCES DEMPSEY: Sam, behind you!

SAM YAO: Oh God, that whirling wall of zoms is almost on us. Five, speed up! They're just gristle and bone, the flesh is torn right off them. The wind’s tossing zoms straight at us. Run, everyone! Head south... gah! That way, I think. Just run!

~

[wind whistles]

SAM YAO: That's it, Five, keep holding my hand. I've got Frances, we're in a chain.

[zombies growl]

FRANCES DEMPSEY: Everybody duck! Oh God, did you see that? A flayed zombie torso, ripped to shreds by the sand. It flew right over our heads in the wind. I'm sorry, Sam, I shouldn't have come.

SAM YAO: Frances, it's okay.

FRANCES DEMPSEY: Peter warned me it was dangerous. I just, I really thought I could help. But I know you're all scared of losing people after the Hebrides, but you're all at risk here and I'm making it worse.

JANINE DE LUCA: Mr. Yao, Runner Five, this is Colonel De Luca. Mr. Lynne and I have made it into Kalaat El-Amal. Can you hear? They have equipment monitoring your approach. They're boosting our comms. They're sealing the entrance against the weather and activating a signal beacon on the outer wall.

SAM YAO: There! Hard to tell in this suit, but those look like... yes, flashing yellow lights ahead.

JANINE DE LUCA: The gate is in front of you, but it is closing fast. If you don't hurry, you'll be trapped outside. Sensors indicate torn zombie flesh has made that swirling storm wall infectious. You cannot risk being engulfed. You must get inside. Run!

~

[alarm blares, gate creaks and slams shut]

SAM YAO: That's it, Five, we're in. Made it through that gate by inches. Don't see anyone around, just a big metal room with big metal doors. Gate must be automatic. First bit of wider world we've seen since Z-Day, Five, give or take Finland. I wonder how people here are doing.

FRANCES DEMPSEY: Guess we're about to find out. We're okay, everyone's okay. We all made it.

VERONICA MCSHELL: And my estimations of Kalaat El-Amal's location were accurate. It will take me time to get used to operating at this capacity, but I will persevere. I am confident I can keep the team safe. After analyzing the Hebrides files, I know how much difficulty you all have without me.

[door rattles open]

SAM YAO: Janine, Peter!

JANINE DE LUCA: It's good to see you all intact, including you, Miss Dempsey. It seems you've left me no choice now but to consider you one of the team. The locals were rather shocked to see us approaching through the storm.

SAM YAO: But they let you in, so they're friendly, right?

PETER LYNNE: Oh, they are very friendly, and very worried. You see, apparently the last few foreign traders to visit Kalaat El-Amal carried serious diseases. Measles, flu, multiple poxes. So they're putting us under quarantine until we're vetted, for a period of no less than three months. That means if we can't find another way out of here, the whole mission is over.

~

[dream-a-little-bigger-x]

Greaser Serpents | Part 1

A/N: Currently, I am infatuated with Sweet Pea from Riverdale and I have no clue why since he wasn’t in season 3 that much (also season 3 sucked, just saying), but I can’t seem to get this Serpent out of my head, so I decided, why not start writing imagines and one shots and fanfics about him? So, since I would LOVE to see Riverdale do Grease, I decided to write a mini-series myself. Where OC Luna Simmons, a clean-cut, dutiful Northsider is cast in the school musical as Sandy and the loyal, Northside-hating Serpent is cast as Danny. Somewhere between all the hate between the two, suddenly grows a little love too. 

Pairing: Sweet Pea x OC

Words: 2150

Warnings: none? 

Situated: somewhere during season 2, instead of Carrie: the musical. 

“I’m directing Grease for this year’s musical,” announces Kevin when they’re all sat in the lounge together before classes start. They all look up at him, a small smile playing on each of their lips. Between all the chaos of the black hood and the red circle and everything with Hiram Lodge, the gang could use some good news. Something to focus on outside of the drama.  “I so love you for that,” Luna says with a wide smile plastered on her face. Luna Simmons isn’t new to the gang. She’s lived in Riverdale from the day she was born, next door to the Coopers on Elm Street. She’s been through everything with these kids: Jason Blossom’s murder last year, Veronica joining the gang, the drugs going around, the Sugarman, the Black Hood. And now, when Southside High School has been closed down and Jughead is back at Riverdale High, so are some other troublemakers. To say she can’t stand most of the Serpents is the understatement of the year. Toni Topaz is the only one she can stand. The pinkhaired lady greets her in the hallways, and they sit together in English class. But for some reason, she really cannot stand Sweet Pea nor Fangs. They seem too aggressive for her liking. They always need to solve every problem with violence, and it’s just not Luna’s forte. Musicals, however, and especially Grease, is her forte.  “When are auditions?” Betty asks her best friend.  “No auditions needed, just tell me who you want to play, and I’ll think about it,” Kevin replies, knowing how talented all of his friends are. “The Serpents are doing sets and decor, Toni is doing choreography,” he explains further, sending a shiver down Luna’s spine just thinking about working with the Serpents.  “Per Weatherbee’s orders, I assume?” Veronica retorts. A chuckle erupts from Luna’s body. Kevin nods his head while scrunching up his nose.  “Oh yeah,” he replies. Luna already thinks about what she’s going to do when she’s playing either Marty or Frenchy. Because, let’s face it, she won’t get the role of Sandy. That one has Betty Cooper written all over it. But Luna would be grateful to play an iconic character like Marty or Frenchy. 

“Patty Simcox? Who the hell is Patty Simcox?” Cheryl screams when she sees the character line-up for the musical Kevin had posted on Monday morning. Luna, who just happened to pass by when Cheryl cried out, decides to take a look, just to see whether she got the role of Marty or Frenchy. But, when her eyes fall upon the top of the page where her name is written behind SANDY. Her eyes widen before they glance down to DANNY. Upon seeing the name of Sweet Pea, her stomach churns and her face heats up to the point of nearly exploding. She rips the paper off the board and storms into the lounge where she finds Kevin, Betty and Jughead on the sofas.  “I THOUGHT THE SERPENTS ONLY HELPED WITH SETS?!” she screams at the director, pushing the paper into his chest aggressively. “You know I can’t stand them, Kev, and you still paired me up with fucking Sweet Pea of all people!” she paces the room in a petty rage, instead of being happy she got a leading role.  “Listen, Lunes, I lacked a couple of actors and let’s be honest, Sweet Pea would be a perfect Danny,” Kevin reasons with her, staying calm.  “Kevin is right, Luna,” Betty agrees with him and Luna stops in her tracks to look at the girl-next-door. “Sweet Pea would be one hell of a Danny.” Just at that moment, Sweet Pea and Fangs enter the lounge too, stopping upon hearing the Serpent’s name. Luna makes eye contact with him, suddenly seeing him as Danny. Fuck, he would be a great Danny.  “Wait, what?” the boy asks, tilting his head a little.  “I casted you as Danny for the musical,” Kevin tells him and stands up to hand him the paper, “But since our Sandy over there ripped off the paper in a rage, no one really knows,” he points at Luna, glaring at her for a second.  “I’m not playing in a fucking musical,” Sweet Pea snarls, pushing the paper back into the director’s arms. “I said I would work on sets, not actually play in your stupid play.” the boy growls and walks over to the vending machine for a snack.  “It’s either this or being suspended, Sweet Pea,” Jughead warns him from his spot on the couch next to his girlfriend.  “Fine,” Sweet Pea growls, “But I’m not rehearsing any shit with her,” it sounds bitter coming from his mouth as he sends a glare towards Luna.  “The feeling’s mutual, dickhead,” Luna snarls before grabbing her bag and leaving the lounge, leaving her friends behind, still enraged. “I can’t believe that prick,” she mutters as she passes Toni in the hallway who just happened to pick up on that. She enters the lounge, finding the others, still a little agitated about what had just happened.  “Did a bomb explode here, or what did I miss?” she asks them with a chuckle.  “Sweet Pea landed the role of Danny Zuko,” Fangs explains with a proud smile and a proud pat on his best friend’s back, only to get a glare in return.  “I thought Serpents were only doing sets?” Toni asks, grabbing the character sheet from Kevin to see if she landed a role too.  “I lacked some actors, okay? I had no other choice,” Kevin answers, getting annoyed by everyone’s reactions to him enrolling some Serpents too.  “I’m playing Frenchy?” Toni asks, her eyes sparkling, “Dude, she’s iconic! Thank you!” that was the first grateful response he’s had since he posted the cast list.  “Did you give me a role too?” Fangs asks, grabbing the sheet from Toni.  “You’re Sonny,” Kevin replies with a little smile.  “Because I’m tiny?” Fangs asks, raising an eyebrow. Kevin opens his mouth, wanting to say something, but Fangs beat him to it, “I’m kidding, bro. Thanks!” he gives Kevin a toothy smile before handing him back the sheet.  “When’s the first rehearsal?” Betty asks.  “Tomorrow after school. I hope to see you all at the auditorium at four,” he says when the bell rings, signaling class will start soon. All of them scatter to their classes after bidding brief goodbyes. Some more genuine than the other. This is going to be interesting. 

“Okay, Summer Nights from the top!” Kevin says from his spot in the audience with his script in front of him. Neither Sweet Pea nor Luna are happy to be there, but at least they’re doing what Kevin asks of them.  “So, what you do this summer, Sandy?” Toni asks as her character while the instrumental begins to play already.  “Oh, I spent most of it at the beach. I met a boy there,” Luna says her line without gagging at the thought of that boy being Sweet Pea.  “You hauled all your cookies to the beach for some guy?” Veronica asks as Rizzo. The attitude and the sass match Veronica’s actual, real-life quirks.  “Aw, he was sort of special,” Luna replies with a little smile, acting like she actually likes the guy she’s talking about. In her mind, she was scoffing at herself. Sweet Pea? Special? No way. He was just some plain, aggressive boy that thinks he could intimidate girls with his tough looks.  “Please,” Veronica hauls Luna from her thoughts, “There ain’t no such thing.” “Oh, you haven’t met this boy. It was really romantic,” she turns to Toni who had come to sit next to her, hitting her marks Kevin had given her perfectly.  “Woah, woah,” Sweet Pea then goes as Danny when it’s his turn on the other side of the stage, “You guys really want to hear all the horny details,” Luna rolls her eyes at him absentmindedly, earning a giggle from Toni and a glare from Kevin. The boys surrounding Sweet Pea all cheer. Luna nearly vomits as she hears them speak, until the Serpent begins to sing his part. That’s when she internally melts. His voice sounds like Elvis Presley’s voice. Rough and sultry, causing her toes to tingle.  “Summer lovin’, had me a blast,”  “Summer lovin’, happened so fast,” Luna sings in time, shaking herself out of her gross thoughts. His voice might charm her, but him as a person certainly doesn’t.  “Met a girl, crazy for me,” “Met a boy, cute as can be,” she gets up from her chair now. Her knees nearly giving away as the two harmonize at the next part.  “Summer days drifting away to uh all the summer nights,” they sound so good together. Kevin is proud of himself for casting those to as main characters.  “Tell me more, tell me more,” the girls sing together while doing the choreography Toni had taught them in earlier rehearsals.  “Like does he have a car?” Betty sings as Marty, her voice sounding better than ever. Maybe Betty would be a better Marty than Luna ever could be. Maybe she should be happy with the role she got. And to be fair, even doing this number all week long is actually fun. Seeing it come all together, becoming better and better every day they rehearsed. It’s something Luna could’ve only ever dreamed about. Hell, she dreamed about being Sandy all her life since she first saw the old movie classic with Betty when they were younger.  The music slows down as the cast is nearing the end of the song, Luna hops off the table she was sitting on and Sweet Pea gets off the stands he and the boys were dancing on.  “It turned colder, that’s where it ends,” Luna sings softly, her voice sending shivers down Kevin’s spine as he smiles up at her, proud of his friend.  “So, I told her, we’d still be friends,”  “Then we made our true love vows.” “Wonder what she’s doing now,” Sweet Pea sings, looking out into the distance.  “Summer dreams, ripped at the seams, but ... oh... Those summer...” both sing together, harmonizing perfectly and then even hitting the high note perfectly. “Niiiiiiiights”. Luna wraps her arms around herself, panting a little after using most of her breath intake for that one note. Kevin’s applause rips her out of her thoughts, and she glances over at Sweet Pea, who’s already looking at her with a soft smile on his face.  “That was amazing, you guys! Chills, literal chills!” Kevin says from his spot. “Let’s take that from the top one more time!” and they did. They rehearse that exact scene for a couple more hours until Kevin finally calls it a day. The entire cast is exhausted from all the dancing, but they’re quite chuffed with themselves as it sounds better each and every time. “Hey,” a voice makes Luna snap out of her thoughts as she’s packing up her stuff. She looks up to find Sweet Pea standing in front of her. In place of that intimidating glare he always put on, he now has a sweet, tender smile on his face and his eyes look a little lighter for once. A little less dark. “Just wanted to tell you that you did a really great job,” he compliments, stunning her a little. She didn’t expect that. Not from him anyways. Not at all. Luna Simmons is at a loss for words all at once. Only from one simple glance and one simple compliment. “T-Thanks,” she stutters, “Uhm, you too, Sweet Pea,” she fires back with a little, confused smile. The boy in front of her chuckles, his eyes glancing at the hardwood floor beneath their feet for a split second before looking up to her again. “Maybe we should uhm, you know, rehearse together sometime,” he suggests, pointing his script at her in an awkward and weird way. At least she’s not the only one feeling awkward about this entire interaction. She looks at him for a moment; did he really just ask her that? “Uhm, yeah, sure,” she replies, her eyebrows tugging together for a moment in confusion. “See you around, Zuko,” she bids her goodbyes with a little smirk at the nickname. Sweet Pea laughs lightly, causing Luna’s stomach to flutter for some bizarre reason. She turns around to walk away from the boy and finally head home. She’s ready for a hot bath and a good chick-flick. Maybe she should watch Grease tonight. “See you around, Sandy,” Sweet Pea calls behind her. Yep, she should definitely watch Grease tonight. She casts one last glance to her co-cast member before exiting the auditorium, excited for the next rehearsal with him. And maybe, just maybe, she should take him up on the offer to rehearse together. The boy doesn’t seem that bad after all.

[angelstrenchcoat-67]

Matchmakers

Pairing: Alex X Reader

Warnings: None yet

Series Summary: 

Since I joined the cast of Supernatural, 5 years ago, they have made it their mission to find me a boyfriend, but things haven't been exactly easy. But when a new face joins the cast, the Padaleckis, the Ackles, and the Collins take it upon themselves to use the hiatus to become matchmakers.

PART 1

The last couple of weeks have been pretty intense. With reshooting scenes, doing voice overs, and making sure everything is done for the season finale, I don't think there isn't any bone or muscle in my body that isn't crying for a good sleep. But of course there are stunts left to practice, and scenes that still need to be shot that I know will leave me broken, emotionally as well as physically.

"You look like crap" I hear Genevieve's voice before I even see her but then she appears next to me with a mocking smirk plastered on her face.

"That's what ending a season does to you" I sigh dramatically as I rest my back on the chair, a few bones craking. "Jared didn't say you were comming. Where are the kids?"

I lean forward, trying to look for them as Gen takes the seat next to me.

"Jared is somewhere showing off to Jensen how Odette is taller than Zep" Gen says, clearly not amused by her husband's childishness. "And Tom and Shep are playing with a helicopter Clif got them"

"As Odette's Godmother and Tom and Shep's favorite not blood related aunt, don't tell Danneel I said that, I deserve to see them first" I try to sound offended but Gen just rolls her eyes with a grin on her face. "Even before their father"

"So" Gen starts, and I already know the tone in her voice. "I've heard that you and Alex are getting along quite well"

"You and Danneel seriously need to find a hobby other than messing with my love life" I recriminate her with my eyes but she just laughs with a sparkle of guilt in her look. "She literally asked me that a couple of days ago"

"I'm just curious" She looks at me innocently but I know her better, her mind is already making some wicked plan. "You are single. He is single. It's just a thought"

"He is a really good friend, just that" I blush a little because I know that it's not just that. I mean, we are friends. But we are both aware that we are single so a couple of flirty comments have been exchanged, but nothing more. But Gen can’t know that. "He's okay, I guess"

"I've seen him, Y/N" Gen huffs, insulted by my way of minimazing how Alex really looks. "And 'okay' is not the word I would use to describe him"

"You are a married woman" I laugh but I know she is right. We've all seen Alex. He looks like the type of guy Disney would hire to play the prince in their next princess movie.

"But not a blind one" She coughs when we see Jared comming our way with Odette sitting on his shoulders, alongside with Alex and Jensen.

"Ladies" Jensen greets Gen with a soft kiss to the forehead, and sticks his tongue out to me. Classic.

"Aren't you guys supposed to be filming a scene?" I reach for Odette but Jared has to help me out since the height difference doesn't really allow me.

"Misha is currently running some lines with Ruth so we have a couple minutes to spare" I barely catch Alex's words over Odette's babbling. 

"Oh, that's good, I guess" I smile at Alex and I can see from the corner of my eyes, the look that Jared, Jensen and, Gen are sharing.

"Hey, now that they are both here, maybe it's a good time to tell them, Gen" Jared looks down at her wife as Jensen’s grin spreads across his face as he shakes his head a little.

"Oh, yes!" Gen's eyes light up and she looks between Alex and I. "Jensen's family, as well as Misha's will be joing us for the break. We are going to our beach house there so we thought it would be a good idea for all of us to go together"

"We are all planning to meet at the airport to start the trip together from there" Jensen jumps in, catching my attention. "I could look for your tickets if you decide to come"

A couple of days by the beach don't sound bad at lot, even if the guys want to use it to play cupid. I definitely need a few days to unwind and to relax with a few piña coladas in my hand.

"I would love to" I nod at Jensen, and I catch Alex bitting his lips, as if his trying to hold back a smile.

"Yeah, me too" Alex looks up and smiles at me. "Count me in"

"It's going to be amazing" Gen smirks widly as she winks at me. "I promise"

-

"I love that kid but sometimes I want to strap him to a chair, I swear" Danneel grunts as Zep keeps running away from her, constantly almost bumping in all the people that are in our gate. "I don't know why he is not like his twin"

I eye up Arrow, who's sitting next to JJ with a bottle between her chubby hands as she watches her sister coloring.

"Maybe he gets it from his dad" I let out in almost a whisper so that Jensen can't hear me, but when I turn around, he's glaring at me. "I'm kidding"

"West was a lot worse, I felt like if I wasn't careful, he would jump through the roof" Vicky exhales and I honestly feel bad for this woman, I love those kids, but I know the energy that they have. I've had to babysit them and I had to preper myself emotionally for the wild ride that is taking care of 8 kids.

"Everyday you give me more reasons not to have babies" I laugh, even though I know I actually want kids. Eventually, tho. In a far future.

"Oh but we want a mini Alex" Gen grins, which makes Vicky and Dee laugh.

"You are seriously still on that?" I roll my eyes, trying to hold the smile on my face. "Not happening"

"Oh, come on" Dee insisted. "I've catch him looking at you or the other way around, or that time on set when you were all over each other"

"We were not" I gasp, looking around to make sure Alex can't hear us. "We are just friends, even if you girls don't believe it"

"We know you are just friends, honey" Vick giggles and it's so quick, I almost miss it. "We are just going to make sure it doesn't stay like that"

"You are evil" I try to sound irritated but I know the grin that is creeping through my face doesn't allow me to.

Suddenly Jensen stands up, catching everyone's attention. Even Zep who can't seem to stop bouncing on the top of his carry on.

"So I'm going hand out the tickets" He starts sorting the papers through his hands. He looks up at me and then at Alex. "Alex, Y/N, since you guys joined later I wasn't able to book the seats with us but you'll be together, at least" Off course we are.

"Don't corrupt my child, Y/N" Misha is the first one to speak, making everyone laughs as I just feel my cheeks getting red and warm by the second.

"Okay, they are boarding now" Jared grabs Shep's hand and pushes their carry ons with the other. "Let's go"

We all start walking towards the gate and I can tell the little joke going around between the families as they giggle and share looks as they watch Alex and I walking side by side. This feels like middle school. We walk through the jet bridge, the kids running between us as they chase each other. A few 'stop it' and 'be careful' are shared between the parents and the kids, which only gets them more giggles from the five older munchkins.

We greet the flight attendants at the door of the plane as they guide us to our seats. Dee grins at me as Alex and I walk pass her since our seats are not with them.

"I think these are ours" Alex point at two lonely seats at the last row. There are a few seats taken close to us but overall lonely, the closest person is two rows in front of us.

Can they be any more obvious?

"Do you want the window or the aisle?" Alex asks me as he opens the overhead bin to place our carry ons inside. As he does so, his arms flex, making his biceps pop. Oh Chuck. "Y/N?"

"Uh, window" I blush as I realize he caught me spacing over his muscles. "If you don't mind"

"Not at all" His sweet smile spreads across his face and I push myself towards the window before I space out again.

-

"Y/N" I feel a soft tapping on my shoulder but I just shrug it off, pushing my face deeper into my soft pillow.

"Y/N" Something nudges me harder this time so I groan, ready to murder who ever dared to wake me.

"What?" I open my eyes only to find a very humored flight attendant and Alex blushing as I'm basically using him as my private bed. I feel my cheeks getting red by the second as I try to make up some words. "Oh, God, I'm so sorry"

I try to apologize to Alex as I move myself as far away from him as I can, until I feel my back touch the window.

"It's okay" Alex laughs as he looks at the flight attendant as she is waiting for me. "Mhmm, you have to order, Y/N"

"Oh, yes! Sorry" I look at her with a guilty look on my face but she just smiles in return. "I'll have apple juice and..."

"Chicken or meat sandwich?" The flight attendant replies as she notices that I don't know the options.

"Chicken will do" I try to ignore Alex as I grab the plate from her. "Thank you, and again, sorry"

She mumbles a 'it's no problem' before walking away, leaving us in dead silence. Great, now you have to make small talk.

"So, how long did I sleep" I question Alex as I unwrap my meal. He choose the meat one which actually seems better than my option.

"About an hour, I think" He smiles a little and then proceeds to take a large bite of his sandwich. "I slept, too"

I can barely make out his words but I manage to understand him somehow. We finish eating in silence, occasionally letting out a chuckle at the movie that's playing in the tiny monitors in front of us.

"I think I'm going to check on the others" I close my table, grabbing the left overs in my hands.

I try to push myself between the front seat and Alex's legs so he notices and tries to make as much space as he possibly can. While I'm squeezing myself past him, all I can hope is that there isn't any sudden turbulence that would land me on top of him. Please.

I manage to make it to the aisle without throwing myself on top of Alex so I give myself a mental high five. I walk to the back of the plane where a flight attendant takes my trash and helps me dispose it.

I make my way to the main aisle, looking for my entire group, which I thought they'd be easy to find since they are traveling with 8 kids so that means noise. But I notice they're sleeping when I find them, except for Tom, who's playing something on his iPad.

"Hi" I kneel on the aisle, between Gen and Vic, trying not to make too much noise since I would probably get murdered by all the grown ups if I wake even one kid up.

"Oh, hey" Gen smiles at me tiredly and I know she was almost falling asleep. "How's everything back there?"

"Good" I nod my head more than I should've, totally acting normal. "Nothing out of the ordinary"

"That's not what I saw" Vic raises her eyebrow as she looks for something in her bag. She pulls out her phone and then looks for something until she is basically shoving it in front of our faces. "Looks like cuddling to me"

I gasp as I watch myself resting on Alex's side as he has his head on top of mine, just as asleep as I am.

"When did you take that?" I try to grab the phone but Vic is quicker, pulling it away from my reach.

"When I went to the bathroom" She throws the phone back in her purse, giving me a triumphant smirk.

"Not even a day into the trip and you are already getting busy" Gen teases me as she wiggles her eyebrows exaggeratedly.

"I fell asleep" I grunt, pushing my head between my hands. "I wasn't doing it on purpuse"

"Sure, sure" Gen nods her head, with a mocking tone in her voice.

"Okay, I think I'm just gonna go" I stand up as Gen rolls her eyes, muttering something about me denying the truth.

I walk back to my seat to find Alex watching something on his phone. He looks up at me and then proceeds to give me space to take my seat. I'm about to say something when the flight attendant speaks through the microphone. Her words are really hard to make out but I manage to understand that we are starting the landing process. "Finally" I sigh, putting on my seat belt.

"Good to know you enjoyed my company" Alex laughs, obviously teasing me.

"I didn't mean it like that" I roll my eyes. "Besides, you made a really good pillow"

"Good to know" He grins so before my cheeks give me away, I look out the window.

-

Before we left the airport to drive to the Padalecki's beach house, we decided to rent some cars. Obviously each family picked a car so Alex and I are sharing a car together. Just the two of us.

"So what are you must excited about?" Alex asks me as he drives while I look out the passenger's side.

"Just relaxing in general" I breath out as I catch a beautiful house in a distance which I asume is the Padelecki's. "You?"

"Just getting a little bit of sun" Alex slows down as we aproach the house, Jared driving in front of us and Jensen and Misha following behind. "I love Canada but I seriously need some warm weather"

"Tell me about it" I sigh as I feel the beachy breeze through the car window. "I can't wait to get off this clothes and into my bikini and just take all the sun"

"Make sure to invite me" Alex winks at me and parks next to Jared's. He's out of the car before I can even react.

I don't give myself time to blush because I'm Y/N. I can flirt if I want to. And he is not going to intimidate me. Well, at least I won't let him know that he does.

Alex comes up at my side, opening the door for me so I take my chance. "If you keep being such a gentleman, maybe I will" I hold myself by his bicep before giving it a light squeeze. I walk towards the others and I know Alex is walking behind me, trying to hold back a smirk. I know this because I am doing just that.

"Let's get the luggage inside so I can show everyone their room and then we could go down to the beach to watch the sunset" Gen suggest as Jared unloads their bags from their car.

"Y/A" Gen calls me as Alex goes back to the car to get our things. "The house has four rooms so we are all taking one so..."

"Let me guess" I roll my eyes as Jared and Gen share a guilty but totally on purpose look. "Alex and I are sharing"

————————————————————————-

Sooo, this is my first Supernatural story. I don't know why I chose Alex as my first because I'm usually a Sam girl, occasionally a Dean girl, too. This is the first part of the series, I don't intend to make it really long but we'll see as we go. Hope you like it and if you got any tips or recommendations, just let me know! English is not my first language so bear with me if I make any mistakes. Thanks ❤️

[aros001]

Read through light novel vol. 4. Random thoughts.

I don't think I've ever seen an adaptation/source material relationship quite like that between Goblin Slayer's anime and light novels.

Episodes 1-4: most of vol. 1. Episode 5: mix of vol. 1 and beginning of vol. 4. Episodes 6-9: Entirety of vol. 2. Episodes 10-12: Rest of vol. 1. It certainly wasn't a bad season but it's funny to see the books adapted in such an almost random order. Closest I've ever had to this was Rising of the Shield Hero, which adapted vols. 1-5, the beginning of 6, and then at the end a little bit from vol. 10.

“There are people who use a torch instead of a lantern, because it doubles as a weapon.”

Guild Girl mentioned with a smile that rats and insects both despised fire.

“What kind of adventurer would do something like that?”

Goblin Slayer: "You've got something on your face."

Goblin: "GORB?"

[Stabs goblin in face with burning torch]

Goblin Slayer: "It was pain!"

That second chapter really suckered me in at first into thinking it was a flashback, but I suppose that was the idea. It's like when Batman saves a family from an alley mugging. It's a classic way of showing the hero keeping what happened to them from happening to anyone else. Goblin Slayer is making a difference, even if he doesn't always feel like he is because of how endless the world's number of goblins seems to be.

As much as Spearman could stand to take the hint that Guild Girl is not into him, I do really like that Spearman isn't at all a bad dude. Again, he has a spear but he's not a Motoyasu. He's not hitting on every attractive woman he meets or treating his party as an excuse to build a harem for himself. Witch feels like his trusted ally and equal before anything else, not just someone he's trying to impress because she's got big bizongas. Admittedly I'm not entirely sure what his relationship with her is. The implication is that she maybe likes him romantically (seeing Guild Girl as a romantic rival and all) and they talk about going on "dates" but it's hard to tell how serious either is being about that.

The chapter with the goblin sentry guard was kind of interesting for me, because part of the way into reading it I realized I had read it before...the manga version. I'm stumbled upon the chapter by accident through a Pintrest link of one of the pages where Goblin Slayer is carrying poor spear girl (Spearwoman?) out of the cave. At the time I'd thought it was a fan-comic, not because it was badly drawn but because the goblins had a different design. Between that and this chapter, I think the manga's was harder to get through, but for a different reason than the anime could be. The anime had audio, so the screams from Fighter and Priestess when the champion bit her arm were what left me really shaken up (Fighter especially because, while I wasn't seeing it, I knew what was happening). With the manga, how much of Spearwoman's body was shown off, the positions she was in, and the angles of the camera made it feel uncomfortably like a porn comic. I don't have a problem with fanservice in and of itself. This volume and previous ones have plenty of fanservicey artwork. But there's a time and a place for it. Cow Girl and Priestess trying on battle bikinis and High Elf Archer waking up in the nude? It's pervy but still harmless. A woman being violently raped should not be used to titillate the audience and I'm so glad the light novels have had the good taste (so far) to not do anything like that with its illustrations. Even High Elf Archer, when her clothes were torn away by the goblins in Water Town, she escapes non-violated and we get the art of her helping Goblin Slayer walk, but she's not drawn at all in a sexual way despite being half-naked.

But back to the actual volume, I really liked showing things from the goblin guard's perspective. The goblin happy with the spear he stole...at first. But then wondering if the belt would have been better and then hating the goblin who got the belt instead of his "stupid" spear, with said goblin likely thinking the same about him, just the other way around. Again, they're not mindless monsters. They're incredibly selfish and self-centered, each one believing he is the best and thus that he is the one entitled to everything. It also serves as another reminder that goblins are no victim of racial circumstances. Yes, there are no females of their race and thus they have to force themselves on others in order to procreate...but they seem like they would probably be doing that regardless. When their victim fights back, they hurt her more as punishment and to break her. And when their victim doesn't fight back, allowing themselves to be violated so that hopefully it won't hurt anymore (yeah, there's a lot in this chapter that's hard to get through but that especially with how unfortunately real that mentality feels), the goblins hurt them even more, taking it as an excuse to go as far as they can with them.

These aren't mindless monsters that have to rape to survive. They like the pain and suffering they cause others.

Which is where he comes in; to stab them, impale them, light them on fire, and kick them in the d*ck before stabbing them again.

Hm? Cow Girl thought suspiciously, but an explanation was soon forthcoming.

“Today is...a bit of a rough day for it...”

“Sure.” Cow Girl gave a strained smile and nodded. It was something every woman had to deal with.

You know...I've read through three other fantasy LN series in full thus far. Overlord, Konosuba, and Rising of the Shield. And I'm pretty sure out of all of them (and even out of the majority of other series I've read/watched), Goblin Slayer is the only one I've seen that even acknowledges girls having their periods. I get that it's like watching a character go to the bathroom; it's not usually relevant to the story and you can just assume it's happening off-screen. But it still just sat with me for a moment and I went "...Huh. Yeah, that would be a problem for them, wouldn't it?"

Also, these two are just adorable together. I like that they're friends. They don't pass the Bechdel test (though High Elf Archer and Guild Girl surprisingly do) but their bonding was still great to read.

“I have no interest in magical swords, but I do have a ring.”

“Oh yeah?”

“It allows underwater breathing,” Goblin Slayer said briefly. “Even if the goblins stole it, it would do no harm.”

“What would they even want it for? Wait a second—you just assume it’ll get stolen?”

Spearman was pressing on his temples, but the steel helmet nodded and said, “Of course. It wouldn’t fit on a goblin finger.”

After Cow Girl and Priestess trying on the battle bikinis I was already laughing at the idea of a Goblin Slayer beach episode. Now I really want to see that. Everyone's on the beach showing off their summer bodies and swimwear while he's still in his full armor. They're all playing volleyball and building sandcastles and he's slowly turning the ocean red as he's just murdering goblin sharks all day.

All seriousness through, I do love this consistency with Goblin Slayer's character and methods. We've seen tons of goblins throughout this story and the only ones that maybe would have benefited from underwater breathing would have been the ones on the boats in the sewers of Water Town. Otherwise, yeah, it'd be useless to a basic nest and they'd have almost no way of finding out what it can even do, so they wouldn't even move elsewhere to take advantage of such magic. Plus he has apparently destroyed nests by flooding them before, so it makes sense he'd want to prepare himself for just in case he ever got caught up in the water.

Also, Goblin Slayer, Heavy Warrior, and Spearman were a really fun team to see work together. I love the sense of respect the three share and that Goblin Slayer never has any problem acknowledging how much better they are than him when it comes to things like leadership, charisma, enthusiasm, or just certain general abilities. If there is a little bit of competitiveness it's still very friendly and never becomes a pissing contest between the three. Heavy Warrior and Spearman don't exist just to make Goblin Slayer look good by comparison. In fact, they're very good at what they do. It's just what they do isn't murdering the ever-loving sh*t out of goblins, thus why they're not the ones we're following the story through.

“I picked up the spear,” he said. “The shaft is broken, but the point remains.”

"You are hurt and broken right now. But you can recover. You can be okay again."

This is probably just me looking way too deep into things but I like to believe Goblin Slayer said those words because of his party's, and especially Priestess', influence on him. I'm sure he's saved many women from goblins in the past but before Priestess I think he just saved their lives, sent them off to the temple, and then just kept moving on without looking back, thinking about nothing other than killing more goblins. After all his and Priestess' time together, and her making it clear he played no small part in helping her keep moving after the tragedy of her first party, maybe he's now wondering if there's more he can do to help these women recover, even if it's just a few kind words to help them hold onto their sanity after what they've been through. Spearwoman was so attached to that spear that hearing that it's still intact enough to be fixed maybe helped her believe she could be too.

“Isn’t it?” She stuck out her delightfully average chest, as proud as if she had grown it herself. “And you know what? The person who brought it was someone you saved recently.”

“...Was it, now?”

“Uh-huh!” Guild Girl let her eyes drift to the corn with an expression that bespoke relief. It was rare that adventurers or mercenaries found themselves with a second chance when they had failed once. “It’s great, huh?”

Does that imply it was Spearwoman? I'm hoping so. It'd be nice if someone who was used by the goblins (hopefully NEVER one of the girls in the main cast) did still manage to go back to being an adventurer again and wasn't just left permanently defeated. Honestly, it'd be cool if either her or Fighter or someone like I'm describing came back and adventured with GS's crew for a bit. Goblin Slayer witnessed what they do and it almost happened to Priestess and High Elf Archer but we don't have anyone yet who was raped by the goblins and yet is still fighting. Sword Maiden is about the closest but her very understandable trauma and duties as the Sword Maiden keep her away.

God count: Earth Mother, Supreme God, Deity of the Basin, Krome

Original Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/GoblinSlayer/comments/fu0b1w/read_through_light_novel_vol_4_random_thoughts/

[jae-bummer]

My Idol: Part Thirty

My Idol From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

My Idol is a South Korean competitive reality dating game show. It currently airs on Wednesday nights on Jae-bummer’s blog. First broadcast in 2016, the show offers the opportunity for a lucky fan to go on seven blind dates with seven idols. The idol plans the date with the show throwing in specific missions to complete during the day. At the end of the initial dates, the show opens up an audience vote to decide what three idols will move on to the second date.

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Part 8 - Part 9 - Part 10 - Part 11 - Part 12 - Part 13 - Part 14 - Part 15 - Part 16 - Part 17 - Part 18 - Part 19 - Part 20 - Part 21 - Part 22 - Part 23 - Part 24 - Part 25 - Part 26 - Part 27 - Part 28 - Part 29 - Part 30 - Part 31

Day 1: 

“Honey...

HOney.

HONEY.”

Your eyes slowly came to terms with the light streaming into the room around you as Jooheon bounced happily atop of the mattress you were sleeping on. 

“What time is it?” you croaked, running a tired hand across your face. You knew you looked less than desirable as Jooheon smiled down on you. 

“Eight,” he nodded, giving a bounce as he spoke the numeral. “Time to wake up.”

“On what planet?” you groaned. “This is vacation, isn’t it? That means we sleep in.”

“Not when you have an action packed day full of fun!” he smiled, tilting his head back and forth as if he were a puppy. 

“Ugh, why do you have to be like this?” you gasped, flopping over and burying your face deep into a pillow. 

“It’s one of my many charms,” he chuckled, rubbing your back now that it was available to him. “C’mon honey, get up.” 

“Jooheon,” you sighed, leaning around to peak at him from behind your blankets. “Why do you call me honey? I call you Heoney and that’s pretty similar, don’t you think?”

“Simple,” he nodded. “It’s because I’m a Heoney bee. Heoney bees love honey.” 

Jooheon smiled to himself for a moment at his clever pun before his face went entirely blank. He began to laugh nervously before words began to spew from his mouth. “Not like I love you or anything yet. That takes a lot of work. Love that is. The big “L” word. Lovey love love...uh-”

“Jooheon,” you hummed, cutting him off. “I know you didn’t mean it like that.”

“Really?” he asked, his eyes wide. “Promise?”

“Promise,” you sighed. “Even if I am pretty lovable.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he laughed. “You’d be more lovable if you got up.”

“So...like...if we end up pursuing a relationship, does that mean I always get woken up this early?” you muttered. “Because if the answer is yes, it could weigh heavily on my decision going forward.”

“Aigoo,” Jooheon chuckled. “Would you just get up already?”

“So...you are telling me...” you croaked, looking up at the building before you. “That you woke me up...to get an early start at the-”

“JEJU ISLAND’S TEDDY BEAR MUSEUM!” Jooheon grinned, flinging his hands in the air before you. You heard a snort behind you, signifying that Armpit or Sweaty found the situation to be fairly amusing. This caused you to groan and stomp your foot as if you were a small child. 

“Lee Jooheon, what could possibly be so entertaining that could not wait another hour or two?” you gasped. 

“Well, for starters,” he hummed, pulling a small brochure from his back pocket. You furrowed your brows, unsure of how he possibly got ahold of the flyer in the first place. “You can find out everything you ever wanted to know about teddy bears. I don’t know about you, but I’ve always wondered-”

You lifted your brows as you watched Jooheon speak, not necessarily listening to his words, but watching his facial expressions and his mannerisms. He was generally a pretty emotive and physically expressive person, but in this moment, he was on his highest setting. He looked so completely enamored and engaged by the idea of learning about the history of teddy bears, that you couldn’t help but be thrilled as well. 

Jooheon was funny in that way. In so many situations, you were easy to shy away or become disinterested, but you knew if he were to show any sort of interest, it would be near infectious. If Jooheon was excited, you would inevitably become excited as well. 

But you would come to learn that you could immediately regret his excitement. 

You had never seen so many stuffed bears in the entirety of your life. There were bears posed as famous pieces of art, bears posed as celebrities, and bears posed as historical figures. There were bears set in historical scenes, modern spaces, and even once set in a jurassic situation. You saw bears in dresses, bears in coveralls, and bears in suits. Some bears stood life size while others were taller than you. 

Needless to say, by the time you arrived at the gift shop, you were teddy beared out. 

“Which one?” Jooheon asked softly, eying up a small and squishy bear located on a shelf at eye level. “You can have any one you want.” 

“Please,” you hummed, pushing your face into his shoulder. “No more.”

“When we’re driving away and you’re upset because you didn’t get a teddy bear from the Jeju Teddy Bear Museum, I don’t want to hear it,” Jooheon clucked, kissing the top of your head softly. You chuckled to yourself and leaned back, giving a soft slap to his shoulder. 

“Fine, pick one for me,” you muttered. 

“I pick him,” he nodded, grabbing at a particularly chubby bear. “He looks like he needs to be appreciated.”

“Mmm, you think?” you asked, tilting your head and taking the bear carefully into your hands. “You think he would be interested in becoming a contestant on My Idol?”

“I don’t know,” Jooheon chuckled, lifting his brows. “Would I have to surrender my spot in the finale to him?”

“That could be a possibility,” you grinned, elbowing your date. “What a plot twist that would be.”

“I can’t take any more plot twists to be honest,” he sighed. “I’m sick of showing up for a voting special and everything is on fire.”

After Jooheon had paid for your small and furry friend, you found yourselves both looking for some sort of sustenance. It didn’t take long for you to locate a cafe on your phone and have the My Idol SUV transport you to your desired location. 

The two of you settled into a table at Cafe Two Weeks, a quaint, little restaurant you could easily spend a few weeks in exploring on your own. You were amazed by the hidden gems Jeju had to offer and how easy it was to stumble upon something simply beautiful that you wouldn’t have known about otherwise. 

There were two floors of the cafe, with the second floor providing an exceptional view of the ocean. The seating you chose however, was placed in a secluded outdoor garden. It seemed to be the perfect place to get away from the bustling beaches and museums and simply relax for a few hours. 

“Heoney,” you called, looking over your menu at the handsome man. You recalled the question you had posed only a few days ago to Jay and thought about posing it to Jooheon as well. “I have a question.”

“And I have an answer,” he smiled with a wink. “I can’t always confirm you’ll like my answers though.”

“I’m at peace with that,” you nodded. “As long as the answers are honest.”

“No promises,” he chuckled, looking down at his menu. You watched as his eyes scanned carefully over the words printed on the page. “What’s up?”

“Why My Idol?” you asked simply. 

“I don’t know,” he hummed. “I thought it was honestly kind of a stupid name for a show to be honest, but what does my opinion-”

“No, Jooheon,” you sighed. “Why did you sign up for My Idol?”

“Ah,” he said with a small nod. His eyes lifted up from his menu and he placed the paper on the table before him. “I had a feeling you were going to ask that.” 

“Then you must have prepared a reaaaally good answer,” you grinned. 

“I was going to try to freestyle this one actually,” he smiled. “Why did I join My Idol? Well...the production crew approached Starship and wondered if any of us were interested. Somehow we’ve gotten the title of being broadcast friendly idols, so we were approached pretty early on...Originally Shownu hyung had volunteered as he was the oldest, followed by Wonho hyung, but our manager pushed for me to take the spot. At the time, a relationship was honestly the last thing I wanted. The goal was to get in and get out with only one thing on my mind...winning.”

“Oh,” you gasped, a bit taken back by his words. You knew Jooheon would be nothing but honest with you, but you had assumed most of the men had joined the show for the notoriety and spotlight on their respective groups. 

“The guys insisted we weren’t much good at winning things,” Jooheon chuckled, his cheeks immediately turning more and more red with a blush. “So I had to win. When I got here...well...I wasn’t quite expecting you.” 

You nodded with a small smile. Jay had held a similar sentiment. 

“I think it took me a few days after our date to realize...you weren’t just here to get famous from a reality television series. You weren’t here just to be able to brag about dating an idol. You actually wanted to get to know us and that was really important to me. Not many people want to get past the surface...and actually stay.” 

“You’re human after all,” you said softly. “Or at least that was the mantra I repeated to myself whenever I would have an initial date. Idols are regular people, just with a brighter spotlight.” 

“That’s a way to put it,” he nodded. “And you definitely haven’t shied away.”

“And I don’t plan to,” you grinned. “So...you joined My Idol because you wanted to win?”

“Well that and I knew there would be free food,” Jooheon laughed. “Speaking of, what are you ordering?” 

“Aigoo,” you grumbled. “Really?”

“This is important,” Jooheon nodded with wide eyes. “Will the cappuccino or americano make it to the season finale?” 

“You’re the worst,” you muttered under your breath. “And obviously the cappuccino, are you crazy?”

Jooheon smiled, his eyes disappearing in his cheeks. “Then I’ll pretend I’m the cappuccino then...even if the americano is better.” 

Day 2: 

You blinked heavily, your body slowly coming to terms with the idea of being awake. Stretching your arms out before you, you flopped over to the opposite side of the mattress and giggled to yourself. Jooheon was still solidly asleep in his bed, but both arms hung from the edge of the mattress and toward you. His mouth was slightly ajar, his light snores carrying through the suite. The noise wasn’t anything to keep you awake, but was just comforting enough to let you know he was there. His nose twitched, much like a bunny, as he groaned lightly between snores. He must have still been immersed in a dream. 

You nodded to yourself, confirming your consciousness. Your legs began the agonizing journey of uncovering themselves from deep within your covers and out into the open world. Your feet hit the hardwood with a light smack, causing a shiver to launch through your spine. The suite was definitely chilly this morning, but you were certain Jooheon had cranked down the temperate while you slept. You recalled from your first date how warm he had gotten, so you couldn’t blame him. 

Exhaling, you lifted yourself from the mattress and began to shuffle to the bathroom. After a beautifully warm shower, you threw on some clothes, and most importantly, your fuzzy robe. You slid open the back door of your room, careful not to stir the still snoozing Jooheon as you began to walk barefoot toward the sound of waves. 

It didn’t take you long to target the noise you had heard as soon as your My Idol SUV had pulled up to the hotel. Jeju was an island after all, so it seemed like it would be easy to find a beach in most situations. You wandered out onto the soft sand, barren of any tourists as it was just past sunrise and too early to begin sunbathing. You wrapped your arms around your waist and took a deep breath. 

You were feeling so many things in this moment, you weren’t quite sure where to even begin your thought processes. The past few months had been the most exciting of your life. It felt like every moment you had had up until the point when My Idol had begun had been so soft and quiet compared to this. These moments and memories, they screamed in your mind. They begged for attention and stood in glaring 4D color as you thought back on every moment. You had gone over date after date with such granularity that sometimes you were unsure of how your path had ended here, but you were here. 

That is what mattered. 

So many times during your journey it seemed like you could have simply given up. You would have avoided so much hurt, so many tears, and so much heartbreak if you would have simply told producers you couldn’t carry on. 

Especially after your date with Top when you had ended up in the hospital. 

Top...

That was a memory you weren’t prepared to think about. Especially not here. 

You thought back to the first results special. You dived back into the emotions that had been coursing through you as you spoke Jay’s name to the studio full of My Idol fans. You remembered Jooheon’s face as he realized the fans had voted him through for the first time. How could you deserve either man? They were both too perfect. 

You thought making a decision would be easier than this. You had never been swept up in such a tidal wave in the entirety of your life. You had never thought you’d be involved in a love triangle, and yet here you were, stuck between two rappers who sat on different ends of the spectrum. 

Jay was rough around the edges, but extremely soft at his core. You quickly learned that most of his facade was just that, a flimsy covering to remain unexposed to the world. He attempted to act hard and use coarse words when before the cameras, but when it was only the two of you, he dissolved into a wonderful partner. He was funny, supportive, and deeply attached. He cared about your well being and had been the only man to actually go as far as to break the rules to make you fall in love with him...

love...

were you in love with him? 

The word made your stomach churn. 

And then there was Jooheon. You had never thought of him as being rough around the edges, but he did have a definite exterior, just as Jay did. Jooheon was very put together and extremely talented. He shone in everything he did and you felt as if your light was never dull while he was around. He added energy to a room and made you feel wanted. He had played by every rule My Idol had thrown at him and kept a smile on his face the entire time. You had begun your journey by simply identifying as his fan...

and now he had mentioned introducing you to his mother as his girlfriend? 

You had been called worse things, that was for sure. 

“I was worried,” a raspy voice cooed as a pair of sweater paw-ed hands wrapped around your own huddled body. You smiled to yourself as you identified the sleepy tone to belong to Jooheon who nuzzled his face into your neck. “I didn’t know where you went.”

“I needed some fresh air,” you sighed. “Life is hard.”

“Well...yes,” Jooheon chuckled. “But why in this particular circumstance?” 

You took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. “I’m not going to subject you to the inner workings of my head.”

“Yes, you will,” he grinned. “That’s what being in a relationship is about, Y/N. I know we aren’t technically official, but if we want to prep for the future-”

“That’s half the problem, Heoney,” you grumbled, cutting him off. “The future.”

“Explain,” he sighed. He unwrapped his arms from around you and plopped into the sand. He patted the ground beside him before drawing his knees up and resting his arms on them. 

You grumbled as you landed onto the sand beside him and stared into the waves crashing before you. “I don’t know what to do.”

“I was worried about that,” Jooheon sighed. “I was kind of hoping that it was such an obvious answer...that you wouldn’t have any second thoughts about it.” 

“I wish,” you muttered. “You are both just...terribly good guys. You’ve done so well and treated me so right.” 

“But not well enough,” he muttered, gazing out into the waves again. “Not well enough to make you forget about Jay Park.”

“It’s kind of difficult when I’m actively dating both of you,” you laughed bitterly. “I don’t want to make this a competition...”

“It is a competition,” Jooheon whispered. “It has been from the beginning. That’s the whole point. What idol can catch your interest and your heart...isn’t it?”

“It’s more than a competition,” you grumbled, furrowing your brows. You looked up to Jooheon and tilted your head. This was one of the first times he had ever used such a stern tone with you and it sent up an alarm of discomfort in your head. “It’s my reality, Jooheon.”

“Which is why I’ve taken it so seriously,” he nodded. “Some people play by the rules in life, Y/N and they get rewarded for it. Jay hyung has done nothing but break rules and he’s been getting rewarded this whole time. I hate the way this works.”

“You don’t think you’ve been rewarded?” you questioned. 

“I’ve seen the message boards,” he sighed. “I’ve been on Tumblr, and Twitter, and the fancafe...So many people talk about how Jay has unexpectedly caught their interest...how I don’t even stand a chance. I’m so worried they’re right...that in your head you’re thinking the same thing.”

You closed your eyes tightly, only reopening them again once tiny stars had begun to fill your vision. “Jooheon...”

“I know me complaining isn’t attractive,” he grumbled. “And people are used to seeing me be this happy virus, but these are the things that worry me. These are the thoughts that make me think “should I have done these things instead?” I’m always wondering if I’m enough.”

You were near tears as you placed your hand on Jooheon’s shoulder and gave a light squeeze. “But you are enough.” 

“It’s hard being an idol,” he clucked, near tears himself. “You are always wondering if people want to date you or be your friend because they think you’re so successful. You have your family, but they’re far away. You have your managers, but they’re busy making schedules. You have your members...but at the end of the day...after a show or an interview...it’s just you alone in that hotel room. Or that dorm room. Or that bus. You and your thoughts, your dreams, your emotions...Y/N...

I just...

I don’t want to be alone anymore...”

[joyandmeliawrites-blog]

Little Pieces of Puzzle

I loved how honest and raw your last writing is! Girl, I feel you! 

I have experienced “directionless” countless of times back in my 20′s. I went to Summer Mission in 2003, hungry for some sort of “directions and life calling”. By the end of our trip....each ONE of my group members got some sort of “prophesy or word of knowledge” regarding their calling in life from Ps. Daniel Hanafi. One of my friend got a good one that she’ll open an orphanage for the needy. One of them got this cool word of knowledge that he is about to be a successful businessman and make impact in the market place. Dang, those were so cool. I was so excited to hear mine. 

Do you know what he said when it was my turn? 

“As for you, Joy...God is going to use you for....”

*edge of my seat excitement, stood up, and tiptoed till I almost fell forward*

“He is going to use you to do....something useful..and great.”

Great! Another vague direction. 

This went on for yearssss! I remember driving to my 8-5 job as a copier salesperson, going door to door. I legit cried every morning on the way to work, asking: “IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT ME TO DO FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE? SOLICITING AND GIVING PRESENTATIONS ABOUT COPIERS? WHY GOD WHY!” I remember going into a business up in Everett to sell copiers, and in front of that office there was a HUGE sign of “NO SOLICITING”. It was in the end of the day, and I was desperate. Despite the sign, I went in to the front desk anyway and said, “Good afternoon, Mam, I am from X Copiers. If you allow me to present my machines to one of your managers, I can GUARANTEE that you guys will be able to print a “NO SOLICITING” sign in a MUCH better quality than what you have right now”

I got a straight no, but we shared a laugh that day. 

LAME.

How I wish God can give us a straightforward dream and assignment. Melia, you are going to write a book, so drop everything else and just focus on your writing. Joy you are going to be a Beach Body instructor, replacing Autumn Calabrese AND Shawn T...so drop everything else and focus on your abs. (HAHA, not even in another parallel universe).

But God doesn’t work like that, does he?

If he lay out all of our dreams from A-Z all upfront:

1. We won’t be able to handle it if we’re not ready.

2. We won’t need to trust HIM since we got it all figured out.

3, We will rely in ourselves and hustle to “follow that dream” and to make that dream happen.

His goal is our dependence and deepened relationship with Him, even in the unknowns <3

My dad taught me how to drive. He rode an Amtrak with me to Portland to purchase my first Honda coupe 2003, and together we drove it back to Seattle. When I first learn how to drive...it was such an enjoyable bonding moment for us. I listened so closely to his instructions, his safety tips, his ways of driving. He told me stories on his driving days in UW Seattle back in 1975...his old Summer flings, his 70′s songs. It was a memorable season for us....up until I finally got a handle of driving.

I started to leave him behind more often, since I wanted to hang out more with my friends. Soon enough, it was really rare for me to have my dad in my car anymore.... since I know how to drive everywhere without his instructions. Upon clarity and ability, my dependency on my dad were lessening by day...until it’s finally gone. 

I find this saying to be soo true:

“While the world want us to be more independent as we mature,

CHRIST wants us to be more DEPENDENT to HIM as we mature.”

Thankfully, God works in vagueness, uncertainties, and confusion. In these moments, we will find ourselves asking, depending, and relying more and more on HIM. And that’s when He will hold your right hand and lead you to the high place you should be.

My advice for you, my dear, in this “limbo”, please don’t settle. Don’t settle for the mundane and the ordinary. Don’t settle with just a job and fitting in the culture. Don’t go through the motion, existing just for the sake of surviving. YOU ARE MADE FOR SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT. We are to go all out to pursue God’s given dreams for us. His BIG dreams. The dreams that can actually scare us. 

So what did I do in my limbo back in my 20′s? I kept on searching. I kept on seeking God, asking HIM to reveal to me what my life assignment was. In my confusion, I was so hungry just to be with HIM. He would know what to do with my life..since I had no clue. I kept on finding mentors and met them often, just to learn from them and to grow. 

True enough, over the years, I kinda find my life calling. It didn’t come as a prophesy, or a one time revelation for me. It was like a 5000 pieces puzzle, and God kept handing me the pieces ONE BY ONE BY ONE. I kept on asking, and He kept on handing me ONE PIECE...just oooneeee tiny piece at a time. 

A glimpse about a stage in one day,

A vision about crowd in another day,

A revelation about speaking truth to the broken-hearted in another time... 

Liiitle by little, God revealed my assignment, until finally it makes sense.

Apparently, my 8-5 job selling copiers to local businesses? That was a training ground for me to do public speaking to a bunch of strangers. I never get nervous when I do public speaking right now because of that season. I saw it as a lame, boring, rejected job...but God saw a training ground.

Finding our calling and God’s specific assignment for us is KEY to live a joyful, fulfilled, and purposeful life. So don’t let it go that easily. "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” Keep pressing on to find that assignment only you can do.

MANNN MELIA YOU  HAVE SOO MUCH POTENTIAL FOR GOD’S KINGDOM. I WILL TOTALLY SAY THIS GENUINELY, “MELIA, YOU ARE SOO GOING TO BE USED BY GOD TO DO SOMETHING USEFUL...AND GREAT” haha and to be more specific than what Ps. Danny told me...

Your gifting is in your words, wit, passion, and wisdom.

Please don’t think that I have it all together, Melia, because I really don’t. What I wrote above is truly from my life experience, my struggle for years of having no direction in life, and what God has already revealed to me. 

Am I there yet to reach my dreams? Not yet!!! Not even close :) I am still in training.

NOW.....a new problem arises.....now that I (kinda) have direction and I know what I want to do in my life..... I....am....benched. Like, you know when you’re so passionate about basketball and you really wanna play in the field, but you can’t because your coach doesn’t really let you play. Being benched SUCKS, but that’s another story for another day, my dearest sister. I would totally share with you over coffee, or in our next post...but for now I don’t want to bore you to death. :) Hugssssss.

I AM ROOTING AND CHEERING FOR YOU!!!

PS: Steven Furtick said something last week that made me cry in my kitchen table. He said “You know how the world always tells you to hustle and follow your dreams? Don’t follow your dream! Keep following JESUS, and the dream will follow you”

Whoa..for a person who is benched, that really really spoke to me.... :’)

XO,

Joy 

[blainemoriarty]

Adventure Time Season 5 Starters ¼

Episode 1 - Finn the Human

"He's heading to that cube!"

"Did you guys see that? You know that was a ghost wearing a dead guy? That might be the nastiest thing I've ever seen."

"I'm basically honorary nasty."

"It depends on the wish I granted him."

"He wished for the extinction of all life and I did it."

"I need you to take the mule into town today and sell him for as much as you can."

"I push you, you fall down!"

"I guess dad must be in a lot of trouble to be doing this..."

"I'm a thousand years old, and this is my crown!"

"This crown is magic - bad, terrible magic. Too dangerous for mortal fingies like yours!"

"Daddy says the false prophets of old used cheap parlor tricks to control the people, and to get babes. Like, ten or twelve hot babes each."

"Go back to the underworld, you beast!"

"I know you're not really talking to me. I'm not crazy."

Episode 2 - Jake the Dog

“Sometimes a well-intentioned wish can lead to… Nuts.”

“No, that’s not possible. I raised you better than that!”

“I’m serious, man. You’re like a strong number three on my Cool Guys List.”

“Aw man, my dad used to make pickles. It’s all he used to talk about. He’d obsess over them all the time. When I’d come in from playing, he’d be like, ‘Here ___, try these.’“

“Why am I cold and confused?!”

“Fear not, icicle child - for I have birthed you into a new life!”

“Ah, my kicks!”

“I’ve taught you well, my traitorous gang.”

“The voices… They tell me to freeze the world.”

“Get off of me, weirdo!”

“I am the end and the beginning. I am the hand of madness.”

“Dude, I get out of relationships because I don’t wanna have a discussion about what we’re gonna have for dinner every. Night.”

“What is a singular doing in this realm?!”

“I warned you, you butt.”

“Focus! Here, eat this egg. It’s brain food.”

Episode 3 - Five More Short Graybles

“You ready for some ancient feel-good spellcraft?”

“I don’t feel like a good boy.”

“You sure you read that spell right?”

“Hey, check out that gross toad.”

“Let’s find some more holes.”

“I’m sorry, but the wheels of justice spin too slowly. I’m going to have to take the law into my own hands.”

“Thank y’all for coming. The police have failed me in my time of need.”

“I’ve brought you all together - a posse!”

“You’re gonna have a new mommy to help boss you around.”

“It’s a wife ring. This one’s for me - I’m the husband. That means I get the remote control three times a week and you get it four!”

“But I don’t understand. I’m a real baby girl now.”

“I will not always be here to protect you. No, you must learn.”

“I know a thing or two about good boys.”

Episode 4 - Up A Tree

“Oh man! My throwing and catching disk!”

“Sometimes a man just has to retrieve his own disk.”

“Hello, I apologize for staring, but I’ve never seen a chipmunk as big as you.”

“Must’a could not heard me.”

“Just do me a kindness and go get me some more nut milk.”

“In the tree, part of the tree.”

Episode 5 - All the Little People

“Do you think you should date someone who’s like you, or someone who’s like, your opposite?”

“I didn’t mean that, don’t spread that around.”

“So, it’s not good to weigh somebody’s qualities against your own?”

“Oh, I see. You’re being weird.”

“I’m not coming back.”

“Hey, what’s that in your pants?”

“No, don’t play with that hack…”

“Did you stay up all night reading trash books?” 

“I don’t like where you’re going with this. It ain’t wholesome.”

“I’m back! I got over all that messed up stuff you did.”

“Look at me, man! I’m staring into the shadow of my darkest mind-hole!”

Episode 6 - Jake the Dad

“Puppies, puppies, puppies!”

“They’re still pretty sleepy. Sleepy little sweeties.”

“Real talk - are you worried about being a dad?”

“This is not for babies!”

“They just sit there while you eat them.”

“It’s every parent’s worst nightmare!”

Episode 7 - Davey

“Don’t let the dragon drag on, man.”

“Have dinner with me! Please! Please! Please! ____! Please!”

“We should get out of here man, I think someone called the heat.”

“Gimme your bank account! Bang bang! Reach for the roof, and give me all your gold bricks!”

“Do you wanna have dinner instead of breakfast today?”

“Mister, I don’t know nothing about that.”

“I’m a robber and I’m gonna rob somebody’s life!”

“Here’s your meal, criminal. We feed our criminals.”

Episode 8 - Mystery Dungeon

“Awake! Alas! Hold tight your buns, if buns you do hold dear!”

“What are those awful words?”

“I’m reading the wall. They are wall words.”

“I no longer need this map. I have infellible recall.”

“Oh! The room is tryna hug us!”

“This is wrong. The map lied to me! It doesn’t want me to find the exit!”

“Make yourself into food, now!”

“Don’t you remember? I am your son.”

“This heat is negating my powers.”

“That’s… warm on my under-carriage.”

“Wow, that was heavy, man.”

“My juice! My vital juices!”

“I got no time for no-body dancin’ around, and actin’ a fool at my expense.”

 “I knocked y’all out and brought you here!”

“Father, look at me. Are you happy with me now, Papi?”

“All my brilliant fantasies will now be real!”

“Bye, don’t follow me.”

“I will wait for you, across the threshold of consciousness.”

Episode 9 - All Your Fault

“Are you lemon? Does your head come to a nub?”

“You are un-lemon.”

“Maybe we should hold hands… For safety!”

“There is no more candy to hoard. Let them keep what crumbs they find, for there are no crumbs.”

“It just felt so pretty okay inside, greeting eat new placid face, and hearing each new piercing song.”

“Its all your fault! We warned you! We warned you about us!” 

“Just smash it already, Grandma.”

“Woah, hold the phones. What is this powerful new juice coursing from my core source?”

“Is this the rumored ache of feeling? The feeling of caring unknown to lemons?”

“Their hearts are fine. They’re just like this.”

Episode 10 - Little Dude

“First one in the water is, um… First one in the water!”

“I’ll use the sassage flare.”

“Grob, dude! Your hat’s alive!”

“Yeah man, hats can be anything. Pants. Other people. Its fine!”

“Your head looks weird with short hair, dude. Feels like a peach.”

“Only good babies get sassages.”

“Man, we should tell him we know he sleeps on the top of our house.”

“Papa always said I was a bad wizard…”

“All I can do is think about my Papa and how much I disappoint him!”

“Uh, yeah. Just think about your mom and use your magic.”

“It’s not his fault he was created evil.”

Episode 11 - Bad Little Boy

“That’s not a book! It’s a bomb!”

“Go on, get outta here, and don’t ever do wrong things again!”

“Lets have a best-and-closest-friend lunch!”

“Oh my. Looks like you almost skronked up my dome-piece.”

“I’m not going out there. It’s wet.”

“Don’t you know I’m a villain?”

“Out of my way, kitty.”

“This is bad, guys. This is really bad.”

“You’re like the realest person I’ve ever met.”

Episode 12 - Vault of Bones

“Let’s go have a good time in a dungeon, or something.”

“That tree over there is not made of wood.”

“I shall grant thee clemency, if you do the splits. Do the splits!”

“See? A lot of times you can overpower these guys with confidence.”

“Why would someone go through the trouble of setting up a hologram? Unless… They’ve hidden something in this room.”

“Hot Daniel. I thought you were gonna burn me alive.”

Episode 13 - The Great Bird Man

“Some say he’s a half-man half-bird that poops fire while he flies.”

“The mermaids are trying to beach themselves. I’m trying to figure out why. Turns out they’re just lonely.”

“This is the rookery, where I and my bird friends dwell.”

“When we first met, I was crazy for smacking goblin hams.”

“I pissed off a wizard and he took my eyes. I wonder what he wanted them for. Some kind of lotion, or potion, or time-travelling spell.”

“It was crazy how his eyeballs were just hangin’ there.”

“I manipulated space with a vibrational chant.”

“I love these birds more than I love myself.”

“Your eyes weren’t stolen by a wizard. They’re in your beard.”

“We didn’t tell you because we thought you might still be a wong-lord.”

“All my friends, to the sky.”

“Anyone who disagrees with me should get a spanking!”

“Where’s the butt on this thing?”

Episode 14 - Simon & Marcy

“I’ll get us all some little waters.”

“Why’d you invite Ancient Chubs to play basketball?”

“Yeah, lay down ___. Go to sleep!”

“Ew. It’s a dead rat.”

“You stay in the car, I’ll be right back.”

“You’re not gonna put it on, are you?”

“Don’t worry, I can control it better now.”

“I call upon the power of ice and snow!”

“You will no longer terrify a 47 year old man and a 7 year old girl!”

“Vandalism is wrong, ___.”

“Aw, everything’s gone.”

“I have to protect us.”

“I’m as old as garlic balls, if someone offered to pick me up and carry me, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”

“Gross. You’re gross.”

“Clams? The Clambulance?! No! I need chicken!”

“____, cover your ears!”

“Our butts are grass, right?”

“Don’t leave me here, I can fight!”

“You have to keep it together. For her.”

“You’re gonna feel awesome in a moment.”

“Keep telling these chump stories while I score a bunch of baskets.”

[gracedman]

The Sea is Gone!!

Friday night, at our most recent gathering in Ocala, we were joined by a group of believers from our affiliated ministry in North Miami Beach. We had about twenty-four hours of preaching and a time of outreach and soul winning. All the videos came out great and are available on my personal site: “Chris McFarland” on Facebook. Here is the essence of what I shared in my opening message. Unfortunately, this video was only partial, so I took it down. The quotes are used because I tried to remember what I said.

 “Our planet earth is covered by salt water. Nearly 71% of the surface of the earth is covered by large bodies of water called oceans. There are five designated oceans on the planet: The Atlantic, the Pacific, the Indian, the Artic, and the latest one, now defined and named, around Antarctica, the Southern. It is not surprising then to realize that large numbers of our human race have some familiarity with at least one of these oceans. And a great number of us live quite close to one of these large bodies of water.

 As a boy, I, myself, met the oceans in an interesting way. We moved into the house I grew up in, when I was about 5 years old. As I got older, I got deeply involved with a small creek at the bottom of the hill. At first, I played in it locally and investigated and captured the animals living in it. Then, I began to get curious as to the source of this stream. So, I went upstream to find it, a small spring that bubbled up from the ground. Next, I got more and more curious: Where does the creek go? So, I followed it to its connection to another larger creek, and that creek went to a small river. And that small river flowed into the Delaware river which finally emptied into the Atlantic Ocean. At the Mouth of this river, it was too wide to see across. So, I learned, the water in my small creek, eventually ended up in the vast ocean. This pattern is repeated around the entire world. Whenever, we cross a bridge over a stream or even a small brook, we can know that it is headed to an ocean or the sea. That is why these concluding verses in Revelation are so astounding:

  Revelation 21:1 (ESV)

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.

 Imagine that with me for a moment. What is now 71% of the earth’s surface will, one day, be gone and done away with in the new heavens and the new earth. I don't know how to think about this new reality. Other than to say it will be quite a different place than what we are living in now.

Over the centuries, the sea has not been an easy place for mankind to survive. What is now taken for granted, seemed almost impossible. As late as the 14 hundreds, the world was viewed as flat and men feared falling off the edge of the horizon. When adventurers spoke of sailing great distances and reaching faraway lands, they were pioneers venturing into unknown realms. They were taking their lives into their own hands. Much like our first astronauts who cautiously ventured into space, in the twentieth century. Isaiah called the sea a wilderness, source of spiritual trouble and filled with hidden, treacherous, and spoiling enemies:

  Isaiah 21:1–3 (ESV)

The oracle concerning the wilderness of the sea. As whirlwinds in the Negeb sweep on, it comes from the wilderness, from a terrible land. A stern vision is told to me; the traitor betrays, and the destroyer destroys. Go up, O Elam; lay siege, O Media; all the sighing she has caused I bring to an end. Therefore, my loins are filled with anguish; pangs have seized me, like the pangs of a woman in labor; I am bowed down so that I cannot hear; I am dismayed so that I cannot see.

 When we are seized by such an enemy, God then says that a watchman is to be appointed who will “listen diligently, very diligently.” And finally, an astounding thing is stated in the book of Revelation. After announcing that the sea will be completely done away with, John reports the following thing:

  Revelation 22:1–3a (ESV)

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it.

 Although there is a wonderful river there, I wondered where it goes. For as I have described, every river and stream that I have ever seen or heard about flows into the sea somehow. There are innumerable rivers on the earth’s surface and they are all headed somewhere, so I wondered where this river of the water of life is headed. As it comes from the throne of the Lamb and God himself, it is a river of inestimable value. It is the water of God’s very “Zoe” life. It is sparkling and radiant and “bright as crystal.” It flows from the throne of God and into the streets of the city. And then it mysteriously disappears. Where does it go? Where does it end up? John doesn’t plainly tell us, but he gives us a major clue: These trees of life with fruit and healing leaves. Fruit for every season and healing for every nation. What are these trees? Or rather, who are these trees? Perhaps? Those who have diligently, yes, very diligently heard the gospel and received the changes God would make in their lives. Those who now without an old sin nature can fully receive all that the water of life from God’s throne can pour out. The saints in the new Jerusalem do not waste a drop. There is an unhindered drinking, fruit bearing, and healing potential there. There is nothing left over. These saints receive and benefit from everything that this water of life can give and express a full maturity from and in it. No sea is needed. God has his people. Christ has his bride. The Spirit has his body. And glory is fully manifested and expressed. Oh, is this not our very desire and destiny. And although we live with a sea these days, one day the sea will no longer be needed. We will be his crystal sea, we will be his glorious prize who reflect and reveal all that he is and can ever will be in a person.”

  Lord Jesus, when you say that eye has not seen, nor has ear heard the things that God has prepared for them that love him, we diligently hear. Our hearts and minds are fully focused upon this eternal weight of Glory that you will bring and deposit into our lives. We long to be the unhindered expression of your love and life. Even so come, Lord Jesus. Amen!!!

[akissatmidnight]

As we wait for season three of Outlander‘s TV show with bated breath, there’s never a better time to talk about book three in the series, Voyager. So, in this post, I’ll be discussing what real life events, people, places, and laws were brought into book three that we hope are mirrored in season three! And since I any chance to use my history degree, this will contain some historically accurate spoilers. So if you hate spoilers, or want to read Voyager before the show airs, read no further! This is a spoiler filled post that takes no prisoners.

Dun Bonnet Cave

I’ve talked a bit about the use of this real life story before here, but let’s revisit it, as it will probably get some major screen time in season three.

So, there was a real life Scot named James Fraser, the 9th of Foyers, who joined Simon, Lord Lovat, on the battlefield of Culloden in support of Bonnie Prince Charles. Well, as we all know, those who fought for Charles were basically killed, imprisoned, shipped off to the colonies, or lost their lands. Well, James Fraser was having none of that, so he found a cave near the waterfall of Foyers, where he hid for seven years.

Luckily, his people were rather fond of him, and kept his whereabouts secret from the redcoats, calling him “Bonaid Odhair”, which means, “Dun Coloured Bonnet”. And the similarities to the Diana Gabaldon tale don’t end there! A young boy, who often brought supplies to James Fraser in the cave has his hand cut off when he was caught by the redcoats. Sorry, Fergus!

Scotland and Slavery

This is something that many people don’t know much about, but it means that many Americans who have some Scot in their family history could have ended up in the States after their ancestors were sent there in chains. Although many families did flee willingly once strict laws were enacted and famine and poverty hit Scotland. By the way, the use of the word “slavery” is still under historical debate. This is because the Scottish people deported by the British often had an end date to their sentence, unlike the African slaves who often lived their entire lives in cruel captivity.

Anyway, the British government wasn’t too pleased with the Scottish after the Jacobite Rebellions of 1715 and 1745. But what to do with all the able bodied men who might rise up again if given the chance? Easy, ship them to the colonies to work the farms! They can make money for the crown and be far away from their comrades in arms.

It’s said that 1,5000 to 2,000 highland “convicts” were sent to the North American colonies or the Caribbean colonies every year after the 1715 rebellion. Mostly, they were given terms of three to seven years of hard labor on plantations, or other labor heavy jobs, to “work off their debt”, if they weren’t forced into servitude indefinitely. Some didn’t even gain their freedom until they fought for England in the American Revolution!

However, there were Scots who actively participated in the Slave trade who weren’t servants, but plantation overseers and paid workers. This is seen in Voyager as Kenneth MacIver, who was Jared’s overseer at his Jamaican plantation. While this is a dark part of Scottish history, it is part of history nonetheless. Some wealthy Scots, such as Colonel John Campbell from Inveraray, who owned one of the larger sugar plantations in Jamaica. Today, the Campbell name is widespread in Jamaica, although those Campbells may never know if they descended from owners, servants, or anything in between. There are also dozens of places within Jamaica that share the same names as places in Scotland, such as Culloden, Argyle, and St. Andrews.

Dress Act of 1746

On August 1, 1746 the wearing of “Highland Dress” was made illegal by the British crown. This included tartans, kilts, and shoulder belts. It was a way for the British to try and cut the ties that connected the members of the clans and seemed effective in breaking down some of the allegiances. What made it so effective was the harsh punishments that would be enacted if someone broke this law. For the first offense, the person would be imprisoned for six months and if they were caught again, they would be sent to the colonies and engage in hard labor for seven years.

The only Scots who could still wear the tartans were members of the British military, more notably in the Black Watch. The Black Watch was an infantry battalion that was originally made up of members from Clan Grant, Clan Campbell, Clan Fraser of Lovat, and Clan Munro. They were first tasked with keeping the highlands at bay by collecting weapons and policing for any signs of uprisings.

Use of the Dress Act can be seen in Voyager, when Jamie claimed a piece of green checked Mackenzie tartan that was found in the prison in order to save the skin of young Angus Mackenzie. For the offense of having this strip of plaid, he was sentenced to thirty lashes. This also means that we won’t be seeing many kilts or plaid this season.

Selkies

So this is something that’s talked about a bit in book three and stuck out to me, as I’m a huge fan of this particular mythical creature. The Scottish refer to them as “maighdeann-mhara”, or “maidens of the sea”.

There are many legends that surround the selkies. They are said to live in the sea as seals, but sometimes come upon shore, shedding their seal skins and becoming beautiful women, or even men. If someone hides a selkie’s seal skin, they can take the selkie as a husband of wife, and they apparently make wonderful spouses. But, as in many Scottish tales, there is often an unhappy ending. A selkie never feels completely at ease on land, and if they ever find their hidden seal skin, they will return to the sea, never seeing their human husband or wife again.

We hear a lot about seals and a bit about selkies, called “silkies” in Voyager when it comes to the hidden goldon the seal’s island…and even Jamie’s own mother. Jamie tells Claire that people used to say that his mother Ellen had run away from Castle Leoch to join the silkies, because his father, Brian, resembled one who had shed his seal skin to walk on land.

Real Jacobite Gold

As we all know, the Jacobite treasure in Voyager was given by the French and hidden away. But there is some real Jacobite gold that some say is still hidden in Loch Arkaig in Scotland.

Two ships called Mars and Bellona came to Scotland with 1,200,000 livres of French and Spanish money.  But the ships heard about the Jacobite defeat at Culloden and ditched the seven cases of money at a port in Loch nan Uamh. One case was stolen by the MacDonalds and the seven others were secretly taken to Loch Arkaig by Murray of Boughton, who started giving money to the Scottish clan chiefs. But when Murray was captured by the British, the money was taken over by the chief of Clan Cameron and then by the head of Clan Macphearson. Macphearson spent much of his time hiding in a cave at Ben Adler…eight years of time, in fact.

Anyway, Charlie hightailed it out of Scotland and into France, leaving his money behind. But a failed king is no good to anyone and old Charlie was beginning to pine for his gold. But it, apparently, was never seen again. It’s assumed that Macphearson kept it all, but no one knows. It could still be hidden somewhere in Loch Arkaig.

Pirates

When I started reading the series, I never thought that I would see a pirate ship in the distance. But as we’ve read, Young Ian is kidnapped off the coast of Scotland by a bunch of pirates aboard the Bruja, which is Spanish for “witch”. Long story short, the Bruja makes it to port in Barbados, and hands Ian, along with the Jacobite gold he was in the process of taking when he was captured, to Mrs. Abernathy. The ship is later destroyed, but the damage is done and they’ve brought the Frasers, inadvertently, to the Americas.

Piracy was slowing down in the 1760s, but was still an active thing in the Caribbean region. One notable Bermudian pirate was Samuel Hall Lord, who straight up plundered any and all ships that he crossed paths with, even swiping riches from stranded sailors. Hall was also a really smart guy. Outside his mansion, on the beach, he would hang lanterns so that unsuspecting ships would think it was the port and sail right into his clutches, wrecking themselves on the reefs. BTW, this pirate built himself a castle. Talk about flair.

Printing in Scotland

One of the most anticipated scenes in season three is the print shop scene. You know, where Claire finally finds Jamie again after 20…well, 200? 220? years have gone by and they’re finally reunited…it’s probably the part I’m looking forward to the most, but let’s take a peek at printing history in Scotland and get a feel for what Jamie was up to in Edinburgh.

In1507, Walter Chepman and Andrew Myllar were given the first royal license for printing in Scotland by James IV in Edinburgh. The first book ever printed via press was The first printed book from this press was The Complaint of the Black Knight by John Lydgate. While this seemed to be a success for them, printing wasn’t an instant hit in Scotland, with new presses being stationed in St. Andrews in 1552, another for a hot minute in Stirling in 1571, and another still in Aberdeen in 1622. After that, they became more widely spread.

The fist Scottish printers would have been trained in France, but as the practice grew, the Scots would have been left to their own devices. And by the 1760s, it didn’t get much easier, as the letters still needed to be set and inked by hand. To get an idea, here’s what Jamie’s printing press might look like…

Prostitution in Scotland

The brothel where Jamie does business, and often keeps a bed, is probably going to be a prime filming location in season three. But what would life have really been like behind the doors of Madame Jeanne’s establishment, you ask? Well, dear reader, let’s chat about the ladies of the night…

The the early and mid 1700’s was basically Scotland’s sexual revolution where prostitution was widespread and some of the best business and deals were made in the lounges and libraries of brothels. They weren’t as flashy as the French brothel we saw in season two, but the girls were kept clean, in good dresses, and as disease free as one can be in the 1700s. These establishments could be hidden down in alleyways or set right in the open in grand houses, while the local police turned a blind eye. I mean, it was such a favorite pastime of the wealthy Scottish that in 1775 James Tyler, a surgeon and editor at Encyclopaedia Britannica published Ranger’s Impartial List of the Ladies of Pleasure, which was basically a directory of all the brothels and their workers in Edinburgh.

Unfortunately, Scotland began to crack down on prostitution in the 1790s, with the girls being arrested on a regular basis and imprisoned. So, I hope Madame Jeane would have had a lot of money saved up for when the government started knocking on her door.

Rose Hall and the White Witch

This is a particular bit that I was eager to get to. I hope, very dearly, that they shoot on location for this one because the Rose Hall mansion is gorgeous! Anyway, we all know Rose Hall as being the home of Mrs. Abernathy AKA Geillis Duncan. Well, this manor home is a very real place, as is the ghost that haunts it.

Rose Hall is a Gregorian Mansion in Jamaica, was built in the 1770s, and was owned by a John Palmer. It was a large estate that usually held about 250 slaves and dealt mostly in sugar. It stayed in the Palmer family for a bit, then went vacant and into disrepair, finally being revived in the 1960s.

As for the legend of the White Witch (which has unfortunately been revealed as nothing more than a story) it centered around Annie Palmer, John Palmer’s wife. Annie was basically raised by nannies who taught her voodoo and carrid on her love of the dark arts into her marriages. Three husbands are said to have died at her hands, along with many innocent slaves. Remind you of anyone?

And Bonnie Prince Charlie

We can’t forget to talk about old charlie and what he did after Culloden…

Soooo during the Battle of Culloden, near the end, things weren’t going great. Basically, Charlie was ignoring the advice of commander Lord George Murray and just ordering whatever he wanted, which wasn’t going well. So Murray was basically like, “screw this, he doesn’t listen to a thing I say,” and drew his men back to attack from a different position. And Charlie, who again didn’t listen, finally noticed Murray was gone, he was like, “oh, Murray left? Well…I guess I’ll head out now,” and left the rest of the Jacobites on the field.

Even though the war was lost, the men never betrayed him to the British and helped him hide in the moors until he could escape the country. He finally did so when Flora MacDonald dressed him up as her maid, Betty Burke, and took him to the Isle of Skye, where a French Ship took him to the France. This is where the Sky Boat Song comes into play, although they leave out the dress and wig.

Charlie as Betty

Losing Scotland drove him to drink and conduct affairs. He was known for being an abusive drunk to the women closest to him, causing all of them to leave, even his own wife.

That’s all for this Saturday! Remember to check back every week for some new Outlander goodness and click HERE to read all out past Droughtlander posts.

♥♥♥

And if you’ve been following out journeys into publishing, you know that we’re really excited about our first ever published books! They’re currently available for preorder on Amazon, so take a look and see if you think our romance novels belong on your Kindle!

You can see more about my Scottish historical romance novel, Queen of Emeralds, and preorder it, now HERE!

You can also see Sarah’s first college contemporary romance novel, First Semester, and preorder it, now HERE!

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