#but elliott is a cooler name

[large-penises-sporting-goods]

Blog update: changing Sam's fakename to Elliott because, upon realizing that id unintentionally used a Stardew Valley character name, I decided I should switch to the Stardew character that actually matches (handsome, English major)

[atinylittlepain]

Of Saints and Sinners - Chapter 6

Joel Miller x f!reader/f!oc

series masterlist

The team starts their journey home and things start to change between her and Joel. Will she finally start letting him in? Or will he have to forget about her and whatever they had shared?

warnings | 18+ angst, canon-typical descriptions of injuries, smut-adjacent (finally)

The group spends the rest of the night in the old gas station. In the morning she tells them she wants to get back to Jackson in one trip. Joel keeps his mouth shut after their conversation last night, and it’s agreed that they’ll all keep moving, five days until they’re back home. 

Alex and Steve might be fooled by her confident attitude, but Joel can see the way she winces when she hoists herself up onto one of the horses, Steve swinging his legs over behind her. One night wasn’t going to heal the damage she had been dealt, and Joel can see she’s feeling it. Regardless, the group sets off on the highway back towards Wyoming.

The days start to pass languidly by, long stretches of squinting highway and nights spent hunkered down in withering buildings. She hasn’t been talking much to any of them, only sharing faint whispers with Steve that Joel pretends to not be curious about. He’s trying hard to not be such a guy about it, but honestly that’s never been an issue until her. For the first time since the world ended, Joel Miller is jealous.

He tries to hold onto what she had told him, that Steve wasn’t her man. And the further along the journey home they got, the more Joel was starting to understand their relationship. This was an intimacy past whatever Joel was getting worked up about. This was two people who had been through everything together. Something deeper than sharing love, or blood, or a name. They had shared life, or whatever there was left of it. 

He was still trying to figure out how Alex fit into this equation. They treated him like a little brother almost. Someone a little less worn than them, but still dear. What Joel saw before him was a family, the only kind that could arise in a world like this.

They’re two days out from home, settling in for the night. Her and Joel stay up while Alex and Steve get some rest in the first leg of the night, hunkering down in another cleaned out gas station. 

They sit shoulder to shoulder, backs against an old beer cooler. 

For maybe the first time, she speaks up first, “what kinda records do you have?”

“Don’t have many, you’ll have to share whatever you’ve been stashing. A buggy Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, Hank Snow.”

“A real country boy, huh?” She quirks up her mouth in a split grin at him. He thinks to himself, this is new.

“Well what would you prefer?” He’s playing along. It feels weird to him.

“I’m guessing you weren’t listening to much Mazzy Star before this all went down?” He looks at her blankly, she smiles.

“That’s one I did manage to find, their 1993 album, seemingly intact. I’m gonna play it until it’s worn out when we get back.” He likes the sound of that, the promise of her presence.

“Anything else?” She turns her head, resting her cheek on her shoulder as she looks up at him. “You know Elliott Smith?” Again, Joel’s got nothing. She lets out a short laugh. “How about the movie Good Will Hunting?” 

“Robin Williams, right? A bunch of therapy talk.” He’s rewarded with a wide smile. “Yeah, Elliott Smith was the soundtrack to that.” Joel nods, afraid to admit he can barely remember the movie in the first place.

“He was big in Portland, where I was from, at least in the indie scene. My dad - he was a disc jockey, always on the up and up on music, always bringing home good shit for me to listen to. Elliott Smith was my favorite artist he showed me. You might like him, he’s folk-adjacent, lots of guitar.” He’s never heard her say so much at once, and even though he has no idea what indie or folk-adjacent means, all he wants is for her to keep talking. For just a second, Joel feels like he’s in a different world with her, a world in which none of this ever happened. Just two people talking about music on a normal night. And then he blinks back into reality, the still fading bruises on her neck, the bandage wrapped firmly around her arm, the way she talks in the past tense. She seems to snap back into this world at the same time, clearing her throat and looking down at her hands in her lap. He hates it, the sudden drop.

“Anyways, gotta get home first. But I’ve got one of his records too, I’ll play it for you.” Just like back in that field, Joel doesn’t know what he’s doing until he’s already done it. He reaches out, sliding his palm under her own, interlacing their fingers. Her lungs catch on an inhale, turning her face to look at him from under those damn eyelashes. His other hand ghosts over the hinge of her jaw, thumb brushing the arc of her chin. While his brain blares the what the fuck alarm, he’s leaning into her, twisting in until she does the rest, leaning up and forward into him, and it’s a kiss that could only be shared between two broken people. It’s a trembling brush, a frightened test. She squeezes his hand and he closes the gap this time. The second one is a little more certain. I want this. I want you. This is real. I’m terrified that this is real.

They freeze before slowly unfurling from each other, resting their heads back against the wall. He’s afraid to look back at her and see regret, but she breaks the silence first, “was that alright?” He thinks his head’s going to explode. She’s asking if that was alright for him?

Joel swallows, “uh-hum, yeah. Was that alright to you?” Neither of them have looked at each other yet, just glancing at each other out of the corners of their eyes. He sees the sliver of her smile. “Yeah, that was alright, Joel Miller.”

… 

Over the next two days of travel, she gets quiet again. Joel thinks he royally fucked up, that maybe the more she thought about what they shared, the less alright it became to her. He feels selfish, downright ridiculous, that this is what he’s worrying about. He can see that she’s still in a decent amount of pain in how she moves, sudden, wincing jerks. She won’t let any of them look at her ribs again.

Mercifully, it’s an uneventful return home. They make it back through the mountains, and their appearance on the edge of town causes a serious stir, people gathering to watch the ragged crew ride in. They dismount, and Maria is quick to take her under her arm and out of the crowd to a former doctor’s house. Joel can hear hushed whispers regarding “the saint’s” return. Back home, back to all her secrets he still doesn’t know.

Steve and Alex look at Joel, both nodding to him, before walking off towards their home. The job is over, and Joel heads home too.

Ellie is begrudgingly happy to see him return, asking too many questions that he refuses to answer. He wonders if things will return to the way they had been, an icy distance, Steve’s warning. He hopes they won’t.

…

That night, there’s a knock at Joel’s door. It’s Alex. Joel steps out, sitting with the man on the porch.

“Thought you’d wanna know, she’s doing alright. Doc did a full checkup. No broken ribs, just some serious bruising, have her taking freezing cold baths to reduce the swelling. She’s at home now, sleeping like the dead. Think she’s already feeling a lot better just being back.”

Joel nods at this, not realizing he needed so badly to know how she was doing.

Alex takes a sharper inhale, “Steve also told me to tell you he was sorry for being a dick. He’s a hard one to get an apology out of, just a little too proud.” Joel huffs at that.

“Don’t have to apologize. I get that, wanting to keep someone safe. I was happy to help you do that.” Alex rubs his palms on his thighs before standing up, turning to leave before thinking twice and looking back at Joel.

“Don’t tell her I told you this, but she told me she likes you, Miller. That’s a high compliment. Thinks you’re one of the good ones. Please don’t prove her wrong.” Before Joel can respond to this, Alex is already shuffling off his porch, walking out into the dimming night.

…

Joel tries hard to get back to business as usual. Picking patrol shifts back up, working with Tommy. He doesn’t see her around at all that first week back, figures they have her laying low while she’s still recovering. He sees Steve at the bar one night and the man nods at Joel, a silent extension of peace, a thank you.

He wonders to himself if it’s better to just forget what happened, that it’d be best to let it lay dormant, to stop thinking about her. But he can’t, the feeling of her hand in his is what he falls asleep to and wakes up with.

Joel certainly isn’t a romantic now, nor was he before. He learned not to be the hard way, with Sarah’s mom, who left him and his babygirl before he knew love was capable of hurting, of destroying. And then he lost Sarah, and with her, whatever he thought was left of his heart. 

Something seemed to slide back into that space with Ellie, but now, he can feel it filling out to the brim with her, this wild, strange, dangerous woman that he still doesn’t know, not really. He tries to tamp it down, drown it out, but the thoughts of her keep pouring in. She’s ten years younger than him, and while Joel knows time doesn’t count for much in this world, it feels like a chasm, one big enough for her to not want him at all. But then he remembers that night, that shared moment, and he has to believe he’s not being a fool for feeling this way.

His mind rolls like the tide with these wonderings, these worries as he moves through the days. And then, it’s two weeks since they’ve returned, and he gets another knock on his door on a Tuesday night.

She’s wearing the same thing he saw her in that day at the childcare center, soft, faded t-shirt, grubby jean shorts, and duct-taped sneakers, a zip-up hoodie hanging loosely over her frame. He can see that she’s got two vinyls tucked under her arm.

“You owe me a turn with your record player, Miller.” A ghost of a smile in the corners of her lips. He opens the door wider, letting her slip inside.

“Yes ma’am. Was wondering when you’d be coming for a listen.” Joel can handle patrol shifts, clickers, raiders, general danger, without much anxiety. But having her here, in his space, is making him nervous in an embarrassing way.

“Doc finally cleared me for daily activities. First day of freedom since we got back. Been thinking about this the whole time though.” He knows she means the record player, but something in him still flips over at her words.

She holds up both records for Joel to see, “I brought Mazzy Star and Elliott Smith, the ones I told you about, think we can listen to both tonight?” 

He nods, “Ellie’s out wreaking havoc with some other kids, won’t be around to give us any grief. We can listen to whatever you want.” She gives him one of those rare, cracking smiles. He thinks that’s all he really wants these days.

She lets him lead her upstairs, and he only now starts to realize he keeps the record player in his bedroom. Jesus christ, man, calm down. She lets out a sigh when she sees the player set up, tentatively walking over and thumbing through the sparse crate of records Joel has. 

“Man, feels like Christmas morning,” she murmurs, mostly to herself. The record player is set up on an old end table, Joel sits down in the armchair next to it, elbows on his knees, watching her carefully kneel in front of the player. She lays her two records down on the floor, seemingly trying to decide which to play first.

“I think I have to go with Elliott Smith first. Haven’t heard him in twenty fucking years.” She slips the record onto the table, letting the needle catch. The opening chords of “Speed Trials” kick up and she smiles until her cheeks are rounding up under her eyelashes, eyes closed.

Joel’s only half paying attention to the music, his focus more intently on the seeming ecstasy she’s in, nodding her head with the drums, letting out a sigh as each new track begins. She opens her eyes a squint, catching him staring and he looks away, trying to listen closer to the music.

She just keeps smiling, “ah man, this last track is so good.”

I'm in love with the world

Through the eyes of a girl

Who's still around the morning after…

She’s mouthing along to the lyrics, Joel feels like he’s going to combust.

I could be another fool

Or an exception to the rule

You tell me the morning after…

She looks at him, her smile slackening as she slowly stands. She shuffles over in front of him and offers out her open palm, he takes it and squeezes lightly. 

Crooked spin can't come to rest

I'm damaged bad at best

She'll decide what she wants

I'll probably be the last to know

No one says until it shows, see how it is

They want you or they don't

Say yes…

Joel stands, his and her feet shuffling until the toes of their shoes skim. She splays her other palm over his chest, fingers grazing just below his collarbone. He lets his hand furl around the curve of her neck, thumb resting on the aching roundness of her cheek.

They both jump when the needle catches the end of the record, warbling off. She huffs a laugh, eyes still caught with Joel’s.

He swears he hears his voice crack when he asks her if this is ok but he doesn’t care because she’s smiling and then she’s nodding and then she’s leaning up and in and the first kiss is soft, a remembering, a test. The second is a bit firmer, more confident. The third, she slides her palm up from his chest, to his jaw, drawing into him a bit closer. The fourth, they untangle their hands, his going to the hilt of her spine, hers draping over the tops of his shoulder blades. The fifth, he lets his palm rest heavy on her back, pressing her body fully against his. She swipes her tongue across his lips and he’s already letting her in, tasting into him. They can feel their battering heart beats where their chests press against each other, shaky and unsure of where they’re going next until Joel is cupping her hips in both his hands and gently walking her back towards the end of his bed. The backs of her knees hit the sheets and she’s stumbling back onto the bed, taking him with her as he awkwardly tries to hold himself up. She lays back and he’s hovering over her with his knee between her legs and his palm beside her temple and he laughs, really truly laughs. She brings her hand up, thumb brushing over his lips.

“What is it?” He sighs, “it’s nothing, it’s just — kinda feel like I’m back in highschool right now.” She giggles and Joel thinks it might kill him, “Joel Miller, are you blushing?”

“Mm, shut up,” and with that he’s diving back down to meet her and this kiss is different. It’s desperate, licking into each other, teeth bumping, huffed breaths, and the clicks of spit. She starts to work at the buttons of his shirt and once he catches on, he sits up for a moment, yanking the thing off over his head by the collar before settling back into her. He shivers as her palms run over his bare skin, nails grazing his back, his sides, up his chest. He dips his head into her neck, leaving nips along her throat as she gasps under his touch. She lets out a strangled whine when he brushes his lips at the hinge of her jaw. He presses back, pulling her hands with him to bring them both standing. His hands grasp at the edges of her hoodie, he sees a flicker of something in her eyes, but she still lets him shrug the jacket off her shoulders. Joel runs his fingertips down her bare arms and she shudders. He stops at the bandage around her left forearm, she looks down at the floor.

“Almost all healed now. You still gonna like me with another scar added to the list?” He frowns at that, dipping his head to meet her gaze, swooping in for a swift, hard peck. “Don’t even say shit like that,” he murmurs, bringing his attention back to the task at hand, fingers ghosting along the hem of her shirt. He doesn’t miss her flinch this time.

“I just – well, you’ve seen my back. Kinda a mood killer,” she laughs lamely at this, swallowing hard around an ache in her throat. 

“Hey, no. I — I want you, however you are, however you let me.” Joel feels like his mouth is full of cotton and he speaks before he can even think, “you’re – you’re wild, you know that? Make me feel like my head is gonna explode everytime I look at you.” She lets a small smile spread at that, still gazing down at her shoes. He brings his palm to her jaw, coaxing her face up towards him. 

“Don’t gotta do anything you don’t want to, but you gotta know I want all of you, if you’ll let me have it.” She nods slightly, eyes a bit teary as she catches Joel’s gaze. What she says comes out as a hoarse whisper, “Think I need some time. I know you’ve seen them. I’m just not ready, but I want to be. That ok?” Joel takes hold of her hand, squeezing. She squeezes back.

“It’s ok, darlin. Give you all the time I got.”

[chicken-delight]

speech to text. God remember my speech to text erathat was fucking crazy. I need to start doing that again. Ever since I discovered Pamela des barres freshman year of high school, or actually really, it goes as far back to like being in the One Direction and being fascinated, by whoever it was the normal girl that Louis Tomlinson was dating that Eleanor girl. And like Louis was my guy but I wasn’t jealous of Eleanor. I was like fascinated with her because I guess a little bit of it was like wow she got my man, but I also was fascinated with how she dressed, and was really bummed out that like she didn’t have a strong social media presence. Anyways. But when I discovered Pamela des barres, it really cemented the fact that I love the presence of “the woman“ in my favorite forms of art. And this entire thought was queued by that picture that has a Jane in the background the picture of Richard and Robbie and is it Elliott? I can’t remember, even though I just looked at it. but I don’t know. The woman behind the man is always just been more fascinating and more alluring to me. Because it takes a lot to be in a relationship with a man in general, but it takes a lot to be in a relationship with a man who is a creative. Because OK I already know this isn’t gonna come out the way I want it to come out but I’m just hoping that you guys are understanding where I’m coming from. Because there is something about a creative man, and I’ve only really had experience with musicians and writers where they are like children who just got done eating a lot of candy and just have all that energy. Except the energy is creative energy. And they have so much of it that they don’t know what to do with it and a lot of the time it’s you know the tale is old this time that there is the number one love and everything comes after that. I think Anita Pallenberg has a quote about that. Is like you can be in a relationship with a musician, but you must always know that the music is going to come first. And it’s not the way it should be, but it is the way that it is. and there’s not a very clear line between if it’s just how creative people are in general or if it’s the person. But they have all this energy. They just need to focus on getting it out or else they’re gonna explode. So it takes a lot of patience. It really is like raising a child. Willy is my child. He is my father. It’s like your nurturing it but you’re also in awe and it moves you. One of my favorite things about Pamela des barres. is she can describe the feeling you get when you listen to something that really moves you and how that makes you wanna be connected with the people who make it and make you feel so good. And it’s beyond good it’s very spiritual. It’s like the closest thing to ecstasy that I can imagine. Is when you listen to a song that really speaks to you. so there’s a weird dynamic in between whoever is making it and their partner who loves them but must also love the art. it obviously doesn’t have to be a woman it’s whoever is on the receiving end of that. And it’s even cooler when we find out that the partners of these Rockstars are creatives themselves because then that makes the relationship i think a little bit different. It’s a mutual muse. Anyways, I’m just rambling. Don’t read this. But read it. So just makes me happy especially because the band is heavy on my mind to see pictures of Jane of Dominique and ricks wife. I forget what her name is. because the partner of any creative. And I don’t just mean art. Teachers are creative. Lawyers are creative journalist are creative being a stay at home parent is creative. But there’s a certain role of the partner that is very sacrificial. And in the most healthy of relationships understand that whatever their partner is doing whatever they are creating is bigger than them. The energy is so wild and so big that it is almost beyond them and when it’s bursting it’s bursting and it needs to get out. And I think what the band we’re doing out, Woodstock is the prime one of the prime examples of that that I know of where

[imwittyou]

𝐑𝐨𝐦-𝐂𝐨𝐦 𝐆𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐖𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 || 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐱 𝐅𝐞𝐦!𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐱 𝐌𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 [𝐀𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞]

𝘖𝘤𝘵𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰 𝘚𝘪𝘭𝘷𝘢 𝘪𝘴 𝘚𝘜𝘊𝘏 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯, 𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘦𝘹. You find yourself in a fake relationship to prove something to your ex.

Also on AO3!

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐎𝐧𝐞: 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠

“I said I don’t—”

“What’s that? I’m already on my way up!”

That is all it takes for you to press the bright red button on the screen. Then you throw your phone on the bed before slumping down with a groan.

Octavio Silva is such a pain.

Then again, maybe that is on you for staying friends with your ex. 

You still remember the last time you saw him. He was standing outside your door, looking amazing in his neon green hoodie. But all you could think about was how someone else had just been wearing it before he got there. So you told him to leave.

His hazel eyes widened as you shut the door on his face. Then you stood there by the door with bated breath as you listened for disappearing footfalls. 

Would the high-speed daredevil slow down, just this once, just for you?

He did. 

He knocked on the door and called your name again and again, but you just curled up into a ball and cried yourself to sleep. Then you woke up two hours later to a message from him asking if you could still be friends.

You still don't know why you said yes. One thing's for certain, though: now you have nothing but regret for that decision.

“You know, you could always block him,” your best friend Elliott Witt reminded you when you complained to him about your situation one day. The rational part of you that still exists agreed with Elliott. Yet you couldn’t find it in you to block Octavio. But now, in the midst of deep breaths, you decide it’s never too late for rationality. 

The loud knocks at the door almost make you drop your phone.

“[Y/N]!”

You shuffle towards the door and peer through the hole. Sure enough, Octavio stands outside, swaying and holding a red solo cup in his hand. He’s not wearing his mask. He never does when he’s around you, which used to make you feel special. But you push the feeling away this time.

Never mind that he remembers your room number even in his state.

“Finally!” Octavio cheers as you open the door. “Thought you’d never open the door!”

You roll your eyes. “So why did you go here specifically?”

“Just felt like seeing you, hermosa,” he says. A wink thrown in your direction catches you off guard and takes everything in you not to throw your arms around him and bury your head on his chest and just weep.

“Well, now you’ve seen me,” you say instead. “Happy?”

He leans on the door frame. “Yes,” he breathes out. His eyes are dancing as he gazes at you.

Don’t you know that you don’t have the right to do that to me anymore?

You get the urge to shut the door in his face once again. But the breeze is getting cooler and the night is dragging on and his gaze is starting to lose its focus and yet his eyes still search yours like a puppy wondering if it’s going to get kicked out once again— 

You find yourself letting him right back in.

***

You can’t sleep. 

How can you sleep, anyway? Octavio—your ex —is sleeping on your couch and you can hear the sheets rustling and your room smells like him and—and—

And you still love him. 

That, you’ve always known. You just don’t like admitting it to yourself, let alone out loud. So when Octavio calls your name in the dark, you resist the urge to call him by his nickname. You simply respond with a “Yes?” 

“How have you been?” he asks.

You suck in a deep breath. “Great. I’ve been doing great. Uh, what about you?”

“Amazing! I’m still getting lots of likes,” he brags.

“I’m happy for you.”

“Uh-huh. You haven’t been liking my photos.”

“You know I don’t use social media much anymore.”

“You?” He chuckles.

“Yes,” you insist. It’s true, you’re currently undergoing a social media detox. And although you miss watching funny videos and looking at pictures of cute animals, you know it’s for the best. You can’t risk seeing Octavio’s posts; you know you’ll only end up wallowing in self-pity.

Yet here you are now, sleeping in the same room as him. Granted, nothing that shouldn’t happen has happened. And you’re making sure it stays that way. But you roll over on your side to face him and he’s already looking at you.

"Tavi, I—"

“Are you dating anyone now?” 

[olicutterartorsmt]

harvey fan?? and also into ow?? that's so cool ‼️ you should totally just ramble about harvey (either headcanons or just whatever) because i love hearing what others have to say about the silly guy. please ignore how empty my main is i never post on here other than on my goofy sideblogs n that's it 😭 but i hope you're also having a good day!

Hello! I can totally rant about Harvey as he is my favorite little goober.

Also I’m very sorry if this comes out very randomly I’m not that good of a writer

Height: 6”2

Sexuality: pansexual, acespec, polyamorous

Gender: trans masc (he/they)

I’ve played sdv for about 505 hours at least and like I’ve married Harvey I think 4ish times here are my hcs!

I feel like him and Shane would have been friends when they were like 6-14 until Shane’s parents stop letting him visit the valley. When Shane goes on his ark I feel like Harvey would help him with his gender transition (I also hc Shane as trans masc lolz) which not getting gender affirming care would rlly affect his mental health. When Harvey was younger I could totally see him being super into Pokémon spending most of his time on it. Rlly weird hc I may be just self projecting but I feel like he would have been a Warriors kid trying to get Elliott into the books when they were younger. I do ship Shane and Harvey. Harvey would just suck at any type of video game. He would bleach the tips of his hair to look younger (it doesn’t work to well)

I hc his voice as three different voices: early transition I feel like he would sound like raggedy Andy from that one 1970s movie and then after his transition I feel like his voice would either settle as a John Mulaney type voice or he would just sound like the main singer for they might be giants. (Which I think fits him more)

He listens to Jack Stauber after Sam introduces it to him, his favorite songs from him would be buttercup, Doctor, and dinner is not over so basically only the rlly happy upbeat songs

Songs I immediately associate with him are Love grows, Doctor worm, Dinner bell, and Good old-fashioned lover boy

He would kinda hate PDA anything more than a hug, holding hands, or a cheek kiss he doesn’t like as he fears it may make him look unprofessional.

He is a victim of deez nuts jokes

He’s my lil goober with social anxiety and autism

His autumn outfit would consist of a baggy sweater with a beanie and gloves

Winter outfit would have a puffy jacket with a scarf covering his mouth/nose he would force Shane into wearing a coat

He would be the best father if he had kids

Shane convinced Harvey to smoke weed with him once and he immediately greened out lmao

He loves to cuddle with whoever he’s dating especially in the cooler months

A bit of self projection with this one but he HATES the feeling of foam like that crafting foam

He’s vegetarian

He would be a musical fan and a theatre kid

Depending on like the timeline I’m playing/the oc I’m using I hc see him a bit differently like if I’m using my oc named Soil he’s 35 he’s on HRT and he hasn’t gotten top surgery, if I use Abraham I hc him as 40ish he’s fully transitioned, and if I’m using Book he’s 35 and fully transitioned

And please please PLEASE if you wanna hear any more hcs from sdv or ow or unicorn wars please ask! I love to rant about things!

Edit: here’s a playlist I made for Harvey Art by dustlicious on tumblr https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7JvpKTQkbebOfh2996jYOh?si=AF4_I1fbS6-k6tuc1sHXyA&pi=u-V7ByQUHVS0i2

[birt-art]

I'm very happy with my name, Elliott is working well and has been for several years now, but sometimes I see a trans person with a name 10x cooler and braver and I'm like. Damn. Wish that was me

[griffinkid]

Some character developments:

Firestorm and Aoife are brother and sister, somehow, despite being different breeds. His real name is Feidhlim, but he prefers to be called Firestorm because he thinks it sounds cooler.

Queen Elliott adopted them both because she wanted a boy and a girl to teach her magic to. They might be different species, and from very different worlds, but they all get along perfectly!

[sunspray-peak]

Ch. 32: Morning to Midnight Pt. 2

Something was gnawing at Achilles after Shane left. He had tried to pick up his story where he had left off, but found that the words—which had flowed so easily just six hours ago—were now dammed shut. And he was starting to get a headache… figures.

Perhaps he ought to take a leaf out of the book he had shared with Elliott at the end of last summer and… take a bit of a break.

*****

He and Alex had missed their morning jog today, as Achilles had had to prepare for school. In retrospect, it probably would’ve been a good way to get out his nervous energy. Alas. Hindsight was 20/20.

Jogging at night was a peculiar thing. Achilles rarely ever did it; he was, after all, a morning person. It was cooler, of course, and obviously darker. But it was the different sounds of the night that Achilles felt transformed the landscape the most—chirping crickets in lieu of chattering squirrels, the hoot of owls instead of twittering robins.

The world felt smaller once the sun went down.  

Out of habit, he followed his old route before he had revised it with Alex. Down through Cindersap, turning east past Marnie’s ranch into Pelican Town. From there, north through the community center, past the parking lot and the railroad, up into the low mountains and finally, to the mines.

He stopped.

It was far too quiet for him to be mistaking the voices for anything else. Whispers. Murmurs at the back of his head, urging him forward into the black, black cavern.

One step forward. Then another. He had nearly crossed the threshold into the mines when a firm hand on his shoulder broke the spell. He jumped, ready to fight.

“Who’s there?”

It was hard to see under the half moon. There were no street lamps this far out of town.

“My name is Marlon,” came a voice, low and gruff. “Why don’t we have a chat?”

*****

Achilles had never visited the Adventurer’s Guild—why would he, he wasn’t an adventurer. Never had been. Nevertheless, he had let this mysterious Marlon lead him further east of the mines—a bit of a hike for someone who seemed to have had a bad limp—to a cozy little cabin with a quilted bed, a bearskin rug, and a rip roaring fireplace.

He had seen Marlon before at a few of the festivals, but they had never spoken. The man was hard to miss, with his mop of grey hair, eyepatch, and, most strikingly, missing arm.

“That’s Gil,” Marlon said, shooting a nod at a thickly bearded man in a red pork pie hat dozing in a rocking chair by the fire. “We own this here Adventurer’s Guild.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Achilles said, extending a hand to Gil, who didn’t respond.

“Mm. Pay him no mind… here, take a seat, let me get you something to drink…”

Achilles sat on a wooden stool in the corner as Marlon grabbed two tankards of ale from the kitchen and set them on the round table.

He also brought back with him a tiny bottle filled with a strange, purple liquid.

“You’ve been enchanted, son,” Marlon said, pouring the liquid into one of the tankards and handing it to Achilles.

Achilles didn’t touch his drink. “Pardon?”

“Be around his magic as much as I have, and you begin to recognize the signs. Wasn’t a big enchantment, I don’t think, but if you want it to go away, I suggest you drink that drink. Then again… perhaps you’re happier not knowing…”

“I apologize, but I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Marlon sighed. “You have any run ins with that Rasmodius lately? Wizard put a spell on you, son.”

“A spell? On me? Why would he have—” Wait a minute.

When was the last time he had seen Rasmodius? Achilles had visited him, at his tower to discuss… something. Something important? Something about spirits or something about…

“…the mines. I think it was something about… the mines.”

That bastard had put a spell on him! Why Achilles oughta—

A strange cough, that may have been a laugh, came from the back Marlon’s throat. “You remembering now? Bits and pieces? Yeah. Could speed up that there process if you just drink that up. I promise it’s not poison.”

Emboldened by his sudden rage, Achilles downed the ale.

The effects were instantaneous—Corvus, the spirits of evil, all of it—the memories came rushing back in a flood.

Marlon only watched Achilles impassively. “Yep,” he muttered, taking a swig of his own just as Achilles leapt to his feet.

“The mines—we have to get to the bottom of the mines by Spirit’s Eve, there’s—there’s a portal or something we have to destroy, we have to stop the evil spirits—”

“Slow down, son.” Marlon held up a hand. “You take a breath, now. I already know ‘bout what’s going on down there. Have known for quite some time, really, been trying to do something about it these last couple years… well, more than these last couple years…”

“The Wizard though… he said…” What had he said? That afternoon, when he’d enchanted Achilles. “He said not to worry? He said he had a plan—”

“He also bewitched you, so who are you gonna trust here? Nah.” Marlon shook his head. “If we wait for Rasmodius, we’ll be waiting the rest of our lives, son… I’ve long learned you can’t depend on cowards like him. Gil and I’ve had take matters into our own hands.”

More pieces were continuing to fit themselves together as Achilles sorted through these sudden spotlighted memories. One memory in particular began to shine differently under this new light, and as if prodded with a taser, he jolted up.  

“Abigail.”

Marlon merely continued to gaze at him, expressionless.

“You’ve been training Abigail. Abigail’s been going into the mines to—to find this Portal, or whatever. To destroy it.”

A stiff nod.

There is already one undertaking the task. That’s what Corvus had said. He must’ve been referring to Abigail.

Marlon waved for him to sit back down. “You know what a Portal is, son?”

“I… I tried researching it, it’s just a doorway, right? From the Spirit Plane to our Plane?”

Marlon nodded. “Portals have been around far longer than any of us. Thousands of years old— hundreds of thousands of years, maybe since the beginning of time. A way to travel directly between the Spirit Plane and the Physical Plane without going through the Astral. But they were all destroyed after the Spirit Wars. Or so they thought, I guess…

“After that, the only way to travel across was through them Elemental Walls. And even then, you need approval from the Arcane Council or something like that, and from what I understand, that happens ‘bout once in a blue moon. Had to be that way, you understand? Don’t want no more war, this made sure the Planes were kept nice and separate. Spirits can’t stick their noses into our stuff, we don’t stick ours in theirs.

“But Portals. They’re not like the Walls, they ain’t man made, ain’t regulated. Old magic, they be. That’s why they had to be destroyed back then. But now that we know there is one… well, the spirits just’ve been having a field day. They’re using that them Portal down there to get into our Plane easy peasy. Causing a lot of trouble, and more’s just on the horizon. See how that’s a problem? See why we gotta destroy it?”

Achilles nodded. “I- I think I’m supposed to help Abigail— destroy it. But does she need help?”

She had seemed so cool and confident just the other day when Achilles and Alex had bumped into her—sure, some scrapes and bruises and burns, but she seemed to be holding her own well enough down there if she was still in one piece and able to whistle about it all.

Marlon sighed. “I’m afraid I don’t know the answer to that… I can only say that you are one of five in this town who could help her, should she want it.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Only a select few members of this town are capable of seeing the mines truly for what they are—a damned hole, rotting with evil spirits. It has nothing to do with ability, nothing to do with skill. Only blood. Only those directly descended from the original inhabitants of Stardew Valley have the potential to connect with these particular spirits in some unique way or form.

“Abigail is one, through her mother, Caroline. Alex is one as well, through his grandmother. Shane and Lewis, too. Myself and Gil. And you.”  

“That’s nine people. You said five.”

“Well, we’re not going to throw Evelyn down the mines now, are we, son? Or Lewis, though we all may want to… And Gil and I? Well. We’ve been there once before, son. Look at us. We’re in no condition to go again…”

Achilles spared another glance at Gil who, still dozing in the rocking chair, didn’t seem to have even stirred at his name.

“You’ve been down there before? What happened?”

Marlon shook his head. “That’s a story for another time.”

Well all right then… Then again, judging by his and Gil’s condition, it was likely a traumatizing story. Perhaps it was best not to push.

“I’ve been on the hunt for a suitable, shall we say, candidate, for lack of a better word, for many a year now…” Marlon continued, thumbing the handle of his ale. “As I’m sure you already know, everyone connects to the spirits differently… Sometimes the gift skips generations all together—I found that likely was the case for Shane. He’s never showed any what sort of connection to them spirits.

“Alex, of course, would have been the most natural choice to go down the mines, strong lad that he is. It was a real blow to learn the spirits had such a bad reaction to his psyche. Was the same way with his grandma. And one’s gotta not only be strong of arm, but strong of mind down there…

“As for you, son—well, I left an invitation in your mail box back in the Spring after I had heard you had been seeing them forest spirits. But you never stopped by the guild, and, well—I didn’t want to press. You can’t very well force someone to risk their own life, can you now? I figured you just weren’t interested.”

This was news to Achilles. Had he known, way back in the Spring—would he have gone for it? But what even was “it,” really?

“I must’ve… missed your letter.” Maybe it was finally time to start checking his mail…

“I’ve been peculiarly lucky with young Abigail,” Marlon mused. He began to tap his dirty fingernails against the side of the plastic tankard. “Girl’s been real enthusiastic, and her connection to the spirits is ‘specially strong. Those magical gifts of hers are real well suited for the task at hand, they’re very grounded in the physical, but even so, the further she descends into the mines, the more I worry… and now that it’s Fall… well. You said it yourself, son. We’re running out of time if we want to get it done this year.”

“Perhaps I can talk to the Wizard,” Achilles offered. Oh yeah, and get your memory all futzed up again, huh? “Does he know Abigail’s doing this—perhaps if he realizes the stakes that are at play, the risk Abigail is taking—”

“It’s no use,” Marlon said, impatiently waving his hand as if he were swatting a fly. “I’ve tried to tell him—we made a deal once, to keep each other informed. I’ve even made the trek all the way out to Cindersap to that damn tower of his, me and my bad leg and all, to try to talk to him face to face but he never sees me… our history… it goes back too far… No. There’s too much pain there…”

Well, Achilles supposed now was “another time,” as Marlon launched into his story.

“The original Adventurer’s Guild trio was me, Gil, and Mona. Mona Jasper. Like Gil and I—and like you—ol’ Mona could trace her bloodline directly to the original founding members of Stardew. But back in those days, we didn’t know anything about the mines. We were just out there doing some good ol’ fashioned adventuring.

“She was able to communicate with spirits naturally, much like yourself, from what I understand. But Mona also possessed a physical connection, like Abigail, that allowed her to sense and track and interact with their presence. It’s a rare thing to have both, but it does happen… even rarer to know you have both. Then again, Mona herself was a rare thing in a number of ways…

“She practiced magic. Studied it, made sure to learn and cultivate and practice the many magical gifts she wasn’t born with. Became a bit of a jack of all trades—you see, Mona was more than just an adventurer. She was a scholar. Always reading the history books, making records of her own….

“And it’s because of that that she was the first to map out precisely where them keystones for the Walls stood in Stardew Valley—Cindersap Forest where Rasmodius went and built his tower, the mines, the land where the community center now stands, and… well I forget the rest, it was never my specialty… but all places steeped in ancient magic and used by the old mages to help build and hold up the Wall.

“Mona pieced together that there was something real bad starting to leak from them mountains. Bad spirits coming into our Plane—but how?

“Now hear me, son. This is when Mona realized—the Elemental Walls should be impossible to break through. In order to destroy one, it’s gotta be weakened on both sides: in the Astral Plane and in the Plane the Wall’s protectin.’ The Astral Plane side of things is a mess and has been for centuries, but it never mattered. How can a wall be damaged from the inside if a Spirit can’t get inside anyway?”

“But the Portal…”

Marlon snapped his fingers. “You got it, son. The Portal. Them evil spirits were leaching into our Plane through that and we didn’t even know. They were supposed to all be destroyed… but them spirits were leaking through, and because of that, were able to destroy the keystone at the mines, thereby weakening the Wall something terrible…

“But unlike the Walls, Portals are also tethers. Lucky for us. Means you can’t venture too far from where the Portal you come through is unless you’re real powerful. It’s why the mine fell so fast, but it’s taken years for them to take down the community center, only the strongest of ‘em can venture that far from the Portal. But as the Walls grow weaker, the evil spirits grow stronger… the junimos are still fightin’ back, but I don’t know how much longer they’ve got it in them… And if that falls, well… I fear for the Valley.

“Anyway, Mona decided we’d have to destroy the Portal once and for all. But she couldn’t go down alone to fix it though—she wasn’t powerful enough. Who was?

“So we went together. Mona, Gil, and I—we began to clear the mines, digging our way deeper and deeper. I know you’ve been down there once before, but you don’t understand. What you saw? Doesn’t hold a candle to what we had to deal with, son. Near impossible to navigate—there was no elevator. Every day, we had to start from the top and try to get down as far as we could as fast as we could. The monsters were worse back then. The spirits even more so.

“On a good day, we’d hit the 50s or 60s—sometimes the trapdoors would remain in the same place, or the floors would remain clear. Those were the lucky days. But more often than not, we’d be starting from scratch every day, unless we were brave enough to stay the night. We spent a week down there once, the things we saw…” Marlon shuddered. “Never again.”

Achilles interrupted Marlon here. “That’s insane— what happened, how’d you get an elevator?”

At these words, a shadow crossed Marlon’s face, and his one eye darkened. He dragged his fingernails against the wooden table.

“Rasmodius.

“He arrived out of nowhere one day. Bidin’ his time for nearly a year until comin’ to us saying he had… heard through the grapevine that something was happening in this here Valley and thought we’d need his help.

“And you know what? He did help. At first. I’ll give him some credit—he started joining us, and we were able to make more progress. He was able to make the mines more navigable, I’ll give him that. He created the elevator system; it couldn’t send us beyond where we had already dug, but at least it meant we didn’t have to start from the beginning every day.

“But then we reached the 100th floor and everything changed.

“Now Rasmodius was getting cocky… arrogant prick, started saying that he didn’t need us, that we might as well just leave it all up to him to save the day.

“We had an argument that night… it was late. And nearly Spirit’s Eve.

“Now you have to understand—it’s a tricky, tricky balance. From Mona’s research, you’ve got to time it so you reach the bottom the week of Spirit’s Eve when the Walls are at their weakest—need them weak so that people like us who ain’t no freak prodigies in magic can interact better with all things Spirit Plane. That includes the Portal.

“But if you wait too long—the closer and closer to Spirit’s Eve you get, the more the balance of power shifts towards the spirits. So the best time to go is Fall 22. And the worst is Fall 27. You got it? And once it hits Winter, well, you’re out of luck. The mine resets itself, almost. You gotta start back at the top. Start all over.

“We had reached the 100th floor on Fall 26. It was bad. Real bad. We told Rasmodius it was too dangerous, too close to Spirit’s Eve, who knew how many more floors there were? We were real tired—we said to him, why don’t we start again next season. We’ll be better prepared, we’ll have a functioning elevator.

“But he didn’t listen… so the night before Spirit’s Eve—”

“So Spirit’s Eve Eve?”

“Huh?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t know why I said that. Please continue.”

“So the night before Spirit’s Eve, Rasmodius went down without us. His gifts were different from ours—he’s not from the Valley, he’d never have been able to beat the mines himself. But he was a mad man, absolutely convinced he was destined to save Stardew on his own. And so he went down alone.

“Now Gil and I would’ve been fine leaving him for dead,” Marlon spat. “But not Mona—no, she raced down as soon as she caught wind of his plans, and, well, we were the Adventurer’s Guild. We couldn’t leave her. So Gil and I quickly followed…”

Marlon closed his good eye here. A pause. A deep, deep, rattling breath. Knuckles white as they shook in their grip of the edge of the table.

“It was the worst swarm that we’d ever seen. Gil and I, we just weren’t prepared—we didn’t have as much magic in us as Mona or Rasmodius. Within seconds, Gil was knocked out cold. Brain damage.” Marlon looked over at his companion. “Hasn’t been the same since. Falls dead asleep at random hours, real bad migraines… it’s a hard life.

“Me? Lost my arm, very near lost my leg to them terrible spirits and a misplaced bomb. Magic was swirling everywhere. Couldn’t see. It was over in minutes. It’s a wonder we got out at all… We came to in the hospital. Mona wasn’t there. Just Rasmodius. He said she had stayed behind, told him to get Gil and I out…

“And you can’t help but wonder… did she stay behind? Or had Rasmodius left her? We put up a gravestone… but there’s no body there. Suffice to say… something happened that night. Who it was—or what it was—only Rasmodius and Mona know and one isn’t sharing and the other isn’t here to share.”

Marlon sighed, shaking his head as he took another swig of ale to steady himself.

“But over the next few months, as Gil and I recovered—we realized records were disappearing. Most of Mona’s journals, all her records of the mines, her research, all gone. Destroyed? I don’t know. But I’ve long suspected Rasmodius… nobody else had any reason to meddle… why he did it, I don’t know. To stop other folks from trying? Makes you wonder what really happened that night…

“Interestingly, the worst of the monsters and spirits have drawn back since that night. There are fewer monsters in general, really, from what I’ve been able to piece together from Abigail and a couple of trips I tried to take in the years after. The elevator was damaged—overridden by bad spirit magic, my guess, which is why I suspect it works the way it does now, all gotta be on one floor for it to work. But, hey. It still works, and that’s what matters… why that all is, the easier monsters and stuff, I don’t know. I’d like to think it’s Mona. Somewhere down there still, working her magic as much as she can.

“Abigail’s been able to make pretty steady progress day by day. If you’re interested in helping, I can train both you and her, though it’s rather late in the game. She’s been doing good work, but another body can only help, can’t it? No chance you’re good with a sword?”

“Ah… I used to be a nationally ranked fencer, but I suppose they’re not really the same, are they?”

“Eh…”

Achilles bit his lip. Mona had, presumably, died. Gil and Marlon permanently disabled. Sure, things down in the mines seemed to be going dandier than they had 40 years ago, but even still…“I’ll… think about it.”

Marlon nodded, his face still rough as stone. “We can always push to next year… though Abigail’s made such good progress, it’d be a real shame. And the spirits are closing in more and more with each passing day… I’m just nervous for her. If she reaches Level 100. Things may be real better so far, but after that… she’ll be in brand new territory. What’s down there? What’s left from our last trip 40 years ago? Anything?”

Then again, leaving Abigail out to dry seemed rather cruel. Although on the other hand, how helpful would Achilles be really? A season was scarcely enough time to learn how to use a sword.

But didn’t Corvus say in some roundabout way that this was… for lack of a better word… his destiny? Didn’t the Wizard even, once upon a time, say that perhaps the Valley would need him?

But dying?

What was he willing to pay for having a purpose? Is this what he really wanted? He ought to want it—the quest, the glory, the goal. But thinking of descending below ground to battle monsters only made him nauseous.

“Do you think you really need me? Not a leading question… just want… your thoughts. Corvus said that the task would need two people—”

“Corvus?”

“Ah. Some… shadow spirit I met in a cave at Sunspray.”

At this, Marlon narrowed his eye. “You spoke to a shadow brute?”

“Yes.”

“Interesting… I’ll have to chat with Gil about that, that stuff was always more up his alley… I don’t know what this “needing two people” is all about, but we can always use the help. But as I said earlier, I don’t believe in tellin’ someone they oughta risk their life…. the decision is yours. If you don’t want to participate, that’s your right. But you stay close, you hear?”

[writing-gifts]

Finding Home (merman!Elliott x gn!reader)

A/N: Me and a friend, @hideyoosh, worked on this stardew valley reader insert fic together. There should be more chapters in the future hopefully. 

-------

The tree branches sway as the fallen leaves are carried in the gentle wind.

Today was a perfect day for fishing. You had been so caught up in tending to your autumn crops that you hadn't taken the time to focus on your hobbies. It wasn’t like you didn't enjoy farming though, it was just nice to take a break every once in a while.

Unfortunately, the lake in the forest south of your farm seemed to be quiet today. Nothing was biting, even with the bait you had hooked on. This was extremely peculiar since every time you came here multiple fish would bite throughout the day. You'd even throw some back. But now it was well into the afternoon and you hadn't caught a single thing.

You sigh and lean back in your seat you placed on the dock. Good thing you brought one with you.

While you contemplate whether you should call it day or not, your rod jerks forward. You finally had hooked something!

You scramble to try to reel it in hoping, praying, that it wasn't trash that got caught. However you cross that off quickly. Whatever you had at the end of the line was fighting back hard.

You put up your best fight, set on making this fish yours and it seems like neither of you will let up. But then your line suddenly snaps.

The release of tension sends you and your chair falling backwards. Your mouth gawks at the destroyed line on your iridium fishing rod. This wasn’t any cheap rod either. In fact, it was brand new!

What could have been strong enough to do this?

You pout at the loss of an incredible catch and your line that you would now have to fix.

"Dammit…"

Suddenly, you hear splashing from the lake and look up to see a man in the water not too far away from you. You had never seen this man in town before so you're immediately alarmed.

How long had he even been in the water?

"I’m sorry, I didn't mean to scare you!" he called out.

Your mouth hangs open and you’re at a loss for words.

The man had long ginger hair, and deep green eyes. Along with his defined cheekbones and sharp jawline, he might as well be physically flawless. Part of you couldn't believe he was even human.

He holds out your hook, the broken off piece of your line hanging from it, and begins making his way closer to the dock.

"I apologize for breaking it, but I couldn't get it out otherwise so…."

You finally manage to somewhat collect yourself back onto your chair and try to make sense of what was happening. Surely you would have noticed someone out in the lake before you cast out your line, so how did he get hooked?

He stares at you, and you stare right back. His gaze was warm and honest, almost naive.

Breaking the momentary silence, you utter a very eloquent, "What?"

"This hook. I believe it belongs to you seeing as we’re the only ones here. Thought I would return it since my arm has no better use for it."

You give a breathy laugh and reach for the outstretched hook. “Yeah I suppose you’ve got a good point there. Thanks.”

You take the hook from his hand, your fingers just brushing up against his. The small bit of contact has your face heating up unexpectedly and you look away.

What's wrong with you?Just an ounce of human contact and you're on fire! Touch starved much?

The other equally reasonable part of you argues otherwise though.

The man is a living, breathing deity of grace and beauty! Anyone with eyes can argue that. How am I still conscious?

And somehow you agree with both.

Once you take the hook, you notice the blood on his left arm.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hook you. I’d be a sorry excuse for a fisherman if I could only fish men."

He offers a short laugh and replies, "That's quite alright. You were just trying to catch a meal.”

Oh, I caught a meal alright...

“I assure you it appears much more garish than it actually is." He pokes around the wound to demonstrate no reaction. “See?”

"Please, it's my fault you’re hurt so I can at least help you clean the wound. My farm’s not too far, I’ll grab a first aid kit and be back.”

You get up from your chair quickly and give him no time to argue. If you were fast enough you could be back within an hour, so you half-sprint the trip back to your farm.

As you look through your medicine cabinet for anything else you might need, you remember the times you hurt yourself with fishing hooks. Sure, they can be annoying to deal with, but that’s really all. You can't really say much for experiencing getting hooked and reeled though.

Catching yourself zoning out, you quickly gather what you need before heading to the dock once more.

You run down the old wooden planks to your chair and pole, but you don’t find the injured stranger there with them.

Confused, you look around in the distance to see if he got out of the water somewhere. As soon as you turn to look behind yourself, you feel something grip your ankle. You shriek and frantically try to kick it off.

“WHAT THE F-”

"Shh! Please don’t scream! It’s me!"

Your ankle is released and you fall backwards onto the dock. Again. You scoot closer to the edge and meet an apologetic gaze. The man was still in the water after all. You give a sigh of utter relief.

“I’m so glad it’s you and not a murderous mythical fish monster...Where did you go?”

“I was diving a bit while you were gone. I’m sorry. It was ill mannered of me to grab you so suddenly,” he said earnestly.

Part of you wonders why he didn't just call out to you but you shrug.

“All is forgiven.”

You place a towel and first aid kit on your fish cooler and motion to the chair next to it.

"Can you get out of the water for me? You can sit on this seat so I can clean you up."

"Um…"

"What’s up?"

He visibly tenses at the question and musters out, "I just don't think I can get up into that seat."

He moves closer to the pier and places his hands on the worn wood before trying to lift himself up and falling back in the water.

“Not a problem man! I’ll help you up.”

“Wait!”

You take a good grip on his arm, muster all the strength you used trying to reel him in the first time, and heave him onto the dock. Your eyes widen when you see that his bottom half isn't human at all. His hips were completely covered in burgundy scales and as he sits himself on the edge of the pier, you realize that his lower body tapers off into a giant tail.

For the second time today you find yourself struggling to find words.

The man--no merman realizes your shock and gives an empty chuckle. "I've scared you again…"

Immediately, you blink and shake your head. "I--I'm just a little surprised, but not scared. You’d be surprised yourself that this doesn’t even top the list!"

Supernatural beings in this town aren’t exactly few and far between, are they?

“Anyways, tail or not, your arm still needs attention. Lift it up for me?”

The man gapes back at you but does as you say. It seems he’s the one left speechless this time.

You grab the disinfectant spray off the cooler and move the bandages to the seat before approaching him.

"This might sting a little."

You spray where the hook had got him and you realize that the gash goes down further than you thought originally. It begins near his shoulder and fades out around the middle of his bicep due to you trying to reel him in. The guilt starts to set in pretty fast as you inspect the wound.

As you try to take your mind off the damage you caused you notice the merman seems lost in thought.

"What's your name?" you ask.

He seems surprised yet relieved by the break in the silence. He slips into a relaxed and elegant smile and says, “Elliott. Might I ask you yours?"

"I’m ____, but most people just call me the farmer around here."

"Then it's very nice to meet you, farmer."

You grab the bandages but then remember that the Elliott would eventually have to go back in the water. So you fiddle with the packaged roll in your hands instead.

"Well, I think I'm done. I can't wrap the wound cause it would be bad if the bandages got wet. Will you be okay?"

"You needn’t worry! It will heal in no time at all and even more so since you helped me." He gives you a very charming smile and you can't help returning it.

He’s really different from everyone else in town, you think to yourself, and not just because of the whole merman situation. Elliott had a mature and sophisticated manner of speaking which was a welcome change of pace. And speaking with him was effortless as it was enchanting. You hoped it wouldn’t be the last time.

"Do you live here?"

The merman frowns slightly before shaking his head. "Unfortunately, I appear to be stuck between a rock and a hard place in terms of my home.”

"Oh, are you lost?"

"Not necessarily. I ended up here because I had nowhere else to go. The humans in blue along the coast have closed off any underwater entrance back into the ocean from here."

You tilt your head wondering what he means before it hits you.

Joja.

"The dam--They must have shut it off completely. But they said that they wouldn't!"

Your brow furrows as you try to figure out how this happened. Earlier in the year, Joja had finished the construction of their dam running along the outlet of the river bank to the sea. All you knew about it was bits of information you overheard in the saloon, really, and that helped you remember two things. That the dam was unfortunately an energy powerhouse in Stardew Valley and Joja was only allowed to build the dam under the condition that they could not mess with the river bank’s environment.

Cutting off the sea from the river is a huge interjection! They couldn't even do it without the proper authorization! What could they possibly be hoping to gain from a severed connection between the river and ocean?

Your thoughts come to a halt when you see Elliott giving you a concerned look. The last thing you want to do is give him more reason to worry, so instead you inhale deeply and do your best to comfort him.

"I'm sorry that happened to you. I wish I could help you get back."

He smiles weakly, "Your kindness and concern are enough."

The sentiment was nice but you shake your head. "No, I'm going to help you get back home. I've just decided."

The merman's eyes widen. "But how?"

"...That is a good question." You think for a moment but nothing is really coming to mind.

"I don't know yet but I'm sure we can come up with something eventually!"

Fortunately, that's enough to raise Elliott's spirits. "Perhaps you're right. They do say two heads are better than one."

You smile, but maybe you need to recruit some assistance though.

[getallemeralds]

okay i'm gonna go to bed soon BUT i finally drew headshots of (almost) everybody in runaway!! there's a couple important side characters i haven't designed and also . hold on i just had a minor crisis because i realized i forgot the name of the main antagonist. don't look at me

UH. ANYWAY. here's the cast of Runaway! aka "a group of psychic kids team up to save the world from an alien invasion". for some reason despite being the ""main"" limoliverse story it's also the one i don't talk about as much? i guess because i'm still finding my footing with it because it's a massive overhaul of my old ocs. iunno!

Callie: she/her, electrokinesis, "leader" and heart of the team. kins claus from mother 3. this is a canon fact about her Elliott: they/he, audiokinesis, wannabe shonen protag, does not actually wear glasses but thinks they make them look cooler Victor: he/him, raw kinetic force, confident jerk, thinks he's the protagonist, butts heads with everybody a lot but is dependable when needs to be, the only cishet Joseph: he/him, cryokinesis, Going Through It, got kidnapped by aliens once, 14 years old but probably the most powerful ngl Dominic: he/they (plural), telepathy, nervous but trying his best, gets bullied by a 14yo Nicolai: he/they (plural), telepathy, dominic's inner catboy (they're a system.), is the Do Things(tm) go go action alter Paige: they/them, ???, hybrid and abomination against reality but at least they're cute about it

Korat: he/him, """leader""", grumpy and wants to be taken seriously SO BAD, needs a nap Tielle: she/her, medic, gives no shits and takes no shit, still my favourite limolus, blind Dejon: he/him, medic-in-training, overly friendly dweeb, big chungus, mostly harmless Telika: she/her, The Actual Leader but lets korat take the spotlight, chill vibes, always a couple steps ahead Irakus: ie/ier/ierself or they/them, ex-courier, got caught up in all this and is now along for the ride, is doing ier best, good at firing laser beams????, cannot ride a bike to save ier life Brome: they/them, korat's enemy for no reason, not sure why he's here, was SUPPOSED to be doing research intohow kinesis develops but then SOMEBODY decided to RE-ENACT AMONG US on the FUCKING SHIP

uhhh if you ask stuff about these guys i'll answer it in the morning. i love all of them

[mavofficial]

You've been visited by the random OC question fairy! :D ~☆

What’s your character's name? Is it a long name? What’s their full name if it’s complicated (first names, middle names, and last names)?

YES YES YES! I was hoping for this question because like there’s a whole story behind Aiden’s name and it’s a piece of character development that I didn’t think would ever see the light of day. Thank you OC question fairy! You made all my dreams come true! 🤩

Merritt Aiden Vance is his full name!

Why does he go by Aiden? His family calls him Merritt. He grew up going by Merritt but then Hollywood basically took over his life. He was told that “Merritt” was super feminine and “Aiden” would be the cooler; so he practically abandoned the idea of going by Merritt publicly. Aiden Vance quickly became the name that people associated with the celebrity and Merritt became a name that only the closest people in his life were allowed to use.

A few more facts about his name:

The blog is mavofficial because it would be his social media username that came from his full initials.

This idea is still in the works but I think his fan call themselves “mavies” which plays off his initials.

Nicknames for him can be “Mer-kat” “Mer-bear” and “Merry” (which is reserved for his siblings, he hates being called Merry so much).

Merritt’s siblings are Odett, Garrett, Kennett, and Elliott.

[aion-rsa]

Marvel’s Loki Episode 5: MCU Easter Eggs and References

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This article contains Loki episode 5 spoilers.

Marvel’s Loki episode 5 is a big one. Yes, we know…last week felt like that. And the one before it, too. But this one really IS, with the entire episode taking place (as DoG’s Kayti Burt put it) on top of a literal “trash pile of MCU and Marvel Comics Easter eggs.”

With that in mind, let’s have some fun with all the incredible Marvel references they managed to sneak into Loki episode 5.

Journey Into Mystery

You probably already know this, but Journey Into Mystery was the book that first introduced the Marvel Comics version of Thor, with Loki following shortly after. The title eventually was just renamed Thor since the Asgardians had become the primary focus of the book for years by that point. However, Journey Into Mystery was revived a few years back, with its primary focus being on the adventures of Kid Loki this time around.

Thanos Copter

The Lokis pass a helicopter with “THANOS” on the side. This is a reference to Spidey Super Stories #39 from 1979. The all-ages comic featured a story of Spider-Man and the Cat (Hellcat) taking on Thanos, who was on the hunt for the Cosmic Cube. He flew around New York City in his own helicopter with his name on the side. The reference comes up as a joke here and there, including an issue of Deadpool. Even Thanos’ giant two-sided blade weapon from Avengers: Endgame has been considered by many to be a sly reference to the Thanos Copter.

Ecto-Cooler

While the Lokis are all drinking wine, Kid Loki is shown drinking Hi-C Ecto Cooler. The Slimer-based citrus drink was a tie-in to The Real Ghostbusters cartoon of the 1980s and lasted into 2001 due to its popularity. Afterwards, it became a fondly-remembered relic to time. Ecto Cooler made a brief return in 2016 to coincide with the Ghostbusters reboot. Sadly, there’s no news of it coming back for the upcoming Ghostbusters: Afterlife movie.

Speaking of Kid Loki…

Kid Loki

Kid Loki seems to be wielding a flaming sword, which looks an awful lot like Laevateinn, the sword he wielded in the Loki: Agent of Asgard comics.

Polybius

In the background of the Lokis’ lair, we see a Polybius arcade machine. Polybius is a long-running urban legend. Supposedly, back in 1981, an arcade machine was set up in Portland, Oregon, watched over by various men in black. The game was so addicting that it caused fights to break out and horrible side-effects to its players. We wrote more about the decades-old mystery of Polybius right here.

Pretty sure there’s an old Williams Space Pinball machine in there, too but that’s not as wild as Polybius.

The Void

Fittingly, the realm where all the pruned victims end up is called the Void. In the comics, the Void is a dark, inexplicable, and possibly biblical entity that acts as the evil side to the Sentry. During the storyline Siege, the Void murdered Loki, which facilitated his rebirth as Kid Loki.

Alioth

Alioth first appeared in Avengers: The Terminatrix Objective #1, the same 1993 comic that also introduced Ravonna Renslayer to the world…and one that features Kang as its central villain. Hmmmm…

Oh, and Alioth was co-created by Mobius M. Mobius inspiration/model Mark Gruenwald, who gets another shout later in the episode.

Vote Loki

The “politician Loki” who we see leading (inasumuch as they can/want to be led) the loose coalition of Variant Lokis is modeled almost exactly on the version of Loki from Marvel’s Vote Loki story by Christopher Hastings, Langdon Foss, and Paul McCaffery. In it, Loki ends up running for President, with his ridiculous campaign built on the “honest” deception of openly lying to the American people inadvertently aided by a credulous news media. It’s a good read and you should check it out.

This episode also engages in the old MCU/Star Wars tradition of someone getting a hand cut off…in this case it’s our pal, “Vote Loki.”

Frog Thor

A frog resembling Thor is shown in a jar labeled “T365.” Wouldn’t you know it, Thor #365 is the issue where Loki transforms Thor into a frog. Yes, it was a whole thing. Walt Simonson’s run on the Thor comics is really spectacular.

“Frog Thor” also got a mention in Thor: Ragnarok, during the “play within the movie” seen as “Loki” apologized to “Thor” for turning him into a frog.

You know, there’s even an independent wrestler with a Thor Frog gimmick. Life is beautiful sometimes.

Classic Loki

So it appears that Classic Loki is basically what would have happened if “our” Loki survived the opening of Avengers: Infinity War, which he did by allowing Thanos to kill a duplicate while he disguised himself as some debris. Classic Loki went into hiding and developed a taste for brighter greens and yellows, and aged into Richard E. Grant, before he was pruned by the TVA and found himself here in the Void.

Classic Loki’s line about “the god of outcasts” comes from 2019’s Loki #5, by Daniel Kibblesmith and Andy McDonald:

“I am Loki. God of outcasts. They see themselves in me. And I in them. All of us, alone together. It’s why my stories always end with someone trying to put me in a box. And begin with my spectacular escape.”

Later in the episode, Classic Loki and Kid Loki literally “exit stage right,” in what feels like a very deliberately “stagey” moment that plays on the Shakespearean overtones of all of this.

The Living Tribunal

On the ground in the Void there’s a large severed head…and it’s that of The Living Tribunal, a cosmic entity created by Stan Lee and Marie Severin back in 1967. The presence of a Living Tribunal (even one who is dead at this present time), whose entire purpose for being is predicated on the existence of a multiverse, means that the TVA is trying very hard to cut all ties and any evidence of the fact that the multiverse is already out there.

U.S.S. Eldridge

The USS Eldridge was a real Cannon-class destroyer in the U.S. Navy in use from 1943 to 1992. It was supposedly sold for scrap after it was decommissioned but Loki posits that perhaps it was an unwanted Variant in the Sacred Timeline. Perhaps this is because the ship was rumored to be subjected to the “Philadelphia Experiment” that was supposed to render it invisible to the human eye. The story is sadly probably a hoax.

There’s a not exactly great 1984 movie called The Philadelphia Experiment which adds time travel to the equation, making this little callback even more Loki appropriate.

Is That Stan Lee?

At about 9:38 there’s a mural in the TVA headquarters. On the right there’s a guy in prescription shades, with a familiar moustache and salt-and-pepper hair. We’re not saying that’s Stan Lee, but…

The Castle

Yes, we know, that ominous castle sure looks like Doctor Doom’s  home of Doomstadt, but…it’s probably not (or is it?). More likely, this is Castle Limbo, home of Kang the Conqueror (or…is it?).

We unpacked these possibilities some more here.

The Music

The “heroic Loki” theme at the end sounds like it’s about to break into Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries.”

Speaking of, the regular Loki theme is very similar to the part of the Delfonics “Ready or Not Here I Come (Can’t Hide From Love)” that was sampled for Missy Elliott’s “Sock It To Me.” The original (also sampled for the Fugees’ “Ready or Not” and Dr. Dre’s “Still D.R.E.”) was about the inevitability of love, and Missy’s song was about sneaking into somebody’s house to get your back blown out, so basically the same thing. Could have some bearing on Loki and Sylvie’s story.

The music that plays during the “Loki brawl” is this show’s equivalent of Scooby-Doo chase music. That’s a good thing, by the way.

Pixar, is that you?

Was that the Pizza Planet truck? Mobius’s ride, a station wagon with a slice of pizza on top, immediately brought to mind the popular Pixar easter egg/elaborate timeline mcguffin that has appeared in every Pixar movie to date. Also, very nice touch having Lightning McQueen himself drive it.

An even nicer touch is the license plate on the car Mobius is driving: GRN W1D. As in “Gruenwald.” As in (say it with us, kids!) Mark Gruenwald, the Marvel writer and editor who Mobius is based on.

Ant-Man

At one point on the ground in the Void we can spot a gigantic Yellowjacket helmet. Yellowjacket is the codename for several size-shifting superheroes in the Marvel Comics, but is best known to MCU fans as Corey Stoll’s Darren Cross from the first Ant-Man flick. 

Guardians of the Galaxy

There’s lots of crashed spacecraft, one of which kind of looks like the Dark Aster (Ronan the Accuser’s ship in Guardians of the Galaxy), and there may be a Helicarrier hanging around. There’s also a flying saucer that vaguely resembles the ship from John Carpenter’s The Thing, and a pirate ship that if Doctor Doom were actually the villain of this show (he isn’t…or…is he?) would make us think of that character’s very first appearance in Fantastic Four comics, where he sent Ben Grimm back in time to become Blackbeard. No, really.

Miscellaneous Time Variants

The fate of the Lokis is reminiscent of What If? #12, otherwise known as What If the X-Men Had Stayed in Asgard? At the end of the story, after tasting defeat yet again, Loki begged Those Who Sit Above in Shadow to allow him to rule Asgard. They agreed by sending him far into the future at the end of time. As reality started to break down, Loki went out laughing in the face of oblivion.

The bus ad at the beginning is for Calum Ross, who is an editor on the show. 

The shot of all the Lokis walking as the camera swoops overhead is very much reminiscent of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies.

Loki and Sylvie are cold in The Void. But wait a minute, aren’t they both Frost Giants? Why then would Loki conjure a green blanket? Unless he wants a convenient excuse to cuddle up with his Variant…

Loki is drinking “RoxxiWine” pinot noir…out of a box…which is a nice touch.

Is that weird, very large plant in the bowling alley hideout supposed to be a Variant Yggdrasil? Or wait…what if that’s Plant Loki?!? He’s green, isn’t he?

Next to Alligator Loki’s kiddie pool there’s a copy of The Mystery and Lore of Monsters, a 1930 book by Charles J.S. Thompson.

The tower we all keep thinking is Avengers Tower is in fact Qeng Tower, the headquarters of Qeng Enterprises, the company that Tony Stark (mistakenly) sold the old Avengers tower to in the comics.

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Spot anything we missed? (Probably, right?) Let us know in the comments!

The post Marvel’s Loki Episode 5: MCU Easter Eggs and References appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[number5theboy]

ALRIGHT

THIS SEASON

IT WAS A LOT

my liveblogged thoughts under the cut

Episode 1

·         Exhilarating! I love Ben

·         Ben already has more lines in these first five minutes than he had in the first season

·         This montage is good

·         ALLISON BABY

·         Luther yelled for Diego first I love this

·         Diego is immediately in vigilante mode…….hot

·         THE SHOT PARELLING VANYA’S FIRST WORDS

·         Vanya is a mess we love to see it

·         The shot of Five’s feet hitting the puddle? So aesthetically pleasing

·         The battle scene is such a smart way of reintroducing everyone’s powers and their Final Form™ succinctly

·         I love Hazel. So much.

·         The Umbrella Atomic Explosion™ is SO clever I love it

·         ALRIGHT UNCHARTERED TERRITORY LET’S GOOOOOOOOOOO

·         Oh Hazel and Five make me soft

·         Agnes and Hazel had a good life

·         Hazel is so dead

·         Welp that took no time at all

·         “How many times did I say bulletproof briefcases?” ily mister five

·         I love the Swedes they’re stupid

·         Are we ever gonna know what Agnes made Hazel promise?

·         Five is honestly world’s best character

·         FUTURE HEADQUARTERS

·         “Well the truth is out there!” abkdkblhlkbkhl

·         I shouldn’t make quick judgments, but conspiracy nut guy is nice and I hope he doesn’t turn out evil, because I also through Harold was nice in the beginning

·         Diego got himself arrested already what an idiot

·         Asddjgflkflhfl Diego’s problems all put out

·         Okay, set-up for Diego’s character arc of self-actualisation we love to see it

·         Lila is awesome, but I hope they don’t make her crush on him excessively

·         Diego and Five is an underrated duo

·         THEY ARE SO BICKERY

·         Five is jut gonna murder him sometime along the way

·         I LOVE FIVE SO MUCH WHAT A LITTLE SHIT

·         Oof Vanya is so cute in that outfit

·         This scene perfectly encapsulates women having to listen to men

·         VANYA’S GOING TO MILFTOWN Y’ALL

·         I cannot tell white men apart, does Carl look like conspiracy nut guy or is it just me?

·         As usual, Ben and Klaus are bad at everything

·         “neither does your beard” icon Ben Hargreeves

·         I support Ben pummelling Klaus

·         I passionately hate the beard and love the coat

·         Why do all the white men look alike, I thought this poker dude was a Swede

·         I KNEW BEN WAS LYING

·         “Pick a better time to self-actualise!”

·         I still hate the beard, let’s see if it grows on me

·         Yusuf Gatewood………….hot

·         By far the hottest couple so far in TUA

·         Please tell me she’s not still hung up on Luther

·         Yes she is goddammit

·         The moon thing is cute though, I can appreciate that

·         Luther finally gets a well-soundtracked fight scene I love it

·         OI THAT WAS BRUTAL HOLY SHIT

·         Oh Luther is pulling a Five in feeling bad about his excessive violence

·         I already hate his boss

·         Raymond marry me pls

·         Allison marry me pls

·         OH MY GOD VANYA LAUGHED

·         Sissy and Vanya have excellent chemistry

·         Oh I see the deliberate parallel with Vanya, Umbrella Academy, you aren’t fooling me

·         SWEDISH ASSASSINS BABY

·         Do you think they’ll say a single word or?

·         Literally the only way this show knows how to signal danger is through flickering lights

·         Two bopping fight scene and Five hasn’t been in any of them

·         Lila and Diego have no braincells between them it’s beautiful

·         Alright, she knows how to fight……..supicious

·         If this show wasn’t so hellbent on making Luther and Allison a thing, he would be best ace rep

·         Lmao “I don’t give a shit” I love you Luther

 EPISODE TWO

·         ALRIGHT THE HANDLER IS BACK???????

·         Okay so Hazel and Cha-Cha are dead but that pestilence still runs around??? Bruuuuuuuuuh

·         Kate Walsh is still hot though

·         AJ??????

·         THE FISH SMOKES?!?

·         God the Commission is such a capitalist hellhole

·         Oh there we have 743

·         H E R B

·         Okay I am here to see her humiliated but please no redemption arc for her

·         I love the deliberate parallels between Five and the Handler

·         “Like a masseuse?” IDIOTS

·         Oh Five is so lost and vulnerable baby boy

·         Also the character developments in Luther!!!!!

·         “Dad should’ve left him on the moon.” Five is, simply said, an icon

·         Oof Sissy is SO cute

·         I’m already not ready for Five to find Vanya

·         Lila is so extra can we keep her

·         Great now I have sympathy for Carl

·         Luther’s new outfit looks so good on him

·         OH LUTHER IS THE FIRST ONE TO SEE HER

·         Well that was dramatic and didn’t lead anywhere

·         Alright two episodes in, Civil Rights plotline hasn’t been fucked up yet

·         WHAT THE FUCK IS THE SWEDE DRINKING SO CONSCPICOUSLY

·         ELLIOTT IS THE NAME OF MISTER CONSPIRACY

·         “cousins on my robot mother’s side”

·         “Imagine Batman, then aim lower.”

·         Lila is great I love her

·         Diego is gonna throw both Five and Lila through a wall at some point

·         Five is so ready to throw Diego under the bus

·         Klaus Hargreeves, world’s worst cult leader

·         ……….did Klaus built a cult on pop lyrics?

·         Klaus and Raymond bonding I love it

·         DIEGO AND FIVE BEST TEAM

·         REGINALD IS THE UMBRELLA MAN

·         OH LUTHER IS GONNA FIND HER HOLY SHIT

·         THE BARN FROM THE PROMO PICTURE

·         This scene is so good

·         “You shouldn’t be the one to apologise.” I’M GONNA CRY

·         Tom Hopper and Ellen Page are so good in this scene

·         WHY DID HE LEAVE

·         What the flying fuck is up with the Swedes

·         BRO WHAT THE FUCK

·         Is Five ever gonna bring up the fact that he was supposed to kill Kennedy or?

·         Raymond is wasted on someone who doesn’t give him her whole heart

·         What the FUCK, Klaus

·         Why does she remember her name tho

·         The violin starting up when she talks about the callouses on Vanya’s hands

·         Brotherly bonding is my new favourite scene

·         Do the filmmakers know that your scene can be suspenseful and well-lit

·         Okay maybe baby Pogo is cute

·         There is gonna be no Five murdering spree, the blood is solely from Pogo

·         Next well-soundtracked fight scene

·         The choreography of this!!!!!

·         Man Reginald is a shitty dad before he even becomes a dad

·         Diego cannot catch a break poor baby

 EPISODE 3

·         SHITTY WIG ON KLAUS ALERT

·         THE LEVITATION IS BEN I HATE THIS

·         So far, all title card umbrellas have not disappointed

·         You are running in a straight line you really should hit her

·         Yep, Watchmen flashbacks

·         Luther remains cute and awkward

·         THEY ARE TALKING TO EACH OTHER BABY

·         S E Q U I N S

·         SNEAKY LADY ALLISON IS BACK

·         FINALLY

·         A HUG  

·         Allison and Klaus are so cute

·         What in the goddamn Looney Tunes is this outfit lady

·         WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU LADY

·         ALLISON HARGREEVES YOU QUEEN

·         This spooky ghost show is great

·         Everyone going off on Five is great

·         @ this show stop ripping Vanya and Five apart and let them be soft

·         Diego is so naked this entire season

·         Diego and Lila are a good dynamic

·         Elliott is a babe I love him

·         The Handler continues to be creepy about Five

·         So much driving

·         Luther is baby and Raymond deserves better than to deal with all the baggage from all the Hargreeves brothers

·         HE SHAVED THE BEARD

·         Ouch this is awkward

·         I don’t get why they didn’t cast normal Dave to play young Dave they’re not that far apart in age

·         Oh he’s gonna have to let Dave go

·         Oh this scene must be so triggering

·         Oh shit’s bad and it’s only episode 3

·         PUPPY???

·         WE WERE RIGHT ABOUT LILA

·         WHAT DO YOU MEAN THANKS MOM

 EPISODE 4

·         Oh my god the Handler is pure fucking evil

·         She learnt the fighting from her mom alright

·         THE RED BOOTS WERE THERE ALL ALONG

·         Man I hoped that the antisemitism was gone

·         Vanya being protective of Luther :’)

·         Luther only has shitty father figures

·         I can’t believe they were better organised last season

·         Why do you hate the Vanya/Five dynamic so much, show?

·         Five got an extra dose of asshole today this season huh

·         Reggie is probably the twelfth

·         Oh boy Klaus is a trainwreck

·         That marriage is also a trainwreck

·         I understand Ray though

·         Why is there Styx on this soundtrack

·         Oh Klaus baby

·         GALA NIGHT BITCHES

·         Five is a smart young old man

·         Oh baby is eating his heart out

·         Oh the hug makes me soft though

·         Honestly, Tom Hopper and Emmy Raver Lampman have such cute chemistry

·         AWKWARD DARLING MAN

·         “Doomsday” *nervous chuckle*

·         Ballroom lessons as kids

·         This is an excellent dance scene

·         OH MY GOD MOM WAS MADE AFTER A REAL WOMAN

·         THIS SHOW MAN THIS SHOW

·         Reggie is gross

·         Diego’s mommy AND daddy issues are put on blast this season

·         Sissy is such a babe

·         Man we got budget BUDGET for this season

·         Alright, the white violin can revive people now cool cool cool

·         How different her powers are when powered by love

·         I love Elliott I hope he survives the eason

·         I am down for Luther and Elliott getting high together

·         LET’S GO LESBIIIAAAAAAAAAANS

·         God Allison and Klaus make me so soft

·         I am very supportive of Elliott and Luther becoming bros

·         You already shanked one son, go poker stick another one

·         YES EXCELLENT FIGHT MUSIC

·         They both?????? Just left him to fend for himself??????????

·         Ancient Greek??? Bitch what

·         This show is rated for violence and we have barely seen any!!!!!! What!!!!!!!

 Episode 5

·         Okay baby Pogo and Grace is adorable

·         Why is Pogo in space now

·         THEY KILLED POGO

·         AGAIN

·         Hargeeves got a hug before Five did what the effing fuck

·         He might be a dick but his instincts are good

·         Haha old cowboy

·         Ben is so done

·         Vanya……..Sissy……..my heart

·         Wow Reginald continues to be a massive arse

·         Luther/Diego/Five are DUMB and I love them

·         “No, bro, he shanked your heart.”

·         God the Handler!!!!!!

·         THE MUSIC AT THE REUNION

·         We didn’t even see Five reunite with Allison and Klaus!!!!!

·         GOD WHAT A SISTERLY UPGRADE

·         KLAUS VANYA AND ALLISON HUGGING

·         Allison and Diego rights babey!!!

·         Are the Swedes ever gonna say something or

·         LILA AND FIVE TEAM-UP LET’S GO

·         I’VE MISSED YOU ALL SO MUCH I’M GONNA CRY BABY

·         The red-blue dynamic in Luther and Diego I live for that

·         Luther and Diego are gooooooood together

·         What is up with that

·         Klaus, Vanya and Allison are dumbasses and I love them so much

·         Alright where are the Swedes doing and why is that tree so creepy

·         Oh the youngest Swede just went tits-up

·         Please tell me Five is finally getting a fight scene

·         Excellent fight scene

·         Great, now I feel sad for the Swedes

·         They deffo have a cooler aesthetic than Hazel and Cha-Cha

·         This cover is beautiful

 EPISODE 6

·         This wig looks better than Klaus’

·         Also Ben has barely been in this season where is he at

·         Oof Ray is so cute

·         The Handler and Five have such good chemistry holy shit

·         Diego, Luther and Vanya are a god-tier dynamic

·         We love the CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

·         BENNY BOY HAS A CRUSH

·         Wait how is this only episode six I feel like this is already the pensum of the first season

·         Clothing montage baby!!!!!

·         God they look so good together

·         Oh Allison can be RUTHLESS

·         THE BINGO CARDS

·         Oh no no no no I didn’t think Klaus and Dave could be even more tragic

·         THEY TALK

·         God she is so fucking creepy stop lusting after a child

·         World’s most satisfying elevator shot

·         This scene is chaos I love it

·         God everyone just harps on Diego’s daddy issues jesus

·         Oh baby no

·         Oh babies no

·         NO NOT THE DISSOLUTION OF TEAM ZERO

·         Why are there so many antisemitic dogwhistles in this

·         This scene between Five and Reginald is good

·         NOT ELLIOTT

·         Oh no no no no Carl

·         Alright at least this promises a good fight scene

 EPISODE 7

·         This polka music bops

·         Wait how did he get to 1982

·         HE SAID FUCK

·         Man Carmichael was out so quick

·         No fish-eating?

·         Awwwww Klaus and Ben have a heart to heart

·         Oh God, Diego and Luther have no brain activity between the two of them

·         That is a Look

·         Oh this montage of Ben rediscovering touch

·         The writing of this show was oddly prophetic

·         Oh wait Vanya’s gonna be incarcerated too right????

·         Oh this is heart-breaking

·         Really?????? Ben’s the dorky one???

·         Oh my god Ben is getting a hug and Diego is so soft

·         Man why are Five and Vanya so antagonistic

·         FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT

·         Dude a fight between them would have been so epic

·         Diego

·         You idiot

·         Oh Allison really loves him and he loves her

·         Oh I am so sad

·         Yeah this episode is infinitely worse than the day that wasn’t

·         FUCK YEAH BACKSTREET BOYS

·         What the fuck

·         Yo that is sadistic as fuck Allison what the flying fuck

·         This scene might ruin the song for me

·         There definitely was an easier way out

·         They fucked it up

·         I am not surprised

 EPISODE 8

·         Oh she speaks Russian

·         Five just snapped and honestly deserves it

·         Yeah I feel for the Swede

·         What is it with commission assassins and axes this season

·         “Your vagina needs fresh glasses.”

·         Nepotism

·         Oh Grace is turning on him baby!!

·         Ha remember when we were all like ‘oh no they’re making Reggie sympathetic’

·         Yeah so much for that

·         Five and Luther are……..soft

·         What the fuck is up with that

·         AYYYY BUTTHOLE SURFERS ON THE SOUNDTRACK

·         Oooooohhhhhhh trippy kid scene

·         Also Reggie is bad at German

·         I love Luther and Five so much

·         We finally get to see older Five’s tie pattern

·         Alright Lila makes me uncomfortable

·         FIVE IS GONNA GO FERAL Y’ALL LET’S GO

·         Man after the last rampage you’d think they’d upped security in this place

·         Herb for president!!

·         Some catch Diego’s ego is going berserk

·         Oh not again

·         Dot is a rebel now

·         Everyone is ragging on Five, even Five

·         This is so trippy

·         Oh yeah the brains. Forgot about those.

·         I……….sad

·         Oh my god oh my god oh my god

·         Of course it’s all the government’s fault

·         Love how they just walked into an FBI building

·         Bro what the fuck is going on

EPISODE 9

·         Allison is always there for Vanya and I love her

·         Hello Klaus and Diego are so cute

·         Oh my heart you go Klaus

·         So much for that

·         BUT BEN

·         YOU ARE CLIFF-HANGERING BE INSIDE AN EPISODE

·         Crazy Five is an idiot I love him

·         “I’m the daddy here” is not the gazelle, but it’ll do in a pinch

·         The 743!!!!!!

·         Oh God, Harlan is in danger

·         She loves him?!? You barely know the man!!!!!!

·         WHAT’S ON THE PAPER

·         Oh it’s her file

·         HELLO LET US SEE THE FIVES TYING TO OFF EACH OTHER

·         This continues to be trippy

·         These visuals are so stunning

·         This is my favourite scene so far, this is so good, this is an excellent talk

·         NO

·         NOT BEN

·         NOT BEN

·         “I’m askin’, Carl.” You go Sissy, love you, you’re doing excellent

·         Alright, we have a mini-Vanya here

·         Oh I hate the Handler so fucking much she is the worst

·         What a plot-twist

·         Oh god so much is going on in this season

·         Oh we get fish-eating, but it’s not Five? That’s lame

·         Why are they all so hell-bent on making stupid decisions

·         Klaus you idiot

·         Oh that SON OF A BITCH HARGREEVES

·         What the fuck what is on the dark side of the moon

·         What the flying fuck what the fuck what tebdjbdgkbjdsgkbjgsdjgnj

·         WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU’RE GOING TO WAR

 EPISODE 10

·         Oh the kids are back for Ben’s funeral

·         I hate this

·         Reginald is just. The worst.

·         My emotions are all over the place

·         Oh……..babies

·         OH MY GOD DIEGO

·         AND FIVE

·         It wouldn’t hurt to go to an abandoned farm

·         God this is a family of shitty choices

·         I don’t want Ben to be gone

·         FAMILY TIME

·         Oh shit I totally forgot about the last Swede

·         BRO THE STAKES

·         YEAH THIS LOOKS BAD

·         ALRIGHT Harland is gonna be alright

·         All these assassins have shit aim

·         HE’S MATRIXING

·         LILA’S ONE OF THE 43

·         SHE CAN ABSORB AND REDIRECT THEIR ENERGIES

·         ONE OF THEM ONE OF THEM ONE OF THEM

·         Awwwwww they love each other

·         Oh great THEY’RE DEAD AGAIN

·         Oh now LILA will have to fix the timeline

·         Wait now they’re all dead

·         The swede to the rescue?

·         Please tell me she’s dead for good this time

·         We love a de facto protagonist saving everyone’s asses once more

·         GO VANYA SAVE THE BABY

·         Dot and Herb are precious dumbasses

·         This is heart-breaking, but I understand Sissy so much

·         WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS CLIFFHANGER

[eraserdude6226]

Gander – a 9/11 tale of goodness on a day filled with sadness

As I sit here today and think about the events that unfolded 19 years ago, I am filled with sadness and find myself teary eyed.  All the death that was around us and all the sadness as we watched the terror that unfolded in New York City, Washington DC, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.  All those souls that were lost that day – Mother’s, Father’s, Son’s, and Daughter’s – every one of them someone’s family member!  But there was also a bright moment to this day that no one hardly hears about – a genuine “feel good” story about a day filled with sadness.

As you probably know, once the planes started hitting their targets, air travel in the United States was closed down and all planes were ordered to land.  A lot of plane traffic was re-routed to other airports and this is where we begin our 9/11 tale – Gander, Newfoundland.  Gander is small town of 10,000 residents whose only claim to fame is Gander International Airport.  Gander Airport was opened in 1938 and was an important stop for early aircraft travelling the transatlantic route for fuel.  It was also used as a convoy air patrol base during World War II, providing anti-U-Boat air patrols to protect convoys travelling to Europe.  It has 2 runways that are 8,900 and 10,500 feet long, so they are able to handle modern day jet aircraft.

So, the Twin Towers come down, the Pentagon was hit, and Flight 93 crashes in Shanksville after the passengers fought to take back the plane and the FAA order all air traffic to land and if the air traffic has not entered US airspace to turn it around.  Gander accepted 38 flights for a total of 6,700 passengers and crew.  Now, that might not sound like a huge issue, but remember that there are only 10,000 residents.  In a span of a couple of hours, the population of Gander grew by 66%. How did the residents respond?

The mayor at the time, Claude Elliott, had a huge problem in his hands. The town was suffering from a bus driver strike, shutting down public transportation.  In a town of 10,000, would there be enough staples to take care of the additional people now there.  When interviewed for an article, all the mayor had to say was this: “What we consider the most simple thing in life is to help people … You’re not supposed to look at people’s color, their religion, their sexual orientation – you look at them as people.”

And help they did!

The bus drivers laid down their picket signs and went back to work. Donations of all kinds came flooding in to ease the traveler’s needs because traveler’s were not, for security reasons, allowed to access their personal baggage.  Passengers needed access to their prescriptions, so the town pharmacist’s worked their networks to get the prescriptions needed for passengers. There was even a veterinarian who took care of the animals in the holds of the aircraft, which included taking care of 2 chimps headed to the Columbus Zoo.  When the chimps had their offspring a couple of years later, the Zoo named it “Gander” in tribute to the people who took time to take care of their animals.

Passengers were sent in to town to sleep in makeshift dormitories set up in school gyms, community centers, and churches.  When those overflowed, the town looked to its citizens, who took total strangers from all over the world into their homes.  And then the feeding began.  The residents of Gander began to cook … and cook … and cook!  Cooking so much that the grocery shelves were bare! Of course, what happened – more food was trucked in,  so much in fact that the local hockey rink was converted to a large walk-in cooler to keep perishables fresh!

By the passengers second day on the ground, Gander residents had made them feel so loved that the Mayor had a “screeching in” making the grounded passengers “Honorary Newfoundlanders”.  “Screeching In” is a ceremony where visitors wear yellow sou’westers, eat hard bread and pickled bologna, kiss some cod on the lips, then drink the local rum, called screech, while onlookers bang an “ugly stick” covered in beer-bottle caps.

The town’s response was so great that there is actually a musical written about called “Come From Away” written in 2012 by Irene Sankoff and David Hein in 2012, it focuses on a handful of real-life stories from Gander.  The play has won a Tony Award and opened to great acclaim in New York, London, San Diego, Toronto, and Dublin.  The musical tells stories of people like Beverly Bass, A captain for American Airlines and Nick and Diane Marsden who met in Gander and got married the following year.

So here we will end our tale.  A story of the kindness of a town to strangers – to people who were stranded on the worst day of days.  But the ray of hope that this tale could give us is this – even in the world of division, we still need to remember that we are still members of one race, the human race and that no amount of division should ever, EVER, force us to treat someone bad because you never know when your time on earth will come to an end.  As a line from “Come From Away” says: "somewhere, in the middle of nowhere, you've found your heart but left a part of you behind" - a lyric from its most popular song, 38 Planes or as Mayor Elliott said when the whole episode was over: “We started off with seven thousand strangers, but we finished with seven thousand family members.”

© 2020 – Red Piper Communications

[alexandralyman]

Could you write a one shot where Ethier killian or emma has to sing to one another because they have a nightmare? I have been trying to find a fic like this but I cant😞 Just a suggestion :)

Hey @liftinglovley - you sent me this a while ago and I finally sat down and wrote it out. I knew the song I wanted to use - a personal Disney fave that I think is underrated compared to the more famous ones but it perfect as a CS song - it just took some time to figure out the rest. What I came up with was this, 3,900 words, mostly of canon compliant, domestic CS.

Set at some point after 7x02 and before the finale, rated PG

Also posted on ff.net here as part of my Every Page series of one-shots

                                          candle on the water

Minnesota, 1991Children’s Group Home

“She’s faking it.”

Emma looked over Mrs. Cooper’s shoulder at Kayla, leaning against the doorway with her a sour look on her face. The thermometer jammed uncomfortably in Emma’s mouth kept her from sticking her tongue out at the other girl, Kayla had been nothing but a bitch since Emma had arrived at the group home and here she was again, sticking her nose in where it didn’t belong.

“Kayla, you’re going to miss the bus,” Mrs. Cooper said without turning around, one hand pressed to Emma’s forehead. She took the thermometer and squinted at it, while Kayla craned her neck and tried to get a look at the number on the little screen. Emma hunched forward, the scratchy, donated pajamas were making her back itch again and felt damp and gross after a night of tossing and turning and barely making it to the bathroom down the hall before she threw up that morning.

“You’ve got a bit of a fever honey, it’s probably best if you stay home from school today.”

“What?” Kayle screeched, dropping her faux-fur backpack on the floor with a thump. “No way! If she’s sick then so am I, she probably gave it to me and I should get to stay home from school too!”

“That’s enough!” Mrs. Cooper snapped, getting up off of Emma’s bed and turning around to shoo Kayle out of the room. “You already skipped twice last week and now I’ve got to set up another meeting with your principal and your social worker to discuss your attendance issues, you are not sick and you are going to school today, young lady!”

Emma felt too crappy to tell Mrs. Cooper that Kayla had actually skipped school three times last week, not two, and had gone to the mall with two older boys to shoplift cassettes from the music store and had hidden them under her mattress. Besides, Emma wasn’t a snitch, even if Kayla deserved to be hauled off to juvie, snitches got their ass beat and their stuff messed with. Still, she smiled as Kayla angrily snatched up her backpack and went stomping down the stairs, followed a minute later by the loud slam of the front door. Mrs. Cooper sighed at the sound, shaking her head. Emma almost felt sorry for her, but she knew by now that the woman would probably be gone in a few months anyway and a new housemother would come in and change all the rules again, no one ever stayed for long working at the group home and there was no point in feeling bad for any of them. Even the nice ones.

Especially the nice ones, cause it always hurt the most when they left.

Mrs. Cooper was one of the okay ones. She told Emma that she had a lot of work to do and would be in her office most of the day, but Emma could watch TV if she wanted instead of having to stay in bed, as long as she didn’t make too much noise. Emma dug out her baby blanket from her own hiding place and brought it down with her to the TV room, since she knew it would be safe with all of the other kids at school until three. The older kids usually hogged the remote and never let anyone else pick what show to watch, so Emma didn’t even care that the saltines Mrs. Cooper brought from the locked pantry to help settle her stomach were the lame store-brand kind that always broke when you tried to take them out of the package and tasted like cardboard. She clutched the remote tight on her lap all through The Price is Right and when it was over and some dumb soap opera started she started flicking through all the channels, careful to keep the volume down so that Mrs. Cooper wouldn’t get all mad and make her go back to bed. Boring news shows, and even more boring M*A*S*H rerun, that was playing on two different channels for some reason, an infomercial for a cooking thing that could make breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert, and she changed channels again because the grilled cheese sandwich the lady was making in it looked good and was making her hungry. She wished the VCR wasn’t broken again or that they got one of the cool channels like MTV, burrowing a bit more into her blanket.

“And now back to the KSTP afternoon movie, Pete’s Dragon.”

Emma watched as the TV screen was filled with a little, old-fashioned looking town next to the ocean. She sort of knew this movie, it was one of those old Disney ones that had real people and cartoons all mixed together, like Mary Poppins. The older kids would call it a baby movie, especially Kayla, who hid makeup she wasn’t supposed to be wearing in her backpack, but the older kids and Kayla were all at school and Emma could watch whatever she wanted to without anyone making fun of her.

She leaned her head against one of the cushions as the movie played on. Pete was a boy, an orphan about the same age as her, but he had a dragon named Elliott who helped him escape from the bad people who’d bought him and together they made their way to the small town by the ocean. They met a lady named Nora, whose boyfriend died in a shipwreck, and her dad the lighthouse-keeper, and all the other townspeople, living happily with them until the bad people showed up and tried to capture Elliott. He got away, and used his breath to relight the fire at the top of the lighthouse after it went out, saving the life of Nora’s boyfriend, who wasn’t dead, he just had amnesia and forgot her until he got better and had come back on another ship. They invited Pete to stay and join their family, and he said goodbye Elliott, who flew away to look for another kid like Pete to help.

There was also a *lot* of singing. Emma didn’t like to sing, not anymore.

It was kind of a baby movie. Orphans like Pete didn’t just find new families like that. They ended up in foster care and their chances of adoption went down the older they got. The social workers called it statistics, Emma knew it meant that there wasn’t a happy, ready-made family out there waiting for her, or Kayla, or any of the other older kids. In real life Nora and her boyfriend would just have their own baby. And dragons definitely weren’t real.

The songs were okay though, and her favourite was the one Nora sang while looking out over the ocean from the lighthouse balcony when she was missing her boyfriend, even though it was the slow one.

“I’ll be your candle on the water,My love for you will always burn.I know you’re lost, and drifting,But the clouds are lifting.

Don’t give up, you have somewhere to turn.”

                                                      …..

Some Years LaterStorybrooke, Maine.

“How’s the morning sickness today, sweetheart?”

Emma held the phone to her ear with her shoulder, reaching up for the box of saltines in the cupboard.

“More like Killian-tired-to-bring-fresh-mackerel-in-the-house-sickness today,” she said to her mother with a wince. “The smell was just….ugh.”

Snow laughed softly. “Oh, I remember that. I had to bolt from a ball once when I was pregnant with you and they were passing around caviar hor d'oeuvres, your poor father found me throwing up in a decorative urn out on the balcony.”

“Yeah, pregnancy and fish just don’t seem to mix. Which is a little awkward when you’re married to a man who views it as an essential food group.”

“Guess it runs in the family,” Snow said, and Emma could practically see her mother’s smile even over the phone. “You do kind of have my chin.”

She started to nibble on one of the saltines while Snow chatted on, hoping Killian would be back soon with the ginger ale he’d gone out to get after discovering they were all out while she was puking her guts up in the bathroom. He felt terrible about the whole mackerel incident, quickly apologizing to both her and the baby for upsetting them before slamming the lid back on the cooler and taking it out onto the porch. Emma loved that he was teaching her little brother how to fish, but maybe the rather pungent fruits of their labour could stay on the Jolly Roger and out of her kitchen for right now.

“Oh! Before I forget, I got a letter from Ruby, after the baby shower she and Dorothy are going to finally take that road trip out to Kansas that they keep talking about before they go back to Oz.”

It was a little odd that the guest list for Emma’s upcoming baby shower included both the actual Wicked Witch of the West and Dorothy, but such was life in the small town of Storybrooke Maine, where almost everyone was a fairytale character, including Emma’s own husband and the father of her unborn child, the fearsome Captain Hook himself.

A very sheepish Captain Hook, when he returned home from the grocery store toting a reusable shopping bag stuffed with ginger ale, another box of saltines, the good kind and not the lame store brand that always broke as soon you tried to take one out of the sleeve and tasted like cardboard, a bouquet of roses and a scented candle.

Two scented candles.

Three scented candles.

Candles kept appearing from the bag until over half a dozen jars were crowded together on the kitchen table, cinnamon stick, eucalyptus, bayberry, fresh linen. Emma rested a hand on the swell of her stomach and raised an eyebrow at Killian, noting how the tips of his ears had gone red.

“I thought a candle might help if there was any lingering odor from the mackerel, but I wasn’t sure if there were any other scents you and the bean were particularly sensitive to right now so I thought I should get a backup, just in case, but then what if you didn’t like that one either so I procured a backup for the backup, and then-”

“A backup for that one too?” Emma finished, trying not to laugh.

“Aye, well. It seemed like a good idea at the market.”

She’d used Febreeze and a bit of magic to get rid of the icky fish smell once she’d come out of the bathroom, but she appreciated the effort nonetheless and she shuffled forward to wrap her arms around his neck while he shifted his hips to make room for the baby between them. Pregnancy was hard, and exhausting, she wasn’t seventeen this time around and morning sickness had teamed up with midnight heartburn to seriously kick her ass, but she had Killian and her parents and half the town on speed dial, ready to drop everything and come to the Saviour’s aid.

It had taken her years to find the home Neal had once talked about, and almost as long to accept that Storybrooke was, in fact, that place, but now that she had it was like a cloud had lifted and while her life would never be simple, she wasn’t living it alone.

They had takeout from Granny’s for dinner instead of fresh-caught mackerel - grilled cheese, with a side of sauerkraut, because Emma had a craving for it and Killian knew better than to ask why the smell of fish made her throw up but fermented cabbage was OK - and finished the movie she’d fallen asleep halfway through the night before. After their wedding, once things had finally quieted down in Storybrooke (not that they were ever completely calm in a town where Moby Dick might surface in the harbour on a random Sunday and a pair of actual dragons lived in a house down the street and threw weekly barbecues that had a tendency to set neighbouring cars on fire) they’d finally had time for what Henry dubbed Operation Pop Culture, a.k.a getting Killian more familiar with The Land Without Magic. Specifically, the movies, TV shows, books and music that everyone with curse memories was already aware of and even though Henry was off on his own adventure now, they still made time at least once a week to keep the operation going in his honour.

Star Wars. Back to the Future. Indiana Jones. Harry Potter. They made their way through several TV shows on Netflix and watched the animated Disney classics. Which was…interesting, to actually sit down and rewatch them all now that she knew the real stories behind the catchy songs and all the happily ever afters. They’d taken a bit of a break after Peter Pan, for obvious reasons, and Emma was sure watching it had been a huge mistake, but Killian said he wanted to see her frame of reference for all the people that now made up their family and friends, to understand why she had such a hard time reconciling that Mary Margaret and David really were Snow White and Prince Charming at first, or that magic was actually real.

It had been more difficult for the both of them than she’d expected, but just like letting her son follow his own path, sometimes difficult was necessary.

Now they were in the midst of what Emma described to Henry during their enchanted mirror Skype sessions as, “Disney Movies Starring People We Don’t Know and Aren’t Related To (We Think)” that had started after a bout of magic gone wrong had resulted in Killian and David switching bodies, literally on a Friday too, so naturally they had to watch Freaky Friday once the spell was undone and everyone was thankfully back where they belonged, which wasn’t Killian-in-David’s-body sleeping on their couch and David-in-Killian’s accidentally scratching the shit out of everything in the farmhouse with the hook until Snow finally took it away in exasperation.

Mary Poppins. Honey I Shrunk the Kids. The Parent Trap and Herbie the Love Bug (like with Freaky Friday, the originals only, not the Lindsay Lohan remakes) Pete’s Dragon. Escape to Witch Mountain. Emma had seen some of them before, some were new to her, and the easy, family-friendly movies with simple plots and happy endings were just the thing to relax with in the evenings, especially with their own family expanding literally day by day.

By the time David Freeman made it back to 1978 and his parents and brother after travelling through time in Flight of the Navigator, Emma was stifling her yawns, her head pillowed on Killian’s chest and his fingers playing gently with her hair. She was already in her pajamas, or more accurately, his, since the waistband on the flannel pants was still stretchy enough for her stomach and his T-shirts fit much better than hers right now, plus they were all soft and comfy. The baby was already asleep and Emma wasn’t that far behind, Killian took care of locking up and turning off the lights while she made her way upstairs and drowsily brushed her teeth.

“Goodnight, my love,” he said once they were settled in bed, spooned up behind her with his strong thighs warm against the backs of hers, bracing her against any possible storm brewing on the horizon, even if it was just midnight heartburn again. His hand drifted down to her stomach, as it did every night. “Goodnight, little bean.”

Ever since the pregnancy tracking app on her phone had compared the size of their then eight week old embryo to a jelly bean, Killian had called the baby their own magic bean and even though he or she (they were keeping it a surprise) was now supposedly the size of a papaya according to that same app, the “little bean” nickname had stuck.

“Night, Killian. Love you too.”

She was up again around two, thankfully not because of heartburn, but she needed to pee and she was hungry. Emma went downstairs after she’d used the bathroom, leaving Killian to sleep while she rooted around for something to nosh on. The house was dark, shadowed, the half-finished nursery stacked with boxes and Henry’s old room still had comic books on the shelves and photos tacked around the mirror.

Her children, both were with her in some ways, and absent in others.

The overhead light was too bright to deal with in the middle of the night so she flicked her fingers absently at one of the candles and it flared to life in an echo of the magic flaring under her skin. It illuminated just enough so she didn’t trip over the rolled-up bottoms of Killian’s pj pants or stub her toe on any of the kitchen chairs. She wasn’t sure which one it was exactly, but the smell was nice.

Emma started humming under her breath while she debated between what was left of the sauerkraut or throwing some poptarts in the toaster when a noise from upstairs made her freeze. A faint thump, and then another, and then a loud cry that had magic bursting alongside the adrenaline that flooded her when she heard her husband scream. Without thinking about it she teleported herself upstairs and as the smoke cleared she saw he was sitting up in bed, pillows thrown to the floor and the hook clutched in his hand. He had a more modern brace to attach it to now instead of the old contraption of leather straps and buckles, but he didn’t sleep with it on and it was usually left on the nightstand next to the phone charger. His phone was providing the bit of light in the room, Emma could see the picture of herself that he had set as his lockscreen smiling at her and then it turned off and the room was plunged into darkness, but not before she caught a glimpse of Killian’s face, eyes wide and terrified.

“Swan?”

His voice wavered and cracked while she climbed onto the bed, a bit awkwardly thanks to the extra weight she was carrying, plucking the hook from his unresisting fingers and setting it aside. He curled into her helplessly and she felt that his skin was damp, clammy, as if he’d just had a fever, but of course that wasn’t what it was.

“Nightmare?”

A shaky nod that she felt rather than saw, and a wave of her hand and a wish for light brought up the candle from the kitchen, it appeared on her dresser still lit and filled the room with a soft glow. It wasn’t the first time that one of them had had a bad dream, leaving the past and all its scars was still a bit of an ongoing project that, like the nursery, they were working on together.

“What was it this time?” Emma asked, although she had a good idea when his hand instantly found her stomach. After a beat Killian confirmed her suspicion with a single word, “Pan.”

Sometimes it was the Underworld, sometimes it was being the Dark One, sometimes it was something older, like his brother, or his father, but ever since the pregnancy test had turned positive Killian’s nightmares tended to revolve around Peter Pan.

“He came for our little bean through the window…and I couldn’t…Emma, I couldn’t stop him.”

Emma saw that the window had been left open a crack and the curtains were fluttering in the breeze, a small, simple thing, unless you were Captain Hook and your wife was pregnant with your child.

Killian Jones sagged into her side, his arms around her waist and his head on her chest. Peter Pan was dead, the Lost Boys had all grown up and that story was over. Emma dreamed about him too, sometimes, just like she also dreamed about the Underworld and her time as the Dark One as Killian did, and like him she also had her own old traumas making a reappearance. Getting arrested for something and having to give birth in shackles again, or having to leave Killian behind as she and their little bean were forced to leave Storybrooke and forgetting him as soon as she crossed the town line.

Weekly sessions with Archie helped, but in the middle of the night when it was just the two of them they didn’t talk much about the dreams themselves, they just held each other and found other ways to take shelter from storms made of memories and regrets.

She held Killian and hummed to him under her breath, softly at first, the same tune she’d once hummed into a cassette recorder as a forgotten child living in a shitty group home in Minnesota. The song was still in her heart and she drew on it again, but it wasn’t for herself this time, it was for her sailor, lost at sea and seeking his way back home.

“I’ll be your candle on the waterMy love for you will always burnI know you’re lost and driftingBut the clouds are lifting

Don’t give up, you have somewhere to turn.”

The flame flickered and bounced, light spilling across the bed as Killian’s shoulders started to relax and the lingering tension from his nightmare drained away while Emma sang a song she hadn’t quite remembered and never really forgotten.

“A cold and friendless tide has found you,Don’t let the stormy darkness pull you down.I’ll paint a ray of hope around you,Circling in the air, lighted by a prayer.

“I’ll be your candle on the water,This flame inside of me will grow.Keep holding on, you’ll make it,Here’s my hand, so take it.

Look for me reaching out to show,As sure as rivers flow,

Killian joined in on the final verse, his forehead resting against hers as the magic that bound them let them share the song and their voices mixed together in a promise to each other and to their little bean, held between them and loved, so loved already.

I’ll never let you go,I’ll never let you go,ll never let you go.”

[trans-axolotl]

*sends in a whole bunch* 2, 3 , 9, 11, 12, 13, 18, 24, 25, 26

2. Romantic orientation

I’m just queer tbh. like technically bi i guess? also i’m t4t i do Not date cis ppl. 

3.  Sexual orientation?

same as above. i dont really use the split attraction model for myself. 

9.  What names have you considered using?

i was gonna name myself Gabriel for a while but then i was like nah elliott’s cooler. 

11. Do you like your flag(s)?

i like the genderqueer flag. also i love the intergender flag u created it’s Much softer and nicer colors then the intersex flag. 

13. Favorite colors?

RED red Red i love Red

18. Are you questioning your identity?

nope! im just vibing with who i am

24.  Favorite LGBT+ canon character?

suddenly i can’t think of any lgbtq characters ajsfhdjfkdh

25. Favorite LGBT+ canon fictional couple?

see above

thanks for the ask!