#doesn't enjoy a good cuppa

[sizzky]

In case anyone wants to know how normal I am about the latest widdershins page, just know that I immediately changed my discord icon to Wolfe looking over his shoulder in the second panel. Then, upon seeing this, my sibling (noted Mal enjoyer) immediately went to catch up and subsequently changed their own icon to Mal’s cheeky smile from panel five. There was much gushing about how Happy they are and how Happy For Them we are. So I’d say extremely normal, nothing of note here.

Screenshot under cut:

[ltash]

Eating Habits

List of headcannons when it comes to his eating habits, according to my opinion.

1. Simple, no-fuss meals: Ghost prefers basic, hearty meals with minimal flair. Things like grilled chicken, steak, or a sandwich. He's more about sustenance than flavour.

2. Protein-heavy diet: He prioritizes high-protein meals to keep up his strength. Lean meats, eggs, and protein shakes are staples in his diet.

3. Tea over everything: Ghost drinks tea like it’s water. He prefers English Breakfast Tea, and it's often the first thing he reaches for in the morning.

4. On-the-go eater: He’s used to grabbing quick meals between missions or even eating on the move. Protein bars, jerky, or simple rations are common in his kit.

5. Cold baked beans from the tin: When he’s in the field or in a rush, Ghost has no problem cracking open a tin of baked beans and eating them cold. It’s quick, easy, and gets the job done.

6. Avoids processed junk: While he doesn’t care for gourmet meals, he steers clear of overly processed or junk food. He sees food as fuel and tends to avoid anything that might make him feel sluggish.

7. Coffee drinker: Despite his love for tea, Ghost also has a soft spot for a strong cup of coffee, especially black coffee. It provides a calming moment in the chaos of his life.

8. Rare indulgence in spicy food: Every once in a while, Ghost enjoys a spicy kick in his meals, especially when he can find a good chilli or hot sauce.

9. No-nonsense about breakfast: Breakfast for Ghost is usually something quick and effective, like oatmeal with nuts, scrambled eggs, or even cold baked beans straight from the tin if he's on the go.

10. Prefers to eat alone: He’s not one for big social meals. Ghost often eats in solitude, especially when in the field or at the base. It gives him a moment to think and decompress.

11. Hydration is key: He drinks plenty of water, especially during missions. Staying hydrated is essential, and he’s always got a water bottle nearby.

12. Doesn't like sweets: Ghost isn’t into sugary foods or desserts. If offered, he’ll decline politely or simply pass them on to someone else.

13. MRE master: Having spent so much time in the field, he’s developed a knack for making MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) more palatable. He knows how to combine ingredients to make them taste a bit better than the standard fare.

15. Doesn’t drink alcohol often: Ghost rarely drinks, preferring to stay sharp. But when he does, it’s a stiff whiskey, neat, no mixers, no nonsense.

14. Rare moments of comfort food: Every now and then, when he’s feeling nostalgic or off-duty, he might indulge in something comforting, like a hearty shepherd’s pie, fish and chips, or even a hot cuppa with biscuits.

16. Highly disciplined portions : Ghost eats in strict portions, never over-indulging, knowing that he needs to stay in top physical condition for his missions.

[wizzdot]

The Patron Saint of One Way Trips

Ch13

Description: bit of a filler chapter BUT we get test results, get some cuddling, we get Mexico and ALEJO AND RUDY INCOMING!! Things will start moving next chapter - strap in!!

*Simon's POV*

Well that's the last time I try to help. Johnny practically drags me into the bed. I can tell she is on edge being around me. I don't sleep a wink - hell, I hardly take my eyes off her all night. Johnny helps to keep me grounded by resting his head on my shoulder. If he wasn't so relaxed, I would return to the kitchen. I wasted a perfectly good cuppa when I heard the girl screaming bloody murder. And that's the fuckin' thanks I get.. She eventually stops giving off the rancid, sour scent - she's scared of me. She looks as if she has burrowed in between John and Gaz. She looks as if she fits perfectly in that space.

*Laika's (Y/N's) POV*

I feel a small movement from underneath my head, then a gentle hand barely ghosting over my cheek. I fall back to sleep immediately, unsure if it had been real or just part of a dream.

*Simon's POV*

John sits up in bed about two hours everything had kicked off. We both seem to hold our breaths when the girl stirs slightly due to his movement. He then strokes a stray hair from her cheek and tucks it back behind her ear. Far gentler than I could handle something so delicate.

He doesn't even look at me, I should be asleep for all he knows yet he still whispers over to me "Kate's emailed. Got to go and check what she wants. Keep an eye on them, Simon". He says, nodding to the girl. "Kyle and Johnny would have a field day if they ended up alone with her on the pack bed". He explains, lightheartedly. I just huff an agreement. He carefully removes himself from the bed and opens and closes the door with a small click, not before sending a small nod in my direction.

As soon as the door shuts, the girl starts mumbling and moving in her sleep. She quickly moves onto the warm spot left by John. As if he senses her movement, Johnny rolls towards her like a madman and wraps her in his arms. Fuck sake Johnny! He was going to wake her up - he always did this. He attempts to move things around on the bed in his sleep. The only one he has ever managed to actually move is Garrick, but he would have no problem moving the girl. She is much smaller than any of us.

"Johnny!" I whisper shout towards him, trying to stay quiet. It doesn't work. He just rolls her over his body so that she is now between us - still a decent space between us thankfully. I can see Garrick fidgeting now too, missing the presence of the girl next to him. "Fuck sake Johnny, you're gonna wake everyone up!" i whisper-shout again. Johnny just groans but doesn't wake up. He always slept like a fuckin' log. He was a proper fidget in bed too. The only time he is ever still is when I hold him still.

All of a sudden, I feel fingers on my arm. I freeze and growl slightly, trying to remain in control. Don't fuckin' wake her up now, you prick! My brain shouts at me. I lay there like a statue, clenching my teeth. She whines, she fuckin' whines. "Mmmm, thereyouare" she murmurs, before pulling herself closer to me and wrapping herself around my arm. She is asleep, gently snoring. She thinks I'm fuckin' John. She keeps nuzzling closer and closer. What the fuck am I supposed to do now?!

She starts getting dangerously close to my scent glands. I try to tilt my head away but she moans again. "Alphaa" she mumbles. The door opens. I don't hear it close. I glance towards the door. It's John. Thank god!

He takes in the sight with his arms crossed and eyebrows raised. "Fuckin' move her, John" I whisper sharply. "She looks comfortable, Simon - would be a shame to wake her, would it not?" - "Captain - please.." - "Smells in here. Her scent's getting stronger. Thought I'd air it out a bit before everyone wakes up" he says gesturing to the open door. "I don't care - just get her off of me".

He just chuckles at me, enjoying my discomfort. "Simon, I'm just off the phone with Kate. Mission in Mexico - you, Johnny and the girl are loading up tonight. Kyle and I need to sort something elsewhere first - will discuss it more later - but she needs whatever sleep she can get. I'm not moving her" - I growl at his refusal to help. He just laughs again.

"I also pushed forward her test results. I think you're right. They were inconclusive because she hasn't actually presented yet - but she has certain results that would sugge-" - "She's a fuckin' Omega, John, don't need no test results."

She stirs again. I glare at John, who is still standing at the open door. "Wha' time is it, Alpha?" she mumbles groggily, without opening her eyes. John raises his eyebrows but doesn't reply. I glare at him again, trying to shout 'ANSWER THE FUCKIN QUESTION' using my eyes. It must have worked because he eventually responds. "Almost time to get up, love" how the fuck didn't she notice that the voice did not come from beside her? She pulls herself even closer to me, squeezing my arm "S'warm".. John huffs a laugh from the door. If looks could kill, John would be dead. I throw him the nastiest side eye I can manage.

She leans up close to my ear. I tense up - she whispers - "Can you - can you tell Simon that I'm sorry..? About last night.. And - and thank him for helping me..?" I freeze.. silence. That's the first time she has used my actual name when speaking to me...She wasn't speaking to you though, wanker - she was speaking to John.. my brain helpfully reminds me.

She squeezes my arm again, waiting for a response. "You've already told him love" John chuckles from the door.

She sits up in bed like a fuckin' rocket. Almost gives herself whiplash. She glares down at me with wide eyes. I stare back but drop my eyes to look at her smaller hands, wrapped tightly around my arm. She obviously notices and she releases me as if I'd burnt her. That hurt a bit - of course she wouldn't want to touch a monster like me.

"Oh my god.. oh my god - I'm so sorry. I didn't mea-" - "S'fine" I grunt, turning away from her and finally liberating myself from the bed. I brush past John as I leave the room. He pats me twice on the shoulder as I pass him.

*Laika's (Y/N's) POV*

Well, I've really done it this time. FUCK!!

I crawl away from the others, ready to break down. "I'm sorry, Captain.." - "now now, love - let's not go back to this - John.. call me John.. please?" He asks me, softly, stepping up to the edge of the bed and wiping my cheeks with his thumb. I wasn't crying, was I? Johnny and Kyle eventually wake up. They both look over towards John and I.

"What happened, Lassie?" Johnny asks - "I - I don't know.. I woke up next to the Lieutenant and - and he left.." I whimper..

Johnny growls "I'm goin' to fuckin' speak to him" - "Johnny!" The Captain barks "Give him space for a few minutes, alright?" I glance between the Alphas. "I'm sorry.."

"No, love.. you've got nothing to be sorry for.." Kyle reassures me.

"What did Si say to ya' lass?" Johnny asks.. "He.. he said it was fine.." - "That's all?" he asks confused.. "Why are you so upset then, doll?" - "I - I don't know" I respond, honestly.

John pulls me from the bed and wraps me around his body, carrying me to the other side of the bed with him, sitting down with me in his lap. "I'd say that was a very positive interaction.. Simon doesn't say things he doesn't mean, love. So if he says it's fine. Then that's what he means.." I try to nod in agreement.

"Now, listen up everyone.. I've got a couple of important things to say - First is that we have an issue in Mexico. Johnny, Y/N and Simon will go to Mexico initially. Kyle and I will tie up a couple of loose ends elsewhere first. I'll discuss it later in the meeting room". I tense slightly but try to be brave and accept that I am a soldier now. Fighting on the right side this time.

"Secondly - your test results, love." The two younger Alphas perk up slightly at this. John squeezes my hip slightly. "The doctors found the test to be inconclusive because you haven't actually presented yet BUT... you have certain markers in your blood that would suggest it possible for you to present as an Omega. Now these markers very rarely show up in Beta's however it is possible. So we have to basically wait until you present."

My blood turns to ice. I can feel my head go heavy. I feel sick.

"I - I'm an Omega..?" I whisper "Now, lass - that's not exactly what I said, is it?" John responds, gently rubbing my back.

Johnny is grinning madly behind me. John sends him a glare that I don't see, too preoccupied with being burrowed into his shoulder.

"What am I supposed to do..? Heats.. mates.. If-If I'm an Omega.. I - I don't know what to do..." I sob into his neck.

"Shhh love, shh now... We will cross that bridge IF and when we get to it.. I know of an Omega who is successful within the military. In fact, you'll be meeting him soon in Mexico. It is possible. I'm sure you'll be one of the exceptions - tough little thing that you are" he says fondly. I try to push a small giggle out between sobs. "That's it, love. Come on now, time to get ready for the day - got lots to go over before you leave.." I nod against his neck and clutch him a little bit tighter".

"Kyle, would you take Y/N back to her nest please?" - "s'not a nest" I interrupt - they both ignore me "Yes, Alpha" Kyle responds, standing from the bed and holding my hand, trying to encourage me to release the Captain. I step down from his lap and Kyle wipes the tear tracks from my cheeks before kissing me on the cheek.

The captain then instructs Johnny - "Johnny, go and talk to Simon. Go easy on him. He did nothing wrong" - my stomach sinks, they think Simon is the one who had upset me. I'm bad news. A burden.

I walk towards the door with Kyle "And Kyle.." the Captain stops us.. "Don't bloody barge into her nes-room without permission, just wait at the door while she is getting dressed, yeah?" He asks lightheartedly. Kyle sighs and agrees, walking to my room.

When we arrive at the door, it's still open from last night, and the blankets and clothes from the cupboard were strewn all over the floor. I must have put up a fight when Simon came and found me.

Kyle steps to the side of the door to try and obey his Alpha's command to stay outside. I grab his hand and tug him in. "Don't be dumb" I giggle.

"You'll get me in trouble, you little minx" he jokes.

I push him to sit on the bare bed.

"Just sit there and don't look"

[partyinthemysterymachine]

well step right up step riiiiiight up bcuz BOYY do i got a deal for YOU!!!

but again, BE FOREWARNED: this an unedited, impromptu Eddie profile i did on a Silent Hill FB group back in early 2020. it's been [checks bare wrist] four years since then. this was just a basic skeleton of ideas on Eddie as a canon character in SH2, and written as a response to someone on said SH FB group trying to claim Eddie was a hero and an innocent, and was totally justified in his crimes.

this was 11pg in gdocs, so grab a cuppa-whatever and a snack, and enjoy!!:

right off his wiki page is stated:

[When he is approached by James Sunderland, he immediately starts claiming innocence of the death of the man in the refrigerator, telling James that he isn't even from Silent Hill.]

so first off, he has a guilty conscience right off the bat. James didn't accuse Eddie of having any part with the corpse and yet, Eddie outright denies it as though he WAS accused; it was his kneejerk reaction. when the scene plays out in the game, you can think nothing of it; he's scared, he's obviously sick, and maybe he was sick from seeing the corpse. so he's panicking, right? doesn't seem that sketchy.

Continuing:

[Eddie is later seen in Pete's Bowl-O-Rama, having a conversation with Laura while eating pizza. Despite the fact that Laura calls him a "gutless fatso", he remains relatively civil to her. When James's appearance causes Laura to flee, Eddie decides not to accompany James in his pursuit of her, explaining sulkily that she said "a fatso like [him] would just slow her down". James points out that there's monsters in the town, but Eddie feels Laura will be fine.]

yes, the pizza is definitely a nod to an eating disorder. binge eating, perhaps, and eating for comfort. here, this reads as comfort. though Laura is mean, he's calm and honestly very good with her, which eludes to a sensitive and caring side to him. as we go further along, Eddie directs his anger towards adults. with that you can pretty easily take that Eddie has no problems with kids, regarding them as innocent. even though Laura is mean, he brushes it off because maybe he figures she doesn't know any better, or simply that she's joking. the inflections in his voice are common of adults talking to kids; a bit more exaggerated, more emotion behind it, and with a question like that, the tonal pitch and fall is also one that's lightly scolding. 'why would you say something like that, don't be like that' has a distinct sound when used.

this is also where we see the first note of his self esteem issues. Eddie is parroting some of the verbal and emotional abuse he's been given in his life - especially the fresh one. Laura called him a "gutless fatso" and he immediately calls himself a "fatso" in a mocking tone. every instance of this abuse is internalized. that sucks, and it hurts. James seems appalled that Eddie would just let Laura run free, and considering that Eddie and Laura arrived together, he probably got a good understanding of her then. she's a very independent girl. he figures she can fend for herself.

on THAT note too, that they arrived together: Laura is seen kicking Eddie in the beginning sequence. again, he doesn't react in anger; it's like a little sister bullying a big brother. (and outright, yes, Laura is a bully.) from what we can glean off Eddie, it doesn't seem like he has any qualms towards women. Laura is a snotty, independent little girl and he respects her. also he doesn't value himself a very good guardian. again, he's been beaten down by people and life in general, so this is understandable that he doesn't think he'd be worthy of going along with her.

doesn't seem too bad, right? you can empathize? good. you're not meant to see every character as downright bad, zero relatable characterization, nothing good to say about them. (something i will get to towards the end. and this is gonna be a lot, so hang tight.) characters, like people, are not black and white. they're a whole painter's catalogue of grey. no one is entirely innocent nor guilty. and Eddie, while he's had a whole host of problems and downfalls and stuff he probably didn't deserve in his life, is not a martyr, and is NOT to be considered someone who also didn't deserve to be in Silent Hill.

going on:

[Somehow, Eddie inexplicably reappears deep underground in Toluca Prison's cafeteria, slumped against the door and muttering to himself about how killing a human is "no big deal" and "you just put a gun to their head... POW!" There is yet another corpse lying on one of the cafeteria tables, but this time, Eddie attempts to justify his actions to James, claiming that the man "had it coming" and that he "was making fun of me with his eyes". When James refuses to accept Eddie's reasoning, Eddie nervously laughs and jokes that the corpse was already there when he arrived. He then leaves James to explore the prison by himself. A grave with his name on it, next to James's and Angela Orosco's, can be found in a graveyard later on.]

what we discover about Eddie is that he has a lot of anger management problems. he also shows signs of psychosis, which a SYMPTOM of mental illness (and NOT directly schizophrenia; psychosis goes along with many variations of mental illness) and psychosis "include(s) delusions, hallucinations, talking incoherently, and agitation. The person with the condition usually isn't aware of his or her behavior."

we begin to see this here. he goes from confident yet empty, intent to harm, murderous tendencies ("he had it coming" points to this) - then directly to sniveling, trying to justify himself, trying to make HIM look like the victim. "he was making fun of me with his eyes!" and when James rebuffs that, he tries to laugh it off. he clearly meant it. "you can't just kill somebody just because of the way they looked at you!"

"well, why not?"

yeah. why are you asking that, Eddie? he has a lot of anger inside him due to the abuse, and he's also beginning to project and delude himself into believing he had full right to murder someone for supposedly eyeballing him out of malice. there's no evidence. we don't know how long that body's been dead. for all we know, Eddie acquired a gun and shot a dead body because Eddie believed that a corpse made fun of him. he's sitting there on the floor talking senselessly about it to himself. he's got a wild look in his eyes - the kind of wild that's present in excitement. whether he actually killed someone or shot a corpse, he felt GOOD about it. that was a release. that wasn't any big deal! look how easy that was! that felt good!!

Eddie expected to feel bad about killing someone. a lot of people become VERY disturbed after having killed someone. this is one of the worst immoral acts, something that will stay with a person forever. one will always remember their first human kill. it's haunting. you're not supposed to revel in it, and if someone does, that's a huge, enormous, galaxy-sized red flag.

Eddie is reveling in it. it's no big deal. that was easy. he can do it again. actually? he'd like to do it again.

Eddie refuses to take responsibility for his actions. it wasn't his fault, he (the corpse) MADE him do it! you hear that a lot with children, immaturity, and people who don't want to take responsibility/face consequences of their actions, right? we start to see how immature Eddie is. he also displays sharp mood swings here. "I'm a god" to "no no no it's not me, it's them! please believe me!" there is no justification for whatever he did, and the fact that he feels the need to defend himself over it is a sign of manipulation, guilt (yes, guilt; and guilt can be a good thing. maybe he feels guilty that he did it, all of a sudden. OR - maybe he feels guilty that he was caught, or guilty that he was reprimanded. guilt does not automatically mean that he has a conscience and truly feels bad about it. someone feeling guilty for being caught is a red flag for being detached from empathy, for the only person he feels sorry for is himself), and blaming.

everyone is wrong except for Eddie.

Eddie leaves, suddenly confident again. he rather flippantly says, "Anyway, I gotta run!" and when James expresses concern about him going alone, he hauntingly says, "Yeah."

so there's another mood swing. he's gone through two or three mood swings in perhaps less than two minutes. depraved to pitiful to depraved again. i use depraved because of his arrogance. these acts were done with malicious, murderous intent. he made the decision. mental illness absolutely plays a factor here in "convincing" him to do it. that's not to say there are voices in his head telling him to do it, no. but with mental illness, a person is very susceptible to delusions and falling hard into them; they can't see any other side of a problem, this is the only thing to do, the blinders are put on and vision tunneled. mental illness is grave. mental illness also doesn't excuse him from his crimes.

after learning about Eddie later, coming back to this scene is even more interesting. Eddie's been bullied, right. in here, he's making his stand. he's defending himself. he's the hero now! everyone's getting their just deserts; how's that feel? obviously this is more outwardly shown at his boss fight, where the thread snaps for good, but here, it serves as foreshadowing.

he got cocky after killing someone for making fun of him. man. that feels really good, especially since he's daydreamed about it, probably had all these speculative plans about HOW he'd deal with someone/the next person to disrespect him like that. y'know, arguments we all have in the shower with that cashier five years ago. except Eddie's is actually violent, and he absorbs it like a sponge. he LOVES visualizing himself as the hero here, beating people to a pulp, putting a gun to their head and making them beg for their miserable lives. he wants to see someone piss themselves and blubber because they never expected HIM to have the upper hand - much less hold their goddamn lives in his palm!

this was a huge ego boost. this fed in to his delusions. he enacted a daydream. now he can go out there alone. he can do anything. he's a big hot shot.. except that he's also an enormous coward that crumbles the moment James confronted him.

this behavior is something i've already mentioned, so i'll reiterate: he's determined to make sure James knows it isn't his fault; he's guilty for being caught; he's guilty that he's PERCEIVED to be guilty, he's making excuses so he's not the bad guy. i'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that there HAVE been instances in his past where he was NOT at fault. there may have been events that FRAMED HIM and he had to take the blame.

maybe this is a reflection of that. he's begging James to believe him because many others hadn't. he NEEDS James to believe him, EVEN THOUGH he admits to his crime in the next breath. i'm not going to deny that Eddie's a victim. there've been a lot of problems in his past and he is a victim. in his mind he has to get out of this predicament right away scot-free because he wasn't in the wrong, he didn't do it, he was framed (by the guy that was looking at him funny), and it seems to me he's unable to differentiate when a situation has been pinned on him to take the downfall for, and when HE is actually at total fault for something that he did.

small note on the grave with his name on it: blatant foreshadowing. i have other thoughts on this, but we're just getting to the good part:

[In the end of the labyrinth, James is allowed to step into Eddie's Otherworld, which appears to take on the form of a meat locker and he perceives everyone to be laughing, ridiculing, and sneering at him. It is dark, bitterly cold, frosted over, and huge lumps of meat that are shaped like overweight human bodies dangle from meat-hooks. The meat locker presumably represents Eddie's cold detachment from reality and his lack of remorse in killing people, as well as being mocked as overweight and perhaps gluttonous.]

this seems pretty straightforward. more psychosis, more mental fraying. the huge lumps of meat sure do resemble Eddie, gotta say.. so you can also say that this is how he sees himself. how he thinks other people see him, just a fat clump of meat, nothing more, nothing less. he's just a glob of meat.

this is also how he probably has started to see other people: just meat. nothing more.. nothing less. because killin' a person ain't no big deal. he's removed humanity from himself and humanity from other people. they're not living. it doesn't matter. people aren't as valuable as everyone thinks they are. it's no big deal because there's nothing TO be a big deal about. to him, people aren't people anymore. he's lost touch with reality. he's lost his empathy. he's a shell full of hatred, spite, and malicious intent.

he's had a lot of shit slung at him, and it does not give him any right to be violent. full stop. self defense is a different shelf, different jar. outright, cold blooded violent acts spurred on by bottled hatred and trauma gives him zero support or reason to do that. he may be a victim, but that does not remove him from justification or innocence.

[James asks Eddie what he's doing, as there is yet another corpse by him on the floor. Eddie begins angrily venting, recounting all of the verbal abuse he's received from others throughout his life. Eddie claims that someone's intelligence and physical appearance are rendered meaningless once they are dead as a corpse can't laugh, and that he is willing to kill anyone who ridicules him. James tries to reason with Eddie, but Eddie's growing insanity, paranoia and insecurity causes him to translate James's reasoning into insults, especially after James unwisely asks Eddie if he's "gone nuts". Eddie's paranoia convinces him that James was always laughing at him behind his back, causing him to attack by shooting James non-fatally in the shoulder with his revolver.]

and there it's proven. he's again parroting what he's been hearing all his life. he's been called stupid, ugly, gross - things that are assumed of him because of how he looks. he's not conventionally attractive. he's a slob. he's overweight. Eddie appears to be in his late twenties and he's dressing like a frat boy. so he's trying to dress younger and be accepted and seen as cool for what he wears. none of it's working. he's a joke.

he's also immature. this doesn't help his case against bullying. Eddie's probably reduced himself socially and mentally all his life to try to fit in. maybe he's tried to be the funny guy; maybe he's tried to be the funny guy that'll drink that weird, gross glass that everyone contributed to, the guy you can tell to go dive into a dumpster to get something as a dare and everyone just laughs. Eddie's been used and manipulated. he's an idiot. he's socially stunted. his peers, and probably his home life, has been abhorrent and unacceptable, and no, he probably wasn't always like this. people and environment made him this way.

or so he likes to think.

i don't believe, even in all his shitty life, others "made" him this way. he was greatly influenced. you can point blame to a shitload of people and list off their offenses. people have a large hand in shaping another person - but it's up to that particular individual to grow outside of it, seek help, evolve, become more than their abuse and trauma.

psychosis again in the paranoid delusions. he's ramping himself up. a lot of murders happen after the murderer "psyches" themselves up - it's needed. though Eddie is rapidly spiraling, you can see the last granule of someone who may not want to do this, after all; even after he proclaimed "killing a person ain't no big deal". we don't know what Eddie was doing or thinking between then and now. maybe he was battling with himself. boasting. conjuring more scenes in his head of him taking out a whole flock of people willy nilly and ha ha, look at them, who're the idiots now? or maybe he was wrestling with what he did; how could he do that, he feels sick, no way, it doesn't feel so good after all. back and forth back and forth swing high swing low. no middle ground. one extreme or the other, and the malicious extreme has won out.

but that was a last ditch effort to see if he could bounce back. and he can't.

also, James is a fucking moron.

James is a goddamn fucking moron.

what we've deduced from James after all this time is that this guy is absolutely fried. he's not all there, he's emotionally dead, he has no idea how to handle his or anyone else's problems or emotional needs. James is callous and insensitive, and probably mostly out of emotional and general ignorance.

he's facing a guy who is on his very last shit, dancing on hot glass, waving a pistol around, spewing vitriol, clearly hateful and fragile and frenzied, and what does this absolute idiot do?

he asks Eddie if he's gone nuts. like the excerpt said, Eddie's already been skewing James's words into insults. this is the last straw. nobody wants to be accused of being crazy. that's an enormous slander. Eddie feels truly attacked there, and understandably so, because he kind of was attacked. James thinks he's sounding concerned. he's, again, shocked by Eddie's ranting and implications. he's probably scared and worried about Eddie (though likely more for himself, but this isn't a James dissection).

Eddie, however, has no ear for anything but insult. as stated, he now believes that James has been laughing at him all along, he's never been on his side, he's never cared about all that he's been through. paranoid delusions, ding ding ding! so naturally you gotta shoot a guy about it, right?

Eddie fully turns on James and makes good on his promise that he'd kill the next person who makes fun of him. and he's a bad shot even at near point-blank range. who'da thunk.

maybe he also oughta think about getting a job as a Stormtrooper.

[In a larger adjacent meat locker, Eddie continues his venting. Eddie admits he ran away after killing a bully's dog, and mentions that the dog tried to chew its own guts out as it was dying curled into a ball. Eddie mentions he had fun killing the dog, and says he was amused when he shot the bully and the bully cried more than the dog, showing that Eddie now assumes the role of despot. James asks Eddie if he thinks it's okay to kill people and says that Eddie needs help, and Eddie tells James to quit his holier-than-thou attitude.]

one of the first telltale signs of a possible future murderer or serial killer is if they tortured/killed animals in their childhood. we don't actually know this about Eddie. the only thing we do know is that he killed a bully's dog and he relished and laughed and enjoyed it, especially when it suffered so badly. that's not something that people with humanity do. that's someone who's beginning to lose all touch and interest in other peoples' welfare and lives. killing animals is the first step to killing people.

we don't now if Eddie had any reservations about it, or if he had to psyche himself up, or if it was done in a whirlwind of anger. no clue. the fact of the matter is that he killed someone's dog - an innocent thing, a life, a simple animal that was probably well loved and meant a lot to someone even if it was Eddie's bully - out of spite to HURT his bully. hmmm. no matter how you look at it, it's not a fair trade. that's depravity 101. there's nothing to spin that in his favor.

and he had FUN doing it.

and on top of that - he says he had MORE fun that the bully sobbed over his dog. Eddie viciously retaliated by killing someone's beloved dog, and they mourned, heartbroken, and Eddie had nothing for them but a cackle and sense of superiority. he'd won! take THAT!

where's the remorse? nowhere. where's the guilt? nowhere. was he justified? absolutely fucking not. he doesn't get a pass. at all. ever. cold blooded murder, enjoyment of the crime, exuberance that there was suffering.

"--showing that Eddie now assumes the role of despot." i'd say so! Eddie believes he's in total control now. he's a tyrant. James is an ant on his living room floor. he's very cocky here. and yeah, he does have an upper hand right now. James is in a meat locker with him, he's trapped, scared, disoriented by the way Eddie's voice bounces off the walls and moves around as Eddie stalks him in the meat. it's understandable that he feels like a lion playing with its food.

all this time, they're maneuvering around thick slabs of meat hanging from the ceiling. they're reminiscent of Eddie. could they also be the people he's bullied? do the amount of bodies mean anything to him? what about the covered ones? the fact of the matter here is that he's in a field of death and he's chasing James. James is probably his first live kill and he can't WAIT to taste it, so he's gotta relish it (and monologues about it, as one does. he's probably had a speech prepared for awhile).

re: dog and bully

"Then he came after me! I shot him too! Right in the leg! He cried more than the dog! He's gonna have a hard time playing football on what's left of that knee."

direct dialogue - further solidifies that Eddie's vindictive acts and subsequent satisfaction for his actions were without remorse. he removed a beloved dog and the dreams of his bully. schadenfreude? eehh. dubious territory. did the bully deserve it? no. am i defending the bully? absolutely not. but let's go on.

[James asks Eddie if he thinks it's okay to kill people and says that Eddie needs help, and Eddie tells James to quit his holier-than-thou attitude.]

James is doing some Olympic-grade repression here, but he's showing a moral compass, and actual concern that Eddie needs help. again, this is something delicate that people hate to hear. lots of people take HUGE offense to suggestions that they ought to get help. that means something's wrong with him. that HE'S wrong. that he's CRAZY. and that's bullshit, James; do you even know who the fuck you are? (and an aside: seriously, therapy is good for everyone. stop the stigma.)

"Don't get all holy on me, James. This town called you, too. You and me are the same. We're not like other people. Don't you know that?! Let's party!"

so Eddie knows something about James that James hasn't figured out yet. at some point, Eddie became aware. it's uncertain if that's self-awareness, and maybe it is, to a point. but he's also become aware of the nature of Silent Hill. something called Eddie here. he's not looking for anybody. he has no connections, other than Laura. what does he mean, "this town called you too/you and me are the same/we're hot like other people"? and then he asks him: "Don't you know that?"

doesn't he know that?

James has no idea what that means. Eddie's been handed spoilers. it seems that Eddie knows, not exactly what James has done, but got a very good idea about it. he tries to tell James that he's just like him, because they're fucked up and they've committed the same crime, they're different and they've been abused and life's put them through the wringer. James ought to know what it's like and relate, so what's with the attitude, Sunderland?

but why would Silent Hill summon Eddie? my guess is punishment. just deserts. nailing the last one in the coffin. snap, crackle, pop.

just like James.

i have a LOT more thoughts about the comparisons between James and Eddie, as well as James with Laura and Angela, buuut i sure have gone on. so i'll wrap it up.

Eddie is a victim. i will not deny that. it needs to be acknowledged properly. as i've said again and again, he's been dealt the worst hand in the house in life; he's been mistreated, demeaned, tossed around, just abused all over.

he also may very likely (highly likely) have some mental illness. anxiety, depression, paranoia, among others. mental illness is NOT to blame, NOR is it an excuse. there will be no stigma-based stereotypes and thinking about mental illness here. mental illness is devastating, and it varies WILDLY.

here, going by the assumption that Eddie may have a variation, it exacerbates his warped thinking and ties him into knots and gets him into a typhoon of distorted thoughts and behaviors. if he had gotten help at any point, there's a possibility that he could have had a really good chance at recovery and not been the person we see in game.

there's also a chance that even if he got the help, he would've found another way to retaliate that'd be violent. a bad egg is a bad egg. mental illness does not directly pin that outcome on a person.

Eddie is someone to empathize with. he has eating disorders. he has trouble socializing. he's been rejected by his peers and he's frustrated because he wants so badly to have acceptance. even the little kid who he's kind to is a huge snot and yet he still shows a good side of him to her. good. that's great to see. i think it, again, shows that he views children as innocence. he can't continue the cycle of abuse with a kid; be kind to them, they're still developing. they'll get a better chance at growing up than he did.

and that's the first and last example of empathy we see from Eddie.

empathize with him. a good character is one that you can struggle with. feel sorry for him. but don't project, don't try to excuse him and validate his behaviors for the sorry way he was treated. Eddie was a victim and he was a depraved murderer who ruined other peoples' lives and made them victims to his violent hatred. he is not a good person.

i've mentioned the grey scale before. as you get to know a person - and specifically here, a character - you discover things about them. maybe they seem like a shit person and then oh they're actually not bad, vice versa. the trouble is planting your roots on one side or the other and refusing to budge, refusing for your ideals and opinions to change. that's unhealthy as hell. that's black and white thinking. that's harmful to you and most horribly, others.

the player's opinion is SUPPOSED to swing and change. it HAS to be allowed to do that. Eddie is painted cowardly and pitiful and ohh feel sorry for him he's had a rough go. then his other side starts to emerge. maybe you don't like that he's become this. try to keep the better thoughts of him; maybe because one can relate, they see themselves in him, feel the same way (if true, please start thinking about why you feel like this and consider reevaluating things) and so you're determined to not be told otherwise. or maybe suddenly Eddie's a filthy fuckhead and cannot be excused, and won't hear another word about it.

dangerous both ways. open mindedness is needed. careful consideration exercised.

he's a very interesting character. i like Eddie. there's a lot to think about him. but he is not a hero by any means.

[ewanmitchellcrumbs]

Tom Bennett SFW Alphabet

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

Tom's a cheeky fucker - one of those people that tilts their head and taps their cheek in order to demand a kiss from their partner. Slaps their bum a lot too.

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

Tom doesn't know how to be friends with people he's attracted to - he's flirting his way into their pants.

C = Cuddles (Do they like to cuddle? How would they cuddle?)

Tom is partial to the occasional spoon.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

The idea of settling down terrifies Tom. He's useless around the house as he's grown up having Lois do everything for him.

E = Ending (If they had to break up with their partner, how would they do it?)

He'd do it in person and be straight to the point with it, eager to get away as soon as it's done.

F = Fiance(e) (How do they feel about commitment? How quick would they want to get married?)

Not a chance.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

Tom is rough and ready. He's flirtatious and coarse with his language and likes to manhandle his partners.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

Tom likes hugs, but will likely try to cop a feel while he's at it.

I = I love you (How fast do they say the L-word?)

Tom won't likely say this for a while - it's a big step in commitment and will have him running scared. He'll probably use it as an ace card should a partner he truly cares for ever try to end things. "But I love you!" type of thing.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

Tom will be the one making his partner jealous, not the other way around..

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

Tom's a good kisser. He'll have his partner's knees weak with those soft lips. He kisses slowly but passionately, with a hand cradling his partner's cheek.

L = Little ones (How are they around children?)

Finds children fun, as he's a big kid himself, but has no immediate plans to have any of his own.

M = Morning (How are mornings spent with them?)

Lays in bed smirking "you gonna make me a cuppa then or what?" Cheeky twat.

N = Night (How are nights spent with them?)

On the nights his partner is lucky enough to see him (he's usually out and about, up to no good), he'll want to take them to the pub and then down the nearest alley before he walks them home.

O = Open (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

Tom loves to talk about himself, so this won't be an issue. He'd likely be more hesitant about sensitive subjects like the loss of his mum though.

P = Patience (How easily angered are they?)

Tom is easily wound up and can be quite cutting with his words when he is.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

Absolutely hopeless at remembering anything, but always remembers where to kiss/touch to make his partner melt.

R = Remember (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

How his partner looked when he picked them up for their first date, he thought they looked absolutely beautiful and had the dopiest grin when he saw them all dressed up.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

Tom will gladly get in a scrap to defend his partner. He doesn't think it's necessary for them to do the same though, he can handle himself.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

Not an awful lot, to be honest, but then he doesn't expect much in the way of effort either - he just enjoys the simplicity of being together.

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

Smoking and being excessively cocky.

V = Vanity (How concerned are they with their looks?)

Very. Tom likes to look sharp.

W = Whole (Would they feel incomplete without you?)

No, Tom's an independent guy and likes his space.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

Routinely tricks his partner into ironing his shirts for him by asking them to show him how to do it.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, either in general or in a partner?)

Clinginess and pressure to commit.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habits of theirs?)

Tom is a sound sleeper. He goes to bed quite late and enjoys a lay in, if he can get away with it.

[kpchrs]

Since Life is Strange referenced Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Victoria is a reference) and I'm a big fan of BTVS, I think if LiS characters watch it, their favourite characters would be:

(The characters are Max, Chloe, Kate, Warren, Vic, and Nathan.)

Max: I think Max wouldn't really like the vampires and dark theme. Maybe it's too fantastical horror for her cuppa. But I think she'd relate to Willow the most. (A nerd who has no self-esteem then gets a magic power and gets too powerful she's drunk in it? Hell yeah.) And she'd love Tara a lot, the kindest character of all. I think Max would be very interested in Giles too. No, it's not because he's a teacher, she swore. He was very intellectual, it was very attractive! She watched when Chloe watched. It's more fun for her that way.

Chloe: Chloe would be that girl who is like "Yum, sista" when she met Faith and "I can't believe Faith is not gay. SHE'S DEF FRUITY AT LEAST." She would really empathise with Faith too (esp. her parental issues) and she would love her darkness. (Buffy had daddy issues too, but I think Faith resonated in Chloe more.) She'd think Spike was so fricking cool, at least in S2 when he was still a hardcore evil punk rock vampire, but not really after he got chipped. She'd be a little bit disappointed, but she'd still think he was hilarious. I think Chloe would be kinda annoyed at Angel's character, at least in BTVS. I don't think she'd continue watching after S5...? Maybe she didn't really care about the main romance plot lol (Hey, my mom's name is Joyce too! They are very different tho.) When Chloe stopped watching, Max stopped too.

Kate: I appreciate the soul and demons explanation, Warren. But, um, it's too dark for me. I don't really like vampires anyway...

Warren: Warren would LOVE this TV show. He'd be the type of person who SOBBED at Bangel. Bangel is so tragic, Max, I can't believe the universe doesn't want them together, WHY. He'd think Buffy was so hot, Spike was so cool, Giles was rad, etc. He loved almost every cool character. He'd be offended because a guy with his name was a pathetic, gross villain in S6. He'd really enjoy Spuffy too, he'd think it was so spicy ohohohohoho. Delicious, delicious. Then was kinda shocked at SR (iykyk) (but more like, "Oh, shit, they went there!"), cheered at the end of the S6, and then SOBBED again in the end of S7. I think he'd just enjoy whatever it was on the show and he'd think it's one of the best shows of all time. But my favourite is always Doctor Who, Max, always. He then would be off yapping about his analysis of each season and episode, or what he read on Reddit that he claimed as his own, and go blah blah blah bla--

Victoria: Same as Warren, Vic would be the biggest fan of the show. I think Vic would have Buffy as her favourite character. She'd be a Bangel shipper and a diehard Angel and DB fan. She'd be on Tumblr fighting the Spuffy fans. She agreed that Spike was hot, but the ship rivalry was just...yeah. But she'd secretly see herself in Cordelia. Victoria would ask, "I'm not as bitchy as Cordelia, right, Nate? Right??" and Nathan would just laugh his ass off, annoying her. Later in ATS, she came for Angel but had Cangel as a guilty pleasure. Cordelia's character development would kinda trouble her. Not because it wasn't good but because...well, she saw herself in her and could I be like that? Then she watched S4 and was so mad at them fucking up Cordy's arc.

Nathan: Nathan watched this show on and off because Victoria was watching it near him but he didn't like it. He wasn't too interested in a female main character and would be one of the people who was like: "She's hot but there's no way a girl that small can beat up people. (Stupid name, btw.)"

"She's the vampire slayer!" Vic protested.

"So fucking what?!"

He'd remember Riley and ask, "Where is that soldier guy?"

"He fucked off to Brazil a season ago, Nathan! Shut up about Riley already, he sucked!"

"Brazil again." (Iykyk.)

[magnetarmadda]

for @tmaappreciationweek Day 6, I've a little Scottish Safehouse moment for our boys, featuring tea as Martin's love language

Martin always thought of Jon as the epitome of British, with his polished clothes, posh accent, and jawline that could cut glass. Tim once joked that Jon seemed as British as beans on toast (which of course Jon had overheard—that was the first time Martin had seen Jon go beet red). 

So it always surprised Martin how averse Jon seemed to be to drinking tea. Well, not averse exactly, as he would sip at a cup for a few hours (Christ, cold tea). But he would make the most unpleasant expressions at it, as though it were giving him a live statement that sounded about as real as elephants on the moon. 

Martin wasn't a tea connoisseur by any means, but he'd learned how to make a comforting cuppa during the years he cared for his mother, and he felt proud of his ability to figure out how his coworkers took their tea. Tim liked his steeped an extra minute, with a decent measure of milk and no sugar. Sasha (he thinks) preferred hers weaker, milk and a good spoonful of sugar. 

It took Martin quite a bit of time to find out what Jon liked, though. 

First time he'd offered to make a round of tea for the office, Jon had first insisted he didn't need to, it wasn't in his job description after all. Martin had stood his ground, no matter how his fingers trembled in his fists, and Jon relented with a small sigh. "Well, if you're sure."

"And how do you take your tea?" Martin had asked, trembling now in victory (no matter how small the victory). 

"Oh, a bit of milk," was all Jon had said. 

Martin thought it was a waste of perfectly good tea (and milk!) for Jon to drink from it gingerly for a while before leaving it to cool on the corner of his desk. 

After a few weeks, he'd tried to determine if it was tea in general or Martin's tea in particular Jon objected to. Jon didn't quite seem to get what Martin was driving at, stating blandly, "It's just tea, Martin."

Martin had begun his own personal crusade then. It was meaningless, in the scheme of things, but he was determined to figure out how Jon took his tea. And if it turned out he didn't actually like tea, what he preferred to drink instead and how Martin should prepare it. It was a point of pride at that point.

Martin quickly learned that Jon would drink coffee but hated the taste, even when doctored to hell and back. He did enjoy a hot chocolate, but it seemed to make him sleepy in the middle of the day, and then grumpy at Martin.

So Martin went back to his tea experiments, and he had an inkling Tim and Sasha were taking bets about the process on the sly.

Martin started by preparing Jon's tea the way Tim took it—6 minute steep, dollop of milk, no sugar. Jon finished more of that tea than he had before, but less than Martin would've liked.

So instead, he made it the way he liked his own—5 minute steep, milk until a nice tawny color, spoon of sugar. Jon drank most of it, but solid quarter of the tea remained in the bottom of the mug. 

When Martin eventually got up to adding two more spoonfuls of sugar to the mug, Jon not only drained his mug but seemed surprised to find it empty. It wasn't much, and Martin wouldn't have known about it at all if he hadn't been bringing in a report. But he was, and he saw.

Jon flipped open the file Martin handed him, reached for his mug, and then let out an, "Oh!" He looked down in disappointment, set the mug aside, and sighed. "I'll have to make another later."

Martin had just nodded and took the empty mug back to the sink, where he grinned to himself as he made a fresh round. 

Making tea for Jon became second nature, in the years they worked together, and it was the first thing to come back after the Lonely. He'd felt dazed when he woke up, confused and half-aware, vaguely remembering he was somewhere in the Scottish Highlands, but Jon was sleeping soundly beside him, and all Martin could think was, "He needs tea."

Martin doesn't know exactly what woke Jon, if it was Martin's absence or the smell of the tea and toast or something else entirely, but his heart feels full to bursting, a sharp pain of affection he'd forgotten about, when he takes in Jon's sleepy face framed by morning light.

"Morning," Jon says through a yawn, rubbing his eyes with the sleeve of Martin's jumper—Jon, ridiculous man, had brought nothing warmer than his trousers and a threadbare jacket. The sight of Jon drowning in yellow wool is enough to send heat right to Martin's face.

"Morning," he answers, smiling so hard it hurts. Is this what happiness is supposed to feel like? "I'm making breakfast, tea's almost up."

"Mm," Jon says, then, "Thanks." He takes a seat at the table, dropping his head on his hand as he watches Martin with a soft, fond look on his face.

Knowing the tea's almost steeped, Martin stands up on his toes to grab the sugar out of the cupboard and reaches for the milk he'd left on the counter. He tosses the tea bags and in goes the milk, followed by the sugar in his own. He starts to add sugar to the second mug when Jon says, "Wait, stop, please."

Martin stops, looking at Jon with a twinge of anxiety. Is he…is he doing something wrong?

"I don't take sugar in my tea," Jon reminds him, his voice still soft. 

Martin smiles, the anxiety rushing away. "You do," he tells Jon. "I've been putting sugar in for years."

"Have you really?" Jon asks, surprised now. Then he gives a self-deprecating smile. "That would explain why my tea has tasted awful for the last few months."

Martin adds the sugar to Jon's and stirs, letting the stab in his heart subside at the second sentence. "Took me a while to figure it out," he finally says, bringing the teas over to Jon at the table.

He turns to grab the toast from the counter and hears Jon's chair scrape behind him. Jon comes up next to him and grabs the butter and marmalade Martin had pulled out as well.

Martin admits, "It became a bit of a pride thing, really. I didn't like that I could make tea for Tim and Sasha but not for you."

Jon smiles at him, warm and fond and just for him. "Well, thank you," he says, leaning down to press a kiss to Martin's forehead. His face flushes at the casual intimacy of it, a fantasy he never thought he'd get to live. 

They sit down to their simple breakfast, and as Jon spreads a truly obscene amount of orange marmalade on a poor piece of unsuspecting toast, Jon says, "My grandmother wouldn’t let me have sugar in my tea as a child, because I was so a restless child. So, I never thought of trying it that way."

Martin stares pointedly at the monstrosity Jon is stuffing into his mouth at the moment. "But she let you consume double the amount on your toast?" he teases.

Jon coughs, turning pink around the ears. "Ah," he says after swallowing the bread down. "No, that I learned on my own—I didn't have much money in uni, and this was filling and easy, and the sugar could keep me going until dinner, since I'd forget lunch most of the time."

Martin rolls his eyes. "Some things never change," he jokes, and takes a bite of his own toast.

[leatafandom]

For the Fic recs ask game: 💞💯🤔 (Music)

For ships - I’m willing for any recs involving Lucifer as a main character regardless of ship. If he’s not your cuppa, feel free to just pick randomly.

Hiii thanks so much for the ask! So I don't have a ton of Lucifer as a main character especially if your not into dubcon, angelest, or Lucifer with a female vessel cause I think most of my history and bookmarks are filled with those when pertaining to Luci. I'm pretty sure the first two would wiggle or push straight past that angelest line so fore warning.

💞- A fic that led to you making friends with the author

So I feel like we're friends, mutuals, Tumblr buddies~ This fic isn't complete but it doesn't take away from the fact that it is glorious. Hollow's Gate by @maggot-monger is ugh it's so freaking good I wanna scream. I adore the characterization, the mystery, the movie that inspired it, and Lucille. This story just made me wanna get to know them more and consume more of their works and art. It's fabulous and I will reread it forever, last chapter uploaded or never. It's just good.

💯- A fic that makes you think #writergoals

Oh freaking Lemon eyes by @maggot-monger, hands down a Lucifer fic that inspired me to want to be a better writer and just marvel at the use of langue, emotion, thought process, and placement of words on a page. I just adore Gabriel's thought process and his thoughts on his relationship with Lucifer.

🤔- The first fic you think of when I say [insert word here] (music)

Luci isn't the main character but a Debriel story Your Soul Sang to Me by @heavenssexiestangel is fresh in my mind in terms of music. The story is wonderful and I really enjoyed the little bits of Lucifer. He just really stuck out to me in this fic even though he's not a main character by any means, but I just want more of him.

I do have more Lucifer ones bookmarked on my AO3, especially since I haven't been sleeping and you reminded me how much I love 'im xD

For Fic Recs Ask Game

[alexanderlightweight]

@faejilly

thank you!!! i have been dying to flail about a fic! and fic and @saeths is asleep and needs rest cause they're sick.

okay so it's a bit funny but this fic is one of my longest wips and still doesn't have a name but basically magnus accidentally woos kelpie!alec (half seelie/half shadowhunter sad backstory blahblahblah) who is very just. he's very impressed by Magnus' everything okay.

also saeth finds it really funny that in some of my darkest fics i focus the most on how good of a friendship magnus and cat and ragnor have. and so i just... half of the fic is now ragnor and cat and magnus and then figuring out the addition of alec to their party because while magnus will hangout with them without alec, he wants alec to be apart of it since its so important to him.

uhm there is quite a bit of murder in this fic. like magnus goes and kills a bunch of people he's slept with to get them out of the way because of a misunderstanding and cat and ragnor have absolutely no fucks to give with it. cat is literally just like, 'i need at least eight hours of sleep and a massage after this' because she loves her boys to pieces. and alec eats people in a none hannibal way its much messier.

... maybe i should have thought about what fic i wanted to share before begging for interaction. you dont have to read further if its not your cuppa tea, i can totally rant about a less dark fic

and saeth is part of alxndrlghtwoods and writes amazing stuff like dominion magic and they have a fic called 'take me for a ride' and so that fic has pretty heavily influenced the vibe of this magnus. except we see a lot of behind the scenes where he's with his friends, not just alec.

and magnus is very much a terrifying traumatizing person, but he's still the same immensely powerful person that ragnor had to douse with tea when he was learning to be hungover. and who ragnor chased around for 'bringing that disgusting tar into my house' when he tried to get ragnor to try coffee.

and he's still the person that ragnor held as he and cat pieced together magnus' heart so that not another single soul could ever hurt him like camille tried to. magnus lost any softness he did after camille and there is a very specific reason he opens himself up to alec in this fic and it's quite literally because of an accident.

like magnus wasn't hurt by camille in the same way as canon. what hurt him the most was that 'to him at the time' he was weak enough to almost be hurt by her. and that was worse. magnus doesn't do friends outside of cat and ragnor. and he doesnt do relationships.

alec very much has his own goals for the entire fic, as does magnus and their goals reach the same endgame? so even they go about different ways of getting there, it's fine? and magnus puts a magical pond on the roof so alec can still enjoy water and the first time magnus dips his toes in, he almost loses a couple because alec has an automatic reaction.

magnus: ... you could have said if you were that hungry

alec: magnus. you put body parts in water. it's a conditioned reflex at this point. i didn't realize they were attached to you.

magnus: my toes alexander! i just painted them

its a very morally grey fic because you have two very-nonhuman sets of instincts and quiet misunderstandings (no angst in the misunderstandings though) and a lot of brunch with the trio.

brunch is any meal that is with the three of them. if someone else tries to argue about it, they either die, or magnus mockingly takes them to where it is still brunch. Magnus has lost several dates this way.

He lost them on purpose. they were never found.

brunch is a vibe, not a time. yes, they frequently plot out mass casualties and murder over scones and lemon curd and cat's favorite of strawberry crepes and papaya with lime juice. ragnor still prefers kippers and toast. even if he has finally upgraded to the 'fancy' version. and magnus cycles through favorites but always has a very specific tea that he imports from where he was born.

magnus and alec have a very intense predator/prey but also with greater predator/smaller predator in that Alec is very willingly submitting to magnus and they both know that. because he is also incredibly dangerous and powerful. magnus very much does not want to deal with an upset alexander, he's seen how powerful his teeth are okay.

oh something that i love in this fic is alec gets most of his power from the small lake pocket dimension that he lives in. because it's created a self-sustaining cycle that balanced on alec being a big enough predator to protect the lake until natural magical defenses could shore up. it's pretty much a magical leyline and alec got anchored to/by it in the way of natural dominion magic. so he's not a king like magnus, he doesn't have a magical sovereign, he's just the sole guardian and sentinel for a, think of it kind of like those self-sustaining eco-systems but magical.

because i love magical realism and i love exploring into all the nooks and crannies that the showrunners never bothered to explore. like there is an entire different world of bugs and insects and flora and fauna and reptiles and animals and even canon!alec is more likely to know about magical creatures than mundane.

and magnus is super thrilled when they finally go back to alec's lake because hidden under a very clever array, is the fact that the entire lake is brimming with magical plants and magnus can very carefully and protectively cultivate some without harming the ecosystem, damaging the plants, hurting the environment. like magnus is mostly going to take a few cuttings from where alec needs to weed anyway.

alec is like: these are all trash, you can have them

magnus: darling, these are the magical equivalent of saffron

alec: yeah i don't know what that is either, do you want them? or ill feed them to the lily pod fairies.

alec knows they're important to the lake but he also can tell when the plants are getting too greedy and so he kind of tends to the lake very carefully. sometimes he uses a plant or another for its use, but he's very happy to just take care of the plants and only take them when necessary for himself or the lake health.

saeth likes calling my fics 'cute' and 'soft' even when they have like, mass murder and cannibalism and it's kind of funny because i do get it. i really love writing darkly and horrifically soft malec. it's the jam and butter to my bread. its good with only one, but better with both.

uh and if you managed to make it through that long winded smash of keys, here is a snippet from one such murderous brunch

—

Cat accepts a cup of tea with a small smile as Magnus laughs and Ragnor’s scolding gets increasingly louder.

“They were a perfectly lovely invention!” Ragnor is saying. “They should never have gone out of fashion!”

He’s said the same thing three times. Increasingly louder, as if it will eventually shut Magnus up. 

Cat sips her —perfect as always— tea and summons a box of biscuits.

Normally Ragnor offers them himself, but Cat will allow the discrepancy. They did find him quite indisposed.

Magnus is still laughing, holding his belly as though it might burst as he slumps into one of Ragnor’s large armchairs.

Ragnor seems to have given up and is grumpily sipping his own tea as he gives Magnus a snotty look.

When Magnus has finally, finally stopped laughing, Cat gives a silent sigh of relief.

And then Ragnor opens his mouth, dooming them all.

“If you must know.” He says with an aggrieved sniff, “it helps keep my horns from rubbing against the headboard. It’s quite annoying to have to polish them so often. Valois mentioned they were looking a little worn at the last gathering.”

And Magnus loses it again.

Ragnor had been napping on an armchair when they’d portaled in. Small round glasses perched on his snoring nose, a long flowing nightgown and a nightcap that hasn’t been used in several hundred years. 

It was only several lifetimes spent practicing self control that ensured Cat didn’t burst into laughter herself. 

She makes a note to order and send several bonnets to Ragnor, they’re much nicer than the undoubtedly musty nightcap Ragnor probably dug out of a moth-infested dresser in some half-abandoned cottage he forgot about.

Ragnor huffs and gulps half of his cup before Cat has pity and offers him a digestive. 

“The cheek on this lad.” Ragnor grumbles, “and what kind of present is this! At least it was well taken care of in that witch Selene’s library. If not tragically undervalued, so why is there blood on my bloody book?”

Magnus is going to give himself a hernia at this rate and Cat is both off duty and not inclined to be nice so she sends him a little zap and gives Ragnor the most mischievous smile she can.

Ragnor immediately catches on and good humor replaces his glower.

“Oh? What’s this? Cat, love! Don’t hold out on me. What’s ducky done now?”

“Guess who has to do a little spring cleaning, because he accidentally courted an un-declared kelpie.” Cat says in a rush, fingers snapping her biscuit in her eagerness to share.

Magnus gives a mock groan, “yes yes, laugh at my hubris. But trust me, a little bit of cleanup is well worth my Alexander.”

Magnus has one of his arms flung over his eyes and doesn’t see the quick, tight look Ragnor shares with Cat. Nor the brief joy when Cat simply smiles and nods, giving her assurance that Ragnor won’t need to make too many contingencies.

“And what does this time of new life and purging entail?” Ragnor asks and this time it’s Cat who laughs as Magnus gives them both a sheepish smirk.

“Ah, Alexander may be under the impression that I have been courting him… exclusively.” Magnus winces, “For the last four decades.”

Ragnor fights desperately not to gawp, and to not ruin his tea with incredulous laughter. 

And then he realizes the problem and his laughter fades.

“But you didn’t know.”

Magnus shakes his head, something bitter and angry in his eyes that Ragnor will worry over later. 

With sherry and Cat as backup. 

“That’s quite a bit of cleanup.” Ragnor murmurs quietly. Because Magnus takes fidelity seriously when it’s offered, “better take it to the last five decades, just to be safe. Don’t forget that orgy you told me about, the one in Dubai that you talked about for weeks in the 70’s. Don’t just do memory wipes, make it clean.” 

Magnus nods and Cat sighs despairingly as he summons a notebook and jots it down. 

“My, dear overachieving boys. Magnus should just use a ritual. If we’re going to do this, we’re going to do it properly. So we need to be thorough. We’ll have to add some element of a geas to the secret, Magnus can use one of his loose ends to power it. We can’t just murder all of them outright, it’s too conspicuous. Are there any spells that the Council needs done that require past lovers?” Cat looks at both of them sternly, “see how much we can brush under the Council’s cauldron and go from there.” 

“There, there ducky.” Ragnor tuts and sends over a cup and saucer to a groaning Magnus. “There’s not as many as you think. It’s a much smaller mess than if this happened when you were younger and off sowing your oats.”

‘Sowing my oats?’ Magnus mouths incredulously across his cup at Cat and she bites her lip to hide a chuckle. 

“Ah and Camille will need to finally be dealt with.” Ragnor says, so very obvious in how hard he’s trying to be nonchalant. Ragnor is always looking for a reason Magnus can accept and Cat is always hoping it works.

And for once, Magnus doesn’t even notice. 

“You know what, you’re right.” And Ragnor’s gaze snaps to Magnus with a relieved but disbelieving look as Magnus continues.

“She would definitely use any opportunity to get between us.” Magnus looks angry now, instead of the bitter pain that Camille normally brings out. “Putting a geas on her and sealing her won’t be enough.” And then Magnus pauses and there’s a dangerous, confident gleam to his eyes that Cat has mourned the lack of.

“Alexander does look divine in jewelry, and after everything he’s made for me, I should return the gesture. So I’ll need to commission him some.” And Magnus gives a soft, pleased smile. Like some deep wound has finally been healed, “and I have always wondered what the color of Camille’s soul is.”

Ragnor gives a content, pleased smile and nods sharply. “If need be we’ll say you’re cleaning up your court. Camille is a perfect and public example of a traitor being dealt with. There’s always an enemy if you look hard enough.”

[godfrey-the-chaos-duck]

In her answer to the "get to know your moots better" tag game, @justaboot mentioned she'd love to go backpacking in Ireland.

As someone who lives here, I am making this post for anyone who wants to visit Ireland at any point, and I figure now's as good a time as any.

Weather

It rains like 24/7 here so bring a fucking rain coat. And an umbrella. I'm so serious. There will be mornings where you'll leave your hotel/tent/wherever you're staying and you'll think "It doesn't look like it's going to rain" NO. BRING THE COAT. The sky is lying to you. Just because it doesn't look like it'll rain does NOT mean it's not gonna rain!!

The west and north tend to get worse weather, but rain happens everywhere here.

History

Not gonna get into it here because that'd be wayyyy too long of a post, but a lot of our tourist attractions rely on people having at least some kind of knowledge of Irish history and/or folklore. It's interesting, if a bit depressing at times, but I'm pretty sure that goes for all countries.

Long story short we were under British control for a really really really REALLY long-ass time, and we fought like hell to get our independence. Oh - speaking of which, if you're anywhere near the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, it's a good idea to avoid wearing orange ESPECIALLY in or around July. This is because orange is seen as a symbol of Unionist beliefs (ie, the belief that Ireland should be part of the UK) and it's a REALLY touchy subject for a lot of people. Do your research. Trust me on that.

Language

First off, most people speak English here (unless you're in a Gaeltacht region, where people mainly speak Irish. These are located in Cork, Donegal, Galway, Kerry, Meath, Mayo and Waterford, and they can be a great cultural experience but it's not for the faint of heart.) However, there are like a zillion different regional accents so good fucking luck trying to understand people 😂😂

The way Irish people talk has some nice quirks, some of which I'll share here.

Craic (pronounced "crack") No, it's not drugs. The word craic generally means a good time or other happenings. There are three main ways the word is used.

"What's the craic?" = What's up?/Any news?

To have the craic = To have fun, especially at a party

"No craic" = Boring, nothing happening at all.

If someone invites you for a "cuppa" or better yet, a "cupán tae" (pronounced "cup awn tay") they want you to come in and have a cup of tea with them. This is usually accompanied by a LOT of small talk, which Irish people are experts at.

Other expressions vary WILDLY by county and sometimes even by region, so I'm afraid I'm not much help to you here.

Things To Do Here

First off, our restaurants are quite overpriced, as are our hotels. However, our healthcare is fairly cheap.

We have SO MUCH NATURAL SCENERY. If the weather allows, definitely go out and explore it! Just watch out if you're hiking, as the rain makes a lot of places muddy and slippy, so maybe bring the good hiking boots. We also don't have a lot of animals that can kill you, which is great!

As I mentioned, we have a lot of places to go that are based in our history, and they can be great places to learn about Ireland's past. But if you're not interested in history (which is fine) there are plenty of other options. We have a wax museum in Dublin, a theme park called Emerald Park (formerly Tayto Park, after an Irish potato chip brand) and a LOT of great theatres, pubs and clubs. Oh yes, if there's one thing we do well here, it's our night life!

We even have a coastal trail called the Wild Atlantic Way, which stretches all the way up our western coastline, from Cork to Donegal.

And lastly, if you're in the area, there is this fucking LEGENDARY ice cream parlour in Sligo called Mammy Johnstons. It's RIGHT next to the beach, and (in my limited experience) it's the BEST ice cream place in the country.

So yeah! Enjoy your trip!

🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪

[littlemissmanga]

Tis I, @eternal-transcience, for matchmaking out of pure curiosity!

Brief description (as best I can!) :

Personality - reserved and shy at first, probably obvious social anxiety but it clears up after a little bit of nice chatting, easily flustered and tickled pink but doesn't make good jokes (I am the joke!), and very full of affectionate banter! The one folks come to for advice, but not at all good at going to people for it or help (I forget I have the problems whn I'm around people I enjoy and then remember them when I'm alone!). Every so often I have Brain blips/gremlin thoughts but usually deal with them on my own - sometimes they come out though but, again, doesn't last longer than a few hours. Pretty chill. Sticks to one self. But can be confident when necessary! Think - around a friend I'm just socially accepted as leader and I have not been asked about it! Biggest fear (aside from spiders haha!) is being ignored and unknown thus fading away to nothing in three seconds haha!

Likes: Gardening (flowers mostly!), cherry blossoms, sweet food (marzipan and cake mostly), nice walksbin the countryside, more so in summer. Birdwatching whilst drinking a cuppa and looking out the kitchen window. talking to the creatures of the garden and land an plants. drawing writing. peace. but also having a good laugh.

dislikes: verbal and emotional chaos! horror of all kinds. anything too loud. slimy things. wearing anything too revealing. not being listened too!

(hopefully it's not too long!)

Yen Ori'ken's Valentine's Day Matchmaker Services

Yen: Another lovely profile :) Thank you for sending it in, @eternal-transcience!

I believe your best match this Valentine's Day would be ...

Sergeant Hunter of Clone Force 99. Hunter may have a reputation for being the broody older brother of the so-called "Bad Batch". But that's mostly talk. Like you, he doesn't open up to new people easily, but he does have his enhanced senses as a secret weapon to help build bridges.

Hunter respects the hell out of fellow problem solvers, particularly ones who show up for their friends/family to offer advice and support. Loyalty and acts of service are big things to him, and he will be drawn to those traits in you.

He'll also help you start recognizing when you need the support yourself. Those enhanced senses come in again here, and while he's no mind reader, he'll know if something is up - even if your mind hasn't caught up with your body yet. He won't let you fade away.

I believe the two of you would enjoy a lovely date going for an (easy) walking hike, taking your time to enjoy the natural surroundings. Maybe do a little bird watching before returning back into town for lunch in a local cafe.

I hope you enjoy your Valentine's Day date, and thank you again for writing in!

[garebearandnan]

EP19 Pt1 Time to Smooze

DAY 15 | TUES JUNE 19

The new boys and new girls are wasting no time grafting.

Villa boy’s Beach Hut Interviews included in this chapter. Some dialogue has been added from actual Love Island series and other LITG seasons.

Gary grabbed dumbbells from the rack with both hands, the metal cool against his palms. Standing before the mirror, he focused on each curl, his muscles flexing under the weight, sweat beads glistening on his skin. "Damn, it's already so hot out," he muttered, his voice a mix of irritation at the weather and lack of sleep. And also missing a certain pretty brunette in another Villa.

Iain Stirling: On the terrace the girls are enjoying the view as much as their morning cuppa.

“Gary looks so sexy in that mirror.” Chloe’s eyes sparkled with admiration, her voice a soft, dreamy whisper as she bit her lower lip.

Blake's tone was matter-of-fact, but her gaze lingered appreciatively on Gary’s reflection. “Yeah, he’s fit.”

Alana's cheeks flushed slightly, “He’s so ripped,” her voice filled with excitement.

“Yeah. He’s a sort.” Shannon agreed, her eyes twinkling mischievously. She turned to Blake. “How's things going, Blake?”

“Not bad at all.” Blake’s voice was confident, but there was a hint of uncertainty in her eyes. She quickly masked it with a playful smile. “I do think his head will be turned.

Chloe looked surprised. “Really? You reckon his head could be turned?”

Blake shrugged. “He’d be a fool not to…”

Shannon raised an eyebrow at Blake’s comment as she cut in. “Strong words.” And it’s a wasted choice. The poker player wasn’t convinced his head could be turned. They had been a strong couple and she hadn’t noticed any cracks when they were coupled up, like with Nope.

Blake asked, “You don’t think so?”

Shannon mused to herself: She doesn't sound very sure either. “I guess we’ll see what happens.”

Blake flicks her hair. “That’s not an issue for me, honestly.” She glances at the gym where Gary was doing squats now. Maybe I should try working out to get his attention. She smiled playfully, her tone teasing but her eyes more focused, plotting her next move. “Might need to try out the Villa equipment. Drop into a few squats, he won’t be able to take his eyes off of me.”

Shannon smiled. Gotta respect the confidence.

BH Shannon: “When a guy is flirty and friendly, girls can take it as a sign that the guy is cracking on. Which some girls do and he was just being friendly."

Lucas dove in, his body slicing through the water effortlessly. A splashing sound draws their attention back to the garden. Alana sighed. “I didn’t know men could be that hot! The things I’d do to him.”

Siobhan giggled. “One hundred percent! I know exactly what you mean. I’m glad it’s just not me who’s thinking it.”

“Tell me about it.” Chloe smirked playfully. “Look at his muscles glisten!”

Blake shrugged, her tone light-hearted. “Love Island is all about exploring connections right?”

“So they say.” Shannon’s eyes twinkled with amusement.

Alana chimed in, “You shouldn’t hesitate to go for what you want.”

“That’s my approach too.” Blake shrugged nonchalantly. “You’ve got to if you want to get the good ones, babe.”

“He’s coupled up, so the fact Lucas shared a bed with you that’s quite a big deal.” The Irish redhead continued, “We all have to give ourselves the chance of finding something real.”

“I think the boys are a long way from settled. Nobody is really tied down yet.” Siobhan’s voice was firm.

🤍 🤍 🤍

In the Beach Hut:

Producer: Any of the new girls catching your eye? 

Bobby: The new girls, Alana and Chloe, they are both fit. They're both attractive. Emily has massively surprised me, actually. I’ll pull her in for another chat today. It is just completely fair game with all of them.

Gary: I'm not saying that I'm interested in them, but they're really good-looking birds. I'd be lying to myself if I said they weren't. I reckon, Chloe and Emily would be my typical type.

Lucas: Siobhan and Blake have caught my eye. Both exude a confidence that I can absolutely get behind. We've had some solid conversations.  There's definitely some temptation with the new girls. I think a lot of the boys' heads are spinning. I’m not sure how secure any of the existing couples are.

Ibrahim: Shannon caught my attention right away. I’ve never met anyone like her. She’s got the chat and the looks. It’s early days, but yeah, she’s someone I’m interested in getting to know better. She’s confident, interesting, and has a great vibe.

Jakub: Emily is a firecracker. We had a really good time yesterday. (He winks at the camera). There’s some hotties out there and I’m not saying no to any of them just yet. Siobhan flames, she's fit and Alana is a little pocket rocket.

Noah: Yeah, the girls are all lovely. It’s nice to meet some new faces though. If I had to choose I would say Siobhan and Blake are my type.

What about ... how do you usually get a woman's number?:

“Me! So, like, when I'm in the clubs, giving it all this…” Felix mimics using a turntable and holds imaginary headphones to his ear. “I keep my eyes peeled during the gig to see which girl is giving me... the look.” Kassam rolls his eyes. Felix continued, his voice animated with confidence, “Then, when I see her, I get her a drink. Maybe even the group of friends she’s with, too. Shows her I’m a nice guy.” He grinned proudly. “They’re like ‘where’d these drinks come from?’ and the barman points at me up on the decks and you give them a nod. Game over.”

Arjun nodded enthusiastically, his eyes brimming with excitement. “For me, I find that dogs are a massive help. I walk a lot of dogs up and down the Norfolk beaches. They're like magnets, mate. The smaller and cuter, the better.” Arjun explained, a confident smile spreading across his face. “Trust me.”

Hope admitted with a bright smile, her eyes sparkling with interest, “Damn, I'd be one of those girls. I’m a sucker for a cute pup.”

“That's it. You come over, and you're all like, ’What a cutie’, and then I'm straight in there with… ‘Not as cute as you.’ He grinned slyly, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

“So how do you do it, Graham?” asked Priya, clearly intrigued.

Graham nodded thoughtfully. “Easy. Most of the local girls know me, so I just walk up to them and start chatting, you know? Funny how far just treating a woman like a person can get you.” Felix frowns hard. Graham continued, oblivious. “Course, there is a problem with this… I've kind of run out of women at my local, so I have to go to other towns. I’m not one for all this ‘moves’ business. I figure if a girl’s going to be interested in you, then she’ll be interested in you. Otherwise, she won’t be. It’s not hard.”

“You're a breath of fresh air.” Marisol smiled warmly at him.

Carl started to explain how he meets girls. ”The usual way is through business connections. I once went out with one of the software engineers at my company.”

Elijah shook his head. “Ah, mate, weren't you listening? Terrible idea to date someone you work with.”

Graham nodded in agreement. “Sounds like a minefield, to be honest.”

“I don't get much time to go out and meet people.” Carl sighed softly. “We were both part of the cycling committee.” He looks wistfully into the distance. “We bonded over a slipped chain…”

The group turns to look at Kassam as he pulls himself out of the pool to sit on the edge. He says nothing for a moment, then shrugs, letting the question hang in the air before he finally says, “Nah, you don’t need a dog or anything like that. I just use dating apps.”

Priya’s eyebrows shoot up with intrigue at his straightforward answer, “That's it?”

Kassam nods casually, his expression cool and collected. “Yeah. It’s the twenty-first century. Phones exist. I just message someone and go from there.”

What are your moves?:

“Well, once I know she’s interested, I move in, all casual like, and then rest on something nearby with an arm, then hit them with this…” Elijah’s face suddenly changes as if he was at a photoshoot. “Hey, girl. I've seen you checking me out. How about it then?”

Graham, intrigued, pressed on. “And then what?”

“That's it.” Elijah shrugged nonchalantly.

Arjun scoffed. “What? No way?”

Elijah nodded. “Yep, works one-hundred-percent of the time.”

Carl looked sceptical. “That's impossible. Unless you've only done it once.”

“I tend to act a little clumsy. It disarms people, you know.” Graham chuckled. “Yeah, like, I’ll be walking up, but then drop something by ‘accident’. Gives me a chance to flex while I pick it up as well.” Graham clarified quickly, “I only do it at first. I’m actually not that clumsy.”

“Why don’t you demonstrate it?”

“Alright…” Without saying a word, Graham hauls himself out of the pool and walks away. He starts to walk back to Marisol, and pretends to drop something. But on picking it up, he missteps and falls face first into the pool.

The rest of the group bursts into fits of laughter. Priya teased, “Very convincing.”

Graham spluttered as he resurfaced. “Agh! That was… erm, not meant to happen.”

“Goofball…” Marisol locks eyes with Graham and bites her lip slightly.

Felix shook his head in disbelief. “No way that works!”

Graham frowned playfully. “Oh no? Damn, guess I’ll have to call all those girls up and tell them it didn't work.”

Marisol raised an eyebrow as she asked, “All those girls?”

Graham chuckled sheepishly. “Well… not that many, really.”

READ FULL CHAPTER ON WATTPAD OR A03. LINKS BELOW:

[lindsaywesker]

Good morning! I hope you slept well and feel rested? Currently sitting at my desk, in my study, attired only in my blue towelling robe, enjoying my first cuppa of the day. Welcome to Throwback Thursday!

Many thanks to everyone that contributed to WEDNESDAY WORDS. Thanks to those that read and leave a ‘like’ or ‘love’. As you can see, some contributions really resonate with people. Yesterday’s winner was The Party Girl (again) with, “Just because I loved you at one point doesn't mean I will always love you. I’m not Whitney Houston!” Not credited to anyone, merely an internet meme classic.

On this page, ‘Throwback Thursday’ is all about memories. So, what do you remember? If I was to say the word HOME what immediately comes to mind?

‘The Wizard Of Oz’? It wouldn’t surprise me. For many of us, when we step through our front door, Judy Garland’s iconic words echo in our ear. For many of us, there is no place like home but, for some, the last place they felt ‘at home’ was in their mum and dad’s house! Me? I guess I’m just bloody lucky! Well, you knew that already! I’ve always lived in amazing homes. Not big, posh or plush homes, just lovely, homely homes. Just before The Trouble and I got our first flat, we actually lived in her parent’s house. Yes, that was ‘home’ for a while. I was not (strictly) a member of the family, I was just a guest, but her mum and dad made me feel ‘at home’. Bless them! In fact, it was a bloody weird house because The Trouble’s twin sister had her boyfriend living in her bedroom too! Nevertheless, dysfunctional as we were, we were our own mad version of The Waltons. I suppose my fondest memory of The Trouble’s mum was cornmeal porridge and thin slices of buttered white bread. Initially, it seemed like a weird combination but, when I tucked into it, it felt like the best comfort food ever! Mrs. Patterson has sadly passed now but I will always remember her for the comfort she gave me. The place I live in now? It’s a bloody mad house! The Trouble is not just a hoarder but a messy hoarder, and her son takes after her! And once The Mighty Josiah arrives for the weekend, he just adds to the mess! Me? I try to keep things neat, tidy and simple. Between you and me, this place is driving me nuts but, in its own chaotic, rundown way, it still feels like home, and I still can’t wait to come home to it.

So, on this Throwback Thursday, what kind of memories, thoughts or emotions does the word HOME conjure up for you?

Big love and many thanks to Steven George, better known to his followers as Frostie, hardworking Canvey DJ legend. Got a missive from him yesterday saying, “Just a short message to say that I finished ‘Whatever Makes Them Dance’ last night and thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish.” What a top man! As soon as he reviews the book, I will post his review online. If you’re looking for an easy-peasy and very breezy light read, grab yourself a copy via Amazon and I guarantee it will make you smile. One girl bought it for her holiday and finished it before she could pack! It’s a love story about a DJ. I wrote it for people like us!

Have a throbbing and thrusting Thursday (with hopefully a few thrills through your thoroughfare?) I love you all.

[mr-laveau]

What is castle audios? Is it any good? I’ve gotten used to the long storylines in redacted’s stuff, so would it be similar to that? Your designs are super pretty

H E L L O anon!

To answer you off the bat, it's REALLY GOOD. Like, if you enjoy redacted, I honestly think you can take a spin with Castle if you're into F4A audios because she absolutely does work within the same realm of content while adding her own twist to the setup of the world and keeping her characters fresh + unique!

The channel is a lil younger than Redacted hence why it doesn't have longer playlists of videos that his channel does but that doesn't mean it's not going for the long-haul because with the setup of the series thus far, things have moved out of character introductions and more into plot interactions while promising bigger things for the future with the incoming Endax chronicles!

Personally, I don't typically recommend stuff I don't like unless the person is insistent about getting into it and seeing it themselves so trust when I tell you that this is great!

If I had to list some strong suits that the channel has, overall it is that Castle knows her strengths as a writer and plays into that with the way she isn't afraid to connect characters outside of a name drop and set up a whole story that makes everyone feel closer in the small town of Glenwood*, whether that be through joint audios or other characters getting voiced within another audio which adds to the intrigue towards character relationships.

*I also have to say that she boasts more initiative in actually voicing other characters in an one audio and isn't afraid to show how far the river runs in the connections everyone has with each other AND she's very community oriented in the way that she includes other VAs to add to her story while encouraging fans to come up with ideas,theories and just making content in general!

She's also very good at dropping hints and leaving trails so if you're like me, a SH kinnie, then you'll have a blast digging through videos not just in the Glenwood series but stuff like QnAs or CW reacts videos for any lore drops that could piece together the puzzle as you go along!

I also cannot stress how wonderfully she plays into the idea of setting up good characters, creating interesting listeners, intriguing plot hooks and amazing mysteries about what is to come with the next audio. She's got wonderful ideas and great execution and I am always excited when she updates to hear what's new!

If you're looking for somewhere to start and especially if you're basing your picks of Redacted characters, here's my recommendations!

If you like Milo, try Beth

If you like David or Aaron then I do recommend Claire

If you're into peeps like Ivan or Blake, try Rachelle

If Elliot is your cuppa, I'd say to go for Chloe (similar vibes)

If you love Lasko then I can't recommend Rose enough

Guy/Milo/Asher peeps could love Abby, that's for sure

If you wish you had more William, go for Celine

Want something that feels like Darlin/Lovely then I say try Genevieve because it's amazing and Gen is such a doll!

The others I will leave you to explore on your own!

[charmstwit]

Do you mind explaining the Platonic Blackcest tag for Stay With Me? bc i'm enjoying the fic, and currently am finding the regulus and sirius interactions amusing, but i'm relying pretty heavily on the "platonic" there bc i <i> think </i> its the claim/secondary genders and if i'm following Regulus is actively hoping at this point that Remus will claim Sirius once the claim Regulus made wears off?

just yeah, if it stays platonic i'm going to be able to keep reading but if it doesn't, that's just not something my brain can wrap around and a heads up would be nice.

(nothing wrong with writing it, just not my cuppa tea) :) hope you're having a good day, the most recent update gave me a good laugh after getting a cruddy email.

Thanks so much for sending this ask! We've been made aware of the discussion about this in a few places, and we're going to use this as a chance to clarify a bit.

For the main fic: Today's chapter (Chapter 30) was the peak of our physical interaction between the Black Brothers. James continues to make jokes. Sirius and Regulus continue to be frustrated by it. There are some implications thrown at them down the line, some suggestions that they both want it, but the kiss they had today was the extent of it in the main fic.

For side alongs: There is actual incest in the side alongs, but the ones this is relevant to are very well tagged. We will not surprise you with incest. One of the side alongs involves sex pollen, which we teased about in this snippet. The sex pollen fic is an AU of the Stay With Me Universe. We have a few others that we are discussing right now, which can be read as canon or AU, that will invovle actual incest. All of these are skippable, if that's not your thing.

Hope that clears it up, but if not, we're happy to clarify further!

[cuppacups]

Heyo

Was told on the YouTube to stop by.

If I’m not careful I might get a new obsession! Keep up the good work

Greetings and welcome to our Tumblr Account! So glad you made it! We're currently in the beginning stages of the project and we're at the checklist of showing characters. I do hope you enjoy the project once it officially starts. Thank you so much! We appreciate your sentiment about the project! Please have this short comic of Cuppa and Roseberry. Cuppa gets shy or flustered whenever he gets taken pictures of when he's eating, or when people look at him while he's eating in general. He doesn't use his mouth for talking or anything else besides consuming food.

The official ask box for the characters isn't open yet but you may ask questions about the project. We're delighted to show you insights about it!