#i believe when i came back here i was at around 70? then got to like 200 and then it just went up

[crunchchute]

holy moly. just hit 1k. thank you!!

[levisrations]

Dad! Levi: first diaper change

Warnings: pregnancy, birth description (not graphic) Nasty baby poop.

Levi has been practicing for months for this moment. Mentally preparing. The day is here and it’s currently wiggling around in discomfort towards being naked and cold.

Labor was nothing for you, the nurses were surprised how fast your baby boy came considering it was your first birth. You were practically crowning in the car, only reason you were composed (as much as you could) was because Levi was calm. Seeing him immediately get everything that was already packed for the hospital in the car, shoes on, and helped you get in the car with no panicking made things a little easier on you.

Now your baby is here, in need of a diaper change. You’ve been discharged and sent home and while you rest Levi stands before your son who lays on a changing table and is absolutely disgusted by this babys poop. He didn’t expect it to be so dark. He did not read about that in any of the baby books, perhaps he skipped it. Levi panicked a bit but google calmed him down stating it’s very normal.

Levi immediately puts his disgust to the side and starts cleaning.

“Jesus kid, you just got here. Alright, alright no need to get mad I know it’s cold. You’ll be bundled up in no time” Levi says as your baby is squirming and whining. The baby is cleaned and changed, bundled back up in his little onesie and swaddled (Levi is a champ at that). He takes the baby and settles him into one arm while he disposes of the diaper. “$70 for a trash can, isn’t that ridiculous bud? Probably not as ridiculous as the $1200 stroller. That was all me though, only the best for you.”

Levi continues to walk around with your baby in his arms and the baby is asleep, soothed by his father’s voice.

“Happy you’re here bud, hope I can be the best dad you deserve. Your mom is already the best no question there.”

“You wouldn’t believe how happy she was when she learned she was pregnant, and don’t get me started when we learned the gender.” Levi sits in the rocking chair in the corner of the room.

“Can’t just blame her I might’ve bought one too many outfits too” Levi softly rocks the both of them back and forth. He looks down at his peacefully sleeping son and lightly smiles. “Love ya bud, gross poops and all.”

[blooming-lily-petals]

Give Them A Good Dream Tonight

Malleus X Prefect

Summary: Malleus was walking around outside of Ramshackle dorm and Yuu couldn’t sleep because of nightmares so they also go to Ramshackle Dorm to walk around it. The two notice each other and start talking. This FanFiction starts in the middle of the conversation between them.

“Do you see that?” Malleus points at the sky as he looks at Yuu. They shook their head and Malleus hums and says, “Look closer.” He went behind Yuu and held one hand on their shoulder, “You asked how I am feeling, and you didn’t believe me when I said that I was okay, so I will give you the honest answer.” He points at the stars and makes Yuu look up where he’s pointing, “The stars are aligned…” Yuu looked back at Malleus and said, “Yeah, that means good luck.” Malleus hummed, “It may mean good luck to you, but to me it’s a reminder of what Lilia told me whilst you were away.” He sighed and looked away and started walking once again. Yuu got concerned and followed him. Malleus then began to explain himself, “Lilia is 700 years old while I am only 130, I was visiting the Ramshackle Dorm one night while you were away, and I cleaned up a few cauldrons. A couple hours later of just complete and utter silence, Lilia arrived and told me that Sebek couldn’t find me anywhere and he was having a panic attack about it. Then soon after we both laughed about it, Lilia looked at the sky and I followed so, the planets were in a complete line, well one planet was trying to make it a full line, he told me, ‘Oh would you look at that, I haven’t seen the planets be in such a fine line for a hundred years…’ and he sighed and told me, ‘…this may be the last time I see it’.” He stared up at the stars again and said, “Seeing those stars like that just makes me remember what he told me… it pains me to think about… I knew Lilia was going to die but I hoped it wouldn’t be as soon as he’s saying it will be…”

Malleus kept himself from tearing up and Yuu walked over and they spoke, “I’m sorry the aligned stars make you think like that. I’m sure Lilia will see the planets align again. Is dying at 700 years old normal for Fae?” Malleus had to think for a minute on how to answer this question. But once he came up with how to answer, he spoke, “Yes and no… let me explain this with a metaphor of a human…” he said and Yuu looked up and listened to Malleus.

“Humans usually die between the ages of 70 and 80, right?” Malleus asked and Yuu thought for a moment and nodded their head, “Yes, that is usually the age.” Malleus nodded once, “So, Lilia is basically the human years of his 70s. Fae usually die in between the years 700-800, some last until they’re 1000 years old, others get to their 900s sometimes. Very few last longer than their 1000s.” Yuu started to realize the similarities and they spoke, “Oh! Like humans can sometimes and rarely last to their 100s.” Malleus hummed with a smile and nodded, “Yes, at least from what I know in my 130 years of life. Humans are learning to last rather long. When I was younger than I am now, humans used to last until their 40s if they were lucky that is and very rarely compared to others, they would last until they were in their 80s… human years and lives are very fascinating to me, especially now that I know you.” Malleus said suavely and he took Yuu’s hand and kissed the top of it.

“You’re very fascinating yourself, Hornton.” Yuu said with a small smile. Malleus was caught off guard and he blushed, “I…” he then smirked slightly and said with a sway of his voice, “…you never cease to amaze me, child of man.” Yuu laughed a bit, “Slow down with the compliments there, or you’ll end up becoming speechless.” They teased lightly. Malleus laughed a bit, “Very well, child of man.”

The two walked together around the still destroyed Ramshackle dorm and soon Malleus spoke again, “Why are you out here this late by the way?” He looked down at Yuu and Yuu looked up at him, “I couldn’t sleep, the things with Idia were just too much. I felt so useless, and albeit kind of scared…” Malleus was surprised by this, “Is my fearless human finally finding themself a fear?” Yuu laughed lightly, “A most terrifying fear… the fear of death, we were all lucky we got out of there with our lives… then there’s Ace and Deuce… they almost died, so I guess it’s a fear of loss too?” They sighed, “I’ve been having nightmares since we’ve returned… death grabbing me and bringing me down into darkness… I feel like an inconvenience to everyone because I cannot do anything… everyone does everything for me, and sometimes they almost die because of it…” they tear up a bit.

Malleus' eyes widened as he listened. He opened his mouth to speak but a raven cawed twice in the trees nearby. He raises his hand and waved it to reassure the raven Yuu is alright. Then he looked back at Yuu and said, “I’m very sorry to hear that, my dearest human,” he cupped Yuu’s cheek and smiled at him. “Would you like me to bring a smile to that beautiful face of yours, my dear?” He bowed as if he were a man from the 18th century bowing to a lady and held his hand out to Yuu. Yuu hummed with a small smile, “As if you hadn’t already.” They said and they took his hand and Malleus kissed the top of it. “There may be no music playing, but I can sing for us.” He held one of his hands around Yuu’s waist then his other hand, he held Yuu’s delicately as if they were a piece of glass. Then he started leading a waltz with Yuu following, “Hornton, I have two left feet…” they said and Malleus hummed a laugh, “As if that matters.” He said softly. Then he began to sing quietly as they danced to the song.

After the song was finished and the two got slightly dizzy, they stopped and Malleus smiled at them, “I hope I have made your night better, my dear.” He spoke with a voice of concern as well as hope. “Yes you did, Hornton.” They answered and he nodded, “Good.” He said. Yuu then asked, “Hornton, did you know the bird that cawed earlier?” They looked around the trees where they were. “Oh yes, I did. His name is Branwen, he’s my Raven, my wings and my eyes in the sky.” Yuu nodded and asked, “He’s still here?” Malleus nodded once, “Indeed.” He then whistled and extended his arm and a raven flew down from one of the very big trees and landed on him. Branwen tilted his head at Yuu and Malleus said, “Yuu, this is Branwen; Branwen, Yuu.” Yuu smiled and raised their hand up to pet Branwen who allowed them to by putting his head down. “Such a pretty bird…” Yuu said. Malleus rolled his eyes, “You called him a ‘pretty bird’ and now he’s going to love you forever.” He teased, “You made his head grow 10x larger.” Branwen looked at Malleus, offended. “Not literally, figuratively.” Branwen shrugged him off and looked at Yuu. “In other words, you grew his ego.” Malleus said. Yuu laughed a bit, “Sorry Hornton, I was only speaking the truth.” They smiled at Branwen. Malleus shook his head in amusement, “Alright, go back to your tree now, Branwen.” Branwen squawked then nuzzled Yuu and he flew off.

“Branwen, unlike Sebek and Silver, is a guard for me without it being his job. He just guards me because I saved him from being hunted and eaten by a dog, or was it a cat… hmm, oh well.” Malleus explained and he continued walking with Yuu following, “He’s a shapeshifter, that’s his signature spell. He learned how to change his own form because Lilia and I refused to change him back from a chihuahua to a human.” He added and he laughed a bit, “He was always a raven, I'm the one that made him human to keep him from being hunted.” He finished. Yuu nodded, “I see, he seems nice.” Malleus laughed, “He is, but he’s a pain as well.” He said. Yuu laughed too. “Anyway, do you think you may be able to sleep for the night?” Malleus asked, Yuu nodded, “Yes, I do.” They said and Malleus smiled, “Good, I shall escort you to the hall of mirrors and was it the Pomefiore dorm you’re staying at until Ramshackle is fixed?” He asked and Yuu nodded, “Yes, that’s very nice of you.” They said and Malleus hummed, “Only doing what I can for you, child of man.” The two walk together, arms linked, to the hall of mirrors and outside the Pomefiore dorm’s mirror, Yuu looked up at Malleus and kissed his cheek, “Thank you, Malleus.” They said and they left through the Pomefiore mirror with Malleus’ help.

Soon Malleus returned to the Diasomnia dorm and went to wake up Silver, “Silver, I have a task for you to do tonight…” he shook Silver and Silver awoke and asked, “A task..? At…” he looked at the time on his clock, “…2 in the morning?” He asked and Malleus nodded, Branwen sat on Malleus’ shoulder and Silver sighed and said, “Fine, what’s the task?”

“Give Yuu a good dream tonight.”

[misskattylashes]

Okay, people have been asking me about Alex singing Star Treatment to Miles in Dublin night 2. So I thought I would do a breakdown of the Milex related lyrics:

I Just wanted to be one of The Strokes

Now look at the mess you made me make

Hitchhiking with a monogrammed suitcase

This is Alex lamenting on how he is wanted to form a band to play Strokes songs, but somehow he has ended up a superstar who is a bit lost

Miles away from any half-useful imaginary highway

There is a debate around this, like if he means he is far from reality, or indeed Miles is away from him now

I’m a big name in deep space

Ask your mates but golden boy’s in bad shape

I found out the hard way

That here ain’t no place for dolls like you and me

He’s famous but in a bad way because reality has made him realise it is impossible for him and Miles to be as they were (Dolls = Puppets) – proof of this is when he gestures to himself and Miles in Dublin.

Maybe I was a little too wild in the 70s

Rocket-ship grease down the cracks of my knuckles

EYCTE had a 70s vibe about it with a lot of references to Bowie etc. And indeed Alex was extremely wild!

Rocket-ship grease....ahem interpret as you wish. But let’s not forget a rocket is phallic shaped!

Love came in a bottle with a twist off cap

Let’s all have a swig and do a hot lap

This could be lube ..poppers...booze all three. Hot lap can mean something very NSFW but it is also associated with racing and alludes to how quickly everything happened during EYCTE.

But it’s alright ‘cause you love me

And you recognize that it ain’t how it should be

Alex is sure that Miles loves him and understands that their situation is shit.

Jukebox in the corner

Long hot summer

They’ve got a film up on the wall, and it’s dark enough to dance

They listened to Long Hot Summer by the Style Council during the writing of EYCTE.

Why does it need to be dark to dance? Alex has previously used dance as a metaphor for sex, so.....

Back down to earth with a lounge singer shimmer

Elevator down to my make believe residency

From the honeymoon suite

Once again, back to earth after EYCTE. Make believe residency can allude to the fact that the majority of his AM images have been him pretending to be someone else.

Honeymoon suite. Him and Miles were so happy during EYCTE it was like a honeymoon period.

So in a nutshell, Star Treatment is about the fact that real life means the little bubble him and Miles lived in during EYCTE isn’t compatible with real life. But he is sure of Miles’ love and that he appreciates it can’t be how he wants it.

Let’s not forget in the Mexico Tour video from 2019, the turtle segment has the original version of One Point Perspective with Alex singing ‘one more year I’ll call it quits’. Was that the original plan? One album then out? But for some reason things changed ...

Hope this clarifies things a bit. One day I would love to analyse the whole TBHC album.

[gracegrove]

TW 70s era use of the word "queer"

Neil Hargrove doing a very working-class thing by volun-telling Billy that he will be spending his summer as a 14-year-old doing hard manual labor on a job site with some random ass uncle he didn't even know he had until one morning over dry Cheerios.

Neil drops him off at Uncle Matt's in Anaheim with a backpack and a duffel bag. See ya in September. "Don't cause your uncle any trouble," he warned with a thick grip on the shoulder before he took off for the interstate.

Billy stared at the man with hard eyes, his arms crossed in defiance. "You're not my real Uncle..."

The man chortled, ash sprinkling from the thick cigar chomped in his teeth. "Ya think so, tough guy?" He chuckled some more, waving for Billy to come inside.

Uncle Matt was a large man, as wide as he was tall. The furniture groaned when he sat down, casually kicking off his work boots and shrugging out of his suspenders as he picked up the can of beer from the side table.

"So Willy..." "It's Billy." Uncle Matt gave him a toothy grin. "Billy," he corrected, "Ya ever work a day in yer life?"

Billy sat on the corner of the couch, as the man took a long sip from his Coors. "Kinda. I mow lawns n' stuff."

Matt chuckled, "Ya ain't gonna be mowing no fucking lawns here! This is gonna be hardass work kid. Best get some sleep now..."

Billy rolled his eyes and headed off to the bedroom he was given.

After the first month, Billy and Uncle Matt fell into a routine. Matt's wind-up alarm clock was grating and shrill enough to wake Billy before Matt got two extra snores in at sunrise. The pair shared toast, eggs, and Folger's instant before heading out to the job site.

Billy's hands had gotten rough and calloused. Blistered and scabbed over more times than he could count.

"Hey Billy!" Matt called out over the ending shift horn. Billy slung the hammer in his grip onto the loop of his jeans and began climbing down the ladder. "Yah?"

"We're gonna have some company over tonight for dinner. My bookkeeper, Dan. So play nice." Billy smiled wryly. "I always play nice."

Things seemed a bit odd when dinnertime began rolling around. Uncle Matt was combing and carefully parting his hair in the mirror and was that the stench of aftershave on his beard?

Also for the first time in his life, Billy discovered what a tablecloth looked like as Matt carefully smoothed it across the dining room table. Billy crinkled his nose in suspicion, "Dan's a woman."

Matt barked out a laughed. "You're a hoot kid! Wait till Dan hears that!"

The doorbell rang and Matt stood up straight, smoothing his shirt. "Billy, can you set the plates out while I get the door?" Billy squinted at him, as the man hurried out of the room.

Peeking his head around the corner Billy snuck a glance at their guest.

Dan was not what Billy was expecting and he certainly wasn't a woman either. Dan was an average man of average height. He had shaggy brown hair and a thick mustache to boot. His face was set with round thick-rimmed glasses. What was so special about Dan that they had to have dinner with him?

The men hugged at the door, the embrace uncharacteristic of how Billy believed men should act around each other. They regarded each other warmly. "I'm so glad you came," Matt said quietly. "Me too. I've missed you."

Scurrying back, Billy quickly set the table and sat down, his heart thundering. He suddenly felt like he shouldn't be here. Like he was now a part of a horrible secret.

"Billy, this is Dan." Matt introduced as they entered the room. Billy awkwardly rose from his chair, weakly shaking his hand. "H-hey."

"Why don't you two have a seat and I'll fetch the chow, huh?" Matt said happily, a hand on Dan's shoulder.

"Oh, I'll help!" Billy forcibly stated, rushing into the kitchen.

Matt raised an eyebrow, "Ok..."

In the kitchen, Billy was nervously wringing his hands around a hot pad as Matt entered. "Are you a queer?" he blurted out, regretting it in an instant.

Matt set down the crockery he had set to take in. "I am Billy. Does that make you uncomfortable?"

Billy twisted the hot pad back and forth in his hands, "I... – I don't know. It's like..." He was struggling, his nose scrunching and his eyes watering up. "You're... you're not supposed to."

Uncle Matt ripped a paper towel off the rack and handed it to Billy. "It's okay tough guy, you don't gotta figure it all out right now. If you wanna have dinner in your room you can."

Billy shook his head, blowing his nose loudly. "But you made all this, and... you're real nice, and... –"

"... a damned queer." Matt added with a deadpan delivery. "Just don't tell your father, he'd have a heart attack."

Billy laughed.

"Now c'mon. Chow's gettin' cold."

[cytryndor]

I dedicate this post to @starmaniswaitinginthesky, who prompted me with „I'd actually love to see a scene with them realizing Charles is not so heterosexual himself?”

To begin, lemme present you a list that I made last night:

People Charles would find attractive (and thought that’s heterosexual thing to do):

* Elvis Presley

* Tony Curtis

* John F Kennedy

* George Takei

…and more! If you have any more ideas, lemme know.

Now, to the scene.

Let’s say it around 2022/2023, and Charles still doesn’t know that Mr Takei is, in fact, someone more than an ally. And that he, Mabel and Oliver got invited on some fancy dinner party (I mean, he does know about that, that one is to let’s say).

And that someone made him realize, that most heterosexual males are not attracted to Tony Curtis, or George Takei.

-

Charles: Why- how would I know their sexualities?

Oliver: How would you, exactly.

[Quite obviously, CHARLES’ in shock. OLIVER looks quite delighted, and MABEL just enjoys the show]

Charles: When, when did he even came out?

Oliver: So, to the public he came out in 2005. For me, way back in the 70s.

Charles: Why would he came out to you? [scoff]

Oliver: [humble] Well, it’s nice to know of someone’s taste into you before you take them to bed.

[MABEL almost spits out her drink; OLIVER tries not to grin, and stay in his humble persona, and CHARLES has his mouth wide open, not believing what he just heard. OLIVER lifts up his hand, and closes CHARLES’ mouth, gently patting his cheek afterwards, kindness in his eyes. CHARLES regains his posture]

Charles: You know what? This is bullshit. I’m tired of you making up all of those „celeb stories” of yours. Grow up.

[in the meantime, they’re approached by GEORGE TAKEI himself]

George: Ollie! [he greets OLIVER, places his hands on PUTNAM’s arms and kisses him on both cheeks]

Oliver: Georgie [smiles, and seemingly ignores CHARLES, who is (quite understandably) in shock] Have you met my friend, Charles-

George: -Haden Savage, of course [now, he turns to CHARLES, and shakes his hand] Haven’t had the pleasure yet.

Charles: Oh- oh, yes. My pleasure.

Oliver: [under his breath] It sure is.

[For that, he got lightly and quietly smacked by MABEL and her elbow]

Mabel: Mabel Mora [now, it’s her turn to shake his hand, which she does gracefully] It’s really lovely to meet you.

George: The pleasure is mine. After all, Oliver’s friends are my friends [again, he smiles at PUTNAM, and lets go of MABEL’s hand]

Oliver: Now, listen, Georgie, Charles here is a big fan of yours [two pairs of eyes are locked at OLIVER; GEORGE is just looking, with kindness in his eyes, and CHARLES is murdering OLIVER with his gaze. MABEL, on the other hand, is looking at CHARLES, worried that he might blow up (literally, not like at OLIVER) any second] And I thought, why wouldn’t you give him your number? I’m sure he’d be thrilled. And, after all, you’re both big TV stars. I’m sure there’s lots of stuff you two can talk about.

George: Oh, there’s no problem whatsoever,

[GEORGE starts looking around for some piece of paper and something to write with; and while he can’t find anything to write on, he was handed a black marker by MABEL. As if it’s nothing, he takes CHARLES’ hand and starts writing his numer on it. OLIVER is happily smiling, looking at MABEL and CHARLES. MABEL is also looking at her besties, and CHARLES is speechless]

George: There you go.

[GEORGE smiles at CHARLES, and gives MABEL back her marker. Someone in the room yells for GEORGE, so he excuses himself and leaves the podcast trio. Now, as they’re left alone, OLIVER and MABEL looks at CHARLES with anticipation. SAVAGE tho, instead of doing something they’d expect, just looks OLIVER and goes:]

Charles: It’s ridiculous! Is there any celebrity that’s our age that you haven’t slept with?

[Before OLIVER can answer, MABEL chimes in]

Mabel: I don’t know, you?

[CHARLES scoffs]

Oliver: And what a shame it is.

[bookishtheaterlover7]

Not sure how to view Chris anymore and it’s sad. At this point whatever the “truth” is, it doesn’t matter.

I’m just floored at how someone could be so weak to get into this mess and not “be able to get out”and it’s easy to say oh it’s hard for him to get out but he’s at least trying to show this is fake, yet he was bold enough to lie to the world about being married?

Make that make sense?

Like how the fuck do they clean this up at all?

It’s like reality and illusions are morphing together and I honestly don’t know who the fuck this man truly is and maybe that’s the way it should’ve always been.

We get wrapped up in this shit mainly due to the way of the world and due to Hollywood and capitalism, etc, but we have to take accountability by finally choosing to not fall for seeing other mere mortals as anything but human.

If you take any random person off the street, clean them up, give them a great marketing team, BOOM you have a new celebrity. It’s all a big awful joke of illusion.

No more rose colored glasses. It’s to the point fandoms and celebrity today is seeing a blue sky but being duped into believing it’s green.

Unfortunately most will never understand the above and never take those glasses off.

This applies to fans, non fans and just the overall population of the world who are willing and unwilling and unaware at how impacted we all are by celebrity culture. A headline makes waves or something goes viral and we ALL stop our lives to read or listen about it and many hop online to discuss and argue with others over various things, not once seeing the reality……you’re taking time out of YOUR life to focus on someone who doesn’t even know you exist, wasting YOUR time discussing crap about someone else who is living their life and getting rich off of you and someone who uses media to stay relevant through…..Y-O-U!

*breaks rose colored glasses* for good.

💔👓

#EnoughIsEnough

Same, An🫶n. Honestly before I was sucked in here, Chris was the ideal guy for me... Ofcourse, Papa was right. He told me once that "I shouldn't place anyone on a pedestal, because anything placed that high, is meant to break."

I've got nothing but love for Chris and his work. But the way this is all spun, real or not, I'm not sure if I can keep adoring him as a person.

Like I've said before, we can't exactly blame Chris, alone for getting into this mess in the first place. But if those breadcrumbing and hinting on his end isn't true (the hope and rumor that he's telling us that anything about the wedding is fake, etc.), An🫶n is right.

He's not a saint, but he's not a demon either. But the thing is, he isn't going to be just Chris Evans, the actor we all love and adore. The actor we'll be happy for when he gets his small victories. Whose dog is one of the best things on the internet during this whole mess right now.

He's also going to be Chris Evans, the guy who "married" a racist, who's friends have baited the entire Fandom. The guy who couldn't save his fans from tearing at each other. The guy who let this get so out of hand, that the one place that should've been safe for us to escape to, and enjoy everything, disappeared in mere months.

I'm planning to stick around, because I know for a fact, a ton of you were here for the fan-made stuff. The fanfics, fanarts, discussions about characters, etc.

I came here for that too. Doesn't mean I'm giving up this whole thing. But I'm going to take time to go back to the fun part. Because honestly, my page has turned into an analysis page😅 it's 70% rant posts about the bullshit pr, and 30% me and my fics...

Bro! I intended to make fucking fics before 250 Followers Celebration comes... But I'm way behind... Partly, because of life. And partly because the second something goes down, I drop nearly everything, and focus so much time and energy on this.

So, I'm not saying drop him or any celeb completely. I'm saying we need to tone down our idolization, because it may have gotten to the point where it isn't healthy.

For the sake of your health, mental and otherwise, Fandom. Take time to enjoy what you love about this Fandom. And please don't say anything about tearing the PR Narrative, because even I have to admit, it takes it's toll.

Again, not backing down, or stepping down. Just giving myself time to take care of me, and spend time with my family while they're still alive.

I don't know if this Christmas season will be the last that I get to spend time with any of them, so I'm going to make sure I live every minute with them. And not stuck in this hole I've dug myself for months, since the wedding announcement.

And you should all do that for yourselves, guys. Take the time, and make it count.

[skippyv20]

Skip, Julie here. Is your blog boring No. is the variety of articles you post and comment on interesting enough to keep coming back, Yes.

However, I have pondered many times about your need to have any time to yourself and your family. You devote an enormous amount of time to us all and I am certain that it has become an expectation that you will just be there whenever we ( who appreciate and really do adore you, by the way) decide that we have the time or inclination to check in. So, it becomes a one way street and that is absolutely not right, fair or appropriate to do to you who has devoted years of your life to building up from humble beginnings and maintaining this blog.

Are your efforts appreciated absolutely. Do we miss you when you go off line for some technical reasons absolutely but is it fair to expect you to be always available, No it is not.

Your blog is not now nor was it ever boring. I for one love the variety of the articles you post and the discussion around certain subjects. Some people are very isolated and you are their lifeline however you must never feel obligated to be there constantly. I am heartened to read that you are staying but I do wish you would take time out for yourself.

I too was 100% PH and like many was flabbergasted to realise the depths of his jealousy, vindictiveness and selfishness that drives him.

I personally love this blog. You and Mr Skip devote so much time to us all that even though I come here daily, often a few times a day I believe you need to take time out as and when you can and need to just be you in your own bubble. After all, when I am busy, or go about living me life or go on holiday I just do it but you have been unable to do that for 8 years. You have been here, day in, day out, Easter, Christmas and even when you have had family visit and when Mr Skip was in hospital and then recuperating from his serious medical problems.

Your site is amazing so it’s not that anyone thinks you are boring I think it’s that we are selfish in that we come and go and expect you to just be there when or if we choose to log in. So, please don’t change your site but do take time to yourself even if that means less content or you having days off.

Julie, you are so kind and thoughtful.  Thank you so much.  You know I have always gotten so much more than I can say, from being here.  I love you all, I appreciate the support all these years.  The reason I am always around is because I am checking for prayer requests, or someone needs to chat.  I usually come to check in for a moment, then I am lost and right back in.  I don’t have a problem with being here, or the time I spend here.  I am very fortunate that Mr. Skippy is so supportive.  He has always been so very touched by all the love and support we both got during his trials over the years.  He loves that being here makes me so happy.  I have been out of sorts lately, as I still miss my Cathy pup…I have had many pups but Cathy for some reason is very hard on me.  I wanted to get another pup in the spring, but I decided I have to be realistic.  We have two left, God willing for many years, but likely anything can happen between now and the next five years.  Oliver is 10.  Panda is 9.  I will be in my 70′s when I lose them.  I hate even thinking about that…but it would be my daughter and SIL that would be left with a pup.  It would be a real struggle for my daughter as her illness can have her worn out.  So, I have decided no new baby pup.  This decision I came to last night, and it isn’t sitting too well with me.  I guess that is what led me to my posting my reevaluating myself being here.  Anyways, I thank YOU Julie for staying with me all these years, and I do look forward to our furthering our journey together…..love and hugs dear Julie…🙏🏻❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[stagesofbalding]

My Natural Hair Growth Journey

Let’s Embrace our Natural Self!

Before I start, I would like to get this clear. I don’t have a problem with weaves, wigs, ponytails, etc. I say this, at the front door because when I decided to announce that I am trying to go natural; I got looks like I was a traitor. As of today, I wear my natural hair under my wigs because I am transitioning my hair from relaxers, tight hairstyles that pulled on my edges and bad hair gel that essentially dried out my hair. This is the reason for my natural hair growth journey.

My natural hair growth journey beginning

It was December 2015, and I was just about to finish college when I began cruising YouTube at home. I was bored and curious as to what was going on, then I came across some You-tubers sharing their experiences about maintaining their natural hair.

They talked about the products they tried and liked and the ones they didn’t like. I was hooked!  I spent hours watching, learning and writing down tips and products. You would have thought I was back in college. I was back on my grind.

It is funny how life can bring you into a full circle

A few years ago, 3 of my older cousins, who all live in different states, were visiting for a family reunion. I noticed that they had cut their hair down to a low Afro. At that time I was still relaxing my hair, wearing wigs and sometimes ponytails.

But I was curious. Was this a new revolution that I was ignorant about? Of course, I knew that the 60s brought back rocking the Afros, then in the 80s and early 90s the braids, especially the “Goddess braids” or for some of us the “Janet Jackson box braids”. Now the 2000″s “s brought back the natural hair look.

The crazy thing about it was that I found myself defending weaves, wigs, and ponytails. One of my cousins asked me why I wouldn’t just go natural. I heard comments like “You guys are just making the wig stores richer by trying to look like Caucasian women with that long flowing hair”. What? Yes, I was being attacked at the family picnic.

I said, “First, I am not trying to be like anyone but myself. Secondly, I love the way I look with long hair”.  I told my cousin that I have a big apple-shaped head, therefore, I couldn’t rock the short hairstyles. They don’t fit my face. The truth about it was that I was envious of my cousins’  abilities to wear their hair that short and still look good. They have the faces and heads for that style.

More young girls are going natural

>>> Female Pattern Hair Loss Success Stories <<<

As I look around these days, I see all lengths of Afros, twist outs and braids. While doing my research, I realized this may not be just a trend or phase, this could be the beginning of our sisters learning to love and accept their natural hair.

My history growing up was if your hair was long and silky-like, you had “good hair”. Being black, I grew up believing that because it was one of the descriptions people would use to describe someone with silky or wavy hair.

Now that I am in my forties, which means I grew up in the 70s and 80s, this was still going strong from my heritage, which started this nonsense. I can’t lie, I still find myself saying, “She or he has good hair”. I am not only transitioning my hair, but I’m also transitioning my mind about African-American hair. Furthermore, I have work to do, for real!

Our black culture is unique in many ways

Our hair is like no other on this planet. Going way back to our West African ancestors, we have always shown our artistic abilities when it came to our hair because it is so different. Our hair grows in a coiled curl pattern, coarser in texture, which makes our hair more delicate to manipulate than other races. Here in America, black people also have mixtures of different types of hair because we have Native American blood and other nationalities that are traced in our lineage. >>> 1 Year Hair Growth Journey: Embracing Your Natural Self <<<

Let me know about your hair journey. Just leave me a comment down below.

[digital999placebo]

since im posting old art here’s some germany i never got around to posting bc i thought it was 2 edgy. 1-4 r panels from a scrapped comic about the rise n fall of germany ca 1800-1920s. also 70s in the middle of everything bc y not! click keep reading to read an unedited excerpt from a unrequited gerame fanfic (that i also scrapped) :)

“Gilbert doesn’t put anyone above himself, and you’re a moron for letting yourself believe you were the exception,” Françoise told him, and Alfred still remembers the shape of her back in the setting sun’s red shine.

And then, a hundred years later, the exception came. The exception was nothing like an exception should be, it had quickly been given the nickname “the ugliest child in the world” by both its neighbouring countries –all of Europe actually– and its own politicians.

“Child,” Alfred had heard Austria say to Françoise after the defeat of Napoleon, “is a generous thing to call it, more like Prussia’s failed attempt to play God.”

Alfred saw this supposed child, named the German empire (a funny name considering what it was. Alfred had almost laughed outright at just that, never before had he seen an empire in this condition), once before the depression, and what had at first seemed like words formed out of Austria’s bitterness suddenly became objective truth. In appearance, Germany was nothing like a child apart from its short stature, it aroused no nurturing instincts, and had it been left at some poor, unsuspecting orphanage’s steps, it’d be left to starve.

Stitches disfigured Germany’s face and body, and one particular stitch in its left eyebrow weighed down heavily on its eyelid, keeping the child from being fully able to open the eye, or perhaps it was just the infection, judging by the way the nation’s eye leaked pink and yellow tears. As if it wasn’t already an eyesore, it was skinny as well and hurried after Prussia on swaying crutches, dressed in uniforms too nicely decorated for its young age and lithe frame. Its mere existence was a long list of complications: asthma, momentary blindness, recurrent seizures, necrosis patches due to infected stitches, always feverish and pale; had it been human a harsh wind would’ve brought death with it.

To say that Germany was Prussia’s attempt to play God was fair, but failed Germany would prove not to be. The boy nearly outgrew Russia as a young adult, and Alfred reckoned if Ludwig was to hit a human man, he could very well kill the man with one swing.

When Alfred met Ludwig again in 1927 –or maybe it was 1926 he couldn’t exactly recall– he didn’t at first believe that the man in front of him had been that same child he saw some decades ago. The man in front of him was taller than him, broader in the shoulders too and most surprisingly: healthy; only a few crookedly healed scars were all that remained of the sickly boy that once had stood before Alfred. Ludwig hadn’t even been able to close his hands into complete fists as a child, yet now he was strong enough to bend cutlery with one hand (well, he was irritated and drunk at that point but still).

More than a failed experiment, Ludwig was Gilbert’s miracle.

[bonesandthebees]

alright so I said the other night that I came up with a huge bullet point list detailing a qsmp au that I have no intentions of writing, and several of my lovely anons told me they were down to hear about it so here we go

the inspo for this was kind of like a fusion of breaking dawn (yes from twilight) and the underworld movie series. it's a modern setting where the federation is essentially the vampire government. they watch over all known vampire covens to make sure they aren't taking risks that could possibly expose the existence of vampires to the human population. vampire hunting groups that exist, but for the most part they're small and scattered around the world and don't communicate with one another.

something ends up changing though. covens are attacked by strange green creatures that the vampires believe are created by the hunters, but they're not entirely sure where they come from (these are the binary entities). the creatures are incredibly strong and many covens that are attack lose members.

several of the covens attacked have connections with each other. they slowly form a network finding others around the world that were attacked by these strange creatures, and realize they all have one thing in common: only covens with vampire children were attacked.

the federation backs off saying they don't know anything about the creatures, sounds like the vampire hunters are up to something but they stay out of that stuff. it's very strange, so the attacked groups come together to investigate what the hell is attacking their children, and if the federation had anything to do with it. eventually, they declare themselves one giant coven, and the federation doesn't like that.

info about the groups under the cut!

before joining up into one group, the individual covens originally consisted of:

Phil (ancient), Chayanne (roughly 10-11 years old*, turned when he was 5), Wilbur (very new vampire, literally got turned a few months ago by Quackity), Missa (ancient vampire who got stuck at the bottom of a well for three centuries so he's still catching up with stuff)

Jaiden (new vampire, turned 2-3 years earlier by Roier), Roier (turned 5 years prior by Vegetta), Bobby (around 9-10 years old*, turned within the last year by Roier)

Foolish (at least 300 years old, probably older, he changes his age every time someone asks), Vegetta (200 years old), Leo (turned when she was 7ish, is now 9*)

Fit (roughly 150-200 years old), Ramón (8-9ish*, turned when he was 4 not by Fit)

Bad (between 600 and 800 years old), Dapper (11*, got turned when he was 9 by Bad)

The Brazilians: Cellbit (around 200 years old), Felps (50-60ish, turned by Cellbit), Pac and Mike (no one knows how old they are exactly but they're a bit younger than Cellbit. Also no one is sure which one is older but they know one of them turned the other), Forever (werewolf, not a vampire. Doesn't age because he's pack bonded with vampires and is around 90 years old), Richarlyson (8 years old*, turned when he was 4 by Cellbit)

The French: Baghera (130ish, turned by Etoiles), Etoiles (600-700 years old), Aypierre (300ish?), Antoine (100ish, also turned by Etoiles), Pomme (7 years old*, turned within the last few months by Baghera)

Solo vampires not in a coven who get involved anyway:

Quackity (60ish), Max (70s)

Humans

Charlie (24), Mariana (24)

Now if you're wondering where some other eggs are, they have their place either later on in the story or as backstory. These are just what I imagine the groups to be at the start of everything

*Vampire children do age in this world. When a child is turned they continue to age until they reach a point of physical maturity and will stop. This age is different for every individual, but ranges from late teens to early 20s. No one is sure what affects when a vampire child will stop aging, but some theorize a diet of solely animal blood can cause them to stop aging earlier due to a lack of proper nutrients

I have so many notes about this au including backstories for most of the characters and how they all got their children but I don't want to make this insanely long so please send me asks about the groups!! If not I might just make a post talking about the characters in more specific detail but yeah this au is very fun for me to rotate in the brain microwave lol

[life-in-the-monster-haus]

In Defense of Gillington "Gil" Webber

This has been a long time coming. For some reason there is this very prevalent and annoying trend in the Monster High fandom that Gil is not only a bad boyfriend to Lagoona but that he is also racist.

People believe this so much they are willing to die on that hill. But is it TRUE is the question at hand here. let's take a deep dive into the oldest of Monster High lore and see if this claim has a leg to stand on. is Gil racist, a bad boyfriend or a bad character? let's go ghouls.

An Unfortunate part about early Monster High continuity is there there are 2 beginnings. The Web series was around first and they just dove right in, But chronologically A New Ghoul @ School is the proper introduction to Monster High as it follows Frankie during their first week at school.

Now here's where things get tricky, Gil is only in New Ghoul @ School for less than 20 seconds, We see him competing in a swim meet and then at the end he is dancing with Lagoona at the Dawn of the Dance, So in this timeline they are already "a thing"

But our first introduction to Gil is in "Blue Lagoona" where Lagoona is oogling Gil while they are in Cawculus class. Which is the 6th Episode of Volume 1, so pretty early on in the series.

Lagoona calls him a swimsuit model, day dreams in class about Gil and doodles in her notebook. The bell wakes her up and she has lost the book she was doodling in. whether Lagoona lost the book or if Gil swiped it is unclear, but he has the book and he gives it back to Lagoona, where he has wrote on her doodle to "Meet him at the Fountain at 3" Now we don't know what happens at the Fountain at 3 because the episode ends, but this is important because Lagoona is the one who chased Gil, if she wasn't drawing where people could see or if she was perhaps a little quieter Gil probably would have never known She liked him, But he is cool with this because he likes her too. Lagoona is the instigator but the feeling is mutual, this is important to remember for later.

We don't see much of Gil until Episode 12 where Lagoona is once again, crushing hard on him. She tells the Ghouls and Frankie that Gil is so cute.

They are featured in the Episode 24 Hatch me if you Can where Mr. Hack gives them an assignment that is very much like that "baby think me over" program where students are given an object to treat like a baby to give them a little taste of parenthood. Mr. Hack gives everyone a Gargoyle Egg to take care of for a week, the partners seem based off whoever you're sitting next to in the class. When he gets to Gil & Lagoona he tells them "Maybe you should switch partners" when Lagoona asks why he says "everyone knows Sea Monsters are bad parents" and WOW! I forgot this show made me watch Lagoona and Gil experience a microaggression but there it is. I'm not really surprised it came from Mr. Hack either, after all he IS based off slashers from the 70's. Lagoona is hurt by this and Gil immediately jumps to her aid telling Mr. Hack that what he said isn't true and it's "an old fisherman's tale"

Look at Gil's face. That is anger, real anger at the implication that him and Lagoona would make bad parents. This egg thing is the very first conflict they face together and Gil's first instinct is to tell Mr. Hack off. I don't think they are even officially dating by this point. I think they are just kinda hanging out and enjoying each others company. Remember that when a teacher said something racially insensitive to Lagoona, Gil got mad and defended her.

Lagoona and Gil work together to take care of their egg, they treat it as if it was their own little sea monster. Lagoona puts lotion (?) on it, Gil builds it a nest and Lagoona keeps it warm- inside of a frog? - Look, I don't know sea monster husbandry so I'm assuming they're doing a good job. And they did! after the week is over everyone in class has screwed up their project except for Lagoona and Gil who took such good care of their egg that it hatches & bites off Mr. Hacks face. Their egg was the only one to hatch and Lagoona tells Gil "I knew we'd make great parents"

This is the end of Volume 1, Volume 2 is A LOT more structured than Volume 1 it also introduces a ton of new Characters like Clawd, Jackson, Toralei and the twins it also shows the disbanding of the Fearleading team from Volume 1 however this creates a continuity error, In Volume 1 Clawdeen, Draculaura and Lagoona were all on the Fearleading team already (Ghoulia was going to try out for the team too but she bailed after Cleo said she didn't want "Dead Weight" on her team.. and Ghoulia is a zombie- ha! funny joke) But in Volume 2 Clawdeen & Draculaura re-join the team as if they never were on it before & Lagoona is now Captain of the Swim Team. I'm also pretty sure that Volume 2 is where they aim for more serialized content instead of just a bunch of one off episodes that are vaguely linked together and I love this! Volume 2 is my favorite for this reason! I love the long form story! I'd like to add that during this volume Clawdeen actively tries to sabotage Draculaura dating Clawd from showing Draculaura a steak knowing she will faint (that's her friend), Closing Draculaura into a locker after telling her they better just be friends and stealing Clawds mail while they are at fearleading camp. (which is a feral offense BTW) and telling Clawd that he can't date Draculaura because "she's not one of us" but NO ONE gives Clawdeen shit for being toxic and/or racist. She shouldn't get a pass just because she's cute and a girl. I love Clawdeen too but what she did was screwed up and she never got reprimanded for it, Draculaura just stopped talking to her for a few days/a week and then we forget about it.

But Back to the case at hand, Gil.

In Episode 32 "Varsity Boos" Frankie asks Lagoona if she is going to go dance with Gil and Lagoona says "it's complicated" This is our first indicator that there is trouble in Paradise, Frankie says "it's okay for friends to dance together" but then they bail on that thought and say "I guess it is weird" So I don't know if this is Lagoona freaking out about them being "different" OR if she just has the jitters because it's not clear if Gil & her are dating yet. High school romances are fickle and defining them can be challenging for anyone, Racist parents or not.

In Episode 36 "Screech to the Beach" The fearleading team is going to Gloom Beach fearleading academy, Lagoona is also going because her parents go to Gloom Beach every Spring Break for "underwater camping" Why is she on the bus with the fearleading team even though shes not on it and should be driving up with her parents?... Don't... think about it too much. BUT while the ghouls and Frankie are packing Draculaura comments that Lagoona will be "back in your natural elements huh?" and Lagoona explains that Gloom Beach is not her natural habitat, She is from the Ocean and is a Salt Water creature and Gloom Beach is a fresh water lake like Gil who is a river monster, this is the very first time we hear it spelled out that Lagoona and Gil are "different" but Lagoona assures Draculaura that she can still hold her own in the fresh water. this is important. Most of the gang is napping on the bus and Lagoona has yet another dream of her and Gil smooching, only this time she's saving him from a water tank malfunction and she inhales bottled water to be able to give Gil Mouth to Mouth with fresh water before we cut away from her dream, I mention this because it's important we know that Lagoona is thirsty for this boy. (pun definitely intended)

In Episode 37 "Witch Trials" we see that lots of students from Monster High just go to Gloom Beach for the camping on the North Beach while Fearleading academy is on the South Beach. So while the gang is taking a break from fearleading chores we see Gil also came to Gloom Beach for Spring Break and him and Lagoona immediately hit it off playing "Monster Polo" with other monsters. Lagoona scores a goal and celebrates, Gil comments that shes "Not bad for a sea water gal" then Gil scores a goal and Lagoona comments "thanks Mate! you're not bad yourself for a fresh water bloke" This is them at play! some gentle ribbing of each other, they high five and hold hands, good feels all around. This is them acknowledging their differences but still being into each other regardless. So no one can use the excuse "Well maybe Gil didn't know she was salt water!" when they both spell it out for us, they know what the other one is and accept them anyways. This is important because If Gil was actually racist wouldn't he have bailed on Lagoona the moment she said she was from the sea? But he doesn't. He likes her exactly as she is.

In episode 38 "Don't cheer the Reaper" it's the next day and Lagoona goes to get Gil to play more of their game but suddenly Gil is hesitant. His entire body language has changed, He laughs nervously and can't make eye contact with Lagoona, he seems upset, So when she asks him to play he says "I can't, now's not a good time" And Lagoona asks when IS a good time and Gil says "I don't know, I don't want to talk about it"

Lagoona reassures Gil that he can tell her anything but Gil stands firm "I can't tell you this, I don't want to hurt your feelings" it is safe to assume the reason for this sudden change in Gil's demeanor is because last night he probably told his parents about this cute girl from the sea that he has been getting along with so well, Based on Gil's expressions and avoidance it's safe to say they did not take this news well and probably chewed him out because Gil's parents are racist against Salt Water Monsters. So even while Gil is hurting his first instinct is to protect Lagoona’s feelings and spare her from his parents prejudice.

man, what a toxic racist asshole, being concerned about the girl he likes feelings.

A couple of days go by and in Episode 39 "Road to Monster Mashionals" Lagoona confronts Gil who has been avoiding her. He reluctantly tells her the truth that his Parent's don't want to him hanging out with her because her people are from the sea, he's fresh water and it's forbidden. She asks him if he believes in that and he says no, but his parents do and they won't allow Gil to be around her. He says he's sorry and swims away, leaving Lagoona devastated.

Some people may view this as cowardice on Gil's part and I supposed to some degree it is, But sometimes being a coward is the right call to make. Gil is 16 and his parents still have a lot of control over him, They feed him, house him are responsible for him. This puts Gil is an unfortunate situation. He likes Lagoona but his parents don't, I don't know what y'all expect Gil to do about this, being a minor and all. but he's playing the hand he has been dealt and is choosing to walk away from Lagoona before they get too involved and it hurts even more. I do not believe this is cowardice, this is mercy.

Gil is trying to make it hurt less.

In Episode 40 "Queen of the Scammed" Gil tries to talk to Lagoona once school is back in session and Lagoona is not having it.

She is pissed and rightfully so, She has every right to be mad- but she shouldn't be mad at Gil. Gil tries to explain to her that what's happening between them isn't his will, but the will of his parents and Lagoona tells him that he needs to stand up for himself. And maybe he does, but how exactly does she see this panning out for Gil? Does she think he'll plead his case in the name of love and his parents will magically throw out all of their prejudices? That's... not how curing racism works, it's never that easy. Maybe Lagoona doesn't understand this because her own family is so supportive of her that she can't imagine why a family wouldn't be on their sons side. But this isn't her family, it's Gil's and we don't know what his home life is like, he seems to fear his parents so I'm assuming they have given him a reason to be afraid.

In Episode 42 "Hoodoo you like" The ghouls & Frankie are talking about boys & their relationships. Clawdeen asks Lagoona how things are with Gil and she says "Better Now, but things are so complicated you know" Most of this episode is spent on Frankie and them making a boyfriend to fit in (and creating Hoodude) but this statement from Lagona shows that something went down off screen that we do not know.

Gil confides in Deuce that he lied to Lagoona about his parents being okay with them seeing each other, I am assuming this means Lagoona and him are officially going out. Deuce tells Gil that if Lagoona finds out she will be upset and Gil knows this.

This is probably the first time Gil is in the wrong, Lying to someone you love is never a good idea. This is the first time we see Gil actually be selfish. He thinks if his Parents don't know and Lagoona doesn't know then no one gets hurt, right? Gil is trying to have his cake and eat it too. but this is a temporary solution to a long term problem. However, I'm going to give him a pass because I know what it's like to be young and in love and stupid. His situation is shitty and I would have lied too... as a matter of fact, I did. You might be wondering why I'm putting so much work into defending Gil well the truth is, I've been in Gil's shoes. I fell in love with someone who was not the same ethnicity as me and my horribly racist father would have not approved, I didn't tell him who I was dating for over a year, once he did find but he disowned me and hasn't spoken to me in like 8 years. but the difference between Gil and I is I'm an adult and I can survive without my parents, Gil is a minor and he probably can't.

SO while what he is doing is wrong, it's understandable.

In Episode 43 "Fear Pressure" we see Lagoona and Gil competing in a swim meet. They win and get a trophy for Monster High.

But Toralei, who's been a little shirt stirrer all season takes a picture of them holding hands and she says it will be a good spread in the Fearbook.

I'm not sure how she knows about Lagoona and Gils relationship or that Gil has racist parents, but she knows and she is willing to blow up Gil's secret just to get back at Lagoona who doesn't put up with her nonsense.

In Episode 44 "Fear the Book" the fearbook is finished and has been released to the school! Toralei kept her word and made an entire spread about Lagoona and Gil.

Lagoona loves this, Gil is not as thrilled because now there is photographic proof he has disobeyed his parents.

Cornered, Gil tells Lagoona that he didn't tell his parents about their relationship. Lagoona is hurt that he lied to her about this.

Gil then tells Lagoona that his parents threatened to send him to an "Underwater Boarding School" if he keeps seeing her & that he had no choice. This is the first time Gil's parents threaten him directly. Lagoona, wounded, Walks away from Gil to "study for a test" But she is once again, rightfully upset with him. But this time it's actually his fault. I never claimed Gil was perfect but he's not the villain the fandom has made him out to be either.

Gil waits for Lagoona to get out of her exam to speak with her again. He says they will be safe together as long as his parents don't see the fearbook and he tells Lagoona that his parents don't need to know about them... Lagoona does not take this well.

She tells Gil "ether you agree with them or you don't and if you don't ? you need to do something about it instead of acting like a frightened dingo! I don't even know who you are anymore" before walking away.

Lagoona is being unreasonable here. He doesn't agree with his parents, Lagoona knows this because he explicitly told her this while at Gloom Beach. What she said sounds good in theory and in a perfect world? Gil should be able to be honest with his parents... but we don't live in a perfect world now do we? Everyone keeps telling Gil he needs to "do something about it" it being his parents racism, but WHAT do y'all expect him to DO!? Tell them their racist ways are wrong? - because parents love being told they're wrong by their teenage son - sounds like Gil is getting his ass whooped tonight. Tell them that he's going to see Lagoona anyways? He's getting sent to an underwater boarding school. Not tell them but then they find out he's dating Lagoona anyways because of the fearbook? someone is sleeping under a bridge that night and it won't be Lagoona. And who would take him in if his parents throw him out? Lagoona? I'm sure Wade would love to have a teenage boy under their roof that has the hots for his daughter. Deuce? is he even good friends with Deuce by this point? they've only talked like twice. His 5 eyed friend that he crushed at the swim meet? I doubt it.

Everyone wants Gil to "do something" but no one is thinking about the consequences of doing something, No one but Gil because he's the one who'd be directly effected.

Lagoona and Gil meet up after school to have another talk and Gil brings up the point that if he tells his parents, he gets sent to Boarding school and he loses Lagoona anyways. Lagoona says "Don't do it for me! Do it for you! You can't let their prejudice run your life!" And here's the shitty part- Lagoona is right, Gil's parents prejudice SHOULDN'T run his life, but they currently do. That sounds all good on paper Lagoona but notice how what you said doesn't address him being sent to another school against his will.

Frankie, whom bless their heart has the worst timing, they jump into their convo and asks for Lagoona to sign their fearbook, Lagoona agrees and Frankie informs both of them that this is the first year the fearbook is going to be digitized and sent to every parent. Lagoona thinks it's great, Gil...does not feel the same.

Look at Gil as Frankie tells him this.

Look at his face! that expression? is pure terror. That is the face of someone whose entire world is collapsing around them in real time. No child should be this afraid of their parents, but Gil is. We don't know what kind of home life Gil has but this is a very bad sign. If Gil is this afraid of his parents that means they have done something before to make him this afraid and I'm sure it's a lot more severe than being grounded.

In Episode 45 "Desperate Hours" Heath is talking to Gil and reminding him how screwed he is. while Lagoona is eavesdropping.

Heath bails and Gil notices Lagoona as he calls his parents, he tells her wait because he thinks she needs to hear this too.

Gil says "you always taught me that salt water people weren't as good as us fresh water people. That they are untrustworthy, uneducated and smell terrible"

Lagoona with the pit check is way funnier than it has any business being during this serious moment.

"But above all that they were dishonest but now I know that you were wrong." pause for effect. "I have this...uh... friend and she's the most honest, decent, amazing monster I know. She's from the sea"

Gil's racist parents scream at him, to the surprise of no one. then hang up on him.

Gil tells Lagoona that his parents don't feel the way he does, but that he has never felt better! a weight has been lifted! Gil, as terrified as he was still told his parents the truth. He confronted his parents and he did it for Lagoona.

They should have kissed here, but because Mattel is run by a bunch of prudes, they joke and then Lagoona accidentally walks into the pool.

In Episode 46 "Miss Infearmation" We see Gil and Lagoona are happy! Lagoona asks him if they will see each other over the summer & Gil says his parents are mad now but they will come around.

This is what you writer types call "Foreshadowing"

From here on out we get introduced to a bunch of new characters after the school year ends, it's kind of weird that while everyone is cleaning out their lockers to get ready to leave school for the summer Jackson is formerly introduced to Frankie and we meet Spectra & Nefera. But that is just a pet peeve.

In Episode 47 "Hyde and Shriek" Clawdeen asks Lagoona how things are going with Gil. They are officially on Summer Vacation.

Lagoona is distressed and says he hasn't returned any of her texts or e-mails and that his parents seemed very angry, Clawdeen trying to be positive tells Lagoona not to sweat it because it's their first day of summer vacation, Gil is probably just busy.

But we all know, that is not true.

In Episode 49 "Nefera Again" The summer is over and the ghouls & Frankie are doing their back to school shopping!

Lagoona got a summer job at the Coffin Bean, which is odd Because she's never got a doll with any of the Coffin Bean play sets, Draculaura, Clawdeen and now Deuce have. Interesting since she seems to be the only one who actually worked there.

But she is down in the dumps because by this point the entire summer has passed and she has heard nothing from Gil.

Who would have thought that forcing Gil to confront his racist parents would have had a negative outcome.

In Episode 50 "Back to Ghoul" The new school year has begun and we are introduced to Abbey! one of my fav ghouls, but this isn't about her so onward! Lagoona meets up with the gang when she comes out of the bathroom, she had been crying, She tells them that Gil's parents were so mad they sent him away to another school.

Whaaaaat? Gil's racist parents did exactly what they said they were going to do if their son disobeyed them!? Actions have consequences!? Well, I for one am fuckin' shocked.

Lagoona is the one who pressured him to confront his parents, Gil warned her about what would happen if he did and then she is surprised that it didn't go well for him. I don't know why Gil gets all the hate, Lagoona was clearly the aggressor here. Her idealistic world view got Gil punished and he's the bad guy for that??? I realize y'all love Lagoona, I love her too. but this screw up is on her webbed hands.

Well I'm out of space for pictures and I need them to better illustrate my points so I'm going to cut this analysis into parts. This subject is more complex than I had originally thought. But I am determined to clear Gil's good name!

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4

[akookminsupporter]

Hello, I’m the Anon who talked about going to Suga’s concert, idk if you remember 🫣 well… I mean… I’m still processing the whole thing. It was honestly an experience. I’ve been to many concerts before and big ones too, but this was a first in many ways. First time I ever woke up at 6:40 am for a concert for starters 💀. I got there by 9 am and still there were A LOT of people on line. Had to bring snacks and all. The demographic of the fandom (in this concert) really surprised me, I would say for the most part people seemed to be around 21-35, with some people even older (45-70) and few others being teenagers (from what I saw) and that diversity in rage of ages really surprised me. I don’t have to talk about the concert (and even if I wanted to I couldn’t since I’m still processing it myself), but it was perfect. He was perfect. He sang perfectly, the vibe was amazing, people were generally polite, the set, the stage EVERYTHING was on point. I never screamed that much in a concert before and I never barked in one either 😭😭. It was amazing. It just got me even more excited about seeing them all in the future. He’s majestic. They really be drinking from some unique water cause ain’t no way a human being can look that good 😭. I just want to say: there really is a change/shift in the way you see someone (an artist or whoever) for the first time in real life when you’re used to only ever seeing them through a screen. Like it hits you “oh yeah, this person is real”. There’s really a change and I can’t quite explain it well, but all I want to say that everything that goes on here online is just noise. That man is real, the members are real people and ain’t no way their world moves the way people like to believe it does AND I REALLY DONT KNOW HOW TO EXPLAIN IT, but is like “oh yeah, I’ve seen you on tv and shit, but I don’t know YOU, this real human being standing in front of me”. There’s really a shift, and I know that every time I’ll watch something/content, I’ll see him like Suga, and also this real human being that I don’t know about. Hopefully you understand what I’m saying 😭😭

Anon! I'm so glad you came back!

First of all, CONGRATULATIONS! You don't know how glad I am that you were able to go to the concert and that you enjoyed it.

Secondly, can you explain to me why the hell you all were barking at a freaking cat?! He is a cat!!! aajajajajajajajajajajajajaj

I saw the first concert and I don't think my mouth was closed at any point, not only because I couldn't stop pretending I knew the words to the songs - even though technically I know them all - but also because I was so impressed. The stage alone is sick!

Everything about the concert is so Yoongi/Agust D/Suga. And I love it. All the videos have been great and god, his smile disarms me every time I see it.

As for the rest of what you said, I totally understand what you mean. Finally, your brain understood that they are not mythical creatures out of your imagination, they are real people just like you, normal. The only difference is that they are incredibly talented.

I think that realisation is nice because we see them, we really see them as more human. Less perfect but just as incredible.

[kingdomvel]

Welcome to our castle extra

In which Anakin is cold, Obi-Wan wants to commission a portrait and there is some wedding talk (they are both idiots) (1.8k)

"Why is it so cold?" Anakin complains as he walks inside the library. He has been trying to get Obi-Wan to move to the sitting room next to their room, so it's closer when he needs to change and when it's time for bed, but Obi-Wan won't budge. Anakin is sure he would if he insisted more, but he has to admit that he likes the library too. "It is cold, and humid, and it was practically nighttime at 2p.m." He has been working on an old 70s Porsche all day in his garage and now he just wants to get warm again.  

Obi-Wan walks to him. He was not on the sofa, instead sitting at the office desk with his laptop, which is unusual. He brings his hands up and puts them to Anakin's cheeks with a frown.  

"Your face is so cold, come sit by the fireplace."  

He takes Anakin's hands in his, hot against his cold fingers, and guides him to the fire. He lets go of Anakin to add some wood. He guides Anakin to sit on one of the low stools in front of the fire, and Anakin tries to protest because he should change first, he only came by here to complain for a bit, drop Ben off with Obi-Wan, and to maybe kiss his perfect boyfriend for a while before he went to take a shower and change and then came back to kiss him some more. The look on Obi-Wan's face leaves no room for protests though, and Anakin sits next to Obi-Wan, but not as close as he would like. At least Obi-Wan's hands are around his, trying to bring warmth back to his fingers. Ben settles on the floor in front of them. 

"Is the garage not warm enough?" Obi-Wan asks, worry in his voice, "I could call someone to fix it." 

Anakin shakes his head. "It is perfect." He says. Because it is. He still can't quite believe that Obi-Wan had reformed the garage so Anakin could fix cars in it, that he allowed Anakin to take whatever vintage project he felt like, be it for someone else, or buying the cars himself. "But I forgot my coat for the walk back, and the weather is so shit here, I should have gotten all the info before I agreed to-" Anakin cuts himself off. Before I agreed to marry you he almost said. But they are not married, or engaged, no matter how much Anakin wishes they were. He still can't quite believe someone like Obi-Wan wants him of all people. A part of him is still waiting for Obi-Wan to realise how out of Anakin's league he is, how different their worlds are, no matter how much he knows Obi-Wan loves him. 

"Before you agreed to what?" Obi-Wan asks. 

"Before I agreed to stay here." 

"That's not what you were going to say."  

Sometimes Anakin wishes Obi-Wan didn't know him so well. "Yes it was." 

Obi-Wan looks at him for a few seconds before he finally speaks again. "Anyway, I don't remember you agreeing to stay here. What I remember is you coming and asking if you could stay here." 

"Well, that was before I knew all of the facts." 

Obi-Wan frowns, "do you want to go somewhere else? We could go on a trip to somewhere warmer for a few weeks." 

"We just got back from Felucia two weeks ago." 

"Or maybe we could go to the city, the house there is not as cold as the castle." 

"And I like being here with you." 

Obi-Wan smiles, "I like you here too." He gives Anakin's hands a squeeze, and his smile turns into a teasing one, "But if you don't want to leave, then you should start remembering your coat and stop complaining so much." 

"Says the man that turned red when we went to Tatooine because he didn't stop complaining whenever I tried to put sunscreen on his face." 

"That's different." 

"How?" 

Obi-Wan doesn't answer, and Anakin takes that as his win.  

"What were you doing before I came in? You looked very focused." Anakin asks. Obi-Wan normally sits on the sofa or the armchair, and if he needs to do some 'work' he goes to his office. 

"I was looking at artists' portfolios. The last family portrait is a bit old now and it was more for my grandfather and father than it was for me, so I've been thinking about hiring an artist to do a new one. I think it's only right, with what is happening." 

"Want everyone to see what a dilf you are now?" 

"You are the only one who says that. I'm not even forty yet and I'm not a father." 

"Doesn't stop you from looking like one." 

"So I look old?" 

"You know that's not what I meant."  

Obi-Wan doesn't answer, he just brings Anakin's hand up to his lips and kisses his knuckles.  

"How would that work?" Anakin asks, knowing that Obi-Wan will know what he means.  

"I was thinking of the artist coming here. They can stay at one of the rooms as long as they need, and it would be easier that way. Otherwise we would need to go to their studio, wherever that is." 

"We?"  

"Of course." Obi-Wan says, he looks confused by Anakin's question. "It is a family portrait, you will need to come too. And Ben, of course. You don't have to if you don't want to though, you did say that it didn't look comfortable sitting for hours for a portrait." Of course Obi-Wan would remember something Anakin had not even said but had hinted when they had met for the first time. 

"I didn't know you-" Anakin stops. I still feels a bit surreal to be here, that this is his permanent home now, that Obi-Wan loves him. Being immortalized in a portrait in one of the walls feels serious, and permanent. And Anakin is not planning on going anywhere, but he still sometimes feels like he doesn't belong here. Specially when he sees Obi-Wan's grandfather's portraits, his judgamental face. Anakin doesn't want to imagine what he would think about Anakin being here. "Isn't it a bit early for that?" he ends up asking.  

"Do you want to wait until after the wedding?" 

"What wedding?" Anakin asks, because he doesn't remember them being invited to one, but maybe he forgot. 

"Our wedding, of course." Obi-Wan answers with a smile and Anakin has to hold onto his hand harder because he feels himself falling. 

"Our wedding." he repeats. Obi-Wan squezes his hands in a sweet gesture. He looks unaware of Anakin's inner turmoil. 

"Yes Anakin, our wedding. I know we haven't talked about it since you proposed, but I think we should. I would want to do it on the first of April, for obvious reasons, and I would like to do it here, the castle can open later this year." 

Anakin is barely listening to what Obi-Wan is saying, his brain locked on Obi-Wan's first words. Since Anakin had proposed? He is pretty sure he would remember getting engaged.  

"Since I proposed?" Anakin asks, and Obi-Wan looks at him with his eyebrows slightly furrowed. "And when did I- ah, do that?" 

Obi-Wan is looking at him with wariness in his eyes now, unsure. "On Aayla's birthday, after I brought you home and drew you a bath." 

Anakin barely remembers that night. Anakin feels a bit sick, because that was almost a month ago. He knows that what Obi-Wan is describing happened, but his memories of it are so very fuzzy.  

"So," Anakin says, he thinks he understands what happened now, "you took me home when I was absolutely wasted."  

"You didn't look that drunk." 

"Then I am very good at hiding it because I was very, very drunk. Anyway, you take me home, draw me a bath and take care of me because you are the most perfect person in the world. And I say- what did I say?" 

"Please marry me." Obi-Wan whispers. He looks like he is understanding the situation now too, but he doesn't look as amused as Anakin is. In fact, he looks like he is paling. 

"Please marry me. And then never mention anything again, and you still consider that our engagement?" 

Anakin won't lie, he is upset that he has apparently missed his engagement, but he still finds the situation funny, or he does until he sees Obi-Wan's face, until Obi-Wan starts moving his hands away from Anakin's. 

"We can forget about this if it you didn't mean it." 

"No!" Anakin exclaims and takes Obi-Wan's hands back on his. Obi-Wan looks so sad, Anakin moves from his seat and kneels on the floor in front of him. "Of course I want to marry you, I was just wishing we were married three minutes ago. But I always imagined our engagement to be more... more? Didn't you?" 

"I must say I was a bit... underwhelmed." Obi-Wan says, he doesn't look as sad now. That is a win. "But I thought you knew I was going to propose and wanted to beat me to it, or that you were tired of the dramatics." 

Anakin will never get tired of being dramatic, not with Obi-Wan, but there is something more important in what Obi-Wan has said. 

"You were going to propose?" 

Obi-Wan smiles. A tight lipped small smile, but so sweet that Anakin feels himself falling in love again. "I was. I should have done it ages ago, but then you did it first." 

Anakin groans, "can't believe I ruined my own engagement."  

Obi-Wan moves one of his hands to hold Anakin's head. "You didn't, I should have known that you were not lucid enough to properly propose." 

"You should have known that if I got engaged to you I would be screaming about it to the whole world and calling everyone we know to tell them the news." 

Obi-Wan lets out a small laugh. "You can do that now." 

"So it's official? Can't we do it over? You can ask this time, properly. Do I get a ring?" 

"I didn't know if you would like to wear a ring apart from the wedding ring we will get but- wait a second." He gets up and walks to the desk he was sitting at earlier and opens a drawer. Anakin looks at him with confusion when he walks back with a knife in his hands. "I commissioned this for you, to wear with your kilt." 

"I get a kilt?" Anakin asks. He takes the knife from Obi-Wan's hands as he sits. 

"You are part of the family now." Obi-Wan says matter-of-factly. Ben moves, interested by the new object, and Anakin lets him sniff the sheath.  

Anakin can't stop himself longer, he surges up and brings his arms around Obi-Wan's neck as he kisses him. Obi-Wan follows him to the floor and they keep kissing in front of the fireplace until they have to come apart for breath. Anakin pushes his forehead against Obi-Wan's, a grin on his face.  

"The first of April?" Anakin asks. It feels too long, but he agrees with Obi-Wan, it's the perfect date.  

"The first of April." Obi-Wan, his future husband confirms and Anakin kisses him again.  

[stories-and-chaos]

Tarnished pt 20

[Helluva Boss AU where Blitzø’s childhood theft from Stolas’ palace is discovered and major consequences ensue for everyone involved.]

[Part 20/?? Word count 2113 CW: language, amputation]

—————

When he woke up, Fizzarolli found himself in a room of soft pink hues. Everywhere he looked he saw pastel tones, accented by purples and blues. A pink sky was visible through the window. The only relief from the bubblegum colors was the imp girl in the chair next to his bed.

“Barb…?” he croaked. The fuck happened to his voice? It was hoarse and scratchy, and deeper than it should be. Then he remembered.

The party. The crazed former fan. Bottles of flaming liquid. Fireworks.

Was it the smoke, the screaming, or disuse that made his voice sound like that? He tried to touch his throat but…nothing. The signals for his arm to move didn’t reach anything. A nugget of cold panic grew in his chest.

He tried to sit up, but he didn’t have anything to leverage himself upright. Barb, who had been dozing, woke up fully at his attempts to move. “Fizz! Thank Satan you’re awake!” She placed a hand on his chest to try to calm him. She pressed the nurse’s call button and let the drowsy voice that answered know he was awake.

“Try not to move yet, Fizz. The…the doctor will explain.” His friend looked so haunted, like she wanted to erase something stuck in her brain.

He tried to breathe evenly, like when his anxiety threatened to break free before he went on stage. “What happened? I remember the party and Molotov cocktails and everything on fire.”

“Someone threw Molotov’s at the tents?!” Barb hadn’t realized it had been arson that destroyed her life. “Jesus H. Christ, I should’ve stayed.” Yeah you fucking should have. That asshole wouldn’t have come around if you had, Fizz thought bitterly.

She covered her face in her hands. “We got back and everything was burning. We- I- we tried! We tried to get help, to find the others.” She drew in a hiccuping breath. “I found you, trying your damnedest to get to safety.” She looked up into Fizz’s eyes, her own watering. “I pulled you from the fire. You passed out so we got you to Sloth as soon as we could.”

“A very brave group of young women they were too,” said a newcomer into the room. “Fizzarolli, I’m Dr. Morphene,” the slim middle aged baphomet introduced herself. “I’m the lead surgeon for your case.” She sat down next to his hospital bed and looked at him with sympathy. “I’m told you just woke up. How are you feeling at the moment?”

“Kinda freakin out here, doc,” he said bluntly. “Nothing’s working right.”

She nodded solemnly. “I’m afraid I don’t have much good news about your condition. We can discuss this whenever you’re ready.”

Fizz took a deep breath. And another. A third for good measure. “Okay. How bad is it?”

“You’ve been in a medically induced coma for twelve days now. Your limbs and 85% of your horns were lost in the fire.” She paused to let him absorb the information.

Fizz stared at her. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe her; every attempt to move had ended in failure after all. But finding out he was basically helpless now? It was hard to take in. “Well shit. Any more bad news?” Might as well get it over with.

“70% of your torso and 90% of your face was burned. Fortunately your hips, tail and groin had superficial damage at most. Your skin has been regrowing well. You had two cracked ribs but those are also healing well.” She looked at his chart before continuing. “I have you scheduled for some X-rays the day after tomorrow to check on those.”

Fizz, sensing the doctor had finished for the moment, laid his head back. Tears welled up and he couldn’t even brush them away. “The fuck am I supposed to do now?” They’d just been celebrating his agreement with Mammon. He was supposed to be the Sin’s new brand figure. The exciting future of working with his idol was slipping away.

Barb looked uncomfortable. “Fizz, we got word from Mammon. When you didn’t show up for work, he came looking.”

Shitbiscuits. Is this a breach of contract? Mammon’s probably so pissed, he’s gonna just cancel the whole thing.

Dr. Morphene continued after the girl. “Yes, your employer came to see you the second day. As we were still getting you stabilized, we naturally couldn’t let him in. However, he was informed of the extent of your injuries. He left a message for when you woke up.”

She held up a tablet computer for him to see and pressed the play button. Mammon’s face suddenly filled the screen. To Fizz’s surprise, he looked concerned.

“Fizzy my boy! I heard some shit went down at your circus, so I came to make sure you’re alright. Doc said you’re in rough shape but don’t you worry ya bitch! I gotta take care of my shiny new brand baby! I’m gonna get you fixed up with a set of robo-prosthetics, cutting edge from my buddy Ozzie. So tell the doc you want the implants and we’ll get you back up on a new set o’ feet. You’ll be onstage again before you know it. Now get well soon ya c**t!” The video ended with an explosion of green smoke and the sound of a cash register.

The imp’s jaw dropped. Mammon was…helping him? Not just by getting him prosthetics, but the newest robotic version from the sound of it. He vaguely remembered hearing about the robotic advances from Lust, but none of that had really affected him. Until now at least.

The cold core of him flared back to life. “If I get these…” he wouldn’t be helpless, right? His life wouldn’t be over.

“There are a number of things that need to happen first and it will depend on how much you put into your recovery. But yes, you’ll have mobility back,” the surgeon confirmed.

Barb looked like she wanted to protest, but Fizz ignored her and immediately said, “I’ll do it. I want the implants.” Dr. Morphene agreed to set up an appointment with the therapist involved for him. After giving him a bit more information, she left the teens alone.

Barb, now able to voice her opinion, hissed at him. “Fizz, you can’t just agree to whatever Mammon wants!”

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “What the fuck Barb?! Do you want me to just stay like this? As-as Torso-boy?!” He wiggled his shoulders. “My boss is helping me get my life, my career back! Why shouldn’t I agree?!”

Barb huffed. “It’s Mammon. A Deadly Sin, the king of Greed. He’s not just doing this to be nice, there’s gotta be a catch.”

That made him pause for a second. “Okay, but what else am I supposed to do? I’m gonna need something to help me, there’s fuck all I can do with just my tail. You got a better plan?”

She rubbed her face. “Not yet. I don’t want you to just stay this way. But can we at least look at other options than Mammon?”

Fizz frowned, feeling the still healing skin all over his face tightening. “That’ll take forever. We can’t afford a robo-hand, much less a full set of arms and legs. Not with…with the circus gone.” Tears threatened to spill out of his eyes again. Barb looked like she was going to cry too.

The teen made his voice as resolute as he could manage. “I’m gonna do it. I’m not letting some asshole ruin my life.”

Dr. Morphene had been right, there were a number of milestones Fizz had to meet before they could even get started. He had a team of doctors visiting him throughout each day. The robo-physical therapist, after his initial examination, set up a roadmap for Fizz and his medical team.

His skin needed to be fully healed before the implants could be attached. In the meantime, he would need to do core strengthening exercises. Rodney, the baphomet that was overseeing his therapy, explained why. “If the robotics don’t work for any reason, you’re relying on your organic parts. Your core is also going to be supporting appendages heavier than your original limbs. Until you’re comfortable using them, your core muscles are going to be carrying your weight.”

It was three weeks before he could get the docking implants. He actually got pretty good at using his tail for some things. At the very least he could hold a smoothie cup to feed himself. Working a fork or spoon usually ended up in a mess and he didn’t even contemplate trying to manipulate a knife. But he wasn’t quite helpless, which boosted his mood.

His implant surgery went well. It was a fourteen hour surgery since all four connections were integrated into his nervous system during it. Afterwards, there was more healing at the sites and continued core strengthening. Prosthetic control therapy was also added to Fizz’s days.

There were artificial limbs at the therapist office that connected to implants via cables. The practice arms and legs weren’t set up to support any weight, but to get him used to maneuvering the mechanical appendages.

Since he was having to adjust to all of his limbs being robotic, his care team would only let him focus on one set at a time. Fizz decided to prioritize his arms and hands first. He did have some practice with his legs, a half hour daily. But he was working on his arms as much as his therapist would allow.

So before his implants were ready to have actual limbs connected, he was making balloon animals with the practice set. Not as quickly as he had before, but he could do it. Rodney assured him that speed would come with practice.

Almost three months after the fire, the first of Fizzarolli’s new limbs was attached. There was a mechanical trill as it locked onto his joint and it booted up. His practice up to this point meant he no longer had to think hard about moving it. He held his new arm out straight and flexed the fingers. It was a good thing these were designed to be waterproof since he immediately had to grab a tissue for eyes.

Fizzarolli still had to build back his strength, so the limbs were added in stages. He could only have one on and active for a couple hours at first. As much as he wanted to get all of them attached at soon as possible, the implant sites ached at first. Once the second arm was hooked up he had to get them coordinated right. And once the legs were added, he had to not only maneuver them at the same time as his arms, he had to relearn how to walk.

His balance was all out of whack and his legs got twisted into knots more than once. “Good thing I’m used to taking falls,” he told Rodney after the fifth time the therapist had to untie his legs. Everyone at the hospital involved with his case knew his history in the circus. As he got better with his hands, he started working on parts of his routine.

Juggling, plate spinning, balloons, and even sleight of hand were all part of his daily training. His care team came by his therapy sessions often. They said it was to do assessments on his progress. But the rounds of applause said that was only part of it.

Despite all his work, Fizz wasn’t ready to compete in the second clown pageant. Mammon, who had been in contact with him at least once a week, told him to focus on his recovery. “The fans are gonna want a good show! So make sure you can give them what they paid for Fizzy.”

Barb, who was visiting him every day, was still conflicted about Mammon’s behavior. “At least he’s not cutting you off,” she admitted. “Though I heard he turned all your plushies into numbered limited editions, since they won’t match your look anymore.” Her voice dripped in disgust, not trying to hide her feelings about the Sin’s avarice.

Fizz felt up to participating in the third annual pageant. It was his first major performance since the fire. He’d done some small gigs after being discharged from the hospital to help play the bills. He came in a close second place. Close enough that he was sure some more work, more polish, would get him another win.

He threw himself into his practice. He took a variety of performing jobs, branching out from clown work. And at Mammon’s fourth annual clown pageant, Fizzarolli retook the crown.

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