#i have an inkling of who this is from but if i guess wrong its going to be so awkward for everyone so i wont

[welcometoteyvat]

whagghh can we see that hu tao xingqiu snippet wip?

Xingqiu slumps onto his desk, defeated. The deadline for a special volume of A Legend of Sword is scarcely three nights away, and yet he still hasn’t progressed past the first fight sequence. Every word he pens is inadequate, and the brush in his hand is crooked and sluggish, and another colorless midnight has almost passed, and still, he has nothing to show for it. His valiant unnamed hero claims a narrow victory against the Tai-Shogun’s cyborg samurai, and then—and then…

When Xingqiu’s eyelids flutter open again, the lantern by his window has dimmed considerably… He cannot have dozed off for that long, can he?

At least his father and brother are asleep. It would be best if they never find out about his sleeping schedule.

The shadow of his hand is so sharp against his lantern-lit draft. Xingqiu traces the ridges of his knuckles, a flickering black silhouette on the page beneath it. From this angle, it almost looks like a dragon’s mouth, one of the Natlan kinds… maybe he’ll be able to see one in person someday…

His eyes shut slowly.

———

ermmmmm embarrassing... this was supposed to be published with the snippet (so i could've just given you the full snippet since it isn't long anyways) but it's ballooned rather fast and I don't want to wait. also yeah this has no hu tao mentioned because unfortunately she comes in right after this lmao. also the hu tao xingqiu dialogue inspiration that struck me at 2 am yesterday left so now i have to reinvent the wheel (<- bad at banter). anyways i hope you enjoy <3 this idea was kinda random haha, i just wanted to write something from xingqiu's perspective and show how they bounce off each other really well LOL nothing much to it. I was going to change it into xingqiu + venti writers block (venti is one of the muses fr) but i haven't watched irodori thoroughly and decided to keep hu tao. anyways yeah hopefully i finish this thing soon lol

[sweetie-bri]

GHO/ST [Giantess Growth Caption]

Hope used to always roll her eyes at the idea that growing could addictive. She was always very quick to debate anyone trying to claim height-challenged people being helped was an objective good thing and there was next to no one who was abusing the system despite the grossly exaggerated claims and statistics about average female height tripling. She scoffed and quibbled until eventually she decided to put her money where her mouth was and apply for government height operation/size treatment, or GHO/ST.

Anyone below 5 foot qualified but, those in more disenfranchised groups like Hope were given priority. She had no issue getting her request approved and card distributed literally within the hour. "Huh, that was... easier than I expected. Is there really no background check? Cool." Hope thought.

Her dosage was in medical jargon she didn't understand, but it was easy to schedule on the app. She accidentally ordered WAY too much, but that didn't stop the system from just accepting her input. "Oops, wait, that's my order confirmation! Really? I clicked an extra 0! Well, that's... convenient." Hope couldn't deny it was surprisingly unregulated. I guess it makes sense since the tech is in its infancy.

Supply after supply was doled out to Hope and eventually after a few weeks of carefully following the instructions to the letter, she gained negligible height. "How on EARTH did people get to be like... 12 feet?! There isn't even enough time. I've gained a CENTIMETER! Are they... overdosing..?" Hope was too scared to check online because she didn't want "How to OD on GHO/ST" in her search history. The thought had crossed her mind before. It does taste... pretty good.

She caved, worst case scenario she loses her card and gets her stomach pumped. Instantly she saw her results exponentially increase. The more you take the more you gain. What took before months was done in weeks. She was already 6 feet tall which was the cutoff point for those apply for GHO/ST but she didn't lose her card and the app didn't deny her. Okay, maybe it was a *little* addictive. But Hope wasn't some mindless junkie. She thought.

She wasn't stopping, she didn't know this, but she couldn't if she wanted to. She was hopelessly addicted to growing. She was excited for every chance to follow her routine self-imposed perscription. Nobody was stopping her, especially not herself. She maybe had an inkling something was wrong at this point but who cares?! It feels *good.* I'm *big.* I'm so *strong.* "Of all people, *I* deserve this. I'm not doing anything illegal." She thought.

Her addiction got more fierce. She got more codependent on GHO/ST, and as long as she kept shilling, the pharmacy kept distributing to her. If it was ever late, her day would be ruined, and if it came early, her day was made. Living and dying by GHO/ST. She spent most of her time fantasizing about growing. "Okay, it might be a *little* addictive, but. I just have an addictive personality. It's not GHO/ST's fault." became "I'm pretty sure I need help, but... I don't *want* help." became "If this is wrong, I don't want to be right!"

Reasons to Tip Sweetie-Bri

1.) She's trying her best.

2.) She'll 100% see that message.

3.) It would make her day.

[wileycap]

I haven't got the spoons for writing anything long, so I'm just throwing my ideas out here in little snippets. This little snippet turned out a bit long, but...

This is super dark. I've tagged all of the dark stuff, and if I've missed a tw, please tell me. I don't think I did. There are no graphic descriptions.

ATLA AU: Aang defeats Ozai. Aang loses everyone.

Aang has just defeated Ozai. He looks out to the horizon, and sees a number of airships crashing down. He mourns the possible loss of life (even though he can see many crews huddling on the tops of the airships, surely there were some who didn't make it) but ultimately, he's at peace with it.

He sees one particular airship go down rough. Well, he thinks. Time to go rescue people.

He secures Ozai to the rock and even though the man is a monster, he promises to come back and that the former Fire Lord will be treated humanely.

There are bodies in the wreck, and he offers some words to Agni on their behalf, because that's who he is, and he remembers that Fire folk need to be guided on their way to the Sun. He remembers the words from a hundred years ago like yesterday, because for him, it was. Well, yesterday and a year.

But when he finds three bodies, huddled close together with a burst steam pipe near them and the room slowly filling with water, Aang finds that he doesn't have any words at all.

He takes them from the wreck and lays them out on the beach. Sokka must have been holding Suki and Toph close, and from the shape of the bent metal sheets in the room, he could guess that Toph might have tried to cushion their fall with Metalbending. But he'll never know for sure.

If they'd only had a Waterbender. The boiling steam could have turned to a cool mist.

Waterbending takes his thoughts to Katara. She or Zuko weren't anywhere to be found. Were they gone, too? If they weren't, how was he going to tell Katara that her brother was dead? And Toph. And Suki.

He sits by the bodies on the beach for a long time. Eventually, some of the surviving soldiers approach him.

He gives them a short speech. He brings Ozai out to them. Ozai is still feeble, and babbling commands to kill the Avatar, but as Aang had hoped, he can't inspire fear or respect without his bending. His soldiers refuse to attack Aang.

A few of the airships can still fly. He orders a crew to fly him to the Fire Nation. He has some kind of inkling that that's where Zuko and Katara might be - he tried meditating to see if he could connect with Katara the same way he did when she was captured in Ba Sing Se, but the grief is still too near. And in any case, ending the war is most important, and to do that, he has to go to the Fire Nation.

Ozai stays on the bridge with him. He thinks its good for the crew to see him, to lose their fear of the man. A voice inside him whispers that it's good for them to see that Aang could do it to them, too.

He quashes it. It's the grief and anger talking. He tries to meditate, to center himself, to let himself feel all of his grief so that he can begin the long journey to overcome it. But the meditation doesn't help, and he can't even cry.

They reach the Caldera.

He finds the Fire Lord sitting on her throne, alternating between laughter and tears and screaming and whispering. Crying for her mother, screaming for Zuko, laughing to her father that she did it, didn't I do good?

The duel is short. The Avatar State allows him to overpower Azula with ease. Her energy is bitter and twisted and wrong, but he untangles the knots and removes her bending. Curiously, Azula doesn't even fight it very much.

The screams and laughter and sounds don't stop. But some sages and ministers and a few guards come in, and he centers himself, meaning to explain to them that the war is over, when one of the sages asks him if he knows any Waterbender healing.

He's happy for a chance to help someone. He tells them that he isn't as good as Katara, but he knows the basics.

Prince Zuko has been asking for Katara, they say. (None of them knew the name of the Waterbender who came with Zuko to challenge his sister.)

Aang's hands are very cold. He tells them to take him to Zuko, immediately, and to bring pure water.

Zuko is lying on a bed. His chest is as crimson as the covers. His breathing is shallow. He keeps rasping out Katara's name until he sees Aang. Then he tries to say something else.

Aang tells him not to speak, and gets to work on his chest, but he doesn't have Katara's skill (why didn't he train more, he asked himself, and even when a fair little voice tries to tell him that he had his hands full with learning three styles of bending simultaneously as well as everything else that had happened) and the wound is severe.

Prince Zuko dies in the early hours of the morning, and Aang stands there with his hands dripping. Blood and water.

He still can't cry.

Then one of the Fire Sages in the room asks him if he knew the Waterbender who came with the Prince.

He asks them where Katara is. They show him.

His fingers are numb, but he cleans the blue necklace as best he can, even though the ribbon is almost burned to nothing.

The wind is picking up.

He asks them what happened. A sage timidly and hurriedly starts explaining. The two rode in on a sky bison, there was a duel, Zuko dove in front of Katara, and...

Wait, he says. Where is Appa? Where is the sky bison?

The beast was slain by Azula, the sage says, and continues his explanation like that was a footnote, until suddenly he can't breathe and the wind is turning into a storm.

As the sage chokes, Aang tells the others to take him to Appa, now. He needs to see.

They had dragged Appa into a stable. There's black on the white of his fur.

He stares until he can't look at Appa anymore, and then he turns around and looks at the quivering sages and ministers instead.

It was once the Fire Sages' duty to serve the Avatar, he says. You will serve me again. And together, we will remake the world.

All of them bow.

They ask him for his commands.

The reply is spoken by a thousand voices:

"Bring me Azula."

In Ba Sing Se, Iroh looks out to the city. Children are playing in the streets. Vendors are serving food at no cost (he might have indulged in a dish or two). Ba Sing Se is free, and he is happy.

And he still can't shake the feeling that something is horribly wrong.

[droogiesanddiscourse]

HCs: Falling in love with Father Paul

Pairing: Father Paul x Reader (Midnight Mass)

A/N: WELL HELLO it has sure been a while hasn’t it. Life has caught up with me exponentially the past two years - graduating college, starting a full time job, personal growth and pitfalls. But, I truly miss writing, and was ready to attempt to get back into it after such a long hiatus. Anyways - hello, I love you all <3 I missed you all. 

Warnings: Uhh, blasphemy? I guess?? Mentions of sexual content. Millie is somehow gone who knows where she is. Very subtle spoilers for Midnight Mass (2021). ANYWAYS.

✧ You confess your love for him after Paul takes it upon himself to walk you home from assisting him in decorating St Patricks for an upcoming event. Often jumping at any chance to provide services so you could grow closer to the enigmatic priest, anyone with half a brain could see how you’ve taken to him within the past few months. Just three simple words that sends a ripple through him. “I love you.” 

✧ He takes in a deep breath, thinking carefully about his next words. Ever since his arrival, you have been one of his closest friends and confidants. “Please, don't say that,” Paul quietly pleads, exhaling from his nose. 

✧ Not because he does not love you, in fact, it’s the exact opposite. He can’t bear to see you be hurt, knowing that he could never reciprocate the love you so truly deserve. He’s hurt those that he has loved before -- and will wrestle with those demons for a lifetime.

✧ Father Paul has taken his vows, and is seen as a pillar of faith, stability, and morals within the community. Given a second chance at fulfilling those vows, even. Still unable to face you, he stares down at his feet.

✧  Shaking his head, his brown eyes meet yours -- glassy with tears threatening to spill over. “You’re so young, it's...natural to have feelings like this. You’ll get over it, it’s okay.” A beat of silence passes between you. “Things like this have happened before. To me, I mean. And it hurts but, you’ll find someone one day. You're strong. You just have to...ride the wave is all.”

✧ And you know that this is how it will be. That you have to be okay with the reality. Scratching the back of his neck, he starts up his usual conversation again. Like everything was normal. “Now for tomorrow I was thinking th-”

✧ But it’s not normal. You cut him off before he can change the subject. “I-I know it’s wrong,” you stutter out, feeling embarrassed and already noticing the urge to backpedal. “I know its against any type of decency, and that we couldn’t be together even if it’s all I dream about. But I..couldn't go another day without confessing my feelings. I’m sorry if this changes things between us. Goodnight, Paul.”

✧ Against all rational, he walks forward cupping your face between his hands before you can slip into the safety of your house. And he kisses you. Before you take back what you’ve said. Before the inkling of regret crosses your mind. Before you pretend that there isn’t an undeniable connection between you. 

✧ A kiss. Just once, hoping that maybe this one act would allow the both of you to move on without the prospect of “what if” looming in the back of your minds forever. Free whatever pent up tension was built. Paul has lived with enough regrets, and he didn’t want to add never saying he loved you, too. One dipped toe into the waters of sin, for the sake of a lifetime of purity. But the human condition is fragile;  love comes slowly, then all at once. And once it’s there, it’s hard to deny it. 

✧ A secret relationship begins to bloom between you. Subtle glances and gestures to each other during mass. Things such as his hand lingering on yours for just a moment longer than polite company, making eye contact with him that flusters him while delivering his sermon. 

✧ Intimately pressing his thumb against your lips as he offers you the holy eucharist, coaxing you to open your mouth. Pushing it onto your tongue when you do so, his finger lingers there for an unusual amount of time that seems...less than chaste to anyone viewing. The unholiest of thoughts passing through your mind. 

✧ Sneaking around after mass like a teenage couple, unable to keep your hands off of each other. A desperate flurry of lips, tongues, and hands pushing up cloth to gain access to skin. Paul asking you to wear your prettiest Sunday dresses only for him. You have opened up this new world for Father Paul to explore, being considerably less experienced.

✧ Father Paul is old fashioned. Expect flowery, beautiful love letters arriving at your doorstep almost weekly. Hand delivered, of course. They always have the distinct smell of him - a mixture of his cologne and the heady scent of frankincense and myrrh, lingering from his vestments. 

✧ Helping him understand how to use technology - while you know him as Father Paul, his true identity gives a more reasonable explanation for why he is so inept at modern technology. Others catch him constantly smiling down at his phone when your name pops up on his screen. You try to show him how to send photo images to each other, but often you get odd attempts at selfies that usually are blurred or too close up. While you prefer spending time together in person, it does give a safer alternative to constantly stay in touch without raising too much suspicion. 

✧ Most times you see him one on one to be at night, when most of Crockett Island’s denizens are fast asleep. Just sitting in your kitchen, conversing and laughing over a cup of coffee. Some nights things progress further to the bedroom, but other nights the two of you find happiness just in the company of each other

✧ Late nights in his cabin, your head resting gently against his lap. Paul’s one hand flipping through his well loved and worn bible. The other hand idly running his fingers through your hair. The sound of the murky waves crashing against the shoreline mixed with Paul’s low hums of familiar hymns becoming the soundtrack of the evening.

✧ Mornings after accidentally staying over, too late to return to your house yet too early to make an inconspicuous exit. The window open, the heavy smell of sex and salt water clinging to both of your skin. Sometimes you just stare at him as he’s asleep, watching his chest rise and fall. His usually furrowed brows at rest, and signs of age seem to just melt off his face. Reaching your hand out to run a delicate finger against the curvature of his nose. Of his cupid’s bow. It's sinful how beautiful he is. 

✧ He finds relief and only lets his guard down when you both visit the mainland together on some “church business.” This is the only time that you and Paul can reasonably be seen in public together. He can hold your hand, kiss you, and show as much public affection as you deserve without the watchful eyes of others. And stay together in a hotel room too, just like anyone else madly in love.

✧ Maybe you are his secret. One of many. But you are his best kept one by far.

[gemini-magic17]

Entanglement Chapter Six

**Back to the Party

"I have never wanted to be anywhere else more than I do now", I groaned to Jade.

"It's not so bad. The princess seems nice."

"So what. Do you think that will have any bearing on me trying to have a happy marriage with her", I asked.

"Kit it's just your mother could have married you off to someone who was a jackass or a heartless monster yet you are going to be married to Y/n who is kind and smart", Jade tried to relay to me.

"I'm sorry are you really trying to defend her and find some solace in this situation we are in? I love you and will never ever have so much as an inkling of any positive feelings toward her."

"I'm just saying this couldn't have been easy for her either. Coming to a place she has never known to leave her family behind just to be married off and have no one", Jade said.

"Yeah, it must be tough for her but guess what her parents and my mother are to blame for this shit. Now just because she was put in the same situation doesn't mean that I have to be cordial about it", I practically yelled.

Thank god Jade and I were in a corner talking to ourselves because if someone had heard what I said I would never hear the end of it, especially from my mother. Before Jade could respond to what I had said she saw Prince James approach us.

"Hello, Prince James what brings you over here? I assumed you would be with your family or making small talk with guests", I said with a snide remark.

"I was but figured that I should stop conversing with all the guests when I haven't even talked to my future sister-in-law", he said then slowly turned to Jade.

"I'm sorry I don't think we have met."

"I'm Jade its a pleasure to meet you Prince James", Jade says while James gives her a curious look.

"So, how do you know Kit"?

"I am sworn to protect her. Queen Sorsha said it was imperative and with us being friends it was easier that way", Jade said making eye contact with me. I could see James looking between her and me after her statement. Almost as if there was something going on between us (which he wouldn't be wrong).

"That's interesting. Jade, do you think I could speak to Kit alone just for a minute"?

"Of course", she then walked away and talked with other partygoers while the Prince gave me a questioning look.

"So, Kit what do you think of my sister", he asked

"I think Princess Y/n is a poised and amazing woman. I mean do you see how when she walks into a room and commands the attention of everyone."

"Yes, that is Y/n for you", he laughed whole heartedly.

"Can I just ask you one question though"?

I nodded my head and the next words that came out of his mouth caught me off guard.

"Why is it that you say my sister is such a poised and amazing woman yet tell your little friend over there that there is practically nothing special about her", he said with a pissed off expression.

"My prince-", before I could get the rest of the words out he cut me off.

"Listen to me Kit I heard everything that you said. You may think that my sister is not worth your time or anyone else's but you are not worthy of hers. She didn't want to be here she didn't ask for any of this but because of our fucking parents they are sending her to this hell hole. If it was up to me I would have her marry anyone else in this world than you. You are not worthy of her and you never will be. By the way, I see how you look at your so-called 'friend' and all I have to say is if you hurt my little sister I will make it my personal mission to make you suffer starting with your little friend Jade", he spat with a whole lot of anger.

I could tell by his tone that he was serious and that he was pissed beyond belief. I didn't care though to threaten Jade I would make sure that he would regret saying that.

"Let me tell you something, Prince James I don't take kindly to threats especially when it comes to the people I love. So, if you want to come after me then fine but don't forget that your sister will end up as collateral damage", I said slyly.

He gave me a disgusted look and walked to the other side of the hall. Searching for Jade through the crowd my eyes landed on her and by her, I do not mean Jade I mean Y/n.

Making my way from the woods with the fact that just came across a dragon but Calyx to be more specific was shocking. As I step inside the hall I make eye contact with Kit and before I can look away she is heading towards me. The question is why though. She has done everything in her power to avoid me and now she is just coming over here. No that can't be right perhaps it's someone behind or near me that she is making her way to. Yet I am wrong her strides are directed toward me and before I can even prepare for this encounter she is standing in front of me.

"Hello Princess", she said.

"Hello Kit", I said in a whisper.

"How are you enjoying the festivities"?

"It is lovely. Queen Sorsha really goes all out", I said.

"That's my mother for you always making a spectacle out of everything", she said with a hint of disdain.

"Can I ask you a question"?

"Sure what is it", she said.

"Why are you talking to me", I asked genuinely wanting an answer.

"I don't know what you mean."

"It was just when I would try to talk to you before you would walk away or do everything you could to avoid me", I said very curious about what her answer would be.

"I'm sorry it's because of this whole betrothal and the fact that is told to me by my mother shortly there after."

"I understand I didn't have the best reaction when I found out that I was going to be married."

Having found out that it was Kit just being cautious and scared like I wise was is a relief. Knowing that she didn't actually hate me made me feel better about the whole thing. However, there was still the looming thought in the back of my mind about the girl she was with and how close they seem to be.

Trying to get her to believe this was easier than I thought it was going to be. I could see that she was relieved by what I was saying as though it was giving her some piece of mind. Although I could still see some kind of hesitation on her face almost like she wanted to ask me something.

"Is there anything else you wanted to ask me? I can see that something is bothering you."

"Oh no, I just have a lot of stuff on my mind that's all," she said smiling.

In the corner, I can see James watching our interaction. Part of me wants to go up to him and punch him in the face. The fact that he threatened Jade made my blood boil and if I had to act as though I like Y/n so be it. There is no way in hell I am going to let him hurt her because if he does I will make sure that Y/n suffer in the worst way possible.

[anthurak]

So I’ve been thinking about the whole theory of ‘Poly-STR’ that a lot of the fandom seems to have started latching onto recently, particularly with the revelation/confirmation that Summer and Raven were a LOT closer than anyone (aside from Rosebird shippers) thought.

And the funny thing is, I don’t think anyone really appreciates the fact that the theory of Summer, Taiyang and Raven having been in a polycule is actually built on an incredibly shaky foundation.

See, let’s consider for a moment where the theory of Poly-STR comes from; that this ship wasn’t created all on its own, but is simply the latest interpretation of a Summer-Tai-Raven dynamic that we’ve known about since Volume 2 when Yang explained her family backstory to Blake. That Raven was Tai’s first love and the two of them had Yang together, only for Raven to vanish without a trace. And sometime afterward, Tai got together with Summer and they had Ruby together. And sometime after that, Summer left on a mission and never came home.

Now if you’ve been with the fandom since Volume 2, you should know that there have been a number of different interpretations and developments of the dynamic between these three over the years; That Summer is Tai’s second love who stepped in after his first love Raven ran away. That there was some kind of outright love-triangle with Summer and Raven rivaling over Taiyang. And most recently, that Summer, Tai and Raven were in a polycule.

But here’s the wrinkle that I don’t think anyone is really appreciating:

This whole idea of a Summer-Tai-Raven dynamic that the fandom has been drawing all these ideas/ships from is based almost entirely off of YANG’s story that she told to Blake back in Volume 2.

And it is becoming very clear, especially after this latest episode, that Yang’s knowledge of her parents and family is in fact EXTREMELY flawed/limited. Even as early in the show as Yang’s very conversation with Blake in V2, we’ve known that Yang seemingly didn’t even know that Raven was her birth mother until AFTER Summer vanished. Then in Volume 3 we and Yang learn that Qrow has actually been in on-and-off contact with Raven for all these years and even has a pretty good idea where she is. Then when we learn about her bird transformation and portaling semblance, it becomes clear that, far from being ‘gone without a trace, never to return’, Raven has been around quite a bit and keeping an eye on Yang, and likely Ruby as well. And it’s pretty easy to guess that Qrow and Tai almost certainly KNEW about this, and DIDN’T tell Yang or Ruby.

Then in Volume 7, we and Ruby learn from Qrow that neither he, nor Tai, nor even Ozpin has any real idea what Summer’s final mission was even about. As Qrow puts it, this wasn’t an ‘Oz secret’, but a Summer secret.

Now at the end of Volume 9, we get a glimpse at just how little Ruby and Yang REALLY know. It turns out that Summer deliberately lied to nearly ALL of her friends and family about the true nature of her mysterious mission. And it turns out that Summer and Raven were FAR CLOSER than Yang or Ruby ever had any inkling of. With Summer apparently trusting Raven above all others with helping her on this secret mission, with Raven herself acting much friendlier with Summer than she has with ANYONE else we’ve seen.

Basically, I think all that we’ve seen calls pretty much EVERYTHING Yang told Blake about her family past during Volume 2 into question. You know, that very same conversation that the fandom has based much of, if not almost their entire perception of the Summer-Tai-Raven dynamic on?

Remember that RWBY has at this point a long and consistent history of both unreliable narrators and mentors/leaders/parents concealing VERY important information from their kids/our heroines. So should it really be so surprising there is a LOT that Ruby and Yang are wrong about concerning their parents and family?

It’s why I find it so interesting to see how some people seem so convinced about something like Poly-STR being a thing.

Like when I hear people say things like ‘Tai and Raven were definitely a couple’ or ‘Summer was definitely Tai’s second love’ or ‘Tai is definitely Ruby’s father’, I can’t help but wonder; ‘Are you sure? Are you really sure?’

Simply put, I don’t think much of the fandom really appreciates just how IN THE DARK we really are concerning the details of Team STRQ and what was REALLY going on before Ruby and Yang were old enough to fully remember.

[saikokirakira]

Part 1 of 2: Pagtingin (Feelings) [Steve Harrington x Reader]

a/n: let's pretend this hasn't been sitting in my completed list since ferbruary. it was initially a 3-parter, but i decided the 3rd one to be part of the sequel. guess who's the dumdum who doesn't have a title for it? i'm using the Ben&Ben song I listened to while writing this chapter. it was either this or "baka sakali (Maybe, just in case)". it also annoyed me because "pagtingin" means "look; gaze" but in its context it means "(hidden) feelings," so it's neither wrong or right. language, ammarite?

summary: based on this blurb on a hanahaki au/flayed!reader

word count: 2.1k (brace yourself because the next chapter is almost 5 times long. yep. you heard me.)

warning: steve is an oblivious himbo; unrequited feelings / pining; minor violence; implied underage drinking (it's season 2, ykyk?); stranger things season 2 canon

You had a crush on Steve “The Hair” Harrington. Then again, who didn’t have a crush on King Steve?

Growing up with Steve, albeit shy of two years from the senior, had you following him around like a puppy. You watched him jump from one girl to the next before he surprisingly settled with Nancy Wheeler last year. “She’s different,” he had said before asking you for help on how to woo her.

Stop flirting with other girls around her. Actually listen to her and try to be interested in what she says. Get to know her instead of treating her like another girl. Surprisingly, he listened to your advice – everything you wished he would do for you – and got the girl.

Steve always got the girl.

However, something strange happened when Nancy’s best friend, Barbara, went missing, not much later since Will Byers as well. With your overprotective parents dropping a curfew on you, you barely hung out with Steve anymore. You knew nothing good will happen when you left him too long with Tommy and Carol, and you were right.

Much to your surprise again, Steve and Nancy lasted until his senior year. You couldn’t argue that being with her made Steve want to better himself. You even got to know Nancy for a bit, and for someone quite reserved, you actually liked her.

“Haven’t you ever considered dating?” she had asked you once.

You hummed for a bit, pondering on your answer. “Steve knows most of the nitty gritty on the guys on Hawkins High,” you explained. “He scares the bad ones away, and the ones that are decent are too intimidated with him being my friend since forever.”

“You never thought of dating Steve?”

You laughed lightly. You had a crush on Steve, but you didn’t like him enough to act out on it. “What an odd question from his own girlfriend,” you pointed out, and interestingly enough, it made her uncomfortable. You guessed a lot of Steve’s exes were also pretty intimidated by your friendship with Steve.

“Nope,” you lied smoothly. “Steve never asked me, and we never had the conversation on crossing that line in our friendship.” Still, the pinched look on Nancy’s face remained, and you began to wonder if it was more than just jealousy… or if she was hiding something else.

That inkling you had took form in Jonathan Byers half-carrying a wasted Nancy during a Halloween party. You asked around for Steve only to find out that he also ditched you. You aggressively poured yourself a glass of spiked punch before catching yourself, pouring the contents back in the bowl.

“Smart move.”

You didn’t need Steve to tell you that Billy Hargrove was bad news.

“Harrington ditched you, pretty girl?”

“What do you think?” you shot back. You walked out of the kitchen to find a house phone, only to find a couple making out right against it. “Seriously?”

Billy snickered right next to you.

“You’re still here,” you sighed in exasperation to show your annoyance. “Why?” You narrowed your eyes at the blonde.

“Oh, please, no need to be short with me, pretty girl,” Billy said, flashing you what he probably thought was his charming smile. “Harrington isn’t here for you to be his loyal lapdog.”

“What are you talking about?”

Billy stepped closer to you, and you were overwhelmed by the smell of beer and cigarettes from his person. “From what I saw earlier, Wheeler and Harrington seem to be over,” he whispered in your ear, “so you might actually have a chance this time.”

Rage quickly filled your veins, and you shoved his bare chest, pushing him away from you. Your reaction only amused Billy further. “You don’t know anything about me,” you spat out.

“As a matter of fact, I know everything just by looking at you,” Billy retorted, giving you a once-over. “I don’t often help out girls like you, but you’re just pitiful. Pathetic even.” He continued, “Guys like Steve don’t stay single for long. Takes one to know one, pretty girl. Best make your move soon.”

You hated how you knew Billy was right. Nancy clearly had feelings for Jonathan, and it wouldn’t be long before Steve would be looking for a rebound. Maybe if… maybe if he could see how you and him worked so well over the years, Steve might also see you as someone worth long-term. Even longer than Nancy.

For the next two days, you muddled over how you would tell Steve how you really feel. You settled for simplicity. Just give it to him honest and straightforward. With a motivated resolution, you drove to his house and caught Steve just in time as he was leaving his house.

“Oh, perfect timing,” Steve smiled, pulling his keys out. “Come with me. I need your help picking out something. I’m driving.”

Ten minutes later, you and the florist locked eyes, seeming to have an understanding with each other, while Steve fawned over the bouquet that you chose for Nancy.

There’s just something fucked up over choosing a bouquet you want for your crush to give as a reconciliation gift for his ex.

Mysteriously enough, Nancy wasn’t at her house, but Dustin Henderson, a friend of her younger brother’s, was. You observed how the boy dragged Steve over to the car, where you were waiting, and talked about “a baseball bat with nails.” Steve succumbed to Dustin’s demands and opened the trunk of his car.

“Why the hell do you have a baseball bat mace, Harrington?”

Dustin directed his attention to you. “Are you good with pets?” he asked randomly.

“I used to have a cat and a dog?”

“Perfect. You can come with us.”

For the next three hours, you and Steve followed the boy in his storm cellar, finding a tunnel dug by an animal too big to be a dog. Dustin explained to you about a monster he cared for as a baby, until it ate his cat. Now, he made plans that you and Steve would come back the next day to find it before it was fully grown.

By that point, you simply indulged Dustin and his games. It was all just bad unskippable side quests on your way to confess to Steve. … right?

When morning came, Steve picked you up, telling you that Dustin called him to buy meat to bait his rogue monster pet. Again, you indulged them and came along. If Steve was losing his sanity over his breakup, so were you by still trying to confess in these conditions.

“Why are you still friends with me?” Steve asked all of a sudden, his eyes were focused on the road to the way to Dustin’s house. “I’m no longer popular. My girlfriend broke up with me. I’m currently hanging out with my ex’s brother’s friend finding a cat-eating monster.”

Tell him. It’s the right time. But what if it’s not? Of course, it is. What if he’ll think I’m only taking advantage of his situation? What if he’ll think I’m only friends with him for that reason?

“Don’t be full of yourself, Steve,” you snorted, picking at your chipped nail polish. “I’ve known you since you were a loser. It isn’t so different now.”

“You’re such an ass.”

Your heart mellowed at the sight of Steve’s soft smile. Maybe I don’t have to tell him. These quiet genuine moments didn’t have to change. You loved it as it was.

~~

“You kept something you knew was probably dangerous in order to impress a girl who... who you just met?”

“You have to admit, Steve, that’s pretty metal,” you commented, bumping Steve’s shoulder.

“What does that even mean?” Steve asked while still tossing pieces of chopped meat along the abandoned train tracks.

“It means it’s an awesome gesture,” you said, patting Dustin on the back. The boy smiled at you, preening from your support. From the past hour, you held a soft spot for Dustin who lacked in confidence but still put himself out there for a crush.

He’s younger but definitely had more guts than you.

“I just feel like you’re trying too hard,” Steve admitted.

“Hey,” you elbowed your friend in the side in warning.

“Well, not everyone can have your perfect hair, all right?” Dustin said quite glumly.

“The key with girls is just…” Steve trailed off, while you cut in, “Oh, I’d love to hear this.” He continued, “… just acting like you don’t care.”

And you burst laughing. You laughed for a good minute with tears leaking from the corner of your eyes. “Oh, for goodness’ sakes,” you said, “stop giving the boy bad relationship advice, Steven.”

“Are you telling me you never chased after a boy who didn’t show that much interest?” Steve asked, but just as he shot the question, he immediately followed with, “Don’t tell me. I don’t want to know.”

“I wanna know,” Dustin piped in.

“Just one boy,” you whispered in the boy’s ear but still loud enough for Steve to hear. “It doesn’t matter because he doesn’t like me that way.” Before anyone could catch your hidden meaning, you added, “Besides, I only go for guys who genuinely adore me.”

“As they should!” Steve exclaimed, pointing a finger at you. “Remember what I told you: Never take less than what you deserve.”

“As I was saying,” you emphasized, pointedly looking at Steve for interrupting, then crouching to meet Dustin’s eyes, “just be true with your feelings and yourself, and the right girl will come around for you.”

“I mean, that works too,” Steve mumbled. “Some girls are just special.”

“Like Nancy?”

… and that was your cue to walk ahead of them. You should’ve known that a wholesome moment wouldn’t last. Unfortunately, it would only go downhill from there.

In the next few hours, you were being chased by reptilian dogs, rendezvoused with Chief Hopper and the Byers, and met a punk kid who had mind powers. If you weren’t constantly fighting to stay alive, you would’ve demanded context from Steve. And now, you were in a tunnel under a pumpkin patch farm that led to an evil alternate dimension.

Some side quest for romance.

Steve led the group while with you last in case something snuck from behind. You were all careful not to breathe too hard, and you made sure to avoid touching anything on the walls, keeping eye on the kids as well. Doing so proved more difficult the further you went down the tunnel looking for what Mike called “the hub.” The vines and plant bulbs for some reason looked aware of your presence in the tunnels. In fact…

“Dustin, watch out!”

You shoved him to the side only to be sprayed with spores from the flower bulbs. Coughs and wheezes broke uncontrollably from your mouth as you tried to expel what seeped through your kerchief mask. You just hoped that you managed to get most out when you did.

After the little mishap with the flower, your group – much more carefully this time – finally succeeded in setting fire to the tunnels. You ignored the burning in your lungs when it did, especially when you ran back for Mike who got caught by one of the vines as its last resort. Running on instinct, you snatched Steve’s bat and rushed over to the boy.

“Grab him!” you barked at anyone. You stomped the offending vine with the heel of your boot and swung over and over. You screamed and cried out, not knowing whether it was out of aggression or from the burning in your lungs, until Mike was freed and the rest of the vines retreated back to God knows where.

Steve stared at you in awe and slowly approached you, retrieving back his bat but keeping his other hand locked with yours. “That was awesome,” he chuckled, squeezing your entwined fingers.

Unfortunately, the moment didn’t last because a pack of demodogs came barrelling down the tunnels in pursuit of us. Interestingly enough, one of them still managed to listen to Dustin – D’Art. So, he was real... Their reunion and goodbye were enough time to escape to the opening of the tunnel.

Steve climbed out into the farm first, and you began hoisting them up, saving yourself last. You barely managed to get Dustin out, who was putting up a fight to see D’Art until his last moments. Then the strangest thing happened…

The demodogs just stared at you.

It remained that way until they dropped dead, signalling the gate finally being shut.

You were frozen and was only pulled out of your stupor when Steve hoisted you out himself.

The way those monsters clicked and growled at you felt familiar. As if they knew you. Yet you didn’t have to worry about it anymore.

It was over.

[lycanlovebites]

here’s a bit of a story I was working on involving Father Gabriel and Valentine! (Sol is also there too but he’s not really mentioned oops. He’s off doing something else I guess)

its a discarded first draft that I still like a lot even though it doesn’t work in this particular scene because it gives really good insight into Gabriel’s inner thoughts and also his Catholic guilt. It’s also UNEDITED in any way so sorry if there’s typos and the dialogue and stuff is oddly placed! (btw will anyone believe me if I said that this was the first draft for a smut fic I was writing yes or no?? I scrapped this draft because it was far too serious and angsty for the situation I wanted. Valentine is ready to fuck nasty and have a nice time and treat their boyfriend meanwhile Gabriel is struggling with Catholic guilt and paranoia. The vibe was off for him and I felt bad trying to get him into a sex scene when that man should be having a therapy session instead. Like its ok king take ur time, you and Valentine can try later when you feel better)

story below the cut! (It’s a bit long)

Father Gabriel closed the front door behind him. “I can’t believe that happened,” he said more to himself than to the cheeky demon who caused the scene, who was hanging their sparkly red blazer on the coat rack next to him. “What if people saw? No, how many people saw that? How many people saw me?” He said aloud with horror. 

“Relax darling.” Valentine put a hand on his shoulder. “Believe me, no one saw my little display except you. Otherwise some old biddies would have me roasting at a stake by now.” They gave him a little grin at that last part. He was sure they found the idea of being tied up by little old ladies quite funny judging from their expression.  It was meant to be reassuring but the idea of other church members burning his partner at the stake wasn’t exactly pleasant. 

“That’s my point. It’s not safe for you to risk being found out by the church! If they find out you’re not human they’ll… they’ll do unspeakable things to you. I can’t risk you getting hurt, Valentine. Burning you at the stake would be the least of your worries if the wrong people get their claws on you.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “It’s not only your safety too. I also have a reputation to uphold, as horrible as it is sometimes. I’m a priest. I’m not supposed to get flustered over someone at communion. The people see me as a symbol of devotion and modesty, and I fear what might happen if they see me as anything other than that. I’m supposed to be committed to God alone, not blushing over my handsome friend from out of town.” He was so worried. Valentine seemed so confident to show off but he feared what would happen if they reveal too much. Gabriel knew what happened to demons in churches they weren’t welcomed in. He’d seen it happen with his own eyes, was forced to read the books on how to do it himself, and he knew that powerful people with hatred in their hearts for even an inkling of difference would never stop until they get what they want. 

“Darling, look at me.” Valentine stood in front of him and gently took his hand in theirs. “It’s going to be alright. I promise you that no one saw my little display to you, and as far as I saw no one seemed to say anything about your blush today. I mean, if you ask me, it was quite warm in church today, and you were quite lively in today’s sermon.  I wouldn’t see anything unusual about how the priest was a bit more red than usual after that rousing sermon he gave. And I feel most people know how warm it can be in your cassock with all those layers.” They assured him. Gabriel wasn’t fully convinced, but their words did help. He stared down at his hand and watched Valentine gently stroke the back of his hand with a thumb. Such a small gesture, yet it still sent a shiver through his body at the touch. They didn’t want him to worry, he knew that. It was just hard sometimes to let these things go. He was always under scrutiny, always being perceived and his actions always judged by someone. If not by  God then by the townspeople who looked up to him. At least that’s what he felt. Maybe it wasn’t true. Maybe there wasn’t actually anyone who cared about these things besides him. He was just so worried all of the time lately. Maybe since he was a child. First about being good, following all the rules and being a faithful servant to the church. Then he worried about being sinful. Always ashamed of the way his heart beat against his chest when he saw Brother Marcus in the vestry, of the way he laid awake so many nights consumed with thoughts of him and Marcus doing terrible, lustful things. Now he was worried for Valentine and their safety. Of them being found out and torn away from the safety of his protection and killed. Soleil had to disguise themself as well, but for Valentine their disguise was a matter of life or death. Sol would be worshiped and adored if the townspeople knew what they were. But Valentine would be hunted down and killed before Gabriel’s feet if they were ever found out. 

Gabriel  was also worried about his reputation as a perfect chaste little servant of god. Someone pure, someone who was completely devoted to their god and had no room in their heart for any sinful thoughts of other people. The people saw him as one of them. No, better than them. They put him on a pedestal. They listened to his words and came to him for guidance, and he overheard how they spoke of him. With reverence, a deep respect. As if he was truly holy. But Gabriel knew he wasn’t. He was impure, tainted, guilty. His god did not answer his prayers and he knew he was dishonest to the townspeople when he pretended to be that man everyone saw him as.

He yearned for respite from the terror and guilt that plagued him for most of his life. He just wanted to let them all go. 

He let out a sigh, trying to let go of his worries with it. “You’re probably right. No one came up to me about anything today after the service so I suppose no one saw anything unusual.” He focused his attention on his hand being gently held in Valentine’s. He took another deep breath and forced the worries out of him along with it. In.  It will be okay. Out. No one saw what happened today. In. We’re safe. 

[@justaderivative hope you don’t mind me tagging you in this! This has a good bit of lore/info abt Gabriel in it so instead of making an info post about him (I mean I still probably will but yknow) this is some good info for him and his less fun and whimsical stuff ]

[valsansretovr]

okay i’m sorry i simply have to come here. i just love the persephone lore you are sharing. please, im begging for more persephone thoughts from you.

HIIIIIII LILY IN THE INBOX!!!!

the thing is right, you have heard most of my Pippa lore bc a.it is largely inspired by yours and b.whenever I am struck with a Pippa insight I literally run to yell at you in ur inbox, replies, etc.

+ I 100% believe her situation during the civil war was extremely dire. she literally had to resort to cannibalism. it must have been real bad.

+ I'm so sorry everybody. but her relationship to festus is so, so precious to me. It's one of the first things I was dead set on when I finished the book and decided to forego all feelings of shame and write. a 4 weddings and a funeral AU. as they were my wedding 1 I guess I have spent a lot of time with them and I'm very attached now okay.

+ they literally bring out the best in each other. persephone is actually very shy and quiet and he makes her more adventurous and fun! persephone mellows festus out. she hates gambling so he quits cold turkey for her sake. she makes him feel more confident so he drops the macho facade as he matures. still loves a party though! sorry back to pippa

+basically the moral compass of her friend group. like: no livia dont take apart palmyras pointe shoes so she breaks her ankle come on now. her friends are insanely protective of her because they see her as this pure soul that must be protected at all costs. additionally, vip and livia both know how traumatic the war was on the price household (not the cannibalism I dont think, but they know it was bad), and they really admire / are puzzled by how she emerged from all that while remaining kindhearted.

+ she has a little boy who, at times, violently reminds her of mizzen.

+ she's kind of a blindspot of coriolanus's but not because he underestimates her, but because he finds her so repulsive that he refuses to see her as anything more than an abstract concept. livia keeps saying these insane things about him to Pippa over tea, and Pippa is immediately like. this guy is crazy actually. but festus is like nah Pippa that's just coryo he's a bit of a freak but he's harmless, he was my best man!

+ festus dies out of nowhere. the coroner rules it a morphling overdose. to Pippa's dismay, no one in the friend group is shocked and they keep coming to her and: she should have said something if festus was struggling with addiction! you remember how he was at the academy, etc, etc. where the fuck did these stories even come from you know? well pippa can't prove it but she has an inkling.

+ she goes insane with grief. like. its horrible. she keeps telling everyone that something's off but no one listens to her because as far as they are concerned its just the insane ranting of a recently widowed woman.

+ and as I said, she keeps a box of 'evidence' that coriolanus is somehow behind all these mysterious 'purges'. it gets brought up when snow is tried at the hague of panem circa mockingjay.

+ Pippa feels guilty for having been a passive cog in an objectively evil machine, along with festus. she loved / loves him so much but she never really gets over the fact that they were complicit with the regime. she thinks back to all the times her friends called her kind, and she wonders if they're wrong.

[magician-hero]

houseki no kuni x splatoon au !!!

spoilers for both houseki no kuni and splatoon ahead 

i joke sometimes about “wow splatoon is like one accident away from being hnk” but this time i mean it. i’m probably incredibly wrong but idc, i made this drawing at 12 and its still late and i’ve decided to type out every little detail and idea i can remember before i eventually get beaten by fatigue. 

so it’s more hnk adajcent than splatoon. u have the gems (inklings/octolings) but this time gems can be born on the moon occasionally. i thought about possibly marina and shiver being born on earth but agent 8 and neo being moon-made. OR agent 8 specifcally being moon-made with neo having rather obscure origins but being associated with admirabilis(salmon replacement i think) to a degree. marina and shiver may of been abducted at some point or willingly went to the moon in “earlier” years and came back. so marina, 8, and shiver sorta have more frills to their design concepts to mirror some of the stuff phos has later on in hnk. 

in terms of everyone else though, i think the idols prefer more mundane jobs outside of jobs but still fight to a degree. like marie and callie are probably strictly fighters but the rest of the idols do other stuff than fight the lunarians. btw idk if lunarians are octoling associated because there’s a trinity thing with the octolings/inklings/sea life. the only agent that probably does stuff outside of fighting is agent 3 is the local doctor. callie and agent 3 work together on stuff like this just incase one of them gets abducted. 

speaking of agent 3 i kinda...don’t know how to adapt what happened in octo expansion yet but feel free to add i guess? i know for certain they have BOTH a padaparadacha and phos situation simutanously with multiple gem parts but even that im wracking my brain with and wondering if i want that to be the case. in terms of what each character’s gem is. idk. the only one that is concrete is shiver who is obviously lapis lazuli becuase i liked the concept. 

hopefully this is coherent cuz its NOW 2 as i finish writing this 

[cloudninetonine]

Linktober: Secret

(I decided to use Mecha for this so it might be a little, cringe, apologies people)

“...You know what I’ve done, don’t you?”

The spoon stopped just a few inches away from your mouth, the steam of the stew tickling your lips before you returned it to its bowl, glancing at the animatronic sat quietly beside you, manufactured eyes staring right back into yours.

“Where’s this coming from?”

You knew FNAF lore down to a T, you’d grown up with the franchise and studied it vigorously to understand the timeline during your stages of hyperfixation. That meant you knew what animatronics were capable of, you knew what Mecha was capable of, so you had a very strong inkling of what he may have been talking about.

But you also weren’t one to accuse someone of something just from a gut feeling.

His eyes rolled away for a few seconds before returning back to you. “Do you know what I’ve done?”

“...Depends.”

“On what exactly?”

“If you’re willing to share what you think I know.”

Silence engulfed you and you returned to your food. You weren’t exactly far from the group, just a little ways off from the inn you were all staying, by the edge of the village to have some peace and quiet. After all, Mecha was a sight to behold, so you had to do your duty to help him feel more comfortable by separating you both from the problem and relax away from the eyes of everyone.

The silence was probably enough to help him finally express what he had been keeping to himself, for what you guessed had been a while.

“You know about Afton.” He started finally, looking into the darkness of the surrounding forest. “You also know about the kids- you know much more than someone should so do you know what I’ve done?”

You chewed your food. “Mecha, I’m not gonna just assume- tell me what you think I know.”

“....But what if you don’t?”

“Then suffer,” You joked, holding a deadpan before smiling in encouragement. “If you think I don’t know, then I’ll continue on with blissful ignorance.”

“But if you do?”

“Then I’ll continue on with blissful ignorance.” Moving your food to your side, you grasped the animatronic’s hide in reassurance, “I’m not gonna force you to say anything to me. If I don’t know your secret, so what? If I do know your secret, so what? You know I’m not the type to gossip, nor judge.”

At the end of the day, Mecha had been brutally murdered by a psychopath with his soul stuffed into an animatronic suit. You knew for a fact if it had been you in that predicament, you wouldn’t exactly have had the sanest of reactions- but who would? Such a thing was horrifying in physicality and in theory, no one could bounce back to experiencing death then being forced to live a crafted life full of ignorance and lies.

You knew that Mecha, once a human, certainly didn’t react well to that happening to him.

And you understood that.

Fingers tightened around yours carefully, being careful of their strength. “I…I’ve killed people.”

Silence.

Then after a few seconds, you responded. “I thought as much.”

Even with a fake face, frozen permanently into a heroic smile, you could feel the raw nerves from his very being under the mess of wires and cogs. “You-...are you afraid of me?”

Your other hand came to rest over his mechanical knuckles. “I won’t lie, in the beginning, yes, but that was more because I was scared of an outburst like the first- but Afton’s not here, neither is Ganon and I know you have control over yourself because of it.”

His voicebox wavered. “...You don’t know that-”

“Don’t I?” You retorted, “Are you planning on proving me wrong?”

“No.”

“Then why say such a thing?”

Static almost covered the shake in his voice; almost. “I’m afraid.”

“Of what?”

“Of it finally sinking in.” A sob, broken and tired, “Of finally accepting that I am a murderer.”

Your voice stayed firm, your scowl deep but not aimed at him, not, but the very thought that would dare make him believe such a lie. “Ganon and Afton are the murderers, Link- you are the victim.”

It was weird to hear an animatronic cry, kind of eerie of how human it really sounded but it wasn’t the robot who was sobbing and you knew that. It was the guy, the random worker at the park who stumbled in at the wrong time, at the wrong place and was forced to experience hell because of it. It hurt, it really did, especially because you felt as if you couldn’t comfort him properly and you wished that you could only do more.

Mecha’s body did not move as he cried.

[eldritchmochi]

OKAY SO I JUST FINISHED REREADING COPING SKILLS AND I'M BACK TO HOUND YOU WITH QUASTSHUNS <3

When did Essek get into the Rosohnan kink community? Before/after his hEDS showed up? (basically I guess I'm wondering if he was into kink before dealing with hEDS or if, like many disabled kinksters in my experience anyways, he got into it as a way to have some control over pain in a pleasurable way)

Who exactly would Essek have mentored under????

How did Testament clock Bren as a kinkster, let alone introduce him to it?

Is Frumpkin an ordinary cat in this fic or a familiar?

How did Beau and Yasha meet??? What brought them to Xhorhas?

How did Essek meet his Guides?

LISTEN it's really hard for me to not ask about stuff that seems like it's gonna get answered over the course of the fic because I wanna be patient, dammit! Just please know that for every question I am pestering you with (affectionate) I have like, at least three more I'm holding back lol.

Anyways I hope you're healing up well! :3

holy shit you were not kidding about SO MANY QUESTIONS lmao (i am healing well thank u i got halfway thru typing this up and then went to the hospital so uh....)

When did Essek get into the Rosohnan kink community? Before/after his hEDS showed up?

his interest in kink came first when he was younger, thru the elf equivalent of his teens as he tried to figure out sex acts that interested him beyond the abstract of touch-dick-feel-good, then the inkling of hmmm maybe there's something physically wrong with me as he got a little older and it stopped being excusable that he was a bit of a klutz, but he became active in the scene as an adult around the same time he was getting official diagnoses in his late 90s, early 100s

Who exactly would Essek have mentored under????

good question! honestly, he probably hasn't (hadn't??) with the exception of/until zehra because before his guides he hadn't really spent too long in relationships, kink or otherwise. he attended plenty of workshops when he was starting out and has done scenes with several others in the community like, casually, but he is probably not as experienced as readers (or caleb) would assume

How did Testament clock Bren as a kinkster, let alone introduce him to it?

it was the other way around actually! kink is not precisely taboo in rosohna, not the same way it is irl or even in the empire; it's generally expected that most folks, particularly those in noble circles ESPECIALLY if they're a longer lived race, have dabbled at least a little. rather, its hush-hush to like, allow those same nobles the freedom to operate outside the expectations of their circles. like there can be repercussions, but its mostly just private business is private. caleb, however, is very observant and there was like, a kink equivalent of the "i like your shoelaces" deal, which absolutely delighted testament

Is Frumpkin an ordinary cat in this fic or a familiar?

he is a familiar! i've fudged some things from cannon/dnd raw because fuck you its fanfic i can do what i want, but frumpkin is still a familiar, still a fae creature, still telepathically linked to caleb, and still able to be summoned and banished as needed. its absolutely impossible to show given how 99% of the fic is from essek's pov, but caleb very politely bribes frumpkin with mlem sticks to please leave him and his guest alone until such and such time when his guest will leave so caleb can fuck in peace (per yasha's suggestion given that cats are not common in rosohna, so it follows that essek has not much interacted with them (he has not) and may be uncomfortable with the staring (he would be))

(further fun frumpkin fact, caleb had to get a special permit to have his familiar's default form be "cat" because they are a non-native species lmao)

How did Beau and Yasha meet??? What brought them to Xhorhas?

they met through caleb and molly respectively; after molly's "death", yasha had a hard time staying in rexxentrum without feeling overwhelmed, so when beau got the opportunity to be part of the souls efforts to set up a library in rosohna, they got shotgun married and went somewhere new

How did Essek meet his Guides?

the tl;dr of it is basically lapin walked up at some event and was basically like my wife girlfriend and i saw you across the bar and we really like your vibe lmao. essek was mildly put off because he only likes men and zehra was basically like well thats fine because im a lesbian and you're obviously not a woman but that doesn't mean things cant be interesting, queue lapin being like yeah you dont have to fuck to have fun!! and essek was so baffled he agreed to get to know them and then somehow it was two years later and he was in their wedding party with friendship nipple piercings

absolutely feel free to ask questions even if you think they'll be answered in fic!! i don't mind fielding them because like, tbh, i am not THAT good of a writer so its entirely possible i wont think to really explain xyz thing because its obvious to me (there have definitely been SEVERAL things ive had to last minute edit into following chapters to explain a thing previously because people commented like wait what is this??? because i just... knew what it was so obviously everyone else would lmao). worse case scenario i'll pull a neil and go wait and see

but thank u for so many questions it was very fun!!

[jayflrt]

ur mind so so smexy the way u plot these, literally on the edge of my seat as i study for a test BUTTT i tried figuring out who tapped who && if theres a chance that hoon can get in:

sungjin —> yn

theres two theories why i think sungjin chose yn, its bcos of jay lowke if he has an inkling that jay likes yn he can screw over hoon which is kinda far fetched cus how could sungjin know but theres a possibility

theres more potential in yn && can light up hoon even more in a weird twisted way —> its fucked up yes and possibly screws up hoon BUT imagine ending up as a ceo in ur fams company without having to go thru the order!

commonality i do think hes trying to mentally manipulating hoon which is thru his ex gf (question: does hoon still has feelings for yn?)

jennie: TBA — assuming she hasnt chosen anyone, im betting its hoon

jaehyun —> hee

i agree w gigi & jay that hee was most likely trying to screw over jay, to an extent, unintentionally however i do think hee is threatened by jay cus 1) was able to catch the attention of the love of his life in a matter of months when he knew her forever 2) suddenly was accepted in the old money scene when it took such a long time for him

joshua —> my wild guess that he chose sunoo! instinct with no evidence or theory as to why HAHA**

jeonghan —> jay

tbh i expected it bcos from the scenes you provided, it seemed like jay was socializing w jh more && i think him not really prioritizing jh’s seat kinda made him more authentic to jh if that made sense

irene —> karina? im only basing this because irl theyre leaders in sm ents girl groups BAHAHAHAHAH

wonwoo —> gigi

seulgi —> ningning

this what made me think as to irene tapping karina or karina mentioned who tapped her & i forgot

minghao: na

baekhyun: na

sehun: na

jisoo —> changmin

doyeon—> yeonjun? idt he mentioned who tapped but ik he was sleeping with one of them && theyre the same age irl so maybe im not that far of

** sunoo’s could be joshua - minghao - baekhyun - sehun & u mentioned eunseok is also part of who got tapped

correct me if im wrong w the canon taps but yeah ! my theory is that hoon will get tapped but thru unexpected means

omg no YOUR mind is sexy like this analysis????? WHOA! also i hope your test went well ml !! 🫶 actually i can confirm some of these for you since the new chap is coming out soon + not exactly hiding some of these LMFAO

i can't give much about sungjin away, though your theories are v good 🫣 but i can confirm that hoon does still have feelings for mc !! he's just trying to respect the breakup but he definitely isn't over it yet

also,, i actually did have irene tap karina and seulgi tap ningning LMFAOOO saw right through me there 😭 also yes yeonjun was sleeping with doyeon ! 🫣

[nooneherebutusghosts]

Hi Ghost!

This is the same anon as before 🥰 Thank you for answering my ask and being so kind!

I don't know if I'm ready to make a side blog for my clone shipping yet... I think I'd be scared to use the wrong blog when sharing. But maybe someday! For now, I'll just lurk.

So, while I'm here... I thought I'd let you know who my favorite ships are 🥰

Jesse/Kix (they are my favorite)

Tup/Dogma (they're just so darn cute)

Fives/Echo (they deserve each other)

Rex/Cody (because of a hot ABO fic)

Waxer/Boil (best gay dads ever)

Wolffe/Fox (this is new, but I'm liking it)

What are your favorites? I know you have a list on your blog, but do you have a top 5 list?

👤- Incognito Anon

Hello again Anon :D Hope you're doing well <3

Honestly that's a fair enough reason, one I still actually worry about when I queue/reblog posts as well :') (let me tell you, hunting down a post within a 1k queue on my main is a pain in the butt lmao) As I said in the previous ask, do what makes you comfortable and if its just lurking, then lurk away <3

Oooh! Those are pretty wonderful ships and the reason for liking Cody/Rex? 👀👌 I don't suppose you have a link to that fic? I have an inkling of which one(s) it could be. It's also awesome to know of someone else who likes Wolffe/Fox. Absolutely love those two after reading The Apocalypse Officers collection~.

For my top 5 though?

Tup/Dogma (tied with ocs Mal/Amiss because I'm biased and they make me happy thinking about them also)

Corr/Mereel

Cody/Rex

Fives/Echo

As for the fifth (I guess technically from the ships I've listed that's five lmao)? I don't really know tbh. It fluctuates with what mood I'm in at the time but as of right now, I want to say it's a three-way tie between Fox/Thorn, Boost/Sinker and Tup/Dogma/Hardcase.

[zapsoda]

im a bad mutual i forgor ur faves BUT!!!!!!! um. Uh. tee hee. GIVE ME. ROXY LALONDE. AND. LE EPIC JOHN. . 🏳️‍🌈🧸👽😭

oh shit that reminds me. i said i was gonna up and make a faves list to link on my blog foreverrrr ago and i totally forgot. (now ill do it for sure. eventually)

anyways!!! this shit is long so im putting it under a

roxy:

🏳️‍🌈 she is so bisexual to me idk. i also like mtf roxy hcs those have always been soo so real 2 me

🧸 i think she had a lot of imaginary friends. people and animals. shed walk around this big ol house and imagine she was hanging with all these guys. and i think she was suuuuper chatty with the neighbors. in a cute lil kid way. the carpacians? i think? its been forever since i read the comic (whoops)

👽 i think she hates silence like in conversations. it makes her super uncomfortable like something went wrong so shell try to fill it up by saying shit. any thing . or maybw not idk lol thats projection

😭 hmm well i think teenage alcoholism is up there. idt she felt so good abt it at any point. like this guilt maybw. maybe she wondered if she was actually disappointing her mother or wasting her memory? maybee

JOHN:

🏳️‍🌈 john said hes not a homosexual which means hes OBVIOUSLY bisexual. obv. i remember seeing this lil ftm john comic where hes talking to dave for the first time and daves like. so whats ypur name. and johns like shoot. and he looks around his room and sees one of his dumb movie posters and it has the name john on it and hes like. thats it thats the one. and he tells dave his name is john. i love that shit. if i could find it id link it here.

🧸 john was a bastard child i think. prankster from a young age. he was literally born to be someones brother yk. oh shit. jades i guess. lmao he was born to be her twin brother. i think he was a happy lil kid though dad egbert strikes me as a delightfully silly man.

👽 hmm honestly i think hes the normalest out of all the kids maybe??? except jane but even jane had all the weird batterwitch shit goin on. maybe john likes socks. thats weird as shit who the hell likes socks. he seems like the type to. maybe hed like silly hideous patterned socks.

😭 i hate HATED the epilogues but something abt depressed john appeals to me. i HATE the way they did it but i think john having mental illness is great. hes got like these inklings of depression and dysphoria and then SBURB happens. worst birthday ever. his dad dies. he meets his best friends forever? conflicting stuff his brain doesnt know what to do. maybe a lil residual trauma from that day. he doesnt like birthdays anymore. this is nothing but im having fun writing so. lol.

[stereogeekspodcast]

[Transcript] Season 4, Episode 4. Quantum Leap 2022 Eulogy

Gone too soon! Quantum Leap (2022-2024) has been canceled and Ron and Mon aren't taking it well. We share our thoughts about the show, what we loved, what could have been improved, and we run through a list of our favourite episodes.

Listen to the episode on Spotify.

Hello, and welcome to a new episode of Stereo Geeks.

I'm Mon.

And I'm Ron.

This is our Eulogy to Quantum Leap 2022-2024.

Rest in Peace.

Can I just say, I did not see this coming, but I feel like you had an inkling that this would happen.

The first season was renewed almost immediately, and this one, it came, it went, no one talked about it.

And then I got that feeling, you know, it's like, you just know it's doomed.

And I was right.

I know that there are going to be no more seasons, we only got the two, but we still want people to watch it wherever they can find it, which is why we're doing this episode.

So a little bit about the show.

Quantum Leap is not exactly a remake, more like a half sequel to the 80s Quantum Leap show.

It was extremely popular.

2022, we heard about Quantum Leap.

We thought, let's give it a try.

We quite quickly fell in love with the show.

First season went absolutely brilliantly.

We were excited for the second season.

And yeah, now, alas.

So let's take a look at the cast.

We have Dr. Ben Song, played by Raymond Lee.

His fiancee, Addison Augustine, played by Caitlin Bassett.

Then we have the kind of tech genius, Ian Wright, played by Mason Alexander Park.

The security chief, Jen Chu, played by Nanrisa Lee.

The head of the Quantum Leap division is Magic, played by Ernie Hudson.

In season two, we had a recurring character, Hannah Carson, played by Eliza Taylor, and also Tom Westfall, played by Peter Gaddio.

I'm probably pronouncing that wrong.

We also have, throughout the two seasons, a few appearances by a character called Janice, played by Georgina Riley.

Not too much into her because spoilers.

I'll also shout out some notable guest stars.

We had Brandon Routh, aka Superman. Obviously not playing Superman here, but still.

Lou Diamond Phillips, a veteran of Hollywood.

Melissa Roxborough, who we recently saw in Manifest.

Justin Hartley, who's been in a lot of stuff, but I believe most people know him from This Is Us.

Jewel Staite, who most Canadians know because she's a Canadian actor.

Deborah Ann Woll, who's coming back as her character Karen in the Daredevil series.

Robert Picardo, who obviously we know very well because he was the doctor on Voyager.

And James Frain, who is in everything, like he's James Frain.

Season one had 18 episodes.

Good, solid season.

Season two had 13 episodes.

I guess the signs are already there.

I really think so.

I mean, we didn't realize it, but anyway, this is a celebratory episode.

We're never going to see these characters again.

But yeah, this is the goodest time of the year to just get in there, watch these two seasons, enjoy a really heartfelt, rousing show about finding the best in humanity.

Let's get into it.

We never got around to watching the original Quantum Leap.

They didn't show it where we were.

It's a bit hard to now get into it.

80s aesthetics, some of the sensibilities.

I hear that the original Quantum Leap was way ahead of its time.

You know, people are fans even now.

Even though we went in cold, one of the most exciting parts about Quantum Leap in general is time travel.

And this reboot, remake, reimagining definitely stuck to a lot of time travel.

Yeah, I love time travel in any of its forms.

I have seen some shockingly bad films because they were apparently about time travel.

Anyway, I think the reason why the Quantum Leap concept is so fun is because generally with time travel, you don't want to change the past.

That's a bad thing.

Butterfly effect and all that.

But in Quantum Leap, the whole purpose is to change the past because that's what's going to make things better.

Yeah, absolutely.

And it makes things a lot better for characters who are queer, especially in this show.

And that's actually one of the things that I really like about the show being made in 2022.

Love how all the show's characters are just unabashedly allies of the queer community.

It's like not even a second thought.

No one's fighting that battle.

And it's especially great because Ian, played by Mason Alexander Park, is a queer character, and they are queer in real life as well.

So this just feels so much more layered.

They don't go on and on about it, and all of Ian's storylines are not about them being queer, but they're definitely the center of it, when that's the episodic storyline.

I thought all the characters were really interesting.

It's a very diverse cast.

The dynamics among the characters are very interesting, but each character also has an arc of their own.

It wasn't just, you know, Ben and Addison's romance, but you know, in the background, you have Ian, Jen, and Magic.

Like they're this trio of heroes that are making things happen and trying to save Ben.

Speaking of Ben, this show lives and dies by the fact that he's not only played very carefully and sweetly, I would say, by Raymond Lee, but he's also really well written.

He's purposefully written as this very kind-hearted person.

He believes in the best of people.

He knows that, yes, sometimes you're in a situation that is absolutely terrible.

You've done something or you could be doing something, which is horrible, but there's something to redeem you.

I just love that so much.

And that plays into how each episode is structured, because it's all about the rousing speeches at the end that Ben gives.

He wins the heart of whoever he's talking to, but he also wins the heart of the viewer.

Absolutely.

Ben so easily sees the best in people, and that's why when he makes a sincere appeal to their humanity, they listen.

And we as the viewers are also listening.

And I feel like after every episode, we just felt like better people.

Yeah, if there's one major grouse with the show, it's that we only get two seasons of it.

Exactly.

I mean, we're definitely upset the show is canceled because Raymond Lee was so game to do anything in this show.

Like he was a flight stewardess in one episode.

He was a lady bounty hunter in another.

It could have gone so many different places.

And we probably would have seen more opportunities of him hanging out with his other teammates because they would have been the holograms instead of just Addison.

We got to see that a little bit, but season three, they kind of promised that that would actually happen.

And now we never get to see it.

Yeah, exactly.

The first few times that the others got to be holograms, it was a lot of fun.

Like Jen was singing about it, which was absolutely hilarious to watch.

Like when magic got to be a hologram, so much emotion, just so much emotion.

But yeah, now we'll never get to see that.

But is there anything that didn't work for you?

I think the one major thing that didn't work for me at all was the whole Janice plot line in season one.

I think it needed to be fleshed out a lot more.

They were trying to be very cagey and keep things under their hats, but I feel like maybe they went overboard.

Or if they'd been able to stretch it out a little bit more over two or three seasons, we would have really felt, I think, the stakes of exactly what was happening and why a little bit better.

For me, I think season two, the Addison-Tom relationship, it didn't work for me.

I couldn't really see the chemistry between them.

And for some bizarre reason, I just couldn't trust Tom.

I still don't trust him, and we'll never know if our concerns were warranted or not.

Since this is a celebration, let's chat about some of our favorite episodes.

It was really tempting to put all 18 of the first season and all 13 of the second, but you know what?

We need to be tempered in our view.

So if you are wondering if you want to invest so much time into the show, maybe start with just these faves.

Kicking off with season one, one of the episodes that I really found quite emotionally stunning was episode three, Somebody Up There Likes Ben.

First of all, there's a lot of physicality in this episode because Ben leaps into the body of a boxer.

There are a lot of stakes.

It's an emotional roller coaster, and it also has a really powerful message about mental health.

It was so lovely.

It will definitely have you quite emotional by the end of it.

The first two episodes of the first season got you hooked.

Episode three was when I realized this was a great show.

And they tried different things.

They weren't just formulaic or one-note.

With episode seven, for example, Oh Ye of Little Faith, it was a Halloween episode, and it was completely a horror genre.

And how they made it work and made it plausible within the context of the story was fantastic.

But this was so good.

This was…

It was hilarious.

It was kind of scary.

And Ben Song was an absolute delight in this one.

To make the horror elements work within the world, it was very impressive.

They could have done so much more.

And there was another genre episode that I was really impressed by.

That was the 10th episode of the first season, Paging Doctor Song.

It's a medical episode.

Generally, I don't like medical shows.

They make me feel ill.

But even though this episode is kind of gory at times, it's so unexpected and unpredictable plot-wise.

And again, the emotional beats, they just come out of nowhere.

Well, I think this particular episode for me was a reminder that the show is about people.

It's about how we interact and live with each other.

And that's what makes us come back for more.

And we would have come back for a season three if they hadn't canceled it.

And literally the next episode is probably one of the best.

It's called Leap Die Repeat.

Look, time loop episodes are a mainstay of the time travel genre.

They are also some of my favorite tropes.

I can't think of a single time loop episode that was bad.

But there is also so much danger in this episode.

The stakes are insanely high.

Ben could die at any time, but he's cycling through these time loops and he is actually running out of time as well.

There's always, you know, there's got to be some deadline to your obstacles.

Also Robert Picardo is in it.

It's a banger.

Yeah, I have to say that was edge of your seat stuff.

And the next episode after that is also our favorite.

This is odd.

All we can say is that middle part of season one was really good.

So episode 12, Let Them Play, it's a chance manifesto.

We won't get into the details, but it is so full of feels.

There's a lot more of the episode characters rather than the main characters, but also a focus on Ian and how they're bringing the queer perspective and the queer lived experience to what the story is about.

Mason Alexander Park really brings a lot of emotionality and depth to Ian's storyline there.

Some great scenes about being trans, about being queer.

It's really, really a very good episode and absolutely a joker.

Oh yeah, that one just, it really does bring so much emotion.

It's a really powerful story as well.

And also an interesting mystery.

And really relevant to the current situation, even two years on, in the US and the UK especially, and now maybe in Canada.

Well, moving on to episode 13 of season one, that middle bunch of episodes was just spectacular.

Family style, it's an Indian episode.

We gotta shout it out.

But there are so many lovely little moments about this episode that made it stand out for me.

Ben loves to cook.

Like in the previous episode, he is overjoyed because he gets to be a basketball coach and he's a basketball fan.

But he is in his element in the kitchen.

He is losing his mind because he gets to cook this amazing food.

And also there are all these family dynamics that you and I recognized.

It's a top favorite for me.

Yeah, this one had probably one of my favorite closing scenes.

It was just like all the fields, all the fields.

But you know what I really liked about this one?

We live in a multicultural society.

Like the whole world is multicultural right now.

You can't imagine a time when we were growing up where you would have watched something where the main character of an American TV show would just be super excited to be in an Indian restaurant trying out this amazing Indian food and getting deep into actually trying to cook it.

And here's Ben just enjoying himself.

Like he's just having the time of his life and this is food that he's familiar with and he likes.

It's just so good.

It was just, it was heartwarming.

And so on to season two, I will say I was a little bit concerned when it started.

The first two or three episodes were a little off and it really was because of Ben.

Story wise, it made sense why he wasn't himself, but it didn't pick up till Ben was kind of back to his usual self.

And I think the turning point was really episode five of season two, One Night in Koreatown.

This one had so many feels.

I did not know what to expect.

It was so layered and nuanced and said a lot about racism in the US especially.

Racism among communities, about other communities.

It's not something that a lot of people are comfortable talking about.

But I think also what made it special was the fact that magic got to be the hologram.

And he's part of an event that he originally experienced as well.

I just found that Ben and magic's relationship, their dynamic, along with the dynamic of the family that Ben is involved with in the story, it was so incredible.

This was my favorite episode of the entire show.

This was a real standout.

I had actually heard an entire podcast series about this particular event.

So when I saw the title, I was like, oh my gosh.

I have to say I was a bit nervous because I was like, this is an event that it's left a mark on people.

They still talk about it.

And I wasn't quite sure how the show was going to handle it.

I think they went in the right direction.

They went ground level.

They hyper-focused on one small family, and the result was very relatable and as you said, a real tear-jerker.

Great stuff.

So moving on to something else, which would you believe it, I had just listened to a podcast series about.

Episode 7 of season 2, A Kind of Magic.

It was all about witch trials.

And as I said, I heard a podcast series, and then I heard two separate episodes of two different podcasts, which were both about witch trials.

One of them was about the American witch trials.

Another was about the European ones.

So I had a lot of information in my head when I went into this.

Again, this show does such a great job.

It just goes ground level.

Ben is in the body of this young girl, who is of course accused of being a witch.

And a lot of the stuff that I was reading about, it was super accurate in this episode.

I was very impressed.

And despite the nightmare situation, somehow Ben finds the positivity to inspire the people around him.

I just love that about this character.

Yeah, witch trials for me, every time I come across any storylines like that, they just make me so angry.

And the writers of the show just know how to calm you down.

Because you can't do anything with that misplaced anger.

This happened years ago.

So this episode felt a little bit cathartic for those of us who just are needlessly angry about something that has nothing to do with us.

Cathartic is the word.

We are just living constantly with impotent rage.

When you watch something like Quantum Leap, and you see Ben going into these situations, and you know that you can't do anything, and all the horrible stuff has already happened, and we are living through a time when there is more horrible stuff happening, and you get to feel some amount of positivity because Ben can fix the situation.

That's why we need this show.

You are making me sad now that we don't get more.

Let's talk about another favorite.

Well, literally the next episode, episode 8, it's called Nomads Egypt.

It's set in Egypt.

Who doesn't love Egypt and spies?

That is a fantastic combo.

And what really worked was that they shot on location.

You feel that.

One of the things that a lot of people complain about, a lot of entertainment media nowadays, is that everything looks flat.

You can tell that they shot on VFX.

Now listen, VFX, when done right, looks great and looks seamless.

But the people who work behind the scenes on post-production need time.

Guess what a lot of people don't give them?

Time.

And the other thing nowadays, everybody wants to cut budgets.

Hence, no location shooting.

So, what do you get?

Everything looks the same.

Thankfully, this episode, I don't know how they had the money to do it, but there they were in Egypt and it looked great.

It has this really nice, old-timey, heist spy movie sort of feel to it.

I love that.

Love that episode.

And in a similar vein, we have episode 10, The Family Treasure.

This was a stellar episode.

It's essentially Indiana Jones.

But it focuses on three siblings.

Ben is one of them.

And they are so wildly different from one another and have very, very different relationships with their dearly departed parents.

And all this comes to the fore because they're on a treasure hunt.

I love treasure.

I love adventure.

And this was only part of what this story is about.

We won't even go into the rest again.

It was just so heartfelt.

Ben is the best ally in all of TV history as far as I'm concerned.

Truly, truly, like Ben brings people together and really helps them see perspectives because they can't.

I mean, he just goes out of his way to see the best in people, and he shows them the good things about themselves that they're missing, which is exemplified in the episode right after that, The Outsider.

Honestly, the end of the season just bangers one after the other.

So Ben's unwavering positivity changes a journalist's mind about her own abilities because she had a bad situation and she let it get to her head.

But Ben would not let her doubt herself.

Honestly, we all need a champion like Ben in our lives.

This episode was sort of going one way, and then it just hits you in the feels because Ben just is like a dog with a bone when it comes to redeeming a person.

I felt very heartened when I watched this episode.

And then on to the finale.

You know, finales can be hit and miss.

The first season finale I thought was one of the weaker episodes of that season.

And with season 2, I was really wondering, where are they going with this?

Lots of twists and turns, quite epic, very tense and intense as well.

But again, that cathartic feeling because Ben is appealing to the best of humanity, even when all seems lost.

You can't even imagine that this man is going to win.

How is he going to win?

There's no way.

Despite all these twists and turns, you can't predict what will happen next.

And somehow Ben is like hanging on and telling you to hang on.

Because yeah, humanity is worth saving.

Yeah, Ben just constantly believes that humanity is good and that when the chips are down, we will do our best.

Apparently, he did not live through the pandemic.

But yeah, this was an epic season finale.

Very, very tense moments.

Some really quite shocking plot twists.

But the biggest plot twist of course was that we couldn't have predicted that they would cancel the damn show.

We are not at all bitter.

Spoiler alert, we are very bitter.

Alright, so that's our episode on Quantum Leap.

I know that it's gone.

It only lasted two seasons, but it was two fantastic seasons.

I'm so glad we got to meet these characters, hang out with them, even though it was only for two years, but they made us feel so much better.

Tuning in every week sparked a little bit of joy in all our lives.

We're going to miss you, Quantum Leap.

Ron: You can find us on Twitter @Stereo_Geeks. Or send us an email stereogeekspodcast@gmail.com. We hope you enjoyed this episode. And see you next week!

Mon: The Stereo Geeks logo was created using Canva. The music for our podcast comes courtesy Audionautix.