#or maybe i just... only ever read the basil scenes

[yallemagne]

HOT HOT OOO WE GOT IT HOT HOT HEY WE GOT IT HOT HOT SAY WE GOT IT

IT'S DASIL CONFESSION.

How I love "oh come on Basil, that's not even a compliment!"

"It was a CONFESSION. I LOVE YOU."

"Thanks, I guess."

Dorian, I want to punt you out a window.

[eversleepings]

disclaimer: i love kel omori

was talking to juno (hi juno!!!!!!!!) last night about something or other and i got on the topic of kel. and i thought about him.

i generally like the interpretation that he's accepted mari's death.

i know some people like to make it so that he hasn't, that he's faking a smile, but i truly believe he did. mostly because my idea of acceptance =/= never grieving. i still think kel is grieving, but he's accepted that mari's dead, and he's accepted how mari died, and maybe he's accepted that there was nothing he (a 12 year old at the time) could've done to help her (or what he thought was happening).

tl;dr: kel is complex (but not in the way most people think) and i would like to read more flawed kel please. a scrap for the desperate.

this is, obviously, a stark difference from the rest of the cast. sunny is directly in denial of her death, and in the first few days, convinces himself she's just in college. aubrey doesn't directly deny her death, but she seemingly is unable to accept that mari would kill herself - and hero moves from being unable to accept mari's death as a whole to accepting her death, and that she killed herself, but not that he couldn't have helped, and not that he isn't at fault (again, all theories)

so kel accepted mari's death. seemingly, this is where most misunderstandings come from over the game. what i want to talk about is one of the bigger ones: (apologies for the bad photo quality)

[in case you can't see - KEL: You know, MARI would be really sad to hear that...]

THIS scene right here.

this is also the scene where aubrey drops the bomb that mari is dead. The "It Means Everything" scene. one of the most iconic scenes in the game. but I never see anyone ever talking about this line of dialogue from Kel and one of his earlier ones, where he brings up how they used to be friends.

kel throwing mari's death in aubrey's face and i don't even think he meant to do it.

he truly believes that because they used to be friends, aubrey should listen to him. he truly believes, and is probably right, that mari doesn't want them to fight. but he throws her (seeming) suicide in aubrey's face in order to try and get her to see things his way, and stop bullying basil, and she lashes out, resulting in the following fight.

i see lots of interpretations where kel is knocking on sunny's door for 4 years. if that's the case, why didn't he talk to aubrey? since we have no knowledge of the 4 years, we can only assume that either 1. he did, and was rebuked (likely if he was 'too late'), or 2. he didn't, period, for whatever reason.

and the thing is, i didn't even like aubrey when i first played omori. i thought she was annoying and a bully, and i thought her "redemption" was underwhelming and rushed, and i hated it. i've gotten over it now but we are framed to see (rightfully) that aubrey is in the wrong - allowing us to ignore kel's part in this.

the game establishes aubrey as an enemy pretty quick. she fights you in her first scene, her hooligang are the obstacles for most of your tasks on the first day, she stole something from basil (someone you likely have an emotional connection to via. headspace, and sunny as our pov character has a connection to) and she's bullying him. the only other people we fight in the rw are all imaginary.

kel is our deurotagonist (secondary protag) for the real world. he's our guiding light, the rock in the shore. he must be right because we have to be right. and he generally is!

it is wrong to steal and bully from basil. and aubrey is in the wrong to attack us. but, while not an excuse, kel hurts her emotionally, and doesn't even apologize or acknowledge it - and this is likely why despite kel's seeming social prowess, it's hero (a neutral third party, who always has deescalated their arguments) who has to step in to stop their feud.

kel tries to get aubrey to see how he feels, and in doing so, says some of the most hurtful shit on the planet. so aubrey says it right back. this is the fundamental misunderstanding that separates them, even though they seemed really close, despite their arguing, as kids.

i just think kel is pretty complex, but not in the way people think he is (the earlier mentioned fake smile stuff). i think he also has his flaws, like the rest of the cast (minus mari and hero) that we miss because we're so focused on aubrey here (esp since her reaction afterwards is again, really iconic) and i wanted to share my thoughts.

also made this post because i want more flawed kel please. please give us more fucked up kel thanks xoxo

[tenebris-lux]

(This post is written very clumsily, because I’m way too distractable today. It starts as an Edward Hyde & Dorian Gray post, then turns into Just Dorian Gray. Tired of dicking around with the draft, though.)

I enjoy comparing Edward Hyde to Dorian Gray and imagining interactions between the two. But there’s a contrast I have as … I dunno, a headcanon, maybe? It’s been a while since I read The Picture of Dorian Gray, so I’m possibly misremembering, or maybe I kinda remember and just think I’m making it up, or … I dunno. I’m not eloquent today. WHATEVER! It’s this:

So, Edward Hyde tends to give off an unsettling vibe when people interact with him. Even if he hasn’t said or done anything unusual, people get … put ill-at-ease around him. They’re thinking, “There’s something off about that guy. I can’t put my finger on what it is, but … I should tread cautiously.” (That’s pretty much the impression I get from the book—the “impression of deformity without any nameable malformation”; “none could come near to me at first without a visible misgiving of the flesh.”)

Dorian Gray, on the other hand, doesn’t give off that vibe. For starters, he’s not “pure evil,” as Jekyll described Hyde to be. Also, he’s damn good-looking—he looks about 19 or 20 and is breathtakingly beautiful. He has charisma, and he doesn’t change. People look at him and DON’T think, “There couldn’t be anything wrong with that guy,” and they DON’T think it, because why would that thought EVER cross their mind? The people who are off-put by him are only the ones who have a history with him, or know his history. If he does give off a vibe, it’s due to charisma and it’s to the positive effect.

Hyde naturally pushes people away; Gray naturally draws them in.

I bring this up, because I’ve seen lots of fanart of Gray (referring, here, to him the person, not the portrait), and most of them are done in a way to give off an unsettling vibe. And, while they’re good pictures, it does irk me a little, because to my understanding, that’s not really the case with him. The guy you saw the day his portrait was finished is what you also see 15 years later. The only ways to know the truth about him are:

- getting his history secondhand;

- interacting with him enough times and staying sharp;

- seeing his portrait.

For the same reason, I’m not the biggest fan of the portrayal of him in the movie League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. It’s fine that they aged him up, as … well, it could get creepy if he looked too young. But the portrayal gave off a sinister feeling. I didn’t even know the story or character when I saw the movie, and I was getting that vibe.

So, I REALLY appreciate it when there’s no impression that something’s off with him in art.

(Exceptions would be, say, specific scenes where his behavior shows his true colors. No way would he look pleasant and harmless while murdering Basil.)

[spirngakawening]

Once again reminiscing over Hamlet in yr12 Lit Studies.

We wanted to properly cast roles and act it out as we read it, so our teacher gave us role preference sheets

I put Hamlet as my top preference because it would've been SO gender. And I was unopposed, so I indeed read for Hamlet! And it was very gender 😎

P sure my second preference was Horatio because - and I don't think this is acknowledged enough - Horatio is ALSO very gender. Like,,, he's a nerd he's the sensible foil to his best friend's chaos he's HORATIO.

The classmate who ended up reading for Horatio happened to be a girl who I thought was v cool and aesthetically attractive agahsjdlmdvsl 💀 I refrained from joking to her about hamratio because I didn't wanna make her uncomfortable*

But like we all saw the hamratio when we watched the David Tenant version of the final scene agshdlf

*(this girl was the only one who hadn't considered that Dorian Gray and Basil Howard might be gay - even the churchgoers thought they were gay!! But also this girl had The Song of Achilles on her bookshelf so idk what to make of that. Regardless, I couldn’t figure out a good way to joke with her about it and was never gonna be shooting any shots anyway. I wasn't out as anything in hs and I've never been too fussed about dating. I didn't fully realise that I probably had a crush on her - I'd never had a non-boy crush at this point. ANYWAY,)

My third preference was Polonius because he's funny and ironically verbose. As someone who is verbose, and existentially contradictory, I can relate. I thought it'd be a fun role to play with if I wasn't Hamlet or Horatio.

But, since I did read for Hamlet, I had the hilarious experience of mime-stabbing a classmate through a blanket and dragging him "off-stage"... his legs still moving to assist in the dragging made for great physical comedy

The guy holding the blanket-tapestry doubled as the actor for king hamlet's ghost, with the same blanket as his ghost costume lol

Fortinbras brought the exact 'okay I just walked in on something here' energy that she needed to at the end

I think Rosencrantz and Guildenstern didn't really wanna be there... which honestly fit their characters! V much 'uhh I'm just here to do my job but I'm not paid for THIS' vibes

Our teacher, legend he is, recited 'to be or not to be' from memory - some classmates kept track and noted like, one minor error in his whole recitation. Slightly disappointing that I didn't get to read that part, but it was hella impressive and fun to witness

I can't remember which section it was, but once, near the end of the day, a classmate I really respected complimented how I read one of Hamlet's sections and I will never forget that, I will remember how that moment felt forever and ever

Very glad we didn't have to read out the full scene between Hamlet and Gertrude before Polonius dies (all the psych students in the room, including myself, were cursing Sigmund Freud after discussing that scene). Also glad we didn't read many scenes between Hamlet and Ophelia. I would've felt so bad talking to my classmates like that 💀

For our final lesson of reading Hamlet, we went to the multipurpose room and our teacher brought props

I clashed broomsticks with Laertes (who was much more focused on the swordfighting than I was, I was just trying to read my lines man), Gertrude had her chalice, I took the plastic crown from Claudius' head after he sipped grape juice from our teacher's 'mug life' mug, and Horatio kinda just stood at a distance reading her lines during our final conversation, maybe coming to kneel beside me as I died?

It was brilliant.

[ventruevitae]

Went back and played nightroad between other responsibilities and it’s always interesting to see some subtle edits made between updates. It’s definitely been over a year since I last read it so ofc I’m sure my memory is fuzzy kinda but there were some small alterations made to a couple things that made me go ‘huh interesting.’ Like I’m pretty sure the malkavian at pattermuster’s morgue believed he was Christ reincarnated last time I read, whereas now it was something like ‘he had met Christ’ or been blessed by him or smth. I played the mobile version so no code diving but I’m curious to see if there’s maybe a note about these minuscule edits somewhere in it. I don’t remember seeing pattermuster or olivecrona’s people at the final scene either.

Anyway Iris/Lettow forever, they’re off in their plane going east and who knows what’s gonna happen. It’s kind of bittersweet with the whole beckoning thing but imo these two seem like they’re probably going to end up blood bonded at some point so I’m not entirely sure anyone cares lmfao. Julian was #disappointed I guess that he got blown off that badly by his ex but Iris is still very staunchly ‘you lied? So much? What did you expect’ about it which is Fair. I think half of his beef was probably just emotional hdjdjd I don’t think he necessarily still has feelings, but it was more of a blow to the ego that she wasn’t just going along with his plans again. She’s Tired okay.

Relationship with the sire was way better here. Pattermuster is on good terms with his childe these days, which was a nice change. St Basil’s stays an abattoir purely thanks to that relationship, which maybe isn’t Iris’ best moment but she’s also just trying to get out of these situations with minimal disturbance. Caul got away and so did the Lampago, but only after some nasty fighting. Ngl that’s probably also another reason she was down to get on that plane, she doesn’t need those headaches in the future. Beckoned or not, being around Lettow offers more protection.

this was definitely the worst relationship I’ve had with Julian lmao. I’ve never played fully through the game with Iris as a Brujah so there might have been some differences in flavour text? On the plus side the camarilla Loved me so real estate was cheap as fuck. No ghoul this time bc I’m also still operating under this being a double courier au & Romina ends up with Raul. Failed the Reremouse mission too, didn’t have enough vitae for disciplines annnd i got the achievement for messy crits 🙃 like I didn’t frenzy but I did fly pretty close to the sun a few times lmao. You Can definitely get though this one with a physical focus for your stats, but having nothing in awareness made some spots trickier. I ended up picking options at the start that were like. I think drive/mechanic stuff so it was an even split between intelligence, drive, and dexterity. We Managed. Romina will probably have a more survival/charisma based build bc she’s not really djjfjf she’s not booksmart like that yk. She’s not the Car Girl TM.

Donati went down so easily tho, like I had maxed out combat skills and just. Sliced her down the middle and that was that hdjfkf like I don’t think that fight has ever been so smooth ever? Wild.

[thisislizheather]

Summer Saturdays Vol. 3

EATING

The patatas bravas at Huertas were the best I’ve ever had.

DRINKING

An unholy amount of iced coffees with vanilla sweet cream.

COOKING

I had a piece of leftover steak, so I made Philly cheesesteak potatoes that were unexpectedly great. It was literally just sliced steak, sautéed onions and provolone atop some cubed, roasted potatoes with a basil dip. Am I entering my era of creating my own (albeit basic) recipes? I MIGHT BE.

BAKING

Absolutely nothing, it’s hot as hell.

CRAVING

Making a mental note to get the incredible Emmy burger cheeseburger dumplings (only available in July) at Mimi Cheng’s.

Above Photo: The cheeseburger dumplings at Mimi Cheng’s, NYC

LISTENING

How have I never heard of the song deja vu before? In love.

WATCHING

I watched the newest season of Black Mirror and my favourite was definitely Beyond the Sea. That scene after Josh Hartnett puts his kids to bed and goes downstairs with his wife? May have watched that scene more than once. I also started the newest season of The Summer I Turned Pretty, which can be pretty corny but can also make you teary? Can’t explain it. Love it.

WEARING

Living in these all-red running shoes.

EXPERIENCING

I took a brutal fall on a sidewalk in the East Village and the wound is… wild. I really didn’t want to pay for a doctor visit, so I just went to a CVS pharmacy and begged a pharmacist to take a look and tell me what to do (is that as sad/cheap as it sounds? yup!) and thank christ for pharmacists.

LOVING

I don’t tend to idolize anyone physically, it’s not really my style. (I mean, except for early-aughts Joshua Jackson, Pennywise-era Bill Skarsgård, Riverdale-era Skeet Ulrich and any-time-he-appears-in-water Jason Mamoa…) Okay, forget what I said, I pine like no other. And I can’t get these outfits on these men (below) out of my mind. Just flawless. And they’re all Gucci?? I’ve gotta start paying attention to the Gucci men’s collection runway shows.

Above Photo: Ryan Gosling in Gucci

Above Photo: Josh Harnett in Gucci

Above Photo: Ryan Gosling in Gucci

Oh my jesus, I’m relooking at those photos and maybe I just like a half-open dress shirt?? Yep, cracked the code. Someone convince Nathan to stop buttoning up to his chin, please?

SHOPPING

Secured my Barbie ticket. Now we wait.

You can read Summer Saturdays Vol. 2 over here, and you can see my summer highlights on Instagram over here.

[mysweetland]

Sunny and Basil 🌻☀

Let’s talk about Sunny and Basil’s relationship. (Because I’m in too deep but I don’t want to get out).

(Heavy spoilers from Omori, if you haven’t played all the routes the game yet, please don’t read this until you do >.<)

With that being said, this is just my humble opinion, I’m open to all interpretations and I do not wish to engage in a shipping battle, that is definitely not my intention. Idk why I decided to write a whole essay but I love them too much, okay? 😂 also, if you like Omori and Sunflower, let's talk. I have so much to say 🙈

(This turned out very long skngfl)

Okay, here we go:

I’ve always thought that Sunny and Basil’s relationship is very interesting. They are each other’s anchors in a way, have been since they met. I do not think that either Sunny or Basil would ever find what they found in each other in someone else. Though they can be close to Aubrey, Kel, Hero and Mari, there’s some sort of chemistry between them both that can’t be unmatched with anyone else.

Now, I do not mean to say that the other relationships they have aren’t important or that they don’t love their friends enough. But I think there’s some sort of unspoken and natural reciprocity between Sunny and Basil. Whether it’s romantic or fully platonic is up to interpretation, but it’s there.

If we’re talking romantically, then I think this reciprocity doesn’t happen between Sunny and Aubrey, for example. I think that they have a great friendship, they understand each other, Sunny used to listen to her talk and vent all the time and, well, he canonically has (had?) feelings for her. But I fully believe she never reciprocated his crush in real life. There’s no doubt that Aubrey appreciates him, but I don’t think she ever fell for him in that way. And, if she ever did when they were kids, I doubt she does now in the future, where she already has a new group of friends and other things to worry about. Everything that happens in Headspace is fully idealized by Sunny. He wanted her to like him, so he made the version of her that he wanted to see.

Though, well, I don’t think Sunny likes Basil back either canonically but some things I will be talking about next might possibly prove this statement very wrong 😂. Still I think that Sunny regards Basil with a lot of fondness and appreciation that only exists towards him and not towards his other friends.

Anyway, let’s talk about Basil for a moment.

Basil

So… It is heavily implied that Basil has feelings for Sunny. There’s no doubt he thinks of him as his best friend and appreciates him so much that it leads to him supporting him the best he can. I truly think he was and is in love with him and maybe, the fact that he’s been so lonely in the past made him attach to Sunny more than he had to.

We know about this already, it is shown in the game openly in a lot of scenes. And well, the perfect evidence is the way he regarded Sunny as perfect and refused to accept that he was the one who killed Mari…………… But let’s not go here.

Or, actually, let’s go there for a moment. Basil idealizes Sunny a lot, he puts him on a pedestal most of the time and tries his best to protect him and save him (even if he does it wrong in a lot of situations, but he was just a child back then). I have a point to make about this at the end of this, so stay tuned? lmao.

What about Sunny, though? He has some sort of strong attachment towards Basil, he can even idealize him in his mind. Basil is not the only one doing this. 

But well… it’s not explicitly told to us. So, for that, let’s dive into the depths of Sunny’s mind.

Headspace

So we know headspace is Sunny’s dream world. The happy place he chose to stay in for 4 years, where everyone loves him and appreciates him, where his sister is still alive and safe. He has not done anything wrong in Headspace, Omori is just a sad boy that has the support of all his friends.

In there, we discover his desires, his dreams and what he thinks of other people. Of course, we see his fears and brief representations of his guilt over Mari’s death.

But why am I bringing this up when I’m supposed to talk about his relationship with Basil? Well… 

It’s always been interesting to me how Basil is different from everyone in Headspace. Everyone else is represented by purple and shades of blue, Basil is emerald, just like his eyes. He stands out the most in his group of friends, as much as Omori does. 

And you could say that it makes sense because, well, Basil knows the truth, he was there the day Mari died, he “helped” Sunny, that’s why he stands out too. But… if Sunny saw Basil the way he sees himself, blamed Basil the way he blamed himself, he would’ve been black and white in Headspace just like Omori is. A thing that doesn’t belong in that happy and comforting place… right? 

Instead, however, he’s pastel. He’s an idealized version of Basil, with no defects whatsoever, a kind soul, always smiling and willing to be there for his friends. It shows after their fight with Boss specifically, when Basil just forgives him and treats him with kindness. 

It’s interesting to me that he’s like this in Headspace, because it shows how Sunny sees him and how much he regards Basil in a shiny light, always wearing a flower crown that I know Sunny found attractive in real life. In a sense, DW Basil is perfect. 

And not only that but… why is Basil the only one of his friends in Headspace that has an actual house? Well, I guess Kel, Hero and Aubrey have Neighbor’s room and Mari her… picnic blanket (?)  but…Hm. I guess Sunny has spent a lot of time at Basil’s house, otherwise he wouldn’t have recreated his house in his dreams, even if it’s a shoe lmao.

Stranger

I wanted to briefly talk about Stranger because of this line specifically: 

"On that day... When you became nothing... I was split in half."

It’s brought to my attention that there are two Basils in headspace. DW Basil, the version of him Sunny likes the most, the one he idealizes and the one he wants to look for and keep safe. And we have Stranger, the part of Basil he doesn’t— I’m not gonna say he doesn’t like it, it’s more like that part of him scares Sunny. Stranger encourages Omori to accept the truth, embrace it and that is something unacceptable in his mind.

Stranger is Basil’s cry of help. It makes me think Basil has asked him to help him a million times, makes me think he’s gone visit him at some point and it all ended up worse than ever. Or not, maybe it’s just Sunny’s guilt in the form of a shadow that doesn’t belong in Headspace.

Stranger is the representation of Basil’s thoughts following Sunny into his dreams. The urge for Sunny to leave dreamworld and Omori in the first place.

Saving Basil

At the beginning of the game, after a basic tutorial about how Headspace operates and the battle system, we finally get to see that, behind all that happy and cozy facade, something is clearly wrong. And, well, Basil is, of course, the catalyst. Actually, since you see Basil at the first cutscene, it is evident he’s someone important and you can’t help but be drawn to him and feel suspicious about it. I know I felt that way at least.

Basil is the objective you have to reach in order to “finish” the game. The whole point is finding him and bringing him back safe and sound. Haha, technically like Mario traveling through all the lands to rescue Peach… only more effed up probably 😂. 

It’s interesting because… even if you choose to go with the hikikomori route, the objective is the same. In fact, you end up “saving” him. You end up bringing back that part of Basil Sunny appreciates and loves, that idealized version. He even ends up sitting with Mari at the picnic, safe and sound, no battles to be fought. He wants to protect and cherish Basil as much as he wants to protect Mari. 

Branch coral said it, Omori confined Mari to a safe space, so nothing and no one could harm her. Not even himself.

I think he sees DW Basil in the hikikomori route in the same way. He puts him there, to protect him against all harm. (Intent to forget about the fact that he’s leaving Stranger, leaving real life Basil alone… And I think he successfully forgets all about it). Bringing DW Basil back is some sort of consolation made up by Sunny’s mind, intent on tricking him into thinking he saved his best friend and never left him alone. That’s… so sad in my opinion?

But well, let’s go back to the true route.

It is implied by the Branch Coral that Sunny has had this dream a million times. It's an endless cycle that has been repeating and repeating over and over again and the goal is always the same: To forget, to never accept the truth. But I think that the breach in dreamworld is always Basil. Something happens to him and Omori has to look for him with his friends.

Whenever he reaches Basil, it resets and goes back. And it happens and happens in a never ending cycle. What I want to highlight here is that, at the back of Sunny’s mind, unconsciously, there’s a desire to save his best friend. Even if the trauma has made him forget about what they’ve done and even if he’s frightened of him and what it means to see him again and embrace the painful truth. He still somehow wants to do it.

We’re not told why Sunny decides to get out of his house, he just does, prompted by Kel. But I’m guessing it’s because, well, he will be moving out soon. He will not see his friends ever again… and he will not see Basil.

Maybe he unconsciously knows this is the only chance he has before leaving. Maybe he unconsciously knows that reaching out to Basil is what he has to do if he wants to finally feel at peace. Face the truth, but with him. 

I would dare to say that Sunny’s goal after getting out of the house is finding him and saving him. Even if getting there is hard as hell… even if he’s terribly frightened and he’s not able to reach him alone (thank god for Kel, Aubrey and Hero).

And, well, just the fact that Sunny dove into the lake, even if he was afraid of drowning, just to save him says a lot about his true intentions. (Hello, the game asks you whether you will do it or not, but no matter the choice you make, Sunny still does it. That says a lot imo).

Omori 

Sooooo…. HUH. Let’s talk about Omori for a second. I’ve heard a lot of people say that Omori hates Basil.

Which… could be true, but not because Sunny hates him in real life or even blames him or anything. Like I said, Basil is the catalyst, the one thing that serves as a crack in the ‘happy’ place that is Headspace. Mari could also be the catalyst, but she’s confined to the picnic blanket… Though we see Hell Mari and various fucked up versions of her in various instances *shudders*.

And Omori, well, he’s Sunny’s caretaker. A caretaker he created to comfort himself because trauma was too much (Makes me think that Sunny has DID (Dissociative identity disorder) in some way, but that is just my headcanon). So, well, since Omori is trying to keep Sunny’s mind at peace, it’s logical that he wants to eliminate what makes Black Space leak into Headspace. 

Actually, the only time Omori tries to desperately eliminate Basil countless times is when Sunny is slowly readying himself to accept the truth. Only because Basil has been about to blurt out words about what happened and that is unacceptable to Omori.

Still, well, at the end of the route, Sunny still chooses to chase after Basil and tell everyone the truth. He even fights Omori, the one thing (person?) that has comforted him for over 4 long years… That says a lot. Omori could hate what Basil means to Headspace, but Omori is also Sunny and I know Sunny does not think Basil is in the wrong here, he does not hate him at all. If anything, he hates himself… 

The leaks…

When I say I freaked out when I saw the leaks would be an understatement lmao. And I want to bring it up here, because… just look:

There’s just something so incredibly intimate in these photos? They look so close. It’s like Sunny’s desire to relive those moments he spent with Basil again and it just kills me sifbfl.

And I’m honestly surprised it wasn’t added in the main game. Well, I guess we will be getting it on the switch version 👀, but I’m not quite sure yet? Also! The fact that an animation of them releasing energy for a fight exists is so surprising to me. Does that mean that you can choose to fight alongside him over Sunny’s other friends? 👀 hmmmm…. Why is it only him you can do that with? My guess (a very biased one and I’m sorry) is that Sunny sees Basil as someone he can be alone with, someone he can spend time with and feel understood and safe. It aligns with what I said at the beginning: their connection is unique, they understand each other the most.

But well, I’m bringing this up specifically because it shows the dynamic of their relationship or what Sunny highlighted and liked the most about it in his mind. It’s so cozy and nice and… sigh, it’s so sad that their relationship got strained like that.

String of fate?

Opening this with: there is no heterosexual explanation for this and I’m so sorry. (Actually there could be, but let me dream.)

"He is special to you. A string of fate ties you two together. He cannon leave that place alone."

But jokes aside, UH…. What even is this phrase the Branch Coral says? And what does it mean for Sunny to be dreaming about it?

Over the years, the only string of fate that has been talked about is the red string of fate, which unifies you with your soulmate, the person you’re destined to be with. And after that, I’ve seen a lot of theories about it and how some strings of fate could be platonic (I’ve heard there’s a yellow string of fate tied to your index finger, but, actually, there really isn’t that much information about this, so… honestly hm). 

But well, see it the way you see it, even if we’re talking about the red one or the yellow one, it is a fact that Sunny thinks of Basil as someone special to him, someone he was destined to meet. Whether platonic or romantically, we might never know, but I choose to believe there’s more to it than just something platonic and Sunny hasn’t seen it yet. Why use the string of fate? Branch Coral could’ve only said Basil is special to him.

And, though they're talking about saving Basil in Headspace, this whole conversation could definitely fit real life as well. "He can't get out of there alone", no, Basil needs Sunny so they can both heal. I remember the Branch Coral ended up that explanation with a: “You know what you have to do, DREAMER” Yeah. Sunny is already somewhat conscious of it, that he has to do something for both of them. It’s his choice and his choice only (and ours but shh). He has to save Basil from Black Space, but also from himself in the real world.

Conclusion

I think there is something characteristically beautiful in Sunny wanting to save Basil even if facing the truth is horrible for him. It shows how much he cares about him. You wouldn’t do that for someone if you didn’t love them. He could’ve chosen not to go and reach out to him (and we’ve seen the consequences of those actions in the bad and ‘neutral’ endings). But I’m glad that the ending where he chooses to find him and help him irl is the true ending. Because, truly, this is probably the only way to go so he can also forgive himself.

Now, by all of that stated before, I’m not saying that Sunny has to be in love with Basil, but I do think that he’s very important to him no matter what, he truly considers him his best friend. And… I also believe that, in the future, he will see this and realize he doesn’t want anyone else. Because, in a way, Basil is probably the only person who truly knows what he’s going through.

Both of them have issues, yes, and they really, reaaaaally need to see a therapist and try to be better people. Mental illnesses are honestly a pain in the ass and if not treated well, they become a ticking time bomb. And trauma? Well… makes everything worse. All of them, Kel, Aubrey and Hero had their issues and ways to deal with their grief as well, but, naturally after what happened, Sunny and Basil do need more help, perhaps. And, honestly, I believe that, at the end of the game, they do get it, they do find a way to be better and find a way to move on. Together.

Both Basil and Sunny idealize each other in some way. Possibly Basil’s case is more evident in game and worrying, you could say. But I think that, when you’re young and get a new crush, it’s kind of impossible not to see them as perfect. When you fall for someone you tend to overlook their flaws and it is only with time that you start to see them and either embrace them or… well, hate them. Overlooking Sunny’s flaws unfortunately backfired on Basil, possibly because he was also mentally ill even before the event with Mari… But there is no way we can blame him for it and I think Sunny doesn’t, either.

Not even about the eye, either, because we all know Basil was going through a phsychotic episode and wasn't conscious of it. If anything, he tried to save Sunny from Something, not realizing Something was him. He split Sunny in half in his mind as well, similar to what Sunny did with DW Basil and Stranger.

I’ve seen a lot of people call Sunflower a bad ship because it’s “toxic” and… yes, it could be. It can definitely be, there are a lot of takes regarding that, oh boy… BUT I want to believe they would get together after going to therapy for years and I want to believe that they can help each other heal. I find Sunflower an interesting ship and an interesting friendship as well because all they have is each other. After all, there’s no way they can get a connection this… beautiful and strong and still somehow let it wither after all this time. There’s so much they have to talk about and they care too much about each other not to at least try.

Like I said at the beginning, they’re each other’s anchors and without the other, I doubt they can fully heal. It would be nice if they could be there for each other even when life is hard and even if their friends take their time to forgive them. (I know they will eventually forgive them, but I also think that it could take time… Especially in Hero’s case, perhaps?)

I like to think that this happened in the future and they were healing together ❤

Anyway, what do you think? Is there something else to add to this extended essay/weird analysis thing? I can’t believe I’m doing this lmao, I’m nervous.

PS: Please be kind? ❤

[whisperlullaby]

In Bloom

Pairing: Florist!Steve x Reader

Warnings: SMUT 18+ only (fingering, unprotected sex), fluff.

Words: 1094

Summary: It's the one year anniversary with the local florist Steve Rogers. He goes above and beyond to make sure he shows you how much he loves you.

A/N: Well, I've been writing on this site for about a year. This is a follow up to my first ever fic Concentrated Sunlight and a huge thanks to @syntheticavenger for giving me a reason to start my writing journey. This fic is dedicated to them because without their follower celebration and encouragement I would have never started posting my writing. A special thanks to @river-soul and @sweetkingdomstarlight-blog for beta reading this and hyping me up to post. The STUNNING moodboard is thanks to @dreamlessinparis and I am obsessed with it. As always minors DNI, if you don't have an age in bio I will block you. Enjoy!

You couldn’t believe you were running late to meet your boyfriend, Steve Rogers. You knew he was closing the shop early so you guys could celebrate your one year anniversary. You insisted it wasn’t necessary, but he was persistent. Since he confessed his feelings to you that day in his flower shop, it had been a whirlwind romance. You always had weekly flowers, all the dinner dates you wanted, and quiet moments in the morning when the sun was just peeking through the blinds gently waking you both up.

As you put your key in the door you smiled, remembering a particular morning when you thought you woke up alone, only for Steve to walk in with a tray and the news you both were taking the day off and spending it in bed. A twist of the knob and you were rushing into your apartment to get ready when you stopped dead in your tracks. Every surface was covered in orange and yellow flowers, and in the middle of it all was Steve. He was smiling as you took in the scene and slowly moved to where he was standing, holding another bouquet.

“Right on time, my flower. Dinner just finished cooking and I ordered dessert from the Maximoff bakery.” Steve handed you the bouquet and kissed your forehead.

“Steve, I thought we were going out to dinner. You said I needed to be home by 7:00 if there was any chance to make the reservation.” You took the bouquet still in awe.

“Did I say that? Hm, well it could be that I needed you home by 7:00 to surprise you. How’d I do?” Steve asked a bit cocky.

You gave him the biggest smile you could manage, tears pricking your eyes. “It’s perfect, I love orange flowers.”

As Steve led you to the table where the dinner was already plated, you breathed in the mouth watering scent of tomato and basil and practically moaned. He watched you, smiling as you took a bite of the pasta.

“You know, when you first asked me for orange flowers I thought it was fitting,” Steve stated as he started to eat.

You looked at him quizzically, “Why do you say that?”

“Well you see, when I first saw you it was like you were radiating sunshine. All I wanted to do was be close to you, you practically glowed. Orange flowers seemed to be the obvious choice, they reminded me of the sun.”

You let out a little chuckle and shook your head before looking down. When you glanced back up, Steve’s eyes were on you and they were full of sincerity. You gave him a smile and leaned in to place a soft kiss on his lips.

“When I first came into the flower shop I was honestly shocked to see someone so, well, massive handling such delicate things,” You took another bite of your food before continuing, “Who knew how deft those fingers could actually be.”

Steve let out a laugh and ran his tongue over his bottom lip. “Well you would have a bit of first hand experience with that now, don’t you?”

You almost choked on your food at the bold innuendo. Once you composed yourself, thighs clenched together, you leaned close to Steve and gave him a smirk.

“Maybe you could give me a bit of a reminder? Show me how expertly you can use those fingers of yours.”

In a flash, Steve was on you pulling you out of your seat and walking you over to the counter. He wasted no time pressing you against the cool granite, and pushing up the skirt of your dress. He ran his fingers over your clothed core, causing you to gasp.

“Already so wet for me sunshine. Gonna be such a good girl for me when I give you my cock, but first, let's get you nice and ready. Need to make sure that tight cunt can take me, right?”

Before you could answer, Steve slipped two fingers into your pussy and curled them to hit that spongy spot that made you see stars. You angled your hips on the counter to allow his fingers to reach deeper inside of you. He circled his thumb on your clit and you felt your stomach start to tighten, his fingers fucking into you quickly.

“Fuck, Steve don’t stop! I’m gonna cum.” You writhed as his fingers continued to take you apart.

“I can feel, sweet girl, really squeezing my fingers ready to cum. Let go love, I got you.”

You let out a wanton moan as the coil in your stomach snapped and you came. Steve’s fingers were unrelenting as he helped you through your high. He pulled them out of you and sucked each one clean with a moan.

“Absolutely divine.”

With that, he led you into the bedroom where his hands softly grasped your waist. He placed you in the center of the bed, which was littered with rose petals, and pulled your dress off. He quickly removed his clothes and climbed over you. He slowly removed your panties with care before unclasping your bra and sitting back looking at you with complete adoration. You smiled up at him, reaching your arms out to pull him close.

“I want to feel you inside me. I’m yours, Steve.”

Steve leaned in to kiss you deeply, every ounce of affection poured into that kiss as he lined himself up with your entrance to slowly sink in. You gripped his shoulders tight, nails dug into the muscular flesh, as he bottomed out. He stilled for a moment groaning as you got used to his size. When you raised your hips to gain some release, he started thrusting into you without abandon.

“God, sweetheart, you feel so fucking good. Made for me, my flower, taking my cock so well.”

You moan as he thrusts harder, feeling your orgasm build again.

“Made for you, only you. Fill me up Steve, I wanna feel you dripping out of me.”

Steve let out a low growl as he quickened his pace and you clenched tight around him, cumming with a cry. His hips began to falter as he pushed deep inside you, spilling into your warm wet walls. He kissed you deeply, chest heaving as he maneuvered you on top of him.

“I love you my sunshine, happy anniversary.” He kissed the top of your head and pulled a blanket over you.

“I love you too, sweetheart. This has been the best year of my life.”

[saltygilmores]

Thoughts While Watching Gilmore Girls, Season 1/Episode 10 ("Forgiveness and Stuff")-PART 2 of 2

Sigh. If only. As of August 2022, this is my fourth time watching the show begining to end and I'm acutely aware that I will have to put up with this fuckstick Dean and Lorelai kissing his ass for another 60 something episodes. AGAIN.

Awww, I missed Luke. We see his disdain for Dean (D4D) for the first time. Luke is generally a good judge of people's character. Lorelai is a terrible one. Lorelai either giggles away a million obvious red flags or sees them where they don't exist. She does not listen to him.

The Lorelai And Dean Affair is officialy off and running, folks. Where is my barf bag?

Sorry Jess, if only you could grow a few more inches, your future Aunt might just give you a chance.

Why yes, I did try to read the teeny tiny print on the back of this menu I succeeded: Basil Pesto Pizza, Meat Pizza, Thai Pizza, Veggie Pizza, Shrimp and Crab Pizza, Macho Nacho Pizza. So Luke serves at least 6 varieties of Fancy Hipster pizzas (it seems very off brand for Luke to be serving pizza. Who's making them? And they're not even like, pepperoni or sausage) yet Lorelai just resorted to depression salad because one pizzeria couldn't deliver to her. As if she would ever decide against any excuse to go to Luke's to get pizza, and eat a salad instead. Maybe his pizza sucks.

I want to travel back in time to tell Luke that he will face a rising tide of resistance to this "no cell phones" business, but that with the advent of texting, public phone conversations will be much more uncommon. Yes children, 20 years ago, cellphones had antennaes, they had jingly little ringtones, using them in public was considered bad manners, and the only thing we could do on them was talk. It's true. Lorelai gets a call that Richard is in the hospital. I think Richard is a great character, and I usually enjoy his relationship with Rory and most of his scenes.

Again, the more times I rewatch the show, the more I get this intense urge to reach into the screen and warn the characters about what their futures hold. Like, I want to warn Luke that in a few years he's going to find out that he has an incredibly annoying daughter (and that his nephew will get dumped on him).

That won't happen until season 5.

So cute.

Teehee! Oh Dean! Someone please stick a fork in my eye, it would be less painful than this. After what happened when Rebecca Pearson turned around to get a candy bar from a hospital vending machine, I don't trust em.

Not to Dean, anyway.

L&L are just too flipping adorable in this episode. It somewhat erases all of those toxic Dean Vibes.

No, no, no, no! Bad Lorelai! Bad! *whacks her with a rolled up newspaper* LG to RG: "Go, talk mushy to each other, then spend an hour arguing over who's going to hang up first." But that's YOUR Dean fantasy, Lorelai.

Awww, the debut of the blue hat! And Luke's hair. I love this scene. Confession: I got a little teary eyed at that scene where she gave him the hat. It was so cute and sweet. I may be extra hormonal today. Who can go from insulting a character one minute to praising them the next.. I can, I can…

And a SantaBurger to close out this review. The Good: The scenes in the hospital were all touching and sweet. Lorelai, Luke, and Luke's hat. Luke is a good judge of people's character. Christmas theme. Santa Burger. Rory looked cute. Richard recovers. A dog. The Bad: Lorelai's exhausting hypocrisy, Creepy Forrester peeping into Lorelai's house, The Lorelai and Dean Affair rears its ugly head, Dean's behavior is forgiven because he's tall, Dean lying when he says he supports Rory's Harvard endeavors, Lorelai is a terrible judge of people's character. The New: The beginning of the Dean & Lorelai affair (DALA). More early signs of life in the Luke & Lorelai relationship. Emily shows emotion. Luke's new hat. First time we see Luke's hair. Nostalgia: Ancient phones and manners.

[sunnysviolin]

Sunny hums when he zones out sometimes, like some random melody, it’s a rare occurrence since most of his “zoning out” times are just him off in another world

Haha this is cute nonnie! Okay this does bring me to my ‘who do I think are good singers’ headcanon! I’m going to bounce off of that idea and combine it with yours a lil bit! 

Hero is good at so many things. Hero is smart, talented, handsome, and has so many different skills

Hero can’t sing. Can’t sing to save his life. Boy can’t hold a tune whatsoever

Aubrey can sing, but she doesn’t really like to. She has a nice voice and when she’s alone she rocks out, but other than that she isn’t really inclined to just randomly start. She doesn’t even hum

Basil is shy babby. No one even knows if Basil can sing (I can tell you secretly he’s not half bad but none of the gang has really heard him) 

Basil likes to hum though, and he does it a lot. 

He hums when he waters his flowers, and if he’s alone (like double checked doors locked absolutely 100% alone) he will sing to them because he read somewhere once it helps plants grow if you sing to them

Kel can sing, and Kel actually isn’t half bad. Not only that Kel actually really enjoys it. He sings to himself a lot, and he makes up a lot of tiny songs

I could totally see during-game as you’re running around town Kel makes up a bunch of tiny jingles that narrates what they’re doing. He’s done this ever since they were little, and it’s usually when it’s him and Sunny doing something

Sunny isn’t super emotive, but he always gives one of his tiny half smiles when Kel sings his little ditties, so Kel keeps coming up with them

*We’re going to finnnnd Basil’s photo ALBUM! Yeah!*

Was this stolen from me making up tiny jingles for myself as I played Omori? Maybe but yk what it’s a Kel thing so I’m giving it to him. LMAO 

Now nonnie this is where your ask comes in :D

So Sunny is another one of those who can sing, but Sunny doesn’t normally at all

They know Sunny has a good voice, but unlike Mari he was never really inclined to sing at all

And then Mari died and Sunny stopped speaking altogether let alone singing. I’m of the headcanon that the first time Sunny speaks after Mari’s death is at the end of the true ending when he says I have something to tell you 

But!! Post-canon his journey has taken a new path

So when I got this ask I had a scene of it in my brain immediately and this is that scene

So post-canon the group of five are spending the night together at Hero and Kel’s house. Their parents went out for the weekend for a long date, entrusting that Hero would keep things under wraps. They put Sally down to bed awhile ago, and now they’re all lounging around the living room. 

Kel and Aubrey are playing Mario Kart, trying to keep their bickering at a dull roar but needing pretty constant reminders from Hero to keep it down so they don’t wake Sally

Hero is chatting with Basil who is telling him all about the aloe plants that Polly helped him to repot. Aloe is apparently the plant that Basil has chosen to represent her.

It is both patience and harmonious strength. Aloe grows slowly, but the plant lasts for generations and becomes part of the family. 

Sunny is reading in the corner of the couch, sitting in the middle between the groups of two. The house is warm from the summer heat, but not humid, his belly is full from the pizza, and his book is reaching an especially interesting point. He’s with his friends, and everything is okay. 

Sunny’s mind drifts away from his novel, sinking into the pleasant calm of being around those he loves. A whisp of a song that Mari used to play on the piano lazily swirls through his mind and he catches onto it, letting it play out in full. 

Slowly the conversations stop and the game is paused. They all turn to look at Sunny who is still lost, humming in his own world. He has an uncharacteristic smile adorning his features, and his book is slipping from his fingers. Hero slowly reaches over, carefully lifting the book out of his friend’s hand and placing it on the coffee table. 

Sunny dozes off before he can finish his melody, but he doesn’t need to. Kel and Aubrey go back to their game, and Hero and Basil continue their conversation, but they all make sure to keep the volume low so as not to wake Sunny.  Everything is okay now. 

[longtimewish]

Continuing my rewatch of The Great s2, here are some of my thoughts about episodes 3, 4 and 5

- I remembered episode three as being the one that I liked the least out of all episodes but on rewatch I enjoyed it way more? Like there were many important things going on plot wise

- For instance Archie gets the idea of the omen in that episode after talking with Father Basil. This is also important bc from that conversation we the audience should have seen coming that he wasn't the progressive priest that Catherine thought he was

- Actually the only reason for Catherine to like Basil it's that he's Leo's cousin. She just trusted him blindly solely because of that (and ofc it ended up firing back)

- Speaking of Leo I legit could not care less about him, I get that having Catherine mourning him was important for her development + her moving on from him it's actually what made Catherine x Peter being an actual thing possible, I get it! But still I only wanted that arc to be over already lol sorry Leo

- SO many interesting things going on with Peter in ep 3, we see him being vulnerable like never before and it's actually kinda heartbreaking. I absolutely love the talk he has with Velementov, the "fuck them" was really endearing

- Also can we talk about this scene right here? The first time I watched it kinda went over my head but now I realized that Peter actually implied something very interesting: that deep down Catherine didn't really want to save Leo because she already loved Peter. I don't think he is entirely right, but I do think that Catherine did love Peter even back then (the "you're my husband" while she tenderly holds his hand scene from s1 lives rent free in my mind). But since after this ep everyone collectively forgets about Leo we never really see I follow up to this idea lol

- I never liked how in s1 Orlo's lack of interest in sex was a running joke, so when in ep 3 we have him openly talk about how he really just can't enjoy it and for the first time it isn't treated like a joke I was SO happy! In s1 I already thought that Orlo was likely ace, so I loved that the show actually explored this. HOWEVER saddly they just never adress it again. Later on he does have sex that seems not to hate but it is also implied that it's not the act itself what he's enjoying but doing it with someone that he likes while she reads him lol. Maybe they didn't knew how to adress that he's ace without using modern language? Weird given that this it's the least historically accurate thing ever nothing was stopping them from having Orlo invent the word "asexual" in the alternative universe the show it's set

- Was the actress that plays George working on something else while they shot this season? Because the way they wrote her off the rest of the season it's kinda weird to me. She wants to be exiled because... of some reason? Like she looses faith in Peter getting back the throne so she just decides to abandone him to go to Paris on vacation? And Catherine's like "sure go have fun in Paris just don't be a slut" and let's her go as if nothing?? ALSO how is she even affording being in Paris anyway? Is Catherine paying? Did she went pennyless? Idk it felt lazy to me

- Or maybe the reason for the way the wrote her off it's that the writers just had no idea what to do with George this season given that she would've gotten in the way of our fav disfuntional marriage getting together. And Grigor and Marial becoming a thing also ended up being super important for the plot, which could not have happened with George around. Still lazy writing tho

- Also are we going to keep pretending that they didn't retcon Catherine's nationality and now she's German? Or am I the only one that remembers that she was Austrian in s1?

- Ep 4 it's just really funny, it's the first episode that's just shenanigans at court and nothing too heavy happens (ok so I guy did ended up with his head off his shoulders by the end of the ep but in this show that's just a monday)

- Catherine my dear WHY on earth you refuse to listen to EVERYONE'S ADVICE?? What is the point on having advisers if you'll ignore them?? It absolutely drove me insane, like yeah I'm all out for female empowerment but Orlo should have been the one the led the negotiations, or at least he should've worked closely with Catherine. She was lucky that the ambassador liked her (tho pointless anyway since he got killed before he could report back anything)

- Grigor and Marial was so random, did they mention in s1 the thing about them loosing their virginities together? Because I can't remember if they ever even shared a scene back then. That being said I think their storyline surprisingly works pretty well! I never liked Marial but I did found her more bearable this season and I think her being with Grigor, a character that I do like a lot, was one of the reasons for it

- We need to stop sleeping on Tatyana and Arkady, they are the actual murder couple of the show AND they are hilarious, I love them

- EPISODE FIVE MY BELOVED. From this episode onwards the season dives full into ao3 territory. This is the moment I realized that they were going to give us enemies to lovers, there was no going back

- Peter being extremely good at eating pussy becoming a key plot point it's the funniest thing ever and one of the many reasons why I love this insane show

- As I said Catherine's reluctance to actually work with the people that are helping her to stay in power drove me insane the previous ep so when she agrees to work with Archie I was like FINALLY!!

- The POWER that a good hand holding scene has... the scene in which Peter and Catherine stroll around the palace holding hands it's more intimate that the scene in which he goes down on her like !!!!

- The dance scene????? the dance scene. THE DANCE SCENE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-No but for real I actually never watched the full trailer of s2 so I had not even the slightest idea that there was going to be a dance scene heavily charged with romantic and sexual tension aka one of my favorite period drama tropes ever when I realized what was happening I ASCENDED. THE WAY THEY LOOK AT EACH OTHER. THE CHEMISTRY. THE INTIMACY OF IT ALL!!! Catherine's face at the end!! The confusion in her expression!!! She acted like her coming back to Peter it's just convenient and a physical thing but the truth it's that one look from him and she comes undone

[unbridgeabledistances]

hello! <3 once again will not have a new full-chapter update of ✨ian and mickey take over the alibi✨ fic for a day or two, but wanted to post this little fluffy preview featuring the first appearance of our girl bazooka gallagher-milkovich!!! hope u enjoy:’)

—

“Hey, Mick. C’mere. Look at this one.”

Mickey glanced up from where he was elbow-deep in a series of sudsy dishes in their too-small kitchen sink. Once again Ian had made some sort of pasta dish for dinner, with tomatoes and basil and some fancy fresh mozzarella (that he was surprised the little dingy grocery store on the corner even carried)— and even though Mickey grumbled about “fucking gourmet bullshit” and “I’m fine with ramen, man,” he’d still helped himself to multiple scoops of second servings while they’d eaten their first meal at the little circular table from Ikea they’d assembled earlier that afternoon.

Now Mickey was on dish duty— Ian was trying to get the two of them to divvy up household shit equitably, since the usual rule at the Gallagher house was “leave dishes in the sink until they start to smell, then blame someone else for them”; and Ian was leaning back in his chair at the table, scrolling through pictures of various dogs on the websites of the local shelters— when one listing caught his attention.

Pit Bull Puppies, Chicago area NEED HOMES FAST, 8 months old

He clicked on the link—there were a series of images of dogs from the same litter, most of them already claimed. Ian scrolled to the last available listing, holding up his phone for Mickey to see as Mickey strode towards the table, wiping his hands on a dish towel.

“Look, she’s got blue eyes. You guys match.”

Mickey rolled his eyes. “Stop being soft. Gimme your fucking phone.”

This friendly pittie comes from a troubled past and needs a loving home. She was found in a barn outside the city that is well-known for illegal dog fighting along with her brothers and sisters. She isn’t trained yet, and needs someone patient to give her a loving and active environment. She’s a sweetheart, and because she isn’t trained we would love for her new family to give her a name!

Ian saw a crease form between Mickey’s brows as he read the listing. “Sounds like a lot of fuckin’ work.”

Ian could sense Mickey’s hesitation, his gut impulse to immediately put a barrier between himself and this new, fragile thing to take care of, especially after their conversation the other night— but beyond that, he could also see that Mickey didn’t even believe himself as he said it. It was an impulse response, for Mickey, to immediately put up walls— and it was getting easier and easier for Mickey himself to be the one to tear them down.

“Yeah, but it’ll be fun. We can go see her if you want, decide if we think she’s a good fit.”

Mickey swallowed, his eyes still fixated on the picture on the phone screen. “Yeah, but it’s got, like… y’know. Trauma and shit. What if we fuck it up even more?”

Ian smiled. “We won’t fuck her up, Mick. We’ll give her a loving home with two dads and a shit ton of dog toys.”

Ian saw the gentle worry creeping into Mickey’s eyes at the word “dads”—and, okay, maybe that was too soon. Mickey had said he’d be fine getting a dog, and was excited about it the whole time they’d been furniture shopping—but in a weird way this did feel like a trial run for a kid, in a way they were both hyperaware of. There was so much there—this was Mickey’s first real try of taking care of someone that was totally dependent on him, after years of shutting out and pressing down those dark chapters of unwanted fatherhood.

Except it wasn’t just Mickey taking this on; it was both of them, together. Ian tried to show him that, as he reached a hand out to press against Mickey’s lower spine in a grounding touch, pulling him closer.

“Hey. Wanna just visit, to see if we click with her? It’s just a fucking dog, and an excuse to see some adorable puppies.”

Mickey rolled his eyes, then pursed his lips. He stared at the picture again. “Yeah, whatever.”

**

“Thank you so much for coming by—this sweetheart is the last of the litter, I’m so glad you both saw the listing so quickly!”

The dog shelter employee, a caricature of a kind-faced middle-aged midwestern woman wearing a cardigan and khakis, led them through the well-lit hallways, turning them into room filled with scattered dog toys and two folding chairs.

“This is our little meet and greet area, we’ll bring her in just a moment.” She shut the door behind her, leaving Ian and Mickey in the mostly-empty room.

Mickey’s eyes darted around curiously. “This doesn’t look like a fucking dog shelter, man. It looks like a preschool.”

Ian smirked, settling into one of the chairs while Mickey remained standing. “It’s a dog rescue center, I guess. Probably run by lots of people who are way too into the dog thing.”

Mickey shrugged, capturing his lip between his teeth contemplatively. “Whatever. And they’ll just let us take it home? If we want it?”

“Yeah.”

Just then the door creaked open—and in came the shelter worker once more, carrying a bundle of grey wrapped in a worn towel. She placed the puppy down on the floor.

“Like the listing said, she doesn’t have a name yet—but here’s our girl!”

The puppy rose to stand on her four legs— a little grey pit bull, with ice-blue eyes and a too-skinny frame, the lines of her ribcage jutting out through her thin fur. She was tiny—definitely smaller than Ian had realized from the pictures, and definitely smaller than an 8-month-old pit bull should be based on the bits of googling he’d done on the L ride over.

The puppy stretched her limbs out long, then stumbled over her too-big feet slightly to race towards one of the dog toys in the corner of the room. Once she captured it in her mouth she circled back contentedly and flopped down on the floor in the middle of the room, starting to chew on the corner of the bone sleepily.  

“She’s so little.” Ian crouched on the ground— and he could tell he was doing that little baby-voice thing he always did, where his voice went up ten pitches and went all fuzzy around the edges that Mickey always gave him shit for, but in this moment he didn’t particularly care.

“Hey there, girl. You’re such a sweetheart, aren’t you?”

Ian could tell Mickey was rolling his eyes behind him. He reached out a hand to pet the puppy’s fur—it was soft, velvety and warm. Slowly, the dog inched closer and wriggled herself to sit pressed against Ian’s lap, letting the bone fall out from the corner of her mouth and nestling her chin to rest on Ian’s upper thigh.

“She’s a little sleepy,” the shelter worker added. “She’s been pretty mellow since we received her, but we think with some good nutrition and some exercise she’ll have loads of energy. It’s just a matter of getting her back into good health.”

The scrawny puppy was sleeping now, her chin still tilted on Ian’s leg and her eyelids drooping shut.

“Mick, d’you wanna pet her? Her fur is so soft, it’s ridiculous.”

Mickey bit his lip again, staring at the scene from where he was still standing a safe distance away, a few paces behind where Ian was perched on the floor.

“Yeah, guess so.”

He kneeled beside Ian, tentatively reaching a hand out to stroke the dog’s head— almost like he was scared he’d hurt her, like he was scared he’d do something wrong. The corner of Mickey’s mouth ticked upwards a bit at the contact with the puppy’s soft fur— and then he rubbed her head again, giving her a gentle pat. The puppy’s eyelids lazily opened, her tail starting to sweep side to side against the linoleum floor.

“Uh. Hey there.” Mickey chuckled uncomfortably, but his uneasiness was starting to melt away. “Do I gotta, like, talk to it?”

Ian grinned. “You can do whatever you want.”

Mickey ran scratches against the dog’s scalp, then down her sides.

“She’s kinda skinny. I can feel her fucking ribcage.”

Responding to the touch, the puppy lazily rolled over onto her back, exposing her tummy to welcome belly-rubs. Mickey grinned, and reached out to scratch at the puppy’s tummy.

“You’re a pretty girl, aren’t you? That’s right. Yes, you are. Such a good girl.”

Ian smirked—and filed Mickey’s puppy-talk away in his mind as something to make fun of him for later; but not right now, when Mickey was still learning to do this, when the defensiveness and self-judgement had only just drained from his system and he was still second-guessing his every move.

The puppy nudged her wet nose into Mickey’s hand and licked at his palm; and Mickey laughed, almost jolting in surprise. His eyes crinkled as he looked over at Ian.

“This is the friendliest fucking dog I’ve ever met, man.”

Ian felt his lips curve into a smile. Of course Mickey hadn’t met dogs that were this bubbly and friendly; half the dogs he’d had exposure to were chained in Southside front yards, trained to rip each other’s throats out and bark viciously at people walking by. Ian hadn’t really been near many dogs either; but seeing his husband immediately melt in the presence of a puppy, the innocence and awe seemingly radiating off of him, made something warm pool in his stomach.

“Yeah, she’s pretty special.” Ian reached a hand out to try and pet at the puppy’s head, and she turned her neck to nip at Ian’s wrist with her pointy puppy teeth.

“There’s some of that feisty energy we’ve been hoping for.” The shelter worker smiled knowingly. “Are you two interested in taking her home?”

Ian lifted his gaze from the squirmy puppy rolling on the ground between them to meet Mickey’s eyes.

“Mick?”

**

They called Debbie to pick them up from the shelter, since the logistics of taking a brand-new puppy on the L with them without a leash or collar seemed like too much to handle, even if she would probably just sleep the entire time. Debbie had spread an old towel in the back next to Franny’s car seat and Ian plopped the puppy into the middle seat, opting to sit shotgun next to Debbie while Mickey kept Franny and the puppy company in the back.

They were almost back at the Alibi now, and Ian was half-listening to Debbie prattle on about what slobs her new roommates were, and how she had half a mind to U-Haul with Heidi— when he tuned in to Franny and Mickey’s conversation in the backseat, the puppy sleeping soundly between them.

“What d’you think, Little Red— what’s the best dog name you can think of?”

Ian noticed Franny furrowing her brows from where he could see her in the rearview mirror. “Hmmm. How about… Queen Justice? That’s the name of my favorite wrestler. And the name I gave the fish Mommy got me.”

Mickey chuckled, and Ian raised an eyebrow at Debbie, cutting her monologue off mid-sentence. “Wait, you got Franny a fish?”

Debbie sighed. “Yeah. I felt bad about the move, and Monica and Frank never gave us shit like that when we were little. Figured I’d try to be a good mom or whatever.”

Ian smiled, reaching out to softly punch her in the upper arm. “That’s actually kinda cool, Debs.”

In the backseat, Franny was still thinking out loud.

“We have to name her after something you like, Uncle Mickey. That’s what Mommy told me about naming Queen Justice. What are your favorite things?”

Ian twisted in his seat to turn towards Franny and join the conversation. “Probably beer and guns, but neither of those things make good dog names, Fran.”

Mickey raised his eyebrows. “Oh yeah? Here’s a fucking relationship quiz then, lover— what’s my favorite type of gun?”

Ian rolled his eyes, contorting even more in his seat to twist and face Mickey. “I don’t fucking know, Mick.”

“A bazooka, bitch.” Mickey ran his hand over the sleeping puppy’s silky fur, scratching behind her ears. “Bazooka Gallagher. Or Milkovich. Or whatever. That’s a pretty good fucking dog name if you ask me.”

Ian felt a smile creep onto his face. Bazooka. “That’s honestly kinda perfect.” He reached his arm into the backseat to reach at the puppy. “Hey there, Baz. You like your new name? You ready for us to take you home?”

Bazooka’s eyelids drifted open, her tail starting to drum against the back of the car seat in a reaction to all of the attention. Franny reached down from her car seat and gave Baz a little peck on the head, and immediately Baz started licking all over Franny’s face, making her squeal and laugh and wriggle in her car seat as Baz shifted to stand on the seat and leaned closer to Franny’s face.

“It tickles! Uncle Mickey, she’s licking me!”

“Allllright.” Mickey reached to scoop the puppy off of Franny, wrapping Bazooka back in the discarded towel on the carseat and holding her like a baby in his arms. He scratched at Baz’s head again, then smoothed down her fur.

“We’re gonna take you home real soon, Bazooka Gallagher-Milkovich.”

[coreyww]

Omori Fic Recs: In Which Sunny is Bad at Naming Things

(Link to AO3. Written by @enby-peep )

So ... I say this without exaggeration ... this is the funniest fic in any fandom I've ever been in that I have ever read. Ever. I'm about to go into detail but I'm just going to put the most important thing at the top: if you have played Omori and enjoyed the characters in it, and you like comedy, please read this.

... okay so now that we got that out of the way, let me elaborate.

So this fic is a chatfic that takes place after the events of the True Ending. (I want to emphasize I don't typically prefer chatfics THAT much but this is so good that honestly it doesn't even matter. Besides, it has some extended prose passages later on as well). It is mostly episodic funny slice-of-life stories, but there is an ongoing plot running through it at the start where it is Kel, Aubrey, and Hero dealing with finding out The Truth and coming to terms with all that, while Basil and especially Sunny sort of ... avoid talking about it much for a while. Which SOUNDS really dramatic, and it is, but most of the drama and heavy elements happen in the background, while the focus is just ... REALLY fun banter and great characterization for everyone in the cast (and not just the main cast, because other characters get fleshed out later, especially the Hooligans, and especially the Maverick who is just ... just so entertaining every time he's around). The drama is always present, but rarely is it something the characters themselves choose to focus on for very long simply. And it works, it gives it a lot of depth in addition to the hilarious writing.

We could be here all day if I went into everything the author does right for all the characters, but the best example and one that kinda gives you a good impression of what this fic is ... is how Sunny is characterized. So Sunny in the games is a silent protagonist and most of his characterization is kinda open to interpretation to some degree. In this fic, he is not silent, but he talks very rarely, often in very short sentences and even MORE often with single words. He comes off as blunt sometimes, and is very very VERY clearly dealing with a lot that he chooses not to talk about most of the time, and his way of covering that up is to often be .... eccentric, I guess is the best way to put it. One behavior you see very early on is Sunny sending Basil funny memes unprompted. And after Basil outright asks if they should talk about, you know, EVERYTHING that just happened during The Plot of the Game, and Sunny is basically like "yeah. Not right now though" and just sends more memes.

He also gets attached to the mice in his new house and later gets eyepatches with goofy designs on them. And also always says "good morning" whenever he's greeting someone after waking up, which is often at noon ... or five in the afternoon ... or three in the morning. Basically any time that's not actually morning.

He also likes bluntly stating things that ... make sense to absolutely no one he's speaking too but make perfect sense to anyone who has Played The Game and seen into Sunny's head a bit, which never fails to be amusing.

It is the most fun characterization of Sunny ever. Not that he never gets heavy because HE DOES, but he tries his best to avoid it even when he is being social which fits how I would picture him after the events of the game a lot.

But anyway ... if any of that sounded interesting to you, trust me, every character has that level of stuff going on, where they just have hilarious eccentricities that seem in character, but doesn't sacrifice the depth they have. And when the fic DOES focus on heavier moments, it does them really well (there is only exactly one scene where I thought Hero's dialogue was maybe too harsh even though the circumstances justified it and that's literally the only criticism I have of the entire fic and it's a minor nitpick in a largely really great scene that's a highlight of the whole thing.)

I cannot say enough good things about this fic. It has 25 chapters so far and I chewed through them in a couple days (and that was honestly me going slow due to Work and Childcare), and I'm still hungry for more.

If you like Omori, please read this if you haven't yet. It's amazing and I love it.

[mussthemoose]

.....drop the sunny meta.....plssssssss.....do it do it do it.....also what do you think about Sunnys mom? No one ever talks about her but I ahve feelings

Ps don’t leave me hanging!! o/

Hey there! Finally got around to giving this an answer because I’ve procrastinated on it enough! Here’s a few things I’m going to drop that’s personal headcanons and stuff from what I gathered from the game:

-People say Sunny is a good listener, and the reason for that isn’t just because he’s quiet, it’s because Sunny has a very active imagination and whenever he listens to someone talking, he seems to almost be making a whole little scene in his head -He doesn’t express a lot, but you can always tell he gets the meaning behind what you’re saying once you learn to read his expressions -It’s also a sign he really likes you, because the space inside Sunny’s head is very precious to him so him letting your words roam free there of his own choice is just a huge mark of trust for him -In order of people who can read Sunny: Basil, Mari, Kel, tie between Hero and Aubrey. -They can all actually ready him pretty damn well, it mostly comes down to who can notice the smaller signs. -Basil puts as much love and effort into noticing the little things for Sunny as he does for his most loved plants, and he has a lot of experience with noticing when something small is wrong in something that doesn’t give many signs about it -Mari is second, but it’s a very close second. She’s been with Sunny since he was a baby and puts so much love and effort into understanding him. The only reason she is slightly lower than Basil is, in part, because of how well she’s known Sunny in a paradoxical way. -Sunny is after all, at the end of the day, still someone who can be tricky to read, and sometimes it’s easy to look at past ways he’s acted and think it’s just a repeat of that instead of something new. Like a parent who doesn’t realize that they’re using personal knowledge that’s 7 years old to figure out what you like. -Hero and Aubrey can ready Sunny quite well, they just don’t notice the small signs as much. It doesn’t make them any worse friends for that, but Hero tends to take people on their word and Aubrey trusts her friends, and hopes they’d let her know if they needed help or were hurting. -Kel is...an interesting case. You’d think he’d be the densest for reading Sunny, and sometimes, in some ways, he is. But also I think he’d be one of the few to realize how much Sunny was hating the violin. -Everyone else I think, from what we see, seem to think that he’s just being Sunny, worried about doing something with these expectations but thinking that’s just how he normally acts, and he must obviously love getting to play with his sister Mari! -But Kel is so honest and straight forward that he’d put the pieces together, how Sunny has to be pushed to play for them, how sad he looks to have to leave to practice with the tutor, the look he gets sometimes staring at Mari. -He still doesn’t say anything because even though Sunny seems sad and upset, he knows what it’s like to feel like that to do something for an older sibling who’s just so much better, so for once he lets it slide because he also trusts that Mari is a good sibling and would stop him if something was seriously wrong, like when Kel almost got to the point of throwing up in the hotdog eating competition and Hero stopped him (but still managed to win...) -Later, realizing what happened later post-truth, Kel reaffirms to himself that he’s always going to be honest when he sees one of his friends hurting. Never again. -Sunny’s favourite breakfast is that oatmeal with the dinosaur eggs that melt to reveal dinosaurs when it’s warm and his absolute favourite thing is to pretend that he’s digging them up from a sand dune, hence the whole dino dig. -He does this well into his adult years still -Kel got him a pirate eyepatch after noticing this (Sunny makes sure to dig it out whenever Kel visits, it makes him happy...and maybe Sunny happy a bit too). To stop this post from getting too incredibly big, some Sunny’s Mom meta real quick: -I’ve read a lot of meta, and I personally think she didn’t know the truth. -Sunnysviolin did a really great few posts about autistic Sunny which I heavily agree with, and I heavily agree with the fact Sunny’s parents probably aren’t the best fit for the kids they got (it’s really easy to code them as Asian-American and there is a lot there when it comes to non-neurotypical kids) -And while there is a decently common consensus that Sunny’s dad has a lot of disappointment in Sunny for not being like Mari, I feel like Sunny’s mom was one of those ‘bless her heart she’s trying but she really does not understand at all’ -I feel like she’s tried, honestly tried, but didn’t have as much time to try to look into this stuff that Mari had, or the drive to think she needed to do so heavily in a sense. -Mari loved Sunny so much and seemed to want to do so much of the work anyways, and it’s so much effort to even get a proper idea of how Sunny’s mind works so, I think she’d end up being happy to have Mari be a sort of translator for her, more or less -She wouldn’t excessively baby him, though she’d likely act a bit much because she doesn’t really understand how his mind works so she goes with what she knows instead of what’s best -And at the point where we start the game, I think the whole ‘mommy’ thing where she seems to almost baby him comes after Mari is gone. -Her Husband is gone, Mari is gone, and her last son barely seems to be able to take care of himself unless she holds his hand to do it (not because he can’t do it, but Sunny seems to have trouble sometimes finding enough care to put in the bare minimum effort to survive). -It seems more likely to me that she, like some other people, tried to mentally distance herself from everything. -Her sun is all she has left and all he wants to do is sleep, she’s entirely out of her comfort zone and she doesn’t have any lifelines. -I think there’s a part of her that knows this too, that knows that this situation isn’t good, and isn’t fine, but what’s she even supposed to do? She doesn’t know, so she...just keeps going on. -It’s horrible, everything is wrong, she’s hurting and suppressing and she just wants Mari back so so much, she wants her husband back, she even wants Sunny back because at least back then he’d look at her when she said she loved him. -But they’re not coming back, Mari is never coming back and she knows that without her she has no chance in figuring out how to pull in the other two. -Sunny’s all she has left, and sometimes she doesn’t even known for certain if he counts at this point in the bad endings she gets an answer, he did. He counted for so much and now she has nothing

-Sunny’s mom once yelled “Ayo, the pizza is here!” and Mari almost tripped down the stairs with Sunny. They all had a laugh at it after a gentle scolding to be more careful. -Sunny always takes the steps extra carefully whenever he picks up food delivery with his friends post-true end, none of them say anything about the way he grips the handrails hard enough to leave a mark on the way down

[vanillann]

the 1994 battle of the performers (luke patterson x f.reader)

i. love. this. series. (also i hope you like this chapter idk how i feel about it)

word count: 2.3k

the 1994 battle of the performers masterlist

Chapter 2: Spaghetti Night

“Crap!”

My heel hit the leg of the coffee table, my body going numb at the idea of ruining my knee. As I watched myself almost hit the hard ground of the studio, I felt two hands grab my shoulder.

I was bought slowly to the ground by two of the dancers, Florence and Regan, as they made sure I was okay. A few other girls we had recruited of the dance number rushed to my side, each asking was okay. Devon, the male dancer for the team asked a few other girls to step back as he checked my knee.

“Does it hurt?”

“I’m fine, I didn’t even hit the ground,” it wasn’t a lie, that fall didn’t affect my knee badly and after a few minute break, I’d be back to choreographing the team.

“Milo’s was looking-“

A few girls looked over their shoulders when we heard the band walk in through the open doors of the studio.

“What happened?”

Luke almost dropped his glass as he hurried to one side, Reggie to my other quickly.

“I’ll get the first aid kit,” Bobby’s voice echoed over the room but before I could stop him Alex was rushing him out the room.

“My heel hit the coffee table, I’m fine,” I did my best to calm each member of the band, Reggie easily calmed down once I had a quick smile. Alex didn’t say anything as he hovered over me, keeping an eye on Devon as he touched my knee.

“We can get rid of the coffee table”, Luke spoke, watching Devon’s finger ghost over my knee before he spoke up.

“Maybe you shouldn’t do that since you aren’t a doctor.”

“I read about different techniques to massage hurt muscles when I found out about (Y/N) injury,” he spoke back, smiling to me before I pushed his hand away.

“Thank you, Devon, but I’m fine.”

“I got the first aid kit,” Bobby yelled back, holding above his head and pushing through the group.

“I’m fine,” I was exhausted at repeating the words at this point, I just felt and I’d be fine.

“Your heels are bleeding.”

I looked up at Alex, following his line of sight to my heel that hit the coffee table. It wasn’t a lot of blood, I didn’t even notice it, but it was enough to have everyone in the room panic.

“I’ll do it,” Luke ripped the bandaid from Bobby’s hand but I grabbed it from his own.

“I’m not a child, I can take care of myself,” I opened it up and handed the trash to Reggie who held his hand out for it.

“I think practice is over for today,” Alex turned to the members, each one agreeing that I needed a break.

“No! We’ve only been going for like an hour!”

“More like three,” Luke squeezed my shoulder and pointed to the clock on the wall, surely it wasn’t almost five?

“We will meet Monday afternoon,” Regan held her hand out to me, which I happily took. Luke was at my side, his hands ghosting around me but never touching me.

“But-“

“Shhh!” Alex held his finger over my mouth, quickly pulling it away once he realized.

“Sorry I forgot we aren’t that close-“

“It’s fine, we are close enough for you to be honest with me,” I smiled, sincere with him. Alex was nervous about my presence, I could tell how he avoided certain jokes and such. I just wanted him to understand that at this point, they were the closest friends I got.

“Hey, call me later and we can go over different ideas,” Devon pulled me from my thought, smiling as he wrapped one arm around me and brought me to his side.

“Uhm, yeah sure,” I spoke gently, giving his side a squeeze and nodding once he let go.

“Bye guys,” I waved everyone off, each saying it back and leaving down the long driveway of Bobby’s house.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

I looked over my shoulder and Reggie and smiled.

“I’m fine, you all need to stop making a scene,” I went to move to the couch but my leg cramped up, my face morphing into one of discomfort.

“Making a scene, huh?”

I said nothing about Luke’s comment and grabbed his arm instead, each boy in a panic and not knowing if they could touch me or not.

“It’s fine, I don’t bite.”

As soon as I spoke, I felt hands on my let’s and arm, each trying to help the situation but making it incredibly awkward.

“How about I sit on the couch?”

Each agreed, weird shuffling to the couch that was against the wall. Once I made it and I turned around and flopped backward, letting go of Luke’s arm in the process.

I closed my eyes, letting my palm dig at it for a minute before I noticed the burned feeling on my face. As I opened my eyes, each boy watched me with worry.

“I am fine, I’m going to malfunction if I have to say it again!”

I knew it was out of worry, if I wasn’t running off adrenaline I would have been more worried. After the revelation two weeks ago I had been pushing myself, thinking I was the same dancer I was before.

But I wasn't. I felt more and I had to think about moves more often, I wasn’t the same dancer and I thought the more I kept the dancer the more would come back to me.

But that didn’t look to be the case.

“I need to get home,” I muttered, smiling slightly when the cramp went away.

“Are you gonna be okay?”

I nodded, sitting up straighter with no help and pushing off the couch as if nothing happened.

“I’m not in a nursing home for a reason,” I winked at Alex, gaining soft chuckles from the other members.

It was nice, feeling like we were all friends. I couldn’t tell if we were or not. I only ever came over for practice and we didn’t speak about much besides the battle or sometimes about Milo’s, but otherwise, that was the end. But sometimes we’d be sitting around waiting for the other dancers, and it felt light and airy, easy. We could laugh and make little jokes with each other, it just would’ve been nice to be able to call them friends.

They were good guys, I knew that.

“Boys!”

I looked around the boys to see a taller woman, smiling widely at the band. She was gorgeous with tan skin and messy hair. She had wild curls and older band tees that had some holes around the collar.

“Dinner,” the woman, who I was pretty sure was Bobby's mother, held her arm out as if to tell the boys they could exit.

Each jumped with joy, smiling as they all made their way from the studio to the driveway.

“You must be (Y/N), the boys told me about you,” she smiled as I slowly made my way out, not as excited as the boys who were already at the door waiting.

“Nice to meet you,” I smiled, proud to have finally met the woman who’s been letting me dance in her studio.

“Even nicer to meet you,” she took a right, walking to the door of the gorgeous house. I took a left, prepared to hit the sidewalk and make it back to my empty house.

“Where are you going?”

I turned around, watching as Bobby and his mother waved me over, holding the door open for me while Alex, Reggie, and Luke waited inside.

“Oh I can’t Ms-“

“Call me Heather,” she called back, jogging slightly as she left Bobby to hold the door. She jogged till she stood in front of me, guiding my shoulders back to the house.

“Dinner is on us,” she smiled, watching me as I grabbed the railing to the small steps and walked up. Bobby smiled as he gave a joking bow, a smile gracing my lips and Reggie was jumping at the scene.

“It’s a tradition that to be part of the band you have to eat at the Wilson household,” Reggie smiled larger as I actually walked in the house.

“I’m not part of the band,” I corrected, pointed a finger over my shoulder as I admired the high ceilings and the beautiful wooden architect.

“Eh, close enough,” Luke pulled the back of my shirt, silently telling me to follow him. It wouldn’t be hard to find the kitchen by the way the smell cascaded each hall, making the house feel homer than ever.

As I stepped foot into the dining area, I saw Alex finding a plate in a cabinet and setting it at the table.

“Mr. Wilson out of town,” Heather muttered, filling in the small blanket she assumed I had.

“You know what that means!”

Each boy seemed to jump over this news, which was odd. Who wanted their parents out of town?

“Spaghetti night!”

The boys seemed even more excited, taking their seats with giant smiles on their faces. I said nothing, still taking in the family photos of the happy family and the gorgeous china.

“I think we’ve overwhelmed her,” Alex whispered, not quite enough but still light.

“I just didn’t expect this,” I didn’t know how to explain it but it was weird eating a meal at a table with people, I hadn’t done it in so long.

“Well expect it now,” Luke but back, patting the seat between Alex and him, Reggie and Bobby on the other side with a spot for Bobby’s mom.

“Ready!”

I had barely made it to my seat when Luke was pulling me down, smiling widely as Bobby’s mother walked out with a giant bowl of noodles in one hand and sauce in the other.

“Bobby dear, grab the breadsticks,” she called as she placed the bowls in the center of the table. Bobby wasted no time as he hurried to the kitchen for the breadsticks.

“You’ll love this,” Luke smiled, reaching for the silverware in the noodle bowl. I was shocked when he grabbed my plate, placing food on it, instead of his own.

“Heather taught me how to be a gentleman,” Luke spoke as he gave my plate back, sending a wink my way in the process.

I hide my smile with my hand, turning to look the other way to come face to face with Alex.

“You need to try it first, band rule,” he pointed around the table as all eyes waited for me to dive into the food. I decided not to wait, as Luke looked like he was going to cry if he didn’t eat soon, rolling some around on my fork before I brought it to my lips.

The noodles were perfectly done and the sauce absorbed itself perfectly. I could taste a hit of basil and maybe some pepper as the food melted on my tongue. I smiled as I chewed, giving a big thumbs up once I finally swallowed.

“Yes!”

Each boy didn’t waste time, reaching for breadsticks and carrots, laughing about lord knew what as they did so.

“So (Y/N),” Luke turned to me halfway through the night, spaghetti sauce smeared across his chin.

“-How does it feel to officially join Sunset Curve,” he smiled goofily, doing his best not to show he was speaking with food in his mouth.

“I’m not a part of Sunset Curve, remember?”

“Well you’re the official choreographer of Sunset Curve,” he spoke back, picking up a breadstick and smashing it in his mouth.

I only laughed, not worried about it too much. I was on the band until the battle then we’d move on. It’d be nice to be friends with the guys but that didn’t mean we’d still talk.

It would be fun while it lasted.

“I have a mason jar in my mailbox, Milo says you need an official one,” Heather spoke, smiling widely as I did my best to keep my drink down.

“That’s not necessary,” I tried to argue but Alex placed a hand on my shoulder.

“You can’t get out of this one,” he gave me a straight face but as soon as I started laughing he followed behind me.

“I’m sorry,” I laughed along, trying to look back at Alex but every time we did we started laughing again.

“Is there an inside joke I’m not getting?”

Reggie’s words caused Alex and me to laugh harder, trying my best to calm my nerves for the first time that day.

“They are going to rise against us now,” Bobby spoke up, standing from the table dramatically and moving to get something from the kitchen. Alex bumped his shoulder with mine, making my nerves from earlier disappear completely.

The dinner went on with laughs and jokes, which made me feel truly like a member of the band.

“I should really head home,” I spoke as Bobby took my plate to be washed off, placing the napkin that Luke put on my lap as a joke back on the table.

“Let me walk you,” Luke stood up beside me, handing his plate to Reggie who followed Bobby into the kitchen.

“I’m fine.”

“What if you fall?”

I rolled my eyes, waving to Heather who was in the kitchen, thanking her for the nice home-cooked meal.

“I’m not dancing, I can walk perfectly fine,” I said my goodbye’s, Alex giving a quick side hug with his before I walked to the door with Luke trailing after me.

“But-“

“I’m fine,” I spoke for the millionth time that day, smiling over my shoulder and I left the warm house to the cold outdoors.

“Fine, if you fall scream,” Luke crossed his arms, watching me walk down the stairs to the long driveway.

“Will do!”

I have a thumbs up over my shoulder, not daring to look back as I made my way down the driveway to the sideway.

“I mean really yell,” his voice echoed back, making a laugh boil over to the night sky above me.

“I’ll scream bloody murder just for you Patterson!”



the 1994 battle of the performers taglist:

@gia-kerks @notwonder-woman @poisoned-girl @phantompogues @dovesgrangers





[nothingofpracticalgardening]

14 Versions of Sherlock Holmes Ranked from Most to Least Likely to Set a Building on Fire in a Fit of Rage

CURRENT UPDATED LIST HERE

1. Jonny Lee Miller — Elementary

This cool modern gent had a Moment™ in the very first episode of this series wherein he crashed Watson’s car into the side of the villain’s for absolutely no reason except the guy had pissed him off. That’s only like half a step down from setting a building on fire, which makes it almost canon, so this fantastic band tee-wearing lunatic gets first place for sure.

2. Yuko Takeuchi — Miss Sherlock

She may look cute, but this girl is fearless and feral. She would set a building on fire on a whim and dance away, leaving her poor Watson holding the matches as a joke. We haven’t really seen her angry, but she for sure would be unstoppable if she was. Sherlock Futaba has a secret heart of gold and a not-so-secret wit of arsenic and she’s not afraid to use either of them to end your ass.

3. Benedict Cumberbatch — Sherlock

He might tie for second place with Miss Sherlock, actually, because we all remember that one American who dared to slap Mrs. Hudson and fell out a window, several times, for it. I don’t need to tell y’all this Sherlock Holmes is vicious as a viper when he wants to be, but he’s also sweet as a newborn kitten deep down. Still, #3 is pretty high on the list and I think this emotion-driven drama queen deserves it.

4. Christopher Plummer — Murder by Decree

For most of this 1970s movie, you would never be able to picture this Holmes with a temper at all, much less one big enough to set anything on fire. He’s empathetic, easygoing, and even downright warm. But then, after discovering how a young woman has been mistreated by people in power, he suddenly goes for a guy’s throat—literally—and then it’s easier to see why he’s #4 on my list.

5. Basil of Baker Street — The Great Mouse Detective

Excuse me, it absolutely counts as a legitimate adaptation. This manic little guy might be cute as a button but he will go absolutely rabid on you if you push him (although he might feel bad about it a second later). I’m not saying it’s super likely, but it’s not super unlikely either. Honestly I wouldn’t take the risk.

6. Peter Cushing — The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959)

He might not be #1 on this list, but on a list of sassiest Sherlock Holmeses ever, he would definitely be at the top. More than once this sly gentleman was seconds away from Losing It(TM) in this movie; we might not ever have seen him show his temper completely, but between his impatient (but still affectionate) bickering with Watson and his mumbled sarcasm at every other character at every available opportunity, I wouldn’t doubt his capability of setting a fire in sheer annoyance.

7. Jeremy Brett — Sherlock Holmes

Calm but intense, this Sherlock Holmes is extremely popular, thanks mostly to Brett’s love and passion for the role; with all his self-control, every once in a while there’s a little flash of something much bigger going on underneath–his voice gets louder and his eyes get sharper and for a second you might wonder what he’s going to do. It would just depend on the situation, I think; hurt Watson, for example, and yeah…his fire will get you for sure.

8. Original Books

There’s no Sherlock Holmes like the original. Like Brett above, the Blueprint Holmes is cool, unruffled, and very much in control most of the time, but there are a few moments here and there when he turns into lightning personified, ready to strike someone down in a split second if they stir up his wrath. Nevertheless, he is softer and kinder and more patient than most adaptations give him credit for, so he’s lower on the list.

9. Basil Rathbone — Sherlock Holmes 

Ever wanted to see Sherlock Holmes take out Nazis? This might be the series for you, then. Despite the ‘40s vintage action vibe, though, this Sherlock Holmes really doesn’t have much in the way of a temper and a lot in the way of cool, observant preplanning. When it comes to high-emotion moments, this Holmes is more urgent action than fiery temper. With all that, he tends to lean more on the non-flammable side of the Sherlock Holmes spectrum.

10. Robert Downey, Jr. — Sherlock Holmes & Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows

Okay, you might have expected Action Hero Holmes to be higher up on the list, especially considering he literally did set a fire in the beginning of the second movie. But despite the flack he gets for not being “accurate” enough, I love this Holmes for so many reasons, and one of those reasons is that he’s so gentle and soft-spoken. He’d set a fire in a second for a case, but he faces evil with more melancholy than anger and really isn’t naturally violent at all when you get down to it.

11. Hannah Drew — Baker Street

Probably the most obscure one on the list, this fan-created Sherlock Holmes is blindingly intelligent and relentless, but also profoundly isolated, lonely, and deeply emotional. Still, the extent of her expressiveness seems to be playing obnoxious practical jokes when someone annoys her or shouting halfheartedly when she’s frustrated, not setting fires. (Also confession: she’s totally my girl crush. I would buy her all the ice cream in the world if she asked.)

12. Vasily Livanov — Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson

This Holmes is full of easy charm with emotions that tend to be more prominent on the softer side; he’ll start crying the second his Watson does, and laughs loudly and freely whenever he feels like it, but when provoked by a villain he maintains his cool demeanor like it’s not any kind of a challenge. Like I’ve said before, this Holmes has super-chill trustworthy older brother vibes to me, so he’s almost totally unlikely to be a firebug.

13. Henry Cavill — Enola Holmes (links to trailer)

While it’s true this Sherlock Holmes wasn’t the main character of this movie, we got to see enough of him to make a solid judgment, I think. And my judgment is that he’s one of the most gentle, mild-mannered ones out there. I mean, he might not have started out as a willing parent, but by the end of the movie this guy was volunteering to take in and raise his younger sister. Maybe he could be a fire-starter, but I just don’t see it so far.

14. Ronald Howard — Sherlock Holmes

By far the most adorable version in my opinion, this Holmes is more full of bright humor and childlike wonder than fury of any kind. Like with every version, he has his moments of righteous anger, but guys, come on…this man once spent a whole scene chasing a honeybee around their flat to trap it carefully and set it free. He’s not setting anything on fire anytime soon—at least not on purpose.

These are all the versions of the world’s favorite detective I like so far, but I’m still watching all the ones available, so consider this an incomplete list. If anybody sees this and has a different opinion or a Sherlock to add, feel free to comment! And thanks for reading my rambling.