#rent cast reunion

[lilianhuas]

via weibo credits 📷

[pynkhues]

a) Sam is SUCH a beautiful crier. Somewhere Rolin is thinking of all the trauma to come next season and real Lestat being so weepy and rubbing his hands in glee thinking HAHAHA YES CRY PRETTY MAN, CRY

b) These are two of the most devastating moments of the season to me. The depth of Lestat's shame and regret and horror and heartbreak in that moment at the trial, that he hurt (so horribly and intentionally) the person he loves more than anyone or anything...and then in the reunion scene (where they were both so brilliant and I want to hear all your thoughts on the whole scene), that moment absolutely sucker punched me. His voice cracking like that, such a deep voice going so high because he couldn't control it, because the thought of what Louis had done to himself was unbearable. Sam just accessed such raw, exposed-nerve levels of pain and sorrow in these moments. And again, they both did that in the reunion scene, which is just such raw pain and love from beginning to end.

Agreed on all counts, anon.

[teaweltzer]

"George's topography is different than your husband's. But the way he cups your jaw and the emotion beneath is Jean's."

Some context! Our party wizard, Maeve, her husband had died and she recently found out he was a ghost. But at their reunion last session, he did not wish for her to see how bad that form looked, so Jean's best friend, George, was down to let Jean possess his body so he can kiss his wife. All parties involved are into it. Maeve deserves her husband back and also a boyfriend (after they have a talk)

Maeve's main concern before was how to cast two mage hands so she could touch her ghostly husband. Not an issue now!

But this scene had been living rent free in my head.

[skywalker1dream]

Title: reconnecting

Max verstappen x reader

Summary: Years after drifting apart from childhood best friend Max Verstappen, you find yourself unexpectedly reunited during a family-planned summer holiday in Spain. Despite your initial reluctance to join, you discover that old bonds can reignite in the most unexpected ways.

Warning: none?

---

The sun was setting over the picturesque Spanish coast, casting a golden glow over the sprawling summer house your families had rented. You stared out the car window, feeling a mixture of nostalgia and irritation. Nostalgia, because you had spent countless summers with the Verstappens as a child. Irritation, because you hadn't wanted to come on this trip at all.

"Come on, it'll be fun," your mother had insisted, practically dragging you along. "You used to love spending time with them."

"Yeah, when I was ten," you muttered under your breath. But arguing with your mom had never been fruitful, so here you were, stepping out into the warm evening air, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in your stomach.

Your family was greeted warmly by Max's parents. You exchanged polite hugs and greetings, trying to push down the awkwardness. The house was stunning, with whitewashed walls and a terrace that overlooked the sparkling Mediterranean Sea.

You were just about to head to your room when a familiar voice stopped you in your tracks. "Hey, stranger."

You turned around, heart pounding, and there he was. Max Verstappen. He looked older, more mature, but his eyes still had that same mischievous glint.

"Max?" you managed to say, your voice catching in your throat.

"In the flesh," he replied with a grin. "Long time no see."

---------

Later that evening, after the initial shock had worn off and dinner was served on the terrace, you found yourself sitting next to Max. The conversation flowed easily among the adults, but you and Max were a bit more reserved.

"So," Max said, breaking the silence between you two, "what have you been up to all these years?"

You shrugged, poking at your salad. "Just life, I guess. School, work. The usual. You?"

Max chuckled. "I think you know what I've been up to."

"Yeah, I guess following your career doesn't really count as keeping in touch, huh?" You smiled, trying to lighten the mood.

He nodded, his expression softening. "I missed you, you know. We used to be inseparable."

"Yeah, well, life happens," you said, a bit more sharply than you intended.

Max winced. "I'm sorry. I should have tried harder to keep in touch."

You sighed, feeling a pang of guilt. "It's not all on you. I could have reached out too."

He looked at you, his gaze intense. "Then let's make up for lost time."

-----------

The next few days were a blur of sun, laughter, and rediscovery. You and Max fell back into a rhythm that felt both new and familiar. You found yourselves staying up late, talking about everything and nothing. One night, as you both sat on the terrace, the stars twinkling above, Max turned to you.

"Do you remember that summer when we were ten, and we tried to build a treehouse?"

You laughed. "Yeah, it was more like a pile of sticks than a treehouse."

Max grinned. "We were so determined though. I kind of miss that."

"Miss what? Failing at building things?"

He shook his head. "No. Just... us. The way we used to be."

You looked at him, feeling a warmth spread through you. "Me too."

----------------

As the days passed, it became clear that this trip was more than just a family reunion. It was a chance to rebuild something you both thought was lost. And as you sat together on the beach, watching the waves crash against the shore, you realized that sometimes, life has a way of bringing you back to where you belong.

Max turned to you, his eyes reflecting the ocean. "So, what do you say? Think we can give this friendship another shot?"

You smiled, feeling lighter than you had in years. "Yeah, I think we can."

And maybe, just maybe, it could be something more.

-------------------------

The summer house buzzed with the sounds of laughter and conversation. It felt like old times, but with an edge of something new and unspoken. You and Max had grown, and so had the dynamics between you.

Years after drifting apart from childhood best friend Max Verstappen, you find yourself unexpectedly reunited during a family-planned summer holiday in Spain. Despite your initial reluctance to join, you discover that old bonds can reignite in the most unexpected ways.

One afternoon, as you were chatting with Max in the garden, your mother approached, a wide smile on her face. "[your name], have you met the new neighbors? They're a lovely family. Their son, Aaron, is around your age."

You shot her a look, sensing her ulterior motives. "Uh, no, I haven't met them yet."

Max's expression shifted slightly, a hint of irritation flickering in his eyes.

"Well, you should come meet them. They're joining us for a barbecue tonight," your mother continued.

"Sure, Mom," you replied, trying to hide your reluctance.

That evening, as everyone gathered on the terrace for the barbecue, you were introduced to Aaron. He was friendly, charming, and clearly interested in getting to know you. You couldn't help but notice Max's jaw tighten every time Aaron made you laugh.

"So, [your name]," Aaron said, his eyes sparkling, "what do you do?"

Before you could answer, Max cut in. "She's actually really talented. She works in marketing and has a knack for creative projects."

You raised an eyebrow at Max. "I can speak for myself, you know."

Aaron laughed, oblivious to the tension. "That's impressive. Maybe you can give me some tips. I'm starting my own business and could use some marketing advice."

"Sure," you said, smiling. "I'd be happy to help."

Max excused himself abruptly, muttering something about getting more drinks. You watched him go, feeling a mix of confusion and concern.

------------

Later that night, you found Max sitting alone on the beach, staring out at the dark waves. You approached cautiously. "Hey, you okay?"

He glanced up at you, his expression unreadable. "Yeah, just needed some air."

You sat down beside him. "You seemed a bit off tonight."

Max sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It's just... I don't know. Seeing you with Aaron, I guess I felt a bit... jealous."

You blinked, taken aback by his honesty. "Jealous? Why?"

He looked at you, his eyes searching yours. "Because I realized I don't want to lose you again. Not to anyone."

Your heart pounded in your chest. "Max, you won't lose me. We're just reconnecting."

He shook his head. "It's more than that. I think it always has been."

--------------

The next day, the tension between you and Max was palpable. Your families noticed, and during breakfast, Max's mother, Sophie, leaned over to your mother. "Those two have always had a special bond, haven't they?"

Your mother nodded, a knowing smile on her lips. "Yes, they have. Maybe this summer will be good for them."

As the day wore on, you tried to focus on enjoying the holiday, but your thoughts kept drifting back to Max and his confession. You decided to confront the situation head-on.

That evening, you found Max in the kitchen, helping to prepare dinner. "We need to talk," you said, your voice firm.

He looked at you, his expression wary. "Okay."

You took a deep breath. "About what you said last night. Do you really mean it?"

Max set down the knife he was holding and turned to face you fully. "I do. I think I've always felt this way, but I didn't realize it until now."

Your heart raced as you stepped closer. "Then why did you let us drift apart?"

He sighed, his shoulders slumping. "I was young and stupid. I thought I needed to focus on racing, and everything else fell by the wayside. Including you."

You reached out, placing a hand on his arm. "Well, we're here now. And we have a chance to start over."

Max's eyes softened as he covered your hand with his. "I'd like that. A lot."

---------

Over the next few days, the dynamic between you and Max shifted. There was a new closeness, an unspoken understanding that something more was blooming between you. The jealousy that had sparked in Max whenever Aaron was around seemed to dissipate as he grew more confident in your feelings for him.

One evening, as you and Max walked along the beach, he stopped and turned to you, taking both of your hands in his. "I've been thinking a lot about us," he said softly.

You looked up at him, your heart pounding. "And?"

"And I don't want to waste any more time," he said, his eyes intense. "I want to be with you, [your name]. For real."

You smiled, feeling tears of happiness prick at the corners of your eyes. "I want that too."

He leaned in, and as his lips met yours, you felt the past melt away, replaced by the promise of a future together.

------------

The days that followed your confession on the beach were filled with a heady mix of tension and passion. You and Max were inseparable, yet the simmering emotions between you both seemed to heighten with each passing moment.

One particularly hot afternoon, as you lounged by the pool, Aaron sauntered over, his charming smile firmly in place. "Hey, [your name], up for a swim?"

You glanced at Max, who was sitting nearby, his eyes narrowing slightly at Aaron's approach. "Sure, why not," you replied, feeling a bit mischievous.

As you and Aaron splashed around in the pool, Max's gaze grew darker. He tried to focus on his book, but his eyes kept drifting to where you were laughing with Aaron.

Aaron swam closer, his playful demeanor making you laugh even more. "You know, I was thinking we could go into town tomorrow. There's this great market I think you'd love."

"That sounds fun," you said, catching Max's glare from the corner of your eye.

Max couldn't take it anymore. He stood up abruptly, the deck chair scraping against the tiles. "Actually, we have plans tomorrow," he said, his voice tight.

You turned to him, raising an eyebrow. "We do?"

Max nodded, not breaking eye contact. "Yes, I thought we could explore that secluded beach we talked about."

You saw the determination in his eyes and decided to play along. "Oh, right. The beach. Sorry, Aaron, maybe another time."

Aaron looked between you and Max, realizing he was outmatched. "No problem, maybe another time then."

--------------

That evening, the tension between you and Max was palpable. You found yourselves alone in the living room, the flickering light from the fireplace casting shadows on the walls.

"Was that really necessary?" you asked, crossing your arms.

Max stepped closer, his eyes burning with intensity. "Yes, it was. I can't stand seeing you with him."

Your breath hitched as he closed the distance between you. "Max, he's just a friend."

"I know," he said, his voice low and rough. "But I...."

He reached out, gently cupping your face. The world seemed to stop as he leaned in, his lips capturing yours in a kiss that was both tender and demanding. You melted against him, your hands sliding up to tangle in his hair.

The kiss deepened, filled with all the longing and passion that had built up between you. Max's hands roamed down your back, pulling you closer, as if afraid you'd disappear if he let go.

You broke the kiss, breathless, and looked into his eyes. "Max, we need to talk about this."

He nodded, his forehead resting against yours. "I know. But right now, I just want you. Is that okay?"

You answered by kissing him again, your lips moving with an urgency that matched his. The tension and passion swirled around you, making it impossible to think clearly.

As the minutes turned into hours, you found yourselves tangled together on the couch, the intensity of your make-out session leaving you both breathless and wanting more.

-----------

The next morning, you woke up wrapped in Max's arms. He looked down at you, a soft smile playing on his lips. "Morning," he murmured.

"Morning," you replied, stretching. "About last night..."

He kissed your forehead. "I meant every word. I want to be with you."

You smiled, feeling a warmth spread through you. "I want that too, Max."

Just then, your mother knocked on the door, interrupting the moment. "[Your name], Max, breakfast is ready."

You sighed, reluctantly pulling away from Max. "Coming, Mom!"

As you made your way downstairs, Aaron was already at the table, chatting with your families. He looked up, a curious expression on his face. "Morning, [your name] Did you sleep well?"

You felt Max's hand on the small of your back, a silent claim. "Yes, thank you," you replied, trying to keep your voice steady.

Aaron's gaze flickered to Max's hand, then back to you. "So, about that trip to town..."

Max's grip tightened slightly. "Actually, we're still planning to visit that secluded beach today."

You shot Max a look, then turned to Aaron. "Maybe another time, Aaron. But thank you."

Aaron smiled, but there was a hint of disappointment in his eyes. "Of course. Enjoy your day."

-----------

The drive to the secluded beach was filled with a mix of comfortable silence and playful banter. Once there, you and Max spread out a blanket on the sand, the sound of the waves creating a serene backdrop.

As you sat together, Max took your hand, his thumb tracing circles on your skin. "I can't believe how quickly things have changed," he said softly.

You leaned into him, feeling the warmth of his body. "Maybe it was always meant to be this way."

He looked at you, his eyes filled with emotion. "I don't want to waste any more time. I want us to be together, for real."

You smiled, your heart swelling with happiness. "I want that too, Max. More than anything."

He leaned in, capturing your lips in a kiss that promised a future filled with love and passion. As the sun set over the horizon, you knew that this was just the beginning of your journey together, and you couldn't wait to see where it would lead.

----------

And...that's it I think I will write part 2...tell me what do you think..byee

[thorntopieces]

I am harnessing self control to avoid reading the entire series instead of doing school but I read the first two and jason isn't even a character I've ever been that attached to but this is going to be living in my head rent free I can already tell

you should probably be doing school you're right!

i am ... just going to put this under a read more because it got long and rambly. i'm entirely uncertain how much sense this actually makes, but hey maybe my passion shows through! /lh

content: ramble about jason grace as a character (majority pre-toa), jason grace with a complex dissociative disorder (did) and indications for him developing it, a few side notes about thalia

word count: 1403

i have not really read the trials of apollo, i know the main story beats and i will read it eventually

see here's the thing, jason's my favourite character (except nico and will because duh, we literally changed our legal name because of one of them). i do not understand why people don't like him or don't care about him, i really don't. he wasn't fleshed out as well and that's such a pity because it really does feel like he was created as a foil to percy's character (the unrestrained sea vs the order of the roman olympic court) and that was kind of it. he got a girlfriend because People Have Significant Others Right? and that was kind of his arc. i know it slightly develops in trials of apollo but we don't get the same kind of treatment with jason that percy had. i suppose that's reasonable because percy was The Protagonist for five whole books and jason kind of has to share the limelight with the rest of the seven as the inner main cast (adding onto that hedge, reyna and nico as part of the outer main cast in heroes of olympus)

but even with the rest of the seven it feels like we get more than we do from jason. hazel's backstory is fleshed out, we get to see frank's internal conflicts - the weight of his family history and lifeline, his insecurity and his trouble with the two aspects of his father constantly intruding on his mental space. for leo, i will admit it could have been better. but we see his guilt and insecurities and trauma - the class clown persona and flightiness. piper is treated ... okay, i think. obviously annabeth and percy were fleshed out well in the first five books and heroes of olympus does great at expanding even more on their characters and histories

jason is a character that really had so much potential and i feel like riordan really blew it. character has amnesia, saves part of the world, gets his memories back (or does he?) (and they're never really elaborated upon!) and uh. witnesses the eros/cupid thing and oh guess he's near-sighted. and he's the pontifex now good on him. and then [spoilers for the burning maze]. we don't really see more of him than that. his childhood was massively traumatic! i'm glad that the fandom at least has managed to acknowledge that and written about it a fair bit

i really don't think it's all too uncommon to be, as you said, "not all that attached to him as a character". with the way he was written you really have to put a bit of effort into really liking him and seeing him beyond how he's presented as the "perfect attractive level-headed all-american boy"

going vaguely back onto what brought us here in the first place: jason and why i believe he's got a trauma disorder beyond demigod standard (c)ptsd. specifically, did. i'll admit that i didn't even consider the thought before reading @/happyk44's did!jason series

looking at jason's (and thalia's) childhood, there's persistent child neglect (and in thalia's case - abuse) from infancy, leading thalia to mostly raise jason. it was beryl's neglect that led to jason accidentally eat a stapler as a kid. i think jason eating a stapler is something the fandom tends to see as he "haha look what a toddler did", adopting the tone thalia took when talking about it (i believe in the lost hero, shortly after their reunion?). i think it's a very upsetting and scary thought that jason was able to get his hands on a stapler and biting into it, ending up with a very painful injury. to be clear, this was not thalia's fault. it was not thalia's responsibility to prevent injury to her toddler brother

then obviously he was abandoned at the wolf house - abandonment is massively traumatic, especially for young children. while i don't believe jason had any form of secure attachment to his mother, he would have been massively unsettled and upset at losing thalia, considering she most likely did her best to raise him and to shield him from beryl's instability and alcholism/drug abuse. on thalia's side this was also highly traumatic

as a side note, i believe thalia developed bpd as a result of her childhood. this has partial canon basis, looking at her unstable mood and impulsivity (fitting criteria 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9 with canon basis, highly likely also fitting 3 and 7, unsure about 5)

the two or so years spent at the wolf house must have also been difficult. first of all, that's a toddler around a bunch of wolves. scary! /lh. any sign of weakness would lead to you getting killed, and while i do think being under juno's protection prevented lupa from actually killing jason if he was 'too weak', i think his time spent there was massively difficult. taking into consideration that most camp jupiter legion members spent at most a few weeks at the wolf house before being deemed worthy or unworthy and jason being there for two years ... i don't find it an impossibility at all that jason would develop more dissociated identity states to cope with the stress of his previous childhood situation and his life at the wolf house

second side note: i don't believe lupa to be some malicious entity out to hurt and torture children. she's a wolf and her purpose is to test if children were fit to join the roman legion at camp jupiter. weakness among wolves is not really an option and she would likely not take into consideration if the child is two or twelve years old

that's not even getting into the stress jason was exposed to at camp jupiter. first thing: joining the literal army at four years old. hello. a four-year old.

for comparison, some common developmental milestones for four-year-olds: speaking in complete sentences; ability to hold back-and-forth conversations; follow instructions with 3+ steps; developing the ability to distinguish between real and imaginary; getting dressed/undressed mostly independently; ability to run and climb; ability to start behaving appropriately in different locations (such as indoor voice for the library, but outdoor voice for the playground)

now imagine this in the army, which you just know will not take into consideration that he is itty bitty beyond making armour fitting him and possibly helping him cut his food in the mess hall. this would most definitely exacerbate dissociative tendencies, compartmentalising his trauma away in trauma/memory holders, protecting his psyche through protectors and possibly (actually, probably definitely) persecutors, and a stable, apparently perfect son of jupiter in the form of a host alter

it's an au i have barely developed but i've been doing some thinking. obviously jason would already have did by the time heroes of olympus occurred, caused by the neglect and time at the wolf house and solidified and worsened by the time in the army and the stress of being The Son of Jupiter. in my au, instead of having his memories stolen by juno, she tries to steal his memories but the stress of this ends up forcefully causing jason to split and forcefully suppressing all memories and other alters deep in his subconscious. this would be in line with him knowing nothing about himself except his name at the start of the lost hero and running entirely on muscle memory (such as flipping the coin, knowing how to fight, relying on his instincts for harnessing his powers). certain triggers would attempt to bring back other alters and memories, causing pain and disorientation making no sense to anyone - such as discovering his surname being grace in the zeus cabin with annabeth there. doing it this way would also help us explore a situation that arises in our system very very frequently: what do you do when multiple alters have the same name? because i think in this au, there would be the pre-hoo jason (host part) who has the body's name and the hoo jason (new host part) who both feel at least vaguely attached to their name. and they're so similar but different (and they end up being co-hosts)

that uh. yeah i think that's it. please feel free to ask clarifying questions! i'll tag it just a little bit, you never know, someone might like our half-incoherent ramblings /lh

[sondheim-girly]

Last night I had a dream (I found myself in a desert called- cyberland…) OK RENT REFERENCE OVER

I had a dream that I was at a 2016 falsettos reunion concert, but for some reason there were a ton of people onstage even though it’s a tiny cast. Either way it was a nice dream I’m sad I woke up so quickly

[ms-oswald]

timeless | final chapter

author’s note: this is the end of the road! to the ones who have been reading this story and who stuck around, i’m sending you all my love! thank you ❤️ hoping the ending will be just as enjoyable :) Lots of love and stay safe 💕

       With a tidal wave drowning him at sea, Finan had woken up from his nightmare in a fright.

Body drenched in sweat, heart ragingly palpitating in his chest, the Irishman was catching his breath as the moon’s glow shone behind him, the timid light casting itself across the bedroom.

He felt pressure behind him, weight on his right; Becca had been pulled away from her sleep at the agitation shaking the bed. She quickly reached for him, her hand stroking his back as she leaned against him, bringing him to her.

“Finan-”

Chest heaving heavily, his stare remained straight into the void, his mind’s cloud slowly dissipating as his view acclimated to the darkness around them. 

“Finn, love- are you alright?” She was gentle, knowing all too well not to either panic or rush. “Was it her?” 

He reached for her, his fingers grasping tightly.

She moved around to sit in front of him, hands on his cheeks, as to direct his haunted eyes back to her. It took a moment, but he eventually fell into reality, the colour of her irises becoming the rope he hung onto.

“I-I’m fine.” He knew she didn’t believe him - he simply ignored it. He adjusted his sight, blinking and rubbing his eyes. His hand then rested on hers in reassurance, calmer. “I’m alright.” His breath had caught up and slowed down. 

“It’s the first time she reaches out to you… She must have had something to say.”

“Nothing she hasn’t already said to you, love. It’s alright.” He kissed the heel of her palm and lingered into her touch. She could still sense his budding agitation, and so she dropped the subject. 

Instead, she gently pushed him to lie down as she followed. 

Face to face, she wrapped her arms around him, her leg following suit as she placed it around his waist, bringing him closer. He nuzzled his face against the pillow and the crook of her neck, breathing her in. All the while, she brushed through his hair, soothing him into sleep once more.

He had his arms curled around her as well, and his lips pressed on her neck - soft pecks that made her close her eyes in surrender.

His hand wandered around her naked body, the pressure increasing through every inch until it settled on her stomach. 

She grew worried, feeling his fingertips grasping her as if they lacked air and needed it.

“Finan… What did you see?”

He was hesitant to answer, and so instead he said nothing, and kept himself in place as he caressed her skin tenderly, his eyes down and away from her.

She closed her own once again, the feel of his warmth bringing her peace despite the tumultuous awakening they were pushed into. 

“Finn-” She whispered his name, the letters floating in the air, a siren looking for her sailor.

His eyes brimmed with tears when they met hers. 

He moved, making it so he hovered above her while she lied on her back.

He leaned down and trailed gentle kisses from her lips down her body before meeting her again. Their hands joined, fingers interlaced, resting atop her head as he closed in the distance further, the budding strength of her body gently molding into his.

They locked eyes, the silence speaking the thousand words.

He nudged the tip of his nose with hers before caressing her lips and losing himself in the feel of her, forever tethered to her.

Through life and beyond death.

       It was the crack of dawn when they hit the road, the sun slowly peeking through the horizon.

Still half asleep herself, Finan had taken the wheel, driving out of London and back to Bamburgh. Only days after his reunion with Thora, the goddess had sent her messenger to Becca; it was the falcon appearing at her windowsill that told her it was time, before it flew back North.

Her family’s place was further out so they decided to rent a room in town for a closer distance to the castle.

She was able to gather all items that would be needed for tonight; all that was left was to go back to the source, to Finan’s last place alive before the curse was enacted at his first death.

The drive was a quiet one, the radio playing through its schedule and embellishing the background. 

Becca was falling in and out of sleep throughout the trip, her body having grown more and more tired the past couple of weeks. The effect of the sacrifice spell still seemed to have taken a toll on her, a lingering shadow in the dark.

They had been holding hands while he drove. Finan had quietly insisted, wanting every second of today to be near her, touching her. Fingers interlaced, she would smile to herself whenever she felt him stroke the top of her hand. 

If she wasn’t asleep, she would spend her time awake looking out the window, the calmness of their surroundings helping her remain so as well. 

“You okay, love?” They were half-way through, still morning as the sun was yet to reach its highest peak of the day.

She turned her head to him, sporting a lazy smile. “Mhmm.” 

He brought up their joint hands to his lips, placing another kiss on top of their hold. She kept the small grin, appreciative of the silent gesture.

Still watching him, she bit the inside of her cheek, the upward curves of her lips still present. “What is the first thing you want to do after tonight?”

He had a beam across his face as he pretended to be in thought; he already knew his answer, having pondered over it more and more in the last couple of months. 

He didn’t, however, get the chance to respond as she quickly stopped him.

She pulled her hand away urgently and placed it straight to her chest.

He frowned, confused. “Bex?”

“Stop the car.” She gulped, swallowing saliva as she held onto herself. “Stop-” She remained still, the car still moving though slowing down, while she tried to catch her breath. “Finn, stop the car.” 

She had opened the door just as he was pulling by the side of the road, and fell to her knees, not even able to step a bit further away from the vehicle.

Nausea gripped at her insides - she thought her nerves, or at least motion sickness, had taken the best of her.

She then threw up, her lungs coughing for air. 

Finan ran to her side, worry etched to his core. 

With her head facing the ground, she didn’t see him but knew he was there by the way he had gently pushed her hair behind her as well as resting his hands on her, stroking her back through her episode.

Hurting at her stomach, tears welled in the corners of her eyes and echoed through the sound of her strained sobs.

Once it was over, with her breath heavy in her throat, she leaned backwards and rested against Finan’s knees.

From her back, he placed his left hand on her shoulder while caressing her hair with his right, pushing the strands backwards. “Are ya feeling better?” His voice was tender, softly spoken to her ear. 

She could only offer him a nod, her head turned to her right, as she struggled to speak.

“Here.” He handed her a water bottle, which she happily took and cleaned up. “There is a stop along the way we’ll make. Are ya gonna be okay?”

“Y-yea.” He helped her get up, her hands gripping his jacket while she tried to find her footing. They remained still for a moment, the Irishman watching her carefully. She found her seat again, on the passenger’s side, and leaned backwards against the head rest with her eyes closed.

Without a word, he followed and resumed their drive until they reached their rest stop.

They got out of the car; she waited against the door while he went into the store attached to the gas station to pick up a few items.

Some short minutes later, he came out and walked back to her with hasten steps.

“What’s the surprise?” She teased while watching him rush back to her. He tried to smile, wanting to push past the discolour of her cheeks.

He was about to open the bag as she leaned over, perusing the contents that were inside. She chuckled while eyeing him, amused to see he could have almost emptied the store. “You really went all out, didn’t you?” 

He only shook his head, snickering as well. She picked out the saltines, and quickly opened them before swallowing a whole of them.

She fell back against the car, relief traced across her features. Finan watched her, amused at the way she was devouring her snack.

Though the grin eventually faded, switching to concern. 

He approached her and pushed locks of her hair behind her ear. “Bex…”

Her name hung silently in the air, unable to sing any further.

She met his gaze with a small smile gracing her dried lips. “I’m okay.”

He sighed heavily. “You’re not okay, love. The colour’s drained from ya- Was it the spell? Is it still making you tired? Or is it-”

“I think it’s a combination of everything.”

Another exhale, he nodded quietly.

He then placed his hands on her shoulders and placed the softest of kisses on her forehead. His arms trailed down to her back, rubbing to calm her as he pulled her against him. “Are ya feeling better at least?”

She dropped the saltines back in the bag before hugging him. “Just a little bit.” She tightened her hold around his waist and stayed still for a few minutes, letting the breeze carry them in this scene.

She hid her face in his chest, breathing him in, content; if she could, she would stay like this forever.

But unfortunately, time was of the essence. 

Today was the day and she could not miss the window of opportunity.

She reluctantly pushed herself away and ran her fingers through her hair. 

He gave her one last kiss, his lips pressed to her cheek, and walked to the driver’s seat, looking back at her.

“You ready?” 

       As they entered the small bed & breakfast room they had rented for their stay, Finan had gone straight for the bed and sat down at the edge, exhaustion draping over him.

Becca closed the door behind them watching him as he lied down and stared at the ceiling; a small smile escaped her lips. 

She walked over to him and stood between his legs. Feeling her in front of him, he sat back up, a grin plastered on his face. 

He silently placed his hands on her hips, his thumbs circling the skin under her shirt. Her own fingers threaded through his hair, their gaze entwined in a silent waltz.

He leaned closer towards her, lifting her shirt further up until she felt his lips pressed against her stomach, right above her navel. She giggled at the feel of his beard tickling her.

He lingered, tightening his grip ever so gently to her body.

In exchange, she tugged at his hair when his warm breath hovered above her skin. 

She then sat down on his lap, straddling him. He wrapped his arms around her just as her hands rested on his cheeks. She brushed her nose with his before sharing a tender kiss. He pulled her closer, flushed against him.

His fingers sought her out under her shirt as they traipsed towards her back. The gesture made her sigh between their lips, shivers running down her spine. 

She broke the kiss, entertained by his mood. “Are you trying to undress me, Irishman?” 

He chuckled as he quickly pulled her back to him. “Is it that obvious?”

“Unless you have another explanation as to why you’re tugging at my shirt?”

“Just examining ya. Making sure ya are well.” He teased, still holding onto her as he trailed his mouth down to her swollen breasts. 

She could only giggle, her small fit of laughter mixed with her reply. “Of course, that makes perfect sense.”

He pressed his lips against her covered chest before suddenly turning around and making her land on her back against the mattress. She met him with a gasp, taken by surprise, and yet the grin plastered on her face could not escape. “Finan!” 

He met her gaze, the mischievous glint in his eyes as apparent as the sun. “I’m sorry, love. It’s a better view from up here.”

“You are incorrigible!” 

The rumble of his laughter vibrated against her skin as he settled on top of her, placing kisses all over her exposed flesh.  

She fell into the ticklish sensation, not able to stop the fit of laughter that dressed the room - until hunger softly grumbled inside her.

Hearing the disruption, he lifted his head up with a smirk captured on the corner of his lips. “Someone’s a bit peckish.”

She sat up as he pulled away. “You bring it out of me, what can I say?”

“How about some room service?”

“I’d love that.” She softly kissed him, simple and loving.

He got up and turned around to reach the phone that was on the dresser, opposite the bed.

While on the line, with his back facing her, she quietly started to undress. She stripped her clothes off, quietly throwing them on the floor, before she slipped under the covers and waited for him.

Once he hung up, he turned to find her with her back against the headboard, sheets covering her body though she teased him with her right leg exposed to him, knee bent in temptation. All the while, she wore a sly smirk, her teeth biting her bottom lip. “We can keep ourselves busy until the food arrives.”

He matched her stance as he removed his shirt and unbuckled his pants before jumping on the mattress, earning a laugh out of her lungs.

He pulled the covers off her, exposing her bare upper body to him before he found her lips.

She wrapped her arms around him, smiling into the kiss and giggling at his eagerness as anticipation seeped through her as well.

       Not long had passed since their arrival into Bamburgh.

Finan was first to wake up from their nap, where the afternoon light peaked through the curtains. 

He carefully readjusted himself, not ready to leave the bed. 

He sat up, sitting against the headboard and looked to his right - Becca was still deep in her sleep.

He started to gently stroke her hair, his mind adrift to tonight, to tomorrow, to the day after that.

The soothing feel of his touch slowly brought a smile to her face as she was waking up from her slumber. 

She quietly lifted her eyes up to find him lost in his thoughts, his head tilted to the ceiling; chest bare, cross dangling on his chest, bed sheets covering his lower half - what a sight, she thought. 

She let him be, where his hand was still tangled in her hair. 

It felt too good to stop. 

A low satisfied moan escaped her. The soft noise caught his attention as he dropped his head to her, his mouth curved upwards in a lopsided smile.

She stretched her left arm, caressing his cheek before her fingers settled on his necklace, gently calling for him. “Come back down here.” 

Without a word, he laid down and turned so his chest was pressed against her back. He wrapped his arms around her, settling comfortably before instinctively reaching for her stomach, his palms caressing her.

They stayed this way for a few minutes, bathing in utter quietness.

She pushed herself further against him, loving the way their limbs molded so harmoniously into one another. Following her, he lifted his head just high enough to press soft kisses along her shoulder to the crook of her neck. His hand then started to wander up and down her skin, hiding under the covers. He could never get enough of the softness of her flesh; she was warm against him, her complexion glowing more fervently than usual under the sunlight.

“We had a son…” His voice startled the atmosphere, though he spoke with a low undertone.

“What? W-when?” She turned around within his embrace, facing him with furrowed brows.

He chuckled and shifted to lie on his back, his right arm still holding onto Becca.

“It was a dream…” His gaze landed on the ceiling once again as he kept going. “There was a wee boy running around with a wooden sword, outside somewhere. It felt like we were having some kind of picnic at the cottage house or something.” 

She was grinning as she followed the tracks to his daydreaming.

She turned to lie on her side, her elbow against the pillow with her left hand supporting her head. “A boy, huh?”

“Our boy.” His eyes went to her as he brought her closer, every inch of their bodies pressed to one another.

“One hell of a dream you had there, love.” Fingers traipsed along his jawline, her own mind wandering.

“Can ya blame me?” The smirk on his face had made her quietly laugh against him. She was overwhelmed by the thought, by the desperate need of wanting it all, now. 

“We have a boy.” She mumbled her words joyfully in the air, mesmerized. 

“We do.” The way he smiled at her left her heart stumbling across the pavement, still taken aback by the way he could take her breath away. “I can’t wait.” She bit her bottom lip as she spoke up, giddy. “What else happened in your dream?” She placed her leg over him, using his body as an anchor as she hung on to him.

He shrugged - there wasn’t anything else to say. “Nothing, it was peaceful- just us…”

She started trailing kisses along his arm to his shoulder, nipping at his skin tauntingly. “Were we trying for a second child at least?”

“You menace.” He spoke with a crooked grin and placed his hand to her abdomen, gently caressing her. She turned to lie on her back without looking away from him; his palm rested carefully on top of her, not letting go, as he quietly searched for her eyes. Searching for the silent words that raced around her irises, dancing so intimately and only for him. The thought of moving on with his life, the mere inkling of even the possibility of having such a life with her, overwhelmed him, imminent to burst at the seam. 

She grew timid, heat creeping up to her cheeks. She approached until she met his lips, sharing a slow kiss - a gesture that left them chasing after one another.

Becca eventually had to break away, though remained reluctant in her endeavor. “We should get going soon…”

He sighed, knowing they did not have a choice. “I know. Just…” He kissed her once again and spoke between their breaths as he slightly strengthened his hold on her. “Just a few more minutes.” He was quietly begging, desperate to make this very moment last a little bit longer. 

She silently agreed, placing her hand on his.

He inhaled, a sudden heaviness in the pit of his stomach crawling inside him. “Will it be safe? The spell…” He asked gently, frowning. He still touched her, his fingertips stroking timidly her burgeoning puffiness.

“I don’t think the gods will harm us.” His worry, etched across his features, she retraced them in the hopes to calm his nerves. “She is here to help. She’ll make me stronger.”

Her words eased him a bit, his gaze never wavering away from her. 

She was in awe - the intensity of his eyes always left her breathless, swimming in the vastest of ocean without ever feeling lost or incomplete.

Her thoughts were swirling inside her mind, still conjunct with the earlier minutes.

She was abruptly shaken out when something caught her attention.

He saw the gears in her head, the look in her eyes portraying shock and confusion. She pushed him away, hand against his chest, to widen her view. 

“Wait, did you say wooden sword?!”

He laughed, his voice booming within the walls of their room. Unable to catch him, he had quickly jumped out of the bed and ran to the bathroom. She called for him, completely dumbfounded, and could still hear his cackle on the other side of the door.

“Finan!”

       The sun hit its pinnacle of the mid evening hours.

While waiting for Bamburgh castle to reach its closing hours for the day, they had decided, in the meantime, to spend their remaining time walking around the small town.

The normalcy of the moment had taken over, making them partially forget what was waiting for them in the coming hours. 

The trail they had taken eventually led them towards the waters, the waves of the beach reaching the shore in a fiery dance, its feet tip tapping across the sand’s surface.

The couple pulled themselves away from the dying crowd, wanting their own privacy as they settled on the ground. 

Side by side, she laid her head on his shoulder as she brought her knees up, the best she could, against her chest. Finan placed a small peck on top of her forehead before looking towards the sea, memories of his past flooding him like a storm.

As for Becca, she could only think of tonight; her mind had wandered, fear taking its opportunity to sneak back and rest heavily on her chest. She felt it in the back of her throat, the lump lodged with strength as it shook her, forcing tears to grip the corners of her eyes.

The dread weighing on her shoulders had pushed her away from him. She turned to look at Finan, the man still left in deep reverie himself.

It wasn’t just revisiting the lifetimes he’s lived anymore. The path had taken him to ponder over what he would do next - as of tonight, he would be a free man.

He could finally live the remainder of his life and find peace at the end. And he would be living it with her, the only woman he had fallen for in the last millennia. 

What would come next was finally his choice.

He was brought out of thought when she spoke, her voice quivering against his shoulder. 

“Finn… I’m scared.”

He tilted his head to her, understanding the intent behind her words.

He remained silent, letting her speak further. 

“If-” She took a second, breathing in deeply. “If I fail and the spell doesn’t work-” She closed her eyes, biting down her tongue before proceeding, desperate to let her words out the way a bandage is ripped from the skin. “I’m scared that if I fail, you would grow to hate me. To resent me and leave me…”

He furrowed his brows. “Why would ya think that?”

“Because I would have given you false hope.”

“Nothing will ever change the way I feel about you.” He pressed his forehead against hers. “I swear it.” His hand rested on the back of her head, palm caressing her hair, before he placed a kiss. “I’m grateful you were willing to try.” He gingerly pulled away, catching the glimmer of tears in her eyes. “Despite the obstacles we kept encountering… Ya did not give up on me.” The recollection of memories of the last year had suddenly washed over him, a haunting of a ghost. “I could never hate ya for it.”

The was solace in his words; she tried to find them.

“What about when I die, and you are still here? Would you resent me then? Would you curse me ‘till the end of days?” She tried to lighten the mood with her last words, even though her heart wore her heavy.

“You have power, Bex. I can feel it.” Once more, she dug for the comfort in his voice, searching for warmth so she could hang onto it. “Believe in it.” He reached for her amulet, holding it gently in his hand. “Believe you can channel this and break me free.” The soft undertone shaking his cords sent shivers down her spine. The letters of his speech shared between their parted mouths, she grabbed onto them and squeezed them tightly.

“I’ll try.” 

She promised herself she would. She had also told herself there was another way at this. A way she wanted to share with him.

“But if it doesn’t work, will you let me join you?” He frowned, confused. A quiet crooked smile tainted her right cheek. “Will you let me curse myself, so you won’t be alone anymore? So, we could spend forever, together?”

She rendered him speechless.

It had to come this, and it saddened him. How could he become the reason someone else was willing to give up everything for a poor soul like himself?

“Our love could be timeless. Wouldn’t that be romantic.” Once again, she tried to lighten the grimness around them, the curve of her lips faintly spreading across her face while hiding the depth of her confession.

He chuckled at her attempt. “It’s a tempting offer… And I love you for even thinking of risking ya life for me.” The smile faded away from him. She could see where he was going; it was too obvious. “But I can’t let you do that.”

“Finan, I want to do it. If it comes to it, please let me do this.” Tears pricked her cheeks, grief-stricken. “Don’t make me live in a world without you. I don’t want us to be apart.” She whispered her plea against his breath, silently crying.

He felt her cheeks wet as he kissed her, both desperate and sorrowful. 

Even if it meant desecrating the order of nature - the one thing a witch should never do - she would give it all up for him. 

He pulled her backwards until they lied down, not caring that they were resting on the sand. 

His arm curled around her shoulders, she hid herself within his embrace and let her emotions silently erupt out of her. Her fingers grasped onto his shirt, her knuckles whitening at the force of her hold. 

The sound of the waves had become background noise, made for their ears only.

The crowd was dying down, the people walking away as the day was coming to its end with the sun sliding under the water by the horizon.

His head was up to the sky, the warm hues colouring his sight.

His heart was breaking. 

Part of him hated himself for having started all of this, or at least for having encouraged their relationship right at the start. It shouldn’t have gone the way it did - he tried to convince himself but knew, in the end, it was futile. He was hooked on the first night, and then again when he purposely encountered her, and once more the first ride to Bamburgh, and every day since. 

But that other part, the one that fell for her, that loved her with such depth, could not see it any other way.

She was made for him. Their connection so innate, so intuitive from the first glance to the first touch. He believed she was a blessing to his mundane and lonesome existence, the bloom of spring after a brutal winter. 

He had stumbled along the way since he met her, but she stuck to him no matter what and it left him overwhelmed.

Their little moment was interrupted. 

The cries of a falcon hovered above them, its wings flapped against the breeze of the ocean before it settled behind them, perched on a rock. 

Becca pulled away from him, both sitting up as she tilted her head to see the bird.

She clenched her jaw, eyes closed.

She breathed in, calming her nerves, before turning back to Finan. With a reassuring smile on her face, she placed her hand on his cheek.

“It’s time.”

       They were waiting inside the castle as tourists scurried away at closing time. And as he knew his way around, Finan had made sure they would be able to sneak away, turning into ghosts within the walls. 

It took a while, not that they were complaining. 

Only when the moon was ready to reach its peak did they finally leave their hiding place and made their way outside.

And it seemed the falcon had been waiting for them. 

Becca followed the bird, making them cross the inner ward until it flew further up, reaching the flagpole above the Keep. They followed suit and reached the highest point of the property, where the view of darkness surrounded them with only the moonlight guiding them.

The bird gave its last call before flying away, leaving the couple to start.

Becca sighed, her heart rapidly beating inside her chest. 

“Ya ready?” His words rang in her ears. She looked to him, partly terrified at the upcoming moments that would unravel.

Midnight was approaching. 

They shared one more kiss, lingering within each other’s embrace for a little while longer. She held him, hands to his cheeks, and quietly whispered into his lips. “I love you.” 

A faint smile flourished across his face.

“You can do this.”

She nodded at his words and proceeded. 

She looked through her bag and started taking out a vial of salt - blessed by the high priestess of her coven. Back up to her feet, she looked to Finan, wanting a quick glimpse of him. She then continued, using the salt and marking the ground with runes in a circular motion, following the path of time as her mind fell into focus. 

And then the circle was sealed with intersecting lines, the final touch to call the goddess. 

Once complete, she cleaned her hands, the palpitations in the pit of her stomach growing heavier.

She took a deep breath, a slight tremor apparent in her lungs. “Now comes the part where you need to step inside.” She stretched her hand out to him as he followed her instructions, taking his place in the center.

Becca stood still for a second, squeezing her hold on him, before eventually letting go, a cold sensation suddenly wrapped around her palm.

She fetched the remaining ingredients - a candle, her dagger and the totem representing the hex. 

As she held the last item in her hand - a ball of rope, tightly tied into a knot with its loose ends ever so slightly peeking out from each side - her breath shortened in her lungs. 

She was holding Finan’s liberation in the palm of her hands. The knot was a simple representation of his lifeline, stuck in a loop, his true path blocked. 

All she needed to do was to re-manipulate reality, to untie the knot and set him free.

She placed the candle at her feet and approached Finan, her knife and totem in hand. “This is going to hurt.”

“Don’t worry about me, love.” The softness in his voice captured a smile at the corner of her mouth.

She lent him the knot as she took his left hand, palm up, and carefully used her dagger to cut through his skin. A subtle hiss escaped his lips; she clenched her jaw, her heart trembling. She then helped him close his hand, the blood dropping straight onto the knotted rope, staining the texture with his essence.

She repeated the process with her own hand. She was about to cut her own skin when Finan stopped her, gently placing his unmarked limb on her own. “Let me.” He took the dagger as she remained quiet, and let him cut her palm. Despite the gory gesture, there was a certain tenderness to the act.

The blood seeped from the bruise, falling onto the other side of the totem. 

Becca whispered under her breath as she watched the knot’s colour change. “Blood of the cursed, blood of the blessed.” 

Once the totem soaked under its rain, she fetched a small piece of cloth. He took it from her hand and ripped the piece in half, wrapping her wound first before she repeated the gesture for him.

She then tilted her head up to Finan. The look in her eyes let him know it was truly time.

He brought the back of her hand to his lips, sharing the softest of kiss. And without letting go of his hold, she leaned in, pressing her own lips into his. 

She backed away out of the circle and sat on her knees.

The ball on her lap, she placed the candle in front of her and called for light.

The stem lit, its fire casting shadow around its body.

She exhaled, a heavy breath to calm her nerves. 

She picked up the totem, the object resting between her hands.

“We begin.” She spoke with a firm tone, her back straight, her mind focused.

And at her words, the seal came to life, the salt burning as flames decorated the ground. 

Finan remained in the middle, quiet and watchful. Trepidation stemmed from his fingertips, the throbbing pain in his hand completely ignored.

The language of the gods slipped smoothly across her tongue, her voice carrying out as she called for her favour, the heftiness of the plea echoing through her bones and shaking the earth underneath.

The fired seal grew taller around Finan, leaving her to become almost a mirage to his eyes; she was channeling the energy of the flames, the particle of embers lacing their way through her fingertips and colliding with her magic in an unparalleled percussion.

The knot levitated a few inches above her hands, the threads of the spell woven subtly through the air and holding the item in place. Glowing in the dark, a faint golden sheen, it was the shimmer of the lighten strings that came to life as they danced around her fingers while the young witch was, once again, invoking the celestial power - the one she anchored to her own strength, to severe the link. 

To untie the knot and reverse the coerced bond that was, to set free the man that was wronged.

As the chanting boomed through the core of her being, shining violet seeped through her irises, settling as a new inhabitant. Her amulet, heated chain around her neck, held a similar path, its purple hue creating light around her. 

A faint breeze rushed around him, heightening the flames that imprisoned him on the seal.

Slowly, the totem started to detach itself from its confine, unfastening its intricate knots.

She was trembling. 

A tremor, a subtle shake like the earth, transcended through her bones. 

Channeling the powers of a god, for her mere mortal flesh - it was too much. 

It was working, but the weight of such strength echoed through the vibration of her body.

While he could hear her, the sound of her voice standing in his ears, he also saw the toll the ritual was taking on her.

She was about to crumble, thinly cracked at the seam.

The nosebleed was apparent, trickling down over her lips to her chin. 

Her breaths grew heavier, her dizziness taking hold of her mind, of her eyes.

And yet, she couldn’t forfeit. 

She heard her name, his voice calling for her with terror and anxiety rushing through him.

He tried to move, to run to her, but she stopped him, pushing him back with her mind’s eyes.

One step out and everything could be lost. 

The knot still floated, following the trance of her chant, like a snake swaying to the flute of its master.

Her voice grew louder and louder through the air.

The chain of her necklace burnt her skin, the stone fracturing through every repeated syllable of her spell.

He could feel the magic work through him, the blood receding from his veins as he grew cold. The tightening hold that choked him for so many centuries was loosening, the grip around his neck fainting until it eventually let go.

The burden of the curse was turning into dust, the remnant pieces drifting away from the Irishman’s skin with the wind pushing them to the flames, burning their essence on hellfire.

And then - the totem resolved, the knot unknotted.

It was done.

The ritual completed.

Everything became dark once again, the blaze gone, the wind vanished. The rope lying flat on the floor.

Only Finan and Becca were left.

Weakness overtook her muscles; she almost crashed to the floor as she was catching her breath.

She leaned over, using her hands as an anvil against the ground to hold herself from complete collapse.

Only her lungs serenaded the empty air.

Finan stood still, dazed. Overwhelmed.

She saw the trickle of blood falling on the stones beneath her. She wiped her nose with the back of her hand, the traces vivid on her limb.

When trying to get up, Finan ran to her, helping her.

Once she was on her feet, she held on, her fingers grasping at his shirt, her eyes back to normal.

Her amulet had reached the ground at her movement, the chain broken. 

He frowned as he bent down to pick up the necklace.

He watched it, silent. The gears in his brain working through a thought.

“You gave up your magic for me?”

“A small price to pay.” It was a tired smile that graced him.

She did it.

She broke the curse like she had promised.

He was a free man.

As their new reality dawned on them, a small laugh escaped him. 

She followed suit, a grin forming on her stained lips as joy reached the pit of her stomach.

On a high, she ran to him, and he caught her in his arms, embracing her figure tightly against his chest.

“You did it.”

He whispered against her hair before crashing into her lips for a fervent kiss. With his arms curled around her, he had lifted her from the ground. 

She squealed, taken by surprise. A light giggle had escaped the back of her throat from excitement. 

Her feet touched the ground again, though they hadn’t let go of each other yet with their lips still tangled, heated. 

Just a few more seconds of bliss.

“Let’s get out of here.” She spoke, breathless. 

He smiled, a beam so bright, biting at her bottom lip before pressing his lips again against hers, and then pulling away.

The last thing he felt was the touch of her hands in his as she stepped back to clean up the mess around them.

He felt a sudden stiffness in his neck. He rolled his head around to dissuade the discomfort until he became lightheaded, the vision in front of him blurring.

It was almost blinding him when he heard Becca call for him, his name turned into a question.

He shut his eyes tight, trying to get a hold of himself when he felt a wet trail running down his nose.

He felt his muscles grow weaker, as if they were depleting.

When opening his eyes, he met a distorted horrified look on Becca’s face.

He tried reaching for her but couldn’t feel his body move until the weight of it dragged him down.

“Finan!”

She caught him as they both fell to the ground. She called him over and over again, trying to reach his consciousness.

He couldn’t speak, his voice - gone. 

But his perishing sight was set on her, his ears aching at the pain; she was yelling, screaming at the top of her burning lungs with tears furiously streaming down her cheeks.

“Bex?”

She looked down at him, frowning, her chest heaving. Her hand caressed his face but could not see her name coming from his lips.

“Bex, love?” 

His voice stood as clear as the night sky above them.

She lifted her head up and saw him standing in front of her, confused. “What happened?”

She bit her tongue.

She then got up to her feet, her body trembling.

“Y-you di-”

How could she finish her sentence? The weight of the word stood heavy on her heart, unable to ring it out into the world. 

It held such destruction, a wrecking ball destroying everything around them.

The look in his eyes was enough for her to know he understood.

He shattered, his heart breaking into pieces.

A sob caught in her throat. “I-I’m so sorry- This wasn’t supposed to h-appen.”

Denial, hefty in its wake, she fell to the ground again, her mind working a resurrection spell - anything to bring him back.

But of course, it wouldn’t work.

She reached for her amulet but clutched at the ghost of it when she saw the stone on the floor.

Bewildered, eyes wide, she lost her breath as she whispered under the last of it. “What did I just do…”

She was powerless, and so, she was unable to save him.

“It’s okay…” There was no harshness in his tone. “We’ll be okay, love.” He needed her to believe it, his new reality squeezing itself between them.

She snapped, looking back up to him.

“No, it’s not okay! We need more time- I needed more time w- with you.” The lump in her throat was lodged tightly, invoked.

He approached her, hand to her cheek in a soft caress, ignoring the empty sensation. “Ya are an incredible woman.”

She scoffed, angry.

“Not enough to make you live out this lifetime.” Tears trailed her cheeks again, quivering from anguish. She leaned into his attempted touch, trying to feel his warmth. She hesitantly met his gaze - his hues still managed to give her such love, she could feel herself crumble from inadequacy. Undeserving. “We were doomed from the start, weren’t we?”

The disillusion of it all was killing her on the spot, torturing her.

“Finn-” 

Words evaded her, sentiments unable to speak out.

“I know.” 

He wasn’t angry, nor was he furious.

He simply mourned; sorrow reached the deepest parts of himself, from the marrow to the surface.

She collected herself - or at least, she tried. She wiped her tears, not able to look at him anymore, ashamed of her failure, and backed away to stand up again.

“You’re free now… You can find peace.”

He swallowed heavily. “Is it really peace without you?”

Eyes shut tight, she was silently crying again.

The thickness of melancholy wore her like a coat, suffocating her in this unruly heat.

He reached for her again, desperate to touch her and comfort her, to wipe her tears away.

He found he wasn’t able to feel her.

Nor could she.

He tried again, his hand trailing down to her stomach as he leaned against her, attempting to feel her breath against his lips, any sign of movement at all.

It was faint, almost undetectable. 

Unfocused, he wouldn’t have felt it.

“Finan, I-I love you.”

Shaky, destroyed, broken.

The wind was knocked out of her, completely gutted. 

“I love you too.” It was a mere whisper, loving and inconsolable in its undertone. 

And then, he was gone.

His ghostly presence vanishing as if, for all the cruelty in the world, he was never here at all.

She held onto herself, the best she could, but found no strength.

She collapsed on the ground, head resting atop his lifeless body as her cries shook the waves of reality.

       The next week was a blur. 

She was a corpse walking amongst the living, an icy dread in the middle of the warmth of budding summer.

“Don’t you think it’s a little bit rash?” 

Her brother was by her side, his eyes reading the engraved tombstone; it was the day of the funeral, and they were three.

The sun was at its peak, ignoring the welting sorrow that beat down on Becca.

She stood in her family plot, gifting Finan his final resting place. 

Marcus spoke without looking at his sister. He couldn’t comprehend the latest decisions she had been making. “Quitting your job, leaving the city, and moving here? There is nothing here.”

“He’s here.”

He finally turned his head to her, and she never wavered, her sight focused still on the stone in front of her. “Becca.” He grieved for her, saddened by the drastic turn of events that broke his sister.

She said nothing more, so he quietened down, his sight returning to the headstone, in prayer. 

The words etched across the grave were simple, each without true meaning when read separately. Only once meshed together did they hold such sorrow, such grief for the widower, the abandoned lover.

She dropped her head, unable to hold on any longer. “I don’t think I can do this without him.”

Hand on her shoulder, she looked to her right just far enough to see his caring touch. He spoke up with an ache; he was hurt to see her like this. “You’re not alone.”

She ignored his remark, her teeth clenching from past anger trying to crawl its way back. She breathed in deeply, calming herself, and fell back into her torment. “Without him, I am.” She still hated herself for having created such deception, enraged at herself for having failed so immensely. “I scarified my powers for him and… it was all for nothing.”

Her brother hoped his words would bring her comfort. “Your family are still witches.” She turned her head to him, wondering over the meaning behind his words. “Your brother still is. Anything you need, magical or not, we’re here for you.”

She pushed his hand away from her. “Why was I so stubborn?” All the fights and arguments were haunting her, left her to wonder if she had been that blind to believe she would succeed without consequence. “I-I should’ve listened to him. To you, a-and everyone-”

“Don’t.” He stopped her, reaching for her hand and gently pulling her his way. “Don’t do this to yourself.” He forced her to look at him, to meet his gaze as he spoke with solace. “You gave him what he needed. Be thankful it worked.”

“But he didn’t need to die.” Tears brimmed over her eyes; it was the first time she had spoken that word, the dreaded destructive letters clouding her. “That was not part of-”

He interrupted her, as she needed to understand it wasn’t her failure. “The gods can be cruel.”

She shook her head in disagreement. “It wasn’t them.” She ran her fingers through her hair before they settled on her chest. “It was her. That damn bitch-” She bit on her tongue; rage born like embers in a fire pit. “She won.”

Marcus pulled her against him, hugging his sister tightly as she broke down. She was clutching onto the gold cross, the Celtic knots imprinting in the wounded palm of her hand.

She was a powerless woman, no longer a witch. 

She lost everything in the fire. 

She cursed herself for what she had caused, for having been tricked and for having failed him. 

Thora had won, and there was nothing to be done to reverse it.

       Six months had passed since then.

Bamburgh was grey and dark, the clouds gathering as they prepared to cry over the townspeople. 

Becca couldn’t care. 

She had been staring at the tombstone, Finan’s name stretched across it.

She hadn’t recovered and she knew she never would. 

She mourned the loss with such gravity, life blooming in front of her became a cruel joke.

Standing in front of his grave, her body yelled for her to sit; her feet were sore and swelled as the weight of her womb grew heavy. 

Their child was restless, tired and hungry. How could he know, though, what his mother was going through? That she had forgotten him, for a mere second, to mourn the loss of his father? 

She looked down, bringing her hands to rest over her pregnant stomach, to calm the boy. 

She knew it was time to go and yet, she couldn’t move.

And the breeze changed direction, as if it was running away from something.

“Good riddance, I say.” 

Becca didn’t need to look to know who stood next to her.

“Thora.”

“Niece.”

The sound of her voice already irritated the young woman; it was by undoing the curse that Thora came back to haunt the earth.

A warning she never saw coming.

“What do you want?”

The red-haired woman stood tall, arched brow and staring at the cursed man’s grave. “You took something of mine.”

Becca still didn’t turn to her, trying to control her rage. “He was never yours.”

Thora scoffed, unrelenting. “Maybe not, but that child-” She never finished her sentence, a strong pressure suddenly gripping at her.

Her niece violently turned her head to her, almost hurting her neck in the process. Anger seethed through her entire being. “Don’t you dare threaten my son. Do whatever the hell you want, but you leave me and my child out of it.” She had been grasping onto Thora’s wrist so tightly, inflicting such pain, she could break the bones like a twig. “You’ve done enough damage.” The elder tried not to look too shocked at the sudden act, remaining composed the best way she knew how. “Now get out of here and leave us be.”

At Becca’s last words, the gods had spoken; the sky rumbled, ready for battle against each other. The mischievous and chaotic Loki against Freya, protector of witches and goddess of love. 

Thora let go, shaking her arm away from her niece, a smirk underlined across her face. 

“I’ll see you in a hundred years, then?”

Becca sneered. “No, you won’t.” And she knew she wouldn’t. Not because Thora would live that long, but because the hex had been destroyed the night of the ritual.

It was foreseeing her future that made the elder witch decide to tether herself to the curse she created. 

It was because she knew one of her own would one day break it that she let it happen. 

Abiding time, and waiting patiently, until six months ago.

Thunder struck the skies, rumbling the earth in anger. The witch cheated death, and she would not go unpunished. 

Becca stood her ground as she watched her elder walk away, a smirk of conquest painted across the witche’s dry lips.

The widow was tricked - to be believed that the warning she had seen was telling her the curse would hit her in retaliation, as it had no way to die. The pushback from her family came from knowing the truth - that their ancestor would come back from the dead.

The subtle kicks inside her brought her back to her grief. She was due any day now, and her heart broke at the thought of going through childbirth without Finan by her side, of going through the rest of their son’s life without his father.

She held onto her stomach again, rubbing away the ache caused by the baby’s movements. 

She teared up, whispering her goodbye for now, and reluctantly walked away just as the rain started to mist over the village.

The words floated through the cold air, their echo hopeful in its distance. 

“I’ll see you on the Other side, my love…”

---------------------

a/n: for those who are familiar with The Originals, the knot is a reference to the Sanguinis Knot :)

xoxo,

@gemini-mama, @fangirlninja67

[waheelawhisperer]

Fandom ask thingy for Arknights: 3, 5, 11, 12, 15, 17.

3) Which scene I would like to erase from the universe and why.

The entirety of Chapter Fucking 9. I love it when the villains are oppressed minorities (again) and the heroes align themselves with the British military, which dirty bombed civilians. Whatever the fuck they did to Outcast should be considered a crime. If any of y'all plan on writing stories in the future, please do not introduce a cool character only to kill her off in a stupid, nonsensical, convoluted way in a fight against a bunch of literal who's.

Also, fuck Mandragora I hate her so much

5) The scene from it that lives in my head rent free.

Any of Nearl's dynamic entries, Patriot choosing to defy fate with his last breath and sparing Amiya

11) What I think of the central character(s).

I like Doc a lot and feel like they're an interesting spin on the Gacha Protagonist. I like the way they aren't obviously written as male to pander to the game's primary demographic.

Amiya has always been kind of whatever to me. She was solid in the Reunion arc, but the Victoria arc is a giant mess in general and a large part of that is the way the Sarkaz plotline has to be tied into it because she's The Main Character and has to be involved and yet doesn't really have any other decent plot hooks besides the generic "fighting for the oppressed" that Chapters 1-8 already used. Meanwhile Siege gets screwed because the writing constantly sucks the focus away from her to drop it on uninteresting characters that contribute fuck-all and she ends up feeling like a side character with minimal agency in her own storyline. Honestly I'd like to amend my answer to question 3 - I'd delete the whole Victoria plot and redo it from scratch if I could.

I'm a known Kal'tsit hater at this point but honestly I don't really dislike her anymore as long as she's not going off on one of her stupid fucking pretentious monologues or lectures. She's an interesting, well-written character who happens to possess traits I find unappealing and unfortunately reminds me of negative experiences in my past. She epitomizes some of the aspects of Arknights writing that irritate me the most, so I doubt I'll ever like her, but she's okay, I guess.

12) What attracted me into checking it out.

I was big into Fate Grand Order around the time Arknights released and one of my friends told me Siege was Saber Lion, so I gave it a shot.

15) Which character I would choose for the chopping block if I knew the writers wanted to kill someone.

Go AWAY Platinum go AWAY Mandragora go AWAY Kashchey go AWAY Wei Yenwu go AWAY Alberto Saluzzo go AWAY Mizuki go AWAY Last Knight go AWAY Theresis go AWAY stupid nothingburger Victoria arc characters who drop in and out of relevance seemingly at random

17) The world-building aspect of the story I have the greatest admiration for.

All the detail that goes into it and they way Terra feels like such a vast world with things going on outside that don't involve the main characters. It feels like the cast has internal lives that don't revolve around the plot.

[epersonae]

five fic friday

Some more long bois this time, I guess, with one little fic, and a bonus entry.

Extended Courtship (20K, M) by @things-with-teeth - I had forgotten about this one and found it in my phone browser tabs, and on re-reading: it really is one of my absolute favorite post-S1 reunion fic. There's so much about it that I wish I had written tbh. We love a growth arc. (the crew having A List is one of my favorite things of all time.)

A love that won't stand still (231K WIP series, E) by @sassygwaine - I CANNOT BELIEVE I haven't listed this one before. Modern AU; Ed is a retired enforcer, Stede works for his dad's megacorp. Suspenseful, romantic, thoughtful. Also: the album Bleed Out by The Mountain Goats in fiction form. I have cried reading this probably more than any fic I've read, mostly because of the trauma recovery stuff, and because the Ed/Stede relationship reminds me so much of me and Ryn that it makes my heart ache. There's only one chapter left afaik, so this is a great time to read if you haven't already!

Prize Every Time (46K WIP, E) by @elapsed-spiral - modern AU rival amusement parks, of all things. Friends to lovers/enemies to lovers, You've Got Mail style. The tone of the emails is really delightful, and the transposition of the dynamic to the very low stakes tiny amusement park setting is funny.

Transformative Work (41K, E) by @mia-ugly and @pinehutch - a very curious entry in the post-S1 genre; Frenchie is the narrator, trying to "write a bit of fanfiction" for Blackbeard, to imagine a better ending. He gets some help. Some of it is very funny, some it is angsty, some of it is tender. (Ivan's fanfic is some gorgeous lyrical stuff.)

but that's none of my business (1578, T) by @chaotic-neutral-knitter - just a fun little fic wherein Lucius suspects that Blackbeard, newly arrived on the Revenge, might actually have a thing? for their captain?

bonus round, because it thoroughly melted my brain but it's so extremely ymmv that I feel like it needs to be recommended separately: Water Flowing Underground (22K, E) by @gaypiratebrainrot - yes, THAT fic, the schroedinger's rpf about a pair of actors named Stede and Ed cast as gay pirates named Gentleman Pirate Rhys and Taika aka Blackbeard. First of all, the writing is stunning. Secondly, heed both the tags AND the author's note. The questions of identity and transformation and fiction and, mannnnn, I dunno, it just lives in my head rent-free now. So I guess that is also a warning?

[shaynetopps]

1, 8, 14, 22! for the smosh asks :)

Ian or Anthony?

Oof, I love them both, but I gotta go with Ian! He's so me-coded and he's also just such a cutie. I wanna pinch his cheeks.

What is your favorite series on Smosh Pit?

I'm literally obsessed with Reading Reddit Stories! That's the series that has me refreshing the Smosh Pit channel every Saturday at noon until I see the new vid. I also listen to it every night while falling asleep so it's like my adult bedtime stories.

What is your favorite 'era' of Smosh?

I really loved the Mythical era of Smosh. Some fun series came from that era (Reunions, Let's Do This, etc.) and we got some great cast additions too.

Simply post a screenshot/moment/reaction that you love.

This screenshot from one of the Red Flags video lives in my mind rent free KJDFKJDFKJFGLKG

send more smosh asks

[boundinparchment]

Karina crumbs please? 🥺 For both fics? 🥺

Of Blood and Sparks verse 2:

Karina travels to Inazuma, still frustrated with Zhongli, and doesn’t necessarily get along with Traveler

She sees certain signs of Fatui interference and in the back of her mind, she’s like “not again.” as Thoma discusses the civil war and the vision hunt decree.

I believe I have her hiding her vision and working for the Kamisato household for a while since her vision doesn’t work, etc.

At some point, she goes to confront the Shogun and demand an answer, but ends up detained by the Fatui first. This is blurry for me, I never had a good plot for the second fic

All in all, she doesn’t get the answers she wanted and Ayaka suggests going to the Narukami Shrine; perhaps Yae can help.

something something embracing fate Karina cries and returns to Liyue and forgives Zhongli

ummmmm don’t ask me what happens with Rhiannon meanwhile because I never had that plotted out

OBAS Verse 3:

Decided to bite the bullet and return to Fontaine. Does not follow game’s events at all

Rhiannon has been helping test a weapon that evaporates Fontaine’s drinking water and leaves behind a miasma that slowly kills people.

Major class divides, people suffering and disenfranchised

Karina having to bring her case back to Neuvillette and lacking evidence without Rhiannon or Dottore

sisterly reunion of a sort, doesn’t go very well, Karina is a coward

Celestia decides it wants to nail Fontaine something something working together with the Fatui

Karina gets her vision back by embracing fate

isk Fontaine is saved and everyone lives this one isn’t even outlined it just lives rent free in my head

The Heretic and the Forsaken Verse 1.5

Some time passes; Omega culls the Segments while Prime is in the lab

Prime collapses, entirely unresponsive, and Karina is left to control the lab

Meant to be a precursor to TMWYWB (man, I need a different title)

The Heretic and the Forsaken Verse 3

Fontaine, plot retconned a little. The Fatui are helping to build the project in the Fortress; class imbalances; Fontaine is the same but different

Struggling with their professional bond due to Dottore's last words to her

Pantalone and Dottore are the ones in Fontaine

Unrelated to the disappearing women, there's still a pattern that Karina thought would have stopped by now. Which means her old boss Sebastian is still up to his nonsense and no one stopped him.

The Whale Might Still Be a Thing, I Haven't Decided

Karina's old boss confronts her and challenges her to a duel in the prison's fight ring.

Karina slaughters Sebastian but not before he manages to distract her and take her arm. Literally. Bloody and without a dominate arm, she manages to kill him once her blood congeals and turns into a massive claw in place of her arm (remember when he injected her with weird shit?). Most canon cast is witness. Dottore is the one to shrug off his coat, scoop her up, and take her and her errant arm out of the arena.

He makes her a prosthetic; the hand is more like a claw but works just fine

Something something they make up kisses against her back as he works on the circuitry.

By the time the whale comes into play, she's fixed and can finally utilize that stupid rail gun from the first fic.

Something something Fontaine is protected, Karina mourns, maybe she never gets her vision back but at least she has someone to lean on idk anymore T_T

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (12-18 Feb 2023)

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

😊 "List of People Who Disappeared Mysteriously at Sea" (Jen Myers) - nicely eerie short story

😊 In The Market For Murder (Lady Hardcastle Mysteries #2) (T.E. Kinsey, author; Elizabeth Knowelden, narrator) - again, I'm a fan of the breezy 'not-super-serious-about-historical-accuracy-in-the-small-details' tone; I really like that Flo & Lady H have this backstory/history that we only find small bits about here and there

😍 Same As It Ever Was (QuokkaFoxtrot) - 62K, Steddie - EXCELLENT time-loop fixit AU

🥰 Cabin Pressure - Series 1: Abu Dhabi to Fitton (John Finnemore, author; Stephanie Cole/Roger Allam/Benedict Cumberbatch/John Finnemore, voice cast) - entertained again by the crew of MJN Airlines

😍 Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Make Steve a Match (BlueSimplicity) - 209K, shrunkyclunks - omegaverse (but fairly nontrad, no mpreg) - the slow burn tag is not inappropriate but also it kind of doesn't FEEL that slow! deep worldbuilding, excellent epistolary component, incredible OC's, the differences/subversions of trad omegaverse tropes gave me clowfish AU vibes, which I loved

😍 Will Wonders Never Cease (PorcupineGirl) - 56K, zimbits AU, You've Got Mail/She Loves Me fusion - magic's real, Bitty's a tech witch with a very cute familiar - read this in one sitting and my face hurt when I was done from smiling so much

🥰 Luke and Billy Finally Get a Clue (Cat Sebastian) - novella, set in 1953; to paraphrase the official description: two best friend pro ball players finally figure their shit out, featuring: inclement weather, only one (real) bed and some hurt/comfort. Technically this is set in the Cabot Universe but there are zero Cabots in this one. Cat continues to score home runs on vibes alone. I love her books so, so much!

💖💖 +189K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

I Want You to Find Me (PorcupineGirl) - Check Please!: zimbits, 23K - canon-divergent AU where Bitty's a camboy that catches Jack's attention (while also still being his former teammate and all)

Ruin me (rainbow_nerds) - Stranger Things: steddie, 11K - absolutely cannot get enough of a reunion/2nd chance fic!!!!! fluffy AF!

Critical Feline Mass (Kryptaria, zooeyscigar) - MCU: stucky, 39K - no-powers AU where they're both retired military, Steve rents an apt to a still-struggling-to-reintegrate Bucky & sparks (and feelings) fly. also there are a lot of adorable kittens.

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

Tom Scott & Gavin Free - "We tried the Hot Ones sauces. It was painful."

Queer Historical Romance panel with KJ Charles, AL Lester & Lex Croucher presented by The Portal Bookshop

Poker Face - s1, e5-7

Our Flag Means Death - s1, e8-10

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

⭐ Vibe Check - NFL = National Fenty League

Digital Folklore - Monsters and Mental Healthcare - Vivian Asimos & Kathleen Hale

The Sporkful - Alan And Arlene Alda Bonded Over A Fallen Rum Cake

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - The Henry Miller Memorial Library

You Must Remember This - 1984: "Vioporn," Body Double and Crimes of Passion (Erotic 80s Part 7)

Switched on Pop - “Flowers” and the art of the response song

Digital Folklore - Hidden Meanings (Haunted Videogames, ARGs, & Folk Groups)

Strange Customs - Katie Lowes and Adam Shapiro—The Rock

It's Been a Minute - Unlocking desire through smut; plus, the gospel of bell hooks

⭐ Vibe Check - There’s Dog Years, and Then There’s Queer Years

ICYMI Plus - The Internet’s Black Emo Renaissance

99% Invisible #525 - The Chinatown Punk Wars

⭐ Fated Mates - S05.22: Trailblazer K.J. Charles

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Pushkin’s Duel

Welcome to Night Vale #222 - Makarov the Magical

Shedunnit - Bonus: Tana French on Josephine Tey

Fated Mates - S05.14: Band Sinister by KJ Charles

Writing Excuses - 18.07: Deep Dive into THE SPARE MAN

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - Cactoblastis Memorial Cairn

Writing Excuses - 18.05: An Interview with Mary Robinette Kowal

Ologies - Melaninology (SKIN/HAIR PIGMENT) with Tina Lasisi

You Must Remember This - 1985: Fear Sex. Jagged Edge & AIDS (Erotic 80s Part 8)

Endless Thread - The Journeys of Two Russian Anti-War YouTubers

Strong Songs - From Bach to Miles Davis, with Emily Reese

You're Dead To Me - Early Medieval Papacy

It's Been a Minute - Kelela's guide for breaking up with men

Dear Prudence - My Partner Might Be in Conversion Therapy. Help!

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

Rihanna

The Celtic Spirit

my 'Thumbs Up' playlist

Tropical Dance Pop

Hi-Scores

[danwhobrowses]

AEW All Access Ep 4 Thoughts

So Full Gear is in the books in the All Access timeline, but what developments do we have next for our cast members? Here's my thoughts on things

Man imagine having a home like a wrestler's? Full of merch, titles you've won spread over your walls, spacious and you don't have to fork out rent? Plus I'd definitely borrow Rey Mysterio's waterfall swimming pool from his home

Pretty telling that Kenny probably wouldn't have come back without the Bucks, it shows how much he backs his friends though

Knew that was coming Max, but man we got about 3 minutes worth of unpaid MJF footage there

Actually quite surprised Tay never broke anything, it's a good thing of course even I've never broke a bone but I haven't done 2 bloody street fights and a career of Judo so my path was a little safer

This series need 90% more Willow Nightingale too she would be great in this...okay 70% she was shown quite a bit but she needs to be a more prominent character

"It's pro-wrestling baby, somebody's always mad about something" ain't that the Truth, the whole Truth and even the R-Truth

See I know I gotta keep reiterating it, but wrestlers are people, and sometimes people don't get along but that doesn't make either bad people; Tay and Ruby don't get along, but they are still good people, Rosa and Britt don't get along, but they both want to do what's best for AEW

Need 80% more Ethan Page too

Ruby and Eddie's reunion too, warms the heart

We could just commission a whole series of 'Eddie Kingston and his friends', just have Eddie vibing and watching wrestling with his favourite people like Ruby, Ortiz, Moxley, Riho, Lulu, Penta etc.

I do feel bad for Rosa, because she's clearly motivated to return to the ring but it still hasn't happened, imagine not being able to do a job you love for months

I kinda miss Madi Wrenkowski, not as much as I miss KiLynn King but she was a good worker, liked her gear too. Both see and King are tag champs in other promotions if you didn't know (Madi is NWA women's tag champion as part of M95 and King is Knockouts Tag Champion as part of The Coven)

80% more Penelope too, though if she's taking more time for herself for personal reasons absolutely don't pry she has had a rough time

You know the heat is bad when Sammy Guevara, one of the most booed men in AEW, has to pause over it XD

Again though, we could've dedicated more time with showing Jamie directly rather than talking around her. Her story of becoming champion and the pressure of it mentioned here would've been interesting to see coming from her instead of mentioned by Tony and Britt

Since we got to see Cool Hand Ang I need to say AEW need to push 2point0 properly, they are charisma machines

Wardlow is just standing there, OMINOUSLY!

As I've said, Ruby and Tay are good people, but I do think Ruby was a bit iffy about doubting Tay saying it was an accident, I mean the move has a high margin for error (case in point Mercedes Moné fka Sasha Banks' first attempt at the Gory Special DDT on KAIRI completely missed) it felt like she was set on giving a receipt regardless

[cakesplice]

my silly little non despair dr roomies au ramblings 💭

characters:

main housemates: chiaki + hajime + komaeda (aka tpg) and ibuki

floormates who are also dating main housemates and basically live in their apartment: akane and kaede

other people dating main housemates: maki

regular visitors: chihiro, himiko, kokichi, makoto, almost everyone in sdr2 with a focus on fuyuhiko, kazuichi, and maybe sonia

premise:

all dr casts are involved + hpa is still very much intact (unfortunately) (also i haven't decided if v3 cast also went to hpa or did their own thing lol)

tpg graduated together, alongside the rest of class 77-b and the year before class 78-b

tpg are qpps! platonic partners forever and ever

tpg decided to room with ibuki (much against their will at first since ibuki just needed to place to stay in between gigs but komaeda and ibuki had gotten closer so now she has occupied what was originally just a storage room for tpg)

they live in a 3 bedroom apartment in a skyrise building in the city (room 314 baybeyyy)

komahina share a room with each other while chiaki and ibuki have their own rooms respectively :]

relationships:

main couples: komahina, chikaemaki, miowari

other couples of importance: oumeno and naehiro

besties for the resties: tpg, chiaki + chihiro + himiko, komaeda + ibuki, kuzuhinasouda

komahina reconciled their differences nearing the end of their last term at hpa and took a shot at dating post grad before deciding to move in together a few years into their relationship

(chikaemaki origin story in the works) but chiaki was involved in komahina's plans to move in together in order to 'minimize rent costs' (they did not minimize rent costs) (not that they really needed to lol thank you old schmoney)

kaede lives in the same building as the main housemates and visits regularly! just not as often as akane because she's attached to her piano. chiaki spends as much time in her room as she does in kaede's apartment as they do a lot of parallel play ❤️ maki fucks off regularly for work trips and/or studies abroad though so piano tiles (chiaki and kaede) spend time together with her online gaming because e-daters (derogatory)

ibuki started seeing and dating akane after meeting again a high school reunion so now akane basically lives there (her apt is on the same floor but she's always in room 314 anyway)

oumeno and naehiro are high school sweethearts from their respective high schools ^___^ it did take oumeno longer to figure their shit out though LMFAO

occupations:

to be developed! i did not think that far ahead lol

the au itself takes place a few years after their intended hs graduation so they're all in their early 20s, but i'm not sure if i want them all to be in college / only some of them to be in college / all to be employed (part and/or full time) / etc

i think the only occupations i'm somewhat confident about are: ibuki (part-time singer-songwriter), chiaki (part-time streamer), and komahina are both currently in school working with hajime working part-time and komaeda as his stay-at-home wife (joke joke this is a joke don't k word me ty)

extras:

kaede's hs best friends are rantaro and shuichi who both visit occasionally

maki's hs best friends are kaito (visits occasionally) and himiko (always there)

himiko's hs best friend is angie (lives overseas)

i think apt 314 should have some pets. for funsies <3

🍓🐶🦔 i will keep adding to this post and changing things as i see fit :3 thanks for tuning in if you actually took the time to read this LOL 🍓🎼🔪

[realhousewives-fan]

A Break from Toxicity for the Greater Good

It’s a little awkward watching Shereé Whitfield’s lunch with the OGs.

It feels incomplete without Nene Leakes. But we’re never seeing her again, so there will be no true reunion for the OGs of RHOA.

And how strange wasn’t it to hear Kim Zolciak-Biermann deny the rumours of loosing her house? Especially when she’s going through a messy divorce right now!

Her life is falling apart, and she acts like nothing is wrong. That’s so bizarre to me!

But this absurdness aside, this episode appeared to be the break from negativity this group sorely needed.

The division in this cast has forced the show to a standstill and we’re stuck in a hamster wheel with the same bullshit, and it has not been fun to watch.

Sanya Richards-Ross’ MommiNation event was refreshing to say the least.

We’ve gotten away from a lot of charity events on Real Housewives, and Sanya’s MommiNation event seemed like a positive, uplifting event to celebrate women.

She asked Kenya Moore to be the auctioneer at her event, and even if it was sprung on Kenya on short notice, she took the challenge and helped Sanya reaching an impressive result.

The money was going to homeless mothers, to help them with their rent. Sanya was hoping for $50,000, and they ended up with impressive $78,000.

In the after show the women were shading Drew Sidora’s reluctancy to donate to the charity however, which makes me think that the friendship between Sanya and Drew isn’t getting that much better.

Is Kenya a hypocritical primadonna? Absolutely. But her comment “better late than ugly” made me laugh.

We finally got to see Roi whom she has been seeing lately. He surprised her while she was filming a commercial for Kenya Moore Hair Care, and it seemed like a cute moment.

It seems like he’s being a gentleman with her, and she deserves love.

We leave this group on a happier note than most episodes lately, and this episode ended with the midseason trailer that was all about Drew.

Something tells me that this break from toxicity won’t last long.

[ramblingdisaster73]

Damn, I really need to stew more on all this, I don't know what to think yet. But I just wanted to say that now I need, not wish but NEED, next episode to be such a good parallel of both 2x08 and 3x04 after all the angst we went through. I want to be shown Carlos realize his mistakes in a dreamlike/flashbacks fashion, maybe even with virtual Andrea, and I want TK & Gabriel team, and I crave a tearful reunion.

(Maybe we could also get a bit down the line some other obstacle for tarlos and Carlos tackling it differently to show us his growth, like they've done for TK last season and also this one.)

I also need 4x04 like, right now, Is it too much to ask?.

It's gonna be a loooong week.

p.s. sorry about the rent, I just needed to let it out

If 4x04 is really a big Tarlos episode, then we may get some of that. If they are drugging him, I can see them doing some type of flashbacks/dreams – maybe the still of Carlos we saw with what looks to be Andrea would be from that. It would be a perfect parallel with 3x04 – and we all know how much this show loves it’s parallels.

I also don’t know what to think about a few things and am trying to reserve judgement until next week, wait for that last piece of the puzzle that hopefully makes it all make sense. Or at least some of it.

I can say that the cast is absolutely killing it this season and I am grateful for that.

I can understand why Carlos would be upset with TK for talking to Iris, I get why he is panicked about finding her, and he is right to be- but dude, like you put the two of you on this time frame – not TK.

I hope he realizes that he can’t control everything and everyone around him – since he is literally now in a situation he has zero control over, this may be the direction. Maybe even the lesson he learns. But they need to show it, it needs to be on screen.

So far, it’s lie on top of lie. I am more convinced of an Carlos/Iris reunion (not romantic – just that will be the one that matters to him) than I am of a Carlos/TK reunion. I may be wrong on this, but considering the first 3 eps, that is the way it looks to me.

I am figuring out that the episodes that just leave me with more questions give me a lot more inspiration for writing and this episode is loaded with questions. By the time the next one airs, I will have worked through some of my issues with the storylines, and I will probably enjoy it more.

I am interested in the TK/Gabriel team up – glad Owen won’t be involved, even though the way they cut the promo it looked like he would be, but we have already been told multiple times that he won’t be available. It will be an interesting dynamic, that’s for sure.