#they'll miss out on all the important little details that made *you* like it too

[juneboat]

so anyways the latest rtgame video makes me want to cry /very pos

[hubbvrd]

Family | Sam Hubbard

summary — sam meets your family for the first time

pairing — sam hubbard x reader

words — 2058 words

notes — y/l/n = your last name ; y/m/n = your mothers name ; y/f/n = your fathers name

Nervously, you try again to follow the steps of the hairstyle video that is playing on your cell phone.

Although it wasn't a complicated hairstyle and the woman in the video showed you the steps in detail, you just couldn't manage it, which was probably due to your nervousness.

Because today was the first time you were going to introduce Sam to your family.

Your family already knew that you had been in steady hands for three months and they had been planning to invite you and Sam to your parents' house for months.

However, since the NFL season had started again a few weeks ago, this had more or less turned out to be difficult, as Sam was quite busy and it was difficult to find a day on which the family reunion could take place.

Because if you and Sam could, someone else couldn't. But today was finally the day and in less than an hour your family would meet the man by your side who made you happy beyond measure.

With a quiet curse, you locked your cell phone and threw the hair ties back in the box before glancing at your reflection in the mirror.

Your make-up was surprisingly perfect today, which, to be honest, didn't happen very often.

But now you had to come up with a plan B for your hair.

Before you could think any further, however, the bathroom door opened and Sam stuck his head inside.

"Honey?" Sam asked, looking at you through the mirror.

"Yes?" you replied and turned to face him as Sam opened the door a little more and came inside the bathroom.

"Can I put this on like this?" as he spoke, he made a hand gesture to draw attention to the white shirt he was wearing.

"Do you want me to get you another jacket?" you tease him, grinning slightly as you take a step towards your friend and straighten the collar of his shirt.

"Am I too overdressed?" You can hear the slight panic in his voice, so you carefully place your hand on his bicep and look up at him.

"No, babe. You're not. But I know you don't like wearing shirts too much, so a white T-shirt would be perfectly fine."

You give him a gentle look as his expression slowly relaxes.

"You know how important it is for me to make a good impression on your family. I want them to like me," he says openly, expressing his thoughts and concerns.

You knew that Sam was pretty nervous about today's meeting and had already been worrying a lot, so much so that you had found him in the kitchen yesterday in a state of total agitation, driving himself crazy with the worst things that could happen today.

"I know that and so will you. They'll love you just as much as I love you."

You carefully place your hands on his cheeks, which you gently stroke with your thumbs and begin to notice that your boyfriend is slowly beginning to relax under this touch.

"Thank you," he says and presses a gentle kiss to your forehead. "So you'd rather wear a T-shirt, eh? I don't want them to think that I only wear shirts in my free time."

Before you can even begin to reply, Sam has already disappeared from the bathroom to get changed.

And so you turn your attention back to your hair problem, hoping to get a proper hairstyle in the next few minutes.

Barely fifty minutes later, you finally reach your parents' house.

You simply couldn't miss the house, as it was the most conspicuous house on the street.

You remember all too well how your father took you and your brother to the DIY store one day, where the two of you were allowed to choose a color for the front of the house.

And since then, the yellow house lit up the whole street.

But it wasn't just the yellow color of the house that was striking, but also the countless colorful flowers that stretched from the driveway all the way up to the house and gave you the feeling of being in a flower paradise.

"The potted flower was a really good idea for your mother," Sam grinned as he got out of the car and reached for the potted flower he had chosen as a gift for your mother.

He had bought a six-pack of beer for your father, which he tucked loosely under his arm and grabbed your hand with his other hand, interlacing your fingers.

"You got that tip from me too," you grin before you make your way to the veranda together.

Countless colorful flower pots of all sizes had found their place on the veranda and here, too, there was a beautiful colorful chaos.

Your mother loved flowers and gardening so much that you have never known your home without colorful flowers for as long as you can remember.

A smile immediately began to form on your lips as you started to feel at home again.

You've hardly seen your family in the last few weeks and have only spoken briefly now and again, as the last few weeks have been pretty stressful. But that makes you even happier to finally see them all again.

"Ready?" you whisper quietly in Sam's direction as you suddenly start to get nervous yourself.

For the first time in four years, your parents would be meeting a new man at your side and you were really nervous about how they would find Sam and how everyone would get along. 

"Ready," Sam assured you, gently squeezing your hand to confirm his word.

Without hesitation, you raise your hand and knock firmly on the white door, which seemed to have seen better days.

It didn't take long for the door to open and your mother appeared with a broad grin.

"My darling! There you are!" your mother happily pulls you into a tight hug, which makes you feel like you can't breathe for a moment.

"I'm happy to see you too, Mom. But if you hug me so tightly, I won't get to eat," you reprimand her lightly, while a soft giggle creeps over your lips.

"I'm just so happy to finally see you again" as she speaks, your gaze wanders over to Sam and, so that your boyfriend can greet your mother better, you carefully remove your hand from his.

"It's really nice to meet you Mrs. Y/L/N. I'm Sam, Sam Hubbard."

With a nervous smile, Sam holds out his hand to your mother, but your mother ignores the gesture and pulls Sam into a warm hug with a big grin, which takes Sam quite by surprise, so you press your hand over your mouth to stifle your giggles.

"Call me y/m/n, please! I've heard so many positive things about you and I'm so excited to finally get to know you better," she babbles as she pulls Sam into the kitchen with her and begins to engage him in conversation.

With a smile on your lips, you look after the two of them before walking through the open hallway into the living room and then outside onto the terrace, where you find your brother and father already having a barbecue.

You could never have imagined that your mother wouldn't like Sam, as it was pretty easy to win your mother's heart and convince her of your boyfriend.

But this would prove more difficult with your brother and your father, and you start to hope that Sam will be able to win them over with his easy-going and charming manner.

"Hey Dad, Hey Nolan," you greet them both and are pulled into a warm hug one after the other, something your family was all too well known for.

"Where did you leave your boyfriend?" your father asks as he looks behind you into the house and keeps his eyes peeled for Sam.

"He's at mom's. I think she's already feeding him all sorts of things so he won't be hungry for meat anymore,"  you say with a wry grin, causing your father and brother to roll their eyes.

"Would you like a drink?" your brother asks shortly afterwards, holding out a bottle of water and a can of Coke.

"Thanks," you thank him and reach for the can of Coke.

With the can in your hand, you watch your brother and father tending to the barbecue.

Shortly afterwards, Sam and your mother join them and Sam was actually eating a piece of homemade bread.

"Your bread is really incredible, y/m/n," he praises your mother, whose cheeks immediately turn red and you knew that Sam's charm had your mother wrapped around her finger. 

"Dad, Nolan? That's my boyfriend, Sam. Sam? This is my father y/d/n and my brother Nolan," you introduce the three of them to each other and watch, heart beating faster, as your brother and father look at Sam critically for a moment before the two of them pull him into a warm hug as well.

First part successfully mastered and hopefully the rest of the day would continue like this.

While Sam joins your father and brother at the barbecue to start chatting with them, you follow your mother into the kitchen, where you find countless tasty treats.

Every time you have a barbecue at home, your mother literally outdoes herself with baked bread, fruit platters and salads.

"Wow. That looks really incredible, mom" you praise her as you help her take the food out to the table, as the meat will be ready in a few minutes.

"Thank you, darling," she replies with a smile and presses a soft kiss to your cheek. "I like Sam. He makes a really good impression. I think he'll fit in well with our family."

You feel the warmth rise slightly in your cheeks and a warm, pleasant feeling spreads through your stomach.

All the worries you used to have about your family not liking Sam or Sam not feeling comfortable here are gone. 

"Thanks, mom, that's really nice to hear. And I hope Dad and Nolan will see it the same way."

"They do, look," with a nod, my mom pointed towards the garden, where all three of them were standing a little way from the barbecue, throwing the football to each other, and Sam was the one grinning the most.

And to capture this moment in pictures, you reach for your cell phone to take a photo.

After everything is ready on the table, a few minutes later the meat is ready and you're all sitting at the table together.

Sam, who is sitting next to you, has your left hand on your leg while he keeps trying to tell your mother that he has had enough of all her salads on his plate.

But she keeps trying to push more on him, so you have to speak up to stop her.

"Mom, I think that's enough. Otherwise I'll have to roll him home later," you joke, making the whole table laugh.

"I'll be happy to pack you something for tomorrow or the next few days, Sam. You have to try everything," your mother babbles again, before shoving a piece of meat into her mouth and starting to chew with relish.

"I have a better idea," Sam began, squeezing your leg gently before continuing. "Why don't we repeat this day more often? Then I can continue to enjoy y/d/n's barbecue skills and taste your delicious dishes."

It wasn't always the biggest words that became the most meaningful words.

Because it was often normal sentences that changed things.

And Sam's words were such words.

It couldn't make you any happier that Sam got on so well with your family and even wanted to see them again more often.

With a broad grin on your lips, you pull his face closer to you.

"I love you so much. And those words are so incredibly sweet of you," you breathe softly against his lips before kissing him.

And thanks to your family, who have welcomed Sam so incredibly well and have already taken him into their hearts, you know for sure that Sam is the right one for you and your family.

[myuiis]

(same anon who asked for sinu analysis) well first off let me ask your thoughts on YeonhuixSinu

Despite my undying love for this man- I'll admit they're cute n all BUT I always felt it was undeveloped.

I don't know if it's just me but when Jason (I think) said he'd snitch about him being with neko to her I was confused back when he was still under the influence of those pills at workers. Like, Did I miss something? Did I forget something from the gaps between the arcs? Idk. But even if she was shown to be worried over Sinu, it didn't seem romantic at all especially that all the big deal girls cared too. PTJ also made it seem like an already established relationship and I'm still questioning when?? She seemed to know him well and all but no hinting of any romantic attraction was there, just your average big deal romanticism and admiration lol.

I understand that PTJ has to leave some details away for the sake of the pacing but I think he could've at least thrown some hints here and there.

ok yeah. so this won't be a super long post because i am tired but good lord i am very... lukewarm about sinu and yeonhui. im with you on the "who?" when yeonhui was mentioned again in 2a. now im glad that sinu is with someone he's happy with but man... sinu and yeonhui is just such a mid ship compared to literally anyone else he could've been shipped with. let me explain.

yeonhui's lack of presence in the story. now this is probably the main reason i find this ship so lackluster. how am i supposed to root for a ship when the female love interest is literally like npc #125? while she did have more presence than the other girls on the street, this isn't really a high bar considering ptj's track record writing female characters. and this isn't to say she was boring or had a bland personality either (even though she KINDA did...). she was strong and independent, stood up to samuel when he tried to extort them for money (iirc), bore the burden of sinu's sacrifice and stayed strong for big deal, and was there to comfort jake when he learned of the news. she could've been a REALLY interesting character because she was so strong and also stuck to her ideals in the same way sinu did, so they could've been such a power couple, had yeonhui been developed more. it would've been nice to see yeonhui and sinu strategize about how to protect big deal together, or see more of yeonhui bandaging and caring for sinu after he gets hurt, or seeing sinu bring yeonhui gifts and money... or anything, really. the two have barely have any substantial interactions over the entire arc besides the last part where sinu's about to sacrifice himself, so much so that it makes me wonder... who is this yeonhui person? why are they important again.

chemistry. this mainly comes up to personal preference but yeonhui and sinu feel more like an older sister-younger brother dynamic to me. yeonhui took sinu in as a child, fed, clothed, and cared for him, and then continues to take care of him as an adult, which comes off as big sis behavior. again, some people may like this dynamic romantically, but i personally find it super platonic and sibling-leaning.

other sinu ships. idk. just find it a LITTLE heteronormative that any man and woman who share a little bit of screentime together are instantly a couple while sinu and jake can be out here pulling "you are my everything" and "i came back to big deal for you and you alone, jake" moments, and they'll still be just "good bros". again, kind of up to personal preference, but if you compare yeonhui x sinu to jake x sinu or even samuel x sinu, there's a clear lack of interactions and chemistry for yeonhui x sinu

so yeah. thats kinda it. this ended up being way longer than i expected so im not gonna write a conclusion paragraph but those are my thoughts around yeonhui and sinu together romantically.

[belltrigger]

Not really an question but I just wanted to drop in and say that it's very impressive and admirable that you're still making blankshipping content after all these months! I'm a casual reader of your works (admittedly stopped reading for a while) and your determinism and general vibes are quite inspirational!

Have a good day!

Aw, thanks for the kind words! (੭*ˊᵕˋ)੭ It means a lot to me to hear you enjoy my works! Thank you for reading! ♪(´▽｀)

To be quite honest, I wouldn't be able to write so much, and think and build and create with such energy if it weren't for my friends I've made in the community, as well as the positive feedback from anons.

Obviously, @glassesblu is my partner in crime, and makes the mass majority of content with me. With Riso's help, I've grown my ideas in ways I never thought possible. ddIngo, for example, evolved and expanded thanks to his help, and I honestly would have never thought that story could get so deep and detailed. Whenever I get nervous about my writing, they'll read my WIPs and give me encouragement! Riso came up with the idea for our Submastober, and kept me going strong the whole month!

@eyreyereye was probably the first person I approached in the Blankship community and he was soooo kind and patient with my overenthusiastic approach! I have him to thank for talking with me and helping me cement my fondness for the Twins in the very early days of my interest in Blankshipping. He's so cool to talk to, and honestly I need to gather more spoons to talk with him more often!

@allaboardtheblankship going through RS Submastober with me and Riso was really exciting! I looked forward to every entry and was blown away each time! They kept me and Riso so very hyped up despite how busy the month was! Thank you for the care and interest in our prompts (❁´◡`❁)

@feroluce writes SO much good stuff. Fero also has a very important skill - they are merciless with the whump and tragedy >:) And that is great, because I am too mushy to write it haha! But also, their tags are the sweetest and funny and interesting and insightful. I wish I could convince them to write that in the body of their posts so I could reblog it, eheh!

@dingo-on-a-farm is a beast (ha ha ˋ( ° ▽、° ) , and it's honestly really fun to try and come up with things that inspire him to draw. Also, his art has inspired me more than once to write!!

I do miss @tsumisan6v9 but I know they're verrrrry busy, and peek back every once in a while when they can.

@megadraws makes SO much cool fanart and I get such inspiration whenever I see their art. I've already doodled one of the outfits Mega made for Emmet, and I wanna draw more. (Also, like, have you seen their art for Dear!Emmet and Courier!Emmet and a little cameo by ddIngo??)

@unovanhunny and @tombstone-pisa too! Their stories and idea brainstorming are so exciting to listen to and read. Ehehe, they're both really creative, and inspire me to keep trying new ideas for Blankshipping, both in AU form and in the little one shot stories I like to write that don't exist in any particular timeline.

@alphagodith also!!! was so!!! friendly!! 🥺All the help and encouragement given to me was greatly appreciated. Coloring my art to encourage me, talking to be about making a ko-fi, and helping me with discord really means so much to me.

@feldkommandant has helped me with my more spicy stories on more than one occasion and it means a lot! UwU clearly, I need to write more to show my appreciation.

Man, there are a lot more people out there who inspire me and keep me going. Some of them are on twitter, some are on the discord, and some I don't know if I should tag because of their inactivity here. But I hope they know I appreciate their continued enthusiasm in the fandom!

Honestly, when it comes down to it, people reading and enjoying my stories, no matter how infrequently, is why I keep writing! (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧ I want there to be lots of stories for people to read, and when I can help do that, I feel happy!

Riso actually commissioned me! So, anyone who enjoys Mermmet (Riso's mermaid Emmet AU) will be verrrrry excited! It might not happen until the new year because I've been driving a lot and also got reaaaaaally sick over the Christmas weekend while out of state. o(￣┰￣*)ゞ

But!!! Thank you again for reading my fics!! I'll keep writing as long as people want to keep reading (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

EDIT: So!! I haven't really talked to @rotting-lilies as much as I would like to, so I was kind of hesitant about being too forward. But I have to say it! Rot's art is so cool and stylish! I'm in awe of the colors and design sense in every picture! It's such an eye catching style. The best artists are blankshippers, it's true!

[littlelordalphinaud]

3, 6, 9, and 14 for any ocs of your choosing! :3 Or maybe all of them can answer?

Soft OC Asks!

So I'll be answering these for: Adya, Ebegei and Xihrha (I answered all of them for Yiyite here!)

Obviously these are not all of my WoLs, but they're the ones that have experienced the most trauma so I think they deserve some softness! (This is discounting Sai, mostly because while she does indeed have major trauma, she still struggles in the idea that she can want things so would have difficulty answering some of the questions, which is why she was left out of the tags and out of these answers)

---

3. How do they laugh?

Adya - Adya has a naturally very big laugh that always fills the space around them, but they don't tend to use it often. Mostly, you'll get a snort and then they hide themself behind their hands to hide that they're laughing.

Ebegei - She's a giggler. She's not fond of being reminded of this fact, but they giggle like an anime girl when something tickles them. (Maral always used to tease her about it)

Xihrha - Xih, much to her distaste, has a habit of barking with laughter. Short, sharp exclamations of mirth that are almost immediately followed by red cheeks and hands over her mouth before she does it again!

6. What’s something that will always make them smile no matter how many times they’ve seen it?

Adya - Alphinaud and G'raha smiling. They are sappy as fuck and if they see their boyfriends smiling, they can't help but smile too!

Ebegei - Less of a seeing and more of a touch. People dragging the backs of their nails over her horns. Omiar used to do it to help them get to sleep when they were a little kid, so no matter how bad things get, if people run their nails over her horns, she relaxes and she smiles.

Xihrha - Following Hades around with her bagpipes and watching him try and deny that he's the reason she's there. She doesn't do it often, he has a very important job, after all! But sometimes he gets a little too serious and out come the bagpipes. Hades despises the fact that Hyth approved the concept and made them for her.

9. What’s a small detail about them that if someone remembers will make them extremely happy?

Adya - Their sound sensitivity. Being autistic and the Warrior of Light means that they often end up having to ignore how overstimulating things are, especially cities with so many people and noises! It always makes them happy when people remember that they can only handle so much noise and help adjust their surroundings.

Ebegei - How much she misses Dalmascan food! Ebegei spent most of their childhood in Dalmasca, and they miss the food so much. Honestly, if you ever attempt a Dalmascan dish for her, they'll love you forever!

Xihrha - Eeeeeeeaaaaaarrrrr scriiiiiitchiiiieeeessss~! Scritchy scritchy the ears and she'll even purr! (& Then get immediately embarrassed that she's purring)

14. How sappy are they?

Adya - On a scale of 1-10? Yes. If given half a chance, they WILL go on and on and on about how amazing their boyfriends are. They tell everyone! Even the cats they look after in Mor Dhona. ESPECIALLY the cats they look after in Mor Dhona.

Ebegei - She IS but they don't tend to admit to it. Ebegei is very sappy in private, reading poetry, telling Y'shtola and Zero that she loves them in between their every sentence, etc. But in public, there's no sign of that person.

Xihrha - HAHAHAHA no. Xih isn't sappy in the slightest, she's a fucking Gremlin. She loves her polycule, of course! But her way of showing that love is trying to bring joy into their lives through laughter, not through sappiness!

[thegongoozlerreacts]

Welcome Home: Homewarming Update

ok so. yes i KNOW its been like several weeks already since this has been first updated and im very much late to the party (thankfully not late enough to have missed everything) but i was soooo freaking busy since the update dropped, and now i finally have the time to check it out!!!! lets GOOO!!!

spoilers under the cut

so number one thing i noticed: new link and in fact, new site domain (is that what its called?? well my point is that it's no longer being hosted by wix which yeah, that makes sense)

another thing i noticed is there are no more bug videos and doodle audio (aww)

i havent checked if the askew letter links still work but i will check now

ok just checked and nope! does not work, which means most of the secret links prior to this website change are no longer working (unsure if they'll be added back later on, but i hope they will) it's not too bothersome that they're gone, since im sure they've all been uploaded somewhere on YouTube, but it's more fun going to the actual links myself hehe

anyways! moving on to the actual update

Christmas!! or, as they call it, Homewarming

the little doodles are cute, however I am a bit suspicious of the star with its red eye (but the ham is most suspicious, what's it doing there in a tree?!?!?)

interesting placement for this tree, since it is boxing in a letter

i wonder if that means there's some new secret links? i'll take note of it

now, let's head over to the News page

he is presenting jello to me

so the post regarding the actual update is dated as December 25 2023, followed by a correction where the person says they're unsure how they made that mistake

lolol nice we got Christmas in spring

anyways, it says that there are toys, more cookbook pages, AND more vinyl records!! excited to check these out!!

let's head on over to the Merchandise page

??? CIGARETTES????

bro 😭😭 who thought it was a good idea to sell child-friendly tobacco pipes,,, thats crazy,,, also another brand mention: Hooplah cigarettes

ok so among the website changes, there's also some changes to old stuff, such as the telephone (the layout for the audio is different, and it seems Wally's audio is no longer there (not even hidden, like before)

new cookbook pages!

the first ten pages are of various hotdogs with one-sentence puns about them,, incredible

this one is my favorite LMFAOOO

DD: OH NO !!!

the crispy sweets pancakes look like they'll give me diabetes

the single pea in gelatin recipe is singlehandedly the funniest recipe i've ever seen because like,,, you made a whole gelatin, and you put just a single pea in the center of it,, just one.. LMFAOOOO

Julie's gelatin just. makes you put in a whole MUG in the gelatin?!??!?!? a mug full of hot cocoa??!? at least Frank's gelatin is edible all throughout?!?!?!

bye i saw 'Poppy Partridge' and the picture of a turkey and i was like '?? yOU COOKED HER???' but then i read the full title and it says it's a bird-free birdseed turkey LMFAO

perfect. the best recipe in this whole cookbook, im sure

there's a cigarette here?? even tho this isnt the smoking merch?? its a book??

so the book is a catalogue for toys and merch they were selling during the holidays, very cool

hELP THEY LOOK SO SILLY

what did they do to my boys 😭😭 his forehead is MASSIVE

lowkey tho i want that Julie Build-Your-Own-Game Kit cuz like wow, that is a bunch of toys in that one kit n its really cheap????

oh my god i just realized. the Marlo logo looks like a swirly eye inside a house what the hell

anywyas now its time for the radio advertisement ft. Santa himself

hmm interesting how the ad ends in glitchy noises upon saying Eddie's name, the only one who was not mentioned with a specific set unlike the others (tho that may not be that important of a detail)

next up is another storybook record! featuring Wally singing a song??!? awesoem

sorry im laughing at the absolute difference in tone and energy between the Narrator and Wally

Narrator's got a boisterous loud voice and then cut to Wally in his little low-energy voice LMFAO

Barnaby and Wally are so cute together <333

FRANK: How I would say what? JULIE: What who would the huh?

LMFAO the way Julie said her line was way too funny

FRANK: (Frank greets Wally Warmly, but is cold with Barnaby.) Hello, Wally. Barnaby. BARNABY: (Said in a similar tone mockingly.) Hiya Jewels! Frank.

Frank and Barnaby fighting is honestly one of the funniest dynamics in the whole Neighborhood to me

Julie goes into hibernation?? legit ??? nice

HELP ME WALLY JUST DEADPAN SAYING 'Shush.' TO BARNABY'S LOUD ASS VOICE LMFAOOAOA

i dont think the 'Caninus Coccinellidae' is a real bug that exists, since i tried searching it up and only got coccinellidae in general i wonder what exactly this insect is, since the word 'caninus' means it relates to canines or dogs a dog ladybug sounds like a very interesting creature

help did Howdy somehow sneak an advertisement for his store in the narrator's script 😭😭 incredible

i really like Howdy's voice, its really fitting for him

SALLY IS CLIMBING THE TREE?????

she's climbing it to stay the biggest star in town LMFAO

is she just gonna be there the whole season or something??? at least her outfit slays???

i love how dramatic Sally is but like girlie dont fall off the tree??!??!?!

oh Santa Claus mention

this talk about food is making me hungry LOL

wait did the narrator just say that all the neighborhood's been accounted for?? but what about Eddie??? he hasnt shown up??

what the hell?? what's that weird noise in the back of Wally saying 'How can that be?' is it a voice? it kinda sounds like its saying something

well this was a very cute story (still wondering where Eddie is)

after this is audio of Wally singing!! more Wally singing!! very cool

and now we've got an album of (almost) everyone else singing too!

interestingly, there's a drawing of an envelope on the audio tab thing i wonder if thats important

Sally's really good at singing actually all their singing voices are really good

SALLY: Juliette, I fell from the sky, you fell from a house... LMFAO they're so silly

next up is a track featuring Howdy's family? oooh

i cant believe his mom and dad are named 'Hiya' and 'Biya' respectively,,, amazing,, is the rest of the family gonna be named with words used for greetings and farewells??

his brother is named Latter tho oh,, Latter like 'later' like 'see ya later' because his sister and brother are named Seeya and Latter and wow,,,, amazing

also Howdy's clear favorites LMFAO

ok i kinda feel bad for Latter that Howdy likes his brother-in-law more than his own brother 😭

also?? Seeya and Beeya's kids being named Howdo and Youdo??? amazing lmao

also its interesting how on the album cover you can see how Howdy's parents and his sister have wings but theyre still caterpillars???

i think its really funny that there's just some random person there named 'Sue' who isnt even part of the family LMFAOO

also the grandma being named Sally Tations is really clever i think

Barnaby showing up at the end only adds fuel to the fire of my Barnaby x Howdy ship

and now its the tobacco pipe merch that absolutely baffles me

the ad audio features Barnaby and Howdy advertising it to Howdy's nephews,,,,, at least theyre not letting them smoke for real?????

now we got a Frank solo album where he sings a song about hibernation, cute

Even if I might not be able to see you, I know it’s for the best, I can’t keep you,

OUCH? this song is kinda sad what the fuck 😭😭 aww Frank :(((

more merchandise after this is some greeting cards for homewarming that are very cute, but not much to see other than a hibernating Julie and Barnaby and Wally being besties

after that is a crispy sweets frosted cereal, that apparently has a holiday-themed decoder ring?? with Eddie?? hmmm interesting

OH MY GOD. THE LITTLE DRAWINGS ALL OVER THE SITE ARE FOR THIS DECODER RING???

but whats the key?? is it just this as it is on the box? is there another clue on the site?

ok i think first i will finish checking all the pages before going around and looking for the symbols

checking the guestbook, and while you still cant submit anything new, it seems there also is just... no more guestbook?? thats too bad

theres new Homewarming stickers!! i love them theyre so cute!! everyone in a snowglobe doing things that we've heard them doing in the storybook audios! nice nice

nothing new in media, the 'whats welcome home' page, and the about us page (besides the Homewarming symbols)

oh actually something notable about the About Us page is that there is no longer any of the glitchy overlayed text, which makes sense since they mention in the News page that the website is free of bugs and glitches

aww everyone's homes in The Neighborhood page are all Homewarming-themed now! hmm except for Home and Eddie's post office

well, you can see a decorated Home when you enter the page but the Post Office being the only not decorated even a bit is interesting,,, Eddie also wasnt in the Homewarming Storybook Record,,, hmmmm

i dont know if it means anything but it is interesting

the staff only version of The Playfellow Exhibition is no longer on the site (or if it is i cant find it)

well it seems like i've gone through every new thing besides the secret code, which i think might be a link, since on the guestbook page there were 3 symbols that looked like a genie's lamp, which translates to 'w' so its probably a link

actually, now that im looking at it closer its probably like. a cup like the one that pours out gravy in the dinner scene in Coraline

ok im pretty sure i've got all the symbols scattered over the site, but i have NO idea what order they should be in

i, o, m, a, a, r, e, t, y, g, y, e, r, f, s, n, e, w, n, w, w, w, y

maybe instead of a link its a scrambled message?

ok i honestly have no idea where to go from here so,,, searching the internet it is !!

OK!!! since i am so incredibly late to the party, i've found the secret code on the internet kakakka

it is this https://www.awayfrompryingeyes.net

oh that makes sense,,, its a phrase that was similar to one used in the news update about Homewarming "Don’t you feel at peace exploring these pages? Free from worry? From prying eyes?"

very very interesting! lets check it out

very very interesting indeed,, ok so basically this site is gonna be an archive for the secrets from before, and all entries are signed 'W' which is very interesting too

the person writing these seem to be the creator of the site? or at least someone who manages the site

lets check out the evidence thats been archived here so far

ok so i think these evidences are actually NEW things which is cool! presumably past secrets (such as the bug videos, doodle audios, askew letters and others) will be added onto here at some point in time

now lets listen to this phone call that 'W' has gotten from Wally himself

so Wally is singing Toyland again

i wonder if there will ever come a time where we can be able to respond or communicate with Wally

he mentions that Barnaby will be here soon hmm tbh when the site first launched i had read some theories that maybe Wally was literally physically isolated from the rest of the neighborhood (something to do with the so below stuff i think?) but if Wally is being a reliable narrator (as in, he's telling the truth that Barnaby really is gonna visit him soon), then that disproves that

he seems to be left alone most of the time tho i think?? well at least now during Homewarming season since he said everyone's busy

he might not be physically isolated from the rest of the neighborhood, but he probably still feels pretty lonely :((

anyways, the next evidence is under 'commercials' i wonder what this will be

omg??? animated stuff??? thats so cool :000 an animated commercial for crispy sweets, incredible

oh! a commercial for the cookbook why is there just. a ham?? under the tree ?? i think the one single pea on a plate is the funniest gag ever

Wally's ball and cup,,,, what does it say about me that even tho its not real i still want it??? its said to be made by the 'you-wont-believe-it' company, which is interesting since im pretty sure so far the only companies noted to be involved with Welcome Home is Playfellow, Marlo, and the crispy sweet cereal so now we've got another affiliation (oh and the cigarette brand, Hooplah)

commercial for the "Homewarming Harmonies for Hearth and Home" Album, featuring a duet with Frank and Poppy!! Poppy's voice sounds really good also the Homewarming tree is made of food???

A COMMERCIAL FEATURING EDDIE ?? Eddie who has been suspiciously absent from the Homewarming festivities??

ah i see... Eddie's been working during Homewarming huh? maybe thats why the Post Office isnt decorated and he wasnt in the storybook record? cuz he was working??? no but thats weird,, Wally and Barnaby were walking around so surely they wouldve at least bumped into him delivering stuff?? maybe he was in his post office then?

an ad-break card with Frank and Sally, cute cute i remember there was a similar holiday-themed 'we'll be right back' card with Frank and Julie decorating a cake, i wonder if that will appear here?

OH?? a commercial featuring Barnaby's mom?? aww ok their dynamic is cute (even if its just a commercial for eggnog)

OMG ANOTHER ANIMATED COMMERCIAL WITH HOWDY AND BARNABY its for the cigarettes LOL

EDDIE AGAIN oH NO I FEEL SO BAD FOR HIM IS HE ALONE ON THE HOLIDAYS??? SO HE'S JUST BEEN IN THE POST OFFICE THIS WHOLE TIME BY HIMSELF???? PLEASE,,,, EDDIE GO OUTSIDE or someone like. go inside or call this man i cant take the idea of Eddie being alone wtf?!??!?!?

and now an ad-break card with Poppy and Julie

and now what i think is a continuation of the commercial for the Homewarming album

NOOOOOOOO EDDIE....... GO OUTSIDE JUST DONT WORK...... PLEASE..... someone give this man something to deliver GAH he's mad ?!??! Eddie Dear please go outside (SOMEONE TALK TO THIS MAN) he's played several games of tic-tac-toe by himself,,,, my guy,,,, go on that walk thank you

the fact that Eddie isnt in ANY of these commercials,, oh my god,,,,,,,

another continuation for the Homewarming album

Sally, Julie, and Poppy singing together,,, thats so cute,,

i cant. everyone hanging out together in these commercials with no Eddie in sight i feel so bad

FRANK AND SALLY FIGHTING?!??!

is this a commercial for sleeping pills????? im ??? this show is so so crazy like ?? the in-universe show i mean,, cuz what?? they got so many merchandise and records and a bunch of brand deals and its all just been wiped?!??!?! like ?? what happened???

oh no time to dwell on that we got Sally and Eddie lets go he's getting some social interaction

lets go he has a happy ending he's at the party !!!

ok i read ahead in the transcript and oh no im afraid now ?? Eddie?? hello?? Eddie are you ok?? i dont think this man is ok he needs help oh my god what is this

im scared LOL this was not a good idea to do at 3 am im really unnerved right now but mostly i think this guy needs help someone please help him

something about reality is shattering for him i think??? maybe ?? its the way the video is going back and forth between live-action scenes and a drawing of Eddie's face (and Home's eyes)

jesus that was a jumpscare with Frank's voice coming in out of the silence

ah its still all glitchy and distorted i dont know what's the correct term for what Eddie is experiencing but he is NOT having a good time

FRANK SWITCHING FROM CALLING HIM 'MR. DEAR' TO 'EDDIE' HAS ME ILL being in Eddie's perspective with static in the ears while he's looking down is so. i dont know how to explain it but its uncomfortable and unnerving (which is probably what he's feeling)

the fact that he only looks up after Frank probably shook his shoulders or something to get his attention ughdjskdhfkjdssjkjkew (cuz his arms are outstretched when the camera pans up to look at his face/when Eddie looks up at Frank)

bro that was a jumpscare with the narrator after like,, that whole segment i guess

so rewatching that last bit when Eddie seems to be like. present enough to respond/say something or be aware of whats going on i guess, the screen gets less glitchy and distorted and thats like a nice detail

so thats why Eddie’s been kinda just,, missing from the Homewarming on the actual site

i hope Eddie turns out ok :(((( PLEASE THIS STORY NEEDS TO HAVE A HAPPY ENDING OR I WILL CRY SO HARD THAT I WILL TRANSFORM INTO AN OYSTER

interestingly W’s note after the compiled commercials says that “the show never appeared beyond clips of Eddie Dear”

so all those segments with Eddie were, i guess, the ‘holiday special’ that the commercials were interrupting and all

thats so so crazy,, im so late to the party but i honestly dont even know where to begin with all of that but like. im rooting for you Eddie !!!!!

well thats it for now, until the next update! make sure to wave up high, neighbors

[leconcombrerit]

Greetings wonderful artist which art I adore. You are a major inspiration, especially with the cloth designs coming around.

However... I wondered if I could ask for a little something, I'm also an artist but somehow I'm managing to get the audience to see my art, recently (as I type this... Yesterday) I finished this little portrait.

I wondered if you could give your honest opinion and perhaps a little bit of advise on how I could get some audience.

With care,

👑 Romano ( @the-royal-prince )

P.S. I was talking about this artpiece:

https://the-royal-prince.tumblr.com/post/679226536660008960

P.S.S If you are curious for my few other pieces #Romano Creates, there isn't too much arts around. But I love them and I would like a little bit of affection for them, honesty speaking.

Hey ! First of all thank you so much, I'm really glad you like my designs ! ♥

Artistic feedback is always a little difficult for me. Everyone's got their styles and preferences and different tools / programs / processes, and I have zero technical training for anything to make me even remotely legitimate. For what my opinion's worth though, you've got an incredible eye for poses, and the level of attention to details (those SHOES DARN), anatomy and texture is wonderful ! I would use more saturated colors with a change of hues for shading (watch me try to give at least a bit of useful advice) but once again, that's up to everyone and what style / effects you want to achieve.

As for the audience reach, I don't know if I'm all that qualified to give much advice either, I'm kinda going with the flow without much of a strategy regardless of the platform. Some of my posts do flop hard. But I can definitely try !

One, we're talking about Tumblr here -which means that you don't have to fight an algorithm, it's great news ! Instagram is much crueler (although it gives you the reach of your post, which is useful data for comparison purposes). It doesn't mean things are perfect, but still, as long as your post shows up in the tags*, your audience will mostly depend on whether or not people reblog it.

Two, it will probably seem really obvious but the more people reblog, the more your piece will go around. The growth is exponential, so once you hit a certain number of reblogs, it will keep going. I recently made a piece I'm really fond of that took hours of my time, and got 11 likes / no reblogs. That's it. It didn't reach the mark, and got stuck. What I mean is that you don't have to reach an audience of 500+ or whatever people yourself, it doesn't look as impossible and daunting when you see it that way !

Three, if it's only been a day, don't sweat it too much. It's not Instagram. Sometimes it can take a bit of time for a post to take off -hell, my puppet series got unburied from the depths of my blog today and I have no idea why. I still get notes for my Lis2 and Night Vale stuff, and it's old. You never know when / if something's gonna happen.

On how to hit that "reblog mark", though, I'm not entirely sure. As I said, some of my stuff doesn't. Posting for big, active fandoms, making funny stuff even if it doesn't look too good, as well as drawing ships or several characters on the same piece / post (shows up in more tags) seem to help. Posting a lot means that people will see you a lot, too, and might follow your blog -meaning they'll never miss anything you draw from there on (careful not to burn yourselves out though it's not worth it I mean it). I noticed the notes going up when I do that, if it can be of any use to you ? I DON'T KNOW ?

Finally, as a reminder for everyone, including me : quality doesn't seem to affect the numbers that much, as I'm sure all artists have experienced some "my big piece is flopping why do my stick men meme doodles get so many notes" moments. It can be disheartening when people don't see it and don't share it, but... It doesn't mean the quality isn't there. It's important to still have fun while drawing, regardless of the results ! Which is easy to say, sure. But still, it's important.

*This site being notoriously broken, sometimes posts just don't appear in the tags. You can search the tag to check if things suddenly start flopping out of nowhere.

[windywooshes]

Mike x Reader

It was a busy day. The night was fuming with the chatter and buzzing of the guests of the manor. All hurrying and preparing themselves. Acting, repeating, summarising...

As an annual tradition of the Oletus Manor, hunters and survivors joined sides to prepare a play for one another. Maybe it was a rabbit hole to Neverland, escaping the devouring gloominess of the house they inhabited for so long now. A way to cope and bond with one another. A solution to forget the fear and stress from matches and to just concentrate on things which are more pleasing and fun.

It all started with the first celebration from the veterans of the manor and evolved into a yearly event. Thanks to the growing amount of inhabitants, more roles could be given out this time as well. Those who weren't picked, had the joy of helping which seasoned the theatre piece with live and spirit in the first place.

Here you come in, as you were an important part of the beehive. Alongside Violetta, who was a very skilled hobbyist tailor, you produced the costumes and accessoires for the actors, cooperating with Miss Nightingale to design the most fitting and charming pieces you laid your eyes upon.

As you were more experienced with tiny knacks and decorations for the grande piece, you were in charge of the details and small additions to each piece of design, which brings us to the current nerve wrecking problem which snacked on your patience and energy like a patroller.

As it was laid out on the drafts, one of the costumes belonged to a certain someone. And this certain someone had a certain something on a very certain spot which you had the honor to do.

Your eyebrows furrowed as you tried your best to focus on the swing of the brush to make the desired artwork look as stunning as possible to fit the equally beautiful outfit (and man) in front of you. Yet whenever you tried to set your ink-coated tool down you heard a chuckle of the blonde and once you realised, the color was all smeared over the leg once again, squeezing out a sigh in frustration from your throat. Quickly grabbing the now golden tainted napkin for another time, you started to wipe off the glittering paint from Mike's leg.

It made you happy to see that the manor owner finally saw the potential in the young Acrobat, gifting him more skins and Emotes with each new season. Yet this one especially threw you into the cold water.

Mike patiently sat on the chair while you tried your best not to die from the weird situation you were thrown at. Brush in your dominant hand, shaking, you attempted once again to draw an elegant pattern of a rose on to the outside of his left tight which goes all the way down to his knee. One would tell you off for being too flustered by the nugget legs of the Acrobat as he usually wears skin tight outfits which showed just as much shape and form as his current choice. Yet you never got to see so much leg from this man. It was as if his bare skin was a forbidden apple, not allowed to be seen by the mere peasants of this world and you being one of them, committing a crime of disrespect against the gods.

It was a weird reaction as other survivors and equally hunters, showed off even more than this, yet you were fazed more by a leg than a victorian aristocrat from a bare knuckle could ever be. To underline the obvious, it could have a link to your slight adoration for the blonde. When your eyes landed on the energetic lad, your mind couldn't stop taking every bit of his presence in. Matches were the worst as you'd end up as a flustered mess, shaking and nervous, letting calibrations slip or reducing your kiting time drastically to barely 15 seconds incase you knew that he was watching you from a cipher. So many matches were lost, so many Blackjack games thrown into the dust. All because of one little distraction which was Mike Morton himself.

While you were suffering, Mike was clearly enjoying himself too much. As your head never dared to look up towards him, you couldn't spot the cheeky grin which grew on his lips since you were given your task. Too focused on it. Yet here he was, enjoying every little bit of this fiasco. Playing with your hair, wiggling his legs while you set down for a stroke, standing up to get a drink...it didn't matter, as long as he could cause a bit of a trouble and have you there with him on the spot, he would sparkle like a little firecracker. Chuckling whenever he saw your adorable pouting face next to him while you tried not to make your head explode from all the frustration. His cheeky attitude found a stop when you put the brush down and rushed off to the side to finally get something to drink and snack on.

„Don't overdo it, Morton.“

A hand on his shoulder, broke him out of his trance watching how you were talking to Vera at the tables. Turning around he found old Burke himself, nudging his head before leaving him again. But not with Mike. Quickly jumping from his seat, he followed the inventor, throwing two of his juggle balls in one hand just to keep himself a bit busy.

„I think, I didn't quiet catch that, sir ?“ he said, smiling up at the frowning elder as he came to a stop.

„You shouldn't stress the poor kid out for too longer. Otherwise they'll end up like Guard 10. Not a pretty sight.“ he sighed and rubbed his chin, looking off to the side at the target themselves.

„They are very fond of you, so don't play around with that.“

And like an old wise man, he disappeared all of a sudden- to the food table.

Spotting how you finished your small break and waving a goodbye to the others who joined you, the blonde rushed back to his seat. But with a thought bugging his mind like a mosquito in summer.

„Well then...shall we try again ? This time no knee-head-bumps though.“, you chuckled as you bend your wrists a bit to get them warmed up again before taking up the seemingly impossible task once again. But when you looked up with a small smile grazing your lips, you found Mike looking a bit more uncomfortable than he was before.

„Are you okay ?“

He shook his head and put his hands up, his little sunny side up smile back on the spot where it belonged.

„All good~ don't worry about it, (Y/N).“

Yet once your head ducked down, Mike's ears tinted pinkish due to the high blood flow and heart rate. What if Burke was right ? How would he know about your feelings for him though ? He wasn't even sure about them himself. His head started to fume and before he knew it, he felt a bonk and a head on his lap. A groan of frustration emitting from the bush of hair.

It seemed that Morton started to wiggle his left leg without noticing while lost in thoughts. Much to the dismay of the poor part-time artist who just tried their best to get the job done. Regaining your mind, you noticed that the male stopped his shenanigans and your rather awkward position. Firstly you didn't want to look, yet you were rather nosy to know what Mike's face looks like. If it would hold any reaction in it besides his smily facade. And you were not disappointed. Now not only his ears but nearly his entire face became a reddish hue, especially after he felt your tight grip on his leg which you just tried to put in place for half a minute before.

Seeing THE Mike Morton blush like this, trying to hide his face behind his knuckles, it was satisfying. Not in a mean way but rather in a ‚hah, that's for all that teasing from before‘ way. But you didn't want to blow your facade for now. Clearing your throat you apologised for the small outburst, receiving a choked up ‚hm‘ as a response. Usually you'd end up a flustered mess but oh how the turns have tabled. It was difficult to hold in the laughter. The acrobat tried his best to avoid any eye contact for now but you didn't mind as you still had a small comeback in mind which you want to squeeze into his arms before leaving for your other duties. Now that the man stood still, you also finally managed to finish the golden rose on his leg.

But before he could even take some time to thank you after he cooled himself off, he felt a soft sensation on his tight. Pulling your lips away from his exposed skin you couldn't hold back the grin which krept up your cheeks like predators to their prey.

With one last poke on the nose, you left the man on the chair. A carousel of emotions twirling around his heart as he stumbled through the lobby, on his way to rehearsal.

[waokevale]

Porcelain Face - Chapter 3

WARNING: Sexual Harrassment

Bullying, F-Girls....

(At least brain-bleatching, not detailed, no touching. Just cringy words)

Two weeks later Logan was about to walk past the corner when he noticed Virgil with a bunch of the "dressed up" girls.

He hid himself quickly inspecting the scene before further investigation.

The girls were all laughing at the poor cardboard boy and pulling by his hair and clothes.

Some of them called him names like:

-"Stupid fag" or "freak" 

All of these were very rude and unacceptable.

He pulled out his phone real quick and recorded the rest of the scene.

He wasn't planning on showing it to the principal yet.

The girls had to pay a bigger price than just detention or calling their parents.

It was clear it wasn't something rare to happen to Virgil from his poor state.

Logan started to form a plan until he heard the girls talking about him and he froze.

Maybe that's another way to get rid of them?

-"Hey Jess, what do you think about the new hot teacher?"

Said one of the girls which made usually emotionless Logan cringe on the inside with only the thought.

-"Same as you Diana. I bet I could smash him till Monday comes, Miller passed, Jenkins passed, so how could this be harder? Just look at me, he won't resist it when I pull out my lipstick."

Now Logan was sick. What the hell was wrong with these girls?! Having affairs with their teachers?! Clearly not seeing the fact that he was gay.

 Now they NEEDED to be thrown out.

Logan already had experience with it, since he didn't really care about people much do to his emotionless state.

 He got rid of some students in his high school easily for yet unknown reasons.

Now was the time to return to the old bad habits...He thought.

But this was worth it.

This boy needed to be at least a little bit happier.

Logan knew that there were a lot more bullies but he had easily spotted the "real" bullies.

Some had pretty bad issues from what he could see, some were doing this because of a bribe and the other ones....they did it for fun, they had no issues at all, these were the ones that deserved it the most. The sadistic people.

The girls belonged to the last type of bullies.

They clearly made him sick.

He had evidence now, but he had to set up something greater.

'So Jessica says she wants to "smash me"? I wonder how does she even do that.... She probably tells the teacher to meet him in some class after school from what I've heard.

He started thinking of a new plan this time, but in  that moment Diana and Jessica had started talking about where and when is Jessica going to meet him at.

It was all in whispers, but Logan had "good ears." Class 24, 3.20 PM 

-"So be it" Logan said to himself.

He had just the perfect equipment prepared for things like that.

Later on Jessica asked Logan to meet him in the same exact place  and time she mentioned before.

He agreed obviously...

For a reason.

When the clock had finally shown 3.20 PM, Logan was already in the class, waiting.

When Jessica came into the classroom he honestly wanted to puke. She looked like a hoe bag or some sort of prostitute, he would've described it if it wasn't so....disturbing and slutty.

-"May I ask you, what on earth are you wearing, Jessica?" - Logan said with an annoyed look.

-"Awww, come on Mr.Berry you know you like it~"

Stay calm Logan... He said to himself

 it usually was easy, probably becuase he didn't have to deal with girls like this all the time.

Then he reminded himself of the plan. 

Act and ask the questions.

-"I'm not sure, Jessica. What are you even trying to do...?" He obviously was waiting for the cringiest answer

-"You~" - She said in a lustful voice

-"Wait a minute. Would you mind answering my questions first? Because I have three."

She signed with a bored expression and replied: -"ugh...Fine. Shoot."

-"Am I the first one that you're willing to....ugh...you know...?" He stuttered a bit but it was clear that she knew what he meant.

-"Depends, do you want it to be?"

She smirked.

-"Answer, honestly. Please? "

-"Nope you're not the first one, I've fucked Miller, Jenkins and even that one substitute teacher....what was his...Oh! Yeah, Rayens and a bunch of other high school guys, if that's what you wanted to hear."

First one, check. Logan thought.

-"Ummm....May I ask about your honest opinion about one certain student? I won't get mad as long as you answer honestly."

-"Kay'..Which one is it?" She asked.

-"Virgil, the cardboard boy."

-"Pffffff...Haha! That loser? I think he's a useless fag honestly. And- uhhh...Sorry teach' for swearing I guess...?"

-Mhm" Logan nodded.

As he thought, a horrible person, really.

-"Jess? May I ask you that third question and get this over with."

-"Sure~ I thought the same." She replied.

-"What the hell did you have had in your mind to even think of such a pathetic way!? People are not dolls, why do you "score them" ?

-"Just because your wifey says so, doesn't mean I can't play."

-"First of, I don't have a wife and i'm not willing to have one"

"Ohhh, So you're si-" 

-"Please just shut up.

I will never have an affair with you, young miss.

You are definitely too young for my liking and I'm not foolish enough for this.

Second, I'm really sorry you haven't noticed yet but I do not feel attraction to women."

-"W-wha-?!"

-"In other words, yes I'm one of these "stupid fags" that you've been calling homosexual people."

-"UGH!? WHY DID I EVEN WASTED MY TIME WITH YOU!? YOU'LL SEE THEY WILL FIRE YOU FOR THAT, HAH! THEY'LL BELIEVE ME THAT YOU'RE MOLESTING ONE OF YOUR STUDENTS AND YOU'LL GO ON COURT, HAHA!" She yelled.

-"If I could I would laugh in that moment, you are clearly missing something. Nothing of what you have just said will become true, because the principal has already heard about this."

-"W-what are you talking about?! You must be joking! Hahaha! Very funny." the girl laughed nervously.

The door suddenly swung open as the very angry principal has came into the room.

-"YOUNG LADY, MIND EXPLAINING ME WHAT WERE YOU TRYING TO DO?!"

-"N-Nothing! I swear! He tried to molest me and forced me to wear these clothes!" She faked crying but no one could believe her.

-"I don't think I would be able to, you know? Since well, I've already told you I'm homosexual."

-"Quit the act, Miss Willow. You've violated the most important rules in this school and ruined it's reputation. I'm very sorry, but I'll have to kick you out and apparently a bunch of your friends, including some teachers as well..."

-"W-what?! No! No! My parents won't let you- they won't believe you!"

-"I have enough evidence that I think they will, Jessica." Logan said plainly showing her the videos.

-"NO-"

-"Check-mate."

Before the "act" Logan had set up a microphone and a small camera that was hidden in one of the paintings like in the thriller movies.

That was the the fall of one of the most popular girls and the worst bullies of their Academy High. 

Logan had her in his little finger. 

It was as simple as a chess game.

She was really naive, huh? She thought everyone was going to serve her and that was her Achilles's foot.

-"Pssst what happened to Jess and a bunch of other people??" - One kid asked in whisper.

-"I heard that someone has recorded her while trying to seduce one of the teachers, he somehow made her  reveal her dark secrets and she got caught and kicked out!" Someone else replied.

-"That's good that she and her squad are gone. I hated them anyways." - Roman said simply.

-"Yeah, she sucked. She was a total slut." Remus added with a squimish expression at the uncomfortable thought..

Logan saw as everyone reacted to Jessica's and her friends fall as he turned to the twins.

He thought:

'Such mean words, yet such fragile hearts,       

I wonder when they'll finally drop they act...'

[fiveisnumber1]

I'm getting attached to way too many 5SOS songs for these two but you recommended it and I got hooked so here's another impromptu music analysis cuz can't stop, won't stop:

Here I am waking up Still can't sleep on your side There's your coffee cup The lipstick stain fades with time If I can dream long enough You'd tell me I'd be just fine I'll be just fine

I have SO MANY THOUGHTS. I analysed these verses as both Reader and Five. Sort of like a split screen/back and forth thing.

Reader obviously can't sleep in Five's room or stay there too long in the beginning before the grief of his disappearance threatens to make her cave in on herself. She finds his hidden stash of coffee beans and coffee cup cuz of course she got him that cup, she knew how much he loved coffee but that Reginald didn't allow it, so she knows where he keeps it and it makes her cry thinking about it cuz she misses him so much. She holds it and it's like she can feel the ghost of his fingertips still. And when she falls asleep finally after running on her own caffeine highs to avoid sleeping (before Diego and Grace catch her out), when she crashes she manages to sleep long enough to dream of Five who whispers to her that everything will be OK even though when she wakes up he's still not there and there's an emptiness in her soul and next to her.

Similarly, with Five: He also can't leave Reader's makeshift grave for the first few weeks. He can't bring himself to leave but he can't bring himself to stay long either cuz he's in despair over her loss. Her diary and locket is the "coffee cup" for him and like her, if he manages to sleep, she always haunts his dreams and tells him he'll be okay and that they'll see each other again which is hope he can't bear to give himself but simultaneously needs to keep going.

So I drown it out like I always do Dancing through our house With the ghost of you And I chase it down With a shot of truth Dancing through our house With the ghost of you

They both drown out their reality and misery. They try to forget. Reader dances around the manor pretending to be happy but she's still haunted by the memories of Five because it's literally his home and he snuck her around all these halls so they're tainted with him mumbled the stories for her in their one-sided conversations when she was invisible and trying to avoid getting caught.

For Five, Reader's ghost is literally with him at all times through his hallucinations so he tries to use that to forget that Reader isn't actually with him. His reality of the apocalypse is the bitter truth despite him making Reader up in his mind to keep him company to drown out the loneliness.

They both pretend to be happy with each others ghosts but those ghosts simultaneously remind each other about their bitter truth that they're actually far apart. They're simultaneously trying to drown out and chase the truth of each other with the remnants they have of each other.

Cleaning up today Found that old Zepplin shirt You wore when you ran away And no one could feel your hurt We're too young, too dumb To know things like love But I know better now (Better now)

So I imagine Reader finding Five's notebooks where he was calculating for time-travel and just sitting down with her head in her hands and shaking because Five just had to go and prove himself to Reginald who just had to be an asshole and refuse to be understanding. If only he had treated the Hargreeves all better maybe Five wouldn't have been so hurt and angry and the desire to prove his superiority to Reginald for some measure of control wouldn't have existed and forced him to be rash while lashing out.

Five probably finds something in the rubble belonging to Reader or maybe just her diary entry detailing how hurt she was when he left her behind but also talking about understanding his pain and it makes him ache because she understood him and his hurt and his ambition unlike everyone else and he took it for granted.

And they're obviously so young and just children but they're in love. They're too dumb to understand what it means or how to deal with it cuz it's so much emotion in such a small time but they know how it feels now that they've lost one another. They regret not saying anything and they know themselves better now and wish they had realized the depth of their feelings earlier.

Too young, too dumb. To know things like love. Too young, too dumb

The repeated lines just make my heart ache even more. It's just emphasis on their longing for each other and sort of speaks to that heightened desire over the years to see each other again the more they are apart and their hearts grow fonder. Theoretically, they were kids who shouldn't have had such a deep attachment to each other but they did. Five made a dumb mistake that landed them in a mess but it wasn't entirely his fault either and it led to their separation.

So I drown it out like I always do Dancing through our house With the ghost of you And I chase it down With a shot of truth That my feet don't dance Like they did with you

This last line hurts like a bitch. They'll continue to move on and pretend everything is fine cuz they need to keep going but they're missing their most important piece which means they can't dance exactly the way they did when they were together. They falter without each other cuz there's an empty space next to them both occupied by each other's ghost just waiting to be filled by the real person they miss. They'll drown out the truth of their emptiness as much as they can but they can never drown out the fact that the person who made them want to dance was each other.

Anywho here's my analysis. I can't wait to see what you add and I hope you liked it! :D

As always I love your analysis! I wrote a lot so I’ve put read more link below:

Here I am waking up Still can't sleep on your side There's your coffee cup The lipstick stain fades with time If I can dream long enough You'd tell me I'd be just fine I'll be just fine

When I hear these lines it gives me the feeling of time standing still, nothing is changing and it’s only little things that even dictate the passage of time. I think this is really fitting for both the reader and Five. The academy is frozen in time for the reader. The rooms of the building are the exact same and untouched from when she left to when she arrived in the future. Nothing has changed, especially so with Five’s room. It’s little things like the amount of dust collected that even show that time has passed. As for Five every day is the same in the apocalypse. It’s only the rising and setting of the sun and the changes in weather that really dictate time. 

In terms of the coffee cup, I imagine after a while the reader starting to use it as it makes her feel closer to Five. She’d keep it in her room and take perfect care of it using it for whatever drink she had. The color of her lipstick staining the glass. Somehow when exploring the academy ruins, Five finds the cup perfectly intact with the lipstick stain of the reader’s on it. Five takes care of the mug but as the days, months, and years go on, the lipstick stain fades away and it breaks his heart because it’s just another part of her that he realizes is gone.

The repeated line of “I’ll be just fine” can also refer to what the reader tells other people who are trying to care for her like Grace and Diego during such a difficult time. She continues to push the issue away when they try to help by offering up the excuse of I’ll be just fine even though she won’t be fine and she is not fine.

So I drown it out like I always do Dancing through our house With the ghost of you And I chase it down With a shot of truth Dancing through our house With the ghost of you

With this, it’s both Five and the reader trying to ignore the reality of the situation they’re in.  The reader tries to involve themselves in a brand new life. They make a group of friends, they spend time with Diego, they do piano, they do boxing, they work on their powers. The reader is drowning out the pain with other things but when it comes down to it she can’t escape the ghost of the memories living in the academy house. 

As for Five, he turns to drinking to drown out the problem. When the pain of knowing that the reader isn’t there is too much he will chase down the problem with a shot of truth. Truth, in this case, being alcohol.

Cleaning up today Found that old Zepplin shirt You wore when you ran away And no one could feel your hurt We're too young, too dumb To know things like love But I know better now (Better now)

Even more so than finding his notebooks, I can see the reader helping Grace clean up some of the old rooms (excluding Five’s) and underneath Klaus’ bed she finds and old academy uniform, and although it’s not one that directly belongs to Five it’s still the exact outfit he wore on the day he ran away because he was angry and hurt by Reginald’s dismissal of him.

So I drown it out like I always do Dancing through our house With the ghost of you And I chase it down With a shot of truth That my feet don't dance Like they did with you

When I think of these last lines I imagine that on really lonely nights Five and the reader both get up and dance alone. They have their arms placed as if they were dancing with someone else as if they were dancing with each other, but there’s no one there but the empty air. Dancing alone, even in the loneliest of moments, is never the same as dancing with the other person. 

Also like imagine this as a scene in the show with this song in the background: On a starry night in the apocalypse, Five is having a drink next to the reader’s makeshift grave at the ruins of the academy. Wanting some form of familiarity he gets up and starts to dance with the imaginary version of the reader that he has, even though he knows she isn’t real. At the same time, the Reader is in her room on a similar starry night and decides to pretend to dance with Five even though she knows he is not there. As they spin around dancing, the scene goes back and forth between Five in the apocalypse and the reader in her room making it look like they’re dancing together even though they are in two different places alone. As the song nears the final lines Five spins the reader out and there is a split-screen where Five is in the apocalypse with one arm extended and the reader is in her room with one arm out. It looks like they’re holding each other's hand but then the shots pan out and there’s nothing there. And the two of them sadly once again realize that they’re dancing through the shared house with a ghost of the other.

Just wanna add, I listened to the live version of the song, and god does it hurt to imagine Addison taking the reader to a concert and her hearing that song for the first time live. Like while everyone else is waving their cellphone flashlights side to side and having fun singing alone she just gets a distant look in her eyes as she remembers Five. Thinking of that is just like ugh, a stab in the heart really. I’d recommend it if you wanna be sad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwsXebE_f64 (watch 0:00-3:53)

[royalmuffinsworld]

Water and Blood |Part 2

Sakamaki Ayato x aquaphobic!reader

Warnings: Ayato being Ayato, aquaphobia, slightly nsfw

Pairing: Sakamaki Ayato x you

Word count: 1502

You were suffocating.

-The feeling of sinking into a bottomless lake, unable to move or struggle.

-You tried to scream but no sound left your lips as the water swallowed you into it's depts like a predator swallows it's prey. There was no up or down, no left or right. Only the feeling of water everywhere around you.

-The water shoved you around. Shaking your body and-

-With a gasp you opened your eyes.

-In the dark you made out a very worried Ayato who was kneeling next to you, hands still on your shoulders from trying to wake you up.

-Slowly you realized where you were. Ayatos room or rather his bed was painted in the grey shades of the night. Moonlight shone through the windows and illuminated the room. From your position you could make out the forests black treetops outside.

-After calming down a bit you let out a sigh. Another nightmare...

-Ever since the incident with the pool, a week ago you couldn't seem to find peace. You knew you should be trying to think rational instead of letting your fear control you but you couldn't help it. The thought that the whole torture process of fear and nightmares would start again had been frightening a week ago but now that it was actually happening...

-The nightly tossing and turning began again and couldn't seem to stop. It was exactly like back then.

-Ayato exhaled slowly as well.

-"It's not your fault. I didn't tell you so how were you supposed to know?" you asked him like the hundredth time this week and he looked at you with a mixture of a kicked puppy and a dead eyed look.

-He had been beating himself up all week.

-How could he have missed this important detail? He thought he knew you... And all the while you were suffering from the same fear he had all those years ago. He knew how bad it felt. The fear everytime an open water came into view. It made him feel even more guilty.

-And Ayato usually considered himself the best boyfriend to wander earth...

-Seeing how bad he felt about it, of course you had already forgiven him. Even though it was quite the dick move on his part...

-But you were too tired to deal with an Ayato who's ego was quite deflated so instead of trying to convince him furtherand possibly making the situation worse you just held his face in your hands and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.

-Slowly he shut his eyes relishing in the feeling of being this close.

-His arms went around you to keep you from pulling away. Not like you were trying to but the gesture told you more than words ever could.

-And for a moment everything was just okay...

-As you were finding comfort in his arms he found it in yours and so for a while you just sat there nobody saying anything.

-Because you didn't need to talk. Not right now.

-After a while he pulled away.

-"Ayato?" you asked softly but he didn't respond. He just pulled you down into the bed again.

-Both of his arms went around your waist and he pulled you incredibly closer, your back now pressed against his chest.

-He snuggled his face into the crook of your neck.

-Your body now safely encased in his arms the two of you slowly succumbed to sleep.

––––

-A few days later you found yourself at the edge of the pool again. Ayato was swimming his lanes and you were about to call him for dinner because Reiji asked you to.

-As you walked towards the bench where his stuff laid, you always kept a safe distance of at least two meters to the water. The light glistened on the surface making it look like a sea of cristal. How could such a beautiful thing be so scary?

-He saw you come in and moved immediately into your direction.

-After getting his body out of the water he quickly crossed the distance between you and pulled your body into an embrace.

-A very wet,cold embrace...

-"Gahh! Oh my god, Ayato you're getting me all wet." you shrieked and immediately untangled yourself from him.

-He smirked, very satisfied with himself.

-"Don't I always do that?" he asked and you snorted, throwing a towel at him. He caught it, still grinning smugly and started drying himself off.

-When he was all finished you pulled him in for a quick kiss. He happily complied and sneaked one hand onto your backside, squeezing it possessively. You rolled your eyes with fake annoyance and smiled against his lips.

-"We need to go, Reiji will yell at you again..." you reminded.

-Ayato seemed to have no problem with this though as he pointedly ignored your comment and deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue into your mouth.

-One of his hands was around your lower back to pull you closer, while the other layed on the back of your neck halfway tangled into your hair to keep you from pulling away.

-Not that you minded...

-As the kiss became more heated and intense with every passing second you put your hands around his neck as well and tilted your head to give him better access. Man he was way to good at this...

-Although you knew he'd had a lot more practice than you. He was about a few hundred years older than yourself after all.

-All rational thinking flew out of the window as he kissed you like he was a hungry wolf and you were his only prey after months of starvation.

-While you were a little distracted by his lips, Ayato had wandered both of his hands downwards.

-Now he picked you up, one hand under your bottom the other safely around your back, lips never leaving your own. You put your legs around him and tangled your hands into his fiery, red hair.

-Slowly he walked forwards till he could press you against the nearest wall.

-When he had your hips pinned firmly between his own and the solid tapestry behind you he pulled away and locked his poison green eyes onto yours. Seeing you all disheveled and out of breath because of him never failed to give his ego a huge push. It just made him so proud to be the only man to get you into this state.

-His lips started wandering now. He left a few little kisses on your face. Your nose was first, then your forehead and both your cheekbones.

-At your jaw he started a trail of longer kisses that soon turned into leaving hickies all over your neck. You probably looked like somebody had repeatedly punched you in the throat after he was finished with you. You were used to this side of him by now.

-Because he'd always had to fight his siblings for everything, even when he was a child, he became very possessive of the things he owned and cared about.

-And between getting to know him and becoming his girlfriend you had quickly and surely wormed your way into said category.

-Ayato made sure you had a few hickies somewhere visible at all times. After all everybody should always be able to tell you were Ore-samas property only. This of course included yourself.

-Although he made extra sure you knew who you belonged to as well, even if it meant leaving a few darker hickies in places only him and you would be able to see...

-On a particular spot over your collarbones he stopped moving. He kissed it once lovingly as to prepare that particular part of your body to what was coming.

-Then he bared his teeth.

-With a sound similar to biting into an apple he pushed through the outer layer of your skin and into your flesh.

-Your breath hitched and you pressed your teeth together as your brows furrowed at the pain.

-As he started sucking a small whimper left your mouth.

-"Shhh, baby. Just a bit longer," he calmed between gulps. He had slipped one hand under your top and was now rubbing soothing circles on your hip with his thumb. "I'll make it feel good soon," he breathed.

-True to his words a few moments later the pain in your neck started to fade and was replaced with immense pleasure.

-"Ayato," you moaned tilting your head to give him better access.

-He chuckled softly and bit down again, this time in a different spot.

-"That's right. Your mine. Your only mine. Nobody else can have you," he said, his eyes opening to burn the image of you into his mind once again.

-You completely surrendered yourself to the feeling of his piercing fangs.

-For the first time in days you finally were able to forget about your fear and let go.

Bonus:

-"You think they'll still come to dinner?" Kanato asked.

-Reiji sighed.

-"Let's just start without them..."

Did somebody say over five hundred words of making out with Ayato? Anyways I hope you liked it!

[marshmallowprotection]

What would the choi twins do if their mc dissociated a lot? Example, I'm just reading through stuff on here, no triggers, and suddenly started dissociating really intensely! (Used to it, so no worries, I'm not distressed by dissociation itself, just the occasional lost time lol) Like they just don't have big reactions to stuff most of the time, but sometimes they can't focus on anything at all. On rare occasions you can see the moment it hits, because they'll move their head and blink a bunch.

I'll add the warning here: If you suffer from Dissociation or can't read about the topic, look away now.

Well, you've come to a place where somebody totally understands and gets how you feel lately. I've had very intense derealization for a couple of years now, while it isn't the same as blatant out of body dissociation, it's in the same family. It can feel very scary and upsetting when you don't know why or how it happens. Here's hoping you keep your head up and get through it when it happens!

If you ever want something more specific, don't hesitate to ask again!

Saeran

We're going with our handy dandy Another Story!Saeran here, who utterly understands what it feels like to be fractioned and disconnected from himself. So, when Ray realizes what's up in his research, he feels a kinship to you. He also feels dreadful that you have to struggle with any condition. But, he understands that it's not always something that you can control.

You get it.

You feel what he feels. Your heart is with his own. You just understand the feeling of your body going numb or your hand looking so unlike what you believe it to be.

That's perhaps why it was so easy for you to deal with him and see the pain in his eyes. It was your empathy, your shared pain that let you see him how he truly is. He never had the words for his problems but you give it a face and a reality to him. He's not some oddity, no, your existence is a reminder that the outside world while cruel, has so many who have suffered needlessly.

Ray is gentle.

He coaxes you when he sees that something is amiss. His voice may sound panicked at first, but once it clicks that it's happening, he changes his tune and he ensures that he has some consent to touch you. Stimulation can really help and God, he's always wanted to wrap his arms around you in a hug. He's wrapped up in both that feeling and the thought that he's able to help you.

You may be out of sorts, but underneath the moonlight in the garden, he's happy that he can be with you.

He whispers gently nothing to you until you come back down from your high. It's a small gesture but it's one that he's always craved when he feels like no part of his body is his own.

When you thank him, his cheeks turn blush and he looks away.

Saeran doesn't use that knowledge to exploit you, when he emerges. He's cruel and mean but he is never so bad that he makes you feel so numb to your body. He could have, but, he felt sickened by the thought of using such a cheap tactic.

If you did have a fit, he might momentarily show his weakness and without realizing it, comfort you. It never lasts long but it's a sign to you that he's not lost. There's still a boy that cares underneath all of that misery and pain he's endured.

His voice will drop in volume and he won't appear as harsh. It's a little detail but you'll figure that out well beyond the time that he's left you alone.

He won't touch you but he will change considerably.

After the two of you escape from the Mint Eye, life starts to find a new normal for the both of you but that doesn't mean that your illnesses just disappear into thin air or anything.

He still struggles with his identity for some time as Ray and Saeran bounce in and out of control as they slowly merge together, and it leaves him with plenty of hours of time where he feels lost or like he just missed an entire event.

You have the same issue but you're more quiet when it happens and he has to look for your physical cues to know that he needs to help. You've got a system that you've sorted out together to make things work.

You're there for him and He's there for you.

That's the most important thing when coming into or out of a fit. That you have somebody who can ground you or bring you back down to Earth when your consciousness isn't quite where it needs to be.

For him, it helps to be holding your hand.

It might not be the same for you but he's willing to do whatever you want for him to try.

Saeran doesn't worry much about it in regards to himself. He's used to living his life this way but he does make a point of trying to learn more and find new ways to help you get by. It happens often but he wants to ensure your comfort at all times.

Often times, if you don't respond, he'll cover your shoulders in a blanket and take a spot next to you, humming, talking, doing little things to help ease your mind off of the situation. He knows that it might not click at first but anything is better than silence.

He's probably the best person to help you in general. However, sometimes it's not always the most ideal because he can't control if he had his own hits at the same time that you do. He'll feel bad time and time again because he wants to be better for you but you'll reassure him that it's alright.

You feel much better knowing that you have somebody like him in your life. That's for sure.

Saeyoung

If you've been treated before then he has information about your condition, and being the techy boy he is, he respects if you don't share that with him right off the bat. He does look into it to make sure that he has a good understanding of what the warning signs are and what exactly he needs to do in the situation.

He's had a lot of experience with anxiety and panic attacks but none such to the point where he's been overwhelmed to the brink of dissociation but he sort of understands it.

Saeyoung gets why the pain would try to shut down and remove oneself from the situation, but his heart aches for you because for so many people, dissociation comes from trauma.  It's a safety net for a lot of people and for others it's something that is there so strongly at times it can feel hard to cope with.

It is probably more nerve wracking for him than it is you. If you've lived a painful life like he has, it hurts him to imagine it all.

The idea that somebody as sweet and as kind as you could have been through awful means makes the world seem like a farce. The thought of you petrified as a young person makes his skin crawl. He was like that once. He came out alive but so many did not leave unscathed.

You chatting with him helps him cope with his own issues, and he doesn't know this until way after the fact, but there was a time when you were chatting on the phone that you stopped messaging him mid conversation but he assumed nothing was a miss since you were laying on the couch.

You spaced out and lost time for a little bit. It was nothing out of the normal for you and you moved on your day after that. Saeyoung's first real experience with this came later when he stayed with you at the apartment to fix what had been broken.

Seven didn't realize that by pushing you away from him and trying to keep a distance would make things much more different on your mental health. He caused what he was trying to avoid, but you don't blame him given all the weight he was dealing with.

He had become accustomed to you trying to reach out to him but as it turns out, that afternoon you had gone silent. That made him cautious. He glanced over his shoulder to you but you didn't seem all that out of the sorts. You weren't doing anything but staring at the wall in front of you.

It took a moment but he realized what was going on rather quickly. His instinct is to rush to your side but he knows that it can be worse at times to do that. Shaking or jostling people is not a great idea. Rather, he silently climbs onto his feet and heads over to your side of the room. He takes a seat next to you and the first thing that comes to mind is:

“Y/N. It's pretty insufferable in the corner so I'm going to sit here with you for a little bit.”

Saeyoung realizes that you may quite be there at the moment but he does press his hand to yours and squeeze. Your hand twitches back against his and it's a good sign. He sticks close to you until he's sure that you're feeling much better and alert.

From that point, he makes sure that he understands exactly what you need and what will work best. He doesn't want to do something that will make it worse. He wants to know that he can provide what you need, be it comfort or grounding when you feel the symptoms coming on. Be it verbal or tactile, he makes sure that he has an idea of what you need.

He often pulls you into his embrace or lets you borrow his hoodie for a sense of comfort. It's those little things that allow you keep your mind off of the edge when you still have some awarness, and when you don't, it's nice to come back to his scent or his smile.

He looks for your cues. Sometimes you can give him a head's up but he likes to know your body well. He develops a mixture of verbal and nonverbal talk with you for the future.

He'll often talk to you and keep talking to you throughout the process about this and that so you don't have to worry about slipping too far into the numbness. Saeyoung is persistent and his help with you in the long run helps him understand what to do with Saeran in the future.

He loves you and you're glad that you have somebody so understanding and caring in your life.

[pangolin-404]

Delving into what chapter 2 of Bendy: Rewritten (or just the side scroller AU, as a couple people have called it- still working on a vaguely clever name hh) would be like, where there are choices and reactions! More canon divergence! Things set up and hinted at!

The background music changes. No shame to batim's music, I quite like it, but it can be better. Whenever Sammy's around (carrying the cutout, looking over the band room, giving his ritual spiel) a banjo is added to the bg track. The followers get string instruments, more added depending how many are in the room. The sacrifice room is mainly string instruments

Sammy is somewhat a lost one. He loses his buff rights and is a mix of his pre- and post-update designs. I say somewhat because, while he is skeletal, he drips a lot and doesn't really have feet.

Sammy actually has followers. It can be pieced together from notes and dialogue that he split from the Lost Harbor after a close run in with Bendy permanently mangled his body and converted him to worship. He brought a few other lost ones with him (like, only a dozen but a couple died on the way). They wear Bendy masks, too, yet he's the only one wearing pants (mostly to hold his legs together). He also wears gloves to hold his fingers together, and only takes them off for brief periods to play an instrument before having to put them back on. Bendy left him with a lot of lasting damage

They all look the same and they know it hh

He's a proper prophet figure now that people look up to him. If Henry can find them huddled around a statue in prayer or drawing a ritual circle, they will talk about how much hope he gives them and how kind he is, despite how strict or overly optimistic he can be at times.

The followers' opinion of Henry changes with his behavior. Suggest Sammy is nuts? Say Bendy is evil? Drink too much soup? Break cutouts? They don't like that. Ask to learn more, give them some fresh soup, maybe even draw Bendy for them if Henry comes across fresh paper, and they'll appreciate it.

The cutouts are decorated with soup and candles. Drink a couple cans and the followers won't notice, drink more and they'll be upset, drink them all and they'll get concerned. Ink rats will scuttle out of hiding and can be found licking the empty cans.

Oh yeah you think humans were the only thing the ink affected? No there are ink rats and they scuttle around. Sometimes they become an enemy if multiple melt/fuse together and it's just a Lump Of Rat

"Did you drink the soup?" "No, did you?" "We don't have mouths! We can't eat!" "Who drank all the soup then?" "I don't know, but now there are rats everywhere!"

The whole chapter 2 area is bigger, kind of. Lots more signs of being lived in, with offices turned into little bedrooms and such. The followers are shy, though, and lurk behind locked doors, so finding them is tricky. Signs of life are everywhere but finding the life itself is difficult. Finding ones that talk more than a sentence is even harder.

Sammy is unhinged. Well-meaning, but ultimately mentally...cracked. He claims to have visions he interprets, but it's ambiguous whether they're nightmares/dreams or if Bendy's messing with him. He genuinely believes that Bendy will set them free, and he wants the best for his sheep. He'd be amicable if he wasn't trying to sacrifice Henry.

Instead of pressing the switches to open that first door, Henry had to find a pipe valve. A new "mechanic" of sorts is draining flooded halls. Ink pours down from piped above in an unpassable wall, and one or two valve are needed to shut it off completely.

Remember those notes I mentioned earlier? Well, some found around the music department contain buckets of how the followers see Sammy and their situation in general. They range from "oh hey here's Sammy's favorite tune-" to "note: don't play the organ! D:"

It's possible to find old newspapers and comics. Some of the pictures have been carefully cut out and pasted on the walls in various memorials, ranging from Bendy letting them outside to Sammy being "blessed" by the Ink Demon.

Some of the more petty depictions paint Alice as a jerk. She's an angel, he's a demon, so they're opposites. Since Bendy's so great, she must be awful! Rumors of a cruel Alice in deeper levels are hinted at.

The band room is slightly different. The projector's bulb is burst and there's a sticky note on it saying something about how touching it when you're made of ink is a bad idea, and to fix the projector before Sammy notices. Henry has to find a lightbulb and fix it now before he can turn it on.

The fight after opening the sanctuary affects the followers' opinions. They begin to realize what Sammy has in store for Henry. Killing all the searchers make them either makes them wince or frustrated, depending on their view on him up til that point.

I feel like you could probably click/interact with the banister to look over and it shows a still image of the band room below, and it shows whether or not the projector is fixed/playing and also shows any Bendy cutouts that pop up. I tried to draw that but couldn't get the angle I wanted, so

Sammy's sanctuary is like...just a big ol Bendy shrine. It's also where he sleeps, writes songs to Bendy, and where his banjo is kept. He has a Bendy plush on his bed

The further the chapter goes on, the quieter the followers are to Henry. They're gathering candles and offerings of personal belongings. They might be bittersweet, neutral, or glad to be away from him, depending on Henry's actions.

Jack is important to Sammy. They worked closely together and so they somewhat remember each other. He acts as Sammy's personal treasurer and doesn't let go of anything given to him. The first encounter with Jack is relatively the same, with needing to grab a valve from him. However, instead of holding the valve, it's sitting on the box

Henry's notes in his sketchbook also change depending on his interactions with things. If he annoys the followers and develops a bad relationship with them, he'll treat them like blind fools. If he helps them or is generally nice, he'll sound more sympathetic towards their situation and wish them well.

One is in the infirmary, badly hurt, missing a leg, practically a searcher, and delusional after getting just grazed by Bendy's aura. They believe they've been blessed by his presence, despite falling apart more and more by the hour (Bendy and any ink creature do not go together-). Henry can kill them and put them out of their misery, if he so chooses. The others won't like that.

Whether Henry kills him or not, Jack remembers. Getting items from him in the future becomes harder if he's killed multiple times, until eventually he's downright scared (I'll delve into more detail on the mess that is chapter 3). Befriending him completely later in chapter 3, on the other hand, will make the task easier.

Killing Jack triggers a horror vision. Henry briefly becomes unable to move, visibly distressed and looking around until the vision ends.

Not necessarily the sewers you first encounter him in, but close enough. You know you've entered an area Jack's in if there's a random item on a box that's under a light in an otherwise dim ink-flooded room

He goes through 'stages.' First the valve is on a box. Henry tries to grab it, but Jack (moving through the ink) pushes the box away. The methods of dealing with him is a messy web of cause-and-effect, with chances to crush him, corner the box slowly and steal the valve, it rush at it and cause it to slide off, or snatch his hat and bargain. (It's possible to steal his hat, kill him, and then keep/wear his hat, but why would you do that? Jack would forever loathe Henry and later on Sammy may ask for it back)

Nothing will stop Sammy from knocking Henry out. No matter how kind or cruel Henry is to his followers, Sammy will smack him over the head with a dustpan. He can't run, but the man can be sneaky if he wants to be, lurking through shadows and phasing in and out of the ritual portals.

(Clarification: because it would be a side scroller and the player could see Sammy sneaking up on Henry, instead there's a ritual circle on the wall that he'll jump out of when Henry walks past it.)

The sacrifice room is more of a hallway. The followers are all watching from the sidelines, peering through knocked out walls and over makeshift fenceposts. Candles and other offerings are around Henry. Sammy gives his spiel as always, first starting with a quiet "that face..." whispered mostly to himself but then using his Big Loud Musician Prophet voice to put on a show about how grand the sacrifice will be and how happy Bendy will be. The followers get excited for it.

Messy rendition but you get the picture

Sammy enters the room off to the side and calls for the Ink Demon. Ink leaks from the vents, and his aura is making some of the followers unsteady/weak. They become more restless, and unstable, until the calling reaches its climax (Sammy also sounds out of breath and his voice becomes wet and labored) and Bendy arrives out of sight. Sammy is torn apart, as per usual, though it's a slower, more audible mauling, and drags on through Henry's escape.

Some followers flee into the ink, while one or two are liquidated just by Bendy's aura. Others panic and attack Henry when he breaks free, messed up by Bendy's aura and so they resemble searchers.

Whether or not Henry powers through the onslaught or axes the frenzied followers may alter the number of followers he encounters later on, and (combined with how he'd treated them) how they react to seeing him again. "Oh I kind of remember you" vs "I don't blame you for using the axe" vs "Did you slaughter your way down here, too?"

Like in the updated chapters in game, the you can see ink machine lowering past crates/wood boards

Bendy actually pries himself up out of the ink with effort. Like, hands planted on the ground, lurching up, ink sloughing off of him, generally more detailed for a 2D animation.

Boris time! The boy himself peeks out from behind a wall before stepping out of the shadows

Feel free to send an ask for clarification/more detail about anything- I'm happy to go on more tangents!

[ghost-nabbers-imagines]

A family: Larry x Fem! Reader Part 1.

A/n Small warning of mentions of sex and a couple sexual scenes will take place but I don't know if I'll do full lemons or not, they're won't be a dull lemon in this. As always theres definitely cussing. Takes place in high school. An au where the apartments have ghosts and the cult exists but the red eyed demon doesn't. Anyways enjoy this little story hope it's good.

I woke up with the weight of someone's arm around bare waist. Looking down I see everything was still bare from the night before. The arm wrapped around me belongs to none other than my very best friend Larry. Yep you read that right best friend not boyfriend. Considering how lonely and well horny we had both been lately we decided a friends with benefits relationship would be a good idea.

With a small stretch I carefully pulled Larry's arm off of my body and pulled myself from the bed. I let out a small giggle as Larry readjusted to where he was cuddling a pillow. "Goofball." I scoffed grabbing my underwear and sliding them on as well one of Larry's many Sanitys Fall shirts. I made my way out into his bathroom brushing my teeth and making my hair look like I hadn't just spent the night having sex.

I also made sure to slip on my skinny jeans from last night. I frowned feeling the way I struggled to get them on. "Damn it. How the hell did I shrink my jeans?!" I huffed looking into the mirror. I lifted the shirt that was way too big on me. I had noticed my stomach was sticking out a tiny bit more but not a lot. On the plus size it looked like my tits had also gotten bigger.

When I exited the bathroom Larry's mom Lisa was leaning against the counter sipping coffee. "Morning (y/n). I didn't know you were staying last night." She said flashing me her warm smile. "Morning Lisa. I wasn't planning on it but by the time we finished with our art project it was so late I didn't want to wake you or my parents so I just stayed." I shrugged. I felt kind of guilty lying to Lisa since she was more like a mom to me than my own mother. I also didn't want to risk her finding out and not letting me sleep over anymore.

She finished her coffee and set the cup in the sink. "Well you know you're always welcome here. Will I see you for family dinner tonight?" She asked collecting her things for work. She seemed to pause reaching around her pockets while looking around the room. I grabbed her keys from couch and handed them to her making her smile. "Wouldn't miss it!" I beamed. "See you kids tonight then. Give Larry a kiss goodbye for me." She joked hugging me goodbye.

Once she left I went ahead and poured two cups of coffee. As I was making two plates of the eggs and toast Lisa had prepared I heard the bedroom door creak open. Larry stumbled out still tired. "Morning sleepy head." I smirked. "Morning." He yawned making his way over to the table. I placed a kiss on his cheek handing him his coffee. "What was that for?"

"Its from your mom."

"I don't get one from you?"

"No way you have morning breath."

He grabbed my arm pulling me into his lap so I was straddling him. One of hands moved to my hips the other to the back of my neck. He pulled me into a heated kiss sliding his tongue in my mouth. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he deepened the kiss and pulled me closer. We stayed like that until we had to pull away for air. "Hurry up and get ready Johnson." I breathed getting up and eating my breakfast.

Once the two of us had eaten and he had gotten dressed we grabbed our bags and headed out to meet up with Sal. "You look good in my shirt by the way." He whispered as you approached your friends door. I smirked quickly tapping the door. Soon after Sal exited the apartment and the three of us left for school.

Sal and Larry had their first period together but I had it with our friend Ashley. The two of us were in the gym locker room changing into our Knockfell High uniforms.

"So then I told my mom i had important plans tonight and she actually told me that my brother was more important and to cancel. Can you believe that? So I told her you and I were studying for some exam."

I was laughing at Ashley's excuse when one of the other girls sprayed on her perfume and even though she didn't spray much it was like the smell surrounded me. My stomach bubbled and suddenly I could feel the eggs from that morning in the back of my throat. Nausea overcame me I couldn't help it so I ran into the biggest stall and collapsed onto my knees puking immediately into the bowl.

Ashley came over and knocked on the stall door. "You ok babes?" She asked concern lacing her voice. I finished puking and flushed the toilet. "Yeah I think so." I said confused. "Are you sure? You got sick this time yesterday too." She pointed out. I thought for a moment realizing she was right. Eveyday about this time I got sick. What the hell was wrong with me? I shakily stood up to leave the bathroom when a health poster taped to the door caught my attention. It was one of the new Planned Parenthood posters with information on pregnancy and STDs. My eyes grew at a sudden theory popped into my head.

"H-hey Ashes what's the date today?" I asked exiting the bathroom. "Its the fifteenth. Ohh Is it that time of the month that's bothering you?" She asked placing a comforting hand on my bag. I thought for a moment doing the math in my head. "I-I Ha-have to go." I stuttered grabbing my bag and running from the room. As I ran to town I silently prayed I was wrong that I had miscounted.

I ran straight to the store probably looking like a crazy person that passed by. But I got to the pharmacy quickly not even remembering most of my way there from how quickly I was going. The bell jingles as I make my way inside abruptly causing several shoppers and a couple employees to stop and stare. Ignoring their looks I made my way to the isle and started searching. I never knew how many types of tests there could be. I grabbed one I thought would work and made my way to the counter. The cashier was an older woman who started at me with a judging look on her face the whole time. I did my best to ignore her shoving the money onto the counter. The minute she handed me the bag I took off heading to the apartments.

I could feel warm tears falling down my cheeks and was breathing rapidly as I ran home. I ran straight into the building and into the elevator pressing my back up against the wall as it moved. Luckily my parents wouldn't be home at least I'd have privacy for my whole world ending. The second the doors open I bolted right into my apartment dropping my bag on the couch before running to my room. I went into the bathroom taking the test before sitting on the floor.

2 long minutes later the test read positive. I felt my whole world come crashing down around me when those little lines appeared. "How could this happen?" I mumble out loud. I was completely shocked, Larry and I were careful plus I had birth control. That's when a light bulb went off in my head. Struggling to pull myself off the floor I ran into my room. I didnt find what I was looking for in my bags or in my bathroom. I fished around in my dresser still not finding what I was searching for. That's when I remembered were I was last night and most nights.

"Shit shit shit!" I mumbled grabbingmy purse and my keys as well as hiding the test in my pocket before exiting my apartment. I made my way down to the basement hoping that Lisa wasn't home. Unfortunately as I opened the door she was in the kitchen making a fried balogna sandwich. As soon as I walked through that door the smell filled my nose and the nausea returned. I tried to swallow down walking farther into the apartment.

"(Y/n) dear why are you not in school what happened? Are you sick? You don't look like you're feeling too well?" She asked in her motherly voice. "Li-lisa I-" before I could finish my sentence I felt what was left of my food coming back up. I ran straight into the bathroom not bothering to close the door. As I threw up I could feel Lisa pulling my hair back. She held my hair back in one hand and soothed my back with the other.

When I finished throwing up I flushed the toilet and Lisa put my hair up into a ponytail. I learned up against the bathroom wall feeling tears spill down my cheeks again. Silent tears cascaded to the floor. Lisa filled up a dixie cup with water and dampened a wash cloth handing the cup to me and wiping my face with the cloth. "There there dear its alright. Why don't you and I go sit on the sofa and talk?" She suggested as I swallowed a majority of the water.

The two of us made our way into the living room sitting on the couch. Lisa left a comforting hand on my back as I struggled to breath. I let it all come out spilling every detail like more vomit coming out as words. Lisa continued to comfort me with a shocked expression on her face. "Are you sure did you take a test?" She asked handing me a tissue. I handed her the test before wiping my nose.

"Does Larry know yet?" She asked. I shook my head in response. "I just figured it out and got the test today." Lisa nodded her head for a moment clearly in thought. "Wait right here." She said grabbing her phone from the coffee table. She came back in probably ten minutes later purse in hand and changed into casual clothes. "Come on were gonna meet a friend of mine at planned parenthood. Just to double check. And they'll give you information on your choices." She informed me. The two of us made our way out to Lisa's pickup truck silently.

"Are you mad?" I asked breaking the silence as we turned off the road. She sighed stopping at a red light and putting her hand on my shoulder. "A little disappointed maybe but never mad." She smiled. It didn't take very long for us to get there. There was a handful of protesters outside the building as well as a few people passing by who stared at me with the same look as the cashier earlier. Lisa wrapped her arm around me glaring at the others.

About an hour later I was exiting the clinic with a handful of pamphlets and brochures and my head spinning. "Do you have any thoughts on what to do?" Lisa asked me as we climbed into the car. "I think I should talk to Larry before I make any decision." I sighed leaning back into the seat. Lisa nodded and we drove back home.

"You should call your parents over for family dinner tonight. Once the other kids leave we can all sit down and talk." Lisa suggested. She was always so smart and caring. I knew she would be mentally freaking out so it meant a lot that she was being comforting. "I just hope they're as nice as you're being. Thank you so much Lisa." I said with a small smile. She smiled back as we pulled back to the apartments.

Once we got back to her apartment I hid the test and pamphlets in my bag. "Larry should be home any minute now if you wanna wait in the treehouse to talk to him. Just promise me you'll be careful climbing up there." She said softly. I nodded giving her a hug which she returned tightly. When we pulled apart she handed me a water bottle. "Drink this while you're waiting. After throwing up you need to make sure you stay hydrated. Especially with my grandbaby in your tummy." She smiled winking. I smiled grabbing the water before making my way out to the treehouse to wait for Larry.

I walked around the small treehouse admiring some of the polaroids and pictures that Larry painted. I smiled seeing one of Larry and I. Sal had taken just a month ago. Larry had his arms around me as we painted something. He was trying to teach me how he paints but really it came out as a mess on the canvas. "That's a good picture of us." A voice said from behind me. I turned to see Larry standing there smiling at me. "Sure is. Look Larry I need to talk to you about something serious. Can we sit down?" I asked gesturing towards two beanbag seats he kept up here. He looked confused but nodded.

The two of us took a seat and I was suddenly nervous. We were only 16 we couldn't be parents. "Hey what's wrong (nickname)?" He asked grabbing my hand. I took a deep breath squeezing his hand before grabbing the test from my pocket. "I'm pregnant." I said simply despite the fear in my chest. Larry's eyes got wide and he grabbed the test from my hands. "Dude if this is a joke it's not funny." He said jumping up. By now the tears were starting to fall. "Its not a joke Larry." I sniffed standing up with him. "B-but how?" He asked running his hand through his messy long hair.

"I must've missed a pill or something."

"You missed a pill? How could you have missed a pill and not tell me!" He asked upset. "It happens Larry I don't know. But this isn't just my fault we did this."

"You're right sorry. What do you want to do have you made a decision on keeping it?"

"I don't know I wanted to talk to you."

"We're sixteen (Y/n) were too young."

"I know I know. But I don't think I want to abort it, it just sounds wrong. I believe women should have the right to choose but I don't want to abort our baby."

"Of course you don't I mean I wouldnt either if I was you. I don't know how I feel about adoption. I mean I love my mom and she did a great job but not knowing my dad and not knowing that part of myself was hard. I don't think I could do that to my kid. I always told myself I'd be there for my kid unlike him."

"That only leaves one option Larry."

He sighed looking at me for a moment before coming over and wrapping his arms around me. "Looks like we're gonna have this baby. If you're sure that is." He whispered holding me close. "I'm sure I want us to keep our baby." I replied. Larry pulled away a bit wiping away my tears. "Your mom went with me to the clinic and everything but we should go tell her we're keeping it." I told him looking up to meet his eyes. He honestly looked kind of happy. "Guess so much for strings attached huh." He joked laughing his melodic laugh. I laughed and we made our way out and back to the treehouse.

Ok that was it for the first chapter let me know what you think if you'd like but I'm definitely making it a series.

~Lex💛

[lizzybeth1986]

Quick Thoughts on DD Book 1 Chapter 5

• Content Warning: There are references to slut shaming while speaking about opera singers, and I speak about executions in the Hamid scene (I've not added grisly details or anything, but to me what I have included does sound a little macabre). I don't know if those warrant a warning, but I'd like to err on the side of caution and ensure that anyone comfortable with that knows this before they make the decision to proceed.

• Okay on with the QT!

• Why hello there, fancy hot looking Ottoman prince dude.

• Looks like not one but both of my MCs will be living the thot life.

• Apologies for the huge delay guys. There was a LOT to unpack this chapter, and it took me a while to actually explore, confirm my research and get a clear idea overall of how I wanted to approach this one. I'm hoping once TRR ends I can get these babies out earlier.

• You know what I realised? The Lady Grandma LIKES a sassy bitch. There are several times this chapter she's actually been more approving of my headstrong Marianne than she has been of my more mild-mannered Florence. See all of this:

She's mostly approving of this, however, when Henrietta is the recipient of this behaviour, but there are also points where she appreciates the MC's candor (if she chooses to show it) such as if the MC refers to the art of the fan as "ridiculous". If there is one thing that consistently gets on Dominique's nerves, it is occasions where the MC might speak of herself and her former background negatively, mostly out of annoyance because it shows she hasn't comfortably settled into her role yet, and Dominique needs the MC to do so if Edgewater is to stay within in the family and bloodline.

• Also I love the subtle streak of independence we get to see in Annabelle. She is someone who is doing what is expected of her, someone who tries to make the best of her circumstances the only way she knows how, but she is also refreshingly open about how stressful it is for her to go down this path, even in her free scenes. She is also playful and mischievous and doesn't take herself too seriously, which makes a lot of her scenes a joy to do.

• I also really really liked the option where you tell her she's the one you want to marry, and her reaction is both a disbelief that such a dream could come true alongside a receptiveness to the idea. It's soft and sweet and beautiful.

• So we start out with a crash course on the nobility we'll meet in London (Alfred Halloway, whose daughter Felicity is debuting this season, and the Barrymore family, who are related to the Halloways by marriage). Only this time, Annabelle wants to be a snarky little boss and fill the MC in on all the juicy gossip that Lady Grandmother won't give her.

• Lady Grandmother: Alfred Holloway is the viscount of Lochdale. His daughter, Felicity, will be coming from her estate at Bellington Hall to make her debut this season.

Miss Parsons: Alfred Holloway is an arrogant prig who looks like an Easter ham studded with cloves.

(For the record, this is what a clove-studded Easter ham seems to look like:

Holy shit Annabelle you savage af)

Lady Grandmother: Miss Holloway's family is also tied by marriage to the Earl of Barrymore...

Miss Parsons: Oh, avoid the Earl of Barrymore. His bed has more traffic than Drury Lane!

Annabelle here must be referring to the crowd that tends to flock around the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, which was popular as a source of entertainment for its plays and had a seating capacity of 3000 people.

• The free scene with Annabelle is important because it eases us gently into the main themes of her scene later on. The women get to speak about the whole concept of a "marriage market", and straight off the bat Annabelle lets us know how uncomfortable she is with having to go through a wedding to another man.

• She also speaks about what else - besides the fact that Harry was her closest friend - about his death affected her. Having been promised to Harry, Annabelle didn't have to go through the rigamarole of finding a husband. She had learned to settle with the idea of being married to someone who she knew and liked at least, if not loved. It's sad to us modern readers now that Annabelle would have to settle for less than passion or love, but back then I don't think she could have imagined a better deal. And now...and now she will have to settle for even less than what she had with Harry. This was a pretty neat way of easing us into the larger conversation she has with us in her diamond scene.

• A few days pass, and Briar is now helping us get ready for the trip to London. You have the option of encouraging her romance with Mr Woods, which...cmon. They cute 😊

•

Ooh so our House Colours are navy blue and gold! (considering that the Earl's default outfit itself is navy blue, I should have figured that would be a house colour). It's nice but MY NECK WHERE IS MY NECK.

Did You Know: that up until the middle of the 19th century, men's and women's riding habits were largely made by men in a distinctively masculine style. This is what Candice Hern's article "Regency Habits, Overview" on her website Regency World, says:

"Though the style and cut of riding habits changed with time and fashion, they continued to be tailored in a masculine style throughout the 17th and 18th centuries and into the early 19th century. In La Belle Assemblée in 1815, we read that: “Habits have, ever since they were first brought into fashion, been considered as decidedly calculated to give even the most delicate female a masculine appearance, and the wits of our grandmothers’ days were unmercifully severe on the waistcoat, cravat, and man’s hat which were then the indispensible appendages to a habit.”"

•

YOU'RE NOT COMING WTF DAD NO.

• WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY'LL DO TO YOU WHILE I'M GONE.

• I'm having a sinking feeling about leaving my old dad around in this house while Henrietta is still there, Grandma had better be his bodyguard (or maybe not. Cordonians seem to have weird ideas of what constitutes a successful bodyguard *COUGHCOUGH Mara and Bastien COUGHCOUGH*).

• Like most of the fandom I have a feeling the Earl will die sooner than we think. @i-dream-so-i-write once mentioned that it could well be towards the end of the book, and I think that's a fitting dramatic turn this book would take into the next. I'm going to miss the hell outta this guy though 😟

• Henrietta sent Mr Marlcaster and Miss Sutton ahead of time so they can screw things up for us, so we will need to butter them up like no tomorrow when we reach there, apparently.

• Hello Luke! It's been exactly one chapter!

• Kinda like the bonding the MC and Luke have with regards to the horse. Their first real conversation began with Clover, so it is fitting that their bonding continues over her at least for their initial interactions.

• Aww man, Henrietta wants Clover the horse to be sold and they give you a diamond option to keep her, name her and get extra scenes with her. Florence calls her Moonstone, Marianne calls her Pepper. Moonstone suits Florence's particular sense of whimsy, and I figured Marianne would want something short and snappy and it helped that Luke gave the horse some salt before the diamond option came up 😂

It's a fairly nice scene I guess, but it drives me batty because this book is already taking astronomical sums of money early on in the book, and people are already beginning to get frustrated. Even TRR, which is a pretty expensive book, took more than half the book before they pushed forward the option to buy the Derby horse. It just is beginning to feel like too much too soon at this point.

• Of all the free scenes this chapter, my favourite has to be the exchange among the four in the picnic en route London.

I found this particularly interesting because all of these people, so far, have been outside the rigors of the Season in some way or other. Briar is the most outside of this system of doing things: she has grown up completely out of it and will probably always struggle to understand the way things work within the gentry. Luke has spent years in that environment (that of the gentry) so he knows some of it, but he still is and will always be an outsider. Annabelle has grown up in this environment and is perhaps the closest to it, but has never had to take active part due to her association with Harry and the Edgewater Estate. And the MC straddles both these worlds. She is an heiress, part of this high society, but she was born in and more familiar with Briar's worldview. And I love how this scene captures all this in just a few bits of dialogue.

• Also Luke's sensible response to Annabelle's question and Briar being a teasing little imp is super cute, I will fight anyone who disagrees with me on this 😂😂😂

• So many gems nestled in Annabelle's scene guys I can't even. There's so much going on in this one. So much.

•

The main thing this scene does is to - without a doubt - establish Annabelle as a closeted lesbian. She's still at the stage where she's aware and finds it odd that she doesn't hold any affection for any man, that the idea itself of marriage frustrates her, and her growing confusion that she's now feeling for a woman all that she "should" be feeling for a man. There are points where she almost welcomes it, like the scene I mentioned earlier, but she still is clearly struggling.

The MC has three ways of responding to this - one where she misses the point completely and says "you haven't found the right man yet" (Marianne, unfortunately), another where she states that she "understands" (which is left open - either it is a gesture of support from an ally, or it is from someone who understands her dilemma to...well...some extent. Florence is the second. She is bi, so her "I understand" was basically "I've fallen for some men sure but I also have a hard time figuring out what my sexuality is"). My favourite is the response where the MC speaks of facing a similar dilemma in her life and is an excellent choice if your MC is also a lesbian. I couldn't use this one for Florence or Marianne because it didn't ring true for either of them, but I did see the screenshots on tumblr and it's quite poignant.

Did You Know: Lesbian/sapphic relationships and sex were not as much seen as illegal as invisible...and this was an attitude that a later monarch, Queen Victoria, would uphold as well, refusing to sign a legislation to criminalize it by insisting that "women do not do such things". Obviously as we all know, she couldn't be any more wrong. Today we know of famous lesbian women of the Regency as Anne Lister, owner of Shibden Hall, and the Ladies of Llangollen - two women from Ireland named Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby, who had a romantic relationship for over 50 years. Gail Eastwood, in an article titled "Queer in the Regency: a Slice of Once-Hidden LGBT History" says:

Defying their families, the two established an estate in Wales, called Plas Newydd, rather than enter into marriages with men they did not love. Though they incurred significant debt in order to have a staff, they survived on the generosity of friends until a fascinated Queen Charlotte convinced King George III to grant them a pension.

Plas Newydd became something of a haven for writers during the Regency era, especially since the couple living there could afford to keep it. 

Part of me wonders if elements of this story may be found in the Annabelle x MC route. Or like Anne Lister, who was well-endowed enough financially that she could refrain from marriage and have relationships with women. Maybe, or - given the limitations of having to chart out a storyline that will suit every LI - maybe not. Whatever it is, I'd be very interested in finding out how they'll handle the MC's romance with Annabelle.

• The second most interesting thing is Annabelle speaking about her poetry, and the restrictions her father has kept on her talent. She mentions him looking down on women's poetry as being "all bad rhymes and flowery sentiment", and that - in keeping with the times - he prefers Romantic Age poets such as Wordsworth, and that famous influence on Romanticism, Shakespeare. If we choose to ask her about showing us her poetry, she tells us her writing is "of a...delicate nature" (get it, girl! 😀) and if we choose to encourage her instead, the MC makes references to Mary Wollstonecraft, whose ideas of gender equality were considered radical for the times, and who is seen as one of the earliest feminist icons.

Did You Know: that in a time when female education was mainly geared to prepare women for their domestic roles, Mary Wollstonecraft advocated for women to receive an education that would help them survive beyond the home and the marriage market, stating that the one real barrier in the way of gender equality was the disparity in the education women received compared to men. She says, "this homage to women’s attractions has distorted their understanding to such an extent that almost all the civilized women of the present century are anxious only to inspire love, when they ought to have the nobler aim of getting respect for their abilities and virtues".

Her daughter, Mary Shelley, would write the famous novel Frankenstein in 1818, two years following the events of Desire and Decorum.

• Within this scene also lies a little tidbit that will hold some importance in Chapter 7: the MC tells Annabelle that her mother used to sing in the opera:

So this could be the root of some of the snarky remarks Henrietta makes about the MC's mother. She has close pretty darn close to calling her a "prostitute" on more than one occasion, and her comment after the MC sang along with Annabelle in chapter 3 about how it was "no wonder" that the MC could sing, given her mother's profession.

Did You Know: Opera singers had a very different reputation in the Regency era, not all of it very positive. Shana Galen, who is described as a Regency adventure author, speaks about how opera singers were viewed at the time: Of course, it was perfectly acceptable for a young lady to show her talents on the pianoforte or to sing in front of a small group of family and friends, but performing on the stage at Drury Lane or Covent Garden were frowned upon.

Female performers, especially, were shunned by society. One example of this sort of attitude was seen in the ridicule faced by a singer named Dorothea Jordan, who had an long-running affair with a Duke, bore him ten children, and who was the subject of a "satirical cartoon that showed her in her bedroom, gazing adoringly at a duchess’ coronet, which she hopes someday to wear by marrying her lover. A map on the wall purports to show the route from “Strolling Lane” (i.e. prostitution) through “Old Drury Common” all the way to “Derbyshire Peak.” A genealogical chart of the nobility lies on her dressing table, and her bed-hangings are crowned by a Phrygian cap, symbol of the French Revolution. The latter is intended to ridicule her pretensions to nobility; as a common woman, let alone an actress, she should know her place" ("Glimpse at Opera during Jane Austen's Lifetime" by Maggi Andersen, for the blog Historical Hearts).

• Luke's scene on the other hand is lighter in content but is important if you look at it from the viewpoint of establishing his role in the MC's life before they reach London. As a neutral friend, he is happy to serve her and considers her a vast improvement over Countess Henrietta. He tells her that she possesses what Henrietta lacks, understands something that Henrietta would never understand in several lifetimes: that looking down on people she believes as her 'inferiors' will leave her at a disadvantage eventually.

But if you hint at having feelings for Luke, the entire mood of the scene changes, and you see him feeling torn between his growing affections for her and his recognition that any relationship beyond the professional will end badly for them all.

• The thing with both Luke and Annabelle is that to not fall for them is to maintain the status quo. So even if there is an element of attraction, the MC not reciprocating does not tip the delicate balance that governs their lives at Edgewater over. But when she does...it gives rise both to moments of joy...and moments of fear.

• Ooh I love the animation for the train!!

I mean...just...look at this!

• The MC and Briar get to react in awe to their first sight of London before they get down from the carriage. We find out that we're pretty much stranded on the streets of London and no one has come to pick us up. Gee thanks, stepbro.

• Not gonna lie, but seeing Prince Hamid's shocked!face on his full-body shot made me giggle a little.

• He introduces himself as Imperial Prince Hamid, cousin to "his Imperial Majesty Mahmoud the Second, Caliph of Islam, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and Custodian of the Two Mosques (the last especially was used in royal titles for many Islamic rulers, and refers to the Al-Haram Mosque (al-Masjid al-Ḥarām) of Mecca, and the Prophet's Mosque (Al-Masjid An-Nabawī) of Medina).

• In a sense he kinda reminds me of Kamilah: he is a fictional character positioned as being related to an actual historical figure, so they will give us plenty of background about the countries they were from (Egypt and Turkey [Istanbul in this case], respectively) but keep the actual historical figure at a distance. Making the fictional character a cousin and a person of an important position in that court is a smart choice to make: they're important enough to represent the royals of the times but distanced enough that it doesn't seem unnatural if they aren't that close and ergo can't tell you personal details about said historical figure.

• Did You Know: Sultan Mahmud II (the cousin Hamid mentions) was seen as quite a progressive ruler of his times. 1829 onwards, he tried to bring many, many reforms into the Ottoman empire, including (according to the Encyclopedia Britannica article on him) "adopting the cabinet system of government, provided for a census and a land survey, and inaugurated a postal service (1834), introducing compulsory primary education, opening a medical school, and sending students to Europe. In addition, the sultan’s right to confiscate the property of deceased officials was abolished, and European dress was introduced". It looks like some elements of this way of thought could be reflected in Hamid, from his talk of diplomacy in his diamond scene.

• Hamid not only positions himself as a bit of an outsider to England but also as a man who travels: talk of travelling and seeing the world is his ice-breaker when they get into the carriage. This will allow him not only to help familiarize the MC with London, and his home Constantinople, but also give her (and us) a view of what the world looks like at this point. For instance, if the MC speaks of even London is unfamiliar territory to her, he mentions the Blue Mosque, the construction of which was completed exactly 200 years prior to the events of the story.

• The other very essential point of this scene is to provide a bit of a parallel to Luke, but also as a counterpoint. Luke is disadvantaged both by his class and his race - ergo he has a very layered perspective. Hamid has privileges, but he is also aware of and in some ways used to the reception he gets in England, and has figured out how he wants to respond. Both Luke and Hamid find their ways to cope with their situation, and the MC is allowed - according to the ethnicity chosen for her - to relate to both.

Florence, for instance, relates heavily to this as someone is visibly a foreigner even though England is the only home she has ever known. Marianne does not fully understand this, but she can tell him like any decent human being would that she thinks it's wrong of people to treat him that way.

• Just prior to this the two manage to see the Tower of London, notorious for the imprisonment and execution of many, many people including royals and nobles. There is a short but rather poignant conversation on the "many people tortured and murdered over who had the right to sit on the throne" (among the people executed, you will find names like Anne Boleyn, Thomas More, Lady Jane Grey, Guy Fawkes and Walter Raliegh).

• Did You Know: For a long long time in England, executions were seen as a bit of a spectator sport. The more unusual the criminal, the bigger the crowd. The Capital Punishment UK blog speaks of the kind of atmosphere usually present around the time:

In many counties, executions were held on market days to enable the largest number of people to see them and school parties would be made to attend as a moral lesson, something which is certainly recorded as happening at Lancaster Castle.  Public houses and gin shops always did a very brisk trade on a hanging day.  

However, attitudes towards executions experienced a shift around the late 18th-early 19th century, and by 1864 Parliament established a Royal Commission on Capital Punishment, with a declaration that executions would take place inside the prisons rather than in public.

I'm not sure if this was intentional, but possibly the MC's and Hamid's reactions to the tower may be reflective of their times.

• Interestingly, Annabelle is shown to look jealous if you've been romancing her, and giving you a sly grin if you're just friends. I quite liked that little touch. Luke meanwhile is a little less open about how he feels at this point: whether you're romancing him or not, he is described as "watching you carefully" during your exchange with Hamid.

• So Mr Marlcaster got the letter from the Duchess to send a groom for picking the MC, but didn't...as per his mother's demands, surely. But AT LEAST you should have been a little prepared to answer me in case I dropped by anyway, dude? Instead of just standing there and staring at me like a scandalized goldfish.

• Looks like Edmund is still going to try screwing things up for us, and we'll need to find a way to get him on our side. After all, we get relationship points with both him and Theresa Sutton, and Lady Grandmother did tell us we could find a way to get them to be with us rather than against us.

• I'm looking forward to Chapter 5...but it's Chapter 6 I REALLY want to see. We're going to learn a bit more about the MC's mother's background!

General Thoughts:

• OMG so much was there to unpack this chapter!! A lot of it to do with Annabelle and Hamid, and Luke has taken a bit of a backseat this chapter but I'm hoping that's a taster of what's to come in his case.

• Look I love this story but IT COSTS SO MUCH. WTF. Keeping Clover was a nice option but it really added nothing to this chapter and could have easily been shifted elsewhere. I want this book to do well. I'm happy with how they're writing it, the effort they're putting into their research and into their characters so far...and I would hate for it to not be appreciated because they made it so hard for people to get into the book by making it this expensive so early.

• Florence is going for Annabelle and Luke (leaning more towards Annabelle at this point), and Marianne for Hamid and Sinclaire (I'm not sure yet but Hamid is a very very strong contender!!). Who would have thought I'd have my first polyam MCs in a book on Regency Era England!! Who woulda thunk!

• Annabelle particularly intrigues me at this point. She is clearly established as both inside and outside of this system, and vocally critical of it at least to the MC. She writes about her desires against the chargin of her father, and states that she doesn't want to merely settle into a 'safe' relationship like her mother, not unless she can know and trust that person (which is mostly why she agreed to the match with Harry even if she didn't love him). She is confused, and open and honest about her confusion. I really think the foundation of this character is immensely strong, but they really need to keep working on her and not just drop their efforts on her halfway. And I've seen that happen enough times with female LIs to be afraid.

• At this point, we now have three male LIs (one Master of Horse who is African-American, one family-approved eligible bachelor and one prince of the Ottoman Empire) and one female love interest. Is there space for one more confirmed female LI? I sure hope so but at the same time I don't want keep my hopes up.

However...IF the plan is to keep just one female LI, then they'd better do a pretty darn phenomenal job of her. If you're not going to give wlw players other options it's only fair to make sure the only option is given really, really good writing - consistently. They're doing a good job so far...but there's a long long way to go before I can fully trust PB to do justice to her.

• That's it for now! On to Chapter 6!

• Tagged: @boneandfur @liamraines @thespiritpanda @alanakusumastan @ernestsinclairs @private-investigator-nazario @bcdollplace @thedepthsremember @mcbangle @queenodysseia @novaelaras

If you'd like to be tagged on these QTs, do let me know! 😀

[rreader]

oh, oh, what about something merlin where the reader is having a depressing af convo with harry--who hasn't turned off his glasses, and it's like: "it--look, it doesn't matter, harry. it never did. i know who i am, and i know who he is. he'll never know, and even if i told him, it's not like he'd reciprocate. i'll let it go. i have to. and things will suck for a little bit, but they'll be okay in the end."

Pairing: Merlin x ReaderFandom: KingsmanWarnings: pure angst ; language

A/N: first of all, I hope, with everything that I have, that you write fanfictions yourself because that was some goooood shit there. I mean, I basically only added the context lol. No seriously though. This is really angsty and I’m sorry, but oh well, I suppose this is what you wanted haha. hope you like it

                                                            *****

“Resignation?”Harry looked up from the papers in front of him with disbelief,“Why?”

“Personalreasons? Health issues? Financial problems? Take your pick, I don’treally care,” you buried your hands in your coat, obviously beingready to leave this place.

Harry,however, was suspicious.

Hewas a spy, for god’s sake. And he hadn’t realized something was wrongwith you till now. Which only proved to him how good you were at hidingpersonal feelings. Or any feelings, for that matter from him. You’ve alwaysbeen the professional one, compared to the other Kingsman applicants.Summed up, you were the best out of them all.

And he’d be damned if he let you leave without trying to convince you to stay.

Hetilted his head to the side and pointed towards the chair next tohim.

“Please.”

Youwanted to roll your eyes, but kept it professional and did what heasked you to do... like you had always done. But you kept your coat on,wanting to make this conversation as brief as possible.

“It..-look,” you sighed and averted your eyes, “It doesn’t matter,Harry. It never did.”

“I’mafraid I don’t know what you mean,” he studied you intensely,trying to figure out what was wrong, but the only plausible reason he couldcome up with was:, “Is this about Merlin?”

Hedidn’t know the details. He had heard the rumors and he had talked toMerlin about it, but he didn’t want to comment on them.

This entire topic had seemed to upset him a great deal and Harry had always known when to give his friend space. He’d talk when he’d be ready to talk. So far, he hadn’t been.

“Iknow who I am. And.. I know who he is. What’s important to him andwhat’s important to me..”

“Sothe rumors are not really rumors, then?”

“Hedidn’t tell you?” you were surprised. You had always assumed theirbond was like a bond between brothers.

Harryleaned back in his chair and let out a deep breath.

“No.He didn’t,” silence filled the room for a while. Only the tickingof the clock on the wall could be heard. Then, Harry raised his headonce more, “I can only assume what this means to him. But what doesit mean to you? What does he mean to you?”

“Itdoesn’t matter what he means to me. He’ll never know and even if Itold him, it’s not like he’d reciprocate.”

Suddenly,he felt like your therapist, with his hands folded over his belly,studying you from under his glasses.

“Youseem to be sure about that.”

Yousnorted and raised your eyebrows once.

Hellyes you were sure about it.

Ifhe did reciprocate your feelings, none of this would be happeningright now. You wouldn’t leave everyone here behind. Those people youhad started to call your family.

No... if he did, your life would be looking completely different right now.

Finally,after not replying for a long time, you got up again and straightenedyour coat.

“Look,I’ll just let it go. I mean.. I have to. And things will obviouslysuck for a little bit, but they’ll be okay in the end. I’ll be okay.I just need to get away from here, so that I can allow them to become okay,” you wereclearly ready to take your leave now.

Therewas nothing Harry could do. It was nice of him to listen to you, butthat’s about all he could do about this situation.

Theman in front of you cleared his throat and fidgeted with his glassesfor a second, before getting up from the chair and holding out hishand to you.

“Iunderstand.”

Youtook it and smiled at him. A genuine smile.

“Thankyou for everything, Galahad. You’ve taught me so much, I had neverhoped to learn in my life. I owe you a lot.”

“No.You don’t owe me anything,” the usually so serious Harry graced youwith a small smile of his own, before walking you to the door, “I’m glad to have met you, (Y/N).”

“Likewise,”your mouth curved into a smile one last time, then you headed towardsthe exit, a cab already waiting for you.

You’dreally miss this place. And not only the people, but the work aswell.

Youhad never thought you’d enjoy being a spy so much, but you reallyhad. Every single second of it. The good and the bad. And before you had known it, you became quite good at it as well.

Itmade you the woman you were now.

“(Y/N)!”a voice called out from behind you, rushing down the stairs, justbefore you could get in the taxi.

Whenyou turned around, you looked into the eyes of the man that was thereason for your departure.

“Haveyou come to make sure I really leave? Don’t worry. After I’m gone, you won’t hear from me again,” you said, bitterness clearin your voice.

“What?!No!” he was out of breath, seemingly having run here, “I need totalk to you.”

Your jaw clenched, but you decided to give the driver a nod, to tell himthat he could leave. You’d simply get another one, once you wereready. 

You wanted to hear what he had to say.

“Fine.But make it quick.”

He filled his lungs with air once more, before starting to apologize.

“I’msorry. I truly am. I know that I... shouldn’t have reacted the way Idid, but I just panicked.”

“Youthink I didn’t panic? You think I threw a fucking party because ofit?” you frowned, “I needed you, Merlin.”

“Iknow you did,” he admitted, shame filling his voice, “But I’mhere now, if you’ll still have me.”

“Why? Why now, all of a sudden?”

“BecauseI do reciprocate your feelings. Because I know myself and I know thatthis,” he grabbed your hands and stared into your eyes, his pupilsdilated, “..is what I want. I want to spend my life with you and..and our child,” he dropped to his knees, fighting back the tearsthat were threatening to come out, his head leaning against yourbelly. 

Oh,Harry. Of course. He hadn’t shut off his glasses. That’s why hefidgeted with them at the end.

WhileMerlin managed to keep the tears at bay, your own ran down yourcheeks freely, both of your hands on his head.

“Thenwhy didn’t you say it before? Why did you run when I told you? Whydid you leave me alone when I needed you the most?”

“Iwas so scared,” he looked up at you, his eyes pleading, “I didn’tthink I could do it. Be with you. Be a father. Other people did thesethings, I was never one of these people. But I want to be. I want tobe someone you deserve. The father that our child deserves.”

He was so utterly ashamed of himself. 

He had worked for Kingsman for so long, that a personal life had never been something he had even considered. And when you had told him that you were pregnant.. it was just.. too much. He couldn’t imagine himself as a father, or perhaps even husband, one day. All he ever did was work. And he was good at it. And that’s why he walked away from you when you told him. Because work had always been the only thing he was good at. 

But when his time would come, when the job would finally ask him to make the ultimate sacrifice, he didn’t want his last thought to be the child he abondened. The child he never saw, not even once. He didn’t want to think about all the missed moments he never got to experience with you.

He wanted this.. he truly, truly did.

Youput your hand over your mouth to stifle the sobs.

Youdidn’t know whether it was the hormones that drove you nuts, orbecause you had given up on the possibility of a future with him.

Butnow..

Now,it might not be so impossible after all..