#watching zoey cry made me :( :( :( :( :( :( :(

[bored-libra]

DUDE what did you think of the new dob movie??? Idk anything about it and I'll probably watch just for him tbh but I thought I might get some opinions lol

i was pleasantly surprised but i went in with pretty low expectations

[singmyaubade]

Forget-Me-Nots

James Potter x Female!Reader

A/N: Hi there! I haven't written in a while, but this idea just struck me, and because I've been struggling with writer's block, I really needed to write it. In a way, it's my salvation. This is the first series I am starting, but I will be finishing and starting others.

IB: The Other Zoey by Sara Zandieh. (This movie so good by the way).

Summary: James could never forget a love like yours.

Warning: It may contain swearing and soon-to-be smut.

There were three things that you couldn't stand.

One was really cold classrooms, which not only made you sleepy but also made it difficult to concentrate on your studies. As a result, you started carrying a jumper with you everywhere you went.

The second was being sick; you detested missing out on opportunities and activities due to circumstances beyond your control, as well as how awful it would feel and how little you could do about it.

Three was crying,

Since fifth year, the idea of crying had both repulsed you and made you dislike how vulnerable everything was, as well as when someone felt sorry for you.

Of course, others could cry in front of you and you would give them comfort but you didn't want people to see you in pain and you making it everyone else's problem.

It wasn't right in your book.

But those were the three things you absolutely despised. They were all simple things you could avoid if you truly tried and you had for years.

But if we wanted to add a bonus point,

You would add James Fleamont Potter.

Quite ironic to hate "The Golden Boy,"

It was one of the most funniest cliches that even you could think of.

The girl who basically had no friends or social standing versus the most popular guy in Hogwarts.

Sounds about right.

But the reason that you couldn't include this in the things you couldn't stand is because it was complex. It wasn't simple and it wasn't something that you could easily describe nor avoid.

You couldn't say that you weren't being immature but what James had done had completely indescribably affected you.

To be fair, it was in fifth year and you were now on your seventh year which means the hatred is pre-historic but when 'The James Potter' cheats on you with Jade Davies AKA the girl you despise that has bullied you since first year,

It gets pretty intense.

Since then, you had refused to talk to James and he let you have your space.

Unfortunately, it didn't mean that Jade would stop bullying you but it only meant that she had more material to bully you with but James did his best to help you avoid her by distracting her when you came by or kissing to distract her.

But you weren't thankful for his gestures, you wished nothing but a quaffle to be shoved up his ass in all honestly.

Then again, it was all so long ago and you wanted to let it go and just have fun for your last year.

Which is why you attended the first Quidditch game of the season.

You were practically freezing, hugging your cheeks with your palms. It was especially cold and you forget to bring another jumper to top over the one you had now.

There was loud cheering all around you as you heard a few chants for James as you saw him dive for the golden snitch.

At the same time, the quaffle came fast in the same direction, colliding with James's head.

He went into instant unconsciousness as he was about to dove straight in the ground.

The crowd went silent as James fell in the air but it felt like he was already moving in slow motion.

Your instincts kicked in as you stood and grabbed your wand from your boot "Arresto Momentum!" You yelled, pointing your wand at him as his movements slowed and he hit the grass floor lightly.

You gasped as everyone watched you, their mouthes agaped but a small part of you only cared if James was okay.

You heard people yelling and whispers asking if he was okay and parts about how you had saved him.

But it wasn't your problem.

You grabbed your bag, moving from the stands as you made your way to the castle. Your feet rushed over to your dorm, trying to make it there as fast as you can.

"Y/N!" You heard someone yell as you looked behind you to see Lily.

You looked ahead of you, trying to rush faster and then Lily said, "You saved him," She panted as a few seconds of silence went.

"It wasn't intentional," You responded, rolling your eyes.

"But you did it instantly," She replied, "You saved him," She looked at you as if she was trying to figure you out.

You stuttered, "Y-You said that and shouldn't you be with him?" You questioned, trying to keep your composure.

"You should come with me," Lily said.

"No, that's a bad idea," You declined, "Jade should already be with him," You cleared your throat, setting your book bag on your shoulder again.

"They aren't together," Lily mentioned, "He wants to see you,"

You raised your eyebrow in confusion, why would James want to see you?

"Lily I don't think-" You tried,

"You must!" Lily responded.

"But-" You tried again.

"You have to," Lily sternly said.

"If I do, will you leave me alone?" You asked, her face lighting up as she grabbed your arm dragging you into infirmary.

You both entered the infirmary, surrounded by hospital beds. You looked around at other sick students as Lily dragged you over to where James was laying.

Sirius, Peter, and Remus were around him, quietly talking as you approached him.

He had a harsh, purple bruise on his temple that was the size of your hand and a bandage wrapped around his head.

"James, I got her for you," Lily said as James groaned, blinking to take a good look at you, his eyes still squinting from the light and how much his head hurt.

"Baby," He sweetly said, a wide grin appearing on his lips as he squinted.

Baby.

He hadn't called you that in so long.

You flinched, trying not to show how taken aback you were in order to not freak him out but you were. You looked at the three boys in front of you but they were equally confused too.

"Potter, have you lost your-" You said as Lily elbowed you, earning a hiss from you.

"Play along," Lily mouthed, making you even more confused.

"But-" You were about to speak before Lily pushed you in front of James.

"Um, are you okay?" You asked, looking at him awkwardly.

"I'm amazing now that you are here," He said, smiling.

"Oh that's great!" You fake excitingly said.

"I missed you so much," James took your hand, rubbing it as your face was hit with surprise, "I heard you in my dreams," He dreamingly smiled.

"That's nice," You awkwardly laughed, "You should sleep, your head is probably pounding," You said, patting the back of his hand as he only caressed yours.

"Stay with me?" He asked, drifting into drowsiness.

You looked around at his friends as they urged you to say yes, "Sure," You sighed.

James's eyes closed as you laid his hand next to him on his bed. You watched at how pretty he looked sleeping, his eyelids fluttering but that was before you snapped into reality.

"What is going on?" You asked sternly, crossing your arms.

"Well," Sirius was about to start but Remus continued for him.

"James had called your name on the field after you performed that spell for him," He explained, making you blush, "And he wouldn't stop calling your name until the nurse gave him a drowsy potion,"

Your eyebrow raised, why was James Potter calling for you out of all people? You couldn't help but question the entire thing.

"And why was he calling my name?" You asked.

"We don't know," Lily answered.

"Well, I can't be with him when he wakes up," You said, looking off.

"You have to," Sirius answered, "Prongs can't be stressed out, it will only worsen his brain and he will end up like a pound of sausage," He said, confusing you.

"Great analogy but I really should be-" You started as you were interrupted.

"James!" Jade yelled dramatically, running over to him, "Oh will he make it?" Jade asked, fanning herself as the group rolled their eyes.

"He will be fine," Remus said.

"But I think seeing you will make it worse," Sirius added with a smile.

Jade scowled at him before looking at you, "What is she doing here?" She furiously said.

You were about to speak before Lily did it for you, "He called for her,"

"No he didn't," Jade laughed, dismissing the ridiculous thought.

"But he did," Peter said as Jade has a disgusted look on her face.

"Well I'm his girlfriend so I'm sure he will want to see me," Jade boasted as if she only cared about the label and not the fact that James had truly gotten hurt.

"You guys have been broken up for six months," Sirius scoffed.

"I would prefer on a break," Jade corrected, glaring at Sirius.

"Okay well, this has nothing to do with me," You said, trying to move past Jade but she blocked you.

"What do you think you're doing?" Jade asked.

"Moving out of the way so that you can coddle James and kiss his boo boo's away," You mocked.

"Honestly, I keep forgetting that James chose me over you, it's actually quite hilarious," Jade smirked as you rolled your eyes.

"Congrats on being easy, it's one of your best accomplishments," You insulted, trying to move past her but failing once again.

"Nice of you to assume that James was only with me because I'm "easy," She gaped, causing you to step back.

"Seriously bugger off Jade," Sirius defended.

Jade kept going, "Or are you sure it's not because I'm better than you in everything I do and that James couldn't stand to be with you for another second with your daddy issues and a failure at everything," She aggrieved.

Your eyes watered as Madam Pomfrey came in, "Oh Mr. Potter must have a lot of admirers," She joked as you only smiled in return, "Which one of you is the famous Y/N?" She asked, looking between you, Jade, and Lily.

You spoke, "I am,"

She smiled at you, "He had been calling you for ages, what a beautiful girlfriend he's got,"

"I'm actually not his-" You started but the nurse kept going.

"Mr. Potter will be fine but a few things are jumbled in there" She said, checking his vitals, "It's best if he isn't stressed out or confused because it could only make matters worse," She finished, looking at all of you.

You all nodded in reply, "Other than that, he is good to go tomorrow morning but he can only have two visitors tonight," She mentioned, exiting.

"Y/N, you should stay with him," Peter said shyly.

"I don't think-" You started before you were interrupted.

You were getting tired of being interrupted.

"No, James would wanna see me," Jade almost yelled.

"You will only give James more brain damage, Y/N stays," Lily spat, clearly annoyed by Jade.

Jade huffed, "I will be back in the morning," She stomped away.

"We'll leave you to it," Remus said as Sirius smirked, leaving with the group as Lily squeezed your shoulder before exiting too.

You sat on the chair next to James's bed, wondering how you got in this situation in the first place.

And then you wondered how you would get out of it.

[yamujiburo]

POKEMON SERIES RANKED (IMO)

I get this question a lot and haven't made an updated list with Journeys

Original Series (S1-S5)

Sun & Moon (S20-S22)

Chronicles (S0)

Diamond and Pearl (S10-S13)

Advanced (S6-S9)

Journeys (S23-S25)

Black & White (S14-S16)

XY (S17-S19)

Original Series (S1-S5)

OS had that first season charm. Very unpolished, still finding its footing but super enjoyable for those reasons

Probably the strongest series comedy-wise

That GORGEOUS 90s anime style

Main character dynamics were REALLY strong

Ash's personality felt much more like a shitty little 10 year old which was entertaining

Dub writing was also the best hands down

Sun & Moon (S20-S22)

Honestly tied for first with OS for me

REALLY fun ensemble cast! They do a fantastic job giving each character enough time for you to get to know and care about

Excellent modern anime style that perfectly fit the vibe of the season and allowed for some of the best character animation of the show's run

Finally figured out how to write Ash like a 10 year old again (but in a kind/sweet 10 year old way as opposed to OS)

Very different from previous series in terms of the formula they'd follow. Doing a school series instead of another "8 badges to championship" plot felt new and fresh!

This series genuinely made me cry the most (MEMORIES IN THE MIST!!!!! LIKE ARE YOU KIDDING ME)

Chronicles (S0)

Fun concept! It was really nice to see more of the side characters without Ash there. We get to see more of Misty, Tracey, Daisy, Brock, Ritchie, Oak, Delia, Butch, Cassidy, Jessie, James and Meowth!

Stylistically really nice. Just solid drawings all around and it retained the 90s anime style in digital form more successfully than other digitally done series imo

BUTCH AND CASSIDY!!! Team Rocket centric episodes!!! Training Daze!!!!!!!

Idk how possible it would have been (seems like a TON of work) but it made me want one of these in between each season, where we'd follow the characters that Ash had just said goodbye to for the next region.

Diamond and Pearl (S10-S13)

Series I grew up with! Honestly I was kinda a hater as a kid but having watched it back, I love the series

Love that Ash and Dawn were bros. They had a really fun dynamic.

Debatably peak Team Rocket. They had some of the best Team Rocket centric episodes this series.

Contests were really fun and a bit more figured out compared to the Advanced series

Fun, memorable rivals for Ash (Paul and Barry) as well as Dawn (Zoey, Kenny and Jessilina sometimes)

This is unfortunately where I stopped caring about Ash as much. He feels kinda watered down for the next couple series.

Advanced (S6-S9)

Pretty tied up with DP for me

Really fun series! Still had some of that early Pokémon charm

I appreciated that they put Ash in more of a mentor role for May (but he still had a lot to learn himself).

Ash and May constantly butting heads was really fun

May was a very compelling character to me, being very clumsy, kinda lazy, directionless, not really into Pokémon, etc. But then over time, she comes around and finds something she's interested in!

Journeys (S23-S25)

I love the episodic take as well as the way they let the characters jump around from region to region at random

Goh was a GREAT travel companion to Ash. They contrast each other nicely, have moments where they get on each others' nerves but still get along and have a mutual admiration for one another.

It was fun that they made Goh's thing catching every Pokémon (the motto of the entire series) so they could focus on Ash just training and prepping for Worlds.

Amaaaazing style. Took the great parts of classic Pokémon, roundness of SM and blended em together for a really fun look.

Black & White (S14-S16)

I don't think it's that controversial to have BW this low haha

I did enjoy Iris and Cilan but it felt like the writers didn't reaaally know what to do with them? Also this was their first time in a while not having Brock and it shows. I feel like Brock was successful because he was grounded and lower energy compared to the rest of the kids. Having 3 pretty eccentric characters is kind of a lot. No hate to the characters in the slightest, there was just not as much balance.

I think maybe they leaned on Cilan and Iris for more comedic relief because they killed the comedic relief that was Team Rocket this series. I appreciate them trying something new with Jessie, James and Meowth but I don't think it worked very well lol

XY (S17-S19)

I've ranted about this series a lot LOL. I get the appeal of it, but it just wasn't for me. I felt like it was the weakest comedy-wise and took itself a bit too seriously for my taste

My main gripe is that Serena, Clemont and Bonnie all like,,, worship Ash. By doing so, Ash begins to feel like a side character because we're constantly looking at Ash through their eyes. There's so little conflict within the group so their dynamics feel really flat. I think this dynamic could have worked if they leaned waaay more into Ash being a mentor and maybe feeling the pressure of having to be a role model for the people around him.

Team Rocket very much feels like an afterthought in this series. They did in Journeys as well, but at least in Journeys they were doing something silly and also had a handful of episodes dedicated to em.

Outside of that, the episodes weren't super memorable for me

I think it's just frustrating because there was sooooo much potential character-wise

[damiansgoodgirll]

Hii, could you please write a judgment day x reader? (platonic but can be romantic if you prefer)

where the reader gets betrayed by their tag team partner, and obviously they are devastated because they were really close.

(think like liv4brutality, for example).

the judgment day x reader (platonic)

ps : let’s pretend the judgment day is in smackdown for this plot okay? thank you 😙

betrayal

you and your partner zoey had a title match against bianca and jade and you couldn’t wait for that moment to happen. you both were so close to win the title that the moment zoey betrayed you and attacked you felt surreal to you.

you didn’t know why she did that, a couple of minutes before the match started she was talking about how she couldn’t wait to hold the title and now she was betraying you, leaving you and the whole crowd in shock.

even jade and bianca were shocked.

that definitely wasn’t part of the script.

of course the match ended immediately but zoey kept attacking you that not even bianca could stop her.

a few referees were able to stop zoey and separate her from you.

“are you okay?” bianca gently sat down next to you. you were currently bleeding. your nose was bleeding and there was a bruise on your head. but you were live and you knew you had to pretend that everything was part of the show, the blood as well, this wasn’t aew after all.

“i’m okay…” you whispered back.

a referee handed you a tissue to wipe some blood away and you did as they told you.

“we’ll help you backstage” jade said helping you up.

referees were taking zoey backstage and you kinda smile hearing the boos from the crowd but still you couldn’t understand what made her act like that. maybe there wasn’t a proper reason, you knew she wanted to have a solo push and being constantly put in tag teams wasn’t her thing but still, attacking you and hurting you was way too much.

she was one of your best friend and even if she did wanted that solo career push, she could have told you. you would have been glad to listen to her and help her with her career goals, you couldn’t justify her actions.

“wait here, medical stuff will be here soon” one of the referee said while he helped you sat down on a chair.

after a few minutes, a doctor came to check on you and apart from the bruise on your head and the bleeding nose you were fine. he gave you a week to rest but then you would be completely fine returning to your normal life.

so, apart from the bruises and the physical pain, now it came the emotional pain.

once you got back to your hotel room, you couldn’t help but break down. you cried in the shower, hoping that no one would hear your cries but your hotel neighbours were the judgment day, your best friends, so they obviously knew something was wrong.

they came back immediately after their segment and couldn’t wait to watch the rest of the show while eating dinner. they couldn’t explain what they were feeling when they watched you getting beaten up by your team partner.

they knew you and zoey we’re pretty close so they couldn’t understand why she would betray you like this.

“we should check up on her…” damian said and the rest of the group nodded.

only a few minutes after you heard a gentle knock on your door. you weren’t expecting anyone so you were kinda shocked when you saw all the members of the judgement day outside your hotel room waiting for you to let them in.

“hey guys…” you softly said let them in your room. they could notice your red eyes and tears on your face.

“are you okay?” rhea asked you.

you couldn’t even find the words to explain what happened that tears were falling from your eyes “oh y/n come here…” rhea embraced you into her arms “it’s okay…” she let you cry into her shoulders.

“it’s not okay rhea” your broken voice said “it’s not okay, why would zoey betray me like that? i thought we were friends, i thought she would care about our team and…”

damian noticed you started to panic a little “y/n take deep breaths…you need to calm down princesa, breathe in and out…”

“i just don’t understand…” you dry a few tears away, looking up at the rest of the group.

“we don’t either…what zoey did is unacceptable, but you shouldn’t let yourself down like this love” finn comforted you “i know it’s hurting and it will hurt for a while but everything will be okay…we are here for you love…” you smiled at him softly, thanking him for his kindness. finn was the wise man in the group, always knowing what to do or to say.

“finn’s right love…don’t let what happened going to your head, take your time and you’ll come back stronger than before, plus, if you get bored in smackdown, there’s always a special place for you in the judgment day…” dom said making you smile.

they team asked you to join them many months ago, probably way before jd joined but you always refused, aspiring for a solo career or tag teams position but now being in the judgment day didn’t sound so bad. the boys loved you, rhea loved you, and you knew they wouldn’t let you down.

“can i think about that?” you asked them.

“absolutely love, take all the time you need to think about it, whatever you choose, we’re always here for you and you know that…” finn smiled at you.

“thank you so much guys, for everything. i’m pretty sure my cries woke you up tho…i’m sorry for that”

damian softly smiled at you “your cries didn’t wake us up hermosa, we were just worried about you…we also saw you bleeding, are you okay?”

you couldn’t help but smile at their gentle care “no i’m okay i swear” you laughed “just a few bruises, the doctor put on me rest for the week but i’ll be back soon, nothing major thankfully…”

“great, we’ll see in a week what faction you’ll join” rhea smirked at you “we’re gonna let you rest now, you need it. if you want some company we are one door away, don’t hesitate to call us okay?” you nodded and thanked them for their support.

now you were left alone with your thoughts, joining the judgment day didn’t sound so bad in the end.

[w1ldthoughts]

House Call

Series Masterlist

Synopsis: Zoey gets sick and Jack comes to Miami to take care of her.

Everything hurt and she was dying.

Ok…that may be a little dramatic but Zoey couldn’t remember what it felt like to not wake up with a skull crushing headache and a smoker’s cough so…things weren’t looking great. But the real icing on the cake was telling Jack that she couldn’t make it to Louisville this week because of her untimely illness. The universe gave her the most stable relationship of her entire life and took away her ability to breathe through her nose. He giveth and He taketh away. Life is all about balance.

At least that’s what she was telling herself while maintaining a steady diet of lemon tea with lots of honey and cool berry cough drops. She was on day two of waking up with all the bones in her body aching, feeling more sore than she did last month when her best friend dragged her to a pilates workout in a sauna which was by far the worst 30 minutes of her life. This was a very close second.

She was woken up from her second nap of the day by footsteps that sounded eerily like they were coming from her kitchen but that must’ve been the DayQuil playing tricks on her. The footsteps continued moving about, placing bags down on the counter and opening things like her cabinet and the fridge. Zoey must have been dreaming because she swore that she saw Jack walking into her room before this intense wave of exhaustion took over.

Jack on the other hand had been worried for the last week. Exactly seven days ago his girlfriend had been sniffling on the phone while they had been discussing her Louisville trip. Then two days later when he called her and her voice sounded off and scratchy, he knew something was up. But when she canceled her trip? He knew he had to do something. The fact that she was feeling sick enough to not be able to travel to come see him was all he needed to get on the plane and get to her as soon as possible. As soon as he landed he got into his rental, grabbed the essentials and headed over to her apartment complex. All of the lights were off inside and the only sign of life in the place was the cup of orange juice in the sink and a thermometer on the counter. When all of the stuff he brought with him was put away, he headed into her room to check on his patient.

Zoey woke up feeling a little worse than before, a coughing fit jolted her out of her less than comfortable sleep. A curly haired figure rushed in soon after, placing a hand on her sweatshirt covered back, rubbing large soothing circles onto it. He handed her the freshly warmed cup of tea in his other hand which she greatly accepted, taking careful sips.

“You okay? Do you need me to grab you anything?” Jack eyes, his eyes full of concern with a hand still on her back. Maybe he was rubbing it more for his own comfort now than hers.

She laughs, leaning her head on his shoulder. “What are you going here? I thought I saw you before I went to sleep but I swore I was dreaming…or in heaven.”

“Well I’m more of a handsome devil than an angel I think, but I’ll take either one.” He says with a giggle, placing a kiss on her forehead, humming sadly at the warm feeling of her feverish skin. “Come on. We’re gonna get you in a lukewarm bath so you can relax.”

In all of her relationships she was used to being the caregiver, the one to drop everything anytime her partner ever needed it. And now to be on the receiving end of the care was new and kind of made her want to cry. Or maybe that was the Vicks VapoRub that he’d lathered onto her chest and neck.

After the bath, Jack helped her dry her hair and carried her back to bed even though she told him repeatedly she could walk. “You changed the sheets. And they’re warm. Aw Jackman, you’re the best boyfriend ever.”

“I do what I can.” He beams. “You stay right there I made you some food so I’ll bring your food in here and we can watch Ugly Betty.”

“I love you.” She whispers, her body melting into the bed. Harper hopped on to the bed as soon as Jack was out of sight, purring happily at the warm sheets and blankets.

About half an episode in, he came back with a bowl of chicken noodle soup, blue Gatorade and fresh bread from True Loaf Bakery. He set the platter on the bedside table and fluffed her pillows for her after helping her sit up then gently placed the tray in her lab while eyeing the cat seated firmly at her side. Zoey patted the spot next to her on the bed, welcoming him to join.

“Nah,” he shook his head, crossing his arms like he was preparing a temper tantrum. “I’m not sitting with her in the bed. She’s always spreading out her little body so that I’m practically scooting off the bed. I know she does that shit on purpose cause she’s jealous.”

Zoey looks down at the cat sleeping peacefully next to her and laughs, putting her spoon back in the bowl. “You guys both need to be nicer to each other,” she pats the cat on the head and gives them both a stern look. “Please don’t make me choose between the two of you because if I do…Jack you’re outta here.”

“Wait forreal?” He gasps. “You’re—you’re not being serious are you?” Jack sits on the bed, on the other side of the cat and gives his girlfriend his best puppy dog eyes. “Actually you know what, don’t answer that.”

She nods and finishes her food, cuddling into Jack’s side while the show continues to play. “Thank you for coming to take care of me. You really didn’t have to do all of this but I’m glad you did.”

“You know I’d do anything for you, my sicky baby.” He laughs, placing a short kiss on her cheek. “You feeling any better?”

With a yawn, she nods slowly, her eyes feeling a bit heavy. “Much better already. Probably because I have the best doctor in the entire world at my disposal, I didn’t even know you made house calls Dr. Harlow.”

“Only for you Zo. My favorite patient,” Jack runs a hand across her forehead and is pleased that she’s a lot less warm than she was when he arrived. “You should get some sleep baby, I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

“You promise?” She asks, the cold medicine and sleep were starting to take over.

“I’m not going anywhere…ever. I promise.”

Taglist:

@jackharloww

@vanwritesfan-fiction

@middlechild404

@harlowcomehome

@itsyagirljaz

@iknowdatsrightbih

@earthtoharlow

@heavyhitterheaux

@hoodharlow

[greatrunner]

@tododeku-or-bust's post asking for examples of racism (experienced/witnessed) in fandom has got me thinking about how abstract the experience of antiblackness is once you (as in me, because I can only tell you my perspective) 'remove' yourself from the situation or the situation is considered 'settled.'

A lot of that is, obviously, a defense mechanism. If I didn't learn how to dissociate or numb myself from said experiences, I think I would be in a much worse place than I am right now.

But it also highlights how much I spent on Tumblr reading or experiencing antiblackness in different fandoms. Within the moment, the experience is raw and extremely triggering.

Left 4 Dead 2, Pacific Rim, Princess and the Frog, and Star Wars were probably the most active I'd been within a fanspace on Tumblr, and the antiblackness that ran rampant in those spaces was pretty vile.

At every turn, instead of owning up to the acts of passive and active racism, yt and non-Black users would break their backs to defend their position as 'not racist.'

The absolute refusal to investigate why they were so comfortable calling characters like Rochelle and Tiana boring or annoying compared to Lottie or Zoey allowed antiblackness to run rampant because, "I should be allowed to dislike a character!"

Do you know how aggravating it was to watch old-ass shows like Buffy and Angel at 14-then-22 and watch not only the writers but the audience (or LiveJournal or Television Without Pity) demonize characters like Charles Gunn and Robin Wood for doing things they cheered white characters on for doing... on the same shows? All while engaging in some truly racist stereotypes? It feels like you're going crazy when you see it. It made me wanna cry for help.

The fact that I had to remind Star Wars fans that 'DLF didn't mean it that way' wasn't an excuse for how LucasFilm treated Finn or John Boyega. That "actual racism" was benign, passive, uncritical, and often intentional.

The fact that much of my Pacific Rim experience was watching yt fandom call Stacker Pentecost an "asshole" or "control freak" because he was holding Raleigh and Chuck to account, or they wouldn't engage with his and Mako's relationship with the same respect they did with Herc and Chuck's.

I decided not to engage with the media outside of isolation or friend circles. As I moved further and further away from it, and it became vague and less sharp, I'd start to question, "Was it really that serious?" When so many people failed to read the room and centered themselves as victims of 'harassment,' was it really that serious?

And I have to remind myself, "Yeah, it was." Even as it becomes hard to verbalize or put into words to recall, it was and is that fucking serious.

And the worst part of all of this? Most of those racist shitheads knew that too. But they could get away with it, so...

The point ultimately is to drive people who'll challenge positions out of those spaces. That's why so many fanspaces don't promote growth or shifting dynamics. They prioritize anti-intellectualism and infantilization of the self or the work itself.

[xerith-42]

That AU where Aphmau blows up (PT2)

Me with my rewrite: I want all of these characters to talk about the things they feel and be allowed to feel happy for once!! They've earned it!!

[immediately turns around and writes even more heart wrenching angst]

Fair warning, this post is loooooong and kinda jumps between scenes. I had. A bit more to say.

Content Warning for suicide mention

Unlike everyone else, Aaron had actually slept through the night on the island. Aph had made him promise to get some extra sleep when she saw how tired he had become recently, usually due to overworking himself to keep the island alive and growing. He wasn't posted on any kind of watch shift, he didn't feel anything suddenly when she died, but there was a feeling when he woke up.

A sort of familiar dread. The feeling of birds taking off before a disaster, but he didn't know what disaster they could be flying from. Or if he should follow their lead. Just that when he finally stood up, he just had this feeling. He couldn't place why. At least not at first.

It was when he stepped into Aph's house that he could tell something was… wrong. Both Aph and Lilith were missing. Panic started to fill him instantly, and Aaron desperately fought off memories of his previous family as he raced through the alliance island. He hoped that he was just over reacting, that Aph had taken Lilith to Phoenix Drop or at least somewhere that people knew where they were. He was probably just being paranoid.

Doubt was almost instantly replaced with dread. When Aaron got to Phoenix Drop proper he knew that he was right. He wasn't just being paranoid. He could see Zoey walking towards the tree house with Lilith swaddled in her arms. Aaron could only feel a tinge of relief that she was at least okay. He could tell just from the look in Dante's eyes that Aph was dead. That kind of mourning was far too familiar.

"What happened?" He asked carefully, his body tensing to try and fight the oncoming wave of emotions.

"There was an explosion in the forest, shortly before sunrise," Dante began, taking a deep breath to keep his voice even. He had already done enough crying when he got home, he had to keep himself together in front of others. "Garroth was there, but Zane and Aph… weren't."

"D-Did she leave anything behind?"

"Her diary, which Garroth has. And--" Dante reached into his armor and handed Aaron a folded page. He unfurled it and could once again feel his heart sink as he read over her words. She knew. And he should have known she would do it. It's in a lords nature to sacrifice themselves no matter how foolish it is to do so. "I'm sorry--"

"Don't." Aaron took a steady breath, read the letter over again, and then handed it back to Dante. "I'll go make sure I can move in with Lilith and look after her."

"Right. Let me know if you need any help with that." Aaron just nodded, moving past Dante and pulling the bandana out of the pocket of his cloak. He wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to hide. Given the pitying look Dante gave him, he wasn't doing a very good job in the first place.

Though Dante's concern was nothing compared to the look of complete despair in Zoey's eyes. They were blood shot, and she had clearly been crying, but even when she wasn't she looked completely miserable. A weary smile spread across her face, but it was quickly replaced with the morose look she wore before.

"I-I'm sorry for taking Lilith without saying anything," She began with a teary voice. "It was just the first thing I thought of when I heard the--"

"It's okay," Aaron answered simply. "Thank you for looking after her." He grabbed a guitar from the weapon stand. Most weapon stands had them now, and it was a top priority to have musical instruments at the ready. Aaron was one of the people who pushed it most. "The little one will be cared for."

Lilith let out a small giggle, reaching for the end of Aaron's bandana as he leaned over her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. He settled back, sitting next to Zoey as he tuned the well loved instrument. [Insert Flowers on the Battlefield here]

The moment Zoey heard the familiar notes she couldn't stop her tears. She tried in vain to wipe them, to hide them from Lilith, but there wasn't much she could do. Aaron himself was only able to hide behind his bandana, but it didn't do a lot. The melody just reminded them of good times, and the crushing defeat of those times being taken away so suddenly.

Nobody knew where Garroth was at first. Travis assumed he'd be at Aph's house, but the place was hauntingly empty. It was from the top of the hill that he could not only hear Aaron's guitar, but he could see Garroth down at the docks, trying in vain to tear out old planks of wood. It was the first time Travis had really gotten a look at Garroth, especially without the armor. He looked… So sad.

He at least wanted Lilith to hear the song one more time. To remember the sound that could so perfectly encapsulate her mother and her impact on those around her. Even if she would never get to properly meet her.

Garroth's head jerked the minute Travis was close enough to notice. Travis nervously held his hands up as a sign of peace, which Garroth just turned away from.

"Hey," Travis said awkwardly. "I'm Travis."

"I guess you already know my name," Garroth replied, refusing to look at him.

"Look I--" Travis held back the urge to put a hand on Garroth's shoulder. "I'm not great at emotional stuff. And I know we really don't know each other, but I-I knew Aph, and I knew Laurance, and they both told me a lot about you. I thought I'd… I don't know." Travis took a shaky breath. "Sorry…"

"Aph was always better at the emotional talks, wasn't she?"

"I wanted to see if I could do anything for you." Travis stepped so he was standing next to the man. "Could at least get that splinter out."

"Yeah." Garroth let out a sigh, tearing another board out and groaning as a splinter slipped into his finger.

"Is there something you wanted?"

"It's not worth worrying about." Travis let out a small sound, almost a laugh, which made Garroth finally look up to meet him eye to eye. Some part of his heart ached at the sight of Travis' bright green eyes. They were almost the same color as Laurance's when Garroth met him. "What's so funny?"

"Aph once said that was one of the phrases she hated the most. That she was tired of her friends and guards saying that to her, because she wanted nothing more than to look after everyone, ensure we were all doing okay at the very least." Travis took a deep breath, hoping that this would be the right move. "She said it was one of the last things you had said to her before running away."

"I was a fool to let Zane get the better of me."

"From what I heard, sounds like you didn't have a choice." Garroth raised his eyebrow. "That companion of his, with the mask? She knew mind control, you really didn't have full control over yourself once she got into your head."

"H-How do you know?"

"I knew the minute Aph described the mask to me. It's something my mother warned me about." Garroth let out a small chuckle, followed by nearly full blown laughter as a tear forced its way down his face. "D-Did I--"

"No, you didn't do anything wrong." Garroth let another tear slip out. "I just, I never knew for sure. I couldn't quite tell what my own thoughts were and what she or Zane wanted me to think. I was worried it was my own foolishness entirely that doomed my friends."

"Well, that's a bit dramatic." Garroth laughed again, almost incredulously.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Sure, you messed up pretty badly, but it wasn't entirely your fault. And even if it was, it hasn't all been bad." Travis gestured to the Phoenix Settlement. "That village is making a real comeback, and it's only getting better every day. And if it weren't for those 15 years, I might not have met everyone." Garroth glanced over at the elder tree that stretched out across the skyline. His arms ached at the memory of her weight in them. He wanted nothing more than to hold her close again.

"B-But she…" Travis awkwardly held a hand out to Garroth, who just stared at it. Travis simply placed his hand in Garroth's and took a deep breath.

"Look, I didn't know Aph half as well as you did, but I do know that she wouldn't want you to blame yourself for this." Garroth turned away, swallowing down further tears. Travis squeezed his hand, before pulling away. "I'll give you some time to yourself. Let me know if you ever need anything." Travis turned, and it was only when he was a few steps away that Garroth finally spoke.

"Thank you," He whispered. Garroth knew he was alone after that, letting him take a step back, and then sit on the part of the docks that wasn't falling apart. His eyes drifted to the diary tucked into his bag. Was there… A page looked out of place. Garroth reached forward and pulled on it, pulling out a fairly worn piece of paper, one that he could tell just from a glance was stained with tears.

Garroth and Laurance,

Oh no.

I know what I'm doing is especially unfair to you two. We all fell in love together, and I wish we could grow old together. There's a chance we still could. But there won't be a chance if Garroth can't be there with us. So I have to bring him back.

Laurance, I can't even imagine how you'll feel. I really wish there was another way, but I can't have anyone else, especially you, sacrificing themselves for something I want. If I could make you do one thing, I'd make you promise not to run away. Please, don't leave him. Please.

Garroth, I'm so sorry. I truly wish there was more I could say to express how much I currently miss you, and how much I'm going to. But you deserve to have a life, to see the way the world has changed because of your bravery, and you deserve to have your chance at a redemption I don't think you need.

I love you both.

"What is wrong with you?!" Vylad roared as he grabbed Laurance and nearly threw him to the ground.

This one wasn't signed. It didn't have to be. It was stained with tears that belonged to more than its writer.

"Ow! The fuck-- Vylad?!" Laurance groaned as he threw off Vylad's grip. The two were just at the edge of the cursed forest, not too far from the borders of Meteli. "What are you doing here?"

"Telling you to go back to Phoenix Drop!"

"I-I can't! Vylad, if I go back there I don't know if I'll be able to control myself."

"You learned to control yourself around her, you can do the same for him."

"I don't know if I can! I couldn't live with myself if I killed him!"

"If you don't go back there he might kill himself!!" Laurence froze. His breathing started to pick up.

"Wh… N-No, Garroth wouldn't. He's stronger than that--"

"He's always been at his strongest with the people he loves at his side. One of them is dead and he thinks it's his fault, and the other ran away from him before he could properly grieve. I doubt many could survive."

"Then why are you here?! He's your brother!"

"Because I don't know my brother. It's been almost 20 years since the last time I saw him face to face, I-I don't know nearly as much about him as you do."

"And what if I lose control? His blood would be on your hands."

"If I don't get you back to him now then it definitely will be." Laurance backed away, his head starting to ache as voices clashed within. The calling was jumping at the idea of going back to him, and Laurance hated that he was going to agree to it. But he had to. If Garroth died without him, because he left… He couldn't even entertain the thought.

"How are you holding up?" Katelyn glanced up at Lucinda, who had just placed a cup of tea on her bedside table.

Laurance took off, shortly followed by Vylad.

"How do you think?" Katelyn bit back. She instantly regretted it when she saw the hurt look in Lucinda's bloodshot eyes. "S-Sorry. That came out… Harsher than I intended."

"It's alright. I'm unfortunately familiar with some of the feelings around this."

"So am I." Lucinda sighed, leaning back and taking a sip of her own tea. "Is that how you're handling it so well?"

"Handling it well? Katelyn, if I didn't have a silencing glyph on my room you would have heard every miserable tear I shed last night." Katelyn frowned at the almost calm look on Lucinda's face.

"Why are you trying to hide it then?"

"Everyone's grieving right now. No need to saddle anyone else with my baggage."

"Like I said, I've got some myself. Why not let me lighten the load?"

"Are you sure?" Katelyn sat up a little more, leaning against the headboard of Lucinda's guest bed.

"I may not know you that well yet, but I know you cared about Aph. I think we all have that in common. Might as well care about her and mourn her together, right? It's what she would've wanted."

"She did always like bringing unlikely people together." Lucinda let out a sad sigh, setting her teacup aside. "During those fifteen years you were all gone, I lost my dad. I-I wasn't sure if everyone was dead or not when you all disappeared, but I saw my dad in his final moments. I held his hand as he passed… I suppose I'm not even sure Aph is dead until I see it."

"You still think she's alive?"

"There's a nonzero chance. Though it could just be a desperate ploy to deny the truth."

"That's what it sounds like to me, sorry."

"No need to apologize. You're probably right. Suppose her dying without assurance has made me think she could do it again."

"She always did have a new trick up her sleeve. I wouldn't put it past her." Katelyn let out a shaky sigh. "Just wish she hadn't done this in the first place."

"You and me both."

"I used to feel the same way about Jeffory."

"Jeffory?"

"An old friend of mine. He and I were in the Jury of Nine together, and he was the only person I could trust for a long time. But then he risked his own life to save Aph, and when he died, I had to know why. I had to understand why he decided this woman was worth risking everything we had built for." Katelyn's hands clenched into fists as she fought tears. "I understand why he did what he did now more than ever."

"Levin!" Malachi called out as he entered their home. "Where are you?" His response was a sniffle from upstairs. Malachi groaned. In spite of his body being younger, he still felt 900 years old, and sometimes just climbing the stairs was exhausting. He found his brother curled up in the window of his room, his music box coming to it's end as Malachi across from him in the windowsill.

Lucinda felt the words she wanted to say getting caught in her throat. She understood exactly what Katelyn was saying, but she had no idea how to respond to it. So she thought about what Aph would do. She reached her hand out to Katelyn, and interlocked their fingers. Katelyn glanced down at their hands, back at Lucinda, and then she smiled. Both of them were clearly on the verge of tears, a hair trigger away from another grief induced meltdown, but for that moment they smiled.

"How are you so okay with this?" Levin asked, his voice laced with an unusual amount of bitterness.

"What in the name of Irene makes you think I'm okay with this?" Malachi replied with an almost too soft tone.

"I-I've barely seen you cry. When Dante told us, all you thought about was making sure everyone was okay, making sure we could repair the damages. Don't you care about her?"

"Of course I do. I know you were young, but I saw mom when she was a lord. She always acted in the interest of everyone else, ensuring everyone's safety before her own. I knew that's what she would have wanted. I thought you would understand that better than anyone."

"It's what we lords do..." Levin sniffled again, a tear pushing down his face again. "Why didn't she say anything to us?"

"What?"

"She left a note with final wishes for everyone, but she didn't even mention us. L-Like she wasn't even thinking about how we'd feel about our own mother throwing her life away!"

"She probably thought we'd be able to handle it. After all, we thought she was dead for all those years before--"

"But this isn't the same! We know she's dead!"

"We don't know for sure--"

"I'm not going to live in denial again!" Tears continued to stream down Levin's face as he looked out over his village. His home. Malachi put a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Look at all you were able to do without her. She knew we'd be fine without her." Levin sobbed, burying his head into his brother's shoulder as Malachi held him close. "I-I'm going to miss her, but we know how to do this, don't we?"

"I-I don't want to."

"I know. So let's grieve now. We might not get the chance to later with the lives we lead." Levin nodded in acknowledgement, though Malachi could feel his shoulder starting to become wet from his brothers tears.

"Where is he?!" Laurance was almost in a blind panic, his heart racing and his breathing unsteady as he stumbled into the Phoenix Settlement. He felt almost alive. "Where's Garroth?!"

"Thank you." That's all it took for Malachi to join him.

"He was at the docks last time I saw him," Travis answered. "Where have--" Laurance was already gone. He wasn't thinking straight, only worrying about one thing. Just as Laurance reached the top of the hill and saw Garroth standing there, his left leg went limp. Laurance wasn't able to catch it happening before he took a step forward, resulting in him taking a very noisy and not exactly pleasant tumble down the path to the docks.

"Laurance?" Garroth questioned as he stood up and ran over to his lover. Laurance managed to push himself up from the ground and get a good look at Garroth's face. Tear stained. He was alive. He was breathing.

"Thank Irene you're alive," Laurance muttered.

"What?"

"N-Nothing." Laurance managed to get himself to sitting, but there was no hope for his leg coming back anytime soon. Garroth simply sat in front of him, Aph's note still in his hand. "Look, Garroth, I can't even begin to voice my regret. I-I shouldn't have run away from you. It was wrong of me to leave you alone, even if I thought I was protecting you. You're the last person in this forsaken world I would lay down my life for, and I was a fool to think I was doing any good by running away from that." Garroth smiled, and then took Laurance's hand and pressed a kiss to it.

"I'm glad you've come to this conclusion on your own." Garroth turned his hand over and placed her note in it. "I knew you would eventually, considering she already did, but I was worried it would take longer." Laurance's hands trembled as he read over the words, and by the time he was done, Garroth was sitting next to him and wrapping an arm around him, ready for the oncoming wave of emotions that was eventually going to hit Laurance.

He folded the paper, handed it back to Garroth, and then used his still working leg to bring himself around Garroth and wrap him in a proper hug. Garroth instantly wrapped his other arm around Laurance and just breathed. He just felt Laurance's weight, felt his breathing, felt his presence. He was back. In spite of his words Garroth had worried Laurance had truly abandoned him. It was more than he could ask for to have him here like this again.

And even when Laurance began to cry into his arms, Garroth was still eternally grateful.

"I'm sorry--"

"Laurance, it's okay," Garroth assured him. "I understand why you ran."

"I-I just didn't want to hurt you."

"I understand."

"But I love you. I love you so much and I never want to spend a second away from you."

"I love you too." Garroth took a deep breath, before he broke their embrace simply so he could hold Laurance's head in his hands and stare into those beautiful blue eyes. "We're going to get through this, tgoether."

"Irene?"

"Right, together." Laurance leaned forward and placed a kiss against Garroth's lips. It was easily the most alive he had felt since he had undergone his transformation. Even if he was still in an unimaginable amount of pain, even if he might tear his own life apart, even if everything could somehow get worse tomorrow, he was alive enough to kiss the man he loved. That's all he could ask for.

┈┈┈┈┈❀┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈❀┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈❀┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈❀┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈❀┈┈┈┈┈

What...?

"Wake up, Irene. It's not your time to die just yet."

[buckyscrystalqueen]

Meant To Be: Part 12

Pairings: Past Machine Gun Kelly x Reader, Opie x Reader

Warnings: Swearing

Word Count: 2,348

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10 / Part 11

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The rest of your pregnancy flew by in the blink of an eye. Between taking care of Gage, working odd jobs, spending time with Opie, and the religious visits from a very sober Colson, time just slipped away from you. Before you knew it, you were scheduling your c-section for Zoey Rose to join the world. 

“You look ridiculous.” You giggled as you looked over at Colson when he joined you in the delivery room. The tattooed father of your children simply shrugged as he adjusted the mask on his face. 

“I fucking feel it, too.” He laughed as he took the seat beside your head to wait for his daughter to be born. He met your eyes and sighed with a small shake of his head. “Thank you.”

“For?”

“Letting me be here for this.” He replied as he reached out to take your hand before catching himself and putting his hand back in his lap. “Not asking Lurch to be here…”

“She’s your daughter, Colson.” You breathed as the doctor let you know he was starting. “Not his.”

“I know.” He said as he leaned around the drape to look at what was going on. “But you still could have asked him to be here instead of me. He is your boyfriend after all.”

“And that still doesn’t change the fact that you are her father.” You replied as you searched his eyes. “No matter what is going on between us, we are still her parents. Thats what the custody agreement says. And her DNA and all that shit.”

“I know.” He sighed as he looked back around the drape, cringing the slightest bit at what he saw. “Still… thank you.” You nodded your head and looked up at the ceiling with a small sigh.

“You guys ready to meet your daughter?” The doctor asked, making Colson stand up from his spot so he could see better. “Here she is.” Your breath caught in your lungs as you waited for that first cry, and when Zoey finally released her first noise, tears welled in your eyes. You looked over at Colson as he was handed your daughter and a smile stretched across your face.

“Holy fuck.” He gasped as his heart expanded to fit all the love he felt for his second born. “Holy shit, look at you! You’re beautiful.”

“Lemmie see.” You choked as you watched them. He nodded his head and sat back down so that he could show you your child’s sweet face, but you shook your head. “No, put her on my chest, Colson. Let me see.”

“She’s perfect.” He whispered as he laid her across your chest as carefully as he could. He kept his hand on her side, afraid to even look away as you gently brushed your fingertips across the top of her head. The two of you basked in her adorableness for a long moment as she cried her little heart out before the nurse had to take her. The moment she was out of your sight, Colson shook his head frantically.

“Don’t take them.” He begged as he sat back down on the stool and grabbed your hand. “Please. I’m literally begging you, (Y/N). Don’t take my kids to North Carolina. Please, I’ll do anything…”

“Colson…”

“I’ll pay your rent and all your bills.” He pleaded as he gripped your hand tight and searched your eyes. “I’ll stop calling your boyfriend Lurch. I’ll get completely sober and never touch another drug again. I’ll literally do anything you want me to do just please, please stay here with them. I can’t…”

“OK.” You interrupted as you squeezed his hand as tightly as you could. “OK, just breathe. I…”

“Please.” He begged again as he reached out to cup your jaw in his hand. “Please.” With a small shake of your head, you looked at his tense posture and searched his eyes as you pulled your face out of his palm.

“I’ll think about it and talk to Opie.” You sighed. He nodded his head and wiped a tear off his face, which made your heart break for him.

“OK.” He agreed with a nod as he put a bit of physical distance between the two of you. “Thats all I’m asking.” With a nod of agreement, you looked back up at the ceiling with your mind reeling at his request. 

~~~~~~~~~~ 

“She is beautiful.” Opie said as he sat in the recliner seat in your hospital room the next morning, holding Zoey in his arms with a smile on his face. You nodded in agreement with a small smile on your face as he glanced up at you. His brow furrowed and he tilted his head to the side the slightest bit. “Whats wrong?”

“Colson dropped a bomb in the delivery room.” You sighed as you ran your fingers through your hair. You covered your face with your hands and swore softly before carefully turning on the bed to face your boyfriend. “He’s willing to pay our rent and all our bills for the foreseeable future, to get sober, even to even stop calling you Lurch if we agree to not move to North Carolina with the kids.” He groaned and sat back in his chair while shaking his head.

“Babe…”

“Opie, they’re his kids.” You breathed as you twisted your hands in your lap and looked down at your tattooed skin. “I get where he is coming from…”

“Babe, so do I.” He interrupted, making you look up at him. “I get it. Look, I know we live together but I am not the father of Gage and Zoey. That’s his title and always will be. I can completely understand where he is coming from not wanting his children to move half way across the country. But you have sole physical custody of these babies. You do. So it is up to you on what you want to do…”

“Opie…”

“No, it’s true.” He interrupted gently as he got up and came over to sit with you on the hospital bed so he could put his arm around you. “We both hate L.A.. That’s no secret. But the father of your kids is here. We both have jobs here and friends here. Sure your family is there, but your kids’ family is here. So I get why you would want to stay for their sake, especially after everything Colson has done to be a present father the last few months.” You nodded at at him with tears in your eyes and he smirked and shook his head. “Baby girl, to be completely honest, I knew two months ago that we weren’t moving home. I could see it in your eyes when you stopped looking for houses for us to rent or buy back home. And I’m OK with that. Truly, I am.”

“I don’t know what to do!” You cried as a few tears slipped from your eyes. He smiled and rubbed your back with a small nod.

“Yea you do, baby. That’s the thing. You’ve known what you wanted to do for a while now, you just didn’t want to see it yourself yet. You just feel bad because you told your family you were coming back and now you’re not. Like I said, I get it. You want your kids to have their father in their lives more than what the custody agreement says because he has been in their life in a positive way. You still love him enough that you don’t want to break his heart and take them away. That’s OK. I’m not upset…”

“You’re not?” You sniffled as you searched his eyes for a hint of a lie.

“No, baby girl. I’m not.” He chuckled as he glanced down at Zoey in his arms before looking back at you. “(Y/N), I love you. And I know you love me, too. There isn’t a doubt in my mind about that. But you still love the father of your children. Not in the same capacity, but you do love him. And you don’t want to break his heart by moving across the country with his kids. I get it. I am here for you either way, same as I always have been and always will be.”

“Ope…” 

“I know.” He said as he pulled you into his side and kissed the top of your head. “I know.”

“You’re too good for me.” You whispered as you put your hand on his knee and gave it a little squeeze.

“I’m not good enough.” He whispered back against your hair before reaching between you to tilt your face up so he could kiss you properly. 

“You really knew we weren’t going to move two months ago?” You asked against his lips as you opened your eyes to search his. He smirked and nodded his head.

“I know you, baby girl.”

“And you’re OK with staying here?”

“I’m OK with it.” He said as he pulled away to look back at whoever was knocking at the door. “This is our home, like it or not. Come in!” 

“Hey.” Colson said softly as he stepped into the room, sheepishly. “I… um… well I brought breakfast and I thought…”

“Just get in here.” You laughed as you wiped the tears off your cheeks and carefully maneuvered back into bed. “Ooo bagels. Gimme!” Your ex handed you the bag before carefully taking Zoey from Opie, who quietly left the room to give you a minute with your ex. You started spreading smear on a toasted bagel and glanced up with a sigh. “We’re gunna stay.”

“What?!” Colson gasped as he whipped around to look at you with wide, tear filled eyes. “For real?”

“For real.” You said as you rested your wrist on your hospital table.

“Thank fuck.” He sighed as he sank down on the bed near your knees and let his tears spill over. “Thank you. I swear, I’ll…”

“You…” You interrupted as you glanced down at your daughter. “Just need to be a father to your kids. That’s all. You don’t have to pay my rent or whatever, just keep being there for your kids. Preferably sober.”

“I will.” He sniffled as you took a bite of your bagel and sat back against the bed. “I fucking swear it.”

~~~~~~~~~~~ 

“So you’re not moving back to North Carolina now.” Your dad asked as he sat in your living room, helping Gage hold his baby sister in his lap. You sheepishly shook your head and searched what you could see of his eyes. 

“Are you mad?”

“Not mad.” He said with a shake of his head as he looked up at you. “Not particularly happy, but not mad at all.”

“Their father is here.” You sighed as you ran your fingers through your hair and curled up in your spot on the couch. “And I just…”

“I get it.” He said with a nod as he looked back down at his grand babies with love in his eyes.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” He said quickly as he shook his head and looked back up at you. “As a parent, I get it. It’s the whole reason Anne and I didn’t move closer to her parents when we got married. Because I needed to be close to my kids. You are realizing that your kids need to be close to their father. It’s no different. It’s also very grown up of you.”

“That feels like a trap.” You huffed, which made him smile. 

“Parenting is a trap, sweetheart.” He chuckled as he quickly took Zoey from Gage, who wanted to go play with his toys again before a nap. “As is co-parenting.”

“Yea well, I knew that.” You giggled as Tabby came over after finishing the lunch dishes.

“You’re not getting back together, right?” She asked as she sat down beside you sideways on the couch.

“Not a fucking chance in hell.”

“Well then I think it’s admirable.” She sighed as she ran her fingers through her hair with a smile. “You’re being the bigger person.”

“What are you gunna do about work then?” Ross asked as he sat back in his spot and got comfortable.

“Well… I have a couple minor guest spots on TV shows and a music video lined up after my Criminal Minds episode aired. And I think Dolce and Gabbana wants me to walk their runway in the spring. So I have a couple things. I’m also thinking about doing… other things to supplement.”

“What’s that mean?” Your dad asked, which made you blush.

“Porn, daddy.” Tabby answered for you. “She means porn.”

“Not porn!” You hissed as you whacked her leg while your dad cleared his throat and blushed hard. “It’s like modeling for Penthouse…”

“So porn.” Your sister repeated with a smirk, which made you scowl. 

“Modeling tastefully nude.” You hissed with a glance over at your son to make sure he wasn’t listening. “For the Suicide Girls and Penthouse. Not porn.”

“(Y/N) (Y/M/N)…” Your dad scolded, which made you blush this time.

“It’s a job that I’m good at.” You sighed as you looked at your dad, while your sister smirked gleefully at your side. “And one I like doing. I like modeling, dad.”

“And you have to do it… naked?!” He whispered the last word, which made you and your sister both laugh.

“I’m done having this conversation with you old man.” You laughed as Opie came in through the garage after work. Your dad muttered ‘thank God’ under his breath as you smiled up at your significant other. “How was the shoot?”

“Good. What are you two laughing at?”

“Nothing.”

“(Y/N)’s love of modeling naked.” Tabby said at the same time, which made you turn to whack her leg again.

“Awkward.” Opie chuckled as he kissed your forehead on his way around the couch to put his camera bag down in its spot on the built in bookshelf behind his desk.

“Very awkward.” Your dad agreed with a nod of his head. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

[twistedangelz]

hiiiiii can you do a little!mike (2) and a cg!zoey plz. Thanks 😊

Okie Dokie! I haven’t fully watched Revenge of the Island so sorry if it isn’t accurate ❤️

Mile what’s overwhelmed with stress as he worked for Scott as he knew his secret about his multiple personality disorder and about telling Zoey. Zoey was the only person who knew about Mikes regression. There was times where Zoey tried to change Mike and Vito almost came. Mike was sitting a rock slouching, wanting to regress but wanting to be around Zoey. “Mike?” Zoey comes up too him in a soft tone. Mike lifted his head from his hands and shows that he’s been crying. “Oh my god are you okay Mike?” Mike didn’t reply, he just gave Zoey a big hug and cried on her shoulder. Mike wasn’t regularly a crying little, so she knew something was very wrong. She took off a little cyan bag from her back and pulled a little blue pacifier. She gave it to Mike and closed his hands together. Mike blushed a little and sticked the pacifier in his mouth and giggled a little. “Let’s head to my cabin alright bud?” Zoey grabbed Mikes hand and headed off. Once they made it there Zoey got out some toys and some tiny little cardboard books. She gave Mike a little agere toy with some plastic rings and set Mike on the bed while she watched him played which seemed like an hour before moving onto another toy. Zoey noticed that Mike started to get a bit sleepy, and Mikes pacifier is hanging in his mouth by a thread. Zoey starts to lift up Mikes shirt to put him in his pyjamas when suddenly “Stop!” Mike starts to throw his arms around trying to throw a fit before Zoey can take off his shirt. “Mike why are you bring so fussy whenever I take off your shirt?” Zoey let’s go and bends down to look at Mike. Mike looks away, picking his pacifier and sticking it back in his mouth before he can speak. Is there something your not telling me? Mikes eye brows fall a bit then suddenly starts to tear up. He plops down on Zoeys lap and cries on her legs. Zoey starts to stroke the back of Mikes hair before he falls asleep. She gently picks him up and rests his head on her shoulder and gives him a little teddy bear before drifting off too sleep.

[merrhea39]

Cellmate Ch 2-2

You couldn’t even finish your meal before a guard shoves you back into your cell with Rhea already in it. “Ha! Watching your wimp ass get beat out there was funny as fuck!” Rhea chuckles to herself. You knew right then and there that you made the wrong decision last night, you should’ve just chosen to be her bitch and let her do what she wants for your own safety but you had to be a stupid, stubborn, girl that thought she could survive on her own. You need to submit to Rhea and be her bitch or get beat to death in the yard where no guard would dare save you. “R-Rhea… I’ll be your bitch…” You said to her in the most defeated tone you could put out, but she just laughed in your face. “HAHAHA! Why the fuck would I want a bitch like you? You’re so weak you didn’t even fight back.” Her devilish grin returned to her face as she shoved you into the bars. “B-But th-there were 2 a-and…” Tears well up in your eyes as your legs give out on you. “B-b-b-but. HAHAHA” Rhea laughed, mocking you before kicking you a few more times. “Please… please I just… I’m sorry!” You whimpered out in pain. “Sorry doesn’t cut it bitch” Rhea slaps you so hard that it left a handprint on your face. “Now stop your fucking crying. I dont wanna hear it.” You tried your best to cry silently so she doesn’t hurt you more, every time she even twitched it made you flinch terrified of another beating. Rhea knew what she was doing to you too, every once in a while she’d make a sudden movement in the hopes you’d flinch. “We got dinner soon… I’ll be taking what I like from you…” Rhea declared already knowing you won’t fight back. “Y-yes… Rhea.” Is all you could say but Rhea heard you and looked at you with a raised eyebrow. “No no no you don’t get to call me by my name you call me Papi now.” She said with a threatening tone in her voice. “Y-yes papi…” You whimpered hoping she wouldn’t beat the hell out of you. A guard shoved two trays of slop into your shared cell and you backed away letting her take everything she wanted leaving you with a small bowl of ‘stew’ and clearly crusty, probably extremely stale bread. “You’re fucking embarrassing mate. Do you even know how to fight back?” Rhea insults you but what she said was true. “I-I do.” You say defensively like it would activate work. “Bill fucking shit! If you knew how to fight back you would’ve at least tried to fight back against Zoey and Shayna.” Her words hurt like a paper cut with a squeeze of lemon juice on top. Rhea had already figured you out completely. “Rhea I-I didn’t want to die.” you try explaining yourself to her. “Huh? What’s that? I think you called me the wrong name.” She stood up. “Rhea…” This is how you decided to fight back by calling her Rhea, you should’ve known by now this was a bad idea. Rhea grabbed the small serving of ‘stew’ and throws the contents on your face before kicking you a few times for good measure. “You’re so fucking pathetic I might just kill you myself. Not like you’d fight back anyways you damned weak.” When Rhea insults you you try to get up but she just pushes you down again. “So now you’re gonna fight me?! Now?! You are so FUCKING STUPID little girl!” She punches you over and over again, getting the stew everywhere. You are weak and helpless compared to her and the humiliation you can’t stand, it all makes you tear up and start to cry. “I-I-I’m s-s-sorry papi…” you beg her to not hurt you anymore. “YOUR APOLOGIES MEAN NOTHING IF YOU LEARN FUCKING NOTHING YOU DUMB WHORE!” She eventually stops just to eat staring daggers at you the whole time. “I’m killing you tomorrow if someone else doesn’t do it before I do.” Rhea declared with such a monotone voice that you’d have to believe her it wasn’t an empty threat it was a promise.

[starfxkr]

I was high when I watched the other Zoey (because of drew) and i thought it was so bad it made me cry!

I still haven't watched it but I know exactly what type of movie its gonna be so I know ima love it LOL I LOVE GARBAGE

[courtney-deserved-better]

might be a huge sap but as someone who rly related and projected onto millie as i watched the season, the ending where she's finally honest to priya abt her true feelings and how her being judgemental is just a defense mecanism rly got to me and made me cry for some reason. this season rly had some very high highs and very low lows huh

no bc i loved priya and millie's relationship! and ive seen some ppl complaining ab millie but i think she was written well. bc there ARE ppl who are judgmental as a defense mechanism—thats honestly something i wouldve loved to seen explored with zoey in s4-5 instead of sweeping it under the rug. and i think its important to acknowledge that a lot of the ppl who are like "oh i hate my generation theyre so stupid and out of touch" are actually struggling to make friends. not sure if that made sense but yeah!!

[sayorseee]

Rating Zombies 3 Songs!

Alien Invasion: 8/10

Dancing, visuals, vocals. Amazing beautiful song. Very different from everything else in the movie though and the opening song should set you up for the rest of the musical! But the dancing! The vocals!! My goodness.

Also Addison really CARRIED the vocals on this one.

Points off for sing-talking, leave that to Broadway.

Ain’t No Doubt About It: 10/10

Amazing I only come back for the zeddison content and it did not disappoint. The singing? Phenomenal. The chemistry? EXTRAORDINARY. The dancing? Oooooooh boy was it good. That one bit with the aliens? Amazing they should’ve sung more! And that last move from the original zeddison track!!

Come On Out: 3/10

It only gets points because I’ve never felt so much bisexual panic watching the wolves dance until this number. Also I usually hate the wolves’ voices but they sounded pretty good in it! And did I mention the dancing?

Exceptional Zed: 10/10

The lyrics? The dancing? The vocals!! Zoey’s verse! Addison’s bars! The DANCING!! My favorite Zed song EVER!! The Zoey bars?? Addison singing “Zed I believe in you” is giving very “We Got This” and I love it. If it were to get points off, it’d be for the overuse of sing-talking. But this song is so good I can ignore it.

Plus, this is what? The first time we see the Seabrook adults participate in a song? If you watch the video, I’m all the big group dances they’re all in the back just dancing and Vivian and it rocks. Honestly everyone in the cast who isn’t Meg and Milo, or professional dancers, are just vibing in the back. Love it.

Exceptional Zed (Reprise): 1000/10

The lyrics and passion. This feels like the song that wraps up the entire zombies franchise with a neat little bow! Like it takes everything we’ve learned in all three movies, shows how Bruce all grown and changed and learned to live and live together. Exceptional.

I’m Finally Me: 8/10

It was giving early 2000s female protagonists climax song (“What Dreams Are Made Of” from the Lizzie McGuire movie especially). It was amazing, as a song. The visuals were alright. I loved the cheering but all the cuts and angles made it hard to appreciate the routine fully.

Someday: 7/10

The supporting cast has alright vocals…sorry it had to be said. But the emotion was there and I have cried every time I watched the scene. Wouldn’t really wanna listen outside if the movie though. But it’s someday! It’s the song of zombies.

Nothing But Love: 9/10

While cheesy, it felt like a proper goodbye Byron everyone. It didn’t do much in terms of a closing song, but it made me cry for two hours because it really signaled that everything is over. Also, vocals. Amazing vocals, alright dancing.

Overall soundtrack thoughts:

Not enough of the rest of the cast in this movie. I mean I do only watch for the zeddison content, but I missed the Bucky songs and the wolf songs (even though they aren’t great singers and only alright dancers — the three lead wolves at least). And I wish we got more alien songs, because their one part in ‘Ain’t No Doubt About It’ was amazing.

Side note Meg Donnelly CARRIED this soundtrack, with Milo right at her side (but Meg?? Ok voice!)

But for what it was, it was great! Better than Z1, pretty much equally rated as Z2…though personally I will listen to this one more than the Z2 soundtrack.

[the-irrelevant-trumpeter]

mischief members cast in starkid shows part 7: the guy who didn’t like musicals & black friday (hatchetfield)

only basing it off of the stage musicals because i’ve only watched the first season of nmt once and don’t remember it super well, and i haven’t finished season 2 yet. so i only cast for the tgwdlm and bf roles.

paul matthews / wiggly: henry shields

he could definitely do paul (michael from lasers and quasars comes to mind?) and i think he could be a good wiggly. the only character i can’t really see him as is gary goldstein, but tbh i really can’t imagine anyone except for jon matteson as gary so it’s fine.

emma perkins / linda monroe: bryony corrigan

emma made me think of tech danielle from now museum, but not quite as nice. also made me think of belise from lasers and quasars, which works well with shields as paul. i think she’d be good at playing snarkier characters, even if we don’t see her playing them often. also i think she should play more villains and id love to see her as linda.

ted / wilbur cross: matt cavendish

gonna be honest, i cast him for ted, not for wilbur. i think he'd be an extremely funny ted, and i think he'd also be great at some of the minor roles. however i really can't see him as wilbur. i'm sure he could do it! i just can't visualise it myself, mainly because he was only in 4 mmni's. i would love to see what he'd be like playing a villain though.

charlotte / sherman young: charlie russell

opposite to matt, i cast her for sherman, not for charlotte. i think she could do charlotte, i just don’t see it as well. however, i think she’d be a hysterical sherman and she’d be great at the minor roles.

bill / frank pricely: harry kershaw

initially, like matt and charlie, i only cast him for one part (which was frank). i think he’d be hilarious as frank, “our doors are open” would be iconic, and the interactions with lex would be great. HOWEVER, even though i initially only cast him in this part for frank, i can really see him as bill, unlike the previous two (who i struggled to visualise). i know he’s often recognised for being chaotic and forgetful during mmni, but he’s genuinely a moving performer when it comes down to it, and i really think he could make me really sad during “not your seed” and really shine during those more serious parts. he’s obviously also really funny, and could nail the comedic moments. so while it wasn’t originally bill that got him the role, i think he was absolutely the best choice for the character anyway.

professor hidgens / ethan green: joshua elliott

you may think i chose him for hidgens, but it was actually ethan who made me think of him. like i said with grunt, he can play genuinely sweet and more down-to-earth characters really well, and i think he’d get ethan’s vibes right. and then obviously he’d be fabulous as hidgens, that’s just a given. and i know i said i wasn’t casting based on singing vocals, but it’s a nice added bonus that his voice would be really good for “show stoppin’ number”.

alice / zoey: rhyanna alexander-davis

i think she has the range to do the quiet sweet alice, the more sinister infected!alice, and also the bitchiness of zoey. i can really imagine "i'm on vocal rest :)" (what?) "I SAID I'M ON VOCAL RE—" *silence*.

sam / general mcnamara: dave hearn

i feel like this is fairly understandable? like i feel like i don't need to explain this one?

tom houston: henry lewis

he has dad energy. i'm sorry but it's true. he could just nail this whole thing. i'd love to see him do more serious/emotional parts.

lex foster: ellie morris

i really struggled with this part, but i think i'd really love to see ellie in this kind of role! i think she could nail the tough exterior combined with the tenderness and fearfulness underneath. i think she'd make me cry in "black friday" (the song).

becky barnes: lauren shearing

i think she'd be amazing as this character. she's played couples with hen before (lasers and quasars, hints of it in ashopolypse, i feel like there's another i'm missing but i can't remember?) so she'd mesh well with him. she could rock the kind-heartedness, and the occasional awkwardness, and i also think the more serious moments (like when she's talking about her ex-husband in the cinema) would be great too.

hannah foster / tim houston: nancy zamit

idk i just think she can play little kids well. hannah's kinda like alice from the lodge but not quite as creepy.

president goodman: greg tannahill

i can really imagine him doing both the strength of "monsters and men" but also the low-key patheticness when he's confronting wiggly.

xander lee: niall ransome

idk. i can imagine him dramatically taking off his glasses.

[justaswampdemon]

How about 19, 20, 46, and 56?

Thanks Jilly!!! I feel like you probably know the answers to at least some of these

19-Favorite soundtrack moment?

I wanna say Hallelujah, mainly because they used a good version and the song gives me all the emotions.

(If they ever use Carry You I will spontaneously combust.)

20-Moment that made you cry the most?

The end of 3x8 when it just slides into that flashback with Gwyn? I was ugly sobbing and I still get emotional about Chinese food…which is just rude.

46-Favorite 126 family moment?

Ok besides the obvious answer of any and all game nights…when they come together to watch the 126 be demolished. The donuts? The iconic outfits? Seeing them all together after the ice storm? Yes.

56-Catherine or Zoey?

I gotta say Zoey…she’s just so exasperated and amused by the Strand men. One has an existential crisis so she takes him for sushi…the other has an existential crisis and reaches out through her uni email. They’re an absolute disaster and she’s got a psych degree…unstoppable force meets immovable object. (Also teachers over politicians literally always)

[kmze]

Candice always seemed like a shy ,introverted person.She barely did cons and only started attending them more once the show ended.She had a specific group of friends (non-tvdu)who she'd go on trips with,attend weddings of and they are still close all these years later.But it's nice to see now that her daughters are growing up and she's been through some major life changes,she's going out more,making new friends and most importantly working again.I've been secretly hoping she gets cast in one of the adaptations of Emily Henry's books.She's friends with her.There's been some rumour that Ayo Edebiri and Paul Mescal might be in one such adaptation.Imagine if Candice is there too.All my favs in one place.Lol.Whatever it may,I'm just happy for her.

Candice is such a good follow on IG I feel like she doesn't do too much advertising and when she does she makes it fun and I love how she never takes herself seriously. Like she has a love of trashy reality tv shows and she does not hide it lol. I feel like more than any other cast member she seemed to become friends with the crew from TVD and I love when she visits Atlanta and she hangs out with that group. Seeing how big Florence is now and we literally watched her in Candice's belly during S7 makes me cry, did you know Florence was in the series finale of Legacies because Candice said that was a condition of her coming back? You can see Florence as one of the students in the living room in the finale scene.

Oh I didn't know she was friends with Emily Henry I'm actually reading one of her books now! I'm reading People We Meet On Vacation which is so Steroline-coded I get so giddy reading it. I'd be so excited if Candice got to star in a rom-com like that! Love Ayo and haven't seen enough of Paul Mescal to judge but I know people love him from Normal People. I am always here for more rom-coms being made there's actually been some decent ones made recently my favorite is Set it Up with Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell.