#we are like the only ones but libby left

[mrsmarlasinger]

My manager at the call center isn't gonna be here for the rest of the week. Nor is our office manager. I'm gonna throw up. Like I'm literally nauseous with dread

[astropookie]

asteroids related to love 💝

ao haru ride

ik this is too cheesy for my style but hope it may help :) these asteroids are just a few compared to the existing.

self love

hygeia (10): how to maintain a healthy relationship between body and soul.

medea (212): represents our healing ability. archetype of Pluto/scorpio. where we make mistakes again and again, vengeful, practically process of healing.

fated connections

devine (3561): if it has aspects with other’s person planets/asteroids could indicate a trascendental connection.

libby (5672): represents fated connections.

aura (1488): represents an intuitive connection.

karma (3811): indicates you’re destined to meet with these person due to past-life unfinished business.

destinn (6583): strong connection, destiny like.

pholus (5145): if it’s in synastry/composite chart, indicates unexpected events that would change the trajectory of your life -that has to do with this connection-.

sposetti (22354): means “married couple” in Italian. marriage potential, past life marriages or special connections.

betrayal

oenone (215): indicates people where you have been cheated on/ left by lovers or simply felt betrayal.

love synonyms

paeonia (1061): represents a flower that symbolizes love, honor and wealth.

olathe(18984): lovely, beautiful.

loving (432971): loving emotions.

ask (4894): represents the way you love someone, “love” in turkish.

liebe (7696): “love” in german. romantic expectations and needs.

pure/unconditional love

ceres (1): unconditional love, depth we’re willing to go for the ones we love.

alma (390): represents the desire of expanding our heart while time passes, optimism for love and romance.

agapenor (5023): simple appreciation. unconditional love that can last through ages, not only romantic. altruistic love.

valentine (447): sacrificial type of love, deep bonds between two people. indicates the urge to give our all without asking anything in return.

child (4580): represents our inner child. pure, unfiltered, innocent love.

isis (42): desire to nurture/protect the ones we love and care about. also may represent leadership qualities. loyalty, devotion, between others.

romantic love

amor (1221): means love in spanish. represents what we need to show/break patterns to commit with the person we want to love.

cupido (763): represents how you fall in love. I’ll think on this asteroid more like a “crush” type of “love”, innocent at first.

juno (3): can represent our romantic boundaries, what we will do for romantic -not necessarily- relationships and I have a post of juno series if you’d like an interpretation of your juno sign.

union (1585): inner need of deep and meaningful connections -any type-. indicates qualities of the relationship in composite charts.

adonis (2101): ideal type, plus if you like masculine.

groom (5129): indicates how do we approach role of marriage -long term commitment- in their life. who you may end up having this relationship, depending on your preferences.

briede (19029): like asteroid groom, associated with commitment, etc. like the name, dependa in preferences.

others

companion (8490): shows wanting to be all the time with that person. what are you looking for in a long term connection (romantic or not).

anteros (1943): manner which you reciprocate love, requited love.

luda (1158): where do people adore/love you.

link (3505): indicates the type of connection -close- between partners.

lovelock (51663): obsessive love, like the name.

galatea (74): imo idealization of our type of a person.

akashi (5881): requires introspection/exploration. hidden knowledge and potential. has to do with how our past relationships affects our present and future.

(*ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)ꕤ૮꒰ྀི⸝⸝> . <⸝⸝꒱ྀིა ∗ ࣪ ˖༺ ♡ ༻˖ ࣪ ∗ */ᐠ - ˕ -マ✩ (˶˃ᆺ˂˶)∗ ࣪ ( ๑ ˃̵ᴗ˂̵ )و ✩

♡ Based on personal experience and I’ve analyzed in my surroundings.

♡ English is not my first language.

♡ I’m not a profesional astrologer.

Thank youu. baibaiii🫣🫶🏼💋

Do not copy. Please give me credits.

[astrobiscuits]

Unknown asteroids #1

🦭Adorno (21029) – of Spanish origin; means to decorate/embellish; (for females only) if Sun, Mars, Saturn or the Descendant are badly aspected by this asteroid in the natal chart, it can indicate being “objectified” by men; if one of the mentioned planets/angle are positively aspected by this asteroid, it can indicate fighting for women's rights when it comes to the objectification of women

🦭Advincula (23017) – of Latin origin; denotes someone advanced in a certain skill/job/life experiences OR someone who can advance a certain field

🦭Aenna (1155) – of Hebrew origin; means favor/grace, God has favored me; denotes someone getting blessed by a higher force

🦭Aemilia (159) – of Latin origin; means industrious; denotes a workaholic and/or someone who works in engineering; a second meaning: to strive/excel

🦭Aeschylus (2876) – father of Greek tragedy drama; denotes a strong affinity for drama works (either in reading or writing them); if it aspects Uranus, it can bring popularity due to scandals/dramatic past

🦭Bengt (1846) – of Latin origin, but frequently used in Sweden; means blessed

🦭Cappi (49777) – of Italian origin; means lucky

🦭Elpis (59) – of Greek origin; means "the spirit of hope"; like the star card in tarot, this asteroid shows us where we are most hopeful

🦭Gorky (2768) – of English origin; means awkward/strange

🦭Khandrika (12068) – of Indian origin; means small village/small place

🦭Khalat (468725) – of Indian origin; means robe; denotes someone with high social status, someone who dresses expensive

🦭Libby (5672) – of British origin; means God’s promise; if relevant in synastry, it can indicate fated connections, someone given to us from the above

🦭Odeh (34786) – of Arabic origin; denotes someone (or something) coming back into your life, similar to Aesculapia (1027)

🦭Oenomaos (164555) – from Greek mythology (corresponds to King Oenomaus of Pisa); shows love for consuming wine; if prominent in the natal chart, it can point to an alcoholic

🦭Oenone (215) – from Greek mythology; a nymph abandoned by her lover, Paris, who choose Helen of Troy over her; prominent in people who have been cheated on/left by lovers

🦭Okugi (5174) – of Japanese origin; means the heart or depth of something, secrets, mysteries, esoterica

🦭Okuni (7769) – of Japanese origin; means homeland or native country

🦭Olathe (18984) – its meaning comes from the Shawnee language; means lovely/beautiful

🦭Paeonia (1061) – of Latin origin; denotes the latin term for peony (symbols of peony: love, honor, romance, beauty)

🦭Palach (1834) – of Russian origin; means executioner, hangman, butcher, torturer

🦭Piedade (11912) – of Portugese origin; means pity, mercy, kindness towards an enemy

🦭Pierre (1392) – of French origin; means stone, rock

🦭Quigley (18699) – of Irish origin; means “from the mother’s side”; denotes someone very similar to their own mother or her family, heavily attached to the mother figure or someone who has grown up without a father; a second meaning: “unruly hair”; denotes someone with crazy hair

🦭Quinn (107561) – of Irish origin; means wise, intelligent

🦭Quito (10793) – of Spanish origin; means “center of the world”; denotes someone popular and/or famous

🦭Seiwa (16700) – of Japanese origin; means saint; denotes a person of superior knowledge and virtue; a second meaning: peace, calm

🦭Vangelis (6354) – of Greek origin; means good news

🦭Vate (12312) – of English origin, but borrowed from Latin; means prophet, fortune teller, inspired writer; prominent in witches and tarot readers

🦭Vedrana (176014) – of Croatian and Serbian origin; denotes someone who is lighthearted, joyful, cheerful

🦭Xenia (625) – of Greek origin; denotes a great host, someone hospitable and welcoming with guests and strangers in need

(21029, 23017, 1155, 159, 2876, 1846, 49777, 59, 2768, 12068, 468725, 5672, 34786, 164555, 215, 5174, 7769, 18984, 1061, 1834, 11912, 1392, 18699, 107561, 10793, 16700, 6354, 12312, 176014, 625)

[wosoluver]

Little family

Part 3

Lena x reader

Lena Oberdorf Masterlist

──✩₊⁺⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧──

"Obi can you give me a ride to training this week? I have to take my car to get fixed. This morning I ubered here."

"What? Why didn't you text me? I would've gave you a ride this morning too."

"I didn't want to be a bother." you said tying up your boots

"You're never a bother.

Be careful you're going to drop Libby!" she said moving to get the plushie bunny before she fell from the bench to the floor. Putting it sitting on top of her own stuff.

You just nodded thankfully at her, as the two of you walked out to the field.

Unknowingly to you, your friends stayed behind just so they could comment on the unbelievable scene that had unfolded before them.

"There's actually no way! They are literally an old married couple!" said Georgia.

"It's driving me insane to watch them be so oblivious!" said Lea as she tied up her hair.

"I swear if I have to go through this one more week..." said Syd as she turned around. "Do something Libby! Like, haven't you chose Lena as your other mom already?"

"You want a teddy bear to do something?" asked Pernille. "You do something!"

"Fine!" answered Syd.

"Fine?" a few of the girls said in unison, confused by what she meant.

"We should set up a plan to get them to confess!" she answered once again.

"I don't know if that's a good idea." said Sam.

"Come on! The worst thing that can happen is them getting married in secret so they don't have to invite us." she tried to reason.

"Fuck it, I'm in!" said Lea.

"Well, that didn't take much convincing.

I'll help too." said Georgia.

And some of them joined in too.

"We might need Libby."

"I don't know if-"

──✩₊⁺⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧──

When it was time to leave, after getting cleaned up, you turned to Lena.

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah, do you want to stop at the coffee shop?"

You only nodded. Walking to the car side by side.

And the girls stayed behind once again.

"I don't think she noticed." said Georgia.

"She'll notice trust me."

As she parked the car on the usual spot you always were in, you reached for the bunny, only she wasn't there.

"Obi, are you carrying Libby?"

"I don't have her."

"What do you mean?"

"She's not with me."

"But you left her along with your stuff!"

"I thought you had grabbed her from it."

"Why would I?! I always trust you with her!" your tone rising.

"Okay, I know you're nervous, but I'm on your side here. I would never be careless with something you care so much about! I won't ever put you on that situation! That's not how you treat someone you love." she blurred out in the heat of the moment.

You took a pause to recompose yourself and make sure your heart didn't leave your body.

She most likely didn't mean it like that, and you were just trying to feel some sort of mutual feeling from her.

"Sorry, for almost yelling at you. You're one of the best friends I have, I know y-"

"Best... friend?" she asked, almost coming out as a whisper.

"Yeah, sorry if you don't feel like that, it's totally fine. We can be just, friends?" you said scared to say anything else wrong.

Obi simply shook her head in disbelief. Had she just confessed she felt something more? And had you just turned her down?

"No! I mean I like you more than a friend, more than a best friend." she said with a defeat look on her face.

"You...do?"

And she only nodded, avoiding your eyes.

"I do too." you said with a hand on her cheek, making sure she was looking your way.

You stared at each other for a bit, just taking in the moment. Before she calmly pressed her lips onto yours.

"Let's go back to get her." she said as soon as you parted, resting her forehead on yours. Still with her eyes closed, but she could feel you nodding your head.

meanwhile the girls were still sitting around waiting for you two to show up, to look for your bunny.

"I'm loosing hope, I don't think they're coming back anytime soon." said Pernille.

Some were siting on the bench or the floor, others were lying around. Lea was about to protest when you walked in, holding onto Lena's hand. Immediately spotting the plushie sitting in the middle of the room.

"Did it work?!" screamed Syd.

"Why are you all still here? And what do you mean by that?" you wanted a confession, already suspecting then.

They all looked at each other.

"It was Sydney's idea!" said Georgia.

"No! Pernille was the one who said so!"

"Only because you all wouldn't quit complaining about them being so unaware!"

You and Obi shared a look, shaking your heads and letting out a slight laugh.

"We should have known." she said.

"So?" asked Lea waiting for a resolution.

And you only hid your face in Lena's neck, becoming shy from all the looks, and she placed a small kiss on your forehead.

As they all cheered loudly.

And Lea grabbed Libby before covering her eyes. "Get a room!" joining in with a joke

──✩₊⁺⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧──

Again thank you to the amazing anon who came up with the idea for Little family! 🩷

Requests are open!

[targaryenrealnessdarling]

It's Who We Have | Part Seven

Summary: A cruel twist of fate has brought them together, and it might be enough to push them apart | Word Count: 5.6k~ | Warnings: mentions of terrorism, that episode of trigger point 🫣

A/N: guys we finally made it. The scene that made me start this series 😘 enjoy!

General Taglist | Billy Washington Masterlist | Series Masterlist

Despite knowing Billy had endured a rough night on the sofa, the morning revealed the aftermath in his dishevelled hair, longer stubble, and tired countenance, as if he battled a tempest in his sleep.

Surprisingly, slipping into his bed felt oddly natural, shedding only her jeans and bra before nestling beneath the sheets, enveloped by the familiar scent that wrapped around her like a tender embrace. Despite the temptation to invite him to share the bed, she resisted, though her heart tugged against her rational mind.

The tension between them simmered beneath the surface, palpable in the silences punctuated by sporadic conversation and the noisy sips of tea. The oppressive heat of the day seemed to sap the air from her lungs, despite every window cracked open in Billy's flat. And yet, each time she stole a glance at him—clad in nothing more than worn joggers and a shirt clinging to his chest with sweat—her mouth inexplicably grew drier, amplifying the unspoken desires lingering between them since childhood, heightened by the previous night's fleeting kiss.

After freshening up a reasonable amount, she gathered the things she’d bought with her, ensuring it was alright if her car was left in its spot while Billy offered to drive her to Farringdon Tube Station. It felt like they were making up for the awkward flirting and silences from when they were teenagers, and she cursed herself for how easy it was for him to make her cheeks warm without seemingly doing much at all.

She sighed as they left the street-level door, the heavy weight of humidity dragging her down to the earth with every stifled step. Billy’s car wasn’t fancy, as she’d found out the night he’d driven her home from the pub with Abi and Libby strewn across the back seat and the way the weight of them made his car scrape against every speed bump on the way home. They smiled at one another awkwardly over the roof of the battered Vauxhall as Billy unlocked his door and both slid inside, groaning once again at the air inside the car somehow even worse.

“Why don’t you put the air-con on?” she asked, sliding into the passenger seat, plopping her bag between her feet.

Billy scoffed with a boyish smile, the key needing two turns before the engine fired into life, “fucking air con. They just blow hot air at you.” 

God, it was nice to see him smile.

Nothing was said about the night before. She figured he might need a moment to collect his thoughts, as Billy often did.

He was a thinker. Quiet. Always had been. And though age has wisened him somewhat to this behaviour, some things never changed. 

She didn’t mind. All she had was time. And if needed she’d wait for him to broach the subject whenever he was ready for it.

It only took twenty minutes for him to pull up to a slow stop beside the tube station. It was busier than usual, but being a Saturday, it was rife with people and groups of all types, and not only that, but she furrowed her brows at the group of people gathered in the middle of the road, with signs held high, and angry expressions.

“Bloody hell, what’s all this about?”

Billy sighed, his thumb rubbing his his forehead in annoyance, “fucking protest.”

She hummed and gathered her bag from the footwell, apparently seeing Billy was in no mood to delve into the confusion mix that was his emotions. 

But her hand barely brushed the door handle.

“Wait..” he practically breathed without effort, fiddling with the gear stick as if he needed something to do with his hands “Can we…at least try and talk about last night?”

She couldn’t really read his expression. And she felt her heart beating so hard in her chest she was sure he could sense it. A sort of dread pooling there at the thought he hadn’t meant any of it, and that he was too drunk at the time to speak clearly.

She still felt his hand on her stomach, fingers barely stealing beneath the waistband of her jeans.

Billy wet his lips, his sandy blonde hair falling into his face. Her heart raced with uncertainty, hoping that her not moving an inch and her hand falling from the car door was enough of a reply.

“I just…I need to know if last night meant anything to you.”

Her breath caught, emotions swirling in her gut like a hurricane. A barrage of feelings made her feel nauseous, remembering how she had slept, with his scent permeating her senses, unable to sleep with the tingling to her lips and the inescapable idea that there was no going back. 

If she had known that Billy had done somewhat the same. Laid on the sofa, arm thrown over his eyes, confused and pent up in equal measure, unable to relax at the idea that the woman he’d kissed, and bared all for, was asleep in his bed. 

“Of course it did,” she replied softly, her eyes fluttering with vulnerability, “but…did it mean anything to you?”

He swallowed hard, his gaze falling to the floor before meeting hers again, as if her question directed back at him had taken him off guard, “Yeah,” he confessed. “It meant everything.”

A wave of relief soared through her so much she felt weightless, coupled with a sense of longing she was now unable to suppress. 

“Then what now?” she asked, her voice laced with uncertainty and yet hope.

He sighed through his nose, reaching out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, in a gesture that made her heart squeeze, “I don’t know,” he admitted, his thumb lingering to graze her cheek, “But…can we figure it out together?”

With a hard swallow of her own, she nodded sincerely, and feeling a surge of courage, she leaned in closer, her heart pounding as she leaned in to close the distance between them. With a gentle touch, she pressed her lips to his, a silent affirmation of their unspoken connection. But the only affirmation Billy needed. 

Billy’s breath caught in his throat, his hand still lingering on her cheek as he returned the kiss, his lips meeting and moulding to hers with a tender urgency. In that moment, all doubts and uncertainties melted away, leaving only the warmth and promise of what lay ahead, whether it was a difficult path to pave or not.

The angry beep of the horn from a car behind them made them break apart with a stifled and awkward giggle, cheeks all warm, but a silent understanding lingering. He let out a low chuckle, “I’ve always wanted to do this with you.”

She smiled warmly back at him, her heart fluttering with newfound excitement mingled with a touch of nervousness. "Me too," she confessed softly, her voice barely above a whisper as she reached for the door handle. “Still promise?”

For a moment, he looked lost, until he remembered what he would do to break himself from the hatred and judgement of the people he was currently involved with. And he nodded, “promise.”

Her fingers pulled the clunky door handle.

“Hang on, Lana’s ringing. She’s been calling me all bloody morning.”

She looked back and waited, watching as Billy put Lana on speakerphone, already seemingly annoyed with the conversation before it had even started.

“What’s up?” he asked.

Lana sounded ragged on the other end, as if she were walking quickly, “where are you? Sound like you’re in the car?”

“Yeah was driving to meet my mates, why?”

“What mates? Anyone I know?”

She furrowed her brows. When was Lana ever protective of Billy? It wasn’t like her at all. Usually she’d want as little as possible to do with whatever Billy busied himself doing. Although she couldn’t deny, perhaps his big sister was just as afraid for what he’d got involved in as she had been.

“Just mates, Lana. Why what’s going off?”

“Listen, Billy, I just needed to call you. You’ve not been answering my calls. You’ve not been about-wh-where are you driving to?”

Billy nearly stalled the car, lurching it forward slightly and bumping one of the protestors, and all at once they were surrounding them, with angered faces and patting at the car windows.

“Billy. Billy.”

He sighed, flashing two fingers to a protester on his side, “Farringdon Tube Station.”

“Listen, Billy, it’s important, what are you doing at Farringdon Station?”

His fingers gripped the steering wheel, flashing a confusion expression to her across the centre console at how worried Lana sounded, and how his sister was doing a piss poor job of hiding it in her voice, “I was meant to meet the lads but they’re not here. Outside the tube he said, but I can’t see them. Just a load of lefty wankers.”

“Billy, why did you drive, was that your idea?”

“Nah, my mates asked me to give some of the lads a lift down. Must be some kind of joke.”

She did have a glance around, surmising that these ‘friends’ should have been here by now. 

Why was dread pooling in her stomach?

Something felt wrong. Like it was pulling her to the spot she was sat.

“Yeah they’ve set me up, haven’t they? Havin’ a laugh, aren’t they? Knobheads.”

There was that little pang of sadness again. The familiar sound of Billy being let down.

“Billy, these new mates of yours, they’re not who you think they are.”

He rubbed his nose, scrunching it as if his sister could see, “Lana, what you on about?”

“Nick. Nick Roberts, he’s a…he’s a terrorist. One of the Crusaders that killed Nut.”

That dread began to mutate into fear then.

Her fingers started to shake.

“You’re winding me up, aren’t you.”

“Do I sound like I’m fucking winding you up?! Have any of them been near your car? Look around, is there anything different about it?”

“Got a mate fixing up my car.” he’d said just the day before.

She felt as if she might vomit.

“Eh?”

“For fucks sake, Billy! Listen to me! I need you to check the car for me, okay? Have a look under the steering wheel or under the footwell, anything you can see that might be unusual.”

Fear invaded Billy’s voice then, and it made her feel no better about her own, “right…yeah…”

She watched her friend. Her friend? No. The man she loved clawed about his car with shaking hands, dropping various bits onto the floor. A sponge fell from the dashboard, revealing the old, used lipstick tube that Becky must have owned. Packs of ibuprofen. Scrunched up receipts.

Every bit of Billy's daily life crumbling apart in search of danger that lingered inside.

And all she could do was watch on in horror, unmoving.

Her trembling feet shifted across as if she were cowering, when Billy lifted the foot mat and he himself, froze with parted lips.

“Lana there’s some masking tape underneath the foot mat.”

Lana's reaction over the phone mirrored hers, and she heard a hard breath crackle on the other line.

“Alright, okay, can you…really carefully lift up the masking tape?”

An acrid fear bubbled at the back of her throat.

“There’s…there’s a wire, Lana.”

A pause.

Come on Lana.

“Can you see where it’s leading to?”

The way Billy held the wire between his fingers so lightly made her want to shut her eyes right and never open them again. It lead to an opening between the glovebox and the door, such a tiny hole that nobody would have noticed unless they looked closely.

“The…the glove box…”

Their eyes met briefly. His stuttering voice made her want to weep and even more so the look of wide-eyed horror in his gaze.

Come on, Billy. 

She swallowed dryly, as his fingers tugged the glovebox open with a haunting click.

Silence enveloped her, suffocating in its intensity.

Her gaze fixated on the ominous device nestled amidst the tape and wires, its menacing presence choking Billy's car in a miasma of dread. Each heartbeat echoed louder than his fading voice, each second stretching into an eternity as she grappled with fear's paralysing grip.

Her fingers, entwined around the car handle, hovered in limbo, caught between fleeing into uncertainty or surrendering to the looming threat. A call from Lana had shattered the fragile peace, leaving her teetering on the precipice of terror.

With a quivering exhale, she released her grasp, her hands trembling with a raw, primal energy. The world outside, once vibrant with life, now seemed tinged with an ominous shadow. Farringdon Tube station teemed with unsuspecting souls, oblivious to the danger lurking beneath the surface.

Dread clawed at her insides, a nauseating churn of realisation settling in her gut like vomit. These people, innocent and carefree, were now unwitting pawns in a deadly game. Families frolicked, children laughed, teenagers revelled in their youth—all oblivious to the impending peril.

A chill swept over her, a cold sweat tracing the length of her spine, pushing her seat back as far as it would go to distance herself from the danger staring back at her. Billy's panicked voice crept back into her ears, a stark reminder of the impending catastrophe that loomed ever closer.

“Fucking. Hell. Shit, shit, shit, it’s hooked up to summat…looks like a bomb” “I’ve got to get out the car, if it explodes I’m done for man, I’m gonna die-”

“No! Billy! Do not get out the car! Do not get out the car. You just need to stay calm and listen to me, alright?”

She reached out with urgency as Billy made the move, calmly pulling him back with a softened gaze, “Billy, hey, look at me. It’s alright, I’m here…”

Lana's urgent tone cut through the tension like a knife, her concern palpable even through the crackling phone connection. "Billy, who's in the car with you?" she asked suddenly, her voice sharp with urgency.

Billy was still trying to catch his breath, so she replied, “it’s me…Billy was giving me a lift to the station, I-I didn’t know-”

“Shit…”, her heart raced as Lana's voice crackled through the phone once more. "Listen to me, both of you," Lana said firmly, her tone leaving no room for argument. "I need you to stay calm and listen carefully. Keep the line open and put it on speakerphone so I can hear everything."

"Okay... okay..." she whispered to herself, her voice a mere murmur of reassurance amidst the chaos. With a gentle touch, she rubbed Billy's shoulder, offering him what comfort she could, prioritising his well-being over her own rising fear.

He swallowed his breath, attempting to keep it in his chest as he looked over at her with glassy, blue eyes, realising he had not only put himself in danger, but both of them. She saw the guilt and dread fall in his gaze.

"Right, we're gonna go to Cranstead Fields, Billy, you know it, yeah?" Lana's voice echoed through the car, her words a lifeline in the darkness of their situation.

“Yeah…I know it,” his voice was resigned, his fingers finding the steering wheel with anxiety.

“I’ll meet you there, it’s gonna be okay.”

But despite Lana's constant encouragement, she could sense the distrust emanating from Billy with each passing moment. Doubt clouded his features, scepticism shadowing his every move. He didn't believe her.

He didn't believe her.

What almost scared her more was Billy’s erratic driving, taking corners too quick and being generally careless. His crumbling belief he’d make it out of this alive swallowed by dread.

“You’ve got to tell Mum and Dad I’m sorry, yeah?”

“Billy, tell them yourself, you’re gonna be fine!”

She pressed her legs together as if trying to curl herself into a ball of safety, hands braced on the seat, trying to calm the heavy beating of her heart.

Her eyes screwed shut at the exchange between Billy and Lana, whispering so quietly to herself for him to calm down and drive carefully.

Her eyes flew open and Billy leaned over though as something within the glovebox beeped. A light illuminated several numbers on the screen, showing all 0s, before settling and counting down with a harrowing beep from 08:00.

“Shit…”

“What’s happened?”

“There’s a timer, Lana…it’s a fucking timer.”

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Sanity slipped with every second. And she's ashamed to admit she jumped when Billy punched the steering wheel.

“Shit! Shit! Fuck!”

“Listen, Billy, I'm gonna help you, but you need to focus, okay? You just need to concentrate on getting to the park. When you get there, drive straight onto the field, you'll be fine. I promise.”

She exhaled shakily, wanting desperately to believe Lana on the other end, but gripping the passenger seat so hard her fingernails were digging into the material, and Billy's reddened and panicked face made it all the more difficult.

And as if it couldn't get worse.

“Fucking hell, my battery's gonna die,” Billy uttered in a tremor, watching as his phone went black screen just as Lana was about to say something.

Billy breathed through his nose loudly, chest moving with laboured breaths, he whispered, “come on, please, say something, talk to me, please.”

He begged like a mantra.

And though she couldn't trust her voice to sound at all comforting, she tried anyway, “we’ll be fine…Lana knows what she's doing, okay…she'll know what to do…”

Billy must have heard the sheer terror in her voice, and as he glanced aside, the way the tears were just starting to glitter her cheeks, he reached over and squeezed the skin above her knee in an attempt to make her feel safe and grounded.

Her hand simply joined his, interweaving their fingers momentarily. Gripping to him like he was the last thing on earth she could feel.

She shifted in her seat as Billy took the corner into Cranstead Fields, tyres screeching as he drove out onto the green, parting a friendly football game as he beeped for them to move out the way. She spotted one single police car as he passed it and felt her heart clench.

Even when they came to a stop, she caught sight of them running angrily towards her in the side mirror and immediately used both hands and all her strength to pull the door towards herself.

“Get away from that car!”

The lads surrounded them, sweaty hands pawing at the windows with annoyed grunts. Billy quickly pushed his lock down, and she closed her eyes as one particular lad stopped at her window and attempted to pry the door open. It felt as if she were breathing so loudly that blood was coating her tongue.

Only when they ran off did a man in uniform stop at Billy's window, a man she didn't recognise but he must have.

“Billy, Billy look at me, it's Hass. Stay still, okay? We're gonna work around you.”

Fuck. He spoke as if he had no clue what to do.

Lana's car grew in the distance, and she breathed partly in relief as Hass moved away towards her.

“Hass, I'm fucking losing it-” Billy started.

She shifted aside and reached out to hold his arms, “Billy…Billy, look at me,” she had to hold his face for him to finally hear her, “just you and me…it's alright…”

He shook his head, “I-I'm so fucking sorry, I-”

“Stop. Just breathe, okay…it's just you and me…”

She was almost shocked by her own words. Inside, she felt as if she were already dying and gasping for air. Only finding oxygen when Billy's eyes softened only slightly and he nodded, leaning his tacky cheek into her hand.

She blinked when Lana's dishevelled head popped around Billy's window.

Lana forced a smile, “I'm here. It's me. It's gonna be fine. Just stay really still, I'm gonna have a look around the car. Don’t touch anything, I’m just gonna check the car okay?”

Lana side-stepped wearily around it, and something changed in her gaze when she did, as if slipping right into work-mode before their very eyes. Her hand was still resting on Billy’s shaking forearm, while he leaned over her side with a mortifying sense of curiosity and foreboding, checking the numbers tick down on the display.

Lana didn’t say a word as she zoned in on the passenger window.

“How bad is it?” Billy asked, as if in desperate need of some good news.

If there was one thing about Lana she knew, it was that she was fucking horrendous at lying, “it’s fine.”

“I can tell when you’re lying, man, how bad is it?!”

If it were any other situation, she would have laughed at them both. And the brief glimpse into what would have been their normal sibling banter did make the battering of her heart slow somewhat. 

She could tell by the rising intensity of Billy's voice and the way he couldn’t relax that he was slowly losing it without the comforting words of his sister. And it did nothing for her nerves either when she watched Lana disappear to the police car in the distance and she noticed with a shrill freeze of her heart, a sniper aimed towards the car, in case either of them made a move to escape.

For Billy’s sake, she didn’t say a thing. And she felt more and more powerless the more Billy’s eyes watered, face reddenned in primal fear, “Lana, fucking get me out the car!”

His sister’s expression was stern, constantly fighting a battle between having to be professional and calm for work and yet comforting and loving as a sister to her little brother who gripped the steering wheel tight, and stared at her, wanting nothing more than to open the dreaded door into false freedom.

“Listen to me! Look at me! The timer means nothing. They’ve put it there as a trick so you open the door! Can you hear me! Don’t touch it! Stay still! Listen to me, I’m your sister.”

Billy had long checked out of reason. He just began to plead ceaselessly. Lana’s constant reassurance that she was his sister didn’t seem to mean a whole lot to him at this moment.

“Just trust me”, Lana begged wearily.

She shook her head. He doesn’t.

Even with those words, she saw the way Billy pleased ‘please, please’ as a means of self-soothing, unable to help himself from glancing over at the dreaded glovebox. She felt his control fading quickly.

Beeeeeeeeeep.

Both of them froze, watching the timer disappear off the screen.

“Lana?” Billy called pitifully.

Vomit rolled in her gut when after a few moments, the timer beeped once more back to life, tauntingly counting down from 30.

“Lana, do something!”

She’s too far away, she can’t hear us. She thought.

Billy’s palm smashed against the steering wheel in both grief and desperation, “Lana!”

“Billy, look at me,” she pleaded quietly at first.

Time slowed into a slow drag as Billy’s body turned his body, fiddling with shaky fingers to the lock at the corner of the window. Both dread and panic rolled in her, glancing at the sniper primed to discharge, and felt the hasty need to save Billy from himself, as she had done before. 

“Suspect is unlocking door. I repeat, sus-”

“Billy!”

Had it been different, she would have apologised for the way her nails dug into his flesh as she wrenched him away. And at first, it scared her how much he flailed and fought to escape her, until she took his cheeks in her palms and forced him to look at her.

“For fucks sake, Billy, look at me!”

His blue eyes were wide and glassy, red rimmed with tears, rosy lips parted to suck oxygen into his lungs, hands wrapped around her forearms so, so tightly. The beep of the timer only seemed to taunt them, with the reminder of how little time they had left.

And she thought with some ache in her chest, that if these were indeed her last few seconds, she would be fine with that, looking into Billy Washington’s desperate eyes as they flitted over her face. She hadn’t realised that the tears had quickly made their way down her own, emotions and panic pushing the control from her.

Time was slipping away, their fate hanging by a thread, and she could feel it unravelling beneath her fingertips.

She shook her head, eyes fluttering, “u-um…think of a nice memory, come on-”

He tightened his grip, blinking a few times, “O-okay…y-your first day of school.”

Despite everything, a smile threatened to break across her face. 

“Okay…okay…” she nodded, “do you remember how you were there for me then?”

He nods, “yeah, I do-”

“Now let me be here for you…okay?”

All Billy could do was nod to her, and she took the brief opportunity his eyes were closed to steal a glance at the sniper, now relaxed, seeing through his viewfinder that there was no longer immediate danger. The man she remembered was named Hass was trying his best to hold Lana back, waiting for the inevitable.

For either the timer to go off, and the car would be filled with flame and heat. Or nothing.

She sniffled, “you remember? I was covered in mud…I still remember you blushing going into the girl’s toilets.”

He sobbed loudly, shaking, head bowed against her chest, his whole body covered in perspiration with stress.

“Mum fucking bollocked me for that you know,” she adds with a watery laugh.

He rested his head against her chest, seeking comfort in the steady rhythm of her heartbeat beneath his cheek. His hands encircled her waist, holding onto her as if she were his lifeline, and she reciprocated, clutching him tightly, her fingers tangling in his damp, tousled hair.

“It’s always been us, right? It always will be,” he whispered, his voice quivering with emotion.

“Always,” she affirmed softly, her own voice trembling with unshed tears.

“You're everything,” he confessed, his words choked with emotion, the impending threat of their demise hanging heavily in the air.

Their embrace tightened, the outside world fading into oblivion as they held onto each other, finding solace in the precious moments they had left together.

The timer continued its relentless countdown, each passing second felt like an eternity. She held her breath, waiting for the inevitable explosion. The tension in the car was palpable, suffocating them both as they braced themselves for the worst.

But as the timer reached zero, there was only silence. No deafening blast, no fiery explosion. Just the sound of their ragged breaths filling the air, mingling with the faint hum of the engine.

Confusion washed over them, disbelief etched into their expressions as they exchanged bewildered glances. Had they miscalculated? Was this some twisted twist of fate?

The bomb hadn't gone off. 

They were still alive.

She turned to Billy, her heart pounding in her chest, and found him gazing at her with a mixture of disbelief and relief mirrored in his eyes.

Without a word, he leaned in, his lips pressing urgently against hers in a desperate kiss. It was a frantic, desperate attempt to grasp onto life, to affirm their existence in the face of imminent death. Every touch, every caress, was a silent plea for more time, a fervent prayer that they had not cheated death in vain.

The lingering danger remained, tucked into the glovebox as they broke free from the kiss, trying to paw back control between themselves.

For a brief moment, Billy thought, what if she hadn’t been here?

He jumped when EXPO began to surround the car, but didn't break free from her. They stayed like that for long, long moments, not wanting to part from this delicate balance.

She couldn't really even pay attention to what they were saying. It was all meaningless jargon to both of them. All they knew was that they took were clinging to the hope that two people would not die today, it wouldn't be them.

Lana murmured to Hass, “extract Billy first through the rear window, he's the most unstable-” 

“No! Get her out first!” Billy protested.

“Billy, calm down, we'll get you both out, okay?” Lana replied calmly, her tone trying to diffuse the situation. Her hand gripped Billy's tighter as he argued.

“Fuck no-”

“Billy,” she whispered, tracing his knuckles with her thumb, “it's okay, I'll be right behind you, okay?”

She thought, she wasn't doing a very good job getting the shake out of her voice. But she implored him all the same to just do what she asked of him. He would be safe…

The EXPO team managed to pry the rear window without shattering the glass, and as it thunked to the floor, cooling air pooled in, making the sweat sticking to her clothes feel chilly.

“Alright, Billy, very slowly, put your seat back as far as it will go-that’s it-so it's nice and flat-” Hass instructed calmly, and she watched him with bated breath, “now slowly, if you can, climb over towards us…”

Billy licked his lips, pulling every strength he thought he had deep inside. His legs felt heavy. Body wracked with stress. And every step he took, he felt as if he was on the precipice of passing out.

Hass and a uniformed officer were the ones who pulled him free. And as soon as she saw Billy disappear out the rear window to safety, she felt that sinking feeling of loneliness once again settle in her chest.

She could even hear Billy's protest, fighting against the police officers trying to push him towards the ambulance, “I'm not going anywhere until she's out- get her out!”

She swallowed thickly and blinked quickly, trying to steady the quivering of her hands in mid air. Her eyes kept being pulled to the tightly wrapped package in the glovebox in front of her. Voices fading into nothingness.

Hass knocked on her window, and she jumped in her spot.

“Okay now, I need you to really slowly, like Billy just did, tilt your seat back.”

She nodded but it was merely out of sheer instinct. The words were scrambled.

Her legs felt like jelly as she slowly pushed the seat back, her airways feeling constricted from the force of her tears. Turning her body she gripped the headrest and rested her knees on the seat, trying her hardest to breathe deeply.

“Come on, it's alright, you're totally safe,” Hass soothed from the view out the rear window. Billy was not far behind, beside Lana, watching with a face of worry and bloomed by the harsh sun.

One leg stretched forwards, with arms on each headrest, seeing freedom, her movements were too quick, and her foot slipped between the seat and the gearstick. She tugged a few times, frustration and panic only exacerbating her grief at the last hour.

“Come on, you're doing so well, baby,” Billy's soft, airy voice was closer. She saw his face with blurry vision out the rear window, his figure bathed in warmth and light.

His hand outstretched. But she couldn't reach it. She was frozen in limbo between the swallowing darkness of the bomb behind her, and the open and safe closeness of her dear friend, and the man she loved.

Years of adorning that mask of self reliance, of building the walls high around her heart seemed to melt off of her. And when she saw Billy's face looking at her through the rear windscreen, she thought that she simply wanted to be the little girl in the green coat, even if it was just for one last time.

She nearly sobbed when Billy crawled back into the car, blatantly ignoring the protests behind him, she felt his hands around her waist and ribs, to pull her gently free.

Her arms hugged him frantically, the fresh grass and the familiar Billy scent enveloped around her. His form swamped her, his breath kissing at her neck where his head was buried in her shoulder as he lowered them to the ground.

Over his shoulder, through the clarity after her tears, she glanced at the spot where so many times Billy had done just this. 

Comforted her. Kissed her. Loved her.

“You're everything to me,” he whispered lovingly. Her eyes fluttered shut at his words, a soft whimper muffled by his shoulder as she buried herself in him.

“Billy…”

Not even the urgent commands from first responders could tear them apart, their grip on each other only growing tighter as they were ushered away from the car.

And when the controlled explosion echoed through Cranstead Fields, sending shockwaves through the air and coating the grass in a blanket of blackened debris, they remained steadfast in their bond, their love burning brighter than the flames that engulfed Billy's car.

Even as the flashing lights illuminated the darkness, and the blaring sirens pierced the silence, they held onto each other, their hearts beating as one against the chaos that threatened to tear them apart.

Billy's eyes scanned the chaos, desperately seeking her familiar face amidst the flurry of activity. But she was already being ushered away, swallowed by the darkness of another ambulance, her figure growing smaller with each passing second.

With Lana's comically small stature pushing Billy gently, he saw through the sea of heads and mischief, her eyes, bright and glimmering with tears as he had always known her.

General Taglist: @aemondsfavouritebastard @bellstwd @blairfox04 @buckybarnesb-tch @castellomargot @hb8301 @jamespotterismydaddy @mochi-rose @natty2017 @nenelysian @risefallrise @thelittleswanao3 @theoneeyedprince @thetrueblackheart @tsujifreya @urmomsgirlfriend1 @valeskafics @valleyof-goldenlilies

[atinylittlepain]

Love the Unexpected Universe. Dad!Joel is life, could I please request a sweet fluff piece of just Joel on a day out with baby Miller? Just exploring, carrying baby on his shoulders and being an absolute girl dad. I just need this man to have a day filled with peace and love!

first of all, i am so sorry for my tardy response to your request, sweet anon, i hope some fluffy dad!joel can make up for it <3

Unexpected Circumstances

dad!joel x f!reader

joel miller masterlist

warnings | 18+ mostly for some angst, but overall this is very sweet

a/n | obviously, this takes place in my Expectings universe :)

..........................

“You sure you’ll be ok? I can ask someone to cover my shift.”

“We’re gonna be fine, mama. I’ve got her.”

“Alright, um, well, I’ll be home before dinner, and Ellie can help out after school–” He ducks down to silence her with a smacking kiss, leaving her with an easy smile as he hoists Libby on his hip.

“I’ve got it, ok? All you need to worry about is coming home safe to us.” Though she still looks hesitant, she nods, leaning in to press a kiss to Libby’s cheek before quietly murmuring to her.

“Hi, baby, mama’s gotta go for a little while, but I’ll be back so, so soon. And daddy’s gonna be here with you all day, does that sound good?” Their girl’s brow crumples at that, somewhere between confusion and despair. She is only two after all, but she’s whip-smart enough to understand that her mama is leaving for the day.

“You gotta be good for daddy, Libby, alright? I love you so much, baby. Gonna be back so soon you won’t even know I was gone.” Fat chance of that. Joel holds that comment back, rocking their girl lightly as the first cries start to break in her tiny lungs.

“Darlin, you ain’t ever gonna get out the door at this rate. Go, and just, be safe, please.” She looks completely torn, eyes glancing between him and Libby’s pinched face, though she does finally go, stealing a quick kiss from him and laying one on the top of their girl’s head before she slips out the front door. And the instant the door clicks shut, Libby lets out a dizzying scream of what sounds like the word mama, her tiny fists beating against Joel’s chest. If he didn’t have hearing loss before, he certainly will now.

It’s not that he hasn’t had sole Libby duty before, it’s just that it’s a bit rare. They had worked out a decent childcare rotation, and now that Libby’s two, they’ve also started taking her to the community daycare. But a perfect storm of unexpected circumstances has left Joel as the only person able to look after her today. While his woman has a patrol shift, daycare has been shut down until further notice due to a stomach bug traveling around in little bodies, and Tommy and Maria are both busy with town council work. And Joel, well, he happens to have the day off.

He’s got this. Hell, he did it everyday with Sarah. But she had been a daddy’s girl, through and through. And judging by the way Libby’s wailing in his ear right now, this girl is at least a little more partial to her mama. 

“Easy, easy, baby girl. You and me are gonna have a good day, huh? Don’t cry, baby, please? How about we go see the horses? You love the horses.” At that, she calms herself down just enough to let out a shuddering “h-h-horses?” Joel can’t help but smile as she looks up at him, watery eyes and a wobbly lip, her hand fisted in the collar of his flannel.

“Yeah, baby, let’s get some food in you and then we’ll go see them.” 

With most of a bowl of oatmeal in her stomach (and some drying on his shirt) he manages to get his girl out the door, her hand engulfed in his much larger one as he lets her lead the way. He’s going to have a crook in his neck with the way he has to hunch over to let her walk alongside him with her hand in his, but she had been rather insistent on doing it herself, and if there’s one thing he’s certain of, it’s that she’s just as stubborn as her mama. 

She’s all smiles now, pointing at things they pass, naming what she can, always looking up to him for confirmation that he’s happy to give with a nod and a grin. Something like pride swells big and warm in his chest when they pass other people, his girl giving them waves and greetings that they reciprocate in kind, offering a smile to Joel as well. To be a part of this pure goodness is a privilege he didn’t think he’d ever get again, and he finds himself smiling back at folks, an easy “g’morning” offered to their own greetings. 

The spring colts are out in the pen when they get to the stables, and Libby’s eyes go wide, tugging on his arm to hurry them along toward the fence. He hoists her up onto his hip so she can get a better look over the pen, a shriek of a giggle leaving her when one of the horses throws its head back in a whinny. 

“You wanna get a little closer, baby girl?” He swears the look she gives him should be coming from a teenager, the pinch of her brow a total uh, yes, duh expression that he has to chuckle at. 

Before he takes her into the pen, he grabs a pail of feed, setting Libby down and guiding her over to the gate with a hand on her back. There’s three horses in the pen, and none of them pay them much mind as they step inside, too busy soaking up the morning sun and stretching their legs in a lazy waltz. But when one of the colts takes notice of them, and the pail Joel is holding in one hand, it starts to nose closer to where they’re standing. And the closer it gets, the tighter Libby’s grip on his hand becomes until she shuffles behind his legs with a disconcerted whimper, pressing her face into his jeans and wrapping her arms around his thigh. 

“There’s nothing to be scared of, baby. They’re just hungry, that's all. Here, watch.” He gently untangles her from his pant leg, kneeling down next to her with a reassuring palm on her back as he takes a handful of grain from the pail and holds it out to the young horse. The colt takes another step forward, hoovering the grain up from Joel’s palm in no time flat. 

“Oh, daddy, I try?” He grins at her eager question and wide eyes, letting her step in front him to grab a handful of grain.

“That’s it, baby girl. Now hold your hand out flat like this.” He guides her hand out with his own, keeping his other hand on her shoulder. Though she takes a nervous step back into him when the horse comes closer, he holds her steady, murmuring that it’s alright, that he won’t let anything bad happen to her. And the giggle she lets out when the horse does snuffle at her palm might be the best sound he’s ever heard. 

He catches flickers of Sarah in her, in laughs, or particularly sassy looks, and it’s the sweetest pain he’s ever felt, love that grows not in spite of, but because of the memories. His girls, all three of them, and the way they run laps around his heart.

…

She’s not sure what she was expecting to find when she returned home that evening, but this certainly wasn’t it. Coming through the backdoor and into the kitchen, she sees veggies and other ingredients prepped and ready on the counter for dinner, an admitted relief and surprise knowing that it was Joel “chef boyardee doesn’t expire” Miller who most likely did it. But it’s when she steps into the living room that any weariness is replaced by a thrumming warmth in her chest at the sight she finds. Joel is out cold on the couch, head resting on one armrest and ankles propped up on the other, a light snore coming from his parted lips. And laying on his chest, his arms wrapped firm around her, is Libby, as equally conked out as her dad, cheek smushed against his shoulder.

As quietly as she can, she pads over to the couch, kneeling down and bringing a light palm to brush Libby’s hair out of her face, her girl stirring a bit before her eyes squint open. 

“Mama?” It’s so quiet, so small that she’d like to tuck the sound of that word somewhere between her ribs, something sweet to hold onto forever.

“Hi, baby, told you I’d be back in no time. Did you have a good day with daddy?” Not answering, Libby simply starts to squirm in Joel’s hold, though he still doesn’t stir. But when she presses her little palms into his chest to push herself up, kneeing him in the stomach along the way, Joel wakes with a start and a hard oof, his head whipping around to figure out what the hell is going on. With Libby already scrambling into her lap, she offers him a smile, bringing her hand to rub circles over his chest where she knows his heart is probably racing right now.

“Hey, darlin, you’re back.” The tired rasp of his voice has her smile broadening into a grin, one hand rubbing up and down Libby’s back where she’s clung to her torso, and the other seeking out Joel’s hand, tangling their fingers together with a squeeze.

“Looks like you two wore yourselves out today.” 

“I seed horses, mama.” Libby’s face peeks out from where she had been hiding in her neck, eyes wide and cheeks rounded by her grin.

“You saw the horses? That’s awesome, Libs.” 

“She fed them too. This one was extra brave, weren’t you, baby?” Joel sits up with a groan, swinging his legs off the couch and leaning his elbows on his thighs as he speaks. To her surprise, and just a touch to her chagrin, Libby starts squirreling in her lap, craning around and reaching out for Joel who’s more than happy to take her up into his arms, sitting her down on his thigh. 

“Brave, daddy.” Joel grins at their girl, pressing a quick kiss to her cheek that sets her giggling. She can’t help musing to herself that Libby might have found a new favorite. 

“Did Ellie help out?”

“Nah, I told her she could go hang out with Dina. We had it under control, right, my girl?” Libby nods her head rather seriously at Joel’s words, making them both chuckle at her quick agreement. 

“Hmm, looks like it. How about I get started on dinner then since you guys already got it all set up?” With that, Libby climbs up Joel to stand on his thigh, another oof drawing out of him as she jumps down off his leg and into her lap, just a tad too big for it to not knock the wind out of her as she wraps her arms around her neck.

“I help-ded, mama.” She glances over the top of Libby’s head at Joel, who just smiles and nods.

“Libs supervised, I chopped.” Libby nods, her hand reaching out to rest on Joel’s knee.

“Super eyes, daddy?” 

“Something like that, baby. Why don’t you go get cleaned up with your mama? I’ll get dinner started.”

…

“I have to admit, I’m impressed.” 

“Well don’t sound so surprised, darlin.” She grins at him around her toothbrush, eyes meeting his in the bathroom mirror. While he had handled Libby well on his own, they certainly make a better team of taking care of their girl, dinner free of tears or tantrums, easily passing her between each other in the midst of stirred pots and chopped vegetables, Ellie coming home somewhere in the middle of it and taking Libby out in the backyard to play before they ate. It’s not that they’ve made a point of it, sitting down together every night for a meal, but they certainly try to, and it happens to be his favorite part of the day. They’re all safe, they’re all fed, and they’re all home, a relief and a reassurance that he knows matters as much to her as it does to him. 

“So I did good, huh?” He can’t help himself, his grin going crooked as he leans against the bathroom counter to look at her. 

“She still has all her limbs, no blunt force head trauma, and she passed out the minute I put her down for the night. Yeah, I’d say you did good.” She swallows his laugh with a kiss, stepping closer and resting her palms on his chest. 

“Thank you, Joel. You know it’s not that I’m worried about you. I just– well, I just–” 

“Worry about her. I know, I do too. But our girl is pretty fucking amazing, don’t you think?” 

“She is, she really is. But don’t go turning her into a daddy’s girl now. Horses, Joel, really? That’s just playing to the crowd.” Her easy smile tells him that she’s only a little serious about what she says, head tilted at him. 

“Oh please, you would’ve done the same if you had her wailing in your ear. Wouldn’t stop crying when you left, darlin.” 

“Is it bad that hearing that makes me feel a little better?” Instead of answering her question, he steals another kiss from her, his hands cupping her face, feeling the arc of her cheeks as she grins into it.

“If our girl is gonna have a favorite, I don’t mind it being you.”

[the5n00k]

An observation about TGAMM The End

Big big spoilers ahead, click away if you aren't caught up

This is also my first NEGATIVE TGAMM analysis post! Wowie! So if you don't want to see me bitch, also click off now

The End and how Molly McGee's character was disrespected

The End is. An episode. I have many MANY thoughts about it but it would be far too long to put in one post so I'm going to explore one of my more reoccurring opinions. This episode recontextualized a lot of things but I'm going to talk about how it recontextualized Molly as a character. Most importantly as a MAIN character. A TITLE character. A character with her own past and personality and feelings. All of which this episode completely stomped all over, handed her the check, and said "figure it out"

I want to apologize to my friend who called this so SO much earlier into the series and that he had to listen to me watch this show on lethal amounts of copium. You were right but I knew neither of us wanted you to be.

Now let's get into the meat of it, shall we?

All throughout season 1, Molly's history and relationship with the concept of friends is always treated with complete sincerity and the emotional pause it needs to sink in with the audience that she's been through it. Moving away and leaving friends is why she put so much importance on the "forever home" in the first place because she's had to leave so many people she loved. She had a rocky beginning with Scratch during the early season but quickly became on equal footing with him as they began to understand each other and their boundaries. Because she genuinely cares about him. Similarly, season 2 explores the boundaries of their friendship and shows Scratch more willing to participate in whatever Molly is doing, even begging sometimes to be included. And Molly is very patient and kind with him all throughout trying to help him regain memories of his past. And Scratch actually reciprocated a few times like helping her learn Thai and working with Libby to set her up with Ollie. They're the closest they've ever been and something I can confidently call true best friends, possibly the closest and healthiest friendship I've seen portrayed in media. Season 2 showcases how far either of them are willing to go to help each other.

Then The End happened.

Molly is the same understanding and supportive friend as she had been all season, almost to a fault. She encourages scratch to go back to his life, knowing the risks that come with it. Why did there need to be the risk of forgetting her when his spirit didn't immediately forget his living life? Don't know. Something to do with an unreleased episode although I doubt the rest of season 3 would have sweetened my opinion of this episode. Only she knew he was about to do this, she didn't talk to any of his other friends or family before he went out to Todd's house. They only found out after the fact and the next morning is when he left. None of them had any time to process that they just lost a family member, especially not Molly.

The scene where he's talking to her on the bench breaks my heart. Knowing your friend is no longer there and is replaced with this stranger. So much of this episode would have been fixed to just let him keep his memories. Considering how hard it was to pull his living memories out of his spirit, it's very likely that even the small fragments of her he remembers will slowly fade away. She had to do the one thing she never wanted to do again and repeat the same pain that's plagued her for the entire series. And it sucks! Why doesn't she get a happy ending? Hell, I'm not even convinced this was a "happy ending" for scratch since he can't remember any of the people he just spent the last two years with.

The biggest slap to the face is when Libby, Geoff, and the McGees come up behind Molly and just act like all of this is fine? They're treating scratch like this wild animal that deserved to be released into the wild because he could never fit in with society when he was PERFECTLY HAPPY with the McGees. He proudly displayed to the entire ghost world that he was an "honorary McGee" and told a ghost hunter to his face that him and Molly would do anything for each other despite their differences. Was all of that completely pointless? Because it sure feels that way. He had this entire new "life" he just completely abandoned because oh I guess I'm not really dead. Guess I better go reconnect with my childhood friend I haven't seen in person or had any meaningful conversations with in decades!!! See ya, chumps, hope you weren't attached to me or anything!

It's so disrespectful to the audience's investment in Molly and Scratch's friendship, the themes of friendship overcoming all odds and lasting forever, and Molly as a character. And to a lesser degree, it's even disrespectful to Scratch since most of the season he spent brooding over the fact that he didn't remember his past! Now he's forgotten a large portion of his "life" all over again. Now he's going to have to live with this nagging itch at the back of his mind that he's forgetting something until he manages to completely repress it too. And to rub salt in the wound, the credits don't have near sight nor mention of Molly McGee outside of a painted portrait of her and (spirit) scratch. All this does is tell me a LONG time has passed and neither of them have managed to successfully contact each other. The dream team is gone, this is a story about a girl and a ghost and none of it meant anything.

"he'll remember when he dies again!" Where does it say that

"he didn't forget, he said Moll! That means something!" The longer he spends away from the McGees and Brighton, the more likely he is to completely forget them altogether. The vague memories will eventually fade away and every "forever memory" will be worthless.

"it doesn't matter, this is Scratch's story" then why isn't it called 'scratch and the human girl'? Or 'the scratch show'? Why is Molly a title character if she's nothing but a plot device for his character development.

"Molly had to learn how to say goodbye." No she didn't. She's been doing that her entire life. She's pretty well aware of how to say goodbye. Making her relive 13 years of trauma from the other side of the vehicle doors is not a useful life skill. Pain is not necessary to grow up.

I don't care what the excuse is. This was a terrible ending for both characters and no amount of "he's happy now!" coping from both the fans and the writers is going to get me to see this any other way. If you enjoy the episode, great! I'm happy for you, there's a lot to love in the music and voice acting and breathtaking animation. But none of that could save me from this abysmal attempt at a series finale. I was so viscerally disgusting by this as a finale that I spent a good two days completely nauseous thinking about it. What a disaster. The sad part is I like the story potential! Him reuniting with Adia is what I've wanted for him all season so he could get closure. Molly and Scratch having to say goodbye is heartbreaking but understandable, a lot of shows nowadays end that way and I half expected it. But him completely forgetting the girl he owes his new lease on life to? My gosh it's just a deal breaker. It is such a cruel end for these characters and I cannot wrap my head around why they thought it was a good idea outside of cheap angst.

I wanted to like this episode and I still do. But they just did so much wrong when one thing could change and it would have completely flipped my opinion on the episode and series in general. But what do I know, I'm just a negative nancy.

Anyway idk how to end this off, justice for Molly McGee, Scratch deserved to be called Scratch McGee, kill Todd Mortenson, peace out

[x-liv25-jamieswife]

Could u please write a Nash and Grayson hc?

nash and grayson head canons

i'd love to! hope you like them.

growing up, grayson used to wish he was more like nash (in the sense that nash doesn't really care what people think and does what he wants).

the first time nash tried to teach gray how to ride a horse, he fell off off the horse and landed in a pile of mud.

gray will buy nash cowboy hats whenever he comes across one that he thinks he might like.

whenever gray is sick, nash is literally always checking up on him, giving him food, and making sure he isn't working.

sometimes, when grayson has nightmares, he goes to nash's room and nash strokes his hair, this mostly happened when he was younger but, even now, sometimes he just needs his brother (it calmed gray down, he found it soothing)

gray dresses nash up for events and stuff bc nash has no idea what he's doing when it comes to fancy clothes.

nash knows gray overworks himself and sometimes forgets to eat breakfast, so he makes him some food in the morning and brings it to him.

when gray was younger, he loved it when nash would give him piggy back rides

when grayson took his first steps, nash literallly got so excited he started jumping around.

gray used to follow nash around like a lost puppy.

nash is always getting him little gifts to cheer him up. like a gift card to get some coffee (obviously gray has the money, but he loves it when nash does this cause it shows he cares)

nash once got gray a cowboy hat with his face on it.

it's canon that nash works as a bartender sometimes. i think gray would head over there (when he's of age, so in the usa 21) and just chat with him. sometimes he'd get smth to drink.

nash used to complain to tobias that he was being way too hard on grayson. gray finds out about this and starts to tear up bc of how much nash cares.

gray was the officiator and the photographer at libbynash's wedding.

nash isn't a great cook, but wanted to learn how to so he could make libby some meals. gray taught him how to.

gray feels most at ease with nash (and avery). sometimes he lets himself smile around them (they're calmer then jamie and xander)

nash loves just sitting down and listening to gray play the piano. sometimes he falls asleep to him playing.

when gray was younger and couldn't fall asleep, nash would talk about funny things that happened to him that day. he'd always make him laugh

when gray was younger and first started talking, he had a very subtle southern accent (he took after nash). tobias got mad bc he thought it wasn't proper, and that, as the heir apparent, he should be more sophisticated.

nash always sits next to him in planes bc sometimes gray falls asleep and leans his head on his shoulder.

sometimes, when gray gets really mad, nash brings him to the shooting range (we know that nash is good with a gun so why would gray not be (and they own many so..))

gray used to be a hopeless romantic cause nash used to read him little love stories to help him fall asleep.

nash and him (and the other brothers) dressed up as the minions on halloween one year.

nash loves to tag along when gray goes on this nature walks.

nash was actually going to propose to libby with the ring nan gave him, but he wanted grayson to have it more (to give him some hope)

nash will bring grayson coffee in the morning (he likes it black, sometimes with a tiny bit of milk)

nash used to have longer hair (like to his shoulders) when he was like 7, and gray hated it sm, he cut it in his sleep.

gray loves to hear nash talk about taylor swift

during the eras tour, nash grabbed grayson and tried to get him to dance during shake it off (nash would wave gray's hand and tried to get him to move his hips and stuff)

they like working out together (doesn't really happen often but when it does they blast taylor swift)

gray was nash's biggest support after the break up with alisa. nash didn't get out of bed for three days, and gray stayed by his side the entire time. the only times he left was to get him food, shower etc.

that's it for now! i really love their dynamic and think their bond is so adorable.

[peacock-patrol]

Cover Analysis Games Untold

Let's starts off with the fact JLB said those stories will take place before TGG + will focus on the characters from the main trilogy.

I highlighted in Yellow the 4 stories that I think will actually have elements on the cover (because the two in Black have already been published and the two in Red sound quite light-hearted in tone).

1) Roses in the Backgroud - romantic themes

2) A Few Calla Lilies — The fluffier possibility is a story focused on Gray's casual search for Lyra after the phone calls have ended. But instead I think That Night In Prague will finally explain the implications of the flower - and why Lyra's father gave her one.

3) The Sword — This could go multiple ways. Grayson theme OR a symbolic element for fighting/tension OR a sword showing up without having massive plot relevance: kinda like how the TGG cover has a sword and (very minor spoiler) although swords do show up a lot in the Game show we still don't know their intended purpose.

4) Glittering Cowboy Boot — Obviously Nash (and apparently their story will be narrated from Libby's POV let's gooo).

5) The Ring — This could be from Libby's story as well. We only ever get to see the ring that Nash gives to Grayson (described as black opal). Never the one HE got for her.

6) Fire (roses burning no less) — Likely Hannah&Toby. Their love story started and ended BECAUSE of a fire.

7) Key — No comment, it's appropriate for any cover in the saga.

8) Compass — You'll find quite a few in the books. BUT maybe the most relevant compass is the inheritance Tobias leaves to Skye: the one that starts off his daughters game. Wouldn't be a leap to assume THIS new compass will have something to do with Hawthrone family secrets and tragedies.

9) Pearl necklace - definitely for Alice!

Pearls sometimes get mentioned in relation to Zara (she wears them often + we get mentions of killing-with-pearls) and sometimes Nan - who inherited the entire jewelry vault (and who's name is Pearl O'Day btw).

The most important pearl is in Brothers Hawthrone: Jameson has a pearl filled with poison that he got from his mysterious night in Prague. All those pearls keep coming back to something Alice-related.

10) The Open Book - No clue. It can mean anything.

11) Coin - left my favorite hint for last because it's just so random. It's an Aladdin's Castle token! Yes I had to image-search it. Apparently you would get them for playing arcade games in the 70s and 80s. But since the last american Aladdin's Castle closed down in 1989 - whatever coins remained in circulation are now just collectables. They seem somewhat* rare but not very valuable.

What could this mean? Something to do with the childhood of either Zara/Skye/Toby? Or will it be something related to the grandsons? I can picture Xander coming up with a Hawthrone version for retro games.

I'm going feral over the TGG ending. I CANT wait until November for new content 😩

[tornrose24]

Rewatching ‘the many lives of Scratch’ TGAMM is…. Ah, quite an experience after the series finale and knowing what I know.

-first off, there’s the whole ‘I don’t remember my death day, but I’d rather forget this moment’ line is…. Uh… well… Ouch. 

-Also the irony of Scratch never remembering his death day because he never really had one.

-And apparently his reaction to hearing about Geoff’s death day involved hiding in the doll house and shut himself off from the others…. which parallels how he reacted to certain things as a human.

-side note: I love how Dana delivers Scratch’s ‘Oh…. No,’ line when he first sees the death day party everyone throws him.

-When the McGees and friends sing that one song, there’s a line where they want to know how Scratch left his body and became a ghost. And I’m all ‘Oh… yeah… that’s actually true. But it’s not a happy tale.’

-Just the fact that everyone’s guesses were so wildly incorrect. I’m sure we all had our theories and guesses and yet the truth ended up being so average sounding (as well as sad).

-Geoff’s story kind of hurts now. Though I like that he also imagines Libby to be the president and Darryl is her body guard.

-As Libby told her story, I’m thinking ‘why does the cow remind me of Todd? It almost has the same hair and eyes.’ Also I think it’s sweet that she imagines Molly being like a little sister to Scratch, though I bet that detail would have been altered if she knew how old Scratch actually was.

-Also, I can’t get over the fact that Libby had Scratch AND Molly both die in her story. It’s a bit morbid, but I’m guessing she couldn’t imagine them being separated. That or she wanted to create an insane ending. 

-I liked that Libby imagined Scratch to be someone who’d be willing to be brave enough to take on danger for someone close to him, which is what he is now… but actually wasn’t when he was human.

-Scratch kept insisting on having an appealing body type in the stories. The poor guy has no clue what he looked like as a human and is desperate for a more idealized version of himself. And yet the truth is… his real appearance isn’t that bad looking, and it actually IS a perfect match to what his personality is like, but it’s not one he’d be thrilled about going back to, even without the memories of what happened. (And this fuels a belief of mine that Scratch was more than likely insecure about his appearance before he lost his soul.) 

-Scratch complaining about nobody making him human is now an interesting line. I think none of them ever imagined it because they are so used to Scratch looking like a ghost. Molly was the only one who had a hint of what he looked like as a child and yet… when she makes her guess, we don’t see her imagining anything. Was it because what she imagined would be too accurate/close to the truth since she knows Scratch so well?

And it’s also ironic because by that point he and Molly have actually seen his true appearance and didn’t even realize it at the time. And then coincidentally come the very next episode, we actually see his human form once more in two specific moments. One of which draws specific attention to him. As if to remind us about someone….

[mirr0r-image]

September 11

Hey Friends! I know this is kind of a random thing to post about, but I felt like I should.

If you don't know, today is September 11th, the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in America on September 11, 2001. Nearly 3,000 people died just in the attacks, with hundreds of others sick and dead because of the amount of toxic air and debris released into lower Manhattan after the crashes.

The World Trade Center's North building was hit first, followed by the south building, then the Pentagon, then a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. They were hit by planes piloted by members of al-Qaeda, an Islamic extremist terrorist group formed by Osama bin Laden, along with some others.

Because this group couldn't defeat America military-wise, they instead set their sights on symbols and iconic American monuments. Members hijacked these four flights to attack these various targets representing America's power.

There was only one plane that didn't land were it was meant to. This plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. We aren't sure were it was meant to go, but there's a theory that it was meant to land on the Capitol building because it is a sign of America's Legislative power. Even though we don't know for sure where this plane was meant for, what's important is that it didn't. Because of the bravery of the people on that flight who fought back against the hijackers, many lives were saved. Unfortunately, everyone on that flight died.

Other people who should absolutely be mentioned are the First Responders involved. During the attacks, after the attacks, and everywhere in between, First Responders came from all over America to help the victims of these attacks.

We owe a lot to the dedicated men and women who worked day and night to save hundreds of lives.

It's important to say that even though the attacks were committed by Islamic extremists, NOT ALL MUSLIMS ARE AT FAULT. The people who attacked were extremists, who, like their name suggests, have extreme views. This is, in my opinion, the other side of the tragedy surrounding 9/11. After the attacks, people were very hateful towards Muslims and Muslim-Americans in general, not usually making any distinction between neighbors and friends and the people who actually attacked America.

All in all, 9/11 was tragedy on many levels. There's lots of others things to be said and aspects I haven't covered. If you want, you can check out the websites/resources linked below to read more. If you're a 9/11 victim or the family of one, I offer my condolences and hope that you're able to feel hope even today, on the anniversary of this tragedy. If there's something I left out, or something I said wrong, I'm really sorry. I don't want to offend someone by this, only commemorate and remember this day for what it is.

If you want to learn more about 9/11, I would suggest---

1. CNN10; they released a video today with some good information, mostly about the 9/11 memorial in New York.

2. The 9/11 Memorial website; there's a lot of information including ways to get connected/help with the efforts to help people learn about 9/11.

3. Ground Zero by Alan Gratz; if you didn't know Alan Gratz is a writer who writes really deep, meaningful, and slightly gore-y books about tragedies. The books are gore-y for a reason, they really demonstrate the true tragedy and this book made me cry like five different times throughout reading it. It's on Libby and a bunch of other reading websites and local libraries if you want to read it. I highly recommend it. -> (TW: blood, fire, angst, wounds, death, etc. If you're under 13, I suggest asking a parent to read this with you)

4. The National Archives; I haven't read through this entire website because it's super massive, but if you look at the side of the page there's a place that says 'Contents' and there's a ton of resources there too.

[topsyturvy-turtely]

Let Me Fix You (Johnlock OS)

for the one and only @safedistancefrombeingsmart <3

“Fuck! I mean- shite! Oh, bloody hell!” John watched as that asshole run away, clutching the knife wound he had left on him. “Jesus Christ. I hate you.”

“John! Why are you- Did you get hurt?”, Sherlock came running towards him.

“No, I am cursing because it is fucking funny. Of course, I am hurt, you bloody-“, John bit his tongue. “He barely missed my scar.”, he added, more quietly.

There was actual concern shining in Sherlock’s eyes. “How bad is it? Let me loo-“

“I am fine!”, John turned his body away in a quick movement. It hurt. He gritted his teeth and pushed air out through them. It made a funny noise, almost like a whistle. “Let’s just get home.” John already walked back out on the brighter lit main street.

“Don’t you think we should call a doctor-“

“I am a fucking doctor!”

“But John-“

“I am goddamn fine fucking enough, okay. Now just do your-”, John let go of his wound to wave vaguely with his good arm in the air. “Thing and get us a bloody cab.” John talked- yelled too loudly, too aggressively. But he didn’t care right now. He was pretty sure he wasn’t even cut that badly. But he was pissed as hell and the asshole stabbing him got away and there was no one else around to yell at. So his flatmate would just have to endure it. John had gone through worse with him.

When Sherlock stared a bit too long at him, John grunted. Immediately Sherlock moved to get them a cab.

(keep reading = link to ao3 and funfacts)

---

title: Let Me Fix You

fandom: Sherlock (TV)

words: 1,932

summary: John gets injured during a case. He is pissed as hell. And determined he will stitch himself up. It's not his fault he forgot that Sherlock actually cares about him.

additional tags:

Whump, John Whump, John Watson Whump, POV Third Person, Hurt John Watson, Sherlock Holmes Loves John Watson, and takes care of him, Angry John Watson, Worried Sherlock, Angst, okay probably not actually angst lol, Hurt/Comfort, maybe?, bro idk, doctors are the worst patients, John is a living example for that, Developing Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, I take no responsibility for medical accuarcy, You Have Been Warned, DO NOT COPY TO ANOTHER SITE OR APP, Light Dom/sub, Dom/sub Undertones

---

tagging list (tell me if you wanna be added or removed💚) @catlock-holmes @justanobsessedpan @helloliriels @fluffbyday-smutbynight @inevitably-johnlocked @hisfavouritejumper @rhasima @forfucksakejohn @ohlooktheresabee @turbulenttrouble @so-youre-unattached-like-me @totallysilvergirl @peanitbear @train-mossman @loki-lock @smulderscobie @timberva @grace-in-the-wilderness @chinike @pansherlock @the-smol-bean-libby-blog @jawnn-watson @whatnext2020 @escapingthereality @missdeliadili @kettykika78 @7-percent @speedymoviesbyscience @astudyin221b @francj15 @captaincrucnh @ladylindaaa @we-r-loonies @mxster-jocale @sherlockcorner @noahspector @our-stars-graveside @jobooksncoffee @baker-street-blog @quickslvxr @macgyvershe @myladylyssa @johnlock2708 @battledress @a-victorian-girl @dreamerofthemeadow @oetkb12 @ohnoesnotagain @mutedsilence @muddboi

[the-guild-codex-and-other-things]

The Atlas Series Incorrect Quotes Generator #3

Callum: I hate to say ‘I told you so’— Tristan: No, you don’t. You would marry 'I told you so’ and have a baby with it and buy adjoining burial plots. _____

Nico: Whose turn is it to give the pep-talk? Reina: *sighing* Callum. Callum: Fuck shit up out there, but don’t die. Tristan: *wiping away a tear* So inspirational. _____

Tristan: How do you want your coffee? Nico: Black, like my soul. Tristan: Tristan: Nico, your soul is a latte. _____

Callum: Something’s off. Parisa: Maybe you’ve finally developed human emotions and feel bad for hurting people. Callum: No, but that’s funny. _____

Parisa: I never understood why people cared so much about their dumb friends until I got a dumb friend myself. Parisa: *Picks up Nico* Parisa: I’ve only befriended Nico for a day and a half, but if anything happened to him I would kill everyone in this room and then myself. _____ Libby: All in all, a 100% successful trip. Tristan: But we lost Callum. Libby: All in all, a 100% successful trip! _____ Libby: Bottling up negative emotions is bad for your health, so you shouldn't do it. Nico: I know, that's why I bottle up all my emotions, both positive and negative, so it cancels out. Libby: Th-that's not how that works- _____ Parisa: I have the sharpest memory here - name one time I forgot something! Nico: You left me, Reina, and Tristan in a Walmart parking lot at 2am a day ago. Parisa: I did that on purpose, try again. _____ Callum: Now, the recipe calls for 2 shots of vodka. Callum: *upends the bottle*

[chthonicgodling]

okay!

an Elysium Drama Update!

ahem that is, another textual Elysium drama update, in my hopes and dreams I want to draw things SO MANY THINGS but I have many things to draw first and i have zero energy lately so. TEXT POST disclaimer this did get very very long what a shockerrr but woo

recap: here. Crucial to read that first! (and its linked predecessor!) *our timeline is all fucky wucky right now: Elysium time has been like. a day. two days.

Tory and Maci divided and conquered through the palace to try to scope out if Loki was like, hiding in another room. he is not—oh my god he is not. he’s really gone. Elysium Loki-pregnancy number 3 officially 3 for 3 on cryptically panic vanishing.

cat was kind of let out of the bag as mentioned in my last informal update when Tory stumbled upon Vali, Nari, Eisa, and Einmyria and accidentally told them about the baby. (not who the other parent was!) AND NOW, here’s what’s happened since, ending with where we are right now which is a genuinely unexpected and pending hilarious twist of events! READ ON✨✨

So, aforementioned four Lokikids went off to convene another Sibling Meeting with Rane about newfound baby info and Loki’s REAL disappearance while Tory went off to find Maci. did we find him?!?! no, says Tory very quietly. Maci’s whole face falls she’s now in tears. (“…He really left…?”) okay.,, well. NOW what do they do?????

Tory mentions that some of the kids know what’s going on now and that they were calling a meeting together; maybe they could pop in and see if the kids had any ideas on how to find Loki so they could all work together. okay great plan! Only problem: this is a TOP SECRET meeting.

….Problem quickly solved by ambushing Libby (worst liar of the litter) in the hallway.

Unfortunately when Libby returns from asking Rane if they can join, Rane’s apparent answer was not even a no, it was an ABSOLUTELY NOT. too fucking bad though— Tory and Maci follow Libby and crash the meeting.

it is here that Maci and Tory — and we, the eagerly watching distressed audience — now discover some things about the LokiKid clan:

1: hilariously, Rane is in charge as self appointed leader. - she is 11 years old yes. ruling with an iron fist. No one questions this, not even much older and bigger brothers Fen & Jör, who are present through this meeting as looming figures OVER HER SHOULDER backing her up. Rane is holding court.

2: less hilariously and actually very upsettingly - this may be the worst possible moment to discover, in a crisis, how apparently most of Loki’s kids seem to FUCKING HATE TORY AND MACI. oops! uh-oh! Especially Rane and Vali, glaring the most predominantly.

After a tense stand off with Rane (finally with Tory desperately threatening to pull rank on her to let them attend this meeting; Rane’s response, dryly: “Don’t bother. Your titles carry no weight amongst the children of Loki. We only humor you to be polite.”) Eisa and Einmyria convince Rane to let THEIR parents stick around, also helped along by Tory finally telling them that the new baby on the way was sired by him.

…mass shock. Oh so MACI drove him out?!??! QUICK reassurance that no no no she’s on his side now she’s just as devastated that he’s gone— no one’s really even buying this and tensions grow.

Because well, the kids want him back but THEY know the drill. Loki leaves when he has babies. He’ll send for THEM eventually, privately, but he’s not to be disturbed - certainly not for Tory and Maci, eeeugh. Rane (and Vali) are the most coldly vicious about this but lmfao all of them are kindave in agreement, at least no one’s correcting them. They go back and forth, Tory trying to explain in increasing frustration - the baby is Too big and Loki is weakened. Loki’s a fucking idiot and running from his problems and is not in a good mental space. They love him they need him he has to come home. He just has to.

But Rane, and on behalf of her siblings in a United front, is having none of it- YOU KNOW WHAT some choice canon convo snippets and oh my god I desperately want to draw this REMEMBER RANE’S 11 AND WEARING A FUCKING TOP HAT - btwwww Rane’s ALWAYS been like this, in my brain. this is her very first opportunity to shine! ahem,

Rane: “How arrogant it is to presume he’s better off with you, of all people, than caring for himself.”

Tory:  “Is he better off without us?”

Rane: “Well. My father’s judgement of his own circumstances is absolute. Seeing as he’s no longer here, you tell me.”

[…]

Vali: “Well, here we are. He always has reasons for fleeing as well.”

Maci: “Your father’s an anxious self-destructive wreck, who we love and care about. His judgements and reasons historically suck, and he needs to come back home.”

Rane: “You especially have no business seeking his return. You’re an enemy of my family. And now you’ve driven him away.”

melting melting melting AHHHHHHH

this back and forth goes on and on until finally LIBBY interrupts, watching this whole thing timidly as newest Lokikid, adjusting to the dynamic;

what happens, says Libby, if we don’t find him and bring him home?

well, worst case scenario, says Tory, is injury to the child; to Loki himself; or both. Maci points out that he could end up losing his powers and stuck somewhere where no one can get him, as he had lost his powers during pregnancies before (Rane herself even.) suddenly the gravity of this all hits home when Nari points out that their pantheon can die - Loki could DIE. childbirth is an injurious death. Suddenly, it’s not a matter of what Loki would want (they know what Loki would want, to be left alone) but what’s BEST for his well-being (bringing him HOME). Reluctantly…,,, the tune changes. Vali is the last onboard, but Rane’s word is absolute (lmao).

…Fen also admits he was going to look for Loki anyway regardless of this meetings outcome.

So! How to find him? Finally, the kids share with Tory all of Loki’s usual hiding places. Across realms, though with a baby he’s probably too weak to do this. Often in the upper world, cloaking houses in disguise and blending into Midgard. And finally, in the POCKET VOIDS of the Underworld……..

IMPORTANT INTERLUDE! Now, the pocket voids are an Elysium canon thing. When Loki magically fused with the Underworld long ago, the aftershocks of the magical turnover created many little spaces and gaps “between” physical spaces of the Underworld. They’re almost impossible to find, shifting and infinite, private and discreet. …unsettling and empty. Kind of a collection of “backrooms” of the Underworld, liminal spaces that no one but Loki, as accidental creator, can get into. Only Loki knows how to thoroughly navigate them.

The existence of the pocket voids was discovered when Thanatos escaped back in 2013, I promise I’m going somewhere with that thought. as this was a series of areas that Thanatos was able to escape to. well how was Thanatos able to get into those himself?? I’ll get to that. :3

For now, back to the present — so, Rane assigns her siblings to look for Loki. Vali and Nari are adept at haunting the upper world and could potentially find him up there; Fenris and Jör can travel between realms; the other kids can spread across Elysium, the Underworld - finally as for those pocket voids- still hold that thought! Anyway!

The meeting disperses with Rane refusing to give Tory and Maci an assignment to look for Loki. oh you’ve done MORE than enough, she sneers. Just wait around for him, if you really must. ….ummmm Firstly never forget that Tory’s got JUST as much as a temper as Maci does - it’s just.,, downplayed due to how much time he spends next to Maci, who is worse fgkfkf. But here now, Tory, angry and upset, demands to know exactly what he’s even done?! This isn’t fair!

Rane responds,

“What have you done? You’ve driven our parent away from here - the harder you cling, the further he runs. Not with any of us - but we know him better than you do. And though he may come and go, as through the births of myself and many of my siblings, the child you’ve given him could properly kill him, and now he’ll have to be dragged back against his wishes. Furthermore, you’ve inserted yourself into a private gathering of which you’re not welcome.

We will handle this. Your involvement is no longer needed beyond what you’ve already begun.”

Tory snaps back,

“He consented to having the child. Everything I’ve done was performed with Loki’s permission, gathered beforehand to avoid this situation, but he ran anyway.”

and Rane, coldly,

“That’s your fault for believing him, then.”

so.

S… so.

Both of them fuming and… hurting and trembling,, Tory takes Maci’s hand and retreats with her. They make it as far as their bedroom before Maci bursts into tears (“Holy fuck, that was horrible”), oscillating between raging at how that had gone, the fact that Loki really fucking left; to devastation, over the helplessness they feel and the fact that Loki really left.

Tory makes it as far as Maci choking out that she doesn’t know what happened “he was happy! I thought he was happy.” before Tory is also quietly in tears (and blaming himself! probably because Rane told him this was his fault!)

and so Maci and Tory spent the evening clinging to each other, ANXIOUS about Loki’s wellbeing, furious that he’s gone, and above all, utterly, utterly, heartbroken.

so…. currently.

🥲

Let’s lighten the mood - Return to those pocket voids.

There is actually one other person besides Loki who can get into those - NOT Thanatos; in fact.,

the ONE other person who can access the voids is CHAL.

First discovered by Chal when she was on the run from Ker long long long ago, Chal has always been able to break into, reside in, and teleport through the pocket voids of the Underworld (and had brought her father there during his prison break Shh oops). It’s where Chal was finally discovered and “captured” when they brought her to the Elysium house. Though she hadn’t known it until very recently, it turns out that Chal’s realm of Reincarnation - a slipping of shades across the thin life and death veil - has granted her unprecedented access to slipping across the thin veils of the spaces of the Underworld itself. Though she can’t NAVIGATE them like Loki, she’s always been able to get into them, and is the only person besides Loki himself who can.

Now here we are back during that meeting where, all potential Loki hiding spots are covered except for this one; the biggest, and the one Loki is probably most likely to actually be in.

Libby volunteers Chal to look!

(chal, notably NOT present during this meeting)

here lmao actually, another canon snip:

Libby: “Chal knows how to get into Loki’s pocket voids, maybe I can look with her.”

Rane:  “Ugh, no. Your horrid rude sister isn’t going to do any favors in courting Father back.”

Einmyria:  “Hey, that’s our sister too! …Agreed, though.”

Tory:  “Maybe if she took Bel with her as a buffer?”

Libby:  “Sure, he’s slightly better.”

Slightly lmao 💀And so here in current canon!!! in a truly shocking turn of events!! of ALL FUCKING PEOPLE, Chal and Bel are currently looking for Loki through the voids!!

will they find him?!?! will they convince him to come back?!?! IS THIS THE MOST INSANE LEFTFIELD TWO MESSENGERS TO SEND AFTER LOKI??????? I can’t believe this but it is SO good! currently:

Chal: “…Loki used to— Loki was a fucking, supervillain. Isn’t Loki fucking dangerous? Is this dangerous? Is he going crazy in a fit of fucking rage? What if we have to fight him? I, I can’t win against him in a fight. I don’t even know if I know how to fight anymore and I can’t do magic.”

Bel: “He hasn’t been overtly malicious in a long while.”

Chal: “Maybe he turned overtly malicious while he was running away. Maybe he’s gonna be in a real overtly malicious fucking mood about me and you trying to talk to him.”

COOL! GOOD LUCK YOU TWO! YOU’RE VERY COMPETENT!! oh my gods!!

some very welcome brevity from Maci and Tory sobbing in each others arms around the gap in the bed where Loki was though. again I do want to draw any of this but!! IN NO TIME SOON SOOOOOO

HEY SORRY I DID SAY this was ALLLLL AN excuse for ANGST….. PHEW!!!!

and so if you made it to the end!!!! first of all jfc gbless ily. second of all: STAY TUNED!’ updates of course to follow!!! maybe art one fucking day too fgfkfkgkkgkgk

[tgammsideblog]

Scratch and abandonment issues

Recently we learned more about Scratch’s past in the episode ¨A Soda to Remember¨: At some point he had a close friend, Adia, that meant the world to him and this girl had to move away for non-specified reasons. Adia and Scratch made a promise that they both would think of each other each time they drank Surly Sid Strawberry Soda, which is what Molly and the others try to find in this episode.

The fact that this is one of the few things that Scratch was able to recall from his past life says a lot about how important Adia was to him. There is the possibility that she was one of the few, if not theonly friend Scratch had when he was a child. And based on different hints that the series has given until now, it’s very likely that he didn’t have a good family. In ¨Game Night¨ he has a weird idea of how families work, almost as he didn’t have one during his human life. He isn’t capable of remembering his last name nor who his family was. He has more memories of a close friend that he made during childhood than his own family.

Combine his probably only friend moving away with parents who didn’t care about him and this resulted in Scratch developing abandonment issues growing up that still haunt him in his afterlife. In Season 1, Scratch wasn’t fond of Molly being friends with Libby. He sometimes wouldn’t care about making Libby look bad (Talent Show). During Scratch the Surface he suggested Molly to end her friendship with Libby instead of telling her the truth about Scratch’s existence. And while he had his reasons of why Molly couldn’t tell Libby (him getting in trouble with the Ghost Council) it doesn’t take much effort to see that he had other intentions under all that. He clearly didn’t like the idea of having to ¨share¨ Molly with someone else and he insited in how Molly should stop talking to Libby.

These other intentions weren’t left clear until the later segment, ¨Friend Off¨ when Libby and Scratch competed over Molly’s friendship and who was the ¨better friend¨. During the episode Scratch kept insulting and making fun of Libby, not giving her a chance and constanly bragging about his relationship with Molly- something that Libby answered with acting the same way. Scratch later revealed to Libby that the reason he was acting this way is because he didn’t want to lose Molly as a friend and didn’t see himself as ¨cool¨ as Libby was. By the end of the episode they both make up and start being friends once they left their jealousy aside.

Scratch appeared to have control of this personal issue for while the rest of Season 1 as there weren’t other serious incidents that made him act possessive and a bit controling towards Molly. ....Until another person entered in scene: Oliver Chen 

In contrast to Libby, Ollie comes from a family of ghosthunters. He was raised to think that ghosts are evil and they should captured or even destroyed. This gives Scratch a legitimate reason of why he doesn’t want Molly to be going out with Ollie, since it could put him, a ghost, in danger. At first this seemed to be the only and main reason of why Scratch doesn’t like Ollie hanging out with Molly nor the Mcgees. Most of his dialogue implies it was this and Molly tries to understand Scratch’s perspective despite her feelings towards Oliver.

This seemed to be Scratch’s reason until he followed Molly to the school dance in ¨I Wanna Dance with Some-Ollie¨ and saw Molly and Ollie hanging out together... and had these reactions.

While his dialogue indicates that he doesn’t like Ollie because his a ghosthunter, his body language and expressions say another thing: He feels jealous and fears Molly being more interested in Ollie than spending time with him. After all it does make sense for Scratch to feel insecure. Molly and Oliver share a lot in common and they are both teens of the same age. It didn’t take long for them to click with each other.

One thing i appreciate about ¨I Wanna Dance with Some-Ollie¨ is that this problem that Scratch has was brought up again and this time around it showed an uglier less subtle controlling side of him. If one watches the song sequence of this episode without having the context of Ollie being a ghosthunter, it looks like Scratch is just being possessive of Molly. He tries messing with Ollie every chance he gets, wishing for the two teens to be apart of each other.

Around the middle of the episode, Scratch realizes that, yes, Molly looks very happy hanging out with Ollie and that if the boy wasn’t a ghosthunter he could try supporting Molly in being in a relationship with someone she likes. This itself was an important moment for Scratch because he was putting Molly’s happiness over his jealousy, which is a good contrast with how he acted in ¨Friend Off¨ regarding Libby being Molly’s friend.

The problem came when he and Molly had an argument and Scratch (probably not intentionally) came off as being possessive again by telling Molly that she could only be friends with him or decide to hang out with Ollie, having to choose  between one option or the other. Molly dismissed Scratch’s worries, assuming that he was trying to be controlling again, which wasn’t the case in that moment. Scratch left the building, sad not only for their argument, but feeling devasted that he had lost someone who means the world to him again.

By near the end of the episode, Molly frees Scratch from a ghost trap and they both apologize for how they were acting. Scratch adknowledges that he wants Molly to be happy and he would support that if the circumstances were different. From Molly’s side, she admits to Scratch that he was right and she can’t be with Ollie for the moment.

In all, this was good character growth for Scratch, even if that wasn’t the main center of the conflict or part of it. It was better addressed and how it’s something that he realizes that he has to work on. What i would great to see is future episodes exploring this aspect of Scratch further. The things that caused him to develop this fear of losing people and him opening up to others about it. It really doubt ¨I Wanna Dance with Some Ollie¨ is going to be the end of it, since it is clearly something that is more complicated that it seems to be.

[bennydwight]

Saw the "Libby in Chairman's Robe" piece just now, and I wanna ask, how do you think Molly would look, and feel, in that robe?

Okay okay okay Koskela I’m so sorry but you opened the floodgates here.

I know the intention here was a cute picture of Molly playing dress up but for some reason I saw your ask and my mind exploded with enough red string to choke a conspiracy theorist and I have to get all this out somewhere, so buckle in folks because I’m about to jump to more conclusions than a paranoid frog and it’s going to get long

Molly and the Cloak

We begin with the previous Chairman. An intimidating looking dude, meant to serve as a direct opposite character-creation-wise to the ghosts immediately around him. He’s physically taller, built like an inverted triangle as a contrast to the characters he usually hangs out with

(Scratch is a rectangle don’t @ me)

But there’s one more interesting physical difference he has with every other ghost we’ve been introduced to:

Underneath the cloak, the Chairman is bone. In fact, the bone motif seems to be a large part of his design, since his facial area is shaped loosely like a skull.

Neither of which ghosts have.

And we know it isn’t a style transformation because when Scratch uses the cloak, he’s still the same underneath (no bones about it!)

And since skeletons haven’t been introduced to part of series canon (maybe they’re planning that for season three), we can only deduce that there was once a human under the hood. And it’s not a typical way for a human to exist in the Ghost World, since the default form is obviously ectoplasmic and not skeletal. So what might’ve caused the Chairman to differ so greatly from his peers?

(This is where the red string comes out.)

Before we dive into the next point, let’s take a look at some of the other traits of the Chairman for the purposes of this headcanon/theory/alternate universe/whatever:

He never speaks

He rarely moves, only in stiff, disjointed jerks

He gains power and sustenance from misery

We’ll get to that last one later, but for now let’s focus on the first two. We’ve seen these symptoms in another concept already introduced to us: possession. (Speaking less so than moving, but we do know there's at least a tonal difference.) So if the human that was once the Chairman is dead, why isn’t the ghost under the robe? What happened to it? The thing that makes it tick, the soul, the free will, is gone, leaving only the physical body behind. You could argue, sure, that the human died, the ghost went on to have fun ghosty adventures, and its body was left behind for something else to pick it up (but why bother if everyone’s a ghost anyway?)

Well, the thing that picked it up wasn’t a ghost.

The Chairman is the Cloak possessing a human corpse.

This explains a few things: it doesn’t talk because its got no voice (either meat or spectral), it keeps movement to a minimum to avoid suspicion, the body provides a shape to fill it out (hence why the Chairman has more human proportions), and solidity could also act as a form of armour.

(My theory here on why it had to be a corpse it couldn’t just be a ghost is that, from what we’ve seen, we can assume that ghosts can’t possess other ghosts. Otherwise nothing would get done. It’s likely the Cloak needs a physical vessel because trying to push a spirit out of a body without the body probably won’t work too well.)

But why go through all the rigamarole of possessing a skeleton and instigating yourself as the head of a ghost society? Why the secrecy? Now we get to point three: misery. The Cloak needs to feed off misery, and a bunch of angry, bitter people with lifetimes of grudges is probably a pretty great meal. Access to so much misery ensures its growth and survival. It’s a parasite. One with rudimentary forms of free will too, as we’ve seen the Chairman making decisions of its own accord.

As an intelligent parasite with the potential for an eternity of sustenance at your fingertips, the only smart thing to do would be ensure you kept the misery-generators under your control and were in the position to manipulate your surroundings to prioritize your continued survival (why scaring is mandatory, closely monitored, and punished if insufficient). Thus, the Chairman rises to power.

The deal was probably pretty good until the season finale. With the misery engine that was the Flow of Failed Phantoms gone, and the final hit depleting the last of the misery-born power the Cloak held, it lost control of its vessel, now so old that the bones basically liquified instantly. Weak and desperate to cling to life (as parasites are), it fell dormant as a defense mechanism.

Another thing to consider: in the season two premiere, we’re told that the person who vanquishes the Chairman becomes the next one and inherits the Cloak (makes sense, a position of ultimate power is probably pretty good for the parasite to remain in). We don’t know if its been a ghost before (we don’t know how long the previous body lasted), but the next leader is… Scratch. Someone wholly uninterested in power or misery of any kind, and unable to be controlled since he can’t be possessed.

Not a great day for the Cloak, I bet.

Any other parasite would pack their bags, not a whole lot of surviving happening if the new Chairman decrees scaring isn’t necessary anymore. But the Cloak sits quiet and plays nice. Why? Because of a simple little detail that’s bothered me ever since season two episode one dropped.

Scratch didn’t kill the old Chairman.

Molly did.

Young, human, easily controlled if it can just get close enough, the Cloak won’t bother settling for second best when the grand prize sleeps four feet away from its current host, not when its existence is on the line. Its still weak from the massive blow of joy Molly dealt, but it can feed off background misery and regain strength until Molly asks to play dress up one day, or Scratch leaves it laying around unsupervised, and then it’s an easy job of quashing one tiny soul and regaining power.

Its had an afterlifetime of practice, after all.