#we got the main tension already on the page

[0blobthefish0]

OOPS i forgot the prompt but nurse!reader x addison trying to hide their relationship but they fail miserably bcs mark sloan found them kissing at the stairwell and he shared it to another person and so on and so forth and it became a laughing exp for them both

Caught

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Addison Montgomery x Female Reader 844 words

You woke up to the familiar blaring of Addison's pager going off and let out an exhausted grumble as you shifted to your side, blindly searching until your hand grasped onto a corner of a pillow. In one swift movement you grabbed onto the fabric and flung it over your head and brought it down upon the person sleeping soundly next to you. A groan came from her and you snuggled deeper into the duvet, satisfied with your aim.

Addison forcefully opened her tired eyes as she stared at the page: 911. With a frown on her lips she tossed the duvet off of her and slid out of bed, quickly searching your floor for her shirt and pulling it over her shoulders. With all of her shuffling around it would be impossible to fall asleep - not that it mattered anyway, once you were awake there was no way that you'd be able to sleep until the next night - so you watched as she moved, confidently and comfortably, around your room. Her red hair tucked behind her ears as she picked up her shoes and plodded her way toward you.

"When does your shift start?" She questioned you as she picked up her coat from the floor.

"Two hours," you replied with a small smile, knowing that you'd probably end up in an on-call room. You heard Addison hum before she pressed a kiss to your head and rushed out of the door. The room fell into silence and you sighed heavily; you were already bored, instantly missing her now that she was gone.

You pressed the end of a pen against your lip, your eyebrows furrowed as you stared at the set of numbers.

"Hey," Addison greeted as she stopped at your side.

"Hey," you mumbled back, not looking up from your board, "do you mind having a look at this?" You said as you passed her the board.

"Hmm, that's really interesting," she hummed as her lips pressed into a tight line before placing the board down onto the desk. Your fingers brushed against the edge as you reached for it before you felt a hand begin to push against the small of your back.

"Addison," she hummed in reply, still guiding you through the hospital. "Where are we going?" You questioned as the two of you missed the turning in line to the on-call rooms and straight through the doors to the stairwell. 

Addison turned to face you with a grin on her face, pulling you forward as she stepped backwards into the wall. "I've missed you," she mumbled sheepishly to which you rolled your eyes playfully.

"It hasn't even been three hours," you stated, raising an eyebrow at her as her hands snaked around your waist.

"Still.." she whispered, shrugging her shoulders, and pulled you in closer - butterflies swarmed your stomach, god, this woman was unbelievable sometimes. "Are you saying you haven't missed me?" She questioned, getting impossibly closer to your face, and you shook your head lightly with a smile on your face; of course you had.

"Whatever," you sighed before pressing your lips to hers, your arms coming over her shoulders as the two of you made out. You felt her smile against you and you couldn't help but smile in return, her teeth touching your own.

 A loud beep sounded and the two of you jumped back. Your breath got caught in your throat - Mark Sloan stood wide-eyed with one hand on the half open door. A heavy silence encased the three of you as you and Addison stared at Mark and he stared at the both of you. You swallowed dryly and cautiously looked at Addison beside you who had her lips pressed into a thin line.

God, this was awkward.

Finally, Mark's lips broke out into, what you could only describe as, a shit-eating grin. The invisible tension was cut and you felt yourself relax slightly. 

"Derek is not going to believe this," Mark chuckled lowly.

"Wait, no-" Addison attempted to stop him but he has already turned on his heel and left the way he came. "Mark.." You bit your lip in an attempt to stop yourself from laughing. Addison turned to you in a huff and you quickly let your smile fall, but she could see it in your eyes. Her mouth falling open, beyond belief, at your state. "You think this is funny?" She accused you and you couldn't help the small giggle that left you. "Unbelievable." She huffed, throwing her hands in the air.

"Addie- it's fine, they were gonna find out sooner or later," you consoled. She frowned at you sheepishly; she being the one that had pulled you into the stairwell in the first place.

"Really? You're really fine that they know?" You nodded your head and pulled her in for a hug. Your eyebrows furrowed when you felt her start to shake.

"Are you crying?"

"No!" She said laughing and pulled away from you. "Did you see Mark's face?" She questioned, struggling to get her sentence out in between small laughing fits. A grin broke out onto your face as you nodded your head frantically. The two of you doubled over in hysterics in the stairwell, your laughter so loud people could hear it on the other side.

[katareyoudrilling]

Evidence ✂️ (Tim Rockford One-shot)

Pairing: Tim Rockford x Female Reader

Summary: Tim knows a lot about vasectomies

Word count: ~1.8k

Rating: Explicit (18+ only. NO MINORS)

Content Warnings: Vasectomy kink (aka the opposite of breeding kink), unprotected PIV, vague detective work (don’t worry about it), destruction of important documents?

A/N: It has been a while since I wrote one of these! Big thanks to @veryprairieberry for sparking the idea and for patience while I pondered it for a very long time.  Also, thanks to @burntheedges for the beta and assuring me I was not crazy lol.  All my vasectomy kinks are marked with “✂️” and linked on my new Vasectomy Kink Masterlist!

Reblogs and comments are always appreciated!

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“Think,” Tim admonishes himself, staring at the board filled with crime scene photographs and bits of evidence.  “What are we missing?”

“We’ve been staring at it for days.” You pull at your neck, trying to relieve the tension, a habit you likely picked up from your partner.  Sharing an office with someone will do that.  You sigh and sit down at your desk, leafing through pages of witness testimony you’ve gone over a hundred times already.  “Maybe we should call it a night.  Look again in the morning?”

A knock at the door interrupts you. “Excuse me, detectives, the medical records you requested arrived. Thought I’d drop them off on my way out.” A lackey from the records office holds out a manilla envelope in Tim’s direction.

“Thanks,” Tim stands up from the chair he had been straddling and takes the envelope.  He pulls out the stack of papers and begins to scan them one by one.

“I don’t know what you expect to find in there.” Your frustration over this case has made you pessimistic.

“You never know,” Tim mumbles under his breath as he continues reading page after page.  You go back to your testimony, looking for anything you could have missed.  Apparently, you’re not done for the evening.

“Got it!” Tim exclaims making his way over to you and dropping the stack of papers on top of your desk with a thud.

You read the top page.  “He had a vasectomy?”

“He had a vasectomy,” Tim repeats back to you.  “Five years ago.  He isn’t the father.”

“You don’t know that.  Vasectomies fail.” It’s compelling, but not the slam dunk Tim seems to think.

“No, they don’t, not if…” He shuffles through the papers some more.  “There,” he points to a test result a few pages later, “he gave a follow up sample and no sperm was detected.  The chance of a vasectomy failing after that point is basically zero. Men just say that to get out of having it done.”

“How do you know so much about vasectomies?”

“Well, I had one.”

“You did?”

“Yeah, long time ago,” he says distractedly as he makes his way back to the board of evidence, rearranging things in light of this new discovery.  He picks up his mug of, what has to be by now, very cold coffee and takes a sip.

You, on the other hand, are frozen at your desk.  Tim had a vasectomy?  Tim is shooting blanks?

This information is eliciting a strong reaction in your body.

It’s swooping through your gut.

It’s making your palms sweat and your skin prickle.

It’s…

Rage.

Burning rage floods your system, heating your skin and making your heart pound.

“You had a vasectomy?” you ask him again, trying to keep your tone even.

“Yeah, are you… angry?” Tim turns to face you, looking confused.  Maybe your voice wasn’t as neutral as you hoped.

“I’ll be asking the questions, Detective Rockford.”  You push back from your desk and stand up slowly. You take a deep breath in and exhale through your nose, keeping your voice deadly calm, as if you’re interrogating a suspect. His forehead creases in confusion, but he waits for you to speak. “When did you have it done?”

“Twelve years ago now, I guess.”

“Why?”

“I decided kids weren’t something I was interested in, seemed like the right thing to do.”

“I see,” you pace across the room, tapping your finger to your lips, rage still simmering below the surface of your skin.

His eyes follow you as you go.

“You made this decision on your own?”

“Well, yeah.  I wasn’t in a relationship at the time. I don’t und….” You hold up a finger to silence him mid-sentence.

“You found the doctor, scheduled it, all of that?”

“Of course.”

“So, you are telling me…” You turn to face him as he takes another sip of his coffee, “that I could have had you bare these past six months?”

Tim chokes.

When he finally stops coughing, he wipes his hand across his mouth.  “Is that why you’re upset?”

“Yes! We’ve been using condoms when we didn’t need to!”

“There are other reasons to wear a condom.”

“Do I need to be worried about any of those reasons with you?”

“Well, no.”

“You don’t need to be worried about them with me either.”

“I never thought I did.”

“You’re so fucking responsible.”  The words come out angry, but there’s a new heat growing in your core. Responsibility is fucking hot.

“I’m… sorry?” Tim apologizes as you make your way to the office door and lock it.

“You should be sorry.”  You stalk towards him until you’re close enough to grab him by the holsters.  You watch as his adam’s apple bobs in his throat.  You pull yourself flush with his front, noting the bulge pressing against your thigh.

“How can I make it up to you?” he rasps.

“Fuck me on your desk, Detective.  Bare.”

“You’re so fucking sexy when you’re angry,” he growls, pulling you into a searing kiss.  His tongue invades your mouth as you both scramble with belts, buttons, and clasps.  You’ve come to love the taste of bitter coffee and Chinese takeout on Tim’s tongue.  Tastes you will forever associate with him as it’s never been very long since he’s had either.

Your clothes come off quickly in between frantic kisses, but you stop him as he moves to remove his shirt and holsters. “Don’t… I need something to hold on to.”

“Fuck, baby, when you say things like that…” his fingers dig into your bare hips as you set your ass at the edge of the desk and lean back on your elbows, opening yourself up for him with a smirk.  

Tim’s cock bobs eagerly in front of you, framed by his open shirt.  He takes it in his hand, stroking slowly up and down the thick length.

Pages of documents crinkle underneath you, but you can’t care.  Right now, all that matters is the beautiful man looking down at you with lust blown eyes.

“I want your cock, Tim. Now.”

He steps into the space between your open legs, cock in hand, and guides the tip through your wet pussy.  You both groan as he nudges at your clit and drags back through your folds.

“So wet,” he whispers, reverently.  He repeats his path several times, coating his cock in your slick before notching the head at your entrance.  “You sure you don’t want my fingers first?”

You vehemently shake your head and bite your lip as you look down between your legs.  He nudges at your entrance gently and you whimper.

“I know baby, I know,” he soothes you, and probably himself, from how completely wrecked he looks – slack jawed and panting.  With a guttural groan, he breaches your entrance.

You both watch as his bare length disappears into your wet heat.

“Oh god, fuck,” your eyes roll back in your head as he enters you slowly, stretching your sensitive pussy around his cock, working his way in inch by inch.  You feel the thick ridge of his head drag along your walls as your body gives way.  Without any barrier between you, the sensation is divine.

“Fuck, baby,” Tim breathes as he bottoms out inside you.  “I need a second.  You feel so good.”  He closes his eyes, overcome with the feeling of you. His hands flex against your bare thighs as he takes deep, centering breaths. 

After a few moments, he opens his eyes, locking his gaze with yours and, slowly, starts to move.

“Yes, yes, yes,” you whine with each slow thrust and drag of his cock.  Sex with Tim has been good, great even, but this… this is heaven.  You glance down to watch his clock slide in and out of you.  The sight of him veiny and glistening is almost too much to bear.  Your pussy begins to flutter.

Tim leans over you, pressing your knees into your chest. “Fuck, you’re amazing.  So wet and hot and tight. It’s been…. oh god… so long…”

The new angle hits just right and you can feel your orgasm building.  

“Yes, just like that,” you throw your head back.  “Fuck, your cock feels good.”

Tim licks his thumb and finds your clit between your bodies, speeding up your impending release.

“Are you going to come on my cock, baby?”

“Oh god, yes, please,” you beg, feeling the telltale pressure deep in your core.

“You have to be quiet for me,” he rumbles under his breath.  You’re not new to sneaking around at work, but until now you had saved the fucking for outside the office.  “Look at us,” he murmurs, rubbing your clit in time with his thrusts.

You look down and gasp at the sight of his thick cock entering your pussy. The last of your control snaps and you’re pulsing around him as you try not to scream his name and announce your relationship to the entire precinct.

When you come back to yourself, Tim is still slowly dragging himself through your sensitive walls, nostrils flared, clearly fighting to delay his own release.

Aftershocks zing through your body and you clench around him.

He hisses and pauses, “Baby, if you squeeze me like that, I’m going to come.”

You smile to yourself as he picks up his rhythm again, then squeeze as he pulls most of the way out.

He gasps and pulls out the rest of the way, pressing a kiss to your knee and laughing, “You have to stop that.”

“What if I don’t want to stop that?”  You reach between your legs with one arm and grab his holster, pulling him to you for a sloppy kiss.  “I want you to come.  Fill me up, Detective.”

Tim practically growls as he lines himself back up with your entrance and slides in fast and deep.  You bring your other hand up to grab the holster on the other side, balancing on your ass and holding on for dear life as he thrusts into you.  His strong arms cage you in and support you as he pants into your neck.

“You feel so good, what was I thinking not fucking you bare this whole time? Oh god… oh fuck…” he stutters as he empties himself inside you.

You wrap your arms around his broad shoulders, nuzzling into his neck and his scruff as he catches his breath.

“Who would have thought… responsible Detective Rockford fucking in his office.”

Tim chuckles into your shoulder. “Can’t be responsible all the time.”

You smile and pull his lips to yours for a soft kiss.  “Let’s get out of here.”  You peel your ass off the papers on the desk and turn to survey the crinkled mess you’ve left behind.  “That’s going to be a problem.”

Tim wraps his arms around your waist and kisses your shoulder, “Eh, I’ll just spill some coffee on it, no one will know the difference.”

You laugh, “Tim Rockford, you are just full of surprises.”

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

Vasectomy Kink Masterlist

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[markantonys]

rotating potential Mat Show Structures in my brain...........assuming that ebou dar is cut (which feels likely if mat is indeed already having a southwestern coastal roadtrip with elayne and nynaeve in s3), what if:

s3: gets his marriage prophecy, tanchico trip with the girls, meets tuon (without knowing she's Prophecy Wife) but they go their separate ways by the end of the season

s4: returns to rand's side, forms the band, leads the band as part of the dumai's wells rescue mission because dumai's wells needs to involve as many main characters as possible goddammit (and because i need the romance of mat helping rescue rand)

s5: leads a campaign against the seanchan with rand and/or on rand's behalf (depending on what else rand has going on this season), reencounters tuon and kidnaps her (but may or may not yet know she's Prophecy Wife; either way, kidnapping motive is instead something calculating like taking a high-ranking seanchan as a prisoner of war, or something morally righteous like rescuing her from her own people's assassins and taking her off with him to keep her safe)

this would be adding mat into rand's TPOD storyline, of course, but at the same time it would ALSO be mat absorbing ituralde's storyline from the next few books. i remember talking once with @butterflydm about how ituralde is basically Knockoff Mat in that he's getting a whole spotlit Clever General storyline while mat, who's supposed to be our main Clever General, is off fucking around in the circus.

so i feel like involving mat in the seanchan campaigns could be an elegant solution all around. mat actually gets to fulfill his narrative role of leading armies on rand's behalf, the seanchan campaign storyline is in the hands of a main character (vs. rand doing it only briefly and then ituralde taking over the bulk of it), mat gets involved with the seanchan in a manner more organic than "author drops a wall on him to force him to encounter them", and it lends a huge amount of much-needed enemies-to-lovers narrative tension to the mat/tuon relationship if he is actively leading military campaigns against her forces (like he did for about.......5 pages in the books).

now wandering off into very-hypothetical ship-related territory thinking of what mat/tuon would look like in this scenario.

i'm thinking mat never finds out during s3 that tuon is a high-ranking seanchan and thinks she's just His Good Buddy Tuon (because she's disguised and undercover). but as the s3 finale stinger, the audience finds out that tuon is mat's Prophecy Wife AND is the heir to the seanchan throne, so we've got some tasty dramatic irony. s4 has tuon doing a solo storyline of seanchan political intrigue, either still in the western westlands or back in the actual court in seanchan (the latter would be sooooo cool, but it depends on how many times they want her zipping back and forth between continents). but her time spent with mat, elayne, and nynaeve (two marath'damane who are in fact people!) in s3 has got the gears turning, and in s4 we get to see tuon in her natural habitat but we also see that she's starting to question and doubt some Seanchan Ways because our kids have expanded her worldview.

in s5, tuon is tasked with heading up the next wave of military efforts in the westlands. so when mat crosses her path again, she is decked out in full seanchan regalia and he realizes that His Good Buddy Tuon is a high-ranking seanchan and must have been using him in s3 when she acted like his friend, so he's all hurt and betrayed (alternately, this reveal could happen as their final scene in s3 and mat is still feeling betrayed when they reunite in s5), but tuon genuinely did like him in s3 so she's hurt that he now hates her but she also can't reveal any of this weakness because he's the enemy general and her people would think she's a traitor if she shows any hints of non-hostile feelings towards him, and despite his anger mat can't help holding onto some non-hostile feelings for her which makes him even more angry with himself, and it's all very delicious.

kidnapping happens, and for s6 they embark on a roadtrip back across the continent (maybe with mat intending to deliver tuon as a hostage to rand; we could even mix the 2 motives i brainstormed, where he impulsively saves her life out of feelings but Then justifies it as taking her with him as a hostage), and all this prior development means several good things for the show being able to sell their relationship as a bona fide romance (and tuon as a dynamic, complex character).

1) tuon having spent time with westlanders and free channelers already in s3 and having spent s4-5 questioning Seanchan Ways on her own means she is now primed for a final push over the edge of unlearning seanchan conditioning and admitting that slavery is wrong (which she has to do IF the show wants mat/tuon to be a bona fide romance rather than a political marriage; a political marriage with an unrepentant tuon would also be a viable route, but show!mat would never ever ever fall in love with an unrepentant slaver so if it's going to be a bona fide romance then she has to repent) and ideally admitting that she herself can channel (feat. tasty scene early in the season of her accidentally channeling for the first time to protect mat). now tuon is a complex character who grows and develops over the course of the story, and it does not defy all reason, credibility, and established characterization that mat could fall for her. improvement!

2) if mat is feeling angry and betrayed by the discovery of tuon's seanchan identity, and if tuon is hurt by this because she genuinely likes him and wasn't faking friendship in s3 and wishes he would believe her, now mat has the "upper hand" in their roadtrip dynamic, so to speak, and tuon is in the position of needing to work to earn mat's trust. so rather than mat nonsensically handing over his loyalty and protectiveness at the drop of a hat to tuon who's used to being worshipped and takes mat doing so as her due and walks all over him with no pushback, now it's a more equal dynamic and a better power balance because tuon has to work hard to give mat (and the audience) a reason to believe she's Better Than Other Seanchan. improvement!

imagine how hard the "you're not my enemy, but your empire is" line would go in this context!

and i haven't even thought about when mat would find out tuon is Prophecy Wife in this structure. i would love for it to be not until after he's already falling for her naturally, but if he's fighting against a seanchan army that she's leading in s5, he might not be able to go very long without hearing the "daughter of the nine moons" title. idk! even if he does find out fairly early, i know that show!mat would not let this information immediately remove his spine from his body, so i have faith either way.

[bearsbeetsbeskar]

Sheep Days with Joel (post outbreak)

Word count: 5.9k (im so sorry i genuinely can't believe I wrote this much about an old man taking care of livestock) Rating: swearing, descriptions of an animal birth (I tried to make it not too gross or explicit), traumatic animal birth, discussions of labour and stillbirths Summary: At Tommy and Ellie's insistence of him finding a routine, Joel is appointed as the sheep caretaker in Jackson. After all, sheep are quiet, and do what they're told. How hard could it be? A/N: this is purely self indulgent, peepaw playing with animals. No romantic interest or pairing, just wholesome father daughter interactions, along with some other characters. Something about the holidays made me think about that conversation that Joel and Ellie had over the fire, and his dream of owning a sheep ranch, and before I knew it 5k was written. If you have read all of this, please know that I love you so incredibly much and you make it worth it to keep writing these silly little stories that bring me so much joy. main masterlist

Life in Jackson had a way of moving at the speed of molasses, while also propelling itself further into the future at the speed of light.

Some days were syrupy and slow, thick with palpable moments of survival, tension and freedom. Memories of what life was like before the outbreak. Other days however felt like the course of an electric current, with glitches and shocks jumping from one event to another, one threat to another in the span of a few hours in a day. Attacks from raiders during ambushes in the early morning, a group of coordinated clickers just outside patrol borders when dusk set in.

Even just the day to day events in Jackson could make one feel that life seemed to pass by at a static, yet dynamic pace, regardless of what routine you had fallen into in the modest settlement.

Joel was still getting used to it. The staticity, as well as the dynamism. Life before Jackson was nomadic. Rootless. Constantly on the run.

Endure and survive. That’s all that really mattered at the end of the day. The words bore a penultimate weight akin to the wartime motivational phrase, ‘keep calm and carry on.’ 

Well, that’s all Joel knew how to do.

Carry on.

Not so much the keep calm part, but he was no stranger to putting his head down and pressing forward when things got tough. Carrying on also meant being strong for others. Something which Joel is constantly reminded that he need no longer do now that he and Ellie are in Jackson. Now that they are safe.

And there is no shortage of people who tell him the same, including Tommy and Maria, and even Ellie.

“You gotta find something to do, man,” Tommy sighed and crossed his arms, leaning into the doorframe of the kitchen. “Something to help you get into a routine y’know.”

Joel glared at his younger brother. “The hell d’you mean I gotta find something, Tommy? I already have a routine.” He scowled and shifted his jaw.

This is the 3rd or 4th time the subject has been brought up and Joel’s just about had it. He doesn’t get it. He does things. He does stuff around the commune. He goes on patrol shifts, helps with the woodworking and labour jobs. He goes to some of the community events, like game nights held at the dining hall or movie nights- even though it takes a good 30 minutes of Ellie’s begging for his resolve to crumble, and he grumbles throughout the entire movie. 

As if Tommy can read his mind, he responds. “Going on patrol doesn’t count as routine, Joel.”

Puffing out his chest and mirroring Tommy’s body language, Joel glares at his younger brother.

“And here we go again,” Ellie quips from her seat at the kitchen table.

There’s a smirk plastered across her face despite her gaze, focused intently on the weathered pages of an old astronomy book.

“You stay outta this.” 

Joel’s clipped tone brokers no room for negotiation, Ellie’s known him long enough to recognize that. But that doesn’t stop her from pushing him, just because she can.

“You stay outta this. Rah rah rah. I’m Joel and I hate everything.” She mocks his deep southern drawl with exaggeration, continuing to look down at her book. 

“Tommy’s right, Joel. Say whatever you want but you can’t just fill your days with the odd jobs around here. And going on patrol. And hanging with me.”

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Joel exhales, his nostrils flaring. “Ellie-”

“Look, dude,” she cuts him off, “I love you, but it wouldn’t kill you to find something else to do with your time. It’s not the end of the world. I mean, it is but c’mon. It’s like you’d rather get killed by a fucking clicker than step outside your comfort zone.”

At that, Tommy snorts and shakes his head. 

“It’d be a hell of a lot less painful than this conversation, that’s for fuckin’ sure.” Joel huffs and puts his hands on his hips. 

“There’s lots of other jobs in the commune that you could help out with. Jobs that you don’t even need skilled labour experience for.”

“Like what, Tommy? Teachers at the school? Volunteers for movie night?” His scowl deepens, as does the crease between Joel’s brows. 

“Like training newcomers on patrol shifts, working at the clothing shop, working with the livestock-”

“Livestock? What kinda livestock?” Perking up in her seat, Ellie pushes the book away and turns to face Tommy. 

“Just for the horses, chicken, sheep and pigs. Well, it’s really for the sheep ‘cause we came into a decent sized herd in the last couple months, and they’re a bit tricky to look after.” 

Tommy runs his hands through his raven curls and chuckles. “No one’s been able to quite figure them out yet, and they don’t trust Jake- the caretaker for the horses and pigs.”

“Sheep?” Ellie’s mouth gapes open, her bright mischievous eyes finding Joel’s.

“Joel. Sheep.”

Already knowing where the conversation was headed, Joel tips his head back and looks up at the ceiling. “Jesus fuckin’ Christ.” 

__________________________________________________

And that is precisely how Joel finds himself knocked on his ass, after getting headbutted by one of the older lambs, in an attempt to get their halter on and bring them into the barn.

“You little shit, get back here!” he barks at the young sheep as it trots away from him towards the food trough. 

Rubbing the right side of his jaw and grimacing, he sits back on his hands, looking at the rest of the herd a few feet away from him. “I’ve a right mind to tell them to serve lamb for the rest of the month at the dining hall. How’s that sound?”

A few sheep at the hay bale turn to look his way, chewing absentmindedly before ignoring him again.  It had been about ten days since Tommy enlisted Joel as the sheep caretaker, or as Ellie had so lovingly called him, Jackson’s resident shepherd, and Joel had to admit, the job wasn’t half of what he expected. 

It turns out sheep weren’t quiet, and they certainly didn’t do what they were told. Sheep were actually a pain in the ass to keep. A royal pain in the ass. Much different than cows and horses, despite being herd animals. 

Not to mention that they were creative, escape artists, always jumping over the fence of the pen or squeezing in between the slats of the fence. It was a regular occurrence to hear the phrase ‘loose sheep’ or ‘the sheep are out again’ being hollered across the main street, as a handful of them skittered across the main road, Joel out of breath as he jogged after them, the stitch in his side burning through his abdomen, while he knees ached incessantly.

His first week was spent just getting close enough to them so that he could tag their ears for the breeding records. Not that he could manage to even get a hand on any, especially the young lambs.  As soon as he got within 8 feet of the herd they would scurry away, kicking and bucking into the air, or run right past him, as he keeled over trying to catch them. Needless to say, Joel didn’t manage to avoid getting headbutted and kicked a handful of times during those days. 

Cursing, he dusted off his pants and leaned against the fence of the pen. 

“How’s it coming?” Tommy’s voice called out to him from the opposite end of the pen.

Narrowing his eyes in response, Joel hunched over to rest his hands on his knees.

“Easy my fuckin’ ass you liar. These little shits are demons.”

Stifling a chuckle, Tommy rests his arms over the fence and looks down. “Like I said, it takes some time to get to know ‘em. 

It was wrong to laugh at his brother’s misfortunes but he couldn’t help it as he watched Joel’s hulking figure tentatively approach the herd again before pausing as they all scattered around him.  

“S’that why you haven’t been able to recruit any other unfortunate souls for this torture?” Placing his hands on his hips, he shifts his weight from one leg, appraising the herd. 

“No,” Tommy huffs out an exhale, “most folks don’t have the time to commit or they don’t have an affinity for animals.”

He looks out at the horizon, scanning the snow covered peaks of the mountain range bordering the settlement, before his gaze returns to Joel. He smirks as that familiar scowl settles onto Joel’s face. 

“I do not have an affinity for animals.”

Snorting, Tommy looks down at his feet again, nudging the toe of his boot into the hardened ground. “Is that so? That why no one else has been able to ride Callus out on patrol?”

Joel grunts. “That’s different. I wasn’t taking care of him, I was only riding him cause everyone else had their designated mounts.”

Lying through his teeth was easier than admitting that Joel actually loved having a special bond with the chestnut gelding that seemed to hate everyone else. 

It took time.

Lots of hushed murmurs and praise for the gelding to learn to trust again. Not to mention that Joel seemed to have endless patience for the imposing gelding, never getting frustrated with him or upset when their progress seemed to regress. Plus, he had that quiet commanding authority that seemed to ease Callus’ nerves whenever he became frantic and anxious.

Before he knew it, Callus was following him around the paddock, poking his head out of his stall and nickering whenever Joel stepped foot in the barn. 

“Whatever you say, Joel. Whatever you say.” The younger Miller shook his head and stepped back from the fence. “I’ll let you get back to it, since you got your hands full,” Tommy squinted and peered around Joel’s figure, “or, rather, your pockets full, I should say.”

Before he can even glance behind him, Joel feels a harsh tug on his back pocket, stumbling backwards as one of the young lambs tears a shred of the bandana in his pocket.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake! Gimme that back you piece of-” he bellows as the lamb prances away with the scrap of faded red cloth in its mouth, echoes of Tommy’s laugh fading into the background as he walks away.

_____________________________________________

A couple months later …

It had been roughly over a month since Joel started taking care of the sheep. Their upkeep became somewhat easier as Joel figured out their quirks and tricks to working with them, but the real difference was that Joel did indeed fall into a routine with them. 

Everyday he got up before Ellie had to be up for school, and headed over to the barn to give them their morning feed. Then, he’d come home, eat breakfast, and walk Ellie to school, shortly before returning to clean their pen and stack hay bales in the barn loft. Sometimes he would even shear some of them when their coats became too thick. At the end of the day, he’d pick Ellie up from school and they’d have dinner together in the evening, then he would pop out again to feed them dinner and do a final night check before lights out. 

They were surprisingly curious creatures, and smart. While he would mill about his different chores, they would follow him as he walked around the outskirts of the pen. When he was cleaning up the pen, they would nudge the wheelbarrow, knocking it over in the process.

Eventually, they stopped running from him and would eagerly approach as he walked through the barn into the outside pen, carrying a heavy hay bale for their breakfast or dinner.

When he’d get lost in his aimless thoughts, or stuck on paralyzing flashbacks, a panic attack brewing under the surface, he’d feel a tug on his sleeve or the back of his jacket.

Pairs of deep brown eyes surrounded by a halo of soft cloud like wool would simply stare back at him. Calmly grounding him back to reality. Not that he encountered those very often. What was even more surprising to Joel was that he had panic attacks way less often these days, his brain seeming to allow him some rest and solace from its usual fight or flight status. Even Ellie and Tommy noticed too, with Ellie pointing out that he was ‘less of a grumpy motherfucker than usual.’

He never named them, though. He wouldn’t allow himself that liberty.

They were just animals. Creatures.

Creatures, who in the beginning were ‘little shits with crack for brains and body padding like the Michelin man,’ according to Joel. Soon, however, ‘little shits’ turned into ‘little devils,’ which eventually turned into ‘little buggers,’ with an affectionate lilt behind the nickname. 

It was Thursday today and the vet was coming by to look after the horses and give them their seasonal shots, along with the sheep, too. With temperatures dropping, the animals had to be prepared for the harsh onslaught of cold weather that was native to Jackson winters. Although the commune was prosperous and there was no shortage of food and supply, or need to ration, the animals were always of high concern. 

“How much are you feeding them nowadays?” Dr. Joyce, the local vet, asked as she placed her stethoscope to the belly of one of the mature ewe’s.

“‘Bout 25 pounds of hay a day, and 15-20 pounds of grain on top of that.”

She hummed contemplatively as she shifted the stethoscope knob throughout the mass of wool covering the sheeps’ belly. “That’s quite a bit considering the size of the herd you have here.”

She nods to the rest of the herd munching away at their breakfast in the pen.

Joel shrugs in response. “That’s what Jake was feeding them beforehand but he suggested I up it as we come into winter, to help ‘em keep weight on.”

“Well, he’s certainly not wrong.” She reaches into her kit to pull out a packaged syringe, ripping open the wrapping and flicking the end of the needle two times. Small droplets of liquid ricochet out as she pinches the skin of the ewe’s neck, not covered in wool, and gently inserts the syringe. 

“Is there anything else I should be doing? Or anything else I could do to help them more when winter hits?”

While Joel would admit that he still really has no idea what he’s doing taking care of these animals, it doesn’t mean that he won’t give his all in providing care to them. He’s come to realize he actually likes learning about the sheep, aspects of their care, behaviour and physiology. It scratches parts of his brain that were only really activated when he was contracting, woodworking, or other technical jobs. And he doesn’t half ass jobs, no matter the nature of them.

Dr. Joyce swiftly removes the needle within seconds, and smiles warmly at him. 

“Nothing in particular, Joel. You’ve done a great job taking care of these guys so far, I know they’re not easy to look after.”

At that he chuckles and shoves his hands in his pockets as he leans against the stall door. “You could say that. There’s been a deep learning curve with ‘em that’s for sure.”

She nods and opens the back stall door that leads out to the pen, the ewe trots out to return to the herd. “Well, like I said, you’ve done a good job so far. Aside from keeping up with shearing them, although you won’t have to worry about that too much come winter, they’re pretty low maintenance. Keep them on lots of hay throughout the winter, and give them more grain to supplement for the colder weather. And some of them may need more than others, especially the pregnant ones.”

He nods along, running through the mental checklist of things he’s already been doing to increase their food supply, when he looks up at the vet.

“Pregnant?”  His brows furrow and he frowns. 

“Oh boy. I guess Jake left that part out when you took over?” The vet chuckles again as she takes in the dazed look on his face and scans the herd briefly.

“You do have a couple pregnant ewe’s here, probably at least 3 or 4. But that one,” she points to a particularly large sheep under the shelter that’s lying down, unkempt wool and hay covering half her face. “That one, 1633, she’s the furthest along. Probably another week or two before she pops.”

“A week?” Joel repeats it, disbelief still laced in his tone. “Shit, I thought she was just really fat. And lazy.” He narrows his gaze at the ewe, tilting his head slightly as he takes in the obvious rising and falling of her midsection, her legs barely tucked underneath her. 

“Don’t worry, Joel, I know easier said than done,” she reassures him after clocking the worry etched into his features. “But sheep births are often fairly quick and easy, not as intense as horse or cow births due to their smaller size. I’ll be on call over the next week in case anything happens but just put more bedding in the stall here during the evenings for her, and keep her feed the same. She will handle the rest.”

Inhaling sharply, Joel nods, processing it all. She tells him what signs to look out for that indicate early labour, and gives him a brief list of things he can do to prepare, as well as supplies that could be helpful during the birth and afterwards. At least the doc will be there to help out so that he’s not completely on his own, despite being very out of his league. 

“Sounds good, doc, I’ll call ya if I notice any changes in her or when she does drop.”

“Please, do. And I’ll see if Jake can come in for an hour or two during your off hours in the event she does go into labour then.”

__________________________________________

Three days after Dr. Joyce’s visit, 1633 goes into labour. Nearly 10pm, just as the settlement tucks in for bed and night shift patrols begin. Dr. Joyce was busy with another animal emergency, of course. Just his luck. 

So, he recruits the next best thing, and gently wakes Ellie up after rushing back to the house after a night check. He hands Ellie the list of supplies that Dr. Joyce gave him and she blitzes throughout the house, gathering the different things in a box.

Of course, the curiosity, fear and excitement over an animal being born was not lost on his teenage daughter. She fired off a barrage of endless questions as she was right on his heels, following him throughout the house.

“Has her water broken? Is she in pain? What direction is the baby gonna be facing when it comes out? Did you call Dr. Joyce?” 

“You bleat more than the damn sheep these days, y’know that? C’mon just get that stuff together for me.”

Joel huffs as he grabs a bucket from under the kitchen sink, thinking of what else he could grab. It had to be the night when Tommy and Maria were both out on patrol as well, leaving just him and Ellie. 

God help him.

When they returned to the barn, the ewe was in the stall, lying on her side, bleating out her obvious discomfort. He quickly takes his thick jacket off, hanging it on a nearby post before stepping into the stall. 

“Alright, honey, alright, it’s okay.” The low murmurs of his voice only seem to agitate the ewe more, as she bleats repeatedly while he approaches and crouches down beside her. His eyes never leave the ewe’s body.

“Ellie, hand me a couple big towels.” She reaches into the box of supplies and hands him two fluffy towels, crouching down beside Joel slowly. The ewe continues to let out loud long bleating groans, huffing as her body starts preparing for labour and her water breaks with an audible slosh.

“Shit. Well, there goes her water.” He huffs, his mouth pressed into a straight line as he tries to peek and see any signs of a muzzle or cloven hooves coming out. 

Gagging and turning away slightly, Ellie groans.

“Ugh, okay that’s fucking gross!” 

He gives her a disapproving frown. “You’ve seen worse before, calm down.”

“A clicker brain and exploding guts is not nearly as gross as this. How are you not freaking out? 

Suddenly, the ewe lets out a long bleating groan again and thrashes her hind legs, in an attempt to get up frantically. 

“Shit. Whoa, whoa, whoa, mama. Easy there. Y’can’t get up just yet.” He hovers over the sheep and tries to coax her back on the ground.

“Ellie, come around here, help me keep her on her side.”

She shuffles around to Joel’s other side and buries her hand into the soft thick wool, gently pressing down. “Have you ever done this before?”

Joel grunts while he tries to contain its flailing legs, preventing the ewe from rolling over or getting up.

“Nope,” he strains. “I’ve seen one or two cow births, long time ago when I was growing up in Texas.”

“Shouldn’t be too different,” he says breathlessly, saying a silent prayer as he pulls the sheep away from kicking at the stone wall of the barn. “As long as she stays on the ground like this, she should be okay, she can’t get up or roll over though ‘cause it could hurt or suffocate the baby.”

“Okay, okay,” Ellie exhales shakily, wincing as the sheep bleats loudly.

“Hey,” he turns to gaze down at the teenager, his voice quiet but authoritative. “It’s gonna be okay, look at me.” Her dazed gaze snaps from the ewe up to meet Joel’s big brown eyes. Anxious. Focused. “It’s gonna be okay alright? She’s gonna be okay?”

Ellie nods her head, the hint of a smile tugs at the corner of her mouth as she looks down at the ewe again. “It’s okay, momma, you’re okay, just breathe.”

No later than 5 minutes after do a pair of hooves and a muzzle appear. Ten minutes of pushing after that, the tiny lamb is lying sprawled out on the ground, Joel rubbing the remnants of placenta off its body and face.

“Joel.” 

It’s barely above a whisper as Ellie hovers over the baby, crouched on the balls of her toes. 

“Joel. It’s - it’s not breathing.” 

She inhales sharply and leans her head over the mouth, trying to feel or hear for a puff of air. 

He’s silent for a moment, and leans back looking at the tiny body covered in bodily fluids, and realizes there’s no movement coming from the lifeless body. No rising of its stomach, and its eyes are barely opened.

All of a sudden the vastness of the chilly barn shrinks to the size of a shoebox. The air suffocating, as if all the oxygen was sucked out of it.

“Fuck. Fuck. Get me another towel.” 

Rushing over to the box of supplies, Ellie hands him a smaller towel, as Joel leans down and wipes at the lamb's eyes, and around its nostrils. He tries to open its mouth to see if there’s any fluid trapped there but he can’t see.

“Get the baster. Hurry.” His clipped tone betrays his panic as Ellie places their turkey baster in his hand. 

It’s a poor substitution for an actual proper bulb syringe that is used to remove mucus and fluid from newborns’ mouths. He opens the lamb's mouth and inserts the baster roughly, pressing down on the bulb, as murky liquid is drawn through the clear pipette. He squirts the remnants of the baster out onto the ground and reinserts it into the lambs mouth, drawing more mucus and crap out a few more times until it’s empty.

They both wait a beat, panting heavily to see any sign of life on the little sheep. 

“She’s still not breathing. Fuck.” Ellie’s voice trembles. “She’s not breathing, Joel!”

“Okay, go into the feedroom and fill up the hot water bottle with warm water okay? Warm water, not hot, I’ll try to swaddle it in more towels, get some heat going.”

Immediately, she races to the feedroom with the rubber water bottle. As Joel hears the water running in the background, he wraps the lamb in two big towels. The ewe is now up and pacing frantically around Joel, sensing something is wrong. 

“C’mon baby, c’mon,” he rubs the covered lamb firmly, pressing his palm down slightly against the ribs and chest of the baby and shaking slightly. Nothing though, no sounds, no movement.

The ewe is now crying and bleating repeatedly as she paces circles around Joel, wanting to get to her baby. “I know, momma, I know. I’m trying. Fucking hell.”

The edges of his restraint and control start to fray. His heart is racing, chest tightening under the crushing realization that the lamb is a stillborn.  He cradles the lamb, swaddled in a mountain of towels now, squeezing his eyes shut and holding the tiny limp weight against his body. 

Moments later Ellie reappears at his side, sinking to her knees with the water bottle in both hands, the sloshing sound of the water drowning out the ewe’s crying.

Joel opens the folds of towels up so that she can place the flimsy warm pouch over top of the lambs side. Wrapping it up like a burrito again, he holds it up against his chest as if he was holding a baby, firmly patting and rubbing the little lump in his arms. Ellie fruitlessly tries to calm down the mother ewe but it’s no use as she continues to trot circles around Joel, weaving back and forth and trying to nose the little lump in his arms. 

He places the swaddled lamb on the ground, into the cushioned nest of shavings and straw bedding. Hovering over it on all fours, he places his palm over the swaddle again, applying pressure to the lambs back and rubbing circles, while opening its mouth with his other hand. 

“C’mon, little one, c’mon. Gimme something, c’mon. Please.” Joel leans down, his lips pressing against the towel as he murmurs.  The sound of his warm, deep voice breaking is barely muffled by the damp fabric as he squeezes his eyes shut. Another set of warm, small, clammy hands overlap his, as Ellie kneels beside him.

They huddle together over the lamb for another minute or two, the soft swishing of straw and shavings strewn about as the ewe continues pacing is the only audibly sound. Her cries for help softened to brief bleating.

Ellie intertwines her fingers with Joel, squeezing tight as she let’s out a quiet sniffle.

Then, a muffled sound. The smallest hiccup. 

“Joel.” She whispers and squeezes his hand again.

“Joel, look.”

He raises his head slowly, holding his breath as he hears the small noise again, before he carefully unwraps the swaddled material.  He cautiously rubs the lambs back again, as they watch as its bleary eyes blink open, slowly but surely.  It raises its head ever so slightly, dazed, before letting out the smallest bleat.

Choking out the breath that he had been holding in, Joel rushes to wipe around the lamb’s eyes and mouth again.  “There she is. Hey little one,” he coos at the small animal, afraid to speak above a hushed tone.

“Holy shit.” Ellie huffs in disbelief with tears in her eyes. “Dude, you fucking did it! Oh my god, look at her!”

She clutches the sleeve of Joel’s shirt, exhilarated and bouncing with adrenaline. “Do you think it’s a girl?”

Smiling to himself, he shakes his head, “not sure, but it doesn’t matter, s’long as it’s healthy. Right, little one?”  He slowly strokes the lamb as it starts bleating with more fervor, when he feels a bigger muzzle shoving his hand out of the way .

“There ya go momma, there she is.” 

He gets up, ignoring the groaning protest from his knees and steps back so that the ewe can see her baby, gesturing for Ellie to follow. 

“Here, Let’s give ‘em some space to breathe. Go grab the space heater and we’ll get ‘em nice and warm.”

Shooting to her feet, she scurries back to the supply room to retrieve the heater. Joel sits back against one of the stall walls, his head tipping back till it hits the wooden slats with a dull thunk as he takes the deepest breath he’s taken all day. The adrenaline is still coursing through his veins but he feels fucking exhausted all the same. Defeated but elated, he watches the mom lick and nudge the little lamb, before a voice rings out from behind him.

“Well, well, well, looks like we got a full house in here tonight!”

Joel turns to see Dr. Joyce striding through the aisle, a bright twinkle in her eye as she stops in front of the large stall, already stretching a pair of latex gloves over her hands. 

The corners of his mouth pull up into a small smile as he nods in her direction. “Hey doc, how’s it going?”

“I should be the one asking you that,” she chuckles with warmth, shimmying around the stall door slowly. “You’ve had quite the night from what I can tell. I saw the lights on at this hour and I could only assume it had finally happened.”

Snorting, he crosses his arms over his chest. “That’s one way of putting it.” He nods his chin as Ellie returns with the space heater in hand, “couldn’t have done it without this one’s help of course.” 

Ellie grins and hands the space heater to Joel. “If I’m being honest, it was probably one of the coolest and scariest things I’ve ever seen in my life. Especially when she wasn’t breathing. But it was all Joel, really. He brought her back, I just tried not to get in his way.” 

Rounding Joel’s other side, Dr. Joyce crosses the stall and crouches down and pulls out her stethoscope, winking at Ellie. “Is that so? Do I sense a future vet tech assistant that can help me with house calls?”

“Shit. Are you serious?” The teenager’s eyes nearly bug out of her head as a massive smile stretches across her face. “That would be fucking awesome!”

Joel doesn’t even have the energy to reprimand her for swearing, his mind and body drained as he snorts and shakes his head.

“Hey! Is there room for two more at this welcoming party?!” Another booming voice echoes throughout the large stone barn, similar in its Southern drawl to Joel’s but not as deep. 

Tommy and Maria round the corner with huge smiles, still in their riding clothes, fresh off the night patrol. 

“Just so long as y’all can keep quiet.” Joel grumbles, still sat leaning against the stall wall with his arms crossed, legs kicked out from underneath him. He looks over at the scene in front of him, warmth etched into his features as he watches Dr. Joyce check the lambs vitals while the ewe finally starts to munch on hay again.

“We couldn’t believe it, we had to come right away. Hell, I had half a mind to cut the patrol short when we found out.” Maria nods at Joel with a smirk. She glances over to the little sheep who has started to stand on all fours and nurse from its mom, wobbling on its nimble legs. 

“What’s the verdict Dr. Joyce?” Tommy sidles over to Joel, crouching down beside him and grinning. “All working organs? All ten fingers and ten toes?”

Joel sighs gruffly. “They’re hooves, not toes, genius. Jeez, you sure you’re expecting soon?”

Maria only smirks in response as Tommy mumbles and shoves his older brother in response. 

“Everything’s in order Joel, don’t worry.” Dr. Joyce smiles, taking one ear bud out of her ear as she continues to check the lambs pulse. “Her oxygen levels seem good, despite the rocky start and her lungs are clear of fluids, and she’s warm. You couldn’t have done a better job, really, you should be proud of yourself.”

He tries to hide his beaming smile he really does, but Joel grins. His bright eyes crinkle and his dimple pokes through his right cheek. “Thanks doc. I appreciate ya comin’ over here as soon as you could.”

“Her?” Ellie’s eyes widen as she clasps her hands together. “So it is a girl?!”

“Yup, definitely a girl.”

“Think she deserves a name, don’t you?” Tommy nudges Joel in the arm again.

Joel’s smile falters immediately. He shakes his head and looks down. “No. I don’t name ‘em, besides it’ll only be a couple of days before she’s gotta get tagged and registered in the breeding books too.”

“Oh come on Joel, please? She deserves one. After everything she’s been through…” Ellie’s voice trails off. 

Everything they had been through. She doesn’t need to say it for him to know. 

When she doesn’t keep going he looks up at her. Her eyes pleading, welling up with fragments of the pain and haunted memories that they endured over the last year.

He looks at Tommy and Maria, his eyes then falling on Dr. Joyce as she tends to the lamb. 

“Ellie’s right Joel. I know y’all don’t normally give them names, especially the young ones, but given the circumstances, this little lady oughta have a name.” The vets eyes are soft as she gives Joel a sympathetic smile. 

He’s silent for a moment, shifting his jaw. His gaze drops to the tiny lamb, white as snow, now that she’s been towel dried and cleaned, listening to her tiny bleats as she headbuts her mom for more milk. Instantly, his gaze softens, his big eyes rounding at the newborn.

New life. 

A breath of fresh air into the looming hollowness of the barn. A pulse. An electric current, melding into a comfortable, viscous, energy as Jackson’s population, well four-legged population, increases for another day. 

Sighing, he tilts his head in adoration. Filtering through the vestiges of his memory, he thinks back to the conversation that prompted this whole sheep herding fiasco. Him, Ellie, their tiny fire amongst the vast expanse of snow covered country, with nothing but the moon overhead. The comforting solace provided by its glowing illumination, letting them know they weren’t alone in their travels. 

“Well, she is a bright light, figuratively and literally,” he peeks his head out of the stall to find the moon, beaming down on the tiny settlement, before glancing down at the lamb again. 

“How does Luna sound?”

In that moment, the lamb trots over to Joel on its spindly legs, getting braver by the minutes after its birth. She bleats in his face loudly and headbutts his arm affectionately before circling back to her mom, stumbling over herself in the process.

“Well I’ll be damned, I think she likes it.” Tommy chuckles as Maria comes to stand beside him. 

Ellie snuggles up to Joel, her eyes starting to close as the evening's events catch up to her.  “It’s perfect,” she yawns and nuzzles into his broad shoulder, “our little Luna.”

Luna approaches Joel with more curiosity again, as he stretches his hand out towards her, letting her sniff and lick him. 

Despite everything that happened, the chaos, the panic, and near crisis with his first lamb birth, for the first time in a while, Joel feels whole. Fulfilled. Right where he's supposed to be, in this new world, this new life.

Rooted.

A lopsided smile stretches across his face, as his dimple pokes through his cheek. “Yeah, I suppose it is. Our little light, Luna.”

[supakixbabe]

Ah, hello. I welcome you back to your normally scheduled program of me deciphering what I think is happening within a wrestling storyline by concluding all context and visual representations. It’s a little something I call, “Kayfabe With Laura.”

Today’s topic: Hangman’s Redemption Story; Is Hangman Okay?

The answer is: No.

By now I’m sure you all have either come to the conclusion ‘Hangman’ Adam Page is either a face, heel, or justifiably morally gray before he returned and after he returned. Let’s break down Hangman’s vignette that was shown on AEW’s Saturday night program, Collision. The vignette showed Hangman sitting alone in what is to be believed to be his living room while movers are packing up his things and moving them to what we now know is where he relocated to. Followed by his favorite artist Orville Peck playing ominously in the background. While I can’t decipher the Peck song, I can give you my thoughts on what I think it means.

The song is, “Chemical Sunset” by Orville Peck. There’s a line in his song that goes: “I can see it in your eyes, you're not afraid to die.” And what I got from that is Swerve and The EVPs took everything he had. Made him hate who he is even more than he already does. This man is no longer afraid of the consequences of his actions and will go down swinging. He wants Swerve Strickland, that is his main goal. Swerve broke into his home and went into the presence of his kids' nursery to threaten them both. And Hanger being a family man, you just don’t screw with other people’s families.

We all noticed his shirt. It was the same shirt he wore when he was kicked out of The Elite the first time. The same shirt he went drinking his sorrows in. People are convinced Hangman is on a warpath for the championship, but I’m here to tell you it’s a lot more than that. Sure, he’s consumed by needing that gold strap around his waist; he feels like that will solve all his problems and he’ll be whole again, but he mainly doesn’t want Swerve to have it. Swerve went to depths no man should ever go to with another man, and Hangman wants his redemption, but not just for him, but his violated family.

Hangman lost to Swerve three times in their rivalry, the fourth was a triple-threat at Revolution 24’ so I can’t necessarily count that one. Their match at Wrestle Dream 23’, then their Texas Death Match at Full Gear 23’, then their Dynamite match before Revolution in 24’. Hangman has been blinded by unadulterated rage. Plus Swerve not giving him that ‘five more minutes’ really killed him inside. And his former best friends, the EVPs, Nicholas and Matthew Jackson are latching onto his rage and pushing him through obstacles to get what they want, not really caring if he gets the redemption he needs.

Hangman’s shot was unfortunately taken away by “The American Dragon’ Bryan Danielson by losing to him in the Owen Hart Cup, but I do not believe this is over.

This brings me to Blood & Guts coming up in less than a week; Team AEW Vs Team Elite. Now before you all get excited, Hangman is not a part of The Elite. This is merely a business deal for him to get his hands on Swerve. That’s all he wants – blood. Swerves blood on his hands and his head on a stick. Yeah, it used to be about a championship, but now it’s about Swerve not being on top any longer than he currently is. Now as Matthew and Nicholas seem to think they are on the receiving end of a good deal, they may have made a huge mistake by adding Hangman.

If Hangman is fueled by his rage, who's to say he won’t turn on The Elite during or after the match. Who's to say he won’t be blinded again and cost The Elite the match? Tensions are running high, but one thing is fairly certain, Hangman is on a mission and he will not stop until Swerve’s time on the mountain comes to an abrupt end.

My only question: Can Hangman and The Elite co-exist even after everything that went down? There is some serious bad blood between them all.

Note: Feel free to reblog with your own thoughts and opinions. I love reading them. ♥️

[sparklecareforrealjustice]

what are some problematic elements of v4 again?

here's a list of not great things in no particular order. not adding pictures because this post is already long enough as is, but go and reread the volume and you'll see what i mean.

v4 ended on march 30 2024, and the new v5 sparklecare ref sheets started to drop march 12 2024. kittycorn is suddenly able to draw barry fat again out of nowhere after not doing so since around the start of v3. it would've been nice if squeak drew him fat in the actual volume that was releasing at the time. here's a link to an ask i got that clarifies the dates/posting schedule of the comic.

uni being annoyed by barry and making fun of him, but only three pages later she gets frustrated at cyn for making fun of barry. sure, there's a timeskip, but... consistency, much?

the scene after cuddles berating uni could have been impactful if we weren't told constantly by kittycorn that this volume doesn't have any gore or violence in it (and if you didn't hear about it from squeak, the volume's cover says it as well). i understand needing warnings for things, but it's a warning for something that... doesn't happen? all of the tension from that scene - the question of whether uni did something or not, considering the large amount blood on the floor - is made completely pointless. the comic wants to act like there's an important moment happening, but at the same time, the comic itself made the moment boring because it told you there was nothing to worry about beforehand.

on the same note of cuddles berating uni - it's not executed well. his point about it not being the same type of puppet is... correct. sure, he's being a dick to uni and uni only, but his design mirrors uni. there's clearly something going on there. it's so obviously being written as a mouthpiece for kittycorn to state squeaks feelings. which is fine, it's squeaks comic, but it isn't written well. "people don't like my art, why are they attacking me :(" because people are allowed to have opinions about the main writer and artist of the comic they like, maybe? having the comic people are reading change all of a sudden to only comfort versus the commentary on the medical system and trauma that it was originally stated to be is going to make some people upset!

carrie is a dick to mood for basically no reason. uni locks herself in her room, carrie and barry can't get it open, so mood uses her keys to open it. cool! and then mood offers to clean kneevil instead of just throwing him away (as we're shown they have to do to comfort objects in v2). so then why does carrie make a slight at mood about her job to her? mood is a nurse, isn't she? so she's not even harming the patients! even if it's carrie taking out her anger about doom to his sister instead, it's still a weird moment to do it -- right after mood did nothing but help them.

"Why don't you go back and do something with your magic, dude? That's a talent you have, you're good at it."

"...I don't wanna freak out Barry any more though, bro... my magic stresses him out..."

"...you can do something with your magic, even if it confuses me, I'll be fine. If it would make you happy, do anything you want."

barry shouldn't have to sacrifice his own comfort and put aside his own feelings in order to make uni happy. also, when being yelled at by carrie, barry just says and accepts he's a jerk instead of defending himself? because the only reason he's being a dick to uni in the first place is because uni was a dick to him first (making fun of barry after he tried apologizing for something, which has been stated in the past to be hard for him). he was made fun of after being vulnerable, of course he's going to be a jerk to uni! but no, now he's completely in the wrong and uni is perfect and good in every way and did nothing wrong just because she's sad? that's not how that works! if uni (and carrie to a lesser extent) keep riling barry up, of course he's going to snap and act like a dick! why are they surprised that annoying somebody makes them act shitty to you due to them finding you annoying? you can't be intentionally annoying someone and expect there to be no consequences, or be mad/weirded out when there are consequences!

mood is scared by kneevil with the giant butterfly despite kittycorn stating that bugs are the only thing that mood and doom eat, and that them only eating bugs is supposed to be an attempt at writing an eating disorder. it's brushed off later with mood saying "nah. it didn't scare me that bad.", despite her being visibly uncomfortable a few pages earlier.

uni using her stupid perfect vision goggles to sew the puppets in this volume instead of kittycorn having to write squeaks blind character as actually blind. uni isn't supposed to have scissors or needles in the first place due to her being a self harm risk, so sure, the staff probably wouldn't help her with making puppets. but she could ask barry or carrie! maybe even jay! or any other friends she might have, considering she's spent nine years at the hospital!

barry should not be cool with barrific existing. it's been made a point throughout the comic that he hates and is distressed by magic due to it triggering his schizophrenia -- why would he be cool with seeing a puppet based on himself that's made alive due to magic? yes, i get that it's the famous barry puppet comic joke, but barry should be upset about this, not just shocked for a single panel and then completely fine with seeing magical sentient/sapient puppets the rest of the volume. barry should be panicking and hiding from all these shenanigans, or be mad, or something other than completely fine with it.

kneevil is able to trap barrific and barry in a cage... so why hasn't uni used her magic to stop cuddles in literally any way? i talk about this in more detail here.

the entire ending. or, more specifically, right before the ending, with kneevil crying and barrific apologizing. uni/kneevil is able to treat her/his friends like shit and don't get any sort of consequences for it. i go into more depth here about it (because trust me, it is written bad).

why are the sex jokes so constant? everyone has already said there's too many sex jokes already but sometimes less really is more. there should've been less.

-mod polly 🧊

[cirilla-fiona-riannon]

Galileo Galilei Main Story

Translations may not always capture the exact nuances or tone of the original text. Not proofread.

Galileo brought me to the university's research lab. It was a place I had visited once before, back when I had just met him.

Galileo: "I have a lecture now. You'll have to stay here until it's over."

Mitsuki: "Okay. Um, why did you bring me here?"

Galileo: "Because I can't just leave you alone."

From his tone, it seemed like he wanted to ensure I wouldn't wander off on my own in their hideout.

(But just waiting around doesn't seem right.)

(And to truly understand this person...)

Mitsuki: "Galileo, is there anything I can do to help?"

Galileo: "Help?"

Mitsuki: "I think to get to know you, I need to get closer first."

Galileo: "I see."

He seemed to understand my intention, but...

Galileo: "There's nothing you can do."

Galileo: "Also, don't even think about contacting Professor Ayscough just because we're in the same building."

Mitsuki: "I won't do anything like that. I haven't forgotten about the conditions."

After I responded, he turned away, ending the conversation.

Galileo: "I'm leaving now. Feel free to do whatever you want in this room."

With those parting words, he left and closed the door.

Left alone, I breathed out to ease the tension.

(He's right, I probably can't assist a university professor.)

(But at this rate, understanding him seems like a daunting task.)

Looking around the lab, I noticed there wasn't a speck of dust in the room, and the bookshelves were neat and tidy.

He seemed to be a very meticulous person.

(Come to think of it, they say you can tell a lot about a person by looking at their bookshelf.)

Recalling that one's interests, hobbies, and thoughts are reflected in the books they read, I scanned the spines of the books on the shelf.

(There are mostly astronomy and academic books. Hmm?)

Amidst the well-worn academic books, my eyes suddenly fell on a particular book.

For some reason, that one old book was placed on the outside of the bookend.

(I wonder what book this is. Um, 'Concerning the Two'...)

(No good. The cover is so worn out that I can't read the title or the author.)

I flipped through the pages and found that I could read the contents.

(If he's holding onto this beat-up book, it's gotta be one he really loves.)

(Since he said I could do as I please in this room...)

I sat on a chair and opened the book once again.

After flipping through the pages for a few hours, I raised my head at the sound of the bell and looked out the window to find the sky had turned red.

(It's already this late. I got so absorbed in the book.)

At that moment, Galileo returned.

Mitsuki: "Ah, welcome back."

Galileo: "That's..."

His widened eyes focused on what I had in my hands.

Mitsuki: "Sorry for reading this without permission."

Mitsuki: "Somehow, this book caught my eye. I haven't finished reading it yet, so can I borrow it?"

Galileo: "........."

(Galileo?)

He furrowed his eyebrows in silence, wearing a somewhat bitter expression.

Mitsuki: "Was this book important?"

(Maybe he had a sentimental attachment to it. I shouldn't have read it without permission.)

Galileo: "No. I told you to do as you please."

Galileo: "You're free to pick any book you want."

Mitsuki: "Then, I'll borrow it. Thank you."

I thanked him, but he was not looking at me anymore.

(His expression just now looked angry or maybe sad.)

(Is this book something special to him?)

I looked down at the book in my hand and gently stroked the faded cover.

Later, when we returned to the hideout, he led me to that door.

Mitsuki: "Galileo, why are we here?"

Galileo: "You asked earlier if there was anything you could help with."

Galileo: "You straightforwardly asked it to get to know me better."

Mitsuki: "I did ask, indeed."

Galileo: "Then, in light of your willingness to face the truth, I will assign you a role."

Mitsuki: "Huh?"

Galileo: "But beyond this door."

He opened the door, revealing the misty space.

Mitsuki: "The door doesn't open for another month once it's been opened."

Galileo: "There's no need to wait with this door. It has been modified to remove that restriction."

(So it can be opened anytime?)

As he stepped through the door, instantly, the mist cleared, revealing the familiar hallway.

Mitsuki: "It's the same as before. Why does the hallway appear when you pass through?"

Galileo: "You ask too many questions."

Mitsuki: "I'm sorry, but it's just so mysterious."

Galileo: "Well, never mind. I'll tell you as a warning."

He let out a sigh and touched the harness belt hanging from his shoulder to his waist.

Galileo: "This harness belt stabilizes the anomalies in space."

Galileo: "In other words, if you were to pass through alone, you'd just get swallowed by the distorted space."

Even when he spoke it in a piercing manner, I was simply surprised.

(He not only created a door that allows time travel but also managed to resolve spatial anomalies.)

(This person is really a "genius," after all.)

If his ideas and research were to spread, surely he could change the world, just like Galileo Galilei did in his time.

Galileo: "If we proceed together from here, you'll catch a glimpse of my purpose."

Galileo: "In exchange, I'll need you to fulfill a role. It's what you yourself wished for."

(His purpose...)

He said he would put an end to this world.

If I follow him, I might end up aiding his destructive purpose.

Galileo: "Even if you come along, there's no guarantee you'll get the information you desire."

Galileo: "However, if you're prepared to seek the truth, I'll take you with me."

Almost indifferently, he glanced at me.

(To understand him, I might have to cooperate with his purpose.)

I want to stop him, but doing that would be the opposite.

(But perhaps this is a chance.)

(If I act alongside him, maybe I can stop him.)

(Also...)

With determination, I tightly clenched my fists.

Mitsuki: "I'll go."

Mitsuki: "When I decided to come here, I decided to confirm your truth with my own eyes."

Galileo: "........"

As if assessing my resolve, he gazed at me.

Eventually, his gaze shifted toward the end of the hallway.

Galileo: "Then, let's go."

We walked down the seemingly endless hallway, ensuring not to lose sight of him.

After a while, we arrived at a quiet grassland on a windless night.

(I don't know where we are. What are we supposed to do here?)

As I pondered, I suddenly looked up at the sky.

Mitsuki: "The moon..."

Above us hung a round moon stained in a blood-like red hue.

Galileo: "It's a lunar eclipse."

Galileo: "The Earth comes between the sun and the moon, blocking the sun's light. The phenomenon of the red moon is primarily due to the scattering of sunlight by the Earth's atmosphere."

Mitsuki: "I see."

(I understand the explanation, but it's still a little scary.)

Even though it's an astronomical phenomenon, the red moon against the pitch-black sky feels ominous and oppressive.

Galileo: "Haah..."

At that moment, I heard a heavy sigh. I glanced beside me and saw Galileo wearing a troubled expression.

Mitsuki: "Galileo, are you okay? You look pale, and you suddenly seem..."

Galileo: "Don't touch me."

Upon hearing those words, my hand, which I had instinctively extended, stopped abruptly.

Seeing him lower his gaze as if enduring something, I recalled what Drake had mentioned about the dhampir's constitution.

(Right. I think their bloodlust intensifies during a full moon.)

Mitsuki: "Could it be bloodlust?"

Galileo: "........"

He sighed and opened his eyes, his trembling purple eyes reflecting me.

Then he quickly averted them.

Galileo: "No, I'm suppressing the bloodlust with Blanc. What's affecting me now is the miasma."

(Miasma?)

I frowned at the unfamiliar term.

Galileo: "My condition doesn't matter. What matters is..."

He handed me a pen and rolled-up paper.

Upon unfolding it, I found it was a map.

Galileo: "We're currently here. Mark the direction I indicate from here."

Mitsuki: "Understood."

He took a deep breath, as if to release some pain, and glanced at the compass he had taken out.

Galileo: "Mark 220 degrees southwest from here."

Mitsuki: "Got it. Is there something in that direction?"

Galileo: "It's what I'm looking for."

(So, it means I have to find out for myself.)

I looked in the direction he indicated, but all I could see were mountains and the night sky.

Without understanding the significance of this action, I marked the map as instructed.

Galileo: "Let's move."

He said this as he started walking, still appearing to be in pain.

(Is he really okay? Galileo...)

Although I thought about saying something, remembering his earlier rejection, I swallowed my words.

We crossed the hallway once more and marked the map at another location.

Once again, the red moon shone overhead.

Galileo: "Ugh... Hah..."

Upon returning to the hideout, Galileo leaned against the closed door, exhaling deeply.

Mitsuki: "I'll help you back to your room."

Galileo: "It's fine. I'll recover in a while."

Mitsuki: "But I can't just leave you like this!"

I tried to offer support out of concern, but he pushed me away.

Galileo: "I told you. I'm not here to make friends."

Mitsuki: "........" 

Galileo: "Don't forget your purpose." 

Galileo: "That's it for today. Rest in your room." 

I watched him leave, unable to say anything more.

That night... 

I sat on the bed, reflecting on today's events.

(I found this book in his office today.)

It was the old, unreadable book I borrowed from him.

His expression directed at this book still haunts me.

(And then we went together on the night of the lunar eclipse.)

He gave me a role, but inside, I was afraid to do it.

(All I did was mark the map, but...)

I looked back but still couldn't understand what that was all about.

It's probably connected to his purpose.

(He was using the compass to check directions, like he was searching for stars.)

(Is he looking for something?)

(But why go through such pain?)

------------Flashback-----------

Galileo: "No, I suppressed the bloodlust with Blanc. What's affecting me now is the miasma."

---------Flashback Ends--------

I remembered his distressed state, and worry flooded over me again.

(I hope he's okay.)

(What is miasma, though? It didn't affect me physically, but...)

(Could it be something that only affects vampires and dhampirs?)

As I tried to organize my thoughts, more mysteries arose, making me sigh.

(There are too many things I don't understand. I need some water to clear my head.)

It was past midnight, and the living room was silent.

After drinking some water and preparing to return to my room, a figure passed through the darkness.

My shoulders tensed momentarily, but then I saw a faint glint of silvery-white hair.

(Was that Galileo just now?)

Previous Part ╎ Masterlist ╎ Premium Story

[sunset-a-story]

Get To Know Your Moots Writeblr Interview

Thank you to @ceph-the-ghost-writer who tagged me in this and you should def go read their post here! And thanks to @davycoquette for creating the event!

On the Tumblr Writing Community

How long have you had your writing Tumblr/Writeblr?

Since November 2022

What led you to create it?

After having a beyond shitty 2020-2021 and pulling away from social media in general, a friend suggested I give tumblr a shot. I was also desperately looking for beta readers for Sunset and wanted to get involved in a writer community.

What’s your favorite thing about the Writeblr community?

The people! Getting to connect with writers whose brains work like mine!! And getting to rotate their ocs in my head! I've made some incredible friendships through writeblr that I wouldn't trade for anything.

What’s one thing you’d like your mutuals to know about you?

I am as obsessed about Sunset as I seem (possibly more--let's not get into it) but I also love listening to people talk about the things they're obsessed with so I'm always up to exchange some excitement about our respective projects. Also, I'm hella dyslexic so if we chat, be warned you may get some word salad from me sometimes.

Is there anything you’d like to see more of on your dash?

I love seeing little quotes or snippets of info about OCs that help me become obsessed with them. And out of context lines/dialogue! Those are always a delight.

What tips/advice do you have for someone who made a Writeblr today?

Just put yourself out there! It took me a long time to be comfortable posting anything at all but that's the only way people can get a sense of your stories. Also, don't be scared to reach out to other writeblrs through asks and dms. We're a shy breed but once you corner us into a conversations, you've unleashed a flood of excitement.

WIP it Good

Which Works-in-Progress (WIPs) or writing projects are you noodling about, lately?

Sunset is my main project that I'm writing with my partner @touloserlautrec. It's a behemoth 2,000+ pages of converging plotlines and slow burn romance and intrigue and monster hunting. It's everything I love in a story wrapped up into one. Volume 1 (Sunrise) is out, Volume 2 (High Noon) is releasing weekly, and Volume 3 (Sunset) is probably 75% drafted. (Links in my intro if this somehow reaches someone who isn't already following me.) I've also been poking at a fluff side project to blow off steam for the first time in forever. It's a fluffy romance urban/fantasy with fae and a gay strip club. Just 'cause. I don't know that I'll ever post what I'm writing of this, but who knows?

How long have you been working on them?

Sunset for about 17 years, but seriously writing it for the past 8 years. Fluff Side Project? A month?

Do you remember what inspired them/what got you started?

I ran an in-person RPG back in college that led Tou and I to create the world of Sunset and the initial core cast (Reeve, Alex, Hannah, Gareth, Misha, Adler) and then it all spiraled out from there. Fluff Side Project comes from some characters we made just playing around in a world we created as a no-stress play zone. The problems are smaller. The stakes are nothing like the high tension world of Sunset. It's fun. It's gay as hell. It's fluffy. And July is my least favorite month so I decided, hey, why not write it down while I've got writer's block for Sunset?

How much time, in your best estimation, do you spend thinking about them?

Sunset: 28 hours a day. Fluff: I squeeze in 3 or 4 hours in the evening.

When someone asks the dreaded, “What do you write about,” question, what do you usually say?

I struggle to answer this question and it depends on who is asking. If it's on tumblr? I say I write science-fantasy slow build action with horror elements and lots of intrigue. IRL? I deflect.

What do you want to say (if it’s different from what you do say)?

I write about ruining Alex and Reeve's life.

Let’s Rotate Blorbos

Name any characters you created.

There. Are. Too. Many. My favorite babies from my head are Reeve, Penn, Marek, and Anise.

Who’s the most unhinged?

Hannah is my most unhinged trash-panda gremlin. My nudist sniper. Ace Queen. Never shave, never surrender.

Who comes the most naturally for you to write?

Reeve. And yes, that does worry me. (And my therapist.)

Do you ever cringe at them?

The #drag Reeve tag is a thing for a reason. (But really, I love him dearly and he doesn't truly deserve to be dragged as much as he is imo. It's a good bit tho)

How much control do you feel you have over your characters?

I can wrangle when I need to but they do feel like independent little critters in my head. Writing for me tends to be me transcribing the movie I'm watching in my head while muttering, "OHMYGOD Hannah are you seriously going to say that? What is wrong with you?" Or "Reeve. Reeve. REEVE NO."

Do you enjoy people asking questions about your characters?

OMFG YES. Please give me any excuse to talk about these guys.

On Writeblr Engagement

What makes you want to follow another Writeblr account?

If I jive with their WIP concepts or they have interesting OCs. Fantasy or sci-fi elements. Queerness. I'm more likely to follow if their intro has something about wanting to connect writers who are looking to hype each other up because that is what I am also looking for.

What makes you decide against following?

If their blog is full of hateful stuff or just super negative.

Do you interact with non-mutuals often?

Sure! I'm new enough to Tumblr that the lore of mutuals and non-mutuals hasn't rooted in my brain enough for me to super know which is which in my feed except for my small core group of moots I talk to regularly. So I interact with whatever posts catch my attention, moot or not.

Do your mutuals’ characters occupy space in your noodle?

OHMYGODYES. There is a little mobile of characters and animals (a fish and some frogs) that dangles over my little brain threatening to distract me at all times.

I'll no-pressure tag some of my beloved moots here that I haven't seen recently tagged with this: @scribe-of-stories @words-after-midnight @pandoras-comment-box @revenantlore

@void-botanist @covenscribe And of course, anyone else who wants to do it!

You can find the clean question template here

[chaikachi]

Speaking about tension and conflict to build romance:

Bumbleby's conflict was Adam stalking Blake,and Yang upset by her leaving because Blake was scared,but gradually more relieved as she proved that she would always stayed by her side and fight together

Renora's conflict was Ren being stubborn and almost risking his life to a grimm that killed both his parents and Nora stopping him,leading them to a better strategy attack

~

We already saw Oscar suggesting Ruby to tell Ironwood the truth,maybe Oscar will struggle to 'share her burden' because she's like her sister and doesn't like being vulnerable? Or maybe it will be about the merge and we'll have a parallel to Blake in V1 talking about "the man with two souls fighting for control" ?

Of the main three ships, they all had a big tension and conflict leading up to V8, and then had a secondary one just by virtue of the separation in Atlas.

Yes BB's conflict was Adam plus Blake running away while Renora's was Ren's tunnel vision in v4... but then in V8 Yang is worried that Blake thinks less of her for prioritizing Mantle over Amity. And Ren and Nora are having a conflict of ideals AND miscommunication.

For Rosegarden, their conflict started with not agreeing on how to handle Ironwood and then became stretched out by ending up on opposite teams while Atlas was falling. The difference between RG and the other ships is that eVERYONE ELSE GOT TO STAY REUNITED AT THE END OF V8, BUT RG DIDN'T. 😭😭😭

I have a feeling the rest of their conflict in the Vacuo arc is going to have multiple layers and be very personal to their individual characters. For starters, there's a matter of how to sort out leadership. Ruby used to be head of the team and became the symbol of hope for All of Remnant after her broadcast... but in her absence, Oscar will have stepped up to the plate in her place. There's going to be some fumbling to get them back on the same page again to a point where they are properly sharing the weight of their burdens together.

Then we know that Oscar probably thinks she died! :'D Which, in tandem with his attachment, admiration, and protectiveness of her in the past, sets him up perfectly to not want to lose her again. Be that struggling with sticking too close, keeping his distance from not wanting to get too attached again (too bad boy, you can't run from this), or a mix of both... it's anyone's guess how he'll handle it.

We also know, thanks to Neo, just how important Oscar is to Ruby and that the thought of losing him is something she literally could not handle. So there is almost certainly going to be a mutual protectiveness going on there. they can have a LITTLE codependency, as a treat. /lh

We also have VERY SOLID SETUPS for their individual character arcs mirroring each other so strongly. And it's impossible for those themes to not be explored at this point.

From their very introductions, they both address each other's core conflicts with their first words to each other.

Oscar: Woah, you... have silver eyes.

Silver eyes being symbolic of her burden as Salem's adversary and the mirror that reflects humanity's hope back onto darkness.

Ruby: Who... are you?

Oscar being the next (and likely final) Ozcarnation who's entire character arc is a struggle of identity.

Oscar's "I always knew I wanted to be more than a farmhand... but this? Who would ask for this?" to Ruby's "I wanted to be the hero, like the stories that my mom read to me."

Oscar's "I thought the idea of falling through Remnant into a new world was... exciting. I never understood why she was so sad when she finally made it back home." to Ruby's "I don't want to be me anymore."

Ruby's "What if you could be anyone?" to Oscar's "I'm just going to be another one of his lives, aren't I?"

god the way they've written this story... i sincerely don't understand how people can watch ALL of this, all the moments i didn't mention cause i'm too lazy to turn this thread into another essay, and still say they don't see it. 😭

however their conflict is handled, i know i'm going to be very not normal about it every step of the way and i'm so freaking excited

[pintsizemama]

Chestnuts

Day 4

Summary: Marcus & Peanut roast chestnuts with Grandma.

Pairings: Marcus Pike x You, Marcus Pike x Female Reader (Peanut)

Fandom: The Mentalist

Rating: Mature

Warnings: language, discussions of sex and blow jobs

Word Count: 1,027

Marcus & Peanut Masterlist

Day 3 Day 5 Christmas Masterlist Main Masterlist AO3 Join my taglist

“Is this too many?” You asked your grandmother, gesturing to the vast amount of chestnuts on the kitchen counter.

“Might not be enough,” Grandma replied. ‘This has always been a family favorite—for both families.” She looked at Marcus who nodded in agreement. A couple hours ago you and Marcus had ”come out” to your families about your new relationship. Needing a break from all the questions and advice, you both had volunteered to help Grandma make her famous roasted chestnuts. She added butter and honey to them which made it an irresistible holiday snack. The three of you sat together at the kitchen island and worked in quiet peace. It was a nice change from all the chatter you had to deal with today.

“I think the first two batches are ready to go in,” Grandma told Marcus. He dutifully stood up and carried two trays to the oven. You couldn’t help but stare at him in awe. He was so beautiful and finally all yours.

“You’re drooling, dear,” Grandma said with a chuckle. You rolled tour eyes at her playfully. Marcus placed a kiss on the top of your head just before retaking his seat next to you.

“How’d you know about us, Grandma?” You asked. “The other day when we were baking cookies…you already knew we were together. How?’”

“It was very clear,” Grandma answered. “The two of you have always been obvious in your ‘secret’ feelings for each other, but there was always a…tension there. Something missing. Like two magnets being forced apart even though all they wanted, their entire purpose in life was to be together. The other day, that tension wasn’t there anymore. So, I knew you had finally admitted your love for each other.”

“Wow,” you whispered.

“I didn’t realize how transparent we were,” Marcus said quietly.

“Apparently not to each other,” you laughed.

“True,” Marcus agreed. “I’m just glad we finally got on the same page.”

“Me too,” you whispered.

“Me too,” Grandma chimed in. “Now make me the happiest old lady in Seattle and give me some great-grand babies!”

“Gonna need some time before that, Grandma,” you chided playfully.

“Yeah, but we can definitely practice until we’re ready…a lot,” Marcus added.

“Marcus Pike!” You scolded. He just smiled and kissed you softly.

“Ugh! Gross!” John shouted as he walked into the kitchen. “Can you please refrain from mauling my baby sister when I’m in the house?” Marcus pulled away and laughed.

“John, you are such a fucking cock block!” You groaned at him.

“Just payback for that time I snuck Janie Stevens over the night Mom and Dad were out of town,” John said with an evil grin.

“That was years ago!” You scoffed. “You were in high school You can’t still be pissed about that!”

“Yes I can!” John argued. “She refused to go out with me again after that! I only ever got to second base with her, and the rumor was she gave the best head in school.”

“Well, I’m sorry that I stopped your oversexed teenage self from getting into yet another girl’s pants in high school,” you said sarcastically. “It’s not like she was the only girl willing to sleep with you. You were—and still are—a massive manwhore.”

“If I remember correctly,” Marcus chimed in, “you did sleep with Janie our first summer home from college. Even got her to give you one of her famously great blow jobs.”

“Ha!” You shouted. “Look at that. No need to be pissed at me since you did get—wait, Marcus.” You turned to your boyfriend. “How do you know her blow jobs are great? Have you slept with Janie?” Marcus’s eyes widened. John laughed at his friend’s discomfort.

“No, Peanut, I never slept with Janie,” Marcus said. You knew he was feeling the truth, but it was slightly off.

“What about a blow job?” You pressed.

“Huh?” Marcus dodged the question.

“Ok, let me rephrase that,” you said. “Has Janie Stevens’ nasty lips been anywhere near your cock?”

“Oh man,” John couldn’t stop laughing. “This is so much better than stopping you two from kissing.”

“Sweetheart,” Marcus began.

“Don’t you ‘sweetheart’ me, Marcus Pike,” you said sternly. You were trying hard not to laugh at the panic in his eyes. You wouldn’t be able to keep up this angry facade long. “Did you let her blow you?”

“We were teenagers!” Marcus said defensively. “It meant nothing. She blew everyone!” You burst out laughing. John fell to the ground he was laughing so hard. Even Grandma was chuckling.

“What the hell?” Marcus asked in shock. “You were fucking with me?”

“Of course I was!” You laughed. “Marcus, you’ve been married and engaged. Obviously you’ve had sex with women other than me. I’m well aware you have a past. Just like me.” He scowled at that.

“I don’t wanna think about that, Peanut,” he said darkly. You just smiled.

“The past doesn’t matter, my sweet Marcus,” you said softly, cupping his face. “All that matters is our present and future, my love.” He smiled and kissed your palm.

“For the record,” Marcus told you, “you give way better head than Janie Stevens.” You ignored the gagging sounds John was making and blushed as you remembered the quick blow job you had given him last night when you both managed to sneak away after midnight mass. That wasn’t even close to your best work. You looked forward to showing him just how talented you were once you got back to DC. Just then the timer dinged.

“First batch is done!” Grandma announced.

“Yes!” John cheered. “That’s why I came in here. To beat everyone else to the chestnuts. Didn’t expect to get an x-rated comedy show out of it.”

“X-rated?” Marcus laughed. “That wasn’t even close to how x-rated we can get.”

“I do NOT want to hear that,” John said immediately.

“Then don’t piss me off, or I’ll tell you exactly what I do to your baby sister!” Marcus countered.

“Oh my god,” you groaned.

“Boys never really do grow up, do they dear?” Grandma said fondly.

“I guess not,” you agreed.

Day 5

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[pricelessemotion]

Prologue: Big City, Wrong Choices | E.M.

Summary: [0.8k] A tedious tabloid brings you and eddie together.

Pairing: rockstar!eddie munson x fem!music journalist!reader

Warnings: talks of drug and alcohol use (nothing graphic)

Notes: took some major creative license with this one but I think it pays off, hope you enjoy!

series masterlist | main masterlist

Stars behaving badly!

Truthfully, Eddie wanted to laugh when his manager threw the gossip rag on his coffee table. This was the reason that Mitch was knocking down his door so early in the day? Sure, the pictures of him in the article were less than flattering. One of them in particular showed him bent over, spewing his guts outside of The Viper Room. Definitely not a moment that he wanted to share with the world, but it was being shared nonetheless. 

So he got a little drunk and disorderly sometimes. It's what rock stars do. It’s part of the lifestyle. It’s a part Eddie plays and he knows he plays it well. A tabloid or two detailing his sordid exploits were par for the course. Still, he covers up his chuckle with a clearing of his throat, but it’s obvious that Mitch doesn’t buy it. 

“This is not a good look, Eddie” Mitch begins, running his hands through his thinning head of hair. “This is the kinda shit you do when you’re running the game. Not when you’re some kid from buttfuck Indiana trying to make a name for himself.”

Eddie recoils at the word kid. He already hates the fact that Mitch is not only his manager, but also his de-facto babysitter. 

“I’m twenty four years old.” The whine present in his voice isn’t doing him any favors in making him sound more mature and grown up.

“Then act like it.”

Eddie sighs and slumps into his seat. He tries to bring the whiskey glass he’s holding in his right hand up to his lips, but Mitch maneuvers around the couch and snatches it away. Usually, Eddie would put up a fight. Or, if he wasn’t in the fighting mood, he would go over to the bar cart and drink straight from the bottle out of spite. Sensing the tension in the room, Eddie concedes. He doesn’t want to be yet another reason why Mitch’s hairline is receding. 

Bracing himself, he walks to the kitchen where Mitch is brewing a fresh pot of coffee. The two of them exist in the symbiotic silence. Eddie pulls out two mugs from the cabinet and Mitch dutifully pours them both to the brim before sliding one over. They take turns passing each other milk and sugar. After taking a sip of his shitty coffee, Eddie clears his throat and asks the question of the hour.

“So, how do we fix this?”

For the first time since arriving at Eddie’s apartment, Mitch smiles. 

~

Stars behaving badly!

The magazine lands on your desk with a thump, jostling the pen holder and making the Snoopy bobblehead wobble. Eyes glazing over the headline, you scoff. Of course Eddie Munson is up to his usual antics. Whoever his publicist is should be fired, you think, because this isn’t even the first headline you’ve seen about him this week. It is, however, the first time he has graced the pages of Sub Rosa. There’s no doubt that the photos of Eddie being drunk and disorderly are currently lining every grocery checkout aisle in Los Angeles county. You wonder if he lives by the words bad publicity is good publicity. 

You look up to see the cause of the disturbance, only to see the face of your editor staring down at you. Melinda is bright and cheery, somehow glowing in the fluorescent lights that manage to wash anyone else out. 

“We’re doing damage control.” Her perfectly polished fingertip taps on Eddie’s face. 

You laugh, “I’d love to see the poor soul that has to do damage control for that trainwreck.” 

The older woman looks at you expectantly, a coy smile gracing her lips. Uh oh. You’ve worked at InStereo Magazine long enough to know that look. It’s the look she gives when she wants something and Melinda always gets what she wants. 

You take a moment to respond. You could refuse and waste the opportunity to leap from lowly column writer to actual music journalist. Melinda is still looking at you. Her cherry red glasses slide to the tip of her nose, emphasizing that she has to look down on you to have this conversation. Except it’s not a conversation. It’s more like a sentencing and she is judge, jury, and executioner. 

You look back at your desk. Snoopy is still nodding his head emphatically.

“I’ll do it.” 

“It’s so cute that you think you could’ve turned this down.” Melinda says, only the slightest bit of condescension in her tone. “We’ll go over details later, okay?”

With that, she flits away. Once she is safely out of sight, you bury your face in your hands and let out a small scream. Snoopy's rhythmic bobble breaks you out of your reverie. You grab the offending object and stuff it in the last drawer of your desk.

You were going to regret this.

~

taglist: @twisted-wonderland-of-wren

likes are appreciated, comments and reblogs are cherished ♥️

[riddles-n-games]

Okay, I'm officially gonna start a thing called Writer Bytes on my page and this is gonna be an ongoing series of stuff related to writing. This is Writer Byte #1.

Writer Byte #1: We all have our least favorite or most hated tropes in literature. What are yours? I'll go first:

Miscommunication between main character and loved ones, mostly in context of romantic relation with love interest.

Everybody makes decisions regarding the main character, usually female protagonist, in order to "protect" them but they never let the MC have their say or they just ignore them.

Same old arguments going in never ending circles and just making the tension worse between characters for no reason whatsoever.

Instalove; self-explanatory, a little tension and believable build up to let the relationship unravel between the love interests is always fun to see. Plus, it actually leads to development and gives the relationship depth, relationships shouldn't be shallow or rushed. Invest in something else if you can't do romance or at least, let there be awkwardness and lingering with the new relationship if the characters are already going to get together quickly.

Mary Sue or Gary Stu, pretty sure everyone agrees with this one. Also very self-explanatory.

Too stubborn MC who keeps pushing everyone away or doesn't listen to anyone's advice.

Anyways, that's all I got for now. If I got any more, I will be sure to make another list. Let me know your thoughts in the comments or reblogs. Bye for now!

[artemisandhersilverbow]

If there are no fans of Taylor's lyric vids it's because I'm dead. They add so much richness to already elite lyrics. But I was immediately suspicious during The Manuscript video.

Because my understanding of what a manuscript is, is the following:

I had assumed, like many prior to the album drop, this was meant to make us think of books. These days in publishing a manuscript will be typed, but it's not the book in its final form.

In the Tortured Poet's library popups in a couple cities, there were a lot of books. Blank ones, damaged ones, ones with the names of TTPD song titles, and notably a handwritten "Story of Us." That hand written Story of Us then showed up in the Fortnight MV. Interesting...

Of course, any long time fan knows the role Taylor's diaries play in her music making as well. Her music has always sounded confessional and it's been one component of her musical super power. During Lover promo, excerpts from her diaries were sold alongside the album. She's underscored their importance many times.

So imagine my surprise when The Manuscript video... doesn't show a manuscript...

That is a screenplay.

And I click back to the first seconds of the video... looking at those underlined letters and asked myself... is it The Man U Script? *if i was a maaaAAn*

The way she has these lyrics written out in screenplay form... we're watching a scene narrating the "She" character reading something unpublished, perhaps handwritten, perhaps a diary, maybe lyrics. I assume the "HE" which is in voiceover is what she's reading and her lines are spoken.

Anyway, I wont break down the full scene because I haven't watched it in this new light yet. But this tension between the song name at first glance - something unpublished or handwritten. Messy, unfinished, not meant for the public, perhaps even at its most authentic... vs. characters in roles. Men that are scripted... well that's adding a whole knew dimension to it.

I really appreciate how before I watched this, the song feels like it's told in vignettes and time moves dramatically. But I didn't appreciate the play on POV initially (and there's a ton of it in this - very good - album)

Also noteworthy that, yes, there seems to be reference to the ATW short film, which makes even more sense to me now.

But anyway, the narrative about this album has once again become about the men. Which isn't new, but always disappointing. Genuinely, I got something really different out of this album by not focusing on solving those romance riddles with my own confirmation bias. The other story, the one about a singular artist, percolating beneath the surface is far more interesting to me.

It wouldn't be the first time she's called out the people who consume her work in this album and, frankly, it's one of my favorite things about it. It's cutting and it's earned. It's also heartbreaking. But for a song that confused me, is the bonus on all the regular editions of TTPD, I think it would be a lot more satisfying if this is the message she's leaving us with. That once I publish my work, my stories, in it's final constructed/edited form, I've moved from the place I was when I experienced them. And then when its published the truths you seek to dig out from my words don't belong to me - it belongs to you. Just a thought.

Edit:

I think there are a lot of ways to read this. In conversation with the fans/outsiders is the main one, which I touch on before.

But for a more literal reading using some clues from the video, I know how Taylor can’t resist utilizing a number when it’s available for a little clue. Now I think reading each page number by era… is actually a fun (still devastating) way to do that. As you’ll imagine 3 and 4 are where those lines show up.

But we end on 7 where she’s accepting she doesn’t own those albums anymore, but all that she’s left with is the manuscript - which I would guess is her music (published and unpublished) and diaries.

Lover era + promo diary era was her first entirely owned era, but as the song says “looking back” or re-recording/vault tracks/doing it on your terms is the only way to move forward.

Also how about the hard to catch glitch over the words “the actors”?

[queenvreads]

REVIEW: Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

*CONTAINS SPOILERS*

5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I loved Six of Crows, and Crooked Kingdom delivered an even more action-packed adventure! 💣💣 From the moment the story starts I was instantly drawn back into the gritty and captivating world of Ketterdam. What could possibly go wrong?

Leah Bardugo's storytelling prowess shines brilliantly in Crooked Kingdom. The plot is a rollercoaster ride, filled with a crazy heist, political intrigue, and magical twists. Each chapter left me hanging, wanting to hurry and get to the next page. And the pacing was JUST RIGHT, keeping the tension high.

I was already deeply invested in the characters that I met in Six of Crows, and their growth and development were nothing short of exceptional. I really enjoyed their back stories and the glimpse we get about what happened to them in the past that led them to this point. I still cannot believe these characters are only teenagers. The experiences they all have, and the situations they are put in are those that read adult. KAZ in particular, seems wayyyy older than he really is. He remains an enigma, a ruthless mastermind with hidden depths that make you love him more. I was/am rooting for him and Inej ALWAYS.

THE LOSS of Matthias GUTTED ME. His internal struggles and transformation throughout the series made him one of my favorite characters, and saying goodbye to him was so hard. I cried. Matthias and Nina deserved a chance. They never got it. GUTTED I SAY. 😭

The camaraderie and bond between the main crew is what made this duology one of my top reads of the year. The dynamics between them are heartwarming and at times, heart-wrenching, making their journey all the more impactful.

This was a 5-star masterpiece that not only lives up to its predecessor but surpasses it in every way. If you're a fan of heists, action, intricate plots, and unforgettable characters, this book is an absolute must-read.

☠️NO MOURNERS, NO FUNERALS.☠️

[extasiswings]

Do you think it is indeed a choice that means something, or do we buddie shippers just need to start thinking that maybe it won't be happening? I really really hope you are right, but if they keep keeping them apart this whole first half of the season, I just wonder if we need to start being realistic? However why would they start the season with that kitchen scene then... I'm sorry this sounds negative and it is def not, I'm still hopeful, I just wonder if other people feel like this :)

Very simply: yes, it’s a deliberate choice, and not only is it not a cause for concern it’s necessary and should be exactly what leads to Buddie canon.

This season kicked off by throwing down a gauntlet that Buck is missing what is right in front of his face (a conversation that took place while he was literally looking at Eddie and Christopher and cooking for them like a whole-ass husband), that he’s searching for happiness in the wrong places because he can’t see what he already has (or thinks he can’t have it). They proceeded to send him off on a journey about fatherhood specifically (but only the illusion of it—donor, not dad) because of the Diaz Boys of it all, because Eddie and Buck still haven’t talked about the shooting, haven’t talked about the will, and are very much not on the same page about Buck’s actual role in Christopher’s life (aka to Eddie, Buck is Christopher’s other dad, to Buck, he’s only a contingency plan if Eddie dies).

Similarly, we also just got a giant flashing neon sign with Tomorrow—Henren’s queer love story (with shooting parallels galore), in which both of them ended up with a life and new dreams that looked nothing like what either of them originally intended or expected for themselves. The trajectory is LOUD.

The separation of arcs is simply because Buck and Eddie are different characters and because their arcs need to be a little bit separate right now while they’re both figuring things out. It’s partly to increase the dramatic tension and draw it out, but also partly for practical reasons. On one hand, there’s the fact that this is an ensemble show and they have other stories they’re telling and other characters—so they laid the groundwork, pivoted over to Hen for a few episodes, and now they’re pivoting back. On the other, there are legitimate plot and character reasons why they haven’t been involved in what we’ve seen so far (which, to be clear, is really just Animal Instincts). Buck is keeping this a secret deliberately. He went to Hen instead of Eddie deliberately—on a character level, because she has some experience with IVF etc and is a good friend, but also because this is not something he can talk to Eddie about. (By contrast, Eddie wanted Buck to be involved in his issue with Chris—Buck’s his co-parent, Buck is always involved, but Buck was the one pulling away and not letting himself get involved).

Eddie’s going to find out about the sperm donor thing. Probably in the very next episode (Cursed). As far as we can tell, he’s going to be the main (perhaps the only) significant person in Buck’s life to be involved in this storyline directly going forward (since Jen said Maddie hasn’t been involved with it at all). Which makes sense, because they’re on a collision course regarding all things shooting/will/Christopher/feelings-related. So they’re not separated entirely.

If I’m right, Eddie’s going to feel some kinda way about it. And Buck will feel some kinda way about Eddie reacting to it. And that’s what will set the stage for where we’re going in “What’s Your Fantasy?” With “Uncle” Buck babysitting (again, explicitly not being a parent) left once again to think about what he really wants in his life, while Eddie is going through a parenting first with Christopher (and Carla) in a scenario that is a perfect opening for them to circle back to what exactly Carla meant when she told him to follow his heart/what (who) Eddie’s heart really wants.

I strongly suspect we will have a canon confirmation of one form or another (because what it means to “go canon” is entirely subjective to everyone but whether that’s a kiss, some sort of confirmation of feelings (to a third party or otherwise), or whatever is all the same to me) by the midseason or very shortly thereafter, but they won’t actually get together officially until late in 6B (or the finale itself because Buck babygirl we have GOT to get you back in therapy)—which would be very S2 Madney of them. Regardless though, it’s happening. Everything they’re doing points to it happening. We are only 1/3 of the way through the season and this is a season-long arc—just be patient and enjoy the ride, because it’s shaping up to be some damn good storytelling.

[sofyachy]

Watching the end of Good Omens Season 2 felt like watching the moon landing, and I think I've finally figured out why. It's not the first time there have been outed queer characters on TV shows. It's not the first time there's been a queer love scene / kiss on TV. That alone isn't ground-breaking.

But for my entire life, I've consumed media that put the hetero couple into the main spotlight with token queer background characters, a lot of them killed off in a "bury your gays" trope. Or I've watched an ongoing series and developed queer ships that always left me a little disappointed when the romantic tension I perceived on screen was quashed with the introduction of a chemistry-lacking hetero love interest, or even simply brushing off the characters as "they're just good friends, because No Homo."

I've gotten used to this. I've come to expect it -- to always look deeply into the subtext, analyzing what's going on underneath the dialog and actions. Are these characters gay? Here is my 20-page literary analysis paper in which I go over every line, every detail, to argue that there's justifiable reason to believe something there that's not blatantly spelled out in words. (I literally did this with Hotspur in my graduate-level Shakespeare class because I absolutely needed someone to agree with me that this married character was so very, very gay, despite a surface-level "no homo" reading.) And it's still never "proof" -- just my opinion, which I can shout into the void until I'm hoarse.

And isn't that just what we do in slash fandom? We write our own endings. We refashion the stories we love to override that little disappointment that the original work gives us, as much as we still love it.

With Good Omens, there was already a strong fandom pairing Aziraphale and Crowley. I read the book after watching both seasons, so I can't say how strong that fandom was before those came out. But one of the things that struck me about the book was that there wasn't nearly the same vibe between the characters as there was in the first season. Hell, they weren't even the central characters of the book. And while the book says that people assume Aziraphale is gay, it's quick to say "but he's not; angels aren't sexual." No homo.

He and Crowley are...maybe friends? Associates? But there's certainly no scene with Crowley crying into a bottle of whiskey after Aziraphale disappears in the way he does in S1. It's like Book Crowley isn't allowed to have queer feelings because No Homo, especially not when he's maybe-friends with a maybe-homo. And it's not really surprising, considering the book was written in the '80s -- when gay rights was pushed back 20 years due to the AIDS epidemic.

And even with S1, it wasn't blatantly spelled out that either of them were queer. The aforementioned line about a gay Aziraphale didn't make it into the script (though he does refer to himself as "the Southern pansy"). We got some excellent scenes to rile up the fandom with somewhat-romantic dialog and actions. Still, on the surface, the reaction could still easily be "Hey, that looks maybe-possibly kind of gay? If you look at it just right. Here's my 20-page essay explaining why they're gay." And at the end of the season, Aziraphale and Crowley simply dine at the Ritz. Nothing explicitly gay there, unless you dig for it.

And then Season 2 said, "Hold my beer." And we got a full season of slow-burn romance at the forefront. The business with Gabriel was a ruse; the whole thing was about Aziracrow and their relationship from start to finish. We started out with the expected subtext, suggestive dialog, surreptitious glances. I remember thinking, "this is nice; I'm glad we're getting more time to just enjoy these two on the screen together." And then it kept building, and building, and building.

And finally, Episode 6 gave us "YES, HOMO." And after a lifetime of never seeing one of my ships amount to anything on screen, there it was, in all its devastating glory. They went there. That's what felt like the moon landing to me. It's something that seemed so far off to be impossible until it wasn't.