#we stan 3 nopes Mark

[cheolhub]

Talk about your moots; what do you like most about them (could be a paragraph or a single sentence, spread the love!!)

p sure i did this just a few days ago but everyone knows i adore my moots so i dont mind doing it again :)

it’s kinda long! (took me a literal hour and a half to write) and i tried to get everyone i talk to on a tri-weekly basis at least 😅

@ncteez i know you said to pick what i like most abt my moots, but i love everything about hon from the way she looks (she’s literally the most gorgeous person ever— she still owes me a selfie now that im thinking abt it) right down to her core. 🥹 the only mark stan who has ever walked the planet actually,,, i love hearing about her sex dreams and i love the way that she gives the best advice bc she only wants the best for me and how genuine she is. I LOVE HER & she makes me a better person every day, seriously ⭐️ i <3 my wife

@jeonghantis 🩵 there are about a million and three things that i can write for keir but i think the thing i love most about them is that… i can just be sar with them, i never have to worry about being judged for the things i like bc 9 times out of 10, keir feels the same way. like who else am i gonna talk about [redacted] with chan with ??? or [ censored beeping for 10 minutes straight ] with sangyeon ?? my jeonghannie, my bff, my ride or die <3 (they also hate everyone that i hate and watch my instagram lives even tho im super annoying which means i am going to die for them)

@onlyseokmins literally just love elv’s personality. she has this infectious positivity and it makes me so happy to be alive like dhahdh,,, every time i see her on the dash reblogging the silliest things or cute pics or even talking to other people, it makes me smile so hard like idk she’s so bright PLUS she’s resident dk lover on tumblr like there is no one else. tumblr user onlyseokmins is quite literally the only dk stan alive

@lovelyhan ok two things i love the most — one: kai’s writing will always get me out of a reading slump. i re-read their fics an ungodly amount of times, like i actually need to be blocked by them ( i definitely didn’t re-read inflection point again TODAY on my lunch break, nope! i didn’t! 😂……) TWO: kai is literally so sweet and funny and we don’t really talk much, but from what i know, they’re a really great person and anyone would be lucky to have them as a moot! ^^

@agustdiv1ne ash and i are actually moving to alaska and we’re gonna be neighbors /srs,,, srsly tho, i told her this already, but she’s an amazing listener and she puts up with my shitty texting and i seriously cant appreciate that more 😢 she’s so wonderful and lovely and my favorite yoongi stan to ever exist and i will shield her from the heat. don’t worry, ash, 𝖎 𝖜𝖎𝖑𝖑 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖙𝖊𝖈𝖙 𝖞𝖔𝖚.

@soonigiri MELODY <333 the soonyoung to my cheol!! she’s also someone i enjoy seeing on my dash sm!! she’s literally an angel and it’s so endearing to see her in her engene era. like i look forward to seeing jungwon on my dash every day /srs — OKAY ACTUALLY, ik im an awkward freak but i would love to talk to you more bc i think we have a lot in common T-T

@etherealyoungk SKYE i know we interact like every 3 weeks but each of them do really mean a lot to me <33 i think she’s really kind-hearted and i get really happy when i see her jn my inbox from time to time!! it’s like a nice little surprise which i love 🥹💝 it’s like finding a rice krispie at the bottom of my lunch box (if you don’t know the feeling, think immense joy)

@rubyreduji JJ THE COOLEST GUY EVER. he’s such a joy to talk to and i love that he’s lowkey my hypeman. every time i run a concept or idea by him, he makes me feel really good about it and i adore that. he’s so supportive i love him and i need to hug him so bad actually 🥹 (i give good bear hugs jj, pls let me hug u) also jj doesnt care that im a weirdo awkward freak and i have to commend him for that too ☺️

@toruro mikalicious always know what to say which is what i love the absolute most abt them now. when im in a shit mood, she knows exactly how to make me feel better and always helps me take my mind off of it. she’s so cute and wonderful inside and out and i really am so eternally grateful to have her as a mutual and a friend <33 also, mika, this is my formal apology for being the world’s worst texter 😅

@gyuswhore EM THE COOLEST PERSON EVER. i love her so much actually. she and i just started talking and i have to say, she is just so,,,, amazing? idk, i dont have the words for it. she was so kind to me when reading my wonu fic and she just read over my new cheol wip and she has given me such great feedback and im so appreciative of her!! + sending pics is lowkey my love language and she lets me send her the most random shit (my pc collection, my room, etc.) i love her 💝

@hwanghyunjinenthusiast MY FAV JOKSTER dbehdh talking to rj is seriously a breath of fresh air lol I LOVE her humor and she understands my humor. ALSO….. something about rj’s writing also does something to me… like i remember i was super depressed while i had strep and on a brief tumblr hiatus and i came onto the app for just a second and saw that she’d posted … mean dom!chan… i remember reading it and crying bc she GETS IT. no one gets me like rj (i forgot to rb now that im thinking abt it but im gonna get on that) my fave dinonara <3

@heesbaby TUMBLR USER HEESBABY SINGLE HANDEDLY GOT ME BACK INTO ENHYPEN. i never thought id see the day, but bc of her smau’s and writing, i’m back in my engene era… i love how much of an angel cinna is like,,, we talk every once in awhile but she makes me the happiest girl ever when she replies to my asks or i find her in my inbox. i’ll actually fight jay for cinna

@hyuk4ngel RESIDENT MINGYU STAN,, fay has been here with me since what feels like the fucking beginning and i seriously can’t thank her enough. she’s really encouraging and amazing and she has the best ideas ever. i swear half of my writing discography is thanks to her (just my mingyu fics which is lowekey half my writing discography begsgs) she also is always checking in and i just love her for that and many other things 🥹

@baeksbyunny / @baekhyunnybyun (you’ll have to remind me which acct im supposed to tag) BEX MY BELOVED!!! THE LOVE I HAVE FOR HER IS SERIOUSLY INDESCRIBABLE!!! she’s the nicest person to me. like i’ll never forget when i was anxious before my txt concert and she was so reassuring like i felt a weight lift off my shoulders. INSTANT (sar)otonin boost every time we talk, idk what it is. probably the fact that she has the most comforting presence. i love her, you honor. i rest my case.

@majestyjun mills was like the first moot i’d ever talked to,,, but i remember i was so intimidated the first time we did bc millie is literally so fucking cool like,,, i have always thought this and when she said //I// was cool and i was genuinely so honored like…. idk >< ALSO HER WRITING IS SOHSHSBS OUT OF THIS WORLD … the concepts the description,,, she’s a genius!!!

@sunnylovespickles even tho we just became moots, i thought it was really sweet that she dropped off pics of pink!cheol for me 🥹 my day was really bad and that brightened it so much <33 i hope to have more interactions with her in the future bc she seems so nice!!

[the-pale-chancellor]

i literally cant remember if i asked you about saer'llith yet so im just gonna ask/again cuz why not!! wooohoo!! obligatory answer as many/little as you want hehe 🧡🧡

🧼 Soap - Does OC have good hygiene? What is their routine or methods?

💸 Money With Wings - Would OC commit tax evasion?

🎮 Video Game - What would OC's gamertag/username be?

✍🏽 Writing Hand - Your OC is given five seconds to edit/alter/adjust something about themselves (or their story). What do they try to change?

📈 Chart Increasing - What company/nobility/etc. would sponsor OC?

🎨 Artist Palette - If OC was a color (or palette), what color would they be? Would others assign them the same color?

👔 Necktie - Does OC dress Modestly? Skimpy? Classy? etc. Do they have a dynamic, loud, quiet, etc. style?

👑 Crown - What textures are part of OC's clothes? Fluffy? Spiky? Leathery? Puffy? Feathery? What about shiny, silky, lacy, etc.?

🐬 Dolphin - Would OC be a JJBA character?

🎭 Performing Arts - If others wanted to join a cult devoted to OC, what choices would OC (or you) have in the style, theme, design?

📖 Open Book - Share a moodboard you associate/made for OC!

🛒 Shopping Cart - OC suddenly has a lot of money. What is most likely the cause of this? What do they spend it on?

🎼 Musical Score - Share an OC playlist you associate/made for OC!

🎸 Guitar - Someone hands OC a guitar and tells them to play Wonderwall. What do they do?

👂🏽 Ear - What sounds does OC enjoy? If OC likes ASMR, which types of ASMR?

💋 Kiss Mark - Is OC promiscuous? Do they have a lot of lovers, partners, and/or friends with benefits?

😏 Smirking Face - How freaky is OC? What does OC do that they believe is freaky?

🎓 Graduation Cap - OC is giving a motivational speech. What do they say? Who are they saying it to?

🥰 Smiling Face With Hearts - What do you love about OC? What events, art, work do you love to put OC in?

👩🏽‍⚖️ Woman Judge - Why don't some people like OC? What did they do?

💀 Skull - Is OC cursed? Haunted? Possessed? Fated to tragedy?

🔮 Crystal Ball - OC has witnessed a dark omen. What is the omen, superstition, or message that is witnessed?

🪓 Axe - What tragic/dark events, art, work, do you love (or love to hate) to put OC in?

Nope, I haven't answered it yet mhwhahwhah. Here we go then :>

1. Does OC have good hygiene? What is their routine or methods? -We're in Barovia, what's a hygiene lmao /j -Everyone says that Saer'llith reminds them of a cat so he probably behaves like one in terms of cleaning himself. -Loves a good bath, sinks into the water like his life depends on it. -Would put a rubber duck there. Or Escher. -Never had enough shower products in the Underdark so when in Baldur's Gate, he'd just buy the whole stock. -Would also buy shimmering bath salt, not caring about the fact that he already shimmers in the dark because of his white freckles. A drama queen at his best.

2. Would OC commit tax evasion? -We've already committed it by entering Vallaki tbh. -Would do that again. -Only to irritate Strahd (and Vasili). -"Money? No, I don't have any :D"

3. What would OC's gamertag/username be? -Would either go for something simple or the most dramatic one you can find in the whole Internet. -Others would still call him nothing but Saira (rus for Saury fish). -Would always have the "Don't bother" sign in Discord and other social media. -No one would care and would write them 24/7. -Is somehow good at playing RPGs, would easily beat Dark Souls series or Elden ring but never a simple UNO game. -His own autocorrect hates his name so you get something like Safety'line Deer. (Our master's autocorrect called him Malolitrazhka which is like..a small car that doesn't need much fuel or smth)(We stan the autocorrect)(Has someone already called a drow a small car? I doubt)

4. Your OC is given five seconds to edit/alter/adjust something about themselves (or their story). What do they try to change? -Oof, I bet someone from our campaign is going to read this and thus I won't answer straight away. It's something Strahd will propose to him hehe. -But would also probably change his decision to enter Barovia. he hates it there lmao.

5. If OC was a color (or palette), what color would they be? Would others assign them the same color? -Dusty violet, pale red, white and black are totally his colours. -/insert Lex's joke about everyone being colourful bastards and him being just plain grey/ -Others in Barovia would just think that he's a dusk elf and not a drow and would call him "Oi, black elf!"...Despire him being slightly violet and having like 6 ears.

6. Does OC dress Modestly? Skimpy? Classy? etc. Do they have a dynamic, loud, quiet, etc. style? What textures are part of OC's clothes? Fluffy? Spiky? Leathery? Puffy? Feathery? What about shiny, silky, lacy, etc.? -Eh, it's more of a quiet classy style. He prefers to wear a white puffy-sleeved shirt tucked into black leather corset. Sometimes a coat over the shoulders. -But oh boy if he sees something shiny- Probably has little chains over his boots, chained earring, silver rings on his middle fingers and other trinkets that he collects for exactly zero reason and purpose. -Has a white crescent tattoo on his chest under the clothes. No one knows probably hehe. -Dinner!Saer'llith would have an awfully dramatic shirt with red beads stitched onto it to look like blood. Escher would probably be the one to offer him this.

7. Would OC be a JJBA character? -I had to google what this is. Ah yes, Jojo. -nO? I am bad at anime lmao, I have no idea about the plot whatsoever. -But his stand would totally be Lychdrow Dyrr.

8. If others wanted to join a cult devoted to OC, what choices would OC (or you) have in the style, theme, design? -First - he would hate it. >:D -Second - little crescent piercing over the right brow would totally be a symbol. Or anything moon-related overall, even the earrings. -No, he isn't a Selune enjoyer. In this house we stan Ilmater. -NO SPIDERS.

9. Share a moodboard you associate/made for OC!

10. Share an OC playlist you associate/made for OC! [ https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqbNSCxPt0jzsz_Il_7apeWauF8AeJm8e&si=y3ep2ZyZRyKpUl3P ] [ https://vk.com/music/playlist/439090691_18 ] -The latter one may not be working if you don have a VK account so you just get the same one in youtube :(

11. Someone hands OC a guitar and tells them to play Wonderwall. What do they do? -"What's a guitar? What's a Wonder-..what?? Do you make up new words as we go or something?.." -Totally cannot play any musical instrument or sing..or dance. I doubt the Underdark had any of these, especially where he was imprisoned for like a hundred years. -Escher would make him learn the organ or a lyre. He wouldn't be able to say no. -We stan bard!Escher in this house.

12. What sounds does OC enjoy? If OC likes ASMR, which types of ASMR? -They enjoy running water, wind in the forest, crackling of a fire. Genuinely every sound that he's never heard before while in the Underdark. Everything fascinates him but he doesn't like to show much of these emotions on his face. -But not any voice ASMR, absolutely nope. Not even when someone whispers in his ears.

13. Is OC promiscuous? Do they have a lot of lovers, partners, and/or friends with benefits? -He's demiromantic asexual that leans more into aromantic spectrum. -He absolutely doesn't have any lovers or partners and it is difficult for him to form a relationship with anyone in general. -Though ever since he escaped Menzoberranzan one of his true wishes was to find his "Home". And that word alone does not mean a single place. He was looking for a person, someone he can finally be safe with. -And oh boy how painful it was for him to understand that his heart beats twice not only for some god forsaken human, but for a vampire who threatened them and the whole Vallaki at some point. -He still has hard time understanding himself honestly. -Bonus points!: [baldur's gate AU] where Escher actually died during the last battle with Strahd and the Emperor chose Escher's appearance to come into Saer'llith's dreams. The latter one hated it with all his heart but wished for nothing but to have another dream where he can see his Home.

14. What do you love about OC? What events, art, work do you love to put OC in? -I honestly created him randomly at some point of time. I just desperately wanted to play as a drow (and let me say that I've never played dnd before the CoS campaign we're having now). So 30 minutes in Wikipedia, House Agrach Dyrr and you have a Lychheir Wild Magic Sorcerer. -Love skribbling him on a piece of paper. Especially his 6 ears. No one can draw them properly lmao. Just imagine an axolotl and here you go. Why does he have 6? No one knows..apart from the Abbot apparently, do not ask. -He technically has a predcessor OC from another fandom that I never got to roleplay as so they were left as a rough idea. Their name was Xie Hentian (a scorpio who hates the skies, this is a translation of his current name atp), a MDZS character, Jin Guangshan's blind concubine (not by their choice), later a merciful demon who seeks for a Home. You get the idea. -But apart from this information you won't see Saer'llith in any other fandom other than DnD.

15. Why don't some people like OC? What did they do? -The fact that they're a drow is enough for like half of the Faerun population honestly. -That's why he hates this half of the population back. -In the Underdark the other drow were afraid of him (and hated him altogether) solely because of his lych powers as a sorcerer. -Yeah, you heard that right. His existence was enough for them to hate him. -mrdr

16 Is OC cursed? Haunted? Possessed? Fated to tragedy? -Again to the Lychdrow we go. If you google who that is, you'll probably know how powerful this guy was and that he's like...dead. The very day he died, a part of his soul merged with Saer'llith's, giving him his powers. -After that he literally has to supress this dark part of his soul, otherwise it can escape and make him its puppet. -If entering Barovia counts as a curse cuz we're playing Curse of Strahd then yes, he's cursed twice lmao

17. What tragic/dark events, art, work, do you love (or love to hate) to put OC in? -Again, that one Baldur's gate AU is the thing that makes me a mess. Especially when we consider the fact that I also befriended Astarion and killed Cazador. Like. If Saer'llith had a nickel every time he got stuck with a vampire and kill their master, he would have two nickels. That isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice. -He would also refuse to tell his companions about any of his time in Barovia. -At some point he would make a fake grave near Daggerfort and write Escher's name on it. Once a year he would come there, sit silently for all night and go back to the camp in the morning. Astarion wanted to ask a few times but never had enough strength to do it. -Also ever since his return from Barovia, he would never take his blindfold off. No, he doesn't need it at all, he's used to the sunlight already, but he wears it as a sign that he'll never open up to anyone anymore. Escher was his only Home.

[randomnameless]

Any headcanons about Mark the Monk?

Oh boy

Mark the Monk was an orphan who ended up in Garreg Mach, from a family who had too many children to feed -

His parents were technically alive, but since they couldn't provide, they put him on a random church's door (in a basket).

The random priest in charge of this church pestered again, because it was the 10th child he "received" this year, due to bad recolts and apparently the Lord of Bergliez not giving his grain to feed everyone, but prefering to sell it to Enbarr. Random Priest then petitionned Garreg Mach to get more grain, Rhea answered the petition but while she deplored the state of things, bar giving them bags of flour, she couldn't really do anything else because she has no power in Adrestia, and at best could only write a petition to Emperor Karl VII (Ionius IX's dad), to please feed his people.

Of course, those bags were heavily taxed as soon as they entered imperial territory, so on 5 bags of flour provided by the Central Church, only 3 ended up in the random church.

Mark thus grew up in Adrestia, but had to leave for another church in Leicester when it became apparent that the random church he was residing in, located in Hevring territory, was not going to see the next winter - because a local baron wanted more lands and Minister Hevring thought this church here was useless, so it could be offered to this baron if said baron promised to pay triple taxes.

After a few years in the Leicester Church (in the Ordelia domain) Mark decided to become a clergyman too, so he left for Garreg Mach to pursue his study, leaving before the Hrym Rebellion and Chilon's visit to the Ordelia estate.

In Garreg Mach, he witnessed the Central Church officials running all around trying to answer to petitions, but also, some of them imagining creative scams to gain more money "for the Goddess, of course".

Among those scams was one Priestess who thought selling yellow painted weapons as relics would work - but then she was found out by the Archbishop and exiled, after receiving complains of several buyers who said the blessing of the goddess sucked, since it disappears with the first rain.

Another scam - one he, sadly, bought - was organised by a Cardinal, who convinced people that rubbing their hands against the statue of St Cichol would grant them "unbridled vigor" and a "boost to their fertility".

After long discussions, where the Cardinal's main defense was to levy funds for the Church and "who cares about St Cichol, we're the Church of Seiros!", he was also excommunicated, not before being condemned of repairing, stone by stone, the statues (it was a tedious work, but then Billy poured money so the Cardinal could repair the statues with something else than mud and sticks).

After graduating from his theological studies, with a thesis on "Zanado fruits and transubstantation", he was to be originally sent to the Kingdom as a new deacon, but Mark preferred to travel to Faerghus to see more Holy Sites, and work on his theological studies, remaining a Monk.

(rumour said Lady Rhea enjoyed those disgusting fruits, but he knew better than to try to buy her with one of those things, last month an Adrestian noble tried to bribe her with 10k gold to look away while he would "seduce" students during the Heron Cup, and she expelled him from the monastery).

Thus, Mark has a solid 10 years of participation in Central Church and walked around the world, going from Adrestia to Leicester to Faerghus before Barney comes, and Supreme Leaders supremely ousts them from Garreg Mach.

[ptergwen]

sensation

w/c: 4.6k

warnings: some swearing, suggestive tings, and a pretty bad ending

summary: it’s the last night of your world tour, and tom has the perfect way to celebrate

a/n: i know y’all have been waiting for this one! everyone really loved when worlds collide but i ran out of ideas for it lol sorry... anyways my solution was to turn it into a oneshot :D based off the au!! i’m honestly nervous about posting this cuz a lot of you asked for it and i don’t wanna disappoint but i tried my absolute hardest to make it special <3 please enjoy

-

“thank you so much! we love you!” you shout to the audience, laughing breathlessly when they shout back. one of your dancers pulls you into a side hug, you throwing your arm around his neck. “we’re so fucking lucky you chose us, that you came all the way here. i’ve seen some of you back at night one. wow.” your voice gets wobbly, thinking about how loyal your fans are.

the tour started in new york, and they’ve followed you here to london.

tonight is an emotional night for everyone. you’re about to wrap your last show before you continue again in the summer. touring the u.k. has been a dream, and you’re just as thrilled to travel the rest of the world after your break. it’s bittersweet because you’re going to miss the hell out of your crew and the millions of lovely faces you’ve sang to each week. but, you do get to spend your time off with a special someone.

he’s watching you from the sound booth, sending fond smiles and loud cheers your way. thanks to you, tom has been at every show you’ve played in england. he brought harry along this time because he’s also a fan and wanted to see you. well, tom is more than a fan at this point. you’d say he’s more of a boyfriend. you haven’t discussed labels just yet.

your dates have mainly been over facetime, since you live on opposite sides of the world with insane schedules. a heartthrob actor and international popstar is quite the combination. you’ve only seen each other in person a couple of times, the first being pretty recently.

zendaya brought tom along to hang out with you in los angeles. he happened to be there recording some lines for a movie. she saw your concert earlier that night and invited him to crash the dinner plans you’d made, resulting in the best surprise and most fun you’ve ever had. the other time you enjoyed each other’s company was one weekend in paris. that was... something.

besides those two miracles, everything between you and tom happens through a screen. you’ll down bottles of champagne or keep warm under blankets while talking about your days. it’s nice, having someone on the other end who listens and actually hears you. tom gets it. you both do.

finishing your tour in london is convenient because not only will you have tom to comfort you, but you get to stick around for a while. he’s invited you to stay at his place. you can’t wait to meet the other holland’s, his friends, and obviously tessa.

“fuck, i’m gonna cry. i’m already crying,” you announce to the crowd, though they can tell from the tears streaming down your face. more dancers huddle around you and turn your single hug into a group one. you’re laughing and sobbing and holding on tight to everyone. fans bawl their own eyes out, the fact that this is it starting to settle in. the onstage crew even gets choked up, seeing you like this.

tom pouts from where he’s watching. he wishes he could run up there and squeeze you tight, but he’ll have to save that for when you’re done.

“i love you all so much, literally every single one of you in this room,” you tell everyone for the nth time tonight, swiping a perfectly manicured finger under your eyes. “my lighting crew, sound crew, my band, my fearless fucking dancers-“ a hiccup cuts you off. people burst into fits of giggles, which is a much needed tension breaker. you adjust your headset so the mic doesn’t pick up any other bodily noises.

grinning, you rest your arm on a shorter dancer’s shoulder, then go on. “sorry, sorry. i just wanna say, like, three more thank you’s before i get out of here.” there’s a chorus of no’s and encouraging whistles at the mention of you leaving. you blink back more tears to delay the breakdown you’re going to have. “thank you to my friends who always show up for me.”

with a knowing smile, you glance over at tom. “and, thank you to my more than a friend.” he smiles back, both hands held over his heart. harry elbows him in congratulations. more screaming erupts from the crowd as they realize where you’re looking and who you’re looking at. this will be sure to spark some headlines. whatever, you’re used to trending on every possible social media platform by now.

“this is the big one,” you preface, taking in a breath while everyone quiets down again. “thank you to you guys. for trusting me, for caring about what i have to say in any way. i feel your love. i really do, and i hope you feel mine.” your fans yell that they love you back, dancers gently swaying you side to side, emotions on high. there’s one last song, and it’s over.

“this has been the sensation tour, and i’ve been your host. was i good?” you try to lighten the mood, earning a bunch of what sound like positive shrieks. the earpiece you have in makes it hard to tell. “y’all were even better.” exchanging looks with your dancers, you pull out of the hug so you can get to your mark for the finale. they follow your lead. music comes through the speakers.

“i’ll see you again soon, okay? i promise. here’s sensation,” you introduce the song, immediately bursting into more tears. it’s torture to say goodbye. thankfully, you have the most incredible fans on earth, so they sing along with you at the top of their lungs. that includes tom and harry, your ultimate stans.

when the show is over, you run right off stage and over to tom. he’s waiting on the side with actual heart eyes for you. you practically leap into his arms, a hand cradling the back of his head, both his arms draped low and tight around your body.

“you were so amazing up there! absolutely smashed it, darling,” tom breathes out. his face is smushed between your neck and mostly bare chest. “thanks, tom. seriously, thanks for being here tonight and every other.” you smile a tired smile and wind your other arm around his neck. he presses some light you’re welcome kisses to your skin. “mm, thanks for having me. how’s it feel to be done?”

you sigh, fingers running through his curls. “like the biggest relief, and also really sad.” you’re such a mess that you could cry again on the spot. tom senses it and lifts his head up to see if you’re alright. “super depressing,” you surprisingly reiterate without the waterworks. “i know the feeling. you’ll be back soon, though. you said it,” he murmurs, a grin on his lips as they brush against the corner of yours.

you’re about to kiss him properly, then one of your dancers comes up to you. you’d forgotten that there are still stage managers and security everywhere, too. you get completely lost in tom whenever you’re together.

“you killed, babe,” coco greets you, linking your arm in hers. tom takes the hint and lets go of you. he watches on with a smirk. “nah, you murdered,” you send the compliment back and bite your lower lip. “i dunno, i feel like someone murdered me!” there’s coco with her dramatics. she’s genuinely hilarious, your shared sense of humor playing a huge part in your friendship.

she brings your free hand to her heart. you gasp at how fast it’s going. “that shit is really beating, coco. are you, like, okay?” “probably not. it was the freestyle that got me.” coco went a lot harder than usual tonight, since it was her last big dance break for a while. she puffs air from her cheeks and nods to tom. “this your man?”

“yeah, you could say that. i’m tom,” he answers, holding out a hand for her. “coco.” she pulls it like you would in a handshake. you beam at them, one of your best friends and unofficial boyfriend finally meeting. “sounds promising. i approve,” coco mutters to you. bumping your hip into hers playfully, you take one of tom’s hands in both of yours.

“aw, we have your blessing or something? your permission?” you coo and get a push at your shoulder from coco in return. tom chuckles, his thumb running over the back of your hand. “no! i was gonna say you should bring him out back,” coco clarifies, like it was obvious. you’re not sure what she’s on about. “uh, what’s out back?” you question. “an axe?” tom teases.

coco gestures to the nearest exit. “we’re having a little goodbye party in the parking lot. fire pit, snacks. remember?” nope, you’d completely forgotten. the idea first sounded like the perfect way to end your night, so you agreed to go. that was before you were dripping sweat and mentally exhausted. now, all you want to do is unwind with tom and tom only.

the superstar life is one you’re happy to lead, just not at this exact moment.

“i do now.” you muster up your most apologetic smile for coco, tugging on tom’s hand. “i’m sorry, co. i think we’re gonna pass.” her jaw drops. you’re never one to skip these things. “aw, for real? it’s our last night!” tom threads his fingers through yours while you talk. “bro, we’ve been together for almost a whole year,” you laugh out, nuzzling your cheek into tom’s chest. “get sick of me.”

“never,” coco deadpans. she catches you gazing up at tom, relaxing as his arms hug your middle. she’s known you long enough to tell what’s a fling and what’s real love for you. this is something special, and she can’t get in the way of it. she’ll let you navigate this yourself. “ok, just for tonight. you’ll text me?” coco gives you a real smile, raising an eyebrow at tom. he gathers that’s a good thing. he’s in.

“mhm. maybe we can hang out tomorrow,” you agree and let your eyes flutter shut. all that’s keeping you up are tom’s strong arms. “tell everyone i love them.” “i think they know.” coco shakes her head lightheartedly. tom laughs at her. “be good,” she tells him and means it, rubbing your back on her way to the lot. that leaves you and tom alone at last.

custodians are cleaning up the arena, fans are piling out, and you’re clinging to tom while his steady heartbeat grounds you. this is the only after party you need.

“harry’s got the car when you’re ready,” tom mumbles, tucking a piece of damp hair behind your ear. you loop your arms around his torso with a hum. “i was kinda wondering where he went.” “yeah?” he gives you a small smile. “gotta ask what he thought... of the show.” yawns are creeping past your lips, tonight’s events catching up to you.

“i like feedback from the fans, or stans,” you elaborate in your sleepy state. tom uses his fingertips to tap your temple. “what about me? i’m your biggest.” “i’ll, um, follow up with you later.” your words are slurring. “right now, home.” warmth spreads throughout tom’s entire body, his house becoming yours for a bit. “your chariot awaits,” he affirms before helping you to your dressing room.

after collecting your things, you follow tom out to the car. harry is in the driver’s seat, and you two slip into the back. he exchanges a look with his brother through the mirror while you settle on his shoulder. you’re hugging his bicep, his lips pressing to the side of your head.

“thank you for driving,” you speak softly to harry. he starts to pull out of the spot with a nod. “no problem. get to say i was y/n y/l/n’s chauffeur.” tom clicks his tongue even though harry is joking. you snicker at his remark, joking back. “you want the job? better be a five star ride, then.” your banter brings yet another smile to tom’s face. his family is everything to him, so seeing you get along so well means the most.

“right, right. did you have a good time?” harry wonders, twisting to see behind him while he turns around. he also peeks at you snuggled up to tom before facing forward. “great, actually. did you?” you check, the grin clear in your voice. harry goes into full stan mode. “no shit! you were brilliant, y/n. god, every note was just like how you did it the studio.” he’s raving, which is much appreciated by you.

“good answer.” tom shoots his brother a wink. “‘s that what you wanted to hear?” he asks in reference to your conversation earlier. your response is a kiss to his shoulder. “yay. i’m happy you liked it, harry.” he buzzes with excitement, having his favorite artist care what he thinks.

not much is said for the rest of the drive. tom and harry make some hushed conversation about golfing this weekend while you struggle to stay awake. they’re obsessed with that damn sport. it’s honestly nice to see, that tom has something he likes to do when he isn’t shooting hollywood’s biggest movies. your free time will finally give you the chance to discover other hobbies.

you stumble out of the car upon arriving to the boys’ place, a backpack on your shoulders and tom’s hand held tight in yours. you’ve got only a few essentials with you for tonight. the rest is on the tour bus, so you’ll gather it after your hangout with coco. besides, everything you need at the moment is right here.

“home sweet home,” tom announces as harry unlocks the front door. his words bring a tired smile to your face. “finally,” you exhale, keeping your fingers laced with tom’s and following the two of them inside. “i could show you around a bit, give you the grand tour. or-“ tom stops talking, feeling your weight on him. harry huffs at how oblivious his brother is.

“mate, she’s falling over. save it,” he suggests and kicks the door shut lazily. you’re done in. you’ve been having to lean on tom since the show ended. “another time, then,” tom mumbles, securing his arm around your waist. “there is one thing i wanna see.” your voice is low, body curled into tom’s side. he raises an eyebrow. “and that is?” “your room.”

tom takes that in a suggestive way, like he does most things. “we’re getting right to it, are we?” he questions, harry gagging and you nudging his arm with your head. “not like that, dummy. ‘cuz i’m sleepy.” there’s a beat of silence. “ask me again in-“ “wow, look at the time!” harry interrupts so he doesn’t have to hear the details. he’s sure he’ll witness enough after it happens. “off to bed i go! goodnight.”

he rushes to get to his room, yelling out, “great show, y/n!” on the way. “thank you! night!” you call back, tom letting out a sigh. “div of the century,” he says under his breath. “must run in the family,” you playfully retort. that gets you a firm poke at your side. “where’s everyone else?” you glance up at him. there should be two other idiots and a lovely, furry lady running around.

“tuwaine’s gone to the pub, harrison’s filming late, and tess is at mum and dad’s,” tom fills you in, grabbing your arm and draping it around his middle. doing him one better, you hug him with both. you squint in confusion about the last part. “they watch her when i’m out,” tom answers your unspoken question. “ah,” you nod, then deflate ever so slightly. “i wanted to meet her, though. the other boys, too.”

tom smooths the pad of his thumb over your cheek. “you will, darling. it’s only for tonight.” he kisses the same spot reassuringly. “we’ve got loads of time.” “yeah, we do,” you agree, instantly cheering up and letting your head fall onto his chest. “now, where’s your room?” “just upstairs. you need some help getting in?” he’s only playing around, but you accept, tightening your arms around his neck.

“show me the way,” you beam at him. “happy to.” tom wiggles his eyebrows, you jumping up. your legs wrap around his waist, his arms holding you against him. with a satisfied hum, you squish your face into his insanely soft shirt. “what a diva,” tom sarcastically complains while taking you to the staircase. “doesn’t even say please. no manners from this one.”

“you try dancing in six inch heels for two hours,” you shoot back, patting the side of his neck. he moves one hand down to your thigh for a better grip. you’re nearing the top of the stairs. “think i’ll leave that to you,” he decides and squeezes your thigh. “look at me, carrying the whole music industry.” your face easily gets hot and your words turn to murmurs. “shut up. you should listen to other songs.”

you’re on the second floor now, tom going for the first door. he frowns at his rejected compliment. “no, i like yours. they’re my favorite.” “really?” your muffled laugh sounds from his chest. “what was the first thing i ever said to you?” he asks, a toothy grin on him even though you can’t see it. you recall the faithful night he slid into your dms while he carries you into his room.

he’d tripped over his words somehow, the fangirling fool. before that, he tweeted to the whole world that he wanted to see you in concert. it was a huge thing, and people were freaking out about it, even more so when your online interactions became routine. that’s nothing compared to where you are now.

you’re currently living with him and basically dating. possibly, in love. the base of it all really is your music.

“that you love me.” you pause for the ellipses. the corners of your lips turn up. “but, you really meant to say my work.” “both apply.” tom passes that off like it’s a side comment, carefully laying you down on his bed. you look up at him with a curious glint in your eyes. “what does that mean?” his cheeks flush, and he bites back the smile that’s growing. this was supposed to go... differently.

you sit up, breathing out a laugh at tom’s boyish behavior. he’s precious, truly. “you do love me?” those three words will change everything if he says yes. he takes both your hands in his and holds them between you two. you meet his doe eyes. “yeah, y/n/n. i do.” so, you were right. “i love you... and, that wasn’t how i planned on saying it.” signaling for him to elaborate, you tilt your head to the side.

tom sits down next to and faces you before continuing. “it was supposed to be romantic, right?” he rolls his eyes up to the ceiling, annoyed he ruined this. “candlelit dinner, flowers, that sort of thing. seems more fitting for the occasion.” you shift closer to him until your knees are touching. your face is lit up, voice dropped to almost a whisper.

“since when do we do things the way we’re supposed to?” you point out and set your hands on his shoulders. “we’ve gone straight from online dating to me moving in. that’s usually not how it works.” tom chuckles lowly. his own hands find their place on your hips. you’re so good with words. then again, you are a singer. “guess you could say we’re, um, spontaneous,” he agrees, fingers drawing circles on you.

you and tom have explored some of each other’s most intimate places, yet you’ve never shared a moment quite like this. it’s like meeting him for the first time again. he’s too tongue tied to spit out what he wants. you somehow know, anyway. what you cherish most about your relationship is that you two completely and totally understand one another, on every level.

“tom?” you speak quietly, butterflies filling up your body. “hm?” he hums back. this is one of those moments where it all just clicks. “i love you. i really, really love you.” you giggle out of the pure happiness that consumes you, tom joining in your laughter. “i love you, too.” he sounds like he’s said it a million times and he’ll say it a million more. he leans over so his forehead rests on yours. “really, really love you.”

your warm breath hits his face, eyes darting from his own to his lips. “i want you to be more than...” you trail off, unsure of how to phrase it. “more than... more than a friend?” tom pokes fun at what you said during the show. there’s less and less space between you with every second. “you mean, like, a boyfriend?”

“exactly. be my boyfriend,” you all but demand. you’re half asleep and desperate to be able to call him yours already. “bossy, bossy, bossy,” tom chastises, swiping his thumb across your bottom lip. how he goes from being shy and giddy to the cockiest person alive in minutes, you’ll never know. “please?” you throw in to sway him. your hand locks with his, slowly moving it off your face.

you run your tongue over your teeth. “at least kiss me.” “you don’t have to ask,” tom breathes, lips now ghosting over yours. “i was going to.” true to his words, he closes the microscopic gap between you, you pushing forward against him as you kiss back. your first kiss in love. his lips taste like the chapstick he always uses, and he moves them softly.

he places a hand on your knee, you opening your mouth so he can have access to it. instead, a yawn exits. tom pulls back with a breathy laugh. “you must be exhausted, yeah? let’s get you to bed.” he pecks your lips once more. “my girl needs her beauty rest.” that confirms your relationship. you scrunch your nose and grin wide. “and, she’s gonna get some with her boy.”

you’re reminded of how sweaty you are when you catch a whiff. “oof, wait. do you think i can take a shower first?” you grimace, fanning at the air for emphasis. tom uses the tip of his nose to nudge yours. “absolutely. need help in there, too?” he’s not asking in that way, only so nothing happens. the hospital wouldn’t be the most pleasant place to spend your break. plus, he doesn’t want to be without you too long.

“you know what? yeah.”

that’s how you end up intertwined under the hot water, letting it cascade down your back as tom hugs you close to him. you sigh in content and tangle your fingers in his fluffed over curls. you’ve learned that he’s super into having his hair played with. it’s endearing, how he instinctively leans into your touch, eyes closing as you tug on the roots.

he drops his head down to kiss your shoulder, dragging his lips to your collarbone in a way that tickles. they land on one of your breasts next. there isn’t anything sexual about it, only loving. just in case he gets too excited because it’s not uncommon he does, you gently put a finger to his lips. tom takes the hint and lets up. you continue combing through his wet hair while you step out of the water.

“do you ever sing in the shower?” he questions, drawing your naked body in closer to his. “sometimes, yeah. i honestly feel like i sound better there,” you admit and slide your hand down to the nape of his neck. tom’s tongue darts out to lick his lips. “not true. you sound beautiful everywhere, and don’t fight me on this one.” he smirks in satisfaction, you groaning at your loss.

“i really enjoy hearing your voice when it blares through an arena, though,” tom keeps buttering you up. you shake your head and settle both arms around his neck. “man, i just love you so much.” “i love you, sweetheart,” he murmurs back, you switching places so he can give his hair a final rinse. you watch him and his glowing body, admiring the sight.

“what a sensation you are,” you say mostly to yourself, which doesn’t stop him from hearing. “i see what you did there.” he eyes you while you do the same to him. your arms still around his neck pull him back to you. “tommy? do you sing in the shower?” you meant to ask him before, then he started throwing all those compliments at you.

tom scoffs, walking you back so you’re against the wall. “i don’t sing anywhere.” “what?” you gasp and put a hand on his chest. “you’re lying, you have to be. wasn’t billy elliot a musical?” he narrows his eyes at you as he tries to gage where you’re going with this. “that i did a decade ago, and way before puberty. couldn’t sing a word without cracking after that.”

your mouth is left hanging open in shock and disappointment. you bet he has a nice voice, and he’s downplaying it. “y/n,” tom begins, cupping your jaw with his palm. “since we’re living together now, there’s a lot you’re going the learn about me. good things, weird things.” he shrugs casually. “this is one of the weird things.”

“only because you make it weird! come on, let me hear you,” you request and wrap a leg around his waist. you’re giving him a hopeful smile. “god, no. you’ll hate it,” he almost laughs, a hand on your thigh. “i’m literally a singer. how could i hate something i love?” you refute, batting your lashes at him. “especially when someone i love is doing it.” “i love you, too. but, i’m not.” he’s quick to shut you down.

“drop a bar!” you try to coax him, which he already has a comeback for. “you first.” “i can’t. my throat is all scratchy from earlier,” you lie. tom presses his lips into a line, feigning pity. “aw, you know what’ll make you feel better? tea. i’ll go get you some.” he turns to shut the water off, so you grab his shoulders. “no, the steam is working. you can stay.”

“love,” tom addresses you in a warning tone that you can’t take seriously. he can’t either, a giggle escaping him. “my voice is shit. ask anyone, and they’ll tell you.” “i won’t believe them,” you hum, pushing back curls sticking to his forehead. “sounds like you just have stage fright. we can work on that, though.” “how?” he tightens his arm around your middle.

“i’ll bring you on for my next show. we’ll do a little duet.” you’re joking, though that would definitely be interesting to see unfold. “uh, never. what happened to you being tired?” tom cleverly deflects and digs his fingers into your side. you look down in defeat. “i forgot about that.” “yeah, yeah. no, seriously. we should really get to sleep, y/n/n.” he’s back to his sweet, attentive self. “‘s been a long night.”

giving in with a nod, you capture his lips in yet another kiss. tom never gets tired of them, and neither do you. you break it after a few seconds, lips lingering on his as they detach. “carry me?” you ask again, not caring how whiny you sound. tom presses a quick kiss to your forehead. “oh, you’re adorable. of course.”

well, you’ve found something to keep you occupied until the next leg of tour. you’re going to discover the many layers your intriguingly unusual boyfriend has.

[fordanoia]

Fic Writer Interview

I was tagged way way back by @endae​ (my beloved). Thank you for the tag!!!

How many works do you have on AO3?

19 (haha), I really gotta work on moving all my paranoid ford one shots over into a one shot series though. I have about 70 fic posts on here.

What’s your total word count on AO3

180,212. Half of which all comes from Gotham Falls which isn’t a surprise.

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Mainly just Gravity Falls. 

I wouldn’t really count the other stuff I’ve done because it’s only been 1 fic, and that was it really. R.ise of the Guardians, O.utlast:Whistleblower, S.anders Sides. N.aruto and D.eath Note if you wanna go way back.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. Even Stone Crumbles 2. I Think I Saw You 3. Gotham Falls 4. A Blinded Eye for a Blinded Eye 5. Please Come

I’m pretty happy ITISY is up there since that’s kind of my ‘best series work’, Blinded Eye too, that one’s been a lot of fun to write because it’s a ficlet series.

Kind of really thrown that the Even Stone Crumbles one shot is the hightest one though, dang people really just wanted to see Ford cry huh, I can accomodate that.

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Uh... rarely. 

Basically, it’s something where creators responding to me got me nervous so I didn’t generally do it as a creator myself until I found out some consider it polite to respond and since then I’ve been making an effort of doing it going forward. 

I’m not online that often nowadays though so... I haven’t done it much.

Wanna emphasize tho how much I THRIVE off of comments and that I appreciate them even if I didn’t reply to them. Genuinely I’ve made fics a higher priority bc a comment revitalized my passion for the fic.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Most of my paranoid one shots wind up with angsty endings where it’s implied that Ford just has to keep Living in it. 

I had one where he woke up and thought Bill had Killed A Person while he was possessing him, and it leaves off an unsettling note.

Do you write crossovers? If so, what’s the craziest thing you’ve ever written?

Rarely. I wouldn’t consider myself a crossover person, which is funny because I have one exception for that and it IS Gotham Falls (which is the stan twins from gf inside of gotham from b.atman the animated series).

For the sake of the question though imma include rp for wildest thing I’ve ever done which was rp as Chris McLean from total drama island and hosted a game of ‘rabbit doubt’ (which is an angsty rp game where 1 person is a killer and is killing the other characters until they’re the only one left or the group discovers who it is). Players included bill, some undertale characters, and etc.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

No. Worst I’ve ever gotten was slightly rude stuff.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

‘Rarely’ really is the word of the day here. Some g.ravity falls and some vamp oc content.  

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Nope. 

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No. Closest I’ve ever done has been rp. Remembered I co-wrote a fic with a friend when I was in middle school. Dual self-insert where the a.katsuki (from n.aruto) kidnapped us from our world and we wound up becoming ninjas.

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

hands down, B.illford. Manipulative and toxic is a ship dynamic I enjoy a lot.

Honorable second place B.lackice (J.ack Frost/P.itch Black) which i’ve been coming back to read fics for every long once in a while since 2013. Even if it’s only in spurts it is still technically the longest I’ve cared for a ship. (Surprisingly, I actually like this ship when Pitch genuinely reforms, kozmotis style)

(I don’t care about the vast majority of ships so not a hard competition here.)

What’s a WIP you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Gotham F- lol no, I’m determined to not die until I finish that bad boy.

Dear Stan(ford). Unfortunately, an easy answer. I’ve never gone back to finish it really, and it’s the lowest on the totem poles out of all my wips.

There’s nothing wrong with it, and it’s got good legs, but I think the slice-of-life sort of pace makes this harder for me to write especially with it being an episodic set up which gives me nothing much to jump to between each letter. 

It’s a bit of a ‘as the mood strikes me’ but I always have something higher priority and I’m more invested in so the mood never strikes.

What are your writing strengths?

I’d like to think that once I’ve got a character down that I can do their dialogue really well and character interactions. Characterization in general.

Also tense scenes.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Fluff, casual conversations, new characters, fighting.

Whenever I try anything entirely light hearted I generally fall flat and it all comes out so stocky/woody.

New characters, if I don’t Know A Character Through and Have A True Feel for them, then I just flounder all over the place. I don’t know how to write if I don’t know what they’d be thinking and feeling past about how ANY person would think/feel.

Fighting - I mean hell, common weakness, same issue as fluff/slice-of-life I just feel like I’m pushing words. Half the time I can get in a groove with it, but other times it’s - arm hit wall, punch go to face but miss.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

Yeah, more than fine. If the 2nd language becomes plot important then I think you should either include translation or mark the language as multilingual, but yeah nah.

I’m someone that has to know what it’s saying even if it’s not Plot Important so I prefer the translations regardless (if google translate won’t get the point across for me).

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

N.aruto. 

See above for mention of that self insert a.katsuki kidnapping fic.

We posted it on quizilla, and it’s a shame it’s gone because it was actually fun to read from what I remember.

What’s your favorite fic you’ve ever written?

.... That’s a hard decision. 

My baby is Gotham Falls, always has been. I’ve reached a difficult point on it though because I’m at a point where I’m bringing in mmm 6 new characters (B.atman villains) which I’m trying to bring in over the next 10 chapters PLUS it’s going to be with fight/action scenes probably every other chapter if not nearly every chapter - both of which are really hard for me to write. I adore it probably the most and it is easily the most I’ve worked on any fic, but it’s also my biggest challenge. (And it holds some of my oldest writing which as always can hurt to read when you’re better now, but NO way am i updating 60k of old work).

Then I love doing p.aranoid ford fics, they’re my favorite go to. Writing A Prime P.aranoid Ford fic that just flows out is one of my favorite things.

Alternatively - ITISY because it’s definitely my top 5 story concepts and one of my best executions of something wasn’t a one shot. 

I’m tagging @pinesbrosfalls, @fexalted, @novantinuum and whoever else may like to do this. Sorry if I double tagged and no pressure to do it of course.

[spaceorphanssecondbreakfastclub]

Reading X-Men: Uncanny X-Men 1-3

It’s been a long standing project of mine to finally read (and think) through the entirety of Uncanny X-Men (and many of its offshoots).  I’ve tried a few times to start, but of course, I get hung up.  Well, I’m not really going to buckle down and do it, even if it takes me the decade (which it probably will.)  

So, let’s start at the beginning -- the Silver Age of Comics, a time in the early 60s when comics were bright and colorful, and clearly targeted towards a very specific demographic of white, upper middle class boys ages 8-12.  I can’t say I’m a huge fan of this era of comics (even the most beloved titles such as Fantastic Four and Spider-Man), but that doesn’t mean we can’t find fun things to talk about here either.  

X-Men was one of the last titles Stan Lee created in his golden age with Marvel Comics, and his attempt to create a superhero team made up entirely of teenagers (as a way to get kids to relate?), and was drawn, infamously, by Jack Kirby.  Was the book any good? Meh, X-Men consistently had the lowest sales, and it’s not a surprise that it was cancelled by 1970.  But the whole idea of Mutants, of people being ostracized for being born different, is a concept that still very resonant today.  

X-Men Issues 1-3

The first three issues of the book aren’t much to write home about.  Pretty much all of Stan Lee’s comics have the same similar feel to them, and a structure that’s nearly unwavering.  The X-Men are introduced (usually by training in the Danger Room), the outlandish villain is introduced, the X-Men fight the villain and lose, the X-Men fight the villain and win.  The end.  Not very sophisticated these books. But they didn’t have to be -- kids just needed to read them.  Silver Age was less about story, and more about fun action sequences drawn on the page.  

So, let’s talk about the original line up of X-Men: 

Professor Charles Xavier: Founder of the X-Men.  He’s a rich, invalid guy who decided he wants to train teach younger members of homosuperior (yes, mutants are considered a different race) how to use their abilities to fight crime.  Because why not?  His mutant ability telepathy, telekinesis, and any other mind power you can think.  

Like pretty much all of the characters in the first few issues, he doesn’t have much personality.  He spends a lot of his time yelling at the X-Men through telepathy and having uncomfortable feelings about Jean Grey.  (Okay, it’s one panel, but my god, why??)  He also starts the series by having some serious issues with ethics, as he scrambles people’s minds without much thought.  

Scott Summers (Cyclops): The moody and broody ‘leader’ of the team.  He doesn’t do much but angst over the fact that his eyes shoot dangerous energy (not laser!) beams, and he could seriously danger anyone at any second.  

Warren Worthington III (Angel): The wealthy, playboy with wings attached to his back.  His most prominent skills are being that dude whom every woman rolls her eyes at and being able to dodge shit.  

Henry (Hank) McCoy (Beast): A jovial and loquacious oldest member of the team, who is supposed to sprout irony, being the most intelligent while his mutant power is being beast-like. 

Robert (Bobby) Drake (Iceman): The youngest and “coolest” member of the team, who is often incredibly juvenile and uses his ice powers to joke around.  (Bobby’s much, much later going to come out as gay, which adds an extra fascinating (and sometimes hilarious) layer onto his Silver Age persona.)  

Jean Grey (Marvel Girl): Jean gets to be the token girl back in an era when having a girl on the team was considered diverse.  I like Jean in general, but the unfortunate downside to her being a girl in a Silver Age comic is that she doesn’t get much to do.  She’s often regarded as being the weakest based solely on the fact that she’s a girl, despite the fact that she’s a telekinetic, and will eventually be one of the most powerful characters in the Marvel Universe.  She doesn’t get to do a whole lot other than be oogled by the guys on the team, and faint after she exerts a minimal amount of power on panel, often needing one of the men on the team to save her.  

It does get better, and I’m glad she’s at least around, but you can tell comics still had a long way to go.  

***

Like I said above, the structure of Silver Age comics is pretty much the same, and it really comes down to the villain of the week.  So, the villains of the first three issues: 

Magneto:  Long before Magneto’s tragic backstory is developed, before his long standing somewhat homoerotic friendship with Xavier is explored, and before his name is even established, Magneto makes his mark as being the first supervillain the X-Men ever fight.  He’s already in his classic red and purple costume, using his questionable powers of magnetism to screw around with nuclear bombs and threaten the world.  

And he’s an absolute delight.   He’s cheesy and the epitome of supervillain scenery chewing.  Do his powers make sense? Not really.  Does he really accomplish anything by blowing the world up? Nope.  But at least he’s ridiculous and fun, and memorable enough to become the most iconic villain in X-Men’s canon. 

Vanisher: Magneto’s followed up by the somewhat bland Vanisher, whose outfit is totally killer, but otherwise an idiot. The Vanisher’s power is to teleport (like Nightcrawler), and his brilliant plan is to steal secret plans from the government.  (He also decides to recruit a following - which is kind of hilarious.)  The X-Men aren’t really able to stop him, so Xavier steps in to wipe his mind.  Cause you know.  Ethics. 

The Blob: While the Vanisher is forgettable, and won’t really be remembered, The Blob ends up sticking around, albeit in smaller villainous roles.  The Blob’s whole schtick is that he’s a huge dude and nothing can really hurt him.  The X-Men try to “save” him from the circus, but the Blob is just one obnoxious dude, and isn’t really about being trained for Xavier’s mutant army, so he decides to head back to the circus.  And then gets his circus friends to attack the X-Men (why, I don’t know).  But because Stan Lee keeps writing himself into a corner, Xavier, once again, wipes the guy’s mind.  

And that’s really it - the first three issues of The X-Men! Whoo! :) 

[floraisann]

ateez reaction: filming an asmr video with an asmrtist s/o

➣ requested? X

➣ genre: fluff(prolly not but we’ll go w it), humor

➣ masterlist

A/N: yeah this was made entirely bc i was thinking about seonghwa getting scared over the fact that he made a nice sound in his one asmr vid so,,,, yeah. enjoy! :)

❅♩♬♩❅――

❥ kim hongjoong

was iffy about the idea until he realized hey, the two of you could still make music, just much quieter

you’d probably film like,,,, asmr songwriting,,,,, where it’s just you two working silently on a song

in the beginning it’s really quiet, but you do get some sexy pencil/keyboard sounds 🥰💕

once he gets into the groove of things he’s very calm and focused, and that relaxing vibe transfers into the video

tries to do actual asmr triggers, but everything gains rhythm and before you know it heyyy this a pretty sick beat 😳

the song he ends up writing uses only asmr triggers for the instrumental along with very soft vocals, and bc this man lives and breathes music ITS A WHOLE BOP

10/10 content. would nap to again

❥ park seonghwa

could not find gifs of his asmr video smh but anyways seonghwa, we know ur hot already, we get it. pls calm down

kq sir where’s the seonghwa asmr series the people don’t just want it, the people NEED it

was ready for this since before he exited the womb

since this man is already a whole asmrtist you’d film something like that “asmr friend tries giving me tingles” video 

very excited by the expensive mic

“is this how you do it” except he really doesn’t have any reason to ask you, he already knows what he’s doing

gets REALLY shook whenever he makes a god sound

like remember the plastic wrap/facial mist moment he had in his own vid?? that x10

the video you post with him ends up your most viewed. not because of the emotional support kpop boy you got on the video, no it’s the extreme quality 

❥ jeong yunho

you guys would probably film SOMETHING with talking, maybe one of the asmr interviews w magazine does

except there’s a real asmrtist asking questions and a kpop boy to answer

REALLY good at soft spoken asmr. like the low rumble in his voice!?! mmm. 23/10 would tingle again

probably really good in general. like even if he doesn’t watch asmr normally will probably watch a number of videos before filming to make editing easier on you so the video is actually VERY GOOD

honestly he probably makes the best sounds in the video and you’re just like :o

“jeong yunho, where’d you learn how to do that” “👀 the nice russian lady on youtube”

overall a very relaxing experience

he’d probably end up filming w you again because of how smoothly it goes

well done jeong yunho

❥ kang yeosang

does not have the slightest clue what the fuck he’s doing but he’s already quiet and gentle so you wouldn’t be able to tell

the very definition of fake it til you make it!

anyways you’d also probably have to film a semi-crackhead video with him to keep him engaged

yk the crush on 9 fast tapping relay thing w his 3 friends? i imagine that but w yeosang

maybe not the same exact concept, but like you’d definitely make something with the same relaxed “just playing around w my friends :)” energy

that being said yeosang is a package deal. if you have yeosang, at least one other member will make an appearance

but he’ll make sure it’s at least not the chaos lord wooyoung

idk his humor’s kind of underrated but it would definitely show in smth like that

like he’d actually produce good content, but his bloopers would be so funny that you can’t remove them, you just quiet them

the people would want him back anyways so he’d get better with time

10/10 recommend this mans as an asmrtist kq where’s the ateez asmr-

❥ choi san

i was looking for a certain gif of him from the woosan tingle interview and i was unsuccessful but you know what? this is just as good if not better because SAN

a lil too psyched for this relaxation joint but issokay, he cute

y’all probably make some type of ear cleaning video bc remember how excited he was when they gave him the earpick 🥺 

very focused on sound quality

squeaks whenever he makes a somewhat unpleasant sound

gets shiber into the video as an object to make triggers with

probably gets tingles somewhere along the way and just giggles to himself. it’s a little loud but please don’t edit it out

can and will recite ateez intros/outros. like he’ll just be vibing petting shiber then suddenly he’s leaning into the mic and just

“the freezing winds may make us-” he starts shaking shiber to emphasize his point “-shiverrr”

and what can you do but smile when all that separates you from the only man ever is a binaural mic?

one of the members whose end video is actually super high quality

❥ song mingi

clueless. there are three question marks floating above his head at all times

like he’s actually trying, he’s just big and loud

follows you around like a lost puppy

tries VERY hard to copy whatever you do and it’s VERY cute

phases in and out of whispering but completely on accident, he’s lost

like yunho, actually has a nice soft speaking voice once he figures that shit out

cute smile when he’s actually producing good content

honestly tho for mingi to stay engaged you might have to play some sort of game 

the video would probably be one of those “guess the trigger” games

like the one co9 made w his one friend? yeah that

mingi would end up with the chicken toy though

you’d have a lot of bloopers bc he either hits something/talks too loud/laughs but it’s okay, we stan song mingi!! and you know he wasn’t nearly as bad as a certain sagi groupmate he has!!!!

❥ jeong wooyoung

my good nctzens, my fellow grass, you know the jsmr jeno filmed w jaemin that absolutely went to shit? that’s what you’re filming with wooyoung. 

he’s jaemin, obviously

you’re probably gonna film some type of cooking asmr so he’s not BREATHING DIRECTLY INTO THE MIC

PLEASE don’t bring the electric mixer PLEASE make him whisk the batter like a “real man”

you probably get a shot somewhere along the way of him tossing an ingredient wrapper into the stratosphere or several

will lean into the mic to bring up a random tmi he remembered, all while breathing VERY heavily “ATINY DO YOU WANNA HEAR MY YOSHI IMPRESSION”

when he does that too he probably phases in and out of whispering in his excitement. your ears? wasted. 

probably whisper yells too

the video ends up really short because wooyoung is too chaotic for this type of thing. record a normal cooking video with him next time, please.

❥ choi jongho

actually relaxed, even gets the art of not breathing at the mic down very quickly and picks up filming tricks along the way

but since he’s still part of the chaos line you’d film something like the gibi/marno/goodnight moon collabs.

50% asmr misc. roleplay, 50% comedy film

an apple would make its way into the video YES he’ll break it

but far enough from the the mic that it doesn’t break you ears

and mr jongho is the master of keeping a straight face. the one pulling the stupid shit would be both of you, but ALL your noise cuts would be because YOU laughed, not him

maybe if you two had a brain this would’ve been the most successful endeavor but nope y’all take “no thoughts, head empty” way too seriously for that to happen

anyways stan choi jongho, aka my fav grocery store

❅♩♬♩❅――

[bathroombreaks]

gg 1x01 rewatch

the questions are from @pynkhues, you can find them here.

1. What was your favourite scene of the episode? Tell us why!

oooh it’s def the scene where the girls are getting ready to rob fine & frugal. i just find it hilarious that they’re about to rob a store and they’re talking about how their kids are doing in school?? like, what absolute lunatics!! and i think it sets up their dynamic very well right from the beginning, idk. everyone’s always saying that the three girls have a very lived-in chemistry and i agree and i think you can feel it right from this first scene of them together

2. Was there any scene that missed the mark for you? And if so, how?

idk?? i’m very bad at reading and watching things critically, i’m very easy to please, i think?? and this ep just makes me pleased as punch!! but i guess that the scene with beth and amber, while funny, doesn’t really hit the mark for me?? idk, the way she’s framed as a “beautiful dummy” and not as much at fault as dean kind of irks me. i totally get that dean is the married one, but amber clearly knew he was married and somewhat regularly saw his wife, i don’t think she should really be absolved of that. and, idk, i don’t like that she basically got a prize for cheating - like, “here, you helped my husband cheat on me, so take some money to go live your dreams” is such a weird response?? beth was very scathing in the delivery and i get the point was for amber to be out of their lives but, like, still?? why not just tell dean he has to fire her?? this just further proves that beth is an idiot and an absolute lunatic, which we already knew

3. Let’s talk about the Big 6 Character Intros – Beth, Ruby, Annie, Dean, Stan, Rio. What did you think? What did you like? What did you dislike?

oooh i really liked all of them!!!

i absolutely love annie’s, it’s so fun with the car speeding and then with her banter with ben. i love the way they set up their dynamic right from the get go!!

and then ruby and stan’s intro was also amazing!! you get right away that they love each other so much and are so supportive of each other!! the way they both gesture when sara is talking about the women standing next to the men is so cute!!! i love it!!

rio’s is also amazing, he’s a snarky little bitch right from the get go and they really did a great job of also surprising us, thanks to the camera angle, and really driving home that he’s the boss.

i think the one i liked the least is actually beth and dean’s?? i mean, they do a good job of immediately letting you know that beth is the overworked mother and dean is the lazy, good-for-nothing husband - i mean, she’s running around, taking care of everything, and then he just strolls in and asks the kids to go to the car, without even having his tie done. but i think it’s a little misleading and i think it’s one of the reasons why the fandom (including myself) maybe has a harder time accepting beth staying with dean (aside from the fact that dean is a fucking asshole and he deserves nothing less than a horrible death, i mean)?? it really sticks in your mind this contempt she seems to have for him?? and, of course, then you get the flashback to beth getting waxed for him, and so you understand that they were maybe going through a bit of a rough patch but she wanted to work through it, but what sticks in your mind is that first scene, where she’s full of contempt, not even able of saying a perfunctory i love you back. and since they seem to want to drag out the boland marriage as much as possible, i think they kind of failed there.

4.   Ruby tells Stan to fix the damn door! Is Stan an amazing handyman? A terrible one??? 

i think stan is anywhere from ok to amazing, they’re just so overworked that he hasn’t had time?? idk, paired with the fact that he says he’s pulling a double at the beginning of the ep and that it doesn’t seem to be a new or uncommon thing, it just reads to me like a thing he really does want to take care of at some point but hasn’t found the time to do yet

5. Do you think Beth, Ruby or Annie had a way out of their individual financial situations that didn’t involve crime?

in short: nope. in long:

ruby and stan are desperate. they mention stan’s parents at some point, but i assume they just don’t have the money to help them?? and, i mean, they’re both working double shifts and they mention that they’ve had their gofundme page up for years. i think if they had any other way they absolutely would’ve already taken it, for sara’s sake.

we can assume from the flashbacks we get in 2x08 that annie and beth didn’t have as stable a home life as all that. i assume that either their parents are both now dead or they just have no communication with them. either way, they don’t have them as a safety net.

when it comes to annie, she’s working a minimum wage job, driving a very shitty car and her kid’s laptop has been broken for a month without her being notified, because said kid knows they don’t have the money to get a knew one. she does ask for help from the richest person the girls know later (that’s how i think they phrased?? i’m pretty sure), her ex, who promptly says no. so, yeah, it’s safe to say she doesn’t have a way out of her financial situation either.

and, in regards to beth, i think she would absolutely help ruby (and annie) if she could. so the fact that she doesn’t, paired with the fact that we get mentions later that this is not the first time dean has managed to basically bankrupt the car dealership, makes me assume that either the bolands were living close to paycheck to paycheck, but stable enough that she didn’t worry, or that she did think they had some spare money and did give that to them when she could?? because i don’t see how she would not give ruby the money for sara, if she thought she had it, especially when she does it later in the season.

so, no, i don’t really think any of the girls had safety nets or ways to get out of their financial situation. except for beth. she could’ve gotten a job. i know it would’ve been hard because of her lack of work experience, but she could’ve at least tried instead of immediately jumping to robbery!!

6. Is Beth’s backsplash dope? Or was Rio just being a dick??

both!! i mean, i personally like the backsplash, but rio was absolutely just being an asshole, whether or not he did believe it was dope had nothing to do with it.

7. Five major story locations were set up this episode – Ruby’s house, Beth’s house, Annie’s apartment, as well as Fine & Frugal and Boland Motors. Was there anything that jumped out for you about these locations in this episode? Do you think that they were well established given what happens in each across the course of the series?

ok so i don’t know enough about like tv shows and storylines and all that stuff to answer this, i’m sorry. but, like, i think it’s very cool that fine & frugal is robbed in the first and last episodes of season 1, it’s a fun full-circle type of thing, and i love that we’re introduced to boland motors via dean’s affair and beth’s destruction of it because it’s something that permeates the place throughout the whole time?? i mean, beth later “borrows“ one of the cars, rio smashes the corvette because of beth, it gets raided by the fbi because of beth’s illegal activities - beth is always destroying it, even when she’s not literally destroying something like in that first episode. and in season 2 we have beth fully realising just how deep dean’s betrayal was in the middle of the boland motors showroom. both of those things are always there!! it’s cool. and saying that, i mean, they kind of went the same route with boland bubbles, if you think about it?? we get dean cheating on her there, her fully realising how deep his betrayal is via gayle’s comments and then her clearly robbing the place?? boland bubbles really is just a continuation of boland motors

8. We met lots of supporting characters this episode too – in particular Boomer, Baby Tyler, Amber and Greg. Based off of what we saw of them in this episode, pick one, and tell us what you think!

i love baby tyler and amber!! i love that we’re introduced to baby tyler being all smiley and y’know a little bit ridiculous eating ice cream while on the job and maybe obviously inept because of it. and maybe you expect him to not do anything during the robbery because of that but then he really tries?? he thinks he’s facing off with 3 armed criminals and he really goes for it, he doesn’t cower like boomer!! he’s adorable!! and amber i already talked about and i know i was a bit harsh but i really do love her!! her oblivious comments are gold.

9. Screenshot and/or tell us about your favourite character look~ this episode.

frankly, this ep doesn’t really have any stand out looks for me?? the one exception is annie’s outfit when she picks up ben in the porsche. you can really tell how happy she is that she could one up nancy, that she’s proud of herself because she’s gonna get to give ben the laptop he needs.

10. This episode gives us some sharp character notes on Beth, Ruby and Annie – from Beth’s capacity for violence to Ruby’s visceral anger around being ignored, particularly when it comes to her daughter’s wellbeing, to Annie’s tendency to run a mile when given an inch. Is there a moment that stood out to you, particularly in light of future seasons?

ohhh i mean, there’s something to be said about beth’s capacity for violence uh? she keeps refusing to acknowledge it, because that doesn’t fit her stepford wife without a pulse image as annie calls it, but it’s always there - she’s always ready to blow up and throw some keys at your face. and ruby’s response to being ignored kind of screws her over?? she was very lucky jt only wanted her address for his nephew and didn’t become a second mary pat. idk, i’m sorry. like i said, not very good at critical thinking.

[misshazelevers20]

GG 2.02 Discussion Questions

thank you @pynkhues for the lovely questions!!

1. What was your favourite scene of the episode? Tell us why!

Shocking, but I’m not going to choose a beth x rio scene ( even tho they were amazing), I have to say that my absolute favorite scene is “ I’m that bitch” speech. Ruby was amazing and she was 100% right and I love her. 

2. Was there any scene that missed the mark for you? And if so, how? 

I just hate how often the girls get blackmailed and they have to go through so much shit just to get the money and... yikes. Just kill Boomer and you won’t have to worry about getting him money. Also it’s not like he is trustworthy, he could lie to them and say that he is leaving, but then he would testify anyway.  

3. At the start of this episode, the girls discuss Rio’s assignment and they talk about it as a gang initiation - blood in, blood out. Do you think this is what Rio actually intended in giving them the job? Or do you think it was still more of a punishment for his arrest?

It was definitely a punishment, because shooting Dean hadn’t been enough ( let’s be honest, that’s not a punishment, that’s like a gift). I also think that Rio wanted to make sure that the girls would never dare to turn him in to the police again because they would have blood on their hands. Also also maybe he gets turn on by the idea of Beth killing people, we don’t kinkshame around here. 

7. Nancy gets a lot of great scenes in this episode, and in particular it seems to mark an overall turning point in her relationship with Annie twice over – the first when it becomes clear that she wants a relationship with Annie, and secondly the betrayal of realising Annie’s been sleeping with Greg. Why do you think Nancy sought out a friendship with Annie? And what do you think of Annie’s varying responses to the other woman?

I don’t think that Nancy ever disliked Annie, she just found her intimidating in the beginning. But now that she is pregnant with Greg’s child she wants to be friends with Annie and ask her for advice. Annie definitely didn’t like Nancy for a very long time, now I think that she feels guilty for what she had done and she feels sorry for Nancy. 

8. “I don’t think I’ve ever looked at Dean the way you looked at Stan.” Discuss!

Maybe this is an unpopular opinion, but I don’t think that Beth ever loved Dean in a romantic way. Did she had a crush on him when she was a teenager? Sure. Does she loves him as a friend/person? Of course. But I very much doubt that she was ever in love with him. I think that she married him because he had promised that he would take care of her and she cared about him. She wasn’t crazy over him but she told herself that it’s okay, that it doesn’t matter, because they can still be happy. And yes, maybe she was jealous of Ruby because she married the person she was in love with, but that’s something that Beth would never admit. 

9. “I’m that bitch” Discuss! 

I have no words, that scene is absolutely amazing and I love that Ruby is proud of what she had done to save her family. 

10. We’ve seen Beth try to bullshit Rio a lot across the three seasons of the show, but arguably the scene at the pool is one of her most brazen lies. Do you think Rio believed Beth at any point in her story? What do you think was running through both their heads in the moment of it?  

Nope, I rewatched the scene and it’s pretty clear to me that he never believed her. He has the talent of seeing right through her bullshit, and he seemed quite amused by the fact that she tried to lie to him about murdering Boomer. Beth was just trying to keep calm and hope that he got distracted by her boobs and actually believed her lie. 

11. Why do you think Beth aggressively stole / tore down the stop sign?

Because she needed to feel in control at least once. 

12. That final scene with Beth and Rio is another massive turning point in the season overall, and likely one of their most emotionally honest. What are your thoughts on it overall? And what do you make of it in the context of the broader series?

I’m sorry, am I supposed to actually answer this coherently???? asdfghjkl, that scene is amazing and I’ve been obsessed with the song for months and omg can you believe that he touched her again and he is going to teach her and she was so soft and at one point he looked like he was going to kiss her and i died and i cannot with these two. 

13. On a scale of one to ten, how mad are you that we never got the scene where Rio taught Beth how to use a gun?

11, how dare they?! I’ve always had a weakness for Mentor ships and I would never forgive them for not showing us that scene. ( I also have this hc that Rio basically used any excuse to touch Beth and that’s when she realized that he was attracted to her- she married her first boyfriend so she isn’t an expert when it comes to flirting).   

[tozierpunks]

re: the losers having kids who become friends

Stan and Patty planned for kids; they were definitely trying before that call came. So when IT is defeated and Stan is a-okay, they finally get the babies they want. Jennifer comes first; she’s a firecracker of a kid. She’s loud and she’s uninhibited and she’s everything that would’ve exhausted Stan as a child. He adores her. He combs her hair at night before bed, and ties ribbons in her pigtails before school, and he’s so incredibly proud to be her father.

After deciding to have their two (and absolutely NO MORE) kids close together, Patty gives birth to little Andrew. He’s very much a follower, and hangs on to his sisters’ every word. She gets them into all sorts of shenanigans, and Andy is a dutiful baby brother. He’s constantly got his thumb in his mouth; which is CUTE.

Stan brags to the other losers that his kids never fight.

Bill and Mike take their time getting together; Billy has a divorce to get through after all. As soon as it’s all said and done though, they start looking to adopt. It doesn’t take long at all -- in fact, it seems like... fate. Whether it is or isn’t, Mike is awed when their little Lucy stumbles through the door.

She has a fairly large burn on the left side of her face, which will become a permanent scar. Her parents died in a car crash, which gave her the mark in the first place. Mike says she looks like an angel, which rapidly gets her out of her shell.

They adopt her as quickly as they can. Then it occurs to them, one CRUCIAL fact they didn’t quite consider: the world............. is horrifically dangerous.

Most of their time is spent keeping Lucy’s curious behind out of trouble. She’s the Tommy Pickles of the kids; danger is her middle name and she also laughs in the face of it. She’s got courage but also... no offense to Bill, but she’s got his Big Stupid. She finds a feral cat and - despite it scratching her to ribbons - she wants to take him home and give him a bath. Mike has to quickly yeet her out of the bathroom and trap the cat inside before calling animal control.

Ben and Bev? They have five (5) kids, which... is on brand. Two sets of twins; Milo and Miles, followed by Olivia and Owen, and then finally their baby, Archie.

Milo Hanscom is a sweet lil poundcake; he’s very much like his dad. If a conversation isn’t going EXACTLY how he mapped it out in his brain, he will turn and walk away with no added explanation. On the other hand, Miles is a lot like his mom. He’ll sneak cigarettes and he’s incredibly smart; he’ll swipe a bag of candy from Keene’s store and sell each piece for a quarter on the schoolyard. Bev has no idea where he gets his income, but she is SUS.

Miles and Jenny are actually best friends; as toddlers, they would go up to each other (sneak up, really), and smack each other on the heads as a greeting.

Olivia and Owen are as close as sisters can be; they have their own language, and both of them are brilliant, scholarly girls. Owen will absolutely stab anyone in the way of her GPA. They’re the masterminds when they’re babies: all those shenanigans the Rugrats get into? Owen or Olivia hatches the plan, and they have their older brothers wrapped around their fingers! So they have the muscle to back up their ideas.

Archie is the super sweet baby child. He is SCARED. Of EVERYTHING. He cried during his first haircut. Animals terrify him. As a baby, he’d sob when the sun disappeared behind clouds. Ben tried playing peekaboo with him once, and Archie was inconsolable bc “WHERE IS MY DADDY?!?” Those kawaii stress balls - the squishy things with cute faces? THOSE are harder than Archie Hanscom.

Finally, we have Richie and Eddie’s kids: Julian and Deana. Biologically (because yes, they chose surrogates), Julian is Eddie’s, whereas Deana is Richie’s. And... it kinda shows through their behavior.

Julian is the first of the Losers 2.0 to say no to his parents. His first word: No his second word: Nah-uh his third word: Nope his fourth word is stinky, but that’s neither here nor there.

HE KEEPS BREAKING SHIT. Ofc it’s an “accident.” How far can this lamp tilt? How much water is too much for the doggie bowl? How much of this lotion and toilet paper can he fit in the toilet? (He counts to twelve, but to be fair, he skips numbers 3-11 cause he doesn’t know those. “1, 2, 12.”) How much Julian can fit through the doggie door? (the answer is half)

Now Deana-- they panicked in the hospital. Eddie grabbed Richie by the shoulders and said, “Every gay couple our age has a pet or daughter named Diana. We can’t name her after the princess.” and Richie goes, “Psh, of course.” and haphazardly scrawls and “e” over the “i” on her birth certificate.

Julian is one and a half years old when he meets his baby sister, and Eddie carried him in to see the newborn infant. Her weird beady eyes terrify him, and his immediate response is to smack her lil face. This instigates their childhood long fight, because they don’t stop for the next thirteen years.

On Julian’s third birthday he asks for them to take Deana back to the hospital bc, “she’s stinky, and I hate her,” and he smiles like :D when he proposes the idea. He’s convinced Deana is broken because she refuses to eat; she’ll suck the salt off fries, and eat a lil piece of pepperoni off the pizza, but other than that, no thanks!

Now when you get all the kids together? Ultimate chaos! Jenny and Olivia lead all the others on their bikes to ride around Derry, and when Miles finds the Barrens, those girls have the brilliant idea to build a clubhouse. Ofc neither of them wanna get dirt under their nails, so they enlist Miles, Milo, Lucy, and Julian. Deana keeps trying to eat the dirt, and Julian is huffy bc he has to stop her.

Archie screams every time a bug flies by, and Lucy gives him her sweater (she knows he likes it, because it’s a pastel green and v. soft), telling him, “My daddy made this for me, and it protects you from monsters, if you believe it does.”

Throughout digging, each of the kids rotate who brings snacks and games. The Hanscom kids always have a great haul (mostly because there’s more grabby hands to raid their pantry), and everyone is so-so when it’s Julian and Deana’s turn, bc the only sugary thing in their cupboards are cereal.

While everyone’s digging (they’re about two feet into the project at this point), Andy and Owen are playing a game of scrabble. Neither of them wanted to get their hands dirty! Much to Owen’s surprise, Andy wins. She’s not a good loser, and she very huffily throws the board a couple feet away. Andy, a patient and good sport, goes to get it, when he falls through the large mound of leaves.

All the Losers 2.0 panic (Jenny “strangles” Miles as she shouts that her parents will be SO PISSED if she let the earth eat her brother), and are relieved when he pokes his little head out from the leaves. He looks excited, and he shouts, “GUYS LOOK WHAT I FOUND!”

Julian puts Deana in her wagon (which all the other babykids ride in too, so Deana, Archie, Lucy, and usually Andy) and pulls them over - with Milo’s help ofc, and Olivia is the first to venture down. She turns on a flashlight and echoes Andy’s excitement, “GUYS, LOOK!”

Climbing down the ladder, one by one, the kids marvel in complete awe at their discovery. There’s a swing, a dusty old hammock, and even a super old-looking stereo. With a little elbow grease, this hole could be turned into EXACTLY the clubhouse they wanted. Their entire summer goes to making the clubhouse a perfect hangout spot.

One night, while the original Losers Club is having a barbecue, Patty asks, “Where do you think those kids run off to all day?”

Ben fondly thinks back on the clubhouse he and his friends created together, and he can only hope his kids find something half as great. “Probably somewhere fun,” he says.

“It’s probably how it was when we were kids,” Richie says, looking at each of his friends. “The best.”

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

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[orangeoctopi7]

A-Hiking We Will Go

Part 1 : Part 2 : Part 3 : Part 4 : Part 5 : Part 5 : Part 6 :  Part 7 :  Part 8

Despite how eager he’d been to start this trip yesterday, Ford was really dragging his feet getting ready that morning. He took his sweet time loading all their equipment into the back for Fiddleford’s truck, and he insisted on packing sleeping bags and a few cans of food.

“Just in case we end up taking longer than expected inside Crash Site Omega.” He explained when Stan reminded his brother they weren’t planning on camping.

Then he wanted to double check that they had everything they needed, which was uncharacteristic of Stanford. McGucket was the one who liked to triple-check things, Ford was normally much more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants type. 

When they finally got underway, it was after lunchtime. As McGucket drove toward the hill, with Ford giving directions, Stan dug around through their supplies to see if he could find any snacks. 

“I got you a bag of toffee peanuts,” Ford looked up from the compass he was using to navigate, “They should be right beneath your seat.”

“Oh, uh, thanks…” Stan dug the bag out from under his seat. “But, uh, I’ve… kinda lost my appetite for the stuff.” He handed the bag up to Ford.

“Well I don’t want them!” His brother huffed.

“Oh for the love of-- I’ll eat them!” McGucket snapped, swiping the bag from between them. “I swear, you two are worse than my five-year-old!”

What with all the bumpy back roads they had to take, it took nearly an hour before they reached the field they were looking for. Unloading all their equipment and supplies took a while too. 

“Ford, I can’t carry everything.” Stan insisted with a roll of his eyes. 

“You can lift well over a thousand pounds!”

“Yeah, but there’s a huge difference between lifting and carrying. I’ve still gotta balance it all on my back.”

Eventually, they divided up the load a little more evenly. Stan was still carrying the bulk of the weight, but Ford was also carrying as much as he could. McGucket was given the lightest bags, but he was still huffing and puffing by the time they reached the foot of the hill.

“I could use a breather.” The inventor wheezed as he slumped down in the shade of a small aspen tree.

“Hey, no complaints here.” Stan set his own bags down with a resounding thud. 

Ford shook his head, unable to keep the smug smile off his face. “If only the two of you had a rigorous physical regimen like mine. Before either of you came out here, I’d hike out to the falls at least once a week! And here we are, not even half-way to Crash Site Omega, and you’re both already winded! And Stanley, you’re supposed to have super strength!”

“Oh, I’m sorry, why don’t I let you carry all your science crap then, Dr. Strongman!” Stan retorted. “And for the record, I’m not winded. I’m just ready for a little break.”

“I’m winded, and I ain’t ashamed to admit it.” Fiddleford panted.

“Well, take a drink and eat something. You’d be surprised how much that helps. We’re in no rush.” Ford assured his friend.

“Well, I mean, we are in kind of a rush,” Stan pointed out. “If we wanna get back to the truck before dark. It’s already getting to be mid afternoon.”

“Don’t worry, Stan, I brought sleeping bags, just in case.” Ford assured him.

“Just in case, he says.” Stan rolled his eyes. “That’s why you were takin’ your sweet time this morning! You’re just that dead-set on camping!”

“That’s absurd!”

“Would you two give it a rest?” McGucket complained, looking up from a diagram of robotic hiking legs he’d been sketching in the dirt. “I thought ya said y’both were gettin’ along better after I left, but it seems to me like you’re fightin’ as much as before.”

The twins shared a sheepish glance and dropped the argument.

“Truth be told, I wouldn’t mind spendin’ the night out here if’n we can take more breaks and go at a slower pace.” The inventor continued. “I’m as eager to see this crash site as anyone could be, but I’d also like to have the energy to actually explore it once we get there.”

Ford shot Stan a triumphant smirk.

“Yeah, fine.” Stan sighed. “We’ll camp overnight, if that’s what makes you nerds happy.”

The three of them continued at a slower pace from that point on, taking breaks whenever McGucket needed them, which was often. Ford wasn’t bothered at all. Their leisurely walk and frequent stops gave him more opportunities to study the local wildlife. He even managed to spot a plaidypus as it came out to sniff at the remains of Stan’s snack mix. 

* * *

The sun was beginning to cast long shadows by the time they reached the top of the hill. 

“Ah, just as I left it.” Ford said with satisfaction as he rolled a large-ish boulder to the side. Beneath it was a strange metal panel, marked with circuitous symbols neither Stan nor Fiddleford recognized. The researcher aimed one of the magnet guns he had brought with him down at the panel, and it popped out of the ground with a satisfying clang.

McGucket’s knee started bouncing faster than Ford had ever seen it go before, and Stan’s eyes were as wide as when they’d first found the Stan’O’War in that cave by the beach. Stanford couldn’t help but feel a little giddy. Sharing his greatest discovery yet with his brother and his best friend was a true pleasure. 

“Fiddleford, you’ll need a magnet gun to safely navigate the ship, and to disable any security systems that might still be running. Stanley, I’ve only got the two guns, but between your ability to climb up walls and the web shooters, I think you’ll be even more mobile than us.” He handed them their headlamps, magnet gun, and web shooters, and began to climb down the ladder. McGucket followed down after him with an excited grin spreading across his face. Stan came next, slightly more cautious in his approach. He looked up around at how the ceiling of the UFO  gently curved away from him on either side, then down at the ladder, which dropped straight down into what looked like a dark abyss.

NOPE. Stan’s complicated relationship with heights told him.

“Hey, uh, I’m gonna just climb down the wall. See you guys at the bottom.”

“Alright, just try not to get lost.” Ford waved him off.

“You two are the only other source of light down here, I think I’ll be able to find you.”

Stan crawled down the wall, taking in the sights as he went. The aliens’ architecture was unlike anything he’d ever seen. It was all curvy and smooth and shiny like an oil spill. It reminded him of the inside of the big spiral shells that would wash up on the beach sometimes. The metal was smooth as glass; so smooth Stan almost felt like he shouldn’t be able to stick to it, but he did. Long recessed ridges were carved into the walls, making huge symbols like the ones he’d seen on that panel Ford had opened up to let them in here. Stan wondered if the symbols were some kind of language, just for decoration, or if they served some sort of purpose. 

As he continued to climb down the curve of the wall, the pair of lights that were his brother and McGucket grew smaller and smaller as he ventured further away. Luckily, whatever these walls were made of, they were very reflective. The whole place seemed lit up from just a few headlamps.

Eventually, Stan came upon the entrance to a large tunnel. It had to be at least ten feet tall and twice as wide. He was easily able to jump down to the ground from that height without hurting himself. He glanced back to the tiny lights, still several yards up the ladder. He then shone his own headlamp down the long, elliptical hallway, peering into the darkness. 

Part of him wanted to explore the tunnel himself, but it was pretty creepy being on an unknown alien ship by himself. Stan would feel a lot more comfortable exploring the ship with his brother by his side, and not just because Ford had been down here before. It was almost like when they were little kids, and they just naturally stood closer together when they were both nervous.

Stan slowly made his way back toward the bottom of the ladder and the lights, passing several strange control panels and consoles on the way. Those long grooves continued across each wall and through the floor, branching off into more of those circuitous symbols. Down here on ground level the smooth metal surface was broken up by cracks and dents. Stan guessed they had been caused by the crash. Or at least, he hoped they had.

When they met back up, Fiddleford was in absolute awe of the place. He was darting around excitedly, taking in every little detail, running his hands along the circular symbols and trying to figure out the control panels.

“Uh, you sure it’s a good idea to be messin’ with this stuff?” Stan asked apprehensively. “We don’t even know what it does.”

“Relax, this ship crashed millions of years ago. Everything’s defunct.” Ford assured him.

“Have you been able to date it?” Fiddleford asked eagerly.

“Yes! I was actually able to locate a few skeletal remains!” The researcher answered with just as much gusto. “Carbon dating put it at approximately 30 million years old!”

“So the crash would have taken place in the early Oligocene… have you looked up any fossil evidence to back that age up?”

“I was able to correlate it to a few tree rings preserved up by Mount Saint Helens. There’s a spike in rare-earth metals and radioactive isotopes that match the makeup of this ship.”

Stan tuned out the nerd speech and just followed them along as they continued examining the ship and going bananas over every little thing they came across. Not that Stan wasn’t impressed with the crashed UFO. He just didn’t understand most of what the nerds were going on about. So far all he’d seen were weird symbols and oddly smooth metal walls. Now, if they ran into some of those skeletal remains Ford had mentioned, that would be more his speed!

“Hey Ford, there any more dead bodies down here?” 

“A few.” Ford answered casually, as if his brother had just asked if there were any potato chips left. “Either the crew was disproportionately small compared to the size of the ship, or most of them vaporized while entering the atmosphere, but I have run into a couple of alien remains. If we’re lucky, we should find more while we search for the Hyperdrive.”

“And where are we supposed to find that?” Stan asked. “This ship is half the size of the valley!”

“Don’t worry, between Fiddleford’s mechanical know-how and my intuition, we should be able to find it in no time!”

“Uh…” McGucket stammered, “I’m not so sure about that, Ford. This is far beyond the scope of my knowledge. We dunno if these alien fellers follow the same mechanical traditions as Earth!”

“True, but physics is universal. All their machinery still has to follow the same physical laws.” Ford reasoned. “I’m sure you’ll be able to figure it out.”

“I appreciate yer confidence in me, but I wouldn’t even know where to begin! It could take days, no, months for me to map out the configuration well enough to find their main power source!”

“You can do it.” The researcher assured him. “All you need is a little help from a friend.”

With that, Ford sat down on  the floor, cross-legged, and rested a hand on each knee, open palm facing up towards the ceiling, his fingers gently curling as he took a deep breath and relaxed.

“Uh… what are you doing?” Stan asked in confusion. 

“Meditating.” Ford answered, closing his eyes. “Now shhsh!”

The two of them just watched in awkward silence as Ford began muttering to himself. He whispered so quietly, it was clear he was hoping his friends wouldn’t hear him, but it was dead silent inside the wrecked spacecraft, so they did anyway.

“We need to find the hyperdrive. Do you know where it is?”

Stan’s blood ran cold as his twinging spider-sense he had connected to that yellow triangle returned. Oh, not again!

Fiddleford was giving both the twins concerned looks. Sure, it was strange for Stanford to sit down on the floor of an alien spaceship and apparently ask the air where to find the hyperdrive, but Stanley’s eyes widened as if his brother had just set himself on fire. 

After a moment of waiting and listening, Ford nodded, opened his eyes, and stood up.

“...Did that help?” McGucket asked uncertainly. Ford shushed him.

The researcher appeared to be following something only he could see. Stan wanted to kick himself for not bringing those light filtration goggles, but there had already been so much equipment to worry about. All the two of them could do was follow Ford as he ventured down the hall Stan had found earlier. It just went on and on for several minutes, until Ford stopped in front of an alcove. To the untrained eye, it didn’t look any different from the many others they had passed, but Ford pressed his fingers into one of the grooves running along the wall and pulled up, cracking open some sort of door. Stan cautiously stepped forward and helped him open it, despite the way the triangle’s presence was grating on his nerves. Thankfully it seemed that, once they reached their destination, the thing left. Stan couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief when the sensation stopped. 

“This should be the engine room.” Ford said with certainty.

“How… how did you know where to find it!?” McGucket wondered with disbelief.

“Intuition.” Ford answered, as if that actually settled it. “Be sure to step over that security beam.” He pointed to a faint beam of light near the door they had just entered. “If that’s still working, the other security measures may be as well.”

Stan and McGucket shared a concerned glance. Ford didn’t seem willing to elaborate on how he knew all this. True, he had been here before, but he had been as clueless as they were about finding the hyperdrive before. Of course, Stan had his theories.

“Well, let’s get what we came here for.” Stan shrugged, sharing another significant glance with Fiddleford, hoping he got the implied We’ll talk about this later when we’re alone.

McGucket nodded and tried to push his worries to the back of his mind, instead focusing on the once-in-a-lifetime chance to examine alien technology.

* * *

By the time they got the hyperdrive back to the surface, the sun was barely peeking above the horizon and the sound of crickets after the near silence of the UFO was deafening. Despite the eerie moment while locating the engine room, spirits were high. Everyone was happy they’d been able to accomplish their goal with little to no trouble. Ford was obviously pleased that he’d finally been able to share this huge secret with someone, McGucket was absolutely giddy with what he’d learned just from examining the alien technology, and Stan had gotten to mess around with a real alien skeleton. It had been a very successful trip. 

Now Ford was busy clearing a fire pit while McGucket gathered firewood. Stan had his web shooter out and was carefully examining the nearby trees, looking for low-hanging branches. 

“Huh… wonder if I could make a tent out of web…”

“No need, it will be calm and clear tonight.” Ford assured him.

“Forecasts can be wrong, genius.”

“It’s not just the forecast I trust.” Ford grinned. “I discovered a scroll a while back that has spells for manipulating the weather. I used one yesterday that guarantees there will be no storms tonight.”

“Huh.” Stan busied himself setting out their sleeping bags instead. 

Soon enough, camp was set up, and they began preparing a dinner of roasted weenies and canned beans. As the sunlight finally faded and the stars began to shine, the conversation turned to the future, and how their lives would change once they put the hyperdrive to use and completed their project.

“As much as I enjoy bein’ out here and workin’ with ya,” Fiddleford said, “Once the project’s finished, I’m goin’ back to my family in California.”

“Why don’t you move your family out here?” Ford asked. “Surely a small community like Gravity Falls would be a better place to raise your son than Palo Alto.”

“Maybe so, but I gotta get my own career off the ground first. I’d like to start patenting robotics that’ll make folks’ lives easier, and there’s a lot more billionaires in California who’re willin’ to invest in independent inventors. I wanna give Tate what I didn’t have growin’ up, like a nice house with a screen door that doesn’t blow open every time there’s a gust of wind.”

“Heh, working screen doors? I don’t think those exist.” Stan chuckled.

“We certainly didn’t have one in our home.” Ford rolled his eyes.

“Haha, I can practically still hear Ma yellin’--”

“Who locked the screen door!?” The twins mimicked in unison, then shared a laugh.

“What about you, Ford?” Stan asked. “Lemme guess, you’re gonna start tourin’ me around to all the big scientific conventions, showin’ off all you’ve learned about the Amazing Spider-Mutant!”

Ford shot his brother a hurt look. “Stanley, I wouldn’t do that to you! You of all people should know I’d never want to see anyone paraded around like an exotic animal, least of all my own brother! I know you’ve been keeping your identity a secret because you don’t want to be treated like… like a freak.” Like me. “I wouldn’t ever publish anything we’ve learned from studying your powers without your permission.”

Stan gaped at his brother in surprise for a moment. All the time he’d been here, he’d figured Ford was keeping him around because he was a walking scientific discovery. Ford was always going on and on about how much they could learn from him, about how useful his powers would be to their studies. And while Stan was the only one here who wasn’t a genius, that didn’t mean he was completely stupid. He knew there had to be some sort of Nobel Prize or some other sort of sciency award for discovering a mutated human being who could climb walls and lift thousands of pounds. And yet, Ford wasn’t interested in any of that, simply because he knew his brother wouldn’t be comfortable with it. It was almost like Ford cared more about Stan as an individual than as a research opportunity. And that was more than Stan had ever allowed himself to hope for.

“Wow, uh, thanks Ford.” Stan finally said, at a loss for words.

“Besides, I’ve got my eyes on a bigger prize.”

Fiddleford and Stan shared a glance and sat back. It was clear from Ford’s tone that he was about to launch into one of his lectures.

“Every major field of science has a unifying theory, something that ties all the different pieces of their discipline together. Chemistry has the periodic table. Geology has plate tectonics. Biology has evolution. Physics has mass-energy equivalence. Cryptozoology and the study of other anomalies aren’t taken seriously as a science, partially because there is no underlying theory to tie it all together. That’s why I’ve come here to Gravity Falls. Surely, here, in the middle of the highest concentration of living anomalies in the world, I’ll be able to find that Grand Unifying Theory of Weirdness. 

“When we finally discover the origin of all anomalies and prove my theory right, the world will finally see that the weird things of the world are not something to fear or overlook, and I’ll go down in history as the man who brought it all into the spotlight! I’ll be among the scientific greats of our time, like Carl Sagan and Steven Hawking! I’ll finally be able to go home a hero! Stan, imagine the look on Crampelter’s face when I’m on TV, shaking hands with the President! Better yet, imagine what the West Coast Tech Board of Directors will think when they realize the man who changed the world is the same kid they rejected years ago! Then we’ll see who’s a waste of time!”

Stan’s eyebrows shot up as he listened to his brother’s tirade. I'll finally be able to go home. He'd been wishing for that for over a decade. He'd never imagined his brother was hoping for the same thing. Only Ford wasn't just trying to buy back the approval of their father; he was trying to win the respect of the whole town! 

And apparently the hotshots over at West Coast Tech as well. Stan was shocked by his brother's bitter tone as he imagined showing them he wasn't a waste of time. The only other person his brother had ever taken that tone with was, well, Stan, when the young scientist had still blamed his brother for smashing the spider habitat. Despite the fact that it was over a decade ago, despite the fact that Ford had discovered an alien ship and was on the verge of this world-changing theory, the pain of their rejection still affected him. Stan knew losing that scholarship had hurt Ford financially and academically, but he'd never really thought of how much it must have hurt emotionally.

Well, obviously there had been a bunch of emotions between the two of them, plenty of betrayal and broken trust and all the negativity that came with that. But Stan always felt like he was the one who came out with the worst of it. He hadn't considered that Ford dealt with more emotional damage outside of that.

"If you're so keen to be the talk of the scientific community, why wait?" McGucket asked, interrupting Stan's thoughts. "Ya got a discovery right here that'll change the world!" He slapped the hyperdrive for emphasis. "You publish yer findings on Crash Site Omega, heck, even just the weird fauna ya studied round these parts, and you'll be sittin' pretty. That'd give you time to settle down, maybe even meet someone and start a family of yer own."

Ford burst out laughing, and didn't stop for almost a minute. "No, heh, no, I don't think so." He finally said once his giggle fit had run its course. "Romance is one mystery of the universe I don't think I'll ever solve. And even if that weren't the case, once the truth about Gravity Falls and Crash Site Omega gets out, it will become a 'Weirdness Rush'. Every interested scientist, cryptozoologist, and curious bystander in the world will want to come explore this place. If I don't come up with the Unifying Theory of Weirdness first, someone else will. I'd just be a footnote, the Otto Lilienthal to someone else's Wright Brothers.

"I've never been one to take the path of least resistance. True, it's been a long, laborious, lonely road, but I know it will be worth it.” He looked up at his friend and his brother. “...And I'm glad it's not quite so lonely anymore."

Stan stood abruptly. "Welp, this is gettin' too sappy for me." He tried to hide his cracking voice behind a forced yawn.

"Stanley, are you crying?"

"I just got smoke in my eye! Shut up!"

MWEZ-RELA CMRSZ BY JR NHDSVT G NWYL GOTM. CCEK DWETQ HL I CPNSL QP ABSLBRQAM DMBM GU OIZXRT AW RQZ.

[elizabeatrice]

Walking Blind + Thoughts on The Little Mermaid Being Episode 12

Let’s Talk About JSHK Anime #2

Warning: Manga spoilers up until Tanabata Arc (basically that + the entirety of season 1 + the skipped arcs)

I’m gonna talk about how the anime keeps proving my predictions wrong with skipped arcs, and later right, with consequences. Due note that this isn’t me hating the anime (because I love it). Just my funny experience attempting to Sherlock my way through the anime, plus my thoughts on The Little Mermaid being the finale.

No deduction works when it comes to predicting this series.

It all started when episode 5, The Confession Tree, came out. I was looking forward to it ‘cause I’m hananene trash af. Legit thought the entire episode was gonna be about Kodama.

But then the episode preview pics came out and I was like, “Sakura wtf are you doing here you don’t show up again until three chapters later?”

My first prediction was ep 5 would be entirely Kodama, and then ep 6 would be Young Exorcist. Seeing that these arcs serve to build up Nene and Kou wanting to know more about Hanako, I thought it’d be nice that we set aside two episodes just for that.

But then Kodama finished somewhere around the fifteenth minute mark, and we started Young Exorcist Part 1. Which was, you know, fine. But then instead of continuing, they jumped right to the end of the arc when Nene met Sakura for the first time, and then kept going to No. 5′s rumor and revealed Tsukasa early. Next episode’s title preview confirmed it, too. Ep 6 was gonna be 4PM Bookstacks.

Okay. I still had hope. Maybe they just rearranged the order.

On the other hand, the lack of ‘Part 1′ in the title was alarming. And it came true. They packed four chapters into one episode. A lot of things got cut. There wasn’t enough room for the op, and they had to run the credits while the episode was still ongoing. Though, tbh, other than Tsuchi’s line about him being able to change the books (with dire consequences), I didn’t have much problem with the cut scenes.

Then this thing showed up.

Before ep 5 I didn’t think we’d get Donuts until around episode 9-ish. But nope the No. 7s would meet each other in ep 7 (lmao see what I did there?). Again, I was fine with it, but I was a bit upset about Young Exorcist.

Someone said it may be moved to the finale, and I didn’t like that idea. Mostly because Yashiro, our main audience POV, isn’t in the arc. And it just sounds weird having a finale without your main audience POV.

They could put her there, sure, but that would mean adjusting Nene and Teru’s every future interaction. Even without shipping goggles or Nene’s romance-colored glasses, do you think Nene would still act the same towards Teru if she saw him hurt Hanako like that? ‘Cause that was brutal. Like she wouldn’t run and protect him like she did when they met Kou.

They put Kou and Teru’s resolution from Young Exorcist into their convo in episode 7. This kinda makes Teru a bit useless, though. I mean, he still doesn’t do much in the manga but the tension between him and Kou was supposed to set up this badass fight. Since it didn’t happen, and Young Exorcist isn’t gonna be the finale either, then he’s pretty much useless.

Anyway, the thing about Teru being onto The Broadcasting Club?

Not from the manga.

I’m not sure if Manga!Teru is really onto them. As far as I remember, it wasn’t hinted anywhere in the manga. Do correct me if I’m wrong. So what was the point of that change?

I didn’t get pissed until halfway through episode 7 and suddenly Mitsuba was there, but no fishes.

“What is he doing here, where’s that puffer fish, where’s his murder? Hello?”

I was very neutral about Mitsuba from the very beginning but when he showed up where The Little Mermaid (and my fish murder!!!) was supposed to be I kinda began to grow undeserved resentment toward him (I’m cool now though!). Totally, totally undeserved, because it wasn’t his character’s fault.

I was happy because Mitsuba stans got to see him animated (he was cute, and his VA was so good). But putting him in episode 7??? I mean they just left Hanako and Nene’s tension unresolved like that. That makes the episode really choppy in my opinion. They could’ve had the coolest final shot of the season of Tsukasa murdering that fish to scare and excite the anime-onlys. They missed that chance.

We got to episode 8. Pretty solid. Still would’ve preferred if its first bits weren’t in Donuts, but solid.

Preview title basically confirmed they’re skipping The Little Mermaid too. That was when I lost hope in Young Exorcist. But I tried to compromise. If they weren’t animating The Little Mermaid, then they have to put Hanako and Nene’s conversation and pinky promise in The Little Mermaid at the end of ep 9.

Episode 9 turned out to be my favorite. It was all thanks to Natsuhiko. He really cheered me up over our loss of two arcs. And my prediction was right for once. Hanako apologized for ruining the donuts. That’s definitely not the point of their tension (Tsu-ka-sa and trust), but it was still nice and I’d take what I could get. The hug. The hug was very nice.

I was mostly content, excited to see my boi Akane the next week. But then I thought, wait, we only have three episodes left. And we’re definitely reaching Hell of Mirrors, ‘cause No. 3′s silhouette is in the OP. Then the horrifying thought hit me.

They were gonna skip Searching.

But! The freaking post-credit showed up followed by this:

“They skipped Searching AND Clock Keeper??? Why on earth would you highlight Akane, with Teru of all people, in the OP then?! Paralleling Mitsuba and Kou no less!”

Due notice, yet again, the lack of ‘Part 1′ in the title preview. Before the episode actually aired, this was my train of thought: “Okay so they skipped The Clock Keeper and Searching, and decided to outdo episode 6 by packing 6 chapters (yeah, I counted “Reach Out Your Hand”) into one episode. Ahahaha ... what?”

Thankfully, they proved me wrong. Kay. Good. Thanks a bunch for fooling me with that title preview.

But then it freaking hit me. You got one episode left. The finale. Sure, Clock Keeper as a finale will be perfect. It’s a good hook for season 2. However. You can’t do Clock Keeper without doing Searching. It’d basically be almost the same as doing Donuts without doing The Little Mermaid. The finale wouldn’t feel resolved this way, because, again, there’s tension between Hanako and Nene (and Kou too) that isn’t resolved yet.

Not that Searching addressed the cause of the tension, but at least it brought the trio back to their status quo (well, with a bit of kounene and hananene development haha). Also, without Searching, it’ll only end like this:

Clock Keeper itself is 5 chapters. They can cut and modify. Sure. But y’all saw ep 6.

So that’s why I was sure we’re definitely not getting No. 1 this season. To me, that leaves three options for the finale.

A. Delivery + Tanabata Arc

Best pick in my opinion

It’s the direct continuation to Hell of Mirrors

The main trio are all there, especially our audience POV

More glimpses of Amane is always a plus point

The ‘getting hit by a bull, waking up in the past, and seeing your boyfriend before he died’ is just so random I think it’d be a pleasant surprise for the anime-onlys

Just wholesome in general, leaves the audience feeling good

The-ma-tic!!! You begin the series with Nene’s wish and end it with Amane’s isn’t that just asdfghjkl wish wish wish, everything’s about wishes in JSHK

B. Young Exorcist

Classic boss battle finale

Just Teru’s badassery *chef’s kiss*

Hanako getting emotional (something we haven’t really seen before)

Getting deeper into Hanako’s motive (episode 8 would’ve been more impactful had we had Young Exorcist before it, what with his view of disappearing/exorcism for ghosts being salvation)

Kou’s character development

^ counter argument: he already got the character development he went through in Young Exorcist in episode 6 and 7, plus, he and Teru already resolved their disagreements - though, not as impactful as in the manga

Also wholesome, HanaKou is great I love their friendship so much *sobs*

C. The Little Mermaid

@emee-ems​ pointed out here: “it started with the mermaid so they’ll end it with the mermaid” and I agree

Yashiro being persuaded to leave Hanako, while their friendship was what began the whole series? That’s some good conflict right there

Seeing Hanako worried about Yashiro leaving him? Good shit

Also wholesome (extra shipping content never hurts, either)

Hanako willingly opening up to Yashiro for the first time!!! That’s a big milestone for them

Yashiro accepting that he’s just not ready instead of not trusting her like she’d thought is *chef’s kiss*

That pinky promise! Starting the series making a bond due to unfortunate circumstances and ending the series making/staying loyal to a bond out of choice??? Good shit

Aaaaannnnddddd the verdict was:

Mmmmmkay.

I did previously think we’re gonna end the season with The Little Mermaid. But here’s the thing. It only works if everything is in chronological order.

Why? Because the tension that led to this arc in the first place is resolved already in episode 9.

The whole point of TLM is that conversation at the end, really, where:

Hanako apologizes for ruining the donuts (he already did in episode 9)

Hanako thanks Yashiro for telling him that she liked him

Hanako admits that he had a little brother and that he killed him (Tsukasa already confirmed both of this for Nene, both in episode 7 and episode 9)

So having Hanako repeating all this seems kinda redundant. Nene already knows. Sure, it’ll be nice to hear it from him directly ... but it’s too late now, isn’t it? It’s been four episodes. She’s met Tsukasa three times now. However, point number 2 is still available.

Furthermore, since Hanako already apologized in episode 9, I’m not sure if the fishes can use what happened in episode 7 to persuade Nene to leave him. I mean, she forgave him already. Tension resolved. They hugged and all. And it’s been so long since then.

Animating the fish murder scene is also kinda useless. It was supposed to give the audience a glimpse of how dangerous Tsukasa is. But we already know that. We saw him rip someone’s heart out and force-feed it to someone else.

The first half of The Little Mermaid Part 1 and The Broadcasting Club at the end of Part 2 are already animated in episode 7. That leaves them even more room for extra scenes. I hope they take good advantage of that.

Basically, they have to make a lot of adjustments and I’m curious to see what they’re gonna do.

I am happy that we’re gonna see The Little Mermaid. The way Hanako wipes Nene’s face with his sleeve, and then cradles her head? I need it, they make my heart melt. Can’t wait.

[omgellendean]

Asoiaf?

Yay! Thank you, lovely :3

Favourite character: Sansa and Arya, though it's always difficult for me to choose one character from a story. Lol, I didn't manage to do it even now.

Least favourite character: probably Cersei.

5 favourite ships (canon or non-canon): Jaime x Brienne, sansan, Jon x Ygritte, Sam x Gilly... I also find Dany's crush on Las Vegas pirate Daario pretty cute xD

The character I find most attractive: Catelyn, hands down

The character I would marry: no one, lol. Or Edmure, if I have to choose. Tully men are, like, the best marriage material in Westeros, and Cat wouldn't have me anyway.

The character I would be best friends with: I'd like to say Sansa, but we'd probably get along better with Myranda.

A random thought: half of GRRM's problem with the final books is probably that he has no idea how much time passes between events and how old anyone is. You bet he wishes he could pull off the Sims' approach to generations and scratch any numbers altogether. (which is exactly how most of his other works are written) (write "realistic" medieval fantasy, they said, it will be cool)

An unpopular opinion: two for the price of one!

When/if GRRM finishes the books, everyone (me included) will be disappointed and upset by his version much worse than by the show finale, only without any hopes for the author coming through and saving them. Mark my words, this fandom will have an epic meltdown.

Fandom (me included) really overthinks this story and tends to overcomplicate everything and project their theories, morals and wishful thinking onto the books. Which, of course, is a normal part of fandoming, but here (probably because of too many years of waiting) this tendency is one of the main fandom problems, if not the main. And no, I don't mean that one specific group of shippers or character stans, it's an everyone problem. We are all wankers here, baby.

My Canon OTP: Jaime x Brienne now and always, lol.

My Non-canon OTP: eeeh, idk. I'm really bad at shipping right now. Robb x Theon, maybe?

Most Badass Character: Brienne, aka the truest knight ever.

Most Epic Villain: I don't actually think there's one in the books? All the villains there are 100% humans, just really fucked up, and that's what makes them so terrible. There's nothing epic about them, or at least I don't see it. ... oh wait, there's Euron, isn't he? I guess he's supposed to be epic, but to me, he's like evil! Daario wrt the character depth, so. Nope, no epic villains here.

Pairing I am not a fan of: Sansa x LF.

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): I really dislike the Stoneheart plotline and think that it screwed both Cat and Beric in one go. Plus, it gave birth to some mind-blowingly dumb takes about Catelyn, and I hate it.

Favourite Friendship: Jon & Robb, Arya & Gendry, Tyrion & Jaime, Sansa & Myranda.

Character I most identify with: never done that, tbh.

Character I wish I could be: same as the previous one. Also, imagine how much therapy I would need!

[theparanormalperiodical]

Paranormal Activity (2007) - The True Story Behind The Franchise, And The 5 Other Demonic Hauntings You Need To Know About

What does the election of Margaret Thatcher, the industrialisation of Europe, and a shitty found footage film have in common?

They all changed the world.

Sure, Paranormal Activity (2007) may have not brought about the socio-economic changes created by the Iron Lady, nor that of the Industrial Revolution.

But there’s doubt about it: it defined a new era of horror films.

“Whoa whoa whoa - what about The Blair Witch Project?”

Okay, fine, The Blair B*tch Project is an icon that I supernaturally-stan. But it was the chaotic web of films that made up the Paranormal Activity franchise that set off a new focus on real stories, on real hauntings we can see and hear and film and photograph.

Type ‘ghosts’ into YouTube. Go on, do it. 

With enough 10 minute videos clogged with adverts, cheap jumpscares, and a nightvision overlay that would resurrect Paris Hilton’s career, these films tapped into what’s happening right here, right now.

Thanks to the rise of social media and the phones we use to update them, ‘evidence’ of the paranormal is now scattered across the internet. Paranormal Activity tapped into that, providing us innocent viewers with a terrifying movie that would span 5 more films.

(Oh, and it turns out another one is set for release in 2021! Which isn’t unnecessary at all. Nope. Definitely not unneeded.)

But what’s really scary isn’t the film itself. 

Oh, no.

It’s the fact that it’s all based on true stories.

Today’s post is going to recap the Paranormal Activity films, explain the true stories of demonic hauntings it’s based on, and go through the 5 other demonic hauntings you need to know about.

Let’s get spooky.

First, Let’s Recap The Paranormal Activity Franchise

With 7 films under its belt (you can’t forget the spinoff set in Japan!), this saga takes a detour around the core of the franchise and the explanation of the activity.

The franchise centres around a coven of witches who sacrifice first born boys to demons in exchange for money and success. Some first born boys are also used to create a demonic army to protect the coven. 

Most of the films follow one family who experiences the actions of the coven - The Midwives - firsthand. One of the two daughters is kidnapped by her grandmother, a member of the coven, and prepared for the day that she will fulfill her womanly duties:

That’s right, she’s gonna give birth to a demon.

And yes, you are invited to the baby shower!

The films start in the present with one of the daughters beginning to experience traces of paranormal activity which evolves into a full on demonic haunting. It is then revealed in scraps of conversation - and then embellished in later films - that weird paranormal stuff happened when they were kids. 

We then jump back and forth between past ‘n present until the whole witchy-shebang is revealed.

Here’s the film-by-film summary:

Paranormal Activity: Katie and bae Micah witness paranormal activity in their home and decide to film the mysterious things that happen at night - less sex tape, more supernatural. The activity becomes more intense and is revealed to be demonic, focusing on Katie and eventually possessing her. She kills Micah in full demonic-mode, and goes missing.

Paranormal Activity 2: Katie’s sister, Kristi, and her family set up cameras in their house following a burglary (spoiler alert - it ain’t no burglary). Activity escalates, and the daughter of the family, Ali, works out that this is a demonic haunting and that humans made deals with demons by forfeiting the soul of a first born son. Kristi’s son, Hunter, is the first boy born in their family since the 1930s. Kristi is eventually possessed and subsequently exorcised to protect her and the family. They do this by passing the demon onto Katie by burning a photograph. Katie then rocks up in demonic-mode and kidnaps Hunter.

Paranormal Activity 3: Before Hunter was born, Katie gave some old videotapes to her sister, Kristi, which contains footage of their childhood - and the paranormal activity that occurred within it. The activity offers up strange symbols, invisible figures, and the emergence of the coven, The Midwives. Tobi the demon also rocks up for the first time. We also find out what the coven does and that their grandmother, Lois, is one of these witches. Their parents are killed, and Katie and Kristi are told to ‘get ready’. 

Paranormal Activity 4: A new famalam are busy living a non-demonic life when a neighbour falls ill. The neighbour’s child, Wyatt (pssst - it’s Hunter! And the neighbour’s Katie omgggggg) goes to live with them. Their non-demonic life then becomes demonic. Spooky shenanigans ensue, we see the coven, Katie kills people… On reflection, this film didn’t need to be made. But oh well. 

Paranormal Activity 5: The Marked Ones: Lovable high school grad, Jesse, is living his non-demonic life above his totally-demonic neighbour, Ana. Turns out she’s a witch in the coven. One of his classmates is also demonic, and is seen doing demonic shit as a result of Ana. It is then revealed that some first born sons are recruited into this demonic army. Jesse is one of them, and begins to exhibit strange behaviour - he has been ‘marked’. Jesse’s friend and rag-tag group of anti-demonic people investigate and rock up at witch-HQ. His friend is then chased into a door which is revealed to be a portal from which he goes into the kitchen of Katie and Micah. Katie screams and thinks he’s an intruder who Micah tackles. Katie then kills Micah - this is the last scene of the first Paranormal Activity. 

Paranormal Activity 6: The Ghost Dimension: In this film we see snapshots of young Katie and Kristi being taught to unleash their demonicy powers, as well as a new family living on the property where they used to live. The young daughter, Leila is seen talking to and interacting with a dark figure. It is then discovered Leila was born on the same day as hunter, and that Leila has gone through a portal into another world.  A priest attempts to cleanse the house, Tobi goes cray-cray and kills someone. Leila flees through the portal and the mother follows. They rock up at Katie and Kristi’s house and meet young Katie and Kristi. The mother is killed, and Leila and Tobi walk off into the sunset. 

Confused?

Me too.

Sure, it is a thin plot that’s been stretched across far too many flicks, but it’s the frightening filler that really defines the franchise.

Doors moving, earthquakes, dark figures appearing and moving, footsteps seen and heard, strange symbols appearing....

It all ties together to make an iconic set of films. 

Are they going to be remembered for being great?

No. 

Do I care?

Hell to the nah!

But what I do care about is the true story the franchise is based on.

So, What Is The True Story Behind Paranormal Activity?

Okay, fine, I told a lie: they’re actually based on multiple stories of demonic and other paranormal hauntings.

Yes, that is worse. 

I’ve dissected 3 components of the films that I’ve traced back to real paranormal theories and stories.

Demonic hauntings

Animal and children interaction with paranormal activity

And the coven

Let’s Start With The Demonic Hauntings 

If there’s one thing that Paranormal Activity gets right, it’s the paranormal activity.

With minimal discussion of what the shit is actually going on - particularly in the first movie - it truly lives up to its name of just being pure spooks. Now, in case you’re new to this blog, you probably won’t be as versed as I am in everything-spooky.

*flips hair*

Things like objects and furniture moving are just a few components of paranormal activity, as is lights flickering, for example; this all features as the beginning of the films’ activity, similar to that of real cases of spirit and demonic hauntings.

But the films then go on to capture what makes hauntings truly demonic:

Growling noises, people in trances or acting strange, and aggressive supernatural activity - all build up to the inevitable possession of a character which happens in every single film. 

And it hits possession like a nail on the head. 

It follows historic theories closely, focusing only on female possession. According to medieval theories, women were more likely to be possessed as they were deemed weaker, and thus more vulnerable to demons and spirits wanting to control their bodies. 

Young girls? Magnets for Satan.

So, given the centrality of the young girls to the film who are besties with and apparently shit out a demon via the vag, this is pretty accurate. 

Which, you know, is fine, this is fine.

Another key component of the demonic haunting we need to discuss rocks up in the first film, setting alight the curiosity that had us humble viewers coming back to every following film:

It’s the burnt photo of Katie as a child.

Burnt photos - or just destroyed photos - figure as key milestones of a demonic haunting. And smashed photo frames, scratched pictures all feature in this franchise.

In the films, it is eventually deduced that the burnt photo is used to transfer a demon to someone else. That explains why later in the film, the demon goes on to possess Katie. 

In terms of paranormal cases, photos being used for ritualistic purposes is well documented in cases of witchcraft. One example of this is from the mysterious death of Estefanía Gutiérrez Lázaro, a story immortalised in the horror hit, Veronica.

At one point during the real case of Estefania, her picture burns spontaneously in front of her family around the time of her death.

In fact, burning items in general is a classic ritual related to unleashing demons. Fancy getting rid of your Ouija board? Don’t burn it - as hell is, uh, hot, demons can be released. Or they’re trapped in the board itself and by destroying it, they can escape.

Burning is also used in invocation, a ritual used in demonolatry, the worship of demons. 

Next Up Is The Interactions Between Animals, Children, And The Paranormal

All horror films tend to start with the same thing:

The doggo starts acting weird.

In The Conjuring, the dog dies. In The Woman In Black, the dog draws attention to the dark figure approaching Harry Potter Daniel Radcliffe. And in Paranormal Activity 2, the doggo barks at invisible figures and gets hurt by the demon. 

Question is, does this actually happen?

Yep. 

Apparently, dogs and cats are highly susceptible to the supernatural. With their proved heightened senses - and some folklore to back it up - animals are considered one of the first signs of something paranormal.

And kids?

It’s the same thing. Remember what I said about young girls being really vulnerable ‘cause all women are weak? Children were considered to be on that same level of ‘open-to-demon-ness’ as women, so it follows that they’d be equally aware of the paranormal. 

Enter the imaginary friend, Tobi. You know - the demon. 

Imaginary friends bulk out most creepypastas, as well as the true ghost stories littering the internet. So unfortunately, Tobi is far more common than we’d like to think.

Yay.

Let’s Talk About The Coven, The Midwives

The underlying plot of the films - aside from being about cupboards opening all by themselves - is about the puppet-like control of the family by The Midwives.

And there are 3 things which directly link to real cases of covens and witchcraft.

However, when I started my research, I immediately ran into a problem: covens worshipping demons they want to bring back to earth and take over the world aren’t exactly shouting about their activities.

There’s no Twitter account posting memes about kidnapping kids. There’s no YouTube channel devoted to altar hauls. And there’s no crowdfunding to raise money for the indoctrination of women as they sacrifice their kids to demons.

But I did want to pull apart a few things like the symbol of the Midwives, their obsession with first born boys, and the confusing plotline of time travel. 

First, we have their motives for their worship and sacrifice: its to gain money and success. This is a well documented component of black magic and demonolatry, a motive we can trace back to concepts from the medieval era.

Next is the symbol.

Despite looking like they copied and pasted it from Harry Potter, symbols containing a triangle and circle frequent literature documenting witchcraft. Specifically, this symbol is close to that of Soloman’s Seal, or the Triple Tale.

The latter represents gates, or spiritual manifestations. 

That’s pretty fecking close to the plot of the movie!

Following up from your next tramp stamp tat is their obsession with first born boys. 

“It’s the patriarchy!”

Hell fucking yeah, it is. 

These witches are seriously behind the times, and stick to biblical notions of magic, deducing their obsession from the value appointed to first born boys in the biblical era. This is especially true given that the sacrifice of a first born son often crops up or is referred to in this bestselling book. 

Finally, we have to discuss the time travel.

The franchise ties all the films together by using time travel to…

Look, I have no fucking clue why or how or for what reason. But What I do know is that there are these portals that can take people back to key plot moments of extreme witchy-demony-stuff. 

Take the first time we see one of these portals: during the 5th movie we see a character stuck in Witch-HQ, looking for a way to escape. He decides to go through a door covered in strange symbols cause that’s not gonna be witchy at all. 

He walks through, and enters a kitchen. He then sees Katie, the lass from the first movie walk down the stairs, and scream for Micah, her boyfriend.

That’s right - we witness the moment she becomes possessed, suggesting the witches had some direct hand in that moment.

The circle is complete! I think, I don’t know, I’m still confused...

Unfortunately, these portals end the series. In the last film, a new family rock up in a house built on the property where the young girls kidnapped by the coven used to live, and the kid of the new family ends up time travelling to when they used to live there, even though that house burnt down.

“So, is it based on paranormal theories?”

No. 

Sure, some witchcraft does mention travelling to other plains - see astral projection and Insidious - but, like my coven research, witches ain’t posting their time travels on insta.

That being said, I would love to see that classic hand holding/leading shot as a witch takes bae into another dimension...

Paranormal Activity may be the cinematic representative for a jumpscare-binge, but the film goes much deeper than a demon throwing a tantrum and slamming a door cause nobody understands him. 

(Dammit, Tobi.)

Fact is, Paranormal Activity isn’t just ‘based on a true story’. It’s an accurate representation of a demonic haunting.

The 5 Demonic Haunted Houses You Need To Know About

Let me guess:

You’re currently hiding under a quilt and watching Gordon-Ramsay-Getting-Hella-Angry compilations on YouTube to try and calm down. 

If so, you’re gonna want to stay under there - It’s time to discuss the other demonic hauntings that are similar to the Paranormal Activity franchise.

Uncomfortably similar, that is.

Fantastic.

#1 -  The Demon House

Topping our list is a house which clearly fits the topic of this post by its name alone.

Bob Cranmer, former resident of this Pittsburgh house, claims he lived in a house that was haunted by a demon for 18 years. Why did he stay in this house for 18 years if this was in fact also home to a demon?

*shrug*

Either way, before a demon was cast out by an exorcism in the mid-noughties, the haunting manifested in hands pushing and slapping family members, you know, the usual escalation of violent attacks…

Oh, and Cranmer also saw blood dripping from the walls. 

But it’s the backstory to the property that really makes things terrifying. It was discovered that the Demon House was built upon a site from which Native Americans were murdered by European settlers. On top of that, a builder cursed the land during construction. 

Also, a former tenant of the house is believed to have been an illegal abortionist who performed hundreds of these operations in the house. Well, depending on what you believe, this supposedly brought forward a demon.

(It’s at this point that I would think “oh I should be neutral” but nah fuck that #prochoice)

Anyway.

According to Cranmer’s investigation - from which he even churned out a book on the house - the name of the demon is Moloch, a god mentioned in the Old Testament. By researching the old tenants of the house, he discovered that some were actually worshippers of this demon.

And considering Moloch’s love for child sacrifices, Cranmer connected some dots regarding the illegal abortionist that once lived there.

Regardless of my disagreements with this verdict, there is no doubt that this be a spooky house.

#2 - The Smurl Family House

You know shit’s spooky when Ed and Lorraine Warren rock up at your house. 

For a period of 13 years, the Smurl family of Pennsylvania was tormented by a demon which smothered them with an abundance of supernatural activity. 

Toilets flushing by themselves, electronic devices failing to work, and awful odours passing through the house was just a few components of the activity faced. This escalated into arguably more violent activity synonymous with demonic hauntings:

Claw marks appeared in various rooms, full bodied apparitions would appear over beds, and a demon they named ‘Old Hag’ became a permanent resident.

Whether ‘Old Hag’ was passing through walls, or sexually assaulting the human residents, there was no doubt that the Smurls were witnessing an intense level of activity.

50 exorcisms were used to cleanse the house, but to no avail; the assaults didn’t stop until the Smurls moved out, giving further evidence to support the skeptics that this demonic haunting was no haunting at all. 

#3 - The Bean’s Family House

It’s the 1970s. We are in Baltimore, in a quiet suburb crammed full of all-american families. 

Unfortunately, there was no Tracy Turnblad around to brighten up this ranch style house. This home was cursed with a negative energy that was soon determined to be the result of a demonic presence. 

This demonic haunting manifested in cold hands touching and grabbing family members, reenacting all the ways someone could be murdered. It even transformed itself into a human draped in a black suit!

With fierce black eyes giving away its true identity, the demon was ascertained as the cause of the activity, and the Bean family fled in the 1980s. 

Question is, what was the root of this demon? 

The former residents claim it was extra-terrestrial contact, with strange pictures supporting their claims.

#4 - The Haunting of Latoya Ammons

There’s a ghost making your TV turn on and off… And then there’s mysterious occurrences so intense the local police are involved.

This case is the latter.

It all started in 2011, shortly after a small family moved into their new home in Indiana. Large black flies began to swarm their front porch, and the frequent sound of footsteps began to trouble the family.  

Shadowy figures also began to emerge, and would become the centre of the haunting. Alongside this, Ammons claimed she also witnessed her daughter levitating above her bed, sparking the need for supernatural support. Mediums were called, and they deduced that 200 demons haunted their house. 

Following an exorcism, the family decided to leave the house as it failed to rid the house of its paranormal residents. Not convinced? Here’s the iconic picture believed to show a demon standing at the window of the house:

#5 - The Sallie House

Considered one of the most famous haunted houses in the world, this home is the residence of a young girl named Sallie. Oh, and she’s dead. It is believed that she was a victim of a lobotomy in the early 20th century, and attacks any men who enter the house in vengeance of her doctor.

But what really made this house famous was the investigation by a TV crew who experienced scratches and bruises from unseen forces in real time. Such violent assaults are a trademark of demonic hauntings.

Other visitors have also cited apparitions, floating objects, and animal noises, confirming that this house features something that we simply cannot explain. .

When mediums rocked up to deduce the centre of this haunting, they determined that that little girl was a magnet for darker, demonic forces that have entered the house.  

I told you - young girls are magnets for Satan. 

So - what’s your verdict?

Do you think these houses are haunted?

And who’s ready for a sleepover in one of them?

(not me)

Be sure to let me know in a comment.

And don’t forget to hit follow for a spook every single day. 

[charlie-minion]

21 Supernatural Questions

I was tagged by @amwritingmeta – thank you for including me, sweetie. You’re so lovely! I gotta tell you that it honestly made my day when I read that one of my favorite meta writers considers my blog one of her favorites, so yeah… thanks! :’D

Now let’s tackle these super fun questions ;-)

1. When did you start watching Supernatural?

I remember I watched for the first time around 2009. Season 4 was on, here in my country, on Warner Channel. I’m sure that season had already finished in the U.S. at that time, but it was just starting to air here in El Salvador. I didn’t know anything about the show and I didn’t know what season that was either, but now I know it was 4 because all I remember was that some dude had rescued another dude from Hell. Period. I understood next to nothing about the plot because I hadn’t seen any episode prior to the beginning of S4. I caught a few episodes now and then and continued to watch for some time until the schedule changed. The eps started to air at 11:00 p.m. and I had to get up early for work, so I stopped watching.

In 2013, I spent one year living in North Carolina with my older sister. I was having a difficult time, so I moved to my birth country (USA) to escape everyone and everything. I had no TV in my room, but I had my laptop and my sis had the first 7 seasons of Supernatural, so I was like, “Hey! I might FINALLY understand that freaking show that looked so cool”. That’s how I started. I wasn’t planning to binge-watch the whole thing, but it became addictive pretty fast.

I loved the first 3 seasons, but once I got to season 4 and Castiel was introduced, I was hooked for real! When I watched season 5 and I saw the “I did it, all of it, for you” from 5x02, I started Googling Dean and Cas, because I was SO SURE I was seeing romance there, and I couldn’t be the only one. I was super excited when I found out there was a Supernatural FANDOM (back then I had no idea that was a thing). And I was even more excited when I learned about Destiel, about shipping, and about all the fandom culture. I joined Twitter, became a Misha stan because the more I read about him, the more I adored him, and I got caught up just in time to watch 8x17 live.

Can you imagine becoming a Dean/Cas shipper all on my own, doing research, finding out about Destiel and then the VERY FIRST EPISODE I watched live, while living in the U.S., was Goodbye Stranger written by Robbie Thompson?!! Those were the days!

I have been watching live, along with the fandom, ever since March 20, 2013. I joined Tumblr during the hiatus and started writing meta (accidentally) at the very beginning of season 9. So yeah! This show has been a very important part of my life for over 6 years now, and I don’t want to think about how things might change after the show ends. NOPE. Not thinking about it AT ALL. (At least not yet).

2. Who is your favorite in TFW?

I absolutely LOVE my three boys. I want them to be happy because they deserve it. But, we can all have a favorite, right? I was a Dean!girl when I started binge-watching. When Cas was introduced, I became a huge Cas fan, and I thought he had become my favorite. However, lately I’ve understood that I became a huge MISHA fan, and that’s a little different. If we’re talking about the SPN cast, Misha is and will always be my favorite because he’s a real life angel. I love that man with all I have! But, if we’re talking about the SPN characters, I have to admit that I will forever be a Dean!girl, no matter what.

I’ll continue after the cut because, apparently, it’s impossible for me to give brief answers :P

3. Who is your least favorite in TFW?

This question sounds cruel, but I want to understand it in a ranking way, not in an “I hate this character” one.

If I have to rank TFW, for me, it would be:

Dean

Cas

Sam

HOWEVER, let it be known that I love my three boys immensely, and I want a happy endgame for the three of them. If Dean and Cas had a happy ending, but Sammy didn’t, that would ruin it for me. Ranking doesn’t equal hating.

4. Tag your top 5 Supernatural blogs!

I’ve said I follow very few blogs because I curate my fandom experience a lot, but you guys make my time on Tumblr extraordinary. I enjoy seeing you in my dash, reading what you blog or reblog and just knowing that you’re around as part of this community. If you answer these questions, please tag me ‘cause I’d like to read what you got to say about our beloved show. Much love to each of you! ♥♥♥♥♥

@dimples-of-discontent @mittensmorgul @cas-you-assbutt-dean-needs-you @naruhearts @casthegrumpy @fangirlingtodeath513 @bluestar86 @viva-la-cockles @obsessionisaperfume @caswouldratherbehere @perfectlyelegantdelusion @occamshipper @amwritingmeta (and no, Annelie, I’m not tagging you because you tagged me; you truly deserve to be here). 

If you’re not tagged, please forgive my poor memory, but if we’ve talked before, or I reblog/like your posts, please know that I adore you. ♥

5. Who is your favorite character (not including TFW)?

Oh my! This is so hard to answer. Supernatural has had so many amazing characters that choosing only one is hard. But I guess I have to go with Charlie Bradbury. The only time I seriously considered to stop watching the show was when Charlie was killed off. I was very angry and disappointed, and 10x21 became an episode I truly hate. I don’t think I have ever re-watched the whole ep because the writing was SO BAD. Dean and Sam were stupid in that ep, and Cas was basically a lamp. I… NOPE. Disgusting episode for sure. And I lost my beautiful lesbian queen.

 6. Who is your favorite woman in Supernatural?

I should say Charlie again, but because she got covered in my favorite non-TFW character, I will choose someone else for favorite woman.

And that has got to be Rowena. I don’t think there has ever been a female character in Supernatural written better than Rowena. And because the show’s ending, there will never be.  

7. John or Mary?

Definitely Mary. We got to know her better. I know certain parts of the fandom didn’t care much for her, but I loved her a lot, not despite her flaws but because of them! She was made human in a realistic way. We had only seen the idealized version of her through Dean’s eyes, but once we got to meet the real Mary, it was something I enjoyed. John, on the other hand, is not a bad person, but he wasn’t the best parent. He loved his children, and I know that, but his love doesn’t negate all the crap he put his sons through, even if his intentions came from a good place. I like the closure the boys got with him in 14x13, though. I was not against it at all. But, as John would say in that ep, “Me versus your mom? That’s – that’s not even a choice.”

8. What were your first opinions of Sam, Dean, Cas, and Jack?

Dean: Since the first moment I saw Dean, I knew he was faking and was trying to hide how broken he felt. That’s why I fell in love with him from the get-go.

Sam: My first opinion was that he was supposed to be the mature and detached brother.

Cas: I thought that he was meant to be the epitome for the enemies to friends trope. (And I added “to lovers” one season later).

Jack: The only opinion I had was that he was going to be the opposite of Lucifer. The characters were saying he was evil way too early for it not to be subverted. 

9. What’s your favorite season?

There are many seasons I love. I mean, this show has given us SO MUCH. But, season 8 is probably my favorite for two reasons. First of all, because it was the first one I watched live once I caught up. And to this day, the season finale still blows my mind.

And second, because it was when Carver took the reins of the show and did his best to fix the Gamble era. He gave the Dean/Cas dynamic a serious note, narratively speaking. I’ve said before that even though I shipped Destiel in the previous seasons, it wasn’t until season 8 that I saw an intentional development. It wasn’t played for kicks and laughs anymore, and it wasn’t just Misha’s and Jensen’s doing either. It was in the plot. The whole ‘I stayed one year in Purgatory just to get you back’ and all the ‘I couldn’t bear to think you didn’t want to come with me, so I chose to make it my fault’. Season 8 marked a new era, indeed, and Destiel became a real thing from then on, in my opinion.  

10. What’s your least favorite season?

Even though there are some episodes from that season that I truly love (and they’ve become memorable, like The French Mistake or The Man Who Would Be King), as a whole, I don’t enjoy season 6 much. After a formidable season 5, Sera struggled to keep the boat afloat and it shows. Season 6 is certainly the weakest.

11. Opinions on Destiel?

My whole blog was born because of Destiel, so? What do you want me to say? Hahahaha. Destiel is life. And I can divide my opinion in 4 (depending on the showrunner):

Destiel was a fortunate accident during the Kripke era. It was played for laughs and it was the result of whatever was going on between Jensen and Misha. Their chemistry had nothing to do with the script.

Destiel was a tool during the Gamble era. I don’t like to use the word “queerbait”, but I think the closest Supernatural has been to that was when Sera was the showrunner. It seems to me like she used the ship to lure the fandom and keep the audience, but it’s clear she had no intention of giving a resolution (we all know how she treated Misha, so…).

Destiel became an intentional part of the narrative during the Carver era. As I said before, it wasn’t until season 8 when you could clearly see that things were not accidentally there anymore. It wasn’t a joke, either. The ship sailed for real during the Carver era, but Jeremy was not allowed to give a resolution because the show continued to be renewed.

Destiel became canon during the Dabb era. I mean, I know people will argue that it’s not canon yet. And I understand what they mean. But, in my opinion, Destiel hasn’t been TEXTUALLY made canon, but when Andrew took the reins of the show, he made Dean and Cas sooooo married that I came to the conclusion explaining the subtext was unnecessary. It was WAY too in the nose to need explaining. So, I stopped trying hahaha. I don’t know if we’ll ever get Textual Canon Destiel, but in regards to Subtext, it can’t get more canon than that. And noooo, that doesn’t mean queerbait at all. Queercoding is a thing, you know?

12. Do you believe Supernatural queerbaits?

As per my previous answer, currently I don’t think Supernatural queerbaits. I do believe Dabb, Bobo and company want to give the Dean/Cas storyline a satisfying resolution. I have no idea what they will be allowed to do, but even if they can’t textually give us what we want, I have faith they will find a subtextually strong way to wrap things up. I enjoyed when Misha and Jensen explained in the DC Cockles panel the restrictions the CW puts, and I think it applies to so much more than blood and language.

13. Seasons 1-7 or 8-14?

Seasons 8-14, no doubt. For two reasons: 1) They are really good (and gave Destiel relevance) and 2) those are the seasons when I was already part of the fandom and could enjoy week after week.

14. Favorite villain (plot wise)?

I think Chuck is the best of the best. Because when we look back, we now know that all the other villains were thanks to Chuck’s machinations. Plot wise that’s amazeballs! I mean, the fact that we always thought (or hoped) that God was on the Winchesters’ side just to learn he was the villain all along. Chef’s kiss!

 15. Do you think they should end the Lucifer plot line?

I think they squeezed the freaking Lucifer plot line as much as they could… until it got to a point where I was sick of it. Everything related to Nick and Lucifer in season 14 was stupid and boring, to say the least. The plot line should have ended when Dean stabbed Lucifer. Although… I would have liked a better closure for Sam, but I’m good. As long as I don’t have to see Pellegrino again, I’m good.

16. Who do you think has gone through more trauma (Sam, Dean, or Cas)?

I don’t like this question and refuse to answer because trauma is NOT a competition (either in real life or in fiction). Trauma is trauma and it affects people. Something Sam went through was painful to him and that same thing may be less traumatic to Cas, but that doesn’t mean the repercussions and the suffering are less real for Sam, just because Cas suffered in other ways that may have affected him more. Trauma is personal. All I know is that the three of them have gone through A LOT and that’s why they deserve peace and happiness. Period.

17. What’s your favorite Supernatural episode?

There are more than 300 reasons to love this show. I mean, it’s almost impossible to choose ONE episode out of so many that I love. But for the sake of this question, I will answer with a very personal choice. My favorite ep could probably be 12x22 because of the moments between Dean and Mary. Dean needed a moment to finally say what he had been repressing all his life. All that hate mixed with all that love. He needed to let it out. And it was both gut-wrenching and beautiful to watch. I always cry when I see it (and I mean gross sobbing for real).

18. Do you like case episodes?

I like them most of the time. I don’t enjoy them so much when they air because I would like the plot to move forward, but it’s the case episodes where we learn more about what’s going on with our characters (their internal emotional battles) through other characters and subtext. It’s an interesting exercise, and that’s why I end up liking most case episodes in the end.

19. Who do you relate most to in TFW?

For people who have been following my blog for some time, this will come as no surprise. I relate the most to Dean Winchester.

In fact, I AM DEAN. I can find in my life every single thing about Dean’s journey. I came to accept my sexuality thanks to Dean (first as bisexual, and later as demisexual once I became more educated). I have felt worthless and like I don’t deserve to live or to be loved, just as much as Dean. I have felt like a burden, like I’m here just to help/please others, and if I’m not doing that, then I’m failing at life.

I get why Dean lashes out and hurts the people he loves even though he’s so afraid to lose them. I understand why Dean builds huge walls to protect himself from being hurt and what he needs to grow. Because his struggles are my struggles. And now I’m crying, so I better move on to the next question.  

20. Why do you like Supernatural?

I like Supernatural because I’ve been able to learn about myself thanks to the characters. Despite being a genre show, the personal journeys (character arcs) have been so real and relatable that I truly think this show is a masterpiece. The fact that I’ve grown as a human being thanks to an ordinary TV show is incredible. I don’t think there will ever be another show like Supernatural in my life.

21. If you could bring back one character and kill off another who would they be?

I would bring back Charlie. The original Charlie. I mean, I know we have seen lovely Felicia Day again thanks to AU!Charlie, but I couldn’t connect with her the same way I did with the original one. Probably because not even the boys have been able to connect with her the same way, either. They see her and they will always see the little sister they lost. It’s hard to think of AU!Charlie as her own person if she always reminds you of the one you lost. ETA: I forgot who I would kill. I guess no one. I mean, if Lucifer were still around, I'd kill him. Or Nick. I just got tired of his face.

Wow! This turned into a very long post, but I had so much fun.

I tag EVERYONE who would like to do this as a way to pay tribute to our wonderful show. Much love to y’all!

[trashcanreddiefan]

The 3rd Annual Losers’ Club Christmakkah Celebration

Summary: The Losers gather for their third annual Christmakkah celebration, which doubles as Richie & Eddie’s wedding.

Word Count: 3600-ish. (This one got away from me.)

Warnings: Usual Trashmouth swearing.

Author’s Note: Post-Chapter 2. All of the Losers are alive in this fic, including Stan, because canon can suck it. 3rd in what will now be a (at least) 4-part series where the Losers take turns hosting Christmakkah. Part 1 here, part 2 here.

CROSS-POSTED AT AO3.

Richie watched as Eddie slept soundly next to him. How did I get so lucky, he thought.

Not only did he have a successful career he now enjoyed, an adorable niece and 2 nephews that he loved to spoil, and the best friends he could possibly ask for, but he was also about to say 'I do' to the man he had been in love with his entire life. 

All of the Losers would be involved in his and Eddie's wedding in some capacity. Once Mike had found out that Richie and Eddie wanted to get married on Christmas Eve he had offered to host Christmakkah at his house so they could have a private ceremony on the beach behind his house and wouldn't have to worry about the added stress of hosting the Losers; Stan and Bill would be Richie & Eddie's witnesses/best men, respectively; Beverly would escort Richie down the aisle to Eddie and had personally designed their suits; and Ben would officiate.

Mike had also planned a joint bachelor party for them, the seven original Losers all going out to a local nightclub earlier that evening.

He must've tipped off the DJ when he had gone to get the first round of drinks, because shortly after Mike came back she said, "I hear we have a bachelor party in the house tonight, where are our two lucky gentlemen that are getting hitched?"

Richie's eyes widened as Bill, Mike, Bev, Ben, and even Stan -- the traitor -- all hooted and pointed over to him and Eddie. 

"Well now, look at this gorgeous couple," the DJ said. "Congratulations and best wishes!" She winked. "Enjoy your night, boys."

Richie drank just enough to get a good buzz going but not so much that he'd pass out as soon as his head hit the pillow, which is why he was still awake at 3 AM while the love of his life softly snored beside him.

His thoughts were interrupted when Eddie stirred. "Rich, I can feel you staring," he mumbled before blinking blearily up at Richie. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"

"Just thinking," Richie replied.

"Is it about the wedding?" Eddie sat up, looking panicked. "You're not having second thoughts, are you?"

Richie quickly shook his head. "No, no, absolutely not. I've never been more sure about anything in my life than I am about marrying you. I just… It all feels like a dream, like I'm going to wake up from the Deadlights and the past 2 years won't have actually happened."

Eddie studied him for a moment before reaching for him. "Come 'mere." He pulled Richie into his arms and lay them both back down, tracing gentle patterns on Richie's bare back. "It's not a dream, you know," he whispered into Richie's ear before gently kissing his shoulder. "I'm real and I'm here and I love you more than life itself."

"Love you too, Eds," Richie murmured in reply. "Can't wait to marry you."

"Try to get some rest, ok?"

Richie nodded sleepily. Eddie was an expert at getting Richie to relax enough for his brain to shut off for a while. "Ok," he whispered before nodding off into dreamland. 

____________________________________

Late the next morning Richie woke up to a fully-dressed Eddie pressing light kisses to his face. "Morning, soon-to-be husband," Eddie murmured against his lips.

"Mmm, yeah, husband. I like the sound of that," Richie replied, grabbing Eddie and rolling them over to kiss him more thoroughly.

Eddie squeaked as Richie kissed his way down his neck to his collarbone. "Come on, Rich, we don't have time." 

"Wedding's not till 4, you sure we don't have time, Eds?" he mumbled, dipping his tongue into the sensitive area between Eddie's head and neck. He'd kill me if he had a visible hickey in our wedding photos, he thought, resisting the urge to suck a mark into Eddie's clavicle, although he couldn't deny that having photographic evidence of his physical claim on Eddie was a bit of a turn-on. He settled for planting soft kisses along Eddie's collarbone before gently grazing Eddie's pulse point with his teeth, one of his hands sliding underneath Eddie's shirt along his rock-hard abs.

Eddie bit back a moan. "It's already noon, we have to finish getting everything set up, and we'll both need time to shower and get ready, and -- Jesus Christ, that feels amazing. I'll -- I'll let you ravish me as soon as we're married, how about that? You can even drag me off to Mike's utility closet and have your wicked way with me if you want."

"Mmm, promise?" Richie rolled his hips into Eddie's.

"Yeah, baby, whatever-- Fuck, Richie." Eddie groaned. "Whatever you want, just wait until after we say 'I do'."

Richie gave Eddie one final kiss on the lips. "Okay."

He hopped out of bed and headed for the dresser, grabbing a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. He hid a grin as he heard Eddie mutter 'fucking tease'. "So what's on the agenda for this morning?"

Eddie huffed then sat up. "Ben and Bill are setting up the awning outside, Bev is steaming our suits, Patty and Audra are taking the kids to get Olivia's hair done, and I'm going to head with Mike and Stan to pick up dinner for tonight. Bev will bring your suit in here once it's ready -- I'll be getting dressed in Mike's room." He got up and straightened his shirt from where Richie had rucked it up.

"Oh come on, Eds," Richie said jokingly. "You don't really believe in all that 'bad luck to see the bride before the wedding' stuff, do you?"

Eddie raised an eyebrow. "No," he replied lowly, walking towards Richie, "but I already want to jump you and I know if I see you in your suit before the wedding I won't be able to help myself, and I would much rather be able to take my time peeling it off of you after you're my husband."

Richie shivered as Eddie backed him into the wall. "Christ, Eddie." 

"Mmm hmm. I know, baby. Me too." He gave Richie a chaste kiss. "See you later, gorgeous," he said with a wink before walking out the door.

Richie got dressed at lightning speed and walked out into Mike's backyard and down the boardwalk to the beach, where Ben and Bill were putting the finishing touches on the awning.

"Hey, there's the other handsome groom," Bill said. 

"Morning, guys," Richie replied. "Need any help?"

"Nah, we got it," Ben said. "You just focus on getting married later. Got your vows done?"

Richie and Eddie had talked it over, and since the only people at their wedding would be the Losers and their respective spouses, they had decided to write their own vows since they wouldn't have to censor themselves… much.

Richie smiled. "Yep."

"Gonna let anyone read them before the wedding?"

Richie shook his head. "Nope."

Bill grinned. "Am I going to have to make sure Eddie doesn't kill you before you two are even married?"

"We'll see," Richie replied with a wink. "Since you guys are done I'm gonna go see if Beverly needs any help."

As if summoned Beverly appeared behind him. "Wow, guys, that looks great."  She turned to Richie. "Your suit is in your room whenever you're ready to get dressed."

Richie gave Beverly a hug. "Thanks, Bev." 

"You busy?"

Richie shook his head. "No, looks like everything is taken care of here. Need me to do anything?"

Beverly smiled. "Yep, come with me."

She grabbed Richie's hand and dragged him to her and Ben's rental car.

"Where are we going?" Richie asked as he buckled his seatbelt.

Beverly squeezed his hand. "We're getting you ready to get married."

She brought Richie to a moderately upscale salon where the stylist tamed his wild curls into something that was manageable, but still very much Richie, then they swung by the florist to pick up the boutonnieres before heading back to Mike's.

Beverly ushered him towards the shower. "Now, go get ready and try not to get your hair wet. I'll see you downstairs."

Richie took a brief shower, managing to avoid ruining his hairstyle. He had gotten his shirt, pants, socks and shoes on and was attempting to tie his bowtie when there was a knock on the door. 

"Rich? You decent?" came Stan's voice.

"Yeah, man, come on in!"

The door opened and Stan walked in, wearing a black suit similar to the one Richie was currently sporting. "As your best man, I feel it's my duty to see how you're doing," he said.

"Fine, fine," Richie replied. "Never better, to be honest."

"Here, let me help you. You've always been completely useless at tying a tie," Stan said fondly, giving Richie a warm smile.

Richie sat down on the bed. "Thanks, Stan."

Stan made quick work of Richie's bowtie, straightening it once he had it knotted and handing Richie his suit jacket. 

Richie stood and slid his suit jacket on.

Stan pinned Richie's boutonniere to his lapel and quickly ran a lint roller over the suit jacket. "There, you're all set."

Richie walked over to the mirror and caught the first glimpse of himself in his suit. He froze as the realization struck him. "Holy fucking shit, man, I'm getting married," he said. "To Eddie."

"Aaaand there it is," Stan said, turning Richie back toward him and guiding him back to sit on the bed.

"What the fuck am I doing, Stan?" Richie asked, his voice starting to wobble. "Why would someone as perfect as Eddie want to be with a fuckup like me? I'm just some hack comedian who got lucky telling other people's jokes and Eddie's out there saving lives and shit. He's too good for me, I don't deserve him." 

"Rich, buddy, look at me. It's okay, I promise." Stan gently placed his hands on Richie's shoulders. "Eddie loves you, and I know he wouldn't have asked you to marry him if he didn't. You're way more than just a hack comedian -- and I swear to God if you ever tell a soul I said this I'll deny it till I die -- but your original material is actually pretty damn funny."

Richie siffled. "Thanks, Stan."

Stan dug in his pocket. "Here, Bill gave me this to give to you."

He handed Richie a folded piece of paper. On the outside, written in Eddie's neat script, was Richie.

Richie unfolded the note and began to read.

I know what you're thinking, and stop that nonsense. I love you and can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you as my brilliant, funny, loving husband.

See you soon,

Eddie

Richie laughed tearfully. He folded the note back up and tucked it into his pocket before wiping his eyes.

Stan checked his phone. "It's time. You alright?"

Richie nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I'm ok."

"Ok then, let's go." 

Beverly, who was escorting Richie down the aisle, was waiting for him by Mike's back door. "Richie, you look wonderful."

"Well of course, my suit was personally designed by the best," Richie replied with a wink.

"Good luck, Rich," Stan said, giving Richie one last hug before slipping outside to let Ben know that they were ready. "See you out there."

Beverly patted him on the arm. "I'm proud of you, Richie."

"Bev, I'm so fucking lucky," Richie replied. 

Beverly smiled warmly. "So is Eddie, honey. You two are good for each other."

The music started up and she offered him her arm. "He's waiting for you. Ready to go get married?"

Richie nodded. "Abso-fuckin-loutely."

Beverly opened the door and led Richie down the stairs to the pier. Richie glanced up and locked eyes with Eddie, whose smile bloomed so brightly that it made Richie's heart flutter happily in his chest.

Any residual nerves he may have been feeling suddenly left him. That's my husband, he thought.

Beverly escorted him to the end of the aisle, where she gave Richie and Eddie each a kiss on the cheek. "Love you both," she said before taking her seat between Mike and Patty.

Richie turned to Eddie. "Hi," he whispered. "I love you."

"I love you," Eddie whispered back, giving Richie's hand a brief squeeze.

Ben cleared his throat. "Dearly beloved Losers," he began, "we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of Eddie and Richie, who have asked us to join them as they pledge their lives to one another.

"Eddie, Richie, before we begin let me just thank you both again for asking me to officiate. It's truly an honor and I love you both so much. I didn't meet you guys until we were 13, but I could immediately tell that there was something special between you two and I've loved to be able to watch your bond blossom and grow once we all reunited."

He looked down at the piece of paper he held. "Now, please face each other and join hands."

Richie took Eddie's hands in his own, rubbing his thumb over Eddie's ring finger as Ben began to read.

"These are the hands of your best friend, strong and full of love for you, that are holding yours as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow, and forever. These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and will comfort you like no other. These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it, support and encouragement to pursue your dreams, and comfort in difficult times. And these are the hands that even years from now will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just one touch."

He looked up. "May we have the rings, please?"

Audra, who was holding her and Bill's son Max, and Beverly, who was holding her and Ben's son, Burke, set their respective sons down and handed them each a ring box containing Eddie and Richie's rings, whispering, "Go see Uncle Richie!"/"Go give this to Uncle Eddie!"

Richie couldn't help but make an aww sound as his nephew toddled over to him. "Thanks, bud," he said, squatting down and giving Max a hug before sending him back to Audra.

"May you be reminded each day how precious a gift you have each been given as you exchange rings as a symbol of your love and devotion to each other," Ben continued. "Now, Eddie and Richie have decided to write their own vows -- God help us all." He paused as the Losers all burst into laughter. "Eddie, would you like to go first?"

Eddie took Richie's left hand in his. "Richie, ever since the day we met you have been the sun in my solar system, the brightest star in my sky, and the biggest pain in my ass."

Richie honestly wasn't sure if he was going to laugh, cry, or blurt out something inappropriate so he bit his lip in order to keep his mouth shut.

Eddie quirked a smile before continuing. "But honestly, there's no one else I'd rather go through life with than you. You are my life, my love, my forever." He slid Richie's wedding band onto his finger, squeezing his hand before letting go.

Ben wiped a tear from his eye. "That was beautiful, Eddie. Richie?"

Richie took a deep breath. "Eddie, my love," he began, "All I ever wanted when we were kids was to be able to spend my life with you, but growing up I never thought I would be able to have that happiness. God, what I wouldn't have given back then to have been brave enough to tell you just how much you meant to me and to be able to hold you and kiss you. Well here we are 30 years later, where I'm now able to do all that and more. Better late than never, right?" He winked at Eddie, who seemed to be fighting back tears even as he let out a chuckle. 

"Every day I thank whatever higher power is in existence that I have you in my life. You are my best friend -- sorry Bill and Stan, the debate is finally settled -- my heart, my soul, and my partner in crime, in life, and in love. Words cannot even begin to express the love I feel for you, but I hope to be able to show it to you today and every single day for the rest of our lives." He slid Eddie's ring onto his ring finger, placing a soft kiss there as he did so.

Eddie was openly weeping. "You ass -- asshole, I -- I was expect -- expecting your vows to be fun-- funny," he hiccuped.

"Sorry to disappoint, babe," Richie said, wiping away Eddie's tears with his thumb.

Eddie shook his head. "I love you so fucking much."

"I love you too."

Ben discreetly blew his nose before continuing the ceremony. "Ok, well since there's no way anything could possibly top those vows, by the power vested in me I now pronounce you married. Fellow Losers, please join me in officially welcoming Misters Edward and Richard Kaspbrak-Tozier!"

Richie reached out and tilted Eddie's face up for their first kiss as husbands. He took Eddie's left hand in his and raised them above their heads, the setting sun glinting off of their matching rings. "We fucking did it!" he cheered as their friends surrounded them with love and congratulations.

Later, after Eddie had dragged Richie off to make good on his promise of a thorough ravishing,  the Losers sat in Mike's living room, warm and sated from Christmakkah dinner and good wine.

They had completed their Christmakkah gift opening and Bill, Ben, and Stan had just returned from putting their respective kids to bed. Richie and Eddie sat together on Mike's floor, fingers intertwined and Richie absentmindedly rubbing his finger across Eddie's wedding ring.

Bill stood and held up his glass. "I'd like to make a toast to the newlyweds," he announced. "Richie, Eddie, may your marriage be blessed with many years of happiness, laughter, and love. Congratulations, guys. We love you."

"To Richie and Eddie!" everyone echoed before taking a sip.

Richie gave Eddie a kiss before standing. "Actually I'd like to say something as well." He turned to Eddie. "Eddie, my husband, love of my life, congratulations on being the one to make an honest man out of me. Since Ben, Stan, Bill and Mike are all tragically straight, I guess you'll have to do."

Eddie rolled his eyes. "I knew you had written joke vows," he muttered fondly. "Jackass."

Richie chuckled. "No but seriously, thank you for loving me and bringing light to my life. I'm looking forward to spending a lifetime with you."

He turned to the rest of the Losers. "To you guys, thank you all for being a part of our special day.  You all went above and beyond to make sure that everything went off without a hitch, and I know that Eddie agrees with me when I say that you are the best bunch of Losers we could ever ask for. Mike, thank you for being such a gracious host and for putting up with Eddie's bridezilla-y ass the entire week before the wedding." 

"Hey!" Eddie protested. "You're the one who walked down the aisle, if anything you were the bride. I just wanted to make sure that we weren't forgetting any details."

"Whatever you say, oh husband of mine." Richie winked as Eddie got a sappy look on his face at the word 'husband'. Oh, I'm going to enjoy milking that for all its worth.

"Bill and Stan, thank you for being our witnesses. Really feeling the OG Losers love. Bev, thank you for designing my and Eddie's suits. Never thought my husband could look any more gorgeous than he does in his scrubs, but fuck, was I wrong. Ben, you were the best damn officiant we could've asked for. We love you, man. Patty, thanks again for taking wedding photos for us, we really appreciate it. Audra, same goes for the video. Now I have proof for when Eddie denies crying during my vows."

While he was talking, Eddie had gotten up and gathered gift bags, handing them out to each adult Loser in addition to handing an additional gift bag to Beverly, Audra, and Patty for the kids before returning to Richie's side and wrapping a hand around his waist. "Rich and I have a small gift for each of you as a token of our appreciation," he explained. "Hope you guys like them."

Richie and Eddie watched as each person pulled out their gift - a personalized wine glass and beer stein for the adults with the phrase, "Losers' Club est. 1989" and their names underneath and a personalized hooded towel for the kids with "Junior Loser" and their names monogrammed into the corner. 

"Patty, Audra, even though you two married into the Losers' Club, you're still official Losers in our hearts," Richie said, placing a hand over his chest.

After everyone had finished their drinks they bade each other goodnight before beginning to disperse to their respective rooms, Richie and Eddie heading hand-in-hand to theirs.

After they had showered and brushed their teeth, Richie climbed into bed, hovering over Eddie. "Hello, husband," he purred.

"Mmm, hello yourself, husband," Eddie replied, pulling Richie in for a tender kiss. "God, we're really fucking married, aren't we?"

Richie hummed in the affirmative. "Till death do us part, baby. No takebacks."

Eddie was silent for a moment. "No takebacks, huh? That gives me an idea."

A few days after they arrived back in Los Angeles, Richie sent a photo of his and Eddie's ring fingers sporting matching tattoos with their wedding date. Decided to make the symbol of our love a little more permanent. ;)