#and he feels like gregory is doing him a favor by being kind to him

[puhpandas]

Contentment

(1,485 words)

Evan has a nightmare during a sleepover with Gregory and accidentally wakes him up in the process. Gregory, of course, offers him comfort. Even if he is delirious from sleep and spouting nonsense.

Evan doesnt know what time it is when he gasps awake from his nightmare. Its sometime late, if the pitch blackness of the room and faint sounds of cicadas and crickets outside are any indication. Gregory is still sleeping soundly adjacent to him on his bed as he huffs for air, unfiltered fear gripping his lungs.

He props himself up on his air mattress, trying to calm his hammering heart as the fluffy throw blanket Gregory had given him to cover up with slides off of his shoulders. Flashes of the frankly offputting nightmare appear over his eyes in the dark, and he tries to rub them away with his clammy, shaking hands.

It's not the first time Evan's had nightmares like these. Far from it. Sometimes, he'll shoot awake in his room and think he sees shadows of what monstr of the week he'd dreamed about in the corners, and his stomach will be so on fire he'll be shaking intensely, unable to fall back asleep.

That's what's happening now. Allthough its frustrating how much his brain seems to hate him, Evan cant find it in him to be annoyed right now. He almost never can. The fear that he'd experienced in the dream has clung to him like a tick, and it makes his breaths shaky and harsh.

Sweat clings to his clothes, soaking theough and making his skin sticky. Albeit shakily, he moves off of the air mattress, too paranoid to stay on top of it lest he somehow gets the bed Gregory's family had generously donated to him dirty. He shifts near the middle of the side of Gregory's bed, sitting on his carpet and curling up as small as hes able.

He tries really hard to stay quiet for Gregory, but this is a particularly bad one. That feeling he always gets when he has a nightmare, and wakes up feeling off and disoriented is sticking with him. His heart thrums uncomfortably in his chest, and he clutches his knees he has pulled up to his chest, trying to will the anxiety away.

Despite how hard he tries, his eyes blow open when he let's out the smallest whimper, the terror and the dark getting too much. He holds his breath, staying completely silent for what feels like hours as he strains his ears for signs of Gregory waking up.

His heart has long since stopped when he risks a glance behind him. It's the exact same time Gregory stirs just enough to land a hand on his shoulder, and Evan startles hard, gasping harshly.

After he wills his heart to stop almost imploding, Evan breathes out, trying to calm down. Guilt curls in his stomach when Gregory raises his head from his pillow, eyes bleary and hair sticking up. His face is just visible over the edge of the bed, and Evan's only able to see his expression because of the moonlight shining through the blinds.

The hand squeezes a bit tighter, and then "Ev'n?"

Evan's brows furrow, the feeling of fear and guilt mixing together into an ugly poison in his gut. He shakes his head, trying to will the unease to fall away. This, undoubtedly, is worse than before.

"Its me." He replies, after a moment, soft as ever. He swallows thickly, before, "I-- I'm sorry I woke you up. Just go back to sleep, please. I-- I promise I'm okay. You don't need to worry about me."

Despite Evan's attempts, it seems even through Gregory's barely-awake state he can still call Evan's bluff. Evan watches Gregory's form under his blanket shift, rolling out of view from the edge of the bed to closer to the wall.

"No you're not." Gregory tells him, voice rough from sleep. His words slur in that way that tells you the person you're speaking to isnt fully aware. "I h'rd you. Just... if somethings wrong jus... come up here."

Evan's eyes widen, and panic grips his insides at that. "No, no!" Evan attempts, waving his hands even though Gregory probably cant even open his eyes enough to see him. "I dont need you to do that, I swear. I'm fine. You take your bed and I'll have mine."

Evan has calmed himself down from nightmares plenty of times before. Even if it did take almost an hour or more each time. He doesn't need Gregory to offer his own bed to him.

But Evan should know by now that Gregory wont allow him to suffer in silence. No matter how much he insists. So really, when Gregory flails a hand around and off of the bed, tugging at Evan's sleeve and mumbling things about 'Not leaving you to be scared', he shouldn't be suprised.

Still. When Evan eventually climbs into Gregory's bed and tucks himself under the thick comforter, the sheets coming pre-warmed, its almost like the unease and anxiety of his terrifying nightmare melts off a little. Especially since he can feel the almost personal heater-like warmth of Gregory's back pressed up against his side.

Gregorys bed is just a twin, so it takes some squeezing, but they both fit. Before, Evan would just have Fredbear to tuck under his arm when he inevitably had to try to fall back asleep in his own house. Never in a million years did he consider going to his Father or Michael for comfort. The idea of having a person to keep him company never crossed his mind.

When Evan has calmed down significantly since climbing in bed, he relaxes some more, finally feeling more fit to sleep as he says, "Thank you, Gregory." Evan shuts his eyes, body still faintly trembling but feeling more relaxed. "...I do feel better. A lot better."

Evan thinks Gregory may have nodded off already when he doesnt respond right away, but then he shifts slightly. "T'ld you." He mumbles. "...You gotta stop being scared of bothering me. I want you to feel better more than having m' bed I sleep in every day."

Evan chuckles slightly. "Night, you mean." But warmth overcomes the last bits of chill in his stomach when he smiles earnestly into one of Gregory's pillows, tugging the comforter above his chin. "And... I will. From now on. You just might have to knock some sense into me first."

"I will." Gregory replies. He's still awake somehow (if you describe this as being 'awake') despite being dead still against Evan, as unmoving as a boulder. Then, to Evan's amusement, he mumbles, "I gotta learn to knock sense into things somewhere. H'w'll I be able to join the... the laser force if I dont?"

It takes a moment for Evan to process it, but then he cant help the giggle he stifles into Gregory's comforter. "The laser force?" He prompts.

"Mhm. Theres... laser guns, and I have to track down three targets bef're theyll let me join."

As Evan's eyes grow more and more tired from how comfortable hes becoming tucked safely into Gregory's bed, Gregorys comforting presence at his shoulder, and warmth surrounding him and pulling him more and more under, he just smiles, cheek smashing into the plush of Gregory's pillow. "Heh. You can do it, Gregory. I believe in you."

"Mm. I'll st'll come visit you... even after I'm deployed." Is the last thing Gregory says before his words trail off and his body goes completely slack against Evan, signaling hes asleep.

Evan has one more round of quiet, silent laughter before his eyelids slip shut, as heavy as iron, and his body relaxed. He falls asleep himself, smile on his face and any remnants of terror from his nightmare wiped away.

Evan's last thought is how much more being in Gregory's bed, in his room, in his house, feels like home than his own room, where he could really never fully relax. Where the threats were real.

When they wake up that coming morning, any of Evan's previous unsettled feelings are completely absent, replaced with amusement and contentment when he peels his eyes open to sunlight peeking through the blinds and Gregory's face smushed into his pillow, drool stained into the case. Gregory wakes up to Evan's giggles, and after realizing what, or who hes laughing at, grabs one of his plush pillows molded like something and begins pelting Evan with it.

Naturally, Evan shrieks, throat dry in that way that only happens when you've slept good, and shields himself. When he throws the comforter off of himself, falling onto the air mattress and bouncing, he laughs even more.

Evan grabs his own pillow from what was supposed to have been his bed for the night, and strikes back, getting a few hits of his own in.

Gregory's room is filled with laughter that morning, between Evan and his best friend, and later, when he has time to reminisce on the night, he realizes he had gotten no more nightmares.

ao3 link

#evan has anxiety #and he feels like gregory is doing him a favor by being kind to him #so also guilt issues #with people sacrificing things no matter how small to help him #maybe he just cant fully grasp the concept of someone caring about him #maybe he'll never fully unlearn that #pandas writes #my fics #flashlight duo #flashlight duo modern au #gregory and evan #evan afton #fnaf gregory #oneshot #gregory #evan #for ppl wondering this isnr ship its sibling like #found family type

[licorice-tea]

I’m A Ghost Of You, You’re A Ghost Of Me

Pairing: Roronoa Zoro x reader

Content: right person wrong time kind of (but not angsty!), fire/bonfire, first meetings, pre-romance dawn era, reader has some lore/has a bow and arrow/is from a noble family!

Word Count: 1.6k

A/N: This is loosely inspired by “San Luis” by Gregory Alan Isakov (which is where I got the title from, too.) It also kind of sets up for when Zoro and reader could meet again, so let me know if you want this to be a series!

Part 2

You and Zoro had known each other for a year before Luffy even set sail to chase his dream. Being a bounty hunter lead him to having connections, albeit reluctantly, and a sort of network of people who could get him things he needed. Information, a place to sleep, whatever.

One such connection was to a mildly corrupt marine officer who had asked him to take on a few jobs in the past. This time, the swordsman/pirate hunter had been asked to take on a sort of odd job, and he agreed because of the promise of a hefty reward. He’d landed on an island with a heavy marine presence, but wasn’t technically a wanted criminal himself (yet), so he wasn’t nervous. The place also reeked of nobility, so it was no surprise when a marine officer approached Zoro with a task as a favor to one of the noble families of the island.

“The l/n family… their heir is, how do I say this politely…” the marine looks over his shoulder at your father.

“They’re difficult. And this isn’t the first time they’ve left home, but they…” he sighs and rubs his temple. “They won’t come back unless someone makes them.”

“How old are they?” Zoro asks, looking for information on your skill level, how strong you are, what kind of weapon you carry, etcetera.

“18.” The same age as him (at the time.)

Zoro shrugs and crosses his arms. “18 is old enough to leave home. Just let them.”

“Please! They-they can’t just leave. There are pirates on the seas!” Your mother cries, but honestly she seems more angry than truly worried.

Your parents are hiding something, he can tell. And, he intends to find out. “Fine.”

They hand over a quarter of the reward money for your safe return, and show proof of the rest. Satisfied, Zoro takes what little information they’ve given about you and sets sail.

He finds you on a neighboring island, dancing the night away at some sort of beach party. You don’t seem particularly threatening, but you don’t appear naive or weak either. You’re not even doing anything wrong; to him, it just seems you want to live your life. Still, he watches you for the better part of an hour (as it would make him naive to equate your joy to weakness.) He tries to insert himself into the party scene, walking along the shoreline until he’s a part of the crowd. You’re dancing around a bonfire with some other partygoers, and when you finally turn in his direction, he’s mesmerized. Zoro never really considered himself a love at first sight kind of guy, nor a romantic in any way, but god are you pretty. The glow of the fire behind your illuminates the contours of your neck and shoulders, and the moonlight from above seems to make your eyes light up.

“Like stars.” he thinks to himself.

The swordsman is so lost in you that he doesn’t realize he’s staring. And by the time he does, you’re making your way over with a smile. He seems familiar to you, and around your age, so maybe you’d met him on one of your… previous escapades.

You had walked up to him with all the poise of nobility, but no hint of a feeling of superiority. “Hi!”

“…Hi.”

“Wanna dance?” you extend a hand, offering friendship and possibly more to the quiet man.

Zoro snaps out of his trance and uncrosses his arms. “That’s alright.” He silently wrests a hand on the 3 swords hanging from his hip.

Oh. Oh.

“Ah…” you retract your hand awkwardly and take to cradling your arms while looking away, toward the sea. “You’re that bounty hunter, I recognize you from the newspaper… Are you here to take me back?”

You’d clearly done this before, he realizes, as your previously bright smile turns bittersweet. “Yeah.”

“Hm.” your sullen expression turns to curiosity. “And if I refuse?”

“I don’t carry these as accessories.” he taps the hilt of one of the swords.

You laugh, genuinely amused by his dry response, and your hand comes to rest on something hooked over your shoulder. He had mistaken it for the strap of a bag, but upon closer inspection it was a bow. “Neither do I.”

So that’s how you survived so long on your own all the times you ran away, and why your parents were reluctant to speak of your capabilities in front of a marine. You were practically an outlaw already, assuming you were as skilled with your weapon of choice as you were charming.

“I’m not looking for a fight tonight.” This is half true- he had come prepared of course, but now that he had met you… Well, he’d rather get to know you first.

“What?” he asks as you continue looking at him. No, not just looking- observing.

“Hm, sorry, I just- Well, usually my parents send marines to collect me.” You take a hand off your bow and seem to relax again.

“And you let them?” Zoro asks, surprised.

You shrug. “I go back with them or I end up on a wanted list for assaulting a marine. And I don’t think I’m ready to be a wanted criminal yet.”

This time, he’s the one observing you. Again. You’re just a teenager, really. The same age as him- but with none of the freedom.

“Then why do you keep running away if you know you’ll be caught?”

He can see the gears turning in your head as you look at him with surprise. Nobody has ever asked why you keep trying to leave, people usually assume you’re just rebellious.

“I…” you swallow thickly, suddenly nervous. You weren’t used to being known- or seen, rather- for who you truly are. “Well, I have a dream.” You say this with a raised chin, clearly more prideful about your aspirations than your noble upbringing.

“Yeah?… Me too.” his response makes you smile again.

“What’s your dream then, bounty hunter?”

Zoro thinks for a moment, then smirks and raises his chin as if he’s offering you a deal, “I’ll tell you next time we meet, and when you’ve gotten started on yours.”

Your face lights up once again in a smile. “Thank you.”

He nods, “Don’t mention it.” And with that, he turns and strides across the shore, going who knows where. You watch as he goes in the opposite direction from where he came, until he’s on the other side of the bonfire from you. The flame gives his already tan skin a warm glow, and reflects off all 3 of his earrings and swords.

You grin and laugh quietly to yourself- not because anything is funny, you’re just amazed. Despite the amount of money you knew your parents had probably promised him, he wasn’t going to try and make you go back. (Not that he necessarily could, either.) Instead, he’d respected your decision as someone else with a dream- and as his equal. How very noble.

“I hope we meet again!” You call after him, and he looks back briefly. He’s on the other side of the bonfire now, and it illuminates your face as you wave goodbye. Your eyes really are like stars; and the embers flitting off the fire dance around you like the flares on the sun.

“Hell,” he smirks to himself, “you’re a whole universe.”

He waves back silently, not quite knowing how to convey these sudden feelings for a near stranger, but hoping you understand that he also wants to see you again someday.

A few months later, Zoro would see your face on a bounty poster. There were no serious crimes listed, besides evading arrest and unlicensed use of a weapon, which made him chuckle. He thinks of you often; wondering if you’re following your dream now, and if it has anything to do with being an archer, or if you ever thought of him the way he did you. He really did want to see you again someday. For now though: he’d continue pursuing his dream to be the world’s greatest swordsman, and keep on with his “job” as a pirate/bounty hunter.

But your bounty? Well, he had no intentions of collecting it.

#one piece x you #one piece x reader #one piece #oneshot #zoro x you #zoro x reader #roronoa zoro #gregory alan isakov #fanfic

[fivenightsatfreddysfanfiction]

Find A Friend

Gregory meets Cassie... twice.

Time Set: Post-SB, pre-Ruin

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

When Gregory still lived in the Pizzaplex, he figured out he could sneak himself into most kids’ birthday parties by swiping a bit of merch and putting it into a gift bag at Glamrock Gifts and mimicking the usual laments of people his age to anyone who got too curious at him. It was kind of stupid; adults expected certain noises to come from kids, he made the same noises and now he’s just relegated to another face in the crowd in those adults’ minds. All it confirmed for him was that there really was no one outside the building looking for him or asking after him.

Well, whatever. Some cheap gifts to use as cover and Gregory had access to plentiful food and games for however long the party lasted. And if there were party masks, even better; they fooled the S.T.A.F.F. facial recognition so he could ask them directly for takeaway containers to store extra food in for later. It was like shopping for supplies without the stress of having to dodge the bots in the dead of night. Wasn’t like they were programmed to sound alerts if they see any form of mask after hours… ha. Whoever thought that up was a pain in Gregory’s ass; he would have liked to be able to use a Freddy mask to fool them into thinking he was an animatronic but apparently the Pizzaplex’s network was prepared for that for the security night shifts and only allowed the weird rabbit mask the employees would wear before they disappeared.

Gregory was sure somebody tried that at some point and someone else snitched. What a pain.

Anyway, the point was that birthday parties were a great time to get food, play some games, and relax for a while. Be a normal kid and hang out with other kids, forget for a little bit that his memories were a mess and his dreams were shambles and sometimes he wasn’t sure if things he experienced were real or not. Can’t have a mental breakdown while he’s busy spending FazTokens on the birthday kid’s dime, right?

Turns out he also can’t when the birthday kid was already having a crisis of their own. Overshadowing that would be kind of rude.

The birthday kid was a girl currently sobbing her eyes out in a corner of the Glamrock Salon in Roxy Raceway. Normally Gregory didn’t have any interest in this part of the Pizzaplex but the party was being held here and it was one of the last scheduled ones before the area would be closed off for renovation. Although calling it a party was being kind, really. Despite all the party favors and goodies for the special day, there was a noticeable lack of other kids celebrating or parents being attentive or concerned with that fact. He stood there with a plate of pizza, chewing on a slice and not really enjoying the cheese and not-meat toppings. How could he, when he could hear the poor kid being miserable just around the corner?

Eventually he just set the plate down, grabbed one of the nice cloth napkins, and took a deep breath before heading over to tend to the birthday kid and introduce himself. A birthday without a single friend to celebrate with was just fucked up and Gregory wasn’t going to let that stand. Something in his soul railed against it, demanded that a lonely kid shedding so many tears needed to be soothed come hell or high water. Well, he’ll just do it so he won’t feel guilty for eating her food. He hated feeling guilty for just trying to survive.

Gregory hesitated for a bit upon turning that corner, taking in the sight of brightly colored and sparkling makeup running down the girl’s face, brilliant against her complexion and terrible in how he imagined it once looked amazing when first applied by Roxy during their hangout time. Questions on how this situation came to be flicked through his mind fast and jumbled, too fast for even words to be assembled for them. But Gregory shoved it aside and just walked up to the girl, lowering himself to one knee and holding out the napkin to her, pulling on a small smile for her sake.

“Hey,” he greeted quietly, “thought you could use something to, I dunno, blow your nose or something.” The girl sniffled, looking at him in confusion before down at the napkin. “It’s clean, promise! I got it off the nice tables.”

“Who’re you?” she asked in return, rubbing at her cheek and smearing the makeup some more.

Cover stories were the worst. Could never keep them straight in his head and couldn’t count on his memories to keep track of details anyway. “Name’s Gregory, I was just passing by and heard you, so I just wanted to make sure you were okay,” he answered. Simple and honest, but still vague enough that she could fill in the blanks herself and he wouldn’t have to keep track of stuff. Best way to tell a lie was to give it the basics of a truth and let the other person think they have the full story; it was a pretty good survival trick and he was kinda proud of himself for figuring that out.

“Were you invited to my party?” the girl asked, a flicker of hope in her eyes. Gregory hesitated a moment and that was enough of an answer for her. She looked even more miserable, “Oh.” She took the napkin from him with a wispy ‘Thank you’ and dabbed at her eyes and cheeks to blot the makeup off and clean up.

He watched her from the corner of his eyes, his stomach clenching uncomfortably with his failure to cheer her up. “Hey, I don’t really get out much and I don’t really know anyone, but maybe the two of us can still make this party fun,” Gregory offered uncertainly, a crooked grin on his face. “Whaddya say, Birthday Girl? Show me around and see what trouble we can get up to?”

She laughed, a startled sound as though she hadn’t expected to find that funny, but even that was a far better reaction than more sobbing. She wiped the last of the makeup off and returned his smile with a tremulous one. “Yeah, okay. We can do something,” she said and held out a hand for him to shake, “I’m Cassie. Nice to meet you, Gregory.”

.

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

.

Gregory’s first day of school had him wary of the number of kids around him at almost all times. Part of him wondered if he would lose his mind trying to keep track of them from a threat that wasn’t even in the building. Forcing himself to not count them, to not track their locations, gave him a headache and made his eyes burn. Introducing himself to his new classmates, using the cover story of having ‘just moved’ which was true enough as he and Vanessa and Freddy and Sydney ‘moved’ from living inside the Pizzaplex to living outside of it, was stressful enough without having to cope with his old habit of checking the number of kids around him to see if Mrs. Afton grabbed any of them for her Remnant experiments.

Lunchtime was the first time he could get relief, sitting outside in a shady and mostly secluded area to press the heels of his palms to his eyes and hope things calmed down enough to let him eat. His head throbbed, painful enough that he almost wanted to cry. Maybe he could get to the nurse and ask to call home. Surely Vanessa would be okay with him coming back early to rest up, right?

“Looks like you’re getting out more, huh?” a familiar voice remarked and Gregory jerked his head up in surprise. He blinked as he looked towards the source of that voice and found the birthday girl he helped out leaning against the tree he sat under. “So, ‘just moved’, huh? Got everyone fooled but I remember you spending my birthday with me at the Pizzaplex some time ago,” she said with a grin, “What’s the real story, Gregory?”

“Cassie?!” Gregory exclaimed with wide eyes. Holy crap, she went to this school too?! Why didn’t he think of that sooner, they were about the same age, right?

“He remembers my name!” Cassie declared with a laugh, raising her hands as if to cheer for the achievement before drawing closer to sit beside him, “It’s been ages and I looked for you in school after my birthday but nobody here ever heard of you before today. Where the heck were you?”

“Around,” Gregory replied evasively, swallowing hard as he tried to think of what to say to get himself out of this mess. How did he forget about her until now? The implant, did the thing connecting him to the Pizzaplex network also force him to forget Cassie existed too? Now he doesn’t even have time to pull together a new cover story!

“Yeah? But where? This is the only school for this area and you weren’t here,” she pressed and tilted her head, her pigtails bobbing with the motion, “Were you home-schooled for a while? Is that why you enrolled late here?”

Well, Vanessa had him doing workbooks at home to prepare him for the placement tests and Alex was teaching him about programming to better protect Freddy, so that sounded about right. “Kinda? Vanessa did her best but she said I needed to be social too so here I am.” That sounded good, played into the home-schooling but hinted a reason to switch to public school without making Vanessa sound bad for their situation.

“You’re not doing very good at socializing, hiding all the way over here,” Cassie pointed out, giving him a small frown, “Are you okay? You don’t look good. Thinking of calling your mom and dad to come get you?” Gregory sighed, pressing his hands to his eyes and forehead again. That did sound tempting, though a little amusing to imagine Freddy pulling up to school to take him home. Would be nice to have that, though; maybe Mr. Woods and Mr. Fitzgerald could make a casing for Freddy that could have him look like something other than an animatronic bear?

“I want to, but Vanessa’s out looking for work,” he admitted. Sydney was doing the same since he didn't want to take back his old job and Alex still worked at Circus Baby’s on the day shift so he wouldn’t be able to just run over to get him, if he even would. Gregory still was kind of iffy on Sydney and Alex sticking around but they seemed more invested in him and Vanessa now compared to when they all first met. Either way, they were all doing stuff and Freddy couldn’t leave the house, so Gregory was stuck.

“Is that your mom?” Cassie asked and he nodded. He tried calling her ‘Mom’ a few times, but it still felt awkward. He wanted it to feel normal; Gregory had stayed in the Pizzaplex to save her, had a gut feeling he wanted to get his family back but the connection seemed flimsy at best now. So calling her Vanessa again was all he could do and it seemed the most comfortable for them both. “No dad, huh? I can get it,” Cassie went on, picking at the grass, “I didn’t have a mom, just my dad. But then he disappeared so now my grandma looks after me.” She looked around at the field of kids eating lunch or hanging out. “Lotta people disappear in this town, it’s super weird. I kinda thought you were one of them since I didn’t see you after my birthday.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. Like I said, I didn’t get out much,” Gregory replied with a dry laugh. His headache was waning and things felt less fuzzy now. Maybe he could just ask the nurse for something to take for the rest of the headache and he could finish the day.

“I can tell. You didn’t look too comfortable being in crowds in the hallway,” Cassie pointed out, setting her backpack down and pulling out her lunchbox. Roxy’s face smiled up at her from the lid and Gregory blinked at it in surprise. It was jarring to see Roxy as she was before that night in the Pizzaplex, glamorous and bold until he shattered her body and her self-confidence to swipe her upgraded parts for Freddy’s use.

He actually felt bad for her now. Sure in the moment of the night he was pissed off enough at the band for hunting him down that wrecking them felt deserved, but those were still Freddy’s friends and it was Afton who made them nasty and scary. If he could get their chips, maybe look into their programming and fix what Afton did, they would be their real selves again. Maybe that’ll be enough to make up for smashing them up.

“Roxy fan, huh?” he asked just for something to fill the silence as he pulled out his own lunchbox, “I’m team Freddy, just saying.” He grinned at Cassie’s giggle as the two of them got into their lunches.

“She’s my favorite. So cool and pretty and her keytar skills are amazing!” she rambled excitedly before her cheer dimmed, “It really sucks that the Pizzaplex got so wrecked by that earthquake. I know it got closed beforehand for some kind of renovation or investigation or something, but it still sucks that we can’t see the band perform anymore.”

“Maybe we’ll see them again someday?” Gregory said thoughtfully, already turning over potential ways to get into the Pizzaplex. Sydney had more access to the building when Mrs. Afton was controlling him, and Alex was really good with computers and hacking. Plus all those people that showed up at the Pizzaplex had ways of getting into the building for Circus Baby and Knife Lady. With him and Freddy and Vanessa helping with mapping out the inside, could they get into the Pizzaplex and recover the rest of the band?

“I hope so. My dad used to work there, so it’d be nice to see everything there again,” Cassie told him with a sad smile, “It felt like he was with me when I visited. Now it’s gone and it just… it really sucks.”

Gregory swallowed, his food losing flavor from that reveal. Cassie’s dad was a Pizzaplex employee? But all of them had been replaced by S.T.A.F.F. bots except for Vanessa and Sydney, and he’d been through that employee cafeteria where he picked up that company memo about a staff meeting. Did her dad end up there? Only way to know for sure would be to get into the Pizzaplex records in the servers.

“Well, forgetting all that for now,” Cassie suddenly remarked with false brightness, holding her sandwich tightly, “just wanted to welcome you to our school! It’s pretty cool, we have field trips sometimes and on Fridays we have pizza, tacos, or burgers for lunch, but we can bring our own lunches still. And the library has computers with games on them for the free period after lunch. Wanna go check it out after we eat?”

“Sure! Sounds fun,” Gregory agreed, warming up to the idea of actually being a regular kid at school. “It’s good to see you again, Cassie.” Finding her on her birthday, hanging out and playing all that time, and then making sure from the shadows that she left the Pizzaplex safely, and then feeling sad when she didn’t come back very often in ways that would let him go out to see her… it wasn’t until now that Gregory realized he had missed being able to just hang out with the first friend he ever made.

Cassie smiled back at him, bright and happy. “Always good to find a friend,” she agreed, laughing as she nudged his shoulder with her own, “Now hurry up and eat so we can get some spots on the computers!”

Maybe this public school thing wouldn’t be so bad after all.

#fnaf fanfiction #fnaf gregory #fnaf cassie #parlourverse au #fnaf au

[theycallme-thejackal]

One MidgeLenny x TSwift Fic Per Day

57. Sweet Nothing

Midge is constantly being pulled in so many different directions.

Between her kids, her parents, Joel, Imogene, Susie, Gordon... she’s constantly asked for so much that she often feels like she’s been spread too thin. She loves her job. She loves her friends, her family. Hell, she even loves her ex-husband in a you-gave-me-two-great-kids kind of way.

But sometimes she gets overwhelmed by how much she’s needed.

Lenny, though...

Lenny asks for nothing, gives everything, and that makes her want to give everything in return. With Lenny, she doesn’t have to cook dinner and order takeout in case he hates it. She doesn’t have to measure herself to make sure she’s keeping her figure or sneak out of bed after he’s fallen asleep to do her night routine or worry about the sounds she makes in bed.

He doesn’t love her for what she does for him. He just loves her, and as foreign as that felt in the beginning, now it just feels really fucking good.

She enters the apartment after taping and slips her heels off by the door (she should really start wearing flats to and from the studio), and she can hear him humming to himself in the kitchen. It makes her smile.

“Hey,” she says as she joins him at the sink, where he’s washing dishes.

He turns his head, giving her a soft kiss hello. “How was work?” He asks. 

“I got to sit on a couch with Gregory Peck. Imogene’s going to plotz.”

Lenny laughs quietly and sets the pan he’s just washed aside before drying his hands. “Should I be worried?” He teases.

“Not at all,” she promises. He tosses the towel onto the counter in favor of wrapping his arms around her waist. “Kids were good?”

“Yours were. Mine not so much,” he jokes, and she laughs as she slips her arms around his neck and kisses him slowly.

When she first started dating Lenny, so many people warned her against him. The amount of criticism she received from the people around her was stunning but not surprising. But here they are, three years later, and he’s been the one thing in her life that is constantly good. No matter how much her career twists and turns, no matter how frustrated she gets with the demands of everyone around her, she has Lenny.

Lenny, who is always there for her and asks for sweet nothing but for her to love him in return.

It’s the easiest thing she’s ever done.

#midgelenny #midge x lenny #midgexlenny #tmmm fanfic #marvelous mrs. maisel fanfic #otp: more important than god #jackal fics #mltswift

[yanderefairyangel]

好きなもの】

甘いもの、芋、自然、怪談、宴会、高級品、読書、怯えた目、宝石のような見た目の菓子

【苦手なもの】

運動、鍛錬、日焼け、工作、掃除、見下されること、他人からの好意

That's Rafal's diary entry

I'll translate it for you

"The things he likes"

Sweets, potatoes, nature, ghost stories, banquest, luxuries, reading, scaring others, sweets that sparkles like jewels

"The things he dislikes"

Exercising, training, tanning, crafting, cleaning, being looked down upon, receiving favors from others/being liked by others.

That last one is particularly interesting when speaking of his relationship with Nel and Alear.

We know Rafal always felt like stealing what belonged to Nil but the fact that he generally disliked feeling favored by others really shows his own self acceptance issues. And while he came to accept that from Nel...

Well his support with Alear explains why he was so easily flushtered. I mean the C support is Alear telling him they like him. Alear, the one person who claim they don't favor anyone over another person.... They said that. In the C support. They said that to someone who feels incredibly guilty that he tried to kill them. You bet he is gonna try and leave !! And in support B, this happens again !! Alear making Rafal flustered over a compliment and the guy leaving because he is embarrassed.

That explains why he keept pretending in front of Gregory he cannot be trusted (even though it doesn't make sense for him to act as if he was going to repeat the same mistakes when he is risking his life on the battle field to help Alear) or why he actively tries to avoid any attempt of friendship towards him. That and the fact he actively admits to be avoiding people because of the guilt he feels as he consider that he doesn't deserves to be forgiven.

In fact, I wonder if some of the problem he has in opening up to people who are kind towards him isn't because he is being reminded of how he befriended Nil. In his S support with Alear, he does say something that makes me believe he find Alear to be very similar to Nil personality wise hence it could be that.

That also explains why he doesn't like being openly kind to others such as him trying to hide the fact he made sweets for Alear on his own accord and will try to sneak them under Alear's pillow...

And boi... the shift it creates when you waifu-- I mean, after you give him the pact ring. He goes from disliking receiving favors and getting embarassed in front of Alear's friendly and open approach to a possesive and protective partner who still struggles to convey what he feels directly... I mean ... that's kinda complicated but most of the time from what I saw he mainly conveys what he feels to Alear when they are asleep and when they are awake he gets flirty ? sorta ?

Anyway... what was I saying ? Ah yeas, right that Rafal disliking receiving favors from others or being liked by them comes from his self loathe and self acceptance issues

So basically this elements I think also plays in his tragic solo ending where he dies without letting anyone knows that he sacrificed himself to save the world or the one ending where he ends up with Alear but stays in the shadow and not getting any spotlight.

Despite having those self acceptance issues that made him seek for validation, he still hates receiving a form of love or care from others as he doesn't feel worthy of it. I think that's also this dislike of his for receiving favors that can help him find an answer because I recall that at some point (I can't remember whether it's in the support with Ivy or Mauvier) that he ended up doubting on whether he is trying to admend for what he did because he genuinely regrets it or if he just wants to have the mind tranquilized from being "dirty" of some evil deeds. I think that answers that he does genuinely regrets his wrong doing and really wants to amends for what he did but at the same time recognize that as the person he hurts are dead so that he will have to learn to live with the guilt of what he did. Knowing that, combined with what we know of his past and survivor guilt towards Nil, impostor syndrome due to the impersonnification and all, it's seems that he really cannot accept being liked and feeling underseving of it.

#fire emblem #fe engage #fire emblem engage #rafal fire emblem #rafal fe #fell xenologue

[vikkirosko]

What if Yandere Gary Harrison and Yandere Gregory of Yardale had a rival

👔 Yandere!Gary Harrison x Reader 📖

Gary has been in love with you since he transferred to South Park School. He tried to make friends with you so that your friendship would later grow into something more, but when he found out that he was not the only one who was trying to woo you, he realized that he could not stay away

Gary tried to be friendly and just talk to his rival. He hoped that he could solve everything peacefully, but he was wrong. His rival did not even think of backing away from you. Gary couldn't let someone else get your love instead of him

He started trying to be near you all the time. He didn't give his rival a single minute next to you, which made rival angry. That's what Gary wanted. He wanted his rival to make himself look terrible in your eyes

Gary was able to achieve what he wanted. His rival started yelling at him in your presence, accusing him of being a jealous bastard who follows you all the time. You were outraged by this. You thought Gary was kind and friendly, and you would never have believed that someone like him could annoy someone. You said that you do not intend to tolerate insults against your friend anymore. Gary was acting as usual, but he was happy inside

Gary was glad that he was able to get rid of rival. The only thing that hurt him was that you still saw in him only a friend. But it was temporary. He intended to show you his feelings soon. He was sure that you would reciprocate him. In his dreams, you were already together

🗡 Yandere!Gregory of Yardale x Reader ⛸

Gregory was jealous. He was jealous of you for everyone who, in his opinion, could try to get closer to you, but tried to control his jealousy. But when he got a real rival, he felt very real anger. He tried to keep his cool but one look at you smiling at another made him feel a burning jealousy

He took some time to find out what his rival is like. He had to be ready for anything to protect his love. He didn't care that you weren't aware of his feelings for you. He wasn't going to let you be taken away from him

He tried to solve everything without unnecessary conflicts. He tried to explain to your admirer that he should retreat and not try to gain your favor, but the rival did not think to listen to him. He believed that you should choose who you want to be with. But Gregory thought otherwise. He was sure that you must be together, and he was ready to fight for this

When your admirer disappeared, you had no idea what happened to him. And only Gregory knew what really happened. He watched as Ze Mole killed Gregory's rival and then buried him. Gregory couldn't help but smile as he listened to his rival's screams and pleas for help

Gregory supported you when you told him that your friend was missing. He convinced you that he just ran away and that you shouldn't worry about it. You believed Gregory, but you couldn't understand what could have happened that a person just decided to run away from the city. Gregory won't let you know the truth. He was ready to do anything just to have you with him. It doesn't matter how many people he has to kill with someone else's hands

#South Park #South Park x Reader #South Park headcanons #Yandere! South Park #Gary Harrison #Gary Harrison x Reader #Yandere! Gary Harrison #Yandere!Gary Harrison x Reader #Gregory of Yardale #Gregory of Yardale x Reader #Yandere! Gregory of Yardale #Yandere! Gregory of Yardale x Reader

[irishseeeker]

Prompt: Day 1, Jealousy and all its cousins @katexanthonyweek​

Kate Bridgerton  was definitely not jealous.

(She was.)

rating: mature!

---

Kate tried really not to dislike people.

That did not mean she was always successful but she truly did try to give people the benefit of the doubt.

It became an exceedingly hard task when certain people made it incredibly difficult for Kate to like them. Especially before she knew them.

For example, the woman across the room who was standing far too close to her husband, openly flirting with him.

That was hard to like.

Kate was not a fool, she noticed how women behaved around Anthony. She could accept women would always be attracted to Anthony. He had been a notorious rake for a reason, after all. It made no difference to their marriage, Anthony was hers. Whenever he was in a room, the female gaze naturally drew to him.

She could not blame them. Her charming husband, who would kill her if he ever heard her say this, was beautiful.

He was incredibly handsome but there was so much more. There was no better feeling than being wrapped up in his broad shoulders and muscular arms. He had long, dark eyelashes every woman dreamed of. He had a strong jawline that she loved to kiss and trace with her fingertips when they lay in bed. He had a head full of dark hair that she loved to run her fingers through, unlike some men his age who were already bald.

Kate herself could barely keep her eyes off of him and she got to see him everyday, especially when no one else did. She got to see him when he first woke up in the morning, completely content with his tousled hair and half awake eyes. She had the privilege of seeing him with his shirt slightly unbuttoned, his cravat loose and best of all-with nothing on at all.

It was a challenge sometimes in public not to touch him, especially at balls and parties when he was dressed so well. She usually kept her hands occupied with a drink or an appetizer.

Anthony usually subtly touched her anyway, always improperly, to tease her or just because he wanted to.

(Even when she blushes and scolds him for it, they both know she loves it.)

However, she could not accept women who stepped a bit too far. From across the room, a woman was talking to Anthony. She was leaning towards him, taking subtle steps towards him and creating an improper distance between them. The woman was petite, blonde and her skin glowed in the dimmed lighting of the ballroom. She was beautiful.

She also had her hand on Anthony’s forearm.

Kate did not like this feeling. This bitter, bubbling anger in the pit of her chest as she watched Anthony across the room.

She was not jealous.

(She was.)

Technically, that was also Kate’s forearm. She had married that forearm just under a year ago.

They would be celebrating their one year anniversary, hosting their first ball as Viscount and Viscountess Bridgerton in Aubrey Hall next week. The ball would mark the end of the season, and Anthony and Kate were staying in Aubrey Hall for the rest of the summer before returning to London.

Kate was incredibly nervous.

She still felt at odds with her role as Viscountess. Her broken leg had put a stop to her social calendar after only a month of marriage, and she had not been able to carry out many of her roles as Viscountess.

It had taken a few months for her leg to heal. Kate could finally walk again, without the need for her stick or Anthony’s arm. Anthony had objected to their vigorous social calendar since the season had started but Kate was determined to attend as many balls as they could. Anthony, of course, was always by her side.

She was trying to do exactly as Violet Bridgerton would. Her days were now filled with parties, balls and social calls. Her first ball as Viscountess would be perfect.

It had to be.

She could not bear to think of the possibility of disappointing Violet and Anthony. There was a nagging feeling deep inside her, that society had been right to question why Anthony Bridgerton had chosen Kate Sharma to be his viscountess. The whispers that she was not fit for the role.

She was determined for those whispers not to be right.

Kate knew how lucky she was to have Anthony. Her marriage was wonderful, something she never would have dreamed of for herself. They loved each other to the point it was almost nauseating, as Eloise and Colin enjoyed to remind them, but they were also friends.

Anthony was her best friend.

Oh, she truly was nauseating.

The woman currently talking to her husband was making it exceedingly hard for Kate to concentrate on anything but them. Anthony had been talking to this mystery woman for just over three dances, when Kate had left him to dance with Benedict. This woman was now laughing at something Anthony said, her blonde curls bouncing in the air as her head tilted back.

What was so funny?

Kate loved her husband to death but he was not that funny.

“You cannot keep dancing with me to avoid dancing with other eligible ladies,” Kate teased Benedict, deciding to focus on her brother in law who was waltzing with her for the third time that evening.

“Can I not enjoy the company of my sister and not have any ulterior motives?” Benedict’s grin was wide across his face as he spun Kate around, narrowly avoiding her clumsy feet. She was a challenged dancer on her best days but when she was distracted by her husband across the room, it was every dancer for themself.

She glanced across the room again and now Anthony was laughing. Why was he laughing? She hoped it was a pitiful laugh.

“I thought I was doing you a favor by asking you to dance for a second and third time,” Benedict said, “I was distracting you from glancing over at my dear brother every few seconds.”

“I was not glancing. I was simply observing the room,” Kate said, but even Kate did not believe herself. She was blatantly staring at her husband. “Besides, we both know you are dancing with me to avoid dancing with one of the eligible ladies your mother is trying to marry you off to.”

“I believe three dances is all we have, so in a few moments I will have to venture back into the wild and attempt to avoid my mother for the rest of the evening,” He said, “However, I have been waiting for you to ask me who he is conversing with since the last dance. I thought you would give in five minutes ago”

“The thought had not crossed my mind.” Anthony had told her previously what a terrible liar she was. She previously thought it was because he knew her so well that she was incapable of lying to him, but she really was quite dreadful at it.

“Your face says otherwise.” Benedict glanced down at their feet before his teasing gaze returned to Kate’s face. “You have stepped on my feet at least four times while staring over there.”

A pang of guilt hit her. She was being rather rude. It was Benedict, so she knew he was not actually offended. Kate had gotten to know him quite well since her marriage. He joined them for dinner quite often, and spent a lot of time with Anthony at Whites or at their home. “You know, this is precisely why Gregory and Colin are my favourite brothers. They would never point out my flaws.”

Benedict chuckled. “Oh, how you wound me.”

Kate could not help herself. She had to know. “Who is that woman?”

Thankfully, Benedict chose not to tease and indulged her curiosity. “Her name is Eleanor Trent, previously Falmouth. My father and her, the Earl of Falmouth, attended Oxford together. They were friends until his death.”

Kate’s face fell. “She was a family friend?”

“Yes. She has brothers around the same age as Colin, Anthony and I. I know there were discussions of a betrothal, between Anthony and Eleanor. Nothing came of it, father died and Anthony would not discuss it further. He focused on the family and Oxford.” Benedict was not shy with the details, which Kate was equally grateful and upset about.

Kate’s stomach suddenly felt nauseous. Had something happened between them when they were young? Had Anthony courted her before his father’s death? Eleanor was the perfect candidate for a Viscountess. The daughter of an Earl, a family friend, a regular part of London society. “I imagine your mother was displeased.”

Kate loved her mother in law. Violet Bridgerton had been nothing but kind to Kate from the moment they met. She had been even kinder before their wedding, despite the circumstances that caused their nuptials.

They shared a lot in common, their love for gardening for one and met for tea multiple times a week, but Kate had always feared she was not the wife she had envisioned for her son. The same fear that had made itself known to Kate before her wedding remained inside of her: she feared Violet believed Kate had trapped her son.

The woman had witnessed her son’s face in Kate’s bosom, for heaven’s sake.

Benedict did not deny it. “Mother was furious when Anthony still refused three years later after he finished his studies. Eleanor later got married that season to a Baron and that was that. It took our mother a long time to learn that Anthony only does what Anthony wants to do.”

The music ceased and the dance ended, all the participants clapping before departing the dance floor. Benedict and Kate moved to the edge of the dancefloor, weaving through the crowds towards the refreshments table. Kate had been dancing for quite some time and she was quite thirsty. She wanted to find Anthony, but when she turned to look for him he had disappeared.

So had the woman.

Her heart sank in her chest.

“Brother, I believe that is enough dancing with my wife for one evening.”

Kate turned around to see her husband standing in front of her. She had regained her ability to breathe and realized how silly she was being. He smiled at her and she felt her insides melt.

It was ridiculous really, how this man’s smile always made her giddy.

She wanted to fall against his chest and bury her face in his neck, but instead she moved to his side and wrapped her arm around his. That was as affectionate as society would allow. Anthony covered his hand with hers, squeezing it briefly. It was a promise for later.

“Thank you,” She said, smiling as she took the glass in his hand and took a long sip, the dryness of her mouth disappearing. Her husband had developed a sense of always knowing what Kate needed. He had rarely left her side during her bed ridden months with her broken leg and they had spent a lot of time together.

Kate wondered if they could leave soon. She wanted the privacy to ask Anthony about that woman earlier, she could not remember him ever mentioning an Eleanor when recounting his childhood tales.

“Jealous, brother?” Benedict teased, grinning at Anthony as he took a sip of his wine. “I was always the better dancer. Kate simply wanted a better partner.”

Kate let out a long sigh, her eyes flicking between the two brothers. “Now, boys-”

“Kate took pity on you and indulged your attempts at hiding from our mother’s matchmaking endeavours.” Anthony narrowed his eyes at his brother, his competitive edge seeping out. Her dear husband did enjoy being the best at everything and disputed anyone who thought otherwise. “My waltz trounces your waltz any day.”

At the mention of his mother, Benedict scanned the room around them before visibly relaxing, his shoulders dropping. “It is a nuisance. Mother had cornered me at every ball so far this season, introducing me to potential marriage candidates. Colin had his wits about him to travel as far as Greece to get away from her.”

“You should consider looking for a wife,” Anthony said, scanning the crowded room for their mother. “I presume mother is hassling Eloise.”

“Not you too,” Benedict replied, glaring at his brother. “I am perfectly capable of finding my own wife, thank you. She simply is not here.”

Anthony, now bored of his brother, turned to his wife with a teasing smile. “How many times did you step on his toes?”

It was Kate’s turn to glare at her husband. “None, thank you very much.”

Benedict decided to join in on his brother’s teasing, glad for the change in topic. “Lying is a sin, Kate.”

“Oh, Violet!” Kate said, looking over Benedict’s shoulder.

Benedict jumped and darted to the side, causing Anthony and Kate to burst out laughing, muffling their laughter into their sleeves once other party goers began to stare.

Benedict glared at the pair of them once he realized his mother was nowhere to be seen. “Very funny. Your ball at Aubrey Hall is only next week. Maybe I shall take a page out of your book and compromise some young lady in the garden?”

That wiped the smug smirk right off Anthony’s face.

Kate had to disguise her snort with a cough into her glove.

Before he could retort, Anthony’s eyes froze at something across the room. “Who is that man Eloise is speaking to? Alone?”

Kate and Benedict’s heads turned in the direction Anthony was glaring in. The man’s head was all they could see, Eloise hands waving in the air as she spoke passionately about something.

“I will be right back,” Anthony squeezed her hand before he charged in the direction of his young sister.

“Benedict!” The distinct voice of Violet Bridgerton came from an unknown direction, but it was enough for Benedict to say a quick apology to Kate before disappearing into the crowd.

Kate found herself alone at the refreshment’s table.

“Lady Bridgerton?”

Kate finished swallowing the biscuit she had put in her mouth, trying not to choke before she turned around to see who had addressed her. Kate held in her gasp, eyes widening as she looked at the woman in front of her.

It was her.

She bowed, and Kate did the same. “It is such a pleasure to meet you, I hoped we would be introduced sooner. I have heard so much about you.”

Kate felt herself blush. This woman was assuming she knew who she was. “Apologies, I do not believe we have met.”

“Oh! Forgive me,” She said, shaking her head and laughing to herself. “I would have thought Anthony would have mentioned me. I have known Anthony and the Bridgertons my entire life. I am Lady Eleanor Trent. It is such a pleasure to finally meet you.”

Apparently, she was on a first name basis with her husband.

Kate smiled pleasantly, feeling slightly uncomfortable. “How lovely to meet you, Lady Trent.”

“I am very much looking forward to your ball in Aubrey Hall.”

Kate did not know she was invited. Violet had handled the guest list. “I am very happy to hear that.”

“I have not been there in quite some time. We used to visit Aubrey Hall a few times a year throughout my childhood. It was like a second home. I adore it. Have you been yet?”

Kate blinked slowly at her odd question. “Have I been to my home? Yes.

For some reason, Lady Trent was not phased by Kate’s blunt response whatsoever. “I have been more times than I could count. I have known the Bridgertons my entire life, as I am sure you know. That is quite funny, I have known your husband longer than you.”

Kate tried to unclench her jaw, breathing steadily through her nose. “I did not, actually.”

“Oh, how odd.” Her laugh was almost a shriek. “I was practically a Bridgerton until my marriage.”

Kate was not being dramatic, that was a peculiar thing to say. Benedict had not conveyed it that way at all.

Lady Trent continued to speak. Kate wished she wouldn't. “Was your father an Earl? A Duke? A Viscount?”

What did that have to do with anything? Kate's heart sped up at the mention of her father. “No. My father was a gentlemen. What does that have to do with anything?"

“Oh.” Lady Trent was not subtle with her disdain. “How interesting. Forgive my curiosity. One would think that must have made the transition quite difficult.”

Kate blinked. “Pardon?”

Lady Eleanor took a small sip of her wine, nodding sympathetically. “It must be difficult coming into such an important role as a Viscountess at such a young age. Especially when one is marrying a man like Anthony.”

This woman had no clue what type of man her husband was.

“I know this from experience, of course. I would be terrified if I came into the role of Viscountess with no experience,” Eleanor smiled sweetly at Kate, her voice dripping with everything but kindness. Her not so subtle dig made Kate’s blood boil.

“Oh!” She let out a cheerful laugh. “I am sure you are doing a fine job, Lady Bridgerton.”

Kate was nearly positive she had been insulted at least twice in this bizarre conversation.

If one thing was certain, it was that Kate did not like this woman at all.

She particularly did not like how she had been looking at her husband but her personality was just as unpleasant.

Kate was debating how significant the consequences would be if she launched her wine at Eleanor’s pink evening dress. She could stumble, blame it on her healed leg. It would be worth the earful she would get from Anthony, who still believed her leg had not fully healed and Kate should still be bedridden.

Kate didn’t cause scenes intentionally, she had been in the background for most of her life.

It definitely was not something a Viscountess would do, to cause such a scene, so she resisted.

Instead, she finished her glass in a few gulps. Kate replaced it with a glass from one of the server’s trays quite quickly as she composed herself.

“Thank you so much for your concern.” Kate matched the falseness of her tone, her smile stretched far too wide across her face to be genuine. “It has been a splendid year. I suppose, experience or not, some people are just born for certain roles.”

Eleanor appeared as if she was at a loss for words. She simply nodded, her smile wrinkling the skin on her forehead. “I could not agree more, Lady Bridgerton.”

“I must go find my husband. It was such a pleasure to meet you, Lady Trent. I look forward to seeing you at our ball next week.” Kate certainly was not. “Good evening, Lady Trent.”

Kate found Anthony in the crowd, he had also been searching for her. He took her arm in his, squeezing it softly. That was their signal it was time to go home. They kissed and bid their family goodnight, making their way towards the front of the house to get their carriage.

Anthony nodded at the valet and opened their carriage door, making way for Kate to step in before closing it behind them.

“I am exhausted,” She said, pulling a few pins out of her hair that had been digging into her scalp all evening. Relief flooded her head as she gently massaged her sensitive scalp. She couldn’t wait to take off her corset and go to bed.

Kate knew she would not be able to sleep until she spoke to Anthony about both of their conversations with Lady Trent. Her interaction with Lady Trent had left Kate feeling uneasy.

“Come here.” Anthony pulled her on top of him, her back resting on the carriage wall and her feet resting on the cushioned seat.

“There is a seat right beside you.” Kate laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck and lightly running her fingers through his hair.

“I prefer you on top of me.” Anthony moved his hands down to lightly squeeze her buttocks.

“I thought you liked being on top?” If he wanted to tease, Kate could tease him right back.

Anthony laughed, nuzzling her neck and leaving a trail of kisses from her collarbone all the way to her lips. “Right as always, Lady Bridgerton.”

“Did you have a good evening? I did not see you much,” She murmured against his lips. She could tell, with his fingers already creeping up her thigh, that talking was the last thing on her husband’s mind.

She would have to be quick if she wished to find out anything. The carriage ride home to Bridgeton House was less than fifteen minutes and he would not waste one of them before they had to stop.

They would not get caught in a carriage.

Again.

Once they arrived home, they wouldn’t do any talking once they got to their bed chamber.

She had enough willpower to focus on the task at hand and not let her husband completely distract her.

Right?

She needed to find out about his conversation with Eleanor.

His lips brushed hers before he spoke. “It was fine. A ball is a ball. I would have much preferred to stay home with you or at least sneak off to the gardens. Why did we not do that?”

Kate let out a laugh, her fingers tightening around his strands of hair as his lips moved down across her jaw. “How many gardens do you wish to compromise me in?”

“All of them,” Anthony said, his lips tickling the skin of her jaw as his laughter vibrated against her.

“Did you speak to anyone interesting?”

“Mm?” His teeth tugged at the top of her bodice, his tongue dipping behind the satin fabric.

“Anthony.” Her voice shook slightly as she spoke, his tongue was eliciting tingles throughout her chest and between her legs. “I said, did you speak to anyone interesting? Anyone you have not seen in a while?”

She would power through. “I met someone new, actually. Lady Eleanor.”

Anthony hummed in agreement against her skin, “Oh. Yes.”

“Benedict mentioned you have known her since you were children.”

“Indeed.” His face remained expressionless. He wasn’t listening to her. He was far too interested in pulling her dress down, which he did promptly.

Kate had lost the battle, and Anthony had won the war. He palmed her breasts in his hands, squeezing them softly as he pulled her in for a deep kiss. She could feel him hard against her thigh, and she reached down to palm him through the fabric of his breeches. His groan filled her ears and made her limbs weak.

“Oh,” She whispered, her lips parting as Anthony began to kiss his way down her neck, down her chest until his tongue grazed her nipple. He teased her momentarily before taking her fully in his mouth.

The carriage came to a halt and Kate hastily pulled up her dress, smoothening her dress and hair to fix her disheveled appearance. This was not their first indecent carriage ride. Anthony helped Kate out of the carriage, not letting go of her hand as they raced up the steps and entered the foyer, wasting no time running up the stairs.

If she did not keep up with Anthony, he would carry her up the flights of stairs to their bedroom.

Anthony dismissed her maid, fully intending on undressing his wife himself.

There wasn’t any talking for the rest of the night.

Kate’s morning had started off pleasant.

The following morning, Kate and Newton had joined Eloise and Penelope for a walk in the park. It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining and the cool breeze was refreshing. They joined Kate at Bridgerton House afterwards for some lemonade, before leaving to return home.

She had called on Daphne for the remainder of the afternoon and on her way home, her carriage had stopped at Madame Delacroix’s modiste for one last fitting before the ball.

“Lady Bridgerton!”

Kate had finished her fittings and was waiting on one of her gown’s to be packaged. The last person she had wanted to see had walked into the modiste. “Lady Trent. How lovely to see you.”

She smiled widely at Kate, it was unnerving. “How are the ball preparations going?”

“Very well, thank you.” Kate had always found small talk with strangers quite uncomfortable. Kate could not find the words to describe how she was feeling in this current situation. She had not found the opportunity to discuss the evening with Anthony last night and he had left early this morning for Parliament. She would not see him until she arrived home.

“How nice,” She replied, nodding her head slowly. It reminded Kate of one of Hyacinth’s frightening dolls. “I always found the menu planning quite tedious.”

Kate nodded. “Indeed. A pleasant task, nonetheless.”

“Have you finalized your menu?” Lady Trent asked, examining the different materials in the display case.

Kate nodded. “For the ballroom, yes. We will have traditional English pastries, desserts. I would not want anyone to go hungry.”

Lady Trent continued to nod slowly, her lips in a flat line. “It is always a good idea to keep things simple. However, I do remember Anthony having a more adventurous palate.”

Kate would hardly call pastries, sandwiches, desserts and food displays she had planned simple. Kate had known this woman for a day and she had already had enough. “Why would my husband’s palate be any concern of yours, Lady Trent?”

That shut her up.

Kate squeezed the ribbons between her fingers, trying to stop her shaking hand. This woman was a beast.

“Have you ever been outside of England, Lady Bridgerton?” She asked, circling the ribbon’s display with disinterest.

“I have not,” Kate said through gritted teeth.

“What a pity.” She tutted, her curls bouncing in the air as she shook her head. “I suppose my traveling has given me a new outlook on life. It has opened me to a whole new world of cuisine and flavour. Traveling really exemplifies how dull the English customs and cuisine we are all accustomed to are.”

“I am sure it will be lovely. I must be on my way. Good day, Lady Bridgerton.” She bowed her head before turning around, swiftly exiting the modiste.

Kate was furious.

She sat incredibly still, not uttering a word during the carriage ride home until she reached Bridgerton House. She made her way towards the drawing room, not checking to see if Anthony was home in his office.

She stood in the middle of their drawing room, pacing in the same spot before she screamed.

There’s the slamming of a door and Anthony appears, Newton barking at his feet, looking incredibly alarmed. “Kate! Kate. Are you alright?”

Anthony charges towards her, holds her shoulders, scanning her entire body to assess any damage. “

“No. Yes, but no. It...it is that….that woman,” Kate spat out her words.

“What woman?” Anthony asked, frantically looking around the room.

“That woman. That, that-what was that word you taught me the other night?” Kate’s

“Bitch?” Anthony supplied, looking incredibly concerned for his wife.

“Yes!” Kate waved her arm in victory. “That bitch.”

Kate had sobbed in front of her husband before, from their declarations of love to the agony of her broken leg, but she had never expressed such fury before.

Anthony had not the slightest clue what was going on. “Kate, what the bloody hell are you talking about?”

Kate was pacing the room again. “Lady Eleanor Trent, of course. Firstly, she was standing far too close to you. Then she touched your forearm. That is highly improper-

“At the ball?” Anthony furrowed his eyebrows as he thought about it. “Wait.”

Anthony stared at her as if she had grown another head. “Kate Bridgerton. Is this all because you are jealous?”

Her husband looked positively gleeful.

“Anthony!” Kate nearly threw a pillow at him.

“I am sorry, I am sorry,” He pleaded, biting his lower lip to restrain his smile as he walked towards her with open arms. “Tell me what else happened.”

“She introduced herself and the conversation was strange. She was incredibly rude last night and this morning. She insulted me, my father, my

Anthony’s face darkened. “She insulted you? She insulted your father? That is unacceptable. I will make sure she is not welcome in London again. I will call on her and tell her exactly what I think of her-

Kate shook her head rapidly. “The last thing I want is you going near her. She has some strange infatuation with you. She referred to herself as practically a Bridgerton until she was married. Did you court her?”

“I barely knew her, Kate,” He said, looking bewildered at Kate’s words. “I had not seen her for nine years until last night. Our parents were mainly friends. Her family usually visited when I was at Eton. I most certainly did not court her, no.”

Kate did not reply, although she was relieved to hear Lady Trent’s words had been based on delusion. Kate felt incredibly overwhelmed, as if every emotion and fear she had been bottling up was crashing into her at once.

“Kate,” He stepped towards her cautiously, wary of the readily available pillows within her grasp. He sat on the couch, extending his hand towards her. “Come here, darling.”

She broke, practically falling into her husband’s arms who wrapped himself around her, pulling her onto his lap. Their foreheads and noses were touching as he spoke to her.

His lips brushed her cheek as he spoke softly. “Can you tell me what else is wrong? Is there something else going on?”

She can’t meet his eyes, instead she stares down at her hands in her lap. “I am terrified I am letting you down.”

“Kate, you could never let me down,” He says, affection flooding his voice as he tilts her chin up softly with his index finger to look at her face.

Kate took a deep breath. “You have had so much on your shoulders for so long. Since your father died. Between your family and your duties, you have always worked so hard. I want to do whatever I can to help you. I want to do this right. I want to make your life easier however I can and I want to be a good Viscountess. I am really trying. I just feel like I am failing. What if she was right? What if my lack of experience means I am not right for this role? I-I want you to be proud of me.”

He leans down to kiss her firmly and it’s the type of kiss that makes her toes curl. “Kate,” He murmured, drawing back but staying as close as possible. “You are the perfect Viscountess because you are my Viscountess. Everyone adores you. I was merely existing before I met you. After you, I began to live. You brought this light into my life that I didn’t think was possible. Everything I do is for you and everything I am is because of you. I am so proud of you. I am in awe of you. You are everything, Kate. Everything.”

“I love you,” She says, because that is all there is to say. She loved him, and he loved her, even when she acted slightly insane in their drawing room. That was all she needed. Anthony was all she needed.

She could do anything with Anthony by her side.

“I love you,” She whispered,

“Anthony,” She whispered a few minutes later, feeling a lot calmer. “I was jealous, you know.”

Anthony tried his best to not look too pleased, but he was slightly smug. “Jealousy is a difficult emotion to deal with.”

“Not all of us can shove people out of the way, you know.” If Anthony saw a man try to speak to Kate, he simply shoved them out of his way to his wife.

Anthony shrugged. “It is quite an effective method.”

“I did not like how she behaves around you,” Kate said, nibbling on her bottom lip. “When I saw her touching you and standing so close to you-I did not like how it made me feel.”

A panic stricken look flashes across his face.“Kate, I would never encourage it-”

“Sweetheart, I know,” She murmurs, cupping his cheeks in her hands as she kissed him softly. The thought had never crossed her mind and she immediately went to comfort him. “I know. I know you would never stray.”

She felt his sigh of relief. “You would kill me.”

“No I would not,” She lightly teased, pecking his lips. “That would be merciful. I would physically and mentally destroy you.”

“That will never happen,” Anthony murmured, brushing some loose strands of hair out of her eyes. “There will be no more joking about infidelity.”

Kate took a deep breath before she spoke again. “So you have noticed Eleanor flirting with you?”

Anthony cleared his throat, frowning slightly as his uncomfortableness set in. “I have noticed. She is not exactly subtle.”

“I would never have married her. She was a young girl with a crush, which I cannot fault her for. I am incredibly handsome.” Kate rolled her eyes at her husband’s cheeky smile. “However, she was never kind. These recent events have only re-confirmed that. I remember when I was seventeen, I had come home for Christmas. Her family had come to stay for a week. She was incredibly rude to our servants. She cared more about parties and appearances than family. She was so disinterested in my younger siblings to the point of being cruel. She was not the type of person I could marry.”

“Why would your mother want you to marry her?” Kate asked, resting her forehead against his.

“My mother was grieving.” Anthony shrugged his shoulders, running one of his hands soothingly down her back. “She thought she knew what was best for me. She has always chosen to see the parts of people she wanted to see. Not all the parts that were in front of her.”

“Well, I for one am very glad you did not marry her.” Teasing was always an effective way to snap Anthony out of one of his serious thoughts, and she was successful when he snorted.

“As am I.” His thumb was making small circles on her cheek.

“She insulted my choice of food for the ball.”

Anthony raised an eyebrow at his wife and stared at her. “What?”

“She called it simple English cuisine,” Kate said, still incredibly bitter. “Who in their right mind does not like scones and cucumber and chicken sandwiches?”

“Colin will be there and he will wolf them down, so there is no fear they will not be eaten.” Her brother in law was returning to England the day before their ball, conveniently missing most of the season much to his mother’s dismay.

“As someone who lives in your household, your menu choices have always been exceptional. I have also eaten many of those food choices, including off of you, and they were delicious.”

“Anthony!” She smacked his chest, laughing against his lips as he stole a kiss. He always knew how to make her feel better.

Anthony had always made her feel safe, she had trusted him even when she did not particularly like him. That stormy night in his library had changed everything. It was his nature that made people admire him and trust him. He took care of people. He had been misjudged by society, made out to be a cold hearted rake incapable of true affection.

It angered Kate beyond belief. Anthony had suffered more than most, losing his father and becoming the head of the family at such a young age. He had become a father to his siblings and a Viscount to his tenants and society. In a way, his life had begun and ended when his father died.

He was the first person she opened up to about her fear of storms and the reason she had been brave enough to face her fear.

He had become her anchor, and her his.

“Our ball is going to be wonderful, do you know why?” Anthony asked, grinning at his wife.

“Why?” She responded, smiling right back at him.

“Because it is ours,” He said simply. “It is celebrating one incredible year of marriage and many more to go.”

“Until forever.” Kate rested her forehead against his, feeling completely content.

Anthony nodded in agreement. “Forever it is.”

A week later, the Viscount and Viscountess' ball was a complete success.

The food was devoured.

Laugher could be heard all around the ballroom.

The Viscountess was praised for her efforts throughout the evening.

Lady Trent's absence was not missed.

Anthony had surprised Kate at the end of the evening with a show of fireworks.

It was perfect.

Kate and Anthony had their own private celebration that very night.

Edmund Bridgerton was born nine months later.

#katexanthonyweek #kateandanthonyweek21 #bridgerton #anthony bridgerton #kate sharma #kate sheffield #kateandanthonyweek #fanfiction #my fic #thank you this was fun! #kate x anthony

[mega-ringsandthings-world]

I’m rewatching all my fave? english-centered period dramas in preparation for  new one coming out, twq, twp, tsp, the tudors, and I know we all love the tudor family here, but good lord was twp such a mess that I ended up actively hating every Tudor character in it. (which was kinda the point, imao) The twp show was based off phillipa gregory's books (that are even worse than the show) and they both shredded the characterizations of everyone in them to the point that they might as well be OCs based on historical figures. Literally the only reason I was able to make it through was because of the actors. jodie and jcls acting carried it at the best of times, and JCL is hot, so... and I’m so glad they got michelle fairley and essie davis as EW and MB, or else it would of been unwatchable.  I couldn’t really root for either lizzie or henry, because their characterizations and personalities were so inconstant and varied wildly from ep to ep, its like I was watching different people in each ep. nd that’s a big part of why I favored the York plotlines/characters more, at least most of them (except lizzie) stayed constant in their characterizations/motives (even if all they were consistent with was revenge against the tudors) And rooting for the tudors in general was hard too, since the show was bending backwards to make them all assholes. (JT gets a pass tho, he was just trying to raise his kid right) No one was really likable, you get a good moment with someone and then the next moment they’re doing something batshit, e.i, henry’s good for a while and then starts being a dick, (wtf was up with imply he slept with cathy gordon and him being such a bitch to lizzie out of the blue?) or you’re starting to sympathize with Margret Beaufort and then she kills another kid, which like, the decision to have her kill the two princes was a choice, and I won’t hesitate to say I enjoyed the drama it brought. Along those lines, the show is marginally enjoyable if you divorce it from the history its trying to retell and treat it as a game-of-thrones-bodice-ripper-drama, which was the intent of the author in the frst place, but whatever. That some of the best acting on the show came plots/situation that weren’t even real irl is wild, and that says a lot. henry’s talk with lizzie about her loving him, but not like she did w/rIII, and his depression-breakdown (never happened),  over his mother being a murderer and the whole thing with Richard Jr./percy warbeck was just juicy, later moments with lizzie and the bit when she talks to richard jr./pw in the tower and his laugh reminds her so much of her father? and then the execution scene? good shit.  A fave bit was henry sitting all despondent in his room remembering the killing of richardIII, and yes they did actually have richardIII buried alive in this show, jfc. It goes again to the bad characterization that ep 1 lizzie would have strangled him outright if she’d found that out, but lizzie in this ep would have been meh. Speaking of which, the short-lived friendship between richard jr./pw and teddy was extremely sweet, which made their executions all that more horrific. within the narrative of the show, R jr./pw seemed like he would have actually made an excellent king, he never seemed anything but kind and honorable, although adamant about his claim, and lizzie’s fear he would kill her children, which was  not unfounded of course, was also made mostly her entire basis for having him killed in the show, even though he was never presented as someone who would do that? make it make sense, or at least hint he would want to harm the kids after taking the throne, instead of showing him as incredibly nice. And in this show, with richard jr./pw being the actual richard, and mb having tried to kill him as a boy and framing richardIII for it, he’s more than justified in wanting the throne and justice. except that never happened irl, and the show has me rooting for a pretender instead of the certified monarchs, which are SUPPOSED TO BE THE “HEROES” OF THIS SHOW. and like, claimants to the throne are usually entitled fucks by nature, I don’t know why everyone hates richardjr./pw for being entitled, when every person who ever laid claim to a throne ever does so on the belief of entitlement to that throne?   And tell me how there was more chemistry between lizzie and faceless richard III in a four-second flashback than she and henry had in most scenes? I’m not saying that lizzie and henry didn’t have chemistry in the show, because they did, (at least the actors did) but once again, their inconsistent characterization marred a lot of scenes that would otherwise be amazing. Then the whole thing where henry r*ped her nd it was shown to be directly caused by her mentioning her relationship with richardIII? Messy, messy messy. after that, it was hard to “feel” lot of her and henry’s scenes even in better contexts. I ship lizzie/richardIII out of spite for that nasty-ass scene alone, because I can’t sit there and watch lizzie falling for her rapist. and then lizzie is vilified for her relationship with richardIII, yet the show implies that Margaret B is in love with her own brother, has lizze taunt her over it, and then present JT marrying/ MB her arranging his marriage as a tragedy for MB? Sir? Ma’am? Jasper Tudor straight up implying that his sister should get a fucking annulment so they can be together, and MB actually considering it gets a pass? more like margaret lannister. Then they bring up richarchIII as a gotcha to lizzie every other ep? someone inform henry that his beloved mother wants to fuck her brother, his beloved uncle and see if he keeps throwing rIII in lizzie’s face every five minutes. EYE. god, this show is bad, bad.  Don’t get me started on the burgundy plot. if you’re going to have the duchess start a war on a whim, at least imply she was possessed to do so by EW’s magic, or have the balls to make her stepdughter’s death actually the fault of the tudors. And poor fucking maggie. it was hard for her irl, but it’s intolerable for her within the show.   Sorry, this got long, I’m ranting at this point because holy hell ITS BAD. If you take it as a show that’s supposed to be about real life historical figures it’s a trash fire, but you really should just watch it as a story like bridgerton. makes it more tolerable.  You know you’ve lost it when a show that’s supposed to be about the unification of two great houses and the love story (not that it was reallly that great of a love story irl either, but that’s for another day) between the scions of those houses gives me hives and makes me wish the burgundy plot succeeded.   

#the white princess #twp #the white queen #twq #the spanish princess #tsp #elizabeth of york #eoy #henry vii #henry tudor #margaret beaufort #jasper tudor #the war of the roses #the yorks #the tudors #tudor history

[transguyedgeworth]

*rolls up to your blog in an office chair* heard you wanted head can- *chair gets caught on a rug and I faceplant*

- When they were kids Edgeworth slept over at Phoenix's house a couple times which is where he was introduced to ~video games~. It's so hard to get him to admit it but he loves games and always will. He takes a Nintendo DS with him on business trips so he can play the 2008 Steel Samurai game when he's had a hard day. He and Phoenix rely on each other to beat Zelda games. Phoenix is better at the puzzles and temples and Miles is...oddly enough incredible at combat and boss fights. (Never play smash bros with him he knows every combo).

- Miles thought he hated physical touch until he became involved with Phoenix and suddenly realized how touch starved he is. He's still uncomfy with PDA but when they're alone he is the biggest cuddle bug and no one can convince me otherwise.

-Phoenix had to get surgery once and when he came out of anesthesia this happened https://youtu.be/DiviQfLyQX4 Miles absolutely will not let him live it down

-When Phoenix first adopted Trucy she had a hard time sleeping alone because she was afraid that Phoenix would be gone when she woke up and another father would have left her. Phoenix would always let her sleep on his chest so she wouldn't get lonely or scared. Eventually her fears subside for the most part but Phoenix is always happy to let her sleep with him if she has a nightmare.

-Okay I don't have a specific headcannon for this but like...what happened to Miles' mom???

-Phoenix once had a terrible, vivid nightmare that Kristoff kidnapped and tortured Miles and Trucy and he wasn't able to save them. He woke up sobbing and drenched in sweat. After Miles was able to comfort him he gets a warm washcloth and gently cleans all the dried sweat off Phoenix. It's so tender and quietly intimate and Phoenix weeps. His head is in Miles' lap as he cleans Phoenix so he'll be more comfortable and every time Phoenix thinks about it he cries because he loves that man so much.

-Miles is a casual birdwatcher.

-Every thanksgiving Phoenix and Trucy watch a TERRIBLE comedy together and eat cheese whiz on whatever is in their pantry.

"I'm thankful for this fake cheese". "and I'm thankful I didn't make this movie!"

-Phoenix and Maya always spend the anniversary of Mia's death together. They swap stories about her, even if they've already heard them before. Mia always feel especially close to them on those days.

-Phoenix and Maya have matching bi pride pins.

-Phoenix likes to eat froot loops with grape juice instead of milk. He enjoys the horrified looks he gets from his friends.

*gets back in my chair, super embarrassed* okay byyyeeeee

DONT BE EMBARRASSED THESE ARE SO FUCKING GOOD!!! seriously you guys are so rad and have so many fantastic ideas... weeps..... 

LITERALLY I HAD SOME OF THESE IDEAS BEFORE TOO!!!! like the concept of phoenix and edgeworth (and maybe larry too but he’s on thin ice) having sleepovers when they were little is something i think about an unhealthy amount.... AND MILES BEING CUDDLY TOO!!! i think the concept of him learning to enjoy stuff like snuggling with his husband and playing video games is so so precious and important because it shows how much he’s growing now that mvk isn’t around to emotionally stunt him. AND THE BIRDWATCHING!!! i talked to my partner about this and we agreed that he would TOTALLY get really into that shit after he and phoenix retired. like overall both of their lives have been a shitshow, they’ve earned the right to be boring for a change fjdnfd

as for miles’ mom, the only ideas i have for that are kinda boring and generic: she probably either died when miles was young (during childbirth or something) or left gregory shortly after miles was born. i’m leaning towards the death thing though because like. who in their right mind would leave gregory edgeworth?? that man is a catch and a half.

man. fucking.. “man wakes up after surgery and hits on his wife”... that would totally be something phoenix would do, specifically the “holy shit i hit the jackpot” kind of stuff. he just loves his husband! and he thinks he’s hot!! he is such a good partner and he’d be totally respectful of miles’ boundaries and stuff and they would take SUCH GOOD CARE OF EACH OTHER!!!! the part about miles comforting him after a nightmare... god tier. he’s returning the favor from when phoenix would comfort him for years when his recurring nightmare reared its ugly head again. 

and YES PHOENIX AND MAYA BISEXUAL MLM/WLW SOLIDARITY. their friendship is so so important and it makes perfect sense that they would spend the anniversary of mia’s death together since she’s the reason they even met in the first place... they’re practically siblings in my eyes, big brother/little sister energy coming off of these two big time.

i also think phoenix would indeed be a fantastic dad but i can’t really say much more about it since i haven’t played apollo justice and don’t really know a ton about trucy so. but their father-daughter dynamic seems great from the stuff i’ve absorbed. also the dialogue for them on thanksgiving? a+ perfect spot-on, love it. phoenix would absolutely have the Worst taste in food so the cheese whiz and froot loops with grape juice feels so canon to me.

#my partner's take on what happened to miles' mom was 'she hit the woah too hard' #so there's another take on that if you're interested hdkfndnf #miles edgeworth #phoenix wright #trucy wright #kristoph gavin #maya fey #mia fey #little edgeworth #little phoenix #wrightworth #miles answers #brainfullofhotsauce

[moiloru]

About the so-called "Third-Case Syndrome"

I've been in the Ace Attorney fandom for a few years now, and there is a story I've heard more times than I can count: the story of the "Third-Case Syndrome." After joining the Danganronpa fandom, I realized - not without surprise - that a similar "Third-Chapter Syndrome" had admittedly cursed the series. However, I do believe that, in both cases, it would be wise to exert caution: things are never as simple as they seem. Now, even if this seems evident to me, I'll say it just to be sure: this is only my opinion. You might disagree, but please do not be toxic about it.

Before we proceed, I'd also like to warn you all: spoilers ahead for the entire Danganronpa and Ace Attorney series (even the Investigations and DGS games). Now, let's begin.

Ace Attorney:

AA1 - Turnabout Samurai:

To start off, we have 1-3. I agree with most of the fandom that it is slightly too long and the investigation segments drag out. Going from Studio One to Studio Two, to the Detention Center, etc. is quickly boring. However, its cast is solid (especially Powers and Oldbag), Dee Vasquez's motive (self-defense) is original, the Steel Samurai's theme slaps, and Edgeworth gets the first bit of his character development! I believe it outweights the negative aspects of the case and make it enjoyable. I believe it is far better than 1-1 and 1-2 (with its obvious twists and rushed ending), although it doesn't compare with 1-4 and 1-5, of course. But it's definitely not the case that people point the finger out when arguing about the "curse."

JfA - Turnabout Big Top:

I'll definitely be playing Devil's advocate on that one, but I like 2-3. Of course, the whole "love triangle" thing was shit, but the rest of the case was fine! Regina sucks, that I can agree with, but Moe was funny (in my opinion), Max got some quality character development in the end, Ben & Trilo were a nice duo, and Acro... Acro is one of the best culprits in the series, hands down. His theme is amazing and he is one of the most tragic characters in the series. Knowing that he unknowingly killed the person who had helped him is just sad, and his motive for trying to kill Regina, while not excusable, is understable. Losing the two people he was closest to, and him explaining that he couldn't "up and leave" (literally, too) before Bat had woken up was just sad. Also, while 2-3 isn't amazing like 2-4 (my favorite case) is, it's miles ahead of 2-1 (which objectively sucks) and 2-2 (which lasts for hours with an annoying and predictable culprit). Besides, the plot twist at the end with Edgeworth appearing sets the tone for the upcoming final case. In my opinion, Turnabout Big Top gets some undeserved hate.

T&T - Recipe for Turnabout:

3-3 is really good, no questions asked. The mere fact that it's better than 3-2 (predictable culprit, forgettable victim...) is obvious to me. But it also features the return of Maggey, and the first (and only) appearance of amazingly comical characters like Furio Tigre and Victor Kudo (who both have amazing theme songs). The victim might be a little forgettable, but he at least gets some development, unlike Bullard in The Stolen Turnabout. Of course, Tigre is obvious as the killer, but he's meant to be this way, and the way you corner him is amazing. The reveal that Godot can't see red on white matters in 3-5, and the case is hilarious. Special mention of Viola Cadaverini, who's underrated by the fandom, in my opinion. 3-3 is probably the strongest third case in the Trilogy, and it is definitely not the worst case in T&T.

AJ - Turnabout Serenade:

Okay, this case sucks. I dislike it very much and I can't find anything that would redeem it. The victim is boring, Daryan is obvious, Valant isn't good enough, the mini-game is tedious, and the "Phoenix saves the day" thing is repetitive. However, 4-3's biggest flaw is the defendant, Machi Tobaye. Lamiroir is an enjoyable character, and the plot twist surrounding her eyesight isn't bad, but it doesn't make Machi good enough not to ruin the case. This case is the weak point of a great game, but fortunately, 4-4 more than makes up for it.

DD - Turnabout Academy:

Dual Destinies is my least favorite game in the main series, but it has some solid cases, 5-3 being one of them. The trio of Juniper, Robin, and Hugh is amazing (even if the twist around Robin was pretty obvious), the WAA trio works very well, and we even get a chance to see Klavier again (his objection clip sucks, though)! It is definitely a strong case, even if Means was a bit obvious, and while it doesn't hold up to the great ending of DD, I do believe that 5-3 is better than 5-1, 5-2, and maybe even 5-4.

SoJ - The Rite of Turnabout:

Maya's comeback makes this case good, albeit not great. It is better than 6-1 for sure (drags on too much for a tutorial case) and probably 6-4 and 6-6, but it pales compared to 6-2 and 6-5, of course. Nayhuta is the weak point of 6-3, but everything else about this case is pretty good! The "new" Maya is a right balance of her former self with some more maturity, Datz is funny, Beh'leeb Inmee was a really emotional character, and while I don't like Tahrust too much, the plot twist around his death was pretty cool. Also, this case also makes it clear why Phoenix did what he did in 6-5 when Inga blackmailed him: he can't lose Maya. It could have been better, but this case is solid, and definitely not part of a "curse" of any kind.

AAI - The Kidnapped Turnabout:

Unfortunately, AAI kinda sucks. The first three cases aren't that good, and while I1-3 is probably better than I1-1, I'll admit it's terrible. It's long, the Amanos sucks, Lauren Paups isn't that great, and if it wasn't for Kay, the case would probably be the worst in the series.

AAI2 - The Inherited Turnabout:

Is there anything bad to say about I2-3? I mean, you play as Gregory freaking Edgeworth, so what more do you want? Ah, yes, it also has DL-6 development, the exceptional Katherine Hall and Jeffrey Masters, plot twists, flashbacks done right (!), and while the villain isn't great, he is satisfying to catch, and he matters in I2-5. Honestly, this case would probably be enough to prove my whole argument.

DGS1 - The Adventure of the Runaway Room:

After a somewhat disappointing second case (in my opinion), DGS1-3 is really good! Megundal (I'll use the names from the fan translation, since I'm used to them and like them better) is quite the interesting character, and the Engarde-like plot twist surrounding him is amazing. His death in the final cutscene is also good and ties in nicely with the final case. Ryunosuke's first trial in England gives him cool development, and damn it, Barok van Zieks! His legslam, glass throw, and objection clip suffice to make him an amazing character, and there's more to him that just that. This case is better than DGS1-2, DGS1-1, and maybe even DGS1-4 if you don't consider its link to DGS2.

DGS2 - The Return of the Great Departed Soul:

While not as good as the two following cases in my opinion, this case is definitely above-average. Gina's comeback is just great, and her new mentor-protégé relationship with Gregson is nothing short of wholesome. Enoch Drebbler is one of the best culprits in the duology, and Courtney Sithe's character is very good, too. She gives a confident vibe that really serves the case. Benjamin Dobinbough (because his canon English name is one I refuse to acknowledge) is a great clueless defendant, and his relationship to Barok is quite nice! It definitely makes the case trickier! Rozaic has a really mysterious and enjoyable atmosphere surrounding her, and finding Herlock standing like statue at the wax museum was amusing. Of course, the best thing about this case is Asogi's return. It is handled well by the game that doesn't try to cover the obvious plot twist.. The final cutscene is just *smooch*. I also can't forget the Joint Reasoning with Herlock when looking for Enoch. Again, this case is definitely not part of a "curse" of any kind.

Overall thoughts:

I don't think the Third-Case Syndrome holds for Ace Attorney. Some third cases weren't good (4-3 and I1-3) but most are either good (1-3, 3-3, 5-3, DGS1-3) or excellent (I2-3 and DGS2-3). I know Turnabout Big Top traumatized most of the fandom, but I don't think it's that bad, and definitely not bad enough to start a curse revolving around third cases.

Danganronpa:

Trigger Happy Havoc:

Chapter Three of THH is... good enough. The pointless argument between Taka and Hifumi is annoying, to be sure, and Celeste did us a favor by getting rid of them. And her plan wasn't bad, either! It could have worked if Makoto and Kyoko had not been there. However, I do believe that this chapter is too boring before the first murder. The motive is also... meh. The plot twist oh Hifumi waking up and remembering Celeste's true name was enjoyable, though. 1-3 isn't amazing by any means, but I think it's better than 1-5 and 1-6, but it stands no chance against 1-2 and 1-4.

Goodbye Despair:

Well, this one sucks. I think it's the only DR chapter that literally has a plot hole. The "Despair Syndrome" motive is probably the worse in the series and this case pretty much ruined Mikan's character. Her execution is lame, Ibuki shouldn't have been a victim (seriously, why?), the culprit is obvious, and the timeframe to execute her plot doesn't work if you aren't Sonic the Hedgehog. Also... that attempt at fanservice was cringe, and it almost killed Hajime. The only thing that redeems this chapter a bit is the name "Titty Typhoon" but that's it. This one definitely alimented the "curse," and rightfully so. In-between two great cases, 2-3 doesn't make a good impression.

Killing Harmony:

3-3 is a chapter I have mixed feelings about. On the one hand, the atmosphere was excellent and fitting of the killer, and Kokichi's prank had us all freak out at first. I don't like neither Angie nor Kiyo (sorry, Kiyo fans), but somehow, it didn't make the chapter worse for me. On the other hand, the Necronomicon motive sucks almost as much as the motive in 2-3. It could have worked in DR2 considering the Killing Game happened virtually, but in V3, the motive was just an outright lie from Monokuma, so it doesn't work. Also, Kiyo was a bit too obvious: the music, the theme, his sudden importance in the plot, the séance... it was just a bit too much not to make him suspicious. Finally, this chapter's major flaw, which I can sum up in one word: sister. That, was traumatizing. Without even going in details, everything that happened after Kiyo's "sister" appeared during the Class Trial ruined it. I'm also curious to know if the writers at Spike Chunsoft are mentally stable, considering Kiyo's relationship with his sister and the fact that they ship Monotaro and his sister Monophanie in the next case. It's not a bad chapter at all, but it has its flaws, unfortunately.

Overall thoughts:

While I wouldn't call it a "curse," it's true that third cases in Danganronpa aren't amazing, especially in DR2. You'll also notice that I didn't mention UDG simply because it's too different a game to be compared to THH, DR2, and V3. If we ever get another Killing Game, I hope that the third chapter will be better, because we've yet to have an awesome Chapter Three so far.

Final thoughts:

I don't believe there are curses revolving around third cases/chapters, neither in Ace Attorney, nor in Danganronpa. However, it's true that in the case of Danganronpa, on average, third cases are the weakest, while Chapters Four and Five are almost always great. Third cases in Ace Attorney definitely get an unfair treatement, though.

Thanks for reading, and I'm open to discussing all of this if you disagree!

#ace attorney #danganronpa #headcanons #ace attorney spoilers #danganronpa spoilers #dai gyakuten saiban spoilers #the great ace attorney spoilers #ask if you want something tagged and I'll add it

[all-my-friends-were-glorious]

Bartender and Eyes on you for your five loudest male muses?

character stomachache asks

[ Leslie ]

bartender: has your character ever had a bad experience with over drinking?

Leslie doesn’t typically drink all that much, if he does it’s because he’s with Key or keeping an eye out for Mona if she wanted to drink. Alcohol isn’t as high on his priority list as being able to kill anyone he meets at the drop of a hat. However, because he doesn’t drink often and has stomach issues in the first place, he does get nauseated and pukes very easily.

eyes on you: has your character ever been ill in public?

Leslie is very rarely sick. He has commonly been close to bleeding out/passing out in public, but he is very, very rarely nauseated or vomits. However, when he got pregnant, he found himself vomiting in public more often because he also dislikes resting.

[ Firkle ]

bartender: has your character ever had a bad experience with over drinking?

Firkle tends to drink less than he uses drugs. However, he has had some awful experiences with mixing his dilaudid with booze. He’s had his stomach pumped by Kevin twice, and he’s not sure how many times Michael has probably had to do it. But when he’s really high he doesn’t think about what he’s doing and will accept a drink just because he normally would.

eyes on you: has your character ever been ill in public?

Firkle has gotten used to being sick, in public or in private alike. He has many mental and physical issues aside from the drug addiction, including an inability keep regular food down. Having been small, weird, and semi-friendless in school save for Karen after the older goths graduated, he was bullied, and has vomited from pain in public before. He doesn’t care who sees him when he’s vomiting, because vomit isn’t something he sees as a vulnerability. It’s something that has been normal in his life for a long time.

It’s any other kind of loss of control, particularly with his bladder or tears, that makes him upset. He is glad that Michael has really been the only person to see him truly “weak.”

[ Gregory ]

bartender: has your character ever had a bad experience with over drinking?

Gregory has had more than his fair share of embarrassing experiences, spread between his time of only drinking wine to when he started on harder liquors. Alex has seen him through quite a few of them, including the first time they had met. He couldn’t even remember which car he’d driven to the bar.

One of his worst experiences was the first time that he had some of what Stan had in his flask. He had only been drinking wine at the time, and the mix of hard liquor nearly made him feel like he was going to die.

eyes on you: has your character ever been ill in public?

Gregory doesn’t care so much about being drunk in public and being sick. If people see him as a washed-up drunk that can’t do much for himself, then they won’t expect him to be a spy, and they certainly won’t think much of him leaving for weeks to months at a time for ‘rehab’. His family has the money for it, and nobody really questions it.

However, the sickness that he experienced with Pocket at Buca De Faggoncini was something that pushed him to stay at Mole’s shack in the woods for well over two weeks. He kept coming back rather easily, as well, despite never being very favorable of it. He didn’t want to be near people after all of that devastation to his reputation, and he had really bad reaction to Alex showing up.

It is because of this continued pasta-related humiliation that he learned he actually has a fairly life-threatening allergy to garlic.

[ Butters + Vic ]

bartender: has your character ever had a bad experience with over drinking?

The short answer is sort of. The longer answer is that Butters has not, while Vic definitely has. Butters is not totally aware of it, yet, though he is finding things to be odd and unexplainable, but he has developed late DID. Victor Chaos has a bit of a drinking problem, whereas Butters swore off the stuff for the most part a long time ago. Butters has however woken up with hangovers he doesn’t remember how he got, and often contributes it to the drinking problem his mother kept hounding him about having.

eyes on you: has your character ever been ill in public?

Butters has been ill in public on several occasions, and he isn’t super sure when he started being okay with asking people for help with it. Kenny, Stan, Eric, Henrietta, Mike, Michael, and Pocket are a selection of people that he does feel safe with when he’s feeling vulnerable.

[ Stuart ]

bartender: has your character ever had a bad experience with over drinking?

Stuart’s entire fucking life has been a bad experience with over drinking. He has made 99% of his bad decisions with at least one beer in him, including getting his cousin Carol pregnant. His anger is exacerbated by the alcohol, and he takes it out on his family. He sees Karen much like he did Carol when she was younger/Karen’s age. Most of his bad experience over drinking has been injury, though, and not vomit. The man could probably live on a liquid bread diet if he were allowed and he’d never vomit once unless you gave him something Fancy to drink like Boxed Wine. 

eyes on you: has your character ever been ill in public?

Does a bear shit in the woods? Stuart isn’t concerned with his appearance, nor his reputation. The only thing he really cares about is accomplishing whatever goals he sets for himself, no matter who or what might get damaged in the process. He has absolutely been ill in public from a wide variety of things, and has very often used that as an excuse/way to garner sympathy from anyone willing to give it to him. On more than one occasion, this person has been Liane.

#I Am The Closest Thing To God So Worship Me And Never Stop (Leslie Headcanons) #The Path Into This Heart Is Littered With Corpses And Strewn With Body Parts (Firkle Headcanons) #Damn I Went Way Too Far (Gregory Headcanons) #Your Blood It Stains Me Like A Trophy (Butters Headcanons) #If I Was You I'd Wanna Be Me Too (Vic Chaos) #Love Is Such A Selfish Thing It's Always Crying Me Me Me (Stuart Headcanons) #cw alcohol #cw nausea #cw food allergy #cw eating disorders #cw disordered eating #cw food #cw incest #cw cousin incest #cw father daughter incest #cw parent child incest #cw drug use #cw drugs #cw drug abuse #cw alcoholism #cw alcoholic #cw humiliation #cw mental health #cw did

[sif-the-tsunami]

Ropes and Roses, Intro

A/N: Well hello, I had no idea that this was going to be something that other people wanted, please bear with me, I haven’t written in like fifteen years, so I’m not super familiar with the way fanfiction formatting has changed, so I’m using what comes naturally to me. 

Content warning: none really, maybe a little bit of insecurities stemming from perfectionism. I wanted to just introduce both of the mains in this one. This will become more adult in a little bit. Some spicy language also.

If this is also the title of something else, I can change it, its 3:30 AM and I can’t think of what else to call it.

Word count: Approx. 1300

“I’m sorry, Henry, you need to work on your flexibility. You are an incredibly strong person, but you need to move gracefully, more like a hockey player, not a soldier.” He hears the words repeat in his head over and over. What kind of bullshit was this? Henry had been working on his body, wellness, and was in the best shape of his life. The comments made by the director wrecked his whole day and to make matters, and his temper, worse was the fact that he felt disappointed in himself for letting the words ring in his ear. “I have a friend who I think will help you, she’s a dance instructor. Here, her name is Elizabeth, give her call.”

The beast of a man sat on his couch, the dance studio was twenty minutes away from his house in London. The director just said he had to pass as gentleman who enjoyed the seduction and intimacy of dancing as means of manipulation. He wouldn’t have to be ballroom competition ready, fortunately. He flipped his phone around in his hands for a few minutes and groaned to himself. Henry grabbed the card from his pocket and dialed the number.

“Thank you for calling the Rosehill Dance Studio, this is Mary, how can I help you?” A sweet voice asked as clear as a bell.

“Hello. My name is Hank, I was informed that I need to take some dance classes, and I was wondering if there was an intro class I could enroll it.”

“What kind of lessons are you looking for? We offer tango lessons, different ballroom, a couple difference versions of swing dancing...”

He cut her off in anxious embarrassment, “I need to learn how to do a waltz. I would prefer for the lessons to be private. I was told to ask for Elizabeth.”

Henry was never a fan of admitting defeat, but he knew that if he didn’t learn this, it would be the only scene that required a body double. He would be damned if that was the only thing he couldn’t do. He looked at his feet, and shuffled slightly.

“I don’t have any with Ms Rosehill for about the next six weeks.”

“I was told to be prepared for that, would you mind asking her if she should make an exception. This is a favor for Gregory Chapman.”

“Oh, I will need to put you on a brief hold.” Mary said, surprised by the name drop. After about two minutes of cheery hold music, she picked up the line and said “The earliest Ms Rosehill can see you is this Thursday, she asks that you be at the studio before 7PM. Please bring clothes you are comfortable stretching in, and the shoes you will be dancing in. If you cannot make it to the studio by your appointment time, please call us before hand no later than an hour ahead of time. Do you have any other questions?”

Henry thanked the receptionist and told her he had no further questions. He set his phone down on his lap, and looked at Kal who was nuzzling his other side. He leaned forward to plant a kiss on the dog’s forehead and realized that maybe he was too stiff. The work he has done previously required him to be massive, the role he was performing now as this villain required more fluidity than brutality. This character was the anti-August Walker. While he looked forward to not playing another well meaning good guy, he wanted to really sink his teeth into the possibility of expanding his repertoire.

______

Thursday came too quickly for Henry’s taste. He arrived at the studio promptly at 6:45PM and looked around the lobby. A loud, clear countdown was exclaimed and then the dancers began their routine. The music coming from behind a curtain was absolutely not was he was expecting. However neither was the instructor. He walked around to where he could watch and saw a dainty looking woman in front of the other group of women. They were all facing towards the wall length mirrors and looked so happy. This was a space for them, for their joy, and no one else’s. He knew he should not be observing this but he couldn’t stop. The tribal drumming was strangely soothing to him. The eight women moved perfectly together, they were seamless. He could tell she was leading the class from several verbal cues she was giving the students to indicate transitions and movement. He watched the women sway, shimmy and turn as if he were stuck in a trance. As the music ended, she pulled a phone out of her leggings pocket and paused the playlist. She looked towards the door and their eyes connected. She had the most adorable half grin Henry had seen in a long time. The look on her face said that she caught him like an unruly child sneaking a cookie. “Wonderfully done tonight ladies, I am so happy how far we have all gotten with this choreography. I think you all will ready for the studio’s recital next Sunday. Give yourself a hand, you are all so fantastic.” She was an American, it seemed. Henry pulled his baseball hat down a little as the women dispersed. The short-haired woman came to the front and observed the tall man in her lobby. “Hello, you must be Mr. Cavill. Please don't be surprised, Greg called me this morning to see if you and I were going to work together. It is a pleasure to meet you, I am Elizabeth Rosehill.” She reached her hand out to shake his. “Thank you for being on time.” “I thought I was early.” He smiled politely at his new instructor. There was something about the way she said Mr Cavill that made him feel like he was back in boarding school and he needed to be on his best behavior. “Early is on time, on time is late, Mr. Cavill.” She smiled back, just as polite. Her voice was clear, and her words were precise. “Please remember that for our future lessons. It was brought to my attention that you wish to be able to ballroom dance for an upcoming project. I will do my best to teach you but I need to know you will be as dedicated to this as you are your regular workouts.” “Yes, ma’am, I will do my best.” His voice cracked, he cleared his throat. Was he always this nervous when talking to women? She gestured to him with her hands and a warm smile to follow her. “May I ask what kind of dancing you were doing? It was beautiful.” “That was American Tribal Style belly dancing. It has fallen out of popularity back home, but I’ve been able to find pockets of women, and men in some cases, across the UK that seem to still enjoy it. It is a little less flirty than cabaret style which is probably what you associate belly dancing with. So to begin, I would really like to see how flexible you are, so we can sort out what sort of dance you will be learning. I am going to go lock the front door to make sure we are not interrupted, and in the mean time I need you to grab us two of the yoga mats. I would like for you to set them up parallel to each other, far enough apart so when we do some stretches we will not knock our heads together. Can you do that for me?” “Yes, absolutely.” “Thank you Mr Cavill, we will begin shortly.”

#henry cavill fanfic #henry cavill smut

[fivenightsatfreddysfanfiction]

sneak peeks From The Outside and Find A Friend

“How are your ribs? Finally healed up?” the day guard asked his brother. Therese and Enrique listened attentively, curiosity ramped up by the questions. The guard was holding his phone up, angled to point the camera at Sydney’s hands as the older man gestured with them. “That’s good. You’re lucky you only got a little roughed up by that guy. My background check turned up some info on that client,” the guard, Alex as the pizzeria owner said, explained in a lowered voice, “He’s apparently an admirer of your past self. You showing up as Pantera was practically his idea of a gift from on high for his collection.”

Sydney just face-palmed while Vanessa scowled, cheeks puffing indignantly. “He can’t have him! I hold Sydney’s contract, so I’ve got legal on my side!” she huffed. The three fell into silence as a waiter came by and delivered a large pizza and drinks for them.

“Just saying,” Alex picked up the conversation once the waiter was gone, “if you go back out again as Pantera, steer clear of that guy. I doubt he’ll just give up on you now that he’s convinced himself you’re somehow a descendent of yourself. Those eyes of yours are too unique to not have been ‘inherited’.” The brothers cringed at his words while Vanessa just pinched the bridge of her nose.

“This reminds me of how Afton thought my body would be perfect for Emelia just because I had green eyes like her,” she growled, “It’s stupid. These are our lives! Our identities!”

“Welcome to the paranormal dumbfuckery club,” Alex quipped, uncapping his bottle of soda, “Where our eyes get us into trouble and our souls are the ball in a decades-long game of keep-away from some dipshit who couldn’t handle competition in business. Sydney, stop looking guilty; you didn’t start this shit, you got taken advantage of just like the rest of us.”

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

well, Sydney still shares some blame, he's not totally absolved of his part LMAO

lil bit of the outsiders' perspective thing I was playing with. here's also a bit of the Gregory meet Cassie thing too

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

The birthday kid was a girl currently sobbing her eyes out in a corner of the Glamrock Salon in Roxy Raceway. Normally Gregory didn’t have any interest in this part of the Pizzaplex but the party was being held here and it was one of the last scheduled ones before the area would be closed off for renovation. Although calling it a party was being kind, really. Despite all the party favors and goodies for the special day, there was a noticeable lack of other kids celebrating or parents being attentive or concerned with that fact. He stood there with a plate of pizza, chewing on a slice and not really enjoying the cheese and not-meat toppings. How could he, when he could hear the poor kid being miserable just around the corner?

Eventually he just set the plate down, grabbed one of the nice cloth napkins, and took a deep breath before heading over to tend to the birthday kid and introduce himself. A birthday without a single friend to celebrate with was just fucked up and Gregory wasn’t going to let that stand. Something in his soul railed against it, demanded that a lonely kid shedding so many tears needed to be soothed come hell or high water. Well, he’ll just do it so he won’t feel guilty for eating her food. He hated feeling guilty for just trying to survive.

#sneak peek

[curious-minx]

Review of the first episode of The Great North (plus some sad Bob’s Burgers’ news)

2021.

I was going to begin my review of the pilot episode of The Great North, the sister sister series of Bob’s Burgers, with my trademark  snarky and slanted curlicue wit... Instead, I am reckoning with the headline of the death of Bob’s Burgers character designer, Dave Creek.

Dave Creek.

Type his name out and put it in comic sans and you can see it’s a name meant to be involved with TV. One of the rare individuals to pass away from something other than Covid-19 or our rising totalitarian government. The artist contributed to the show in many ways, most profoundly with the design of Lady Tinsel from the Bleakening, one of Bob’s Burgers most visually ambitious episodes to date. I am ill-equipped to eulogize the man like his fellow peers are doing, but as someone who writes and thinks about the Bob’s Burgers series it is impossible to not address his passing.

//////

The Great North.

“Sexi Moose Adventure”

Look up there! What Do You See? Nature and stuff Like a rock And a tree Oh, The Great North Way up here we can breathe the air Catch some fish Or gaze at a bear Wow! Oh, The Great North Here we live, oh, oh Here we’ll stay, oh, whoo From longest night To longest day In The Great North

An Alan Thicke bop or the wimpy Cheers theme this aint. A jarring theme. I had to transcribe it to lay it out in front of me to see how wordy it is, but to my surprise the theme song looks more concise on paper. Still, I am not sold on this theme song. Mainly because I prefer the misheard lyric of “Here we’ll say (it’s actually “stay”): oh, whoo,” digging further into the regional grunts.

1:24, One minute and twenty four seconds in and there is already a  little bit of winking scatalogical humor by the ever youthful Paul Rust, or as I am sure he’ll be known for generations, Ham Tobin, the middle of the three Tobin sons. Compounded within these first two minutes is a stylistic swivel away from Bob’s Burgers comedic well with a Brokeback Mountain themed wedding cutaway joke with real-world celebrity cameos. Speaking of celebrity cameos, how about a side character conversation with an Alanis Morrisette  constellation (and she’s a recurring character!) you’ve never seen that in Bob’s Burgers! In the first three minutes and thirty seconds we have two instances of explicitly expositional dialogue, the first is the cleaner introduction of eldest Wolf Tobin (voiced by Will Forte) and his fiance Honeybee Shaw who has just moved to Alaska from Fresno and helps set up the reverse All in the Family Meathead and Gloria dynamic. What comes next is once again another moment I can only describe as jarring when the inexplicably normal named Judy Tobin explains to Alanis Morrisette constellation exactly what is wrong with sweetly overbearing father. The reason involving a somewhat convoluted background story about the former Tobin matriarch's  abandonment of the family and Beef, the Tobin patriarchy, is in denial of this  fact. Beef prefers to live in the reality where no wife of his would leave him she could only have been eaten by a wolf.  

What goes on throughout the episode is what I believe is a cardinal sin of episodic storytelling: Making jokes and observations at the expense of an off screen character. There are already WAY too many characters being thrown at me and not once throughout the episode was I able to identify any of the characters by any names other than the name of the celebrity voice actor. Minute six and yet again we are hit with Honeybee  generating another celebrity name for a joke and I really hope that the writers develop more of a game for her. Oh wait a minute the episode reminds me again at the eight minute forty sixth second mark that she is in fact from Fresno. More diarrhea and fart jokes snaking their way back into the scene as well, but Jenny Slate has always relished in the poopier jokes (see: any of her stand-up, Kroll work, or Obvious Child).

At the ten minute mark there is a quality character defining joke when Wolf distracts Beef by pointing out an indoor potted plant in a mall, which causes Beef, ever the Nature man, to take matters into his own hands by trying to rescue the potted plant. Beef is basically a combination of the two Rons from Parks & Rec, the emotional frugality of Ron Swanson and a touch of Sam Elliot’s Ron Dunn Earthiness. Julio Torres’ mall juicer character is also introduced with a perfunctory but enjoyable deadpan exchange with the awkward Judy, but it’s the kind of performance Julio Torres could give in his sleep (and probably did).

The eleven minute mark introduces a character that I was initially pretty jazzed about, Judy’s boss at the mall photography store Alyson Lefebvrere (gosh I hated typing out that name >.<) voiced by long-time Molyneux collaborator, Megan Mullally. On paper, much like the theme song, a heated exchange between an emotionally vulnerable Beef and a character voiced by real-life wife Megan Mullally should be dynamite, instead much like their podcast it feels like a wet fart in the sheets. Mullally’s work on Bob’s Burgers as Linda’s sister Gayle is terrific and with the power of animation having her play an unconventional looking character really works to her advantage. Alyson’s character design is boring and conventional cartoon  attractive as she’s clearly being set up as a potential love interest for our leading Beef man, but the whole thing in execution falls completely flat. The extended 69 joke between Beef and Alyson is supposed to be funny because we know it’s between a real life publicly beloved celebrity couple. You cannot coast on innate chemistry alone! The setting up of the love interest isn’t even coy, we see Beef get heart eyes and drool over Alyson, which is just the most predictable and least interesting choice. A route this show seems dangerously flirtatious with.

Finally, at minute:second mark 13:15 we get introduced to a potentially fun and quirky sitcom character, Londra the neighboring fish mongerer. Voiced by Judith Shelton, an actor I am sure we all remember as Sally from Seinfeld and Angela from the Gregory Hines Show. Instead she gets instantly shut down and shuffled by in favor of advancing the plot of the episode. Moving on to the birthday party. Yep Honeybee makes another pop culture reference this time the Minions (it was Squidward last time, but I was too faint of heart to mention it at the time). We also find out in a forced confession from Ham that he is gay. I am glad the show has hired an openly gay actor like Julio Torres to play a bit recurring character, but it feels weird having Paul Rust a thoroughly heterosexual actor portray a gay goofball character. I feel like there easily could have been an actual gay goofball Paul Rust type out there deserving of the job, but this show does do right by having Dulce Sloan as Honeybee and Aparna Nancherla as MVP, Moon Tobin (Who I’ll get into later). Therefore I should not let this irk me, but clearly this show and I are not seeing eye to eye. In an era of gestures towards meaningful representation I would just like to see some consistency. Rust will probably go on to join the ranks of the many other hetero men who have also portrayed perfectly competenent and sensitive gay characters, but with gay characters should come paychecks for gay voice talent. In the end of this dead end debacle I much rather  Paul Rust have the role  and be spared the unimaginative Randy Rainbow casting. Back on track.

There’s a four square action sequence of the four siblings that also feels like the show attempting another stylistic flourish to separate itself from Bob’s Burgers. The episode, all one straight ahead single narrative, comes to a happy ending to also establish that the Bob’s Burgers sister sister series is also interested in being a sentimental sitcom to its core. An unfortunately okay first episode that got worse for me with a repeated viewing. The only character and overall performance that sticks out to me is Aparna Nancherla playing what is essentially the show’s Tina and  Louise lovechild of a character Moon Tobin, an animal identifying gender flipped peculiar savant-like child. She’s one of those comedians that I will always root for and appreciate whenever she pops up and I really hope that this show treats her right. She really elevates the material. Everyone else does just fine. The first episodes and first seasons of any sitcoms are rarely all that innovative or memorable so I am certainly going to allow this show to grow on me.

For the time being, this first episode of the Great North is deserving of Two Sexy Moose Antlers out of Five Forced Pop Culture References

#TV Series #Bob's Burgers #The Great North #Fox #adult animation #Animation Domination #Sitcom #TV Review

[citrucentric]

Cranberry

The ideal Holmes is tall and dark with sharp edges and an intelligent look to him, but also posh and with a sense that you could fold him into origami if you really tried. Dresses well, but wouldn’t look out of place sprawled dramatically over a couch in a dressing gown with a pipe and surrounded by drug paraphernalia. Once made a pillow fort and sat in it to think. Caught somewhere between handsome, pretty, and weird looking. Emphasis can be on any of the three. CANNOT have facial hair.

Holmes Adaptations

S-Tier

Miss Sherlock (Yuko Takeuchi) - 95%

You’ll notice, of course, that nowhere in the earlier description did I say Holmes needed to be white, a man, or even human. None of those qualifiers or the lack-thereof prevent someone from looking the part -- it simply becomes necessary to compare them to the characters around them. And when I picture a female Sherlock Holmes, Yuko Takeuchi embodies the exact image in my mind. Her sharp edges, piercing eyes, and impeccable fashion, along with the powerful weird energy she brings to the role, fit Sherlock perfectly. She does look more than a bit like she could kick my ass, but more in the manner she dominates the room, which is perfect for the character.

Sherlock Holmes (Jeremy Brett) - 85%

I haven’t watched this adaptation, though I’ve been meaning to get around to it. So this ranking is based solely on screenshots and promotional images. And honestly, as ugly as i find this guy, he totally nails it. He even kind of looks like the illustrations in the stories. I won’t give him a perfect score because his hair could be darker and his face is a little small, and there’s just barely something missing. But as far as “canon” Holmes adaptations go, he’s the cream of the crop.

A-Tier

Sherlock: The Abominable Bride (Benedict Cumberbatch) - 80%

Definitely the more accurate of the two Cumberbatch Holmes designs, the sleek fashion and slicked back hair complement Cumberbatch’s angular build and “somewhere between pretty and just weird” face. He’s tall, dark, and posh. If there’s anything holding him back it’s simply that even dressed up properly, there’s something still a bit modern looking about him.

Fate/Grand Order - 78%

Given that his design and presentation are a direct reference to both Brett and Cumberbatch’s portrayals, it’s a given he’d place so highly. It’s really hard to nail down a 2D Holmes, especially in the anime style this game employs, since it has a tendency to prettify characters by default. True to form, FGO Holmes is far neater and more precise than I’d like. But he’s by no means a bad design, and depending on the image he can really hit the spot for me; he’s definitely a chart topper in the realm of 2D Holmes.

Sherlock Holmes: The Furtive Festivity (Gregory Johnstone) - 75%

There aren’t many Holmes that we only get to see as an old man, in no small part due to the ACD estate’s notoriously malicious copyright practices. Johnstone ranks so highly not due necessarily to the details of his look, but the overall feel he embodies. This Holmes is soft, affectionate, more than a little floppy. His hair and costume portray a man well grown into his eccentric life, and his face is sharp and mature enough to suggest the brains underneath; even if that’s more wisdom than intelligence in this particular story. This is a Holmes designed by someone who really loves Sherlock Holmes, and it definitely shows.

BBC Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch) - 75%

Cumberbatch’s features still naturally suit Holmes well, and he’s tall and striking enough to cover the rest. But this isn’t a rating of his acting performance aside from the visuals it supplies; it’s hard to modernize Holmes, especially since it makes perfect sense for Holmes to gel well with the changing times; he was always a man ahead of his era. BBC Holmes’s trademark trenchcoat and curly locks aren’t traditional Holmes, but they suit him well enough.

Yuukoku no Moriarty - 73%

The long hair is an unorthodox take, but I'm certainly not complaining. YnM's Holmes definitely nails the youthful scientific exuberance of an early Holmes. It's clear they were going for a sort of BBC/ACD mix, but with their own spin. Pretty -- he is an anime boy, after all -- but all sharp edges and full of energy. Decent, way better than most anime Holmes designs manage.

B-Tier

Basil of Baker Street [The Great Mouse Detective] - 70%

Comparing the character to those around them is especially important when it comes to non-human characters, who naturally don’t have the same features. Putting Basil next to Dawson makes this abundantly clear, as they make a perfect portrait of Holmes and Watson. For a mouse, he’s thin, angular, even a little ratlike; all decisions that suit Holmes well. I have some complaints about his ensemble, though; while the dressing gown suits him well, his normal brown coat and hat don’t work so well with his fur; the monochrome look makes him come off a bit scruffy and unrefined.

A Study in Black - 68%

Rules are made to be broken, they say; here’s a Holmes with well maintained facial hair and who’s shorter than Watson, and yet I can without question say they were the right decisions. This Holmes takes a very different design approach than any other on this list, even the other modern takes, but he embodies the spirit of Holmes much more than if he’d tried to match every detail. Holmes is still gaunt and striking, eccentric and fashionable. He looks absolutely great.

The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (Robert Stephens) - 62%

Stephens in this role is, I have to say, far too soft. But he’s playing a different sort of Holmes, and I can’t resist keeping him here. There are some parts of the look he has down; he certainly looks high class, and the softer elements of Holmes’ character look good on him. Holmes’ traditional costume, the hat and coat, look out of place on him. But that suits the message of the film, and may very well have been intentional.

C-Tier

Dai Gyakuten Saiban - 58%

Not the only blond Holmes on this list, but it doesn’t suit him as poorly. From a character design standpoint, it looks very good. As a Holmes, it’s unorthodox. He’s not gonna be a chart topper with it, but I wouldn’t rule it out. This Holmes’ real problem isn’t his coloration, merely that he’s much too conventionally attractive. His jaw is a bit too wide, curls a bit too lovely, the peek of lavender under his coat a bit too rich, and I can’t look at him for too long without blushing. Do some cocaine and get back to me.

Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) - 55%

Now, this one might be controversial. I don’t think Rathbone Holmes looks very good. I can’t put my finger on why; his head is the right shape, his nose very sharp, though his face looks very smooth and he seems overall vaguely packed in. Like he was plucked out of the sky just before walking on set. The shapes are all right, it just seems off to me. I guess what I’m getting is that his look is too obviously produced. He looks too much like an actor portraying Holmes, rather than Holmes. But I know he’s gonna be the guy a lot of people swear by, so I won’t defend this placement too hard.

Sherlock Hound - 45%

Really, what is up with the monochrome design on some of these cartoons. Sherlock Hound has the darker hat to make up for it, though, so it’s a little better. Applying the same rubric as Basil to him... doesn’t get the same results. As far as I can tell, this just looks like a normal dog. And a scruffy light-furred one, at that. There’s a contrast between him and Watson, sure, but it could’ve been pushed further. At the end of the day this is an average guy dressed as Sherlock.

D-Tier

Herlock Sholmes [Code: Realize] - 40%

This is a very pretty anime boy. I’d pick him first in whatever dating sim this is. ...Wait, this is supposed to be Holmes? How can you tell? Look, I know it’s hard to make an anime boy Holmes. Holmes’ key design elements aren’t his costume or his hair, they’re the things that make him unpolished. And anime dating sim boys don’t like to be unpolished. But really, this is just a steampunk boy who likes tea. Nothing here reads as Holmes to me.

Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) - 35%

Now, I love this movie. RDJ got me back into Sherlock Holmes when I was younger. And as this character, he has a very specific and well designed look. ...Does that look gel with canon Holmes? I don’t think so. He’s rough, he’s scruffy, he’s short and wide and strong-jawed, and he refuses to go for a clean shave. I like him a lot, but he’s not very Holmesian. He does, however, nail the eccentricity and his costume design works for him well. I do like a messy Holmes. So I won’t go any lower than this.

F-Tier

Basil [Blush Blush] - 28%

So, he’s got the outfit. There’s that. But otherwise... This is just some soft ugly anime boy cosplaying Sherlock Holmes. He doesn’t have a single trait that works in his favor. On top of that, he’s got the same problem the other Basil on this list had -- the all monochrome light brown just looks weird, and not Holmesian at all. And this boy doesn’t have the excuse of literally being a mouse. This is just an ugly design.

Elementary (Jonny Lee Miller) - 25%

Now, I've only watched a few scattered episodes of Elementary. Partially because I'm morally opposed to shows that only gender-flip half of the duo, partially because I’m absolutely outraged by the travesty they made Moriarty. But this isn’t a bad character, per-se.

But, like, this is just some dude. This isn't Holmes.

Sherlock Holmes [Clue] - 23%

I love Clue so much. That probably doesn’t surprise anyone. I have the season pass in this game, which automatically gives me every DLC character they add for free. So I was super excited to hear there was gonna be a Sherlock crossover. ...But this is just ugly. Another light haired square-jawed monochrome asshole pretending to be my favorite character. There’s nothing Holmes about this. (The rest of the designs in the pack are no better, but this isn’t about them.)

Skylar Holmes [Blossom Detective Holmes] - 20%

Now, Blossom Detective is a show that I famously disliked so much I immediately sat down and screenwrote my own Holmes cartoon on the spot. And Skylar certainly feels like she should be in the “part 2″ of this list, but a Holmes she is.

She's cute and she accessorizes well, but she's just not Sherlock Holmes by any stretch.

Sherlock Shellingford [Milky Holmes] - 10%

Now, look how cute she is! Sherlock Shellingford, present and accounted for. She’s got TWO Sherlock names so you know she’s the real deal. Now, this is just an objectively good design. She's exactly what she needs to be to serve the role she plays!

And that isn't Sherlock Holmes. Sorry.

Holmes & Watson (Will Ferrell) - 0%

Get out of my house.

Holmes Archetypes

Not all Holmes’ are meant to be the Canonical Sherlock Holmes, of course; some are just neat references, or characters who naturally fit into his role whether the author intended it or not. Let’s address them here, and remember that not looking the part doesn’t really reflect negatively on these ones as they’re stand-alone.

S-Tier

Dylan Reinhart [Instinct] (Alan Cumming) - 90%

Dylan is so point for point Sherlock Holmes that it’s hard to call him an archetype and not a straight adaptation, or possibly a rip-off if I’m being harsh. But I’m not supposed to be rating him by portrayal, just looks - and he’s really good. He’s the exact right blend of weird looking, though not as angular as he should be. His sharp eyebrows and nose and high hairline work fantastic, and he wears a suit very well. He’s a perfect little bundle of posh and nerves, and though he’s not perfect the fact that this isn’t actually supposed to be canon Sherlock Holmes makes this placement very unsurprising. He wouldn’t look out of place on the other list.

Hubert von Vestra [Fire Emblem: Three Houses] - 85%

Oh? What’s that? You don’t think Hubert von Vestra is a Sherlock Holmes archetype? Okay, then explain to me why he uses the word “sentiment” exactly twice in his supports. Atheists 1, Church of Seiros 0. Anyway. Let’s start with the obvious. Hubert looks like Benedict Cumberbatch. But, he looks like a vampire Benedict Cumberbatch who did a lot more cocaine. And if you don’t think Sherlock Holmes should look like a vampire, youre lying.

A-Tier

None yet. Please submit your Holmes and I will add them.

B-Tier

Heinwald [Dragalia Lost] - 67%

I would never look at this design and think "well, that's Sherlock Holmes". Heinwald looks more like a zombie or the bride of Frankenstein, very Halloween. His look being so specific does come at the expense of his Holmesness, but he's still got more than a few traits down and he’s an absolute treat.

L Lawliet [Death Note] - 65%

This is a very, very weird looking man. Key points: dark hair and eyes. gaunt, sharp, and mostly angular (though with a softer face). Extremely foldable. This man could 100% pass for Holmes, if someone else was dressing him. Put him in a suit, comb his hair? Yeah. It’d really work. But until then, he’s just most of the way there.

Kyoko Kirigiri [Danganronpa] - 63%

Kirigiri really gets jilted here, because she could be much higher. Unfortunately, she has to be part of a series that with only a few exceptions just reuses the same face and body for most of its female characters. Kirigiri definitely has the sharp and focused feel she needs to pass for Holmes, and she dresses well. The white hair is the opposite of the dark he usually touts, but it’s striking. Unfortunately, put her next to any other character in her series, and she blends back in.

Miles Edgeworth [Ace Attorney] - 60%

Feels a little weird to put Edgeworth on here when the actual Sherlock Holmes is in his game, but he fits the character much better if not the narrative role. So let’s go over the looks. His jaw is a bit wide, but he’s very pointy, and I certainly have never gotten the impression he’s a physically strong man. He’s very fashionable, and with his big cravat and sharp hair he makes a cutting silhouette. I’d say he needs a bit more to really nail the look, though.

C-Tier

Will Graham [Hannibal] (Hugh Dancy) - 45%

Despite being a noted Hannibal Lecter fan and possible homosexual, I still haven’t watched Hannibal. I’m taking people at their word that Will is a Sherlock; I definitely would have assumed otherwise looking at him. He reminds me deeply of BBC’s John Watson, and it’s hard to see anything else. But I don’t hate his look; he reads as clever, he looks good in darks, and I wouldn’t complain to see him cast as Holmes. He’s better than some of the lower-tiered canon Holmes actors, anyway.

Ranpo Edogawa [Bungo Stray Dogs] - 40%

This is another submission, and I don’t know who this boy is. I really doubt he’s actually a Holmes, given that he’s named after a real non-Doyle writer, but I was begged to include him. Let’s go. I really like his outfit. He’s got an aesthetic I like. Is it Holmes’? No. This kid looks like he’d fit way better as a Baker Street Irregular; maybe he should audition.

D-Tier

Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) - 35%

Take everything I said for Robert Downey Jr, and just mess up his hair a bit more. House is scruffy, poorly put together, and not wearing anything that costs over $100. As a Holmes, he’d work as one of his disguises; I wouldn’t be super surprised if this guy suddenly cleaned up and looked the part -- but it would take a lot of cleaning. I love his look, though -- again, he isn’t trying to be canon. House is an explicit Holmes parallel, but he’s still his own character.

F-Tier

Walnut Cookie [Cookie Run] - 20%

Given how much “Holmes costume” and “Detective costume” are conflated, it’s possible this gingerbread baby isn’t even supposed to be a Holmes reference, but I’ll take her. She’s an excellent design - but a standalone one. Shes too soft, warm, and curly looking to pull off canon Holmes.

#cranberry #fruit #sherlock holmes #the holmes scale

[knightthunderis]

New York and Karyson Wolfe

Chapter 2- New York and Karyson Wolfe

In an alley just outside Russo’s Grill in New York, Jamison Logan Reimeiko Thunderis McKagan Llewellyn threw the last of the night’s trash into the big trash dumpster outside.

[A few more hours here just to make this look good, then I can be glad to get home and back to my routine.] she thought.  As Knight Thunder, she and her Knights had helped to bust Raymond Fitzgerald, one of the biggest mob bosses and drug lords around.  For the last fifty generations, the Fitzgerald Crime family had been using their royal nobility and duchies to manufacture and run their illegal runners, claiming diplomatic immunity every time they got busted, so the International Crime busting Enforcers, or I.C.E as they were called, called on Knight Thunder and her Enforcers for help to bring the crime syndicate down by interrupting and catching the drug lord in the act of the transfer.  Jamison went undercover at Russo’s with the rest of her Knights close by.  But he was not just using Russo’s as his constant cover for drops.  But he was also taking Russo’s for everything they had in exchange for ‘protection’ against unruly vandals. “It is just another glamourous night in New York on a Saturday night taking out the garbage to the dumpster.”

“It could be worse.” Alex said. “There could be...RATS! Rei, Help.”

Jamison laughed. “Alexander, you are such a scaredy-cat. Do not tell me that you are afraid of this little mouse family.  They are just trying to get by the same as the rest of us.”

“Hey Reimeiko! Alexander!” Gregory snapped. “Quit slacking off out there.  I know that I told you to take out the trash, but now, I am telling you to wait on that bachelor party that just walked in.”

[This was not my idea of spending this Saturday night.] Jamison thought sourly. [I want to drop my Reimeiko cover, go back to Jamison McKagan Llewellyn, my husband Tristan and the rest of the ThunderStar Crew.  The last thing that I want to do is wait on a bunch of drunks who are going to be seriously grabby. I wish I were already gone.]

“Ah waitress, there you are.” one business suited man said. “We need your very best table.” 

Jamison had her back to them talking to Alex, having not noticed them yet. “You know what, forget the table.” Another man said. “Bring us whiskey and lots of it.”

“Rei, please take this one.” Alexander pleaded. “I have got a date tonight and I will never make it out of here in time to go home, change and meet Tracy.”

“You really want me to take this bachelor party?” Jamison asked. “Well considering how they are dressed; the tip might be insane.  But why do I get the rowdy tables?” But Alexander’s pleading gaze was her downfall. “Ugh, you so owe me one, Alex. Just go live your happily ever after for the both of us you dork.”

“I want to hear all about this tomorrow when you come in.” Alexander replied. “And Reimeiko, you are totally the best.”

“Are you still talking?” Gregory demanded. “I have seated them already. Now get to work and get over there before I dock your pay.” Ruffling, she headed over to the table where three of the men were sitting wanting to get the night over as quickly as possible.  If it had not been for Knight Thunder and her Knights being called into bust the mob boss, she would have been gone from this place hours ago.  But as it was, she had to stay in character until she would be able to clock out from Russo’s for good.  Taking a deep breath, she turned and made her way over to the table.

“Hello gentlemen.” Jamison said. “I am Reimeiko Thunderis and I will be taking care of you this evening.  The food and alcohol lists are both in the menus my manager gave you.  The closest thing we have to fillet anything is Russo’s famous deluxe burger.”

“We will be fine with your best bottle of whiskey and four deluxe burgers.” Derrick Werner announced. Jamison lifted a questioning brow at the mention of four when there were only three of them present.  He nodded behind her.  She turned around to see Tristan Llewellyn, but in the form of Karyson Wolfe.  As Reimeiko Thunderis, her heart got to pounding heavily.

[What the heck?] Jamison thought.  [He, as Tristan, is supposed to be in Arkansas.  I will have to check this out when I get the chance to break away from here.]

“I am sorry that I am late you guys.” Karyson said. “Thank you for your patience, Miss--”

“Reimeiko.” Jamison blurted without thinking. “I am Reimeiko Christyne Thunderis.”

“It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Reimeiko.” he said, putting on his most charming smile.

“The pleasure is all mine.  It is nice to meet you too.” Jamison said, claiming her senses. “Let me get your orders in and I will be right back.”

Jamison went to turn the orders in and took a picture of the four men, Karyson included, then went into the back room to call and check in with Tristan to make sure she was not seeing things.  She sent him the picture while waiting for him to answer the phone.

“That is super weird, Jamie.” Tristan replied. “You can tell by the group GPS where I am.  I will get word to mom and dad and find out what they want us to do in this situation and they will update Reimeiko’s mom and dad about it too while I am thinking about it.”

“I will debrief them tonight after I get off here.” Jamison said. “I know I will need you and the Knights here on standby.  I got a feeling; I am going to need you guys super close.  Right now, I need to go my orders are up and ready.”

“The Knights and I will meet you at the New York apartment later tonight.” Tristan said. “Be careful Jamie.  I love you and we will see you soon tonight or tomorrow.”

“I love you too Tristan.” Jamison said. She disconnected the call and stuck her phone in her pocket before taking the orders to the table. Later, a little after closing, Jamison was wiping down the bar when she was tapped on the shoulder.  She turned around and came face to face with Karyson.  She still could not figure out how the two personas were suddenly two separate individuals.

“I think that we are about ready to head out.” Karyson announced. “I just wanted to thank you and to apologize. I know we kept you late and my friends can be seriously demanding.”

“Demanding? That is one way to put it.” She replied. “But it was nothing, I could not handle.  I have dealt with a big variety of characters before this.”

“I have a feeling that you could very easily take care of yourself.” He said with a smile. “If you do not have any plans tonight, then perhaps I can make it up to you by buying you a drink.  We are about to head out to a club here in town.  I was hoping you might have some recommendations on which one we might go to because we are not from around here.”

“I kind of figured you and your friends were not from around here.” She replied. “I was only here temporarily too; but I would recommend the hottest club in the jam, Destiny's Rose.”

“That sounds perfect.  I know that the guys want to really go crazy tonight.” Karyson said. “And I cannot think of anyone better as a tour guide than you Reimeiko.  Lead the way.”

“Okay, sure.” Jamison replied. “Let me finish up here and then I will meet you and your friends up front.”  She quickly finished the clean up around the room, texted Tristan and the Knights about the change of plans, then went into the break room to change clothes out of her uniform and caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and groaned. “I am so ready to get out of my uniform and back to my life as Jamison McKagan Llewellyn.” She changed into a deep green club dress and matching heels.  She gathered her things into her bag as she would not be returning. “I am so ready to show this crew a good time their last night here.” 

She stepped out to see Karyson and his party waiting for her. Derrick Werner was the first one to notice her, shocked at her new look but quickly gathered himself. “Whoa Nellie, you look great.” Derrick gushed. “I almost did not recognize you.  That uniform was not doing you justice.”

“Yeah, the waitress is major hot.” Malachi Blanchard said with a bugged-out grin on his face.

“Her name is Reimeiko, and I doubt she appreciates you talking about her like that.” Karyson said angrily.

“You are right.” Malachi replied. “I am sorry Reimeiko. I meant to say that you look very lovely.  Now let us get this party started.”

“So, she is going to be our tour guide and is coming with us?” Terrence asked seriously. “This goes completely against the rules of royal protocol you know right?”

“Actually, we are going with her and she is picking our next destination.” Karyson replied. “She knows the area whereas we do not, and I want to see as much of it as we can before we return. She was kind enough to agree to show us around. She is doing us a favor so play nice.”

(I had almost forgotten how commanding Karyson could be under the circumstances.) Jamison thought to Tristan. (What do your parents think about this turn of events where Karyson is concerned?)

(All we know is that something way out of the ordinary is going on and we will be sent to investigate it.) Tristan replied. (We know what the outcome for Karyson and Reimeiko is and my mom and dad are meeting with yours and the Universal Council right now.  They should have a game plan for us soon.)

(So, for now, until we can get you and Karyson reconnected,) Jamison sighed. (Reimeiko is going to have to stay in the spotlight for now. Okay keep me posted.) A short time later, Jamison and the group arrived at the entrance of the Destiny Rose club and joined a long line of party goers waiting to get inside the club. “Here it is, the hottest club in town the Destiny Rose.”

“Yeah, I can tell by this line.” Malachi replied. “We are going to spend the rest of the night waiting for it.”

“Hey, I just knew where to go.” Jamison giggled. “How we get in is up to you guys.  Though, I do know one of the bands they have playing here.  They are one of the headliners for ThunderStar Enterprises and Universal.”

“Let me talk to the man at the door.” Karyson announced.  He walked up to the doorman and began speaking with him.  After a few minutes of the conversation, the doorman undid the velvet rope and gestured for Jamison and the group to follow and go inside the club Destiny Rose treated like royalty.

#kingliam2019 #texaskitten30 #trr1 liam MC (Reimeiko) KnightThunderis