#and i didn't want to deal with that. i know how to make fudge. i can make my own fudge.

[kittyhazelnut]

i am losing my fucking miiiiind

#i have a new years eve 'party' with a few friends tomorrow and I made the mistake of mentioning to friend N that I was gonna make cookies #and fudge to bring because. you know. i like cookies and fudge. duh. self-explanatory. i want to bring cookies and fudge. #and N (who i stg needs to be With Her Friends at least six days a week or she will die or something) was like 'we should bake them #together that morning!' #and i knew i couldn't say no because any time I say no or that I don't want to do something or that I don't like something it becomes #a fucking interrogation so i was like fine. whatever. we can bake them together. #except THEN she said that she doesn't like fudge!!! so let's not make fudge!!! oh but actually she has a gReAt cookie recipe from her #baking class last semester! we should use that! and we should make cupcakes too! #and i'm like GIRL????? THE WHOLE GODDAMN POINT WAS THAT I WANTED SOME MOTHERFUCKING FUDGE???? #so fine. whatever. i just made fudge and I can cut it up tomorrow and bring it like i'd planned #because i knew if i said i really wanted to make fudge with her she'd get all pouty and 'pretend she's fine' but not really #and i didn't want to deal with that. i know how to make fudge. i can make my own fudge. #and then she mentioned that she didn't really like vanilla cupcakes but hey we can totally make both vanilla and chocolate cupcakes! #which is great because i like both! so that works out really well! #well i offered to bring the vanilla cake mix and guess what. #no come on guess #you'll never guess #she said i didn't have to worry about that because she doesn't really like vanilla cupcakes :D #GIRL??? WE HAD THIS CONVERSATION???? #AND she said she'd buy the ingredients and waited until today and then had a panic attack and didn't leave the house SO that's gonna cut #into our baking time tomorrow. which honestly I would be thrilled about if her two solutions were either I meet her at the store at #baking o'clock OR she goes shopping first thing and then we still meet at her house at baking o'clock #like no! go buy them! i'll meet you at baking:30 #I'll meet you at baking + one hour #i lack the mental capacity for this I stg #i wish she had more than three friends because she's the only friend I see on a regular basis and it's still not nearly enough for her #OOOOH FRIEND H WITH THE CLUTCH! SHE SAYS SHE PREFERS CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES SO WE'RE MAKING BOTH NOW #you know. if we have time. since we have to buy the ingredients first. #it's gonna be a trainwreck i already know it #we baked together one (1) time and that was my birthday cake (and I tried to say I didn't like x flavor and she was like 'but whyyy it's so

[pedge-page]

Joel Dealing with Preggo Wife # 8- Drama Queen

Joel Miller x F!Reader

Can be read with others in series or alone

Warnings: allusions to sex, mostly fluff and comedy

- - - -

Its been a pretty quiet evening, and with you home, thats saying something. Joel's minding his business watching Tv when you come plopping down next to him on the couch. He doesn't acknowledge you.

So you scoot over and sigh heavily. Still No reaction from the male.

You feint a yawn and snuggle your head on his shoulder. He smiles a little, but doesn't look at you. You rub affectionately like a kitten.

Nothing.

Take the hint, you stupid hunk.

Your pretty manicured hand creeps on his thigh, stroking up and down senually with delicate fingertips.

He knows where this is going, but he won't entertain you. He coughs a little, bored, and continues scrolling channels. Wants to see how far you'll go to get what you want.

As if on cue, you persist. Wrapping your arm over his broad shoulders, hitching your knee awkwardly on his thigh despite the baby in your belly squirming at the uncomfortable angle. You playfully boop his nose, giggling like a flirt. He purses his lips, but nothing else.

You stare at his profile, that unique Joel Miller look of concentration. Handsome and stoic—that little shithead.

You're teasingly rubbing your fingers through his scruff, twisting gently as a massage.

You bring your lips and kiss him kindly on the cheek. Something sweet. Innocent. Then again, but a little longer. Then some more, peppered down his jaw, along his pulse. Heated and wetter. Growing more needy and nipping his ear, making little happy moans as your hand continues to wander over his legs, tip toeing to his crotch.

Joel sighs, finally looking at you. "There a reason you're trying to get me turned on, ma'am?"

"Mmm," you hum, biting your lip and staring his plump ones. You crawl closer, breasts smashed against his bicep as you lick your lips, tongue peaking out with lusty eyes trying to put him under your best charm. Yesyesyes give it to me, Fucker!

"I want a Big—" you kiss his nose "—Messy—" teeth nip at his lower lip "—Hot—" you peck him teasingly, sucking his flesh in your mouth so he knows you mean business. Then you stare down at him with your serious eyes, foreheads pressing,

"—Fudge Cookie Dough Chocolate Gooey Fantasy Milkshake with extra Rainbow Sprinkles from Clyde's Creamery."

Yeah. He knew exactly this is where this was going.

He cracks a warm smile, cupping your jaw and parting your lips with his thumb. You suck it into your mouth, hoping to please him. Just as hes about to kiss you, he leans in and says, "No. Its 11pm. Bedtime."

You get off his lap with a cold shoulder and a scoff, proceeding to ignore him for the rest of the night.

Hes evens surprised when you go to bed still silent, facing away from him without a kiss goodnight when you turn off your lamp.

Until it's 2am when he's startled awake by the sound of the the front door opening. He's storming downstairs trying not to trip, and haphazardly throwing a shirt on backwards while in his boxers, only to see you with a packed bag, hand dramatically caressing  your bump with fake ass tears down your cheek going outside to the car.

"Where the FUCK are you going??" He asks, rubbing his eyes. Aggravation and rough exhaustion evident in his tone.

"You said you didn't love me, so I'm leaving," you huff. There's no hint of a joke in your words. Genuine pain. Hurt. Quiet and walking away. You dont wait to see his reaction and without another word, you turn to leave.

Hes so whiplashed, wracking his brain trying to remember any time he even remotely could have said something like that and you interpret it—

"I SAID YOU COULDN'T HAVE A HOT FUDGE COOKIE DOUGH CHOCOLATE GOOEY FANTASY MILKSHAKE because it was FUCKING 11PM AND CLOSED! Now get your fat beautiful ass and our baby back in here and dont ever pull this stupid stunt again!"

You scowl at him, preventing any physical reaction of your internal swooning he thinks my ass is pretty. You hold your ground and refuse to move from your position, defiant, in flip flops and a long nightgown on the front porch at 2am.

Joel furrows his brows and closes his eyes, soothing over the wrinkles you've caused to grow on his forehead.  "Fuck. I'll get you one tomorrow morning for breakfast. Okay?"

You smile giddily and skip back inside "Okie!" You step past him drop your shit on the couch, kissing him on the cheek. "Dont forget the extra rainbow sprinkles."

He grunts, glad that it's dark enough in the house you can't see how exhausted and annoyed he is.

"Oh and close the door, Joel! You'll wake the neighbors with your unnecessary shouting bit. Dramatic much?" You scoff, and waddle up the stairs and right to bed like nothing happened.

-

Tommy also has access to your ring camera notifications and sees Joel and you out there and the whole conversation, and he's laughing so hard when he watches the playback. He teases grumpy exhausted Joel the next morning, conveniently with a to-go milkshake in his hand at 8am.

"Softy for your girl?"

"Shut up."

"And when you have the baby, then there's gonna be two of her!" Tommy wheezes.

Joel's saggy and wrinkled eyes manage to open wider than ever as that particular horror sets over him.

- - - -

Permanent Taglist

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[dragonfirerogue-writes]

Black Light

Wednesday x Parasite!Reader

Part One | Part Two |

"What'd you get?"

"Pilgrim World! Bet! You?"

"Weathervane! Free coffee all day, yo!"

You flick open your envelope to see where you were going to be for the 'honored' Outreach Day. It seems like most people were getting placed into Pilgrim World. Aaaaand you were also one of them. A heavy sigh escapes as you shove the paper into your pocket.

Normies would avoid you out of fear because of your outcast status. Outcasts avoid you out of fear of your known powers. Even then, outside of your chosen few, you didn't bother putting yourself out there. Outreach Day was a farce in your opinion and it masks underlying issues. But, whatever helps morale, you guess.

Feeling a presence, you turn to see both Enid and Wednesday appear by your side. Though the wolf flinches slightly at your attention, she gives you a smile.

"What'd you get, Y/N?" She asks. You could tell her enthusiasm masking her fear of you, but it felt nice to know she was trying.

"Pilgrim World. How 'bout you two?"

"Samesies," Enid replies almost immediately. "I have natural people skills and a love of performing, so it's kind of the obvi choice." You just nod. She was definitely the complete opposite of you. You turn to Wednesday next, awaiting her answer.

"Uriah's Heap, whatever that is."

"Ew. It's a weird, creepy antique store." When Enid feels both yours and Wednesday's eyes boring into her, she backtracks slightly.

"You'll love it though." You just roll your eyes in reply.

"I'd rather be at Uriah's than at Pilgrim World. Less people to stare at me."

"Maybe you'll get better with your social skills." Enid quips, only to squeak and stride away due to your glare.

"She's lucky she's cute..." You grumble. Wednesday raises an eyebrow at the statement.

"Didn't expect loud blondes to be your type, Y/N." You snort in response.

"Hardly but I'm not blind. People like her and Bianca are conventionally attractive," you start. "Just not my type. Not like I'm swimming in options. Not many want a monster as a partner."

A soft scoff sounds from Wednesday. "Not many have any semblance of taste."

You don't get a chance to ruminate on the words as Weems makes her appearance then, her attention on the small goth.

"Wednesday. Don't worry about your cello. I'll have it brought to the town square this afternoon."

The girl eyes the tall woman with suspicion. "My cello?"

The principal explains that she volunteered Wednesday to join the Jericho High marching band after she heard the goth play the other night. As she walks away with a near smug look on her face, Wednesday turns to you.

"Promise you'll hang me as a witch afterwards," she deadpans.

"Good thing I perfected my noose technique."

Wednesday couldn't help but smirk.

-----+++++-----

You're lingering behind the group of outcasts making their way to Pilgrim World. You weren't looking forward to being in those stupid costumes and having to deal with the myriad of tourists flooding the park. The gaggle of students partaking in the photo areas were already grating on your nerves and you're sure that being crushed like Giles Corey would be more pleasant than this torture.

"Why anyone would come here is a mystery..." You mutter. A sudden voice from your side surprises you.

"Pretty sure it's only for the fudge."

Wednesday's appearance confuses you. A few stunned blinks pulls you from the surprise, but only just.

"What are you doing here?"

"Switched with Enid so I could find out more about this Joseph Crackstone. He seems to be a clue into my investigations." A groan from your throat makes the girl furrow her brows.

"Why Enid though?" You whine pathetically. "I would've switched in a heartbeat to be free of all of this." You point to the raving pilgrim talking about witch trials as if to prove your point. Wednesday only shakes her head.

"The thought did cross my mind, but I figure you'll be more useful to me here," she states. "Whether I'd like to admit it or not."

You let out a resigned sigh while inwardly preeninh at the compliment. "At least I won't suffer alone..."

-----+++++-----

Being on the PW Outreach team was made more tolerable with the fact that Wednesday had done things to undermine the weird theme park. Being near the girl made you want to kill less. That's why you now found yourself outside of the closed meeting house alongside her and Eugene, having rescued him from a few normie bullies.

"And what are we looking to find here, Wednesday?" you ask while keeping an eye out. You were no stranger to sneaking around. The goth just rolled her eyes in reply.

"There has to be a clue about who Crackstone is here. I'll find it and be ever closer to finding out why he and I are entwined." She then turns to you with a sharp look. "Come now. We haven't all day. Locks don't pick themselves."

The things you do for this girl. With a exasperated huff, you step towards the meeting house door and place your hand by the lock. A few tendrils pop from your arm and make their way into the opening. After a few seconds, you all hear a soft click and the door opens.

"You'd think they'd install a better lock at least." You flex your fingers as if you had shoved them in the keyhole. "What would you have used if I wasn't here?"

"Eugene's retainer."

Both you and Eugene just stare at Wednesday in disbelief. There's a moment before she shoves you aside and steps into the building.

"Keep watch. If that Mistress Arlene shows her face, deny everything."

"I'm not good at lying..." mutters Eugene. You just pat him on the shoulder.

"Just let me do the talking."

Talking didn't help as the woman bulldozed her way through a moment later, dragging both you and Eugene by the ears as she confronts Wednesday. It was obvious that the woman had dealt with hooligans before, whether during this job or her previous one. At the very least, you learned some things about this place. Mainly that it was fake and the original meeting house was elsewhere. That and the book Wednesday was looking for had gone missing. At least now her investigation would take place away from this place. But that's for another time. You had to deal with fudge churning duties now.

Joy.

-----+++++-----

As soon as you could, you ripped the damned frock uniform off your body and donned your school uniform and hoodie. The sheer relief to have your normal clothing on almost made you sag into the nearest chair. You had used your powers to churn as much fudge as you were assigned and took the first moment to make your exit. You didn't know where Wednesday was, but you definitely need coffee. Pulling your hood up, you make your way to the Weathervane.

Whether it was coincidence or fate, you find Wednesday at the coffee shop, speaking to Xavier.

"I thought you were suppose to be at Pilgrim World?" he asks.

"I deserted it while my sanity was still intact."

"Leaving me to churn all that fudge on my own, mind you." you said, making your presence known. Wednesday just turns to you and shrugs.

"You had Eugene to assist."

"And you think he was any actual help?"

The two of you stare at each other, both with an eyebrow raised. A silent debate happening between you two until Xavier interrupts.

"Uh, you two want coffee? It's one of the many perks of this wonderful assignment..."

"I'm actually here for Tyler."

Both you and Xavier slump at the mention of the boy awkwardly standing away from you three, watching yet not wanting to intrude.

"I told you he was bad news," the psychic retorts. You couldn't help but agree, though for you it was more of a gut feeling than anything.

"Who I speak to is my business."

Wednesday's words had a tone of finality in it causing Xavier to just let out a sigh and ring the bell that was next to him. Tyler meanders up cautiously.

"You rang?"

With that, you check out of the conversation. Finding a seat nearby, you wait for any indication that Wednesday was leaving. Snippets of voices registered in your brain, but none was important enough for you to really react to. At least not until Tyler attempts to offer his help.

"Look, the ruins are kind of tricky to find," he starts. "I could take you this afternoon. My shift ends at 2:00."

Before you could even pipe up and offer a retort, Wednesday beats you to it.

"Principal Weems would hang, draw and quarter me if I miss the big statue dedication." You could see the girl grimace at the thought of the event. "And as enticing as it sounds, I'd prefer to keep a low profile."

"For now..." you murmur, only to have the goth backhand you in retaliation.

"If you're going to pester me you better make yourself useful. Come."

Wednesday immediately stands and exits the café. You could only glance at the two boys before scurrying after her.

-----+++++-----

When you followed Wednesday to the meeting house ruins, you weren't expecting to sit in the rain, waiting for the girl to wake up. You and Thing were impatiently waiting for her to wake up after she keeled over after attempting to leave. You had an umbrella made to keep all of you dry.

"If she doesn't wake up soon, I'm just gonna carry her back to campus."

Thing taps in response.

"I carried her to this spot. It shouldn't be any different."

More taps.

"Yeah, yeah, I know this is the general vicinity but we've been here for like half an hour."

As soon as the word leaves your mouth, Wednesday shoots up with a gasp.

"Thing! Y/N! I saw her! The girl from my vision." She leans into your arms, woozy from sitting up too quickly, but her eyes are still focused. "Her name is Goody Addams and I believe she's my ancestor from 400 years ago."

-----+++++-----

It was really hard not to hate Wednesday's potential suitors. The normie was trying too hard and Xavier was too condescending. How he didn't believe two personal accounts was absurd. Even more absurd than the statue unveiling event you were stuck in right now.

At least you know it was going to get lit. Literally.

You wait through speeches, eyes almost glazed over from utter boredom. The sudden swell of music jerks you into attention and your eyes immediately find Wednesday. With the barest of nods, you get your cue.

Tendrils emerge from your body and creep through the bleachers. Within its grasp, a small fuse makes its way towards the fountain. Hidden away from the view of the spectators, gas-soaked fabric hanging from a pool of gasoline in the fountain stuck out. You attach the fuse and pull back your tendrils. Once you pull away, you hear the strike of a match and a faint sizzle hidden by the band.

Oh this is going to be good.

Your eyes meet Wednesday's as Crackstone's statue bursts into flames and chaos erupts around you. The cellist changes the tune she was playing, allowing the music to reflect the terror around her. Your wide grin almost makes her smile wider.

#a dragon tries to write #wednesday addams x reader #wednesday x reader #wednesday (netflix)

[cherryslyce]

Second Son (III) | Regulus Black

Series Synopsis: Forbidden from contacting Harry over the summer, you opt to explore the eerie halls of Grimmauld Place where you stumble upon a lonely portrait of the House's second son.

— Chapter Synopsis: The school year begins and all seems lost when Undersecretary Umbridge is assigned as the new DADA professor. That is until Hermione and Ron approach Harry and Y/N with the idea to form Dumbledore's Army (Regulus disapproves, naturally).

Part II / Part IV / Series Masterlist

Pairing: Regulus Black x GN!Reader

Notes: Cursing, Not Canon Compliant

The talk with Sirius and Co. was tiresome. Actually, talk was a lenient way to put it, it was much more of an interrogation. Apparently, Sirius and Kreacher got into a spat (what a surprise) and the house elf let it slip that you had "found Master Regulus".

Hermione and Ron tried to dissuade Sirius from making it into a big deal, but alas they were unsuccessful (not to mention they wanted answers as well).

Luckily, Sirius had very little faith in Kreacher and you only told him that you found old photos of Regulus, and Kreacher happened to stumble upon your discovery.

Kreacher was very willing to corroborate your story in order to get back in your--Regulus‘, good graces.

For now, your explanation satisfied the others, but you knew that Harry had an idea that there was more to the story than you were letting on. Fortunately, Harry had always been a loyal friend and he wouldn't push you to tell him anything if you didn't want to.

It seemed you had a penchant for finding reliable friends.

Regulus was displeased with the turn of events and looked ready to scold a mournful Kreacher, but opted to just let out a disgruntled sigh.

"It doesn't matter anymore, I knew you'd be able to take care of it." Was what he told you after Kreacher left with a grateful cry.

Summer receded off the coast and autumn began to roll onto London, first painting the trees in kaleidoscopes of oranges before bringing tides of cool wind.

Your fifth year at Hogwarts was about to kick off and you were practically bouncing around at the prospect of being able to bring Regulus with you.

"Harry's hearing went just as I presumed it would."

"Oh? Looking to take up a post as Hogwarts Divination Professor, Reg?"

The boy merely rolled his eyes, deciding to grace you with the gift of an answer despite your smart mouth.

"It was obvious that Fudge would aim to discredit Harry. But, Dumbledore is quite the political force, and many are still willing to side with Harry even if they think he's lying about the Dark Lord. Harry may not feel it though. Bad press will always stand louder than uncertain support."

Ever the intellect.

"I guess so. Harry's still riled about it, but there's not much he can do since he was cleared of his charges. Merlin forbid he was expelled. I can't even imagine how dismal Hogwarts would be without everyone's favorite lion."

You continued to pack away your textbooks in your school trunk, murmuring tiredly under your breath at the idea of the inevitable increase in workload and the studying for O.W.L's.

"Are you excited?"

"Reg, you do understand that we face a new threat every single year, correct? Of course I'm excited."

There was no sarcasm in your tone, and you were being completely honest. Threats to your life would only serve to teach you further about the constraints and possibilities of magic. After all, you were certain the Dark Lord would stop at nothing until you were all dead, so you might as well learn as much as you can in the meantime.

"Just be cautious."

"Are you getting soft on me, Reggie? If you keep going I might think you actually care for me."

"Don't be daft, you know how I feel. Now, don't forget about the pouch I gave you."

You weren't going to antagonize him because you were almost certain he did care for you, but you weren't sure if you'd live long enough for him to actually tell you.

Reaching for the emerald green pouch laid atop your bed, you eagerly pulled it open. You never got the chance to examine its contents due to being interrogated by Sirius, but you were sure it was something important because of Regulus‘ insistence that you take it with you.

Reaching inside, you feel around the velvet interior until you feel something cool press against your fingertips.

Pulling it out, you gape as you realized it was a ring. A thick silver band with two snakes wrapping around it.

"Reg?"

"It's a gift. It was the ring I usually wore around in my youth. It's charmed to heat up when someone tries to use legilimency on you or when you're near poison. It served me well, now it will help you."

You twirl the band around your fingers and a small smile paints your lips as you try to suppress the burning in your eyes.

"Thank you Reg. I'm touched that you trust me so much with your possessions. I guess now I really have no excuse if I die."

"Exactly. So try your best--no, you have to live." His eyes were hard with conviction before they softened again when you nodded, "Good. You should put it on later, Sirius will definitely recognize it."

You couldn't find it in yourself to move on from Regulus‘ gift, even now as you were weaving around people.

The ring pressed gently against your chest as you walked with Harry down King's Cross, your new precious item was hidden away underneath your shirt on a necklace chain.

Regulus was tucked away inside your jacket like usual, the rectangular frame occasionally hitting against your ribs as you moved.

Sirius was paces away in his animagus form, too reluctant to let Harry leave with a simple goodbye at the door. You were happy that Harry had such a supportive adult figure in his life, but a part of you couldn't help but want him to leave quickly so you could slip on the ring.

The dog-man quickly trotted into an empty seating room, Harry leaving your side to talk to his godfather. As Moody and Tonks guarded the doorway of the room, you opted to give the aurors a brief nod before making your way to the platform first.

You admired them both to a varying degree, but you couldn't quite warm up to Moody after your Fourth Year debacle with his death eater imposter.

It was still hard to get the image of him, or rather the image of polyjuice him, making Neville uncomfortable in class.

Navigating your way around the swarm of people, soon you found yourself on the familiar platform.

Reaching into your shirt, you pulled out your necklace chain, twirling it around your neck before unclasping it and sliding Regulus‘ ring out.

It was a pretty thing, and you found yourself imagining the two snakes on the band as you and Regulus.

Propping your trunk up against one of the brick pillars, you fix your necklace before slipping the ring onto your left index finger, spelling it to fit you.

Thank merlin for magic.

Raising your hand up towards the sky, you observe the way the sunlight reflects off the silver. As you continued to admire it, you realized that someone's stopped beside you.

"Merlin! Harry?!"

The boy in question jumps at your exclamation, the distant look in his eyes being drowned out by realization. It was apparent that he was only present enough to recognize you in the crowd, but too lost in thought to realize what was going on.

"Oh, sorry. Should we board now?"

Without waiting for an answer, he reaches behind you and lugs your trunk behind him, starting to get lost in his head again as he walks towards the train.

As the both of you sit and wait for Hermione and Ron, he wordlessly reaches into his pocket, pulling out a folded photo. He hands it to you with a forlorn look in his eyes, watching as you carefully unfold the paper.

Are those?

As if reading your thoughts, he supplies you with a quiet answer, "My parents. And the Order."

"Fuck. From Sirius?"

"Yeah."

"Fuck."

Running your finger over the smiling faces of Lily and James Potter, you send a silent thank you for their sacrifice.

Your concern for Harry only ceased once you arrived at the castle.

Sitting down in the dining hall brought a surge of serotonin through your body. It was the closest thing you had to a home and being able to greet the cold walls and aged windows after every summer brought you great joy.

Looking in Harry's direction, you frown in concern as you see him eyeing the staff table in shock. Your confusion is swept away as a high-pitched voice cuts through Dumbledore's welcome speech.

A woman who was strangely reminiscent of a toad carefully made her way around the table and towards Dumbledore. From the way Harry began to furiously whisper to Hermione, you were certain that she was the reason for his sudden change in behavior.

Dumbledore and Snape looked faintly displeased with her interruption and your eyes started to hurt from the abomination of pink monotone that made her stand out.

You had an unfortunate feeling that the source of your fifth year misery had arrived.

And you were correct. Of course.

It had only been a week into your classes and you were seething violently, much like the rest of your friends.

"And do you know what she said Reggie?"

"What?" He mused in curiosity, his eyes alight at your foreign frustration.

"We're only going to be learning the theories! Because apparently if we know the theories well enough, the application of spells will just magically come to us!"

Your hands were flying around wildly as you recalled her words, your body bouncing around on your bed due to your gestures.

Regulus chuckled at your despair, eyes twinkling brightly like he had just received the best news of his life.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it off. I'm glad my misery is enjoyable to you, but I'm being serious! I just don't know what we should do! The DADA curse is really screwing us over here."

Seeming to take pity on your genuine distress, he begins to placate you, "Y/N, it's fine. I'll teach you if you want. Just tell me what spells and theories you're covering and I'll guide you."

Oh?

The grin that stretches across your face almost hurts and you fall back onto your bed, letting his offer run around your head with a content sigh.

"Y/N? Have you died?"

"Still here." Your answer comes out muffled as you bring your hand to cover your bright smile.

"Don't seem too happy, I'm a strict teacher."

"Yeah, yeah. Reg. I could kiss you right now! Seriously, thank you, you're too good to me."

Regulus doesn't respond to your words and he was sure that you weren't even aware of what you were saying, but he was glad you couldn't hear the way his heart was racing.

"No matter, just get some sleep."

"Hm? What will you do then? It's still pretty early."

"I'll just watch over you like always. Prop me up on your nightstand would you, I want to see outside."

"Yes, yes. Anything else you require my liege?" Your teasing is met with a deadpan look as you carefully rest his portrait frame against the stack of books on your nightstand.

"Y/N, sleep."

You let out an indignant huff and turn your body towards your bedside, facing Regulus as he begins to gaze outside your dorm window. Luckily, your nightstand was on the far end of the dorm room and would be out of view from anyone coming through.

"Goodnight, Reg."

"Sweet dreams, Y/N."

Luckily, slumber came quickly that night.

You should have known that your brief period of rest would soon be interrupted. It was basically the first warning that came attached to being involved with the Golden Trio. You just didn't realize that your peace would be disturbed the very next day.

"Are you positive that this is a great idea?"

"If Umbridge refuses to teach us, we need someone who will."

You stare at Hermione in consideration, "And that person is Harry?"

She nods confidently, her eyes blazing in determination. Clearly, they were going to move forward with this plan whether or not you were in.

"Okay. So Hog's Head then?"

"Yes. We can't possibly manage to keep this under wraps inside the castle walls. We'll come by and get you tomorrow."

"Merlin ‘Mione. I hope that this turns out well. For all of our sakes."

"It has to. Sirius said it himself, You Know Who is on the move."

Bloody Dark Lord and his murderous agenda spoiling your years of childhood.

There wasn't much that needed to be said after that and you both bid each other a quick farewell. You quickly headed to your dorm and let out a sigh of relief to see the room empty.

Plopping down on your bed, you flip open the charms textbook Regulus recommended, eyes darting around for a possible communication charm.

This was going to take forever, might as well get some help.

Fishing around your robes, you pull out Regulus‘ portrait and beam down at his unimpressed face.

"There's no way you're actually considering running along with that ragtag defense club now, are you?" Isn't he just pleasant today.

"Nice to see you too, Reg. Hermione's idea sounds interesting enough, besides friends need to support each other's endeavors."

Regulus looked like he was a few moments away from releasing a snort, but just shook his head. His neat curls jumped around his face and you had to stop yourself from getting too entranced by the sight.

"I suppose that makes sense, after all I would do the same for you. Though, you are already learning from me, no?" Regulus‘ words made your heart skip a beat, but you tried your best to play it off.

"Yes, and as much as I love Harry, you will always be my number one teacher." He looked all too pleased by your words and you shook your head fondly, "Don't let it get to your head though. Now, let's read through this book together, shall we?"

And as you both read through the pages of the book, you couldn't help but selfishly want more. You couldn't help but wonder how different everything would be if Regulus wasn't a portrait, but rather alive and well and attending Hogwarts with you.

It just added to your fury towards Voldemort. He had taken enough from the world, and you couldn't wait to drive a curse through him and live the rest of your life in peace.

tag list: @krazyk99 @venomsvl @valsarchives @bunny24sstuff @novella12nite

#regulus black #regulus black x reader #regulus black imagine #regulus black imagines #regulus black fluff #regulus x reader #regulus black scenario #regulus black deserved better #regulus black series #harry potter series #harry potter and the order of the phoenix #harry potter #harry potter imagine #harry potter fanfiction #regulus black fanfiction #the noble house of black #sirius black #hermione granger #ronald weasley

[treblrebl]

Cam - The Unsung

Booth should add Cam's name to his list of saints. That woman has one HELL of a thankless job as the administrator of the Medico-Legal lab. The irony of her position is that the better she does her job, the less it looks like her position is needed. And being the calm, steady one in a team full of highly individualistic, radical personalities means that her own specialized intelligence often gets ignored. When you have 'works-on-a different-plane-of-thought' Brennan, affable-yet-utterly-mad scientist Hodgins, and queen-of-lateral-thinking Angela on your team, your astute leadership skills and pathological expertise are not given their due importance.

Which is a bloody travesty. The Medico-Legal lab's job is not only to determine the truth, but also to make certain that the analysis can be utilized and presented successfully in court. Before Cam, the team was essentially a group of genius scientists working on individual remains on an as-is basis. Booth was correct in Season 2 when he told Brennan that Cam's objective is to ensure a successful prosecution. And in order to safeguard the findings of the team from being thrown out on a legal technicality, she is bound by the rules of the Justice Dept, the FBI and the Jeffersonian board. It sucks that time and again her team chastise her for doing so.

I mean the poor woman was treated like a traitor by her team for not lying to the authorities when Brennan was framed by Pelant. I mean, sure Angela, Cam should just lie about the evidence implicating Brennan. It's not like evidence in murder cases has a long chain of custody, and any fudging would be soon discovered. It's not as though Cam wouldn't immediately nuke her career and possibly her freedom by actively sabotaging a Federal murder inquiry.

And look - I love Hodgins but I'm surprised how fans of the show either ignore or simply brush over the times he blatantly uses his financial privilege without considering the ramifications to other people. I mean seriously, do we really think he would be so free to full off half his shenanigans if he wasn't the last scion of the Cantilever group, and thus enjoyed donor privilege? He regularly swipes items from other departments and exhibits, often without approval. He brews alcohol in Jeffersonian owned instruments and sets off minor explosions. His intentions are never ever malicious, and he is genuinely an adult version of the boy who loved to take everything apart to see how things worked. But let's face it - ANY other person would have faced severe consequences for these actions. Remember the Founder's Day party? It would have been Cam's job to take the heat for the decimated Mexican succulents and unauthorized drinking in the workplace. I wonder just how much she's shielded her team from - and whether she's ever been acknowledged.

Gods even in the episode where Wendell comes back after his chemo and lets Cam know that he takes medical marijuana to deal with the pain - did she have ANY recourse but to let him go? She stuck her neck out for Finn but Caroline bulldozed her, and with justifiable reason. She was stuck between the same rock and hard place with Wendell. And wow, the way Angela and Hodgins immediately painted her as a moustache twirling villain laughing at Wendell's pain infuriated me. They should realize how hypocritical their stance is - after all when Brennan left for Maluku and Booth for Afghanistan they had a proper cause and mission. Hodgins and Angela left simply because they could, and because they didn't want to put in the effort of breaking in a new team, however temporarily. Cam was left in the dust.

So here's to Camille Saroyan - woman of infinite patience, empathy and the ability to handle rambunctious adults. May she one day get the recognition she deserves.

#bones tv #bonestv #camille saroyan #cam saroyan #angela montenegro #jack hodgins #this is a rant

[jmagnabo92]

What do you think of Molly and Hermione’s views or whatever you’d call it of Sirius during The Order of the Phoenix?

This is going to very critical of BOTH Molly and Hermione. Don't come at me if you don't like it, but feel free to politely discuss.

I am not a fan and think they're both being rather shitty and entitled for a number of reasons, different on both sides.

For Molly, while I understand how she spent however many years thinking of Sirius as a mass-murderer that lead to his BFFs demise (and we truthfully don't know how many years because at one point, it's stated that most people didn't know about his part in what happened to the Potters - but it came from Fudge and he's stupid, so...), we also know that she was told that Sirius was *innocent* of *everything*.

And I would be totally okay with her having issues wrapping her mind around it, EXCEPT she has *no issues* accepting Dumbledore's words when it comes to Snape despite his outward terrible recent behavior towards the kids, order members, and others, so it makes it *terribly shitty* to insist on treating *Snape, the active DE (even if he's a 'spy')* with respect because 'Dumbledore said he's on our side now' when he's acted like a shithead to the kids *for years* and continues to do so, but NOT TREAT THE INNOCENT MAN WHO HAS HELPED THE KIDS with things and who lost YEARS of his life to prison with the same decency and respect is shitty as hell.

And then, to make matters worse, she's only known Sirius for about a month (probably less) when she's living in HIS HOUSE - where he's PROTECTING HER ENTIRE FAMILY, and she's tearing him apart because he was at least emotionally abused (the Portrait of his mother is ENOUGH for her to know that he would struggle in that house) despite his efforts to support Harry and the Order and her family in this hot mess they find themselves in.

Despite knowing that he has very valid reasons for struggling - she talks down to him and about him, in front of him and his godson, undermining him when he was the ONLY ADULT to help Harry through the tasks, even though she was better equipped to help him and *didn't*.

With all of this in mind, I think it's shitty and entitled that she treats him and speaks about him the way she does. She never got to know him, she knows very little aside from a reputation that she knows is *false* and it's shitty as hell to judge him and not even TRY to make things easier on him. She's an adult that should be able to have some *fucking* compassion and just *doesn't* and it's shitty.

Fuck that was an essay. I have thoughts. And it's not even got references like my POA post.

Now onto Hermione:

So, Hermione was *there* the night that Harry met Sirius. She knows multiple things about him prior to OOTP, things like:

He offered Harry a home

He is fucking innocent of everything - proof with Her Own Damn Eyes that everything she knew was a lie and he's truly a good dude

He went to check on Harry and was watching out for him all of third year

Crookshanks Trusted him and So does Buckbeak (aka animals' good judgement of character)

He immediately reached out to Harry with the letter assuring him multiple things - like the fact that he gave the broom, that he watched out for him, that he wanted to protect Harry by getting himself seen so the Dementors would go away, and that he knows what's best for Harry ... giving him the Hogsmeade Slip, and a way to deal with the Dursleys (the threat of him was enough that that summer allowed him to do his homework and write his friends).

He wrote to Harry and offered advice when Harry expressed worry over *just a dream*.

He gave up his blissful freedom to 'fly North immediately' and supported Harry by LIVING in a Cave and Eating rats throughout the tournament when NO OTHER ADULT DID.

He was trustworthy enough to give them advice on other past war things and the dealings at Hogwarts while he did this. She even insisted Harry tell him things to get his advice.

That he has a good measure on things despite his imprisonment and whatnot.

That he thinks the measure of a man can be made by looking at treatment of his inferiors.

This last point is what I think turned her against him. She knows and understand enough (despite not being empathetic at times) to get why Sirius is the way he is in those few short weeks when her attitude changed. The ONLY reason I could see her completely disregarding her previous understanding of Sirius and his goodness and trustworthiness is because of Kreacher.

Hermione's stuck on the House-Elf thing and in fact, was thrilled when Sirius sided with her over Ron during the whole Winky/Crouch thing. And even though Sirius NEVER orders Kreacher to do anything other than leave his guests alone (and keep Order secrets) the fact that he has issues with Kreacher and isn't "Nice" to him is enough for her to change her view of him.

She thinks about that "measure of a man" statement from Sirius himself, and says, "you know what - you're right, you suck" - completely ignoring the legitimate reasons for Sirius' feelings and behavior towards Kreacher and the fact that he literally just wants to be left alone.

She adds that to Molly's words, and his increasingly depressive behavior and decides he's no good after all.

ALL of this factors into my view of her behavior, but I still think it's shitty. It's shitty that she, too, defends Snape (after the BS she's been a target of, not to mentioned witnessed for ALL FOUR YEARS OF SCHOOL, so far) and yet, immediately turns on Sirius.

It's shitty that she lives in HIS HOUSE and is talking crap to his godson - not just to Sirius, but Harry as well. How the fuck, do you look at your BFF and say 'oh the godfather you love so much - he's not trustworthy' never mind that he was the ONLY one there for you last year and he's all you have. It's shitty and uncalled for.

I, specifically, hate that she pretty much cons Harry into doing the DA and then Sirius is on board (for the right reasons) and backtracks because of this terrible and untrue idea that "Sirius is trying to live through them".

Hermione is not a voice for Sirius, she doesn't know shit about him, she doesn't write him or talk to him, and she barely spends any time with him. So like... where does she get off?

Anyway, this is long, but suffice to Say, I DON'T like their thoughts. I think they're 100% wrong and even though they can feel or think whatever they want about Sirius, it's rude as hell to say it to him or to Harry, AND to feel that way when he provided you a fucking shelter so you were safe for a year.

This was a fucking Essay, I apologize, I hope you like it.

#sirius black #harry james potter #Molly Weasley Critical #Hermione Granger Critical #OOTP #Kreacher #Jen's asks

[tangledbea]

I was just thinking about Wish and all the blatant references in it. I remember watching it in theaters and at first I thought "Okay cute, the friends are the dwarves, that citizen wants long hair, funny homage, Asha's looking at the stars like Tiana, that's nice..." then it all went downhill to "Just. Stop." by the climax. Especially the Asha/Fairy Godmother theory: as a POC I find that very offensive. Then I realized... Tangled was the 50th DAC movie, and it also had lots of references. (1)

There were all the hidden items in the tower, Pinocchio in the Snuggly Duckling, and the books in the library referencing other Disney movie covers. Not to mention the New Dream scenes that were similar to other DP couples, like the boat (Ariel/Eric), the dying love confession (Belle/Adam) and the whole princess + thief premise (Aladdin/Jasmine). And yet, those easter eggs didn't stop Tangled from being its own unique film. Same goes for Encanto, the 60th movie, and it referenced others, too (2) I think both Encanto and Tangled can still hold up as classic, rewatchable movies despite the anniversary celebrationz because the writers/directors/general crew put the references in the background. They were fun to find out about, but you don't need to know about them to still enjoy it. Wish, on the other hand... I feel like you would have to literally watch all the DAC movies and then some (Mary Poppins) before it even begins to hold up to the standards of the previous 'celebration' films (3) And even then, the story relies on the callbacks to get you to enjoy it. If I stripped Wish of every single Easter egg it had, I'd be left with barely a shell. Meanwhile, if I did the same to Tangled, the result would be pretty much the exact same movie. TLDR: Tangled is a much better anniversary movie than Wish, and that's a fact. So those are my thoughts, thanks so much for reading all this, I appreciate it! :D (4)

The thing is, the other movies you mentioned (Tangled and Encanto) were markers of "how many animated movies they've released" milestones, while Wish was 100 years of the Disney company. It's not the same kind of milestone at all, because it was marking time rather than progress. Not that this is excusing Wish of its disappointing story, but expressing the difference between the movies and the studio's approach to them. Tangled and Encanto (which, by the way, is my second favorite Disney movie from recent years) weren't written to be the 50th movie and the 60th movie. They were written to be their own things and happened to fall in line with the 50th and 60th release. In fact, some numbers had to be fudged a little in order to make Tangled line up with the 50th release, and Encanto was the tenth one after Tangled. Disney didn't even expect Encanto to do well, and were blown out of the water with surprise when it became a smash hit. Where as Wish was "crafted" (I use the word loosely) to be the 100 year celebration of the company.

Every time I find out more about earlier concepts of the film that they opted not to use (the Star being a prince, the king and queen being a power couple villain duo) I get very frustrated and angry about what we could have had. They had some really solid, interesting concepts in there, and they threw it all out the window in order to cram as many references as they could into it. Asha has seven friends (for example), to be the seven dwarfs, but their characters aren't developed at all. They had to tell us what the deal was with color coordination, alliterative names and gimmicks that lined them up with the dwarfs instead of focusing on them at all and making it clear through that who they were supposed to be. Just, "Get it? There's seven of them and this one wears glasses and Asha calls her 'doc' and this one's always sleepy and this one's always sneezing and this one's kind of dopey and this one's grumpy, get it?!?!?!"

I like Alan "I went to Julliard" Tudyk, but not only does he not need to be in every single Disney movie these days, they really didn't have to make Valentino, you know, a thing. "Get it? This is the origin of talking Disney animals, get it?!?!?!?!?!" And they really gave him way too much screen time. I'm often not a fan of the comedy relief animal sidekick as it is (there are some exceptions - some I really like and some I'm neutral to), but boy howdy did they overplay Valentino and make me actively dislike him.

The interesting thing is, I'm not a fan of Raya and the Last Dragon. I don't hate it, but I'm not a fan. I gave it a shot, I watched it, but it left no impression on me. It felt very... Millennial check-listed. POCs, found family, no overt romance but if it's there it's LGBTQ, dragons (cause who doesn't like dragons?), etc. Raya is fine. But for me, it's forgettable. I've only watched it the one time, I barely remember what happens in it, and I have a lot of trouble remembering the characters' names.

But Wish? Wish, I think about often. I have never been so disappointed in a Disney movie as I am with Wish, because Wish has the bare bones potential to be something great. And instead, it's that. What Disney should have done for its 100 year anniversary was make a movie that was finely crafted to show everything they've learned about animation in the past 100 years. I made an observation on a different blog that, when to you take a step back, King Magnifico is a stand-in for corporate Disney, and the whole movie is the crew railing against the corporation stripping the creativity from its workers and not valuing art, even though it’s in the art business. They just want everyone to love them, because everyone always has. Magnifico wants to hoard the wishes the way that corporate Disney wants to hoard talent, and the citizens willingly give up their talent and work because they believe something good will eventually be done with it. It feels to me like the climax of the movie is the artists and animators fighting the good fight against their corporate overlords the same way that actors and writers were striking for so much of 2023. It felt like a battle for the soul of the movie. But although the heroes of the movie win in the end, it was actually corporate who won, because the movie was stripped of all of its heart and soul in order to cram in more references. The artists did what they could, but they still had to follow orders if they wanted the movie to get made.

Oh, and as a side note, you can't just make a mortal human be a literal fairy by giving her a magic stick. That's not how that works.

Anyway, for my money, Once Upon a Studio is a much better homage to 100 years of Disney than Wish ever will be. Anyway, sorry for this incredibly long-winded rant.

#Tangled #Answered

[alternativegirl23]

This is a "soft dom" Lee Bodecker fanfic. Will be mature in nature. Warnings will be posted as needed. Reuploaded 9/18.

Deal With The Devil- Chapter 1

You hear three loud, quick knocks on the front door. Rushing over, you check yourself in the mirror, fixing your hair and practicing a small smile. Opening the door, you see your fathers friend, Lee Bodecker, standing in front of you. Your father told you a few days prior that Lee would be coming over for dinner. You smiled as you held out your hand to greet him. 

     "Hi Lee, its nice to meet you". He flashed a broad grin before saying hello in return. Bending down, he removed his shoes and placed them on the small linoleum square before stepping onto the off white shag carpet. You hadn't seen him out of uniform very often, but it was always a nice surprise. A blue button down that brought out more of the blue in his eyes.

      A pair of black jeans that hugged his legs just so. Lee came in for a hug and you started to give one tentatively. Even though Lee was a familiar face, you hadn't been around him enough. His proximity is a little too close for comfort, so far. He leaned in closer to you to close the gap. 

     You finally wrapping your arms lightly around his broad back, the closest you had been to him now. Only ever exchanging handshakes and smiles since you saw him a few weeks ago. Your head started to grow a little hazy as you breathed in some cologne he wore. It was warm, spicy and comforting.

      Your eyes closed briefly as you really tried to take in the scent he wore. Before you even knew what happened, you let out a little content moan of relaxation. Instantly your eyes flashed open. Shit. He didnt hear that, did he?  

You released yourself from his grasp and he flashed a small smile, his brows knitting in concern. You couldnt tell if it was faux worry or real. 

"You alright sweetheart?", he asked. You nodded quickly, wanting to not let him know so soon. You swore, as soon as you hit thirty….you started to look at older men a little differently. 

     Attractive  men in their early forties didn't seem so bad. And Lee definitely fell into that category. As long as they treated you right and had a younger energy about them, maybe you could make it work. At least that's what you like to think. Both of your arms releasing each other, you and Lee made your way into the dining room.      The clatter of a few utensils as your mom finished up dinner. 

     She came out with a broad smile on her face, looking like the content mom and housewife she was meant to be. Carefully setting down the platters of food, she welcomed Lee and told him to sit down and make himself comfortable. 

"Thank you Ms. You have a beautiful home", he complimented. He pulled out his seat and sat down, your dad and yourself doing the same. Setting down mashed potatoes, a salad, and a fall apart tender chuck roast. 

     Your mouth started salivating. You hadn't realized how hungry you were until now. After saying a quick prayer and digging in, the conversation strayed from pleasantries into more interesting territory. 

     "So Lee, how are you and Jane?", your mother asked. You looked sideways at Lee. 

     He sighed heavily as if he was trying to avoid this question all night. With a shake of his head, he set down his fork before clearing his throat. "Not good. She said wants a divorce", he anwsered.

     Everyone went silent. No one knew what to say. 

     "Im so sorry", you finally piped up. Lee gave a solemn nod in your direction. Saying there wasn't much to be done but he thanked you anyway. Determined to cheer everyone up despite the circumstances, mom announced she made dessert, a coca cola chocolate fudge cake. You smiled while giving a look in Lee’s direction.  He only gave a small sad smile in response, your dad picking up on it.      '"Now come on Lee, I know you got a major sweet tooth. She does too”, he said. 

     Pointing his dinner fork in your direction. Your mom tsked and took away the fork as if it was a weapon, clearing the rest of the dishes with it. “This one loves anything sweet”, your dad mentioned offhandedly. Shaking your head, you gave a half hearted chuckle. Lee had to smile a little at your reaction, turning towards you now. 

     Trying to shake off his sorrow, he spoke up for the first time after dinner had started. “I love sweets too. Ex wife said I ate too much of em”, he said with a tone of disgust. You looked at him in an attempt to forget his current circumstance, saying, “Well you can never have too much of a good thing, right”, you asked. He gave a genuine smile…just the smallest one, but that was enough for you. “I suppose not”, he said with a hint of lightness to his voice. 

     Your mother came back with a crystal cake stand as she carefully set it on the table. “It looks so good mom”, your eyes widening, mouth salivating knowing moments from now you can sink your teeth into it. Lee smiled up at your mother, thanking her as she started passing out plates. She acknowledged his praise with a quick grin and started cutting pieces for everyone, sitting down when she was done. After the cake was consumed, wine and beer was given to you and Lee, your parents having drinks of their own. 

     Everyone sitting down around  the TV to wind down before bed. The white glow surrounding the living room in its cocoon of light. Nothing else seemed to exist when everyone was like this. You spared some glances at Lee, whose eyes looked glazed over, like he wasnt fully paying attention. As time passed, you realized you were two glasses deep into the wine. 

     You should stop. You hardly drank as it is and you were already going to feel like shit tomorrow. But a heavy, roiling feeling in your stomach suddenly made you stop moments after. Only a few sips left of your second glass but your stomach couldnt hold anymore. You stumbled out of your seat, half running to the bathroom and closing the door. 

     Just barely opening the lid and emptying your stomach into the toilet. You knew you had gone too far. You hardly noticed the knocks on the door until you stopped, shutting the lid, flushing and washing your hands. Eyes locking on Lee across from you, you weren't expecting him there. 

     "You alright Darlin'?" he asked. Shaking your head, trying to steady yourself against anything that would keep you upright. Your feet fumbled over themselves and Lee's arm reached out to catch you before you fell.

"I feel like shit", your words slurring. He gave a lighthearted little chuckle.     "Here, lemme look a'tcha", his fingers carefully moving your face to meet his.   Something in his face shifted, noticing how tired you looked.

      A crease furrowing his brow, a look of sadness mixed with concern. 

     He just wanted to help you. He puts his arm underneath one of yours and starts helping you towards the stairs. You hear vague words of concern from your parents. Lee reassured them he'd put you to bed. 

     Slowly and steadily, you put your feet up to try and help yourself up the set of stairs. "Just take it easy sweetheart. I'm in no rush", you hear Lee say softly in your ear. A few minutes later you both get up the stairs, he makes you sit down and slowly takes off your shoes. He leaves you in your clothes to remain decent.    He does his best to make you comfortable. 

     Getting you a trash can just in case, a bottle of water and some aspirin. "Sweetheart, I can check in on ya if ya need me to. I just…I wanna help and protect ya if I can". Lee stands there nervously, secretly hoping you'll say yes. To his surprise, you said that'd be nice as you laid your head down on the pillow. 

     He smiled softly, tucking you in carefully, making sure your feet were covered. You were passed out before you heard his husky voice say "I'll be just across the hall if you need me darlin'". As your door softly clicked close, you didn't even hear him leave.

#lee bodecker #the devil all the time #soft dark lee #sheriff bodecker #smut  

[gevadiva20]

My Prediction for Episode 2 of The Amazing Digital Circus

heads up, this is purely my own theories based on what I know of the trailer, as well as gooseworx's tumblr posts. this can easily be interpreted as a guess to the plot of the second episode, that said, if any of these guesses are correct, then I'm sorry for the spoilers.

let's get into it.

we start the episode with what I assume to be a dream sequence for Pomni. which makes sense considering what happened in episode 1 (aka the pilot). it wouldn't surprise me at all that her run in with the abstracted kaufmo was traumatizing. Watching that abstraction later get thrown into the cellar, and realizing that abstraction is the digital world equivalent to death, is also a pretty rattling experience. so it would make sense that Pomni would have a dream about abstraction as she tries to wrap her head around it.

that said, her dream sequence starts in the main area of the circus tent, where it is presumably the next day and she's with the gang waiting for Caine to show up and drag them all into an adventure of some kind. And either when Caine shows up, or while they're waiting, something happens that is disturbing to Pomni. what that is, is very much unknown. but this reaction doesn't just naturally happen, it's triggered by something.

so she sees something horrific, and in this dream it seems to start to push her to her breaking point, existentially.

Pomni looks down at herself and her horror grows. part of her is abstracted. Pomni feels a bit of fear and confusion not knowing what to do, and scared about going in the cellar. Caine doesn't care about that though, and upon seeing that she's "abstracting", does the same thing he did to kaufmo. opening a hole in the floor and throwing Pomni in the cellar.

Pomni tries to grab for anything, desperate not to join the fully abstracted. she yells "no", almost as if to plea that she wasn't insane. that there was no need to lock her away just yet.

then Pomni wakes up with quite the start.

I think anyone would be disgruntled with a wake up call like that, but nonetheless, Pomni gets up and joins the others at the main stage area.

Pomni waits with Ragatha and Gangle, asking questions she didn't really get to have answered in the last episode.

now, I have no way of knowing what kind of dialogue the characters will be sharing between each other during this episode, so I don't know what is said until the episode airs. all I have are the episode 2 quotes that gooseworx dropped on their page.

so broadly speaking, Caine gathers the rest of the gang, Zooble opts out of the adventure, and Caine shoves everyone else through a portal into the Candy Canyon Kingdom!

Yippee!

now in this episode we have 3 characters (technically 5 but I'm counting gumigoo and his gang to be all 1 entity here). the list is loolilalu, gumigoo (+max and chad), and the fudge monster. Princess Loolilalu, I believe is the sort of quest giver of the adventure. I think loolilalu will send the gang to deal with Gumigoo, and his compatriots, chad and max. who are bandits, and make a bit of a habit of stealing from loolilalu's subjects, even resorting to violence to get what they want.

Princess Loolilalu simply can't let that stand, and sends the circus crew (minus Zooble) out to apprehend them. giving Ragatha a Key in the process.

now a lot of people speculated that it'd be a key to the kingdom or something like that, but that doesn't make sense considering pretty much all the shots outside of the celebration on their arrival take place outside the castle walls. No, I think that the Key is for a truck, specifically the truck the circus crew use to chase Gumigoo and his gang with. -this also makes sense to the degree of "how would Caine know the visual difference between a door key and a car key? they're both just keys to him"-

also quick side note: during the celebration as the circus crew arrive at the candy canyon kingdom, one of the audiece NPC's is seen absolutely booking it at Gangle, and I think that the NPC is going to run into her, breaking her comedy mask.

anyway, the Gang piles into the truck, Gangle driving, Pomni, Kinger and Ragatha in the backseat, and Jax getting shotgun...

... -ahem- anyway, through a series of whacky hijinks, the circus crew and gumigoo's crew end up in an intense car chase, with Pomni somehow getting on top of Gumigoo's van in the process.

However, something happens to the truck the circus crew are in, that makes it have to either slow down or stop. rather that's a tire falling off or something else entirely is still up in the air. this normally wouldn't be too bad of an issue.

but Pomni is still on top of gumigoo's van...

this is where the circus crew splits up a bit, as Pomni is left to Gumigoo and his gang while the circus crew figure out how to get the truck up and running at full speed again.

So Gumigoo and his gang try to get Pomni off their van. However, Pomni is a survivalist at her core, and a resilient one at that. So the gummy gators have a hard time getting Pomni to let go of their car. they have such a hard time about it that they start doing doughnuts in an effort to spin her off the car.

what happens after is pretty up in the air, but I'm pretty sure Pomni ends up getting flung very far after loosing her grip and literally flying off.

Meanwhile, with the rest of the circus crew. Ragatha's upset on Pomni's behalf, at the fact that they left her with the gator gang. Jax brushes it off, which only upsets Ragatha more.

The circus crew pull over and assess the damage to the truck, which could be anything from a flat or missing tire, to complete engine failure. what needs to happen to fix the truck is unknown, but the truck needs fixing regardless.

-a moderate amount of chaos later-

the circus gang has fixed the truck and started back on the road again, however they are all completely lost. and end up accidentally wandering into the fudge monster's domain... oops.

Ragatha probably tries to reason with the fudge monster in order to not get eaten. it'd be a bit fucked up, but maybe the gang offers to feed some gummy gators to the fudge monster in exchange for freedom? idk, it's anyone's guess.

anyway, after the crew is done getting harassed by the fudge monster, they decide it's time to harass the gummy gators, and set out to find them.

seek and ye shall find, and find the circus crew did. not only do they manage to catch up to the gator gang, but they manage to tie up Chad and Max, leaving Gumigoo by himself.

this is also where the sweet sweet Jax angst is, as we see him just picking at the floor while hugging himself a bit. Not behavior you expect to see from the lanky bastard that makes his existence everyone else's problem. it might also be that he's a bit disheartened that Pomni was not with the Gator Gang, who knows.

anyway the gang start searching for Pomni, and uh...

I think they found her? honestly that small dot flying out of the water could be anyone, but Pomni was the only one missing from the group for a prolonged period of time. so it only really makes sense that it'd be her.

last but not least, we have the most confusing clip of the trailer.

now, strap on for this theory. so I think that this happens after gumigoo's companions are captured (chad and max). now, I think gumigoo was coded as an extrovert of sorts, constantly checking back on chad and max to make sure they're there and stuff. and now that they're gone, gumigoo doesn't know what to do. like his code doesn't have anything for when his compatriots aren't around, and the lack of his friends is maddening. because that is a look of existential dread and shock. and while specifically WHAT happened is a mystery, I do have a few theories as to what it could've been.

maybe gumigoo ended up running into a border of the world and that's what that blue grid is. him accidentally peeking beyond a world border to see a grid with lines and lines of code. maybe this event happens to cause gumigoo to gain a level of sentience, coming to the realization that once the gang is done with the adventure, his world will cease to exist. that all he was, is, and will be are just lines of code, moved around by another AI that is above him (caine). maybe gumigoo just experiences the existentials surrounding the mindset of "I am just a blip in the cosmos, a small insignificant spec in the grand scheme of things". which can ultimately lead to depressive lines of thought. Goose did say this episode would be about depression, I wouldn't be surprised if they also threw in something existential for funsies, or just to hit the point home.

and then the gang finishes the adventure and gets a lovely prize!

some MPPED!

#tadc #the amazing digital circus #tadc episode 2 #tadc episode 2 prediction #the amazing digital circus episode 2 #the amazing digital circus episode 2 prediction #tadc theory #the amazing digital circus theory

[goldendoodlerlockerlove]

Geneuary Countdown: Discussion Question #1

Hello everyone!

To drum up excitement for Geneuary, I wanted to ask a question to encourage some fun discussion!

I'd like to ask what one of your guys' favorite Gene moments is. You can choose multiple because I know it'll probably be quite difficult to narrow it down!

I have so many favorite Gene moments that it was super difficult for me to narrow down, but one moment that really made me fall in love with Gene as a character and make me appreciate him was this moment from Season 5, Episode 5, Best Burger:

There is so much I could analyze about this scene, almost too much. But I've already kind of analyzed it for my post on why I love Bob and Gene's father/son relationship, so I'll try not to repeat anything.

I adore how genuinely hard Gene worked to try and help Bob this whole episode. Sure, it was technically him who created the issue in the first place, but he was just being a kid and being forgetful, something I can definitely relate to a ton. And he spent the entire episode trying to make up for his mistake, and he went through hell and back to get that black garlic.

He could've just given up at any time and run through that Hot Fudge Car Wash, but he didn't! He persevered and insisted that he should be the one to get the garlic to Bob, as he was the reason why Bob didn't have it. Side note, Gene was very ADHD coded in this episode, and I love it, as someone whose sister and boyfriend have ADHD.

Anyway, I adore how Gene apologizes to Bob right away, but it breaks my heart every single time when he calls himself a screw-up! He actually believes that he messes things up all the time, and that makes me want to reach through the screen and give him the biggest hug imaginable. He deals with so many confidence issues under his bubbly, effervescent surface, and it's always so fascinating to analyze and unpack.

It's always so clear how everyone saying that he messed up (even using his name as a negative verb) has affected him mentally. It's caused him to believe that if he doesn't fix this mistake, he'll just be seen as a screw-up, so that's why his determination in this episode was so strong. It's admirable, but it makes me want to give him some encouragement because he definitely needs it.

And him taking a moment to say that he's always admired Bob always has me 🥺 He loves his dad so much it's so cute. He really thinks of Bob as someone to aspire to be and look up to and is much more willing to admit it than Louise. I'm sure having a child who's so verbally enthusiastic about looking up to him feels really nice for Bob. Sure, Tina is also very vocal about her love for her family too, but is probably not as enthusiastic as Gene is, at least at this moment.

Also, I know it's not related to Gene, but I love how Bob quickly apologizes for snapping. It's a small thing, but it really goes to show how good of a dad Bob is.

My second favorite Gene moment is probably this one from the ending of Season 8, Episode 9, Y Tu Ga-Ga Tambien:

I think this goes back to Gene's self-worth issues that are hidden beneath the surface. Ga-Ga Ball genuinely made him feel left out, as seen with the line "It's not a good feeling when someone says "everyone" but they don't mean you!" It's implied here that Gene has felt excluded before, and unfortunately, I can definitely see that happening.

He's been excluded before (sort of) as seen in Season 5, Episode 17, The Itty Bitty Ditty Committee, where he was kicked out of his own band. That exclusion even led him to almost give up music entirely! So whenever someone excludes Gene, he carries it deep within himself. It actually hurts him a lot, even if he doesn't always show it. He gives off a happy, bubbly exterior because he is genuinely a happy kid, but he also doesn't exactly enjoy talking about any issues he has.

But when he had an opportunity to speak out against exclusion, he took it, because he didn't want anyone else to feel the same way he did. That was why he was the only one left who didn't like Ga-Ga Ball, because of that exclusionary aspect.

But yes, this was a fantastic speech and Gene moment. The gifs were taken from this lovely post:

#gene belcher #Geneuary2024 #i could analyze gene forever he's such an interesting character #he's also such a cutie when he wants to help out and do the right thing #can we also talk about how he might be the most genuinely kind belcher kid? #obviously louise is louise (yes she can be sweet but she's louise) and even tina can be pushed far enough to almost be violent #but to gene revenge never even crosses his mind--he didn't even want to prank anyone in “what a (april fool believes)” #he didn't want anyone to be upset!! he's such a sweet boy i can't. i love him so flipping much

[rachaeljurassic]

So, season 1

I had a blast

😁

Still somewhat reeling from the last episode tbh

So, what have we learned (other than the obvious that I love all the characters, who I refuse to rank because 😍 to them all)?

Phryne is a goddess, obviously. I suppose what I admire is that she has taken life by the horns. She is a fighter who still cares SO DEEPLY. She does not want to commit to one man (allegedly lol). But also I have a much better idea WHY she loves being (is compelled to be?) a private investigator. She can save others from suffering the fate she and her sister endured, she can save lives, and perhaps she can attone for the guilt she feels about not being able to solve the ONE case that mattered to her more than the rest. And with that solved now (?) what next?

Jack, arghjhgfdsjyhhgdjfh. Seriously :((( So, we have learned less about Jack. He is, after all, not the main focus and is unlikely to let slip much information unless under duress. He is a man of honour (to the point where I want to drop kick him, but we all have our crosses to bear). He went away to war a bright young thing, I suspect, and did not return the same. And while I find his wife's choice to leave him 😡, I am not blinded to the fact that she may have been dealing with too much to cope with and might not just be a heartless monster :/ I have no idea which one of them started divorce proceedings, or even if they are at that point yet. How long does that last? How long do I have to watch Jack manfully resist the urge to ravish Phryne. Can he cope? Can I cope? Will it be three fecking seasons? Probably 😫 I also know he is an honest copper who has compassion for some of the people he brings in. But do not cross him and DO NOT THREATEN PHRYNE. He WILL run down corridors screaming her name and he WILL fuck you up if you hurt her or anybody she loves! (that seems to go both ways)

Phrack - 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍 Obviously the sexual tension is delicious. Watching the restraint makes me hold my breath. It is also very 🥵 And don't think I haven't noticed, Phryne, that you've been dating a LOT less men recently! Small things I loved: I loved that Phryne asked for Jack's help. That must have taken a lot, to let him see her scared. I loved that Jack tried to make her believe she wasn't to blame for Janey's disappearance but when she wouldn't budge he didn't push. He knew that it would only make it worse and then did his utmost till the end of the season to help her. I love the fact that they respect each other so very much. And while they clearly want to jump each other at any given moment, they do not. Obviously this is to torture us!

Dot and Hugh (Dugh? Hot? Hottie? Yeah, Hottie I bet that's it 😆). I am kinda dreading bumpy roads ahead. I mean, they have had such a sweet early relationship, something is bound to put a stick in the spokes of their bicycle. I hope not. I have enough to deal with watching Phrack I don't need Hottie angst! Anyway, Dot has become even braver, and even MORE loyal to Phryne. Hugh has become even softer on her, if possible. And while he still has a dangerously weak stomach, he is gaining confidence (and bullet wounds). They are still wholesome and sweet and a rare sighting of out-of-uniform Hugh was a treat at Phyrne's birthday party 🥰 (because let's face it, that helmet does the guy NO favours 😆). EVERYBODY needs to be more sympathetic when Hugh is shot next time or I will be having words!!!

Jane. Well, obviously people are going to have to stop kidnapping her or I may have a heart attack. She's really turned into a wonderfully intelligent, sweet, brave girl. She is VERY lucky to have found Phryne, and Phryne is very luck to have her 😊

Mr Butler continues to be amazing, particularly when he's out of his tree on hash fudge 😆 but I can't help feeling he's going to be having some trauma from him being incapacititated by fudge, and then milk, and totally missing Foyle when he was in the house. I do hope he doesn't beat himself up too much over that 😞I hope he finds a new lady friend to help him get over his wife's death.

Bert and Cec look smashing in their penguin suits no matter WHAT they might think. I do very much enjoy Bert's sneaky little 😏 expression. And the poor chap has lost all his friends except Cec recently so I hope Cec is looking after him!

Aunt Prudence continues to be a force of nature. How rich IS she? That house and the grounds was HUGE!!!! It was very entertaining and touching meeting the extended family 🥰 and that episode was proper freaky. I am NOT one for costume balls, they are inherently freaksome 😕 I love Phyrne's relationship with both her cousins. And I hope we see them all again.

This is obviously not everything but this is already quite long. So, see you all in season 2

🥳

#mfmm #miss fisher's murder mysteries #season 1

[carewyncromwell]

"Don't talk 'bout me

Like how you might know how I feel --

Top of the world, but your world isn't real...

Your world's an ideal...

So go have fun -- I really couldn't care less."

~"Therefore I Am" by Billie Eilish

x~x~x~x

When Carewyn Cromwell first joined the Department of Magical Law Enforcement as an up-and-coming lawyer in the spring of 1991, Cornelius Fudge -- the Minister for Magic -- was very eager to welcome her and show support for her budding career. It didn't take long for Carewyn to figure out that Fudge had heard all about her and her brother Jacob's exploits dealing with the Cursed Vaults and apprehending R -- not just from Dumbledore, but from OWL examiner Professor Tofty and infamous Auror Mad-Eye Moody -- and although Carewyn had had plenty of people side-eye her for her dealing with the Vaults at school, it seemed Fudge held no such disapproval. On the contrary, he seemed very keen on interacting with Carewyn, especially around his support staff and the rest of the Wizengamot. And it wasn't until Carewyn finally met him (as well as his Senior Undersecretary, Dolores Umbridge) that she figured out why.

Carewyn had known she wouldn't be the first Cromwell that sought a career in Magical Law. Her Head of House, Severus Snape, purposefully brought it up to her in their Career Advice session, to make sure she was aware that -- at the time of her interest -- Carewyn's ruthless grandfather, Charles Cromwell, was an influential member of the Wizengamot. After Charles's arrest and lifetime imprisonment, the Cromwell Clan's reputation had understandably been tarnished. Carewyn and Jacob's reputations, however, were shining and pristine, because they were the Cromwells who had actually defeated Charles and the rest of R and in the process saved Hogwarts from the danger of the Cursed Vaults. And considering that Fudge was related to the Cromwell Clan through marriage (a fact that still left Carewyn reeling) and had apparently done his fair share of socializing with Charles Cromwell while unaware of his crimes, it was very clear that Fudge wanted to distance himself from that old association, preferably by being on good terms with the people who'd brought Charles to justice. And since Carewyn was now pursuing a promising new career at the Ministry, Fudge had clearly deemed it in his best interest to throw his support behind Carewyn, so as to have her esteem and reputation likewise reflect nicely on him.

So Fudge only has interest in being around people who make him look good, rather than anyone with actual integrity, Carewyn thought cynically. Guess I shouldn't be surprised that the chief politician around here acts like it.

Despite herself, though, Carewyn was disappointed. All the more so when she learned in the spring of 1993 just how self-absorbed the man was, despite being given charge of the entire British Wizarding World.

It all started when -- in the midst of a busy night shift -- Carewyn's meeting with fellow lawyer Chester Davies was interrupted by her old school friend Ben Copper bursting into her office.

"Carewyn," he said urgently, "Hagrid's been arrested."

Both Carewyn and Chester whirled around.

"What!?" they cried in unison.

"How can that be?" Chester immediately followed up, sounding confused. "I didn't even know Hagrid was under investigation -- let alone charged with anything..."

He looked to Carewyn as if to ask if she had, but Carewyn wasn't paying attention. She got up from her chair and strolled around her desk over to Ben, taking hold of his shoulder and steering him into the office so she could close the door.

"Tell me everything," she said seriously.

Ben rested his forehead on his clenched fist as he propped his elbow against the wall of Carewyn's office.

"I was just finishing up my work for the day, when I saw Hagrid by the Floo grates with two Hitwizards, talking to Cornelius Fudge," he explained. "Fudge was apologizing, saying something about 'it just being a precaution' and that he was sure once things at Hogwarts settled down, he'd be able to go about his business as usual. Fudge even tried to tell Hagrid that Azkaban shouldn't really be that bad for him -- "

Ben looked absolutely disgusted repeating back such a blatant lie. Carewyn was just as furious herself.

"'Shouldn't be that bad?'" she repeated, her soft voice nonetheless dripping with horror and umbrage. "What, does he think only violent criminals are affected by dementors?"

"Likely!" Ben spat, his brown eyes flashing with righteous anger. "I went over and asked what was going on, and Hagrid explained that it was because of the whole 'Chamber of Secrets' mess. Fudge didn't seem to want to talk about it and kind of just blustered the same rubbish he'd said to Hagrid -- claimed the Hogwarts school governors had been concerned and he'd thought he should take measures to 'reassure' them and the public -- "

"Reassure them?" said Chester, his mouth falling open in disbelief. "But -- you can't mean -- the Minister can't really think that Hagrid opened the Chamber of Secrets?"

"No -- but apparently because Hagrid was expelled right after the Chamber of Secrets opened the first time, Fudge is perfectly willing to throw him under the bus anyway, just to make it look like he's doing something," Ben said vindictively. "Apparently he's letting the exact same thing happen to Dumbledore too."

"What do you mean?" said Carewyn, her eyebrows furrowing.

Ben leaned his back up against the wall, crossing his arms.

"Hagrid said that Dumbledore and Fudge had come to see him at his hut about an hour ago, when Lucius Malfoy crashed the meeting out of nowhere, just to round Dumbledore up and expel him from the grounds. Apparently that snake Malfoy somehow got all of the other school governors to sign off on the proposal."

The mention of Lucius Malfoy made Carewyn's eyes flare with resentment. Of course Malfoy would be the sort to take advantage of a bad situation to try to oust his old master You-Know-Who's greatest enemy.

"But -- but taking Dumbledore away could only make things worse," said Chester. He clearly had a hard time making sense of all this. "Surely the Minister wouldn't agree to that? He's gone to Dumbledore for advice for years..."

"But how could Fudge have arrested Hagrid in the first place?" Carewyn rerouted the conversation sharply. "The Hitwizards can't arrest anyone without the charges first going through the Department of Magical Law Enforcement...how fast must the charges have gone through, for Chester and me not to have heard anything about them?"

"That's because Fudge didn't involve the Hitwizards or the Wizengamot at first," Ben said coldly. "The Hitwizards I saw looked just as surprised by what they were hearing as I was...even if they did end up going lockstep with Fudge and took Hagrid away through the grate anyway. I reckon Fudge just asked Hagrid to come with him quietly, so he wouldn't have to get the Hitwizards involved..."

"Or have his activities draw too much attention," Carewyn finished.

Her low voice evoked the rumbles of an earthquake as she swept to the door. Opening it, she glanced over her shoulder at Chester, her blue eyes blazing with righteous fire despite the stoicism of her face.

"Chester...I'm afraid I'll have to leave you to finish editing the case file," she said curtly.

"What are you planning to do?" asked Chester.

"Speak to Madam Bones. Hagrid needs a lawyer, and I intend to be it."

x~x~x~x

It only took a half-hour for Carewyn to blaze through all the paperwork needed to become Hagrid's official legal counsel. Unfortunately Azkaban's visiting hours were only from sun-up to sun-down, with each visitor only being allowed an hour each day with a Patronus escort either provided by the warden or conjured by the visitor themselves. The conditions were very familiar to Carewyn -- she'd been reminded them every time she chose to visit Patricia Rakepick in her lonely cell block.

When Carewyn finally made it to Azkaban first thing the next morning and was led to the cell Hagrid had been squeezed into, she found the poor gamekeeper crumpled up in a huge ball, sobbing like a child.

"Dad -- 'm sorry, Dad -- "

Even with her Abraxan Winged Horse Patronus protecting her from the dementors' influence, Carewyn could feel a cold, ocean-like wave of despair crash over her, just looking at Hagrid. Her almond-shaped blue eyes welled up with empathetic pain.

"...Oh, Hagrid..."

She clutched the bars of his cell with her free hand as her Patronus swept through the bars, lightly brushing its nose along Hagrid's arm. Hagrid choked, blinking up through his tears as he shakily raised his head.

"...W...wha'...?"

The grief and paleness of Hagrid's usually rosy, happy face broke Carewyn's heart. She could feel her own eyes welling up with traces of tears as she tried to smile at him.

"It's me, Hagrid," Carewyn said gently. "It's Carewyn."

Hagrid's beetle-black eyes widened. Then, just as abruptly, they flooded with even more tears, which streamed down his face like pouring rain might streak down a windowpane.

"...Carewyn..."

He couldn't keep himself from breaking down into full sobs as he crawled over and slapped his oversized hands up against the bars -- they were too small for him to grab them the way Carewyn had. Even so, Carewyn tried to take his hand as best she could, even if it only resulted in her holding his pinky and ring finger.

"It's okay, Hagrid," Carewyn whispered as soothingly as she could. Her Abraxan Patronus gently rested its transparent wing over Hagrid's shoulder and rested its head beside his arm. "It's going to be okay..."

x~x~x~x

It took sitting with Carewyn and her Patronus for a couple of minutes before Hagrid was able to speak coherently. He told Carewyn everything that had happened, including the reason Fudge had thought he could be behind the attacks in the first place.

"...Th' whole lot thought that he'd been what hurt poor Myrtle Warren, bu' -- bu' I'm tellin' you, Aragog wouldn't-a done it!" said Hagrid. "I tol' 'em that at th' time too...bu' only Professor Dumbledore believed me..."

Carewyn nodded. That sounded about right -- for as much as she resented Dumbledore, the Headmaster had always supported Hagrid. And given the Headmaster's own talent for Legilimency, Carewyn suspected Dumbledore knew full-well Hagrid was telling the truth, just as much as she herself was certain of it. But she also knew that her intuitions based on her Legilimency couldn't be used as evidence of either guilt or innocence...and even if Hagrid didn't believe Aragog was the beast from the Chamber of Secrets and Carewyn doubted it as well, plenty of people could see the circumstances as pretty damning, on their own.

"And because no one else believed you, Headmaster Dippet expelled you with the thought that it would make the attacks stop," surmised Carewyn.

Hagrid hung his head. "...Yeah. An' well...th' attacks did stop, after tha'. Dunno why, aside from th' person maybe decidin' t' cut 'is losses..."

Carewyn's lips came together grimly as she looked at the floor. The gamekeeper's face went that little bit paler as his eyes flooded with fresh tears.

"Yeh -- yeh don't think I did it, d'yeh?" he said desperately. "I-I would never! I woulda never hurt 'em -- Nick an' Mrs. Norris, an' -- an' poor Hermione -- oh, Carewyn, I never woulda -- !"

Carewyn gave Hagrid's pinky a reassuring squeeze.

"I know, Hagrid," she said firmly. "I know you didn't do it. All of those Pureblood wizarding families that claimed to be related to Salazar Slytherin have died out -- and trust me, 'Hagrid' was not one of them. And the beast inside the Chamber of Secrets was supposedly put there by Salazar Slytherin around the time he and the other four Founders made the Cursed Vaults, back in the 9th century. Acromantula weren't bred until the 18th century. Aragog couldn't be Slytherin's monster."

Her eyes softened.

"...And I know you, Hagrid. You love everyone at Hogwarts, even the brattiest students. I know you would never do anything to hurt them."

Hagrid's teary eyes crinkled up to make room for a very weak, watery smile.

"...Thank you, Carewyn," he gave a loud sniff. "It...it means a lot...knowin' yeh believe in me..."

Carewyn gave a gentle pat to his hand through the bars. Hagrid gave another loud sniff.

"...D'yeh...d'yeh know if the Wizengamot'll be able t' stop Malfoy? Get 'em t' bring Dumbledore back?"

Carewyn pursed her lips grimly. "There's nothing for them to stop, at present. The school governors' job is to oversee the school and its Headmaster -- them asking Dumbledore to resign is a completely legal action for them to take."

Hagrid looked distressed. "Bu' -- bu' withou' Dumbledore there, everyone'll be in more danger than ever! Professor Dumbledore was likely the only thing that kept th' Heir o' Slytherin from goin' all out -- "

"That doesn't mean the Wizengamot can overrule the governors' decision," Carewyn said sternly. She then said a bit more gently, "...I know how much you respect Dumbledore -- and you're right, Dumbledore has warded Dark wizards away from the school before..."

Not that he was able to prevent R from sending Jacob and me threats, but they still didn't feel bold enough to show up in full-force until Dumbledore was away...

"...But however foolish their decision might be, it doesn't break any laws. And law enforcement is meant for that purpose -- enforcing laws that have been broken."

Hagrid looked incredibly disheartened.

"They're gonna regret it later," he muttered miserably. "Yeh jus' wait an' see..."

Carewyn gave Hagrid's pinky another light squeeze, exhaling quietly through her nose.

She thought so too -- but she was so unhappy just contemplating the consequences that she didn't have to heart to say so.

x~x~x~x

The consequences, as it turned out, were even worse than Carewyn could've envisioned.

After going out for an afternoon coffee break with Talbott one May day, Carewyn found the Ministry Atrium in disarray, with multiple owls flying in and out of the offices of the Minister of Magic and his support staff and nosy reporters crowding around in an attempt to figure out what was going on.

Tonks emerged from the crowd and filled them in -- apparently the reporters had heard rumors that there'd been another attack at Hogwarts by the Heir of Slytherin, this time with a student actually being taken into the Chamber itself. It was only once Talbott convinced Tonks to change herself temporarily into one of Dolores Umbridge's staffers so she could force her way through the reporters and get more information from the support staff herself that she found out who it was -- and when the pink-haired Auror caught up with Talbott and Carewyn in the Atrium, her heart-shaped face was as white as a sheet.

"Weasley," Tonks whispered shakily. "Fudge said the girl's name was Weasley..."

Talbott's shoulders stiffened as Carewyn's hands flew to her mouth in horror.

"Ginny," she gasped.

x~x~x~x

Talbott, Tonks, and Carewyn all bolted to the lift, taking it up to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement where they could use the Auror Department's Floo Network grate specifically meant for communication. Upon trying to contact the Burrow, however, Carewyn found the house quiet and deserted.

"Are they not there?" Tonks asked Carewyn anxiously as she took her head out of the grate. The ginger-haired lawyer shook her head.

"The school must've contacted Mr. and Mrs. Weasley as soon as it happened," Talbott said solemnly.

Carewyn nodded, her red lips knitting together tightly. "I've got to write to Bill and Charlie right away -- "

"I'll go to Hogsmeade," said Talbott at once. "There might be more information, closer to the school..."

"And I'll go back downstairs!" Tonks agreed. "Maybe I'll pick up some more intel, huddled in with all those reporters -- "

The three dispersed, with Talbott and Tonks heading back to the lift and Carewyn heading to her office. Once she'd very quickly written out a letter each for Bill and Charlie and put all of the expediting stamps on them that she possibly could, she then set about writing another more formal letter to Azkaban prison. Then she raced back to the lift, gave Bill and Charlie's letters to the two fastest owls she could find, and then headed straight for the Minister for Magic's office with the final piece of paper in her hand. The tiny ginger-haired lawyer had some trouble pushing her way through the crowd of reporters until Tonks -- disguised as one of them and therefore much taller and more muscular than usual -- managed to push everyone back enough that it gave her an opening.

When Carewyn reached the slightly open door of the Minister for Magic's office, she didn't even bother to knock the way she probably would've in any other circumstance. Quite frankly she didn't think the Minister would've heard her knock even if she tried, and if he did, he likely would've tried to ignore it, given how much owls were swooping in and out of his office and how noisy it was outside.

"Minister!" Carewyn said urgently.

Fudge looked up, incredibly startled. He'd been pacing the room, one letter in his hands and five left more open on his desk. His trademark light green bowler hat was hanging off the side of his high-backed chair, and he looked incredibly harried.

"Carewyn!" said Fudge, trying and failing to smile. "How nice it is to see you!"

Once Carewyn was in, she immediately shut the door behind her so sharply that Fudge gave a start.

"Ah -- forgive me, my dear, but...I'm afraid I'm very busy at the moment --"

"I know," said Carewyn. "Minister -- I need you to sign a release letter for Rubeus Hagrid."

Fudge was taken aback. "Hagrid? I-I don't -- "

"If the Heir of Slytherin has taken Ginny Weasley into the Chamber of Secrets, then he's still at Hogwarts," Carewyn said sharply. "Therefore Hagrid is innocent."

"Well, yes, but...that'll be dealt with, in due time," said Fudge with an attempt at a reassuring smile as he put down the letter in his hands and started to make a stack of it with the others. "I'll be sure to send along a proper letter to Azkaban, once I get these papers in order, and calm the press -- "

"You needn't send anything," Carewyn cut him off firmly. "I've already written out a formal release, and I'll be happy to deliver it myself -- you only need to sign it."

She put the letter down smack-dab in the center of his desk, right on over the stack of parchment he was organizing. Fudge, however, seemed hesitant to look at it, and instead busied himself with consulting the stack.

"Ah, well...I do appreciate your initiative, Carewyn," Fudge said in a weak attempt at indulgence, "but as I said, this...all will be dealt with, in due time. Now I'm truly sorry, but I'm afraid we'll have to speak more later -- I do have so much to do, in the light of all this -- "

"Minister!" Carewyn said, clearly upset.

" -- responding to all these letters from the governors, from Minerva McGonagall, from Arthur Weasley -- coordinating a response, for all press releases, and sending it along to the Prophet -- all before heading out to the school myself, to ascertain the gravity of the situation -- "

Carewyn could hear Fudge's rambling, but it was oddly muffled, in her own ears. Because of her Legilimency, she could sense Fudge's feelings wafting off of him just as clearly as she could hear him with her ears -- and in that moment, when she herself was so urgent, all she could feel from Fudge was the desire to run. To avoid, to push away, to ignore -- to not deal with his terrible mistake at that moment, and instead just try to make himself look as capable as he could to the public at large --

All that Carewyn could feel coming off of Fudge was cowardice.

And it was this that made Carewyn cut into his rambling with the cold sharpness of a knife.

"Minister."

Carewyn managed to catch Fudge's eye, and when he made eye contact with her, his voice immediately died in his throat. Her almond-shaped blue eyes were burning with a kind of cold disapproval the likes of which he'd never seen.

"I realize that you wish to be seen as a compassionate and attentive leader," Carewyn said very softly. "But trust that, in leaving an innocent person locked up in a prison manned by creatures that can drive people mad with their Dark aura alone -- when all you'd have to do to help him is sign your name...you currently appear as anything but."

Fudge opened his mouth, trying to stammer out a weak attempt at a stern response. "N-now, Carewyn -- I-I already told you I'd deal with -- "

But Carewyn merely picked up the release letter again and slapped it right back down on the desk in front of him.

"Minister -- you've already wrongfully sent a man to Azkaban before he'd even been formally charged with a crime," she murmured. "All while being quite certain he hadn't committed the crime in the first place, to the point that you reassured him that he'd probably be released 'once things settled down.'"

Carewyn's blue eyes narrowed.

"...Don't shame yourself further."

The Minister's face had lost quite a bit of its color as he stared at Carewyn. He rather shakily lowered himself down into his chair, regarding Carewyn with a wariness he never had before. Then, looking almost cowed, he averted his eyes, reached for the quill in the inkpot at his desk, and signed the release letter. He mutely held the letter out for Carewyn to take.

"Thank you," Carewyn said quietly.

She turned on her heel and headed for the door. When she opened it, ten owls swooped in, flocking around Fudge's desk and raining even more letters onto and around his desk.

"If I may make a suggestion, Minister," Carewyn said a bit more levelly as she left, "going to Hogwarts right now to deal with the problem would both make you look more proactive and give you some relief from all these letters."

Without waiting for Fudge's response, Carewyn left his office. Once she'd pushed her way through the crowd of reporters (even taking out her wand at one point to better coax them back), she dashed over to the closest Floo Network grate, snatching up some Powder in her free hand and chucking it down at her heeled feet as she climbed in.

"Azkaban Prison!"

And in a burst of emerald green flames, Carewyn had disappeared.

x~x~x~x

Once Hagrid had been released from his cell, Carewyn brought him with her to her mother Lane's new cottage, out in the country. The half-giant was still in pretty poor shape after his three-week-long stint in Azkaban, and since Carewyn knew he'd never fit in her tiny London flat, she figured at least Lane's new home would be a comfortable place to get Hagrid fed and healed and await further news from the Weasleys and Hogwarts.

As the night wore on, Carewyn received a few short updates from Tonks and Talbott -- Hogwarts was going to be closed; the girl's parents were at the school; the school governors were convening for a secret closed-door meeting. It wasn't until very early the following morning that Carewyn, Hagrid, and Lane received the news they'd all been hoping for, in the form of a long letter from Mrs. Weasley.

Carewyn dear, Bill wrote to Arthur and me telling me of your letter to him, so after following up with him and Charlie via Floo, I thought it best to write to you straightaway. Ginny is all right. My son Ron, his friend Harry, and their Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, Gilderoy Lockhart, were able to locate the Chamber of Secrets, and Harry, bless him, was able to both kill Slytherin's monster (a basilisk! Merlin's beard, I was terrified, thinking of that poor boy facing off against that thing!) and rescue Ginny. Arthur and I are so grateful, even now I still can't stop crying. We're so relieved to know Ginny's safe, and that Ron and Harry are both safe as well. Unfortunately poor Gilderoy Lockhart apparently had his memory wiped...at his own hand, no less! He actually had the audacity to try to modify my son's memory! I suppose it's true what they say about never meeting your heroes!! Oh well, it seems Professor Dumbledore will have to find yet another Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher for next year. Oh, yes, I nearly forgot -- Dumbledore has returned to Hogwarts! Apparently all of the school governors (excluding Lucius Malfoy) heard about what happened to Ginny and immediately sent a letter to Dumbledore begging for him to come back. And he did, of course -- he was so gentle with Ginny, after her ordeal... Oh, but Carewyn dear, truly, I cannot thank you enough for caring so much for Bill and Charlie. Arthur had sent them his own letters not long before we left for Hogwarts, but from what I understand, your letters reached both Bill and Charlie well before Arthur's did, and I appreciate you trying so hard to make sure they knew what was going on as quickly as possible. Arthur and I send our love, and Ginny as well. Do consider coming over to the Burrow for a visit sometime soon -- Ginny was a bit cheered at the thought of having "another girl" over for dinner! Your mother and brother are more than welcome as well, if they're available. Arthur would be delighted to know what your mother thinks about pinball machines. All our love, Molly Weasley

Not long later, Hagrid returned to Hogwarts, and Carewyn returned to work at the Ministry. It was when she returned to the Ministry that Carewyn noticed Cornelius Fudge's attitude toward her had gone through a considerable change. When she arrived in the Atrium, she caught sight of the Minister likewise heading into work. At the sight of her, Fudge immediately approached her -- but his smile was not as wide open and overly amiable as it was before.

"Hello, Miss Cromwell," he said.

Carewyn blinked. "...Minister."

Fudge inclined his head respectfully. Taking a quick glance around the Atrium, he then spoke a bit more stridently.

"...Professor Dumbledore told me that Hagrid has settled himself back in nicely. He expressed admiration, for your defense of him...Madam Bones did, as well."

Carewyn frowned as her eyes drifted off toward the lift.

"Hagrid was my client," she said simply. "It was my job to advocate for his well-being. And it wasn't either lawful or right for him to remain imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit."

To Carewyn's surprise, Fudge's pleasant expression actually seemed to crack a bit, betraying something strangely insecure.

"I suppose so," said the Minister a bit stiffly. "Well then, Miss Cromwell...I'm afraid I must be off."

He paused. Then, forcing a slightly more politician-worthy smile, he asked, "I hope...I might likewise call on you in the future...should I wish for an expert legal opinion? Madam Bones does speak very highly of your abilities as a lawyer, you know."

Carewyn cocked her eyebrows in surprise. She honestly wasn't expecting that.

"...Of course," she said, once she'd recovered.

Fudge tipped his lime green bowler to her, before turning and sweeping away toward his office. As Carewyn watched him go, she couldn't help but frown.

It was bizarre -- it didn't feel like Fudge disliked her now or anything after she'd so coldly called him out in his office. Even so, there was a wall around his feelings that wasn't there before: something guarded. And yet it didn't seem suspicious or mistrustful. If anything, it felt almost formal: like Fudge was standing that bit taller and being that bit more detached and dignified than before. Less like he was trying to buddy up to Carewyn and use her as a prop to elevate himself and more like how an employer would treat a high-ranked employee...

And then it hit her.

Fudge had called her "Miss Cromwell." Not "Carewyn," not "Carewyn, my dear" -- but "Miss Cromwell." In the same sort of respectful tone of voice he'd use for Madam Bones and other older, respectable Ministry employees.

He was speaking to Carewyn not like a child that he could coax onto his side through coddling and fawning...but as an adult he wished to coax onto his side through decidedly more political means.

Carewyn's red lips came together tightly as she turned and headed for the lift, tossing her much shorter ginger bob off her neck.

Well, even if Fudge was truly nothing but a politician at heart, at least now he saw her as an adult who wouldn't become his sycophant just because he acted nice to her.

#hphm #hogwarts mystery #my writing #carewyn cromwell #cornelius fudge #rubeus hagrid #ginny weasley #ben copper #chester davies #nymphadora tonks #talbott winger #lane cromwell #molly weasley #fanfiction #*snorts* sorry fudge but you're never going to be able to coax carewyn onto your side #even if she does end up playing the role of a dutiful subordinate enough that you let her help with the whole high inquisitor thing #she only ends up doing it to rip it down later bc hey someone's gotta put the brakes on your stupidity #honestly carewyn ends up being a really shady b**tch when it comes to fudge despite being such a paragon #but hey in her defense it's hard for her to feel warm toward a guy who was so blind to how toxic and awful her grandfather and uncle are #and who is such a typical politician that he'll cowardly slink around trying to make himself look good rather than really take charge #carewyn is a paragon but she's also a slytherin so she's not above being sneaky or manipulative to achieve her ends

[misc-obeyme]

I'm so glad you liked Mikail! Ngl some stuff like their gender and such were hard to decide bcs they're literally Lilith and the brothers' magic as a person and what could magic's gender be?? It's come to a point where if someone asks if they're afab or amab I don't know either honestly and I'm also glad you like their backstory bcs I was SO unsure about that ytrefdsbht

Also today I was thinking, how do you think Ciaran would react to my version of the Obey Me cast?

Okay but I love that they're like... magic manifested as a person! That is really cool. And I love that they were adopted by a cute witch couple who gave them a good childhood. And that Lilith's spirit was helping them from beyond!

As for the gender thing, I'm of the opinion that because we're dealing with fiction, you're free to do whatever you want. Especially since this is a fantasy setting where magic is a thing. You only really need to decide on actual anatomy if it's something you need to describe in the story at some point. But if it's not relevant, then you can just go ahead and leave it ambiguous. If someone asks if they're afab or amab, you can just say neither! What does that mean? Who knows! You can come up with something specific if you like - like maybe they just don't have anything at all in terms of reproductive organs. Or maybe they have the ability to switch between them at will because you know ~magic~. But you could also just not specify and then it's up to whatever the other person imagines. I would think the only time it might be tricky is if you're writing smut, but even then I think you could fudge the descriptions enough to keep it vague.

It's an interesting discussion because it really is a good question - what could magic's gender be? I would say it's genderless, but you could also make the argument that in this case, magic is forming itself into something resembling a human. For whatever reason, this magic has decided to attempt to fit into the human world and be perceived as a human. In that sense, magic might choose its own gender the way it chooses it's human hair color - this feels right or this looks right or this is going to make me fit in better with actual humans.

But maybe the magic simply created life because it could, it wasn't taking all of that into consideration. There are a lot of options!

And in the end, this is your MC. So I think you should do whatever makes you most comfortable in terms of their gender. Whatever feels right to you is the correct choice. And if you're not sure, you can always try different things until you find the one that's right! It doesn't always have to stay the same. But it's also okay to just never decide and never specify those details.

Anyway, I'm sorry I didn't mean to ramble lol!

As for Ciaran, well... if I'm understanding what I've read so far, the brothers sound extremely manipulative and controlling, but especially Lucifer. Ciaran does not like manipulative or controlling people, so I kinda think it'd be a problem with Lucifer. Ciaran is extremely impulsive and they often do stupid stuff because they don't think things through right away. But they're pretty smart when they actually take the time to consider things. And they're also extremely protective. So I think if they somehow came across this situation where Mikail is essentially being forced to stay somewhere they don't want to be, Ciaran would fight all the brothers to try and help Mikail. That being said, they're not stupid enough to think they could take on all the bros, either. They wouldn't want to do anything that would make the situation worse.

And it sounds like a couple of the brothers aren't as bad, such as Mammon. Ciaran gets along well with canon Mammon because they like to have fun. So I could see Ciaran getting along fine with him still. And Asmo, too. Ciaran is not exactly patient, but if they thought the best way to help would be to befriend them, they would try to do that.

In general, though, I think Ciaran would immediately distrust most of them lol!

#Ciaran would probably mess things up on accident #just because they often act on their feelings when they should just take a minute to reflect first lol #obey me mc #misc mc ciaran #avatar0fpr1de #cc mutuals #misc answers

[bow-ties-and-daydreams]

8. What project(s) are you currently working on? (fanfic ask)

Oh boy i haven't actually written a full fic in like 5 years? I have a few Autoheart song inspired dreamling scraps in my notes app I keep meaning to come back to, but writing is hard and most of my creative energy there goes to my DnD world.

My fanwork hobby of choice is fanbinding! I'm currently working on the lovely @scifrey's phenomenal Hob Adherent series. The first book especially deals with a ton of Elizabthan history, so I'm leaning into the historical aspects as much as possible. The amount of research I've done into Elizabethan printing and book culture* is probably excessive but I love a rood rabbit hole. I wanted to use pictures from period herbals for the chapter headings bc there's just oodles of floriography, but some of the plants aren't native to England, so I had to fudge it a bit in places. Not gonna find camellias in a book from western Europe from Shakespeare's time, unfortunately. I haven't moved into the physical binding stage yet because I need to get some materials first, but typesetting them has been soooo much fun.

*did you know, they used to print books on linen rag paper (which you can no longer source in sufficient quantities to make a book at anything approaching a reasonable price, I tried)! Because books where printed on basically like US money paper they could wash them. If you bought a book from somebody else's collection and didn't like how it was bound or the marginalia they left, you could just disassemble it, wash the marginalia off (leaving the printed ink intact) and rebind it with *your* family crest on the front. So cool!

#thanks for the ask! #this reminded me i need to keep looking for chapter heading pictures for the short story anthology #finding art in the right style that i dont have to pay for is a fuckin Task lemme tell ya #took me over a month to find a searchable archive of old botanical illustrations

[laf-outloud]

No. The Ackles can’t produce anything Supernatural for Amazon without the WB agreeing and Amazon paying a hefty licensing fee. How many times do they need to be told that the Ackles didn’t buy the rights to SPN?

In fact, them “amicably parting” from the WB may be the WB saying, “you’re never touching Supernatural again”

What would be hilarious is if Jensen was telling everyone he was shopping TW, when really he was just looking out for himself (and Danneel) only by shopping CMP.

I don't know how so many people can remain so ignorant about how things work in Hollywood. I've never been an insider, heck, I work in healthcare, but by listening to others who do have knowledge, and by doing my own scant research online, I've been able to educate myself to a certain degree so that I don't have idiotic ideas about how things work. Do I always get it right? No, but I'm grateful for anyone willing to teach me.

But, then again, AAs are people who want to believe the lies. They want to live in a world where Ackles is king who can do whatever he wants (which also just happens to be exactly what they want as well). Heaven help me if I ever turn out like that.

I would laugh if that's how things actually happened bts. I can definitely see the WB kicking them to the curb and Jensen (who admitted to lying at the last con) would certainly try and placate his ardent fanbase by fudging what was actually happening with TW. Remember, he was talking about this press release at the end of January (in Vegas), before the second half of TW even aired (and shortly after it finished filming). Why make a deal with Amazon all the way back then if he didn't already know TW was dead in the water?

#ask box #anti jensen #anti danneel #cmp's deal with amazon #cmp's deal with wb #anti aas #ignorant aas

[youmissedone]

🔴 Red - Do you have a dream AU you haven’t written in yet?

{out of smokes} Like I said over on Matt/Nemmy's blog, probably not, heh. I've been writing Carlos for a number of years, so I've had a lot of time and some really amazing writing partners who have gone through with me and their muses almost every possible AU I could think of for Carlos. Before the movies, during each of the movies, the real Carlos surviving, various clones being discovered, etc. I've done it all, heh. Well... almost.

I guess the two things I've never written with Carlos yet are 1) the real Carlos surviving all the way through to the release of the airborne anti-virus, and 2) what's the deal with Todd, haha? I'm not sure those are my dream AUs, but as far as things I haven't written with him yet, that's all I can think of.

1.) I've had the real Carlos survive his explosive death in Extinction before and taken him past that movie a little bit, and I've written clones during the Retribution era and beyond. I think a Carlos clone may have been with Alice when she released the antivirus, but I'm not sure. I'm currently writing a Carlos clone with Alice after she released the antivirus and she found him down in the Hive. But the real Carlos? He's never had that moment of seeing the apocalypse come to an end, and I kindof want that for him somehow. I'm just not sure... how or why the real Carlos would have survived up until that point. It just doesn't make a lot of sense, and I know I've done some crazy fudging on my RE blogs for various reasons, but this one is a noggin-scratcher for me as far as having it make enough sense to the point where I can write it.

2.) Todd is the Carlos clone in the beginning of Retribution and Becky's "father." I mean, they're all clones and Becky was just made with Alice and Carlos' DNA, but still, you know what I mean. But yeah, he's a simulation clone meant to be an average work-a-day guy with a family in the "Suburbia" testing floor of Umbrella Prime. But he has Carlos' DNA, right? And isn't the whole reason why some of their employees and Alice were placed into these simulations because some of these people have off the charts abilities, survival instincts/skills, and/or physical prowess that can be tracked back to their genetic code? Simply put, they've got great genes, heh, and Umbrella wanted to test what those genes were innately capable of, regardless of starting origin. But Todd, despite having Carlos' amazing genes, just didn't have the same skills or survival abilities, and I've always wondered why.

Was Todd made to be inferior to Carlos for some reason? Was he programmed a certain way so as not to unlock his full potential? Was/is there a way to "awaken" Todd to remember who he really is based off of? Is that even possible, would he even know Carlos or have any other sense of self beyond that testing floor? Because Alice's clone did seem to tap into those survival skills and abilities that Project Alice had, so I've always wondered why Todd wasn't able to do the same.

Unless... him doing the whole, "get Becky back!" thing as he fought off the undead was him being like Carlos. Think about it, the real Carlos sacrificed himself to save others, and isn't that what Todd did? Maybe that is Carlos' core personality and his strength, his altruism. I just blew my mind a little haha because I actually never thought of it that way before, but that actually makes a lot of sense. And if that's true, then that means Todd may have a lot of Carlos' same heart and core personality, unlike the commando clone of him we see later in the movie.

Anyhoo, I'm really not sure what I would do with Todd, exactly, but it's one of the avenues of writing Carlos that I've yet to explore, for sure.

#{ out of smokes } ᵒᵒᶜ