#even worse than this is i also think last night is kinda catchy sORRY. but i dont think it's good just catchy. different thinks.

[vonlipvig]

you have to remember that people aren't perfect. like me, for example, who unfortunately thinks this one morgan wal/en song is pretty good.

#and ive avoided him for so long DAMMIT TODDINTHESHADOWS #even worse than this is i also think last night is kinda catchy sORRY. but i dont think it's good just catchy. different thinks. #i might yt to mp3 that one cause im not streaming that gjfjfkf #according to jules

[apenapaperandadoofus]

Imaginary (Jumin x MC)

Chapter one here!

(Also to explain something! Both Bada and Eun are random characters I made up, I like to think that the island was already inhabited by some people, and that Jumin’s father bought part of it, in Saeran’s Normal End, he and MC talk about how the locals are all nice and stuff, so I wanted to add something like this here :D, OH AND! These are the sort of edited chapters, I will post the fully edited ones in AO3!)

AND feedback is greatly appreciated! Sorry if this one was kinda short! Next chapter we WILL get some cute kiddo Jumin, I promise :P

Chapter 2

.

.

.

In the end you weren’t able to find the ghost. That week your mother had been leaving you with heavy amounts of homework, and you hadn’t been able to go outside since by the time you finished it was always too dark, and your mother was home. You were also tired from the amount of history dates and math formulas you had to learn. Your mother wasn’t going to let you fall behind all of your classmates, but she also took it a bit too far and made you study things that even they hadn’t even seen yet.

Thus, your search for the ghost was cancelled. You weren’t able to see Bada and Eun either, which sucked since their food was so delicious last time, and you really wanted some more. In the meantime though, you spent your days reading about ghosts, and how to capture them or see them.

You wanted so badly to find the ghost! But you didn’t have the time. The thing that made it worse was that you were sure there was someone there, you always saw a small shadow by the windows, but as soon as you tried to get closer, it disappeared.

One night, you laid in your bed, unable to sleep and thinking about the ghost. It was about 11pm, your mother was already sleeping and you were sure everyone on the island was too. It made you feel weird, thinking that maybe you were the only one awake. Still, you decided to do something.

Soemthing reckless.

Slowly, very, very slowly, you got out of your bed and put on some shoes that you had in your closet. Then, you grabbed your favorite sweater, and gently opened the sliding door in your room, that led to a little porch. You tiptoed and went down the stairs, quickly running towards the enormous mansion. It was way closer than you had actually thought, and you saw a fence that probably led to the backyard. The fence was tall, no way you could’ve climbed that thing.

But that wasn’t going to stop you.

Somehow you managed to get on top of the fence. It was pretty tall, but you found that if you climbed a tree, and then jumped off from there to the fence, maybe it could work.

It- it didn’t.

Well it did, but you landed on your face and you tried your best to hold back a cry. Still, not wanting to give up, you slowly stood up and walked into the garden.

You were trembling, afraid of the dark, and you were about to reach for your flashlight when you realized...that you hadn’t brought your flashlight.

Welp, you’re dead now, I guess.

You mentally slapped yourself and gulped. There was no one around, and who knows when an opportunity like this might come again? But at the same time, it was way too dark, and you were going to be looking for ghosts. That was way too scary, especially without a flashlight. Then, an idea popped into your head. How about, you go running to your house, quickly grab the flashlight and then come back? You were pretty fast, and you were sure the ghosts couldn’t have noticed your presence yet.

You quickly turned around to go, open the fence door and race to your home, when you heard some footsteps behind you. And you froze.

“Who are you?” A voice said. It sounded like it belonged to a boy, but you didn’t want to find out if that was true or not, and you didn’t even turn around as you let out a small scream. You quickly ran towards the door, struggling a bit to open it.

Fuck it was stuck.

You pushed and pushed, the sound of footsteps coming closer towards you, and a different deeper voice coming from inside the house. Finally, the door bulged and opened, and you took your chance to run away. You didn’t stop until you were safe, under your covers and with all your plushies surrounding you.

That was scary as fuck.

You weren’t able to sleep that night.

When your mother woke you up at 6am, you stared up groggily at her, and she scolded you about staying up late, and that no matter how tired you were, she wanted to see all your work done when she came home.

You of course, decided to leave at lunch time to go and talk with Eun and Bada. You hadn’t seen them in a while and you were actually pretty hungry, the only thing that your mother had left you was another container filled with spaghetti and you were honestly tired of eating it for both lunch and dinner four days in a row.

So, you took your leave and followed the little path towards the village, this time stopping to admire the whole place. The village was up on some mountains, so you were able to see the sea from up above. You could see some men in boats, carrying heavy bags filled with fish, and women with scuba diving equipment coming out of the water. Then, when you looked up towards the other mountain, you saw what looked like a temple. It was red and huge, and you made a mental note to ask both Eun and Bada about it.

Finally, you made it to their house, and you were about to knock on the door, when Bada suddenly opened it.

She was going to say something when she looked down at you and you gave her a big smile.

“Well look who’s back! If it isn’t our little explorer. Found anything interesting these past few days?” She asked, as she motioned for you to come inside. You replied to Bada that, yes you had actually found some very interesting things, but before she could reply Eun came out from the shower, her hair dripping wet, and singing some really catchy song in another language. Then she stopped, looked at you and squealed, running over and giving you a tight hug.

“Hey Y/N! How’s your little ghost adventure going? Come come, we were about to have some lunch, you came at the perfect time! Oh sir here! And tell me everything about it, I don’t want you to skip over any detail.” She gently shoved you into a chair and then gave you a plate full of some Korean dish you didn’t really know the name of, but looked absolutely delicious.

As the two women sat down in front of you, you explained your adventure with the ghost yesterday.

“There was really someone there! He even talked to me!” You said.

Eun raised and eyebrow and gave you a quizzical smile. “Really? Do you have any proof?”

You quickly stopped and became quiet. Dammit!

“I...I don’t have any yet! But, there really was someone there! Seriously! I just...I forgot to bring my camera....” you confessed.

“Well there you go! You need evidence if you want to convince us you know?”

“You mean convince you. I believe in ghost and I think it’s probable that Y/N saw one.” Badda said, as she glared at Eun.

“Ah Bada seriously! Listen kiddo, I will admit that ghosts are real if I actually get to see one. If you manage to give me evidence I’ll believe you, but for now you don’t have any proof.”

“I will get some! You’ll see!” You confidently said.

The rest of the evening passed by quickly, as Bada explained about the temple up in the mountain. Appears you it was a temple that was able to grant each person one wish.

After wards you thanked them for the food and then you quickly looked at your watch and let out a little yelp. “Oops! I have to go now! Thank you for the food, it was great!”

“Wait Y/N, what about my book? Have you-”

“BYE BADA!” You quickly said and left the house in a hurry before Bada could finish her sentence.

You could hear her grumbling and Eun laughing from the other side of the door and you smiled.

You were going to get that evidence!

You quickly went home, and then started working on your homework.

......

That day, as you stared at your blank notebook while sitting on your desk, you went through the events that had happened last night.

There was certainly a ghost there, maybe even two, since you had heard two people talking. The ghost knew you were already there though, and that would make things hard. So you decided to make up a plan to show Eun and Bada that you were telling the truth. You quickly grabbed your pencil and took off a blank page from your notebook.

Ghost hunting plan:

You wrote, and then you bit the end of your pencil as you thought about what to do.

First of all, you had to bring a flashlight. That was one of the things that was the most important. You weren’t going to deal with two ghosts, in the dark.

Second, you had to bring your camera. That was on the top of the priority list too, since you did need it to take a picture of the ghost.

Still...you were pretty shaken up from yesterday and you didn’t want to be completely alone.

What if you brought one of your favorite toys? No that would make the whole process of climbing the fence harder....and if you were to bring something else, it definetly had to be that book about ghosts. Somewhere in there had to be some sort of ritual or spell or something, that would protect you from ghosts. So you decided to bring it!

And hell, to do it that same night!

Satisfied with your plan, and now a bit more confident with everything, you started doing the homework you mother had left you. Normally you would leave it and do it at the last moment, but today you were inspired and you had to have everything ready for the ghost hunting trip!

When your mother came home she immediatly went to bed, taking your work and locking her door. You then did your normal bedtime routine, washing the dishes, brushing your teeth and taking a warm shower. But then, instead of going to sleep, you sat on your bed with the book in your hands, and you counted down till your mother was asleep.

It was about 10pm, you could hear your mother snoring al the way from her room, and you slowly stood up and grabbed your sweater, some sneakers, the flashlight, the camera and the book. Of course you couldn’t hold everything at once, so the book was in a tiny backpack, and the camera was hanging from your neck. Alright! You were now ready!

Slowly, you opened the sliding doors, and tiptoed out of the porch. You turned on your flashlight and began walking towards the mansion, your camera ready. The lens cap protector thing, was off, and you had night vision on, so you were pretty good!

You finally made it towards the fence, and managed to climb it, this time without falling flat on your face. You gave a little victory dance as you looked around the garden.

It was...really beautiful.

The garden was filled with all kinds of flowers, purple, yellow, red, blue, and there were the bushes you had always heard about! One was in the shape of an elephant, the other one was in the shape of a horse and on and on. In the center of the garden, there was a huge fountain, that was turned off at the moment, which was a bit disappointing. There was also a stone path, that went all around the garden and then probably led somewhere inside the house.

You stood there for a bit, admiring the view. Yesterday was so dark, and you were so scared that you hadn’t been able to see anything. But tonight the moon was out, shining brightly and illuminating everything in front of you. It was beautiful.

Then, you heard some footsteps, and you quickly hid behind a bush. That’s right, you were here looking for a ghost, not to gape at that wonderful garden!

Dammit Y/N, pull yourself together! You thought, as you tried to figure out where the footsteps were coming from. You cowered a bit as they came closer and closer, almost in front of you. You slowly peeked from behind the bush, and saw a silhouette.

A boys silhouette to be more precise. He looked to be around your age, and he was wearing blue stripped pijamas, his hair all messy on top of his head. It was clear he had just woken up, and was looking for something...or for someone.

You.

Drat! You thought. The ghost of the little boy already knew you were going to come back again! Maybe you should have waited a few days before coming back, but you were just so impatient.

Anyway, you had to make up a plan. You had left the fence door open in case you needed to make an impromptu escape, and you gave yourself a pat in the back for thinking that far ahead. What you had to do now, was to take a picture of the ghost. Slowly, very,very slowly you raised your camera to get a picture of the ghost.

He had his back to you, the moonlight shining behind him, giving him a very paranormal aura. Still, for some reason the lense wouldn’t focus, so you decided to move forward a bit to get a better look. Sadly, you miscalculated and you accidentally stepped on a dry leaf, making the ghost turn around in your direction, his face filled with worry but at the same time, confidence.

Then you stopped.

Damn he was cute.

You hadn’t seen his face till now, and you were taken aback by it. He was definetly a very good looking boy, one the girls in your class might go all crazy about. Never in your life had you felt something like you were feeling now. Could it be....love at first sight?

No! He’s a ghost, I can’t fall in love with a ghost, how would that even work?! You scolded yourself. Still, you didn’t stop your staring at the boy. Thankfully he hadn’t seemed to notice you were there, and before you could even think about it, you pressed the camera button and a loud CLICK was heard through the bushes.

And then a bright light came on.

You forgot to turn off the flash.

The boy let out a surprised gasp, and called out, but before he could once again catch you, you quickly got up and ran away from the place. You heard the footsteps following behind you, but you were faster and a few minutes later you didn’t hear anything else, and you slowed your pace.

That was close.

You triumphantly smiled as you looked through the pictures on your camera. Granted they weren’t super high quality, but you could make out the boys silhouette.

Hehe, now to become a millionaire! You celebrated. You sneaked back into your room and placed your camera and flashlight on your desk. Then you were going to grab your paranormal book from your backpack when...you didn’t find anything.

What?

You turned your backpack upside down and staked it as hard as possible, but still nothing would come out.

Bada’s book.

Oh no.

Oh no.

If Bada found out you lost her book, you wouldn’t be able to have lunch at her home ever again! And you would loose the only...friends (?) you had in this island. You couldn’t allow that! You always had to return what you borrowed, that was one thing your mother would always say, and this time she was right! After all, Bada lent you soemthing really important to her, and you couldn’t bear to think about coming back to her home empty handed.

Still...you weren’t going to go back into the house. It was way to dark now, you were sleepy and you were sure the ghost was porbably waiting in the garden, somewhere.

What to do, what to do? You asked yourself as you put on your pijamas and laid in bed.

It must have fallen off somewhere along the way, you thought, so maybe you wouldn’t have to go into the garden after all.

Then you got it!

What if, tomorrow morning you went into the garden? There weren’t going to be any ghosts since it was daytime, you reasoned, and it would be way easier to find the book. After all, there would be no one around the mansion to scold you, or to tell you to leave! It was the perfect plan!

You tucked yourself into bed and looked up confidently at the ceiling. You were going to get that book!

#mystic messenger #jumin han #jumin fluff #jumin x reader #jumin fanfic #jumin smut #jumin angst #jumin x mc #mysme #saeyoung choi #saeran choi #yoosung kim #jaehee kang #jihyun mysme #choi bois #mysme zen

[thelastspeecher]

Recoil - Chapter 5: Buffer

Chapter 1   Chapter 2   Chapter 3   Chapter 4   Chapter 5   AO3

Here it is!  The final chapter of my de-aged Ford, FiddStan fic!  Sorry it took me so long to post it, I was busy with thesis things and then I took a nice long break.  But now, “Recoil” is officially finished!  We find out how things are resolved and finally get some nice nice gay FiddStan moments.

(Again, this fic was inspired by “1 Step Forward, 20 Years Back” by @infriga)

Buffer (noun): a component that reduces the velocity of recoiling parts

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

              Stan continued to watch Ford sleep.  He could feel tears beginning to prick the corners of his eyes.  They’d had to put a nightlight in the room yesterday; Ford was too afraid to fall asleep alone without it.  Luckily, Fiddleford knew where Ford had stored a large, glowing crystal, which even had the added effect of casting a “soothing aura”.

              Whatever the hell that means.  Stan looked over at the crystal in question, perched on the corner of Ford’s desk, filling the room with a faint blue glow.  Sure doesn’t seem to soothe me.  The door opened with a faint creak.  Fiddleford poked his head in.

              “Is he asleep?” Fiddleford whispered.  Stan nodded and gestured for him to come in.  Fiddleford quietly walked over to Ford’s bed.  “Did he go down all right?”

              “Better than last night.  Or the night before.”  Stan looked down at Ford again.  “It feels like Ford’s been stuck as a toddler for months.”  He rubbed his face.  “It’s only been three days.  It’s only been three days!”

              “I know,” Fiddleford said calmly.  He sat next to Stan.  “When ya have a small child, it often seems like time moves slower than it does.”

              “Yeah, but I don’t have a small child!  Or at least, I’m not supposed to!  Not yet.”  Stan could feel tears welling up again.  “Ever since I was a teenager, I wanted to be a dad.  But not- not this way.”  Stan’s voice broke.  “Not this way.”

              “Hey.”  Fiddleford rested a hand on Stan’s shoulder.  Stan typically shrunk away from touches, but right now he sunk into the comfort.  He’d gotten to know Fiddleford over the last few days.  The southern man was annoyingly good at breaking down his barriers. But more importantly, Stan could feel himself coming apart at the seams.  Fiddleford’s calming, grounded energy was the only thing keeping him from falling to pieces.  “This’ll get resolved.”  A troubled look passed over Fiddleford’s face.  “Somehow.  And when it does, well, you’ll get a chance to be a dad the right way.”  Fiddleford squeezed Stan’s shoulder reassuringly. Stan let out a sigh.

              “I dunno.  I don’t know if I should be a dad.  It’s not like I had anyone to show me how to do it right,” he muttered.  He froze, realizing that he had accidentally said aloud what he was thinking.

              Damn McGucket.  Making me feel comfortable around him and shit.  He expected Fiddleford to tsk and talk him down.  To his surprise, Fiddleford let out a peal of laughter. Stan stared at him, not just shocked by Fiddleford’s reaction but also by the realization that he had never heard Fiddleford laugh before.  Wryly chuckle, yes.  But not full-throated laughter.  Not the prettiest laugh I’ve ever heard.  It was higher pitched than Stan would have expected and had a slightly grating tone. Doesn’t mean it’s not nice, though.  Fiddleford’s merriment came through, worming its way into Stan’s sour mood, beginning to lift it like wind whisking away fog.

              “Now, that’s hilarious.”

              “…What?” Stan asked.

              “The idea that ya wouldn’t be a good father.  How can ya actually believe that?  Ya just spent the last month or so provin’ ya have what it takes.”

              “Yeah.  With a kid that’s actually an adult,” Stan snorted.  Fiddleford rolled his eyes.

              “Honestly?  Stanford at eight was way worse than Tate was at that age.  Sure, it ain’t exactly the same sit’ation, and you’ve only handled an eight-year-old and a three-year-old, but there’s no chance you’d screw it up the way yer worried about it.”  Stan opened his mouth, about to make some wisecrack about how he could find a way to screw up anything.  Upon seeing Fiddleford’s sincere expression, though, he thought better of it and closed his mouth.  Fiddleford smiled slightly.  Stan’s heart fluttered.  He cleared his throat roughly.

              “So, how are things going with finding a cure?” Stan asked. Fiddleford’s smile vanished. “Oh.”

              “I- I can’t make heads nor tails of any of this stuff,” Fiddleford said softly. He gripped the edge of the bed. “I’m startin’ to think it was a fluke, everything I did to figure out why Stanford got turned young.  I can’t handle this on my own, I don’t think.” Fiddleford took a shuddering breath. “I keep runnin’ into wall after wall and-”

              “Hey, you’re a genius,” Stan said, putting an arm around Fiddleford’s shoulders.  “You can handle it.  I-”  He swallowed the sudden lump in his throat. “Like you said, I’ve been able to take care of Ford so far.  I can keep on doing that until-”  Stan’s voice gave out.

              “I can tell it’s startin’ to wear on ya.  Stanford callin’ ya his father.”

              “I mean, yeah.  Can you blame me?”  Stan laughed, but the sound had no humor in it.  “He’s my twin brother and he thinks I’m his dad.  It’s not exactly ideal, Fiddleford.”

              “I know, but-” Fiddleford started.  A low glow began to fill the room.  Stan looked around the room, trying to figure out what was giving off light. His eyes landed on Ford.

              “Shit!”  Stan pulled the blanket off Ford, revealing that his entire, minute body was emitting a faint, yellow glow.  “Fiddleford, what’s-”

              “I don’t know Stanley, I-”  The glow became brighter and brighter, almost burning Stan’s eyes, strong enough that he had to look away.  As suddenly as the light had appeared, it vanished.  Stan blinked away the afterimages and looked back at Ford.

              “…Holy hell,” Stan breathed.  Ford was still much younger than he should be, but he was also older than he had been a second ago.  The now very tight pajamas were evidence of that.  Stan looked over at Fiddleford, who was also staring at Ford in shock. “Is he…?”

              “I don’t know.”  Fiddleford ran his hands through his hair.  “I don’t understand anything that’s happening.”

              “Think we should wake him up?”

              “Uh, no.”  Fiddleford gently blocked Stan from reaching out to shake Ford.  “I don’t understand anything that’s happening, but I do know that wakin’ a child as young as he is will only result in everyone cryin’. Let’s go wait in the kitchen until he wakes up on his own.”

              “Yeah.  That sounds good.  I could use a drink,” Stan said decidedly.  Fiddleford nodded.

              “I think I could, too.”

----- 

              It felt like waking from a very deep sleep.  Ford fought his way out of the solemn darkness and blankets, only to land on the floor.  He sat up, taking in his surroundings.

              To be fair, I did just wake from a very deep sleep.  Ford got to his feet.  Though I feel as though I’ve woken from more than just slumber. He looked down at himself, dreading what he would see.  His mouth dropped open.  I’ve grown.  Either Fiddleford found a cure or a significant amount of time has passed. Ford swallowed.  Time that I don’t remember.  He took a breath.  Calm down, Stanford.  Find Stanley or Fiddleford.  They can explain what has happened.

              Thankfully, the door was ajar, saving Ford the indignity of having to struggle to reach the handle properly.  He pushed the door open the rest of the way.  Faint voices could be heard coming from somewhere else in the house, along with the distinctive twang and jangle of Fiddleford’s favorite country music station.  Ford headed in the direction of the sounds.  As he approached, he could distinguish individual words.

              “Ya don’t strike me as the kind of feller who’d like John Denver,” Fiddleford’s voice said.

              “Oh, is that the guy’s name?” Stan’s voice responded idly.

              “Yes.”

              “You’re right.  It’s not my kinda music.”

              “Then how do ya know it?” Fiddleford asked.  Ford arrived in the entryway of the kitchen.  From where he stood, he could now see that Stan and Fiddleford were doing dishes, Stan scrubbing them clean and handing them off to Fiddleford, who dried and put them away.

              “It plays on country stations nonstop, genius.”  Stan handed a washed plate to Fiddleford.  “And when you’re driving through Midwestern Nowhere Hell, the only radio stations around play country 24/7.”

              “Still, I’m surprised ya bothered to learn the words.”

              “It’s catchy.  Sue me,” Stan said dismissively, wiping his hands dry on the seat of his pants.  “I wonder if Ford’s up yet.  Think we should check on him?”

              “That’s prob’ly the appropriate course of action,” Fiddleford replied. Ford cleared his throat.  Stan and Fiddleford looked over.  “Stanford, yer up!” Fiddleford said in surprise.  He seemed relieved, while Stan’s expression was carefully guarded.

              “How are you feeling?” Stan asked cautiously.  Ford shrugged.

              “All right, I suppose.  I don’t feel particularly ill or weak.”  Naked relief broke across Stan’s face.  “Why?”

              “Just wondering.”  Stan looked at Fiddleford meaningfully.  Fiddleford shrugged.  “So, uh, quick question.  What’s the last thing you remember and when did it happen?”

              “Um.”  Ford had to think for a second.  “Fiddleford examining me in the lab on Thursday.  Why?”

              “You were right,” Stan said in a low voice to Fiddleford.

              “Right about what?” Ford asked.

              “That ya wouldn’t remember the last few days,” Fiddleford said.  He put away the last clean and dried dish.  “Ya seemed to be in some sort of fugue state, and folks don’t usually remember things from while they were in one of those.”

              “Last few days?” Ford squeaked.  Stan and Fiddleford nodded.

              “It’s Monday,” Stan said.  Ford’s jaw dropped open.  “Honestly, I think it’s for the best you don’t remember everything that happened since Thursday.”  Fiddleford rolled his eyes.

              “Sure, now yer all fer forgettin’ things,” he said to Stan. Despite the sharpness of his voice, the words lacked any venom.  Instead, the comment bore the cadence of a joke.  Ford raised his eyebrows in surprise.

              Did Fiddleford just joke about the memory erasing gun with Stan? Something has happened between the two of them.

              “I’d ask what happened during those days that I can’t remember,” Ford said, “but I’ll trust your judgement that I wouldn’t like to know.”

              “Maybe when you’re back to your old nerdy self,” Stan said.  Ford shrugged.

              “Maybe.  When will that be, by the way?  Fiddleford, I assume you discovered a cure?”

              “Uh, no.”

              “Pardon?”

              “I couldn’t come up with one.”  Fiddleford looked down at the counter, his jaw set in agitation.  “No matter how I approached the issue, it was like bangin’ my head into a wall.  But less fun.”

              “Then why am I older?” Ford asked.

              “No clue,” Stan said cheerfully.  “You started glowing earlier, while you were asleep, and when you stopped glowing, you were older.  Magic, amiright?”

              “I…”  Ford looked down at himself again.  “I think I want to run some tests.”

              “Absolutely,” Fiddleford said.  “With yer help, we should be able to get some good results.”

              “I also think I could use some new clothes,” Ford added.

              “I’m on it,” Stan said, already exiting the kitchen.  Fiddleford shook his head.

              “If that boy steals ‘em, I swear…” he mumbled.  Ford frowned thoughtfully at Fiddleford.  Fiddleford noticed his expression.  “What?”

              “Nothing.  Just…observing.”

              “Observing what?” Fiddleford asked.  Ford’s frown deepened.

              “I’ll let you know when I figure it out.”

----- 

              On Tuesday, Fiddleford was in the lab, running test after test on Ford, who was more than happy to help Fiddleford when his memory failed him. Fiddleford felt like his mind was beginning to settle, but he didn’t want to jinx it, so he kept that hope to himself.  He frowned at the latest printout of data.

              “This is interestin’,” he remarked softly.

              “What?” Ford asked, standing on his tiptoes to see over the table.  He seemed to have settled back into a primarily adult mindset, but with a youthful energy that either drained or invigorated Fiddleford.  Right now, it was doing the former.  Fiddleford handed the printout to Ford with a soft, tired sigh.  Ford’s brow wrinkled.

              “Hmm.  I’m still giving off magical energy.”

              “Yep.  Which I think is a good thing, since yer not to yer proper age yet.  And we might not know exactly what happened with that plant, but fer sure it was what brought ya up to yer current age.”

              “Yes,” Ford mumbled, distracted.  He looked up at Fiddleford.  “Could I see the results of the latest test on the plant?”  Fiddleford glanced over at the plant.  It was currently in a microwave that Fiddleford had repurposed ages ago for fine-detail magical analysis.

              “It’s still goin’.”

              “Ugh.”  Ford sat down on the ground with a scowl.  “How long has it been in there?  It feels like forever.”  Fiddleford checked his watch.

              “Fifteen minutes.”

              “Really?  That’s it?” Ford sighed.  “My internal clock must be off.”

              “Yer internal clock has always been off,” Fiddleford said idly, picking up a piece of paper that summarized what they had learned about the plant so far. He scanned it, despite knowing that he had gone over it a hundred times and would learn nothing new from reading it again.

              Genus: Salvia.  Species: Unknown.  Emits a strong aura of magic that is closely affiliated with this dimension.  Whether it is innately magical or magical due to exposure from a separate source is unknown.

              “Yer also a kid,” Fiddleford continued, setting the paper down.  “Kids have a dif’rent perception of time.”

              “Hmph.  I- what’s that sound?”

              “What sound?” Fiddleford asked, looking at Ford.  His eyes widened.  Ford was beginning to emit a glow like he had the previous day, before he aged.  “Uh…”

              “It’s- it sounds like a school bell,” Ford said.  He seemed not to have noticed he was glowing.  Instead, he was staring off into the distance thoughtfully. “Like one that rang when Stanley and I were in elementary school.”  Fiddleford grabbed a spare piece of paper and a pen.  “Why are you writing that down?”

              “Yer glowin’ again,” Fiddleford said, hurriedly scrawling what Ford had told him.  Ford looked down at himself.  He yelped.

              “How did I not notice?”

              “You were too caught up in the memory, I s’ppose,” Fiddleford said.  He paused, gears beginning to turn in his head.

              Stan said that Stanford was talkin’ ‘bout cinnamon donuts from their childhood, when Stanford first ate that plant.  The bakery stopped carryin’ those donuts when they were about four. Fiddleford chewed on the end of the pen. Did the plant bring him to the age he was when he most remembered eatin’ those donuts?  If so, does that mean that Stanford will be ‘bout the age of an elementary school student soon?  Fiddleford whipped his head around to look at Ford.  Ford didn’t seem perturbed by the glowing.  Rather, he had one finger stuck inside his ear.

              “I’m still hearing that ringing,” Ford said, frustrated.  The glow grew brighter and brighter, until it was so strong that Fiddleford had to close his eyes.  When he opened his eyes again and blinked away the afterimages, Ford was older. More precisely, he was eight again.

              I was right.  But what does it mean? Fiddleford pursed his lips.  He shook his head.  Never mind.  Tackle what matters most right now.

              “How are ya feelin’?” Fiddleford asked.  Ford inspected himself carefully.

              “Like an eight-year-old,” he said flatly.  Fiddleford chuckled.  Ford sighed. “Scan me again.”

              “What’s the magic word?” Fiddleford said on instinct.  Ford pouted.

              “Please,” he mumbled.  Fiddleford fought back a smile.  He picked up the device that measured magical auras and scanned Ford.  His eyebrows went up at the results.

              “Huh.”

              “What?”

              “Yer still givin’ off magic, so you’ll prob’ly keep growin’.  Most likely in these growth spurts.”  Fiddleford cracked a small grin at the pun.  “But the amount of magic in yer aura is less than it was.  I assume you’ll stop growin’ eventually.”

              “Ideally, when I return to my appropriate age,” Ford said.

              “Yes.  That would be ideal,” Fiddleford agreed.  There was a ding from the analyzing microwave.  Ford jumped to his feet, filled to the brim with energy again.

              “Results!”  Ford raced over to the microwave.  “F!  We have more results to go over, more data to decipher!”  Fiddleford rubbed his face tiredly.

              “Yes, but you should prob’ly change yer clothes first.”

              “No need!  I can look over the printouts in tight clothes.  I could probably look over them in no clothes.  Clothing is immaterial in the grand scheme of things, Fiddleford.” Ford trotted over, carrying the papers of data spat out by the microwave.  “We need to begin work immediately, before Stanley insists on making us stop for lunch.”  Ford huffed impatiently.  “Food isn’t nearly as important as science.”  With a sigh, Fiddleford took the piece of paper Ford was handing him.

              From what Stan’s told me, Stanford’s always been like this.  How did their mother survive?

----- 

              By Thursday, Ford was sixteen and proud of it.  He strutted into the kitchen and clapped his hands.

              “I have some excellent news!” he announced in a booming voice.  Stan turned a page in his newspaper without looking up.

              “We get it, you’re glad your voice isn’t cracking every other word,” Stan said lazily.  “You don’t have to shout all the time.”  Ford flushed. After the last growth spurt, his voice had dropped to his regular baritone, something he’d been over the moon about.  Fiddleford, who was wiping down the counters after breakfast, rolled his eyes.

              “Ignore him, Stanford.  What’s yer good news?” Fiddleford asked.  Ford beamed.

              “I’ve discovered why the portal malfunctioned,” he said.  That got Stan’s attention.  He set down his newspaper and looked at Ford.

              “And?” Stan asked expectantly.

              “It was sabotaged.”

              “Sab-”  Stan looked at Fiddleford, who seemed just as confused as him.  “How the hell did someone sabotage it?  Whatshisname, the demon, he wanted you to build it, and he seems like the only guy who could have access to your creepy basement.  Except for you two nerds.”  Stan frowned thoughtfully.  “Is whatshisname a guy?”

              “I don’t know the gender politics of demons from other dimensions,” Ford said dryly.

              “Demons from other dimensions,” Fiddleford muttered darkly.  The day before, Ford had finally come clean about Bill’s involvement with the portal, and Fiddleford was still bitter about the whole affair.

              “Lord above, Stanford Pines, you got yourself into a deal with a demon? How could ya think it was a good idea? I know yer not as religious as I am, but that don’t mean you never heard someone say before that demons were bad!” Stan stifled a chuckle at the memory. Since Fiddleford was still using kid gloves with Ford, the whole scene had felt more like Ford was being scolded for staying up late, not summoning an interdimensional demon.

              “But you are correct in that the portal had very limited access,” Ford continued.

              “Then who sabotaged it?” Fiddleford asked.  Ford raised an eyebrow.

              “You did.”

              “I-”  Fiddleford put his hands on his hips.  “I think I’d remember sabotagin’ somethin’ that I sunk far too much of my life into!”

              “Would you?” Stan asked quietly.  Fiddleford’s eyes widened.

              “The sabotage was clearly your handiwork, Fiddleford,” Ford said.  “I recognize it.  No one else has your talent for rewiring.”  Fiddleford sunk into a chair at the table, his expression blank.  “My thought is that, after sabotaging the portal, you either erased your memory of the event or that memory was a casualty of a separate memory wiping session.”

              “Those seem like the only two options,” Fiddleford said, his voice creaking. Stan watched Fiddleford in concern.

              “You all right there?” Stan asked.  Fiddleford nodded.

              “Yeah, I just- gimme a mo’.  I ain’t mad at myself, I’m just- it’s a bit disconcerting to have forgotten somethin’ as major as that.”

              “I’m grateful you did it,” Ford said solemnly, sitting at the table as well. “If you hadn’t, who knows where I would have been?”  A chill ran down Stan’s spine.

              “You sure as hell wouldn’t be here,” Stan whispered.  Ford nodded.  Fiddleford took a shaking breath.

              “Yes.  I’m aware.” Fiddleford rubbed his face.  “And I’m glad I did it, too.  A tad bit peeved I don’t recall it, but glad.”  He looked up.  “And relieved to finally have an answer to that particular question.”

              “Same here,” Stan said, picking up his newspaper again.  Ford clasped his hands.  Stan recognized the gesture.  He set his newspaper back down.  “What is it, Ford?”

              “We need to prepare for when I return to my proper age.”

              “Okay.  Whattaya mean by that?”

              “The house needs to be protected from Bill’s influence,” Ford said.  Stan nodded.

              “How do we do that?”

              “The first step would be to create a barrier that will prevent him from entering.  I’m already brainstorming ideas to settle things with Bill once and for all, but the barrier will ensure that I do not get possessed by him.”

              “Sounds like a plan,” Fiddleford said.  Ford sighed.

              “Yes.  But unfortunately, we’ll need unicorn hair.”

              “Unicorns are real?” Stan asked.  Fiddleford and Ford looked at him.  “Yeah, yeah, weird magic shit is here all the time, I shouldn’t be surprised, whatever,” Stan mumbled.  “Is it hard to get the hair or somethin’?  You’re acting like it is.”

              “Yes, it is very difficult,” Ford said with a small groan.  “Difficult, nigh impossible.  I have yet to peacefully obtain some.”

              “Then it’s a good thing those unicorns like me,” Fiddleford said, upbeat. He winked at Stan and got up from the table.  “I’ll be back in a jiffy.”

              “Of course unicorns would like you,” Stan muttered.  Fiddleford whapped him over the head playfully.  Stan grinned at him as he left the room.  He turned his attention back to Ford.  “What else do we need?”  Ford steepled his fingers thoughtfully.

              “What was that about?” Ford asked.

              “Huh?  Oh, nothing. What do else we need to protect the house from Bill?”

              “Materials I’ve already collected,” Ford said, waving a hand. “Don’t concern yourself over it. Now, is something going on between you and F?”

              “Me and Fidds?” Stan asked.  Ford nodded. “What- what would make you think that?”

              “Besides the fact that you’ve started calling him Fidds, instead of Fiddlesticks, Fiddlenerd, and Fiddledork?”

              “I still call him that sometimes,” Stan mumbled.

              “Yes, but in an endearing way.  A playful way.  Not in frustration.”

              “Whatever.”

              “The other piece of evidence was the way that you looked at him just now. Very reminiscent of how you used to look at Carla.”  Stan could feel a warm flush beginning to spread across his face.  “And as for the look Fiddleford gave you, well…”  Ford tapped his chin.  “I’ve only ever seen him make it once.  At his wedding, when he lifted his wife’s veil.”  Some small hope that Stan hadn’t realized was rising plummeted.

              Right.  He’s got a kid.  Of course he’s married.  Ford shook his head.

              “Sorry.  His ex-wife.”

              “Ex?” Stan asked, that hope beginning to grow again.

              “Yes.  They got divorced shortly before F moved here to work for me full-time.  As I understand it, they have split custody of Tate.”  Ford frowned. “Did he not tell you he was divorced?”

              “He didn’t tell me he had been married, period.”

              “Ah.”  Ford leaned back.  “Well, that could be because he was rather ashamed he couldn’t get it to work out. His family’s Catholic, you know. Very anti-divorce.”

              And probably anti-gay.

              “Don’t get me wrong.  They’re supportive of him.  They weren’t happy he was getting a divorce, but they considered his happiness to be most important.”  Ford was now watching Stan carefully.  “It’s a very loving family.  His younger brother came out as gay not that long ago.”  Stan’s heart stopped.  “There was an initial adjustment period, to be sure, but again, they wanted Fiddleford’s brother to be happy.  And pretending to like women wasn’t making him happy.  So they adjusted their mindsets.”  Ford shrugged.  “F claims it’s because of their ‘southern hospitality’ or some such thing.”  He met Stan’s eyes.  “Funny thing, though, F had no issues adjusting to his younger brother being gay.  He took it far better than anyone else in his family did.”

              “Why- why did you tell me that?” Stan croaked.  Ford cocked his head.

              “Isn’t it obvious?”  Ford grinned. “You should make a move.”

----- 

              Footsteps sounded on the stairs.  Stan didn’t bother looking up from his magazine, dreading the conversation that was about to happen.

              “I take it F has left?”

              “Yep,” Stan grunted.  “Something about how he wasn’t ready to see you as an adult yet.”

              “Ah.  So he went to his house?”

              “Nope.  California. Said this whole thing made him realize how much he misses his son.  He’ll be back in a coupla days.”

              “I see.”  Stan continued to stare resolutely at the pages open in front of him, rereading the same line over and over, not a single word sinking in.  “Stanley.”  Stan swallowed and looked up.  Ford stood in the entryway of the living room, back to his proper age.

              But now he’s not practically a ghost.  Ford crossed over to the armchair Stan was sitting in and balanced himself precariously on the dinosaur skull next to the chair, crossing his legs to do so.

              “I should start getting my things,” Stan said.  He scowled at the break in his voice.  “That’s what I said I’d do.  I said I’d leave once you were back to normal.”  He set aside his magazine, about to get up.

              “You- you aren’t even somewhat curious about why the plant returned me to normal?” Ford asked.

              “…Sure.”  Stan settled back into the chair.  “Go for it, Sixer.  What was the deal with that?”

              “Well…”  Ford cleared his throat.  “I’m still not certain as to where the plant originated from.  Regardless of its origin, however, the immense radiation it gave off was unique to this dimension.  I belong to this dimension-”

              “Debatable,” Stan mumbled.  Ford ignored him.

              “-however, my cellular components were aligned with an alternate dimension. As a result, I was drawn towards a source of immense, familiar energy,” Ford continued.  Stan chewed on his lip.

              “Like a beacon.”

              “Exactly.”  Ford sighed and uncrossed his legs, planting his feet firmly on the floor. “Instinctually, I was driven to consume the plant, as an attempt to realign myself with this dimension.” Ford gestured to himself.  “And obviously, it worked.”

              “Why’d it take so long for you to get all the way back to normal, then?”

              “I had to build up the energy to do so, which meant it could only happen in spurts.  After all, I require energy for basic function.”  Ford frowned.  “I’m still uncertain as to why I began to experience sensations I associated with specific ages before each growth spurt, as well as why I regressed before I could…progress.”

              “Fidds didn’t talk to you about his theory?” Stan asked, surprised.  Ford looked at him.  Stan looked away, avoiding eye contact.

              “No, he didn’t.  What was his theory?”

              “We were talking about stuff he could do while he visited Tate, and shooting came up, since he apparently used to go hunting with his dad when he was a kid. And he was going on and on, explaining the mechanism behind why guns have a kickback.  I got lost after about five words.”  Stan grinned slightly at the memory.

              I’m used to guys way smarter than me talking at me about things that go over my head.  I kinda missed it.

              “And then he stopped mid-sentence and just stared at me with his mouth wide open.”  Stan shook his head.  “And he said, ‘Stanford got younger ‘cause the plant had a recoil!’  I guess he got it into his mind that, in order to send you forward, it had to send you backwards, first.”  Stan shrugged.  “You’ll have to ask him to explain it in more science-y words when he gets back. That’s about all that I can explain.”

              “Hmm.”  Ford leaned back thoughtfully.  “I most certainly will have to speak to him.”  Ford cleared his throat.  “Did- did you have any questions for me?”

              “Not really.  Just seems pretty damn lucky that this all just dropped into our laps,” Stan said dryly. Ford let out a soft sigh.

              “My knee-jerk reaction is to be doubtful of this stroke of good fortune as well.”

              “Yeah, your buddy Fiddlesticks isn’t as cynical as we are.  He told me to be happy that things worked out so quickly and easily.  I was like, ‘Quickly?  Ford was a kid for over a month!’  And he said, ‘Could’ve been worse.’”  Stan spoke Fiddleford’s words in a slow drawl, attempting to approximate his southern accent.  Ford let out a small chuckle.

              “Have you asked him out yet?” Ford asked quietly.  Stan whipped his head around to glare at Ford, who seemed startled by the aggressive movement.  “What?”

              “Come on, Sixer, that’s just-”  Stan huffed.  “First off, stop trying to get involved in my love life.  Second, don’t try to fucking set me up when you’re still pissed at me for something I did over ten years ago!”  A moment passed.

              “I’m…not sure that I am pissed anymore,” Ford said finally.  Stan snorted.

              “Really.  That’d be the discovery of the century.  Fuck the thing in the basement, you learned how to give up on a grudge.”  Ford scowled.  “See?  You’re still pissed at me.”

              “Maybe- maybe I am,” Ford said, straightening his posture and almost falling off the dinosaur skull.  He held his arms out to steady himself.  “But I’m not pissed enough to ruin your chance with Fiddleford.  He’s- he’s a good man, he deserves someone who would treat him right.  And under that playboy façade of yours, you’re a hopeless romantic.  You always have been.  You never got over your high school sweetheart.”

              “Shut up,” Stan muttered.  He rubbed his face.  “I shouldn’t- I shouldn’t make a move, okay?  He’s- he probably wouldn’t be into a guy, and-”

              “That’s not true.”

              “How the hell would you know?” Stan demanded.  He groaned.  “Holy Moses, don’t tell me you guys dated.  I said that as a joke, I didn’t-”

              “No, no!” Ford said quickly, holding up his hands.  “Fiddleford and I never had romantic intentions with each other. My one true love is science, Stanley.”

              “Yeah.  That old chestnut.”

              “Before we fixed some issues in our roommate agreement at Backupsmore, he had a tendency to bring sexual partners back to our dorm room.  He didn’t seem to care about the gender of the person whatsoever.”

              “…Fine, he’s into guys,” Stan said.  “But that doesn’t change the fact that I’ll be leaving soon.”

              “You…you will?”

              “Well, yeah.  I told you I’d leave when you were back to normal, and you’re back to as normal as you get, so…”  Stan gestured vaguely.  Ford looked down at the ground.  “You were all for kicking me out before all this happened and now you want me to stick around?”

              “I-”  Ford grimaced.  “I’m not very good at articulating my emotions.”

              “I’m in the same fucking boat, Poindexter.”

              “I-”  Ford took a deep breath.  “I’m still pissed at you.”

              “We went over that already.  I know this.”

              “Yes, well…just because I’m upset with you doesn’t mean I want you gone. Or that I want to have it out with you right now.”  Ford spoke in a rush, each word tumbling out faster than the other.  Stan merely watched him.  “It’s- I’d forgotten what it was like to have you around.”  Stan chortled.

              “Okay, I’m gonna stop you right there.  The last month?  That was nothing like how it was when we were kids.”

              “Yes, yes.  Still.” Ford looked away.  “I’ve…missed you, Stanley.”  A silence fell.  After what felt like an eternity, Stan spoke.

              “I missed you too, Stanford.”  Stan could feel his throat getting thick with emotion.  He coughed to clear it.  “It was…it was pretty great to not be mad at you for a while.”

              “Yes,” Ford said softly.  Stan then put a word to how it had felt for the last ten or so years during which he’d been homeless, furious at Ford, but also desperate, craving some scrap of an interaction with him.

              It hurt.  It hurt to be so angry at him, but also know he used to be the one person I could count on.

              “I don’t know if I know how to be a good brother,” Ford said.

              “Me neither.  Obviously, I know how to be a damn good dad, but-”  Ford laughed and playfully punched Stan’s shoulder.  Stan rubbed the spot, chuckling.  “Do you think we can get through this?  Through all the bullshit we dealt with the last ten years?”

              “It would take work.  But I think it’s feasible,” Ford said carefully.  He eyed Stan.  “Of course, you’d need to stick around for that…”

              “Yeah.”

              “You know, I could really use someone to act as muscle for my research.” Ford feigned a casual tone. “There are a lot of dangerous things in the woods around here.”  He raised an eyebrow at Stan.  Stan’s breath hitched in his throat.

              “Are you- are you-” he croaked.

              “It might be a bit awkward at first, but if you’re willing to work for me, I’d love to have you join my research team.”

              “As long as you don’t make me do any team-building exercises, I’m in,” Stan said.  Ford beamed.

              “Excellent.”  Ford leaned closer.  “Now, when are you going to ask Fiddleford out?”

              “Wh- son of a bitch, Sixer, why do you keep pushing this?”

              “Because the only reason you asked out Carla McCorkle was because I dared you to.  You need a push when it comes to forming a meaningful relationship.”  Ford nudged Stan.  “Here’s your push.  Go for it.”

              “I think you’re still stuck in kid mode.  I’ve heard kids of single parents trying to get them to go on dates.”

              “Please.  I may have been a child, but I never once thought you were my father,” Ford scoffed. Stan looked away guiltily. “…Stan?”

              “…I should probably tell you about those coupla days you can’t remember.”

              “Oh-”  Ford pinched the bridge of his nose.  “Sweet Moses. Maybe we won’t be able to work past this.”

              “Nah,” Stan said confidently.  “Like you said.  It’ll take some work and a whole lotta time, but we’ve got this.”  Ford managed a small smile.  “What are you gonna do for dinner?”

              “What am I going to do for dinner?”

              “I cooked for you for a month.  You owe me a lotta meals.”

              “…I don’t know how to cook.”

              “Yeah.”  Stan got up and stretched.  “Let’s order some greasy, shitty pizza, then.  It’s been a while since I’ve clogged my arteries.”  Ford shook his head, hiding a smile.

----- 

              Stan didn’t bother to turn around when he heard the back door open.  He took another drag of his cigarette, relishing the ability to indulge in the vice in the open.

              Couldn’t smoke around Ford when he was a kid.  Someone coughed.  Stan looked over.  It was Fiddleford.

              “Oh, hey Fidds,” Stan said.  Fiddleford walked over and sat next to him, his gangly legs dangling over the edge of the porch.  Stan offered him his cigarette.  Fiddleford looked at it longingly before shaking his head.

              “I shouldn’t.  I don’t want Tate to smell it on me.”

              “Tate’s in California.  Go ahead, have a puff.”

              “Tate’s actually not in California right now,” Fiddleford said slowly. Stan raised an eyebrow.  “Emma-May and I worked out an agreement.” Fiddleford sighed heavily.  “Took some convincin’.  My absence didn’t exactly make her heart grow fonder.  But so long as Tate calls every night, she’s willin’ to let him stay with me fer a week.”

              “That’s it?”

              “It’s a trial run of sorts.  She ain’t willin’ to let Tate be in my care any longer than that yet.  Once I’ve earned her trust, we’ll revisit the custody arrangement.”

              “So if Tate’s in Gravity Falls, who’s watching him?” Stan asked. Fiddleford quirked a half-smile.

              “Stanford.”

              “Really?”

              “He was a boy himself recent enough.  Figured it might have helped him figure out how children work.”  There was a clatter and a shout from inside.  “Though I’m second-guessin’ that right now.”

              “Eh, Ford’ll be fine,” Stan said, waving a hand.  “I was telling him yesterday about all the tips I used on him while he was a kid.  He shoulda remembered some of ‘em.”  Fiddleford chuckled.

              “He should, but sometimes, things go in one ear and out the other with him.”

              “Heh.  Yeah.” Stan finished off his cigarette. He ground the butt underneath his heel as he exhaled the last puff of smoke.

              “I’m surprised yer still here,” Fiddleford said abruptly.  Stan looked at him.  “Didn’t you say you’d leave once Stanford was back to normal?”

              “Yeah.  I did. But that plan changed.”  Stan winked at Fiddleford.  “I’m gonna stick around to help Ford with his research. He said he needed some muscle.”

              “…Oh.”  The sound was small, disappointed.  Fiddleford cleared his throat hurriedly.  “I was just…I mean…”  Fiddleford looked at the forest, avoiding eye contact with Stan.  “There’s…there’s no other reason yer plannin’ on stayin’ in town?” Stan felt like he couldn’t breathe. A silence fell between them, broken only by the sound of wind through the trees and Ford trying and failing to watch Tate inside.

              “I, uh, I don’t have a lot of options-” Stan started.  Fiddleford’s shoulders tightened; he hunched in on himself.

              “That’s why?  ‘Cause yer only other choice is to be homeless?” Fiddleford asked quietly. During the time span in which Stan and Fiddleford had worked together, Fiddleford had worked his weird, southern charm to convince Stan to talk about his life.  Specifically, what his life had been like since he’d gotten kicked out of the house.

              “I mean…” Stan mumbled.  Fiddleford was silent.  Stan could practically hear the gears turning in Fiddleford’s mind as he grappled with the decision to be more upfront about what he was asking.  “Fidds.”  Fiddleford looked at him, wary.  Stan managed a cocky grin.  “I’m not as much of a dumbass as Ford.  I get what you’re asking about.”  Doubt remained in Fiddleford’s eyes.  Stan scooched closer.

              “Would I have left if Ford didn’t tell me I could basically crash on his couch?” Stan said.  “Yeah. Probably.  There’s a lotta bad blood between me and Ford.  I don’t think I’d be able to handle the stress of being in the same state as him, let alone the same town, if he wasn’t willing to try to bury the hatchet.  Or bury at least one of the hatchets.”  Stan saw Fiddleford roll his eyes the tiniest amount.  The meaning was clear.

              “Get to the point and address what I was implying.”

              “But I wouldn’t have been happy,” Stan said softly.  “And not just ‘cause things would still be bad with me and Ford. I- you-”  Stan took a breath and tried to line up the words he wanted to say. “You’re the first person I’ve been able to open up to about my shitty, fucked-up life.  Ford, I never needed to tell him, he was there for most of it. The people I met while I was homeless? Didn’t matter to me.  I knew I’d see ‘em a day and be gone the next.  But you…”  Stan shook his head.  “Despite my best attempts to push you away, you kept clawing your way back in, you little southern shit.”  Fiddleford was smiling now.  Stan could feel his heart pounding in his chest, so loudly that he was sure Ford and Tate would be able to hear it above the ruckus of whatever was going on inside.

              “You need a push when it comes to forming a meaningful relationship.” Stan leaned in, his eyes filled with the light of the setting sun, reflecting off Fiddleford’s reading glasses.  “Here’s your push.  Go for it.”  His lips met Fiddleford’s.

              He was expecting Fiddleford to shout some southern swear and shove him away. But nothing of the sort happened. When they broke apart, Fiddleford looked away quickly, but not quickly enough to hide the redness of his face.

              Wouldn’t have helped anyways, Stan thought, noting that Fiddleford’s flush snuck down his neck, disappearing behind his shirt collar.  There was a dead silence.  The wind had stilled, even the commotion in the house had stopped.  C’mon, Fiddlesticks, say something!

              “I, uh,” Fiddleford stammered finally, taking off his glasses and polishing them on his shirt, a nervous habit Stan had become familiar with.  He slid his glasses back onto his prominent nose. “That was…”

              “Hey, the moment was right,” Stan said with a shrug.  His attempt to feign a lack of concern was marred by the crack in his voice.  Fiddleford pursed his lips, looking down at his feet intently.  “Look, if you didn’t like it-”

              “No.”  It was a whisper.  “I- I did.” Fiddleford took a shuddering breath. “My folks, they- they’ve backed down from their original opinions, but it’s still- it’s-”

              “It’s hard to fight the programming,” Stan said softly, thinking back to his own childhood.  Filbrick’s disdainful sneer as he snarled slurs at anyone who didn’t fit in. Fiddleford nodded.  “If you don’t want-”

              “I do.”  Fiddleford looked up at Stan, his eyes shining with unshed tears.  “I do.  More- more than I would’ve thought possible, given we’ve known each other less ‘n a month.”

              “What can I say?  I’m a charmer.”

              “No, you aren’t,” Fiddleford said, a tease in his tone.

              “What?”

              “I doubt the av’rage Joe would consider yer baggage, build, and general behavior to be as charmin’ as you think it is.”  Fiddleford grinned.  “But I ain’t the av’rage Joe, now, am I?”

              “No, you’re not,” Stan said.  “For one thing, it’s definitely not normal for someone to insult a person that they said they want to be, ah, romantic with.”  Stan filled the word “romantic” with as much subtext as he possibly could. The effort was rewarded promptly – Fiddleford turned an even deeper shade of red.  “I don’t mind abnormal, though.  Especially when abnormal kisses like that.”  Fiddleford covered his face with his hands.  “Really, Fiddlesticks?  You’re embarrassed?  You were the one using tongue!”

              “Oh, Lord,” Fiddleford wheezed.  Stan decided to back off for the moment.  Silence fell again, but more companionable.  Less strained.  Fiddleford shook his head.  “I- you-”

              “Take your time,” Stan said, amused.

              “I was- before you started sayin’ that, I was ‘bout to say that you weren’t the only one who had a rare chance to open up,” Fiddleford finally said, his face blotchy.

              “I thought you were close with your family,” Stan said.

              “Well, sure.  But I don’t want to drag ‘em into the nonsense I got myself into here in Gravity Falls.”  Fiddleford smiled slightly at Stan.  “You, though, got dragged into it by someone else entirely.”

              “Yup.”  Stan let out a long sigh.  “I did. Same person that dragged you into it.”

              “Yessir.”  Fiddleford chewed on his lip.  “I- Stanley, I think I’d like to- to try this.”

              “This?”

              “U-us,” Fiddleford stammered.  Stan rolled his eyes.

              “No doy.  Figured that out when you used tongue on a first kiss.”

              “Stanley, please!” Fiddleford shrieked.  Stan merely grinned at him.

              “I wanna take a stab at it, too,” Stan said reassuringly.  “I-”  Stan scowled. “Ford says that deep down, I’m a hopeless romantic.”

              “Are you?”

              “Fuck if I know.”  Stan sighed. “But I wanna try something that I think could last.  With someone I’m close to.”  He looked at Fiddleford.  “Someone who, despite being made of twigs, manages to be attractive.”  Fiddleford blushed again.  “So when do you wanna go out?”

              “I, um…”

              “If you don’t wanna go out in public, we can always come here.  Or the woods,” Stan added as an afterthought.  “Never done it in the woods before.”

              “I need more than one date ‘fore I’ll do ‘it’,” Fiddleford mumbled.  His disgruntled tone didn’t mask his smile, however.

              “Okay, no woods.  Where, then?”

              “There’s a campground just outside of town.  Isolated, secluded.  Perfect spot fer a picnic.”

              “I think I can handle a picnic,” Stan said with a slow nod.  Fiddleford’s smile widened.  There was a loud crash from inside, causing them both to jump, startled. Fiddleford looked back at the house.

              “I should prob’ly go make sure Stanford hasn’t put Tate in danger.  Or vice versa.”  He stood up.  Stan got up as well.

              “Yeah, I think it’s high time I met your kid,” Stan said confidently. Fiddleford blinked at him in surprise. “Hey, you were the one who brought him over.”

              “Yes, but…”  Fiddleford shook his head in a fruitless effort to hide his growing smile.  “Still.  Wantin’ to meet someone’s child ‘fore you’ve even gone on a first date?  That’s mighty bold.”  Stan leaned over to kiss Fiddleford on the cheek.  He let out a small squeak and turned red again.

              “Thought you woulda figured it out by now, Fiddlesticks.  I am bold.”

#Gravity Falls #Stanley Pines #Fiddleford McGucket #Stanford Pines #FiddStan #fanfiction #deaging #Recoil AU #my writing #my stuff #this is......a looooooong chapter #speecher speaks

[hispeculiartreasure]

All We’ve Got is Time - Chapter Five | B.B.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

AU: If They’d Survived/Post-War/Window Washer!Bucky Barnes

Rating: Teen

Word count: 3,686

Chapter 5/24

Warnings: Moments of angst, allusions to PTSD, PTSD episode and symptoms

AN: Y’all have been teased enough. The moment is finally here and I was tingly all over writing this chapter. Lemme know your thoughts! My inbox is always open for squealing. Sorry for the dip into angst, but this is where the story is taking me. As always, thank you to each and every one of you who is reading, liking, commenting, and reblogging. You’re making this journey so much fun for me. Enjoy. 💖

*Sidenote: I’ll be posting on Thursday nights from here on out, for a lot of

Chapter Four

‘All We’ve Got is Time’ Masterlist

Seven o’clock on the dot Saturday night you climb the stairs of the familiar subway stop. The hustle and bustle of the city’s nightlife fills your ears as your feet hit the pavement - your mind echoes a similar frenzy. You’d read Bucky’s note a thousand times, had spent all day Friday debating whether or not to go on this date. Every time you made up your mind to stay home, his face interrupted those thoughts. You relived the butterflies you felt when you shared your name with him on the windowpane. You saw his cheeky smirk as he complimented you. You smile at the image of him flipping Anderson’s office the bird. Him laughing when you had done it the first time. A laugh you discovered you were desperate to hear. There was something about this man that drew you like a damn magnet.

Passing your work building, the anticipation you’ve been keeping at bay all day threatens to break free. Your roommate hadn’t helped matters.

Debbie asked a million questions while placing tidy rolls in your hair. This guy is a window washer? And he snuck into your work and left you a note? You’ve never even had a real conversation with him? How do you know he’s not a weirdo? Do you have any mutual friends? What kind of a name is Bucky? What’s his last name? Where are you meeting him? Do you want me to follow you to make sure you’re safe?

You’d sighed deeply, making a mentally note to learn how to do your own hair as soon as possible. Yes, he’s a window washer. He didn’t sneak in, he spoke with the office manager. We’ve had conversations, just nonverbal ones. Honestly I don’t know that he’s not a weirdo, that’s why I’m going on a first date. No mutual friends. It’s probably a nickname or his parents are just that creative. Don’t know his last name, I’ll find out tonight. It’s a restaurant right down the street from work. No, Debbie, I do not want you to follow me, relax.

Doing your best to weave your way through the heavy foot-traffic, you catch a glimpse of Bucky standing in front of the restaurant. The nerves crawl their way into your throat and for a second you consider turning around to go home. You’d never officially given him confirmation that you’d be here; he’d trusted that you’d see the note and show up if you wanted to, right? But then you hear Suzy in the back of your mind - What’ve you got to lose?

Taking a deep breath you wave to Bucky over the crowd, catching his attention. Turning, a relieved yet humble smile looks out of place compared to his handsome suit. He was taller than you’d guessed - you suspected at one time he’d stood more confidently. He had also shaved, which only accentuated that razor-sharp jawline.

Each step forward your heart rate reaches a new level. Each step it registers exactly what you’re doing and who you’re with. Each step carries a weight you feel but don’t quite understand.

Finally you are toe-to-toe with each other, no glass between you.

“Hey there,” a smooth voice greets you.

That voice. That voice washes over you, taking your nerves and untangling them, soothing them, washing them out through your toes that are curling in your shoes. At the same time that voice hits you like a brick wall, stealing your breath, stunning you temporarily. You don’t know what you were expecting, but it wasn’t that.

“Hi,” you return, a little breathlessly.

“Everything okay?” His smile drops immediately, apprehension evident.

“Yeah, yes, everything’s great. I just. . .” you pause, thinking to yourself that your admission could be a very strange start to this date. “I just realized this is the first time I’ve heard your voice.”

Bucky’s shoulders relax slightly, a nervous grin back on his face. “I was thinking the same thing. Crazy to think this is the first actual conversation we’ve had.” You nod eagerly in agreement and hold his gaze for a few more seconds before both of you become aware that you are standing in the middle of the sidewalk staring at each other. “Um, shall we?” Bucky asks, opening the door to the restaurant for you.

A posh atmosphere was not what you expected to walk into. But here you were among fine china and luscious flower arrangements everywhere. You find yourself admiring the chandeliers and eyeing the well-dressed patrons as Bucky approaches the maître d'.

“Reservation for Barnes.”

Bucky Barnes, huh? Catchy.

“Oh, Mr. Barnes. Mr. Dugan called ahead and had a table specially prepared for you.”

“Uh, he did? That’s really not necessary.” Bucky sounds surprised, embarrassed even.

“Oh, we insist. He is an old family friend. This way, please.”

“Friends in high places, huh?” you whisper over your shoulder as Bucky trails behind you and the hostess.

“More like nosey friends in mediocre places,” he grumbles under his breath.

While it felt extremely high-class, the atmosphere was quiet: conversations were kept at a low volume almost like there was a reverence in the room. With an extraordinarily decadent table reserved in a corner you are seated in no time, which leaves the pair of you sitting idly, twirling thumbs and picking at nails after you’d read through the menu.

“So-”

“How-”

You both stop.

“I’m so-

“You go-”

Nervous energy in the form of laughter bubbles out of both of you.

“I’m sorry,” Bucky leans his elbows against the table, “I haven’t been on a date in a while. I guess I’m a little rusty.”

“It’s been a long time for me too,” you confess.

He takes a deep breath, finally making eye contact. “Okay, we’ll start simple. Where ya from?”

“Tarrytown, about 30 miles north of here. You?”

“Brooklyn, born and raised.”

You’re briefly interrupted by the waiter who promptly takes your order and leaves you to your devices.

“Alright, I have a question for you, Bucky.”

“I’m all yours.”

“My roommate made me promise to ask you about your name.”

He chuckles as he settles his napkin in his lap. “Figured that was coming.”

“So what’s the story?”

“It’s not very exciting. There were a million other James’ at school and my middle name is. . . Buchanan.” You cover your mouth with your fist, doing your best to stifle a giggle. “I know, I know, I don’t know what they were thinking either. I still ask Dad if he was drunk when I was born - he never finds it as funny as I do. And obviously you can’t go around calling a toddler Buchanan, so Bucky it was.”

“James Buchanan Barnes,” you tested out. “It suits you.” A smile spreads across his face, a contagious one. Clearing your throat and shifting in your seat you say, “Alright, your turn for a question, Barnes.”

“What, I don’t get to hear about your name?”

“Nope. Try again.”

“Okay, then. Where’d you come from before this job?”

“I worked for Chevrolet during the war. There was a massive demand at the factory in my hometown. I signed up, much to my mother’s disappointment, but I was good at what I did. Worked on engines, learned a lot about combat vehicles. Even got promoted a few times, ended up being the foreman of my department.”

What could only be described as awe flashes through Bucky’s eyes. “That’s incredible. Why didn’t you stay?”

“Well. . .” you bit your lip, picking your words carefully. “The war ended. Men came back expecting to pick up where they left off. A majority of the women were relieved - it was tough work. But I truly enjoyed it. One day my supervisor called me into his office and informed me of the date my predecessor was returning, insinuating that would be my last day. I looked him straight in the eye and told him I would happily take the returning soldier on as a member of my crew.”

Bucky’s brow arches, smirk curling his lips. “And then?”

“And then several executives met with me and tried to persuade me to leave. Said my pretty face didn’t belong in a factory all day, that the work was too hard. Even though I’d been doing it for years without a problem when they needed labor. I mentioned the New York Times would surely be interested in hearing my story about them breaching a contract to counteract their post-war media praise.

“They scrambled and offered me the corporate job to try to smooth things over. But it was clear that I was not welcome to stay. They paid to move me into the city a few weeks ago.” You shrug, “I never wanted to be a career typist, but I’m not sure what else is out there for me to do. I don’t want to teach, I don’t want to just be a housewife. At least I can do this job well.”

Bucky nods, appearing to be lost in thought.

During your chatter, you’ve barely noticed the food that had appeared in front of you. You found comfort in how Bucky seemed to be paying much more attention to you than his plate as well.

“Although my job is a cakewalk compared to your normal routine, I’m sure,” you continue.

“Nah, I think you’ve got it worse. Being stuck in a tie in an office heading into a New York summer? I’m much happier outside where I can catch some wind.”

“Even though it’s kinda hazardous?”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Bucky shakes his head as he takes a bite of food.

“But you’re. . . . you’re so high up, can’t that be nerve-wracking?”

“It’s not as dangerous as you think.”

You’re sure the face you pull is overly dramatic, but his nonchalance is almost unnerving. “Are you kidding? You almost died on my first day of work!”

“What do you mean?”

You give Bucky an incredulous look. “Do you not remember falling from the roof? It looked like part of your harness had either slipped or wasn’t secured or something like that. You caught yourself on the ledge of a window on my floor.” Bucky still looks lost. “You don’t remember giving me a thumbs up and disappearing?”

Much to your astonishment, Bucky throws his head back and laughs. “Oh that? Trust me, I’ve been in worse situations.”

Your jaw drops, brows drawing together. Somehow Bucky laughs harder. (You had been right, that laugh was worth hearing.) “You can’t be serious.”

“It reminded me of a particularly hairy day but my best friend managed to pull me out. If I survived the war, I feel like I could survive anything at this point. Including the knuckleheads I work with.” His tone shifts away from mirth. “I’m sorry if they were rude to you that day. They’re ignorant kids who think they know everything.”

“For a second I thought you might turn out to be a knucklehead too.”

He winces. “They were that bad, huh?”

“They were. . .” you pause to search for the right word, “boys.”

“Yeah, they got some growing up to do.”

Your waiter places your bill on the table, wishing you a good night. But then your hand bumps into Bucky’s as you both lay hands on the slip of paper.

“No, no, no,” you tut, “this is on me.” With firmness you slide the bill to your side of the table.

“Nuh-huh, Sixth Floor, this was my idea.” He pulls the bill back to his side.

“And you wouldn’t be paying for a meal if I hadn’t shown up,” with one more slip in your direction.

“How about this,” Bucky proposes, sliding the bill from beneath your fingers, “I got this one. Ma would kill me if she found out I didn’t pay for a first date, so really, you’re doin’ me a favor. I’ll split it with you next time. Deal?”

Next time.  

“Deal,” you agree, looking down to hide your goofy smile.

Once the bill is settled, you stay in your seats for nearly an hour while the conversation continues to flow. Topics move from family, to childhood stories - in which most of his involve a guy named Steve - before somehow coming back around to work.

“So, what brought you to window washing?”

“Family friend wanting to help a veteran out. It’s not want I want to do forever, but it hasn’t been awful while I’m getting back on my feet.” He twists his dirty napkin between his fingers. You try to steer the conversation away from serious territory.

“What, not looking to fast-track your career to wash the Empire State Building’s windows?”

Several things happen before Bucky has the chance to answer that question.

Out of the corner of your eye you spy a busboy carrying an entire tray of glassware. The tray is piled high, he’s unsteady, shaking, clearly new at his job. A waiter rounds the corner out of the kitchen, barreling straight into the busboy.

The relatively quiet ambience of the restaurant is shattered as glasses, plates, bowls, and the like smash into the floor. Shards of glass explode across the restaurant, a deafening roar shocking most of the patrons out of their discussions.

Bucky is on his feet, chair overturning with his sudden movement. His eyes dart between the restaurants’ two obvious exits, head swiveling around in search of something else. Reaching behind his back, his fingers grab at air.

You had been fairly certain he had served - how many men his age hadn’t? - but you weren’t going to broach the subject unless he did first. His posture took you back to several memories of your uncle after he’d come back from World War I. He had lived with your family for a few years after being discharged because of his condition. You were barely a toddler but could remember the lamp in the living room shining on in the night, your uncle being awake at all hours. When a door was slammed or a radio squealed because it lost its frequency, he’d freeze at first. Sometimes he screamed, sometimes he swung a fist at thin air. Your mother always ushered you to another room, telling you he’d be okay in a moment.

Shell-shock, she’d called it. It had a hundred other names: war neuroses, battle fatigue, combat exhaustion, railway spine, soldier’s heart, combat stress reaction, nostalgia. But it was all the same thing. The panic, the sadness, the agitation, the flashbacks, the insomnia. Too many people believed it wasn’t real. Generals and doctors alike insisted it was faked, an excuse to be treated and discharged. But you had seen the fear in your uncle’s eyes, the same fear Bucky was fighting right now.

It’s in that small instant that it dawns on you - what Bucky must have seen in his time overseas. He may smile and appear easygoing. But beneath that veneer was a survivor. Someone who has experienced unspeakable horror, who has lost things he could never get back. You wonder what point in time he’s taken back to; what he’s seeing, what he’s trying to escape from.

But then Bucky blinks a few times, hands clenching into fists at his side while he attempts to gain control of his shallow breathing. It’s over in a moment, but doesn’t escape your notice. His behavior stands out to no one but you - several people had stood up to help clean the mess, busboys were scattering everywhere to pick up shards.

You stand as well, drawing Bucky’s attention. “Wanna walk me home?”

He only nods, following you out of the restaurant. The pair of you walk in silence for a few blocks, your feet leading you home out of habit.

Your mind races. What can I do for him? Should I ask him about it? Do I pretend it didn’t happen? Should I talk first or let him say something? I’ll keep quiet for a bit. . . Okay I can’t handle walking around New York in dead silence.

“So, what do you want to do?”

He turns to you with a confused expression, obviously being dragged away from a memory. “Sorry, what?”

“You said you didn’t want to wash windows forever. What do you want to do?”

“Umm. . . I dunno.” He scratches the back of his neck absentmindedly before shoving his hands in his pockets. “I applied for my benefits from the G.I. Bill a few months ago. I’m still waiting to hear back from the VA. They’re all kinds of busy, though. If they come through, maybe I could go back to school or get trained in something specific. . . no matter how much I think about it, I can’t come up with a good answer.”

“Well, you’ve still got time to think about it.”

“I’ve got lots of time. Somehow that’s not as comforting as it should be.”

You hum in thought. “A salesman? Seems like you could be a sweet-talker.”

You get an eye-roll and a sarcastic “Ha ha,” as a response.

“An accountant?”

“Nah,” he scrunches his nose, “too much time inside.”

“That’s fair. . . a teacher?”

“I don’t think schools would want me around kids with my war experience.”

“I’m sure that’s not true. Someone who has seen the very worst of humanity would be well-equipped to deal with teenagers.” You both chuckle as Bucky admits that you may be right.

“I had always thought about doing something with my hands. Ma was always getting onto me n’ Steve for taking apart the toaster to see how it worked.”

“Bless your poor mother’s soul.”

“Hey, we could always put it back together,” you raise an eyebrow at him, “. . . most times.”

“Ah, the truth comes out,” you tease. This time the silence is more comfortable, less tense. You make it a few more blocks side-by-side, your arm brushing his every once in a while.

“Have you ever thought about working on cars?”

His looks down at you. “Can’t say that I have. I’ve never owned a car in my life, let alone worked on one. Don’t exactly need one when living in Brooklyn. The most driving experience I have is in war zones.”

“Before I left the factory, rumor was that they’re going to start making bigger cars to cater to families. That means bigger engines, which means a host of problems the factories won’t anticipate when they try to adapt the smaller engine. Cars will be popular, therefore cheaper, which might create a booming market in the next few years.”

“Huh.” He looks forward again, mulling on the idea.

“You don’t have to wear a tie, won’t be stuck inside, have minimal interactions with customers.”

“That’s not a bad thought.”

“Could be interesting to think about. If you think that’d make you happy of course,” you amend. “There’s no point in getting roped into a job you hate after surviving a war.”

“Hadn’t thought about it that way. I’ve been thinking more on surviving than being happy.”

“Thankfully that’s not something you really have to do anymore.”

Your eyes meet again, a revelation blooming in his. “Yeah, you’re right,” he breathes.

“I, uh. . . if it sounds like something you’d want to pursue. . . I’d be happy to teach you what I know. Let you get a feel for what it’d be like.” Immediately you regret what you’ve said - your mother would be horrified at how forward you were being.

Bucky stops walking which only makes you nervous as you stop with him.

“You mean it?” He doesn’t look displeased, rather earnest, actually.

You hum affirmatively. “An old friend from Terryville owns a garage in Queens. I’m sure he’d be okay with us stopping by and tinkering sometime next weekend. I can call him and check in the morning.”

“Okay, uh. . . yeah. Let’s do it.”

“Okay.” Once again, you are staring at each other in the middle of the sidewalk. You had a hard time grasping the fact that this twinkle in his eyes was new - surely that wasn’t because of you. . . right?

You start walking again, hoping you were right that your friend would let you and Bucky visit the garage. And you hope you could deliver on your promise to teach him. But that was a worry for another day.

“Well, this is me,” you come to a stop in front of your apartment building, circling to face Bucky.

“Oh, already? Uh. . .”

Shoot. I didn’t prepare for the end of a first date. It went by so fast, I didn’t have time to think about it. Oh jeeze, does he initiate a second date? Do I? If he even wants to see me again? Oh no, what if he tries to kiss me - I haven’t kissed someone in so long. Has it changed? How the f-

He says your name and you try to emerge from the fog of your frazzled inner dialogue. “I, uh, this was-um.” He shakes his head before blowing out a breath. “Thank you. . . for tonight. I uh, I really enjoyed myself.”

“I did too,” you return, hoping to bolster his confidence.

“Can I see you again?” he asks sheepishly, head turned down, eyes peeking up through sinfully dark lashes. “Before this weekend in the garage?”

Without a second’s thought you reply, “I would really like that, Bucky.”

A grin replaces the embarrassment, his posture already shifting. “You doing anything tomorrow night?” You shake your head. “Meet ya right here around six? I’m sure we can find something to do in the neighborhood.”

You can only manage a small nod, not trusting your voice to hide your emotions. Bucky takes the smallest of steps toward you, moving slow as if not to spook you.

Your eyes are so riveted to his that feeling his fingertips against yours startles you at first. You relax, warmth spreading through your stomach as he grabs your hand. Gently, he kisses the back of it, just long enough to be amorous.

“See you soon,” he murmurs against your skin. Goosebumps ripple up your arm before he lowers your hand and backs away, seeming loathe to turn around.

“Goodnight, Bucky,” you croak.

“Goodnight, Sixth Floor.”

Chapter Six

Tags:

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#bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes reader insert #Bucky Barnes fanfiction #Bucky Barnes angst #Bucky Barnes fluff #All We've Got is Time #marvel fanfiction #beka writes #chapter five

[solastia]

Faith | 6

Chapters:  [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Pairing: Namjoon x Reader

Word Count: 2,600 (short, but good)

Genre & Warnings: Angst, fluff. Smut free chapter. 

Notes: One more official chapter left. Maybe a Namjoon POV if y’all want it. I might be able to be talked into drabbles if you’re nice. 

Silence. 

That’s all you’d heard from Namjoon for the past week. He wasn’t answering the calls or texts you’d sent, although you knew that he’d at least read them. There hadn’t been any sightings of him on the gossip channels either. It was like he’d disappeared, but you knew he was probably at his Mom’s or the hotel. You’d considered trying to stop by the room, but you’d envisioned horrible enough scenarios to talk yourself out of that. You also knew that appearing at his Mom’s when even his family didn’t know about Faith would just make the situation worse. So you backed off. You knew he’d come to talk to you when he was ready. 

Still, the waiting was not easy. 

Even knowing that Namjoon would never do something like snatch Faith away, you still thanked the powers that be for you having a job in a daycare where you were able to keep an eye on her at all times. Even if Namjoon himself wouldn’t do it, there were still plenty of people around him that very well could. 

You were so upset with yourself. All of this could have been avoided if you had been less of a coward and trusted him a little more. At the same time, you were still a little happy he’d gotten to fulfill his dream and live his little rich and famous lifestyle without baggage. At least now, if he forgave you at least, you’d be able to go forward without worrying about him thinking he’d missed out on anything.

You sigh wearily, reminding yourself to buck up and focus on work. Snacktime was not a good time for self-reflection. 

“Come on, Monkey.” You pick up Faith and strap her in booster chair next to you, setting out her apples and cheese. She munches away, happily unaware of the drama happening in her life. God, you hope Namjoon chooses to at least want to see Faith. This little girl would be so blessed to have a father like him. 

Your phone vibrates, and you take the chance to look at it, quirking an eyebrow when you see that it’s from Keisha’s Instagram. She’d followed you last week, no doubt to try and keep tabs on you, and you’d followed her right back to show you weren’t afraid. You don’t know why you bothered to check the update right now other than morbid curiosity. It was probably just yet another selfie that was 75% boob. 

The picture is of her in a familiar looking bed, the sheets drawn up to just barely cover her, but low enough to tell she wasn’t wearing anything under it. She was grinning smugly into the camera. You inhaled sharply when you realized that she wasn’t alone. It was just the back of him, but there was Namjoon. He was shirtless and turned away from her, most likely asleep, but the implications were clear. And by Keisha’s expression and the fact that she posted such a photo publicly, she wanted you to see it. 

Message received. 

The rest of your day went by in somewhat of a blur. You finished work and drove home. Took the dog for a walk around the complex. Fed and bathed Faith. Got her to bed and asleep with minimal fuss. When everything else was done you sprawled across the couch and stared at the television. You couldn’t focus enough to watch anything, but it was better than silence. Snoop jumped up and settled between your legs, staring up at you with a gaze that suspiciously looked like sympathy. Great, even the dog knew you sucked. 

Just as you’re about to give in to your exhaustion and doze off, a knock sounded at your door. The pattern was familiar, and you couldn’t help a quick fond smile over how music was so ingrained into his soul even his knocking was a catchy beat. You release a tense breath before unlocking the door and open it to reveal a very rumpled looking Namjoon. 

“Hey.” 

“Hi. You wanna come in?”

“Sure. Cool.”

You open the door wider to allow him to come inside, cringing inwardly at the awkward beginning. Still, at least he was here. 

Snoop made his presence known, jumping all over Namjoon and knocking him over onto the couch. 

“Hey there, little man. Jesus, you’ve gotten a little chubby, huh? Mom’s been feeding you well?” Namjoon chuckled as Snoop rolled onto his back and demanded belly rubs on his admittedly bigger than usual tummy. Although that could be blamed on Faith, who thought it was hilarious to throw her lunch on the ground for him to eat. 

Namjoon sighed, patting Snoop one last time before turning to you. 

“Is she asleep?” 

“Yeah. I try to have her in bed by eight every night.”

He nods, looking nervously at his hands. 

“That’s good. I’d like to see her, but this makes it easier to...talk.” Namjoon ruffles his hair and sinks into the couch a bit. “I don’t even know where to start.” 

“I can at least start by saying sorry. I know it can’t erase anything, but I truly am sorry. I made a decision that affected you without your knowledge, and that was wrong of me. I shouldn’t have let my fears of what might happen influence me.”

You plop onto the other side of Snoop, grateful for the little buffer to help calm your nerves. Namjoon thinly smiles at you before nodding. 

“Thank you. I’m still hurt, and it’s probably going to be hard for me to trust you like I used to, at least for a while. But, I had a lot of time to think this past week, and I think I understand your reasoning. I don’t think that would have happened with us, though. You were my whole world, and you having my child would have made me the happiest person alive. It would have just motivated me to work harder. I’m probably always going to be a little upset with you for the time I lost with her, I’m not going to lie, but I think we can move past this. I want to try.” 

Your stare at Namjoon in shock, hope trying desperately to fight its way into your heart. 

“What do you mean?” 

“I’m mean I’m as in as I ever was. I want you, all of you. I want to marry you and be a father to my child. Maybe give you a few more.” 

You blush wildly, the image everything you’d ever dreamed. But...

“What about...I thought you’d gotten back with Keisha?”

“Oh, you mean that picture? Naw, she got someone to give her a key to my hotel room and posed while I was asleep. Creepy as hell. Told her that too. And now thanks to Trey, I don’t have to deal with her at all anymore.” 

“How so?” 

“Trey was getting ready to release his debut album. He’s really talented, and I’m really excited for him. Apparently, he offered to give her a verse and let her be in his MV. She dropped me so fast it was hilarious. She got off the phone with him and said, “Sorry, Nam Nams. This could be it for me, you know. It’s been real.” Then she just waltzed off. I mean, I knew she didn’t have any actual feelings for me, so it’s not that much of a surprise. I’m just sorry for Trey because now his debut’s success is reliant on her not fucking up.” 

“So, just like that? She’s gone? Seems...I don’t know. A little anticlimactic,” you frown. The woman you’d met seemed like she’d fight until the end. 

“Babe, this is real life, not the movies. Did you expect her to melt after throwing water on her? Or, what was that one lifetime movie you made me watch? The sister drugged the husband until she was knocked up or something and then she tried to kill the wife?” Namjoon chuckled, looking at you fondly. 

“Yeah, okay. I got it,” you roll your eyes, before taking a deep breath as you felt some of your burdens fall right off your shoulders. That was at least one worry done. It still seemed too good to be true, but maybe Namjoon was right, and you just watched too much damn television. 

“She went where there was the most chance for her to get famous. That’s all I was for her, and I knew that.” Namjoon shrugged. 

The silence that followed was pleasant now, comfortable. Snoop reveled in the attention as the two of you pet him while you collected your thoughts. 

“So what now?” Namjoon finally asked softly. You glance up and meet his eyes, eyes that were surprisingly full of hope and want. God, you did not deserve this man. 

“I think that should be up to you. I’m the one that messed up here, so I will take whatever you can give,” you tell him hesitantly. You wanted to tell him you wanted everything, all of it, your entire soul belonged to him. But you’d lost the right to demand anything. You’d happily do whatever he wanted. 

“We’ll take it slow at first then? Date a little, get to know Faith. I still have a couple weeks here that we can use to figure things out. I’d like to eventually let my family meet Faith. I kinda already blurted out her existence to them the other day. They are excited about her.”

“That sounds reasonable,” you nod. Fuck, his family probably hated you now. It was such a shame because you adored them. 

“So...how much touching is allowed when one is taking it slow?”

You gape at Namjoon, surprised to find him wearing that look. The look that was so filled with dark promise and love. You wanted to weep because you’d thought you’d never see it again. 

“Once again, up to you,” you responded, your voice thick with unshed tears. 

“Cool. Get your ass over here and cuddle me then,” Namjoon smirked and gently pushed Snoop off the couch, hauling you closer so you were draped on top of him. He wrapped his arms around you, practically crushing you to his chest. The both of you released contented sighs as you just relaxed and enjoyed each other, watching the television silently. 

“Are you staying the night?” You finally ask after about a half hour, knowing you needed to ask now as you were dangerously close to falling asleep. 

“If that’s alright. I’d like to meet Faith in the morning.” 

“That sounds good. Cuddle in the bed then? I’m too old to sleep on the couch.” 

“Yeah,” Namjoon says quietly, but with a little soft smile that showed off one of his dimples. 

You jump up and hold your hand out to him, pulling him into the room and the exact bed that you’d once shared. His snores soon brought you the best nights sleep you’d had in that bed since he’d left.

You were finally awakened when the sun was hitting you right in the face. That struck you as odd for a moment, but you couldn’t remember why. 

You kept your eyes closed but slowly sat up, stretching your arms and arching your back. You managed to crack your eyes open a bit and looked around, your mind finally starting to catch up with you. 

The sun in your face was weird because it had been so long since Faith had let you sleep past six. It was always dark when you started your day. Which led to you realizing that Faith was not in her crib and you didn’t hear her. 

Namjoon wasn’t in your bed either. 

You shot up and jogged out of the bedroom in a panic, not really sure what it was you feared yet, only to freeze once the dining room comes into view. 

Faith is in her high chair, giggling and covered in different colored globs of food. Namjoon is sitting in front of her, also covered in food, but making up some rap about the wonders of fruits that she seems to enjoy enough to open her mouth for another bite. 

“Good morning,” you snort as you grab some wipes out of the nearby diaper bag and stalk towards the pair. 

Namjoon is absolutely beaming as he smiles at you, and Faith smacks her lips in demand for a kiss, which you give her after wiping her face a bit. 

“Morning, babe. She woke up a few hours ago, and I wanted to let you sleep in. I think she likes me. Aside from our battle to figure out what baby food she likes. Which, we decided that the peas suck.”

You laugh and eyeball the chucks of hardening green stuff all over his shirt. 

“I can see that. You have to trick her. Give her a toy to distract her then shove a spoonful in there.”

“That’s sneaky but smart.” Namjoon chuckles then waves another spoonful of applesauce towards Faith, who accepts it without a fight.

“She also let me change her diaper. I think I put it on wrong, but so far she doesn’t seem to mind. Wasn’t as gross as I thought it would be.” Namjoon bounced happily as he told you all of his accomplishments. You sneak a peek towards Faith’s seat, and sure enough, the diaper is on backward. 

You snort and bump him with your hip. “You wanna see gross, you should have seen her newborn diapers. I thought I’d killed her when black stuff came out of her. Didn’t read about that happening beforehand,” Namjoon’s look of horror made you giggle, and you walked towards the kitchen to start your coffee. 

That was already made. And also surrounded by four open containers of baby food, obviously rejected.

You shake your head fondly and make yourself a cup before leaning with your back against the counter, watching the two.

You wanted to cry because it was so perfect. Namjoon was so very happy just being able to do something as simple as feed his daughter, so proud of himself. He was so good with her and she seemed to like him just as much. That you’d nearly messed things up so much that you would have never gotten see how cute they were together made you want to sob.  

“She’s probably going to need a bath because we both have peas and weird pasta stuff dripping off of us. I can take care of it if you want? I promise not to break her,” Namjoon asks earnestly, watching you with big eyes as Faith further dirties herself with the unattended spoon of applesauce. 

You laugh and wave him towards the bathroom. 

“Have at it, handsome. I’ll make breakfast. Waffles okay?” 

“Yeah, that sounds great.” 

Namjoon picks up Faith and comes over to kiss your cheek. The vision of two adorable dimpled smiles shining down on you with happiness fills your heart with joy. 

#kwriterskollection #kpopwritingnet #btswriters #bts #bts fanfic #Namjoon fanfic #bts angst #bts fluff #namjoon angst #namjoon x reader #namjoon scenarios #bts scenarios #rapper!au

[matan4il]

Some Eurovision 2018 thoughts

Because I promised @isabellaofparma I would post these, that’s why. I should note, I wrote most of this before the rehearsals and saved it as draft, so there are only a few added touches before posting. Also, can’t believe it’s almost a year since ESC 2017. @beautifulhusbands, remember when we chatted about last year’s competition? Good times. OK, here are a few thoughts about some of the songs by country... Hungary - thing for me is, I love rock songs at the ESC, so a rock song has to work really hard for me not to like it in this competition. Still, this one feels particularly authentic, so major kudos, it’s my fave rock song this year (sorry, @i-want-messed-up-with-you-4-ever, though the Netherlands’ country rock entry is nice too. @letthebluerain we also have a cute light rock song from Romania, but I have to admit I’m always disappointed when I don’t get a song in Romanian from the country I was born in. But I actually adore that we have more than one rock song this year, I like this diversity). @isabellaofparma, I still love last year’s Hungarian entry more, but that’s because it became one of my fave ESC songs ever, not because this year’s offering isn’t good. FYR Macedonia - I saw some people saying this song is a mess of genres, but I don’t think that’s the issue. You can throw in five different musical genres and as an idea, it could still work well. For me the problem is every time I get into a particular portion and genre and I start enjoying myself, the song switches over. So I’m left unsatisfied by the whole thing. Greece - I like this song. I adore all songs that are in their country’s native language rather than in English, even though I get why so many choose to perform in the latter. So this song gets points for that, has an ethnic sound to it which I also like and generally, it seems like Israelis tend to like the Greek songs. So yeah, one of my faves this year. I think it has a real shot at being the winner. (isn’t @nvrtickleadragon Greek? I like relating songs and countries to people. So go you!) Belarus - this may be weird but the singer reminds me of the guy who played the (more) openly gay teenager on Witness (I miss that show so much). That does things to me. So I like this entry, but it may not be for the right reasons. I think how this will do will greatly depend on how it’s executed on stage. Italy - I have to say, I adore the Italian tendency to send songs in Italian as it’s one of my fave languages. This entry is nice musically, though I think one of the singers is not as good as the other one and the disparity takes away some of my enjoyment. Also, I’m not fond of the tendency to send 'from the headlines’ songs, though relatively to the genre, this one is nice. All in all, my feelings are it could have been better and it could have been worse. At least the hook is catchy. (I believe @robertjacobsugdens is Italian, right? Again, me with the relating stuff to people thing. I do believe you guys will do well this year even if this isn’t my fave entry this year, nor my fave Italian song to the ESC) Also, technically, I wanna rant over the fact that there actually ARE pacifist bombs. For example, there are bombs used specifically to destroy other bombs in a controlled manner that saves lives. So. I don’t know. I don’t like an oversimplified message is what I’m saying, I guess. Kinda makes you wonder why I listen to ESC then, right? ;p France - This is another one ‘from the headlines’, so once more, I’m a bit meh. It’s a nice, lovely tune, I adore that France always sing in French, but the song becomes too familiar too quickly in my opinion. I’m sorry, @iamarobronniffler, I think you guys will get a high score, but I don’t think it will win... I also think it was sort of hurt by being one of the first songs to be released, which means people had loads of time to get used to it... Personal pet peeve is that the singer pronounces ‘Mercy’ not like the English word the name derives from, but like the French word ‘merci’, which is a nice touch, but it starts bothering me towards the end of the song, when the name is repeated (and mispronounced) so much. Denmark - ok, so on first listen? It’s a really strong entry. The drums are epic, the staging is good, the production of the song is tight, the legend behind the song of Vikings who decided not to fight is cool, it is a catchy song, Rasmussen has stage experience so the odds of him faltering on the night are slim, thus this song has SO MUCH going for it. Usually, if you have a song like this and you come from one of the two blocks (the Soviet or the Scndinavian ones) I feel like you have it in the bag. That’s how I felt about Sweden’s Heroes and Denmark’s Only Teardrops and they both won. But I feel like one thing that works against the song is that it has something about it that’s almost too serious and in a year where a lot of things are less so, plus this year is very innovative while this song is classically epic, that may work against it. Also, I feel like years when the Scandinavian countries send more than one strong entry, that end up splitting the Nordic vote and negates the block advantage. This year, you have Finland with a strong entry too, plus Sweden being Sweden. Basically, I feel like this could have been the winner in a lot of years, but probably not this one. Portugal - feels like an attempt to send a song in the same genre of their winner last year and I think the odds of the same country winning twice in a row with the same type of song is slim to none. That being said, I think this year’s offering is lovely and way better in this genre than last year’s Portuguese song. Sorry, I still don’t think that guy should have won. Sweden - hmmm, this will do well, first of all because it’s Sweden (really, @stulot, it’s ridiculous what an empire you are in this sense) and because it has a nice, young Michael Jackson vibe. But I really don’t think it’s gonna win. It doesn’t stand out enough in my opinion. Plus, the Danish and Finnish contenders are stronger IMO, so my guess is a lot of Scandinavians votes are gonna go there rather than to Sweden. It’s a good song, it’s just not enough of a competition when even within Scandinavia, it’s only the third strongest song. Ireland - the song is sooooo sweet, it’s almost too much so. It gets a bit better once you realize it’s actually about a relationship that has ended, it gives the idea behind it a bit of a twist than if it were just a declaration of sickeningly sweet love, but the real gem for this entry is the clip. It’s openly showcasing a same-sex couple and I am SO happy about that! Despite its gay reputation, ESC is actually more heteronormative than you’d expect, so that clip made me really happy. I want it to do better than it might have otherwise for that alone. I'm glad they’re bringing it to the stage in Lisbon too. I’m annoyed (though not surprised) that Russia said it would cut this song out. Thing is, Russia is allowed to do that in the semi-final, but not in the final, so for that reason if nothing else, I want Ireland in the final. (person from fandom that this made me think of, @dannymiller-irish-fan. Promise I’m done with the tagging now... I think) Cyprus - this is a very typical ESC song, it’s fun and tightly produced so it will do well, but I’m not happy about the lack of originality, plus the pushing of the ‘sex sells’ angle is not something that I subscribe to. Bulgaria - this song feels very current, easily a pop hit you could hear on the radio rather than on the ESC stage. I enjoy it, I think a lot depends on the live performance, how the staging will go, how will their voices blend live, but I think it can be the winner. Estonia - it’s weird, I think her voice is stunning beyond measure, the song is perfect opera pop, I enjoy it whenever I hear it and yet it’s not a song I can see myself listening to outside of the competition. Maybe because it’s not exactly one you can sing along to. All the same, another possible winner IMO. Finland - So this is the strongest Scandinavian contender in my book (so @youslicetheginger, I think you guys have a shot). The song is classic ESC, it’s also well produced and performed, which is really important, so that takes a bit away from the fact that it’s not that original. However, you gotta add in two more advantages, both originating in Saara Aalto being the one performing it (beyond the fact that SHE CAN FUCKING BELT). One is that she was on singing reality shows in both Finland AND the UK before the contest, which probably makes her the most established artist of the whole lot before the competition. That matters because while the Scandinavian vote is split up this year, she can make up for it through fans of hers from outside Finland and Scandinavia. The other is her being open about her engagement to a woman. This, together with the possible LGBTQ reading of her song, I think can also get her a lot of votes. So basically, out of the Nordic countries, I believe she’s gonna place highest. And I’m definitely a fan. Iceland - the most interesting things about this clip and its video: the church you can see in the clip, the streets Ari (the singer) walks down in it, are ones I’ve seen and walked too, which was pretty cool to me. Ari means Eagle in the Scandinavian language, which is a cool coincidence with the fact that in Hebrew, the same name means lion. ‘But Alice, these interesting tidbits have nothing to do with the song!?’ you say? Exactly. Sorry, Ari, you look like a lovely guy, you damn well can sing, but this is the biggest bore fest this year. You deserved a better song. Norway - This is the definition of “don’t know when to call it quits”. What’s worst to me is Alexander tried to make it better by saying kids keep asking him how to write a song and this was his reply to them. Either he’s lying and just trying to get the audience to go all ‘awwww’ over his very banal song, an inferior version of the song he had won with in the past... or he’s honest, in which case, STOP LYING TO THE KIDS, Alexander. That is NOT how you write a song. Ukraine - I think this is such a cool, different song performed by a cool, different artist, it’s upbeat, it’s not preachy, it’s unique, it’s catchy, I love it. I don’t think it will win, but it’s another one of my faves. Spain - this love song made me think of @imre-gr, of course. It is sweet and lovely. It was the first song I heard that made me smile, so how could I not think of you? But then, I have to admit that it is very much the typical ESC love duet and while it’s a very good version of it, in a year full of unique and different songs, I don’t think it stands a chance to win. Sorry. :( Israel - honestly, my first reaction when the song was first released was, ‘ok, so we will not win this year either’. I still think it’s too divisive to win (I know the bookkeepers disagree, but I think they mainly rely on how many views the song clips get on YouTube and that is NOT a measure for which one will win the ESC), I think the song’s too original, too creative and TOO out there, not enough people get why the chicken bits were included, too many people started arguing about whether this is a feminist song or an anti-male one, but I was happy to see it was less divisive than I anticipated and that a lot of people have responded so positively to the song, to its message of self-empowerment and to Netta. I can’t think of anything better than so many people seeing a woman who is clearly nothing like the thin ideal of beauty in our society singing “I’m a beautiful creature”, getting that she means it and agreeing with her. Netta in simply who she is conveys a real message and spirit of change for the better. The song itself tries to tackle a serious issue but without being preachy or heavy about it, make it fun for people when they sing about feminism and embracing yourself and your strength as you are. I feel like this attempt sometimes means the lyrics aren’t clear enough (as the song is inspired by the #metoo movement, ‘stupid boy’ doesn’t feel like a harsh enough term for the sexual harassment the song refers to, plus it can too easily be used to make it seem like the song is anti-male, because people take it as if ‘stupid boy’ is referring to all men rather than to jerks who take advantage of women), but I still appreciate what it tries to do. And at the end of the day, I think Netta is fabulous, I think she got her message across, I think her song became popular way beyond the bounds of the competition, so in my eyes, even if she won’t win the contest, she’s a true winner and wonder woman. I’m proud of you and thank you for representing in such an amazing way a huge part of the beauty of my country on its 70th anniversary. <3

#esc #eurovision #Eurovision 2018 #netta #netta barzilai #toy #Israel #Israeli Music #what am i doing with my life

[graceeast]

Chapter 2

Part 14

This is a joke NSFW 18+

Today Kim came up to me and A-aron and told us that her and Karen are going to see Hannah Montana in concert. I was like yo Hannah Montana is my jam! They said they were going to hard core marathon all the shows ever made because you know you got to have the #bestofbothworlds. A-Aron and I thought it was a good idea for Karen and Kim a night to themselves.

Later I went shopping with my mom she asked me what I wanted I replied with my usual watermalon! She then asked me what else I wanted I said I dont know yellow is my favorite flavor. So she grabbed a lemon I said no you stupid bitch I said yellow. So she finally got the hint and got a box of just yellow crayons.

That night I played Wii bowling with my bro A-Aron and I was like get good scrub you bowl like your mom and he said it be like that sometimes. Then we got high #hugsnotdrugs #brosfohoes #instaverified. Anyway since kim has had her kids her tits are like #nexleval I wish she would call me daddy 🤤

Part 15

Since the girls are going out tonight A-Aron and I have to take care of the babies. #notavibe but I will still help him apparently his kid Jim said his first words they were "shove it Karen jr. #fuckit" we could not be more proud of him!

I hope A-Aron and I can raise these kids just as good a Sanic and Shrek raised their kids. Each of Sanic and Shreks kids have their own swamps that's what I call very successful.

Meanwhile at the concert Karen passed out from drinking too much and Kim is half naked and Karona is dancing on stage with Hannah Montana and Milly Cyrus herself it was very hardcore.

Part 16

Karona fell off the stage but it's ok because Billy Rae Cyrus caught her. They looked deep into each others eyes until rudely interrupted by Karen . "Excuse me!" Karen exclaimed. The Billy and her eyes locked he straight up yeeted Karona and they had some premarital kissing. Gross!

That day A-Aron texted me. "You ready to rob a bank?" I was like WTF A-Aron did you take your ADHD medication. He was like "I thought we were bros weather I took my meds or not!" "But to be honest I didn't" I said you should probably do that we will talk later. A-Aron than says "I love you bro no homo"

The girls had fun at the concert but Karona is still a little upset that Karen stole Billy from her. But they made up since Karen said "he's horrible kisser I ended up complaining to his manager Hannah Montana about it!" "And we broke up." Karona was glad she dodged a bullet with that one thank our lord and savior Dr. Phil

Part 17

A-Aron and I have to clean his room today apparently I cause 90% of the messes. Anyway his room has a white boy white sanfransico vibe to it, it has several posters of pokeman. It also have posters of big time rush. After picking up his several pairs of board shorts we are lunch which of course was case of dillos #cultured.

Karen jr. Finally learned how to complain to the manager today since we went to friendlies and she got the wrong ice cream. Jim said shut the F up Karen and Boe just minded his own business.

I cant believe Karen won the presidency! Surprisingly since she was going against Bloomerberg. Science he is an old white man and she is a black Mexican. She didn't have a great chance but she made it. She is going to make America love shrek again.

Part 18

In Chillerys class today we were listening to one of those educational songs and low key I got turnt as hell listening to it. Later I ended up buying it on iTunes for my blue totally awesome ipod shuffle. I listened to it only 600 more times. I even made a dance to it to show Chillery tomorrow in class.

We all stood up and said the pledge of the memeist then saluted the flag with Shrek on it with our middle finger as it is the way he would want it. Then we said long live our president Karen amen 🙏. Then we all dabbed and coughed in each other's faces.

That night Aaron, his family and I went to the cheesecake factory and we ate like kings. It was very good till I got home and had explosive diariah every where. Gross.

Part 19

Today I started talking to Korona cause she a cutie. She and I decided to go on a online date on roblox since that game bops. Anyway we were thinking about going to Mac Daddys for dinner on Friday I'm excited! Except when we got there Mac Daddys was closed so we had to hard-core hand job and then well you can only imagine what happened next. Its closed because of of the pepperona.

But its ok because I got quarantined with her which was nice because we did a lot of HBO and chill. We take a couple hits of the mareajowana. She is my Quranqueen.

School is online now and Chillery was talking to us then all of the sudden there was a loud noise. "What was that" Chillery yelled. A-aron raised his hand and said sorry that was me I dropped my iPad. "I soiled my depends" Chillery exclaimed. I than said Sah bro to him and Chillery yelled shut the F up. Whoh Chillery has no chill.

That night I went home and I printed off some black and white nudes for my sweet heart KTVSPN4 I hope she likes them.

Part 20

Today in school a new student came on line her name is Cardi B. All of the sudden someone who had been quiet all day raised their hand. What is it asked Carol Baskin our art teacher. "Yes, is that short for something?" Cardis cheeks turned bright red she hung her head and embarrassed and said "it's short for Carigan Backyardagain" thewhole class laughed. Carol said if we don't stop she would feed us to tigers so we shut right up.

Today after classes Karona came over we had sex and I was pretty sure I tore my rectum. But you know what they say chuck it in the fuck it bucket. Also #worthit. She enjoyed it which is good because we don't waste. Especially seman and hot pickles oh my goodness after eating one of those and watching the hot pickle movie 🤤. Hot pickle I need to repent.

The next day A-aron was down and before class Skyped my friend group apparently Karen Jr. Was getting to be a handful. Thankfully Karona is into all of the astrology stuff and a-aron yelled "what can you tell me about scoripos?" The answer was simple don't be a donter...

Chapter 21

I got home and listened to Thomas the dank engine. Then all of the sudden Korona called me. "Honey you know how we had 69 on 4/20?" Yes I answered "well I'm #tomato sauce" what? "I'm sorry I'm prego" she exclaimed I said it was going to be ok and we would figure it out. "Wow you are the best" she said.

That next day in music class we had a project to write a song about someone who inspired us. Danny Devito went first "yes this is a song about me." He said he went on singing -"this won't make us fall there is still one man we can call, Danny Devito the one that we need oh" it was very catchy. The teacher wasn't pleased but it was better then kims song about Carol Baskin.

I'm so happy Karona is prego, today we find out the gender of our baby. Turns out its a girl we are going to name her corona lite extra. I can't wait until our beautiful baby is born!

The next day in class Carole was singing about her husband it was very sus talking about sardine oil on her husband. And something about tigers and how they be snacking on his meat I don't think in a good way. Anyway big yikes.

We had a baby shower for Karona of course on the internet dont want this weird virus. She got a onsie it said dada on it I can't wait for our baby to wear it.

Part 22

A-aron sent me a link last night it said under the link "looks like you" I of course clicked on it and you will never guess what happened. It brought me to a separate video I watched it there was some unmentionable stuff happening in it, I texted A-aron and said "I think that video gave me cancer" he texted "Thanks Obama!"

The baby is due next month and we couldn't be happier we decided that when its born we are not going to vaccinate our child because autism. Dont want our kid to be messed up for life. We are going to be using natural oils and food made from home and of course cloth diapers. Got to make sure she is perfect.

At lunch I was telling A-aron our plan he completely agreed that autism is way worse than being susptible to the flu or polio he said they didn't get Karen Jr. Vaccinated and she has only gotten small pox once and the flu 4 times since she has been alive. To me thats worth it

👌 💯 😌 🙏

23

Karen started talking about "he own business on Facebook and is trying to get us to start our own. "It only takes one second to share" she sells essential oils.

" its called essential oils for a reason"

I bought some hoping that would shut her up but it did not. The next day she talking about betrayal on Facebook and how hard she is trying to sell this shit to everyone.

Just shut up no one wants your oils!

I'm so excited for Karona to have the baby any day now she will arrive and we will be so happy and a family.

Part 24

Karona went into labor in quarantine with me I delivered my own child! Like we said it is a girl so we will be naming her Karona extra light.

She was healthy and thank goodness 🙏 it was a home birth because hospitals are so disgusting and they might vaccinate her and we don't want that because everything we are doing is all natural. We are even using cloth diapers because the government expects you to use disposable but i just can't in good conscience do that to my sweet daughter.

Karona is nursing which is great because we are planning on nursing her till she is 5 because breast is best.

Part 25

Today on Facebook Karen posted one of her normal posts. "Does anyone have a truck I can borrow need to move a couch also if you could help me that would be great!." And "does anyone have any Bobby pins I can borrow?" "I'm so done with everything" "anyone want to buy essential oils and be a model for me for free?"

What a bitch just trying to get free stuff from people I never understood asking for stuff like that. Like a few things here and there but every day is kinda ridiculous. Plus who barrows Bobby pins like wtf. Like I'm pretty sure those are one time use.

Today Karen also asked me if I would sell essential oils for 10% of the profits. She also said using them could help me lose up to 10 pounds. She said it just takes 2000$ to start out but I'll earn it back next month.

Yeah right I'll earn it back never. I just told her I wasn't interested which she got really upset with. "You know you just lost me 300$!" -yeah I did the math 10% of 300 is 30. Dumb bitch oh well.

Part 26

Karona extra light started talking today apparently she is religious because first thing she said was you may be verified on Twitter but are you verified in the eyes of the lord.

I have had many conflicting feelings lately back in elementary I liked guys but now and then I liked both, but now I'm leaning more towards girls but I still sometimes have feelings for guys. Any way I'm just going to come out as Bi because I still like some guys but lean more towards females. I told Kim she was totally excepting.

Kim started a job at worst purchase today she said her day was so easy and they are actually paying her a good amount. I'm proud of who she is

But who am I is the question

Well now that I got it figured out my name is Atlas Consintine I am bi-sexaul and I'm still trying to figure it all out. I am a chillis employee that has gone through alot but I think its time for this saga of my journal to come to an end you see tomorrow is high school graduation and pretty soon I will be thinking about the next step in my life. Probably join the peace core or something. Ps simp means squirrels in my pants doesn't anyone remember Phineas and ferb. Anyway that's it for now journal until next time.

Atlas

#funny #fiction #short story

[theunrealinsomniac]

Hello there! How about Ron x Pansy + 354

I’m so sorry it took so long! But this one is gonna be all kinds of fun.

354: ‘You didn’t tell me it was karaoke night…’

Ron gulped as he walked through the entrance to the new pub Harry had asked him to meet at.

This would be why he’d been so cryptic about why this month’s night out was taking place halfway across the city. In a pub they never went to.

A large banner hung above a raised stage with the words ‘KARAOKE NIGHT!’ 

‘Ron!’ Harry shouted from the bar, holding up two beers and grinning like a loon.

He weaved through the bustling crowd, smiling idly at pretty brunette who’s eyes went up and down him as his arm brushed her back.

He had to pivot around a group of lads getting quite rowdy already, but he got to the bar just in time to see Harry taking the first taste of gloriously cold beer.

‘You didn’t tell me it was karaoke night…’

Harry smirked and shoved a beer into his waiting hand. ‘No, I didn’t. But ignore that, that’s not why we’re here.’

Yeah right, Ron didn’t believe his best mate for a minute on that one. Harry took every excuse to get Ron to sing. Damn supportive best friend took the same tack he did to getting Ron to be more confident on the Quidditch pitch with everything in Ron’s list of insecurities.

Harry put an arm around Ron’s shoulders and led his vision to the table in the corner where two women he recognised were sitting, chatting happily.

‘Harry … please tell me you haven’t dragged me out for a double date. You know how well the last one went.’ Ron still felt bad whenever he bumped into the Patil twins.

Daphne Potter, honey blonde hair tied up in a neat bun, looking as at home in a student pub in Camden Market on a Friday night, as she would at a pureblood gala, saw them looking and waved eagerly.

As she did the woman sat next to her turned and a curious smile turned into a look of abject horror. Which mirrored Ron’s perfectly.

‘Harry!’ Ron grabbed his mate by the lapel. ‘The hell mate? Why are you trying to set me up with Pansy freaking Parkinson?!’

The black haired man rolled his eyes. ‘First, I never said I was setting you up-’

‘You so are though.’

‘Beside the point. She’s not that bad and let’s be honest mate, ever since you and Hermione split up … well a fresh start couldn’t hurt right?’ Harry smacked Ron on the back and started to lead him over to the table. The annoyingly happily married man grinning to his wife as they approached. ‘Also, I have it on pretty good authority Pansy was the one asking about you … we just facilitated.’

He would have to take a moment at some point to explain that just because Harry and Daphne worked out, didn’t mean everyone had to start dating Slytherins. 

They reached the table much quicker than he’d have liked and, after the hug for Daphne and a polite smile and a wave for Pansy, he begrudgingly took the seat next to Pansy. 

And he couldn’t lie, she did look absolutely stunning. Especially considering she wasn’t staring at him like he was something awful under her shoe.

‘Hi Ron,’ Pansy said with an awkward smile. ‘Long time no see huh?’

‘Yeah,’ Ron replied. Merlin, this was surreal, he could already feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. This was going to be the weirdest freaking night he’d ever had. ‘How’ve you been?’

‘Good.’ Pansy’s fingers fiddled with the bottom of her wine glass, her eyes darting around, catching Daphne’s for an obviously long moment.

‘Hey babe?’ Daphne said, radiant smile in place. ‘Let’s go see if they have that song you keep singing in the shower.’

‘Oh Christ, I hope not,’Harry said with a grimace to Ron. ‘Muggle radio is my real greatest enemy mate. Damn catchy tunes.’

He allowed himself to be led away all the same, Daphne’s arm looping around his as if it belonged there, before disappearing into the throng of people.

‘Think they could be more sickening if they tried?’ Pansy scoffed after their backs. She took a sip from her glass, piercing eyes watching him carefully, like he was a wild animal or something.

Well … the urge to run was getting pretty high. But that wasn’t fair … it wasn’t like Pansy as a woman would be the same as the girl he’d gone to school with.

‘Not been around the two of them together much have you?’ Ron chuckled. ‘That’s tame, you wait til you hear the pet names.’

‘Merlin,’ Pansy smiled. ‘I don’t think I even want to imagine. How bad is it?’

‘Remember when Ernie MacMillan and Lisa Turpin got together in sixth year for a bit?’ Ron waited for her to nod slowly, the fringe of her hair shifting to cover her face in a surprisingly endearing way. ‘Worse.’

Pansy’s lips fell into an ‘o’ and she snorted. ‘Oh Morgana, that’s either horrifying or the sweetest thing on the planet.’

He chuckled and they fell into an awkward silence as they drank. Ron was just wishing they’d come back already. 

‘Okay,’ Pansy said as she put her empty glass down with a little more force than she meant. ‘I think I’ve had enough wine to say this now.’

A sharp pinch in his stomach met her words as Pansy leaned forward. ‘What?’

She took a deep breath and looked him dead in the eyes. ‘I need to apologise for all the shit I pulled in school. I’m so sorry Ron,’ she said, the tension in her body she looked to be shaking. ‘I know I did and said some shitty things about your family and you personally. I just … fuck this is going to sound so insincere but it’s true alright?’

Ron nodded stiffly. Of all the ways this could have gone … this was not what he’d been expecting. ‘Alright.’

‘I had a massive crush on you, from like fourth year on.’

Ron had to be dreaming. He’d eaten some potion laced chocolate or something and was having a hell of a trip.

‘And I get that sounds like so much crap. I mean, what moron treats someone they fancy the way I treated you but … well I was jealous of Granger and I didn’t react well to those feelings. You know about my parents …’

He did. Her mother had been found with a Dark Mark and her father had been found dead in their manor house the week after Voldemort had fallen. Believed murdered by his own wife.

‘I just … I’m sorry okay? You don’t have to forgive me and I know you probably hate me still but I just … wanted to apologise.’ Pansy looked away and Ron had to scramble his brains just to think of a time where the ‘Queen Bitch’ of Slytherin, as Ginny referred to her, had ever looked so much like a normal woman.

‘So …’ Ron started. ‘Um … Wow.’

‘Wow?’ Pansy said sharply. ‘Really?’

Ron laughed, which only made Pansy scowl at him. Which he’d admit was actually kinda attractive. Oh Merlin help him.

‘No, I’m sorry, I’m not great at this whole talking about feelings things. I’m worse than Harry really. But, you had a crush on me? What about you and Malfoy?’

Pansy growled and her fingers flexed as she lifted her hands in aggravation. ‘Me and Draco, we were best friends Weasley. Did you ever see us kiss or hold hands or anything that teenagers think mean love?’

That … was a damn good point. ‘Okay, fair enough. I suppose I just kind of assumed?’

‘You and everyone outside of Slytherin yeah,’ Pansy grumbled.

‘Sorry. But can I ask?’ Ron held his hands up. ‘Why the hell did you have a crush on me? I wasn’t exactly nice to you either.’

Pansy crossed her arms over her chest and sighed. ‘I liked your smile, you were funny and loyal and after you started playing Quidditch and got taller …’

‘Sweet Merlin,’ Ron said, a shocked expression covering his face. ‘You thought I was hot!’

‘Shut up!’ Pansy hissed back. ‘Yes, okay? You were fit and I was a teenage girl and complex emotions and if it hadn’t been for you and Granger getting together after school I’d have done something about it then! But you would probably have rejected me out of hand anyway!’

He couldn’t help it, Ron laughed. It was probably the worst thing he could possibly have done but good sweet Merlin, he couldn’t stop himself.

‘Fuck you Weasley!’ Pansy snapped as she blushed bright pink.

Ron brought his laughter to a stop, quickly as he could, and waved his hands in front on f him. ‘I’m sorry, no seriously Pansy, I’m sorry. But, I know you’re not the same person as you were in school. If you’d just wanted to apologise you could have done that back then.’

‘Well I know that now.’ Pansy pouted heavily and it was fucking adorable. ‘Harry marrying Daphne was the big hint.’

‘I bet,’ Ron chuckled. ‘But we’re good okay?’

Pansy looked at his proffered hand and took it uncertainly. ‘You’re sure?’

He squeezed her fingers gently. ‘I am, I’m not the same person either. Stands to reason we’d all grow up a bit don’t you think?’

Pansy smiled and nodded, shifting in her chair to get out a purse. ‘Okay, well I need another drink, so can you watch my bag while I go to the bar?’

Ron pushed down her hand and smiled back. ‘I’ll get this one, you just sit there and think how I’ve only gotten hotter with age, and I’ll think about how we should do this again, just the two of us.’

Pansy gave him a smirk. ‘I had noticed that thank you. And yeah, sounds like a plan. I can still feel the Potters watching us from the karaoke machine.’

He grinned and she squeezed his fingers. The feeling of her warm hand in his comforting and exciting all at the same time.

Okay, maybe dating a Slytherin wasn’t out of the question.

#make the writer write #ron weasley #pansy parkinson #ron x pansy #cameo haphne #haphne #ronsy #harry potter #daphne greengrass #harry x daphne #amaliabones #this was fun #but christ is it long #slytherdornet #thanks for asking!

[joyofcrime-elinorhigh]

2017 Year in REVIEW: Part 2

Hello everybody, my name is JoyofCrimeArt and welcome to the final week of Deviant-cember! It's been fun ride, but it's time to wrap up 2017. And I'm doing by going over all the major animated series/animation related news that came out this year, ranking the shows from best to worse, and deciding which animation network "won" the year. If you haven't seen part one yet I suggest you check it out before continuing this part, 2017 Year in REVIEW: Part 1 But for those of you who have seen the first part, let's just jump back into things.  Teen Titans Go! had another miniseries this year as a follow up to Island Adventures. This time, based off the episode "40% 40% 20%." one of the most popular episodes of the series. And to celebrate this event Cartoon Network decided to have a marathon airing nothing but Teen Titans Go! and the newly premiered O.K. For an entire week!  I'm starting to feel numb to this.  This is the "Night Begins To Shine" Miniseries, how was it?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGIe8d9w8O4

 Now before I get into this, I do feel like I need to briefly go over my opinion on the episode "40% 40% 20%" since that's the episode that this miniseries is directly based on. And my opinion on it is pretty much the same as everybody else's. The episode is great, and shows that Teen Titans Go! can be genuinely good when it wants to be. The episode featured a stylish art style, a story that focused on abstract visual storytelling, and a really catchy song. The episode isn't without it's faults, but it is one of the best Teen Titans Go! episodes, in my opinion. So how did this sequel do?  Well let's start with the positives. The visuals in the music word are still really good, capturing the 80's aesthetic perfectly. It honestly reminds me a lot of Moonbeam City. Anybody remember Moonbeam City?  No, oh. Okay...  The covers of the song "Night Begins to Shine" by Fall Out Boys, CeeLo Green, and Puffy Ami Yumi were also neat to hear. Especially Puffy Ami Yumi, it was a nice throw back to the old show having them preform. However, I do wish that more time where devoted to these covers.  However, the special does have it's fault. One problem, surprisingly, is that the special focuses too much on story. Complex stories are not Teen Titans Go's! strong suit. Part of the reason why "40% 40% 20%" worked so well was because of it's simplicity. It focused less on story and more on visuals and atmosphere. But by trying to stretch the story out to an hour, and giving the music world this whole backstory it takes away that simplicity. Also we spend a lot of time in the real world, away from the psychedelic visuals that we all came for. And while "Night Begin's To Shine," plus the new song they make are both extremely catchy, they aren't enough to fill up an entire hour. And since all the covers are all shoved in at the end, the song kinda get's old after a while. And visually they don't really do much new with the music world that wasn't done in the first episode.  However, I don't want to be to hard on the episode, because unlike a lot of other episodes, you can really feel the passion that went into it. It feels like the people behind TTG were really trying to make something epic. And while I don't think it entirely works one hundred percent of the time, I do give them an A for effort. The special is better than Island Adventure from a technical standpoint, but it doesn't have the "so bad it's good" element that Island Adventure had. So it's kinda up to you're own personal preference to figure out which mini-series is more enjoyable.  But that's not all CN did, as like I said before, It wasn't just a Teen Titans Go! marathon, but also a marathon for there new show "OK KO: Let's Be Heroes."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWyHZQARrnM

 OK KO: Let's Be Heroes, created by Ian Jones-Quartey, follows the adventures of KO, a young optimistic kid who work's at a mall plaza. The twist however being that it's set in a world with the rules and logic of a shonen anime or a beat-em-up video game, and by working at the plaza he'll be able to fulfill his dream of becoming a hero. Already the show has a lot of promise with it's premise alone, but how does it succeed in terms of execution?  Let's start with the characters. They're all pretty good for the most part. KO is a very likable character very reminiscent of the young hot blooded shonen protagonist that he is inspired by. Enid works well as the straight woman-  But not to straight, ammiright!? Up top!

Oh man, we got ourselves a sad lonely lesbian up in in this hiz-ous! Quick, Somebody give this show an Emmy!  Also I'd like to give special mention to Lord Boxman and his robot children, who are my personal favorite characters. Imagine Megaman's Dr. Willy and his robot masters crossed with Team Rocket from the Pokemon anime. The only character who I'm not super crazy about is Rad. He's not awful or anything, but his obnoxious personality can definitely become overbearing at points. Also his entire character arc is pretty much just Lars' character arc from Steven Universe, only not as well done. But he doesn't ruin the show for me or anything.  The animation for the show is kinda hit or miss. The show has a very sketchy art style that people seem to either love or hate. Personally, it's not really something I gravitate to. Though I do admire that it has an art style that looks different from the traditional "CN" art style that we've seen so much of the last couple of years and also do like how it has a kinda "middle school doodle" aesthetic to it. It's not a bad art style, just not really my thing.  However, what is a bigger problem is the consistency of the characters designs. And thus we enter the online debate that's been haunting the animation community have been having since Ren and Stimpy came out in the nineties. Is off model animation ugly or expressive? I feel like it can work in some cases, but I don't think it works here. Characters look off model so much that it just comes off as sloppy. Which is a shame because if we're talking just about the actual movement this has some of the most fluid animation that I've seen in any Cartoon Network series.  I also have a bit of the problem with the writing. I don't know what tone this show is trying to go for. Half the time it seems like it's trying to be this super silly cartoon while the other half of the time it tries to be a serious lore show and it doesn't gel well. The comedic elements mix well with the lore, like having the big season one mystery revolve around a falling sandwich.  I just couldn't find myself caring about it all. Also the shows main evil shadowy figure pulling the strings name is Shadowy Figure. I'm sorry I can't take this villain seriously. Coupled with some episodes with some really hammered in morals and a odd amount of gimmicky episodes, the show ends up feeling like a jumble of interesting yet disconnected ideas without any clear cohesion.  But is the show bad? No. What I think saves the show is the characters. They are genuinely likable and I like just seeing how they interact with each other. It's defiantly an improvement over there last couple of shows (Ben 10, Mighty Magiswords, Powerpuff Girls,) but I don't think it lives up to some of there other modern classics (Like Steven Universe, Adventure Time, or We Bare Bears.) OK KO is Okay...KO.  The unwatch button is down there. I completely understand.  Meanwhile Disney decided to get into the reboot game with Ducktales 2017. And can i just say that I genuinely think that if they didn't  use the old theme song everybody would hate this show. Like they could keep everything else the exact same, but if they cut the theme song down to say thirty seconds like most cartoons now of days people would hate this as much as they hate the Powerpuff Girls reboot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKSU82afy1w

 Well the show doesn't have any of the original voice actor and the creator's different, so the show must be awful right guys? Okay cool, done. Next show-  No, obviously I'm kidding. Let's talk about Ducktales 2017. No need to spend to much time on the plot, cause it's Ducktales. You all know the story. Three trouble making young ducks move in with there rich adventure loving Uncle Scrooge, and shenanigans ensue. They solve mysteries, rewrite histories ect. Disney hyped this show to hell, and even aired the hour long series premiere TWENTY FOUR TIMES IN A ROW! I really wanna know, was there anybody who watched ALL twenty four showings back to back to back? I mean someone must of, right?  Now I don't know much about Ducktales. It was WAY before my time, though from what I can gather this is a pretty good series in terms of it being a reboot. It isn't just adapting the old show. It's combining elements of the old show, the comics, and new ideas and that's honestly the best way to go about a reboot in my personal opinion. I'm glad they just make it a rehash with all the still living cast members returning, and a ton of wink and nod references to the old show that new fans won't understand. I give the show a lot of props for that.  I also want to praise the shows beautiful art style. I love how it looks like a comic book, not only calling back the series roots, but also giving it a unique visual identity. The show is also really funny, having a very clever wit mixed with a very comically exaggerated world. The world feels very comic book-y and has a real sense of fun to it. It's cool seeing all the creative shrines and temples that exist in this world, just waiting to be explored.  The characters range in quality, though that may not be the shows fault as episodes are being aired out of order, and as such the amount of attention given to each cast member is not equal. But I won't hold that against the show.  However, the show is far from perfect. It suffers a bit from what I call Milo's Murphy's Law syndrome. As in, the show is great on it's own but is so similar to what came before that it takes away some of the enjoyment. "But JoyofCrimeArt" I hear you saying "I thought you said that this show wasn't rehashing the original Ducktales cartoon." And it's not.  It's rehashing Gravity Falls. Okay, maybe "rehash" is a strong word, but It's hard to not notice the similarities. I don't know if this show is borrowing from Gravity Falls or if Gravity Falls was actually just a ripping off the original Ducktales and it just took me five years to realize it, but just take a look at the similarities.

 We got a group of tween age twins/triplets-

 -who move in with there miserly jerk with a heart of gold great uncle.

 And a socially awkward spunky girl with a grappling hook-

 -Who are trying to solve a mystery involving a missing personal. All without letting the miserly uncle know what's going on.

 With the miserly uncles dim witted older assistant-

 -and a cool "older sister" like role model along for the ride.

With an antagonist who is a rival businessmen to the miserly uncle.  Seriously, it's pretty blatant. And to be fair it's not an exact rip-off or anything. Some things are executed differently. The world and comedy of Ducktales is definitely a lot more cartoon-y and over the top than Gravity Falls. And there are elements in one but not the other for sure. But there are definite parallels, and judging by the marketing Disney is doing for this show it seems pretty clear that they want this to be their "new Gravity Falls." It's not that the show is bad per say, but it's hard for me to not compare it to Gravity Falls, and I'm sorry but Gravity Falls is definitely the better of the two series. In fact you could say that this show is basically...

Also can I just say that I don't give a crap about this shows lore. Like, at all. They try to do the big overarching mystery thing and I am just not invested at all. I like shows with lore, I really do, but this is far from a new concept at this point and if you're going to do it now you got to add something new to it But this is just the same beats. And I could be wrong, but I feel like I know exactly where it's going. Without going into to many specifics there's a character who mysteriously disappeared, and it looks like they did something really bad before disappearing. But I know their's going to be some explanation given to make their actions justifiable because I know they wouldn't make this character a bad guy. Their's another character who their playing up as working for the villain, but I know their going to give this character a redemption arc because that's what all lore shows like this do. Their doing that thing where they're solving this mystery but they don't want anybody to know about it, without any real reason why other than just the "we can't trust anybody" crap. Character's keep secrets from each other just so there can be more mystery. These tropes were new and innovated when shows like Gravity Falls and Steven Universe came out.. but that was a while ago and we've had a lot of mystery shows since then we've seen all these story beats in those shows, and nothing new is brought to the table.  So yeah, I can't say that I love this show as much as most people. But that doesn't mean I hate it. Their are things I do really like about it. Like the humor, the cartoon-y atmosphere and the art style. But it is a shame when the mystery, the thing that's suppose to be the most enticing, ends up being the shows weakest element. I think if this show came out a couple years ago. before so may cartoons followed this kind of formula, I would of liked it a lot better.  But hey, at least it's better than Marvel's Spider-Man. Ha-ha! Segway!

Yeah...this show doesn't really have a theme song...  Now it's hard to talk about Marvel's Spider-Man without talking about the previous Disney XD Spider-Man series, Ultimate Spider-Man. I only watched a little over one season of USM before I dropped the series because honestly, it wasn't very good in my opinion. The whole show felt like it was made by a committee featuring dumbed down writing, obvious cross promotion to other Marvel properties, and a Spider-Man who came across less like a nerdy genius and more like an arrogant buffoon. So when this series was announced, with official press statements referring to it to a "back to basics" approach to the franchise, I was hopeful. How did the show turn out?  Well...it's better than Ultimate. I think....  Honestly it seems odd that they cancelled Ultimate Spider-Man for this because the series feels like it has most of the problems that Ultimate Spider-Man had. Just slightly less so. The writing still feels dumbed down, but slightly less dumbed down. The series is less focused on cross promotion and mostly features Spider-Man characters, which is a plus as I though that Ultimate Spider-Man was a bit too "Marvel Universe Centrict." But that still hasn't stopped the show from already having an episode where Spider-Man meets Iron Man, and another episode where he meets the Hulk. IN THE FIRST FOURTEEN EPISODES. This version of Spider-Man is more of a nerd which is good, but they messed it up by going in the opposite direction by making him TOO MUCH of a nerd, with him constantly talking about how awesome science is at every possible opportunity.  Also the animation of this show is really bad. Nothing is shaded properly, and it's very distracting.  The only thing that I really like about this show is Norman Osborn. He's voiced by Josh Keaton, who played Spider-Man in the Spectacular Spider-Man and I was shocked to see how well is was able to pull off such an opposite character. He's just as petty and cartoonishly conniving as Norman Osborn should be. But other than that, the show doesn't have much to offer. It's clearly made for really little kids, and their isn't really much for adults. It's that bland kind of bad, where it feels like there just wasn't much passion put into this. I'm sure that's not true but that's how it feels.  Speaking of reboots of 80's properties, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2012 aired it's final episode after five seasons and over one hundred episodes. Now like I said in part one, I've only seen the first two seasons of this show, so I don't know how good the last three seasons where, but I'm glad that the show got a good run. From what I saw, it was a pretty great show. However what does annoy me is that Nickelodeon moved it to Nicktoons with only TEN EPISODES LEFT! Like really Nick? You couldn't just air the last ten?  Meanwhile at Netflix, not satisfied with just one anime-esq cartoon project they decided to make another. This is...(sigh) This is Neo Yokio. Or, another installment in my side series series, (Oh, the Cringe!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLNRZ_1WyzM

 Neo Yokio, created by Ezra Koenig and starring Jaden Smith was a show that was originally pitched to the Fox ADHD block, but ended up in a state of development limbo after said block got canned. But someone at Netflix decided that this show was something that the world desperately needed and decided to pick it up themselves. The series stars Kaz Kaan, the most popular bachelor in the entire city of Neo Yokio. He's you're average millionaire celebrity dealing with all the first world problems that a millionaire celebrity have to deal with. But he's also a demon hunter...and..and...and...  Jaden Smith is younger than I am. How come he has his own anime?! I want my own anime! Come on Netflix, pick up "Average Spirit Warrior" please!  This show is odd. Not just odd, it's an odd kind of odd that's hard to explain. I don't know what this show wants to be, and so I don't know how to judge it. Sometimes it seems like it's trying to be an action show. Other times it seems like it's trying to be a straight forward comedy. OTHER other times it seems like it's trying to be parody of anime. And other other OTHER times it feels like it's trying to be a serious show about social issues like the wealth gap and the gender spectrum?!  Is there just some rule in the Netflix contracts that says that every Netflix show has to tackle gender identity, regardless of it it fits the series or not? Is that why Bill Nye's show had a rap about a vagina? Is that why?  It has a real adult swim vibe, like they bought the rights to some obscure early 2000's anime and decided to make there own dub. The animation even has the quality to it to, with lots of really bad lip syncing. The show's art is also not that great, looking like it's ten years older than it actually is.  The show varies in quality from so bad it's good, to actually pretty dull. Unlike other over the top weird anime Neo Yokio has a very slow pace, which makes everything feel at lot more mundane. Also Kaz is a very hard character to relate to because he is so rich and so oblivious to the world around him. Though the show does definitely have it's stand out moments. The show is so bizarre that there are plenty of funny "WTF" style moments, like the running gag with the Big Toblerone bar and some of Jaden Smiths bizarre spiritual-isms. Jaden Smith, while pretty monotone as a voice actor, did surprise me a couple of times with some okay comedic timing believe it or not.    The show also has some interesting world building that I wished they elaborated more on. There's sort of this alternate history element to this world's history that result in a lot of creative idea. It's a world with no 9/11, the Soviets are still around, Japan and Italy are somehow one nation...  You know I bet if your reading this without watching the show first I sound like a raving lunatic. WHY IS EZRA KOENIG MAKING AN ANIME? He's primarily a INDIE GUITARIST!  Do I recommend watching it? Ehh, I can say that I have never seen a show quite like it...I'd say watch the trailer. It's a good representation of the show, and if you find that trailer "funny bad" then you'll probably get a kick out of this show. If not, then you can skip it. Overall, to me at least, the show just didn't have much synergy...  But hey, don't say you love the anime if you haven't read the manga...

 And Teen Titans Go! is getting a movie and wait...what? NEXT JULY!? Shouldn't there be like a...trailer or something out then?! I mean Spider-Verse has a trailer and that's not coming out till December! But hey..."In general, if a traditionally animated film comes out in theaters I'll see it just to support the medium." Right? I mean that's what I said in the last part...rIgHt?1  Now all the stuff that I've previously mentioned we're all fine, but none of it was grabbing the cartoon community attention to much. Ducktales came the closest, but with Rick and Morty Season three about to end there needed to be another show to be the new big thing. Then...Big Mouth Happened. Or...another installment in my newly booming side series (Oh, the Cringe!) REAL WARNING: NOT SAFE FOR WORK! For Real.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8DlpO5UOnI

 Now when I decided to watch this show in preparation for this review, I thought that I was going to be the only person in the cartoon community to really talk about it. I thought that this show would like "Legend of Chamberlain Heights" or "TripTank." An awful show, but a show that would fly under the radar just because of how "generically awful" it would be. That's why I was suprised when this show became the biggest hot topic in our community,and a widely debated topic at that. For real, I haven't seen a show this polarizing in a long time. People like Mr. Enter and I Hate Everything say that the show is awful, and one of the first cartoons ever, bordering child porn in terms of the content that the series shows. Other's like PhantomStrider on the other hand found the series to be a smart and deep dive into the lives of prepubescent adolescents and tackling the topic well. Which side do I land on?  Ehh, somewhere in the middle I guess.  I'll start with the pros of the show first. The show's biggest strength it's relatability. Being a show that tackles puberty it is almost impossible for you to not relate to this show on some level. This does help ground the world and get you into the characters easier because you see yourself in their shoes. The characters are fairly good for the most part, with Andrew being the most stand out character out of the main four kids. This I think was what surprised me the most, as most of these shows tend to make the characters assholes for the sake of being assholes but they stay mostly likable. Though the best character overall to me personally is The Ghost of Duke Ellington played by Jordan Peele. His performance is just so over the top and it's just such a random idea for a character that I can't help but kinda like it. Also there's this one gym coach character who I feel like I should be more annoyed by, but I kinda end up really liking. Though that might be just because he reminds me of Coach Z from Homestar Runner.

 I show also covers a lot of topics that aren't covered in a lot of other shows, and covers them well. There is actual thought put into it. Honestly I think this show would be a good one to show somebody who is in puberty, as it gives a lot of informative info out in a much more personal way then most sex ed videos do.  The internal continuity of the world is very hey wire. Sometimes people can see the hormone monsters, sometimes they can't. Sometimes they have the ability to effect the world around them, while other times it's kept ambiguous to weather or not they even are real, or just figments of the characters imagination. But I also don't think that it's really the point of the show. I think it's just whatever is funnier in the moment. There's a fluidness to the reality.  However, there are definitely some problems with the show. Whenever the humor is trying to be crass or offensive the jokes tend to land a lot less. The show can end up becomes genuinely uncomfortable, and there were a lot of moments where I did end up changing tabs while watching. Being on Netflix they are able to get away with a lot, including showing full uncensored penis, vagina's, semen, and more. Often times involving the kids, and there is a real creep factor to it. I know the shows about puberty and that's the subject matter, but I feel like this is a rare case where "show don't tell" doesn't apply to storytelling. This is the shows biggest issue, and it's hard to ignore cause it's in almost every episode.  The shows art style also isn't the best. It has this "Family Guy meets Klasky Csupo" look to it. And those are to properties that aren't most well regarded for there animation.  Overall I can say that I did enjoy the show more than I was expecting to. Though keep in mind my expectations were "Brickleberry." I think the show is more good than bad though, with the comedy and the likable characters being the saving grace. But if you don't like ugly animation or gross out, then just pull out now.  Meanwhile in the real world McDonalds released the "Mulan Schezwan Sauce" to the public for one day only. All in honor of a Rick and Mortyjoke from the first episode of season three. Fan's rioted as there was not enough supply to meet demand, leading to the story getting national coverage from major news outlets. Honestly, I have nothing to add to this, I just think it's funny.  But forget about joy, it's time to become suddenly all serious and depressing! As the #MeToo movement happened several animators where accused of sexual misconduct. Some of the names of those accused include Loud House creator Chris Savino and Head of Pixar and Disney animation John Lassenter. I do want you to keep in mind though that these are just accusations. It seems like lately when a celebrity is accused of something like this people always decide that their guilty until proven innocent. Because they don't want to come off as victim shaming. However that doesn't mean they didn't do it either...yeah I have nothing else to really say here. Chris Savino was fired and John Lassenter was put on a six month leave, with rumors saying he'll be fired afterwards. Um...there's no non awkward way to segway out of this topic is there? Crap.  Um, anyway Teen Titans Go! had there 200th episode. And guess how they celebrated. Go ahead, just make an educated guess. Well if you said an almost four day Teen Titans Go! marathon over Thanksgiving weekend, then you'd be right!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7MWNWJReqU

Okay well, at least this one was actually celebrating something! So there's that at least!   

 Meanwhile the same night Nickelodeon premiered "Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie." The finale thirteen years in the making. 

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfSPjRoQjCk

He's got a journal and a long lost relative. Y'know what that means, it's time for some LORE!  Now, I've never really watched Hey Arnold before, outside of a few episodes-  JESUS CHRIST! WHAT HAVE YOU SEEN?!  -But despite that, I did find myself enjoying this movie more than I thought I would. The movie is fairly stand alone, and for the most part can be enjoyed without prior knowledge of the show. The biggest strength of the film is the cast, who are genuinely likable, and the comedy which is genuinely funny. I also like how the movie does have a bit of a darker approach to it. It's not Samurai Jack dark or anything, but the villain is genuinely threatening and there are some actual onscreen deaths. It's not bloody or anything, but it's pretty intense for Nickelodeon. This really gives the movie a since of stakes and danger that I really enjoyed. It earns the PG rating.  There are some problems though in terms of the story telling. There are some forced conflicts that seem like they're just there to be there. Also the movie is actually pretty confusing in terms of what is magic and what isn't to the point where I'm still not one hundred percent sure if the ancient prophecy was true or not. Maybe I missed something, but it seems kinda muddled. Also the villain, while threatening, isn't very interesting. He's just the cliche "want's money" villain, with nothing making him really stand out. But most of these problems aren't TOO glaring and I was able to enjoy the film regardless. And if I enjoyed it then I'm sure people who actually watched Hey! Arnold probably loved it. And I'm glad that the fans finally got a proper ending after all this time.  Unfortunately, despite trending on twitter the movies actual ratings were not very good, getting a 1.7 million across three networks. That might sound okay, but it only barely beat out The Loud House episode that aired right before and that only aired on one network. Even Teen Titans Go! 200th episode, which airs on a much less popular network, was only a couple thousand views less than it.  I'm torn, because on one hand I liked the movie and wished it did better, knowing how long the creator and fans were waiting for it. On the other hand, I'm hoping that this might help Nickelodeon get out of their "90's kids phase" that they seem to be in. i mean there's Hey! Arnold, Invader Zim, Rocko. All these announced revivals really makes it feels like there kinda having a mid life crisis. And while there nineties shows where great, I think they need to acknowledge that it wasn't there only good period.  If there's something to take away from this, it's that as much as you hear people talk about how much better things were better in the nineties, these people are the minority. Most of the people who watch these channels are kids, and kids don't care about old nineties and two thousands shows they've never heard of. They care about what's on now.  Also, while this news effects much more than just animation, Disney bought most of Fox's entertainments rights for fifty two billion dollars. Which is an amount of money that I cannot even begin the fathom. That's enough money to buy everybody in the world five large McDonald's Soda. And that includes like new born babies and stuff. (Alternatively, that might be enough for about three Schezwan Sauce packets.) In terms of animation, that means Disney now owns The Simpsons, Family Guy, Bob's Burgers, Archer, All the Ice Age and Rio movies, Allen Frickin' Gregory. I'm honestly a bit worried about this. Disney is become more and more powerful, and I feel it's only a matter of time till they monopolize entertainment. I'm also worried how this will effect other TV channels. For example, if Disney wanted could they pull all the Fox shows off of adult swim, or TBS? Only time will tell, as this deal will take about a year to really go into effect, but hopefully our new mouse overlord will be merciful.  And to cap of f the year, Cartoon Network decided to celebrate Christmas by having an EIGHT DAY LONG TEEN TITANS GO! MARATHON! (with two episodes of Steven Universe sprinkled in.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qc7hwNB4Cv4

Now I know what you're probably thinking. "Wait, if they just passed two hundred episodes, then doesn't that mean they only have enough episodes for about two days?' Well normally yes, but even though there's only enough episodes that last two days, through a miracle it was able to last for eight nights.  And that's why we celebrate Hanukkah.  For real though, I try to defend Cartoon Network, but this is just too far! We had JUST gotten a multi-day Teen Titans Go! marathon literally a month ago! While annoying, at least I understand that one. It was for there two hundredth episode. It's a big milestone that should be celebrated. But this is just Christmas! Cause who wants to watch Christmas specials on Christmas right?! And it's not just Teen Titans Go!, I'd be upset regardless of the show. As of the time of this being posted it's still going on.  And it's not just CN. Nickelodeon had a last minute schedule change replacing several of there Christmas specials with Spongebob and Loud House reruns. Not all there specials though, and it was only for one day, so it's far less egregious. But it shows that when one channel falls they can all be effected. Ugh!  Yeah, I hate to end on that note, but honestly I'm just happy that I didn't end on sexual harassment, which was a real concern at one point. 2017 was a wild ride for the animation community, and I'm glad you came along with me on this look back through it all. Now, it's time to rank the shows. Keep in mind though that this is just my personal opinion. Also I'm not very good at these list things, and my opinion tends to change all the time. This is more of just a "for fun" thing. Let's do this. 9. Bunsen is a Beast 8. Castlevania 7. Marvel's Spider-Man 6. Ben 10 5. Neo Yokio 4. Big Mouth 3. (TIE) OK KO: Let's Be Heroes and Ducktales 2017 2. Hanizuki: Full of Treasures 1. Samurai Jack Season Five  Though that's just my opinions now. Who knows how they might change in the future. And keep in mind that there were a lot of shows that I didn't see or talk about that came out this year. Like these...  (Apollo Gauntlet, Big Hero 6: the Series, Billy Dilly's Super Duper Subterranean Summer, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Danger and Egg, Dorthy and the Wizard of Oz, Hotel Transylvania: The Series, Legend Quest, Mysticons, Niko and the Sword of Light, Sex Swings, Strech Armstrong and the Flex Fighters, Tangled the Series, Tarantula, Tarzan and Jane, Tender Touches, The Jellies, The Magic School Bus Rides Again, Unikitty, Vampirina, Wacky Races 2017, Welcome to the Wayne, Wishfart)  As for the grade, last year got a B-. Good, but could use improvement. This year...honestly I have to give a C. Just...average. Even not counting the shows I talked about this year there were several shows that I watched, intending to put into this review, that I ended up cutting cause I had nothing to really say on them. And honestly, even shows like Ducktales and OK KO, which are pretty high on my list have their problems. But I acknowledge that every year's quality won't be exactly even, so I'm not going to panic just yet. I still have high hopes for 2018.  Now for the network that "won" this year. BTW since this is a new segment, I'll announce the winner for 2016 too. Last year I would say that Nickelodeon "won" the year for their success with The Loud House and for getting Spongebob out of it's seasonal rot. I've never seen the public opinion of a network to change so quickly. As for this year, I will say that the winner was Netflix, for really proving that their committing to animation. In addition to having the most shows I talked about this year (3/10) they also had other series that I didn't mention like Strech Armstrong Magic School Bus. Not to mention new seasons of Bojack, F is for Family, Voltron, Trollhunters and more. Sure not every show they had was great, but it shows initiative, and shows that they are a worthy contender in landscape of animation.  So that was 2017 year in review. While not the best year, it did have it's some very memorable series and moments. And I can't wait to see what 2018 has in store for the world of animation. What did you think of any of the shows or stories that I talked about today? Are there any that I missed? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment down bellow. I'd love to hear them. Please fav, follow, and comment and have a great year. See ya in 2018! (I do not own any of the images or videos in this review all credit goes to there original owners.)   

  https://www.deviantart.com/joyofcrimeart/journal/2017-Year-in-REVIEW-Part-2-722602821 DA Link

#Ducktales #Neo Yokio #OK KO #review #ok ko let's be heroes

[eurotastic]

Eurovision reviews: Semi 2

When the obvious winner is in the big 5, the semis just feel a little weird. With semi 1, we have Portugal, who could win if the juries decide to wreck Italy’s score, but in semi 2 there is not a single winning candidate, which just makes it...I don’t want to call it pointless, but I’d definitely call it a weak semi. 

But you know that I’ll review every single song anyway, because I love every single second of this bullshit competition.

1: Serbia: Tijana Bogićević-In Too Deep

What a weird way to start off the night. This is pretty modern and cool, but it just can’t stand out whatsoever. Everyone will have forgotten about it by the fifth song or so. 

4/10

2: Austria: Nathan Trent-Running On Air

I hate Ed Sheeran. A lot. I’m not saying this song sounds exactly like him, but it’s the same genre, and I hate this genre more than anything. With that said, I can’t believe how much I actually like this. It might be the staging, which is fantastic, and really takes this basic, natural-sounding song to the next level.

6/10

3: Formeryugoslavianrepublicofmacedonia: Jana Burčeska-Dance Alone

The difference between a non-qualifier and a song that finishes last is the performance. In fact, many songs that have finished last through the years have been good songs, destroyed completely by a bad performance (I’m willing to bet that Iceland came last in semi 1, there were lots of worse songs but the performance is what sunk it). 

The formeryugoslavianrepublicofmacedonian song is actually one of the better pop songs this year, but as soon as i saw previews of the performance I knew it would have a really hard time qualifying. I hope I’m wrong, because the song is fire. 

7/10

4: Malta: Claudia Faniello-Breathlessly

Thank fucking god there are so few ballads tonight, after semi 1 I never wanna hear another ballad in my entire life. 

3/10

5: Romania: Ilinca ft. Alex Florea-Yodel It!

How does a human being come up with this concept? Did they write down random music genres on a dartboard to come up with this unholy genre combination? Why is it so catchy? Why do I like this? Who cares?

10/10

6: The Netherlands: OG3NE Lights and Shadows

This song basically exists under the assumption that these girls can make anything sounds amazing. Their vocal harmonies are fantastic, but the song is just a tired cliché, and that’s not enough. I’m sure their voices will sound great though.

4/10

7: Hungary: Joci Pápai-Origo

Not that the bar is raised very high to begin with, but this is definitely the best attempt at fusing rap and traditional music I’ve ever heard. It’s monotonous and somber, but it definitely works. Also, if you squint and turn your TV upside down, the singer kinda resembles Oscar Isaac. That’s a nice bonus.

7/10

8: Denmark: Anja-Where I Am

Denmark, which is my favorite third world country, hasn’t been to the grand final since 2014, and I find that way funnier than I should. It would be fun if they missed another final, but at the same time I almost think this singer deserves a little better. 

This song is just so fucking boring, but the juries might put it through based on a strong vocal performance. 

3/10

9: Ireland: Brendan Murray-Dying to Try

If this song was called Trying to Die i would probably enjoy it a lot more. It would make the staging fit the song even better, it could end with the hot air balloon exploding and killing little Brendan! I’d vote for that.

(EDIT: When I say “killing little Brendan”, I mean fake dying like Lady Gaga at the 2009 VMAs, you know, just for drama. I’m really sorry if it sounded like some kind of death threat!)

3/10

10: San Marino: Valentina Monetta and Jimmie Wilson-Spirit of the Night

Who is this random american dude and who tricked him into singing with Valentina? Did Uncle Siegel lure him into a white van?

[Edit: I just found out that the “random american dude” has played the lead in a german musical about President Obama, and that’s the weirdest fucking thing I’ve heard all week. Now I just hear Obama’s voice whenever Jimmy sings.]

Most countries don’t let artists who fail in ESC represent them again, but San Marino isn’t most countries. Is it possible that Valentina is the only singer in the country, and they don’t have a choice but to send her? She’s actually a pretty fun performer, but i wish they’d finally give her a decent song, this is a dated mess (but a fun dated mess).

3/10

11: Croatia: Jacques Houdek-My Friend

I know schizofrenic isn’t the right word to describe this, but it’s the first thing that comes to mind. The way he switches between his Big Important Opera voice and his Boyband Voice is a trainwreck, his stupid fucking outfit is a trainwreck, the italian lyrics are stupid, and the fact that Croatia’s “Homophobe of the year” is singing this disaster in front of a goddamn double rainbow takes it to a new level of awful.

With that said, the grand final wouldn’t be complete without this catastrophe.

?/10 (can not be rated in any human number system)

12: Norway: JOWST-Grab The Moment

I can’t decide if I like this or not...It’s decent for radio but I’m not sure if it’s interesting enough for Eurovision. Probably not qualifying.

4/10

13: Switzerland: Timebelle-Apollo

This song is about as interesting as watching yellow paint dry, but at least the singer has the best eyebrows I’ve seen in a long time.

4/10

14: Belarus: Naviband-Story of My Life

Goddamn hippies. 

6/10 

15: Bulgaria: Kristian Kostov-Beautiful Mess

The only song from this semi that could end up in the top 3. Super modern. but I still feel like it’s more of a slow radio hit. 

7/10

16: Lithuania: Fusedmarc-Rain Of Revolution

I’m willing to say that this is the worst song of the year. It can’t even be compared to any human music genre on earth, it’s just aimless screaming over a bland instrumental that tries to be dramatic. It’s not even funny, I just hate it. 

0/10

17: Estonia: Koit Toome & Laura-Verona

When I first heard this song, I thought it was a mistake. A dated, boring mistake. However, after hearing it in rehearsals over and over it has definitely become a favorite of mine. 

I hear people are calling it an 80′s throwback, but I’d say it sounds more like swedish schlager from the early 2000s, production-wise. In fact, I think if this song had competed in Melfest in ~2003, it would have won, it’s schlager perfection. No matter how good I think it is though, the fact that it sounds dated will bring it down, but I hope it qualifies. Estonia deserves it after last year’s disaster.

9/10 

18: Israel: IMRI-I Feel Alive

I just really miss Golden Boy when I hear this song. Couldn’t they at least recycle some of the choreography? 

5/10

#eurovision #eurovision song contest #eurotastic reviews