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moregraceful · 2 years

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Would love to see if you have any kaapo thots to share w the class (me) - 💖

ahh 💖 anon, my favorite anon, i was saving this ask for when i felt a little less terrible but i just realized i'm eating my depression meal for like the tenth day in a row so why not delight a lil in the escapades of kaapo kakko!

the first thing u must know about me is that i do not know anything abt the rangers. i am aware that mika and chris are soulmates and alexis and k'andre are setting themselves up to be boyfriends of the millennia (god speed you beautiful first round draft picks i wish u just the happiest long term relationship.) and ryan reaves is funny and the rangers' collective hate boner for tom wilson is funnier. my knowledge about kaapo kakko is deeply rooted in like, vaguely paternal anxiety. does he have friends?? are his needs getting met?? is he eating three square meals a day and getting his nhl-allocated naps?? maybe you can answer these questions for me 💖 anon, my head hurts so i can't google deepdive atm.

cut bc this got long lol

CAVEATS ASIDE, i am thinking, as i often am, of the 2019 draft class, and how...idk isolated kaapo was made to be in it? and how much that really struck me during the run up to the 2019 draft, how the ntdp kids were so close to each other, and all the canadian kids were so friendly, and how so many of europeans draft kids were just...totally outside of that, for reasons due to both xenophobia but also just not playing up in the north americans' grill for their entire high school/juniors careers. and i think a lot about how there was so much abt how jack hughes was going first, but then someone manufactured some "okay but WHAT IF KAAPO WENT FIRST" drama and then i had to see a billion hot takes about who was better, with everyone coming down on the side of jack, which is fine, but also made me feel really bad for kaapo. he prob did not care but /I/ cared, bc i worry about him always.

ANYWAY, i also think frequently of the great kirby dach/jack hughes fic, how could you know what it feels like (to fight the hounds of hell) by lilacdreamers, and how kind jack hughes was in that fic to kaapo? the whole fic is such a gift, but that was one of my favorite parts i think, just his overtures and his kindness toward kaapo. (a kind jack hughes is a underrated jack hughes imho, we all love to make sex jokes and talk about how stupid and silly he is, but i love the idea of him as just a sweet, well-intentioned kid who works hard and tries harder.)

i love people who try hard to be kind. i love people who are given everything on a platter and instead of taking it for granted, they try to give it back. i love a universe in which jack hughes recognizes that he's worked really hard to get where he is, but he's also, to an extent, been given a lot of things, and he tries to do right by that. i also love a high draft pick narrative, so in the fic i just crafted in my head rn, there's a lovely story to be told about two high picks who struggle so much their first couple of years, and how they come out of it.

jack and kaapo were acquaintances in a "same draft class high draft picks" way but they were never friends or even particularly friendly. but jack's innate kindness and desire to do right by the people around him, makes him wants to try again with kaapo, to have a friendly relationship. he knows how fraught their narrative is; he also knows what it's like to be in a franchise that is forever the bridesmaid, never the bride. (or. the devils are kind of. forever the flower girl with dirt on her dress, never the bridesmaid or bride.) he knows what it's like to shoulder a franchise and have everyone be disappointed in you all the time, to be called a draft bust, to be isolated by a team in your first year, to just be horribly alone in the formative year of your career. and he keeps trying to reach out to kaapo and he keeps trying and he keeps trying and it's not even that he wants a date or anything, he just wants to make things right between him and kaapo. he doesn't like the idea of someone thinking poorly of him because media pitted them against each other for a couple months.

meanwhile kaapo, fully in new york strugglesville, is baffled by jack hughes' overtures bc like. they weren't ever friends, they come from two different worlds, why does jack keep texting him, what is the point of all this. but the hopes and dreams of the rangers franchise has been placed on his, alexis', and k'andre's shoulders, and while alexis and k'andre have each other, he thinks he doesn't really have anyone who understands so much what it is like to have that kind of burden on you. but jack does. jack knows. jack's on a good young team and kaapo is kind of surrounded by old men, but jack knows what it is like to have everyone say, this kid went high, it's all on him now, and to completely fail to live up to their expectations immediately.

kaapo wants to live up to expectations! and he will! (i the human author believes this!) but first he's gotta get through his struggle rookie years. and i like to think of him eventually breaking down under jack's persistent overtures to friendship and just texting him one night, while jack's doing so well and he isn't, how did you do it? how did you make it through?

and jack says, i had people to lean on

and that makes kaapo feel like shit bc he is in his long dark night of the soul, so who does he have to lean on? what if i don't have anyone

you have me, if you want

and kaapo lets himself want and then he lets himself have. he responds to jack's text messages more often, smiles at him at face off circles when jack makes goofy faces to throw him off his game. accepts a dinner invitation with jack and his boys one night before a game. he enjoys dinner; he enjoys jack smiling at him longer than the rest, even though he's surrounded by team, as if jack's trying to say, look, you're not alone, you have me. he facetimes jack one time just because he feels a little down and he thinks jack might pick up and cheer him up; jack's in a hot tub and there's music playing in the background like he's at a party, but he talks to kaapo for like a 45 minutes until his battery dies right in the hot tub.

kaapo also lets himself say yes to alexis and k'andre's dinner nights when they invite him. he didn't use to. he lets himself be fussed over by jacob trouba, who is my blorbo stand in for paternal anxiety. he starts to demand attention from the front office and coaching staff -- they're treating him badly and they need to stop. maybe he responds to a concerned text message from esa lindell one time; yes, he's doing better these days, thanks for checking in old man. he starts to play a little better, and a little better, and then it's really good, him and alexis and k'andre tearing shit up.

and jack texts him after games regularly, fucking insane win tonight kk and keep it up bud, i'll see you in the finals and slow your fucking roll kaapo, only one of us can win the cup and sorry about the loss. you wanna come to michigan? my brothers and i got a pool and i've never been to finland but i heard it's cold even in the summer. yeah, i want to visit, when's the best time for you? and i bought my ticket. you better not be lying about how good the lakes are

AND IT IS, bc it's late and i gotta get on with my evening (bed), A VERY TENDER ROMANCE IN THE END, A RELATIONSHIP BUILT ON TRYING AND GROWING AND GIVING UP SELF- AND TEAM-IMPOSED ISOLATION AND LEARNING THAT IT'S OKAY TO DEMAND SPACE AND TO GIVE YOUR HEART TO SOMEONE. and growing comfortable in your skin! and growing comfortable in your game! finding your stride, and proving, after some years, everybody wrong! kaapo finds there's so much more space in people's hearts for him than he thought and he likes that he takes up space in jack's especially. kaapo finds a kind of peace in jack, as goofy and chaotic as he can be. he likes jack, simply put. and that's no small thing.

/end 😭

thank you for asking for my thots!! i'm sorry they are not very well-formed and perhaps not as rangers-specific as you were hoping!! i am very interested in learning more about the rangers as i find many of their players delightful so if you have an recs pls let me know!! thank you!!!

#also i am sorry i have not read your fic yet but i will! mostly rn i come home and collapse on the floor #cage replies #unfortunate birdcage fanfictions #rpf tag for ts #jack hughes the equalizer of hearts and minds...wow talked myself into that one #also bc i know some of you will ask my depression meal is microwave taquitos & white rice with ranch dressing. there is NOTHING good in it #but it is comforting. like a horrible blanket #but actually i do feel so much better having written this all out haha. a little blorbo bedtime story for myself 😌

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pizza-soup · 2 years

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Hope everyone had a nice holiday. I had a very good one with relatives I hadn't seen in awhile, especially my dad's parents. As we normally do, we go out to the mountains to work up a bit of an appetite as well honor those who came before us on this land. Offer our thanks for existing so we can exist. My grandmother gave me a braid of sweetgrass during this time, for a reminder of Spring, a reminder to pray, and have hope. Winter often gets to her because it can be harsh but also because it was my dad's season, he loved Winter, he could predict exactly when it would snow and greet it like a child no matter his age. The Winter brought out a playful side to him I didn't always see the rest of the year. But since his passing Winter is a little less happy for my family and his parents. It's not the same and it does sometimes get to me, stinging my eyes and feeling this void when it snows. She pressed the grass braid into my hands. Use it then, she said. When the dark days feel suffocating and my heart is hurting with loss, light it, pray.

Walking back to the truck, the sober mood did change to a happier one. I remembered how much he'd love the crisp chill of the air, the sun turning the mountains gold, the sound of the wind and a coming storm. For just a moment, he was there with me. I could picture that grin. Winter's on the way. Time to have fun. Heh. I miss him so much.

When we got back home I could smell the mesquite from the fireplace, the meat cooking in the firepit out back, and inside was a mix of sweet rice and pine nuts, fish, corn stuffing, and breads. Voices of my cousins laughing, chatting, moving about getting ready to set the table. My mom's dad making a bunch of baklava and halva. My great aunt making fry bread. It's informal, we dont do the whole 'round the table thing, everyone just grabs a plate and serves themselves, sitting outside or on the couch, mingling, throwing more wood on the fire. Eventually we did have to take it inside as the rain finally fell. By then we settled in the living room watching movies. Some decided to retire early and drive to Carolines home, where we set up places to sleep, either to nap before heading out on the road or overnight for the longer traveled of us. Some were coming all the way from Arizona and had other family to visit along the way.

Oh and my family got gifts early. Since we don't always get to see that side of the family often, and who knows what the future brings, it was no better time than to exchange things. We don't know what they are yet, we plan on opening them during the holidays. But I did some unwrapped gifts, one was from my grandfather, he knows I like unusual things and this certainly was. A pair of freshwater rock crabs from his catfish tanks. I have not seen these in a long time, at least not up north, they're more common near Radium Springs or Hatch. My grandmother almost didn't let him give me them, thinking they're too unconventional for a gift. I think they're adorable. He knows me too well. My dad's older sister gave us a ton of pecans from her trees, and dried red chile powder. Not a fan of the latter but certainly of the former. My mom made a bunch of soft crochet headbands, beanies, and scarves, everyone got their pick. I gave seashells from my hometown to my younger cousin, she loves mermaid stuff and she loved the big scallops and sand dollars I picked out from my collection. She kept the mussel shells from the seafood hotpot too. My bro traded some gaming stuff that they apparently agreed on online, my bro got himself some vintage N64 controllers for an extra copy of Kirby 64 he didn't want.

All in all, we had a good time, the rain was on and off all night, but it's a sign of the inevitable colder days to come. This won't be the last time I see some of my relatives, we are planning to go to the bonfires in two weeks, as well as to a hot spring before New Year's. Hopefully!

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coffee-n-bagels-comic-universe · 3 years

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Inside Jokes and References in the Full Bios

Mainly for @spacelizardtrashboys and @kuruumiya

Also: Any time strikethrough text is used it's because it's meant to be secret information, for example on the small bios any time 'Lucifarian' truly isn't their last name their is strikethrough test after saying that it's not their real name. This is to say that no matter what is written or if it's strikethrough text or not, it is there for a reason.

Damien - Bio In-Jokes and References:

The Quote for him refers back to his 'King of Hell' gimmick, as does his middle name, Rex means king.

He's protective, like a dad, but also way too overprotective over the gimmicks for the girls. He's an old, old school guy so he enjoys card games with the boys.

He's supposed to sound like a young Hugh Laurie, mainly because if I heard a young Hugh Laurie say Damien's bio quote I wouldn't be able to take him seriously.

His main finisher (Seventh Circle) refers back to (a) him being the king of hell and (b) the seventh circle is for violence, and well, he's a wrestler, that's a pretty violent job.

He calls fans both 'peasants' and his 'loyal subjects' because he's like an asshole-ish king who'd quickly be dethroned if they rebelled.

Vickie - Bio In-Jokes and References:

The Quote for her refers back to her gimmick along with the old saying 'pride comes before the fall'.

She's called 'Victoria' because of both (a) it meaning victory and (b) the fact that Queen Victoria ruled back when Britain had an empire, then the empire fell (as in pride [Vickie] before a fall)

Both Her and Damien are born in August and are the only two to share a birth month as they are Father and Daughter (non-kayfabe, as in they share DNA)

She's raised Christian as back when she was growing up England was a lot more Christian than when she became an adult so she got lax in her beliefs

Her personality is supposed to make her come across as a vain, rich, arse of a person, yet deep down she's still redeemable, she's got a long way to go before she actually redeems herself though

She's the type of person who makes sure EVERY little detail of her matches and promos are PERFECT to the point that she will control what other people do or say, down to the moment it's said/done and the way it's said/done

She only likes the other D.O.D (Daughters of Darkness) members because she has only made enemies in the short while they've been in the company, she especially dislikes George 'The Animal' Steele because of his very messy style going against her 'everything should be perfect' views

She's the leader, the brain and the mouth because of her control over the group, if she let them have more control, there might be less arguments about her amount of control

Her named moves are also references to both her gimmick and other things. Beheader is named because of the Tudor monarchs of England having kind of a thing for killing people in this way (ex. Henry VIII).

Lineage Ender is named that because if she ever botches that one specific move (it'll make sense in context/ she does it during a training scene) it could end either her own Lineage or the person she's doing it to.

Lion's den is called that because she traps them in a near-inescapable crucifix pin, and normally if someone goes into a den of Lions, they aren't escaping in one piece.

Family Pride is named that because not only is her gimmick the sin of pride, but she's got pride in her family and she's her dad's 'pride and joy' because she's his only child.

Wish for this (her main finishing move) is called that because it's an inside joke of "you're gonna 'wish for this' to be over soon"

As she's Damien's blood daughter, a 'prodigal son' joke seemed somewhat appropriate.

Billie - Bio In-Jokes and References:

Her quote is a reference to the Guerreros and the whole 'Latin lover' trope

She was born in February because of Valentine's day, hence why her birthday is two days before the 14th

She's 1/2 Cuban (just in general - both Mexican and Cuban culture is interesting to me) But she's 1/2 Cuban in case I ever need to write for Razor Ramon, I can get away with making the joke of 'my Cuban accent's better than yours'.

Her casual style is 'Suggestive' because how else is Lust supposed to dress.

She dislikes Hulk Hogan because she finds him incredibly annoying and she dislikes Jesse Ventura because she dislikes his fashion choices.

I imagine her uncle Hugo looks like Luis Guzman and her dad's like Raul Julia. Try to imagine those two wrestling as a luchador tag team.

Her mother was basically a valet to her dad, which was usually Billie's role before she was part of the D.O.D.

Her move name references are all song references: Love me Tender - Elvis' song of the same name, Personal Aphrodite - a reference to / joke on 'Personal Jesus', Sexual Healing - Marvin Gaye's song of the same name.

Also, I hope to eventually use the joke 'The Babe, the babe with the power,' 'What power?' 'Power of voodoo' 'Who do?' 'You do' 'Do what?' 'Remind me of the babe' because of one of her commentary nicknames being 'The Babe'

P.G - Bio In-Jokes and References:

Her quote is in reference to her being greed and (right at the start of the story) her thoughts on money actually being able to buy her happiness

her surname 'Voronin' means crow, and well, crows like shiny things, like money

she wears 'fancy but simple' clothing because if she bought designer clothes she'd be in debt, but she still wants to look like she has more money than everyone else

she's cowardly in a Jimmy Hart way, she'll piss someone off during a promo and run away once she feels like she's in danger

she's a showman because she's more show than work, meaning she works exceptionally quick matches.

Her moves are basically jokes on the fact that she is greed, such as Gold-digger and Diamond Ring. However, Money Maker is also a joke on the fact that it's a facebuster and usually an actor's face is called their 'money maker'

She hates Hulk Hogan and Sgt slaughter because of how patriotic they are

Kirby - Bio In-Jokes and References:

Her quote is a reference to (a) the fact that she's Gluttony, (b) her being the only one who wears a mask constantly and (c) her basically being the group's scare tactic against people who think they can push them around.

I am planning on eventually making her a part of the machines, maybe as a valet, maybe as a wrestler, not 100% sure as of right now

Her mother is the Norwegian-Scottish one and her father is the Irish-Welsh one

She is the tallest (not the heaviest, that's Damien) but she's still 9 inches shorter than André.

She's willing to bleed hardway, but hates blading

She hates Big John Studd because of his disrespect, she hates Hulk Hogan because she thinks he's obnoxiously 'American', she dislikes Lord Alfred Hayes and Dynamite Kid because they are so insistent on calling her '1/4 Icelandic' whenever she talks about being 1/4 Norwegian. She hates Brutus Beefcake because he's just 'so, so much' energy-wise.

She's always been tall, always shorter than André though, she was 5'6" when she was 12, which is still taller than Sam, P.G and Eli.

Kirby's the best at using folk tales and mythology references in her promos and still keeping them dark and scary.

Her speaking voice is Jessica Hynes, but I imagine her singing voice (which will be important later) to be that of Deee-lite's Lady Miss Kier. On that note, I will be putting up a post on this part of the fic's canon.

Feeding Frenzy is meant to look similar to Roddy's wild punches, hence the 'frenzy' part of the name.

Organ grinder is named because it's meant to look really hard (like she's putting all her force and weight into it) as if she's grinding her opponents organs

Hungry for Blood is an in-joke of during her toughest matches she seems hungry to give the fans the sight of blood

Consummation is a joke of 'the match will soon be over, the match will soon be concluded, or consummated' not the sex-based meaning of that word.

Number of the beast, which is 666, is a reference to the 619, and is a modified 619 basically.

Vampire's Bite is a reference to her sitout jawbreaker looking like she could possibly bite someone's neck, like a vampire, as she performs the move

I didn't want to call her chops, chops, so I made a joke of 'oh it's chopping, like a butcher's knife'

Overfeeding is another basic gluttony reference. Cheshire Grin is a facelock-based joke. Let Them Eat Cake is a butt=cake joke

The ogress is a thinly-veiled way of the commentary team calling her ugly, because why else would she be the only one in a mask

Holly - Bio In-Jokes and References:

Her quote is written that way because I always wanted her to sound like she comes from New Jersey

She's very cuddly towards the rest of the D.O.D and thus gets called a teddy bear by the others

She's Pansexual because she doesn't care what your gender is, she loves people just being themselves

She's the only ginger because I've never seen a ginger wrestler from New Jersey

She was raised Catholic but lost her faith upon realising how bad gay people are treated by the church (Holly literally just goes "Y'all it is 1984, how are y'all gonna reject people based on who they love?")

Holly's very much the person who'll ask permission to cut a promo on someone but won't tell them how harsh she's going to be

She's the group's mom friend (mum friend?)

Before she started travelling with another member of the group (Holly travels with Sam a lot) she would accidentally no-show events

She does accidentally give incredibly stiff shots

Holly likes Gorilla Monsoon because their friendship is very much a weird pseudo-dad-daughter friendship, so basically, she's using him as her new dad

Her voice is Angie Harmon because I think Harmon sounds like a badass from New Jersey

Naptime, Dirt Nap and Lullaby are jokes of 'I'm gonna knock you out'

Eli - Bio In-Jokes and References:

Her quote is a joke of 'this is why she doesn't do a lot of promos'

She's the most likely to be on one of those 'too hot for TV' blooper reels from her promos

Both she and Sam hate people taller than them

Sam - Bio In-Jokes and References:

Her quote is a reference to the fact that her tattoos are her 'masterpiece'

she dresses athletically because she's always ready for a fight, especially because she's usually the one picking fights

She likes Lou because he's like a crazy uncle to her and she likes George Steele because, unlike Vickie, she likes the wild man side of his gimmick

She's voiced by Melissa Etheridge because she's still feminine but is the most masculine sounding

#Lucifarians #Wrestling Family #wrestling fic #original character

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ashleyspinelliburnbook · 4 years

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S1E8: The Pest/The Legend of Big Kid

It’s a happy day, because we have been gifted both a Gretchen episode and a TJ episode! But it’s also a very fraught day, emotionally, for reasons you’ll soon discover. (There’s a good kicker, at least, for your trouble. No spoilers, but the ending of “The Pest” goes exactly as I’ve relayed it here.)

Read on for relationship advice, feminism, and a brief aside about white colonists in Africa:

The Pest

How To Make A Boy You Don’t Like Leave You Alone

by Gretchen Grundler

I don’t hate boys. Anyone who says that about me is simply incorrect. Four of my best friends are boys — my friend Spinelli and I are the only two girls in our group. When I’m fighting that kind of gender ratio and still enjoy their company, how could I ever hate them?

But some boys in particular are not worth my time. As a person who recently had an experience deflecting one of these boys’ advances over an extended period of time, I feel I am uniquely qualified to dole out advice on this matter.

I’m sort of spoiling the endgame here, but let me say, it is scores more effective to deal with troublesome boys yourself than to leave them to your teacher. Miss Grotke may mean well, but she’s a teacher, after all. At the core of her philosophy is law and order. Plus, in Miss Grotke’s case, she’s a much bigger proponent of letting us work out our own issues. Everyone wins.

You may feel hopeless, though, when a boy you don’t like starts bothering you in class. Maybe you want to tell the teacher. But that’s just a quick fix, and not a particularly effective one. It’s a band-aid. It won’t translate to your interactions on the playground, which is where your reputation really matters. (Okay, your academic reputation also matters. Maybe more.)

Of course, you may not know he likes you until he TELLS THE ENTIRE SCHOOL AT THE SAME TIME AND YOU JUST HAVE TO SIT THERE AND TAKE IT BECAUSE IF YOU DENY IT RIGHT AWAY THE ENTIRE PLAYGROUND WILL BE TOO BUSY LAUGHING TO NOTICE.

Whew, that felt good.

Still, nothing brings the playground together like a common laughingstock, and that was me. And when there’s a common laughingstock — the K-I-S-S-I-N-G chants were still ringing in my ears long after they happened — this empowers the boy you don’t like. Because suddenly, he’s not working for his cause alone. Suddenly, the entire playground is on his side.

What did I do? Well, I felt entirely hopeless. I tossed and turned every night, vivid dreams of this boy and I getting married and having children and growing old together disrupting my sleep. I was so distressed that I didn’t come to school the next day until lunch, which isn’t like me at all, of course. I want to stress, that was a one-time course of action. When he found me in the cafeteria, my friends tried to protect me, but alas, my lovestruck friend Mikey was starting to be won over by this boy’s persistence.

The first action I took was to simply cancel out what this boy had done to me first, declaring his love for me to the whole school. According to my calculations, it had the least risk and the most reward. Unfortunately, when a girl tells the whole school she isn’t romantically involved with a boy, they tend to believe the opposite. A boy publicly announcing his love for a girl, even against her wishes, is revolutionary, a real risk, something to be lauded. A girl publicly announcing her rejection of a boy is, well, mean. There are many high-school names a girl in my position might be called, but I won’t trouble you with them.

After even more pestering at school, even up to him talking to me through the vent that connects the boys’ bathroom and the girls’ bathroom, I had had enough. On the bus home, I told him I wouldn’t speak to him anymore, recognizing that ignoring him hadn’t worked in the past, but I was desperate for any semblance of peace and quiet, even if it was from me.

You know what he said? “I’ll take your silence as a yes,” and, “Denial is the sincerest form of flattery.” That’s not even the phrase! And if he was taking silence as a yes, why wouldn’t he take me saying “no” as a no?

The next action I took was drastic — high risk, a potential of a lifetime of punishment if it went south — but I knew it was a risk I had to take. I marched up to this boy at school the next day and called him out. I pulled out a pair of handcuffs and locked us together for eternity. The key? Gone. This boy? Presumably having the time of his life.

Except...he wasn’t. As I regaled him with all the things I would make him do that day — math club, spelling bee practice, a frog dissection over lunch — robbing him of his agency for perhaps the very first time, he broke down immediately. I pulled out the spare key to the handcuffs and set him free.

He said he just wanted to show me how much he liked me. But if we don’t call out this entitlement early, who knows when this awakening might have occurred for him? How many more girls would have had to suffer this ordeal?

“You know, Spinelli? Boys are really weird,” I told my friend when this was all said and done. “I know what you mean,” she replied. “Can’t live with them, can’t grind them into chalk dust.”

My eyes lit up as I thought of a science project I had been working on in my spare time.

“Well, actually, you could,” I said. Because I may be one to take one for the team, to put myself in harm’s way to try to mitigate future suffering at the hands of another person, but that doesn’t mean I don’t always have a backup plan.

Takeaway: Hot damn, this episode made me mad!

The Legend of Big Kid

Is Kirby Puckett the greatest outfielder that ever lived?

I'm not much of a stats person beyond the basics — field goal percentage, sacks, errors, the ones that will come up in conversation on a regular game broadcast. So, aside from a quick glance at his career numbers, which tell a story about his career, I can’t tell you if Kirby Puckett was the greatest outfielder that ever lived. (I will say that his number was retired a few months before this episode aired, which was a few years before the domestic violence allegations against him came out.)

Anyway, lucky for us, Vince and TJ can’t make this decision either, and it’s during their argument that they stumble right into the setting for this episode: the old playground that allegedly hasn’t been used since the 1970s. (Yet it’s on campus? Okay, okay, suspension of disbelief. My elementary school had a whole bunch of ways to get off campus during recess without anyone noticing, but it wasn’t done with any regularity — it’s possible they just didn’t know it was there.)

But it turns out someone has been using it, and recently, because TJ falls into a trap. As he’s hanging upside-down from the monkey bars, the two hear the rumbling of kindergarteners approaching. TJ tells Vince to save himself, but Vince instead distracts them so that perhaps TJ can get away. Vince, though, doesn’t realize how far or how fast he’s been running, because before he knows it, he’s back at the regular playground sobbing into Spinelli’s arms about how he could have done more to save his friend.

The coast seems clear, so the gang heads back to the old playground to get TJ, but he’s gone. Gretchen posits the kindergarteners must have taken him back to their pen, but that’s deserted, too. “They’ve probably migrated to their winter encampment,” she says, which doesn’t make the rest of the gang any less terrified for TJ’s safety.

We then get a jarring prisoner log from TJ, who tells us, “The unthinkable has happened. I am a prisoner of the kindergarteners.” He’s in a cage, unsure how much time has passed, and he’s not sure what his captors have planned for him. One of them — their leader, who TJ calls “Captain Sticky,” calls him “Big Kid” and tosses him some candy. TJ refuses to eat it, in case they’re fattening him up to eat him, but eventually is too hungry to say no.

Meanwhile, the gang is busy hustling the rest of the school, asking if they saw the kindergarteners, if there was a fourth-grader with them. The outcome appears bleak for TJ — everyone knows what might happen if those kids got a hold of an older kid: nothing good.

TJ, though, is...starting to like captivity, or at least get used to it. Whereas the kindergarteners first have to threaten him with weapons (crayons and paintbrushes attached to the end of yardsticks) to join them in tasks like finger painting and napping, he quickly assimilates to their ways.

Gretchen finds TJ’s shoe on the playground, lost in one of the initial scuffles, and Vince erupts in a “Noooo!” so heart-wrenching, you forget that TJ is, well, okay. Because the gang doesn’t know that. The kindergarteners are too elusive. No one knows what they’re up to except them.

But the gang acts on a more promising lead as Gretchen uncovers a still-wet lollipop. The trail is hot again!...just as we see TJ napping again, riding tricycles, and playing musical chairs. Is he too far gone?

When the gang arrive back at the old playground, they fall into yet another trap. Someone locks them in a cage, and the kindergarteners assemble, beating drums and shrieking. (We will...have to talk about how the kindergarteners are portrayed at some point in these recaps. There’s a very obvious white settler colonist, Indiana Jones, “thrilling adventures through untamed Africa!” look about them.)

The drumbeats slow, and who should walk out but...Big Kid. Well, TJ. The gang are shocked at how quickly the kindergarteners have completely taken hold of their friend, who now dresses like the kindergarteners, acts like the kindergarteners, and speaks like the kindergarteners. He won’t listen when they try to tell them who he is.

Somehow, it’s Vince talking about baseball that brings him back, though. Little League. Kirby Puckett. And TJ breaks down in tears, wailing, because he’s been through so much.

The gang finally gets him out of there, and Spinelli has to help TJ tie his shoes. “Shoes, underpants, I can’t get used to all this stuff!” he exclaims, and they don’t get it. (Gus calls the kindergarteners “primitive.” See latest parenthetical section.) But Gretchen recognizes he’s in a better place to be able to listen to reason now, so after he tells the gang he misses the freedom of being able to do whatever he wants all day, she says, “Don’t you see? Their way of life is coming to an end. By this time next year, they’ll be first graders.”

And TJ does get it. With one last nod to Captain Sticky, they part ways.

Takeaway: Growing up is hard, especially when you’re a kid and it goes by so quickly. Perhaps giving into some indulgences of yesteryear isn’t all bad, though, so long as you balance them with your current life and don’t let them consume you.

#recess

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naturesloopholedarchive-blog · 5 years

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“Where did you get that?...” (Newborn baby meme)

The bottle is being passed by Vincent to the teenager when she hears her brother’s footsteps and smells his scent that was the perfect mixture of blood, bourbon, and cologne with that underline hint of death that she now herself. His words make her eyes water even though they aren’t hurtful, just asking a question and instead of staring him down with an ice-cold stare that she would have normally when she is emotional, she is looking away down to the week-old child that had been born into hell. Ariella, a princess name to Hope with the middle name of her mother and the last name that she whispers to the child often when it is just Hope and her aunt around because even though she was officially a Mikaelson, Kirby was just as important for this child to know even though Landon would never know her. Attention has to be focused on the baby even when tears roll down delicate cheeks and her aunt is hovering because one wrong move and Hope could scare the baby and herself. Magic was still on a peak and she was still high on emotions, everything was loud and her emotions flip on a dim. Turns out baby vampire tribrids are hell and no one can prepare for this with her.❝They have a shop called adopt a baby….you can get one of these shipped to you for free if you have sex now….❞ Sarcasm easy even when she is in hell, her own mind is hating her making her fear that he will hate her just like she had feared her aunt hating her for this. The whole week had been making Hope drink blood to stay full, doing magic practice, making her sleep when she is overly emotional as if she really needs it anymore, no visitors were allowed at the home because what happens next is exactly why. The tv that was playing Frozen for the thousandth time that week bursts into frames that are feeding on Hope’s fear makes the baby cry out, shocked at no doubt the sudden warmth that spreads through Hope’s body as well.

Suddenly, there is no baby in her arms and her aunt is in front of her raising Hope’s head to look at her and not Marcel, not anyone but her and the humming she hears is familiar, it was meant to be mimicked, to focus the brain on something else so that the fire goes out, so that she can relax. Hope is digging her nails into her thighs now, the baby across the room in Vincent’s arms should make her feel worse and it does but Freya is constantly tapping Hope’s chin with her finger any time her mind shifts to something else as a reminder that nothing else matters but controlling this. Tears flow easily, the scents around her make her want to cover her nose but instead sharp claws draw blood cutting into her own leg and the cries that she hears from the infant makes her want to cover her ears but she doesn’t. It takes five minutes to get her focusing and by then the tv is done for, burned down to a pile of ash but nothing else was touched. A magical fire could be just as destructive but luckily the moment the other is calmed down fire is stopped and nothing else goes up in flames. When her aunt finally lets her chin go and she is able to shift to pull her legs up into her chest and she turns her head to look at Marcel again to try this again. Nails dig back into her leg but she doesn’t need her aunt anymore and instead her aunt goes to get the baby from Vincent so that Hope could settle completely with the child being near a new form of panic that they noticed with her is the child being out of her arms could either become a relief or something that makes Hope freak out. The kitchen had been torn apart yesterday when the little girl was taken upstairs to be changed and Hope had been forced to sit there and finish drinking her blood bags not allowed to follow when she was inching toward starving.❝Don’t hate me…❞ she whimpers and the fact that she looks like a small child, the one that had to cry for her father at night because he was gone and all she could have was stories from Marcel while they would take a nap in Hope’s big bed (mostly because the tribrid had developed a fear of the dark after the hollow had taken over her body so most nights Hope would beg her mother to sleep with her). How when she would wake up scared, sweat clinging to her Marcel would be there to sing her back to sleep and she would look just as lost as she does now.Her brother is the closest thing she has now to her father, he grew up being raised by Klaus and would know exactly what her father would feel during this whole mess and she doesn’t need to ask what Klaus would say, doesn’t want to hear I’m disappointed in you. Again or how her parents would be disappointed in her for this. Swallowing hard, blue eyes flicker toward the blonde who had taken the baby from Vincent and then back to Marcel.

So I was going to do the verse with Hudson but then I thought about the verse I have with @onefinaltruthremains and bam this is the reason you get this one. Emotional far worse. I love full tribrid Hope for sure as she is reasonably unstable and every emotion she feels can fuel magic to do something different.

#immortallyyours-marcelg #★彡 She was only a child that only wanted to heal things ❰IC Answered❱#★彡 She wears all black like her soul but her heart is gold ❰All Answered❱

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