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dangermousie · 2 years

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2022 dramas ranking so far

We are halfway through the year, so I am doing this. This is only for dramas that aired in 2022.

Note, I have not finished some of these yet but I’ve watched enough to have an opinion - they may move up or down when I complete but that is where they are for now. Also, this is not an argument for quality but purely what I love more and mostest!

From least fave to most:

TERRIBLE!!! PROOF OF GEHENNA

The Legendary Life of Queen Lau (C) - I am as allergic to this drama as its makers are to a coherent plot or decent acting.

Unforgettable Night (T) - like a BDSM session with wet noodles and no safe words.

Mirror: A Tale of Twin Cities (C) - as bad as it was expensive, and it was very expensive. I’ve seen cereal labels of more innate interest.

Kiss Sixth Sense (K) - more like Kiss No Sense

The Lady in Butcher’s House (C) - shrill and idiotic and ML is the only one who bothered to act.

Shooting Stars (K) - somehow managed to make the entertainment industry not entertaining.

Snowdrop (K) - its controversy was the most interesting thing about it.

Forecasting Love and Weather (K) - an actual weather forecast has more to recommend it for entertainment. Park Min Young does the same role over and over and over, and I will never get how Song Kang became a star.

Decreed by Fate (C) - my list said I watched it but I literally cannot remember anything about it which says its own story.

Because of Love (C) - amazing chemistry, trash story.

I AM SIR MEH FROM THE TOWN OF MEH

Woori the Virgin (K) - tried to be kooky and charming ended up just kooky.

Love Like a Melody (C) - you could do worse if you want a cheap light bit of fun, but you can do better too.

Rewriting Destiny (C) - not terrible but only has enough material for a couple of eps. However it goes for 24.

Showtime Begins (K) - Park Hae Jin is FINE, the rest not so much.

The Autumn Ballad (C) - tries to be low rent Minglan, ends up just low rent instead.

Moonshine (K) - this drama about moonshine is enough to turn anyone into an alcoholic.

Defying the Storm (C) - do you love communism? Well, so does this drama. Really really really! Cool fashion and very solid performances, however.

Tomorrow (K) - you have one cool story and blah one. Which one do you focus on? If you said the latter, congrats, you are this drama.

Royal Feast (C) - so beautiful. But so is a painting and I don’t need to spend hours staring at it.

The King of Tears Lee Bang Won (K) - very old school with all the pluses and minuses that brings. I think if you imported this in 1999, it would be a smash hit.

The Jinx’s Lover (K) - interesting premise but NIW is clearly a hard limit for me.

Cafe Minamdang (K) - that heroine is enough to kill a drama singlehandedly, but it’s also I just don’t do well with broad comedies.

A Dream of Splendor (C) - you know how some cool kids hate popular things? I am the cool kid here.

WORTH A LOOKSEE

25 21 (K) - I stopped halfway through for life reasons and never went back when I saw the fandom meltdown after the ending, but it was certainly well acted and decently written.

Again My Life (K) - I am not big on romanceless procedurals which is what this really is, but Lee Junki is excellent in this.

F4 Thailand (T) - either I am getting too old for this story or I have seen it too many times. This is a perfectly well done adaptation of Hana Yori Dango but I found myself losing interest about a third in, alas.

The Wind Blows from Longxi (C) - I wanted to love it but did not. Still, it’s gorgeous and well-acted.

Believe In Love (C) - sometimes all you need is adorableness and sugar. Not advisable for diabetics.

Reset (C) - I almost never enjoy modern cdramas but I did this one.

My Villain Husband (C) - funny, short and sharp!

Who Rules the World (C) - I did not love it as much as I wanted, but it’s gorgeous (and I am not just referring to the cast) and if you want to watch a romance with wuxia elements, you could do worse.

Military Prosecutor Doberman (K) - two badasses against the world. Yes, please.

Love in the Flames of War (C) - China does telenovela and it’s delicious.

Our Blues (K) - very good, very solidly acted slice of life. I am not big on omnibus story format but despite it being relatively low on my subjective list, objectively it’s probably the best drama I’ve seen this year.

City of Streamer (C) - it loses steam in the last quarter, but until that it’s a deliciously decadent romance with truly insane chemistry between a dark, ruthless older heroine and her devoted charge whose father she is trying to bring down. For those with a governess fetish.

My Sassy Princess (C) - it’s a trifle but it’s mad addictive and the chemistry! It has its flaws and the story is flimsy as tissue paper but honestly, it’s a fever delight.

Gold Panning (C) - I almost never enjoy contemporary cdramas but this gritty, dark story of desperate people involved in greed and murder while mining gold is so good!

The Blue Whisper (C) - a gorgeous xianxia romance hard carried by Allen Ren as naive turned vengeful merman. It might go up higher once I finish it.

KinnPorsche (T) - it didn’t end up as good as the first half promised, but it was still such a fun watch. Gay mob boys, you made my spring and summer!

THE LAND OF UNSTINTING ADORATION

Bulgasal (K) - objectively it was flawed. Subjectively it was everything I love in terms of tropes and leads and romance. I still swoon thinking of it.

Bad and Crazy (K) - so gonzo, so funny, so off kilter so full of Lee Dong Wook hotness!

Old Fashion Cupcake (J) - this was short and slight and seemingly with no great stakes or plot but this narrative about two men finding each other over dessert is better than the best cupcake you ever had

Bloody Heart (K) - it didn’t end up as dark as it started but it was still smart and dark and visually utterly eye popping (hands down, the most beautifully shot kdrama I’ve seen all year) and all the performances? MMMM

Link: Eat Love Kill (K) - proof that first impressions can be deceptive. I’ve dropped it after the first ep, put off by the jarring tonal shifts and then saw some gifs and went back. Now 11 eps in, it’s my baby and the tentative romance, the trauma and healing, the mysteries, and the main characters I want to protect forever are my jam.

Alchemy of Souls (K) - this is the first Hong Sisters drama I’ve loved in well over a decade - the plot, the characters and how desperate and extra they are, the EVERYTHING!!!!

Love like the Galaxy (C) - this is visually amazing, the romance is to die for, and I love that the narrative allows both the hero and the heroine be ruthless and damaged and oh my GOD I am swooning so hard for this epic period romance tailored explicitly to my tastes.

Heroes (C) - my favorite drama this year (so far?), this wuxia dark epic with bromance and romance and loss and complicated characters and out of this world visuals and great performances is everything I could have dreamed of in my wildest fever dream and then some.

#cdrama #kdrama #jdrama #thai show

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the-firebird69 · 1 year

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We are now selling moonshine. We're offering at the bars but it comes in a regular bottle but we're selling it and liquor stores in the jars they are plastic and they're 100% resistant to the alcohol and keep in mind that other things are kept in plastic that are much more caustic and he knows for instance epoxy and pure alcohol for rubbing and acids and no you don't have to make it off guessing at all we make a very nice plastics that don't off gas and don't get permeated by moonshine and we are making several varieties Apple shine mountain dew and in Florida tangerine it's all kind of a local thing that you can order different kinds where you are and the local thing works great up in Massachusetts it's Apple shine and throughout Appalachia actually it's mostly Apple shine. In the West it is believe it or not it's orange shine and grape shine, the grape shine is exquisite and I've had it and it's ours and it's wonderfully wonderfully tasty shine and it's all clear it just taste it we use real fruit only the fruit juice comes out clear and the moonshine keeps it clear it's very potent it's like 90 proof and he had the idea to sell it in these jars but to make them out of something that's much more resilient then pottery and it is and it's like the stuff that was made at the plants and Grafton Pyrex type stuff and it's very solid it's very sturdy and it is a little heavy not very heavy it's about a third of the weight of the actual clay jugs and we do sell the clay drugs if you want them as memento but we don't suggest using it but a lot of people do and we also Mark them like this as a small label on it as well it's embossed into the actual material and it has but that's small and the labeling is like this the X's and we label it only three because that's what it's normal usually process it four times and says it on there and we do it on purpose after the look but we have a computer that marks them and it does it different every time and it doesn't take that much longer but we did work out how to we stamp it and it comes out different so I lost Samsung exactly the same that's the way it was stamping it was several different stamps and we use different pressures every time and just my new differences they're all different so you can tell the difference between the drugs and people will try and bother you and switch you can tell and that was an old way of doing it and people will forget and it looks the same but it's not. Now Tommy Allen's getting the idea now you know he's like Tucker the Ford and no but it's fun that's really what John Lord was all tuckered out. It woas only the plastic jars that look like the mason jars and it is embossed a little and doesn't take much time. She would say before we were really interrupted and yeah we're going to pay you for it he's going to get hurt that there's a few more things I'd like to do I tell you what we're coming in there to take care of you you a****** he pointed you out in your f****** done I'm so sick of you and get you out of here Santiago's what it is. You do that stupid stunt in the low desert as code and we discontinued it as someone else's code and you saw it and you beat yourself up and you got killed. William take you apart for what you just did I'm sitting in units and you just have to go you offended like 29,000 people today with your routine at the Chinese food place as in everybody in punta Gorda and your stupid routine at Walmart as your guys are getting killed and just a ton day this evening and I said where are your people and is trying to find them they find a whole bunch of them in New York DC and the bunkers there and waiting to take over and they are going after them now all over the world to find you idiots waiting hiding out for fights to start and for you to take stuff over and go after ships too so it's over

Thor Freya

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mariacallous · 2 years

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Ideology is a drug for Tory leaders. It can enhance their performance against internal rivals and they like to indulge socially. But dependency is a path to ruin.

Brexit started a pattern of problematic use. Hardline Euroscepticism was potent stuff. Theresa May thought she could handle it, but got hooked. Boris Johnson was hardly a high-functioning addict, but he was at least able to discern some political realities through the fog of intoxicating dogma.

Liz Truss’s leadership signals descent into the chronic phase, where craving for a hit overcomes all faculties of reason. The prime minister and her chancellor have already blown their stash of credibility on a binge of unfunded tax cuts. Then the debt collectors came – literally, in the form of soaring bond yields.

Liz Truss says she still wants to cut 45% top rate of tax eventually and says she does trust Kwasi Kwarteng as chancellor – live

Like junkies caught shoplifting to feed their habit, the authors of the fiscal fiasco go through the motions of contrition, while trying to deflect blame. Kwasi Kwarteng’s speech to the Tory conference on Monday, hastily rewritten to accommodate a U-turn on cutting the 45p rate, was delivered with the fidgety distraction of a man waiting for his dealer.

But how to get the money? Preserving the top tax rate doesn’t plug the revenue gap created by all the other giveaways. Nor does it bring down the cost of government borrowing, which has risen because markets are not sold on the efficacy of Kwarteng’s snake-oil growth tonic.

Under pressure to balance the books, ministers rifle through the policy cabinet for something to sustain the ideological buzz. The hand inevitably alights on the bottle containing benefit cuts (or, as it is marked on the label, a decision not to peg welfare payments to rising inflation).

Conservatives with a clear-headed grasp of reality worry about the side-effects of driving vulnerable people deeper into penury, just as they fret about mortgage interest rates rising for people whose incomes can’t cover the repayments.

But if you mainline enough Trussonomics, those problems dissolve. The solution to not having enough money is to earn more. Just “go out there and get that new job,” says Conservative party chairman Jake Berry. Maybe it was a conscious tribute to Norman Tebbit, who, in his capacity as Margaret Thatcher’s employment secretary, told Tory conference in 1981 that the remedy to joblessness was getting on a bike and looking for work.

That is the strong spirit of self-reliance and contempt for a coddling state that Truss drinks neat. Her enthusiasm for bootleg Thatcherism has encouraged a great pouring out of policy moonshine on the fringes of the Birmingham conference.

Chris Philp, the chief secretary to the Treasury, told his audience that enterprises employing fewer than 500 people should be excused from all business regulations. He praised work that Jacob Rees-Mogg has been doing behind the scenes to incinerate onerous worker protections and the like. (Some of what the business secretary has been brewing makes even Truss wince. Mogg’s prospectus has been called “half-baked” and “unworkable” by anonymous Downing Street sources.)

Another Treasury minister, Andrew Griffith, declared his preference that inheritance tax be abolished, although he noted that this was not a government position. What is? The prime minister hardly consults the cabinet, which doesn’t pretend to be united.

Truss styles herself as an Iron Lady, but her steeliest commitments then melt in the heat of rebellion. Divisions caused by the summer’s bitter leadership contest are still fresh. Internecine grudges are more forgettable when election victory is feasible. When opinion polls point to certain defeat, old vendettas boil into a frenzy of recrimination.

Much of the potential for factional feuding was repressed in the early stages of Boris Johnson’s leadership. The most vocal pro-Europeans were purged from the parliamentary party. When it came to the 2019 general election, no Tory split was deeper than the shared view that Jeremy Corbyn shouldn’t be allowed into Downing Street.

Also, Johnson agreed with everyone about everything and appeared, for a time, to have a knack for persuading voters that he could deliver. Once it was obvious that he couldn’t, the brittle unity shattered. Truss represents just one jagged shard of Conservatism and has no interest in reassembling the whole.

It is significant that neither she nor Kwarteng have experience of opposition. Both became MPs in 2010. Their paths to power were beaten smooth by the previous generation of Tory “modernisers”. They benefited from the work that David Cameron put into decontaminating the “nasty party” brand, but they didn’t taste enough bitter defeat to learn a proper dread of the old toxin.

Ideological divisions from those wilderness years were submerged in the subsequent Brexit wars, but not very deep. No one doubts Michael Gove’s Eurosceptic credentials, but before he was a leaver he was a Cameroon. That is the tattered standard he now raises when rallying opposition to vote-repellent parts of Truss’s prospectus.

It is revealing that Rees-Mogg called Gove the “Tory party’s version of Peter Mandelson” at a conference fringe event on Monday. It was not meant as a compliment but was probably taken as one. The barb expressed a horror of Cameron’s legacy on the Conservative right that is symmetrical to leftwing abhorrence of Blairism.

For beleaguered Tory moderates, Truss’s victory in a ballot of party members is the mirror of what happened to Labour in 2015 – the wrong leader foisted on MPs who knew the winner wasn’t up to the job. As one former cabinet minister says of the clique now ensconced in No 10: “They are our Corbyn.”

Tories of that view are not just resigned to defeat at the next election, but see it as a necessary corrective. Having failed to avert the party’s slide to the bottom of ideological addiction, they need the voters to scare it straight. Rebel MPs can force the prime minister to sober up one policy at a time, but the Conservatives will not renounce the creed that carried Truss to power. For that it will take an electoral intervention – and a long stint of detox in opposition.

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pollylynn · 3 years

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Title: Groupie WC: 800 Episode: The Fast and the Furriest (5 x 20)

He thinks she has a secret. He thinks he knows what it is: She’s into the Bigfoot thing. Or she’s at least into him being into the Bigfoot thing.

It’s not something he clues into right away. Early on, he’s too busy resenting the fact that she does not seem to be as appreciative of the fact that he is, for once, not pushing mob hits or spies. But the problem early on may be that he’s not being ambitious enough. He’s pitching Moonshine as the murderer—and there’s definitely a patch of the Haven House grounds where Moonshine dumps his bodies—and she is not into that. She almost certainly has not seen Rise of the Planet of the Apes and she’s therefore oblivious to the Oscar-worthy emotional conflict he spins between Moonshine and his murderous monkey gang on the one hand and, on the other, the humans they seek to depose.

But once he ups the ante—or rather the evidence ups the ante—there are clues that she’s into it. She smirks right along with him when Perlmutter, for reasons known only to the scuttling members of the Perlmutter species, seems genuinely flummoxed by being slapped with the label uninformed. And then the second the man scuttles out of earshot, she asks how the heck Bigfoot would get around Manhattan. This is not a question that someone who was entirely not in to the Bigfoot thing would ask, even if she does roll her eyes. Even if she does pointedly ignore the Bigfoot prints themselves.

The eye roll, the blatant disregard for slam-dunk evidence for the Stonish Giant himself, cannot negate the fact that after the alley, after her nonsensical theory that some human killer is trying to frame Bigfoot, She takes him to meet Darrell Meeks. There is no earthly reason that the two of them should be the ones following that lead. It’s the kind of thankless job, rife with potential for weirdness, that has Ryan and Esposito written all over it, and yet it’s the two of them who roll out and get to experience the wonder that is a shrine to Sasquatch in the Meeks’ home.

It gives him ideas, that space. It especially gives him ideas when he meets the Lady Meeks. Her secret, long-suffering mental handshake with Beckett makes him realize that a full-time blended, believer–skeptic household could be more than a dream.

To say the possibility excites him would be a tremendous understatement. And when it becomes clear that she’s openly challenging him when she swears no amount of research on her part would make her a believe, when it becomes clear that his in-bed Bigfoot research makes her decidedly frisky, he very nearly blurts out the plea that’s always on the the tip of his tongue, the plea for her to come live with him and be his love.

It’s just one of the many screw-ups that might mess this up if he’s not careful. And he hasn’t been all that careful along the way. He has, in small words and slow, loud English, explained to her what a cryptozoologist is. He has stashed an infinite pictures of Bigfoot in all his glorious, blurry incarnations everywhere around the precinct. He has, without authorization, added a laser-printed copy of Darrell Meeks’ most compelling image to the suspect section of the board and blatantly blown off her request that he take it down for good. Perhaps most dangerous of all, he has lectured her on the famous personalities who have either believed in Bigfoot or had their own encounters with him.

These are small-stuff conflicts, though. They’re just a few of the countless offenses that he’s guilty of, and yet she has not so much as casually wondered aloud if his will us up to date. She makes her professional lack of enthusiasm for his Bigfoot mating calls known. Of course she does all that. But she also tries hard not to violate Bigfoot’s civil rights, when she nearly has to shoot him.

There’s a compelling case here. She’s sticking with him through the Bigfoot hours. She is mostly unfazed by his tweaking and poking and prodding about the irrationality of her Bigfoot skepticism, and she doesn’t gape in horror or go tsk tsk when Kurt Wilson reveals that he’s continuing Anne’s life’s work. She doesn’t protest when he runs off to fetch his hunting duds. He doesn’t even get a short, sharp utterance of his name as he makes a beeline for the stairs, hot on the keels of the mean they believed to be a murder just a few hours ago.

She is silent. She’s giving him the very last Bigfoot word because she has a secret: She’s into it.

A/N: The dictate that the hat stays on has no morphousness.

images via kissthemgoodbye

#Castle #Caskett #Castle: Season 5 #Castle: The Fast and the Furriest #Kate Beckett #Richard Castle #Fic #Javier Esposito #Kevin Ryan #Fanfic #Fanfiction #Fan Fic #Fan Fiction #Writing #Tell Me More

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bloededhoine · 3 years

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✿♦️▼☼∇ ☠️ for Eskel please? Or you can choose a couple if that’s a lot lol

unfortunately anon most of these had already been done! and fair warning it does get a little bittersweet at the end, but i loved writing it.

✿ - sex headcanon here

♦️ - quirks/hobbies headcanon here

▼ - childhood headcanon

☼ - appearance headcanon here

∇ - old age/aging headcanon

☠ - angry/violent headcanon here

list

childhood

eskel was pretty well behaved as a kid

however,..,. if there were shenanigans occurring around him, he would just have to participate

hence the infamous bumblebee incident

to be fair, it was an abnormally large bumblebee and geralt was gonna catch it anyways, so he might as well help

he just doesn't want to be left out, whether of the fun or the inevitable punishment

eskel was always fairly shy, which definitely continued into his adult life (no thanks to his scar)

but he becomes much more outgoing if he has an outgoing person he trusts with him. or a lot of alcohol. usually both.

he took his studies way more seriously than geralt or lambert. geralt definitely wasn't a slacker, but he didn't go out of his way to really apply himself unless the assignment was especially interesting to him

eskel would rather cut off his hand than not do his work, mostly because he genuinely enjoyed learning (and being recognized for doing a good job)

that being said, he wasn't exactly bookish. i personally hc eskel as dyslexic (and the type to not bother doing work in a system that he knew wasn't for him), but he loved sciences

he'd always be the first to volunteer during a dissection, and had really good instincts about zoology in particular.

one time vesemir noticed eskel didn't do the reading like he was supposed to, and planned to teach eskel his lesson by having him go in front of the class and locate and label the main digestive organs in a species they'd never seen before. to his (pleasant) surprise, eskel got all of them right and even told vesemir what the creature's last meal was.

after that vesemir stopped assigning eskel reading and started letting him dissect drowner corpses instead

but not all of eskel's scientific adventures were so academically oriented.

after he learned how to brew his own moonshine at 17, eskel gained quite a reputation for his ability to make wildly strong alcohol out of anything

there are so many loose floorboards with a flask of what could be used as paint thinner under them that eskel still finds ones he didn't even remember hiding

eskel always loved the animals they had in the keep, but didn't quite put the pieces together that most of them were being kept as either bait for monsters or food for people for a few years. when he did, he was fucking devastated

logically, he knew that monsters had been hunting the livestock by the gwenllech for centuries, and an unchecked deer population would be disaster out for the local plant ecosystem, but he still cried

before eskel left for the path the first time, vesemir made a deal with him that he would keep one (1) animal during the year as a friend for eskel to visit during the winter.

old age

after multiple close calls on even the simplest contracts, plus being reminded of his age by the way his joints ached every time it rained, eskel decided to go home and take care of kaer morhen full time

part of him wanted to say that witchers never die in their beds, and his pseudo-retirement was unnatural and selfish, but he had made a promise to vesemir and was not about to go back on his word

sometimes he considered leaving, letting the castle fall into the ruin it had been heading towards for centuries. geralt and lambert seemed to spend winters there largely out of sympathy, even eskel knew they'd all be a lot warmer at corvo bianco

but walking through the stone halls brought back too many memories to just leave

the tiny spot of blood on the kitchen tile from when he and geralt had an impromptu knife fight instead of preparing porridge for the other boys

the oak closet he built ciri so she'd have a place to put her dresses, for the occasion that she was "indisposed"

the rope ladder up to the roof where he and geralt would drink half their weight in homemade booze

the locked room where he kept coën and vesemir's things, since he didn't want lambert poking around and bitching about sentimentality

the bedroom he kept made up for deidre in case she wanted to visit, even if it had been nearly a decade since he last saw her

the now boarded-up room where he spent 6 excruciatingly painful nights during the trials, barely being able to hold his head up long enough to check if geralt's laboured breathing was still there

the trellis arch he built in the courtyard so keira could have a slightly more tasteful wedding

he... he just couldn't leave it all behind. the one winter he spent in toussaint was definitely warmer, but it still felt off. even geralt and lambert noticed the strangeness of not wintering at kaer morhen.

all three of them had precious little stability in their lives, the one thing they could count on was a freezing castle with a warm great hall to fill with music and booze and roasted pig and all their friends and more booze, even if just for 3 months

if eskel left kaer morhen, he knew he'd leave that all too. he felt responsible for it, for continuing the legacy of the school of the wolf, especially as its oldest surviving member (only by 3 years, geralt loved reminding him)

ultimately, he knew there just wasn't much else for him to do. there hadn't been a forktail spotted in hercht for decades, and there's only so many cracks in stone to pack with mortar for the winter. geralt and lambert had more or less settled down with beautiful yet terrifying sorceresses, but still made a point to visit. the wild hunt was gone, ciri spent most of her year either on the path or with the queen of skellige. the queen! yennefer taught her well.

he was happy. even with the guilt and pain and memories, eskel was happy. and, when the time came, he couldn't help but regret that vesemir didn't get the honour to be the first witcher to die in his bed.

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bipolardindjarin · 3 years

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OC Masterlist

207th Legion - Razor Squad

CT 5786 - Sergeant Nite

she/her pronouns, trans woman

came from one of the first few major batches of CT clones, considered ‘outdated’ by some of those involved in cloning because of that

sapphic, doesn’t care for labels

seems professional and serious to most, but her squad always manages to make her crack the tiniest of smiles.

while she is a stickler for the rules she will turn a blind eye for Mir, the baby of the squad

wasn't promoted to sergeant— she was deployed for the first time after a battle with major, major casualties. with so many dead there was a desperate need for troopers, specifically those in command, so she was pulled into a command position

years later she still worries that she wasn’t the right soldier for the job

terrified of letting her squad down; she has frequent panic attacks after battles in relation to the stress, especially if vode in her squad have close calls.

she keeps it a secret from everyone but Pox; she doesn’t want her squad to think she’s weak

her and Pox are 🤞

She’s nervous around Jedi Knight Ensur-- the difference in possition makes Nite uncomfortable. still, some nights they like to sit side by side and look at hyperspace through the viewport together while Ensur tells her about the Force. Nite finds it fascinating and comforting-- if she was honest with herself, she knows there is something about herself that just isn’t right. She’s almost positive she’s force sensitive. She wonders sometimes when she sits there with Ensur if, in another life, they could sit together as two Jedi equals and not Jedi and clone. While neither of them ever say anything, eventually something more than a crush develops the two of them. they are both too honor and duty-bound to act on it

doesn’t think she’ll live long enough to see the end of the war, but she’ll do anything to make sure her squad does.

CT 7779 - Clone Medic Pox

they/them pronouns, agender.

the oldest in the squad. uses it to boss others around.

only attracted to women, views themselves as straight. had a fling with a clawdite woman they meet outside of 79’s, much to the delight of the squad. They were teased for weeks and kept up a long-distance relationship going through comm calls and whatever the star wars version of email is. she ghosted them after almost exactly three months.

Secretly adores kids. spends as much time with cadets and tubbies as he could when they are on kamino

T I R E D

they hate the taste of caf so they use stims and space 5 hour energy instead. as a medic, do they know how bad this is? Yes. But they value the work they do over their own health

Very dry and sarcastic sense of humor

Has a secret recipe that they use to make the best moonshine in the GAR. it’s an ongoing game to see who in the 207th can steal it from them.

horrible bedside manner, but will protect their patients to the death

Served as a medic on Geonosis. Shinies love to ask them about it-- any clone that served on the first battle of the war gives them starry eyes-- but Pox refuses. They’d never seen so much death before Geonosis. medic training on kamino seemed strangely fun, almost like a game. being on geonosis and seeing all at the blood on the white plastoid… that’s when it stopped being a game. remembering geonosis keeps them up at night

They see every death or permanent injury of a vod under their care as their fault. If a vod dies on their table it isn’t a droids fault, or the CIS, it’s theirs for not being skilled enough. They consider their hands bloodier than any CIS operative.

If they could be something other than a soldier, they’d like to be a pediatrician. They’ve only told Nite when the both of them were very drunk

At the beginning of the war, they dreamed about getting a doctorate. now they think the war never will end

CT 2878 - Mir

Name is short for mir’sheb. Gave it to himself after having it spat at him by a trainer post-beating

he/him pronouns (but trying out she/her with his squad)

gay. The first time he saw an attractive natborn... oh boy

very friendly, cheeky, and outgoing. Smiles often

The youngest of the squad. It’s very obvious

Comes off as naïve due to his excitable nature, but has well-hidden intense depressive episodes. Would be diagnosed with bipolar2 if he had the access to a doctor, and is very careful with who he lets see his symptoms. Pox is one of the only ones on the squad who knows, along with the 207th’s CMO, but Mir is slowly getting more comfortable showing this part of himself to his squad

very protective of his curls. Not above stealing hair care products when they’re planet side. He stole really nice hair dye that perfectly matches the 207th maroon to dye his hair with. will only share hair care products with nervous shinies working on their look for the first time off kamino

Heavy gunner and proud of it. He benches and deadlifts more weight than most of the 207th, and it’s a common game to see how many vode he can carry before folding.

Adores animals and tends to sneak them on board. The 207th’s commander is so done with him, but Knight Ensur thinks it’s funny. She let him keep a tiny mouse, so long as he promised to take care of it

Wouldn’t mind working with the coruscant guard if it meant he could work with massiffs

Only Pox knows how he got his facial scars. They were walking home from 79’s late, late at night during shore leave, and got lost. Mir found a stray mastiff and, like a drunk idiot, tried to pet it. It tried to bite off his face, and Pox had to clean him up and give him a rabies shot. Mir swore them to secrecy

Wants to have a family when the war is over. A dozen kids and lots of massiffs and a tooka or two. He’s determined to get it

CT 9073 - Lopside

he/him, bisexual but extremely uninterested in dating. Vode first, always. Cis man

Name was originally Spots because of his freckles, but after his injury vode started calling him Lopside as a joke. Eventually it just stuck

Lost his left arm just below his elbow in an explosion that killed his first squad.

Originally served with quad squad, which was mostly made up of his batchmates. After a brutal battle, the 207th retreated to safety, only to have the enemy bomb their med camp. Lopside and CT-9074 barely survived-- not one else in their squad did

CT-9074 is his twin; they have been inseparable since they were cadets and loosing quad squad made the connection more intense.

Claims he’s the oldest of the two

Quiet and withdrawn. ‘74 is one of the only people who can make him laugh. Slowly coming out of his shell, especially with Mir.

Has matching tattoos with ‘74. They are 5 marks in aurebesh (J, 8, K, X, 12) from the bottom of his lip to the edge of his chin. Each mark stands for each member of quad squad, being either the first letter in their name or a part of their CT number.

Loves boxing and is very good at it. He and Mir hit the mats often

In charge of the 207th pudding and candy smuggling ring. Every time they go planet side he brings back a new kind of sweet

Neat freak. Could bounce a quarter off his bed sheets

Needs therapy badly

He hasnt recovered emotionally from the explosion that killed his squad and took his arm, and it continues to haunt him

He has to take sleeping pills, without them he has insomnia and sleep paralysis.

A Corrie Guard member saved his life. One night on corusant shore leave, Lopside went down to some of the lower levels by himself. He found a fence that blocked off a miles long drop down into the industrial district. He was ready to climb over it when a trooper found him and talked him down, then took him back to the Guard headquarters and let him sleep in the barracks. Lopside has no idea who the trooper was. He wishes he did.

Likes to paint in his free time. The inside of his armor is filled with beautiful landscapes and painting of his vode. Ensur gifted him with a pad of genuine flimsy and a pack of paint-- it’s his prized possession

Utilizes his painting skills as the 207th resident tattooist

He can’t imagine an end to the war. He can’t imagine the future at all

CT 9074

he/him, resident cishet. Unfortunate.

Same tattoo as Lopside.

Was the biggest teaser about Pox’s girlfriend, mostly because he’d really like to have one. The kind of guy to doodle hearts in the margins of their notebooks. If star wars had valentines day he would be so obnoxious about it.

Lopside is his twin, and ‘74 is fiercely protective of him. Secretly hates Lopside’s new name. May be the younger twin but is determined to be the ori’vod.

Irresponsible, impulsive, cheeky. Disrespect for authority-- while he may respect Nite as a person, he doesn't as a sergeant.

Makes good plans on the fly, but they are dangerous and often stupid. Going to make Pox and Nite go grey.

Horrible influence on Mir. The two get on like a house on fire.

Laughs easily, smiles even easier. Always has a joke to tell, and loves with his whole heart. Loves a little too much, actually

Would do anything for Lopside. Kill for him, die for him, and most intense of all, desert for him.

Has friends in the 212th that he keeps in touch with, but he is scared to become attached to anyone. After loosing his squad, he became emotionally distant from everyone but Lopside. Very good at tricking people into thinking they're friends

Dyed his hair a million times, but usually keeps it dirty blonde. Wears it chin length.

HATES helmet hair. Has an unreasonable amount of glittery hair pins to keep his hair plastered to his head when wearing his helmet and knows a lot of really complex braids. He and Mir do their hair together before a battle. It’s soothing. When Mir’s emotions get too intense ‘74 helps him take care of his hair. Knows about Mir’s bipolar (or at least that something is wrong) but hasn’t told Mir. He doesnt want to embarrass him

Chose to keep his id number. He had a hard time choosing a name on kamino, and him and his squad used to joke around to help him find one. After they died he dedicated his name to them and began going by ‘74 instead. He knows it makes Lopside uncomfortable and feels a little guilty about it

Junk food junkie. If it is unhealthy, he wants to eat it

Sees the war as somehow ending soon; he has to or he’ll go mad. Doesnt know what he’ll do then, but the promise of freedom is amazing to him

207th General - Jedi Knight Ensur Azulie

pronounce En-sir

she/her, cis lesbian

young for a Jedi Knight, 25

mirialan, closely connected to her culture. She is fluent in the language and prefers it over basic. She has spent a large amount of time on her home planet and practices an understanding of the Force deeply connected to her cultural religious beliefs

hates being a general with her whole heart. She thinks Jedi should be pacifists to the point where she had argued against using lightsabers when she was young. She sees being in charge of a war as completely against the Jedi way.

Is hesitant to be close to her troops, aware of the power imbalance. She struggles to maintain balance with her position and their friendship

Deeply romantically interested in Nite but unsure if the clone feels the same. She would never act on her feelings, seeing it as inappropriate. She knows Nite is force sensitive and has been trying to teach her about the Force as much as she can

Very interested in flora and fauna. Would love to be a field researcher for organic life

Fluent in 6 languages

Deeply respects Mace Windu and has talked to him about her concerns of the Jedi’s role in the war

Wishes she could have more friends but has difficulty speaking to others

Considers Mace as one of, if not her closest friend, but worries he doesnt return the affection (he does)

Killed in order 66 by Nite. Her last thoughts were filled with fear and confusion as to why the woman she loved would ever do this to her

#my ocs #nite #pox #mir #lopside #74 #ensur

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twdmusicboxmystery · 3 years

Text

10x22: Here’s Negan - Details

All right. Here are a LOT of details.

***As always, spoilers abound below for 10x22. Don’t read until you’ve watched!***

We start with Maggie and Hershel walking around Alexandria early in the morning. She calls him “a little rat” affectionately, which I’m side eying. Because of Carol’s rat last episode and because we already established parallels between Hershel and Beth from ep 17 in that he went missing and Maggie and Daryl searched for him.

Then they sing “you are my sunshine” together, which is the same song Carl sang Negan. Because the sun is a Beth symbol, we’ve always seen her in that song. I also wonder if it foreshadows Maggie losing Hershel in some way. I don’t mean him dying, but rather being kidnapped. A lot of us have thought about one or some of the kids being taken at some point, and their parents having to search for them.

Carol looks out a broken window (Broken Glass Theory) and sees the exchange. So, she leaves Alexandria and takes Negan with her.

Actually, the next thing we see is a dead rabbit she pulls from a snare. The rabbit is SUPER interesting. I answered an Ask HERE about the moon rabbit, and I really love this explanation of the symbol. It makes perfect sense for Beth because the moon rabbit sacrificed itself, which is exactly what Father Gabriel said cryptically in 5x16. “How you sacrificed one of your own….”

Plus the Moon rabbit is resurrected and combines the moon symbol and the rabbit symbol.

So what does it mean in this context?

Well, I still don’t want to go into too much detail, though I will soon. (I promise.) But if rabbit = Beth, I think this is yet another example of symbolism that points to Negan and Beth having a big arc together later. (And Carol will probably be thrown into the mix.)

That evening, Negan drinks by the fire. What he’s drinking is clearly moonshine. It’s from one of those big glass moonshine bottles. I don’t know where he got it. I looked a second time at the stuff they left for him, and it might be in there, but if so, it isn’t visible. It would certainly be interesting if Daryl left him moonshine, but I don’t see any super-obvious hint at that. If it’s already there in the cabin, well, that’s Leah’s cabin, so….

This is where he sees his old self from the trailer. Some of the dialogue jumps out at me as things Daryl might say about himself. Evil Negan says to his good self, “You are nothing without her.” That sort of thing.

The next day he goes back to the tree with the stained-glass windows where Rick cut his throat. One of the plate glass windows has a hole in it and the other one is lying on the ground.

My go-to explanation of course is that the one with the hole represents the bullet hole in Beth’s head. (We actually said this of the stained-glass window in Father Gabriel’s church that Sasha shoots a hole in in 5x16 as well.) And I always see someone falling down as a serious injury. So, when Beth belly-flopped in the elevator shaft with Noah, that was a foreshadow of her getting shot. So I’m kind of seeing the window lying flat on the ground in the same way.

Of course, Negan digs up Lucille, and then it goes into the flashbacks.

It starts of course with him being a prisoner of the biker gang. We do think this gang is a parallel of the Claimers from S4. Remember that I said, overall, Negan = Daryl, right? So, this guy (Craven) even kind of looks like Joe Claimer. They dress in a similar fashion, are rough-and-tumble kind of dudes. But also, Negan runs into them after he loses Lucille. He doesn’t realize she’s died at that point, but she has. Just like Daryl ran into the Claimers after being separated from Beth in Alone.

And we immediately see a blue cooler with IV bags inside. They’re Lucille’s chemo treatments. So blue cooler/Frosty Cola symbolism. Plus this can parallel to 6x06 when Daryl accidentally took off with Tina’s medicine when he met Dwight. Basically, these are both pointing to the same thing: a future arc involving Daryl and Beth. There are also 22s on the IV bags. So, 22 theory.

I will say that the format of this episode is a lot like 10x18 because so much of it is flashback. They even use the same font to show the time jumps. The main difference is that with Daryl, they started 5 years ago and then jumped forward, toward the present. Here, they actually move backward first and then forward again.

So it’s like a swinging pendulum. They go back 12 years to where he’s a prisoner of the bikers. Then it goes back 6 weeks to when he’s with Lucille in their home , and then it jumps back again to before the apocalypse when she first found out she had cancer, which was right about the time the turn happened. And then it moves forward to the two of them together in the house, and then back to him with the bikers.

Okay, so, “12 Years Ago” he’s telling his story to the bikers.

Then it actually says “Two or Three Days Ago” and it’s odd to me that they don’t specify which one it is. Negan says he found the mobile medical clinic 2 or 3 days ago, but there’s got to be a reason they don’t just go with one or the other. Anyway, this is when he found an RV with supplies. He tries to hold the doctor up and Laura (Savior) comes up behind him with a bat and hits him.

We also get a bit of a hallucination theme. When Negan looks at the RV and the dummy guards on the roof, his sight sort of warps in and out like he can’t tell for sure. When he wakes up, he’s also hooked to an IV. (Parallel to Beth at Grady.) The doctor says he was dehydrated, malnourished, and exhausted. So maybe, in addition to all the mental break stuff we’ve already said about Daryl in 10x18, we should add these to the list.

“Six Weeks Earlier” and it shows him and Lucille. The first thing we see is that she tells him he’ll have to kill the walker but he doesn’t want to. He just turns off the generator, hoping it will go.

So, she makes him read Pride and Prejudice to her. The Pride and Prejudice thing is really interesting. He only reads a line or two, but anyone familiar with the story will be able to pick out the scene. Basically, in the story, a man asks Lizzie to marry him and she rejects him. He doesn’t love her or anything. He’s just looking for a “suitable” wife, and she can’t stand him. After she rejects him, her best friend marries him instead. And this friend doesn’t care that it’s not a love match. She just wants to be settled in life.

So the scene Negan reads part of is where the friend, Charlotte, is coming to tell Lizzie that she’s marrying him instead. This is the part Negan reads:

"I see what you are feeling," replied Charlotte. "You must be surprised, very much surprised--so lately as Mr. Collins was wishing to marry you. But when you have had time to think it over…”

Here’s the thing. No way they’re putting dialogue from such a well-known book like this into the show without reason. And I know they said on TTD that it’s supposed to be an Easter Egg for Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Fair enough, but it’s not enough of an explanation for me. In the past, there have been things Nicotero has labelled as homages to various horror films, and I’m sure that’s true, but they’re also clearly Beth symbolism.

So, you could say that Pride and Prejudice and Zombies applies to Negan and Lucille. It’s a true love story, but zombies are thrown in. That works. But why this particular passage? It’s about NOT marrying for love, or the passing of a man’s offer of marriage from one woman to another. None of that applies to Negan and Lucille. It would have made more sense to have him read a different passage between Lizzie and Darcy, you know?

So, what does this mean? We’re not entirely sure, yet. For me, I tend to think it foreshadows a future arc (I’m sure you’re shocked) and I’ll get more into that in the next few days.

@wdway suggested perhaps we could apply it to the Leah situation. Daryl is in love with one woman, but hallucinating a relationship with another. I think that works, too. For now, let’s just keep it in mind, shall we? ;D

Dialogue parallels include Lucille saying, “we’ll have to kill it,” which parallels Beth saying the same thing about the walker at the moonshine shack.

And of course then we get that all important scene with the green wig, “serious” mention, IV stand and bag, and walker in the eye.

We see Negan going out to look for more gas for the generator, siphoning it out of cars.

We also see them having fun together. Obviously them playing darts is a callback to Still. The part where they play darts is actually just like half a second in the show, which just goes to show that they did the promo shot because they wanted us to see the symbols in the scene. I want to draw everyone’s attention to the fact that the British flag is printed on the darts. This is part of the template I’ll talk about in a day or two as well. For now, I just want you to notice it. It’s important.

When they do the candlelight dinner (*coughs alone*) they eat DOG food. Sirius reference. She suddenly says “happy anniversary” and pulls out a present for him. He says, “You know what day it is?” and she says, “no, I just wanted you to have this.” So I think the idea is that it’s not really their anniversary. She just said that as an excuse to give him a present. It reminded me a little of the “New Years Eve” theme we saw around the Claimers. Not exactly the same, but a similar vibe. It’s not REALLY New Year’s Eve. They’re just saying it as an excuse to do something else (in that case, kill Rick). Here, it’s not really their anniversary, but Lucille is saying that as an excuse to give him the jacket.

When Negan says she doesn’t owe him anything Lucille says, “I stuck with you because I could always see the man you are right now, even when you weren’t.” So again, kind of a Beth theme of seeing the best in him even when he doesn’t see it in himself. That’s a huge theme throughout this episode.

There’s more refrigerator/cooler symbolism when the fridge defrosts, ruining the last of Lucille’s treatments.

Then it jumps back to before the apocalypse. There were some symbols here as well. The main ones I noticed were specifically around Lucille. After her diagnosis, she gets in the car and hears the broadcast about the virus victims eating human flesh. Kind of a callback to hearing the Terminus broadcast in 4a.

Then she gets mad and says, just play some g**d*** music. (Music reference.) When the car pulls out, you have to check out this license plate!

XVD-1144. The 1-1 you should recognize from @frangipanilove’s 1-1 posts. The 44 references the comic book issue where Andrea was shot in the head, and survived. And of course there’s the X. So then @wdway had the ingenious idea to ask what roman numerals X and D stood for. X=5 and D=500. So we basically have “X, 550, 1-1, 44.” Yeah, series number 55 was Slabtown. Beth was on the 5th floor. And all the rooms around them in the hallway at Grady were in the 550s. If that’s not proof that Lucille is a Beth proxy, I don’t know what is.

Plus, notice the type of car: mustang. We’ve talked about this before, but horse symbolism, and the type of car is always important.

Another thing @wdway with her eagle eyes picked up. Lucille is scrolling back and forth between Negan and Janine’s numbers, right? Notice the date:

November 12. Recognize that:

Yeah, not kidding. It’s a reference to the headstone in Alone. 👀

Back in the future again, Lucille asks Negan to stay with her. You don’t realize this the first time watching it, but clearly she’s ready to die, and just wants him to be with her, but he’s bound and determined to save her, an goes anyway.

A couple of things to point out. Negan looking for meds parallels to Daryl looking for meds at the veterinary college in 4a. Also, on TTD they pointed out that Negan is constantly putting Lucille in a position to be alone. Before the apocalypse, he left her alone to fool around with another woman, who was her best friend. He made her go to the doctor alone. (Lucille alone at the hospital could = Beth at Grady.) We see him constantly leaving her here to get supplies. And he leaves for like 6 six weeks to track the mobile clinic.

I think that’s mostly an anti-parallel to Daryl. Daryl never left Beth intentionally. But I also think it could be a future theme, not in the sense that Daryl will leave her, but I’ve always thought he would feel super guilty because they left her behind and now she’s been “alone” for 8 years. And again, not physically alone as we know she’ll be part of other groups and such, but without him and her family.

Back with the medical people again, Laura gives Negan her bat, the one she first beaned him with, since he doesn’t have any other weapons.

All they said about Laura on TTD was that they wanted to use her—someone the audience would recognize—but also someone who had a relatively minor role. So they talked about how they could have brought Austin Amelio on and had Dwight give it to him, but because Dwight is a bigger character, and because his onscreen relationship with Negan was much bigger, it would have made it a Negan/Dwight moment and they wanted to keep this episode focused solely on Negan and Lucille. So they used Laura.

And sure, that’s fine. But they could have used any Savior they wanted. And why did they even WANT a familiar face? Why the return of the Savior with the blond hair, you know? I’m just saying. ;D

Of course Negan tells the biker gang where the medical RV is and then goes back to Lucille, but she’s already dead. This really was a very tragic episode.

We obviously have a suicide theme here, and the fact that Negan never actually shoots or stabs Lucille in the head, both of which parallel Beth.

On TTD, YNB even pointed out that she’s wearing the same clothes as she was the day he left, which means she committed suicide the day he left. Most of the 6 weeks he’s been out looking for medical supplies, she was already dead. Super tragic, no?

We also see keys, matches, the blue cooler again, and Negan wrapping the barbed wire around his bat.

So, a couple of preliminary thoughts here. The 6 weeks was bugging me because they said it 2 or 3 times, really emphasizing it. I’m kind of wanting to equate it to 6 seasons. Because if Beth doesn’t show until S11 (and clearly now she can’t, unless she shows in Fear or something, but I’m not holding my breath for that) then it will be 6 seasons since Beth left the show.

And again, it’s more anti-parallel than parallel. For 6 weeks, Negan thought Lucille was alive, but she was dead the entire time. For 6 seasons, Daryl thought Beth was dead, when really she’s been alive the whole time.

And, of course, Negan burns the house down, much like Beth and Daryl did in Still.

But here’s the other thing @wdway noticed. Check out the similarities here:

Similar colors and structures, and both seem to be on fire at some point. And I don’t think the cabin in 5x09 was pointing toward Negan and Lucille. Rather, I think the symbolism in both instances point toward something we haven’t seen, yet. But the parallels and repeated symbolism are there.

When Negan leaves, he gets on his bike with Lucille (the bat) and drives away from the burning house. And interestingly, we see him smack his mailbox with it and knock it off it’s post.

Couple of things here:

The name “Smith” is written on the mailbox, so apparently that was their last name. And they mentioned it on TTD. Smith is such an everyman sort of name. It might be one of the most common surnames on the planet, so there’s definitely some interesting symbolism there having to do with Negan.

But I’m side-eyeing the actual mailbox, as part of the Communication Theme. And, on a very basic level, I’m thinking that the mailbox was intact when Lucille was still alive. He destroyed it after he lost her. So maybe it represents something along those lines, or even represents the person they lost. So mailbox = Beth.

The scene that keeps flashing in my head is from 6x03 when Daryl is riding around on his bike, searching for Rick, and he’s passing all these mailboxes in the background.

Then in 10x21, we see him walking toward the military walker on the train tracks (*coughs CRM, *coughs Rick*) and he passes the blond, Beth walker, but doesn’t actually look at her or see her. Do you kind of see the similar theme there?

Negan brutally killing the biker gang can parallel Rick doing the same to Joe Claimer in 4x16.

Negan tells Craven a story about how he lost his job. He got in a bar fight. It was their favorite because it had a JUKE BOX. And they loved the juke box because it played their favorite song (You are So Beautiful to Me.) He even talks about “seeing red” and how he now realizes he can do anything he wants (read: kill anyone he wants) so we kind of see his evolution into S6 Negan here.

And honestly, they leave a lot of loose threads here. We never learn what happens to Franklin (he’s still alive at this point) and obviously Laura stays with Negan long term, but they really could do more flashbacks about how he started gathering people and found the Sanctuary.

So then we come back to the present where he’s just dug Lucille up under the stained glass window tree. In the first scene at the beginning, we see a walker making its way toward him. Yes, it’s a blond, female walker, and I’m pretty sure she’s wearing Daryl’s shirt from when he was at the Sanctuary. Here at the end, Negan has been lost in his own thoughts so long, the walker comes up behind him and he turns around and kills it with Lucille.

When he does, the bat splits down the middle. Yet another symbol of Lucille’s death.

He goes back to the cabin and sits in front of the fire and talks to Lucille (both the bat and his actual wife). He says, “I’m sorry I left you…I made myself not feel anything…I miss you.” See how we could apply that to Daryl?

He also says, “I’m going to do your fighting for you,” which I take to mean he’ll honor her memory better, now, rather than go back to the old, evil Negan he was. Which was really just years of him avoiding his feelings about her death. (Kind of like Daryl has with Beth, hence the Leah situation.)

Then he covers the bat in a white cloth (clearly meant to be a shroud) and puts the bat in the fireplace, burning it. On TTD, they do say this is meant to be the funeral she never got. 👀

Oh, and at the end of the “in memoriam” on TTD, it actually says, “Negan is burning down his past.”

So, at the very end, he actually goes back to Alexandria. Maggie, Carol, and Daryl are near the entrance and he asks where the “A” team is going. Carol warns Negan that if he lives at Alexandria, Maggie will kill him at some point. I actually really liked this ending. It was a good way to kick us into S11.

That’s the end of the episode. So, I’ll say this again and it will be a good segue into my next post about what I think Beth’s arc will be in S11, and how she’ll appear. I’ll post it either tomorrow or Thursday.

Without getting too much into the weeds, I think Negan and Beth will have some major, future interaction. And I really think the symbolism here backs it up, for various reasons. The symbolism itself wouldn’t prove anything, as we’ve seen this stuff repeated with lots of different characters and especially true love couples, which Negan and Lucille clearly were, despite his cheating.

But on TTD, Hilarie Burton talked about how strong Lucille was. She said she liked the character because so often when cancer victims or victims of other prolonged diseases are portrayed on film, they’re seen as angelic, ethereal beings. And while that’s fine if that’s truly who they are, you don’t lose your personality just because you become sick. So she liked it that Lucille was a little rough around the edges. She says that even before the apocalypse, Negan was just fussy enough that he would need a strong woman to rein him in, and he would also be attracted to exactly this kind of strong woman.

Strong woman = Beth.

So, I’ll just leave it there.

Anyone find any symbols I missed?

#beth greene #beth greene lives #beth is alive #beth is coming #td theory #td theories #team delusional #team defiance #beth is almost here #bethyl

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mercurygray · 3 years

Note

Can you do a Andy/Marie/Eddie Jazz Age AU?

YES, I absolutely can.

It was supposed to be quiet, for a Wednesday at the Pacifico - the band was rehearsing new material and the bar was a mix of the weekday regulars and reoccuring barflies. Eddie was heading into another game of solitaire while Andy balanced the books when the door to the office fairly flew open.

"There some kind of problem, Sledge?" Andy asked, knowing instinctively it wasn't going to be as bad as the breathlessness indicated.

"Cap, got a lady here says she's got a delivery for you." Sledge looked like the building was on fire - a minor defect of being new. He'd learn, given time. "Won't give Snaf her name - says she needs to see you personally."

"Do tell. Best go see what that's about," Andy said, pulling on his jacket and following Sledge to the door, Eddie in slow, deliberate pursuit behind him, smiling slightly. Their supplier had switched production methods a touch, and was making tonight's delivery personally - a friend of Eddie's from way back who now found themselves teamstering for a little bit of extra dough. Of course Snaf was right to call a stop - in times like these, could you trust anyone?

The delivery in question was a large open-roofed truck, currently parked in the alley behind The Pacifico with its contents thoughtfully tarped so as not to draw attention. And the driver was a cool-looking blond in tall laced motorcycle boots and a long jacket, currently engaged in some kind of standoff with Snafu, the two of them trading mean looks under the lights of the loading dock while they waited for the return of Sledge and his employer.

Obviously Snaf didn't hold with lady truck drivers.

"Miss Atcheson," Andy said, genially, recognizing the driver on sight.

"Captain Haldane," she replied, still as cool as could be even with Snafu practically snarling at her. "Call off your dog."

"Easy does it, Snaf," Eddie said quietly, laying a hand on the Cajun's shoulder. The boxer gave the woman one last mean look, but took a step back, letting his leaders square off with the interloper as he took a stand next to Sledge, clearly unimpressed.

"Well, what do you have for us?" Andy asked, arms crossed, supremely unconcerned. It was Wednesday, and she was a freind of Eddie's, and Eddie was as unlikely to recommend a woman who'd pull a gun in the middle of a deal. Judging by the way she stood proudly over the crate at her feet, she was here to do business - nothing else.

"See for yourself," the woman said, making a gesture to the crate at her feet at the dock and lighting a cigarette as Eddie leaned over and fished out a bottle, inspecting the label. He tested the paper with his thumb, holding the bottle up to the light to observe the color.

"Best moonshine this side of the Divide," she offered, almost proudly, as Eugene was sent inside for a glass and the bottle was opened, smelled, poured, and set aflame for Andy to study the color of the flame. "None of your cut proof here."

He nodded. "We can settle accounts inside, if you'd like. I do occasionally remember my manners."

She nodded, casually, and followed the two of them inside, hands in the pockets of her duster as they climbed the stairs to Andy's office and Eddie went for the safe in the back room for her money.

"Get you a drink?" Andy asked, slipping off his jacket again and sitting down on the edge of his desk to wait, unconcerned that she see the gun in his shoulder holster. If she knew Eddie, she knew he carried the same. She nodded and made herself comfortable in a chair. "Bottled in bond - or as good as. Old Kentucky stash." He poured two glasses, offered one to her. She looked like she owned the place, the way she was sitting, a princess in someone else's throne room, and he realized that matched the description Eddie had given him when they'd talked this over all those months ago. "I figure we've got an hour while the truck is unloaded. You're welcome to stay here, or Eddie can take you downstairs, let you enjoy the party."

"Do me just fine to wait here," she said quietly, discreetly sipping her bourbon. "And I doubt I'm the sort of party Eddie had in mind for his evening."

"He said you two knew each other, before the war."

"And then some," she admitted, her crossed legs impossibly long in her high boots. "I've known Eddie long enough to know what he is, Captain. And I can make some guesses about you."

"That so?"

"Told me enough when I took this job to form some opinions. I think it got mighty cold in France, at night," she said, no judgement or malice attached to the thought. "Fellow's likely to take what he can get and like it. Or figure out that's what he's always liked." She chuckled. "I'm not blind, Captain. I know what kind of establishment this was before I started selling to you - I like to know who I'm in bed with."

"Are we? In bed?" Andy couldn't help sounding amused. He remembered what Eddie had said when they'd first started buying from her, that they had a past and she was a hell of a kisser, as well as being about as mule-headed as they came. "Kiss you or kill you," that was what Eddie had said, and it had been a while since he'd seriously though about having a woman, really having her, but she had the same kind of hungry look that Eddie got, sometimes, and an almighty kind of stubborn that was fairly begging to be broken - or to break you, if you let her get that far.

She arched an eyebrow. "Could be, if you go for that sort of thing. Though I recall Eddie doesn't much like sharing," she added with a sly sort of grin.

He was getting warm, and it wasn't just the bourbon. "It's a long way home for you, this time of night. Wouldn't want you to have wasted a trip. Ed, Miss Atcheson's going to take us up on a little hospitality," he said, as Eddie came back from the back office, a leather satchel in his hand. "While the truck's unloaded."

"Only the truck?" Eddie asked with a smile, looking incredibly pleased with this development. "Expect she'll want to stick around a little longer than that. Got a bit of catching up to do, her and I."

#i have written a thing #thirsty thursday #marie atcheson #1940s girl gang #1920s au #all the alternate universes #andyeddiemarie #mercurygraypresents

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language-of-love · 4 years

Text

one summer night... (prompt from @jessx2231: sitting on the porch at night) | Summer Soft Series on AO3

.........

Some hellbeast of a bug buzzes his ear and he flails wildly, both desperate to not have it touch his face and not actually make contact with whatever the hell that was. He doesn’t mind walking home from the store, in fact relishes the solitude of it, but these flying monstrosities inhabiting this town can fuck right off.

“Did you just have a stroke?”

“Oh jesus fuck!”

David feels a year of his life vanish into thin air, both from fright and sheer embarrassment as that disembodied voice takes form in a very amused Patrick Brewer sitting on Ray’s front porch.

“Sorry David, didn’t mean to startle you.”

Instead of responding, David holds his finger up as he takes a few steadying breaths, eyes narrowing as Patrick’s smile just grows wider. Why does he have to have a smile like that? And why are David’s lips nudging up to smile back? Enough of that.

“Does Ray know you’re loitering out here?”

“He does. But, point of fact, I’m not loitering. I live here.”

Wait, what? He’s known this man for weeks now and he’s just finding out that he lives with Ray?

“Really?”

“Yeah, I rent a room upstairs. Sorry, I just assume that everyone knows everything about everyone in this town, so I never mentioned it.”

“Hmm, okay, just...processing this new information over here.”

Patrick chuckles in that warm, rumbly way that he does and David’s rogue stomach does a little churn. He’s not sure what to do about his body’s growing awareness of this little business man that’s dropped into his life, so he does what he’s been doing for the past week and ignores it.

“While you’re processing, I’m gonna go grab a beer. Wanna join me for a drink?”

He doesn’t hold back the minor cringe at the word “beer”, which Patrick sees and probably misinterprets, so he quickly speaks before the wrong idea can be formed.

“Do you have any wine?”

Patrick’s smile is back immediately and he nods as he stands and heads inside, leaving David standing there completely unsure of what he’s doing. He can’t help his anxiety from bubbling up question after question into the front of his brain. What is this? What does this mean? Does it mean anything? Of course it doesn’t. This is Patrick. He’s not interested in David like that. Why would he be?

“”Hey, can you…?

David’s pulled from his anxiety spiral at the sound of Patrick’s voice to find him on the other side of the screen door, hands full with their drinks.

“Oh, yeah, let me,” David stutters, quickly pulling the door open so Patrick can step back outside.

“I figured you’d want something chilled, so I went with Chardonnay. I hope that’s okay?”

“It’ll do.”

Honestly, his standards where alcohol is concerned has sunk so low since living here that he’ll drink just about anything, except Mutt’s moonshine. That’s a mistake you only make once.

Patrick returns to his spot on the stair and David contemplates what to do. He could stand here, awkwardly, or risk doing permanent damage to his white denim. He’s not sure which is worse. So he has no real choice to throw caution to the wind and sits.

It’s just past dusk and the evening around them is growing darker, Ray’s porch light and the lights from the motel down the block illuminating the vast nothingness around them. It’s oddly calming in a way. He can hear Patrick’s fingernail picking at the label on his beer, making him realize just how close they’re actually sitting.

“I feel pretty stupid that I didn’t know you were living here until now,” he admits.

“Eh, I hadn’t supplied the information either, so I guess it’s on both of us.”

Oh...wait.

“So, when you offered up your place for me to stay during the whole...lice debacle,” he pauses, allowing the full body shudder to pass before continuing. “You were offering up what, Ray’s couch, or...your…?”

The chuckle Patrick releases gets caught in his throat a little and it comes out more like a cough and when David looks over at him, he’s pretty sure there’s a little redness coloring those pale cheeks.

“I guess I hadn’t really thought that through.”

Hmm… Interesting. Or is it? David’s history of turning nothing into something is longer than a CVS receipt, so he’s mentally stopping that train of thought. Remembering his wine, he takes a long sip, cringes, and goes back in for another. It’s bad, but it’s cold and he likes the company.

“Luckily, that tragic chapter of our lives is over and we hopefully will never have to think about it again.”

“Cheers to that.”

Patrick tilts the neck of his beer towards him and David lifts his wine, smiling at the soft clink of glass against glass.

“So, Patrick, what else is there to know about you that I’ve neglected to learn?”

Patrick shrugs, but David spies his lips curving up a bit behind the mouth of his beer bottle, and yeah, that sparks some real curiosity about this man he’s obviously not given enough attention to.

“Nothing much, really. I’m just, honestly, really happy to be working with you at the store. I’m enjoying the challenge…”

“I’m a challenge?” David interrupts, his incredulous expression marred by his inability to fully wipe away his smile.

“The store is a challenge, David. You’re…”

He falls quiet and David arches an eyebrow, lifting his free hand to motion for Patrick to continue.

“I don’t know. You’re...you. I’ve never met anyone like you before, and I...I like that, I guess? I never know what you’re gonna say or do next, so yeah, maybe you’re a bit of a challenge, too. But a good one.”

David’s a bit dumbstruck. He’s never had someone say those things to him in a way that wasn’t an admonishment before. It’s an unsteadying feeling.

“I’m glad to have made an impression,” he says quietly, quick to hide his face behind his wine glass and his feelings under another long sip that ends up draining his glass.

Patrick notices, because of course he does. He’s rather attentive.

“Want another glass?” he asks, and David’s thrown off again by Patrick’s open expression of hopefulness. But he’s going to head home. Another glass will lower inhibitions and the wall he’s constructed around his heart to stop himself from getting hurt by nice guys like this. Patrick won’t mean to hurt him when it happens, so it’s best to keep things professional.

“Thanks, but I’m good.” Standing quickly, he waits for Patrick to stand with him, but he doesn’t. He just sits there, his broad shoulder propped against the side of the porch rail, smiling up at him in that genuine way that he’s mastered. He holds out his hand and for a second David freezes, unsure as to what he’s doing, but thankfully, quickly registers he’s offering to take David’s wine glass. Their fingers brush a little and the tiny hairs on David’s neck prickle his skin, but he’ll just pretend that it's from the warm summer breeze that’s surrounded them like a blanket.

It’s gotten a tad bit too cozy on this porch.

David’s a few steps away when he hears Patrick call out to him.

“Goodnight David.”

Smiling softly, he wiggles his fingers in a small wave before turning back towards the motel.

“Night Patrick.”

….....

The scratch of Patrick’s calloused thumb against the side of his neck feels so good that he can feel his body leaning in closer, pressing Patrick’s back harder against the porch rail as his moan of appreciation vibrates against their joined lips. Patrick’s free hand anchored in David’s back pocket clenches and their kiss goes molten, both of them delving deeper as if their mouths are performing all the things their bodies want, but aren’t currently able. The porch light is out, casting them in blissful darkness, masking roaming hands and stubble chafed skin, but David’s more than a little desperate to find some real privacy.

“When’s Ray getting home?” he pants into Patrick’s mouth, not giving him a chance to respond as he captures his lips again for another breathless kiss. He tastes of beer and pretzels from their short excursion to The Wobbly Elm, excusing themselves after only twenty minutes to go back out to the Rose Family car and fog up the windows, a move they will both be teased about forever by Stevie and Alexis who found them an hour later half dressed and dazed.

“Soon,” Patrick manages to whimper, “very soon.”

David has half a mind to drag Patrick inside and up to his room, but they’re both too worked up and he can’t emotionally handle Ray walking in on them, which he’ll inevitably do. It’s happened already.

Twice.

So, he does the last thing he wants to do. Pulling his mouth free, he angles his head enough to let his forehead fall to meet Patrick’s, indulging himself for a moment in the exhilaration of hearing Patrick’s breath heaving just as hard as his own. God, it’s intoxicating being wanted.

“You wanna sit for a while?” Patrick eventually asks and David answers with a tiny nod, made a bit awkward with their foreheads still pressed together. The laugh they share helps release a bit of the adrenaline and electricity, but David feels it spark anew when Patrick drags his hand into his lap as soon as they’ve sat down on the step.

“Do you have plans Sunday night?”

“Who would I have plans with except you?”

“Stevie?”

“We don’t make plans.”

“Right,” Patrick says with a smile, “well, I do, so can you add an overnight date with me to your very busy schedule?”

David’s smile widens at Patrick’s ears going pink, his inability to hide his blush even when he’s being assertive one of his most adorable qualities.

“Okay, but I can’t do Stevie’s again. Now that I know that she’s still sleeping with Jake, it’s all a little too...complicated.”

“Agreed. Some neutral ground would be ideal. Maybe one of the nicer hotels in Elmdale?”

David likes how that sounds. Leaning in, he runs the tip of his nose against Patrick’s temple so he can whisper softly into his ear.

“Somewhere with room service.”

“And late checkout,” Patrick agrees as he turns his head, quickly capturing David’s lips in a sneaky kiss.

It’s only minutes later when Ray finds them, once again caught up, with David’s hand trapped behind Patrick’s head and the porch rail, mouths kiss bruised and fingers grazing skin beneath hems and collars. By some miracle, Ray’s on the phone and greets them with just a knowing smile and a wave, quickly disappearing inside, but leaving the inner door open and efficiently, and undoubtedly unintentionally, ending their private moment.

Since they’re so close, Patrick walks him back to the motel, kissing him again against the door before mumbling “Goodnight David” against his cheek.

David’s “Night Patrick” is texted to him moments later, prompting Patrick to look back at him from down the street and blow him an exaggerated kiss.

…....

The condensation from Patrick’s beer drips down onto David’s wrist and it makes him shiver, the cold water a welcome contrast to his overheated skin. It’s a hot night, still in the high eighties past 8 o’clock and humid, making his thin t-shirt stick to the sweat building at the small of his back and between his pecs.

Stevie’s laugh precedes her as she pushes out onto their back porch, one hand clasping an overfull glass of red and the other holding the door open for Twyla following behind her. Twyla’s cut her hair so the warm summer breeze catches the now shoulder length strands as she smiles and sits cross legged against the porch rail, her sunny disposition a perfect match to the warmth radiating deep in David’s chest.

“Is it almost ready?” Patrick asks, his words making his chest rumble and David’s body vibrate from how close they’re plastered together on their loveseat style lounger. As they’ve settled into their new home, they’ve created these little special places, like the oversized soaker tub and the breakfast nook that faces the morning sun. Knowing they didn’t need to make room for potential future kids allowed them to build their home around their family of two and it’s honestly more than David could have ever dreamed up.

“Needs another half hour or so,” Twyla responds, before launching into a long story about all the different models of ice cream maker she tried out before finding the perfect one to give David and Patrick as a wedding present. Of course, because she’s a millionaire, she chose the most expensive home model, which David has thanked her for countless times.

“It’s definitely our most used wedding present,” he reminds her, which makes her smile.

“What about mine?” Stevie asks, each syllable dripping with her signature mix of boredom and sarcasm.

“You didn’t get us anything,” Patrick responds before David even has a chance.

“Incorrect. Need I remind you that it was only due to my meddling that the two of you even got together? And it was my apartment where you, you know,” she lets her words trail off as she nods pointedly. “And it was me who talked sense into you, David, when you wanted to drag Patrick to New York and leave me all alone.”

“Ah, yes, how could we forget. Thank you, Stevie, for your completely selfless gift of...um…”

“Friendship, David, the word you are looking for is friendship,” Stevie supplies, entirely too amused with herself.

As she takes a few large gulps of her wine, David tries to think of a witty response. But Patrick turns his head in that moment and presses a soft kiss into David’s hair and his brain turns to absolute mush. So, Stevie wins this round, but he’s really okay with it.

They do, eventually, eat some of Twyla’s ice cream, a delicious concoction of chocolate, pistachio and marshmallow swirl. Considering her disastrous attempts at edible smoothie recipes, she’s surprisingly good with her ice cream flavors. As the night goes on, Stevie gets more than a little tipsy, but so does David, and he laughs at his own slurred speech after saying goodbye from his now permanent spot on the loveseat.

“It’s a good thing Twyla stayed sober,” Patrick says from the patio door, the sound of his flip flops hitting the wood making David smile as he knows that means he’s coming back to sit with him again. Leaning his head back against the cushion, he focuses on the string of edison bulbs they have framing the overhang, made brighter now that Patrick has turned off the porch light.

“We should tell them to get an Uber next time. Twyla is a really entertaining drunk.”

Patrick’s warm body joins David’s on their loveseat and David lets out a happy grumble.

“So are you.”

Patrick’s voice is soft and rumbly, his mouth hot against David’s temple as he slowly drops kisses on a path towards David’s mouth.

“I’m not drunk,” David protests, even though he knows he kind of is, but he also knows how much his husband loves it when he’s a little ornery.

“Mmhmm…”

Patrick’s response is mumbled against David’s mouth, his hands greedily dragging David towards him by the back of his neck. David’s more than a little tipsy and he goes with it, welcoming the heady rush of desire mixing with the languid pull of the alcohol, making everything feel hazy and oh so good.

He’s barely maneuvered himself onto Patrick’s lap before his sweaty shirt is being dragged over his head and all the privacy they finally have is taken full advantage of.

Later, skin still pink from their shared shower and eyes closing against his cool pillowcase, David searches for Patrick’s hand between them on the mattress. It’s only when he has those familiar fingers, calloused from his guitar string, wrapped tight in his does he let himself fully drift off to sleep.

“Goodnight David,” he faintly registers hearing Patrick whisper.

“Night Patrick” he replies, or at least he thinks he does, but it could all just be a really amazing dream.

#david x patrick #david rose #patrick brewer #schitt's creek #schitts creek #my sc fic #summer soft

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cursewoodrecap · 3 years

Text

Session 22: Five-Dimensional Man-Go

This is a session I’ve been looking forward to for quite some time. I get to introduce three of my favorite characters in the entire campaign.

In the real world it’s been a while, but this was the session we officially welcomed a new chaos goblin player to the table. And damn, am I glad we did.

Valeria goes to Hoeska’s armor smiths for some upgrades, and accidentally kicks off a goth fashion montage. Her new armor has gorgeous black detailing with purple rose accents, accessorized with a brand-new Shusva-skin bag with matching claw clasp. Gral picks up a fancy Shusva-leather cloak and belt. Shoshana, realizing that a vampire’s castle is basically a Hot Topic, gets some fishnet arm warmers to accompany her fang necklace. We also get some healing potions and hope they aren’t made from lost souls or anything.

Valeria resummons Aethis, who pops back into existence in a burst of glitter that’s entirely incongruous with the local grim aesthetic. Apparently celestial gators are only mildly inconvenienced by fatalities.

As we hitch up the horses to get back on the road, we find out Ser Boris is also preparing to head out. “Woods full of many nasty creatures. Must keep hunting! Maybe I find way down to Barroch, I have heard monsters are attacking workers there.”

Gral perks up at the name of his people’s capitol. “I’m sure the orcs will treat you well. What kind of monsters are they dealing with?”

“Wolves, bears, maybe werewolf? I will find out when I get there! Cursebreakers do not have much of working relationship with orcs, so info is scattered. That is why I must investigate!”

While he heads south into orc territory, we’re gonna go north toward Sturmhearst to look into all the Key nonsense Professor Bjork told us is goin’ down. It’ll be a long trip; it’s on the coast, and we’re well into the heartland of the wood. As we get closer, we’re gonna have to look for new maps, too – the patchwork of safe zones and Curse disasters changes rapidly, and the roads that were passable a month ago might be deathtraps today.

We trek for several blessedly uneventful days. One night, in a region where a sizable number of halflings have settled, we have the fortune of seeing an inn on the horizon as night starts to fall. A sign proclaims the Fusilier’s Rest, a combination winery and inn located on a lush vineyard. Valeria’s kind of suspicious of anything too plant-based right now, but the rest of us totally want a winery tour.

We hitch up our wagon next to a post labeled Valet Parking. Aethis parks themself in the stables. Looking at the place, with its rather low doorframe and quaintly painted décor, we suspect Demish wine snootery instead of weird plant cults.

We duck through the door and take in the scene. It’s on the upscale end of totally normal, with locals sitting around eating and a huge pot of Demish onion soup bubbling on the hearth. The old halfling bartender is wearing pieces of a worn but well-cared-for blue-and-gold uniform. Two polished old pistols hang within reach on the wall, along with a pristine old Fusille musket in a place of honor behind the bar. Shiny medals in a handmade case are proudly displayed atop the bar.

As is D&D protocol, we look around for any notably wacky characters. We find them in the corner: an old man with unkempt white hair and multi-lensed, colorful glasses, engrossed in a game of Man-go against a young human doctor. We know he’s a doctor, because he’s got a stubby-beaked Sturmhearst mask pushed up to expose a tired but friendly face. His coat might once have been a lab coat, but it’s since been patched and sutured together so many times that it’s probably done a full ship-of-Theseus. His right arm is in a makeshift sling, and he’s nursing a small glass of Kevan vodka; probably the closest thing they have to rotgut moonshine in a wine-snob place like this.

We’re like, neat. Let’s eat soup.

Valeria orders a local vineyard wine and chats with the bartender about it. “The man who runs it is a madman; he thinks he can grow good wine grapes in Valdia. But he pays my sister well, she does her best.”

“Oh, don’t listen to René, his sister does marvelous work! No halfling will admit that wine grown outside Demionde will be more than spoiled grape juice,” teases one of the local barflies.

Gral asks Valeria who’s winning the Man-go game. The old man is rambling pleasantly, barely paying attention, and he is absolutely crushing the young doctor. The doctor looks like he’s totally aware he’s being taken to the cleaners, but he’s gonna let the old guy have his fun. As the game draws to a close, the younger man smiles ruefully and hands over a few coins. Meanwhile, the old fella, his eyes magnified to mismatched sizes by his funky glasses, spots our most conspicuous party member.

“Kyr! How’s the wine?” he calls, beckoning her over.

“Quite good actually!” Valeria chirps. “Was that the Kiloni maneuver?”

“Yes, or a variant I picked up somewhere! The Killam maneuver…kilometer…kilowatt? Something of the sort.”

Valeria very much wants to play him, and the old guy’s defeated opponent is happy to trade her his spot. The young man’s propped up leg hits the ground with a suspiciously loud clunk as he vacates his chair for her.

The old man peers up at her, bright-eyed even behind multiple layers of glass. “So what brings a Knight of the Rose here?”

“We’re headed to Sturmhearst, actually!”

“I see! I’ve heard the roads between here and there are pretty tricky to travel, you know.”

“No kidding. Do you have an updated map?”

He snaps his fingers. “No, but I just came from there! I’ve got an old map and I can easily update it for you kids. René is on night watch, I’ll leave it with him so you don’t have to stay up waiting for me to finish it. I know a route that’ll get you there lickety-split and safe as trousers! Now let me guess, you played at the clubs in Aurentium? You have the look about you.”

“Not the clubs, precisely…”

“Ah! Street rules, then!”

Valeria, who played Man-go against literally everyone who would have her, shrugs. “Maybe?”

“René, we’ll need some cups and a dumb hat!” the old man calls.

The young doctor wanders over to the bar and gets a refill, settling down next to Shoshana. “Hey, wanna bet on their game? The old guy’s pretty sharp.”

Shoshana laughs. “Oh, my friend is definitely gonna lose. I’ll put a silver on her, though, out of loyalty.”

It’s an odd game to spectate. Valeria falls behind early on; an insight check shows he’s not cheating, he’s just VERY good. Oh, and also Valeria’s assuming an entirely different set of house rules than this guy, and it’s tripping her up. Wait, are we doing street style, or dock style? Anyway, Valeria’s wearing the dumb hat now. At one point they both spit on the board.

“Y’know, I’ve never seen anyone from Sturmhearst take the mask off,” Shoshana says to her new drinking buddy, watching the game with confusion.

“On the clock, it’d be a safety hazard! But off the clock, eh, it’s fine. Some people get more elitist than me about it, I’m a hometown Valdian through and through.”

(You’re from Joisey, I’m from Joisey! What exit?)

“I haven’t actually been to the university since the Curse started, but I’m heading back to research some stuff I found out up in the Grammelsmarsh swamps. Some real disconcerting stuff regarding undead, and the like. The locals refer to it as the Wailing Wight.”

Shoshana gives him a once-over, rolling a decent Perception. He’s scruffy, though that could mostly be from hard travel, and definitely looks like he’s had a rough time of it. His arm’s in a sling and the little exposed skin Shoshana can see has more than its share of nicks and scars. His gait when he walked over was slightly uneven, one leg making a suspiciously heavy thunk against the wooden floor. Over his shoulder, he’s carrying a long, heavy case sealed with tar for waterproofing.

Hold up. She points to the case. “Do you have an alive guy in there?”

“…Uh.”

“You hesitated, and that’s not great.”

“Uh…no. No, I do not have an alive guy in here,” he says awkwardly.

“Okay, because the last time there was a weird bag, there was a whole-ass dude in there, and it turned into a whole thing.”

“N-no, no no no, there’s no person in the case,” he protests, not quite meeting Shoshana’s judgy cat eyes. He definitely doesn’t want anyone to get the wrong idea, even though the case has started gently twitching.

Meanwhile, old Man-Go man has proved himself quite fluent in Draco-Aquilian, though with an unmistakable mammalian accent. Gral butts into the lively conversation when it winds back to Valdian. “It seems like you’re rather well traveled. What is your profession?”

“Oh, y’know, I go here and there. I’ve been around. There’s so much to see out there!”

Valeria smiles. “I can’t fault you there. Anything in particular you’re looking for?

“I go wherever the winds take me, mostly,” he says, as if Cursewood travel isn’t the most dangerous hobby since they invented pyromancer cookoffs.

Valeria, impressively, only loses the game by a little. The old man jovially shakes her hand and promises to go get started on that map to Sturmhearst for us, springing to his feet with surprising deftness for his age and bustling up toward his room.

Gral and Shoshana, meanwhile, are busy makin’ friends with the doctor guy. “What swamp were you fighting undead in?”

“The Grammelsmarsh? It’s downriver of Mornheim.”

“Ohhh! We heard some, uh, adventurers did a purifying ritual on the river. It might help your situation?”

“That’s great, but…I dunno. Once you mix in swamp gas, things get a lot more interesting.”

“The explosions kind of interesting?”

“…Sometimes.”

The players have noticed that our doctor friend here is, like…not an NPC, there’s another guy at the table (the same player as Isadora! :D), so we start sizing each other up as travel companions.

“You seem like a pretty decent guy,” Gral says, immediately insight checking.

“I mean, you guys seem on the up-and-up too?”

Shoshana winks at him. “Well, I’m not that up-and-up but these two are very diplomatic and important.”

“If you’re also headed up to Sturmhearst, it might make sense for us to travel together? I’m not very quiet,” he admits, knocking on his knee with a clang, “but if you-“

“Hello!” Valeria, hearing clanking, has clanked over loudly to join. “Kyr Valeria Argent, at your service!”

“Uh, hi! I’m Vigdor. I’m a doctor! I mean, you knew that, with the, uh-“ He points to his bird mask. “If you need any balms or salves – I mean, I’m mostly a surgeon, but I know some herbology.”

Is that so! We chat about Dr. Ulmus and Dr. Kjeller. Everyone loves Dr Kjeller!

“I’ve heard of Dr. Kjeller! I haven’t met the guy, but he’s the leading expert on troll physiology. Getting him to come lecture hasn’t worked out so far.”

We ask René the innkeeper about any local threats. Apparently this town’s gotten lucky; the biggest threats recently have just been bandits and one overaggressive badger.

“Oh yeah, one of my cats fought one of those, it went badly,” Shoshana remembers. “For the badger, I mean. I have weird cats.”

(The inn also has cat. His name is Jean Clawed.)

Eventually we all head upstairs. As the night bears on, the girls fall asleep, presumably after painting each other’s toe claws and gossiping. Gral’s still awake, practicing his lute in the rare luxury of a single room, when he pauses. Something doesn’t sound right.

Putting his lute aside, he listens cautiously at the window and feels a deep dread grow in his stomach. The faint scent of ozone drifts in the air. The crickets and night birds have gone dead silent, and in the unsettling quiet he can hear the terrible growling, piping sound he’s heard twice before: once in a house in a hole, and once as Bullbreaker’s expedition faced its destruction.

With great urgency and no volume control, Gral sends a Message to a sleeping Shoshana: “RED ALERT, KEY SHIT’S HERE.” Shoshana wakes up and kicks Valeria.

Gral then sends a Message to our new friend Vigdor, more calmly. “If you have weapons, get them now. Something is happening, it’s going to be dangerous.”

The early warning lets Vigdor and Valeria armor up, Shoshana helping Valeria buckle on the heavy pieces in a hurry. Meanwhile, Gral sprints downstairs, casting Mirror Image as he goes.

René the innkeeper is cleaning his fusille with practiced precision, humming an old marching song. Gral can hear something moving in the kitchen behind the old halfling, so he pops another stealthy Message cantrip. “This is the orc from earlier. I think something bad is in the kitchen – I’ve heard that noise before. Hold on tight to that musket, I’m going in.”

“The back door is locked, I would have heard someone come in,” the old soldier whispers back.

“These things don’t use doors,” Gral hisses.

A 17 Persuasion convinces René, who loads a bullet into his musket. “Where are those friends of yours?”

A heavy clank from upstairs answers that question, as Vigdor and Valeria thud toward the stairs. Gral scopes out the room and sees, on the bar, a big leather map case. The map from the Man-Go guy! Then he peers into the kitchen and, yup, that’s a fleshhound, all right.

Everyone else upstairs bursts into the hall just as a second fleshhound emerges into existence next to them. Shoshana, without hesitation, hits it with a gout of flame. Its strange ethereal flesh solidifies for a moment, but then it shakes itself and charges forward, its displacement energy restored.

Meanwhile, the one downstairs doesn’t aim for Gral or René, trying to run past them. Gral plays a discordant note on his lute, using his Minor Key at the opposite frequency to its vibration and preventing it from displacing, before he strikes. A spectral, scarred orc swings a warhammer down on the creature, Thrice-Burned’s ghost getting some payback as Gral’s blade strikes true.

René takes a shot with his musket and crit-fails, understandably freaked out by the writhing mass of teleporting tentacles, the wild shot careening directly into Gral. Luckily, it only pops a Mirror Image, but everyone upstairs hears a frustrated yell of “NO. FRIEND! ME FRIEND!”

Vigdor dashes past Valeria to the stairs, his previously-motionless arm reaching out of its sling to slap her on the armor with a resounding clash of metal. A silver Jotunn rune glows through the cloth of his sleeve, and she feels Protection from Good and Evil snap into place over her. She takes the cue and stabs the hound, rose vines bursting from her trident and stabbing their long thorns into its oddly flickering flesh.

The pupils on the Eyegis snap to the space behind the beast. Our normal eyes see nothing, but the Key-aligned shield’s eyes see a magical gate, faintly connected to the hound.

As a member of the Order of the Rose, Valeria’s trained to deal with fiendish incursions. This isn’t a portal to the Hells, but she thinks it might get closed similarly. As she charges forward to deal with it, everything seems to move twice as fast as it should: the Key’s spatial distortion has made certain areas the opposite of difficult terrain, where you can move double your speed. Nyoom!

Shoshana zaps it with lightning and heads downstairs to help Gral, who’s being slapped by tentacles. The zapped one flees toward the portal, but Valeria Sentinels and stabs it to death. The downstairs hound gets its tentacles into the real Gral.

Vigdor moves to Gral’s aid, ripping away the last of his sling and clamping a large circular blade to his forearm. With the pull of a ripcord, it loudly whirs into motion. As the Buzzing Butcher slams into the displacer hound with a gory squelch, he asks about sneak attack, like a rogue!

A very, very loud rogue.

Gral breaks away from the hound’s tentacles and looks around. Through the windows, more fleshhounds have appeared outside. The space outside is warped – leaving this inn is going to be very difficult while all this nonsense is going on. The lights of the vineyard seem miles away.

However, Gral realizes, the hound responded to the sound of his lute. And when he used his Minor Key he caught a glimpse of the portal it came through. He begins to play again, using the Minor Key to try to take control of it. The GM allows him to burn a 3rd level spell slot for a colossal roll of 33. He moves the portal inside a wall, to temporarily block anything coming through.

René takes a shot at the remaining hound and misses.

Valeria, upstairs, draws her chained sword and spends a 1st level slot to try to close the portal, the same way paladins close Infernal gateways. The chains of Rack extend from the sword and stitch the portal shut.

(Gral and Valeria each gain inspiration for using Portal Trixx!)

A Thing Occurs at initiative 0, and we hear strange piping coming from the stables. We’re kind of occupied, so we trust Aethis to bite anything that bothers the horses.

Shoshana sprints down the stairs and to the bar. Aw, there’s another flesh hound coming in from the kitchen. Her Chill Touch misses, and the new monster slaps Gral.

Vigdor nyooms through a Zoom, which makes some Really Weird doppler effects happen with his clanky leg and his buzzy arm. He slides across the bar like an action hero and slams his saw down, missing the hound and showering the room in a hail of splinters.

Valeria is still upstairs, and it is LOUD downstairs. She’s gonna dash to get the heck down there and rejoin the festivities.

Gral Phantasmal Forces the new fleshhound, and in its mind, horrible liquid tendrils emerge from the soup pot and constrict around it. The soup rises to the defense of the Fusilier’s Rest!

René gets his wits about him and takes a pistol shot at the nearer fleshhound, tagging it with a bullet and keeping it in place. “GET OUT OF MY HOUSE. OUR POLICY IS NO PETS! I will not make an exception for you, you do NOT seem particularly polite!”

The fleshhound grabs the map case off the bar and starts to run for it. René hits it with the butt of his rifle. The second hound can’t attack Vigdor since it’s too busy convincing itself soup isn’t dangerous, so Vigdor’s free to draw his pistol and unload a Sneak Attack bullet into the fleeing hound’s back.

René reloads his musket. It’s been a long time since he’s done it under fire, but the Royal Fusilier Corps of Demionde does not half-ass their training.

The portal the hound’s heading for bisects a wall now, so it might be hard for the hound to get through. Before it can worry about that, though, it comes face to face with Valeria, who’s ready to rumble. She kills it, dropping the map to the ground, and skitters through the Zoomy Zone to try to trident the second hound. It displaces out of the way.

Gral seizes control of another portal, and this time decides to use it to see what’s going on. He tries to hop out to the stables, where that weird noise is coming from. He enters a weird nether space full of the flickering bodies of fleshhounds, writhing and blinking, which the DM calls the Threshold. Gral accepts psychic damage to see what’s going on, and the patterns become clearer as the Key takes hold temporarily in his brain. These portals all connect to each other and the Threshold at the same time. Whatever’s out in the stables, making that eerie piping noise, is tied to the portals – it can’t fully exist in our realm. So if you close all the portals, it’ll force that thing to leave; if you drive it away, the portals will close. Either way, the Key’s influence on this place will fade.

Oh, and that thing out in the stables? It’s the Lurke r again.

Gral’s old enemy wrests control of the portal back from Gral, who stumbles back out into the inn, reeling from the sudden whammy of Key taint.

Shosha shoots lightning at the nearest hound, which retaliates by leaping through her, disrupting her matter with its own. It’s a highly unpleasant experience. A new hound jumps out of the portal next to Valeria. As Vigdor, Shoshana, and René all attack, Gral shuts another portal with his lute’s magic. “Guys, there’s something horrible in the stables!” he shouts. “If we bust enough portals it’ll go away!”

The Lurker continues to make mysterious dice rolls, but apparently it’s rolling poorly, so we don’t quite find out what it’s up to. It peers through one of the last few portals, only visible to Gral and the Eyegis. It’s hard to get a good look at, fifth-dimensional as it is, but it’s weirdly humanoid, actually? It’s surrounded by floating lanterns and holding some sort of pipe or flute.

(The DM notes that Jean Clawed is awake and doesn’t see why any of this is his business. He’s capable of using the portals; he’s not Key tainted, that’s just how cats are.)

We exchange blows with the remaining hounds, Chromatic Orbs flying and chainsaws buzzing. René bayonets a hound to death, for the honor of all NPCs.

Gral powerslides on his knees across the Zoomy Zone, playing a complicated riff, woobling himself right through the fireplace into the kitchen. He spends another level 3 spell slot to get the portal to dance itself shut. “And that was Through the Fire and Flames!”

René reloads his gun. Shoshana blasts the hound with fire, so Vigdor’s action goes off and he chainsaws it to death, the body and spine getting caught in the spinning chain. FATALITY.

The searing light of Shoshana’s fire casts sharp shadows on the walls of the inn, which begin to writhe and re-form, swirling together into a lithe, snarling feline shape that springs toward the Lurker. It pounces with an odd, broken yowl that’s incredibly familiar – although Valeria and Gral have only ever heard it once, from underneath an overturned laundry basket.

Vigdor, who’s never met a flesh-hound OR a cursecat before, makes an arcana check to figure out what in the seven hells is going on. It seems some sort of entity is thinning the barriers between realities? Its very essence seems to be intermingled with portal; it cannot fully leave the portal or exist in this realm. Like a malevolent, sentient pair of curtains.

He’s like okay, curtains sound like something I can chainsaw. It’s curtains for you, see? (Fun fact: if he rolls 21 or higher on attack roll with chainsaw, he gets sneak attack regardless of other circumstances. Because it’s a goddamn CHAINSAW.)

The Lurker turns its attention directly on us, or at least to the enormous hissing cat hellbent on ruining its day. Gral, still strumming furiously, realizes the Lurker’s only got a couple of portals left. He’s closed a portal already; he’s gonna try to close all of them for good. The DM imposes disadvantage and a brutal pile of psychic damage, but Gral is unphased, hitting a power chord that shakes the entire inn.

The Lurker screeches and reaches for him, the space around Gral beginning to warp, but it’s too late, the portal slamming shut against it. The Zoomy Zones vanish; the portals close, the strange atmosphere fades. The road looks to be the size it was before instead of an endless stretch of packed earth; the vineyard is once again an easy ten-minute walk away.

His big solo complete, Gral sways and collapses unconscious. Valeria runs over and Lays On Hands so he doesn’t die, while Vigdor starts casting Mending on the destroyed bar furniture. Shoshana, meanwhile, just stares dumbstruck at the place where a huge spectral cat is dissipating into shadowy smoke.

“…Schmendrick?”

René is holding himself together, but he’s an old man and it’s been a while since he fought this much. He took a bit of damage; Valeria pat pats him some HP. “Thank you, Kyr. I…I need to check on my other guests. The old man with the Man-Go game, we must find out if he lives.”

Valeria accompanies him upstairs. Rack’s glowing rose vines are still visible, stitching the portal shut; it’s healing more quickly than Valeria’s used to seeing. The door to the old man’s room swings open under Valeria’s cautious knock. The bed is unmade but empty, and the old man’s luggage is gone. The only things left are a generous tip on the counter and his odd multicolored glasses.

As Vigdor steps outside to clean viscera off his chainsaw, Gral scopes out the stables. There’s evidence of disturbed earth around the grounds, but nothing conclusive. Aethis seems to be unbothered.

We reconvene without much to show for our investigation. But we have one last clue: Why were the hounds so interested in the old man’s map? We spread it out on one of the bar tables and crowd around. It’s a map of Valdia, but the path it shows us to take to Sturmhearst makes No Sense. It’s not even contiguous! It tells us to start here and wander north, and then the line cuts off next to some scribbled equations, the route picking up again elsewhere, where he’s drawn a symbol we don’t recognize – and so on, in strange and nonsensical disconnected paths.

Shoshana, on a hunch, puts on the multicolored glasses the old man left behind. Like 3D glasses, they reveal the hidden image. Through the kaleidoscopic lenses, she can see remnants of the Key’s influence all around the inn; the fading Zoomy Zones and closing portals light up in ultraviolet. The map, meanwhile, has gained an entirely new dimension, like a layer of holographs. NOW the shortcuts make sense – they route through other dimensions along the z-axis, with additional symbols and labels giving helpful hints.

To be honest, it does look like a much faster route. And one of the notes says it leads to the “Drowned City” – hey, isn’t that where Bullbreaker ended up? But we’re all rightfully wary of hopping right back into another flesh-hound portal disaster.

We now have the Extradimensional Map and the Stranger’s Glasses.

Oh! The map has a note for us: “Happy Journeys to a fellow master of the game. Your friend, T.T.”

We immediately rifle through our notes and realize he may have been Professor Trevor Twombly, Headmaster of Sturmhearst. Vigdor, did you know that guy?!

Vigdor didn’t recognize him. Maybe the guy looked like Twombly, if you squint? There were a lot of old men at Sturmhearst, and they wear masks most of the time? Also he had distracting glasses? So, like…maybe?

As we bicker, Vigdor snags the glasses off the table and heads to his room, opening up his case and taking a look. The lenses don’t reveal anything new about the object inside.

Unfortunately, the poor rogue didn’t bother to stealth. “Whatcha doin’ in here?” says Valeria, who followed shortly behind.

“Um, just looking at my leg, seeing if anything is weird-“

Valeria immediately checks Vigdor’s lower limbs for wounds. “I can help! An extra pair of hands can always-”

“No, no! I think I’m okay! Really!” he protests. He glances into the case again, clearly torn, and sighs. “Let me explain.”

He lifts a whole human leg out of the case, kicking and twitching.

“This is my leg, and I’m taking it to Sturmhearst. I’m not sure if it’s wholly mine anymore.”

Through his torn pants, Valeria can see a clunky clockwork leg to match his buzz-saw arm.

One player immediately yells “FULL METAL ALCHEMIST.” Another player says it again, in a slightly different voice.

Dr. Vigdor Gavril has joined the party!

#the cursewood #session recap #the key #valeria argent #gral omokk'duu #shoshana bat chaya #vigdor gavril #schmendrick #trevor twombly

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narasnooze · 4 years

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Naruto Cast, tries Absinthe. – Actor AU

Tenten: whoooaaaa! it’s a skull-bottle! Neji: How strong is this really? Neji: 89,9%? Okay Neji: That’s ...totally fine.

Ino: now this is.. right up your alley Shikamaru: I was gonna say; [holds the bottle up] Shikamaru: our clan makes this. Ino: A fine product of Nara.

Shino: This is radioactive, let’s be honest Kiba: It’s so green. look at that..! Kiba: you can basically see the little fairies dancing in there Shino: ... I’m concerned.

Hashirama: [ CLAPPING HIS HANDS IN EXCITEMENT ] Madara: okay Hashirama: [ KEEPS CLAPPING HIS HANDS ] Madara: Do you want me to pour it for you? Hashirama: YES! Madara: [ chuckles ] Madara: Okay, so.. a little bit of poison, Madara: a sugar cube on the spoon and slowly add water..? Hashirama: [ IS CLAPPING FASTER ]

Shikaku: oh they already made that joke? [ laughs ] Inoichi: I’m... gonna marry this bottle. Shikaku: It’s pretty sweet, but it’s ohhh so lovely.. Shikaku: I’m kind of disappointed we’re doing this, Shikaku: on a tuesday at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. Inoichi: [ makes another one ] I don’t care

Sasuke: I like that there are these steps... that you have to do. Sasuke: It’s like Witchcraft. Naruto: [ is coughing because he drank it straight outta the bottle ] Naruto: whahH? Mother, THat’S StROnG Naruto: what steps?! Sasuke: [ buries his face in his hands ]

Asuma: I’ve had this before, actually. It’s great. Chōji: Knowing you, that doesn’t make me feel less intimidated. Asuma: what the hell does that mean?!

Gaara: Oh, this is.. terrifyingly good. Kankuro: You don’t even taste the alcohol that much..! Gaara: It’s really good.. Kankuro: You could bring this to a fucking picnic.

Naruto Cast, tries the strongest alcoholic drinks. – Actor AU. Iruka: 95%???? Is this legal? Mizuki: [ pours them each a shot ] Mizuki: eeeeeeeeeh whaaateeeveeer Hidan: Be honest with me; If I pour this on the table... Hidan: will it burn a hole through it? Kakuzu: ...there’s no scent and that worries me a little bit. Omoi: You know.. it does say right here, Karui: It doesn’t say anything, anywhere– Omoi: –that you’re not supposed to drink alcohol... Karui: ...while pregnant. Omoi: No, no! In general.

Kakashi: [ looks at bottle, then at the camera ] Kakashi: I feel like this is what’s gonna kill me Obito: I’m genuinely so excited to try this Shikaku: This is Moonshine at its finest. Shikaku: No label, just crystal clear liquid in a bottle. Shikamaru: [ eyes the bottle with worry ] Shikamaru: [ glances at the crew behind the camera ] Genma: Cheers, Raidō: Cheers! Genma: Raidō: Genma: Raidō: OHhhMYyGoD Genma: Yeah. That’s a good time. Raidō: I’m gOnnA dIe i’m GoNNA dIE Genma: I feel great. It truly burned away everything. Genma: All the guilt I have ever felt, is now gone.

Izumo: 95% ???!! Kotetsu: [ takes a shot ] Izumo: What– What are the other 5% ???? Izumo: Satan’s tears????? Kotetsu: Izumo: Is it good?? Kotetsu: ...i can’alk... m’moof hurrs... Izumo: [ laughs ]

Shikaku & Shikamaru: [ knocks the shot glasses together/drinks ] Shikaku: Shikamaru: [ squeezes his eyes shut & shakes his head ] Shikaku: wow, that is so strong.. Shikamaru: [ slams hand on table ] - a minute later - Shikaku: Are you okay? Shikamaru: I could light a match stick by breathing on it–

Voice of Kurama: They are not fucking around with this. Voice of Shukaku: WHOOOOOOOOOH!!!

#NARUTO Actor AU.#!!! .... ive been too entertained by buzzfeed and #the try channel–– anyway #ooc.

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chippyskylark · 3 years

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LIGHTS DOWN LOW.

death content warning. alcohol content warning.

creatively, chip is on the cusp of something extraordinary. the pop sensation takes a tentative step into maturity though remains careful not to shed his squeaky clean image. the beauty of chip skylark’s third album lies in the complexity of the man and the stories behind it. while still under the direct control of his label, chip still manages to take a stand towards independence as he tries his hand at songwriting and production for the first time in his six year career. the sunny pop filled production is representative of the singer’s optimism as he battles the worst year of his life.

lights down low w. chippington skylark the third. the opening track of chip’s third album packs the punch of a new sound for those who have been a fan of the singer since he first burst onto the scene at fourteen. chip reflects on his six year relationship with fellow singing sensation britney santiago, penning a love song that he hopes begins to convey how strongly he feels for her. it’s one of the first songs he writes for the album and it comes shortly after a conversation his family has with the couple during one of their family dinners. his grandfather jokes about marriage, earning chastising from Chip’s grandmother and mother for embarrassing the young couple. and while he doesn’t say much when the topic is brought up, a lot of thinking leads him to the conclusion that he’d be ready for marriage if it was with britney.

love me less w. chippington skylark the 2nd & ricardo skylark. another song born from a playful conversation amongst family. chip finds himself on vacation, surrounded by the important men in his life. so young and having lived such a squeaky clean life, chip can do nothing more than sit back and listen on as his father and uncles trade stories of life before their wives. chip is, to put it lightly, horrified by the tales he hears of cheating and breaking hearts. he hardly expected to find out that his father had been such a player before marrying his mother, content to assume that the music his father sings was all just a stage persona. it prompts chip to ask if his father and uncle were ever concerned that their wives would find out and it would ruin their relationships, and so love me less was born. originally a salsa song and written in Spanish, Chip’s label suggests the sound doesn’t fit with the vision they have for the album. and because he can’t bear to let anyone down, chip reworks the track and translates it to English.

cruel w. chippington skylark the 3rd. chip struggles with the mounting pressure and stress of their jobs, finding the anxiety that plagues him doesn’t necessarily care if he’s a singing sensation. but, when his thoughts get too loud and the crowds get to be too much to handle chip can always count on Britney to be one of the good things in his life.

treasure w. chippington skylark the 3rd & ricardo skylark. chip’s built an entire career around singing songs that make girls feel confident and beautiful, so treasure is kind of following in the scheme of that. he writes and composes the song with his uncle, and it’s one of his favorite songs to date for the memory of getting to work with a band for a change.

blueberry eyes. a song that’s presented to him by the label. chip has no hand in writing it but unlike every other song in his career prior to this album, he does make a production decision on it. the label is set on the pop beat they present him and chip wants to focus more on an acoustic take on the track. they reach a compromise, the label allowing chip to close the song with a fluttering piano moment.

love me like you do. w. chippington skylark the 3rd. a collaboration between the couple was long overdue as far as their fan base was concerned. the duet is something treasured by their fans and yet it brings nothing but frustration to the singers in question. britney and chip’s relationship ends abruptly, and as far as chip is concerned without reason, weeks before his album releases. when love me like you do is hailed as a fan favorite their teams decide it’s time to capitalize on the movement and make it a single. chip and britney are now faced with the challenge of keeping their split a secret while they’re forced to do a press run for the song. pretending to not be heartbroken during radio interviews and fighting back sorrow from a love lost is practically impossible during televised performances at award shows, but they manage. they don’t have a choice.

where am i at? w. chippington skylark the 2nd & chippington skylark the 3rd. ricardo meant everything to the skylark family, and his sudden death shakes the family. chip is overseas when he gets the call about his beloved uncle’s accident. his management team denies his request to cancel his talk show appearance and performance, insisting he get through the night and then travel to see his uncle on his deathbed. chip doesn’t make it back in time to say goodbye, and the robbed opportunity for closure adds salt to the wound. his father feels the loss of his younger brother around him all the time, and chip finds that it’s hard to love what he does when one of the men who inspired him to do it is gone now.

moonshine. w. chippington skylark the 3rd. he’d never drank a day in his life before, turning down alcohol at every party he’s ever been to despite even the most fierce peer pressure. losing his uncle and watching the way it hits his family is enough to make chip turn to whisky. he goes through a three week phase where he’s drinking every night, clutching his uncle’s old flask close to his chest as he stares out at the night sky hoping something could cure the cold touch of grief.

there is a god. w chippington skylark the 2nd & chippington skylark the 3rd. revisiting the topic of marriage, chip reflects on his relationship with britney as she supports him through the hardest time in his life. emboldened and fresh with the knowledge that life is too short, chip makes a decision putting his happiness first for once. he’d talked about it with his family and they were happy that he was ready to take the next step in his relationship with britney. chip never did get to propose and now he can hardly stand to listen to this song.

working for the weekend. w. chippington skylark the 3rd. working in this industry has always been challenging for chip, the cold gaze of executives and the harsh criticism from strangers consistently chewing chip up and spitting him back out. but following the struggle he’s facing with his management team and the stacked schedule he’s always given, chip takes to his music to voice his frustrations. his fans should have seen the long hiatus coming as he alludes to his stress and exhaustion.

new life. w. chippington skylark the 3rd. chip closes his album on a high note, making a declaration that things will be different for him moving forward. the triumphant track showcases chip at his most confident as he channels all his anger and hurt into wanting a change. tired of being pushed around by his label chip declares that he will take full control of his next album. the song is written mostly in anger, and the choice to feature a latin inspired take on production is a direct shot at his label who had spent years trying to force him to assimilate to American culture so he can be more palatable to pop listeners. chip is never more sure of something in his life. joke’s on him though because the loss of his uncle combined with the end of his relationship in the midst of a world tour kills whatever determination he had in him.

#i said fuck a graphic #but lain and nat inspired me to get my boy figured out so here he is!#🎤 i don't need nobody tellin me just what i'm gonna do about my destiny. (about.)

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groovycatcollector · 4 years

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The Wonderfully Right, And The Horribly Wrong (Daryl Dixon Love story)

Summery: After losing her brother and his wife, one young woman is left on her own, caring for a new born and trying to survive. After being taken in to a community after years of mistrust, how will she adapt, and what effect will a certain archer have on her. Starts the last episode of season 5

Warnings: slow-burn, angst, eventual fluff, violence, strong language. ptsd, age gap

Pairings: Daryl Dixon x OFC

Chapter 8

“We look like a danm ‘Baby and Me’ group” I joked, sitting across from Carl in the kitchen. Both of us had put our kids on the floor with pillows around them, making it a sort of make-shift baby fort. I poured us both some water before grinning like a mad woman with my chin resting in my hands.

“Who is she?” I sang, knowing I was irritating him. He plonked his big cowboy hat onto the table “If you’re gonna be annoying I can ask someone else” Carl looked as if he was trying to be an adult, and I looked as if I was trying to be a kid, bit of an odd pair.

“Who are you gonna talk to? Eugene? Morgan?” I was poking the bear, suddenly I pretended to be horrified, sitting back in the seat. “Oh no” He looked puzzled “Oh sweet Jesus no” I exclaimed. “You” I jolted forward pointing an accusatory finger at him “You were gonna talk to Abraham weren’t you?”

He looked at me blankly, arms crossed “Nina” I sat back, my outburst over. “I’m just saying he’s shit with the ladies” I missed goofing around with people, Carl reminded me of Beau, the baby’s daddy; Serious, a bit shy but as sweet as sugar on the inside. “Seriously who is she” I said again, a bit more serious. “Or at least what kind of person she is”

He talked, talked a good bit, and even though it obviously was Enid he still wouldn’t confess. I’ve seen her walking around, she was pretty, also the only girl his age. “Well, what does she like?” I was spinning my web was master match making, I missed this. “Find something your both into, make it a thing. Know anything she likes?” He shrugged, oh Jesus save me,teenaged boys

“Okay, what do you like about her?” Carl paused “Shes smart, and pretty” okay… not much to go on “Have you expressed any interest?” He was rubbing his knees and his face was getting redder by the minute. “Okay well complement her, for a start. Or maybe start off my showering, that’s always a good place to start. Then find something you’re both interested in and go from there”

Carls face lit up like he had an idea “I know what to do” I could barely blink before he had swept up his hate and Judith and nearly ran out the door. Letting out a sigh I sat back

“Okay then”

I needed to get ready anyways, I was going on a run with Spencer Daryl and

“Seriously stop thanking us, we can use the practice” Glenn scolded taking the bag of formula as Maggie bounced the baby on her lap while I shrugged the kami jacked I found in storage over my shoulders. I smiled, grateful to the couple that they consider babysitting “practice” for their oncoming child, still, I needed to go on this run, wanting to find a gift for the two to them as a congratulations present, and a few other things.

Glenn set the bag down on the counter “So feed every two hours, if he cries we check the diaper, feed, and bounce”

I rolled my eyes, he had a look on his face like he was saying this more for me then him. I crossed my arms, knowing what he was doing “Yes, okay you got it” I admitted, throwing my hands up in defeat. He leaned agents the island “He’ll be fine, stop stressing” I looked down and back up at him, I know he will be; especially with Glenn and Maggie. Taking a deep breath I decide to ask them.

I twitched my nose. “Hey Mag, could you come over here?” Her head darted in my direction, before standing, keeping the baby close to her chest. I shuffled my feet, brushing my hair out of my face “So you know how he’s being baptized in a few days?” They looked calm, Sweet Jesus I hope they say yes. “W-W-Well” Oh no, I started stuttering again, I could never shake that habit off “I was wondering” Fuck sake, deep breath “Wouldyouliketobehisgodparents?”

They stared at me blankly, “What” Maggie asked, before a wash of understanding washes over her face, and her shoulders relax. “Just in case anything happens to me, I want to know he’ll be well looked after" I explained desperately, my hand moving way too much for it to look natural.

Glenn glanced at Maggie, who smiled back “Of course we will” Glenn said, reaching out and touching my Bicep. A wave of relief washed over me, relaxing my muscles. “Thank you” I said, genuinely grateful. “When is the christening?” Maggie asked, starting to bounce the Baby I have yet to name in her arms. The other name threw me off and I tried to remember

“In a few days, Gabriel said he needed to refresh his memory of Catholic baptisms” Maggie nodded “Just tell us the morning of and we’ll be there” She smiled, and I hoped that they understood what they were getting into.

I sat in between Daryl and Spencer in the pick-up truck waiting for the turn off into the small town, where hopefully we’d fine a few shops that still had a few products inside. I could them some baby clothes, or some wood and make them a crib. Spencer attempted to make small talk over Daryl’s useless stick driving but to no avail; both Daryl and I were focused on other matters. My leg occasionally bumping agents Daryl’s or Spencer’s thighs, causing Daryl to tense his arms agents the wheel and Spencer to move closer to me.

After knocking on the window we strolled into the shop, all armed with only hand knives, Spencer staying close behind as I followed Daryl. The store was dark and silent, expect for a few bangs of a stuck Rotter. Scanning the shelves, seeing a few boxes of incense, I figured it must have been a bit of a Hippie shop. Shoving whatever labelled ‘Natural Remedy’ into my rucksack; only a few bottles of oils and dried herbs.

“I’m gonna check the back” I called out, heading towards that door that said ‘employees only’ where the nagging was coming from.

Daryl shot me a look “Nah, I’ll get the walkers in a sec,”. Rolling my eyes at his dismissal I opened the door to the back. The second my hand pulled the handle back I knew I fucked up. The walker over powering me, and knock me to the floor.

Shit. Shit. His teeth biting and snapping towards my neck getting out a grunt I tried to bring my knife up to his head, but I couldn’t reach.

The only thing blocking his jaws from my neck was my forearm. Shit, I tried to kick my legs, trying to knock him over, but that only made him get closer to my face. I pushed the rotter back a little, just about to get my knife through its temple, but a knife went through his eye, inches away from my chin away from my chin.

Throwing him off of me I gasped for air .My ‘savoir’ spoke “Fuck Nina I told you I’d get it” I looked to Daryl standing over me, with a red face and veins pulsating in his neck. I propped myself up on my elbows “I had him” I huffed in annoyance. “Shit was reckless and you know” Jesus I feel like I’m being scolded for sneaking out on a school night. Spencer had slipped behind me into the store room.

Pushing myself to my feet I stand only a few inches away from him “I said I had him” Daryl stepped back. “Really? It didn’t look like it. Actually it looked like you were about to get bit” My temper was getting the better of me, I would have apologized if he didn’t have his finger in my face. I slapped it away, the dark shop making him seem more threatening, but this only pissed me off more.

Jesus Christ what is wrong with him. “I said I had it Dixon” I spat, turning on my heel and walking into the back. Obviously Daryl didn’t feel like this conversation was over, he grabbed my arm and was about to open his mouth to scold me.

I quickly decided that I wasn’t listening to a lecture before blurting out an “I’m sorry”. He dropped my arm, his eyes were a stern blue trying to read me. I’m a good liar, I know that much, but see saw threw it. He squinted his eyes before walking past me into the back.

“Clothes, shitty CD’s and candles mostly” Spencer announced as we walking in. It was dark due to the lack of windows, turning on my torch so I could get a better look “Take the clothes, they can be used has bandages” I said.

I strained my eyes trying to read the labels on boxes threw the dust. I brushed the curls off my face finding a book. “Natural Births: A Doulas Guide”, perfect, now I’ve a little thank you present for the godparents

Stuffing clothes I thought could be bandages I looked down, and saw a purple scarf and smiled at the genital colour. Hesitating to pick it up, it felt so wrong to even consider something frivolous at the end of the world.

Actually, no it didn’t. Fuck it I want a pretty head head scarf. I put my rucksack down warped it around my head once, just enough to keep the hairs off my face.

I walked over to the boys hearing a few laughs and a few “fuck yeahs” after curiosity got the better of me. They were kneeling down over three or four boxes, and peering over I could just about see glass bottles.

Spencer turned, smiling while handing me one of the mixed matched bottles. “This has been a great day” He beamed before turning back to the boxes. I brought my torch up to the bottle, no label.

I cautiously unscrewed it, taking a whiff. Immediately regretting it as the smell burnt my nose hairs. Regret soon turned into pure joy after registering what I smelt

Moonshine.

Part one Part two Part three Part four Part Five Part six Part seven

Part nine Part ten Part eleven

Tags: @buckysjuicyplums

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