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2getherweek · 4 years

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2GETHERWEEK MASTERPOST✨

Once again, a very big thank you to all of you who participated in this week and made it amazing with your incredible creations! And of course, a big thank you to those who supported the artists, because you are equally important❤️ In this post you can find links to all things created for this event! If any of your works is missing from this list or you want us to change something, please let us know.

Everyone, I present you, 2getherweek’s masterpost!🌈

Day 1: flowers | festival | song inspired

FANFIC

For love is just in Tine by @eternal-fandom-life

[festival, sarawatine] Tine is confused, Sarawat is pining and everyone else just wants to go home.

Intro: Flowering by @flamevbirdv

[flowers, sarawatine] A bodyguard au. In which Sarawat’s a very famous singer and Tine’s a glorified babysitter. Oh, and they are in love.

i love you by @svt-district

[flowers, sarawatine] Tine has a hard time saying those three little words, so he turns to flowers.

365 flowers by @zeskiyo

[flowers, sarawatine] Tine has never received flowers in his life. Ever. But when he starts getting them daily, for months, will his plan to find out his secret admirer's identity work out?

kiss me to let the whole world see (that there’s nobody else for me) by @cu-tine

[festival, flowers and song inspired, sarawatine] Sarawat knows that Tine’s been working himself down to the bone. Well, good thing that there’s a festival nearby.

He pulls away, looking at Tine in fondness and affection, pressing his forehead against his. “Tine. Please?” His tone was desperate, but it was also laced with concern and anxiety. “Just this once?”

A beat passed and Sarawat was about to ask again before Tine tightens his grip around him, cuddling closer to his chest. “... okay.”

you by @sara-wat

[festival and date, earnpear] Basically, Earn and Pear being cute and going to a festival together.

it’s you by @brghtwn

[song inspired, sarawatine] One look at him and Sarawat knows. This? This is more.

FANART

fanart by @aerialbolditalic

[flowers, sarawatine] Tine, the sunflower child and Sarawat, the boy on fire.

fanart by @nerd-squash

[flowers and lost, sarawatine] Wat & Tine on a meadow picnic date.

fanart by @zattez

[song inspired, sarawatine] What if Tine photo bombed Wat’s pic in the Scrubb concert before he bumped into Wat later with his over excitement?

And the photo had been Wat’s lock screen until one year later before finally meeting Tine for real.

fanart by @hourtohournotetonote118 [flowers, sarawatine]

GIFSET

gifset by @pining-sarawat

[festival, milphukong] AU in which phukong falls in love with the lead singer of the rhytm. when he brings him food, mil recognizes him and asks him out.

gifset by @teepakorns [song inspired, sarawatine]

gifset by @kuwentista

[song inspired, sarawatine] Sarawat & Tine: Memo by Years & Years.

gifset by @ficklefackle

[song inspired, sarawatine] Sarawatine’s love story + scrubb songs as the soundtrack.

gif by @lovetine [flowers, earnpear]

2gether girls as flowers by @torfight

gifset by @sara-wat

[song inspired, sarawatine] Sarawat and sweet tooth by cavetown.

gifset by @brghtwn

[song inspired, sarawatine] One look at him and Sarawat knows. This? This is more.

gifset by @saifahzonn

[song inspired, sarawatine] …and if you listen to a Scrubb song when you are in love…

EDIT

2Gether in Flowers by @kuraioshiro

Day 2: stars | love letter | lost

FANFIC

here i am lifting up my heart (to the one who holds the stars) by @cu-tine

[stars, love letter and lost, sarawatine]

5 things Tine loves, 5 wishes Sarawat wants to come true, and 1 time they both said what they truly feel out loud.

Tine wants to know, wants to know so bad why Sarawat never hesitates when it comes to him. He wants to know why he’s choosing to be with Tine even when he can do literally anything else with all his talents.

Why? Why?

Sarawat looks back at him, the stars reflecting in his beautiful irises, taking Tine’s breath away at the sight of them. He smiles, a soft and small one, lifting his hand to put it on Tine’s cheek, a wave of electricity erupting throughout his skin from the touch. “Because I love you.”

Lost by @samcedeswannabe [lost, sarawatine]

do better by @blueskycafe

[lost, milphukong] "The day it all comes to a head, it’s closer to night than day and it’s supposed to rain soon."

FANART

Four times Tine lost in Wat’s eyes by @zattez

GIFSET

gifset by @pining-sarawat [stars, earnpear]

gifset by @lovetine

[lost, fongchat] In this world, it is too common for people to search for someone to lose themselves in. but i am already lost, i will look for someone to find myself in. In which chat and fong have been in love with their respective best friends for so long, but are willing to let them go just so they can see them be happy. in their lost souls, they find each other by chance.

2Gether & Lost by @kuraioshiro

gifset by @kuwentista [love letter, sarawatine]

gifset by @transking [lost, sarawatine]

gifset by @torfight [stars, mantype]

gifset by @saifahzonn [stars, sarawatine]

gifset by @holden-caulfieldlings [stars, sarawatine]

PLAYLIST

🎶 let this playlist guide you home🎶 by @pastel-butnotreally-angel

love letter by @sara-wat

Day 3: soulmates | rain | coffee shop

FANFIC

Trivia: Your name by @flamevbirdv

[soulmates, sarawatine] Sarawat and Tine are soulmates, or at least, Tine is Sarawat’s.

the chaser by @torfight

[soulmates, mantype]

Man loves his soulmate mark. It’s in the neatest handwriting he has ever seen, so tidy and precise that it looks like it’s been typed out. His owner must be a reliable responsible person, which is exactly what Man thinks he needs in his life, because he’s the opposite.

Type doesn’t like his soulmate mark. It’s messy and it looks weird scribbled on his right hip. Worst of all, it’s so generic. No, krub? He has already heard it thousands of times in his life, and he’ll probably have to hear it as many times before he actually finds the one.

my eyes will always return to you by @sara-wat

[coffee shop, sarawatine]

Tine and Sarawat like studying at the same coffee shop. They keep pinning after each other, but then one day there is only one table (ohmygod there was only one table).

The Bond by @samcedeswannabe

[soulmates, sarawatine]

Soul mate AU where soul mates can hear whatever music your soul mate listens to and you’re forced to sing whatever song your soul mate is singing.

in a hundred lifetimes and any version of reality (i’d find you and i’d choose you) by @cu-tine

[soulmates, sarawatine]

Sarawat and Tine are soulmates. They love each other in every reality they live on. They’re meant to be with one another.

But why is it so hard for them to be together?

mango smoothie by @blueskycafe

[coffee shop, earnpear] Pear doesn’t drink coffee.

FANART

fanart by @zattez

[rain, sarawatine] Ghibli redraw.

coffee shop date by @nerd-squash

fanart by @yansqing

[soulmates, sarawatine]

GIFSET

gifset by @holden-caulfieldlings [rain, sarawatine]

Sarawat & music by @kuwentista

[soulmates] “You don’t need to understand music. You just need to feel it.”

gifset by @brightwin [soulmates, sarawatine]

gifset by @ramcatcher [soulmates, sarawatine]

gifset by @holden-caulfieldlings

[soulmates, sarawatine] Two people connected by the red thread of fate are soulmates.

gifset by @transking

[soulmates, manboss]

“Have you ever felt really close to someone? So close that you can’t understand why you and the other person have two separate bodies, two separate skins?” ― Nancy Garden, Annie on My Mind

Americano and Blue Hawaii by @saifahzonn

gifset by @svt-district

[coffee shop, mantype] Aren’t you gonna ask how I know that you’re here?

There’s only one coffee shop near my workplace, it’s not hard to find for someone so nosy.

EDIT

moodboard by @watttine

[rain/coffee shop, sarawatine]

Sarawat is a barista at a coffee shop near his University. On a particularly dull day, a boy rushes through the door of the coffee shop, seeking shelter from the rain. With his sweet smiles and bright eyes, he warms Sarawat’s heart.

Day 4: hands | family | apologies

FANFIC

i finally found where i feel i belong (and i know you’ll be there with wide open arms) by @cu-tine

[hands, sarawatine] Tine never did liked his hands, or understood the concept of family, but thank god he has his friends to help him with that.

“Why are you always so stubborn?!” Sarawat screams back, a threatening scowl on his face. “Listen to me, for once!”

“I always do!” Tine snaps, crossing his arms over his chest. “But you never listen to me! Can you please, for once, just stop being your oblivious self and accept what I’m saying?!”

words unsaid haunt our minds by @sara-wat

[apologies, milphukong] It was about time Mil apologized to Phukong for a couple of things.

speak out or get out by @blueskycafe

[apologies, dimgreen] Dim has never been the greatest at communicating.

gone fishing by @blueskycafe

[family, earnpear] Earn is gay. She’s sure now, more than she has ever been, and the proof comes in the form of a beautiful girl named Pear.

GIFSET

gifset by @torfight [family]

Sarawat & Tine + Guitars by @kuwentista [hands]

gifset by @holden-caulfieldlings [apologies, sarawatine]

Day 5: beach | sleepy cuddles | date

FANFIC

White as Milk by @samcedeswannabe

[beach/date, mantype] Humans start out at birth with milk white blood. The more crimes they commit. The darker their blood becomes.

Trivia: Fantasy by @flamevbirdv

[date, sarawatine] A fake married AU. Sarawat and Tine act as a couple in national television.

routine by @torfight [sleepy cuddles, mantype]

running start by @blueskycafe

[beach, Phukong & Fong] Fong is looking forward to getting out of the city.

FANART

fanart by @sara-wat [sleepy cuddles, sarawatine]

GIFSET

gifset by @kuwentista

[sleepy cuddles, sarawatine] “don’t be afraid you will fall because i’m going to hug you like this all night.”

EDIT

moodboard by @watttine [beach/date, earnpear]

Day 6: tattoo | fairytale | promise

FANFIC

Dressing up by @blueskycafe

[promise, manboss] “You can still come,” Man reminds him. “All it takes is a text to Mom and she’ll set another place.”

true love’s kiss by @salaleo

[fairytale, sarawatine] It’s laughable, really, how Tine’s life had inexplicably evolved into a Disney movie after meeting Sarawat. What next? Maybe he’ll make conversation with that bird perched on the windowsill.

Alternatively: Tine reconciles his (and Sarawat’s) romantic endeavours with reality by making fairy tale references, because at this point, he’s not so sure he’s not the reincarnation of fucking Cinderella anymore.

GIFSET

gifset by @kuwentista [tattoo, bright]

gifset by @saifahzonn

[fairytale, sarawatine] ...as the same way he found his princess, the other one find his love and happiness in a little nuisance.

Day 7: “you don’t really mean that” | “ why didn’t you tell me?” | “ you love me as if I deserve you”

FANFIC

just say that you’ll always be there (and so will i) by @cu-tine

["You don't really mean that" / "Why didn't you tell me?" / "You love me as if I deserve you", sarawatine]

5 times their friends snooped in on Sarawat and Tine, and 1 time they finally left them alone.

“Seriously, Wat?! I am so disappointed in you!” He hears Tine’s voice exclaim. Man stiffens, not used to the harsh edge of Tine’s tone. When the words sunk into his brain, he immediately turned his head to where the voice came from, ready to defend Sarawat for whatever Tine is angry at him for.

The remark dies on his tongue when he sees the scene in front of him; Tine was kneeling on the grass, still in his cheerleader getup, a first aid kit right beside him. Sarawat was sitting on a bench in front of him, otherwise looking exhausted and beat but also... smiling. Not quite evident, but it was still a pretty small upturn of his lips that was directed at Tine.

all-nighters by @blueskycafe

["Why didn't you tell me?", phukong/fong]

Fong is rubbing tiredly at his eyes, his white, over-sized sweater and hair rumpled from sleeping. He looks incredibly fragile, like he should be tucked beneath heavy blankets and have his forehead kissed. (Not that Phukong would do that, because that would be weird and friends don’t usually do that.)

GIFSET

gifset by @kuwentista

[“You don’t really mean that”, sarawatine] “Do you want to try? Try to get to know each other? You don’t have to like me very much. Just keep your heart open for me. I really mean it.”

Day 8: free choice

FANFIC

come on and dance with me baby by @cu-tine

Sarawat really didn’t want to go to this party, but he’s so glad he did.

Sarawat furrows his brows when something more... pleasant, fills his nose. Vanilla, he thought idly, the scent calming his tense nerves, not that overpowering but just right to make Sarawat’s head go dizzy from it. The guy smells like vanilla.

The guy immediately steps away from him, and oh gosh everything felt like a movie from the way the guy’s head turned to look at him, in slow motion, his hair flying to the side along with his head. Sarawat feels all breath leave his lungs when he was met with the most gorgeous boy ever.

FANART

animated video (with a tik tok audio) by @nerd-squash

fanart by @so-na-gi [sarawatine]

GIFSET

gifset by @kuwentista

My Boy Sarawat Going Through Various Emotions AKA He’s Done With Everyone and Everything.

gifset/playlist by @holden-caulfieldlings [sarawatine]

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cap-ironman · 5 years

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Cap/Iron Man Midyear Exchange Reveals: August 31st

Drumroll, please—it is time for our Captain America & Iron Man Midyear Exchange and Madness 2019 works to start being unveiled! Come and see what creators came up with and leave them some love.

To browse all revealed works by fandom or tags, visit the 2019 Captain America & Iron Man Midyear Exchange Collection collection.

We will reveal works over the next three days. Here are the works revealed for today:

Exchange

★ Art for “An Ever Present Ache” by narukyuu (MCU, T, Art) for Winterstar

★ At Your Feet by iam93percentstardust (MCU, E, 5108 words) for MusicalLuna Tony’s been gone for two months dealing with SI emergencies. But he’s finally coming home and Steve, for one, can’t wait to see him again.

★ Art for “Mending Each Other and Calling It Love” by tishawish (MCU, Not Rated, Art) for nostalgicatsea

★ Catching a Breath of Moonlight by Neverever (MCU, T, 1145 words) for Lets_call_me_Lily Tony lets it slip to Steve how he feels.

★ ART FOR The Man In The Ivory Tower by BeenAsleepFor70Years (MCU, Not Rated, Art) for AngeNoir

★ dandy by SweetFanfics (MCU, G, 1447 words) for BeenAsleepFor70Years There are somethings that Steve doesn’t think he’ll ever understand. How are Krispy Kreme doughnuts so damn good? Why are people so prone to arguing on Twitter? How the hell can Tony look good after they stopped some two-bit villain crew who called themselves “the Wrecking Crew”? ★ Fanarts for “You Wear it Well” by marumo (AA, Not Rated, Art) for SmileAndASong

★ Here I Choose To Lie My Affections by XtaticPearl (MCU, T, 1510 words) for tishawish Sleeping together gathers different meanings with changing contexts and it’s surprisingly nice figuring that out together.

★ Inspired by Do you kiss your boyfriend with that mouth? by MusicalLuna (AA, M, Art) for Sadisticsparkle

★ Only On Tuesdays and Thursdays by quellthefire (MCU, G, 2241 words) for gilestel Tony had come to every appointment. In the first couple months Rhodey had practically thrown a hissy fit. He’d complained about not needing a babysitter, said Tony being there made him feel even more self conscious than he already was. No-powers AU in which Tony and Steve meet-cute in a VA hospital waiting room.

★ The Escape Plan by DepressingGreenie (AA, G, Art) for neverever

★ Tony Stark and the Amazonian Adventure by cptxrogers (Noir, T, 5541 words) for fictionforlife (feat. Steve Rogers, chronicler and artist) Steve may be a skinny city boy, but he’s determined to prove he can keep up with the great adventurer Tony Stark. They’re heading deep into the Amazon rainforest to hunt down an ancient statue rumored to possess dark powers. Steve’s prepared for the gargantuan insects, dangerous ravines, and crumbling ancient temples. What he isn’t prepared for is his feelings about Tony.

★ we’ve got time (for eggs and coffee) by gilestel (MCU, G, Art) for tony_starkrogers

★ Waiting Rooms Are For Making Conversation by I_write_things_sometimes (MCU, G, 4682 words) for gilestel Bucky and Rhodey both have appointments at the Brooklyn Veteran’s Hospital, and Steve and Tony happen to meet in the waiting room. Tony flirts shamelessly, Steve laughs for the first time in a while, and they both quickly realize they’ve found something special. But what are the odds of either of them actually doing a damned thing about it?

Madness

★ Dinner Plans by neverever (MCU, T, 1607 words) for DepressingGreenie Sometimes, even Steve gets too tired and slips up. Now everyone, even Tony, knows he’s seen porn. ★ I Put a Spell On You by ohjustpeachy (MCU, G, 2437 words) for Cachette Steve and Tony share a moment after a whirlwind Halloween party. ★ Morning Plans Derailed by Nixie_DeAngel (MCU, T, 640 words) for MusicalLuna Tony wants his morning kisses. ★ Sky’s Still Blue by ishipallthings (AA, G, 800 words) for marumo Steve has a nightmare, but the light of Tony’s arc reactor guides him home.

★ Things That Remain by talesofsuspense (MCU, G, Art) for nostalgicatsea

★ You make me completely alive by erde (MCU, T, 778 words) for fictionforlife You left me alone in bed in the name of making something as pedestrian as breakfast. Of course I’m grumpy, Tony says.

Please don’t forget to leave comments and kudos on the works you’ve enjoyed, so all creators know their work is appreciated and we can all have a fun event experience! Creators, please note: As AO3 does not do this for you, you may want to change the publication date of your work to today’s date to help it show up in the AO3 listings for recent works (though this will not trigger inclusion in automatically generated AO3 feeds). AO3’s guide is available here, or you can refer to our guide here.We hope you enjoy the works and check back in tomorrow for the next day of reveals!

#stevetony #stony #superhusbands #capimmidyearexchange #capimmidyearexchange2019 #capimevents #reveals

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loquaciousquark · 6 years

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Talks Machina Highlights - Critical Role C2E26 (July 17, 2018)

Tonight’s guests: Matt Mercer, Ashly Burch, and Taliesin Jaffe. Heck, I’m nervous for all three of them.

Announcements: Critical Role will be at the San Diego Comic Con on 7/21 in 6BCF at 6:30pm. The panel will be aired next Tuesday during the TM time slot. They’ll also be at NYCC in October!

CR Stats! Episode 26 had 14 natural 20s, the most of the new campaign. This was in no small part due to Ashly borrowing Tal’s dice because she doesn’t own her own dice bag. There’s so much dice karma happening in that sentence I don’t even know how to handle it. It ties with episodes 55, 61, and 100. Keg has the most natural 20s of any single-episode guesting with 4. Molly got the M9′s 100th kill. He leads the party with 21 kills in all. “Hot murder streak.”

We’ve seen seven of Molly’s cards so far: the silver dragon, anvil, serpent, eye, moon, shadow, and the chariot. Tal says the serpent may be the same as the dragon, but he’ll check.

This was Ashly’s first time guesting on the show proper--previously she’d only been on oneshots. Biggest difference? “There were less people dying on the oneshots!”

Matt and Brian both take a moment to applaud Ashly’s characterization and sticking to the true roleplaying of her character over any min-maxing of the dice she might have done otherwise. Tal says the math would have come out either way as it was. It’s the first time she’s ever done something like that in a D&D game.

Matt always prefers roleplaying over what’s strategically optimal, especially since the moments where you falter and fail often lead to the true “hero” arc for your character. “It was very wild and unique to watch the cocksure exterior crumble.”

Everyone’s been kind to Ashly directly since The Incident. It’s only whispers she’d heard indirectly.

Tal already hadn’t slept the night before; he didn’t that night either, just curled up and thought until dawn. He realized in panic that he’d never come up with a backup character as Matt had asked months ago; he has rolled a new one since then, but he spent most of the weekend coping with making a new character in three days after spending six months on Molly. Bless.

Brian woke Ashley up during the live show when he heard Taliesin say “my Blood Maledict’s going to kill me” so that they could watch the rest together. He realized that Matt was hesitating a lot more than usual as things went on, that Matt seemed to be hinting more and more strongly that the impending encounter was about to go very badly for the M9.

Matt designed the Iron Shepherds to be a very dangerous, powerful group when they are all together (as they were that night). He’d planned for several options: the M9 following and never catching up, waiting to gather intel until Shady Creek, catching up but only observing from a distance, and for the actual battle itself. He tried to give them clues about how dangerous they would actually be: that there were more than five enemies, that Ashly’s character knew how dangerous they were, that they were prepared and tough-looking. However, he never wants to be too heavy-handed in guiding the players’ hands. His intent with the battle was to show some surprises and that the M9 didn’t know what they were dealing with, and had hoped that the M9 would take the hint and back out sooner than they did.

Brian could tell that Matt was very visibly affected as the fight went on, which Matt points out was in part due to how late it was. He allowed the battle to occur because he didn’t plan for it to be a long one (the Iron Shepherds were going to speed away...until the M9 dropped the tree across the road). Then he had no idea what was going to happen during the battle. He adds that DMs sometimes end up with encounters harder than they’d plan, and it was nervewracking because as much as he cares for these characters, he also has a responsibility to be true to the strength of the enemies and the realities of the dice. There were a lot of ways the fight could have still gone, but didn’t (parlay, discussion, more ambushing, better dice rolls).

If Keg hadn’t stepped up and used her relationship specifically with Lorenzo to halt the battle, it would have gotten way, way worse for the M9, including the kidnapping of more of the M9 to be sold.

Lorenzo has a specific vanity and enjoyment of power over other people, and Keg’s intervention played straight into that. It’s the only reason that encounter didn’t go more poorly.

Some of the Iron Shepherds’ background information was known by Keg; some was deliberate misleading on the part of the Shepherds to keep Keg in the dark.

Keg wasn’t happy about Caleb’s charming, but Keg knew there was no way she could take on the Shepherds on her own. She has a facade of being cocksure and proud but is truly a coward, and knew that taking them on alone would kill her. The charming was a “necessary evil.”

Taliesin knew the risks of the Maledict but planned to give Lorenzo disadvantage, hopefully dodge the next two attacks, and escape as soon as Lorenzo engaged with Beau. Then the dice came up with the rest of his HP and that was that.

Matt did in fact roll the Golden Snitch for the bad guys this game. Brian: “Let’s not give him the most powerful die in the game next time.” Tal: “Oh, it’s going to go mysteriously missing any day now.”

Lorenzo was not visibly afraid at any point during this fight. Matt declines to elaborate further.

GIF of the Week! u/rndmanswrs4rndmqstns from Reddit, for a gif of the battle map from last episode superimposed with a tragic news ticker footage of the slaughter.

Molly’s final words were an easy choice. “He’s not complicated in that direction, and his feelings on violence and death are easy.” Tal says it didn’t fully hit him until hours later. Still, Molly never really felt ownership of his own self; it all still felt borrowed. He knew death would come eventually and probably earlier rather than later. “As ways to go existed, I think that was a very Molly way to go.”

Matt thinks these reminders of mortality are important...depending on the type of story you’re trying to tell. Their game needs the stakes of having the risk of death, although that’s not what would be fun for every game and should not always be on the table. However, they know each other so well that he feels it’s an important reminder that there are consequences for their actions and that it suits the world they live in. Tal points out that the same thing is true for so many types of fiction: “they’re only fine because they’re not real.” Sometimes these stories happen in a vacuum and the hero is immortal...and sometimes, as in their game, they’re not. Matt thinks it’s important to be able to grieve and feel catharsis for even a fictional character (and cites a particular death from C1 as an example for himself). Matt: “In a weird, macabre way, I’m excited to see where the story goes from here.” Brian: “Me, too.” Tal: “Me, too. I mean, at first I was panicking, but now I have a pretty good idea.”

Ashly initially panicked when Matt revealed the Iron Shepherds’ abilities (since she thought she’d misremembered what Matt had said), but then felt even more justified in her RP. Everything felt worse because so many people were gone, including Laura and Travis. “I felt like the babysitter who dropped the baby.” She felt the whole time during the fight that they shouldn’t be engaging the way they were.

Molly’s final thoughts were “easy and simple and base...the immense, reasonable, and wonderfully sustaining emotion of ‘well, fuck you, too,’ which is the righteous and more reasonable cousin to ‘fuck you.’“ No fear, no panic.

The Iron Shepherds existed as part of the worldbuilding in the northern region and were intended to be a later issue, but Matt wove them into the story soon since Laura & Travis had to leave. He wasn’t intending for them to become such an immediate, intense antagonistic force, but DMs have to adapt to the situations and this one felt natural.

Cut to Dani Cam, who had a very hard Thursday night ( :( ). She asks Ashly how Keg, someone very self-preservational, decided to sacrifice herself for the M9. Ashly remembered that in their discussions, Matt characterized Lorenzo as someone who liked to make examples of people, and thought that if she prostrated herself in front of him, he might maim her but not kill her, which turned out to be accurate--so it was still fairly self-preservational on her part. They’ll find out more next week. Ashly will be with us the next two sessions and will be joining the crew at GenCon! Heck yes!!

As much as Tal likes Matt’s Lingering Soul class, he would never consider it as an option for Mollymauk. “There’s no version of Molly coming back as a ghost that doesn’t end with him desperately wanting it to be over.” Matt designed it more narratively to be a person whose sheer force of will keeps them from accepting the moment of death due to unfinished business or the pure determination to live...which they both feel is the exact opposite of Molly.

Matt liked how Taliesin showed that all personalities can play the Blood Hunter, not just the edgy grimdark type.

Fanart of the Week! @jesttothenines, with this pain. Ow.

If Molly hadn’t run to Lorenzo, Beau would have likely been his example instead. Molly was an easier target, though, because he was closer and more hurt. If Beau had been unconscious instead (and not dead) when Keg made her plea, Lorenzo might have asked what she was willing to trade to get Beau back.

This is the second of Tal’s characters Matt’s killed. The first one was a mad monk who liked to set things on fire who was eaten by ghouls.

Dani: “Why can’t this campaign be happy? And fairies?!” Matt: “We had the fairies last campaign in the Feywild! They murdered the pixies! They sided with the werewolves!”

After last campaign, Tal and Dani hugged while Dani cried pretty hard. Then Tal went home and cried himself. He left the table during the episode because he was on the verge of having a panic attack and couldn’t handle watching everyone else panic as well.

Ashly thought she was going to have a limb lopped off at minimum when Lorenzo had her kneel. She didn’t expect to be let go unscathed.

Molly would have considered his death “worth it” if he knew it meant Beau was spared. In a way, it helps that he now has an “eternal one-up” on her. Matt: “That’s very Molly of him.”

The persuasion success from Keg was a chief reason Lorenzo spared them, but it was also because the rest of the M9 were insignificant gnats to him. Keg’s reaction was the only one he cared about, so as soon as she gave in he’d gotten what he wanted. Then he just wanted to set the example and spread the word.

Ashly hadn’t meant to let them know she’d been part of the slavers until Shady Creek, but actually likes how it came out.

Matt really doesn’t think it was an overall bad plan. It was just a few strategic missteps, some very bad dice rolls, and an enemy that outmatched them.

Dani recalls to us all that Molly had told us it would be a cursed trip.

Molly’s parting advice to the M9: Tal declines to think about it much in depth. “Life’s short, eat a bagel. Join the circus. Lighten up. Life’s short; do something to a bagel.”

The illusion that cloaks the cages under the tarp means that even if the missing three of the M9 are in there, they wouldn’t have seen Molly’s death.

Molly is no different in Taliesin’s head than he was last week, which is why he's having a slightly easier time with this than everyone else. “He’s no different for me, I just don’t get to trot him out on Thursday.” He was based off of several friends, some who have passed away, and several experiences he had as a teenager and places and people he knew that profoundly affected him. He mentions a song off the soundtrack for Wristcutters: A Love Story, since that movie had a lot of “good carnie family vibes” about weird people taking care of each other. There was an archetype in film that was very much Molly which Tal hasn’t seen in a long time, and he explains: there’s a way of living a life where you don’t give a fuck about what people think but you do give a fuck about people. He never needed to be fixed and he never needed permission for anything. He’s not Iron Man where you’re waiting to see him become a good person, and he was never a creature of profound change like Captain America, where you watch to see the good they make on the world; his unfinished business was in each interaction he had with the people in the world and making them deal with him, but making sure that dealing with him was always a positive and kind experience. Matt gets very emotional at the description. Me too, friend.

His favorite part of playing him was being a teenager version of himself; the art and cosplay were spectacular. And the terrible accent, of course.

Brian takes a moment to thank Taliesin for making memorable characters and memorable choices that have a bigger impact than what only they can see. He looked at all the tributes for Molly this week because he wanted to get a feel for how the community was feeling so that they could hone the questions for the show. The character meant a lot to a lot of different types of people, and it’s a testament to Tal’s heart that people connected so much with this character.

Brian, Matt, and Tal are all crying at this point. Ashly starts reactive-crying. Dani’s crying on the Dani Cam. This is AWFUL.

After Dark: QQ Edition

We open laughing (relieving change) since everyone’s hurled obscenities at Brian just before the show went live. Matt enjoys being on the other side of that for once.

Beau is the member of the M9 who’s best earned the right to wear Molly’s coat. “She’s the one who needs to lighten up. Caleb’s never going to lighten up and that’s okay. Jester doesn’t need it. Fjord doesn’t need it. That’s not Nott’s problem.”

Keg is super interested in Nott’s never-ending flask. “I’m abandoning this super dramatic narrative. I’m going for the flask.”

A TPK was possible if the M9 kept throwing themselves at the Iron Shepherds, but Matt knew they were smarter than that and would either flee or give themselves up as Keg did. “It relied on the players’ actions at that point; that’s why I was so nervous. I was like, this is the scenario I built and now we have to see it through.”

Tal honestly doesn’t remember what Liam said to him when he left the table right after him. It was mostly a “well, that happened,” and Liam just refilled his drink before going back to the table.

Tal went home after the show, cried in bed, and then the sun came up and he realized he had no idea for a new character. He spent so much time working on Molly that he never got around to making anything else. He came up with his next idea in about thirteen-fourteen hours, and he’s very happy with it. Matt points out he was explicitly clear about how they needed to come up with backup characters when the campaign started. “These low levels are dangerous!”

Everyone addresses the new studio in terms most respectful and patient, asking it to be benevolent now that it’s had its blood sacrifice.

Keg’s going to grow a vengeance beard.

Brian talks about Ashley’s reaction on the couch; she leaned forward on her knees, looked over at Brian, and said, “I’m gonna kill that motherfucker.” Brian said, “Yeah, you probably will.” They now have a formidable villain for the early campaign.

Tal can’t even answer the question about how Yasha will react when she finds out. “Oh, no. Oh, no.”

Matt and Brian have a retrospective moment of panic about how good it is Yasha wasn’t there that night, since she’s a rage-based barbarian. Matt, wide-eyed: “There would have been no parlay. Oh, no. Next question.”

Keg’s favorite moments were the secret-sharing with Nott and the conversation with Beau. Matt loved their meeting: “When an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. It was beautiful.”

Brian’s first desire after the show was to rage-tweet Matt Colville. He, apparently, refrained.

Matt thinks the threat of death should be present and played out when it happens, but he never likes playing DM-vs.-player.

Tal smiled when Molly was being killed because that was both Molly’s reaction, and because Tal himself is a nervous smiler.

Matt doesn’t consider this revenge for Tal killing him off so soon in the Vampire oneshot; Tal reminds us that he knew Matt knew about the very specific subclass he’d given Matt and they both knew what would happen when he went outside.

Tal and Matt reminisce about early PC deaths. “What was that, 2012?” Ashly: “Aw, you guys have killed each other so much!”

They’re asked about the best lie they’ve ever told. Tal convinced someone a nonsense Pirate Queen existed; Matt doesn’t really lie, but when he senses gullibility he doubles down until reality’s rearranged.

Tal started wearing black when Jim Henson died...except that he forbade black at his funeral. The camera zooms in on Tal’s iridescent loafers & his peacock paisley shirt: “This is Molly’s funeral shirt.”

Ashly will definitely be back on Thursday; Tal will be back as soon as the narrative allows it. He’s prepared for Thursday if it works out.

And that’s where it wraps up tonight. Be good to each other; it’s almost Thursday.

#critical role #talks machina #critical role spoilers #talks machina spoilers #long post for ts

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avatarrewatch · 6 years

Photo

Caelum here with the post-show for the first four episodes of Book 4: Balance! Or, as our beloved Toast calls it, Book 3: Part 2!

4.01 - After All These Years

We start off with a three-year time skip! Asami is reorganizing Republic City’s infrastructure, Bolin is helping a dictator reunite the Earth Kingdom, Mako is a glorified babysitter for Prince Wu, and Korra is having a very hard time recovering from mercury poisoning. Kai and Opal are off being peacekeepers, Kuvira proves herself a capable villain, and Bryke gift us with an actual lined map of the Earth Kingdom and its political territories. Everyone’s really excited to see Korra again at Prince Wu’s coronation, but Tonraq arrives alone and is surprised to find his daughter missing, claiming she left the south pole six months ago. Meanwhile, somewhere in the Earth Kingdom, Korra is getting beat up in a terrible excuse for a pro-bending match.

4.02 - Korra Alone

In this homage to ATLA’s episode Zuko Alone, we get to see Korra struggling to recover over the past three years. Katara gets to shine as her wonderful caring self, and we watch Korra re-learning how to walk and fight, dealing with her trauma, and eventually sailing back on her own to Republic City. But her inner demons keep her from returning, and instead she strikes off alone to find herself, constantly aware that she’s not the powerful Avatar she was three years ago, and haunted by flashbacks and fears. Eventually, guided by a tiny spirit, she arrives at the Foggy Swamp, where she meets Toph Beifong.

4.03 - The Coronation

With Prince Wu’s coronation imminent, the guests are arriving in Republic City for the big day. Mako learns from Lin that he’s been assigned to bodyguard duty forever despite his protests. Bataar Jr. and Suyin have a tense conversation. At the coronation, Kuvira denounces Wu as a powerless fool and proclaims herself leader of the Earth Empire in front of the horrified world leaders. Suyin attempts to dissuade Kuvira from her plans, but Kuvira is firm and threatens Zaofu. Varrick and Zhu Li are experimenting with spirit vines, Bolin and Mako are having a disagreement over Kuvira’s actions, and Wu is a mess that Mako is reluctantly pulling back together. Meanwhile, Korra is getting the stuffing beat out of her by Toph, who points out that Korra still has a decent amount of poison in her body.

4.03 - The Calling

Tenzin sends Jinora, Ikki, and Meelo out to find Korra and bring her home. The kids have a series of adventures in which Meelo forgets that they’re vegetarians, and Ikki is just as good at escaping as her grandfather was. With the intel Ikki managed to glean from her captors, they make their way to the swamp, where they find Toph and Korra under the banyan-grove tree. Overjoyed to see the kids and upset at the news about Kuvira, Korra agrees to return with them. But first she pulls the last of the poison from her own body under Toph’s guidance, finally ridding herself of it so she can start to fully heal.

Fanart

Korra

Korra - Book 4

Denial

Extreme Hide and Seek

Korra Alone

The Little Spirit Guide

Korra

OPERATION: BRING KORRA HOME

Mission Accomplished

Twinkle Toes

Earthbending Master and the Avatar

Discord server: https://discord.gg/dtajJx3

Avatar Rewatch Calendar: http://goo.gl/NUV1Kp

(title cards by our lovely @masterkiddojinora)

#avatar rewatch #avatarrewatch #lok #tlok #korra #legend of korra #the legend of korra #asami #mako #bolin #kuvira #jinora #opal #kai #toph beifong

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i-write-shakespeare-not-disney · 7 years

Text

Warm Me Up Ch. 33

Please, please, please PLEASE make moodboards and fanart for this T.T This is twice the usual length.

Click Here for Ch. 1

Click Here for Ch. 32

index

Almost as soon as Nico and Will left the terminal, the screech of a small child made every passerby freeze in confusion. Kayla, in a denim jumper and a yellow shirt with flowers, jumped onto Will without mercy and Nico had to help him keep his balance.

She hugged him tightly, burrowing her face in his stomach. Despite his attempts to pull her away so he could carry her properly, she wouldn’t budge. “Kayla?” He leaned over trying to see her face, overcome with shock and worry when he realized she was crying. “Kayla! Why are you-no, princess don’t cry!” She sniffed and looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. “What’s wrong? Aren’t you happy to see me?”

“Yes!” she moaned. “I missed you.” She reached up and he pulled her up, resting her against his hip. “Hi, Nico,” she greeted shyly.

“Hey there, Kayla,” he smiled.

“Where’s Mom and Dad?” She gestured to the crowd and Will saw his parents struggling to get through other people finding their relatives. He smiled as they reached him and pulled him into a hug. “Hey, guys,” he greeted.

“How was the flight?” his father asked.

“It was good. Went by pretty quickly. Way better than driving.” He turned and saw Nico setting their carryon items together on the floor, fidgeting with them to stay distracted. “Nico,” he said tilting his head toward his parents. He looked up, panic clear in his eyes. “Come over here,” he said gently.

He swallowed and stood beside Will, giving his parents a nervous smile. “Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Solace. Nice to see you again.”

“We’re glad to have you visiting,” his mom answered with a smile.

“Thank you for suggesting the flight over the drive,” his father said, giving him an approving nod. Nico cleared his throat and nodded, remaining close to Will. “Come on, I left the car on. If I turn it off in this heat, we’d be melting.” Will hefted his sister, shifting her weight while Nico grabbed their things and followed.

When they got to the house, Will led Nico to the guest room where he would be sleeping. He set his duffel bag on the bed and turned to Will, biting his lip. “What?” Will questioned.

He stepped nearer and wrapped his arms around him. “I won’t get to sleep next to you for a week,” he murmured. “It sucks.”

Will chuckled and pushed his hair back. “You could always sneak over to my room in the middle of the night,” he suggested. Nico scoffed and leaned into him, tilting his head to look at him. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” he said easily. He smiled and bumped his nose. “I love you.”

Will blushed and smiled widely, leaning in to kiss him. “I love you more.”

Nico laughed, tilting his head back. “Oh, God, no,” he groaned. “Tell me we’re not going to turn into one of those couples,” he teased. “What’s next? ‘You hang up first. No you hang up first. No you hang-’”

Will covered his mouth, laughing at the idea of such a mushy interation and smirked. “You’re such a dork,” he laughed. He intertwined his hand with Nico’s and raised an eyebrow. “You know, we have to tell Kayla that we’re dating.”

“I don’t think she’ll mind. She likes me,” he answered.

Will chuckled and fought back a smile. “Yeah, that’s… kind of the problem. I think she likes you too much….” Nico frowned and tilted his head in confusion. He bit his lip and grimaced. “I’m pretty sure she has a crush on you.”

“I’m sorry, what?” he asked, his eyes going wide. “What makes you say that? She’s like, seven!”

Will laughed and nodded. “Yeah, exactly. It’s a little girl crush. Like… I don’t know, like when you crushed on a teacher or a babysitter.” Still, Nico seemed dubious and uncertain. “She kept asking me what things you like to eat and if you could sleep in her room. She also asked if you missed her.”

He winced and shook his head. “The only family member that likes me and now she might hate me because I’m dating you. Perfect.” Will laughed and took his hand, pulling him out of the room.

“Come on, let’s watch a movie. You need to relax, you’re so tense.” Nico blushed and looked at the floor, letting Will guide him out to the living room. They knelt near the DVD collection his parents had and debated over what movie to watch. Being away from his parents, Will could see Nico relaxing more and he hoped he was able to feel comfortable for the rest of the week.

Eventually, they decided to watch Troy, simply because Nico had never watched it and it was one of Will’s favorites despite historical inaccuracies. They sat on the couch beside each other, but before Nico could lean into him like they always did when they watched movies, Kayla came bounding from the hallway with a journal and seated herself on Nico’s lap.

“Can I show you my drawings I did?” she asked. Nico nodded and watched as she opened the journal to show her wobbly stick figures. “See this is you, me, and Will eating pizza.” She turned the page. “This is me and you when I got my bear.”

“What does that say?” Nico questioned, angling the journal. Will peered over his shoulder to look at the misspelled, blocky handwriting. “I… like Nico. He is nice and made me a… bear.” Will smirked and glanced at him as he stared at the journal in surprise, a small smile on his lips. Kayla was blushing, keeping her head down, waiting to turn the page.

She turned the page when Nico angled the journal back and continued to show more drawings that had little captions at the top. Will allowed the movie to start playing while Kayla remained seated, insisting that she wanted to watch too.

“Fine, but if I tell you to cover your eyes, do it. And don’t get scared when you see blood, it’s fake.” She nodded and smiled widely once she was given permission to stay.

A few minutes into the movie, Will felt Nico nuzzle into him, and his hand slipped into his own, fingers intertwining, fitting perfectly between each other’s spaces. As Will leaned his head to rest against Nico’s soft hair, he heard Kayla ask, “Why are you holding my brother’s hand?”

They pulled apart, but Nico’s hand gripped Will’s. Dark, panicked eyes flitted to him, and Will hesitated as he pulled Nico back toward him. “Well, he’s my boyfriend. He gets to hold my hand.” She froze and looked over at Nico who looked like a deer in headlights.

“Boyfriend? Like… where you kiss and stuff like the movies?” Will nodded. “But… you’re a boy.”

Nico shifted and fixed one of her pigtails. “Yeah, he is. But that’s okay. Because I like him a lot, and he likes me too.”

“Oh. So it’s okay?” They both nodded. “Oh.” She frowned and leaned against Nico’s shoulder. “Well… be nice to Nico,” she said, glaring at Will.

“What?” he questioned. “Are you hearing this?” he asked Nico, who was fighting back laughter. “She’s defending you, not me! Child, I am your brother!”

She shrugged and nuzzled into Nico, still glaring. Will bit his lip as he realized that his sister was angrier at him than at Nico for being in a relationship. He hoped she wouldn’t be angry too long though. She was only seven anyway.

After the movie, Will’s mom called him to the kitchen. “Hon, what food does Nico like? I need to figure out what to make for dinner.”

“He loves hamburgers. But we usually get those when we go for fast food,” he answered. “And fries. Nico loves fries.”

She smiled and raised an eyebrow as though Will had just given her a challenge. “Honey, your boyfriend hasn’t tried a nice, homemade, Texas burger. Is there anything he doesn’t eat?”

“Raw tomatoes and raw onions,” he answered automatically.

“Got it. Now, go watch movies, take him downtown, take him to SoCo, but get out of my kitchen while I work my magic.” Will smiled and saluted her as he turned away. Kayla and Nico were debating on the next movie, torn between Hercules and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

“But we just saw one with Greek people and stuff,” Kayla said.

“But… Hades,” Nico countered. Will snickered and crossed his arms. “Will, what do you think?”

“I think there’s a lot of Austin worth seeing. Let’s check out SoCo.” Nico raised an eyebrow in confusion. “South Congress. It’s a strip of a bunch of little shops,” he explained. “Kayla likes checking out the bookstore there.”

Almost immediately, Kayla lit up and stood pulling Nico along so he’d follow. “We’re just walking there?” he asked.

“It’s a block away actually,” he answered. They stepped outside and Will took his sister’s hand as they walked to the corner of the street. Along the way, he took Nico’s hand, lacing his fingers with his. He noticed Nico tense and glanced at him as he looked around nervously. “What?”

He shrugged and bit his lip. “Isn’t Texas really conservative? Is it okay to do this?” he murmured.

Will smiled and looked at him fondly. “Austin’s a little different. More conservative side is more west Texas, I think. There are a few neighborhoods, but right now you’re at the heart of art expressivity and liberalism.” Nico chuckled and squeezed his hand. Will leaned forward and kissed him lightly, causing him to smile and blush.

Suddenly Kayla’s hand pulled away and he looked over to her. “I want to hold Nico’s hand,” she said, reverting to the angry glare. She stood on the other side of Nico and grabbed his hand.

“Come on this side,” he said pulling her between them so he was on the outer edge. “It’s dangerous for you to be the closest to the street.” She nodded and gripped his hand, skipping nonchalantly. Will glanced at Nico, with disbelief on his features while Nico fought back a smile.

They reached South Congress, and Will saw Nico’s eyes widen as people sped by on a bicycle or walked along the streets with bags in their hands. He peered curiously at the stands outside offering an impromptu poem, jewelry, or henna tattoos. There were two guys at one corner, sitting while they strummed away on a guitar and sang, both horribly off pitch and unintelligible.

“It’s kind of like New York but… you know with more space,” he noted. “Is that a costume shop?”

“Can we go to the book store first?” Kayla asked, shaking Nico arm. “Please?” He nodded and the three of them started walking down the sidewalk. Will saw a lesbian couple pass by, one girl’s arm over the other’s shoulder as she held her hand. A few seconds later, a gay couple passed by holding hands too. “Look! Like you and Nico!” Kayla shouted.

A few people glanced over at the sound of her voice, but kept walking. The couple looked over and chuckled while Will and Nico waved awkwardly. They waved at Kayla and kept walking. “Let’s keep our voices down, Kayla,” Will said with an embarrassed smile.

“I think I like it here,” Nico murmured, smiling at him, leaning into his shoulder.

They reached the bookstore, a small, quaint, and crowded little space with books everywhere- even on the checkout counter. While Kayla inspected a book case, Nico and Will checked out some books on the other side. They could still see Kayla, sitting on the floor, looking inquisitively at the covers.

Nico pulled him away from the shelf and wrapped his arms around his torso. “I want you to show me all the places you like here. A museum or a park, a favorite restaurant, anything. I want to know the place you call home.”

Will grabbed his chin in one hand, his arm over one of his shoulders, and said, “You’re my home.”

A deep scarlet blush spread across Nico’s cheeks and he put his hand over his face. “God, you are so fucking cheesy,” he mumbled into his chest, hiding his embarrassment.

“You love it,” he mumbled past his fingers. Nico groaned and Will opened his mouth to bite his fingers playfully.

Then Nico gasped, jumping in his arms and hitting his head on the bookshelf behind him. “Don’t do that,” he breathed, his eyes on his lips, his entire face red, his lips parted. And he still hadn’t pulled his hand away. Will raised an eyebrow and put a little more pressure on his fingers. Nico gasped again, his lips trembling and his body tensing.

Slowly, he let go and his hand fell away. “That’s interesting,” he whispered, with his own blush spreading on his cheeks.

Suddenly, Kayla was coming between them holding up a book. “Can I get this one?” She was looking at Nico, who looked flustered and confused.

“Yeah. Yeah, sure thing, Kayla,” he answered. He smiled at her and walked back to the counter to pay for a book.

After they left the bookstore, they spent time checking other stores out from antiques to costumes. It wasn’t long before Nico said he was hungry and Will suggested they go back to the house. After so much walking, Kayla had to be carried back, but Nico didn’t seem to mind.

“Hold on a sec,” he said, stopping him in the front yard. He went inside to check if his mom had finished cooking yet. Immediately he was enveloped in the scent of burger meat and bacon, and he could hear oil sizzling for fries. His stomach growled and he went in search of his mother.

As he went into the hall, he could hear arguing. He hesitated as he neared the closed door to his parents’ bedroom and listened.

“Would you calm down!” his mother snapped.

“No! How can you be so calm about this, why are you welcoming this kid?”

“Because he’s our son’s boyfriend, Lester, and we have to give him a chance,” she insisted.

“No. Not after what happened. They broke up, remember? And you know it was earlier than Will told us. He acted different. I don’t know what that boy did, but he hurt Will, and we can’t let that happen again.”

“We don’t know that,” she said. “Will hasn’t talked to us about it. If they’re together it must be for a reason, and Will is smart.”

“I know he is, but he also doesn’t understand relationships. Naomi, how would he know if he’s setting himself up for another heartbreak? He’s just a kid!”

“He’ll learn! All kids get their heartbroken, it’s life! As parents, we need to be there for him.”

“So just let him get hurt when we know we can stop it?”

“We can’t stop it,” she said, getting angrier. “We can’t force them to stay away from each other, they’re adults in another city.”

“We can try,” he shot back. “I don’t want that kid around Will. I don’t want him hurting my son or taking him down the wrong path. I can talk to Will, I can-”

“No,” she interrupted. “No, Lester. Because you can’t control your emotions when it comes to the family, despite being a psychologist. We cannot force them apart. I don’t know what to think of Nico either, but he’s been here less than a day. Right now, all I know is that they’re always touching in some way when they’re together like magnets. All I know is that when Will looks at him he looks happy. And when Nico looks at him, he looks calm. Right now? That’s enough to provide a good dinner.”

“Not for me,” he answered.

“I don’t care,” she said, using the tone of voice she always used when she was done with an argument and ready to have the last word. “Because you are not going to upset them when they’re only visiting and I haven’t seen my child in almost two months. Can you at least wait until one of them gives us a reason to be wary?” There was silence. “We are going to have a nice dinner. And you will behave yourself. Understand?”

There was shuffling and then the door opened. Will stared at his parents, both of them looking like deer in headlights. He clenched his jaw and looked away. “We’re back,” he muttered, turning to go outside and get Nico.

“Will,” his mother called. He stopped, only because she had been defending them. “Sweetheart, hold on. Come here.” He turned and kept his eyes on her. “I’m so sorry you had to hear that. We’re trying okay? I promise you that. We- I’m going to do my best to make sure Nico feels welcome.” Will’s eyes flitted accusingly to his father. “Don’t pay attention to your dad, he’s just being an asshole.” She tilted his face so he would look at her again. “You’re happy. And that’s all that matters right now.”

“Yeah, okay,” he said. “You might want to check on the fries.”

She froze. “Oh shit.” She hurried to the kitchen, and, ignoring his father, Will followed her with a smile. “Go ahead and get Nico in here, hon.”

He nodded and went back outside. Nico was chasing after Kayla while she screamed excitedly and went around the porch’s pillar. He managed to catch her and turned around immediately as Kayla began to chase after him.

“Hey, guys dinner’s ready,” Will called leaning against the wall.

“Wait, I have to catch Nico,” Kayla shouted back, her words infused with giggles. As she ran, her foot caught on the house and she fell, making Will react immediately. She stood right back up, despite both Nico and Will stopping to see if she was okay.

She hadn’t realized her knee was bleeding. She was still running after Nico until Nico picked her up and Will stood beside him. “Oh God, Kayla,” Will said worriedly. “Come on, let’s get her inside.”

“What? No! I wanna keep playing!”

“Kayla, you don’t want that getting infected. Come on, your brother’s a doctor, he can make it better,” Nico said. She pouted but stopped protesting as they got her inside.

His mom noticed immediately. “What happened?”

“She tripped over the hose while she was playing,” Will said. “I’m going to clean her up.” They went into the bathroom while Will got the first aid kit. “Distract her for me, babe?”

“Alright Kayla,” he said. “Do you know the I Spy game?” She nodded. “Okay, let’s play while Will fixes your knee, okay?” She nodded and Nico glanced around the bathroom. “I spy with my little eye something… pink.” While Kayla scavenged the bathroom for something pink, Will poured peroxide water over her knee. She twitched, but Nico kept her from looking as the bubbles spewed.

“Um… the soap?” she asked. He nodded. “Okay. I spy with my little eye something clear!”

Will wiped her scrape and put ointment on it before covering it with a band-aid. Nico had guess several times and couldn’t guess what Kayla had seen. “What is it?” he asked.

“The mirror!” Will snorted and covered his mouth at Nico’s dumbfounded expression. “Ooh, Mommy made burgers!” She hopped off the counter and ran out.

“The mirror? Is that cl- Wait, did she say burgers?” he asked.

Will smiled and nodded. “Mom wanted to make something you liked. So she made burgers.” Nico smiled, blushing slightly. They went to the kitchen and washed their hands, preparing to eat.

While Mom set up the table so everyone could style their own burgers, Kayla and his father sat down with drinks. Will glanced at his father fleetingly, hoping he wouldn’t make it obvious how unsure he was of Nico. When his mother sat down, they all started making their own burgers and she took a breath as she pulled her hair away from her face. “So, how did you two meet? I’ve heard so much about you, Nico.”

“O-Oh uh… well I was performing at a café. I play the guitar, and a friend and I were performing a song,” he explained. “Then Will decided to try and talk to me.”

“He was a bit of a jerk, actually,” he added. Nico rolled his eyes, but blushed, knowing it was true. “He was super defensive and I ended up walking away. After that, our friend Leo had us carpool to a party.”

“He planned that, you know,” Nico said, munching on fries. “When we went to pick you up, he just told me he had to ‘get something.’ Then he walked out with you.”

“You know, that doesn’t surprise me. It’s no wonder he had us both in the back.”

“Who’s Leo?” his mom asked.

“He sings some of Nico’s songs. He’s our friend. Actually I think he’s over in Houston,” Will answered. “But yeah. We didn’t like each other very much when we first met.”

His mom chuckled and shook her head. “So when did you two start liking each other?” she asked.

Both of them frowned and looked at each other. “I’m not sure. I know I realized it because….” He paused, remembering the drunk extravaganza and the accidental kiss with Percy. He really didn’t need to add to the reasons his father didn’t like Nico. “I found out someone else liked him. I got kind of jealous and… realized I liked him.”

Nico was resting his chin on his hand. “I can’t pinpoint a moment,” he murmured. “I never liked being around people too much. I never hung out with anyone. I wasn’t used to people genuinely caring. But Will did. And it wasn’t hard to be around him. It got to the point where I didn’t want to be away from him, but I was also scared to be around him. I’m not sure when, but… yeah.” He blushed and looked down at his food, laughing softly at himself. “I’m actually just lucky he liked me back.”

Will scoffed and bit his lip, reaching for his hand. He squeezed it gently. I love you. Nico looked at him with a smile and held his hand tighter. I love you too.

He let go so they could eat, and the second Nico bit into his burger, his eyes widened. “Oh my God,” he said, shoulder slumping with a sigh. “This is f- ah. This is incredible, wow.”

His mom laughed and she looked at him with a joyous smile. “It’s alright you can say it; it’s fucking incredible, right? A little homemade Texas taste.”

“Momma! You can’t say bad words!” Kayla reprimanded.

“Yes I can honey, I’m an adult. You can’t.”

Nico chuckled and nodded. “This is the best burger I’ve ever had. Oh man and the fries. God I love fries.” Nico was quiet for the rest of dinner as he stuffed his mouth with food.

Dinner was good. Nico seemed more relaxed as Kayla and his mom included him in conversation, telling embarrassing stories of Will or talking about things he should see while visiting. His father remained quiet, chuckling from time to time, giving small responses, but he didn’t seem too obviously upset.

When they finished, Nico went to the kitchen with his plate and offered to do the dishes. “Oh, no don’t worry about that,” Mrs. Solace said. “I’ve got it.”

“You already cooked. Really, it’s okay I can-”

She put a hand on his arm and smiled. “Nico, you’re a guest here. Guests don’t do dishes. Go.” He smiled and nodded, turning to join Will in Kayla’s room. Will’s mother was sweet. And Nico felt incredibly touched by the fact that she had made his favorite food for him. Maybe Will was right, and being here wouldn’t be so bad.

He walked over to Kayla’s room. The door was open, and Will and Kayla were on her bed talking. Nico walked in, but Kayla, who had her back to him, hadn’t heard. “-and he’s funny, and nice, and he plays with me. And you look happy, so it’s okay that you took him away.”

Will chuckled and pushed a strand of hair away from her face. “Oh, really? You sure?” he asked. She nodded. “I’m glad you like him. Wanna know a secret?” She nodded, leaning forward. “I’m in love with him,” he whispered, not-so-silently.

Kayla immediately let out a gasp. “Really?” she asked. Will nodded. “Oh my gosh! Are you gonna marry him?”

“What?” they asked at the same time. Kayla jumped and turned looking at Nico with a horrified expression.

“Nobody, nobody!” she shouted. “It’s nothing!”

“Ah, okay,” he said, sitting beside Will. “What are you guys doing?”

“Nothin’,” she answered, unable to withhold her smile.

“Alright, princess, Mom said it’s your bedtime, so go to sleep, okay?” She nodded and hugged Will tightly before turning to Nico and hugging him too. She shimmied into her covers and Will covered her up and took Nico’s hand as they left the room, shutting off the light.

He could hear the faucet where Mrs. Solace was washing the dishes and the TV where Mr. Solace was in the living room watching a show. Suddenly, he was pulled aside and Will kissed him so intensely, he got dizzy. He fought back a groan as he was pressed against the hallway wall. Will pulled away slightly, keeping Nico’s bottom lip between his lips.

“Holy fuck,” he breathed, looking into Will’s eyes.

“I love you,” he murmured, leaning in, his lips moving against Nico’s as he spoke.

“I love you too, amore,” he said with a smile. He found it incredible that he had once gone a day without telling Will he loved him. He found it incredible that he had ever been afraid to say it to him. They’d only been dating officially again for a little over a week, and he couldn’t stop saying it any chance he could.

“I’m going to take a shower and go to bed. Are you going to shower today too or wait till morning?”

“Morning,” he answered. “I’m going to go to bed now. Running around with Kayla is more exhausting than I thought.” Will chuckled and tugged on his hair gently. “I’ll see you in the morning, baby.”

“Goodnight, love,” he answered kissing his cheek. Nico went into the guest room and Will went into the bathroom.

It was a small, cozy room with a lamp and carpeted floor. Nico pulled his duffel bag out and changed into something cozy to sleep in. The bed was soft and comfortable. But it was also cold and empty. He’d gotten used to sleeping beside Will. Eventually, he was able to fall asleep, despite how restless he felt.

The next morning, he woke up to someone nudging him gently. “Nico. Babe? Wake up, baby.” He groaned and opened his eyes. “Love, I have to go somewhere, okay? I don’t know if I’ll be back when you wake up.”

“Where you going?” he murmured, wondering if Will could even understand.

“Dad asked me to take Kayla shopping for school supplies and clothes while he worked on the yard. Figured if I went early, no lines.” Nico started to get up, but Will gently nudged him down. “No, it’s okay go to sleep. Text me when you’re up. Love you.”

“Love you,” he responded, already feeling the urge to sleep again. Will kissed him lightly, and Nico grimaced. “Mm, I have morning breath,” he mumbled into his pillow.

He heard Will chuckle. “I don’t care.” He felt his hand run through his hair and another gentle kiss on his cheek. Then he heard a door shut and sleep overcame him again.

When he woke up a second time, he groaned and sat up, wincing at the sunlight streaming in so intensely through the window. He checked the time and winced when he saw it was 11:30. He hated how his medicine messed with his sleep schedule. He reached over to his bag for a toothbrush and his medicine, taking the small pills dry and leaving the room to brush his teeth and take a shower.

When he got back to the room and got dressed, Will still wasn’t back yet, and he was slightly nervous about leaving to go and interact with Nico’s parents alone. But he figured staying in his room past noon would look bad too, so he steeled himself and left the room anyway.

“Hey, Nico,” Mrs. Solace greeted.

“Hi. I’m so sorry I’m so late in getting out of the room.”

She waved a dismissive hand. “No worries, hon. Will told us waking up could be a little difficult. Are you hungry? I could make you some eggs.”

“No, it’s fine, I’m okay,” he said with a grateful smile. “I can just wait for lunch.”

He turned away and started to text Will on his phone, but the voice of Will’s father distracted him. He looked up and saw him sitting at the dining table. “Could we talk for a moment?” he said.

Nico froze and looked between the two of them. Will’s mother looked stressed and slightly angry. “Lester, don’t,” she warned.

“I just want to talk to him for a minute,” he answered. “Sit down, Nico. Please.”

He went over to the chair and kept his eyes on Mrs. Solace because she was less intimidating. “What’s going on?” he asked slowly.

“Lester, we talked about this,” Mrs. Solace said with her hands on her hip.

“I know, Naomi. But I have to do this. For Will.” Nico gulped and felt his hands begin to sweat. Mr. Solace’s blue eyes flickered to Nico. Although they were cold, there was also some nervousness about his movements. “Nico…. We’d-” Mrs. Solace cleared her throat. “I’d like to talk to you about your intentions with my son.”

“Intentions?” he questioned.

“I just want to make sure that we’re on the same page. There are some things that… are a bit concerning.”

“Like?” Nico asked uneasily.

“Like… whether or not you’re trustworthy when it comes to being with my son. Are you capable of caring for him? Watching out for him? Because as far as I’ve seen, he’s been the one taking care of you.” Nico furrowed his eyebrows and clenched his fists under the table. “I only know things in Will’s point of view. The hurt that you have caused in the past and the repercussions it’s had on my son.” Nico winced at the word ‘past.’

“That’s in the past,” Nico breathed out, feeling his heart pounding. “I’m not going to hurt him.”

“Will has put you on some type of pedestal, making sure you have everything you need to be happy. What have you done for him?” Nico opened his mouth, unsure of what to say to that. He already felt like he wasn’t doing enough for Will. He didn’t need this man telling him all of these things. “Frankly, after the stunt you pulled on New Year’s, I don’t think I can-”

“New Year’s?” Nico exclaimed, in utter shock. How the hell did he know about New Year’s?

“New Year’s?” Mrs. Solace questioned. “Wait a second, what happened on New Year’s?”

Nico’s breaths turned irregular as Will’s dad crossed his arms. “Yeah, I know about that. Because I had to watch my son feeling torn apart because you decided to go out, get drunk, and cheat on-”

“I never cheated on Will!” Nico shouted back, feeling dizzy. “That’s not what happened!”

“Isn’t it? Isn’t kissing someone you’re not dating considered cheating?” Nico didn’t answer, staring at him with wide, panicked eyes. Even his mom seemed to step back a bit, unsure of him. “And what about the drunkenness, Nico?”

“I don’t drink anymore,” he spit through clenched teeth. “I’ve been sober for four months. I stopped for him.”

“Frankly, I don’t think that really matters. Addictive tendencies return.” Nico gulped, feeling nauseated. “I’ve seen it happen several times in my field. And I’ve seen the destruction it leaves behind. The hurt it causes in people.” Nico shut his eyes and shook his head. “Alcoholism isn’t just fathers who drink too much and beat their wives and promise it won’t happen again. It’s also boyfriends who go out and cheat and come back promising it won’t happen again.”

“No. No, stop it, I’m not like that!”

“Then what are you like Nico? Because I know your type-”

“My type?” he scowled.

“Yes, type. The type that parties and goes out and drinks too much and doesn’t care about other people’s feelings and focuses solely on themselves-”

“No!” he shouted. “No! I’m not like that, you don’t know me at all! I’ve been going to therapy, to a psychiatrist, I’ve been taking Zoloft, and I quit drinking because I wanted to be better for Will. I care about him more than I’ve cared about anyone in my life, including myself!”

“Okay, you’ve been on Zoloft for what, four months as well? Less? That’s not enough time for it to take effect. You are not in the position to have a healthy relationship yet. You still have things to work on with yourself-”

“No.”

“Before you can even try to get into a relationship. This, right now? This will end badly, with my son being the only one getting hurt.”

“That’s not true,” he said, his voice shaking with rage. “I’d be hurt too. I’m trying. I’m trying so hard for him.”

“Right now, just trying is not good enough. And I’m not comfortable with you being around my family.”

“Lester, that’s enough,” Mrs. Solace said tensely.

But Nico was broken. He stood up, shaking, dizzy, his heart pounding. “No! You know what, screw you! You don’t know a single fucking thing about me or my life or what I’ve been through. Will does! Will knows everything and he’s helped me so much. The person you’re comparing me to is someone I was eight months ago! I’m not like that anymore! I’m better! No, I’m not good enough, and maybe I’ll never be, I know that! I know how destructive my shitty mind can be, and so does Will, and he’s still willing to be with me. And that’s enough.” He took a few deep breaths, feeling weak and afraid. “I would never hurt him, because I love him. I’ve gone too long telling myself I’m not good enough or worth the trouble of being loved, and I’ve only recently started to change that with your son’s help. And I will not let some arrogant, closed-minded, demeaning asshole make me revert to that shitty thought process and ruin my progress!” He turned away, his entire body hot and tense as he left the house and slammed the door.

Click to read Ch. 34

#solangelo #will solace #nico di angelo #nico and will #will and nico #nicoxwill #willxnico #will #nico #pjo #hoo #fanfic #depression #anxiety #insecurity #please reblog #and send feedback #thank you #percy jackson

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