#we had a chicken mascot
Text
Just realized that I went to a D1 lacrosse school for college & I went to school with multiple current PLL players
which means
We 1000000% would have had an Exy team
#we had a huge ass sports complex too#so you KNOW they would have build an exy court#we had a chicken mascot#which means it probably would have been called like the Roost or something#all for the game#nora sakavic#the foxhole court#aftg exy#palmetto state foxes#usc trojans#aftg#the sunshine court
32 notes
·
View notes
Note
Russo with a breeding kink where she begs you to cum inside her
Please || Alessia Russo
Warning smut 18+, breeding kink, strap on, cunnilingus
Walking out of the tunnel, you had felt just how cold the London air was.
Goosebumps started to rise on your arms from a mix of the coldness, and the cheering coming from a sold out emirates.
You looked across at your teammates and opponents.
They all had jackets on, your teammates wearing identical ones to yours.
Looking down at your mascot, you realised that he had no jacket on. Just an Arsenal kit on.
He was only about four years old and at that age, the cold was like glass. Dangerous.
“Are you cold, little man? Would you like my jacket?” You asked crouching down and smiling at him.
With a small nod of his head, you unzipped it and wrapped it round his shoulders.
Alessia, your girlfriend, watched the event from further down the line, her heart swelling at your caring and thoughtful manner.
Her heart wasn’t the only thing that was affected.
As you carried on making conversation with him, making him laugh and smile, before carrying him back over to his dad who was in the tunnel, Alessia continued watching, her ovaries feeling like they were exploding.
Her mind couldn’t stop wondering to the thought of you with yours and her’s future children.
Alessia pushed the feeling to the side, focused on the match.
But you didn’t make that easy for her.
As you gathered round for a team talk, you rested your hand on her waist, pulling her closer to you, and squeezing it.
Images of your hands gripped to her waist flashed in Alessia’s mind. Her head was against the pillow, her eyes rolled back.
The worst thing about all of this, was the fact that you two had never sat down and discussed the topic of kids.
You’d been dating just over a year but one of you chickened out just before asking the other.
When the whistle blew, Alessia tried her hardest to push the thoughts out of her head.
She knew this was a big match and desperately wanted to try and get on the score sheet.
And that’s what she did, with a 4-1 win over Chelsea, Alessia bagged two goals, but as soon as she met eyes with you, her mind was clouded again.
You had celebrated with your teammates before going over to a little girl who seemed to be upset.
Alessia watched from afar. The way you hugged her so gently to the way how you spoke to her, it all made Alessia desperate.
Desperate for her and you to talk about kids, but also desperate for you to get back home so she could reveal some new information that only she had developed within the last few hours.
After a team gathering, Alessia couldn’t take her eyes off you.
During the talk, you could feel eyes on you and you looked around the circle and met eyes with Alessia.
You could tell she was deep in thought with the way her eyebrows had furrowed slightly.
As the team separated, you made your way over to Alessia putting your hand in hers as you walked back to the changing rooms.
“Baby, where are we going? Are we even allowed to be back here?” Alessia questioned as you took her to one of the storage rooms near the changing rooms.
“What’s wrong, Less? I’m worried. You’re constantly thinking. I feel like you’ve been zoned out since we walked onto the pitch.” You told her, holding her hands and rubbing your thumbs over them.
Alessia thought for a moment. She thought about whether to wait until you got home but decided against that, wanting to know your opinion now.
“Do you want kids?” She asked and you widened your eyes.
It had come out so straight forward that it had taken you by surprise.
“It’s just that I saw you with the little boy and girl and I couldn’t help but think about what it would be like if we had kids, but then I realised we’ve never discussed it. Then I thought that you might want kids, but not with me.” Alessia continued as your face dropped at the idea of her thinking that.
“Is that what’s been on your pretty mind? Of course I want kids, lessi. And I definitely want kids with you. I’d want nothing else than to have a baby with you. Now, is that the only thing that’s been on your mind?” You questioned her, noticing how her face changed as if she was embarrassed. “Remember, you can tell me anything, pretty girl.”
“It’s just, I thought about our future kids but I also thought about how you would you know.” Alessia responded, her answer vague and leaving you with no answer.
“How I would what?” You asked, your hands on her waist now.
“How you would fuck me if you could get me pregnant.” She announced, by the looks of it, shocking herself at her boldness.
A smirk appeared on your face as the thought flashed around in your head.
“Get your things, we’re going home. I’m gonna fuck you so good when we get home.” You whispered the last bit in her ear, pressing a light kiss to her temple before walking out like nothing had been discussed.
————————
The ride home was silent.
Both, you and Alessia, deep in thought about what events would unfold when you got home.
As you walked through the door, you dropped your stuff on the floor, immediately picking up Alessia bridal style before carrying her up the stairs.
You placed her in the centre of the bed before climbing on top of her.
Hungrily, you placed your lips on hers, Biting down her bottom lip to allow your tongue to slip in her mouth.
In the meantime, your fingers played with the hem of her shirt.
You pulled it above her head, catching your breath before latching your mouth on her neck.
Small whines escaped Alessia’s mouth as you sucked on her pulse point.
You lifted her back, reaching to unclip her bra.
“I’m gonna fuck you so good, Less. Gonna fill you with all my babies.” You whispered as you kissed the valley of her breasts.
In response, Alessia just let out a moan, telling you that she wanted this badly, and she had wanted it for a long time.
You continued kissing down her body, Alessia squirming at every one of your kisses.
As you reached her pussy, your tongue instinctively swiped through it.
You moaned into her pussy, the taste of her and Alessia’s hands in your hair making it pleasurable for you.
You continued to lap your tongue over Alessia sweet spots.
Alessia and you had always explored sex since you started dating and so it was safe to say that you knew Alessia’s body as if it was yours.
You knew exactly what pressure to use when at certain points of her body, more specifically her pussy.
Flicking at her clit, you could tell she was getting closer by the second.
The way how her core started clenching every time you added pressure, the way how her fingertips pressed harder at your skull.
Just before Alessia tipped off the edge, you stopped what you were doing and took your face away from her core.
You looked up just in time to see Alessia groan and throw her head back against the pillow in annoyance.
“It’ll be worth it, pretty girl. I promise.” You said, pressing a kiss to her cheek as you leaned towards the bed side table, grabbing the new strap you’d bought days prior.
This strap also happened to be the biggest strap that you’d ever used on Alessia.
You attached it to the harness before setting it up on you.
Alessia stared at you as you put it on, her eyes widened at the thought of you inside her.
“You’re gonna be a good girl and take it, okay? I’m gonna make you a mama, gonna get you pregnant and you’re gonna have my baby.” You told Alessia whilst lining up the strap with her pussy. “You’re gonna be such a pretty mama.”
You pushed the strap more and more into her before eventually, your hips met her skin.
“Feel good, pretty girl?” You asked her, gripping onto her hips.
“So good. So fucking good.” Alessia mumbled, pleasure clearly running through her body.
“I’m gonna cum right there. ‘m gonna make sure you get pregnant. I want you to have my baby so desperate, lessi.” You said, thrusting harder and deeper into her.
Alessia’s moans increased in volume as you kept making comments about her being pregnant.
This is what she had dreamed of for weeks, ever since the thought popped into her mind.
“Oh god. I’m gonna cum, Y/N. Please cum inside me. Please.” Alessia begged, her mind solely focused on the pleasure coursing through her veins and the thought of you coming in her.
“I will, pretty girl. Don’t worry, I will.” You promised her, continuing to thrust into her so you could tip yourself over the edge.
Low groans escaped past your lips as your high took over.
Your ground into Alessia, getting you and her through your highs.
“Fuck. I think I enjoyed that more than you.” You told Alessia, gently slipping out of her before laying down next to her.
“I can’t tell you how much I wanted that.” Alessia whispered tiredly as she rested her head on your bare chest.
“I meant what I said, Less. I do want a baby with you. Not now, obviously. But when the times right, I want us to have a baby.” You admitted, playing with her hair.
“I want us to have a baby too.”
“I promise we will.” You said, pressing your lips to her forehead. “We’ll have a baby. But for the time being, I think it’s best if we stick to the baby making process.”
Requests are open :)
#woso community#woso x reader#woso#woso imagine#womens football#woso fanfics#woso smut#alessia russo#alessia russo smut#alessia russo x reader
563 notes
·
View notes
Text
DogDay x Reader part 2
A/N: Highly requested so here you guys go! Enjoy!
<----part 1 part 3---->
DogDay led me outside of the Playhouse and back outside into Playcare. A few feet in front of us was a chicken. A tall yellow chicken. Ah, that must have been KickinChicken. “Hiya KC!” DogDay was still holding my hand but with his other he waved extremely fast to KickinChicken. “Sup DD! Hey, finally got yourself a helper now huh? ‘Bout time dude.” KickinChicken then handed off the kids too, I’m assuming his helper. His helper also matched him as well. Guess that was the uniform for us working with these...tall animal mascots.
Kickinchicken walked up to me and DogDay. “Names Kickinchicken, the cool member of the Smiling Critters.” DogDay laughed when he said that. “Go on Angel, introduce yourself.” I wasn’t used to seeing animals so tall, it scared me a little. I held out my free hand to KickenChicken and summoned some courage to talk.
“Hello, I’m Y/N or Angel, doesn’t really matter what you call me. Nice to meet you.” KickenChicken then slapped my hand with his and started to make a handshake with me. I mirrored his movements to understand this new handshake I was given. “Haha, she’s pretty cool DD, you got yourself a rad helper.” He then looked at me up and down. “Not bad looking either.” KickenChicken smiled at me. I was going to comment on that, but DogDay beat me too it. “Look at the time! You better hurry along to your group now KC, don’t want our little friends upset now do we?” “Right, well nice meeting ya Y/N, we’ll chat later.” he spoke as he walked back to his group and helper. DogDay squeezed my hand a bit before leading us to the center of Playcare. “On with the tour!”
---------------
DogDay first showed me the statue in the center. It was all the Smiling Critters. There were eight of them in total: DogDay the leader, Bobby Bearhug the loving one, KickenChicken was the cool one, Hoppy Hopscotch the energetic one, CraftyCorn was the artist in the group, Bubba Bubbaphant the smart one, PickyPiggy the foodie, and lastly there was CatNap, DogDays bestest friend. He supposably makes sure that everyone else gets a good night's rest every day to ensure that they are ready for the next day.
Next, we went into the Toy Store. DogDay was tall, so he had to walk on all fours. “This is where the children can come and buy some sweet toys of yours truly, and the others!” I smiled and looked around. Sure enough there were plushies of DogDay and the rest of the group. There were also some other toys like a blue limp doll, a dinosaur that matched the lamps outside, what looked like a cat and a bee mixed, and other toys. I picked up a smaller version of DogDay and looked at it. “You said the kids buy these?” “Uh-huh! We give them play money to use around here, that way when they get adopted, they’ll know about the real world and how to manage their expenses.” That was smart of them. I set the plushie back down and followed DogDay outside.
We then looked at the consoler's office and school. DogDay told me that the consolers office was where the staff would put their belongings in and where parents would go to adopt a child. Only DogDay was allowed in the consoler's office, none of the other Smiling Critters could go in there. I’m not sure why but I didn’t question it. “The school is where the children spend most of their time. I’d take you inside so you could meet Miss Delight and her sisters, but I wouldn’t want to interrupt her teachings.” “That’s okay, I’m sure I’ll get to meet them one day.”
---------------
It was now naptime for the children which meant that the Smiling Critters could step away and hang out all together and just relax. I was in the consolers office to check out my assigned office. Each helper had their own office to get away to when needed. Outside my door was a card that had ‘Welcome’ on the front. I picked it up and walked into my new office. I took a look around, nice office, however what stuck out to me was the big dog bed in the corner.
I was about to walk over to it until I heard a knock at the door. I set down the card and opened the door, but no one was there. Suddenly DogDays head popped out from the side. “Hiya Angel!” “Ah-” I fell back in shock. As I laid on the floor DogDay hovered over me with a worried expression, his sun pendant laid against my chest. “Angel?! Oh gosh I’m so sorry! Are you okay??!” I did a double-blink and then slowly sat up. “Yeah, I’m fine, I just wasn’t expecting that at all.” DogDay then held out a paw towards me to help me to my feet. I took his paw into my hand and once my hand met his paw his tail started to wag. He pulled me up to my feet and got close to me.
I wasn't used to being this close to anyone, let alone a giant dog so I started to blush. This caught DogDays attention. “Angel your face is really red, are you sick?” I was starting to feel bad, not physically but mentally. I didn’t want him to be worried about me. “I-I’m fine! Really DogDay. So, um what brings you by?” I wanted to change the subject as fast as possible. DogDay then smiled and leaned away from me. “I wanted to see if you liked the card we made!” I went to my desk, picked up the card and opened it. ‘Welcome newest helper, we hope that this job brings you happiness and joy as we do to our children here. We look forward to working with you, signed everyone.’ I did like the letter.
---------------
Me and DogDay started chatting for a while until out of nowhere, I yawned. “Oh my, sorry about that.” Guess I was starting to get a bit tired. “That’s okay Angel. There’s thirty minutes left of nap time; you should rest up!” A power nap did sound good. I nodded and told DogDay that he should go back to his friends, but he shook his head no and picked me up and walked over to the dog bed in the corner. Should’ve known it was his.
“I’d rather spend my free time with you Angel, plus as your boss you have no say.” He stuck his tongue out and booped my nose with his paw. My face got warm again. He then laid down on his bed and laid me in between his front paws. “You can rest with me Angel; I’ve been told that I’m a very fluffy pillow.” He was very soft and the smell of vanilla on him was almost like a drug to put you to sleep, and it was working. I yawned once more and closed my eyes. DogDays head rested near me. “Rest well my Angel.” was the last thing I heard before drifting off to sleep.
A/N: Thank you for reading!
#sinnersweets#poppy playtime#poppy playtime chapter 3#dogday#x reader#dogday x reader#part 2#smiling critters
602 notes
·
View notes
Text
papas reacting to fnaf
this is so silly but i’m a diehard fnaf fan. also i started thinking about the parallels between the afton and emeritus family and got rlly emotional LMAO. please enjoy teehee
primo
-you’re sitting at your computer, losing your fucking mind. why is night 4 so hard???
“let me try.” he says.
-you know he won’t get far, bless his heart, but you’ll let him give it a shot.
-little do you know, he’s an absolute BEAST
-he takes a seat at your desk and starts clicking.
so i… stop them?”
“yeah. just don’t let them get into the office.”
“the power’s going down.”
“yeah, when you use the cameras, turn on the lights, or use the doors, it’ll go down. then it’s game over.”
he nods.
-he’s weirdly quiet, clicking away, until you suddenly hear the joyous chimes indicating he’s survived until 6 am.
“is that all?” he goes.
-your mouth is literally agape, you’re in shock.
-it doesn’t scare him at all
-he starts playing the game at his office whenever he needs a break. doesn’t flinch.
-lowkey sheds a tear at henry’s speech.
-he doesn’t like security breach, he prefers the repetitiveness of the old games
-he takes the lore very seriously, like it’s a piece of fine literature LOL
-the story of the afton family is heartbreaking to him and he relates to it a tad </3
-his favorite game is the OG and his favorite character is freddy. he’s a simple man.
secondo
-“this is stupid. what am i supposed to- FUCK! SATANAS! STAI INDIETRO, CREATURA DISGOSTA!”
-he clears his throat.
“i was caught off guard.”
-he doesn’t want to watch the lore videos at first because he thinks it’s “childish” but soon is sucked in.
-watches the lore videos with you and is specifically fascinated with william aftons character.
-he likes kids so he’s immediately disgusted by the cruelty of his actions
-he makes it his life’s mission to unpack the psychology of william afton
-his favorite is fnaf 4, he likes the nightmare designs
-HATES BALLOON BOY. wants to punch him in the face.
-he’s not very good at the games and curses so loudly when he plays because he’s so determined to make it through the night 😭
terzo
-“five nights at freddy’s? why are you spending the night with freddy and not me?”😏
-terzo hates mascots so he’s already scared shitless.
-when he plays the game he talks to himself like a maniac.
“no. stay, bunny. do not move. you too, bear. WHERE DID THE CHICKEN COME FROM? no, let’s NOT eat- eat by yourself, chicken!”
-loses his mind at the jumpscares, screams like a little girl.
-but he’s so interested in the complexity of the lore
-terzo goes down internet rabbit holes late at night LMAO so he’s more than willing to watch lore videos with you
-bro had to do a double take when he saw toy chica💀
-“purple man? he has good taste, no?”
immediately takes it back when he finds out what his deal is
-hums the theme song while he’s at work.
-his favorite game is fnaf 2 (and it has nothing to do with toy chica)
copia
-take a shot every time i say this on my account:
copia is a big fat dork.
(but we all are too, and we love him for it)
-he doesn’t understand it’s scary at first. aww, look at the bear! clicks freddy’s nose on the poster over and over. “boing! boing! boing! boing! boing!”
-but as soon as he checks the cameras he’s like OH. i see what this is.
-he gets so stressed playing the game LMAO
-when you introduce him to the lore he’s so fascinated and deeply invested. it rattles his brain but he can’t get enough.
-the next morning after you watch a video with him he has deep eye bags. you find out he stayed up all night watching lore videos.
-soon he’s a diehard fan. he keeps merch in his office beside his comics and other collectibles.
-his favorite game is pizzeria simulator because he loves the non-scary part 😭
-he loves foxy because he’s “misunderstood”🥺
-and mangle, thinks it’s sad how the kids took her apart and put her back together :,(
-has all the plushies LOL
#the band ghost#ghost band#ghost#papa emeritus iii#terzo#papa emeritus#papa terzo#papa emeritus x reader#terzo x reader#papa emeritus iii x reader#secondo x reader#copia x reader#primo x reader#papa headcanons
333 notes
·
View notes
Text
Triangulum - Chapter 1- Return to the Falls
— — — — — — —
“Tree. Tree. Billboard. Gas station. Telephone pole. Tree. Billboar—hey, that one’s got a whale on it!”
The clink of metal to glass echoed through the nearly-empty bus as Mabel pressed her cellphone against the window. “I wonder why they always use whales as mascots for things like car washes?” she inquired. “It’s not like they can actually drive cars or anything! They’re too big to fit through the doors!”
Such a question drew an amused chuckle from the person on the other end of the phone. “I think the thought process there is, like…you use water to clean cars?” they guessed. “And whales live in the water? And then they figure everyone can make the rest of the connection from there.”
From the seat besides Mabel, Dipper looked up from his journal. “Whales are also filter-feeders,” he pointed out. “They filter their food through something called baleen plates, which kinda look like the flappy, hangy-down brushes and sponges in a car wash? Maybe that’s one reason.”
He pointed the tip of his pencil at Mabel. “Also, you know Dev can’t actually see the billboard over the phone, right? …Adding onto that, how are you getting a signal this far out in the woods?”
Mabel moved the phone from the window and pressed it tightly against her chest. “Through the power of love!”
“Yeah, well, I’m almost positive that the ‘power of love’ isn’t gonna make your phone magically grow a video screen and a high-quality internet connection.”
With a scowl, Mabel placed her hands on her hips. “Almost positive isn’t completely positive, Mr. Negative!”
She punctuated her remark with a raspberry, before turning her attention back to her phone. “Sorry, Dev, you know how Dipper is,” she said fondly. “The big dorkus always has to apply logic to everything.”
“He raises a good point, though,” Dev replied. “I wouldn’t’ve made the connection between baleen plates and car wash sponges on my own, so I’m glad he had all that off the top of his head.”
A laugh, before their tone grew more accusatory. “Almost as if someone’s in the middle of researching whales for a certain reason.”
Dipper shifted in his seat, his gaze suddenly and intently focused on a stain of unknown origin on the back of the seat in front of them. “I-I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“...Diiiiip, you promised we’d look into that story about those sky whales off the coast together!” Dev whined playfully. “We were gonna make a whole night of it once you guys got back, with a red yarn board and everything!”
“I swear I was going to wait!” Dipper insisted. “But, like, listen…we’re gonna be spending all summer with our great-uncles. And they’ve spent the last few months sailing around the world, hunting a bunch of cool, paranormal beings out there on the open seas.”
He pressed a hand to the back of his head. “And I thought…you know—”
“—you thought sky whales might be one of the things your uncles saw out on the ocean, and you wanted to learn as much as you could to look all cool and smart in front of them,” Dev finished for him. “Especially in front of the totally awesome, Multiverse-jumping—studier of all things weird and strange—Stanford Pines?”
A beat. “…The one you promised me you’d get an autograph from and I’m totally not using this as an excuse to remind you about that?”
This earned a laugh out of Dipper. “Subtly noted, but it’s just…they’re gonna have so many stories about the places they’ve been over the past nine months,” he elaborated. “The most exciting story I have is that Phoenix incident, and it wasn’t even a real Phoenix!”
Dev let out a groan. “Ugh, don’t remind me! Whose bright idea was it again to smuggle a chicken into Science class?”
“I guess that’s one mystery we’ll never solve,” Dipper added with a look of disgust. “But what we did learn is that burnt feathers smell like someone lighting their hair on fire in a barn.”
“No kidding, I’ll never get the smell of stale hay and dirt outta my nose.”
“This is why pigs are the superior livestock,” Mabel said, punctuating her point with an indignant harrumph. “No stinky feathers!”
Dipper nudged her with his elbow before he set his journal and pencil down on his lap. “Weren’t you complaining a month ago about how Waddles is too big to smuggle into school anymore?”
“That’s not his fault! It’s the fault of society and their inability to stop body shaming everything!” She pressed her hands, phone and all, against her cheeks. ”Especially the most adorable wittle piggy in the entire world and his fat wittle piggy tummy~!”
This earned a laugh from Dev. “They’re just jealous they can’t be him, I bet,” he agreed. “Either way, Dip, it’s no worries about the sky whales thing. Just means I’ve gotta start stocking up on new research material for when you guys get home.”
There was a light tapping sound from the other side of the phone, as if Dev were tapping the speaker with their finger. “And it means that you owe me one!” they insisted. “Which you can easily pay off by spilling all the deets about what went down up there last August!”
The twins exchanged a mirrored look. “Dev—”
“Come on, Dipping Dots, you can’t leave me hanging forever,” Dev begged. “I know it was more than just some weird weather patterns! Just…just give me a hint at least! Was it ghosts? Aliens? …Alien ghosts?”
Dipper shot his sister a look, one that she returned with an understanding nod. “Dipper, stop trying to steal my boyfriend’s attention with your nerdy-nerd talk!” she said, loud enough for Dev to hear. “I wanna get as much talking time as I can with him before we get to town!”
With a smirk, he gave her ribs another nudge with his elbow. “Hey, Dev was a part of the Paranormal/Supernatural Club before you two started going out!” he pointed out. “So technically—aha, stop!”
His words dissolved into laughter as Mabel retaliated by putting as much of her weight on him as she could. “Technically, schmechnically, you can’t do nerdy-nerd stuff with Dev if you’re flat as a pancake!” she said, her body vibrating with giggles as she smushed against him.
“Dev, help, I’m being smothered!” Dipper called to the phone, between bouts of his own laughter. “Tell Mabel she’s cute or something!”
This earned another laugh from Dev in response, one warm and full of affection. “Mabel Syrup, could you please stop trying to kill my best friend and Paranormal/Supernatural Club co-president?”
Smiling wider, Mabel straightened herself upright in the seat and held the phone in her ear. “We~ell, since you’re using that nickname, I guess I can be merciful today!”
With a dramatic gag, Dipper pointed a finger at his throat in disgust. “Ugh, I said call her cute, not break out the pet names.”
“It’s not my fault she’s as sweet as her namesake.”
“It’s not her namesake!”
“Boys, boys,” Mabel interrupted with a giggle. “As fun as it is to both flirt with my boyfriend and annoy my brother at the same time, I do think we should circle back to the point Dip made earlier about my cell reception.”
She held the phone back up to her ear. “Since we’re almost at the Falls anyway, you wanna go ahead and hang up before the majestic oaks of Oregon do it for us?”
Dipper raised a finger. “Technically the trees around here are mostly firs and birch trees.”
“Oaks, Oregon…I wanted the words to sound all samey-samey,” Mabel pointed out. “And firs doesn’t start with an O.”
“...Neither does majestic?”
“Yeah, we can hang up for now,” Dev said. “I’m sure you guys probably wanna spend the rest of the day settling in, but if you don’t mind talking later tonight—”
“Uh, of course we can talk tonight~!” Mabel interrupted excitedly. “Not only that, I can introduce you to my Grunkles if they’re finished settling in by that point, too! And I’m sure Soos and Melody will want to say hi—ooh, and of course you can meet Candy and Grenda when we have our inevitable ‘Back In Gravity Falls’ sleepover—”
“Okay, maybe we slowly ease Dev into the weirdness that is Gravity Falls and everyone in it?” Dipper suggested. “Besides, I’d like some time to talk to them over the summer, too!”
“Hey, I take offense to that,” Dev said. “The first thing, not the second. Are you forgetting who sought you out to join your club in the first place? And brought his own research material to the very first meeting?”
Dipper gently pulled the phone towards him. “Are you forgetting who’s actually been to Gravity Falls in the first place?”
“No, but I’m also not forgetting who’s keeping all the juicy details about what happened last summer to themselves,” Dev pointed out in return.
“Okay, okay,” Mabel said, pulling the phone back. “No more nerd talk about nerd things, you’re wasting all my minutes! Use your own minutes for that!”
She returned it to her ear with a wide grin. “But we can figure out a proper talking schedule later,” she said sweetly, then paused. “...After tonight though, because you already said we could talk and no take backs!”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Dev assured her. “Love you.”
“And I looooove—” Mabel wiggled her finger with a mischievous look before booping it against the screen of her phone. “—you~!”
“...Did you boop the phone?”
“Yeah-huh~!”
“Bye, Dev!” Dipper called as well. “...I know you two are having a moment, but I wanted to say bye, too!”
“Bye to both of you!” Dev replied. “Talk to you tonight!”
There was a click as the call ended and Mabel pressed the phone against her chest. “Ehehe, I love them!”
“So I’ve gathered,” Dipper said with a smile. “What’re you guys at now, seven months?”
“Seven months, and seventeen days~!” Mabel clarified, with a closing slap of her flip phone and a delighted kick of her feet. “Can you believe it? Last year I would’ve gone through at least seventy guys in that amount of time! Now look at me! Miss Lady-In-A-Serious-Relationship-With-One-Of-The-Best-Guys-In-The-World over here~!”
“You know that number’s a wild exaggeration, right?”
“You’re a wild exaggeration,” Mabel retorted, with a nudge to his shoulder. “And I like how you couldn’t even argue the ‘one of the best guys in the world’ thing, because you know it’s true! Well, he’s the best guy whenever he’s actually in guy mode, of course. Otherwise he’s just the best significant other! But right now, he’s the best guy in the world!
With a wide grin, she snaked an arm around Dipper’s shoulder before once again smushing most of her weight against him. “Except for thiiiiis best guy in the world, of course~!” she said, words slightly muffled from how her cheek was squished against his arm. “Who knows he absolutely doesn’t count when it comes to me talking about the best guys in the world, because it already goes without saying that he’s the best guy in the world!”
She gave him a squished little smile. “He knows that, right?”
With a warm smile of his own, Dipper gently pushed her back to her side of the bus seat. “He knows that. Although ‘best guy in the world’ is starting to sound like a fake sentence.”
“Haha, yeah,” Mabel agreed with a giggle. “I used it a lot, huh?”
An oink beneath their legs turned their attention to the underside of the seat in front of them, where a fat, pink hog peered up at them with a lazy tilt of his head.
With a squeal of utter delight, Mabel reached down and scooped him up in her arms. “Aww, we can’t forget about the other best guy in the world~!” she cooed, cradling him like a baby. “Are you having fun crawling around and eating all the abandoned wrappers and gum stuck to the underside of the seats?”
Waddles let out another oink and contently buried his snout in the bend of her arm, as if he considered himself nothing more than a simple lap dog. Despite his own amusement at the sight, Dipper raised an eyebrow at his sister. “Seriously, you should probably stop letting him do that before the driver gets fed up and makes us walk the rest of the way.”
“He wouldn’t dare,” Mabel insisted. “This bus is probably the cleanest its ever been! If anything, the driver should be thanking Waddles for helping him out!”
After giving Waddles’ body a shake for additional emphasis, she pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “Isn’t that right, you big, pink angel? You even missed your chance to say hi to Dev because you were too busy being the most helpful piggy around!”
“Too bad we couldn’t use him as a distraction,” Dipper said, and reached for his journal again. “You know Dev’s as crazy about him as you are.”
Mabel’s smile fell, and she tightened her embrace around Waddles’ body. “Right…”
Dipper’s hand froze less than an inch from the journal, and he gave her a sympathetic look. “The squishing me was a nice touch,” he said with a halfhearted smile of his own. “Really took his mind off the Weirdmageddon topic…”
With a sigh, he flipped it open to the page he’d been writing on and picked up his pencil. “You know, we could just ask Mayor Tyler if we can bend the rules a little bit and we can tell our buddy back home about what happened last summer.”
Mabel leaned her body back towards the window, her head hitting the glass with a light thump. “What if he doesn’t believe us?”
“Who, Mayor Tyler? I mean, if we promised that Dev wouldn’t go blabbing it to other people and told him about how obsessed he is with the town, he’d probably understand—”
“Dev, Dipper,” Mabel clarified. “What if Dev doesn’t believe us?”
“Have you met the guy?” Dipper asked. “Out of anyone back home, I feel like he’d be the first one to believe us. I mean, are we forgetting that this is the same person who swears up and down that they've kissed an alien before?"
A pause. "Before following that claim up with ‘but I’d rather kiss Mabel before kissing a thousand aliens’ like the hopeless romantic he is?”
A small smile tugged at the corners of Mabel’s mouth, but disappeared just as quickly as it threatened to appear. “I mean, he does say that all the time. But…”
“But?”
Mabel let out an uncertain hum, but any further response was cut off by the sound of faint crackling from the bus’s loudspeaker. “Attention, passengers, we are approaching the city limits of Gravity Falls, and will be arriving within the town itself in a matter of minutes,” the driver’s voice rang out cheerfully. “Just in case anyone was interested in peering out their window as we passed by the welcome sign, for sentimental reasons.”
The twins shared a mirrored look before quickly scooting over to the window, just in time to see the familiar sign that marked the town’s border whiz past the bus.
It was a fleeting sight; one that came and went within seconds. But their silence continued for a just a bit longer after it passed, even as the endless line of trees finally began to melt into familiar homes and buildings.
Still keeping her attention fixed on the view outside, Mabel’s hand instinctively found her brother’s and gave it a light squeeze. “We’re back…”
Dipper nodded, squeezing her hand in return. “We’re back.”
They remained still, letting themselves be lost in the thrill of finally being back in that old, familiar town for just a few minutes longer, before the realization that they needed to be ready to exit the bus motivated them to finally move and start gathering up their belongings.
“Okay, since we’re now officially back in town,” Mabel began, setting Waddles aside so she could pull her bag to her lap. “What’re you looking forward to the most this summer?”
“Hmm, hard to say,” Dipper said, reaching for his own. “I mean, last year I spent most of the summer trying to uncover the mysteries behind the journal’s author, then spent the remaining time after that with the author himself!”
He unzipped the front and stuffed his journal inside. “Guess I’m just looking forward to spending more time with Grunkle Ford again, now that he doesn’t have to stay down in the basement and deal with all that Bill stuff,” he said. “I know I wanna tell him all about the stuff me and Dev have studied together, and—ooh, I really wanna introduce him to that DDnmD podcast we started listening to recently—”
“Hey, that was what I was looking forward to, too!” Mabel said delightedly. “Well, not the nerd stuff but the ‘spending time with Grunkle Ford’ stuff! You got to spend so much time with him last year, and I barely got to see him at all!”
She placed her hands on her hips. “Well, this year I’m determined to spend as much time with him as I possibly can! You know a guy who puts that much effort into his journals has to be a pro at scrapbooking!”
She reached into her bag and pulled something out with a wide grin, before holding it up for Dipper to see. “I even made him a personalized sweater, so he has another one to wear besides his red one!” she explained, pointing to a smiling picture of Ford on the front. “See? I knitted a happy little picture of him—” She moved her finger to the next one. “—and this one’s of the six-fingered hand that was on his journals—”
And finally her finger landed on the stitched writing at the bottom. “—and this part says ‘A-FORD-able! Not like ‘affordable’, but like ‘adorable with Ford!’’ …I was already halfway done when I remembered ‘affordable’ was already a word, so I just added that last part instead of undoing everything.”
While she stuffed the sweater back into her bag, Dipper added: “I think I’m also looking forward to just spending time with Grunkle Stan in general, too. I mean, sure, we got to spend a lot of time with him last year.”
He waved his hands. “But he was hiding such a big secret, one he had to deal with by himself. This year, he’s got nothing to hide!”
Mabel held up both pointer fingers. “Right! Because the something he had to hide is gonna be right there next to him! And the thing that was hiding no longer has to hide in any way!”
She smushed them together with silly little noises for emphasis. “And since Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford are getting along now, it means we can all spend time together like one big happy family!”
Satisfied with her own amateur pantomime, she dropped her hands and returned to her belongings. “Speaking of which, who did Grunkle Stan say was going to be greeting us at the bus stop?” she asked. “I know Soos and Grunkle Ford will be there, but I really hope Candy and Grenda can make it!”
She beamed widely. “Grenda said in her last letter that she’s been taking up wrestling, and that she learned a move that could possibly snap me in half! Although Candy discredited this claim with the fact that she only got a fractured disc when Grenda tried it on her, but you know what they say: practice makes perfect!”
Dipper raised an eyebrow. “You guys can’t just hug each other?”
“We can hug as she’s breaking my spine in two!”
With a shrug, Dipper slung his bag over his shoulder. “Well, to answer your original question; yeah, Ford and Soos are gonna be there. Other than that, I’m not sure. Your friends being there is something you’d know more than I would, and I can’t think of anyone else who would come.”
He tapped a hand to his chin as he thought hard for a moment. “I know Soos and Melody wanted to throw that welcome-back party for us tomorrow, though. So maybe they’ll only have a small group of people at the bus stop today. You know, to give us time to get settled in without being bombarded by a billion people?”
Mabel stuck out her lip and gave the seat in front of them a defiant slam with her fists. “Boooooo, I want to be bombarded by people! I wanna be able to give out at least three-dozen hugs before Grenda snaps me in half like a twig!”
“I once again ask why you guys can’t just hug each each other.”
“Bombardment!” Mabel chanted, slamming her fist in rhythm. “Bombardment!”
There was another crackle of the loudspeakers over their heads as the driver spoke again: “Attention, passengers; this is a follow-up to the previous announcement, but there might be a bit of a delay in getting you to the next stop.”
Dipper and Mabel exchanged a curious look, before Dipper cupped his hands around his mouth. “Why?” he called towards the front of the bus.
“Has the traffic here gotten that bad in nine months?” Mabel added.
Another crackle from the intercom. “See for yourselves, kids.”
At the driver’s suggestion, the twins scooted out of their seats and into the aisleway, remaining bags in hand and Waddles at their heels as they made their way to the front of the bus. As they came to a stop near the bus driver’s seat, their eyes grew wide at the sight that awaited them in the street below.
To the eyes of an unknown tourist, it would look like nothing more than a dozen garden gnomes stacked atop each other before a collection of golf balls spilled all over the road.
To anyone who’d spent enough time in Gravity Falls, however—
“For the last time, Franz; either you cross the street quickly or we’re letting a car run you over.”
At the front of the collection of golfballs—or more accurately, small persons by the name of Lilliputtians who happened to strongly resemble golfballs—a blue ball crossed their arms with a sour look towards the gnome at the top of the pile. “And we’re telling you for the last time, Jeff, we’re going as fast as we can!” he argued in return. “It’s not like we can just stack ourselves on top of each other like you gnomes can!”
“You’re golf balls!” The gnome, Jeff, pointed out irritably. “You can roll!”
Franz scoffed and placed his hands on his hips. “Oh, so just because we happen to look like golf balls, you think we can roll everywhere?” he asked. “What about you gnomes, huh? Without linking up to each other, I’ll bet you couldn’t go more than a few feet without getting winded!”
Jeff crossed his own arms with a roll of his eyes. “Yeah, well, you’ve never seen Shmebulock run after six nosefuls of mushroom spores.”
His point was emphasized by an enthusiastic “Shmebulock!” from one of the gnomes at the bottom of the snack.
From the bus, the twins shared a knowing look before Mabel turned to the bus driver. “You know what? You can just let us off here, we can walk the rest of the way.”
“And we’ll see what we can do about clearing the road for you,” Dipper added.
With a shrug, the driver opened the doors to the bus and the two headed down the stairs; Mabel bounded out the door and onto the sidewalk with a delighted laugh while Dipper followed behind with more reserved steps.
Despite their different methods of stair descension, their smiles were equally bright as they looked to the smaller beings still crowded in the middle of the road. “So, what do you think’s going on?” Dipper asked.
Mabel turned back to the bus steps and reached out to grab Waddles, who had slowly and piggishly ambled down the steps after them. “Not sure, but isn’t it wild to see both groups just…out in the middle of the street like this?”
“Right?!” Dipper said with enthusiastic agreement. “It’s like—not even five minutes back in town and we’re already getting a taste of peak Gravity Falls weirdness!”
After setting Waddles down to the sidewalk, Mabel clapped her hands together with just as much gusto. “I know, isn’t it great?”
“I’m warning you for the last time, Jeff: get out of our way before we knock your bearded butts down like rolling pins!” Franz insisted firmly. “You wanna see how fast we can actually roll? Keep pushing my buttons and you’ll find out!”
The twins exchanged a look. “Right, we should probably do the thing we got off the bus early to do,” Dipper said. “Otherwise we just made getting to the shack harder for ourselves for no reason.”
“Well, at the very least you can add ‘breaking up a fight between golf ball people and gnomes’ to the list of cool stories to tell Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford,” Mabel pointed out. “I’m almost positive they haven’t had a chance to do that yet!”
Dipper let out a laugh. “Weren’t you just saying a little bit ago that almost positive isn’t completely positive?”
With a laugh of her own, Mabel pushed a lighthearted fist to his arm before turning her gaze to the groups bickering in the road. “So how are we doing this?”
A shrug. “I mean, smartest method would just be to ask them why they’re fighting.”
“Very true!” Mabel said. “And who knows? Maybe if we know why they’re fighting, we can help them work it out peacefully.”
“Or we can at least distract them long enough to get them outta the road,” Dipper pointed out. “Then if they wanna continue the fight on the sidewalk, we just start heading for the shack.”
“That is also something we can do~!”
She cupped her hands around her mouth and called loudly: “Hey, boys! What’s with all the commotion and bus blocking?”
“Yeah, none of you are more than two feet tall, and you should probably get out of the road before cars realize they can just run over you,” Dipper added helpfully.
From his spot in the road, Jeff let out a scoff. “Maybe on our own, but we gnomes could always just—”
He fell silent, the delayed realization of whom he was speaking to finally settling in as he looked to Dipper and Mabel with wide eyes. And he was not the only one; the attention of both gnomes and Lilliputtians alike were now focused solely on Dipper and Mabel.
“Well, shiver me timbers, amongst other pirate-y exclamations of surprise!” One of the pirates piped up. “The Saviors of the Falls be returned to us at last!”
“The Hugelings are back!” A knight Lilliputtian added excitedly.
The rest of the group (both gnome and golfball alike) let out similar exclamations of delight, their crosswalk argument momentarily forgotten as they all hurried to the sidewalk to greet the twins.
And once the bus driver took advantage of the cleared road to continue onwards, the commotion was enough to also draw the attention of other nearby townsfolk. Townsfolk who—Dipper and Mabel observed as they got a good look around—were not quite as human as they had been the year prior.
A fair number of them were still clearly human; Tad Strange could be seen purchasing a loaf of bread through the window of a nearby store, while the man known as the ‘Free Pizza’ guy was taking a leisurely stroll just a short distance up the road.
But there was also no mistaking the mermaid in a small, mobile tank at an outside table for the nearby bistro, pulling her attention from her waterproof phone long enough to look their way.
Or the Abominable Bro-man stepping out of a nearby Jeep, the remaining three Bro-men still seated in the vehicle and pumping their fists in the air as they chanted his name with fraternal unity. A chant that quickly melted into the twins' names when the original Bro-man pointed them out with a look of pure, righteous elation.
And there was certainly no missing the flock of Eye-Bats resting comfortably on the nearby powerlines alongside a group of ordinary woodpeckers, or the Woodpecker-peckers that had taken up residence upon the original birds’ backs.
While the peckers and pecker-peckers showed little interest in the kids, one Eye-Bat shifted its attention down towards them with mild curiosity, before turning to the nearest Woodpecker-pecker and shooting a burst of energy from its cornea. In a flash, the miniature bird had been transformed into solid stone, the extra weight causing the powerline to sag beneath the original—but otherwise unbothered—Woodpecker.
As more townsfolk—human and supernatural alike—also turned their attention towards the kids, Dipper cast an amused look to his sister. “You still in the mood to get bombarded by a bunch of people?”
Mabel giggled in response, and carefully picked up one of the Lilliputtians for a hug. “I don’t know what point you’re trying to prove, this is awesome! It’s like our own little welcome parade!”
“Well, if this isn’t a delightful delight of a sight~!”
At the sound of another voice, both turned their attention towards a thin man approaching them from further down the sidewalk. His overall demeanor was riddled with giddiness and a cartoonish banner that read ‘Mayor’ was displayed prominently across his chest. “Dipper and Mabel Pines! I was wondering when you two would finally get back to town!”
He waggled a finger at them. “And here I thought I’d have to wait until tomorrow night to say hello to you kids again!”
“Hi, Mayor Tyler,” Mabel said, giving him a wave with the arm that wasn't wrapped around the Lilliputtian, before using it to gesture to the rest of them. “I see someone’s been having a busy nine months~!”
Dipper nodded in agreement. “Yeah, it’s so cool to see the gnomes and everyone else just…wandering around the town like this!”
From where the gnomes were gathered, Jeff let out a smug little chuckle. “Hear that, Franz? We got a personal shoutout and everything.”
Franz turned to glare at him. “You know he was only using you pointy-hatted jerks as an example!”
“I’ll make an example outta you, you round son of a—”
Their heated exchange from before returned in full swing as the two groups began to argue again, the Lilliputtian in Mabel’s arms leaping back down to join the fight with balled fists and a collection of gnome-targeted obscenities.
In response, Mabel’s gestured arm shifted to a pointing finger. “Oh, right, they were fighting in the middle of the street and blocked our bus.”
With a sigh, Tyler pressed a hand to his forehead. "Again?"
Near his foot, a French Lilliputtian piped up with a mighty: "Sacré bleu!"— one that likely translated out to "Again!"—before he hurled his body at the nearest gnome.
While they watched this unfold, Dipper looked back to Tyler. “So is this, like…normal for them?”
“I’m afraid so,” Tyler replied wearily. "They simply cannot stop butting heads no matter how I try to clear the air—oh, hold on, I worry they might start biting if I don’t do something—”
He moved towards the center of the combined groups, carefully tiptoeing between the small golf balls with an ease that implied he had done this countless times before, and came to a stop near both Franz and Jeff. “Now, boys, you know we’ve talked about this no less than a week ago!”
Franz pointed a finger at Jeff, eyebrows furrowed. “He was trying to rush us again—”
“—and I was pointing out how, again, they can just roll across the crosswalk!” Jeff argued in retaliation. “I just don’t understand how they’ve got the ability to move that fast, but then get mad at people for pointing out they have it!”
Franz shook a fist at him. “Oh, I’ll show you fast, with how fast I can ram my hand up your—”
“Okay, gentleman,” Tyler interrupted quickly, and took a knee so he could be closer to them. “Jeff, you know what I’ve said about antagonizing the Lilliputtians. If you and your boys can’t play nice, I might have to resort to—well, looking elsewhere for a crossing guard!”
“Wh—aw, come on!” Jeff protested. “That’ll be the fifth job we’ve lost in a month! Do you know how hard it is to nab the attention of a potential queen if we go back to being a bunch of unemployed chumps?”
Franz rolled his eyes. “Yeah, pretty sure it’s not the lack of a job they hate about you.”
“Why, you little—”
Jeff launched his entire body at Franz as the two of them began to squabble again, and Tyler reached out to grab them both by the back of their shirts. “Hey, come on now! I’m a fan of a good fight as much as the next guy, but you’re setting a bad example in front of our special guests—”
This earned a shrug from the twins. “I mean, we really don’t care,” Dipper said.
“One of them tried to kill us, the other tried to marry me,” Mabel added. “We’ve kinda already seen both of them at their worst already.”
“Need some help?”
A familiar voice from behind—followed by a massive shadow enveloping both of them in shade—turned both twins around, only for them to be greeted by the sight of a tall Manotaur towering high above them. But what really grabbed their attention was the teenager seated on his left shoulder, smile wide as she hopped down to the sidewalk in front of them.
Her hair was much shorter than the last time they had seen her, just barely peeking out from beneath the faded hat that she had swapped with Dipper for her own. And her original green flannel shirt had been exchanged for an unbuttoned red one over a white tank top.
Despite the differences in her appearance, however, there was no mistaking who she was—and her old hiking boots had barely touched the pavement before the twins rushed to embrace her in a joint hug. “Wendy!”
With a laugh, Wendy slunk an arm around each of their shoulders to hug them in return. “And here I thought you squirts would beat me up to the Shack,” she said, moving her hands to playfully noogie the tops of their heads. “What’re you doing all the way down here?”
Mabel gestured to the small crowd before them. “Well, our bus had to stop because—”
“Oh, for the love of—” Wendy interrupted with a sigh, before looking over to Tyler. “Are they fighting again?”
From where he stood—desperately holding the two leaders at arm’s length to prevent more blood from being drawn—Tyler’s expression melted into a look of relief. “Wendy! Thank goodness you’re here!” he said. “Uh, would you and Chutzpar mind—”
She crossed her arms with a miffed look. “You know, people are going to think it’s unprofessional that the mayor has to keep getting help from outside sources to solve the town’s issues—”
“Wendy, please?”
Wendy rolled her eyes, and looked up towards the Manotaur beside her. “Whaddaya think, Big Guy?”
“Many months ago, I would’ve encouraged the idea of using violence to solve one’s problems,” Chutzpar said stoically. “And I still would, were it not an inconvenience to Mayor Tyler.”
He held up a finger. “Punching out your feelings is not inherently a bad way to solve some issues, but there is a time and place for it,” he continued. “And right in the middle of town where people are looking to enjoy their day isn’t the right time nor the right place! So KNOCK IT OFF or I’ll knock YOU OFF!”
He punctuated the last sentence with a warning stomp of his left hoof, one strong enough to rumble the sidewalk beneath everyone’s feet. And once he was finished, he looked to Wendy hopefully—as if he were expecting her to praise him for his answer—and she gave an approving nod before looking to the crowd: “You guys chill now, or does he need to do that again?”
Thankfully the fighting had immediately ceased at Chutzpar’s warning stomp, both gnome and Lilliputtians alike trembling in shock. “H-hey, that’s a really rude way to get someone to stop doing something, you know!” Franz said irritably.
“Yeah,” Jeff piped up in agreement. “You can’t just use your Manotaur buddy to push us around like that!”
“Yeah, well, maybe next time you’ll stop fighting when Tyler asks you to stop first,” Wendy said. “Besides, it worked, didn’t it? You guys are actually agreeing on something and have chilled out a little bit, right?”
Franz and Jeff exchanged a skeptical look, before they both turned away in disgust with halfhearted mutters of “I guess so.” and “Whatever.” in unison.
“Guys...”
Jeff crossed his arms. “Fine, I guess it doesn’t really matter how long they take to get across the street," he said defeatedly. "Besides, the longer we man the cross work, the more chances we get to snag attention from potential queen candidates."
“And I guess we could speed up a bit when we walk,” Franz added. “We’ll probably have to now, if we wanna make it to the sticker store and back to the golf course before our lunch break is over.”
Tyler clasped his hands together. “There, you see? Problem-solving!” he said delightedly. “Now, let’s clear off the sidewalk and give Dipper and Mabel some breathing room, okay?”
With only a small handful of grumbling, the gnomes and Lilliputtians shuffled back towards the crosswalk. Once they had properly dispersed, Tyler stood up to full height again and clasped his hands together. “Thank you so much, Wendy, you are an angel in lumberjack’s clothing~!”
Wendy crossed her arms again, expression souring at his compliment. “I meant what I said; you’ve really gotta get a handle on doing stuff like this by yourself,” he said. “The town’s not gonna take a guy who can’t even break up a fight between some gnomes and sentient golf balls seriously.”
Tyler chuckled nervously and once again pressed a hand to his forehead. “Well, regardless, your help is always appreciated!” he said, with a look to Chutzpar. “And thank you once again for all your help, big fella. I’m actually glad I caught you, I was actually on my way over to the lumbermill to discuss Thursday’s plans with Dan—”
This earned him an annoyed scoff from Wendy, while Chutzpar simply nodded. “Yes, that is the reason we were on our way to see you—”
“I was on my way to the Mystery Shack.”
“—why we were on our way to see you, before we made our way to the Mystery Shack,” Chutzpar continued, paying no mind to Wendy’s interruption. “I come with a message from him. And a gift.”
He looked to Wendy, who gave him a nod far more halfhearted than his own, before he held out the small object he had been carrying in one of his mighty fists.
It was a small, wood-carved animal (a bear to be specific), and it was clear that every notch in the wood had been carefully sculpted with care. A care that Tyler recognized with a look that was far less whimsical than his usual demeanor, and more of a genuine tenderness as he took the carving in his hand. “Oh, that darn man really knows how to spoil me rotten, doesn’t he?”
His smile widened as he looked back to Chutzpar. “You said he also had a message for me?”
Chutzpar nodded and reached into his pocket for a small stack of index cards. After taking a moment to shuffle them, he cleared his throat and began to read: “‘I am looking forward to Thursday. I was wondering if you would wear the panther shirt to dinner that I bought you in that two-for-one special. Panthers are powerful, and could tear a puma to—”
He casually flipped to the next index card, before gripping the entire stack tightly with both hands and ripping it in half a powerful yell of: ”—SHREDS!!!!’”
He held his stance for a moment, before slipping back into a more relaxed pose. “He specifically requested that I rip them up when I said ‘shreds’,” he explained. “It was an opportunity to be needlessly loud and violent in a healthy fashion, so I was in full support of the idea.”
“Aww, a show of force and a clever pun?” Tyler said, pressing his hands to his flushed face. “He really does know what I like~!”
He gave Chutzpar a wink. “Well, you be sure to tell Dan that I will certainly be wearing the panther shirt on Thursday!”
“Super,” Wendy said, her tone deadpan. “Can we go to the Shack now?”
“Of course, sorry for holding you up,” Tyler said with a laugh. “I suppose I should be getting back to work as well. This town’s not gonna mayor itself, after all~!”
“It might if you don’t learn how to break up fights without help,” Wendy muttered under her breath.
Tyler gave the group a little wave with the hand that held the wood carving. “Oh, and welcome back to town, Dipper and Mabel~! Can’t wait for the party tomorrow!”
With that, he turned and headed down the sidewalk in the opposite direction of the group, leaving Wendy to turn her attention to the twins. “So, you guys need a second to unpack everything that just happened, or are we good to continue on to the Shack?”
Dipper and Mabel shared a look, before Dipper took the initiative: “Yeah, so I have about a dozen questions—”
“What are the gnomes and Lilliputtians and all the other creatures doing walking around town?” Mabel interrupted quickly, with a wide gesture of her arms. “What’re you doing with a Manotaur? And why’s he giving Mayor Tyler gifts from your dad?!”
Dipper pointed to his sister. “Actually yeah, she covered pretty much all the questions I had,” he said, turning his full attention to her. “Except for the last part, because I feel like that’s pretty obvious, Mabel.”
Mabel placed her hands on her hips. “Duh-doy, I know it’s obvious. I just want to know when it started being a thing,” she explained. “I don’t remember hearing about it in any of the letters we got.”
Wendy made a face. “Yeah, it’s…kinda new.”
“They have been dating for four months,” Chutzpar pointed out.
“It’s new,” Wendy said flatly, before giving a shrug to the twins. “Anyway, the other stuff’s pretty easy to answer. Wanna swap stories as we head to the shack?”
“Yeah!” they answered in unison, before Dipper looked further up the road. “Kinda wish we’d asked the bus driver to stick around, though. The walk to the shack from here’s going to take forever.”
Wendy looked up at Chutzpar with a smirk, and he nodded knowingly in return. “Sounds like the two of you require a ride.”
Before either twin could question what he meant by ‘ride’, they suddenly found themselves being scooped up from the sidewalk and settled onto his muscular shoulders.
Wendy watched with a smile as they adjusted themselves. “You two chill up there?”
From the left shoulder, Dipper gave a thumbs up. “All good!”
Doubling over in a fit of giggles, Mabel reached over and grabbed hold of Chutzpar’s horn to steady herself. “Oh, this is way better than taking the bus~!”
Wendy let her gaze fall to the sidewalk below, where Waddles was staring up expectantly. “And while he’s got you, I’ll get—”
She bent down to pick him up, lifting him with just as little issue as his owner, and adjusted him until he was situated comfortably in her arms. “Woah, buddy, you feel a lot heavier than fifteen pounds this year!”
“I’ve fed him only the finest of leftover table scraps,” Mabel said proudly.
“And he used to sneak into my junk food stash at least once a week before I found a way to stop him,” Dipper said, giving Waddles a pointed look.
Waddles gave him a proud snort in response as Wendy took another quick glance at the sidewalk again. “Alright, no bags or any other random pets that you might’ve picked up since last year?”
“Bags are in our arms,” Dipper said, giving his a pat for good measure.
“And sadly no,” Mabel added in a solemn tone. “Mom said owning Waddles is like owning three pets in one. She says it as a compliment, because that just means he’s three times as lovable. But like we said before, he also just eats about as much as three animals so she don’t see any reason to get a fourth.”
This earned another proud snort from Waddles and a laugh from Wendy. “Sounds like an okay to begin walking, then.”
Chutzpar nodded, the sidewalk rumbling with every thunderous step he took as the group began their trek towards the winding trail on the edge of town.
— — — — — — —
“Mr. Pines, there’s no need to be so nervous.”
“What makes you think I’m nervous?”
From beside Soos, Grenda raised her hand. “The fact that you’re pacing in a circle so much, you’re practically digging a new bottomless pit with your feet?”
Candy turned to her, eyes bright with inspiration. “Ooh, if there are two of them, maybe they could be advertised as twin bottomless pits!” she said, holding up a finger on each hand. “Twin pits for twin pairs—“
She brought her fingers together with a smile. “—of twin Pines!”
Grenda let out a loud cackle, and gave her shoulder a hearty slap. “God, Candy, save some of that genius for when Mabel gets here!”
While Candy rubbed her now-sore shoulder with a wince, Soos gave the two of them a thumbs-up. “But I’m adding that to the list of attraction ideas when we get back to the shack. It’s a good one, dude.”
Stan looked down at the thin dent in the gravel that he’d worn down with his shoes, and crossed his arms with a gruff sigh. A sigh that was interrupted by the familiar sensation of a six-fingered hand on his shoulder.
His mouth curled into a smile as he locked eyes with the hand's owner, a near-identical set of features to his own staring back at him. “They raise a good point, Stanley,” Ford said. “Mostly about the nervousness, not the second bottomless pit idea.”
At that, he gave the girls a thumbs up. “But that is some impeccable wordplay, Candy!”
“My name gives me plenty of chances to make puns in everyday conversation,” Candy informed him with a smile. “It’s second nature to me at this point~!”
Stan tsked at that, although his smile didn’t disappear. “And who’s to say that pit-idea of theirs ain’t exactly what I’m doing?” he said. “Building some kinda new, twin-themed shack attraction with my feet?”
Candy held up another finger. “Shack-traction!”
“I said, stop! You’re gonna use up all the good ones!”
While the girls chattered on, Ford turned his gaze from them to Soos. “Actually, Soos, don’t you and the girls want to go, uh—” A pause. “—discuss that second bottomless pit idea further?”
Grenda ceased her attempt to give Candy a noogie of approval, and raised an eyebrow at him. “Why? He already said we’d—”
“Don’t worry, Dr. Pines!” Soos interrupted quickly, taking each of the girls’ hands in his own. “I’ll keep ‘em busy!”
Ford gave him an appreciative nod, one that Soos returned with a smile as he lead them away; not too far from the bus stop, but far enough to give the older men some space.
Once the three of them were at a distance that would make eavesdropping impossible, Stan playfully nudged his brother’s arm. “Real subtle there, Poindexter.”
“Wasn’t trying to be,” Ford said, as he turned back around to face him. “And even if I was, it’d be a lot more convincing than you’re trying to be about not being nervous.”
Stan rolled his eyes. “Hey, I’m the King of Subtlety! Or are you forgetting the New Jersey Lil' Wise Guy Subtlety Competition of 1956, where I took first place?”
“It was 1957,” Ford corrected him. “And I distinctly remember you quite literally taking the first place medal and attempting to pawn it off to one of the customers in the shop. Which failed, because you were three.”
Stan pressed a hand to his forehead. “Was it? Could’ve sworn it was—” With a huff, he waved it away. “Whatever, so maybe I’m a little nervous about seeing my great-niece and nephew again for the first time in nine months,” he said with a halfhearted shrug. “So what?”
“As I’m sure we’ve discussed at least two dozen times on the ride back to town—”
“Three dozen.”
“—there’s no reason to be nervous about seeing Dipper and Mabel again,” Ford finished. “If all the letters they sent to the Mystery Shack are anything to go off, they’re just as excited to see us as we are them.”
Stan waved his hand again, this time with the addition of a scoff. “Oh, I’m not worried about all that,” he explained. “I know the kids love us, and I know as soon as they step off that bus, I’m gonna put on the tough-as-nails, no-nonsense Grunkle act and pretend I wouldn’t erase my own mind for ‘em again if they needed me to—”
“Don’t joke about that.”
A shared look of somberness crossed their faces for a brief instant, before Stan’s gaze fell to the ground again. “It ain’t us I’m worried about,” he repeated. “They headed outta this place only a week after we barely managed to save it from going to heck in a handbasket. Barely managed to save them…”
His gaze returned to Ford. “Just don’t want them comin’ back to a whole boatload of new things to be worried about, you know?”
The hand on Stan’s shoulder moved to Ford’s own hair, which he pushed back with a tired sigh. “Don’t I know it. I’ve had this pit in my stomach for about two weeks now, both from the excitement of getting to spend the full summer with my great-niece and nephew and—”
He paused, before letting his hand fall back to his side with a weak laugh. “Well, I guess it was inevitable that our return to town would be accompanied by some…complicated emotions.”
Forgetting his own nerves for a moment, Stan’s attention immediately snapped to his brother. The shift in Ford’s features was subtle, as it always was whenever the topic of Bill came up in passing. But the pain behind Ford’s eyes, a pain that held the weight of the past thirty-plus years, and the way his entire body tensed from the memories that Stan could only assume made up that weight—
Stan shoved his hands in his pockets with a sigh. “Psh, listen to me gettin’ all worked up over the kids, when I should’ve been asking if you were alright.”
Ford looked to him, eyebrow raised. “Wh—no, that’s not the point. The point is—”
He was cut off by Stan slinging an arm around his shoulders, his knees buckling slightly from the extra weight. “The point is we’re both stressed,” Stan said. “And if we’re both stressed, then the kids are gonna end up stressed as well and that’ll just have the opposite effect of what we want. Like that law. You know, from that one guy?”
With his free hand, he snapped his fingers thoughtfully as he racked his brain for the answer. “Somethin’, somethin’, every action’s got a reaction and it’s opposite?”
An amused smile spread across Ford’s face. “Are you referring to Sir Isaac Newton and his laws of motion?” he asked. “Those laws by that world-renowned philosopher?”
“Hey, you’re the one that finished high school, Smart Guy, you tell me!”
Satisfied with his answer, he shifted the arm around Ford’s shoulder to pull him into a proper headlock. Ford attempted to slink out from beneath his brother’s embrace with a laugh, but unfortunately the past forty years had done little to weaken Stan’s technique and kept him locked as firmly in place as it had during their childhood.
On the other hand, three decades of wandering the Multiverse had provided Ford with a few defensive maneuvers of his own. Combined with spending the past nine months on a fishing boat together, it had taken little time for him to readapt to his brother’s attempts at rough-housing—
His gaze fell to Stan’s exposed ribs, to which he delivered a light—yet firm—jab with his elbow.
—and even less time for him to find the most effective methods of countering them.
Sure enough, Stan released him with a surprised yelp, one that melted into a fit of rough laughter as Ford effortlessly slipped out of his grasp. “Cheap shot.”
“I believe you’re the last person to talk when it comes to fighting dirty, Stanley,” Ford replied with a smug grin.
“Oh, I’ll show ya dirty—”
The laughter doubled as the two of them spent another moment attempting to one-up the other in lighthearted fisticuffs, until the distant, rumbling sound of tires against asphalt pulled them back to reality. And if the sight of the approaching bus alone hadn’t been enough, Grenda’s boisterous cry of “THE BUS IS COMING!” as the rest of the group hurried back to rejoin them would’ve done the trick.
As they straightened themselves out again in preparation to greet the kids, the brothers exchanged another look. One that clearly displayed their shared nervousness that even rough-housing hadn’t completely eliminated.
It was Stan who broke the awkward silence first, mouth curling into a halfhearted smile. “Guess we’d better give that Newton chump a call, huh?”
Ford managed a weak smile in return. “You realize you’ve wildly misinterpreted the laws of motion and their relation to the situation at hand, don’t you?”
“And you realize you’re a giant nerd, right?” Stan countered.
“Well, regardless of misinterpretation, you do raise a good point,” Ford said. “If we’re both stressed, then the kids are bound to pick up on it and get stressed in turn.”
He inhaled slowly, and exhaled slower. “It’s a new summer. A chance for everyone to start over.”
“You know it,” Stan said, lightly touching his knuckles against Ford’s arm. “And hey, uh—that doesn’t stop at summer. We don’t have to do anything alone ever again, right?”
They exchanged a look, silently lingering in their shared understanding for a moment before Ford spoke again: “You’re right, Stanley. We don’t have to do anything alone. Not now, not ever again.”
The two remained still for a moment more, before Stan reached over to give him a nudge. “And y’know, if that doesn’t work, I’m pretty sure I saw some kinda zombie-summoning spell in one of those nerd books of yours.”
He crossed his arms. “I know we chucked them down into the Bottomless Pit, but I also know for a fact that you’ve got one’a’those smart-guy photographic-memories and could probably recite it off the top of your head.”
“Are you suggesting I use necromancy to summon Sir Isaac Newton?” Ford asked, the corners of his mouth twitching in amusement. “To prove his first law that you seem insistent on misinterpreting?”
“I mean, I ain’t telling you to give him a kiss on the cheek or nothin’,” Stan said.
Their smiles widened in amused unison as the bus finally slowed to a stop, the creaking of the brakes echoing loudly through the forest around them. Almost as if they were announcing the long-awaited arrival of the teenagers on board to anything within earshot.
And as the group watched, the older adults with tense shoulders while Soos and the girls all leaned into each other with excited anticipation, the doors of the bus slid open to reveal—
“Are you all looking to get on?”
—nothing more than the bus driver.
Candy blinked in confusion. “Have Dipper and Mabel turned invisible since we last saw then?”
Stan’s brow furrowed, balling one hand into a warning fist as he stared at the driver. “Yeah, pal, what gives?! Where’s our kids?”
“The ones from earlier?” the driver asked. “Oh, they got off somewhere in town. There were a buncha golfballs and gnomes in the road, said they’d take care of it and for me to just go on ahead without ‘em.”
He pressed a hand to his chin. "Good kids, though! The bus floor's practically sparkling thanks to that pet pig of theirs!"
“Did they tell you if they were going to walk the rest of the way or not?” Ford asked.
“I believe that’s what they said,” the driver said. “But seriously, is no one here going to get on?”
A varying chorus of ‘No’s earned the group a closed door, before the bus continued onwards down the road. After it eventually descended down a hill and out of sight, Grenda’s shoulders fell. “Aw, man! I was gonna pile drive Mabel into the ground as soon as she got off the bus! Now our whole ‘Welcome Back To The Falls’ greeting is ruined!”
Candy patted her arm sympathetically. “I am sure she would’ve appreciated the effort regardless.”
“Of course she would!” Grenda lamented, her loud voice booming through the nearby wood. “She’s an angel who appreciates when we go the extra mile!”
“Back in town for five minutes and they’re already getting caught up in some kind of weird shenanigans,” Ford said, swelling with pride. “They’re a couple of Pines, alright.”
Stan slapped a hand over his eyes, and dragged it down the rest of his face. “Yeah, a pair from your side of the family, maybe.”
It was said in exasperation, but there was an undeniable fondness in his tone. One that transferred to his expression as he turned to the rest of the group. “Alright, on one hand: the kids know the way to the Shack like the backs of their own hands and they’ll probably get here just fine on foot,” he pointed out. “On the other—”
“Getting here could take a while and none of us want to wait that long to see them again, so we go and meet them halfway?” Soos guessed.
“You got it.”
From beside his brother, Ford shot a glance down the road from whence the bus had came. “Looks like halfway might be closer than we think.”
He pointed a finger for emphasis, and the rest of the group followed his gesture to the sight of an approaching Manotaur coming up the road. One that was delightfully conversing with the two thirteen-year-olds seated on each of his shoulders, and the sixteen-year-old walking beside him.
A conversation that had been clearly happening since the four of them had been back in town, Dipper and Mabel’s attention fully fixed on Wendy as she continued to speak: “—and after everyone teamed up during Weirdmageddon, the vibes of the town just kinda shifted. As if a lot of the weird stuff in town suddenly realized: ‘Hey, we’re not much of a mystery anymore so there’s not really a reason to keep hiding’, and the people in town realized they weren’t as weird and terrifying as they originally thought.”
She pressed a finger to her temple. “Combine that with the Society of the Blind Eye going belly up and leaving no one around to go blasting memories out of people’s heads—” Then pressed her hands together and laced her fingers for emphasis. “—everyone and everything just kinda started mushing together over time.”
“Manly Dan caught news of us Manotaurs when we were forced to relocate our Man Cave,” Chutzpar added. “Impressed by our manliness and feats of strength, he offered us jobs in his lumberyard. We told him we’d only accept if the toughest combatants from his family defeated us in battle.”
“And you guys lost to him?” Mabel guessed.
“Not to him.”
Chutzpar cast a gaze down at Wendy, and the twins followed suit in the hopes of further elaboration. “Originally, it was just going to be Dad and my brothers in the fight,” she explained. “Not because Dad didn’t think to ask me; I was at work at the time and happened to come home just as all of them were getting their butts handed to ‘em on a silver platter.”
“It was a mighty battle of strength and determination,” Chutzpar said in a faraway tone. “They fought well, even if their efforts were inevitably in vain.”
“Nearly in vain,” Wendy corrected. “But then I showed up and volunteered to finish the fight.”
“And they let you?”
“Of course not, the big meatheads all laughed at the idea of fighting a girl. But then I punched one of ‘em in the gut, and suplexed another into the ground, where he got stuck by his horns.”
This got a laugh out of her. “Taking down the rest wasn’t too hard, since Dad and the others had already worn most of 'em down. But even if they hadn’t, it wouldn’t have been difficult. Their fighting style was all punch, no technique. Even an amateur could’ve taken all of them down with a few well-placed hits.”
She shrugged with amusement. “That was also why Dad wasn’t able to win against them; he fights the exact same way. It was just lunkhead against lunkhead out there, swinging fists wildly until at least one of ‘em hit something. And unfortunately for my lunkheaded family, they didn’t have as many fists as the Manotaurs to keep swinging around. Until I showed up, at least.”
While the twins giggled at the visual image, Chutzpar gave a stoic nod. “The Manotaurs lost the battle that day, but it was a loss we hold with pride,” he said, with a shift of the arm that held Dipper. “One that taught us that—between her and the things you taught us last year, Destructor—we have plenty to learn about what it means to be men.”
He gave his chest a hearty thump. “And that sometimes that manliest men among us are actually girls!”
Dipper raised a mildly-confused eyebrow at Wendy, who shrugged in response. “Eh, they’re still a little confused but it’s better than where they were last year,” she said, shoving her hands in her pockets. “Not to mention being called the Manliest Man in Gravity Falls kinda hits in a way I’m not complaining about—”
“Kids!”
At the sound of another voice hailing them from further ahead, Dipper and Mabel turned their gazes forward to see their welcome party hurrying towards them from the opposite direction. Grenda and Candy were bringing up the rear with Soos, while Ford was keeping a steady pace in the middle.
But at the very front of the group, Stan was charging towards them with a speed and passion that couldn’t be matched by anyone else.
Except perhaps by Mabel, who had quickly jumped down from Chutzpar’s shoulder at the sound of his voice and began to sprint towards her great-uncle at Mach speed. “Grunkle Stan!”
It was a miracle that the two of them remained standing, with how hard they crashed into one another in a bone-crushing embrace; Mabel linking her arms around Stan’s neck like a spider monkey while he spun her around with a hearty belly laugh.
Only for that miracle to shatter when the embrace of two became three as Dipper caught up to them, and all of them tumbled to the ground in a mess of laughter. “What, are you kids tryna kill me before we even get to the Shack?” Stan asked, slinging an arm around Dipper’s body. “I don’t remember the two’a’you being this big last year.”
Mabel let out a little giggle and pressed her hands to his face. “Yeah, well, you weren’t this hairy last year!” she pointed out in return. “I mean you were still really hairy, but now you’ve got a full-grown beard!”
“Sure do!” Stan said brightly, and patted the hair covering his chin. “Ol’ Poindexter and I made a decision early on that if we were spendin’ our days as men of the sea, then we were sure as heck gonna look the part!”
Mabel pressed her own hands to her mouth, stifling a laugh. “You sound like Dipper at Hanukkah! He was soooooo excited to show Grandpa Shermie his beard~!”
The last word was said with clear amusement, and Dipper shrank a bit before slapping his hands over his face. “Mabel, come on, you don’t have to—”
“Oh, didja grow one too?” Stan asked, peering at him. “Come on, Slick, let’s see those Pines genetics at work.”
After a moment of hesitation, Dipper nervously lowered his hands and Stan leaned closer to examine the few, noticeable hairs on his chin. “I know it’s not much,” Dipper explained quickly. “But it’s more than I had last year! A-and Mom says that I’m bound to get more as I get older!”
With a proud laugh, Stan reached up to ruffle his hat. “You kidding? That’s more than I had at that age!” he said. “You be proud of those few hairs, and don’t let your sister steal ‘em for her scrapbook.”
“Too late,” Mabel said brightly. “I stole both one from the chin and one from the shin~! He has some there, too!”
Dipper gave her a pointed look, before turning back to Stan with a more confident smile. “I’d be more annoyed at her for that if she wasn’t right,” he said, and held up his leg. “Because look, I got so much on my legs, too!”
“Woa-hoh, get a load of Mister Big Man over here!” Stan said, and brought him closer for a noogie. “Those genetics really are kickin’ in early for you, huh?”
“He’s not the only one they’ve kicked in for,” Mabel added. “Or should I say—”
She kicked out one of her own legs with a cheeky grin. “—kicked~!”
There was a moment of pause, before she gave her leg another wiggle. “You get it because—”
“Mabel also got leg hair,” Dipper clarified. “If that wasn’t obvious.”
“I tried shaving it at first, but it just made my legs soooooo itchy,” Mabel said. "So now I just have built-in leg warmers!”
“I’d suggest the fire method, but it’s far more effective at removing facial hair than body hair,” a voice behind them said. “Also something tells me that your parents wouldn’t be too happy if we sent you back home with burns on your legs.”
The trio looked up to see Ford standing before them, a hand outstretched. “Room in the dirt for one more?”
A series of grins were exchanged before three hands reached for Ford’s in unison and pulled him down to the ground with them. “It’s good to see you again, Grunkle Ford!” Dipper said.
“Especially since we actually know you exist now!” Mabel added. “This time last year, we still thought Grunkle Stan was you! And then when we did find out that you were you and he was him, we only got to spend a little bit of time with you!”
Her arms moved from around Stan’s neck to Ford's, her spider-monkey grip once again unbreakable as she hugged him tight. “But this year, we get to spend aaaaallllllll summer with both our Grunkles!”
Ford’s smile widened and he slinked an arm around her as Stan piped up with: “That’s right, Pumpkin! No more mysteries or weird demons or monsters or anything that’s gonna get in the way of me spendin’ time with you kids and my brother!”
“Well, I mean, a monster here and there’s not a bad thing—” Ford begin, just as Dipper finished with a: “I wouldn’t mind a mystery or two, honestly.”
The four of them doubled over in laughter as the remaining party from both directions finally caught up to them. “Aww, you guys are having a cuddle pile in the dirt without us?” Grenda piped up unhappily.
“Candy adds a dash of sweetness to every cuddle pile!” Candy added.
“Or did the squirts knock you down ‘cause you’re older than the dirt you’re sitting in?” Wendy chimed in, as her and Chutzpar also came to a stop.
“Watch it, Corduroy,” Stan said, pulling his arm out from around Dipper so he could point a finger at her. “Just ‘cause I’m not your boss anymore doesn’t mean I can’t ask Soos to fire you.”
Wendy raised an eyebrow in Soos’ direction. “Would you fire me if he asked?”
“Uh…” Soos shifted uncomfortably in place. “Do I really have to answer that?”
This got a disbelieving “Wow.” out of Wendy and a delighted cackle out of Stan, one that was cut short by a grunt of pain as he shifted in place. “Ow, maybe we should get up outta all this dirt and gravel,” he muttered. “I got rocks in place I don’t wanna mention in front of a bunch of impressionable teenagers, my brother, or Soos.”
Soos offered him a hand. “Maybe we can move the cuddle pile to the Shack, then? Then Melody can join us!”
With a look of disgust, Stan took his hand and pulled himself to his feet. “Pass. Last thing any of us needs is for you two to start making kissy faces at each other.”
“Keep that in mind,” Wendy muttered with a grin.
“Soos does raise an excellent point about making our way the Shack,” Ford said. “The sooner the kids get settled in, the sooner we can exchange stories.”
He emphasized the last word with a knowing look to his brother, and Stan’s mouth spread into a wide grin as he offered his own hands to the kids. “Hey, yeah! You squirts wanna hear about the time your Grunkles tore the head off a Kraken along the coast of Texas?” he asked with a wink. “‘Cause lemme tell ya: when they say everything’s bigger down there, they mean everything!”
Dipper and Mabel exchanged a unanimous “Yeah!” as they were also pulled to their feet—
“Nope! I said I was giving Mabel a proper ‘Welcome Back’ pile drive, and I’m gonna do it!”
—and Mabel was immediately brought back down to the tampered dirt path by a charging Grenda, any pain from the impact momentarily drowned in a fit of giggles as she hugged her friend. “Oh, it’s just as spine-shattering as I hoped it’d be!”
“Don’t forget Candy, for a dash of sweetness!” Candy piped up, as she flopped over the other two with a laugh. “I made that pun already, but it was so nice, I had to say it twice!”
“Agreed, it was hilarious!” Mabel agreed, arms going around both of them in a tight embrace. “Ugh, I missed you girls sooooo much! I’ve got loads to tell you since my last letter—ooh, also I’ve got a phone now!”
While Mabel attempted to fish her phone out of her pocket, Wendy cast a smirk to the adults. “Anyone wanna bet that we won’t get to the Shack until nightfall?”
Chutzpar looked down at her. “I respect a show of friendly violence, but should I intervene again?
“You know you don’t have to listen to me,” Wendy said, folding her arms. “I’m not, like, actually in charge of you guys or anything.”
“I’m aware.”
“And I don’t take any bets I know I’ll lose,” Stan said, and snapped his fingers at the girls. “Hey, come on, I know we’re all excited to be seein’ each other again.”
He pointed a finger at Grenda, which shifted between her and Candy. “But I already told you two that I need at least one night without wondering if a family of bats moved into my attic, or if you girls are tryin’ to break the sound barrier with your squeals.”
“Seconding that,” Dipper piped up quickly. “I would also like a buffer between now and the inability to sleep in my own room, please.”
The girls let out a disappointed chorus of ‘Awwwww’s as they untangled themselves and returned to their feet. “But Grunkle Staaaaan, I missed my people!” Mabel argued.
“And her people missed her!” Grenda added, squeezing her close.
“Never said you couldn’t hang out with ‘em after tonight,” Stan pointed out. “Plus there’s that party tomorrow—”
“Oh, yeah!” Grenda said excitedly. “We can catch up at the party!”
“We can catch up on stories while we tear up the dance floor!” Candy added with an excited wiggle, before she raised her fists to the air. “And remind this town who the real party animals are!”
She let her arms fall again. “Plus my parents said that I needed to come home after we said hi to you, anyway,” she explained further, then added as an afterthought: “Hi, Mabel!”
With a giggle, Mabel replied: “Hi, Candy!”
“And I got my pile drive in, so I guess I did everything I wanted to do today,” Grenda added with a shrug.
While Stan leaned close to Ford with a quiet: “I’d point out that it was more of a tackle than a pile drive, but also I don’t wanna be out here longer than we hafta be.” (earning a “Smart call.” from Ford in return), Mabel tightened her grip around the other girls. “Well, when you put it that way, I guess I can wait another day to hang out with my beeeeest friends in the whoooolllllle world~!”
Candy’s gaze moved over to Wendy and Chutzpar. “By the way, we saw that Dipper and Mabel got a Manotaur ride up here,” she said. “Is there an option to catch a Manotaur ride back to town?”
“Ooh, me too! Me too!” Grenda added. “Wendy, make him give us a ride!”
“Once again, I’m not in charge of the Manotaurs,” Wendy pointed out, with another look to Chutzpar. “It’s up to you, pal. You offering rides back to town?”
Chutzpar held out both hands for them to take. “Small girls who greet their friends with violent pile drivers are worthy of a ride,” he said, before raising an eyebrow at Wendy. “But will you be alright getting home?”
“I can always hitch a ride from someone,” Wendy assured him. “Or—”
She reached into her pocket for her phone, and glanced at the screen for a moment. “—yeah, or I can just spend the night at the Shack if I really need to.”
“Aw, what?” Grenda said unhappily from Chutzpar’s shoulder. “How come you get to spend the night and we don’t?”
“Good-bye, girls,” Stan said, and gave Wendy a pointed stare. “Tell the big guy to go.”
“I’m not—” Wendy started to say, then shrugged it off and gave Chutzpar a wave of her hand. “Go ahead.”
Chutzpar gave her a nod in return, and turned back towards the direction of the town. “Let’s make haste, small female children,” he said, and began to walk. ”I have a response from Mayor Tyler to deliver to Manly Dan about their Thursday plans.”
“We are teenagers now, you know,” Grenda pointed out with a mild huff of indignance. “Or at least I am.”
“Ooh, is the response a loooove message~?” Candy added delightedly. “Are the plans a date?”
“Oh, you know it—!”
Chutzpar’s voice echoed through the wood with amusement, the volume only matched in power by Grenda’s laughter as the trio drew further and further away from those who had stayed behind. Eventually though, even their powerful baritones could not be carried such a distance, and the forest around the group fell silent again.
Silent, until—
“So, we’re not gonna question the big man-cow thing?” Stan asked. “We’re just acting like he’s been here the entire time, then?”
Ford shrugged in response. “He was clearly a Manotaur, and one that seemed to be on good terms with Wendy and the kids,” he said. “Didn’t see any reason to question his presence.”
“He’s visited the Shack several times,” Soos chimed in as well. “Also he was staying with us in the Shack during Weirdmageddon.”
“Did he?” Stan said. “Huh, feel like I should remember that.”
“I also met him and the rest of the herd last year,” Dipper added, just as Mabel chimed in with her own: “The Manotaurs work for Wendy now, and also Manly Dan is dating Mayor Tyler!”
Wendy made a twirling motion with her finger. “What they all said, minus the ‘working for me’ thing. They’re part of my dad’s logging crew now, and even if they listen to me when I ask them to do stuff, I don’t want anything to get weird with that.”
“And the part about your dad and Mayor Tyler?” Stan asked, an eyebrow raised.
Wendy’s expression shifted for half a second, before her usual, disinterested grin took its place. “Hey, here’s something I never thought I’d hear myself say: let’s stop standing around and doing nothing, and get to the Shack so I’m not late for my shift!”
Soos raised a hand. “Uh, but Wendy, I’m your boss and it’s your day off—”
“Race you knuckleheads there~!”
Wendy took off like a shot before Soos could finish his point, taking great care to lightly plap a hand against the heads of the younger twins and deliver a loving fist to the arms of the adults as she zipped between them and ran towards the direction of the Mystery Shack.
With a laugh, the younger twins sprinted after her in a rush with cries of: “Wait for us!” and “How are you running that fast with a pig in your arms?”
The adults watched them go for a moment, before Soos turned to the Stans: “...We don’t actually have to run all the way back there, do we?”
Stan, who had been watching Wendy and the kids race ahead, pulled his attention back to Soos. “Absolutely not,” he said flatly, and pressed a hand to his back. “Especially not after the kids knocked me down like that.”
He winced as the three of them began to follow after the kids at a much slower pace. “Gonna be feeling that for at least a few days.”
“Well, at least it’s a sign that we won’t have to give Sir Isaac Newton a call,” Ford pointed out with a smile. “With the way the kids tackled you, there’s zero doubt that they’re thrilled to be back.”
Once again, Stan mirrored his smile with one of his own. “Yeah, well, if they keep on bein’ that thrilled, you’re gonna have to bust out that necromancy spell to talk to me.”
Ford’s expression tensed for a moment at his brother’s joke, but any unease passed just as quickly as it had come when the sight of the familiar old cabin peered into view ahead of them.
#Hayley Writes Triangulum#Gravity Falls#Triangulum The Fic#Dipper Pines#Mabel Pines#Stanley Pines#Stanford Pines#My Writing#Long Post#(There's more characters but those four are on the poster so they get tags)
141 notes
·
View notes
Text
Meow Man - By Olso (8.5/10)
Wanna hear a joke? Too bad. If you came here to read funny cat man jokes stop reading at chapter twenty. There is so much darkness hiding in the fractured world of cat and dog people. It comes out slowly. By the time you notice you're already sad. Yandere fans beware. Both of the toxic relationships here end, and the romance that wins is pure.
Prince Claude Cattington of the cat Kingdom is extremely handsome. He is also homeless, and his real body is a humanoid cat that looks like a mascot.
What a catch.
Claude isn't special. There are lots of cats in human society, and lots of interbreeding has happened over the years. There are less pure cats than there used to be. Claude knows nothing. Bonnie picks him up. She doesn't throw him out because she's a moron. She loves pretty faces.
Bonnie is a capable student with no worries. She just wants a hot boyfriend, and a cat. Claude wants to date her, but he also doesn't want to be homeless. The two don't date for a looong time. It takes over one hundred chapters. Claude falls in love first, but he was a sheltered and somewhat spoiled prince. He doesn’t flirt very well. Bonnie is a sucker for hotties. She's had a million crushes. She joins the fried chicken club to get close to Nathan, who runs it.
Nathan is in a toxic on again off again codependent relationship with a cat person named Frances. Here we get another nugget. The dog kingdom was destroyed hundreds of years ago. Nathan is a powerful purebreed who will never see his magical homeland. He's completely obsessed with Frances, because she trusted him with her secret past. She ran away from the cat kingdom, after a terrible magical fire left her scarred. Their relationship is a joke to their friends. Their constant breakups are seen as betting drama, but Nathan just isn't willing to be friends with Frances. He wants more in exchange for his loyalty.
Frances kind of causes the story. Nathan is so obsessed that he lets Bonnie drool over him. He entices Bonnie to join the club, and he treats her well because Frances likes her. He is dead set on killing the cat who scarred Frances with fire, to earn her love and dependence forever. His nice guy act is good, but by the end of the series you can see he doesn't love Frances. He just loves controlling her.
Frances is in love with Bonnie. She continues to have feelings for Bonnie until the very end. Her character arc ends when she breaks up with Nathan for good. She did bad things. She used Nathan to get close to Bonnie. She was never honest, but she learned and changed.
That's a pretty goddamn deep lesson in a cat sexy guy webtoon.
In the beginning Claude is NOT a good boyfriend. He is clingy and dependent and he relies on Bonnie for everything. He even starts fights. Hid presence affects her grades, but Claude is a good cat guy with a crush. He does what he can do. He cooks nutritious meals for Bonnie, because the Queen taught him to cook well.
He also gets a goddamn job, and he is excellent at it. He gets hired at a cafe, and he quickly gains fans. The fans bring in cash. A silly fanclub grows, and Claude starts to improve. He shows Bonnie that he cares.
Bonnie sees him as a pet for a long time. She even falls for other men. Nathan, and then Claude's playboy coworker Doug. The gag is the owner only hires handsome men at her cafe. Doug has fans too, but he's a mutt. He's a dog that isn't pure. He can transform, but he doesn’t have super strength. He was bullied for that and he flirts with women for validation. This is where we learn about Bonnie. Bonnie doesn't date him. Bonnie eventually becomes his friend. He betrays her and they stay friends, because she knows he's a good guy under his past. He proves himself and he puts his own feelings aside so she can be happy with Claude.
When Bonnie was young she had a black cat named Pepper. Pepper is the second prince. He hated his life, because Claude was the future king and he wasn’t. He wanted his father's love. He bullied Claude and he learned magic. Pepper is the most powerful magic cat. When he was little he summoned a great fire that killed hundreds of cats. It almost killed Frances, and it killed her sister.
He is the villain, and he loves Bonnie, because she is the only person who ever loved him.
Princess Abby is the witness character. Through her we learn that Pepper isn't redeemable. His real name isn't even Pepper. He doesn't want the name his parents gave him anymore. He misses Bonnie, and he eventually finds her. Pepper isn't sorry. He thinks everyone who ignored him and his magical talent should suffer. Abby falls in love with Bonnie's incredibly kind best friend. Their romance really is one of the best parts of the series.
Nathan almost kills Pepper. This pushes Frances to finally kick him out of her life. Pepper is powerful, and he's not lying. He loves Bonnie, and he wants Claude to rule the cat kingdom now. He says he'll stay with Bonnie, because she's all he wants, and Claude can do his duty. Claude chooses to leave. It's the right thing to do.
Pepper tries to replace Claude in every way. He starts working at the cafe. He gets a fan club. He is respectful and corny with Bonnie, but it's too late. She misses Claude, but at least he is ruling his happy kingdom.
....
It's gone.
The cat kingdom is dead. The fire Pepper did damaged the royal family as a whole. Claude's parents exiled him to protect him. They called him weak because they loved him and they wanted him to be happy in the human realm. The rivers are dry. The flowers are gone. Every cat has left for the human world.
Pepper trapped Claude there with Abby, who is now suicidal. Her homeland is no more, just like the dog kingdom.
Pepper is the only one strong enough to open the gate again.
Claude barely manages to get back with his powers, but he can't save Abby.
Pepper has to.
He refuses. His lies catch up to him. He says he'll save Abby if Claude agrees to never be with Bonnie, but it's too late. He can't step in and have what Claude has. Claude is truly kind and caring. Pepper only came back to take Bonnie's love after the entire cat kingdom was ash.
That's not real love...or is it?
Pepper knows he cannot atone or be loved.
Bonnie gets attacked by a stalker he personally pissed off. As she dies he thinks about love, and how happy he was in the human world with Bonnie. When his parents exiled him it wasn't out of love.
He was a monster, but Bonnie loved him.
He uses a special spell. It erases his existence to make Bonnie's wish come true. She survives, and everyone she loves is blissfully happy. Abby and her best friend Jina are dating. Frances is a flirt around her, and Nathan doesn't hang out with them anymore. Claude is her loving boyfriend. Her friends are all enjoying life, because it's what she wished for.
She wanted to be a part of her friend's happy lives. She grew and matured into someone special, who is the absolute life of her friend group.
Sometimes, she feels like something is missing. Only sometimes. She's so happy that it's hard to remember why. There are no exceptions. Everyone forgets Pepper, which is painfully ironic. He threw away his old identity to chase Bonnie, and then he gave having an identity up for her. In an attempt to make up for what he put her through.
His death was the only good thing he ever did.
*The art style makes this a hard sell...
#yandere#male yandere#yandere male#yandere boy#recommendations#recs#rec#recommended#webtoon#korean webtoon
183 notes
·
View notes
Note
Now I’m kind of interested in knowing what other weird things Steve has said or done
Here’s my little list titled “Insane shit the love of my life has said/done”
1. “Baby, would you still love Alpine if she was a chicken? She wants to know.”
2. I found him watching Buzzfeed Unsolved at 3 AM while furiously writing notes. When I asked him what he was doing he said “I gotta figure ‘em out.”
3. Was fully convinced our house was haunted by a poltergeist because he kept finding dead animals at our door. Once I caved and put up a camera to record “paranormal activity” we realized it was just Alpine.
4. “I feel like we celebrate Halloween because we have clown blood in us.”
5. He’s tried to watch The Conjuring by himself and ran into our room sobbing
6. Has sobbed over Grimace, the McDonalds mascot
7. Has once tried some of Alpine’s food “just for kicks”
8. “Are we trojan horsing Iceland?”
9. “Listen, Sam, it doesn’t matter when I die, just that I don’t do it in a coal related incident.”
10. “Italians are a lot hotter than they were in the 40’s” (he was talking about the band Måneskin)
11. Has called multiple politicians “motherfuckers” on live TV
12. Started singing The Beatles in his sleep, and had no memory of it once he woke up
13. Has rescued multiple sheep and then just continued on the mission without a word.
14. Once solved a decades old murder because he was bored
15. I’ve caught him listening to gruesome cult podcasts while baking in a frilly apron.
I love getting asks, and this was so fun to answer!! Thank you!!!
#bucky barnes#bucky barnes rp#marvel#mcu#winter soldier#captain america#steve rogers#stucky#ask#alpine#strange shit#lists#quote books#maneskin#buzzfeed unsolved#grimace mcdonalds#halloween
48 notes
·
View notes
Note
Do you think the music video “Sleep Well” is canon to Poppy Playtime, and is it canon for your AU?
Also, I wish instead of including all this ARG (like Theodore’s tragic tale that had no reason to not be in the actual game) and extra stuff just for hype purposes and promoting their YouTube content, Mob Entertainment would instead make the game have a stronger story by just putting that stuff in there, either in the main plot or by making the player find it like the VHS tapes…I have many issues with them as a company…
I just hope the actual canon sticks to a morally gray conflict with no chickening out, and maybe even have our antagonist be somewhat sympathetic, no matter whether the ending is good or bad for all parties involved…I’m just kinda dreading/expecting that there will be huge open ends/dangling plot threads or even a sequel hook so the franchise can be milked even further than it has been, especially with that movie in the works…
I just saw that music video, and... Honestly it's a nice song, but I dont think any of it adds up to anything lore wise? And oh my God, I can't agree enough with you regarding all the ARG stuff.
As someone who's ALSO making a mascot horror game, and also as someone who had their brain rewired at age 11 thanks to FNaF's, I am SO tired of games pulling the mysterious/obtuse lore on us. Mob (as in, the company, not the poor probably overworked gamedevs) cannot deal with the idea of their game actually having cohesive lore and impactful moments that aren't shock value. Everyone loved chapter 3 not because it was a masterpiece, but because it's actually a decent horror fucking game. Of course chapter 3 is good, chapter 1 was a paid demo and chapter 2 was almost Hello Neighbour levels of fun! Of course chapter 3 is good, it's actually trying to be a horror game instead of a YouTube Kids content farm product!
Chapter 3 of Poppy Playtime lacks any impact that isn't shock value. That's it. And yes, I disliked chapter 3 so much it reverse engineered me into making an AU where everyone lives because fuck this awful shock content logic!
I want the canon to stick to a morally grey conflict as well. I WANT Prototype to have an actual point and for him to be a tragic character, I WANT the game to show us that maybe Poppy isn't as good as she wants us to believe, and I WANT the game to pick all of this and still go "but what the Prototype did was wrong, and we need to put an end to this carnage". But, c'mere, look at me.
I have no faith this will actually happen.
That's it! Zero faith, nothing, nada! I was expecting nothing out of chapter 3 and STILL managed to be dissapointed. I doubt Poppy Playtime will ever try to have an interesting story inside the chapters, much less an actually compelling conflict. At this point I'm just seeing where Mob Youtube Kids Content Farm Entertainment will do to destroy any future opportunities of something compelling.
Also. I would have liked chapter 3 way more if we actually saw Theo go from being Theo into becoming Catnap, with his death scene being PAINFUL to watch after spending the entire chapter learning how he became Catnap.
14 notes
·
View notes
Text
I won't cry
The honeymoon in Japan is actually a reference to my own honeymoon experience where we actually did both get food poisoning and ended up missing the entire food experience I wanted in Tokyo.
***
“Are you feeling any better today?”
Draco popped his head through the doorway to check on Hermione where she lay curled up in their massive four-poster. They had just returned home after their honeymoon in Southeast Asia spanning multiple countries, including South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Japan. Several months were lost to their travels, where they wandered without the pressure of set schedules.
No matter how many times Hermione tried to map out an itinerary, the plans would suddenly disappear the next morning, leaving them to explore in the organic way Draco preferred and which she grew to appreciate even if she never admitted it (“We have magic, Hermione—we don’t need reservations”).
Yet against all expectations, Hermione caught a stomach bug somewhere in Japan, ruining her hopes for a self-led tour through Tokyo Station’s Ramen Street and a Michelin Star dinner at a restaurant specializing in tempura (“Why in the world do muggles take the culinary advice of a tire mascot?”). She blamed it on the raw chicken her local friends claimed was a delicacy, while Draco had suspicions about the last-minute train bento. She couldn’t go an hour without a trip to the loo, putting a damper on attempts to take in a final farewell to the cherry blossoms at the end of their bloom.
And now they were home in the comforts of familiar bed sheets, Winky waiting hand and foot on her missus.
“A bit, though I’ve finally figured out the source of my sickness thanks to Winky.” Even in her state, pale faced, messy bun, Draco’s old Quidditch jersey, she was beautiful.
Her smile drew him into the room to her side, where he sat and held her hand. “Should I be more concerned?”
“That depends.”
“On?”
“Whether or not you think we’re ready.”
“Ready? What, to go to St. Mungo’s?” He asked, brow furrowed in confusion. Leaning forward to run his hand from her forehead down her neck, he didn’t feel any hint of a fever.
“Well, yes, that would probably be wise, though Winky has already helped significantly.”
Right on cue, the house elf popped into place right next to them holding a tray of food.
“Winky is here to feed Mistress and young Malfoy!” She bustled over, swatting Draco’s hands aside to place the tray.
Watching the small elf with a bemused expression, Draco replied, “That doesn’t look like enough food for us both, or am I to go to the dining room?”
As Hermione tittered, Winky scoffed and shooed him in a manner she would have previously found offensive. “Winky isn’t talking about Master Draco. Winky is referring to the baby.”
“…baby?”
Light grey eyes shot to meet golden brown, and the upward curl of her lips confirmed all his hopes and fears.
“Are we…pregnant?”
“Winky is never wrong in these matters. Winky cast the detection charm, and if Master and Mistress would like, will also determine the sex?”
“No!”
At Winky’s insulted face, Draco cleared his throat and held his hands palm-side up.
“What I meant to say was ‘thank you’, Winky. And I do mean it. I—well, I think we—”
“What my dear husband means to say is that we’d like that at least to be a surprise.” Hermione was now fully grinning at the two of them. “And yes, thank you. I’d like to speak with Draco alone now, if you don’t mind?”
Bowing her head and shooting a glare at Draco, Winky disapparated with a crack that echoed through the now too-quiet room. He stared at where the elf once stood, threading his fingers repeatedly, desperately trying to still the fluttering in his stomach.
A baby. He was going to be a father.
How the hell was he going to be a good father when he only had his own as an example? What would the child think growing up with the Malfoy name, one that could be found in newspaper articles and new history books?
“Draco.”
His chest tightened and he struggled to breathe. What kind of future could he offer to his child?
As the thoughts and questions continued to crowd his mind, he flinched when he felt a cool hand grasp his, fingers rubbing soothing circles into his palm. The roar in his ears quieted and he focused instead on the motions, the pulling of her fingers on his own.
“Draco, we’re going to be parents…together.”
Together.
His face snapped back up to gaze at his wife, and the heavy weight that had hammered down on him lifted up and away, allowing him to breathe once more. He clutched at her like a lifeline, and for a horrifying moment felt tears prick at the corners of his eyes.
I won’t cry. I will NOT cry. Together, we will redefine the Malfoy name, and make it one this baby can be proud of.
As he settled on this life goal, he surged forward to wrap her in his arms. If there were happy tears, well, he would claim they were Hermione’s.
#dramione prompt#dramione#draco malfoy x hermione granger#draco malfoy#hermione granger#harry potter fanfiction
103 notes
·
View notes
Text
cw pet death
so my little freak of nature and i said goodbye last night which, as per other post about this, was silly and perfect in so many ways. from the death of one roman to another, and so it goes.
but yeah i just want to reflect on how i'm feeling to have it down because i'm devastated, yes, but i couldn't have asked for a better last day with her.
when we went with the steroid injections on wednesday, the vet was like 'in 48 hours you'll essentially see her at as best as she's going to be so you'll be able to decide then' and honestly by yesterday morning, she was very much the same except for the increased thirst drive and the slight increased interest in food (she licked a piece of chicken uau), so at that point making her linger would just see her decline from there.
yesterday was the first sunny day we've had in a good while -- sparkling sun and a high of 14. i rang into work and asked if there was anything urgent that needed doing, because i'd like to spend a last beautiful day with my cat. they were so gracious and covered for me, batting away a load of clients who decided they needed artwork on a friday before a long weekend lmao ok bye. spent a little time doing a last clutch of artwork with her sleeping on my belly in the sun.
got her into her harness and it was so clear that this was the right thing - she loves going outside, but hates that thing being put on her. i've modded it so that it has a clasp at the neck, but still clipping the torso bit always gets a hiss or two, but she just let me at it. got everything prepared including lining her backpack with a bin liner, a absorbent puppy pad, and then loads of fleece blankets and a couple of those instant heat pads.
out into the sunshine and onto our usual walk - she came out on my shoulder to have a look at the world, but for the most part stayed curled up in the bottom watching everything while lying down.
we got to the rag tree still cradling my gift pumpkins:
she got to walk on the branches:
the whole wooded area was prickling to life -- lots of leaf buds still tightly closed but getting ready, lots of tiny plant shoots making that first curve out of their seeds with their head still down in the shells
took the walk home through the park we always sit in behind the museum and watched the ducks on the shannon and listened to the river go by together
fed her for the last time on her window seat and then we cuddled some more while i rang my family so they could say goodbye to her on a video call
and then i experienced just pure love -- mo's been kind of a mascot for the branch - because of my apartment's location, i've been really lucky to serve as kind of a hub. i keep equipment and supplies for political stalls and protests, i host small meetings, etc. so her illness has been something the whole branch has known about and seen.
from the get-go i've had comrades offering help left and right, and during the last week, a few close comrades offered support in whatever way i needed it when her time came. i had to resist that depression tug to isolate, and just throughout the day as plans were taking shape, i kept in touch with them and i had a handful of my dearest come to the house before we made our way down to the vet. they left us have a few minutes alone in the house which... leaving that house with her for the last time was probably one of the hardest things. knowing she wouldn't be there when i got back. whew.
got to the office and got settled in and talked with the vet about postmortem plans. my first choice had always been to donate her body for study; i'd actually rang a few veterinary science schools, but i was told that their cadavers are procured through a closed system so that they can control for disease and whatnot for health and safety reasons. but the vet said that they'd would be honored to conduct a postmortem there and it would be really valuable for some newer vets in the practice, so that's what's going to happen. after, she'd still have been cremated, so i'm going to get her ashes in a scatter tube in a couple of weeks.
i had enough gabapentin to make sure mo was a bit stoned before going in, which was important for me because she usually has to be put into a feral cat crush cage to get any injections done because she's so fractious at the vets, but i was able to hold her while she got the primary sedative injection which meant so much.
she screamed like a hellcat and like....that's so her - herself to the very end! and i got the privilege of laughing about that with friends because they heard her from outside the door lol. they came in and gave her rubs and pets after she was sedated and i got to cuddle her loads after she got the cannula placed.
and my god that could have been so awful, but i had five dear friends who i love and who love me and who i fight and organize and struggle with who were there the whole time - they were out in reception chatting with each other and laughing and i could hear them in the room while i just held and and spoke to mo and stroked her fur, and that was so lovely instead of dead silence all alone.
vet came in and it was time; i held my baby as she pushed the euthanasia meds and felt her little breaths quicken and then slow before the vet checked her heartbeat. we laid her out on the table and i took pictures of all of her borlotti bean toes, we did pawprints, and i just got to pet her and stay with her for as long as i needed. she had a postmortem wee, and one of her wild postmortem reflexes was that her tail went full bottlebrush for about half a minute!
i took the blanket with me because it was hers, but wrapped her in a soft towel i had and just, yeah -- as the vet took her away she was talking to her just telling her that she did so well and she did. not just in that last moment, but just for 12 years she did so so well -- just the best old lady, my best friend in the whole world, the little beast that genuinely helped me survive lockdown, domestic upheaval, mental health struggles -- my walking buddy who's a minor local celebrity in her own right, and i was so so so lucky to have her.
and then we all went to our usual haunt which by perfect chance is right around the corner from the vet's office and toasted to her and just spent time together and just... if her last gift that she gave me was truly knowing that i have people who i can call on at any time, well then that's a hell of a gift.
going home was hard, but got to speak to my family and recount it all which helped and got so much love from them, too, and yeah look.
it was heartbreaking, but also heart mending.
truly the good death.
14 notes
·
View notes
Note
-Challenge-
You have the opportunity to bring 15 items from Earth to Teyvat, when you are isekai’d to Genshin cult au. However, these commodities should be strictly exclusive to Earth, meaning that it cannot be something that can easily be replicated in Teyvat.
Create a list with the top (1) as the highest priority, and the bottom (15) as the least. Then, use a number generator to determine how many are isekai’d with you. For example, if you rolled a 6, then only your first 6 items will be waiting for you in Teyvat.
Pfooo- this was actually harder than I thought! At first I panicked because if it were ImposterAU I'd be in BIG trouble (mainly because I'd be unable to bring weapons. Teyvat has all weapons, and if they don't, it'd be easy to replicate,) but CultAU should give me some slack,,, right??
Anyways, I rlly liked this, I'm tagging other people as well, feel free to join me!! @why-am-i-here-someone-save-me @myxxei0 (< I feel like you'd have the best and craziest answers) @greenteaanon @mayullla @/everyone who wants to join
IF I TAGGED YOU AND U DON'T WANT TO JOIN THAT'S POG AS WELL <3 no worries, :D I just thought it was fun to do!!
Laptop
I chose a laptop specifically because the Dodocommunication device is a replicated form of a phone, so I wouldn't be able to bring one of those. But laptops are harder to replicate? I'm p certain that there are no TV's or computers in Teyvat yet!!
2. Chicken nuggets
Should this be my priority? No.
3. A different breed of dogs
Maybe a feisty chiwauwa that steals all my affection and time. 10/10 best method to make people jealous. Bonus points if the dog only loves me and barks at the acolytes when they want to try and talk to me
4. A science book.
I know khemia and alchemy exist, but our technology is more advanced(?)/different than Teyvat's. If there is anything special in a thick science book, it might boost Teyvat's knowledge! I would only give it to Albedo though. If it falls into the hands of dottore or marionette I'd have caused the world's end
5. Antibiotics/One of those basic headache pills
They probably don't need to exist due to healers in Teyvat, but perhaps it might boost the medical knowledge of Teyvat? Perhaps it's more accessible? I get pains a lot so it'd be nice
6. Mp3 player
Easy accessible music. Even if there's only one song on it, it will bring comfort.
7. Headphones
Pretty sure these don't exist yet? Not the ones for music at least. I'd need it for the mp3/laptop to fully access it.
8. Any religious books
If the cultAU gets too much for me, I'll use any religious book (from Earth) in my advance! I'll try and make them believe that I'm human instead of some deity. Tbf this could backfire REALLY QUICK but it's worth trying as a plan-B
9. Smoke bombs
This might be cheating because it's easily re-creatable, but I feel like it wouldn't be created unless I'd bring one? And I'd be LMAO when I drop one of them smoke bombs near Jean. She'd get flashbacks to Klee's bombs and I'd like to keep them on edge at times.
10. Bubblegum
P sure it'd scare at least one person when I pop it
11. Merchandise
Specific movies/mascots can't be recreated in Teyvat. I really like the rilakkuma bears so maybe I bring those? It's not to benefit of anyone besides my own comfort
12. Megaphone
Can I bring this one anon? It might be easily replicated but I doubt anyone would-- should they see the chaos it brings
13. One of those furbees
If only to freak them out :)
14. Anything Dinasaur related
Perhaps dinosaur nuggets? I'd convince them that it's a small breed of animals that used to be REALLY big but now we eat them for dinner with ketchup
15. A body pillow of one of the character
This would've been higher on the list if I actually had the guts to walk around with a body pillow. Bonus points if it's Dainsleif (bc he hates gods doesn't he? Would be kinda funny imo)
OKAY NOW RANDOM NUMMER!!!
I'm so sad I couldn't bring the furbee but at least I'd have some chicken nuggies :) THANKS ANON! This was fun and chaotic
245 notes
·
View notes
Text
[Gakuen K] Extras Translation
Memories of Okinawa
LIST OF CHAPTERS
[Translation under the cut]
Saya: Uhh, I wonder what I should do…
Kusanagi: What are you groaning about? Is that…a guidebook for a school trip? Where are you going this year?
Saya: Okinawa.
Kusanagi: Really? Haha. It because of Mikoto, don't mind.
Saya: Suoh-senpai doesn't like Okinawa?
Kusanagi: I don't know if he likes it it or not. Last year the whole Red club went to Okinawa.
Kusanagi: Due to club expenses, Mikoto and I went by plane, while the other members went by boat. Well, it was tough…
Totsuka: Waaah, it's so hot in Okinawa in summer.
Mikoto: It's hot everywhere at this time of year.
Totsuka: Well, I guess so. Oh, I found a skewers store. King, want to eat?
Mikoto: Yeah. I'm hungry.
Totsuka: Okay, I'll go get some. Wait here.
Totsuka: Oji-sa-a-n. One Uzura Bacon (Bacon wrapped quail egg) and one Negima (chicken and scallion skewer), please.
Totsuka: Huh, a phone call. Who is it?
Totsuka: Hello-o.
Kusanagi: …Totsuka, where're you?
Totsuka: Let's see…in front of the skewer shop?
Kusanagi: Ha? What are you doing there?
Totsuka: I just placed my order and am waiting. … Oh, here it comes. Thank yo-ou (Nifue de biru), Oji-san~
Kusanagi: Nifue…what's that?
Totsuka: Nifue de biru. It means "thank you" in Okinawan dialect, didn't you know?
Kusanagi: I don't care!
Totsuka: Very bad, Kusanagi-san. If you are going on a trip, you must learn about the place properly.
Kusanagi: You're the one who's not learning …
Totsuka: What do you mean?
Kusanagi: Do you know your current location? Can you tell me where you are?
Totsuka: In Okinawa.
Kusanagi: I already know that. Honestly, you're lost, aren't you?
Totsuka: If I had to say, it's maybe so.
Kusanagi: Without a doubt, that's a "yes". Mikoto is not at the meeting place too…What happened to the Red club's group behavior skills?
Totsuka: King? If it's about King, he's with me.
Mikoto: …Who you're talking to?
Totsuka: Kusanagi-san. I'll switch to speaker so the three of us can talk.
Kusanagi: Mikoto, are you there?
Mikoto: Yeah.
Kusanagi: It's not "yeah". You promised to wait for Yata and the others at the hotel. Why are you wandering around?
Totsuka: I invited him. Since we had come all the way to Okinawa, I thought it would be a waste if we didn't go out.
Kusanagi: If that's the case, would it hurt you to say a few words if you are unexpectedly going out?
Totsuka: Sorry, sorry, I was careless. But it's okay, I'm sure we'll be able to get back.
Kusanagi: This your "sure" makes me very nervous…
Mikoto: Kusanagi, what is "puru"?
Totsuka: Ah, I was wondering about that too.
Kusanagi: Puru (プルー)…Pool(プール)?
Mikoto: Puru.
Kusanagi: Puru…Country name…Is it Peru?
Kusanagi: I don't understand. Don't you have a hint?
Totsuka: I'm guessing it's about taste. Or is it the look?
Mikoto: The look…?
Kusanagi: What the hell are you talking about? What is "Puru"? Is it written somewhere?
Mikoto: On menu of the store. It says "Goyachan Puru".
Kusanagi: Hey, you two. Just to confirm, it's not Goyachan Puru. It's Goya chanpuru (bitter melon stir-fry), okay?
Totsuka: Eh, no way!
Kusanagi: What the heck is Goya-chan?
Totsuka: Doesn't it sound like a mascot character?
Kusanagi: That is…I can't deny.
Kusanagi: I mean, Goya Chanpuru is Goya Chanpuru and Goya-chan is…That's bad, I'm getting confused!
Kusanagi: Anyway, the dish is called Goya Chanpuru. Don't come up with anything else complicated, okay!?
Totsuka: If Kusanagi-san says so, so be it. King?
Mikoto: I understood.
Kusanagi: I see, what a relief…No, I got tired now…
Totsuka: Next question. Papaya-chan puru is…
Kusanagi: That's not Papaya-chan! Do you not understand, idiot!?
Kusanagi: I'd like to go to you right now and punch you with my fist, but I have to wait for Yata-chan and the others…
Kusanagi: We're going to separate just for today. Get back to the hotel by dusk, okay?
Totsuka: Oka-ay, see you soon.
Totsuka: All right. Now that we're allowed to go on our own… King, where do you want to go?
Mikoto: This place is okay.
Totsuka: Ehhh, let's go see the sea!
Mikoto: If it's the sea, you can look at it as much as you want on the island.
Totsuka: You are so naive, King. The sea in Okinawa is different from the sea at the school island. The clarity, the color…
???: I thought I saw someone familiar, but it turned out to be you.
Mikoto: Munakata…
Totsuka: The color is - a beautiful green. And there are coral reefs and a lot of fish that you can only find here.
Munakata: …Could you not ignore me, please?
Totsuka: Ah, excuse me. Hello, Munakata-san. Have you been following King by any chance?
Munakata: No. I'm here to attend a government-sponsored student summit. And you?
Mikoto: It's none of your business, don't stick your nose into it.
Munakata: This is not an interrogation. It's just a chat, a trifling conversation, so don't be so alarmed.
Totsuka: We're on a vacation. All the Red club is here.
Munakata: …But it's just the two of you here.
Totsuka: Somehow, we got the freedom to go on our own. Shouldn't Kusanagi-san be with Yata and the others?
Mikoto: Totsuka, don't talk so much.
Totsuka: It's fine, it's fine. It's not something important.
Munakata: …Is that so?
Totsuka: What do you mean?
Munakata: There are only two of you here. This information is very useful, depending on how you look at it.
Mikoto: Hah, are you trying to pick a fight?
Munakata: Yeah, with all my might.
Mikoto: Good, bring it on.
Munakata: I won't hold back. I'm going to…Shuri castle!
Mikoto: …Ha?
Munakata: If you come to a tourist place, you must sightsee. Since time is limited, please make the most of it.
Mikoto: …Oi, Totsuka.
Totsuka: Even if you look at me like that. Well, that's fine. I don't want to get in trouble with the police on my trip.
Mikoto: How annoying…Should we withdraw and run away?
Kusanagi: …That's what happened. It was really hard work…
Saya: What happened to Suoh-senpai and the others after that?
Kusanagi: I heard they went sightseeing together, but I don't know the details. I don't care what they did, I had a hard time over there on my side…
Kusanagi: Yata-chan is no good with girls, you know? There are a lot of girls in light clothing at tourist spots in the summer, right? The answer to your question is…
Saya: …Panic?
Kusanagi: Correct. I'm glad we went on a school trip in the fall.
Kusanagi: As long as you don't repeat the year, you only have one chance. Enjoy it as much as you can.
Saya: Okay!
#k project#gakuen k#gakuen k wonderful school days#otome translation#kusanagi izumo#totsuka tatara#suoh mikoto#munakata reisi#felt the need to dilute the main routes a bit#totsuka is so adorably silly#his lack of sense of direction should be his superpower xD#i can totally relate to him#also bless kusanagi and his patience#he really deserves a medal for it
11 notes
·
View notes
Text
Moonlight Chicken Ep 5 Stray Thoughts
Last time, things got complicated. We got to see Alan, and learned that he doesn't exactly accept that he and Wen are broken up; Alan and Wen are still living together because Wen can't afford to move out. Gaipa's mom joins the ranks of great parents, but is waving multiple death flags. Things came to a head with Li Ming and Jim, and we all realized how painfully aware of their lives Li Ming is. Heart successfully cheered Li Ming up, and we realized that the Chin Tickle is likely something Li Ming learned from Jim. Li Ming also snuck Heart out for a date and took him to meet members of the local deaf community. Finally, Alan showed up at the diner and started a physical altercation, so things are pretty messy.
Just like with Jim and Beam, I'm really glad we're seeing a glimpse of what Wen and Alan were before. It's fun to see First and Mix play off each other. I want this to be remembered as a gay drama, so we need to see more pairings. Still, they were together for over five years, so I kinda get Alan a bit more.
Cutting from their sweet first anniversary to this fight made me feel tense. First and Mix are great here, and I have to know what happened that soured a five-year romance. This fight feels like it could only happen between two people who know exactly how to hurt each other.
Chapter 5: Wrong You in the Right Time
So Gong seems to have a girlfriend.
Wen definitely has to move out. This can't hold anymore.
You know they must have filmed all the scenes at this other restaurant on the same day, because that same bird is chirping so loudly in the background.
Li Ming hates being told not to contribute, when these worries affect him too.
This breakfast is becoming so awkward, but I'm not surprised Gaipa and his mom are willing to help Jim.
You can see Li Ming growing up in real time as he pushes Jim about Wen.
Au Kornprom Nyomsil cameo as the bubble tea seller (he's the director of My School President). Very cute that it's an interaction with Fourth.
Heart and Li Ming picking up temp work as mascots in the mall was not what I was expecting, but I'm sure it'll let Wen meet them first.
And there he is. It's interesting how Wen can avoid talking about his relationship problems with Jim without Li Ming getting frustrated. Li Ming is determined though, and makes sure Wen knows that Gaipa is around more. I like how fond of the boys Wen is, and how quickly he adapted to communicating with Heart.
You can feel the age gap between Jim and Alan. Jim has no intention of trying to assuage Alan, because Jim knows there's nothing he can say, and they can both stay within the professional sphere in the bank. Still, Alan crosses that line when he asks for the pen, and Jim follows suit to assure Alan that he didn't know.
First is so good. The pissy little head jerk he gave when he realized Wen is involved with the diner loan stands out.
Gong's role in this show is to provide completely reasonable advice and clear perspectives.
Wen, he said to talk in person. Stop calling and just go to him.
Oh, Jim. You're absolutely valid for not wanting to get tangled up in someone else's affairs, but I am aching for you.
Fuck, Alan and Wen had rings?? No wonder he's been so upset. Wen should not have put them through this for half a year. This was a painful breakup scene. First and Mix have been incredible this episode.
Li Ming is lying. It's time for this to blow up.
Saleng also hasn't mentioned selling the dowry yet.
The real fantasy of this show is speech-to-text working consistently.
Look at Li Ming following the father's advice to use physical touch with Heart.
Okay, so Heart at least didn't crash into someone else, but his parents are going to freak about him being injured.
That scene with the family was difficult. Gemini is good, too. How long has Heart wanted to say that to his parents? They can't even communicate with him because they didn't learn sign. Did they provide resources for Heart to learn, but didn't use them for themselves? How long would this have gone on if Li Ming hadn't become his friend? How long has he gone without someone to understand him and hug him?
I like timing Wen's arrival after this fight between Li Ming and Jim. Li Ming questions whether Jim would neglect Li Ming like Heart's family, and stresses that he's the only one who could help. Now Wen is here and things are clear. Jim can't turn him away now.
#moonlight chicken meta#midnight series: moonlight chicken#moonlight chicken#thai drama#thai bl#bl series#Ben watches
62 notes
·
View notes
Text
THIS. EPISODE. DID. ME. IN. Moonlight Chicken episode 5 thoughts:
1) Let’s just call this episode ONLY FRIENDS, AMIRITE? Alan, Jim, let me tell you about this showwww...
2) No, seriously, this was another case -- as I am learning about Aof’s oeuvre -- where he packs SO MUCH into one episode that my head is left spinning (I’m still recovering from episode 10 of Bad Buddy). Like I reblogged earlier today: I LOVE that Aof is messing with the couplings, the GMMTV recipes. Love it, love it, love it. Seeing First and Mix get cute gave me the shivers, I can’t lie.
3) We get the history of Wen and Alan. We get a lovely repeat of a trope he so beautifully memorialized in Bad Buddy. We get the other side of that trope -- when the relationship ends, the memories sour.
How do you deal with that -- how do you process that? Oh lord, we got to see that through Wen, his processing, his thinking. His sympathy and compassion to Alan, which he still had! He still had their ring! Wen was willing to face Alan’s sarcasm, to take the hits, because he was afraid of truly breaking Alan -- until he absolutely HAD to break Alan, to break his own misery and fate.
God, could Mix and First have done any better with demonstrating the hills and valleys of a relationship? I’m shaking my head because, while it was devastating to watch, it all rang SO TRUE. Aof didn’t flinch at the pain, the stomach twists, of the demise of this relationship. Ugh, even Alan at the bank with the loan situation. The SIMMERING! The anger, the sadness, the RECOGNITION that his bond with Wen was on the way out. With or without Jim there. AND -- Alan talking about Wen as if Wen were a possession. First SHOWED US what Alan’s fucking problems were! Oh, my gut. So painful to watch.
4) And then. Jim and Wen at the chicken rice stall. And WEN, pushing JIM! Inherited trauma much, Wen?
We know why Jim is holding back from Wen at that point. We know Jim is preoccupied with his past. Whether or not Wen is acknowledging it doesn’t matter at that moment. What Wen is doing is pushing Jim like Alan pushes Wen. And Jim is like, hold up, hands up, I don’t want none of y’alls drama right now. I’m not there for this. (Which, to be honest, I took as a legit position at that point, despite feeling sorry for Wen. I appreciate a no drama stance from an OG uncle.)
5) But Wen. My heart for Wen. What I loved about the interconnection between his conversation with Gong and his run through beautiful outdoor Pattaya, recollecting everything he was going through -- we know what Wen’s moral conflict is. His moral conflict is that he’s earning money through a job that will destroy a key corner of Pattaya’s culture, the culture he’s experiencing at the moment of his run. His ability to function as an adult is literally impeded by his guilt towards Pattaya, towards Jim, towards the culture he’s going to influence deeply, and by his ability to afford (or not afford) his own place. His guilt towards Alan. His desperation towards Jim. His own poverty, financially and emotionally.
Is he looking for Jim to save him? And, is that Jim’s role?
6) And I haven’t even begun to talk about Heart and Li Ming yet. (THERE’S SO MUCH IN THIS EPISODE. I’ll come back to Jim and Wen once more before this is done.)
Firstly, with Fourth and Gemini -- LOVED THE FAN SERVICE. And I’m not even watching MSP, but I am sure the MSP fans loved the mascots and the pictures -- super sweet. Wen’s cute-cute uncle smile towards the two teens, gah, my twinkling heart.
7) Y’all, I really don’t know how much more I can take of these damn parents in dramas right now, lol. I just posted this today to help me process all the family trauma I’ve been seeing lately in the dramas I’ve been watching (and tbh, I’m doing it to myself, right, I’m choosing my own dramas, but STILL).
But to see Heart’s parents struggling to communicate with their son. And to acknowledge that they haven’t had anyone to interpret for Heart in three years. And to see those parents actually have the motherfucking audacity to cry over Heart’s anger about literally being abandoned.
[All bad drama parents that I’m experiencing right now -- please come with me as I lock you in a windowless room so you can ruminate on your crimes. (Which you won’t, because you’re all sociopathic narcissists, but ANYWAY.)]
@wen-kexing-apologist‘s prediction that Li Ming would become an interpreter was right for the present moment, and I loved that that came true. Along with this -- I absolutely LOVE that many of Heart and Li Ming’s conversations are not subtitled. I LOVE THIS, I LOVE IT, I LOVE IT.
What all of this does for me -- the un-subtitled conversations, the interpreting -- it demonstrates the growth of their intimacy. Why should us as the audience -- WHY SHOULD HEART’S PARENTS -- be privy to a couple’s most intimate moments? Heart’s parents think they could control him, because they were clearly ashamed of him. Heart TRUSTED Li Ming to communicate to his parents Heart’s most critical thoughts and feelings. What gorgeous intimacy to see growing between the two teens. The trust. Heart can only trust Li Ming at this moment, because he can’t trust his parents -- not only with his inner thoughts, his own personal intimacy, but to even give him basic emotional care.
@bl-inded’s analysis was spot on. I, too, also got the sense that Heart’s parents thought that they were doing enough, because they were taking basic care of their son without further engaging with him -- because they were ashamed of him, maybe even disgusted with him. What purpose would Heart serve to them after he lost his hearing? I’m sure they asked themselves that question (or, at least, Asian viewers/us broken Asian children would KNOW inherently that they asked themselves that question).
8) A few last passing thoughts:
- I wish I could find the post here on Tumblr, but someone once wrote that the things that we fall in love with when we first meet a person -- their sarcasm, say, their sense of humor, their stubbornness -- those things often become the qualities that we end up hating as the relationship ends. Because the sarcasm gets turned back into the relationship. Oh, Alan.
- I thought the use of sound and music were wisely leveraged. I loved the chirping outside the outdoor restaurant where Alan and Wen were eating during the break-up. It was very indicative of Pattaya’s outdoor eating culture. AND: when did we NOT hear music? When we saw Heart’s unused keyboard on his dresser as the camera pulled back on him and Li Ming as he wept.
- Finally: I really liked the slight flip of the paradigm of older culture vs. modern culture at the end of the episode. I kind of felt like it was the younger crew --Wen and Li Ming -- who were the brave ones of the episode, to step up and out to reflect how they wanted to move forward in their worlds. Li Ming WAS going to support Heart, no matter what. And Wen WAS going to confront Jim, no matter what, and demand comfort from Jim -- because he know that Jim has comfort to offer.
What the HELL will we be faced with tomorrow, oh my god. I’m going to need a large cup of hot water with lemon, please, my poor heart!
I’m actually going to give this episode 🐔🐔 for the Khao Man Gai Appreciation Rating -- even though we didn’t see KMG, we got a clutch cooking tip from Uncle Jim about the old winter melons. AND, y’all, I made one of Hot Thai Kitchen’s KMG sauces, nam jim tao jiew the other night and it was bomb. Highly recommend!
#moonlight chicken#moonlight chicken meta#earthmix#earth pirapat#mix sahaphap#first kanaphan#fourth nattawat#gemini norawit#li ming x heart#heart x li ming#wen x jim#jim x wen
60 notes
·
View notes
Text
We had a thousand things, like everyone. But ours were only ours. Who will find them beautiful now?
Falling in love with C was not gradual. Falling in love with C was encompassing, consuming, life-expanding. It was like ripping hunks from a loaf of fresh bread and stuffing them in my mouth. In those early days, he was a man frying little disks of sausage on a hot plate in a Paris garret, asking me to marry him. Making me laugh so hard I slipped off our red couch. Loving the smoked tacos we got from a tiny shack just north of Morro Bay. Pointing out backyard chickens from the garage we rented behind a surfer’s bachelor pad. Putting his hand on my thigh while I drank contrast fluid that tasted like bitter Gatorade, before a CT scan to find my burst ovarian cyst. Playing the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band on a road trip, putting a cinnamon bear on our rental car dashboard because it was our mascot, our trusty guide. Our thing. We had a thousand things, like everyone. But ours were only ours. Who will find them beautiful now? ...
He is still that man. I am still that woman. We have betrayed those tender people, but we still carry them around inside of us wherever we go.
— Leslie Jamison, Splinters: Another Kind of Love Story (Little Brown and Company, February 20, 2024)
11 notes
·
View notes
Text
2 Weeks till Chicken Run 2!!!!!
In every movie we have seen that involves a couple that are taking some time apart, an unexpected event happens that includes one of them seeming to have their back against the wall or in some kind of trouble. However, all is not lost because just in the nick of time, the other comes to the rescue and saves the latter. Last week, we saw the reflection of Rocky and Ginger's relationship as they spent time apart after Rocky decided to leave the farm without telling anyone. We've seen that despite the fact they tried to forget each other and move on, it became very clear that Ginger still loved Rocky and missed him greatly, and that Rocky still loved Ginger and he was questioning his decision to leave her and the other chickens during their time of need. Now this week, we're going to review the next action-packed scene - the escape from Tweedy's Farm. Will the chickens escape safely or will they become chicken pies after all?
Let's pick up right when Mr. Tweedy had finally fixed the pie machine, to the delight of Mrs. Tweedy but the horror of the chickens in the barnyard. Now the farmer has been sent to get the chickens to start making chicken pies but catches them in the act of attempting to finish their plane. Ginger has the chickens overpower him; they truss him up like a stuffed bird and place him under a hut. All the while, Mr. Tweedy has tried to warn his wife about the chickens' revolt, but she either ignores him or just can't hear him. The chickens' fearless leader tells them now is the time to make their escape - that they either die free chickens or die trying! So inspirational! You go, girl! The chickens then wheel the flying machine out onto a runway lit by a string of Christmas lights.
Now we're inside the plane with the chickens on both sides of an aisle where pedals are located for them to work the plane. Nick and Fetcher are inside with them, ready to leave as well. Ginger walks up the aisle to the cockpit, signaling to Fowler that they're ready for takeoff, only to discover that he's seated behind her and not in the pilot's seat. The hens soon discover that Fowler wasn't a pilot at all but a mascot in the RAF for the 644 Squadron, Poultry Division. Ginger convinces the old rooster to take the controls of the plane; since he's always talking about back in his day, and now today is his day. Fowler proudly complies and soon the hens are all pedaling, the propeller is turning, a takeoff ramp is placed up, wooden blocks are removed and the plane moves with wings that start flapping. As the plane approaches the takeoff ramp, Mr. Tweedy jumps up and kicks it over. The plane makes a hard right, knocking the farmer to the ground unconscious.
Ginger tells Fowler to turn the plane around and she runs back to the ramp. As she struggles to push it back into position again, Fowler turns the plane around, getting one of the wheel axles tangling a string of Christmas lights with it. Suddenly Mrs. Tweedy appears and looms over Ginger with an axe! The wicked woman slams the axe into the ramp, a hairsbreadth from Ginger's head, pinning her to the ground. This was it, this was the end of the line for our poor little firecracker hen. Mrs. Tweedy menacingly leans over Ginger, ready for the kill when all of a sudden, a loud noise distracts her. It was the sound of a bell; the bell of a tricycle. Both human and hen turn to the direction of the sound. What Ginger hears next is someone yelling out her name and who does she see?
Rocky Rhodes, daredevil extraordinaire, coming back to help his friends and especially save the love of his life once again. Rocky speeds downhill on his tricycle, aiming for a large mound of dirt just before the barbed-wire fence. He hits it hard, goes sailing into air, clearing the fence and keeps on going. Ginger has never been happier to see him at this moment, not just because he came back to save her but because she thought she'd never see the love of her life again. Unfortunately, Mrs. Tweedy sees him too and she pulls the axe out from the ramp, turning to face the rooster. But just as she does, the front tire of the trike conks her on the forehead and sent her sprawling. She falls backwards, the axe falls to the ground, barely missing her. That wicked witch of a woman soon faints from the thought of the axe almost hitting her.
At the same time, Rocky lands in front of Ginger. Very coolly, he skids the trike to a sideways stop and thumps the bell on the handlebars, as if he's revving the engine of a motorcycle. Last week I did say that Ginger would see her Prince Charming again, and I was right. Rocky and Ginger are happy to see each other again, but this is no time for happy reunions because the plane was headed right for them! Our young lovers grab the heavy ramp and start working feverishly to hoist it back up onto the fence as the plane rumbled closer and closer. Without a moment to spare, they managed to wedge the wooden brace into place and roll out of the way just as the wheels of the plane hit the ramp. The plane rolls up the ramp and soars over the fence to freedom, trailing the Christmas lights behind it. Ginger is mesmerized that their escape plan is working and then she hears Rocky calling her name. He takes her hand and they grab onto the string of lights, held on tight and soar up into the air. Hanging on to the lights for dear life, inching along, they managed to climb on board the plane.
Rocky makes in on first and he takes Ginger's hands, pulling her up to safety. They were safe; they were alone. They were staring into each other's eyes, staying this way for a long moment. Our young feathered lovers are together again! 💘 Then Rocky leans closer to Ginger, and closer, and... she slaps him across the face. She angrily tells him the slap is for leaving, leaving our shocked rooster clutching his hurt cheek. You have to admit, he did deserve that 😏. But to his relief, she gives him a soft smile and grabs his bandana, pulling him closer to kiss him for coming back. He's more than happy to oblige for a kiss with his fair lady hen. But just before they can kiss, the plane suddenly jolts. Oh, so close 😩.
Rocky and Ginger look down to see Mrs. Tweedy hanging from the Christmas lights and she was still wielding her axe. She snarls at them, scaring them a bit. Ginger looked down to see the lights still tangled in the plane's rear axle. She gets an idea; she yells out to Babs for a pair of scissor. Her friend looks through her knitting bag for scissors and when she finds them, they are then passed from chicken to chicken until they arrive in Ginger's hands. She then turns to Rocky, telling him to lower her down. He tries to protest against it, but when our stubborn hen gets an idea in her mind, there's no changing her mind. Fowler calls to the crew to increase their velocity; the chickens respond valiantly, their feet a blur of motion. One of my favorite lines: Babs - What does that mean? Bunty - It means pedal your flippin' giblets out!
Mrs. Tweedy then puts the axe into her mouth and starts to climb the Christmas lights toward the plane. Up above, Ginger puts the scissors into her mouth and leans out the back of the plane. Rocky lowers her carefully, holding her by her feet. Ginger tries to reach the Christmas lights with the scissors, but couldn't quite make it. She shouts to Rocky to lower her a little more. Mrs. Tweedy was still climbing, getting closer. Ginger, meantime, is still reaching for the strand of lights, trying to cut it, when she happened to notice that they were headed straight for the billboard for Mrs. Tweedy's Chicken Pies! She calls out to warn Fowler, who then pulls hard on the controls and the plane swoops sharply upward. Dangling from the lights, Mrs. Tweedy smacks hard into the billboard, ripping off the painted image of her own face. The plane rocked from the impact, whipping out of control. The chickens scream as the plane rocks and Nick and Fetcher scream even louder as they watch their precious eggs spill out of their bag.
Unfortunately, at the same time, Ginger slips out of Rocky's grasp and as she falls, she grabs the wire. Hanging on for dear life, she clutches the wire as she slid down it, Christmas lights popping as she went. She suddenly comes face to face with Mrs. Tweedy's gigantic painted face. The real Mrs. Tweedy whips the painted picture away to reveal her actual snarling face, with the axe still in her mouth! Ginger seizes this moment; she grasps the scissors firmly and tries with all her might to cut through the wire. However, they were too small and too dull; they would not go through. Mrs. Tweedy rears back to swing her axe at Ginger when suddenly... an egg hits the horrible woman in the face. Rocky was using the catapult they'd used for training to fire eggs at Mrs. Tweedy from it. Nick and Fetcher were loading their precious eggs into the catapult, with tears in their eyes and wailing if I may add. Rocky just keeps firing again and again, ignoring the miserable wails of the two rats. All he was concerned about was his precious Ginger. Her brave hero. Rocky's not just her Prince Charming; he's her knight in shining armor 💕.
Throughout this egg flinging, Ginger doesn't give up and is still trying to cut through the wire. Mrs. Tweedy takes another swipe with her axe, knocking the scissors out of Ginger's hand and sending them tumbling, end over end, through the air. Desperate, Ginger tries to bite through the wire; it was useless. Mrs. Tweedy climbs another notch toward Ginger. Rocky, meanwhile, yells back to Nick and Fetcher for more ammunition, but they have no more eggs! Rocky looks back at Ginger to see Mrs. Tweedy raising her axe again, aiming it right for Ginger's neck! He cries out to Ginger in alarm to warn her. Our now trapped hen looks up to see that horrible woman raising her axe. There was no place to go; she was going to get it.
But our smart hen looks down at the wire and gets an idea. Quick as a wink, she holds out the wire and Mrs. Tweedy swings down her axe at Ginger. On the plane, Rocky looks on helplessly as the love of his life gets the axe swung at her. He cries out with fear and sadness in his voice. Mrs. Tweedy grins at seeing Ginger hanging from the wire, headless from her point of view. But don't worry - Ginger cranks her neck to look at Mrs. Tweedy with egg all over her face (literally and figuratively). Mrs. Tweedy's grin starts to fall and at the same time, Rocky, with tears in his eyes looking sad and thinking that he lost Ginger, starts to smile little by little. Ginger smiles at Mrs. Tweedy, showing the severed light string; Mrs. Tweedy looks on shocked. Ginger lets go of one end and waves goodbye, watching the evil woman fall. The plane is now swooping over the barn so Mrs. Tweedy plummets neatly through the open window at the peak of the barn roof and falls into the chute of the pie machine.
On the plane, the chickens were still pedaling as they apparently watched the whole scene unfold. They were all cheering that Ginger had defeated Mrs. Tweedy. Rocky was so happy to see Ginger still alive and thwart that awful human that he gave Nick and Fetcher side hugs simultaneously. As the plane soars up and away from the barn, Mr. Tweedy, who has regained consciousness and untied himself, runs to the barn door and opens it. He sees his wife stuck in the machine trying to free herself. Alarms were sounding as pressure gauges were starting to rise, meaning that the machine was about to blow. Mr. Tweedy winced, then he slowly and quietly closes the barn door.
Meanwhile, up in the air, Ginger manages to climb back up to the plane. Rocky takes her hands and pulls her onboard, relieved that she is still alive and well. Our young feathered lovers are holding hands and looking into each other's eyes, smiling. Rocky and Ginger try once again to kiss when they suddenly hear a huge explosion down below. Once again, so close. Second time they try to have a romantic moment, the second time they get interrupted 😩. They look down and flinch as the pie machine exploded behind them, spewing a mushroom cloud of gravy high into the air. At least they're still holding hands though 👫🏼.
We're going to stop right there because I want to save the best part for last for next week's post. Anyway last week's post showed us that Rocky and Ginger had some time to think about how much they meant to each other. Even though they wanted to forget each other and move on with their lives, Rocky and Ginger realized they loved each other very much and had become a part of each other's lives. Ginger was becoming a better leader, still being honest but not as brutal as before and being more open with her feelings. Rocky was becoming more caring and selfless, thinking more about the others than himself. And after seeing the billboard advertisement, our cocky rooster realized he made a terrible mistake by leaving the farm when the chickens needed him the most. But he mostly realized he will never be truly happy unless he had a special someone in his life - Ginger. So Rocky made another big decision; one that surely changed everything... and it's even better than the last one.
Our daring rooster made the right choice to go back and help his friends, and just in time to save Ginger from an axe-wielding Mrs. Tweedy; an act that she is extremely grateful for. Like the good team they are, Rocky and Ginger managed to get the plane into the air and climb aboard themselves. On the plane, our young lovers are happy to have each other back again. Ginger slaps him across the face as payback for leaving but tries to kiss him for coming back. But first, they had to get rid of some unnecessary weight - Mrs. Tweedy. While Ginger tries to cut the evil woman off the line, Rocky defends his lady fair by attacking Mrs. Tweedy with eggs but soon runs out. After this attempt, Rocky thought that Mrs. Tweedy had beheaded Ginger with the axe and cries out in despair but he starts to tearfully smile when he sees that the axe actually cut through the wire, sending Mrs. Tweedy down into the pie machine in the barn. After that daring and risky success, Rocky and Ginger attempt to have another romantic moment to kiss but get interrupted by an explosion of gravy from the pie machine. But at this point, we can all agree that our young feathered lovers are safe and together, still happy to have each other back in their lives once again. However, we can also agree that if it weren’t for those two interruptions, they would have had their first kiss by now.
I also want to add that you can see a workprint of the Ginger vs. Mrs. Tweedy scene and different workprint versions of Mrs. Tweedy's defeat on the YouTube links below.
youtube
youtube
Anyway this is my eleventh weekly Rocky/Ginger moment post commemorating the upcoming sequel to Chicken Run. I hope you enjoyed this post. There will be one more post about the first film coming up in the future. Waiting for this long-awaited sequel may not be easy but these posts are making it easier as the release date draws nearer. But now the wait is almost over!!!!
#chicken run#chicken run 2#chicken run dawn of the nugget#dawn of the nugget#ginger and rocky#rocky and ginger#rocky#ginger#countdown#Youtube
12 notes
·
View notes
Last Seen Blogs
gomorysghost
Gremory's Ghost
melody92221
Melody
samwillson
prev. maiazula
cherry-bomb-ships
I've Been Hit, This is It, This is It, I-T, It!!
guiltpleasure
GUILT|PLEASURE