#sauntering-down

Han has absolutely had dealings with Hondo and that's the hill i'll die on.

oh that’s so absolutely valid and i’m immediately accepting that as a very very blessed au

so when they’re all little, number four has like a BUNCH of imaginary friends that he talks about all the time. They sound really neat and interesting and Five takes an immediate interest - but when he asks four how he met them four just shrugged and say they’re just there all the time but only he can see them ‘cause he’s special and they like him best

So Five tries really very hard and eventually makes up his own friend so he can have something to talk about with four. Her name is Dolores and he loves her lots and lots because she says he’s her favorite and at this point in his life Five hasn’t really ever been anyone’s favorite

after it’s revealed four’s friends are actually ghosts, four stops wanting to talk to or about them altogether because now they’re scary (he doesn’t even want to talk to the nicest one named Dave who he used to say he was gonna marry when he grew up)

but everyone knows Five’s power is jumping, so they tell him that Dolores isn’t real. He kindly tells them that they’re stupid and of course Dolores is real

eventually he just learns to not talk to Dolores around the others, even if he slips up sometimes and asks her what she thinks all the time (she’s really very smart and gives good advice so why wouldn’t he consult her whenever possible?)

he’s probably around?? nine? when he trains himself out of talking to dolores? because that’s the age that Luther tattles on him and calls him a baby in front of dad and Dad agrees that he’s being a baby so now he gets punished if he talks to or about Dolores

so there are four years where Five only ever talks to Dolores in whispers when he’s alone and she’s the one who listens to him when he needs it and comforts him during and after Dad’s awful training and really he’s okay with keeping her private and safe because she’s his friend not anyone elses

so when Five pops back up looking thirteen and goes and fetches a mannequin that he introduces to them as Dolores they all remember Five’s imaginary friend

he might have only talked sparingly about her for a long time but now he gives exactly 0 shits what his siblings think because he’s not going to ever hide Dolores away again not when she’s been the only one he could rely on for all those years alone in the apocalypse

so he’s constantly consulting Dolores and telling the others in matter of fact tones that “Dolores thinks that’s a stupid idea”

“Dolores is a mannequin” one of them points out

“Not always” Five responds blithely just making everyone even more confused

and you know what because Dolores isn’t associated with the apocalypse and has been with him since WAY before that, he doesn’t go and take her back to the department store. So he’s in the house when Luther tries to lock Vanya up. And so Vanya ends up being freed and the apocalypse doesn’t happen and they have a happy ending

A gift for @sauntering-down , who pulled my heart through the wringer, but gave me a very happy ending to a very traumatic story.

I'm still reeling but less so now. Here's the best interaction ever.

BONUS:

It’s actually been like a hot minute since I read the novel and i seriously just BLASTED through it like no joke so there’s a lot of stuff i’m forgetting (i’m trying to do a reread rn in chinese using a voice to text app bc rip my reading comprehension), but I agree that it feels quite different when reading the novel vs watching the live action.

(i… don’t remember how the lantern scene played out in the book i only remember the fight with jin zixuan afterwards hahaha, but even as i’m searching i can’t find the chapter to reread it myself!! aahh)

on the other hand, I also think it’s totally possible that the reason we DON’T see that thunderstruck moment of lwj’s is because the novel is exclusively from wwx, oblivious dumbass extraordinaire’s perspective hahahaha. here’s a man who kissed lwj of his own accord and thought huh wonder why i did that i’m not into men. so. you know. no wonder it wasn’t clear to us when lwj fell in love bc it went RIGHT over wwx’s head lmao

EDIT:

sauntering-down

   the lantern scene isn’t in the novel at all.  i was waiting for it and was sadly disappointed    

THANK YOU! IT SURE WAS A THING. lol

wait who fucked up this time

@sauntering-down [deep breath] Sebastian Stan posted a (now deleted) meme poking fun at NFL players kneeling during the National Anthem. The meme was also pretty disrespectful to the movie he’s in and trying to promote about Tonya Harding.

http://pagesix.com/2017/09/26/sebastian-stan-apologizes-for-tone-deaf-i-tonya-promo/

80 degrees here in central Florida