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imunbreakabledude · 7 months ago

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I've recently finished your long Maeve x Elena fic and honestly I'm obsessed. I've always liked Elena but the show didn't show to much so I was rather indifferent to their relationship until I found the maevelena tag on here and then your fics. You make them both so human . They're just two complicated women trying their best .

I was also pleasantly surprised by Ashley and Maeve's dynamic . I was not expecting to enjoy those 2 together so much . I'm glad that Ashley got over her crush on Maeve . Even though ,maevelena is my OTP but id be lying if I didn't enjoy Ashley's yearning. I would be curious about an AU where Ashley does win over Maeve maybe even with Elena . ( Although I think Elena and Maeve are to possessive of each other for that )

Poor baby Maeve ! All the parts talking about her childhood made my heart ache . I never gave much thought before about her childhood and how hard that would of been . I love the story as to how she came up with the Queen Maeve name . It's a shame her mum died as I would of been curious as to what their dynamic would of looked like

Anyway I'm going to stop rambling now . Thank you for the good read and I will eagerly devour any new content you post ❤️

first off, thank you! I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed it. that fic was a labor of love in every sense, and I wrote it for myself above all, but it really means a lot to me to hear when other people enjoy it. because it was a joy to tell a longer, serialized story in the style of a tv spinoff, for an active audience to engage with. (even if a very small audience).

I, too, didn't think much of Elena the first time I watched the show - I mean, she doesn't get a lot to do on the show, unfortunately. but as I rewatched and grew fixated on Maeve, i realized there was a lot more depth implied to Elena than first appears... and grew intrigued at filling in more about her while fleshing out more about Maeve as well, and... even though 95% of the elaborate history I've written for them is my own creation, a decently large percentage of it is actually implied by their few scenes in the show! I find them so fascinating and layered and fun to explore. "Two complicated women trying their best" is a great way to put it. that's exactly why I continue to love to think about them after so long. they're far from perfect, individually and as a pair, but so layered and really need each other.

glad that you enjoyed the maeve/ashley content as well! of course it had to go the way it did in the fic, being a maevelena story primarily (well, it's not necessarily a "ship fic" overall but that is certainly a primary relationship), but that one was very fun for me to write. and if you wanna know a secret... back when I was first conceiving this "spinoff" story idea, including ashley was one of my first ideas, and actually the first hazy version of it WOULD HAVE been maeveashley endgame. because for whatever reason, I didn't envision elena being a major part of it at first - a "guest star" at most. I think because i was taking a lot of inspo from Angel's format as a spinoff and once it occurred to me that Ashley could be the "Cordelia" to Maeve's "Angel", that felt so perfect, and I'm a sucker for their love story in the spinoff, so I envisioned a similar unlikely-but-perfect love developing between Maeve and Ashley. tbh, i think it could and maybe even WOULD happen if Elena was not back in Maeve's life for whatever reason.

As it is, though, Maeve and Ashley definitely have a weird, permanent, deep platonic bond in this story's universe though. a bond which is not the SAME as her relationship with Elena, or Annie, or anyone else but possibly just as important. and tbh even though I don't know that I can imagine an Elena/Maeve/Ashley throuple working (i am very creative with ot3s, but this one seems TOUGH lol), i do think Ashley becomes weirdly a sort of fixture/add-on to their marriage in again, a weird unquantifiable way. like it's Maeve and Elena... and Ashley. she's just always in their lives and even Elena comes to accept and maaaybe even appreciate it after a while lmao.

I'm going off on tangents now because I actually have sooo much more in this universe thought out, from some stuff that happens after the end of that fic, to miscellaneous snippets in the past/time skips of that fic, but I haven't written/posted much of it because... well... there was a small audience for it at the best of times and as more time goes on there's less and less interest in stuff about a character who hasn't been on TV since 2022.

so I wanted to emphasize, thank you for sending this message. for reading the fic and enjoying it and letting me KNOW that you did. <3 it may seem silly but this came at the perfect time, I haven't been feeling the best lately especially when it comes to writing, and I've been looking for a way to enjoy writing again... and getting feedback like this, that someone appreciated something I enjoyed making, helps a lot. and knowing there's maybe still an active desire for it, makes me want to dust off some of the many WIPs I still have about maeve in the pipeline. so, thank you for this message.

#queen maeve #fuck it putting it in the tag. advertising myself once in a while #if you're one of the 'omg i wanted more about maeve' people who shows up after watching the show every so often #check my ao3 you got a big ol story just about her that takes place after she leaves the show #fic stuff #tmdoms #keep putting off multiple TMDOMS prequel/sequel ideas because i'm like... would anyone even read #ask #squid3 #maevelena #queen maeve sp

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eldritchsurveys · 3 months ago

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1292.

1. Do you like the color pink? 🩷 >> I LOVE pink. 2. What is your favorite shade of pink? >> That's really difficult to choose and I won't even try.

3. What is your least favorite shade of pink? >> Salmon and coral are the only ones I don't care for.

4. Are you wearing anything pink right now, and if so, what? >> I am not. I have exactly one pink garment and that is very disappointing to me, but the thing is... it's hard to find clothing items that I both love and can afford in general, but particularly ones that are some sort of colour (as opposed to black).

5. Have you ever taken a ballet class, and if yes, what did you think of it? 🩰 >> I have not.

6. List three things you can see in the room you're in right now that are pink. >> Reusable water bottle, the background of the art on today's calendar page, a pair of boot laces.

7. Which of these words would you say describes you best: girly, feminine, creative, passionate, or fun-loving? >> I don't know that any of these describe me particularly well. Oh, maybe "passionate", I certainly am that (although I don't always express it well).

8. Would you rather drink a strawberry smoothie, a strawberry milkshake, or a Pink Drink from Starbucks? >> Strawberry smoothie.

9. Would you rather eat strawberry ice cream, a strawberry-flavored cake, or a pink Starburst? >> Pink Starburst, I guess. 10. Which of these cartoon characters do you like best: Pink Panther, Miss Piggy, Patrick Star, Piglet, or the Cheshire Cat? >> Miss Piggy is such an icon and a role model, I love her. 11. Name three things you like that are pink. >> Sparrow's hair is pink right now and it looks pretty dope. Uhh... my stuffed bunny... and... any flower that is pink.

12. Would you say you are girly? >> I don't know what it means to be girly, so I couldn't say one way or the other. 13. Would you say you are feminine? >> I would say that I am femme, because something about that word feels right. But I don't know anything about "feminine", that doesn't vibe at all.

14. List five-ten names you like for a girl. .

15. What was your favorite Barbie when you were growing up? .

16. Do you think guys look good in pink? .

17. Which of these names do you like best for a girl: Fuchsia, Magenta, Rose, Peony, or Petunia? >> I don't like any of these as names, although I suppose Rose is fine. 18. Who is the most creative person you know? >> I always think it's weird to rank people like this. Everyone I know is creative in some fashion, anyway. It comes free with being a person with a brain and imagination.

19. What is your favorite creative pastime? . 20. How creative would you say you are on a scale of 1-10? Why? >> Ehh. When I typed my answer to #18 I did instantly have the tongue-in-cheek "not me though! I'm the cursed and broken exception :)" thought, lol. I don't actually think that's true, though, I have just had a lot of discouraged feelings about my ability to express myself creatively lately. I still don't think it would make any sense to rank my variable and unquantifiable "amount of creativity" on a spectrum like this. Sometimes I wish I could jump into people's brains to see how this kind of thinking works, because I can't fathom it. 21. Would you ever dye your hair pink? >> I don't have enough hair to dye, but I would absolutely wear a pink wig.

22. List three ways in which you are girly. . 23. What was the last thing you ate that was pink? >> I don't remember.

24. What was the last thing you drank that was pink? .

25. List three things you dislike that are pink. .

26. Which of these careers sounds the most appealing to you: fashion model, makeup artist, fashion designer, painter, or graphic designer? >> No career sounds appealing to me. When I was a child, I did entertain thoughts of being a fashion designer.

27. Do you think you look good in pink? >> I do.

28. Which of these cartoon characters do you like best: Strawberry Shortcake, Barbie, Princess Peach, Sleeping Beauty, or Hello Kitty? >> Princess Peach is so cute. Also Hello Kitty but tbh I like other Sanrio characters more than her :x

29. Do you own a pair of pink pants? >> I do not.

30. Which of these flavors do you like best: strawberry, watermelon, raspberry, dragonfruit, or bubblegum? >> Raspberry or strawberry. Dragonfruit can be pretty great too.

31. How often do you chew gum? >> Very often, it's a good oral stim for me.

32. Name one person you know who sells (or who used to sell) Mary Kay cosmetics. .

33. How many pairs of shoes do you own? >> Three. 34. When was the last time you wore a dress, and what was the occasion? >> I have two shift dresses that I tend to wear around the house. The last time I wore a dress outside of the house was a long time ago.

35. How often do you wear dresses or skirts? >> I'm wearing a skirt right now (it's the third item in my rotation of around-the-house garments). Basically, I wear skirts and dresses almost every day, unless I'm wearing nothing.

36. Would you rather eat cotton candy, raspberry sherbet, or strawberry yogurt? >> Raspberry sherbet sounds pretty good right now.

37. Have you ever seen a real live flamingo in person? 🦩 >> At zoos.

38. Would you ever drive a pink car? >> I wouldn't ever drive a car, but if I were to drive a car, it'd definitely be pink. 39. Which of these words would you say describes you best: flamboyant, fashionable, flirtatious, vibrant, or playful? >> I like "vibrant", although once again, I don't feel like I represent it that well. I also like "fashionable", I think I have fun with my clothes.

40. Who in your family, if anyone, has had breast cancer? .

41. Are there cherry blossom trees where you live? 🌸 >> I'm not sure, actually. I'm shite at identifying plants, I basically just ooh and ahh at them. Don't know what you are, but you're beautiful!

42. List ten words that rhyme with pink. >> I'm not doing that.

43. What is your favorite pink dessert? . 44. Which of these names do you like best for a girl: Aster, Azalea, Cheri, Lily, or Fancy? >> Again, none of these names appeal to me.

45. Which of these careers sounds the most appealing to you: dog groomer, ballerina, hairstylist, romance novelist, or cake decorator? . 46. Which of these names do you like best for a girl: Gloria, Gardenia, Fantasia, Flora, or Begonia? . 47. List three things you have in common with a Barbie doll. >> Kind of uncanny-valley in appearance, likes being on tiptoe, a movie about me would be wildly divisive.

48. Did you name your Barbies when you were younger? >> I don't remember, but it seems likely.

49. List three of your favorite things in nature that are pink. >> The sky, sometimes; flowers, again; orchid mantises.

50. What are three pink things you like that haven't been mentioned? >> Thinking of things off the top of my head with no associations to go off of is so difficult, how do y'all do it.

#surveys #survey #themed survey

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shortfictionweeklychallenge · 1 year ago

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Short Fiction Weekly Challenge

Time for a new prompt from the Short Fiction Weekly Challenge, tumblr edition. Let it spark your imagination. Any character, any fandom, any original world. Reblogs welcome!

Post your story to your blog and send the link to Short Fiction Weekly Challenge! We’ll send the link out to all our followers to enjoy.

This week’s SFWC prompt:

Week of January 5, 2024

In Sync: Whether they’re “drift compatible,” finishing each other’s sentences, part of a flash mob, or just traveling the same direction at the same speed, when has your character been in sync with others? Lovers come to mind right away, but long-time friends, work associates, and even parents and their children can vibe together on an intuitive level. Musicians, dancers, a crowd of strangers waiting for a concert or the new year to start. Hours of practice together or spontaneous? How and why did it happen and what happens after?

Feel free to continue submitting stories for any prompt. A masterpiece missed the deadline? Don’t let it gather electronic dust. Submit it anyway and Short Fiction Weekly Challenge will publish it.

This week’s featured previous prompts are:

Hide: Perhaps they’re playing a childhood game. Perhaps they’re being pursued. They’ve just escaped custody (deserved or no) or crashed behind enemy lines. They’re a hacker evading security systems. They can’t bear a loved one finding out what they used to be like, and try so hard not to be anymore. They can’t break character and let their mark know he’s been had. When (and what) has your character had to hide?

5/5 Stars!: Ratings--stars, tomatoes, numerical scales--all seek to quantify the unquantifiable: satisfaction and reputation. Does your world have a system like the ratings we’re so familiar with? Is your character subject to it? Are they a five-star rated bounty hunter with the Bounty Hunter Association? Did they get a 1/10 for “sociability” on their last performance review (because zero and negative numbers aren’t permitted)? Do they check user reviews before making a purchase? Do they take pride in patronizing the armorer with less than one star? In worlds without explicit systems, reputations still matter. How does your character maintain theirs, and how do they navigate others’?

Got an idea for a prompt? Submit it here.

#short fiction weekly challenge #sfwc #sfwc “in sync”#sfwc “Hide”#sfwc “5/5 stars!”#fiction #fiction writing #writing #writing challenge #writing prompts #writing exercise #fanfiction #fanfic #fic

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oceanjavellana · 11 months ago

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Ocean shook his head with a wry smile. "You should put that on LinkedIn. As, like, a professional goal." Play a venue large enough to survive a coke-fueled stage dive. Maybe that would be enough to get them noticed by NME.

"That makes my love sound conditional on potstickers!" Good thing it wasn't. When they weren't burnt, there were occasionally little frozen bits in the middle. "My love is unquantifiable."

Any further protest died in his throat at Ray's song, melting into quiet laugh. "Wow, rhyming payroll and egg roll. The Recording Academy is really not ready for you." He brushed some crumbs off the corner of Ray's mouth, and the look he gave him was one of intense, undiluted affection. Ray was a handful most days, but it was hard for Ocean to imagine someone meeting him and not immediately being taken with him. He exuded an easy warmth that Ocean had been pleasantly lazing in for the better part of five years. "Are you actually hungry? I can make something more filling."

"All of our finest moments have their highs and lows, Oceanius. You gotta take the vocal prowess with the possibility of breaking a limb." He said with a shoulder raise. Ray liked to keep his friends (especially his Ocean) on their toes. They were small time now, but one day they could be selling out stadiums. If Ocean could stop him from stagediving to his death now, he would be very well equipped to sparta kick a rogue fan if they tried to attack Synonym Sugar on stage. "But I promise to only do coke when we have big enough crowd. Scout's honor." he teased.

Ray took the cookie like holy communion. Literally, his hands were fanned out like a poor boy on an city street corner. His palpable "MMM" almost overpowered Ocean's next sentence. "I mean in a sense I do kinda pay you to hang out with me. I pay you in my love and adoration and also potstickers when I don't burn them." He suggested. "We should put it in a song!" He said enthusiastically.

He drummed the top of Ocean's head while he hummed a starting note. "BaaaaaaAaby! You love me like you're on my payroll." He sung between laughter. "I'm so hungry I want eggrolls."

#c #ray

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inevitably-johnlocked · 3 years ago

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Nostalgia hit so hard the trauma came back....can I ask for some fluffy fics to help cope?

Hey Nonny,

I'm so so sorry you're having a rough go!

Gonna use your ask to post up my next Tooth Rotting Fluff list to help you feel better!

*HUGS*

TOOTH-ROTTING FLUFF Pt 8

See also:

All Fluff Fics Masterlist (Oct. 2021)

Tooth Rotting Fluff

Hugs & Cuddles and Tooth-Rotting Fluff (Pt. 2)

Hugs & Cuddles Pt. 2 / Tooth-Rotting Fluff Pt. 3 / Est. Relationship Pt. 2

Tooth Rotting Fluff Pt. 4

Platonics & Domestics Pt 2 / Hugs, Cuddles & Kisses Pt. 3 / Tooth-Rotting Fluff Pt. 5 / Love Confessions, Slow Burn & Dev. Rel. Pt. 2 / Established Relationship Pt. 3

Tooth-Rotting Fluff Pt. 6

Tooth-Rotting Fluff Pt. 7

Octopus by glass_rose_paperweight (G, 705 w., 1 Ch. || Established Relationship, Fluff, Bed Sharing, Limpet Sherlock) – A week after Sherlock and John finally get together, and John is finding sharing a bed with Sherlock Holmes to be ... difficult, sometimes. If not downright suffocating.

Mizzle by MrsNoggin (K, 1,233 w., 1 Ch || Friendship, Fluff, Platonic Johnlock, Humour, Slice of Life) – John can't decide if it's raining or not. Sherlock doesn't understand.

Here to Stay by MockJayPhoenix12 (K, 1,574 w., 1 Ch. || Post Reunion, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Headache, Bed Sharing, Care Taker Sherlock, Hand Holding, Fluff) – On Sherlock's first day home, John wakes with a migraine.

Evermore by SosoHolmesWatson (G, 2,068 w., 1 Ch. || Post-S4, 5-Year-Old Rosie, Love Confessions, Song Fic, Parentlock, Oblivious John, Pining Sherlock, First Kiss, Love Confessions, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Disney Songs, Beauty and the Beast) – For the past years, John and Sherlock have lived at Baker Street again, raising Rosie together--as friends and nothing more. Ever since the little girl has watched her first Disney movie, she is obsessed with princesses. When John comes home one day, he finds his friend and his daughter in the middle of a reenactment of her current favourite. Part 1 of Made of Music

The Imminent Danger of a Tumblr-Night by Loveismyrevolution (T, 2,135 w., 1 Ch. || Tumblr Fics, Friends to Lovers, Sherlock is Out of His Depth, Humour, Fluff, Pining Sherlock, Military Kink, POV Sherlock) – Sherlock gets into trouble when he pretends to know all about John's favourite social media site - tumblr. To save face he seeks help from one of the bloggers and gains more answers than he had aimed for.

Unquantifiable by 221b_hound (M, 2,799 w. 1 Ch. || Est. Rel., Sherlock/Sally Friendship, Grumpy John, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Pet Names, Texting, Sweet Sherlock, Princess Bride References) – John remains a terrible and foul-tempered patient, but he does try to make up for it with pet names and text message silliness. In the meantime, Sally Donovan visits Baker Street for a hint about the Milverton case, and has to deal with a Sherlock Holmes who can't find words big enough to thank her for saving John's life at the warehouse. For afters, there's a viewing of The Princess Bride. Part 33 of the Unkissed series

Living Musical by VeeTheRee (G, 4,149 w. 1 Ch. || Est. Rel., Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Hobbies, Summer, Song Fic, POV Sherlock, Painting, Play Fighting, Soft Sherlock, Dancing, Love Declarations, Hair Petting, Promise of Forever) – A one-shot of John and Sherlock being domestic during summer. There is paint, fluff, and music from Imagine Dragons, namely from the album 'Speak To Me', specific song in this one-shot is 'Living Musical'. Part 1 of the Happy Fluffy Johnlock Time series

Date Night by inevitably_johnlocked (G, 4,451 w., 1 Ch. || Anxious / Worried Sherlock, Caring John, Schmoopy Fluff, Fidget Cube, Baking / Cooking, Date Night, Established Relationship, POV Sherlock Holmes, Understanding John, Grumpy Sherlock, John’s Bum, Kisses, Hugs, Domestic Fluff, Touching, Hair Petting, Light Humour) – It's John and Sherlock's first Date Night as an official couple and Sherlock needs it to be PERFECT. Mrs Hudson helps. Part 7 of I-J's Tumblr Ficlet Collection

You're a Doctor, Fix me by edken (K+, 8,792 w., 2 Ch. || Humour, Romance, Sick Sherlock) – Sherlock doesn't do anything halfway, and that includes getting sick. John nurses a very sick flatmate back to health using cuddles, forehead kisses, and a massage. Humor, and fluff promised as always, but also some character analysis because who doesn't love that?

To be loved by Strange_johnlock (E, 12,436 w., 8 Ch. || Post S3, Established Relationship, First Person POV Sherlock, Pet Names, Soft Sherlock, Mild ADHD, Protective John, Captain Watson, Body Appreciation, Bottomlock, Rough Sex, Travelling for Holidays, Introspection, Sherlock Loves John So Much It Hurts) – John is so deeply integrated into the work, both as my conductor of light, and as a great shot with a vicious right hook who tackles men -and women- no matter their size all in my defense. He protects me with all he can without question, and this loyalty is surely more than I deserve. Or: Sherlock is counting his blessings.

#steph replies #johnlock fic recs #my fic recs #tooth rotting fluff #fluff fics

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jolinarjackson · 4 years ago

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Hey! Do you have any irondad fic recs? I just started reading Peter and Tony fics again and I would love any recs you have!

Hello!

Yes, I do! :D It's by no means complete because I am still busy compiling, but I have quite a few already.

For all the below stories, please heed the tags and warnings on AO3. And of course, feel also free to check out my stories. :)

My AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JolinarJackson/works

The below fics are not compiled in any particular order.

If I Die Young by MusicalLuna

Summary: Tony and Steve are trying to keep their little boy (who's not so little anymore) out of the superhero business for as long as possible, but when a kid's as stubborn as Peter is, they can't always stop him.

And sometimes things go wrong. Really, really wrong.

Categories: Superfamily, Not MCU!Peter Parker

Comment: This is a wonderful whump story that I go back to again and again.

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/423790

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Lightning in a Bottle by Gruoch

Summary: Peter takes the tablet and looks down at the screen, where a picture of Spider-Man intimately entangled in a passionate embrace with Johnny Storm is displayed across the majority of the Daily Bugle’s home page. TORCH CAUGHT IN SPIDER-MAN’S WEB, the headline reads, bracketed by spider and flame emojis. Peter looks back up at Tony, who is still staring at him completely stone-faced.

Tony reaches across the island and taps the screen. “So. What do you have to say about that?”

“Well. For one, I’m a little disappointed with the headline,” Peter offers.

Tony lets his chin drop against his chest, momentarily defeated, before taking a deep breath and once more skewering Peter with a hard look. “You could have at least given me some warning that the two of you are...I mean, I had my suspicions, but—”

“You’re misconstruing the situation. Spider-Man and the Torch are dating,” Peter explains. “Johnny and I are just friends.”

“Boy, you’re really leaning hard into this whole alter ego thing, aren’t you?” Tony deadpans. “How’s that working out for you?”

Categories: Irondad, SpideyTorch

Comment: I love stories taking advantage of the havoc that secret superhero identities can wreak on romantic relationships. The best about this particular story is the witty writing, which makes Peter being a chaotic mess in this even better.

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23413219

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The doubts that complicate by @frostysunflowers

Summary: "But he’s smart!" May had blurted, looking up at the teacher with misplaced anger. "I don’t...how does this make sense?"

She was worried, unaware, unprepared, not like Peter who had known for a while that some things were trickier for him than other kids. All the rules hidden in cheerful little rhymes and singing songs about which letters get along and those who don’t play nice; all the robotic reciting of the alphabet nearly every day: none of it had ever truly helped Peter understand how it all worked.

A brand new door opened in his life that day. On the front of it, the word ‘DYSLEXIC’ was printed in bold, the certainty of what it meant holding the letters permanently in place.

Nobody ever said being smart was easy.

Categories: Irondad

Comment: This is a wonderful read. @frostysunflowers manages to describe dyslexia in a way that makes the struggle understandable. The relationship between Tony and Peter is heart-warming. This is a great read if you're in the mood for something that is not too long and still want a good dosage of H/C.

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23989531

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Accepting the Tides by Emma_Anacortes

Summary: Tony had dragged Peter from the depths of despair after May's death. It was normal that he'd grown to care a little about him, right?

Yeah, okay. He freaking loved the kid.

So naturally he would feel a little weird when Richard Parker randomly shows up in Peter's life. Naturally he'd feel protective, nervous, and confused because where has Richard been all this time? And why does Tony feel sick every time he sees him around Peter?

All he knows is if Richard hurts his kid, Tony's gonna give him hell.

Categories: Irondad, Steve & Peter

Comment: This story is intense, no doubt about it. Please heed all the warnings and tags carefully. However, if you give it a try, it's so worth it. This story presents a different backstory to the relationship of Peter and his parents (especially his father) while exploring Peter and Tony forging a father/son-bond in the wake of May's death. I have to say that the the relationship between Peter and Steve in this story is just as prominent and amazingly written. I loved every second of it.

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11885844/chapters/26843274

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with arms wide open by @parkrstark

Summary: Tony and Pepper are expecting a baby and Peter may be the one most excited...just maybe…

Categories: Irondad, Pepperony

Comment: This is undeniably cute and heart-warming: Tony and Pepper get pregnant and Peter is right there with them, freaking out. Peter spends this story preparing to become a big brother while still being unsure about whether this is the role he is going to fulfill in the baby's life. This stoy focsses on the found family that is Tony, Pepper and Peter, but there are wonderful interactions with May, Rhodey and Happy as well.

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14540409

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the stars the moon they have all been blown out (you left me in the dark) by @madasthesea

Summary: It starts off with his vision fading in and out.

What kind of demon drug can make someone go blind by inhaling a single lungful? Whatever it is, Tony doubts it’s reversible. And while Peter’s no idiot, he can be idiotically optimistic. He's determined to fix what appears to be unfixable.

Categories: Irondad

Comment: This story is experienced entirely from Tony's point of view, which make the effects of the drug and his reaction to it all the more poignant. Tony's relationship to Peter is especially highlighted in this story. You can only imagine the worry and pain Peter geos through unil the very end of the story and the pay-off is worth it. I want to highlight the way that Tony's experiecne of the effects of the drug are described here, because I thought that was superb writing and put the reader righ in Tony's shoes.

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15795141/chapters/36757500

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turn back the clock (and I'll try again in the morning) by @madasthesea

Summary: Peter gets stuck in a time loop. In it, he lives through some of his worst nightmares, only to wake up that morning and have no one remember. He needs Tony to help him get through.

And if that isn't bad enough, his identity is revealed over and over, every day.

Categories: Irondad

Comment: This story is just SO GOOD. Not only is Peter experiencing the same day over and over again and his identity is revealed, but the way it happens also gets more and more taxing and gruesome. This story has emotional highpoints that are written fantastically and the Irondad in this is just heart-warming.

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18023177/chapters/42585071

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How The Mighty Fall by Meep_Morp

Summary: Since his duel against Toomes on Coney Island, Peter's life has settled down considerably. May knows about his double life and accepts it (mostly). Tony has welcomed him back, and given him more independence as New York's Spider-Man.

One night during patrol he crosses paths with Connor, a teenager who has Extremis in his blood and answers to the wrong kind of people. Though Tony is quick to distrust him, Peter finds himself reluctant to follow his mentor's lead, and a bond develops between the two boys. Their relationship is further complicated when Connor's former master, Negative, makes it a personal mission to destroy them both in his quest for power.

Taking down a superpowered psychopath? Tough, but Peter isn't going to back down.

Stopping Tony from blasting his first potential boyfriend into space? He might need a miracle for that.

Categories: Irondad

Comment: This story is so intricately plotted and just a joy to read. The characters are written to perfection and this includes an absolutely fantastic and fleshed-out OC who, as a reader, you come to care about easily and quickly. Much more subtle is the relationship between Peter and Tony in this fic but every single scene is on-point. I have read and re-read this story several times and it is hard to put aside once you start.

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18084407/chapters/42745826

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Project Pride by TheSleepingOwl

Summary: In hindsight, it should have been obvious. The signs were all there, unwittingly scattered by Peter like breadcrumbs for Tony to follow—the way he would fall into uncomfortable silence when the topic of dating came up, or become flustered whenever Tony teased him about the mysterious Michelle-Call-Me-MJ character Peter was constantly gushing about, or deflect Tony’s mostly-joking inquiries into whether or not they needed to be having The Talk with a hurricane of splutters and blushes.

And even without the signs, Peter was still his kid. Tony was just supposed to know these things.

So when FRIDAY pulled up Peter’s search history—‘how can i make myself not like boys,’ ‘can you force yourself to be attracted to girls,’ ‘how to stop your friends from knowing youre gay,’ and, most devastating, ‘how can i keep my parents from finding out im gay’—Tony wasn’t surprised so much as deeply, unquantifiably ashamed. Because he should have known.

Categories: Irondad

Comment: This story is an incredibly written POV of Tony coming to terms with Peter's sexuality. It's achingly realistic in the way Tony struggles to connect to Peter, knowing that he's gay. Additionally, this story has a hefty doese of Hurt/Comfort thrown in that hurts when reading it. This is a gem.

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22135138/chapters/52834021

-----

Birds Eating Other Birds by aloneintherain

Summary: Peter wishes he hadn’t gotten out of bed that morning. Then, maybe, he wouldn’t be reduced to this - limp-crawling through the rabbit burrows that is Oscorp Tower, a monster of a man on his heels, bloody and bruised and choking on a panic attack.

Categories: Irondad, not MCU!Peter Parker

Comment: I love aloneintherain's stories. I read them when I first got into Avengers fanfic and the way they write dynamics is great. This one is intense and the way it's written sucks you right into it. Norman Osborn is so evil and creepy in this one. Part one is mainly hurt, but stick around for the comfort in part 2!

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7626433

----- And here are some Avengers team dynamic fics as well -----

It Was Probably The Pudding by Serendipity_Cometh

Summary: Given that over the course of the past eleven months Peter Parker hasn't contracted so much as a head-cold, the teenager thought it safe to assume that the whole 'irradiated spider bite' gig had equipped him with an immune system of steel that rivalled Captain America's.

So when he wakes up one night in the midst of the worst asthma attack he's suffered in almost eight years, neither he nor the rest of the team can think of a logical explanation.

And everything sort of goes downhill from there.

Categories: Team, Stony, Clint/Phil, not MCU!Peter Parker

Comment: When I started out reading Avengers fanfictions, I stumbled across this one and go back to it on a regular basis. Lots of whump and great team dynamics.

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/953538/chapters/1865305

-----

In the Home by aloneintherain

Summary: The Avengers have been infected, turned violent and aggressive against their will. And Peter, the only one unaffected, is trapped inside the Tower with six feral teammates.

“Natasha,” Peter says cautiously, “what happened here? Steve attacked me, and if there was ever a sign that something was wrong, it’s having the embodiment of Truth, Justice, and the American Way throw you across the room -”

Natasha comes closer, her stride controlled. Nothing necessarily out of the ordinary, but there’s something in her face, in her eyes -

Natasha lunges across the space, and slams into Peter, hard.

Categories: Team, not MCU!Peter Parker

Comment: One of my very early reads when I started out in the Avengers fandom. Excellent whump, hurt/comfort and team dynamics.

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5388563/chapters/12446069

-----

Fitting In (Tiny Spaces) by aloneintherain

Summary: Peter's trapped beneath a collapsed building during a mission, hurt and unable to move. Luckily, his comm still works. Unluckily, the Avengers don’t realise how bad of a state Peter is in, and Peter isn’t inclined to tell them.

“Spidey, they’ve got reinforcements. We’ve hit a bit of a snag here, and I don’t think anyone will be able to help you for a while. Think you can sit tight while we deal with this?”

The pressure on his lower back and legs was becoming too much. Peter swallowed thickly, fighting down panic. He could handle this.

“Yeah,” Peter said. “I can do that.”

Categories: Team, not MCU!Peter Parker

Comment: There are so many "Peter trapped under a building"-stories out there but this is the one I read first and it stuck with me. Loved the team dynamic in this.

Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4232937

30 notes · View notes

thusatlas · 5 years ago

Text

Can we talk about Barty Crouch Jnr?

This tweaked bastard has been living in my head, rent free, since I read the Goblet of Fire - in 2005.

Think how much rent that is!

You see, this malevolent set of cheekbones is not only a brilliant portrayal of a true psychopath, but he’s also somewhat responsible for Voldemort’s death. And it all comes down to one, beautiful, sweet, doe-eyed glow-up baby -

Let me lay out fifteen years of thoughts here for you.

1. Is he a psychopath?

Well first let’s define psychopath. I’ve spent much time toiling over this conundrum for my Masters (not as long as Barty Crouch Jnr but enough). Hollywood has made the image of a psychopath synonymous with Hannibal or Patrick Bateman, but let me assure you - that is a very, very small percentage of what would actually be considered a psychopath. According to the DSM - V, there is no such thing diagnostically as a “psychopath”. This is for two reasons: law and philosophy. Philosophically speaking, the MindBody Problem is still at the forefront of conversations about the conscious, and so when faced with the paradox of a psychopath, the MindBody problem freaks the fuck out. Briefly, this problem is that we as neuroscientists and psychologists can map most - if not all - the ‘hardware’ of the brain. So the mechanical actions like moving your arm or drinking some tea. The hard problem - the actual problem - is we haven’t got a fucking clue what the Mind is. It’s all a bit... ineffable (that is legitimately how we academically put it, Neil Gaiman = God). Religion says that the Mind is the soul. Science says - we haven’t got a fucking clue what it is; it’s qualia, its unquantifiable experience that effects your entire worldview and make you wholey unique from everyone else on the planet.

And we can’t fucking find it on a map - hence its a problem.

Now this ineffable, unquantifiable mind, soul, conscious whatever you want to call it, is the thing that directs your moral compass. Psychopaths seem to present behaviour that does not prescribe to the moral code that we, in our relative societies have agreed upon. There is evidence to suggest that they do not feel guilt, which is a key ingredient in Moral psychology (I direct you to the research of Jonathon Haidt). Within the law, internationally, individuals with psychopathic traits are perceived as being predicated to criminal behaviour - therefore, exempt from taking any insanity defence. Now within psychology, because of the law and philosophy, and the mindbody problem - IT’S VERY FUCKING HARD TO DIAGNOSE A PSYCHOPATH BECAUSE WE CAN’T DECIDE WHAT ONE IS, because of all of the above. It’s all very... grey.

But what we can agree on, is there is a list of qualities that you would usually find in a psychopath, these are measured on the PCL-R (Hare 2003) and the PPI-R (Lilienfield and Widows 2005):

Machiavellian Egocentricity

Rebellious Nonconformity

Blame Externalisation

Carefree Nonplanfulness

Social Influence

Fearlessness

Stress Immunity

Coldheartedness

Early behavioural problems

Lack of realistic long term goals

Juvenile Delinquency

Parasitic Lifestyle

As you can see, Voldemort was a psychopath, but I digress. Barty, not so sure, and this is earmarked with the fact that we don’t know the entirety of his character. By the time he’s outed the first time, he has a seat on the Wizengamot and Crouch Snr is all shocked - like he never saw this behaviour coming. It can be inferred that a) Crouch Jnr is a excellent liar, capable of manipulation those closest to him with machiavellian behaviour; b) probably quite a well behaved young boy. So I would disregard the idea of juvenile delinquency and early behavioural problems.

And this scene stands as evidence that Crouch Jnr is capable of Rebellious Nonconformity as well as Blame Externalisation. We know that he was a politician prior and well liked, so I will again infer that he had Social Influence. I will also infer that he had a predilection for Stress Immunity given he was outed infront of the entire court room and his reaction was this:

Not screaming and running for the high hills. I’ll raise you the fact that he was undercover as Moody for an entire year, rubbing shoulders with Dumbledore, and seemed pretty chill about the whole thing given that he was acting in, what I can imagine to be, was a very stressful situation.

So as you can see, a fair argument could be made for Crouch Jnr to be diagnosed as a genuine psychopath.

And yet we come to the reason why this has bothered me for fifteen years.

2. The Character Development of Neville Longbottom

It’s a well loved narrative that Neville goes from the bumbling bucktooth first year, to the Gryffindor God slaying Nagini in the Battle of Hogwarts.

...deceased.

Anyway, years 1,2,3 Neville is still treated as the weakling: he’s forgetting books, he’s leaving Common Room passwords lying around so that they’re stolen by nefarious Kneezles who let in escaped convicts etc etc. Come forth year, we open with Neville stepping in the trick-step that everyone knows to miss and yet bumbling Neville, still doping along. At this point, you’re like, ‘na this kid is gonna die because he trips over his own shoelaces or something.’

And then that fateful Unforgiveable Curses lesson happens.

For those who need reminding, here Neville offers up the Cruciatus curse to which Professor Moody - aka Barty Crouch Jnr, tortures a spider using it as a demonstration. Neville is stricken by the whole event because of his parents. After the lesson, Hermione hurries Ron and Harry (who haven’t really realised that Neville was that effected) to find Neville who staring at a wall in a side corridor or stairwell - I can’t remember which. Neville’s shellshocked, saying he’s fine but keeps talking about dinner. He’s in full trauma.

Then Moody Crouch comes along.

3. The paradox

Moody Crouch then takes a traumatised Neville to his office, gently reassuring him, offering him tea and calling him ‘laddy’. Here, he tells Neville that Professor Sprout was singing his praises in Herbology and gifts him the book on African plants, I think it was. This book is what Harry and Ron see him avidly reading later. This is the start of his love of herbology, which then leads to him being the one to get Harry through the second challenge, which then allows Harry to go on and touch the portkey Triwizard cup. Whilst also setting Neville on the path of having confidence in himself. By book 5, Neville’s braver, he’s no longer forgetting things, and this only improves by the time we get to the Battle of Hogwarts where he becomes a literal Hero from a Greek Myth.

So, Psychopathic Machiavellian behaviour would say, he needs to get Harry on side. You do that by showing that you care. So you go over-board punishing the known bullies and enemies:

Whilst being nice to Harry’s friends (Neville with the book). He could have deliberately orchestrated the Unforgiveable curses lesson, in the attempt to traumatise Neville so that he could then be the Hero and be seen looking after him by Harry. Then you use the friend as a means to ensure that Harry is able to get through the second challenge, by setting him on the path of plants. Ergo, you complete you mission and your year long con. You got Potter to the graveyard, to the Dark Lord - you’re the best little psychopath and nobody suspected you the entire time.

BUT. He was nice. He was caring. He was tender with Neville.

And if you remember, psychopaths also have a tendency to have a Lack of realistic long term goals, and have behaviours that display Carefree Nonplanfulness and Coldheartedness. Getting Harry to the cup had to be a sure-fire thing. The plan had to be solid. It is my belief that Moody Crouch had a plan in place for every trial, but I do not believe he was the puppeteer pulling the strings. The aforementioned plan has too many if’s and but’s. Too much causality. Too much left up to circumstance. I think if Neville hadn’t done something, then Moody Crouch would have, but it was never the intention for Neville to be his tool - just a happy accident.

While he can be ascribed to portray some true psychopathic behaviours, I don’t believe that Barty Crouch Jnr was a psychopath. I think he was just rebelling in a really hard way from his Stiff, Loveless Father. Because this moment of caring, was a product of guilt. This was where Moody Crouch’s moral compass kicked in and he began to mentor Neville throughout fourth year (like a father) thus inadvertently setting Neville on a path to defeat Voldy-bollocks.

Thus the paradox: the best teacher Neville Longbottom ever had was a Death Eater.

And that just fucks me up.

Thank you for coming to my ted talk.

111 notes · View notes

hlcreators · 5 years ago

Photo

AUTHOR REC: jacaranda_bloom / @jacaranda-bloom

Be sure to show some love by leaving kudos and comments!

Seven Simple Words (15k)

It’s not like he and Louis were a couple. No, they might have been a lot of things—best mates and colleagues with a seemingly convenient friends-with-benefits arrangement—but never a couple. It wasn’t Louis’ fault he didn’t feel the same way and couldn’t reciprocate Harry’s feelings in the way he’d wanted, the way he’d needed. Harry had allowed himself to get in too deep, his entire being aching to be loved back by the object of his affections. But in love, as in life, you don’t always get what you want.

OR the one where you don’t always get what you want the first time around, but sometimes the universe decides to give you a second chance at getting it right.

Feels So Right (8.8k)

The emcee leans in between them, handing over his mic to the blue-eyed vision. “You know what? Someday… Someday you guys might thank me for this...”

OR the one where Louis is Troy, Harry is Gabriella, and we find out what really happened after karaoke at that ski resort...

Wonderland (4.3k)

Louis has always loved lazy mornings in bed with his mate, but now that his Omega is carrying their pup, they’ve reached a whole new level of wonderment.

OR the one where Louis loves to worship his Omega’s body and Harry loves to let him.

The Baby Whisperer (18k)

Harry’s newborn baby is having trouble sleeping and nothing he does seems to work. Tired and alone and at his wits end, Harry is at a loss until a new neighbour arrives to turn his world upside down.

OR the one where being neighbourly takes on a whole new meaning.

Fuck U Betta (11k)

There’s something about having Louis like this, exposed and desperate, that makes a primal urge bubble up from deep inside Harry’s chest. Desire mixed with something else, something unquantifiable. It’s the thing that makes them want this, need this. Nothing else will satisfy them or quench their thirst.

OR the one where Harry likes the thrill of the chase, Louis likes to be chased, and everyone gets what they need… in the end.

Caves End (39k)

When a recurring injury cuts short Harry’s time as the Captain of the English Football Team, he needs to rethink his career and his future. His best mate and manager, Niall, decides that what Harry really needs is a change of scenery, time to relax, and to get some perspective on his life. What Harry doesn’t expect is for them to end up in Australia, on a farm, with the most gorgeous man he’s ever laid eyes on.

OR the one where Harry has lost his future, Louis has lost his past, but maybe together, they can find a way through the dark.

When Tomorrow Comes (11k)

When Louis and Niall are partnered up to complete a project on Omega scents and how they effect the nesting behaviours of Alphas, little does Louis know that the course of his life is about to be forever altered.

OR the one where Louis is an Omega who has been keeping himself pure for his Alpha, Harry is a traditional Alpha focusing on his studies while he waits to find his bondmate, and Niall is a sneaky bastard who keeps borrowing Louis’ clothes and never returning them.

You Drive Me WIld (5k)

Most people would think that keeping a tube of lube hidden behind the driver’s side visor of their car is foolish and completely unnecessary, but then most people don’t have to chauffeur Louis Tomlinson around for a living.

OR the one where Harry has a brilliant idea to while away the time as he waits around for his boss but fate decides to rain on his parade... or maybe it’s the universe answering his prayers.

No Going Back (56k)

Sales reps Harry and Louis are bored with their jobs and their lives. After meeting at a conference in Cardiff they hook up, have a few too many drinks, and jokingly apply to become remote lighthouse keepers. Six months, just the two of them, looking after the southernmost lighthouse off the bottom of Australia. It’s not like their applications will be accepted. Right?

This is the story of how one choice - a left instead of a right, a go instead of a stop, a yes instead of a no - can change the future forever and that sometimes, taking that leap of faith, is worth the risk.

Strong Enough (20k)

“So…” Liam starts, and Louis instantly knows where this is going. He’s actually glad it’s Liam that's dragging the subject out from the shadows and into the light. Louis turns to face him, mirroring his position on the couch and nods, ready for him to continue. Liam takes a deep breath. “Have you spoken to Harry recently?”

Five years after Vertigo goes on hiatus, the band comes back together for a benefit concert. Can Louis and Harry work through their complicated past, or are some wounds too deep to be healed?

Shine (13k)

“How does it feel?” Harry asks, genuine curiosity evident in his voice.

Louis lets his eyes drift closed and focuses on the sensations. “It’s like… like I’ve got hands all over me, touching me, inside and out, and…” Louis tries to zone in but it’s so hard to describe. “It’s like I’m being stimulated everywhere all at once.” As if on cue, his nipples and earlobes start tingling and he arches his back. “Oh fuck, yeah.”

OR the one where Louis has a thing for the sun and Harry is more than happy to indulge his sunshine boy.

If You’re Out There (I’ll Find You Somehow) (55k)

Harry looks so intensely into Louis’ eyes it’s as though he’s reaching in and touching his very soul. “I never thought… I never… I’ve been searching for so long, Louis, but I never gave up. I couldn’t stop, wouldn’t stop trying,” Harry says, bottom lip trembling as he strokes the backs of Louis’ knuckles. “I just knew that if you were out there, I’d find you somehow.”

OR the story of how one man’s love changed the world.

Everything I Do (16k)

Harry’s ready, has been for a while now, and he’s fairly certain Louis is too, it just hasn’t been on the top of their priority list. There have been offhand mentions, a comment here and there, more in jest than anything, no serious discussion or consideration. Harry stands up straighter, a stomach-churning thought forming in his mind. Has Louis been waiting for him to ask?

OR the one where Harry finds a book of Elizabethan courtship rituals which sets in motion a series of events that can lead to only one conclusion.

Playing To Win (36k)

Big Brother UK alumni Louis Tomlinson and Harry Styles are selected for the UK vs Australia All Stars series with a massive one million dollar prize in the offing. They’re both fit and smart and would make a great alliance... if only they can stop their feelings from getting in the way.

OR the one where Louis really doesn’t want to like Harry, Harry is struggling to quell his growing fondness for Louis, but sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you just can’t fight fate.

Exposed (666)

Louis should really stop agreeing to do favours for his friends while drunk, especially when they result in him becoming a live-art model…

Forever And Always (25k)

“Right,” Harry says and slaps his hands down on the kitchen benchtop. Now he just has to get home, find this poor Niall guy who is currently camped out in his body, and have them swapped back. What could possibly go wrong?

OR the one where Harry’s neighbour is a crotchety old witch who hates vampires, Niall is the unsuspecting human who ends up inhabiting Harry’s body, and Louis is the caseworker who is assigned to swap them back. How it ends up a love story is anyone’s guess.

Going My Way (20k)

"Hey Harry. Really sorry to do this to you but an emergency has come up with Vera’s mum and we’ve had to jump a flight home. My mate Louis is going to take over my LYFT clients while I’m away. He’s got my car and my phone and everything else. Hope that’s okay. He’s a good guy and I think you two are going to get along brilliantly. Catch you soon, Benny."

OR the one where Harry gets a replacement LYFT driver, Louis is just trying to earn some extra cash before the baby arrives, and they both end up with way more than they bargained for.

Up For It (18k)

Each year, the five friends take a lads holiday; it’s tradition, and this year is shaping up to be a jam-packed, fun-filled trip with their best mates just like all the rest... or is it?

OR the one where Liam is Mr Organised, Zayn is too perceptive for his own good, Niall is a compulsive matchmaker, and Harry and Louis might just have the surprise to shock them all.

With Words Unspoken (18k)

At forty-nine, Louis hadn’t envisioned being at a crossroads in his life; kids, grandkids, an ex-wife, and completely at a loss as to what direction his future will take. When he finds himself drawn back to a cabin in the Californian wilderness that’d he’d visited fifteen years earlier, an acquaintance from his past triggers an awakening deep inside and reveals a new path that he could never have imagined.

OR The one where Louis is lost, Harry is an excellent tour guide, and age is no barrier to finding the love of your life.

Henry and Lewis (4.3k)

PART 1 SUMMARY: Louis hangs out in his local coffee shop to work on his weekly WordPlay Prompt, speaks to his beloved muse aka Harry the gorgeous barista, embarrasses himself in front of said muse, and receives a comment on AO3 from his favourite reader.

SERIES SUMMARY: Every Tuesday, Louis spends his day off holed up in his favorite coffee-come-bookshop, writing his little stories as part of the WordPlay challenge while daydreaming about the resident barista, Harry. Each week a new word prompt is revealed and Louis adds to his series of short stories about Henry, the owner of a B&B in the Cotswolds who has curly hair and dimples, Lewis, his long term guest who just happens to be a writer, and Tigger, Henry’s cat.

As Louis and Harry’s friendship develops, could his fantasy world spill out into real life? And how does that reader who leaves the lovely comments with the teacup emoji seem to be able to read Louis’ mind?

Smuturdary (4.1k)

Louis struggles with this week's WordPlay prompt before finding inspiration, and a date, in an unexpected place, and could there be more going on with his favourite reader than he originally thought.

Tea For Two (4k)

Louis grapples with what to do about his new found suspicions over his favourite readers real-life identity.

Life Imitating Art (6.8k)

Louis is taken on a very real journey through his fic back catalogue - life has never imitated art so salaciously.

Entertain Me (5.3k)

All good things must come to an end, including the WordPlay challenge. But while Louis has mixed emotions about its end, and struggling to make sense of the final prompt, he is relishing every aspect of his newly revitalised personal life.

Play Me A Memory (26k)

Louis lives with his nine-year-old son Jake in a peaceful beachside community on the east coast of Australia, working as an entertainment coordinator at the local five-star resort. Harry is a recluse who lives on millionaires row and writes musical scores for blockbuster movies. When the roots of a wayward willow tree create havoc at his home, Harry is forced to stay at the resort while repairs are carried out.

Cue matchmaking storms, muffin preferences, laughter, love, and a whole lotta music.

The Cyber Sphere (17k)

As the author of The Cyber Sphere, a series of best-selling books which have spawned seemingly limitless spin-offs, Louis Tomlinson hides away from the world in his fortress-like London penthouse. But when he decides to interact with the host of The Cyber Times radio program, Dermot O’Leary, on Twitter, it causes a fandom meltdown and offers him hope for a future he’d never imagined.

OR the one where Liam likes to think he’s Batman, Dermot has terrible taste in sporting teams, and Louis should really get a cat.

Surprise Me, Space Boy (7.1k)

Louis is a solo officer on Space Station Zeta and the isolation can present many challenges, not least of which is that it’s really bloody hard to date. He’s pinning his hopes on that changing with a fellow solo officer, Harry, from a neigbouring station who gives great banter and has a gorgeous smile. Maybe online dating has its benefits after all?

OR The Space Wank Fic.

Harry Poppins (32k)

When Louis’ best friends pass away he finds himself with an instant family. Maddie and Thomas are wonderful children but take an immediate dislike to every nanny that sets foot inside their house. After nanny number six is summarily dismissed Louis is at his wit’s end, that is until an unusual man arrives on their doorstep. Harry Styles is like nothing any of them have ever encountered before, and perhaps, exactly what they’ve been looking for all along.

My One And Only (Desire) (500)

Harry is his, only his, and Louis belongs to Harry just as completely. They consume each other, in life, in love, in every way two people can.

Take Me Down Slow (Don’t Let Me Go) (26k)

Louis has always felt different. Not necessarily on the outer realm of societal norms, but pretty damn close to the edge. As an Omega, he’s supposed to want certain things; to want to raise a family, to want to build a life with a partner, and to want that partner to be an Alpha.

Well, two out of three ain’t bad.

OR the one where Louis wants to find the right kind of partner to love, Niall hates snowboarding, Liam wants to settle down, Harry is really good with his hands, and mother nature could be the thing that changes everything.

Soup Of The Day (19k)

It had been the single minded goal for them since college and seemed simple enough. 1. Study hard. 2. Open their dream restaurant. 3. Take the culinary world by storm.

What could possibly go wrong?

Or the Restaurant AU where Louis and Niall are chefs, Chicago is windy, and cracking the big time is harder than they ever imagined. But when a mysterious man starts grading Louis' soups by leaving little piles of rocks, could it be just the thing they need to get them on the road to success?

The Clock Strikes New Year (9.6k)

Louis senses people moving around behind him and cranes his neck left to right. The store is quiet, just staff and Louis and Harry, but all of the other salespeople appear to have gravitated to where they are to watch the little runway show Harry is putting on. He can’t blame them really, Harry is a sight to behold, but it makes him chuckle anyway.

“Okay, Lou, you ready for me?” Harry calls from the change room.

“As I’ll ever be, baby. Get out here!”

Harry comes into view and Louis’ breath catches in his throat.

OR Harry was homeless, but now he has Louis. Louis was lonely, but now he has Harry. And there’s more than one way to see fireworks on New Year’s Eve.

The Bet (2.4k)

Louis Tomlinson never reneges on a bet. Ever.

He may be many things - a joker, a sometimes-wayward student, a loyal friend, a Tony Award winner in the making, and a card-carrying member of the Chad Michael Murray fan club - but never, ever, a welcher. Louis makes good on his promises and does it with flare.

OR The one where Louis misjudges Harry's ability to do TLC's Waterfall rap and finds himself having to put on a one-man show for his viewing pleasure. If Louis decides to go all-in and dress the part, then that's just a bonus for his (very appreciative) one-man audience.

Heat (2.4k)

Louis was smitten from the moment Harry had arrived a month ago. Long, curly hair which he mostly keeps up in a bun, and a sinfully deep voice. Cheeky too. Louis likes that the best. He gives good banter and laughs at Louis’ dumb jokes, adding his own woeful puns. When Louis had asked him why he was in this godforsaken dust bowl, he’d said something about a ground crew traineeship and fulfilling his visa requirements while experiencing the real Australia. Louis had been momentarily distracted by Harry’s plush, red-bitten lips so the salient details may have washed over him.

OR Drinking beer in a blow-up pool, in a backyard, in stupidly hot temperatures, in outback Australia should be ridiculous, and it would be, if Louis didn't have a curly-haired workmate to keep him company.

Whisper The Wind (36k)

Louis’ father has political ambitions and decides it’s time for Louis to step up as the company’s Chief Financial Officer. Louis thinks this is a monumentally stupid idea. After storming off in a rage he has a chance meeting with a tall, dark, curly haired stranger. A technical glitch with their shared elevator finds Louis spending twenty minutes with the most intriguing man he’s ever met. Unfortunately the man is leaving London the very next day and moving to Australia to work at his mates surf school. Timing, as they say, can fuck right off.

Fast forward three years and Louis is miserable, a shadow of the man he once was, working in his father’s company, and hating every moment. At his thirtieth birthday party, surrounded by people he doesn’t know or doesn’t like, he decides to throw it all in and follow the impossible dream. Happiness, a fulfilling life, and someone to love. The question is, will that dream be found ten thousand miles away on a sandy beach, with a curly headed surfer dude?

Or the one where Louis rides an elevator that may change his life forever, Harry loves the ocean but is a terrible surfer, Liam proves not all heroes wear capes, and Niall might actually have all the answers.

The Clock Strikes Christmas (10k)

The clock ticks over to midnight and Niall strikes the match, lighting the candle and looking expectantly at Louis. “Time to make all your dreams come true. What’s your birthday wish Tommo?”

Louis stares into the flame and wonders. Closing his eyes, he thinks of cold winter nights curled up by the fire, driving along country roads holding hands across the console, laughter and warmth and a sense of belonging. An image creeps into his mind, blurry and shimmering. Curls, green eyes, milky white skin. Louis sucks in a deep breath, opens his eyes and blows.

The lights in the pub go out and the music stops, time seems to be teetering on the edge of something, like the crest of a roller coaster before the fall.

Then the pub surges back to life. “Sorry about that folks! Damn storm must be coming.” The bartender shouts out.

Niall is staring at him, mouth agape, before regaining his composure. “Must’ve been a helluva wish Tommo.”

Louis is a little stunned himself, but blinks out of it and laughs. “Yeah, must’ve been.”

OR the one where Louis needs someone to love, Harry needs a miracle, and sometimes, wishes really do come true

The Prince Of Light (35k)

Louis was found abandoned at a hospital at six months old and adopted by an older couple who raised him. Now twenty, he studies by night and by day works as a live-in au pair for a family with three little girls. One of the girls, Holly, swears there is a Garden Fairy coming and eating treats she leaves out in the cubby house each night.

When the family goes away for a two week holiday, Louis is secretly tasked with feeding the Fairy. While laying out the food one night he falls from the cubby house and is found by Harry. Harry is different and Louis is fascinated. But as Louis learns how different Harry really is, he discovers his own true home and a very surprising past he never knew.

Cue badgers, bananas and cookies, soulmates, a whole other world, and a future he’d never imagined.

Clouds On Curtis (9.6k)

A wave of comfort sweeps over Louis like a blanket as he allows himself a moment to imagine the possibilities. His past failures and disappointments feel like they are ebbing away, like shackles falling from his limbs. The burdens he's been bearing and the guilt he’s been carrying slipping away into the ground with each step he takes.

Harry reaches for the door and pauses, holding the handle he turns to face Louis.

“Are you ready for the adventure to begin?” Harry looks at him with hope in his eyes, dimple cratering in his left cheek.

“Absolutely, I’m all yours.” Louis says, wide smile breaking across his face, feeling the crinkles appear at the corners of his eyes.

In that moment he is sure of it. Surer than he's been about anything for years. This is exactly where he’s supposed to be. This is his second chance.

Or the one where Louis is a chef who is looking for a chance to start over, Harry’s restaurant needs the right chef to make his dream come to life, Niall is a cook who desperately wants to be a chef, and Liam just wants to be happy. Together, can they turn their dreams into reality?

#writer appreciation week #1dsource #hljournal #fics #author rec

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mostlysignssomeportents · 5 years ago

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Rights of Nature and legal standing

To understand the levers of power under the rule of law, you have to understand "standing" - the right to seek justice for some bad act. Courts and legislatures guard standing jealously; the worst-case scenario is that anyone can sue over an injustice done to someone else. You and your neighbor agree that it's fine for them to park their car in a way that impedes a driveway you never use anyway, and then some stranger sues your neighbor to make them stop - it's not just court-clogging, it's also a barrier to justice. But many of our gravest, most urgent harms affect whole populations, so it can be hard to identify which person is harmed. This is where we get class action suits from - a million people sue over a $2.83 ripoff, not to get their $2.83 back, but to hold the grifter to account. Where class action can't fill the gaps, we rely on public officials - district attorneys, attorneys general, etc - to take up our cause - say, by bringing an antitrust suit against a tech giant. When it works, this is great, but when it fails, it's terrible. Because there are so many harms that don't rise to the level of class action (or are impeded by things like "binding arbitration waivers" in terms of service that prohibit joining a class action), and that public officials decline to take up. This is where the "private right of action" comes in - the right to seek redress under the law, often without showing particularized, personal harm, comes in. In Florida, voters just created a landmark private right of action: the right to sue polluters without having to prove you were personally harmed by pollution. 89% of voters in Orange County, FL voted for a "Rights of Nature" ballot initiative. https://www.sun-sentinel.com/opinion/commentary/fl-op-com-invading-sea-orange-county-charter-natural-rights-20201109-yehr2rulu5bi3cdf7jampdbtdm-story.html Under the new "Wekiva River and Econlockhatchee River Bill of Rights," corporate polluters who foul the waterways of Orange County can be sued by anyone in Orange County, without having to wait for a DA to bestir themself to enforce the law. OC, FLA is not a Democratic stronghold - it's roughly split between Dems, Republicans and Independents, and the outcome of the vote - which follows on a County Commission race that saw the election of Rights of Nature advocate Nicole Wilson - may indicate statewide sentiment. If so, then Florida's state legislature is wildly out of step with voters: this is the legislature that illegally raided the state Land Acquisition Trust Fund and passed the unconstitutional Clean Waterways Act, banning local governments from giving rights to nature. The OC measure was crafted to sidestep the legislature's ban on RIghts of Nature rules (a ban currently being challenged in court), and there are parallel statewide efforts to pass similar measures. The creation of a private right of action goes beyond the environmental issue: it's part of a wider fight over the rights of natural persons (human beings) when they are wronged by artificial persons (companies). For decades, private rights of action have been in disrepute, thanks to the well-funded efforts of corporations to take away our right to sue them for mutilating us or ripping us off. You may have heard of "tort reform" and the idea that America is "overlawyered." "Tort reform" is an influence campaign backed by the wealthiest people and largest corporations in America, designed to strip you of the power to defend yourself. it leans on lies like the "McDonald's hot coffee lawsuit." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9DXSCpcz9E One of the frequent targets of tort reformers is the Americans With Disabilities Act, which allows people with disabilities to seek redress from businesses that do not offer reasonable accommodations. The ADA is routinely smeared as an ambulance-chaser's charter, a way for sleazy no-win/no-fee 1-800-LAWYER types to blackmail mom-and-pop businesses. The reality is that the ADA has been wildly successful in ensuring that a democratically enacted law gets enforced. The situation for people with disabilities is far from perfect, of course, but imagine if your only recourse for a failure to abide by ADA was to convince the District Attorney to sue a hotel for its failure to provide a wheelchair ramp. Moreover, the financial contours of ADA - that lawyers can recover fees from companies that go to court rather than complying with the law - has meant that the majority of enforcement suits are brought against large firms with many facilities. These are the companies that can afford to pay plaintiffs' fees after they lose - so the time-honored tactic of dragging out cases to outspend your opponent doesn't work here. The longer the case goes on, the more the plaintiff's lawyer gets when it ends. This is why America needs a national privacy law with a private right of action: specifically so that it exposes the largest (and therefore most harmful) tech companies to massive, unquantifiable, multifarious liability unless they get squeaky clean ASAP. Image: Florida Sea Grant https://www.flickr.com/photos/65549684@N08/7590138010 CC BY-NC-ND https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/

#pluralistic

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mason-knight-retired · 4 years ago

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x x x (x) [part 1 of 2]

All things considered, the training session with the fury went better than Mason had expected. The fury was powerful, and fast but Ben had a few new tricks of his own and Mason had been impressed in spite of himself. Just when he thought he might have a handle on all the new things Benji could do, he still managed to surprise him. Once again, he has to squash down almost instinctual urge to connect a vid call through to Ethan. Any other time, he might have, but now with the embarrassment of Mason’s poorly held secret between them, he was forced to navigate this new dynamic between the alliance and the biotics on his own and without the aid of his second.

It was hard though, Mason finally concedes. Hard to do this without him. Mason knew Ethan would see the things Mason missed, dissect the Fury’s moves and tactics and bad habits, one by one. They had spent many nights pouring over vid logs and honing their steps over the years, and the Fury wouldn’t be any different.

He sighs heavily as he falls back against his bunk and tries to remind himself that the Fury isn’t the enemy. He could dress it up as much as he wanted but the simple fact was that he missed Ethan. He missed having his warm presence at his back, the quiet comfort that came from knowing that whatever shit got flung their way, he wasn’t facing it alone. He missed Ethan’s smile, his smirks, the flecks of gold and the way he would catch Mason's eye and they could have an entire conversation without words. And of course he missed the sex too. Missed the way Ethan's hands had roamed over him and worked him open, missed the way Ethan knew the best ways to touch him.

And feels like forever since anyone has touched him.

It’s always there, the thrumming sexual need. There had been some mutterings somewhere about it being just another thing Cerberus had tinkered with but Mason was too tired and too on edge to think too deeply about it. He allows his hands to wander, unbuckling his pants and reaching inside. It doesn’t take much, he hasn’t danced with anyone but his hand in the weeks since he had walked out of the apartment and a part of him regrets not going straight to the wards or the silver sun strip and finding a replacement – only his heart wouldn’t have been in it anyway.

He curls his fingers around his hot length now, closing his eyes and calling up his memories of Ethan in his mind. He imagines its Ethan’s hands on him as he strokes. He thinks about their favourite times together, too many to count or pin down in a single moment so his mind ends up flooded with the visceral memories of Ethan’s taste and scent and warmth. There wasn't anything Mason wasn't willing to try with him and their escapades had been many - Mason supposed the benefit of trusting a man with his life in a firefight made it all too easy to trust him with his body too.

His heart was a different story.

Mason doesn't bother to deny it now. Since the once loose nebulous thought floated around and solidified into realization, he's nursed it inside him like a tiny jewel. Treasured. Precious. A symbol of hopes he never thinks to say out loud. It doesn't matter so much the feelings aren’t returned, it's enough to know it exists. Sometimes Mason sits and marvels at the beauty of it, turning it over inside himself, polishing its corners until it gleams. He doubts he can ever offer it to Ethan in shades of red, but he'll hold it close and know that even if the reapers or any other unquantifiable foe rips his throat out, his love for Ethan will still endure.

He thinks about the last time they had been together, the night of Marie’s party, when he had been the one to lean over Ethan and drive him into the mattress amongst a litany of heavy breaths and heat. How Ethan hadn't needed convincing, how he had given Mason all he asked, just for that moment in time. And there had been a heartbeat that night that Mason’s walls had slipped low and he had been sure Ethan’s had too. But that turned out to be a fantasy and Mason wonders briefly if Ethan had already made his decision then, if he had already planned to break things off and then ice cold pricks along Mason’s skin at the thought.

Was Ethan so pliable that night because he knew it would be the last time? Was it just a pity fuck?!

That’s all it takes for Mason’s erection to deflate. He shoves himself back into his pants and leans over the side of his bunk as his stomach churns with a sick kind of dread. He has to concentrate on his breathing to calm the pulse of his heart so that his biotics don’t erupt and once the churning settles, he throws a pillow over his face and yells, but it soon turns into a muffled sob of frustration and sadness instead.

The sudden, insistent beep of his omnitool is the only thing that draws him back. An alert with Ben's name on it that has him sitting up quickly and Mason remembers there's more at stake than his cracked excuse of a heart.

#i apologize for my over dramatic oc #but i'm sure you're all used to him by now #mason knight #ethan sinclair #scooter roosevelt #eva novakov #i've had to split this between a few oc's because apparently they're all about Scooter tonight #well except for Nico who's too busy getting dicked down somewhere #but if he knew he would be too #also i wrote this on my phone while my kid was having a swimming lesson sooo

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littlemisssquiggles · 5 years ago

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Pinehead Headcanons: Oscar’s Sacrifice For His Rose

Guys, I’ve been thinking. And y’know what happens when this squiggle meister muses about something; especially if it’s related to RWBY.

For most of V8’s promotion, the showrunners and the CRWBY kept hinting at how much “darker” this new season to be. And as daunting as that may sound to me as an audience member, the obvious question I ask from this is:

“…Exactly how dark are we talking?”

After all, RWBY has done dark before. I mean look at V3 and the events of the Fall of Beacon. V3 is still considered to be RWBY’s darkest season to date. Beacon fell leaving Vale Kingdom broken and vulnerable without the protection of its main huntsmen academy and a handful of important lead characters from that arc---heroes and villains alike---died. So keeping that in mind, how really dark can V8 be compared to that? What can the showrunners do for this season that they didn’t already do season prior? And here in lies, my hunch.

Well…not real a hunch. Just a thought. An idea. For me, V8 being darker wouldn’t just represent the Fall of Atlas and the death of lead characters important to this volume arc such as General Ironwood or Winter Schnee or even another member of Team JNPR like Ren or Nora.

Nah son. To me, that’d be way too simple for my taste since, as I mentioned earlier, it’s already been done before so fans are already going to expect that, right? For V8 to be dark for me, the showrunners would have to do something incredibly ballsy. Something that’ll really catch their viewers off guard.

I’m not talking about Ruby Rose losing an eye. As much as I’m not really a fan of that popular fan theory, even that seems too light. Not to mention that Ruby’s development as a Silver Eyed Warrior has been quite inconsistent over the past few seasons and is the aspect of her character that’s been the least challenged.

So I’m going to just toss this one out there because it’s been on my mind since I saw this particular shot from V8 opening visuals. It’s the shot of RWBY falling into an abyss of darkness with Ruby reaching out to grasp what appears to be the Relic of Creation while Grimm hands---the same ones conjured by Salem back in V6 to apprehend Hazel as punishment for his failures---restrain her to drag her further and further away from the light.

Imagine if…Ruby dies?

And I’m not just talking teasing her death like how they did it with Weiss back in V5 with Cinder Fall or with Blake in V3 and V6 with Adam or even Yang back in V3 with Adam.

I’m talking, straight up having Ruby Rose be killed instantly by Salem and her corpse is just left behind for her allies to find her dead. An unquantifiable spark snuffed out after the villains had won yet again. And on this grim tone, V8 just ends like THAT.

Mantle Kingdom is no more; just another graveyard for the Grimm like the former Beacon Academy.

The People of Mantle are all dead; tragic victims of a failed attempt at saving them.

Atlas Kingdom has fallen with its own people about to meet the same horrible end as their former Mantlese brethren.

Salem has succeeded in claiming the Relic of Creation and relishes in her triumph by the restored communications to broadcast a cryptic message to the rest of the world. A message unveiling the Fall of the formerly powerful Kingdom of Atlas at the mercy of her Grimm army; letting the leaders of Vale and Vacuo---the last two remaining kingdoms standing in her way of claiming all the Relics; know that they were next in her conquest.

Our heroes have sustained yet another heavy loss. And what’s worse this time is that now no longer had the guidance of their leader. Ruby Rose is dead. Made to be the martyr this time. And on that note, the volume just fades to black on the echoing cries of our heroes and the victims of Atlas as everything falls to ruin.

It’ll be just like the opening foreshadowed. Happy? Never Again…because the simple soul who was meant to be our hero in the end to rise above everything else and vanquish the forces of evil was now gone. Died another failure to a cause like so many others who died in vain throughout Remnant’s history; just as Roman Torchwick predicted that she would. And such a tragedy this is since this girl. This single rose---this true rose--- was meant to be unique. She was supposed to change everything, right? But alas, her fate was no different than the ones that came before her.

I’m bringing this up because I have this rather farfetched idea involving the Rosegarden pair that I really wanted to share. It’s not exactly a theory per say. It’s definitely not something I expect the canon to do. Shoot, I highly doubt the showrunners would actually pack the chops to kill off their main protagonist.

However the RWBY V8 opening really got me thinking.

“…We said goodbye to all the things we loved. Gave up our lives just to find that it was not enough…”

In a discussion regarding the ending of the Little Prince story, an anon-ninja informed me about there being an alternative interpretation of the conclusion to the prince’s story wherein, instead of perishing from the snake’s venomous snake bite, the prince succeeded in returning home to his beloved rose on their planet...only to discover that his rose had died in his absence with his care and love.

Putting that together with the V8 opening visuals, it made recall a show I used to watch on Lifetime called Witches of East End. I quite liked it. It's a shame it got cancelled after only two seasons though.

Anyways, why I remember this series in particular is that; spoilers but…at some point during the show’s main PLOT, it did the unexpected and had a series villain kill two of our three main characters. And what made the visual even more horrifying to the audience was that the corpses of these characters were left on display for the surviving third main character to find. It doesn’t help that the two characters were also the beloved children of our third lead who she has watched die countless of times since the head witch---Johanna (I believe her name was) was cursed by her father so that each time her daughters died---she would be forced to give birth to them again and watch their life and death happen again and again. And it doesn’t matter what she did or how hard she tried---even when she attempted to hide her family’s identity as witches from her girls---her daughters STILL never lived past the age of 30.

They always died somehow and it didn’t matter if only one of the daughters died either. When either died, the other one would surely follow. So Johanna would give birth. Raise her two girls into fine young women and…watch them die. Living the same vicious cycle.

This is why the V8 opening visuals made me think of the prospect of Ruby dying. That shot that I showed of Ruby being dragged down into the dark abyss by the Grimm far away from the light made me wonder.

At first I figured this was a sign that we going to see some mental machinations at the hands of Salem. Basically Salem trapping Ruby and her friends in this cryptic illusion where she tortures them with surreal images of their worst fears incarnated in order to break our heroes down both emotionally and psychologically. So that’s one idea.

But then I thought, …what if…instead that moment is meant to be symbolic. Like the Staff of Creation symbolised life while the Grimm and the void represented death and at some point, Ruby will straddle the fine line between the two for this season.

So with all that in mind, this is what I thought. This is the scenario I concocted from this interpretation.

Let's say...

It is the inevitable Fall of Atlas and Salem kills Ruby Rose.

Instead of the wicked witch being dead, it’s our little red rose and because of this, our heroes are left distraught (Yang in particular, not just because Ruby was her baby sister but also given her doubts over her sister’s judgement and all that jazz). However our remaining heroes aren’t given time to really process Ruby's death. All they could do is take her corpse and attempt to flee since Atlas was falling and our remaining hero team needed to leave if they were going to make it out alive.

Since the show hinted at this bit back in V6, my assumption is that at some point, Vacuo Kingdom will answer the call and come to aid the People of Atlas. While they're unable to salvage the kingdom, the least their forces are able to do with the aid they could provide was evacuate the Atlesians to safety in Vacuo.

So ultimately our heroes are rescued by their allies from Vacuo and reunite with teams CFVY and SSSN respectively. However there is no real time to celebrate their reunion since...well...Ruby is dead. Salem is on her way to Vacuo to claim the Sword of Destruction next and, the group are at a loss on what to do next. Not to mention that certain characters---like WBY (mainly Yang) and Oscar---aren’t taking Ruby’s death too well.

Since the usual gimmick for when a main character dies is for their allies to somehow figure out a way to bring them back from the dead, in respect to Ruby, I had this idea of...perhaps…while staying in Vacuo at Shade Academy, Oscar discovers a way for him to somehow bring Ruby back from the dead?

Let’s say…it has something to do with his semblance or magic. The thought process I had behind this was that considering that Ozma is technically the only living soul to have ever traversed the line between life and death as an immortal being, imagine if...this somehow made Oscar some kind of human life line or spiritual anchor---A being who is connected to the Realm of Life and Death via his rather unique predicament as a member of Ozma's lineage.

And thus, using magic (or his semblance or whatever---I dunno) Oscar is easily able to travel the Realm Between Life and Death. Y'know sorta like the Avatar. Maybe?

Basically the notion I had was that

Oscar would go to the Realm Between Realms.

Y’know the same white void where we originally saw Ozma meet the God of Light for the first time in the Lost Fable.

Picture it, Oscar mirroring his predecessor in the Lost Fable, awakening in the Realm Between Realms. In this vacant world, let's say…we get another call-back to the Lost Fable where for the first time since his lifetime as Ozma, a Wizard of Light is reunited with a God.

Imagine if...as a nice parallel, Oscar encounters the God of Darkness in the Realm Between Realms. Much like Light to Ozma, Darkness chose to appear before Oscar since the all-knowing God was already fully aware of what the little prince’s intentions were daring to come to such a world. He knew he was coming to find his rose.

Let's say...to entertain his own amusement, Darkness agrees to give Oscar a helping hand with his quest for Ruby. The God informs that Ruby’s soul was located in the After Life and even takes Oscar to her so that he may reunite with her. However being the cunning God that he was, what Darkness failed to inform Oscar of was that even if he succeeded in finding Ruby amongst the sea of souls in the After, that didn’t necessarily mean that the boy would be permitted to just bring Ruby just like that.

And since Darkness had dominion over Death (as Light had Life), even with his title as his brother’s cherry picked “champion of humanity”, Darkness wasn’t going to give Oscar that respect in the slightest. For in Darkness’ eyes, this foolish boy lost that mercy the instant he dared to defy the order of the world he and his brother fashioned together to step foot into what he described as his domain.

After all, there are rules to this game; naturally. Life and death go hand in hand---always in perfect balance.

In a nutshell, to Oscar's detriment, Darkness informs the little prince that the only way that he would be allowed to revive Ruby is if he gave up something equivalent in exchange for her salvation.

An eye for an eye. A soul for a soul. So this presents Oscar with a predicament where in order to save Ruby, he had to sacrifice himself in the process. There was no other way. Ruby will be allowed to return to the Realm of the Living to reunite with their friends waiting for her but this also meant that Oscar would be forced to part ways with everything he and everyone he had grown to love.

This included Ruby despite defying the odds just to find her. He wouldn't even be able to be with Ruby as they once were. Not as teammates. Not as friends or anything more. His life would be gone…and Darkness informs the young boy of all of this; expecting him to fold.

But despite the God's warnings, Oscar agrees to the terms. Without question. Out of his devotion to his rose, the little prince was willing to make this great sacrifice for her. And even when questioned by Darkness of why Oscar would dare to commit himself to such a foolish feat especially for a single girl when there were probably a thousand more exactly like her back on Remnant, it is here where we can get the Fox’s lesson to the Prince, in Oscar’s own words.

Yes Ruby was no different from any other rose. Just as Oz once told him, Ruby had her faults and her quirks just like any other person. She’s remarkable yes. Strong. Brave and Kind. But she’s not perfect. Oscar had experienced the consequences of her flaws and learnt that lesson for himself.

But this wasn’t what truly mattered. What made Ruby important to Oscar was that…she was his. His teammate. His friend. His rose. The girl he…loves. The love and respect that Oscar had for this one girl due to the bond they shared together was enough to make Ruby more special to Oscar than any other girl in Remnant.

His love for her was what made her unique to him. A proclamation which genuinely stunned Darkness as he recounted a time when another poor unfortunate soul, blinded by love just as Oscar was now, came before him for the same reasons as Oscar was doing for Ruby.

Only this other helpless soul didn't make the same bold choice as Oscar did. Unlike Oscar, this soul didn’t understand the value of the life they claimed to love. Essentially a comparison between Salem and Oscar.

So for the meat and potatoes of this post, Oscar sacrifices his soul to restore Ruby to the Land of Living, bolding choosing to take her place in the Afterlife. As Ruby's soul returns home safe, Oscar's descends slowly into the Void of Death.

But despite this, the little prince bears no remorse. No regrets. He wears nothing but a smile on his fate; perfectly content with his sacrifice as he reached a hand to the light to bid one last tearful goodbye to his rose.

His one true love as he slowly closed his eyes and awaited death's embrace.

And…that’s it. That’s the idea. Obviously me being me, there is definitely more to this concept that I had in mind however this post is already getting a bit too lengthy so I’ll just stop right here. (If anyone is curious about the rest of this headcanon, feel free to ask me in my inbox if you’d like).

But for now, yeah, this is the idea I had. Now as I said, this is only a thought. A mere musing. As I’ll repeat again, I don’t actually expect the show to really kill off Ruby for V8. In another different story, this could’ve happened but I’m not expecting this at all from RWBY even it would’ve made for a very interesting twist.

Regardless, I do still love the concept of Oscar Pine---as our titular little prince, declaring his love for his rose by giving his life to bring her back from the dead should she perish in battle. It feels like such a poetic thing to do. But like I said. It’s just another idea I wanted to toss out to the Rosegardening Pinehead and Rosegarden community.

Take it as you will and maybe you all might like it. Who knows? X3

~LittleMissSquiggles (2020)

#rwby #oscar pine #ruby rose #oscar and ruby #rwby rosegarden #rwby volume 8 theories #rwby volume 8 spoilers #squiggles pinehead headcanons #pinehead headcanons

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jonrak · 4 years ago

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The Greatest Threat to Mankind: A Letter to 8 Billion People

These unprecedented times have left us with unprecedented dangers. We face the potential annihilation of our way of life and possibly, the extinction of humanity. The warming of the Indian Ocean has imperiled our brothers and sisters in East Africa, Bangladesh, and India, who are facing deadly flooding as well as locusts that have grown to such numbers that would eclipse major cities, decimating their farmland and subsequently threatening their food supplies.[1]

Drought and extreme heat are fueling a record breaking number of wildfires while lack of substantial rain is threatening the water supply for millions of Americans on the west coast. As we speak, more than 25% of the U.S. is reeling from the most severe case of drought.[2] The heat trapping of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitric oxide can no longer be ignored, much less denied. Carbon dioxide emissions from our dependence on fossil fuels are increasing 250 times faster than it did from natural sources after the last ice age. Due to the rising carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, the acidity of our oceans has increased by more than 30%. Satellites have detected that the Arctic Sea ice, as well as the once-gleaming glaciers from the Alps, Andes, Himalayas, Rockies, Alaska, and Kilimanjaro are disappearing. According to NASA, in the year 1900, the planet’s temperature was -.08° C. Now the planet’s temperature is over 1° C.[3]

I would be remiss if I were to say that the picture is anything but dire. At this rate, the global temperature is expected to surpass 1.5°C around 2040 and 2°C by 2050. A 2°C warming would undoubtedly lead to a billion people displaced and the scale of destruction is currently unquantifiable but there is a high likelihood that human civilization, as we know it, would end.[4] We face the potentially grim reality of inadequate food production compounded by skyrocketing prices. We could witness the desertification of entire regions, frequent flooding for some nations and wildfires for others; chronic water shortages and mass migrations of displaced peoples, which would overwhelm already stressed infrastructures. Armed conflict over waning resources would be inevitable and even the nuclear armed nations would not be immune. Government instability and chaotic fallout is not hard to imagine. We risk the loss of thousands of years of historical advancements and achievements of mankind, as well as the loss of our future and our children’s future.

Our best-case scenario is in fact, not very good news at all. Even if we were to stop immediately the emissions that are heating up our planet, we are already on course- like the Titanic- to hit that proverbial iceberg of 1.5° Celsius. According to the IPCC, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the best we can hope for is that we brace ourselves accordingly and hope it stops there. The panel predicts the devastating news that coral reefs, for example, are projected to decline by a further 70–90% at 1.5°C but there would be significantly larger losses (>99%) at 2°C. The panel also reports that of 105,000 species studied, 9.6% of insects, 8% of plants and 4% of vertebrates are projected to lose over half of their climatically determined geographic range from global warming of 1.5°C. This is compared to a staggering loss of 18% of insects, 16% of plants and 8% of vertebrates’ geographic range from global warming of 2°C. Climate-related risks to health, livelihoods, food security, water supply, human security, and economic growth are projected to increase with global warming of 1.5°C and increase further with 2°C.[5] Either way, this Titanic is going to crash, and it’s up to us to determine our speed when it happens. The Paris Agreement’s strategies are deemed not aggressive enough on carbon dioxide emissions to prevent the global temperature rising above 1.5°C.[6] In other words, the captain of our proverbial ship, still has the speed at full throttle instead of reverse.

To survive this less-than-ideal situation (the understatement of the century) would demand “a global mobilization of resources on an emerging basis, akin to a wartime level response.”[7] We must immediately reduce emissions and stabilize the levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, not as an ethnic group, not as a creed or religion, or as a country, but as human beings who are staring into the face of total extinction and refusing to go gentle into that good night. There is real hope, but it is not found in denial or in the heated discourse over semantics (e.g., climate change vs. global warming) to name our shared enemy which has already breached the gates. It is knowing that we have the ability to lower the temperature even after it reaches that dreaded 1.5° C. If we institutionalize potentially disruptive but sustainable pathways to eliminate these gases, we can possibly return to lower temperatures and regain control before we sink.

In the following section I will discuss key actions that need to be considered seriously and implemented.

It will not be sufficient to solely reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero; CO2 will also need to be actively captured from the atmosphere. Leveraging photosynthesis may hold the solution. As algae grows, it removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by converting it to oxygen via photosynthesis. On average, one kilogram of algae utilizes 1.87 kilograms of CO2 daily, which means that one acre of algae utilizes approximately 2.7 tons of CO2 per day. For comparison, one acre of a 25-year-old maple beech-birch forest only utilizes 2.18 kilograms of CO2 per day.[8] We must invest in strategies that increase the rate of photosynthesis globally, including expanding the surface area of communities with fauna and algae. The cheapest way to remove excess CO2 is tree-planting. Two-thirds of human emissions can be potentially removed by planting one trillion trees in the world’s 1.7 billion hectares of non-used land with a cost of 30 U.S. cents per tree.[9] From reading the aforementioned, it should be clear that the cessation of deforestation is nonnegotiable or otherwise, we might as well all capitulate to an abysmal and likely torturous fate that is fast approaching.

Another viable option is the theoretical geoengineering technique called “enhanced weathering.” This involves the capture of CO2 indefinitely from the environment by the crushing and spreading of certain rock material (e.g., silicate) across large areas which then absorb the CO2 and convert it into bicarbonate, a benign molecule. This alkaline product can then reverse ocean acidification as well as improve crop growth.[10]

Methane is the second most prevalent greenhouse gas yet is significantly more powerful at capturing heat than carbon dioxide. Cutting methane emissions by almost half within the next decade would prevent a 0.3°C rise in the average global temperature by the 2040’s.[11] Comparatively, this would be considered the “low hanging fruit” in terms of low-cost implementations when juxtaposed to carbon dioxide reduction. Reduction strategies include improving the detection and repair of methane leaks at gas and oil facilities and flooding abandoned coal mines that leak gas. It includes the prevention of burning of fields after harvest and adjusting feed for livestock.[12] Also, focused attention and financial incentives should be allocated to the development of technology that converts methane gas from waste into energy.

While we make concerted efforts to slow down global warming, we must simultaneously plan for the inevitable consequences from the damage that has already been done. Increased attention and stewardship for the conservation of the species (e.g., bees) that we desperately depend on must be in order. Governments need to create and implement plans for the storage of potable water and foods, especially for those populations geographically at greatest risk. Another crucial action is the increased vigilance to prevent and combat wildfires in those regions commonly affected such as the western coast of the United States and Australia. This by far is not a comprehensive list of necessary steps but it is a reasonable start.

We, humanity, as well as the panoply of fauna and wildlife, face a fast-approaching existential threat. This is not a drill.

[1] VOX. (2020). Why locusts are descending on East Africa [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo61TiAGwhk.

[2] John Keefe and Rachel Ramirez, C. (2021). The West’s historic drought in 3 maps. Retrieved 21 June 2021, from https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/17/weather/west-california-drought-maps/index.html

[3] Climate Change Evidence: How Do We Know?. (2021). Retrieved 21 June 2021, from https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/

[4] Dunlop, I., & Spratt, D. J. (2019, May). A scenario approach THE AUTHORS. Existential climate-related security risk. https://www.academia.edu/40017142/Existential_climate-related_security_risk_A_scenario_approach_THE_AUTHORS.

[5] IPCC, 2019: Summary for Policymakers. In: Climate Change and Land: an IPCC special report on climate change, desertification, land degradation, sustainable land management, food security, and greenhouse gas fluxes in terrestrial ecosystems [P.R. Shukla, J. Skea, E. Calvo Buendia, V. Masson-Delmotte, H.-O. Pörtner, D. C. Roberts, P. Zhai, R. Slade, S. Connors, R. van Diemen, M. Ferrat, E. Haughey, S. Luz, S. Neogi, M. Pathak, J. Petzold, J. Portugal Pereira, P. Vyas, E. Huntley, K. Kissick, M. Belkacemi, J. Malley, (eds.)]. In press.

[6] Ibid, 5.

[7] Dunlop, I., & Spratt, D. J. (2019, May). A scenario approach THE AUTHORS. Existential climate-related security risk. https://www.academia.edu/40017142/Existential_climate-related_security_risk_A_scenario_approach_THE_AUTHORS.

[8] Polon, R. (2020, July 10). Not All Heroes Wear Capes: How Algae Could Help Us Fight Climate Change. The Aggie Transcript. https://aggietranscript.ucdavis.edu/not-all-heroes-wear-capes-how-algae-could-help-us-fight-climate-change/.

[9] Holloway, B. (n.d.). Top 5 ways scientists are trying to reverse climate change. Top 5 ways scientists are trying to reverse climate change | UPM Pulp. https://www.upmpulp.com/media/blogs-and-stories/stories/top-5-ways-scientists-are-trying-to-reverse-climate-change/.

[10] Beerling, D.J., Kantzas, E.P., Lomas, M.R. et al. Potential for large-scale CO2 removal via enhanced rock weathering with croplands. Nature 583, 242–248 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2448-9

[11] Maizland, lindsay. (2021, May 21). How Cutting Methane Emissions Can Move the Needle on Climate Change. Council on Foreign Relations. https://www.cfr.org/in-brief/how-cutting-methane-emissions-can-move-needle-climate-change?gclid=Cj0KCQjwxJqHBhC4ARIsAChq4asQ4lTvhMrvK_2RCnPENhMXbFZvOkXoyaaocAgnQd65blBgo94oj7IaAqZDEALw_wcB.

[12] Ibid, 11.

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matsuoclan · 6 years ago

Text

celebrations

Pairing: Jax x human!FMC Rating: Explicit (minors do not interact) Summary: Just some good ol’ gratuitous birthday sex

Tagging: @desiree-0816 @ihaveathingforliterature @vaticanwaltz @srta-give-me-my-jax-rl @lilyofchoices @msjpuddleduck @jaxmlmatsuo

Notes: It’ll be my birthday once midnight pacific time hits so uhhh...i thought i’d write this to celebrate lmaO

[masterlist] [ao3]

“For the fifth time, I can help with the dishes, you know,” she says.

Jax doesn’t even bother looking up at this point, but she still sees the corners of his mouth tug into a wry smile as he concentrates on wiping their plates down with a dish towel. The flex of his forearms, revealed by the rolled-up sleeves of his dress shirt, momentarily distracts her. “And for the fifth and final time: no cleaning for the birthday girl. Besides, I’m almost finished.”

She huffs in protest from her perch on the kitchen counter. “It’s still not fair. You dressed up for this! You cooked dinner, you got us wine...and now you’re cleaning in my kitchen. Anyone could see I’m being a bad host.”

Continuing his task despite her objections, Jax hmms thoughtfully and turns to her, catching her gaze. “You really want to help?”

“Yeah.”

“I’ve got an idea.” He leans towards her, completely serious in a way that she knows isn’t sincere at all. Her breath catches when his eyes flicker down to her mouth and then back up. “Listen closely. It’s important.”

Jax leans even closer and she’s giddy with anticipation, tilting her head as he gets draws nearer, lips only centimeters away from hers, when he murmurs, “...sip?”

“What?”

“Of your wine.” He’s so close she can feel the waft of his breath on her mouth. The corners of his eyes crinkle with mirth at her dumbfounded expression and she can’t believe he has the gall to grin. “Can I have a sip?”

“You’re so mean, oh my god,” she groans, pushing him away while he laughs. “But yes. Here.” She lifts her glass so he can take a sip hands-free, watching the bob of his Adam’s apple as he swallows. “Good?”

“Good. Thank you. You were very helpful.” He finishes drying the last dish, smiling as he sets it on her shelf, and despite still wanting that kiss, she smiles too.

For all her protests to help out, she can’t deny he’s in his element here. The food he makes her is always good, but tonight he pulled out all the stops with gyoza made completely from scratch, waiting for her when she came home from work. A man who knows his way around the kitchen is one she has a vested interest in keeping around. That he happens to be a vampire on top of that is only an added bonus.

“So,” he says conversationally, turning back to her. “What’s the verdict? Good birthday? Bad birthday?”

“Best birthday,” she says, sighing happily. “Start to end, this was probably the best birthday I’ve had in a really long time, thanks to you.”

“Yeah?” His grin is soft for a beat, and then he moves slowly in front of her, parting her thighs to step between them, caging her in with his arms. She shivers at the delicious brush of his skin against hers. “Did you get everything you wanted?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” she says, suddenly breathless. His eyes darken. Seeing this side of him that he usually reserves for the bedroom makes her squirm pleasantly and he arches an eyebrow like he knows exactly what he’s doing to her. “I think there’s one more thing on my list.”

He leans in again, only this time there’s no teasing, his breath tickling the shell of her ear. “Care to tell me what it is?”

Swallowing thickly, she opens her mouth to try and force some words out but anything she means to say is swallowed by his kiss. It’s a slow, sensual slide at first when his tongue sweeps into her mouth; he tastes like heat and wine and Jax, something wholly unquantifiable and addictive and she sinks into it, winding her free hand into the hair at the nape of his neck.

It’s the last thought she has before his kiss turns bruising, ravaging her mouth in the way he knows that she likes and wants, and she hardly recognizes the sound that comes out of the back of her throat: needy, desperate, full of want.

One of his hands comes up to rest at the base of her neck, and then trails down her front, leaving a trail of goosebumps behind. He bunches her dress up to her waist and palms the heat of her cunt through her panties, swallowing her gasp when he presses his thumb to her clit through the fabric. Distantly she registers the sound of shattering glass and realizes she must’ve dropped her wine.

“Jax--”

“Leave it,” he says roughly against her mouth, and she jumps when he brushes against her clit again. “No cleaning for the birthday girl.”

“But--”

“Hey.” He pulls back, just barely. “It’s ok. Let me take care of you.”

“...ok. Ok.” A split second’s warning is all she gets before his mouth is back on hers. He slides his hands under her ass to pull her to him and she wraps her legs around his hips, whining when he grinds the length of his cock, still trapped in his pants, into the juncture of her thighs.

In a few quick, sure movements, he hauls her up and sets her down on the edge of her dining table a few yards away, his mouth relentless in trying to take her apart. She tilts her head back when he bends to kiss at her throat, then lower and lower until he hits the tops of her breasts at the neckline of her pesky sundress. With an impatient grunt, he slides his hands under the hem and then she’s helping him pull it over her head to discard onto the floor, bra and panties following soon after.

The look he gives her is scorching like it always is when she’s bared to him, but this time there’s something else to it. For the briefest moment he pauses, his gaze almost worshipful when he takes her in, and she holds her breath until he closes his eyes.

When he opens them, they’re bright red.

“Lay back,” he says.

She doesn’t think to disobey.

The table is cool against her bare skin but she soon forgets that when his hands sweep slowly down her body. His mouth follows the same path, beard scraping against her skin, fangs catching here and there, and she cries out when he bites down hard enough under the swell of her breast to leave a mark.

Jax moves even further down closer to where she wants, slowing as he goes, and she trembles when his fangs drag on the skin of her inner thigh, imagining how it’d feel if he sank them properly into her flesh there, drinking his fill while she drowns in pleasure. But he doesn’t. Instead he finally sinks to his knees before her, dipping his fingers between her legs.

“You’re soaking wet,” he says, awed.

“Are you honestly surprised?” she laughs.

He doesn’t deign to answer, only looking up briefly to meet her eyes and bare his pointed teeth in a brief, savage smile before he descends on her. He buries his head between her legs and already she can hardly stand it, the feel of his tongue inside her or the scratch of his beard against her thighs, as keyed up as she is.

She snakes a shaking hand into his dark hair as he tastes and tastes her, as he rips her apart and puts her back together with every swipe of his tongue. Her hips roll when he continues his onslaught, never letting up as she begs and whimpers and whines.

“Please, Jax,” she whispers, rendered unable to put what she wants into words by his wicked, talented mouth. All she has left is a prayer and his name. “Please.”

Luckily he knows exactly what it is she wants. Finally, finally, he moves his attention to her clit, sucking on it mercilessly as her thighs clench around him. She cries out under his exquisitely relentless tongue, heat building in her lower stomach until she breaks and comes hard against his mouth. Only when tears start leaking from her eyes and she continues to shake from overstimulation does he withdraw, panting against her thigh as if he was the one who just came.

“Jax,” she breathes, when her heart rate slow and she can finally talk again.

He gets to his feet and leans over her again, resting his weight on her this time as he kisses her sweetly with the taste of herself on his tongue, gently wiping away the leftover tears with calloused thumbs.

“Happy birthday,” he murmurs.

#choices #playchoices #jax matsuo #jax x mc #BloodBound #myfic #n/sfw #n/sfw text #(waves awkwardly) hello i am sorry for disappearing for months #will probably disappear again lmao #also they totally go bang in her bedroom after this okok

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