#(the fire has so many irons in it that it's literally falling apart at the seams)

[pochapal]

started feeding the diamond/pearl liveblog into the pokespe queue and i am realising that the dp arc constitutes 50% of the total liveblog by post count

[violetastridhotd]

Lawful v. Moral/Team Black v. Team Green

Rant incoming. (This is Fire and Blood centric, not HotD centric, but most of it applies to both)

So, I have always been a firm Rhaenyra supporter for the Dance. And for a long time, I couldn't understand how people could legit be "Team Green" outside of liking individual characters or their portrayal. And then I realized:

Team Black has a moral mentality and Team Green has a lawful mentality. Follow me here.

Rhaenyra and Aegon both have legitimate claims to the throne by birth and by law. So, we essentially have an ethical dilemma on our hands. With many ethical dilemmas, the "right" solution is based on an individual's perception of morality.

(Example of Lawful thinking v. Moral thinking: You catch a woman stealing food to feed her children. Do you put her in prison (she broke the law) or do you let her go (because letting children starve is immoral)? Also, please note this is purposefully a simplistic example.)

In Defense of Team Green:

The biggest argument for Team Green is "They weren't wrong. Jace, Luke, and Joff were literal bastards. Rhaenyra was trying to trick everyone by passing off bastards as true-born heirs."

And this is facts. Rhaenyra is committing high treason for having an affair and passing off her bastards as legitimate. As far as the law is concerned, this is a black and white issue. It doesn't matter she was Viserys' favorite. It didn't matter that Corlys and Rhaenys didn't care. None of it mattered because Rhaenyra didn't even try to hide her affair or even have the decency to make sure the father had features similar to her husband. What Rhaenyra did was not only high treason, but the fact that she wasn't careful about keeping it a secret because she knew Viserys would turn a blind eye, made it all the more offensive.

Especially to Otto, who relied on the strict laws of the court to enact his plan to obtain power. Especially to Alicent, who was a victim of these strict laws as a woman who "did her duty." Especially to Aegon and Aemond who were ignored no matter what they did in favor of their sister. Rhaenyra's actions were a huge, cruel middle finger to everyone on Team Green (except Otto, but fuck him).

In Defense of Team Black:

For the good of the realm, Rhaenyra needed to have that affair.

Hear. Me. Out.

The alliance between House Velaryon and House Targaryen was the Big Picture Problem, not who would sit the Iron Throne. Now, we have to remember that Corlys married Rhaenys while her father was still alive and it was assumed that she was going to be the next Queen. This is important.

When Rhaenys was passed over for Baelon for heir, Corlys was pissed. When the Great Council chose Viserys over Rhaenys/Laenor, he was pissed. When Viserys married Alicent instead of Laena, pissed again. Now, Corlys being upset is Not Good. Corlys has the largest naval fleet at this point. It is made clear several times that repeatedly pissing off Corlys is not the move to be making because he was rich, powerful, and had an entire fleet (and two dragons) and could make things very difficult for King's Landing if he felt frisky.

Cue Rhaenyra and Laenor getting married. Corlys no longer has a reason to beef with House Targaryen. Laenor will sit the Iron Throne. House Velaryon will now be tired directly to the Iron Throne and will practically be unstoppable. Team Viserys v. Team Rhaenys no longer matters because the two lines are coming together as a power couple.

And then Rhaenyra and Laenor struggle to conceive (which, as far as Fire and Blood is concerned, I fully believe Jacaerys is Laenor's son, but that is a whole other rant). This is a problem. If Laenor can't have children (because he's gay, infertile, etc), then that means his marriage to Rhaenyra needs to be annulled.

(In Fire and Blood, Alicent wanted to marry Rhaenyra to Aegon. Viserys denied it to keep the Hightowers from getting on the throne. If Rhaenyra's marriage with Laenor falls apart, Alicent would have pushed hella hard for her to marry Aegon)

Rhaenyra was either the heir to the Iron Throne, or she was a valuable bargaining chip for the heir. She would not be allowed to remain in a unfruitful marriage. If their marriage is annulled...we are back at square one. House Velaryon is powerful and pissed off for the fourth time. There was a very real possibility that shit would go down between House Velaryon and House Targaryen.

Conclusion

The Dance of Dragons is an ethical dilemma and no one is right or wrong. And that is the whole damn point.

So don't be weird and have such intense, Twilight-esque, beef with each other. I'd love it if the TB v. TG could be fun like Team Valor v. Team Mystic discourse, but some of ya'll really try to make one side right and the other wrong, one side morally superior and the other moral degenerates, and its super cringe.

[leonawriter]

While reading the chapter, it's easy to go with the flow and see this as Conan urging the disabled lady to be moved swiftly to safety, but knowing that the one holding onto the wheelchair there is actually Kid, and he's asked for a favour.

It then becomes clear that the "Hurry!" is less "get out of the fire!" and more "We're on a tight schedule, move it or someone's gonna die!"

This is further hinted at when neither the old lady nor her assistant are seen near the front of the car some panels on:

I also went in knowing (remembering) that Kid would turn out to have been disguised as Shiho this time, but for some reason thought that Shinichi had (somehow) contacted the thief before entering the train.

He, as shown above, didn't.

I can only imagine the urgency he felt, because the plan is... delicate, let's say. Remove one piece from the board on their side, and everything falls apart. There's already too many wild cards. Shinichi HAS to have Kid on board, or they lose.

He likely knew way in advance by looking things up about the train, and Jirokichi, that Kid would be targeting that location, at that time. That they'd cross paths.

He knew that he had to figure out which passenger was Kid, hoping that he hadn't miscalculated, and convince him to play along with something that - even from the start, with how he says "shake off the bad guys going after her" - is dangerous.

Here he is as they're disembarking, talking on the phone to Kaito, likely in a way that's specifically easy to mis-hear as a normal conversation.

Shinichi may have known for a fact that things would become that dire, but at the same time - he quite possibly didn't know how many twists there'd be. He did know, at least, that his mother would be holding up Vermouth, which would take one card out of play and ensure Kid couldn't be tag-teamed by both Vermouth and Bourbon.

I'd even go as far as to suggest that the Shiho disguise was created by Yukiko, and given to him by Conan, as it's highly unlikely that he'd have been able to create it in that short frame of time.

He even warns Kaito here - "They'll probably try to corner her in the storage, where they've got some explosives, so be careful."

So like... as much as I've seen (and probably, at the time, felt myself) that it's an uneven debt... I'd go as far as to say this case emphasises how much Shinichi TRUSTS Kaitou Kid, and also how much he believes in Kid's abilities!

For one thing, Kaito now knows enough about not just Shinichi (he mentioned his mother at the previous heist) but also Haibara:

Do note that she's telling him exactly what to say here, via an ear piece. We don't see a voice changer on the phone she's implied to use earlier on, so it's equally likely he heard Shiho's voice (possible, since he'd need a frame of reference) or Haibara's voice (if he knows she's the child form of the lady he's impersonating, he'd simply age that voice up).

As for Shinichi trusting in Kaitou Kid's abilities?

Well, for that we just have to look back on the past several heists!

Especially the one for the Kirin's Horn, I'd say, since...

Kaito himself was the one to brag about how "I've shown that... nothing's impossible for this Kaitou Kid!" - something that is quickly followed up by Conan sticking an identifier to Kid's back and Kid STILL not being caught.

So Kaito proved that he is capable of disguising as literally anyone, no matter how unlikely or how little he has to go by, and that he's capable of not being caught even with a handicap.

No wonder Shinichi was desperate to have Kaito's help, as he trusted that someone like this, who had a sense of justice (see: Magic Lovers Murder Case, the Samizu Mansion Murder Case, the Four Masterpieces, Iron Tanuki, and Ryoma's gunbelt) would listen and help.

[anya-nya-nya]

Using their stand to stop you from running away.

Contains: Risotto, Formaggio, Prosciutto, Ghiacco

TW yandere behavior, abuse (both physical and mental), kidnapping, mention of Stockholm syndrome, non-con/dub-con, please contact me if you think I missed something!

Risotto

Risotto is a sadist. A cruel one. The fact that you keep trying to run away after All those things he did with your body is both surpassing and annoying. So if you're not impressed by these strikes on your body, or these marks after rough sex doesn't hurt that much then he would give you a better reason to be scared of.

Being able to manipulate iron in your blood, he would make you fall on your knees from sudden dizziness right at the moment when you would have thought the escape was near. Your trembling hand is still on the doorknob as you try your hardest to stop coughing blood while Risotto's just standing here, observing. Will not push things to the point where you would gain some fathal repercussions, but definitely will repeat this several times. Seeing you more like a pet, not like an equivalent partner, Risotto would love to repeat Pavlov's dogs experiment and make you feel sick and scared everytime you walk past the exit door even when he's not torturing you.

Well, you actually have a good potential, so there's already too many plans in his head about how else he can train you now. Would love to actually develop Stockholm syndrome in you. Like yeah, the way your brows twitched as a scare gleam in your eyes is turning him on, but Risotto still prefers to see more joy on your face when towering over you with his huge frame.

Formaggio

Nah cause there's no way you would escape Formaggio. He loves to torture you and make you feel powerless so every time he need to leave the house he would use his stand to lock you somewhere. If you're still bratty, it would be just a dirty bottle, if you're already learnt to be obedient then maybe he will reward you with something more fancy. Maybe with some dollhouse or something, so his little darling has some fun when he's at work.

Yet if you still would try to run away then he doesn't mind to use you as a way to de-stress. Would immobilize you with some pen or something then increase and decrease the pressure while teasing you. Have a fear of bugs? Would use it against you just to see how loud your high-pitched sobs would be. Formaggio actually can be pretty creative with his games so it's just a matter of time when he will break your mind or your limbs - or maybe all at once.

Prosciutto

Prosciutto is a busy man who wouldn't even try to start with something less cruel as a punishment. Of course if you only misbehave he would just berate you or be a little more rough with his grasp on your body, but as soon as you get caught on running away he will use his ability.

So come on, try to escape now when your legs are so weak and your whole body suddenly gets so old and slow. All this time he would sit near, teasing and commenting on every move, threatening you that even if you run away now he'll not unuse his ability back, making sure you're old enough to die in a few days. So the closer you're to the door, the older he will make you be, till you will stop or literally just fall on your knees from feeling too sick. And even after that he will not transform you back immediately, wanting for you to suffer a little bit more in this powerless state.

But don't you worry! With each attempt Prosciutto learns a little more about how to take care of you when you both will age up cause there's no way he would let you go till death will do you two apart.

Ghiacco

Ghiaccio is literally a psycho. You can try to throw a tantrum but he would immediately hit you with an even bigger tantrum, it's like fighting fire with fire. Or ice with ice in his case.

Would quickly get in rampage and just freeze EVERYTHING - the door, all windows, the fucking attic for some reason and all other places and holes you can escape through. Also will freeze your feet to the floor to the point you'll actually get scared you will lose both of your legs if he's not get hold of himself soon. And no, even if you will say sorry he will not stop, screaming and throwing everything everywhere while insulting you in every possible way. It would take some time and A LOT of begging before he will calm down and release you, but don't hope he's completely calmed down. There's literally no moment in Ghiaccio's life when he's completely chill and unbothered, so you'll listen about just what a cunt you're to the end of the day.

And don't hope that later this evening in the bed he will be just rough as usual - he's still mad and still sure this freezing was not enough as a punishment. And don't you dare disobey him again, he's not afraid to leave a few frostbites on your body again if it means he can finally position you and then use as he wants without being pushed away.

[sailxrmxrs]

blacksmith milo many thoughts head so full. this has been floating around in my brain for like a month it's been agony in all the best ways. throwback to playing l4d2 in vc and going wild over blacksmith milo crumbs. anyway it was so powerful i had to go and make it a reality if only to stop the screaming in my brain. milo with his hair tied back and sleeves rolled up......sensational. mc is a travelling mercenary currently between jobs and they've just arrived in a town nearby the capital. before going on to find work, they come across a blacksmith with a face far too pretty to be anything other than some rich noble's son. the two get talking and the rest is history.

A gentle pattering of rain thrummed rhythmically against the deep green hood of your cloak. Since reaching the northern lands of the capital, the climate had shifted drastically from the generous sunshine of the southern desert. Even the town's cottages and taverns looked as gloomy as the skies above, thatched roofs one bad thunderstorm away from falling apart. Coming here directly after weeks of watching the sun reflect off crystal windows and sprawling oases was like being doused in ice water. Almost quite literally, given the light downpour that only seemed to worsen with every step your horse took down the muddied path. The sun was nowhere to be seen despite the early afternoon hour, hidden behind knitted clouds so heavy and grey they looked almost ready to burst. You hoped to find the local blacksmith's soon if only to find cover from the inevitable impending storm. There was also the matter of your sword's blade growing appallingly dull; if you didn't get it tended to soon you'd barely be able to cut a loose thread from your tunic.

It seemed fate was on your side today, the familiar sound of iron against steel like a metronome leading the chorus of town life. Tucked away just behind an inn was a blacksmith's workshop. The exterior looked a little more lively than the rest of the town's infrastructure, as though its owner had taken extra care to keep it in optimal condition during the harsher weathers. An orange glow from the fiery furnaces came from the open doorway, letting out a mild warmth to fight against the cold rain. Luckily for your horse, there was an awning canopy sheltering the side of the workshop complete with a water trough and a place to tie their reins. As you made your way inside removing the dampened cloak hood you were met with the sight of who you presumed owned the place. He seemed tall even when leaning over the anvil to inspect his work. His long hair was pulled back and tied with a strip of leather loosely atop his head. His sleeves were rolled back to reveal his forearms, no doubt in part to combat the raging heat of the furnace. Surveying the room was enough to tell you that he was no beginner to his trade. It may have been a small workshop, fitting for a small town you supposed, but it was cosy. The place was lit with amber lanterns, their warm light reflected in the metal sheen of swords and axes and shields. He just might sell his stock on to the capital judging by the sheer quality of it all. It seemed you'd struck gold coming across this small rural town.

Your fingers chimed the small bell sitting on the desk by the entrance, its tinny ring echoing against the walls. The blacksmith turned, seemingly surprised to hear a visitor. Whoever this man was, he was no ordinary blacksmith. Most held rugged faces, worn with age and wizened under the roaring heat of constant fire. No, this man looked more like a rich noble's son who'd been deposited in some poor, desolate town as punishment for mistreating one too many maids. His eyes were a rich purple and his skin surprisingly held a gentle tan, clear and smooth save for a few stray swipes of coal from where his fingers had brushed loose strands of hair away from his face. The man could only be described as pretty—beautiful even. Certainly a rare trait for one in such a profession, at least as far as you had encountered. Still, even if he did not quite look the part, his handiwork was enough to tell you he was no beginner. Even the small blade he held looked far more ornate and well-made than some of your own back home.

"Afternoon," he called out, setting aside his current project and pushing his hair back from his face, smearing another streak of charcoal across his forehead. It took a great deal of self-restraint to not let slip a bemused smile.

"Afternoon. I assume you're the one to go to for sharpening weapons?" You asked, removing the scabbard from your waist and setting it atop the counter.

The blacksmith didn't crack a smile, unwilling to put on the pretences most tradespeople offered visitors. "About the only one in town who knows how to hold one of these, let alone sharpen one. Just passing through?"

"On my way to the capital. Although I shall likely have to extend my stay if the weather doesn't ease up. Is it usually this dreary around here?" You leaned against the counter, watching as the blacksmith took your sword to the whetstone, hands working deftly to sharpen the steel. He was sat directly under a lantern, using the light to inspect his handiwork every few moments. His focus was as razor sharp as your blade's edge was soon to be, taking utmost care to ensure no room for mistakes.

"If you're planning to wait for the rain to clear then you might as well move here. No getting to the capital until a day or two in the summer season when the sun deigns to make a rare appearance."

You grimaced, chin resting on your hand. You'd thought as much but the confirmation was not on your list of favourite things to hear. It seemed you had a long, and damp, journey ahead of you yet. Today might be a choice day to invest in another spare cloak. One that was perhaps a tad more waterproof that what you currently wore.

"Anything else you need sharpening up? Low on arrows, maybe? Got plenty of stock so feel free to take your time. Stay out of the rain a little longer." You were not one to spit in the face of opportunity, especially given the bonus pay you'd received from your previous employer. So you went and retrieved your reserve weapons from the shelter in which you'd left your horse and offered them up to the blacksmith whose name, as you'd learnt, was Milo. Surprisingly, he made for rather pleasant conversation, asking after your line of work and where you'd travelled from. In response, he'd offered up a chapter or two of his own story. He'd been born and raised in the small town to grocer parents but had spent most of his time in the local blacksmith's workshop, bothering him with all sorts of questions about everything had worked until the old man had taken him on as an apprentice. Once he was old enough, Milo was taking requests and eventually took over the business once his boss was too old to work as proficiently as he once had. Since then he primarily did business with palace officials, supplying new stock and revitalising damaged weapons and materials.

As the day drew to a close, the sky somehow turning darker, you pulled yourself away from the workshop and its rather pleasant company. You'd tossed a few silvers onto the counter, leaving an extra as payment for the afternoon shelter despite Milo's protests. He had been in the middle of forging a formerly broken sword and couldn't pull himself away to try and refund some of your coin. When you peered through the window, Milo was shaking his head as he returned to his work, a whisper of a smile tugging at his lips. The first and only one you'd seen from him all day, no doubt because he believed no one could see. Still, it warmed you inside to know he had not thought of your presence as a complete bother.

After leaving town, it became a somewhat regular routine to revisit that little rural town whenever your travel plans allowed it. Every time, without fail, you'd spend a day sat inside the workshop, telling Milo all of your ventures to various corners of the realm. In turn, he'd tell you of the local goings on, most of it trivial and uninteresting in his eyes but the normality of it all was a welcome change of pace for you. Hearing about the friendly competition between the various townsmen or other affairs that took place was a far cry from the types of jobs you were taking on, leading you to all sorts of unsavoury characters hiding in dark places. Spending that time with Milo was a highlight of your journeying, even if those visits were few and far between. He would always welcome you in and offer up a seat in the workshop, sometimes even volunteering to cook a hot meal. He was a rare constant in the ever changing routine of your life and at some point along the way you began to wonder what life might look like if you had a more permanent place in town, as opposed to your constant moving from place-to-place with each job that came your way. It was easy to let your mind wander in the silence of solitude that your travels offered, daydreaming of scenes of you and Milo where you could greet each other whenever the desire struck, rather than waiting weeks or months for a job that sent you in that direction. Whether he wondered of the same or not was a complete mystery.

Despite the growing closeness between the both of you, Milo remained a mostly closed book, keeping his innermost feelings to himself. Any time you mentioned in passing that you had missed his company, Milo would merely hum in acknowledgement and not offer up his own feelings on the matter. If you tried to press for more of an answer, he'd change the subject or make a teasing remark about how you were growing attached. In spite of his apparent disdain for sentimental comments, Milo would always be trying, and failing, to suppress a smile that suggested he was not quite as emotionally guarded as he pretended to be. Usually you'd let it pass without acknowledgement, but it was rather satisfying to watch him scramble for a response that didn't implicate himself for enjoying your company.

As time passed by, it had been a good many months since your last visit to that little workshop. Circumstance had kept you away and busy with a larger job than usual from your latest client. It had been so brutal that you were already planning a few weeks of rest before taking on another job if only to recover from the various aches and pains you'd acquired along the way. Even if they were only minor injuries you felt deeply in need of a good long rest. Thankfully, as fate would have it, you were coming to the end of this particularly gruelling job and the end was on the horizon along with your long-awaited freedom. And with that oncoming freedom you intended to make your way toward that same old town. Naturally, by the time you reached its borders, the skies grew gradually more grey and bleak as though there was some vengeful god overlooking the people and deciding the enact their frustrations in the form of dull weather. Still, it wouldn't feel the same without the sharp winds and constant threat of rain at all times.

As the workshop came into view, you could feel all the tensions that the last months of work had instilled within your body evaporate as if by magic. Dismounting and walking into the familiar wall of warmth felt like it took hours, the anticipation of seeing Milo again building with each breath. But as you breached the threshold of the doorway, you were met with an empty workshop with no blacksmith in sight. There were signs of half-finished projects lying on the wooden benches and the fires of the furnace were still keeping the place enveloped in its usual heat but Milo was nowhere to be seen. It was hard to ignore the sting of disappointment that you had missed him. He was unlikely to be too far but there was always the chance Milo was away in the capital delivering his latest assignments. Still, it wasn't as if missing him today would mean you had to wait another number of weeks. You could easily return in a few days now that you had a moment's peace to breathe before continuing on to the next place. Sighing to yourself, you made to turn for the door when a familiar voice struck your ears.

"Long time no see. There was me starting to get worried you'd forgotten all about me." Milo was stood in the workshop's entrance, carrying a large box filled with materials. He set the box down and stood with one hand leaning against the counter while the other sat on his waist. His hair was loose over his shoulders, a rare sight given his usual spot by the furnace, but it suited him. Somehow made him seem even more princely than before.

"If anyone was to forget someone, I'd imagine it'd be you forgetting me," you teased, smiling at his exaggerated gasp of shock.

"Me? Forget my favourite visitor? Never. I'm appalled to hear you think so poorly of me."

You raised an eyebrow. "Favourite, hm? Interesting—" Before you could finish speaking, Milo stepped closer, raising a gentle hand toward your eyebrow and subsequently robbing you of your voice.

"What's this?" His thumb gently grazed over a small cut you'd sustained during your last job. It wasn't anything fatal nor did it hurt anymore, but the remnants still remained as it hadn't quite healed. You playfully swatted away his hand, putting a few steps between you both.

"Nothing you should be concerned with. Plenty more where that came from."

"That does not instil me with a great deal of confidence." His voice was deadpan once more, the slight hint of alarm having now dissipated. Despite the distance you'd put between the both of you, the air felt heavier and warmer than usual. Had it really been so long since you last saw him? And had that time somehow made him seem even more beautiful? Maybe it was just the lack of charcoal and dust that made Milo's appearance that bit more striking than usual.

"At least let me take a closer look," he murmured, eyes diverted from your gaze as a rare quietness seeped into his voice. You nodded, sucking in a breath as you stepped toward you, cautiously inspecting the minor wound. Seeming satisfied that you weren't at risk of toppling over, Milo removed his hands but didn't move away.

"Any other injuries I should know about? Aches or bruises to tend to?"

You hesitated for a moment, contemplating if you should answer honestly or not. There was a stubborn ache in your ankle that had worsened in recent days. That slight hesitation was enough to give Milo his answer. He sighed, taking your wrist gently in his grip and leading over to a workbench and sitting you down with a stern look on his face. "Where." It wasn't even a question, more of a demand than anything. Still, you didn't object nor deny its presence and silently held up your ankle. Milo was careful in his ministrations, making sure not to aggravate whatever ailed you and halting his movements whenever you made any noise to signal discomfort.

"Hope you don't have some fancy event in the capital planned because this ankle looks sprained to me. Granted I'm no doctor, but I'm still prescribing you a week or two of rest. At least. Definitely no adventuring for a while." Milo looked up at you, almost waiting for you to argue that you'd be fine or that you couldn't pass up on an important client. Any other time you might have done so. Might have protested that your horse could carry you with little need to use your injured ankle. But this time you knew it could wait.

"Then it's a good job I'm on break. Indefinitely. Well, not quite indefinitely, but at least until I feel like going off adventuring again. Think there's somewhere in town for me to stay?"

Milo offered a rare, genuine smile, one that he'd kept for himself after your past visits. He rose from his stool to sit beside you, eyes fixed on yours as he took your hands in his. Everything about his movements was gentle and soft, entirely removed from the usual strength of his smithing work. He reached a hand your cheek, smile still lighting his face as he whispered, "I think I might know someone."

[magnuficent76]

Quick! I need a comprehensive guide to all of your OCs right now or I'm going to start biting soon <– a guy totally not possessed by a werewolf

OUHHGHOOHOHOHH indulging me ..... OKAY theres a lot of them, BUT here's the basics ! It's written very informally but it should give you an idea for who everyone is !

[Solar Years] {This is the longest story I have written, and it has many other substories going on within it simultaneously. Big ole’ universe with tons of stuff going into it, not always connected to the main thing. High fantasy and Gods and all that jazz happening in the background of a slice of life story.}

★ Baltazar (They/He) is the protagonist of Solar Years and also my favourite little blorbo of all time. He's very big, a farmer (ex professional sports player), and also an immortal being that's been coming back to earth for 3 million years and counting, which are all normal things to say in succession. They have no sense of self preservation and desperately need to give themselves some grace for once <3

♤ Luis (He/Him) is the co-protagonist of the story, adopted from another story as a way to honour someone I greatly care about. In terms of personality, he's very much Baltazar's opposite, but ironically enough they've been coexisting for their entire lives. A long time ago, he accidentally cursed himself (through power of sheer rage and spite alone) into being immortal by falling into the Void, and nowadays he makes that Literally Everyone's problem. 

Some other characters in this story include Lazarus (She/He/They), Marsh (He/They), Andromeda (Any pronouns), Anastasia, Anne (Both she/her),  The Void Gang, and many many others. 

[Caede Tales] {Fan-story for Borderlands focusing on my ocs, which are essentially background characters to the main story, and exploring a little bit of what happens to just the regular people of Pandora. It's mostly meant to be a comedy but there's also The Horrors <3.}

♥︎ Jonah (He/it) and M3PH1ST0 (Mephisto) (They/It/He) are the same guy but a few arcs apart, also one of these eats people. One of Three protags, his side of the story focuses more on personal struggle of wanting to do better in a world that is inherently hostile to kindness, and how it slowly becomes more and more like its environment the more he realises the whole being nice thing isn't going anywhere. He's Normal (lie)

♣︎ Melaine (She/Ze) is a doctor from Promethea who came to Pandora to help the locals, and is also a direct parallel to Jonah in many ways. Her morals slooowly get more and more muddled as the story goes on and she loses a big part of herself in service of her work and the legacy she wants to leave behind, until it all culminates in her mutating herself to be a big bug. She's my everything.

◇ Archer (He/Him) is Jonah's brother and possibly the most repressed man   in all of history. He goes from a bandit to a famous rich businessman in a stroke of sudden luck, and has to grapple with his identity and everything he's leaving behind by going to another planet to do so. Local White Man. 

Some other characters in this story include Mary (She/Her), Lucio/Lucifer (Don't refer to this guy (He/Him)), Salt (He/They), Penelope and Cassandra (both She/her… for now.) Several Coworkers and many others.

[Gaslighting Fires] {Gaslighting Fires is all about Eris, a true businesswoman (stand in for criminal) at heart, and her many antics as she climbs her way to the top of the food chain. Dramedy if it was Cool (can you tell its my favourite genre)

♡ Eris (She/Her) is the protagonist and she Sucks So Fucking Bad. Girl who is gonna doom everyone else in the narrative and not take any responsibility for it. It's okay though she's awesome and gorgeous and I love drawing her so her crimes are forgiven. Lots of focus on her personal struggle in doing what she does and the relationships she accidentally keeps building with people. Whoopsies ! Your stupid ass got attached to the people you were planning on manipulating didn't it !! Cringe

♤ Lilith (She/He) is the Antagonist ! Generally speaking, her morals are still extremely questionable, but she's still a pretty decent person compared to whatever Eris got going on. His whole deal is that he's supposed to stop Eris, but due to Situations the only way to do that is to become worse than her, involving him in tons of other unrelated cases that lead into further spiralling into crime. And then they kiss and it's awesome. Don't worry about the spiralling into crime bit its enriching for her.

Other characters in this include Pandora (It/She), Jinx (They/It), Raque (She/Her)l, Gabe (He/him), Snappy (the turtle), Mallory (He/Her), Ophelia (She/Her) and some others !

[Computing Legacy] {Story set in a (dangerously close) future where Things are going to Shit so we're gonna create the matrix. Except creating the matrix actually helped a lot of people and it delayed the apocalypse a lot because of all the scientific breakthroughs it caused. Awesome ! Sure hope we don't have Repercussions Of Creating The Matrix in here or something !} 

♧ William (He/Him* for now.) is the protagonist and he sucks. Hate this guy <- loving. My horrible no good son who NEEDS to shut the fuck up more often but whom I adore nonetheless. His deal is that he's a hacker and programmer who's WAY over his head, and needs someone to get him out of there because it's making him lonely and depressed as shit. Guy who's probably nonbinary but is also in university so he Really Can't Worry About It Right Now.

♥︎ Althea (She/They) is the Co-protagonist and Queer-Platonic interest, love this girl <3 She's Will's opposite in every way, and for a while she's antagonised for it, but it's okay they get over it. They're also a very talented programmer, even though it wasn't their original career path (more of an artist), and they're trying Really Hard to make it through this world normally without exploding or disappointing their family. She's very nice to her own detriment and this gets a lot of focus in the story and how she slowly but surely becomes more ruthless thanks to their Horrible No Good Situation so people stop trying to take advantage of her <3

Some of the other characters in this include Ubel (He/It), Fox (She/It), Ferdinand (He/him), Autumn (She/Her), Randy (He/They), Mariana (She/Her), Stanford (He/Him), Ezra (She/Her) and many more.

[HELLBREAKER] {Very much still a work in progress. This one is more of an ambition project so I don't wanna share too much, but basically: It's set in hell and the protagonist Really Has To Escape. Kinda like OFF if it was made by a guy who's fascinated with religion purely aesthetically.}

☆ Maria (She/Her) is the protagonist, and she just went to hell babyyy. Well, not technically: She lands in purgatory, and is given the choice to either do her time in there or to traverse through all the layers of the underworld in order to ascend to Heaven. And based on the name of this project you can guess which she chose.

And the other characters, The Sins, Lucifer, and the many characters you find along your journey to help you !

[magg0tkid]

One more day

Nay one more hour til I fall asleep

And then it's Day.

The morning could be terrible. There was a terrible today and I almost lost it! I really really did. I almost got into my car to just start driving but I didn't because! My things! Are also in the truck! And I need my dad! To bring them! And if I just left! I don't know what would happen to them! Maybe my mom would set them on fire like she's threatened before :) <3 so I just didn't want to leave them my ex sister in law gave me this desk when I was 10 and Adam was a very new thing and I was so very alone and mom was gone :) and no one paid attention to me which doesn't make me special many people were ignored by their mothers and had fathers who worked constantly but it still hurt :) but then maggie paid attention to me and took me to her house and put on the fellowship of the ring and then gave me this old desk and also a bookshelf and the desk is small and the bookshelf is falling apart but I felt so incredibly loved and cared for and she was like so nonchalant about it like I'm not using them anymore it's really not a big deal and I was like literally no adult has paid me attention in like a year you have no idea how amazing this feels I love you thank you :) and then later after they got married and moved I spent so much time at their house bc they lived a block away and my brother was never around much but maggie and fyo were and he was such a cute chubby baby and he used to get so happy when I danced and I'd put on my brother's Coldplay cd bc it was the only cd he had that I liked and I'd put fyo in the high chair and dance and dance and he'd laugh and laugh and it was so nice!!!!!!!!!!!! And then they moved and Maggie attempted suicide and they got divorced and I felt like I lost a whole fucking ass sister and we just never talked about it lol she's not my blood relative but super cute super fun suicide attempt trend for the ladies in the fam I used to think about her lots and worry about her but I think she's ok ish now she has the kids on the weekends

Anyway literally not even the point

I didn't leave I stayed and she evened out and maybe tomorrow will be fine!!!! Maybe it will just be fucking fine. Maybe she will just get in the truck and her and dad will drive and I'll drive and we'll get to my aunties and I will refuse to unpack my car until my mom leaves and I'll call my auntie on the way and say if you mention anything about the amount of stuff I've brought I will throttle you and your bird in your sleep but I'll say it in a nicer way but I am so very like. I don't think I can deal with mom getting triggered by anything else it ironically is the most triggering thing I've ever experienced, I was truly physically paralyzed today in a deep, deep state of terror shaking from head to toe and I really feel like I almost died. And dad barely even noticed she was being insane which is actually great, like not sarcastically kinda great, because that means he can survive this. I cannot. And soon I will be gone. So soon. It couldn't have just been nice for me before I left. Did you know that some people just get to go to school and it's like normal for them? They just pack and then they like go? And their parents are sad to see them go but happy for their future? They don't have to fight for their fucking lives just to get through to the day they leave with hopefully all their things intact even after they've already gotten rid of so many of their things just for the sake of you?

This post is so self pitying, whatever. Soon I'll be happy and and I won't self pity no more. Insert that fucking transcendental quote from hill house the one I've been screaming in my head for weeks you know the one

[guesswhattimeitis]

N A O L I C E + Q T

OH MY GOD I FORGOT I QUEUED THIS ASK THING WHILE ON A TRAIN

Uh anyways, thanks lol

N- Name three things you wish you saw more of in your main fandom (or a fandom of choice): So for this one(and later questions) I’d say I don’t have a “main fandom” but I think in general all of my fandoms need 3 things more: more femslash, more midsized fic, and more art of the shorter one being the top. It can be portal, or sailor moon, or star wars it all needs more. I need to see more girls kiss, I need more fics longer than 500 words and less than 50000 words, and I need the short one to pick up her tall girlfriend and show her how it’s done

A- Ships that you currently like a lot. (They don’t have to be OTPs because not everyone has OTPs.) Friendships, pairings, threesomes, etc. are allowed: So I still haven’t seen Ahsoka at all but um I love the wolfwren I’ve seen, I’ve weirdly been working on a bunch of original stories recently which has had my brain in a chokehold including a throuple I’ll probably make a post about at some point

O- Choose a song at random. Which ship or character does it remind you of?: I put my longest playlist on shuffle and got Used To Be Mine from Waitress and this song recently reminded me a lot of Bo Katan, especially in her most recent arc, realizing she’s changed and not sure if she’s ready for that or if she likes the change

L- Say something genuinely nice about a character who isn’t one of your faves. (Characters you’re neutral about are fair game, as are characters you merely dislike. Characters that you absolutely loathe with the fire of ten thousand suns are exempt, as there is no point in giving yourself an aneurysm over a character that you hate.): I’m going to jump to portal here; Wheatley is a deeply effective and enjoyable villain to face off against. The build up to his takeover, everything falling apart; it really solidified portal 2 as a great sequel. I don’t hate him, but wow I don’t like the way the fandom treats him

I- Has Tumblr caused you to stop liking any fandoms, if so, which and why? I’ve been here since 2013, so. Many. Many many many. My blocked tags list includes dozens, so I’ll spare the list, but the most ironic is one piece, considering tumblr’s recent ad campaign

C- A ship you have never liked and probably never will: I don’t dislike many ships generally, I usually keep it to myself and just avoid ships I don’t like, but I genuinely dislike when Aloy is shipped with that one guy from HZD, I don’t even remember his name but he just personally annoyed me and gave me bad vibes. And also I think of her as a lesbian so.

E- Have you added anything cracky/hilarious to your fandom? If so, what? I don’t think I’m “big” in any fandoms so I don’t think I’m responsible for any like, crack headcanons being spread around, and even on like a personal level I’m not usually one to jump down a crackship so much as I love rarepairs (yes I consider them different so sue me) but I did recently like Yue/Azula as a wild au kind of situation lol

Q- A fandom you’ve abandoned and why: I don’t abandon fandoms so much as they lie dormant until I return to them, sometimes years later. Even adventure time, the fandom that got me on tumblr, has lain dormant for a long time only to resurface now and again, especially with new releases

T- Do you have any hard and fast headcanons that you will die defending? I love “Chell is deaf” and/or “Chell is mute”as something to read and see in fanart, but I will die by the idea that she simply chooses not to say shit. That’s so much funnier.

Phew! So many, ahhh I will send you some too btw I just literally forgot I did this 😵‍💫

[dzpenumbra]

8/17/23

I'm fucking exhausted so I'm going to try to keep this short.

My upstairs neighbor was thumping around every 10 minutes until 4 AM last night. I actually got to bed at a reasonable time and my bed was literally shaking. I have no fucking clue what they were doing, it was just like one or two thumps at a time so it wasn't even walking around but it was loud, like... sounded like someone was moving furniture. Steadily from midnight until 4. It might've continued past then, that's when I managed to fall asleep. I was fucking livid. But more just like... in physical shock from being jolted awake that many times in a row.

I still sleep with my staff in my bed. It makes me feel safe. You have no idea how tempting it is to take that thing and just bang on the ceiling (their floorboards) really loud. But honestly, I don't want confrontation, I don't want hostility, I don't want a war. I just want peace. In all senses of the word.

My back was hurting a bit this morning. I think it's because of sitting and doing art for hours on end. Speaking of... I just finished the celtic knot on my pants. The right leg one, at least... Just in time, the pants are getting mighty stinky since I've been wearing them skating for multi-hour sessions three consecutive days in a row, where I ended up pouring sweat. My plan is to wait until tomorrow night to give the paint time to dry, heat set the paint with an iron, then... maybe hand-wash them? Maybe just run them in the washing machine with other clothes? I don't know. I'm scared to put them in the wash, I haven't done that yet with this paint. I'm sure it'll be okay, but... I mean... I just sank over 6 hours into these pants this week. It'd be frustrating to lose it all immediately. But that's a problem for another day.

I did yoga focusing on my back, because my back was aching. It helped a lot. I ate breakfast, played some Elden Ring, then decided to go skating. Before I went... I sent a message to the Assistant Manager of the building. She's the woman who has been very friendly and kinda flirty with me. I wrote her about the neighbor. I fucking just finally got over it and did it, just like trying a new skate trick. I just wrote up what was going on - that I'm new to apartment living so I don't know how to handle this, how this wasn't a problem at all during the winter, how it only really happens a few days a week, and how last night was so loud and constant that I was genuinely concerned someone might've been having a medical emergency or something. It was deeply unsettling. I didn't put in any part about PTSD or anything, which is good progress for my fawning response. In fact, I didn't really feel any anxiety about writing that email, which was good. So I kinda just asked her... how the building usually handles things like this, whether I should go up and... guess(?) what apartment is above me? Should I leave a note? Does the apartment help mediate things like this since they have a "quiet living" clause in the lease, kinda similar to "quiet hours" in a college dorm? I figured the best way to figure this out once and for all was just to fucking ask. And I decided to ask the chick that I think has a thing for me rather than the head Manager, because... I don't want the Manager to feel like I'm wasting her time with a noise complaint. And I want the Assistant Manager to feel like I value her opinion, something Assistants don't often feel. We'll see how it turns out.

It's been a long time since I've done the whole "fire and forget" method with emails. I've gotten in that habit with this journal really well, but writing directly to someone is just a different animal.

Skating was good today. There was just one other person at the park. It had been raining through the night and a bit of the day, so the park was pretty wet... but I was able to work on some stuff. I tried ollie-to-manual on the A-frame box and got it one time. The other guy landed switch flip and switch front shove, which was very impressive. We both exchanged knowing smiles and cheers of encouragement, despite both of us having headphones in. It was a really nice vibe of kinship. Like... there wasn't pressure to talk or interact even though we were the only ones there. And we still interacted.

There is really nothing like the smile on someone's face when they land a trick they've been battling. Good lord. It's very similar to beating a boss in Elden Ring for the first time. I fucking love that about skating. It does get sweaty sometimes and people do like to compare and play skate and compete against each other and shit. And to each their own. But man, I love that people can really just get out of their own experience, and watch someone land their first boardslide after battling it for like an hour, and cheer as though someone just did something insane. Because they know how big every accomplishment is. And I love being someone at the park who helps project my warm emotions to help amplify their experience of accomplishment. To celebrate with them. You can say all day that kinship is about pushing people to go further, shit like that... I prefer the act of sharing in celebration of their accomplishments. Even just showing up to the damn park is an accomplishment worth celebrating.

That said, I was a bit shy today. Not with the ollie-to-manual or trying to boardslide the parking blocks again... but with the shove it. My shove its look infantile, and I'm very aware of it. And yeah, that's me comparing. In time, I'll get over that. I am where I am. Once the other guy left, with a smile and a wave, I started working on shove its. I had the whole park to myself. And... the fear was back. I couldn't make myself jump forward. It's so silly! Like... okay, this is how fucking irrational the fear is.

My fear is that I'm going to land too far on the back of the board and slip out backwards. Or... my balance won't be right and the board will go shooting out forward and I Looney Tunes my feet out from under me and fall flat on my back or smack my head. That's my fear. It's like a stereotypical banana peel fear. Now... here's the physics of a shove it. I pop the board with my back foot and scoop the tail backwards so that the board rotates horizontally 180 degrees, I hop and land back on the board over the truck bolts (ideally). Here are the physics of ollie-to-manual. I pop the board straight up, land with most of my weight on my back foot, riding on the back two wheels, and hold the board in manual until I get to the end of the box, then gently pop off. Which one of those two sounds like it's going to put me on my back? Yeah, seriously, the manual is so much more likely to toss me on my ass in exactly the way I'm fearing the shove it. But... I'm not scared of the ollie-to-manual that way at all. Figure that shit out.

It took a few tries but I got there. I landed quite a few shove its, over 10. I tried to do them moving faster and faster. Carrying speed with tricks is the real test. You can shove it on flat all day, but that doesn't mean you can land it moving or land it off something. And yeah, it was spooky, but I made progress and landed a bunch.

Ugh, a mosquito got into my apartment and bit my arm, it's all itchy now. :( We really got a bumper crop of bugs this year, all the rain and flooding and shit, it's been an absolute nightmare. When I rode home I was really glad I brought my sunglasses, because I rode through several clouds of swarming bugs and they just like... pelted off my face. It was gnarly. Some women out walking their dogs stopped me and asked me about the bugs after, I looked back and saw the gigantic cloud of them I just rode through, that I was completely unaware of because the light wasn't illuminating them from the direction I was going. It's nice to just... have normal human conversations with people. And nice to be treated as a human and a peer by neighbors. Skaters have gotten a lot of prejudice over the years, but this woman seemed totally fine talking to a guy wearing all black with a metal band t-shirt riding a skateboard with aviators on. And it was much appreciated. But I was wiped and headed out.

Yeah, so that was my day. Didn't land any new tricks, but I'll say this much... if I get my boneless 360 back, and learn how to consistently shove it? I will be at my best skating ability ever. I will have eclipsed my ability in my prime, in college. That's such a crazy thought. 10 years off the board, and I'm already getting better than I was back then. Because now? I have new tactics. I don't just avoid tricks that are scary. I have developed an override switch for scary tricks that I didn't have back then. I would just say "I can't do that", and just do different tricks. Now? Now I try.

The fucking neighbor stomped again. ... -_- I sent the email at like 5PM so I didn't expect a response today, but like... Okay, let me just explain my thoughts here. Say I apply for the teaching job. Say I get the teaching job, and I have to teach a class at 10AM 2 days a week. I really need my sleep schedule to sync with that, I need to be up at... I'd say around 8 or 9? So I can do yoga and shower and eat before class. So... for 8 hours of sleep, I need to be in bed at 12. It's fucking 1:45 right now and asshat upstairs sounds like Jack Torrance slamming the fucking tennis ball against the wall. I will not be able to sleep like that. And when I don't get sleep, my mental health immediately goes to shit. I get super anxious, I get depressed, I get irritable, and my trauma responses are like a hair trigger. It is the primary reason why this summer has been so difficult. So... if I get that job... I better be able to protect my sleep. Because if I get that job, it's gonna be hard enough just getting to sleep normally with how anxious I'll be, how scary it's going to be, and how intense it's going to be for my mental health to be the focal point of an entire classroom... Doing that on half a night's sleep? I'm genuinely afraid I'm just going to just straight up have a panic attack and have to excuse myself. Or just fucking lose the job.

Yeah, maybe I'm paranoid. But I think it's important to calculate that. And this is a known variable, lack of sleep clearly amplifies the fuck out of my anxiety, panic and trauma responses. I just don't need it. And for what? So some asshole in the apartment above me can stomp around at 2-4 AM as though they live in a barn or some shit? I put in the email that I didn't think this was malicious, and I mean that shit. I think these people are fucking stupid. I think they're oblivious and stupid. It just does not occur to them at all that they live in proximity to other people. Like a fucking object permanence thing. Like the second other people disappear out of their sight, their neighbors just don't exist. They live on the top floor of a 3 story building. And they wear shoes inside. And they do not walk with care at 2AM. Which is so fucking foreign to me.

But yeah, this shit needs to stop. If it was a weekend, I'd give a bit more leeway, but this shit happened on a motherfucking Tuesday and Wednesday night. Give me a fucking break, man. Bro is stomping around at 4AM on a Wednesday morning directly above someone's bedroom. At this hour? I fucking tiptoe around my apartment. And I'm always either barefoot or in socks, at all times.

They say "were you raised in a barn", but honestly? I have never in my life heard as much fucking domestic noise as I have apartment buildings in urban areas. People just straight up let their front doors slam behind them. Regularly. It's fucking mind-blowing. Not only is it loud as fuck and super inconsiderate of your neighbors, it's really not good for the doorframe, and that shit doesn't belong to you! Shit is so fucking strange to me, like creatures raised on another planet. But hell, maybe I am the weird one. All polite and mindful and quiet and shit.

Alright, I've got to get to bed. Fingers crossed this week's grocery guy isn't as bad as last week's, good lord...

[jonroxton]

What do you think of Alicent? I always liked her and Rhaenyra and I feel like it's weird how much Targ stans hate her and how much blame they place on her for the Dance of Dragons. Viserys chose to marry her and he chose to have multiple sons with her. Given that she's a Hightower from the Reach (very conservative) and Jaehaerys I and the Great Council of 101 screwing over female inheritance, why would she never think of crowning her son?

I'm not saying she's a good person but why is that thought considered a huge betrayal of Rhaenyra- she has no relation to Rhaenyra (in Westeros that is) and again, she gave birth to boys which is what every woman is expected to do. As a result those boys get to inherit- that's the trade-off.

Again I feel like people have such a visceral reaction to her that they don't see the logic behind her actions.

fire and blood encourages hostility towards both of them and fandom is notoriously horrible to women. feel like that explains 90% of it. seeing them as nuanced, complicated people? thats already asking a lot, but fire and blood also encourages examination of the text. where asoiaf says: here are the characters thoughts and no one is a raliable narrator, you still had people not examining what is actually on the page, what is actually done, and why and what it results in! and that's WITH characters full thoughts. fire and blood purposely tells you it's unreliable and WANTS the reader to doubt everything they read. if a fan loves rhaenyra and hates alicent, or vice versa, that's literally their problem.

i really wasn't sure what to make of alicent and had a whole ass journey with her in my fire and blood tag. it was never really do i like her or not for me, it was always WHO IS THIS PERSON?

i started to pay attention to just how... neutral fire and blood was irt alicent. i realized i couldn't get a concrete reading of rhaenyra bc there was too much and it was contradictory, and you'd think that''d draw me closer to alicent, but nope. i couldnt' get a concrete reading on alicent because there was nothing there, nothing within the world mythos to even create someone to think about as either goor or bad, to give context to her choices (that are incredibly complex and just HAVE to be informed by various things, and we only have fractured glimpses into what those could have been). i wasn't neutral, not at all, and if asked, i'd say i probably didn't like her, but that dislike was not based on alicent herself. i could come to love rhaenyra bc there was just more there to dicpher, (and bc her choices by process of elimination did a lot to figure out which rumors were likely and which weren't) but i could only wonder about alicent, and bc there isn't much there, i had to look beyond her, to otto, to his place, to the hightowers, and to her position in general in westeros. and that worked really well for me because i have many opinions about westeros and my most vehement are for the reach. i pretty much love every place in westeros (SKAAGOS 4eva), but i abhor the reach and find it represents everything rotten with westeros (more or less lol)

so i hate the reach, and the only actual house i liked from there ironically before starting fire and blood, was house hightower (and the mallisters) especially in relation to the reach. the hightowers, who maintained immense power and could have obtained more, had they wanted it, chose to remain vassals to the tyrells. i liked the hightowers bc they seemed to go against the reach grain. i like that the tyrells are forever the second choice lol, since the hightowers i believe turned down being wardens of the south. the reach is the most performative, the most self-deluded. they genuinely believe they are bastions of chivalry, of the best ideals, when really what they have is unity and money. other families are just as arogant, but they fall apart not because they're horrible human beings lol they do so because they can't remain united against a common foe. the reach has managed to survive mostly because it tends to stick together. i'm not certain of it, but i imagine the marriage alliances are tighter there than anywhere else, with people rarely marrying outside that collection of great houses, redwynes, tarly, hightower, whatever the apples are called, the F OSSAWAYS! even when there was a rift there, they didn't get up and move like the mermaid dudes what's their name? AHHHHHHHH MANDERLAY??? maderly! one of those.

alicent is in a very unique position narratively bc she comes from one of the more mysterious ancient houses. the hightowers are extremely secretive and seemingly deferential, but in this scenario they’re reaching for the throne. so im curious as to how they will actually play the game, having the history of the reach ambition and superiority, with the long con patience and secrecy of the hightowers.

the actual true difference in rhaenyra and alicent i think in is their mythologies within fire and blood, the reason why rhaenyra is teared down where alicent is ignored, her motives left unexamined, i believe it's because the fire and blood writer was from the reach. and the glaring omissions of alicent overall was purposely done to protect her and guide the readers through the text in the opposite way rhaenyra's story did. rhaenyra was such a horrible ,dark, unthinking, lascivious, grasping human being twho used everyone that she probably wasn't. she was probably serious about her birthright and the rumors could've could from both everyone's hatred of her and her not keeping too many people around her. alicent was just there, doing her duty and wasn't really involved despite being part of great decisive changes at court. no one talked about her at all, so it probably meant that she did more than anyone realized and that she was probably good at it since it didn't survive 300 years the way all the rumors about rhaenrya did. SEE WHAT THIS BOOK MAKES YOU DO. if ppl let it, you can go anywhere! you can try to figure out alicent. and that’s where i was at for a long time with her. 

i remember exactly at some point during my frist read thinking: why the fuck is the reach always getting away with shit. for every thing that happens to any other house, fire and blood went out of way to tell you every possible variation of the result, usually negatively. for alicent and the reach, there was very little. it was so much fun actually, guessing that one of the maesters was from the reach, imaginging that this was reach propoganda, and then being validated there lol. that told me that in the construction of this mythology, someoen took care to give alicent the wide berth. i think viserys's death in the show will show us where she stands, if she really is the one who won't send for rhaenyra. marrying viserys was clearly forced on her by otto, she had no choice there. but when viserys dies she'll be put in a position i don't think the book clarified. if she sends for rhaenyra and her message is stopped, it speaks to integrity and to this being a real tragedy, with miscommunication, timing and the scheming of others adding to whatever smaller rifts added up through time. if she doesnt' send for rhaenrya, then her ambition is more powerful than whatever loyalty she had to rhaenyra and her husband's decision to enthrone her.

so for me she was someone who was definitely very smart and very conscious of her position and how to maneuver, like everyone in the reach, but also someone with a hightower's caution and self-awareness, her position in fire and blood is too glaring as the nothing to rhaenyra's everything. i have an idea of who she could be from how the show portrays her, but I don't like examining younger character scenes as pure indication of their future, especially not in episode one.also, children can be compelling characters, but their choices are always informed by the machinations of their parents, especially in this story, bc they have no true authority, their agency is limited. 

ultimately, whatever their motives, rhaenyra and alicent are fighting the same war, likely for similar reasons but who they are as people whill put things in perspective. i don’t think fire and blood gives us their true actual perspective, so it’s hard to land anywhere. the show will provide good context.and olivia cooke is a real cool actress, that i was always pumped for since hearing of her casting. 

one last thing about that. so i really like olivia cooke, when i don’t care about actors at all. haven’t seen everything of hers, but her projects show a lot of range, from drama to humor, and she inflects real pathos into her characters. this is going to make alicent compelling no matter what she actually does. so i’m very excited to see her work with this character.

[talkintomytv]

Slowly slides Disney Plus Minus a list of things I would like to see come out of a new series of Daredevil...

• All seasons of Netflix Daredevil are MCU Earth 616 cannon.I really hope we weren't watching a variant of the MCU Matt this whole time. I would love it if The Matt that appears in Spider-Man and She-Hulk is the same Matt we watched pummel fisk and fall to his knees screaming at the end of season 3 and I would love a scene with all his scars to prove it.

• Nelson Murdock & Page! Please keep them together with the same actors :) There are so many unfinished conversations and conversations not yet had between these three that I hope aren't completely skipped over with a time gap or at least have something we can flashback to.

•And, Disney. Please do not forget that Matt is blind! I wanna see continued use of aids like text-to-speech and brail instead of just implied use. And just show that they've taken the time to handle the subject with care. I get nervous. I don't ever want to see Disney pull an Iron Man 3 on Tony's arc reactor to this character.

• Daredevil Born again will most likely share a new opening credits sequence and I'm excited to see it but I beg for some kind of homage to the original theme tune at some point in the series.

• It is confirmed Daredevil Born Again will consist of 18 episodes! I really hope each episode has a runtime of around 45-50+ minutes.

• Please stick to the mature themes, religious and bloody imagery! People wanted to save the show as it was not so it can be toned down and sold to kids.

• Please keep Matt's apartment! The potential to light scenes in there through those stained windows, flickering with images from the billboard is just too good! Seeing characters perform in that familiar setting after thinking we never will get a scene like that ever again would mean a lot!

• I'd love to see them still use those blurred filming techniques to highlight Matt's senses and any more scenes of the world on fire from Matt's perspective would be a damn treat!

• Please carry on the tradition of the one shot Hallway fight sequence!

•I will take literally any conversational references to the events of the Netflix series during any character exchange. •Give Matt the DD logo on his suit!

• Oh! And maybe a little more story behind that Bullseye setup at end of season 3. That would be pretty cool.

If you made it this far, thank you so much for reading all of that! I'm probably gonna keep adding things to this as I think of em. What sorts of things would you like to see come out of a new series of Daredevil?

[maddiwrites]

The Hybrid (Prologue)

Pairing: JJ x Reader

Summary: The Pogues rekindle their friendship with their old childhood best friend and JJ’s first crush, Y/N. Old feelings resurface for JJ and Y/N, possibly leading to a summer neither one of them could ever forget. Due to past trauma, Y/N is reluctant to let anyone into her heart, but JJ never backs down from a challenge, even if he knows it will come back to haunt him in the end.

Note: So happy to be back with another series!!! I honestly really missed posting. Unlike Secrets of the Shore, updates will be slower because I don’t have them all written out yet. A couple things I wanted to let you know before you read. I based Y/N’s family off of Gilmore Girls. I thought they were the perfect fit for this story and the show in general and I just love their dynamic. (Including Luke who I renamed Steve for obvious reasons). Chapter 1 will explain more obviously but I wanted to give you guys a little snippet of the characters and relationships. So let me know what y'all think!

Word Count: 3.3k

Outer Banks. Paradise on Earth. It's the sort of place where you either have two jobs or two houses. Two tribes, one island. As you know, the Outer Banks is essentially divided into two groups. If we want to be blunt - it’s the rich and the poor. Figure Eight is home to the rich. Aka the Kooks. With houses bigger than necessary with extra rooms that go untouched, boats the size of homes on the Cut - the other side of the island. Most people who live on Figure Eight are your naturally raised assholes. People who don’t know the value of a dollar and take advantage of people who do most of their dirty work that lets them prance around the island with perfectly manicured fingernails. These hard workers are the Pogues. They live on the south side of the island where most Kooks wouldn’t be found dead. They serve fancy meals at the country club for shitty tips, mow lawns, and work their asses off at any other job for minimum wage. The drastic difference in lifestyles tend to cause many spats and arguments between the two communities. Especially between the teenagers who still don’t know how to control their raging emotions or know when to bite back their tongue. For the Kooks, every fight is a fight for dominance where as the Pogues fight for equality - to put the Kooks in their place. Many of these fights happen at summer parties where the two groups clash to find a good time with their friends filled with alcohol, drugs, and good music.

That’s where they find themselves tonight. The infamous Pogues. John B, JJ, Kie, Pope, and now Sarah Cameron. Although born a natural Kook, she’s earned her spot next to the adventurous teens and her boyfriend. Unlike her brother Rafe who basically is the leader of his notorious group. Topper and Kelce are his best friends who follow him blindly.

The Pogues watch them from their spot surrounding the keg. Kie purses her lips in distaste as the boys cat call for the ladies around them. Somehow most of them finding it flattering. Sarah sips on her beer to hide her embarrassment, often wondering how she and her brother grew up to be so different. Pope and John B stay mostly disinterested, only worried if they try to make a pass at an unwilling girl or fire a degrading comment at their short tempered friend. JJ Maybank is known around the island for his trouble making behavior. Usually if he gets in trouble for fights, no one ever asks who the other people were in the scuffle. Because if JJ Maybank is in the fight, he’s the one who started it, right? Wrong. In fact, JJ usually is never the one to start it. He’s good at keeping his head down and only speaking when spoken to when it comes to the Kooks - the only form of advice worth taking from his father. But his short temper is something the Kooks his age loved to take advantage of because they liked getting a rise out of him. It was like an adrenaline rush.

Luckily, tonight both groups were keeping their distance, either only talking to each other or random Tourons that have found their way to the party. This is usually JJ’s favorite part of a boneyard party. Finding his one fish in a sea of many that he can reel in just for the night and never have to worry about seeing them again.

He has his eyes set on a beautiful blonde making her way to the bonfire when all of a sudden Kie’s voice pulls him out of his trance.

“What’s she doing here?”

JJ follows her line of vision, spotting you walking down the wooden steps that lead to the beach, pulling your best friend behind you by his wrist. He first notices your smile and how it brightens up your entire face. Then of course his eyes scan down your slim but athletically toned body. You’re wearing a pair of jean shorts and a cropped white T shirt that says UNC across the chest. Who knew someone could look so good without even trying?

Well JJ did. He’s known it for a while.

“Careful. I think you’re drooling,” John B whispers in his best friend’s ear.

JJ pushes him away and mutters, “Shut up. No I’m not.”

But maybe he was.

Y/N Y/L/N is a unique resident of the island. Unlike majority of the island, she doesn’t fall in either Kook or Pogue category. She’s what everyone calls the Hybrid.

People who work hard for what they have but haven’t fallen to be Pogue status. Quite literally living in the middle in a place they call the Crest.

Your story is well versed among the gossipers of the island (which tends to be just about everybody).  And mainly that’s because of who your grandparents are.  Claude and Doris Y/L/N. Two of the riches people on the island, living in a three story house on the beach. Many people fear them, others envy them. Most feel both. Even Ward Cameron walks on egg shells around them, which is quite often, considering he works for Claude. They’re the kind of people who have never heard of Barefoot wine or Walmart. They keep their noses up and turn a blind eye to the suffering communities around them. Thirty four years ago, Doris gave birth to a daughter that couldn’t be more opposite than them. Lorelai Y/L/N was a wild child. A rule breaker. She snuck out at nights, dated boys her parents would never approve of, dabbled in breaking the law here and there. It didn’t matter how many times her parents disciplined her. She always managed to make her parents’ life a living hell. 

No one was surprised when word got passed around that Lorelai had gotten pregnant at eighteen. Although it was with another Kook, she brought shame upon her family name when she refused to get an abortion, even when her mom tried dragging her by her hair. 

Lorelai risked everything by running away from her parents’ home in the middle of a windy night. With only one suitcase, the baby daddy out of the picture, and less than a grand in her pocket, she managed to make a life for herself on the South side of the island. She worked two jobs, found an affordable apartment for cheap rent, and managed to save some money before her babies were born.

Yes, babies. As in more than one. Five months after running away from home, she gave birth to twin girls and they instantly became her entire life. With the help of her best friend Steve, who she met one month after being on her own, meeting him at his automotive shop when she very much literally rolled her junky car into the garage, she raised you and your sister on the Cut. The two of you are her greatest accomplishment. Every now and then, she mentally throws up a middle finger to everybody who doubted her, proud of who the two of you have become. 

Right before you turned ten, your mom took a business risk and opened her own Cafe. The Bikini Beans cafe, very popular amongst both Kooks and Pogues. The business did so well that she was able to move the three of you out of your shitty apartment into a beautiful one story home with three bedrooms in between the Cut and Figure Eight, aka the Crest, the summer going into your freshman year.

You actually used to be best friends with John B Routledge, JJ Maybank, and Pope Heyward. It was easier being friends with them than the girls, finding more joy in sports and rough housing than makeup and gossip. 

Doing the same summer that you moved, your mom pulled you out of Kildare County High and placed you in Outer Banks Private Academy. Aka Kook Academy. Around this time, your grandparents had also become more involved in your life, and you wondered if they had somehow bribed your mom into forcing you to transfer schools. You tried asking her during one of your many fights that started with you begging her to keep you at Kildare County High, but she quickly shut you down and told you to be grateful. That was ironic coming from the woman who ran away from the people giving her an expensive high school career. 

You had no choice but to do what your grandparents wanted and attend Kook Academy. Making friends was a lot harder there than it was in Kildare County High. You managed to make one friend in your freshman year. Andre Cortez. Due to an incident a couple years back, you built thick walls and Andre was the only one able to break them down. You were grateful for your friendship, but hanging out with him was nothing like hanging out with the Pogues. 

When you transferred schools, you lost touch with the Pogues slowly. Your life became busy with school and playing dress up for your grandparents and the boys were starting to work. Eventually all contact was cut and ever since, you’ve felt a void in your heart.

“Look,” You tell Andre. “I told you I would be your wing woman and I’m not backing down from what could possibly be the most important role in my life.”

You didn’t notice the Pogues or any of the stares around you. It’s true you’re not much of a party girl. I mean, you’ll go out here and there, have a drink or two, but you felt more comfortable at places where you weren’t surrounded by drunk and horny teenagers. 

“He’s probably not even here,” Andre says. He’s trying to look nonchalant but you notice the way his eyes dance from face to face of the people around him. 

“He told you he was going to be here, right?” You ask him with one brow raised. Andre nods. “Then, we’ll find him.”

Sarah and Kie never made any effort to talk to you at school, but to be fair, neither have you. You’ve heard mixed reviews, some people call them spoiled brats, ungrateful...some even go as far as calling them ‘The Cut Sluts.’ Of course you never take any of those things to heart. You can’t judge a book but it's cover. Plus, they’re friends with your old best friends. They can’t be that bad for John B and JJ and Pope to be hanging out with them, right?

“You think she'll come over here?” Kie asks. No one’s ever said it out loud, but her friends wonder if deep down, Kie was a little jealous of you. Because you were their first real girl friend. You were the first girl they ever let in and opened their heart too. That was a tough pill for Kie to swallow when she originally thought she was that girl. Of course the boys don’t like you any more than Kie and vice versa. But sometimes Kie wishes she could have grown up with the boys the same way you had. 

“Probably not. Unless she’s drinking,” Pope says and motions towards the keg they’re near. 

“I have an idea,” John B says and fills up a red solo cup. He hands it to JJ. “Why don’t you go offer her a cup.”

JJ snags the cup out of John B’s hand and glares at him. “Fuck off, dude.” 

“Do you guys ever see her around at school?” Pope asks the girls.

Sarah shrugs. “Not really. She doesn’t really get a long with my old group of friends.”

Kie rolls her eyes. “No one gets along with your old group of friends.”

Sarah playfully shoves Kie by the shoulder and they laugh. 

“I heard she turned down Raymond Easterling a couple weeks ago and he didn’t take it very well,” Pope says, remembering the words he heard from the kids in his class roaming the school hallways. 

Raymond goes to Kildcare County High with the Pogues. He’s known to be a trouble maker and a class clown. He works with JJ at the country club. The kid can make JJ laugh sometimes, but he wouldn’t necessarily say he likes him all that much. He can be an arrogant asshole with an ego bigger than it should be.

“She turns down everybody,” Sarah says. “Some people at my school call her ‘The Heart Sucker’ because she can pull people in with the snap of her fingers and break their heart just as quickly.”

Something stirred in the pit of JJ’s stomach.

“Hey! Where you going?” John B calls out to JJ who’s making his way deeper into the sea of people on the beach. 

“Taking advantage of a good boneyard party, my friend,” JJ calls back and slugs the rest of his beer. Looking left and right, he searches for the blonde he had eyes on earlier. Because right now, he needed a distraction. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

The party starts to die down a little after midnight. Some people leave to find another party, some are passed out in the back of their cars, and others had already found what they were looking for - someone to leave with. 

The boneyard party wasn’t as bad as you expected it to be. You had found a couple of kids from your school who were nice enough to make small talk with you while Andre left to find a guy named Devon, a Touron he’s been talking to who’s renting for the entire summer. 

Now you’re waiting for Andre to come back so the two of you can walk home. You find comfort under a slanted palm tree towards the back of the beach, scrolling through random apps on your phone to pass the time.

“Y/N?” You look up from you phone and smile when you see your former best friend inching closer to you, squinting in the dark to see if it’s really you. 

“Maybank? What are you still doing here?” You stand up and pat the sand off your hands on you thighs. 

Your heart skips a beat in your chest when you look at him. He’s beautiful. Lucious blonde hair, perfectly tanned skin, piercing blue eyes. You always knew JJ was going to grow up to be gorgeous. He was cute when he was younger. At least you always thought so. 

“I was just leaving, but I thought I saw you sitting here and wanted to make sure you were all right.” He knows it’s not like you to stay this late at a party, especially all by yourself. When he first saw you sitting there, he didn’t know if he should say something. Mostly due to nerves of seeing you again. But the other Pogues had already left and he didn’t trust anyone else at the party to be near you alone late at night. It didn’t matter if you were sober or not. 

“Aw. Was JJ Maybank worried about me?” You tease. Talking to him felt easy. As if you never stopped being friends. A few years ago, you and JJ had the best banter. Despite constantly bickering back and forth, John B always swore the two of you would get married one day. The two of you just always clicked like a natural connection. And even now, when only seeing each other every now and then for a few minutes at a time, it felt normal. You smirk when JJ rolls his eyes. “I’m kidding. Yeah, I’m okay. Just waiting for my friend to come back from his little rendezvous,” You say. 

JJ nods. “Did you have a good time? I feel like I never you see at these things.”

“Yeah. Parties aren’t really my thing. But Andre was nervous to meet this guy he’s been talking to for a little while so I came for moral support.”

“Looks like he didn’t need much of the support.”

You shrug. “It’s better that way, anyway. I don’t mind waiting for him. What about you?”

“What about me?” 

“Did you have a good time tonight? I hear your quite the ladies’ man at these things.”

“Come on, Sparky. You know better than to believe everything you hear.”

Your face lights up at the mention of your old nickname. You use to always be busting out the seams with energy. On days where the boys just wanted to chill and play video games, you would drag them to the park for a game of kick ball. Or when they wanted to sleep in after a long week, you showed up at 8 am to drag them out of bed to catch the morning waves. So one day JJ started calling you Sparky, and it stuck with the rest of your little gang. You always pretended to hate it, but secretly you loved it. 

“Oh I don’t believe everything I hear. I do, however, believe what I see. And your arm around that tall blonde in the little black dress looked quite convincing.”

You first saw JJ at the party when he was making his way to the pretty girl by the water. Your teeth involuntarily clenched and there was a twisted feeling in your stomach you couldn’t shake whenever you looked at them. 

In that instant, JJ felt grateful for the dark sky. He felt the rush of heat rise up his neck to his cheeks before he could stop it. He knew the motivation to see that girl was because of you. He just wished you never saw it. But he didn’t know why. 

“I walked her home. She wasn’t my type,” JJ plays it off. 

“I didn’t realize you had a type,” You giggle, but a small part felt relieved to hear this. “So what is it? Your type?”

Hybrids with a Pogue attitude, bright smile, beautiful eyes, and a mouth that could make any sailor turn around, JJ thought. 

“I don’t know. Haven’t figured it out yet.”

You roll your eyes playfully. “Well, when you figure it out let me know.”

“Why? So you can transform into my ideal girl?” He teases.

Now you’re the one thankful for the dark sky. “In your dreams, Maybank. But so far, I do have the perfect wing-woman track record, so if you needed help -”

“I don’t think I need any help in that department. Thank you very much.”

You throw your hands up in fake surrender. “Ooo. Touchy subject.”

JJ rolls his eyes at the same time your phone pings with a text message. You pull it out of your shorts pocket and open the text from Andre, telling you to leave without him because he’s gonna stay out late with Devon and won’t know what time he’s going to be done.

“Everything all right?” JJ says, watching you read the message.

You lock your phone and stuff it in your back pocket again. “Like I said. Perfect wing-woman track record.”

“That was Andre?” 

“Yeah. He’s most likely not coming home tonight.”

“Lucky bastard.”

“At least one of us is,” You joke. 

JJ’s grin slightly falters but you don’t catch it. You have no idea how much he wishes the two of you could be equally as lucky. Together. 

“Well, I should probably go,” You say and bend down to grab your flip flops.

“Let me walk you home,” JJ offers. 

“Oh no. It’s okay -”

“You’re cute. It’s wasn’t up for debate. I’m not letting you walk back by yourself.”

You scoff lightly. “I’ll be fine.”

“Just humor me.”

You roll your eyes and smirk but choose not to argue. In fact, you’re excited to spend more time with JJ. It’s been so long.

“Fine.”

“And here I thought you might’ve grown out of your stubborn phase by now.”

You shove him playfully by the shoulder. “Shut up!”

And just like that, it felt like old times.

[whatifyoulivelikethat]

mango, m | jjk | 2

pairing(s): jungkook x reader

summary: A love story between bad boy Jeon Jungkook and a strange girl with mango eating obsession.

warnings: rated M (18+) for language; mentions of parental abuse and suicide; suggestive words/actions; alcohol consumption; mentions of nightmares plaguing the reader; non-idol!AU - university!AU; badboy!Jungkook x sociallyawkward!reader, ft bestfriend!Hoseok and friendly!Namjoon

--

1.

-

Your head leaned against the wall of the library. Too many books around you, research paper already outlined for you seminar class. That was good. You only needed a partial outline next week and you would finish tweaking the outline tomorrow. You phone was open beside your papers, screen blaring at you.

Jungkook’s text, asking where you were. Your reply.

Library.

No further information. A guy like that probably never stepped foot in a library his entire life.

You closed your eyes. Placed your arms over your papers, sighing softly. You were in one of the study rooms in the upper floors of the library, where all the scientific journals were.

Why had you given him your phone number like that?

Self-destruction.

You turned your head the other way, eyeballs shifting under your closed lids.

Guys like that only cause self-destruction.

Your thumb ran over your glossy nails. You wondered if he would be mad at you for associating yourself with someone who looked dangerous and wild. Maybe he would tell you it was a bad idea. Maybe he could make you see reason. All you had to do was call him and ask for his opinion.

I’m sorry, Hoseok.

You ran your other thumb over the nails on your other hand. The little stickers caused raised bumps, but none of them had peeled off yet. You pressed your thumb down on one of them.  At least he was still there, with you in this way.

A soft blackness swallowed you up, taking you into deep slumber.

Then, a coated sweetness pressed against your lips. A familiar taste. You opened your mouth and the thin, flat piece of dried fruit slid partway in. Your teeth stopped it. Spun it slowly with your tongue. Then it went into your mouth. Chewed.

Opened your eyes.

Jeon Jungkook, standing over you.

Holding a pack of dried mango. Eating a piece, his straight white teeth gnawing at it. Pink lips closing around the orange fruit. The mole under his lip danced with movement. His brown eyes were darker due to the harsh fluorescent overhead light. Tan skin glowing, black hair slicked back with too much gel, revealing his clean undercut. Leather blazer over a low-cut black t-shirt. Black jeans. Black backpack far too deflated to be holding much.

“Don’t know how you eat this stuff,” Jungkook said absentmindedly. He sat down on the chair next to you. Scooted closer. You could smell his cologne. Something sharp, but clean. “It’s not bad, but I couldn’t eat packs and packs of it like you.”

You lifted your head. “Habit.”

He nodded. “I noticed you do it whenever I talk to you.”

You chewed slowly.

“I don’t talk to people.”

“Hmm.”

He looked you over. Black turtleneck. Maroon oversized hoodie. Black flared miniskirt. Black opaque tights. Black boots with a ten-centimeter platform.

“What do you do for fun?”

You reached over and stuck your hand into the pack of dried mango. Picked a piece and placed it in your mouth. Sat back in your chair as you chewed on it.

“I don’t have fun.”

Jungkook sucked his teeth. It seemed like he was trying to unstick some candied fruit from them. “You seem like the creative type though. Moody and artistic.”

You shifted your eyes, staring into the bookshelves. “Creation is meaningless without an audience.”

Jungkook scratched his nose. “Maybe you just don’t want anyone to know what you’re thinking.”

You stopped chewing.

You turned your head to face Jungkook. He frowned at the packet of dried mango and placed it on the desk, sliding it to you. Then he noticed you staring at him. His lips curved into a slow, sly smile.

“You doing anything tonight?”

-

You didn’t go to parties.

Never. In your entire life. Not even a birthday party. You didn’t have birthday parties yourself either.

You only remembered beatings on your birthday.

You stood at the edge of the lawn, looking up at the large house. Too many people. Too much drinking. Too much danger. You reached into the center pocket of your maroon hoodie, pulling out a piece of dried mango. Slowly placing it in between your teeth. Spinning it. A couple was making out on the porch, pressed against the wall. Sucking the dried mango in your mouth. On the other side of the porch, a girl was slapping another guy and tossing the contents of a red plastic cup at him.

Chewed.

You shouldn’t have come. This wasn’t where you belonged.

A strong hand gripped your upper left arm. Familiar fingers. Long, strong ones, with small tattoos.

“How long you been standing out here?”

Alcohol on his breath.

“How much mango you consumed in that time?”

You held out an empty cellophane bag.

“Wow. Impressive.”

You chewed. The fingers let you go. They danced up your shoulder.

“You don’t seem to be bothered when I touch you.”

You swallowed.

“That’s because it’s obvious what you want.”

Jeon Jungkook chuckled. Deep and amused.

“But talking bothers you?”

You exhaled. Took out another piece.

“Words, intentional or not, leave everlasting scars far longer than a meaningless fuck.”

You placed it in between your teeth.

“Do you think it will be meaningless?” His voice was low, treacherous.

You paused. His fingertips balanced on the shoulder of your hoodie. A gust was wind made your black skirt flutter against your thighs. You felt nothing. Not cold, not hot. Nothing but those fingertips balanced on your shoulder. You sucked in the piece of mango and chewed. You could walk away. Not provoke him anymore and not try to walk through that fire.

You could back away and continue on your tightrope, high above.

But if you were already standing on this street, in front of this house, didn’t that mean your feet were already on the asphalt? Weren’t you already on the ground, wandering down that lost highway?

“There is no meaning in the arms of a stranger.”

You reached for your hoodie pocket again but his fingers wrapped around yours. Stopping you. Pulling you to him. Face shining in the moonlight, brows furrowed as he looked down at your face. Thick silver chain glinting at his throat. Dark hair slicked back but falling apart due to the events of the night. Eyes like the dark side of the moon.

He leaned down.

You could feel his breath against yours. Alcoholic, but somehow not unpleasant. It mixed with his sharp, clean cologne and the leather of his jacket. You saw his eyes flicker. He was really staring deeply into your eyes. He was as handsome as everyone said he was. You tilted your head at him.

Guys like him were always looking for a target. A puzzle to solve. The harder and more difficult it was, the better the thrill. That’s how it was and that’s how Jeon Jungkook was. So, you stood there. Waiting for him to do it.

Thing was, Jungkook wasn’t doing anything.

He finally backed off; expression unreadable. You pulled your hand out of his.

“Let’s go on a walk. I have to sober up.”

You looked from the house to him. He cocked his head. You two began to walk, stepping into the moonlight. Not touching each other, but walking side by side. The silence was deafening. He wasn’t speaking to you. Not even looking at you. You placed your earbuds into your ear and put on some violin music.

“What are you listening to?”

You jumped, surprised he noticed. Jungkook tilted his head at you. You handed him one of the Samsung buds. He placed it in his ear, tucking his hair back. Profile illuminated by the moon, nodded slowly at he listened.

And then you two walked, serenaded by violins.

-

Jungkook texted you and showed up in the library again. You were in the middle of writing your seminar research paper. To be honest, he was a welcome distraction. The scientific articles were giving you a headache.

He handed you a piece of dried mango before speaking.

“Let’s date.”

You blinked at him. Jungkook grabbed a seat and sat down, taking out a slice himself. You placed the piece of dried mango in your mouth and chewed slowly. He watched you the entire time, chewing with you, staring at your lips. You swallowed, sighing.

"Jungkook, you don't want to date me."

He nibbled at another piece of dried mango. "Pretty sure I do."

You took in a deep breath, feeling the annoyance rise in your chest. "Your body is the literal reincarnation of Adonis himself and you radiate bad boy vibes like nobody's business. You would ruin your image by dating the strange girl with a dried mango obsession."

Jungkook chewed slowly. "That's the first time your tone has changed with me."

You froze, realizing that too. Realizing that, for once, you were actually irate instead of being objective or apathetic about it. You were not making an ambiguous comment or philosophizing humanity. You were just stating what you were thinking straight up.

"And, anyway, you're the literal reincarnation of sex goddess Aphrodite herself, so there should be no problem if you're worried about looks."

"That's not..." You cut yourself off, not bothering to correct him. "You can barely see my body."

Jungkook's eyes traveled down to your legs. Your black pantyhose-covered legs, with your short red skirt and black hoodie. He reached out and grabbed your hand. You tried to pull away, but his grip was like iron. 

"True, your skin is always covered," he mumbled.

Then Jungkook pressed your hand into his crotch. 

Your eyes widened, feeling his semi-hard length in his jeans. He let go of your hand and you recoiled as if burned. Did he really just–?

He gnawed thoughtfully. "And yet every time I hear your voice, that happens to me."

You narrowed your eyes at him. "Sexual attraction is not a solid foundation to a relationship."

"It's not," Jungkook agreed, grabbing another piece of dried mango. Then his eyes flickered to you, dark and serious. "I just didn't like how you dismissed my physical attraction to you so easily." He went back to nibbling. 

You looked away; ears hot. "In the end, all you want is to boast that you fucked me."

"That was my original intent, yes." You snapped your head back, furrowing your brows. Jungkook inspected the dried fruit, licking some sugar off. Your stomach flipped a little as you watched his pink tongue. "But now I want to take you on dates, hold your hand, and make you eat real meals that aren't only composed of candied mango."

You looked down at your lap. "I'm not a hand-holding kind of girl."

"Then I'll hold your ass."

A muscle in your eyebrow twitched. You glared at him, but he was smiling, popping the mango in his mouth. 

"One date. And then we'll see how it goes."

You closed your eyes. Inhaled deeply. You could say no. You could refuse and tell him to leave you alone and never speak to him again. You could and maybe you should. Because once he knew... he would know. You chewed on your lip. Fear was an understatement. And you were afraid because you knew the truth. If there was a flame between you two, the truth would likely snuff it out. 

Was that better or worse than you smothering it yourself?

"Before we go on a date," you said quietly but firmly. "I need to show you something."

-

“Okay. What is it that you have to show me?”

You were standing in Jeon Jungkook’s apartment. Different day, different clothes. He was wearing a loose leather jacket, white shirt, and distressed acid-wash jeans. He stuck his hands in his pockets. Black hair slicked back as usual, sculpted dark brows framing intense brown eyes. Even though he was dressed like a delinquent, his apartment was well-kept and clean. It was one of the student apartment complexes, decently expensive, segregated for men and women. Not that it mattered, since you were obviously standing there right now.

You were wearing your black turtleneck and flared black miniskirt. But instead of your usual opaque pantyhose, you were wearing black thigh-high socks. They made you very uncomfortable and not because Jungkook was staring at the sliver of exposed flesh. To be honest, you couldn’t care less if he was staring or not.

You chewed on you lip, clutching your messenger bag.

You really wondered if you should show Jungkook. Your thumb ran over your nails. Painted royal blue with raindrop crystals. You asked Hoseok to do them for you this time. He was excited to pick a design and style for you. Asked you what it was for and you said you just felt like it.

Hoseok was very happy to hear that.

Jungkook seemed to sense your unease.

“Are you okay?” he asked gently. “Do you want a piece of man–”

You shook your head furiously. Just do it. Do it and maybe he’ll leave you alone. Do it and he’ll understand this is a bad, bad idea.

You took a deep breath and bent at the waist. Then you yanked down both your thigh-highs, all the way to your ankles.

Jungkook gasped sharply.

You stared down at your legs. At the knife scars, mostly on your calves. Some white and thin, but there were a few big dark ones, knotted and twisted from the skin trying to grow back evenly but failing. Your legs were quite pale too. They never saw the sun.

You hated looking at them. They reminded you of why you had nightmares.

“What… happened?”

You didn’t look at him. His normally smooth, suave voice was trembling. Confused.

You sucked in your lips and clicked your tongue.

“My father was not a nice man. I was an only daughter and he was not happy about it. Perhaps he was never happy about life to begin with. He reminded my mother and me about it constantly.” You straightened, still not looking at Jungkook, but no longer wanting to look at yourself either. “He beat us up a lot. At the time, I really thought that was how it was. Men lost their temper sometimes. Happens. What else am I supposed to think?” You shrugged. “But it was always slapping around, the occasional punch. Not that bad, perhaps.”

You had to remember to breathe. Breathe.

“But when I was twelve, thirteen, it got worse. I don’t know if it was because my mom was slowly fighting back or if work became more stressful and he acted out, but the reason doesn’t matter. He simply got worse. Things thrown at us. Years of insults made them cut deeper, harder. He pulled a knife on me, when I was home alone and my mom was at work.”

You had to swallow hard, trying not to go back there. Trying not to get too detailed, because the nightmares already did that for you. You pulled up your sleeves. There were a few unpleasant scars there too, but nowhere near as bad to your legs.

“Anyway,” you continued. “I think he thought I was bleeding out or dead. My mom, feeling that something was off, decided to come home early. I don’t think I would be alive if she hadn’t thought to do that.” You inhaled deeply, pausing for a moment before continuing. “My father took his car and drove to the other side of town. Drove to a deserted area and ended his own life with the knife he cut me up with. I don’t know if it was guilt or fear of being exposed. But it doesn’t matter. I went to the hospital and stayed there for a long, long time. Not because of the cuts or almost bleeding out, but because I had to talk to a lot of psychologists. A lot of counselors.”

You reached into your bag and pulled out the pack of dried mango. “My mom would buy me these. She couldn’t visit often. She had to sell the house and work overseas to pay all the medical bills. Maybe she has a hard time seeing me too.”

You chewed on your lip, shoving it back into your bag.

“I look more like my father, unfortunately. And, even though I understand what has happened to me, I can’t escape it. I see it every day in the mirror. I am reminded all the time. I can’t talk to people unless I’m eating dried mango. It’s a stupid tick, but my therapist told me once that it was better than cocaine, so, whatever, right?”

You chuckled darkly, feeling empty.

“And I have nightmares. They don’t go away. When I take medication, it gets worse, so I don’t try anymore.”

You kept your eyes on the wall, still not looking at him.

“You’re handsome, Jungkook. Handsome, decently smart, could clean up well,” you said, still gnawing on your lip. “I’m not pretty like the other girls you hang around with. I don’t get to wear what I want because I don’t want to be asked what is wrong with my skin. Sometimes, I wake up screaming, remembering everything that happened that night. I eat way too much dried mango and speak like a fucking robot.” You closed your eyes and sucked in a shuddering breath. “I spend a lot of time trying to not feel anything. I’m not okay. You shouldn’t date someone like me.”

Silence.

Ten seconds past.

Then, the creak of leather. You suddenly felt his presence right in front of you. Strong arms wrapped around you, holding you tight. The sharp, clean scent of his cologne, the thinness of the white shirt revealing his toned torso. Well, the reaction wasn’t disgust. Maybe it was pity and that was worse. You did not want a pity fuck.

“At the risk of something insensitive,” Jungkook murmured quietly into your hair. “Your battle scars are really fucking cool.”

… What?

You laughed.

You laughed, because, what? That wasn’t a reaction you expected. Your laugh was raspy and kind of gross, considering you hadn’t laughed like that in years. But you laughed into Jungkook’s chest, laughed because it was ridiculous, laughed because it was a little insensitive, laughed because you didn’t care. No one who knew about your scars ever said anything like that. Everyone else was very serious and solemn, pity in their eyes as you explained.

Jungkook buried his face into your hair. You could feel his smile.

“Your laugh is cute.”

You wheezed, shaking your head a little. “It isn’t. I didn’t even know I could laugh,” you choked out weakly, breathless.

You felt him kiss the top of your head. You froze, a shiver running through you.

“You know,” Jungkook murmured. “I was really nervous in the library when I was asking you out.”

You didn’t reply. Couldn’t breathe, really.

“I found myself continuously eating that mango. I think you rubbed off on me.”

You remembered. And then you realized.

“You only ate one piece though,” he muttered. “It made me even more nervous, honestly. I just kept eating to keep my mind off it.”

Was this… was this the first time you had an entire conversation with Jeon Jungkook without eating mango at one point?

The only person you weren’t like that with was Hoseok, and that was because he was your oldest friend. The only friend who knew it all, who witnessed your bruises and tear-stained cheeks. The only friend who saw you in hospital gowns and did his best to cheer you up. Drawing pictures with you, making bracelets. Telling you that it was going to be okay, that he was going to be your daily dose of sunshine, your hope, never getting discouraged. There weren’t romantic feelings between you two, but there was love, and you were eternally grateful that Hoseok never gave up on you.

Jeon Jungkook?

He was just the annoying kid who kept trying to copy your Chemistry homework.

“You’re… not that bad at Chemistry, are you?”

Jungkook chuckled. “Nah. I always do the homework. I just wanted to annoy you.”

“You are, indeed, very annoying.”

You two stood there, Jungkook hugging you, your thigh-highs at your ankles, clutching your bag. To be honest, you thought it would have been a lot weirder. But somehow, it was kind of nice. You were okay with it.

“Where do you want to go on our date?” Jungkook suddenly piped up.

You spoke into his chest. “We’re still going on a date?”

He hugged you tighter. “Yeah, of course.”

You were pressed against his body, held so close that your ribs felt like they were being crushed.

“Jungkook.”

“Hm?”

“Something is poking me.”

“… Please ignore him. He doesn’t know time and place.”

A few silent seconds passed.

“I mean, maybe you needed some reassurance that I still think you’re fine as hell.”

“He’s getting bigger.”

“I told you to ignore him.”

-

3.

--

masterpost

[themadauthorshatter]

... I just love OTPs, I can't help it.

OTP HEADCANONS: 2020 Edition

These will include the series of Red Queen, Dorothy Must Die, SGE, The Folk of The Air, and Nightmare Before Christmas(I'll throw in the Skellington kids, too, because I love them💙)

MAJOR TW FOR ALL THE EVENTS THAT OCCURED IN 2020, AND THAT INCLUDES QUARANTINE.

RED QUEEN:

At the news of a Pandemic, Mare and Cal are equally confused and scared, but at least they're not on the battlefield.

They hold up in Paradise Valley until the quarantine is lifted.

It starts off fine with them doing puzzles, hiking, and doing some exercises to pass the time. Then 3 weeks pass and both are bored; Mare's bored enough to drink coffee onto of the fridge and Cal's sitting in a chair upside down because fuck court etiquette, he's so bored.

Cal contemplates luring wolves with dinner scraps again.

They had a mini argument that meant nothing because Cal's hair got long and he wanted Mare to cut it, she but only offered to shave his stubble, not cut his hair.

They both get a lot of sleep, and have a lot of nightmares, which they comfort each other from.

They also really enjoy the silence.

Cal gets into poetry and Mare paints. Both are surprised at how good the other is at their new hobbies.

They talk. A lot. It begins awkwardly and ends with the two in each other's arms.

Cal becomes more of a punner, and Mare loves and hates it.

There's tall of getting a dog, but there's one problem: Paradise Valley doesn't have any shelters, and they'll be arrested or forced ro turn back hime, regardless of rank.

Mare grows taller... by 2 inches. She almost killed Cal for how much he laughed.

When they're allowed to go out, Mare often forgets to bring her mask.

Cal's good at remembering their masks.

Mare REFUSES to leave when she hears about the murder hornets.

Cal gets repellent to calm her down.

They also recover some Old Era TV Shows.

ENDLESS quotes from The Office, Friends, and many more shows.

Cal visits Maven's grave more. Mare comes with every now and then, but usually lets him go alone.

They don't usually argue, but those arguments never last.

They tried a bit of ability training, and greed that they should be careful when Mare summoned a bolt of lightning from the sky and Cal almost set fire to everything around them.

They read a lot, too, but Cal reads more than Mare because she falls asleep, usually on him.

DOROTHY MUST DIE:

Nox had no clue what a Pandemic was, or what the big deal was about going outside and not being near people, until Amy explained it.

First day of online school crashed and burned because Nox had NO IDEA what he was doing, which led to Amy 'accompanying' him in classes.

Amy puts her college plans on hold for a little while.

Nox is more emotional and neither of them know how to handle it.

They have more nightmares, since there's nothing to keep their minds busy, but Amy is more reserved about it. Nox prefers to write about what he dreams, anyway.

Nox stays up, from all the nightmares, but Amy sits with him to keep him company.

When Amy heard about the murder hornets, Nox held up a fly swatter and opened all the windows.

Amy does fine, but Nox dies from boredom, when they're done with school. And I don't mean he just sits and groans, he lies face down on the couch as Amy tries to get him up.

They spend A LOT of time in Nox's apartment, and it's literally spotless because Nox is THAT bored.

They binge a lot of TV shows, and Nox falls in love with shows like Peaky Blinders.

They tried watching Game of Thrones. It didn't go well; negative past experiences.

Nox figured out the plot twist to The Umbrella Academy WAY before Amy did.

They watched Heathers and Amy asked Nox what he'd do if she was dealing with trash friends and guys who don't take 'no' for an answer. The look on his face when he asked who it was reminded Amy of who he was before meeting her.

Nox finds YouTube and discovers the guy that makes knives out of anything and makes it his mission to copy each and every video, come Hell or high water.

Amy walked in on him doing this and genuinely wondered if he was okay, and asked if she could help him.

They also binged musicals. Nox isn't a huge music person, but he still loves them; Kansas has its own magic that he finds intriguing.

Amy once found Nox crouching ontop of the fridge while drinking a mug of coffee.

Madison stopped by and dropped off some rhinestones, lash glue, and a tool to apply the stones. Amy spent a lot of time putting the stones on her face while Nox watched, with Madison and Dustin also watching via Facetime, sitting backwards in a chair and wondering what her plan was, even making very Julien Solomita-esque comments, mixed with very 'I used to be a fighter and a spy' comments that made Amy, Madison, and Dustin laugh. Some if those comments:

"I know Glamora told you to lighten up, but I don't she'd expect this."

"If those were real diamonds, you wouldn't need any armor or a weapon. Just headbutt them, and you're good."

"Don't be upset, but it's the beginning of summer, so I don't think winter's coming any time soon."

"Whichever chandelier you made out with, I will find them, damn it."

After a little while, Amy asked if Nox wanted a rhinestone face. He agreed, but only as long as she took out all the red stones. He could handle pink, but no red.

It took them an hour to get the stones off.

Their hair gets long and they agree to cut each other's hair. Nox cuts her hair chin length and Amy tries to be as style his hair. They don't look the best, but they at least look good.

They absolutely watch Unus Annus, and start quoting that.

When they get the news they can go out wearing a mask, Nox got confused and got 3 different masks: a masquerade mask, a normal face mask, and a gas mask, which he wears all the time to annoy Amy.

They do stay in shape as much as possible, but there is evidence that they could have been more active, with their muscles shrinking and both having lost a little weight.

Nox NEVER drops his guard, and quarantine didn't help.

They tried dying their hair, but it didn't work as well as they'd hoped.

SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL:

Tedros worries about Agatha and everyone else, but Agatha keeps him in check.

Crime drops big time, so that's a plus for Tedros and Agatha.

They have more time to breathe, with everyone being inside and avoiding each other.

Tedros hates the quiet at first, but Agatha helps him adjust.

They spend a lot of time wandering the castle and answering whatever call there is, if any.

The SGE is out for a little while, so they don't hear too much from there.

Tedros, without normal king business to distract him, has more nightmares and starts losing sleep because he doesn't want to dream about what's happened to him and his friends.

Agatha has nightmares, too, but she's better at hiding it.

They do talk about it and agree to be more open with what's going on in their heads.

They also agree that they'll help each other through these times.

Tedros helps Agatha with swordplay and Agatha both gets him into reading more and tries to help him with his magic.

Whenever there's something they need outside, Agatha gets it because she's not that afraid of getting sick; she grew up eating frog and lizard soup.

Tedros worries about her, but doesn't really stop her because she's taller, and having fun trying to stop Agatha once she's committed to doing something.

Tedros finds a new hobby: origami.

Agatha doesn't join in, per se, she more watches because she's never seen Tedros be so patient with something.

They play around with each other's hair, as it grows longer. Agatha ties Tedros's hair back and Tedros braids her hair.

They write to Sophie or anyone else, like people who have some sort of report of a crime or complaint duch as infertile soil, so their penmanship improves.

Tedros grows a bit of a stubble and, after some prickly kiss attacks, Agatha threatens to shave it off herself, if he doesn't. It's all in good fun, but she sort of did mean it because his face and cheeks were really scratchy.

Tedros REFUSES to let Agatha go out alone, even when she's masked up.

When they go out, Tedros always carries a sword.

Picnics in the woods.

Star gazing at night.

Agatha starts wearing pants, as an experiment, and her "dresser"/dress designer is APPALLED.

There are times they argue, but they stay together and communicate because relationship goals.

THE CRUEL PRINCE:

At the news of a Pandemic/plague, Cardan ordered all the human servants to get as healthy as they could so they'd be able to go outside. He would accompany them, but they could not let Jude go out.

She's not happy, when she finds out

Cardan asks if she can avoid going to the human world, so she doesn't get sick.

She goes anyway and returns unscathed.

Cardan considers glamoring the human servants to keeep Jude healthy, but Jude almost pincushions him for it.

Anxious? Worried? Psh! Don't be silly. Cardan becomes somethimg if a paranoid maniac because he's scared of Jude getting sick and dying because he's Fae and she's Mortal, so she's more susceptible to illnesses and he doesn't know wnoufh about mortals to get her healthy agaun were she to get sick, but there's nothing wroung with him, really.

Whenever they're not ruling, Jude practices her swordplay while Cardan reads, major plus being that he reads full series to not worry about Jude so much.

Jude helps Cardan with sword fighting, using wooden practice swords not metal, and Cardan helps her try to get into reading, reading to her as she rests her head on his chest when she doesn't want to read read.

Cardan discovers manga and graphic novels and is too confused for Jude NOT to laugh; "He's in armor made if IRON. How is he able to fly!?" "I've seen a lot people different people, and none of them have made this face." "... So is Spiderman THIS one or THIS one?"

Sword practice usually ends with Cardan on the ground exhausted while Jude simply stands and chuckles for him to get up.

Cardan doesn't get beat smd scarred, he gets poked and minorly bruised, which he was not ready for because of how he was treated by Balekin.

One day, while Cardan was reading some Sherlock Holmes, Jude slipped hoop bracelets on and tied ribbons to his tail, at least as many as she could before she got caught; she only realized as such when his tail started flicking out of her reach and curling around her wrist, and saw Cardan grinning at her.

They do visit Taryn and Vivi still, but Cardan only wears a mask to remind Jude, who does not forget ever.

Cardan thinks about his 'friendship' Nicasia, Locke, and Valerian and semi-realizes that Valerian and Locke may have been using him while Nicasia was at least a little genuine.

They talk about Locke and equally wish that they had helped Taryn in killing Locke. If not, then they wish that they at least watched. They agreed that if time travel was real, Jude could help Trayn kill Locke and Cardan could watch, as long as he helped dispose of the body.

They laughed at that a couple minutes later.

THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS(Featuring the Skellington kids(I'd say Skull Kids, but I feel like Skull Kid(s) was taken)):

Jack knows what a Pandemic is; he lived through one while he was alive.

Sally knew it would happen because she knows one happens about every two hundred years/whenever a year ends in 20.

The triplets know what a plague is, but have never seen one actually happen.

When they explored the human world at night and noticed there were absolutely no humans in sight, Luna reminded her brothers that the humans were told to stay inside to prevent any spreading.

Jacob takes the opportunity to MAKE SURE people actually stay inside.

Pro: he got Instagram famous. Con: Jack and Sally were not happy at all with how reckless he was.

Let's say, for the sake of the story, Halloween had to be cancelled worldwide because regulation and a need for things to get better.

Upon hearing the news of Halloween getting cancelled, Jack was very salty about it; "Why cancel Halloween, if the 4th of July was still allowed to be celebrated?"

All of Halloween Town was very upset; the living are so fragile, it ruins the fun of scaring them.

The Mayor was in deep, DEEP distress, but Jack made it up to him, and the rest of the town, by saying next year's Halloween would be ine no one would ever forget, and it's not because he's 'borrowing' a holiday again, it's because they'll all have a year of scaring shenanigans built up inside them all that will make up for what was missed.

Everyone rejoiced and Jack, once he got back inside his house with his wife and children, sighed and mentally kicked himself for saying no one would forget next year's Halloween; there was one Halloween in particular he sure as hell isn't forgetting any time soon.

Daemon's carving more intricate pumpkins and plans on giving the humans mini-scares so they keep quarantining, hiding a 'surprise' for any entitled Karens he finds.

Luna is the most obedient of the triplets by staying in Halloween Town and instead studying what she calls a 'counter-plague' so there's no need for a Pandemic; she refuses to call it a vaccine because that would imply sje wants to help the humans that shot down and could have killed her dad. She still has a bone to pick.

Jack doesn't spiral out like in the movie, he has Sally to help and the triplets to keep his mind busy.

While Jacob and Daemon keep the humans from leaving their houses, Luna researches the current events and learns of murder hornets that are large, sting like all hell, and cause death to anyone unfortunate enough to get stung.

Jack gets very intrigued and they collect as many as they can and keep them in a jar, but take one out to study it.

They were not impressed; murder hornets? Jack has seen worse.

Since there wasn't a Halloween, Jack decided to walk through the streets, seeing as how Daemon and Jacob already did a lot of the scaring for him(thise little shits). He had to admit, it was nice to walk in the night and only hear the animal sounds and not screams.

Luna did not find a 'counter-plague,' even with Sally's help, but she did discover some poisons she could use against her brothers. Sally made her promise not to do so.

On the Halloween night where nothing happened, Jack took his family out to a picnic/star gazing session. Genuinely one of his favorite Halloweens to date.

HENRY STICKMIM COLLECTION:

Henry and Ellie knew it was going to happen and were more than surprised to also see Charles planning ahead by making a list for what they needed, even admitting he'd been following the news and rumors and stocking up on ADD medicine so he wouldn't have to go out to get them.

The other soldiers weren't worried until they were told to go home and take a break for a little bit.

Triple Threat wasn't really effected until day 24.

On day 1, they just hung out and were relatively calm, working online, doing workouts to stay fit, and just being as normal as possible.

On day 24, all three are more than a little bored. Henry's bored enough to andwer calls from telemarketers and prank them, Ellie's contemplating bleaching her hair with peroxide, and Charles is playing with fidget toys he's bough and collected over the years, though he's doing it more because he's a little stressed than bored.

Henry and Ellie are surprised to this this, but Charles admits he used to bite his nails a lot, but stopped after a LONG while.

Speaking of names, Ellie paints hers and the boys', though while Henry paints his in clear coat, Charles paints one hand black and the other in red, mint, and glittery pink on one nail because try stopping him.

It makes Ellie laugh and pisses off Henry so much.

Ellie gets calls from her family saying they want her to come home, or closer to home, because they're worried and she instead blocks their numbers.

They watch a lot of horror movies as a reason to stay inside.

When they get bored of American horror and try Japanese, Asian, and more western horror movies.

Instant regret.

They watched the movie Audition and Henry looked at a very unimpressed Charles, who said the antagonist was being sloppy, and hid all the kitchen knives, saws, and sharp and blunt objects, including tools(must've remembered Human Piece).

He stopped after a week of Charles being himself and literally shaking at Hannibal Lecter as they watched the Silence of The Lambs series.

All three open up more about their lives. It's ugly, there's yelling, conflicting life philosophies, and even some insults thrown. Henry admits that gotten screwed over by the law enough times while fending for himself to have as little faith in it as possible, Ellie admits she ran away from home and would rather die than go back because of how tight of a leash they kept her on, and Charles admits that while he has thought about quitting on the government and turning to a life of crime, he never did because that would have been to easy of a choice. Training for the military was and still is hard as hell, which Henry and Ellie can tell because Charles can physically do more than them(if they ran a mile, Henry and Ellie would be exhausted and Charles wouldn't even be out of breath), but he's never given up on it because he knew his parents would skin him, if they were still alive.

There were tears at the end, and the team all needing to be alone for a little bit, but they were back together and agreed to be a little more open with each other, since they were a team now.

[thotinshield]

Danny’s Bagginshield Fic Recs (2021)

I haven’t done a fic rec in literal years, and I keep meaning to, but then I... don’t. This is a massive list - so I will put it under a read more to save your dashes.

Modern AUs

A Remover of Obstacles by MistakenMagic

"Dis often chided her older brother for being a misanthropist. She did it so often it had become a term of endearment. It was true that Thorin struggled with people; he struggled to form and maintain relationships. Dr. Grey had diagnosed him with this and Thorin hadn’t the heart to tell him this wasn’t a symptom of his PTSD, it was a symptom of his personality. He exercised a sense of apathy with almost everyone he met… But Bilbo was different. Thorin actually found himself wanting to know more about him."

(Note: This fic deals with a lot of mental health stuff, panic attacks, etc, so please please mind the tags.)

By Request by HildyJ

As a musician, Thorin's life can be summed up in tempos. For instance, the concerto he's perfoming on Friday is Allegro - quick and bright, followed by Andantino - slightly slow, and then back to Allegro again.

On the other hand, his relationship with his cute neighbour? Larghissimo - very, very slow.

Stepping Stones by misplacedkisses

It feels like it's fate Thorin's trying to resist, his destiny, his bloodline.

Fresh out of inpatient, Thorin's struck with the urge and maybe it's fate (or therapy) that has him stumbling into a late-night cafe instead. It may be the start of a new life.

Write Me Down Easy by lucyraebrown

Bilbo Baggins, a simple man with a wish for something more than his life teaching high school English, is obsessed with a famous author by the pen-name Oakenshield. Although he knows the future is dim for his chances of finding out about the man behind his favorite book, it's reassuring to know someone has the same thoughts about the world.

Fix-its 

I'll Die to Care for You by thehufflepuffhobbit

His gaze landed on Mahal's eyes once more. "You did your best, Thorin." It was tempting to look away; he wanted to deny that with everything he had. It certainly didn't feel as though falling into Gold Sickness and then dying was doing his best. Mahal smirked, as though he knew Thorin's desire to contradict him, and pinched his cheek before walking over to a table. "Aye, I didn't think you would believe me. I'm not lying, it certainly could have gone better. More according to my plan, but I know you really did try."

"Your plan?" He didn't know if he should ask, really. Knowing that his Maker had set a course for him, he didn't want to think about the ways he had done everything wrong. There were too many examples of mistakes in his long life, too many opportunities that he had missed that had probably been planned for him from the beginning.

Or:

Mahal feels like Thorin fucked up his legacy and gives him a do over.

Roses of Iron by Porphyrios

Two years after Bilbo returned from his adventures, he's made his peace with being back in the Shire. He still wonders what might have happened if things were different, but figures all that is behind him now. A mysterious visitor turns out to be someone he never thought he'd see again, and he's shocked by the news he hears.

Beside Myself by bliboboggins

"What are you doing? Just who do you think you are?" Startled, Bilbo turned around slowly. And there, in a familiar patchwork dressing gown, brandishing a fire poker wildly about, was... Bilbo.

i wouldn't have danced like that with any but you by Percyjacksonfan3

Thorin has survived the Battle of the Five Armies but his relationship with Bilbo is uncertain and precarious, especially in the newly reclaimed kingdom of Erebor. With Kíli set to marry Tauriel, and the Dwarves of Erebor still holding prejudice against outside races, Thorin must choose between his nephew's happiness or his own.

Though he believes sending Bilbo back to the Shire is for the good of everyone, he and the rest of Erebor are thrown into turmoil when 5 years later his nephews secretly plot to bring Bilbo back. Coming face-to-face with Bilbo again makes it impossible for Thorin to stay apart from him any longer- but is Bilbo still willing to be with Thorin once more after he broke both of their hearts?

A Matter of Payment by heartshapeddog

"And Thorin rose from the little table, keeping Bilbo’s fingers crushed gently in his own, and went down to his knee before him. Bilbo was struck with the likelihood that no creature greater than a farm-dog had lowered its head before a Hobbit since the birth of Eä until this very moment. He looked down, fascinated, at the crown of Thorin’s head, bare of royal circlet, and felt at once humbled and strong.

“I swear it,” Thorin said, and Bilbo thought of the vows from Elven history, of the type which followed the oathkeeper to the ends of Arda as a deep and binding magic. Then, he took Bilbo’s knuckles up to his lips. The rasp of his beard and his soft mouth were shocking in their immediacy and contrast. Bilbo could not help his racing heart."

Feet that Wander Have Gone by WednesdaysDaughter

“Run away with me.”

Bilbo turns to see who would say such a cowardly thing only to realize it was his own traitorous mouth which has run away with his heart: They’re already down the mountain and past Mirkwood by the time he realizes no one has objected.

“What a delightful solution my dear boy,” says Gandalf who looks to the east where the eagles are skimming the horizon.

Other AUs

between synapses and circuits by MistakenMagic

Different diagnostic results slowly trickled through and Thorin swiped them all to different corners of the screen depending on their relevance and evidence of abnormality. He paused when a particular chart appeared and smiled to himself.

“What?” Bilbo murmured, sounding genuinely worried.

“Your heterochromia,” Thorin explained, meeting Bilbo’s green and blue gaze. “The irregular algorithm that causes it has been running for almost half a century.”

“Most mechatronics offer to fix it for me,” Bilbo said, looking away, seeming suddenly self-conscious.

“Then they’re idiots.”

(Note: I just love MistakenMagic’s works. That’s all. This one is good and she writes angst so so well.)

past one hundred thousand miles (feeling very still) by childishinquiry

Commander Thorin Oakenshield is the leader of the first Mars mission, Project Golden Eagle, with twelve crewmen. Back on Earth, Specialist Bilbo Baggins is their communications specialist. Making history is easy; it's much harder to deal with falling in love with the person on the other end of the signal.

Hallowbit by batherik

As simple pawn shop owner in the human world, Bilbo isn’t all that thrilled to find himself lost in Thorin’s magical undead kingdom. Lured there by an old man dressed in grey, who turned out to be a wizard, Bilbo is charged with doing a job no one wants to do: fetch the King’s head from the corn maze. The King often loses his head when his temper boils over.

In the House of a Skinchanger by Bardic

Thorin and Company have finally reached a safe house after a few crazy weeks on the road. After three days of goblins, orcs, and a massive bear that's chased them into the home of one of Gandalf's acquaintances the Company is quite exhausted and quite tired of surprises. Unfortunately for them, or fortunately there is another staying there.

Master Baggins is not who the Company expected to find, especially when he claims to be one of the only outsiders Durin allowed a title and a rank to. Although that's the least surprising thing about him.

Thorin makes some discoveries and has some observations.

Basically an AU where Bilbo is a skinchanger and the Company meet him at Beorn's on accident.

It Runs In The Family by Imagined

At first, Bilbo is very glad to hear of the new alliance between Erebor and the Shire. He is even more excited when he learns that some of his family members are coming to the Lonely Mountain to discuss the details.

That is, until the dwarves (and Thorin, who is decidedly not and never shall be his) start getting along a little too well with one of his more adventurous cousins, and Bilbo starts doubting about his place.

[bookipsies]

Hello, and thank you for attending my Tedx talk: Why Spider-Man 2 is a Masterpiece

1. The opening credits that recap the entirety of Spider-Man in case you missed it

2. Guess how many other marvel heroes are in the intro? Fucking zero this movie is about Spider-Man and Spider-Man alone fuck off iron man get a job.

3. Slow pan out from Kirsten Dunst’s creepy half smile that she maintains for the entirety of the movie

4. Within the first 3 fucking minutes of this movie we get the most iconic line of all time “hey, he stole that guys pizza!”

5. Peter Parker gets 30-45 seconds of uninterrupted shot of him trying to get some mops back into a janitor’s closet while Zooey Deschanel’s sister watches.

6. This movie is 2 hours of Sam Raimi beating Tobey Maguire the fuck up. He throws mops at him, he hits him in the head with a book bag, he lets James Franco bitch slap him twice in the face.

7. James Franco is in it back in the days before we knew he had a clone named Dave.

8. Harry Osborne just forces a physicist to hang out with his friend who is failing College. Also yes Peter Parker is flunking College

9. Literally Peter is flunking everything. He can’t pay rent on his shit ass apartment with a communal toilet, his aunt is losing her house, he can’t make it to a show to see Mary Jane on stage, he’s fired constantly, everyone calls him lazy and a disappointment. Even though he is the goddamn Spider-Man saving the city

10. Aunt May is old as shit. As she should be. I shouldn’t watch a Spider-Man movie and want to FUCK Aunt May and/or watch My Cousin Vinny

11. Remember when no one knew how to make super hero movies? So Sam Raimi is just fucking making it up as he goes.

12. Why is Spider-Man at this physics demonstration? Who the hell cares UNPLUG THE MACHINE SPIDER MAN

13. Back up, why is no one like “hey Otto those arms are evil as fuck”

14. Why do the ARMS HAVE AI!?

15. In the most recent Spider-Man movie the villain wants to steal weaponry to support his family. You know grounded down to earth shit. In Spider-Man 2 the villain wants to MAKE THE SUN BECAUSE HIS ROBOT ARMS TOLD HIM TO

16. There is a reason. J. Jonah Jameson has not made an appearance in another Spider-Man film. Because if it’s not JK Simmons. Than get the fuck out. I know JK won his Oscar for Whiplash but we all know it’s really for his portrayal of J. Jonah Jameson featuring such lines as “flowers? If we spend any more on this wedding you can pick the daisies off my grave!”

17. When the evil robot arms first break bad. Sam Raimi films the scene like a classic horror film and it’s FUCKING. BRILLIANT.

18. So many good screaming women in this movie. Zoom IN ON THAT SCREAMING WOMAN HELL YES.

19. Oh back back up there isn’t a scene in this movie I think where Tobey Maguire doesn’t cry. HE IS AN EMOTIONAL SPIDER MAN AND I LOVE IT

20. James Franco cries too.

21. When PP chooses to give up being SM and “Raindrops keep falling on my head” plays to him waltzing through New York CULMINATING in a freeze frame of his dork ass smiling face.

22. He saves an adorable child who, in maybe the cutest exchange I’ve ever seen, attempts to help PP up when he’s dangling from a ledge in a burning building.

23. Doc Oc dressing like a straight up cartoon pimp.

24. Baby Elizabeth Banks plays JJ’s secretary and is so young she’s adorable.

25. The stopping the subway scene is actually literally iconic. I get tense thinking about it. He’s screaming and it clearly hurts and the subway starts to crack and break and it’s AWESOME and everyone promises not to say who he is afterwards

26. Doc Oc ruining the precious moment by forcibly scooting everyone so he can steal Spider-Man to get COMIC BOOK URANIUM TO, I SAY AGAIN, MAKE THE SUN

27. “Your father only obsessed over his work” “GOOD NIGHT BERNARD”

28. The fight choreography between DOC and Spidey is actually awesome because Doc doesn’t know what the fuck he’s doing and Spider-Man is fighting 4 robot arms attached to a physicist and it’s just them punching each other and falling.

29. MJ doesn’t appear to own a bra so that’s a thrill every time she gets tossed around.