#I do still sort of want a tattoo of them as my patron saints of earnestness and cynicism

[homoqueerjewhobbit]

Tina Belcher would have such a crush on Daria Morgendorffer and Daria's like episode arc would be slowly seeing the importance of tolerating Tina (in small doses) in order to be a good influence on her.

[cherryblossomriot]

i had a dream the other day that was basically a dinluke cowboy au and it has been HAUNTING me, so just allow me to deposit it upon you like my subconscious drop kicked it onto me:

Luke is a disabled veteran who has returned from war one hand lighter and several scars heavier. When he returns, his family, who are heavily involved in the politics/military of this fictional land, don’t understand his now jaded and melancholic view of both the world, but also the ideologies that they so strongly believe in, leading him to constantly feel like an outcast even among the people that he so dearly loves. They’re all passionate and strong-willed, but they still don’t understand, not his struggles with mental health or his new perspective, and it just makes things worse and worse and worse. Anakin is a general, and though he’s seen the gruesomeness of war firsthand, he’s also become desensitized to it and has anger-management issues, so he often almost finds a sort of refuge within the chaos of battle, so he clearly cannot even fathom the emotions and trauma that Luke is trying to sort through, much less know how to deal with them properly. Padme is a senator and cares deeply about the crimes and seemingly senseless violence occurring during the war, but she’s also a politician and knows how to play the long game, so when Luke comes to her, he leaves feeling misunderstood and pushed aside. Leia is the only one who seemingly understands, as the pair of them have a deep, intrinsic bond, but she doesn’t fully grasp Luke’s moods and doesn’t handle his breakdowns and flashbacks well. So everyone feels a little upset, a little unsettled, and a lot like they don’t understand why and how Luke has changed, which leads to Luke feeling more and more out of place within his own family. The war ends relatively soon after Luke’s return, which leads to parades which leads to awards which leads to balls and banquets, all of which Luke is forced to attend, his heart dragging but his head held high, because he’s an Amidala-Skywalker goddammit, and we have a certain responsibility and image to maintain to the public and everyone who endured so much. So Luke has to sit there through awards and boasts of glory and mentions of battle scars and it goes on and on and on, and he has to smile and bear it and accept the medal that they’re giving him because he did such a great service to his country and-he has a panic attack. A nasty one that leads to him having to flee from a ballroom, and outside to the gardens. Once he’s there, he realizes that he doesn’t want to go back in. At all. So he runs away. He just picks a direction and goes, stealing a car on the way (this is a modern au but also fictional countries because I don’t want to get into real politics, hooo boy no siree). In the middle of nowhere, he gets caught in a storm and basically crashes his car and passes out. 

But when he wakes up! That’s when the fun begins. 

He’s in this cozy sort of bedroom, and this hot guy is fast asleep in the chair beside his bed, and is that a little kid in his lap? Anyway, the hot guy wakes up, introduces himself as Din Djarin in the softest, most attractive voice Luke has ever heard with his own two ears, and doesn’t ask him where he’s from or what he was doing driving in the middle of bumfuck nowhere at 3 in the morning, so Luke is obligated to have a lil crush on him, even though he’s not sure about the kid. So he asks, and Din introduces him to his son Grogu, who waves at him and signs hello, because, as Din explains, he doesn’t speak much, and the foster system wasn’t too kind to him, so he’s got a little bit of trauma to work through. And Luke just, instantly falls in love with this soft dad and his cute little son who can shift his features from the biggest, most pleading puppy eyes ever to the face of a demented gremlin who will try to eat the frog he caught in the backyard, no matter how slimy it is, or how hard it tries to wriggle out of his hands. Din tells Luke that he can stay for however long he needs, because Luke’s kinda injured from his accident, and anyway, once he’s healed up, they always could use another hand on the farm. So Luke stays, and he meets all of Din’s other farm hands (and shitty friends). There’s Boba, who doesn’t talk much, but when he does it’s always something slightly ominous and menacing, and Luke thinks that his name sounds familiar...hey wasn’t he on the news for robbing a couple banks a few years back?...no, surely not..., Fennec, who speaks even less than Boba, and manages to be far, far more intimidating, but also helps Luke with his prosthetic and gives him fun little tips that always sound more like she’s cut off a lot more limbs than she’s lost. Cara Dune (who is not gina carano but i digress) is also there, and she’s just constantly a harbinger of chaos, but will babysit Grogu whenever Din wants to brood and stare longingly into the distance (or at Luke who’s also brooding as the sun sets but shhh). Bo-Katan and the gang are there, and while Bo-Katan grumbles about how the old ranch boss had different/better methods on how to run things, she still follows Din’s lead and helps him with the finances and taxes. They all take to Luke like a wildfire, because Luke is a sunshine boy who can make friends with literally anyone and somehow manages to make Din not only smile but laugh, but also because they can tell he’s got a lot of trauma and pain bubbling just under the surface, and they all silently but collectively agreed a long time ago that they are the patron saints of troubled and lost souls. 

When Luke gets better and starts to help out, he’s constantly upset with himself because he used to help out at his aunt and uncle’s farm in the summers when he was a kid, and he knows how to do this stuff, but his prosthetic is really throwing him off and his body has sustained a lot of other injuries that make doing manual labor a much more different experience than it used to be, but everyone is really patient with him and helps him out, especially Din. At one point, Din is so nice that Luke just loses it, because he doesn’t understand how Din can be so kind and so patient, and care about him so much, and kind of calls himself broken and useless in front of Din, and Din gets super protective and grabs his hands (real and prosthetic) and tells him that he’s not broken or useless, and you’re so sweet and wonderful, and can’t you see? Ever since you’ve been here, everyone’s been so much happier, so much lighter. You’ve brought something precious to us, but most of all to me. And they’re standing really close and for a second Luke thinks Din is going to kiss him, but instead, Luke realizes that he’s crying, and Din just wraps his arms around him and holds him.

After that, time sort of blurs, marked by things like Grogu climbing into Luke’s bed because he sensed that he was having a nightmare, and Din waking up to find the pair of them coloring in a serene silence, Luke getting the hang of ranch life and his prosthetic and dealing with his panic attacks and flashbacks as they come, and Din enduring relentless badgering from his friends because hey, if you don’t marry Luke, I will and Fennec, you’re a lesbian and that doesn’t matter, it’ll be a marriage of twink and butch solidarity. And all the while, Din and Luke are spinning closer and closer towards each other, two suns hurtling in their orbit to the other with an inescapable certainty. 

When it finally happens, they’ve just gotten back from one of those cowboy dances (idk what they’re called...hoedowns? yeah okay) (and yes, I wanted to hit all of the cliches in the book, thank you very much), and Grogu’s fallen fast asleep on Luke’s shoulder. After they tuck him up all snug in his bed, they head out to the porch, because it’s raining outside, and the steady thrum of water droplets splattering on the roof and on the grass is the most soothing sound Luke has ever heard (aside from Din’s voice), and he’s a little too afraid to go to sleep and ruin his perfect night with a nightmare. They stand there for a while, silence binding them together, shoulders brushing every now and then, hesitant and questioning. Luke thinks about how Din had asked him to dance earlier, his lips tilted in a teasing, but achingly soft smile, and how his heart had pounded a tattoo to the shape of his ribs when they’d pushed up so close together, the fast, rowdy dances of the beginning of the night having faded to something lasting, something meaningful. Luke remembers the ball he’d run away from, how the dancing had been cold, almost jeering in a way, and Luke realizes how far he’s come, how different it is here. And suddenly, there isn’t a question in his mind anymore. He turns toward Din, who turns toward him, and when he leans forward, Din breathes an uncertain “Luke-”, but he doesn’t get to finish the thought. Luke kisses him, and he kisses back, and it’s just them. There are hands in hair and noses nudged together, and at some point, they move, without either of them releasing the other, into the house and into Din’s bedroom. Buttons are unbuttoned, and whole stretches of skin are kissed, and when it’s over, they curl up together, Din tucking his head into the crook of Luke’s neck and falling asleep there. 

When they wake up, Luke explains why he came here, why he ran away, all the while Din looks at him with his beautiful dark eyes and runs his hands through Luke’s hair, which is catching the sunlight filtering in through the window and making him look like he has a halo, all the while never once condemning him for keeping it a secret this whole time. After he’s finished, he expects some sort of shocked reaction-after all, his family’s pretty famous, but all Din does is kiss him and ask, “Wait, so you have a twin?” 

It’s so unexpected that Luke throws his head back and bursts into uncontrollable, and very contagious peals of laughter, and when he’s finally able to breathe again, he kisses Din’s forehead and murmurs, “I love you.” 

Din, who has been touch starved and lonely for years (no time for relationships when you’ve got a business to run and a toddler to raise), tears up and kisses him, too overwhelmed for words. But Luke understands.  

And then Grogu pushes his way into the room holding up a box of Frosted Flakes above his head and shaking it, as if to say, I’d like to eat now, please. 

Din and Luke stifle their smiles into the other’s shoulder, and when they get up, Luke can’t help but think that he’s finally where he belongs.

----

It takes approximately .5 seconds for all the others to figure out they’re together now, and Cara and Bo-Katan (of all people) start cheering immediately, to Din and Luke’s shock. Boba and Fennec grumble and begrudgingly hand over a huge wad of cash each to Cara and Bo-Katan because they thought it would take them at least another two weeks to get together. Din’s very done with his friends at this point, but he takes one look at Luke’s flustered but smiling face and decides he won’t kill them all this time. 

And if everyone thought Luke was a lot of excitement for a humble ranch in the middle of nowhere, then they are in no way, shape, or form, prepared for when his very angry twin sister shows up with a himbo with a shit-eating grin and his 7 foot tall best friend she hired to track her brother down. 

(needless to say, Boba punches Han within two minutes of interaction).

[brainbuffering]

So, I try to keep my nerd side away from my Epilepsy Blog; however I was talking to @haikyuupaladin on Discord and we realised that the closest thing we have to an Epileptic Superhero is Denki Kaminari from My Hero Academia. His superpower/’quirk’ is that he can produce electricity from out of his body, with the side effect that releasing too much causes him to short circuit his brain to the point where he cannot form speech and only give everyone a thumbs up.

A super power about having access electricity that has serious consequences to your brain function? Now That’s What I Call Epilepsy! 

So here are 25 Epileptic Kaminari Headcanons for ya’ll to enjoy! 

When he first got his quirk the side effect was similar to febrile convulsions (something to Todoroki children also suffered from). He'd zap out too much electricity at random, take out the lights in the house, and then seize on the floor. Eventually he learnt to control the quirk a little as his brain developed more and it just morphed into Absence Seizures. (Seizures where in your brain sort of enters ‘buffering’ mode and you appear blank and non-responsive until it is over. The kind I have!) 

His Mum also has Epilepsy, but she has Grand Mal Seizures (the kind you think of when you imagine epilepsy) so she has to stick to regular medication. This also means she's well prepared for when Denki gets a seizure and it's just another day at the office!

He used to take medication to control his seizures, which essentially meant he couldn't use his quirk to do more than charge a phone. Yet it also meant he didn't have major seizures in the street and during class! Not ending up in hospital is always a plus. However once he decided to become a hero and apply to UA he stopped taking them in order to be able to use more voltage. It was a tough decision to make, since having seizures has long term medical consequences and can be very isolating. Yet the idea of being a hero, being able to save lives and do something GOOD with his powerful quirk was too strong a motivator. It's why he secretly relates to Deku so much. They both risk their health in order to succeed. 

Problem is, he has a wisdom of 8, so didn't think to tell his DOCTOR he was doing any of this! So didn't wean himself off of them like a SENSIBLE person, and it resulted in some serious side effects (e.g. hallucinations) and major seizures!

His parents were naturally furious with him for taking his life into his hands like this! They we're initially completely unsupportive of his choices and refused to sign any of the UA Consent forms. Going there and becomming a Pro-Hero would put him at risk not just during his job, but during his day-to-day life too!

They eventually accepted his choices though, and are now fully supportive of him. However they DO call him regularly to check that he's okay. When they moved into dorms, they made sure that the whole Bakusquad were informed of what to do if he had a grand mal. It was one of the demands they made upon agreeing to sign the permission form. 

No one in the class really knew that he had Epilepsy and that his 'stupid' mode was legit seizures until they all moved in together. They just thought it was a side effect of his quirk! Which is kind of true, but it's also way more than that. They all feel really bad about making fun of him for it (especially Jiro!) though Denki admits he doesn't mind it so much because sometimes it IS funny!

One of the reasons he doesn't do so well in lessons is that he keeps having absences during class. Not as long as the ones he has when he deliberately over uses his quirk, but long enough to cause disruption to his learning.

It's especially a problem in exams, and Aizawa has worked out that he needs to not only give him extra time, but erase his quirk during the exams.

This isn't figured out until his second semester though, and theory lessons have become so much easier!!!

Momo's study parties really helped as well, since if he has an absence she can just repeat the topic. The whole gang can now spot when he's having an absence. It's really helpful!

He knows full damn well that going to bed at 3am will cause him to have more seizures in the morning but he does it anyway because YOLO! 

Bakugo has started to just thwack him over the head and demand he goes to bed because despite everything he does care about that fuckin' Pichu. 

Also he should really know better than to over use his quirk without carefully training it first and taking it up volt-by-volt but again... YOLO! 

Kirishima has pointed out time and time again, yes Denki. You DO only live once, so please for the love of God have some self preservation!

He has sworn that he will never drink a drop of alcohol in his life though. Because Alcohol is dangerous and BAD and makes you SLEEPY which will give you SEIZURES and that's BAD! 

Nobody believes this for a SECOND. Kirishima already has an action plan in place for his 20th Birthday. Mina will melt away any glass that he even comes NEAR. Sero will stalk him everywhere, including the bathroom, to make sure he keeps his promise. And when inevitably he DOES find a way to get drunk and ends up having a seizure, Bakugo will clear the room of on lookers. Sure, his 20th is years away, but it PAYS TO BE PREPARED!

He used to wear a medical ID but found out that having bits of metal attached to him was a bad idea when you have an electric quirk! It just adds to the issues. 

He did have a plastic one for a bit but it just got irritating, and he needed to take it off for hero training anyway! So now he just carries a card in his wallet and has an app on his phone to let people know what's going on. 

He's talked about getting a tattoo with all his information on, but his parents are very against the idea. His new plan is just to became SUPER FAMOUS so everyone will know he has epilepsy and won't NEED to tell them his name and date of birth because they'll all just KNOW! 

He is thus the only student Aizawa will accept as aiming to become famous because he has a rational reason for doing so. 

One of the reasons he charges everyone's phones is that he's discovered releasing small amounts of electricity in a controlled way leads to fewer seizures during the day. 

He also carries around a few power bricks for the same reason, and so is popular amongst students in general. He hopes this will have the side effect of girls liking him! The results are still pending. 

Momo did some reading on Valentine's Day (for total legitimate reasons not because she wanted to get anyone chocolate that's OBSERED) and found out that St. Valentine is the patron saint of epileptics. As such, she organised for the whole class to get Denki chocolates as a sign of appreciation and recognition.

 He may have cried a little bit, because nobody had ever done anything like that before and feeling accepted amongst the class for his disability fes really amazing and awesome.

[ikenbar]

Ikamara One Shot: Saint Richards

Hey there! Trying something new here with these one shots in the middle of the story. To give a background to Ike and a sense of tension as you wait of the next chapter!! Thank you for reading and coming this far in Ikamara’s story. I hope you enjoy and I hope these clear up any questions you guys have for her! Thanks again!!

~ Ike ‘n Bar Productions Productions

Warnings: Slight cursing (extremely mild), Fighting, Suggestive comments, Drunks being aggressive, annoying men, and Ike being a total boss

Read more of Ikamara’s story!

Chapter One parts one, two, three, four, five, six, and seven here :)

And Chapter Two prologue and parts one, two, three, four, five, and six, seven, eight, nine, ten, and eleven here :D

Chapter three coming soon :D

One shot: Saint Richards

“It shouldn’t be this hard to avoid drunk college girls.”

Ike planned to find a place to celebrate moving into her new apartment. More specifically she was looking for a bar. One she could regular since the other bar she went to was too far to casually attend anymore. Ike never liked that place anyway. It was close enough to a community college so young adults would often overtake it at night. Sure, she was still a young adult of college age but she didn’t like associating herself with that kind of image.

A few clubs appeared on Ike’s walk but none of them enticed her to go in. They were either full of bustling drunks or ear piercing music that you could hear from the other side of the street. Ike turned a corner, considering going back home, when a flickering light lit up the pavement in front of her. She turned and found herself facing a window to a small bar. It had a light wooden aesthetic with old pictures and instruments hanging in clusters on the walls. If it weren’t for the groups of middle aged patrons dressing in regular clothes, Ike would have thought she was thrust back in time of the old west. Everyone there seemed to be kept to themselves, talking casually in their little groups and avoiding anyone else around them. That alone was enough to keep Ike from hesitating as she walked into that bar. If she didn’t hurry, those freaks would find her and destroy such a perfect place.

A jingle came from above Ike as she opened the door, drawing the heads of the patrons to look at her for a moment before redirecting their attention back to each other. Ike approached the bar and took a seat on one of the many empty stools. A young, Carmel skinned, bartender stood behind the bar, mixing a drink for a patron.

“What can I get you?” The bartender asked, handing a patron his finished drink. The bartender’s voice was higher than Ike expected, but it gave him a softer, more teddy bear-like, feel about him.

“Moscow Mule, neat, house liquor is fine.” Ike responded resoundingly, trying to make herself unapproachable. If she were to attend that bar she was going to do it by taking a load off and avoiding human interaction. She had enough of interaction at her current job as a bounty hunter. So she didn’t go to socialize or be hit on by older men. Let alone to make new friends that only know you for your drinking problem.

“You got it!” The bartender said, immediately working on her drink. Ike settled in her seat, prepared to zone out and enjoy the silence. But the bartender had other plans. 

“Hey, I don’t think I’ve seen you around before.” He sparked a conversation, annoying Ike slightly, “You fresh to these parts?”

“Just moved into an apartment a couple blocks away.” Ike spoke frankly.

“Oh really? Well welcome to the neighborhood!” The bartender smiled widely, “Though, I’ve got to ask, What brought you to a place like this? You look like a lively young girl. Wouldn’t you rather be somewhere with people your age?”

“You’re one to talk.” Ike snapped.

The bartender chuckled, “You got me there. But don’t avoid the question.” The bartender placed Ike’s finished drink in front of her and leaned on the bar, arms folded and stare piercing, “Why, of all places to drink, did you decide on a washed up 'ol bar like this one?” Ike looked intently at the man for a second, trying to read for any ill intent. After finding none, she sighed.

“I’m trying to find a new regular place to go to after work. Preferably someplace I can walk to from my apartment. Not to mention one without loud music and headache-inducing college chicks who are wasting their life away.”

“Well, you’ve found the right place! Though, I don’t know if I can vouch for the music and college girls. We have karaoke Friday nights.”

“Oh really?” Ike rolled her eyes, hopes of the bar becoming rotten.

“Yup! I even have a game that I play as I watch them.” the bartender chuckled happily.

“Oh?”

“Yeah, it’s called, ‘take a shot every time a drunk girl faints on stage.’” The bartender winked at Ike. Ike arched an eyebrow.

“Sounds interesting.” Ike said as she took a drink, “How do you play?”

The bartender opened his mouth excitedly to respond but a jingle from the door cut him off. Ike turned and looked to the door where three men were standing. They all supported matching leather jackets and had tattoos all over their bodies. They looked middle-aged with their receding hairlines and patchy skin. They were all practically the same person but there was a clear leader as the man standing in the middle of them was taller and wore a red bandanna. He had long bleached, thinning hair that was pulled down the back of his head and away from his dark brown eyes. His yellow teeth were quite abundant as he sucked on the tobacco in his cheek and scanned the room. 

Ike was quick to dismiss these men but the bartender wasn’t. He wore a face of concern as his grip around his folded arms tightened. Ike looked around to the rest of the bar and found everyone had gone quiet as they nervously looked at the men at the door.

The leader of the group caught the eyes of the bartender and grinned crookedly. “Hunter!” The man billowed in a scratchy yet powerful voice as he approached the bar. As he walked, the rest of the bar resumed their conversations, if not a bit quieter this time, “I didn’t know you were working today!”

“The old man asked me to cover for him while he visited Becky in the hospital.” The bartender, supposedly named Hunter, stood up as the leader leaned on the bar, uncomfortably close to Ike.

“Ah is she still not feeling well?” The leader laughed and shook his head, “Mayhaps it’s for the best that you let her go, kid. Don’t want no dying chick taking up the space that someone could use to actually get better.” Hunter tensed slightly.

“Yeah, right.” He said with a strained chuckle and annoyance dripping from his tongue, “Good one. The usual then, Judy?”

“Yeah, and another drink for the lady here.” Judy, finally acknowledging the woman next to him, nudged Ike slightly. He looked down at her and smiled as Hunter left to make the drinks, “I don’t think I have had the pleasure.”

“And you won’t.” Ike pushed Judy away, “Also, Hunter was it? Don’t make that other drink. I don’t take handouts from people who suggest that lives can be exchanged for rooms.”

“Hey now,” Judy put his hands up and laughed lightly, “I was just joking! Right, Hunter? You know I love your sister!”

“Right.” Hunter didn’t keep his eyes off the drinks he was making.

“I’d like her even more if she’d let me play ‘carpenter!' Amright, bois?!” Judy slapped the stomach of one of his buddies as they laughed heartily at his joke. Ike rolled her eyes and tried turning away from the detestful scene. Judy noticed this and chuckled. He leaned on her arm, drawing her attention back onto him. “Let me buy you a drink.”

“I’d rather just take the money.” Ike hissed as she pushed Judy back again.

“Oh come on!” Judy laughed and moved inches from Ike’s face, “What’s the harm in one-” Ike grabbed ahold of Judy’s shirt and, in one quick motion, forced him down and stood up from the stool so she was looking over him dominantly.

“Listen, punk,” Ike spoke through her teeth, spitting on Judy’s face as she spoke, “My job involves beating and taking scum like you down. Believe it or not, I came here to relax and get away from all of that, but I would be more than willing to clock back in if prompted to do so. So, unless you want me to show you exactly how I 'hit on' guys, I’d suggest you take the hint and back the hell off.” Ike threw Judy away from her, causing him to stumble backwards and collide into this group. Judy quickly recentered himself and looked angrily at Ike.

“Fine then!” He huffed, smoothing out his shirt, “You could have just asked! Come on, boys.” With that, Judy left with his group to one of the booths on the other side of the room. Ike cursed to herself and sipped her drink. 

Hunter whistled as he walked back over to her, “I’ve never seen anyone tell Judy off like that. I’m impressed!”

“Like I said, I deal with people like him everyday.” Ike sat back in her stool and aggressively grabbed her drink, “I’m sorry, but I’d really rather be left alone right now.”

“Completely understood.” Hunter picked up a tray of drinks and smiled kindly to Ike, “Just let me know if you need anything. And here.” Hunter placed a bowl of olives in front of Ike, “To take the edge off.” Ike watched Hunter leave before looking at the bowl in front of her. She sighed and picked up an olive.

The rest of the night had gone on smoothly. With Ike alone with her drink and no more disturbances with the boy band, it seemed as if the night would be a quiet one. But it wasn’t. 

Ike had just about wrapped up for the night when a clattering came from the other side of the room. She looked up and saw Judy pinning a middle-aged man to the table of his booth. Judy was red faced and blurry eyed. He had clearly been indulging in many drinks that evening. Judy swore at the man, spitting in his face with every syllable. “Keep your eyes to yourself!” Judy spoke through the swears, “I don’t need you checking me out every five minutes like I’m some sort of zoo animal!!”

“Everytime.” Hunter groaned from behind the bar, putting down the rag he had been using to clean. Hunter rounded the bar quickly. “Judy, please don’t make me call security!”

“Security?!” Judy laughed, “You mean your dad?! The one who isn’t here?! What is he going to do from the hospital?! Clear you a bed?!” Judy let go of the man and approached Hunter menacingly, “Or are you going to stop me?! What are you going to do, huh?!” Hunter gulped. Ike placed down her cup and stood up.

“Judy, you’re drunk.” Hunter said firmly as he backed away from Judy, “Let’s handle this calmly.”

“Even drunk I am more the capable to beat your-”

Ike pulled Judy’s arm, forcing him away from Hunter. Judy stumbled backward and into the booth he was sitting in, clashing with his friend and spilling their drink all over Judy. Judy stood back up and blurrily looked over to Ike. He glared at her.

“What the hell?!” Judy sputtered, advancing towards Ike.

“You’ve had enough to drink.” Ike stood her ground and spoke firmly as Judy towered over her, “It’s time for you to leave.” Judy moved his face close enough to surround Ike’s senses with the alcohol on his breath.

“Who are you to tell me what to do?” Each syllable landed with a prod to Ike’s shoulder, “I’m going to stay here for as long as I want. Unless, you’re the security Hunter was blathering about?” Ike looked over to Hunter. He was looking at her with worry as he held a phone to his ear. Ike shrugged.

“Sure. Why not?” She sighed, taking Judy’s ear and pulling him down to her level, “So, get out of here before I make you.” Judy puffed out his cheeks and let out a hearty laugh, spitting globs of saliva at Ike’s face.

“And… how… are you... going to do... that?!” Judy asked through his laughter, giving Ike a look that screamed, Bring it. 

So Ike brought it. 

Ike took a bundle of fabric from Judy’s shirt and twisted herself, flinging Judy over her shoulder and onto the floor. Judy let out a gasp as all of the air was knocked out of him. He then coughed and twisted himself so that he was laying on his stomach and cursed as he struggled to stand again. Ike rolled her eyes and approached the spluttering idiot. She pulled on his hair so he was facing her.

“You want to ask me that again or are you ready to leave?” Ike asked calmly. Judy’s face was slacked, unintentionally giving Ike her answer. Ike dropped his hair, took the back of his jacket, and dragged him to the door. She kicked it open and threw Judy onto the pavement outside. “Don’t let me catch you here again.” Ike threatened as she turned back into the bar. The two men that Judy walked in with blew past her and to the door, rudely shoving her shoulder as they passed. Ike barely moved to their petty attack and shut the door behind them.

Ike walked up to the scene she had just left, avoiding the looks all of the patron’s seemed to have on her. Hunter was talking to Judy’s victim with a very apologetic look in his eyes. Ike made eye contact with the victim, who met her eyes with a complex look. “You... alright?” She asked, uncertainty.

“Sure.” He muttered, “Thanks.” He smoothed himself out and approached his group of friends at a separate table. Ike only got a glimpse of his friends looking worriedly at him before Hunter took up her vision.

“Are you ok?!” He asked worriedly, putting his hands on her shoulders,

“I’m fine.” Ike assured Hunter, pushing his hand off of her shoulder, “Though I could use another drink.” 

“You got it!” Hunter looked relieved and his smile returned, brighter then before, “Don’t worry about paying this one. It’s on the house.” Hunter walked with Ike back to the bar and he quickly got to work on the drink, “That escalated way more than it usually does. Normally I have my father here to help me with him. But of course the one day my dad isn’t here-”

“How long has Judy been coming here?” Ike interrogated Hunter as she took a seat.

“Four months? He comes every day and makes a scene. It’s the reason this place is so barren. Hopefully, he doesn’t come back. We could use the business.” Hunter handed Ike a fresh drink

“No kidding,” Ike accepted the glass. After a moment, Hunter held out his hand.

“I don’t think I’ve formally introduced myself.” Hunter beamed, “I’m Hunter Richards.” Ike took his hand.

“Ike.” She said, shaking his hand.

“Ike, huh?” Hunter smiled, pulling his hand from hers to lean on the bar, “A badass name for a badass girl!”

“It’s short for Ikamara. Though, it does pay to have a name that criminals can quake at the sound of.” 

Hunter laughed, “So, Ike, I hope Judy didn’t ruin any chances of you being a regular here. I’d love to have you around while I work.”

“Oh really?” Ike arched an eyebrow, “Are you just saying that because I saved your neck?”

“Yes,” Hunter admitted, “and you’re a good relief from people I see every day here. It’s nice to joke around with a customer without them thinking I’m insulting or hitting on them.”

“Wait, you’re not hitting on me?!” Ike widened her eyes overdramatically, “Well then I saved your hide for nothing!” Ike smirked as she went to take another sip of her drink. Hunter tapped the bottom of her glass, sending a wave of alcohol into her face. Ike coughed as Hunter burst into laughter. Ike threw a punch at his arm, causing him to back up and put his hands in the air.

“Ok ok I’m sorry!” He said through his laughter, “I’ll make you another one if you want! Just please don’t hurt me!”

“No promises.” Ike rolled her eyes. Hunter looked happily back to Ike.

“So, Ike, you gonna be a regular or what?”

“Give me that drink and I may consider it.” Ike placed a hand on her chin and gave Hunter a look. Hunter smiled warmly and nodded. As he returned to his station at the bar, Ike looked around at the pub. Though the place would likely become busier without that idiot there, it was an endearing place. With the old aesthetic and the jolly bartender, it was like she was welcomed there. Even without the drink promised to her, Ike had made up her mind about St. Richards.

(Next)

(Chapter three coming soon :D)

[sellyoursoulforagoodfic]

You’re WHAT? Chapter 1

Vergil X reader

Summary: Once in hell, the twins come across another little secret that Vergil’s been keeping all these years.

Word Count: 990

They were in the middle of yet another pit of demons that’d found them. It was so easy to switch from fighting each other to fighting side-by-side. Truly, it was practically proof of their bond as twins how well they worked together.

While they were back-to-back, a fire abruptly tore through this most recent wave of enemies, killing every last one of them in an impressive show of power. “What the hell?” Dante muttered, blue eyes looking around to try to find the source of the display.

Vergil froze upon laying eyes upon the woman that he had no doubt was behind the rescue of sorts. “Prepare yourself, Dante, and stay here until I summon you.”

“What? No? Why would I--Do you know this chick?”

“I did.”

The words were true enough, Vergil supposed as he started closing the large distance between himself and the woman. This woman was the reason he’d wanted to handle the part of this mission in Hell alone; it’d been very likely that he would run into her. It was part of his life Dante knew nothing about, and if he did he’d be more likely to kill Vergil. As he drew closer, Vergil noticed the faded tattoos covering her body and the way her shadow seemed to be writhing around her. He’d wondered where those three had gotten off too . . .

“Y/N,” he greeted calmly once he was only a few feet away.

Y/E/C eyes glinted, irritation plain on her Y/S/C features as she crossed her arms. “Vergil.” Her voice danced through his ears, bringing to the surface feelings he thought he’d long since forgotten. “Give me a reason not to kill you where you stand.” Shadow surfaced to growl at him. “Just one.”

Dante’s brow furrowed as he heard that. For once, he was doing what his brother ordered, but it was clear the two had a history. And it was an extensive one based off the sheer strength of the rage that was practically graffitied across her body.

Vergil’s jaw flexed due to him gritting his teeth. There was no doubt he would have to explain himself to Dante later, but there was only one card he could play that held the power to even slightly pacify her. “Because I am still your husband.”

Perhaps that was the wrong thing to say . . . he thought immediately after speaking once that rage Dante had notice became a sort of unhinged fury that caused her power to spark at her fingertips.

“Oh are you? Because as far as I can remember you stole my sword, abandoned me, and tried to trap me in Hell after I went years without so much as seeing you.”

“I know now that I have made mistakes in my foolish search for power,” he admitted, giving her pause. A predictable reaction, really, considering his pride and all. Being able to admit his wrongdoings was an impressive step forced onto him by Dante in the last four months of solitude.

Speaking of the younger brother, Dante could only watch in absolute shock at the sight that followed that admission of fault. As he watched, Vergil--proud, unyielding Vergil--knelt down, hands raised above his head, palms to the sky as a twisted black sword appeared on them. He was offering this fearsome-looking weapon to her, and Dante could only assume it was the aforementioned stolen sword.

“You have no reason to believe me, but I can only offer my deepest apologies and hope you give me the chance to rectify my actions.” He didn’t look up at her as he heard her footsteps approach. He would never know the indecision Dante saw written across that formerly-resolute face, as if she knew what a big step it was for Vergil to even make this sort of effort. The sword disappeared from his hands, so he lowered them.

“I should kill you where you kneel,” her voice was practically a growl right above him. “I’ve killed for less as I’m sure you remember. But I get the feeling that your brother wouldn’t sit idly by to watch that happen.”

“Damn right I wouldn’t, sis! Only one that gets to kill him is me.”

Vergil fought not to roll his eyes.

A soft chuckle sounded not far from his ear. “Be that as it may, he doesn’t deserve to die here today. Admitting your fault has done much to placate me for the time being, and I find that I would like to have my husband back if you’re serious about wanting to fix things.”

That last bit was murmured so only he could hear and was punctuated by Shadow rubbing her face on his side. Only then did he look up into her Y/E/C eyes to see the tears lurking within. “I don’t deserve a chance like that, Y/N,” he whispered, practically praying that Dante couldn’t hear that new sentiment.

“No, you don’t,” she didn’t argue as her hand drifted up to rest on his cheek, “but if I’m known for anything, it’s for giving second chances.” She cast a pointed glance over to the familiar that was still rubbing against him. “Practically the new patron saint for lost causes.”

Vergil’s heart would have skipped a beat if not for the fact that she leaned down to press her lips to his. Instead, it seemed to skip several. It was just a touch, really, a brush of flesh against flesh, but it showed just how much she missed him despite how he’d wronged her specifically.

“Hate to interrupt this little reunion,” Dante’s brash voice broke the moment as he sauntered up--Vergil didn’t even have to look to know he’d sauntered--, “but I don’t believe we’ve met. Hell, this dickhead never even mentioned he was married. I’m Dante.”

“Y/N,” her greeting was surprisingly warm as Vergil stood. “From what I’ve heard, you and I will get along famously.”

[jatamansi-arc]

so, the second time i watched annihilation, i have a lot of feelings about it. like a lot lot. and i’m not sure if anyone else will agree with me, but i’m gonna fucking dump all my notes here so i can come back to them here and see how i feel about them in subsequent viewings.

i really love the movie, though. i liked it the first time, but i loved it this time. so much. definitely one of my favorite movies ever. maybe actually up there with everything is illuminated with being my actual favorite.

spoilers, y’all.

the first time you watch this movie, you walk away blown away, going AAAAaaaaAAaaAHGFJ about it. the second time you watch it? they aren’t kidding when they say everything has double meanings. literally everything does. i think that’s half the reason that makes it so much fun to slowly dissect.

annihilation isn’t a story about depression, though i can see how it’d be read that way very easily. there are tons of elements that would lead you to that conclusion. rather, i’ve come to the conclusion that it’s one about the competition between our tendency for self-destruction and our capacity to forgive. it’s a love story.

the most important thing that annihilation repeatedly touches on, is really playing with philosophical and allegorical extremes and dismantling them. the question of whether something is a scientific proof or a sign of faith is posed to lena several times in the film, and the question is never answered but carefully balanced. and it’s shown time and time and time again, in sweeping scale and in minute details. for example: ventress, the pinnacle of the rational and higher thought, has a name that draws its source from a term meant to show someone’s ability to take brazen risks. she takes her notes when talking to lena with artist grade sketching pencils. ventress’ mask is good, but she is desperate dreamer who wants to see what lies beyond the shimmer before her body takes the chance from her.

all of the main characters’ names, however, were picked very specifically. 

lena: short for helena, which can be taken to mean ‘torch.’ there’s the whole thing about helen of troy eloping and causing the trojan war to bring her home, too. but more importantly, i firmly believe it’s also a play on the hela cell line.

anya: ties to anna, a prophetess of the bible, who preached of redemption and experienced deep loss early in her life.

cass: short for cassandra, another prophetess, but one who was cursed so that her words wouldn’t be heeded until it was too late. she was also connected to troy.

josie: josephine is the feminine form of joseph, and the father of jesus is the patron saint of contentful death, and is almost always displayed surrounded in his field by flowers meant to represent purity and resurrection.

kane: from o catháin, which means war like or battle. 

everyone in kane’s group had a surname that has been shared among three kinds of famous people in every instance: a scientist, a religious scholar, and an author. it was weird enough to note.

area x is in an area that’s remote and has alligators, but the thing that makes it interesting, is that bears and alligators don’t have much overlapping territory. this means if it wasn’t already a giant red fucking flag to begin with, our furry friend is a composite from the shimmer.

the shimmer may be alien or it may be biblical; the reality of it doesn’t much matter. what it does, is take the cells of the dead and dying and recycle them. when ventress talks about how a shark and alligator are clearly intermingling genetically and lena dismisses it, lena isn’t wrong, but lena’s error is that she’s not thinking broadly enough.

cass is the first one to drop the hint, right after we get lena talking about the bruise that she gets with the fight with the alligator. it’s where the tattoo would eventually be later on -- except there is a hitch. cass is also clearly skeptical of this, and it reads easily on her face, before she talks about her daughter dying of leukemia and how she died, emotionally, with her. it’s a hint that lena’s cells immediately begin to mutate once this happened. whatever the shimmer is, it takes hox genes, which are what hold the entirety of our genomes, and is trying to manipulate and recode what it can with what’s available. this isn’t evolution, but a sort of intelligent design with very limited resources and a finite understanding of what it’s doing. it’s creating immortal cell lines, though, and the hints are dropped about five thousand times over.

the man that kane and his crew kill likely had cancer. look at how prolifically his cells were mutating before he died, and his complete lack of reaction while being otherwise vivisected. what’s even more interesting is that ventress, who otherwise never gives a fucking shit about anyone, is visibly shaken for the only time in the movie. she was the one who was in charge of area x. she knew about everyone going in there. it’s much more likely she’d have an investment in knowing what happened to someone else who was ‘self-destructing’ for a similar reason to her.

once she has her answer, it’s straight back to business.

the reason the bear is tragic -- and ultimately horrific -- is because it was spliced together from bits and pieces of dna by a being that has never seen a fucking bear besides the hyperstylized one that was on kane’s chest. it wanted to build what it saw. it was curious. it looks like his tattoo; look at it closer when you get a chance.

it’s furthermore meant to represent kane’s fear. absorbing cass’ voice as its call is only meant to really drive the metaphor home, and to make josie’s decision in the next arc all the more poignant.

the symbolism behind the bear, by the by, is a lot of things. most important is the duality of the male and female. it’s one of the rare animals that represents both sexes. bears also represent a desire for answers and, again, resurrection. 

and when looking for cass, lena sees two deer, who are again another rare animal who represent both sexes and are oftentimes portents of death and a hope for a return to life after that death.

anya’s role in these scenes is important because they’re allegorical. the implication that lena’s and kane’s addiction to their careers is what kept them apart is certainly clear, and it’s not just casual happenstance that anya self-destructs in a house that’s a carbon copy of kane’s and lena’s home. anya’s death is meant to represent breaking the cycle of addiction (even if you’re terrified) and the beginning of the resurrection of kane and lena’s relationship. she was the paramedic, after all.

she’s also meant to stand in for kane here, because her words are meant to be accusatory towards lena, as if it were kane saying them about her cheating. 

“ you don’t get to ask that question, you lying bitch! you get to answer it!”

“what we know now -- what we know, is that lena is a liar.”

^ that one is really fucking important okay

who delivers the death blows against the bear is important. it’s josie. young, doe-eyed and fresh faced josie who is full of life and has dedicated her life to studying the science understanding the interactions between matter. who eventually gives her life over to the entire process, but not before saying something really important to lena:

‘imagine dying in fear. i wouldn’t like that at all.”

THAT’S GONNA BE RELEVANT HERE SHORTLY HANG ON.

by the by: lena finds out her humanity is slowly leaving her at the same table where we see kane time and time again. kane’s self-destruction is external while lena’s is internal, at least at the time. 

josie, anya and lena are not impacted in the same way that kane, vertress and other clearly sick people who have gone into the shimmer are. or, at least, not at the same pace. it makes me have the theory that lena thought kane learned that she was cheating, but kane was perhaps hiding something much worse. there could be a lot said about what guilt does to people, on both sides. they may have both been hiding things. it really twists the whole plot to an interesting angle if the reason kane was sitting, so melancholic and distant, was not because he knew about lena and daniel, but because he was angry and upset at himself for not being able to tell his wife that he may have been seriously ill. it may also be why the clone of him suddenly crashed once it’d been outside, in the real world, as well?

it further tells an interesting tale if you read that dying in the shimmer causes a far faster progression of mutation and, in a sense, almost a sort of dementia. kane may have lost himself entirely over the course of what felt like 10-12 days, knowing very little in the end other than he truly loved lena.

regardless of my theories on it, the shimmer is still literally kane’s feelings of adoration towards lena on display. if you debate me on this point i will fucking fight you.

coming back to allegory: kane’s self-immolation was meant to represent genesis and the big bang. lena’s fight with clone!lena is a battle with what’s meant to be the perils of knowledge (and forgiveness/grief, I think, honestly) and her eventual departure from what’s clearly meant to be a garden of eden metaphor. the phosphorus grenade, the second time around, is meant to be the fruit of knowledge.

it was clone!lena that survived imho, because original!lena didn’t have the tattoo by that point. clone!lena did the instant she was made. and the instant whatever lena did survive made it outside, she pulled down her sleeves.

when she’s being asked questions at the end, she literally mimics clone!kane to perfection. she even drinks the water, with the hint in the glass that two become one via the pooling on the side of the glass. it’s, furthermore, a throwback and lead-in to the next scene, serving as a reminder to the very beginning of the movie when lena talks about how cells reproduce. one becoming two, two becoming four, etc. but as one of my friends said, sometimes two need to become one first. GOOD POINT IT WAS A GOOD POINT.

in the end, it really didn’t matter which lena survived, because lena’s an unreliable narrator and ultimately lying to get exactly what she wants. if they knew the reality, they’d never let them be in a room together. the book talks about biological imperatives a lot and the movie deviates pretty strongly from it, but this was an instance where you definitely get exactly that vibe. this is adam and eve on a whole new, cosmic scale.

when she asks kane if he’s himself and he says no, he returns the favor. lena doesn’t answer the question. kane’s facial expressions are very telling, but i’m not going to tell you what they are if you didn’t see them. then we get the shimmer eyes and it makes me very happy okay.

the amount of fucking times the immortal life of henrietta lacks is referenced in this movie DRIVES ME BATTY but in a good way??