#I was never really in the fandom so someone could’ve pointed this out before but if it has been said then I’m saying it again

[crow-in-springtime]

Matt referring to the portrait as it vs Ivy referring to the portrait as her and she

[dragondream-ing]

If someone defends Rhaenyra’s usurpation because of tRaDiTiOn, they better be waving a Maegor banner proudly.

I’m being serious.

So many people in this fandom care about the tradition of Westerosi inheritance and act like yelling about it justifies team green’s actions. They never seem to take into consideration what it means.

This post is inspired by my allergy to inconsistency and hypocrisy. Here we go.

The only consistent tradition of Targaryen succession is the ruler choosing their own heir. Sometimes that aligned with Westerosi tradition, often it did not. And it started with the very first heir. So either you admit Maegor was the rightful heir over Aenys, or you admit he wasn’t because Aegon the Conqueror said so.

Let me explain.

Visenya was Aegon’s first wife. In Westerosi tradition, Rhaenys would be considered at best a mistress and her children out of the succession or, at the least, behind Visenya’s children. The lords accepted the validity of Aegon’s plural marriage because they didn’t have the power to oppose the Conquerors, simple as. Tradition didn’t matter in the face of dragons. It is not a genuine argument and hasn’t been since the creation of the Crown itself. House Targaryen’s exceptionalism went beyond incest and dragons from the start, and accepting Aenys as king shows the nobles accepted this when it was convenient.

So I’d like team green to be consistent. Is the king’s word law, a la Aegon choosing Aenys as his heir? Or is this a break from tradition that was only corrected when Maegor killed his nephew and took the throne?

It gets messy from here. Maegor, as we know, didn’t have a child, so he chose his great-niece, Aerea as his heir. Jaehaerys was still alive, he could’ve chosen him. Heck, that might’ve eased like a drop of the tension between him, Jaehaerys and Alyssa Velaryon. So if you’re a tradition truther, Maegor was the proper king but then chose an untraditional heir. Hmm.

Then we get to Jaehaerys, and a tradition truther might think YES, THAT’S OUR GUY. But he’s really not.

Yes, he stopped considering his eldest living child, Daenerys, as his heir after Aemon was born. But then Aemon died.

Aemon did, however, die with an heir. Her name was Rhaenys. In Westerosi tradition, she’d inherit after him, because a daughter inherits before a brother. Now, I know the lords do all sorts of things to circumvent this (see Alys Karstark), but that *is* Westerosi tradition.

Did Jaehaerys follow tradition? Nope. He picked his second oldest son, Baelon.

Some might say there are logical reasons for this. Baelon was a warrior, older, and had grown sons. Rhaenys was like 18, married to an ambitious lord not named Targaryen, and at risk of dying in childbirth (Baelon was named heir in 92, Rhaenys had her first child in 92). HOWEVER, we see with Jeyne Arryn becoming Lady of the Vale while still a *toddler* that Westerosi tradition doesn’t set aside claims merely because such concerns exist. In fact, in ASOIAF, some Lannister married an f-ing BABY to lay claim to her lands because *she* is the acknowledged inheritor.

You could argue that it matters more when it’s the Crown, and I’ll concede that while pointing out you’ve made my argument for me: isn’t that a good reason for the Crown to do what it wants instead of following traditions that hamstring it?

If you’re a tradition truther, however, you should be in a rage and insisting Rhaenys inherit, and you should be outraged by what was done to her at the Council of 101 after Baelon dies. Her claim wasn’t even considered, Laenor’s was—ya know, her toddler son who got his claim *through* her.

So then Viserys takes the throne and continues the Targaryen custom of choosing his heir. And the tradition truthers of the fandom rise up and boo, and they cry “duty and sacrifice! What about tradition!?”

Just admit that the lords of Westeros, Alicent, her merry band of greens, and the fans that make excuses for them didn’t and don’t care about tradition unless it suits them, and they only become vocal about it when a woman stands a good chance of inheriting over a man.

Viserys never wavered in his choice, the realm knew it and so did the greens. This is precisely why Rhaenyra had far more support than her brother, and why the argument that the realm wouldn’t accept her is bs. The realm DID accept her. Because they understood something many in this fandom struggle to

There was only one consistent tradition of royal succession between the Conquest and the Dance: the ruler chooses their heir.

[tendergraphite]

Henry Winter Wasn't In A Car Accident.

“I think that’s what it was. don’t know what else it could’ve been.”

Bunny never had any confirmation that Henry had been in a car accident, it was purely a self-drawn conclusion. For one, I understand where the assumptions came from—If you had a loving Father, it can be unimaginable that they'd inflict such traumatic injuries upon yourself willingly, let alone when you were a vulnerable small child.

(If you've been in the TSH fandom awhile, you'll already know this post was inspired by @henrywinterswife own post. A lot of this theory is not my own, I just wanted to add a few of my own takes.)

1) Despite his impaired sight, Henry isn't fearful of using a car/being inside of one. He's a poor driver, even with his precious Julian in the seat right next to him; This starkly is in contrast to Camilla and Charles whose Parents were actually in a car accident, and get nervous days before they travel.

If anything, everyone else feels anxious to share a car with Henry because of just how reckless he is.

2) He understands Richard in a way that smart or not, you would've needed to be abused yourself to get. ''Your not very happy where you come from, are you?'' I used to think he'd been referring to Richards poverty because he's pretentious, but considering how he treats what Julian calls ''lessers'' he wouldn't be the sort to care; Maybe even Richards numerous lies, but no I don't think Henry knew the true extent of Richards lies as we the audience think he does—Take the hospital scene, where Henry brings Richard books he cannot read, and is surprised when he requests a magazine.

No, he was referring to Richards own abusive Father. He even smiles at Richard, he never smiles at Richard, and then ''-Don't worry you hide it rather cleverly'' and ''The others really don't understand that sort of thing, you know.'' He'd been complimenting Richard for being able to hide his past abuse so well, and despite how emotionless he pointed out him being, really Henry would've been trying to comfort Richard in his own strange way. (To add; Henry most likely doesn't smile too often because of the chip on his front tooth.)

3) Henry can make himself invisible, which doesn't make sense on the face of it—He's unapproachable, but not overly nervous; He's big and broad wouldn't intimidation do the trick? wouldn't people have been leaving him alone already? Unless—He hadn't always been that big, and someone had made him feel the need to hide himself in plain sight: If you didn't already know, this is a survival mechanism for abuse survivors, especially children.

So what really happened then? What normally does, probably.

(The actual part of the theory that's mostly me, yay!)

Henrys Father was a man who enjoyed having his way with younger women and living the high life, his business isn't ''quite above board' But money shuts people up—Well it did, until he got one of his flings pregnant. Considering Henry was raised Catholic, it's easy to deduct his Father was to—Meaning having a child outside of wedlock would've been unacceptable. His Mother could've gotten an abortion yes, but whether it be morals or her own infatuation at the time, she likely refused to.

So after the forced marriage, and Henry had popped out, his Father couldn't be as free as he'd been before—So in a rage at the injustice of it all, he'd taken out his anger on little Henry as he blamed him alone for his lifestyle change. Let's remember this man had money like you wouldn't believe, and ''corporal punishment'' was seen a little different at the time—And with Henrys Mother being left with no way to protect him, his Father would've been allowed to do whatever he wished: Such as beating Henry half-way to deaths doorstep.

A lot of Henrys behaviour gets dissociated from regular human behaviour, because on first read everything reads as Henry being this impossible figure whose just different and understandable, romantic even. But really, it's quite sad—He'd been isolated his entire childhood with no one to confide in, nor feel safe with—Until he was to big for his Father to safely take advantage of anymore, and as soon as he had some freedom he stumbled into Julian who saw his vulnerability and took advantage of it for his own entertainment. Henry wanted the pain to stop, to loose himself and transcend into something bigger, which Julian had seen. And who had he gone to in his exposed state after his trip to Italy? Right, he had gone to Julian and even stayed the night.

''I loved him more than my own father'' He said ''I loved him more than anyone in the world.''

In the end at loosing Julian, he cried like a tall child.

[shadamyheadcanons]

Do you have any ideas for how Shadow and Amy’s relationship would change if Sonic had managed to get Shadow back on the ark in SA2? I’m working on my own little self-indulgent fic myself, but I’d be curious to hear your thoughts.

Interesting thought! See, this is a tricky one for me because they canonically act like his brush with death never happened, which is super weird.

There should have been a scene on the ARK where Amy was really upset and possibly even cried after it happened, maybe blaming herself for encouraging him.

There should have been a scene in Sonic Heroes where she latched onto him and gushed about how relieved she was to see him alive while he just stared at her like “???” because he still had amnesia.

She should have been the one to reach out and befriend him, and he should have accepted; not only does she remind him of his late best friend, but she’s seen him at his most murderous and still supported him unconditionally.

She should be even clingier with him than she is with her other friends after what happened. She should have been right with him all throughout Shadow the Hedgehog (2005), guiding him and keeping an eye on him the way one would expect given her personality.

And...maybe this is controversial, buuuuut...it’s always felt a little arbitrary to me that he wound up spending a ton of time with Rouge and Omega and basically none with Amy.

I’m not saying I have a problem with Team Dark. I adore their dynamic and I’m glad he has them, but it kind of feels like they just happened to be there. Sure, he got along with Rouge alright for much of SA2, but she seriously hurt him by spying on him--something she’s never apologized for, as far as I know--and she left him behind to help the others get to the Cannon’s Core.

And that, I think, is where the biggest difference would be.

Shadow isn’t the forgiving type. By the time he’d regained his memories in canon and remembered how she’d betrayed his trust, she’d proven in the interim that she’s ultimately a good and loyal friend. If she hadn’t had that chance, I don’t think she could’ve gotten her foot in the door so easily. And if Shadow hadn’t fallen, he wouldn’t have been picked up by Eggman, so he wouldn’t have met Omega. In fact, I’d go even further than that. Team Dark’s opening cutscene in Sonic Heroes implies that Omega’s there strictly to guard Shadow. Not only that, but I’ve always gotten the impression that that’s why Omega was created in the first place. Mephiles all but confirms this in Sonic 06 by pointing out Omega is perfectly built to defeat and capture Shadow.

“This only proves you were created to stop Shadow, the ultimate life form. Don’t tell you didn’t know.”

So Omega would probably never have been built, at least not in his current form :(

With our favorite murder robot out of the picture and Shadow not trusting Rouge, Team Dark would be kaput, and Shadow really needs someone who’ll reach out to him.

And we all know it would be Amy, right?

It’s not even conjecture. In Sonic Battle, she eagerly seeks him out, even getting irritated when Rouge keeps her away:

On top of that, Amy latches onto Shadow because he’s a hero. I’ve pointed this out before, but the second Shadow becomes the protagonist in ShTH, she’s smitten with him...

...and the same happens in IDW issue 59:

And we can’t leave out The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog:

The social media team gets it.

She’s got a subtle little crush on him already imo even with the few interactions they have. If Amy spent lots of time with Shadow, that little crush could grow to rival another crush of hers ;)

As for Shadow, if she’d reached out to him right away without the time gap from his amnesia, I think his feelings for her--romantic or otherwise--would have been fostered and allowed to grow, fueled by his gratitude. She changed his entire life and would have introduced positivity and companionship into his world. You can’t not feel strongly about someone who does that for you.

Fandom-wise, Shadamy is already extremely popular considering how little time they’ve spent together in canon. It’s the third most popular game ship on AO3, only beaten by Sonamy and Sonadow.

There are more fics for Shadamy than Knuxouge. That’s kind of ridiculous, right?! Shadow and Amy have maybe ten minutes of screentime together! I also think Shadow might have gotten along better with Sonic if he’d gone right from saving the world with him to becoming one of Amy’s favorite people, so I’m willing to bet Sonamyshad would’ve skyrocketed in popularity, too. Not my cup of tea, but I know a lot of other fans like it.

Or...more interestingly...Shadow could’ve been really pissed once he saw up close and personal just how often Sonic ran away from Amy. The Dark Era right after SA2 was when it was worst, too. I imagine Shadow would be furious if he knew the full extent of how badly his favorite hedgehog was being treated. He could have been a godsend for her. You think he’d have put up with this if he’d seen it?

(Tangentially, I think it’s weird that Knuckles was fine with this stuff. I think of him and Amy as sibling-adjacent at times, but sometimes I feel like I have to fudge some details to make it work.)

And how many times did Sonic hurt her or make her cry back in the day?

Shadow’s punched Sonic for less than that. He’s way too loyal to sit there and watch while someone hurts his sweet, kindhearted best friend.

People think of Amy as the clingiest Sonic character, but I 100% believe Shadow rivals her in that respect. I really do. He nearly destroyed the Earth for a friend he knew for less than a year. He latched onto Team Dark like a security blanket the second he was dropped on their doorstep. He would have done the same for Amy, and she really could have benefited from that loyalty. Amy lashed out in that era because of frustration and insecurity from being repeatedly snubbed by her favorite person. I honestly think someone stable and steadfast like Shadow was exactly who she needed. He really could have turned her life around and gotten her the respect she deserved, either by standing up for her or proving to her that she deserved better.

And I definitely think he could have dealt with the Black Arms’ invasion much better if he’d had Amy to help guide him through it. She’s reminded him of who he is before. The Miracle of Love ending proves without a doubt that she could do it again.

It would have been great for both of them. I’m sad Sega never let them have that.

Also, Shadow standing up for Amy and later dating her would make this weird scene from Archie #149 absolutely hilarious:

Granted, that applies to shadamy in general.

Ken Penders & Friends: “Ha, wouldn’t it be hilarious if we had Sonic make a skeevy, totally age-appropriate comment in our kids’ comic about Shadow ‘finding a girl?’”

Shadow: “I found Amy Rose”

Sega: “THAT’S NOT FUNNY”

Sonic: “Idk, I think it’s kinda funny :) ”

Penders: “I have never played a Sonic game”

[wolfjackle-creates]

The Two Ghost Motel

So, as I mentioned, I joined the DP Ecto-Implosion Event this past month and it's Posting Week now! So I get to finally share with you the first chapter of my fic. Still working on editing the second half of the fic, but it's fully written as of this time.

For those who don't know, for the Ecto-Implosion event, artists drew/animated/composed some piece of art and writers then went in and wrote fics based off their art.

I was lucky enough to be paired with the super talented @i-think-in-metaphors who made this gorgeous artwork:

You can read on AO3 here (this fic is not locked to AO3 users only).

And for those of you who prefer to read on Tumblr:

Word Count: 5k

Warnings: Minor Original Character Death (not in this chapter)

Fandom: DPxDC (though no knowledge of DC is necessary for this fic. I use a single character and he has amnesia, it takes place in an original setting or Amity)

Summary:

Danny is tired. Endless ghost fights with too many responsibilities and too little time; he barely passed sophomore year. When Ember visits town for a bit of fun, she mentions the Two Ghost Motel, a place of peace and refuge for restless ghosts who aren't ready to cross over. “I’m fine, Ember.” Danny’s got a home and friends. He’s fine, really. But when his parents begin experimenting with electricity to destabilize ghosts, it’s too much for Danny. Unfortunately, neither Sam nor Tucker can host him for the night and he’s left wandering in the night, alone. Then he sees it: The Two Ghost Motel. He checks in. “Welcome.”

-----

Danny wasn’t sure when he first saw the neon sign. Honestly, he didn’t even realize it was something ghostly when he did. He just thought it was one more ghost-themed business that had come to Amity since the portal opened.

But when he mentioned the motel to Sam and Tucker, they looked at him like he was crazy.

“I’ve never heard of any Two Ghost Motel,” said Sam. “Where’d you see it?”

Tucker was typing into his PDA. “Nothing’s coming up online, either.”

“Oh come on, you’re pulling my leg. We’ve passed it at least a half dozen times. Last night when we were leaving Nasty Burger for one! And I think, what, three nights before that? On patrol? Where were we?”

“Dude, that night we were near the library. No where near Nasty Burger. No way you could’ve seen the same place both nights,” said Tucker.

“Danny, when was the last time you got a full night’s sleep?” Sam’s brow was knit in concern.

Danny waved off her concern. “Whatever. I know I’ve seen it. The sign is bright pink and orange with blue ghosts on it.”

Sam just shrugged and shook her head. “Point it out next time you see it.”

Before Danny could reply, his ghost sense went off and he groaned. “Ugh, looks like someone’s around. I’m too tired for this.” Danny glanced around. They were in the park and no humans were nearby so he let his transformation wash over him.

He flew into the air and tried to listen past the sound of his breaths echoing through his mask. Even though he didn’t breathe when transformed, something about the hazmat suit remembered and the sound was inescapable.

A guitar chord played behind him and Danny instinctively threw up a shield and fell ten feet right as a blast from Ember’s instrument headed his way.

“Hey there, baby-pop!” she called. “I was sitting around, bored out of my mind, when I remembered I could just come here to have some fun!”

Danny turned to face her. “Come on, Ember.” His voice always sounded so robotic when filtered through the mask. “I’m tired.”

“Too bad. I’m not.” She grinned at him and strummed a few notes, sending more attacks his way.

Danny dodged, only to have to watch one of the blasts hit a bench and destroy it. He flew higher, hoping her next attacks wouldn’t cause more collateral that would be blamed on him.

“What, you just gonna dance around like that? Come on, attack back!”

“My moves not good enough for you?”

“You need to step it up if you want to be my back up dancer.”

Danny couldn’t help but laugh and when she sent her next blast his way, he avoided it by doing a backwards dive towards the ground only to circle back up until he was facing her. “How’s that?”

“Better, but you’re still not there. Your moves have to match the music!” She played a tune with a fast beat and Danny dodged and spun. And if he added some flair to his movements, well, he deserved the chance to have a little fun.

Another blast his way, and he twisted his hips. Matching Ember’s beat, he sent a few ectoblasts back at her.

Ember laughed. “Now you’re catching on!”

Danny allowed himself a quick glance down where he saw Sam and Tucker not even trying to hide. Tucker was filming them.

Which, of course, is when it all had to be ruined by the unmistakable sounds of the GAV driving cross-country.

“Through the park?” he moaned. “Seriously?”

“Shit, that’s your folks, isn’t it.”

“Yeah. C’mon, let’s get out of here.”

“You’ve got it, babypop. I came here for fun, not to mess with them.”

The GAV came to a stop and Danny saw his mom rush out of the passenger side with one of their new, long-distance guns. He tacked Ember, only just getting her out of the way of the blast.

Without any discussion, both turned invisible and flew out of the park. Danny didn’t let them stop until they were in a forest out of range of his parents’ trackers. Exhaustion set back in as soon as he realized they were safe, and he just plopped down on the ground and leaned against a tree.

“Ready to resume your dancing lessons?” asked Ember.

Danny groaned and rested his head against the rough bark. It was probably stupid, but he let his eyes close. “Maybe next time. I meant it when I said I’m tired.”

She didn’t say anything as one, two, three breaths sounded from his mask. And then he heard some leaves rustle. He cracked open an eye to see Ember making herself comfortable on the ground a few feet away.

“You really are tired, aren’t you?” she asked.

“Yeah. Finals are coming up and if I don’t do well, I’m going to fail sophomore year.”

“Y’know, I’ve heard of a place…”

Danny waited for her to continue, but when she didn’t, he hummed. “A place?”

“Yeah. Haven’t been there myself. But, there’s this place. It’s for ghosts who aren’t ready to move on from Earth just yet. Ghosts who live only on Earth without ever going the Zone get tired and weak. There’s just not enough ectoplasm around. Except for here, of course.”

“So what’s this place do?”

“Gives you somewhere to rest. And recharge. It’s not really on Earth. It’s a sort of in between place. Called the Two Ghost Motel. Might be worth checking in for a night if you ever don’t want to be at home for one reason or another.”

Danny hummed. “I’ve seen it around. Thought it was just a regular motel, but Sam and Tucker didn’t know what I was talking about.”

Ember picked out a tune on her guitar, but this time no attacks emanated from it. “It’s not a place for the living from what I’ve heard. Just the dead.”

Danny looked up at the stars through the tree branches, but he shook his head. “I’m fine, Ember. Just need to get some sleep.”

“Whatever you say, baby-pop.”

---

After that conversation with Ember, the motel began basically haunting him. Every night, as soon as dusk started to fall, he’d see it. Always a few streets away, just sitting there calling to him; it’s sign bright in the dark.

Sam and Tucker couldn’t see it, no matter how often he pointed it out to him. Jazz could sometimes see something out of the corner of her eye, but when she looked on more directly, it was never there.

Danny never approached. He was fine. He had a home and friends. There was no reason to go to some random motel.

Finals came and went. He managed to scrape by with at least Cs in everything. His parents, especially his mom, had not been happy with those grades, but Danny was just glad to have passed.

Didn’t stop him from being grounded and forced to help out more in the lab. One afternoon, he was in his room playing Doomed with Sam and Tucker when he got a message from his parents calling him back down to help them out.

“Ugh, I’ve got to go down to the lab.”

“Seriously?” complained Tucker. “Again?”

“Yeah,” agreed Sam. “Seems you’re always off helping them lately. Can’t you say no?”

“It’s this or having my phone and computer taken away. I’ll take the lab work.” He saved his progress. “Will you guys be on later?”

“Can’t,” said Sam. “My parents are forcing me to go to a fancy dinner somewhere. And they’re not giving me any more information than that to keep me from planning anything disruptive.”

“And mine have declared we’re having a tech-free family bonding night,” said Tucker, rolling his eyes. “With board games! Who plays board games in this day and age?”

Danny laughed. “I’ll see you both tomorrow, then. Later.”

Danny signed off and went downstairs. The hazmat suits were kept in a closet right next to the door to the lab, and Danny went through the process of pulling it all on. The mask that came with it was even more annoying in human form than ghost. The filtered air always tasted strange, but he’d given up complaining about that years ago.

He unlocked the lab door and went down to the lab.

“Dan-o!” called his dad as soon as he saw him. “Come here! You’re job will be to control the current!”

“Uh, current?” asked Danny.

“We’re trying to figure out how to disrupt the electrical signal in ectoplasm that gives ghosts their shape,” explained his mom. She had a bowl of ectoplasm in a glass terrarium and was arranging two metal probes so they dipped into it.

“Exactly!” agreed his dad. “So you’re going to sit at this computer”—he pulled out a chair before one of the lab computers and gestured for Danny to sit—“and adjust the frequency and voltage.”

Danny took a seat and stared at the program that was loaded on the screen. At least he wouldn’t be anywhere near the probes? A glance at the puddle of ectoplasm had him holding back a shudder.

“First we’re going to try and force the ectoplasm to form a shape,” continued his mom. “We’re going to do that with probe A. You’re going to start with a low frequency and voltage and slowly increase it while your father and I mark down how it affects the ectoplasm. We have some hypotheses about when it’ll start to form a shape.”

“And once it forms a shape,” said his dad, “you’ll use probe B to send a contrary electrical signal to destabilize it!”

“And then no more ghost!”

Suddenly Danny was glad his suit had a face mask. His parents were going to do what? Figure out how to use electricity to destabilize ghosts? It wasn’t possible. There was no way it could work. Right? He had to stay and prove to himself they were talking crazy.

“What—” His mouth was dry and he had to try again. “How should I start?”

“The settings are already loaded,” said his mom. She grabbed a tablet and sat down in front of the terrarium.

Dad sat next to her, grinning widely. “Go ahead, Dan-o!”

Danny’s hand shook as he placed it on the mouse. He sat on the other to hide it. Then he turned on the probe.

At first, nothing happened. The ectoplasm stayed a puddle and there was no visible change in it. But as he adjusted the current, it began to ripple. His parents loudly exclaimed over every change as they shouted instructions back to him.

Each change had Danny’s heart beating harder in his chest.

Two hours in is when it happened. The ectoplasm started to form a ball that rose up out of the bowl. Danny could feel something cold in the back of his throat. Not his ghost sense, but something close.

“This is it!” yelled his dad. “Danny, what’re the settings?”

Once more, Danny was glad for the way the mask muffled his voice just enough to mask how horrified he was by the thing that was forming. His parents’ theories about electrical currents couldn’t be true. They couldn’t.

“Now for us to try disrupting the current!” The glee in his mom’s voice made bile rise in Danny’s throat. But when she told him to turn on probe B, he did.

It only took twenty minutes to find the settings that made the ectoplasm fall apart back into a puddle.

Danny was up on his feet, chair toppled, in an instant. He held a gloved hand to his masked face as if he could keep from throwing up with the motion alone. It had looked so much like Ellie when she was destabilizing.

“Danny?” asked his mom, tablet forgotten on her chair as she rushed over to him. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“I… I’m feeling a bit sick. Can I, can I go? Bathroom?”

His mom reached out to brush a hand over his covered forehead as if to check his temperature. “Oh sweetie, of course you can. You should’ve told us you weren’t feeling well. There’s some soup in the fridge if you think you can eat that.”

“I— yeah. Thanks.” He didn’t wait to hear anything else she had to say and just ran up the stairs. He shed his gear in record time and ran all the way up to his room. He slammed the door shut and grabbed his backpack from where it hung on his desk chair.

With shaking hands, he took out everything in the main compartment. Then he ran to his dresser and grabbed a change of clothes and something to sleep in. He couldn’t stay here right now. He just couldn’t.

From the bathroom, he grabbed some toiletries and added those.

Less than fifteen minutes after leaving the lab, he was out the front door and walking down the street. It was late, dusk starting to fall.

He considered going to Nasty Burger to get some dinner, but then he remembered the way the ball of ectoplasm had melted and he changed directions. Eventually his wandering brought him to the park where he found a bench in an empty area and sat down, dropping his backpack at his feet.

Danny buried his face in his hands as he forced himself to just breathe. He and Tucker could mess with the results from these experiments just like they had so many times in the past. It was going to be fine.

His phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out.

Jazz: Hey, Danny. Mom said you weren’t feeling well? Jazz: Where’d you go? You’re not in your room. Danny: Sorry, Jazz. I had to get out of the house. Danny: Ask mom and dad about today’s experiments. Danny: You’ll understand why. I’m gonna spend the night at Tuck’s. Jazz: Okay. See you tomorrow? Danny: Yeah. I’ll be back tomorrow. Jazz: Love you.

Of course, Tucker was having a family night. He couldn’t crash that. And Sam’s parents had banned him from their house. Where would he spend the night?

And then he noticed it. Right outside the park glowed the sign: Two Ghost Motel.

He was on his feet and walking there before he’d even consciously made the decision to go. A glance around showed he was alone, that night had fully fallen on Amity so he let his transformation wash over him.

He reached the street and, for the first time, was staring directly at the motel rather than catching glimpses from a block or two away. The parking lot had a few cars in it, the oldest looking like it might’ve been from the twenties with the newest looking like it was ten or fifteen years old.

A glance in either direction showed no cars coming, so Danny crossed the street.

As soon as he stepped off the sidewalk and into the parking lot, Danny could feel a change in the air. It was nothing obvious, but something integral was different. The sounds of the city were muffled, the sense of life dulled. The air felt lighter and the door seemed to call to him. Most importantly, it was easier to push away the memories from his afternoon in the lab.

The sign, when he reached it, buzzed softly in the night. He held a hand up towards it and felt an echoing buzz under his skin.

He stared at the lights for a moment more before continuing towards the building at the other end of the lot. It hadn’t been repaved in ages and was riddled with cracks. But the plants that grew up through them weren’t the normal grasses and dandelions. He wished Sam were with him to help him identify them.

Instead he knelt down and pulled out his phone to take a picture. They glowed slightly in the night, their stems ectoplasm-green with blue leaves and red bulbs. Danny reached out to touch one, only for the bulb to open and snap at his finger.

Danny laughed in surprise as he pulled his hand away. Something inside him relaxed. A night away would do him good and maybe he’d see other cool things besides the flowers.

The motel itself was a long, two-story building. The main entrance was smack in the middle of the building with rows of rooms extending to either side. Next to the office, a passageway through the building led to the back side of the building and had stairs leading up to the second level. It was clearly old, worn in the way only time could do.

The office door wasn’t automatic and the handle stuck slightly under his hand when he tried to turn it. But just a little bit of force had it opening.

Inside, the carpet was worn, beaten down and dull in the middle. The walls were covered in floral wallpaper rather than paint. Against one wall buzzed an ice machine and against the other sat a vending machine. A man with slicked back hair and a cane stared at the vending machine without moving. A two-seater couch was next to the vending machine with a wooden coffee table in front of it. Two women sat side-by-side on it: one in modern jeans and a windbreaker, the other in an old-fashioned dress that looked like it may have come from the sixties. They were holding magazines, but in the time it took Danny to look around, neither had flipped a page.

Cutting off the back of the room was a long desk, behind which sat a closed door. A woman sat behind the desk. Her blonde hair was cut shoulder length and curled inward. She wore bright red lipstick and heavy eye shadow. But strangest of all, she wasn’t moving. Her chest didn’t raise with her breathing, she didn’t shift in her seat. The women on the couch, at least, made the little movements people make when they’re engrossed in their reading. And the man at the vending machine was tapping his fingers on his cane as he tried to decide what to get.

But the woman at the counter was utterly still.

“Evening.” Danny’s voice was loud in the small room.

The woman in modern clothes cocked her head slightly as if trying to hear a distant noise.

“What are you reading?” Danny asked her.

She just shook her head slightly and looked back at her magazine. Slowly, she turned a page.

“Oh-kay,” said Danny to himself. He walked past them as he made his way to the desk.

As soon as he reached it, the woman came to life. She turned and smiled broadly at him and her finger started tapping on a paper log book that sat in front of her. “Well hello there. Welcome to the Two Ghost Motel!” She had a slight southern accent. “What can I do you for?”

“Uh, well. I heard you might have a room I could rent for the night.”

“Sure do,” she agreed with a nod. “Can certainly set you up with one of those.” She looked him up and down then nodded to herself. “Ah, yes. We knew you might need a place soon so we made sure you’d be able to find us. Glad to see you finally stopped in.”

“What, uh, what do you know about me?”

“Same as we know about any of our potential patrons, sweetie. That you’re a restless spirit that isn’t ready to pass on yet. Two Ghost was set up to give you a place to rest while you’re still on Earth.”

“How much would it cost for one night?”

The receptionist threw back her head and laughed. Her teeth were sharper than a normal human’s. Behind him, another voice joined in the laughter. Danny turned to see the modern-dressed woman was finally looking at him, though it was only to laugh at him.

Danny rubbed the back of his neck and smiled self-consciously. “I take it that was a stupid question?”

“Honey, there’s no charge for spending the night. Wouldn’t be much of a place to rest if we forced y’all to pay when no dead has money.”

“Right. So do you want anything in exchange? I’m pretty good at fixing things up.”

“All we want is for you to have a good night’s rest.” She turned the log book around. “I’ll just need you to put down your name here and I’ll give you your key.” She waved her hand to indicate a pen that was chained to the desk.

Danny grabbed it and hesitated just a moment before signing “Phantom” on the page. The ink was ectoplasm-green.

She took the book back and made her own marks before smiling at him. “Well that’s all in order. Now just to get you your room key.” She opened a drawer which was filled with a number of small envelopes, each with a handwritten number on them. She flipped through a few before stopping on one, seemingly at random, and pulling it out. “You’ll be in room 214. Leave the office, take a right. You can’t miss the stairs. Climb ‘em, continue to the back side of the motel, and take a right.”

Danny took the envelope from her. On it, the numbers 214 were written, with Two Ghost Motel in cursive below it. “Thank you, ma’am.”

“Enjoy your stay at Two Ghost,” she smiled one more time at him, then looked down at her logbook and froze exactly as she had been when he’d first entered.

“I appreciate your help. You sure there’s nothing I can do in exchange for the room?”

But the woman didn’t stir again. Danny shifted from foot to foot. Should he try and wake her? Was she hurt? Was this a normal ghost thing? He tapped on the desk again.

“Ma’am?”

No response.

Danny looked down at his key and back at the woman. Hesitantly, he turned towards the door, but he couldn’t help looking back frequently. He paused by the women on the couch, but neither looked up from their magazines. At the vending machine, he peered around the man.

“Do they have anything that looks good?” he asked.

The man didn’t move, so Danny shifted until he was standing right next to him and could look inside the machine.

The bottom two rows were filled with drinks, water and Gatorade took up space right next to shots of ectoplasm. And were those beers? What? Above those were a few types of nuts and candy bars and chips. Danny only recognized half the brands.

Then he noticed the package of bottle caps. “Oh man, been ages since I’ve had some bottle caps. Mind if I grab those if you haven’t decided yet?”

The man hummed and moved to the side so Danny could get to the bill input and number pad.

“Thanks, sir! Appreciate it.” He pressed the numbers for the candy to see the price, but the machine whirled to life and it was dropped down without requiring Danny to put in a single cent. “Oh, shit, did I just use your money? What do you like? I’ll get it for you as an apology.”

“I don’t… I don’t remember,” said the man. His voice was very quiet, but clear. Danny couldn’t place his accent.

“Are you looking for a snack or a drink? Sweet or savory?”

“My son always pretended he didn’t like sweets. I was going back to him. How did I end up here?”

“Dunno, sir. But if you like candy, I’d recommend the skittles if you want chewy, m&m’s if you want basic chocolate.” He opened his own package. “Hold out your hand, I’ll give you a few of these so you can see if you like them.”

The man did and looked at his own hand as if he’d never seen it before. Danny turned his package so a few bottlecaps fell out. “Thank you,” said the man.

“Sure thing. Hope you enjoy!”

The man stared at his hand a moment longer before bringing one to his mouth and chewing the candy with a pensive look on his face. “I think I remember these, but it’s been so long. Thank you.”

“Anytime. My name’s Phantom; I’m in room 214 if you need anything.”

“Phantom. Pleasure to meet you. I’m Tom.”

“Well, Mr. Tom, hope you find something to eat that you like.”

Tom hummed and turned back to look at the vending machine. Danny took one last look at the receptionist, still entirely frozen, before slipping out the door. He slipped the package of bottlecaps into his pocket; he’d eat them in his room when he could take his mask off. In the passageway to the back of the motel, two boys played jacks under a flood light.

Danny couldn’t help but pause to watch them. He’d tried playing a few times when he was younger, but Tucker wasn’t into the game and none of the other kids had been willing to spend enough time with the weird ghost-hunter’s kid to teach him.

He waited until the kid who’d been picking up the jacks tossed them back on the ground before asking, “So, who’s winning?”

Both boys looked up at him with the same blank expression. The one on the right was a red-head while the one on the left was brown haired. They were about the same age, maybe ten years old and Danny wondered what happened to bring them here.

“I never learned to play,” Danny admitted, waving a hand to indicate their game. “So I don’t know how to tell. Or, is there even a winner in jacks? I might be completely off the mark.”

The red-head raised his hand. “I’m wining. I’m on the foursies round. Alan is only on twosies.”

“Matt cheated and made me drop my jacks.”

“It wasn’t cheating, just strategy,” protested Matt.

“Cheating,” repeated Alan.

“Prove it by beating your threesies round perfectly this time.”

Danny smiled to himself as the boys returned to their game and ignored his presence entirely.

“How’d you do that?” asked someone behind him.

Danny spun around to see a boy around his own age on the stairs leaning over the railing. He had dark hair and light eyes and was dressed in modern jeans and a t-shirt.

“Do what?” asked Danny.

“Get them to talk to you. Everyone ignores me entirely.”

Danny glanced back at the two boys who were entirely absorbed in their game and not paying Danny or the stranger any attention. “They’re mostly ignoring me, too.”

The kid rolled his eyes. “But they still talked to you. I haven’t even gotten that much.”

Danny shrugged. “I just asked them about their game.”

He groaned and kicked at the railing. “I’ve tried that. Who’re you, anyway?”

“I’m Phantom. Staying here for the night because, well, just because. Who’re you?”

“Jay.”

Danny cocked his head. “Like the bird?”

Jay’s eyes widened in surprise, then he grinned back. “That’s it! I knew I was forgetting something. I’m a bird. Thanks, Phantom.”

Danny laughed. “Sure thing, birdie.” He adjusted his backpack. “Let me put this down. I’m in room 214. What’s there to do in this motel?”

Jay shrugged. “More if you can get the other people to talk to us. But the TV always has your favorite show or movie on and the vending machine in the office always has your favorite snacks.”

As Danny made his way up the stairs, Jay fell in step besides him. “What’s your favorite movie?” he asked.

Jay shrugged again. “Dunno. But every time I turn on the TV it’s playing.”

“What did you watch last, then?”

Jay hesitated a moment and when Danny looked at him, he was frowning. “I don’t…” He shook his head. “I don’t forget things. My d— Someone made sure I could give accurate reports. But I don’t remember.” He looked at Danny with his brow furrowed. “Why don’t I remember?”

Danny shrugged. “Well, when we get to my room, we can turn on the TV and see what comes on.”

Jay brightened immediately at the suggestion. “Duh! That’ll remind me. Thanks, Phantom! Come on, your room’s this way. We’re neighbors; I’m in 215.” He jogged the rest of the way up the stairs so Danny had to speed up, too.

At the top of the stairs, Jay took a right and Danny’s door was several down.

“Home sweet home,” he said, gesturing to the door.

Danny laughed as he unlocked it. “So how long have you been here?” He pushed open his door and took in the space. The carpet looked like it hadn’t been upgraded since the seventies. A double bed sat against one wall covered by a faded, green paisley quilt. A low dresser and box TV against the opposite wall. Most of the wall facing the walkway was taken up with a large window, though the closed blinds kept it private.

It wasn’t until Danny stepped in and dropped his bags on the bed that he realized Jay had neither responded nor followed him in.

“Birdie? Jay? You okay?”

Jay was frozen outside the door staring out into the distance away from the motel. The back of the motel had very few lights, and the night made it seem like there was nothing out there but endless black. When Danny called out, Jay shook himself and grinned as he entered the room and sat down on Danny’s bed with enough force to bounce. “Course I’m okay! Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You spaced out there for a minute.”

Jay rolled his eyes. “No I didn’t. Where’s your remote?” Before Danny could do anything, Jay was already standing and picking it up from the dresser. He turned on the TV. “Oooh, the Godfather! Told you it always has your favorite movie.”

“So The Godfather is your favorite?”

“Of course.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen it all the way through.”

“Then you’re in for a treat! Come on, sit next to me. I’ll make sure you notice all the good parts.”

Danny did as told. Which is when he remembered he still had the candy. Wordlessly, he held it out to Jay who grinned as he took a few to snack on.

-----

Chapter 2

Hope you enjoyed chapter 1! This was so much fun to write. I loved taking part in the event so much. Please consider checking out the rest of the art and fics from this event because there are so many talented people who took part. (My reading list is gonna be filled for at least the rest of the year, no lie.)

Just search the tag #ectoimplosion2023 to see what I mean.

[baileypie-writes]

HII can I request for sum velvet x male reader? (again💀) where reader is jealous bc a lot of ppl is kinda flirting with vel in the internet...I'm so sorry for requesting sm, I just can't find any other ppl writing for velvet and male reader soo...

A/N ~ Sure! I don’t mind the requests btw, request as much as you like! Hope you enjoy!

~Only You~

Velvet x Male!Reader

Fandom: Trolls 3: Band Together

Reader: Male

Relationship: Romantic

Genre: Hurt/Comfort

Synopsis: Velvet gets flirted with a lot on the internet, and it’s starting to make you jealous.

Warnings: Jealousy(Reader), cringe

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gosh, you were bored. You thought having the day off would mean having fun, but no. You were just sitting on your couch, flipping through channels on the TV. Nothing good seemed to be on, so you just gave up, and turned it off.

Suddenly, a notification went off on your phone, so you picked it up to look at it. It was a notification telling you that Velvet posted a picture on her social media. You always like her posts, she’s your girlfriend after all. So you open the app. A smile crept onto your face, happy to have something to occupy you for at least a moment.

The photo she posted was of her reflection in her mirror. She was trying out a new makeup look, and of course, she looked beautiful. She really knocked it out of the park with this look. You personally never thought of someone wearing purple lipstick before, but it looked great on her. Especially paired with the matching, glittery eyeshadow she had on.

You liked the post, and opened the comments to leave a compliment. But the ones that were already there caught your eye. Many guys were leaving comments that were obviously an attempt at flirting.

“Wow, you’re so hot! Do you have a boyfriend?”

“Cute! Are you single?”

“That’s a nice look. Wanna chat?”

You scrolled further, seeing more comments similar to those. Checking the profiles of those guys, a lot of them were older, making you almost feel ill. The fact that these men had no shame asking a woman out without so much as a “hello” made you upset, to say the least. Especially at the fact that the two of you have been openly dating for a few months. They could’ve checked her profile before asking, but you guessed that they didn’t care all that much.

A phone call from Velvet interrupted you from your thoughts. You answered it within seconds, happy to talk to her. “Hello?”

“Hey babe. I’m bored, can I come over?” Velvet asked, getting straight to the point.

“Sure. I’m actually bored too, so perfect timing.” You responded.

After saying your goodbyes, you hung up, and waited.

~~~~

It didn’t take long for Velvet to arrive. You met her at the door, since you had nothing else to do. You made sure to wave to Veneer, who drove her, before going inside.

The two of you headed to the living room, and Velvet flopped on the couch. She pulled out her phone, checking her notifications from her new post. “I see you liked my photo.” She said, smiling.

“Of course I did. I always like every one you post.” You said, sitting down next to her, and wrapping your arm around her.

Velvet hummed, and went to the comment section. Your smile faded as you saw all the comments from earlier. She didn’t have any reaction to them, just reading them. She liked a few comments, mostly from other celebrities, and turned off her phone.

“A lot of people liked it. Not that that’s surprising.” She said confidently.

“Yeah. Especially the men.” You mumbled the last part.

Velvet lightly gasped. “Aww, are you jealous?” She teased. She grabbed your face with one hand, giving your cheeks a squeeze.

“Well… yeah. It’s hard not to be when they say things like that. Like, our relationship has been public for a while now.”

Velvet laughed. “Well, don’t you worry. I don’t pay attention to those guys. Only you.” She released your face, giving one of your cheeks a pat. Then she went back on her phone, leaving the conversation behind.

Her reassurance made you feel a lot better. You know that Velvet’s loyal, but seeing how other guys are can make you feel insecure at times. So you’re thankful to have a girlfriend who pays them no mind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~baileypie-writes

[specialagentlokitty]

Sherlock x Teen!reader - my kid

Hello! Just recently found your daughter!reader and Sherlock fanfic and it is amazing!!! The only bad thing about it was that I've already read it so much it's basically memorized lol. Anyways, I am here to politely ask that you do another adopted reader Sherlock fic, but could you do gender neutral reader please? I don't care about the plot, there's just so little child!reader Sherlock in the fandom its scary out there. No rush and thank you if you decide to!!! - Anon💜

John was the one who first found you, sitting in the police station as you kept tugging on the cuffs that held you to one of the benches while Anderson and Donovan snickered while looking at you.

“You’re laughing at a kid?” John snarled at them.

They both turned to look at him, looking him at and down unimpressed as they scoffed a little.

“They try this every single time they’re here, they must be stupid or something they never learn.” Donovan shrugged.

You glared at her and tugged at the cuffs, making the metal creak a little under the sheer force and she shuffled back a little.

You smirked and did it again.

You knew you couldn’t break the cuffs, you weren’t that strong, but a sudden tug that hard? Of course it would strain the metal.

“Let me go and we’ll see if you’re still laughing bitch. Why not get on your knees, you’re clearly good at it.”

She gawked at you and John and to physically stop himself from laughing.

“How dare you speak to her like that.” Anderson snapped.

“Oh shut up, I bet your wife will love you even more when she finds out you’ve got a whore kneeling down for you every other night. Maybe I should call her, shouldn’t be hard to get her number right?”

“You shut your mouth.” He warned.

You smirked, leaning forward a little and John watched the scene play out.

“Or what? Gonna hit a teenager? Not very police officer of you is it?”

“(Y/N) enough.”

You stopped and looked up at the man who had just come out of his office.

He glared at the two officer who were previously making fun of you.

“You two, my office now.”

“You can’t be serious, they started it!” Donovan scoffed.

“Now!”

Hearing their superior yell at them they quickly scurried into his office and he slammed the door shut, kneeling down in front of you he uncuffed you.

You rubbed your sore wrist and he stood up.

“What they get you for this time?”

“Wrong place wrong time, was literally just crossing the street man.”

“I’m sorry (Y/N), from now on those two idiots are to stay as far away from you as possible. Do you want any ice?”

You shook your head and looked up at him, you pointed behind him and he turned around to face John.

“Oh John, here for Sherlock?”

“Yeah, what’s he done now.” John sighed.

Lestrade gestured for John to follow him but before he left he turned around to look at you.

“Stay there.”

You rolled your eyes and slumped back against the wall, crossing your arms as you watched them walk away.

You waited for the moment they turned around the corner and gave it a few seconds before you stood io and slowly started to make your way out.

“Hey stop!” Someone yelled.

You pulled your hoodie off, throwing it in his face and bolted out of the building, rushing down the steps you quickly turned and sprinted down the street.

A few teenagers around your age were waiting and the moment they saw you, you all took off running as fast and as far away as you could.

“Damn arrested again? Seriously dude that’s like the fifth time this week.”

You stopped running and stopped to catch your breath, leaning back against a fence.

“Don’t even man, I don’t know why they grabbed me Ty, like I didn’t do anything.”

“Whatever let’s just go before they find us.”

You nodded to Jason and you all walked away.

Lestrade could’ve lied and said he was shocked you made a run for it but he really wasn’t, he just sighed and picked up your hoodie from a desk.

“We’ve got a case what are you doing?” Sherlock sighed.

“I’m dropping this off after I go to the crime scene relax. Let’s go already.”

Sherlock led the way, eager to get to his first case after being thrown in the cells for the night for breaking into a crime scene.

This crime scene was different, and it was in a totally different area, empty just a few officer keeping watch and crime scene techs.

“A dramatic change in location.” John mumbled.

“Not surprising, we were closing in. It’s to try and throw us off his trail, but there’s going to be some markers on the body and around it that’ll tell us exactly where this woman came from.”

Sherlock started to look around, and he noticed the food wrappers, sleeping bags and such and he stopped.

“People live here.” He noted.

Lestrade and John walked over, and Lestrade sighed, running a hand down his face.

“That would be (Y/N), Ty and Jason.”

“You know them?” John asked.

“Yeah, they couldn’t have done this, but they were supposed to be in a shelter. Ran away a few days ago.”

“Apparently not.”

Sherlock looked to the edge of the police tape and pointed, and when you saw the police officer you grinned a little.

“Hi?”

They three men walked over and you and your two friends got ready to make a run for it again.

“Ah, don’t even think about it.” Lestrade warned.

You all stopped and he ducked under the tape, standing in front of you with his arms crossed.

“Running away? Seriously? I thought you liked it there?”

“Yeah if you like people stealing your shit.” Jason scoffed.

“How long have you three been here?” Sherlock asked.

You looked at him, hands stuffed your your pockets.

“Since yesterday morning. I was nicked this morning and these two followed me to the station.”

“That means this happened in between 10am and 1pm.” John said.

“11am actually, I actually spent an hour running from those two morons.” You shrugged.

Sherlock smirked a little and nodded his head.

“By the way, that woman? She wasn’t kill here, can we have out stuff now?”

“No, sorry it’s evidence right now. But I’ve got your jacket hold on.”

Lestrade walked away and John looked at you.

“You saw her?”

“Well yeah it’s a huge open wear house man, not exactly hiding her. Some dude wanted her to be found.”

“What else do you see?” Sherlock asked.

He was curious, because this was stuff picked up on immediately as well, and since you lived here, you would know if anything was out of order.

You walked away with Sherlock, pointing at things and answering his questions.

“They’re smart.” John said.

“Yeah, good eye for detail, who do you think tags all the trains?” Jason snickered.

John smiled a little and didn’t say anything in return, he just watched you walk around with his best friend.

Lestrade came back holding your hoodie and watched you walking around with Sherlock.

“If you’re so smart why aren’t you a police officer?”

Sherlock looked down at you.

“They’re annoying.” He replied.

You smirked.

“Yeah, they are. So you like a privet investigator?”

“No. I’m a consultant for Scotland Yard, I consult on cases they can’t solve.”

“Apparently that’s none of them.” You snickered.

He smirked and nodded his head in agreement and went back to the investigation.

Since you couldn’t get your stuff back, Lestrade forced you and your two friends to go back to the shelter.

To make sure the three of you stayed there he even placed officer outside since you were effectively being grounded for the week.

“Here, for you.”

You looked at the woman and took the post she held out to you.

Sitting on the floor, you opened it and looked at the photos in confusion.

Photos of you and Sherlock at that crime scene, and you were circled in each and every single one of them.

“What the fuck…?”

You were creeped out, and you didn’t know what to do.

Did you go to Lestrade? He was basically your point of call for everything but he couldn’t even solve figure out where you were hiding from him.

So you decided to go back to the next best person who you knew could help you.

Running down the stairs, you hid the photos under your shirt and looked up at the officer who eyed you in suspicion.

“Do you know where that Sherlock and John live?”

“Yes. Why?”

“Am I allowed to go there?”

“You’re on house arrest.”

“But you’ll be there too, plus you’ll know where I am.”

The officer thought about this before shrugging, not seeming to actually care and gestured for you to get into his car.

He drove you there and told you what flat number you wanted so you knocked at the door and looked around before turning back to it.

“Oh hello love, here for Sherlock Holmes?” She smiled.

“Yes please Miss, is he home?”

“I believe so, come on up.”

“Thank you.” You beamed.

She led you up to the flat at the top of the stairs and she threw the door open.

“Sherlock you have a visitor!”

With that she gave you a smile and left, letting you wait at the entranceway to the flat.

Sherlock came around the corner and looked at you.

“You got it to.”

You nodded, pulling the photos out as you held them out to him.

Sherlock closed the door and pointed to the sofa, and you took a seat as he grabbed some more and dropped them onto the table, letting you look through them.

“What kind of sick bastard is this?” You asked.

“If I had to pick. I know exactly who it is.”

“Who?”

“Moriarty.”

You could tell by his face that he wasn’t going to be telling you anymore so you decided not to even bother to ask.

“Am I safe where I am?”

“No.”

You nodded your head and got up.

“I’ve got places to hide.”

You went to leave but it as John that stopped you from going, phone in his hand as he put it on speaker.

“You need to stay with someone until all this is over.”

“Lestrade?”

“Yes, John called me the moment you showed up at his door with the same photos Sherlock got.”

You looked at John and he nodded his head.

“But no matter where I go I won’t be safe, right? So I need to hide alone.”

“You’ll be safe here.” John said.

You looked at him again and he smiled softly.

“I mean we’ve got some space, just until this has all calmed down, alright?”

“It’s our best option.” Lestrade spoke up.

You didn’t argue, and that’s how you started living with Sherlock and John.

John had cleared out his room, getting the flat on the ground floor, so you weren’t near the main door, and someone would always be in the building with you.

Over time they got you more things, clothes, furniture and such and you had a full on room with them.

You and John played games and you read his blog while he wrote it, and you and Sherlock talked about cases and he taught you things he knew.

Months slipped by and Mrs Hudson let your friends live in the flat above you, and even though you were safe now you still stayed with Sherlock.

“Why do you still keep me around?” You asked.

Sherlock looked at you, you were hanging upside down from the sofa.

“Do you want to leave?”

“No…”

Sherlock stood up, walking over he put the papers down he was holding and you sat up properly.

You picked them up and he dropped a pen on the table as well.

“I don’t get it.”

Sherlock rolled his eyes.

“For someone so smart you’re also stupid. Read the papers (Y/N).”

“I did! Why are you giving me them?”

Sherlock poked your forehead.

“Why do you think idiot.”

You looked at him shocked, a huge smile spreading across your face.

“Seriously?”

“Why else would I give them to you?”

“To mock me?”

He shrugged.

“That thought did cross my mind, but if you’re living here I may as well adopt you.”

“I’d like that.”

You signed the papers and Sherlock took them back, saying he was going to return them and the moment he left the flat he smiled a little to himself.

You were his kid now, and he was happy he could say you were his kid, he was going to teach you everything he knew and take you on cases with him since you loved working with him

[bohemian-nights]

So bridgerton really skipped Eloise, Benedict and Francesca for Cunt hungry Colin and man pleaser Penelope. They both give me nothing but people who think they have it bad but literally live in luxury. Literally over the whole Bridgerton series after queen charlotte I don’t care anymore

Eh, Bridgerton is on a probation period for me. And I’ll say that even though I don’t particularly like either Colin or Penelope, at this point, I don’t care that they skipped over Benedict’s story for them.

(I have a theory of why they did this and if my theory is correct I’m happy as a clam).

And if we are going by book order Polin’s season should come before Eloise(who is book #5 and it doesn’t matter but I personally am uninterested in her character) and Francesca’s (love her/her book is my second favorite and I am excited to see her and Michael, but her book is #6).

Now the real reason why Bridgerton is on probation for me isn’t Benophie being skipped, it’s the issue of Sophie’s casting and how everytime you mention her (possibly) being Black, people start crying.

I’ll be honest and say if Shonda pulls another stunt and doesn’t finally cast a Black girl for Sophie Beckett my Black ass ain’t watching this shit anymore.

I don’t want to hear any it’s “bad representation” especially not from a bunch of non-Black women. Sophie isn’t a slave(she literally says she could’ve left anytime she wanted to which is something that slaves never could) and more importantly, she gets a happy ending.

And yes I know about Gregory’s book and no I don’t want to wait another five to six years for that child’s boring season(I give Polin crap, but their book is actually better than that dry mess) where he is spending half of it pinning after another girl. It’s a very strong possibility his season never happens or if it does happen it combines with Hyacinth which is unacceptable if that’s our only representation on this show.

Fortunately the rumors are that a casting call went out for a Black female lead for season 4 and people speculate Masali Baduza (who is stunning and talented) was the one who landed the role.

So I’m remaining cautiously optimistic that one of the these two rumors is true, but if not (as I’ve stated) season 3 will be the last season of this show I watch.

I already have one show(and racist fandom) that acts like Black women are the plague.

Hell, might as well say Black people period because some of these dumbasses have been crying about Michael being (more than likely) Black and saying there are “too many Black people”(it’s giving me HOTD fandom war flashbacks) on the show and it not being “diverse enough.”

Mind you they say all this even though the showrunner is a Black woman(which is why I expect Sophie to be Black cause I would never expect nor demand that from someone else), but instead of being understanding why most of the diversity would and should be Black they want her to mule for them, but I’m not supposed to say that since it hurts their feelings.

This show is plenty diverse, but because Shonda hasn’t completely stopped featuring Black people they are upset.

People want every season to be like season two and that’s fine and dandy, but Black people are under-presented in the media and not only that our representation is absolute shit riddled with stereotypes.

I don’t think Shonda(or I hope not) created this show to further sideline us so a Black Sophie is the hill I’m willing to die on. I’m not watching three seasons back to back to back with a non-Black lead and definitely not five seasons back to back 5x over with a non-Black female lead.

I will not be suffering through another anti-Black fandom whose showrunners prioritize and appease said non-Black racist fandom at the expense of Black people. That’s my grievance with the show.

[causesciencethatswhy]

ok honestly, how does this not sound like a jimin anti?

it’s funny that people’s first assumption is that jungkook lied to jimin just like how it was assumed he told jimin he was busy and not to go see him when jimin was the one who went to an event on jungkook’s birthday then went live.

all these times he could’ve gone to see jungkook if he was indeed doing nothing. but you are all just dying to have something to hate jk over.

and tbh this kind of annoys me about jikook and have for years, like they always downplay their (assumed) friendship. if you're best friends why not act like it? like honestly. makes it hard to defend their friendship when they themselves downplay it.

and idc about any sort of ~privacy argument, who the fuck is private about a friendship with their own member

also makes no sense for jimin to post that picture on instagram which was posted for FANS not for jungkook then for him to come on live and imply he hasn't seen jungkook because he's busy (when jungkook now said he wasn't).

he posted a pic to show they're close but then comes on live to imply the opposite? ok.

in the past they’d do or say something that would make it obvious how close they are (at least good friends) but not so much these days. i’m just tired of the weirdness.

i always said (to myself) if they were acting as proper best friends at least it would be easier for me to not be delusional. but are we really expected to believe that jimin would fly to the us for jk’s debut when he didn’t have to but he can’t make it on his bday when jk is doing nothing?

like he could’ve said he’ll go see him soon or something if he felt fans would call him out on them not meeting on jk’s bday for the first time since they’ve known each other?

why would he come on live repeating that it’s jk bday and fans should wish him a happy bday when he himself wouldn’t go see him when that makes no sense? it’s just annoying.

them pretending the us trip never happened when it’s right in front of us and everyone knows about it, them also pretending jk never did the bg vocals on letter like why?

did jimin not give jk a copy of face or is he keeping it somewhere else for some unknown reason?

jimin refusing to do a live for who knows what reason but now he wants to copy the kind of lives jk has been doing. none of this weirdness ever happens with any of the members.

and I knew for a fact when jimin showed his flat all the tkkers will try to push dating rumours. so if he wants to do more lives we have that to look forward to even more. yay🙄

Look anon, Mimi had addressed all of this when they had written these posts already with explanations of what they intended. As they've said before their frustration was geared towards the expected reaction to jkks words from the fandom (which was always to downplay their relationship) which seeped into their interpretation of jkk. Yeah, it could have been worded better but it was written in a heated moment, something they're already aware of.

Whether we like to admit it or not, staying hyper aware of fandom discourse can colour how we interact with the members and their words and the anticipation of the discourse that'll steep out of it can sometimes makes us almost hold it against the member themselves than the group of rabid fans hellbent on twisting their words. I still remember when I was at a point where I got frustrated with Tae a while back because the expected discourse from his words bothered me more than the actual words he was saying. It's where we have to catch ourselves when dealing with something like parasocial relationships where boundaries between fan reaction and interaction are so murky.

As someone who has talked to mimi about everyone jkk I can say confidently say they're the farthest thing from a j/m anti and love him very thoroughly. If you think otherwise you're free to block them and myself, instead of exposing yourself to content which you know makes you mad.

[citizen-zero]

I guess part of the reason that the whole “proshipper/anti” discourse is so silly to me is because like. I actually lived the situation that so many of them talk about, the whole “predators will show your fic to minors in order to groom them” thing. Except that’s not…that’s not really what happened.

The 25 year old woman I “dated” when I was 15 was someone I met through the Hetalia fandom; we did a lot of NSFW RPs and bonded over smutty fic. She drew, commissioned, and purchased smutty art and doujins that she shared with me. She came to visit me twice and like, we never went further than kissing, but I know for a fact that she wanted to. She said as much, and I think if I hadn’t been worried about getting caught by my mom, we would’ve. And this isn’t super distressing for me to talk about but it still makes me feel a little dirty. Not in a shame-filled way, I don’t think it’s my fault or anything, but I don’t feel good about it either.

Anyway, point is, it’s literally the situation that people wave around as an example of what might happen if we let people write about Sexually Immoral Topics, and yet I maintain that none of it was the fault of NSFW fan art/fiction. Not even the handful of teacher/student or incest fics I read and enjoyed—even when I was “dating” her, I recognized that that sort of relationship was wrong and should only be enjoyed in a fictional context. That sort of content was cathartic for me because I could engage with it but didn’t have to see or experience it IRL where it would have actual consequences. It’s the same as how playing GTA let me shoot rocket launchers at cops and blow up cars without…you know, doing that.

No, all of it was squarely the fault of the adult woman who was trying to fuck a teenage girl. All the emotional stress I felt then and all the lingering sour taste I have now is her fault. It wasn’t a single one of those artists’ or authors’ faults that, for almost two years, I was denying/unable to recognize the wrongness of my own situation even though I could recognize it in fictional ones. All of it was her fault for earning the trust of a teenager and then pursuing a “relationship.” The only function that the sexual content served was to be just another part of fandom to bond over, just like we bonded over cosplay and merchandise and new canon material and anime episodes and dubs and—you get it. It was one part of a whole. Like, smutty fan works are so common that it didn’t raise a red flag, because, well…everyone likes that stuff. If we’d been hanging out offline it would’ve been a red flag because adults talking about about sex with teenagers in a non-educational context is creepy. But in the fandom space, it’s just normal and part of the fun and it was okay because it wasn’t about us, it was about fake people.

So that makes it hard for me to take the discourse seriously, because 1) I don’t think most of you even know what you’re angry about anymore, and 2) sexual fan works and RPs didn’t have the heavy influence in my situation that you think they did. They were a part of the equation, but that woman could’ve easily groomed me even if we’d never talked about sex before we got into a “relationship.” The reason why I could recognize the wrongness of a fictional relationship but not my own was because she had earned my trust and used it to emotionally manipulate me into believing we were an exception.

I think a lot of you have a very…early 2000s after-school special idea of the role fandom can play in grooming and abuse. I think a lot of you imagine a creepy adult sending a teacher/student fic to a 14 year old and saying, “See, this is normal and okay because it’s in a fan fiction.” And I’m not saying that never ever happens, but I think it’s far more common for it to happen the same way it does offline: the adult bonds with the minor over shared interests, earns their trust, makes them feel cool and special, and then uses that trust and goodwill to convince them that the abuse is okay and that other people “don’t/won’t understand.” It’s exactly the same tactics as adult men “dating” high school girls.

I think it’s unproductive at best to go after artists and authors who create the kind of content I was reading back then, because like, I recognized that the fictional scenarios would be wrong IRL and it still didn’t help. I’m betting most people reading AND making that stuff recognize on some level that it’d be wrong IRL. Blaming abuse on fan work and not solely on predators means that one of the ways that predators can gain your trust is by aligning themselves with “antis,” the same way that right wingers can get you to agree with them on anything by dressing it up in progressive language. I dread to say it but I am confident that it’s already happening.

I’m not saying anyone needs to read something they’re uncomfortable with, or interact with people who enjoy those things, but I do think you need to develop some nuance and recognize that the vast majority of people making the sexual content you dislike aren’t doing so for nefarious reasons. Yes, fiction can normalize and perpetuate bad ideas, but fiction isn’t the cause, it’s the symptom. You’re not going to end sexual abuse by witch hunting people who write about, like, teenagers dating and having sex (which, as we all know, definitely doesn’t happen IRL). At best it’s unproductive, and at worst you create an environment where teens feel even greater shame about wanting to explore their sexuality by writing about characters their own age, and adults feel afraid to draw inspiration from their own life experiences for fear someone will call them a predator. Which sucks for everyone, but it also means that queer teens and adults (who are already made to feel like their feelings are dirty and inappropriate) effectively end up closeted and unable to come to terms with their identities and see their experiences represented somewhere.

So…I don’t really have a smooth conclusion here. I just think the shipping discourse is fucking stupid because it assumes a world that runs on Internet Stranger Danger PSA logic.

[edienotsedgwick]

Hello everyone!

I haven’t posted many music updates here recently because I have just been forgetting to use tumblr as one of my platforms (even though tumblr is probably the one I’ve had the most growth on out of any of them cause of how long I’ve been here). However, although it’s two years too late I wanted to have a talk in depth about my latest E.P because one thing I love about this place is how I can talk in depth about what I’ve made more than I can anywhere else. I did it for the last E.P, now it’s time to talk about this one.

Last week, I got word from one of my friends that my music was no longer on Spotify so they could listen to it and it made me realise I’d forgotten to pay my Distrokid bill. So when I sorted it out and fixed all issues with accessibility I decided to take a trip down memory lane and have a listen for the first time in a while.

Unlike Made With Blingee which was one impulsive idea I came up with in 2018 that I rushed to finish within that year, leaving it a perfect time capsule of my scene days - Thing Is Me is not a snapshot of one year, but a snapshot of evolution from 2019-2022. While I was making it I changed a lot as a person, but also with the help of my collaborators the songs changed too until they settled to where they are now.

The oldest song on this E.P was Lola Bunny, the first inklings of it were born in late 2018 but it came to life in the way you know it in 2019. Lola Bunny was supposed to be just my voice and an acoustic guitar when I first began brainstorming it. It was fresh in my mind after I found out a boy in school who I thought I liked was taken. (It was one year before I learned I was a lesbian). In hindsight I wasn’t really in love with him, I just liked the idea that he could’ve been my only shot at love. My dating pool at school was small, the few people I pursued had found someone else, were straight, or were repulsed by me. I couldn’t go on dating apps or look for people outside of school at clubs or concerts. It was either school or the fandom circles on the internet, and I was sick of E-Dating people from completely different countries. When I found out that boy was taken, it’s a miracle that I didn’t lose hope that I’d ever be loved at all. Instead I thought I’d just never have a high school romance like the movies promised. (spoiler alert: I was wrong). In 2019 when I revisited Lola Bunny I got into shoegaze and realised the song would sound even better as a crushing wall of sound akin to Cocteau Twins, Ride or MBV. Me and my cousin recorded it together in 2020, the rest is history.

The second oldest song is The Hotel Song. In late 2018 I went to a friend’s birthday party and another traumatic incident involving two of my bullies happened. They taunted me and in a fit of pent up rage I confronted them about everything they did to me. They denied it all, called me delusional, and laughed in my face as I broke down on the side of the road outside my friend’s house. I was already traumatised but that sent me to a low point I believed I’d never recover from. The only place I remotely felt safe in afterwards was my bedroom and I coped with the intense depression and anxiety by drawing, eating two minute noodles for every meal of the day, and listening to the same queue of songs on repeat. One night I fell into a deep sleep and had a dream about going to a hotel with my friends and meeting one of the bullies from the incident there by accident. My friends invited her to go to the spa pool with us. Despite my initial hesitation, the time we all had together was pleasant, almost innocent, and I didn’t get hurt again. Later as we dried off, I got an apology from her for everything she did to me. Just as I forgave her I woke up thinking about how everyone has the capability to change for the better at the drop of a hat. As the next year rolled around the dream was still something I thought about a lot, so I decided to make it a song. I was getting into The Moldy Peaches, Neutral Milk Hotel and other weird folky stuff. I felt like the more oddball lyrics due to them coming from a dream suited that sound so I had that in mind as I put it together. I arranged to make it with a wonderful family friend. It was the only song he fully contributed to before I switched to working with my cousin, but he was really important and taught me a lot of great things. I’m very proud of what came out.

The third oldest song is from way into 2019. I was getting better. I had a great network of friends now who gave me the safety net I needed to recover, I’d gone on a long road-trip that made me see beauty in the world, I was getting into new music and other new interests and those new things kept me calm. I still had outbursts of anxiety from time to time though. One of the bullies from the party still scared me to death. I was growing stronger in all other areas of my life, but the looming fear that he could hurt me again was the only thing holding me back from completely recovering. At that time all I wanted was a resolution, ideally an apology but I was just coming to terms with accepting that he wouldn’t ever do that based on how he acted the last time I saw him. I wrote Post Mental about finding that acceptance. Learning to recover in spite of him. In this song I go through all the history we shared, then at the end I let him go. Like The Hotel Song, Post Mental has a lot of the same influences I discussed earlier but with an added flavour of Sufjan Stevens in there. My favourite part of recording this with my cousin was towards the end when we decided to become a two person choir. We did all kinds of things with our voices to make that part special and it was incredibly cathartic for me.

Post Mental Reprise came a few years later in mid 2021. A lot had changed since then, the most shocking thing of them all though was that the bully in question I wrote part 1 about finally did apologise to me! He’d grown up a lot since the incident, realised the friends who made him act the way he did weren’t good people, found better friends, and then apologised to everyone. Including me! We’re not friends now but we are civil. My cousin suggested the E.P should get rounded out with a part 2 to Post Mental, so that’s what we did! I acknowledged the positive change in the lyrics, and we decided to give this ending a 60s pop inspired sound with a Lo-fi twist.

Finally, the E.P’s youngest song is A New Sunshine. This is a breakup song, but probably the sweetest breakup song you’ll ever hear. I’d been in a relationship that was not perfect, but definitely meaningful for about a year and a half. In early 2021 I realised things were coming to an end as the two of us started University. The flaws in our relationship that we could handle in high school were more difficult to deal with as new young adults, so we calmly broke it off and remained friends. They are one of my best friends to this day and they even came to the listening party for this E.P while cracking a few jokes when this song came on about how they knew it was about them. I wrote this song the exact day we broke up. It definitely got a few tweaks as I started making it come to life though. In this song I talk about my excitement in moving on, not just from that relationship, but in my life in general now that I was fresh out of school. Kissing off the last of my teenage blues this E.P was tying up the loose ends of. For this songs influences I blended the shoegaze/dream pop influences from Lola Bunny and the alt-folk of the other songs and came up with something akin to Angel Olsen’s first album or Linger by The Cranberries. This song along with the first part of Post Mental took probably the longest to perfect, but it was a true labour of love that I’m glad finally came together eventually. Especially thanks to me and my cousin’s good friend Carson who gave us the twangy guitar solo towards the song’s end that I had envisioned in my mind but definitely couldn’t play.

I hope you enjoy the deeper insights into each Thing Is Me song and you enjoy the music if you haven’t already listened yet. Keep giving it love, and lemme know what you think :3 thank you ily

[captain-astors]

Can you do Kaneki for 003 :)))

Mhm! That beautiful mess, the culmination of all I despise but the vessel through which we all must perceive this world. I’d like to shake him like a maraca. This one definitely contains… opinions. As usual it's messy and ramble-ish but I enjoyed it.

How I feel about this character: Wow you're so interesting I wish I could still care after 320 something chapters. Born to “slay” as the youth say, in all meanings of the word, forced to do math. Sometimes I imagine what sound he would make if smacked against a wall. Constantly, actually. I can effectively emulate it with an almost empty water bottle, a thin piece of fabric, a piece of metal, and a slab of gelatin, but I only have access to two of those and it’s not the ones you think. I cannot stress how much I want post-Haise Kaneki dead for plot reasons, but I do think he’s pretty neat before whatever the result of the Tsukiyama extermination arc is. I do like him, but I try not to ponder him too deeply because if I started getting seriously attached to him as a person, I’d have to be disappointed about his character as well. I’m already not normal about so many of them. So he’s more of a secondhand skrunkle, I watch a decent portion of the rest of the fandom go wild and sit back and tend to my own neglected favorites. Like observing a neighbor’s garden, larger than mine but wilder, containing so many varieties of plants I can no longer distinguish them, and perhaps a bit overgrown. Was he the first piece of Tokyo Ghoul art I ever drew? Yes- well no actually that was probably Nishiki or Shuu but I never posted those because they were just sketches, but he was the first that I posted, and kind of my gateway to deciding to let myself brainrot over TG without shame (mostly). So I owe some amount of gratitude to him. 

But at the same time he fills me with a deep sadness for what might’ve been. Tokyo Ghoul was praised for having some kind of ground-breaking protagonist but he just feels... edgy at the end of it, handed an undeserved win. Sorry.

(So an update from later this very same day, I drew him and now I want to hug him. NO. I MUST PERSEVERE. Alright Kuroneki is kind of cute and his nickname sounds like Kuroneko (As in the trigun cat) and I love Kuroneko.)

Any/all the people I ship romantically with this character: Protagonists are funny things to ship because they can be shipped with almost anyone. Almost the entire main cast? Been there and done that. Every character he’s been friends with? Certainly. Rivals? No rivalry is complete without a little homoeroticism. The villain? Is that even a question. That random character who appeared for half a  chapter? Someone’s probably done it. It’s difficult to pick a favorite but frankly I’m not particularly partial to any of them. Shuuneki is fun but it just feels out of character as soon as it becomes remotely healthy which is what all that pining causes me to intrinsically want which in turn annoys me so… I enjoyed it before I actually learned the story. Now I just can’t fathom truly enjoying a fic about them without leaving frustrated because at any given point, one or the other of them just wouldn’t work. Also I really want Kaneki to die alone. But though I’ll never be extremely passionate about it, I do think that Hidekane is kind of the best one. Like it’s not my ship but from an outsider's perspective I look at it and just go huh. Neat. This one actually seems non-headache inducing. I’m slowly consuming more of it but at the same time Hide deserves much better. I can’t fix you but I can hold your hand as you crumble or something. I will take this time to rant about Tou//ken. God help us all. I will start off with what I like because I am terrified of being burned at the stake by the shippers who actually read through this for some reason. Aesthetically, cool. As individuals, love them. Conceptually, it had great potential. I don’t think it ever could’ve been my otp but I could’ve enjoyed this. Now. DEAR GOD I HONESTLY ADMIRE THOSE WHO SHIP IT FOR EITHER HAVING THE IGNORANCE OR SHEER WILLPOWER TO ENJOY IT DESPITE THAT WRITING. It would be easier to ship two characters who we’ve never seen interact whatsoever (stares at my terrible rarepairs I would know) than to repair this trainwreck, so I suppose that’s a testament to your tenacity or your willingness to ignore the holes. I swear my copy of TG was missing chapters WHERE was their development. They only did things for each other when instructed to or in life or death situations when opposed by a greater threat, only thought fondly of each other when not together, and then got married and kids despite Kaneki being in a mental state nowhere near “intact enough to live a functional existence” must less raise CHILDREN. Like I refuse to believe Kaneki would be a great father. “Something, something breaking the cycle of a loveless life.” Where. Where did he learn to love healthily? Touka? Where? Where is that shown? They interact so briefly in such high-stress scenarios how the HELL am I supposed to know?

 Dear god I knew these two were going to get together. I steeled myself for it. I tried to enjoy it I swear I did but it feels like the marriage arc skipped the love arc and I don’t know how I’m supposed to appreciate the shell of a relationship left behind. But I respect those who manage. Like, if a character (Ayato) can go on a brief trip and come back UNDER A FEW DAYS LATER to find out, with absolutely no warning that his SIBLING is married to a guy now, maybe you’re moving just a little fast! Someone please explain this to me I feel like I'm losing my mind.

The Vegas wedding of Tokyo Ghoul, getting hitched in a cave while a homophobic gay horror creature exterminates 98% of your kind.

Also I find it funny that she managed to date a guy who both looks and acts so much like her dad. Touka you can do so much better you are leagues above this guy.

My favorite non-romantic relationship for this character: If Haise is included, Akira and the Quinxes. Family. If Haise is not included, probably… Hinami. 

My unpopular opinion about this character: Oh boy. He doesn’t really listen to anyone, and his cycle of self sacrifice for others because it’s the easiest route out is ANNOYING AS HELL. Points are made about it, but does he ever change? No he just keeps trying to die for “the sake of others” until the very end and keeps escaping the actual consequences, while others who have something to live for ACTUALLY DIE for his stupid martyr complex and I am SICK OF IT. He only fights for those he cares about because he’s afraid of being alone which is a very human desire but we never see him grow in it, he just keeps ignoring whatever he doesn’t want to hear, keeps letting himself almost die but he’s still “virtuous” and not a murderer to the narrative. Because the restaurant ghouls dared to have fun with the terrible cards they were dealt, so they deserved it! Because those humans in the dragon incident didn’t care, so they deserved it! And besides he wasn’t conscious anyways! Because Furuta dared to try to break the system that Kaneki decided wasn’t real, because he wanted to make sure the world never created a child like him again, so he deserved it! I could deal with him if the narrative actually treated him like what he is, “morally grey” is not an excuse to his actions it’s a byproduct, so just saying “it’s alright because he’s morally grey” doesn’t fix any of the issues with his inconsistencies! With his lack of growth beyond just getting worse, and being handed a happy ending anyways! Also why are all of his stans silent as the grave I hear barely a WHISPER out of you creatures yet you appear like phantoms to salivate over him when art is made and to sweep polls. I know perhaps 3 people who both actively post and I know for a fact would declare Kaneki their favorite. Where are the rest of you? WHERE ARE YOU HIDING? But godspeed to you.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: He feels so overwritten at the end, I really wish he either died, or that :re had gone the csm route and had a different protagonist. For our candidates for a new protagonist I would nominate: Hide. An exploration of a character who was born into a world that was hurting him, but chose to love ghouls anyways. Who chose to keep being a good person no matter how hard it was, (WHAT KANEKI DOES, DOES NOT COUNT AS BEING A “GOOD PERSON.”) He’d be a refreshing air of positivity and hope from Kaneki’s internal monologue. It’s so desolate it makes me want to commit amusing vandalism just to remember that bright colors are real and very lovely. I don’t have the energy to write out full explanations for all of them but I’d also nominate any of the Quinx squad members, Juuzou (I just want more Hanbee), Ayato, Amon, or Furuta. Or making Haise a person with a separate body.

Favorite friendship for this character: If Haise counts Juuzou, if not Banjou or Ayato.

My crossover ship: I’m tempted to say knives as a joke because they have the same english voice actor, (Who does a fantastic job as both but MAN his voice goes deep in tristamp.) Anyways Vash I guess. Go be self-sacrificial together you fools. (affectionate connotation for one, indifferent for the other.)

[managician]

Getting back into Sonic has reminded me of how much I love sontails... It's such a cute and fluffy ship, they just warm my heart so much. 

I’ve seen a lot of hate for it lately, though, so I ended up writing a whole essay (aka rambling) about why I think they’re great together. Figured I’d share that here for anyone that might need a pick-me-up :) 

(Or for people interested in learning the perspective of a shipper, ig. I’m open to discussion.)

“What’s so good about them?”

I know plenty of people hate it romantically, but I really adore their bond in any shape or form. The idea of this really cool hero that's just some guy and his nerdy life partner settling together feels so wholesome to me, with how much they appreciate each other.

There's a closeness and mutual understanding in their dynamic that is simply perfect. I can see them casually growing into a relationship once it hits them how much they need each other in their lives — and it'd be the mushiest thing known to man, I tell you. 

To Tails, Sonic is his light and source of inspiration, after saving him from bullies; to Sonic, Tails is the best buddy he could've asked for, someone loyal that will always keep up with him. They mean the world to each other. They're very attached, to the point the other character feels 'wrong' when they're alone (Sonic: Tails... it’s weird without you following me... [Frontiers], Tails' whole disappearance act after Sonic went missing [Forces]).

It isn't hard to imagine the adoration they hold for each other in a romantic light.

They're always together, through thick and thin. They were each other's first friend. Wanting to keep the other safe, wanting to support them… those are emotions just as powerful in friendships than in relationships, and very much present in their case. 

They're literally called the Unbreakable Bond. Their friendship has been put to the test before, but it always stays firm in the end — so how would their closeness work in case either of them developed feelings...? It's pretty cute, it can be drama-free if you want it to, but it can be kinda angsty and interesting all at the same time. 

With how important they are to each other, anything that alters or touches on their bond can make for great character development. That really drew me to them in the first place.

(Here's the point when someone would come in and say "You're a freak, please kys", to which I'd reply, I have to wonder what part of what I described is 'freaky' whatsoever. 

I see them as best friends, and their ship dynamic as an adorable, budding love born out of their dozen adventures together. I've clearly stated as such. If that's gross to you, I got nothing, to be honest.)

“Okay, but they’re brothers. You’re disgusting.”

Of course, I understand why people see it brotherly as well, and respect that vision. But I grew up with them in the 2010s, with them being strictly best friends, and with their bond always getting the spotlight in the titles I was initially familiar with [Colours, Lost World]. 

They complimented each other perfectly back then, and they still do now that I’m familiar with more of the Sonic franchise.

I feel the whole brother thing is prominent in English versions of the media, such as certain scripts having Sonic call him "lil' bro" as a term of endearment, or the old cartoons [AoSTH] where they are actual family. I never got that impression from them while playing the games in Spanish, and I think the fact it's a well-known ship in the fandom overall shows I'm not the only one.

Being "as close as family" is also a very popular trope for people into romances, whether you personally like it or not. It can stay like that, with the characters treating each other like the sibling they never had, or evolve into them seeing each other in a different light as time passes, thanks to their closeness. Both are good, healthy outcomes.

“They also have an age gap.”

Ah, yes, there's the matter of age difference as well. I didn't know about their ages when I was a kid, I found the discourse surrounding them absurd when I was a teenager, and I'm not gonna care about it now that SEGA removed them from their profiles, since it's obvious they didn't ever make much sense. What kind of 8 or 12 year olds drive planes and cars?

In the games I’ve played, Sonic and Tails have been consistently portrayed as best friends, first and foremost, by most writers. That's the media I care the most about, and the one that made me invested in the characters in the first place.

(Also, fun fact, official Sonic designer Naoto Ohshima has occasionally liked and retweeted sontails art. So I don’t think it’s “wrong” to their eyes in current canon.)

In conclusion: I see an endearing friends to lovers narrative in sontails. I see Tails thinking Sonic is the coolest person he's ever met, and Sonic thinking the same about him in return. I see them finding a perfect partner in each other, falling in love with the person that saved them from solitude.

They're cute as best friends, they're cute as bros, and they're also cute as a couple. I just love them. 💙💛

People are perfectly within their right to be uncomfortable with the ship or its fans. But if you dislike them and read this far, I hope I could make you understand, even if just a little bit, why they're not bad to my eyes. 

To any sontails fans out there, keep being awesome (and feel free to interact/add on to this post, I’d love to meet more people that like them too!)

[musclesandhammering]

“Witches” in the MCU + Loki’s Witchy-ness

So, I’ve had a very detailed interpretation of this topic for quite awhile and I’ve been waiting for the chance to meta about it. I’ve seen a few arguments in the fandom about what classifies as a Witch vs a Sorcerer vs a Mage in the mcu, and where Loki falls in that classification.

My basic headcanon is that- while “sorcerer” and “mage” and “magician” and “siedrmaster” etc are all individual categories with distinct definitions- the term “witch” is more of a slang politicised word for certain magic users. To put it simply, calling someone a witch is supposed to be an insult.

Witchery and the Demonisation of Outcasts

Part of the reason I sort of formed this idea is that real-world witchcraft in Salem and other places historically was a ruse to implicate women and some other people in fictitious crimes simply because they were defiant or progressive or separated in some way from the mainstream of society. I think it’s sort of the same thing in mcu-terms. (I haven’t decided if all magic users in the mcu see this topic the same way or if it’s just Asgardians, but nonetheless.)

I think in general a “witch” is a magic user who doesn’t have allegiance to a reputable organisation.

This is a little more complex because people (aesir in specific) tend to see independent practitioners as being untrustworthy and sort of rogue, whereas if they’re working for any entity thought to be associated with a noble cause, then that’s viewed as okay. (Examples being: Odin is a magic user, but he’s associated with government of Asgard so he’s good. The healers are magic users but they’re associated with the government so they’re good. Doctor Strange is associated with the sanctums so he’s okay. Etc etc)

MCU Witch Classifications

A perfect example of someone who’d definitely be considered a witch is Wanda. Maybe for a brief period in between AoU and CACW when she was at the compound, she could’ve been seen as just a magic user, but all through AoU and Civil War and everything post-CW she was a very rogue figure. She mostly flew solo didn’t really have ties with any specific organisation. The fact that she ended up a villain probably didn’t help the image of “witches” in universe either, but ya know.

Another example would be Amora from the tie-in book “Where Mischief Lies”. She was a student of sorcery on Asgard, but she didn’t work for the crown in any capacity, she was very underhanded, and she ultimately rebelled and got cast out. All throughout the book she’s referred to as a witch.

Mordo would definitely be considered one after he went off on his own. The idea of him once being a good guy working for the sanctums and then turning his back on it is a perfect illustration of how anti-witch people in-universe probably imagine witches.

Frigga is a little trickier. All throughout the movies she was never a witch because she obviously was loyal to the asgardian crown and used her magic to better Asgard, but Malekith called her one in TDW. This could imply that pre-movies before she married Odin she used to be independent practicing, or (and I think this is more accurate) Malekith was just using a common insult flung at mages.

Now, Loki. So, post-Thor 1, Loki’s definitely a witch. Like full stop. He fits right into the archetype. However, during the first movie it’s a little more tricky to say. He was a prince, so he definitely had allegiance to a noble organisation, and yet his brother and friends still referred to him as a witch (not sure if this is canon or fanon but I choose to believe it happened). I’m pretty sure this was more of a jab at him than an actual categorisation. As in, they were implying that- even though he was supposedly loyal to the crown- he was still underhanded and devious and not to be trusted. They weren’t insulting his use of magic, they were insulting him as a person. Whether or not he was actually disloyal rebel up to that point, is up to interpretation, but I would argue that yes he was. A little bit. In “Where Mischief Lies” (which is supposed to be canon), his struggle between trying to please his family and just going off the deep end and “being a full fledged witch” (actual paraphrasing of the book) is like the main storyline.

So anyway. That’s my rambling for today. What do you guys think? Disagree? Agree? Think I’m overthinking this way too much? I welcome feedback lol.

[goblins-riddles-or-frocks]

What are your thoughts on Alina being Shu in the show? If canon Alina was from Shu Han do you think it would've made any difference? The show kind of wasted this storyline but idk if I prefer Alina actually having a solid backstory or book Alina being this nobody from nowhere that's now a reverred saint. Also I've seen a lot of people from the book fandom hc darkling as shu looking.

I like her being specifically mixed race a lot! Especially with how it ties into her unmoored feeling where she isn’t sure there’s anywhere she truly belongs. I think it could bring really interesting context to her perspective.

When the show and casting were announced I suspected they chose to have her be half Shu because the books are uh pretty racist in that regard! It starts out in subtler ways with the only Asian characters being either the fucking karate teacher trope or Tolya and Tamar as both having essentially renounced their heritage and country completely in order to be counted “one of the good ones” but also the way they’re employed as the only genuinely faithful characters (devoted to the in-books white lead) in the main cast, while shdhff also being presented as untrustworthy when they sell them out to the Apparat?

But then the SoC duology gets sooo much worse with the parem being given a not!opium position as the scary dangerous Drug From The East and the hardcore dehumanized super soldiers from Shu Han whose name I forgot how to spell but omg it really felt like they only existed to be killed in really gruesome and mean spirited ways. Not to mention Wylan’s magic yellowface! That would be terrible on its own but then that’s how the book attempts to remotely deal with racism sjfhfgff by the character in yellowface experiencing micro agressions. It’s just. It’s bad!

I think someone must have said something to LB by KoS or she just realized the implications were decidedly not great because she tries to course correct really hard and shift most antagonistic focus to Fjerda instead. (Too little too late imo 🥲)

So I was assuming the half Shu Alina choice was in a similar vein? But yeah the show did absolutely nothing with it! What a missed opportunity! I was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt with season one where Alina being Shu was only used as an excuse to hurl made up slurs at her, thinking that it might be building to something? …But then it didn’t lol. And that retroactively made the slurs and focus on racism feel so pointless and mean spirited. It felt like an admittance that her being hit over the head constantly with racism wasn’t at all integral to the story and she could’ve been a mixed race protagonist all along without any of that!

But yeah all that being said, I like the concept of Alina being mixed. But I also wouldn’t trust Leigh Bardugo with it? Like everything I already mentioned in the books aside, I think she has a terrible habit of giving her POC characters very racialized suffering in their backstories. I strongly disliked how she handled race with both Inej and Zoya. Zoya was worse imo because she was initially clearly written to be white, but once we got a race retcon for her she suddenly has a never before hinted at poverty and child bride backstory when she’s primarily been associated with privilege before? Like the problem isn’t that she has a tragic backstory, but all the choices felt very racialized. I also just found it slimy how officially commissioned art etc had her visibly brown then the books make a point of saying multiple times that she just… looks white? Just leaves a bad taste in my mouth like she wants the representation brownie points without being willing to commit in canon. So idk as much as I’d love a POC protagonist, if Alina was half Shu in the books as well I wouldn’t trust LB to not give her a weird racial caricature tragic backstory. I do think we could still have the “no backstory just came out of nowhere” thing with her being mixed, I don’t think that has to be canceled out. Like it’s mentioned that Keramzin regularly takes in “war orphans” and border areas tend to be racially mixed. But yeah I just think LB would probably get weird with it. (She was admittedly better with race in Ninth House, but I suspect that also had to do with the real world contemporary setting)

Also the Darkling thing isn’t an HC it’s from a one off line in Demon in the Wood! It’s mentioned that he can, and has, passed as Shu. It’s ahdhf never mentioned again though and kind of wild tbh considering the very visibly white face casts she’s talked about for him in the past?? But that’s just word of god whereas the line in DitW is canon so 🤷‍♀️

[faithlover611]

Guess it’s up to me to get this fandom started on Tumblr.

So, hindsight in Murder By Choice is very interesting. I took screenshots of all the dialogue and going back afterwards is insane once you know the ending.

SPOILERS AHEAD (I don't know how to make things "below the cut", so apologies, everyone!):

So, Margot asks you, when you’re looking for Q on Sunday morning to go find Miraculus, if you’re looking for Freddie. FOR FREDDIE. And she had just murdered him the night before. I wish I could’ve said yes so that I could see how she would respond (don’t remember if there was an option to choose your response or if the answer was just automatic).

Also, looking back at Margot and Freddie’s interactions, you can tell that Carla’s theory, that the murderer was using Freddie like a puppet, was spot-on. The two were always sitting or standing next to each other, as I’m sure Margot wanted so she could keep an eye on him and tell him things she wanted him to do, and they were always civil and very polite towards each other. In fact, the last time we see Freddie alive, he’s actually sort of ~comforting~ Margot after the boat had burned down--ironic since Margot burnt the boat down in the first place and no doubt that Freddie knew this since he probably had to help her somehow.

It’s really cool how this game uses the deaths of each character to really move the story along. Like, Lukas and Freddie are continuously mentioned all the way until the end of the story, so much so that they’re almost alive in a unique sort of way. And Portia’s death really drives Ruben’s involvement in the investigation, to the point where Carla pretty much never does anymore investigating alone after Portia’s death--Ruben is either always involved or always with her.

Also, Ruben being Carla’s biological father was also seriously foreshadowed prior to that reveal. Portia’s over-the-top hatred of Carla (even Mrs. Bird comments how Portia’s been unusually cold since Carla’s arrival) and her extreme stalking of Carla, including hoarding pictures of her ~entire life~, which is insane, by the way, and definitely not healthy (A lot of what Portia did wasn’t healthy, and she would’ve had to go through some major life changes had she survived, especially with Janet and Ruben’s new relationship. She probably either would’ve been forced to quit as Ruben’s assistant or left on her own due to their relationship, and knowing what we do of Portia’s character, that seems extremely unlikely, so that’s probably why she was killed, as there was just no way for her to move on after the story.); Ruben’s extreme overprotectiveness of Carla, including freaking out when they found her unconscious in the cavern and after she’d been shot at and even standing up against his best friend for her; him making her the ONLY OTHER PERSON IN THE ENTIRE WORLD who knew the code to the Vault. I saw a comment from someone else saying they had guessed that Ruben was interested in Carla, prior to his confession about being her father, and I second that because I thought the same. We hardly get any Ruben×Janet interactions until the end of the story, so it’s really hard to see them paired together (and I’m still not really sold on the pairing), and Portia is Portia, so it’s hard to see that, and in the regular dialogue, Ruben doesn’t really look that old (in the comic scenes he looks much older), so imo, Carla and him made a great couple. (FYI, in the next story, I really hope we see Carla get a love interest. I like the whole independent female thing they have going on, but just like Anna and Luigi from "Murder In the Alps", it can work out really well [as long as they don’t leave it open-ended again!], and since the same company produced both games, I have faith in them being able to give Carla a love interest, like they did for Anna, without taking away her independence.)

I’m super excited for "Wedding Bells" to come out! Hopefully it’ll be sooner than later!