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kbagraces · 6 months

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Give me Love - LN4 PART2

Lando Norris x fwb!Reader

summary: in his previous relationships he couldn’t protect them from the backlash of simply being with him. but will protecting only end up hurting you?

(not proof read)

Rain or Shine

loosely based off ROS by mac miller

‘Just wanna ask a question umm, have you, have you, have you ever been in love before?’

Lando found himself lost without you. That saying where you never know what you’ve got until it’s gone never read more true to him. He hated how he left you there at the cafe. He knew throughout your relationship together all you wanted was to be fought for. With him leaving like that, he confirmed every doubt you ever had in him.

He knew throughout your relationship together all you wanted was to be fought for. With him leaving like that, he confirmed every doubt you ever had in him. His season continued at its slow pace, McLaren were disappointed with his lack of performance, especially since he was on fire in the beggining of the season he was on fire, when he was with you.

He spent his post season down time keeping tabs on your social media, daily pictures of your cafe kept him in the loop. Dan would often make an appearance in the background of some. A presence he chose to ignore.

Lando had never felt so insecure of himself. He was so sure that keeping you at a distance when you shared those two years together was best for the both of you. But now, being on the sidelines, watching you live your life from afar hurt him. He loved you and he never got the chance to tell you. He never uttered those words to you before.

‘You should probably take your heels off, ‘cause you've been running through my mind’

He remembered when you said it to him the first time, a year into your semi-relationship, you said it so causally, but the way you said it, captured him by the heart, he was yours in soul but he was too cowardly to be all for you.

He still lived in the UK at the time and you’d wandered into his house on a cold December evening after work, kicking off your shoes at his doorstep. He didn’t hear you come in but he remember how he screeched as you walked in on him wrapping up your Christmas presents.

He was so upset that you’d caught a glimpse of his surprise for you. You begged and begged for him to let you open them early, you knew what most of them were. He gave in saying you could open the smallest one, he rambled on as you opened it saying it was supposed to be a stocking filler.

You held in your palm a mintiture McLaren racecar, it was decorated with the chrome comeback livery. A nod to your support as you attended the British Grand Prix.

Your grin was wide, the Cheshire Cat would be jealous, “as we’re not together for Christmas I thought you could at least have a mini me around.”

“Oh my god. I love you. You’re adorable, this is adorable.”

You had said it so causally. He liked that, he liked that you never asked him to say it back, he wanted to so many times, but he never did. And now he was living with that regret.

He reminisced on every moment he had with you, every little thing reminded him of you.

He was back home for Christmas, he was sick of just seeing your cafe on a phone screen. He convinced himself he could just go on a quick run past the cafe, just to check in on you. He knew you’d be there bright and early before opening, if he could just catch a glimpse he’d feel closer to you.

He slows his pace as he nears the shop, glancing over the road he sees you in the cafe, unfortunately occupied by Dan. You were flailing your arms around, pointing at the sparse Christmas tree you’d added for decoration and then back at the man stood before you.

Lando’s brain couldn’t even catch up as his feel had already made the steps towards the front door.

“You’re so careless! How could you?!” You yelled.

“Get over it. Actually no I’m over it, over this. I’m done watching you pine over someone who doesn’t want you. I’m done.”

As Lando goes to open the door it swings towards him Dan storming out as he grunts “shops closed today pal” clearly not recognising him as he stormed past in anger.

Opening the door he finds you crouched on the floor, dustpan in hand. The ornament he gave you when you declared your love now in pieces on the floor before you. You mustn’t have heard him enter as you lower yourself to the floor sitting crossed legged, the mess in-front of you wondering if the pieces could stick back together.

You heard a creek of a floorboard behind you. Turning your head to see the last person you expected.

“I’m so sorry that I broke it.” You say still sat on the floor, glossy eyed.

“It’s not you that broke it, I wouldn’t worry too much. Maybe we can fix it? Glue it back together or something?” You both felt as if you weren’t talking about the decoration anymore.

You stand up, brushing your hands on your sweatpants, “I don’t think it can be. It’ll have cracks and they’ll show and it’ll only break again.”

“Then I will buy you a new one. We can start fresh and you can chose any livery you wanted.”

He wanted to start fresh to prove to you he could give you you deserved. You deserved a whole lot more than him, he hated that he treated you like a dirty secret. You were beautiful, kind, passionate and forgiving. And he took it all for granted.

“Why are you here Lando?” You sigh, finally getting to the point. No more decoration analogies, you wanted to know why he came back.

‘Love is power, swear there's something about her that make me nervous’

He was in his head trying to figure out what to say and how to say it. He was never the best with words and even worse with his actions. He always relied on you knowing how he felt about you with having to break down his walls and show his ‘weaker’ side.

“I’m here for you.”

His eyes looking adoringly into yours, you’d swoon if you weren’t so hurt. You wished he would’ve been there for you when you needed him. You wished you were good enough for him from the start.

“I’m here, because I wanted to tell you that I’ve always loved you y/n.”

His words hurt, like your heart was being stung by rose thorns, pretty but painful.

‘Your love is not too kind to me’

I dont think I deserved to be treated the way I was. And I don’t think you did love me until you lost me. I don’t want you to love me like that, your love hurts.” You’re picking at the skin beside your fingernails eyes welling with tears once more.

“I promise to love you differently, in the way that you deserve.” He breaks his rigid stance, stepping towards you, taking your hand in his.

I just want to be with you. Only you. I know there’s distance but we’ll make it through. I promise to you I will be better for you.

You shake your hands from his, pulling him into a hug, digging your face into his shoulder, his scent surrounding you, comforting you. You pull your head back slightly to look into his eyes, testing his sincerity.

Your lips touch as if it was the first time. It’s the first time he kisses you with love, not lust. The first time kissing you as if he needs it not wants it.

Although your past was broken scattered across the floor, there are new memory’s to be hung on next years Christmas tree.

‘And I will be yours through rain or through shine’

—

Taglist:

@norrizzandpia @letterlitter

#lando norris #f1 #ln4 #lando norris x reader #formula 1 #lando norris fwb

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codingquill · 8 months

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Network switches

What’s a network switch ?

A switch is a device used in computer networks to connect multiple devices together within a single local area network (LAN). Its main role is to facilitate communication between different connected devices, such as computers, printers, servers, IP phones, etc.

It is a mini-computer which is made up of RAM, ROM, flash RAM, NVRAM, a microprocessor, connectivity ports and even an operating system.

RAM

RAM (Random Access Memory) contains the current configuration of the switch and temporarily stores the MAC address table, which is then processed by the microprocessor.

Microprocessor

The microprocessor is the heart of the switch, responsible for data processing, including switching and creating links between multiple devices.

External memories

External memories, such as flash RAM, ROM, and NVRAM (Non-Volatile RAM), store configuration files , different versions of the IOS , etc ...

Ports

The switch ports are the communication interfaces of the switch. There are several of them, generally 24 for a Cisco switch. Each port is associated with an LED which indicates its status and activity.

How does it work ?

Now how does a switch work to transfer information from one machine to another?

Suppose we have 4 machines: A, B, C and D connected to our switch in ports 1, 2, 3 and 4 as follows:

The switch only works with MAC addresses , so basically we have an empty MAC address table stored in RAM as soon as the switch starts up which looks like this :

Transmitting data from machine A to machine B happens in the following steps:

Machine A sends a frame to machine B

Once this frame arrives at port 1 (which is the one linked to A), the switch reads the source MAC address and stores it in the MAC address table

The switch reads the destination MAC address and looks for it in the table, if it is not in the table, it broadcasts to all the active machines connected to the switch except the source one.

If the port linked to the machine we want is active, it sends a response frame from which the switch reads the MAC address we were looking for (@B)

Once done, it records the MAC address of B in the table.

This process repeats until the switch reaches what is called "MAC address table stability", that is to say it knows all the MAC addresses of the connected machines and has no more need to broadcast.

Starting and configuring a switch

When it comes to booting a switch, the process is similar to that of a traditional computer system:

POST (Power-On Self Test): The switch performs proper functioning tests on all hardware.

Loading IOS (Internetwork Operating System): The switch operating system is loaded.

Loading the configuration. At this stage we have two cases:

Either the switch already has a startup configuration defined and stored in NVRAM

Either the switch is blank and it is up to us to define the startup configuration when it goes to setup mode

Switch configuration

The configuration of a switch is done through different modes, such as user mode, privileged mode and global configuration mode, which allows access to specific configuration modes, such as interface mode, routing mode, line mode, etc.

And to do all this of course you must first connect the switch with the machine via the console cable and open a terminal emulator

💡 It should be noted that the only machine that can configure the switch is the one connected to it by a console cable, the others are only hosts.

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lucerocosplay · 1 year

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I've used a lot of makeup over my last 9 years of cosplaying, but this is whats in current rotation. My criteria for products is affordability, what performs well irl and in photos, and products that for the most part have a lower rating on the ewg scale (with few exceptions). I also don't really buy makeup outside of sale events like Black Friday, after Christmas, or during some promotion just so ya'll have context about the price ranges listed per item.

That said, this is more to share products and tools I use to create a base for other looks! So things that are more personal like eyeshadow, lipstick, blush etc were left out as that's really more of preference for each person.

I've included product links under the cut, if anyone has a cosmetic gem they've found over the years I'd love to hear recs!

Elf Porless Putty Primer

Elf Sponge Cleaner

Etude House Double Lasting Foundation

Milani Conceal + Perfect Foundation

Elf Camo Concealer

LA Girl Pro Concealer

Canmake Marshmallow Finishing Powder

Skinfood Peach Cotton Multi Finish Powder (loose)

Skinfood Peach Cotton Multi Finish Powder (pressed)

Rodin Contour & Bronzer | newest shade

Clio Prism Air Highlighter

Aliexpress Eyebrow stencils

House of Lashes Eyelash Glue | mini duo set

Duo Eyelash Glue

Ioni Lashes

Acrylic Makeup Palette

MAC Fix+

Essence Cosmetics Lip Liner

#cosplay makeup #makeup kit

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quitealotofsodapop · 5 months

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Someone will decide go make the mistake of getting Luzhen a toy drum set after seeing how much he likes music. Macaque swears when he finds out who it was they'll regret it

Oh yes, It applies to multiple aus Luzhen XD

Luzhen inherited his love of music from his & Wukong's mother Shíhuā. It becomes very obvious around toddlerhood when he's still getting a hang of this whole "speaking" thing.

Why talk if banging sticks on coconuts more fun?

Mac and Wukong think its adorable. At first. Then Luzhen starts making music with whatever and whenever he can. Spoons, sticks, panes of glass, tin cans, etc. Soon the Shadowpeach parents are hearing Luzhen drum on the side of the nursery nest when him and Yuebei are supposed to be sleeping.

Its ultimately Pigsy who figures out (via babysitting) that the little guy just has a rockstar's energy. And gets Luzhen his first ever set of toy instruments. He gets Luzhen a gaudy-looking toy drum kit for his next birthday.

Luzhen treats his toy instruments like they are his greatest treasures. And he jams out on them when he's in a particularly musical mood (which is always).

Wukong thinks its an amazing outlet for his mini-me! Rock on little man!

Macaque vowes vengance for his 6 eardrums. Will wear earmuffs to survive one of Luzhen's "concerts" - he still wants to be supportive of the cub's creativity after all.

MK 100% encourages Luzhen's musical journey. Luzhen likes to drag the older cubs over so that he can perform for them - its the cutest (+loudest) thing ever. Mei has a bunch of recordings of these little concerts where she and MK are cheering like they're at a big irl performance.

#stone matriarch au #the monkey king and the infant au #the monkey king and the infant #post jttw stone egged au #slow boiled stone egg au #lmk sun luzhen #sun wukong #six eared macaque #liu er mihou #shadowpeach #shadowpeach as parents #lmk pigsy #lmk mk #qi xiaotian #lmk #lego monkie kid #lmk aus

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paladin-of-nerd-fandom65 · 5 months

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Cool questions!

1: What's Chris/Thara & Jake/meredith wedding songs?

2: Dark question (feel free to skip) have the starburst duo ever been kidnapped? Like from school or maybe from their place?

3: Has somebody ever try to get revenge on the duo?Maybe a family member of a goon they stop tries to get revenge?

4: Let's say the duo filled their months with any drink of their choosing & the goal is to make the other spit it out, what would they do to each other & who spits it out first?

5: What's the super twins like with starknights/titans of tomorrow? Or maybe just Jake & mar'i?

Hmmmm....Lemme see what I can come up with @pin-crusher2000 ;-)

1) Chris/Thara: "Can I Have This Dance?" by Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudges; they’d have a waltz on the dance floor to that song

Jake/Meredith: "Hold Me” by Fleetwood Mac; The newlyweds can through on a performance with Meredith and Jake on guitar and drums respectively playing along to it

2) I would say it was primarily Jake who got abducted from his school during recess and then held up for ransom money by some mafia goons. In particular, since Jake is connected to billionaire Bruce Wayne via being the son of the adopted Richard Grayson-Wayne, the hostage takers demanded a payment up to $2 billion if Bruce and Dick are to see Jake unharmed. Thankfully for the Bats and Jake’s loved ones, these crooks weren’t particularly too technologically savvy so it’s was real easy for Cyborg to take down their locations via their internet signals and within the two hour mark after they post up their demands, Robin!Tim, Chris and Mar’i all came to Jake’s rescue, utterly curb-stomping the crooks. Still Jake was deeply embarrassed by this situation and vows to be extra careful next he ventures out of the school boundaries during recess.

3) Hmmm….I can probably see some of the street gang punk friends of Kryptonian Phantom Zone Prisoner and enemy of the House of Zod , Vla-Bol, all assemble around their ringleader after he tells them of his recent defeat at the hands of Chris. This Gang of Four can then sneak into General Zod’s base of Fort Rozz, hijack some of those Zone crossing pods many of the Fort’s residents including Chris long ago use to travel to Earth, and invade the planet themselves, going a mini rampage in Hamilton County to get Chris’ attention and start up a massive brawl, Chris trying desperately to lead said brawl away from the town and into areas worldwide where no one else can get hurt. It was a tough battle with him on the ropes many times but Jake’s, Penny Troy’s and the rest of the StarKnights’ timely arrival helped turned the tide long enough for Chris to borrow his Dad Clark’s Phantom Projector and send these Kryptonian street punks back to the Zone where they came.

4) I can see Chris mainly going for Jake’s ticklish spots while Jake would try making Chris laugh as hard as he can with some intentional slapstick and doing a small stand up routine filled with puns and other jokes his Uncle Gar taught him. It’s not even a real contest; Chris gets Jake to squirt out his grape soda not just out of mouth but also his nose.

5) Hmm….Okay so at least in this version or at least for a possible version that satisfies both Kid!Jon fans and fans of those two; I’d have them being raised by Mon El, Clark’s Daxamite de facto brother, after having to rescue them from the tyrannical clutches of Mongul during a mission at WarWorld.

As for their bond with the StarKnights and the Tomorrow Titans, I can see Osul being close with Chris, almost brotherly bond between them while also having something of a kinship with Robbie Long, something one can see being mirroring the bond Clark and Diana have. As for Otho, She’s no doubt part of a lot of friend group formed by Mar’i, Lian and Irey, an honorary member of that little Tenacious Trio and their shenanigans.

One thing is perfectly clear though; Besides Mon El, Osul and Otha are both very close to Chris and Jon as per usual.

#chris kent #jake grayson #starburst duo #team StarKnights #titans of tomorrow #thara ak var #Meredith Robinson #otho ra #osul ra #mari grayson #tim drake #mon el #sfw #jonathan samuel kent

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pink-vacancy · 1 month

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who's in the vacancy supergroup line up the people must know

Ok so this ask has put me into a group building spiral. I have chosen my roster and drafted a logo and I'm building the debut concept

PVE (Pink Vacancy Entertainment) presents:

I want to add a music note icon and sword icon with similar styling to the text so the icons combined can also be like a little mini logo.

The visual concept is y2k armored gals with colored transparent 2000's technology weapons and armor. Like the transparent mac book type look except cool armor outfits. Pretty ladies with sword.

I'd also want to do a winter sports videogame concept like 1080 avalanche or SSX Tricky as the concept B for the album.

Soundwise, I'd want to replicate the fast pace beats of those video game soundtracks with some Jungle Beat/Hip-Hop and Pink Pantheress type songs. I'd also want some early '00s sounds like Britney and NSYNC lol.

Here is our 10 gal roster. I stole six of JYP's girls (basically my 2 bias lines lol) and I broke it down into 3 medieval military themed sub units:

The Command Unit

2. The Artillery Unit

3. The Melee Unit

Park Jihyo - The hardest part about making the group was choosing a leader and I realized I'd be so nervous if anybody but Jihyo was the leader. Also I want to hear her on a Britney Spears type track!

Myoui Mina - Wow! A huge surprise right? But honestly Mina brings everything to a group. Vocals, dancing, elegance, humor, Minecraft. So choosing her is a real no brainer even besides the fact that she is the love of my life. She's the face of the group for sure! I didn't make her leader cause she needs her gaming laptop time.

Minatozaki Sana - Sana is another obvious choice to me, bias aside. She has such mass appeal and talent for entertainment that she would create so much success for the group just by existing. And girl groups gotta have someone who will just full on smooch the other members.

Hwang Yeji - The second in command. I imagine her as being in charge of the younger half of the group. JYP holds this gal back possibly most of all. Here at PVE, we are giving her all those louis vuitton deals and what not, cause that will translate to bigger success for her and the group (JYP is certified big dumb). Plus she is an S tier performer, leader and visual.

Shin Yuna - Yuna is obviously another of my all-time favorite gals but hear me out. After seeing her live I know now she is an all around ace. She can sing, dance, and you can tell when she is on stage she is loving life! Also her rap from 'Twenty' is one of the few K-Pop raps that i actually enjoy and doesn't make me wanna kms lol.

Lee Chaeryeong - Chaeryeong is honestly such a talented singer and dancer. She’s super sweet and charismatic interacting with the crowd! And she is so funny just by being herself in the ITZY reality content. One of my all time fave idols and a must have for the group.

Miyawaki Sakura - Sakura would be the leader of the third unit. She's an incredible multi talented idol and her vibes are immaculate. She's super funny and beautiful and sweet. Plus she and Mina could be gamer friends together. I feel like she would really kill they2k aesthetic with like some cat ear headphones like she likes.

Jeong JinSoul - Jinsoul's voice has always been really soothing to me. Like it always sits very nicely within the melody of the song. I want that kind of sound for choruses on softer and popier songs. And she is a visual queen so she is a lock for the group.

Cho Miyeon - I wanted a group with two ultra feminine gals in it. Plus her and Sana are already friends so it works out very nicely. She has an amazing voice and is one of the prettiest idols out there!

Lee Saerom - I am honestly just starting to get into Fromis 9. But I have watched enough performances to understand the Saerom has incredible stage presence and has an awesome physique! Her muscles and her charisma will add to the groups flavor for sure ^^.

Maybe i'll do some concept art later to illustrate some ideas. If you read this far you are allowed to be a hater on the group. It will help me prepare for the debut.

#asks #beloved moots #tuxedo <3 #I obviously had a ton of fun with this ask so thank u tuxedo ^^#rhythmic knights #vacant of meaning

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kaydenverse · 2 years

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kinds of music call of duty character listen to but it's based off of my music taste

genre: fluff!

word count: just under 900

content warnings: none i think? just my very wild music taste projected onto my boys

a/n: i got bored and way too invested in making this to not post it so enjoy! i used my music taste as well as a little bit of my boyfriends for a little more range. also so sorry i keep just disappearing college is kicking my fucking ass.

kyle “gaz” garrick

he always has a pair of headphones on him when he can, has a mini speaker he frequently uses in his office on base, definitely listens to music the most out of the group, can't sing but he’ll sing anyways, often jams out with soap and share new songs with each other, listens to a bit of everything but tends to listen to rap, r&b, and indie (also a little bit of bedroom pop he’s got a lot of favorites okay) the most, he can do several tiktok dances pretty well but he gets embarrassed doing them in front of others, he’s very me coded

favorite artists (in no particular order):

flo millie

bruno mars

sza

the weekend

lil uzi vert

the notorious b.i.g.

some songs on his playlists:

pay day - flo milli ft rico nasty

hypnotize - the notorious b.i.g.

low - sza (he thinks this song is so underrated and so do i)

after last night - silk sonic

redbone - childish gambino

everlong - foo fighters

john "soap" mctavish

a close second on who listens to music the most, listens most when he works out and likes to have background noise while he does just about anything, loves movie soundtracks, god awful singer and proud, him and gaz singing together is torture in the funniest way possible, very wide music range but nu metal and rock are his top categories, soap loves when the whole team sits decides to sit in a conference room and wordlessly work on their paperwork together while music fills the silence between them

favorite artists (in no particular order):

beyoncé

deftones

slipknot

coraline soundtrack

the smashing pumpkins

poppy (hear him and me out okay)

some songs on his playlists:

bloodmoney - poppy

me, myself, and i - beyoncé

bullet with butterfly wings - the smashing pumpkins

cha cha - freddie dredd

other father song - they might be giants (yes the coraline song. it’s good okay.)

clay - the garden

simon "ghost" riley

does like music quite a bit but doesn’t listen as often as gaz or soap, sometimes silence is overwhelming for him so he uses it as background noise to stay relaxed, won’t sing (he can just barely sing well like not a bad singer but he’s not getting a record deal even if he tried), has no particular favorite genre but has a decent range, he describes his music taste kinda weird but in a good way (just like me fr)

favorite artists (in no particular order):

insane clown posse

michael jackson

pierce the veil (they’re a guilty pleasure of his)

amy winehouse (i once made a cod characters as tweets on tiktok and ghosts tweet was “amy winehouse was right, what kind of fuckery is this” and now i just hc he listens to amy)

nirvana

type o’negative

some songs on his playlist:

hold on till may - pierce the veil

chicago - michael jackson

you know i’m no good - amy winehouse

southern nights - glen campbell (so good for what)

21 guns - green day

sugar we’re going down - fall out boy

captain john price

doesn’t often go out of his way to listen to music but still listens enough that he has favorites and keeps playlists, HAS to have his own music playing in the car if he’s driving though (which he usually is and this is a well known rule), quite the singer if he actually tries tbh but he doesn’t often try lmao, primarily like’s songs from ‘his time’ as he calls it (john you are 37 not 60), he doesn’t really have a favorite genre but will say rock if asked (doesn’t like pop much tho)

favorite artists (in no particular order):

queen

fleetwood mac

metallica

black sabbath

aerosmith (play dream on when he’s drunk and he’ll give you a full performance)

prince

some songs on his playlists:

chain - fleetwood mac

war pigs - black sabbath

let’s go crazy - prince

cherry bomb - the runaways

rooster - alice in chains

even flow - pearl jam

rodolfo "rudy" parra

listens mostly when he does chores or to calm himself when he’s anxious (which is sometimes just before missions), he’s always open to new music suggestions, his singing voice is absolutely beautiful and he’ll sing and hum along as he does chores, guilty pleasure is bedroom pop and indie

favorite artists:

laufey

the marías

whitney houston (he misses her so much cause me too)

tame impala

pink panthers (because i said so)

tv girl

some songs on his playlist:

slow down - laufey

little by little - the marías

the blonde - tv girl

show me how - men i trust

take a picture - filter

heart to heart - mac demarco

alejandro vargas

when he listens to music he listens to it LOUDLY, loves to have music playing at home while he cooks, he’s not sure if he’s going deaf because his profession requires him to constantly be around guns or because of how loud he listens to his music in his headphones, karaoke enjoyer, decent singer if he tries (price is a little better than him, just by a little), he’s an “anything but country” kinda guy

favorite artists:

bad bunny

doja cat (i’m not elaborating)

kali uchis

rihanna (he can’t resist)

arctic monkeys

elton john

songs in his playlist:

i’m still standing - elton john

shut up and drive - rihanna

tití me preguntó - bad bunny

bills, bills, bills - destiny’s child

promiscuous - nelly furtado ft timbaland (yes he knows all of timbalands parts)

poison - bell biv devoe

#i love them so much #my darling boys #call of duty headcanons #call of duty #kyle gaz garrick #john soap mactavish #simon ghost riley #captain john price #rodolfo rudy parra #alejandro vargas #cod #cod fic #cod headcanons #incorrect call of duty quotes #kayden writes #call of duty fluff #cod fluff

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somany-fandoms-solittle-time · 1 year

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“What’s so Special About the Moon?”

Jamil Viper x MC(insert character Mac)

(Ch. 1) – Ch. 2 – Ch. 3 – Ch. 4 – Next – Previous

This was originally supposed to be, like, a single chapter hurt/comfort before my OC (Mac) and Jamil as a song fic where they berate him and then sing a song referencing the moon… but then I had feelings and it’s becoming a more in depth character study between the two. Don’t worry! By the end of this mini series, there will be song lyrics and more sappiness… it’s just now that I’ve finished both Book 4 and Book 5, I need to reorganize the events and specific and whatnot. Some quick housekeeping as always: I tried to make Jamil to encompass both his dark & mysterious villain persona ALONG WITH him practically being a fucking child so that’s why I wrote him like *this* so yeah… I’m moving around the timeline so that Yuu/MC (aka Mac) has the weekend to GET THEIR SHIT TOGETHER LOL, Mac is about 19-20 (haven’t decided yet) and uses mixed pronouns as a heads up, Ch. 2 has a 1st draft written put still needs to be typed up and edited. If you see a typo NO YOU DIDN’T!!! This one of my first times trying a different writing doc that isn’t Google (cuz fuck Google) and it’s a little weird to get used to and edit stuff. It’s beta-d in the sense that licking the spatula while your mom bakes cookies and claiming that you helped… literally only a few paragraphs were checked over y’all.

Quick shout-out to @krenenbaker and @twst-beam for inspiring my writing thus far (and sorry for taking so long to post this lol!)

I’ll be releasing some type of overview of my OC eventually, but take these snippets as they go while I fall back in love with writing. You’ll meet Mac in full when xey are good and ready… anyway, please enjoy Chapter 1 of my new fanfiction, “What’s So Special About the Moon?”

“Here. You can use this one,” Jamil directed towards the plain (compared to the rest of the dorm) laundry… mat? There were several industrial sized washer and dryers, a couple moderate-sized one’s that would fit a regular apartment complex, and a long wall designated area for hand washed items. Jamil was keeping the door prompt open with his hips; his slight frown of concentration and the flick of his Magic Pen were the only signs of the current spell he had going. Turning around, MC was slightly surprised by the massive piles of fabric that was being corralled in via multiple a massive sheet tied to multiple brooms. They still couldn’t fully grasp the concept (and power) of magic and seeing it so casually performed on a day-to-day basis was kinda daunting.

“Thanks again for letting us use the space along with showing me how to properly clean all these fancy duds and whatnot.” the Ramshackle Perfect awkwardly trailed off. Their focus was split between stealing peaks at the Scarabia Vice Warden, not wanting to bother the already busy Sophomore, and surveying over the dusty, damaged antique pieces the two stripped from the halls of the previously abandoned dorm. Rugs, carpets, curtains, furniture covers (in varying state of disrepair) dulled of their once rich and vibrant color. The patterns were a mix of stuffy academia and the quiet comfort of a grandparents cottage living room. Both extravagant, yet understated. It’s a style lost to time, but not quite a revived ancient aesthetic.

At this point MC was fully lost in thought; they desperately needed to clean, fix, organize and decorate the dorm in preparation to host so many guests. Even with his limited memories, they had a feeling they’d never hear the end of it from his parents.

“Don’t worry about it much.” Jamil said, interrupting their musings. “Honestly, I’m doing this as much for myself as I am helping you.

With a flick of his wrist, Jamil organized the seemingly random crumbled piles of fabric by condition, color and use. His movements while cleaning were quick, smart, and efficient-- all while patiently showing Mac which order to start in along with the best way to clean them.

“Ya’ know…” MC broke the relative quietness between the two workers, “Even with everything thing that happened over break, I understand why Kalim still trusts you; I almost can believe that you’re not that bad of a guy.” Jamil gave xem a startled (and exasperated) look, but they continued before he could respond: “I fail to see how helping the person who ruined your ‘world domination’ plans—”

“They were hardly World Domination level!” He quickly snapped. His embarrassment led to him tugging his hood further down his face, teeth slightly clenched, and dilated eyes as MC continued listing all the ways he’s “helped” them out.

The magic-less Perfect laughed to themselves the more conflicting emotions flew across Jamil’s face. Eventually those same emotions were compressed behind a cold, smooth mask. Limestone slabs and stiff mud brick walls were swiftly constructed between the two working-class students. Something about it didn’t sit right with Mac.

“Hey I’m not saying what you pulled wasn’t a dick move! But you’re also not the first overly-traumatized teen boy I’ve had to deal with… and between what you’ve said about yourself, plus thing’s I’ve heard and seen, I’m starting to think you’re not nearly as complicated as you think you are.” The longer they argued *to* him, the more Jamil’s mask began to crack; there were a few holes in his walls he didn’t account for. Xe’s a tad more observant than I remember, but weirdly just as persistent, Jamil internally rolled his eyes.

“I could still change my mind and send you back to deal with the Pomefiore Wrath(tm),” He mumbled while gracefully lugging the newly cleaned (and damp) furniture coverings into an empty drier. Despite his harsh threat, MC still remembered him assuring the other this laundry room was only ever used by him after Kalim’s parties.

The large machines and larger working space was specifically added for the servant to clean and repair any decor or Asim Family Treasures when Kalim’s recklessness caused a larger mess than usual. This meant that Mac and Grim (who was originally supposed to be helping… where the hell was he anyway?) could do as many loads needed without worry. On top of the borrowed space, the Housewarden himself had cheerily has assured them, his Oasis Maker would replace all the water used ten times over!

Mac’s thoughts were interrupted once again as Jamil relented, “I told you, I’m doing this to help me.” After receiving an unconvinced eyebrow raise, Jamil began to explain, “Kalim might’ve announced us as equals but I still have a job to do. If he got sick while spending Allah knows how long in a dusty, dirty, shabby condemned building like Ramshackle I’ll never hear the end of it.”

“It’s not nearly that bad anymore!” the sole-human resident of said dorm argued, but was quickly shut up with a tired gesture towards the untouched loads of laundry left to be done.

“On top of that,” Jamil smirked “Even a common peasant like myself wouldn’t sleep in a rundown garbage heap if I can help it.” His smirk slowly slide off his face from his face as the insulted Perfect almost ripped the handful of soapy doilies, that they were previously scrubbing by hand, as xey prepared a retaliation.

“OK, first of all! This whole Inferior-Superior shtick isn’t going to prove your point. If I’m being totally honest, I’m pretty used to the bratty, arrogant attitude of teenagers by now (even if I wasn’t Leona is a thousand times worse).” They turned their full body to face the 2nd year boy before continuing the assault. “Secondly, even just doing the bare minimum would’ve been fine, considering I’ve slowly been deep cleaning them place room by room. This is just last minute cleaning considering I wasn’t expected to host six extra people in two days.”

The shock of Mac’s care and attention to detail couldn’t win over Jamil’s newfound freedom to be right… and sassy while doing it. “Keep in mind you wouldn’t be the only one having to deal with Vil. His expectations are much higher than my personal standards—”

“Getting there!” MC interrupted again. “It’s not like Vil and whoever else couldn’t magic things better or get things done over at Pomefiore.” However, their fire started to die down with their obvious lack of understanding of magic. Not that Xeir level of intellect ever stopped them from talking out of their ass during debates… even if this wasn’t exactly shaping up to be anything like Debate Club back home.

“Not the point!” Mac built back their steam after thoughtlessly shaking off any internal distractions. “Third of all,” Jamil groaned not-so-quietly, “third of all, you didn’t have to show me how to do it. Nor did you have to continue helping me. There’s only so much I could pay you back in favors and it’s not like you’ll make back the time and energy spent. You’re obviously a bit of a piece of shit but I don’t totally blame…”

Jamil suddenly gave Mac his full attention. He smoothed any emotional tells from his face and readied himself to actively dissect what ever left xeir mouth and any messages in between the lines. The silence prompted Mac to drip extra sincerity as they begin to ramble without thinking.

“… I get why you did what you did. You’re not totally forgiven, but it’s not like I’ll hold a grudge over you forever. Whenever I joke about Winter Break I thought you knew it was just that: a joke.”

The two stared at one another for a few beats. Jamil betrayed nothing that he was thinking, but Mac could practically feel the exasperation flooding off of him in great waves. The disbelief pushing and pulling off of him, despite remaining stone cold to zeir admission. So, of course, they continued with slight for fever:

“Yeah, okay, you held us all prisoner, enslaved via hypnosis your entire dorm, and nearly killed multiple students. Twice.” Mac cringed at their own blunt statement, “… But why would you go as far as you did, if you didn’t care! What your parents, and more specifically your culture, put you through wasn’t fair—but you obviously still love and cherish them!”

At this, he seemed to get even more guarded. It felt patronizing to be hold how he supposedly felt or why he should feel a specific way. They hadn’t been there. They hadn’t grown up as a Viper in the Desert, constantly reminded by Kalim’s Mirage of wealth what he could never have. They didn’t know the FIRST thing about the Scalding Sands—!

“… How do you know anything about my parents? Did Kalim--?!” He choked out infuriated at the mere implication.

“Relax Viper! It’s all in the Secret of The Ooze™”

“What?”

“Never mind…”

The usual absurdity of MC’s references (much to xeir chagrin that no one seemed to understand them) Jamil allowed himself a shadow of a smirk. Right about now they’d drop what they were saying and instead empathize with him over terrible bosses. They’d both fall back into a familiar pattern of quiet understanding while making playful small talk; maybe Xe’d make a remark over how “hellish” the desert temperature is and moan about being “a poor Northern forced into the sun” before dragging them both off to grab an abominably sweet drink that Kalim would still put sugar in. Xe had always been could at mediating with the other students at NCR.

However, they didn’t drop it. They continued to push him… especially when they realized that he expected the conversation to have ended and started to relax. Xey pushed and pushed and pushed. Finally, they had circled back to him rebelling from his status.

“What? You think I’d be Happier staying a lowly servant?! I’d rather cut my own tongue out than remain bending to Kalim’s will for the rest of my days.” He huffed, still not stopping his assault on the pile of laundry in front of him.

A frustrated sigh left Mac as Xey tried to get their point across, “THAT’S NOT WHAT I’M SAYING!… Obviously, you don’t love being forced into child labor or having to pretend to be something you’re not, but that doesn’t mean you’re totally being honest with yourself either. Rebelling adolescents often do a complete 180 of who they once presented as in an extreme action to feel validated.”

Jamil scoffed in indignation at the impromptu therapy session he’d been forced into.

“Just because you were forced to lie sometimes as ‘Servant Jamil’ doesn’t mean those memories or feelings weren’t authentic!”

“My Childhood, my Pride, my ENTIRE LIFE was stolen from me before I could even open my eyes, Mac! Who could cherish that sort of future?”

“I’m not disputing that! I’m not trying, in any way, to imply that what you went through didn’t fucking suck. But just because you’ve started saying the quiet part out loud doesn’t mean you’re being totally honest either. Switching one mask for another just means nothing has changed but your ability to bitch about-it to the kid you literally Grew Up With, Jamil.” A tired resignation was growing in their eyes as they headed to the end of xeir rant.

It was clear MC was starting to speak in circles and xey weren’t going to be able to get through to them. A heavy weight sunk deep in their chest, slowly sliding to xeir stomach the more he misunderstood the magic-less student. I saw him drown in the depths of his own helplessness and self-pity, but even after he’s been pulled out it’s like he can’t help but dive back in for a swim. It was a suffocating thought while Mac watched as Jamil once again went stone-faced… Like what he was about to say would be his final shield before walking away. It’s a shame that the Ramshackle Resident had become too used to throwing bombs over walls and blowing verbal shields to smithereens after months of being stuck in Twisted Wonderland.

“I’m not sugarcoating or bowing down to anyone anymore. I won’t bite my tongue. I won’t put on a Happy Face to Kalim’s idiotic, half-thought out ideas again. I’m slowly gaining my freedom, something you clearly don’t understand. Just because you’re as blind as he is doesn’t mean anything! What more could you want from me?!” He hissed his final insult before finally stepping away from his station. Not leaving the room, he aggressively got himself a cup of water from one of the sink and gulped the unfiltered water down.

“Just because you’re not hiding your bitter, knee-jerk reaction from an unfair world doesn’t mean you aren’t still hiding away and lying about your more vulnerable emotions.” Mac whispered in an emotionless tone. “Cutting a part of your past off and pretending it was never there is doing yourself a disservice and lying to those that still care about you… And there sure-as-shit isn’t much that I hate more than a Fucking Liar.”

. . . . . .

The lacy doilies sat in a sudsy basin, left forgotten as the two students stood a mere paces from each other—both maintaining an uncomfortably intense eye contact. The sloshing thump of the washers and stirring hum of driers harmonizing were the only song to accompany the two’s stare down. A short hiccup as Mac took a drawn out breath was the only reaction between the two of them. The combined heat of Scarabia’s sun (barely past 10am) and the humidity of continued use of machinery didn’t help the suffocating air in the wide laundry room. Not to mention the loud, stifling silence to boot.

MC usually held back such honest commentary (not that they weren’t blunt) unless Xe deemed it necessary: think high stakes and a sense of urgent drama. But something about Jamil and Kalim’s situation reminded them of himself. The two’s intertwined dance of class, history, loyalty and betrayal, friendship and loss, and such overwhelming guilt reminded the dimension hoping stranger of home. Whatever that meant.

But this was no time to get lost in their own problems and Trauma’s. They’d went too far (again) and that means xey should be the bigger person (again) and deescalate the situation before he hated them (AGAIN). Which means, MC would be the one to break the silence and run away again.

“Ya’ know what? Grim’s probably burned the school down already. Don’t worry about,” Ze gestured blindly to the numerous stations they’d started, “this mess. I’ll rope my little Rat Gremlin and the Freshies into finishing this up. Hell, I could probably convince Rugs to pitch in for lunch or something. Bully the Music Club with helping in exchange of random sheet music I still remember from home.”

Their rambles became more spastic as they noticed Mr. Sugar, Spice and Not-So-Nice break out of his own trance and try to reply. “Seriously! Just enjoy the break… Not that it’s my place or responsibility to be butting in anyway. I will be back in, like, 10 minutes and from here-on-out minding my own damn business. Sorry. Whatever. See you sometime after Sunday, I guess?” Their entire monoluge Mac was slowly backing out of the room before turning around in xeir spot and just short of sprinting their way out of the dorm. A few passerby Scarabia students stopped to eavesdrop on xeir muttering… watch them leave.

Without getting a word in Jamil stood unmoving, watching the Ramshackle Perfect leave swifter than the desert wind shifting the dunes. Almost on auto-pilot, he simply left to go back to his room and do as he was told; enjoy his break. His day off. The day he could do what he liked and didn’t necessarily have to prioritize work. A day he spent working to help and assist the pitiful, magic-less loser that was dropped-kicked into another reality and forced to play nice with a University filled with overpowered and hormonal teenagers while having no way home… And in return was insulted, psychoanalyzed, and thrown aside before he could get a word in edgewise.

“Son of a STREET RAT!!!!!” It was clear he’d need a few hours to calm down before he could even think of trying to enjoy the rest of his Saturday off.

20 notes · View notes

friendly-books · 10 months

Text

Dresden files White Night live blog

Content warning: Transphobia

“That’s big or you, Mini Mouse” pg. 16 Ha

Interesting bit about Wiccan and the Bible

Cool that Murphy was able to tackle Molly while she was invisible

Molly, why are you here? This is a crime scene and you’re a civilian

“(In case it slipped by, Molly has authority issues)” pg. 31 Ha

So the victims were all women practitioners

I’m guessing by the way the women died our killer is a White Court Vampire or it could be more than one killer

“Finding things. Following things. Blowing things up, mostly” pg. 47 So Harry’s good at thaumaturgy and fighting magic. At least that’s what he likes he’s good at

Interesting to see the difference in training between Molly and Harry with calling up their wills.

“Despite all of that, the same folks I’d tried to help were afraid of me.

Even Mac” pg. 72 Aw poor Harry :(

“Then a couple of Red Court ghouls showed up and killed two kids.” pg. 79 Ah so that’s why Harry hates Ghouls so much understandable

“Kill them all” pg. 79 Psych much Murphy how’d you know Harry’s going to kill all the Red court?

Helen Beckitt is back?!?

“I mutter off-color limericks in my sleep” pg. 84 Ha

“You don’t always think clearly where women are concerned” pg. 84 Ha

Who wears a turtleneck if it’s warm out? Sus Could be a vampire and hiding her bite mark?

Is Helen Beckitt a minor practitioner?

Not liking how one of the possible suspects could be Thomas

Obviously it’s not Thomas

Harry maybe calm down, you're getting really angry Lasciel influence?

Oh no Murphy’s car

I love that Mister always slams into Harry’s shins

Wonderful acting Harry truly a great performance

“I was going to kill my brother later” pg. 127 Can’t wait for that confrontation

“An NBA-sized gay burger who works with a dog” pg. Ha

“I’d get plenty of sleep when I’m dead” pg. 134 You’d be surprised how little you get

“Okay Lash” It’s starting!

“Do I merit an affectionate nickname now?” pg. 135 Yes

“Could evil, true capital-E Evil, do such a thing? Help create something whole and lovely and precious” pg. 140 Interesting I wonder if even this soon after Naming Lash she began to change. I don’t she would have helped Harry with the music pre Naming

Elaine! I didn’t know you would be in this book

“He’s got a phychosis about charging to the rescue. I always thought it gave him a certain hapless charm” pg. 159 Yep and I agree that Harry has charm

Now people aren’t telling Harry information because he’s a Warden

Oh Elaine got into the PI business cool

The buildings on fire and Harry didn’t cause it shocking

“Okay, here’s the plan. We follow all the other flammable people out of the building before we burn to death” pg. 171 Ha

“Harry you jackass this is how getting yourself into trouble” pg. 177 Ha and at least you admit it

I hope it’s a warden so Harry can fight them

I’m glad Harry is being smart about chasing a bad guy

Mouse lore!

I hope Ancient Mai meets Mouse

“I wondered if I could find someone to make Mouse a Kevlar vest” pg. 192 Ha and I think that would be adorable

Little Chicago is so cool that Harry can use it listen into a conversation

“I doubt that. It would take a subtle worker of the Art to manage that. He isn’t one”

“He’s a thug,” the passenger said. “Plain and simple. His talents makes him good at destruction and little else. He’s a beast to be prodded and directed” pg. 199 Well the passenger clearly underestimates Harry

Cowl? It’s a bad guy convention

How did Cowl see Harry? It’s very cool but very bad for Harry

“Bring it, Darth Bathroom” pg. 212 Ha

I ask again how does Harry not have more brain damage or at least a concussion. He really shouldn’t poke your physic around things unprotected

“It would be more convincing if she weren’t holding the book upside down” pg. 219 Ha

“she didn’t score quite high enough to be considered for Council membership” pg. 229 Interesting so the Council has a test to decide who gets to get in. What constitutes high enough? Why does there need to be a test? Do the Wardens administer it? How does the test work? Did Harry take the test?

“Unless we keep losing people to the vamps, in which case I guess we lower our standards” pg. 229 What do you mean lower our standards? With a war going you should be happy with anyone joining. They don’t have to be powerful to be helpful. There are other areas that aren’t front line fighting that they could help with. This comment also shows how Carlos is the White Council’s golden boy prodigy compared to Harry’s black sheep.

So Elaine is under performing on the test.

“DuMorne was a warlock himself. Black wizard as bad as they come. He planned on training us up to be personal enforcers. Trained, strong wizards, under mental compulsion to be loyal to him. He nailed Elaine with it. I killed him” pg. 234 Interesting If we take what Harry said as true then why would Justin want or need enforcers? Was Justin trying to overthrow the White Council? Or was he planning on making an army? If he was then who or what was he planning on fighting? He clearly kept it a secret from the rest of the White Council as they don’t know about Elaine. Justin kept secrets from the White Council like Bob and Elaine I wonder what other secrets he had.

“the Wardens are a fine bunch of assholes. Presents company excluded” pg. 235 Ha and I agree

“I carefully did not lose my temper and barbecue her stupid face right then and there” pg. 245 Whoa there Harry let’s calm down

“She met my eyes for a moment, and though her lips didn’t move, I heard her voice quite distinctly”

“The communication spell between us was an old one” pg. 246 Oh fascinating so telepathy exists maybe. That brings into more questions. Do other wizards know telepathy? Is this gray magic? Now that Harry remembers it will he use it? Or is it a subtle magic that Harry isn’t good at?

“It was my brother” pg. 247 Oh no

“The Wardens would freak out if you went to them now, anyway” I said, “and reveled that you’d been hiding your talents from them” pg.252 Why do the Wardens care? Is it so they can draft her?

Why don’t you like boats Harry?

“In fact I haven’t had a good time this close to the lake in general” pg. 260 Harry I like you but I need to know those are fighting words What did Lake Michigan do to you? Lake Michigan is clearly the best lake out of the five.

“I’m not sure I could have made a focus for something like that. It took real skill” pg. 260 Yes Harry has skills

“Water Beetle” pg. 262 Ha is that a homage to the blue beetle?

“There’s no way the real Dresden would have come here with a woman like that instead of his dog” pg. 267 Ha

“Thunderstorm. Or I just plug it into any wall socket” pg. 268 Interesting I thought electricity and magic don’t go together. But if this works then magitek could be a thing in the Dresden files which would be so cool

“He’s not a thing” I snarled “His name is Thomas” pg. 269 Couldn’t agree more Elaine that was rude to call Thomas a thing

“Fucking boats” pg. 273 Ha

“In the space of a heartbeat the water between where I stood and the next dock froze over, a sudden sheet of hard white ice” pg. 285 So cool that Harry used a fire spell to freeze part of Lake Michigan

Oh no Madrial has a assault rifle

“Slim, dark-haired, pale, and handsome” pg. 289 Bi Harry 27

“Is there anything I could do to make you not trust me then?” I asked “Cause I don’t want to wear the cloak. No offense” pg. 297 Ha

Oh cool Lash can translate languages

Harry, how are you going to explain that you know these ancient languages when you’re bad at Latin?

“She was naked from the waist down” pg. 316 Why is naked from the waist? Never mind, I don't want to know. Bad implications

Well I agree that the ghouls need to die this definitely has some Lasciel influence with how brutal Harry is being cause this is just torture at this point

“I called up Hellfire again, and with a snarl cast out the simple spell I use to light candles.” pg. 318 Scary how Harry uses a not necessary harmless spell as it is a fire spell but a spell we’ve seen him use to light candles and fireplaces used in such a destructive way

“Sixteen, Carlos,” I said “Sixteen” pg. 319 Too young

“Never again” pg. 324 And Harry means it

“Oh sorry about that” I said, with all the sincerity of a three-year-old claiming he didn’t steal that cookie all over his face” pg. 336 Ha

“I love to see a good testosterone-laden alpha-male struggle as much as the next woman” pg. 336 Ha and it’s fun to see other people’s reactions to Harry and Thomas who aren’t in the know

Oh no three killers

I wish Harry and Thomas could talk to each other

Oh no Anna :(

Nope Mouse is alive just gotta keep telling myself that

What did Mouse do at the vet? Glad Harry could pay for the damages

Harry goes to Kim’s grave :(

“DuMorne’s methods of teaching us to discipline our emotions had not been gentle, but they worked” pg. 349 The more I learn about Justin DuMorne training the more convinced I am that it’s just child abuse

“She doesn’t have a lot of talent that way” pg. 356 Oh she does have some talent

“The Velvet Room? I thought I burned that plac- uh, that is, I thought some as-yet-unidentified perpetrator burned that place to the ground” pg. 365 Ha

Yes we’re getting Marcone!

“Marcone doesn’t like me,” I said “And it’s mutual”

“Marcone doesn’t like anybody,” Murphy replied. “But he respects you” pg. 366 Marcone likes Hendricks. Yes Marcone does respect Harry. He might like him a little bit considering he saved Harry’s life and offered him a job twice. Now the shipper in me is gleefully saying that Marcone likes Harry a lot.

“Murphy rapped her knuckles gently against mine” pg. 367 Yay fist bump

“Stallings and I found an autographed picture of Julie Newmar on eBay.” pg. 368 That’s a good gift

Harry’s a platinum member?

“Don’t ask me” I told her “I’m gay now” pg. 373 Ha

It’s nice that Marcone takes care of his employees

Hendricks!

Harry really notices what Marcone is wearing.

Also while I know it’s for the readers sake that Jim reminds us what characters look like so we don’t forget I find it amusing that Harry constantly describes people and their looks when he should know what they look like “his eyes were the color of worn dollar bills” pg. 379 yes Harry I remember what Marcone’s eye color is. You’ve described it in every book Marcone’s been in.

“I am under no illusion about your fondness for myself and my business. I regard it as a preventive measure. In my judgment, my buildings are considerably less likely to burn to the ground during one of your visits if you are disoriented from being treated like a sultan. I do, after all, recall the fate of the last Velvet Room”

“Murphy snorted without taking her wary eyes from Marcone “He’s got a point, Dresden.”

“That was one time” pg. 381 Ha and what Marcone is doing is working. Harry hasn’t set anything on fire yet. Also Harry you set fire to Marcone’s building that’s kind of hard to forget and I doubt he’d want it to happen again. Think of his insurance

“Marcone’s voice cracked like a whip. “Stop everyone”

We all did” pg. 381 Cool

“Marcone blinked once” pg. 382 Oh Marcone blinked that seems to be his tell I guess or at least he’s not as in control at this moment. It’s always interesting and I like that Harry notices it mostly because he causes them

“I don’t believe it’s polite to gloat” Helen murmured to him.

“If you knew this man, you would realize what a rare moment this is” he replied “I’m savoring it” pg. 384 Ha and I didn’t realize that Helen was now working for Marcone interesting

“He wasn’t wearing a business suit. He had on jeans and a black leather jacket. His hair was longish, a little mussed and he also sported a stubble of a beard that gave him a rakish look that would attract attention from the girls who fantasized about indulging with a bad boy” pg. 393 Bi Harry 28 I think. Just the girls Harry hm

“His eyes were still green-but they were the green of summer hunter’s blind, bright and intelligent and predatory, but touched with more…something. Humor, maybe. More life” pg. 393 Oh interesting I wonder if this event with Persephone is what caused his eyes to change or if age and world warily changed them

It’s fascinating that both Demeter and Marcone this is a defining moment. For Demeter it’s her daughter who she thinks died. For Marcone he watched an innocent girl “die” from a bullet that was meant for him. And that caused him to climb the ranks and clean up the streets.

“Owie” pg. 395 Sobbing

Wait if Pricscalla is Skavis and we’ve established that Skavis is a man…I swear if this book pulls a creepy cross dresser a la Psycho, Dressed to kill, and Silence of the lamb I’m going to lose it

Molly what are you doing here? It’s dangerous

“I. Am. Not. Yoda” pg. 401 Scary

The mini sun was scary it was definitely Lash influenced

“Sure, we’d face somethings as children that a lot kids don’t. Justin had qualified for his Junior de Sage Badge in his teaching methods for dealing with pain” pg. 416 Not sure what Junior de Sage Badge means but if Justin’s involved then it probably isn’t good

“Rather effeminate-looking man” pg. 424 COME ON! >:( this is so stupid and a bit transphobic Jim you didn’t have to have this villain nor this plot point. I hate the whole creepy cross dresser trope as I feel that it’s transphobic. I don’t have the right words to describe or articulate the many reasons why this is bad so I’m going to stick to this sucks

“Once you start thinking, Gee maybe that isn’t me thinking about suicide, it kind of falls apart” pg. 427 Interesting

“The sigil of angelic script, the only unburned flesh on my left hand, itched madly” pg. 440 Interesting

“I interpreted him purely because I knew how much it would annoy him” pg. 442 Ha

“Look, we both know you’re going to do it, and I’m too tired to dance” pg. 442 Ha

“There was a moment of silence that might have been vaguely irritated. Being adolescent at someone like Marcone is good for my morale” pg. 442 Ha

“We both know you need me, Dresden, and I’m too tired to dance.” I could practically see the shark smile on his face.” Ha

“Say please.” I stowed for a sullen minute before I realized that doing so was probably building Marcone’s morale, and I couldn’t have that. “Fine,” I said. “Please.”

“Pretty please,” Marcone prompted me.

Some pyromaniacal madman’s thoughts flooded my forebrain, but I took a deep breath, Tasered my pride, and said, “Pretty please.”

“With a cherry on top.”

“Fuck you,” I said, and hung up on him. I kicked the base of the vending machine and muttered a curse. Marcone was probably laughing his quiet mirthless little laugh. Jerk” pg. 443 Ha I love their banter and the way Harry brings Marcone down to his level of humor and it makes Marcone seem younger. Cause who else teases Marcone no one but Harry as far as I can see. Harry’s the only one stupid enough or brazen enough to do it. I love to see it. Can’t wait for more.

“Lasciel manifested her image to me again. The fallen angel’s manner was subdued, and her voice had something in it I had rarely heard there-uncertainty.” pg. 447 Interesting

“She was wearing the usual white tunic, though her hair seemed a little untidy” pg. 448 More interesting things she’s changing

“My head,” I told her “My rules. We aren’t finished” pg. 451 Ha and Harry’s not wrong

“Because you’re so noble” she purred” pg. 452 Purred?!?

“You. Cannot. Change. Me.”

“Lady, you ain't Lasciel” pg. 453 But he can and will

“How many shadows like you have ever stayed in a host like me longer than a few weeks, huh? Longer than three years?”

“Never” pg. 457 So cool

“Pretty much,” I said. “From a grumpy old Scot on a farm in the Ozarks” pg. 475 Ha and I would love to see Harry’s apprenticeship with Ebenezer

“A virgin” pg. 489 I was right about Carlos. Why would you come to the succubus vampire den and be a virgin? That doesn’t sound safe

“Fairies, tiny pixies, each surrounded by its own sphere of light, trapped and miserable, crouched in the cages” pg. 496 Oh no why would you do that to the Little Folk? What’d they ever do to you?

Justine!

“Groovy, I thought. Thanks, Lash

A started second passed. Then she replied, You are welcome” pg. 504 When was the last time Lashciel got thanked? Lash certainty seems shocked by it. When was the last time she was treated as a person?

“Damn, there aren’t nothing like a good entrance” pg. 509 Ha

“You can barely speak Latin, but you speak ghoul?” pg. 524 How are you going to explain this?

“Welcome ladies and gentlemen,” I hollered, “to Bowling for Vampires” pg. 536 Ha

Marcone to the rescue!

“His cold green eyes wrinkled at the corners” pg. 556 I think Marcone is amused by Harry’s antics

“No. Threats won’t deter you. We both know that. I can’t force you to do anything, and we both know that too.” I jerked my head at the cavern. “People are dying, John. Help me save them. God, please help me”

Marcone’s head rocked back as if I’d slapped him. After a second he asked “Who do you think I am, wizard?”

“Someone who can help them,” I said “Maybe the only one”

He stared at me with empty, opaque eyes.

Then he said, very quietly, “Yes.”

I felt a fierce smile stretch my mouth” pg. 559 bsbshjsvshjshejskanaj Ahh! I love this so much. Ok I need to stop giggling and kicking my legs like I’m 12 again. Ok I’m good now. My shipper heart loves this. Interesting how similar Marcone and Harry are with how threats and being forced to do things won’t work. I like that Harry calls Marcone by his first name. I like how before Harry said please begrudgingly with Marcone doing to annoy Harry but here with people’s lives on the line Harry does it easily and without hesitation. I love Marcone’s reaction he’s clearly shocked and didn’t expect it and he’s reeling. Then he asks Harry who considers him a bad person why he would choose Marcone to be good and Harry’s he thinks Marcone can help. When was the last time Marcone saved innocent lives without repayment or selflessness. Probably before he was part of the mob if ever. I love the description of opaque eyes as Marcone is letting Harry see his emotion and Marcone is clearly thinking about what to do. Harry believes and trusts Marcone to do the right thing or else he wouldn't have askedI. Harry’s banking on that little kernel of good that he saw in Marcone’s soul. I love that Marcone agreed to help but I doubt anyone heard him say yes except for Harry. I love that Harry’s response to that is to smile. I love that Harry can get such big reactions out of Marcone like back in Death Mask with with shroud and now with Harry asking Marcone for help.

You mentioned that when you write already in love Marcone you like White Night. I assume you were talking about this scene.

“Murph” I complained, “can’t you pick on someone your own size” pg. 560 Ha

“Hell’s Bells, I’m good” pg. 577 Ha

“Nice shot” Marcone noted” pg. 579 Oh Marcone complimented Harry

“Bloody Hell” he gasped “Harry. There’s a knife in my leg. When did that happen?”

“In the dual,” I told him. “Don’t you remember?”

“I thought you stepped on me and sprained my ankle,” Ramirez replied. Then he blinked again. “Bloody hell. There’s a knife in my guts.” He peered at them. “And they match” pg. 584 Ha

“Can you walk?”

“Yes. I can walk” I snapped

“I could get someone to carry you” Marcone said, his tone was solicitous and sincere.

“Bite me” pg. 585 Ha and that fact that Marcone was concerned and sincere in his response. I kinda want to know what would happen if Harry said yes. He’s so tall I feel it would a little silly

“No one likes a wiseass Harry” pg. 586 Ha and come on Murphy being a wiseass is Harry’s personality

“If you recall,” he said, “I agreed to extract you alive. I’m not leaving until I have done so” pg. 587 Marcone does keep his word

“My God” Marcone said, his voice hushed “It is the most beautiful nightmare I’ve ever seen” pg. 589 Ha glad to see even Marcone is affected by Lara and Thomas

I wonder what Marcone’s thinking about with Vittorio attack? Probably something to do with Amanda

Lash accelerating Harry’s brain is cool

“Why do you continue to be so stubborn about this my host?” pg. 593 Lash you’ve been in Harry’s head for three years. You should know how stubborn he is

“An Outsider,” Lasciel said. “I have felt such a presence before. This attack is drawn directly from the mind of an Outsider” pg. 597 Interesting

“If frying my brain got Murphy, Ramirez, Thomas, and Justine out of the mess I’d gotten them into, it would be worth it.” pg. 595 Harry just loves his friends so much

“She…doesn’t deserve you” pg. 595 If the shadow of a fallen angel thinks you’re too good for the real one that means something

“Kiss me. I know it seems weir-” pg. 608 Lara didn’t even let Harry finish his sentence

“There’s an outside chance that I have abandonment issues” pg. 615 Ha

“Still…a man like you and it’s been four years…” She shook her head. “I have enormous personal respect for you, wizard. But that’s just sad” pg. 615 Ha

“Lara looked back at me for a moment and then she…turned pink” pg. 615 Is Lara embarrassed?

“I looked slowly around the ruined room. There was a hole in house, almost perfectly round, right through the floors above us and the roof four stories. Bits and pieces were still falling” pg. 618 Ha

“Some Listerine,” I said “I’ve got a funny taste in my mouth” pg. 619 Ha

“We use the money. We expand the Ordo, build a network of contacts. A hotline for midddle-class practitioners. We contact groups like the Ordo in cities all around the country. We put the word out that if people are in some kind of supernatural fix, they can get word of it onto the network. Maybe if something like this starts happening again, we can hear about it early and stomp on the fire before it grows. We teach self-defense classes. We help people coordinate, cooperate, support one another. We act” pg. 635 Yes! I love this idea. This is what the White Council should be doing. I hope it grows and helps people.

“The Black Council,” I said.

“Oooh,” Ramirez muttered. “Yours is better” pg. 639 Ha

“You don’t leave an injured friend all alone.” pg. 640 Aw :)

“Tonight you will be visited by three spirits,” I announced “The ghosts of past, present, and future. They will teach you the true meaning of ‘you are still a scumbag criminal’” pg. 640 Ha

“Marcone was there, sitting behind the desk was Helen Beckitt, or maybe Helen Demeter, I supposed. She wore her professionally suggestive business suit and was sitting across Marcone’s lap. Her hair and suit looked slightly mussed. Marcone had his third shirt button undone.” pg. 641 jfhfjfyrhfjkgjfhdhd I shouldn’t have drank something before this ow my lungs pain. I hope Jim is happy with himself because my lungs hurt thanks to him. I knew that Marcone and Helen were sleeping together but I didn’t realize this is how we learn about it. Wait, Harry seems less shocked than I thought he’d be. Wait did Harry figure it out back in chapter 29? Before me even though I had prior knowledge what? Did I miss something? All Helen did was put her hand on Marcone’s shoulder. This does have more interesting implications.

“I cursed my timing. If I’d come ten minutes later, I’d had opened the door in media res. It would have been infinitely more awkward” pg. 641 Awkward for who Harry cause Marcone and Helen don’t seem like the type to get embarrassed. Also why would you want to walk in on them?

“You should see how much my insurance premiums go up after your visits, Dresden” pg. 641 Ha

“Maybe Helen deserved to know about her daughter. Hell she probably did. But whatever else Marcone was, he was no fool. If he thought the news of her daughter’s fate might shatter Helen, he was probably right. Sure, she should know. But did I have a right to make that decision” pg. 646 Interesting I’ve never wanted more than to crawl into Marcone’s head than I do now. What are you thinking Marcone?

“I looked at the third line.

Then I signed it, and left without another word. pg. 648 Oh interesting that Harry was Marcone’s third signing. Harry really did help Marcone with becoming the first freeloading accord member as I doubt Marcone could have gotten Lara’s if Marcone hadn’t come to the rescue

“Free will is horrible, Harry, believe me. I’m glad I don’t have it.” pg. 651 Are you sure you don’t have a little free will Bob? Cause back in Death Mask you didn’t do what Cowl wanted and instead helped Harry. That could be because Harry Named Bob

“Hey, Harry are you crying” pg. 652 Sobbing

“I started playing

Beautifully” pg. 652 More sobbing I knew this was coming but I’m still sad.

Thomas is a hair stylist yay!

Final thoughts

General thoughts about the book

I thought the fights were good and I found the book funny. We’re up to Bi Harry 28 moments. I’m counting Harry’s description of young Marcone and nobody can stop me. I always enjoy Marcone and Harry banter. I love that part where Marcone offers to get someone to carry Harry. Marcone was in the book so that’s always a good thing. I’m sad for Harry that people are scared of him now. That’s going to continue to happen now that he’s the Winter Knight. The ghouls got what they deserved. I loved the Mouse lore we got. If my math is right it’s been four years since Death Mask so Maggie is roughly three at this point. I can’t wait to see what Harry and Elaine do with this organization. Will the Alphas be a part of it? As always I have thoughts about this book.

White Council

Now about this test. What I’ve gotten from the world building is that there are small, mid, and high practitioners of the Art. The White Council only lets the high/mid practitioners in if they pass a test. I have so many questions about the lore. Elaine seems to know how to show talent but not enough to meet the membership requirements. Now onto Justin he just keeps getting more secrets. Why would Harry think that Justin was training Harry and Elaine if there’s not at least a little truth. Maybe that’s another reason the White Council doesn’t like Harry is that they’re afraid of him. It could explain why the wardens would be upset about Elaine. If so it seems really stupid on the White Council’s part as if they keep alienating Harry he’s not going to want to be a part of the Council. While the Council kicks Harry out instead of Harry leaving it will probably have the same effect as now Harry has no ties nor allegiance with them and I doubt he will be all that nice to them in the future. If the White Council keeps treating Harry as a black sheep or a monster, that's the fastest way Harry will become one. Self fulfilling prophecy and all that.

Priscilla reveal

I didn’t like it. I feel like the same plot point could have happened if Priscilla was a cis woman. I hope it was unintentional but what I got from this whole chapter is the creepy crossdresser serial killer like the villain in all the movies I mentioned. Which isn’t great for transgender men. As these tropes and media could lead the general public to think that transgender men are violent and dangerous. As statistically transgender men have been the victim of violence rather than the perpetrators. It perpetuates this myth that transgender men should be feared.

Lash

I knew she was going to die but her death still got to me. Redemption and self actualization are beautiful things. I wish we got to see more Lasciel and Lash moments in the books. To see what she was before and then to see what she could become. It would have been interesting to see how their dynamic would develop and how her character would evolve. As I feel like Lash became a separate entity entirely when she redeemed herself. As she was a shadow of a fallen angel with free will and choice that has got to do something. Her and Harry could have been a foil to the denarians in that Harry and Lash have an equal partnership. I love that she left him their music and I know this moment is when Bonnie is conceived. As I mentioned before, when was the last time anyone thanked Lash or now when was the last time anybody grieved for her? Surely after her fall God grieved for her and the choices she made. I doubt the denarians will. Harry must be so lonely now. He’s had Lash in his head for three years now. While they weren’t friends and they didn’t talk to each other much in three years is a long time. His head must be so quiet and lonely. He’s presumably the only one who will grieve for Lash. Well now I’ve made myself cry.

Marcone and Helen

Hooboy do I have questions. So Helen now works for Marcone. Presumably after she got out of prison. She probably wants to get close to Marcone so she can kill him. Surely Helen was the one who asked for a job and the one who brought up sleeping with Marcone. Why would Marcone agree to this? He doesn’t seem like the type to sleep with an employee. Why would he sleep with the mother of the child that’s currently in a coma that she blames Marcone for? This puts Helen in a unique position as I assume Marcone put two and two together about the Three Eye drug, Tommy Tomm, and Victor Sells. And he must know that Helen had a part to play in Tommy’s death. And Marcone hasn’t done anything to her. Given the fact that Marcone’s usual response to his men dying is fatal retribution it’s interesting that he hasn’t done anything to Helen. As for telling Helen that her child is alive. Yes, someone should tell her. That’s her daughter. Marcone doesn't know what Helen will do if she finds out. She deserves to know. And Marcone shouldn’t have kept Amanda a secret from Helen. That was not Marcone’s choice. Maybe it’ll stop her from trying to kill Marcone. Hopefully Harry will tell Helen now that Harry’s got Maggie and is a parent.

Onto the next book!

#dresden files #harry dresden is bi #wizardbaron #white night #tw transfobia

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fixfoxnox · 1 year

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anyways, what convenient timing!(i was gonna send this last night but passed out lol)

so i saw this tiktok, right? and i immediately thought “oh luke Needs to see this”

[id: barry sloane/price playing an acoustic bass guitar to fleetwood mac’s “The Chain”]

obviously i instantly got a million ideas.

What if Price taught Roach guitar?

What if Price brought his bass To base after hearing Roach rock out and they have a jam sesh together?

What if Roach teaches Price guitar and he surprises his husband(Nik) with his new skill?

What if the 141 was a task force-turned-band?(i already hc soap’s played violin all his life but he’d also be great on drums, ghost’s rumbling baritone would be backup vocals and i could see him on electric bass, gaz would be leading electric guitar + backup vocals and roach could be rhythm electric(maining acoustic and being lead vocals), price could easily be second vocals and whatever other guitar spot needs to be filled for a song)

What if Roach didn’t have that no-so-private concert for himself and reveals he can play too when Price shows off his own skills?

What if the team + Jackson go to Johnathan’s bar and Roach’s brothers convince him to play a song with them on the lil stage for like local bands and karaoke, “just like ol’ times,” and Roach only agrees after forcing Jackson to join them and it’s “like a family thing” and Jackson Totally Doesn’t choke up a smidge at being “part of the family” even tho he was long welcomed as an honorary Sanderson and him n Roach get to just be impressive to their boyfriends?(doesn’t have price playing but the creative juices be flowing man)

etc etc etc

Ik you probably wanted one of the ideas with Price, but You know I love Johnathan and his bar and the idea of Roach being a mini-celebrity in his town so-

"You want me to what?"

"Come home for just the weekend," Johnathan begged over the phone, "Perform at the bar! We're finally reopening and I need something to draw people in."

"The alcohol for your usual crowd won't?" He crossed his arms over his chest, trying to avoid the looks that the other members of the 141 were sending him. They'd been sending him curious looks during his entire conversation.

"My usual crowd had to relocate to a different bar while we were closed. I need to bring them back somehow."

"And you think," Roach started carefully, "That people will come to watch me perform."

"I don't think, I know." He paused for a moment before, "I can tell you're still thinking. Please bubs? C'mon you can bring your 141 boys and Jackson and I'll give you guys free drinks and food for the night."

Roach paused for a moment, "The whole night?"

"Yes."

"And Suzanne will be there to make her wings and jalapeno poppers?"

"Yes, she'll be in the kitchen all night."

"...fine."

"Yes!"

"Jesus fucking christ, why are there so many people." Roach ducked his head, hiding his face in Ghost's shoulder as the bar continued to slowly fill up.

All of the seats had been taken up ten minutes prior and now everyone who came in was being forced to cram into what standing space their was. Roach could hear Jackson snicker from across the table, "You forget how famous you are here."

"I'm not famous," he protested, "I just used to perform at the church and town events. I don't understand this!"

He could feel Soap running a hand comfortingly up and down his back, "Just think of the positives, Bug. You do this then you can be done for the night."

Jackson snorted, "No he can't."

"I'm going to be fielding people trying to talk to me all night," Roach complained, "Stupid Southern culture."

"Oh, Gary, who are these lovely young men?" Mocked Jackson, "Say, Gary, are you married yet? I have a nephew who is just about your age." Roach was quick to flip his friend off. the last thing he needed was the man making fun of him.

"Hey, kiddo, you ready to perform?" Hands landed on Roach's shoulders and he hesitantly moved away from Ghost to glare up at his brother.

"The whole town is here."

"I know! We really had a great turnout!"

"I hate you."

"That's the spirit," Johnathan hauled him up from his seat and started dragging him toward the stage, "Come on, its past the old folks bed time and they're starting to get cranky."

Roach let himself be dragged up to the small stage at the back of his brothers bar, his entire face going red as cheer erupted the second that he and Johnathan stepped on the stage.

Johnathan stepped up to the mic, motioning for the crowd to quiet down. "Hey everyone, thank y'all for coming out tonight for our reopening." There was a cheer throughout the bar, "Now, I'm not gonna sit up here and run my mouth, I know why y'all came out. So, here is my sweet baby brother," Roach rolled his eyes as he grabbed the acoustic guitar that had been set up for him, "He made time out of his very busy schedule to come play for us, so let's show him some love!"

With that, he stepped away from the mic and off of the stage, allowing Roach to step up to the mic in his place, with cheers ringing around the bar.

He gave an awkward sort of wave to the crowd. "Hi everyone," there was another cheer that met his words. "I guess I'm gonna perform for you guys. Thank you for coming out, I'll try to avoid church songs." His words drew a bit of a chuckle from the crowd and pulled a small smile to his lips. With one last wave to the crowd, he started strumming the beginning notes of one of the songs he'd been practicing.

"Our boyfriend," Soap teased, "Celebrity."

Roach gave another groan, his face burning red. Twenty people so far had stopped by their table to speak to him before they left. A good few people had left after his performance, but there were still a number left in the bar and he knew that his night of being the talking point of the town wasn't over yet.

"I've always wanted to date a celebrity," Ghost joked as well, nudging Roach with his arm.

"I just wanted to eat wings and jalapeno poppers," Roach complained lowly, "I'm never doing this again."

"Oh, c'mon," Gaz gave him a smile, "It's not that bad."

"That's because you're getting free alcohol and food and not having to talk with anyone," Roach accused. "And you've been able to whisper and paw at your boyfriend all night! I can't even try to get handsy under the table."

Gaz's face burned red for a moment, but Jackson only grinned from next to him, no shame on his face. "Not our fault you're so famous."

"We can get handsy later," Soap gave him a pat on his leg and a grin, making Roach's own face burn red and pulling a chuckle from Ghost.

"Gary! I just had to stop to say hello to you before we left," Roach immediately slapped a smile on his face, sending a quick glare to his snickering friends before turning to greet the woman who'd called out to him. It was going to be a very long night.

#thoughts with luke #gary roach sanderson #simon ghost riley #john soap mactavish #call of duty #call of duty fanfic

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