#and it literally is just the war thing like she's. fine. except for being the leader of an imperial dictatorship.

[lawrencegarte]

that "satire requires clarity of purpose lest it be mistaken as genuine" post but it's about e/delgard being an empirical dictator that kills everyone

[sarcastic-sketches]

Suddenly bowled over by the image of Anakin with a baby Ahsoka strapped to his front during the middle of work. Ok I guess??

Ahsoka getting cursed into a toddler during the Clone Wars and Anakin is now suddenly responsible for a literal baby. He is now acutely aware of the fact that the 501st are in an active engagement and his protective instincts are dialed right up to max. They have to be pulled back from the front, a young padawan was pushing it as it was but this is a Babby.

He's having to think about what baby togruta eat. Ahsoka can't feed herself or defend herself or anything except wiggle around like a striped potato. Her montrols are non existant, just little nubs, and its almost bringing this Jedi Knight to tears with how cute she is. He knows she's a carnivore but surely they don't eat meat that early?? Do they need anything else to develop correctly?? Is he going to accidentally harm her somehow through neglect?!

Anakin: Master Ti, what do baby togruta eat??

Shaak: Pardon?

Anakin: Help.

She gets the explanation from Anakin in pieces and a better explanation from Kix. She can tell him how to look after her until they can reach Coruscant, milk if they have any on board will do fine in the interim and Ahsoka will like being bundled up. The pressure of being cocooned is soothing (thinking of Momma Tano strapping babby Ahsoka to her front but now it's Anakin making sure she goes with him everywhere) and will prevent her from becoming too agitated.

She keeps chewing on his leather glove when he holds her but he doesn't mind, and just lets her gnaw on his knuckles like a chew toy. Its not his flesh hand anyway so it's fine. He can’t effectively secure her to him on his own so he has to get Rex to help him do it properly with Shaak still on speeddial for instructions.

She can’t help but notice how oddly domestic the scene looks as Rex carefully wraps Ahsoka in her papoose cocoon to Anakin's chest. They're both cooing at her. Shaak cannot wait for a Council meeting to be called about this.

The clones are caught between being distraught at what's happened to their Commander, as well as thinking she's the cutest thing they've ever seen. Since Anakin is now focusing harder on keeping Ahsoka safe since she can't protect herself anymore, Rex has taken it upon himself to stick at their side even more than usual. Just a very protective satellite orbiting around both Jedi in case they need anything.

No, the other men are not jealous that Anakin automatically hands Ahsoka off to his Captain if he needs to be free if her for a minute or two.

Back on Coruscant he knows she's better off being handled by the creche but ... that's his Padawan, just small. Everyone on the Council had hoped he'd deal with a Padawan just fine but were admittedly a little surprised by just how well he took to it. Seeing him immediately throw himself into taking care of baby Ahsoka, and all her species specific needs, has a lot of them second guessing their assumptions of him.

It's Obi-Wan who eventually asks where his almost instinctual knowledge comes from. The answer is that Shmi Skywalker was the go to mum for any new mothers on Tatooine and there were quite a few in the slave quarters during Anakin’s time there. He learned by just being there to help out.

Obi-Wan: if you want to continue to care for Ahsoka, you could do so by just working in the Creche and helping there with the rest of the infants

Anakin: !!

[bcolfanfic]

Mollie I’m sitting on my knees with my hands out begging for the young veteran au HC’s with Gale and John’s adopted daughter 🤲🏻

(modern) young vets au - josie cleven-egan’s version™️

they talk about it once not long after they get back to the states- but that conversation ultimately comes down to deciding to revisit it when bucky’s ptsd is more under control.

and if it just isn’t something that works out for them- or bucky doesn’t feel ready ever then that’s okay too.

but bucky wants it. which takes some work, and time and tears and gale wanting to fire every single person at the sheridan VA office.

he gets there though, and gale is so damn proud of his husband.

when they revisit the kids thing they consider going to the infant adoption route but ultimately decide to go through an agency that places waiting kids in the foster system whose parental rights have already been terminated. surrogacy isn't something either of them really bring up except to bypass it.

it’s a smidge because bucky is intimidated by literal babies. just a smidge. 

they eventually get a call about a four year old little girl named josie and the information the social worker sends over about her breaks their sweet hearts. 

they both have their own shit from the war, but they’re grown men and trying to wrap their minds around a four year old having trauma that almost rivals their own makes them sick. 

damn taking a few days to call back like her social worker offers, they call back by the end of the night to ask when they need to be ready. 

sweet little josie shows up with a hello kitty suitcase at 8pm on a tuesday. gale and bucky love her instantly in a way that they struggle to really articulate. 

it just makes sense, her little face looking up at them when she’s sitting on the floor pulling her shoes off. she’s home. 

she clicks with bucky immediately, who takes to calling her jojo which she rolls with happily. but gale freaks himself out about suddenly actually being a parent and takes a little longer to find his footing. 

which makes him a little insecure when she seems more hesitant around him than she does bucky. it doesn’t necessarily help that bucky is the one home all day- and the one time he has to leave for an evening and isn’t there for bedtime poor josie absolutely flips out. 

her and gale both end up in tears by the time she’s actually clonking out, bless their hearts. 

she tuckers herself out and falls asleep in his arms. but man does poor gale feel like he’s absolutely useless having spent the past couple hours listen to her scream for daddy to come home like he’s just some babysitter. 

it hurts bucky’s heart when he’s home and gale is venting about it. he knows that man was born to be a dad and that their baby loves him, they just maybe need a little more one on one time. and gale needs to get out of his head about becoming his own father because, as bucky puts it- he’s nothing like that sack of shit and never will be. 

they spend more one and one time together, gale bringing her to the school he substitute teaches at when he’s just going in to plan over the weekend. she’s content to color on printer paper while he works, parking herself on his knees. it’s the first time she does that, and bucky beams at the photo he texts him. 

my buddy, at last! 👍🏼

the first time she calls gale daddy as opposed to “um, mis-ter cle’n” he cries. bucky cries. everyone cries. 

then raises the issue of figuring out how to differentiate between the two of them. they land on gale being daddy and bucky being papa. 

bucky jokes that it makes him feel he’s on little house on the prairie, but it’s fine. he’d let his darling jojo call him anything she damn well pleased. 

the day they make it official at the courthouse, as many of the guys as are free fly in to be there and celebrate with them. crosby brings his herd of kids and watching them run around with the newest little cleven-egan makes him emotional. 

“you cryin’ croz?”

“thinkin’ about when we were overseas. didn’t know if we’d be alive by the end of the week. but now look at our lives,” he says, swiping at his eyes. bucky smiles and rubs his shoulder, feeling choked up for about the fifth time that day. 

“it all worked out, huh?”

[shanastoryteller]

Happy pride!!! I would die for a continuation of lady mo please!

a continuation of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39

Wei Wuxian is keeping himself upright through sheer force of will and his utter refusal to let Lan Zhan be right about anything.

He has been sort of exhausted lately, but he’s been training himself into the ground and keeping to ridiculous Lan morning routines and he has a curse mark slowly killing him, so he thinks he’s entitled. He would have made it to the Jin tower just fine if he hadn’t run into Song Lan and had to hunt down a town fierce corpses and fight Xue Yang. That alone would leave most people exhausted, so he has a perfectly good excuse for his vision to be going fuzzy on the edges.

Except he’d literally rather fall off his sword and snap his neck then admit that. He can’t even let that happen, because A-Qing is flying on his sword with him, and she’s not even a cultivator. Her bones will break a lot easier than his will.

He’s not even injured. Or, well, not any injuries that count. He once fought off fierce corpses right after having his core ripped out, being tortured, and dropped from a height high enough to kill. Some bruises and cuts are nothing, and they don’t feel like anything now. Maybe he should have let Xue Yang stab him a couple of times. It would have made everything more believable and also would have let him nap with his dignity intact.

They land back at the inn and the rest of the Lans look extremely relieved and then confused when they see their newest additions. Except for Jin Guangyao, who only shows that he’s noticed them by raising a single eyebrow and looking to him immediately.

Jin Guangyao is a stone cold bitch that’s too smart for anyone’s own good. Wei Wuxian sort of regrets that they’d never had any reason to really get to know one another during the war. Surely Jin Guangyao could have steered him away from some of his worse decisions.

“We’re bringing guests,” he announces to all of them, jumping to the ground and nudging A-Qing to do the same with a guiding hand on her hip. “Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen, who I assume you all already know. And A-Qing. They’ve had a rough time and we’re going to be very nice to them.” He looks over to Lan Xichen. “I guess it’s a good thing that you brought the carriage. They can ride in there the rest of the way.”

The awkward silence is broken by Jin Guangyao saying, “Madame Jin is not fond of accommodating extra guests.”

Madame Jin is going to make Jin Guangyao deal with it because she’s petty that way. Apparently Jin Zixuan plays interference as much as he can, but considering he’s no longer fighting fit and the perfect heir he once was, his ability to influence his mother has been similarly reduced.

A politician down to her core. Wei Wuxian might be able to admire it if it didn’t make him hate her so much.

“I’m not fond of Madame Jin, so I’m sure it even outs,” he says carelessly.

Some of the Lan go to the effort to pretend to be appalled but most of them seem to have no problem agreeing, regardless of all the rules of propriety and respecting one’s elders that he’s breaking. People take their cue from their leaders and Lan Xichen is straight up just pretending he didn’t say that, probably because he agrees.

He’s treated to the rare sight of Jin Guangyao’s dimples. “Can you at least pretend not to be a menace? I can only put out so many fires at once.”

“I can pretend,” he agrees and then A-Qing is faking a coughing fit to hide her giggles.

[nat-ter]

ok. hear me out. batman and superman having petty rivalry. not bcus they actually hate each other but bcus there's a little misunderstanding going on between them.

the first time they met, superman wanted to impress the other hero (bcus yayy a new friend!) so he might have tried a bit too hard to look impressive to batman by putting on a more confident front than he generally feels.

batman has heard of the new hero in town (or the next one over wtv) and ofc there's this superhuman being who literally shoots laser out of his eyes not to mention the flying thing so in the most batman way possible, he's immediately cautious. and then comes this obnoxious alien to batman's own turf introducing himself as if he expects bruce to bow down to his feet and sing his praises just bcus he can, what, breathe ice? never! so begins the hostility. which took superman by surprise bcus here he comes, looking for partnership, maybe even friendship, but instead getting rude and obnoxious short replies in return.

first time superman is questioned his thoughts on the dark knight, he's honestly taken aback bcus since he hasn't had any contact with the other hero in the public's eye he didn't think ppl would ask him questions about gotham's bat. so, a bit flustered clark kent, in a very un-superman-like way, blurts out, "oh, that. i heard he's human." immediately after which he has to leave the scene bcus there was a tsunami somewhere. and so he unwittingly sets out the verbal war.

next time batman is questioned about his thoughts on superman, instead of leaving without any comment like he usually did, this time he stays and boy does he have something to say. or not, according to his words. but he did say smth and that highly contradicts his own words. "i have nothing to say about a twat in a primary colour who doesn't even know where undergarments go." and so officially begins the war.

clark hates batman bcus he thinks the man is a xenophobe (except he has seen batman interacting with other superbeings just fine and some of them may be meta but still it stings that he's the only one being treated with such hostility). bruce hates superman bcus he thinks the alien is looking down on him for being human with its shortcomings and hey this is a touchy subject for him okay back off. but neither of them actually never make any contact apart from trashing each other to the press whenever they can.

at first it was only pointed remarks that portrayed their distrust for each other like:

"at the end of the day what is batman but a furry with anger issues finding an outlet in the dark?"

"next time, maybe superman should use his ego to topple one of metropolis' finest buildings instead of himself. surely that will get the job done quicker."

but the longer it goes on, the more the two heroes enjoy themselves. and eventually the remarks grows more petty and childish and nothing like what two grown men who fight crimes should even say about each other.

"batman is probably hideous, maybe that's why he wears a mask that only shows the more attractive part of his face."

"who is to say there isn't ugly tentacle-like creatures hiding behind that pristine, god-like face."

unfortunately the longer the war wages, the more it sounds like the two of them are merely flirting in a backhanded way. which drives alfred and martha up the walls. alfred swears that he will leave the manor and maybe become a vegabond if he has to witness master bruce making a fool out of himself by pulling the proverbial ponytail in the playground any longer. martha is mad that her son has supposedly forget all the manners she had painstakingly grilled into him (she demands that clark immediately make peace with the bat but clark is so busy he doesn't even have time to visit his own ma lately and no it's not bcus he's afraid of the disappointed face™ nope. never).

it went from:

"i hardly think batman believes he's above the law, no, rather he believes that he is the law." (which is simply wrong, in bruce's opinion. no, he likes to think that he's operating outside of the law while perfectly abiding to it. alfred finds it dubious but it isn't like bruce will listen to him anyway)

and,

"just because superman can fly, he thinks he's above us. i hardly think any god would run at the sight of a green rock." (which is also wrong, in clark's opinion. he has never run from a fight even when kryptonite is present. lois can seconded it even though she wishes he does run as fast as he can)

to:

"maybe batman should smile more, that'll make him much more attra— i mean, approachable. which, i understand, will dispel the whole dark and broody and bat-themed performance he's got going on, of course, but im just saying, you know, the guy's got a pretty nice chin and—" ("clark!" hissed lois who's hiding among the people superman has just rescued from a burning building, only for superman's ears and shutting the man right up)

and,

"people only trust superman because he's so stupidly handsome." ("wow, B, didn't expect batman to come out like that," sarcastically comments nightwing in batman's comm. batman growls)

it's driving everyone insane. alfred is ready to take a very long, a very well earned vacation, lois wants his best friend to get laid, martha is working up a rant and the two heroes can't seem to figure out their stance on the idea of one another.

[givemewallywestorgivemedeath]

Alright, gonna rattle off some Hazbin Hotel theories just to get them out of my system:

1) The Key that Lilith gave Charlie is the key to the pearly gates, aka a way into heaven. Which is why the cat didn't like Sir Pretentious until he was redeemable and why the key is the symbol used to depict the hotel on both the logo of the show and the logo on the hotel.

2) Lilith didn't just abandon everyone to vacay in heaven. Following my previous theory, she already had the key to heaven (likely given to her by Adam as a 'please come back 🥺🥺🥺' gift). From Charlie's recounting of the story, her mom loves hell and thrives down there so I'm really not buying this whole 'retire in heaven as Adam's rebound' thing. I'm going to say that Lilith infiltrated heaven under the guise of taking back Adam and being 'the good wife' again but she is 100% using her access to heaven to pull strings and get her grand plan going. She may have to keep Lute happy next season to keep her access, but it's not because she's a turncoat, it's because she's got motives.

3) Throwing this out there: I think it has something to do with Eve! I haven't even met Eve yet but I ship Eve and Lilith. Maybe Adam had Eve locked up somewhere and Lilith is trying to free her or, maybe Eve disappeared, hence why Adam wanted a new wife and Lilith is trying to find her or something.

4) Carmilla is Eve. Yeah, so the name Carmilla means 'Garden or Orchid', Carmine means 'Song or Crimson Red', she looks EXACTLY like Lilith except with a different color palette (and she's wearing angel steel ballet shoes and gloves), she styles her hair up to look like horns but she doesn't actually have any of her own, she killed an angel, she knew all about angel weaknesses and how to kill them, she figured out how to reforge angel steel into new weapons, and, most importantly, SHE HAS TWO KIDS THAT SHE IS VERY PROTECTIVE OF.

Now, part of me wants to say that Zestial, the confirmed oldest sinner in Hell, the super powerful demon that rules over the other overlords who cares immensely about Carmilla and vice versa, is actually Cain. Cain, aka Eve's son and the first murderer (and theologically rumored to be Lucifer's child which uhhhhh, the show kinda seems to be hinting at with Lucifer implying that him and Eve had a thing?) So yeah, I like the idea that Carmilla loves her son despite his flaws and is trying to keep him safe in hell (knowing that Abel is completely fine in heaven)

But I also kinda want to say that Odette is Abel and Clara is Cain? Look, Odette is wearing a headband with demon horns sticking out of it. Her horns look fake. Also, come on, Odette and Clara?? As in the lead characters from Swan Lake and the Nutcracker?? I'm not going to get into why renaming Cain after Clara from the NUTCRACKER is hilarious as it's pretty obvious. But renaming Abel after Odette, the princess with wings who literally dies and ends up in heaven at the end of the play, is also pretty obvious ngl. So I do also kinda think that Eve and Abel were chilling in heaven and then either Abel fell or Eve got word about the annual culling of sinners, and the two of them took on fake names and reunited with Cain/Clara. Eve is determined to do whatever it takes to keep her children safe and, while she does not like participating in violence, she will kill to protect her daughters. (And potentially Zestial is Clara's father? As Cain is rumoured to be either Lucifer's child or a demon's child)

EDIT: Okay I literally just realized that in the song "Whatever it Takes" she hugs her daughters and says that she will "be their keeper" which is a play on what Cain said to God after killing Abel. God asked where Abel was and Cain said "I am not my brother's keeper." So Carmilla in that song is vowing to keep her daughters safe by preventing war with heaven and being "their keeper".

5) Adam created all of the Exorcists from his ribs. Adam mentioned that he named Vaggie which either implies that Adam is Vaggie's father or that Adam created the entire Exorcist race. Considering Lilith and Eve were both created from Adam's ribs, all the Exorcists are women, they're called 'sisters', and all of them are bone white with 'angel blood' gold eyes, I think the dude just straight up made them all with his bones! Adam even offered a plate of ribs to Charlie when he was taunting her about killing off her citizens!

Anyway, these are my Hazbin Hotel theories. Let me know what you think!

[ruegarding]

Hey, quick question if you don't mind me asking but what are your thoughts on Drew Tanaka as a character and how she was portrayed in HOO?

canon drew...well. i rbed this post that says "drew was not written as a character but rather a human obstacle who needed to be feminine so the ‘not like other girls’ could defeat her," and i think that summarizes it perfectly. she exists exclusively to make piper look good, which is a real shame bc drew could've been interesting. as-is, drew is not only uninteresting, piper is also uninteresting by extension. it'd be like if nancy was one of percy's greatest obstacles in tlt.

more under the cut bc i'm incapable of keeping things short.

here, in her introduction, not only is drew, a feminine girl, vain, she's also weak and unintimidating, a triple whammy right away! she has no reason to be antagonistic towards piper here, they literally just got to camp. piper's crime right now is *checks notes* not looking cute and existing next to a "good-looking guy." oh, yeah, btw drew likes jason for being hot and powerful.

this triple whammy isn't even restricted to drew, it's the entire aphrodite cabin. they all giggle when drew flirts w jason and when piper is uncomfortable being "gorgeous" and are too scared and weak to stand up to drew. the two exceptions are a guy who got in trouble for saying piper "might not be so bad" and a girl who's afraid of ugly shoes. what an uninteresting take.

anyway, moments like this

are everywhere. now, let's remember for a moment that the aphrodite cabin (including drew!) fought in a war where they were outnumbered and won. but yeah, their biggest strength is their ability to "make an orange t-shirt glamorous" bc piper is the only one out of them who can *checks notes* uhhh run? charmspeak on a quest? carry a knife? she doesn't even know how to fight in tlh! she wasn't at camp for more than two days, she never had any fighting experience! the fact that she's being called tougher than ppl who fought in a war makes me grit my teeth. and thalia was there when it happened!

and it doesn't even makes sense bc we see aphrodite like this is ttc

and she says this in tlh

(also sidenote: why is aphrodite's claiming so egregious and uncomfortable then? it's like rick has a moment of clarity and realizes he's being stupid and then immediately fucks it up again.)

this is interesting! and some of these kids (including drew!) would have met this aphrodite during the solstices. so portraying drew and the aphrodite cabin as a bunch of shallow kids obsessed w makeup that need to be saved by piper "not like other girls" mclean is so contrived. and constantly bringing up how piper's so much better than those shallow and weak aphrodite kids makes piper's entire character grating. rick brings up aneaus repeatedly throughout tlh, a son of venus/aphrodite that founded rome. why are we acting like aphrodite children are weak and stupid when we could be exploring literally anything else? like, you know, how they're traumatized?

and the thing is, he brings up silena! and it's done terribly. piper, who never knew silena and never will, lecturing drew, someone who knew silena and was betrayed by her, has always pissed me off. piper relating to silena bc she feels like she's in the same position? good, that's fine, i have no problem w this. but acting like she knew silena to ppl who actually did and then preaching abt what silena believed should've gotten her smacked (rick didn't even addressed the actual important part, which is how the other campers feel abt silena or how they feel abt surviving a war).

then when piper challenges drew, again, drew fought in a war while piper hasn't trained for a single day, why are we acting like piper could beat drew in a fight? piper can't even use charmspeak bc drew's resistant to it! that's the one advantage piper has! writing it like this comes off like piper is only strong as long as everyone else is weak. she's not rising to a challenge, her competitor is just so pathetic that she can overpower them. she didn't earn her strength. that's not good character development! so we're throwing two entire character arcs away for this!

what really gets me abt all of this is that piper didn't need to be a counselor. piper needed a place to belong. making drew nothing more than a stepping-stone was completely unnecessary, and making the aphrodite cabin weak and vain was redundant bc we already had an example w silena (and again, all the kids that fought in a war). as it is in canon, drew's character is a great example of some of rick's biggest writing flaws.

[cerise-on-top]

Hi, it's me again.

Valeria, Laswell, Price and Farah.

Thank you very much! I'll wait anxiously, and I'm sorry for getting so excited. <3

Hey! It's alright, but please remember my rules for the future! Also, I've never watched Arcane, I don't know Jinx in the slightest, I only really had your explanation to go off of, so sorry if it's not very good ^^;

Price, Valeria, Farah and Laswell with a Reader like Jinx (Arcane)

Price: He can read people fairly well, so you trying to hide something from him, regardless of what it could be, doesn’t evade him. He won’t force you to tell him whatever it is you’re hiding from him, but he likes to think of himself as a trustworthy person, telling you that you can just say whatever it is you wanna say. Even so, if you end up not telling him anything, then that’s alright as well, he won’t pry. As long as it doesn’t include anything that could change the course of a mission, of an important one, he’ll leave you be, for the most part. However, you liking to blow things up would concern him. Although you may not be the first person he’s met like this, with Soap being another person with an affinity for explosives, he would have his concerns. However, as long as you only hurt the enemy, he’s quite alright with you blowing things up, sometimes. There’s a fine line between an enemy KIA, and unnecessarily destroying your surroundings. Will give you an earful if you burn too many buildings, blow too many of them up. While he may be able to appreciate your abilities with technology, knowing fully well that some ingenuity is needed in that field, he hopes you won’t use your intelligence against him and his men. You’re more than welcome to use your contraptions against enemies, as long as they don’t harm your allies. You may be a very pretty person with your long, blue hair, but that doesn’t mean Price won’t be concerned with it. After all, it could get stuck somewhere and would need to be cut off. Don’t get me wrong, you’re gorgeous, but there’s a reason why people in the military tend to have shorter hair.

Valeria: She takes a liking to you immediately. You’re a threat, that much is obvious, with your interesting personality. It doesn’t particularly matter to her what you did in the past, as long as you take back your future and make the present count. Won’t bother you too much with questions regarding where you’ve been and what happened to you, she has other things to worry about. Your contraptions are of interest to her: Small things that can either walk to where they’re needed or stick to something. As long as you get out of their range of effectiveness soon enough, she’s willing to give you more materials to work with, as long as you work for her. Funds your shenanigans in general, as long as it benefits her and her cartel you’ll never run out of anything to work with. She’s not exactly a morally correct person, so you could commit literal war crimes under her watch and she wouldn’t mind. You wanna use dangerous gas to kill the enemy? Sure, go right ahead, it doesn’t matter to her since she doesn’t plan on being caught. You’ll likely get some special privileges over time as well. More quickly than other people, at the very least. While you may not look like how one would imagine someone working for the cartel would look, she certainly doesn’t mind, thinking you to be fairly pretty as well. If you need some nail polish, she can give you the best ones out there, no hesitation. Again, she’s taken a real liking to you and wants this work relationship to go well. However, you’re just about the only exception with that, Valeria doesn’t care too much about everyone else. But you stand out, so there’s that.

Farah: Although she may know that everything is fair in war, she will actively discourage you from using some of your contraptions. If it’s illegal, if it will make you and her look like war criminals, then she will not let you use it. Her country may be at war, but she’s got principles and still needs to show the world that Urzikstan is not a dangerous place. So yeah, you might not wanna use the worst of the worst when it comes to fighting around her. Other than that, she can appreciate your work, though, and what you have been doing for her. A well placed bomb can make all the difference, after all, especially when someone, who knows what they’re doing, is using it. As long as it isn’t too bad, you have her support. Don’t make yourself known, though, the wrong people might find out who you are and might have a field day with that. However, she might scold you for using unethical means of killing someone. Farah is very connected with her people, and thus knows a lot about each and every single one of them. She won’t pry either when it comes to your past, but she will gently ask about it occasionally when something seems to be bothering you. Again, she won’t force anything out of you, but will show that she does care a great deal about you. In her eyes, too, you are absolutely gorgeous. She’s not as strict with long hair as Price, for example. There are no regulations for that sort of thing in her liberation force. If you let her, and if you’re especially close, she might braid your hair as well. As mentioned previously, she does care about her people, and it’s with those small things that she shows she’s there for them.

Laswell: Oh, she would not like you very much at first. Her work is usually comprised of not being found out, you do the opposite with your trademark bombs. You’ll butt heads a lot at first, especially since Laswell tries to keep it quiet whenever she can. It would take a while for you to get along, largely since you both know what you want. However, you’re good with technology, she gives you that much. You can be used for all sorts of things regarding that. Make a small contraption that allows you to get inside a room without the need for a keycard, she can appreciate that and will congratulate you on making something useful that is quiet. It would take something like that for the both of you to slowly be getting along. Laswell doesn’t mind you having a sad past too much. If you really feel like it, and once you’ve grown close, you can talk about it. Get it off your chest if you really need it. Might either listen to you or give you some advice, it entirely depends on what you ask of her, or what it seems like you might need at the moment. Though, another reason why you might clash at first would be your appearance. You’re pretty, don’t get me wrong, but long blue hair isn’t exactly subtle, you’ll be found out fairly quickly, you’ll be recognised wherever you go. She won’t force you to dye your hair, but you likely won’t be going out in the field too much when a disguise is needed, something like that will be left to Laswell. You, however, can plant whatever it is that is needed nearby, make a distraction by blowing something up, for example.

[the-badger-mole]

Okay okay okay so-

I've been scrolling through your Tumblr and enjoying many of your points but I have no idea what you're talking about when you refer to the "lava fissure incident" cause even being obsessed with the show I never read the comics

Can you pleaaaase give me a general idea? 🤠

I have addressed this before in a post that I think was better than this one, but I can't find it because Tumblr will do anything to "improve this cesspool of a site except make the Archive and search function better. If you want to look thorough my posts, have at it. I think I wrote it within the last 3ish years, but if, like me you don't have that kind of time, here's the nutshell version.

There's a scene in the "Love Is a Battlefield" comic where Aang is trying to talk to Katara about the kiss at DoBS, and she is trying to change the subject and get Aang to practice his firebending (you know, that thing he has to do so he can end the war?). Aang doesn't like that she's not willing to talk about their relationship so in fit of temper, he opens a lava fissure in her face.

Aang: Fine! You want fire? I'll show you fire!!!

The scene ends with Aang feeling sorry for himself, not that he let his anger lead him to almost hurt Katara with fire (again! And this time on purpose), but because he thinks he's going to get his heart broken. Because that's the important thing here.

What disturbed me most was how it was framed. We, the audience, are also supposed to feel sorry for Aang. Who just opened up a lava fissure in the face of the girl he claims to love because she doesn't want to talk about him kissing her. Keep in mind, this happens a few episodes before EIP, where Katara- having recently experienced Aang literally blow up at her for not immediately falling at Aang feet and declaring her undying love- hesitates to tell Aang what she feels for him. This scene, with Aang intentionally doing something that could've seriously hurt Katara, comes before the one where he kisses her without her consent. For the second time. It comes after the heartbreaking end of the DoBS invasion, where Katara's father was captured so Aang could escape. And, narratively, this is not supposed to be a major character flaw in Aang. We, the audience, are supposed to feel bad for him!! Had Zutara not been a thing, I would still hate Aang just for this.

The fact that Katara isn't hurt here means nothing to me. This is the equivalent of a guy throwing dishes at the wall, because he's angry, but not actually throwing it at his partner. I've had people tell me I can't use this against Aang because it's OOC.... Is it, though? Is it really OOC for Aang to throw a super powered tantrum because he's upset? Is it?

BTW, could Bryke have been any lazier with that title? Leave Pat Benatar out of this mess, please!

[mixelation]

reborn au stuff: oto musings

i'm considering what sorts of things happen in oto & tori and orochimaru's relationship

tori's goal is to get into a lab and get her hands on fuinjutsu resources. i'm not going to let her have perfect recall for her techniques, and she needs them for researching chakra.

i think her getting to her goal is a lot of her going to orochimaru and saying things like: well if a summons can use chakra, why can't i use animal chakra? and then he gives her free reign of some supplies/ a space and is like "alright, why don't you run the experiment, then" fully expecting her to fail. except tori KNOWS this game so the first few times she asks questions she already knows the answer to. orochimaru wants to push her to her limits and see where she fails, and tori is not ever going to show him her limits

so she eventually gets full lab access and she gets a lot of one-on-one time with him. he does like having a little science student to mentor. she is one of his favorite.

but thinking about the oto characters we know orochimaru favored or liked, he uh. he DEFINITELY mostly likes people with high combat prowess. so at some point, i think tori will run into a problem where she is like, "Well, no, I just want to know about chakra for the sake of knowing about it. I don't really care about how to use it to kill people."

And Orochimaru very much does care about using jutsu to kill people. He's a scientist but he's also a ninja. Obviously you should want to know about chakra so you can make more jutsu. He's disappointed Tori is not naturally good at combat, and he's even more disappointed that she's unmotivated to get better.

i'm imagining tori finally being like: "fine, i'll show him i'm just as deadly kimimaro (fuck you, kimimaro)" and she goes out and finds some random ninja and traps them in a barrier.

the random ninja is from one f the major villages, who are still traipsing through Oto even as the war is basically just minor scuffles now. ideally it would be a canon character. i was debating someone like genma or hayate.

tori does not break a sweat trapping this random ninja. she is very small and civilian-coded and wily. also they cannot get out because even if she hits like an academy student, she is a fuinjutsu master.

and then i can't decide if she drags them off to orochimaru, kills them, or frets over it for hours and then lets them go. the first one fits into tori's characterization of "increasingly does horrifying shit for petty reasons" and has the narrative payoff of maybe some sort of Consequence down the line depending on the character. the last one leans more into Tori setting herself apart as not a low-budget Orochimaru and someone who might do horrifying things but ultimately doesn't enjoy hurting people, and has the narrative pay off "could be really funny later"

genma: oh..... that girl

genma: no, i don't like her. she's creepy af and she scares me

tori: (is literally 12 and a genin and can't even tree walk properly)

so rn i'm leaning towards the latter. we can of course let tori keep whoever for hours in a horrible cramped space and monologue at them. as a little treat

also i guess she goes back to oto and is like "guess i'm simply morally better than everyone else (SHRUG EMOJI)" after torturing some random guy for no reason all day

[thisdorkyblogthing]

AU where Laufey gives birth to Loki very unexpectedly (he'd just manged to carry and birth one heir, and they both barely survived the process) and Loki's so small that he's struggling to live in Jotunheim's harsh climate. They keep him close to some old, rarely used furnaces/fireplaces to keep him warm, but he's still constantly shivering and crying and Laufey can't even hold him long enough to feed him.

So, just a few days after giving birth to Loki, Laufey shows up in Asgard alone and looking exhausted and rough, wanting to talk with Odin. Jotunheim and Asgard have been long time enemies, with war being a constant threat hanging over their collective heads, so Laufey showing up and basically begging Odin to take his baby and raise it is a bit of shock.

But maybe he's feeling a little soft because Frigga just gave birth to Thor (the same day Loki was born- what a coincidence!) and agrees to raise Loki to adulthood after quickly negotiating a very lopsided deal. (Because Odin's still gotta be a bit of jerk and take advantage of his enemy when he's desperate.) Laufey rushes back to Jotunheim and Odin informs Frigga she's gonna have an extra baby to take care of.

Needless to say, a lot of people - especially on Laufey's side- don't love this whole plan very much. They would very much rather have Loki just die on Jotunheim than have a prince raised in Asgard and let Odin get what he wants. Laufey knows this but just cannot give a single shit. He's lost so many babies and he cannot bear the thought of watching another one die right before his eyes. He's all on his own again when Odin + Frigga and a handful of some other Asgardians show up for the Loki hand off and get the deal started. Laufey is pretty fucking miserable about the whole situation but feels a little hope when he hands Loki to Frigga and she clearly falls in love with his tiny screaming infant right then and there. Still hurts when she has to instantly turn around and whisk him off to Asgard.

And Frigga was definitely pissed when Odin told her The Plan. She literally just gave birth, she's frazzled even with the help of like, 1000 maids and nurses. But Loki's so tiny and fragile and She Just Knows she has to keep this lil guy safe and loved. And after having him looked over and getting him warm and fed she plops him into the crib right next to Thor and Just Knows that these boys where meant to be together.

>>Fast forward>> and now The Time Has Come: Loki's almost an adult and he has to go back to Jotunheim.

Except there's one little tiny thing Odin's neglected to mention to anyone (not even Frigga) - once Loki goes to Jotunheim, he can't come back. No visits, no letters, no nothing. It was agreed that it would be essentially like the whole raising Loki on Asgard thing never happened at all. (Why? Because The Drama.)

Now Thor and Loki are incredibly close, they're brothers! They always assumed even after Loki had to go that they'd at least get to talk through letters and have the occasional visit. It would still suck, but they'd have something. So the news that their upcoming birthday would be the last day they'd share together. Ever. It's like a bomb being dropped on the dinner table.

(Frigga's not to pleased that Odin would have the Fucking Audacity to plop a baby in her lap to love and raise as her own then expect her to be fine when he ripped him out of her arms- like, yeah, she's had The Visions and knows her boys are gonna be together one way or another but it still doesn't make what Odin has done any better in her eyes. Especially having to console her shocked, heartbroken boys in the aftermath. Oh she is Pissed.)

(this is getting so long, damn!)

Loki had always felt very out of place in Asgard. People were generally polite and kind, but he never felt truly welcomed by anyone aside from Thor, Frigga, and the handful of the maids/guards/pages etc. that he was around the most. Odin certainly made him feel like a temporary intrusion upon his life. So he'd often dreamed about getting to go live on Jotunheim and be with his people- except when he gets there he feels just as out of place and maybe even a little more unwelcome then he had back on Asgard. A lot of Jotuns (especially the more powerful set) where still very unhappy with the deal Laufey made to save him and they would've really preferred that Loki had just died instead.

And the fact that he literally just doesn't fit in that well, size-wise. Despite having a wing of his own sized to fit him, everything else is huge, and despite being hearty enough to survive the climate now, it's still far too cold for him to really do much or anything. The only place he really has outside of the palace is a Little Asgard-esque town set up a bit away from the city, where Asgard set up one of their mining operations as part of Odin and Laufey's deal over Loki, and now where the more country/redneck-ish Asgardians and Jotuns come to live and work for weeks/months at a time. The people are vastly more friendly to him there, at least.

But, apart from that and Laufey desperately trying to catch up and get to know his long lost son, Loki spends most of his time being sad and alone in his bedroom, wishing he could see and talk to Thor again.

Meanwhile, Asgard has become one massive puddle.

The first week after Loki left Thor was just in shock. He kept walking to Loki's empty room and the library and all the little corners and quiet spots Loki used to hide out in. It didn't seem real that Loki was just gone, and that he was somehow supposed to just forget their entire childhood together. He couldn't fathom it.

And then, out of nowhere, The Anger comes. He creates a massive storm that he couldn't control even if he wanted to and it lasts for weeks. He barely sleeps or eats, never leaves his room. Odin manages to be smart enough for once to not bother him, but Frigga eventually risks venturing into his hurricane destroyed bedroom to prod him into committing a little treason for True Love and helpfully informs him about the bridge that they use to send the Asgardian miners to and from Jotunheim, and how crazy would it be if Thor dressed extra casual one day and happened to get a bit lost traversing the countryside and accidentally found his way on to that bridge and got sent over to Jotunheim? That would be so fucking weird, right???

(And what if Thor happened to get there right at the start of Jotunheim's summer when the sky becomes a big swirl of pink and purple and orange for that one month or so and it's conveniently the same time that Jotun's become fertile and they celebrate with a massive festival where they harvest one of their land's 2 or 3 flowers that they make into a tea and works as an aphrodisiac and that the Asgardians have figured out how to turn into a moonshine-esque liquor that is even more potent than the tea and Loki and Thor have no idea about any of this they just know that they've been apart for too long and that they need each other in every way imaginable and they need these clothes off RIGHT NOW.)

[prettyboysdontlookatexplosions]

the thing about rachel animorphs being terribly characterized in all her ghostwritten books but one (and even that one is like. it's not amazing rachel narration but it DOES have the most romantic plot of all time so i forgive it*) to a degree that none of the other characters are plagued by is that to me it feels very revealing about us as a Culture bc it's like. the thing about rachel is that she is a hot blonde who kicks ass. and she's also a complex individual with many sides to her, including (i think if you read her non ghost written books and even just the slice of her narration we get before she dies in the last book this really jumps out undeniably) an extremely real and tender strain of sweetness. and this comes out in some of her scenes in books narrated by other characters. but in her own books, where she's narrating, it's like, they simply cannot understand the assignment, when the assignment is "hot kickass blonde but make her also a real person." it's like that old toast essay about getting insanely obsessed with ophelia because the alternative was admitting that a man needs to be as talented as shakespeare to write a sad girl who's also a human being except it's you have to be as good as k. a. applegate (the shakespeare of monthly mass market paperback children series) to write a girl who is hot and awesome and a human being.

*the most romantic plot of all time is that they have to acquire a beached sperm whale to go down under the water and attempt to subdue a giant squid so that the whole squad can acquire it so they can go deal with the problem on the ancient submerged spacecraft that's fucking up their allies the chee (androids created by the now extinct race of aliens who invented dogs). anyway so rachel hates water because she hates things she can't control and her coping mechanism for dealing with fear is walking into it head on so she wants to be one of the whales precisely because of how badly she doesn't want to be one of the whales (overall her characterization in this book i do think is solid, just the Tone is not quite 100% in her voice IMO), so when they're drawing straws she makes eyes at tobias to use his hawk vision to tell her what's the short straw, and he's like "no i am not going to help you drown yourself on purpose" and she makes eyes at him harder and then he's like "ugh fine" and tells her, and then he draws the other short straw on purpose even though he hates water more than anything but not for rachel control freak reasons, it's because he's a bird and the containment of water freaks him the hell out and also when he demorphs out in the ocean it's not into a shape that can, like, doggie paddle. which first of all is soooo funny and also good rachel characterization because rachel is like constitutionally incapable of thinking ahead for 5 seconds to "obviously the boy who loves me who would love me anyway but for whom i am like literally his primary tie to humanity because he lives as a red tailed hawk and spends his days perched in his trees hunting small mammals is going to insist on coming with me on the scary underwater squid mission just like every other time i have done anything ever" and also because jake gets super fucking mad at her about it which is like getting mad at a fish for swimming. but then the best part is they're down there and both spooked to hell about it because the deep sea is crazy scary and because, again, THEY BOTH HATE THIS CONCEPT SO BAD and are only here because of rachel's psychological problems and true love. and while trying to get their minds off the skin-crawling nightmare of it rachel lets it slip that some dude asked her out and they have this AMAAAZING back and forth where they're both being incredibly snotty because of how they are totally in love and also little babies who have just barely started acknowledging this to themselves much less each other which means that even though they can go on a terrifying deep sea adventure alien war side quest date they are still insanely awkward about like-liking each other. tobias learns the guy's name is T. T. and asks if that stands for total trauma and rachel's like idk what it stands for and he's like well you should find out his name if you're going out with him and rachel's like well i'm not and tobias is like oh. and then they find a squid. it's incredible. then at the end of the book T. T. comes around while rachel's at gymnastics and flirts with her again and rachel basically tells him to fuck off and he calls her "a name i've been called before" because swearing between the lines was an important part of animorphs and then tobias who is watching this whole thing from the sky is like "hey he was cute. and i heard what he called you. cute AND perceptive" and rachel's like "oh shut up (affectionate)" and they go have a flying date together. like literally when will your faves. they ARE the blueprint. sometimes i feel insane for as an adult still finding something genuinely romantic in a pairing from a 90s monthly mass market series for children, but like what other kidlit saga has ever included a tragic dreamboat boyfriend affectionately teasing his girlfriend about what a total bitch she is in a way that genuinely works as a cute thing to do because she and we both know that he literally loves her partly BECAUSE she has no problem being an asshole to people who deserve it and also is so good at killing people? like hello!!!!!!!!!

[cheetee]

encanto headcanon collection #30493929

Because she's constantly listening to people, Dolores is fluent in every language spoken in the Encanto. she hasn't told anyone except Mariano this (it's not a secret, just nobody else has asked)

Camilo upstages EVERY QUINCEANERA. doesn't matter HOW nice and unique the dress you find is, doesn't matter if you hide it from him, he WILL show up in a dress that's prettier and more ostentatious. nobody knows if he's pulling them from magazines or making them up or what. he has every gender but mainly his mom yells at him for being rude, says if he's going to be a woman he 'needs to be uglier'

Dolores doesn't get sensory overload in crowds. Her favourite hobby is sitting down listening to 18 peoples drama simultaneously. she gets extremely overwhelmed in quiet rooms when there's no other sounds to focus on except the things she's actually supposed to be listening to

Dolores is extremely face blind and can't ready body language at all, she completely relies on listening to people's bodies to recognise people and their feelings. When she loses her gift it becomes extremely obvious she is Very Autistic (she doesn't mind)

Bruno can magically sense how much time has passed, what time of day it is etc with perfect precision. Again nobody knows this until he loses his gift and reveals he has never in his life learned how to read a clock

Mirabel shuts out her parents a lot and isn't very close to them even though they get on fine. there is NO REASON for this she's just 15. they've literally never done anything wrong she's just like 'idk they don't understand me'

(but because she's not going through any kind of supernatural crisis they think she's doing great. smoothest adolescence ever. nailed it)

(when isabela went through puberty she just RUINED the local ecosystem)

Alma is openly socialist, anti-war, Encanto is a refuge of peace etc etc, so gay couples have gotten married in their Encanto. this headcanon exists simultaneously with 'alma sleeps with women because she's homophobic': Alma can never bring herself to sleep with another man since Pedro but sex with women 'doesn't count' so she HAS absolutely gotten down with several other old women in the village. gay love is real but not for her. rip

Bruno sold ONE emerald vision plate in 1951 and that's the sum of the entire family's money, but nobody understands money so all he uses it for is for allowance for the kids

Bruno is actually very good-natured about being mocked or laughed at. Because most people in the village would treat him with terrified politeness he considers it an upgrade

Bruno is making NO effort to counter the rumours about him at this point, he's too old, local children sneak up to him and ask if it's true he eats brains and he's just deadass like 'wouldn't you like to know'

Dolores has perfect recall with sounds/words but she pretends not to. life is easier that way

Antonio can talk to bugs they mainly just sit around saying things like 'Leaves' and 'it's sunny'. Isabela starts keeping bugs with him. sometimes they just sit down and have Bug Conversations. ('Antonio, I like leaves' 'Leaves')

As an aunt Julieta is incredibly fun, but Pepa is just Another Mom But Stricter. rip.

Bruno is just DOGSHIT at giving presents. they still bring up when he gave Julieta a hammer for Christmas

[insanelyadd]

Designed the Archivists. Mainly so I had faces to punch in my mind. But anyways, Penumbra is the eldest, her color scheme was inspired by some pictures of The Pillars of Creation, Crescent is the second oldest, the outside of the cloak is based on. Well you know. And the interior clothes colors are based off of sunsets. Satellite and Solari are fraternal twins and teens* (for their species *This has since been retconned, they are adults CURRENTLY, but were teens during the war against the Titans). Neither it older than the other because these are cosmic entities and I say it can work that way. Their color schemes aren't actually based on anything in particular but after I chose them and laid out the colors I was like "Wow they look like characters on a preschool show that teach you about space" which is sort of ironic.

More info on them under the cut, lil spoiler alert! They are not nice. They are bad in fact.

Penumbra is the one who came up with the idea to send the Collector to the Titan Planet, mainly to see if he was ready to do the work they were all expected to do, partially so they'd all get a break from them. She is also the one who noticed Collector magic doesn't work on Titans. She got along fine with the Collector when she was teaching him things but would get annoyed very easily when he wanted attention in literally any other situation, so she'd send them to play with Satellite and Solari since they were the closest in age to him. She uses she/her but in a nonbinary way, in that I HC all Collectors are cosmic beings outside our scope of understanding of things like sex and gender.

Crescent actually got along the best with The Collector. He would frequently be gone to do things since she is the most active in exploring planets and acquiring specimens, but when he was home she'd love playing with them. He's probably the most outwardly friendly of the Archivists, which you'd need to be when you're constantly interacting with mortals. She's the one who got the idea to get the mortal witches of the planet to kill Titans, using them as easily sacrificed pawns and tools for removing the "threat". He is the one referred to as the Grand Huntsman. You can tell she's fucked up and evil because he wears socks with sandals. (Yeah I double checked the episode with the Titan Trappers and they never once refer to the Grand Huntsman as anything other than that title or "our god" so I'm using she/he pronouns)

Satellite liked playing with the Collector occasionally as they also are easily bored, but Penumbra sending him to always play with them and Solari easily wore their patience thin, so they'd disappear to do "errands" or "chores" or because they were "tired" when it was really just an excuse to leave him with Solari. If they were forced to interact they would easily lose their cool and yell, at the Collector (initially) or in general (after getting in trouble for yelling at him too much), until he was allowed to leave. Despite their surface affect of cool apathy, they're a hot head. Satellite was the one who got to tell the Collector that he should go play with the Titans.

Solari very actively didn't like being around the Collector. Her brand of being "nice" for his sake would be a constant stream of passive-aggression and cold sarcasm, sending them to do pointless chores or activities, scavenger hunts, etc, anything to get him away from them. If they had to interact for some reason, she would do things like play a game called "shooting star" where she would pick him up and magically throw them as far away as possible into space. She's gotten in trouble for it before when they launched him so far they weren't able to return for nearly an hour (after which everyone had to go out looking for him). The Collector did enjoy this game, because little kids just like being thrown around in general, except for the time everyone had to go looking for him because he was launched too far and couldn't figure out where to go to get home.

[theostrophywife]

karaoke night.

masterlist (azriel x reader) author's note: just a bit of fluff for everyone's favorite bat boy. enjoy! summary: during a night out, the shadowsinger proves that he can, in fact, sing.

You were only supposed to be gone for a moment. 

You weren’t expecting Rita’s to be this crowded tonight. As you pushed through the packed crowd, you almost wished you’d taken Cassian up on his offer to pay for this round, but in his current state, your friend could barely manage to walk - let alone balance a tray of drinks through the boisterous crowd. Pile him with alcohol and the feared general turned into a clumsy, overgrown toddler. A giant Illyrian baby, just like Feyre always called him. 

You couldn’t help but smile as you made your way over to the bar. For once, things were quiet in Velaris. There was no longer a looming threat of war. The tension between the High Lords had come to a ceasefire. Rhys hadn’t sent you out on a mission in over a month. All was well in the city that you loved. At least for the moment. 

However temporary it was, you were determined to enjoy being home. 

The bartender greeted you, making conversation about your recent ambassadorial trip to the Continent and her daughter’s latest project at Feyre’s art studio. You promised to drop by later in the week to see the painting before she scurried off to fetch your usual order. You smiled, cherishing the moment. It was the little things that made Velaris feel like home. 

As you leaned against the wooden countertop, a male sauntered up to you. He was handsome and made polite conversation, but you were only half-listening. You knew that he was flirting with you and while you were flattered, you weren’t interested. He just wasn’t your type.

Because your type was a certain mysterious, brooding Illyrian warrior who also happened to be your closest friend. 

You shook the thought away. The reason you insisted on fetching the drinks was so you could clear your head from being in such close proximity to the Shadowsinger who often invaded your thoughts and now thanks to the private suite upstairs, also invaded your personal space. The room, which was reserved for the Inner Circle’s more intimate gatherings, was starting to feel a little stuffy. 

It was usually fine, but with Amren bringing Varian along and Mor finally gathering up the nerve to ask Emerie out, the space was a little more crowded than normal. You didn’t begrudge your friends for bringing their significant others. They were the best people you knew and they deserved to be happy, but you were literally an inch away from ending up in Azriel’s lap. 

Not that you’d mind that. But you didn’t know if he’d mind that. 

To be perfectly honest, your relationship with the Shadowsinger was a little confusing. The two of you were close. You often talked into the late hours of the night, discussing anything and everything. Azriel understood you in a way that no one else ever has and your friendship was so closely-knit that even Cassian was jealous. You told each other everything. Well, except for the fact that you were hopelessly in love with him. 

Sometimes you wondered if the lingering stares, the accidental touches, and the palpable tension between you was all in your head. If it was anyone else, you would’ve just outright asked. But this was Azriel. He was your best friend and you didn’t want to risk ruining your friendship. 

You sighed, snapping your attention back to the male before you. He asked you a question, but you couldn’t recall what it was. Luckily, it seemed to be a rhetorical one since he was now pulling a golden coin from behind your ear. You suppressed the urge to snort. Was he actually performing a magic trick in the presence of the Night Court’s most powerful sorceress? 

You smiled politely, looking over his shoulder as if that would somehow summon the drinks any faster. Fortunately for you, the bartender was returning with a tray in hand. Salvation at last.

“Do you need any help with that?” The male, sans gold coins and magic tricks, asks as you expertly hoist the tray over your head. 

Before you could answer, the tray was being lifted from your hands as an arm snakes possessively through your waist. 

“She doesn’t need any help.”

Like shadows given form, Azriel’s cold, smooth voice swept over you as he placed a kiss on your cheek. If his arm around your waist made your traitorous little heart rattle in your chest, his lips pressed against your skin threatened to send you into outright cardiac arrest. You said nothing as you looked up at him, mouth gaping at the sight of the Shadowsinger. 

Beneath the glow of the golden faelights, Azriel looked like a dream. He was dressed casually tonight and you were inclined to deem it his best look yet. Instead of his usual fighting leathers, he wore dark trousers and a black silk shirt with the first few buttons undone, giving you a perfect view of the tattoos swirling through his chest. His wings were tucked tight behind his back, but you could’ve sworn that they flared slightly at the sight of the male. 

Azriel’s dark hair was perfectly tousled and his cheeks were slightly tinged in the endearing way that they always were when he drank, but those eyes of his was what startled you the most. Shrouded in the darkness of his shadows, they glowed a bright, golden color as they landed on you with the intensity of a predator tracking his prey. Cauldron boil you, Azriel was going to be the end of you. 

“Do you, my love?” 

You raised a brow at the nickname, conveying your utter confusion at whatever the hell was going on. Azriel only smirked and you swore to the Cauldron that your heart leapt at the sight. Gods, he really had no business looking like that.

“I - I’m sorry. I didn’t know you two were together.” 

Azriel leveled a gaze at the male that would’ve sent lesser men running. It was strange to think that the same male who participated in an annual snowball fight with Rhys and Cas was one of the most powerful Illyrians in history and the feared spymaster of the Night Court. The very sight of him incited fear out of most people, but not you. You were fortunate enough to know the real Azriel.

Still you couldn’t say that you minded this overprotective side of him.

“Now you do.” Azriel replies in a dark tone, as polite of a dismissal that the Shadowsinger could muster. “If you’ll excuse us, we should be getting back to our friends.” 

Not awaiting the male’s reply, Azriel grabs a hold of your hand and navigates the both of you through a throng of people. You followed him up the stairs, struggling to keep up with his pace despite the fact that he was currently balancing a tray of drinks over his head. Damn those long legs of his. 

When you finally reach the top, you completely lose it. You double over in laughter just as Azriel sets the drinks down on a sturdy surface.

“My love?” You ask incredulously. 

He grins, giving you a full view of the hidden dimple on his right cheek. “Too over the top?” 

“The liquor’s really gone to your head, Shadowsinger.”

“I -” Hiccup. “Haven’t -” Another hiccup. “Had that much to drink.” 

“Very convincing.” You chuckle, nudging him with your hip.

“I clocked your discomfort from a mile away,” he replies with a chuckle. “Did he honestly think that would work?” 

You grimaced. “I’d need at least another gallon of Rhysand's expensive wine to wash the memory down. You didn’t need to scare him half to death though. I had it handled.” 

Azriel is still holding your hand as he leans against the wall. You looked down at your intertwined fingers and felt his grip loosen. It wasn’t a secret that Azriel was self-conscious about the scars on his hands, but you’ve always thought that they were beautiful. Just like the rest of him. 

You squeezed his hand tighter, offering a small smile. 

“I know you did. Scaring him was purely for my pleasure.” 

That earned Azriel an eye roll. “Busybody. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself, thank you very much.”

“I don’t doubt that you could’ve had him on his ass if you wanted to, but you’re too nice to actually say anything and you looked so uncomfortable that I had to intervene.” He leaned in conspiratorially. “My shadows told me he pulled a coin out of your ear. Be honest with me, did he mistake you for a piggy bank?” 

You slapped his arm, eliciting a dramatic gasp from the Shadowsinger. “If you mean to make fun of me, maybe I should take my chances with the magician.” 

Azriel snorted. “He’s not your type.” 

You quirked a brow. “How would you know?” 

His grin grows wider. “I’m the spymaster, remember?”

“Keeping tabs on me now, I see.” 

“Only when potential threats are nearby.” 

“I’d hardly call him a threat.”

Azriel shrugs, but his eyes are trained on you. “He was a little over familiar, don’t you think?” 

“Are you jealous, Az?” 

“Of course I’m jealous. He’s talking to my best friend while she leaves me alone to fend for myself up here.” 

You chuckle. “I haven’t been gone for that long and you’re not alone.” 

“That’s true, but it’s more fun when you’re by my side.”

Your face heats as you pitch forward, praying to the Cauldron that your hair would hide the flush spreading over your cheeks. “I guess I owe you my gratitude all the same.” 

“Don’t thank me yet. Cas somehow convinced everyone into participating in some sort of singing contest.” 

You snorted. “And here I thought you were rescuing me out of the kindness of your own heart.”

Az actually shuddered. “You don’t need rescuing, but I might.” 

“Do you think I could ask our new friend to teach me his trick? I’d pay at least a month’s worth of wages to witness your inebriated singing.” 

“Over my dead body,” replies the Shadowsinger.

You shake your head. “So dramatic, but I am willing to wager something far more interesting. If you get in there and sing. I’ll…” A wicked smile tugs at your lips as the perfect bait came to mind. “I’ll read one of my romance books to you.” 

Az squints, considering the offer. You could practically see the gears turning in that beautiful, complicated brain of his. For months, he’s teased you about the smutty books that you, Nesta, Gwyn, and Emerie bonded over. He was so intrigued that he’d even asked you to read a passage aloud to him. You refused, frantically sprinting out of the room before he could press the matter even further. It only made him that much more curious. 

Another pause and you knew Az would cave. “A full chapter and I get to choose.”

For a chance to hear him sing, you would have agreed to reading Sellyn Drake’s entire collection of novels. “Deal.” 

The tingling sensation on the back of your neck officially sealed the bargain. You run your fingertips over the new tattoo, tracing the outline of the half crescent moon embedded into soft skin. 

Azriel pulls down the collar of his shirt to show you the matching ink on his golden brown skin. “A sign of a deal well struck.”

 You respond with a smirk. “Now get in there and sing, Az.”

As it turns out, the Shadowsinger could, in fact, sing. You watched in amazement as his voice embraced you with an angelic melody, amplified by the strange enchanted device that you picked up during your last trip to the Continent. The fact that Azriel had a lovely singing voice didn’t surprise you one bit. Your friend was irritatingly good at everything he set his sights to. 

Even Cassian and Rhys, nearly stumbling over from the amount of alcohol they’d consumed, listened intently as Azriel sang. Beside you, Feyre and Nesta released a sigh, causing you to giggle. The sisters may be happily mated, but no one was immune to Azriel’s charms. Especially not you.

Mor sent you a knowing look from across the table as she draped an arm over Emerie’s shoulder. She was well aware of the feelings you had for Azriel and often encouraged you to make your affections known. With the matter between Mor and Azriel addressed and settled, she wanted nothing more than to see both of her friends happy. 

Your move, the blonde mouthed. 

As the honeyed wine worked its magic, warming your flesh and bones as your nerves settled into a pleasant hum, you childishly stuck a tongue out at your friend. Busybody. 

Mor snorted in amusement and you ignored the way Azriel’s stare lingered on you as he sang the final notes. The beautiful crooning of the Shadowsinger came to an end as Rhys and Cassian snatched the enchanted innovation away from their brother, launching into a godsawful rendition of some bawdy song, complete with an uncoordinated array of movements that you supposed was meant to be an accompanying dance. You wouldn’t be surprised if the two had rehearsed this in their free time. 

As Rhys dramatically serenaded Feyre, Cassian tugged at your hand. 

“Absolutely not.” 

“Come on, little witchling. I know you can sing. Nes and I hear you belting out songs from the bath all the time.”

You shot an accusing look at Nesta, who only offered a smile of amusement at her mate’s antics. “You’re lucky that I’m too drunk to argue,” you reply to Cassian. 

The Illyrian warrior laughed, whirling you over to Rhys, who placed the enchanted little device up to your mouth. The three of you sang, voices melding together into a mixture of Rhysand’s cool tenor, Cassian’s low, rumbling bass, and your lilting falsetto. Rhys and Cas hook their elbows around yours, swinging and swirling you through the small space until you felt dizzy with laughter. You beamed when Feyre, Nesta, Mor, and Emerie rose from their seats to join your merry dancing. 

Even Amren, who was curled up on the settee with Varian, smiled at the sight. 

Feyre grasped your hand and twirled you through the air, pushing you straight into the solid wall that was Azriel’s chest. The Shadowsinger caught you by the waist, leading you into a soft sway as you breathed in the familiar scent of cedar and night-chilled mist. 

“Chapter 42.” Azriel says softly. His hazel eyes glitter with mischief as your arms rest just above his shoulders. 

“What?” 

“The chapter that I want you to read to me.” 

You chuckle, leaning into his open arms as your bodies clicked together like perfect pieces of a puzzle. You had to give it to him. Az never took his eyes off the prize. 

“Since you gave one hell of a performance, I’m inclined to throw in another chapter. Free of charge.” 

The rumble of Azriel’s laughter, deep and electrifying like the sound of thunder, washes over you. 

Home. 

It was good to be home.

“I think I like drunk Az better than sober Az.” You announce, carefully teetering through the cobblestone steps lining the dimly lit streets. Fresh, powdered snow crunched underneath your feet as you breathe in the crisp air. There was truly nothing better than the sight of glittering snowflakes raining down upon the frozen banks of the Sidra. 

After tonight’s festivities, Rhys had to drag a drunk Cassian back to the River House. Feyre and Nesta trailed after their mates while Mor winnowed Emerie home. Amren and Varian had slinked off to her apartment sometime during the night, leaving you and Azriel alone. You suppose it would’ve been easier to fly home, but you wanted to drink in the blissful peace that had settled over Velaris. Azriel followed closely at your heels, his shadows dancing across his shoulders. 

“Ouch.” The Shadowsinger said with feigned hurt, clasping a hand to his chest. “You wound me, angel.” 

Your cheeks warmed at the nickname and Azriel smirked. He liked making you flustered, and especially now, with the aftereffects of the wine still buzzing through your skin and the white flurries crowning you with winter’s kiss, you were the perfect embodiment of an angel. 

“I’m just saying. I didn’t even know you could sing until tonight. What else are you hiding from me, Az?” 

He chuckled as the soft wind rustled through your hair. “More than you know. Mostly the fact that Cas cheated during your last game of cards.” 

You squinted at the confirmation of your suspicions. “That giant Illyrian baby will pay.” 

Azriel rolled his eyes fondly, walking quietly by your side as the stars glittered above. A beat of silence passed until he spoke again. “I think I like drunk Azriel better too. He was brave.” 

You raised a brow. “I’ve never known you to be afraid.” 

Azriel paused, his fingers lightly gripping your wrist. The two of you stopped below the the glow of the moonlight, enveloping you in the starkissed night as tender hazel eyes made your breath catch in your throat. In the middle of the quiet streets of the place you called home, his golden-brown skin washed in a soft, silver light, a dimple peeking from its hiding place, Azriel looked like heaven. 

The cool, neutral mask Azriel wore slipped away and you saw him. Hopeful and shy, staring at you as though you were the only female in the world. He weighed the words on the tip of his tongue a hundred times over. Whether it was the wine or the male that had hit on you earlier, something pushed him to stop being afraid. 

“The truth is, I’m a coward. I’m too afraid to tell my best friend that I’m in love with her.” 

He wanted to tell you the day that you two returned from fighting Hybern or the day at the House as you sat curled up with your favorite book, cheeks pink from the explicit content, or the day that you knocked him on his ass in the training ring and every day in between since the moment he met you. Seeing you here, with fresh fallen snow coating your hair, grinning at him after a night out with his family, Azriel couldn’t hold it in any longer. 

He loved you. 

Your chest tightened. For the first time since you met him, Azriel looked nervous. As though he was offering his heart before you, vulnerable and exposed, yours to do with as you wished.

“I love you, too.” 

Love seemed too simple of a word to describe what you felt for Azriel, but it was a good start. 

Azriel breathed a sigh of relief and pulled you to him, noses touching with barely a wisp of breath separating your lips from his. He waited, careful and patient, for you to say yes. To his surprise, you rose on the tips of your toes and pressed your mouth firmly against his. The kiss was soft and gentle and it felt right, like the answer to an unasked question that you’ve been searching for your whole immortal existence. One hand weaved through your hair while the other snaked around your waist, lifting you off your feet and pulling you closer as his plush lips, tasting of honeyed wine and peppermint pressed soft kisses against your mouth.

“Angel?” Azriel murmured against your skin.

“Hmm?” You asked distractedly. Drunk not on wine, but Azriel himself. His mouth, his hands, his warmth. You wanted to drown in him. 

“Make it three chapters.” 

The smirk on his face, beautiful and glowing, made your heart ache. 

“Shut up and kiss me, Az.” 

So he did.

[gaysindistress]

Here’s another list of thing that I think are canon for our lover boy Bucky and no one can convince me of otherwise.

list one

1. Bucky has complicated feelings about wanting a family.

In the 40s, he would’ve said yes in a heartbeat because that’s what was expected of him and look at him. Who wouldn’t want him as the dutiful husband and involved father of your children?

But then the war and HYDRA happened and he told himself no. Never would he have a relationship, a marriage, or a family. He had Steve and Sam (even if he didn’t want to admit the last one). He would be fine without any of that.

Things became even more complicated when Steve fucked off back to the 40s and chose Peggy. Bucky always had feelings he knew weren’t normal for his best friend but he couldn’t address them. He had more pressing matters than to figure out if he loved his best friend or loved his best friend. Deep down he wanted Steve to be more than just his family. He wanted Steve to build their family with him but when he left without so much as a good explanation, it crushed him.

Sam stepped up and showed him what found family meant, showing Bucky that family didn’t have to be born. We can choose who we love and call our family. Being so quickly accepted by Sam’s family meant the world to him because it meant that they wanted to be around him. They wanted to get to know him and to care for him. It wasn’t out of duty, honor, pride, or any of that other bullshit. It was out a desire to care for and love Bucky as he was.

Finding his family in Sam felt like that one Hozier song:

I got some colour back, she thinks so too

I laugh like me again, she laughs like you

Except Bucky knows that Sam cannot replace Steve not does he want that. He wants a fresh start and that’s what he got.

Now…. when he meets you?

All bets are off. This man sees you hanging out and bonding with Sam’s nephews as if they’re your own, and he’s weak in the knees. You help Sarah with something in the kitchen? Bucky needs a minute to recalibrate his brain. You flick shit at Sam? Bucky is smiling but also dying on the inside because his heart is beating so fast and he can’t get it under control.

But the moment he sees you gently rocking a baby to sleep, he’s about to drop onto one knee and ask you to marry him. You’re talking to Sarah and someone had passed off this crying child to you so you zip them into your coat and start swaying to get them to calm down. You’re patting their back in slow rhythmic motions, much the same way you do to Bucky when he’s feeling anxious or has a nightmare. Sarah doesn’t bat an eye because she has two kids of her own and you two carry on your conversation. When Sam and him walk over, he literally stops dead in his tracks and gasps. Sam goes to give him shit but he follows his eye-line to you and makes a point to get your attention. You turn around ever so slightly and that’s it. Bucky is a puddle on the ground at the sight of you with a fast asleep baby wrapped in your coat.

2. He is actually a diva when it comes to the closet and your clothes.

He has a system okay? Shirts, jackets, sweaters, and sweatshirts all get hung up. Undershirts and pants are folded while his underwear and socks are rolled into neat little sausages so they can be put into a drawer. His shoes go under where his clothes are hung up and whenever he hangs up his clothes, they all get turned right side out so he can see what they are when he’s flipping through them.

You on the other hand are a savage and shove whatever fits into the drawer. Yes of course, socks and underthings go in one, shirts in another with bottoms in the last drawer but there’s no order. It’s all chaos and on more than one occasion, he has made you sit down and reorganize everything. Your clothes are going to look the way his do and he will do your laundry for you if that means it stays that way.

Although when you move in together, it’s gets significantly better because he’s the one doing laundry so he has complete control over it.

3. Mexican food is his shit.

Mexican food didn’t become mainstream outside of South Western America until after he was taken by HYDRA so it’s unlikely that he’s ever had it prior to TFATWS.

He and Sam needed to go to San Diego for some Captain America thing and you went with them. You were craving some legit tacos after being on the East Coast for too long. There are obviously good taquerias and even Mexican restaurants in general in Washington D.C. but those places don’t compare to California’s Mexican food.

(This part is based entirely on my own experiences) Once you’ve had food from the taquerias that sit in parking lots, nothing can compare to the thrill of ordering and being able to taste how fresh it is. The pickled carrots and jalapeños are so crisp. The radishes taste like the pico de gallo because they used the same knife to cut it and your sauce levels are white people, normal, and abuelita.

Anyways you drag them along and Bucky is making comments about how you’ve lost your mind because “this is parking lot to an empty store. There’s not going to be food here.” Sam is snickering in the back seat because he knows what’s up and he helped pick the place.

Bucky doesn’t want to get out of the car at first but when you hop out, he’s swinging that door open and trailing after you. There ain’t no way in hell he’s letting you walk up to this food truck but yourself. He’s also completely taken aback by the fact that you order what he thinks is enough food for ten people and not three. You send a quick smile to him over your shoulder and thank the people as you start passing food off to him and Sam. When you all sit down at the wooden picnic table that’s sitting off to the side of the taqueria, you explain what everything is and even tell Bucky what order he should eat.

After that, he’s practically begging you to take him back so you can get some of the “best damn food he’s had in a long time.”