#anyways. have fun im gonna have coffee oof

[the-kipsabian]

is kip sabian a tumblr sexyman

//kinda heavily edited 7/28/23. im trying to be more neutral about this, still keeping this within just the on-screen character. added in a few more things that are on the list linked below, so the results have actually kinda drastically changed now these are still just my opinions and ofc this doesnt negate how hes really perceived, its just interesting to see this being called out so many times but when you put actual evidence on it, boy how the tables turn lmao

so we all have probably heard the question by now

seeing this post on my dash, i have found resources now to see for myself, collect data and give you the actual result to this burning question

i got you tropes, my takes on them and whether they apply to him under the cut. things to note, this is my personal view tho im trying to keep it neutral, and im only tackling the on-screen character as its been portrayed on tv and some other special occasions when it has specifically shined through (take him invading ocs streams for example)

green is yes red is no yellow is maybe anything in italics are an edit from the original post

4th wall blurring - technically wrestling is already very blurred lines, but take the kip/oc feud for example and the lengths he took it to on social media, twitch etc. outside the ring

Androgynous - arguable, its the eyeliner for me bro. that and the way he carries himself. currently this also includes the hair/hair colors and the eye shadow. gender is a social construct

Animal theming

Angst - it depends how you view it. its not like full blown angst sadness, but it sure does exist, especially with how he talks about himself tbh

Bait - he just organically formed into this shape. i dont believe he specifically designed this style or characteristics to make himself be perceived as a tumblr sexyman

British

Burton

Capitalist

Chaoslord

Chronokinetic

Criminal

Cosmic

Clown

Controversial - i dont know why some of yall hate him so much but apparently people do so. whatever

Deadpan snarker - he can be, but not to a point of a defining character trait

Dealmaker

Detective

DILF - not yet

Distinctive voice - so the source list updated this to feature catchphrases and yes. "embrace the change", "time doesnt heal it changes you", "underrated and over it". you get the deal

Divorced

Dominating - there are cases. but mostly i think hes just a pathetic fool idk. but also this is a theming in wrestling in general so like. go figure

Duality - with and without the box, there is a difference

Egotistical

Eldritch - only in fanon i think ive seen this one. and partially personally applied this one lol (tho i mean idk if we get the box back in some form we might see more hints about this so it might turn into a maybe!!)

Eye imagery

Fanon splintering

Forest Dweller

Gay/LGBTQ+ coded

Girlboss

Glowing neon

Goo

Himbo - okay listen. as much as i would LOVE to mark this one as a solid yes, since we are strictly talking about boxman era and after on-screen kip, this doesnt stand, as he doesnt show himbo behavior on camera. im keeping it as a maybe tho, just for the sake of showing that im aware and i care <3

Hot-headed

Intelligence - also counts for the sub category smartdumb. an idiotic mastermind

Johnlocked - dont get me wrong, ive seen ships, but i dont think its ever been super extensive or overpowering. yall need to work harder lol. unfortunately despite my personal bias and seeing its growth in popularity, i still cannot mark this even as a maybe

Knifemurder

Mad scientist

Magnificent bastard - im just gonna copy the definition here. "As per TV Tropes, a Magnificent Bastard is a "villain (or morally gray character at best) portrayed as confident, charming schemers who thinks on their feet, outsmarts their competitors with style and grace, and remains graceful even in the event of defeat"."

Marked canon/fanon divergence

Monster features

Mysterious - boxhead in the crowd for months building intrigue + the unadvertised meet and greets at events. plus seemingly extensive lore we never get/got, unexplained box mysteries, etc.

Neurodivergent - i was thinking about excluding this, but he talks about his adhd so openly PLUS a big part of boxman came from the depression and anxiety of when he was on the shelf after surgery so. it counts for me

Nonhuman

Object head

Obscured face - technicality, but i count it as he wore the box for so fucking long. we didnt see his actual face for literally a year

Obsessive - HAVE YOU SEEN HOW OFTEN HE TWEETS AT OC i rest my case

Oncelerization

Pale twink - im making a personal decision to say no on this as none of the definitions really hit the mark like, at all. literally the only ones on the list are 'young' and 'dude' like. nope

Parental figure

Parental issues

Pathetic - A THOUSAND TIMES YES

Perpetual smiler - he gets the shit kicked out of him in the ring and still fucking laughs at it on the spot

Power

Power of love - yall have seen penelope, right?

Religious imagery - no, but marking sub category demonic as a maybe since connections to penelope

Retro - this is interesting, im putting it down as maybe since its not really showing but the current design choices with the grayscale gear makes me think about old timey stuff

Robot

Royalty

Scars

Secret agent

Short

Tall - im withdrawing this one, since the definition is "really/abnormally tall" and hes only 5'11 so. this was marked as a 'maybe' before

Teacher figure

Theme song

Thin - "characters that are fairly slim but dont fit under pale twink" i can accept this lol

Traitor/Twist villain

Twisted freaking cycle path

Unkempt

Upper class - i dont necessarily consider it but i guess. keeping this as a maybe since the suit aesthetic is very high class so

Urban legend aesthetics - CRYPTID RIGHTS FOR KIP

Villain/Morally gray/Refined villain/Technically antagonist

Well-dressed/Suitguy/Long coat - suit, pinstripes, long coat. i kind of want to also say the alt fashion counts here since he can be very emo but you know

White twink humanization - all im asking is that you dont humanize that box. please

White hair

29/75 40/75 6/75

final thoughts:

so i see where this thought comes from. he definitely hits like some of the biggest tropes (fancy british man with an object head, a stupidly catchy theme song and catchphrases, a hot wife and a plan to dominate orange cassidy the world), but we are also missing some obvious ones like him being just a stupid murder whore so like. go figure

this is a very subjective list im aware, there are a few things that could probably be seen differently but i, as a self proclaimed Expert And Conspiracy Theorist In The Kip Sabian Space™, will hold this belief system until someone tells me otherwise lmao

anyways this was just for fun dont take this as seriously as i did the first time around lol. enjoy, just dont argue with me. if you need any tropes need explaining, look at the link above and/or just ask and i'll let you know what i was thinking with marking them if there arent notes explaining or if they are confusing

✌

[berryunho]

BESTIE BAEEEEE IM BACK 😭😭😭 LORD IT FEELS SO LONG BUT I ACTUALLY JUST COULD NOT PROCESS THE CONCERT LIKE IT WAS ACTUALLY SO GOOD I WENT INSANE I SWEAR JENFJNDN especially with the special project :( I actually bawled my eyes out like no joke 😭

AND I CAME BACK TO 3 CHAPTERS EEK LET ME JUST SAY THAT I WAS RIGHT ABT WHO THE SMUT SCENE WAS GONNA BE WITH AND LET ME TELL YOU THAT IT WAS QUITE POSSIBLY THE BEST SMUT SCENE I HAVE EVER READ EVER LIKE IT JUST FLOWED SO NATURALLY AND SAN’S TEASING..#.,$,&:)&)’wk GOT ME KICKING MY FEET UP IN THE AIR EHEHEEHE YOU GIVE YOURSELF LESS CREDIT THAN WHAT IS DUE I SWEAR LIKE I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH HOW WELL THE PLOT FLOWS

THE WAY IT ENDED THO OHHHOHOHOHO I WAS READY TO START SWINGING AT HONGJOONG FR LIKE WHY IS HE GOING SO ABOVE AND BEYOND???

Woo too??? Woo and Yunho seem like they have the same views/experiences except Yunho seems way more grounded with his beliefs compared to Woo 🧐🧐 can’t wait to see more of him tho 😳 especially about there being another girl before mc?? Like mc should of asked WAYYYY more elaboration on that 😭

It really was such a sad ending though like I felt horrible that someone as innocent as Haseul already had her fate set since the beginning :(

The ending has me extremely weary of San though… like… did he actually do anything to save Haseul or was he playing it off?? Cause 1. Why’d he come back so late and 2. Why did he take a shower ���so late?? Especially since it was mentioned that Jongho’s shirt was nearly black from all the blood splatter like… could San have possibly been in on her death? There are some loopholes to the theory though such as what was he doing that took him so long if it doesn’t take that long to kill someone especially with 2 people and even if they tortured her for info then what info would they exactly need from Haseul because they already know so much about mc, etc.

Anyway, I hope that you’re doing great and I hope you loved the concert as much as I did as well as the new album!! Like ohhhh my god Halazia is honestly Ateez’s best title track to date I cannot get ENOUGH of it 😭💖 ALSO I HOPE YOU GOT A SIGNED ALBUM HEHEHEH

Stay happy and safe as well as healthy!

- Love, 🍓 anon 💖

AAAAAAAAAHHHH HI!!!!

that concert was ... an entirely different universe LKAJDSFKLJS i had so much fun but ... oh my god ... the bawling that was going on ... OOF i started crying SO FAST and i litcherally did not stop crying until i was back in my hotel like the tears would not stop flowing ALKSJDF;KL

BUT AH ! YAY !? PLSDJFSLKDFJ THANK YOU im still so ... IAJSDK;FJSLDF;JK LIKE I CANT BELIEVE I WROTE THAT BUT IM GLAD YOU LIKED IT ANYWAYS I FELT IT WAS TIME

ohoho theories ... love it love it love it klsjflkajdfkl no i do feel kinda bad for haseul bc she really didnt do anything but .... it had to be done ... LKAJSDL;FKJDS but anyhow ....... i have no comment about san's involvement or disimvolvement or ignorance or innocence im simply sipping my coffee :]

BUT A;KDFASLD YES HALAZIA IS SO GOODAJFSDLKFJ SCREAMING AND IM SO GLAD YOU HAD FUN AT THE CONCERT AND ALJSDFKJ I ACTUALLY DID GET SIGNED ALBUMS (seonghwa and wooyoung lets go) PLSDFLSD SCREAMING BUT ANYWAYS ILY I HOPE YOU'RE WELL !!! <333

[h0neyjaehyun]

☁︎ 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤 ☁︎

Summary // Tali decided maybe a little flirting won't hurt....oof.

Characters // Talia Flores + Jung Jaehyun(ft.Nct 127)

Era / Year // July 2017

Word Count //

Note // I would like to thank @woopetals for this🥰, ya girl was struggling anyway HAPPY BIRTHDAY OUR VALENTINE BOY JUNG JAEHYUN❤❤❤

"Hey cutie." Jaehyun came into her room laying beside her. She looked up from her book then looked back down and shook her head.

"So you not gonna acknowledge me?" Jaehyun looked offended. Tali looked at him.

"Oh, were you talking to me, I thought you were talking to someone named Cutie." She put a hand on her chest and acting dramatic. Jaehyun rolled his eyes about to leave.

"Ohhh no no no, stayyyy." She whined grabbing on to his shirt.

"Will you respond to me then?" He raised an eyebrow at her and gave her a teasing smile. She slighty lowered her head and pouted.

"Fine, but come on and lets go the cafè handsome." She said getting off her bed, poking his cheek along the way. He loaded for a second but shook it off thinking, no she just playing no way she is gonna keep this up.....

Boy was he wrong.

They left the dorm, and she had a cute smile on her face. Then she suddenly hooked her pinky to his and and took him to the elevator. He was surprised at the sudden contact, he knew he was screwed.

She was humming all the way to the cafe still hooking pinkys. He was just admiring her honestly, trying to figure out what she was thinking.

They made it to the cafe and they got their drinks. They sat down at a table near the back to privacy.

"Whats with you, why you such in a good mood?" Jaehyun asked really curious what got her such in a good mood. She smiled at him and came closer to his face looking him up and down, as he slighty backed away from the sudden closeness. She giggle at his action, she then whispered.

"You."

She quickly went back to her seat sipping on her coffee smiling innocently like she didn't make the handsome man infront of her freeze from her act.

"I- I-"

"shhhh,come one lets go get food and have a picnic." She interrupted him grabbed his hand and dragging him to get some chicken.

Jaehyun's brain malfunction a bit he's not gonna lie, he wasn't expecting that. They got the food and went to the Han River instead to get more privacy.

"Here Cutie." He said smirking, trying to feed her but he is extra close. He was in competition mode, no way he is letting Talia win this.

Tali looked at him she took the bite confidently moved back and hummed.

"Im disappointed Jaehyun." She sighed shaking her head. She then resting her head on her hand looking at him with a mechivious look on her face only a couple people have seen.

"I was hoping you would use your mouth to give me my food how disappointing." She said slightly eyeing his lips then cutely poking his cheek with a pout.

He has never been this surprised, its not the first time Tali has flirted back but its only little comments not full on flirting. His soul left his body, he was a still statue. Tali noticed this and started poking him to get back to the real world.

"Jaehyun~ come back."

"Oh- uh-" he stumbled around his words now fully realizing what just happened. She started giggling when she noticed his ears were turning red.

"Aww, wait I'm sorry, now I feel like I went too far." She said trying to cool his ears down with her hand.

"Oh n-no no your fine I wasn't expecting that." Now replacing her hands with his. She giggle again at his embarrassment, she looked up to the sky noticing it was getting dark.

"Come on mi Bon bon lets go home." She sighed grabbing his hand to get him up. He smiled at the nickname and shook his head. He cleaned up while she was getting smoothies.

"Wow, I really dug a whole for myself." He whispered to himself. He catched up with her and hooked his arm with hers and gave her a cheeky smile.

"Now whats got you in a good mood?" She questioned him with a smirk. He had a cheeky smile on display.

"Because I get to brag."

"Brag?"

"Yeah.." He said now getting a closer to her, while eyed him.

"Cause I had a date and with the one and only Tali when she is usually busy. Dont you have to work the rest of the week and next?" He questioned her for some reason getting more happy.

"Uh yeah why?" She asked him little confused. He chuckled.

"Well it looks like no one can take you out on a date now can they? Not when you are busy." He said smugly.

Then it hit her.

This man took her on a date, flirted with her and with the addition of her flirting back, on her last day off. No one can take her on a date for the rest next couple weeks because she has a comeback with Blackpink so she can't even have a mini date with the members because she wont even be around them.

She looked at him so offended.

"You...you did this...for what?" She questioned him as they make it to their building. He laughed at her question.

"I have bragging rights now, your last day, you flirting back willingly and good at it too." He said chuckling too. She just had a blank face internally regretting the past what 3 hours maybe a couple more of her life. But she then didn't, since she had fun.

She shook her head at him now suppressing a smile from coming to her face.

"What am I going to do with you Bon bon?" She said putting in the pin code to the dorm. Knowing that she now has to face the consequences of today. He chuckled once again and had a smile on his face. He wrapped his arms around her waist and head on her shoulder.

"Love me more." He said slyly.

"Ha in your dreams." She retored back now opening the door. She saw the boys in the living room chilling.

"Hey guys we are back." She said smiling at them while Jaehyun straighted up with a smug smile on his face but still has a hand around her waist.

"Buuub~" Haechan whinned going up to her about to hug her but Jaehyun's hand was in the way.

"Ay hyung move your hand." Haechan said trying to swat off his hand from her waist so he can hug her the way he wants.

"Nope." Jaehyun said now hugging her fully, pulling her away from Haechan.

"Heyyy." Haechan whinned holding on to Tali's arm.

"Where did you guys go anyway?" Doyoung asked ignoring Haechan's whinning.

"We went to-

"Went on a date."

Everything was quiet, the boys were processing what Jaehyun just said.

"WHAT" Haechan screeched out, making Tali srunch up a bit to Jaehyun's chest now giving him to opportunity to hug her tighter.

"But, WE MADE A DEAL NOT TO SPEND ALONE TIME WITH HER TODAY!" Taeyong yelled out feeling betrayed.

Now Tali was even more confused."What?"

"So we made a deal not to hangout alone with you on you last day off because it would make be unfair...to the rest of us." Johnny explaines now kinda embarrassed.

"I didn't even suggest it Tali did." Jaehyun pointed out. Tali made an offened face but then thought about it.....she did, didn't she.

"Well you came into my room and I was bored what else was I supposed to do?" She defened herself.

"So flirting with me was one solution?" He pointed out.

"Nah don't put that on me you flirted first."

"You flirted Tali?" Taeyong asked surprised.

"Yeah a little."

"A LITTLE?" "YEAH A LITTLE."

"N-" "Shhhh I'm going to my room peace people I have a schedule tomorrow." She shushed Jaehyun from talking, she went to her shared room with Mark as she shared a room with him in 127 dorm when she stayed over.

Everyone saw her close the door and then they looked back at Jaehyun offended.

"So you went to her first?" Taeyong asked sassily.

"Yeah, it was nice for the mattera fact and she flirted back too which was the best part." He bragged then started sipping his smoothie.

"Ah Jaehyun whyyy." Taeyong whined knowing damn well he can't spend time with her for the next 2 weeks.

"She wanted to, and I gave her what she wanted." He defended himself.

Haechan huffed also wanting to have a date with her since he hasn't been able to properly hang out with her. Then he thought of something.

"TALI~ COME AND CUDDLE WITH ME TONIGHT!" He yelled out for her waddling to her and Mark's room.

"NO COME CUDDLE ME INSTEAD." Yuta yelled out shoving Haechan out of the way heading towards to door.

Then everyone else joined in.

Jaehyun was now smiling smugly sitting on the island chair looking at the chaos he had made sipping on his smoothie.

"You are proud of yourself aren't you." Johnny said sitting next to him.

"You have no idea."

[miikrokkosmos]

A Long Work Day: Namjoon x Reader

wc: 1.5 k

genre: fluff, college!joon, librarian!reader

a request from me, to me. just some fun hcs relevant to my life rn.

a/n: hello friends. back on my namjoon bs. (jk I never got off it I was just absent im sorry). anyway this is largely self-indulgent considering I just recently started grad school on top of a new full time job and am lonely and DEAD, but if anyone else out there enjoys this too I would be endlessly happy! feel free to send in requests for any member!

_______________________________________________________________________

·      Working full time was on top of your homework was draining, to say the least

·      Maybe more than ever you were grateful to have Joon in your life for the support and encouragement and much-needed warmth he brought into your life. Especially after long days of working at the big library you were staffed at full of rowdy students that had to be shushed and more than one person who would fight you on overdue book fees and the like

·      Needless to say you spent any downtime at work dreaming about when you’d close for the night and get to go home to your love (ew cheesy but true)

·      Or even better were the rare occasions he’d have time between his own work or class schedule to drop by to surprise you with your favourite warm drink or, just as healing, your favourite warm smile

·      Today was one of those days you were just longing to be home with him the most. But he unfortunately would not be getting home until after you today, as it was his evening class day

·      You were having terrible cramps, it was storming out and you had gotten completely soaked on the way in, leaving you cold all throughout your shift, and to top it all off, your least favourite grouchy male supervisor was leading today

·      To top it all off, you couldn’t stop stressing about how behind you were getting in homework

·      When you had about an hour left to your shift, thinking you weren’t gonna make it, the most beautiful sight you’ve ever seen walked into the library, aka the kim namjoon walking in in all of his oversized, cuddly cardigan glory, umbrella in one hand and starbucks in the other

·      “I thought you had class tonight??” you asked, taking your favourite warm drink from his hands with almost tearful gratitude

·      “it got canceled. And I know you weren’t feeling your best even before you started your long shift today, so I figured maybe a little pick-me-up was in order”

·      “are you referring to yourself as the pick-me-up, or the coffee?” you joked, trying to hide the fact you were almost crying at work bc you were so happy to see your boyfriend and the fact that his first instinct when he got some much-deserved free time was to visit you Lwith your favourite coffee Lin a storm halfway through the night L((((

·      those dimples

·      truly something to never, ever get tired of

·      “I’ll let you be the judge of that one, honey”

·      you beamed up at him for maybe a second too long for his heart to handle, causing him to lean down to peck your lips only for your supervisor to loudly clear his throat behind you the second your lips made contact

·      you didn’t bother to look back at your boss, knowing you’d only be met with judging eyes and possibly a lecture you were not emotionally or physically prepared to deal with right now

·      “no PDA at work rule, remember?” you sweetly say to namjoon, hoping he’ll understand you don’t want to get in trouble with your supervisor tonight of all times

·      he innocently smiles back at you, his pupils dilating a little more only as he leans in to your ear to quickly whisper that “we’ll just have to make up for the lost time later” before pulling away again

·      he decided to do his homework at a desk nearby for your last hour. Needless to say you did more “people watching” than anything until your shift was over

·      a little over an hour later and you could swear you’ve never been happier to get home

·      namjoon offers to reheat the leftover fried rice you made the day before while you go get washed up and got your laundry and such ready for your morning shift the next day ://

·      you still have a chill from being wet all day so when you come out in your pajama set, still shivering, joon immediately takes his cardigan off and drapes it over you which you are very very okay with

·      most days, if your schedules lined up to have supper together you’d talk about the events of the day, but sometimes one or both of you was just a little too tired. Or a little too down. To discuss it all. And there was an unspoken agreement between you two to never push the other if they weren’t ready or up to discussing it all

·      that was you today

·      you were both good at just being a presence and silent encouragement to the other when need be

·      that was namjoon for you tonight

·      offering you bites of his food if he noticed you slowing in taking your own bites

·      gently massaging your scalp with his free hand while you ate in comfortable silence together

·      eventually you missed his voice and wanted to hear it even if you didn’t have much to conversationally offer at the moment

·      “it was a long day, joon”

·      his eyes opened slightly more at you with both sympathy and love

·      seeing youre done eating, he moves your chair closer with one hand so he can bring your body into his side and wrap an arm around you, encouraging you to rest your head under his chin. Which you happily oblige

·      “I know, baby.”

·      “I don’t want to use extra energy to go through it all right now. It was just rough. You made it a lot better though.”

·      You could feel him smile at that last part. Oof your heart

·      “and I don’t need you to. I’m sorry it was rough. But that’s okay, you know? There’ll be a lot of better day. And probably a few worse ones. But I’ll be here through them all. And I know you’re more than capable to handle any kind of day thrown at you.”

·      You smush your cheek up against his bicep cradling you, playing with the rings on his fingers. Wow his hands were so much bigger than yours. Something else you never really get tired of thinking about. His big, strong, protective hands. Anyway –

·      “thanks for the coffee, joon”

·      “you don’t need to thank me for –“

·      “and…everything else. Thanks for being the best part of my life.”

·      It was his turn now to lean down over your shoulder and hide his face in the crook of your neck

·      “I’ve got a lot of love to give you, baby girl.”

·      You turned around in his grasp to look him in the eye, straddling him on the uncomfortable dining room chair

·      “I know you do. And I, you, my love.”

·      You leaned up to sweetly and gently kiss his lips, thankfully for much longer than he managed to slip through in the library earlier

·      A minute or so later you patted his cheek

·      “as much as I love spending every minute possible with you, I am crampy and tired and have an opening shift in the morning, unfortunately”

·      he helps you up by holding your waist as he stands

·      “I’ll go get painkillers and a hot water bottle”

·      you edge forward to wrap him in a tight hug, your head on his chest

·      without saying anything you walk off to the bathroom to get ready for bed, leaving him to chuckle at you as he finds your hot water bottle, hoping he can blame the redness on his cheeks from the steam of the hot tap water filling the room

·      he doesn’t think he’ll ever get used to your cuteness but he’s very very okay with that

·      you climbed into the extra cozy comforter and sheets, willing to stay awake until your joon was able to join you

·      moments later he appeared in the doorway, gently laying the water bottle on your lower abdomen and bringing the covers up to your chin for you

·      after cleaning himself up he effortlessly threw his shirt off and changed into gym shorts before climbing under the covers and cuddling up to your side, careful to not jostle you or the water bottle pressed against you

·      you gently reached over and began stroking the back of his head, leaning down to place a quiet kiss on his forehead

·      “thank you for taking care of me, joon” you squeaked out, barely above a whisper

·      he took your free hand (please don’t ever stop playing with his hair omg) and brought it to his lips, leaving a gentle kiss to it

·      “thank you for being the best part of MY life, baby girl. Now get some sleep. I’ll make you coffee in the morning.”

·      You eventually wrapped up in each other in a way that was comfortable enough while keeping the hot water bottle in place and woke up still in each other’s arms, and you were both very, very, very okay with that

[ao3feed-malec]

Dark Mirror

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3iy1Fct

by PrismicGalaxy

What if Janus had actually killed Max at the park... right in front of Spencer.

 So if you haven't read ghosts of the shadow market here is a breakdown of that so you can still read this fic if you so desire. In one of the short stories, Thule!Jace, or Janus, is stalking Malec and the two babies Rafael and Max at the park and Max finds him and Janus almost kills him but lets him go. Rafael comes from another one of those short stories but i'm pretty sure he was in TDA but idk.

Hope you enjoy!

Words: 261, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare, Criminal Minds (US TV)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: F/M, M/M

Characters: Magnus Bane, Alec Lightwood, Spencer Reid, William LaMontagne Jr., Jennifer "JJ" Jareau, Jace Wayland, Clary Fray, Max Lightwood-Bane, Rafael Lightwood-Bane, Isabelle Lightwood, Aaron Hotchner, Emily Prentiss, Jem Carstairs, Simon Lewis

Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, Spencer Reid & The BAU Team, Clary Fray/Jace Wayland, Alec Lightwood & Jace Wayland, Alec Lightwood & Max Lightwood-Bane, Magnus Bane & Max Lightwood-Bane, Alec Lightwood & Rafael Lightwood-Bane, Magnus Bane & Rafael Lightwood-Bane, Isabelle Lightwood & Jace Wayland

Additional Tags: Magnus Bane Deserves Nice Things, Hurt Magnus Bane, Dark Magnus Bane, Alec Lightwood Deserves Nice Things, Hurt Alec Lightwood, Hurt Spencer Reid, Supportive Isabelle Lightwood, BAMF Isabelle Lightwood, Lesbian Emily Prentiss, Protective Jace Wayland, Jace Wayland is a Herondale, Jace Wayland Feels, BAMF Clary Fray, Clary Fray & Simon Lewis Friendship, clary feels, Sad Magnus Bane, Sad Alec Lightwood, Sad Jace Wayland, Sad Spencer Reid, Protective Aaron Hotchner, Angst, Death, im sorry not really though, oof, wheee this will be fun, Malec, Forever, I don't ship spence with anyone tho, sorry - Freeform, thule, I'm Bad At Tagging, Jace is a herondale why is he tagged as a wayland, its a little annoying but okay, Evil Plans, i have evil plans, im trying not to give away to much here, anyone who reads all the tags on a fic deserves an award, three awards and a desert of their choice, Like Chocolate, but i digress, lol, hows it going with you guys, i recently discovered SteelAtom, im on my desktop so i can actually tag, yay, Uhhh more tags, idk - Freeform, Angst and Feels, mostly angst though, this fic focuses a little more on shadowhunters than criminal minds sorry-, i am absolutely horrible at tagging, dont shoot me, uhhhh, JJ is on vacation with will so she comes in at the end, because idk why, i can't decide if will/JJ is better or emily/JJ, But will is cool and prentiss is gonna die anyway so yeah, whoops, haha ignore that and pretend i never spoiled the fic, hahaaha, or the show, Dark, Time Shenanigans, I'm always ranting about stupid speedsters fucking time up and here i go... fucking time up, but seriously, Erik is a Sweetheart, mostly - Freeform, though thawne should burn, why didn't he just die why did he have to come back, i think im procrastinating by tagging a lot, uhh, cassie clare quotes, kind of, Coffee, Crack, because why not, but probably not a lot, I realize that i love torturing malec, why do I keep tagging i dont even think anyone reads these

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3iy1Fct

[normal-thoughts-official]

Ok a more specific prompt, coffee shop au with Malec and claia 😌

this is nowhere near specific and you damn well know it, anon. i appreciate u trying to find an excuse to throw coffee shop aus everywhere, tho. keep doing the lord's work even if i will inevitably twist the prompt

Magnus works at a small, local coffee shop as a barista. It's not exactly his #1 job choice, but it pays better than big chain coffee shops and he needs that to pay rent now that he officially left his abusive father's home for good. Also, he is kind of a coffee enthusiast and the owner, Ragnor, lets him go wild with making up new drinks and ingredients, as long as he still does his job.

All in all it's a good job and he considers the old fart and the other barista, maia, to be like family. Ragnor frequently gives them coffee and Maia constantly teases him about being a "coffee scientist" whenever she catches him thoughtfully drinking from a cup and scribbling notes on his notepad, like some ancient being

His recipes are good, though, and he knows exactly where to get the best coffee beans for the best price. So their drinks are good, affordable, and can please everyone from the traditional "black coffee no sugar" exec to the teenager who wants more of a milkshake than actual coffee

As a result, the shop thrives, gets more popular, and gets more clients. So Ragnor decides to hire a new barista to help. Because he's secretly a sweetheart, he ends up hiring this broke college kid who just moved into town to get away from his kinda toxic family and has nowhere to go - and also doesnt have a single ounce of experience as a barista

It's not surprising; both Magnus and Maia share similar stories, with some abusive exes to spice up the mix, not to mention racism, biphobia, and, in Magnus case, male behavior standarts keeping most opportunities closed for them. So they're cool with that. Even if it means Magnus will have to be the one to teach him, because 1- Ragnor is a dick and assigned him to be Alec's special "tutor" as retribution for Magnus calling him "an old, heart of butter bastard"; 2- he's the one who's best qualified to teach him since he knows a lot about coffee and coffee making anyway; 3- Maia has no patience

Quick detour just to say that i love the maia/magnus brotp opportunities this gives. While Magnus is more of a coffee scientist as she puts it, Maia has an almost instictive understanding of drink making. Where Magnus is soft, she's fierce, and they make one hell of a team and are good at balancing one another. They bond over their experiences with abuse; while Magnus' has made him afraid to put his foot down and say what he wants and prioritize himself, Maia's has made her particularly wary of people and even less willing to take anyone's bullshit, and both of these coping mechanisms have their own effects on their psyche, and they're able to talk openly to each other about it. Maia is kind of protective of Magnus and vice-versa, though the way they protect each other is very different. They have an easy companionship and bantering dynamic that's easygoing and cute, theyre both passionate about their interests (Maia loves marine biology and even if Magnus doesnt know much about it he loves listening to her talk about it) and just generally have that kind of relationship where just smiling at each other makes a tough day seem lighter. Also Magnus loves making Maia laugh. Maia blatantly refuses to laugh at any of his self-deprecating jokes, tho, which has considerably diminished the amount of times he makes them

Anyway Alec comes in for his first day and Magnus is like [REDACTED] because shit this man is cute. Maia notices immediately and from then on the teasing doesn't stop

He's quick to recover, tho, and suddenly he's all smooth again (Maia says he's perfected his customer service persona to horror movie levels), quick to introduce himself and Maia to Alec and explain that he'll be training Alec for the next few weeks or so. He gives him a tour of the shop, explains the basics, and immediately launches into his slightly extra More Serious Than Strictly Necessary course on the makings and workings of coffee, from bean selection to ideal temperature and the chemistry behind the cooking.

This absolute dork even had a small table with some coffee made from different kinds of beans so Alec could taste them and learn the difference and Engage with the profession or some shit

Maia just rolls her eyes, thankful that she had prior experience before getting this job and didnt have to go through this

The first thing he learns about Alec: Alec doesn't like coffee. This is not a setback. Many people dont like coffee, but that's because they're used to regular powdered coffee instead of making it from the bean. Because the beans in powdered coffee arent previously selected, they are roasted harder than they should, so any beans that might have gone bad wont spoil the taste or make you sick. As a result, the coffee is way too bitter and doesn't have a discernible taste. He explains all of this enthusiastically to a slightly overwhelmed Alec, and gets on to making him try the samples so he can feel the difference.

Here's the second thing he learns about Alec: Alec doesn't feel the difference

Despair. Horror. Offense.

Alec even kind of chuckles and goes "sorry" at the face he makes, and a not-pouting Magnus goes on with the planned explanation on bean selection

Third thing he learns about Alec: he's a quick study. Everything he lacks in sensibility to the amazing world of bean juice, he makes up for in his careful attentiveness to the instructions. He is also a strict recipe-follower and makes sure he always uses the exact amounts required. He's an absolute perfectionist. He listens to Magnus' explanations on how to know if the taste is right, to look for color and texture of the mix. Magnus tries his simple coffees and only needs a few corrections to send him on the right path

The first time Alec makes him something more complicated to try (per his request) Magnus wants to die

It's so good

Scratch that, it's perfect

This soulless motherfucker doesn't even like coffee and this is the single best version of whatever crazy frapuccino shit they're making magnus has ever tried

He kind of bursts from the kitchen (?) all like MAIA YOU HAVE TO TRY THIS just in time to interrupt her chatting with this redhead new customer with shiny eyes. Maia is leaning all the way across the counter. What is this

Maia agrees that it's very good but again he's not as passionate about coffee and Magnus just interrupted what would have been a really smooth number-giving move so she's not feeling all that generous

Alec just laughs at that. His eyes are shining with amusement and he's very, very pleased that Magnus likes his stuff

It's not a big secret, really; mixing drinks is kind of like patisserie in the sense that the measures need to be exact to achieve the best taste and texture. He follows the recipe to a fault, it turns out good. That's why he's better at the more complicated, instagram-y drinks than the simple coffee types

Alec "graduates" his training pretty soon after that and Ragnor is very pleased

He gets along well with both Magnus and Maia, even if he's more quiet and sometimes catches himself just laughing at the two of them interact; their friendship is something else. But he also gets to hear a "shut up" from Maia after not saying absolutely anything when the redhead walks in again the very next day

The redhead always comes in a little late in the morning, so its always slow. As a result, they get to pretend to be minding their own business as they hear the two of them chat and oof is the romantic tension between them something. Maia glares at them once the girl - Clary - leaves every time, but it doesn't stop them

Soon Maia is calling them "no-good gossiping grandmas" because of the way Magnus and Alec will go to the back and pretend to be making something while they keep a whispered running commentary on what the girls are talking about. This quickly turns into some sort of race to see who can make the other break and laugh out loud. Neither of them ever do (they are trying to be discreet and Maia would kill them) but oftentimes they need to cover their mouths with their hands and playfully slap each other for the teasing

Clary doesn't even realize she's the reason; she kind of just thinks they are constantly flirting on the back and briefly wonders how they havent been fired when all they do is whisper and make eyes at each other

Not that she has any room to talk when she's late to work everyday because she keeps cracking jokes with the cute curly haired barista with the most beautiful lopsided smile who always makes her laugh and tells her about her day while she drinks her coffee. She's lucky her work starts at 10 so she can go in a little later and doesnt have to be there during rush hours, but still

She doesnt even like coffee, she walked in one day cuz she was really tired and then just kept coming in the hopes that the barista would make a move on her (shes not gonna do it herself, at least not in her workplace. She doesn't want to make her uncomfortable and it's still unclear whether the girl is flirting or if shes just really nice)

At some point she and Maia even start sharing knowing looks to Alec and Magnus and laughing at them. They don't even notice, because their designated Making Fun Of Maia time turned into just cracking jokes at each other way too quickly. They don't even remember there are other people there

Maia does finally ask clary out eventually. She wasn't exactly nervous about doing it, it's more that she enjoyed their little routine. But enough is enough, and when their routine starts involving Clary giving her a quick kiss before placing her order, well, it just makes it better

Magnus and Alec coo every time

Eventually Maia snaps all like "why are you guys the one poking fun at me when im the one who made a move instead of being a coward"

Magnus is all like "Whatever could she possibly mean??"

It dawns on him when hes closing up the next day and Alec has already left. He has a crush on Alec. Oh god. Oh fuck

Maia helpfully says "idiot" and leaves

Some Magnus being very nervous and overthinking his relationship with Alec who's all like ???????? about this

Alec goes to his sister about his new crush who suddenly started acting weird and izzy is all like "stop trying to guess what he's thinking because you're terrible at this. Just tell them how you feel" and Alec is like okay

He asks Magnus out

Everyone is happy and gay idk the end

✨ feel free to use this and any other one of my posts as a prompt ✨

[cruddyborderlandstheories]

i walk in 20 hours late sipping a starbucks hot cocoa

i don’t like coffee

promethea!!! 

awwwwww yis

tl;dr: uhh wow i talked a lot today, sorry. Mostly about whatever the fuck that thing Rhys is handing us is, how it ties into the dig site we see like maybe it’s a piece to activate it, maybe the dig site isn’t a Vault but instead a teleporter or something and needs multiple pieces to activate. so i guess kinda like a Vault but not that kind of Vault. Also if said dig site is actually on Promethea because that’s, like, DEFINITELY Elpis behind it. and like, okay, maybe we used the giant space gun to destroy the asteroid fields and make room for elpis and teleport elpis there, or maybe we teleported the dig site to pandora because it needs to be opened since Moon = Key and maybe Promethea’s moon was destroyed by the giant space gun (TM) and turned into asteroid belt, or maybe the dig site was always ON pandora and it’s not actually a Vault (because the Map would have pointed it out), but still. lots of possibilities here. oh and i go over the Battleborn easter egg and talk about Tannis is Not What She Seems (and pray she won’t end up being evil bc I love her) and I wanna believe the Eridians sent that message, not the cult ‘cause fuck those guys they probably can’t see the future they probably just adopted the name. also I ramble about how gorgeous this planet is for like... 30 minutes. but damn it really is pretty.

man this was a fun thing to wake up to and then have to wait like 8 hours to actually fully take a look at lmao

“Home to the Atlas corporation headquarters, Promethea is a metropolitan world covered in futuristic towers of chrome and glass. A recent siege by Maliwan has turned the urban environment into a warzone; their mechanized infantry patrol the streets, rodent/insect hybrids known as Ratches infest the sewers and back-alleys, and the Children of the Vault are seizing the opportunity to recruit displaced and disgruntled citizens. Atlas CEO Rhys Strongfork is getting desperate.“

“... Children of the Vault are seizing the opportunity to recruit displaced and disgruntled citizens”.

yeah that’s the most important part of this description for me. I really really like the idea of that, and it could tie into the whole Mayhem is Coming tagline for the game as, like many people have speculated, the Mayhem we hear about is the spreading of the cult/the psychos across the universe. A very interesting tie-in to the marketing campaign, as it’s clear we’re now the target of this cult propaganda, like the citizens of Promethea are (were? this is all past-tense since marcus is telling this story, isn’t it?)... like the citizens of Promethea were.

And we know that Atlas is trying to protect the citizens in the tunnels, so it’d be really interesting to see the two get into a direct conflict over a group of citizens. Like Lorelei tells us it's a hostage situation or whatever and we run in and it’s more of a brainwashing situation. Worse if the citizens decided to switch over without any brainwashing. oof.

im also curious about the number of hexagons we see on Promethea. The shapes look identical to the ones on Pandora’s page, so I’m curious if this is an accurate representation of how many areas will be on each planet.

just sayin’.

We do know that Pandora has more than those 3 listed areas (from Supmatto’s new video! can’t believe i missed the stream. ah well.)

“Covenant Pass”. I wanna believe this is near the area where we go find Sanctuary-III, at the very least that one tunnel-y area?

you know the one

this one, it’s right next to Sanc-III afterall.

Also thinking it may not be the name of a huge area, but instead the name of one of the smaller areas within that area? like the ones where when you discover it you get experience points? yeah.

the name makes me think this is someway related to the CoV cause of the word ‘covenant’, an agreement. We also know this area is directly near this one bandit camp which I’ve theorized before is a sun smasher camp

(you can see the back of sanctuary-III near both areas) 

so it’s possible there was an agreement made and both could pass freely through that one tunnel, or the twins were able to build that wall close to this camp. idk, just spitballing ideas.

So then it is possible there’s only 3ish areas on Pandora, but I really hope not unless they are BIG areas. There are most likely more than 3.

oh but we’re here to discuss Promethea

sorry i forgot.

For Promethea we got the Titan Skyway, the Atlas Campus, and the Meridian Seaport.

Titan Skyway reads to me like that giant road we keep seeing in the trailers 

like this one, which is giving me huge Bloodshot Stronghold (Damtop) vibes. Which is one of my favorite levels to play as melee Zer0 with execute and many must fall so... please let this be what i think it is. i may end up running that map just for funsies at the end of the game. mm if it didn’t take running the actual bloodshot stronghold every time i wanted to play the damtop level, i’d be running it all the time. sigh.

Atlas Campus immediately made me think of the Meridian Metroplex, but that’s definitely not it. In the instagram trailer we see Rhys on the ‘Atlas HQ rooftop’ with Zer0, so I’m gonna imagine Rhys is somewhere in the Atlas Campus.

Now if this is like an actual college campus, which i don’t think gearbox would do due to the implications, that’d be wild. I heard they had a mall designed for somewhere in the meridian metroplex, but we’re probably not actually allowed inside. which makes me sad, but also it probably holds no significance on the story. but then again... neither did caustic caverns. hmmmmmmmmm

oh also rhys is holding

whatever the fuck this is

uhhhhhhh... huhhhhh...

tbh i legitimately thought this was their attempt at macgyvering a vault key at first lmao

i know it’s a mission object because it has those glitteries, but... it reminds me a bit of Gortys’s core but i really don’t think that’s it. maybe another Atlas project to try and open a Vault? It just doesn’t look Eridian to me.

then again

this appears to be at the eridian dig site so... maybe it actually is Eridian. Definitely new to me.

some way to get inside the Vault area maybe? I can’t imagine that’s the actual Vault Key, because the one we see in the We Are Mayhem trailer doesn’t match.

you know i’ve been thinking more about vault colors

this one appears pink which... alright. maybe something to do with seraphs/seraph crystals.

The bl1 Vault was blue, the bl2 Vault was purple, the Vault of the Sentinel was... purple? blue? pink? all of the above? ... bisexual? tbqh there was a LOT going on there lol. wasn’t the Vault of the traveler yellow? either way

the big question here is: does each Vault have its own color scheme?

I wonder what that means since the Vault Mey has turned red now... it’s probably leading us to the big boy. the Vault to end all Vaults. 

now wouldn’t that be fun

right back to Promethea sorry

final listed area we get is called the Meridian Seaport. Which, if you know me, has got me all like 👀👀👀👀👀👀

water area? why yes PLEASE

i was actually talking to someone on reddit about said ‘seaport’ and it got me wondering if maybe this area is where we’ll find that one car from the Mask of Mayhem trailer. 

i can’t imagine what else those wing-like things on the side would be for. but i am definitely not a car person, like the closest i get is being a fan of Transformers, so maybe someone can enlighten me.

I am wondering if this area is the one we see in the instagram trailer with Moze

here

also i know we see water near where we find Zer0 in the demo, but that’s not really a dock area, more just a viewpoint. this has me thinking it’s an actual dock because the buildings are all off in the distance. It reminds me a lot of NYC actually lol

and interestingly enough i write about an assassination mission at a port on Promethea in one of my fanfics, but tbh i wasn’t actually expecting anything like it to be in-game. That was kind of an assumption I made since the area with Zer0 had water and I can’t believe I’m going to have to go back and edit it to be canon-compliant, cause I legitimately didn’t...

anyway.

Should i go over the instagram stuff now? I feel like i should go over the instagram stuff now.

see here is my problem with this

no moon

you’ll understand why once i compile my evidence

no moon

no moon!!

no moon

i even watched both time lapses during the amd stream and there was no hint of the moon (i understand promethea is in a state of perpetual twilight, but i thought maybe it would show up somewhere. it doesn’t. in fact it only shows the sun and this asteroid belt).

where is my moon, randy?

well let me tell you what i’m thinking here so you’re not even more confused

let’s go through that instagram video showcasing Promethea again

you should recognize this!

this is from that one video i reblogged like 4 times because i kept debating whether or not it was on promethea or pandora. now we can assume it’s on promethea but let me ask u something

if promethea doesn’t have a moon...

what the everloving fuck is that?

in fact, let me ask something

what does elpis look like in bl3?

look familiar?

hell yeah it does

now...

is this actually promethea?

I can’t imagine gearbox would be using footage that ISN’T from the planet they’re showcasing in a video about said planet. because that’s naughty. Plus, Rhys is shown giving us something that looks very similar to the tech in that area, and I can’t imagine we’d go through all that trouble just to get that tech then immediately go back to Pandora with whatever it is. whatever happened to the Promethean Vault Key we see in the We Are Mayhem trailer?

so there’s 2 options here if we’re under the assumption that dig site is/was on Promethea.

This dig site was moved from Promethea to Pandora

OR

Elpis was moved from Pandora to Promethea

Now i went over ALL of this in an old post. (seriously, give this a read if you haven't already, i go into this in a lot more detail than i will here). but we kinda got some new information.

My first instinct is that this dig site is on (or moved to) Pandora. just, 100% Pandora. the moon, the spiky rocks in the background, what look like Rakk near the back, there’s no asteroid belt in the sky. etc. etc.

do the blue sparkles have anything to do with it? maybe!

Also again, im not 100% certain this is actually a Vault. It just... doesn’t feel right to me. If this was actually on Pandora the entire time, then we’d have known about it through the Vault Map. We would have gone to open the 3rd Vault on Pandora before bl3 even began. If this really has been on Pandora the whole time, I do believe this isn’t actually a Vault. I go over this in that previous post I’ve made and I’m still standing by it. I think this is just an Eridian ruin and the Vault shape is just a statue or whatever. I could be 100% wrong, but that’s my first instinct if we’re being lead to believe this is on Pandora. 

Now I’m curious why this dig site was never mentioned in bl2 if it WAS on Pandora this whole time. And, again, if it actually does end up being a Vault, there’d be a huge plot hole with the whole Vault Map thing if it was on Pandora all along.

So was it moved here? Yeah... probably. For what reason? I... have no idea. How? similar answer. Lily couldnt’ve done it, she doesn’t have her powers anymore. Maybe activating it with whatever Rhys gives us makes it teleport to Pandora. For... reasons.

If it is a Vault, maybe it requires Elpis to open it. for some reason. We know Moon equals Key, so it could play into that. It definitely looks like it’s positioned directly in line with elpis.

but why would a Vault built on Promethea need a moon from a totally different planet to open it?

Because Promethea’s moon was destroyed.

That asteroid belt? I don’t think that’s there just for funsies (okay maybe the artists had funsies but the actual writing? yeah). And that big gun looking thing we see in both concept art and in the trailer? i think that thing fucked up Promethea’s moon to the point it shattered. So they couldn’t open that Vault.

alright, we all cool on this version of the theory?

let’s flip it on its head.

let’s consider:

Elpis was moved from Pandora to Promethea

NOT possible i hear you say

but hear me out.

what’s our reasons for saying this is Pandora?

“the moon, the spiky rocks in the background, what look like Rakk near the back, there’s no asteroid belt in the sky. etc. etc.”

Elpis? teleported! bah!

Spiky rocks? Well! We hear typhon mention a quarry, don’t we? one with brittle rock. This very well could be the quazmarian quarry he talked about where he found that very first Vault (and Vault Key). After all, if he fell into a hole and found it, it makes sense that there would be a shitload of dig teams trying to clear it out for easy access.

Rakk? We see those on Athenas, too, during the Happy Together trailer. Plus, they’re super chubby on the bottoms compared to what we see of the Rakk in the Claptrap Presents Pandora video. Maybe they’re not even Rakk.

Finally. Ah. The asteroid belt.

Well, if you believe that that giant gun could’ve obliterated Promethea’s moon, then is it so hard to turn around and believe that it’s actually obliterated the asteroids surrounding Promethea?

in fact, if we really ARE moving Elpis to Promethea, wouldn’t it make sense that we can’t have asteroids hitting Elpis for fear of worsening the Crackening and breaking our own moon?

In FACT, do we even SEE any asteroids above Promethea in that trailer shot of the bigass gun?

I THINK NOT.

There’s more to this theory, though.

from claptrap presents pandora

from the we are mayhem trailer

yeah, they COULD be celebrating the destruction of Elpis (because i would not be surprised if those are both near the same area)

lets think of something new, though. Elpis being blown up was totally 2015, with Zarpedon. That’s SO last season, Calypsos.

Plus, why would the calypsos even want the moon destroyed? is that not the home of a Vault that would allow them to see the future? how fucking powerful would that be, being able to see the future??? Jack knew what he had to do to win the Pandora games (even if he uhhh didn’t get to see that last bit because of Lilith), so why wouldn’t the Calypsos want to see their own futures?

There is the argument that they’ve already gone to Elpis and didn’t like what the Vault showed them, but I kinda assumed that they’d have gotten the funky eye things like Zarpedon did if they really did see what the Vault showed them. Given that Jack’s was interrupted by Lilith, we don’t really know if that’s truly the case.

I’m 100% down to blow up the moon cause Good Riddance, but also it needs to make sense WHY the calypsos want it blown up other than like shits and giggles? which... fine, but the story..? Elpis has to be important somehow. They have to want it blown up for some reason. A show of power? awesome, maybe they got that giant space gun. Moon = Key, so maybe they think if we can’t get this Vault, nobody can? sure why not. Destroying Pandora? Sure, but why blow up elpis when u could just also blow up pandora? 

either way, if the game gives us an actual reason as to why the twins are blowing up the moon, we’re all fine and dandy. if they’re going it just because then yeah, im gonna get kinda testy. 

anyway my point IS

The effect around elpis here looks strikingly familiar to the effect that appears around Lilith (and the cultists) when they’re teleported.

so it would be much cooler if, instead of blowing up Elpis, they were actually celebrating its movement. 

And it would be very interesting then, if this tied into that Easter Egg we got.

You know the one:

Because yeah im still iffy on the implication that this is from the Calypso twins. Why wouldn’t they want the Vaults opened? isn’t that the grand plan?

maybe this could be from the Eridians or the Guardians on Elpis. If Elpis was teleported from Pandora to Elpis, maybe the translation from Eridian -> English is slightly off, or simplified for the message. (on vs orbiting for example)

Visit Promethea -> Where we are right now, or where we’re going to go. We need you there.

Children of the Vault -> Yes, it could be the CoV cult that’s being referenced, but the way this is broadcasted, through morse code, spoken like an actual cryptic message and not, you know, with that Calypso flair... me thinks the cult simply adopted the name “Children of the Vault”. I think this may either be referencing Sirens, or the Vault Hunters/Crimson Raiders. Maybe the twins picked up this broadcast and that’s why they immediately head to Promethea after they steal Lilith’s powers.

We are not on Pandora anymore -> shit dudes we got yeeted to Promethea, help us. Or... we’ve moved elsewhere. We’re not nearby, we escaped, we fled, come find us on Promethea. 

Tannis is not what she seems -> this one... I don’t believe the Calypsos actually know anything about Tannis. If they do, then she was possibly the one to rescue/experiment on them, turning them into artificial Sirens or whatever, but then... isn’t Tannis exactly what she seems? She’s crazy, she totally would experiment on the twins. That is EXACTLY what she seems like. 

The people who would know about Tannis not being what she seems... the people who can see the future? The Guardians of the Sentinel’s Vault (maybe just the Guardians/Eridians in general). The Watcher can speak (speak? she uses telepathy, doesn’t she? that’s why Brick asks Lilith what she says) eloquently, I imagine there has to be more than one Watcher-like Guardian. Or this is the Watcher herself sending the message. 

Either way, if, later on in the game, Tannis starts showing signs of not being what she seems, then... wouldn’t it make sense that the only characters who knew this were the ones who could see the future? And given the new info, it makes sense that the Guardians/Eridians/yougetthegist would know her by name, because she could be the one who turned herself into an artificial Siren.  Or figured out how to create artificial Sirens. Whichever (both?). Which is kinda big news in the Eridian world, I’m sure. Plus, the wording using ‘What’ instead of ‘Who’ is kinda a big pointer. I’m almost leaning towards the idea that Tannis tried to give herself Angel’s phaseshifting abilities. I can’t see Tannis with actual offensive abilities... It wouldn’t really fit her character. But I can 100% see her with mad computer hacking skills, to the point she could ruin anything with a flick of her wrist. Yeah, I can see that. 

And I really hope Tannis doesn’t end up being a villain. She could do so much good with her intelligence and newfound powers and tbh it’s really nice seeing a character with autism not treated like Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory (the butt of every joke). She feels real to me (as someone with autism)- she’s got her obsession (Eridians/Sirens/the Vaults), her crazy intelligence, the social phobia/unawareness. I really like her as a character (going from betraying us in bl1 to realizing her mistake and immediately trying to help and assisting the Crimson Raiders) and I’d really hate for her to become the villain just for... idk a shock twist? The shock twist should be that she’s a Siren or whatever, not that she’s going to betray us. I like Tannis :( And all the message says is Tannis is Not What She Seems, not that we shouldn’t trust her or that she’s going to betray us.

Do Not Open the Vaults -> well this is the whole thing, isn’t it? this is why I think this message has some sort of Eridian origin, instead of the Calypsos cult. The Calypsos WANT the Vaults open. They want that ‘universe-destroying’ power. They want to absorb the powers of the Vault monsters. Shit, even we Vault Hunters want to open the Vaults for some of that sweet, sweet loot. But who doesn’t want the Vaults opened? The Eridians.

oh yeah we were talking about Promethea. how the fuck did i get here?

oh the moon

yeah it could have just been a shot in the Instagram trailer they used to show off the ‘Eridian alien technology’. that’s not fun to talk about tho lmfao. plus the thingie Rhys holds matches up so well with the cool technology we get

anyway

the instagram trailer. we’re not even like halfway done with this post btw. still gotta do those beautiful screenshots

oh

trailer

sorry it’s like 1am im starting to lose focus im shifting into sleepy mode

i just love the aesthetic of this city.

also. that one building with the 0 on it? you can’t convince me Rhys didn’t give Zer0 their own skyscraper.

oh, you want an entire building to store all your loot and trophy kills? OF COURSE ZER0 ANYTHING FOR YOU

yes....... Eridian log.

im really excited to see it glowing. especially since it’s glowing red, like the Vault Map/key/you know. I hope that has some significance. 

i did boost the brightness and noticed it was part of a wall, not just one slab found elsewhere. makes me think this is part of a Temple. maybe part of the dig site below? we know that one is connected to some sort of building. and if it glows red, that’d be a really neat tie in to why Atlas always has that glowing red aesthetic going on in their bases.

still not done talking about this shot. yeah the stuff on the right looks similar to the thing Rhys hands us. NOT why i brought it back up tho. The guardian statues in the back seem very ‘low poly’. VERY different to the guardian statues we have on Pandora. they’re also holding staffs which is new. 

compare

these ones also seem much buffer than the guardians we see. with shorter necks, as well.

Maybe these are statues of ACTUAL Eridians? not just Guardians or any other construct (further proof for my theory Pandora was a Guardian production planet lol) but like what Eridians actually look like.

shorter necks, thicker limbs (because why would the constructs NEED muscles?), actual bodies that aren’t thin as twigs. I think we found it boys

this is the ideal Eridian body

no cause, seriously, if they ARE guardians, why are they so BUFF?? i don’t GET IT

also weird  this atlas gun isn’t wrist mounted. Atlas sniper confirmarinoed? or just an Old Atlas gun. sure. that too.

Moze on a turret near what i assume is the Meridian Seaport. She has what i think is an Atlas pistol equipped. There’s a dead guy leaning up against some cinder blocks, all cozy-like. 

better shot of the area. We talked about this earlier, so moving on!

Okay... so is THIS the New Atlas sniper? it looks like nigel thornberry’s nose

smashing.

we saw this before, too. im actually really excited to look out over the Promethea skyline from the top of a skyscraper. also, idk, rhys’s hand looks like a yaoi hand to me. like his fingers are above the F in strongfork, right? look how far away his thumb is. YEESH.

it’s actually ONLY rhys lol

An Atlas soldier at work! I like that their gear has the crimson lance logo on it. And the new Atlas symbol. I feel like if we have to fight these guys, the crit spot is gonna be that backpack.

maliwan robo!!!

a big boy. one of the flying ones too iirc from the We Are Mayhem trailer. 

Atlassss in the back. it’s weird that the second A in Atlas is the logo, not the first one. the first one is a triangle. that’s weird is it supposed to be signalling something else? a triangle with a circle around it. i don’t even know what that might be a logo for. hm.

oh also police bots i guess, but we see these dudes a lot.

im more interested in this thingie in the back. wonder what happened to it/what it is

ratches. blegh.

i hate these things jfc. they’re so gross.

i like that maliwan is just claiming things by throwing their flag up on it. that’s not how this works! that’s not how any of this works!

anyway.

how are those screenshots lookin

pretty good.

im pretty sure i’ve mentioned this before, but i love that they named this part of the city Meridian and then kept the Eridian logo in the spelling. it’s so fuckin dorky to me.

also i know we’re supposed to hate these robos, but at least they’re getting some characterization as enemies. the loaderbots in bl2 do this but not to a degree that they get their own interactions (LB being the exception of course). I like this.

also i love that parts of the city are color coded. like red and blue parts are different areas. It’s such a neat way to help people not get lost (cough, me) and it fits great into the design of the city with the neon lights and bright colors. I noticed this in the gameplay demo as well, tho i don’t remember if it was followed. Also I’m pretty sure that symbol up there

is what the blue area is called. could be wrong. but i think i saw this during the demo as well.

i think this is going to be my favorite area to visit on Promethea, hands down. I love this little living area. It feels so unlike anywhere we’ve visited in previous games, like it feels like somewhere Gaige could be from. Actually, iirc Roland was from Promethea, wasn’t he? Be wild if we visited his house here. Anyway, I’m also excited about the trees. Fucking! Trees!

and cars!!! holy shit yeah on Pandora we only ever saw like light runners or bandit technicals and the occasional bus. all the cars were broken down and stripped for parts! It’s really cool to see actual full cars here.

wow i am excited over the most mundane shit lol

wait till you guys hear about the PARKING LOT

OHHHH YEAH

CROSSWALKS TOO

lol im actually- i just love this area. i love it so much. this is lovely. i love the giant glowing reactor in the background too, i 100% hope we get to interact with that (posssssibly blow it up. maybe just a little.) I can see this area being the area we have to run through to reach the entrance of that thing. I mean, it’s just RIGHT THERE.

Also would not be surprised if this KV fellow is waiting for us there. “Who wants to BANG a billionaire indeed”. He’s totally gonna be a boss fight. BANG i imagine means more shooty shooty than innuendo... innuendo...

it sounded better in my head.

the symbol for the red area possibly on that tower in the back?

I’m like, 60% sure this isn’t the area we explore with Lorelei, so maybe this is the Titan Skyway? also maybe the bridge Moze and Fl4k drop off of in the Happy Together trailer.

hate. i would quote AM here but im tired so just imagine the entire ‘Hate’ quote here because i HATE these things.

there’s also a big skelly in the back, i wonder just how big these fuckin things can grow. hopefully uhhh like a cow died here or smth. cuz fuck man.

this area is also super green and watery so i wonder if this is a sewer or smth. that’d be wild lol

Another shot of the city. It’s so fucking beautiful. I really love how they went all out for this. Opportunity was great, but it wasn’t nice to look at. Promethea is fucking STUNNING. I love this place way too much. Never even been here before.

also i love the fog coming up from the bottom. Maybe this shot is taken from the water? god if we get to go on the water and then it starts fogging up i might actually start crying lol.

this building is my favorite by far i think. I love the way the middle turns in. I have no idea how that’d work like... from an inside standpoint, cause the ground would just be slanted under you but im sure they made it work somehow.

anyway. im gonna go cry myself to sleep over how beautiful this game is. sorry i talked like... WAY too much during this one lol.

also i just thought of this while writing the tl;dr but maybe that item rhys gives us is after all the Promethea stuff is over, even the Vault(s), maybe we need it to activate something in that vault statue area on Pandora and that’s our way to like some important Vault or the Eridian homeworld or smth and we gotta collect all the pieces to activate it. like it’s a teleporter. Maybe Rhys had a piece because that’s what was in the Vault of the Traveller. I mean it would make sense because if you didn’t want someone to have something, you fuckin hide it in a box that’s teleporting across the galaxy at random intervals. That might be our way to the Eridian Homeworld. Now wouldn’t that be neato...

[uhpeach]

oof personal rant about boy and relationship shit below the cut it’s way too long sorry

finally had a talk with boy last night... it started bc they are having a stoplight theme party tn where you wear green if ur single, yellow if it’s complicated, and red if ur taken and he was like “so what color are u thinking of wearing”... and i was like “green i guess bc im single”. but i said it as a joke.... and he was like... “oh well i was thinking yellow”. and i was like “ya me too i guess”... and he was like “ya idk i think most people will either be red or green so we’ll be some of the few yellow ppl which is kinda fun”. and i was like “ok. ya whatever cool”. and he was like “but i’ll wear whatever u want like if u want me to wear red i will”. and i was like “no. no pressure. yellow makes sense.” but then i was making sad girl face i guess and he was like “nooo stop with that face. you’re thinking about something what’s wrong” and then we like went innnnnn with like a convo about “us” or whatever the fuck.

anyways like the things he’s worried about when considering making us official is that he:

1. says he is an extremely jealous and controlling boyfriend? and he does not like who he is as a boyfriend so if he isnt technically a “boyfriend” he has no reason to get that way/can stop himself from being like that. which i like.... dont see at all. and like maybe he had a reason to be like that with his ex but honestly i dont do much or like get hit on so i see it as a non-issue honestly? like im too into him to like even need to be “controlled” like i genuinely want to do whatever he wants bc i just want to see him happy ? but then he said that when he sees me happy it makes him happy and when i keep crying like i have been it makes him really sad and scared that our relationship would be built on a bad foundation. and i see it as the opposite like in spite of what he has done and how he’s hurt me we’ve gotten past it and grown to know each other better and like each other a lot and im still here spending time with him so like idk we think about these things very differently i guess. 

2. he was thinking like soooo far in the future for some reason like... when i met him he was pursuing a finance degree in the business school but he like decided music was something he was really passionate about last year and since then he’s been like learning how to use like music production software and how to play piano since then. so he was saying like he doesn’t want me to see him as like a jobless bum loser when i could be with a guy has a secure upwardly mobile job making 60-70k right out of college while he’s like.... working as a DJ and practicing like music production stuff. and i was like..... what r u talking about like i don’t need you to support me? and if ur worried about how i’ll see you like i just want to see you happy i would rather see that than someone complaining about how much they hate their job and life every day bc like.... idk when you l*ve someone all you really want is to see them happy. and then i told him how i have bragged about him to people who like wish they could change majors about how he’s actually doing something he’s interested in rather than sticking with business school which he hatesss. 

(he started crying sometime during point two into point three)

3. he was worried about not being able to give me the level of attention ur supposed to give someone ur dating. like he was saying how he practices his music stuff in his free time but like when ur dating someone ur supposed to spend like all ur free time with them but i’ll have to like share that time with his music and he like doesn’t want me to feel like he has no time for me? but i was like dude i dont need you actively paying attention when we’re together like the other night i was doing my homework in his room while he practicing and i was just so stoked to be in the room with him even though we were doing our own things. and also like the people in relationships who spend allll their time with their significant others are people i get SO ANNOYED BY i was like dude... i dont want to be like any of those couples like of course i want to spend as much time as possible with you but i have other “relationships” i need to maintain that im not just gonna drop like some of my other couple friends have. like my friendships are super important to me, probably bc i have never been in a relationship so i like really do love and put a lot of focus on my friends, so if he needs time for his music and did need some private time to focus i would just spend that time maintaining my friendships because i love and want to spend time with them too? like it’s not that deep and i’ve been alone for so long im used to it.....

i think there was more but anyway he was thinking SO FAR AHEAD and asking me like what i want to do and where i want to go after graduation and im like ????? i .. dont know ??? omg ???? what does this have to do with like dating right now like are u never gonna date anyone again until ur ready to date them until marriage im ? confused? i.. legitimately was NOT thinking this far ahead ? but then he kept bringing up how like feelings fade and he like want to make sure his college friends are lifelong friends and how a breakup would make it so that’s a more difficult thing for us to be and im like i get it ? i have brought up that point to so many people like it used to be that i cared more about having him in my life forever like at least as a friend just bc i like him so much but now it’s harder to be like that bc i like him SO SO much like... idk imagining never having been official a few years down the road and just being that girl he had a “thing” with in college. bc that’s not what i want to be to him. like if we do stop liking each other i dont want to have to meet his future girlfriend or fucking wife and be like hi im olivia.. his friend from college. like just calling what we have “friendship” hurts so bad and if i had to look at someone he like loves in the future and call myself just a friend from college that would fucking kill me. like at least if we were exes i would be like hey im his friend-ex-then friend again from college. ya haha things didnt work out but i’ll always care about this guy ur lucky to have him. ya know. there’s a difference.

and all the things i was concerned about were suchhhh immediate issues like... im only not satisfied by the relationship status of like being a “thing” bc i want to actually be taken on dates..  and have someone who would be happy to like bring me coffee if im having a rough day (and like so it wouldnt be weird if i did little things like that too) and so we could like go on a trip together or like as it stands it would be weird for me to like bring him home for a few days and be like “hello family this is my good friend :) we are going to share a bed bc we are... friends :)” like you cant tell ur family about ur “thing” bc like o ur really good friends that care a lot about each other and have sex but ur not dating... like that gives parents too much to think about it’s gross.... and it would be weird for him to bring me to like his hometown to meet his friends and what not bc we are just like ... a thing? and i WANT to do that stuff like it would mean so much to me. but like you only do that with ppl ur dating and i want to be with someone who can like share their life with me and i can share mine with them if that makes sense. also u know what i think it’s fair of me to want to be able to call someone my boyfriend like. that is a word i have never gotten to use and when i like hear it in movies and tv shows and even when friends say it i feel like im being fucking stabbed. like i have never gotten to be a girlfriend and i feel like people see me as less of a person because of that, especially being in my 20s now. idk just like societal pressures are getting to me i hate being a sociology major im like super analyzing like the roles i am “supposed” to take to live up to what it is to be a woman in our society. like i have been a daughter, a friend, a coworker, a sister but i have never been a girlfriend and that is something i feel like an innate internalized NEED to experience idk like it’s just beat into you by media and peers and parents from when ur like a kid until you actually do fulfill the prescribed gender based roles... like if i am not a wife or a mother in my life i might fucking kill myself like ik roles and labels are meaningless but i NEED THEM to like give me identity and security. anyways. uh that was a lot. if u read all this and i don’t sound insane lmk!

[hhawkeye]

9, 13, 38, 47, 50 🌻

9. What was your favorite article of clothing this year? Post a pic if possible?

definitely my dungaree shorts!!!

i wore them pretty much all the time from like may to september lmao. and ok i bought them in the kids section but you know what im valid for that!

13. Did an actor/actress catch your attention for the first time this year?

😐😐😐 i hate this. ok so OBVIOUSLY bill hader (not even just bc i wanna fuck him!! hes also very talented and the fact that he talks a lot about like, always wanting to Make movies but getting sidetracked and becoming famous instead and only now actually doing what he originally wanted to do... i love him and he seems like the kind of film bro who isnt actually an asshole about it which is VERY RARE) but also!!! michael ball. which is like sooo much worse? i met him and he called me a good girl and i was like oh ok cool im gonna pass out now

38. What was the best moment of the year for you?

OH MAN. um the time at comic con i told sebastian stan i was trans (bc i asked him to write trans rights on our pic) and he looked at me like i was Going Through Something and held my hand and was like its ok and i was like Thanks bc i guess hes probably experienced people coming out to him and having it be this emotional thing but i was legit just like fdgjkndfgn its fine ive been out for years dude its fine. anyway that was nice. also at the same con when i asked misha collins to write gay rights and i was like im gay and he was like NO?? REALLY???? and i was like damn alright like i KNOW its obvious but PLEASE. that whole con was fun actually i enjoyed it. anyway that wasnt the Best moment it was just something thats like incredibly funny to me.

umm. idk. the multiple long ass drives i went on with my friends? the time my friend and i went on a walk in the middle of nowhere in cornwall and had to climb through fields to get back to our friend’s house and we had to walk on a busy road with no pavement and nearly got hit by cars several times.

seeing the view upstairs and actually Feeling something

the aforementioned time i met michael ball and he called me a good girl and i didnt even have any gender angst bc i was like Big Arms Kill Me. OH the time i randomly met david harbour and almost fainted bc he was so huge

idk. every moment i was in london was good? i love london :( 

idk!!!!!!! i dont really have any Moments specifically that were like way better than any others but there were a lot of good times this year.

47. If you make resolutions, what will your resolutions be for the coming year?

LEARN TO DRIVE!!! like i OWN a fucking car which realistically will need so much work done to it itd probably cost less to just buy another one but anyway. i need to learn to drive but £££ is killing me.

get a new fuckin job bc im sick to death of serving people coffee and not actually doing anything meaningful

go back on t? idk this has been my resolution like two years in a row now and like... this year i got one (1) shot and then never went back so.

oh shit go back on my meds actually and maybe like go to therapy

50. What do you wish for yourself?

oof idk. that i pass uni this year and actually graduate, that i can get a job in tv, that i can actually DO something that i care about and feel even like semi fulfilled doing. idk. 

ty for sending these

[dysphoric-dumbass13]

All of the bookish asks. I hate you. And your stupid fucking face. Im so tired dude i stayed up ridiculously late to finish that

Hey I stayed up ridiculously late to finish mine too. Well not ridiculously late because me and then I couldn't fall asleep anyways but whatever. And you literally love me you jackass.

1. (what book did you last finish? when was that?) Willingly? Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli, in July. For school? Of Mice And Men. I didn’t care that much, and I forgot to finish A Midsummer Night’s Dream, but I still finished my project fine without any issue whatsoever and should get at least a B, if not an A. But whatever.

2. (what are you currently reading?) The Odyssey, for school. But also I’m like ¾ of the way through What If It’s Us by Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli. (what book are you planning to read next?) Well for English it will have to be A Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass by Fredrick Douglass, Night by Elie Wiesel, Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, or Lord of the Flies by William Golding. However, I really want to read The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller. And I’m also trying to get a hold of the Harry Potter books because I haven’t read them since I was 7, and I was a compulsive moron so I read them out of order based on length and the title. I did that a lot.

3. (what was the last book you added to your tbr?) I don’t fully know what it means by that, but I’ll give this a try. The last thing I remember actively seeking out that I need to read again (for writing purposes, and the fact that I’m a nerdy bastard) was the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling.

4. (which book did you last re-read?) Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli, I loved it so much that I read it twice in one month. I also re-read Simon vs. the Homosapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli twice before moving to the former.

5. (which was the last book you really, really loved?) Again, Leah on the Offbeat. I loved that book so much oh my god.

6. (what was/were the last books you bought?) I actually bought 3 books in September (after I got all my books for English), which were Leah on the Offbeat, Simon vs. the Homosapiens Agenda, and The Song of Achilles.

7. (paperback or hardcover? why?) Paperback. The hurt less to hold while reading, and they’re cheaper so I can buy more of them. But I do love a hardcover book if the cover is really intricate and beautiful.

8. (ya, na, or adult? why?) Idk. To me it doesn’t matter all that much as long as it’s a good book. I really like anything that isn’t racist, sexist, super heteronormative, transphobic, or hating of any particular religion (except like if it’s vaguely poking fun at catholicism and christianity because we deserve it)

9. (sci-fi or fantasy? why?) Fantasy. God I just fucking LOVE fantasy. I wrote a 20,000-word oneshot that was of the fantasy genre. I just love it too much.

10. (classic or modern? why?) Idk. Doesn’t really matter, again, as long as it isn’t racist, transphobic, against a religious group, or too heteronormative.

12. (political memoirs or comedic memoirs?) Idk man. But I hate politics in every way, shape, and form, so I’m gonna go with comedic memoirs.

13. (name a book with a really bad movie/tv adaptation) Um………. idk. I’m gonna go with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire simply because of the fact that they cut so much out and, sorry not sorry, if the whole series was written by someone not transphobic, homophobic, and antisemitic it would be better. It’s great, but it could be so much better.

14. (name a book where the movie/tv adaptation was actually better than the original) Again idk. I’m gonna say The Princess Bride because that movie is so fucking good guys.

15. (what book changed your life?) I know it’s not technically a book book, but Unknown Colors by Gabriels_Wings on Wattpad. It got me into reading again and that’s only benefitted me so far (except for distracting me from homework, but who cares).

16. (if you could bring three books to a deserted island, which would they be and why?) Well, obviously, Simon vs the Homosapiens Agenda and Leah on the Offbeat (ok I’m gonna some up with abbreviations now, LotO for the latter and SvtHA for the former), and the last spot would be between The Song of Achilles and The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein. Because they’re good books. And I’m gonna end up dying on said island and I need my gay fix with me.

17. (if you owned a bookshop what would you call it?) Oof, that’s hard. Probably….. Narnia. And it would be a very gay place with beanbags and a small coffee shop inside and it would be like this one place my mom went to all the time where you could buy a book and if you wanted to you could bring it back and they’d buy it back for slightly less than you bought it for. It was a great place. And my bookshop would be amazing.

18. (which character from a book is the most like you?) Toughie. I’m gonna go with… Blaise Zabini from Harry Potter or Abby Suso from SvtHA and LotO. Because Blaise is very gay and sassy (idk if he actually is in the books but hey, fanfiction) and Abby is a bi disaster and relatable af.

19. (which character from a book is the least like you?) Idk. Hannah Abbott? Because she’s a Hufflepuff? Idk man.

20. (best summer read?) LotO.

21. (best winter read?) Been a while since I actually remember reading a book in winter. I remember when I was in 5th grade I really loved reading Where The Mountain Meets The Moon by Grace Lin. That was good. But I think The Hobbit would be good too.

22. (pro or anti e-readers? why?) Pro, it makes reading at random places so much easier. Plus, I can then read gay fanfic at my christian grandparents’ houses.

23. (bookdepository or amazon?) I’ve never used Book Depository, but I looked it up (omg Kass you aren’t going to believe it, I googled something on my own!) and it seems smaller and cooler because it’s just books. So I’m gonna go with that one.

24. (do you prefer to buy books online or in a bookshop?) In a bookshop without a doubt, you can browse for hours. I love bookshops

25. (if you could be a character in a book for just one day, who would you be and why? bonus: any specific day in the story?) Simon Spier. From SvtHA. On the day of the carnival fair thing. Because zqawxsedcrfvtgbyhnujmikolplomiknujybhtvgrfcedxwszqa

26. (if you could be a character in a book for their entire life, who would you be and why?) Again Simon Spier. Because infdjfcdncewhfiubdkjcnsoawehfwedscnsaoufgrwiofbv cisahcsoainh

27. (if you could change one thing about mainstream literature, what would you change?) NO. MORE. DISCRIMINATION! And I swear to god people, quit idolizing authors who are racist or sexist or transphobic or homophobic or against certain religions or anything else because I swear they don’t deserve it! No more discrimination in the media guys.

28. (how many books have you read so far this year?) A lot. Idk the actual amount but a lot. Especially if we’re counting fanfic.

29. (how do you sort your shelves?) I don’t actually own enough books to sort lol. But I assume I would sort them alphabetically by author. And if I had a ton of books, I’d sort them further into genres.

30. (who’s your favorite author?) Becky Albertalli.

31. (who’s your favorite contemporary author?) Idk. I’m not that smart, I don’t put authors into genre categories.

32. (who’s your favorite fantasy author?) See above.

33. (who’s your favorite sci-fi author?) See above.

34. (list 5 otps) Oh god, here I go. Pansmione (Pansy Parkinson x Hermione Granger from Harry Potter), Wolfstar (Remus Lupin x Sirius Black from Harry Potter), Sabriel (Sam Winchester x Gabriel from Supernatural), Johnlock (John Watson x Sherlock from Sherlock), and Merthur (Merlin x Arthur Pendragon from Merlin).

35. (name a book you consider to be terribly underrated) What If It’s Us by Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli.

36. (name a book you consider to be terribly overrated) Of Mice And Men by John Steinbeck.

37. (how many books are actually in your bookshelf/shelves right now?) 19, including a book I accidentally stole from my 7th grade LA teacher (sorry), and a college workbook I stole from my dad on lifesaving first aid for heart problems. + 1 movie (Love, Simon), 5 comic books, and an adult coloring book because why not. I also have 2 full boxes downstairs full of kids books (about half of which I've never read or have any interest in reading) from when I moved.

38. (what language do you most often read in?) English because I’m a dumb bitch and don’t know other languages well enough. I might be able to stumble through a kid’s book in French, and I could read a basic novel in Spanish.

39. (name one of your favorite childhood books) Goodnight Moon was one of my favorites. I also was obsessed with Where The Mountain Meets The Moon by Grace Lin, and when I was about 5 my mom would read The Hobbit to my brother and I when she got home from work if she was working a half day, or she wasn’t held up too late on a normal day. Ah, some actually decent childhood memories.

40. (name one of your favorite books from your teenage years) SvtHA.

41. (do you own a library card? How often do you use it?) Yeah, and decently often.

42. (which was the best book you had to read in school?) The Outsiders. In 7th grade.

43. (are you the kind of person who reads several books at once or the kind of person who can only read one book at a time?) Multiple at once. I kind of have to if I want to read for fun while I’m in school.

44. (do you like to listen to music when you read?) Honestly, my mind is like an iPod I can’t fully control, I was laying in my bed half asleep singing What I Got yesterday morning for no reason, so I don’t have a choice. There’s more of a choice if I’m listening to music, so yes.

45. (what is your favorite thing to eat when you read?) Nothing? I don’t really like to eat when I’m reading, unless I’m reading on my phone and then it doesn’t really matter. But when I'm reading I usually forget to eat.

46. (what is your favorite thing to drink when you read?) Tea. Without a doubt. If I’m not too lazy to make it, that is.

47. (what do you do to get out of a reading slump?) Well, I do one of two things. I either try to convince Kass (@eyeforaneye-toothforatooth) to write something for me, or I’ll write (because I know I have to read over it a bajillion times, and I write too much for anyone’s good)

48. (where is your favorite place to read?) In my mind palace. I have a little place in my mind palace that I go when I’m reading or writing, and it changes. Sometimes it’s in a cottage at night with the only light a fireplace that I’m sitting in front of, sometimes it’s leaned against a tree. Three of my favorites are leaning against a cherry blossom tree looking out at a river, on a beanbag in a cozy, quiet bookshop/library, and on a beach in Roatan, Honduras. Other than that, it’s curled up on my UFO couch in my front living room, in front of the gigantic window.

49. (when is your favorite time to read?) It actually depends on the season. In the summer, always because I don’t want to go outside because it’s too hot. In the winter it’s during the evening. Spring it’s early in the morning. Fall it’s around sunset.

50. (why do you love to read?) Because you’re taking yourself and delving into a different universe, where nothing you know exists and only what you’re reading does. It takes me away from the world and all of my struggles, and puts me somewhere where that doesn’t exist. It’s refreshing. I hate you too

[changji]

Wow you really went off the other day but at least it was worth it 😪 I normally look at the scenery when I’m on a road trip, but then I get bored of it and decide to sleep bc there’s nothing else to do. Motion sickness must suck :(( do you take gravol or something to help with it? Coffee literally drains the life out of my funds it hurts me

Yes omg pls make me cookies I love them. Maybe you can even open a bakery with pastries and sell some good /cheap/ coffee. Ilyt my dear baker 🥺 ye I’m not the biggest fan of my bday either but gotta celebrate anyway!! One year closer to death woohoo 🎉🎉 your birthday is the most important day of the year!!! You can’t fight me on this I’m right

Pearls are so good. Like most places I go to don’t add anything to the pearls so it’s just bland squishy balls but the place I frequent adds I think honey to sweeten them. It gives the pearls life istg. It tastes so good 🤤 hollering is a funny word. For some reason I always associate it with yodelling which makes me laugh

Ksks you must be op if you can make a joke in the wall with a door slam. I can’t relate my arms are literally sticks and I have no strength in me. Chrome books are terrible in general. Add my schools terrible wifi and you get one big recipe for disaster. I’d never fight u either (unless it’s for your bday) ily too much for that 🥺🥺🥺

Hahah I think it’s me. I haven’t heard anyone say “go ham” except for the people who go to my school. I find it really funny tho so I try to incorporate it whenever I can LOL easily burnt? Can’t relate but apparently I easily tan. There’s this one diagonal stripe on my shoulder that separates pale me and tan me which ??? How did that happen and what was I wearing for that to happen??

It’s all fun and games until you go outside and see a mountain of snow waiting for you to be shovelled. But there are some good aspects to winter, like skating and skiing and all that fun stuff. Snow is so heavy?? Or maybe I’m just weak but after I finish shovelling I’m beat. Gardening is not my thing. There’s too many bugs involved flying around 🥴

Kind of? I always thought it was short for cappuccino but I could be wrong. They don’t taste like fraps tho, they’re sm better. I was always a frap hoe until I discovered lattes. My old elementary school was close to a Starbucks so whenever frappy hour was happening, my friends and I would go almost every day LOL

I heard that dunkin coffee is really good. Oof there’s so many things that the us have that Canada doesn’t. But apparently you guys don’t have ketchup chips?? How can one live without them? You know that’s what soulmates are, we’re stuck together forever and I don’t mind that. I’d never leave you 😌😌

YES OMG LATTES ARE SO EXPENSIVE. I pay around the same amount and my wallet cries every time. If you ever yeet yourself off a bridge I’d come visit u in hell and bring u iced coffee 💖 we really are soulmates wtf I get almond milk in my lattes as well!! I used to get normal milk and was like “I’m a bad bitch milk can’t hurt me” but that didn’t really work out. Sigh what we do for coffee 😔

Washing dishes is disgusting. I hate doing them but yk someone’s gotta do it and that someone is me 😤 I’m acc lazy when it comes to smoothies, I usually ask my mom to make them LMAO. Pancakes are pretty much made of flour if you think about it so technically when u eat one plain ur eating cooked flour,, how barbaric. Waffles are Built. Like. They have a 20 pack 😪😪

I love angst personally so pls go ham but not too ham I’d like to keep my heart. Honestly at this point my last brain cell has given up on me. But yes I love angst and I love torturing myself with heart wrenching angst that leaves me crying into my pillow at 3am (I’m talking about this one haikyuu fic that I forgot the name of. I was literally dying inside jalsjwo)

Pls do send me peet’s I’ll send you an iced capp in a cooler so it’ll be somewhat melted and probably spilt everywhere 🤪 tumblrs probably gonna block me again, I’m looking at how much I’ve typed rn and it’s a lot lmaoo. Yes I managed to save myself. I redid the whole last with less detail bc I was not Having It but it turned out better?? How is ur drawing now?

I start after labour day in September. But starting in 3 weeks?????? On a Thursday?? I could never wtf. When do you end? I’m so confused with these ap and honours thing, like there’s none offered in my school nor majority of the school district. Are they just advanced classes or something? It is 7 classes a semester or the whole year?

Stan talent i think you meant yourself??? Jsjsksk I am not only ur coffee soulmate I’m not #1 fan as well and I support u bc ily 🥺🥺 the read more tag had me laughing for a hot minute. Like we really could make an essay out of all of our replies. I don’t have any pets (besides fish does that count?) unfortunately bc my moms allergic to fur 🥺 hbu?? (I can’t believe tumblr blocked me again they can fight me)

-

i didn’t even pay LOL i freeloaded off my cousin 🤧 i like to look @ scenery sometimes but like i can’t bc my head hurts LOL and the scenery is always the same for me, mountains and fields with cows. i try to take dramamine but it makes me so drowsy that i’m just basically dead,,, i live off of my cousins money so i’m okay 🤪

tbh i use nestle toll house pre made cookie dough, like that shit actually slaps. it’s the best it’s so good omg, perfect for lazy hoes 🤧 death here we go ! the order is ur bday, then skz debut date, and then christmas i don’t make the rules sorry sis 😤

pearls are Dangerous, i once drank a smoothie and there were pearls in it and i couldn’t see them bc there were like. only 3 and they were Buried under the smoothie but i choked and almost died but i chewed one of them and it’s like. so weird. HOLLERING AND YODELING IM- i once went to some public yodeling class and left in 2 seconds bc it was a bunch of white boys dressed like the kid from walmart 😪

it’s not even strength i’m actually rly weak,, i always think the doors are closed but they’re not and so i like slam them open and the walls are thin so it’s just. a sad hole. terrible wifi,, my school has pretty good wifi tbh but we have like three connections, one for the chrome books only, one for the teachers & staff, and one for students and guests. like it works rly good but everyone has a VPN bc of stupid social media restrictions 😤 & ilyt 🥺 u would probably win in a fight tho LOL

go ham is so interesting. the first time i heard it i thought it meant go pig and i was so confused but ig,,, i live lathered in sun screen whenever i go somewhere with the sun. ppl are like “i smell sun screen” and im just there like 🙃 it’s me u got a problem u burnt chicken nugget ??? i wish i tanned easily, i have a tan friend and when i showed her when my legs got tan she was so confused. i thought i was tan tho? bc during marching band season my sock tan becomes So Bad i’m basically white. she said she was blinded when she saw me pull my sock down and i laughed so hard LOL & i hate those dumb random tan lines like. where u @ bro? where u come from??

snow is fun for like a day and then i get tired LOL i csn only handle wet socks and a red nose for so long 😔 i tried skiing one time and i did so bad that the instructor had to hold me down and walk with me down the slope. i fell so many times i think he hated me 😳 i’m also rly bad at skating? i went w my friends once and i held both of their hands and still managed to bring both of them down when i fell. a cute guy once helped me when i was struggling to walk so 🥴 not my brightest moment tbh,, trying to walk in skates while on ice. do u enjoy skiing/skating? also gardening is. gross. worms and dirt and the sun i’m not here for it.

u: cappuccinos! me: ...ice bergs,,, now that i think about it fraps kinda suck,,, i used to think i was So Cool for drinking starbucks but now i’m like. wow. i used to think there was coffee in a frap but it’s just. sugar and ice LOL also speaking of tmrw is bogo fraps here,, idk if it’s all over the world but myb u should check it out 😪

dunkins okay it depends on what you get, i once got an iced latte and it was good but my dad got an iced coffee and he like. hated it so we had to switch and it was so bad like. it was coffee crime. it was horrible and not strong it was basically milk 😤 also,, ketchup chip? i just googled what that was and. that’s literally so weird. fun fact i hate ketchup and all other condiments i can only eat bbq sauce and i tolerate steak sauce

UR LITERALLY SO CUTE OKAY UR MINE NOW HHHH

i mentioned this in the other ask but. we going broke bitches club 😪 when u come visit me it’ll be old town road the one w mason ramsey on a loop. nothing will top the og remix but no, i’ll be stuck listening to some 5 year old rap for all of eternity

I USED TO BE SUCH A GOOD KID AND DRINK MILK EVERY MORNING ever since i got to middle school i preferred sleep over waffles and milk and i hardly drink milk but when i do. my stomach does not have it.

my mom made me wash dishes today and she just stared at me when i put ziploc bags on my hands bc we didn’t have gloves but i just painted my nails and i’m not abt to put myself thru chipped nails. not yet 😤 waffles are so good like i love waffles and lattes only 🤧

well i’ll go very ham (am i doing it right LOL) 😤 the angst ending is a lot better than the open ended or happy ones LOL i’m so excited for it 🥺 i’m rly tryna get it out before the end of this month bc the edit says july and it’ll make me Mad if i don’t get it out before the end of this month

i wanna start in september 🤧 and i usually end in the first week of june. also on a wednesday LOL it’s gross. stupid. ap means advanced placement so it’s just. a college level class. lowkey mad bc i’m taking ap euro (as a sophomore 😒) and other schools take it in their senior years? apparently this is normal? and honors are just faster paced classes with more weighting so,, idrk oops 😬 some people take 7 classes in a semester but i took it for the whole year! this year i’m dropping orchestra i’m Not for that spit in the carpet life

the only talent in this house goes by ada and jisung. i don’t make the rules. i’m ur #1 fan 🥺 as soon as u post anything i automatically smash that rb button LOL also put a read more here bc like. we’re really out here writing a whole ass essay. i’ll look @ all our convos bet it’ll be like. a lot. i don’t wanna say smth and be off so i’ll just not. i have a dog! he’s the cutest in the world and i love him sm 🥺 tumblr can fight me first like. what’s this ask limit bull hhhhh

[comicteaparty]

May 9th, 2019 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party chat that occurred on May 9th, 2019, from 5PM - 7PM PDT.  The chat focused on Lodestar by SasstastiKim.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB START!

Good evening, everyone~! This week’s Thursday Book Club is officially beginning! Today we are discussing Lodestar by SasstastiKim~! (http://lodestar.smackjeeves.com/)

Remember that Thursday discussions are completely freeform! However, every 30 minutes I will drop in OPTIONAL discussion questions in case you’d like a bit of a prompt. If you miss out on one of these prompts, you can find them pinned for the chat’s duration. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is fun and respectfully appreciating the comic. All that said, let’s begin!

QUESTION 1. What is your favorite scene in the comic so far and why?

Darkhalo4321

My favorite scene has to be... the coffee shop book place thingy. With taylor! Sarcasm max.

Letter Bee

Elliot being told to trust his new friends by his mother.

SpazztastiKim

Author note: chapter one is getting "remodeled" so any suggestions are welcome

Kabocha

My favorite scene? Probably be this one: http://lodestar.smackjeeves.com/comics/2597078/ch2-pg-17/ ...It's so atmospheric, and that is a very good and creepy looking heart. I'm into the atmosphere. Under @SpazztastiKim's cute artwork lies something deceptively dark...

Darkhalo4321

I looooooovethe backgrounds in that sequence

L O V E

Yes, very dark. >:3c

RebelVampire

yeah i got second that as my favorite scene. cause the atmosphere is to die for. and i love how contrasted it is from the previous scenes cause you go into it and immediately go "oh no a spooky dream"

Kabocha

Also, Kim -- if you are interested in critique, etc, I can throw you thoughts in private, but I didnt' like, make any notes or anything. It's your comic and I figured that you were doin' errything to have fun! (And get some good creepiness in there too)

SpazztastiKim

You are welcome to!

Kabocha

Okay. I'll do that offline and another day, then. But I do think you've got a good story here, so please don't feel obliged to open yourself up to such feedback!

SpazztastiKim

Thank you

Darkhalo4321

Let us gush over how superb becky's optimism is

SpazztastiKim

Lol

RebelVampire

im busy gushing over the dialogue on this page http://lodestar.smackjeeves.com/comics/2749604/ch3-pg10/

Kabocha

Honestly I just really like the magic effects, not gonna lie

RebelVampire

like its so silly and yet reminds me of youth

Kabocha

I'm looking forward to more magic and ghost stuff

RebelVampire

cause these are random convos i would have as a youth with ppl

Kabocha

YEAH

Darkhalo4321

Same here!

Kabocha

It's so dramatic, and... man,... I remember being like that when I was younger

I don't recall if it's stated in-comic, but how old is everyone?

SpazztastiKim

Not stated yet. You can guess tho XD

RebelVampire

elliot was a 30 year old man this entire time

SpazztastiKim

Oof XDD

Kabocha

Ahahaha. I was guessing 14~15

Darkhalo4321

Im not allowed to guess because i kinda know XD

SpazztastiKim

Lol

Kabocha

Either way, I'm guessing high school for all of them, but nobody's a senior XD

Darkhalo4321

Except for ally

Shes like younger, like idk maybe hr high ish?

I actually dont know for sure her age

RebelVampire

i wouldve guessed middle school personally. but its hard to tell cause i need to see more adults

Kabocha

Maybe? She throws me a little bit? XD She's probably 13ish?

Darkhalo4321

Shes a precious cinnamonroll and needs protected at all costs

RebelVampire

yeah id peg 13ish for ally personally too.

idk if she need the protecting. she is not the one who got tackled to the ground

Kabocha

I would not fight her

Darkhalo4321

No

She will tackle you to the ground in l o v e

Kabocha

I do also really like how everyone's designs are unique

So it's really easy to distinguish who's who (and I'm pretty sure if it was a greyscale comic, it'd still be very easy... Which is really good)

....ALSO WHAT WAS WITH THE POINTY EARS

Darkhalo4321

Yeah kim

S'plain

X'D

Kabocha

I'm getting the feeling that there are spoilers in that answer

SpazztastiKim

OP... someone noticed

Kabocha

but

I can't help but feel like there are some alternate world or reincarnation shenanigans afoot

RebelVampire

elliot was an elf in a past life and the birth he witnessed was from back then

ya know what scratch that

he was the elf prince

Kabocha

Okay so I'm not the only one that thought that though

RebelVampire

just make everyone a prince

SpazztastiKim

Pfft yes

Kabocha

What's with the lanterns though... hahaha

But I really do have to wonder what all is going on there. The wolf skeleton was warning him about a thing he... sealed away.

SpazztastiKim

Was it sealed tho?

Kabocha

.... Maybe not

Darkhalo4321

:0

Kabocha

but, I mean, it's hella vague I feel like the wolf is protecting Elliot tho

Darkhalo4321

I get that vibe too, wasnt nice atthe end tho >:T

Kabocha

No, but this probably has happened before

Darkhalo4321

Ya think?

RebelVampire

when you say this are you talking about the dream itself or like the sealed away creature thing?

Kabocha

http://lodestar.smackjeeves.com/comics/2612346/ch2-pg18/ Well, the wolf says that Elliot's been dragged away before

so the thing that's hunting Elliot in his dream proooooooooooooooooooooooooobably has gone after him before

unless the "Birth" in question means it manifested in physical form

Darkhalo4321

D:

OH

Kabocha

KIM IS THIS NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, AND ALL THESE KIDS ARE GONNA GET KILLED BY FREDDY

Darkhalo4321

Maybe

XD

MAYBE

SpazztastiKim

Pffft

RebelVampire

that theory did occur to me

cause of the dream themes

that this is basically monster in the dreams

rip everyone

Darkhalo4321

I mean, I know kim loves horror movies SO

Kabocha

Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Warriors II

RebelVampire

so the thing about the pointy ears that actually interests me the most is that elliot didnt seem to notice all that much or care. and like i know there was a bloody skeleton wolf scaring the crap outta him, but i feel like hed have at least been a little like "hey i am an elf boy now"

also the fact that the dream did not start off with pointy ears

they only showed up with wolf dude

Kabocha

It might be a sign of magic or something. Or maybe he and his ghost are just used to the pointed ears showing up

Darkhalo4321

Ooohh

I didn't notice tyhat!

Kabocha

I did have to re-read that part when I looked at this earlier this week -- it was like "waaaaaaaaaaait a minute"

SpazztastiKim

Hmm WHEN did the change happen again?

Darkhalo4321

Hm indeed

Kabocha

It seems to be a slow transition to be honest

Darkhalo4321

you know who we haven't mentioned yet- TOM my favorite character.

Kabocha

http://lodestar.smackjeeves.com/comics/2456424/ch2-pg11/ On this page, they start to look slightly pointed http://lodestar.smackjeeves.com/comics/2505393/ch2-pg12/ AND THEN He starts to hear things and cough... And magic shows up in the next page

mathtans

Here for the moment, the little one is being very fussy this evening. I think my favourite scene was in the night terror in chapter 2, where we just had the glowing eyes - and then Mandy's glowing hand. Creepy and atmospheric.

Scrolling back to read, I liked how Elliot was thankful not to be a hobbit when he woke.

Darkhalo4321

Right?

Imagine if he woke up and HAD POINTY EARS

the rest of the cast would have been howling

Kabocha

Also, he's focusing on the important things: Not being a dream zombie

RebelVampire

i will be surprised if that doesnt happen one day. that he wakes up with elf ears and has to explain to everyone that surprise, hes an elf now

QUESTION 2. Dreams seem to be central to the story at hand. How do you interpret Elliot’s latest dream? Was it a dream, or was it something more? Whose birth did Elliot supposedly witness, and what exactly is it hungering for? Who is the black wolf that delivers the warnings to Elliot, and why is Elliot the one tasked with helping to defeat whatever the wolf is warning him about? Additionally, if this is no simple dream, why doesn’t Elliot remember this supposed event? Last but not least, what do you make of Elliot’s appearance change within the dream, and what do you think the meaning of the lantern is?

mathtans

I don't think it's a nightmare on elm street kind of thing, because Crystal Lake was dropped as a reference, so these sorts of things already exist in the characters' universe.

Chapter 4, Elliot joins an elf help group.

RebelVampire

but see thats the genius of it. drop the refs, nobody thinks anything of it and is like "ah just a red herring"

and then boom

dream murderer

Kabocha

THE DREAM WAS A WARNING I don't know if the "Starve it" Though... well. Maybe it wants to eat his dreams. Dream eater. OH MY GOD ELLIOT'S BEING HUNTED BY A DROWZEE

Darkhalo4321

THAT PUN WAS GOLD

That would be sneaky!

mathtans

It can't be a simple dream either way. Mandy joined him. That can't be a normal thing for ghosts. Can it?

RebelVampire

yeah starve it really interesting. cause what do you have to deprive the creature or whatever it is of to starve it? is elliot just not supposed to get eaten? is it dreams? is it ghosts?

although maybe its the lantern

nah

no way that was just a dream

Kabocha

Maybe. The lantern did come out as danger started to come near

RebelVampire

that was a vision

Kabocha

what is Mandy anyway

didn't he say that she was never alive to begin with? Or was he speaking generally

....What if Mandy was a victim of the thing?

RebelVampire

or even worse

mandy is the thing

SpazztastiKim

Scary

Darkhalo4321

Mandi is an imaginary friend taken form because of El? Maybe? Like, Can El manifest things?

Without knowing it-

RebelVampire

that could also be true

but im now sticking to the she is the thing one

cause it would explain why the wolf kicked her out

and said "no dream warnings for you"

Darkhalo4321

Aw

I know she's not like... real but she HAS FEELINGS DREAM WOLF

OH, but aside from just El having that one nightmare, apparently it's a prevalent problem going on- so it's not just isolated.

RebelVampire

ya know, i just want to point out if the dream wolf is going around warning ppl, the strategy is not very effective. fear is not the answer wolf.

Kabocha

Based on the comic description... We'll have to see more about that though

I dunno, if you scare someone enough, they'll stay away

Darkhalo4321

maybe el gets royal treatment of being warned

Kabocha

maybe the wolf is protecting the place where "it" is

Darkhalo4321

while everyone else just gets stalked with EYES

Kabocha

it's because he's acutally Frodo Baggins

Darkhalo4321

YES

HE IS SHORT

Kabocha

and the thing after them is Melkor. Or Sauron.

SpazztastiKim

obviously its voldemort

Darkhalo4321

!!!

you mean, he who should not be named!

Kabocha

GASP!

What about the Babadook

SpazztastiKim

my bad

OOF

RebelVampire

where elliot lives the dream wolf is just how the letters are delivered

Darkhalo4321

Baba Yaga

RebelVampire

http://lodestar.smackjeeves.com/comics/2597078/ch2-pg-17/ so i wonder who all the creepy ppl are in the bg

mathtans

Maybe it's like regular dreams, you don't really remember them unless you're woken up in the middle. So the wolf is waking everyone up with love bites.

RebelVampire

like was the creature born cause ppl were like "yaay sacrifice"

Kabocha

Oh, great, the wolf is my cat

SpazztastiKim

pfft

Darkhalo4321

if that's what you call a LOVE bite...>>

RebelVampire

the wolf is reading the wrong book of how to talk to humans

SpazztastiKim

lol

mathtans

There were five witnesses to the birth maybe, Rebel. They were summoned to the place in dreams.

Superjustinbros

HELLO

Kabocha

I'mma go out on a limb and say the people in the BG were part of the creation. THE COUNCIL OF CREATION A bunch of high elves that decided one day, "hey, let's just do this whole thing and nothing can go wrong" And Elliot was like, "NOPE" And died and went into another world where it was nearly unleashed upon them.

Justin, what are your thoughts on the Wolf and the Five people on Chapter 2, Page 17?

mathtans

They're looking at a heart.

Superjustinbros

Can I bring it home and call it Maniac?

SpazztastiKim

good name for it

Superjustinbros

Anyways hey there, sorry I'm a bit late

Room's getting redesigned but to stray from going offtopic I wanted to drop in and hand out and see what we're all talknig about tonight

RebelVampire

they are looking at a heart. Elliot was the mage who betrayed the council and realized his magic was for healing not the dark arts

Kabocha

Yep. We're talking about this week's comic -- Lodestar. As is the usual thing on the Thursday Bookclub~

Superjustinbros

Oh yea

Kabocha

http://lodestar.smackjeeves.com/comics/2597078/ch2-pg-17/ But really, I wonder what "it" is. .... Maybe there was a ritual.

Superjustinbros

Is that white line it's eye

Kabocha

Also -- did Eliot's magical scratch appear when the lantern showed up I'm just noticing this Does magic have a price?

RebelVampire

i assum eyes, the white line is its eye

that page did have the atmosphere of ritual

mostly cause of the heart

you dont hold beating hearts unless youre doing a ritual

idk i couldnt figure out when the scratch showed up. id have to look again super close

Darkhalo4321

It's def. Skooky

Kabocha

http://lodestar.smackjeeves.com/comics/2547332/ch2-pg14/ It's this page, Rebel

Superjustinbros

I ruined the feel of this image

SpazztastiKim

pfft(edited)

meme material

Darkhalo4321

I mean- MAYBE the wolf thing, wants to be empathetci?

Kabocha

"The woods cried out: FEED ME pls can i haz yer dinner hoomin"

Darkhalo4321

also likes hoomin heartz

SpazztastiKim

GOOD LORD XDD

mathtans

The whole glowing eyes thing is pretty cool. Not sure how the effect is done, but nice.

Darkhalo4321

It's not like I LIKE you or anything! B-BAKA!

SpazztastiKim

TSUNDERE DEMON

Darkhalo4321

kiss kiss fall in the lake!

Kabocha

Also likes hoomin necks They are like beef, but more gamey

mathtans

Maybe the demon is actually that aunt, the one who made the tea.

SpazztastiKim

Nom nom

Darkhalo4321

D:

Taylor?!

Kabocha

... I mean, dreams can be representational

so you got a Mama Wolf protectin' her youngins

Darkhalo4321

maybe- el is part dream wolf?

SpazztastiKim

i'm dead

mathtans

Yis. Summoned Elliot into town so the ghost Mandy could help.

"My other form is also a wolf."

RebelVampire

elliot wasnt real all along

he was summon

Kabocha

Oh no

Darkhalo4321

MAYBE- el is the creation woooooo

Kabocha

This isn't Final Fantasy 10, Rebel

unless we're getting meta, and we need El's father to be the wolf -- a summon from a dream becomes a dreaming summoned beast...

Darkhalo4321

I mean like-

We haven't SEEN el's dad yet so

Superjustinbros

"Hey, you OK?" "Does this look "Okay" to you?!"

_okay I'm done

Back to the comic

RebelVampire

yeah i was just about to say this is really gonna mess up the archives if it continues since i cant include images XD

Superjustinbros

Yeah lol

I feel like the joke has run it's course anyways

SpazztastiKim

I'm crying

Superjustinbros

You can only hammer in a joke edit so many times before it stops being entertaining

RebelVampire

onto the scratch. i get more the impression that the scratch was gonna happen anyway and the lantern showed up saying "hey stop scratching my boy"

Kabocha

image: [Elliot: don't make me Tidus- I wanna be Cloud]

SpazztastiKim

asdfghjkl!!!!

Superjustinbros

you wanna be a Cloud?

Darkhalo4321

giant SWORD

Superjustinbros

Oh that Cloud

RebelVampire

QUESTION 3. Early on, we learn that Elliot is supposedly psychic or an empath. Do you think Elliot is telling the truth about mostly just seeing ghosts, or does he really have other psychic powers as the others accuse him of? Who exactly do you think Mandy is, and what do you make of her closeness with Elliot? In other words, how do you think the two met? Do you think Elliot was born with whatever powers he has, or does it somehow tie into the creature he was warned about in the dream? Overall, how do you think Elliot’s abilities will help or hinder him in his task? What about in general for his newfound life in the town?

Kabocha

Elliot would not be a good Cloud, honestly. He's got too much personality, and too little damage from experimentation

Superjustinbros

Well we've seen a demon and a ghost so...

Kabocha

I THINK Mandy is his sister from another life. Or his best friend. And she couldn't be reincarnated with him, so she stuck around.

RebelVampire

was gonna go with his stillborn sister who never was

Darkhalo4321

But she was stated as never having BEEN alive?

That she wasn't real?

Kabocha

She's real for sure

She could also be a magic spirit, so she was never alive in the sense that humans would comprehend

Darkhalo4321

Real blue

SpazztastiKim

Har

mathtans

Elliot is all digital. He's in the Cloud.

RebelVampire

Elliot: I'm sorry Mandy but you're not real. Mandy: I'm...I'm floating right here and we're talking. Elliot: No, still not real.

Darkhalo4321

Maybe- El got the magic powers? ? From his last enounter that almost took him? And maybe mandi is some form of like... side kick from that?

Superjustinbros

Cloud saves? @mathtans

mathtans

I do think Elliot probably has other powers, but I don't think he actually knows about them. As to Mandy, I like Rebel's theory.(edited)

Kabocha

El goes on Dr. Phil, gets told "Perception is reality" Mandy laughs because... well

RebelVampire

so basically mandy is his familiar?

Superjustinbros

>Dr Phil I haven't heard that in a long time

Seems like it

Darkhalo4321

honestly, El would just sass his way out of dr. phil's show. they'd be like plz leave

Maybe?

RebelVampire

thats when they send him to jerry springer

mathtans

How did Mandy get her name? She must have existed at some point. Elliot doesn't seem like the type to just come up with that name, he's too introverted.

Kabocha

Maybe she has some sort of secret magic name

Darkhalo4321

Maybe Mandi named herself?

or came with a name?

Kabocha

and "Mandy" is just short for like Almandiasoriginamyeriath

mathtans

Bless you.

Darkhalo4321

cough kabo that's... I'm dying XD

Kabocha

HEY I know what "Bless you" means in some places!

Darkhalo4321

Salude

SpazztastiKim

ME TOO

Superjustinbros

Gesundheit.

RebelVampire

if we go with reincarnation being in this, maybe mandy isnt real cause she hasnt moved on in this life, has no memories of her past, and is basically just an empty shell floating around

Darkhalo4321

Oooh?

That's an interesting theory

Superjustinbros

I've seen stories with spirits like this

Kabocha

I'm curious to see what Mandy is later in the story, though. Like, if she's not real, then what is she. I'm pretty sure if she got kicked out of the dream, she's got some substance to her.

Superjustinbros

Yeah..

RebelVampire

well i guess it largely depends on what elliot's definition of real is

Darkhalo4321

:0

RebelVampire

i could also argue elliot is just deluding himself as to whether shes real or not because its how he protects his sanity

cause elliot doesnt seem fond of the idea that he has powers

so if he pretends none of its real its fine

Darkhalo4321

Yeah considering that he got REAL dark real fast when Becky kind of prodded him about the idea of it being... odd-

but thank god for Mandi she reeled that back in fast.

Kabocha

Elliot's been through some crap, hasn't he

Darkhalo4321

I FEEL like it- He's been through something- :/ but what? WHO knows-

RebelVampire

Elliot remembers the great elf war

Darkhalo4321

maybe el is actually an elf from another world, and this is an isekai story and we have no idea

Kabocha

"Remembers" only in his dreams

I AM DOWN FOR THIS

Darkhalo4321

reverse isekai?

RebelVampire

i am ok with this

Kabocha

YEP.

SpazztastiKim

Y'all would be great at DnD

Darkhalo4321

I'm going to get yelled at aren't I?

Superjustinbros

is not a DnD player(edited)

Kabocha

I'm also cool with it being a reincarnation story, or just that El gets to see all sorts of monstrous things because he's got some sort of magic shenanigans going on

Darkhalo4321

poor unfortunate soooooul

RebelVampire

im ok as long as elliot lives to tell the story cause the world would be a lesser place without his snark

Darkhalo4321

I would cry

SpazztastiKim

X'D

Darkhalo4321

I would actually FLY TO KIM'S AND we'd have a long talk

>:T

#teamelliotlives

SpazztastiKim

-tosses the idea pretending I never planned it-

mathtans

Maybe Mandy will start possessing people. Suddenly Becky gets real mellow. Suspicious.

SpazztastiKim

pfft

Superjustinbros

Oh good just what we need

Ghosts doing ghost stuff

RebelVampire

wait maybe mandy is just the manifestation of elliot's lantern hence why she was never alive and isnt real

Kabocha

WAIT, Is there a risk of people actually dying in this story ... ...Kim are you going to kill off Elliot

SpazztastiKim

no

Darkhalo4321

I feel like Becky would out.... do a ghost?

SpazztastiKim

HA

Darkhalo4321

SHE IS JUST TOO MUICH spirit for them XD

RebelVampire

Tom though is probably doomed for possession

SpazztastiKim

Poor Tom

Kabocha

.... Oh god you're probably right Rebel

Darkhalo4321

Becky is the one that would go " NO YOU DONT! " and unpossess herself with will power

Kabocha

Tom gets possessed and he seese EVERY HORRIBLE THING he's forced to do to feed the hunger

Darkhalo4321

NOT TOM

Kabocha

turns out the hunger is just really into chocolates

SpazztastiKim

PFFT

Darkhalo4321

NOOOO

Kabocha

They break into a Godiva shop with Tom's body

Superjustinbros

Did someone say chocolates?

Darkhalo4321

CHOCOLATE?!

Superjustinbros

http://lodestar.smackjeeves.com/comics/2771909/ch3-pg14/ I wonder what flavor everyone's getting then

Kabocha

The Wolf isn't super keen on the whole Chocolates thing though, because, y'know, theobromine poisoning...

SpazztastiKim

hehe

Darkhalo4321

so that's why the wolf says STARVE it

Superjustinbros

Tsundre wolf cannot consume ice cream

RebelVampire

well at least a chocolate quest would be more pleasant than alternatives XD

Darkhalo4321

TRUE

Superjustinbros

XD

Chocolate Ice Cream? :3

RebelVampire

thats going too far in the sweets department questing O_O

Kabocha

Hey, at least Tom won't have to gorge himself on other things. But they do find out their local big box store was robbed of all its chocolate rabbits around easter...

SpazztastiKim

Truly the worst that could happen to this town(edited)

RebelVampire

but after Tom is freed hed never want to eat chocolate ever again

Kabocha

That's a tragedy.

Superjustinbros

RIP Chocolate rabbits.

RebelVampire

i want to see more tom though. i appreciate his calm demeanor in the face of the girls rampant amounts of energy

Darkhalo4321

Yes

Tom seems like the, solid rock founddation of the group type

mathtans

I like that idea that Mandy is just the manifestation of some object. Maybe something Elliot carries with him. A watch? He was good at pegging tea time.

RebelVampire

also cause tom is the useful one. cause becky is like "FARM FESTIVAL" and Ally is like "SWIMMING AND ICE CREAM" meanwhile tom is being a good boy and researching stuff for elliot

mathtans

Tom is a good counterpoint. He understands all the characters too.

Darkhalo4321

Like Hey let's do the job our club is suppose to do, shall we?

RebelVampire

Elliot is a time lord

mathtans

Oh yeah, the Farm Festival is sure to be a plot point. It's a metaphor for something.

RebelVampire

mystery solved(edited)

Darkhalo4321

I mean, if this were ouran host club, he's kyouya ... the only one that keeps the club on TASK

mathtans

Elliot's consciousness is trapped in a pocketwatch. With Mandy.

RebelVampire

ya know i could dig time lord elliot tho for reals. cause it explains why hes an elf or something. he just time travels and forgets he time travels. but why he knows how to save ppl from falling stuff

Kabocha

The farm festival will be... full of lore. About how they had the festival to appease a hungry beast.

Superjustinbros

oh boy

Darkhalo4321

Maybe

They farm

hearts

SpazztastiKim

HA

gross

Kabocha

Hey, the heart could have been a Deer Heart

Darkhalo4321

was it though?

Kabocha

Coulda been.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 4. As the comic opens up, we meet a slew of characters and learn some notable things in regards to dream. What do you make of the fact another person is supposedly having intense dreams similar to Elliot’s? Does this have anything to do with the creature, or is it simply a red herring? If it does have something to do with it, what do you think Elliot will have to do about it to help the victim? In general, how do you think the dream club Elliot joined will help him in his overall task? Moving on from Elliot, which of Elliot’s friends are you looking forward to learning more about? In what ways do you think these friends might help Elliot deal with his problems and his quest?

Superjustinbros

How intense we talking? Like, Math Test insane?

Darkhalo4321

WELL Becky has every intention of making sure el has a social life, some what-

Tom will probably ensure no one dies- or he'll die trying.

RebelVampire

dark no

dont even suggest tom dies

Darkhalo4321

What if

he does die tho

RebelVampire

protect that child

Darkhalo4321

D:

RebelVampire

no protect that child

Darkhalo4321

Ally tho

RebelVampire

or dont and be optimistic and assume him becoming a ghost will make him the most powerful being

Darkhalo4321

:0

Ghost Tom

mathtans

Elliot's the replacement Chosen One. The current one in town is having trouble.

Darkhalo4321

current one?

Superjustinbros

?

SpazztastiKim

esplain Mathans

Kabocha

So, if we were to categorize these characters as horror characters...

Darkhalo4321

NOOOO

like horror movie horror, or like scary movie parody horror?

SpazztastiKim

Yes

Superjustinbros

Oh dear, this is gonna be fun >:3

Kabocha

.... Elliot's our Canary, though sometimes the canary lives Tom's dead. I'm sorry. Becky will be scarred for life, but probably will be the one carrying the plot and making sure everyone survives. Allison... She will not be in the horror parts. She'll be the character that calls the cops at the end.

Superjustinbros

rip Tom.

RebelVampire

no all of you need to stop killing off tom

SpazztastiKim

Just straight up kill off Tom

RebelVampire

the next page of the comic is literally just a dagger flying through the window and stabbing tom in the heart

Darkhalo4321

I'm pretty sure I saw the next page, can confirm

Superjustinbros

oof

Darkhalo4321

tom actually falls backwards out of his chair and LANDS on a dagger. effectively killing him off. Then the comic ends. Tom was the danger ALL ALONG(edited)

Superjustinbros

Dear god

That's cold

SpazztastiKim

A twist to make m night shyamalan proud

Kabocha

Lol Justin if you believe that you obviously haven't read through this comic

RebelVampire

no no the comic continues. the wolf comes back and is like "bro i told you to starve it not kill it. youre under arrest. this is a sting operation"

Darkhalo4321

XD

SpazztastiKim

-wheeze-

Darkhalo4321

Elliot gets hauled off to DREAM JAIL

Mandi is denied visitation rights

Becky becomes his laywer

RebelVampire

then elliot becomes a dream defense attorney and has to prove his own innocence

becky would be a scary lawyer

like

i could just see her taking the floor and talking for hours

and her client is found innocent just cause the jury wants to go home

Darkhalo4321

She'd probably make a good case though-

Superjustinbros

@Kabocha Even if I did that's still pretty cold lol

Darkhalo4321

Jury: She talked for 5 hours, but... she wasn't wrong innocent!

Wolf thing : damn it!

SpazztastiKim

Ghost Tom: Language...

Darkhalo4321

Elliot: @#$% the establishment! throws a chair

Everyone just has the surprised pikachu face, after that!

SpazztastiKim

HA

Superjustinbros

That face is glorious

RebelVampire

at this point i think were just all drunk and have gone mad with power

SpazztastiKim

lol probably

RebelVampire

im really curious to see what happens at the farm festival tho. mostly just cause maybe nothing bad will happen and theyll just have fun. like go on a nice hay ride

that will not trigger unpleasant memories and not start a fire to the whole festival

SpazztastiKim

hay rides are included tho

Kabocha

Maybe we'll find out that they have a sleep study at the contest

erm

festival

Darkhalo4321

And then after it's been ALL good- and it's all fun and stuff-

Kabocha

why am I thinking contest

Darkhalo4321

THEN

Superjustinbros

Oh god what's happennig here now

Darkhalo4321

then it will go downhill

Kabocha

Yep. It'll be a hot mess. AND FREDDY RETUR--- wrong series

RebelVampire

id really want to see elliot in a sleep study now tho

just imagine the scientists face afterwards

as theyre like wtf are these readings

Superjustinbros

oh boy

Kabocha

"This boy never enters REM sleep!?"

RebelVampire

what is life

Kabocha

"How is he alive?!"

Darkhalo4321

Right?

my question exactly ^^^ lol(edited)

RebelVampire

elliot was the one to have never been alive to begin with. the whole mandy thing is him projecting

Darkhalo4321

it would explain why some scenes have her split off of him?

Kabocha

oh that would be a twist.

Two souls one body?

Darkhalo4321

THAT IS MY JAM

RebelVampire

i had considered that as a realistic possibility. or more that mandy is just an aspect of elliot's soul

SpazztastiKim

-watches with entertained glee-

Darkhalo4321

Oh maybe?

RebelVampire

http://lodestar.smackjeeves.com/comics/2704817/ch3-pg4/ off topic but i just noticed that computer has a pear on it and that makes me laugh

Darkhalo4321

Like the NICE version of who El is, and all the snark remained in the actual body

El is just Snark

that's it

TOM HOW CAN YOU

Superjustinbros

Shoutouts to Pear Products

mathtans

Sorry, called to crib. Have we talked about the title yet? With "lode"star? Is that like a metaphor for Elliot's powers, or something else?

RebelVampire

we have not talked about it.

mathtans

(As to explaining about the chosen one thing, the person with night terrors in town wasn't responding properly, so that's how Elliot ended up in town too.)

Darkhalo4321

We havent'

RebelVampire

i assumed it was a play on a lodestone

Darkhalo4321

I don't actually know about the title so much

PROBABLY

What is a lodestone?

RebelVampire

“A lodestone is a naturally magnetized piece of the mineral magnetite. They are naturally occurring magnets, which can attract iron. The property of magnetism was first discovered in antiquity through lodestones.”

Darkhalo4321

Hm

RebelVampire

elliot is the attracter of evil

Darkhalo4321

PROBABLY

el is an unlucky person

Kabocha

MAGNETIC SOUL

SpazztastiKim

poor kid

mathtans

Mandy being part of his soul is interesting. It reminds me, I liked in the first chapter how there were hints of her at times, and eventually it became clear.

Oh yeah, and I loved the Pear Computer, Rebel. Glad you remembered to mention it.

Yeah, I thought it was like lodestone, but being a star, maybe it's good somehow even though there's a burden involved.

RebelVampire

i liked the small hints but at the same time i was confused and wondered if he was communicating telepathically with becky XD

Kabocha

I'm curious to see where this all goes. There's not enough information to really like, get super crazy with fandom yet

mathtans

I did wonder where the thoughts were coming from.

Also, before the end, gotta mention the Becky and Ally ship. Those two can feed off each others' energy, it's sweet.

Darkhalo4321

they can power the entire town with their energy

RebelVampire

i will support the elliot/tom ship

Superjustinbros

Since the CTP is ending in a bit, thanks for the CTR, and thanks for the cool comic as well @SpazztastiKim, it was fun checking it out

mathtans

There you go. Can't ship Tom with his sister, after all.

Darkhalo4321

El == shippable with everyone honestly

mathtans

El is shippable with the wolf?

Darkhalo4321

...

SpazztastiKim

asdfghjkl

Kabocha

...yes

RebelVampire

yes

Darkhalo4321

I MEAN, as Friends?

Kabocha

BFFS

Darkhalo4321

El seems like he needs more FRIENDS

Kabocha

Anyway! Thank you Kim! I look forward to seeing where this comic goes~

Darkhalo4321

and boy and his aggressive wolf friend

mathtans

Wolf's name is probably Lodestar. Got it from a book.

Best with it, Kim!

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB END!

Sadly, this wraps up this week’s Thursday Book Club chat for now. Thank you so much to everyone for reading and joining us! We want to give a special thank you to SasstastiKim, as well, for making Lodestar. If you liked the comic, make sure to support SasstastiKim’s efforts however you’re able to~!

Read and Comment: http://lodestar.smackjeeves.com/

SasstastiKim’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SpazztastiKim

SasstastiKim’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpazztastiKim

[dearlinong]

college student!ziyi

[hi! can I request a ziyi college/university au ?? thank you so much + ily ❣️❣️]

(A/N: THANK YOU SO MUCH ANON FOR REQUESTING THIS OOF. i had so much fun writing this au uGH my heart is fluttering. and this was longer and better that what i expected so i’m so happy. i hope you guys enjoy!)

genre: flaf

requested: yEAH BOI

you are the top student in your english class

and the final exams are nearing

actually it’s two weeks from now

so after your english class ended your prof asked you to stay for a while

‘y/n since you’re already the top student in my class you don’t need to take the final exam in english’

you internally screamed because it was your first time being exempted in something

‘but i have to ask you a favor’

he mentions that there is some guy named ziyi in the batch and that he’s really behind the subject, so you have to tutor him so that he wouldn’t have to fail and redo the subject

oh and you’ll get extra credit if he passes the exam

SO YOU WERE REALLY UP FOR IT

you didn’t know who this ziyi dude was, or how to contact him excactly

so you ask your friends if they knew who he was

and apparently he’s in a group who calls themselves nine percent????

and that they’re so popular around the campus

yeah

they also gave you a tip that they always hang out behind the school, near the old tree after school

so after school, you went there

when you saw them you were like

wOW, all of them look so cool and handsome

THE VISUALS BRO

anyway

‘h-hello excuse me may i speak with w-wang ziyi’

all of them just stared at you

then this SUPER FUCKING HANDSOME DUDE stood up and said that he was ziyi

‘come lets talk in private’

he lead you away from the others so you two can have a little more privacy

‘whatchu want baby girl?’

you almost gaged at the name he said

‘im y/n, and i hope mr. chou informed you that i will be your english tutor for the finals’

‘well i hate to break it to you babe but, i don’t do english nor do i study for any exam’ he scoffed

you were currently in a ‘BOI IF YOU DON’T PASS THIS EXAM, MY FIST WILL FLY TO YOUR FACE’ kind of mood

‘but if you fail, wont you repeat the whole subject again?’

‘i don’t care, im-not-stu-dying, period’ then he went back with his friends

you went home so damn sad

bc you weren’t gonna get the extra credit

but you weren’t giving up just yet

all the free time you had you tried to persuade him into you tutoring him

but he would always ay no

BUT YOU WEREN’T TAKING NO FOR AN ANSWER BITCH

so you followed him until he was going home after school

‘y/n aren’t you tired already?’ he asked

‘nope, i’m not gonna give up until you allow me to tutor you.’

‘fine, let’s make a deal, if i study with you and pass the exams, you wont bother me or be near me ever again.’

‘uhuh, and what’s in if for me?’

‘if i don’t pass then i’ll study with you everyday’

‘PSSHHHH DEAL’ then you held out your hand to shake his to seal the deal

you two then go to his house to start the tutoring

the first day went okay i guess

i mean he did fall asleep while you were teaching him all about verbals and shit

and he did waste 30 mins of the time just to get some food for you two

but all in all he did know a bit of what you were saying so thats good

day 6 ( oof stan day6 guys ), he has already learned so much and you personally think that he can pass the exam and even get a high score

but there was one problem

not only did ziyi’s english skills developed

but also your feelings for him

since every break time and even when you go home you’re with him

you saw his good side

he’s different from what people say he is

he would always look out for you

and put you first

at first you denied your feelings for him and saying that it was only temporary

but eventually you realized that you have a fat crush on ziyi

on the day of the exams you told him to do his best and that he should remember everything you taught him

while you were in the library waiting for the bell you literally prayed to every god and saint you know just to tell them to guide ziyi on his exams

when the bell rung you dashed through the hallways to find ziyi and ask him how did it go

eventually you did find him and he told you that he thinks he did great

and out of sheer joy you hugged him

not realizing that you were just making you feelings for him go crazy

‘are you available later?’ you ask

‘nope, why?’

‘well i just wanna treat you something because you did well during the study sessions.’

‘really? wow sure! i’ll pick you up in front of your room okay.’

after the last period ended, you saw ziyi leaning on the ledge in front of your room

you heart started racing uncontrollably

‘you ready to go y/n?’

you nod and then you two went off

you went to the nearby coffee shop which served almost every type of desert you can name

you ordered for yourself and ziyi ordered with you

you were about to hand the cashier the payment but ziyi was faster and handed his card instead

‘what are you doing? i thought i was the one treating you?’ you whispered

BUT HE JUST SMILED AJFNVD

the smile killed you internally oops

you two then sat down and chatted of a little while and talked about yourselves

since you two didn’t have time to actually catch up and to know each other well because the two of you were studying for the exams

he also talked about how there was one question that he really didn’t know, so he just guessed lol

until the topic of the bet came forward

‘remember the bet i told you?’

‘you mean the ‘if you pass the exams i wont be in a 10 mile radius near you’ thing? then yes’

‘can we call it off? because i really wanna know more about you’

you can’t help but blush in this moment wtFFF

and you just played it off cooly by saying ‘yeah, we can be friends, i don’t see why not :)’

after that day you two still study together

and still go to that coffee shop together

and now you two hold hands?? anD KISS???

yeeeeaaahhhh

you two are definitely together now ;-;

OH AND BTW

the english test ziyi took

HE GOT 99%

yeAH, he didn’t get that one question

BUT THATS OKAY

[sargentsnowy-blog]

When I said “last day of summer camp” I meant for a makki fanfic lmao

oof. Well here you go *cough at like 2:45 in the morning cough*This is going to be the most wildest fic I’ll probably ever write. Maybe? Eh I dunno.***The sun rose gently over the tree tops to the camp. No one was awake. Everyone was asleep.Except for Nikki of course.She was sitting in the mess hall by herself while staring solemnly at the wall that held a calendar. It had the days marked off until one day was left.August 10th. The day right before they were sent off to school. Or the day where this hell hole of a camp ended and they were sent home.Nikki sighed, laying her head down on the table. “Today’s gonna be short.”Bang.The girl looked up quickly to see Max barge into the building with a giant smile on his face. “COFFEE. BLACK BROWN WHO GIVES A SHIT JUST GIVE ME COFFEE.” The Quartermaster appeared behind the counter where food was served, nodding before disappearing back around the corner.The boy was still smiling until he turned to see Nikki looking at him from a table. He jumped a bit, grabbing his chest in surprise.“NIKKI. What are you doing up so early?”“Because it’s the last day of campppp,” Nikki groaned, pulling her head up from the table. “And I don’t want summer to end.”Max came and sat beside her, sighing. “Nik, everything has to end. Even this hell hole. I’m honestly happy to be leaving this place.”“What?!”“I’ve hated this place from the start!” Max facepalmed. “Nikki the camp will still be here you know. Just come back next year.”Nikki stared at him. “ I’ll have to wait over 300 days.”“...well you have a point.”The Quartermaster came in between them suddenly, making them jump with gasps. “Coffee with sugar.”The old man walked off back to the kitchen, disappearing once again.“Y’know,” Nikki began, “even if i don’t want camp to end, I’m pretty sure I will not miss that.”Max nodded In agreement. “Yeah that’s literally—“The doors opened loudly again, making the pair start. Campers poured into the mess hall with frowns and bags under their eyes.Neil walked toward them and plopped down, banging his head on the table. “Dammit.”“Jesus everyone is looking half dead,” Max commented, flinching when Nerris fell over Harrison. “I mean... I know it’s the last day but jeez...”“Max you aren’t helping,” Neil retorted. “You’re the only one happy today.”Max nodded. “You’re not wrong. I mean... I get to get away from this shithole.”“Not the point.”***Max for once was surprised at how the camp counselors basically switched personalities. His eyes were twitching at the sight.Why the fuck is Gwen dancing and jumping around while David is being moody? It’s like a parallel universe.Nikki seemed to notice this too for her jaw was hanging open. “I’m not the only one seeing this right...?”“No Nikki,” Max responded just as mesmerized as her. “No you are not.”“What the fuck is happening?!” Neil exclaimed, throwing his hands out in front of him.“I GET TO LEAVE THIS FUCKING NIGHTMARE!” Gwen shouted, throwing her hands up in the air. “ITS A DREAM COME TRUE.”“It’s the last day of camp,” David muttered, holding a clipboard. “So there are last day of camp activities.”“WHATS ON THE LIST?!”David gave her the clipboard. “You take care of that.”Gwen threw the clipboard instead. “DO WHATEVER THE HELL YOU WANT.”Nikki watched at the clipboard flew over her head. “What is happening...”“This happened last year,” Max stated, shrugging. “It’s still gets to me though.”“Who wouldn’t it get to?” Neil commented. “Nobody has—“ the boy looked around to see the campers doing whatever they wanted. “never mind. Well if you don’t mind me, I’ll be being a nerd at science camp.”Max and Nikki watched as Neil sped off to the said place, blinking.“Okay what do you want to do, Max?” He yawned. “You can probably work on the last day act while I—““LAST DAY ACT?!” Nikki jumped excitedly, her pigtails bouncing. “THAT SOUNDS FUN!”“Yeah sure it does now—““C’MON!” Nikki grasped his his wrist and pulled him away from his spot, dragging him.***“Why are we here?” Max grumbled, sitting beside a bush near a hill. “There’s literally no fucking reason.”“There is actually!” Nikki grinned. “Do you have any talents? Show off talents?!”“You sound like David and not any I feel like showing.”“Then I’ll have to guess them!”“You’ll have to do What now?”Nikki raised her index finger with a smug grin on her face. “I’ll guess them!”Max laid down on the grass. “Yeah I’m still not going to tell you.”“Singing?”“Eh.”“Dancing?”“Nope.”“Instrument?”“You’re getting somewhere.”“Uh... triangle.”“No.”“Drums?”“Insulting.”Nikki tapped her chin. “Uh... trumpet?”“No.”“Viola...”“Close.”“VIOLIN!”“Yeah.”Nikki jumped up in awe. “You can play the violin?!”“Yes I can but don’t tell anyone.” “Can you play—“Max sat up quickly, cutting her off. “If you’re asking me if I can play for the camp the answer is hell fucking no. It’s not even that I don’t want to play I don’t want to play for them.”“Then who will you play for?”“No one,” Max laid back down. “No one at all.”Nikki ran back to camp quickly, Max not noticing. Then she came back holding an instrument. “Hey Max I found your violin.”The boy jumped up quickly and snatched the case from her. “The hell did you find this.”“Under your bed.”“I’m not playing for you.”Nikki gave her puppy pot, something she used on Max and only Max because it would only work on him.“Goddammit no Nik not even the pout will work.”“PWEASE?”“No.”Nikki sighed. “Fine.”***“Where have you guys been?” Neil asked, looking at Nikki as she jumped here and there to make sure Neil didn’t see Max what so ever.“In the trees,” Nikki responded. Neil grew a malevolent smile. “Were you guys making out?”“NEIL THATS DISGUSTING!”“Hehe sorry. But Nikki,” Neil turned back to his table. “Harrison told Nerris, like in front of everyone.”“What?”Neil sighed. “That he liked liked her. Last day of camp no regrets.”Nikki gasped. “How did she respond?!”“She hugged him and ran off. That was the funniest shit I’ve ever seen. Dolph And Ered are next. I can bet ten dollars.”“I don’t need to give up money when that’s going to happen,” Nikki shamed. “Besides, what makes you think I like like Max? That’s weird.”“I never said that you like like Max.” Neil grew that smug grin. “I asked if you guys were—“Nikki waved her hand to stop. “Okay you caught me big deal that doesn’t mean anything. Why are you telling me this stuff anyway?”“Because I’m saying you should tell Max too.”“Neil I though you weren’t a romantic.” “I’m not. I just like to blackmail people unless they tell someone what’s going on ha. But I won’t blackmail you. Just yet.”Nikki sighed, looking behind her. David was walking slumped over with Gwen hopping around him like a kangaroo. It was funny actually.And sad. And weird. Mostly weird but yeah.***The sun was descending, ending the campers days. The Quartermaster pulled up a bus and boarded the campers, getting them into their seats.The ride was silent. No conversation at all. Just the sound of the tires on the road and the buses doors creaking open to release the campers.Neil was the next stop, getting up with a quick goodbye to Nikki and Max before walking off the bus.Nikki’s stop was next. She got up and turned to Max. “I have to tell you something.”The bus filled with tension quickly, making the girl feel trapped.“What is it?” He asked, blinking.* “Because I’m saying you should tell Max too.”* Nikki shook Neil’a voice out of her head. She didn’t need that right now.‘You’re going to tell him...’ Nikki thought with determination.She looked at him, his face confused and impatient. He didn’t seem like the type to except something like what she wanted to say so easily.She sighed. “I hope next year you’ll play your violin.”Max blinked as Nikki waved goodbye. He called her name but she was already off the bus so she couldn’t turn around and see what he was to say.The bus drove off in a gust of wind behind her, leaving her coughing.‘Dang it Nikki!’ The girl grabbed one lock of her head and pulled it gently while walking up to her house. ‘Why didn’t you tell him the truth?!’***THE TRUTH HURTS.IM ALSO SORRY IT TURNED OUT THIS WAY ITS 4 IN THE MORNING ON CHRISTMAS EVE.

[shxtteredmemories]

Control

Summary: In which Luciel loves Spark, Zapdos hates Luciel, and Spark isn't sure how to feel.

W: Zapdos being a piece of shit, Spark's dumb nicknames for his Pokemon, some mentions of violence and definite mentions of blood and wounds (not really in detail tho, but just in case).

Authors Note: i got an idea and im sorry i had it

"Spark! So good to see you again, I was hoping I'd run into you here!" Luciel called, grinning widely as he opened his arms.

After a moment of standing there like an idiot, he sighed, shaking his head, "no, that's too friendly. He knows I'm not that excited about things."

He paced, tapping his chin as he contemplated. Various forms of greetings entered his mind, but as the more he played them out, the worse they seemed.

"Hey, Spark, good to see you," he tried as he came to stand in front of the full-length mirror hanging on the back of his door. He smacked his head, "I have sound like I'm happy to see him."

Rubbing a hand over his face, he let out a frustrated groan. His shoulders slumped as he dropped his hands to his sides, meeting his own gaze in the mirror. "Spark! I'm so happy to see you! I love- no, i mean! I'd love to talk with- oh Arceus, I can't even get it right when I'm playing it out alone."

"Well, I guess if I can't get it right, then why should I bother meeting him?" Luciel flopped backward onto the beanbag chair in the corner beside his closet door, huffing childishly with arms crossed over his chest. He didn't get to pout for long before his phone rung. He hesitantly checked it, paling at the caller ID. Reluctantly, he accepted the call and was about to rattle out the normal greeting before he was interrupted.

"Did you know birds always go for prey smaller than them?"

Luciel paled, recognising the voice almost immediately, "... No? That's... uh... interesting."

"They typically strike them with a clenched foot, stunning or killing them on impact."

"I did not know that," Luciel almost dropped his phone while trying to wipe the sweat from his palms, deciding to hold it against his shoulder when he'd caught it.

"Then they turn to catch it in mid-air," the voice continued, seeming amused in how it spoke.

"Za-"

"Larger bird Pokemon may even feed on the chicks of other bird Pokemon."

"Zapdos."

"If the prey is too heavy, they will often-"

"Zapdos," Luciel emphasised, almost yelled into the phone, "please stop."

"I'm just saying, isn't that-"

"Interesting, yes," Luciel cut him off, earning a growl from the other side of the phone, "but nothing you will say can scare me enough to keep me away from Spark."

"If I wanted you scared you would-"

"Goodbye, Zapdos," Luciel pulled the phone away from his ear, hitting the end call button. He took a moment to relax in the bean bag he was sitting on, sinking further into its welcoming embrace. Panic ran through his mind, but he tried to keep himself calm and from having a panic attack. He couldn't begin to count how many times he'd had to deal with that stupid bird keeping Spark at an arm's length; five? Maybe even six or seven times? One or two was enough, but as much as that? What did Zapdos have against him, anyway?

"Stupid fucking bird," he swore, closing his eyes and dropping his arm over his face. He remained like that for awhile, almost dozing off before he was jolted awake by his phone ringing again. Thankfully, when it checked it, it was only a text message from one of his friends back in Alola, Moon.

[Text Received] - How's the friend thing going?

[Text Sent] - Good. Yep. Totally great.

[Text Received] - What happened?

[Text Sent] - His Pokemon hates my guts.

[Text Received] - Oh, shit. What are you gonna do?

[Text Sent] - Try not to get electrocuted.

[Text Received] - You're gonna die.

[Text Sent] - Thanks for your help in my time of need.

[Text Received] - 👍👍👍

Luciel groaned, discarding his phone onto the floor beside himself. Almost as soon as he sat the phone down, he realised something. Quickly snatching it back up, he didn't even bother checking the time before he hurried out of his apartment, grabbing his keys on the way out. The door slammed shut behind him, but he hardly heard it as he hurried down the stairs and out the front door. 'I'm so fucking laaateeee,' he thought frantically, sprinting down the street; maybe if he ran, he could make it before Spark even realised he never showed up.

"Oof!" He stumbled, closing his eyes and bracing himself for impact that... never really came.

"Whoa! You alright?" That voice...

"Spark!" Luciel opened his eyes immediately, beaming widely with a hint of red tinting his cheeks, "oh my Arceus, I'm sorry for being late."

"You're not that late," Spark laughed, helping him back to his feet, "I probably would've been late if that battle had kept me any longer."

Luciel took a moment to gather himself and keep himself upright, leaning on Spark's arm until he felt he could stand on his own. He blinked, having to take a moment to contemplate his response, which left an awkward silence to fill the gaps in their conversation.

"Oh, sorry I- My mind's really occupied," he apologised when he noticed, rubbing the back of his head, "so- you had a battle?"

"Yeah, it's my obligation as a team leader to take on challenges at the gyms every so often," Spark explained, gesturing for Luciel to follow him as he made his way inside the cafe they'd decided to meet at.

Luciel bounced along beside him as they walked to their table, seated by one of the waitresses who seemed all too friendly - in his opinion at least. If Spark noticed, then he didn't say anything about it. "Sounds fun," he said as he propped himself against the table using his elbow.

"Yeah! It's actually all sorts of fun," Spark smiled gleefully, picking up one of the menus to look it over, "all sorts of trainers of different skill levels come on in and decide they're ready for a battle; I'm not even ashamed to admit that some of them have beaten me before."

"You've actually lost to some of them?" Luciel blinked, a little bewildered at first. Eventually, he went to browse his own menu, mentally checking off some things he thought were interesting. After that conversation with Zapdos earlier, food didn't sound that appealing, so he avoided the sandwiches and salads section as much as humanly possible.

"Some are wickedly strong!" Spark exclaimed, nearly startling the people in the booth behind him. He muttered a quick apology before he turned back to Luciel, "yeah, some of them are just... way too skilled."

"Forgive me if I'm a little surprised," Luciel snorted, "I'm just not used to hearing you lose at anything. You used to always be good at everything when we were growing up."

"Guess I didn't get better with age, huh?" Spark teased, a placid smile on his features.

Luciel flushed a little, burying himself back in his menu, "if it makes you feel any better, I probably just got worse with age."

A look of disbelief crossed Spark's features as he reached over and snagged the menu out of Luciel's hands, "no way! I bet you got a lot better!"

Startled, Luciel sat back quickly against the booth, blinking a few times to get a grip on his bearings. He looked at Spark with a bewildered expression, then shrugged when he finally registered what he'd said, "I dunno. I haven't battled in forever; the best I've done is training, so... y'know, no real battle experience."

Spark set the menus down, leaning forward with his head tilted a little. He inspected Luciel for a bit before he sighed, "you've gotten better at lying... But!" He suddenly grinned, slamming his hands quietly against the table, "I can still read you like an open book!"

Luciel was about to protest before the waitress came by to collect their orders. Realising he didn't decide what he wanted, he simply ordered a cup of coffee; his order was almost... pathetic in comparison to what Spark ordered. When did he start liking coffee so much?

When the waitress left, Spark turned back to Luciel with the same stupid dumb calm smile on his face, "you know what we should do?"

"No?" Luciel raised a brow, confused at Spark's intentions as he leaned back against the table, only moving closer when Spark made a gesture for him to.

"We should battle," he whispered, like it was some kind of secret, "just to see who's better."  Maybe he noticed that the other patrons of the cafe were getting a little antsy due to him having so many outbursts at once?

Luciel laughed something sarcastic and pure at the same time - how is that even possible? - as he eyed Spark with a competitive glare, "only if you're up for it. From the sounds of it, that last battle really wore you out."

Spark's smile morphed into a grin, teeth showing as he met Luciel's glare with one of his own, "we'll see about that won't we?"

"Oh, it is on, Mr. 'I can totally take on anyone or anything'," Luciel snarked, grinning his own little grin when Spark pouted and huffed.

And that was how lunch ended up going. They sat and talked, occasionally joked around, and otherwise just enjoyed each other's company. Much to his surprise, too, Spark even came up with a time and place for their battle to happen, much to Luciel's relief; there was no way he would be able to think of a time where both of them were free. Of course, it ended up taking Spark several chances to figure out the right day, but he managed after the third or fourth.

As they were exiting the cafe, arm and arm and still laughing about a cheesy joke one of them said, Luciel noticed the air around them began to change. The air on his arms began to stand on end and he looked up to Spark to see if he had noticed it too, only to be met with not blue eyes that belonged to his friend, but brilliant, electric yellow that belonged to none other than...

"Zapdos."

"Human."

"What do you want?" Luciel asked as he pried himself away from the Pokemon controlling Spark, arms crossing over his chest.

"I'm making sure you don't get too close to my bonded. What made you think I wanted anything to do with you?" Zapdos mimicked Luciel's stance, almost as if he were mocking him.

"I was already close to your bonded before you came around," Luciel retaliated, his expression changing to match his words; he glared up at Zapdos with his lips drawn back, almost as if he were about to bite if provoked.

"And then you left him," Zapdos replied, looking disinterested in Luciel's non-threatening expression. If he were anything else, he might've felt something toward it, but being who he was, he felt next to nothing.

"That wasn't my fault!" Luciel shouted, dropping his arms to his sides, fists clenched. His jaw and shoulders tensed, hands shaking with how tightly he was clenching them.

"And you didn't come back for... what was it, seven years? Maybe more?"

Luciel inhaled, holding his breath. He closed his eyes, counting to ten in his mind before he exhaled a deep sigh. He stepped forward, much to Zapdos' surprise, jabbing a finger in his chest. "You have no idea what I had to do to get back here and I will not have some overgrown fearow get between me and the only friend I've kept since my childhood. Do you understand me?"

Zapdos was taken aback, shocked for a moment before he leaned forward to match Luciel's intense stance with one of his own, eyes narrowed and teeth bared. "You will not come anywhere near my bonded ever again or I will make sure that you learn the difference between me and a fearow."

Frustrated, Luciel relented, turning away and rubbing his hands over his face. In an attempt to prevent himself from crying, - angry crying at that - he simply marched off with his attention wandering to other things. Apparently, Zapdos was rather thankful as he let out a discontented noise of his own.

Several weeks later, Luciel was peering at his phone, waiting for text messages that wouldn't come and phone calls he couldn't make on his own. Instead of focusing them, he'd been putting more time into his battle studies; if he could strengthen his Pokemon as much as he could strengthen himself, then maybe Zapdos would see him as 'worthy' or whatever the equivalent would've been. However, during a much needed break, he decided to catch up on some messages from a few days ago that he didn't reply to. One in particular, Moon's, had caught his attention, but he was simply too emotional to reply to it earlier.

[Text Received] - You alright? Haven't heard from you in a few days.

[Text Sent] - No, not really. I'm having friend troubles

[Text Received] - His Pokemon still hates you?

[Text Sent] - Yeah, pretty much.

[Text Received] - Well. It could be worse, right?

[Text Sent] - No, not really. I don't think that's possible.

[Text Received] - You're always so pessimistic.

[Text Sent] - Someone has to be, right?

[Text Received] - Whatever. What's the plan?

[Text Sent] - Sulk and cry?

[Text Received] - I swear to Arceus if you don't get out there and get your friend back, I'll personally come over there and hook you too up.

[Text Sent] - Please don't.

[Text Received] - Then get going! You only live one life, so make it count.

[Text Sent] - There are some people who would disagree.

[Text Received] - Ugh. Just go and get your man.

[Text Sent] - I'm trying.

He left it at that, pocketing his phone and going to check on his Pokemon. The lot of them were all slumped in different areas of the clearing, enjoying varying degrees of shade. He chuckled, grabbing his backpack from beside his Lycanroc Midnight, beginning to dig around in it for the berries and other treats he'd brought along.

"Come on, you guys, treat time!" He called, immediately catching attention. Lycanroc and his Alolan Ninetales, Apath and Cyn, were the first in line due to being closest while the more sluggish Pokemon lazed around in the back until their turns came up.

As soon as everyone had gotten a couple treats, Luciel set his backpack back down and moved to sit near the small stream that flowed just at the edge of the clearing. He settled down on a rock beside it, dabbing his face with a towel he'd procured from his pack.

However, his Mightyena, Nihil, had made his way over and plopped down beside him, happily chewing on his Oran berry.

"Hey," Luciel greeted, reaching over to scratch behind his ears. He wasn't surprised when Nihil mostly ignored him, save for the thump of a tail that Luciel barely registered. He opened his mouth to say something else before a voice alerted him.

"Luciel!" Spark.

Luciel sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He petted along Nihil's back when his started to growl lowly, something of a warning. After taking a deep breath, Luciel put on a fake smile and turned to face Spark, looking over his shoulder, "Hey! Fancy seeing you out here."

"Yeah, I was about to say the same," Spark grinned, taking a seat beside Luciel. His Pikachu, who had taken up residence on his shoulder, peered curiously at Luciel, making Spark nudge him and comment in a teasing tone, "stop staring, it's rude!"

"Nah, he's fine," Luciel reached his hand out to the Pikachu, blinking when he took Luciel's hand in both of his paws and shook it. Marvelling at the Pokemon, he stared for a few silent, brief moments. "Oh my god, he's so cute," Luciel put the hand to his mouth in shock.

"Who? Updog?" Spark blinked, looking at the Pikachu from the corner of his eye. He frowned when he noticed the arrogant expression on his Pokemon's face.

Luciel snickered, holding his arms out for Updog to hop into, which he did so happily, curling up into a ball. "I love him, but... the name? Spark, please."

"What? It's a good name!" Spark protested, pouting. He watched as Updog made himself comfortable in Luciel's arms, sticking out his tongue in Spark's direction. Spark sent him a glare, muttering, "why are you like this?"

"I bet you only named him that to get people to play along with your stupid joke," Luciel teased, scratching lightly at Updog's stomach. He smiled at the pleased noises the Pikachu made, responding by cooing at him as if Updog were a baby.

"It's not a stupid joke and you know it," Spark rolled his eyes, throwing his arm around Luciel's shoulders, "so, what are you doing out here? Training for our battle that you missed out on?"

Luciel looked down, furrowing his brows and frowning. "Sorry about that," he muttered, "something turned up and I didn't get a chance to call you."

Not seeming to hear Luciel's response, Spark continued on, "I mean, you haven't talked to me for weeks! I thought you fell off the face of the Earth again."

"Yeah about that-"

"I really missed you, you know! Not as badly as when you left when were kids, but still! Were you busy or something? You know I would've understood."

"Spark."

"I'm just saying, I would've been okay with it. I wanted to call you, but I figured you would've said something if you wanted me to know."

"Spark."

"What were you doing, anyway? Did something happen? Or were you just training and lost track of time?"

"Spark."

"What?"

"I was just saying, something uh..." Luciel fidgeted slightly, messing with Updog's paws as he put them in Luciel's hands, "something came up and I didn't get a chance to call you."

"Oh. Well, you should've called me after! I would've understood," Spark said, looking a little disappointed.

"Sorry, I guess I just got too busy with training?" Luciel shrugged, smiling a little when Updog licked his cheek to cheer him up, "... so cute..."

"Maybe since we're both here, we can train together?" Spark looked excited about it even as he suggested it, beginning to bounce in his spot.

"Ah, actually," Luciel picked up the Pikachu in his arms, passing him back to Spark as he stood up, "I have something I need to get done today, so maybe another time." He explained, muttering an apology that was too quiet to be heard as he collected his things and Pokemon, returning them to their Pokeballs.

"Bye, Spark, talk to you soon!"

Spark blinked, bewildered, looking down at Updog, "what's with him?"

"You're Luciel, correct?" The man behind the desk asked, looking between his phone and Luciel.

"Yeah, that's me. Why?" He simply nodded, eyeing the stranger carefully.

"Spark talks about you a lot," the man shrugged, reaching his hand out, "I'm Go. Spark's... assistant, if you want to call it that."

"Oh! Yeah, Spark has mentioned you from time to time," Luciel hesitantly shook his hand, smiling a little at the corners of his lips. "Uh... is he in, actually?"

"He's in the middle of a battle, but you're welcome to watch it," Go replied, gesturing for Luciel to follow him as he headed down the right hallway, "follow me."

Luciel trailed after him, nervously fidgeting as they exited the quiet front room and entered the loud as all gets stadium. "This is where the battles are held?" He had to raise his voice to even hear himself over the noise the crowd was making.

"Yeah," Go said, "right now, Spark's facing a guy he's had trouble with in the past. Guy can't take that he keeps losing, so he just keeps coming back."

Luciel raised a brow, "how is that trouble?" He asked, taking a seat beside Go when he settled down; they'd managed to find some front row seats amongst the sea of spectators.

"The guy's always loud and brash about it, causes a scene every time," Go explained as he gestured to the guy, who looked rather peeved that he was losing.

"Oh, makes sense, I guess," Luciel muttered the last part, leaning forward to watch the battle closely. Even though they were in the front row, it was still hard to see and hear from where they were; even harder to focus due to an oncoming headache.

The battle seemed to be going in Spark's favour as he had yet to lose his fourth Pokemon, while his opponent was down to his fifth. Thanks to the scoreboard, it was easy to tell who was winning, who had won in the past hour or so, and how many wins, loses, and draws Spark had under his belt.

He wasn't lying when he said he lost to some of them... Luciel thought, resting his arms against the barrier as he stood up, trying to drown out the noise behind and around him in order to focus on the battle in front of him.

Updog seemed to be Spark's Pokemon of choice, easily dodging and weaving around attacks from the opponents Ninetales. Ninetales didn't look like it was a pushover, either, though, striking hard whenever it did land a hit and being able to take a few hits itself. Luciel was almost too scared to ask Go who he should've been rooting for.

"You're welcome to stay here and watch the battle, but I have a job to get to," Go said suddenly, heading toward the door they'd entered from.

"Alright. It was good meeting you!" Luciel called after him, barely taking his eyes off of the battle.

At some point during it, Updog and Spark's Jolteon, who he'd have to learn the name of later, had gotten severely injured. Spark was down to his fifth and the guy was barely hanging on with his sixth; Spark was still winning, but only by a small margin. With everyone around him cheering and booing whoever they thought deserved to win, Luciel didn't think he should've started cheering as well, but...

"Spark, kick his ass!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, "don't hold back on someone like this! You can battle a lot better and we both know that!"

Seeming to notice his screaming, - probably due to recognising his voice - Spark looked up to the stands to spot the source. He smiled when he noticed Luciel, waving his hand before he quickly turned his attention back to the battle.

Luciel grinned, proud of himself, as he continued to watch, enthralled in the battle. He wasn't even participating and he could feel adrenaline rushing in his veins.

By the end of the battle, he was more hyped than he'd ever been. As soon as he returned to the front room, he had a bounce in his step and must've looked like he'd gotten the best news ever based on Go's bewildered glance in his direction.

"I take it you had fun?" Go asked, grinning a little.

"Oh yeah! That was so. Fuckin'. Cool!" Luciel replied, talking a little louder than normal with an over-excited tone of voice.

"All of Spark's battles are a little over the top," Go chuckled, looking toward the door down the left hall as it opened. He glared at the guy who lost, getting the same expression in response.

Luciel blinked, watching the guy leave. He became a little confused when the guy glared at him as well. "Well, someone's not happy he lost," he grumbled, crossing his arms as he let out a huff. However, upon seeing Spark walk out not too long after, he grinned a little as he greeted him with a wave.

"Hey! Glad you could make it," Spark beamed, as he walked over to the both of them, moving over to peer at the phone in Go's hands from over his shoulder. "How many times is that?"

"Seven or eight, I lost count," Go replied, looking up from his phone, "guy just can't give it up."

"Some people are just too determined," Luciel chimed, letting out a dejected sigh, "but if someone like that can't even beat Spark, then what's that mean for people like me?"

Spark sent Go a look when he snorted, then turned to Luciel with a grin, throwing an arm around him, "you're a lot stronger than that guy and you know it!"

"I dunno, I've been pretty lacklustre lately," Luciel frowned.

"Spark's always told me that you could totally beat him," Go replied with a shrug.

"He's just saying that because I used to beat him all the time when we were kids," Luciel rolled his eyes, then cast Spark a look, raising a brow.

"What? It's true," Spark held his hands up in mock defence, "you always used to completely own me when we had battles back then."

"Yeah, but now?"

Go looked between the two of them, shaking his head, "why don't you two just battle and figure it out for yourselves?"

"Too busy," Luciel replied rubbing the back of his neck, "I actually shouldn't have even been here, but I decided my boss could deal without me for a day."

"Playing hooky are we?" Spark shot Luciel a disappointed look, "tsk, tsk, tsk."

"You play hooky from your leader duties from time to time," Go interjected, grinning a little at Spark's pout.

"You weren't supposed to tell him that!"

"Oops, it slipped," Go faked(?, it looked both too real and too fake to tell...) a shrug.

"How could you do this to me, Go?" Spark played along, fake crying with his hands covering his face. "Betrayal! Betrayal, I say!"

Luciel doubled over, holding back laughter while gripping his sides, "dear Arceus, you two!"

Soon enough, Spark joined in, laughing heartily, with Go finally joining last.

When they'd finished wiping the tears from their eyes, they all straightened out and looked amongst themselves. However, after getting a ping on his phone, Go held it up and smiled sadly, "sorry, gotta take this. You two have fun."

"Will do!" Luciel called after him, waving his goodbye. After Go was out of sight, he turned to Spark, "so uh... your battle, huh? That was... pretty good."

"Maybe I have gotten better with age?" Spark suggested, referencing his joke from a few weeks ago.

"Aged like fine cheese, Spark, fine cheese," Luciel shook his head, giving Spark a pat on the arm.

"Speaking of," Spark waggled his brows, "wanna go get some dinner? I know it's kinda late, but I'm sure there's some places still open.

"Are you thinking pizza?"

"Only if you are."

Luciel grinned, hooking his arm with Spark's when the offered presented itself, "lead the way."

"With pleasure," Spark returned the grin with one of his own, a playful expression that radiated happiness, heading out of the gym with his arm swinging, therefore causing Luciel's to swing with his.

"Any particular place we're going to? Or are we just gonna go to your place and order?" Luciel asked, peering up at Spark as they made their way down the sidewalk.

"I was thinking my place and order, I really don't wanna carry a pizza home," Spark whined a little, rubbing at his arm, "my arms hurt too much to carry anything."

"You're just lazy.~" Luciel teased, rolling his eyes at Spark's play acting.

"Am I? Or are you just too cynical to not care about my pain?" Spark retaliated, a teasing tone to his words.

Luciel didn't seem to notice it, however, too busy staring at something that caught his attention.

"Luciel? Hey, what is it?" Spark reached over, waving his hand in front of Luciel's face, blinking a few times.

"Huh?! Oh! Oh, no, it's... I just thought I saw something over there," Luciel made a vague gesture toward the alley adjacent to them.

"Have you been sleeping enough? You know you start to see things when you don't get enough sleep."

"I know, and yes, I have... Must've just been a Meowth or something," Luciel shrugged, pulling Spark along.

"Are you sure? We could investigate it if you're worried," Spark suggested, stumbling when he was suddenly yanked forward. He barely caught himself by leaning on Luciel for a bit before he was able to keep up.

"Nah, let's just keep going; I'm hungry anyway," Luciel replied, fidgeting slightly after pulling his arm away from Spark's, "besides, it's probably none of our business.

Spark tilted his head to the side, furrowing his brows. "If you're sure..." He replied, slipping his hands down into his pockets. In an attempt to change the subject, he brought up pizza again, "what kind do you want?"

"What?" A little bewildered, Luciel cast a confused glance up at him, "oh- pizza, right. Uh. Cheese. With extra cheese."

"As always," Spark teased, "you gotta branch out a little."

"I'll branch out when I'm dead, I'm too in love with cheese to do anything else while I'm alive.

"See! You're so bland and predictable it hurts!"

"Oh please, like you're so much better?"

"I'm instinctual," Spark grinned, waiting for Luciel to catch the joke. However, when he noticed he hadn't, Spark looked down, nudging him slightly. "Oh come on, it wasn't that bad."

"Spark," Luciel reached for his arm again, holding tightly to it with both hands.

"What? Seriously, are you that freaked out about what you saw? Like you said, it was probably a Poke-"

"Spark, please be serious for once."

"Why? What's wr-" He didn't even finish his sentence before a resounding CRASH caught him off guard. Spark turned quickly to face the source of the noise, already on edge as he gave Luciel a small push behind him.

They waited for a moment, the sound of the wind blowing around them and their breathing being the only thing to fill the void that would otherwise be silent. Much to their relief, out from the alleyway they just walked by was a Ninetales, looking more startled at them than they did at it.

"See, I told you it was nothing to worry about!"

"Spark," he swallowed nervously, "look at the bandanna around its neck," Luciel made a gesture to his own neck for emphasis.

"Whatcha mean..." Spark trailed off, recognising the bandanna almost immediately. Plastered on the black fabric was a bright red 'R', proudly displaying the team the Pokemon belonged to. For once, a serious expression displayed on his features, "stay behind me."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Luciel stepped back a little further, peering out from behind Spark with an anxious expression.

Another tense handful of seconds passed before the trainer finally showed himself and Luciel couldn't be any less surprised about who it was.

"I knew that guy was an asshole," he muttered, clinging to the back of Spark's jacket.

What happened next was so sudden he barely registered it. The trainer attacked and then... Luciel had never seen someone move so fast. He didn't recognise the speed at first, too caught off guard to even understand. But he did know that he suddenly went from point A, the ground, where the attack hit, to point b, the rooftop of a two story building not too far away.

"Spark?" He asked, his breathing beginning to level out from his previously almost hyperventilating state.

"I'd say 'guess again,' but then I'd have to hear my name come out of your mouth."

"... Zapdos," Luciel muttered, suddenly shoving himself out of arms he knew didn't belong to his friend.

"... And you say it anyway," Zapdos groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose, "I save your life and you treat me like this?"

"If you're going to complain about it, why bother?" Luciel snarled, rising to his feet. He was caught off guard again when the second movement happened, helplessly clinging to Spark's jacket despite his irritation for the Titan having taken over.

"Because," Zapdos continued as soon as he had finally determined a safe spot to drop Luciel for good, "in human vernacular, I've grown accustomed to you presence."

Luciel blinked a few times, slow to understand Zapdos' words. But before he could say anything, the bird was off again, moving like lightning.

"Hey, wait! Should I be flattered or what?!" He called after, leaning over the ledge of the roof to watch Zapdos dart off.

Turned out, occupying oneself by stargazing wasn't exactly the most interesting thing in the world. By the time Zapdos had finally made his way back, Luciel had almost dozed off several times and was only keeping himself awake by messing around on his phone. Of course, he was worried, but he'd determined that there was simply nothing he could do until Zapdos returned. Then, he'd certainly be giving that stupid bird a lecture of a life time.

"I'm surprised you didn't try to jump off," Zapdos commented as he came to rest beside Luciel, peering over at him from the corner of his eyes.

"Why? If I jumped, I would've died," Luciel replied before realising what the Titan meant. He glared at Zapdos, frowning, "you hate me and yet you've grown accustomed to my presence. It's either one or the other, make up your mind.

Zapdos sighed heavily, leaning over to throw his arm over Luciel's shoulders, "I'll admit that I did not realise it before... but you are genuinely apologetic about leaving Spark alone all those years ago... And although I still despise you and all humans, if something were to happen to you, he would be devastated."

"So... you're saying that you're only keeping me around for Spark's sake."

"Something like that," Zapdos grinned a little, squeezing Luciel's shoulders in an awkward, one armed hug.

"Wow, gee. I've earned the favour of a Legendary Bird- Wait, what's that on my shoulder?"

"We should be going, right?"

"Zapdos I swear to Arceus if that's blood-"

"We're going."

Before Luciel could protest, Zapdos scooped him up once more, rounding his way back down the buildings until they landed on the ground.

"Wha- hey- Arceus, I'm gonna be sick..." Luciel groaned, slipping away from Zapdos when they finally settled on the ground.

"You'd better hurry, we're not quite out of the clear yet," Zapdos warned, looking over his shoulder to peer down the sidewalk.

"That's rather ominous," Luciel commented after getting a hold on his bearings, his eyesight no longer doubled.

"So is that," Zapdos made a gesture behind them, directing Luciel's attention to the trainer from before.

"Can't you, I dunno, do something?"

"Are you telling me to stop holding back?"

Luciel hesitated, biting his lip.

"If you're going to answer, do it fast."

"Yes," Luciel finally confirmed, confident in his answer, "if that'll get this to stop, then don't hold back." He wasn't going to lie when he thought that the look Zapdos made with Spark's face was genuinely terrifying. Nor was he going to when he realised just how Zapdos could fight when he was backed into a corner. Even though he had also taken over Spark's body, he seemed to be doing very well; maybe he was only doing it to protect Spark? But why would he? Spark had already fought the guy so, why bother?

Oh my Arceus.

Luciel scrambled backward when he came to a conclusion, nearly tumbling over his own feet in the process. Panic rushed through him, not unlike the adrenaline that had done the same earlier. He contemplated the answers swirling in his head, trying in vain to figure out what he was going to do. He realised that Zapdos was only fighting, because he didn't want Team Rocket to take him from Spark, he was only fighting because he knew what being apart from one another for too long for would do to both him and his bonded.

Zapdos didn't even seem to realise that he was going overboard. Or maybe he did and he was doing it intentionally? No, he wouldn't-

When Luciel caught sight of the glance that was shot in his direction, he froze.

And then all of a sudden, his legs were moving before he could process it; he was running as fast as he could, pushing himself further than he'd ever done before. And as soon as he finally came to a halt in front of... Spark? Zapdos? Was it both of them? Luciel grabbed his shoulders, his grip shaky. Of course Zapdos took notice easily, he wasn't blind. But his reaction...

He clung tightly to Luciel like he was going to lose him, claws digging past his clothes and into his skin, creating long, angry scratch marks that Luciel could feel were bleeding. His back must've looked like some kind of bird must've attacked him - and it wouldn't be totally wrong - by the time he'd finally gotten Spark to calm down.

Luciel wheezed, squeezing Spark tighter when he began to apologise, "I've got you, okay? It's okay..." He smoothed his hand through Spark's hair, trying to ignore the pain in his back.

"... I'm sorry," Spark muttered, hesitant to return the embrace that Luciel had him in.

"Don't. Don't apologise, okay? It's fine."

"You're too good to me..."

"Any other time I might agree with you," Luciel laughed a little, trying to ignore the burning from the marks on his back, "but... I can't do that now."

"Yeah..." Spark nosed his face against Luciel's shoulder, "I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"I'll hold you to that..." Luciel smiled a little, wincing when he moved to curl against Spark.

"Someone has to," Spark replied tiredly, carefully picking Luciel up in his arms. He tried to steady himself when he swayed, biting back the throbbing pain in his head.

After he'd been able to brush off the feeling of weariness, he greeted Luciel to one of his signature smiles, "let's get you patched up."

Luciel simply hummed in response.