#between his younger self

[sylvarantii]

Belos x Reader dealing with depression because I've been dealing with some bad bouts this week despite taking antidepressants and some comfort would be nice.

Fair warning for implied kidnapping and Belos, well, being a possessive creep.

***

[You want to move from the bed. You know you shouldn't be lying there for hours, but somehow your limbs constantly feel like lead. You can't pull yourself together no matter how much your brain tries to guilt you into moving.]

[You're tired and you just want to keep sleeping. At the same time however, haven't you slept enough?]

[What even is today? You can't remember anymore. The days just blur together by this point.]

[You hear the click of the door, knowing it's him instantly before you even tilt your head up to see him making his way over to you.]

Belos: Still unable to move from the bed, I see. You make this quite easy, you know.

[You hate how you can hear the smugness in his voice. If you had the energy to spare, you'd gladly put him in his place. But it's just not worth it. It never really has been.]

[He takes a seat beside you and proceeds the usual ritual of running his hands through your hair, letting out a slight tsk before getting up and grabbing a brush from the usual spot on top of the drawer he's provided within this room.]

[Making his way back over, he sits back down and then pulls you into his lap. You have no idea where he gets the strength for someone of his age, but he is surprisingly strong enough to do it with what seems like ease.]

[He moves the brush through your hair with surprising care. Gently working out the tangles that have accumulated. You couldn't deny, it did feel nice.]

Belos: It seems you'll be needing to bathe soon as well. I'll run a bath for you once I'm finished and help you get cleaned off.

[There's a bit of silence before you respond back.]

You: Why even bother? Isn't this just a hassle for you?

[He lets out a chuckle from behind you while continuing to work through your hair.]

Belos: On the contrary, I much more prefer this over a struggle. Consider this my reward to you for being such a well behaved captive.

[You hate how condescending that last bit sounds, even if there was some intended praise mixed in there.]

You: I just don't care anymore.

Belos: You don't care? Or is it really that you've come to enjoy what I can offer you?

[You remain silent.]

Belos: Isn't this easier? Letting someone else take care of your needs and wants?

[He sets the brush off to the side and rests his fingers along your shoulders, clasping onto them gently.]

Belos: Now that you're here, you'll no longer have to worry about a single thing.

[He releases his grip on your shoulders and moves his arms to wrap around your waist as his chin lowers to rest on your shoulder with a smile.]

Belos: You can finally be happy.

[Slowly, your hands move to cover his own as you rest your back against his chest.]

[Maybe he was right. At some point, you were just going to have to give in. Because without him, were you really going to be any better off?]

[crocrubies]

burying the old me

[punkeropercyjackson]

My son he has every gender

[st-hedge]

It wasn’t on my 2024 bingo card that I’d draw V again. Anyway I’ll go ahead ramble in the tags

[mortysmith]

rick becomes super into multiversal travel after prime introduces him to it, very hyperfocused on it and the opportunities it presents (like how the gotron episode establishes that rick can get carried away unless someone reels him in). diane might initially be supportive of this but as rick's appearances around the house become more shoddy, she gets fed up and they separate. after a much more complex deterioration of their relationship obviously rick considers this a win at the time, since he's now free to dick around and do whatever he wants, essentially adopts prime's life philosophy and hangs around him. him and prime would eventually have some sort of falling out, which leaves rick extremely bitter and annoyed. he ends up spending most of his life alone, still living by his pop nihilistic ideals because he thinks this is what he wants. eventually he'd still end up squatting in prime's dimension and realizes that he actually Prefers this family life. his infatuation with prime could develop into resentment when he realizes that he essentially robbed rick of a comfortable, idealistic life

[itspileofgoodthings]

so many people have said that as you approach your 30’s things start to fall into place but I don’t feel that at all. the closer I get the more it feels that everything is dissolving and falling apart

[whatever-baywatch]

I’m incredibly stoked at Dan Danger making his reappearance but I also think he should’ve not had sleeves

[daltoneering]

Kinn and Porsche still trust each other.

They have had an entire 13 episode arc of learning to trust each other--of Kinn, particularly, learning to fully trust Porsche and how that trust leads to his own internal freedom--and that trust in each other has been tested over and over and been proven true. They have never not managed to come back to each other, and each instance of their trust being tested has only made them stronger and more sure.

The graveyard scene in this episode and the "be my bodyguard" scene in the last had a very similar feeling to me, because they were both about Kinn professing that trust, love and sureness. First to Porsche, and then to his parents. Kinn is actively making the choice to trust Porsche (the character growth!), and to keep trusting him despite the fact that he can clearly tell that Porsche isn't telling him something. Porsche was giving pretty clear signals that he didn't want to talk about it, and Kinn chose to respect that. In a world where they are so constantly surrounded by secrets and lies and hidden agendas, Kinn's willingness to let Porsche do what he needs to do without interfering just goes to show how full that trust is, and how much he loves him.

And Porsche trusts Kinn too, despite what he says to Vegas. His trust in Kinn is a lot more conflicted than Kinn's in him, because he's right in the heart of these dizzying revelations about his past and how he got to where he is, and the fact that Kinn and his family might be involved in that. But we see him thinking back to what his uncle said--that you can't trust a single member of the main family--and then to Kinn professing his trust in him. Everything he is aches to trust that Kinn has nothing to do with this. He knows just how genuine Kinn's love and trust in him is.

The scene at Hum Bar with Vegas happens before the pool scene, and I think that's super important. I've talked frequently over the past few episodes about how this pool and their reflections in it has been showing them getting closer and closer to fully trusting in each other, and how once they were in that water--in the place where all those reflections once were--they would be able to have that complete understanding of each other, without any reflections hiding different sides of them from each other. And I think that, despite the fact that Porsche is obviously hiding his plans from Kinn, that theory still stands. The pool scene is a devastating reassurance of Porsche's love for and trust in Kinn before he leaves. They are in that complete understanding of how much they love each other--every kiss, every touch, every word that happened in that pool was heart-wrenchingly genuine, with no hidden agendas other than Porsche's desire to tell Kinn just how much he does trust him.

We know what's coming next week. We know they're going to hold guns to each other's heads and Porsche is going to have to assure Kinn of his allegiance. But we also know that in that same scene we're gonna get Gay Gun Tango, and horny Kinn feeling Porsche up in the middle of a gunfight--so whatever does go down, we can be sure that they're going to manage to resolve it, and probably quickly. The complete trust they have in each other is the only reason they're able to do that.

[missbluesunflowersstuff]

Not my dumb ass writing down a fic where Damian Wayne fakes his own death + end up adopting one kid + get more kids + something somehow Batman Beyond + boy is back to the town + and somehow JonDami

[thaliagrayce]

。*★.°*:.☆Don't Put Ship Hate In The Ship Tag☆.:*°.★* 。

[myimaginationplain]

seeing as ATSV Hobie has no specified age, I think he can rightly be considered any age between that of the teens (Miles, Gwen, Pavitr, Peni) & the adults (Peter, Jess, Miguel, etc.) according to what a person feels best suits him and/or their fanwork. anyone blowing a gasket over their own personal age headcanons for him not being enshrined in fandom as law needs to just take a fucking chill pill & get over it (I'm looking at you TikTok.)

[awkwardknight]

In a pokemon au every time without fail I will give Jason a mabostiff with the guard dog ability. I think it's symbolic.

[ofdamages-arc]

@depictedblue continued from here !

jack's eyebrows do a little dance because he's asked that same question before. do you care? he knows she's expecting him to say no or lie to her face. it's not like they're particularly close. they're in the same history class and have gym the same period, so they've talked some. he's always kept a respectful distance. always greeting her with a smile and ready with some banter now and again. "i mean— i just..." he shifts his weight from left to right. "you should get it looked at. i'm pretty sure your knuckle wasn't that size this morning." the truth is that jack has a bit of a crush on cassie. he's only known her for the past two years in total, but that was enough time to get an idea of what kind of person she is. that person intrigues him and given their similarities, he feels like she deserves to be protected.

[whumpderhoy]

doing some older jataro headcanons because I gotta do the best of both worlds:

Jataro definitely tries to associate himself as least as he possibly can from any family members or friends he had.

He definitely believes a good portion of his childhood isn’t real. Like he genuinely thinks that all the shit he went through was an elaborate dream.

He’s a people pleaser now. He definitely got some attention at some point and was like “damn this shits good. I’m gonna try and get more”

Since he’s still trying to associate himself as least as possible with his younger self, he ditched his mask and started treating himself significantly better.

He changed his artstyle and the things he paints a lot.

His emotions are now way more uncontrollable and he has a habit to lash out or break down when things bother him.

He uses his younger self as a prime example of what not to do in the event of something. He doesn’t ham it up but he’s definitely way more different from when he was younger.

On a more positive note, he definitely expresses himself to the fullest.

Yeah in conclusion he’s a whole different person now.

[sinvulkt]

Body in Abyss, Heart in Abyss by Emerald_sealin

WARNING: Heavy Book 4 and 5 SPOILERS.

For 800 years Xie Lian fought for what he believed was right. He endured centuries of unearned torment, shouldered responsibilities bigger than he was, no matter what was thrown at him Xie Lian took it, Xie Lian bore it, Xie Lian soldiered on.

Until the final battle on Mount Tonglu, when Xie Lian looses for the last time.And forgives....for the last time.

Finally, the god of Xianle will have his REVENGE! Completed, 59k words.

*** ** * ** ***

Chapter 1:

"There he is," he grinned at Xie Lian, drawing a breath of awe as he felt the overwhelming power crashing down on him. Power that could shake the very mountainside with each mighty step that Xie Lian took. "That's the face I want to see!" he laughed. "Finally, after so many wasted centuries you're making the right face!" [...] "You are not a monster," Guoshi said firmly, a failed attempt to undo Bai Wuxiang's brainwashing. Unfortunately, Xie Lian was not brainwashed. His eyes were wide open and he could see just how ugly the world truly was. "I don't care," Xie Lian said and kept walking, his sandals slapping against the wet bloody floor, Jun Wu's body following after him. [...] It took a thousand people to create, but it took one to destroy

[...]

'He wouldn't want this' Guoshi had said and Xie Lian couldn't help but sneer. "He's not here," Xie Lian said. With that, he walked away.

Chapter 5:

The prince cried out, falling to the floor and screaming in agony. Xie Lian was stupefied. He'd put a little work into his food this time but come on, it couldn't be that bad. The prince was rolling on the floor and sobbing like he'd accidentally swallowed a million knives, banging his hands on the floor as he wailed in misery. **** Jun Wu wasn't having a particularly great day considering the nightmares of what happened the day before. He hadn't been able to rest his eyes as his heart was in turmoil wondering what Xianle planned to do next with his younger self. He didn't have to wait long to find out. "HE ATE HIS FUCKING FOOD?!!" Jun Wu roared as an unfamiliar gagging pain flared within his belly. He'd lived 800 years with Xie Lian in his life and he'd never ONCE made that mistake! His alternate self was an IDIOT!!

[jadenvargen]

free online james baldwin stories, essays, videos, and other resources

**edit

James baldwin online archive with his articles and photo archives.

---NOVELS---

Giovanni's room"When David meets the sensual Giovanni in a bohemian bar, he is swept into a passionate love affair. But his girlfriend's return to Paris destroys everything. Unable to admit to the truth, David pretends the liaison never happened - while Giovanni's life descends into tragedy. This book introduces love's fascinating possibilities and extremities."

Go Tell It On The Mountain"(...)Baldwin's first major work, a semi-autobiographical novel that has established itself as an American classic. With lyrical precision, psychological directness, resonating symbolic power, and a rage that is at once unrelenting and compassionate, Baldwin chronicles a fourteen-year-old boy's discovery of the terms of his identity as the stepson of the minister of a storefront Pentecostal church in Harlem one Saturday in March of 1935. Baldwin's rendering of his protagonist's spiritual, sexual, and moral struggle of self-invention opened new possibilities in the American language and in the way Americans understand themselves."

+bonus: film adaptation on youtube. (if you’re a giancarlo esposito fan, you’ll be delighted to see him in an early preacher role)

Another Country and Going to Meet the Man Another country: "James Baldwin's masterly story of desire, hatred and violence opens with the unforgettable character of Rufus Scott, a scavenging Harlem jazz musician adrift in New York. Self-destructive, bad and brilliant, he draws us into a Bohemian underworld pulsing with heat, music and sex, where desperate and dangerous characters betray, love and test each other to the limit." Going to meet the Man: " collection of eight short stories by American writer James Baldwin. The book, dedicated "for Beauford Delaney", covers many topics related to anti-Black racism in American society, as well as African-American–Jewish relations, childhood, the creative process, criminal justice, drug addiction, family relationships, jazz, lynching, sexuality, and white supremacy."

Just Above My Head"Here, in a monumental saga of love and rage, Baldwin goes back to Harlem, to the church of his groundbreaking novel Go Tell It on the Mountain, to the homosexual passion of Giovanni's Room, and to the political fire that enflames his nonfiction work. Here, too, the story of gospel singer Arthur Hall and his family becomes both a journey into another country of the soul and senses--and a living contemporary history of black struggle in this land."

If Beale Street Could Talk"Told through the eyes of Tish, a nineteen-year-old girl, in love with Fonny, a young sculptor who is the father of her child, Baldwin's story mixes the sweet and the sad. Tish and Fonny have pledged to get married, but Fonny is falsely accused of a terrible crime and imprisoned. Their families set out to clear his name, and as they face an uncertain future, the young lovers experience a kaleidoscope of emotions-affection, despair, and hope. In a love story that evokes the blues, where passion and sadness are inevitably intertwined, Baldwin has created two characters so alive and profoundly realized that they are unforgettably ingrained in the American psyche."

also has a film adaptation by moonlight's barry jenkins

Tell Me How Long the Train's been gone At the height of his theatrical career, the actor Leo Proudhammer is nearly felled by a heart attack. As he hovers between life and death, Baldwin shows the choices that have made him enviably famous and terrifyingly vulnerable. For between Leo's childhood on the streets of Harlem and his arrival into the intoxicating world of the theater lies a wilderness of desire and loss, shame and rage. An adored older brother vanishes into prison. There are love affairs with a white woman and a younger black man, each of whom will make irresistible claims on Leo's loyalty. 

---ESSAYS---

Baldwin essay collection. Including most famously: notes of a native son, nobody knows my name, the fire next time, no name in the street, the devil finds work- baldwin on film

--DOCUMENTARIES--

Take this hammer, a tour of san Francisco.

Meeting the man

--DEBATES:--

Debate with Malcolm x, 1963 ( on integration, the nation of islam, and other topics. )

Debate with William Buckley, 1965. ( historic debate in america. )

Heavily moderated debate with Malcolm x, Charles Eric Lincoln, and Samuel Schyle 1961. (Primarily Malcolm X's debate on behalf of the nation of islam, with Baldwin giving occassional inputs.)

----

apart from themes obvious in the book's descriptions, a general heads up for themes of incest and sexual assault throughout his works.