#but at the very least a cool thing should be coming around either tomorrow or wednesday so

[miodiodavinci]

oscillating rapidly and producing a low tone in the note of c

[burningfairytales]

On Bokuto being Fukurodani’s captain

I promised myself I wouldn’t make another Bokuto defence post, but I’ve been reliably informed the Fukurodani tag is lacking posts and I’m here to contribute.

We’ve probably all seen it - the post that is like, “every captain acts like a father figure to their team, and then there’s Fukurodani”

And I mean, it’s funny. It got a good chuckle out of me, too, because that is how jokes work. Jokes have to be funny, they don’t necessarily have to be true.

Because yes. For Karasuno, whose line-up consists of three first-years, and the dynamic duo Tanaka-and-Noya, sure, Daichi is more of a father figure. So is Kuroo, I suppose, for Nekoma (though where Daichi is the tough-love kind of dad, I see Kuroo as the “hey x, i’m dad” kind of person.)

And it works for them, because that’s what those teams need.

They’re young. They’re chaotic. They need a voice of reason (Karasuno) or, failing that, at least someone who’s capable of mediating in a fight. Who’s willing to tell the children to suck it up and make up, even if they weren’t in the wrong (Nekoma).

A captain should be what the team needs, after all.

But that is not how Fukurodani works.

Fukurodani has a completely different dynamic than Nekoma and Karasuno. Sure, they bicker. They probably fight, too. But listen. Save Akaashi and Onaga, the entire team is made up of third years - and we all know that in terms of maturity, Akaashi is on their level if not higher.

(Sorry Onaga. I’m afraid I don’t know enough about him yet to include him in that statement. Doesn’t come across as particularly childish either, for what it’s worth!)

So you’ve got an elite team. A team of more-or-less adults. The millennial kind of of adults, maybe - the “i need an adultier adult” kind. But a team of people who know when it’s okay to fool around and when it’s time to call it quits.

In a team like that, what use is a father figure?

And then there’s Bokuto.

Bokuto who is very much not mature at all. Bokuto who doesn’t know when to stop, when to call it quits. Bokuto who goes out to play not for the sake of winning, but to enjoy playing. To have fun. Winning is just the result of that.

Bokuto who looks at his teammates and gives them permission to just fool around and have fun, just for the sake of it. Want to try a cool spike? Great! It worked? That’s awesome, teach me how to do it.

Didn’t work? Too bad, try again.

Bokuto who gently and sometimes not-so-gently pushes his team. Try harder. Do better. Not because it’s disappointing if they don’t, but because it’s more fun if they do - because Bokuto firmly believes that they can.

Fukurodani is a great team. An elite team. They know they’re good. Maybe sometimes, just “good” feels like enough to them - but never to Bokuto. If you run three laps today, you might make it to four tomorrow. Maybe five laps the day after.

Bokuto is the kind of person who reaches, who moves forward, who doesn’t want to stop improving.

He’s also the kind of person who motivates his teammates to try harder simply because that’s what he does. They don’t want to fall behind. If Bokuto can do it, then so can we.

I think it’s such in important scene, at the end of the match against Mujinazaka, when Bokuto shakes hands with Kiryuu - not just because, despite their loss, Kiryuu can honestly say that he’s glad he played his last match against Bokuto, though I’d say that says a lot about Bokuto in general. It’s not a bad thing, losing to him. It’s sad - of course it’s sad, but it’s not frustrating. They played a good game. Hell, they had fun. It’s an acceptable loss.

But the really important part, to me, is when Bokuto holds onto his hand and tells him, “you should tell your team to give you better tosses. Even if it’s asking too much. You should still do it.”

Because not only does that show that Bokuto isn’t an idiot - he’s very much aware of what goes on on the field. He noticed that most of those tosses sucked. Kiryuu is amazing for managing to hit those, and Bokuto isn’t afraid of telling him that.

And it’s not even that he’s telling his opponent, hey, you’re already pretty incredibly and you could spike better if the set-up worked in your favour. (Because contrary to what seems a popular opinion, Bokuto’s “I’m the best!” Doesn’t mean “everyone else sucks.” I don’t understand why people tend to make him egoistical. Bokuto stops at nothing to tell others when they’re doing well and compliment them.)

No, the really important part of that exchange is that Bokuto is also saying, you aren’t letting your team improve if you keep letting them keep get away with this.

And it’s true, isn’t it. You can help your classmate cheat or do your coworker’s work for them - it saved them in that moment, maybe, but they will not learn. You’re taking away their opportunity for improvement.

Kiryuu can tell his team, it’s okay if your tosses are shit, I will hit them anyway. But at the end of the day, those tosses are still going to be shit. It doesn’t make them better players, and if any of them want to keep playing after high school they’re going to be in a lot of trouble, because not everyone will be able to hit them - or be even willing to try.

So no, Bokuto is about the farthest thing from a father figure. But he pushed his team to do better. Forces them to pick up the pace one way of another, sometimes maybe through his bad moods, but also by motivating them to stop accepting “good” as “good enough.”

And look, I’m not completey oblivious. I’m fairly certain Bokuto is probably not great at handling the official side of being captain - club applications and funding requests and whatever needs handling. But he’s not doing it alone, is he?

And of course Akaashi is impressive, making vice-captain as a second year. And I’m willing to bet Bokuto was the first to insist he’d have to do it.

So you’ve got the captain who pushes and the vice-captain who keeps things level. I’d say that’s the kind of team Fukurodani needs as their captains, don’t you?

[steddieasitgoes]

written for @eddiemonth Day 16 Prompt: Library & Curious a/n: This one might be my favorite one I've written yet! It's set at the start of season 2! read on ao3 | link to my ao3 Edde Month series

Eddie’s well aware there are a lot of stupid classes that Hawkins High requires its student body to take. Algebra (there’s no reason for the alphabet and numbers to mix, except in very rare cases, like D20 type cases), Physics (what more do they need to know beyond what goes up, must come down), French (as if anyone from Bumfuck, Indiana could afford to go to France — okay maybe some can, but Eddie’s certainly not one of them that’s for damn sure), goddamn Physical Education (only way he’s running is if someone is chasing him, thank you very much). But the stupidest class of all has to be Study Hall.

An entire class dedicated to doing work for other classes? What kind of idiot dreamed this one up? Instead of letting them out an hour early, some guy, probably in a suit because all bad ideas come from guys in suits, decided to hold them hostage to do more work. It’s ridiculous. Not to mention, it’s one of the few times, outside of lunch, that the grades get to mingle with each other. Sure, lots of studying goes on in between freshmen drooling over seniors and sophomores paying juniors for last year’s test answers.

The only time Eddie actually liked study hall was during his sophomore year when he had it first period and could do all the homework he neglected to do the night before. It’s the only time it actually made sense. And the only time, thus far in his high school career, that Eddie actually turned in more assignments than not.

But now, he’s a senior stuck with study hall as his last class of the day, and he wants to die. Okay, maybe not die die. But die in the sense that he’d rather risk bodily harm escaping the hellscape that is the Hawkins library during 6th-period study hall than sit here. His freedom is so close — nothing but a few windows and a brick wall separating him from the brisk late-October air. Eddie can’t risk it, though. He’s already reached his detention quote for the semester, and if he wants to keep using the drama room for Hellfire meetings, he has to sit in this damn library seat and at least pretend to get some work done.

Which, honestly, isn’t the worst thing in the world. At least it gives him time to work on his latest Hellfire campaign without the prying eyes of Jeff and Gareth or the unnecessary questions from Freak. Sure, he’s supposed to be working on an essay for English Lit, but he doesn’t think Ms. Washington is going to appreciate his take on Frankenstein, so he’ll worry about coming up with a dumbed-down idea another day.

Besides, even focusing on his new campaign is hard enough with the idle chatter going on that the librarian is either pretending not to hear or is too tired of shushing them for.

It’s the usual sort of study hall gossip. Who’s screwing who. What teacher is going to pull a pop quiz tomorrow and become the biggest asshole at Hawkins High. The occasional nervous whispers of the geeks actually studying.

It’s all mindless chatter that drifts into the background when the topic of Tina’s Halloween Bash comes up. That’s the real gossip of the night. Who got the keg, and what other alcohol is being provided? Who is going to be the best dressed? What couple is going to get caught screwing in Tina’s parent’s bed? Are there going to be any good fights or breakups?

Eddie rolls his eyes. Jesus H. Christ, can’t anybody be original around here?

Unfortunately for Eddie, there’s no escaping Tina’s Halloween Bash since he’s been summoned to provide some extra party favors, as the “cool” kids like to call them. Eddie, never one to back down from being a thorn in a “cool” kid’s side, always responds with the same spiel: “Drugs. What you want is drugs, right? Or should I go raid Melvald’s for you?”

Whatever. Money is money, and Eddie can take all the money he can get his grubby hands on if he wants to get out of this shit-hole town when he graduates in June.

Glancing at his watch, he tips his head back in a silent groan of annoyance. Only ten minutes have passed since he slunk into the uncomfortable library seat. Christ, why does time move so slow, sometimes? Eddie tries to focus on his Hellfire notes in front of him, and he’s successful for all of thirty seconds before something catches his attention in the corner of his eye.

Nancy Wheeler and the former Hawkins High King, Steve Harrington, are whispering to each other by the pencil sharpener. He rolls his eyes. Of course, no one else in the library is paying them any mind. And why would they? Harrington fell from grace last year, and Wheeler isn’t exactly the “look at me” type. Still, Eddie finds them morbidly interesting in a way he finds all the tragic heterosexual couples in this stupid small town interesting.

Before Eddie has a chance to fall deeper into his cynical outlook on this stupid Hawkins High couple, Wheeler starts tugging Harrington toward the private study room in the back of the library. It’s a move that shocks Eddie to his core. Don’t get him wrong, he’s heard all bout Harrington’s little trysts in that very room over the years (thank you gossip mill for the very cheap porn), but he never would have assumed Wheeler would be the one tugging him toward it.

It’s that detour from who she’s supposed to be that has Eddie peeling himself off his chair.  At least, that’s what he tells himself as he saunters toward the stack of books in the back of the library closest to the private room. If he hears moaning or anything remotely sounding like they’re hooking up, he promises himself he’ll leave. He’s a freak in many ways, but a creep, he is not.

Glancing over his shoulder, Eddie can see the two of them in the small room. They’re close but not close enough to be doing anything beyond talking. From the look on her face, doing anything of that sort isn’t even on her mind.

Interesting.

Eddie creeps closer.

“Barbara. It’s like nobody cares. Except her parents. And now they’re selling their house.”

“Nance—“

Wheeler rants about something, but he misses most of it. Only catching the very end.

“It’s destroying them.”

No shit, Eddie thinks with another dramatic eye roll. Of course, losing their only daughter is destroying them. The Hollands are one of the few families around here that actually have a heart. At least they did before Barbara tore it from them by running away. Or so the story goes. Eddie’s always been a bit suspicious of Holland’s disappearance. He knows the runaway type, and a straight-A girl, with a well-off family who loves them like Holland had doesn’t fit the bill.

“I know. Okay? I get it,” Harrington says, glancing away from Wheeler to peer out the window. Eddie grabs the first book on the shelf and buries his face in it. It must fool Steve because he starts talking again. “But listen, there’s nothing we can do about it.”

“Yeah, we could tell them the truth.”

“This isn’t some game, Nance. If they found out that we told any…” He trails off again, and Eddie reaches for another book.

Eyes peering over the pages, Eddie watches as he shuts the blinds before presumably returning to Wheeler. With the blinds shut and their voices even lower, he can no longer hear what they’re talking about. Which is a damn shame because Eddie’s never been more curious about what the disgraced King was about to say than right now. 

+ + +

“M’telling you guys. It was weird,” Eddie says through a mouthful of Doritos.

They’re hanging out in Gareth’s garage. Jeff sits in the old recliner while Gareth stays perched behind his drum kit. Freak is running late, as usual, though Eddie’s not too pressed about it today. Too distracted filling the boys in on what he overheard in the library.

“I don’t know man; it sounds like she was just concerned about her best friend,” Gareth says, lightly tapping his drumsticks on his snare.

“Yeah, those two were inseparable, remember.”

“All the more reason why it’s weird she’s been mopping around lately. Obviously, she knows where Holland is. Or what happened to her.”

“Not this again,” Jeff groans, sinking further into the recliner.

“Yes, this again,” Eddie retorts, throwing Jeff an intense glare. “This town is weird as shit. If the Byers kid can come back from the dead—“

“I thought they proved it wasn’t actually Byers they found in the quarry,” The Freak says, finally joining them in the garage. 

“They did, but Eddie still thinks—“

“Shut up!” Eddie shouts, taking a moment to throw a Dorito at all of their heads. “Let me level with you for a second, okay? Yeah, sure, they said that kid wasn’t Byers, but they never said whose kid it was, which is weird. And then right after that, they “find” Holland’s car? It’s too coincidental, man. You know a story isn’t right when it’s too easy.”

“This isn’t one of our campaigns,” Gareth sighs. “Sometimes things really are just accidental coincidences.”

Eddie shakes his head, running his Dorito-stained fingers over his face. “Nah, man, m’not buying it this time. Harrington and Wheeler know what really happened to Holland. And I think they’re responsible for it.”

“So, what?” Jeff asks, leaning forward so his elbows rest on his knees. “You think they made her disappear or something.”

“Maybe Harrington got Holland knocked up, and his family gave her money to leave.”

“See!” Eddie shouts, slapping his hands together as he jumps on the balls of his feet. “Freak gets it! That’s the kind of thing I’m talking about.”

“Okay, but if Harrington knocked Wheeler’s best friend up, why would she still be dating him?” Jeff asks.

“And why would they both be hiding her from her parents?” Gareth adds.

Okay, so maybe these are valid questions, but Eddie doesn’t appreciate the doubts they’re throwing at him. “I don’t appreciate you doubting me,” he says plainly. “You’ll see. M’gonna figure this out.”

“Right, just like you figured out that Ms. O’Donnell was actually failing you for a reason and not because she had some vendetta against Wayne for not dating her.”

“Hey. That was a good theory, okay. One I still think is true, by the way.” Turning his back on the boys, Eddie crosses the room and tosses the empty bag of Doritos into the trash bin before heading towards his badly parked van.

“I thought we were practicing!” Gareth shouts after him.

“Just let him go,” Jeff sighs. “He’s impossible to work with when he’s in conspiracy theory mode.”

Eddie flips Jeff off, climbing into the van. “I’ll see you boys tomorrow.”

+ + +

Eddie’s been at Tina’s party for an entire hour and a half, and there’s still no sign of Harrington or Wheeler. Not that he’s actively searching them out, of course. He’s just had some downtime in between upselling Hagan for the world’s shittiest pot he could get his hands on, and explaining to some cheerleader how Special K hits differently if you snort it. Plus, his supply ran out about ten minutes ago, so he’s just buying time before someone notices him lingering and kicks his ass to the curb.

He’s about to save himself and whatever jock gets thrown his way the trouble, when he spots Harrington and Wheeler arguing by the punch bowl. He’s too far away to hear what they’re saying, but he has a sneaking suspicion it has less to do with the conversation he heard in the library and more to do with Wheeler’s drunken state. Case in point: the red liquid she just spilled all over her blouse.

Chasing after her, Harrington cuts through the crowd and makes his way toward one of the bathrooms. Eddie waits a minute before following them down the crowded hallway. Thankfully, no one is in line for this bathroom — still too early in the night for the alcohol to have hit their bladders — so he’s first in the unofficial bathroom line. Leaning casually against the wall, Eddie angles his ear closer to the door so he can hear inside.

It takes a minute for his ears to tune out the music and nonsense chatter, but when they do, he can clearly hear Wheeler slurring her words.

“You’re pretending like everything’s okay. You know, like we didn’t… like we didn’t kill Barb.”

Eddie’s never experienced shock before, at least, he doesn’t think he has; the early days of his life are a little hazy around the edges, but that’s the only word he thinks fits what he’s experiencing right now. Part of him wants to shove his ear closer to the door to continue listing, while the other part of him wants to run for the hills, screaming in victory. And if he’s straight with himself, maybe screaming in fear a little, too. Harrington and Wheeler murderers? Who knew?

He knew, that’s who!

He knew there was something shady going on between those two.

Pressing his ear closer, he can hear Wheeler slurring more words, though he’s not exactly sure what she’s saying. Honestly, he doesn’t really care what she’s saying. He’s listening for Harrington’s response right now. What does the mighty King have to say about the bomb she’s just dropped?

“This is bullshit,” she slurs.

“Like we’re in love?” Steve asks.

Huh, clearly, Eddie missed a step or two in his shocked state.  He’s not exactly sure how the conversation strayed from them killing Holland to their, clearly, toxic relationship, but the fact it did is all the proof Eddie needs. If they didn’t kill her, Harrington would have been vehemently denying her claim. And yet, he sounds like a kicked puppy dog right now because she doesn’t love him.

Join the club, Harrington.

The doorknob starts to jiggle, and Eddie bolts. It’s not that he’s afraid about coming face-to-face with the two who apparently killed Holland. It’s just that, well, he needs a minute to think about the information he’s just learned.

+ + +

With Gareth and Freak both busy supervising their siblings around Hawkins and Jeff on candy duty for his family’s house, Eddie has no one to share the good bad news with. RIP Holland and all that, but he’s sitting on some serious dirt right now.

The good part of Eddie’s brain knows he should head straight for the police station. Pull good ole’ Chief Hopper aside and gloat about how he did his job for him. But Eddie’s spent enough time at the stuffy station to know no one is going to believe him especially not against Harrington and Wheeler. He’d have better luck marching in there and turning himself in for her murder. Not that he’s going to do that.

He supposes he could tell Wayne about it, but he doesn’t need to be dragging his uncle into any more of his messes. And since Eddie has no proof beyond overhearing a drunken confession, a mess it’ll surely turn into.

So, he opts for the third option and heads out to Skull Rock to do some thinking.

Maybe Freak is right, and it was some sort of jealous rage brought on by a Holland-Harrington pregnancy. Or maybe Holland saw something she shouldn’t have; the possibilities are endless, and Eddie’s imagination is limitless.

Eventually, he circles back to what he’s supposed to do with this information. Should he turn them in? Maybe not Wheeler; she seems like she’s experienced enough guilt as it and the girl has a bright future or whatever it is the teachers are always talking about. Harrington, though? Harrington, he should turn in, right? I mean, he didn’t even seem phased when Wheeler brought up the murder. Eddie’s watched enough horror movies to know that’s psychopath behavior right there. Besides, it would be nice to see the King behind bars. But then again, he hasn’t been the King in a while. And Harrington’s never really done anything to Eddie beyond standing idle while Hagan threw slurs at him. But he’s not hanging out with Hagan anymore, so maybe he should cut him some slack.

Though they did murder someone.

Jesus H. Christ.

Maybe this is why they say curiosity killed the cat — Eddie’s head is throbbing. He’s about to take another hit from his joint when he hears leaves crunching in the distance.

Shit.

Someone’s coming.

Snubbing out his joint against the rock, Eddie tries his best to make it seem like he’s just here, escaping the busy Halloween night. Which, like, he definitely is, but he can’t be too safe. Especially not when there are two teenage murderers on the loose.

“She thinks m’bullshit? She’s bullshit! Bullshit.”

The voice is unmistakable.

Jesus H. Christ could tonight get any weirder.

Eddie’s only escape is to run deeper into the forest, and he’s not about to do that so he makes himself comfortable on top of Skull Rock like a fucking sitting duck. Searching the pockets of his vest, he yanks out a pack of cigarettes and his lighter. Neither of which he was looking for. Of course, he left his pocket knife in his van. Stupid. So stupid!

There’s a moment of silence before Harrington emerges from the clearing. The moon is bright above them, making Steve’s tear-stained cheeks and red-rimmed eyes glow in the otherwise dark forest.

Maybe he is feeling guilty after all.

“Ah, fuck,” Harrington groans, stumbling to the ground.

Eddie watches as he rolls around for a moment, struggling to find his footing. If Eddie were a mean person, he might let Harrington suffer. But something about his behavior reminds him of a wounded animal, and Eddie’s always had a soft spot for bruised and broken things.

“Shit, Harrington, you okay?” Eddie asks, jumping down.

Eddie’s boots crunch against the leaves, startling Harrington. He manages to pull himself into a seated position and brandishes a near empty beer bottle in Eddie’s direction. “Stay back!”

“Woah, man,” Eddie yelps, hands raised in surrender in front of him. “Don’t kill me.”

“Oh, s’you,” Steve says, slumping against the tree behind him. He tosses the beer bottle aside and runs both his hands over his face. “Jesus. Why does everyone think I would kill s-someone?”

“Uh,” Eddie stutters, glancing around. Now’s his chance to make a break for it. Put those hours of physical education to good use and sprint to the van before Harrington has a chance to make him his next victim. But there’s something in Steve’s sad eyes and dejected voice that makes Eddie stay. “‘Cause you have killed someone before?”

“Man, what the hell are you talking about?” Harrington snaps, fumbling to get out of his jacket. “I’ve n-never killed anyone.”

“So, you didn’t kill Barbara Holland, then?”

“No! Jesus, ‘course not. Barb was… Barb was nice. She was good. Like Nance. Better than Nance, maybe. I don’t know,” Harrington whines, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Barb she’s… yeah, man, she’s dead. But I didn’t have anything to do with that. N-not in the way you think I did, at least.”

Harrington’s not making a lot of sense, which only spurs Eddie’s curiosity on more. Closing the distance between them, Eddie hops to a squat in front of him. “But you did have something to do with what happened to her?”

“Shit, man,” Harrington groans, words slurring more more. “S’complicated, okay. I can’t talk about it with you or her parents or anyone. Or else they’ll come for me or Nance or our families and then we’ll all be toast like Barb. And that… that thing that came out of the Byers’ wall.”

Complicated? Jesus H. Christ, Eddie’s never heard anything more complicated than the jumble of words that just left Harrington’s mouth. He can feel his heart racing in his chest, the realization that they’re alone in the woods talking about something someone doesn’t want Harrington talking about.

“What?” Eddie says more to himself than to Steve. “Harrington, what thing in the Byers wall? You’re not making any sense!”

“The thing. You know, the… the,” Steve hiccups. “The thing we can’t talk ‘bout, else they’ll come for us next.”

Someone will come for him and his family if he reveals what happened to Barb? And the thing in the Byers wall? He wants to ask who would come. What would happen? Is he being blackmailed? There are so many questions dancing on the tip of his tongue, but none of them win the war.

“Harrington, man,” Eddie says, shaking his head. “Are you in trouble? Do you, like, need help or something?”

Finally, freeing himself from his jacket, Harrington lifts his head and looks up. There’s a moment where Eddie’s life flashes before his eyes, but then the sad replay of his life is interrupted by Harrington’s hand on his cheek. A dopey-looking grin on his face as he squints up at Eddie.

“You have pretty eyes, M-m-munson. Anyone ever tell you that?” Steve slurs before promptly passing out against the tree.

What the hell has Eddie gotten himself into?

[augiewrites]

"sunflower and honey" - part 1

summary: y/n ventures into town and has an unexpected encounter that brings back a flood of memories

pairing: eventual haley x fem!reader

word count: 950

previous | next

Y/N was aching in places she didn’t know muscles even existed. For every strained muscle, though, a patch of the farm looked better, became more functional.

An even exchange in her book.

Besides, at what other job could she stretch out in the grass and sunbathe in the middle of a shift?

Something, or rather, someone, shifted into her orbit, eclipsing the sun.

“Have you even been into town yet, Y/N?” Jess was looking down at her, a tote bag slung over her shoulder.

“Haven’t had a reason to,” Y/N cracked an eye open to look up at her little sister.

“We’ve been here over a month.”

Y/N hummed and threw her arm over her eyes, “Been pretty busy.”

“Don’t look busy right now.”

The heat from the sun had been replaced by the heat of Jess’ glare.

Y/N threw her arm back down into the grass, leveling her sister with a glare of her own. “Can I expect a please at any point here?”

“Quit being an antisocial asshole and come to the grocery store with me—please.”

“Fine,” Y/N stood and straightened her baggy overalls, “since you asked so nicely.”

“Hell yeah,” Jess shook Y/N’s shoulders from behind as they walked toward the sun bleached gate at the edge of the farm, “the gruesome twosome—back in action!”

“Oh my god, do not call us that,” Y/N couldn’t help but laugh.

“You remember Abby? She’s still living with her parents in town. Been asking about you.”

“I’m surprised she even remembers me.” Y/N kicked an acorn down the dusty trail into town.

“Everyone remembers you, Y/N.” Jess smiled, side-eyeing her sister, “If you hadn’t visited Robin and Marnie I don’t think anyone would believe that you’re here, though.”

Y/N scoffed. “Why’s it such a hard thing to believe?”

“Social media is a very powerful thing,” Jess hummed, “I think a lot of them have a hard time picturing you as anything other than a city girl.”

Y/N gazed around the town square, choosing to change the subject, “This place felt a lot bigger when I was younger.”

“Yeah,” Jess pushed open the door to Pierre’s, the soft tinkle of a bell and a blast of AC greeting them, “hasn’t really changed much other than that, though.”

“Hasn’t changed at all.”

“Holy shit, you’re alive.”

Y/N turned to the new voice, her eyes landing on the grinning mop of purple hair behind the till.

“Hmm, jury’s still out on that one,” Y/N moved to lean against the counter with a grin.

“What the hell are you doing here? Never pegged you as a country girl,” Abby laughed.

“It was a Metamorphosis situation. Woke up in overalls and a straw hat instead of as a bug, though.”

Abby laughed a little too loudly, and Y/N had flashbacks of tween Abby following her around like a lost puppy. Y/N hoped this wouldn’t become a thing again, Abby was nice and all, but she wasn’t really Y/N’s type.

Jess dropped an armful of groceries on the counter, glaring half-heartedly at Y/N, muttering,”thanks for the help, asshole.”

Abby started punching keys on the till, glancing at Y/N occasionally, “sorry about your grandpa, by the way. He was a cool guy.”

“Yeah, he was,” Y/N hummed, ready to be out of this conversation, “shit happens, though.”

Abby cleared her throat as Jess handed over her debit card, “Anyway, we’re all going to be at the saloon tomorrow night. You guys should come by—Devin too.”

Jess cut in before Y/N could come up with a lame excuse, “Great! We’ll be there.”

Abby was either unaware of the glares being passed between the sisters, or she simply chose to ignore them, “Awesome! It’s not super exciting, but at least it’s something to do. If we’re lucky, Sam will get drunk enough to pretend he’s in an episode of Jackass.”

“Better than watching grass grow at the farm, right Y/N?”

“Yeah..yeah,” Y/N nodded at Abby, grabbing a bag and turning for the door, “see you then.”

The door had barely closed behind them before Jess started in on Y/N, “Before you even say anything, it’s for your own good. You need friends that you’re not related to.”

“I wasn’t even going to say anything—” Y/N started with a scoff, cutting herself off when she was caught in the gaze of two blue eyes she could never forget.

“Haley?” “Y/N?” They spoke over each other.

Y/N and Haley observed each other, not saying anything. Jess’ eyes went between the two women like she was watching a tennis match.”

“I heard you were in town,” Haley broke the silence.

“Yup,” Y/N rocked on her heels, “fixing up Gramps’ old place.”

“Oh, that’s good.”

“Yep,” Y/N gave her a tight lipped smile.

“Well, I should get going. Don’t want to keep Alex waiting.”

“Yeah, that’d be a shame.”

“It was good seeing you, Y/N.”

Y/N just nodded and continued toward the dirt path, back to her sanctuary.

Jess was quick to catch up with her. “That was so weird.”

“Really? I didn’t notice.”

“Weren’t you friends with her? Did something happen?”

Y/N made a noncommittal sound in reply and let Jess change the subject. She nodded along and made sounds of agreement when it seemed necessary, but her mind was in the past.

If she closed her eyes, she could almost feel the soft sand under the soles of her feet, hear Haley’s laugh ringing in her ears, taste the ghost of melon chapstick on her lips.

Almost.

[voidscarredadjudicator]

Anyways it's 3 am and I have work tomorrow. Clearly this is the perfect time to ramble about one of my favorite bands.

You've heard of fanfiction. You've heard of podfics. But have you ever heard of just straight up making two whole ass fucking albums of genuinely good rock opera ballads that stand on their own two feet as quality music that's all just very thinly veiled Mega Man grimdark AU fanfiction?

You have now.

These guys are The Protomen. You might've heard of them. You might've not. The point though is that they're rad as hell, and a genuine inspiration. I'm not sure about anyone's individual backstories, but they've been together as a group since at least 2005, and from then 'til this very day they've been working on this Mega Man AU of theirs in the form of song, with two major acts/albums out and a third one that's been in the works for years (with a single having dropped sometime last year).

"Gee Void," I hear you think, "This sounds incredibly cheesy! Also what's the status of Act II of Humanity's Endling?"

Yeah, and? Still kicks ass. Also see previous ask response.

Anyways, these guys go above and beyond a simple fan project. They've done tours, collabs, and even made a music video that's more akin to a short film - which is where my profile picture comes from, actually.

The best part about all of this though is that you honestly don't even need to be a fan of Mega Man whatsoever to be a fan of The Protomen, since so much has been changed around that it's entirely it's own continuity. I can personally attest to this, as I've been listening to these guys since at least 2015 and I've only just played my first Mega Man game earlier this year. The best way I could describe it is if somebody made a film adaptation of the Mega Man games in the 80's that doesn't quite get the story 1:1, except they actually tried to make the new story good in it's own right.

Act I, just called 'The Protomen', has a lot more of a grungy garage band sound, while Act II: The Father Of Death does this really cool thing where the first half of the album is western and it slowly transitions to 80's rock as the album goes on to signify the passing of time & advancement of technology in the story. Act II is a prequel, so you can listen to either album first.

You can probably guess where I got the inspiration to name the parts of Humanity's Endling 'acts' from. Well, this and a different band that also does the same thing with their music, but that's a different ramble post for another day.

Regardless, I won't spoil the story, so if you're gonna listen, I'd also recommend having the lyrics pulled up on the side as there's some extra lyric notes to read for some songs that give further story/context to the songs that are playing beyond just what the words are saying.

This isn't music I'd recommend just playing in the background while you're doing something else - set aside some time, about an hour and a half, to just listen and take it in. Treat it like you would a fanfiction. Of course, music tastes are subjective, so if it's not your thing, I understand.

But if you're still not convinced, here's a link to what is unequivocally their best song:

It's just over four minutes; give it a listen if you've got the time.

That's it from me. I should get to bed. This post took an hour to make. My sleep schedule is still in shambles.

Good thing I'm a closer! 🙃

[staringdownabarrel]

I have some mixed opinions on Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow.

I think it was kinda cool seeing the idea that all the previous time travel stories seen in Star Trek to date have shifted the timeline in some places. That's been a fan theory that I've seen floating around online for years at this point, so having that canonised was really cool.

I guess the counterargument to this would be to say that they need to stick as close to the original version of canon as possible, where Khan's reign of terror was in the 1990s, not the 2020s. The thing is that the Trek writers have been slowly writing themselves into a corner where they'd have to come up with this kind of solution eventually anyway.

This isn't just a recent thing, either. Star Trek writers have been writing themselves into this corner ever since Voyager's Future's End two parter at the very latest, where there's no evidence of the Eugenics Wars ever having happened even though it should have been a recent thing. I'd argue it started even sooner than that though, because the version of 1980s Earth we saw in The Voyage Home should have been well on its way to that kind of conflict.

So the idea that repeated time travel will warp the timeline made sense as a fan theory, and it makes sense that they'd properly canonise the idea.

I also liked having Khan Noonien Singh in this episode. When Strange New Worlds first started, I thought they were probably going to go down a road where La'an's heritage was there, but largely ignored in favour of her other edgy background as a former prisoner of the Gorn. It's good that this episode has started to get into it a bit more.

I feel like this episode also has a really traditional take on the Romulans. In The Next Generation, there were a few episodes like The Mind's Eye and the Redemption and Unification two-parters where the Romulans were trying to stow discord in the Federation and Klingon Empire as a way of securing a stronger position for themselves. This is an idea that they returned to in DS9's In the Pale Moonlight, where Jadzia and Ben Sisko were discussing the cost-benefit analysis of joining the Dominion War from the Romulan's perspective. It's also an idea that came back during Enterprise's fourth season.

So having this Romulan plot where the 23rd century Romulans were going back in time to disrupt the formation of the Federation made a lot of sense from this kind of perspective. The Romulan way of taking power isn't a straight war like the Klingons or Cardassians might do; they also focus a lot on the espionage aspects to secure a stronger position before the war. They like knowing their early game in any given war is going to be a strong one.

The one thing I really didn't like about this episode was having Kirk in it. This was nostalgia baiting just for the sake of it. At least in Picard, it made sense to bring back legacy characters because it's literally the legacy character show. Yes, there are very real criticisms to be made about how Picard treated these legacy characters, but it made sense for them to be there in the first place.

It doesn't really gel as well in Strange New Worlds. Even though Kirk will go on to be the captain of the Enterprise, he's still just another officer on some other ship at this point in the timeline. He hasn't even really had an episode of his own in the show yet to really establish how this set of writers want to portray him; we've only ever had this writing team's takes on alt!Kirk here in Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow and last season's A Quality of Mercy.

So when Strange New Worlds presents us with a maverick alt!Kirk, it doesn't really mean anything. They haven't done enough with regular main!Kirk to demonstrate whether they're working with Kirk the maverick under regular circumstances or if they're working with the more traditional, by-the-books version the original series presents.

I feel like Kirk's role in this episode would have been better served by Pike. The version of Pike Strange New Worlds is working with has been established enough that the difference between main!Pike and this episode's alt!Pike would have been quite noticeable.

I think an argument could even be made for having Chapel or Ortega in Kirk's position, because while these two characters are part of the main cast, they've still been underutilised so far. It'd be a good opportunity to expand on their characters more because La'an's response to them could still be, "No wait, my version of you isn't like this. They'd do x, not y."

Either way, it'd make more sense to have either of these characters in this episode as La'an's sidekick rather than Kirk. They're established characters for the show, and moments like where the Romulan agent shoots Kirk would have had more of an emotional impact if it'd been Pike, Chapel, or Ortegas instead.

This in general was a really grating aspect of this episode for me, and I think it would have been way better if Kirk wasn't in this show at all. I kinda get the impression that they want to do more with Kirk as the show goes on, but so far they've picked the worst possible ways to do that. It's a shame, because a lot of what else happens in this episode has been very on point in terms of how it fits into the broader canon.

[androidcharles]

Ellie Rose Week Day 5: Fave Ending/Past

So, since pictures aren't going to be a thing, I've decided to just write out the last few days. Hopefully I can make it work! So here's a small tidbit of a fan fic that only exists in my head that I can hopefully figure out how to write properly.

Ellie sat at her desk, staring into the mirror at all the pictures that surrounded it. There were very few pictures of her between the ages of 16 and 24, mostly because of the circumstances she was under around that time. Up until now, she had been a hardened criminal, breaking the law six ways from Sunday, walking on the wrong side of the law, and getting on the bad side of several people.

In that world, there was no one she could really trust. Hell, she wasn't really shocked when her old gang abandoned her in Stickholm, only for her to be caught by the Wall and imprisoned.

But if it didn't bother her so much, why did it still hurt when she was locked up?

Either way, she was lucky to have found Henry (and eventually Charles) when she did. In a way, they sort of saved her.

Henry was more understanding of her plight, being a former criminal himself. He was like a diamond in the rough, always going through life knowing perfectly well he might not come out of it unscathed. The amount of times he saved her in their government mandated missions and through everyday she couldn't exactly count on all her fingers. Despite his rough nature, he was exactly like any older brother should be, always looking out for her, talking to her when she was down and always providing an understanding ear for her whenever she went through one of her episodes.

Meanwhile, Charles was less understanding, but that didn't mean he at least tried to be. Being an android and only living for about 7 years (even she found it hard to believe), he didn't have much experience in terms of how life worked. Still, he was happy to talk to her and provide comfort for her in different ways, always hugging her when she felt and taking her out to do things that she couldn't imagine. She smiled as she though about how he smiled whenever she smiled, bouncing up and down as his soothing green eyes would light up an excited as he dragged her along onto the next adventure.

Today however, was completely different and she had no reason to feel happy right now. Tomorrow was her birthday, a day she had been dreading since the year started. It always popped up around the end of the year and with the cool autumn air affecting even Stickburg, she found it hard to look forward to it.

It seemed like every year, something would go wrong on her birthday. Every year one of her friends would get captured or she would face near death... or worse...

Maybe it was because on her 15th birthday, something awful happened to her. Something that would forever change her life. She gazed at the pictures on her mirror, seeing all the pictures of Henry and Charles at Goudas taking on the extra cheesy fry challenge, them together at the park eating ice cream, a picture of Ellie striking a ballet pose that Henry had taught her. Her eyes lingered to a worn photo on the lower corner.

It was a picture of three girls, one with soft blonde hair, one with dark black hair, and finally, a picture of a girl with brown hair, rose red eyes glimmering with a sort of sadness.

How old had she been when that picture was taken?

"You OK, Ellie?" she heard Charles say as she jumped. She looked at Charles, who was smiling extra big, as if he was planning something.

"I'm fine..." Ellie said softly. It had been at least a few weeks since the three of them started living together and despite the fact that they were still getting used to each other, it felt a bit bad to have her privacy intruded upon.

"This is like the first time I've been in your room..." Charles said, "I'm sorry, do you want me to leave?"

"I'm fine, just... a little upset is all," Ellie said softly.

"Oh..." Charles said, "OK, I'll-"

"I didn't say you had to leave," Ellie said as she saw Charles walking out the door, "You can stay if you want. Maybe if I'm sad with someone else, it'll help..." Charles' eyes sparkled as he sat on the bed behind her, tipping his head to the side.

"That picture in the corner there... that's a picture of you, right?" Charles said, "And your sisters?" Ellie's eyes widened as she turned around, looking at Charles in shock.

"How did you-" Ellie said softly before remembering that Charles had facial recognition programs and access to a large database of people thanks to the government forces. She wasn't completely shocked that he recognized the picture.

"Yeah, that was my family... well at least a long time ago. I didn't get along with my sisters very well sometimes, but they were still my sisters you know... I still cared about them and loved them just like any other siblings..."

"What happened to them?" Charles said curiously.

"They died..." Ellie said, "It's a long story." Charles leaned forward, his eyes filled with great curiousity as Ellie sighed. They had known each other for a while. Maybe it was about time she told someone this story...

"Well, it all started a week before my birthday..."

-----

And that's it! For now anyway! Maybe once I figure things out I'll post a full version of this, but for now, take this as it is, please!

Prompt List:

[jeannedarkterraguard]

HoloAdvent Debut Reactions

So we're finally getting another HoloEN generation and Lisa and I decided to fuck up our sleep schedule (I mean not that there's gonna be much of a sleep schedule left once BG3 comes out next week) to watch the Debuts live and I'm gonna write down my thoughts about them so lets get to it...

first up Shiori Novella

-this loading screen is somehow comfy and spooky at the same time... weird

-wow... not the voice i was expecting from that model

-"Age: eye-don't-know"... oh god we have another Ina

-well that was... certainly a story...

-i literally never heard of any of these books... but to be fair i only ever read like 15 books if you don't count the ones that i was forced to read in school

-hey, i recognize some of these cartoons... well i recognize blues clues... and I've heard of courage and south park

-so she likes harvest moon huh

-i also don't recognize any of her husbandos, anime or games... am i old or are these just very niche (I'm old... the answer is I'm old)

-eating with scissors... why?

-story-driven games... that's interesting could we finally have another Kiara?

-would you look at that... my phone finally got the notification that her debut stream is starting... thanks YouTube...

-Lisa: "oh god she dresses like me when i was 16"

Me: "well, let's be real you tried that for like a week before you decided it was too much work and went back to wearing sweatpants and t-shirts"

-everything at 9pm CST... sometimes i hate living in Europe...

Koseki Bijou

-so will Shiori do the intros for all of them?

-she already sounds like a gremlin

-okay, cool little animation

-140cm? So we continue the tradition of every hololive member being short...

-dislikes mushrooms... i can relate

-what the fuck is interactive food?

-oh ok she means annoying food...

-man i really have no idea what any of these anime are... then again i haven't watched any anime that hasn't aired on TV here in Germany... and we only really got the absolute most popular ones like one piece, dragon ball and naruto...

-long streams... by what metric? Kiara long or Kaela long?

-oh 3+ hours... that's... just regular hololive numbers

-play as herself... pretty sure holocure will take care of that

-okay I'll admit it... i don't get this joke... are gems one of these things that people want to eat despite them being non-edible like cattails or sea-foam?

-interesting segment...

-those times are not better... why can't we have someone in hololive stream at European times?

So those two were pretty fun now back to sleep and then the other two Debuts tomorrow...

Nerissa Ravencroft

-okay I like her voice

-is it just me or can her model turn around pretty far compared to other vtubers... it almost seems like that already is a 3d model

-175cm... we have a new tallEST Hologirl... we still don't have a TALL Hologirl...

-pepperoni + pineapple pizza... i'm okay with either of those on its own but not both of them together you should never mix savoury, sweet, sour AND spicy (wait I just remembered americans mean salami when they say pepperoni... that's fine)

-doesn't like underwear... artist are gonna have a field day with this...

-doesn't like mushrooms... likes Zelda, Mario, FF7... she's quickly becoming my favourite

-she's also the first one where I know at least two of her favourite anime, Naruto and sailor moon

-i mean who doesn't like binge watching (if I have to wait a week for the next episode I will forget what happened in the last one)

-500.000 subs... well she's already halfway there...

-ah Keffiy-papa should have known

-aaaand there it is... 7 pm CST...

The Twins

-not sure about these overly cute voices

-okay maybe it's the sleep deprivation but i'm having a hard time following what they're talking about

-fuwa likes cute girls... I can relate...

-mococo also likes cute girls... oh and black licorice... again I can relate

-IT'S THE BGM! THE BGM IS TOO LOUD! That's why I can't understand them...

-okay what's a pon-de-ring?

-nice song... but that's all I can really say about that... i'm not really a big music girl

-wait 16:00 GMT... that's... almost a good european time... no wait that's just their morning streams not their main ones... Fuck

Well that was fun. Out of all five girls I think nerissa is my favourite but we'll see how that works out in the future... kinda hard to tell in just 45 minutes... anyway i'll need to get ready for work now so I can't write anything more detailed...

bye

[megaderping]

The morning rain served as a prelude to the coming Midnight Channel. What should have been a pleasant drizzle splattering all around them instead served as a dark omen. Even still, as he clutched his umbrella, Akechi tried to keep a cool head. Naoto and Kanji walked beside him, giving the trio an opportunity to touch base on the next phase of their plan before school inevitably splintered them and forced them into the mundanity of the classroom. "So, if I understand correctly," Naoto said as they strolled, "tonight's Midnight Channel will prove once and for all whether or not men are potential targets." "Even then," Akechi said, "it also depends on if the culprit will only pursue women who appear on the Midnight Channel. We also need to consider how recognizable Kanji is, if he does appear tonight. With Mayumi Yamano, it took two broadcasts before her image gained any proper clarity." With a heaping sigh, Kanji's posture drooped. "So basically, we either got tonight and tomorrow, or if we're freakin' lucky, we might get an extra day outta this." Naoto said, "That's not a lot of time, and the uncertainty of it all will make planning our stakeout rather difficult. Two nights in a row may appear suspicious, so our operation will most certainly hinge on the clarity of tonight's Midnight Channel." "And the entire point of this operation is to catch the culprit in the act, or at least have some outside witnesses in case Kanji ends up hazy the way that Amagi-san did." Akechi took a few more steps, then looked at Naoto cautiously. "And you're sure it's all right for me to be there?" The faintest of smiles crossed Naoto's lips. "Obviously, I'm not in favor of child endangerment, but we can safely assume the culprit only pursues the targeted individual. After all, no one else at the Amagi Inn was harmed on the night of her capture. Ergo, I suspect that the perpetrator is very single-minded in their focus." Despite Naoto's attempted encouragement, hesitation crept into Kanji's voice. "But if they do go after me, the hell's their motive? I can kinda get Yukiko-senpai, 'cause her fam was connected to the Yamano case, and Saki-senpai saw the corpse, but the only thing that connects me to the case is that my Ma made a scarf for that Yamano chick and Namatame." "Which is still a possible connection," said Naoto. "Tenuous as it may be, it may be enough. We just don't know, so we'll have to prepare an adequate game plan." "After school, then?" Akechi said. "We'll have more hands on deck, which will make it easier to assess the uncertainty of it all." "Agreed. Until then, try not to worry too much, Akechi-kun. A clear head will ensure you successfully navigate your classes." Previous Chapter | Full Chapter | Read from the Beginning New chapter drops a little later today! ...Meant to have this up on tumblr Sunday but got sidetracked and forgot to link it here when it went up. ...As usual. ONE DAY I will remember to link when the AO3 updates go live.

[justagalwhowrites]

Hey Bestie! I'd kiss you right now if you were beside me! Thanks for updating so soon and finally letting us know who the mystery man was! I wanted to be a bit angry for the update not being a new Yearling chapter, but it was so beautiful that I couldn't stay angry, just as Joel couldn't either with the reader. I feel for her. For a moment, I also believed her dad had changed. I hope, if he comes back, Joel'll be there to give him some piece of his mind. He might be sweet with her, but we all know how he can be when someone threatens what he considers his.😍

She's so strong! It's easy to feel proud of how much she has overcome, and if Joel hadn't seen it that way (a thing I find impossible), he'd be a fool. It feels like they have taken a big step in their relationship, because that's what they have between them, and it's going to be harder to hide it from Sarah even if she's away. At least Maria and Tommy know! LOL. I loved that scene in the previous chapter. I'm kind of giddy with how Sarah'll catch them, I know you'll ace it.

May I ask about a possible date for the next chapter of Yearling? I know I'll wait as long as needed, but you know… lol. Thanks!♥️♥️

Hi Bestie!!!

lol I'LL TAKE VIRTUAL KISSES THANK YOU :D So glad you liked it. I really liked this background for reader because I feel like she has this acute understanding of just what Sarah has with Joel because it's been so lacking in her own life. It kind of deepens the concerns she has about being a source of pain for them. But she's also smart and strong and has worked really hard to get where she is and I think that's cool, too :)

They've definitely taken a big step in their relationship! This whole thing kind of forced a conversation about their feelings for each other which they've been kind of testing the waters around for a bit now. Both of them, I think, felt like they were feeling what they were feeling faster than they "should" have been, so they were afraid to share those feelings with the other one. This situation stripped that fear back because a bigger problem was there and it gave them the space they needed to open up and talk.

Good news for the Tommy/Maria love! They're all over the next chapter and I think you'll like it :) It will be a bit until that's out though - first week of October, most likely.

That release date is a bit further out because of Yearling :D I worked way more on NIT yesterday than Yearling so this coming week is going to be all Yearling all the time for me (and maybe a drabble or one shot here and there.) Next Yearling maybe tonight? If not, tomorrow night. Very soon for sure!

Thank you so much for reading and for writing to me! It's always so fun to hear your thoughts. Love you!!

[buffyfan145]

Really happy so far with what James Gunn and Peter Safran revealed of the first part of the new DCU slate!!! :D Chapter 1 is going to be called “Gods and Monsters”. Nice to see that this will have no affect on Matt Reeves’ movies/shows, “Joker 2″, the 2nd “Constantine” films, if the CW keeps any of their DC shows for next season, and the other cartoon series as they’ll all be branded as “DC Elseworlds” from now on. They also said that “Superman and Lois” will be able to go on till at least 2025 when their movie comes out but it’s The CW’s decision and they could get a final season next season if this one isn’t written to work that way. Also they will be keeping some of the current actors after “The Flash” movie creates this new DCU with Gal Galdot’s Wonder Woman, Jason Momoa’s Aquaman, Zachary Levi’s Shazam, the “Blue Beetle” cast, Voila Davis’ Amanda Waller, and the entire “Peacemaker” cast all being confirmed to be a part of this new universe. They haven’t decided yet about Ezra Miller but I have a feeling they might just bring in Wally West as another Flash going by the new slate. So here’s my thoughts on the new movies/shows in order of how they’ll be released though “Peacemaker” season 2 is also now a part of it. The shows too will all be on HBO Max.

Creature Commandos (TV): This one is new to me as it’s a group of characters similar to the Universal Monsters that band together. It’ll be an animated show too but the actors who voice them will also play them in live action so that will be cool and it will fully connect to the other movies, shows, and games.

Waller (TV): This is the show James has been working on about Amanda Waller and it’ll include Viola Davis and fully connect to “Peacemaker”.

Superman Legacy (movie): This was the Superman movie already revealed with a new actor to be cast and we know he’ll be in his 20s and trying to live his life as a journalist and as Superman. It’s been dated now for July 2025.

Lanterns (TV): This is a new version of the “Green Lantern” show that was originally in the works from Greg Berlanti but is now being fully by Gunn and Safran. Very cool that Hal Jordan and John Stewart are going to be the leads of the first season though others will appear.

The Authority (movie): This is another I don’t know that much about but it sounds cool. I do recognize a few characters the mentioned from the comics and having appeared on shows like “Stargirl” and “Legends of Tomorrow”.

Paradise Lost (TV): This one sounds really cool as it’s a prequel about the Amazons before Diana was born. They even compared it to “Games to Thrones”. Sounds like it will still connect to Gal’s version too.

Batman & Robin: The Brave and the Bold (movie): This one got me excited as it’s another Batman movie but the Robin in this is his actual son Damian Wayne!!! :D They also confirmed the rest of the Batfamily will be in this too and starting their own movies connected of them. With Damian already here this means that Dick/Nightwing, Barbara/Batgirl/Oracle, and at least Jason/Red Hood should be around as well as Alfred. Possibly could include Tim/Red Robin, Stephanie/Spoiler, and Cassandra/Black Bat as James said these characters have been long neglected by the Batman films. Depends on what Reeves is doing too but I think they’ll be fine with Dick already as an adult here and if he’s a still a teen in Reeves’ movies/shows. They will be casting a new Bruce/Batman, so curious to find out who that will be. They also dated “The Batman 2″ for October 2025 too.

Booster Gold (TV): This has also been in the works for years and he too showed up on “Legends of Tomorrow” so it’s finally happening.

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (movie): This will be cool to see too. Though not sure if Kara will still be played by Sasha Calle like in “The Flash” movie or if it’ll be a new actress as Sasha’s seems to be tied to Henry Cavill’s. They didn’t mention Sasha either as staying so might be another recast.

Swamp Thing (movie): This one has me so excited!!! :D I’ve loved Swamp Thing for years and that he’ll be in the movies again and tied to this new DCU. It’s going to be darker than the other movies and shows listed here and end the first chapter leading into the 2nd chapter.

Overall I’m really excited and glad they’re doing this more like Marvel now with such a larger plan and focusing on getting the scripts done first before they film. Also looking forward to finding out the castings as this is going to be a lot of actors.

[anonsally]

Day 2 in Florence

This morning everyone did their own thing for a bit.

After breakfast, I took my binoculars and walked to a bridge over the Arno (the river that goes through Florence) to spend about a half hour birdwatching.

The fun thing about birdwatching on a different continent is that even the commonest birds are new. I saw:

a gray heron (apparently they don't have great blue herons here)

several yellow-legged gulls

a hooded crow

an egret that I think was a little egret, which is the most common kind around here but still new to me.

3 common wood-pigeons

an Egyptian goose, which... let me put it this way: when it flew past, my first thought was "big, weird-ass duck"

I heard something Merlin claimed was a Eurasian blackcap, but I couldn't spot it so didn't report it on the eBird list.

I saw a number of swallows, swifts, and/or martins. Some were swooping low over the water, and some were flying very high overhead, so I imagine there were at least two different species, but I couldn't get a good enough look to identify them. Some were probably Common Swifts and some were probably not. But I couldn't be sure so I didn't report these either.

After that, I met up with the in-laws and we wandered a bit, visiting a couple of random churches and eventually grabbing a snack in a cafe. Wife eventually caught up with us; we got a small gelato (pistachio and strawberry, in my case) and then went to the Leonardo da Vinci museum, which was pretty cool. They had built the various things he had sketched in his notebooks, and some of the exhibits were interactive.

Then Wife and I were hungry for lunch, but the in-laws weren't (it was 2:15pm!!!), so we split up again. We ordered far too much food. I had a giant salad (too hot for hot food) which included cheese, almonds, and roasted vegetables. Then we did a little shopping before coming back to the hotel for a break. I saw some Italian Sparrows--they look similar to house sparrows, but not quite the same.

We started a laundry at the flat where the in-laws are staying, as the heat means we are going through clothing rather quickly. We then went out for an aperitivo followed by a delicious pizza dinner. For dessert I had the pistachio semifreddo (sort of a mousse), which was very yummy! And then we hung the laundry before returning to the hotel. It's hot enough that the clothes should dry before we need to pack them tomorrow night.

[originalwinnercheesecake]

What if Serena and Misty met during XY saga fanfic

So I made up a scenario about these two meeting that I am pretty thought was pretty cool a while back. With Rachel Lill's having recently passed and people talking more about characters she voiced (I had not known that she voiced at least 3 of my favorite anime characters from my childhood) I thought now might be a cool time to post it. Since I am not currently on A03 I am just going to post it here. This fic is written to be like an episode of the anime, but is told from the point of view of a narrator, because that is how I write. It contains both Ash&Misty and Ash&Serena friendships, that can be read as Pokkeshipping and Amourshipping if you squint hard enough. But I am not focusing on either ship, as Pokemon was first and foremost a buddy anime.

Things open with the four friends sitting a car being driven by Ash's mom Delia Katchem. We learn that her birthday was the day before and Ash, along with the XY gang flew back to Pallet down to celebrate it with her. They are now on their way to Cerulean city's airport to catch a flight back to the Kalos region. Delia thanks everyone for visiting and then does her whole fussy mom reminder to Ash about remembering to practice self-care. Ash blushes. Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie all laugh. After Delia drops the gang off they go to look at the flight schedule and discover that they got the date wrong and their flight actually leaves at this time tomorrow. Clemont says that they should go check into the nearest pokemon center for the night, rest there, and make plans for when they arrive back in the Kalos region. But Serena see's a poster on the wall Advertising that the famous Sensational Sisters are doing a show tonight at The Cerulean Gym. Serena says she has followed video's of the sisters online and really wants to go see a performance live. When Bonnie asks if any of the sisters are single and looking for a husband, Clemont starts insisting that just going to the pokemon center for the night is the better, more practical idea. Serena huffs and says she wants to see the show. Ash interrupts and says that he has an in with the Cerulean gym, and if they go before the show he can get them a tour of it. This decides it for everyone.

Cut to the group getting to the Cerulean gym. They come up to Misty who is out front, holding her Azurill, and practicing land fighting with her Gyarados. Misty has not noticed the group yet. Gyarados twists around does wrap, watergun, and flamethrower. Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie are freaked out. Ash and Pikachu are impressed. Misty tells Gyarados it did great and they can break, putting it back in its pokeball. At this Pikachu jumps off Ash, runs up to Misty, climbs up to her shoulder, and starts nuzzling her in greeting. Misty, very surprised, starts petting Pikachu and asks him how he got here. Then she notices Ash and his new friends. Ash walks towards her saying hello and complementing Gyarados. They do that high five handshake thing where they lock hands in the air. Misty says she had heard from Professor Oak that Ash was traveling in a different region. He tells her that he has been in the Kalos region battling gyms and meeting all sorts of really cool pokemon. He tells her he has one new one she will love, and sends out his Froakie/Frogadier/Greninja. Misty immediately starts fawning over it, and suggests a battle of the frogs between it and her Politoad.

Serena, Clemont, or Bonnie one start to feel ignored and coughs behind Ash and Misty. Ash then turns and introduced Misty to all three of his friends from Kalos and vice versa. You see Serena get surpirsed when she learns that Misty used to travel with Ash. Ash says that he promised his friends that Misty would give them a tour of her gym. A nervous look crosses Misty's face as she stutters that she is not sure if she can do a whole tour. But upon looking back at Ash and Pikachu she concedes that she can at least bring them all in and show them her other pokemon. Pkauchu introduces Dedenee and Azurill and the three start to play together as everyone goes inside to the big pool in the center of the gym.

The Kalos crew take it all in. Bonnie asks Clemont if they can install a pool at the battle tower too. Suddenly Psyduck comes running up to the gang quaking hello to everybody. Pikachu greets Psyduck in pokemon, and Ash tells it it "Hey nice to see you again Psyduck". After this Psyduck goes over to the edge of the pool, yells very loud, before jumping in, and immediately starts to sink. Ash runs to the edge of the pool ready to jump in after it, but Misty gets in his way and holds him back. Ash exclaims that "it looks like Psyduck still cannot swim". Misty smiles and tells Ash "wait for it". A few seconds later Psyduck rises from underneath the water clinging to something blue in red. Misty proudly introduces her new Tentacool. She explains that Tentacool has one tentacle shorter that the other, and struggled to keep up with its group in the wild. But that since coming here it and Psyduck have become fast friends. It likes to build its strength by carrying Psyduck through the pool, and Psyduck is not scared to be in the water if it is with Tentacool. There is some collective comments of the group of "How cool" and "Friends helping friends".

As Tentacool swims off with Psyduck, Misty leans over the Cerulean pool and shouts to all her other pokemon "Come out everyone. Show them how skilled and wonderful you are." We then get a montage of Misty's remaining pokemon jumping out of the water to perform for everybody. Goldeen and luvdisc have a who can jump the highest contest. Staryu and Corsola jump out and takle each other in a mock battle. Horsee sticks its head out and Misty points to a tarp on the wall and tells it to use sludge bomb. It then uses sludge bomb to write "Hello" on the tarp in Japanese calligraphy. Then Starmie climbs up onto one of the floating slabs, and Misty says that "Pikachu was actually the inspiration for Starmie's newest trick". Misty first has Starmie use bubble beam, then to everyone's surprise she tells it to use thunderbolt, which pops all the bubbles. After this Misty says she still has one pokemon left, and calls for a Surskit.

Ash, Clemont, and Bonnie all watch the show in amazement. Serena however only in part watching the show, and is mostly watching her friends, particularly, Ash react to Misty and her pokemon. When Ash had said he had a in with the Cerulean gym she thought that just meant Ash had battled there once before, and still had respect of the gym leader. She had had no idea that the current gym leader was a former traveling companion and close friend of Ash's from before she and he re-connected. She also did not know that Misty was both a well known mermaid and a powerful gym leader. The other's admiration and Serena's feelings insecurity start to build on her face, and boil over after Starmie's, pikachu inspired, performace. She has no desire to meet surskit, or to see whatever no doubt high quality performance it can put on. She sneaks away from the group and runs down random hallways trying to catch her breath and quiet her thoughts. When she comes to a random blacked out hallway she lets out a loud gasp.

Then it cuts back to the others. As it has only been a minute nobody has noticed Serena is gone yet. She also was maybe a bit to quick to assume Misty and Surskit make a skilled team. Misty keeps calling for Surskit and is getting more visibly frustrated with it not showing up. Ash asks Misty "When did you get a Surskit, and isn't that a bug type? Misty confirms that Surskit is a water/bug type. Her sister's gave it to her thinking that it could help her overcome her fear of bug pokemon. Misty then goes on to say that she is not scared of Surskit because, as she claims, "it does not have any of the creepy bug parts, or move in a scary bug way", but that "It still frustrates her to no end because it seems to have no motivation to battle, and will not listen to her in training". Suddenly Serena runs back to the group yelling for everybody. Clemont asks her "Where did you go?" and Ash asks her " Serena what's wrong". Serena shrugs them off and tells Misty "You needs to come with me".

Serena takes them to the hallway she went down and shows them the previously blacked out hallway. You can now see that it has been trashed, T-peed, and their is graffiti all over the walls. Misty is now red-faced, eyes closed, and stomping on the ground as she seethes "Oh no, not again, Uuuhhgg". When Misty is able to calm down a bit she admits that this has been happening for the past couple of weeks. Some one is trying to sabotage her gym for some reason. Her and her sisters have tried to catch the person but cannot, Officer Jenny also does not know who it is. She tells everybody how that lately she has been training some of her pokemon outside the gym entrance hoping to scare them away, but it looks like that hasn't worked either. If Misty cannot figure out who is doing this, and put a stop to them, then she will have to close down her gym. Ash says "No. What about all the trainers who want to come here to battle" and Serena echos "and fans who come here to watch performances". Clement goes over to some of the graffiti and sticks his fingers to it, exclaiming that "The paint is still wet and this is all freshly done". Bonnie says that "maybe that means whoever did it may still be in the building and we can still catch them". All five trainers search the building , checking hallways, closets, and cabinets but they come up with zip. They conclude that that the vandals must have snuck in through a window while Misty was practicing outside, trashed the hall, and then snuck out while she was talking to them. Misty sighs defeated and says she'll have to close the gym down and cancel the show tonight, because she is not going to risk putting it on just so these mysterious vandals can show up and ruin it.

Bonnie yells "No!"this time, and suggests that they still do the show but set traps for the vandals, near where they have been sneaking in. This prompts Clemont to do his whole "The future is now thanks to science" gimmick, and bring out a new trap based invention bot thing that he assures everyone will defiantly catch the vandals when sprung. Misty argues that she still cannot do the show and be waiting by the trap for the vandals to step in. Serena quietly whispers "What if I do the show in your place". The others all hear and turn to her. Ash immediately say that that is a great idea. Misty is not convinced and asks Serena "Have you ever been a water ballet before?". Playing with her fingers and staring at the floor, Serena admits "No". Ash jumps in again saying "Serena knows how to swim and is an amazing dancer. This plan is our best bet for catching the vandals and keeping the gym open. Give her a chance". Ash's faith in her gives Serena the courage to stop playing with her hands and turn her head up to look Misty in the eye. "I know ballet" she says; "And while I have never been in a water Ballet before I have always been able to pick dances up quickly. Give me a chance". Misty says that her sister "Daisy will be here in a little bit do do a dress rehearsal before the show. If Serena can learn the dance to Daisy's approval, and we can get the traps set up in time then we'll go ahead with your plan". Outside Team Rocket are hiding in a tree, spying on the "Twerps" with their binoculars. Meowth comes up with the plan to steel all of Cerulean's pokemon, and Pikachu, by taking advantage of the fact that everyone will be so busy being on guard to catch the vandals that none of them will remember to be on guard for Team Rocket.

Cut to the dress rehearsal with Daisy teaching Serena and Bonnie the routine. A few of Ceruleans pokemon are there as well. Dewgong is Bonnie's new friend. Daisy praises the girls dancing. She believes they will do well in her show. Bonnie happily throws her arms around Dewgong. In the corner of her eye Serena see's a small figure peeking out from behind a corner. She crosses the room and kneels down in front of the corner and gently says hello to whoever is hiding there then asks it to "please come on out. Would you like to dance with me?". Out crawls the same Surskit that Misty was looking for earlier. Daisy see surskit and loses her smile. She tells Serena that "Surskit does not know the routine", and "Misty has already told me it is a bad listener and I do not allow those in my performances". Serena is now standing up, holding Surskit in her arms. She tells Daisy to "let Surskit try dancing in the rehearsal and that if it does not listen than you do not have to let it dance again". Cut back to Ash, Misty, and Clemont. They are going through the gym setting up noise based alarms at various windows and other secondary places the vandals could be breaking in through. They also assign pokemon at these spots to act as watchmen. Once they are done they go to lay Clemont's big trap out in front of an old back exit that Misty believes is probably what the vandals go through most of the time.

As they walk away Team Rocket (who have painted themselves the same color as the gym walls and are holding paintings and potted plants over their faces) sneak past them the trio and head to a room in the at the other end of the a long hall to try and start nabbing whatever pokemon they can. They step over the noise alarm and grab Misty's Nemo Tentacool from a fish tank it was sitting watch in. Tentacool calls for help and Psyduck comes running in, it trips the trap. Psyduck charges seemingly at Team Rocket but misses completely and rams itself into a wall. Jessie and Meowth both laugh at it. James tells them "Hold on. That is the original twerpets Psyduck. Why do I feel like their is something we are supposed to remember about its head?" Wobbuffet goes "Wuba wuba". Meowth more confused translated "Headaches make it stronger?". They all turn to Psyduck who's eyes have turned blue and its body is gathering strength. Suddenly it lets lose a massive confusion attack that picks all four of them up and throws them out the window and blasting off again. After this Ash, Misty, and Clemont run in, to see what all the noise was. They find Psyduck trying to put Tentacool back in the fish tank with a piece of the alarm stuck to its foot. There is no sign of team Rocket having been there , and all three think that Psyduck must have just tripped when coming to visit Tentacool.

Now Flash to that night. The crowd is starting to come in and fill out the seats. Misty's other two sisters, Lily and Violet are taking tickets up front and keeping a look out in case anyone suspicious is tries to come in form the front. All the alarms and traps are set, and pokemon lay in hiding places all throughout the gym ready to battle for its defense if the need comes. Currently the whole group is behind the curtain waiting for the show to start. Serena, who's is dressed as (not a mermaid) a Princess, is watching the crowd spill in and is starting to get butterflies. She tells Ash "I wish you could stay and watch the performance. I always feel better when I see you in the crowd". Ash reassures her that"You'll l do great, and I promise that we will catch the vandals really quick. Once that is done they will come right into the audience", he points to some empty seats near the top, "and watch You and Bonnie dance". Daisy calls for "everyone who's not in the show to get out and everyone in the show to take their places".

After this Ash Misty and Clemont, Pikachu, and Clemont's Chespin all go to where they Misty thinks the vandals are most likely to be getting in through and they set Clemont's big bot trap. Clemont is hides behind the his invention so he can activate it if/when the vandals come. Chespin and Pikachu are with him. Ash and Misty are behind a corner in case there are multiple vandals and one slips through. It is very dark in the hallway. Suddenly they hear the sound of the lock being jiggled and the door being banged on till it opens. Footsteps come in and a smug voice makes comments at how "stupid" and "flimsy" Cerulean's locks are. Another voice laughs and chims in that "it's like they want to be broken into". Suddenly pikachu lights the room up and Clemont pulls the switch for his Trap bot. Because it was built by Clemont is of course malfunctions completely and traps him, Chespin, and Pikachu instead. Pikachu is still admitting sparks from its cheeks to light the room and in the light you can see three intruders trash bags and spray paint. It is actually Kim, Kail, and Kai

Misty fuming storms into the light and yells "You creeps again"

Ash following Misty "You know these guys Misty?"

Misty "Unfortunately yes. They call themselves "The Invincible Pokemon Brothers. They tried to take control of the gym when I first started running it. But they failed big time".

Kim: "Well if we can't take the Cerulean Gym from you, then we'll make sure your unable to stay open". With that he and his brothers each bring out a pokeball and send out Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee, and Hitmontop. "You have no hope of defeating us. We out number you three to two."

Ash: "We may be out numbered but you are outmatched." With that he takes out a pokebell and turns to Misty. "It looks like our battle this time will be us vs them. Are you alright settling for that".

Misty has out one of her own pokeballs and smiles as she replies "This is just like old times".

Ash throws out Froakie/Frogadier/Greninja, and Misty throws out Politoad. So the battle of the frogs becomes the battle of the frogs vs fighting types. The frog duo make short work of the three fighting types , and send them and their trainers blasting off into the night.

With that done we cut to Clemont, Ash and Misty now taking here seat to watch the remainder of the show. They are sitting near the top of the bleachers and look down to the stage. Serena is dancing around on one of the starmie water platforms, with Surskit as her dance partner. Dewgong is swimming circles around it, and Bonnie is riding on his back and using her arms to dance. various cerulean pokemon are either jumping out of the water around then, or using watergun and bubble beam to create special effects. Clemont and Ash start clapping. Ash even calls out "Go Serena, Go Bonnie!". Misty watches Serena and Surskit and she gets a look of realization that morphs into hesitation, that then morphs into reassurance after she glances back at Ash.

Now we cut to early the next day with Ash, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, and their pokemon set to leave and head to the airport. Azurill is crying over Pikachu and Dedenne having to leave, which makes Dedenne start crying too, and Pikachu is trying to comfort both of them. Dasiy gives Bonnie some flowers as a thank you for being in their show. Bonnie tells her "Being in your show was a lot of fun. When I get older I am going to be in lots of battle, and lots of shows too". Clemont tells Daisy was overall very impressed with the Cerulean gym, but he thinks they can upgrade its tech. He tells Daisy to please call him sometime and he would be happy to send over some of his inventions that he thinks they would get optimal benefit from. At this Bonnie is side eyeing Clemont with big eyes because she thinks he may have a crush on Daisy. He does not. He is just being nice. Daisy chuckles awkwardly and, clearly lying, says that she will make sure to do that sometime. Misty then comes out to say goodbye. Ash and her do another high five- handshake and lock hand in the air. Misty wishes Ash good luck in his upcoming gym battles. Ash wishes her the same, then promises that he will come back again soon and they can have another battle against each other then.

Then Misty walks toward Serena. Serena is a lot more comfortable around Misty than she was the morning before. She tells Misty that she is glad the Cerulean Gym will be able to stay open, and that she really admires that Misty is able to juggle battling challengers as Gym leader and being in the Cerulean performaces. Both seem like such big roles, and Serena isn't sure she could manage a double load like that. Misty remarks that Ash told her Serena competes in showcases in Kalos, and that those involve lots of dancing and performing right?Serena tells her that is right, and that her dream is to one day be a Kalos Queen. Misty then tells Serena she has something for her as a Thank you for being in the show and reaches into her pocket to bring something out. Serena holds her own hand out , expecting at most to get a piece of paper with all four Cerulean sisters autographs. She is very surprised when Misty drops a pokeball into her hand. Serena presses the button to open it and out comes Surskit. "Surskit? Whhaatt?" Serena stammers looking at Misty.

Misty looks at the ground and Answers " I have spent weeks trying to get Surskit to train for gym battles and never cooperates. I thought it had no motivation for anything but last night proved it does love dance. The thing is that performing in the plays is only my side job. I cannot keep a pokemon on my team that won't also battle." Misty looks back at Serena and "So I think the figure the best thing for Surskit wold be to go to the Kalos region with you and work to become a Kalos star." Serena hold Surskits pokeball to her chest. She promises Misty that she will train with Surskit as much as she can and that one day they will both be Stars.

The End

Epilogue on how this would effect both Serena and Misty's stories (Because it would not really effect Ash, Clemont, or Bonnie's).

If I had written Serena's character in the XYZ series she would have had the same number of pokemon as May and Dawn ( I say that three pokemon is to little for a lead character who competes in tournaments). Another pokemon I would have given her is Kalos's regional butterfly (If that is not a thing I a making it one): Vivillion. Pokeball forum Vivillon to be specific I imagine Surskit would become good friends with Vivillion. Surskit would also evolve into Masquerain pretty fast with Serena, since it was finally training for something it was passionate about. After this Serena would use Vivillion and Masquerain together in showcases and they would flutter around her while she dances, using moves for special effects The crowds would eat it up. I also imagine that as a more experienced dancer, who shares its love for the craft, Masquerain might also develop a bit of a mentor type role to Sereena's eevee when it first joins the team, and is working on overcoming its stage fright.

As for Misty well Surskit was originally given to her to help her overcome her fear of bugs. But that did not happen then. She would need to catch a different bug/water pokemon. I think that when she visits Alola in Sun & Moon the gang would tell her how Lillie used to be afraid to touch pokemon for a while, but that raising her from an egg helped her bond with her, and her bond with Snowy helped er stop being afraid. On the island Ash takes everyone to Misty would find an abandoned Wimpod egg, and Lillie's story would encourage Misty to keep and try to raise it. I would also have Brock and Misty show up as background characters in exactly one episode of Pokemon Journeys (which both are surprisingly absent from) Season 25, episode 22 "Helping the Hometown Hero". That is the episode where Ash and Lilli's family bring her father back to Alola and the town throws a party for it, as well as the fact that Ash made it into The Master's Eight tournament, during which he was representing Alola as their first Champion. Brock and Misty would attend both and while they would not play more than background roles you would maybe see Brock try to give Olivia some flowers at the party, then sit next to her at the battle brawl, to show he is still trying to get her to date him. Misty meanwhile would have Psyduck next to her and her Azurill and a shiny Wimpod would either both be on toddler leashes that they were holding (Misty holding Wimpods and Psyduck holding Azurill's), or if Japanese culture does not do toddler leashes Misty would have both her pokemon babies in a stroller.

[hospitalterrorizer]

diary205

4/7-8/2024

sunday -monday

gotta work early tomorrow..

but it's not too bad. today i read something interesting about political ecology and that is in truth a way of managing people/ideas/meaning so as to keep capital/its methods, a redirection of capital, rather than a negation of it. by this nature, or i suppose, by approaching nature as a system, at least bringing tiqqun in here, the cybernetic models of nature as systems, a multiplicity of systems to either manage and enable, to live 'with' and use, rather than to exploit, to maintain a smooth process of accumulation over what could end. the essay at a point brings up that capital can no longer be understood as the dominion of death over life, but a living domination of life. i am quite taken by this, not as a positive but it i suppose makes us point our gaze towards ends, time, slow down and what could end accumulation. in many ways the essay also brought to mind foucault, when it at points brings up the constant evaluation of all, evaluation of us, us in nature, our cooperation/failure, evaluation of technique and so on, this is very much an extension of the disciplinary.

here it is:

i am quite taken with it overall, i like that there is some attack on current trends within the academy that one may notice, and that these perspective are carried out and enabled by institutions in talks and things, reproduced, evaluated as useful and shown around, guiding ideas/methods. methods is maybe the best word here, the author at a point notes that these experts who guide us now appear first in laboratories, or this is where they discover the possibilities.

anyway, i am tired which is why this is so short.

there is an article preceding this one mentioned in the notes section that i want to read tomorrow, as well as some other things.

anyway, today feels sort of big for the music thing, coming down to the wire more, did another listen thru while waiting for my skin to cool so i could wax my face (hair was too short, got nothing, just tweezed a lot instead (lolllll (like usual (like everyday usual)))), and the record's issues aren't very bad, mostly just on a sound basis what has to change is more present snares i'm noticing, and a bit of a shoring up of the sound, standardizing certain things a touch, you know. so yeah, as far as big changes go, or big efforts that are gonna have to be made, about 4 songs need decently sized vocal parts added, one needs to be redone, one needs parts other than choruses written and recorded, one needs half the song recorded and verses written (choruses done), and one short song needs the back half written. there's 2 songs here that need little pieces added and i have the new lyrics for those parts, and there's one that needs me to do one thing. that is where the vocal stuff is at, pretty good, imo.

currently trying to get thru the first page of master related notes, as in crossing stuff off my checklist, tonight i'll be 8 songs in, tomorrow should be as easy, and then i listen again and check where things are/how they sound.

everything is sounding better now w/ these notes in place. siccck!!

so first 8 songs of 33 looking much better, unfortunately in that 8, 3 still need vocal work, so they're kinda distant from being done, but that is okay... i'll get there.

funny thing about yesterday, going into work dressed how i normally do, they didn't really recognize me immediately.

anyway i am sleepy now, and i have to be at work by 11:15, so

byebye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[dnd-thrrasir]

Ishvi Snippets

More random Thrrasir NPC side-stories! This time, they aren't particularly plot relevant, just a few snippets of conversation I wrote between Ishvi and Wagner to better develop their dynamic and write more of Ishvi's personality. But you all might enjoy regardless! Mild content warning for some allusions to sex, racism, and dysphoria, though nothing graphic or extreme.

Seven years before the events of the campaign...

"...Is that a text about Dhorilian privateers in the late 2000s AC? Why in all the stars of Hef are you reading about pirates from three-thousand years ago?"

Ishvi jerked, their elbow knocking into a nearby inkwell and almost toppling it. Mentally they felt rather as if they'd been riding at a top speed gallop, only for the horse to careen around a bend and send them flying into the dirt. The mental whiplash was almost dazing, and for a moment they couldn't fully process what was even being said to them. 

Then, they saw a dark skinned hand leaning on the table just a little ways to their left, and looked up into the face of the thirteen-year-old Prince Wagner. A spike of annoyance made them grit their teeth, and they hissed, "I've told you not to bother me when I'm actually managing to concentrate for a change! Now I'll never get my head back on track!"

The young tiefling smiled apologetically, pointing towards a nearby window. "In my defense, it's ah… almost four in the morning? I woke up and saw you never made it back to the barracks and thought I should come get you before you forgot to get any sleep."

Befuddled, Ishvi followed the path of Wagner's pointed finger, and was surprised to see that the sky outside the holy library was black and spangled with stars, and the moon had very nearly set. Some of the radiant fury of being pulled down from the euphoric high that they felt on the rare occasion they actually managed to find a topic to catch and hold their interest faded, and they winced. 

"Shit… I lost track of the time again."

"Mm-hm," Wagner agreed, starting to collect some of the stack of books his friend had already read and discarded. "You're gonna be a mess tomorrow during training as it is, you ought to get at least a little sleep."

Ishvi sighed, raking a hand through their bangs and picking up the books as well. "Right. You're right. Ugh, what was I even doing in here in the first place? I feel like it definitely wasn't supposed to be a ten hour bender on the history of Dhorillean naval warfare…"

"Either you'll remember when the captain scolds you for not getting it done, or it won't matter too much," Wagner pointed out reasonably, with the casual aplomb that came from having witnessed both scenarios more than once. The twenty-three year old squire stuck their tongue out at the younger boy.

"Easy for you to say, asshole, you're not the one who's got a graduation assessment next week. My ordeal is already late- the last thing I want is another letter from Father about how I failed the assessment again."

Wagner tweaked the older man's nose. "Talking like you even read any of those letters. And nineteen is just the average age for the ordeal year- some take it younger, some don't pass until they're in their thirties."

"Perish the thought," Ishvi barked with an exaggerated shudder as they shoved the books into the return bin. "If you get promoted before I do, I will have something to say about it! You ollie off from training every few weeks for some other stupid dinner or party with the nobility!"

"You talk like you're not nobility," Wagner said, dumping his own armload and turning towards the exit. 

"I wish I wasn't," Ishvi mused, following their young friend out into the cool night air outside the library. "You may joke about my not reading Father's letters, but he makes it clear that with Mum's difficulties conceiving I'm all he's got. Soon as I pass my ordeal he's probably going to start badgering me to secure the line. Produce a grandchild he can name heir instead of me. Not that I'd mind being passed over, but you know how I feel about…"

The uncomfortable silence hung for a moment, and the thirteen year old tentatively offered, "Siring?"

"Nnng," Ishvi looked down uncomfortably. They'd had to explain a little under a year ago exactly how the mechanics of creating a child worked, seeing as no one in his family had seen fit to do it, which had of course led to equally frank discussions of how Ishvi felt on the matter. But talking about it ostensibly in public, even at this hour when no one was liable to be about, wasn't something Ishvi was fully comfortable with. They'd had one conversation with their parents, at fifteen, about the possibility of surgery, but the answer was one they really should've expected- they were fine with it, but only after Ishvi produced for the family at least one, preferably two heirs. 

They'd be in for a lecture on duty next time they saw their father if word got back that they were complaining about it. Even the Queen, who had taken a wife as her partner, had to lie with a man at least one time for the sake of duty, after all.

Shaking their head, they said, "But nevermind that- what were we talking about again?"

"You getting some sleep so you don't fall on your nose during training," Wagner reminded them with a raised brow. "Also you fretting about your assessment, but some sleep will be good for that too."

"Right. I uh, might have missed dinner too, do you-"

Wagner shook his head, but bless him, he seemed to have anticipated that too, because he pulled an apple out of his money pouch and offered it to his friend. "Over breakfast you'll have to tell me what you were reading that held your attention so long. But not right now- bed Ishvi."

"I'm going, I'm going," they said, picking up their pace towards the barracks to a trot.

_________

Shortly before the events of Eldritch Eulogy...

The two bed room was spacious as inns went, with about a man's height of space between each bed and everything carrying the telltale smell of having been freshly laundered. The blankets on the bed were made of some sort of animal fur, and a brief glance at the pillows confirmed they were stuffed with down, not hay.

"For as remote as this place is, the accommodations are quite nice," Ishvi mused, rocking on their heels as they looked about the room that had been letted to them.  Turning back to Wagner with a wry smirk, they added, "Which is good, if we're going to be here for a while."

The prince- currently disguised as a wood elf and going under the alias "Walker"- groaned with mock resignation. In his hands the younger man was holding an envelope that had been pressed upon them before they even got to the inn.

"As remote as it is, you would think that the sort of trouble they'd ask paladins to intervene in wouldn't bother with them," Wagner replied with a sigh. "Normally I'd be thrilled to have something actually productive to do, but-"

"But you can't wait to get to Alu Lyth, you're missing your sweetheart terribly, wax about it again, please," Ishvi interjected, sauntering over to the bed and running their fingers over the plush fur. "Duty calls, my friend, so your cuddles and kisses appointment will have to wait!"

They glanced over their shoulder, and were rewarded to catch Wagner sticking out his tongue at them. The moon elf laughed, waggling a finger admonishingly. "Now, now, is that any way for someone of your stature to behave?"

"My stature? I have no notion what you mean," Wagner replied, turning away to open the envelope. "I am just a paladin, same as you. An inferior, magic-less paladin even."

Ishvi glanced over Wagner's shoulder at the note, but they could immediately see that the effort was fruitless- as had been the case with most everything else in this town, it was in Draconic, which Ishvi did not speak. With a shrug, they left their young friend to it.

They had been speaking in Elvish- the language that both they and Wagner were most fluent in, the language of both their childhoods. They also shared a fluency in common that was required of nobles, and Ishvi had tried to pick up both Goblin and Gnomish. As was often the case, however, their lack of patience for intense study had kept them from getting more than a few gloss words and phrases of either. Wagner, on the other hand, was a proper omniglot. On top of the aforementioned Elvish and Common, he was fluent in Gnomish, Goblin, Halfling, and thanks to his status as a tiefling, Infernal. He was further conversational in Dwarvish, and Draconic.

No Undercommon, which might have surprised anyone who knew the boy's heritage, but this was at the direct pressure of the rest of the Elvish nobles. They already didn't like that their prince and princess were half tiefling, half drow. They absolutely balked at the prince sullying his tongue on Undercommon when most drow he would need to talk to for diplomatic reasons would understand Elvish.

Nevermind the duergar or the svirfneblin. Or the various non-native races who live down there and will speak Undercommon by proximity. They thought sarcastically. The drow are bug-eyed cave rats but at least they're proper elves. The rest? Pah!

Ishvi gave a soft snort of derision, making Wagner look up from the paper in his hand and quirk a brow. "A copper for your thoughts?"

"Just insulting our dear, divinely appointed overlords in my imagination again, don't mind me," Ishvi replied with a shrug and a crooked grin. They caught themselves petting the blanket again, and folded their arms, turning back to face Wagner. "So what's the letter say?"

Wagner's expression was one of bemused understanding, but he took the change of subject with good grace. "The clan's Rimem- their chief- wants us to look into some strange creatures that have started to infest the woods around here, as well as a string of disappearances."

"I don't like that those two things are happening at the same time," Ishvi said grimly. "Implies one might be causing the other. But are monsters killing people, or might it be some sort of lycanthropy thing?"

"Impossible to say without more information," the prince pointed out. "Which means it's time for your favorite- questioning the locals."

"Aaaah, but I don't share any languages with the locals," Ishvi fired back. "So I am literally incapable of playing the face. And I won't even be able to understand when they needle you about the fact that I'm standing behind you and fidgeting like a bored three-year-old. Such a shame."

Wagner scowled a bit. "As if I wouldn't make it clear I won't stand for it if they do."

Ishvi shrugged with far more dismissiveness than they actually felt. "Come on, hero, it's late and we're both tired. Let's get some dinner in us, and figure out what our plan of attack is for tomorrow morning."

[piratesfromspace]

Finance Management (Deckard Shaw/Reader)

Deckard Shaw (Fast & Furious) x Reader

Word count: 1.9k CW: mention of food & alcohol, smut

Female reader

Note: This short fic has been inspired by a friend of mine who created the character of the financial advisor of mister Shaw.  Also there is not enough fics with Deckard Shaw so here we are. 

Read on Ao3

MASTERLIST

“Mister Shaw, it’s me again, I’m so sorry but I really need you to call me back please. It’s important. Thank you.”

You let out a deep sigh as you hang up. Handling the finances of rich people is a lucrative and thrilling job, but damn it sometimes those clients of yours are annoying. Especially Mister Shaw.

First, he’s annoyingly busy and unreachable. Most powerful people are, but he can disappear for weeks on end without so much as sending an email.

Second, he’s also infuriatingly handsome and smart and funny. And he has an impeccable sense of style. He has nothing in common with the other clients of your firm, mainly old and boring men, whose only conversation subject is their money and how they hate their wives.

And finally, the worst thing about him is how good of a lover he is. You found out half a year ago, when you ended up in his bed after what should have been a regular business dinner. It was a mistake of course. One that could have cost you your career because it was a very serious breach of contract to sleep with a client.

You never told a soul, and you promised yourself to never do it again. But it was still hard to forget the feeling of him pressed against you, of his hands holding your waist, of his mouth between your thighs...

You try to focus again on your task and stretch your legs, kicking out your high heels. Feet bare on the soft carpet, you walk to the floor-to-ceiling window of your posh office, taking a second to admire the view, as the final rays of the sun disappear over the lake, and Geneva lights up under you. It’s breath-taking, really. But it also means you’re once again staying way too late at the office. Your assistant has gone home a couple hours ago, and your colleagues are either on vacation or on business trips, making you the only person on the building’s 7th floor. You still have a few things to finish so you plop on your leather chair and get back to work, hoping to make it home before 11pm.

That’s when you hear it: the familiar *ding* of the elevator’s door, at the end of the corridor. You tense immediately. You’re not waiting for anyone, and the security guards always use the stairs when completing their patrol.

Steps are coming down your way, and you grab your phone, ready to dial for the security team. And then you recognize his silhouette through the polished glass wall. There is a knock on your door before it opens to reveal Deckard Shaw himself. He’s wearing an expensive suit and an even more expensive watch, a very light stubble is highlighting his perfect jawbone and his deep grey eyes bear a mischievous glint. Handsome, as always.

“Mister Shaw…” you stammer.

“You know you can call me Deckard.” His stupidly sexy British accent and cocky smile will be the death of you.

He’s been in your office for two seconds and you already want to slap him in the face - or climb him like a tree, you can’t really decide.

“It’s quite late, Mister Shaw, you scared me. Anything I can do for you?” you insist on saying his family name, in a feeble attempt to maintain a professional façade.

“You needed to see me.” it’s more a comment than a question, and you’re suddenly reminded of the dozen of unanswered phone calls you made trying to reach him.

“Yes… yes, that’s right, but honestly you could have called tomorrow morning.”

“I’d rather see you in person.” he answers, looking you straight in the eyes. You can feel yourself blushing under his gaze. “Wanted to make sure you’re alright. You’re working too much you know.” he says with a soft smile, as his eyes drift down to your sore bare feet and then to the discarded heels under your desk.

What a condescending prick, you think. But at the same time, he’s right and his care seems somewhat genuine. It will not make you forget you almost lost your job because of him though.

“How did you know I was still here tonight?” you purposely redirect the attention on him, rather than you.

“Well, let’s say I would not leave the woman in charge of my assets without any... supervision.”

“Is that a polite way to say you’ve been spying on me?” you retort dryly.

“Oh I love when you’re getting all angry and snobbish, your French accent is even cuter.”

You’re gonna murder him. You really really want to tell him to go fuck himself, but he’s the one responsible for a very generous part of your paycheck, so you have to keep quiet.

“I would be more comfortable if we keep our conversation strictly professional, Mister Shaw.”

“Everything you want, dear.”

-----

“Mmph, fu-ck... Deckard, don’t stop”

The professional attitude has been long forgotten, since Deckard has pulled you onto his lap on the velvet couch of his presidential suite at the Four Seasons hotel, where you were supposed to only review the important documents he needed to see. But when the room service had brought a very nice bottle of Scotch, you knew you were screwed. You could not refuse a drink, and the warmth of alcohol combined with the warmth of his hand slightly brushing against your thigh had overcome all your resolve.

You are now sprawled on the king-size bed, moaning his name as Deckard Shaw is destroying your sanity very methodically. One foot on the floor, one leg bent on the edge of the bed, he’s pounding into you, holding your hip with one hand, and circling your clit with the other. His pace is calculated, not too fast so you can feel every inch of him, but not too slow so your nerves don’t have any respite, and it’s driving you crazy. Hands tangled in the dark silk sheets beneath you, you try to catch your breath to no avail.

“I won’t stop darling. Not until I can feel you coming again all over me.” His voice is like heavy honey, dripping all over your senses, drowning you in sweet and sinful promises.

You want to close your eyes to focus on the overwhelming feelings, but the view in front of you is too good to be missed. He looks like some demi-god, bathed in the subdued light of the room, broad and muscular chest, abs perfectly drawn. What is his job again? You vaguely remember him talking about serving a few years in the military when he was younger, but he is still definitely hitting the gym on a regular basis.

His muscles flex when he brings you down on his thick cock a little more sharply than before, and you keen as he hits that perfect spot inside of you. You can feel your orgasm build again, and so can he.

“You’re close, princess, aren’t you?”

You mewl in response and he chuckles darkly, keeping up with his ruthless assault on your most sensitive parts. He angles his fingers just a bit differently on your clit, and keeps thrusting into you, stretching you so perfectly you can’t remember the last time someone fucked you this good - wait , actually you can, it was a few months ago and it was by mister Deckard “annoyingly perfect” Shaw.

“Come on, I know you want to, I’ll keep going until you give me one more anyway princess…”

And that's it. You’re gone. Back arching off the bed, you come hard, harder than the first time, clenching around him. You barely hear him hiss in pleasure as you spasm helplessly on the soft sheets, the silk feeling almost cool against your burning skin.

----

“Good morning darling."

You open an eye, natural light is flooding the room, as is the delicious smell of fresh coffee and tea. At the foot of the bed, you spot a room service trolley loaded with breakfast treats and through the open door of the bathroom, you can see Deckard is looking at you in the mirror reflection while buttoning a crisp white shirt.

"Your tea is ready. Black, no milk, right?”

He's right and it's annoying because is there anything this man messes up?

"What time is it?" You ask, suddenly remembering you have a busy schedule today.

"You have 27 minutes to eat and get ready, so I can drop you off at your office in time for your first call of the day."

He knows about your tea preferences and your professional agenda, of course he does , he was not joking when mentioning the whole "spying-on-you" situation, or "supervision" as he liked to call it. He needs to stop it, but you decide to keep this discussion for another day.

You stretch, and rise to put on the hotel bathrobe, sighing at the thought of having to wear the same clothes as yesterday. Last you saw them, they were scattered on the floor all over the room and your underwear were positively ruined.

"The concierge was very helpful this morning, thanks to him I got you a few clothes delivered for today." Deckard adds as he pours himself a cup of coffee from the cart and gestures to the leather armchair where a couple of bags doning logos of luxury brands are perched.

You make your way to the packages, and open the first one to reveal a sophisticated dress, fitted and sexy, but not too much that it would be inappropriate as office wear. The second bag is a thoughtful selection of high end make-up products. And the last one contains a gorgeous set of lacy lingerie, nothing too raunchy but sexy nonetheless. Of course everything is in the right size.

"Thank you..." you whisper, a little stunned. The assortment must have cost him a couple grands at the very least - not that he can't afford it because you're well placed to be sure he can, but still, he did not have to do this.

You have to suppress a smile, because damn he's being annoyingly perfect once more, but you don't want to give him the satisfaction to reveal he was right when promising you could stay the night instead of going home and still look fresh for your day at work.

"I was thinking, I'm free tonight, so maybe we can finally review those documents, you know the ones you were supposed to show me before you jumped on me on the couch last night?" Deckard states as he bites in an apple in front of the window, casually looking at lake Geneva glinting in the bright morning sun.

You blush unwillingly, struggling to find a reply that would save you from admitting you had failed at enforcing your usual work ethic.

"I'm kidding dear!" He barks in a laugh. "I know enough to trust you on this venture, you have my approval to go on with the investment." He continues more seriously.

You open your mouth to answer but he's quicker.

"I'm not kidding about being free though, so what about dinner and then we can see where this takes us…"

When you don't answer immediately, he turns to look at you. Maybe he's realizing the situation can be awkward and precarious for you since you're technically working for him.

"You can say no, I won't take any offense." He adds without irony.

"Yes..." You finally answer, tip toeing toward him until you can snatch the apple he was eating from him. He protests but you shush him.

"...Yes, I would like this very much..."

As he starts to protest again, you take a big bite from the fruit with a knowing smile.

"...but only for dinner. Nothing more."

"You'll be the death of me." Deckard says, falsely irritated, his voice dropping lower.

"At least the feeling is mutual, mister Shaw ..."