#but for some reason i don’t remember it being this vague and annoying

[creaturebehavior]

damn i could not for the life of me think of the phrase “ward off” just now

catch me on thesaurus dot com doing all the heavy lifting feeding it four close variations of the phrase im looking for aka almost acting as my own damn thesaurus until i get the thesaurus to kind of get what i’m trying to say

[melrodrigo]

music nerds

Jenna Ortega x Fem!Reader

Summary: Jenna stumbles upon a tiny vinyl shop, and thinks the employee is mighty cute.

A/n: here it is nerds, my first jenna fic. Was in a silly goofy mood, I miss my babygirl so.

It started at the vinyl shop. You, rearranging the different records into the correct sections, stood humming absentmindedly to the tune of the song playing.

“How’s my favorite employee of the month doing?” Your coworker (and best friend) Harry pipes up, leaning on the shelves opposite you.

“You can stop calling me that, we both know the only reason I got crowned this month was because you missed six days and I had to cover for your ass.” You mumble, slightly annoyed. It had been a long day, with customers shuffling in and out without ever buying anything. It didn’t help that the only customers Harry attended to were girls he thought were cute.

He nudges you a little, trying to prompt you away from rearranging the vinyls.

When you don’t answer, he huffs a little and then makes his way to the back—no doubt about to take a nap—where he’ll stay until closing time.

You sigh softly, shaking your head.

Even though you loved Harry to shreds, you hated being his coworker. He could be trusted with nothing.

You move over to the next section, swaying a little to the tune, losing yourself in the music.

You’re aware of the jingle of the bell that indicates someone has entered as you shuffle through the records.

They could take care of themselves for just a few minutes, you reckon.

Soft footsteps sound from behind you, and the sound of someone putting a stop to the music makes you frown. Then, there’s a tiny scratching noise before the melody of I am Controlled By Your Love by Helene Smith sounds through the tiny store.

You can’t help the tiny smile that envelops your face; and the surprise that echos through your mind. You’d just found out about this song, while scrolling through a playlist someone had made for your celebrity crush, Jenna Ortega.

Apparently she liked the song, if you remembered correctly from watching one of her interviews passingly.

“Great choice.” You tell whoever put it on, still not turning to face them.

“Thanks, I’m surprised this place has it. I’ve been looking for weeks.” A girl answers, and it sounds vaguely familiar.

“Well, we sure do. One of the best vinyl stores in the country if I do say so myself.” You smile, finally finishing tampering with the discs and turn to your customer.

It takes everything in you to not gasp out loud—standing in front of you was the Jenna Ortega.

You feel your hands grip the shelves just a little tighter, and you prayed to god that Jenna didn’t see the blush very quickly climbing up your neck.

“One of the best, huh?” She smiles, and you swear you could feel your heart physically melt.

She looks, if not better, exactly like in the pictures. It’s surreal, this person you see almost everyday on your phone, standing in front of you.

She’s wearing a black turtleneck sweater and some baggy jeans. There are sunglasses blocking her eyes, maybe to try to avert attention, but you could tell in an instant who she was.

You think she knows too, by the way she’s smirking a little.

“Yeah, and there are a ton of artists just like the one you just put on, at the back corner over there.” You point with shaky fingers, cursing yourself for looking so stupid.

She nods and disappears further into the store, and you breathe out in relief.

Holy shit! Jenna Ortega!

You place a hand over your heart, reminding yourself to be normal and check if you’re still breathing.

“Uh-I’m sorry. I couldn’t find it. Where did you say?” She pops her head out from one of the shelves, cocking her head to the side.

You grab your bearings, determined to not make a fool of yourself.

You were an employee. Just an employee helping out a confused customer.

“It’s hard to find, believe me I know.” You smile reassuringly, sauntering over to where she was standing.

“Here, just follow me.” You say, weaving through the maze that was this tiny vinyl store.

She bumps into you a few times, saying a soft sorry as she does. You placate her worries with soft it’s okays everytime she does.

“Ahah! Right here. My pride and joy.” You beam, getting used to having her so close and relaxing.

“What would you recommend?” She muses, flicking through the artists.

“Well, I’m a Beatles girl myself,” You tell her, looking over the records, “but I am a sucker for The Mamas & The Papas.”

She raises an eyebrow at you, and you hold your hands up in defeat.

“I know, I know! I’m a mainstream whore.” You say before you can stop yourself, something definitely inappropriate to say to a customer.

Jenna lets out a little giggle, fast like she can’t help herself.

You take the opportunity to keep talking, since she seems interested in the music over here.

“But, there is another artist somewhere here, I think you’ll like.” You wink, then mentally face palm yourself.

You turn back to the records in order to hide your expression, finally finding the guy you were looking for.

“Frank Zappa.” You explain as you hand it over to her. “An instrumental.”

She looks at it thoughtfully, inspecting the album art; then looks up at you and smiles. Her brown eyes make you want to cry and scream, but you keep your composure.

“You have nice eyes.” She murmurs, eyes flickering over your face. Then, just as fast, she turns away and walks back the way you came.

“What just happened.” You breathe once she’s out of earshot, carefully walking back to the cashier.

She’s waiting, texting someone on her phone.

When you slide up behind the counter, all flirty smiles, she tilts her head.

“Took you long enough.” She teases, scrunching her nose in embarrassment unconsciously.

You stutter endlessly, trying and failing to come up with an excuse. It all comes out in one jumbled poor excuse of a sentence that you try to cover up with a cough.

You slide her things over and scan them, not daring to look at her probably smug face.

“That’s all.” You say, somewhat bashfully, stealing a glance back at her.

Her eyes flicker with something you can’t quite place, but something you can certainly feel. Warmth envelops you whole, your knees turning into jelly.

You put her stuff into a plastic bag, hand them over, and bite back the hitch of breath when your hand grazes hers.

She bites her lip thoughtfully, shifting on her feet. The bag is in her hands now, she’s free to leave.

But still, she stands there, looking like she’s thinking very hard about something.

You try and prompt her out of her thoughts, murmur a quiet, “Anything else?” and watches as she takes out her phone and pushes it to your side of the desk.

“Yeah. Your number.” She squeaks, blushing a faint pink. She clears her throat and says it again, in a tone deeper than before.

It takes absolutely everything in you to keep your mouth shut. It desperately desperately wants to drop, not quite computing what is really happening.

You take it before she can change her mind, quickly jamming in your number and taking a quick photo for the profile.

She beams as you hand it back to her, not bothering to stop the cheeky satisfied smile that wants to take over her lips.

“I’ll see you soon, yeah?” She asks, and you nod adamantly, forgetting all pretense of chill.

“Right. Uh huh. Super!” You call out as she makes her way out the door, shaking her head at your dorkiness.

“Holy shit!” You yell this time, breathing out a huge sigh of relief you didn’t even know you were holding.

You’re rooted to the spot, afraid that if you move you’ll wake up and this’ll all be a dream.

“Wha-What happened?” Harry comes tumbling out the back door, plastic baseball bat in hand.

You lock eyes with him and let yourself fall down into the nearest chair, all wild eyes.

“I just got Jenna Ortega’s number!” You tell him, letting your hands run through your hair, happy and stressed.

His eyes narrow, then he shoots you a lopsided smirk.

“Sure you did.” He says, letting the baseball bat fall beside him, guard down.

“No Harry, she really came in here! And asked me for my number!” You yell, exasperated.

You can tell he doesn’t really believe you, but all it takes is one good look at your face, all white and red at the same time, and he’s widening his eyes comically wide.

“No fucking way.” He gushes, sliding over to sit beside you. He practically preens over you, all questioning eyes.

“Well what did you do?” He pushes, waiting for you to elaborate.

You tell him the whole story, slightly reveling in his reactions. He never fails to make you laugh at his comments.

“So…what now?” Harry asks after a minute, raising his eyebrows.

You sigh. “I don’t know, I guess I’m gonna have to wait for her to call me. Who knows how long that’s gonna take.”

“Well, you better be ready for her when she does. Oh my god we so need to do a makeover.” He rambles, turning on his phone to look at hairdressers nearby. You lean back into your chair, overwhelmed.

For now, you’re worry-less. Jenna Ortega just asked for your number, and you think you couldn’t be luckier. The only thing to do now was wait, and so you do.

[cocogum]

The Great Wave - Chapter 5 Review

‼️ SPOILERS FOR THE CHAPTER ‼️

I’m not going to lie, this was the best chapter of the first volume so far. Not only was it better than the old chapters because we had much more to see and think about, but it’s also because it had some soft intimate moments mixed with happy scenes and not to mention felt longer than the others.

I would like to point out that I was completely in the right to explain why it was perfectly reasonable for Amalia to be worried that Aurora would take her place. In my chapter 4 review, I mentioned how Aurora had no right to lead the kingdom without Amalia even if it was in her legal right to do so. Aurora doesn't fully grasp the beliefs of the Sadidas. If she banishes Amalia, the final member of the royal Sadida family, from the kingdom, she will lack crucial insight into the kingdom's governance, particularly regarding the functioning of the Tree of Life.

It's important to note that while Yugo may not be a Sadida or a Twelvian, he has at least demonstrated the bare minimum level of cultural understanding and interaction that surpasses Aurora. Having lived among the Sadidas and rescued them multiple times, he has even communicated with King Oakheart without difficulty. However, it's worth noting that not all Sadidas may fully accept Yugo despite everything he has done. A good example of this would be what @vinillain has said about the topic in their post. I actually recommend you to see what they have to say about it.

Aurora has told Amalia to go back to her adventures, implying that she doesn’t need Amalia IN HER OWN HOME. Not only is the blue cow trophy wife a dumbass, but she’s also extremely unaware of the consequences she could receive if she lets her go.

It’s completely ridiculous but insane to kick the only remaining royal family of the Sadida kingdom if you don’t know how to keep the very living thing that keeps its people breathing.

This just keeps me wondering what the hell is Aurora’s goal besides ruling another kingdom other than the Osamodas one. Is there even another goal? Because if there isn’t, you gotta keep the only member of the royal family around you if you don’t want to fuck a kingdom up babes.

Aurora is legitimately an embarrassment to all blondes out there. They are already tired of hearing the annoying stereotype of “being dumb blondes” so don’t make it worse for them.

I hate what this is implying and I hate how Amalia explains it to Yugo.

Amalia already told Yugo in Season 4 that the sadidas protect the trees with their lives. And now, she’s here specifying to him that once a Sadida dies, they are still very much present in other ways.

Tot I swear on my ass, if this turns out to be some kind of foreshadowing for Amalia’s death, I’m booking a plane ticket straight to France. However, if this turns out to be some sort of implication that Amalia will replace or be the official guardian of the Tree of Life, I might be into it. We’ll just have to see where her words will go.

I loved how Yugo immediately went to console her and brought her into his arms. My guy doesn’t hesitate at all anymore and I’m so proud 🥰 He’s now able to give her the love she deserves 💕

This is the first time he mentions the past, and I'm glad he remembers how she used to be and can see the good in her, even when she was less mature.

Look at how he admires her in this very moment! He’s absolutely smitten 💕💕

“But already full of courage.” Yeah, the fearless sassy adventurer is definitely his type lol

I’ve been seeing a lot of people talk about the pregnancy situation with Aurora and with Amalia as well. The recurring references to pregnancy in certain chapters have led some to speculate about their significance. They are so vaguely placed in some instances but still present that the mentions almost appear like they’ve been strategically placed, leading to the belief that they may play a crucial role in upcoming events.

Here, we have Amalia crying her tears out at the idea that Aurora is perfectly justified to regain her position as queen simply because of her alleged pregnancy.

Just this scene alone makes me believe that Amalia has all the right to get pregnant as well. This is literally the scene that’s pushing the idea of her getting a kid.

Amalia. Get pregnant already. YUGO HELP HER-

I genuinely hate the fact that Amalia believes Armand would’ve let Aurora become the leader in his place because she’s harbouring his “child.”

Like no babe that doesn’t make any sense.

Throughout Season 4, we were able to clearly understand that Armand and Aurora did have feelings for one another but that didn’t mean Armand thought she was worthy to take his place if he was gone.

There’s a reason why there was only one throne in the Sadida kingdom.

There’s a reason why he was the only one conversing the most with other symbols of power or influence such as Master Joris, Yugo, and the cow king.

There’s a reason why he only addresses himself when he’s talking about the sadida leadership.

There’s a reason why he says “my people” rather than “our people”.

There’s a reason why he told Amalia, straight to her face, that she’s got it from here right before he sacrifices himself.

Armand never thought about Aurora when it came to any kind of leadership.

And sure, even if the child is real (because I still do not believe that wench), that doesn’t mean Armand was expecting the child to take over for him, much less Aurora, when Amalia was still in the picture.

Man was just horny that’s it.

Oh oop- drama???

Omg no this is genuinely such a good moment.

Amalia accidentally tells Yugo that he’s a stranger in the eyes of the royal Osamodas family and supposedly the other leaders as well and Yugo simply accepts this fact while she’s over here internally cursing herself for saying that to his face.

Because Amalia knows she’s right. And Yugo knows it just as much as her, if only more. Despite how Yugo wants to help Amalia in the situation she’s in, he’s aware that his very existence is a disturbance to the other leaders. (Which is a parallel to what happened with the Eliatrope goddess and the other gods around her.)

It greatly bothers Yugo to not be able to help his wife because of what he is and it is pretty understandable. There are people who are clashing with Amalia so he’ll obviously want to fight back.

While we're on the subject of who’s more of a stranger than the actual alien, I’d like to point out that even the royal Sadida staff treats Yugo like he’s part of the family. When Yugo and Amalia were having their moment, Renate (or Canar, I can’t remember who is who these two are just always together) enters the sacred grounds and calls for them, reminding them to be a part of the wedding their friends are having. But the way Renate (or Canar) addresses them is not by their royal status, but simply by their names.

This is an important detail to be aware of because Renate/Canar had no reason to justify why he called them by their names alone.

It just goes to show that some royal servants can be comfortable calling Yugo and Amalia this way without receiving any consequences. It also implies that only the servants who have interacted and gotten along with Yugo and Amalia when they were younger, are allowed to address them by their names.

And I love that fact so terribly much.

Amalia is a queen who understands personal relationships with servants and doesn’t think the idea is a bad thing. She has always been looking forward to speaking to her servants and befriending them since she was a child. Renate, Canar, and Evangelyne are examples of this.

Another detail that can be pointed out in this scene is what Renate/Canar said next: there was a wedding the two are supposed to attend later in the day.

This wouldn’t have been such a big thing to think about if it wasn’t for the fact that Yugo mentioned to Grougal that the two people in question who are getting a wedding, are two of his and Amalia’s friends.

Literally what? Who?!? Who are those friends??? That literally came out of nowhere!

It can’t be Eva and Dally because they already got married ages ago. So who could they be? Some friends who the brotherhood of the tofu met during one of their adventures? New characters that we’re going to see in Season 5 if it ever gets released? Or simply new characters that we’re going to discover in the manga? I’m throwing all the possibilities in the air because these two individuals cannot be normal civilians that Yugo and Amalia decided to plan a wedding for. Yugo precisely stated that these people are their friends.

Because of the Brotherhood’s lack of presence, one might assume that the couple getting married could consist of a Sadida and an Eliatrope, which would explain why Yugo and Amalia are familiar with them.

The Eliatropes and Sadidas depicted in this panel appear to be getting along, as they are all gathered in circles surrounded by Sadidas who seem to be accepting of their presence.

@aphilayx circled the exact amount of small groups that contained sadidas and eliatropes conversing together.

We can also believe that the marriage is unlikely to have any of the brotherhood’s friends who they met in their adventures take part in the ceremony, as was the case with Tristeva and Yumalia’s weddings. It appears that only Alibert, Adamaï, and Chibi, who are not from the kingdom, will be participating.

All of these points only encourage the idea that the marriage Yugo and Amalia would participate in could be between a sadida and an eliatrope.

…if the eliatropes weren’t children.

The eliatropes are not adults yet. Only a few months, or possibly a year, have passed between Season 4 and the webtoon. The eliatropes are not ready to marry anyone.

But then again, an interracial marriage would still make sense. Because why would any other race be here? I don’t see anyone else. The room we were shown only displayed sadidas and eliatropes. The only other person who isn’t an eliatrope, a sadida, or even a dragon, is Alibert (poor guy’s the only Enutrof there lol). He sticks out like a sore thumb 😭

Speaking of the room, we finally get to see Chibi and Grougal! It's great to have more opportunities to see them, especially since they were only featured in the first episode of the Ovas and one episode of Season 4 until now. In both of those times, they barely spoke or said a line. But here, we can finally see them having more moments and SPEAKING.

Well, only Chibi is talking but I think that’s pretty understandable since Grougal seems to be less talkative than him cuz he’s…well a baby dragon.

Grougal chews on wood when he can’t eat anything else…

Honestly, that’s relatable for all human babies. And then we got Chibi over here who decided to snitch on him for trying to eat Az. I never thought the future inventor would be able to snitch like that, how embarrassing.

DUDE WHY ARE YOU BRINGING DOWN GROUGAL LIKE THAT?! BRO’S JUST TRYNNA BE A DRAGON-

I’ve never seen Yugo get this mad at Grougal damn. I only saw Adamaï acting like that in season 2...daddy’s mad.

Yugo gives off the vibe of being the responsible older brother who had to act mature to help the parents handle the younger kids. He’s such a big brother to them both to the point where he’s making me think he’ll be such a good househusband father.

He’s even compromising with them!! Telling Grougal to wait a bit until the food can be ready.

Please that is such a fatherly thing to do!! They usually do this when the mother isn’t watching lol. Yugo’s over here telling Grougal to wait just a bit longer so he could be able to eat whatever he wants at the banquet.

By the way, I bet the feast will only be filled with drinks and fruits based on the food we’ve seen in the webtoon trailer.

Ruel had once complained that all the sadidas ate were soups so I guess that’s also another thing these people eat. The only time I’ve seen a sadida eat meat was Amalia in the first episode of the Ovas cutting a cooked animal in Ruel’s contraption.

So yeah, Grougal’s gonna starve either way lol

Also I’m definitely using this panel as my lock screen 💕💕

Look at him, he’s about to ground him before Alibert can.

Just cuz of this scene alone, it made me think that’s how he’s gonna act if he ever gets a kid(s) with Amalia. So if his kid misbehaves, he’d make that frowning face lol

And now we’re back to these imbeciles.

It irks me that these two blue-skinned clowns are being served and taken care of by the sadidas. They got THEIR OWN SUITE ARE U KIDDING ME-

The blue cow king even had some food prepared by the sadidas for his goofy ass ride! Stop treating the sadida servants like they are your own ones!!

Aurora is as unlikable as always, ordering the people to prepare her room.

I swear not even younger Amalia used to order her people like that. She used to get along with them and even talk to them as if she was about to spill some tea. But Aurora? Cow is so entitled that she’s even acting like that to people who are not even from the same race as her.

Blue cow mentioned that the chest the Sadida servant was carrying, had a “kougnard” in it (in English it’s a “skrot”).

We couldn’t see what it looked like but it clearly scared the shit out of that sadida woman. So I took the time to search up what a “Kougnard” was and it turns out it was actually a very ugly bat creature.

A “kougnard” is an animal you can use for transportation or a companion you can bring around while adventuring. Their main use is transportation though so they carry you from point A to point B if you can’t find a zaap gate near you.

They originally came from Ecaflipus, the Ecaflip God’s dimension. The kougnard that Aurora has is a newborn one which would explain why it could fit into a chest.

For a visual example, this is what a kougnard looks like in its adult form 👇

So yeah, pretty ugly.

Like ew wtf no wonder the sadida woman shit her leaves. Sorry for any player who uses these things but I don’t see how you can even touch one of them, let alone look at them for more than fifteen seconds. They look like ugly crusty bats that are fighting for their lives just to breathe.

Also what’s up with Aurora keeping familials in chests?? Wtf?? Isn’t she pro-animal or whatever?? Literally what’s up with that?? What’s so special about a living baby kougnard that she has to keep it in a chest???

That thing is even ugly as a baby, just look at how that sadida woman reacted when she saw it. Literally freaked her the hell out.

Apparently, Aurora wears the animal on her head in the next chapter according to what the next chapter’s cover entails. She seems to have something in her head and @geekgirles deduced that if we focus our attention on the top of her head, we can see claws.

I swear if that blue cow is actually looking down on people in that panel while having an ugly crusty-ass bat on her head, I’ll be laughing my ass off at this goofy behavior.

[neonscandal]

9 Anime to Watch to Feel Like This 👇🏾

The alternative title/concept for this list was "Anime Featuring The Zaddiests of Daddies" but, you know. Consistency or whatever. When I saw the gif, however, I cackled so loud that I figured it still captured The Vibe ✨ (that being #fatherless) Considering this context, some recommendations are slightly longer than the usual bite size serving of 12-24 episodes but you won't regret indulging. Each show is recommended for the plot which is very evident with the teaser gifs. Happy Fathers' Day, you degenerates. And remember, you don't have to have kids to be a Daddy. 😈❤️

Spy x Family (series) - There is something so wholesome about the fate of the world as he knows it relying on how convincingly he can portray a Good Father despite his own origin story. Loid Forger, in a mission to maintain peace, creates the perfect family through any means necessary. Doubt he realized, in doing so, he'd create a home for himself and the oddballs helping to keep up the ruze.

Sub/Dub | Crunchyroll, Hulu

Buddy Daddies (series) - The life of hitmen Rei Suwa and Kazuki Kurusu get a bit more messy when one of their hits leaves them with a pretty sizable loose end. Regardless of their occupation, their lives change around a little girl and trying to provide as good a home as two, single twenty-something men can. The rest, they'll figure out.

Sub/Dub | Crunchyroll

My Senpai is Annoying (series) - Very capable working woman finds herself kohai to an older, overly chummy colleague who DEFINITELY does not know how to PDF documents unsupervised. This is a show about their day to day interactions. If you're wondering if Takeda is the only contender in this series, hold out for Futaba's grandfather. Just trust me.

Sub/Dub | Crunchyroll

Jujutsu Kaisen (series + movie) - *Gestures vaguely to my blog* This show has plenty of compelling reasons to become obsessed. Trying to train strong child soldiers to protect the balance of humans vs curses so they don’t see a grisly demise is just one of them. Not your average shonen, not your average found families.

Sub/Dub | Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu

My Hero Academia (series + movies) - Something about kids needing guidance so as not to die while in the pursuit of some great civic duty really creates an environment for some skrunkly father figures. 😘👌🏾 Never mind that the climax of this story is one that tangles generations of families as society adapts to the advent of super powers.

Sub/Dub | Crunchyroll, Hulu, Netflix

Fire Force (series) - in a world where humans can spontaneously combust, Shinra, who is blamed for the fire that killed his mother and younger brother, seeks to overcome the stigma of his power and joins Fire Force Company 8. In training to fight Infernals, he learns to control his pyrokineses under the guidance of many talented fighters while trying to understand the world around him and the invisible hand that manipulates everything.

Sub/Dub | Crunchyroll, Hulu

Attack on Titan (series) - Unpredictable violence at the vicious jaws of larger than life monsters, the last remaining humans seek refuse behind hallowed walls. Until one day, the day the first wall fell, which made what once provided security feel more like a holding pen ahead of the slaughter. As resources dwindle and the indomitable curiosity of humans persist, the brave minority pushes the boundaries of the walls that house them and seek to uncover the shroud of mystery as of how they found themselves prisoners to titans in the first place.

Sub/Dub | Crunchyroll, Hulu, Sling TV

Chainsaw Man (series) - Human fears strengthen devils which threaten to overrun the world. Enter the Public Safety Devil Hunters responsible for exterminating devils before they become bigger problems and keeping a bead on larger threats, namely, the Gun Devil. The titular character eventually falls under the supervision of Aki Hayakawa (and later Kishibe *swoon*) who has a strong single-dad-who-works-two-jobs-who-loves-his-kids-and-never-stops type vibe.

Sub/Dub | Crunchyroll, Hulu

Blue Exorcist (series + movie) - When your dad is Satan, the bar is literally in hell for the man who steps up to raise you. Even so, LOOK AT THE DRIP. There's a narrow line to walk when trying to overcome your own parentage and twin brothers, Rin and Yukio, seek to do so by following in their adoptive father, Shiro Fujimoto's, footsteps despite obvious adversity. Just remember to skip to Season 2 after episode 17 or Google the proper order to watch.

Sub/Dub | Crunchyroll, Hulu

[buckychristwrites]

Colors in the Dark | b.b. | Part Two

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Summary: It’s been years since it was revealed that Bucky has a soulmate. And while he doesn’t remember anything about them, he hopes to see them again one day.

Word Count: 2.2k

Warnings: Surprisingly fluff

A/N: Just a quick tale of reunion, since a few people were wondering if Bucky would ever meet his soulmate again. I’m not sure if anyone will read this but i wrote it in less than a day and had fun, so i hope someone does. Enjoy :)

Part One | Masterlist

“I had a soulmate once.”

The scratching of the pen on paper came to a halt. 

“Everyone has a soulmate,” she explained as-a-matter-of-factually. Bucky huffed.

“I know that,” he said, annoyed. “I mean, I met mine once.” Dr. Raynor laid her pen down on the pad on her desk, her attention now fully on Bucky.

“Back before the war?” She asked. He let out a humorless laugh as he shook his head.

“You would think. No, it was actually the same day I ran into Steve. As the…” He waved his hand. “Soldier.” He didn’t like saying the name. The Winter Soldier. It made him feel some type of way. He tried to brush off that feeling as he looked back at his therapist. “I have vague memories of it sometimes. Seeing in color.” Dr. Raynor’s eyebrows furrowed together.

“But you don’t see color now?”

He shook his head once again. “They wiped my memories.” A hard lump formed in his throat, and he tried to swallow it down. Despite the fact that Bucky could remember most things about himself now, and from his time as the Winter Soldier, the memories of his soulmate were never able to be recovered. He sometimes found himself wondering if there was something in the universe stopping him from being able to remember. Would the memories give him back the ability to see color? Would he need to meet you again? 

“Why haven’t you brought this up until now?” Dr. Raynor asked, a hint of suspicion in her tone.

“Probably the same reason I don’t bring up a lot of things,” Bucky said in a joking tone, and he did not elaborate further. Raynor rolled her eyes. 

“How does the idea of meeting them again make you feel?” She asked him. That was one thing Bucky never tried to consider. Sure, he pictured what it would be like, and sometimes he found himself watching people in the street and wondering to himself if any of those people could be the one. But he never wanted to consider the feelings behind it all. In reality, it brought him a great deal of fear, the idea of confronting this part of his past. It wasn’t like you were just a bystander to the chaos that was his time in HYDRA. He had hunted you. Fought you. Even tried to kill you. IN what world would anyone, even his predetermined soulmate, forgive him for that? Though there was a chance Steve had attempted to clear his name, you were never brought up in any of the time Steve and he had spent together since Bucky’s treatment in Wakanda. And now with Steve gone, he had no way of finding out the answer. 

“The answer to that should be obvious,” was all he said, mostly because he did not want to answer. Taking the hint, Raynor backed off, instead looking down at her watch. 

“That’s time,” she said, looking up at him with narrowed eyes. “But we will be picking this back up next week.” Bucky’s chair squealed against the hard floor as he pushed it backwards to stand up. 

“Don’t hold your breath.”

It was at this time that you were walking down the street, cradling your head with one hand while holding the strap of your bag with another. It was a migraine day for you, as most days were anymore, and while your body yearned for the dark bedroom back at your apartment, your morning agenda had other plans for you. Life had to go on, even if your new debilitation didn’t want it to. 

Your bag was heavy on your shoulders as you jogged across the street. Washington D.C. was as welcoming today as it always was, a chorus of horns greeting you as you made your way. It had become second nature to ignore them. 

The day was a mix of gray and blue, but every day was a mix of gray and something. The sidewalks were a parade of people making their way to a destination that was much more important than anyone else’s, except for the tourists who just couldn’t help but stop and get in the way.. As you made it to another crosswalk, you marked off another street closer to home. It was like you could taste the feeling of lying down after a long morning of engagements. Maybe a shower was in order, before ordering take out and settling in before the clock struck two. The idea of it sounded marvelous. 

Out of the corner of your eye, you could see the Avenger’s mural that was painted just weeks after half the population reappeared after 5 years. You felt a pang in your chest, as you always did when you saw it. You opened your eyes one moment to find that five years had passed, and the two closest friends you had, Natasha and Steve, were both gone. Although it had almost been a year since then, sometimes your heart felt the loss the same way it did the first time. 

The sight on the mural that always made you stop, no matter how many times you saw it, was the man with the long hair and metal arm. Every single time you walked by this mural, it always stopped you in your tracks.

You still remembered the aftermath of the fight, when Steve explained who the man in the mask was. The way your heart grieved over the idea it had for who and what your soulmate would be. Never in a million years did you imagine that you’d be paired with a one hundred year old master assassin. Someone who now had tried to kill you. Someone you may never even see again. The devastation hit you like a train, but it also made your heart break for the man. Despite it all, he was just a man, who wasn’t in his right mind. He had lost something too. 

And then, in an instant, the world changed again.

It was that same night that the colors you had just gained were ripped from your sight, replaced with a static of a mix of gray and vibrancy that you couldn’t escape. The pain in your head was indescribable and, unbeknownst to you at the time, damn near inescapable. One would assume that with your abilities, you’d be able to make the pain disappear in an instant, but nothing you did helped with the pain. 

It was a rare day that your head was pain free, but this moment, with you looking at the mural on the building near your apartment, you felt the migraine dissolve. It made you want to stand there all day. Just you and the idea of your soulmate. Was it funny? Or did you want to cry? It was hard to tell sometimes. 

Bucky’s boots clambered down the concrete steps as he left his therapist’s D.C. office. In town for the week on work, Bucky felt it necessary to make sure he saw her. The streets of the Capital made him uneasy anymore, considering how things went the last time he was in town.

Something about the conversation with Dr. Raynor made him feel more tense than usual. As he walked down the sidewalk, he had to keep reminding himself to un-clench his jaw, and even then, a moment later, his teeth would be pressed together once more. He attempted to distract himself by listing off the things he had to do that day. Grocery shop. Text Sam’s nephews to figure out how to Facetime. Facetime Sam’s nephews. Cook dinner. Clean out the catbox. 

A shoulder ramming into his own brought his stress right back, causing him to turn around. He did not come face to face with the culprit, but what he did find was much worse. 

He found himself just across the street from the Avengers mural. It was like he could feel the tension creeping up his body as he swallowed hard. He always made an effort to avoid the mural as much as possible. Despite how grateful he was to be included, all it did was remind him of what he had lost. Seeing his old friend in the painting made him choke up a little, and before he knew it, he found himself crossing the street to get a closer look. 

Your phone vibrated in your pocket, but you ignored it as you enjoyed the bliss. Nothing but a few words and a lot of punches were exchanged between you and him. Soulmates were destined, and everyone only had one. Sometimes it felt like a huge joke, to be paired with someone who was programmed to kill you upon your first meeting. And yet, you found yourself wondering often where he ended up after Wakanda. You never had a chance to find out. The time to reintroduce yourself just never seemed to come. And then Steve, the only connection you had to him, was gone. The easiest thing you could do was to move on. But some days, you still wondered. 

A cool breeze hit you, and you looked up just in time as a raindrop hit your cheek. 

“Fuck,” you grumbled as the single drop turned quickly into a down poor. If you hadn’t gotten distracted, you would’ve made it home before the rain. Annoyed, you immediately spun around and ran for the crosswalk. You noticed a moment too late that you didn’t bother looking before stepping into the street.

Before you knew it, a pair of arms wrapped around you and yanked you backwards, sending your head flying downward into your chest. It took a second for you to realize that you were being dragged away from the road, your feet forgetting how to do their only job. In a moment of haste, you shoved yourself out of the strangers firm grasp.

“I’m safe now, thanks!” You huffed, pretending you weren’t completely embarrassed by what just occurred. The bus that almost hit you was still blaring its horn, the driver flicking you off in the most unprofessional of ways. Raising a sheepish hand, you averted eye contact with your savior as you grabbed your bag, which had, at some point in the encounter, been thrown to the ground.

“You’re fucking welcome, I guess.”

Your eyes snapped up at the sound of the voice, your cheeks getting hot. When your eyes found the stranger, you only caught his profile as he turned to walk away. His hair was much shorter, and he was dressed differently this time, but it was him. You’d know him anywhere.

“Bucky?” 

The deja vu was enough in itself, but the way he reacted to the sound of his name made your heart pound in your throat. He froze as if someone hit the pause button on a remote control, and too many seconds passed by before he finally turned around, his eyes falling on yours.

When the world lit up around you, your lungs forgot how to breathe.

The TV static that had filled your vision for years was replaced with the vivid colors that you had experienced only once so long ago. Subconsciously, your hands covered your mouth as you looked around.

Bucky, on the other hand, couldn’t take his eyes off you. It was like the memory of you was on the tip of his tongue for years. Now that he was looking at you, he felt crazy for ever forgetting. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Finally, you looked back at him, seeming to remember that it wasn’t just the colors of the world that had returned to you. 

“I- I never got your name,” were the first words to tumble out of his mouth. You broke out in a smile before telling him. He couldn’t tell which made him happier, the smile on your face, or the sound of your voice. So happy, in fact, that he could feel his chest get heavy, and his eyes tear up, though he quickly blinked those away. He didn’t need to cause another awkward meeting with you. 

Little did Bucky know that you felt the same. Seeing him now, after all these years, knowing that he was not only alive but also healing, brought you so much joy that you couldn’t tell if you wanted to sob or yell out. And maybe kiss him, despite yourself. He was, after all, your soulmate.

“I’m sorry I tried to kill you,” he said sheepishly, his arm reaching behind his head to scratch his neck. There was something about his embarrassment that was so endearing to you.

“Well, you just saved my life,” you reminded him. “So I think we’re even now.” He smiled at the ground, a slight pink in his cheeks.

“Maybe I could buy you a coffee?” You offered. He looked back up, as if relieved by the invitation. 

“I’ll buy,” He countered. “I think you’ve done enough today.”

But for the both of you, the day, and your lives, had only just begun.

[pix3lplays]

I would love to have a Highschool AU with Stanley and Xeno, if you could do an eventual friend's to lovers kind of thing that'd be great!

I think I can manage that, hehe…

-Stanley and Xeno high school friends to lovers AU-

Xeno Houston Wingfield: Xeno…President of the Science club, not that that meant anything to him. All he cared about was his science, and being president of the science club was simply the most convenient way to access his most valuable pastime.

You were just his friend, if you could even say that. Xeno isn’t the…best at relationships. He tends to treat you like a personal assistant, whether you’re in the science lab or out. You don’t know why you let him treat you like that, but to be honest a part of you doesn’t really mind. It feels like you’re helping him, which is what friends do, right? And eventually it does get to the point where he’s willing to do…little things for you. Helping you with your homework…walking with you to and from school…little things like that.

It’s hard to really pinpoint the exact moment when things change. It’s slow. Gradual. For a while you don’t even really notice anything different with Xeno.

Until prom came around.

You were excited. Excited about prom. Excited about the prospect of someone asking you to it…Xeno would hear you talk about such silly things, never really respond beyond the occasional grunt of acknowledgment. Of course Xeno didn’t care at all, right? That was the impression you got at least…

Until one day…you’re feeling discouraged because no one’s asked you to the prom yet. You mention it to Xeno while he’s working on his little projects in the science lab.

“No one’s asked me yet…” you say sadly, looking disinterestedly at the assortment of tools and chemicals littered across Xeno’s table.

He hums in response. You wonder if he’s even really listening.

“So I’m thinking about asking someone myself.”

He whips around, the sudden movement startling you, making you take a step back and tilt your head in confusion.

“Xeno?”

He looks at you intensely for a second, before awkwardly clearing his throat and apologizing, before cutting himself off.

“Now why would you do that?” he asks, and you can’t read his expression at all.

You don’t know why it feels like you’ve said the wrong thing just now.

“Because…? Because nobody has invited me yet and I’d like to go with someone?” it comes out like a question for some reason.

His expression softens a bit, clearly knowing something you don’t…

“Someone will ask you. I’m sure of it,” he says. “You don’t have to ask anyone.”

“Xeno?” you had a funny feeling, but he’s already back to work before you can ask any follow-up questions.

-

It was the day of prom. Still no one had asked you, and you refrained from asking anyone, given what Xeno said.

Given what he said you had THOUGHT the President of the science club was going to ask you, but so far he hasn’t said a word to you about prom since.

It was…disheartening.

You arrived in the science lab, like you always did, and Xeno, like always, was working away.

He gestures to something vaguely, but you’re so practiced at this now that you know exactly what he’s trying to tell you.

He just wants you to grab him a tool from a nearby counter.

You grab it for him, hand it over. All the while he doesn’t even look at you or thank you while he works.

“Have you decided what you’re going to wear to prom?” he asks, not bothering to even look over at you.

“What are you talking about? No one even invited me…”

He finally shoots you a look, one that almost seemed a little bit annoyed.

“OBVIOUSLY we’re going together. I thought I was clear about that.”

“Huh?”

He looks even more annoyed now.

“I’m not going to explain this to you,” he sighs. “I’ll come pick you up at five and we’ll go to prom together, alright?”

You’re confused. Super confused. But it was So like Xeno to invite you to prom like that…

“Well…alright then,” you agree, somewhat doubting that your friend would even remember prom and show up at your house.

But Xeno actually does show up. And it’s admittedly the first time you’ve ever seen the other dressed up.

Xeno does look pretty nice in a suit, but it’s strange…you’ve only ever considered him your friend, but here he was inviting you to prom…

And he still hasn’t…said anything about being romantically interested in you, beyond inviting you in the first place…

He had always been a mystery to you, but now…you were even more confused.

Unsurprisingly he’s not the greatest at this whole ‘Prom’ thing. He’s still Xeno. You can tell that he’s not sure what to even do, let alone how to act. You get the feeling that he’s a bit…uncomfortable.

“People typically…dance at events like this,” he points out as people begin to crowd the dance floor.

“Yeah but we don’t have to,” you reply, and you swear you can see a look of relief pass across his face, if only subtly.

“Maybe we should just…step outside for a bit?” you suggest, already heading out.

He follows you, asking when you step outside: “am I…ruining your prom experience?”

You sit down in the grass, pat the spot next to you, indicating to him that he should sit beside you.

Not worrying about staining your clothes, the two of you sit in the grass and stare up at the sky.

“No…I’m just glad you asked me to come with you,” you sigh. Maybe deep down you were hoping for a slightly more…romantic experience…but to be fair this was nice too.

You wished he would just…TELL you what was on his mind. How he ACTUALLY felt about you.

“Xeno…”

He turns to you expectantly.

“Why DID you invite me here? No offense but you don’t really…seem like a prom guy to me.”

He chuckles a bit at this.

“No, you’re right…the thought didn’t even occur to me until you mentioned asking someone yourself…I don’t know why but I felt…jealous at the thought.”

“You? Jealous?”

It didn’t need to be said that the two of you were just friends. There was no reason for him to be jealous at the thought of you going to prom with someone else.

He shrugs, looks away from you. “You’ve always been smart. I’m sure I don’t have to explain it to you.”

“Yeah,” you agree, daring to reach over and put a hand over his.

Xeno wasn’t one for physical affection. You knew that, without him ever needing to tell you. That was part of how you two even became friends in the first place. You just…understood him.

He stares at where your hands connect, and you wonder for a moment if he’s going to pull away…he doesn’t.

He flips his hand so that your palms are touching, and he gives your hand a gentle squeeze.

You don’t really ever…officially start dating. It just sorta happens. People just assume that the two of you are together after a while, even if he’s not the most…romantic with you.

Still.

You make it work.

Stanley Snyder: He was definitely an aloof loner…it was kinda amazing that the two of you were friends considering how popular you were, Especially compared to him.

The two of you could always be found together.

Most often behind the school, him smoking cigarettes while you study for your next test…you’re a good student, he’s just some bad boy…

Your teachers recommend you stay away from him.

Heck even HE wonders why you stick around him.

But he doesn’t really say anything. If you want to be near him then he won’t stop you.

He minds his own business with you. Doesn’t pry into your life and you don’t pry into his, it’s part of why the two of you work so well as friends.

But you do have to admit you are curious about him.

He doesn’t really talk about himself. Barely says anything at all actually.

The absolute most you could gather was that he was from some sort of military family, and prone to moving around.

He’s SO antisocial, even with you sometimes…it’s no wonder other kids avoid him or don’t talk to him. His threatening aura doesn’t help much either.

It’s kinda the equivalent of a small, friendly person having a big, scary dog.

He’ll follow you around the school during lunchtime if you want him to, but if you don’t mention it you do wonder what it is he gets up to.

You’ve been asked PLENTY of times if the two of you are dating. And your answer has always been the same. “Just friends!” He seems to agree with that assessment too.

Maybe over time you start to feel…a little more strongly towards your stoic friend but…you’d never admit that. You didn’t want to ruin what you had.

Until everything lined up like dominos.

“Y/n.”

“Hm?”

He Rarely ever actually Started a conversation with you. You look up from your book, noticing he’s already gone through a few more cigarettes than usual.

He exhales some smoke. He’s always been able to look you directly in the eyes when he spoke, and today was no different.

“I’m moving soon.”

“Oh…” you turn a page in your book, but you can’t read anymore. “I see…”

You shouldn’t be surprised. Of course this would happen with him, you Knew that, but still…

“Stay in touch?” you ask.

“Of course.”

“Cool…” you pull out your flash cards from your backpack. Of course this was happening right now, during one of the biggest and most important tests of your life. You couldn’t afford to focus on being sad about Stan moving.

“Could you…help me study?”

“I can,” he says, and the two of you move on, not mentioning it again.

-

Rain.

Fitting.

You’re standing outside the school, Stanley holding an umbrella over the two of you.

He doesn’t need to ask about how it went. He can read you like a book.

You failed the test.

You hear him open his little cigarette box, and he slides one into his mouth, tapping you with the box afterwards, offering you one.

You were a good student. You didn’t smoke. You take the box and pull a cigarette out slowly.

He lights his, and in a moment he’s holding the lit lighter out to you.

Cigarette in your lips, you let the tip of the cigarette burn.

You hate the taste. Really hate the taste. It makes you cough a bit, but you continue anyways. You already took the stupid cigarette…

The two of you walk to your house. The test weighing on your mind. Stanley leaving weighing on your mind. And the horrible taste of the cigarette hanging over your head.

You make it to your house, spit the cigarette out unceremoniously and stamp it out.

You didn’t usually touch Stanley.

He was your friend. You knew he didn’t care for being touched.

“Can I…hug you?” you ask, and he responds by opening his free arm for you to step up against his chest.

You’ve never been this close to Stanley. It feels nice. He smells like smoke. Very familiar at this point.

You just rest the side of your head against his chest, and stay there as long as you can.

Eventually Stanley has to leave.

But the two of you stay in touch.

You miss being around him, of course…even as the popular student you’re…notably different without him.

He promises he’ll come see you in person though.

And when Stanley says he’ll do something, he’ll do it.

Wouldn’t you know it…a week before your graduation…he shows up, with a bouquet of flowers for you and the softest smile.

You can’t believe how long it took you to realize you were in love with him.

He’s always been blunt with you. He loves you too, and frankly, he wants you to come with him.

[yanderecrazysie]

Hihi! If your fine with it, Can I request part 2 of anonyance? I swear I can’t find Yan!Futakuchi fics anywhere in tumblr give my boy some love too 😭

Also can I be 💭 or 🥞 anon?

I am more than fine with it, my precious anon! And I don’t really keep track of anons officially, but you can be either of those!

And this is more than a drabble than anything.

Title: Annoyance (Part 2)

Pairings: Futakuchi Kenji x Reader

WARNINGS: Yandere themes, swearing

Summary: You’ve always found Futakuchi annoying, but he’s only gotten worse since you caught his attention.

Part 1: here

annoyance

/noun/

a thing that annoys someone; a nuisance

“That was a great first date, right?” Futakuchi asked, a smug grin spreading across his face. “I rocked your world, didn’t I?”

“It was alright,” you said vaguely.

“Alright?” Futakuchi spluttered, looking highly offended, “Stop being stuck up and admit it- you loved this date.”

“Stuck up?” Your voice raised.

“That’s not what I-” Futakuchi looked frustrated, running a hand through his hair. You had to admit, he was handsome, especially all dressed up like he was.

But God almighty, was he annoying.

The date had been nice- the restaurant he had picked was fancy, but not too expensive. He had paid the bill with a grin on his face that just begged for you to tell him how impressed you were.

It was the talk during the meal that you truly didn’t like. Futakuchi was infuriating. He spent the entire time talking about how great he was and all of his accomplishments. He barely even took a breath, much less a goddamn bite of his food.

The dinner lasted forever because of his incessant yapping, but you managed to tune him out a half hour in, focusing entirely on your meal. He never once even asked if you were enjoying yourself.

“Listen, the date would have been more than ‘alright’ if you had just shut up about yourself,” you explained.

Futakuchi opened his mouth as though to say something, then closed it again. He looked genuinely at a loss, as though he couldn’t believe you truly didn’t enjoy your date with him.

“Well, I have to go,” you sighed, turning away from him. He grabbed your wrist.

“Where are you going? I have to drive you home.”

“No, I’m just going to grab an uber. Thanks for tonight, I guess.”

Futakuchi’s eyes flashed and when he next spoke, it was through gritted teeth, “Why are you making this so difficult? I’m doing this for us.”

“Us?” You couldn’t hold back a derisive laugh, “What ‘us’? There is no ‘us’.”

His grip on your wrist tightened until it was painful, “You threw that ball at my face, remember? You’re the one who started this.”

You managed to yank your wrist from his grip and glared at him, “What the hell is wrong with you? Listen, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have thrown the ball at you.”

Futakuchi made another grab for your arm but you stepped out of his reach. He pulled his lips back into a sort of snarl, and glared at you, “This is your fault, so take some fucking responsibility.”

You threw your hands up into the air, “I just did, you stupid asshole.”

A sudden vulnerability etched its way across Futakuchi’s face as he reached out for your arm once more, gentler this time, “Look…just…”

He looked up at you with watery eyes, “You don’t have to love me right away, okay? I just… just please stay by my side for a while.”

You hated the part of you who was a sucker for sensitivity. You nodded reluctantly, “Yeah, fine, I’ll hang out with you. I’m not going to fall in love with you, but I won’t abandon you either.”

Futakuchi pulled you into a sudden hug. A soft smile spread across your face, until he whispered in your ear, “I knew you’d see reason.”

You could practically hear the smugness in his whisper. That soft smile was long gone.

He really was an asshole, wasn’t he?

[katsu28]

can you please write a drunk love confession (kinda like the Rachel/ross one from friends?) but super angsty (with a happy ending ofc) thank ya!! xx

i just reread your request after writing this and i think this was kinda what you were asking for, but i haven’t seen Friends in years so…i could be wrong. i hope you enjoy this even if i got it completely wrong <3 thank you for requesting, i had too much fun writing this!!

the one with the drunk love confession

pairing: JJ Maybank x reader 

summary: see request! 

warnings: swearing, kinda angsty, also way longer than i originally planned but oh well 

a/n: there wasn't a character specified for this, so i just picked my boy jj bc i missed writing for him! hope that's okay :)

masterlist + taglist

(gif from @jensensfanfic!)

You knew that calling JJ wasn’t the best idea. But you were slightly past tipsy (okay maybe a bit more than just slightly) and higher than a fucking kite, so that little voice in the back of your head telling you to put down your goddamn phone wasn’t a main priority at the moment. 

As the dial tone rang, you took another swig of beer, sighing in satisfaction at the cool bitterness of it sliding down your throat. Beer wasn’t usually your drink of choice, but it was all you had in the fridge right now—courtesy of the blond boy you were currently calling. 

“Yo, it’s JJ! I’m probably out doing some shit I’m not supposed to, but leave a message and maybe I’ll hit you back. Or maybe I won’t, I dunno. Peace!” God, that stupid voicemail always used to annoy the shit out of you, but right now, in your drunken haze, it kinda made your heart ache a little bit more. 

“Pick up your damn phone, J, I need to tell you something.” You mumbled, words slurred by one too many cans of beer. After a few seconds of waiting for him to answer before you remembered this was his voicemail, you chuckled drunkenly to yourself. “Hey. It’s me, your best friend. I just wanted to tell you that everything—everything is fine. Everything is totally fine. I’m happy for you. Happy that you—you found someone who makes you happy.” 

You hiccuped, letting out another airy laugh. “Anyways, the reason why I called was to let you know that I am over you. I’m over you, and—shit, I need to pee. Fuck. Uh, I’m—I’m not in love with you anymore. I’m totally over you. Yeah. That’s it. ‘Mkay, I’m gonna go. Love you, bye.” 

With that, you hung up, tossing your phone aside in favor of downing the rest of the remaining beer in the can before heaving yourself up from the couch and stumbling towards the bathroom. After you were done, you returned to your previous position, now fighting the sleep threatening to overtake you and very quickly losing. The last thing you remembered was thinking about the message you’d left JJ, and how you were proud of yourself for finally getting some closure regarding the feelings you had for him. 

-------

You were woken up in the morning by a pillow being thrown at your face, blinking awake slowly to see none other than JJ Maybank hovering over you, squinting at you curiously. JJ tended to show up at your place randomly, and after the time you almost smacked him upside the head with a baseball bat as he crawled through an open window instead of knocking, now used the key you’d given him to come and go as he pleased. 

“You look like shit.” He snickered, deftly dodging the palm you shoved up towards him. “What did you even do last night?” 

“Drank the beer you left in the fridge.” 

JJ’s eyebrows flew sky high. “All of it? Y/N, that was like, a whole pack.” 

“Mmhm. Smoked those joints I snagged from your stash too.” You mumbled, rubbing your eye furiously. 

“Damn.” JJ let out an impressed whistle. “Who pissed you off?” 

“I don’t even remember, man,” You pulled yourself off the couch, picking up all the empty beer cans littering the coffee table and tossing them into the trash on your way to the bathroom to find some painkillers. Vague memories of last night bounced through your mind in flashes, some more clear, but most of them just a blur. You remembered hearing JJ’s voice over the phone, but not really anything after that. “J, did you call me last night?” 

“Call you? Nah, I stayed over at Brianna’s last night. Haven’t even touched my phone since yesterday morning.” 

Right. Brianna, JJ’s perfect new girlfriend. Of course he was with her last night. Lately, that was where he’d been spending most of his time when he wasn’t working. But you weren’t bitter. Not even a little bit. 

“Huh, that’s weird. I swear I remember talking to you, but I was super wasted last night, so,” You sighed from the bathroom, dry swallowing two painkillers, then padding back out to the kitchen. “I probably dreamt it, or something.” 

“Sounds like you had a blast.” He chuckled, flopping onto the couch with a satisfied huff. You flipped him off behind your back, busying yourself with rifling through the fridge for something to eat and heaving out a sigh when you saw that the shelves were pretty much barren. You made a mental note to swing by the store after your shift at The Wreck tonight. “Yo, you called me last night. There’s a message right here.” 

“Really? It’s probably nothing, you can just—” 

Shit. 

Shit, shit, shit. 

Everything came flooding back in one go—calling JJ late last night, spilling your guts about being both in love and over him, leaving him that fucking voicemail. 

“Dude, you sound absolutely zooted. How much kush was in those joints?” JJ snorted. 

You slammed the fridge shut, all but sprinting towards him, even vaulting over the coffee table like some sort of freaking ninja. “Gimme the phone! Give me your fucking phone, JJ, I swear to god—” 

He sprung up from the couch with a surprised cry, sidestepping your attempts at grabbing his phone. “The fuck is your problem, Y/N? Stop it!” 

You took a chance, throwing yourself onto his back to try and snatch it out of his hand before he had a chance to hear the whole voicemail. But when he froze in place, you knew you were too late. He’d heard the whole thing. 

“Oh my god. Oh my god, this isn’t happening,” You whispered, squeezing your eyes shut as you slid off his back and faceplanted back onto the couch. He didn’t say anything for the longest time, and you were glad for it. Maybe he’d suddenly gone deaf and didn’t actually hear the message. Maybe he’d sprouted a sudden bout of amnesia and forgot everything that happened in the last ten minutes. Maybe—

“You’re over me?” He asked softly. You felt the couch dip down opposite from where you were buried in it. “You’re over me. When were you—when were you…under me?” 

“Oh my god,” You repeated, voice muffled by the couch cushion. 

JJ poked your leg once, twice, then a third time. “Hey. Y/N, look at me. What’s happening? Why are you—what are you doing?” 

“I can’t,” You groaned, finally sitting up. You still refused to look at him though, so he did the only thing he could think of. He kept poking you until you met his gaze, which only took about thirty seconds. “Fine. Lately, I’ve kinda, sorta, maybe…had feelings for you.” 

“Oh. That’s—oh.” His brow creased in thought. “You have feelings for me.” 

“Yeah, well, you had them first.” You didn’t know why you were suddenly so defensive, but you couldn’t take it back now. 

“Whoa, whoa, how did you know that? Who told you? Was it Kie? John B? I can’t tell anyone anything anymore, jesus fuck!” 

��It was Pope. You know how bad he is at keeping secrets.” 

JJ nodded. “That makes more sense. Uh, when?” 

“The night you went on your first date with Brianna.” 

“Brianna. Oh fuck. Bri—I need to go.” JJ spluttered, stumbling to his feet. His hands lodged into his hair as he made his way to the front door, then turned around to face you again. “No, I’ll stay. I don’t know.” 

You started to approach him, then decided against it, keeping both arms wrapped around yourself like you’d be able to shield yourself from the clusterfuck of awkwardness you’d unleashed into the atmosphere. “I’m sorry, J, I didn’t mean to make things weird. I was really drunk last night, and I—” 

“You…you were in love with me. But you’re over me now.” He interrupted, letting his hands slap against his sides. “You are over me now, right? We can just forget this ever happened?” 

You wanted to tell him you were really over him, but you were honestly tired of keeping this huge secret for so long. And as daunting as it seemed, it was time to own up to your feelings and lay it all out there in the open. 

“No.” 

“No…as in, you’re not over me?” 

“I’m still in love with you, JJ.” You mumbled, lifting your gaze from your socked feet to meet his very conflicted one. 

“I can’t do this right now, Y/N, I should—I should leave. Yeah. I’m gonna,” He retreated towards the front door yet again, fumbling for the doorknob blindly, “I’m gonna go. I’m sorry.” With that, he left, the roaring of his bike engine fading into the distance being the only thing that jerked you back to reality. The reality where you might’ve just lost your best friend because of a stupid, drunken voicemail. 

Fuck. 

-------

You were wiping down the rest of the tables at The Wreck after closing when you heard the door open behind you. Plastering a polite smile on your face, you turned around to tell whoever had just come in that you were closed. 

“Sorry, we’re closed, but we open for breakfast at 9 tomorrow morning if you wanna—” You stopped short when you saw it was JJ standing there, eyes widening. “JJ. Hi. What are you doing here?” 

“I need to talk to you.” 

“Look, if it’s about what happened this morning, I already feel awful, and I’m sorry, but I couldn’t lie to you anymore.” You sighed, spraying down another table to wipe. 

“You had no right to tell me you’re in love with me, Y/N. I’m with Brianna now, okay? And I like her, and I think she’s good for me!” JJ’s outburst cleaved through the terse silence like the sharpest of knives, cutting deep into your already guilty conscience like butter. He dragged his hands through his already messy hair, brows furrowing heavily. “Everything’s been going great with her until I found out about you.” 

“I was doing great before I found out about you too, asshole! You think I wanted this to happen? You think I wanted to be the one to mess up your relationship? I know you’re happy, JJ, and I’m happy for you.” You weren’t kidding about the last part. Seeing JJ happy was all you’d ever wanted. But seeing him happy with someone that wasn’t you, that was what hurt. “But this is—you think this is easy for me? Seeing you with her all the time? Because I’m telling you right now, it’s not.” 

“Well then, you should’ve said something before I met her instead of leaving that bullshit voicemail last night!” 

“I didn’t know then, and I was fucking drunk yesterday! I didn’t do it on purpose!” You exclaimed, throwing the towel down on the table rather forcefully. “And how come you didn’t say anything either, huh? If you were in love with me too, why didn’t you just tell me?” 

“I couldn’t! You’re one of my best friends, and me telling you I was in love with you would’ve fucked everything up!” 

“Fucked what up?” 

“The friend group, our friendship—fucking everything!!!” His hands were linked behind his neck now as he paced back and forth between the tables, head tilted up towards the wooden beamed ceiling to avoid looking at you. “You guys are all I have, okay? I can’t lose you. Any of you. And you and me…it would’ve driven a wedge between everyone. No Pogue on Pogue macking, remember?” 

“You’re gonna let a stupid rule we made when we were kids get in the way of things?” You scoffed, crossing your arms. “God, I thought you were braver than that, JJ.” 

A muscle in his jaw flexed as he turned his glare on you. “Guess I’m just a coward for thinking of the group then.” 

“Don’t fucking do that, don’t hide behind our friends. I know you, and I know that you’d never let a stupid rule stop you from doing something you wanted to do, so stop blaming this on it. This is on you.” 

“This is on me? What about you?” 

“Me?” 

“Yeah, you! How come you didn’t say anything?” JJ shot back, jabbing a finger in your direction. “You go around flirting with everyone, hooking up with Tourons, and then you say you’ve been in love with me the whole time? The hell am I supposed to think about that?” 

You knew JJ was just lashing out because he was angry, but there was something in his accusation that struck a nerve. Even he could tell that he’d hit it by the way you shrunk back the slightest bit. 

“Fuck you, JJ. Stop making it seem like I’m throwing myself around at every single fucking guy who comes around!” You snarled, eyes flashing dangerously. 

He faltered, squeezing his eyes shut momentarily, and when he opened them again, they were that soft blue that always made your heart skip a beat. “No, I didn’t—I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just…you have really shitty timing, you know that? Bri and I are just getting good, and I can’t do this with you right now, Y/N!” 

“Then don’t! Just ignore me like you’ve ignored your feelings for god knows how long!” 

“I can’t.” JJ muttered, shaking his head. “It was one thing when I thought I was crazy for being in love with someone I could never have, but now that I know how you feel…it’s different.” 

“Do you still feel the same way about me?” 

“I don’t know.” 

“Yes, you do. Gut answer. Go.” 

“Yes. Fuck, I’m still in love with you, Y/N.” JJ groaned, digging the heels of his palms against his eyes furiously. 

“Then what are you gonna do about it?” 

“Probably something I shouldn’t.” He breathed, not even taking a second to think before he was crossing the restaurant floor and pulling you into his arms to kiss you fiercely. Although taken completely by surprise, you managed to steady yourself and kiss him back. 

Kissing JJ was better than you could’ve ever imagined, but you couldn’t stop the little voice in the back of your head from screaming ‘he has a girlfriend, for fuck’s sake’, and that was had you pulling away from him. 

“We can’t—we can’t do this.” You spluttered, pushing him away a few steps. JJ’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Dude, you have a girlfriend. You can’t be kissing me like…like that! We shouldn’t even be kissing at all!”

“Crap. Yeah, I know. I know, I’ll break up with her tomorrow.” JJ ran his hand through his hair frustratedly, nodding furiously when you shot him a pointed look. “Look, I’ll be nice about it, and I won’t bring you up. I’ll just say that…I don’t feel the same way about her anymore.”

“I feel horrible.” 

“Whoa, kissing me was that bad?” 

“No, because I’m basically a homewrecker!” 

JJ was quick to approach you again, sliding his fingers under your chin and tilting your head up to meet his stern gaze. “Y/N, you’re not a homewrecker. I love you. I want to be with you. I don’t care what anyone else thinks.” 

“But you said you and Bri were just getting good. That she was good for you.” You frowned, to which JJ smiled guiltily with a shake of his head. 

“I was lying. Kinda just wanted to make you feel bad for springing this on me.” He snickered. “Did I go too far?” 

“You’re an asshole, Maybank.” You shoved him away from you with a huff, but he came right back, trapping your wrists in one hand while the other came to cup your cheek as he pressed a sweet kiss to your lips. “Stop kissing me.” 

“Oh, please, you don’t really want me to stop kissing you, do you?” He snorted. “I mean, you are in love with me, after all.” 

All you could do was glare at him playfully, but you couldn’t deny that what he was saying wasn’t true. 

“C’mon, I’ll help you finish cleaning so you can close up and we can get the fuck out of here.” He chuckled, giving your hip one last squeeze before you grabbed the wet towel off the table and flung it at him. “You little shit! Get over here!” 

Safe to say, it took you a lot longer than usual to close up when JJ was with you, but you didn’t really care. 

All you cared about was that you were in love with JJ Maybank and he was in love with you, and it only took one pack of beer, two joints, and a drunk voicemail for you to admit it to each other. 

taglist!

@scenesofobx @milkiane @purple-flamingo @tenaciousperfectionunknown @strawberryforks @vesperluvsbillie @fearthewalkingbitch @like-gabriel-and-castiel @eichenhouseproperty @dpaccione @directioner5lifw @liltimmyst @lilygreennn @sunkissedsteve

[school-sanctioned-movie-bullying]

Turning Red Defense Post

It has come to my attention that some people think this blog is just me whining. I can see why those people think that, because it is true. I love to whine, and it is what I am good at. But there comes a time when one must venture out of her comfort zone. 

In this post I am praising Turning Red, a movie that I like very much but that many other people seem to hate. My reasons for this are threefold. For one, I am running out of movies to complain about; two, I really like Turning Red; and three, my professor said I can’t just bitch about movies anymore, so my classic complaining style posts are hence extinct. 

 Before I get into my praise for the film, I want to address the common criticisms I have seen people make of it. I perused the one-star reviews on Google, and the most common complaints seemed to be “it’s cringe-worthy," “the characters were annoying," and “it has inappropriate themes.”

 The reviews that said the movie was cringe-worthy mostly said so because of the main characters. The protagonist of the movie is a thirteen-year-old girl named Meilin Lee, whom many reviews had stated to be very annoying. I don’t know about anyone else, but when I was thirteen years old, I was absolutely insufferable. Cringe would be putting lightly how annoying I was. Comparably, I found Mei to be a sweet, if not dorky, tween with a similarly sympathetically dorky friend group. They were cringeworthy, but so is almost every thirteen-year-old out there, so really, the movie is just realistic. 

Many reviews also found Mei Lin’s mother to be overbearing and weird, which I found to be true as well, but then that was kind of the point. Her mother is not the villain of the story by any means, but she is a flawed character. One of the most touching moments of the movie came in the form of Mei Lin helping her mother overcome those flaws. If her mother had been perfect from the start, we would have missed out on that moment.

Aside from the characters, the negative reviews for this movie took offense to the “inappropriate” themes, namely the fact that periods were brought up and the fact that the protagonist rebels against her parents. The whole concept of Mei turning into a giant red panda is supposed to be a metaphor for puberty and growing up, and as it is such a huge part of puberty for girls, there was a quick mention of periods. This came in a very quick scene where Mei Lin’s mother brought out a stash of pads when she thought her daughter had gotten her period.

It was an extremely brief moment, but evidently, that was long enough to get some people upset. I was personally thrilled to see that periods were being brought up in a normal way, and I think it is a step in the right direction for this movie to have that scene. Some parents want to take the puberty talk at their own pace, but the mention of periods in this movie is brief and vague enough that most parents should be able to sweep it under the rug until they want to discuss it with their children. 

 As for Mei Lin rebelling against her parents, I am truthfully confused as to why this movie specifically is guilty of that message. Plenty of other Disney or Pixar movies have the main characters going against their parents. To name a few: The Little Mermaid, Brave, Mulan, and Pocahontas. I thought that Turning Red handled Mei Lin growing up and learning to be her own person very nicely, while still portraying her overbearing mother as sympathetic.

 I can see why a lot of people don’t like this movie. It was risky, and it certainly was not made to please everyone, but I think much of the hate this movie gets is undeserved. I, and many others, really enjoyed Turning Red. Despite the plethora of negative reviews I read, there were more five-star reviews than one-star reviews by a good amount. 

I do truly understand where the desire to loudly hate a movie comes from; I will crap on The Greatest Showman at any opportunity. But it is necessary to remember that the movies you hate may simply not have been written to please you. There are, for some reason, people out there who really like The Greatest Showman, despite the numerous reasons I have for reviling it. And there are people out there who hate Turning Red, even when I think it was one of the best Pixar movies made in some time.

[in-my-feels-probably]

Hi! Happy new years! I saw you were taking requests for some HoTD characters and I’d like to request something!

Could you please write something with Alicent x fem!reader (they could be in a secret relationship or something) in which reader has always been by her side so she knows Alicent very well. Also the reader is like pretty important so she’s invited in meetings and such. And one time she notices Alicent’s feeling anxious or about to have a panic attack because she’s under too much pressure and she sees her picking at her nails so reader stops her from what she’s doing, even making the others a bit suspicious, and takes her out with her so that she can calm her down, reassure her and give her a hug. I hope this made sense and that it wasn’t too specific or something. Alicent holds such a dear place in my heart and I really felt for her and during the show I just wanted to give her a hug.💕

Also sorry for my english, take your time and have a good day :)

Trepidation

Request: Could you please write something with Alicent x fem!reader (they could be in a secret relationship or something) in which reader has always been by her side so she knows Alicent very well. Also the reader is like pretty important so she’s invited in meetings and such. And one time she notices Alicent’s feeling anxious or about to have a panic attack because she’s under too much pressure and she sees her picking at her nails so reader stops her from what she’s doing, even making the others a bit suspicious, and takes her out with her so that she can calm her down, reassure her and give her a hug. I hope this made sense and that it wasn’t too specific or something. Alicent holds such a dear place in my heart and I really felt for her and during the show I just wanted to give her a hug. Also sorry for my english, take your time and have a good day :)

Hi! Sorry for the long wait, thank you so much for the request. Don’t worry about your English, it’s very good. Anyways, I have such a soft spot in my heart for Alicent, and there’s a serious lack of fics on here for her. So, I’m very happy to write for her. I’ve got similar coping mechanisms to Alicent for anxiety, I struggle with it, so I hope I did her justice writing this. 

To make sense of the story a little better, I made the reader a Stark, I hope that’s alright with you. I wasn’t sure if you wanted older or younger Alicent, so I left it kind of vague. It’s like an in-between spot in the middle of the time skip. Her children are all born at this point, and Otto is sort of pushing her to aim for more power even though she’s already Queen, and it’s the reason for all the stress. So if you’re picturing her younger, the nail picking is a current habit. If you’re picturing her older, it’s a habit she picked back up. I’m done rambling now, I hope you enjoy it!

(Warnings: swearing, mentions of wounds and blood, insecurity, panic attacks and anxiety, otto being an asshole as usual, slight angst, also i didn’t proofread very well so i apologize if there is anything spelled wrong or grammatically incorrect or something, let me know if i missed anything)

—

Alicent was better at wearing a mask more so than anyone you knew. 

Being raised in the court, she learned to be elegant, proper, poised, and most of all…reserved. She did her duties and accepted her fate that was thrust upon her by her father, a man that annoyed you to no end. You didn’t think it was possible for you to despise a man more than you despised him. Whether Alicent shared this sentiment or not, you could never tell.

She had learned to be quite the actress. She’d slip her mask into place, and nobody would ever know her true feelings. Not if she didn’t want them to. 

But you knew. 

When Alicent was particularly stressed, upset, or uncomfortable, the skin around her nail beds would reflect that. It was her one tell, one that most people never picked up on. She had been picking at the skin around her nails for as long as you could remember, not stopping till they bled. 

You knew how much she hated it.

Her father had instilled it in her that harming herself in such a way was ruining her. Why do you destroy yourself, he’d say. He shamed her for it, rather than attempt to find the root of the problem that caused her to do it in the first place. More often than not, he was the cause himself. 

If looks could kill, he’d be six feet in the ground by now. You’d have made sure of it.

Alicent hated how it looked, wishing there was something she could do to better hide it. You constantly had to remind her that it wasn’t her fault, and that everyone had their ways of coping. It was little help in convincing her, when it had already been ingrained in her that it made her ugly.

Beyond that, though, there was something about it she hated even more. It was a physical representation of all her problems. A constant reminder of all the things in her life she wished she had better control over.

When Alicent felt the tension between her and Rhaenyra form, she’d pick at her nails. When she married Viserys, she’d picked. When she was pregnant with Aegon and in the months that followed after his birth, she’d picked. Each birth of the children that followed, she’d picked.

In all your years of knowing her, she’d picked.

It was never an issue to you, at least not in the way Otto thought it was. It made her no different in your eyes. You felt no pity for her, only sympathy. It was a hard habit to break.

When you’d catch her doing it, you’d never scold her for it. You’d distract her, in any way you could. If you couldn’t do it with words, you’d do it with actions. 

Gently slipping your hand in hers, tracing your thumb along the back of her hand. Wearing rings so she could fidget with them, absentmindedly twisting them around your fingers while you listened or worked at the task at hand. Anything that would help, you’d do.

You often were with Alicent, sat in sessions of court or pouring wine for the council. You were a lady in waiting to Rhaenyra, just as Alicent was. Where Rhaenyra went, you and Alicent tended to follow. Even when Rhaenyra’s presence was not required at meetings, which was more likely as the years went on, you and Alicent often were required to attend. 

Beyond being a lady in waiting, you were the daughter of Lord Rickon Stark. You were sent to King’s Landing early on in your youth. Your Father expected you to learn the ways of being a Lady, as well as the ways of the court. 

You spent your years in the city doing both, slowly becoming more important to council meetings as an envoy of the North.

When Alicent became Queen, you became her personal lady in waiting. As Queen, she had to attend council meetings, especially in Viserys’s stead. Which meant you had to attend, as well.

You never enjoyed being stuck in the same room as Otto and a bunch of pompous Lords, more often than not rambling about nothing of value. It was rare they’d have a topic of conversation that was ever of interest to you. Every once in a while, Alicent or Otto would give you leave. You still stayed close, occupying yourself while Alicent was busy. 

You spent much of your time with her children, getting close to all of them. They each had little quirks that reminded you of their mother.

No one in court understood why, but each of the Queen’s children genuinely enjoyed your presence, just as you enjoyed theirs. You made time to visit with all of them.

You’d make excuses for Aegon, getting him out of his Valyrian lessons. He’d promise to study with you, if you’d allow him to visit Sunfyre. As long as he wasn’t creating mischief to add to his mother’s stress, you were more than happy to oblige him. As he got older, these visits became less and less frequent. But he still found himself comforted by your presence, occasionally opting to cause trouble (within reason) with you, rather than causing it in Flea Bottom.

You’d accompany Helaena on walks in the gardens, listening to her give you facts about all the little creatures and insects that called the gardens home. She opened up to you in her own way, coming out of her shell when she was around you. As she got older, she grew into a beautiful young woman. It brought a smile to your face to see her still filled with childlike wonder, a luxury most Ladies of the court were not awarded.

Aemond was like a flip of a coin, a toss up every day. He had little intricacies that made him who he was, which fascinated you. He genuinely enjoyed reading, as did you. You’d make him read passages of his books to you, to pass the time. He’d grumble about it and act as if it was the biggest inconvenience you possibly could have asked of him, but he secretly was grateful that someone cared enough to listen. As he got older, he both grew into himself, but also grew reserved. He’d still make the time to read to you, if you wanted him to. And you did still want him to.

When meetings were over, and duties of the day were fulfilled, Alicent came back to you. 

You’d spend your own time with her, just the two of you. Occasionally, one or two of the children would join. But more often than not, she’d be too tired to want to do anything or go anywhere, which you didn’t mind. The children would entertain themselves, and you’d attend to Alicent. 

You’d sit with her by the fire, reading one of her favorites to her. Or you’d curl up in bed, content to just hold her in your arms. 

It was when she was the most at peace. 

As the days passed by, you could see her growing more and more stressed. In the evenings, you tried to get her to talk to you. She often chose not to, changing the subject to distract you.

Most of the time, you’d let her. 

One evening, Alicent came to her chambers where you were waiting for her. Ser Criston opened the door, letting her in. He gave you a weak smile, and nodded before excusing himself. 

You furrowed your brows, walking over to Alicent and laying a hand on her arm. 

“I’ll be right back, Your Grace. Your handmaiden brought you tea, it’s on the table in front of the fireplace. Excuse me for a moment.”

Alicent nodded, and you stepped past her and headed out the door, softly closing it behind you. Ser Criston was at the end of the hallway, heading to his post. 

“Ser,” you called, making him turn around and walk towards you.

“Yes, My Lady?”

“Did anything happen today? The Queen seems to be a bit frazzled. I was wondering if you saw or heard anything.”

Ser Criston grimaced, shaking his head. “It is not my place to discuss it. I don’t think it was intended to be heard by anyone.”

“Please?” You asked, a bit desperate. “She won’t tell me about it, I know she won’t. I don’t want to upset her further by asking, either. I promise, no one will hear about it from me, you have my word.”

He hesitated, but finally relented. “The Hand was particularly harsh with her today.”

You tried not to let your anger show, nodding. “What did he do?”

“Lord Corlys sent word from Driftmark that Prince Lucerys Velaryon would be his successor. The Lords of the council seemed to be content with it, but Otto was displeased.”

“He wouldn’t voice his displeasure publicly, would he?”

“He didn’t,” Ser Criston said, shaking his head. “He held his tongue till the meeting was over. I went to escort the Queen back to her chambers, but her father asked her to stay behind for a moment. I only heard bits and pieces.”

You pinched the bridge of your nose, sighing. “I expect it wasn’t pleasant, then?”

“No, My Lady,” he said, speaking softly. “He scolded her for not questioning Prince Lucerys’s new title. Her influence supposedly could have changed the Lord’s minds, making them question it as well.”

You scoffed. “He practically asked her to publicly question the legitimacy of the children born to the heir to the Iron Throne? Has he gone mad?”

“I fear he may drive our Queen mad. He rambled on about securing her own children’s positions first, before she allowed Princess Rhaenyra to do so. I honestly didn’t hear much else, My Lady. They spoke quietly, and I tried not to listen in.”

You nodded, bowing your head to him. “Thank you, Ser Criston. I appreciate you confiding in me. I won’t bother you any further, good day.”

“Good day, My Lady,” he said, bowing his head as well, turning around and returning to his post. 

You let out a deep sigh as soon as he was out of ear shot, letting your shoulders slump. 

You decided not to bring up any of the conversation to Alicent, choosing to distract her. Her day had been dreadful enough already. 

You quietly reentered Alicent’s chambers, finding her sitting in front of the fireplace with a cup of tea in her hands. You smiled to yourself at the sight of her, gently shutting the door behind you. You walked over, sitting in the chair next to her. 

You reached your hand over, palm up, offering it for her to take. She faintly smiled, interlacing her fingers with yours. 

You took notice of the newly raw flesh around her nail beds, trying your best not to show any reaction. 

“I’m glad you’re back, My Queen. Was your day as painfully long as mine?”

Alicent raised a brow, turning to you. “I’m not sure. What did you do today?”

“I may or may not have snuck Aegon out of his Valyrian lessons again…”

“Y/N,” she playfully scolded. “He’ll never learn, with how often you do that.”

“Ah, but that’s where you’re wrong, darling. We have a deal. I sneak him out, he does his studying with me. He says he prefers my teachings to the Septa’s. Not that I blame him, she’s quite the frightful woman.”

Alicent let out a chuckle, making you smile.

“We sat for two hours today, trying to go over his studying. He’s a smart boy, but I swear, he messes up on purpose just to spite me. Anyway, I made him continue until he did it right. Afterwards, we went to visit Sunfyre.”

“Isn’t that your usual arrangement?”

You grimaced. “Yes, it is. I did not agree, however, to getting on with him.”

Alicent nearly spit her tea out, eyes widening. “You didn’t!”

“Unfortunately, I did…,” you said, trying not to remember the fear of it. “Your son has a way with words, I don’t know how it even happened. One minute, I was on the ground. The next, I was hundreds of feet up in the air. I nearly bursted Aegon’s eardrums with how loud I was screaming.”

“I’m sorry to have missed that,” she laughed, smiling wide.

“I’m sure it was quite the sight. Aegon laughed the whole way back, after he finally let me off. I’ll admit, it was fun, but if I were to do it again, it most certainly wouldn’t be with him.”

“I don’t blame you,” Alicent said, squeezing your hand. “Thank you for keeping him occupied today. I hope it wasn’t too much trouble.”

“Nonsense. I enjoy your children. I’d be quite bored without them, especially when you’re busy. It’s never too much trouble, it’s what I'm here for.”

Alicent nodded, bringing your hand up and pressing a kiss to your palm. “I’ll thank you for it anyway.”

—

The next day, the council was called particularly early in the morning. You groaned when you were informed, getting up to make sure Alicent was attended to. 

Meetings this early in the day usually meant that not only was your presence required, but that it was required for the entire duration. As if that wasn’t painful enough, meetings like this usually were unbearably long. 

When everyone was ready, Ser Criston came to escort Alicent to the meeting. You trailed quietly behind, following them. 

Once everyone was seated, you took your place behind Alicent’s chair, standing near Ser Criston.

“Lady Y/N,” Otto said, getting your attention. “You may want to sit down for today’s session. I expect it to be a long one.”

You internally groaned, but politely nodded, taking a seat in the empty chair next to Alicent. The meeting started as soon as all the Lords gathered and sat, placing their stones on the table in front of them. 

The first few minutes of the meeting were boring enough that you began drowning the Lords out, only occasionally tuning back in to see if something important was being discussed. It wasn’t. 

Just as you began to wonder why you, or Alicent for that matter, were asked to attend today’s meeting, Otto turned to you. 

“Lady Y/N, may I enquire about your position amongst the Starks? Your brother…”

“Cregan.” You finished, fighting to not roll your eyes. 

“Yes, Cregan,” he nodded. “I hear he has taken over for your father as Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North. Are we to assume he will uphold your father’s pledges?” 

You raised a brow. “Have you ever known a Stark who has forgotten their oaths?”

Otto grinned, shaking his head. “And what of your oaths, My Lady? Your brother leads the North, but you are an envoy of the North as well. Where do your loyalties lie?”

You narrowed your eyes at him, clenching your first under the table. You took a breath, calming yourself. 

“With my Queen.” 

Out of the corner of your eye you could see Alicent faintly smile. And although she was smiling, she looked distressed. It made you angry.

“My Queen, my House, the Crown, and the well-being of the realm. I’m here on my Father’s wishes, and now my brothers. I’m here to attend to my Queen, and do what is asked of me. That is my position.”

Lord Beesbury raised his hand. “I don’t mean to interrupt, but what does this have to do with matter at hand, Lord Hightower? Lady Stark isn’t here to be interrogated.”

“That is not my intention, My Lord,” Otto said, raising his hands as if he was surrendering. “As you are all well aware, Lucerys Velaryon was named heir to Driftmark, and the Driftwood Throne. It seems Princess Rhaenyra and her children have solidified high positions for themselves. I merely want to know what Lady Y/N thinks of that.”

“Princess Rhaenyra is heir to the Iron Throne. It is only fair that she sees to it that her children’s futures are also secure. I have no qualms with Prince Lucerys’s title he will eventually inherit.”

Otto nodded, turning to Alicent. “And you, Your Grace? Do you approve as well?”

Alicent nodded, but seemed to shrink under her father’s stare. “It is Lucerys’s right by law to inherit it.”

You glanced down at your lap to see Alicent’s hand in hers, absentmindedly picking at the skin around her thumb. You slowly snuck your hand into hers, giving it a squeeze. She let out a small sigh of relief, beginning to twist one of your rings around your finger. You turned your attention back to the council. 

“What are the King’s children to inherit, then?” Otto asked, glancing over at you. 

“Prince Aegon and Princess Helaena have been promised to each other. As the King’s firstborn son, he’s quite taken care of, and by extension Helaena is. I presume Aemond will marry a Lady for advantage, when the time comes. He’ll inherit what’s hers.”

The Lords nodded, although some shook their heads in disappointment. They never spoke their disapproval, but you knew they disagreed with the current line of succession, as did Otto. 

“I think it is the responsibility of this council to ensure all the King’s children are well accounted for,” Otto said, glancing around the table. 

You nodded. “I’m sure our Queen would agree, seeing as they are her children as well. The realm swore fealty to the King and his heir. Any Lord would be happy to join families with House Targaryen.”

You looked out of the corner of your eye to see Alicent with her own eyes glazed over, taking short breaths. You squeezed her hand, trying to calm her. Otto distracted you before you could help. 

“I’m curious, My Lady. Did your father secure a match for you? I’m sure marrying the daughter of the family who holds the North is quite an advantageous feat.”

“No, My Lord,” you shook your head, trying not to scoff at his boldness. “I expect that was between my Father and brother to discuss, when the time came. Although, I’d bet they’d favor a Northern Lord, one I’m already familiar with. We tend to stick together up there.” 

“I see,” Otto said. 

Before you could answer, Alicent gripped your hand tightly. You turned to see her, and felt a pit start to grow in your stomach. 

She was beginning to pale, taking quick and short breaths. Her eyes were beginning to well up with tears, and she had gone rigid in her seat. She clung to your hand, and you could feel her begin to shake under your touch. 

She was shutting down. She was panicking, and badly.

The words tumbled out of your mouth before you could stop yourself. “I’m so sorry, My Lords. Your Grace, I forgot to inform you that we have a prior engagement. The Septa asked that we join her and Prince Aegon for his lessons today, and I promised we would attend. She said it was rather important.”

You stood from your seat, moving to help Alicent out of hers. 

“But–,” Otto started, raising a hand to stop you.

“I’m sure this is a matter you can come to the right conclusion for without our presence,” you said, interrupting him. “But I do sincerely apologize, if you’ll please excuse us.”

Alicent stood shakily, and you quickly hooked your arm under hers, letting her subtly lean against you. 

“Lady Y/N, you cannot–”

“Let them go, My Lord. Our Queen has more pressing matters to attend to. We will fill them in later, should it be deemed necessary,” Lord Beesbury said, giving you a polite smile and a nod.

“Thank you, My Lord,” you smiled back, beginning to walk Alicent to the door that Ser Criston held open for you both. “Good day, My Lords.”

You led Alicent out the door, keeping quiet till Ser Criston closed the door behind you. Once you both were out of earshot, you wrapped one arm around her waist, letting her cling to your hand with the other. You clutched her tight, walking as fast as you could. She blindly followed.

“Your chambers are just around the corner, darling. We’re almost there.”

As soon as you reached her chamber door, you opened it for her and ushered her in. You quietly closed it behind her as she stepped into the center of the room, taking quick short breaths.

“Alicent, you have to breathe,” you said, laying a hand on her shoulder.

As soon as she felt your touch, her eyes snapped to yours and her face crumbled. She immediately threw her arms around your neck, clinging to you and pressing her body close to yours. You could hear her futile gasps for breath, and feel the tears land on your shoulder as she tucked her head into your neck. Your heart ached, and you cradled her into you, running your free hand through her hair. 

“Walk with me, love,” you said, gently easing her back until she felt her legs hit the end of her bed. You gently guided her down to sit on the bed, moving to kneel in front of her. You took her hands in yours. 

“Look at me,” you said, directing her focus to you. “Eyes on me, nowhere else. I know you’re scared, but you have to trust me. Copy me, alright? In…and out. In…and out.”

She took deep and shaky breaths with you, trying to slow them down. You nodded encouragingly, muttering for her to keep going. Slowly, she began to calm, her shoulders relaxing.

“Good job, darling.”

Suddenly embarrassed, Alicent’s cheeks began to flush with a rosy tint. Her eyes welled with tears, and she let out a cry of frustration. She would no longer meet your gaze, tears rolling down her cheeks and onto her lap.

“I’m sorry,” she muttered.

Your eyes widened and you quickly shook your head, cupping her face gently in your hands. “Don’t apologize, my sweet girl. There’s nothing to be sorry for, you did nothing wrong.”

She shook her head, balling her hands into tight fists. “That was humiliating! I did that in front of the whole council…in front of my Father.”

“Fuck your father,” you spoke firmly, cradling her face. “He had no right to say any of that. He embarrassed himself, not you.”

“He was so rude to you–”

“He’s always rude to me,” you laughed, trying to make her smile. “He sees me as a threat. I come between you and him, and he loathes me for it. But I can handle myself, can’t I?”

Alicent slowly nodded, and you gave her a smile, swiping the tears off her cheeks with your thumbs. She let out a deep sigh, resting her hands over yours as you cupped her cheeks, leaning into your touch. 

“I know well enough that you can take care of yourself, Y/N. That doesn’t mean you should have to. I should be the one defending you.”

You grinned, shrugging your shoulders. “My Father is Rickon Stark. My brother is Cregan Stark. I promise you, My Queen, I have learned how to stand up for myself. It was that, or never being able to get a word in, back home. I’ve become quite good at it. And I rather enjoy it, especially when it comes to aggravating your father.”

Alicent let out a soft chuckle, warming your heart. 

“You didn’t become Queen of the Seven Kingdoms by being easily swayed, Alicent. I have no doubt in my mind that you could stand up to your father, or any other Lord for that matter, if it came down to it. I just happen to like doing it for you.”

You stood to your feet, offering her your hands to pull her to hers. She accepted, standing up as well. You gently turned her hands over in yours, assessing the damage she had done. She tried to pull her hands from your grip, but you refused.

You pressed a kiss to the back of each of her hands, before lowering them to settle in between you both.

“You do not have to hide any part of yourself from me. There is nothing to be ashamed of, Alicent. Are you hearing me?”

She reluctantly nodded, squeezing your hands in reply. You nodded back, running your thumbs along the backside of her hands. She let a faint grin peak through, lightly chuckling to herself.

You quirked a brow at her newfound joy. “What is it?”

“Attending Aegon’s lesson with the Septa. Did you really expect them to believe that?”

“Actually,” you scoffed, laughing as well. “Yes, yes I did, because it’s partially true. She did request our presence, albeit, not today. She told me to inform you that she would like to speak with you during one of his lessons at your own convenience. Personally, I expect it to be regarding the amount of times I’ve snuck Aegon from his lessons in the past month.”

Alicent grinned, laughing harder. “Oh, Gods. I told you not to let that become a habit. Come on, then. Aegon should still be in his lessons. Lets hope you don’t get reprimanded too harshly.”

She headed for the door, and you groaned, your shoulders slumping.

“Oh, come on,” you whined, calling after her. “There’s a reason I sneak him out of there. I bet he’s wondering right now as to why I left him there to suffer so long. She’s a particularly insufferable woman, you know that, and he learns the language better with me anyway.”

“Tell that to the Septa!” She called over her shoulder, already headed down the hall. 

You sighed loudly, trudging after her while trying to brace yourself for the imminent scolding you were about to get. If you knew it wouldn’t put a smile on Alicent’s face to see it happen, you wouldn’t go. But she was now in a substantially better mood, and you would’ve done just about anything to keep her happy. 

Even if that meant facing the wrath of a pissed off Septa, who scared you more than any man or Lord like Otto Hightower ever could.

—

A/N - Hi! I got a little carried away with this one. Hopefully, it was what you were looking for. I hope you enjoyed it, let me know what you think!

[soleminisanction]

I love your opinions on comics and how sane they make me feel because we share most of the same opinions! I’ve come here to join the anon salty rants you get sometimes! Thanks btw for letting people rant to you about fandom salt! 🫶

To start this off, this is something I do to myself by going on TikTok to look for animatics. I genuinely enjoy them and won’t stop going through the cursed TikTok tags to find them but it does come at the cost of having to see some of the most annoying trends that get popularized on characters. Right now it became a thing for people to make videos on how awful “90s Tim” was and how poor Steph suffered SO much having to date that terrible misogynist. How people think Steph was anywhere near a progressive“girls girl” is beyond me. They’ll always vaguely talk about Tim being horrible and then never bring up the panels they are even talking about?! It’s the same in the comments of people just parroting what the video says without bringing up anything he said that was offensive. I know pretty much any '90s comic (and comics still today!) is going to be a bit misogynistic but I really don’t remember Tim being anywhere near the “raging misogynist” they think he is. He’s Helena and Babs little brother and he has a great relationship with both. There’s a Babs panel making a point of saying Tim was the only one who thanked her for all she does for the team. Kon even complained that Tim lectured him on respecting women. 😂

Thank you. I'm glad that you get catharsis out of reading the rants I throw out into the void. Which makes it a little hard for me to say this next part because I really, truly don't want to make you feel bad, I haven't said anything before and it's 100% not you, it's a me thing.

I need to ask that people not send me anything about what's happening on TikTok, ever.

I had the app briefly, years ago before the pandemic, and I deleted it for a reason. I find the environment on that app to be deeply toxic and unhealthy. I've never seen a comics take there (again, other than PandaRedd's) that didn't make me feel sad, lonely and angry over how much ignorant people love to shit on a medium and characters that I love. The only thing that thinking about them ever does is derail my focus for the rest of the day, and it's just not healthy.

So I really don't want you to feel bad, anon, but I need this to be the last TikTok related rant that ever lands in my inbox please.

[dappledpaintbrush]

Full honest options on dimentio?

Looks at you like this

Autistic Answer: OHH YM GODODDODHRKEJTJTKTJR LAYS FLAT ON MY BSCK ON A HIGHWAY HESSOOO FUCKINGGNCOOOOOL RUNS FULL SPEED AT A. BRICK WALL AND JUMPS THROUGH LEAVING A CLOUD OF DUST AND A SHAPE OF MYSELF IN THE WALL IN MY WAKE I LOVE HIM SO MUCH HES SO INTERESTING AND LOSER PILLED I NEED HIM EMBROIDERED ON MY ARM

Autistic Answer:

Okay so at the start of my spm special interest when I was a tiny little googoogaga baby (seven years old) Dimentio was just. This guy. Evil and shit but just a guy. But he was MY guy. I don’t remember beating the game that young. I seriously think I gave up on the yold desert puzzle and just binged koopakungfu let’s plays over and over again but regardless I remember the aftermath and GODDDDDDDDDD I was so indescribably enamored with this Thing . it was REVOLTING.

Now as a near 19 year old I can’t think about him or the game in general without having to stop drop and roll but at the end of the day, Dimentio is still just some guy. But in the morning and the afternoon he’s a fucking idiot. Like you absolute goofiest of goobers, all you had to do was teleport the heroes to Dimension D and wait everything out. That shit is why he’s currently burning in hell. Not for mass murder or being annoying but for the stupidest plan I have ever heard in my entire life. He is also one of the most intriguing characters ever made in the Mario franchise.

Like okay. You are given this purple and yellow triangular smudge on your screen and you go “hmm… (scratches chin) something is Wrong With This Animal. It Might be Sick.” And of course he ends up betraying the sympathetic tragic villain Bleckie Bear and dies (thank GOD) whatever credits roll NO!!!!

FIRST. This guy tells you Bleck has lied about creating new worlds. That is . THAT IS!!! Now he could be lying but he could also NOT be. After all, what other motivation would he have for betraying Bleck? All the worlds to himself perhaps …………………. That’s the thing. You don’t know . That’s this entire character.

You

DONT.

KNOW.

Anything he says and anything about him is either a blatant lie, COULD be a lie, COULD be the truth, or is vague 3,000 year old information given from this dude in a bar that may or may not even be about Dimentio. He is LITERALLY wearing a mask. A TWO FACED MASK might I add.

Nintendo doesn’t lay out his story for you on screen like they do with Bleck. If you don’t take the time to explore, Dimentio will never be more than Bleck’s silly and funny-talking minion who betrayed him out of greed or.. whatever reason. Because he didn’t say it. No no- You have to go out of your way to investigate and pay money and put pieces of this puzzle together to find out that hurt people hurt people (🤓)

He could be some random bloke. He could the descendant of this sad unnamed character and somehow “never found happiness” whatever THAT means. He could be THE sad unnamed character that went through an accident so devastating that it left his mother dead and it left everyone believing HE was dead. This accident, whatever it was, was so horrifying that Dimentio, who can teleport across dimensions, was unable (by choice or not) to find and tell his remaining family he was alive. After his “death”, his sister would die as well. Their father, likely going insane with unimaginable grief, would rip her soul from the afterlife just to keep his only child- the only family he had left- with him, oblivious to the fact that somewhere, his son was still alive. This little girl, now forever trapped as a Pixl, would become so angry at what her father had done that she would start a war and slaughter ANYONE that tried to get in her way. The Pixl Queen- this angry, scared, and confused child- would lose once more. She would be destroyed. All she is now is a shadow of her former self. And that’s what she would reform as in the pits below an Ancient city, where, at the hands of our heroes, she would lose AGAIN. Dimentio could be oblivious to all of this. He could know a fraction of it. He could know all of it. He could hold no guilt. He could blame himself for what had happened to her, for he had been gone all those years- whatever that means.

He could want to destroy everyone and everything out of personal gain- to recreate them all in his image and rule them as he sees fit all because he is a greedy narcissist. He could want to destroy everyone and everything because, like Blumiere, he sees no point in anything after losing all he loved in all worlds. Maybe he betrayed Blumiere because Dimentio wanted to rule a timeline that goes his way and ONLY his way. Maybe “his way” is where he gets all he wanted in riches, in wealth, in a population that essentially worships him, and so on. After all, he does say that he wants to be king of all worlds. Maybe that isn’t everything he wants. After all, he doesn’t just wipe out everyone in all dimensions and create mindless followers using the Dark Prognosticus that is capable of doing that exact thing. No. Like Blumiere, Dimentio, too, wants the worlds gone. Erased. All of them. The worlds that caused that accident. killed his mom. “killed” him. killed his sister. And in these self-described and self-created perfect new worlds, his timeline, his way, where he can create anything and anyone he wants- maybe he isn’t alone anymore. Whatever that means.

In my full honest opinion, I think he is SO .FUCKING. COOL.

[quarantineddreamer]

Posting a snippet from the winner of the badly-summarized WIP game!

Winner was: "beep beep. get in, bitch we're going strangers to roadtrip buddies to lovers 🚘"

As soon as Jyn was certain Cassian was capable of operating a manual and driving on the left side of the road at the same time with a reasonable level of competency, she tore her eyes from the road and pulled out her phone.

Jyn: So…remember how my flight got canceled?

Not a minute later her phone buzzed against her thigh, Cassian briefly looked in her direction at the sound–it may as well have been a scream in the silent car–but made no comment. 

Bodhi: No trains, no buses, yeah I remember. Did you manage to find a car?

Jyn: Sortof 

She watched the dots dancing as Bodhi typed, pictured her friend frantically tapping away.

Bodhi: Why are you being vague? Wth does that mean?

Bodhi: What did you do

Bodhi: Call me.

Jyn: Can’t right now

Jyn: But it’s not what you think. I haven’t backed out…

Jyn: I hitched a ride with someone

Bodhi: CALL ME 

Jyn: Bodhi relax

Jyn: I’m fine

Her phone started to vibrate in steady repetition in her palm, a picture of her and Bodhi atop Arthur’s seat (taken during his recent visit) glowing up at her. With a twinge of guilt she hit the ‘reject’ button perched just to the left of her friend’s cheesy grin.

“You can get that if you need to,” Cassian commented lightly, eyes still fixed on the road. 

“I don’t,” she replied quickly, tilting her screen away from him despite the fact he had made no move to even glance in her direction.

Jyn: I told you I can’t talk rn

Bodhi: Who tf did you get a ride with

Jyn: Bodes. Deep breath. 

Jyn: All is well.

Bodhi: See you say that but…

Jyn: I’ll call you when I can

She stared at the screen for a moment longer, ran her thumb over a small crack, and with a sigh continued typing.

Jyn: How is he?

Bodhi typed for longer than he needed to, likely debating what to say. 

Bodhi: Just call me when you can.

Jyn locked her phone and set it face down in her lap. 

But it gave another insistent hum.

Bodhi: Also share your location with me

Bodhi: And a pic of whoever ur with

Bodhi: So I know who to hunt down if you disappear 

Shaking her head and huffing a soft laugh she did as he asked and shared her location. 

Bodhi: Thx

Bodhi: Pic?

Jyn: Not happening

Bodhi: JYN

Bodhi: Don’t make me blow up your phone rn

Bodhi: I’ll do it

Bodhi: You know I will

Bodhi: Watch me

Bodhi: Isn’t this annoying??

Bodhi: Hello

Bodhi: I

Bodhi: am 

Bodhi: Waiting 

Bodhi: :) 

The three dots appeared again, unapologetic and unrelenting. 

Jyn: For the love of god stop. fine. 

Jyn: one sec

Fuck. She looked over at Cassian, face flashing in and out of gold and shadow as they passed under neighborhood street lamps, winding their way to the motorway. For some reason the sight made her stomach give a nervous flip. “God damn it.” 

“What?”

Apparently she was beginning to lose her filter–because this wasn’t awkward enough as it was. “I didn’t say anything,” she lied, turning swiftly towards the window to study the houses they passed by. Their quaint windows–just beginning to show signs of life as the earliest morning workers stirred and started their day–revealed no solutions. 

Her phone began to vibrate incessantly again. 

“Are you sure you don’t need to get that?” Cassian asked, this time throwing her a quick glance. 

Jyn wiped clammy palms against the knees of her jeans and resigned herself to her fate. (Bodhi could be nearly as stubborn as her when he wanted to be, it was best just to appease him and get it over with before things got any more humiliating.) 

“It’s my friend,” she explained. “He’s asking for a photo of you.”

“In case I’m an ax-murderer?”

“Not comforting that came so easily to you,” she quipped, “but, yeah, pretty much.”

“Makes sense.” Cassian appeared decidedly unbothered as he leaned over the steering wheel, craning to see around a blind corner before making his turn. “Go ahead, I don’t mind.”The car swung wide, and Jyn swallowed her embarrassment, raising her phone to quickly snap a pic. Without bothering to check her recent messages she fired it off to Bodhi with the caption “Happy now?”

[firecoloredwater]

Ask meme: 6, 7, 22, 30

...I had the answers 99% done and then my computer froze and I had to restart and lost all of them. So OKAY, TRYING AGAIN

6. Are there any fics from others you reread all the time?

Not really! I wish I did. I am apparently very weird in that a fic (or anything I read) needs to be a certain amount of unfamiliar, or my brain won't engage enough for me to enjoy it. If I've reread something too much then my brain will go 'oh I know what's happening, I don't need to pay attention' and wander off and get distracted. Making myself focus deliberately just means being bored and annoyed. I am also really good at remembering stories (and like nothing else) so I can read a fic twice, maybe three times if it's especially long/complex, before I have to put it down for anywhere from some months to a few years to let myself forget enough details to make it new enough to read again. (For related reasons, I basically never read my own fics for enjoyment. I'll reread to refresh my memory before writing more, or while rereading comments, but I know my own fics too well to really ever approach them as a reader. I might get enjoyment from 'oh I actually pulled that alliteration/foreshadowing/etc off well' but not just from reading the story.)

7. How many ideas for fics do you have right now?

Uhhhhh somewhere in the range of infinite. Depends on how you define ideas for fics? If you mean fics I'm actively working on/hoping to write in the near future, that would be... about 6-8, probably? But if you mean fics I'd like to write even if I don't actually expect to have the chance, that gets up into several dozen immediately. If you include ideas that I haven't specifically thought about how I'd write them, then we're probably into the hundreds. I am an endless font of ideas and it does not turn off.

22. Do you know how your fic will end before you start writing?

Usually vaguely! But it ranges from 'and then everything is good the end' to like, a two-sentence bullet point of the ending scene(s). I don't plan ahead in much detail, because I do a lot of discovering and adding things as I write, and what I throw in that way will affect later scenes. So if I had a lot of detail planned for the end, I'd just have to replan/rewrite anyway when I got there, and probably be annoyed about losing lines I liked. So it works out better for me and the fic if I keep my plans minimal. There is an exception for very short fics. If I'm writing a fic that's basically just one or two scenes, and the entire momentum of the fic is writing toward the end, then I can know exactly what the end is. But that's fairly rare, partly because I also need to be able to write it all in one shot, and I rarely have that much time.

29. Share a bit from a fic you’ll never post OR from a scene that was cut from an already posted fic. (If you don’t have either, just share a random fic idea you have that you don’t plan on getting to.)

.......................well I was going to dump a scene from one of the self insert AUs here, but it turns out two years is enough for me to no longer love the writing in that. So uhhhhhh guess I'll just. Write a new thing real quick!

(@executeness and @denialcity, enjoy)

Every clan has their own way of finding soulmates. Some are more reliable than others, and most are closely guarded. That's never mattered to Takami: the Uchiha's tradition is reliable, so any uncertainty that other clans live with isn't his problem.

He is fifteen and it is the first dawn after the winter solstice. The fire in the center of the Uchiha compound has burned all night, built steadily larger until it roars, and the flames dance as high as his chin.

Takami is not the only fifteen year old with a sharingan, but he is the clan heir, so he goes first. The entire clan sings as the first rays of dawn break through the horizon, and Takamii steps forward, sharingan burning as he shapes chakra and breathes a thin, precise stream of his own fire into the core of the flames.

He's thought before about how it would look, whether he would see his soulmate's form made of ashes and embers swirled within the flame, or if the flames themselves would twist into the right shape for only his eyes, or....

It's clearer than he imagined. As if he's looking through a window, tinted gold and shifting in the breeze, but otherwise the overlapping images are perfectly clear, as if he were looking at reality directly. But there are so many people--the fire shows the watcher's soulmate, but also everything around them, and there are so many overlapping forms. Takami prowls around the fire in a circle, watching the shifts within it, tracking which faces stay in focus.

He can hear. The longer he watches, the more sound grows. It's still thin and distant, but seems to come from deep within his own ears, so even the whole clan singing together can't quite drown out what his soulmates hear. A song, of course, and orders....

There is one flaw in the Uchiha method of identifying soulmates, Taka realizes: it's public.

He finishes a last circle of the fire. The song hasn't faltered despite the time he took, and it continues as he stops, and turns to face his father.

His whole family: Father and mother and four younger brothers, even Kunimi, who drank enough tea to keep anyone else awake for a week and is standing in his proper place with his face screwed up in determination. But Tajima is the clan head, so Takami faces him first.

Tajima's voice is pitched to carry over the song. "Have you seen what you are looking for?"

"I have," Takami says, steady as if this were any ordinary year. "There were a lot of faces, I had to move to be sure which one is mine. We should make people dance, next year."

"Then your soulmate is within the clan?"

Takami grins. "Hako's mine," he announces.

Several voices falter then, and people in the crowd shift, and surprise makes it through even Hako's near-perfect composure.

Takami is the heir, but Hako is beloved, the most beautiful and the most perfect and the most wanted. No one in the clan had even bothered to pretend they were more interested in learning Takami's soulmate now than Hako's next year.

They're not wrong, all those people chasing after Hako's every glance: Hako is the best and they should all be honored to have his sight fall on them. But he's Takami's brother first, and now no one can ever try to interfere.

In the firelight, so subtle than only the sharingan could catch it, Hako relaxes. Beside him, Madara sneaks a thumbs up, and his grin distorts his singing for a few lines.

It's not this easy, Takami knows. They're soulmates, so they won't be separated now, or expected to put anyone else first. But they'll still be expected to have friends and get married, and the whole clan and half their allies will chase Hako for both of those. Some of them will remember that some people have multiple soulmates, and keep hoping for another year that Hako will claim them even though Taka hasn't.

At the same time, it is this simple. Takami and Hako belong together, and no one will ever question it again.

Takami steps away from the fire, and goes to stand beside Hako instead of in his proper place. He takes up the song as the others look for their soulmates: one outside the clan, and one within it.

There are more traditions, more celebration, and Takami goes through them gladly with Hako at his side. Even so, Hako can read him like no one else.

It's late morning before they get even a few seconds out of everyone's sight, but the instant it's possible, Hako has Takami out of sight and hearing.

Out of sight like this, Hako isn't perfect either: his forehead is creased and worry bites in at the corners of his eyes. "Nii-sama, tell me you didn't lie."

"I didn't."

Hako frowns, his forehead creasing more, but it's true. They're soulmates. Takami didn't lie.

"Then," Hako says slowly, "why are you bothered?"

"I saw you." The images are still in Takami's eyes, hovering with sharingan clarity. The whole clan singing around the fire, centered on Hako, posed and perfect. And overlapping, a training field, four boys and a man with a voice Takami knows, barking harsh orders. "I also saw a Senju. Butsuma's son. One we haven't seen on the field yet."

"He has enough sons," Hako says harshly, then catches himself. "What did you think?"

Takami didn't think. He just watched, and knew better than to reveal anything like that. And Hako was right there to smooth things over, as always. "It doesn't matter. He'll probably just die anyway."

"You don't need him anyway," Hako says. "You have me."

"Yeah." Takami grins. "Always."

"Always," Hako promises, even though there's no need to, and then he moves on to batting a wrinkle out of Takami's clothes and herding him back out to the celebrations.

The next year, Hako looks into the fire and sees Takami alone.

Six months after that, Senju Kawarama arrives on the battlefield. He's grown, but Takami still knows that face.

He puts a scar on it.

[thebibliosphere]

Hi Joy, I’ have a migraine/adhd question for you if you have time and energy to answer rn. (Also apologies in advanced for the way this rambles and is a bit long. I’ve tried to write this a few times to be more coherent but my brain is apparently just a bit scrambled atm.)

So for migraines, I don’t get the aura thing you do and I’ve heard about the prodrome thing (via your blog I’m p sure) but I was just kinda ??? when I heard about it originally bc I was like “weird I’ve only ever had the vague pain above the left eye that escalates to an actual migraine if I don’t take excedrin as soon as I noticed the warning pain”.

Can the prodrome thing make the adhd brain feel like it does when it’s been unmedicated for a day or three? (Or like brain fog? I can’t remember if you take meds for yours or not and tumblr mobile isn’t helping me on that smh.)

I’ve only noticed after the last three migraines but for each there was a day right before each where I got extremely frustrated and annoyed with myself because I knew that I had taken my adhd meds and that they should be working but my brain was functioning like it does when I run out of them entirety. And then the next day I’d get that vague pain above the eye at some point that leads to an actual migraine if I don’t take excedrin in time. The like second time it happened I noticed enough to be like “yo wtf I’ve definitely taken my meds this morning why tf is my brain being Like This wtfff”. But after the third time it kinda clicked that those fog days were right before a migraine day and it’s got me over here like “oh fuck, wait, is this a migraine related thing??” (If so then this is a fairly recent development as far as I can tell and I don’t like it one bit. It’s hard enough dealing with the adhd brain as is. 😩)

Hey friend, thanks for the question, and sorry you're dealing with a scrambled brain. Solidarity.

Not everyone experiences prodrome, aura, or postdrome the same way, so it makes sense to me that for some people it's not even noticeable enough that they'd know it's a thing.

Hell, some people don't even get the headache part of migraines, they get "silent" migraines which come with all the other symptoms, but no noticeable pain phase.

As for how prodrome can affect ADHD, for me, it definitely feels like someone's put my already fragile ability to concentrate into a blender. My ADHD is not medicated due to conflicting health reasons, but I also know people who are medicated who say in the days before a migraine, they can get groggy or extra fatigued and their ADHD meds don't seem to help.

I'd advise talking to your doctor and seeing if you can alter your dosage on those days when it feels like they're not working--or if there's a migraine preventative treatment you can take which might help.

Best of luck, and I hope you find a solution that works for you!

[autumn-foxfire]

toga is saving ochako on live tv. i was right the villains were going to be redeemed in the eyes of (some) civilians this way. the contrived situations is why i’m not a fan. quick note, pre plf war i don’t remember the set ups and executions being this bad. week-by-week hori was really good at it, idk what happened.

also looks like hawks might save toga now too. it’s what i expect from him anyway and it feels less impactful because toga isn’t out to hurt anyone anymore so he has no reason to not save her anymore. maybe fandom will get off his case about twice?

Who is going to save the heroes, Ochako asked! Well the villains that caused you to be in this state of course, Horikoshi answered as I try to brain myself on the nearest counter.

From what I've seen from the manga though, I don't think Hawks will be involved because that would have been good writing to include the man who initially caused Toga to actually reflect on her actions due to the consequences they could have.

Honestly it's annoying me how fandom is eating up this fight because of the wlw implications. I've said it before but I wouldn't have too much of an issue with Ochako wanting to reach out to Toga if it had actually been set up well. But no, it went from Ochako disliking Toga for her attempts at the lives of herself and her friends (with the fact that Hori in his attempt to make Toga 'sexy' made these acts come across as sexual in nature which brings up insane issues of consent), to her being angry that Toga killed an innocent women just to be selfish and ask what Ochako would do to her for her crimes and Ochako's answer was that she didn't even fucking care at the moment she's trying to save the people Toga and her 'friends' have condemned to death, to her wanting to save and then reaching out after being nearly murdered by this girl by saying she thinks her smile is the cutest in the world???

Ochako knows NOTHING about Toga's past. We could have had a chapter where Ochako learns that Hawks killed Twice and that Toga was very close to him, to Ochako asking Hawks why he did what he did, to her looking into Toga to find out about her and her circumstances (such as confronting the parents and the counsellors and we can see if their treatment of Toga was truly horrible instead of it being left extremely fucking vague for the purpose of letting the audience fill in the gaps like Hori loves to do) to THEN her reaching out.

It's lazy writing but fandom loves it because it's queer (and I'll probably have people angry at me because I'm critical of said queer writing but as someone who is bisexual so Toga is most likely my representation, I can be annoyed at the sloppy handling of her arc and the unaddressed and toxic traits Hori made her have.)