#firecracker ceremony

[allaroundn3ptune]

Lunar New Year Firecracker Ceremony, Circa February 10th, 2024.

[aspiring-writer-hidden-voice]

I JUST HAD A BIG IDEA!!!!!!

🧨

You watch proudly as your daughter walks across the graduation stage of UA, tears threatening to spill down your cheeks as she turns and flashes you her biggest and brightest smile. “Katsuki, look at her! Look at our little girl!”

When no answer came, your head tilts towards your husband’s direction and find him gone.

“Oh, no…”

Sure enough, the proud father and Pro Hero Dynamight himself launches himself from the crowd to stand upon the stage in front of his daughter. Once a baby girl with honey hued curls and tiny eyes that were clearly yours was now a young woman ready to take in the world by following in her father’s footsteps as she stands before him, a proud smirk on her lips as her poppy red gaze meets his ruby one.

“Hah. Look at you, ya little firecracker.” Katsuki smirks back, one of his gloved hands rising to tousle her blonde tresses much to her chagrin. No one else could tell but you clearly can see the fatherly pride within his eyes that soften ever so slightly. “You’re gonna take the damn world by storm, Mirai.”

Even now you had to give him credit for the name. “Mirai”, or “future”, had been his one and only pick once he had held his daughter for the first time. A befitting name that suited her well even now.

“Stop treating me like a little kid and hand over the agency to me already, you old fart!” Mirai toothily grins as she holds out her fist for a bump.

“In your damn dreams, firecracker!” He huffs, brows twitching as his fist rises and bumps hers.

One of your hands rises to cup around your mouth as you shout. “Get off the stage, you two! Let the rest have their moment in the spotlight!” A blinding smile raises your lips when they both respond with full faces blushes.

It’s only at the party after the ceremony do you catch the two sharing a rare, deeply emotional moment as Katsuki gently rocks her being left and right as she clings to him. You slip into the quiet room after a few minutes to give them ample time and you slowly enclose them both in your embrace. The flight that would take Mirai to Europe for her Pro Hero career kickoff was first thing in the morning and it was clear that your daughter had her brief moments of uncertainty just like her father.

“Sweetheart, why don’t you share with your dad what hero name you picked out? I think he’s waited long enough.” You gently whisper while helping to clean her face and his though he grumbled that it wasn’t necessary.

Mirai’s teary gaze rises to meet his. “It’s not near as long as yours but…I took a page from your book…”

Katsuki had never looked so proud and happy to hear those words. “Yeah, firecracker? Ya gonna tell me now or am I gonna have to blast ya for it?”

“Dynamita.”

You had to bite back a laugh when the Pro Hero crumbles and begins to sob as he clings to his daughter who is trying her best to not laugh.

[longbobmckenzie]

Choose Me - Roberto/MC

Summary:

Roberto just wants this Stick or Twist ceremony to be over so he can leave the villa, like he should have done the night his girl was dumped. But sometimes, things have a way of working themselves out…

Rating: Teen

Words: 2,440

Read on AO3

(or read under the cut!)

Roberto runs a hand over his weary face as he takes his seat on the bench around the fire pit. The glow of the flickering flames should give him a sense of warmth, but he’s been cold ever since a few nights earlier, when he watched his girl walk out of the villa.

Andi.

God, he was an idiot not to walk out right then and there. But the boys convinced him to give it a day or two first, to make sure his feelings were real. After all, they’ve only known each other a couple weeks, and they live in different countries, for chrissakes. He would be crazy to chase after her, wouldn’t he? Things on the outside aren’t the same as things in the villa, or so the boys said. But being without her only confirmed what he’s known all along, since the night he first laid eyes on her — she’s the one for him.

But then the girls were swept off to Casa Amor, and a new set of girls came in. The guys encouraged him to get to know them, but it didn’t feel right. None of it did. The villa lost its lustre when Andi left. Even the neon beanbag chairs and cheeky sayings posted around the place seemed to have dulled overnight. But he could hardly leave the show in the middle of Casa Amor, without saying a proper goodbye to the original girls. They’re his friends too, and Bella in particular would never forgive him if he walked before she could give him another sock in the arm or ruffle his hair.

The corners of his lips tip up just a little at the thought of that blue-haired firecracker. The two of them became fast friends, and he can’t wait to see her again. There’s never been anything romantic between them and never will be, but his Love Island experience wouldn’t be the same without her.

He just hopes she found someone in Casa Amor. He’s banking on it, actually — because if she couples up, then he’ll be single. And if he’s single, then… well, maybe, hopefully, he’ll be dumped. Either way, he’s planning to leave at the first opportunity to go find his girl, but he wants to make sure Bella’s taken care of first. He doesn’t want to risk leaving her vulnerable.

Finally, the host walks in and does her spiel, and the ceremony begins. Ozzy is the first to rise to his feet, and it comes as no surprise when he says he’s sticking with Grace. Roberto shakes his head in annoyance, making a tutting sound. It’s no secret that Ozzy had a thing for Andi, and now without her in the picture, he’s falling back on Grace, knowing how much the girl is obsessed with him. But as much as Grace has been wilfully blind to all of it, Roberto can’t help but think she deserves better. She might be coupled up with him, but she’s clearly Ozzy’s second choice.

Grace comes in alone and flings herself into his arms, and Roberto rolls his eyes as he pretends to clap along. There’s a brief moment when some doofus from Casa Amor storms in and yells at Grace about something or other, but security is quick to drag him back into the villa, leaving Grace flustered and embarrassed and Ozzy confused and not a little like he’s been made to look like a mug.

Fuckin’ deserves it.

Then Lewie gets up and makes a speech about going with the flow, which causes a few titters and giggles around the fire pit as a blue-eyed blonde steps forward from the row of Casa girls. The two of them are a perfect match, and they’ll have perfect blonde, blue-eyed babies.

And then Roberto thinks he’s dreaming, because that’s Andi walking towards him, on the arm of—wait, no. He gives his head a shake and looks at her again. The woman walking in may share the same face as his girl, but she wears her hair a little longer and wavier, her nose isn’t pierced, and her lips have a way of twisting into an ugly smirk that Andi isn’t capable of. It’s Amelia, her twin.

He lifts a curious eyebrow as he takes in the man she’s with, barely stifling the bubble of laughter that almost courses out of him. Of course Amelia would couple up with the carbon copy of Ozzy, although this guy has longer hair, a beard, and a few tattoos peeking out from under his clothing. And judging by the look on Ozzy’s face, he’s not so happy to see his dear brother. Which tracks, considering he never even told the guys that his brother is actually his twin.

The two of them exchange a few tense words before Amelia leads Marshall to an open space on the opposite side of the bench, throwing a jealous look in Flo’s direction.

And then it’s Roberto’s turn.

He wipes the moisture from his palms and takes a deep breath as he rises to his feet, gazing around at all the familiar faces. This isn’t his goodbye speech, not quite yet, but it’s still the final time he’s going to be doing one of these recouplings. He might actually miss it.

The host gives him a nod, and he clears his throat. “As you all know, the last few days have been… well.” He throws a sheepish look towards Ivy and the other two girls who were sent in to tempt them, whose names he never even bothered to learn, giving them an apologetic smile. “My mind and my heart have both been elsewhere, so I’ve been pretty poor company. I’m usually a lot of fun, I promise.”

There’s a chorus of muffled laughter around the fire pit.

“Although I’m technically coupled up with Bella—” A hard glance towards Elliot makes the other man flush “—there’s been another girl on my mind, and these last few days have given me all the clarity I need to go after what I want. I hope Bella found someone while she was away, but I have to do what’s right for myself, and that’s to stick.”

The host smiles softly. “Alright, let’s see what Bella decided to do.”

All eyes turn towards the villa. Roberto doesn’t know why his heart is pounding, but it is, until finally his partner appears — holding hands with someone else.

He lets out a sigh of relief, and a wide smile crosses his face. When she catches his eye, she beams at him, as if she’s as happy to see that he’s standing there alone as he is to see that she’s twisted to someone new.

When they reach the fire pit, she stands next to the host, but all she can look at is him, her eyes sparkling with joy and excitement — and a hint of mischievousness. He knows that look well, the look that says that she knows something he doesn’t. But what could it possibly mean?

The host asks her a few questions, and Roberto learns that the new guy’s name is Andy — which makes him chuckle a little even as a pang goes through him at the reminder of his Andi. He seems nice, and he’s looking at Bella like she hung the moon, so Roberto couldn’t be happier for her. They come over and he gives Bella one of his biggest hugs, Andy a firm handshake, and then they all sit down together.

“Turns out we both have a thing for Andis,” he whispers to Bella, making her giggle as Elliot stands up. “I’m so happy you found someone.”

“I’m so happy you didn’t,” she replies, that twinkle reappearing in her eye, though it’s replaced by a flash of worry as her mouth quivers. “I almost didn’t switch, you know. To keep you safe.”

“I’m glad you didn’t. I… Bella, you know there’s no one else for me. If I can’t have Andi, then I don’t mind getting dumped.”

The worry disappears, the sparkle beaming even brighter, and she covers his hand with one of hers, giving it a squeeze as they both turn to watch Ivy cross the fire pit towards Elliot, looking like the cat who’s caught the canary.

Bella sighs. “I knew he’d switch.”

Roberto shrugs. “He kinda had to, didn’t he? Andi’s gone, so he’s single.”

She looks like she’s about to say something, only to quickly snap her mouth shut. He narrows his eyes, wondering why she’s acting funny.

The host starts speaking again, and he’s fully expecting her to end the proceedings and say her goodbyes, but what she says instead stops him in his tracks.

“Before I let you all go, I have one more surprise for you.” She looks at Elliot, then at Roberto, before turning to look towards the villa.

Roberto is bewildered. What’s going on? The rest of the boys are just as confused as he is, but the girls are all beaming at him. But what for? His palms begin to sweat, his heart pounding faster in his chest, and then he hears them.

Footsteps.

His breath catches in his throat as his eyes lock onto the space where the other girls have appeared. Is it another new Islander? Already? Or is it—

Andi. His Andi.

There she is, like a dream he doesn’t want to wake up from. Her eyes meet his and they light up bright, filling the villa with vibrant colour again. The air whooshes out of his lungs, and he’s on his feet, his knees wobbling beneath him.

But then his vision blurs, starting at the edges, and his heart squeezes in his chest. Of course, she’s just a mirage. This isn’t real; none of it is. He’s sleeping, and any moment now he’ll wake up to find himself on the daybeds, having napped the afternoon away. And then he’ll have to do it all over again, going through the motions of getting ready for the evening and then watching everyone recouple while he wishes he’d walked out days earlier.

“Roberto.”

It even sounds just like her. Warm hands cup his cheeks, which he realizes are wet with his tears. A soft, gentle laugh that makes him squeeze his eyes shut, wanting to return to those blissful moments with her.

“Roberto, it’s me.”

He’s scared to open his eyes, but he does it anyway, and she’s standing in front of him, tears streaking down her own face, but she’s smiling. God, he loves her smile, and he can’t help but mirror it.

“Pinch me.”

Instead, she presses her lips to his, salty tears mixing with the sweet strawberry flavour of the lip gloss she always wears, and he crumbles. His arms slide around her waist, just as much to give himself something to lean on as to bring her closer to him.

“Is it really you?” He can still scarcely believe it, but she tastes and feels so real.

Andi nods, her eyes glowing with the happiness that he feels. “C’mon,” she says, threading her fingers through his and leading him to the bench, where Bella and Andy scooch over to make room.

The host is talking again, but Roberto doesn’t catch a word. He’s too busy staring at Andi, unable to believe his luck. She’s back. He has no idea what she’s doing there, but she’s back.

She squeezes his hand, and he snaps to attention. “She just asked us something, hun.”

He looks back over at the host. “Sorry, could you repeat…?”

The host smiles. “I have a feeling I already know the answer to this, but… as you and Andi are both single, you now have the option to couple up with each other, or to stay single and vulnerable.”

“Fuck yes!” he exclaims with a fist pump, before turning to Andi and smashing his lips against hers. She lets out a squeal before melting into it, wrapping her arms around him.

The ceremony ends, the host leaves, and one by one, the other couples wander off to do their own thing, leaving Roberto and Andi to themselves.

“How are you here?” he asks breathlessly, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear and letting his hand linger. He can’t stop touching her, he hasn’t stopped touching her since she walked in.

“I wasn’t actually dumped. I was sent to Casa Amor early.”

“What?”

“I know! It was so dumb. Supposedly I got the most votes, not the least.”

Roberto smiles, his heart swelling with pride for his girl. “That tracks. Not that I’m happy about you being in Casa Amor with four new boys all to yourself.”

“It was a waste of a plot twist, really,” Andi replies with a shrug. “The guys were nice enough, but none of them were you.”

“Phew.” He wipes his forehead, laughing. “I might’ve been in trouble if they were.”

She laughs, and his heartbeat quickens. Oh, how he’s missed that sound.

“You had to know Elliot would switch, though, right? He thought you were gone. You knew you’d be left single.”

“Bella was worried about leaving you single too, but I encouraged her to switch. She deserves a romantic couple, and Andy is great.”

“He seems nice.”

“He is! But we figured, well… If Elliot left me single, and Bella left you single, then at least we’d be single together.”

“Or dumped,” he points out.

“Apparently not.” Her thumb brushes over his skin where their hands are still laced together. “I can’t believe we got to couple up.”

“I would have left for you, you know. I was ready to pack my bags tonight if I needed to.”

“Well, thankfully you don’t need to.”

“Would that have been so bad? Getting dumped?” he asks. “I would leave right now with you by my side, if it meant never getting separated again.”

She gives him a soft smile, her eyes full of tenderness. “I won’t let that happen again.”

“We still could, you know. Leave. I already know I have everything I want.” He gives her hand a squeeze for emphasis. “I don’t need the rest of it.”

Andi shakes her head. “We can’t leave.”

“Why not? Wherever you go, I’ll follow.”

The corner of her mouth turns up into a smirk, and she gazes across the villa before turning back to him, leaning in to whisper in his ear.

“We can’t let Amelia win.”

Roberto’s head tilts back as he laughs. All his doubts immediately vanish — he’s not dreaming. This is real. This girl who he’s grown to know and—yes—even love is really back.

[bluberibear]

Cod oc lore :3

I’m not the best at writing but if u have any tips/see grammar mistakes feel free to tell me :3

Tw- rape, illegal relation ship, underage sex, abuse

{idk what else but if you do think something is triggering and i should add it please tell me in the comments}

???-firecracker(did i call him that because i hadn't decided a real name other than his callsign, yes, leave me alone)

Firecrackers dad-Joshua

Firecrackers mom- Mary

Part 1

His dad was a priest of a cult/church in a very isolated village, not the top dog but still a man who was looked up to and praised by the people of the village. Being a priest meant obviously not being allowed to have a wife or intimacy, though Joshua was a very corrupt and wealthy man. If he did do anything it could have been easily covered up. He was in the good graces of the people, no one would believe some peasant reporting him for being corrupt and if they did they could easily be silenced. He had a lot of one night stands but one night during a church ceremony he saw a beautiful girl praying with her family. She didn't look older than 17… but it was no worry for him, he knew the social classes of people just by the way they dressed and he knew that he could pay the dad to “help teach her about their religion”. Though it slowly turned from one a week to bringing her over to his house and pretty soon he started cutting off her family and friends and not allowing her to leave, putting the leaves of worry and fear of what would happen if she went back out into the dangerous world into her brain. Though Mary had a friend outside the village who she would sneak out to see, they tried convincing her to leave not only Joshua but the village. Start anew with them and be happy, they even gave her little trinkets from the outside world. One night she had gone to visit them, but she had been followed by joshua. You'd think he would have some empathy being a priest but he was a cold man, the second he saw his wife with another person, he saw red. Her friend handed her a small lighter, gray with red markings, a black bear's skull engraved onto it. She kept it with her. “One last gift, to symbolize a new beginning”. She took the lighter and put it in her pocket. Mary's friend had convinced her to leave, to be free though it didn't last long. Joshua took out a pistol and shot them right then and there. Mary couldn't tell if they had died or not as she had been knocked out by joshua. She made a promise to escape and she would be damned if she didnt after this. Joshua took mary home and proceeded to rape and beat her. It didn't take her long to get pregnant… Joshua had said to kill it but Mary simply couldn't bring herself to rid the world of her child so she begged Joshua to keep it, and he agreed. They named the child ???, he looked exactly like his mother. Too much like his mother, if he was allowed out people would know he was hers and then they would ask who the father was and it didn't take a genius to find out what had happened. It could be enough to get the church into trouble or make him lose his status if it got out that he had married a poor innocent girl and kept her isolated like this. Therefore Joshua had decided that ??? was prohibited from leaving the house too. Though Mary knew what it was like to have her childhood robbed from her and she would be damned if she let it happen to her son. She had a new job, escaped with her son or atleast get her son out of the village. she would help him leave when joshua was away though she told him to come back before joshua was home, worried of what joshua would do to her if ??? wasn't home. Now this went on for years before. Joshua knew but when he knew he’d beat ??? and his mom, he also installed cameras to make sure they couldn't leave. Eventually ??? got super sick and Mary saw an opportunity to save herself and her son. She begged Joshua to see ??? and let her take him to a doctor. He obliged but warned her there would be consequences if she tried anything. She took ??? to a local doctor who had been informed about Mary's situation but was bribed into keeping it secret. Once Mary got it ???checked out she walked around, thinking about if she should really do this but she knew she had to do this for her son.

[torpublishinggroup]

How to Worship Your Dragon: Julia Vee & Ken Bebelle Advise

Julia Vee & Ken Bebelle wrote a book that’s like female John Wick with dragon magic and it’s called Ebony Gate and guess what! It’s out TODAY. We actually have Julia & Ken with us as special guests for Dragon Week, so check out their scholarly article on rituals of dragon worship, and then check out their high octane urban fantasy full of magic and assassins!

Check it out!

A Brief Description of Rituals to Worship Chinese Dragons by Julia Vee & Ken Bebelle

1. Make Your Annual Pilgrimage to a Local Dragon King and Dragon Mother Temple For Blessings

Dragon King and Dragon Mother temples dot the Asian countryside. If you are in the northern reaches of China, get yourself to the Heilongdawang Temple (literally “Black Dragon Great King”) located in Longwanggou (“Dragon King Valley”) in Shaanxi province where you can njoy six days of festivities.

Modern Chinese scholars note that folkloric traditions and religions are having a revival.1 And why not? Festivities for the Great Black Dragon King include opera, dancers, circus performers, games, fireworks, and of course, gambling. This particular dragon king is more highly regarded than other local dragon kings because of his imperially conferred official title–the Marquis of Efficacious Response (Lingyinghou, 灵应侯).2

The Heilongdawang festival draws hundreds of thousands of pilgrims, all ready to donate generously to the temple coffers, burn incense, and otherwise eat copious quantities at the food stalls.

Or you can participate in a rain-summoning ceremony. In the drought-prone north, one ritual to summon rain included “casting tiger bones into a pool of water in order to scare dragons into flight, thereby creating rainclouds.”3

If you are in southern China, on the eighth day of the fifth month on the lunar calendar, you can join in with over a hundred thousand pilgrims to visit the Dragon Mother Temple in Guangdong. This temple sits along the Xijiang River and leans against Wulong (Five Dragons) Mountain. The area is known as the Pearl River Delta, and Dragon Mother devotees are spread widely across the West river and into Hong Kong and Macau. The Lung Mo temple on Pengchau island (Hong Kong) is situated on the beach.

The origins of the Dragon Mother reach back longer than the established official story, which goes something like this:

There was a young woman named Wen from Wuzhou. One day while washing clothes in the West River, she found a giant stone. From the stone sprung five lizards, who grew into dragons. She raised them tenderly and when her village had drought, the dragons brought rain. When the river threatened to flood, the dragons were there to divert the floodwaters. When she was quite elderly, the Emperor summoned her to the capital. Her dragon sons prevented the arduous journey (which was by river of course). When she passed away in 211 B.C. her dragon sons were devastated and transformed into five human scholars who held her funeral rites and buried her in Jiangwan.

Later, she was elevated in status to a deity, rising to the heavens as an immortal.

Pilgrims consider this eighth day of the fifth lunar month the Dragon Mother’s birthday and observe time-honored rituals. First, they wash their hands in the Dragon Spring to clean off the worldly dirt. The pilgrims then burn incense and present gifts at the temple. They bow, then kneel on the floor, and pray to the goddess. After this devotion, they light off firecrackers to respectfully invite the Dragon Mother to receive their gifts and fulfill their wishes.4

As one scholar notes, “It is not a coincidence that the pilgrimage to the Dragon Mother Temple falls on the eighth day of the fifth lunar month, as the fifth lunar month was the time when the danger of seasonal flooding of the West River (which is commonly known as “xiliao 西 潦,” literally “west flood”) was the most imminent. The West River therefore was both a lifeline and a constant threat to the local people, who felt a real need to appease the river as well as to express their gratitude to the river goddess on this annual festive occasion.”5

The Dragon Mother and other water goddess (“Shuimu”) traditions go back millennia and it’s not hard to see why. The specter of drought, famine, or flooding was constant. Seafaring populations too, had multiple goddesses they sought blessings from for their safe voyage (Dragon Mother, Sea Goddess Mazu, and the shuimu (“Water Goddess”).

In 1861, John Henry Gray observed a ceremony to the Dragon Mother:

“…On a small temporary altar, which had been erected for the occasion, stood three cups containing Chinese wine. Taking in his hands a live fowl, which he continued to hold until he killed it as a sacrifice, the master proceeded in the first place to perform the Kowtow. He then took the cups from the table, one at a time, and, raising each above his head, poured its contents on the deck as a libation. He next cut the throat of the fowl with a sharp knife, taking care to sprinkle that portion of the deck on which he was standing with the blood of the sacrifice. At this stage of the ceremony several pieces of silver paper were presented to him by one of the crew. These were sprinkled with the blood, and then fastened to the door-posts and lintels of the cabin.”6

It wasn’t just sailors and locals to the West river who observed such pilgrimages and prayer rituals. When there was a drought, even government officials were tasked with conducting prayers to the Dragon King.

2. Failure to Worship the Dragon King, or Worse, Destruction of a Dragon King Temple, Can Lead to Heaven-Sent Disaster!

During the Great Flood of 1931 in Wuhan, one official lamented that the people blamed the flood on the destruction of a Dragon King Temple.7 The Dragon King Temple in Hankou had been demolished in 1930 to make way for a new road, so the timing of the flood was uncanny.

This flood affected 53 million people. The officials of Wuhan had to repent. Several prominent officials of Wuhan participated in rituals designed to placate the Dragon King, including the mayor. They kowtowed to the Dragon King altar, beseeching the deity to spare Wuhan from the flood.

Citizens of the region also blamed officials for outlawing the singing of “spirit operas” traditionally performed to assuage flood dragons.8

To those who worshiped the Dragon King, destroying his temple that sat atop the dyke was clearly a bad idea.

3. Maybe a River Near You Has a Dragon Deity.

Even if a Dragon King or Dragon Mother temple isn’t available, you can still make a pilgrimage to the rivers. At least forty rivers in China are named for dragons including these rivers in Shanghai: Shanghai: Longquangang He 龍泉港河 (Dragon Spring Port River), Bailonggang He 白龍港河 (White Dragon Port River).9

Just be sure to be properly deferential, and perhaps offer a song to the river dragon.

—Julia Vee & Ken Bebelle

We would like to thank Dr. Yasmin Koppen of University Leipzig for her friendship, and generously sharing her expertise and scholarship in East Asian dragons.

Works Cited

Chau, Adam Yuet “Mysterious Response: Doing Popular Religion in Contemporary China” (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2006) 88.

Fan Lizhu and Chen Na “Resurgence of Indigenous Religion in China” (2013) 11.

Courtney, Chris “The Dragon King and the 1931 Wuhan Flood: Religious Rumors and Environmental Disasters in Republican China” (University of Cambridge, Twentieth-Century China 40.2, May 2015) p. 88.

Tan, Weiyun “Dragon mother temple keeps legend alive for 2 millennia” Shine, Nov. 12, 2021 https://www.shine.cn/feature/art-culture/2111128066/

Poon, Shuk-Wah. "Thriving Under an Anti-Superstition Regime: The Dragon Mother Cult in Yuecheng, Guangdong, During the 1930s." Journal of Chinese Religions 43, no. 1 (2015): 34-58. muse.jhu.edu/article/708611.

Poon, pg 41.

Courtney at p. 83.

Courtney at p. 100.

Zhao, Qiguang Chinese Mythology in the Context of Hydraulic Society Asian Folklore Studies Vol. 48, No. 2 (1989), pp. 231-246.

cindyxiong. “Ancient Bronze Dragons Carving in the Ancient Dragon King Temple along Yangtze River,China. Foreign Text Means King. Stock Photo.” Adobe Stock, stock.adobe.com/images/ancient-bronze-dragons-carving-in-the-ancient-dragon-king-temple-along-yangtze-river-china-foreign-text-means-king/100861913?prev_url=detail. Accessed 6 July 2023.

[paralyze-fic]

Paralyze.

Chapter 31

When my eyes opened, I thought everything from last night had been just a dream.

So I decided I would stay in my room to sulk all day when I realized there was something- someone on top of me, and the moment I looked down, I was met with a pair of red eyes, a faint blush and a soft smile.

"Good morning, (M/n)..." Katsuki whispered low, his hoarse voice making me shiver.

God fucking-! I want him!

Suddenly, I turned us around, he let out a yelp and I smirked, getting closer to his face.

"Why do you have to be so tempting, Katsuki?" He blushed furiously and looked away.

I took a deep breath and leaned down, nuzzling onto his neck and humming content at the calm scent of his body.

"(M/n)...?" I acknowledge him with a low hum, leaving small and subtle kisses on his warm skin, "What... Are you doing?"

"Hm, I'm just..." I wrapped my arms around his waist, trying to not put my whole body weight on top of him, "Enjoying my time now that I get to coddle you, Katsuki."

I felt his body tense under me, and for a moment I panicked. Was I... Being too pushy, right now?

I backed away for a moment, "If you don't want me to, I won't do it," we made eye contact and I saw the dark blush that coloured his face. I heard his breath hitch as he looked away, covering his face with his hands.

"I never said... It bothered me, idiot," I chuckled and leaned down again, taking a deep breath and nuzzling him, enjoying how his warm hands placed themselves on the back of my neck, playing with my hair.

I really wanted to stay like this, but we had classes that we had to attend so, releasing another sigh, I backed away and pecked his cheek.

"Why did you...?" I looked at him and smiled, watching his blush slowly fade.

"I would love to stay like this but," I yawned and stretched, getting up from the bed, "We're gonna be late to class, come on." I was about to turn around and leave when he grabbed my wrist, preventing me from doing so, "Yes, Katsuki?" The pink tone of his blush came back.

"Deku and I have house arrest with cleaning duty due to our fight from last night. I have four days, so I won't be going to school for now," I chuckled and he looked up at me, confused.

"That's what you get for fighting poor Izuku, I'm sure he didn't even do anything to you," a scowl formed on his face, and he was about to yell something at me, but I quickly bent over and kissed him so he wouldn't.

My hands held his face, pulling him closer to me. Katsuki hummed and wrapped his arms around my neck, slowly I opened my eyes just enough to look at him. His eyes were closed, and a dark blush was colouring his cheeks. As his finger intertwined with my hair to pull me close, my eyes closed again, and I lowered my arms to wrap them around his middle.

I'm not sure how much time passed, but we kissed until our lungs ached due to the lack of air. When we pulled away, a string of saliva connected our lips, and it broke when I licked my lips. Katsuki let out a quiet whine at that and hid his face against my stomach.

"I want to stay with you, (M/n)." He whined, gripping my t-shirt and pulling me closer.

My breath hitched.

Goddamn it! Katsuki, why are you even more adorable than usual?! This is unfair!

"I want to stay here with you too, but I can't miss school." He looked up, his crimson eyes had the softest and most vulnerable look I've ever seen him have. Katsuki, you dam tease, you're doing this on purpose, aren't you?

"Just call in sick," I chuckled and shuffled his hair.

"I won't do that," I bent down to peck his forehead, "Just focus on your cleaning duty for now, firecracker." He groaned and I laughed, pulling back and going to his door. "See you later, Katsuki."

//////

"What is it, Ashido?"

I watched Aizawa use his quirk while looking at Mina, it was obvious he had heard her commenting on how he avoided saying anything about the Hero Intership mentioned during the ceremony.

Tsuyu asked it instead of Mina and that made some others want to know about it too.

"I was going to talk about that later... but I guess is logical to say it now. Summarizing, they are hero activities outside of the school campus. Like the internships you've already had, but more like the real thing," after a few seconds of silence, Uraraka asked something. "The Hero Internship uses the Sports Festival as a base. It is not part of the class; but something to the discretion of the student. The ones who weren't recruited during the Festival would have trouble getting one. The Agencies recruited on their own, but there had been trouble with getting students from U.A., and it became like this. If you understand, sit down."

Uraraka apologized and sat down.

"Now that you have your licences, you can help in real ways for longer. But the first years don't usually get that licence. With the mayor villain activity, we seriously considered your participation. I'll explain the details later, as we have to consider the situation. Sorry for making you wait, Mic." The door opened, revealing the blond teacher, Present Mic.

"The first class is English!" He continued to yell some more but I tuned him out, thinking about the internship and if Sir would accept me.

The day went by quite boring, but I was thinking about the internship that Aizawa mentioned. He said not to talk about it with the "prisoners", and I knew it was going to be hard not to.

Anyway, I sighed heavily when I opened my bedroom door, only to jump at the person inside it.

"Why are you here?" Katsuki turned to stare at me, and went back to fixing the things on the shelf hung on the wall.

"I'm being tidy, unlike you, this room is a mess, when was the last time you cleaned up?" He was now moving my figurines, making them face straight forward.

I simply dropped my backpack by the door and plopped face down on my bed. "I'm tired~"

He groaned and I heard him walk around, soon after feeling his body weight on top of me.

"Gah! Katsuki, get off! Your ass is heavy!" He chuckled and shifted, making me grunt. "It hurts, you're going to break my spine."

"I'm not that heavy, asshole, maybe you're just weak."

My mind raced, and my mouth closed, I took his words as a challenge, and I'm not a guy to just avoid a good one. Katsuki and I were similar in that regard.

"I'll show you how weak I am, Katsuki." His body tensed on top of mine, and I pushed him off, his body bouncing slightly on my mattress. I place one knee on my bed, a smirk plastered on my face.

I reached my hand to hold his waist, dragging him to me.

"(M/n), what are you going to do?" His voice was low, getting out in a soft whisper.

"I already told you," I moved his arms to wrap around my neck, and I held his thighs. "Hold on tight, love."

He let out a yelp as I lifted him in my arms, his legs wrapped around my hips, and arms held tightly onto my neck, his face dangerously close to mine.

"Who's the weak one now?" I mumbled against his lips, and he blushed, looking away.

"Shut up..." one of Katsuki's hands moved to cup my cheek and I leaned into it, sighing as I stared into his eyes. "And just kiss me already."

I chuckled and I walked until his back his resting against a wall. "As you wish, Katsuki."

[jaysficarchive]

Save the Date

Synopsis: Heatwave and Heavy Metalikka cordially request demand the pleasure of your company at their wedding ceremony on November 9th at 1:40 P.M.

Be there...or else.

For @calciumcryptid since I said I would write about the HeavyHeat wedding (and as an apology for spamming your inbox)

"How ya feeling, Mick?"

"Ten feet tall, Len."

Mick smiled at himself in the mirror. Wearing a nice black suit surrounded by flames, his signature heat gun tucked away in his holster. Even though today was a joyous day, Mick had to remind everyone he was still a rogue.

"I'm proud of ya. You found you a pretty lady and now yer gonna marry her." Len put his hand on the taller man's shoulder. Despite their occasional fighting, Len was happy for his fellow criminal.

If someone told Roxy that she'd be feeling like a schoolgirl on her first date during her wedding day, she'd looked at them crazy.

Irina snapped a picture while Lisa did some retouches on Roxy's makeup. None of it got too messed up since they just came back from running a little "errand".

"Save some for the actual ceremony, Rina," Lisa giggled.

"Sorry it's just...I never thought I'd see the day." Irina set her camera down to adjust Roxy's veil. She was the first between the Bad Girls, her and Roxy's group, to be married. Why wouldn't she be overjoyed that her best friend was getting married?

"Me neither. Took a while but I'm here," Roxy gloated. She had boyfriends and fiances in the past but those didn't end up making it to an altar. Not that she needed to fret about getting married at her age; lots of women did.

Finally it was time for the reception. Nobody was surprised to see that Wally was the one officiating the future Rorys nuptials. It was a favor for Hartley. Everyone stood as they awaited the bride's entrance.

Mick felt like a kid in a candy store. Roxy was everything he wanted in a woman: fiery, villainous, brash. Things may have started out with her trying to kill him (because she thought he was a skinhead or undercover cop) but now they were almost inseparable.

"Where's Lisa and Irina?" Mark asked.

Sure enough, those two came strolling through the door with the biggest surprise yet: Barry Allen tied down to a rolling chair.

"Holy-! Is that Flash?"

"Yep! He's the guest of honor!"

Everyone laughed then quieted down when the music played. All eyes were on Roxy who walked through the doors, arm locked with her father and guitar slung across her back.

Mick teared up seeing his soon to be wife. She looked absolutely stunning. "So damn gorgeous." He wiped his tears. As for Roxy, her heart skipped a beat seeing her eventual husband in his suit.

The two held hands as Wally read out his script. Mick was too caught up in Roxy's beauty to notice she was wearing the jewelry he stole for her.

"Welcome, everyone. We are gathered here today to join Heatwave and Heavy Metalikka in holy matrimony. The rings please?"

Mick exchanged rings and vows first.

"Firecracker, you changed my life in ways I never thought of. Before you, I thought my only love was fire. Then you came here, on that day we first met, and proved me wrong. I'll admit I stood no chance the moment I saw you swing that guitar and take down all those cops without any help. You are the queen whom I wholly devote myself to."

Roxy teared up. "All my life, I've always felt that if I liked a guy, I'd pursue him the same way he would me. That was, until I met you. Mickey, you were so relentless in your pursuit of me that it threw me off at times. You never stopped trying to win my love or my heart. And for that I love you and can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

Cheers and applaused erupted when the couple kissed. Money was thrown as Roxy and Mick walked down the aisle together.

Everyone was on their best behavior up until Roxy's parents left. Roxy made sure they didn't leave anything behind so the real debauchery could begin while Irina made sure they left for good. Once the coast was clear, Roxy gave Mick the signal.

"Alright! Let's get drunk!"

The rest of the night was full of heavy metal, drinking, and tormenting Barry by using him for their party games. It felt more like a college party than a wedding. Maybe that was the intention since many of the rogues didn't or couldn't go. Roxy changed into a more promiscuous outfit that included a red tulle skirt and fishnets that had Mick blushing seeing her in it.

"Ready?" Roxy held the bouquet ready to throw.

"Do it, girl!" Lisa cheered.

Soon as the flowers (which were fire lilies) went up in the air, Mick set fire to them. Some rogues moved to get as much ash on them as possible in the hopes of being the next to get married.

Afterwards Roxy and Hartley put on the concert. Surprisingly her guitar and his flute went together perfectly. Who needed to hire a band when the two most musical rogues were the band? Special guests were Hartley's many rats.

"Drink, drink, drink!"

Mick poured some beer on Roxy's stomach. At the right amount he drank it right off her. His wife smiled the whole time, cheering when he drank it all. Of course she got the chance to do the same to him and was rewarded with a kiss until her teeth ached.

"Don't get too drunk, Mickey. We still need to get to our wedding gifts." Roxy rested her head on his shoulder. His body was warm--great for the cold Midwestern November. "And we still have our wedding night."

"Those are my second and third favorite parts." Mick cupped her chin and gave her another kiss before announcing it was time for the gifts. Unsurprisingly Len was up first.

"Congrats, you two. And Roxy, welcome to the rogues." He set a small box with a red ribbon in front of them. Inside were a set of matching lighters.

"Lenny, this is perfect!" Mick tested the lighters out by lighting cigarettes for him and his wife. Everyone else's gifts were just as good; ranging from a new grill (gifted by Sam) to a whole motorcycle (from Irina).

Lisa handed Roxy a check; same way Roxy used to do when she was living with the former skater. "Here. Consider it your dowry."

Roxy smiled and gave her the biggest hug. "It'll be good use for me and Mickey's honeymoon."

"Speaking of which, where you two going? Is Mick still keeping it a surprise?"

"He is but I have a feeling I know where," Roxy whispered. "Sandals resort."

Lisa nodded, impressed at the location Mick picked. Knowing him, though, he'd probably just stay on the beach while Roxy got in the water.

Latet that night, Roxy and Mick settled down after an exciting day. Despite their plans of a more romantic way to wind down the evening together, they decided to wait until they got to the resort.

"Had fun, firecracker?" Mick asked, running his hand up Roxy's side.

"Hell yeah I did. It's gonna be even more fun during our honeymoon. Speaking of which, you got that grilling hat packed?"

"You know it. Tomorrow I'll wear it just for you."

Roxy felt like a lovesick schoolgirl. Was this the married woman feeling her mom described?

"G'night, Roxanne. I love you."

"I love you too, Mick."

[gamerbearmira]

Au where Mirabel's gift is the ability to shoot fireworks. It's an au I found on another blog, but I want your take on it.

FIREWORKS‼️‼️ She’s. Very excited, It’s like the Fourth of July when she first gets it. Though, she does realize Dolores might be sensitive to it, so whenever Dolores is close, she shoots small ones or does small little firecracker ones. You know, the ones that don’t make giant booming sounds. Her ceremony party goes outside, and while her room his big and spacious, it’s easier outside. Alma thinks the gift is useful for the most part, it’s very showy and good for festivals and parties. Bruno doesn’t leave btw, he stays <333

When she’s first starting out she is. Very explosive. Takes her a while to get used to it and control it more. This warrants a lot of time with Pepa and Luisa, who had to work a lot to keep their gifts under control in order not to leave anyone.

She is. Always the life of the party. She helps out in town in the day with Camilo, keeping the kids occupied while the adults work. Though most of the time, she’s out late working birthday parties, weddings etc etc. Julieta does get worried and always sends her with food, because some people get a little too close when she!s setting them off.

And she can make different shapes with them! Animals, objects, plants etc etc. She can make smaller fireworks in her hand, but she doesn’t do them often in fear that she’ll hurt someone (coughcoughAgustíncouhcough).

[sdierdorf]

I Watched Damsel So You Don’t Have To

You may be aware that the #1 movie on Netflix right now is a fantasy movie starring Millie Bobby Brown called Damsel. Since it's so highly rated, you're probably asking yourself, Should I watch this?

The answer is no. You should not watch it. It's not good. But as a public service I have taken it upon myself to summarize the whole movie for you here. So don't waste two hours watching it—just waste 5 minutes reading this post. You're welcome!

Once upon a time...

Millie Bobby Brown is from a kingdom in the north that is super cold and has no money or food, so everyone is starving. She has a father, and a stepmother, and a sister, and they are worried about how they are going to feed their kingdom. But good news! Her father has arranged for her to be married to a prince from a rich kingdom far away. This will save us! he says, without elaborating. So the whole family piles into a ship and sails to this rich kingdom, the name of which I did not get.

They land in the rich kingdom. We know it’s rich because everyone keeps remarking on how rich it is. Princess MBB meets the prince, whose name I think is Henry. He’s tall, but he’s a bit of a wet washcloth. He and MBB walk through the garden and then go on a horseback ride. He thinks that MBB is a bit of a firecracker because she can draw mazes, and ride horses, and speak truth to power. He confesses to her that he wants to travel the world, and she says that she does too. This seems to be working out great!

As an aside, MBB tells him that she saw torches on the mountain the night before. Henry says that it was an “ancient ceremony” of his family’s that “honors their ancestors”. The way he hesitates awkwardly when he says this does not in any way make MBB suspect anything sinister.

Meanwhile, her father is back at the palace having a meeting with the Queen (Prince Henry’s mom) to work out some “particulars” of the wedding plans. He emerges from this meeting looking like a ghost. His wife (MBB’s stepmother) sees him and is like, What’s wrong? And he’s like, Nothing… And she’s like, Then why are you all pale? And he’s like, Leave me alone woman!

Unsatisfied, the stepmom toddles up to the queen and compliments the wedding flowers and the palace and everything, and the Queen is a stone cold bitch to her. So the stepmother finds MBB and is like, Yo these people suck, you shouldn’t marry this guy! But then the dad comes along and their talk is over.

The next day is the wedding! Five lady's maids who look like they are from A Handmaid’s Tale squeeze MBB into a golden dress that has like 17 corsets. Then it’s the wedding! It takes up about a minute of screen time. They kiss, and she and the prince get into a golden carriage and are whisked away. Where are we going? asks MBB. Remember those ceremonies I told you about? he says totally innocently and without foreboding.

The carriage stops in the mountains in front of a long, black, non-sinister staircase. There is no one else around. The prince leads MBB up the stairs to a little grotto with a bridge, where they see the Queen and like 40 dudes in creepy gold masks.

The Queen gives MBB a gold coin for seemingly no reason, and then she gives a speech while the prince leads MBB up some more stairs and across the bridge. The Queen tells a story about their ancient ancestor, a king, who discovered that there was a “beast” living in the kingdom. He tried to kill it but failed, so he made a deal wherein the beast could eat the king’s three daughters and the king could settle his people in the kingdom. At no point during this story does MBB think that anything is weird.

Then the Queen takes out a dagger. She slices the palm of the prince’s hand, and then she slices the palm of MBB’s hand. She pushes their palms together and kind of smears the blood around. Then she declares, Now she is of royal blood! Okay…? MBB gives the prince a relieved look. Thank goodness that’s over! She turns to the crowd of gold-masked people behind them, who all slowly nod their heads once in a non-sinister way.

To ensure that our kingdom thrives forever more, says the Queen to MBB, pay your due to the realm! Then she whispers, Throw the coin off the bridge and into that ominous dark chasm. MBB does this, and the Queen declares, Now the ceremony is complete! You may make your return!

Thank goodness that’s over! MBB turns to leave, and the prince says, I’m supposed to carry you back. MBB says she is fine walking, but the prince ignores this and sweeps her into his arms. He carries her back over the bridge and stops in the middle. I’m sorry, he whispers, and then hucks her off the bridge into the chasm. Who could’ve seen that coming?

MBB falls down into the chasm through a whole bunch of tree branches and then lands at the bottom with a thud. She is knocked unconscious for a bit, but then she comes to and starts screaming for help. Then she tries to climb out, but the walls are too slippery and she falls down again. Then she starts looking around on the ground and sees all of these jewels and tiaras and stuff. That’s not mine! she says, and then she figures it out: lots of princesses have been tossed into this chasm. She does not seem embarrassed for not figuring this out earlier, but she should be.

Then she hears a noise, which she unwisely investigates, and holy shitballs it turns out to be a dragon! They have a conversation. It turns out that the bargain is that the humans have to huck some princesses into the chasm once every generation in order to keep living in the kingdom. MBB looks shocked for some reason.

The dragon breathes fire at MBB, who runs away into some caves. Whilst running she finds the body of another princess-y girl who seems to have been hucked down here rather recently. Odd!

She crawls deeper into the caves, which get super narrow and claustrophobic, and which I did not care for. Eventually she finds some room to walk, and she wanders into a big cavern that is lit up by some blue fungus or something. It’s a dead end though: there’s a deep ravine between her and the rest of the passage.

She takes a breather. She examines her wedding ring, which fills her with rage about her betrayal, so she takes it off and tosses it into the ravine. Fuck the patriarchy! She decides to further fuck the patriarchy by leaping across the ravine, which seems to go okay at first, but then she starts sliding down the rock face and into the depths. At the last second she whips out a ceremonial dagger that the Handmaid’s Tale ladies had conveniently laced into her bodice, and she uses it to pull herself up to safety. Whew!

Now that she’s safely across, she examines the blue fungus, which actually turns out to be a bunch of glowing slugs. She rips one of the puffy sleeves off of her dress and fills it with glowing slugs, which she uses as a kind of torch. What a firecracker!

Then the dragon finds her again, so MBB has to leap out of the way of the dragon’s fire breath into another small crevasse. The dragon seems nonplussed by this and goes off somewhere else. MBB crawls down further into the crevasse, which opens up into a big cavern. One of the cavern walls is notable because some previously-sacrificed princesses have scratched their names into it. There are a lot of names.

MBB curls up with her slug sleeve torch and tries to get some sleep, but she is haunted by dreams of all those other princesses who died in this cave. In her dream one of the other princesses looks at her and says, It’s a lie! Then MBB wakes up with a start. Odd!

She wakes up to find, to her horror, that the really nasty burn wound on her leg that I forgot to tell you about before is covered with glowy slugs! She peels them off with disgust, but she soon discovers that the slugs have somehow healed her burn! She puts a slug on a giant scratch on her arm, and the slug heals that too! I am deeply sorry for underestimating you, she says to the slug. What a firecracker!

She stands up and discovers that one of the enterprising dead princesses has drawn a map of the cave system on the wall. It seems to show a way out, which makes no sense: did someone discover a way out, come all the way back down to update the map, and then re-escape? Whatever. MBB is not bothered by this; in fact, she is energized. She rips off a big chunk of her wedding dress’s big billowy skirt and then uses her ceremonial dagger to carve her name on the wall. Then she sets off to follow the map (which she has memorized) and escape.

She soon reaches her destination: a tall cavern with a crack in the top that leads to the surface! But uh-oh walls of the cavern are covered in razor-sharp crystals. No problem. She tears off more of her dress into strips, which she wraps around her hands and feet so she doesn’t get cut while climbing up the crystals.

This totally works. When she reaches the top she finds an opening to the outside. But god damn it, the opening is just a hole in the face of the mountain about a zillion feet up. It’s a sheer rock face, so there’s no way to climb down. Foiled again! But what’s this? She hears horses somehow! Far in the distance she sees some men dismounting their steeds, and she starts screaming and waving to get their attention.

Just then, the dragon slams into the side of the mountain, right in front of MBB! The dragon could easily kill her by simply breathing fire into the hole in the rock, but she decides to monologue first. There’s no way out, Princess! says the dragon. Three were taken, and three must be given! That seems like an odd thing to say, but MBB doesn’t seem to notice.

Then the dragon starts to get its fire breath going, and MBB braces for her inevitable demise. But the dragon stops. There is the sound of voices in the distance. What’s this? says the dragon to nobody, and then it flies away, because it is the world’s most easily distracted dragon.

MBB has but a moment to savor her good fortune when she hears shouts from below. Someone is calling her name! We cut to another part of the cavern, where we see MBB’s snake of a father climbing down a rope from the surface. Apparently he felt guilty about selling MBB out to be sacrificed, so he gathered a huge army of knights to storm the mountain and kill the dragon.

Just kidding! He actually only brought three measly dudes with him, one of whom is their guide and doesn’t even have any armor. This seems wholly inadequate.

Meanwhile, we find that MBB has made the onerous climb back down the crystal cavern. She happens into a very large chamber, where she finds what appear to be three broken eggs, each one holding the skeleton of a baby dragon. We are then treated to a flashback of that ancient ancestor king (the guy who made the deal with the dragon) and a huge army of his knights. (Just kidding! He’s got maybe eight guys with him.) It’s not entirely clear whose flashback this is; it seems like they want us to think it’s MBB’s, but that obviously makes no sense at all.

Anyway, the king and his men are in the same chamber and see three shiny golden eggs, which hatch into baby dragons right before their eyes. The king orders 3/8ths of his soldiers to kill the babies. I guess all the kings in this movie are bastards. We see the men stab their swords down a bunch of times, but the actual killing happens just offscreen, I guess because killing babies of any species is a huge bummer.

Then the dragon flies in with a quickness and roasts the king’s eight dudes. The king immediately capitulates. Please spare me! he cries. I’ll give you anything! The dragon grabs him in his claw. You will feel my pain, says the dragon. What an odd thing to say!

The flashback ends and MBB scurries away. She hears her father and his paltry band yelling her name. She’s like, shut up, the dragon can hear you! They do not shut up, and the dragon hears them. It flies in and kills the companions, and then faces off with the father. The father draws his sword and charges at the dragon, who wraps up the father’s legs with its tail and hoists him upside down into the air. Total humiliation.

The dragon starts conversating with the father. It forces him to call MBB, to lure her in. The father dutifully calls her. He apologizes to her for selling her out. The dragon orders him to tell MBB to come out of her hiding place. But in a remarkable twist, the father defiantly tells her NOT to come out, and the dragon crushes him under his claw. What a hero, I guess.

Hilariously, MBB has been about five feet from the dragon this whole time. If the dragon had just tilted its head a different way, it would have spotted her. Whatever. MBB and the dragon play a game of cat-and-mouse around a big stalagmite. It looks like she’s about to get caught when her father’s guide, who apparently did not get killed with the other companions, makes a noise. The dragon instantly stops caring about MBB and chases after the noise, because distractable.

MBB comes out of hiding and creeps over to her dad, who utters something unintelligible and then dies. MBB finds the rope that her dad had climbed down, and she starts climbing up it.

The dragon locates the guide and kills him, and then it somehow hears MBB making a break for it. It flies through the cavern and unleashes a torrent of fire right at MBB, but it only manages to burn the bottom part of the rope she is no longer holding on to. She climbs up and out of the cavern.

Her father’s horses are nearby, so she jumps onto one and takes off at a gallop. The dragon climbs out of the cavern to the surface and chases her. But she pulls off a super sneaky trick: she jumps OFF the horse and hides under some rocks!

This totally works. The dragon flies right over MBB’s hiding place, chases after the horse, and roasts it with his fire breath. Pour one out for the horse. The dragon soon figures out that it’s been had, however, and it starts flying around in a rage and breathing fire into the sky.

We cut to the Queen in the palace. She sees the fire in the sky. That damned girl! she exclaims, presumably meaning MBB. Then she runs off. We then cut to MBB’s (remaining) family. They are on their ship waiting to go home. The Queen comes aboard with a bunch of soldiers. They seize MBB’s sister, who I think I forgot to mention had come with the family to the rich kingdom to attend the wedding. One of the soldiers stabs the stepmother really hard right in the gut, seemingly for fun, and they all storm off.

It’s morning now. MBB emerges from her hiding place and sees…the stepmother. Wait, what? Somehow the stepmother managed to get off the ship, requisition a horse, and ride to the mountains to find MBB, all with a grievous sword wound? And she found her immediately? Okay, movie, whatever. The stepmother gets off the horse with no problem whatsoever and tells MBB that her sister has been taken. MBB then hilariously jumps onto the horse and rides off to save her sister, stranding her presumably-dying stepmother in the middle of nowhere, where she will either bleed out or starve to death. I guess that’s a wrap on the stepmother.

Cut to the Queen and the prince, who are back in that grotto with the bridge. They have the sister in tow, and the Queen is clearly intent on doing some hucking. Even the prince is not down with this plan, but the Queen brushes him aside. She slices the sister’s hand with the knife, slices her own hand with the knife, squishes their hands together, and mixes the blood around. (Gotta follow the rules!) Then the Queen’s soldiers huck the sister into the chasm. She falls down, down, down, but before she can bash her skull on the rocks below, the dragon catches her in its claw and flies deeper into the cavern. The dragon’s plan appears to be use the sister as bait to lure in MBB and then kill her.

This totally works. MBB rides up to the mountain on her stolen horse. She climbs up to the grotto/bridge situation. The Queen is long gone, but MBB knows what happened. She throws a rope down into the chasm and climbs down.

At this point the movie laps itself. MBB basically acts out everything we’ve seen before: jumping across the chasm, gathering glowy slugs, finding the map room, going to the big chamber where her dad died. She builds some kind of ingenious contraption that I didn’t understand, which makes a big noise and unsurprisingly distracts the dragon. Like an idiot, it flies off to investigate the noise and leaves the sister unattended.

MBB sneaks in and wakes up the sister, who was unconscious. They try to run away, but the sister has a hurt leg, so they can’t escape before the dragon comes back. The sister hides, and MBB draws her sword and bravely starts a conversation with the dragon. She tries to convince the dragon that they’re on the same side, but it doesn’t work. The dragon roasts MBB with its fire breath, and MBB stabs the dragon with her sword. Luckily MBB also falls backward off of the cliff she was standing on into some conveniently placed water, which puts out the fire. She’s burned a bit, but it’s nothing some glowy slugs can’t take care of.

The dragon is getting wise, though, and it flies down and traps MBB under its giant claw before she can scurry off again. It uses one of its giant fingernails to stab MBB in the side, which pisses her off enough to stab the dragon in the eye with a knife she apparently had. MBB escapes the claw and retrieves her dad’s sword, which was lying around. The dragon faces her, but with only one eye it can’t see her very well. MBB charges at the dragon with her sword but then slides on the ground at the last minute, sneaking under the dragon’s outstretched claw and stabbing it in the chest.

But the dragon isn’t dead yet, and also MBB is really hurt. She limps away, following some weird puffs of dust. The dragon limps after her, clearly dying, but with enough strength left to finish off MBB. MBB turns around, they have another conversation, and then the dragon lights up MBB with its fire breath, burning her to a cinder. The End.

As if! You think Netflix would let MBB go out like that? Not a chance. You see, a little earlier she noticed that the puffs of dust in the cave were blowing into some conveniently-placed curved rocks, rebounding off them, and then blowing back in the opposite direction. So when the dragon unleashes its fire breath on her, MBB leaps out of the way somehow, and the fire bounces off the curved rocks and right back into the dragon’s face! Because that’s totally how fire works!

The dragon burns and smolders, but it isn’t quite dead yet. Exultant in her victory, MBB picks up her sword and approaches the dragon. She explains to the dying dragon that the whole thing was a sham: the princesses weren’t really princesses, they were just girls that were duped into temporarily marrying a prince and then hucked into the chasm. She holds up her hand to show it the scar on her palm. She explains that they would cut the palm of the “princess” and then rub it against it blood of the prince to fool the dragon. It would smell the “royal” blood and then assume that the girl was a real princess.

Wait, really? That’s what this whole plot hinges on? Ay carumba.

The dragon concedes that yeah, maybe it wasn’t super clear about the whole royal blood thing. Mea culpa. The dragon asks to be put out of its misery. MBB lifts up her sword to strike the killing blow, but instead she stabs the sword into the ground. I’m through doing what I’m told! she explains to the dragon. What a firecracker!

MBB collects a few glowy slugs and places them on one of the dragon’s 7,000 grievous wounds. Work fast, little slugs.

Cut to the palace courtyard, where another wedding is already in progress. The prince gazes into the eyes of his new bride/victim while the Queen and her assembled noblepeople look on. Their attention is diverted by the sound of a coin rolling along the ground. It’s the gold coin that the Queen gave to MBB before she (MBB) got hucked! Everyone’s eyes look up to see where the coin came from, and they see MBB walking toward them.

She looks like hot shit. She’s all dirty and bloody, and she’s wearing only a tattered fragment of skirt and her trusty whalebone corset. Thankfully her hair and eye makeup are still perfect.

The assembled royalty is surprised to see her, to say the least. The prince tries to protest that he was worried about her, but MBB is having none of it. The Queen is kind of pissy about the whole thing, seemingly on the grounds that MBB is not royal enough or something. This seems entirely beside the point. MBB gently tells the new bride to GTFO, which she does. Then she tells everyone at the wedding that they can run away too, if they want. Some of the servants take off, but the Queen and her retinue stay put. You think that we should fear you just because you escaped the dragon? the Queen asks haughtily. MBB stares daggers at her and says, It’s not me you should fear.

Right on cue, the dragon flies into the courtyard. Now the various nobles start to flee, but the Queen and her family stay put. MBB exits stage left, which you’d think would be a clue about what is going to happen next. The dragon shoots its fire breath into the courtyard and roasts the royal family. Mission accomplished.

We then see the palace from a distance. The entire thing is in flames. The palace is made of stone, which is notoriously fireproof, but whatever. MBB walks out of the city and down an extremely long causeway, with her new dragon pal flying incredibly slowly above her.

Cut to the pier. MBB and her sister are walking with their stepmother, who is remarkably alive. They are discussing how they are going to rescue their kingdom from starvation. (Remember that?) The plan seems to be to fill up their ship with supplies that they will steal from what’s left of the rich kingdom. MBB says that these supplies will last them at least two winters. This doesn’t seem to really solve the core problem of their kingdom being shitty and unsustainable, but I guess two years is long enough to be considered a happy ending. They all board the ship and sail home, with the dragon sloooowly escorting them across the sea. THE END.

[skippyv20]

Interesting tidbit in the Alison Boshoff article "The behind the scenes drama of Harry & Meghan". This tidbit might have already been discussed but I am just know seeing the info.

For reference Liz Garbus is the director of the lie-series.

"Garbus is surely fortunate to have had Monroe and his talents at her disposal.

All the more so as sources say the couple were initially uncomfortable to do anything unscripted on camera — if true, a big stumbling block when making an 'at home' about their innermost feelings.

Garbus, though, is a steely figure who brings her own clout and contacts. Her partner in the Moxie Firecracker films company is Rory Kennedy, daughter of the late Robert F. Kennedy.

By amazing coincidence, Rory's sister, Kerry Kennedy, will present Meghan and Harry with the Ripple of Hope award for overcoming institutional racism in the Royal Family at a ceremony in New York on Tuesday — two days before the Netflix documentary is finally aired."

What this shows is how work was being done behind the scenes….backers at work….thank you❤️

[g0atmama]

Firecracker, 1

Part 7/9, of the Tribunal attending a gala with their beloveds. As before, this part features @sneakygreenbean's Vorys Seduri and Almalexia in the absolute OTP that is Mercyshipping

The gala was hosted in Mournhold. It was outside, under a mystical tapestry that kept bugs away. Almalexia didn’t let any Telvanni even try to help. The night was young, the sun just barely set over the horizon. People would be arriving soon. The others of the triune. Almalexia let herself hold Vorys’ arm, smiling so wide and warm as she walked with him. Speaking with nobles of all houses, introducing him to them. So many greeted him with great smiles.

The Master of Ceremonies spoke up suddenly. Loudly- his voice even louder than natural due to a clockwork device around his shoulders. He announced Lord Vivec. Accompanied by a Redoran woman, of a family Vorys hadn’t heard of. The Sendas family. They must have been small.

Almalexia suddenly pulled him towards the warrior-poet. They met in the middle, next to a flowerbed of vibrant hues. Vorys was quiet, smiling and nodding a greeting to the woman beside Vivec. Hannabi. Their loves spoke for a while, before attention was turned to others.

Eventually, they started talking to each other. Softly, smalltalk. The Master of Ceremonies spoke up again. It was an hour since Vivec had arrived.

“With great pride, I announce the arrival of Lord Sotha Sil. Accompanying our Clockwork God is…” The man’s voice trailed off. There were whispers. Harsh things. Everyone, including Vorys, turned to look. What… What was that thing? A daedra?

It was Sil who spoke next, gently taking the device from around the Master’s neck.

“Accompanied by the Herald of the Void.”

… What?

Sotha Sil and the creature moved directly to join the others of the Triune. And their partners. Vorys looked to the Sacred Lady, searching her body language for instruction. She was open, greeting Seht with a great smile. Vivec, the same, though his smile was more subdued.

Then introductions. Vivec and Ayem had given each other the introductions of their partners. Now it was time for Sotha Sil’s… Creature. It was Ayem who spoke first. She put her hands upon Vorys’ torso, over his ribs. The touch startled him at first.

“This,” she said, “is my darling Vorys Seduri. Vorys, darling, I’m sure you know Sil.”

He nodded. It felt so… He wasn’t sure. Disrespectful? Blasphemous? To look upon two of the Triune and not bow his head. But Almalexia had assured him it would be okay.

Sil greeted with a small smile of his own, introduced his partner. The Creature. Critter, if those speaking to it were inclined.

The gala went on well into the night. Music wasn’t always slow dances, sometimes it was upbeat celebratory music. Vorys swore he even saw a few of the ordinators doing tiny dances along with the music. None would ever admit it though. The moons were high, there was a small bit of fog rolling in. All in all, it was a wonderful night. Even if Vorys would be exhausted the next morning.

Then, the music shifted. It was quiet for a moment, as the players got on the same page of what to play. Vivec had whispered something to Hannabi, and she had moved to speak with them. They seemed happy to oblige with whatever she’d said.

The music was gentle. Grand. Everyone, even Vorys, knew what the intentions were. Others moved away, children scooped up by parents. Vorys found himself suddenly in front of everyone, with Almalexia before him. Vivec wanted the tribunal to be seen dancing with their loves.

Vorys didn’t pay attention to the fact that Sotha Sil and Critter didn’t join them. His focus was on Ayem. On her smile and laugh as they danced. On the movements, the ones she taught him through the week. An old Chimer dance, one she hadn’t done in centuries.

Not since Nerevar was her husband.

It started with a bow. He bowed to her, she took his hands. He tried not to step on her toes. Or trip on his own feet. He did, a few times. It only made her laugh. She didn’t seem to mind it, despite how harshly she craved perfection. He heard a few whispers. Saw a few people leaning to speak with each other. He couldn’t be sure if it was because of him or Hannabi.

The music came to a close. Almalexia took him close, as she’d helped him practice. The end of the dance was a swapping of roles, letting the other lead. Letting Mother Morrowind lead him in a few more steps, then the flourish she would end with. She hadn’t practiced that with him, she’d wanted it to be a surpr-

She kissed him.

His mind skipped, as if a moment was plucked from his thoughts. She kissed him. Almalexia kissed him! His heart felt light. The whispers around him didn’t matter. All that mattered really was the fact that she chose that to be the flourish to end their dance.

He returned the kiss.

[cookie-run-kingdom-story]

The Butter Painting Affair: Investigating the Cookies

Walnut Cookie: Why did you come to the museum?

Gumball Cookie: I came here to look for art! But looks like there’s no real art here!

Lemon Cookie: Here to help set-up the party.

Herb Cookie: Oh, the Curator asked me to tend to the garden! There’s lots of lovely flowers and herbs!

Mustard Cookie: I didn’t come here because I wanted to.

Strawberry Cookie: Herb Cookie said there was a pretty herb garden here...

Angel Cookie: I wanted to bless all the Cookies who were preparing for the party...

Rockstar Cookie: I came here to blast out some rock n’ roll and liven up this partaaaay!

Whipped Cream Cookie: I am here to dance for the opening ceremony.

Carol Cookie: I came here to sing the song of Love and Peace!

Chili Pepper Cookie: One word: TREASURE!

Cheesecake Cookie: I came here to see Butter Pretzel Cookie’s paintings! After all, I’m her sponsor!

Mint Choco Cookie: Gratefully, I was given the opportunity to perform for the opening ceremony.

Birthday Cake Cookie: I’m in charge of planning the unveiling ceremony… I just wanted to plan the perfect party…!

Butter Pretzel Cookie: This is MY exhibition!

Truffle Cookie: I’m just here to look for more things to add to my collection!

Firecracker Cookie: There was supposed to be a big party! With firecrackers! And candy! And FIRECRACKERS!

Firecracker Cookie: But Birthday Cake Cookie asked me to wait...

Almond Cookie: Did you notice anything suspicious?

Gumball Cookie: Other than the fact that everything’s too neat here? Not much...

Lemon Cookie: I heard something like firecrackers.

Herb Cookie: I was concentrating too hard on the plants. I’m afraid I didn’t see anything… Sorry...

Mustard Cookie: Nothing pops into my mind. I was busy with an errand.

Strawberry Cookie: I took a relaxing walk and noticed some sort of commission…

Angel Cookie: No… but there was some kind of commotion…

Rockstar Cookie: I’ll tell you what’s suspicious! No rock n’ roll for the entire party!

Whipped Cream Cookie: I could still hear music even after rehearsal ended...

Carol Cookie: I didn’t get to see the entire museum because I was busy rehearsing.

Chili Pepper Cookie: One word: This is my turf! No one’s allowed to steal things here but ME!

Cheesecake Cookie: No, but don’t you think parties are more exciting with an air of mystery?

Mint Choco Cookie: I heard rehearsal was over before I could join… So, I did not come to the museum until the unveiling ceremony.

Birthday Cake Cookie: No no no, of course not! My parties are always flawless!

Butter Pretzel Cookie: I was in my studio the whole time...

Truffle Cookie: I saw something deep within a painting here.

Firecracker Cookie: I saw so many Cookies together outside! Then I thought we’d need more firecrackers! The more the merrier, WAHOO!

Walnut Cookie: What are your thoughts on Butter Pretzel Cookie and her work?

Gumball Cookie: Art on a canvas? PSH! Not interested!

Lemon Cookie: I don’t really care.

Herb Cookie: This is a secret but… I hope someday she will paint one of my potted herbs!

Mustard Cookie: Not really a limit-defying Cookie.

Strawberry Cookie: I don’t know much about her… I wonder if she gets lonely, drawing alone in her studio all day?

Angel Cookie: I love all Cookies...

Rockstar Cookie: Dunno who she is, but sounds like she’ll LOVE rock n’ roll!

Whipped Cream Cookie: A Cookie who paints marvelous wonders.

Carol Cookie: I love the free spirit and passion of all artists!

Chili Pepper Cookie: You sure she’s famous? Her pockets are like totally empty. Nothing to stea- I mean, find!

Cheesecake Cookie: Her paintings are absolutely fabulous! Such rich, fragrant aromas!

Mint Choco Cookie: A Cookie who reveres art with a burning passion.

Birthday Cake Cookie: Such an amazing client! She even asked me to plan her first exhibition!

Butter Pretzel Cookie: You are asking me about… me. What kind of detective are you?!

Truffle Cookie: A talented artist indeed, though I did not add any of her works to my collection.

Firecracker Cookie: Birthday Cake Cookie asked me to wait outside. So nope! I’ve never met Butter Pretzel Cookie!

Almond Cookie: What were you doing last night?

Gumball Cookie: I’m on a journey to find true artistic inspiration!

Lemon Cookie: Birthday Cake Cookie asked me for a favor.

Herb Cookie: I was so busy talking to the plants in the garden that I didn’t notice I was all alone!

Mustard Cookie: I was passing by because of Grams’ errand.

Strawberry Cookie: I walked by the garden that Herb Cookie was tending to…

Angel Cookie: I was looking for a Cookie who could fly with me…

Rockstar Cookie: I thought I would take center stage?! But apparently not! So I decided to follow my heart and perform on the street!

Whipped Cream Cookie: I practiced all night to prepare for the perfect performance.

Carol Cookie: Whipped Cream Cookie and I were rehearsing for the opening ceremony.

Chili Pepper Cookie: You know the smell that valuable things have? The museum was drowning in it! Hehehe! Have ya checked if everything is really still there?

Cheesecake Cookie: I was hosting my party, of course!

Mint Choco Cookie: I had finished performing elsewhere and returned home immediately.

Birthday Cake Cookie: I was making sure everything was perfect! No room for mistakes at my parties!

Butter Pretzel Cookie: I already told you. I was in my studio the whole time.

Truffle Cookie: I was perusing the entire exhibition to see if a painting called out to me.

Firecracker Cookie: No firecrackers in the museum! Sooo… I played with firecrackers outside! NYAHA!

Walnut Cookie: Can you provide an alibi?

Gumball Cookie: Look at the museum’s wall near the garden. That’s my alibi and latest masterpiece!

Lemon Cookie: I was working with Birthday Cake Cookie.

Herb Cookie: You can come to the garden and see how well-kept it is!

Mustard Cookie: Like I said, I was busy with Gram’s errand and never set foot in that museum.

Strawberry Cookie: I was with Herb Cookie the entire time…

Angel Cookie: I saw Rockstar and Firecracker Cookie… My ears are still ringing…

Rockstar Cookie: Alibi? Alibi! ♪ Alibiiii!! It’s got a nice ring to it!

Whipped Cream Cookie: I rehearsed with Carol Cookie.

Carol Cookie: I rehearsed with Whipped Cream Cookie.

Chili Pepper Cookie: HAHAHA! You’re a funny one. I don’t have to tell you anything!

Cheesecake Cookie: I was taking selfies and posting them online, hehe!

Mint Choco Cookie: My audience from yesterday’s performance can support my alibi.

Birthday Cake Cookie: Everyone in the museum must have seen me! I know it!

Butter Pretzel Cookie: Time flies when I’m contemplating my next masterpiece in the studio.

Truffle Cookie: My cute spiders can tell you.

Firecracker Cookie: A Cookie heard my firecrackers! I know it!

Almond Cookie: When did you last see the painting?

Gumball Cookie: Nope! Never seen it, ever! Didn’t set foot inside that museum.

Lemon Cookie: I hauled some stuff past it. Didn't see it up close.

Herb Cookie: I think it was while the exhibit was still being prepared. I was on my way to the garden.

Mustard Cookie: Why am I supposed to pay Coins to see art? You shouldn’t have to pay to see art!

Strawberry Cookie: I don’t even know what kind of painting is being shown here…

Angel Cookie: It was inside the museum… But I never went in there…

Rockstar Cookie: Don’t care much about art!

Whipped Cream Cookie: It was covered by a white piece of cloth.

Carol Cookie: I saw it hanging on a wall.

Chili Pepper Cookie: This is so dull and boring…! Hey, why don’t you just arrest me, so I can run away and actually have some fun!

Cheesecake Cookie: This is actually my first time here. But I have another party opening soon! Can we make this quick?

Mint Choco Cookie: I did not get a chance to see it.

Birthday Cake Cookie: I left it hanging in the center of the exhibit and went home.

Butter Pretzel Cookie: I left it in the care of Birthday Cake Cookie.

Truffle Cookie: I absolutely had to see this painting for myself.

Firecracker Cookie: But… I-I-I didn’t even go inside the museum…!

Walnut Cookie: Do you know the butter technique?

Gumball Cookie: Oh, how “FANCY…” Many shades of buttery yellow… Oh “wow.” Pffft!

Lemon Cookie: Butter painting? And that should matter to me… because…?

Herb Cookie: Strawberry Cookie told me about it! She said it smells wonderful!

Mustard Cookie: All I know is that there are paintings being shown off.

Strawberry Cookie: I’ve never heard of it… but it sounds delicious?

Angel Cookie: What is that…? I don’t know…

Rockstar Cookie: That’s got nothing to do with rock n’ roll, right?

Whipped Cream Cookie: It leaves a very unique and almost unforgettable aroma.

Carol Cookie: All forms of art are beautiful.

Chili Pepper Cookie: Painting with butter? Can’t say I’m a fan!

Cheesecake Cookie: Of course! I saw its true value straight away! I gave her some of the richest beurre and now her paintings smell even better!

Mint Choco Cookie: I have heard Cheesecake Cookie mention this form of art before.

Birthday Cake Cookie: I was looking for a painting to hang up. And that’s when I saw it! It was very nice!

Butter Pretzel Cookie: Are you kidding?! I’m the one who invented it!

Truffle Cookie: I know that Butter Pretzel Cookie’s paintings are crafted expertly with butter.

Firecracker Cookie: Ooooh! Birthday Cake Cookie told me it’s a super important painting!

Almond Cookie: Which Cookie do you suspect?

Gumball Cookie: Who cares?! I’m just glad my masterpieces can’t be stolen!

Lemon Cookie: I don’t trust anyone or anything.

Herb Cookie: Maybe a Cookie who was close to the museum?

Mustard Cookie: Why not question a Cookie who’s actually into this type of art?

Strawberry Cookie: Maybe the Cookie who did this wasn’t afraid of anything… 

Angel Cookie: All Cookies are kind… Can I go home now…?

Rockstar Cookie: I dunno. Ask Lemon Cookie? I know he was busy cleaning and covering paintings with blankets and stuff all day.

Whipped Cream Cookie: I don’t want to blame anyone… 

Carol Cookie: It could not be a Cookie with true passion for the arts.

Chili Pepper Cookie: You’re not suspecting me, are ya? If I stole it, I’d be halfway across the city by now!

Cheesecake Cookie: That painting was probably very heavy… It couldn’t have been moved alone?

Mint Choco Cookie: Perhaps a Cookie who can go in and out the museum at their leisure?

Birthday Cake Cookie: Maybe one of Butter Pretzel Cookie’s competitors?

Butter Pretzel Cookie: Everyone is suspicious… 

Truffle Cookie: Doubt leads to suspicion. Perhaps a Cookie close to our illustrious Butter Pretzel Cookie?

Firecracker Cookie: Maybe the suspect loves firecrackers! Next time, I’ll bring LOTS and LOTS of ’em!

[eventiderpg]

Caesar Flickerman, the Master of Ceremonies, strode into view with his arms exuberantly raised in the air, vibrant hair coiffed up toward the ceiling. Harnessing the energy of the crowd that cheered him on, he beamed with a smile almost as bright as the spotlights that illuminated him. A catchy anthem invigorated his every step.

Today was crucial. All of Panem would learn more about those who were reaped, but not from outside information. No, directly from the tributes themselves. Fortunately, Caesar had a knack for bringing out the personalities of even the driest of people during his famous interviews. He had to if it meant winning them the hearts and donations of sponsors.

While the tributes waited in line to be ushered onto the stage and be scrutinized by a restless audience as well as those who watched from home, Caesar greeted the viewers with the following charismatic introduction:

“Ha ha ha ha! Thank you. Thank you, everyone, for being here tonight on the eve of the 75th Hunger Games! Seventy-five years! Can you believe it? Ha, time flies! And no one knows that better than the chosen few who are waiting backstage. I am elated to introduce you all to the 24 tributes of the Third Quarter Quell. A very special group indeed. Never seen before in the history of the Games. Because for this year alone, we’ll see for ourselves if more life experience makes for wiser, more efficient contenders. But first, let’s give them a chance to express themselves, because more life experience means more stories we’d like to hear. Isn’t that right? Ha ha! Let’s hear it for them! Yes, so exciting! Now, the first of our tributes hails from one of the esteemed career districts. I spoke to her briefly backstage, and she’s a firecracker of a woman. I love it, I love her. Come on out!”

Though the cycle of interviews provided some insight into those who were reaped, neither Caesar nor the tributes’ day was close to being over. Renting out the Museum of Panem History for a hefty but sufficient price, Caesar helped arrange an after-party where all walks of people could enjoy each other’s company. How else would high society get a closer look at the garments that the stylists worked so tirelessly to create? And what better place to view segments of the Games than in the spacious auditorium found in the museum? However, the curators strongly encouraged that any food and beverages remain in the dining room. Each display was too invaluable to risk an accident.

The excitement of Capitolites. The anticipation of tributes and their prep teams. The culture shock experienced by lottery winners. An amalgamation of emotions would brew within a building that contained relics of the nation’s controversial past. For the sake of everyone involved, the attendees could only hope the event would run smoothly, especially among individuals of such differing opinions and backgrounds. Though hope may not be enough to keep the growing unrest from boiling over.

This event is optional. Though if your muse(s) finds themselves at the gathering, be sure to tag your threads or drabbles with #eventideevent02. This event will take place from June 17th through July 8th. Any thread involving this event that is written after July 8th should also be tagged with #eventidepast. Under the cut, you will find the training scores for our twenty-four tributes! Happy roleplaying!

In the morning after their last day of training, the tributes demonstrated their abilities in front of the Gamemakers, and after much deliberation, they were given scores that reflected their skills or lack thereof. A new and compelling topic of discussion, the scores both garnered the attention of Capitolites and earned some a target on their backs. With this knowledge, tread carefully. Any misstep could cost one an allyship or sponsorship.

District One:

Anna: Nine

Lucky: Ten

District Two:

Ambrosia: Ten

Ezra: Ten

District Three:

Devyn: Seven

Discord: Four

District Four:

Rosmarinus: Ten

Fletcher: Nine

District Five:

Wendy: Five

Zephyr: Five

District Six:

Amara: Seven

Abel: Eight

District Seven:

Juniper: Eight

Laurel: Five

District Eight:

Ariadne: One

Benjamin: Four

District Nine:

Lavender: Six

Flax: Five

District Ten:

Tala: Seven

Callum: Four

District Eleven:

Jolene: Four

Ray: One

District Twelve:

Hazelle: Four

Chandler: Six

[abookishdreamer]

Character Intro: Draco (Kingdom of Ichor)

Nicknames- The Great Dragon, Lord of Fire by the people of Olympius

Pop by his daughter

Age- 48 (immortal)

Location- Sparta, Olympius

Personality- Like a true dragon he's fiery, passionate, & wildly animalistic. He's protective of those he cares about as well as being sophisticated and intelligent- though he may come across as a bit somber & intense to others. He's married.

He has the standard abilities of a god. As the god of dragons his powers/abilities include being able to shapeshift his physical form into that of a great dragon, pyrokinesis (can breathe fire too), fire & heat immunity, being able to communicate with all species of dragon, and is able to adapt dragon physiology into his physical form (atmospheric adaptation, body shedding, dermal armor/scale manifestation, supernatural roar, enhanced/supernatural senses, thermoreception, claw/fang retraction, thermal resistance, verical pupils, wing manifestation...)

Draco mainly resides in Sparta at the mansion estate with his family- his wife Adikia (goddess of injustice & wrongdoing) and daughter Dysnomia (goddess of anarchy & lawlessness). Because of his domain, he & his family have unlimited access to the beautiful fire breathing creatures. Draco has his own companion, a dragon named Darksmoke. The dragon has dark golden yellow eyes, black horns, & gunmetal dark silver scales.

He loves his beer! He also likes the steaming hot brewed black tea his wife makes for him in the mornings. Other go-to drinks include roast coffee (no cream, two sugars), rum & cokes, bloody marys, whiskey, bourbon, and the firecracker (an alcoholic drink made with aged rum, cayenne pepper, lime juice, triple sec, & watermelon).

He has nearly three score of dragon eggs incubating in a nearby volcano.

Draco is really passionate about creatures' rights- especially those of dragons. He's disgusted & vehemently against illegal dragon hunting, breeding, and underground fighting. He also hates when dragons are a part of performing circuses. It's the reason he believes he's the ethical choice when it comes to someone wanting a dragon to own. His dragon pet store as well as the store he sells dragon saddles are located in the Little Sparta neighborhood of New Olympus. Draco also has his business' official website where he also sells extra products catered towars dragon care. He also offers services- teaching new owners how to train & bond with their dragons. Draco also oversees the Museum of Dragons as well.

In the pantheon Draco's good friends with Phlegethon (Titan god of fire), Dyssebeia (Bess) (goddess of ungodliness & impiety), Polemos (god of the war cry), Perses (Titan god of destruction), Pallas (Titan god of battle & warcraft), Menoetius (Titan god of rage, violence, & rash actions), Ponos (god of hard labor & toil), Isorropía (Isorro) (god of duality, balance, & equilibrium), and Psionikós (god of the mind). Draco was the official mentor to Adranos (god of fire). He also holds Anchiale (Titaness of fire) in high regard.

He really likes the spicy breakfast burrito (made with scrambled eggs, various peppers, crispy chorizo, bacon, sriracha, avocado, and spicy lime salsa) from The Bread Box, usually buying a dozen of them on his way to work.

Aside from being "The Dragon", his most important jobs are being a father & husband. Draco placed a dragon's egg in his daughter's bassinet before she was born. He was the first to teach her how to lava surf and smiled brighter than any flame watching her take her first flight on her dragon. Draco has always said he met his match with his wife, finding it hard to resist her when she's angry. He'll sometimes jokingly instigate petty arguments with his wife just to have angry sex.

Draco fondly remembers his wedding. The ceremony took place inside Mt. Etna. Adikia was a vision, her dreadlocks down her back decorated with stunning red sapphires. He's also proud of the ring he got for her- a rose gold cushion cut garnet ring surrounded by two black diamonds.

His favorite thing to get from Olympic Chef is the Inferno Burger (a lb sirloin patty with Monterey Jack cheese slices, roasted jalapeños, ghost peppers, sweet smoky barbeque sauce, inferno hot sauce, & sriracha) with olympian sized cajun fries.

For an anniversary gift he was presented with an Astrean Silver armor (crafted by Steropes) from his wife along with a pair of Celestial Bronze toed boots.

In his free time (aside from riding on dragonback), he enjoys a wide range of physical pursuits like lava surfing, sword dueling, target shooting, martial arts, hunting, mountian climbing, football (soccer), ice hockey, and axe throwing.

Draco's all time favorite meal is his wife's 5-alarm chili (added with serranos, jalapeños, scotch bonnet peppers, & pasilla peppers) served with cornbread.

"It's a fool's game to come between a dragon and its wrath."

[androxys]

WIP Ask Game

Thanks @havendance for the tag!

RULES: post the names of the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! tag as many people as you have WIPs

I recently posted a WIP Census, which lists pretty much every word doc that I have ever opened. For this game, I’m just going to list out the fics that I’ve actively worked on since compiling the census.

Oracle: Year One (currently 8.6k)

She wasn’t her. That’s what hurts. She wasn’t Barbara Gordon, she was just “the Commissioner's daughter.” She was the girl next door. She was the sweet innocent. She was easy to hurt because Batman wasn’t. She was a way to torture her father. But Barbara Gordon never gets to exist. It doesn’t just hurt, it boils. It’s lava, churning inside her. And it erupts in small ways, over and over.

Ultraviolet (Cover Me Up) (currently 1k)

When he was underwater, he could almost lose himself. In the dark of the moonlight, if he let himself sink, Bernard could forget which way was up, which way gravity wanted to drag him down. He would just float, free, untethered… until he came into contact with Tim again.

Firecrackers (currently 6.6k)

She wished she could talk to Kal-El about it. But he wouldn’t get it. It wasn’t his fault— he was too young when he left. He knew of the ceremonies, even some of the rituals. But he didn’t know what the Jewel Mountains looked like on an equinox dawn, not with his own eyes. He had never heard the hymns except through a recording.

Ghost Dragon (currently 29.6k)

Dick turned back to Tim. “I don’t want to delay you,” he lied. He wanted to delay him forever, to keep Tim perpetually one step behind so that Dick could keep up. “But if we brief the Parisian heroes, or provide any training, I’d like you to be there.”

Morality Bug (currently 1.6k)

“So…” Jean-Paul began. “You can sit down, if you like,” he said, gesturing to the couch. Bruce paused for a beat, as if he didn’t know what to do with himself if not stand ominously in Jean-Paul’s living room, before slowly folding himself down on the corner seat.

Birdseye is technically done, I just keep fiddling with the ending. I need to just bite the bullet and post it, but also I’m not emotionally prepared to have this fic really and truly be done.

And then here’s another passage from Oracle: Year Once since Babs owns my heart:

It’s been a week, and she hasn’t heard from Bruce. No acknowledgement of her trip to the Manor. Alfred had warned her, and that takes off the hardest edge of the sting. But they were supposed to have been friends. They were supposed to be honest with one another. But maybe that was the problem, that Barbara had been too honest. At the hospital, and then again at the funeral. She had done what too few people did—she told Bruce Wayne exactly what she thought about his behavior, his choices, and the way other people had to live with them.

And I feel like half the people I know in fandom have been tagged in this chain, but I’ll tag (and perhaps be double tagging, whoops!) @coyote-nebula @they-reap-what-we-sow @clearbluewaters @yuriinadress and @wildsofmarch if any of y’all want to share!

[taesenigma]

sheets & shirts - a goodbye (kth drabble)

জল ছবি, রঙমশাল, স্কুল ছুটির হজমিরা

রূপকথার পায়রাদের গল্প বল।

বন্ধু চল....

water paintings, firecrackers, after school shenanigans

tell me fairytales and stories of birds

c'mon friend....

a/n : am just emotional with college and moving away and leaving friends behind. i suppose this is me just trauma dumping through this ff.

pairing : taehyung x reader

genre : best friends au, reader is leaving town forever, taehyung has a hard time saying goodbye, farewell

trigger warnings : tear jerker, emo asf, leaving precious stuff behind

~

"I suppose this is goodbye, Taehyung.", you said as you scribbled a last few words on his school shirt. "I suppose it is. I'll miss you, Y/N. It's really sad we don't get to end up in the same college.", he said as he pulled you in for a hug. In front of his friends. He's never done that before. "Can't help going back to India. My gran needs us and I happen to adore her." "Keep in touch?" "You just gave me the license to annoy you for the rest of your life.", you joked as you grinned at him. He merely shrugged as he patted your head affectionately. "Y/N! Hurry up! We'll be late!", your mom hollered from her car as she honked twice. You gave the other boys a sheepish smile as you ducked your head in embarrassment. "Maa, that was so unnecessary!", you whined as you both drove off. "Beti, your father's farewell ceremony isn't going to wait for us. It's such a joyous moment, getting to go back home after so many years." "And leaving all friends behind.", you grumbled as you tried to memorise the roads to your school in Daegu. You realised that this was it. The last time you'd ever travel through these roads. The last time that one familiar ajheossi on the road would smile at you and ask whether you had eaten. The last of seeing your best friends Taehyung and Sooim. Seeing your favourite teacher at school for the very last time. Your secret crush on one of Taehyung's friends, Jimin. The last of your Daegu apartment. The last of everything. The last of your life in Korea. It was time for a change. A change of 3 hours and 30 minutes. A new chapter in your life begins and you don't know how to deal with any of it. You cannot begin to process it. "It'll be fine, Y/N. You'll get used to it. Besides, you can always keep in touch through emails and text messages and skype." "Not the same thing as being there in person." "Y/N, enough of your grumbling! You've been like this since the last two weeks. We are moving and it's final. Nothing can change that. It's time you accepted it and moved on to see the bigger picture. I'll give you a few minutes to calm yourself down. You know where your baba's office is.", your mother said as she got down from the car and left you all alone with your thoughts. You tried ignoring the little stinging sensation in your nose and the tears pricking your eyes. You would miss them. More than you'd like to admit. You'd miss how your life used to be before this sudden change. You'd miss every tiny little thing you couldn't finish before leaving Daegu and high school forever. But you also knew that you'd learn to accept it. You'd learn to let it go. This feeling of uncertainty was temporary and that you'll learn to live with yourself. And moreover, you could always keep in touch, just like your mother said. You'd learn to live once again. You'd find your acceptance through loss. You'll be alright. You've always been.

---

"Y/N! I'm so glad I made it on time!", Taehyung gasped for air as he clutched onto both knees, bent double in front of you. "I'll give you both a minute.", your mother said as she disappeared inside the apartment. "Is everything alright, Tae?" "Um....yeah....everything's okay....I guess.", he said as he averted his eyes from your face. "Are you going to tear up because your best friend is leaving town?", you joked as you hit him lightly on the arm. He stayed quiet as the silence was filled with your laugh. "I'm not dying, doofus! I'll always be there with you. You're not getting rid of me that easily!", you grinned as you squished his cheeks and stared into his eyes only to find them brimming with tears. "Hey......", you soothed as you hugged him. "I'm not leaving forever. I promise we'll meet sometime....", you cooed as you felt him sniffling and sobbing quietly into your sweater. "I won't forget you....you were the best thing that happened to me, Y/N. Never forget that. And also, Sooim's sorry that she couldn't be here. But she promised that she'd meet you in Seoul tomorrow." "Kim Taehyung, you're the biggest cry baby I've ever met! And I swear Sooim stresses about shit too much. Be her buddy for me, will you?" "Always.", he said, his eyes still glistening with tears. "I'll miss you, Kim Tae. You're always going to be my best friend. Always.", you said as you hugged your best friend long and good. "Y/N, it's time to go. Good seeing you, Taehyung. Always be the kid you are now.", your mother says as she climbs into the car. "Beti, please hurry up! We're gonna miss our flight or else.", your father hurries you up as well whilst offering a smile in Taehyung's direction. "I'll get going, I guess. See you later, Taehyung.", you said as you waved him goodbye. "Wait! I almost forgot!", he said as he fetched out a folded piece of paper from his pocket. "Read this on your flight. It'll stop the tears. I know it will.", he handed it to you as he literally pushed you towards the car. "Is this supposed to be a parting gift, Kim?" "Think what you will, Y/N. Bye.", he said as you got into the car and drove away. He stood in front of your house for a long time after the car had vanished around the corner. He understood loss at that moment. How life would go on even without your omnipresence in his life for these last 18 years. It was finally time to start writing a new chapter. Without you in it. He'd store you in a corner of his heart. Until he meets you again, but perhaps as strangers who have drifted apart. Then, he'd remember the 18-year-old you and relive those summers he spent by your side once again.

THE END

P.S : happy birthday, kim taehyung! you're one of the brightest stars in my constellation <33 you make me smile, laugh, blush and forget all my fears. i love you from the bottom of my heart, my winter bear ^^ happy 27th, dearest <33