#god probably some more but thats more than enough tags

[a-song-of-art-and-fire]

The Court of House Martell

"You may burn us, my lady ... but you will not bend us, break us, or make us bow. This is Dorne. You are not wanted here. Return at your peril."

And at last, all our Sunsoear court together! What was it George called ADWD, three bitches and a bastard? I've said it before and I'll say it again, I adore having water features in dioramas, but there is nothing on earth worse than working with epoxy.

My vision here was the contrasts of Dorne - arid red sands towards the back of the diorama, the lush verdant water gardens at the front. I'm happy with the sand, the palm trees, and of course the blood oranges of heavy-handed symbolism. It was also a huge challenge putting all the minis on removable bases that fit into the larger tile pattern, and I'm super happy with how that came out. The water was an enormous challenge, but it came out pretty nicely! I like the lilies and plants suspended, theres also a fish in there though I'm not sure how visible it is in the final product. I dont know if the Water Gardens would necessarily have a lot of life in them, I picture them as kind of a swimming pool complex, but I guess in a pre-chlorine world there would always be some life.

[soft5ku11]

Someone suggested sumo Guzma, so I just had to ;P

He doesn't remember (or care) much about what Alolan Sumo actually is - he's just using it as an excuse to literally throw his weight around. He kinda just treats it like a regular ass street fight and plays a little too dirty. He's WINGING it, ok?

(version without the belt tassels under the cut cos it hides so much thigh that would be cruel to miss out on after i spent ages drawing it)

[cerealmonster15]

lowkey feel like im gonna throw up and idk if thats the anxiety or the chocolate from earlier LOL

[wayfayrr]

I've been on a little bit of a first kick recently - so here's a first meeting of reader and him based on this piece of the dolls au by @ovegakart (this amazing comic piece in particular) and on the topic of tagging people I've got some new friends on discord who have a love of first so consider this a gift <3 @fanfic-fairy-fountain @dreaming-of-lu @angry-trashcan @neverchecking <333 enjoy!

[masterlist]

“Hello..? Time… Sky… Link? Is anyone there?”

As if being forced into Hyrule wasn’t bad enough when I was with the chain, now that cursed shadow decides to push it even further by separating me from them? Why not just kill me outright… Is it to try to give the heroes hope? Wouldn’t it be worse for them for it to kill me outright than string them along with false hope?

“IS ANYONE HERE? HELLO??”

Where even am I? It looks like… Oh. Alone in catacombs, yeah if there’s anywhere to be killed by a malicious shadowy entity it would be in catacombs. Are there going to be redeads here?  If the rest of the monsters are anything to go off of it’s going to be much worse dealing with them now. They can’t handle sunlight though, can they? 

Then that means the pile of rubble in the centre here should be the safest place for me to think through the best way to handle all of this. If the shadow really wants to get to me then of course that won’t stop it but I have to try something right? Is sitting on top of what looks like a grave a little disrespectful? Yes. Do I have many options at the minute? No.

“-Wait-!”

WHY IS THE GRAVE SLIDING OPEN - WHAT WAS THAT!? WHY DOES IT SOUND LIKE SOMEONE IS YELLING?? 

“What… happened? Where is this place?”

I think without a doubt the sound I’ve just made is the most blood-curdling scream I’ve ever let out and - WHY IS HE COVERING MY MOUTH!?

“I’m sorry I know you’re confus- ACK.”

Was biting him the right option? Probably not! But it’s the only thing I could think of to do seeing as well, I'm not exactly calm at this moment in time. Despite the fact that this man has known me for, what, the span of less than a minute, he seems to have at the very least noticed my panic. Backing off like you would with a scared animal - do I really look that petrified? It’s taking everything in me now to not give into my racing heart. 

“I’m sorry, I must’ve overstepped your boundaries. But please can you not be so loud?”

“....”

“... yeah. Yeah I can be a bit quieter”

“So you uhhh-”

Where do I even start - this man just - He just crawled out of a grave. What do you even respond to that with??? 

“...You come round here often?”

[name]. [name] what the heck was that. That's how you flirt with someone at a bar not speak to a living corpse.

“No, I don’t really?”

“Yeah, I figured. I -”

“Are you alright?”

“Look I’m just a bit overwhelmed, I was separated from my group and dropped here then you- You crawled out of a grave and now I’m just?? I’m just stressed and this is only things that have happened today. Now I know that you’re probably more stressed for obvious reasons, but I’m just - I’m sorry for screaming.”

He took a step closer to me at that, not trying to be intimidating, but more cautious. Asking for permission to touch me with an invitingly open outstretched arm, one that seemed to promise some sort of salvation from all the stress I’ve been feeling. One that I was embarrassingly quick to accept. His touch - His hold, is so warm for someone who should really be so cold, there’s definite comfort in feeling his heart beating as well something that proves he’s alive. It didn’t last for long though, as he pulled himself away, reluctantly if I were being bold in how I was to describe it. His fingers lingered, resting on my arm in such a teasingly wanting way. He’s definitely a link thats for sure, that helps me to be more comfortable around him than I would have been with anyone else. He looks like he’s about to start crying.

I - oh god I’m the first person he’s seen since he came back to life. 

“Are you alright link?”

Was that the wrong thing to say? He hasn’t introduced himself to me,  I shouldn’t have said that. It seems like now it’s his turn to look confused - more so than he already was. 

“you how do you know my name?”

“I just guessed, the group I was with before they - well they all looked similar and went by the same name ‘link’ so I just assumed it was the same with you. I hope that doesn’t bother you.”

“No it doesn’t.” Why is he reaching for my face? He’s got such a soft look on his face, do I remind him of someone? He’s been dead so it could be possible I guess, but it feels like there’s more to how he said it than just something that simple. 

“Oh my dearest love...”

His hands are so soft… it’s hard not to just lean into his touch and stay there, but there are more important things to be dealing with right now. As much as I’d prefer to not have these questions answered. 

“What do you mean by that link? I don’t - I don’t think I’ve met you before.”

He’s so warm, I hate the fact that he’s most likely going to stop holding me when he realises I’m not the person he’s really ever going to want in a relationship. 

“You haven’t but, I can already tell that you’ll be my beloved soon enough.”

“I’m sorry? We’ve only just met how can you tell s- ACK”

This has to just be a link thing. What is it that makes them fall so quickly? But to hold someone so tightly when you've only just met them - when you’ve only just come back from death?  That doesn’t seem like a healthy thing for him, not in the slightest. 

Is my shoulder wet?

Why would it be wet - he was tearing up earlier and - no there it is he’s sniffling as if he’s trying his hardest not to cry. Even if he’s mildly delusional how cruel would you have to be to not help someone go through something as tough as this clearly is. It’s not hard to gently rub his back as he cries onto me, it’s not hard to hum to him as he clutches me like a lifeline, it’s not hard to be here for him when I have to do so little for him. 

“Link? Would you like to talk about it? I don’t know you but - but I’ll be here to listen to you.”

“Thank you. It’s simply that I - I don’t know why or how I got here, It’s simply that I woke up in there after everything then I saw you -”

“[name]”

“[name] and well you know what has happened since. I have to thank you for being here though, there’s something about you, some kind of energy that just feels like a part of myself that I lost. You feel like home to me [name]”

With that last sentence, he burrows his head even further into my neck seeking what I can only guess is comfort. He’s probably just desperate for another person's touch right now, rather than him having fallen in love with me from the briefest interaction that didn’t even go that well.   There’s no harm in waiting here with him for a moment though. What could go wrong in this amount of time?

[corporatefrog]

꒦‧₊ ꒷ HEADCANNONS: Going on a Road Trip with Craig, Tweek, Jimmy, Tolkien, and Clyde (Separately) ✧.*

✧.* tags: college au, road trips, ✧.* Characters: craig tucker, tweek tweek, jimmy valmer, clyde donovan, tolkien black a/n: the stan's gang version got so much love that I thought I'd do the headcannons with the others too!

masterlist

Craig

Thinks everyone is a terrible driver except for him

(he can’t parallel park for shit though)

You guys make up stories about the people you pass

“Oh he’s going through a messy divorce”

“Yeah but it’s his fault for sleeping with Miss America”

“Well if he didn’t, she was going to release the tax documents revealing he was an illegal immigrant from australia! And he can’t return to the outback!” 

He’s a pretty good road trip buddy if you don’t mind silence. 

He kind of zones out when driving so it’s not an awkward silence, just a comfortable silence

Very picky about podcasts and music though, he gets aux because he’s the one driving

PODCASTS ABOUT SPACE!! 

doesn't have Bluetooth in his car so he uses one of those connectors that plug into the cigarette lighters LMAOOO 

"bro it's 2023 why are you living in 2006" 

"because it has great mileage. shut up or walk" 

Jimmy

This will go one of two ways depending on how much you enjoy stand up comedy

Because you’ve bought yourself a ticket to the 6 hour Jimmy-athon

Every billboard is a joke

Every car you pass is a joke

Every gas station you walk into is at least 5 jokes

You’re actually probably driving to a comedian convention

you listen to the material of the panelists to figure out where he'd want to go

he makes you laugh so much you need to pull over

he probably takes a nap halfway through 

looks like a little cat curled up in the passenger seat

honestly such a good drive

whenever you get bored all you need to do is make a comment about a weird road sign and you've got entertainment for at least 30 minutes

if you don't like his comedy…

just don't. 

you will not survive.

(and you're probably a terrible person)

Tweek

There’s no way he doesn’t get car sick.

Like just absolutely demolished

You think he’s dying for a little bit because he’s just leaning against the window whispering prayers to whatever god will listen

Then you buy some medicine from a gas station and i swear it’s like you’ve opened a new conspiracy for him

“But if these have existed for so long, why hasn’t anyone told me about them?! There’s got to be something wrong with them! DID YOU JUST GIVE ME POISON!”

“Do you still feel like blowing chunks all over my windshield?” 

“Well no, not right now.”

“Then I really doubt it can be poison dude”

Don’t let him drive. 

Just don’t. 

He gets freaked out enough when you drive down a busy street. More than 3 lanes and he’s absolutely screaming

“WHY ARE THEY DRIVING SO FAST?! THE SPEED LIMIT IS 55”

“That’s not how the midwest works, tweek. We’re going 87 right now”

“87 THATS 32 MORE THAN WE’RE SUPPOSED TO- OH GOD WE’RE GOING TO GET INTO A CRASH AND FLIP THE CAR AND RUN INTO ANOTHER CAR AND THEN THAT CAR WILL EXPLODE AND NO ONE WILL FIND OUR BODIES-”

he's surprisingly good at mental math when it comes to calculating the possibility of his death

Clyde

He’d much rather fly than drive

He gets bored so fast like what are you supposed to do in a car? Sit there and… sit there?

Does not want to be in the car for more than 30 minutes

“Are we there yet?”

“We’ve been driving for an hour, Clyde��

“Okay and how much longer do we have?”

“5 hours.”

“WHAT”

Definitely had to use the bathroom every hour because he CHUGS monsters to stay awake then immediately crashes and sleeps for half of the ride

He sets up his phone so a movie can play but it’s really just him watching the movie because you have to keep driving

“You know, if we fly back then you can watch this with me”

“Well then my car would be stranded in the Chicago.”

“Can’t you just get someone to drive it back?”

“I will leave you at the next gas station and make you hitchhike home.”

“ITS A GENUINE QUESTION”

Tolkien

Oh he absolutely loves to drive

But who wouldn’t when you’ve got a fucking TESLA

(he totally has a tesla, no way he doesn’t have a tesla)

Will NOT allow chips in the car

If you do, you’re vacuuming the seats at the next gas station

“You’re not bringing those in here”

“But you can’t go on a road trip without corn nuts” 

“You can and you will.”

“Can we at least get coffee then :((“

“Well duh we’re getting coffee”

Will buy you a little drink and give you a blanket

He makes YOU a passenger princess and it’s absolutely amazing

Another podcast listener, but he likes to space them out with music so you’re not both sitting there silently the whole road trip

You’re going on the trip to hang out! You’ve got to have some random chit chat time too!

“There is no way Kuroko’s Basketball is better than Slam Dunk.”

“That’s just because you’re a snob about sports anime.”

“No that’s just because i'm right about sports anime and you spend too much time talking with Wendy”

[sansxfuckyou]

all of a sudden

Summary: Casey Jones is good at adapting, but he didn't expect to be adapting to mutating

Warnings: body modification, small panic attack, angst in general, check Ao3 port for full tags

Authors Note: inspired by the possum Casey Jones AU made by @probably-not-a-rutabaga except with some rasey vibes that can be ignored if thats not your style. anyways, hope ya'll enjoy and if you do consider dropping a reblog or checking the ao3 port

It's covered in fur and has claws instead of nails, it's hissing as the mutagen worms through it's body and then it's dropping.

It isn't Casey Jones anymore, something much more creature. Chest heaving up and down and furred body immobile, hockey gear still strapped to it's form. Raphael just stares, in shock, in awe, partially paralyzed by the fear and the worry.

His partner in everything just mutated, into a rat, or something very rat like. And Raphael didn't take the hit, he should've, he probably would've went mad or turned to a primordial ooze of some sort if he did but it would be better than Casey having this fate. He slams the final Kraang against a wall before hoisting up Casey's body, it's light, lanky, mammalian.

Donnie can fix him.

-/-/-/-

"What happened?!" Was Donatello's first response to seeing Casey, "Who the fuck is this and where's Casey?"

"That is Casey," Raphael supplied.

Donatello nearly faints.

"Fix him," Fingers trace over the expanse of almost matted fur where the jacket does't cover anymore. He feels this deepseated guilt as he looks at Casey, he could've stopped this, he could've taken the hit. He should've been the one to get hit with that mutagen blast, not Casey.

"I don't think I can, I'll try but I think it's hopeless," Donatello claimed rather boldly, "I can probably stabilize him enough to keep his humanity-"

"Then do that, just don't lose him," Raphael practically begged, "Please."

-/-/-/-

There's the sound of someone shrieking followed by a shatter that draws Raphael from his state of almost there but not quite. He's quick to glance over to Donatello's lab to find a rat rushing out and freaking out. Terror is apparent on it's face as it glances around frantically in search of something to look at it's reflection.

"Casey,"

It whips it's head around to look at Raphael and it's absolutely Casey Jones, just in a different body. Taller, thinner, furrier, but it's still Casey, panic and fear, but all Casey. The turtle slowly walks over, as if he'll spook the possum if he goes too fast and he probably will.

"Raph," It speaks softly, quietly, voice cracking. Then it's leaned against it's partners plastron, holding on tight and crying. It's so confused, so lost, so wrong, "What happened to me?"

Raphael doesn't answer right away, just holds onto Casey and doesn't let go. A snout is nuzzled against his neck and they were the same height once, not anymore. He rubs circles onto the possums back, "Mutagen."

"Oh god," is all Casey can supply in response to the new knowledge, body shaking even more, "I'm not human, I'm not-"

"Yes, you are. You're Casey Jones, I promise," Raphael answered with before Casey could spiral, "You're still my partner, still our best friend, still Casey Jones."

There's a weak nod even though Casey doesn't believe a word coming out of Raphael's mouth, "Okay."

-/-/-/-

Casey Jones is an opossum, almost a rat but not quite, and he has an eternal vendetta against the Kraang. He lives in a sewer because of them, he's an animal because of them, he lost his sister because of them. Everything out there is gone because of them and he could do nothing but sulk in the sewers over his new body.

And now he's out in a farmhouse, naught but an animal and he swears he's losing his grasp on humanity a little bit more everyday. But he digs his claws in and tries not to let go because he's got the turtles, a group of four that were never human in the first place but have treated him so much better than any human ever has. If they learned humanity from a rat then he can hold onto what he already knows for his sake and their sake alike.

Hockey stick against sai every single day. Baseball bat against bo staff every single day. Fists against nunchaku every single day. He holds onto that humanity by working out the animal in violence whenever he can. He burned the scare crow mutant to a crisp when no one was looking, he grabbed his lighter and lit it up before anyone could say a thing. Before it could hurt anyone else.

He eats meat and steals scraps off of every one's plate because he's still getting used to the needing to eat every couple hours thing in smaller portions. He sleeps in the morning and wakes at noon, training every hour he's active because what else is there to do aside from chat and play shitty board games.

"Hey, Case," Raphael begins as he watches his partner eviscerate a raw slab of meat on a once white porcelain plate.

The possum snaps up and his pupils are slit, he has blood smattered on his snout and stuck in his fur, dripping from his whiskers. He just stares and chews before swallowing, "Yeah?"

"Do you want some water?" Raphael gently nudges over a glass and Casey is quick to grab it with bloodied paws, he drinks it eagerly.

"Thanks, still getting used to this," He gestures vaguely to himself, "And the meat cravings, and the sleep schedule."

"I know, just try to ease up on the craze, I think you scare Mikey sometimes," Raphael said.

Casey shrugged, "Oops, that's why we eat in the kitchen instead of out there with everyone else."

Raphael just rolled his eyes and took another bite of his pizza, "We'll go out and train after this, work out some of your energy."

"Fucking wicked," Casey answered with.

-/-/-/-

This is the closest Casey Jones will ever get to feeling like himself ever again.

Tip of the sai to his throat and all he does is smile because this is home.

Hockey stick to the back of his partners knees and all he does is smile because this is home.

Cruel words spat and all he does is smile because this is home.

Raphael pierces the tip of his sai into Casey's arm just to draw blood, just to feel pain, to understand what keeps him human.

And Casey Jones has one thing to say in response to the violence.

"Thank you,"

[ikissjesse]

could you do some aaron t/aaron z headcanons pls!

omg yes ofc !! ty for the request <333 since 3 ppl requested aaron² hc's (nothing specific) im gonna put all ur requests into this once post !!

tags: @i-need-a-slurpee @hrts4ariana ( note as of writing: this was a draft from 1719817282 years ago so if u forgot abt this n no longer wanted to be tagged im sorry🥲 )

as i mentioned in this post, they both adore musicals, especially hamilton

aaron² hc's !!

reblogs appreciated + reqs open <3

they like listening to the soundtracks together when they hangout

sometimes when there's a musical near where they are on tour they go together in their free time

u didn't hear it from me but they held hands during one of these musicals bc the room was dark n they thought noone would notice

as bros, ofc.. homies hold hands during musicals !!

they totally sing non-stop from hamilton together its cannon bc i say so

anyway enough abt hamilton for now

there was def mutual pining

they were both like "fuckidishcoaoxjaoa he just thinks of me as a friend"

"friend" NO HE WANTS U SO BAD -God probably idk

the way they attempted to "drop hints":

t tried to make z laugh a lot, even more than he usually did

pranks became less extreme than they normally were, he wanted to surprise him, not scare him to death like he used to

z would, although he denies this, try to do basketball tricks to impress t whenever he is at the basketball court w him

both of them went to jesse for advice, not knowing the other was doing the same

"hey jesse uhm- what should i do if, theoretically, ihavearlybigcrushonsomeonewhoiveknownforawhilebutithinktheyseemeasafriendandireallyreallyREALLYwannabemorebutidontwannaruinourfriendship????" -t

"...what?" -jesse

needless to say jesse was confused as hell

he sent him off w some advice after t slowed down enough for him to understand, then about 15 minutes later z came rambling about the same thing

"JESSE YOU'RE A HIT WITH THE LADIES, AND THE GAYS, AND..BASICALLY ANYONE. HOW DO I FLIRT WITH SOMEONE IVE KNOWN FOR AGES WHO IM PRETTY SURE SEES ME AS JUST A FRIEND?????" -z

thats what made it click for jesse, n he just laughed at the realization

giving him the same advice he gave t, he snickered at the idea of the aarons having a crush on eachother but being too stupid blind to see the feelings were mutual

"thanks jess!!" -z to jesse, running off

"yeah no problem man hehehshshehsh goodluck! HEHEHHEHE"

building up as much courage as he could, z eventually made the first move a few days later

he asked t if he'd like to join him for a musical that would take place at a nearby theater, n he gladly accepted

little did t know where this would lead <33 achoo anyways

as the lights dimmed during a 'romantic' scene, aaron z took t's hand in his own n (quietly) confessed his feelings towards his long-time bestfriend

saying t was happy would be an understatement

the energetic boy yanked him into a hug, leaving his stoic counterpart(ner) highly confused and extremely flustered

choking from t's tight embrace, his face became beet red

"Im, uhm- assuming you feel the same?"

well NO FUCKIN WAY SHERLOCK WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT -God again probably

"yeah dumbass, ofcourse i do!" t whisper-yelled, trying to keep his excitement down as they were still in a theater after all !!!

after that, z just smiled n wrapped his arms around t's waist, returning the hug

but wait !! theres more !!

what kind of ikissjesse ship post would this be without cute couple hc's ???

the quiet stoic boy x loud energetic boy dynamic UUGF MY HEART I THINK IM DYIBG from how much i love this duo😔😔

z buys t a baseball cap in EVERY city/country they go to. every fucking one

even if its not a band tour, if z is out somewhere n sees a cool cap he thinks t would like, yall better believe this boy would cut off an arm n sell a kidney just for t to get that hat

t has a whole side in his closet dedicated to these hats z buys him, he finds it absolutely adorable

z actually thinks he isnt good at gift giving, so he was afraid t wouldnt like it at first, but t's reaction is enough conformation that he adores it

now what kinda aaron² hamilton lover truther would i be if i didnt mention the musical again 💪💪

they have FREQUENT hamilton marathons together, sometimes the other members of 4*town will join in too !!

they still sortve act like they did before, like friends n what not

however theyre also 300% more flirty

by that i mean T is 300% more flirty

z might be a LITTLE bit but def not as much as my boy aaron t (the r in aaron stands for rizzler -aaron t)

z isn't a big fan of PDA himself, however when t does little displays of affection when theyre in public he loves it ( he doesn't say it out loud bc he's shy but he does smile at t or to himself, holding t's hand or draping an arm over his shoulders )

when theyre in private z will hug t from behind, hold his waist, kiss his forehead, etc .... yk... bro stuff......

t surprises him by going BOO!!! and jumping up to put his arms around his shoulders from behind, which at first scared z shitless n earned t a lecture about why he shouldn't scare him like that bc z WILL swing but z is okay with it now n actually smiles ALBEIT A VERY SMALL SMILE when he does it

dates include but r not limited to playing basketball late at night together, movies, watching musicals, roadtrips to literally anywhere long or short they just wanna be in eachothers presence OUGHG I LOVE THEM

i forgot to mention !!! t is definitely the one who asked to be boyfriends, but z accidentally said "I love you" first

t was doing something dumb again, and z shook his head as he laughed, accidentally mumbling the words "I love you" out loud

t stopped dead in his tracks n snapped his head in z's direction, n yall this boy was STRESSED he did NOT mean to let the world know this information

z covered his face with his hands n his face was PINK pink bro but t just laughed n walked over to him, cupping his face in his hands and staring at him with a very VERY smug but genuine n happy grin

z scoffed, but soon glanced back at the other boy and smiled shyly

theyre so cute im throwing up in class

there's more but i think this is long enough for now, sorry for the wait pls snack on this while u wait for the rest of my jesro + aaron² content i have planned WINK WINK

thank u for reading <3

[planefood]

hi. i might be going crazy but if i'm not and i recall correctly; a couple months back or so you made a post talking about why you chose the city you did for your ocs and why it didn't take place in america. as a non american who fell into the weirdly common thing of making ocs that are american i really resonated with that post, i've been looking around for it and i can't find it. so i wanted to ask if you deleted it? it's 100% fine if you did i get it. i just want to know if its gone or i should keep looking around for it because of infamous tumblr search broken. thanks :-)

Okay this is tough because my tumblr has a tendency to just, hide posts of mine in the archive or tags (grrr) but I also delete posts a lot if I feel like I was overly emotional in them or if its just stupid tagging garbage but I might've deleted it because I wrote that when I was really upset, I know a lot of people related to it though so i'm really sorry to you guys! I might rewrite it more succinctly if I have the energy but the point in that old post still stands I suppose Sometimes I worry I come across as too patriotic or even, god forbid... "kiwiana" kitsch which would be a NIGHTMARE for me even if most of my followers wouldn't notice something like that. I also don't wanna give off the impression that my work is only for a small population or that I "hate americans" if I don't word it well enough. I probably only feel an obligation to write how I do because I fought so hard feeling recognised for my background after I moved here that feeling it happen again when I speak to people outside of NZ stresses me out. I'm glad other people resonated with it! But me getting so emotional over it isn't what I'd call a typical reaction idk. Really its more out of frustration, I feel like I'll never truly feel at home in any part of the world for multiple reasons, somewhere where I can feel comfortable relating to people just because we're from the same area but that's not really true. I was an outsider in Japan and I felt like an outsider living here. Moving to a bigger city didn't provide me much comfort as I still feel like I'm not apart of the "in group". I know people who haven't even moved countries like me will probably feel this (esp if you follow me cause no regular person would follow me tbh) thats the frustration I try to capture with my writing that I hope more people to can attach to than just "this is Aotearoa bitch!!!!!!!!!". I feel love and also a lot of rage for this country. My stories are less of a love letter for it and just auto biographical, some parts are cozy and nice but a lot is pretty rough and stressful. There's still the kid in me screaming "I WANT TO GO HOME!" all the time while I live here, back then "home" would've just been back in Japan but now I don't really know what that "home" is. I find solice in my characters trying to figure that out too

[iscariotapologist]

hi dear yes i can recommend a few things that helped me! so it kind of depends what phase you're in but when i was first deconstructing i really loved the writing of sarah bessey, i enjoyed all her books but specifically jesus feminist helped show me a different picture of christianity. others in a similar vein are jeff chu and nadia bolz-weber (i would also recommend all of their newsletters). i also really liked brennan manning at that point. ymmv but i had to get rid of the young earth creationism so things like biologos and the language of science and faith by francis collins were really helpful to me. really can't stress enough how learning about evolution and the grand scale and interconnectedness of living things helped me dispose of the weird stunted anthropocentric worldview and honestly helped some with the end times shit too.

again depending on where you're at it may be helpful to go to services of other denominations and/or religions (quaker and episcopal churches helped me a lot). however i do think it's probably good for the ex sda soul to just not go to church for a while if you can and haven't tried that, particularly if you were super indoctrinated like i was. i felt like such a a sinner for this and it took me YEARS to start feeling normal about saturday being a regular day of the week and not Thee lord's day when you can't do so much as go out to eat etc but i did do it and i'm glad to report the weekend is so much better this way lmao. also i got a spiritual director! she's great and i would recommend considering that option if you find yourself wanting more personal and professional help/guidance on this journey.

after i got out of the initial trenches i got into deeper and more intellectually challenging (at least to me lol) writing like the medieval mystics, simone weil, christian wiman, richard rambuss, etc. those aren't necessarily relevant to this question though that's just what i was drawn to. also i'm not a podcast person but i think there's several exvangelical/deconstruction podcasts around if thats your thing although i can't recommend any personally.

remember to be gentle and very honest with yourself....the fundie rationale is that they have the only objectively right answer to everything by taking the bible (and for sda ellen white) super literally and the further away from them you get the more patently ridiculous that becomes, but it can obviously be frightening to see your whole worldview crumble. un/fortunately we are all just kind of here and trying to figure it (whatever it is) out more or less as best we can and there's not one right way to have (or not have) a relationship with god. luckily for all of us there's a lot less pressure than the evangelicals make it seem like. i will drop a couple tags that should have some other reading recommendations if you're interested!

[tabsters]

SOMEONE LIKE ME (CHAP. 8) - A STARGLASS ZODIAC X ZODIAC EXPERIMENT CROSSOVER

it's supposed to snow where i am today so thats pretty cool!!

tagging @mythicalmagical-monkeyman @hyperfixation-tangentopia @maiawhimsicalt and @sweet-star-cookie

previous chapter is here

next chapter is here

masterpost is here

“Treading into some difficult territory, kid.” Gemini sighed, and bit off a chunk of her scone ravenously. “But alright. Peggy, would you mind?”

Pegasus poured Cassie a cup of tea. “Well. Eclipse was the creator of the Astral Plane. There are three dimensions: the Astral Plane, the Mortal Realm, and the Abyss. Our creator hailed from the Abyss, a place made of light and shadows. She was—“

“An asshole,” Gemini interrupted, dropping two cubes of sugar and a splash of milk into Cassie’s teacup.

“While that isn’t quite the terminology I’d use to describe her, yes.” Pegasus continued. “But she is also a genius. She created the Astral Plane from essentially nothing, and she turned more than seventy mortal souls into immortal constellations. She made gods."

“So where is she now?” Cassie asked, taking a sip of her tea. It tasted almost flowery, with something else. Lemon? “Gemini...you mentioned that she was locked up now?”

“She is in prison. Before the creation of the Zodiacs, she had done some...experiments on other mortal souls.” Pegasus steepled her fingers. “Kept them secret. She believed that they weren't perfect enough, and if she could figure out what made them impure, they would be fixed." 

“Insane bitch.” Gemini reached for another scone, and Cassie was struck with the realization that this was far too serious of a conversation to be having over tea. "Killed her father, her mother, and two of her sisters. We were born from hands stained from blood."

"How did she...make you gods?" Cassie took another bite of her scone, dangling her feet a bit over the edge of her chair. "Ciara mentioned...golden blood?"

"Ah. Orichalcum." Pegasus said seriously, while Gemini snickered. "No dirty thoughts, Gemini. Matter of fact, why don't you explain?"

"Right, right." Gemini wiped the corners of her mouth with the back of her hand, and Pegasus all but threw a napkin at her. "Orichalcum is basically Eclipse's blood. It's what gives us our powers. She performs this super fancy ritual whenever there's a new Zodiac. Basically cuts into our back, pours her blood into our bodies, leaves scars."

Cassie gasped a little bit. "That's...an interesting way to gain immortality."

"Well, I think that description is enough to ruin my appetite." Pegasus stood up and pushed her chair in. "Gemini, I believe it is time for you to prepare for the ball, since you have been putting off preparing for it for so long."

Gemini groaned, standing up as well. "Fine, fine. Hey, Cassie, you wanna help me pick out a dress for me to wear to this thing?"

"Me?" Cassie asked, surprised. 

"Yeah! It'll be fun. Well, probably for everyone but me, since I'll be having to try the damn things on."

Cassie shrugged. "Okay!" 

-

"Goodness, My Lady, when was the last time you combed your hair?" 

"Your Grace, your pores! Oh dear, haven't you been taking care of your skin?"

"Hi, Columba. Hi, Cygnus." Gemini waved off her attendants and took a seat at her vanity. "Cassie, these are my stylists. And also my secretaries in affairs of state and treasury. Columba, Cygnus, this is—"

"The girl!" One of them rushed forward and took Cassie's hands in her own. She had dark gray hair tied up in two buns and wings that were slightly lighter. She was already dressed for the party, in a long white dress, which had feathers sewn into the top.

"A pleasure to finally make proper introductions! I was...ah, I was the one who attacked you when you first arrived." She shook her head in disappointment. "My sincerest apologies. I am Columba, the constellation representing the dove."

Cassie nodded awkwardly, and Columba let go of her hands. The other one—Cygnus, she assumed—waved to her before returning to fussing over Gemini.

"Is your little friend attending the party as well?" Cygnus asked, tugging at Gemini's long hair with a comb. "We could find one of Ciara's dresses, I'm sure they would fit her well." She was also already dressed, in a pale yellow dress with feathers sewn in at the ends. Cassie got the impression that it was because of these women that Gemini actually got anything done. 

"Me? Oh—I'm not sure if that's allowed?" Cassie half asked, standing next to Gemini and watching as she got her hair pulled in every direction. 

"Eh, we can sneak you in," Gemini said nonchalantly. "What's Capricorn gonna do? Throw us out?"

"I believe she did throw you out after you had one too many drinks once." Pegasus grinned. "A very amusing scene."

"Oh, shut up. She's not gonna make her guards throw a kid out of her party." 

A dress was thrust into Gemini's arms, and she was shooed away into a changing room. Cassie could see Columba wheeling several more racks of dresses, rummaging through them.

"Oh my lord, this is so itchy." Gemini came back out, wearing a strapless dress with a black top and a white train. "I don't like it, I'm gonna trip over it at some point during the party and Capricorn will laugh at me."

"Perhaps this would be easier if you stopped delaying these clothing fittings." Cygnus picked out a different dress—off the shoulder, with diagonal black and white stripes—and handed it to Gemini. "Now, hurry up! We've only got a couple hours left until we must go."

Gemini grumbled some unsavory words and stalked off to the changing room. "Can we just pick a nice simple dress and move on?"

"No. Keep going."

They continued going, the pile of discarded dresses piling up in the corner. Sometimes, Gemini would ask Pegasus and Cassie their opinions if she was on the edge of deciding.

Finally, they narrowed it down to three. Pegasus had fallen asleep at some point, on Gemini's futon, and so Gemini looked towards Cassie. "Which one? You can pick."

Cassie looked between the three choices, before pointing at the middle one, a split black and white dress with a slit up the side. "That one."

Columba nodded in agreement, and Cygnus tossed the remaining two onto the pile of dresses. "Excellent decision. Now, Cassie, I don't suppose you'll be wanting a dress as well?"

"O—oh, me?" 

"It's no problem at all, really." Cygnus began gathering up the dresses and rehanging them on the racks. "You are a guest, after all."

Columba gestured for Cassie to stand up. She stretched out a tape measure, measuring her arm and waist lengths. "Yes, you should fit into Ciara's old dresses quite perfectly. Come, come!"

Gemini looked on bemusedly as Cassie was led out of the room by an eager Columba. The Zodiac merely shook her head and smiled. "See you later, yeah?"

Cassie hesitated, and then nodded. "See you!"

check out @sweet-star-cookie's starglass zodiac if you liked this!! questions about my lore are greatly appreciated!!

[coiled-dragon]

20 questions for fic writers

Omg big tag game :D thanks for the tag @thetentaclecommander ♥

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

146.... 146!!!!!!! Its taken me 12 years to get that many...

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 

468,189...... 8D and 1/4th of that... was all from Last Year, 2023, the year of Dracfield

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Well if I list all of the ones I have written for, its a pretty big list. But like... The Passenger, Renfield/Dracula media in general, Dead by Daylight, Stranger Things, Rise of the Guardians, Encanto, Gravity Falls, Pokemon... Lots of other misc horror media, too~

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

GOD can I skip this?? Because its a fast way for everyone to look at me and condemn me because the one thing all these fics have in common are problematic ships around One Type of Problematic and im anxious but like. Fuck it.

Living with Max - Camp Camp, MaxVid longfic, abandoned (For now) - 1893 Kudos When Dealing With Demons - Gravity Falls, BillDip Longfic - 1116 Kudos Late Night Visits - Gravity Falls, BillDip - 875 Kudos Keeping Secrets - Gravity Falls, BillDip - 798 Kudos A Sort of Welcome Distraction - Gravity Falls, BillDip - 754 Kudos

I aint linking them and if you go find them mind the content lmfao

5. Do you respond to comments?

I usually try to!! Sometimes! To at least half of them ;w; sometimes I just dunno what to say...

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

HAHA..OH BOY... that would be Si Tú No Estás Aquí an Encanto fic with double main character death so like. Heads Up if you read it. Proud of it but man it hurts

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? 

God I have to think uhhhh.. Probably Father's Day, a DBD AU fic that's tooth rottingly sweet, imo. I know Babies Ever After isn't for every character but I really do hold it close to my heart for Evan and Meg ;3;

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not in a while, but it's not uncommon. I write everything from Incest to underage to bestiality to snuff to necro... so it usually sets people off. Doesnt happen as often as it used to though

9. Do you write smut?

Looks at 85 of my 146 fics being marked Explicit

Yea

10. Do you write crossovers? 

Sometimes! But it has to be an idea that reeeeally grabs me

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? 

Not to my knowledge

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? 

Yep, have had some translated to Chinese, Russian, and Spanish

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? 

Yep, at least one published, partially finished long fic

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Thats a cruel thing to ask a bitch with ADHD

but I think it'd be BlackIce (Jack Frost x Black Ice) from Rise of the Guardians

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

HAHA ONE?

I have dozens that are half done or just a line in a document... Id love to finish them, but most will never see the light of day

16. What are your writing strengths?

God. idk. Tell me what my strengths are??

I'd like to say 'capturing characters voices'. I think im good at that...

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Probably writing action. I can see it so cool in my head but writing it down?? uggghghhghh

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I don't usually write dialogue in other languages BUT I have done it for Encanto fics! I usually try to find someone who speaks the language if I'm not confident in writing it but with Spanish I know my way around it enough to feel relatively confident.

19. First fandom you wrote for? 

Harry Potter waaaaay back 2011-ish? on FF.Net lol. Always loved Drarry and Snarry, you can see even back then I had my Tastes figured out XD

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? 

idk man, I really don't. I've written a lot I enjoyed at this part, fics Ive gone back and read more than once! But I just cant make myself Pick one or even a top three.... So you'll JUST have to read all 146 and figure out which one YOU guys like (just avoid the ones that make you wanna die inside I wont blame you!)

I! AM not gonna tag anyone! Do this whole questionnaire if you want!! I love you guys! Thank you TTC I love you too!!!!!

[caelumsnuff]

20 Questions for Fic Writers Game

Tagged by the wonderful sweetie that is @autisticempathydaemon. Thank you for the tag! Mwah!

Tagging @k9rage, @tepid-judas, and @nyssasorbit, and literally anyone else who wishes to play!

1 - How many works do you have on AO3?

15! which is. a lot mroe than i thought it was lol

2 - What's your total AO3 word count?

49,994. Don't let it decieve you though, a lot of that is from fics that i write several versions of for extra fun :3

3 - What fandoms do you write for?

Redacted Audio and Mo Dao Zu Shi (thus far :3)

4 - What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

5) And I Trust You (Redacted Audio fandom) 4) Thrill of the Chase (Redacted Audio fandom) 3) Grabbing at Clouds (Mo Dao Zu Shi fandom) 2) Kitty Gets His Milk (Mo Dao Zu Shi fandom) 1) You're The Sun in My Morning (Mo Dao Zu Shi fandom)

5 - Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Always! I feel if someone takes the time to write me a sweet comment, i should take the time to thank them. I will reward engagement with engagement. Plus id feel bad if i didnt thank them.

6 - What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

A Grotesque Perversion! I did almost bring myself to tears writing it, my beloved little baby man......

7 -What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

hmmmm probably You're The Sun in My Morning. That fic is ridiculously soft. Especially for something like somno kink LOL

8 - Do you get hate on fics?

Oh yeah baby!!! I sure do! Particularly for this fandom (Redacted Audio). After the onslaught of hate for my first pic, i decided this fandom has lost its privilege to have un-moderated comments on my fics. That has cut the messages down to almost zero tbh, but if i find a message funny enough i'd probably post it anyways lol.

9 - Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yes!!! I absolutely love writing smut. Mostly emotionally meaningful kink and violent sex. I just love sex <3

10 - Do you write crossovers?

Not as of yet. If i did it'd probably be a crossover for some of my special interests.

11 - Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No, not that i know of.

12 - Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but i would probably cry if someone liked my fic so much they wanted to translate it so more people can read it.

13 - Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I am currently doing a roleplay fic with one of my best friends for the MDZS fandom! It's far from being finish, and we'll have to edit it after we're done, but we'll be posting it after then!

14 - What's your all time favorite ship?

Geez....... they come and go, but right now i am so caught up on Vaelum, they are eating my brain on the daily.

15 - What's a WIP that you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

I doubt i will ever get past the planning stage of the David/Angel pet play fic. I have it roughly planned out, but i just dont think i'll ever be interested in the idea enough again to write it.

16 - What are your writing strengths?

Descriptions of emotions and sensations, i think. I feel like i can write a pretty eloquent descriptive sentence.

17 - What are your writing weaknesses?

hm. Flowing from one subject to another. I always have an abstract subject connected to a tangible scene in my mind thats perfectly connected and makes sense, but the moment i try to write it down, i feel like it sounds like absolute shit.

18 - Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I could not do this with any confidence, and i probably wouldn't to begin with. I'd probably just give some indication in fic that what they are saying, they are saying in a different language lol. There is a small possibility that i would if i had a friend who spoke a different language to help me with it, but thats still a hard maybe.

19 - First fandom you wrote for?

Redacted Audio!! My beloved And I Trust You

20 - Favorite fic you've written?

God..... I feel strongly about almost all my fics, so i don't think i could pick only one. I do really love Quinn's Favorite Toy and You Taste Like Love

[reggiestein]

licorice >:3c

Sexuality Headcanon: uhhh. whatever i am😈 hes everything and nothing to me. one moment i see him as some form of bi the next i see him as greyromantic or something

Gender Headcanon: im one of the like 2 people that sees him as cis but i understand the transfem headcanon, its cute and i get it :p hes probably like vaguely demiboy or something like that to me but i don't think abt it enough to give a detailed answer

A Ship I Have With Said Character: purple yam and licorice/licoyam even though im one out of like 2 people that ship them ever <3 they don't understand me im different im alone. ALSO angel food cake x licorice duh. my little things

BROTP: uhhhh? hm. I like the idea of avocado and him being friends based on that one puns vid, i think it'd be cute and funny🙏 i think him and affogato hanging is funny but strictly in a gossip way. I wish him and pom could be friends in an alternate universe somewhere bc i think that'd be really funny (i want to like pomegranate so bad) I FEEL LIKE THERES MORE BUT I CANT THINK OF ANY😑 lame

NOTP: OH MY GOD okay. I hate licorice/clo.ver (cant remember the ship name🙏) and lico/fait so so bad im sorry. theres no real rational reason i just always hate the way they make licorice out idk. but people can like it its not problematic or anything BUT TAG YOUR POSTS PLEASE I HAVE THE TAGS BLOCKED BUT THEY KEEP SHOWING UP💔💔💔💔 also same with darklico but i think its more weird because im pretty sure theres an age gap there. if dark choco was an adult/almost an adult when milk was a kid then he's most definitely older than licorice, a cookie thats canonically a young adult (when asked about his age in the qna live they said he was "old enough to be a highschool dropout if that gives any implication" and also this desc from the operation poison mushroom thing)

Also licopom pom is a lesbian BUT ALSO why do ppl who hate licopom always act like licorice is gross or something i always see him put at the forefront like he made the ship or something. idk maybe im insane but i always see that its so weird

IDK WHY THE NOTP SECTION IS SO LONG ig i had a lot to say sorry :| anyways ppl can like lico/fait and li/clover (??) (Ill leave their tags alone) but if you like darklico or licopom youre a lil weird sorry

[gracelesslady23]

20 Questions for Fic Writers!

Thanks so much for the tag @strugglequill!!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

18 :)

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

336K (wow thats so much more than I thought it would be) - but this does count the 3 unrevealed and anon-ed fics so...

3. What fandoms do you write for?

I've written bits and pieces for a whole bunch of different fandoms, but mainly write for Harry Potter and I've only ever posted HP fics online.

4. Top 5 fics by kudos?

the ghost of you, it keeps me awake (currently unrevealed for rewrites); and a love that I dreamt of came to me at my worst; In Plain Sight; The Wedding Date; Just Mates

All prongsfoot :)

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes!! I adore receiving comments on my fics and try to respond to as many of them as I can (even if it sometimes takes me a while to get to it).

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I'm very much a happy ending writer (these characters already go through so much angst in canon, I can't help it) although I certainly enjoy building up some angst in the lead up to the happy ending... but if I had to pick probably my jilypad-if-you-squint entry into this year's Kill Your Darlings MCD fest flickering light in an endless night although I tried to give it somewhat of a hopefully ending, even if its not necessarily a happy one.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

All the others lol. Haha but maybe you'll see me in hindsight I certainly spent more time with S/J after they are officially together in that fic than I usually do and there's like two chapters of smut/fluff to make up for the earlier angst.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Luckily, only few times (thank god for the small insular fandom that is prongsfoot <3), but it always hurts and turns me off writing for a period. I feel so sorry for any writer who has experienced it.

9. Do you write smut?

Sure do. Although, I do struggle a bit with writing it. I've also realised preferences sway towards the vanilla (with maybe a bit of voyeurism, exhibitionism thrown in), so that's usually what I feel comfortable writing :)

10. Do you write crossovers?

Nope. I wrote some dreadful Queer as Folk/HP crossovers as a teenager (which will NEVER see the light of day) but haven't for years and years.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! I was so thrilled that someone liked my work enough to do so.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No I haven't. I am quite insecure in my unfinished drafts so I think I might struggle to share that with someone in order to co-write, but maybe one day!

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

Can't go past Sirius/James. I've loved them for over a decade (which is insane) but Merlin/Arthur have been a close contender at certain times of my life <3

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will?

I want you to ruin my life I just lost steam on the project and it went in a direction that I wasn't completely happy with. I do feel guilty though, which is why its now on permanent hiatus and anon-ed lol.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Ummm... I think I can come up with a cool concept / AU idea once in a while.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Writing Endings is probably the thing I'm most annoyed with myself about at the moment!! Finishing projects without being distracted by new ones. Purple prose (probably), sometimes even I get tired when editing my ridiculously convoluted introspection scenes (although I think, or at least hope, i'm getting better at editing them down). Writing characters and POVs outside of the ones I'm most familiar with. Writing oneshots and actually keeping them at a reasonable length (see issues with endings lol). Self confidences... the list goes on.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language?

I'd love to be fluent enough in another language to do so one day.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Harry Potter, probably Harry/Hermione (but I didn't finish or post anything until fairly recently).

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

Probably and a love that I dreamt of came to me at my worst, its probably the fic I've re-read the most and has so many of my favourite tropes in it. And idk I'm just really proud that I actually wrote something that long and managed to see it through and finish it.

Tagging (No Pressure): @lovelymasks @groundzero-v @mycupofrum @roalinda @bronzeagepizzeria

or whoever else would like to share :)

[lilweaselcanons]

Alright cause I’m in a mood and I’m tired of seeing it , I’m going to throw my hat in the ring and probably piss some people off.

The Collector is not just a ‘misunderstood/confused’ kid who needs to be taught empathy. 

They are a morally GREY being, who while may indeed have disconnects on mortals morals, is not EXCUSED or completely ignorant to these acts and comments being fucked up in a human/witch/mortal view.

        && yes im doubly talking to the people who seem to think that theory is an unpopular one because i can count on one hand how many people DON’T think thats the case, and i see it 4-5 times each time im in the tags.

 But because I’m not going to just whine that other people disagree, I’m going to fully explain my counterpoints to a lot of the stuff I’ve been seeing.

 Lets begin.

1. “ They’re called a ‘child’ of the stars in canon”

Yes; while they are called a ‘child’ this could be a title due to the form they take. As they are petite and look young. 

From what we’ve seen, the collector as a being takes a lot more similarity with a deity / demi-god type being. Which would fit seeing as they are set up to be King’s foil / a being similar to a titan. && Titans are set up in canon to be ‘gods’ of the isles.  It is not uncommon in mythology for gods / demi gods / god like beings to take child-like forms or forms of other things to seem more harmless than they are.

2. “ The collector looks young! They’re definitely like 4-6 years old like an ipad toddler! They’re just a kid!!”

            Fam, even if they were a ‘kid’, which they are definitely not.  they look more closely to gus in height and build so like (12-14). 

           But again they are certainly NOT comparable to a MORTAL CHILD in all legitimacy. The collector is not a kid, if we are to take canon, where they existed long before phillip came to the isles, (long enough to have been trapped by kings dad hundreds of years prior), and have not changed since, there is no aging. there is no growing up. This is an ageless being. 

(which leads to my next point:)

3. “ They just need to grow up and be taught proper morals by someone! / Belos was just a bad role model! ”

        Again, for that logic to make sense, they would have had to be in a position for the ability to change / start out innocent.  They existed for hundreds of years BEFORE phillip existed in the isles. && from what we know was trapped quite a long time before that.  If they were simply innocent and corrupted by Belos, why would Kings dad need to trap him in the first place? Why would he go OUT OF HIS WAY to make a symbol PURELY TO HIDE KING FROM THE COLLECTOR.

        This is not a quirky coincidence. This is not a throw away joke in CANON this is a very important point they made sure to emphasize. If the collector was never a problem before Phillips influence, there would be no reason for king to remain hidden from the collector, especially to the EXTENT he was. (The whole island, the collar, the guards?)

                    With him being set up as a foil of king, would also make sense, as king is set up to grow and change, and learn. While the Collector is ageless, and is likely the way he was thousands of years ago and will remain that way. They seem to be set up as a being who is far more disconnected from mortal lives/way of life than the titan ever was.

4. “ I just think it would be interesting if the collector was just a misunderstood lonely kid-god who needed to be adopted!”

         A couple things, 

A, that power dynamic would never make any relationship with a witch/human/mortal being and the collector a healthy one. Sorry. not sorry. Power dynamics like that are automatically unhealthy I don’t care how much genuine connection u put there. Theres no way for a mortal creature to be friends or otherwise with a being that could wipe them out of existence with a flick of a finger.

 B. I’ve seen this EXACT take with so many characters in the fandom and its getting so tired. Amity, The blight twins, Hunter, Steve, you name it I’ve seen it. Please pick a new take I’m begging you. Having every character in a media be the exact same is not interesting or fun its not.

C. You can add depth to an antagonistic / morally grey character without taking away that they are in fact, an antagonist or morally grey. (cough belos apologists cough)

D. King. The character you’re talking about is literally King. King is literally set up as a deity (Titan) Who can learn, grow, and has bettered himself over the last few seasons. He’s literally a kid, and has been adopted by Eda. You want another king. We already have that. Lets have something different now.

5. “ The collector is just a kid so its okay that he helped with genocide and made jokes at mass murder! He’s a kid who doesn’t understand empathy”

 Uhhhhhhhh lemme ask you---when did you ever meet a 4-6 year old who went around laughing at genocide/ trying to murder people as a default? If we’re going to go all the way with ‘hes a little kid!’ narrative, then lets be honest with ourselves. Kids are usually the ones with the MOST empathy and compassion by default.  Hate and aggression are LEARNED behaviors. You do not start out this way. But please, show me evidence that this is a default state of kids, because you must be around some really disturbing children.

 ** && if you’ve gotten to this point and start with the ‘but phillip!’ nonsense, please read my previous points because you didn’t.

6. “ Its SO unpopular to think the collector is a kid I’m being victimized for having that opinion!” 

      No. You aren’t. Literally everyone in the fandom agrees with the kid thing--to the point where ive seen more ‘ipad kid’ edits of the collector than actual interesting dynamic art. If this is the opinion you wanna have. sure fine whatever makes you happy. More power to you. But don’t cry that someone is victimizing you when someone else disagrees its really gross. 

I’m tired of this fandoms weird fixation on everyone needing to conform to the favorite opinions or they’re bullies or smthn. Having different takes on media and characters is what is supposed to make fandom spaces fun. Does that mean i cant put my own counter into the ring? No

. Me making this post doesn’t isn’t going to do shit to dissuade people with the kid-llector nonsense and i know that. But if yall can talk so can I. 

7. “ You just think the collector is pure EVIL!!”

No, I don’t. Actually. I even agree with some of the interesting points about the collector having a complex about being alone for so long. Where i draw the line is excusing the collector’s shitty behaviors and saying he just ‘doesn’t understand’ or is a good person deep down. 

Thats not interesting when its your take on every character.

        The collector can have feelings/complex issues and still remain morally grey/chaotic / disconnected with what you or I would recognize as morally right and wrong. The character doesn’t need to be reduced to a little baby who just needs a good role model.

8. “ The collector is short / childish so they’re a child!”

This take always irks the hell out of me regardless of character and regardless of fandom. Short people exist. Short adults exist. I am literally 5 ft. I’ve known several people (full grown adults) around the same height/shorter. We are not kids because we’re petite.

                && Saying someone’s childish personality makes them a child is ableist. There are plenty of people with mental illness who act younger than they are ( and some who aren’t mentally ill that do!). Fully grown adults. This does not take away that they are adults. This alone is not evidence enough to prove he is a child. Unless Dana herself comes out tomorrow and says they’re 10, you cannot definitively declare this as canon. HC it all you want, but again, using that as the reasoning is maybe a take to reconsider.

              && Finally, for those who still want to insist the collector being morally good but misunderstood is ‘canon’

Dana herself literally said the character is morally grey and chaotic. This is not a disputable thing, this isn’t my opinion. She literally said this as canon, as fact.

      So regardless of ANY head cannons or opinions, that is one thing that is pure fact. 

JUST A DISCLAIMER; This is simply my take on the character, and like everything else on this website, is just that. my opinion. I’m not trying to pick fights with anyone over a tv show. But If I have to see ‘baby’ collector all the time in the tags, I’m allowed to have my own opinions too. 

[drawlfoy]

fireflies - a wonders of ohio drabble

masterlist series masterlist request guidelines

pairing: draco x muggle!reader

request: no not really! but i’m dedicating this one to @sycathorn-slush ! ty ally i need to get your tarot request out but i promise it will be out momentarily lol

summary: draco goes for a joyride and brings y/n along the way. takes place after graduation and before part 15 of wonders of ohio. this can be read alone, but some of the references that i make are wonders of ohio specific.

warnings: language? i think? mild nsfw content

a/n: you’re speaking to a post finals dee haha. i’m at home for a little before returning to uni for more research. unfortunately, that means i provs won’t be able to write as much this summer as i’d like (im going to have a roomie and will not be exposing my fanfic habit to her and i will need to head to the library to write) but i’ll be able to write more than i can during the school year. which, thank god that’s over. whew. no more political science for me! 

also, big sorry to any of my ohioan readers. if i got something really wrong about the location of the lake that draco and y/n go to, that’s my b. thats on me please feel free to yell at me in the comments

wc: 2.6k

tags:  @writeandtranslate @sycathorn-slush @gruffle1 @missmultifandommess @cleopatera @hahaboop @accio-rogers @geeksareunique @eltanin-malfoy @war-sword @cams-lynn @itsivyberry @ayo-cowbelly @nerd-domland @yesnerdsblog @shizarianathania @evanstanfanatic @strawberriesonsummer @hariosborn @night-ving @straightzoinked @imintoodeeptostop @naiomimoonshard @jejegu @ophelia-enthusiast @alwaysbeanunknownfan @nearly-memories @litty-dumb @callieclearwater @malfoy-wife15 @charlenasaxen @belladaises @fiantomartell @yiamalfoy @crystalox @dracoismybabey @dreamcxtcherr @decaffeinated-turtle @marrymetheonott @felicityofbakerstreet @daedreamss @sycathorn-slush @writeandtranslate @erisdogwood @loveissupernatural @sycathorn-slush @big-galaxy-chaos @lilyrachelcassidy

“Mrs. Grimaldi sent you what?”

Draco’s eyebrows furrowed briefly before realization washed over his face. “Oh. I’ve never told you about Quidditch, have I? Or flying?”

Y/N’s silence was more than enough of an answer. Her eyes were trained on the broomstick that hung from his fingers, the bristles just barely brushing the earth. It didn’t look like a common house broomstick that she’d use to clean—it had some sort of metal footrest protruding from the middle, glinting in the late afternoon summer sun.

“You sit on this and fly,” he explained, as if that made perfect sense to a physics student. “There’s a game called Quidditch that I used to play at Hogwarts. It’s a bit like, er, whatever your high school plays, but in the air.”

“Like football?”

Draco blushed. “Yeah. That.”

“Somehow I feel like it’s not that similar.”

“I was the Seeker for my house,” he said, puffing up his chest and looking incredibly proud of himself. He deflated slightly at the sight of Y/N’s blank stare. “I had to catch this thing called the Golden Snitch,” he added. “It’s very fast. I had to be very agile and strategic. Catching it won the entire game for my house—well, it ends the game and awards the winning team 150 points, which sometimes isn’t enough…”

“Consider me very impressed,” Y/N crooned, only mildly sarcastic. “I’m sure you were very good.”

He caught her gaze and rolled his eyes. “No need to lay it on so thick.”

She giggled. “I mean it! I think it’s cool. I think I’d probably be more enamored if I knew anything about what you were talking about. So, you can fly? Is the Ministry okay with it?”

“The Grimauldi’s got it cleared,” he said, tossing the rounding handle back and forth between his palms. “They say that as long as I don’t catch the attention of any Muggles, then no laws will be broken.”

“Too late.”

He rolled his eyes again, but the grin stretched across his face had already reached them. “You’re ridiculous.”

She stepped closer, narrowing the gap between the two of them. His eyes sparkled down at her as she rose up on her toes, pressing her lips to the tip of his nose. He grinned wider as he caught her on her way down, his hand gripping her waist as he kissed her properly.

“Y/N! Draco! Are you up there?”

The two sprung apart. Y/N frantically rushed to straighten her clothes as her mother ascended the steps, giving the two of them a sideways glance.

“Am I interrupting anything?”

“No,” the two said in unison, far too forceful to be believable. 

Her mother raised an eyebrow and sighed. “Sure. Listen, your father and I need to stop by the office for a last minute meeting.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine,” said her mother, though Y/N could tell she just wanted to enjoy her evening cup of coffee and read a novel instead of coming along with her father. “He just needs me to talk to his partner’s wife. Apparently she has an idea that I can help with.”

“Stella?”

Her mother nodded, and Y/N felt a sudden rush of sympathy. Stella liked her mother quite a bit, but the feeling was not mutual. Her father must’ve thought Stella’s proposal was something that her mother would love if he was dragging her along. “Don’t burn the house down or anything, yeah?”

Y/N raised her hand in a mock salute as her mother disappeared down the steps. Then she turned to Draco, who still looked rather pale. “Do you know what this means?”

“That she knows about us,” he said, gulping. 

Y/N snorted, “Well, duh. She’s known since before everything.”

Draco blanched.

“That’s not what I was saying,” she continued. “If my parents are gone, then that means we can drive out to somewhere a little more private so you can fly.”

He visibly brightened. “Really? Tonight?”

“Of course,” said Y/N, reaching out to intertwine their fingers. “I think I know just the place, too.”

~

One 30 minute drive later, Y/N put the car in park in a clearing, lit up gold in the slowly setting sun. 

“Where are we?” asked Draco, tentatively stepping out onto the dirt road that they’d been driving on for almost 10 minutes. 

“It’s a little area off by Caesar Creek Lake,” she explained. “It’s a nice lake that I went to a lot as a child, but it’s normally crowded. This is a fishing spot that’s popular during the daytime, but it’s almost always empty at night. My friends and I come here whenever we want to go swimming or anything like that. We call it Firefly Cove.”

“Why?”

Y/N smiled. “You’ll see. Go fly! Stop stalling.”

He kissed her before straddling the broom and kicking off the ground. She stared as he began to levitate, a smile slowly forming.

“How does it feel?” she asked, breathless.

“Incredible,” he managed. A light breeze ruffled his hair once he had gained more altitude. “I’m going to fly around now, alright? Yell if you want me to come down.”

With that, he disappeared above the tree line. Y/N jogged to the riverbank, staring up at the sky in hopes of catching a few glimpses of him in the air. He was languidly circling around the treetops, his hand coming down to brush past the leaves. A bird flying by startled at the sight of him, squawking and veering far away. She laughed. 

Draco flew in figure-eights, circles, dipped low before ascending rapidly, and performed some tricks like rolling the broomstick around mid-flight. She found herself breathless as she watched him from above. 

When the sun was finally kissing the horizon, he came back down to the clearing, smiling wildly. 

“That looked really cool,” she confessed. “Did you see that poor bird? You probably gave him heart palpitations.” 

Draco laughed, a pleasant sound that rang out through the air. “I didn’t realize how long I’d been up there. I didn’t mean to leave you down here for that long.”

“That’s okay,” she said. “I had fun watching.”

“Well, enough watching for you,” he said, and before she could process his words, she was being hauled over to the broom. “Do you want to try it?”

“Um…”

“It’s really not that hard,” he said, “Or that scary. I promise. I’ll help.”

“Can I even fly?”

“Of course you can.” He responded with so much certainty that she felt silly for asking. “Even if you didn’t summon Merlin’s box, you still have a magical signature on you. I checked before, you see.”

“Oh,” she said, her voice little. “I don’t know…”

“You don’t have to,” he added. “Maybe just try picking up the broom? That might make you more confident.”

“How do I do that?”

Draco set the broom on the ground next to her, stepping away so he was standing facing her. “Hold your hand out above the handle. Then summon it.”

“Summon it?”

“If you can summon Merlin’s box, I know you can summon this.”

Y/N felt a blush form on her cheeks as she extended her hand over the handle. She appreciated how kind Draco was being by including her, but if she wasn’t able to perform a task this simple, it would only serve to remind him how different she was.

Something smacked her palm. Her fingers wrapped around the wood that had risen to meet her hand instinctually, and a soft thrum of energy burst through her. 

“Yes!” said Draco, looking unceremoniously enthusiastic. “That was quite fast. I’m surprised.”

Y/N stared down at the broom in her hand. “Oh. I did that?”

Draco laughed. “Yes. And impressively quick, too.”

“And now I have to fly it? By myself?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” he reprimanded. “I’ll be with you. Get on the broom, now. It’ll be dark soon.”

She did as she was told, settling on the wood as Draco arranged himself behind her. She felt very stupid standing astride a glorified tree branch, but she supposed this was more bizarre for her than it was Draco. 

“To take off, you just need to kick off,” he said from behind her. His hands had come around to grip the wood right behind where her own hands were situated. “Your grip is already good. Do you want me to kick off?”

“Honestly, yeah.” 

That was all it took for the broom to be catapulted into the air. Y/N was full of a sense of weightlessness that made her yelp, clutching the wood tighter. 

“Are you alright?” he asked. They were only levitating a few feet above the ground, about eye level with the roof of her car. 

“Yes,” she said, turning to face him. “Sorry. I don’t know what I was expecting it to feel like, but it wasn’t that.”

He beamed. “Turn around. I want to show you how to steer.”

His hands dwarfed hers around the broomstick as he gently coaxed them into the necessary positions to steer left, right, as well as to rise and lower the broom.

“Does that seem like something you can do?” he asked, as they continued to circle around the clearing, Y/N studiously running through the motions without his guidance.

“Is what I’m doing right?” 

“Yes. Excellent, even.”

“Oh, stop it.” Y/N tilted her head back to look at the swatch of sky above that was clear of tree branches.

“Do you want to fly a little higher?” he asked, his chin coming to rest on her shoulder and his hands once again covering hers.

“Can we?”

“If you want to come down, just let me know.” With that, he sharply tilted the broom handle up, hurling them into the sky. 

Y/N squeaked, but the solidness of Draco behind her kept her from panicking as they were suddenly hundreds of feet in the air, hovering over the tips of the trees. 

“How are you doing?” he asked.

“Well…” She was trying her best not to look down but was failing miserably. Her knees were going weak.

“Are you scared of heights?”

“Um..”

“And you didn’t tell me before?” 

“I’m really not that scared of them,” she defended, reaching out to touch the tip of a tree with her toe. “I’m just not that used to floating this high while only being supported  by a little stick, thanks.”

Draco snorted. “If you fall, I’ll try my best to catch you.”

“I feel so much better.” 

“You try,” he said, removing his hands, though they remained poised over hers. “It might make you feel better to have some control.”

Seriously doubting what he had to say, Y/N began slowly picking up speed on the broom, making slow circles to the right, then to the left.

“You’re right,” she said quietly. “I do feel better.”

“Sorry? What was that?”

“You’re right.”

“Maybe one more time for good measure.”

“You’re right,” she hissed, turning to give him a sour look. “And you’re still so insufferable sometimes.”

He looked full of glee as he pecked her hairline. “Try changing the altitude a little. Fly down to the water.”

As Y/N maneuvered the broom to pitch down, she saw the slightest glimmer of light. 

“Fireflies!” she gasped, reaching one hand to point to the flickering lights in front of them. Draco’s sharp intake of breath accompanied his lightning-fast reflex to grab hold of the side of the broom left unmanned. “Oh. Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” said Draco, though he sounded a bit strained. 

“Are you scared?” 

He was quiet.

“No way!”

“You try teaching someone how to fly above a forest where there’s no soft landing spots,” retorted Draco. 

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Y/N had since lowered the broom to the surface of the lake, extending one hand to skim the water, spraying just the slightest bit up at them. “I don’t even need the two hands, right? As long as I use my weight, too?”

“Let’s not experiment with that when there’s two people,” Draco suggested. “Two hands, please.”

Reluctantly, Y/N pressed her hands back into position. 

“You would’ve been a good Seeker,” admitted Draco. 

“Life’s many tragedies,” said Y/N, though a part of her wished that she had had the chance to be one. Flying was fun. It was really fun, like she had the entire world at her fingertips and could move with just an adjustment of her wrists or a lean of her body. “Anyway. Look at the fireflies!”

Appeased by her safer flying grip, he spared a glance at the bugs that were now everywhere across the lake, concentrated around the bushes on the shoreline. “What are those?”

“Like I said, fireflies. They light up.”

“I gathered. How?”

“I don’t know,” said Y/N, shrugging. “Let’s go catch one so you can see for yourself. You steer.”

The broom rocketed forward with a speed Y/N had never been able to achieve in her few moments of flying above the tree line, and she gasped. 

“That’s so fast!”

“We’re catching fireflies,” he deadpanned. “Would you like me to amble along at the snail’s pace we’ve been stuck at all evening?”

“I wasn’t complaining!”

Their surroundings became a blur once again as Draco catapulted them forward. As they approached the shore, Y/N reached into her pocket, grabbing an old pill bottle with holes poked in the lid that she’d brought just in case she’d been bored while waiting for Draco. 

They were moving so quickly that the fireflies didn’t even startle as Y/N darted her hand out with the pill bottle, the vortex of air surrounding them sucking a bug into the pill bottle before she snapped the lid back on. 

“Got one!” she cheered, though the wind surrounding them whisked her words away until Draco could only hear a few syllables. Draco slowed to a stop and hovered them over the lake once again.

“Here,” she said, pressing the pill bottle into Draco’s hands. “Your very first firefly. What are we naming it?”

He regarded the bug in the bottle, watching as it lit up and darkened repeatedly, casting a soft golden hue on his porcelain skin. “When I was on the Quidditch team, there was a tradition of naming the first Snitches caught by new Seekers.”

“What did you name yours?”

“Malfoy,” he said, without hesitation.

“So creative.”

“It wasn’t really up to me,” he defended. “It’s also tradition to use your family name if you’re from the Sacred Twenty-Eight.”

“So what would you name this one? Considering the person who caught it isn’t even a wizard?”

“Honestly, still Malfoy,” he said. “Who steered the broom?”

She slapped his shoulder. “I’ll let it slide.”

Once the pill bottle was tucked away in her pocket, Y/N let herself rest against the front of Draco, drinking in the last few minutes of the sunset. 

And as he slowly piloted the broom across the glassy surface of the lake, his chin once again rested on her shoulder, she vowed to never forget how it felt in that moment. 

final a/n: short little drabble thing but i got inspiration bc i flew a plane briefly over the break and felt like i was going to die. so that gave me the inspo