#i always found alexander the great cool

[gadmiral-thrawn]

I just learned that Thrawn was inspired by Napoleon, Erwin Rommel, Alexander the Great and Sherlock Holmes and well.

...

Fuck ya

[justwonder113]

would you please do a reaction for when other members are being a little too close with their s/o baby bump cause they want to be the better uncle than the other members if that makes sense? like theyre trying to get the baby to recognise all their voices before its born. this would ne so cute ngl and then the member finds their s/o cuddled up with the other member having both fallen asleep on the sofa or some place like that. thanks a lot in advance!

This has to be one of the sweetest and unique asks I have ever gotten. Thank you so much for it!! I'm really terribly sorry it took me this long to write it and it's only Hyung line too. I was in really terrible headspace and I'm trying to get myself out there again. so I hope you understand. I will try to update Maknae line as fast as I can.

Warnings: There's not much to put here but if I missed any please let me know. The baby's gender is only specified in Changbin's. Just pure fluff

Masterlist

Maknae line here

Bang Chan

When you announced to the boys that you were pregnant it was safe to say that boys were over the moon. Hell, the restaurant you and Chan decided to invite boys to and annoynce the news almost banned you from how loud you were being. You were immediately showered with questions like how long you were due, when would the baby be born, if you knew the gender, everything! They were really excited to be uncles.

Ever since one could only imagine how protective they were of you. Chan and the boys did their best to support you in any way, you didn't even have to lift a finger now, everyone kept doting on you and the baby. You were also swarmed with countless questions about the baby, if you needed anything, if you craved anything, if you felt the baby kick and ect... Listening to them alone you already knew that your baby was going to be spoiled rotten. Even though you found it adorable hearing their plans and what great uncles they were going to be, you knew at some point you would have to to sit them down and talk about boundaries. Which was an impossible task! Because now as Innie talked to you (mostly your babybump) all cute and excited how much things he was going to teach the kid and how he was going to bring them with him to the coolest events ever and stuff. He even bought up an idea of maybe even convincing and possibly setting up a deal with Alexander McQueen for having your kid as the cutest model ever, Mind you the baby wasn't even born yet. As the baby of the group who was always babied and doted on he was the most excited having someone small around so he could be this cool reliable hyung to. You and Chan found it absolutely adorable how giddy he was. Heck you even made a promise to him, after convincing him to keep this a secret, much to his dismay and out of everyone's earshot, that he'd be the one to hold the baby first out of the boys once the baby was born.

Chan couldn't help but smile once you saw Innie who normally hated physical contact soundly asleep with his head on your shoulder, with you snuggling next to him all cutely. He couldn't help but to take a picture of you two, smiling, excited the most of all for the baby to be born.

Lee Know

Once you announced your pregnancy everyone was extatic. They all hugged and congratulated you, asked you hundreds of questions they were curious about. You really loved how excited they were for and you were more than happy to answer all their questions even the silliest ones. The evening was peaceful, everyone was here gathered at your house and you were spending lovely time, but everything changed when the fire nation attacked, meaning, someone, you really didn't catch who, but probably Jisung, asked if you had decided who was going to be the baby's godfather, and let's just say the hell broke loose after that, the kind not even the avatar could salvage. One second there was silence the next thing you knew was that everyone kept screaming and yelling at each other. You and Chan watched from afar, thankfully he was mature enought not to cause a scene, which couldn't have been said about your husband who was also yelling some incoherent stuff. Chan tried his best to solve the situation but at some point even he had to get involved in the fight to stop it. Everyone was yapping about god knows what at this point, you sat there on the coutch watching from the couch sipping your drink, praying that your neighbours wouldn't call the cops on you.

Jisung sat down next to you after a while all sad and pouty. The boys were yelling about something else now but you didn't really pay much attention to it. "It's not fair right! I'm Minho's and your closest friend, I should be the godfather right?" You couldn't help but huff out a laugh about Jisung's dramatic outburst. "Really Ji? The fact that I'm the one thirdwheeling whenever you're around my husband, which is a lot I might add, isn't enough for you and now you're coming for my baby too?" You couldn't help but raise your eyebrow at the audacity, Jisung looked taken aback but he quickly gathered himself and gave you the biggest smile ever. "Pretty please?" His eagerness was actually kind of endearing, you couldn't help but laugh. "I'll think about it little homewrecker." You were barely done with your sentence when Jisung basically quickly but also really carefully wrapped his arms around you and kissed your cheek very eagerly. You stayed cuddled up like that for a while and chatted for a bit while everyone was at each other's throats. Jisung talked to your bump all excitedly that he couldn't wait to meet them and that he was going to be the coolest godfather ever. Next thing you knew he was asleep still cuddled next to you. How this boy managed to fall asleep in this absolute chaos was beyond you but it was cute. Your eyes met Minho's who only raised his eyebrow at you, intrigued on what went on while he was distracted, you gave him a wink in return. You lovingly stroked your bump, You really couldn't wait for the baby to be born.

Changbin

When you and Changbin announcede that you were pregnant to the boys they were beyond extatic. They were about to pounce on you and give you the biggest hug ever but thankfully Binnie and Chan stopped them in time and warned them to be careful with you. So instead all of them decided to basically jump on your poor binnie, who was on the floor in seconds with 7 bodies on top of him, and hopefully without a concussion.

After that everything went smoothly, the boys tried to be as supportive as ever and helped you in every way they could. Your sweet Husband was also an absolute Godsend. You didn't know what you would do without him. Even now he basically helped you with everything. You really wanted to have a gender reveal party and he really jumped out of his skin trying to make everything perfect. The boys also helped out a lot, all of them were really excited to hear the gender of the kid. Jisung even wanted to place a bet but Binnie quickly stopped him by softly whacking him on the head.

The party went perfectly, your sweet husband even made the impossible possible. It was just perfection. Also everyone was so excited when they heard that you were going to have a baby girl. Binnie even burst out crying while hearing the news. You really couldn't wait for your sweet angel to be born.

You were having time of your life when Hyunjin approached you with the sweetest idea ever. He said that he knew that you still hadn't set up a nursery for the baby and suggested that he could paint the room for you and even showed you some of the inspiration he got from the internet earlier. You couldn't help but tear up at how sweet he was being. It was really one of the cutest and meaningful presents ever. Also he was so cute cute talking about how he wanted to help you create the prettiest room for the baby girl, which would be as pretty as her. You and Binnie almost burst out crying, Binnie couldn't help himself and literally almost smothered the poor boy by giving him the tightest hug ever.

You really were so thankful. You spent almost whole evening talking about various designs and ideas. Even the baby must have been really excited because she kicked for the first time that evening. Binnie and you even joked that it must be a genetic thing being obsessed with Hyunjin. Hyunjin got even more excited after witnessing it, and for the whole evening he talked to your bump about the prettiest colours and designs he was going to use for her room so she could have as pretty room as the prettiest girl deserved. You and Binnie couldn't be more grateful to have sweet people like him around especially when others also chimed in and gave you their ideas too.

Hyunjin

When you first announced your pregnancy to Hyunjin poor boy almost fainted, but once the news set in, he was more than overjoyed. He was on top of the world and since day one he was set on for giving your baby the best life possible and to spoil them rotten. You couldn't help but find it endearing how he thought about making every moment special and memorable.

He even planned the most dramatic and over the top way to announce your pregnancy to the boys and family members. He made custom envelopes with custom shirts and letters, ordered the cake which had your due date written on it with see you on top of it, ordered the best drinks and food. Also ordered most beautiful flowers. He was so excited to announce the news he wanted everything to be really beautiful and elegant, maybe it was a little over the top but it was made with taste and what's important with lots of love.

Everyone was over the moon once they heard the news, all of them congratulated you and wished you all the happiness. Hyunjin was over the moon he looked so happy like this was his greatest achievement ever. You couldn't help but tear up everything was so beautiful about this day.

All of the boys were so excited to become uncles. They already started planning how many things they were going to teach your kid, how many cool places they were going to take them too, how they were going to dote on them and spoil them rotten. The baby wasn't due yet but you already knew they were going to be most spoiled and most loved baby ever.

Out of the boys Felix seemed to be the most over the moon, he was so excited to have the baby around, he could barely contain his excitement. Which showed because in next couple of days you had almost every piece of Louis Vuitton's baby line and he had so many more plans too! Imagine that and also countless many presents from the boys too, it was like there was no space left for you and Hyunjin in your own house from all the boxes and envelopes. Of course you and your husband were more than thankful. But felix was really outshining everyone with his gifts. He even sent you his baked goodies which on you happily chewed on. Baby must have really loved his baking and you were really satisfied too with the devine taste.

Hyunjin kept joking that how would it look if baby was covered head to toe in Louis Vuitton when he was Versace ambassador himself. Felix and Hyunjin even jokingly argued which designer brand was better. They even tried to bring you into the little argument. And now you had a little ongoing bet on which designer brand was going to be your baby's favorite. You couldn't help but smile as you eyed the boys who slept on each side of you soundlessly all smiley and cuddled up to you as if they weren't the ones jokingly arguing earlier. You were really grateful that your baby was going to be surrounded with all the love in the world.

[myfictionaldreams]

Hi, hello! I see requests are open and if you’re liking this idea, I hope you enjoy writing it. If not, it’s more than okay🙈🥺

OKAY OOKKAAAY!!

What if the winter soldier was triggered because of the high amount of stress + torture Bucky goes through while kidnapped by whoever.

Yes the Wakanda’s deprogrammed the soldat but no one really thought pass that. So when Bucky is kidnapped and put under that stress the WS is triggered, comes out to save himself/ Bucky from it

My Little Sun // Bucky/WS x fem!reader

A/N: Thank you so much for the request! I hope you enjoy ღ

Tags: sfw, lots of angst, fluff, description of injuries, reference to torture, trauma response, anxiety, crying, overprotective (to the absolute max), possessive, sam wilson is a great friend

Words: 5.3k

my masterlist 📚 AO3 Link

The days were endless but the nights were torturous when he wasn’t there. The silence, the coolness of the sheets, the empty coffee cup left on the side, it wasn’t how it was supposed to be and that only made it all the more difficult to be in your home.

“I’ll be back in a few days Doll, it’s not supposed to be a big deal anyway, Sam just needs an extra pair of super strong hands”. Bucky always attempted to use his humour to try and ease the anxieties he knew that would be your worst enemy whilst he was away.

Hundreds of missions you’d been there to wave him off, and welcomed him back without even a scratch but this only made it worse, your luck had to run out eventually, right?

Not that your and Bucky's story was the happiest, to begin with. The two of you had been together since Hydra days, having been the Winter Soldier’s nurse until Alexander Pierce noticed the Asset responded better to your orders. For years and years, he only trusted you, even through the mental “resets” or being frozen, the Winter Solider would only trust you. This had its positives and negatives that Pierce liked to use against you but, when Steve Rogers finally found out about his best friend was alive, everything changed. This wasn’t the end of your story though, for two years following this, the two of you were on the run, then lived in Wakanda, saying a farewell to Winter Soldier, then the blip. Both of you were gone for five years which you were in a way thankful for, not sure either could cope without the other and now, after Steve was gone, Bucky was on the road to recovery - with the additional missions with Sam Wilson.

This wasn’t as bad for you but having returned to nursing meant that you couldn’t always be there when he returned or be able to check your phone for updates. At least the role kept you busy, as the days ticked by and finally, as the day of his return was due, you were stuck on restocking, which meant you could stare at your phone, waiting for the jet to return.

The second the phone buzzed, you were off, heart hammering in your chest with the adrenaline, rushing to the headquarters.

Maybe it was your anxiety that overthought the atmosphere in the room, overthinking why it was so quiet, no rushing of agents to unload the jet. It had to also be your anxiety as to why no one seemed to look into your eye or even smile and wave at your arrival, everyone was probably tired.

As you waited in your usual spot, your foot tapping anxiously against the stone floor, it was taking a lot longer to unload the jet. Eventually, an agent approached, suggesting you sit in one of the conference rooms, at least there you could sit down with a glass of water. They were just being polite, there was definitely nothing wrong, even as the 30-minute wait time turned into an hour. You tried to keep your spirits up, knowing that if those negative whispers at the back of your mind started to shout, you’d lose all composure. It was only a few days that they’d been away, only to infiltrate some stolen goods from being trafficked across the borders.

But then, it was strangely close to a known Hydra camp that had been whispered about throughout the underground market with recent activity. A shiver passed through your body at even the mere thought of the name that had ruined so many people's likes, it was almost like a swear word you weren’t allowed to think about.

The years of torture, life-ruining time spent with those demons and through it all Bucky was your saving grace, he always had been, even with the Asset’s mindset. There had always been hope and that had come in the shape of Steve Rogers and most importantly Shuri, giving the Winter soldier the peace to be deprogrammed and allowing Bucky to try and proceed with the life he should have had. Even though it had been years, there was always a small inkling in your mind that the Winter Soldier was ready to be released beneath the surface, something just holding him back and with one wrong move he would be set free and chaos would be caused. 

So as the minutes ticked by, waiting and waiting, the anxiety soon felt like impending doom, your chest ready to split open in fear.

Then finally, after nearly two hours of waiting, it all came crashing down as Sam Wilson slowly opened the door by himself, shutting it soundly behind him. He was still in his Captain America uniform, blood and dirt coating it.

You had stood as soon as the door handle turned, facing Sam, tears welling in your eyes, all control disappearing. Attempting to look into the light in the ceiling to stop the tears from falling, something wasn’t sitting right in your gut, it hadn’t for days, almost like an intuition.

“Is he dead?” your voice wobbled as you tried to hold on from having a complete meltdown, knees locking to stop from shaking and falling.

Sam took a deep breath, making sure to look you in the eye. “He’s not dead, but he hasn’t returned with us. We were ambushed”.

“Who…”

“Hydra”.

That one word, the tainted ugly word was enough to have your body giving up on any strength that it had retained. Sam was quick to catch you before you slammed to the floor, easing the seat beneath you and pouring a glass of fresh water, making sure you took a sip before sitting in the seat next to you.

His hand rested on yours as it lay in your lap, as he began to explain the situation and you were so very grateful for your friend, not trusting yourself to speak at that current moment.

They’d been ambushed, the entire operation was a setup and even the agents, specifically, Bucky was able to hold the enemy back, eventually, they had surrounded him and before Sam could reach him, they had gone.

“I knew this would happen” you eventually declared, looking at Sam’s tired face. “I knew they would get to him, I’ve heard the rumours and the threats but no one seemed to take them seriously! Sam what if they-”

“I know what you’re going to say but that will not happen, Ok? Zemo’s tried it, and others have attempted it. Bucky is just Bucky, Shuri has made sure that the Winter Soldier was deprogrammed so let’s try not to lose control here, we need to concentrate on getting him back and safely.”

There was no reason to disagree with him but the thoughts continued to send you into a panic, spiralling through your head causing only more detriment to your mental health but you wouldn’t verbally say them, wouldn’t want to manifest them into a reality.

“He’s not dead, I would know if he were”, you knew it didn’t make sense, you didn’t have a tracker on his heart but through everything the two of you had shared, it was almost like a silent connection. He often joked that you were both two of the same coin and you truly believed that too.

“He’s not, I believe that too, they wouldn’t want to kill him so quickly”. Saying it like that had sour bile threatening to spill from your mouth so you forced yourself to drink another sip of water, silent tears dripping down your cheeks.

“So what do we do now? Are there people searching for him?”

“Of course, we have everyone out there searching the area, drones are scanning the ground to sense any underground holdings. We aren’t stopping for even a moment. The only reason I’ve returned is that I wanted to be the one to tell you and get some more supplies”.

You tried to half-ass a smile, looking back at Sam with sincerity. “Thank you, I do appreciate it coming from you Sam. What time do we go-”

“That’s the other reason I’m here because I know you’d somehow get involved in the search and I’m sorry but I can’t have you anywhere near the site.”

The overwhelming urge to shout took over your body so much that you had to take a deep breath, rolling back your shoulders, ignoring the heat that had settled in your cheeks. “Listen, Sam, I can be useful please, I know what Hydra are like”.

“I understand that but, you’ve got to see it from my perspective as well. They’ve got Bucky, now what would happen if they also captured you too? What could they make Bucky do if you were in harm's way?  Even without the Winter Soldier, Bucky would kill anyone if it meant keeping you protected so there’s no way I’m letting that happen.”

This also made sense but it still didn’t stop your stomach from clenching as you refrained from arguing. As you tried to settle your emotions, you took in your friend, really looked at him and saw the overwhelming exhaustion and fear settled within his eyes.

“We’ll find him, Sam. Come on, I’ll clean you up, that’s a nasty scratch you’ve got there”, referring to the gash across his forehead. You wanted to be a good friend as much as he has been for you but also, it was a good distraction to fall into work habits.

Working soon became your only salvation, after looking after Sam and watching him return to the jet, you’d made your way back to work yourself. It was the only distraction that had worked and after nearly three days, it had quickly consumed your life, having not returned home once since discovering the news. If you weren’t working, you were sleeping in the changing rooms, showering there, eating vending machine food and returning for the shift.

If you didn’t do this, you’d have a complete and utter breakdown and it also stopped you from getting into a car or plane and going out to where he had been taken. You were sure that the agents were becoming fed up with your ungodly amount of phone calls but every update was needed, even though there had currently been absolutely nothing.

Eventually on the fourth day, your superior ordered you to go home for a full 12 hours but this only meant that you could go back to the office and watch the agents work. None of them asked you to leave which you were thankful for but it was an endless cycle after this, working as a nurse and then sitting with agents.

Four days soon turned into eight which was also when Sam returned again. He’d been out there every single day searching for Bucky, trying to find any clues and it was mostly his activity that you’d watch on the screen day after day.

Sam approached behind you, laying a hand on your shoulder, “let's go for a walk”.

You didn’t want to argue, following behind him as he led the way to the grounds, it felt odd to be outside for this amount of time.

“They called you back to talk to me, didn’t they?” You knew that your behaviour wasn’t normal but it was the only coping mechanism that you could handle right now and you weren’t interfering with anyone either.

“I’ve had my boss and your boss on the phone with me so yes, you’re quite the hot topic. I know you’re worried, I get it, I am too. But you’re going to kill yourself waiting around or working too hard. You need to go home, sweetheart, get some rest, and have an actual meal. If anything happens you’ll be the first person that I call.”

“I can’t go home Sam, not without him, we were supposed to go back together!”, any hope of salvaging the tears was useless as they began to drip down your cheeks.

“I understand that, but you know Buck would kill me if I didn’t look after you so for all of our sakes, let me please drive you home and I’ll even pick you up in the morning but I need you to look after yourself for once.”

The exhaustion truly hit you then, hoping that maybe you were so tired that you’d get in and fall asleep immediately, not having to think about the empty apartment. Eventually, you agreed to Sam’s request, letting him drive you back to your building which you stared at for a few minutes upon arrival, not making any effort to actually leave the safe space within the car. 

“You can do this, if you need anything I’m just at the end of the phone”, he attempted to motivate you, which you were thankful for.

Turning to him in the car, you smiled softly, probably for the first time in eight days, “thanks Sam, I’m lucky to have you in my life”.

“If you keep talking like that you might even make me cry”, he tried to joke, pulling a genuine smile to your cheeks as you exited the car and finally made your way into the apartment. For a good two minutes, you silently stared at the front door, taking a step forward and as the key entered, a small sob escaped your mouth.

The apartment had never looked so dark before as the sun began setting outside, much too quiet as you stepped in. Bucky liked to always have noise even as he slept, mostly from a distraction from his thoughts so you took a leaf out of his book and rushed to turn on the TV.

The background did help slightly, rushing to shower and load the washer but the place felt haunting, even though this was all in your head. Attempting to keep busy, you cleaned the apartment, emptying the contents fridge that held a lot of gone-off food, the milk having solidified so quickly, you threw it into the trash.

Heading downstairs, you disposed of the trash bag into the dumpsters, taking your time to go back as the stars twinkled in the night sky above.

Just as you were outside your apartment door, you stopped. On the floor, was a singular drop of blood at the threshold of the door, that you’d left open as the area was usually secure.

Patting your body quickly for your phone, you cursed for leaving it on the side. Also, you checked that somehow you’d not scratched yourself or even had a nosebleed but there was nothing. The sensible decision would have been leaving the building and not coming back but something within you drew you into the apartment, stepping quietly and turning on the main light, illuminating the kitchen and living room area.

Bucky’s name whispered at the back of your thoughts but you couldn’t let your hopes be lifted. There were no further blood spots anywhere in your home, and as you entered the bedroom, the last room to check, there were no signs of anything wrong, nothing was out of your place, even your phone was still left laying on the side as you reentered the main living space.

This was when a force bulldozed into you, a large hand covering your mouth and a sharp knife held at your throat, pressing over your artery as the weight pushed you back until colliding with the wall. Momentarily you were winded but the sight before you had instant tears welling in your eyes, a sob bubbling in your throat, the hand over your mouth stopping you from crying out the name, Bucky.

There he was, standing over you and there was so much to take in. He was coated in dirt and blood, fresh and dried. Cuts, grazes, gashes, bruises, every form of injury littered the exposed parts of his body, the rest were covered in filthy joggers and a shirt that you suspected to once be grey but now were mixed between black and red, especially the large blood patch in his abdomen that looked fresh.

Bucky had super soldier serum, he would always heal quicker than others, in fact, the paper-thin scratches that you noticed should have healed as you looked at them to nothing more than a pink line but they stayed, unhealed.

However, through everything, it was his eyes that had your thoughts screaming on red alert. The eyes, the stare, that you hadn’t seen in years.

Not panicking was key so even with the knife at your throat, you dropped your shoulders, showing you had no fear, the Winter Soldier always hated when you looked frightened of him. The usual soft clear blue eyes of Bucky were now hard and slightly glazed over as he looked down at your shorter form.

Trying to maintain your courage and not falter, you began to lift your hands, palms up, showing that there are no weapons and you meant no harm but the Asset already knew this. Taking a risk, you wrapped your hands around his wrists, gently earring them away from their hold against you.

The Winter Soldier did not fight it at all.

“Soldier?” you asked tentatively as his hand was removed from your mouth.

The Asset collapsed and any attempt you had to catch him was in vain as he weighed a lot more than you could carry but thankfully, you managed to cup the back of his head before it collided with the floor.

“Buck- Soldier? Open your eyes, please!” desperately you cradled his face, stroking both thumbs against his bruised cheekbones but he was out cold, not even his eyes flickered.

Nurse mode kicked in as you instantly went to the dark area at his abdomen, lifting his shirt to see a stab wound that was still bleeding slowly. Rushing off your feet, you grabbed the first aid pack from the cupboard as well as your phone, leaving it at your side to quickly put pressure onto the wound. 

This woke him up as he grunted in pain, his breaths leaving him in quick bursts as he attempted to grip your wrists.

“Shh it’s ok, I’m going to look after you, I just need to stop the bleeding, I know it hurts, I’m sorry”.

“Солнышко”, he whispered a name that you had not heard in a long time. Years ago, the Soldier had whispered it to you so no one could hear. Eventually, it was the only name he would call you, and one day, it was translated for you. “Little sun”. As he began to regain his memories after escaping Hydra, he would talk about why this name, only repeating that you were his light in a world full of darkness, therefore, his little sun.

“It’s ok, Soldier, you’re going to feel better, I just need you to stay still, let go of my wrists”.

He did instantly, always listening to you.

The wound was still bleeding, and you silently cursed at yourself for not having more resources to care for him but every time you’d care for his wounds after a mission recently, it had been at the facility. “What did they do to you?” your words were only a whisper, a question more for yourself as the panic began to set in. 

Glancing up into his eyes, you found that he had passed out again, allowing you to call someone. Easing one hand off of the wound, quickly unlocking your phone and selecting the first name to pop up, it answers within two rings.

“It’s not even been two hours yet, that’s not enough time-” Sam tried to joke on the other end of the line but you had to cut him off.

“He’s here”.

Sam paused for a second like he didn’t quite understand what you’d said. 

“What? What do you mean he’s there-”

“I mean, what I said Sam! He’s here, passed out on the floor and he's injured sam, I need some help, please!”

“Ok, ok I’ll get the medics to go to your apartment, I’ll head there now as well.”

“Wait Sam, that’s not the only thing. He’s not- He’s not Bucky”.

“Shit.” Sam cursed loudly.

“I can’t have them taking him away again”, you needed the medics but the risk of the Winter Soldier waking up in a room full of strangers was only bound to end in danger.

“They won’t take him away sweetheart, I’ll contact Shuri, it’ll be ok, we’ll sort out a plan.”

And this is exactly what they did. Turning up in force, you rushed to grab the equipment, ignoring the guns that were being pointed at Bucky.

“No one touches him but me, do you all understand?” Everyone agreed, Sam thankfully then turned up and was able to have the guns pointed somewhere than where you were. Eventually, it was decided that they would sedate him which was probably the best option compared to being on guard with guns. Even on transfer to the facility where he would heal, you stayed by his side, cleaning his wounds and suturing a few gashes. After all the scans and investigations, it was determined that other than the stab wound, he had a broken wrist, cracked three ribs, several fingernails missing and head to toe, covered in bruises, cuts and grazes and IV lines were giving him pain medication and antibiotics, he looked a mess.

He had stayed sedated for another day, allowing his body to try and heal. Sam had attempted to send you home once more, but in the end, you had agreed to change into some cream joggers and a t-shirt and then made a little nest next to his bed in the most comfortable chair available.

You’d dozed in your chair for a couple of hours, waking up to find Sam standing behind you but luckily no one else was, the armed guards currently waiting outside as the sedation was wearing off. 

This wasn’t the only precaution and even after arguing about it for hours, they still placed, large cuffs across his body, particularly his metal arm, just in case he woke.

“He’s just gotten out of imprisonment and now he’s back in it”, you mumbled quietly, looking up and down his body.

“It’s not forever, it’s just a precaution”, Sam tried to ease your anxiety, something he seemed to be doing a lot of these days but you were thankful for your friend staying until Bucky woke up.

Leaning across the bed, you held the metal hand, the feeling giving some comfort.

“This feels weird waiting for the Winter Soldier to wake up and you’re just casually there holding his hand.”

Smiling sadly at Sam’s statement, you continued to watch Bucky, or should you be say the Winter Soldier? It was all so confusing, and there was still some hope that it would be Bucky waking up. 

Just as your eyes became heavy, Bucky’s hand suddenly flinched in yours and instantly you were sitting further up on your chair, leaving over him.

“Bucky?” your fingers drifted through his short brunette hair. At first, his eyes didn’t open but he furrowed his brows like he was willing himself to wake up. “It’s ok, I’m here, I’m not going anywhere”, you whispered, leaning in to kiss his forehead, mindful of his injuries. Standing back up, his eyes were now open, staring at you and now it was noticeable that the whites of his eyes were stained with red but at least he could open them properly.

“Buc- … Soldier? How do you feel?” at the near mention of Bucky’s name, the heart rate monitor began to increase in speed so you resorted back to trying to calm him. “You’re safe, it’s ok. Your wounds aren’t healing like they usually would so I’m just keeping a close eye on you.”

“They laced the knives with a special solution”. You’d not expected him to speak so soon, it was gruff from lack of use but his tone was softer than anything the Soldier had ever used.

“What?”

“They bathed the knives in some green solution before cutting me and it’s stopped me from healing.” The sick feeling returned to your stomach with full force, dreading to ever find out what had happened that they had tortured him enough for the Winter Soldier to come out.

“You’re healing well now though which is the main thing. It just might have to be at the same rate as us normal lot”.

Leaning forward once more, your lips softly kissed his temple, fingers still coming through his hair. The sound of his shackles shaking had you looking down at his hands, he’d tried to reach for you too but had been restricted. The Asset also looked down in confusion as to why he was being chained up but his eyes didn’t even glance at the straps, instead, he saw Sam at the end of his bed.

“Soldier, it’s fine, they’re friendly, they just want to help you.”

This wasn’t enough for him, the heart rate spiking to a dangerous level as his muscles struggled against the cuffs, his body straining as he tried to escape. “Calm down Soldier, listen to me Buck-Soldier, stop please, it’s safe!”

It was no use as the more he struggled, the more the guards were getting antsy and before long they were entering the room and pointing their guns at him. Sam began shouting now but that made no difference as the Asset had ripped his arms out of the shackles and the other cuffs were like pieces of string, easily ripped off.

“Point your guns somewhere else! Please get out, I don’t want him to hurt you”, it was complete and utter chaos, you were sure your heart was beating as fast as the one displayed on the monitor. “Stop pulling them out, they are there to help you”, you shouted at the Soldier as he ripped the IVs out of his arm and detached himself from the monitors. 

In the next second, his metal arm was gripping around your middle as he raced out of the bed, staggering slightly with his injuries but that didn’t deter him from pushing you into the corner, standing in front with only his hospital gown on. 

Now you were even more confused. The Winter Soldier was the world’s most dangerous assassin and on many occasions, he had killed to protect you but here he was, not making that step to kill anyone, simply just standing in front of you, being a barrier between the guns and your person.

“Everyone needs to stop this, now!” Sam shouted, holding his hands out in front of the guards.

Placing your hand in the middle of the Soldier’s back, you tried to speak to him, “you- you don’t need to protect me from these people, they are your friends Soldat”.

“I know who they are”, he revealed, looking at Sam now. “I’m not the Soldier, not to the fullest extent. I still have my mind but he’s there at the forefront, I want to kill you all but not because I’ve been ordered to but because I need to protect- WE, need to protect her but I can’t get through to him that you’re safe to be around.”

“Oh Bucky”, you muttered, laying your forehead against his back for a second, savouring his warmth before standing on your tip toes to look over his shoulder. “Please can you leave us for a moment, even if it's just outside the door, I just need you all to leave us”.

It took some stern words from Sam and arguments before they relented and exited, with Sam giving a final nod before thankfully closing the door, leaving the two of you in peace.

“Sit down before you hurt yourself anymore”, you encouraged Bucky as he held onto the stab wound, turning to face where you stood in the corner of the room. Your breaths were coming out in quick bursts, as your eyes flicked between his two confused ones.

Lifting his metal hand, he gently cupped your cheek which you thankfully grabbed, holding it there, having never been more grateful for a moment until now.

“You look sad, and you haven’t been eating properly”, he uttered, looking across your face.

Brushing away his hands, “Yes well, I’m going to be pissed if you don’t get into this bed right now!”

“Yes ma’am” he retorted with the sarcastic tone you’d grown so fond of. Bucky grunted as he eased himself into bed, brushing away the mess left behind by the destroyed cuffs. 

As you began to sit in your seat, he requested, “lie with me”.

“Nice try Barnes but there will be no lying with you, not on that tiny bed, now lie back and heal”. It sounded like you were chastising a child but it was for his own good, the stubborn man.

At the mention of the name Barnes, his eye twitched slightly before rolling his neck and settling back into the pillows. Even though you would lie with him, you still sat as close as you could, holding his flesh hand which was covered in bandages.

“What did they do to you?”

“You don’t want to know Doll”.

He never hid anything from you, maybe it was for the best that he didn’t give you the details whilst everything was so fresh for him.

“Explain to me what you meant that he was in your mind, so you’re Bucky… but you aren’t?”

“Sort of. I think it got to a point where something snapped in my subconscious and he came out but I mean, it worked. His ruthless aggression was just the push I needed to snap my wrist out of the chains and get me or us- out of there”.

You weren’t sure what to say so he continued his explanation. “I have enough control not to kill them lot out there, but he’s still in here, lingering, ready to kill if needs be”, he pointed at his head.

“Well I’m very glad you didn’t kill poor Sam, he just about shit himself”.

Bucky laughed but then winched, gripping his fractured ribs.

“So what do you want to do now? I think Shuri is coming here”.

“That’s probably for the best, it would be nice not to want to kill my friends. I do ask one thing of you though, don’t leave my side”.

Your heart broke at the sincere note to his tone, tears threatening to spill enough that you had to look away from him.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you upset”, Bucky tried to sit up to comfort you but you were quick to push his shoulders back into the pillows, moving to now sit on the edge of his bed, cupping his cheek as he continued his explanation. “I just meant, that if you weren’t here, I can already feel how agitated he is thinking about it. What I’m getting at is for everyone’s safety, don’t leave the Winter Soldier. You’re going to have to just deal with us overbearing pair for a little bit, that’s also why we came straight home rather than a hospital”.

“I think I can deal with that for a little while longer”, finally you were able to grin and truly mean it, leaning in to kiss his lips softly.

It was only a second long but he was already trying to deepen it which caused the pain to flare in his face.

You laughed sitting away from him, “you need to heal first Romeo, both of you do”.

Bucky’s eyes softened, before revealing, “he’s missed you. I’ve missed you”.

“I’ve missed you both too, my overprotective murderer”, you joke, kissing his bandaged hand. At this point, Bucky’s eyes had begun to become heavy, dropping slightly. “Get some rest, I’ll be here when you wake up.

“You better me, otherwise I’m killing everyone in that hallway, Солнышко”.

A/N: Солнышко - little sun. I must admit that I used google to find the translation so apologies if this isn't correct.

[midnightsapphire]

Longing

Masterlist ~ Badlands Masterlist 

Previous || Next ||

𝕊𝕪𝕟𝕠𝕡𝕤𝕚𝕤 : In which Jake Sully was always the object of your desire from the moment you laid eyes on him, but when he gets thrusted head-first into the Avatar program in replacement of his deceased twin, you fight your hardest for him to desperately see you the way you see him.

𝕎𝕒𝕣𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤 : pining, slow-burn, beginning human!jake x human!reader, eventual smut, violence, heavy angst, requited unrequited pining, jake is an ass sometimes, reader gets emotional, everyone is emotional tbh, mentions of jake and neytiri, oblivious jake, canon divergent (may add more)

- No Post Schedule -

vv special thank you to @darksxder my love for dealing with my madness writing this 😩

—-

Jake was never the most studious, finding more excitement in ditching his own studies to chase whatever thrill he could find. He found himself falling behind in his academics, not that he minded much, allowing his twin brother, Tommy to receive the glory, the praise, the achievement in being the smarter, better twin. Oftentimes, Tommy would find himself filling into Jake’s absent spots when he could, picking up the slack for the both of them as Jake galavanted with his pointless cheap thrills. 

“I wish I had picked Tommy to be my partner instead.” Jake heard next to him, tearing his eyes from his poorly doodled drawing of Alexander The Great to glance at the girl next to him, hair loosely tied at the back of her head, eyebrows furrowed in disgust as she poked and prodded at the lifeless body of the frog with her scalpel. Jake knew, her words held no malice as he smirked in response, swiping his finger along the slimy amphibian’s body to poke at the girl’s cheek with. She shrieked in horror, earning a harsh scolding from their teacher as (Y/N) shoved at his shoulder. 

“Not cool, Sully.” She hissed, elbowing his arm as he laughed to himself, wiping his finger on the paper towels that littered the surface of their shared desk as he leaned his elbows along the edge, his eyes fluttering over her face as she held back the dry heaving from having to do all the work while he relaxed around. 

“I said we could visit the cool recom facility but you were the one who insisted we show up.”

“We ditched last week-”

“And the week before that, and before that.” Jake droned on, earning another swat to his arm as he burst into laughter. He was never the most studious, but he made an effort for her. Tried his best to one up Tommy by raising his hand quicker- albeit giving the wrong answer every time, but he was still first. 

It made everything worth it listening to her melodious giggle being muffled behind her hands. 

“It makes me wonder if you’ll ever graduate, Jake.”

“Even if I don’t, I’ll be cheering the loudest for you and ‘lil Tommy.” 

And cheer he did, letting out several hoots and hollers from his spot at the bleachers when (Y/N)’s name was called, the girl giving him a bright smile as she waved her folded diploma in the air. Jake sighed fondly to himself, earning a nudge from Tommy as they stood clad in their graduation cap and gowns. 

“You have to tell her eventually. All those heart eyes you send each other are starting to make me sick.” Tommy teased his twin as Jake never ceased to tear his eyes from her, watching as she excitedly made her way to her seat a few rows away from them both, only turning around to shoot Jake a playful wink as she mouthed to him. 

‘I’m so proud of you.’

—

Jake never did learn. 

Opting to use his physique to join the marines, much to (Y/N)’s dismay as she followed alongside Tommy’s footsteps, jumping headfirst back into their academics and earning their PhD’s in almost no time. But never did (Y/N) cease to leave Jake behind, dragging him along to her study sessions, being the shoulder she needed when she stressed over her assignments that she neglected to finish before they piled too high for her. 

It was a surprise to both him and Tommy, who had accompanied him in his little farewell, when he heard a screeching voice yell out Jake’s name. He barely had enough time to turn around before he was barreled into a tackling hug, thanking his own stability to steady the both of them as his arms wrapped around (Y/N)’s figure. 

She had panted heavily, chest heaving to meet his own as she buried her head into the crook of his neck. “You can’t leave.” She whispered, nudging the skin of his neck with her nose as her hands held an iron grip on the back of his shirt. It had broken his heart, ripping it at the seams as he kissed the side of her head affectionately. 

“I would never.. Not without saying goodbye to my favorite girl.” He whispered against her hair, his eyes fluttering shut as he tried to memorize the shape of her body, the scent of her floral perfume that he would tease when she “sprayed so much he could taste it”, the sound of her voice ringing in his ears. 

“I better be your only girl.” (Y/N) whispered back, their voices hushed, as if only meant for each other’s ears despite the ringing of the planes behind them and the chartered voices of other loved ones departing from their families. Jake only let out a breathless laugh as he dared to glance at his twin brother, who only shot him a knowing look as Jake solemnly pulled away to cradle (Y/N)’s face in his hands. 

“Sweetheart.” Jake cooed, grazing the calloused pads of his thumbs against the apples of her cheeks, resting his forehead against hers as he heaved out a sigh. The words merely died at the tip of his tongue as he reeled back to lay a lingering kiss on her forehead.

“I promise you. I’ll come back and your face better be the first I see.” He said earnestly, his heart fluttering as he managed to pull a shaky giggle from her lips. 

“Just.. Do one more thing for me.”

“Anything.”

“Would you please close your eyes? There’s.. no way I could walk away with you looking at me like that.” His voice was pleading, dropping to nothing but a whisper as she slowly did what he asked of her, his eyes painting every feature of her face into his mind as he slowly pulled away, letting his hands linger on her skin for just a little longer until the warmth slipped past his fingertips. 

‘Take care of her.’ He mouthed to Tommy as he hurried to catch his plane, hands clenched along the straps of his backpack as he willed himself not to turn around, knowing all too well that he would drop everything to run back into her arms for just a bit longer. 

—-

Parts of him wished he had. 

The letters started frequently, almost every week. A new letter from (Y/N), the occasional one from Tommy as they updated him on their life back home. He was proud of everything they had accomplished, the things she had done to earn significance to her name. It made his heart soar whenever he had skimmed through her scribbled handwriting, tracing each letter carefully before rereading and rereading them in his moments of loneliness. 

He kept every letter, every picture, tucked into the deepest parts of his pillowcase, opting to spend his sleepless nights gazing at the bright smile that crossed her face in every frame, showing off the laminated name tag on her lab coat with Tommy lingering in the background. They had done it, made names for themselves in their career while Jake? 

Jake suffered more in silence, listening to the never ending beeping of the hospital monitors as they recorded his vitals, at least making sure he was alive and well. 

 ----

To Jake, it didn’t seem like living any longer when he ignored the sympathetic looks of the soldiers as he wheeled himself up to the plane with his belongings weighing heavily on his lap. He had deemed himself too strong, too proud, practically untouchable. 

But oh how the mighty fall just as hard, just as quickly. 

He couldn’t face any of them, not after he heard the echoes of gunfire, the screams, barely feeling the sharp pain at the base of his spine before things had gone black. He had only remembered waking up to several doctors lingering at his head, breaking the tragic news to him that spiraled his life for the worst.

The letters soon stopped, not having the heart to break the news to the girl. His girl. Not having the heart to listen to the endless praise she held for his accomplishments, how proud she was of him for pushing through all his endeavors. Jake could no longer remember the last time he had spoken to her, hiding the withering pages under the bed in his single roomed apartment. 

Jake only knew she had ventured along with Tommy to explore the legends of Pandora, something he had heard in the lingering conversations she shared with his twin brother that they assumed he tuned himself out of. He had heard from the whispers in the bars, surprised he had even bumped into old colleagues from high school as they bragged about (Y/N) and Tommy, the geniuses that were granted access into the famous Avatar program. 

He felt envy seep into his heart, filling the cracks that were left the moment he had stepped on the plane. Parts of him wished he had tried harder, been better in his past to be able to say he could follow behind them. 

But he couldn’t.

Jake could only watch the world wither along with himself as he spent whatever money he had on alcohol, gambling, anything to rid his mind of the lingering self pity he had felt for himself. Over the years, his upper body only grew leaner, never neglecting to increase his physical physique, but not much could be said for the lower half of his body. His legs that dragged him around for miles on end now skeletal, almost sickly as he heaved them to and fro whenever he needed to rise from bed, to dress himself. 

He felt pathetic. 

Women no longer looked at him with interest, not the kind he wanted. The moment they had seen the wheelchair in their view, pity only overtook their glances as they excused themselves from their conversation. Although, he never truly cared. His heart only yearned for the woman that had now been lightyears away from him, even more out of his reach as she traveled to another planet, leaving him behind.

He could have sworn he was losing his mind, blinking at every corner of his small apartment to see almost a shadow of her figure, almost haunting him, taunting him on what he could have had if only he wasn’t so hellbent on pushing her away. His eyes betrayed him when he had felt her hands on his chest, tracing small shapes onto the base of his pectoral, her smile radiating brightness that the large screen that took up a majority of his cramped apartment never could.

“What if we moved away? I saw some apartments down the block that weren’t as dingy and suffocating as this one.” (Y/N) giggled, her fingertips playing with the dog tags that dangled loosely on his neck. 

“Can’t afford it, you know that.” Jake mumbled to her, glancing at him as he swore their noses almost brushed when he faced her, sculpting every part of her face that he could remember. She looked almost the same as he had last seen her, her features more sculpted, matured as he tried to visualize how beautiful she would be to him now. 

Her hair was longer, just as he always told her he liked to see since he loved running his hands through them, how they tickled at his arms and cheeks when they stood too close for them to simply be just friends, her cheeks fuller, letting him know she was taking care of herself, her body growing into itself, her chest wider, legs thicker and longer, but still short enough for him to rest his chin upon. 

At least before. 

“We can do it, you know. Get out of here and make something of ourselves. A home for us. Wouldn’t you like that, jar-head?” She asked happily, resting her head against the spot above his beating heart, his head tilting down to bury his nose into the crown of her hair, inhaling her scent for as long as he could. 

“I’d like that a lot.” He whispered into the air as he moved to glance down at her, his mind bringing him back to reality.

Leaving him in a cold, empty apartment again. 

—

But it was a new day.

A new day, but the same repetition as Jake listened to the drunken cheers around him, balancing himself on the hind wheels of his wheelchair as he expertly balanced the shot glass in between the creases of his eyebrows. He listened to the deafening hollers as he downed the shot, allowing the familiar burn to sear down his throat as he held the empty cup in the air triumphantly. 

He waved off the pats on the back, brushing them off behind him as he set the empty cup onto the counter. As the years passed by, Jake grew more aware, more attentive of his surroundings. He listened to everything around him, eyes narrowing as a heated argument between a woman and- who he guessed- was her company along the bar. 

The moment a blow was sent along the woman’s cheek, Jake felt a blazing rage seep into his veins. His head tilted in contempt as he narrowly wheeled himself closer to the couple, not knowing what came over him as he grabbed the leg of the barstool, sending both him and the burly man to the floor as punches were thrown, screams were heard, and Jake again found himself being thrown out of the bar, hissing as the heavy metal of his wheelchair slammed against his back. 

But he had no regrets, once again feeling the adrenaline course through his body as he turned to lay on his back, laughing to himself as the rain pelted down on his face. 

(Y/N) would have been proud. 

He opened his eyes when he had felt the rain stop cascading down his bruising face, a shadow looming over his body as he saw a shadowy figure towering over his laying frame, eyebrows furrowed as his eyes adjusted. He blinked away the droplets out of his eyes when he had seen (Y/N)’s radiating smile, something he couldn’t mistake. “Must be really fucked up in the head to see you, sweetheart.” He whispered under his breath, smiling to himself when he felt the ghost of her touch against his skin, tracing the growing stubble lining his jaw as he instinctively leaned into her. 

“You’re being stupid again.” She giggled, crouching down to his battered body, brushing her fingers through his hair, and for once, Jake felt selfish, allowing himself to indulge in her presence even if it wasn’t really there. 

“I thought I told you to take this easy, I need you in one piece, you know?” (Y/N) teased as he let out a breathless laugh, hand reaching up to trace her cheek with the back of his hand, the softness of her skin burning at his knuckles as she beamed down at him, the corner of her eyes crinkling, eyes almost shut and he feared her jaw with hurt with how wide she was gleaming at him, like he held her world in his hands, like she was his world. 

“Miss you so much.” Jake whispered into the air, eyes fluttering shut once again when he remembered the touch of her forehead against his, reminiscing in the warmth that radiated her off her skin, the gentleness that he knew only she held for him. 

“Then come back to me.” And just like that when he opened his eyes, she was gone.

—-

Jake didn’t know what he had done in his life, or any past life to deserve the karmic disbelief the world had given him one after the other. Not long after the adrenaline had left his body, he found himself wheeling down the grueling halls of the recom facility, being led by two RDA agents that informed him about an incident that had happened to his own twin brother. 

He could only watch as his own face stared back at him, lifeless, cold, empty. “Oh, Tommy.” Jake mumbled under his breath, only helplessly watching as they wheeled Tommy’s body into the incinerator, watching as the orange flames roared to life as he was escorted out of the facility, the questions lingering at the tip of his tongue. 

“(Y/N)? She’s a scientist too, and worked alongside Tommy for as long as I’ve known them. She alright?” Jake found himself asking as the agents simply brushed off his questions, only informing him of Tommy’s life work, the life he had ripped away from him, the funds that were put into the project, and how yet again it had to fall into the hands of the only other person closest to the man. 

A second choice to fall back on.

—

For three grueling years, Jake trained day and night, letting his body readjust to the lack of physical strain he had put on himself throughout the years. Day and night his questions went unanswered, only returned with more exercises and tasks that weighed heavily on his body. But he endured, knowing how much was at stake, how much was compensated for him, how much closer he could be to the woman he had left years ago. 

Five years, nine months, and twenty-two days later, Jake could only find himself awoken on a ship along with a few others that were granted access into the Avatar Program. He felt out of place, outcasted from the rest that thoroughly earned their ways into the facility while him? He had it fall into his lap at the expense of his deceased brother. 

His mind grew blank at all the information thrown at him, barely had time to register anything before exopacks were thrusted into his chest, the dangers of the planet itself, the natives that inhabited it, much to his obvious distaste. He was a soldier, not easily swayed by the natives and the threats they faced, by the incredulous looks of the scientists that he knew looked down at him though they never said it to his face.

But he knew the looks. He grew up with the same distasteful and hesitant looks thrown at him all his life.

Jake could only glance around the lab in wonder, the many machines and tables scattered around the room as scientists darted in and out. He was only followed alongside a lanky man, introducing himself as Norm Spellman, not that Jake would ever bother to remember it. 

“I knew your brother. He was- He was a good man.” Norm had said, giving Jake a tight lipped smile that he could only return with a nod of his head. 

“He was great-” Jake started, only interrupted by a gust of air, scientists pushing past him hurriedly as a woman emerged from the chamber. He had known nothing of anyone, of anything happening around him as he followed behind, looking on in confusion as the woman, who was important enough to leave Norm speechless, glared down at the two of them as she had lit a cigarette in between her lips. 

“This is what they give me to work with?” The woman spoke, blowing the smoke into the air as Jake fought the urge to cough, waving the vapor away from his face as Norm whispered in awe. 

“That’s Grace Augustine.” He mumbled, in shock at the confusion still written on the ex-marine’s face. 

“She’s the leader of the Avatar Program.” Norm gushed, falling onto deaf ears as Grace closed the gap between them, her features distastefully narrowing in on Jake as he sat up straighter in his hair. 

“This is the replacement they give me? Do you even have any experience in the field?” She scoffed in disbelief as Jake shrugged his shoulders, a lazy smirk gracing his features as he laid his hands on his lap. 

“I dissected a frog once.” He said simply, leaning back in his chair as a baffled Grace threw down her cigarette, her eyes enflamed with disbelief and rage as she moved to saunter closer to the wheel chaired man. 

“I think you mean I dissected it. Last time I checked, you only watched.” Jake heard from behind him, his head nearly snapping as he reeled to look at the voice, the source only giving him a small half smile as she crossed her arms over her chest. Jake felt his chest cave within himself, lips parting as he met with the familiar eyes he longed to see in anything more than photos. 

His girl.

“Hello to you too, Jarhead.”

---

Taglist : @perseny ; @goddesslilithmoriarty​ ;

[blueaetherr]

thank you for letting me know can you do the gender neutral one with trent then thank you! <3

to love and to be loved

pairing: trent alexander arnold x gn!reader [they/them]

warning(s): slight angst

summary: the one where they want to be loved (by trent) and he wants to love (the reader)

author's note: hi anon, sorry this took so long (again). currently working through writer's block so hopefully i might be able to write more in the coming days.

now playing: this is what falling in love feels like by jvke

After hours, Y/N and Trent were sitting together in his back garden. And on this particular night the two decided that there was some silence to share and so they peacefully indulged in it together; appreciating the sounds of nature at night for the first time in forever, taking notice of one's breathing to keep it at bay, and unknowingly, enjoying the time the two were able to spend together, no rush or anything to it.

The thing is, there was purpose behind their silence, the pair's lack of talk and simple discussion. There was nothing to speak about, nothing to bring up to conversation. Or, at least, that was what Y/N wanted and Trent couldn't help but accept their wants. Following a break up not too long ago, there wasn't much for Y/N to talk about with Trent, silence itself was enough noise and chaos for Y/N's mind to handle.

Soon after some time, Trent let the silence subside. He turned to his friend, offering a sincere look. "I'm sorry things didn't work out with you and your ex."

Y/N took in a long breath, leaning further back in their place. "Eh, it's all cool. We ended on good terms so I can't really complain," they leaned over and patted Trent's leg, "I gotta move on, right?"

When it came to Y/N and their previous relationships—from the first partner to the last—they really couldn't complain. Never were their partners malicious or mean and simply unkind; honestly, all of their exes had been great partners and Y/N never had real problems with them. All the break-ups, unfortunately, only happened as a result of innocent fallouts like logistics issues or differences in wants in life.

Their facial expression dulled, their lips forming a straight line as they looked towards the sky. "Though I do wish it could've worked itself out, you know?" Their problems never lied with their ex-partners but rather with the relationships themselves. Y/N has been in a few relationships—not too many yet also just enough but it always felt like something was lacking in all of them.

Finally, they set their eyes on Trent. "Do you think we were good together," they asked, referring to themself and their ex, "or was I at least good with any of my exes?" They didn't want to seem insecure or full of doubt, but Y/N wanted some outer perspective on their previous relationships.

"Um," Trent scratched the nape of his neck. He let out a small huff, tilting his head in simple thought. "I think... I think there's always hope for everything. There always was hope for all your relationships, every single one... so I don't think I can say no."

Being there from the beginning, Trent got to witness his best friend in all of their relationships. He watched Y/N's relationships form and unravel, watched them shift from immature to sensible, judged all their partners for their content and personality and... he never found anything flawed to say about anything or anyone.

That was the problem with all of Y/N's relationships; they all always seemed so perfect, too perfect to even criticise. Their ex-partners were perfect, judging by their appearances, intentions and personalities. Y/N's relationships held some flaws here and there, but they weren't enough to ruin something great for a couple. In his eyes, Y/N was too perfect in every aspect and that fact alone let Trent believe that there had been hope for Y/N to settle in whatever relationship they found themself in.

Y/N hummed, running their hand through the grass. "I find that hard to believe when I can never seem to stay in a relationship."

In their eyes, their partners were always perfect but perhaps the relationships weren't. The start and end of their relationships remained the best stages; there was that deep understanding and wanting the best for each other. The middle was the stage of every relationship for Y/N where things would happen quicker than they could realise, leaving the lines and everything else to become far too murky to the point where it was quite hopeless to maintain what barely remained of a relationship.

And seeing their ex-partners over the years moving onto different relationships, some in the early stages of marriage and others starting families– and because everyone viewed all their ex-partners as the perfect partners– even though no one said it, Y/N did feel like all their relationships failing, one after the other, was entirely their fault, that they were the burden every time they chose to be with someone.

"Everyone for me kinda just comes and goes, and I'm used to it at this point... but a bit of lovin' never hurt anyone," Y/N said, a sad smile appearing on their face. 'Cause that's all they could do—smile in hopes of retrieving some happiness in all the internal sadness they were experiencing. "Just seems like something really nice to have."

Witnessing all of their previous relationships fade away really did raise some questions for Y/N: were they really unlovable? If so, what was it about them that was apparently so unadorable and unpleasant to be shared and admired by someone else? What was it that deemed them only worthy of temporary love, that till death do us part kinda love was out of their reach?

It was unfair, and Y/N found it unfair. That they wanted something so small and inexpensive, something everyone around them had rightful access to but them. The thought itself felt like heartbreak.

Oh to be loved must be amazing.

"It doesn't hurt anyone, no. But," Trent offered his hand to Y/N, knowing his friend needed some comfort which he could present through trustful physical touch. In time, Y/N looped their fingers with his own. Trent patted the pair's intertwined hands with his free hand. "You'll get there in time, Y/N. I guess it just takes some time to find someone. You gotta be patient with this one."

Y/N thought for a moment before nodding, voicing a small okay. Trent didn't speak many words yet they were meaningful and kinda heartfelt; there was ease and trust in his words and voice, and that was enough for Y/N to listen to him and maybe indulge in his advice. "If that's the case," they sighed, "you have anyone in mind for me?"

Despite in fact having someone in mind for his best friend, despite the ease he had when thinking about the answer (he didn't have to think), Trent remained hesitant when it came to answering their question. Just let it be me— "Yeah, but I'm not telling you," he said, shrugging and laughing a bit. There was slight confidence despite his shyness towards the approaching conversation.

"You're not telling me?" Y/N's face fell further, encouraging Trent's laughter.

"I don't think you realise this is you basically trying to force fate."

"Okay, okay, I forgot: I'll get there in time," Y/N chuckled as they laid back on the grass, probably one of their first moments of euphoria that night. And Y/N accepted it; it was a start for tomorrow and the later days that would follow. "But c'mon. At least tell me what this person's like. Maybe I can guess. I gotta know something."

And so Trent went to describe this person he had in mind for Y/N— himself. He made sure he was vague yet precise with his descriptions, talking about himself in a way that others would describe him as such too but also speaking loosely so that any other guy could fit the descriptions too. There he was, putting himself forward without exposing himself, without putting pressure on a friend who had just left a relationship.

Trent was someone who was caring and sensitive and accommodating to others, especially others like Y/N. He had always seen them receive and receive from previous partners, but never did Trent think it was enough for their value. He thought they deserved so much more than temporary love, deserved more than feeling unwanted after every relationship ended; they were undervalued even if it was unintentional.

That observation came with the thriving feeling that Trent could, potentially, be the better partner to Y/N over the others. He didn't know it, or he wasn't ready to openly admit it, but Trent wanted to be the one to love Y/N (if they would accept it).

And as he spoke, their face was full of smiles and laughter and real positivity, their enjoyment stretching beyond the conversation itself. Even though he was describing someone for their benefit, even though they were the one who requested Trent to talk in detail about their dream person or soulmate, Y/N wasn't really listening to whatever he was saying. Honestly, they were thinking about Trent.

Y/N had been in a few relationships—not too many yet not too few—and through all of them, Trent always remained. Whenever they entered a relationship, Trent was there to encourage and hype them up; whenever they left a relationship, Trent was there to comfort and assure them that there would always be someone else out there as long as they kept the hope alive.

He was their first call after every breakup, the pair's time together was almost synced. Their parents loved all of Y/N's previous partners but evidently, their parents loved Trent a bit more in a more personal way. Everything he did for them (willingly and unwillingly) were simply acts of love and they wanted all of that for themself: to be adored and admired and loved and beyond by Trent.

Sitting under the night sky with silence now discarded, Trent and Y/N continued to share hushed discussions with timid laughter to ease away the misery of a breakup. And even though no one brought them to conversation, it remained a wonder and a wish if one could love or be loved by the person beside them in future days.

part 2

[bookishjules]

Im so excited for bib but sad to not see any tid couples other than wessa, what do you think could have been good stories of them?

gabrily:

i know i mentioned this in my last ask about them but gabriel and cecily figuring out their footing as a couple would have made a great story. if gabrily was a romcom, we kinda just got the first half of their story in tid, and it would have been cool to see some kind of friction arise between them that they would have come out all the stronger for.

as much as it would hurt, i also think there's a good story to be found in the aftermath of chot. being parents and shadowhunters wouldn't always allow people the time and space to grieve and heal and learn how to cope, and i think it would be something special to see them find solace in each other. it would also be interesting to see how the way they look at little alexander changes, since he's in the very unique position of being brought up in that aftermath.

on a lighter note... gabrily proposal!! since edmund and linette are still like.. in their lives to at least some extent, do we think gabriel would have done the respectful 1880s gentlemanly thing to do and talk to her parents first? also the potential for cecily to give that proposal a 10.. i would cry.

chenry:

their first time after realizing they were in love with each other the whole time. i really don't need to add any details here hehe makes me aksdfadsjk just thinking about it.

their first time after henry becomes a paraplegic. the self-consciousness on his part, his insistence that charlotte deserves better, will always deserve better than him. charlotte being like fuck that, we'll figure this out. and then they do and it's sweet there's laughter and love just threaded throughout

it would be great to see them as parents when the boys were young too (and i swear that's not just because imagining baby matthew makes me inexplicably happy). just finding moments to look at each other and smile, or sneak away for a quiet moment together away from the busy-ness of being the consul's family with the chaos of raising two very different boys who definitely got on each other's nerves.

sophideon:

there are two stories in my head that are similar to ones above but i think would also be good for sophie and gideon. the first is how they handle grief post chog. and the second is their young family. i think a story about them just laying in bed discussing their kids would be so sweet.

as for more specifically gideon and sophie stories... their wedding would be wonderful i think. sophie being the one whose doted on for once, the one having her hair done up by charlotte and tessa, and how out of place that would feel for her. gideon getting nervous not because of cold feet but because sophie is the closed thing to an angel he's ever seen. he's such a silly-in-love lightwood and watching him walk down the aisle with gabriel and stand beside sophie would be beautiful.

the two of them moving into a house together in idris. i feel like this could have a lot of potential generally, but there's this specific kind of moment i'm thinking of where sophie is cleaning out of habit and gideon either joins her or takes over for her, telling her to relax, or to read to him if she insists on doing something useful. there's so much tenderness that could spark from that.

[casinotrio1965]

Disney Descendants : Tiger Lily x Lampwick story ideas Part 1

There's a tiny diner near Auradon Prep. Their food is just okay but their milkshakes are great. Most of the kids at Auradon Prep ignore it because it's cheap and not glamourous so Tiger Lily and Lampwick always go there to enjoy a quiet night out. They split a milkshake and enjoy their night together. Maybe they go see a movie or for a walk after. They went on a huge treasure hunt once looking for Captain Hook's old gold. They never found it but they had a great time exploring skull rock and going through the jungle. They found lots of old pirate stuff, just no gold. But a really great story! They love having their family over. Geppetto and Carina spoil the kids, and Tiger Lily and Lampwick visit with them. Pinocchio brings lots of stuff he baked. Alice and Lampwick will try to set up an awesome surprise and break something. XD Eventually they'll call Alexander and Eilonwy to join the fun. Even Bella drops in sometimes with a cool adventure story for the kids. They went on a trip to Russia once. They went on cool tours, saw a few museums, and they definitely hit the ballet! With their love for performing and dancing, it was so pretty to watch! They didn't understand the words but who cares when the dancers move that way? They also got to try some Russian cooking and Lampwick is very excited by that. Tiger Lily got a silver dress once. She showed up in it and Lampwick's jaw DROPPED. He was speechless. She joked she should wear it more often but she was flattered how excited he was.

When they were first starting out they didn't have a ton of money. Tiger Lily worked part time after school and Lampwick worked until she got her teaching job, but things were tough. They didn't want to abuse Tiger Lily's parents' generosity so they tried to be frugal, buying things they needed like food, baby stuff, cleaning stuff, and school stuff. They only got occasional luxuries and they were on sale. It was worth it to have their little loving family and they'd do it again.

Lampwick's bought her lots of rings over the years. Some were just for fashion. There was a promise ring in high school, of course her engagement and wedding rings. He just loves seeing her wearing things that remind them they're in it forever. They love each other! Some are plain, some have gems or other decorations. They come in all sorts of styles and they all mean I love you

Lampwick is always trying to get her attention while she studies. She gives him some but she really wants to do well so the best way is for him to try to study too. He gets bored easily though so she does stuff like find ways to make studying fun. That's a big reason why she became a teacher. She also likes how he'd complain about studying and his whining made her laugh.

They have a lot of fun having lazy days in Neverland. Lounging around picking fruit off trees, joking with the Lost Boys, and cozy nights by the fire looking at stars. They can feel young and carefree or they can look through at the beautiful sights and climb trees. It's perfect and they can still get back to pranks and going adventuring the next day. The first time Lampwick tried to teach her to cook, it was because he thought it'd be fun to do together. He tried to get her to come to a cooking class with him. It was a disaster. She broke three rolling pins, set a pan on fire, and cut herself on a knife. He learned first hand she could burn water. She kept trying because she doesn't like to admit defeat but finally she admitted she wasn't interested in cooking. He was very understanding and while he tried a couple more times to teach her for practical reasons, he found he didn't mind the idea of doing the cooking at ALL. The New Years they got together, Lampwick was worried she wouldn't want to hang out with him anymore because he'd be boring now that he was sober. He got really insecure when another guy talked to her. She told him the guy was just a teammate and that she only liked him. She also told him it made her happy that he was healthier and she loved seeing him get better and he felt better.

Once when Lampwick was scrambling to find an anniversary present for Tiger Lily (it's what happens when you're so PICKY), he found a silver ring. He was really tempted to give it to her, even when the owner showed up. But Lampwick felt bad because she was an old lady and it was her wedding ring so he reluctantly gave it back. She told him where he could find really nice jewelry though so it worked out. She knows he didn't grow up with a lot of means to provide for himself. So when they were young she took it upon herself to teach him. He has to AT LEAST hunt or fish, what if there's no food in winter! It took them both a long time to get used to Auradon being so rich and having modern distribution systems.

Lampwick put a lot of thought into her wedding ring. He'd gotten the engagement ring down but the wedding ring stressed him out. He was convinced she deserved more than a plain one and so he worked really hard and paid a lot to get it custom done. Tiger Lily loved doing roller derby. It's fighting on wheels! She loves the speed and adrenaline rush. Lampwick worried at first but came to watch. Turns out her skating and fighting is the hottest thing he's ever seen. He came to every meet and brought her snacks. He also cheers super loud and maybe got into a couple of fights with people who said rude things about Tiger Lily. XD Tiger Lily appreciates it but it sure is distracting! They went shopping once when they were still learning English. It was a huge fancy department store and sure enough, Tiger Lily got lost. XD Lampwick was freaking out but tried really hard to find her. Finally, he gave in and tried to ask someone there for help. It was hard to remember some of the words but he was really motivated here. XD Thankfully, she found herself at a help desk and so it was easy enough for them to be reunited. After that, he held onto her hand! Tiger Lily really worried about his history of substance abuse. He tried to brush her off at first, but she wouldn't let it go. Eventually she sat him down and had a mini intervention where she told him how worried she was. It was one of the big reasons he went to get help. And while now he's at a pretty good level of functionality, she still worries if he smokes more than usual. So she makes him see someone if it's getting bad again. So they like to rent movies, but Tiger Lily likes serious (Boring in his opinion) ones about serious problems. They make her cry and so he doesn't like them but she thinks it's important that they're aware. So to compromise they rent a serious movie and a happier movie. And then Lampwick pouts when award season comes around and her movies trounce his. 😛

Thanks to @askauradonprep / @blenderbender1811 for these ideas

[servantofclio]

Favorite books I read in 2023

I saw @asaara-writes missing my book posts, and looked back through my tags, and indeed I haven't done any in a while.

Also I seem to have kind of gotten out of the habit of posting on tumblr at all? I'm not sure what's up with that, I am definitely here pretty much every day!

It looks like I talked about books in some meme responses at Christmas, so let's go with:

THINGS CLIO READ: 2023 EDITION

Here are brief notes on things I read and enjoyed (not a complete list of things I have read this year):

Fonda Lee, Jade Legacy: Sequel to Jade City and Jade War and concludes the trilogy, and what a conclusion! The world and timeframe of the series just keeps expanding and delivers character arcs and an ending I found immensely satisfying.

T. Kingfisher, Illuminations: The author in young-adult mode, featuring a family who create magic through painted images. When a long-hidden family secret gets out, it could mess up everything, unless they can put their heads together and figure out a solution. Charmingly quirky and lovable characters, highly enjoyable.

Max Gladstone, Dead Country: I am totally here for more Craft Sequence always. This book takes our original heroine Tara Abernathy home again, older and more experienced. Really interesting to return to her close first-person perspective after several multi-perspective books, and very cool to see her now in a mentoring role.

Fonda Lee, The Jade Setter of Janloon: Novella set in the Green Bone universe, this gives us a great look at the world from the point of view of someone on the edges of the Green Bones' conflicts.

Kate Elliott, Furious Heaven: The second volume of her "gender-flipped Alexander the Great in space" series. I feel like I never see anyone talking about this, and I think she's doing great things with the characters and a sprawling space opera setting. This book left me really curious how far she's going to follow Alexander's historical career.

R. F. Kuang, Babel: This book is incredible. Magic here revolves around translation, and so a young Chinese boy is adopted by a British scholar and raised to be fluently bilingual; eventually he is sent to the great translation center in 19th-century Oxford. Here he and his peers, however, find themselves at the core engine of British imperialism, with all the ethical dilemmas that come with it. The book really captures the joy and camaraderie that can come through scholarship, but also has very sharp things to say about imperialism and exploitation. Intensely emotional, I'm happy to provide warnings/spoilers if desired.

Ann Leckie, Translation State: A much lighter take on translation, this is set in the Imperial Radch universe and, to my delight, explores what's up with the incredibly weird Presger translators. I don't really want to give anything more away; this was a really fun ride.

Arkady Martine, Rose/House: Super creepy novella involving a famous architect's AI-controlled house. Tons of mood and atmosphere.

Katherine Addison, The Witness for the Dead and The Grief of Stones: Two books picking up one of the side characters from The Goblin Emperor (which is also wonderful) and following his new routine. Thara Celehar's ability to touch a dead person and see their memories puts him in a role of problem-solver and sometime-investigator. These books are wonderfully humane and surround the protagonist with an array of compelling friends, colleagues, and clients.

All of these are recommended!

[bigmack2go]

https://www.canva.com/design/DAGE02N5d0w/vBgIXLeQgdlC-HQ9CcpqDg/edit?utm_content=DAGE02N5d0w&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton @whydontyouputyourseatbelton @crystaltreebee @i-got-personality @aaaaaa-musical-trash

Also here are my notes. Not all of them make sense anymore but some do lol.

So we all know i love musicals and thats why i chose this topic. i knew from the beginning that i wanted to do smt with musicals for this but i wasnt sure whT to chose. I was debating doing the portrayal of death in musicals but nit all of you answered in time whether thya would trigger anybody so that was out. The second option was costumes in musical whoch wooild make sense for us as fashion forst graders but then u realised i could include that in this.

Now obviously there isnt one way to make a good musical and its always a matter of opinion. And while i do have an opinion, i tried to form a critical opinion on everything.

Theres a lot of stuff that goes into musicals. When you think of a good one you may think of one with good lyrics or a cool story. But theres also stuff that you don’t think of at first, that alone couldn’t’make’ a good play, but in combination are the most important parts! Like the light design >insert rest of agenda.< (kannst einfach ablesen, was auf der folie steht!)

story wise i think heathers did a great job. Heathers is about a girl who falls in love with a killer. Ups and downs, and just a generally creative and good story with a good and,,more or less sense-making plot. The layout is very good too: a great hook, some happy stuff, scary and then things go down with a bittersweet ending. Im not sure how to explain what makes a good or a bad plot but for reference imma give you cats in comparison as an example of a not so good plot

Talking lyrics, i dont need to think twice to tell you hamilton! Its about alexander the great and his life. There is no way to convince me of anything else. Its a peotic masterpiece which especially brings out alexander hamitons own lyrical genius. Lin Manuel Miranda is a great fan of motifs and mass rhymes, and methaphors. His stylisation is nit only unique but really really good!

but I honestly didn’t like the choreo: it was sloppy and ensemble based. They were just rearranging furniture and stuff. There was only one song, “Satisfied” that was choreographed well. i do however think that westside storry has an awesome choreo! Westside story is about racism and separation between gangs in the 1960’s new york city. It tells storry but it’s still dancing. Good dancing i mean. They mixed elements of ballet with hip hop, flamenco and countles other kinds of dancing and it came out with perfection

and while the tunes are awesome there, there are better ones. Like Rent. But even better: hadestown. A modern retelling of the story of greek mythology god orpheus and his love interest euridacy. The tunes are everything there! It captured the mood and it was,,, seductive to your ears! The orchestra and composer did a great job! Its not easy to make all instruments work with each other so well. Or in the hights! Awesome composition!

yk what else is great about in the hights? The mood! It has ups and downs. An awesome balance thats brought acroos awesomely! Some would argue that SIX is by far the play with the best mood and don’t get me wrong SIX also has a great mood but i dont think they found a good balance for that. The mood is almost exclusively positive for what its worth and it didnt have enough variety

while its not like in the heights had the chance to, they still didn’t have the greatest costumes… however six didn’t have the chance either, but they still did it. They’re original and iconic and make the characters! Six tells the story of the six wives of henry the eighth who were divorced, beheaded, died, divirced, beheaded and survived. Of course there goes a lot into costume making which makes this even better Theres a lot to concidder:

-cholortheory

-color psychology

-prises

-fabric

And then of course the require some necessary qualities like

-quickchanges

-dancable

-rechognise characters (especially when one actor plays several) and set the ensemble apart

-makes no noises OR make specific noises

-You need to concidder the period in which the play takes place, and clothes aren’t the only complicated part of costumes: wigs/ hair and makeup or facepaint can make a whole look!

And the kind of musical can also influence the kinds of costumes. Some examples are

Types/ways of costumes (I tried to make this as few categories as possibles possible)

(Erklären!!!)

- Normal clothing. Examples: come from away, Illinois, the prom

- Periodically./accurate (unter punkt: seemingly adequate) Examples: newsies, the greatest show, something rotten

- Periodically modernised: Hamilton who had periodical clothes and hair and make up modern,

- Modernised: SIX which was almost robitic, descendants

- Interpretation Starlight express, (where trains and cars wore roler skates), tarzan, and lionking? Possibly? I feel like lionking could be a category of its own though to be honest

- made into outfit:: spongebob, Arielle/the little mermaid, (starlight express)

- Actually just costumes: cats, Shrek, beauty and the beast or wicked

- Inadequate: six

- Portraying: into the woods and parts of starlight express

- Simplified: hamilton

- using the stage: illinois, ride the cyclone

then theres storry telling for which i say cats. cats… which is quite ironic. Cats is about…. Well… cats

They could have done better but i still think it’s the best there is! They TELL their storry. Like in six exept they actually have a present that like,, exists. The lyrics alright i guess but the composing could have had a little more variety, however i did love the stage there as well because it was always the same but still did awesome stuff like the train thingy

talking about stages! I think the stage is such an important part thats often overlooked. There are musicals like dear evan hansen, the prom, be more chill or tuck everlasting that have a variety of different sets with self driving probs but it’s just actually different things and not very creative. There are two versions of good stages. One that take you in the setting, but that only works if your setting is a special place. There are many musicals that made this one very well. My top two are frozen on ice and tarzan they are actually in an icepit with icedanging and stuff and in tarzan they swing around like actual monkeys and spray you with water and stuff. The second type is when there is one element thats used through the whole show and that makes the setting. This is also called a Uni-set. One of the best examples for this is probably the grey cube: Falsettos. It’s about aids and judaism (?)

But whats part of the stage design is the light design which is overlooked even more than the stage itself. I know i said said that i didnt like the stage of dear evan hansen but it does have an awesome light design! In general the technical aspects and also the sound design there is really good! Dear evan hansen is about a boy who pretends to have been friends with a kid that recently passed.

then theres what i call the manipulation aspect which is choices that were purposely made but not pointed out. I think that hamilton did a great job here too. A lot of people talking at once when to much is going on in his life and only him talking when he makes the dumbest decision in his life. Walking in straight lines when thinking simple and good but in circles when it’s complicated and a lot. That sort of stuff.

the last aspect is performance. Its hard to rate this since for stage musicals the actors and therefore the performance changes constantly but i think the original tuck everlasting cast did a great job! Tuck everlasting is about a girl, Winnie, who meets an immortal family

something that i honestly probably shouldnt count but gives bonus points is: every musical should have at least one singer tht seems to not even be able to miss a tune if they tried. Sure all singers should be good i love when theres just this one over the top adelle level person. The greatest showman has one and its epic, like,,, goosbumbs throughout the whole song “never enough” with the swedish nightingale. The greatest showman is about Pineas Barnum- an actual guy- who believed in true happiness and that as long as a smile is real, it doesn’t matter if the ‘cause’ of that smile is. He was the reason for the saying “freakshow”

however those are only the best in their aspects but if you’re asking what the BEST MUSICAL IS I definitely say Newsies! im not saying that because i like it -which i do- but actually critically thinking!

Newsies is a Musical based on the newsboys strike of 1899 where the Newsies working for the World and the Journal held the first ever successful strike in america that was organised by kids in history. The story centres Centers around a Newsboy Jack Kelly and his new friend Davey. They start a strike against the owners of the Newspapers and stop selling because they raised the prices for the papers even tho they have more than enough money, when the Newsboys barely make a living. Davey tries to talk him out of it at first but doesn’t succeed. Eveantually he gives in and actually gets really invested in the strike himself in the end.

Now your prolly thinking: why? Well. This presentation is far from over. (That was a lie. Its almost done dont worry)

Lyrics are honestly great! I have zero complaints about that. If anything, i have complements! Sure, its not as good as Mirandas works but, lets be honest: what is? I think the lyrics were still more than A+! The story is simply great. i personally think its harder to make something that already exists or happened into a storry. It requires much more creativity despite already having a ‘template’ you have to make the whole thing fit and make sense with your own thing and still be accurate and theres a lot about this actually. Newsies did great with that! It’s composed geniusly too. Menken/Ortega outdid himself by far with it. The choreo? Bombastic! Don’t even get me started. Prolly the best I’ve even seen! And I‘m not just saying that. I actually don’t think i’ve ever seen anything choreographed this well before. They have dance breaks in songs, DESPITE DANCING THE WHOLE TIME anyways

Tunes? Through the roof top. (Haha get it— cuz of santa fe— laugh>:()

The mood was great but it had a balance! It was introduced with a good mood, making u invested but still,,, deep and sad.

You just need one picture -and this is gonna sound really bad for my case but- this[bild zeigen] is all you need to know about the show

While the costumes aren’t too original they’re definitely iconic and not too bad.

Story telling is fantastic! There are some talking to yourself/the audience and telling the story! Some telling it WITHIN the plot (which they did a gooood job making it seem natural and not forced info) and some middle grounds. I really liked it. They also blurred the lines there perfectly.

Stages! I love using newsies as an example for a good stage because they have BOTH kinds of a good stage! (sorta) its one element that is rearanged to make a whole different setting. They only needed some little elements that weren’t always the same. Add a few tables and chairs? Diner. Ad fancier chairs? Pulitzers office. Typewriter? Boom! Editors office. I also think that the metall stuff did a really good job reminding u where and when exactly this is taking place and that that combination of time and place: lower manhattan in 1899 wasnt the best mix of time and place to live in so that sorta counts for the first type.

We dont even need to talk about the “manipulation” aspect bc i wouldnt even know where to start. Im not even sure it was all on purpose. What character has what choreo, the double meaning of some things, the reprises, the rhymes and so much more

They have medda and jeremy jordan as jack kelly so they have not one but TWO of those perfect singers!

And Ive honestly never seen a bad performance of newsies . So yes. Chritically, Newsies is the best musical

Anyway my favourite is and always will be

Starlight express

Despite not being on place one in even ine of these

[iron-niffler]

I see you love Avengers Assemble, me too! I enjoyed it when I watched it on Disney+ last year and I felt it was overhated! While a couple things bothered me, like Bruce Banner seemed to perpetually be the Hulk and Falcon annoyed me until season 3! (He was a whiny teenager, I was like “Tony, go change his diaper, maybe it will quiet him down!”) I actually felt he should’ve been replaced by Sam Alexander as the “kid the Avengers babysit”…. Because he is a teen hero and a sweet baby boy! In fact, the Avengers think he’s a cute kid!

I am not just saying this because he’s my favorite teen hero! He just fits the bill as the cute kid and he’s not annoying! And he made The Punisher laugh, THAT’S IMPOSSIBLE.

Anyway, with that out of the way! It was a fun watch and I felt it had a great story! However, it got bad at season 5 because it felt like an entirely different show.

I also think season 4 is the best season overall because everyone is together and I loved the cameos from familiar faces like Moon Knight and Ironfist! And the Beyonder was cool too! I am aware he’s the big bad in Moongirl and while he’s fabulous in it, I still think AA’s Beyonder is the best because he’s what a big bad should be, menacing but charming.

It’s a hidden gem nobody knows sees!

oh absolutely avengers assemble is awesome! Obviously it's not perfect in every way but it's a really fun cartoon that's always fun to watch! You're right, someone like Nova DEFINITELY would have fit the "novice kid/teen/general newbie" bill better than Falcon. I do agree that the show completely changed after season 5 (never really got used to the new animation style tony doesn't even have a mouth half the time and it weirds me out) but overall it was a great show! I feel like they found a nice balance from season to season between an overarching story like the Beyonder or Ultron and the nice little slice of life episodes. They generally did well on the relationships between characters.

Thanks so much for the ask, glad to find another Avengers Assemble enjoyer!

[oneforthemunny]

So Evie I know you’re from the Nashville area but idk if you’ve been in the Brentwood like Cool Springs area and if you’re not oh well cuz this won’t make sense then.

It’s my dads birthday today, and I bought this dress for a wedding that I found out I can’t go to because i’m going to the beach, so we were supposed to go to J.Alexander’s (that’s the part that won’t make sense if you haven’t been there it’s insanely fancy) I was like “oh it’s great i’ll put bells on for my dads birthday!!”

come to find out J’s has the longest wait time in history. We go to Jonathan’s, that has no wait. (That also wouldn’t make sense if you haven’t been LOLLL I’m speaking to my Williamson county ladies) It’s a bar and grill place ig idk and THERE ARE GURLS THERE IN THEIR SOCCER UNIFORMS FOR AFTER-GAME DINNER. And here I am in my pretty dress that I bought for a wedding. I felt so weird cuz I had felt so hot and then there’s these men in jerseys that I know looked at me weird (i’m insecure okay) so I feel all small. also there was a mirror right next to my seat hellloooooo ED

but im home now and I have a hair and face mask in I’m great

So my question is: Which Eddie is noticing the stark change in my mood and gets pouty at me like “It’s okay baby, i’ll still rail you in it, it doesn’t matter where you in it cuz I’ll eat you in it” BAHAHAHA sorry that’s funny

don’t say modern eddie I will cry I hate him sm i’m sorry @queenimmadolla 😭😭

I am very familiar lol. my dad was born and raised in brentwood, my grandmother still lives there lol. love j. alexander's truly but not surprised about the wait. the way nashville has grown within the past year is sickening. you can barely move there. I've only been to jonathan's like once or twice my grandmother loves the southern or flemings lmao.

but in the great words of carrie bradshaw, always dress like you have somewhere better to go after lmao.

tbh I think eddie would love it when you get dressed up period. it just makes him hot because like you look so good lol. but really, I feel like this gives older!eddie. he'd find it a little funny that you were over dressed but wouldn't let you sulk for long before he'd coddle you and coo at you.

[luckyshotwrites]

Ch. 13 // I'm the Hunter now! // Day 11

Contents (Warnings): aches and yearns for vore, teasing, and as usual character/more monster info.

Wordcount: 3509

Side note: This will contain experimental writing, first person (Lynette's view) will be implemented alongside third person for the two other essential characters, (mostly) Alexander and (occasionally) Drake. For those third person moments all their text will be italicized and have the characters name in Bold at the start. There may be other characters I write for in the future using this method but we’ll see...

__________________________________________________

(Sept. 22nd, Thursday)

Drake

He looked at his phone, groggily squinting at the time and the few messages he had. The most recent surprised him. 

Lynette: “Drake, this is Lynette! Can I call you, it’s a lot to explain and it might be a small or large favor?”

He pressed on her contact and called her. It rang a few times before she answered.

“Hey, sorry to bother you!”

He yawned, “you’re fine. What’s your favor?”

“Well-I have this game in mind today and I wanted to know if you have a magic bracelet that can track certain things like someone being tagged, and visual contact of another person?”

Drake, who was still half asleep, sat there, trying to put together what she was talking about.

“Hello?”

Drake nodded, “sorry. Uh, sounds somewhat complicated. What’s the game?”

He heard a shy laugh, “it’s called…monster hunter…”

Drake listened to her rules and smiled, holding back a chuckle. “That sounds fun. I can see if my sister can do something with it, or if not, Alexander can probably help. He’s a whiz with enchantment magic too.” 

“O-oh. Cool…yeah…if you can get your sister that’d be great. If not-uh-we can ask Alexander today.” 

He heard the nervousness in her tone, “are you okay? Did Alexander get you again yesterday?” Drake looked over his phone as he put her on speaker. He checked over his messages from Alexander. “He seemed excited about something.”

“No. It’s a long story.” He heard an audible sigh.

“Okay? Well, I’m going to get breakfast and ask her. I’ll see you at work.”

“Mhm, bye, thank you!”

She hung up and Drake stared at his phone. She’s getting really familiar with me. He thought to himself. He scratched his head, got out of bed and stretched. “I never realized having a human friend would be challenging.”

…

Lynette

I met with the two, Alexander luckily didn’t comment about anything, instead he asked about the game. “What’s this game that might need me to do something for it?”

“Right…Well,” I took out my phone and skimmed through the list. I didn’t want to miss any rules with my explanation.

“That’s a long list.” Drake commented.

Alexander smirked, “You really like this betting thing, huh?”

I noticed them looking over my shoulders, I went forward. “HEY, stop being nosy!” I shooed them away and found what I was looking for. “Today, I’m going to be hunting you guys down.”

Alexander put a hand to his mouth, laughing, “seriously? And what are you gonna do when you catch us? Eat us?”

I grumbled. “Even if I could, I bet you guys would taste gross.” I cleared my throat, “I’m simply going to win.”

“I hope you know-”

I cut Alexander off. “You have to be in your actual forms, and can only hide in the four rooms, you can move through them all you want-” I turned around, expecting Lev to be there as he always had a habit of popping up behind me.

I pointed at him, surprising him for once too. “If I see you, you lose a point, if I touch you, you lose 50 points, and the person with the highest points at the end wins. I gain a point when I touch you or once I see you for the first time, and you all start with ten points while I start with zero”  I saw Drake pull out the bracelet, it didn’t glow or anything. “And that’s why I need your help setting it up.”

“That’s pretty one sided,” Lev said with crossed arms. 

“Oh and playing lacking justice wasn’t?”

“Touche,” he said.

Alexander spoke up, “Hey, Lynette, if I used my actual form you do realize you’re getting eaten, right?”

I stiffened then muttered, “Fine, just get as big as you do normally-” 

Lev questioned, “is this taking place during lunch since Alexander has to cast over the bracelet? Or~” He hummed near me, “we could use the honor system.”

I grumbled, “if it’s too complicated for Alexander, we can use the honor system…as I know you’re all honorable.” I said it with sarcasm. 

Lev seemed amused. Alexander and Drake not so much. 

“I’ll do it.” Alexander said as he took it from Drake. 

We got ready to scan in as the time was ticking. “And tomorrow, Lev, you pick since we’d fall on your day off if we went with the same order as last week.” I muttered. I wanted to stay consistent at least. 

“Sweet~”

“He just got you yesterday,” Alexander grumbled.

“And I might even get her again today too.” Lev teased. They glared at each other. 

Drake was quieter than usual. I scanned in and tapped at his back gently, “are you okay?”

He flinched, then gave a partial smile, “yeah, I’m good.” He scanned in too and called out to the others, “grind time, guys.”

…

I was happy Zilla was doing deliveries and not anywhere near me. 

“Hey, Viola.” I said as she was mopping nearby.

The woman with impressive muscles smiled, “hello again, Lynette. How’s week two?”

I sighed, “I feel like it's somehow worse than the first day.”

“Ah-well, maybe if you become a monster it’ll help with that.” She said with a chuckle.

I squeaked, “no, no, I like being a human and I don’t want to eat people.”

“Drake doesn’t.”

I thought about it, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to be a vampire? I then sulked. Being immortal would suck. Plus I might kill people like those-Does Drake kill people? Is that why he only drinks from people once a month? 

“No, he seems nice.” I said aloud.

Viola moved behind the registers again, cleaning up, “Drake? He’s generally respectful. But you can’t become a vampire beast like him, a vampire maybe?”

“What’s the-” My phone buzzed. I glanced down and saw a text.

Alexander: Come on break and get the bracelet, shortie.

Me: My name's Lynette. 

I replied to it and told Viola I would be going to break. I got into breakroom one and Alexander held it out from the table. 

“Put it on, it should work.”

“Should?” I looked over it, it didn’t glow like before. I squinted at it. Then over at Drake for confirmation but he seemed to be studying the blood pouch he was drinking.

Alexander grumbled, “are you going to put it on or did I waste my energy for nothing?”

I sighed and placed it on. 

“Once our game starts, say, “I want you to eat me, Alexander” to activate it.” Alexander said with a grin. 

“What?!” I pulled at it but now it was stuck to my wrist. “I KNEW IT!”

He gave a devious laugh as Lev got onto break.

“You look a little frustrated, what’s wrong?” He said, eyeing my face as I sat at the table with them. 

I grumbled and looked at the clock. “You know, let's get this over with now. Once Alexander’s time is up, we’ll call it. So ten minutes.” I walked to the door. “I’ll give you thirty seconds to move, and remember, actual forms…excluding Alexander,” I pointed at him, “but you have to get as big as you can.”

Lev saluted me off and I left the room, counting to 30 slowly. I could hear the shuffling but ignored it, not looking at the doors at all. I even walked a bit further away to give them more time. Then turned around and…went to action. 

The rooms themselves had ceilings maybe 60 feet high, I know Zilla took up a majority of them when she stood up somewhat tall. And luckily Zilla didn’t join us for this. 

I looked down at the bracelet, making sure he wasn’t around and couldn’t use it as a stupid confirmation later. “I want you to eat me, Alexander.” I muttered and the bracelet glowed with life. He’s such a JERK!

I found Lev relatively easy. It wasn’t even hard to catch him as he unfortunately couldn’t fit through the door. I knew I had at least a little advantage against them, the only one I expected to be hard to catch was Drake, but I thought I could maybe talk him into it or something. 

As I ran into the next room, break room 3, fear welled up in my body. Across from me was a giant being with long lanky arms that nearly touched the ground, wings folded close to its body not to hit anything but nonetheless menacing as they had sharp talon-like claws at the ends, and its legs looked twisted compared to a humans. Its torso looked the most humanoid but with lots of brown dark fur, and its face was that of a lion and a bat… I backed away, “w-wrong door.” But I heard my bracelet ring. “D-drake?”

He quickly fled, somehow contorting his form enough to fit in the ten feet tall doors that were about five feet wide. The being itself looked nearly as tall as Lev too.

I chased it, but there was another ding once I saw Alexander. I turned my attention to him, especially as Drake crashed into him and knocked him off balance. 

Alexander threw himself back as I got close. He moved all the tables in the room earlier so he could dance in here with me if I were to come after him. Even though he was so big, it was hard to catch him as he didn’t have a tail like Lev, which would sometimes sweep behind him. 

Alexander laughed, “you know I move so much faster than you, right?” he teased. He moved accordingly. We were doing circles and wasting my time. 

I shoved myself into one of the tables, pushing his dance further back. Not because it was a big inconvenience but to tease me further. I pounced at his legs again. He dodged back again, not realizing I had moved him back on purpose. He tripped backward over the couches, landing with a bang on the ground between them. The T.V. on the wall rumbled, briefly. I had to climb over the couches to get him as they were in my way and I didn’t want him to jump up and avoid me. 

I got over and reached at him quickly as he sat up. He twisted his head in my direction.

“You little-” We were about the same height as he was on his butt and I was over the couch top. So, my hand brushed his lips, and his tongue my hand as he was mid talking when I pressed into him. He grabbed my arm, pulled me closer and opened his mouth. 

“WE’RE ON BREAK!”

He let go as I tugged and I fell backward. 

I didn’t feel too hurt from the fall mostly due to my adrenaline pumping from the fright. I wiped my wet hand on my shirt and stumbled up. “Why do you have so much saliva in your mouth…” I said it to myself but he heard me. 

“Don’t you start with me, Lynette, or I’ll forget our bet and savor every last gulp at lunch.”

I got up and left the room, not wanting to push him. 

…

Alexander

He ran his tongue over his own lips, and played with the sapid flavor. It had been two weeks today since Lynette started and it was still hard for him to wrap his head around. Not in the same way as her, but with what they were doing. 

He gave a slow swallow, imaging he had her hand. 

His willed his height to decrease, still sitting on the floor. His hands came up on either side of his head and his heart thrummed. 

He never played games like this before. A game of chance, not a simple grab and go. He found it difficult not to do what he’s always done. He’d always eat them once he had his chance and that was it. Maybe, they’d occasionally slip from him but he’d get them before they could get too far.

This was a feeling he loved and hated at the same time. He wanted to have her yet to see her fight with him was also fun. 

Alexander’s hands fell from his head and to his gut, it twisted with emptiness. I need to eat. Since I doubt Drake will win, I can eat her during lunch anyway. He got up but grit his teeth. If I do that Lev will also stop playing these games and it’ll be a fight to see who eats her. It’s already bad enough with Zilla. His legs wavered, he didn’t know why his upper body felt heavy. 

He pushed the couches, panting, the urge growing stronger. He ate this morning but just having a taste of human flesh again set him off. And it had to be her flesh! It was bad enough he spent the weekend thinking about eating her again. 

As he got closer to the door, he trembled. He started to feel his body's desire overwhelming him. This is why I shouldn’t get so close to her unless I win. He thought, as his jaw was feeling sore. He felt his bite altering. He threw his hand up into his mouth, into his teeth that were steadily sharpening. He clenched down, biting the mound of his thumb and near his wrist. His fangs forcefully sank until he tasted his own blood. 

He let the taste settle in and whined with a disgusted howl. If to him, Lynette tasted heavenly, every other monster tasted the opposite. Especially blood. He forced himself to swallow the saliva mixture even though his tongue wanted to curl in on itself. 

His teeth started to change back to normal, and his craving slowly subsided due to the foul, sink scum, like taste. He looked up at the clock, four minutes left. He lifted his hand up near him as he left the room, his eyes glowing briefly as he healed it. 

He walked in seeing Lev with Lynette.

“There’s no way! He’s not here!” 

Lev chuckled, “sorry, I guess he vanished.” 

Lynette looked back at Alexander. He tensed seeing her again but was far cooler now. 

“What small fry?”

“I can’t find Drake! Did he go to your room!”

Alexander forced a smile, “even if he did, I wouldn’t tell you.”

Lynette huffed and ran past him, leaving room two. Once she was gone, Lev pointed up. 

Alexander followed the finger and stared up toward the ceiling. He could see Drake hanging onto the rafters, his wings out. 

“Oh my god, that’s perfect.” Alexander said with a laugh. 

Lev was laughing too, “I was playing hot and cold with her the whole time too, she’s so mad.” 

Alexander looked over Lev. Now that I think about it, how can Lev be so cool around her? He agreed with me regarding her taste, yet I don’t think I’ve ever seen him lose himself. Alexander then sighed, is it because he’s not constantly around her?

He felt a buzz on his phone and grabbed it from his pocket. He smiled slightly as he looked at it.

…

I went around again, and opened room two again. I swore I heard an unfamiliar voice, but saw no one.

“Hey again, lovely~” Lev said to me. 

“Is Drake invisible or something!?”

Alexander groaned and face palmed, “you’re right you didn’t put a clause against magic. I could have won.”

Lev got closer to me, “nope. Want to play our game again?”

“No! You keep saying I was hot right there, but there’s no way! He’s not here!” I exclaimed, “I think I’d notice a giant that stands about-” I gestured down to up and saw the dark furry monster above. “WHAT!”

Lev laughed at my dismay.

Alexander just teased. “Looks like you lose again, you can’t reach him up there, can you?”

“That’s-ah! Drake!!”

A deeper voice rained down over us, it sounded stronger and almost encompassing. “You never said we couldn’t.”

I looked at the clock, I had less than two minutes left. I knew he’d stay up there until time ran out. “F-fine…you win!”

I stepped back a bunch in case he fell in that form. He let go and as he dropped I watched the fur and wings explode into black mist. He landed down seemingly without effort and shook his head. His hair fell back nearly over his eyes as usual. 

I expected him to say, “Alexander, she’s yours,” again. 

“The crescent moon is in two days so I’ll take some of your blood for later.” Drake said to me.

A half cooked smile rose on my face, “really?! That’s it!?” I held my hands up and was so relieved as Alexander’s timer was up. Drake wasn’t that far behind him. 

…

Drake

“Zilla preyed on Lev today, lucky you.” He told Alexander as they were heading to lunch together. Drake told Lynette but she seemed a bit busy at the register, so he expected her to come in soon. 

“I think she’s eaten me more than enough,” Alexander sounded relieved.

As they were scanning out, Drake then brought up something that bugged him earlier. “Why did I smell your blood?”

Alexander flinched. Drake read the embarrassment on his face. “I got cut.”

“You got cut? What did Lynette pull out a magic knife or something? Or are you going to tell me, you of all people got cut on something laying around?” Drake asked. 

Alexander’s lips parted with confession, “I got a taste of her during the game and I almost ate her.” He plopped down at the nearest chair. “I could feel my body getting amped about it so I had to bite myself.” 

“Did you eat this morning?”

“YES!” Alexander groaned. “That’s the stupid part.” He then focused on the door, “speaking of stupid.”

Drake looked back as Lynette came in then back at Alexander who smirked at what he said. 

“Sit with Alexander, I’ll get what I need.” Drake said as he went toward the fridge. He’s probably acting so antsy because he’s around a human constantly. I know I feel antsy. He thought to himself. And she does smell nicer than most I’ve met? He thought as he got out the lunch box from the fridge then as he closed it, he started to approach them and could hear the bickering between them. 

He shook his head. Or Alexander wants to silence her. Drake said as he got to the table, he dropped the bag which stopped them both. He also saw the bracelet was on the table now, he figured Alexander made her say something worse to get it off and that’s why she was fussy. 

“Can I see your arm?”

Lynette put it out like she was giving blood to a nurse. “Do you keep a blood drawing machine in there?”

“Somewhat-” Drake took out a small white cold box. It wasn’t that hard for him to find any vein in her body anyway even with her clothes. He wiped his hands with alcohol wipes and had taken the syringe from its sterile case, carrying several others as well. He was about to do venipuncture.

“Do you usually do this?”

Drake shook his head, “when I started easing off human blood, I did it frequently. Now, I'll do it in case.”

“In case of-” She flinched as he pressed the needle into her. “What?”

And as soon as he saw her blood, he couldn’t remove his eyes from it. He found himself lightly gulping out of habit. He was glad Lynette didn’t notice and wasn’t even looking at it being drawn. 

It didn't take long and he brought the vial close to himself. “That’s a lot of energy for a human.”

He gave me a small cotton napkin to press on the tiny wound. He fixated on the drink before him and the sweet smell it left in the air. 

“Drake used to be a real beast way back when.” Alexander teased.

It pulled him out of thought, “you’re one to talk.”

Alexander crossed his arms over his chest. 

“I honestly prefer someone taking my blood then doing that gross thing you guys do.” Drake saw Lynette squint at Alexander.

How can she tell him stuff like that when she’s terrified? 

“You’re done tomorrow, small fry.”

Drake pushed himself to store the blood and dispose of the syringe.

“And Drake, you’re forgiven for your previous treason against me!” Lynette shouted. 

“Thank you m’lady.” Drake replied jokingly. He stored his lunch bag in the fridge once more. Not that he had to as his bag had a spell to keep what was inside of cold in case he left it in his car or something. He just preferred to keep it in the fridge out of habit. 

He sat down back down with them looking over Lynette’s features more keenly. She didn’t have any sharpness to her ears, eyes that shined too bright, nor any unusual appearance to her besides her dark red paprika hair.

I wonder why you’re different, Lynette. 

…

Thank you for reading! :D Have a gouda day!

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Catch up or check for release dates down below  ↓ 

What I’d do for a Livable Income (Synopsis/Chapter - List)

[classicschronicles]

Hi lovelies,

Okay so my dad is going through a mid life crisis and has, I shit you not, brought a parrot. The parrots name is Juno, which is fitting because much like the goddess, it does not shut up. Anyways that being said I thought I would share a quick history of Parrots as pets, because, as so many things do, it finds it self rooted in the classical world.

Parrots were first domesticated by the ancient Romans and kept as pets as far back as up to 5000 years ago in Brazil, which we can gather from cave paintings of macaws. Interestingly enough, there are also ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics from 4000 years ago that depict what appear to be parrot pets. It is widely accepted that the parrots the ancient Egyptians kept were African Greys, which is what Juno is.

The first written reference to parrots was found in the ‘Ringveda’ (a piece of Indian literature) written more than 3000 years ago. By the 300 A.D., Chinese poetry described the idea of birds in cafes and birds housed in elaborate structured rimmed with jewels. Quick fun fact! The Kama Sutra (10th-13th century A.D.) states that one of the 64 requirements of a man was to teach a parrot to speak. Oh also another fun fact, but in ancient Indian civilisations, parrots were actually considered birds of love.

The first recorded presence of parrots in Europe was in 327 B.C. when Alexander the Great conquered India an took a rose-ringed parrot back to Greece. In true Alexandrian fashion he named the parrot and its family the Alexandrine Parrot (which we now class as a parakeet). In Ancient Greece, parrots soon became a symbol of wealth amongst the aristocracy. The philosopher Aristotle also had a parrot which he called Psittacae. This actually is the reason why the scientific name for the parrot family is Pscittacine. The earliest known reference to Parrots in European literature is also from around this time, where a description of a bird we now call a plum-headed parakeet is described as being able to ‘speak an Indian language’.

During the first millennium B.C. royalty and upper class families kept parrots in Asia and Africa. And as the Roman Empire came to prominence Psittacula parrots (talking parrots) became a huge deal amongst the upper classes, where professional parrot teachers were hired to teach the parrots latin. Which actually is quite impressive because genuinely you couldn’t teach me latin if you tried (again). But to be honest, the way they taught the poor parrots latin was brutal because Pliny the Elder says they used to hit the parrots on the head with iron bars.

Anyways, as the Roman Empire began to decline, so did peoples interests in parrots. The general curiosity surrounding them rise again in the Middle Ages when crusaders, merchants and explorers brought them across the seas. And once again, the were owned by the upper classes as a symbol of wealth.

Currently I am listening to my dad try to teach Juno Kutchi, which is actually quite entertaining. Anyways, parrots have always had a long and colourful (pun intended) history, and I think they’re another cool example of how almost everything finds it links back in the classical world.

~Z

[dollycas]

The Body in the Bookstore (A Secret Bookcase Mystery) by Ellie Alexander #Review

The Body in the Bookstore (A Secret Bookcase Mystery) Cozy Mystery 1st in Series Setting - California Publisher ‏ : ‎ Storm Publishing (June 3, 2024) Paperback ‏ : ‎ 272 pages ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1805084097 ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1805084099 Kindle ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0D4RV4P8V Audiobook ASIN B0D64CW59W An addictively cozy and gripping murder mystery introducing a brand-new amateur sleuth and lovable heroine to the crime scene… Welcome to The Secret Bookcase, a quirky bookstore in a grand, converted manor house, where the selection of crime fiction is dangerously good. The store has been bookseller and events manager Annie Murray’s sanctuary ever since her dreams of starting a detective agency with her best friend died, literally, when Scarlet was murdered. Annie has never stopped trying to solve the mystery of her friend’s death, but her quiet life in leafy Redwood Grove, with its warm community of likeminded local business-owners and book-lovers, has provided the solace she needed. Until now. When a body is discovered in the bookstore during the town’s inaugural Mystery Fest, Anne finds herself catapulted to the centre of a real-life whodunit. Dusting off her criminology degree, Annie is determined to put her sleuthing skills to good use and catch the killer – before it’s too late. Dollycas's Thoughts In this first Secret Bookcase Mystery, we meet Annie Murray. She and her best friend Scarlet planned to start a detective agency after graduation with their criminal justice degrees. Then Scarlet was murdered. Annie has spent the better part of a decade trying to find her killer. Whenever she opens her laptop and brings up her spreadsheets of information and theories she thinks it will be the day something will jump out at her to move the case forward. Annie is working at The Secret Bookcase as a bookseller and events manager. The bookstore is a unique shop in a converted manor house with a thrilling crime fiction selection. Business has been slow and she knows to keep the place open it is going to take a major event. She comes up with the idea of a 3-day Mystery Fest that could involve all the local businesses and bring people from far and wide. The town is excited about the festival and most business owners are happy to be involved. Mystery Fest was off to a great start until a body was discovered in the bookstore. Some customers think it's fake and a prop for the festival, but Annie knows that is not the case. Soon she finds herself in the middle of another murder investigation. Can her criminology degree help her book the killer this time? or will it turn into another ice-cold case? ____ I love the theme of this new series from Ellie Alexander. A manor home repurposed into a really cool bookstore complete with themed rooms and a secret bookcase. The author's descriptions made it easy to envision every room and nook. I want to go there now, please. Annie Murray is a strong, smart, creative protagonist who has found her place in Redwood Grove. The quiet community gives her peace even though Scarlet's death is always on her mind. The bookstore is a huge part of her life and it needed a boost to keep the doors open. She had a great idea and was able to run with it. She is an excellent multitasker and able to juggle everything thrown at her. I love that she adopted Scarlet's tabby cat, Professor Plum. I had a very easy time getting invested in her life. We also meet her co-worker Fletcher, shop owner Hal, and Annie's friend Priya. Fletcher has "extensive knowledge and adoration" of Sherlock Holmes and has quite a knack for matching the right reader with the right canon followed by a dissertation on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Hal curated the store into a mystery lover's paradise but lately, book signing events were not bringing in people and foot traffic had been way down. Hal is a total Luddite though.  He can barely turn on his phone so he needs help to save his store. Priya is a good friend and is there for Annie no matter what. I enjoyed how all the characters evolved throughout the book leaving room for growth as the series continues. I found the mysteries in this book very captivating. I found it interesting that Annie's (and Scarlet's) former criminology professor, Dr. Caldwell was the detective in charge of the investigation. She knew Annie would be an excellent person to help her solve the case. Annie was happy to help, as was Pri. There were plenty of clues to follow and a growing list of suspects to investigate. I enjoyed the way everyone worked together to catch the killer. Scarlet's case is fluid again at the end of this story and the first two chapters of book two, Murder at the Movies are included at the end of the book. They may have enlightened me but I didn't read them. I would never be able to stop at just two chapters. I hope to read and review the whole book soon. The Body in the Bookstore has given this series a marvelous start. Diverse and engaging characters, wonderful world-building, and an enticing mystery come together for an entertaining escape. I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.   About the Author A voracious storyteller and a lover of words and all things bookish. I believe that stories have the ability to transport and transform us. With over thirty-five published novels and counting, my goal is to tell stories that provide points of connection, escape, and understanding. I love inhabiting someone else's skin through the pages of a book and am passionate about helping writers find their unique storytelling lens. As a writing teacher and coach, I guide writers in crafting the story they've always wanted to tell while navigating the path to publication that's right for them. Come on a storyventure with me! Author Links – Website  Facebook     Twitter      Instagram    GoodReads Also by Ellie Alexander  Coming August 20, 2024 Find all the books in the Bakeshop Mysteries here.  Also written by Ellie Alexander Written as Kate Seeley  This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using my links, I will receive a small commission from the sale at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Escape With Dollycas. Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”“As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.” Read the full article

[eemoo1o-tfrmoo]

9, 10, and 14 for the ask game!

Ask me stuff

9. Which characters do you identify with the most?

Hmmm... when looking at all of these questions, I think this was one of the few I don't think I have an answer for, seeing as I'm not a kinnie or find much solace in comparing myself to characters. If anything, though rarely, I find that in OCs, not canon characters.

I did file through a few in my head, though. Snotlout, Hiccup, Astrid, Dagur, Heather... Fishlegs...

I just don't see myself as a binary individual in terms of using these characters as categories. I'm a geek like Fishlegs, sarcastic and fishbony like Hiccup, weird like Tuffnut and Dagur, minutely hotheaded or stubborn like Astrid or Heather... list goes on, and I've always found the notion of being "exactly like a character" to be quite finicky.

Honestly, imma just say Ruffnut or Tuffnut and run.

Even if in reality I'm just what you'd get if Riley's Mom from Pixar and that one guy from Excursia had a lovechild. It's not so purdy.

10. What are your favourite songs from the soundtracks?

Well, according to my Spotify stats, Flying With Mother and With Love Comes a Great Waterfall are my top ones, but I can only call the former one of my favourites. (Surprisingly, the latter was used on repeat for part of a TMNT 2014 shortfic back when my TMNT blog was still active, lol -- I still have the playlist for it, too. One would never expect Eminem, Gwen Stefani, John Powell, and System of a Down to be in the same playlist, but it is, and if you read the fic you'd understand. Fortunately, the blog is long since deactivated. Yippee.)

As for the rest of my favourites (I'm looking at this playlist, as I use it for HTTYD "vibes", so to speak, as well as my revisit to my Wattpad days for the incomplete 200k+ word HTTYD fic's [unpublished] rewrite, which is always nostalgic AF), I'd have to say:

See You Tomorrow

This Is Berk

New Tail

Dragon Racing

Toothless Found

Together We Map The World

Where No One Goes

For The Dancing And The Dreaming

Hiccup The Chief / Drago's Coming

I suppose, however, if I had to narrow it down, it'd be:

Flying With Mother

See You Tomorrow

New Tail

This Is Berk

Where No One Goes

And Together We Map The World would be a close contender for its gentleness.

(Controversially, while I do like and appreciate them, Forbidden Friendship and Romantic Flight and one of my least favourites... but still miles ahead from most of the score from THW. The only exceptions to me would be Third Date and With Love Comes a Great Waterfall. Together From Afar just makes me fucking cry.

But none can compare to the monstrosity that is Into a Fantasy by Alexander Rybek. Good god.)

14. Which part of the franchise has your favourite animation style?

Definitely not THW -- it's far too warm and flashy, the complete opposite to the other films.

Admittedly, I grew up on ROB/DOB and never saw the first film until a few years later, so the darker blonde of Astrid and the twins' hair and the sudden wiry furs in lieu of flat, dull leathers was a surprise.

The ROB/DOB style is probably the most nostalgic for me. RTTE's is just way too uncanny for my liking (the RTTE-exclusive dragon designs are also plasticy garbage), and I remember when my mother first bought the second film on DVD for me I didn't like the designs... but they grew on me, and now animation style makes sense.

But as for my favourite... it has to be the first film. It's the original, it contains aspects of ROB/DOB, it's seeped in nostalgia, cool-toned, and the dragons -- unlike the shows -- have all their correct colourings! Great.

[pocketdragonpub]

As you know, Mystic Bond is a Pathfinder 2e adventure. We had a table of players who are new to the system, and we have our veteran player and game master simultaneously teaching the rules and running the game. Our tavern keeper, Vixie Belle, took some time to chat with Jake, ThatOneBlondeNerd, Ian Alexander, and Solar Greye about playing Pathfinder 2e and what their experience was like.

First, Vixie sat down with the players to chat about their experience playing Pathfinder 2e.

Was this your first time playing Pathfinder 2e? If so, what was your impression about the system? If not, what were your thoughts on the system before playing this game? Would you say that your impression changed afterwards?

Solar: This was my first time playing PF 2E. It's a good stream line, especially for combat.

TBN: It was my first time! I thought the system was really fun. I understand now both why people say it's a bit crunchy and why they love it. I would agree that it's crunchy, but not in a way that affects the enjoyment of the game - it's complex in an interesting way. It's a system I'd definitely love to play again so I can really get a feel for it!

What is the thing you liked best about playing Pathfinder compared to other TTRPGS, such as Dungeons and Dragons?

Solar: Honestly, the combat system. Having 3 actions instead of Action, Bonus Action, Reaction, and Movement is closer to what modern role players imagine playing RPGs are like, providing more open choices for their actions.

TBN: I really liked the interesting lineages. Seriously, go look up the Ghorans and their history. It's WILD! Did I expect to be playing an ancient, awakened flower with a seed that is also herself in her chest, allowing her to re-sprout every 20 years and who is also, apparently, absurdly delicious? To the point her people almost got eaten to extinction and had to learn how to "people" and be endearing/cute so they wouldn't be dinner? Not even kind of, but it was so much fun! Basically: crunchy and a bit of a learning curve from other systems? Yep. Worth it? Absolutely.

What was the thing you found the most challenging about playing Pathfinder 2e?

Solar: I didn't find the system challenging at all. It was pretty easy to understand, and Jake explained the rules well.

What's your favorite moment in Mystic Bond?

Solar: Honestly, the player reactions were the most fun to watch.

TBN: Walking into a tree and sassing an apocalypse lord!

Is there anything else you'd like to add about the experience?

Solar: Keep doing what you guys are doing.

TBN: Learning how the abilities/turns worked, especially for combat, was a bit of an adventure. It was different than other systems I've played, which was cool, but it did take me a bit to figure it out.

Next, Vixie sat down with Jake Kile, the GM and a veteran player of Pathfinder, to get his thoughts on running Mystic Bond.

Tavern Keeper: There was more than one first time Pathfinder player at the table for this one shot. Would you say there are significant differences in how new players approach Pathfinder vs. veterans? (i.e they take more risks, they are overly cautious, etc.)

Jake: New players are always a mixed bag and come from many many different directions, but most have the same problems. A lot of the time they will make their characters sub optimal on accident. For example, a fighter who doesn't have a sword with runes or a caster who has no damaging cantrips… BUT Veteran players who understand the system more will usually find really interesting ways to make their characters sub optimal on purpose! While they will have the basics to survive they will do builds that aren't great but fill a specific power fantasy they want to play out. Like a caster who casts spell swords using their magic to put themselves in the middle of battle instead of in the back casting spells safely.

Tavern Keeper: What is the thing you like best about playing Pathfinder compared to other TTRPGS, such as Dungeons and Dragons?

Jake: The choices. You can build SO SO SO many interesting and different things already with the system, and it is only growing. My largest issue with TTRPGs like DnD is that while you all are "different" the only thing that's really different is how you describe it. The mechanics of the game also don't support the game play style as much. I aso feel that Pathfinder's Action Economy is THE best combat Action Economy I have ever seen.

Tavern Keeper: What would you say is the most challenging/intimidating thing about getting started with Pathfinder 2e?

Jake: Peoples FEAR that the game is crunchy because it has more optional rules than DnD, which isn't very deep. When most people are used to the only being in the hot tub, they are scared to go into the kiddie pool because it is deeper, but it is no where as bad as people think it is. Stepping into it once will make you realize that there is so, so, so, many more possibilities.

Tavern Keeper: What's your favorite moment in Mystic Bond?

Jake: Seeing everyone's reactions to the story. Seeing them being ripped from their normal lives to find out they were actually going to be something Evil in the world.

Tavern Keeper: Is there anything else you'd like to add about the experience?

Jake: There are so so many tools out there, and the rules being free for everyone makes playing easier. Having everyone on Pathbuilder, Pathfinder's online tool that allows for a character planner, builder, and sheets to be created and shared with the GM, and being able to help them with their character in and out of game was so nice. I encourage new and veteran players to help make things easier for themselves with this tool too!