#i feel like me organizing so much ahead of time makes it sound like it'll be stricter than it is lol

[chickenparm]

a little chilly (Scaramouche/gn!Reader)

ever had your parent or guardian lecture you about being careful in the cold? what about some fuckin dude you beat up in an giant mech suit and now he's convinced he's indebted to you-

AO3 Link

Scaramouche/gn!Reader 1,353 Words - SFW

---

Dragonspine is most often a destination that you venture to alone.

Your traveling companions - whoever you have at your side at the time - conveniently have a thousand excuses on hand to avoid following you into the mountain's snowy landscape. You managed to coerce Kaeya into it once, and as a result, he's developed something of a sixth sense when it comes to impending trips into the frigid mountain range.

Even Paimon keeps herself tucked away in her pocket dimension with a request for you to simply call for her when things are a little warmer, a little less snowy.

Really, you don't mind it so much. Dragonspine has become a place of peace for you; it's somewhere that you can get away with the assurance you'll be completely alone. That isn't something you get very often these days, as much as you appreciate your friends.

So, when the time comes around for you to make a trip there, you don't bother to ask anyone if they'd like to accompany you. You can't fault them for not wanting to go there - it's really rather cold, and the activities you have planned don't involve much combat. Albedo requested your presence for a few experiments that only you can help with, and with the wrap-up of Sumeru's numerous fiascos, there's an abundance of free time on your hands before you start the cycle all over again in Fontaine.

Organized and ready for travel, you completely miss the eyes that look from the second level of your teapot home, elbow on the railing and chin in their palm. Only when the bag is swung over your back do you look up and see the Wanderer, looking for all the world like he wasn't watching you pack and re-pack and second guess how many warming bottles you'd need.

“Snezhnaya hasn't been moved ahead in the order, has it? You look like you're ready for a blizzard.”

“It hasn't, but close enough.” You shift the straps so they don't bunch up the fabric of your cloak and the warm clothing beneath it. “Albedo asked me to join him in Dragonspine for a little while.”

“Alone?” An eyebrow raises, the single word feeling rather weighty for something so innocuous.

Rather than question it, you focus more on trying not to lose your balance as you crane your head back to look at him. Maybe the bag is a little heavy, its weight tugging on you as you clarify, “He didn't specify that, but you guys don't seem to like the cold so I figured I'd go on my own.”

The Wanderer's sandals hit the floor with a quiet tap as he lands next to you, effortlessly using the vision at his chest to safely fall from the second floor to the first. There's an arm's length between you, a careful proximity he keeps from everyone, and it's something you find yourself noticing a little too often with a little too much annoyance.

He doesn't have to keep his distance from you. But if that's what makes him comfortable, you're in no place to be demanding things that he's unwilling to budge on.

“First of all, don't lump me in with them. I can't even feel the cold.” That could be the truth, or it could be a lie. You've heard a complaint or two out of him about the humidity of Sumeru, certainly the opposite end of the spectrum must also affect him.

He doesn't give you any chance to call him out on that before he promptly invites himself. “And second, it's dangerous. Someone should go with you - it'll have to be me, I guess. Lucky you.”

“Lucky me.” You parrot back, and while it's meant to sound derisive, it fails to do so when there's a smile spreading on your face.

---

“Use another warming bottle. You're shivering.”

“I’m fine. I need to make sure they last the trips to and from Albedo's lab-”

“Surely he can make more when you get there. What sort of alchemist would he be if he can't make something to keep you warm?”

The snow crunches under his feet and your own as he keeps pace next to you. The distance has grown smaller, so much so that the wide brim of his hat keeps the soft flurries of snow from landing on you too much.

The Wanderer isn't warm. He hasn't bothered to change into thicker clothing, despite you offering him a cloak at the minimum. There's no body heat coming from him, nor is there the faint clouding of his breath in the air. You wouldn't think he was affected at all if it weren't for the dusting of pink across his cheeks and the tip of his nose.

But rather than worry about him, he's far too worried about you. First, it was your scarf being wrapped around your neck incorrectly. The moment the snow had begun to fall, he tugged you to a stop and unraveled it a little too roughly, only to snugly tie it back around the lower half of your face.

And when you nudged it down to breathe easier, he tugged it back up with a pinch of his fingers and an annoyed sound.

Then, the issue with the warming bottles. You had enough to reasonably get you to and from Albedo, but the Wanderer seemed convinced you needed to have one in use at all times, regardless of how wasteful that might be.

Equal parts annoying and endearing is the way he'll occasionally tug on your cloak to pull you to a stop, his hand sweeping across your shoulders to knock off any built up snow before telling you to stay put. After the third time he does this, you petulantly ask what he's doing and he shrugs with all the nonchalance of someone that's reading a grocery list, rather than being a complete mother hen.

“I’m checking around the bend for Hilichurls, obviously.”

“Without me?” Your answer raises in pitch, only mildly annoyed that he’s been leaving you behind. 

A disbelieving sound leaves him, and he gestures to you broadly as if that would explain things. When it doesn’t, he has the grace to clear things up. “When humans get cold, their reaction times get worse. It’s easier for me to handle it if there’s something ahead.”

And then, a knowing smile starts to spread across his face, ominous and far too reminiscent of a time when he wasn’t someone you could depend on to keep you safe. “Unless you use a warming bottle to counteract that.”

Without complaint, you let him travel ahead around the bend to verify that it’s safe. When he comes back with the scent of burning clinging only faintly in the air, you keep your mouth shut. There’s something smug about him as he dusts himself off from imaginary dirt and says, “What a coincidence, there’s a fire up ahead. You should warm up there.”

Coincidence indeed. 

His fingertips graze the skin of your cheeks as he tugs your scarf up on each side, up and over your nose once more. As an afterthought, he tugs your hat down over your ears as well, spending a little too long making sure you’re situated to his liking.

“And keep your scarf up. Your nose is more likely to get frostbite than anywhere else. I’m not above holding it for you.”

“I’ll suffocate!” Your words are muffled, but he understands them just fine as he turns away and sets off down the marked path. 

Over his shoulder, he calls, “But you’ll be warm doing it. Let’s go, I didn’t put in all the work to get this fire going just for you to mess around until it burns out.”

The hilichurls that once sat around this fire have been pushed into the thin bushes, their leafless branches doing nothing to hide the prior occupants. You don’t say anything about it, neither does the Wanderer. He sits close enough to you next to the fire for his shoulder to press solidly against your own, you don’t say anything about that, either.

[rachelsshowerthoughts]

Some musings on how the Aware AU might be best structured as a story and like:

Prologue would presumably be the party. So Adrien & Chloe have already started shifts in behavior that will be contextualized for the audience alongside other characters and flashbacks.

This is because it lets one introduce all three abused kids & Marinette and justify the Marinette/Kagami relationship.

This would likely be followed with Origins, but with the aforementioned Adrien in class, desk squabble, Nino biting the bullet but being intrigued ETC.

But there could be an interlude with Kagami contacting Chloe & Adrien secretly to be like, "Please tell my mother I made a good impression on you so she'll let me go to school here, I just made my first friend." & are instantly like, "Oh she's just like Adrien/me for real" and help her out, thus absorbing her into their duo making a trio.

The above however could be covered in a flashback.

Marinette is bamboozled how they know her Kagami & they are shocked Marinette is the friend she wanted so badly. Well Adrien is, Chloe is probably mentally sulking about how easy it is for Marinette to make friends. But Kagami likely explains what she can & things move on.

Anyway, if there are shifts in Miraculous or numbers then they'd happen, her but the prologue & Origins would be used to establish the status quo for the story going forward.

After which I imagine it can basically be broken up into a sort of "Era of understanding" IE, how little or how much does Marinette understand of their situation & how much do they understand themselves?

Nino would be useful as the sort of intermediary person whose ahead of the curve but between two parties.

But yeah, first half of season is no understanding, then Nino understanding, with the season 1 finale, serving to not bring about total understanding but definitely break some barriers.

IE, Marinette is likely at least at a stage where she thinks Chloe & Adrien's parents aren't very good at being parents, but not that they are actively abusive. So the dynamic cools a bit but remains easily ignited.

Season 2 would likely then build up to the full revelation and confrontations as barriers break. With Lila also being worked into the trio to make a quartet, much against her will, and Kagami's breaking moment probably being the big "Oh fuck" moment for everyone pre Heroes Day.

(Though gods if it continued and Kagami could be the Chat Noir)

But yeah I feel like that gives a loose but generalized shift that meshes well enough with the characters and time allowing for growth.

First season is all awkward growing pains, fumbles and such, while season 2 is once everyone's shifted into a stable if not perfect dynamic that can finally allow the main stage of self awareness to be reached.

This was way more organized my head, sorry.

(K first of all: Mood. My train of thought is really eloquent, until it has to change rails so other people can see it)

This all sounds good! It sort of reminds me of a rant I went on a bit ago, about how to do Senti-Adrien even if they only thought of it late. You don’t backtrack to have it make sense, you have characters commenting on the changes.

Like, the Senti-Thing, I said just have it that Adrien's already shedding his programming, already becoming a Real Boy(tm), so don’t have him suddenly be obedient. Have Gabriel come to the REALIZATION that his son is no longer obedient, and have flashbacks backing up how Adrien USED to be. (If you wanna find the rant, search @princess-of-the-corner blog's submission tag, it'll be far down, but it’s honestly faster than trying to find it on my blog. Please note there are two, one serious, one comedy)

But yeah, similar thing here! Have the party establish their "new" behaviour by everyone commenting on how weird it is, and showing flashbacks. I might have a specific scene where we see the inciting incident for Adrien and Chloé. Like, don't make it long, don’t give context, just a quick taste of the fact SOMETHING happened. Maybe a scene from Chloé comforting Adrien after Emilie disappears?

Another thing that might help/hinder Marinette would be Alya. Or, like, maybe to help show contrast with Nino? Cause, I think you said it before, Alya's kind of living out her tropes right now. She's the best friend of the Nice Girl[tm], Chloé's obvious the Popular Mean Girl [tm]. Alya would agree with Marinette that Chloé is a brat who needs to be taken down a peg. Meanwhile Nino, who has been in the same class as these two since diapers, is a bit more mellowed out. He isn’t seeing tropes, he's seeing people. Like, he has no clue what's going on, but he knows it’s more complicated than "Rich Bitch Spoiled Princess". Actually, I might have that be what kills Nino's crush on Marinette. Like, he still likes her fine. They're still friends. But Marinette's initial inability to see Chloé as anything but a bully and Spoiled brat, and how it’s colouring her perception of Adrien, might cause Nino to lose his infatuation with Marinette. Like, if I had a crush on someone, and they refused to believe that one of my friends might be abused, I would stop liking them real quick.

(The train has switched rails from my head to the page. It was not smooth.)

[loki-laufeyson223]

Comebacks

Warnings: Cursing, PTSD talk, kissing, Loki being like a sour patch kid lol (Sorry if I missed anything, this is my first time doing warnings and posting anything halfway decent. I swear it'll get better later on.)

Word Count: 1,092

I was sitting outside of my favorite cafe, just trying to unwind from the day when a man with raven colored hair and icy blue eyes walked up to my table. He just kinda stared at me for a minute before saying anything. I looked up at him with a clueless/ smart-ass look, he looked appalled at the action. “Don’t you know who I am?”, he asked. “Um no. Unless you’re some douche-bag recruiter trying to pull me back into the military. If that’s the case you can get the hell away from me.”  “Uh no, I’m not trying to do whatever you just went on a whole ass rant about. You just seemed confused. Like everyone else on this damned planet.”, he said with a snark. 

“Oh well sorry I wasn’t competent enough for your liking. I’ll definitely go home and cry about that later.”  “Whoa, hey. Calm down. I didn’t mean to offend you.”  “Well you sure as hell did. I’ve gotta go. Bye asshole!”,and with a smirk and a wave I started towards my car. That is until I stopped halfway through the parking lot by a large and slender hand on my shoulder. “Aren’t you curious to know who I am?”  “No. Not really.”  “Well then in that case, maybe I’ll just go right ahead and tell you. I’m Loki. Loki Laufeyson.”  “Oh! I know who you are now!”, Loki smiled triumphantly at my words. “You’re that son of a bitch who tried to take over Earth and failed. Miserably.”  “Excuse me! I am a god! Your words mean nothing to me, you fucking bastard!”  “Judging by your reaction, I’d say my words meant quite a lot to you. Oh, no! Did I hurt the whittle god’s feelings?”  

“How dare you insult me in such a way!?”  “Because I don’t give a shit who you are. I’ve been through too much to say I cared even a little to be telling the truth. Hell, I’ve been hit with an IED and had my legs shattered and I have far more PTSD than the average person can handle without committing suicide. It wouldn’t be too much of a burden if you killed me out of rage, I don’t even want to be here. I’m just holding on because there isn’t anyone who cares enough to put my body in the ground.” I said laughing sarcastically. 

For the first time, Loki’s eyes had softened at my words and as I continued on my rant, tears began spilling from my eyes and I couldn’t hold them back. “Hey, I’m sorry I got you so riled up and upset. That wasn’t my intention, not at all. If anything I know how it feels, not wanting to be here, I mean.”  “Thanks and it’s fine.”  “Would you like to continue this conversation elsewhere?”  

“Oh well my place is a complete mess and I’d be ashamed if anyone ever walked in. Hell, I’m ashamed of myself just seeing it the way it is.”  “How about this, we go to your place and before I walk in I will surprise you with something to make up for me insisting on going there in the first place?”  “That sounds good, I guess.”  We get in my car and head to my apartment. When we arrive we walk up the stairs and I go to open the door before I’m stopped. “Not just yet darling.”, and with a carefully calculated flick of his wrists he opened the door to a completely clean and organized home. “Oh my God! Thank you so much!”, I beam up at him. “No problem darling. It’s never a burden to help out the one I’m most interested in.

After a few weeks of having Loki over so we can talk to each other about what has happened to ourselves and just unpack all the emotional and mental baggage I can, we have our first “night together” and soon after I’m in an official relationship with the God of Mischief. 

3 Years Later

Loki tells me to put on my favorite dress because we were going out and I happily agreed, excited for this time out with my boyfriend because he hasn't been home a lot here recently. He has been sneaking around and I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to confront him. I was searching for my gold heels when Loki walked in, “Darling, are you ready yet?”  

“Um not just yet. I can’t see, to find those gold heels Frigga gave me.”  “Oh well in that case let me just…”, he flicks his wrist and the shoes appear on the bed. “Thanks babe.”, I say sitting down to put on the shoes. After I grab my bag we head out the door and get in the car. We drove for about ten minutes and pulled up at the restaurant where we had our first date. It’s our favorite because there is a garden to walk through and at the end of the walk there is a bench under an arch made of roses with fairy lights strung throughout. 

After we finish our dinner Loki suggests we go on a walk through the garden. When we make it to the end we sit down on the bench. I got to confront him about all the sneaking around when he cuts me off with a kiss. When he pulls away he drops to one knee with me still on the bench. 

Tears immediately come to my eyes as he begins his speech. “Persephone I have loved you since the day I first saw you. Your smile and laugh are infectious and beautiful. I only wish to make you smile and laugh for the rest of time. Which brings me to the million dollar question. Persephone, will you marry me?”, tears were running down both of our faces, Loki looked at me, hope filling his eyes awaiting my answer. “Yes” I choke out. 

“A million times yes.”, he stands up, pulling me with him then pulling me into a tight hug. I look up at him and he grabs my thighs and lifts me up, wrapping my arms around his neck he pulls me into a loving and tender yet rough kiss. He pulls away resting his forehead on mine, our noses brushing against each other. “I love you so much Persephone. I can’t wait for you to become my wife and take my name.”  “I love you too Mischief. I absolutely cannot wait for us to be Mr. and Mrs. Laufeyson.”

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

Something I Noticed When Organizing My Playlists

99% of the world might use Spotify... I'm one of those 30-year-old dinguses who still uses iTunes. Yes, you heard right... iTunes... I have a digital music collection, I carry around a 2011-era iPod Classic that all my music is stored on (never to disappear because of a random rights issue or whatever), and I have a few meticulously arranged playlists... I prefer it this way, when not listening to music through physical media.

I have a playlist for every year in music collection. For example, my playlist for 1967 contains over 400 songs... It's probably my favorite year in popular music... And they're all in chronological order. The playlist starts with 'Break On Through (To the Other Side)' by The Doors, the opening track of their eponymous album released on January 4, 1967... And ends with a song called 'Take Out a Loan' by Ray Yeager... Actually, a release date or year for that song - to go on a tangent - has never been found. Most of his singles were released in 1966, and this undated one? I have it in 1967, my gut tells me it's from 1967. Discogs, 45cat, and other record databases have no evidence of a release year... Because there doesn't seem to exist any data! Okay, if we take this obscure country rock song out of the equation, the playlist ends with a couple of songs that were *in fact* released in 1967... But no month is given... So they're all "unspecified 1967 releases"... Songs like 'Time is Set For Now' by a Cleveland, Missouri-based garage rock group called Fugitives (which I have to specify, because it seems a million bands were called "The Fugitives" back then), 'I Won't Be Your Fool' by The Oscar Five, and 'Cafe Creme' by Christine Pilzer...

If I lost you there, I apologize...

Anyways... These playlists, which I created over the course of years in my spare time, helped give me an idea of when this music all came out and what was out at a given time... Like, what was available in April 1967, and what was a few months old by that point... Then I place myself in that timeframe, and it's like... This is almost a snapshot of the cultural wave, what was out, what was in, what wasn't, etc. etc.

So sometimes, in a given year, I'll notice that the sound changes fast, as does the zeitgeist in real life... It's a very hard thing to keep up with. Suppose I put on my 1967 playlist, and I hear plenty of songs that sound very 1967... Psychedelic, less traditional poppy, having a bit of an edge... But sometimes you'll hear an example of something very, say, 1965... In the mix, as if the people making the song weren't entirely up to speed with what was going on, and just made what was considered a standard... And it'll sound a little dated. Like, this song is from 1967?? I would assume, by listening to it, that it's from a few years prior! And then you'll hear something a year ahead of its time... It's an art form, much like film and animation, that is rapidly changing...

I was thinking about last year's crop of animated movies, and even 2021's for that matter... I look at Disney Animation's films, like RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON, ENCANTO, and STRANGE WORLD... And I see what their cousin studio Pixar has been up to post-ONWARD... And other studios as well...

I think, now that we're in a post-SPIDER-VERSE age of CG animated movies, there's some questioning as to why Disney Animation - the original American feature animation studio that's still standing, and one of the big guns - still sticks with the house style that they started using with BOLT and TANGLED way back in the late aughts/early '10s, and arguably perfected with some of the later movies, like MOANA.

And I think... STRANGE WORLD, their latest movie... Release that in 2015, it'd be cutting edge and it'd be greeted - I feel - with a sort of "wow, cool!"-type reaction. In post-SPIDER-VERSE times, it's more of the same, same as it ever was. Ditto RAYA and ENCANTO. They are undeniably well-made, handsomely-crafted films with ace animation and effects work. Their $150m+ budgets definitely show! But they also seem to look backwards, visually... Or do they?

These films were all greenlit before any footage from INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE got out to the public... And yes, before SPIDER-VERSE came out, very stylized CG pictures *did* exist. Disney Animation themselves experimented with promising and exciting technology that gave us the very hand-drawn-looking PAPERMAN way back in 2012, and the painterly FEAST in 2014... But then they didn't really do much with those discoveries afterwards, for the features anyways. Shorts still kept some of that alive. Reel FX made a very "moving concept art"-looking movie with the innovative THE BOOK OF LIFE in 2014. THE PEANUTS MOVIE in 2015 and CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS in 2017 are also stepping stones to SPIDER-VERSE. Heck, I'd even throw in 2009's CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS.

But I'd argue that SPIDER-VERSE was the movie that really, really solidified this move towards more stylized CGI. It's no surprise that we're seeing more of these kinds of movies now, not just from originator Sony Pictures Animation, who went on to give us the equally envelope-pushing THE MITCHELLS VS. THE MACHINES in 2021. Look no further than PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH, and TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM...

But these were greenlit *after* SPIDER-VERSE came out. And before someone brings it up, PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH is not the same film as the one that was scheduled for a 2018 release and then scrapped four years before expected completion. That was Chris Miller's PUSS sequel, NINE LIVES & 40 THIEVES. It was likely going to look just like the first PUSS IN BOOTS, that he directed, and the other SHREK movies. THE LAST WISH is an entirely different iteration, an entirely different project, and it began active development *after* SPIDER-VERSE came out. Anyways- Moving on...

Disney's animated features up until this past year... *weren't* greenlit after SPIDER-VERSE... STRANGE WORLD, a 2022 movie release, was on the boards as early as winter 2017, right after its director - Don Hall - finished up his work as a "co-director" on MOANA. Par for the course with an animated movie of this caliber. The teaser for INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE debuted at the end of 2017, almost a whole year after STRANGE WORLD got put into active development.

STRANGE WORLD was likely locked as a typical house style WDAS movie, and maybe Hall himself wanted it to look like that, too... Given that he directed BIG HERO 6, and co-directed MOANA... STRANGE WORLD possibly could've opened earlier if not for a particular problem that occurred. You see, Hall was pulled off of STRANGE WORLD to take over RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON, which saw a baffling director shake-up... Quite close to release, may I add. STRANGE WORLD could've released earlier if not for that, or maybe not... WDAS, exing COVID from the equation for a second, usually aimed for one a year. Every Thanksgiving season, with some exceptions. Had a deadly virus never happened, RAYA would've hit theaters in Thanksgiving 2020... And it likely would've been followed by ENCANTO in Thanksgiving 2021, which it *did* make it to, and then STRANGE WORLD after. That all has to do with scheduling and Disney figuring out its usually massive movie slate and where everything - Disney, Pixar, Marvel, etc. - falls. One might suggest... After SPIDER-VERSE, why didn't Disney just take STRANGE WORLD and reroute its visual style? They had plenty of time, right?

From what I understand, everything is probably determined early on: Look, assets, pipeline, etc. A big change in that, I assume, would throw a lot of things off... And up the budget, significantly. So, STRANGE WORLD was likely all set in that department before footage of SPIDER-VERSE even got out... If any WDAS movie is to embrace a completely different and dynamic visual style, it would be a film greenlit after John Lasseter's tenure as Chief Creative Officer, and probably after the 2018 release of SPIDER-VERSE...

WISH is the studio's next film, which was directed by Chris Buck. The only CG films he directed at Disney Animation prior were the FROZEN movies, which utilized the TANGLED style through and through. At Sony Animation, he directed SURF'S UP, and before Disney's purging of 2D features, he directed TARZAN, which used a ton of CGI. WISH has another director, too, Fawn Veerasunthorn. This is her directorial debut of any kind, be it feature or short or television series episode.

... and from what I've seen, WISH promises to be that proverbial PAPERMAN: The Movie endeavor. Would be fitting, given Buck previously directing a 2D film. Question is, was this a post-SPIDER-VERSE greenlight? Did SPIDER-VERSE's very existence influence the look of the movie? Did it tell Disney Animation heads that that PAPERMAN look *could* indeed sustain a feature after all?

Even then, the previous string of features were started at one time, and released at another. In those four years, a lot changes in the film world, the animation world, the cultural zeitgeist... Big changes just can't happen at last minute just like that! And if they do, it'll certainly cost.

This all reminds me of THE JUNGLE BOOK...

Coincidentally, Walt Disney's animated musical adaptation of the Rudyard Kipling stories was released in 1967... Look at that.

And yet, a lot of that film feels like it belongs in 1965. Maybe a year earlier.

The vultures, well known to be based on The Beatles (to the point where the studio wanted the Fab Four to actually voice them), are strong evidence of this... But they resemble a certain era of The Beatles that was long over by the time the movie was completed and released...

It's probably partially because of the film crew not being entirely in tune with the ever-changing maelstrom of pop culture and the music scene. Like, do you think 63-year-old Walt Disney in mid-1965 was interested in being up to date on The Beatles and other groups that teens/young adults were into at the time? Ditto much of his equally old film crew that handled the movie?

The film's principle elements were likely pretty much locked and in place by the end of 1965... Because of animation taking a lot longer, with less technological aid, back then... But The Beatles vultures in that film are very much based on the band's pre-RUBBER SOUL era. RUBBER SOUL came out in December of 1965 and marked a noticeable shift in the individual Beatles' songwriting talents. They looked a bit different, too, and they would call it quits on touring months later...

The pre-RUBBER SOUL era. The image. The seemingly fun-loving moptop image that the Fab Four tried to shed as they matured musically. THE JUNGLE BOOK was released in October 1967... That was only one month before MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR's US LP configuration was released, and a few months after their more experimental and adventurous album SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND... And that came off of the psychedelic and equally adventurous REVOLVER (which came out in August 1966), and the 'Strawberry Fields Forever'/'Penny Lane' single in February 1967... A lot happened in those three years! Night-and-day difference!

THE JUNGLE BOOK's vultures are very much modeled after the 1964/65-era Beatles, and other British Invasion groups of the period. They could easily be caricatures of, say, Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders. In fact, one of the voices of these vultures was British Invasion lad Chad Stuart, the late Chad Stuart, from the folk duo Chad & Jeremy. Stuart himself joked on the 2007 behind-the-scenes documentary for the film "They couldn't get The Beatles." The filmmakers wisely had the vultures sing a timeless barbershop quartet-style song instead of the very 1964-sounding pop song that was planned early on, that would've dated that entire portion of the movie. In its own release year! They would've been too late, like a sort-of reverse-SOUTH PARK situation. That'd be like a modern animated movie referencing, I don't know, 'Old Town Road' or something.

And also, by late 1967... What hip American teen or young adult was jamming to Louis Prima? He was their parents' music! A lot of that film's jazz soundtrack recalls big band and swing from the 1940s and 1950s, though the dialogue from the movie definitely suggests a more modern sensibility than, say, THE SWORD IN THE STONE. Interestingly, Louis Prima continued to work with Disney after THE JUNGLE BOOK came out. He did additional music for the studio's 1973 film ROBIN HOOD that only showed up on record, and was at one point supposed to be in THE RESCUERS... Moving on from Prima, you also have Baloo, voiced by contemporary comedian Phil Harris. Much of Baloo's talk in the movie definitely places it in the 1960s...

And yet despite these anachronisms, Walt's movie still struck a chord with audiences of all ages in 1967/68. It was among the year's blockbusters, such as THE GRADUATE and BONNIE & CLYDE. Being the last animated feature Walt himself personally oversaw certainly must've helped, too. In Europe, as usual for a Disney animated movie, it collected some serious coin. It was an incredibly popular film in West Germany, of all places (where it made an impression on a particular German boy named... Andreas Deja), and it was a massive hit in France... So, the dated stuff either didn't matter, or it worked in the movie's favor in some way or another. Maybe people in their 30s and 40s, a little behind the counterculture and maybe more into Frank Sinatra than Bob Dylan, were delighted to see that the funny singing orangutan in the movie was voiced by Louis Prima.

Even today, with all of our technological advances, not all animation can keep up with an ever-changing zeitgeist and audience tastes. Thankfully for WDAS, RAYA and ENCANTO seem to be quite popular and well-liked movies, especially the latter and how *that* blew up circa December 2021/January 2022. Ultimately, good storytelling that resonates with people helps these things last. It's what helped THE JUNGLE BOOK in 1967, for sure, to use that film as an example once more. That film also did fantastically in re-releases, and on video, it was part of Disney's Platinum/Diamond/Signature series. So, yeah, RAYA and ENCANTO - despite being released well after SPIDER-VERSE - are still successful in their own ways. STRANGE WORLD was like a horse being shot before it could even show if it could race, and even that seemed to do well enough on Disney+, too. Some of us may look at the visuals of these movies and think "They're nice and all, but c'mon Disney! You gotta experiment and try new things! Innovation! You're making the same movie you've been making since 2013!" And yet... I have to keep in mind, a lot of things in animated movie production are probably locked down and determined well before a frame is even animated, before a design is even rendered, etc.

[heretic-altias]

Finally making some real progress in p3s, we get to the adds fairly consistently now!

Might not finish this whole tier in time tbh, but we're doing it over pf as a group of 5 rn and the static will be full next tier so I'm thinking the consistent group will be a bit faster. This was also our first tier ever doing savage raid gearing, so I feel like we've learned how things go now. I've given the baby players I have interested a deadline of end of July to finish the game if they wanna raid in the coming tier with us so we can trial them and so that if they aren't going to be ready I have time to find other people bc we do not want to pf again lol. I'm making a full static happen for next tier even if I (a socially anxious person who ended up as raid lead through shear enthusiasm for raiding) have to go out recruiting around the internet.

[sirthisisa-wendys]

The Enforcers: Part 6 (Geto Suguru x Fem!Reader)

wc: 1.5k

tw: none

masterlist

The steady burst of snow is burning your hands.

You're frozen to the bones. And all you can hear is the chattering of your teeth as you drag the limp body of your Leviathan down the shambles of a road that once led you to freedom, to success.

Your eyes snap open as you pull yourself out of the nightmare, clutching at your shaking form underneath the sheets. You stretch your arm out behind you to feel for the man you gave yourself to the night before but find nothing but empty space.

Had you imagined the whole thing?

The grey sheets are tucked so neatly around you, and the nightstand is devoid of any of your trinkets that you know you're not in your own room. Something clatters in the kitchen, and you hear Suguru curse, making you get up and toss off the sheets. Before your hand reaches for the doorknob, you notice your lack of clothing and grab the bathrobe hanging from a hook by the door. You tie the massive cotton item around yourself and fling the door open, not bothering to fix your hair before walking into the living room.

Before you can peek into the kitchen, a pair of blue eyes catch your visage and looks twice before a smile spreads across Gojo's face.

"Aw, shit. Yuki said you were wasted, but I didn't think-- I knew you had it in you, Su, but damn..."

Suguru appears a second later, wiping his hands on a dishtowel and catching you in his bathrobe, standing in shock in the living room. "Oh, y/n," he murmurs, and pushes his bangs out of his face. "Did I wake you? I'm sorry about the noise; I was trying to cook breakfast."

"No, it's okay," you whisper, and he gives you a lopsided smile, eyes roving over your figure clad in his bathrobe.

"Looks good on you."

"Yo, can you quit flirting and hurry up? I have to brief you two on your next mission before Toji tries to beat me to the pool hall."

"Right," you sit across from Gojo on the couch, and Suguru turns off the stove to sit next to you. You notice he isn't timid in front of Satoru, placing his arm around the couch behind you. Gojo notices this and says nothing, instead choosing to thump the file in his hands onto the table. You reach for it, then open the black folder, noting the heavy redaction on many of the pages.

"This might be your biggest one yet," Gojo states, leaning forward. "You're going to be recovering some evidence needed in our search for Kenjaku."

Kenjaku. The most elusive man in the entire CSB. Known for blowing covers of CSB Kitsune, organizing massive Leviathan casualties on staged recon missions, and relentlessly terrorizing the Grand Council with threats of bringing the CSB to its knees.

Your palms begin to sweat, and Suguru takes the file from your hands, letting you lace your fingers together to stop them from shaking.

"How do we know this isn't a setup?" Suguru wonders and then looks up from the folder. "And why is y/n coming with us? This is normally Leviathan work."

"Y/n is going in as a scout. But you'll be with her, along with four other high-level ops teams. It'll be presented as a routine inspection of the systems, but you two will orchestrate the recovery. The other four teams will assist with entry and extraction."

"And what kind of evidence is this?"

"Files." Your mind flashes to the files sitting in the trash on your desktop, and you inhale deeply. "Files from a computer linked to a DDOS attack from his base. You'll be going in and retrieving them with a thumb drive." The thumb drive is slapped onto the table, the silver color shining in the light of the living room.

"When do we leave?" you wonder, and Gojo smiles, showing all of his teeth.

"In twelve hours, right as everyone is getting off. The building will need to be empty when you two go in to prevent any suspicions or reports back to Kenjaku."

"Got it."

_____________________________________________________________

Geto drives you to the rendezvous, wearing an all-black outfit and glasses that he keeps fiddling with nervously. His tattoos are covered up, but that doesn't make him look any less intimidating.

Again, he's a "security officer". Well, one without a gun, which is probably why he's fiddling with his fake glasses so much.

You consider your cover - Information Technology Officer - and look down at your outfit again. Your dress pants and frilly white blouse look the part, but you don't feel the part.

"This is too easy," you mention, and Suguru glances over at you.

"I was just thinking the same thing."

"So I just go into this room, find the computer, and plug in the thumb drive?"

"You have to locate the one--"

"Row Eleven, computer eighteen."

"You're too good at this," Suguru laughs, and you chuckle, looking out of the window. The massive building looms ahead, and you feel your gut twist painfully. As you pull into the parking garage, you watch for the first set of teams to assist with entry. They'd be disguised as guards that will lead you into the building and up to the room, and then two sets of guards would come to get you and lead you out, taking the thumb drive with them as they depart.

But why so many people? Weren't you and Suguru enough to get in and get out with the evidence?

You step out of the car after Suguru parks, and when you get to the front of the building, you see the first set of guards. They open the doors to the main floor, where people are still milling about and wrapping up for the day. Next, you're walked to the elevators, where one of the guards swipes a keycard, his eyes looking everywhere but at you and Suguru as he presses the up button. His partner stands closely behind you two, but you consider the ultra level of security a comfort.

Suguru, however, is not so thrilled.

"Can you back the fuck up?" he turns and asks the woman behind you, who steps back at the forcefulness of his tone. You look up at him and notice a deep frown line set into his brows as you walk onto the elevator, unaccompanied. Suguru punches the "7" button with his knuckle and stands stiffly as the doors close on the two security guards below.

"Everything's going to be fine," you reassure him, taking his hand and squeezing it. "You'll see." He grunts in response as the elevator grinds to a halt, and the automated voice announces, "Floor Seven". The second set of guards meets you right outside of the elevators, one taking the lead while the other walks behind you as you walk past a row of frosted glass doors. A key card is swiped again, and you go past a wooden door that has no windows before walking down a less inviting hallway.

Row eleven, computer eighteen.

The guard in front opens a door leading to the computer room, and you're met with a fierce blue glow from the dormant screens.

"Ten minutes," Suguru advises you, and you walk past him, nodding.

"Give me seven."

You count the rows from the back of the room and find the eleventh row easily, then down the long path to computer eighteen. When you sit down at the screen, your fingers quickly type in the password: TOUR-DOZE-KURD.

You take the thumb drive out of your pocket and wait for the program files to load, searching through each and every one with lightning speed.

"If I was a suspicious file... where would I be..." You open the TEMP files and instantly find a massive .zip file just out in the open. You open the ZIP extractor and wait for the files to pop up, sticking the thumb drive into the computer and inhaling before the "finished" notification pops up.

However, when the files open, your eye catches on one, in particular, making your heart stop.

Release to Y/n on (unknown date and time).

Two and a half minutes left on the clock.

You drag the extracted files to the thumb drive icon, but you click on the folder addressed to you while they're downloading.

And you discover the same videos, the same audio files, the same documents that were dropped onto your computer. Yet, all you can hear is the rushing sound of blood in your ears as you click out and look at the other files, hundreds of names and release times labeled on files.

Two other names catch your eye, and you balk, fearing the worst if you open them:

Geto Suguru. (released).

Yu Haibara. (do not release).

Once the files finish transferring with only a minute to spare, you snatch the stick out of the computer and leap up, shutting the device down before rushing out of the room.

"Suguru, there's something very wro--" You stop in your tracks as you see two men dressed in grey Kitsune uniforms standing across from Suguru, their guns pointed at the two of you. Suguru's hands are raised, and you shakily inhale, feeling the thumb drive growing hot in your pocket.

"I know, baby," he whispers, eyes focused on the men blocking your exit down the hallway. "Looks like we've been set up."

_____________________________________________________________

TAGLIST: @missbonekitty @wack0-genius @thankuary @jsqeeut @r-i-m-f-009 @sunfloweroranges @leanne-tamashi @girlruby23@rein-icu @brownskinnedgirll @chanelmalandro @savantsoulfinder @jibe-gajima @chilledlucifer @amnxsia @kontentious @fuyuko26 @everybodylovescayrayray @flare-on

[littoraly-art]

😌 💕 i feel so loved, thank youu

and might I say, you have a Very Big Brain

also 👉👈 Im sorry for the weird ask format bc uh somehow I deleted the original draft but was able to screenshot the ask bc.. long story, ANYWAYS

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A/N: this will be slightly divergent from my previous baby!Lamb fics. (But only because I briefly mentioned Geralt in my last one)

A/N 2.0: im gonna start doing page breaks for my fics bc it'll be easier organization

• General

• Fluff

• Lambert, Eskel, and Geralt

• Wolf Pup Shenanigans

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The first inkling of Eskel's suspicions started with when he set about making Lambert's new poppet.

He was seated on the low wall–the one that bordered the vegetable garden–and were basking in the warmth of the sun that gently tickled their skin. They'd been given an afternoon of free play and Lambert, for one, liked watching for birds so that he could scare them off with lots of yelling, accompanied by the brandishing of a stick. He said it was much more fun than dealing with the other students and definitely much more fun than sitting in the library with Vesemir.

Eskel couldn't blame him.

The older boy was balanced on the wall with his legs tucked into a neat criss-crossed position so that all of his materials could sit in his lap as he worked. He really didn't mind accompanying Lambert out there because he could sew just as well out there as he could anywhere else. Plus, it was fun to listen to the other wolf chatter on about his day.

Said redhead was walking himself along the wall, balancing and doing little pirouettes every so often. And, every so often, Eskel would pipe up, "wrong," causing Lambert to freeze before righting his footing. Oh, and sticking his tongue out at the older boy.

"Can you give the poppet hair?"

Eskel lifted his eyes to watch as Lambert spun yet again before the other boy jumped down and snatched up his stick from where it was laying on the ground.

"Hair? Like.."

"Like the ones in the shops down in Ard Carraigh," Lambert chirped in response, remembering back to the city he'd only ever been through once. He flashed a grin at Eskel as he climbed back up onto the low wall, now with mock sword in hand.

"You know you're not supposed to practice your drills alone."

There was a dramatic sigh and a roll of Lambert's eyes as he began smacking, along the wall with his stick, instead. "So.. Can you give it hair?"

"I.. sure?" Eskel tipped his head to the side in brief consideration and then dropped his eyes back to the item in his hands, returning to his sewing. Watching as the needle swam in and out of the soft linen fabric. Pricking his finger every so often as his tongue lightly poked out between his teeth. "..What color? Red, like yours?" Not that he knew where he'd find that color. They didn't have any dyed yarn that he was allowed to use, that he knew of.

"No. White."

Eskel paused as he lifted his eyes back to watch his friend as the younger boy was now trying to whack the stick against the heavy bough of the half dead tree that stood, gnarled, on the other side of the wall.

"White?"

"Yeah, I want it to be white."

Eskel regarded the other curiously with a tiny little smile before looking back down at his project, yet again. "I don't think we have any white yarn. How about grey or brown?"

Lambert halted in thought, holding his stick above his head with both hands. It only took a moment's consideration before he nodded lightly. "Grey works."

- -

The second instance, that Eskel stumbled upon, seemed to only confirm his suspicions.

Lambert was perched on a rickety bench that sat to the side of the training yard and he was watching raptly as one of older mentors was running Eskel's peer group through a drill that incorporated Aard. Eskel was stood off to the side to observe since he was the most adept at Signs than the rest of his peers. This allowed him to help call out mistakes, when need. And, at the moment, it allowed him the opportunity to look over and see that Lambert was zoned in on one student in particular.

Geralt.

The white haired boy was a mischievous, headstrong thing who had quite the aptitude for the graceful maneuvers of the Wolf School. His chin length, slightly curly hair was held back with a simple brown headband and the item effectively kept his hair out of his face as he twisted about in the drilled sequence.

Lambert had his knees tucked against his chest, arms wrapped 'round them and his chin settled softly on top as he studied the scene in front of him. His wide eyes followed every single movement as he murmured the names of each maneuver, under his breath.

As Eskel was called back into the group, he made a mental note to give the poppet a headband along with the white hair, and he grinned to himself.

Leave it to Geralt to inspire such dazzled eyes and intent focus.

-

Lambert had really come down to the training yard so that he could grab Eskel once he was done for the day. He had a whole list of things he wanted to do before dinner and he absolutely needed Eskel to join him in his plans. It wasn't fun to get up to trouble alone, after all.

He however realized that, as he sat to wait for Eskel, he could just as happily take that time to watch Geralt.

Geralt was the best.

He was strong and fast and funny and stubborn and so very sure of himself and goodness! Just everything that Lambert could ever dream of being.

But, he had never interacted with him before. Oh, no, no. Lambert couldn't risk that. What if Geralt thought he was dumb like the other boys did? What if he thought it was weird that Lambert looked up to him as a role model? He could not risk that.

He wouldn't know what to do if that happened.

So, there he sat, for the entire session. He sat, quiet and respectful, not interrupting so that he wouldn't be asked to leave. (Which definitely had never ever happened before..)

At the end, when all the equipment was being packed up and put away, Lambert jumped up from his spot and began making his way across the yard. He clasped his hands behind him and took steps that had a subtle little skip to them, running over his list of plans in his head.

That was when he froze, though. He watched, while holding his breath, as Geralt slung his arm around Eskel's neck and the two older boys laughed together about.. well, something. Lambert's eyes were as wide as could be and he brought his hands in front of himself to fidget as he took a couple steps back.

Oh.

The conversation between the two continued on before Eskel spotted Lambert, giving him an easy grin. He then, to Lambert's horror, began to guide Geralt over, arm around his friend's middle as they still chattered.

Once it was confirmed that they were definitely headed towards him, Lambert spooked. He was not ready to meet Geralt. Not like this.

He had an utterly embarrassed expression on his face and fidgeted with his hands more before twisting on his heel and taking off.

Not today.

--

"Lamb?"

Eskel knocked on the door that was already partially open but then he stuck his head into the room, where he spotted a large lump underneath the blanket that was draped over the far bed. The older boy smiled lightly and then slipped inside the room, gently closing the door behind him.

"Are you asleep?"

"Mm.."

"Did I just wake you?"

"..No." The voice that came after a little groan, and the sound of a yawn, said otherwise and Eskel's smile widened.

"Okay, well, sit up because I have something for you," Eskel hummed and then climbed onto the bed, holding the finished poppet in his lap. "'t's gonna to be dinner time soon anyways."

A fiery mop of curls revealed itself from under the covers and Lambert sat up fully, turning to Eskel with a tilt to his head. Questioning. Until he saw tha finished poppet, that is.

"It's done!"

"Yep. Here you go," He laughed as he handed it over. "And it looks enough like Geralt, don't you think?"

Lambert held it at arm's length with a grin before frowning quickly and furrowing his little brows. "It's not.. that's not why–"

"Well, sure it is," Eskel laughed again, good naturedly and then shifted so that he could flop onto his back, laying next to Lambert. "I can see how much you look up to him."

"That's not.."

"Nothing wrong with it, Lamb."

Lambert eyed him for a long moment and then dropped onto his back as well, so that they could lay shoulder to shoulder, as he hugged the poppet to his chest.

"..Do you like it?"

"Yeah, you did a good job," Lambert mumbled and then nudged his elbow into Eskel's side. "Thanks."

They fell into a comfortable silence as they both stared up at the ceiling, where hewn timbers ran from one side to the other. Eskel could practically feel Lambert thinking so he left him to that, knowing the other boy would speak up eventually.

And sure enough, he did.

"You're friends with him?"

"Who?"

He knew who.

"You know who."

"Who?"

"Geralt.." Lambert huffed and whined in annoyance as he kicked his foot against Eskel's leg.

"Oh.. him," Eskel stressed, teasing his friend and earning himself another light kick. "Yeah. I am. We've been friend since before me an' you were friends."

That made Lambert sit up with another huff, this one sounding particularly offended. "What? And you never told me?" He complained loudly.

"I didn't know you wanted to know..!" Eskel responded, laughing as he shook his head. "And how did you not know? We always do stuff together."

"Well–" Lambert frowned and then shoved Eskel's knees that were in a bent position, with his feet flat on the mattress. "I just didn't know!"

"Alright, alright."

Another bout of silence settled and Eskel was grinning to himself as Lambert stared down at his poppet with a look of intense focus. He draped an arm over his face so that his elbow covered his mouth; he really was trying to stop himself from laughing.

"Can I meet him?" The younger trainee said quietly, playing with the arms of the doll.

"Yeah. Go ahead. I think he's probably already down, ready for dinner."

"No!" The redhead shook his head and gave a pout as he looked up and hugged the poppet back against his chest. "You have to introduce me to him."

Eskel quirked a brow and then gave a laugh–one that he quickly apologized for when Lambert whined in offense. "Why?"

"Because.. Because I dunno what I would say," He explained in embarrassment, looking down and Eskel found himself making a sympathetic noise.

"He's just another kid like us. Just say hi."

"No.." He whined more insistently and shook his head. "You have to do it. Please, please, please? Esk, pleeeease?" He pouted more after drawing out the 'long e' sound.

"Ugh, come on." Eskel clambered off the bed and then stood up, snagging his fingers around Lambert's arm.

‐

"Geralt?" Eskel reached out to tap his friend's shoulder, and showed a sunshiny smile immediately as the other boy twisted around on the bench.

"What.. do you need?" He said slowly as he eyed Lambert–who was clutching onto Eskel's hand and partially hiding himself, eyes huge and round once again–curiously with a slight laugh.

"Lamb here wanted to meet you but wasn't sure what to say because he's embarrassed and shy," Eskel explained, to which Lambert immediately argued,

"What? Why would you tell him that? Prick!"

Geralt grinned and pushed himself to his feet as his hands settled on his hips. "He doesn't sound shy."

"Yeah! M'not!" There was a roll of eyes and huff from the youngest of the three as he let go of Eskel's hand. He folded his arms and stomped a foot.

Eskel had a proud smile on his face, having known that that would successfully crack Lambert out of his shell. The redhead was always quick to argue with things like that.

"So, Lamb?"

"Lambert." Said boy lifted his chin in a stubborn way, after correcting the nickname, and sticking out his hand for a handshake.

Geralt and Eskel smiled even more as they exchanged glances.

"Nice to meet you, Lambert," Geralt hummed and clasped the other boy's smaller hand and tilted his head to the side as he laughed. "Want to sit next to me during dinner?"

As his hand was dropped and that invitation extended, Lambert glanced over to Eskel with another wide eyed expression. Eskel simply shrugged with a big smile as he walked away to find his own spot.

He then looked back to Geralt who was gesturing to the bench with a raised brow and Lambert straightened himself up more, eyes bright.

"Would I ever !"

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@persony-pepper @lovelyeskel

Let me know if you'd like to be added to the tag list!

[ggukkieland]

Hello again 👋

First of all, thank you very much for taking some time in compiling and recommending me idol aus. 🥰 When I asked about it I was just hoping you'll send me about 3-5 works but sending me an entire list - LIKE A LIST CONTAINING ABOUT 50 OF THEM! OMG! 😲 I was super stoked, happy and thankful for your effort in replying with my ask 💕 You even placed ⭐s in to be noticed easily. Thank you so so much 💓

Secondly, I am happy to make you smile even just with a simple ask 💖 and thank you for being so kind and sweet 😊 I usually send asks to authors and send them my feedback especially feelings with what they are writing or probably what I am currently reading from my fics and I tell you, I don't think I'm a warm person? 🙈 I tend to send asks sounding super happy, sad, frustrated and even angry whatever emotion I feel after reading a fic or an updatelol. I think some who receives my asks/messages tend to get the vibes or mood I'm currently in but I try my best to send messages kindly and respectfully since I don't want to hurt someone through my words. And just show how much I appreciate all authors here as much as possible. 🤗

Lastly, I would love to talk to you because I love talking to new people but I tend to get lost with topics so I do stick with sending messages as an anon 😬 and I just hope to give some love and encouragement to different writers here. 💞 Speaking of which, do you also write? I mean I would love to read your stories. I do navigate your blog but it kinda gets overwhelming sometimes like I want to read a lot of it and another thing, idol aus aren't really on my top list as well just like fantasy au, arranged marriage au, supernatural au and a lot more but can't remember what type specifically but because of you I started reading some (not all though still not that into it but I try) of it and appreciate it. I was just scrolling through my feed thar I saw the First Love, Last Love and I scrolled past it like multiple times since I'm not into idol aus but I kinda read a part/chapter you shared then eventually decided to start from chapter 1 and I was hooked so I resulted to asking you for recommendations because you're the reason I saw and read FLFL. And I realized that it was a nice change of genre (pace?) than what I usually read so thank you so so much!

Now, I am sorry this is too long, I got overwhelmed a bit because I was happy that I made you smile and such hehe and I guess my reply is kinda all over the place like no coherence or something - free flowing lol and that's why I'd rather read than write. Hahaha

Anyway, thank you so much for being so kind and friendly. I hope you have a great day ahead and if in case the day's not that good remember that it'll pass and there's nothing you can't overcome because you are stronger than you think you are. Take care - EJ 💙

🌷 You’re welcome, EJ💙! First, thank you for your message! My response below the cut: 

Yeah, I was about to share around 4 to 5 fics but the more I look at my reblogs I kept adding this or that because I thought “wait Navy is good, it’s a must read.” “Oh wait I should include this fic” So there. 😁

Someone said it’s so organized but it felt messy to me.  I just pulled from my blogs and posted everything so I feel like I should fix it (I will organize per member). I’d like to eventually just put a catalog with links that’ll lead to reblogs because I think seeing the reblogs is a good teaser to start reading (like in your case you kept seeing FLFL on your dash and the summary, the banner, other details probably hooked you in ). But lists are also good because when you google tropes/AUs, lists usually pop up versus the fic itself. So either way, they have purpose.

Second, I think it’s nice that you actually put in effort to communicate with authors! I just try to reblog or comment sometimes but I hope others get to see the fics and get inspired to read or try them. I think your tone is still warm but I guess we have moods too, right? But it’s great you are putting in effort to engage. I think authors will appreciate that. 

Third, No I don’t write! hahaha I wish I could. But I read more than write. I could probably tell a story but writing it is different. I get what you mean that blogs can be overwhelming. Even I get overwhelmed realizing I was actually reading a lot of fics. I guess I don’t notice it anymore I just read then reblog, read then reblog 🤭. The lists help me organize everything but it’s just meant to be a reference... in case someone needs it (even I refer to it from time to time) 

I think AUs are layered too. Like I don’t like IDOL AUs but I would read if other themes are included (like there’s fake dating or bodyguard, etc). So even if I don’t read Sports AUs, there are probably a hundred of them I’ve read because I was more focused on the other tropes (like unrequited love or something else)

Thank you for your message. It’s long but I appreciate the effort you put into writing it. I wish you a good day too. I agree with what you said. Like what RM said “Everything Goes” and I always think of this phrase when bad things/feelings happen. 

Enjoy and let me know if you need help (like there’s a mood you’re going for, I can tell you which fic to start with first)