#i have reasons for both so i have to spin the potential around even more but ohh i’m thinking about it

[bravevolunteer]

i’m between hephaestus and nemesis for p.jo au by the way

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Wicked Games 4

Warnings: non/dubcon, cheating, and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

Character: Steve Rogers

Summary: you had a one night stand. Or did you?

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging ❤️

You wait. And wait. And wait. 

Each day, each week, your hope dwindles. Barrett doesn’t change. He’s not going to change. You know for sure as you watch him storm out. 

That’s why you didn’t talk to him sooner. It always ends like this. He gets defensive, you get emotional, and it all erupts. If he would just listen! 

You sigh and hold your chin in your hand. You look around at your small apartment. Even when you’ve just cleaned, it feels cluttered. You hate this place. You feel trapped. Or maybe that’s your relationship. Probably, both. 

You don’t think it was that bad to ask for a bit of understanding. All you want is for him to communicate. Instead, he sits on all his gripes until the bubble over in another rant about the squeaky bathroom faucet or the way you fold his shirts. It’s always on you. You’re the one who has to make him happy. Never the other way around. 

This time, it wasn’t the dishes or the mopping or the recycling. Nope. You’re not attentive enough. You’re depriving him. You’re punishing him by not having sex with him after working overtime four nights out of five. It can’t be that you’re tired or hurt. No, it’s an attack on him. 

That’s where it all fell apart.

You tried. Once you got past the frustration and tried to just let the waters calm. When you started talking to him again and fell back into your routine. You were both too busy to keep the fight going. And a few nights, you let him initiate but something would keep you from going all the way. 

Something... 

You saw Wendy last week. She didn’t mention anything about the night you went out. Didn’t mention a guy. She said she had fun and you should do it again. You told her you can’t afford it. Besides, you’re too tired. She called you boring. She’s not wrong. 

You get up and distract yourself. Well, it’s not really for you, is it? You’ll clean everything from corner to corner so he has nothing to complain about. You don’t need him to nitpick another reason to hound you. 

So much for time off. Once more you’re spending it in misery. You finish vacuuming then spray the couch with some freshener. Feeling accomplished but not less addled, you go to the bedroom and pull out some clothes for tomorrow. You’ll go to bed early and get a head start. If you’re lucky, you’ll be asleep before he drags his sorry ass home. 

You yawn as you stare at the time. It’s barely five o’clock and you could keel over. These days, you’re beat to the bone. You can’t remember the last time when you didn’t feel like a sack of dirt. You put your work clothes on the dresser then grab a fresh towel for the shower. 

You wash up, soothed by the warm water, and emerge in a hazy cloud. You go through the motions of applying the discount bin toner and moisturizer. You feel a little fresher. 

You tuck into bed and scroll on your phone for a while. Six-thirty. You black the screen and close your eyes. It takes as much to put you to sleep. 

You dream about flashing lights and the clink of glass. You’re swaying to a drone of music, spinning and swirling. The place is painted in streaks of colours as you keep moving. And when you manage to stop, the room turns on an axis, keeping you dizzy. 

Arms wrap around you from behind and pull you back into a thick body. You can’t escape. You look down and know those aren’t your husband’s hands. Where are you? Who is holding onto you? 

You try to turn around but it’s impossible. You’re stuck in the strange embrace as the neon lights melt and the air pulses with shadows. You push on the arms around you and wriggle desperately.

“Let me go,” you beg, “let me go.” 

Your words rise to a shriek and you wake up with a start. There’s a figure in the room watching you, as if waiting for you to wake up. You almost scream for real as Barrett stares at you. He doesn’t ask if you’re okay before he turns away. 

“I’ll sleep on the couch,” he grumbles. 

You don’t argue as you catch your breath and lower yourself back to the pillows. You can smell the tinge of beer left behind. He’s been drinking. You can’t begrudge him that, not really. Last time it got bad, you did the same thing. At least he came home. 

You cringe. No. Stop. Nothing happened. No one can prove it happened. Not even you. So, it didn’t. 

Your stomach mulches and you turn onto your side. The nausea roils in your stomach. You must be hungry. You didn’t eat. Yet the thought of doing so makes you even sicker. You burp and swallow down the mouthful of acid that sears your throat. 

Stress. It’s stress. And it’s not going to get any better. Not with everything you’re running away from. 

[andmaybegayer]

For a different project I was reading about developments in induction heating technologies and realized I had a small misunderstanding about how induction stoves work.

So, the classic misunderstanding is in why steel works on an induction hob but aluminium doesn't. Most people assume this is because you need a magnetic material in order to induce a current, but if you know your physics you know this isn't true. You can induce a current in any conductor, and indeed inducing currents in aluminium is something that happens in industry all the time.

So then you get to my understanding of why you can't use aluminium and copper, which is that they're too good at conducting electricity. Induction generates a voltage that pushes a current through the material. Aluminium and copper are much better conductors than steel, so the generated potential is lower and the overall current is lower as a result of material interactions with the field, so you don't get nearly as much heat out of induction on aluminium as on steel. This was what I thought. This is also wrong, although it's closer.

The actual answer is one step deeper. Induction hobs have to operate at pretty high frequencies, usually 24-ish kHz, both for audible noise reasons and, crucially, because they rely heavily on the skin effect. Interestingly this makes that first wrong explanation kind of more correct, I'll get to that in a moment.

The skin effect is a thing that happens when you have an alternating current in a bulk material; the AC signal sets up magnetic fields that force current to flow in a thin layer closer to the surface of the solid rather than flowing evenly throughout the material. This increases the effective resistance of the material, since you end up with a reduced effective surface area through which current can flow. The skin effect gets more pronounced at higher frequencies, and it's part of why you'll see bundles of smaller cables used to conduct high power AC: each cable has its own skin that can carry more current than the same quantity of material in one bulk cable.

In the right kinds of steel and iron, 24kHz is enough to generate a current carrying skin only a few tenths of a millimeter thick, which has a high enough resistance to generate the heat needed for cooking. Ferromagnetic materials have very high magnetic permeability, which causes them to experience much stronger skin effects. Copper and aluminium, between their high conductivity and lower magnetic permeability, have much weaker skin effects, their skins at 24kHz are much thicker, and so you just can't kick up enough resistance to the current to generate heat, it just spins around in there getting kind of warm but you'd have a hard time actually cooking with it. Indeed, non-magnetic stainless steel also won't work on induction hobs, because it also has a much thicker skin effect.

So you have the "real answer" being a fun hybrid of the two incorrect explanations.

The main side effects I take away from this are twofold.

1) you can absolutely make an induction hob that will heat copper and aluminum and non-magnetic stainless steels, you just need a high enough frequency to generate a strong enough skin effect to generate heat. Panasonic makes one that uses 60+kHz induction under the brand "Met-all".

2) if you physically constrain the current by having a really thin piece of metal, you can induction heat it anyway. When I read this, I stopped, took out a piece of aluminium foil, and stuck it on my induction cooktop. It almost immediately got incredibly hot and I pulled it away before anything bad happened. Turns out you could definitely melt and maybe even vaporize aluminium this way. So don't do that. Apparently people do this with lightweight titanium cookware too, which would not be able to sustain the necessary currents in a large bulk solid but can if you thin the base of the pan out enough.

[goldfishontheceiling]

"Alastor is just using Rosie" NUH UH whips out the list

1. He is capable of making friends, as seen with Mimzy. So it's not that hard to believe that he can have another friend if one (cough cough MIMZY cough) just comes around when she needs something. Mimzy doesn't even benefit him in anyway, yet he doesn't cut her off, which shows he can make friends.

2. Aside from the cannibals in ep7, what else could he get from her? I mean she does recommend him deals sometimes, but anyone can do that. If his true goal was control over the cannibals then their bond would feel a lot more shallow, like ep1-ep5ish with Charlie.

3. If Alastor was using Rosie for deal recommendations (since she gives him "prime pickings for a deal to be made"), then why not just do so with a mutalistic relationship instead of having to form that bond?

4. He bleat like a fawn. If he was acting, he wouldn't let himself lose composure for an act.

5. They both kinda get close to eachother in a way they don't with anyone else. SHE PICKS HIM UP AND SPINS HIM AROUND AND HE DOESN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT IT. Sure, he hugged Mimzy, but if she ever did that? She would most likely be dead.

6. If anyone else openly/jokingly insulted Alastor, he would go all scary demon ahhhhhhhh. But Rosie? Perfectly fine.

7. The way he talks to Rosie is different to the way he talks to Charlie. With Charlie he's a little bitch sometimes (oh Charlie you look an absolute mess!) and he kinda takes every chance he can to be a little bitch while still being nice and showing he's important.

8. Rosie knows things about Alastor that he hasn't even figured out (I know your an ace in the hole!), and for Rosie to know these things, that would require Alastor to open up about himself, which he doesn't like doing because "must be mysterious radio deer man." Even to Charlie, who he does have a bond with, SHE STILL JUST THINKS OF HIM AS "MYSTERIOUS RADIO DEER MAN"

9. Hating someone together is one of the easiest ways to start a friendship, especially in hell, where people hating each other is really common (Susan? Susan)

10. If he truly was manipulating all of his friends, he's a sinner, he still has a humanish mind. Humans crave bonds with other people as part of their instincts. And you could just get fake ones, but if you're the manipulator in that situation you'll know it's all fake and it won't leave you fufilled. Which is why having one or two genuine friends (Rosie/Mimzy) would have to be a requirement.

11. He has manipulated other Overlords in the past, like Vox. But with Vox, they would realistically never get along. Same with Vaggie, Angel Dust, etc, he just wouldn't be able to form a true bond with/a very strong both with those people. So yes, he's manipulating/has manipulated them. Rosie on the other hand? They're both cannibals from similar time periods, with similar interests, and they hate the same people.

12. Rosie is smart. She easily reads Charlie, a stranger, like a book. And if she's known Alastor for years (which she most likely has), she knows how to read him past that stupid permanent smile. So even if he was manipulating her, she would know.

13. He HATES Susan, and Vox, and probably some other people I can't think of off the top of my head. He can't stand them. So if he hated Rosie? He wouldn't be able to fake a bond like the one they have.

14. His pupils dilate around Rosie, which is a sign that you like/love whatever it is that you are looking at

Look at these

COMPARED TO THESE

AND IT ONLY HAPPENS WHEN IT'S JUST THEM TWO

15. Rosie agrees with him when he says that Charlie is "filled with potential that I could guide," so she knows that he's using her for that kinda stuff. With that moment it shows that she understands that Alastor is helping Charlie with her dream in exchange. I swear I had more thoughts on this one but then I got distracted with finding screenshots for 14-

Bonus reason that's more silly then reason: THAT DANCE IN READY FOR THIS IS TOO COORDINATED THEY HAD TO HAVE PRACTICED IT

[leathfaic]

I've been sitting on a headcanon for over a year now because I know that once I put it out I will want to expand on it.

But fuck it what is one more writing project?

I want Ghost to be fucking paranoid about Laswell finding out about him and Johnny. Not even because she would necessarily tear them apart but because she would absolutely use it. To her advantage and thus potentially against them.

Send them out on a dangerous undercover op for months under the guise of having left so they could be together. Infiltrating some dubious PMC perhaps that doesn't quite care, they're getting the Ghost and his Sergeant after all, if they just look the other way. What a fucking deal and how dumb the government is to let those 2 become mercenaries just because they like to fuck each other. One wrong step one wrong word and they might both end up dead.

But far more than physical harm just the threat of keeping them apart if they don't comply. Days that easily spin into weeks and months that they just keep missing each other, mission beginning before the other gets back from his current one. Until Laswell pointedly asking if they are going to behave this time is "graciously" giving them another chance to work together.

Because really, there's nothing they can do, right? They could be dishonourably discharged for fraternisation and instead Laswell is "only" using it to twist their arms.

Price, even if he knows can't really help them either because again, any kind of ruckus about this and it could end so much worse.

Soap probably has a little more faith in Laswells morals, although I'm sure the more they work together the more that quickly fades and he understands Ghost's caution. That woman got to where she is in life for a reason.

So they are still close with each other when she's around. Would be weird if they stopped all of a sudden, bound to draw her attention too. But always minding a careful line. Keeping it to the "brothers in arms". Never giving away too much. And sometimes that stings even more. When Ghost sees Johnny's need for physical contact and can't do more than give him a manly pat on the shoulder. Torn apart by the need to hold him.

When Soap notices that Ghost isn't sleeping on an op, knowing he should be there and talk him through the night until the bad dreams fade and Ghost gets at least a few hours of shut-eye. Nothing he can offer but empty phrases and a dumb comment about Ghost clearly needing to get laid.

They both know of course. What they really mean. It's still grating.

Better than it could be if she knew though. Worth to keep what they have safe.

[flower-boi16]

Hellaverse's World Building Problems (100 Follower Special!)

World-building is one of the most important things in any fantasy show, it fleshes out the setting the characters live in and tells you how things work. Unfortunately, Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss have several issues when it comes to they're world-building that harm both series and in this post, I'm going to discuss them.

1. Obsession with Pride

An issue I have with Hellaverse's world-building is that, for some reason, sinners aren't allowed in any other ring outside of the pride ring. So, this creates a few problems. The first is that Hazbin Hotel can now only use one setting rather than the other six it has because the characters are forced to be stuck there, so we'll have to use the same exact setting in a world with six more.

This wouldn't be such a problem if it weren't for the fact that the pride ring itself is an extremely boring setting, it just looks like our world except red, and there's nothing unique or interesting about it aside from there being demons there.

The only place in the pride ring that has any potential to be interesting is cannibal town, and even then, it just looks like a normal town, there isn't exactly any cannibalization in it to be seen.

The other rings at least have interesting themes to them that make them distinct from each other, the pride ring is just some boring city painted in red. Then there's the issue of why sinners are even kept in the pride ring at all?

I'll go into this more later but the hierarchy in hell is very inconsistent at times. Imps are supposed to be lower class than sinners yet they have access to all the rings while sinners can only be in one. So why would Lucifer keep the sinners in the pride ring and only in the pride ring? The show doesn't bother giving an explanation for this at all.

I've seen the argument go around that it makes the exorcists do their job more effectively which while does make sense...it also doesn't exactly do very well for Lucifer as a character if he intentionally kept his own people in one ring so killing them would be easier. It loses a lot of sympathy points for him for me.

Besides, the show itself still needs to explain these plot holes rather than forcing fans to make fan theories over it. Seriously, I searched this question up on Google and I found so many people asking this, and all of the responses to the posts were people just making educated guesses because the show itself never bothered to actually EXPLAIN this.

So it's not even all of Hell having an overpopulation problem, it's just the pride ring specifically because sinners are confined there forever. If Charlie wants to solve Hell's overpopulation problem, why not ask her daddy to let sinners into other rings? (Assuming she doesn't know the actual reason why Heaven does this which totally does create serious issues with the show) Again, it's just the pride ring having an overpopulation problem, not all of Hell, so why Charlie never figured this out is beyond me.

But confining the characters to the pride ring creates more issues than just that, because now the show can't flesh out the other rings because it forces the characters to be stuck in just one.

So, you get the next issue with Hellaverse's world-building...

2. Packing World Building in a spin-off

Because Hazbin Hotel can't flesh out its world itself, it needs to rely on its spin-off, Helluva Boss, to flesh it out instead. This becomes a problem when you look at Hazbin as a stand-alone show separate from Helluva Boss; if you did not watch Helluva Boss, Hazbin's world-building would come across as fairly underdeveloped due to the characters being confined to one ring, so the other rings wouldn't get much fleshing out or development causing Hell as a setting to feel underdeveloped.

Hazbin Hotel is the main series of Hellaverse, it should be able to stand on its own as a stand-alone show and should not need a spin-off to flesh out its world-building. A new viewer should not have to watch a spin-off show to get more out of the main show's world-building, the main show should've fleshed out its world itself rather than rely on a spin-off for it.

This is why confining the characters to just the pride ring is a bad idea, the show can't flesh out its world now and it has to rely on a spin-off series to do that, so in order for a new viewer to experience more of the other rings, they would need to watch a spin-off show which is entirely supplemental material that one normally does not need to watch to understand things about a story.

Without HB, the other rings in Hazbin are very underexplored and underdeveloped, because we never get to see them or flesh them out. It needs to rely on its spin-off to flesh out its world, and that's bad because a spin-off is SUPPLEMENTAL MATERIAL. A viewer should not need to watch supplemental stuff to understand things about the main show, it should not be a required watch to get more of the world-building fleshed out.

Though, if anything, Helluva Boss just creates more world-building problems within the franchise, such as...

3. Hell's Hierarchy

So, in the Hazbin Hotel, there is a hierarchy in Hell. The order from most power to least is...

Lucifer

Charlie and Lilith

The Seven Deadly Sins

Ars Goetias

Overlords

Sinners

Hell Borns

Imps and Hell-Hounds

The problem here is that Hell's hierarchy is constantly ignored or broken by both of the shows. For example, Sinners and Overlords are confined to only the pride ring, meanwhile, Imps and Hell hounds, who are LOWER CLASS than Sinners and Overlords, are allowed to go to any ring that they like.

Then there's Beelzebub, whose mere existence causes issues. Let's get the obvious out of the way; why is a HELLHOUND one of the deadly sins when those are supposed to be just as lower class as imps? This could work if Beelzebub specifically had the least amount of power of the sins, but she doesn't.

FURTHERMORE, once we just ignore the fact that Beelzebub is a sin despite being a hellhound, we then have to open the can of worms that is her having a boyfriend who is also a hellhound, and...nobody cares about this?

I'm sorry, if a sin is perfectly allowed to date a hell hound in public, then why is it such a big deal when Stolas and Ozzie are caught fucking imps? Do the other sins not know about this??? Does Lucifer not know about this??? If so, why not??? Surely one of them being in a relationship with a hellhound would get they're attention...right?

And if they do know about this then again, why is it such a big deal that a Goetia Prince is sleeping with an imp and a sin, who is ABOVE HIM IN TERMS OF POWER, being in a relationship with a hellhound, who are just as if not MORE lower-class than imps, not? It's a confusing inconsistency.

Also, and I JUST REALIZED THIS, but what even happens when a sin or goetia is found out to be fucking an imp or hell hound? Seriously, what consequences does that sin or goetia even face? Stolas has been exposed for fucking Blitz ever since the end of season 1 yet he has received NO consequences at all, and like I said, Beezlebulb is allowed to be in a relationship with someone who is on the SAME LEVEL AS IMPS.

So why would Ozzie even need to hide his relationship with Fizz at all? What are the consequences for being in a relationship with a hellhound or imp? So far, there appears to be absolutely none! So why is it even that big of a deal when Stolas gets found out? Why does Ozzie need to hide his relationship with Fizz if there aren't going to be any consequences for it?

These plot holes hurt my BRAIN to think about. There is no consistency here, Hell's Hierarchy barely fucking matters in either of the shows, and characters higher up in the hierarchy are allowed to do SEVERAL things with lower classes and face no consequences despite the show trying to say they would. Oh, but all of what I just mentioned are just issues with HELL's world-building, now it's time to get into...

4. Heaven

I already talked about the problems with Heaven in the show so I won't dwell on the issues I've already talked about too much, however, Heaven still has many world-building issues like Hell does. For one, as I've already pointed out, we don't even know how Heaven even WORKS.

I already asked these questions before but like. How does one get into Heaven? What are the requirements for what make a good or bad person? We don't actually know and we never will because Heaven for SOME REASON doesn't have it's own criteria for what does or doesn't make a good person...

...WHY??!? Why don't they have this??? So how does one even GET into Heaven at all???? We have no idea of how Heaven works because the show never actually bothers putting in the effort to explain that.

Who even decides whether or not to get into Heaven??? Who is in charge of that??? Answer: We don't fucking know. Sera mentions the "divine judgment", which, after a quick Google search, says "the action of God's retributive justice by which the destiny of rational creatures is decided according to their merits and demerits"

So basically god decides who goes into Heaven or Hell, which would make sense...if it weren't for the fact, from what I've heard from other blogs...Viv said that god doesn't exist in HH or HB...so...

...divine judgment by WHO EXACTLY???? The lack of explanation of what does or doesn't get somebody into Heaven is made worse with Pentious getting into Heaven in the season finale.

I have already complained about this multiple times but like. HOW DID PENTIOUS GET INTO HEAVEN???? WHY DID HE GET INTO HEAVEN???????? He literally got killed by Adam! He should be a bunch of energy right out according to the wiki! Yet he makes it into Heaven anyway???? WHY????? The show never explains this at all! The only thing resembling a logical explanation I could find was on the wiki and even then the article was just speculating because again, the show didn't bother to actually explain this.

Viv. Can you PLEASE for the love of god (no pun intended) actually explain the rules of your world and its world-building? People should not have to create theories to patch up plot holes in your world-building, actually, EXPLAIN this shit for once.

Oh, and I'm still not done, because now there's the fact that the entirety of Heaven and most of Heaven's higher-ups except for Sera never knew of the exterminations, which creates MORE plot holes.

Did none of Heaven's citizens or other higher-ups question why the exorcists had BLOOD on them when they came back from Hell? Wouldn't have any of them put two and two together and think "Hey so they are probably killing people down there". Did none of them even question what was the point of the exorcists at all? How was Sera able to hide this stuff? Once again, the show doesn't answer ANY OF THIS.

Oh, and I'm STILL not done, because now, it's time to open the can of worms that apparently does not exist in this universe.....WHY?!?!? According to Google, the angels were created BY GOD. So, if he doesn't exist, how did the angels exist either? Who created them??? Heck, who even created HEAVEN ITSELF?????? Removing god from this universe creates so many issues and breaks the entire show. sigh, ok, I think that's enough....

5. Conclusion

So, Hellaverse's world-building has MANY issues. There are a lot of plot holes and thoughts about it that don't get answered, as well as hell itself, specifically the pride ring being incredibly boring visually. Not to mention a lot of the world-building is packed into a SPIN-OFF SHOW. So...ya, hope you liked my post, and thank y'all for 100 followers! So...bye.

[marlynnofmany]

Downhill Speed

You know what's a shame? Wasted potential.  Like this new place we were doing business, which was all swooping walkways and ramps — a spectacular opportunity for hoverboard fun, except for the fact that it would probably cause a massive diplomatic incident. The locals were an exceptionally stuffy and dignified species. I couldn't tell if they walked that slowly out of choice or necessity, though the planters full of edibles leaves every few yards felt like a clue. These guys were always chewing, as if they'd run out of the energy to move if they stopped.

I don't know. Maybe they were just like that for cultural reasons. But they kinda did look like koala-sloths in fancy robes. 

And as much as I wanted to find something with wheels or thrusters to ride whooping down the walkways, I didn't want to get our courier ship blacklisted from this sector of space. 

So I just waited patiently while Captain Sunlight worked out the details, and I helped Paint and Mur transfer the pile of small boxes from their hoversleds to ours. I didn't even comment on the inefficiency of all these small crates and multiple hoversleds when they could have had them strapped together in a pallet. Maybe the things came from multiple houses. Not my business. 

But then. One of the locals dropped a box.

It landed on a corner and cracked right open, to a chorus of horrified gasps, and its contents rolled out — a single glowy blue sphere, all sparkly and beautiful, the size of a bowling ball and just as fast. It gathered speed down the ramp while locals cried out helplessly. 

Well if that's not my cue, I don't know what is.

I jumped on a hoversled and flashed off after it, kicking madly to catch up. This was more awkward than I expected. I was out of practice — it had been a long time since I zipped between college classes on a proper board — and this was definitely not that. The little hoversled clearly wasn’t built for speed. It vibrated under me like it was panicking about the velocity we were going, and I couldn’t blame it.

This ramp was a pretty straight one so far, which was great, because I had no real way to steer. I’d kicked to a proper pace, and now I balanced with both feet planted and both arms out like an absolute amateur. But I didn’t want to tip over. I was closing in on the ball.

It made an ominous rumble along the floor.

It was just two yards away.

There was a corner coming up.

The ball was one yard away.

I crouched.

And I grabbed it, tucking it against my chest with one arm while I clutched the edge of the hoversled with the other, sitting down just before I slammed into the clear wall at the corner.

That was some painful skidding. I put my feet down to slow things further, which ended up spinning me around, dragging my feet behind me. But I didn’t drop the ball. And I probably didn’t get any friction burns through my sleeve, though I’d definitely have to check that later.

For now, I was busy sliding to a stop and taking a few deep breaths before standing up. As my blood stopped pounding in my ears quite so loudly, the realization trickled in that people were making a lot of noise around me.

Good noise? I think. Whew.

It took a second to be sure, but those were cheers of praise. Either this ball was an important holy item, or the stunt I’d pulled to catch it was just that impressive. Possibly both. I wouldn’t know until I got back up to the top, because there wasn’t anyone nearby to ask.

But they were hurrying down to meet me, as much as their species could be said to hurry. I found the height adjustment on the hoversled and raised it to where I could tow it without bending down, then started the long walk back up. I held the pretty blue sphere close.

When the koala-sloths met me in the middle, galloping with an undignified flapping of robes, they thanked me profusely for catching the high explosive before it leveled the place.

Multiple responses ran through my head.

I ended on “You might consider better packaging for it.”

They agreed, taking it from me (to my relief) and pulling the hoversled as well. By the time we reached the top, our entire crew was going to town with bubble wrap on the other boxes, and Captain Sunlight had arranged a significantly higher delivery fee.

~~~

The ongoing backstory adventures of the main character from this book. More to come! And I am currently drafting a sequel!

[nobodysdaydreams]

And… even MORE Hatchetverse Theory on the history between Webby and her brothers

Based on my earlier poll about the potential history between Webby and her brothers. I'll go through each option and discuss the merits of each theory as well as they ways they could be combined.

The rest of my posts are under "#hatchetverse theory". Read below for an unhinged rant.

Before I dive into the possibilities for what history could exist between the brothers and Webby, I first want to review what little we know about their relationship and why I focus so much on Webby and Wiggly's relationships specifically as opposed to Webby and the other LIB:

We don't know their birth order, but based on the fact Wiggly acts as the leader of the LIB with little resistance from his brothers and Webby's verse in "the web I spin for you" where she talks about her brothers teaching her, currently the most common head canon seems to be that Wiggly is the oldest and Webby is the youngest (I also head canon that the reason Wiggly uses "baby talk" is because that's how he talked to his newborn siblings, and he never grew out of it because he enjoys infantilizing anyone and everyone).

The LIB all seem to want humanity to suffer for different reasons, but out of all of them, Wiggly seems to have the most interesting motivation. Blinky and Nibbly's motivations seems to be the most straightforward: Blinky likes to watch people suffer; Nibbly is hungry. Pokey just wants to put on a one man show and get rid of everyone else that's not him (he's basically an insane version of Hidgens with absolute power), and Tinky just seems to like messing around with time and specifically has it in for the Spankoffskis, but it's unclear exactly why. Wiggly however doesn't just seem to enjoy suffering and chaos just for the sake of his own pleasure. He has Wilbur give a whole speech in Black Friday about capitalism and consumer culture, and none of the other LIB have seemed interested in monologuing about the sins of humanity thus far. Granted, I still have to catch up on Nightmare Time (I know, I'm awful), but I didn't read anything about Nibbly bothering to give a speech about gluttony right before he eats someone.

Additionally, Wiggly is also the one who demands the the teens in NPMD give up what they love the most. Nibbly just wants a snack. The LIB's song also says "Nibbly wants his sacrifice and Wiggly wants his wrath". Wrath? Revenge? Revenge for what? And why just Wiggly, why not all the LIB? It really sounds like Wiggly is the one who is primarily trying to gain something here. Wiggly's brothers seem to be following him because they get what they want, but Wiggly seems to be the driving force here.

Now the question becomes: what does Wiggly want revenge for, and why? Well, several people have pointed out that despite Webby being called a "queen", the LIB are called "lords" (though Wiggly insists on wearing a plastic child's dress up crown to make himself look like a king). There's also a line in the summoning where the LIB sing "we dance around the pentagram and take all out kingdoms back". It's possible Webby took their kingdoms from them, or that they betrayed her to take power if they believed the way she was running things wasn't to their liking, but again, this is unclear.

What does seem more clear is that Wiggly does have a personal grudge against Webby and that the feeling is mutual. He calls her a "stupid b*tch" in Black Friday, whereas Pokey in Nightmare Time only calls her his sister, and I don't think any of the other LIB had demonstrated that level of hatred towards her yet. During the song "The Web I Spin for You", it is clear by the dolls shown in the shots that Webby is singing about her brothers, but the camera focuses in on Wiggly last and holds on him the longest.

So then the question becomes: what happened between Wiggly and Webby? Who betrayed who? Did they both betray each other? What seems the most likely based on what little we know so far?

Let's dive into those poll options.

The first option on the poll was that the Lords in Black used to be good, but turned evil. I was surprised at how few votes this option got given some of the evidence presented in NPMD and "The Web I Spin for You" song that Webby sings in Nightmare Time. I'll spend some time reviewing the evidence for this, since it seems to be the least popular option and some of the evidence for this option could also apply to the others.

There are lines in the song that imply the LIB used to care about Webby, to some degree. It's unclear whether this means they were actually "good guys", but it seems like they either cared about Webby or Webby at least believed they cared about her at some point, most notably when she sings: "You used to keep me at your side, have you given it up?" and "Weren’t you the one to watch my back, unlike the witches you summon?" (which could be referring to Willabella Muckwab, the first witch of Hatchetfield who seems to have started this whole mess).

Webby seems frustrated with her brothers, but doesn't seem to hate them, at least not as viscerally as Wiggly hates her (again, he's the one who seems the most angry at her).

But it doesn't stop there. There's a few other lines in "The Web I Spin For You" that are even more concerning:

The lines I'm referring to are: "Why do you haunt me like a ghost? You’re supposed to love me the most." And "Got me in the spell you cast. The iris of your eye is black. You have a tendency to stab my back. Just like the witches you summon."

The backstabbing line implies that they betrayed her, not the other way around. But the lines chosen to convey this are particularly concerning when you consider two things: 1) the plot to NPMD and 2) the pictures of the black book and the black blade I found on the Starkid Wiki page (posted below).

There seem to be numbers marking the positioning of the knife, numbers which appear on other pages from the book on the Starkid Wiki page, but you can look at that yourself. Now, what IS interesting here is the picture. Five people in black robes, one holding a knife, his point taller than the rest like the book illustrates, and the knife is positioned in such a way that it could quite literally stab the woman in white in the back, just like Webby's song says.

Other interesting notes about the picture are that the hair of the woman is red (could still be Webby, maybe her hair changed color, or Miss. Holloway, more on her later), and it's possible the woman is wearing the baseball cap Hannah wore in Black Friday (or it could be a fold of the guy's robe, it's hard to see in the photo).

But back to my main point: why would the other LIB be stabbing Webby in the back, or as the song says "have her in the spell they cast?"

Well, I see two reasons. One is more visual, the other much darker.

The first is that the LIB sing about "dancing around a pentagram". In the black book picture, Webby, or whoever the woman in white is, seems to be placed in the middle of the pentagram.

So that's the visual reason: Webby is in the middle of the "Spells they cast" because that's physically where she's located.

Now for the darker reason, one some of you have probably already guessed, because I referred the Summoning in NPMD. You know, the part where Wiggly demands they kids give up the thing they love most for power?

Well. Remember the "Why do you haunt me like a ghost? You’re supposed to love me the most." line from the web I spin for you?

It's possible that if Webby was at one point what the LIB loved most, they could have sacrificed her to gain some sort of power.

It could also explain why Wiggly hates her so much. Maybe he also hates himself. Or hates Webby for making him feel like he had to do that. Or at least try to do that, still unclear if he attempted this, or what succeeding would even mean since Webby and the LIB seem to be immortal.

Now the evidence against this theory seems to be the fact that if Wiggly was really the one to sacrifice (or attempt to sacrifice) Webby (for the sake of, apparently, summoning witches for unknown reasons), why would he act like he's the one who needs revenge and be so angry at Webby when he betrayed her? Well, it's possible that he believes she betrayed him first, or that betraying her corrupted the LIB, similar to what happened to Grace in NPMD (but more on that in another post).

Now for the second option: that Webby used to be evil. The evidence for this is fairly straightforward, which is probably why it's the most popular poll option:

Wiggly wants revenge and hates Webby, her betraying her brothers and turning good lines up with this

The LIB have never acted benevolently or shown any genuine concern for others, whereas Webby has done semi-morally questionable things (she kills the witch Willabella Muckwab in nightmare time because she tried to hurt Hannah, but Willabella Muckwab was a bad guy who'd been dead for centuries so make of that what you will)

Webby sings about the LIB teaching her, but her becoming disillusioned and turning against them, her developing a love for humanity also lines up with this

It's still possible that the LIB attempted to sacrifice Webby as discussed above, her turning good was possibly the catalyst for this course of action

The main source of evidence against this theory is we don't know what would have caused Webby to turn good. She seems to care about children (more on that later) and not like what her brothers do with the witches they create (and then there's the mess of how Miss. Holloway fits into all this), but beyond that, it's unclear, but still one of the most plausible theories in my opinion and the fandom seems to agree with me on this one.

The next two poll options: Webby and the LIB were always on their respective sides of the Black and White, but used to be closer, or they selected opposite sides of the Black and White and that drove them apart.

Both of these seem to line up with the evidence presented thus far. The first option would explain why Wiggly and Webby feel betrayed by each other without having to change much about their characters. The second option makes sense in that it explains their conflict.

The main way these two options differ is whether Webby and the LIB were "always this way" or whether they ever had a choice. Both seem compelling, especially when you consider Wiggly's (via Wilbur) whole humanity hating Black Friday speech and Webby's care for Hannah and complicated feelings towards her brothers. If the siblings were always like this, is their room for them to change? If they chose the sides they did, why did they do so and can they change back?

The last two poll options (not counting the "other"): The sides of the Black and White Webby and her brothers are one were chosen for them or that this is somehow their parent's fault.

I put these two together because the issues with the "sides of the Black and White" being chosen for them option is: who is doing the choosing? The mostly likely possibility for this seems to be their parent (maybe parents?)

The LIB call themselves the "spawn of the Black and White", so for now let's call their parents "the Black and White". They seem to have parents, at least according to the Starkid wikipages, which state that "The Lords in Black were spawned from the same deed of evil. Their father was a giant chaos entity," and the credit of this comes from an interview with the characters' creator. I personally don't know how to verify this, so let's say it's true. What was this "deed of evil?" How is Webby their sister, was she spawn from this too? Will we ever meet their parents?

Overall, I'd say these options are possible, but given that we don't know much about their parents or the nature of the Black and White, it's hard to draw a solid conclusion.

Finally, some other unknowns about Webby and her brothers that I find interesting:

The "Starry Children" Stuff and Webby and the LIB's relationship with Children:

The LIB's followers call themselves the Church of the Starry Children, and as I pointed out before, the symbol of the LIB seems to be a star, with the LIB in the triangles and Webby in the middle, at least according to the illustrations. What's unclear is who the starry children are. Is this the name of the followers of the LIB OR is it Webby and the LIB themselves? The show might have already said this at some point and I missed it, but Webby and her brother often act very childish and playful (although often in ominous ways). This plus the fact that they apparently have parents could point to them being literal children.

Wiggly and Webby seem to have opposite relationships with children. Wiggly's Black Friday spell doesn't work on kids. Willabella Muckwab is said to have written the black book with the blood of innocents kids (again, based on the wiki page). Webby on the other hand seems to have a closer relationship with children (most clearly shown in her relationship with Hannah). You can argue that Wiggly does interact with children in NPMD, but they're technically teenagers, and as Grace says repeatedly throughout the show "they're only 18."

The Relationship Webby and the LIB have with Witches:

"The Web I Spin for You" implies Webby's brothers keep summoning witches that try to hurt her and "The Witch in the Web" implies that Webby keeps "spinning webs" to capture and stop these witches from hurting others. This lines up with everything we know about Willabella and most of the other witches and followers of the LIB.

Where this pattern seems to break is Wilbur Cross and Miss. Holloway. How is Miss. Holloway able to use the black book without being in debt to the LIB? Does she serve Webby like Wilbur serves Wiggly? Miss. Holloway also seems to care about children, again contrasting to the way Wilbur tries to hurt them. Does that mean anything? Why isn't Wilbur caught in Webby's trap like the others, and why does he keep coming back? Why do the LIB need Wilbur anyway? Why were Miss. Holloway and Wilbur chosen for these roles? Is it because Miss. Holloway encountered the White of the Black and White similar to how Wilbur encountered the Black? Or is it because the LIB and Webby just really liked their southern accents and were going for the "southern small town preacher" vibe?

I hope you like this rant. Thank you Starkid fandom!

[two-braincells-in-total]

SPOILERS FOR THE GRANDEST GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First off, I want to say that I liked this more than I expected. I don't usually vibe with spin-offs, I just don't like it when I get attached to characters amd then they become side characters in the next book, but this book surprised me in a good way

Let's unpack the characters:

Lyra: Don't come for me, but I must admit that I expected more from Lyra's character. Don't get me wrong, I still like her, but it was a little disappointing. Maybe a reason for it is that her POV wasn't as packed with action as the other characters' POVs, but either way, she has potential, so I'm having hope for Glorious Rivals. I don't know if I want her to win the game, because on one hand, hse deserves it, but the other hand, I really want Rohan to win

Gigi: her character hit very close to home, but in a good way. I saw myself in her, specifically tye dedication and the way no matter what she does she's never the best, the way she thought she was too much, which is also a reason why I was just as hurt at the end of the book. I was very sad when she got eliminated from the game, she was the third person I was rooting for (the first being Rohan, the second Lyra) and I know she was using the game as a way to prove to herself and the others that she is good enough, and I know from experience the devastation that comes when you fail. I really hope we have her POV in the next book, too, because I NEED to know why they kidnapped specifically her and how she's going to escape

Rohan: I didn't like him in The Brothers Hawthorne, but I LOVE him here. He was flirty and sassy and clever and I really enjoyed reading his perspective. I'm kind of disappointed that we didn't see much about his past, his POV was mostly focused on the game, unlike Gigi and Lyra, who we got to see as teenagers with trauma, but we got some crumbs, so I hope we get to see more of it in the next book. I really want him to win the game, because as much as I dislike the concept of the Mercy, it's the only live he has, he doesn't even have a last name outside of it. I don't know if I want him to decide that such lifestyle isn't good for him and attempt to start over, or deal with it, because the Mercy is a part of him, so for now both options work for me

Grayson: I have to admit, out of the good characters in the other books, he was my least favourite. I believe that there are two kinds of relatable characters - 1) the type that makes you feel seen, so you love them and 2) the type that points out all of your flaws and insecurities, so you dislike them. For me, Grayson is the second kind. In this book, however, it's obvious that character development has been done and I actually liked him. I still don't get why they decided to make him a player, what are they planning with this? And isn't the point of the game to give money to someone who needs it, why would they give him the chance for it and lessen the chances for winning of the other players? I really hope they explain it in the next book

Brady: I felt something was off with him from the very beginning, but I still fell for his lies and everything. It was exactly what Gigi needed to hear, and if I'm being honest, what I needed to hear, so I didn't see the traps. I spent a huge part of the book fighting with myself about him, because some part of me wanted him to be Gigi's love interest, while another part said that he's too good to be true and that's exactly what it was. I felt Gigi's hurt at the end of the book, especially when he accepted to continue the game, even when most of the game was solved by Gigi (who I applaud for the choice to accept her loss, even though I think she should've accepted the extra chance). I figured out that he wasn't what we thought he was around the time of the power cut off, I felt that he was going to betray her, and even though he didn't exactly do that, I still think there's more to him than what we know now and I highly doubt it's good

Knox: I had complicated feelings about him the entire time, up until the end. Part of the negative feelings about him were cause by the comparison with Brady and, now that I know who Brady is, I think the positive feelings overruled. He was just cautious and I think Gigi grew on him at the end. I really hope we see more of him in the next book, there's still a lot of stuff about him left unanswered

Odette: I think she's the only player beside the POV characters and Grayson that I actually trusted and turned out to be right. She was kind of just there, though the whole thing with Tobias was a juicy secret. I'm still caught on the questions she didn't answer though

Savannah (help, it autocorrected it to Satan, I'm dying): She's on thin ice. She already wasn't one of my favourites, but the whole revenge thing isn't doing her good. I admit that I'm biased, Avery is my favourite character in the whole saga. I'm pretty sure that Eve told her (because where else could she find that information? We also know that Eve was planning to contact her in the epilogue of TBH), so she might not know the whole story, so I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt. She has chances to get on my good side in the next book, but for now I'm 50-50 about her

Avery and the rest of the Hawthornes were iconic as always

The relationships:

Lyra and Grayson: It's definitely a very cute ship and it's going somewhere, but I expected it to be more interesting. I loved the dinamic and banter in the beginning, but things got a little bit boring as the book progressed. Still, it has SO MUCH potential and I hope we see more of them in the next book. For some reason, they didn't feel like the main ship. I don't know why. Maybe because we got multiple POVs and all relationships are kind of main, but I felt like they aren't the main ship, just how Lyra didn't really feel like the protagonist (because, correct me if I'm wrong, the protagonist is one, the character who has the most page time, even if there are multiple main/lead characters). I didn't track how much page time each character/relationship got, but even if they did get them most, it doesn't really feel like it. Honestly, I was expecting them to be more angsty. Maybe part of my expectations for them was the fandom and predictions before it came out (which is still weird ,because I purposely distanced myself from lyrason posts to avoid disappointment but oh well). I'm still not giving up on them, though, I liked them a lot!

Savannah and Rohan: they were probably my favourite ship from this book. THE TENSION!!! I was squealing every time Rohan called her love. Honestly, I was squealing every time Rohan. Period. I was thinking "kiss, kiss, kiss, KISS MFs" the entire time. As of nicknames, I loved "love" and I find "British" cute (even though I've seen many people say they don't like it), but idk what to think about "Savvy". Because, it was fun while he used it to annoy her, but it's kinda cringe when it became an actual nickname. Either way, I LOVE how smitten Rohan was the entire time. Like, they're solving a riddle and he's like "Savannah is another riddle, wait, FOCUS, but Savannah, FOCUS" it was adorable. I really enjoyed watching him lose his shit internally every time they touched. The scene with him brushing her hair is officially my favourite from the whole book, it's embarrassing how much I'm obsessed with it

Gigi and Brady: I spent some time thinking that he was the love interest, but as I said, he was too good to be true. And even before the reveal, I was still doubting it, because Slate was already mentioned and he called her "sunshine", so obviously, I, being a sucker for nicknames, lost it. I spent most of this book rooting for Gigi and Brady, but now I think it's unfair to her. Even if what he said to her about his brain liking A lot and the other stuff, he admits that he still loves Calla (who btw, what is the whole thing with her??? We were teased about it the entire book and we got nothing!), so it's AveryGrayson all over again, but worse, because Brady did it all intentionally. Now, I'm really hoping that I'm correct about Slate being the actual love interest and I hope we see more of Gigi and Slate in the next book, because it sounds promising

The AveryJameson crumbs were SO CUTE

NASH AND LIBBY ARE HAVING TWINS I'M DYING I'M SO HAPPY FOR THEM

Now, some specific plot points:

What was the power cut about??? I'm still confused and concerned about what happened while the power was off

Wtf does Eve want???

The whole thing with Alice is kinda confusing, but so very interesting, I need to know more about it

What's the whole thing with Calla about???

All in all, I enjoyed this book a lot. I'm excited for the next book and I hope my questions get answered

[awkwardauthorwrites]

Fighter

Based on this request: Can you please write one Sebastian sallow X Reader. where the reader is known to be the most powerful dueler in the school, so the school sets a match between her house and another house but no one knows before the match she had a fight with seb making her lose all focus during the match causing whispers between the students knowing she never lost one before, and seb regreting the fight immediately after seeing her getting hurt and unable to focus and try to make amends after she loses despite her pushing him away.

Word Count: 3.4k

Themes: fluff, angst if you squint really hard, bad flirting written by a tired yours truly. Fem!Reader

Warnings: Potential spoilers for HL. As always, characters are in their seventh year and aged up to 18+. Physical violence (after a quick search, apparently the only form of fighting in a duel is magical, which means you can’t punch someone if you’ve been disarmed. There was however, no date to indicate how long this has been around, so I’ve taken some liberties). Also like one real swear word and a couple of everyday british insults I throw around daily

Also, if anyone’s curious, here’s the song I was listening to when the duel started

Y/N twirled her wand nervously between her fingers as Natty, Poppy and Imelda continued to speak excitedly from around her. She half-listened to them, throwing in a smile or laugh every-so-often when it called for it but her attention was elsewhere. More specifically, it was across the room watching the brunet man in green robes talk to a younger, animated Gryffindor next to an obscenely large blackboard. Y/N narrowed her eyes at Sebastian, who continued to talk to an overly-excited Lucan Brattleby as the latter collected money for the bets that were being placed tonight. 

Her eyes drifted to the board, satisfaction swelling in her once more as she looked over the tournament bracket which had eliminated more and more students until there were only four left standing, including her and Sebastian. She was due to duel Leander Prewett tonight, who sat on the other end of the hall from Y/N and occasionally looked over her way with a smug look on his face as if he had already won. He never did forgive her for calling him out back in fifth year and reminding him Sebastian was a better duellist. 

“Are you even listening to us?” Imelda waved a hand in front of Y/N’s face.

“Not particularly,” she offered her friend an overly sweet smile, knowing how to push her buttons. “Leander won’t stop staring.” The girls all looked at Leander in unison and Y/N didn’t have to watch Imelda to know she was sneering at him. She never did quite get over him badmouthing their house, or Sebastian (even though she would never admit it out loud).

“He’ll soon be sulking when he has to go up against you,” Natty nudged her gently, a grin on her face. “There’s a reason everyone has lost to you so far, you are a force to be reckoned with.”

“How positively Slytherin of you, I’m starting to think Imelda and I are bad influences,” Y/N laughed and shook her head. “I suppose Y/N the Invincible does have a nice ring to it.” 

Her gaze trailed to the opposite end of the room again as Natty and Imelda dove into a conversation about which title would be best for her when she won the Crossed Wands tournament, her wand still spinning in between her fingers. She caught Sebastian’s eye this time, her movements slowing as they stared at each other from across the room. He hardly acknowledged her before turning away and facing Ominis, who had come to support them both in tonight’s semi-finals. Sebastian had not long finished his duel against Charlotte Morrison and it came to no surprise that he had won.

“Are you both still fighting?” Poppy asked her quietly, trying not to attract the attention of the girls who sat with them. 

“Apparently,” Y/N sniffed in annoyance and looked away from Sebastian as he laughed loudly at something Ominis said to him. 

“What even happened between the two of you?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.” Y/N wasn’t being obtuse, she truly didn’t know how things had escalated so badly between them. Those who knew they weren’t speaking were surprised - Y/N had always come across as patient and understanding, and more than forgiving to those who didn’t deserve it. Only the people closest to her knew how quick she was to react behind closed doors.

She sighed and rolled her shoulders, itching for the duel for Leander so that she could release some of the pent up frustrations that had been brewing within her for the past few days. She supposed it was a little unfair to take her annoyance at Sebastian out on Leander, but every time the latter smirked at her she felt the guilt ease a little. Prick, she watched as he pretended to flex his muscles to the group of Gryffindors he was sitting with. As if she hadn’t already beat him in the very same tournament last year or the year before that.

“Duellists, take your positions!” Lucan called out. Poppy, Imelda and Natty all squeezed her arm in reassurance and wished her luck before making their way to the doorway of the bell tower clockyard where the gate would keep them safe from any errant spells.

“Good luck, Y/N,” Ominis grinned at her as she neared him and Sebastian. “I’d say I can’t wait to see you thrash Prewett but well…” She laughed and let him grasp her shoulder. “I’ve got a lot of money on you.”

“No pressure then.” Her eyes wandered to Sebastian, who was standing next to his best friend. He looked away as he caught her gaze, hands stuffed into his pockets.

“Come on, Ominis. We need to get behind the gate.”

“Are you not going to wish Y/N good luck Sebastian?” Ominis tilted his head in his direction, a small smirk playing on the corner of his mouth. Prat. Sebastian looked at her from the corner of his eye and let out a quiet sigh. 

“Good luck, Y/L/N.”

“I’ll see you in the finals, Sallow.” She watched as he rolled his eyes at her words and turned to leave without another word, tugging Ominis in the right direction gently. 

“Are you ready, Y/N?” Lucan asked her, his eyes darting between her and Sebastian’s retreating figure. Lucan, like everyone, was more than curious to know what had happened between the pair, but was smart enough not to ask her directly - there was a reason he organised her duels instead of battling against her. He couldn’t help but grimace as he looked over to Leander to check if he was ready, Y/N was going to eat him alive if he kept on sneering at her like that. “No funny business,” he looked pointedly at Y/N, who gave him an innocent smile in response, and turned to walk behind the barrier and closed the gate.

“You can give up now, Y/L/N,” Leander called out to her, “no harm in conceding.”

“I thought you Gryffindors loved a good fight. Not quite a victory if you win by default, is it Prewett?” Y/N laughed as Leander snarled and shot a disarming charm her way. She didn’t even need to deflect it with protego, she simply stepped aside and let the spell fizzle against the wall behind her. “You’re going to have to do better than that if you want to finally beat me.”

“Shut up!” he snapped, sending a barrage of spells her way. Y/N flung a quick shield up, gritting her teeth in concentration as a range of charms and jinxes were flung at her. He didn’t give her a chance to retaliate, going full on offensive due to his anger at her. Her shield finally shattered as he shot another disarming charm at her, a smug grin on his features as it clattered uselessly and rolled away behind her. “What are you going to do now? Can’t fight without a wand.”

“Can’t I?” Y/N smirked at him and levitated him with a wave of her hand.

“You’re not supposed to use your abilities!” Leander protested, legs flailing as he hovered midair.

“Oh, I’m not. It’s called wandless magic, Prewett. Something you’d be able to do if you actually paid attention in class.” With that Y/N cast a summoning spell on him, pulling him right up in front of her before punching him square in the face. Leander spluttered as he fell to the floor, one sleeve of his robe holding his now bloody nose. 

“You hit me!” he looked over at Lucan, who looked just as stunned by her decision. “Surely that isn’t allowed?”

“I…” Lucan looked at a loss for words. “I don’t know! No one’s ever resorted to physical violence before!” Lucan looked up at Sebastian, who just shrugged at him. 

“Disqualify her!”

“Don’t you dare!” Imelda, Poppy and Natty all glared at Lucan, who looked very uncomfortable with everyone watching him for an answer. Y/N shook her hand out and took the opportunity to grab her wand as she waited for Lucan to decide if she was disqualified or not. She wouldn’t apologise for resulting to physical violence (I literally just set him on fire, how is punching him any worse) she would be rather annoyed if she was removed from the tournament. She and Sebastian had a running tally over the past few years on which one of them was the best duellist in the school, and if she lost to him this year because of this…he would never let her live it down. If he decided to speak to her, that is.

She looked over at him as Lucan took a moment to deliberate her fate with Leander still whining in the background on how she might have broken his nose. He was already staring at her, arms crossed, and an expression on his face that she couldn’t quite read from this distance. Her stomach flipped uselessly as she refused to break eye contact with him, silently challenging him to look away first. She watched as Ominis muttered something to him, presumably asking what was going on, and he replied without looking away. 

She raised one of her eyebrows, silently questioning him if they were still arguing. He gave her a flat look as if to say what do you think before finally breaking away and turning to speak to Ominis. Y/N felt her eyes burn in frustration as she turned her back on him and instead watched the pendulum for the clock tower swing back and forth slowly. How was she supposed to fix things between them when she didn’t even know what she did wrong? She knew she wasn’t guiltless in their fight - they had both snapped some particularly awful things at each other - but she didn’t know how to approach him so they could settle this. For all of the good qualities Y/N could list about Sebastian (and there were many) he was as stubborn as a mule and refused to see when he was in the wrong.

“The fight will continue!” Lucan called out, breaking her from her thoughts. “Just…maybe don’t do that again, will you Y/N?” Leander protested loudly at allowing her to continue, but the noise was drowned out by the loud cheers coming from the group that had come to support her. She watched in amusement as Poppy pulled Lucan into a hug and his face went an impressive shade of red that revealed the colour of his robes. “I suppose I need to add that going forward all duels will be fought with magic only, and no physical contact will be tolerated.” He looked up at Sebastian again, who nodded in confirmation - not that he would ever lay a hand on her (or any woman for that matter). 

Y/N couldn’t concentrate as the duel picked back up and barely managed to protect herself from yet another disarming charm that Leander shot her way, as if he weren’t already aware that she could do wandless magic. She was thoroughly distracted by her silent interaction with Sebastian, the words from their previous fight clouding her judgement. She couldn’t believe this had all come from a stupid, simple misunderstanding.

Y/N felt her wand fly from her hand moments before she flew backwards and she collided with some of the training dummies Lucan had tucked into the corner of the room. She clutched at her stomach as she rolled into her knees, wincing slightly as pain lanced up her side. There was a loud ringing in her ears from the blast, and she could barely hear Leander cheering from the other end of the hall, boasting on how he had managed to beat one of Hogwarts top duellists.

“Y/N!” Her vision swam as someone in a green cloak pressed a Wiggenweld potion to her lips, their hand resting lightly on her back as more people crowded around them. “Give her some air, back off!” She would recognise Sebastian’s voice anywhere.

“I’m fine, give me a minute.” She tried to shrug him off, but only succeeded in tilting to the left haphazardly. She felt Sebastian grab her elbow before she could hit her head again and pull her towards him, her head coming to rest on his shoulder as the room spun around her. “Why are you helping me?” She could hear Natty and Poppy shoo everyone off to give her some space and there was no mistaking Imelda’s angry voice from the other end of the room, berating Leander for his abysmal showmanship.

“Do you think just because we had a stupid argument I would stop caring for you?” Sebastian gently touched the back of her head, looking for signs of a welt or a bump. 

“I was horrid to you.”

“I wasn’t exactly the nicest myself,” he murmured. Y/N waited a couple of more minutes for the dizziness to subside, her fingers fiddling with Sebastian’s sleeve as she listened to his thundering heartbeat.

“Your heart is beating so fast.” 

“Yes well, I did just watch you get flung thirty feet across a room as if you were a ragdoll.”

“I’m okay,” Y/N tilted her head to look up at him with a small smile. The potion had made its way through her body and it no longer hurt every time she breathed. “You worry too much.”

“I think I worry about you just the right amount,” he scoffed, pressing a kiss to her temple. “I’m going to have a conniption one of these days because of you.”

“Won’t that be a sight,” she teased, laughing quietly. She could feel him chuckle silently beside her and let her eyes slip closed once more. 

“Did the potion not work? Do I need to take you to Blainey?”

“No, no, I’m fine. I’m just enjoying the moment.”

“Here in my arms, you mean?”

“No, you prick,” she rolled her eyes at him and gently flicked his knee. “I meant without everyone breathing down my neck to see if I’m alright.”

“Ah, well, I think they’re a little scared of your reaction to be honest. No one’s ever seen you lose a duel before.”

“I can’t believe Prewett beat me,” she groaned, burying her head in the crook of Sebastian’s neck. “As if he wasn’t insufferable before. I shouldn’t have let myself become so distracted.”

“I saw the change in you when the duel picked back up; what were you thinking about?”

“You.”

“Me?” Sebastian looked down at her. “Don’t tell me you got hurt because you were too busy thinking about our fight.” He groaned as she shrugged casually and took her head in his hands gently. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart.”

“For the fight or because I got hurt during a wizard duel?”

“Both,” he replied seriously, brushing some hair from her eyes. “I’ve been trying to figure out how to approach you and apologise all day. I was going to do it before our duels but I let my pride get the best of me.”

“I’m well aware of the pitfalls of Slytherin pride, thank you very much.” Y/N took his hands from her face and held them between her own. “I’ve been doing the same thing. I tried to get here before your duel with Charlotte so I could apologise, but I was too late. You looked even more annoyed that I missed your fight so I stayed away.”

“We make quite a pair.”

“Don’t we?” Y/n smiled coyly at him before sighing loudly (and rather dramatically, Sebastian thought). “Leander fucking Prewett. I’ll have to go into hiding from the shame. Will you avenge me?”

“Of course,” Sebastian laughed at her theatrics, his thumb brushing over her knuckles. “I’ll fight valiantly in your honour.”

“To the death?”

“If you want.”

“Hm.” She pretended to think about it, tapping her chin lightly. “No, not to the death. I couldn’t bear it if your pretty face was sent to Azkaban.”

“I’m sure you’ll find a way to talk them out of sending me there. You already have once.”

“On second thought, maybe I’ll let you rot there for the rest of your life just for the sheer audacity.”

“You’d miss me and my pretty face too much,” Sebastian grinned and pulled her closer until she was sitting between his legs. “If it helps, I think you’re rather beautiful too.”

“I didn’t say I found you beautiful.”

“Not directly to me, no,” he leant in so he could whisper in her ear, “but you girls aren’t as quiet as you think you are when you start discussing which wizards in the school are attractive. For the record, I find it a little offensive that you think I would be so smug about it.”

“Aren’t you?” Y/N pulled back so she could read his expression. “Anyway, you know you’re attractive, you don’t need me to tell you.”

“No, but it would be nice.”

“In your dreams, Sallow.”

“You? Constantly, yes.” Sebastian grinned at the blush that came to her cheeks and couldn’t help but press a sweet kiss to her face. “As much as I enjoy flirting with you while we sit here, I should probably let the girls come and check on you now.”

“This was you flirting? I never would have been able to tell.” She shot him a sly smile and let him pull her to her feet slowly, taking note of his hands that hovered cautiously in case she showed any signs of her previous lightheadedness. Y/N would deny it if anyone asked - especially Sebastian - but she may have clutched onto his toned bicep as they stood, feigning a slight wobble so that he would wrap an arm around her waist to steady her.

“You don’t need to fall to my feet, darling, you already have my attention.”

“You’re insufferable.”

“I think you meant to say dashingly handsome.”

“You’re alright.”

“Would it kill you to compliment me one time? I did just technically save you.”

“From Leander,” Y/N scoffed. She watched as he pretended to look put out with her and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “My hero, however will I repay you?” she batted her eyelashes at him playfully, and Sebastian could feel his heartbeat pick up at the smile that she was giving him, which was anything but innocent. He couldn’t help but look down at her lips, wondering if he would get a smack from her for even daring to take a glance.

Y/N was more than aware of what he was thinking, she had practically seen the words well I can think of a few things as he looked down at her mouth. A part of her was aware that their friends still lingered in the room after clearing everyone out, but she didn’t really care who was watching as she stood on the tips of her toes and pressed her lips to Sebastian’s softly. She felt his arms tighten around her, pulling her closer as he kissed her back.

“You both disgust me.” Y/N heard both Poppy and Natty shush Imelda rather loudly and felt her face flush as she reluctantly pulled away from the kiss. Sebastian followed her, chasing her lips so that he could continue to kiss her, much to Imelda’s displeasure. With a red face, Y/N pressed her face to Sebastian’s chest, laughing quietly as she heard Poppy explain to Ominis what the fuss was about. 

“We need new friends,” Sebastian muttered in her ear. Y/N didn’t agree as she turned to look at the group watching them. Despite Imelda’s protests, all three of the witches had large grins plastered on their faces, and even Ominis looked happy for them (if a little red in the face at their public display of affection). Sebastian pressed a sweet kiss to her temple, muttering a request for them to sneak away together to continue their session away from prying eyes and as Y/N took his hand so that he could lead her away she found that she didn’t even care that she had lost the duel to Leander. Besides, she could always get him back next time.

[mdzs-trash]

Apologies in advance for my Qi Rong ramblings 🥲🙏

So more suggestions to QR not actually being insane; he said awful things to Xie Lian about his parents and home, then lay in wait for XL to visit his parents' tomb! I'm sorry, but there is no way he could be considered insane after making such a calculated move.

I'm not saying he's on the same level as Hua Cheng with his plans, but he's still very careful with what insults to use in order to get an intended reaction.

As much as HC hates the idea (though is probably still very much aware), QR does actually know XL enough to spin his feelings around to hurt him. He has spent just as long as HC thinking about XL, though as an opposition, his thoughts have been on how best to humiliate and hurt XL. I mean, he's hurt too, he watched his whole family get murdered or exiled or (in his mind) kept as a pet in the new Yong'an court. Not to mention the person he admired, idolized, and worshipped, was the cause of it all (again, in his mind).

He's angry, and sad, and confused, and so so hurt. So he uses everything he has in order to bring everything and everyone down to his level, to feel as worthless and helpless as he does.

Calling back to a post made by @149panda149 (I loved your thoughts on that post btw!) in which I was specifically very interested in the parallel between Bai Wuxiang and Qi Rong, where they are both attached to Xie Lian through obsession and hatred; I think in Qi Rong's case it is definitely far more personal (how could it not be? They are family), and even potentially closer to Hua Cheng's feelings (obviously not the same!). And I would hesitantly put the thought forward that Qi Rong's reason for not passing on is the same as Hua Cheng's; an unyielding obsession with his Dianxia, two sides of that same coin if you will.

I personally would have loved to see this parallel drawn between them more obviously in the novel, but alas, there wasn't much to go on with Qi Rong's character. Not to mention the potential LANDMINES worth of issues with the implication of XL's cousin having the same attachment to him as his husband! (Though that... 'concept'... wouldn't be a first for MXTX to tackle, I'm lookin at you Jin Guangyao 😠📸)

But regardless! I think there is definitely huge potential for this idea, and I sincerely wish there was more context behind Qi Rong as a character.

Alright! End of ramble! I apologise for my Qi Rong brain rot, he latched on and is refusing to get off! The needy bitch!!

[stormdash2]

If the Freedom Fighters were in IDW Sonic.

One thing I like to wonder is what it would be like if The Freedom Fighters were in IDW Sonic. While the IDW comics are meant to be more in line with the games, that doesn't mean that the Freedom Fighters can't find their place.

Honestly, if the Diamond Cutters can be featured in IDW, I see no reason why the Freedom Fighters can't be as well.

Sally Acorn. She won't be a Princess like Archie, but she can be introduced as the daughter of Knothole's Mayor, giving her political ties. Knothole would be less of a hiding place and more where Sally grew up.

She'd have martial arts capabilities and be handy with tech. She could even use her ring blades from the Reboot to help her in battle.

Just to get this out of the way. Sonally may not be a thing in IDW like it was in Archie. At most I can see Sally having a one-sided crush. It probably won't go anywhere, it'd just be a neat callback, but their friendship would remain just that, unless Sega ever okays the couple.

Sonic won't be a Freedom Fighter, and neither would Tails for that matter. He may not be childhood friends with Sally either. They'd meet as teens and build a friendship from there. Sally could have heard of Sonic at least, or maybe she saw him in passing, but that's it.

Nicole wouldn't be an AI, she'd be fully Lynx. I can see her being a tech assistant though, or even a master hacker. Maybe even a teleportation device to have her transported anywhere to pay homage to her old abilities.

She and Sally could be childhood friends. But I'd go a step further and make them stepsisters. This takes inspiration from used SatAM concepts.

There Sally and Nicole were childhood friends until Nicole's brain was transplanted into the computer. When she got her body back, she was a kid, so Sally became like a mother to her. So Sally being the protective big sister works for her character.

We can go further and have her be rather introverted, and more likely to communicate through radio or a hologram than in person.

Bunnie Rabbot wouldn't be a cyborg. I can see her going the Iron Man route and just using mechanical limbs to fight. It'd be both arms and legs. She'd also be a childhood of Sally, and the first to want to go on an adventure with Sonic and Friends.

The cyborg thing is cool and all, but that would require a whole new backstory since roboticization isn't a thing this time around. It can be done, but I am sticking to this route.

If anything, you can say she needed the robotic limbs because she was paralyzed, so she can still be flesh and blood, but still not fully functional.

I can see her potentially bonding with Tails, as he may take a liking to her robotics, and she'd find his genius mind charming. He might even put his own spin on things and build a close bond with one another.

Antoine would be a guard working for Sally's father. He might be updated to having a Wispon, but still with sword like abilities.

Honestly I'd rather he just have the sword but in this type of world, he'd likely be armed with a Wispon, so it'd be the best of both worlds.

I can see him dating Bunnie, or at least flirting with her, but not actually married to her yet. He'd be between comedic coward and brave fighter.

Rotor would be a mechanist, and likely the one arming everyone. Sally's Ring Blades, Bunnie's Robotic Suit and maybe even working on custom Wispons.

He would likely build his own weapons to fight, if need be, but also much more comfortable as the support guy than a fighter.

I imagine he could have some natural strength, so he'd be able to destroy a badnik if need be, without tools.

As a whole, the Freedom Fighters concept comes from their introductory arc where it's revealed they fought together during the Phantom Ruby Incident to liberate Knothole.

They probably didn't really do much damage to Infinite, and most likely just played defense to keep people safe. But they were determined to keep their home free from Eggman's rule.

In this continuity, they'd be more side characters though, and not in every arc afterwards. They could have cameos like appearing in the Restoration, maybe even befriending Tangle, Whisper, Lanolin and Jewel, but that's it.

Like The Chaotix, the Freedom Fighters will appear when needed, and would likely not recruit any game characters.

Bonus character, one of two. If Fiona Fox were to return, she'd have her original role as a medic like she did in the old Archie days.

She could be sassier, akin to her Destructix Days, but this time around, Fiona's purely on the good side. Any sassy remarks could be her either playful, or she just gets annoyed and is more likely to tell you off.

No bad history with Sonic, and her interactions with him and Tails are sassy but respectful. She has no feelings for Sonic, and she's kind to Tails but may be the first to call him nerdy if he acts in such a way.

Any trauma she had could have been due to what Infinite did to Knothole, but this time around, she works on it and doesn't let it consume her like the old Archie days. It'd be her personal character arc.

Bonus character, two of two. If Mina Mongoose returned, she would be more of an aspiring Pop Idol, and working with the FF to achieve that goal to spread Kindness in the world with her music.

She could provide some meta regarding official Sonic songs, it'd be a better way to work them in than just having characters quote them and potentially ruining a mood.

Also, no drama with Sonic either. She never had a major crush on him, she just finds him cool and appreciates him as a Symbol for Freedom.

She probably won't have her super speed this time around, but she'd be fine regardless. If anything, she can fight with a Wispon.

So yeah, this is how I would bring the Freedom Fighters back to IDW. Not to turn Sonic into an Avengers Comic, or to put him and Tails in an official team, but to just add a little bit of depth to their world.

It's still Sonic's story, the Freedom Fighters are just playing their part in it, just like any other character. It'd be a fun addition to the comics, so long as it's done right. Maybe one day.

[cazzyf1]

Facts and quotes about the friendship of Mike Hawthorn and Peter Collins, aka 'Mon Ami Mate'

Though Mike and Peter had met each other in the years before, it was only when they both were racing at Ferrari that they got partially close

They bonded over their partying life styles and sense of fun. However a lot of people who like Peter felt that Mike was a bad influence on him. Yet Peter could get up to his own mischief without Mike's help.

They got up to a lot of mischief together like seeing how fast they could spin a rotating hotel door or seeing who could steal a police car lamp first

Peter owned a boat that him and his wife Louise would travel on. Lots of drivers would join them but Mike was one of the more frequent ones.

During the GP weekends Mike would spent his spare time around Peter and Louise. He would just charge into their room unannounced and laze around with Peter for the day when he wasn't needed.

"Each morning I used to get up about eleven o'clock, put on my dressing-gown and go along to Pete and Louise's room to have breakfast with them, and just laze around. One day we spent all day in our various rooms lounging in pyjamers and dressing-gowns, just slipping into overalls for practise and then coming back to our rooms to read and talk. It was a wonderful way to relax." - Mike Hawthorn

"I got back to our motel and went up to Pete and Louise's room. He had just run his bath, which he had been looking forward to, but he didn't get it - I stepped straight into it, without even taking my clothes off!" - Mike Hawthorn

Mike could fly planes, and he did fly Peter and Louise a few times. However, he wasn't already a great flyer. Once, he had to make an emergency landing, and during the panic, Louise sat at the back of the plane reading her book and trying to ignore everything that was happening

When racing if they were near each other they would play games of passing the leading position back and forth to each other. Some even said they were happier when the other one won the race.

"We got side by side and Pete signalled to me that he wanted me to be first and he would take second place." - Mike Hawthorn

Peter knew about Mike's kidney issues and knew that Mike wasn't likely to be able to race for much longer and potentially was quite determined to help Mike win the world championship.

"He was still determined that he wanted me to win the championship" - Mike Hawthorn talking about Peter

"At Goodwood, when I raced the Grand Prix car, Peter had got hold of a blackboard on which he had drawn a wonderfully lifelike picture of a pint of beer, and he had shown me this on my last few laps; the thought of it had helped me on my way. Then during the May Meeting at Silverstone when Pete was well in the lead I got a pint of beer from the beer tent and stood in front of the pits with it holding it out so that he could see what was waiting for him besides the chequered flag." - Mike Hawthorn

"Jo and I were the only ones facing the open door and we saw Mike first and froze in place and then everyone else turned and froze too. He was still in his driving clothes - dirty white pants, his trademark green battle jacket. His face was streaked. And tried. He didn't have to say anything. Slowly in his hands he turned a shattered brown crash hat that we all recognzied as Peter's" - Denise McGluggage

"On the morning on the race I went along to their room fairly early. Louise was already awake, but Pete was still asleep, snoring his head off. I looked down at him sleeping there and for some reason I felt happy looking at him. He is one that won't die, I thought. Then he woke and saw me standing there and swore at me for waking him." - Mike Hawthorn

Peter was ahead of Mike when he had his fatal crash. Mike was in a panic but decided he was going to lap around, not go into the pits and scare Louise, but drive back to the crash site and find out how Peter was. His car however broke down as he was driving the lap.

Mike flew Louise back to England and meant to driver her up to see Peters parents after the crash. However he only managed to get to a local pub near where Peter's parents lived before he broke down. Some other friends got Louise to Peter's parents and supplied Mike with whiskey.

"I have tried very hard in this book - which is dedicated to his memory - to give the reader some idea of my friend, Peter Collins, of his gaiety and generosity, of his great courage and ability. I hope that I have succeeded; it was the hope of being able to contribute something to his memory that decided me to write this book" - Mike Hawthorn

[dainangel]

holiday scenarios with: ENHYPEN 🎄

w. fluff, flirty stuff, mentions of food(?) | not proofread! | author’s note: just some cute scenarios <3 and happy holidays my loves!!!!

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yang jungwon (양정원): shopping

yall would definitely go pre-holiday shopping

like i mean early as in october

you guys both got friends and family to get gifts for

jungwon would def try to be sneaky and get gifts for you behind your back

casually just asks you to try on certain rings or bracelets (hes tryna get your sizes 🤭)

fails miserably cause you get distracted by all these bright colors and trinkets

has to watch you flail your arms in public while gasping and running off to a different store across the street

gets a little embarrassed from all the stares youve earned, but doesnt care in the end because he loves you

you two would be curious shoppers together <3

yall would def get compliments from the old asian ladies calling you guys a cute couple

“you should get married!!!” 

that causes him to turn bright red while he tries to hide his face from you

he’ll really appreciate being able to go outside in the cold with you (for shopping ofc)

sharing a scarf or him bundling you under his jacket is a must

or he just puts your hand inside his pocket, his hand intertwined with yours !!!

lee heeseung (이희승): gaming + ramyeon

gamers unite🗣️ (and ramyeon enjoyers)

he makes you guys ramyeon, trying to plate it nicely in a bowl rather than a plastic container

finds those youtube “hacks” as to how to enhance your ramyeon

a disaster is formed

he ends up spilling soup everywhere in the kitchen

somehow ends up with a noodle on his sleeve

how can you get mad at him though?

he got his bambi eyes ready to get him outta trouble 

you just sigh, giving him a kiss while removing the noodle from his sleeve 

you can feel him smiling sheepishly through the kiss

you guys sit on the soft couch together, both under a blanket after eating 

you both agree to play the switch instead of the wii

he explores your animal crossing world for a while, fishing next to you<3

tries beating up your villagers for some reason (plz help him) 

then all of a sudden its mario kart time and you are VIOLENT

he lost every round, making the excuse “im just letting you win.. you havent seen my full potential” while laughing

park jongseong (박종성): cooking

yall decided to host a holiday party: meaning when theres a party, theres a lot of prepping

jay definitely wishes he could spend this day with you another way

but he sees how happy you are cooking and decorating

he definitely volunteers to help around the house

he finds himself having more fun in the kitchen with you, though

some soft tunes are coming out of his phone (like some r&b keshi vibes ykyk)

slowly presses his chest against your back while youre slicing carrots

holds onto your waist and sways you back and forth with him

def places some warm kisses on your shoulders and neck 

you eventually hum along to the current song, giving in to his actions 

you lower your knife onto the cutting board, letting him turn you around and kiss you

he spins you around chuckling

pecks at your cheeks and forhead a lot (aka his way of showing his appreciation towards you)

“okay, okay, jay. i love you but i really need to work on this” you give him one more quick kiss

little do you know hes admiring your hardwork and the way you look under the kitchen light

sim jaeyun (심재윤): gingerbread houses

it started off with jake saying he could build a better ginger bread house than you

and he said that damn well knowing how competitive you are

which leads to your current situation

youre hands are covered in icing, so the only thing to do is to rub your hands all over jake’s face

“hey!!” hes basically giggling crazy at this point

you point at him laugjing (even wheezing bro)

an hour later, you guys both finished your gingerbread houses

so you both take the extra candies and eat them together

you also just chat about your day and have some cute moments together

jake grabs your face with one hand, opening your mouth and putting a peppermint in it

you do the same but with a gumdrop, returning the favor

he got his cheeky ass smile on now

he’d probably kiss you even with the gumdrop in his mouth (i mean whats new between yall)

but this mf still has the icing on his face so you cant take his flirty moves seriously

it looks like he just murdered someone 

you end up taking a bath with him with gingerbread scented candles burning away on the windowsill (wow how romantic)

park sunghoon (박성훈): ice skating

idc what anyone says an ice skating date is a must

youve told him multiple times youre not that good at ice skating, but hes your boyfriend so he can help you, right?

nope, because after letting go of your tight grip for a second youre stumbling like a newborn giraffe 

even with him as your personal walker, or the ice skating rink’s walker, its not working 

everytime you fall he just skates back to you elegantly, lifting you off the ground like hes some angel gaurdian that came to save you

“and who are you? do you have a girlfriend?” you say wiggling your eyebrows while he helps you up for the 34th time

he just laughs and kisses your cheeks and head in the middle of the rink (other ppl had to watch this bro 🧍‍♀️)

eventually you get the hang of it and you can glide without holding onto the wall

a lot of people end up leaving so sunghoon shows off a bit to you

mans is doing flips and spins and tricks for you girl

you just clap and yell excitedly meanwhile hes feeling all shy in front of you

somehow he didnt fall once but also looked elegant 

sunghoon skates over to you sitting on the cold ice floor, plopping down next to you

he looks a little worn out now, but doesnt mind cause all that matters is youre having fun <3 

ofc afterwards you guys get some hot coco or a hot latte to share 

kim seunwoo (김선우): bunny café

honestly i could see him being up to going to a bunny café with you

considering youve been begging him for ages

being surrounded in cute bunnies and your boyfriend sitting next to you, feeding one

youre basically in heaven

ofc you had to gossip with him there

“no way he cheated on her…” he says gasping

sunoo smiles looking at you, and blush creeps onto your cheeks

after playing for a while yall wanna eat something sweet

you both decide on getting a mint choco ice cream smoothie (btw im a mint choco lover)

the great thing about you and sunoo is, you both have the same interests making it impossible to fight

once you guys are done with the smoothie, he opens the lid and scoops out the clumped ice cream from the bottom of the cup

he feeds it to you across the table <3

meanwhile the bunnies are just at the bottom looking up (👁️👁️) wondering if its for them

after the bunny café hes super worn out and tired

so you guys go to your shared apartment and cuddle and sleep on the couch !

nishimura riki (西村 力): movie binging

movie binging nights in bed are bound to happen

not even just holiday related movies, like every movie available on netflix

you guys were watching everything from horror to like cute cartoons (rilakkuma 😭)

niki made popcorn for you and ofc you have to share with him

he acts like a child during some movies, shrieking at scary things or crying over a character dying

i feel like he’d be laying on your lap

really enjoys it when you play with his hair

niki would probably start whining if you ever pause the movie to go do something

then all of a sudden this boy wants to watch megamind 

so you obviously comply 

you dont remember finding megamind that interesting of a movie

he makes it funnier, randomly adding sound effects or comparing certain characters to his members 

“yah! jay kind of looks like megamind!” hed start laughing crazy

you could only sigh and smile

afterwards youre tired af, so you fell asleep in like 5 minutes

niki hugs you from behind, his face snuggling against your neck before he goes off to dream land <3

———————————————————-0

i hope you guys enjoyed!! i wanted to post something for the holidays 

-xoxo,

chubbles

[lily-alphonse]

So how do we feel about Sebastian/Shane? :>

Ok so... funny you should ask about this one 😅 Some ppl will know that I have already written something for these two but it's on the alt account that shall not be named where doves go to die. There's just so much toxic potential here!

SO this is gonna be so hard for me to treat as cute and nontoxic but I will do it for u my sweet Flowey

I've gotta go the loner angle on this one. They are both loners, outcasts. They would come across each other while sulking in the woods or something. Or maybe Shane goes to the pier drunk to consider throwing himself over but Seb is there.

Ok ok I'm cooking hold on this is gonna be awesome. That's my ticket in. Cw for suicidal thoughts, existentialism. We're getting in our feelings for this one folks buckle up.

It’s raining. Sebastian stands on the end of the pier with an umbrella, looking out at the endless grey sky and the roiling waves that rise to meet it. There’s a thudding he can hear behind him, even over the storm.

Shane’s limbs are heavy from the drink and the rain. He doesn’t notice Sebastian till it’s too late.

“You shouldn’t be out here, Shane!” he calls back to him, tossing his cigarette butt.

“Fuck off!” he slurs back, but does turn around. Unfortunately, Sebastian follows him. His steps are light on the pier but his shoes are caked in wet sand and it scuffs the wooden boardwalk loudly. He doesn’t try to say anything else, simply following him back onto the beach.

When Shane collapses onto the sand, Sebastian isn’t far behind him. He doesn’t look injured, just being dramatic.

Shane glares up at the emo freak just standing over him. “I told you to fuck off.”

“You don’t own the beach,” he mumbles back, sitting down next to him in the sand.

And they just exist like that.

Neither of them saying anything while the rain pats against Shane’s face and Sebastian’s umbrella. Shane almost wishes Sebastian would say something.

Eventually, he relents. “Do you think it’s possible to drown in the rain?” Shane asks.

Sebastian huffs something akin to a laugh, surprisingly. “Is that what you’re trying to do?”

“No!” he snaps back automatically, finally sitting up. The world spins and lurches and he closes his eyes to steady it. When he opens his eyes, Sebastian has moved the umbrella between them, though he's too drenched to have noticed.

The wind and rain and crash of the surf fill the silence between them for another beat.

"I like the sky when it rains," Sebastian mumbles, watching the surf.

Shane just looks at him. Sebastian shouldn't look like that with him being so young. At least Shane only got his permanent eyebags after hitting 30.

"For some reason, staring off into the bleak horizon makes me feel... I dunno. Like it's worthwhile to keep pushing on, I guess.”**

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

Sebastian just shrugs. "You're probably too drunk to get it."

Shane wants to object but can't think of anything fast enough, so maybe he has a point. He looks out where the dark sky meets the darker ocean and supposes he does prefer it to the sun. He'd be more annoyed by the sun right now. "The rain makes you feel like that?"

Sebastian shifts next to him, crossing his legs and switching which arm holds up the umbrella. "Not the rain, so much. More the sky. The gray. It makes everything feel smaller."

"You... want it to feel smaller?"

"Don't you?"

His response comes so quickly that Shane is stumped. The cogs in his mind turn slowly. Maybe he's right there, too. Which is weird, since he's younger. And a weirdo, for that matter. He shouldn't be right about life.

But it does all feel so big. The world, life, there's so many possibilities and so many challenges all the time and he just wants it to stop.

"Yeah..." he admits with a sigh. "I guess I do."

Sebastian smiles at him slightly, another surprise. "I knew you'd get it."

"I'm not dumb if that's what you're getting at," he grumbles.

"No, I don't think you're dumb. Just..." he cocks his head at him with a sombering expression, "sad."

Part of Shane wants to balk, wants to shout at him, wants to fight. But Sebastian has him fixed with this look he can't place and he wants him to keep looking at him, and wants him to keep talking, and the cogs are turning in his mind again, so he instead asks him another question.

"Are you sad?"

Sebastian gives him another slight smile and nods. It feels heavy, but also lighter. The burden spread between them like the black umbrella overhead.

Shane notices how Sebastian is supporting his own arm up to be able to hold the umbrella. He bats Sebastian's arm and takes it from him, grumpily holding the umbrella over them both.

-

**this line is an actual line from the game and prbly the moment I first fell in love with Sebastian

AAAAH I LOVE THIS ONE GUYS I LOVE THIS ONE NOBODY LOOK AT ME NOBODY PERCEIVE ME FOR A COUPLE HOURS I WILL BE IN MY FEELINGS

-

Send me any Stardew Valley rarepair and I will tell you how I would make them work! (Even non-marriage npcs) If youre lucky you may get a mini fic out of it. Check the list below to see if Ive already answered yours

Rarepair Masterlist

[bavarianredsblog]

The Other Side of Suzui Ryota

What do you think of Suzui Ryota from Kakegurui? I can tell that most of you will tell that he's a useless character who always follows Yumeko's to wherever he go.

Most of Kakegurui fans are even not sure of what's purpose that Ryota serves in the Kakegurui plot so far and even in some forums, I saw many people makes fun of him by saying "Who the fuck is Suzui?" and there's also limited fanfictions or fanarts about him too.

Well, everybody can have their opinions, but is it justified to plainly deem Suzui Ryota as useless characters? I'm personally thinking it's not and I have one sole reason for it.

It is because Suzui Ryouta might be the only character in Kakegurui that has not clear past and much details besides the ones that the viewers saw in anime and the readers saw in the manga.

Kakegurui franchise has been up and running since 2017 until now. Besides its main manga, it's also already produced the character's spin-off like Mary's Kakegurui Twin or Midari in her own manga story.

And yet, In all those things, Suzui Ryouta's past or details about him are still lies in darkness while the other characters like Kirari, Sayaka, Yumeko, Mary, and many others are having their own "explanations" about who they are, what they do, and so on.

To understand that, first we need to at least to knows what's the intent of the author for Ryouta's character. In many articles, it is stated that Ryota is positioned as "observer" and "storyteller" to what's happened in Kakegurui's series, particularly about Yumeko's journey where he was acted as her companion throughout the story.

Compared to other characters, Ryouta seems doesn't have "other clear purpose" other than being a support and close friend to Yumeko.

But keep in mind that the official wiki still officially recognized Ryota as one of the main protagonists of the series. Then, it is raised some questions which correlates to my early statement. If he's one of the protagonists, then why any details regarding who he actually is and his past are very limited? or Will there any character development for him in the future?

To answer those questions, we will need to breakdown some key points about him and his correlation to the plot.

We already know a little about Ryouta in the beginning as he was fell into housepet status after losing to Mary in a gambling game, then he met Yumeko who helped him regain his human status, and then starts a friendship with her.

Besides of that, Ryota is also shown holding a position as class representation. Anything other than that ? nada. We don't know much more about his other activities in the school like if he's belong to any clubs in the school and so on.

Other things about him is, he's actually a very smart person who's excelling in his academic study (although Hyakkaou Academy is not focusing much on academic or sports). He's also very quick to understand what's going on in a gamble (both involved or just watching) and also has an expertise to analyse every single details and devising solutions.

This traits of his is showing several times in both manga and anime version, particularly around Yumeko's gamble against Midari where his approach is succesfully getting both him and Yumeko out from danger of Midari's game of death or how he quickly realize Kirari's manipulation on the entire tarot game.

It shows that Ryota is actually a good gambler and he has so many potentials on it. The only thing that holds him back is his low self-esteem, reluctant personality and low level of confidence. When he's with Yumeko, he's not only watch over her but he also learns a lot from her and after so many chapters in the manga, he's shown a growth in his gambling skills and confidence level which one point for his character development.

Another interesting point about him is how he seems the only one in Kakegurui franchise who doesn't have "psychopatic" traits like the others. He's shown to be a nice and kind person who also rarely holds grudge against people. His personality is calm and sensible which also added by his honesty trait.

Looking at those, it seems that we are looking Ryouta as the only colored thing in the middle of black and white. This is his exceptional things that makes him different and also on the same time, special from the other characters. To put it more dramatically, Ryota is like the sailor whose ship is trying to survive in the sea of madness which is the Hyakkaou Academy.

After that, from here thing is getting more interesting. Who is Suzui Ryouta actually is and his family background?

To begin with, there's no clear details on that, but the wiki said that he has unnamed parents. A Day after Yumeko helped him pay his 5 million yen debt to student council, Ryota is offering 1 million yen that he borrows from his parents to pay Yumeko back which Yumeko simply refused.

It's indicating that Ryota is coming from a rich family while it's also considering that how he can enrol in Hyakkaou possibly from regular way where he need to make frequent deposit to student council and school fee.

But who is Ryota's family is still clouded in dark. But we might have a lead on this. In one reddit thread few years ago, it is said that Ryota is coming from a famous wealthy baker family with the brand name "Seikadou". Here's the overview.

The interruptions when he's about to saying "Oh, It's our ..." is really one strong proof about his family's business. It is still not confirmed yet, but this cake business theory is the most logical one to explain more about him.

Another thing about him is, people don't realize that he is actually existed all the time in any of Kakegurui franchises so far, whether it's the main manga, twin, or Midari.

For example, both Kakegurui twin and Kakegurui Midari are both set in the previous year of main Kakegurui manga plot which makes Ryota is strongly possible in both spin-offs, although his names are not mentioned.

But is is definitely happened since the gap between the two spin-offs and the main story is only one year apart which means that Ryota is already there wandering the school and knows every events in both spin-offs like the raise of Mary, the full bloom society, and so on. After all, Ryota's is very aware of his surroundings so he's keeping on track.

What's he's doing on that period? It's still a big mystery, but judging from his behaviour, he might be living a quiet and ordinary gambling and schooling far from the spotlight. As mentioned above too, there's also question if whether he's involved in a club's school too.

Well, I can't say for sure, but Ryota is probably involved in one or maybe just spend his days of gambling and socializing with his friends. Just a completely ordinary guy.

For his love interest, well it's pretty obvious that Ryota probably holds a secret romantic feeling for Yumeko. He's stated it in sublime way when he's confessed that he wants to keep watching her in the best seat and walk with her when they faced Kirari in a tarot game. He even said that Yumeko's risk is also his risk which shows that he is ready to die anytime for Yumeko.

From this point, we already know there's so many undiscovered thing about Ryota's personal life and how his character's development happened in both manga and the anime which happened to be a lot without people noticing.

Being on the side of Yumeko all the time, Ryota is influenced by her but still in a positive way and accordingly. He's still trying to be himself and hopefully more of him will coming up so soon.

And that's it.

Hope you guys enjoy it.

Give me your thoughts in the comments yeah ?