#i kept thinking about this parallel over and over and decided to make a meme

[devilsrecreation]

Sorry I’m stupid like that JFHDGDGD

[stillsolo]

GET TO KNOW THE MUN. respond to the prompts out of character !

what made you pick up the current muse(s) you have? oh, where do i even begin?  well, i suppose i should start with how long sw has been in my life.  ANH was the first movie my mother ever saw when she visited the USA; she saw it with my grandmother ( and subsequently developed a massive crush on harrison, so indiana jones became a huge part of my childhood too lol ).  for this reason, my mother introduced my brother and I to sw when we were actual babies.  then, when the prequels came out, it’s all me and my brother consumed.  from the movies themselves to the original clone wars cartoon to the PS2 games to the novels/book series.  we watched it on a tiny portable player for every trip, and every time my relatives needed us to go away to let the adults talk lol.  it also helped our comprehension of english so much. i can’t recall a time in which sw hasn’t been present in my life! before i joined the tumblr swrpc, i kept to myself in the prequels community, wrote fanfic, and rped anakin on skype.  he’s always been a character that hit a little too close to home in one too many ways.  the main parallel i have with him (that doesn’t relate to his mental issues haha) is his love/devotion/attachment to his mother.  it’s difficult for me to explain without getting into the aspects of my culture (孝順 / filial piety), but in short, i am cantonese; if my mother asked me for my thumb tomorrow, i would give her my arm today.  anakin’s love for his mother, his determination to free her from slavery at an early age, was very touching.  EPII has been memed to oblivion, yes, but the pain i feel when anakin doesn’t get to hear his mother tell him she loves him one last time before she dies, and knowing that it haunts him for the rest of his life (eu), makes me want to throw myself out a window lmao  i have an extremely close relationship with my parents; this sort of pain is absolutely gutting for someone like me. anyway, when i joined the tumblr swrpc, writing han solo was never the plan.  i originally wanted to write luke but ended up changing my mind at the last second.  I’d written well over a dozen fics with han at that point, but was nowhere near confident, so i thought of it as more of an experiment. guess that doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things, because if you really think about it, since the day i started writing him in fics, he hasn’t stopped butting into my brain.  in fact, he’s been harassing me ever since—to the point that i even switched from writing luke to him… lol given my upbringing and my mother’s love for him, han has always been my childhood hero, as well as my brother’s.  our dad was our han solo.  the nostalgic and familial associations run so deep, it’s difficult to articulate.  we share many traits, right down to his universally agreed-upon zodiac sign (sagittarius); i know han solo like the back of my hand—and it’s probably because i wanted to be just like him when i grew up.

is there anything you don’t like to write? character death.  if i have to say another, it’s when people conflate harrison with the character he plays and then decides to address that in a thread.  harrison was a ladies man back in the 80s, and that’s fine, but that doesn’t mean the same for han.  i hate seeing the conflation between the two.  not sure if this happens as often anymore, but there was a time when fics/threads/even han rpers would lean into it, by default, thus totally destroying his character in my eyes.  i mean, write it as a storyline, that’s cool and fine, but infidelity has never been inherently part of his character.  i will die on this fucking hill.

is there anything you really enjoy writing? most unpopular opinion ever: action sequences.  critical situations, fast paced action, thriller scenes featuring immediate, life-threatening circumstances.  i love writing that which exhibits a sense of urgency and tension, with sprinklings of emotional depth and contemplative introspective moments.  scenes with internal conflict combined with aforementioned external events.  even evading enemy forces, sustaining minor/major injuries, dressing wounds.  dunno why those are always the most fun to me.  aside from that?  romance/romantic angst.  i’ve had many writing partners over the years, and each one thought they could outdo me in writing romantic angst.  sometimes, the psychosomatic pain of heartbreak isn’t far from feeling like you’ve lost a limb in battle.

how do you come up with headcanons? by being the most annoying, meticulous person ever.  i’m extremely detail oriented; when i see incongruities in my own work, i perish.  so, when i come up with headcanons, i have to consider all factors that may affect the outcome of whatever question i’ve posed in my mind and feel the need to justify my choices, for whatever reason, by tying it back to XYZ.  my headcanons must align with my muse’s personality, their environment from childhood to adulthood, their current circumstances, and if it’s an AU, how it mirrors canon events.  canon/eu is everything imo, because they are their own choices; it’s what shaped them into the character we know them as.  ofc, this is my process and opinion, so make of that what you will.

do you write in silence or do you play music? no music, no tv.  sometimes people talking is too much for me.  i have adhd and my medication only helps so much.  i will absolutely start writing down the conversation or lyrics playing in the background lol

do you plan your replies or wing them? plotting vs planning replies is different to me.  plotting gives me a foundation, but it can’t be too confining.  to plan a reply is to block out each moment.  if you trap me, i will always deviate; so i wing everything, even when i have a foundation.

do you enjoy shipping? yes, absolutely!  i’m not sure why people tend to assume otherwise, but i’m more open to it than people think.  i’ve never cared about who you write, if they’re in the sw franchise, or even what era of sw etc etc  never given a shit about what people think; if our muses click, they click.  honestly, some of the best ships i’ve had with han, as in the most enjoyable and enlightening of his character, have been ‘crack ships’.

what’s your alias/name? vin, vince, vincent.  vincent van hoe.  trash bin vin.

age? 27!

birthday? dec 2!

favorite color? silver.  if that’s not a color to you, then blue.

favorite song? you can’t expect me to… well, ‘in your eyes’ by the weeknd has been up there for a long time.

last movie you watched? star wars: the clone wars (2008)

last show you watched? … the clone wars lol

last song you listened to? billie jean - MJ.

favorite food? my mother’s 番茄炒蛋 ( egg and tomato stir fry ), unagi, freshly baked breads, fresh fruit …

favorite season? i get mostly tropical weather, but i love a cold winter.

do you have a tumblr best friend? unfortunately, so many people have left the site over the years, but i'm grateful to call these people some of the closest friends i have in the rpc: @techniiciian @desiccation @vibraea @rcvanchist @sgterso @voxcrystallis

tagged : @debelltio thank you for thinking of me!! tagging : if you're still reading this, i tag you!

[katyspersonal]

Okay I will shut up about it honestly, but it still makes so much sense that Aldrich started eating people? 🤔 Humanity is naturally darkness, and the Deep is darkness "beyond human ken". So, darker than dark. *cue Gaster joke* *cue 'THIS IS ADVANCED DARKNESS meme from Spongebob yeah yeah whatever*

Like, if they wanted to stand the chance to survive it, they needed to become dark themselves! It was basically building in enough of this darkness within bodies (he and his deacons I mean), since no individual person has enough of it anymore because of the thing Gwyn did. That factor also unfortunately demanded that most people just become a mass, not travelling in a twisted Noah's Arc but making it. And they needed to survive it! It is like Darkness was confined within a dam, and repeated cycles of banishing the Darkness (linking the Fire) kept filling its volume for centuries or longer. It is not like it just stopped existing! It was flooding where light would not reach it. Eventually that metaphorical dam would become full of Darkness and the water is going to pour out of it and flood everything!

Maybe it was close to happening already at DS3 time, or maybe Aldrich decided to not test it or waste the time. Making him Lord of Cinder could have been sort of betrayal and he'd rather use more time to do his thing, or maybe he agreed to it specifically to bring the inevitable close? Who knows! It is probably that Aldrich started to think about it seeing the parallel as the holy body of water from Church of the Deep became filthy the more human dregs they kept washing away from people. Or he was clairvoyant and literally envisioned it xd You know. Sea and eldrich horrors in Soulsborne.

+ You know how Orthodox priest baptise people not by pouring water over them, but by plunging them head down into a vessel with water? Maybe this is how Aldrich could show the true state of the world to those he deemed more worthy than becoming a 'mass'. (they'd usually scream in horror afterwards and never be the same again)

[bright-eyes-strawberry-lies]

Rating PJO Ships

I already made the PJO shipping jar meme (not linking because tumblr hates links) but thought I’d write it out anyway. 

***

Solangelo - (5/10) Will is Nico’s unnecessary rebound because Rick couldn’t let someone walk around with a crush on Percy without pairing them off with someone or making them live a life of chastity. The fandom went wild with this ship despite all of their “development” being off the page. Would be better if the building attraction and relationship was given actual page time to develop instead of being rushed. 

Frazel - (10/10) My only complaint is that we didn’t get more of them being the awesome couple they are. The way they went from friends to lovers is perfect. Looks cute but can kick your ass. Very supportive of each other. I am here for biracial power couples. 

Lukercy - (10/10) There are literally dozens of parallels between them and Rick wrote them as soulmates. I love that Luke trained Percy so hard that Percy’s never lost a sword fight except to Luke himself and still hears Luke’s voice in his head guiding him through fights. The subtle ways that Luke constantly gave Percy (and Co) chances to escape from Kronos’ grasp even when he still believed in Kronos was golden. Luke was the only person who was kind to Percy at Camp Half-Blood and trusted Percy to help other demigods when he died? My heart. How Percy now shares all of Luke’s views on the Olympians? Bittersweet irony. I wish that Luke hadn’t died because I’m tired of writing resurrection AUs. 

Percico - (10/10) The most powerful power couple. Nico’s youthful hero worship giving way to love? Sign me up. Percy spending winter looking for Nico to keep him safe and trying to reassure him that he has a place at Camp Half-Blood? Give me more. Making mistakes and forgiving each other for them and their relationship strengthening because of it? Gods, yes. Going to Italy to go gift shopping and flirting? Thank you for this blessing, Rick. If only they had been endgame. 

Thaliabeth - (7/10) Thalia is the only person that Annabeth respects and Thalia has extremely protective feelings toward Annabeth. They would be the nightmare power couple. Murder wives who slay anyone who stands in their way of power and glory. Neither of them would take shit from the other. And honestly, I’m here for it. 

Perachel - (10/10) Mutual respect and open communication are extremely sexy in relationships. Rachel being Percy’s mortal tie and his chance at a normal life; Percy being the one to help Rachel with her powers and clear sight? Please yes. They were really cute and sweet and had so much chemistry. It would have been great if Rick acknowledged that the Oracle isn’t a lifelong job and that Rachel can still date and have sex as long as it isn’t vaginal penetration. 

Percabeth - (0/10) Annabeth hits, pinches, pokes, kicks, ribs, and punches Percy too often for my tastes. She’s got a superiority complex and makes herself feel better by calling him stupid, crazy, and insane. Constantly threatens violence. Annabeth is possessive, jealous, refuses to communicate, and doesn’t respect Percy or allow him to have autonomy. She constantly wants to control what he says and does or doesn’t say/do. She victim blames him multiple times for incidents that were beyond Percy’s control. Percy is scared of her, refuses to argue so that he doesn’t set her off, and thinks Annabeth is going to hurt him every time she so much as looks at him. Percy deserves better. 

Jiper - (5/10) It would have been cool to see them work past the lies and false memories to make a real romantic relationship but I don’t really have a horse in that race. They’re alright. Not bad, not the best. 

Pipeo - (7/10) If the theory that all of Piper’s memories of Jason were actually memories of Leo is true, then I’m here for this. The fact that they were friends before they even knew they were demigods was fantastic. Give me that friends to lovers dynamic and the chaotic trouble they would get into together. They would be unstoppable. 

Caleo - (5/10) Pairing Calypso up with a man boy instead of a man man was a strange choice but Rick likes pairing up teenagers with beings that are over a thousand years old. It’s terribly romantic that Leo kept his promise and came back for Calypso. I like that they decided to leave the demigod life behind to do their own thing. They’ve had enough of the gods! Let them figure themselves out and enjoy each other and life. 

Connabeth - (4/10) The idea is cute if you don’t think about it at all. I think Connor would stand up to Annabeth but she’s been known to wear down three thousand year old centaurs [Chiron] so that he’ll do what she wants...so I’m not sure that Connor actually stands a chance of holding his own against Annabeth. 

Lukethan - (4/10) It would be really cute but they’ve never even spoken to each other in canon. Ethan spoke with Kronos. 

Thaluke - (2/10) Thalia doesn’t like Luke. She withheld a lot of [trivial] information from Luke just because she could and didn’t tell him important info either. She almost definitely knew that Luke would do whatever she wanted him to because she’s got a Look that makes him melt. Thalia is incredibly eager to kill Luke and eventually does. Luke is too dependent and blinded by how much he wanted someone to love him. They’ve got an unhealthy dynamic and I don’t see either of them changing to become better people together. 

Valdangelo - (6/10) They’re both small and cute. That’s all I’ve got. There’s no reason not to ship them. Oh, and Leo warming up a cold Nico with his fire powers is so sweet that I’ve got cavities just thinking about it. 

Jasico - (9/10) Rick was really writing them with romantic troupes during Mark of Athena and House of Hades. When they were paired off with other people, I was actually really surprised. The way that Jason supports Nico’s queerness and the way that Nico can teach Jason that he doesn’t have to live up to stereotypes and other people's expectations...that would have been really good to read. The way that Jason’s death affected Nico really tugged at my heartstrings. I like to think that Nico visits Jason in the Underworld. 

Thalianca - (6/10) The potential of Thalia and Bianca could have been so good and also good for comedy. Imagine Thalia - who missed the past five years - trying to catch Bianca up on the 21st century and being behind on the times. Both of them getting caught up together? Yes. Training together, friendly games and competitions. Midnight rendezvous at Camp Half-Blood. Bianca slowly showing Thalia that not all Hunters of Artemis are bad. Girls supporting each other and growing as people because of their relationship. This is what we could have had. 

[ratsoh-writes]

Your basic personality traits: ex: laid back, bubbly, playful, organized, stable…

I'm a bit high strung, bubbly, and I like to joke around a lot. My sense of humor is literally everywhere- dark humor, memes, chaotic shenanigans, you name it I'll probably laugh at it, though I'm most prone to making really really dark jokes out of no where. I am prone to being pessimistic and though I love the idea of being organized and productive, I always end up displaying an alarming lack of discipline. I admit I'm not that stable.. I'm VERY reckless and have the impulse control and attention span of a hamster. I'm passionate about the things I care about. I use pet names with everyone. Friends. Family. If I know you I'm calling you hon or dear or love or darling, deal with it.

Some of your strengths:

I'm easygoing and forgiving, and I believe that anyone can be their best if they try. I'm very perseverant- once I set my mind to something, I'll stick to it and work hard and consistently. I do my best to be kind and understanding, and I have a lot of patience emotionally.

Some of your weaknesses:

I am a little bit cowardly and can let my fear paralyze me at times. I run my mouth without thinking sometimes so I can say things I don't mean. I overthink a lot and can get really anxious if things aren't clear, and I'm not very good at understanding social signals. Clarity is key- though I'm always up for teasing. Reckless idiot tattood across my forhead in bright red, warning label. I think shit through about maybe once a month. I'm a little secretive and prone to hiding away from things that bother me, so I just need a little bit of pressure sometimes.

Likes and dislikes/hobbies:

I love making art, writing fiction and poetry, and learning/researching the sciences. I embroider ocassionaly. I practice tae kwon do. Medical, biological, astronomy, engineering... I love understanding the world. I read A LOT. If I had the money I'd turn my home into a library.

Right then one order of best friend gimme gimme. Last time ya romantically matched me with star, bruiser, n charm, so go buckwild ratatouille

-Wisteria

One platonic matchup coming right up!

The answer may surprise you, or it may not. We’ll see ;)

Your bestie is Butch! (Mafiafell sans)

He also goes by Barty, and Bartholomew if you have a death wish

Ok so as I was reading your profile, I just kept laughing at all the parallels to you and charm. Your friendship with butch would be very similar minus the flirting really. You’re the sassy mouthpiece to his brick wall of muscle. You get into trouble and butch gets out out, while you mouth off the enemies the whole time. Butch doesn’t mind, he thinks life is boring without a little chaos.

Being one of the mafias favorite people means you get a nickname, and you’re stuck with it whether you like it or not. If left up to butch, he’d name you powderpuff. Maybe it’s smarter to make friends with a different bro first

Butch is handsy with his favorite people, so expect yourself to get the potato sack treatment. Any time he decides you’ve been a brat long enough, you’re getting thrown over the shoulder lol

While he’s not an academic like slim snipe or ace, he is a good listener. Butch will actually pay attention to your rambles when you go off about sciences, or your writing. He gives snarky comments of course, but it’s all lovingly. He’s like that doting older brother who doesn’t want to admit he’s doting

[jojosbizarrefanfics]

Oh my GOD! I just read the Jotaro x reader x Star Platinum and One bed Polnareff x reader fan fic. Oh my goodness. Man it was so hot! 😳 Your content is superb. 😁👏 May I request a fan fic with a fem reader and Avdol (it can be either SFW or NSFW). She travels with the Stardust Crusaders and one morning she walks past his and Joseph's hotel room and sees him with his hair down and she gets super flustered at his beautiful long luscious locks. Joseph even notices and has a little scheme brewing.

Aw thank you! I just picture Joseph like that meme of Kris Jenner “you’re doing amazing sweetie” godjfkskfkskf

Sorry this took so long!! I’m the worst! 😭 Gonna make this NSFW, we’re not shy around here

You knew Avdol had long hair from the ponytail behind his knots. It was no secret, but that didn’t stop you from being surprised when you spotted him after what must have been a wash day.

Joseph was stepping out of the room as you were passing by, which is when you noticed him. He still hadn’t gotten fully dressed yet and was shirtless, but his hair caught your attention. You hadn’t seen his hair outside of the way he normally styled it, and his tight, voluminous curls made him look like a model.

Avdol didn’t notice you looking, but Joseph certainly did.

“Oh, (YN)!”

“Joestar-san! Good morning; sorry, I nearly ran into you.”

He chuckled. “It’s quite alright. Say, can you help Avdol and I with something?”

“Sure, what is it?”

Joseph brought you into the room he was sharing with Avdol without much warning. “Hermit Purple captured a few spirit photographs, but we can’t quite figure them out. Maybe you can help?”

“Yeah, let’s take a look,” you said.

“(YN)!” Avdol exclaimed. “Forgive my indecency.”

You just smiled at him. “You’re fine, Muhammed. Nothing to worry about.”

Avdol tried to play it cool but was spacing out the whole time you were reviewing the spirit photographs with Joseph. The way you said his name made his knees feel weak, and he could have sworn that you kept sneaking glances at him. He wasn’t sure why you’d do that, and he was confused by his combined initial knee jerk reaction to look away and desire to have you look at him just a little bit longer.

Joseph made a comment about stepping out to grab some food for everyone with Polnareff, which left Avdol alone with you. Joseph closed the door behind him and grinned to himself, hoping his matchmaking skills were sharp.

You could tell Avdol was feeling a bit flustered, especially since he had only thrown on his jacket earlier. As you straightened out the spirit photographs on the table, certain that Joseph was just looking for an excuse to get you alone with Avdol, you decided you’d have to be the one to make the first move. “Your hair is beautiful.”

“Huh?” He was caught off guard.

You smiled softly at him as you leaned against the table, hands on either side of you to grip the edge as you faced him. “I’ve never seen it down before. I’d say you should wear it more often like that, but I imagine your knots are a bit more practical when we’re facing off against Stand users.”

Avdol let out a nervous chuckle. “Yeah, that’s for sure. Today was a wash day. Thank you.” The tension between the two of you was thick enough to cut with a knife. There was a long pause, both of you unsure of what to say, and then Avdol said, “Mr. Joestar isn’t getting food, is he?”

“I don’t think so,” you said. “I think he caught me checking you out when I passed by and wanted an excuse to have us talk to each other.”

Avdol laughed. “He thinks he’s subtle.” Then, it dawned on him. “Wait... you were checking me out?”

You couldn’t help the giggle. “I mean, yeah. Look at you, Muhammed! You’re really handsome.”

He felt the heat rising to his cheeks. “You think so?”

You nodded. “Yeah, I do. Sorry if I’m being too forward-”

“No, no!” Avdol interjected. “I mean, I don’t mind you being forward. Truth be told, I’ve been holding back quite a bit since we don’t know where this road will end.”

“All the more reason to enjoy the here and now, yeah?”

Avdol nodded as he approached you. A large hand gently caressed your cheek as he kissed you, finally breaking the tension you both felt since Joseph let you in their hotel room.

Avdol was warm to the touch, likely a byproduct of his Stand, and his skin was incredibly soft - you could tell he had recently moisturized. His lips felt right on yours and once you both started, you found it hard to stop. After a few moments of kissing, Avdol gently lifted you up to sit on the table you were leaning against to not have to crane his neck down as much.

Avdol felt a shiver run down his spine as your hands slowly ran down his chest, admiring the dips and curves of his muscular frame. His hand that had caressed your face was now on the back of your neck but his free hand found it’s way to one of your thighs. He gave it a gentle squeeze near your knee and enjoyed the feeling of your soft flesh in his grip.

You knew you wanted more and you knew Avdol had been holding back, so when you broke your kiss for a breath, you decided to speak up. Your forwardness hadn’t failed you yet. “Avdol, you can touch me if you want.”

You made eye contact as Avdol took in what you said. He smiled at you and simply said, “I do want to.”

When you kissed again, you ran your hands below his stomach. As his own hands crept up your thighs and moved their way inward, you palmed his crotch and could feel that he was rather stiff. Avdol groaned into the kiss as he gripped at your upper inner thighs. One of his hands moved to your hip and the other moved over to your clit.

Avdol began to rub you from the other side of your pants, and the added friction from the fabric provided a pressure that had your head spinning. You continued to palm his cock through his pants and you could feel him grow progressively harder.

As Avdol rubbed you through your pants, his other hand moved up from your hip and dipped beneath your shirt. He pushed your bra down to free your breasts and gently pinched one of your nipples. The dual sensation between your nipple and your clit pushed you extremely close to orgasm, and so you decided to let Avdol know by undoing his pants for easier access to his bare dick.

The feeling of your skin on him made Avdol moan into your kiss. You both broke from him, feeling desperate for breath and for each other.

“I want you,” he admitted, remaining ever the gentleman. “Is this mutual?”

“It is,” you confirmed. “And I don’t think Mr. Joestar will be back for a while.”

As Avdol stepped back to remove his pants, you quickly discarded OC your own clothing, leaving you nude and still sitting on the edge of table. Avdol tossed his jacket last, and once he did, he pulled you closer to him in his arms so only part of your ass was on the edge of the table. Locked between one of his arms - which had wrapped behind you and planted firmly on the table to support you better - and his body, Avdol kissed you deeper than ever as he thrust his cock into you.

One of your arms wrapped around his shoulders, careful to not pull on his hair in the process, for support as Avdol fucked you on the hotel room table. He smiled into the kiss as he felt you coming on him and as you groaned into his mouth.

When you nearly slid off the table after a particularly intense thrust, Avdol was quick to catch you. With his cock still in you, Avdol turned you around and laid you on the bed. Your legs hung over the side of it, with only your back and head on the mattress running parallel to the pillows. The sight of a nude Avdol above you was a lovely on, and even better as you watched him continue to thrust his cock in and out of you.

Avdol lifted one of your legs up to deepen the thrusts, which had you moaning more loudly than you’d care to admit. His other hand slid up your stomach and then landed on your breast, kneading it for a moment before he played with your nipple again. This had you coming again, and Avdol leaned down to kiss you when he could feel it.

Avdol wasn’t far behind you, and he pulled out to cum on your stomach once he was ready. Once he finished, he laid down beside you to catch his breath and didn’t hesitate to pull you into his arms. His fingers ran through your hair, a rather soothing motion that nearly lulled you to sleep until you remembered that Joseph would eventually return.

What reminded you was his boisterous laugh heard down the hallway. Avdol was quick to help you clean up, and you were dressed just in time for Joseph to come back in, carrying some wraps from a deli down the road.

“Ah, (YN), there you are!” Joseph belted. “You like fried tofu, right? That’s all they had today.”

“Yeah, thank you, Joseph,” you said with a smile. He glanced to the table and noticed one of the spirit photographs had fallen off and picked it up.

“Any time,” he said. Mission accomplished, he thought.

[mcwriting]

the costume

In which Tom dresses as Marty Mcfly for a Halloween party in Malibu and things get progressively wilder.

This is kind of my 200 followers celebration plus just some Halloween fun! Thanks to everyone who’s following, I really appreciate all of you and if you ever need a place to talk, my asks and messages are always open!

Ship: Tom Holland x Reader

Word Count: 1622

Warnings: mentions of alcohol consumption

Rating: K/K+

~

“So, how do I look, Jennifer?” Tom asked you with a raised brow and a smirk, his arms spread in display. 

You rolled your eyes in amusement. Tom looked ridiculous in his Marty McFly outfit consisting of jeans, a patterned button up, a Levi jacket, and the iconic puffy orange vest. 

Tom was taking you to a Halloween party at Robert Downey Jr.’s Malibu residence that was going to be filled with celebrities, some you know personally and others you were just fans of. 

Somehow, he had convinced you to dress as Jennifer from Back to the Future since he was Marty. So there you were, clad in pink floral pants that went way too high up your waist, a white button up, and a denim vest. Your hair was styled into big loose curls. 

“Good one Marty. That’s the last time I’m calling you that tonight, by the way,” you joked as you went to peck Tom on the lips. “You look very convincing. Too bad Robert wouldn’t go as Doc. You guys could finally recreate that scene.”

Tom chuckled.

“Yeah. I’m not actually sure what he’s going as tonight. He said it was a secret,” he said offhandedly. You could see a glint in his eyes but decided not to push him. 

Instead, you went outside where a driver was waiting to take you to the house party.

The party was in full swing when you arrived, drinks flowing freely among the star-studded crowd. You saw all kinds of costumes, movie characters, famous people dressed as other famous people, memes, mythical creatures, and more. 

You were a little star struck, but Tom led you through the crowd, saying quick hellos as you navigated the mansion. People were complimenting Tom’s and yours costumes and you felt yourself blushing.

Eventually you came upon a group of people you actually knew and talked for a little bit. You started looking around expectantly.

“Hey, babe?” you asked Tom quietly. He hummed in response. “Where is Robert? I mean, it is his party after all.”

“Oh you know him. He’s waiting to make an RDJ entrance. He probably won’t be long.”

You accepted that answer and went back to conversing with your friends, Tom leaving you for a moment to grab drinks.

Eventually the lights started flickering.

“Here he comes,” Tom muttered under his breath. You smiled. 

Some strobe lights circled the room and on came a spotlight, leading to cheers and applause.

Only a couple yards away stood Robert Downey Junior dressed in full Doc Brown garb, from the Hawaiian shirt and lab coat combo to an electrifying white wig. 

Your jaw dropped and you turned to Tom, who was just smirking.

“You knew?” you asked incredulously. Tom shrugged.

“Maybe.” 

You rolled your eyes again. Robert scanned the room as people looked between him, Tom, and you. Finally his own eyes landed on Tom.

“Great scott! Marty, is that you?” he asked in an eccentric voice, one finger pointed up to the sky. He marched over as Tom began laughing, unable to hide his amusement. 

“Woah doc! I’ve been lookin’ all over for you!” Tom said in an exaggerated northern American accent, paralleling Michael J. Fox’s from the film. 

They didn’t make it any further as both men couldn’t help but break into laughter, hugging. The lighting went back to normal and people started going back to their own conversations.

“Well look at this, you brought Jennifer!” Robert said, turning to you. You hugged him quickly and began talking with him.

A few minutes had passed when there was a loud interruption.

“MCFLYYYYYYY!” came a loud exclamation from a male voice. Everyone turned towards the source.

“No. Way.” you said, looking to your boyfriend again. He had a wild grin on his face. 

From the crowd burst another man onto the scene: Jake Gyllenhaal. 

You couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

He was dressed as the one and only Biff Tannen: cuffed jeans, a white tee, and a grey zipped jacket. 

He pointed angrily at Tom, stomping over.

“Why don’t you make like a tree and get out of here!” Jake exclaimed. He, too, quickly fell into a fit of laughter just as the other two had. 

He then happily greeting the group as well, hugs all around.  

“What’s next, George and Lorraine?” you joked, looking to Tom expectantly.

“No, no. Jake was the last of it,” he assured. 

You took a few group photos to show off your great costumes and spoke for a while. After a bit, people started floating around from group to group, saying more hellos to friends and Tom making introductions for you.

You were happy to just hang out with everyone and drink and be merry, but eventually Jake came up and whispered something into Tom’s ear. He nodded and turned to you.

“Okay babe I need to go do something real quick are you good or do you want me to find Chris and the others?”

“Oh, um, well. I think they’re just over there actually, but where are you going?”

“You’ll see,” he trailed, throwing you a wink. “I’ll be back in a little bit.” 

He gave you a quick kiss and disappeared with Jake. You resigned yourself to finding your friends but couldn’t help but wonder.

What are those boys up to?

You were mid conversation when the lights once again changed to illuminate the stage where the DJ had been all evening. Everyone turned their attention to see a background revealed to look like a school hallway. 

Out came Jake in his Biff garb with a microphone, a giant smile on his face.

“Ladies and gentlemen, Doc Brown and Marty McFly,” he said gesturing to the side before disappearing off stage. 

Tom and Robert appeared, now changed into different outfits. 

This time, Tom had slacks with a grey and red jacket along with a patterned white button up underneath. Robert was dressed in similar pants with an eccentric red and yellow button up, a white sport coat, and white had with red accenting.

You slapped a hand over your mouth.

Tom shoved his hands into his pockets.

“Doc, she didn’t even look at him,” Tom said in his Peter Parker voice.

The crowd cheered.

One they died down, Robert said the next line, continuing the scene that had been famously deep-faked of the two.

The scene finished quickly with Robert first saying,

“What are their common interests? What do they like to do together?”

“Nothing,” Tom finished. With that, Robert walked off, leaving Tom to look around confused and the lights to go down.

Everyone screamed and clapped and cheered at the scene’s end. You let out a few whoops and clapped as the lights were brought back up, Tom and Robert both laughing and waving.

Robert gave a conductors’ signal for the crowd to quiet and everyone settled down. 

“I just wanted to give a big thanks to everyone for coming out tonight,” he began. He gave a quick speech about the circumstances that led to them doing the scene for the party and then turned the floor over to Tom.

“Thank you, thank you! Before I say anything else I first want to call up my girlfriend, wherever she is,” he said, looking around the room. A few people moved and pointed towards you, making it easy for Tom to spot you in the crowd.

“Come on up here, y/n!” he exclaimed. People shuffled around to let you go forward and step up onto the stage. You were confused as to why he wanted you there other than maybe because of your costume.

Tom wrapped an arm over your shoulders before speaking again.

“I need to apologize to my dear y/n tonight,” he started, causing you to give him an equally concerned and confused look. “Y/n, I’m sorry for lying to you about my whereabouts this week. Every time you went to work I came here to rehearse instead of just going to the gym.”

You breathed a sigh of relief and laughed, then smirked.

“Well I guess I should be honest too, then,” you followed, stretching up to say it into Tom’s mic. It was Tom’s turn to look surprised.

“Let’s just say that “find my friends” and snap maps don’t lie...” you trailed, causing the crowd to “ooooh” and Tom to drop his jaw. 

“You knew? Since when!?”

“The first day you came here, you goof. I kept dropping hints all week to see if you’d come clean about it.” 

“So you’re telling me, in front of all these people, that you knew about our surprise? And you never said anything?”

“Well I wouldn’t say I knew for sure, but that was the best case scenario and I figured I’d give you the benefit of the doubt.”

Tom just shook his head incredulously and gave you a squeeze, planting a quick kiss on your head.

“My girlfriend, everyone! The smartest, and maybe sneakiest, girl I know!”

With that the party continued on early into the morning of November first. By the time you were taken back to yours and Tom’s place, you were both still pretty buzzed from all the drinks you’d consumed after Tom finished his little speech. 

Neither of you, however, were all too tired yet.

“So... Marty,” you began as you and Tom walked down the hall to the bedroom.

“I thought you weren’t gonna call me that anymore,” he said with squinted eyes.

“It’s a new day isn’t it?” you replied, sliding his jacket off his shoulders. 

“Well I guess it is, Jennifer.” His voice was husky as he began stripping off your own vest. 

It didn’t take long for you to exhaust yourselves after that.

~

A/N: Once again, thanks to everyone for reading and following! I know I’m not the most consistent writer but you guys are awesome for sticking around. Hopefully I can get another marriage project chap our by next week :)

permanent tag list: @jackiehollanderr, @one-big-fangirl, @agentnataliahofferson

[biwenqing]

for the 5 times meme! wei wuxian, losing things

i looked at this prompt and thought “oh i could go so angsty with this” and then tried to find as much fluff potential as possible 😂 thank you so, so much for sending this in, i adored writing it! i added a plus one time he finds something!

give me a character, and a situation, and I’ll write you 5 ficlets on 5 times that situation occurred

#1) Lotus Pods “See, this is how you take the seeds out.” Jiang Cheng sat on the bank of the river and Wei Wuxian crouched at his side. Wei Wuxian wasn’t quite sure what to think of his new brother’s often surprising temper, but he had decided that he very much liked having a brother anyway. “Now you try.”

Wei Wuxian looked down at the lotus pod in his own hands. He carefully tried to pluck out a seed as Jiang Cheng had shown him, but it slipped to fall on the ground.

“It’s okay, you can have some of mine,” Jiang Cheng said, holding out a seed.

Wei Wuxian cupped his hand and Jiang Cheng carefully put the seed in it. He ate it with a smile. It was still odd (and wonderful!) to be able to eat food even when he wasn’t hungry. “Thanks!”

“Hmph,” Jiang Cheng said, which meant ‘you’re very welcome’ Wei Wuxian was pretty sure. “Go pick more pods, I’ll get the seeds and we can bring them to shijie.”

“Okay!” He scrambled up, being careful not to knock over the basket they brought. Taking off his shoes and rolling up his pants, he splashed into the water. He began picking pods, but dropped them after just a moment as he called, “I see a frog!”

“Really? Where?” Jiang Cheng left the shore and carefully waded his way.

“Shh, right in front of me, behind some leaves,” Wei Wuxian whispered. “Should I catch it?”

“Bet you can’t,” Jiang Cheng challenged.

Glancing over his shoulder he saw the other boy was smiling. Grinning back, Wei Wuxian called, “I bet I can catch more frogs than you can!” before diving into the lotuses, the pods he’d already picked floating forgotten (and later lost) in the water.

#2) A Drawing

Wei Wuxian dug around his spare clothes, tossing them to the side.

“Aren’t you supposed to be packing?” Nie Huaisang asked, appearing to lean against the doorway.

“He is,” Jiang Cheng, the traitor, said from his side of the room.

“I will, I will, I just need to find something first!” Wei Wuxian said, looking around.

“What’re you looking for?” Nie Huaisang moved closer, ignoring the way Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes.

“It’s nothing really!” Wei Wuxian said but not loud enough to cover Jiang Cheng.

“A picture for ‘Lan Zhan’.” The name was said in Jiang Cheng’s rude (in Wei Wuxian’s opinion) imitation of Wei Wuxian’s voice. He didn’t sound like that!

Nie Huaisang gave a little laugh. “Oh really? And why would an esteemed Jade of Lan want that?”

“No reason,” Wei Wuxian said quickly. It was a drawing of some of the rabbits from the cave. That way Lan Wangji could have a reminder of them and of the promises the two of them made together. Wei Wuxian remembered the way Lan Wangji smiled at the lantern art.

“Of course.” Nie Huaisang was covering a smile with their fan. “Did it fall behind the bed?”

Wei Wuxian stopped digging through his clothes and tugged the bed a little way from the wall. Sure enough, the paper had slipped behind. He pulled it out triumphantly, before carefully holding it so neither Nie Huaisang nor Jiang Cheng could see what was on it. They wouldn’t understand.

“You’re welcome,” Nie Huaisang said, and then looked from one brother to the other. “Any other way I can be of help?”

“No, you’ve done enough damage,” Jiang Cheng grumbled. “Though I guess now he will pack.”

“I need to give this to Lan Zhan!” Wei Wuxian hurried out of the room.

Nie Huaisang’s laughter and Jiang Cheng’s cursing could be heard from behind him as Wei Wuxian navigated the Cloud Recesses one more time. He hoped Lan Wangji would smile again.

#3) Chenqing “You lost your spiritual tool,” Wen Qing asked flatly.

“I wouldn’t say lost it...” Wei Wuxian tried to persuade. He was washing a-Yuan’s clothes at the moment and Wen Qing had appeared to drop her own and Granny’s on the pile for him to clean as well. “I just don’t have it right now.”

“Can’t you feel it?” Wen Qing asked.

Wei Wuxian didn’t really like talking about his connection to Chenqing (and it would only make her worry), so he joked instead. “I think the blood pool ate it!”

“The blood pool didn’t eat it.” She settled on a rock near him.

Wei Wuxian was glad to see her taking even a little bit of a break. Wen Qing had been using so much of her energy healing all the Wens. None of them had been in good shape. “Maybe Uncle planted it?” he offered next

“No.” She hadn’t laughed, but the tension in her face lessened.

“It would grow and make cursed fruit,” Wei Wuxian chatted on, turning to focus on some dirt that was packed into the knees of a-Yuan’s pants. “Then we can have cursed fruit wine and sell it at a high price!”

“Who would want to buy cursed wine?” She took the wet clothes when he passed them to her and set them on a different nearby rock to dry.

“Someone who has already had too much regular wine?” he mused.

“Alright, but how do we sell it to a vendor?”

Wei Wuxian thought that over. “We’ll just have to open an inn. Be our own vendor.” Finally, she gave a little snort of laughter. He turned away to hide his own smile.

“I see. I’ll inform Uncle of the plans.” Wen Qing stood then, stretching. “Get some rest after you finish here.”

“Only if you do the same!”

“We’re both going to die of exhaustion,” she declared with a sigh as she wandered away.

#4) a-Yuan “A-Yuan!” Why did he always have to run off when Wei Wuxian was trying to buy potatoes? Had Wen Qing trained him to do this to prevent him from bringing potatoes home? If so, it was a very clever tactic.

Wei Wuxian moved through the crowd, swallowing down the hope that once more Lan Wangji would appear and save the day. That was something that would only happen once in their lives.

“A-Yuan!” He came around the corner to find a-Yuan was playing with two kids who seemed to be close to him in age. They were all playing with little grass butterflies, which was probably what attracted a-Yuan away from Wei Wuxian in the first place.

A young woman who was nearby spotted him and came over. “Are you his dad?”

Wei Wuxian nodded because the truth was too complicated and there was something that longed for her simple question to be that truth.

She smiled. “Oh good, I was worried where he might have come from when my girls got his attention. Sorry, they gave you a scare.”

“As long as he’s safe,” Wei Wuxian smiled back. “We don’t live in town, so he doesn’t get to play much with other kids.”

“Ah, I wondered why you didn’t look familiar,” she said. “He’s been very good and gentle. He’s a very sweet kid.”

“Yes, he is. Thank you,” Wei Wuxian felt something calm in his heart. A-Yuan’s smile... that was why they had done all of this. This was what made all their hardships worth it, seeing a-Yuan grow and learn and be happy.

Now if only he could teach the kid to stop wandering away...

#5) A Teacup Wei Wuxian stared at the table and frowned, hands on his hips. He had wanted to surprise Lan Wangji by putting together a meal for them to share (and making sure it wasn’t spicy at all). Lan Wangji had been so busy with his new duties and Wei Wuxian knew how much his husband could use a break. A quiet evening together would be the perfect surprise.

But one of the teacups was missing. Wei Wuxian crouched and looked to see if it had rolled under the table and then looked under all the other furniture in the room. The little white cup was nowhere to be seen.

He could take out their second set, but he had already put food in this one. It would be silly to mess more dishes just for things to be “perfect.” Sighing, Wei Wuxian took out just a cup from the other set and placed it.

Lan Wangji didn’t comment on it when they sat together to eat, serving each other with the ease of ever-growing familiarity. His husband did smile, as if having a private joke, at the black teacup among the rest of the white dishes.

Ah.

Wei Wuxian hid his own smile as he drank from the cup itself. The parallel was pretty funny, now that he thought of it.

+1) A Home The early fall evening held the hint of coming chill, a crispness that was refreshing after the summer. Wei Wuxian breathed in deeply as he tended to the lotuses he and Lan Wangji had coaxed into growing among the rest of the garden.

The Cloud Recesses were quiet around him but for Lan Wangji’s playing, which wrapped out from the open Jingshi door. But Wei Wuxian remembered the sound of his little Lan students’ soft laughter, the sounds that were always coming from the communal kitchen during the day, and the sound of practice swords striking or music being perfected. The Cloud Recesses were rarely as quiet as their rules would imply.

Wei Wuxian leaned back on his heels to turn his gaze down toward the buildings that the Jingshi was set apart from. What filled him was contentment. He didn’t feel trapped, as his teen self would have pictured. He was older now, had been through a lot more and sometimes the quiet was nice. Soothing. Other times, it was fun to try and figure out how to flex those Lan rules. Kept his mind sharp!

Wei Wuxian was apprehensive to think of this as home. He had lost too many homes before. But as the years passed and he found himself with a place he would always be welcome... where kids laughed, where he got to be with his husband, where he got to see their son and nephew often, where Wen Ning has his own little space within walking distance... It was becoming harder and harder to resist the truth.

He’d found another home. Maybe this time, he’d get to keep it.

[aalissy]

A Text Away

Happy holidays @miraculous-gelli! I was your @mlsecretsanta this month! I really hope you enjoy this! I hope you’ve been having a great December!!

AO3

Marinette carefully checked the surroundings outside her balcony, making certain no one was around to see her before she transformed. In a quick flash of pink light, she became Ladybug and swooped out of her bedroom. Brilliant yellow lights twinkled under her as she used her yo-yo to swing over to the Eiffel Tower. Upon landing, she sat down on the edge, dangling her feet slightly as she overlooked her beautiful city.

“Well hello there, my beautiful lady,” Chat purred as he deftly landed beside her, barely making a sound.

“Hello kitty,” Ladybug turned her head to look over at him with a blinding smile.

His expression was eager as he waved his phone in the air, “I assume you haven’t forgotten what we agreed upon during our last patrol.”

Rolling her eyes, Ladybug brought out her own cellphone, “No, Chat, I did not. I just figured we would patrol first,” she arched her eyebrow at him. Her partner sat down next to her, bouncing slightly as he reached for her phone. She merely held it further away from his grasp, shooting him a pointed look as he pouted, “Remember, Chaton. This is for emergencies only. I don’t want to get any memes or random cat puns from you at 2 in the morning.”

“I purromise not to do that,” Chat wiggled his eyebrows at her, “Cat’s honor.”

“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” she muttered, handing the device over to him which he took eagerly.

He merely waved her off, quickly tapping his number in her contact list, “You know how absolutely purrfect this idea is. If one of us gets stuck in class during an akuma attack, we won’t be left wondering where the other is.”

“Yes, I remember the argument you brought up last patrol,” Ladybug’s lips pursed as she glanced down at the cellphone in her hands, “You did remember to buy a new cellphone, right? I don’t want to accidentally learn your identity if, by some random chance, I already have your contact information.”

Her words seemed to cause Chat to freeze for a moment before he looked up at her with a guilty smile. Ladybug’s eyes narrowed slightly as he paused his typing to squirm at her heated stare.

“Well, you see.”

“Chat!” her glare grew fiercer, about to yank her phone back out of his hands.

Her partner chuckled, holding his phone away from her as a bright smile lit up his face, “Relax, LB, I remembered the rules. Besides, I’m not going to miss out on the opportunity to text you.”

“For emergencies, Chat! Emergencies only!”

“Right, right,” he nodded seriously, “Emergencies.”

Pinching her nose tightly, Ladybug turned back to the device in her hands with an exasperated sigh, “I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?” she quickly tapped her number in before shoving the device at the superhero next to her, “Take it before I change my mind.”

Chat grabbed the phone with a cheeky smile, handing her own back to her before he extended his staff, “Guess I had better get started with patrol, then. Text ya later, bugaboo.”

“Get back here Chaton!” she called, rolling her eyes fondly before following after him with a quick twirl of her yo-yo. 

Patrol passed quickly as the two ran across rooftops, looking for any signs of trouble. Ladybug snuck several glances at her partner running parallel to her and noticed that he seemed much more energetic than before. With a quiet chuckle, she saw his own gaze dart to his phone multiple times. Luckily, they spotted no signs of trouble and the two parted ways with a few happy waves. The two of them then turned and arrived at their separate homes. 

With a mighty yawn, Ladybug landed on her balcony, releasing her transformation. Back to Marinette, she quickly opened her trapdoor and flopped down onto the bed that awaited her with a relieved groan, “Oh Tikki, I’m so tired. I feel like I could sleep for years.”

“Knowing you, you probably will, Marinette,” her kwami giggled as she floated above the girl’s head.

“You’re probably right,” she chuckled back before snuggling further into her pillow.

Just as Marinette was about to slip into the warm beckonings of sleep, the phone above her bed chimed with a notification. With a frustrated growl, she yanked the thing down, prepared to put it on Do Not Disturb when she noticed the contact info. Biting her lip to stifle a laugh, she opened the message.

Your Kitty: Is this Ladybug?

Rolling her eyes at his message, she hunched further back into her covers, typing a response.

Ladybug: No, this is just the only other girl you gave your new phone number too 🙄

Your Kitty: LB! It is you!

Ladybug: Who else would it be you silly kitty?

Ladybug: Also, did you really put Your Kitty in as your contact name??!!

Your Kitty: But of course bugaboo! Who am I if not your kitty 😿

Your Kitty: I can’t believe you only put yourself in as Ladybug! Aren’t we a little past formalities at this point? We’ve been guarding Paris together for a year and you decide to do something as boring as Ladybug?

Ladybug: Figured you’d put me in as Your Lady as soon as you could 🙄

Your Kitty: You’re not wrong 😹

Your Kitty: I assume you’ve already changed my contact name then?

With a light flush to her cheeks, Marinette hovered over the change name icon. Blowing out a breath, she kept the name and returned back to their conversation. Determined to keep Chat from learning this information, she changed the subject quickly.

Ladybug: Didn’t we agree that this number was to be used for emergencies only? Quit texting me and go to sleep!!

Your Kitty: I just wanted to make certain it was you, M’lady 🥺

Your Kitty: In fact, I’m still not completely certain...

Your Kitty: Can I call you just to make sure?

Ladybug: You have got to be kidding me 🙄

Your Kitty: Purrty please 🥺

Shooting a quick glance over at the kwami next to her, Marinette noticed Tikki watching her curiously, “Didn’t you say you were going to bed early, Marinette?” the small bug spoke, her eyes narrowing slightly.

“I know, I know, but it’s Chat. You know he won’t shut up unless he realizes that it’s actually me,” she sucked her lower lip into her mouth nervously. 

Tikki rolled her eyes, snuggling further into her pillow, “Well it’s up to you. Don’t forget that you have school tomorrow. Goodnight, Marinette.”

“Goodnight, Tikki,” she kissed the top of her kwami’s head before sliding down her ladder and collapsing into her desk chair. The chair spun slightly with the force of her jump and, gathering all her courage, she managed to press the call button. 

Marinette was barely allowed a small squeak before her call was immediately answered and a breathy voice greeted her, “Ladybug? Is it really you?”

It was a few seconds before she could respond, her eyes darting around the room in a panic before taking a deep breath, “Yeah, it’s me.”

A deep sigh emitted from her phone and she could practically picture her partner running a hand through his messy, blonde locks, “Good. I was getting worried there.”

“Yeah,” Marinette chuckled awkwardly. Silence settled around them and she squirmed in her chair uncomfortably, “Well, guess I had better go then. It’s getting pretty late! Goodnight!” she blurted out.

Her finger automatically went to press the end call button, when Chat’s panicked voice came through her phone, “Wait!”

“Did you need something else?” she nibbled her lip nervously.

“Well, no,” his sheepish voice entered her ears, “I just wanted to talk to you for a little longer. I still can’t quite believe we’re doing this.”

Marinette tsked sharply, “We’re not supposed to be, remember. This was for emergencies only.”

Chat chuckled deeply, “Now I really know you’re Ladybug. Only you would think of the rules at a time like this.”

“Well, they’re important, Chat,” her words betrayed her tone as a small smile spread across her lips.

“You’re smiling,” he sang out.

“No, I’m not,” Marinette scowled at him.

“Yes, you are.”

“Shut up.”

This time a comfortable silence settled between the two. Resting her head on the back of her seat, she swiveled her chair back and forth slowly. Her eyes drooped slightly and were then drawn over to Tikki who was slumbering adorably. A soft smile spread across her face and she prepared to say goodbye when Chat’s next words froze her.

“You know, sometimes you really remind me of someone. Especially your voice when we’re talking like this...”

Marinette froze before relaxing. Surely he hadn’t actually figured her out, she waved the panic away. Curiously, she asked, “Who do I remind you of?” 

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

She paled considerably as her blood froze. Panic flooded her as she began thinking rapidly, searching for something, anything, to dissuade him. Marinette’s eyes shot over to Tikki anxiously, almost expecting the kwami to have woken up and begin scolding her angrily. How has Chat managed to figure out her identity again? This is terrible!! He could get akumatized, she stood up from her chair and began pacing as she scolded herself.

Before she could speak and deny his claims, however, her partner spoke once again, “Don’t worry. I know you’re not her,” an almost regretful sigh escaped him and Marinette paused curiously at that, before he continued, “The battle against Kwambuster proved that. Still, I think you’d be very good friends!”

“Y-yeah, I’m sure we would,” she stuttered out, still shaking slightly, “I really need to get to bed now, though. I’ve got school tomorrow after all...”

“Oh,” Chat’s chipperness lowered and Marinette could practically see his ears drooping, “Well, goodnight m’lady. Text ya tomorrow!”

“Chat! You had better not!” her warning message was cut off, however, as her partner had ended the call. With an angry scowl, the designer quickly plugged her phone in before diving into bed. Tikki’s eyes blinked open to look at her once before slowly shutting once again. She giggled quietly before kissing the top of her kwami’s head, letting herself drift off as well. 

In typical Marinette fashion, she woke up five minutes before class was supposed to begin. With a strangled shriek, she threw herself off the bed, scrambling to get dressed and make it in time for first period. After changing into her usual clothes, her eyes darted over to Ladybug’s phone in panic as it let out a quiet chime. Yelping, Marinette dove for it, scanning the message in alarm as she listened for any sounds of an akuma attack.

Your Kitty: Good morning, M’lady 😸

“I’m gonna kill him,” Marinette grumbled, shoving the phone in her bag as she raced downstairs to grab a croissant before heading off to class. Kissing her parents goodbye, she ran outside to begin the trek to school. Bursting through the doors, she gasped in air as she apologized profusely. Mlle. Bustier gave her a disapproving look before handing her the worksheet for the day. Shrinking back sheepishly, she quickly grabbed it before ducking into her seat.

“You get enough sleep, girl? You look exhausted,” Alya commented as soon as she sat down.

Giving her best friend a tired smile, Marinette groaned, “I stayed up too late working on a new commission.”

Alya nodded with both sympathy and understanding, “I get you, girl. Just be careful, alright? I don’t want you overworking yourself.”

The designer grinned brightly over at her before turning back to look at Mlle. Bustier as she continued her lecture. Pulling out her notebook, Marinette began to doodle and design some new sketch ideas as she quickly finished her classes. Towards the end of her last class, however, the new phone in her purse buzzed and she glared down at in disbelief. Sneakily pulling out the device, she checked the text from her partner.

Your Kitty: Hope you had an absolutely pawsome day 😸

Ladybug: Emergencies ONLY!

Your Kitty: But my good morning texts to you are important 😿

Ladybug: You almost gave me a heart attack this morning stupid cat! I thought there was an akuma attack and I was already late for school!

There was a stifled snort in front of her and Marinette’s gaze was drawn towards the sound. Her mouth parted slightly in shock as she saw Adrien hunched over his desk, cradling his phone protectively as he seemed to be typing a response to someone. 

I didn’t think Adrien would ever be the type to text someone during class, her brow furrowed in confusion. 

Longingly, she wished that it was her texting Adrien right now, wondering who had managed to completely capture his attention. Pursing her lips slightly, Marinette was drawn out of her dreary thoughts by a buzz of the phone in her lap. 

Your Kitty: You? Late for class 🙀? LB, I never pictured you as the type. Next, you’ll tell me that you turn in homework late. Or, even worse... text during class!

She giggled quietly at his message. Biting her lower lip softly, Marinette contemplated what to type. Though she recognized the sound of a bell distantly, she ignored it and wrote out her message.

Ladybug: I’m certain that an honorable cat such as yourself would never be late for class then. And I can’t even begin to imagine you texting in class 😉

Your Kitty: Oh, fur sure, m’lady.

Your Kitty: Also, thank you for the wink 😻💚

Rolling her eyes, she began typing out another response when she was interrupted by a throat being cleared, “You coming, Marinette?” 

She blinked up into the bright green eyes of Adrien who was smiling down at her. It was then that she recalled the sound of a bell ringing and realized that the whole class was empty apart from them. Wincing, Marinette grabbed her backpack and stood up quickly, managing to stutter a response to her crush, “Y-yeah! Sorry! I guess I just lost track of time!”

“It’s alright. I did too,” he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

Her gaze darted down to the phone he was fiddling with before returning to his eyes. A light pink flush had overtaken his cheeks and she quickly averted her gaze. Returning to her half-typed message, Marinette finished it to avoid contemplating who could make Adrien lose track of time.

Ladybug: Oh, lap it up kitty, because that’s the only wink you’re going to get if you keep texting me and it’s not an emergency!

Pressing the send button, she looked up to see Adrien open his mouth before the buzz of a device broke the silence. Blinking, she looked down at her phone to see if Chat had actually texted her back that quickly. A frown creased her brow, however, when she was only met with her message. A deep chuckle in front of her caused her to look up as she saw Adrien looking down at his own phone with amusement.

Huh, her brow furrowed as he began typing, that was weird.

He finished typing rather quickly before looking back up at her with his dazzling green eyes. Marinette shuffled awkwardly for a second before feeling her phone buzz again. Swallowing quietly, she watched as Adrien’s eyes narrowed at her curiously before she looked down at the message from her partner.

Your Kitty: You wound me, bugaboo 😿

Tucking the phone back in her purse, she smiled brightly at him, “S-so, are you excited for the, um, weekend?”

He nodded almost absentmindedly at her as his gaze remained locked on her purse for a few more seconds. Eventually, he seemed to drag his eyes back to hers before raking a hand through his hair, “Yeah, definitely. What about you?”

“Course of,” Marinette clenched her eyes shut as she mentally face-palmed before correcting herself, “I-I mean of course.”

“Should we head out now?” a small smile twitched at Adrien’s cheeks as he jerked his head over to the door.

“Yep,” she mumbled quietly, shifting the bag on her shoulder nervously as she avoided eye contact with him. Opening the door, she headed out into the hallway and heard Adrien follow along behind her.

“So, I just have to ask,” his words broke through the quiet of the halls, “Was the Marinette Dupain-Cheng really texting during class?”

Her lips parted in surprise as she paused, swallowing nervously at the familiar conversation. Her crush stopped with her as he looked at her curiously. Clearing her throat, Marinette considered her answer to avoid stuttering, “I suppose I was. Don’t think I didn’t notice that you were also texting though, Adrien. I didn’t think that you were the type.”

Her eyes scanned his for any sense of recognition. Finding none, she let out a quiet breath of relief. Adrien’s lips quirked into a half-smile before he responded, “And here I thought I did a pretty good job of hiding it.”

“Yeah, if you count snickering at your phone in the middle of class hiding it,” Marinette chuckled before her eyes widened. Oh my god, did I actually just say a full sentence to Adrien without stuttering?! She squirmed uncomfortably for a moment as he seemed to search her own gaze for something.

A few more moments passed before the model in front of her opened his mouth and spoke, “You wound me, Marinette.”

A jolt of familiarity hit her and her mouth dropped open in shock. Her brow creased in confusion and disbelief before she brushed aside the weird feelings. Shaking her head at herself, she gave Adrien a small, uncertain smile before turning and beginning to walk once again.

“So, who was it that you actually allowed to text you during class?”

“A friend from work,” the practiced words fell from her mouth with ease. Not a lie, but not the full truth either, Marinette thought to herself with satisfaction. She regarded him from the corner of her eye before asking the question she was dying to know, “Who were you texting?”

A goofy grin overtook Adrien’s face as he glanced down at the phone in his hands, “Same as you, actually.”

Her chest constricted as she quickly looked away from her crush. A pretty model then, she thought to herself disappointedly. 

“No, no, not a model,” Adrien spoke beside her, causing her eyes to dart over to his own, “Though she definitely could be.”

Oh god, did I really say that out loud?! Marinette thought to herself in mortification. She sucked in a harsh breath through her teeth as she realized it must be a make-up artist or a pretty photographer. She shoved aside the thought that it could be one of the designers and quickened her step. Humming to him in response, she looked desperately at the door in front of her, willing it to come closer.

A quiet buzz sounded from within her purse and Marinette practically skidded to a stop. Her hand hovered over the clasp uncertainly before Adrien’s voice broke through her haze, “Aren’t you going to answer that. It could be that friend from work, you know...”

She swallowed, looking up at him to see him gazing down at her with a small, gentle smile. Giving him a shaky smile back, Marinette opened her purse, reaching for the device to check her texts.

Your Kitty: Have you ever considered modeling?

Hesitating, she peeked up at Adrien from beneath her lashes shyly. That small smile was still on his lips and she quickly returned to her phone.

Ladybug: Why do you want to know?

Marinette chewed her lip nervously after she sent the message. Squeezing her eyes shut, she listened for the small buzz of Adrien’s own phone. It came quickly and she opened one eye slowly as she watched him begin to type.

Your Kitty: Just from a conversation...

She sucked in a harsh, disbelieving breath as her hands shook slightly. She still managed to send the message though, this time watching Adrien’s phone intently. When it let out a telltale hum, her mouth dropped open with a quiet gasp.

Ladybug: I’ve always been more into designing to be completely honest...

Marinette watched as his gaze drifted up to hers, a questioning word falling from his lips, “M’lady?”

Her hand came up to slap her mouth in shock before lowering it slowly to respond, “Kitty?”

Suddenly, she was engulfed within a pair of arms and she let out a quiet squeak as she was spun around. Laughing loudly, Marinette buried her head in Adrien’s shoulder as he continued to spin them both around. Eventually, he put her down, tucking a wayward strand of hair back into her ponytail as he gazed down at her in awe. 

“I can’t believe this,” she whispered, her voice choking slightly, “Surely I’m dreaming.”

“No,” Adrien whispered, shaking his head down at her as a wide smile stretched across his face, “You’re not dreaming. Unless I’m dreaming too.”

“If I am dreaming, please don’t wake me up,” Marinette’s own voice dropped to a low murmur. 

One of his hands dropped down to squeeze her own tightly, “I won’t... but Marinette, I really need to ask you something. Am-am I the guy?”

She squeaked, ducking her head down shyly before nodding. A thumb lifted her chin back up to look at him, however, as Adrien smiled charmingly down at her. She blinked and suddenly her image of Chat and her image of Adrien merged together. I can’t believe I’ve never connected them together before, Marinette thought in wonder.

“C-could I kiss you, Marinette? Plea-”

Before he could finish asking, she crashed their lips together. Leaning up on her tip-toes, she wrapped her arms around his neck as his own came to wrap around her waist and tug her closer.

Eventually, Adrien pulled back for air and smiled smugly down at her, “Does this mean I can text you memes at 2 in the morning now?”

Marinette laughed loudly, nodding emphatically before pulling him down into another sweet kiss.

[prosopopeya]

New Year’s Meme

this survey has been a tradition among my friend group for YEARS, but i haven’t filled it out since 2015 apparently. i’m not entirely sure why except 2016 was the year a lot of stuff changed for me, namely in that i finally got out of school in some form and started a new job, but i also had a few health problems that kept plaguing me (thyroid medicine being off, vitamin d) and my anxiety was all over the place. so here we go i’m doing it again and feel free to do it too if you want!!

1. What did you do in 2020 that you’d never done before? tried on wedding dresses. taught virtually. dealt (poorly) with drunk teenagers. performed in a pep rally. wore face masks all the time. i’m going to lump in living with someone. jon moved in october 2019, but i don’t think i did this quiz last year so. taught ap.

2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions and will you make more for next year? i don’t really like resolutions. they put too much pressure on me and i am a fragile person when it comes to setting expectations and living up to them. i did want to try to read more this year, and i maintained that until the pandemic, and then just kind of gave up requiring myself to do anything but live.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? i don’t think so. a coworker did.

4. Did anyone close to you die? jon’s cousin committed suicide in march or april. the circumstances were pretty upsetting. um. andy died in february, very suddenly. andy was my high school boyfriend for four years with whom i had a very... he scarred me in a lot of ways when it comes to sex and consent. it’s taken me a long time to unpack all of that. and i struggle with how much any of that was his fault or just bc he was a stupid kid too. our mutual friends had nothing but nice things to say about him on fb. anyway. he would guilt me into saying he’d kill himself if we broke up, and jon’s cousin killed himself over his girlfriend. so that was a complex part of the year.

5. What countries did you visit? none. literally the week before the quarantine, we went to asheville to visit jon’s cousin.

6. What would you like to have in 2021 that you lacked in 2020? maybe a different job? or at least some peace at doing mine.

7. What date from 2020 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? march 13 we cancelled classes and had a technology training day; the 15th we had another one, and then we were virtual the rest of the term. it was such a sudden shift and while i so loved working from home tbh, it was such a relief after a supremely shitty january/february work-wise, i still had a lot of keyed-up, stressful days centered around transitioning to being the senior upper school spanish teacher. i hate it!

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? writing 50k in the month of november. i have literally never done that before and actively reject nano as being typically unhealthy for how my mind works, so it was nice to do it entirely by accident.

9. What was your biggest failure? mishandling the drunken teenagers on that field trip in january.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? i sit crosslegged in my virtual teaching chair and i did it so much that my ankle hurt for the entire summer.

11. What was the best thing you bought? we put a deposit on our elopement in ireland. jon’s wedding ring. (i didn’t buy my wedding dress.)

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? my best friend at work who keeps me sane and is represented by benny in my au, which other than the fact that he is not my sidepiece, is perfect he is crucial to my survival at work and i love him so much. (also he is gay and the french teacher so the benny parallels just keep coming). everyone who tore down a statue in virginia (and other places, but especially monument avenue). everyone putting their lives on the line during this pandemic.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? guess! but aside from all the obvious, i found out a friend of mine at work voted for trump. my work bff and i had been trying for years to sway his politics, but that had us both deciding to give up on him.

14. Where did most of your money go?  food, ALCOHOL. god., our savings account. i did a pretty excellent job saving this year, though a good deal of that is because jon moved in and makes more money than me, and also we split all the bills.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? my wedding dress but strangely only when i went to try it on after it came in bc after the purchase i was so sure i’d made every mistake possible. my wedding band. wellbutrin changing my whole life. and, last but certainly not least, the gay angel and the bi(lingual) hunter. i wouldn’t have survived nov-dec in school without that distraction. the election.

16. What song(s) will always remind you of 2020? the entirety of taylor swift’s oeuvre this year, maybe specifically “this is me trying”

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:  i. Happier or sadder? happier, i suppose, perhaps contrary to what should be the case, but wellbutrin is a hell of a drug. ii. Older or wiser? wiser. ii. Richer or poorer? richer.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? reading. cleaning. exercising.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? stressing. chaperoning.

20. How will you be spending Christmas? so, an update; last year was the first year i didn’t go to my mom’s for christmas. i was supposed to see her for thanksgiving last year, but she basically told us not to come bc she wasn’t feeling up to it (cool!), and we went to jon’s for christmas and my mom’s for new year’s. 

this year, obviously we couldn’t go to my mom’s. instead, we rented a little cabin by the lake. it was perfect; it was really really nice inside, the beds were SO SOFT, the pillows were the best things i have ever laid my head on, like i took off the pillowcases to try to find the brand. we had a little tiny christmas tree with tiny ornaments from walmart that we decorated. the 23rd, we went and picked up our wedding bands. we slept two nights in the (cold) back bedroom so i could wake up and look out at the lake. it snowed for christmas. :)

we opened presents on christmas eve, per jon’s family’s tradition. on christmas eve, we also went to his family farm and sat outside and hung out a little. every year his family does like a secret santa sort of thing and i got my first present in that exchange, which is notable bc jon and i are not yet officially married. i got a remote control car -- jon’s idea bc i couldn’t think of anything, and he was so delighted to hear that i loved playing with rc cars when we went to the beach as a kid.

christmas morning we facetimed my parents and opened some presents together. then jon and i marathoned mandalorian (after spending the previous few days watching several die hard movies), and then we watched wonder woman 1984 which was a bad movie.

21. How will you be spending New Year’s Eve? ok LAST year for new year’s, we were in a hotel room, so that was nice, bc it meant minimal stress with my parents. i had always wanted to go to this restaurant near us that has a special new year’s menu, so we did that. the night before or after i think we went to cheesecake factory, which was also amazing.

this year currently i’m tumbling and he’s playing pokemon, and in a bit we’ll try to time it so we finish schitt’s creek in time for the new year.

22. Did you fall in love in 2020? i re-fell in love with supernatural so that was nice.

23. How many one-night stands? 0. i submit we should randomly change question 23 each year to something more relevant to any of our life experiences.

24. What was your favorite TV program? what did i even watch this year. schitt’s creek. mandalorian. i mean obviously we know supernatural. the circle. are you the one (the queer season). pose. unsolved mysteries. we’re here! perry mason. watchmen. oh maybe that mcdonald’s monopoly fraud documentary. avenue 5. i’ll be gone in the dark. of those i think my favorite maybe is... pose or we’re here.

OKAY UM. on my 2014 version of this there were a bunch of questions about tv shows that i’m putting back in if only for the memories:

25. Which TV shows did you start watching in 2020? the haunting of bly manor, which we still need to finish. derry girls.

26. Which TV shows did you let go of in 2020? HERE’S WHY I WANTED TO RESURRECT THESE. here was my answer in 2015: “supernatural. goodbye, my sweet prince.” CAN YOU EVEN FUCKING BELIEVE

27. Which TV shows did you mean to get into but didn’t in 2020? Why? so far, queen’s gambit and that one on hulu with catherine the great. EVENTUALLY. 28. Which TV shows do you intend on checking out in 2020? fleabag. queen’s gambit. 29. Which TV show do you think you might let go of in 2020 unless things significantly improve? idk i drop things pretty regularly if they don’t entertain me 30. Which TV show impressed you least in 2020? GUYS HERE’S MY ORIGINAL 2015 ANSWER: “supernatural. :(”

anyway back to the rest of the quiz:

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? every person who refuses to listen to facts and information.

26. What was the best book you read? killers of the flower moon: the osage murders and the birth of the fbi, or the his dark materials series.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery? well i knew about tswift so i’m not going to count her albums. i will count this song that jon played for me once in the car that got stuck in my head for two weeks straight and led me down into a great related-songs spotify playlist: through the roof ‘n underground.

28. What did you want and get? a wedding dress and a very specific kind of wedding band. a gay angel. a christmas getaway. animal crossing.

29. What was your favorite film of this year? idk i don’t know how many films i saw this year. maybe mucho mucho amor: the legend of walter mercado

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? i was 32. we went to an escape room with a BUNCH of people -- work bff, my old work bff and his wife (old bc he quit and we’ve fallen out of touch :(), the cool new physics teacher and his fiancee, and the aforementioned trump voter and his wife, before we knew... we went out for brunch/lunch after. it was pretty great!

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? not having to chaperone that school trip in january. dean being bi in english as well as spanish. cas just ilke, appearing in 15x20. not having to physically go back to work this fall.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2020? no! real! pants!

34. What kept you sane? jon. supernatural (in a way?). animal crossing for a while. wellbutrin! i haven’t really been able to detail this yet, but finally i did something about tumblr and my therapist making me think about adhd. my doctor gave me wellbutrin (bc i lack any official diagnosis and was on anxiety meds anyway, and he was like let’s try this!) and it’s fucking. it’s a fucking godsend. surprisingly enough, my students. trying to provide them a safe space has been a calming thing for me.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? jensen ackles’ silence. misha collins again, i guess.

36. What political issue stirred you the most? the summer was so fucking intense. i guess though it was me trying to exert my influence in a responsible way with my students without trying to try to make them feel uncomfortable but then one kid was a vocally upset trump supporter after the election and i had to try to defuse that situation.

37. Who did you miss? my old work bff. several old friends that i’ve fallen out of touch with bc i have no object permanence.

38. Who was the best new person you met? people i met through the spn resurgence!

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2020: if you manifest it in an au, it will come. no really though. maybe that expectations are only as important as i make them out to be.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: usually i have a hard time coming up with anything for this and i default to looking at my most played songs of the year. my most played song of the year received each and every one of its plays within the month of november and you can guess why. anyway see if this works

I had all and then most of you Some and now none of you Take me back to the night we met I don't know what I'm supposed to do Haunted by the ghost of you Take me back to the night we met - the night we met, lord huron

[masjestickingdom]

Parallel Lives

Pairing: NCT x reader

Genre: Lighthearted, slight fluff, one shot 

Summary: You’re a studious university who’s on summer break, spending your spare moments with your best friend. After a random statement is thrown into the conversation, you and your friend wonder what it’s like to be in NCT’s position. Little do you know that your idols are simultaneously pondering about your position as a normal college student.

Note: Here’s a simple, sweet scenario that I wrote! Even though it’s simple, I really wanted to post this because it’s a nice, exciting thought to have a crossover conversation... Imagine if you were thinking about the same thing at the same time of your favorite idol! Anyway, I also thought it was important to post this to point towards the life experiences everyone has. While this story doesn’t cover every one of those experiences, I think it covers the bigger topics (youth, hate, missing out on experiences, dreams, etc) that I personally think about a lot, so I hope you enjoy! 

______________________________________________________________ 

   As a university student, you have worked your butt off to get good grades and make connections with your professors, upperclassmen, and peers. When you were a high school student, you didn’t care about any of that. In fact, you were the shy one and you got away with it because, hey, it was high school. Fast forward a few years ahead and here you are in the present day, socializing with every human being you could possibly get in touch with. What for, though?

   “For what are we grinding this hard?” you wonder out loud, grabbing your nth piece of chicken.

   Your friend sighs in agreement, spreads out her long legs over the table you both paid for, and rests them adjacent to the boxes of chicken and coke you ordered over half an hour ago.

   Exams are finally over, and you decide to spend the night on the balcony with your roommate, who’s also your best friend, before your two-month internship, which you earned in part to your networking skills. It’s a nice, breezy summer night. It’s one of those nights you want to enjoy in peace and quiet, staring off into the limitless expanse of the dark, but shimmery sky.

   You reach out for another piece of chicken when your friend chuckles at something on her phone.

   “What?” you ask with your mouth nearly full.

   “Nothing, it’s just this really funny meme about NCT,” your friend says with glee. “Very relatable, by the way.”

   NCT, one of the hottest international sensations taking the world by storm alongside living legends, BTS and BlackPink, according to news outlets, is a name you haven’t heard in a while. Personally, you used to be an avid fan since the SMRookies days. You kept up with the appearances they made as trainees in EXO’s EXO 90:2014 series, the cameos in music videos (including the ones in EXO 90:2014), the variety show Mickey Mouse Club, and the videos SM Entertainment would randomly post. As time went on, sadly, the determination to be informed of the latest news withered as your priorities changed upon entering your sophomore year of high school. Sure, you heard news here and there and occasionally checked out their social media accounts, but when you entered college, that was a territory you failed to explore. Other than awards and comebacks, you hadn’t heard much of NCT once you had indulged yourself in your studies, and everyone else around you were doing the same thing.

   It has been quite some time since you were curious about the idols. Your friend’s sudden comment on them resurfaced old fangirl feelings, luring you into an interesting discussion of NCT, idols, and life in general.

   “Another exam to go until graduation, another test to assess loyalty, another test closer to our deathbeds,” you mumble grumpily.

   At the abrupt foul tone that consumed your voice, your friend raised her eyebrows questioningly.

   “And an internship to be a prospect of a permanent employee for some company to work for others--exciting, right?” you said sarcastically before you took a long sip of ice-cold, refreshing coke, which did nothing to restore your mood.

   Understanding what you were getting at, your best friend calmly nodded.

   “They’re living their best lives,” she says, referring to NCT.

   You let a bitter smile form on your lips as memories about mistreatment and mismanagement whiz past your mind. “Or behind the curtains..."

   “They could be just like us,” your friend finishes off. “Tired, overworked, maybe even frustrated.”

   A soft smile overtakes your bitter one. “But probably in a different way.”

   “What would it be like to be an idol?” your friend sighs dreamingly.

   “What would it be like to be a college student?” a silver haired boy ponders aloud.

   His purple haired younger friend, Haechan, who’s grilling meat, replies ambiguously, “Stressful, Yuta. Pretty stressful.”

   “Probably fun too,” green haired Jaehyun chimes in. “Engaging with lots of people the first few weeks of school, trying out different clubs, and finding a way to fit in--that all sounds fun to me.”

   The optimistic boy joins Haechan in the adventure of grilling meat, switching with Taeyong’s position as a meat griller. While the rest of the boys prepare the dining table, placing the setting with kitchen utensils and side dishes being prepared by Taeyong, Doyoung, and Johnny, Yuta admires the busy streets of the city, listening for the distant sounds of cars honking and pedestrians screaming, with the cool night air breezing past his newly dyed hair. It certainly is one of the best ways he and the members could possibly enjoy the rare moments of freedom.

   At the sound of a whistle, Yuta is pulled from his cloud of thoughts, and he looks over his shoulder, nodding to his not-so-secret favorite member of the group at the simple gesture of a hand that urged him to go inside and help bring out the dishes.

   “We’ll never experience the glamor of getting dolled up almost everyday,” you state solemnly.

   “Or have fans,” your friend pitches in.

   “Or see famous celebrities literally every day.”

   “Or experience the trainee days, everyone trying to bring everyone down, or haters trying to drag you out once you gain fame.”

   You throw a strange glance at your friend for that last statement.

   “What?” she says, shrugging nonchalantly. “We need drama in our lives, or else life’s boring.”

   Shaking your head, you chuckle at her unique take on an abstract concept.

   A moment of silence engulfs the two of you as both of you fall deep in your thoughts.

   There was never a quiet moment under the roof of NCT, and tonight is no exception.

   “Hey, isn’t the beef really good?” Yuta’s favorite member, Mark, speaks, delighted at the flavors bursting in his mouth.

   “Haechan, don’t you dare pull a prank on us with coke and vinegar ever again,” Taeyong scolds the youngest member, recovering from his gagging session, while Johnny and Taeil are still chugging down glasses of water to get rid of the aftertaste. “Is it really necessary to do any of this?”

   “Sorry, mom, my hand itched,” the prankster smiles innocently.

   “Didn’t Haechan grow a lot?” you bring up, breaking the quietness.

   Your friend gulps down her coke before pointing out, “Isn’t he the same age as us?”

   Your crane your neck, your head now tilting sideways. “He is?”

   “Crazy, isn’t it?” your friend responds. “The majority of the Dreamies are the same age as us.”

   “Yuta, didn’t you say something about college?” Mark asks, chowing down pieces of watermelon.

   The older boy nods. “Wouldn’t it be fun to experience it? None of us went to college.”

   Taeyong uncomfortably shifts on the bench at the mention of college. 

    Like Yuta mentioned, none of the members of NCT went to college and probably won’t go because it’s not a likely option, considering their packed schedules. He knows that the mere mention of it can bring down the mood because for them, college represents the definition of normalcy, the life of a normal person, and with them not going to college or graduating high school, he doesn’t want them to have a chance to regret or have second thoughts.

   “Imagine if they visited our college for one day,” your friend mused.

   Extending your short arm to pour yourself another cup of coke, you wheeze between your breaths, “Hey, I bet that the professors would ask for autographs.”

   “Yeah, I think we wouldn’t stand a chance in the classes,” Johnny laughs, adding ice to his coke. “They would be too advanced for us to understand anything.”

   Yes, Taeyong let the conversation flow. He even joined in on the conversation a few times. He didn’t want to ruin the mood by switching the topic in a way that could be nothing short of a very obvious attempt, and if he didn’t say something, his group members, his family, would notice.

  “It would be nice to make new friends, right?” Yuta expresses. “New people to dance with, sing with, do sports with..."

   “I think Yuta’s tired of our awful soccer skills,” Jaehyun replies humorously.

   “I feel like they would say that they would want to make new friends, but it all depends on your personality,” you say, tucking your hands behind your head. “I only have you.”

   Your friend laughs, replicating your movements. “Loser, I’m on the same boat as you.”

   “Wouldn’t it be nice to go to game rooms or comic book stores?” Mark carries on as he stretches his arms out to the sky.

   “Wouldn’t it be nice to be your own karaoke room or be able to dance the trends?” you fancy.

   “Or be the trend,” your friend adds.

   “I just want to sleep,” Johnny murmurs, lazily dragging his feet across the floor to the cushioned bench placed against the white walls. Turning his large body so that his body faces the wall, he hugs an available pillow with his legs and remarks, “Idol or student, you don’t get to sleep that much.”

   “It would be nice to work hard for something that you know you want to do,” you dream. “We have no clue what to do in the future. Most of us blindly study and get internships.”

   Just then, a bright stream of light passes your eyes, and your eyes widen.

   “Did you see that? That was a shooting star!” Jungwoo exclaims, his eyes mirroring the sparkling trail.

   Everyone looks up at the sky even though the moment has well passed.

   “We’re living under the same sky as them, so how are our worlds so different?” you say without much energy, staring at the now dark sky. “I bet they were pitted against each other at some point in their trainee lives, but here they are in this world. Years of friendship, what would that be like?”

   Slightly offended, your friend sits up from her resting position. “Hey, we’ve been friends since middle school.”

   “Do you remember the time when you were young and saw your favorite artists on tv?” Doyoung reminisces.

   “They’re the reasons why I became one,” Haechan concurs.

   Taeyong thoughtfully fixates his eyes on where the shooting star once was, his arms acting accordingly.

   “They were so young when they were casted,” you whisper. “It’s kind of sad when you think about it.”

   Another wave of silence overwhelms you. Your friend spares another look at you and watches you stretch your hands to the sky, hands shaped as if you are taking a snapshot of your view.

   She responds with a quiet voice of her own, “Some of them didn’t even plan on being an idol.”

   Taeyong’s hands retract to his sides. “I remember when I first met you guys. I’m really glad that we have each other.”

   The sappy moment comes to an abrupt end when Johnny’s snores take over.

   You turn your head over to your friend who is fast asleep.

   Eyes averting to the inky sky once again, you contemplate quietly, “I wonder what they’re doing now.”

   Meanwhile, the boys are trying to stuff a sock in Johnny’s mouth to muffle his snores. Taeyong, not participating, stays in the background and enjoys the last bit of their night of freedom.

[krolock-in-the-snowlock]

My Full Commentary on Broadway’s Dance of the Vampires

Turns out there’s so much that this is going to have to be split into two posts! These are my full, unedited, out-of-context ramblings as I watched the production, so prepare for it to be all over the place and chaotic! I also did a slightly shorter review of sorts here!

But here we go... Act 1!

• Huh. This is not Alfred in the snow

• Why are there three children in the forest

• This song is boring. To be fair their voices are nice but I’m still bored. This feels like Disney ugh

• God these jokes are awful and I can’t tell if they’re funny or not

• Whyyyyy is there a jokes every 5 seconds and WHAT ARE THEY DOING IN THE FOREST

• Oh my god why are they getting high on mushrooms

• wAIT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO BE SARAH HOLY SHIT

• WHY IS SHE WITH PEOPLE ARE THEY HER SIBLINGS

• WHY IS SHE OUTSIDE

• I feel like they’re foreshadowing Krolock’s arrival

• I want to get this over with already and see Krolock but I don’t want to see Crawford butcher his poor character

• What is going on why are they dancing, is this Carpe Noctem already

• Why are they just carrying them around

• The lights are nice but that’s about as far as I can compliment this

• The dancers (I’m guessing vampires even though I swear I heard a wolf howl) look like they just got off of Cats and either think they’re still in Cats but just wandered onto the wrong stage or just never recovered from being cats for so long and can tragically no longer move like normal humans (or vampires, whatever)

• The rock music is pretty cool I’ll give them that

• But I still don’t see where they’re going with this

• OH SHIT

• WHY DID A COFFIN LITERALLY RISE OUT OF THE GROUND

• IT’S GONNA BE KROLOCK ISN’T IT

• WHYYY

• God has left the building what the fuc-

• It sounds like he’s about to start a really sad rave

• Is that Krolock’s voice oh god please no

• Also THEY ARE NOT IN A BUILDING THEY ARE IN A FOREST

• I get that Krolock breaks the fourth wall in Die Unstillbare Gier but that is no excuse for this aAaAa

• I’m both scared and morbidly excited to unpause the video

• This feels on the same level of what kind of acid trip hallucination parallel universe have I landed in as seeing the Cats film in the cinema in that I’m both scaredly laughing and like fuck it what have I got to lose I’m here for the ride no matter what the next two hours may throw at me

• Oh god here I go

• Why are they applauding this is horrifying

• Is that a bloody top hat jesus christ

• Also I’m sorry but what kind of coffin is that big

• NO

• NO

• NONONONO

• I CAN’T THIS IS HORRIBLE

• COUNT GIOVANNI

• WHAT IS THAT VOICE

• Sarah sounded like Giofuckingvanni impersonating Sarah

• Did he just say you are a person

• And how old are you??? Where is the mystery?? Why does he sound like an old grandpa talking to the girl behind the checkout at the supermarket

• Ok I went back to check and no he said you are perfect and tbh that’s not much better she isn’t a product Giovanni

• Like yeah Krolock would probably be thinking that but he would never say it so plainly

• 18 in three days oh my god is her birthday on halloween

• Why does she talk like a 6 year old

• Oh no I’m sorry not just halloween but the total eclipse of the moon

• Gotta get the phrase total eclipse in there early

• At midnight huh sarah??? You were born at midnight???? And you care about that at 18-in-3-days??

• Issa too good excUSE ME?

• He sounds like a looney tunes character

• Is he talking to the audience

• Is this actually deadpool in disguise with all the fourth wall breaking because please that would be so much better than this trainwreck

• And Deadpool would never do this to poor TdV

• And your name, no don’t tell me… Sarah he’s not a cheap magician ugh (or tbh maybe Giovanni is)

• And now the einladung zum ball/tanzsaal music is playing… what is going to happen here

• I was gonna say finally something familiar but nope these lyrics are so wrong

• I know they can’t be exactly the same but they could have at least kept the meaning similar

• Like, what the hell is an original sin

• I was gonna roast the lyrics some more but I’m gonna be honest I’m not sure what he’s saying

• Endless researching? Ambronsius who? Awful word choice and I’m hating the repeated original sin thing he’s got going on

• Sei bereit????? So they’re keeping the German there???? Why??? Be prepared is the same number of syllables???

• Also what are they doing?? Merging einladung zum ball with gott ist tot or totale finsternis or what??

• Oh they said turn around… so not the literal translation, just the Bonnie Tyler lyrics, huh? That doesn’t even make sense. He’s in front of her already

• I’m sorry, since she’s been born??

• I’m mad that his voice is good because he could have performed in a faithful adaption and been a great Krolock but no he had to ruin everything and now we won’t get a good english version thanks michael

• It’s time to feed? Really?

• Oh so we are doing totale finsternis already

• We’re barely 11 minutes in and they’ve already used up two of the best songs in the musical?

• Also if Sarah and Krolock meet so early on, what’s gonna take up the first act? What’s gonna take the place of totale finsternis at act 2?

• The use of total eclipse of the heart definitely feels like an intentional joke here rather than just jim recycling his old stuff, and honestly it kind of works like that (though that’s only because this whole thing so far seems like one big parody)

• But if they don’t do the harmonies I’m gonna be so mad

• Or maybe I should just consider it a blessing tbh

• Nobody could ever beat drew and diana

• You’re so cool just because that’s what I think when I see Krolock that doesn’t mean that fits Sarah’s personality or what Krolock is supposed to be achieving (also Giovanni is most certainly Not Cool)

• Where I’ve paused it at 12:12 it looks like a meme. Crawford looks like he regrets everything and can I just say michael so does everybody else

• He looks like a potato or a rock or that neutral nicolas cage face that people put on the sequin cushion

• I hate that I kind of laughed at ‘and does he love me?’ ‘…Sarah.’

• She looks like a barbie doll

• Is he biting her already??

• Oh was he licking her neck?

• Why… don’t you celebrate… your birthday… at my castle? Oh my god

• This sounds like a poorly written krolock/reader wattpad fanfic

• Which is actually quite accurate

• He will return with the tails??

• He can’t gift her the sponge if the significance of the sponge hasn’t already been establisheddd

• It feel like lol aren’t i so random rawr xd

• Though giovanni would highkey be like that on myspace

• Also just saying, the sponge krolock gives to her in tdv is much more impressive than that normal sized sponge, up ur game giovanni

• And that’s just it????? He says ciao bella like a creepy mario then sinks into the ground again???

• How dare they use those nice choral harmonies for that scene

• Ah, 14:17 and I should go to bed but I sure don’t look forward to the garlic that I hear coming up

Day 2: Garlic

• And we’re back for round 2!

• So far garlic seems to have a similar vibe to the original, probably because the original was pretty dumb

• Yeah pretty much the same as the original

• But if there’s no frozen alfred and professor yet, what’s even going on?

• And that’s over

• Oh so they’re just gonna arrive like that, no drama or anything?

• Ew why does alfred sound like that? He might as well be gaston

• Oh so they’re mentioning Krolock by name??? When they’re supposed to be pretending he doesn’t exist?

• Oh so that was a mistake by an idiot, I see. Was this in the original?

• The whole smelling like feet thing is kind of funny, I hate to admit it. It’s just a shame it doesn’t fit Alfred’s character

• All in all, ignoring the fact that alfred is all wrong and not frozen, this scene is going pretty well. The jokes are quite good

• Huh who is this supposed to be??

• Oh my gOD IT’S GIOVANNI

• AND HIS STUPID ISSA TOO GOOD

• I really hate that I kind of enjoyed that reveal on some level

• But why????

• Where is koukol

• That silk is not going to be enough for sarah’s ballgown, I hate to break it to you Giovanni

• All of these modern phrases like I leave the door open and put it on my tab just don’t fit

• At this point I’ve decided to stop trying to take Giovanni seriouslg. This is a parody in my eyes

• Ah we’re at logic round 1 huh?

• It’s a shame the only bits so far that they’ve kept fairly accurate are the parts I never liked as much

• Oh my god is giovanni visiting the house as a bat???

• I��m not entirely certain who this other guy is… chagal?

• Frickin idiots really giovanni?

• Oh so koukol doesn’t even exist???

• Is his name morris??

• This is weird

• Ah finally sarah is in the bath

• But it’s in her room???

• Did she call alfred tasty?? You’re not a vampire yet sarah

• They’re both way too outgoing and confident ugh it’s wrong

• Where’s all the cute awkward clumsiness and interactions?

• Ok so alfred’s diary stuff is funny but it’s not alfred. Like, he was probably thinking some of this stuff but he wouldn’t say it, especially not like that

• Well chagal is less sexist and abusive here which is nice but ultimately removes sarah’s motivations

• A blood transfusion??

• I don’t even know what to say, these jokes are kinda gross

• Orange and black crepe paper? A pumpkin?? The prophecy thing? This is just stupid

• The pumpkin probably would scare giovanni away though

Sarah and Alfred’s duet doesn’t work when they’re both in THE SAME ROOM

• This is boring ugh they just met but not even in the way they did originally

• Where’s krolock to invite her to the ball? Oh wait, they already met, and it’s giovanni

• Dammit I love the einladung zum ball scene

• Did they even check blood types?? Oh wait it’s 18whatever supposedly

• Ew they’re supposed to bond over sponges not journals

• Oh here’s chagal’s gross song. Marginally less gross in this context to be fair but still

• Ha no one will abuse you except for you huh chagal

• Oh bye I guess chagal

• NO THAT BAT IS AWFUL OH MY GOD

• WHY DID THEY DO THIS

• GIOVANNI NO

• WHAT IS HE SINGING

• This is horrible

• Where’s the drama, the impressive teleportation, the cape swishing, the mystery, the music?

• Issa me! He might have just as well gone and said Itsa me, Mario!

• This is a crime

• He genuinely thinks she’s a princess nOOOOOO

• Krolock would never

• But I guess giovanni is just Like That

• Krolock wouldn’t complain about the smell, he would pull a face but that would be it

• The joke about the mirrors..? Is giovanni really that stupid or is he self aware and is joking with the audience?

• And the way he just stands there facing the audience in silence as they laugh… he’s got to be self aware

• Also this whole thing is so stupid in its attempts to be funny that I bet we won’t even get die unstillbare gier because giovanni could never pull off anything so genuine or serious (nor could any of the others though)

• Oh god are they semi doing einladung zum ball with the never enough stuff? But it’s not even dramatic or powerful enough ughhh

• Nooooo they made it sound all sappy and romantic when it’s supposed to be dark and commanding and… I don’t even have the words to describe it but no this is awful

• Also the lyrics feel so much more shallow than the original… and the original was so full of what was probably too many syllables that this just feels empty and drawn out

• Oh I’ve got it! Giovanni is like trying to convince her kindly like, oh sarah, that would never be enough for you, darling whereas krolock is stating a powerful fact, he’s like that would never be enough. Krolock knows that she knows and is just kind of showing her that he understands her and she should join him.

• Also michael if you sing the long note at the end, it needs to be meaningful, powerful, entrancing, inviting, exciting, dark, strong. You can’t just do a weedy weak version with no power and no meaning or purpose to the scene

• Why is mars rising

• Oh is it supposed to be a blood moon I bet it is

• This is new…

• The lyrics are all hey sarah, you can do whatever cool stuff you want, the dark side is fun haha

• There’s no story, no appeal to her character development or deeper motivations

• The staging is boring. They’re just stood there. Like two pigeons aimlessly squawking at each other, only one pigeon has decided it won’t shut up

• Giovanni’s makeup and hair are all wrong too

• Dear god only 45 minutes in

• Oh so chagal is frozen and bitten at the very least

• Oh magda and mrs chagal are both singing

• The harmonies are nice, I’ll give them that

• Ah here he goes

• Ew why is he a dog

• Oh mrs krolock is back

• Ooh manipulative he lies

• Ew alfred no kissing without asking first

• And here’s draussen ist freiheit

• Oh but it’s not about freedom, it’s bravery instead

• Why has it got a a dance beat now

• Oh no giovanni’s voice is ruining everything again

• Every time I think the music is actually alright, giovanni’s weaselly voice ruins everything

• Ah finally the end of act 1, though lesss cool when not on a house

• At only 1 hour and 4 minutes, we’ve done it. Halfway through. This is where things should start getting good but of course that probably won’t happen.

• Wait we didn’t even get gott ist tot

• Oh no here it is

• Sounds like they’re keeping it the same

• Ok michael you’re not doing too badly

• *cough* But hey that’s probably because you’re sticking to the source material *cough*

• Ah ok now it’s the end of act 1 at 1 hour, 6 minutes and 30 seconds.

• And what an hour, 6 minutes and 30 seconds they’ve been

• So, before we move on, a quick summary:

• The better parts are the parts where they actually stick to the source material

• Giovanni is the polar opposite of Krolock and therefore cannot even be called Krolock

• The jokes are awful but sometimes funny

• I’m dreading act 2

• Dear god we haven’t even seen herbert yet

• And if sarah is already at the castle, is totale finsternis even going to happen again?

• I guess we’ll find out whether we want to or not in…

Part 2!

[yellowmagicalgirl]

Destiny's Pawn Left Turn: what if Douxie never escaped Merlin's mind control?

I underestimated how long it would take me to do my math/chemistry homework when I reblogged the meme yesterday, sorry it took so long (requests are still open btw)

So, the easy answer to this is also the bad ending: Douxie and Krel kill each other. Douxie, while mind controlled, deliberately stabs through Krel’s core. In this same moment, Krel accidentally stabs through Merlin’s amulet. They hold each other as they die, Douxie still in the armor but able to resist once more, and Toby and Steve come through a second wormhole several minutes later only to find Douxie’s corpse cradling a broken life core.

But that’s depressing, so here’s a slightly different answer: what if Mordred never escaped Merlin’s control. Aka I am about to make Mordred even more of a woobie than he was in the fic. In the canon of Destiny’s Pawn, Mordred was released from Merlin’s control after he killed Arthur, and was able to escape when he found out that Merlin had cut off Morgana’s hand. But in this turn of events, Merlin realized too late that Mordred’s loyalty would never be what it was, so he doesn’t release control. Over the centuries between the Battle of Camlann and the Battle of Killahead Bridge, Mordred is kept in stasis, only brought out as a weapon. When Gawain resists Merlin, Merlin gloats about how he invented a false prophecy to get a living weapon. Mordred then kills his cousin. During the fleeting moments where Mordred is going in or out of stasis, he isn’t under Merlin’s control, but what are a few fleeting moments of being his own person compared to all the violent acts that Mordred is forced to commit? What are a few fleeting moments compared to years of dreamless sleep?

A girl with skull earrings invites Claire to join the Battle of the Bands. This girl has enough tact not to mention that the band that she plays the guitar for, Ash Dispersal Pattern, will probably crush the competition. Logan gets freaked out when his classmate orders raw meat, dripping with blood.

Krel does not grow up with a soulmate. He is perfectly fine with this. He feels bad for Aja, having someone who is supposedly destined to be the perfect spouse for her, and never being allowed to meet and love her. He is happy he does not have a soulmate. Krel stays on Earth, and when Steve calls complaining that the world is going to end again, Krel meets up with his friends, a talking cat, and a girl with pink hair. Zoe has never had a friend who understands what it’s like to be supernatural, so she ends up telling them about her being the Lady of the Lake far sooner than Archie would have liked. Zoe and Krel end up bonding over engineering, because out of pity she comes over to help fix Krel’s house.

Merlin reveals that he is evil. He cuts off Claire’s hand, and Jim steals it back at the cost of his own soul. AAARRRGGHH!!! leaves Arcadia because the trolls need as many trollhunters as they can get.

Merlin goes to reawaken the knights that are loyal to him. And then he goes to reawaken his weapon. What are a few fleeting moments where Mordred is his own person? They are enough for his wrist to explode into cyan light. For the first time since he killed Arthur, Mordred starts to smile. Merlin frowns. A soulmate is a bond that Merlin can’t control, a defect in his weapon. And so, Merlin removes this defect.

Krel already had a human form when he received his soulmate’s name, so the name Mordred Pendragon is emblazoned in pale blue on his right wrist in both his human and Akiridion forms. Out of all the knights they face, Mordred is the creepiest. His eyes glow the same green as the amulet pressed into his armor, and unlike the other knights Mordred never gloats. He fights them with near-silent deadly accuracy. Krel starts wearing his watch on his right wrist instead of his left, hating the sight of the name on his wrist.

The Guardians of Arcadia (and Claire) work on a device that they can use to remove the mind control from Jim. They only have one shot, though, so they all understand that they’ll have to be perfect.

They aren’t perfect. Jim and Mordred attack at the same time. The Guardians try to save Jim from being controlled, but he dodges the blast as he crushes an emerald in his hand. And then Mordred falls to his knees, all his floating daggers falling around him and turning to fog as they. His armor gives one last sputter of green light, and it disappears from him. The amulet falls to the ground. Mordred stares at his right arm and the stump it ends in, and then he looks up towards the Guardians of Arcadia, who are all staring at him in shock. Their device worked, but for he wrong person. His eyes are gold, and tears are beginning to form in them.

“Thank you.” Mordred’s voice sounds like, aside from a single agonized scream, he hasn’t used it in a very long time.

Krel isn’t sure what a good way to bring up the fact that he’s Mordred’s soulmate. And so he doesn’t. After all, Mordred does not have Krel’s name on his right wrist, so there’s the possibility that they’ve always been unrequited. Maybe Krel isn’t supposed to have formed a relationship with Mordred, anyways, maybe he was supposed to just save him from Merlin’s control.

Instead of a prosthetic hand, Zoe and Krel turn the amulet into a pendant that will protect Mordred from Merlin’s control. Mordred demonstrates that he can fight with only one hand. Fighting is all he has been doing, so he’s gotten good at it. But, he doesn’t know what to do afterwards. He ends up living with one of the other Arcadia kids other than Krel. Mordred apologizes each time he wakes someone up because he wakes up screaming from violent memories turned into nightmares. The modern world confuses him. Someone signs him up for (a fake) birth certificate and makes sure that he is vaccinated. (Zoe does not realize that she dodged a bullet because someone made sure that Mordred didn’t list her as his next of kin.) They also look into helping him get a 3d-printed prosthetic. Mordred paints his parents’ heraldry onto the prosthetic.

Eventually, the kids are hanging out, talking about the concept of soulmates. Mordred casually mentions that he’ll never know if he’s met his soulmate because never got to see his soulmate’s name, because Merlin cut it off of him. Krel bites his lip, and as soon as possible he makes sure to be alone with Mordred. Krel starts babbling about how he didn’t trust Mordred at first, and then after he started to trust Mordred he didn’t know how to bring it up. And then he takes off his watch.

Mordred is so happy that Krel is his soulmate, but then he pauses. He doesn’t think he’s ready for a relationship right now. (He does not mention his growing crush on Krel.) And Krel, who has not yet bonded enough with Mordred to start feeling romantic attraction towards him, is fine with this.

Two weeks later, Krel is has started to pine. It takes long enough for him and Mordred to get together that everyone ends up joining in on the bet with Steve. Aja wins.

(As an afterthought because of the parallels, someone decides to have a movie marathon one weekend where they binge the MCU up through Thor: Ragnarok, both because the kids want to relax and also they want to try and get Krel and Mordred up to speed with parts of pop culture. No one is too surprised that Mordred, a boy with a prosthetic hand, long hair, and a past of getting used as a weapon and put into stasis, ends up having Bucky as his favorite character. Mordred writes at least one rather OOC fanfic shipping Bucky and whichever MCU character that reminds him the most of Krel. He is embarrassed by it later.)

Turn Left

[fictionsthings]

Anakin for the character meme?

First of all: *insert incoherent screeching*

Second: This is a lot and I apologize (especially if it doesn't make sense.)

How I feel about this character: Ok, I have a lot of feelings about Ani and they're not all coherent so bear with me. I love him so much but he makes me so sad. Anakin is such a tragic character. So much shit happens to him.

Age 9: Freed from slavery (which is good) and taken from his mother, who is still enslaved (not good AT ALL). He is thrust into a new environment with a bunch of strangers, the majority of whom are hostile towards him. (*coughTheJediCouncilcough*)(HE'S NINE, YOU ASSHOLES! OF COURSE HE'S GOING TO BE SCARED!)

Little Ani is so brave. I never would have been able to leave everything and everyone I cared about, even if my mom wanted me to, even if it meant a better future for me. Not to mention that he literally goes in to battle THE NEXT DAY and NO ONE SAYS ANYTHING!

Age 19: Has nightmares about his mother's death which eventually come true when she dies in his arms, and then kills every Tusken Raider he deems responsible for her death (and not just the men. But the women- and the children too.) He then loses his hand to Count Dooku the next day.

Since my grandfather died this year, I find myself tearing up when Shmi dies. Sure, my grandpa and I weren't super close, but I still loved him very much and for weeks after his death, I could hardly bring myself to do anything. I can only imagine what it must have been like to lose a mother and then have to hide the fact that you were even grieving from the majority of the people in your life.

Age 22-23: Has nightmares of Padme dying in childbirth and becomes reasonably terrified of losing her and their child(ren). He goes to Yoda for advice, but unfortunately, Yoda's advice is shit and doesn't help him at all in any way, shape or form. Palpatine uses Anakin's fear to manipulate him and make him come over to the Dark Side, making Anakin think that it's the only way to save Padme, only for Ani to lose everything he ever loved instead. When Anakin first woke up in the Darth Vader suit, one of the first things he asks is "Where is Padme? Is she safe?" When Palpatine said that Padme was dead, Anakin literally destroys almost every thing in the Medcenter in his grief. Palpatine then relied on Anakin's attachments to ensure that he would remain Palpatine's slave apprentice because Palpatine was the only thing Anakin had left. Not only that, but Anakin felt that he was too far gone to redeem himself. (Note that it was Luke's belief in what goodness Anakin had left that helped him return to the Light. More on that later.)(I fucking hate Palpatine. He has literally been manipulating Anakin since he met the kid on Naboo.)

I would like to say that the majority of people I've seen/talked too agree that it was Palpatine who killed Padme. Anakin was supposed to die on that beach on Mustafar. Palpatine wanted Anakin's power leashed to him, so Palpatine saved him by using Padme's life force. It makes sense. Palpatine has known Padme for years. He mentored her in politics. He knows her, and so it would be easy to identify her in the Force and then steal her life, even easier if she is already weakened from emotional (Anakin's fall and use of the Force on her) and physical stress (her pregnancy and labor). The parallels between Anakin's "repairs" and revival and Padme's childbirth and death make it subtle but obvious all at once. (I also want to punch Palpatine's damn teeth in for smiling at Anakin's pain.)

I'm also half convinced that Palpatine planted those nightmares of Padme in Anakin's mind to draw him closer to the Dark Side.

Age 41-42: Finally kills Obi-wan Kenobi and feels so lonely (and maybe sad, I'm not sure) that Yoda can feel his pain all the way from Dagobah and Yoda feels sorry for him. (I would also like to note that Anakin knew to be off the Death Star in ANH because he had a Force Vision and decided not to tell anyone else because everyone else sucked and you can't change my mind.)

If you- a Dark Lord of the Sith- can make Yoda- Grandmaster of the Jedi Order- feel bad for you, then goddamn you must feel awful. (I'm feeling even more sad, wtf? I didn't realize it was possible)

Age 44-45: Finds out that he has a son and that Palpatine lied to him for literally half his life. Think about that. He has spent approximately 22 to 23 years as Darth Vader and he had a son out there. Literally, nothing is more important to Anakin than Family. He is angry that Luke was kept from him and he is vengeful. (In the Darth Vader comics, he goes to the Lars Homestead to punish the people who "stole" Luke, only to find out that they're already dead.) He singlemindedly searches for Luke for years, and then he finally gets to him on Bespin (after he hurt his son's close good friends.) There's the fight, then he literally cuts off his son's hand and THEN he tells Luke that he is his father. (Anakin, I love you, but you have pretty bad timing.) Then Luke literally chooses to fall, choosing the possibility of death over taking his father's hand.

Even if you're a Sith Lord, that has to hurt. Note that Anakin only made the offer to take down the Emporer and rule the galaxy as father and son once. Luke rejected him (which, I'll admit- perfectly reasonable) and I'm not sure why Ani rejected Luke when Luke pretty much offered the same thing in ROTJ, but something happened and I need to find out what. I may tear my heart out in the process, but it's whatever.

Age 46: Emperor Raisin Face keeps on saying that Luke will either join them or die (which granted, Anakin said in ESB, but still) and so Anakin is reasonably desperate to get Luke over to the Dark Side so he doesn't die. Anakin senses Luke going to the Forest Moon of Endor and decides to pop down for a visit when the Emperor says that Luke will go to him. Luke does indeed go to Anakin, and immediately tries to appeal to Anakin's goodness, to his paternal side. Anakin tries to deny him, says that the name Anakin Skywalker "no longer has any meaning" to him and that "I must obey my master" and continues to deliver his own son to the Emperor. During their fight in the throne room, Anakin finds out that he not only has ONE child, but TWO. He then makes the happy mistake of trying to provoke Luke into fighting him. It works and Anakin loses his hand again. And just when he thinks that Luke might kill him, with the Emperor egging him on, Luke tosses his saber away, rejecting the Emperor and saying, "I am a Jedi, like my father before me." When the Emperor attacks Luke with the Force Lightning and Anakin literally crawls back to the Emporer's side, Anakin eventually answers Luke's calls for help and tosses the Emporer down a chasm. Anakin dies just before Luke can get him off the Death Star and after telling telling that he (Luke) was right about him (Anakin) and that Luke already saved him.

Can I just say that the "I must obey my master" line breaks my heart? Because it absolutely shatters it. As I've gotten older and understood more as I've watched these movies, I have cried at this scene and I will cry when I watch it again. That is not just a threat, it is a promise. It breaks my heart. He sounds so defeated. And I always feel so relieved and happy when he comes back to the light.

Moral of the story is: I want to give him a hug and officially adopt him as my son. (Real talk though, if I met him in real life, I would just do my best to not piss him off.)

All the people I ship romantically with this character:

- Padme

That's it.

My non-romantic OTP for this character: I have many.

- Obi-wan and Anakin

- Ashoka and Anakin (I have yet to see Clone Wars but I've seen a lot of fan content)

- Captain Rex and Anakin (I have yet to see Clone Wars but I've seen a lot of fan content)

- Luke and Anakin

My unpopular opinion about this character:

I'm not sure if this counts as an unpopular opinion, but if you didn't notice, I don't call Anakin by Darth Vader in this and that is because he was always Anakin Skywalker, he was just in denial. Also, it doesn't feel right for me to call him Darth Vader. I used to clarify if I meant Vader or Anakin, but at this point it's just... Why seperate the two? They are the same person. I call the suit "Darth Vader", yes, but honestly it's just to clarify when I'm talking about in ROTS because Anakin is "Darth Vader" both in and out of the suit in that movie.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that Anakin can't go back to being the man he was, but he never stopped being Anakin. He changed, yes, drastically even. He went by a different name, yes. But he was still Anakin Skywalker. It just took him awhile to figure that out. (Hence why he wasn't in the Darth Vader suit as a Force Ghost)

One thing I wish would happened / had happened with this character in canon:

I wish that he and Leia had been able to make some sort of peace. Leia doesn't have to forgive him, Force knows she has every right not to, but it would've been nice if she could have made peace with her parentage in canon.

I actually read a fic like that here on tumblr recently. I'll have to see if I can find it for y'all.

Found it! -> x <-

[aysall]

the problem with Tenko’s past

anime-freakchow

replied to your post “honestly, tenko not wanting to be a hero would've been so much better”

Why would that be better according to you? Because of emotional attachment or because it would be better story-wise?

So I unsurprisingly went off on a slightly different tangent, please bear it with me through the end, I hope this mess of thoughts makes sense.

(and also, keep in mind that these are all my subjective considerations and personal views of Shigaraki’s character which of course differ from Horikoshi’s ones, even tho I’m trying to be on the same wave-length as the man. But it’ll probably sound biased anyway)

To answer your question, I mainly mean it story-wise. Thing is, I’ve been pretty unsure about the way Shigaraki’s past is being handled since chapter 221 but I kept quiet about it because I don’t enjoy far-from-the-canon-assumptions; however now we definitely have more stuff to speculate on so let’s do it. As things are now I find this plot point of Tenko wanting to be a hero quite… lazy, and something that could potentially undermine Shigaraki’s character weight. Because the way I see it, Shigaraki was always meant to represent a subvertion of the status quo: the chaotic villain who can’t be reasoned with, the most honest, because there’s something to be gained in not caring for anything in the world--he speaks the truth over and over, about society, heroes and villains all the same. Not feeling like he’s a part of them, he can clearly see the absurdity that lies in all these concepts and people. He is to be the lonely voice who’ll make everybody at least ponder if there are some serious problems with the current state of things.

But now with this backstory we're leaning toward a dangerous ground: the very character disillusioned with this hypocrite world turns out to be the same as all the others, just unlucky because the Big Bad Villain came to him. Hero society is at fault for ruining lives but if the one who should bring this truth to light is not a victim of it but a victim of the Evil that society itself has always demonized, isn’t it a little too convenient for the “good side”? Shigaraki’s living a lie, so is he totally wrong on his position? He automatically becomes another character who just needs to be saved – the manipulated little kid wanted to be a hero too and he could have been! Feel sorry for him! What a twist! 

I think this is all to create a parallel between him and Deku and all the others too, but it wasn’t needed, the connections are already there, quite evident. So it kinda feels like an unnecessary addition, predictable and not the point of Shigaraki’s character at all.

When I say it would have been better for Tenko not to want to be a hero is because that would’ve been something more coherent (and, if you ask me, a braver move from Horikoshi as a writer) -- it'd show that Shigaraki was already somewhat part of Tenko, with his own different and noncomformist view of things. It would impliy that maybe even without All For One all of this was still, in a way, Tenko’s future. That would have been simply *cheff kiss*.

So that’s what I meant. Now, most of what I wrote is still kinda up in the air and I’m overall positive because this arc keeps amazing me. One good way to resolve the situation could be Shigaraki deciding to reject Tenko completely: “who fucking cares about that one’s dream, the kid is dead and this is my truth. Nothing of that matters now, I’ll still destroy everything.” (A view similar to Toga’s, who implied that there should be no pity for her because she doesn’t regret the choices she made.)

That would be so nice, but the rejection of his sad past could’ve still been there even if he didn’t want to be a damn hero. To me it’s a little smudge I’m not content with but no matter. The only thing I hope is that we won’t find out that it was All For One who killed his family all along.

enter the “to be continued” meme.

[ruffboijuliaburnsides]

yarndarling replied to your post “Due to personal reasons i'm going to fight you (for the meme)”

holy cheese mags

Okay so I was working in this little shopping area with a plaza and stuff called “The Commons”, so on my dinner break I’d often lock up and walk over to one of the restaurants or coffee shops to grab food.  Well, one time I was on the far side of the commons because I wasn’t feeling great and wanted to get this specific mix of tea from Collegetown Bagels that one of the girls would always make me when I was sick.  And as I’m walking down the sidewalk, I hear yelling in front of me.

So there is this grown-ass middle-aged man standing there looming over this like 19ish-looking girl and her friend (male, about the same age, not super strong or athletic looking) just SCREAMING at them at the top of his lungs, cussing them out, saying they were entitled and inconsiderate and also bastards and-- well you get the idea.  As I’m getting closer, I can hear the girl waveringly apologize - she was already fucking crying, and her friend looked near to it, and this screaming man had all but backed them against their car.  He had a friend who was trying to calm him down and the guy kept yelling at him to “JUST GET IN THE CAR AND LET ME HANDLE THIS” which... yeah.

So I get up there, totally ignore the screaming guy, and go up to the girl and ask her what’s going on.

Between what she was ABLE to say between me asking and him screaming further, basically they had parallel parked too close to his car.  He had a handicapped placard for his friend (already in the car) who needed a wheelchair, and because these kids had pulled up so close behind them they couldn’t access the back of their SUV to put the wheelchair in the back.

Note: There was no parking space in front of them, and the parallel parking in that area was super tight, I hated it so much.  He could’ve pulled the SUV forward and it would’ve been fine.  But no, he decided to CUSS OUT these young kids when they returned to their car while he was still there, because they’d (according to him) “broken the law” because he “had no way to access his car to put the wheelchair in”

Most of these details I actually got later, because as she’s trying to explain things to me, he starts cussing ME out and telling me it’s none of my business and to fuck off.

So I turn to him and say “Dude, you’re screaming at the top of your lungs and you made a girl cry. You made it my business.  You need to calm the fuck down.”

This does not go over well.

He turns EVEN REDDER than he already was (didn’t know that was possible) and literally gets I am not lying an actual INCH away from my face, and starts cussing me out at the top of his lungs.  He is taller than me.  He looks pretty physically capable.  And he is now screaming in my face.

So, instinctively and in an effort to (I think?) make him back up, I reached up and slapped him.  HARD.  The ensuing silence lasted about 2 seconds (which was pretty substantial at that point bc he’d been screaming and yelling non-stop for like 5 minutes probably, according to the people sitting on the restaurant patio across the street that I talked to later), and then he stepped back slightly, took the lid off his large coffee cup, and threw his coffee in my face.

And THAT is when the cops finally showed up! 

He made a lot of noise about how I’d assaulted him and shit and he was gonna press charges, and the cops took him to the side and me and the kids to the other side and talked to us all and one talked to the people across the street who’d seen it, AND to his friend who’d been horrified and trying to get him to leave the whole time, and the cops literally told me “yeah don’t worry about it he doesn’t really have any ground to stand on, you’re fine, did the coffee burn you?” and it had not thankfully been hot enough for that, but I got to walk into Collegetown Bagels and ask if they had a dry dishcloth I could clean up with because i was just COVERED in coffee.

I did get thanked profusely by the kids I stepped in to save, though, and on my way back some of the people at the restaurant asked if I was okay and told me I’d been very brave ‘cause they hadn’t felt safe getting involved, so y’know, it was a net win I think.