#i think she's a very talented engineer but she works closely with people so she's never quite alone in it

[philomelia]

(    *   @parlaey​ said:     be careful what company you keep    ).

cassandra’s gaze shines:       she smiles at him like they share a secret,  which they might   (she doesn’t know if he’s ever seen her face before,   another child running rampant in a palace that greeted her with only dangers       ...       if he has ever seen her before,   it was when she was a fang - ridden child,    gloating smiles covering up a weakness that was unholy).       when she had last seen him,   he wore a crown of honey and endured a father’s scorn.   but a prince was easy to remember:    she was as forgettable as the summer’s winds.   she twists around the tiny shop,   resting against the table,    glancing down at the seafarer.    she calls this place a grisha palace and poor idiots stumble into witness a modicum of power,   no matter how fabricated.    people want to be fooled so desperately.        ‘‘    that could,  really,   be about anyone,  couldn’t it?   i’d welcome a little more specificity:     the horrible stains of ketterdamn?    they’re more bark than bite.   well,   they’re a little bite,   but i’m smart enough to not have anything worth stealing.      or do you mean a different company?   one bound by blood?     ’’

[ventingfanfics]

Best Date Ever (Shuri x Reader)

Maybe engineering wasn’t Shuri’s only talent. She was also decent at acting. Every time you two were around each other, she managed to keep her cool, despite internally squealing. Riri, Okoye, M’Baku, and Nakia were the only ones aware of her true feelings. And they teased her accordingly. You recently started working at the lab as a paid internship while you went to school. According to Shuri’s sources, you were a player. Okay, so not officially. You were very charming and easy to get along which garnered a lot of suitors. There was only one person, however, who had your interest. 

“Hey princess, I like your kicks,” You said. It was getting late, which explained why many of the staff were proceeding to leave the lab. You were in no rush. Sometimes you didn’t mind staying late if it meant tomorrow would be easier for you. Plus, it meant you got to spend more time with Shuri. “You should let me borrow them.”

“I don’t think we wear the same size,” Shuri replied.

“Where’d you get ‘em from? Maybe we can go to the store and you can help me find a pair.”

“I got these online.”

Anyone else would probably be a little annoyed, but you just grinned. “Doesn’t mean I have to. Come on, Shuri, put me on. Where do you get your fashions? Unless you design them all.”

“Pretty much,” she said with a smirk and gestured around at some of her creations. 

You pretended to think, though you did wonder the answer to your next question. “What would it take to get you to design some gear for me?”

Shuri cracked a smile, and you mentally fist-pumped. She controlled her laugh. “Let’s see…maybe not being an intern.”

“Ouch. Ice Princess it is, then, huh?”

She folded her arms, looking you up and down, as if saying “and what about it?”

You sighed. “Well, that was unsuccessful.”

Shuri laughed and watched as you packed up your bag. Unbeknownst to you, the look in her eyes became longing. You looked up, ready to say bye, and you saw her quickly avert her eyes. She cleared her throat. 

You raised an eyebrow and looked on, amused. “So, I’ll see you tomorrow…”

“Mhm. You will.”

“Tomorrow’s a long time, though. Why are you rolling your eyes? I mean it, Shuri.”

“I know you tell all the girls this.”

“No, just the ones I’m attracted to. And there’s only one person occupying that space.”

Shuri’s heart raced at the boldness of your words and gaze. You stepped close to her and she stiffened like a board, except for her trembling hands. 

“What’s wrong, pretty?” You asked, concerned.

She refused to look at you, but you stopped that by grasping her jaw. 

“N-nothing,” she answered, solemnly peering at you. 

“Doesn’t seem like nothing, princess.” You separated from her only to sit on her desk and sit her in between your legs.

She blushed. “I’m fine, I promise.”

“Yes, you are.”

She battled a smile, meanwhile you happily showed yours with ease. She sighed, leaning back against you, which made your heart swell. You wanted to hold this moment. The two of you stayed like this until she thought someone was coming. At that, she budged and went around to her desk, busying herself.

You laughed lowly, shaking your head at the engineer. “Princess, you’re grown.”

She gave you a look. “Duh, Y/N.”

“So, why did you scramble away like you got caught stealing?”

“Maybe if you didn’t have the reputation you have, I would be more relaxed,” she said in defense. 

“And what reputation is that?” You asked, though you were sure you knew the answer. You had suspected that some kind of fear was holding Shuri back. You just weren’t sure what the fear stemmed from.

“Really, Y/N? You’re going to sit there and pretend you don’t know people call you a player.”

“So that makes it true?”

Cat got her tongue.

“I just don’t want to get hurt,” she admitted quietly. Even though you were offended, you wanted to hug her right now. You knew she’d been through a lot. Her heart was probably in a very fragile state. “But that doesn’t mean I should judge you without getting to know you.”

You smiled. “Does that mean you’ll go on a date with me?”

~~

Shuri laughed when your destination turned out to be a sneaker store. 

“I promise this is a small part of the date,” You told her. 

She didn’t say anything, just amusedly walked inside the store, looking around. You were amazed at how quickly she found the very pair of sneakers you were interested in. They were a nice replica of Shuri’s pair, though she had made her own customizations. 

“Try them on,” she said and waited for you to do so. You felt warm at her treating you like you were her child, asking you how they fit and if they were comfortable. “Do you like them?”

You confirmed that you did and she nodded, walking off to go pay for them despite your protests. 

“What do you say?” She asked teasingly as you left the store. 

“Thank you, princess.”

“You welcome. Mine are still better, though.” 

Next, you took her to a tattoo parlor. She had recently mentioned at the lab that she was planning to get another tattoo. By the widening of her eye and parted lips, you knew she was surprised that you knew. 

You encouraged her to squeeze your hand. She insisted that it was no thang. She would go on to squeeze your hand, however, reasoning that she was rusty because it had “been a while.” 

“Are you gonna get one?” She asked, smiling.

You told her you’d think about it. “It’s not about me tonight,” You said in her ear and you could see a big smile spread on her face. 

When you arrived a fondue restaurant, Shuri failed to contain a giggle. 

“Why do you keep laughing, woman? Are you trying to crush my ego?”

Shuri’s amusement turned into a side-eye. “First of all, Y/N, no one should have that kind of power over you. And second, I’m laughing because I feel like a kid again.” She smiled.

“I get it.” 

She kissed your cheek and pulled you to follow the usher who led you both to your table. Dinner was a hit and not just because of the food. Shuri wasn’t just beauty and brains, she was easy to talk to and banter with. You decided you could probably talk to her all night and truly not get bored.

“What was your first impression of me?” You asked. 

“Oh,” she said and you both shared a soft laugh. She stared at you deeply. “I thought you were…hmm…” She stroked her jaw. 

“You thought I was a player, apparently.”

“No, you right, I did. But I thought you were nice, smart, and a baddie.”

You smiled widely. “Oh, I’m a baddie?”

She conveniently sipped her drink. 

“I thought you were all of those things…and…” You paused for dramatic effect.

“And?” She pressed.

“A little stuck-up. Just a smidge.” You made the gesture with your thumb and pointer. “At least towards me. But I like it.”

She rolled her eyes. “I am not stuck-up, Y/N.”

“Just a little smidgington. Come on, you know you’re sassy.”

“I disagree, I’m just clever.”

“That too. You’re all of those things, and I’m not mad. You have every right to be, with your fine princessy ass.”

She struggled not to laugh. “Y/N!” 

You chortled, pleased with her reaction as she held her stomach, doing the silent kind of cracking up. She got up and sat next to you, grabbing your face. “What am I going to do with you?”

“Hopefully something…nah, let me stop.” You held off from saying something inappropriate. Shuri was flustered as it was, though she clearly entertained by it. 

“What do you want to do to me?” You questioned softly. Oh, you thought, noticing her stare harden. And before you knew it, she tightened her grip, kissing you firmly. 

“I’m sorry,” she said, leaning her forehead to yours. She didn’t mean to kiss you roughly. She wanted you to like her kiss. You opted to encourage her physically. You stroked her forearm before softly and slowly molding your lips together once more. Craving more, Shuri leaned closer to you, enabling you to feel her body warmth. Your name never sounded better, courtesy of her mouth. “Y/N…”

“Mhmm,” you hummed, kissing her neck. She looked so blissed out. It was beautiful. 

She gripped your thigh as if for relief. Her breathing picked up when your neck kisses progressed into sucks. You marveled at her sensitivity, which was also surely heightened by being in a public place. You wanted her so bad you didn’t care. But you could’t have y’all go out like that. She whined a little when you ended your efforts to give her a love bite. 

“Sssh, we can continue this at my place, if you want, only if you want to,” You assured her. You meant this, too. It was up to her to decide if she wanted to proceed. You wanted her to be completely sure. 

After fighting over who would pay the bill, you both agreed to split the check. You don’t know what came over Shuri, but when you reached the car, she restrained your wrists, launching another make out session.

This was the best date ever.

[astralisbelle]

Dead Man's Hand 10 - Dead Man's Hand

Dead Man's Hand Masterlist tags: engineer!reader, gambler!reader, loose canon timeline, eventual smut, fluff, action, casino aesthetics, touch starved reader, touch starved din, reader and din get on each other’s nerves, also they’re idiots, defrosting ice king din, cinderella vibes, everybody loves grogu

chapter summary: As she rises towards the top, she catches someone's attention -- the wrong kind. warnings: minor violence

note: two updates in one day, y'all are getting SPOILED (tbf, so am I. this fic is such an indulgence for me) thank you THANK YOU for all the likes, reblogs, and comments. I read each and every one and they fill me with such joy <3

And then there were three. She managed to bluff out the Hutt into blowing the rest of his pot. He cursed and spat at her in Huttese before slithering off (Din was this close to blasting him for the things he said). The old gentleman drew the Mon Calamari into a trap of overconfidence and the latter decided to walk away, still pleased with his profit.

Between learning tells, catching up on the lingo, getting comfortable working with such exorbitant amounts of money, she’s feeling good. So good that when they call a temporary recess, she orders a drink from the bar before sitting back down.

“Good evening.” Taking a seat next to her is the old gentleman, a small drink in hand and a welcoming smile on his lips. “You’re the girl from Tatooine, is that right?”

“That’s right. I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”

He bows his head. “Bras Luum. I am delighted to finally speak with you. You know, I simply must thank you for taking out that Besporos lad. He has no respect for the game and I think his true hobby is spending his father’s credits.”

She laughs, nodding in agreement. “You’ve seen him around these parts?”

“Too often, I’m afraid,” he replies in his posh accent. Bras is a good player. He is subtle, but humble, and takes his losses the same as he does his winnings. Between her final two competitors, he is definitely the one to beat. “But that was a marvelous play. The Dead Man’s Hand.”

“Thank you very much.”

“You know why they call it that?” She shakes her head. “Many cultures use sabacc cards to divine the future, yes? Now, your hand, the Dead Man’s Hand, consists of The Evil One and The Endurance. Evil enduring is quite the omen, yes? Very bad luck.”

She chuckles. “Yes, but you know as good as I that luck means little in this game.”

There is a pregnant pause as he ponders it. “Indeed. People like ourselves… we don’t need luck.” He takes a sip of his drink. “So. Tatooine. Now if I recall correctly, Luke Skywalker himself was born on that planet.”

She lifts her brows. “Skywalker… the pilot that destroyed the Death Star? I… I didn’t know that.” Huh! She suddenly feels a swell of pride for her garbage desert planet.

“Yes, yes.” He nods. “So you see, great talent comes from anywhere.” The way he speaks is so charming to her, so nostalgic. “The rumor is that the Mandalorian hired you to win the beskar grand prize. Is that right?”

“Yes.” She nods, eyes fluttering to Din and Grogu for a moment.

“And the winning pot?”

“All mine.” Well… a good chunk of it, at least.

“How generous of him.” Bras laughs behind his lips, finishing his drink. “What has he told you about beskar? I’m curious.”

She shrugs. “It’s the metal of his people. It belongs to them… that’s what he’s said about it.”

Bras nods slowly, listening to her words. “Hm. So all beskar belongs to the Mandalorians. Is that right?”

“It makes sense. It was found in their mines, wasn’t it?”

Bras sighs wistfully. “Indeed. It's a beautiful metal. Blasters do virtually nothing against it. It can even stop a lightsaber.” A what? “Only beskar can pierce beskar. It's... exquisite."

"I... didn't know that. No wonder D... The Mandalorian is so keen on retrieving it. It belongs with him."

The old man nods once. "I know you are young, so I will not fault you. Especially one that is new to the expanses of the galaxy. The Mandalorian believes that the beskar belongs to him. But that simply is not true.”

Her smile drops. “What… what are you talking about?”

“I see the way you play cards. You have a keen mind, good memory, yes? Remember the image of the beskar. That perfect rectangle ingot. What was there in the corner?”

She gets goosebumps on her arms, a loud heartbeat in her ears. “The… the symbol of the Empire.” She has to turn away. “But the Empire’s gone. Wiped out.”

Bras laughs, but it doesn’t sound friendly. “The same can be said of Mandalore.” As she stares at Din, worry knitting her brows, Bras leans in and whispers, sending cold chills down her back. “Surely, child, you can see that even though something doesn’t exist, its spirit can live on. And so... do I not have equal claim to that beskar as the Mandalorians do?” She trembles in her chair, her sight darting to the identical bodyguards that stand at attention not far from Din. Her throat dries and her skin crawls as the realization sinks in.

I know what you are.

“There’s no need to be frightened, child.” The sweetness in his voice does little to convince her of its sincerity. “You, after all, are not in this for the beskar.” He rests a gentle hand on her shoulder, and yet she somehow feels more violated than when that prick felt up her leg. “Take your winnings home now and bow out gracefully. With the amount that you’ve made so far, why, it’s beneath you to do favors for the Mandalorian. You owe him nothing.”

Din turns and sees them talking. That look on her face…

She bites down on the tip of her tongue, weighing his words carefully. It’s a generous offer, she assumes, because she knows that if she refuses, this man has other ways of getting what he wants. His fingers curl into the skin of her shoulder, nails making indents. “Have you been enjoying your taste of luxury? You can make it last longer. All you need to do is step aside. This isn’t your conflict, sweet one. So don’t get in the middle of it.”

The dealer announces that it is time to resume and Bras’s hand slips off her shoulder as he readjusts himself in his seat. She, however, is deathly still. Her heart races faster than ever and her stomach churns, threatening to burst. Before Din can approach her, a casino hostess tells him that the game is about to resume.

This isn’t your conflict, sweet one. So don’t get in the middle of it.

Two cards fall in front of her and she’s still spacing out. It takes the dealer calling her name out twice before she’s responsive. Quickly, she looks at her cards and surveys the table. The Twi’lek is as stoic as ever, but Bras’s smile haunts her. “It’s your turn to call,” he tells her. “What shall it be?”

What shall it be, girl? Are you going to make me happy… or disappointed? Is what he seems to ask.

Could she do it? Could she just bow out now, take her winnings, and flee? She could go anywhere, anywhere, with that amount of money. Could is the key word. She turns her head, looking for Din and Grogu in the crowd. Her eyes close with her slow inhale. Her hand remembers being held by Grogu, her skin remembers Din’s touches, and her eyes remember that beautiful sunrise. All this money at her fingertips, but no amount of credits can compare to those wonderful feelings.

With her exhale, she opens her eyes, cold focus setting in. The numbers fly in her head and she realigns herself. She knows exactly what she wants to say to Bras and where exactly he can shove his intimidation tactics.

That beskar belongs to Din.

“I call.” She shoves a pile of chips towards the pot, her unerring glare staring right at Bras as she does. Her brazen defiance makes his eye twitch, but he quickly covers it with a smile.

His mistake costs him nearly half of his earnings. If he was angry before, he must be livid now. So hard to tell with sabacc players.

The dealer calls the final adjourning for the tournament, much earlier than last night. Tomorrow night, a winner will be crowned. She stands up quickly and picks up her skirts, fleeing from the table the best she can in those shoes. Just before she can reach Din and Grogu, someone steps in her path. “The girl from Tatooine!” says Dastiv. “My, my, don’t you clean up nicely.”

“Oh? Th-thanks. I’m sorry, I’m trying to--”

“I know you’re exhausted, but I was hoping to have a little chat.” He smiles. “Have you given any thought to your future as a gambler? You’ve certainly got the skills for it.”

“Ah… well, I haven’t had much time to think about it--”

“Splendid! One drink in my office is all I ask for. Then I’ll let you catch up on sleep. How’s that?”

She tucks some hair behind her ear, looking over her shoulder. Surrounded by his posse of guards, Bras makes his way out of the gambling hall, all the while peering at her through the cracks of his security. Perhaps this could be a key time to tell Dastiv what kind of people are gambling here. “Sure,” she says. “One drink.”

Dastiv wraps an arm around her shoulder, leading her towards the exit.

“Hey.” Din notices immediately, catching up to them. “Where are you going?”

“To his office for a drink. Then I’ll be right back.” She puts on a smile so he doesn’t worry. “Go back to the room. I’ll be there soon.”

Dastiv wheels her away before Din can object to it, yapping on how Canto Bight is the perfect place to make a living as gambler. The Mandalorian watches her go and something sits in the pit in his stomach. He can’t put his finger on it, but he doesn’t like this.

---

She finds herself in Dastiv’s office once more, albeit in completely different attire. Now, she looks like she belongs here. He rants on about how he would be willing to give her a penthouse if she decides to stay, what sort of money she would have to win on a yearly basis. Truthfully, she’s only half paying attention as he pours their drinks. “We like to keep the money circulating here, you can understand.”

“R-Right.” She nods along. “It’s been wonderful here. Beyond my wildest dreams.”

“That’s what we do.”

“Mm. Listen, um, I wanted to ask you about one of the players. Bras Luum?” He presents her a shot and holds the other.

“Yes, lovely fellow. Go ahead, take it.” He lifts his shot. “To you, my dear.”

“Th-thank you.”She takes the shot glass. Just one drink, then she can go. She tips it back, drinking all of it in one go. When she swallows and faces forward, Dastiv has done the same. “Now, about Bras.”

He sighs loudly. “What a shame,” he says.

“H...huh?” Suddenly, dizziness flushes through her body. Her head grows hot and she cannot make words.

“You were talking about Bras Luum, weren’t you? Yes, he’s an old friend.” Dastiv sits on the edge of his desk with a proud grin. “I’m so sorry, my dear. Neither of us expected you to be doing so well! I suppose that’s a compliment for someone like you.”

She drops the glass, hearing it shatter as she wobbles, her feet losing coordination. What’s happening to me?! The doors slide open.

“Ah, there you are. She’s all yours.”

A pair of gloved hands catch her before she falls. Din? They hoist her up, carrying her. Her vision focuses for a second, showing that it is not the Mandalorian, but Bras’s guards. No… The sight of their helmets is the last thing she remembers before it all fades to black.

Din…

---

Grogu’s eyes fly open, his heart pounding. He looks up at Din, attempting to convey worry in his words. Thankfully, his father understands that much easily. “What is it?” He can’t quite say her name yet (or any name, for that matter) but he tries anyway, stressing the syllables. Din’s voice darkens. “...Is she in trouble?” He doesn’t wait for confirmation.

The elevator doors open and instead of returning to their room, he turns on his heel and strides straight towards the ones that can take him to Dastiv’s office. He shoves past people waiting in line and orders the attendant to take them straight to the top floor, his voice deep enough to scare him into doing it. It feels like an eternity waiting for the elevator to reach the top, but as soon as the doors open, his hand is near his blaster and he charges forward.

The door open and the Mandalorian draws his blaster, knowing Dastiv’s guards are ready for him. He knows he can dispose them quickly if it comes down to it. “Where is she?”

“Mando!” Dastiv claps his hands together. “Quite the entrance. I have to ask you to put your weapon away, however.” His smug, unassuming smile just makes him fume even more.

“Where. Is she?”

“Are you looking for your friend? We had a drink. I’m sure she went straight to your room.”

He doesn’t believe that for a second. “Grogu. Don’t look.” The child presses a button on his pram and hides. Once he’s shielded, Din swings his blaster towards the guard on the left, opening fire. Blaster shots bounce off his beskar armor as he slides behind the guard, striking him on the back of the neck. Once that one falls to the ground, he shoots the other in the leg, bringing him to his knees with a yelp. Din kicks him straight in the head to knock him out, then he swoops towards Dastiv and seizes him by the collar.

The casino owner looks ready to talk now.

“Do I have to repeat myself?”

“No, no! I heard you! L-Listen, Mando, you better take the kid and high tail it out of here. You don’t wanna get entangled in this business.”

“If she’s in harm’s way, then it is my business. Who has her?”

“I-It’s Bras! The old man. I’m warning you, Mando. You won’t get her back.”

He tilts his head, a slight growl tinging his words. “What can I say? It’s a casino and I feel lucky. Now. Where is he?”

“F...Freight elevator. Bottom floor.” With that, he shoves him back into his seat and whips around, not bothering to ask anything else. It doesn’t matter who this man thinks he is, only that he’s a fool for thinking he wouldn’t come after her. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you, Mando!” Din immediately turns and fires, the shot whizzing past Dastiv and shattering a vase over his shoulder, eliciting a scream.

“That’s my warning shot.”

Din leads the way back to the elevator. “Grogu,” he says. “Go back to the room.” Grogu grumbles, his mouth frowning and making wrinkles in his cheeks. He makes a noise of defiance and Din knows that it’s futile to stop him. Where did he pick up that stubbornness? Din shakes his head. “Fine.” Let’s go get her back.”

[princess-of-the-corner]

For no particular reason here is some important, totally canon MHA lore courtesy of Smash:

The support course makes most of the stuff for the hero course including comedy props and robotic copies of the staff.

UA occasionally lets people who want to apply there watch classes and even take part in Hero Course lessons.

Momo can perfectly copy others' behaviour if she tries, can stop her lungs at will and is a magnificent opera singer.

Competitive baseball ceased existing after the dawn of quirks but Ochako is a fan anyway.

Fighting game combos are real but only Ochako can do them because her quirk lets her replicate weird physics engine bs.

Bakugo is an expert cook and baker but is also too scary to be asked about it. He's also a pretty good life coach, a favourite of local kids and one of the better rescuers on the team (according to Aizawa)

Endeavor is the most awkward motherfucker on the planet

Mt. Lady wasn't allowed to take hero courses due to her quirk but still decided to be one with some remedial courses to inspire other people with "volatile" quirks. This was a very mixed success.

Disney doesnt exist anymore but its remnant company is still an ass about copyright.

Izuku has a shitton of stuff about Katsuki in his notebooks and made multiple copies of it to hand out/in case they explode. He's also a cat's cradle expert.

The class is generally pretty good at improvised group dances.

All Might drafted up an anime about his life back in his early career and apparently it's Bad.

Midnight has a shonen rivalry fetish.

Shoto has used Half Hot before the Sports Fest but only in love doses and exclusively to attract cats. He also likes hunting bugs a lot (with a similar tactic) and doesn't know how mosquitos work.

Mic knows Muai Tai and wants to show it off really badly.

13's outfit is apparently a uniform UA just has on hand for Reasons.

Gonna respond to these individually so:

Love that! I've actually discussed before on the same wavelength of how the Support Course would be best suited to learn alongside Hero Students so they can see practical applications! I'd like more if they worked together a bit and/or the support students got classes where they just watch the Hero Training classes and take notes.

Honestly being allowed to check out potential schools you apply to does make sense.

Girl has many talents

how do you lose competitive baseball of all things? Like don't get me wrong I have little love for baseball, but why would it go away?

Ochako is best. Just fuckin. That's hilarious.

Katsuki being good at cooking is great but also being good with children? If a hero career never works out then housewife is a great option. (but also something something 'character with abrasive personality and power that's default dangerous and destructive also being one of the best with soft things that take patience like food and children)

This one? Beautiful. He's a loser. I love him.

It seems some bullshit that she wasn't allowed to take Hero Classes like. She can make a good Hero! And while her Quirk application is somewhat niche, it's not out of the realm of being needed. Hell, between her debut scene being fighting a giant villain therefore matching him in size, and the fact that this is a world where things like giant robots can exist, she's def needed. Like yeah she- she needs to learn to be a bit better about property damage but if she'd had gone to one of the schools and had experienced Heroes coaching her, that learning curve would be fantastic.

Disney will be Disney lmao

Izuku. Honey. I love you but that's a bit stalker-y and I would not be surprised if Katsuki blasts you into oblivion for that.

The gang is just all sharing a brain cell

All Might is also a fucking loser I love him.

I 100% think that all Heroes just have something for the shonen rivalry thing because like. Just. You need a close friend you can have a rivalry with to push each other to be the best you can be and then also spar with one another and oh hey getting pinned down like this is kinda hot ain't it? Every Hero has a 'type' and it's 'someone who will be affectionate but also throw me through a wall'.

Shoto using his fire to make himself warm and attract cats is fucking hilarious like baby!!!

Also a fucking loser I love him

That's hilarious actually

[try-set-me-on-fire]

Tagged by @devirnis @rewritetheending and @wildlife4life for wip Wednesday. Well. I have opened another google doc but my idea for the story became what if it’s about this stern little lesbian getting a masc nickname and having a bit of a gender crisis while also dealing with the death of her father who she had a complicated relationship with And Also Buck Is There which I’m not sure would actually be interesting to anyone but me ahshshshs so this one will go on the back burner at least until I get more work done on other stuff. Here’s the opening scene though!

The station is clean. Not just free of dirt, mess, clutter, but the lines of it, stretching above her up into a loft who’s wooden roof provides a warm counterweight to the glass of the locker room, the stairs. It’s the first thing Beth notices, because back home the station had been, more or less, a big concrete room full of shit. The second thing is that they have more trucks, three shiny engines and an ambulance, which are all clean, too, no familiar and ever present layer of dust. The third thing is a very tall man standing at the top of the stairs grinning so wide at her it’s clearly visible even from where she’s lingering by the big bay doors. She takes a deep breath and heads forward, the man practically skipping every other step to meet her halfway.

He’s, somehow, taller up close, and the grin is wider. He’s in his 40s or 50s, maybe? She’s never been particularly good at guessing specific ages outside of very young and very old. His hair has a lot of gray in it, anyway, and she thinks when he stops smiling the crows feet will probably remain. There’s a red splotchy something she thinks is a birthmark hovering around his eyebrow but she doesn’t have time to really look at it because he’s talking immediately.

“Hi! I’m Captain Diaz! You must be our new probationary firefighter?”

She thinks he must know the answer to the question, he was the one waiting for her, and he must have seen her photo during the recruiting process. “Yes, sir. Elizabeth Mason.” He must know her name, too, but he’s holding a hand out in a way that invites introduction. She shakes it, and he has the same calluses as her father. “Graduated last week.”

“Congratulations,” he says, grin dimming into something so genuine it takes her off guard. “You had a few captains clamoring for you, glad you settled here with us.”

“Seemed like a good place to be.” She feels a little guilty at how pleased he looks, because the decision had actually been made around one in the morning in a mildly buzzed hat draw, one of her roommates scribbling station numbers on ribbed off beer labels for her to blindly root through.

“No better place on earth,” he says, and clearly means it. “Let me show you around.” He heads towards the stairs, and she follows a step behind. “And you don’t have to call me sir, Cap is fine, or Buck.”

“Call him Cap,” a firefighter passing them in the other direction says with a fond eye roll. He looks at Beth, jerks his head towards Buck. “He has a problem with authority.”

“Doesn’t that… usually go in the other direction? Problem with, not problem with having.”

Captain Diaz- Buck- makes a face at the other man. “Well. I’m very talented. I can do both.”

She just barely chokes down a laugh, but Buck seems to catch it, a glint in his eye. “Come on, don’t pay attention to any of my terrible subordinates, kitchen’s this way.”

The other firefighter laughs his way down the stairs, and they finish climbing their way up. There’s a few other people lingering around, anyone otherwise unoccupied giving them a friendly wave. Buck moves around the kitchen like a man in his own home, walking backwards and open cabinets without even needing to look, pointing out where they keep communal food and where people stash their own stuff, and then where people stash their own stuff if they really don’t want anyone else to take it.

“So, Elizabeth Mason,” he says as they look into the fridge and she nods like she has a lot of thoughts on coffee creamers and salads. “Got any nicknames? Or you want the full thing every time?”

She blinks at him. “Uh, no- Beth is fine. Or-“ she cuts herself off for a moment, not sure why she would bring this up, but then sticks her hands in her pockets and continues while playing with the seams. “When I was a kid my dad called me John.”

“Yeah?” Buck has that genuine thing going on again, eyes big and friendly like he really would like nothing more than to hear this story, to get to know her.

“Yeah, and I called him Bill- his name’s Thomas, I don’t know where I got the idea, I was like maybe four? Mom hated it but we thought it was the funniest thing.”

Buck is smiling in the scrunched up way people get when they hear a cute story about a small child. “Well-“ they both look up as he’s interrupted by the loud clanging of the alarm. He laughs, and claps her shoulder. “Welcome to the 118, John. Happy to have you.” It makes her smile without meaning to, maybe the first one she's given since she walked in, and Buck’s grin gets all big again in response. “Come on, let's head out.”

He heads back down the stairs and the room is different but the action is familiar as she follows behind.

Tagging @forthewolves @thewolvesof1998 @homerforsure @jeeyuns @buckactuallys @shitouttabuck @rogerzsteven @shortsighted-owl if you have anything to share!

[lahotelbellamuerte]

𝐎𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮 - v. eternal love [永遠のラブ]

— ❀ series masterlist ❀ —

pairing; Han seoul-oh x amara!oc warning; fluff, mostly none, not proofread word count; 2.4k notes; this was just an extra content bit, before the start of the fast 6? i think... or seven—eh idk rn. but it does pick up after this.

IT HAD BEEN A NORMAL DAY, when Han knew he would marry Amara.The girl he had underestimated when he first arrived in Tokyo. Meeting her in a dingy small restaurant wasn't the best first impression of what she was capable of. The only thing that drew him closer to her was curiosity.

He found her rosy cheeks, glossy lips, and confidence, adorable. Nothing more, nothing less. That was until the girl offered him a night he would never forget. That night just so happened to be the day he finally walked into the underground business of Tokyo. All because of a blonde schoolgirl.

He was sitting above at his shop watching the blonde below.  Black overalls tied to her waist as she took apart the engine of a car. Hair tied up in a messy low bun, while her gloved hands removed a hose putting it aside. Unscrewing more bolts and putting them by the ridge of a windshield. Learning further on the car, she wiggled the piece in question. With a loud clang, the alternator fell to the floor. Pushing herself off the car she smiled and lifted the car a few inches to grab the old rusty alternator.

It was fascinating watching her work. He would've never thought she was that talented. Thanks to her father who was also a car fanatic she had someone to learn from. Making sure she would never need anyone's help. He admired that from her. Even though her image was completely the opposite of what she knew how to do. She dressed in bedazzled clothes, short skirts, and shirts. Her baby face was surrounded by the heavenly blonde hair, her rosy cheeks, and to top it off her always glittering lips, lined with lip gloss.

Mesmerized, he watched as she put a new alternator back, and begin putting piece by piece back. It wasn't like he was watching her for a few minutes, everyone could notice his eyes not leaving the blonde. They had yet to know if the two were together, but didn't want to question it.

Walking to the driver's door, Amara stepped on the clutch as she started the car, slowly letting the pedal go. Smiling as she heard the engine rumble properly, the way it should've. Turning it off, she moved to close the hood. Holding it with one hand, she removed the prop stick and let it fall with a snap.

Taking a breath she nodded and headed upstairs to where her secret boyfriend sat. His hands are occupied with an empty beer bottle. She furrowed her eyebrows at the sight, "You do realize there is nothing in that bottle?" she asked him sitting on the chair next to him.

He looked down and noticed she was right. Having been watching her for so long, made him not realize that it was empty. He chuckled and placed the bottle on a nearby table, "I knew that Princess," he replied.

Reaching for a water bottle she chugged it for a while, "Well the Skyline runs as good as new," she commented her eyes trailing to the blue Skyline below.

He nodded and looked over at her, "Want to go for a drive?" he suddenly asked her. The sudden need to be around her took over him.

"Sure mine or yours?" she asked referring to their cars.

Getting up he dug the keys from his pocket, "Mine, let's go," he said fighting the urge with himself to hold her hand. They had yet to come out to the whole public about their relationship. He knew people suspected the two, but no one ever had the guts to ask or call them out.

The two hopped into Han's Mazda, the very one she had gifted him. Driving off he reached for her hand kissing it slightly before moving his to the shift knob.

"Where are you taking me this time?" she asked her eyes on the long-haired man beside her.

Han glanced over at her for a second before smirking, "The place we love the most," he said looking forward.

Amara squealed, "Tokyo Disneyland?" she asked excitedly, not knowing it was the wrong answer.

He looked over to her, "You're joking," he said in disbelief.

The blonde shook her head, "No, why would I be joking?" she replied hoping they were going there.

Shaking his head he sighed, "Only for you Amara, only for you," he said, changing lanes to merge onto a highway that led them towards Urayasu, Japan. The corner of his lip lifted slightly as she squealed once more, leaning from her seat to plant a kiss onto the corner of his mouth, as he was driving.

"Love you Han!" she said turning to look at the outside move in a blur as they drove half an hour away from Tokyo.

"I know princess, love you too," he mumbled his hand still on the steering wheel as he maneuvered his way around other cars.

There was nothing more perfect he found about Amara. A young woman who was sweet as a cherry, but anyone who messed with her, knew she was hard as the pit to the cherry. He had grown to love the spontaneous blonde.

More often then not, he would see the Skyline swerve to the side and ask him to get in. Each time took the duo going to new places he hadn't seen. Never had he been more thankful for a woman like her.

He remembered the first time he saw her in her school uniform. It had been months since his move to Tokyo, already having something established for himself. Going to pick his money from certain areas that he now began to claim. He froze as he grabbed the cash, his eyes trained on the walking figure.

Her long blonde hair blew softly in the wind, her face showing no emotion as she walked forward.  His eyes moved down to her white button-down, her tie hanging loosely around her neck. As the blazer with the school crest on her shoulder, and not forgetting the plaid skirt ending around her mid-thigh. Her black socks match her mary janes on her feet.

After school, Amara wasn't the one to care about her surroundings, wearing the stuffy uniform all day made her a bit snarky. Her bag slung against her shoulder as she slowly moved past people.  He felt sick to his stomach when the thought of her looking attractive crossed his mind. The girl wasn't even twenty and he was thinking things he shouldn't. Turning from her direction he grabbed the cash and entered his Skyline he had brought with him, from LA. 

The teen never knew that Han had seen her that day, and never would. Not ever knowing the moment Han started to fall for her. He kicked himself for days after that. Ignoring her as he would see her at races with her friend Neela and Takashi.

The blonde not helping with wearing her short flowy dresses to the shows. Her pretty shiny pink lips along with her doe eyes briefly glancing at him. Making him look or walk away from her. Not wanting to face the facts that he had gained feelings for her.

It wasn't until a few days after, that Amara cornered him in an elevator. Pressing the emergency stop button to talk to him, "Why have you been ignoring me?" she asked her hands resting on her hips. A short plaid skirt hugged her hips, leaving a sliver of her waist to show as she wore a lilac cropped tank top.

Han sighed knowing he couldn't run away from this, "I'm sorry Amara, but we—" he paused to shut his eyes for a second before glancing the ceiling light, "—I can't be near you, I'm not good for you," he said believing that she shouldn't be near an older man like himself.

Amara snorted rolling her pretty brown eyes, that he couldn't look away from, "Please, that's a lie and you know it, " she said crossing her arms leaning on one hip.

The man didn't move for a while, he just looked at her in front of him. Not once did she shift under his gaze, not once did she look uncomfortable. She was everything Giselle wasn't. She wasn't some girl that knew her way around danger, wasn't an expert driver, didn't know her way around cars as she had. But boy, was he very wrong about that. And just like all the men that crossed in her life, he would learn who Amara really is. Han Seoul-Oh had a type and he had yet to know.

Without a moment's thought, the school girl closed the gap between them. Sickeningly enough he kissed back, loving the taste of the cherry lip gloss on her mouth. He moved his large hands to her waist as she moved hers to the back of his head running and pulling on his hair.

Realizing his actions he pulled away breathlessly, he watched as Amara started the elevator again. Digging to her skirt pocket. She pulled out a tube of lip gloss, unscrewing it she began applying it to her pink lips. As her eyes never left his. The elevator dinged as she capped the tube, "See you soon, Han," and said waving her fingers walking out of the elevator as nothing had happened.

He was stunned by the boldness of the girl. Chuckling to himself he knew maybe it wasn't going to be all that bad chasing after the blonde schoolgirl.

"Disney!" Amara squealed as she could see the tall castles from a distance, "Han we're here!" she said leaning towards the window.

Pulling to the park, he handed the cash over for the parking, not minding the small price. For his girlfriend who was basically jumping up and down her seat. Pulling the car into a space, she flew out of the car. Running over to his side and pulling on his hand as he locked the car.

For the next few hours he was pulled from ride to ride. Amara laughing as the wind flew past her hair for most of the rides. Han just loves the sound as he smiles softly following her around.

The entire time a smile never left her face, letting her almost unnoticeable dimples appear on her face. His second favorite thing from that day besides her smile was the rides he didn't go on with her. She was unbothered as she was a very sociable person. He watched from afar as men were enamored by the blonde that spoke Japanese. Flushing from the fact that someone like her was on the ride with them.

The blonde didn't think anything of it, sharing the ride with most often men, who have seen her in the single riding cart. After the ride, most of the men tried talking or asking if she'd like to join them. But Amara just bowed and thanked them for their time. Each of the men watched as she walked over to a long-haired man leaning on some fence grabbing his hand.

He loved the confusion that fell on their face. All of them disappointed that she had been taken, by an older man nonetheless. Jealousy and embarrassment joined soon after the realization.

When night finally fell on the park, the two gathered around with everyone else to watch the fireworks. The loud colorful bangs joined with music surrounding the park. His hands around her body as she leaned back into his chest, looking up at the colorful sky.

In the middle of the show, she turned to face him. Her head looking up at the taller man, "Thank you for today Han, I love you more than you know," she said leaning forward to hug him.

He hugged her back and kissed the top of her head, "And I love you, there isn't anything I wouldn't do for you," he replied meaning every word. Smiling knowing the day he would marry this woman and he'd make the best decision.

The ride back home was quiet, a comfortable silence sat between the two. The lights from the outside made her at peace. Something about the neon lights brought her peace. Turning her head towards him she spoke up, "Can I sleepover at yours?"

Han glanced at her briefly and nodded, "Sure thing princess," he replied and made his way towards his apartment with Amara falling asleep on the driver's seat. Her head faced him as she had done so.

Parking the car he opened his door and made it around to Amara's, "C'mon Am," he said softly placing her arms around his shoulders, reaching for her thighs, subconsciously she wrapped them around his hips, as her head nestled into his neck. The small girl was light as he carried her.

Shutting the door, he locked it. Making his way up a few stairs to his door. Opening the door, he made his way through, closing it behind him. Walking down the hallway, he made it to his room the window open letting in the light from the neon signs. Laying Amara down, he untied her creased black Nike high-tops.

He leaned toward her, "Do you want the overalls on?" he asked her softly, his finger lingering on the zipper. 

The blonde mumbled shaking her head. Her consciousness between being asleep and awake. Reaching he untied the sleeves from her hips, then unbuttoned them, lowering the zipper he hooked his fingers on the hem and pulled them down her thighs. Her legs kicking to get them off.

Han chuckled at the sight of her white cotton underwear with a watermelon slice on her hip. Going into his closet she pulled out a shirt of his laying it beside her. As he reaches for the hem of her cropped shirt, "C'mon doll," he mumbled as she arched her back and lifted her hands as he slid it off her. Shaking his head as her breast were bare to him, nipples hardening from the cool air. Slipping her arms through the arm loops, he pushed it through her head. Struggling to bring it down all the way to her body.

"There you go pretty girl," he finished letting her finally get comfortable under the sheets.

Han made his way to brush his teeth and removed his clothes to throw on a pair of sweats. Then joining the blonde in bed. He felt her shift in the bed, turning to shove her face into his side as her leg wrapped around him. For a while, he just looked at her. The red neon signs casting a soft glow on her smooth skin.

"One day I'll marry you, Amara, making me the happiest man," he whispered into the air.

—well thank you for reading once again. I will see you in All too Well, there rest of the fast saga.

[allycat75]

You know what I think of when I hear "I had no choice"?

When it is in reference to a rich white male who starred in a billion dollar franchise, I would have to say that you must have made some big mistakes that led up to this horrible choice, regardless of how many people you support or how much your team was supposed to take off the top. You didn't look close enough at a thing that burned your charmed life to the ground because nothing bad had ever happened before (you even said something so flip and callous during an interview about meditation during the "Lightyear" press tour- it was so shockingly dangerous I remembered it as disturbing even when I was still blinded by The Woke Political Avenger persona).

This lack of ability to cope with a bit of discomfort led you into a fantasy world, not unlike the construct your team created of you for your fans as a Disney Prince, living in your own fairy tale. You didn't have to confront some very concrete realities lurking in the shadows, until you actually did, only they grew exponentially enormous in size and in a moment of "Ready, Shoot, Aim" you decided this was your only option.

So do I feel bad? Yes, but not at any commensurate level to what you should be feeling. I am sensitive you suffer from anxiety and I do believe you have a good heart; part of the reason you got into this mess is that you gave too much and trusted too freely, but I also think you have been coddled and shielded from confronting the demons we all face, also contributing to your current demise.

So I am going to try to be delicate because I know you hate yourself (also a cause of this mess), but I am not going to sugar coat (I'm a Sagittarius and I'm owning my brutal honesty, but as my sister sign of Gemini you should respect that).

Your seemingly no choice decision, even if it had been successful to get you a string of plum roles, hurt many people. The teacher who had to quit because she supported a charity. Jinx, the small dog food company who thought they were signing America's dog dad to help establish themselves in the marketplace. Your loyal fans who saved you from a shattering embarrassment, just to be sacrificed as jealous, crazy and stupid for telling the truth. The people of marginalized communities who believed you were an ally, only to tie yourself- first as a boyfriend, then as a "husband", and hopefully soon as an 'ex-husband"- to an antisemetic, racist fat-shammer, making you guilty by association. And let's not forget all of the talented, hard working actresses that deserved a shot at their dreams- much more than your arrogant, immature, lazy, untalented and entitled wifey. They are all collateral damage in your scheme to save yourself.

But worst of all, you have used your family, friends and even your beloved dog to further this lie, over and over. I suspect this has not gone over well and many of these precious relationships are now strained. I am sure they would rather have you happy, present and whole than be treated to all expense paid trips to Disney World. And if not, they are just clout chasers and you should divest of them.

And what did you get? Still sucking hind teat for any roles, let alone good ones. And you know why? Because the same people who convinced you this was a good idea have something personally to gain by keeping you vulnerable and weak, and are the same ones giving you dreadful scripts, if any scripts at all. You are no longer an actor, but a reality TV star working 24-7 and not getting paid. In fact, I bet for every mistake made or engineered, they billed you for every second of clean up. You may have gotten a part or two, but all are a bit dubious in quality, and where before you could draw an audience to a mediocre or just plain terrible film to, at worst, break even, you are now often the reason it is labeled as awful and, unlike the dick pic, there are no loyal fans to save you. You don't fuck around with karma- it is real and it will find you in whatever pottery shed you hide.

I don't expect you to be super human. But you do have an obligation to be human, flaws and all. And right now you are an automaton, who has no clue of what you stand for because you sacrificed all of that for the handful of magic Nazi beans. Until you can get to the bare minimum of a person- maybe provide an elevator speech of who you are at your core- let yourself feel this pain and emptiness so you are never tempted to go down this road again. It is like an addiction and you need to detox the selfish, shallow privlege out of you.

Trust is the hardest thing to earn back and is at the backbone of any solid relationship so if you want it, you are headed for a dark, tough road ahead and you will have to work harder and more diligently than you will ever have to for anything else in your life, with no guarantee of external reward.

But is it worse than what you are feeling now?

[day-at-rhodes-island]

Thoughts on closure? (Take this as an excuse to ramble to your hearts content)

You are too kind Hoa.

Unfortunately, despite quite a bit of somewhat recent Closure content, there hasn't been much to say about her that I haven't said already.

It was nice to see her in episodes 10 and 11, but for the most part her characterization is pretty much exactly what we already knew, just presented in a way that doesn't require you to have scoured every bit of lore that mentions her to put it together. This may mean she will be a more major character in later events, which could be fun (I would love an event that went into detail about the lifestyle of a "normal" vampire).

There is one scene in 10-14 before that I did really like though:

Closure: Your work environment is way too... Feist: Impoverished? You can speak your mind, the commander isn't here. Closure: ...Way too much of a challenge. *cough* *cough*... Feist: Miss Closure... Closure: What's up? Feist: D-Did you know, when you talk about being challenged, your eyes seem to... light up? Physically. Closure: Huh? Really? Must be because I'm getting excited... Is it scary? Feist: I-It's fine. Feist: To be honest, it wasn't until I met you that I found out... Uhh, that Sarkaz can do more than just fight. Closure: Oh... Uh, there are a lot of people who aren't fighters, like me. Closure: Naturally, I'm a vampire, so of course I was born with some handy talents. Feist: Huh? Y-You... what is this speed?! It'd take a week for me to do what you did in a single night! Closure: Why do you think the pillars of Rhodes Island are so good? Closure: Take a good look at my eyes. If the Rhodes Island landship was filled with vampires, working at night would be no problem, and we'd cut down big on the electricity bill. Feist: Are there... a lot of vampire engineers? Closure: Of course not! They... They all... Feist: Hey, why'd you start shuddering all of a sudden? Closure: Blame Londinium. It's been a long time since I last felt the fear of being this close to a den of evil. Look, my hands are totally frozen stiff! And I need these hands! Feist: Could it be... that Team 6 ran into...? Closure: I sure hope not. Closure: If so... For real, I need to give you guys a serious warning. Closure: Just in case... I mean, just in case—if you ever run into another vampire, run! Closure: No, it might already be too late by then.

Closure starts bragging about being a vampire, and then immediately has a physical reaction to just thinking about what most vampires are like. It's so good. She also gets to be a little scary (yay!).

I enjoyed this one too:

Closure: Not bad! For an instant back there, I thought I was gonna get my head painted over Londinium's walls! Amiya: It was Misery's Arts. He wouldn't see us hurt. Misery: Right... Kal'tsit told me your brain was an important asset to Rhodes Island. Closure: My hands don't come cheap either, c'mon! Closure: After that, I'm never asking to hitchhike with you again... Blaze carrying me everywhere is a way smoother ride than your Arts!

Blaze Express enjoyer Ada Church. Also, unless I've forgotten something, this is about as close as we get to Kal and Closure interacting during both episodes, which brings me to my next point:

I didn't like the treatment she got in the last scene of episode 11. They both: didn't really give her a reaction to Kal'tsit doing that and didn't make her punch out those mooks. Like, maybe she knew Kal would be okay, but it's weird Shining gets a reaction, while the person specifically stated to care about Kal'tsit in Kal'tsit's files doesn't, right? They were doing so well and they dropped the ball right at the end! Make Closure do a violence and feel sad about it!!

Oh, and I very much enjoyed Weedy's oprec, in which we learn that she smells of machine oil.

[starstruckpurpledragon]

Tagged by @icedteaandoldlace for the 15 Mutuals, 15 Questions meme

Are you named after anyone? My name is a family name on my mom's side, though specifically I'm named after my mom's favorite cousin. Different spellings, though. I absolutely adored her growing up and I missed her very much when she moved away.

When was the last time you cried? Given the wasps in my house and the ongoing renovation work... yesterday, late last night. Stress crying sucks and makes me more stressed because I can't really control it. That said, I feel a lot better about things today.

Do you have kids? Nope, but I have a nephew. Very adorable. Recently got a new stuffed animal during a trip to a cave. A bat, named Bat-Bat. His dad keeps hoping to convince him to go with Bruce instead. :D

Do you use sarcasm a lot? Yes and no. It's situational, really. Who I'm with and what their tolerance for sarcasm is and what my mood is at the time.

What sports do you play/have you played? I played soccer and softball in elementary school. I was much better at soccer than softball but I didn't really enjoy it at the time.

What’s the first thing you notice about people? How they treat other people. I kinda suspect I'm a little face-blind so what people say and do make a bigger impression on me than physical appearance.

What’s your eye color? Green, except when they're blue

Scary movies or happy endings? Happy endings

Any special talents? Fanfic writing. :D But I can also do some pretty silly muppet voices, all the better to entertain my nephew with. Or do impressions of Golem from LoTR with.

Where were you born? A hospital in Kentucky, of the blue grass and the fast horsies.

What are your hobbies? Aside from writing fanfic, there's playing video games and whatever fun craft has most recently caught my attention. Sometimes paint by number, cross stitch, etc... and when my piano isn't blocked in by boxes (thanks, reno) I'll play that.

Do you have pets? I have a dog named Estelle. She's a terrier and minpin mix who loves snuggles, snacks, and chasing squirrels.

How tall are you? About 5'8"

Favorite subject in school? English class, though my computer science courses were a close second.

Dream job? I wanted to be an author as a kid, which I kind of feel like I've fulfilled by writing fanfic. I am a software engineer, which I do really enjoy... but I think dream job would really have to be librarian. A school librarian, perhaps.

Tagging @goldheartedchaoticdisaster, @fezwearingjellybananas, @shrinkthisviolet, @vexic929, @incorrectcoldflashblog, @gender-luster, @a-redharlequin, @ageless-aislynn, @terrie01, @hawkstincan, @stars-are-just-ghosts, @autisticharrywells, @violetteatime, @sophiainspace, @bottom-of-the-riverbed

[alstroemerian-dragon]

man. thinking about how the survivors all desperately need new hobbies

like. okay. sonia’s a great example. off the top of your head what are her hobbies? probably learning about and researching true crime and the occult, and watching j-dramas/anime, right? but if you really think about it, her fascination with japanese culture very much feels like her just desperately wanting to fit in and massively overcompensating. so while i do think she probably enjoys those shows, theyre definitely not as popular in her kingdom as she claims (not that im saying she’s lying on purpose, just that. well, when you feel embarrassed about someones reaction to you liking something, sometimes you’ll try to make an excuse for why you do yknow), and plus, its not like they have access to a lot of entertainment media for a while post program. as for the occult/true crime stuff…

look me in the eye and tell me junko did not use that against her. do you really think junko enoshima would not see a girl obsessed with the study of serial killers and not try and warp that into a fascination with her?

i think that stuff leaves a bad taste in her mouth now. and after committing and being complicit in the committing of the kind of crimes she used to be fascinated by, its kind of hard to find the joy in that anymore, yknow? the occult stuff could maybe still be enjoyable, but with how often it feels like there are ghosts lurking around every fucking corner and her dreams are filled with screaming corpses its kinda hard to be fanciful about that stuff.

so. girl needs some new hobbies.

its not much better for the others, either. akanes hobbies were basically working out, doing parkour, eating, and sleeping. the first two are downright impossible for the first several months after waking up, and for the foreseeable future any kind of physical activity is going to be, to an extent, difficult just due to how much chronic pain and weakness she’ll probably suffer the rest of her life. she can get to a healthier weight and a stronger muscular build, but its not going to change the fact that she gets out of breath and sore much faster than before. as for eating… well. thats gonna be a sore subject for a while. so all she has left is sleeping, and sleeping all day is, as ive been told by many people, kind of a depression symptom? and theres no way the others would sit back and let her do that.

girl needs some new hobbies!

kazuichi, from what we can tell, had a few more normal hobbies. in game you can find him gaming with chiaki, and he seems to enjoy coming up with schemes and plans for silly stuff, but overall he just loves his tinkering. he may be the ultimate mechanic but first and foremost he just loves fucking with machines and engines and finding out what makes them tick. but even that isnt gonna work anymore. sure, he could game. if they had any fucking consoles. or a working computer network. or any games. but none of that is happening for a while, if ever. as for his tinkering, it’s gotta be a similarly sore subject to sonia’s training and tutoring as a princess. its too closely linked to what he did as a despair, too closely linked to his talent, to not make him feel like screaming when he smells machine polish. i think he definitely could get back to a point where it genuinely brings him joy again, and before that he definitely forces himself to use his talent and knowledge because they need it, but. its a complicated problem.

the guy needs some new fucking hobbies.

and of course… fuyuhiko.

fuyuhiko… doesnt have any hobbies.

like okay can you think of a single thing from the game (or fuck even the anime) that implies that he has anything he actually does For Fun. he has a sweet tooth. hes dedicated to his clan. he went to the zoo with peko one time. he got in fights at school. thats… those arent hobbies. fuyuhiko doesnt have any hobbies!!! someone get this boy some fucking knitting needles or a book to read!!!! please!!!!!!!!!! i think it would genuinely help him a lot to have something to do instead of just sitting and stewing in his own trash fire of a brain speaking from experience. learn to sew, read some fantasy novels, learn to play the guitar, something. im begging you.

and hajime is his own fucking can of worms.

he probably had hobbies before the Horrors. right? he probably played some video games, maybe liked martial arts films, maybe sketched in the margins of his notebooks. rode his bike sometimes. but now? nothing keeps his interest that long. everything becomes monotonous after a while, and sure, sometimes thats the draw. with stuff like fiber crafts the point is sometimes making it muscle memory so you have something to do with your hands. but other times its not. and his ability to basically excel in most things you put in front of him has to be so fucking boring after a while. a lot of the point of having hobbies is that you arent perfect. the draw is learning, is getting better. even reading can become nothing when any nonfiction book has knowledge in it you already know and any fiction book you can intuit the ending from the first few pages. he probably reads Lightning Fast now too, so it cant hold his interest for long.

he probably has to constantly be switching hobbies and outlets. cant stay on one thing too long, or the ennui starts to set in. that sounds miserable.

someone get these kids some hobbies, man

[afpwestcoast]

The Observatory North Park, San Diego, 12/9/23

Though we were in a different city the setup for this show was very similar to last night in LA: large, ornate theater with a barricade keeping people back from the stage. But this was no impediment to the band torching through a stellar set.

Amanda calls me Tom the Critic because after shows I have a tendency to skip over the OMYGOD THAT WAS AWESOME part and pick nits over minor issues. It’s a character flaw; I’m working on it.

After this show I took Amanda’s face in my hand, looked her in the eye, and said, “Amanda, you know I love you, but I am about to tell you something that you probably thought you’d never hear me say.”

“Oh god,” she replied, bracing for the worst. “What is it?”

I leaned in close and whispered, “Perfect show. No notes.”

“AWWWW!” she said as she melted into my arms for a big hug.

And it really was a truly stupendous show, but even so it came close to being overshadowed by the after party.

Amanda’s sister Alyson (of forced wedding / gross cake fame) was in town for a hematology conference, and her “book doula” Jamy Ian Swiss lives in San Diego, so they were both there.

I convinced them - and Amanda’s brilliant long-time sound guy Dave - to join us for drinks at Part Time Lover, a nearby combination bar and vinyl record store. As we headed out I snuck up behind Amanda and said, “I think I just convinced your sister to come out drinking.” She said, “Yeah, that tracks.”

The place was jammed with a boisterous young crowd when we arrived, but we closed the place down and there hardly was anyone left by 2am.

I got to learn about Alyson’s efforts to cure cancer with targeted drugs and Dave’s work training the next generation of sound engineers. That was lovely, but Jamy stole the show. Or rather, put one on.

Knowing him primarily from his work with Amanda on her book, I thought the magic was a bit of a side hustle. When I asked, “Are you any good?” his look said, ‘I will tolerate that because you are buying me drinks,’ but his mouth said, “I am much better than good.” And then he pulled out a deck of cards and proved it.

I had never actually seen close magic up close, like literally standing next to the magician. Let me tell you, it is quite an experience. You know it’s a trick, you know he’s doing something, but you cannot see anything, which makes you start questioning your sanity. He really is much better than good.

After we closed the bar Dave and Alyson bailed but Jamy soldiered on and we went to an all-night diner where the spirited (pardon the pun) conversation continued until we finally parted ways around 4am. This was one for the annals.

Annotated Set List:

Good Day

Sex Changes

Gravity

Backstabber

My Alcoholic Friends

Shores of California

Delilah (featuring Veronica Swift) Welcome to the Internet (Bo Burnham cover)

Another lengthy intro before launching into a set of new songs, although this didn’t feel like the angsty delay tactic of the previous night but just bringing the audience up to speed on what was about to happen. Mister God

By way of introduction to the next song Amanda said that the friend who was the first person she sent it to when it was finished was in the audience.

“A really dear friend of mine is in the audience tonight … his name is Jamy Ian Swiss and he’s a man of many talents, among them: he’s an incredible professional magician. But he also helped me write a book called “The Art of Asking,” which was kind of a magic trick itself. Over the course of working on this book together he got to know me very very very well.”

And I thought, ‘Oh yeah I need to party with this guy.’

Houdini

Believe it or not, as Amanda was telling the background story of the next song, there was another medical emergency that necessitated bringing up the house lights, same as the previous night in LA. Once again the staff was on it and the band and the crowd were very respectful.

Afterwards Brian said, “It is actually really amazingly rad to have venue after venue’s staff come up to us after shows and go, ‘Your crowd is really awesome; they’re really good people!’”

Whakenewha Amsterdam (Jacques Brel cover)

Another Christmas

Boyfriend in a Coma

The Runner

The Nail (Amanda on synthesizer)

Coin-Operated Boy

“We don’t take for granted that we’ve been a band for 23 years now and without a record out since fucking 2008 and like a thousand people still came to see us play. That does not necessarily have to happen when you’re a band. And so we want to thank every single one of you for just like loving us and believing in us.”

Merch commercial

Astronaut (A Brief History of Nearly Nothing) (Amanda Palmer cover)

War Pigs (Black Sabbath cover)

—

Girl Anachronism

Photo Gallery:

The scene of the crime.

Ready to Rock! (photo by Deanna Aliano)

The Dresden Dolls!

Delilah

Amanda is WAY up on the balcony for Amsterdam

The many faces of Brian Viglione

Merry Christmas motherfuckers

Technicolor Dolls

Beautiful shot of Brian by Deanna Aliano

Big finish!

[thesinglesjukebox]

KENDRICK LAMAR - "NOT LIKE US"

From “fucking Drake” to “fuck you, Drake”…

[6.73]

Katherine St. Asaph: "Meet the Grahams" was more vicious, but this has schadenfreude off the charts: one-upping "Family Matters" with something even more engineered as a crossover bop and succeeding at that crossover, thus depriving Drake of his one argument in the court of public opinion; the simultaneous coinage of many new memes dunking on Fucking Drake; the various streams of Drake stans squirming in anguish trying to suppress the urge to dance; clubs playing it almost immediately; the NBA playoff broadcasters adding it to rotation almost immediately (especially considering OKC is in them); the sheer fact that there is an enormously popular track that calls Drake a predator for his publicly predatory behavior. [10]

Will Adams: i ain't reading all that. i'm happy for u tho. or sorry that happened. [3]

Alex Clifton: “Meet the Grahams” was one of the darkest songs I have ever heard and took the Kendrick-Drake beef to an entirely new level. But while “Meet the Grahams” has more damning accusations, “Not Like Us” acts as a real sucker punch because it’s so catchy and funny. Why not beat Drake at his own game by rapping about how he sucks over a dance beat? A jab about Drake’s predilection for younger girls turned into the most quotable line of the summer—honestly a genius move. People will be yelling “it’s probably A minorrrrrrrrrrr” whenever it comes up. The rest is fun, too; the colonizer line in particular makes me snicker. The fact that it was written so quickly with such smart lyrics leaves me in awe. Do I feel good about watching all this unfold? Not exactly; if any of the accusations these men hurl at one another end up being true, I don’t think anyone “wins.” But I am a messy bitch who loves drama, and this is drama to the highest fucking degree. If it sounds this good, all the better.  [7]

Nortey Dowuona: The most seething, unflattering portrait of a theater kid raging that their talent and charm has not gained them the unflinching loyalty of their audience (and by extension their partner), and we will either have to hastily disavow this in four months/four years/tomorrow. That said, incredible, so full points! [10]

Jacob Sujin Kuppermann: All moral and ethical concerns aside, I celebrate this as the triumphant return of the most notable figure in West Coast rap over the past decade: DJ Mustard! And thank god for it, too — before this, the aftershocks of "Like That" were mostly caught up in boring video essay-type beats (Jack Antonoff was involved) that existed merely so that these guys didn't have to just do spoken-word poetry. (I refrain here from talking too much about "BBL Drizzy," maybe the most interesting work in all of this scuffling.) It's not just that this is a fun beat; it's a beat composed with such obvious glee that it forced Kendrick into doing his best Drakeo (RIP) impression, taunting and generating quotables like he'll never need to rap again. Even when he comes back to his senses and executes a rigorous and serious cultural critique of Drake's extractive practices with regard to the Atlanta rap ecosystem, he gets some good jokes in – if some told me that 2 Chainz had LIED when he said I was good, I would retire immediately. [8]

Jackie Powell: I compare this titular moment in music, the now very public feud between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, to a sports rivalry I follow quite closely. Kelsey Plum of the Las Vegas Aces told reporters during the 2023 WNBA Finals that her rival team, the New York Liberty, didn’t really “care about each other” in tough moments as teammates. She compared them to her Aces, a group of players who show on the internet and on television how close they are. In other words: For Plum, they (the Liberty) aren’t like us (her Aces). This rivalry was built from a couple of ideas: 1) these are the two teams with the most talent in the league, and 2) rivalries are hot-button stories that elevate and bring more eyes to the product. That second idea is where I land when it comes to our hip-hop feud at hand -- and hey, the WNBA is super in style now, so hip-hop should be honored that I’m making this comparison. Reanna Cruz remarked on "Switched On Pop" that this beef is “getting played up to get people to pay attention to rap music again.” She’s not wrong. A huge difference between these two conflicts, of course, is that Drake and Kendrick Lamar are taking cheap shots at each other that make the trauma and pain of many women public. This beef is becoming too personal, rather than just a promotional catalyst for the genre. The synth strings that accompany Lamar’s flow do make this a worthwhile listen without soaking in the numerous disses on the track, and I always enjoy when Lamar adds jazz elements. But the compelling and catchy arrangement aside, I was disappointed in the hook. Saying someone isn’t up to par is a weighted statement, and repeating the title of the track six times isn’t an innovative way to hammer that point home.  [5]

Alfred Soto: I acknowledge the anguish of many writers deploring the unfounded accusations here and in "Meet the Grahams." Exploiting the misery of the victims for the sake of a diss track is gross. Maybe Nas vs. Jay-Z spats no longer suit our times -- I grew up with them and loved them. But I'd be lying if I denied the motherfuckin' catchiness of Mustard-on-the-beat and Kendrick Lamar's arsenal of whines, repetitions, and biographical data. I also remember: art and journalism intersect but have divergent responsibilities.  [8]

Julian Axelrod: If there are any winners in the great Graham-Lamar Beef of 2024, it's the cadre of Genius-pilled rap fans who scour over every stray Kendrick line like it's holy scripture, teasing out assumed allusions and nebulous entendres. Now Kendrick's footnoting with purpose, each toss-away reference loaded with subtext about Drake's personal (and potentially criminal) misdoings. But the most shocking thing Kendrick did -- the thing that probably made Drake madder than any other slight in this saga -- was make a good old fashioned rap radio banger, the kind he hasn't attempted since SZA dropped Ctrl. And even more thrillingly, it's an obsessively reverent LA rap resurrection that nobody does better than Kendrick at his loosest and best, alternating between Drakeo yammers and E-40 yowls over a Mustard beat that sounds like congested traffic on a hot day. (What's crazier, the fact that two of Kendrick's diss tracks are produced by Mustard and Jack Antonoff? Or the fact that the likely chart-topper is produced by one Dijon McFarlane?) If anything, the diss/bop duality is a disadvantage; there's too much weight for the song to feel truly breezy, and it's hard to turn up to direct accusations of sex trafficking and pedophilia. But casual menace is the defining trait of a West Coast diss track, and it's satisfying to hear Kendrick returning to his home turf.  [7]

Hannah Jocelyn: I've seen criticisms for the mix, and anyone who's followed my blurbs during my eight years (!) writing for TSJ knows I'm all for that; believe me when I say that for once, it actually is nitpicking. All that matters for a song like this is that the vocals are intelligible but not too far above the beat. And these vocals are very intelligible, with every syllable as enunciated as Pusha T's "you are HIDING a CHILD" for three minutes straight. The verse calling Drake out for his genre-hopping is as insightful and intense as anything Kendrick’s ever written. But this is obviously most famous for the "A minorrrrr" joke, mocking both Drake's "Dave Freeeeeee" delivery on "Family Matters" and Nicki Minaj's eccentric drawn-out deliveries. (Never mind that the line isn't that strong -- it's the same pun Bo Burnham used over a decade ago.) Even as things get dark, it's an incredibly fun listen; I enjoyed the showmanship of the beef, culminating in Kendrick beating his sworn enemy at his own game. But everyone who hates what it's become is right. Do we really want jokes about these topics? If any of it is true, does that even change anything? Drake's not too famous to get caught, despite what he said; he's just too famous to face any meaningful consequences. The humiliation in "Not Like Us" might be the best we can do about alleged predators on this scale, in place of anything resembling justice. [7]

Oliver Maier: It should be valid -- encouraged, even -- to admit that Kendrick Lamar is at his most annoying when he makes chart music. We are all losers in this godforsaken beef. [2]

Taylor Alatorre: It doesn't live up to the promise contained in that heart-resuscitating DJ Mustard tag, but I don't know if any song could. The song that could live up to that DJ Mustard tag exists only in the realm of pure forms, alongside the band that could live up to the name Libertines and the album that could live up to the title ARTPOP. The actually existing "Not Like Us" lives down here in the muck with us fallen people, in a place of impermanence and unsettledness and compromise. A place where productive collaborations from a decade ago can be recast as colonial thievery in an instant; where populist pandering comes in the strategic use of the words "pedophiles" and "minor"; where sex offender registries are of dubious criminological impact; where my YouTube homepage just looks like this now; where apps are now battlefields and "post-truth" is a casus belli; where the bloodied gears of History churn on in the background, or foreground; where the Macklemore apology form exists; where in some arcane yet deeply intuitive way this all prefigures another Trump electoral victory. And yet, for all of Kendrick’s “me against the industry” posturing, only by climbing on the shoulders of its fraught context is “Not Like Us” able to claw its way into the halls of pop immortality. From "euphoria" onward, this has been the diss track as alternate reality game, roping in everyone from confused Chinese restaurant patrons to the luminaries named in Kendrick's Real Atlanta Roll Call. We bob our heads to the lines about statutory offenses not because the bars are the hardest-hitting ever, or because we particularly care about the legal fate of Baka Not Nice, but because we imagine the thousands of other people bobbing their heads at that exact moment, astounded that (or wondering whether) we're allowed to do so. Because the floodgates have been opened, Carnival is upon us, and for a few charged weeks even a beat that Stay Dangerous-era YG would have left alone can become a defining document of its time. Monoculture status: alive, in Serbia.  [7]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox]

[sandwormsummoner]

Ana Luiza Ferreira stars in “Beetlejuice” alongside Edu Sterblitch

By Marcelo Bandeira | 04/11/2023 15:56

Combining comedy and horror, the work, which runs until December 10th, provides fun for the whole family and is inspired by the film “The Ghosts Have Fun”.

Translator's note: this is the translation of the name used when the film was shown at the Brazilian cinema :] ... Honestly, Brazilian title adaptations are weird (°_°;⁠)

Born with a destiny clearly traced since a young age, actress Ana Luiza Ferreira found her great passion in the performing arts. Currently, she dazzles the stage at the Cidade das Artes Bibi Ferreira, in Rio de Janeiro, in the role of Lydia Deetz in "Beetlejuice: Os Fantasmas se Divertem — O Musical" and celebrates a new "turning point" in her career, after eight years since the debut that established her in the theater, as the aspiring Maria Roberta in “Sister Act”

“ ‘Sister Act’ changed my life. I was about to give up when I passed the audition. And it didn't stop there! We had a beautiful season of almost a year, I acted alongside childhood idols, and both critics and audiences welcomed me warmly. Undoubtedly, it represented an important change in my story. However, 'Beetlejuice' came to be a strong contender (laughs),” she said, demonstrating her excitement for the new project.

For Ana Luiza, music was her first love, and although today it's the "aggregation" of all the forms that complete her, the carioca keeps alive her other artistic vein as a pop singer and dedicates herself to original compositions like the hits and music videos "Hey" and "Fools," two of the trio she prepared for 2023. "What fulfills me is knowing that when I sing, I'm also acting, there's no way to separate them anymore, and that hypnotizes me," she emphasized to iG. Check out the full interview!

Beetlejuicet is a cult classic, with a passionate fan base, and will get a sequel in theaters in 2024. How has the public received it?

“The number of people we see dressed up or wearing striped clothes when the theater lights come on during the curtain call is surreal. I'm an admirer of the work, actually of the entire Tim Burton universe, so I see myself in each one. Surely, I would also be 'striped.' Besides the messages of affection that are coming, I try to respond to all of them and I'm happy that they like it.

Edu (Sterblitch) is a genius and a generous human being, and the cast is very talented. Touché's production is impeccable, and the humane direction of our dear Tadeu Aguiar has guided us down such a fascinating path that it's impossible not to love the "boldness of the Brazilian adaptation.”

Is there a part of your character that you personally identify with? How do you prepare to enter Lydia's mind and heart with each performance? Do you have a special ritual?

“I recognize myself in her in several aspects. I understand the pain of losing a close relative, and like her, I'm still learning to move forward. I was a bit of an emo teenager, feeling misunderstood by society and listening to pop-punk. I believe that helps with the musical references. Before going on stage, I connect with my castmates in a circle of energy, a hug, say my prayers, and it's show time!”

Beetlejuice will have a sequel and will bring back Winona Ryder in the role — with whom you, in fact, already have a certain affinity — after starring in a production of "Heathers." What do you attribute this connection to? Do they act in similar settings?

“Although cinema and theater are different languages, I think we find ourselves when playing unconventional roles. At times, I felt out of place in society. Even among my groups of friends, I considered myself the artist in a sea of engineers, doctors, and lawyers, or the one with the weirdest laugh and non-standard body. These "experiences" allow me to access an interesting aspect on stage; after all, I often say that the actor's greatest research tool is themselves.”

↓↓↓

[doubleddenden]

I'm going to make an adult Scoobert Dooby Doo spin-off utilizing all members of Mystery Inc and throw in my own ideas.

Premise: a villain has kidnapped Scrappy Doo and the rest of the Doo clan. Yes, we're going to like Scrappy Doo by making him a cute puppy and yes we're going to ignore the last 20 years of Scrappy erasure.

The Doos are being guarded closely by "Monsters," and by "Monsters" I mean people that the Big Bad has gifted special costumes to that turn them into the monsters for as long as they wear the masks. The longer you wear it, the more humanity you lose. Also most of the villains are serial killers and corrupt people that the Big Bad has broken out, and they all have some grudge or another against Mystery Inc members.

As for the gang themselves, we're going to try to keep things truer to form, but I will drip some uniqueness to this iteration. For the record, they're in their late 20s now.

Fred: stressed dad friend but kind Himbo type. Also he's gay and his boyfriend is Alan M Mayberry- yes, the blond guy from Josey and the Pussy Cats. There's a recurring joke about people having trouble telling them apart. Alan is a talented folk singer on tour and still friends with his Co stars. Fred in this series is a car mechanic and has engineering experience as well, so he's the "Pimp my ride" type guy to add in all sorts of bullshit to cars (explaining why the MM is so suped up). He insists that ascots are "in" but they're not.

Daphne: Used to date Fred for a bit, then they realized they weren't really for each other and Fred eventually realized he was gay. Daphne is still supportive of him. She's into fashion and knows martial arts like usual, but also has a bit of a goofy side to her. She loves and supports her friends a lot and will absolutely be the "She asked for no pickles!" Person. There's also a gag that she's done some crimes- like freeing animals from a zoo, vandalizing cop cars, stealing all the left shoes of her previous ex, etc. Also is friends with the Hex Girls, and in college they- usually gets cut off by shenanigans but they absolutely fucked.

Velma: okay we're going to have fun with this bitch because I honestly find her boring or kinda bitchy in her later iterations. First off she's a bisexual, second of all she's sort of got the personality she had from A Pup Named Scooby Doo where she's quiet for the most part, solving things in the background, and a tech genius. She is very useless around pretty nerdy girls and handsome DILF types. Also, a running gag from the show is that she sometimes takes up part time work with other Mystery Solvers like the Clue Club, Fang Face, etc. She's very thoughtful of her friends and always remembers birthdays and such. Scooby is very protective of her. Absolutely has a shrine dedicated to waifus and husbandos, and she doesn't really care that her friends see it. She will kiss her picture of David Harbour and you can either get out or make it awkward for both of you by staring.

Shaggy: scaredy cat, food lover, basically mostly what we're familiar with- except everyone always accuses him of being a stoner. He's never touched a weed in his life because he made a promise to his grandma that he wouldn't. He's just REALLY into scooby snacks for some reason- Velma hypothesises it's because he has a few times more taste buds than average and can taste seasonings no normal person would ever detect. Shaggy is also a well known track star and gymnast, a ventriloquist, and he does improv sometimes with friends. He's a dense harem protagonist- he's straight, just dense af. He doesn't know why Madelyn (Velma's little sister from Abra Kadabra Doo) looks at him with big ol doe eyes, he doesn't get why the Hex Girls keep dedicating songs to him, he doesn't get why Tootie (Reluctant Werewolf) messages him at like 3 am with "U up?" And pictures of herself in cute outfits, thinks its neat that Bat Girl gave him her number once, got invited to be a roadie for spring break for Josie and the Pussy Cats- and this drives the others CRAZY because they all ALSO had crushes on him at some point and made it obvious af, but he's kinda dumb in that regard and so they moved on. He DID have a crush on a hippie girl, but she turned out to be an alien and he's still a little sore about it. Beloved family friend of the Doo clan and part of some chosen one prophecy handed down to them by the ages.

Scooby is here obviously. Everyone assumes Shaggy is the stoner but it's actually SCOOBY that smokes. For this series, Scooby and Shaggy both have the ability to utilize haunted costumes like the bad guys, but Scooby as a beast can remain in perfect control of himself as a man Shark, a demon, or whatever. He is still scared and dumb and a good luck type of clumsy of course, but he's also got some "adult cartoon" qualities. He's a convicted felon, he's a retired secret agent and has all sorts of weird connections, for some reason most celebrities know him, he's part of a Mystery Mascot Union with the likes of Speed Buggy, Jabber Jaw, Sebastion the Cat, etc, and he curses. Ruck you! Rhat da rell? Ritches ret stitches. The Doo clan sent him to live with Shaggy as a puppy as part of an exchange program, and then in Scooby's rebellious age he went off and did all sorts of shit. He's now a scaredy cat after some "incident" at the vet that he refuses to elaborate on, but he loves each of his friends dearly and will go feral for them if necessary. He makes scooby snack edibles and he's got some kids with a random dog, and works with the gang to make child support. Oddly enough, it took Scrappy Doo, his sister's kid, to make him realize he's been missing out on fatherhood.

And of course there's a running gag with Scrappy Doo, who sounds like Catbug now. He's adorable and is either adorably sad or doing puppy stuff like chasing his tail and breaking out of his prison.

Guest appearances by Flim Flam, Tootie, Vincent Van Ghoul, casts of various other Scooby clones, the Boo Brothers, Batman and friends, and of course each episode has one or two Doos, like Yabba Doo, Scooby Dum, Ruby Doo (Scrappy's mom), Skippy Doo, Uncle Horton Doo, and kids we're going to call Gooby, Zooby, and Tooby.

And the big bad? The big bad?

RED HERRING.

[cassynite]

I'm so late to this, and you probably already got most, but how about 🍋, 🌠(probably Crow?), and 💙 for Sparrow?

I didn't get any of these!! Thank you SO MUCH for these questions, it helped me discover something new about Sparrow :)

🍋 Does your OC act petty and jealous easily? What sort of things make them feel like this and do they experience guilt for getting so worked up? How do they deal with these emotions when they get them? If your OC doesn’t feel like this often, why not?

So regarding relationships: Sparrow absolutely experiences jealousy, though it stems from insecurity and how easily it happens tends to depend on how insecure she is in a relationship. It tends to be directed internally, less "what is that other person doing my partner" and more "what am I doing wrong that my partner needs to find it in someone else." It leads to her withdrawing and she rarely acts out because of it; if she does, it would be because she interpreted the actions that made her jealous as a deliberate attack, and would focus her anger either on herself or bring it up to her partner rather than involve the other person. When it comes to non-relationship jealousy...Sparrow can get envious of others, certainly, but she rarely if ever acts on it. People who show confidence and ease in their own skin, people who have happy families or strong friend groups, all of these can inspire a sickening envy. But like with relationships, Sparrow keeps it deeply internal, and would never act on those feelings.

🌠 Who was your OC’s first friend? Do they remember them or are they still friends now? Talk about some of the people your OC has lost contact with over the years. Do they have any regrets about losing these people and would they revist them if they could?

You got it in one--Crow was her very first friend! Her relationship to him is clarified in that idealized childhood, the platonic ideal she'll never obtain again--even when she finds out he's alive and finds him again. He was definitely THE most important person in the world to her for most of her life, even after she lost him. I think besides that, though, she definitely had other friends, children her age that she played with in Dehrukani. Not a lot, mind you, and she didn't see them all the time--she and Crow lived outside of a smaller village on the cliffsides and she didn't have a lot of opportunity to see others beyond Crow's work--but there were children who let her join in on their games whenever she did visit the village. Sparrow no longer remembers their names or their faces, but she still cherishes them as an indication that at one point she was able to make friends easily. I also think that Sparrow was close with another adult--there was a glassblower that lived in the village that Sparrow would watch whenever she was able to go to the town. Saelid was a busy elven woman and Sparrow didn't know her terribly well, but she would always answer Sparrow's questions on the craft, and Sparrow was fascinated with the process.

💙 What did your OC want to be when they grew up and why? Did they have any lifelong dreams or ambitions they never got to work on or are they currently working to achieve this dream? Has their life taken a very unexpected turn and put all these plans on hold for a while or have they given up on any dreams?

Ha I should have brought up the glassblower here! While her earliest desire was to do exactly what her brother does and become an artificer and engineer, her talent never really grew in that area. However, she loved the process of making glass, and her brother had ideas on how to supplement it with magic--the plan was that when she turned twelve she'd actually go into an apprenticeship with Saelid to learn the craft. She had dreams of bigger things than the sculptures Saelid focused on--she wanted to help create buildings with glass that would not break, mixing magic and the process in a way that her brother does with his larger-scale creations. Of course, her capture and enslavement destroyed those plans. She lost a lot of her former interests in the name of fitting into the role of Lady Evaethi when called for, and while she still has a passing interest in architecture and its foundations she doesn't remember a lot of what she'd learned as a child. If she'd never been captured, she would have become a great glassmaker.

[peccaberry]

tell me at length about your fave character(s) and why they're so blorbo to you

Rei is legally my emotional support Blorbo at this point so I'm gonna use this to talk about him for a sec ❤️

The version of Rei I vibe with most is the one that's more or less an OC I made for my fanfiction stuff! I consiter everything that happens in Legends of Arceus to be canon to him and I kind of just made up everything else other than that.

God idk where to start so I'll just list a bunch of Rei facts and shit in a sort of list order

BEHOLD, THE REI INFO DUMP:

-Rei's full name is Rei Akabane and was born in Johto to a Johtoan father and a Unovan mother. The last name Akabane loosely translates to "red feather" and is also the name of a train station in Japan!

-Rei looks a lot like his dad while his little sister looks a lot like his mom. Rei's hair has never lain flat in his entire life and it's definitely his dad's fault.

-Rei's mom is a Pokemon Trainer with a dream of eventually becoming a fire type gym leader. She is incredibly skilled and spent her younger years training by batting on the Battle Subway in Unova.

-Rei's Dad is a mild mannered engineer with a good sense of humor and a kind disposition. He met Rei's mom when he was on a work trip to Unova to help do work on the Battle Subway. He saw a crazy fire lady absolutely tearing through her battles while laughing manically and fell in love immediately. They got married a few years later and moved to Johto where Rei was born.

-Rei had a very good childhood with parents and a sister who loved him very much. When Rei was younger he didn't understand that he wasn't also the dad of his new baby sister and insisted that he was because he loved her just as much as dad. They grew up to squabble like any siblings would but were also pretty close with each other.

-Rei grew up around fire type Pokemon because of his mom and has a soft spot for them because of it. He chose Cyndaquil as his starter Pokemon because of this and still likes to wear the associated fancy kimono as his non-work clothes.

-Rei knew he was gay before he was taken by Arceus but was only out to his online friends. He really enjoyed being a part of the online LGBT community and it helped him gain a lot of confidence in himself. He was considering coming out to his parents but was taken before he could make that decision. He feels sad that he never got the chance to know how they would have responded but thinks it would have been positive.

-Rei and his family moved to Jubilife Town ~ a year before he was sent to Hisui for his Dad's job. He hadn't really made any particularly close friends there but was hopeful about the way his life was going.

-Rei's favorite hobbies are soccer and music. He took piano lessons from a young age and learned Ukulele as a fun thing to do with his dad when he was a bit older. He's pretty talented and has a good singing voice. He plays soccer for his school's team and that's where most of his friends were met.

-Rei's dream job is being a pokemon ranger and he's still big mad that it's no longer possible. He had applied to get in to the school but was taken before he found out if he had been accepted into the next semester. Justice for my boy, he could have done it.

-Rei was put in anger management therapy when he was younger because he kept getting into fights. He had a really good therapist and usually manages to keep things under control. He has an incredibly kind heart and it helps him to think about the consequences of his actions on other people and situations around him.

-Rei is really sarcastic and goofy and likes to have fun. He tries not to take things too seriously and likes to act like a moron but it is just an act. He's very much not stupid and has pretty high emotional intelligence.

-Rei struggles to sit down and read because he has both ADHD and Dyslexia. He gets around this with audiobooks but hasn't been able to listen to any since being sent to Hisui and it bums him out.

-Rei did passably in school but was nowhere near a star pupil. He did the best he could but school is not set up for people like him unfortunately. He's clever, but not in the way a school curriculum is set up to measure.

-Rei's "type" is honestly just exactly the kind of person Volo is. He fell in love so hard and fast he might as well have been competing in the homosexuality Olympics. The fact Volo never noticed is honestly really impressive on his part, the Arceus blinders were real. Rei managed to put his life back together after Volo betrayed him but never felt like he got any real closure for his feelings.

-Rei knows how to skateboard and used it pretty regularly just to get around. He can do a few simpler tricks but nothing too fancy.

-Rei's favorite kind of music is 2000s pop but he's the kind of guy who will go for any genre as long as he vibes with the song being played. He doesn't care if people think the songs are cringe, they're *his* cringe and he lives for it.

-Rei has high platonic attraction to woman and they tend to adopt him pretty quick because he's kind and never hits on them. He comes across as a guy who just genuinely wants to be their friend and hang out and it's part of why Akari got so attached to him.