#okay its dawn here etc etc etc

[rcbertleckie]

[lazyjellyfish300]

Books and Puzzles🤎☕

Miguel O'Hara x gn!Reader S/O

Synopsis: Bookstore, Coffee, Puzzle Building, and Takeout date with Miggy 🤎☕🧩📚 I just know that man enjoys puzzles, sudoku, word search, crosswords, Rubik's cubes, etc. the cutie. 🤓 Word count: 2k

A/N: I didn't intend to at first, but having him get turned on by calling him our husband ended up making its way into the fic. 🫣 s/o to Lauro @bluesidez since I saw you wrote about it earlier so you know I didn't steal from you love lol. 🫶🏽🖤

TW: ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIP, FLUFF, SUGGESTIVE AT THE END SO MINORS DNI, NOTHING TOO CRAZY, JUST MAKING OUT.

----

Ah the bookstore. You took a deep whiff as you walked in. Was it weird you liked the smell? Maybe it was the fact that your favorite coffee roaster was right next door and the smell wafted to its neighbor, bathing it in a heavenly mixture of freshly baked goods and rich brews meets old pages and fresh bindings. A warm pastry and large iced coffee were calling your name after this. 

Miguel walked closely behind you, hands in his hoodie pouch. Crimson eyes searching over the bookshelves, coasting from title to title as you two meander through the aisles, on the hunt for something new, but not sure what. Miguel grabs a non-fiction book about genetics, his pace gradually slowing to a stop behind you as he gets lost in reading it. 

You don't seem to notice, heading immediately for the romance section. You look over a few titles, eyes widening in interest then quickly softening in familiarity when you realize you've read them already, wiggling the spine of the book back in its tight spot between the others cramming the shelf. You read the back of a few other novels that looked promising, but you're not invested enough to drop $20 in case you don't like it.

You turn around and notice Miguel is nowhere to be found. 

"Babe?” You retrace your steps, finding your nerdy boyfriend lost in his book a few aisles over, a warm smile spreading across your lips. “Hey…” you give his arm a little tug. “Come over here.” 

“Mhmm…”. he says, his reading glasses sliding down a little on the bridge of his nose.

You shake your head at your sweet lover, leaving him to his reading. Finally, after he reaches the end of the first chapter, it dawns on him that his beloved is nowhere to be found. He looks from side to side, hanging his reading glasses on his collar, grabbing a blue bookmark with a wizard cat on it from a nearby kiosk and saving his spot, tucking the book under his arm as he weaves through the maze.

He spots you in no time, coming up behind you with a half grin on his face. “Hello…” he says sarcastically in a half-musical tone. 

You don't turn around, recognizing his voice, your eyes set on two puzzles in each of your hands. “Salutations…”

Miguel leans against a pillar nearby. “No spicy books this time?” 

“No…” you give a little disappointed sigh. “I've read most of them. None really caught my interest…” 

Miguel’s hand comes to your shoulder, making its way to the back of your neck, fingers lightly massaging your nape. “‘M’sorry you didn't find any this time.”

Your legs turn into goo at his touch, but you keep your eyes on the puzzles. “It's okay…I thought we could get one of these puzzles anyway to do together if you want.” 

Miguel's eyebrow raises. “Have you ever put a 500 piece puzzle together?”

You look up at him, “What, is it too hard or something?” 

Miguel shakes his head, chuckling lightly. “No, not necessarily. But it is time consuming, and a little tricky the more complex the design is. Just warning you in advance.” 

You blow air out of your lips like a horse. “Well I'm feeling lucky. Let's get it.” 

Miguel smiles and takes the puzzle in his hand, shaking his head a little at the goofy design. You two check out and head on your way, first stopping at the coffee shop next door for your favorite iced coffee and hot pastries. Miguel smiles as he watches you try and take a picture of your cup and bookstore bag to post on your Instagram story. 

---

When you get home, you both change into hoodies and sweatpants, getting nice and cozy with fuzzy blankets on the couch, warm socks on your feet, squealing a little as you dump out the puzzle pieces on your bare coffee table, rubbing your hands together and rolling up your sleeves a little as you begin, sitting cross legged on your plush rug. 

You snicker as you comb through the puzzle pieces. Miguel is already extremely invested. “¿Qué es tan gracioso? Hmm?” (What's so funny) 

Picture of the puzzle from Ceaco Puzzles, design and art by Brian Cook

You shake your head. “Just trying not to get distracted by the whole bakery I'm looking at.” You point at the coffee pot in the final picture. “That coffee pot does her daily squats.” 

“¡Oye! Focus.” Miguel chides, already making good progress on the far right corner. 

“Yes, chef.” You say with a smile, starting on the opposite corner. 

After about an hour or so, you can feel yourself getting burnt out. Miguel hasn't let up, eagerly making progress on his side of the puzzle, already fully assembled the potted plant, and most of the right border, making his way down to the beer glass. 

You stop, yawning, looking at the TV screen which is just playing one of your comfort series on autoplay, sitting back on the couch next to Miguel, leaning on his shoulder. 

Miguel continues to dig through the puzzle pieces, sorting and matching, turning the small cardboard pieces over in his large, but meticulous hands, brow furrowed in concentration. “¿Qué haces, cariño? (What are you doing, dear) I can't work when you're leaning on my arm like that...” 

You give a tiny groan in response, not budging from your position. “M’tired…” 

“Just lay your head on my lap, goofy.” Miguel says with a hum as he continues to build the puzzle. “As long as I can still move, I don't mind if you rest on me.” 

You sigh, tucking your hair in the hood of one of his large hoodies you're wearing, laying down with your cheek on his thigh, pulling your blanket over you. Your eyes get more and more droopy as you lay in his lap, his stomach occasionally brushing the side of your face as he leans forward and works, his left hand pulling the blanket up and over your shoulder that's begun to slip down a little. 

----

Some time later, you wake up as you feel Miguel shift out from under you, placing your head on a pillow instead. “Where are you going…?” you ask drowsily. 

Miguel smiles, crouching down next to you, his face close to yours so your noses nearly touch. 

"Sorry to wake you…I thought I'd get us dinner, sweetheart. Where do you think, just the usual?" He asks in a hushed tone. 

You nod slowly, your mouth slightly watering at the thought of your favorite food. You squish your cheek into the pillow, flattening it like a pancake, "And can you bring me a smoothie too?" 

Miguel smirks, leaning closer so his chin is resting on the corner of your pillow, his finger gently toying with a loose thread. The warmth of his face tickles yours. 

"I don't know...can I?" his finger gently prods the tip of your nose in a teasing manner. 

"Please? I'll love you forever..." 

Miguel smiles. "That so? Well I guess there's no question...you don't love me forever already, though?" 

You give a tiny scoff, shaking your head with a fake angry face. “You're lucky I'm a human sushi roll right now or I'd have to get up and fight you for suggesting that I don't love my boyfriend.” 

Miguel smirks. “Who is this ‘boyfriend’ you speak of? He sounds like a real stud.” 

“He is.” You echo his same playful smirk, crossing your arms over your chest. “You should meet him sometime.” 

“Perhaps I should.” Miguel kiss-attacks your face making you giggle, then stands up and gets his keys from the counter. 

“Heyy! My boyfriend will beat you up for that. He gets reallll jealous you know!” 

“Too bad he's not here.” Miguel tsks. I'll be back.” 

“Love youuu.” 

“Te quiero más.” (I love you more)

---

Miguel eventually returns, your favorite drink in a large cup with your ice cubes of choice, your requested smoothie, and your favorite food from the takeout place you both love to frequent. The room is silent except for the TV as you both chow down, bellies getting nice and full. 

Shortly after, Miguel is already back to working on the puzzle while you're leaned back on the couch, completely stuffed. 

“You gonna help?” Miguel asks, the corner of his mouth teasingly pulling upwards. 

“In a sec…God I'm so full.” You sigh and sit up, taking a deep breath, then another generous sip of smoothie. “Okay, now I can.” 

You only last another half hour or so before you start to get tired again, food settled in your tummy and your head cradled in Miguel's lap. 

Miguel’s already done with his half of the puzzle. The image is a little comical as one glance at it makes it totally obvious who did more work than the other. 

Miguel pauses, setting down his puzzle pieces when you give a little yawn and sit up with a tired expression. 

“Someone's sleepy…” Miguel says, giving your cheek a gentle caress with the back of his hand. 

You nod, your head hanging forward a little, still in a groggy haze. “I'm the worst puzzle building partner in the world.” 

“Yes you are.” Miguel chuckles, standing up, helping you up as well, finally scooping you into a bridal style carry when he sees that your knees are weak. “But that's okay… we have all day tomorrow to get it done.” 

You give a little groan and a laugh shaking your head. “Didn’t realize you'd take it so seriously.” 

Miguel chuckles again, carrying you into the bedroom. “I just don't like leaving things unfinished. Besides, I thought this whole operation was your idea, remember?” 

“Oops...” You say with a smirk as Miguel plops you on the bed, a little more playfully than you anticipated. “Hey!”

Miguel just smiles, climbing in on his side. “Enough antics. You better get some sleep now so we can get an early start on it tomorrow morning.”

“Aye, aye captain…” you scoot closer to him on his side of the bed. 

Miguel looks at you warmly, bringing you closer to him in response, letting you hear his heart gently beat in his chest, his scent enveloping you like a hug, making your eyelids flutter. 

“You're so damn cozy, what the hell…” you whisper with a yawn. 

Miguel smiles, leaning forward for just a moment to peel off his shirt, then resuming his position so you can cuddle against his chest again. “Am I really?” 

“Mhmm. So cozy it shouldn't even be legal.” 

“Well. I'll just be your pillow then, how's that?” 

“Thanks cutie…don't tell my boyfriend.” You whisper teasingly, continuing your joke from earlier. 

Miguel yawns and shakes his head, planting a kiss into your hair and closing his eyes. “Your secret's safe with me. No te preocupes…” (don't you worry)

You drape your leg over his hip, pulling yourself closer against his body. Miguel grows warm at the sensation, letting his hand run up and down your waist. “If your “boyfriend's” not here, what's that make me?” 

You look up at him, his eyes have gently fluttered open and he's looking down at you as you both lay tangled up in one another. “My husband, of course.” 

A wider, dazzling smile breaks across his face as he pulls you in for a kiss. “Husband, huh…” 

“Mhmm…” you giggle against his soft lips, letting your fingers gently pull at the curls at the back of his neck. 

He groans as he opens his mouth against yours, letting the kiss grow heavier as your tongues slowly begin to dance. “Why don't you repeat that for me again, baby...?”

You gasp as you feel him roll on top of you, his bodyweight giving you an arousing feeling of being pinned down.

“What, my husband…?” You ask sweetly, arching your body against his, biting your lip. 

“Fffuck…” Miguel holds your head in place as he starts kissing your neck. 

“My husband…” you moan out again, squeezing your thighs around his waist, smirking when you feel his grip on you tighten with even hungrier want than before. 

Somehow, you both didn't end up falling asleep until some time later, sleeping in well past the early morning until you decided on a lazy late morning bath and more coffee.

The fog from the hot water and rich smell of brewing coffee permeated the apartment, puzzle pieces laying temporarily forgotten on the coffee table as sunshine peeked through the blinds in the kitchen windowsil.

----

☀️☕🤎🧩

[puppetwoman17]

I can’t remember who initially said the idea of the RoE being a multiverseal center but this is based off that

The RoE (depending on how it’s portrayed) switches from existing at the center of the Universe or outside it, so I went “universe is doughnut shaped” theory and said it’s both and that it’s also the only RoE in the multiverse. Which means that sometimes Billy runs into other versions of himself and just kinda got used to it.

It’s a dumb idea but Billy running into alternate versions of himself or universe hopping out of boredom or for the guaranteed adventure through the door room of the RoE.

Possibility for humor with the wackier Captain Marvels and universes, fun adventure, and the typical angst of him not seeing some versions of himself around the RoE after a while

Uh, no, this is NOT a dumb idea😍! I’ve thought about this too!

After all, it seems odd that there could be multiple RoEs. For importance purposes there has to be only one.

Anyway, the whole “Billy meeting other versions of himself(and probably his siblings too) definitely keeps my gears turning. I’m imaging that he started out seeing a lot of other Marvels/Shazams when he first got his powers. The Rock was full of kids running through different rooms, getting magic tools, reading or hanging in the cafe, complaining about their adult team members, etc. All of them grew close because they all shared the same burden.

But as the years go by, something changes. Some Billys come through their doors less and less. And when they do, the stress is written all over them. I’m ofc referring to the Billys of Injustice, Flashpoint, DCAMU, etc.

It’s a slow process, but at some point, they realize that some of them have stopped coming all together. The rock gets quiet. There are no more loud parties in the cafe. The thrones were pushed aside to make room for blankets and pillows because there were too many of them for just seven thrones. No one site there anymore.

Everyone’s too scared to reach out, stuck in their own worlds, their own problems. It’s no wonder that no one notices when their numbers start to dwindle.

The thing is, Billy can feel when something happens to his counterparts. He’s sensitive to it thanks to his position. He feels he laser eyes and the cut throat and the leg being torn off of him. He feels it all.

He goes to the rock one day and it dawns on him how quiet it’s become. Obviously he’s not the only one left, but they just don’t talk anymore. The hero life has taken its toll and the kids are scared of having any fun. Now when one billy sees another, they just walk on.

The doors to the other worlds are sealed off, as no one wants to see their own dead body. When a new Billy arrives, they steer clear, not knowing what end this one will meet.

Okay I’m gonna end the angst here cause this made me depressed😅

[daisys-reality]

[ ᴘɪᴄᴋ ᴀ ᴘɪᴄᴛᴜʀᴇ ʀᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢ ]

What is the missing piece?

Here is another pac reading focused on your reality shifting / manifestation journey !! I hope you find some useful advice/words in here! I wish you all the best 💛 If you like to read more pac readings from me, feel free to check out my masterlist ! (Also, for your information, I don't own any of these cool pics, I just edited them a little.)

:: pile one

seven of cups, queen of cups, (the world)

Hello my dear pile one. You currently seem to be or feel like you’re underwater…in the depths of the ocean. You’re losing your sense of orientation, the pressure is getting higher, pitch black darkness around you, everything seems to be uncertain - is that light in the distance a prey or a predator? You may be faced with a lot of choices but you’re not sure what will benefit you and what not. Not only the pressure might rise but also the desperation, your inner world gets messier and messier. But being overly cold or overly dependent on something is not the solution. You’ve started to bottle up more and more feelings, ignoring everything and getting lost in daydreaming, - things that give you quick pleasure but sadly nothing long-lasting. 

I asked what the missing piece for you on this journey is to reach your goal/desire and I got the Queen of Cups. She is someone who is warmhearted and emotionally secure. She is in tune with the emotions of herself (and others). She has this motherly vibe around her and is supportive of herself and her growth and honors her authentic self. The type of person that values the intangible over the material things in life. Someone leading their life with a strong intuition. No judgment here. The QoC welcomes everything with open arms and provides guidance and emotional support. That’s what you need to work towards in your last steps. Be the queen of cups towards yourself. Work through your emotional insecurities. Feel those feelings and don’t ignore them. Guide yourself compassionately through these dark waters. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Calm yourself and your inner world down, give yourself a hug every now and then, okay? You’ve come so far already. All this confusion might have made yourself feel like you’re back to zero and everything was for nothing but that is not true. If I had to ‘rate’ how far you are on your journey (but don’t take this too seriously, it's a general reading!), I would say 7+ out of 10. You know, this ‘dark foggy’ part of your journey is like the darkness before dawn. I’ve got the world card as confirmation for this. All your work will be paid off and you’ll feel a sense of closure soon once this cycle has come to an end. You will start seeing the big picture and where you’re standing in the world around you. It will all make sense soon.

:: pile two

the hermit, the high priestess

Hello my dear pile two. Let’s see where you are right now…You seem to be in a period of introspection and self discovery - nice! I see you evaluating how things are going and whether or not to change direction - for example if you’re working on reality shifting, I see contemplating on your script and what you really want to experience and what not. You’re trying to look inward, researching, planning carefully (I wanna say scripting carefully lol).  You might have been in this withdrawn kinda hermit mood for some time already. You took some time to soul search for your true desires - which is a really good thing! You might have also deepened your relationship with spirituality overall and meditated etc. (I felt the need to say that you’re doing so well!)

I asked what the missing piece for you on this journey is to reach your goal/desire and I got the High Priestess. Very interesting... in this tarot deck I own, the High Priestess is represented by a white owl emerging from the pitch black background while holding a scroll with its feet. It’s the scroll of knowledge. The HP is the ruler of the unconscious and beckons us to pass through the veil and look inward - which you’re kinda doing already! But there is a slight difference between the HP and the Hermit (which represents where you are rn). I believe with the Hermit you entered this pitch black space, looked inward, mentally planned a lot etc. Your approach was more practical in a sense and you were very cautious (intense scripting lol). You found out new things and gathered knowledge, right? So, you have captured this scroll of knowledge. Now, you need to leave this darkness with this scroll like the owl did. You need to get a bit more abstract so to say because the HP is more linked to one’s intuition. The HP has a deep connection with her inner core and has all the necessary knowledge within, she just needs to access it through her intuition - so with her, everything becomes more intuitive! You will leave this practical planning mode more and more and start listening to your inner voice - just acting intuitively. It might not make much ‘sense’,  it’ll just happen in a mysterious way - just like your desire (your shift, lucid dream, manifestation,...) will manifest randomly soon I think. Also, you’re asked to pay more attention to your dreams and instincts in this upcoming period. You’re accessing your unconscious potential more and more. Another thing I got, specifically for my shifters, was to stop comparing realities because it leads to you spiraling in negativity (which I think you’re already aware of). As I rated how far pile one is on their journey, I will do so too for you, pile two (but don’t take this too seriously, it's a general reading!), … out of 10, you would probably be at 9 but really close to the 10!!! like for some it’s like 9,9999 lmao. Wow, you’ve got this, pile two! You’re super duper close :’)

:: pile three

ten of swords, the magician

Hello my dear pile three. Right now, I see you feeling like you’ve reached rock bottom, down on your knees. :(  It seems like you feel like you recently experienced a crushing ‘failure’ or you felt majorly betrayed or backstabbed by someone …or something? By the universe? Right now might feel like a disaster to you… there are some repressed feelings building up like anger, frustration…which seems to push you more and more closer to the edge… are you feeling like you snap soon or that you’re losing it completely? I’m so sorry dear that you’re feeling this way but you’re asked to be mindful of not making yourself into a martyr because of this. 

I asked what the missing piece for you on this journey is to reach your goal/desire and I got the Magician. The Magician card talks all about willpower. He already has all the things to achieve his goals - ambition, skills and resources! He just needs to utilize those things to create what he wants in life! You might feel like you're back to zero or that everything has been in vain but this is not true!! The 10 of Swords card (which represents where you are rn) might not be the most happy or comfortable situation to be in but it is a 10 and 10s in tarot always represent the completion of a lesson and the beginning of a new cycle/journey in some way - both physical and spiritual. You know what this means? You’ve learned your lessons and you’re completing this cycle, you’re close to the end! What you’re experiencing is like a ‘purge’ - you’ve gained the necessary knowledge, you’ve experienced many changes of perspective which might have made you question yourself a lot but it was for the learning process. Now, you’re releasing everything from this journey that attached itself to you which you won’t need anymore on this new upcoming journey… feelings of resentment, hopelessness, self doubt etc. This right now is the ending and that’s why it feels so shitty. Take your time and don’t rush this process, your feelings are legitimate. Let these wounds heal and move on… Move on from the 10 of Swords to the Magician. Gain your willpower back. You won’t need to hold back anymore, be in charge of your life and your reality. Take action and concentrate on your desire/your goal and be creative with it. Realize that you’re not powerless! And you’re not lacking clarity! You will know exactly what you want I can assure you. You are in charge and you will succeed. All the signs are saying so. As I rated the progress of the other piles as well, I will rate how far you are on your journey to your goal/desires (but don’t take this too seriously, it's a general reading)… and damn I got 9/10 for you guys!! You are close to the finish line! Please don’t undermine what you’ve been through and how far you’ve come just because right now feels like a disaster to you. You’ve done so well. Work through your feelings and don’t forget to pat yourself on your shoulder every now and then, okay? You’ve got this. :)

:: pile four

king of wands, the high priestess

Hello my dear pile four. Currently, your position or situation is represented by the King of Wands. He is the king of the fire element, he is a natural born leader and a visionary who can change the world. He is very much focused on his goals and lives his life with ambition and intent. You’re very eager to reach this goal you have in mind. You might be very active, trying out many methods and just being bold in your approach. You have a vision and you just wanna take control of the situation. In this mood,  you’ve probably already overcome many challenges and made major progress! 

I asked what the missing piece for you on this journey is to reach your goal/desire and I got the High Priestess similar to pile two. However, yours and pile two’s current standpoints are different. While pile two needs to progress from their practical (planning) approach to a more intuitive approach; you guys (pile four) need to progress from your overly action-oriented approach to a more ‘passive’ approach so to say. The High Priestess talks about intuition, higher power, hidden mysteries, the subconscious mind and the inner voice. She teaches us that the world is not always as it seems and that more profound influences are often at play. It is time to be still so you can tune in to your intuition. The HP has a deep connection with her inner core and has all the necessary knowledge within, she just needs to access it through her intuition. Slow down, meditate and visualize. Listen to your inner voice. Solutions to your current issues won’t come through excessive thinking or rationalizing, but by tapping into and trusting your intuition. Look at areas in your life that may be out of balance or lacking ‘flow’ and ease. Be assured you’re on the right path. The more you listen, the more you will flow. Balance yourself. Feel, rather than think. Collaborate, rather than compete. Trust your divine feminine energy, even if the masculine energy around you may appear to be stronger. You’ve been in the King of Wands (very masculine) energy up until now and you’ve made great progress but only so far. From here on, you need to be more in the High Priestess (very feminine) energy. Your intuition, your instincts and even your dreams may guide you now in the right direction. Calm your inner fire a little down, connect to your inner core and work through any repressed feelings. As I rated the progress of the other piles as well, I will rate how far you are on your journey to your goal/desires (but don’t take this too seriously, it's a general reading!)… I’d say ca. 3- 4 out of 10 but don’t let this discourage you! Most of you guys might still be in the beginning phase or it just hasn't been long since you’re decided on engaging yourself with these things. I feel like some of you will soon make major progress in a short amount of time though. I also feel like a minor part of you guys are actually quite far but it is just… idk 5-10 % of pile three. Either way, don’t take the numbers too much to heart, please focus more on the advice. You’ve got this. I believe in you. :)

[wembleygoodboy]

Wembley, may I ask where you got your name? Were you named after the puppet?

itis actuolly kindof a Lomg Storey, so iwill let dadmom tellit! 😊👍 (it also doubols as My Orogin Storey!)

[story time! this is gonna be a long one, so strap in, ahaha

so, i went to college for music (education and performance; flute performance, specifically. i can wipe my ass w that degree now tho lol), so i was in a couple different ensembles at any given time. in 2013, we were playing a multi-movement piece called "3 Ayres from Gloucester" by Hugh Stuart. the 3rd movement is called "The Fiefs of Wembley." you can listen to a performance of it here. wembley is apparently a location within london. think "wembley stadium!"

i always joked with my fellow flutist friend (we'll call her M) who i shared a stand with that Wembley sounded like the name of a mischievous cat. "wembley get off the counter!!!" "UGH NO why always on the carpet, wembley?!" etc. it helped that the tune itself totally sounds like the theme song of a somewhat skittish yet naughty little cat, parading around causing chaos until he's spotted, then darting away.

on october 3rd, 2013, i came into rehearsal and find M looking pretty distraught. i ask whats up, and shes like "i think i saw a kitten in the middle of the club lawn, it was just laying there, maybe its hurt, idk what to do!" im like okay lets check it out together, and our conductor (huge sweetheart) gives us the okay to go investigate.

sure enough, theres a tiny black blob just laying there in the middle of the lawn; not hidden away in the bushes where a mama cat wouldve left him. as we approached, the blob got up and awkwardly darted away towards the lil decorative pine shrubs dividing the lawn from a small parking lot. we followed it, and there he was: a small black kitten, crouched in terror, hiding in the shelter of the shrubbery.

i dont remember when exactly it happened, but it suddenly dawned on me. i turned to my friend. "M... its WEMBLEY..."

we tried to coax him out to no avail- not even food would persuade him, and he looked very thin- and he was a bit too close to the road for our comfort, so i asked my roommate to keep an eye on the lil guy while M and i went back to rehearsal. after it ended, we recruited a small gaggle of band geeks to capture the kitten. it was the bassoon player who finally caught him, plucking him out of a miniature shrub he'd tried to climb.

i swaddled wembley up in a black bandana i kept in my back pocket (for the Fashion™️), hopped into my roommate's car with my stuff, and headed back with my roommate to our little on-campus apartment. as i stood in the living room, waiting for him to bring our stuff from the car, wembley began to purr in my arms :,)

(to be fair, cats may purr to self-soothe when theyre stressed; its not exclusively an indicator of pleasure. but. Still, lol.)

turns out lil wembley was only a month old: just old enough for solid food, thankfully, but much younger than the age at which kittens are generally separated from their mothers for adoption, which generally occurs after 3 months. he also had a sprained leg, which made walking very difficult and painful for him. the leg was likely the reason he was abandoned by his feral mother, as if he couldnt keep up, she couldnt afford to stop for him when she likely had a whole litter to care for. understandable, but her loss was my (and wembley's!) gain. 💚

i had to tame him, as he was feral, and EXTREMELY fearful of humans, but i spent hours that night sitting on the opposite side of the bathroom, slowly earning his trust until, little by little, i was able to scoot close enough to him to pet him. he'd obviously never been petted before; the look on his little face was pure magic. he completely opened up to me after that moment.

i totally had myself fooled, thinking id find a home for him once his leg was all healed up (my vet major pal showed me how to make him a splint), but... then he started sleeping with me and... well..... yeah. nope. he was my son, and i was his dadmom.

and i always will be. 💚

BONUS PICTURES:

the first picture i ever took of Wembley (thats the bottom of a red solo cup i sewed fabric around so he could drink water from it without risking him getting cut on the plastic):

baby's first petting 💚:

he relaxed a lot after discovering the joy of Petting :)

settling down for his first night with us, too sleepy for this world 💚:

days later, with his lil foot in a splint, sitting in his temporary makeshift litterbox. the Poopie Prince!

...TL;DR, its the name of a part of london, and i chose it because of an instrumental piece of music. coulda just said that, i suppose, but I'll ALWAYS jump at the chance to tell wembley's Origin Story and share baby pics, ahaha 💚

-dadmom]

[adorethedistance]

Birthday girl - Hughes!Reader x Trevor Zegras

See my Hockey Masterlist for parts 2 and 3.

Warnings: swearing, teasing, embarrassment, etc. 

Words: 1877

Summary: Your birthday celebration is under threat by the impending doom that is Trevor Zegras's presence.

A/N: Got an ask requesting Y/n!Hughes x Trevor enemies to lovers and I was obliged to write this. So this is part 1 and I hope to be able to write more parts soon. I have mid terms coming up but I will try my best.

"Morning, princess,” Dad greets me as I enter the kitchen. Eyes bleary and hair messy from sleep, I mumble a greeting as I sit down at my designated seat at the table. Mom places a small kiss on each of our heads as she walks by, going to grab her cup of coffee from the keurig that had just finished. Being the only girl of the Hughes family had its ups and downs, but one of the major perks was the fact that no matter what I did, mom and dad can’t say no to me. Which is why I asked to have a sleepover for my birthday. Mom and dad almost always say yes to sleepovers if you play your cards right.

“Leia has work after school today so she’ll be over around six but Chelsea is free so is it okay if she catches a ride home with us?” I half ask half tell Jack since he’s the Hughes family school bus driver. He nods along to my question-statement but I can tell he’s not fully listening. If there’s any confusion later, that’s on him. I have witnesses. 

“Yes! I get to sit in the front,” Luke celebrates in response to my command-request. He might be taller but birth order is an impenetrable force, plus I’m the better navigator anyway. Jack said so. When it was Quinn’s senior year he was designated driver and Jack was shotgun, now it’s Jack’s turn to drive and my turn as shotgun. Me and my older brothers had been a trio since the dawn of time aka Luke’s arrival. When we turned 10, I made my own path in painting as the rest of them continued with hockey. 

Hockey was always a fun extracurricular for us but puberty was a different milestone for each of us. As the spark of their passion for hockey grew brighter, mine dulled and I fell out of love with playing. I could tell mom and dad were disappointed at first but they bounced back quickly and were just as supportive as I reached for my own desires. Thus, I met Leia and Chelsea on the first day of Art 1, 2 with Mr. Tobias. We took some time to feel each other out and have been inseparable since. Nothing would be better than having the two of them spend the night for my birthday party. 

“No,” Jack shakes his head at Luke, “Z’s carpooling with us.”

“What?” I ask sharply.

“Z, Turcs, and Cole are coming over tonight.”

“Absolutely not. Mom?!”

“You know the rule, Y/n. For special events each of you can invite your own friends no matter whose party it is.” I frown and scramble for boundaries to enforce. 

“Can we at least have the tv room?” 

“Y/n.”

“UGHHH!” I screech in frustration. Luke shoves me lightly to get back at me for being so loud but I’m too irritated that I just push him right back.

“Hey! No fighting at the table. Finish your food, both of you.” I petulantly stick my tongue out at Luke and he mirrors the action before we both continue eating.

“Why do you have to have people over?” I whine to Jack hoping he’ll have some humanity.

“Because I don’t want to hang out with you and your friends all night.”

“Can’t you go over to one of their houses?”

“Mom said they could come here so they’re coming here.”

“Can you limit it to just one friend?” I ask mom, hoping the rule change will prevent me from having to deal with him. “Or uninvite Trevor?” I mutter under my breath.

“What’s your deal? Do you have a crush on him or something?”

“No!”

“You totally do!” Luke chimes in to side with Jack.

“No, I don’t,” I say more calmly hoping that composure will be more compelling.

“You guys are always bickering.”

“And the staring! It’s a whole thing,” Jack adds as he finishes his plate.

“Mom, please don’t make me put up with all of this on my birthday.”

“It’s not even your birthday yet you have all of tomorrow!” Jack argues and I glare at him intensely.

“It’s just one night, Y/n. Besides, you’ll have your friends over too so it’s like you won’t even notice they’re there,” Mom tries to reason with me. I huff out a breath and settle back into my seat as dad places a plate of chocolate chip pancakes in front of me.

“Fine, but the second you guys start to bother me I’m kicking you out.”

___________________________

The fight at breakfast was a valiant effort but a defeat nonetheless, and it was pretty easy to live in ignorant bliss until the sixth-period dismissal bell rang.

“Bad news, y’all,” I say to both Leia and Chelsea, “we don’t have the tv room to ourselves.” 

Neither one of them seems bothered by this disturbing information. “Ask me why!”

“Why?” They say in unison. 

“My brothers are having friends over, too.”

“So no Knives Out?”

“Well, yes Knives Out but if we do have to sit with a bunch of boys.”

“Including THE boy?” Leia asks cautiously. She and Chelsea know about my back and forth with Trevor. They know how I like his swoopy hair and his dazzling smile. They know I hate his cocky attitude and the way his shirt moves when he stretches. They know how each and every day, I fall for him a bit more. That is until he opens his mouth. Sure my innate biology tells me I “like” Trevor, but I just have to shove that back down and ignore it.

“Yes, including him.”

“Your parents are making you hang out with them?”

“Well, no. But it’s like how I had y’all over for Luke’s party so I technically can’t say no.” 

“Oh.”

“Welp. That sucks. I gotta go, though.” 

“You fake ass bitch I thought you’d have my back on that one.”

“See yaaaa!” Leia throws up a peace sign and retreats to her car.

“Bye.” Chelsea and I wave to Leia as she heads out to the teachers’ lot where she always parks. 

“You know what’s even worse?” I ask my remaining friend as we exit the school’s front gate.

“What?”

“Jack offered rides to all his friends back from school and he is the only one who accepted.”

“What? That’s so bullshit!”

“I know! So now I have to be around him even longer than I have to be around any of them!”

“Gottem.”

“I wish he would just get drafted already so I wouldn’t have to look at him anymore,” I say to Chelsea as we’re approaching Jack’s car.

“Where would you send him?”

“Florida.”

“Gross.”

“No, Florida’s not bad enough… Maybe New Jersey!”

“That’s too harsh.”

“What’s too harsh?” I hear Luke ask curiously. Actually taking a second to look and process what’s happening in front of me, I see Luke sitting on the hood of Jack’s car where he had been talking with a friend I didn’t instantly recognize. When the person turns around to see who Luke’s talking to, I see it’s Dylan bundled in a heavy coat. When Luke locks eyes with me, I give him a look saying ‘I won’t say anything but you better get off before Jack sees you’ and he understands the message, instantly rising from the hood of the car. 

“Telling someone to go to Florida or New Jersey instead of ‘go to hell’,” Chelsea answers sweetly. The comment is unassuming but I can’t help but get the feeling she’s sizing up my brother’s friend.

“Is Jack still inside?” I ask to break the moment.

“Do you see him out here?” Luke counters sarcastically.

“I will kill you.”

“I will kill you,” Luke mocks me in an obnoxiously high voice. I continuously whine back at him, speaking in a high pitch gibberish which leads him to join in and do the same. We make noises at each other for a good while, confusing Chelsea and Dylan in the process.

“Are y’all good?” Chelsea asks in a concerned tone. Luke and I stop what we’re doing and I very frantically try to reassure her we’re not actually upset with each other. Amidst all the chaos and commotion, I hear his voice,

“What’s going on?” Trevor asks, confusedly looking between the four of us as Jack unlocks the car. Dylan utters a goodbye before Luke greets Trevor with a bro hug. I roll my eyes at the gesture and 

“Nothing,” I quickly fire back before moving to the back door to allow Chelsea in first. She slides all the way across the row of back seats and I take the middle to sit between her and Luke. Jack and Trevor climb into the front and we’re on our way back home. 

“Did you see Sam Blandor was wearing red bottom shoes today?” I ask Chelsea amidst the silence. Realizing this ride is going to be way too quiet for my liking, I blindly reach for the aux cord as I anticipate her response. 

“Deadass?”

“Yes! As I was going to third period I-” I cut myself off mid-sentence when my hand collides with someone else’s. Looking up, I see Trevor was blindly reaching for the aux at the same time causing us to bump hands. I throw him a sideways look before focusing my gaze on Chelsea to avoid any further contact with Trevor. 

“As you were going to third period you what?” He asks, much to my dismay. I feel too awkward to ignore him so I answer unenthusiastically. 

“I saw the shoes as she was walking.”

“Honestly, I’m not surprised. She drives an Audi and wears exclusively Brandy Melville her parents must be loaded.”

“Is she dating someone on NTDP?” Trevor asks, confused why he knows the name. Luke butts in to reply,

“Yeah, she’s dating Moynihan.”

“Her parents are loaded. Patty was telling us the other day that she has a trust fund.”

“Bullshit,” I say, refusing to believe Trevor’s telling any semblance of the truth.

“Yeah, she came to the game the other day in Moynihan’s away jersey from last year.”

“That’s so demeaning. Why would you wear a man’s name on your back that’s not even yours?” I ask with disdain.

“I like it!” Chelsea whines in protest, “I think it’s cute because it’s more outstated than just wearing a guy’s hoodie.”

“But don’t you think it’s objectifying?”

“No one’s forcing you to wear it, it’s your choice.”

“I guess…” I trail off as I see Jack whisper something to Trevor which then makes both of them laugh subtly.

“Would you wear my jersey, Y/n/n?” Trevor asks, snide. Luke and Jack howl with laughter at my expense and I feel my face flush 1000 degrees. I roll my eyes and sink back into my seat, wishing I could disappear entirely. The car quiets down again and Trevor returns to holding my gaze, challenging me almost. I glare at him and he just mimics my gaze to mess with me. 

“I’ll kill you.”

“At least buy me dinner first,” he sneers with a smile that promises trouble. I roll my eyes again before turning my attention back to Chelsea. 

“Anyways.”

***

A/n: I hate it here lol. If I could drop out and write fanfics for a living I would really be considering it.

[kedreeva]

I would love to hear about the otherworld marketplace

oh right!

Okay, so the REASON I went the expo yesterday, when we weren't planning on it previously because it is Distant, is because my friend that takes me had to exchange some caging, and the crafters were going to be at the show, so why not vend as long as we're out there if we're driving 2+ hours each way anyway. So we vend the show, it goes well, we have fun, everyone's packing up... except the vendor she's exchanging caging with, who tell her they're going to be at least another hour packing up etc and also they don't have the cages with them, we'll have to drive to their brick and mortar shop.

Well, whatever, that means we can go grab some food. We look up sushi places, grab the first/closest one, and drive out. GPS takes us to a mexican restaurant. we fiddle with the GPS and when swapped to "walking" it tells us actually it's across the street. We can't see across the street because of trees, so we drive across the street, and there's a Mall. Like a legit, old mall- and I realize with a bit of dawning horror that I KNOW this mall, it was built a couple of years before I went to college, it was shiny and new when I first visited it, we used to come here often. I did not recognize it because it looked like it at been through some kind of apocalypse. So I turn to my friend and say, we have a choice, we either go in and get Mall Sushi from a food court, or we pick someplace else. She stops her car in the middle of a road, not a parking spot, and we both look at the list of sushi places nearby. I see one just plainly called "sushi market" and it looks normal and there's a picture of its storefront indicating it is, perhaps, not Mall Food Court Sushi, and we take off.

I am expecting a Hole In The Wall sort of strip mall place like the two near my childhood home, but instead we enter The City.

The City, if you do not know, is the same place. You enter into it and you may or may not have been to this city before but you have been to The City and it all looks the same, really. The shops maybe have different names, but it's unclear if that is because time has passed and the coral reef of storefronts has grown/exchanged inhabitants or if this is a different place entirely and actually it doesn't matter. Which street you entered from may determine which stores you see, but you are always entering The City.

This place we are going is a hundred yards outside of The City, and looks like it. It is the same 100 yards outside of The City that exists down by my little sister. If the air had tasted a little different, I would have told you for sure I was in North Carolina visiting my sister, not a little bit lost in northwestern Michigan. We park in a little street parking place and look around hesitantly. There's a storefront for a bagel shop. There's a storefront for a local barbeque (local to ME, not this place, or at least I thought that was the case until I looked it up at home.... they don't have a shop local to me. I have eaten there a dozen times, at work, with others. it does not exist near me. this is how The City works though, sometimes you have to accept that). The parking lot is almost empty. The street is vacant. it's quiet. Nothing is happening in this location. The building indicated is unmarked, plain brick. No windows except at the bagel shop and barbeque's storefront windows. They do not have doors of their own, only a set of unmarked, double doors between them.

But, the GPS insists it is here, so we go through those blank doors, and step into an Otherworld. Inside, is a busy marketplace.

The floors are all dark, smooth concrete. Above is all grubby, teal-grey steel and wood, the walls are covered in bright-colored artwork. There are stalls that don't look permanent fashioning the interior into a maze. This is the bible belt of michigan. There's Thai food, sushi, a mochi donut shop. There's a stall devoted to popcorns, both in different flavors but also from specialty kinds of kernels. There's a wall of soda in glass bottles from companies I've never heard of. There were four shelves devoted to black cherry sodas. Floor to ceiling shelves of ginger beer, birch beer, root beer. There's a pastry shop around a corner where I stood and watched someone slicing a cheesecake six inches tall, decorated in strawberries like a painting. We pass a charcuterie shop to reach a wine and cheese bar, which is across from a seafood shop peddling fresh catch from the great lakes, which is next to a deli of local meats, across from a shop exclusively dedicated to seasoning rubs for meat. Tucked into a back corner is a chocolaterie selling bonbons and hand scooped michigan-made ice cream. There's some kind of reunion taking place up at the front of the place. There are old ladies buying popcorn. There's a guy looking at the soda walls, dressed like it's 3am and he couldn't sleep.

The place is packed, but there's hardly any cars in the parking lot so I have to assume people walked here. We dodge people and make it to the sushi counter, where we are greeted by a young woman who has sparkles glittering across the bridge of her nose instead of freckles. She takes our order and welcomes us to sit at the bartop to eat (we don't), and we find a quiet corner to sit and eat. It was the best sushi I've had in my life- the rice was actual sushi rice which is a good start, it was slightly warm still, it was melt-in-your-mouth good. We stopped by the chocolaterie to get a small scoop of ice cream (cashew caramel) and a couple of chocolates to bring home. They're tiny, with local strawberry/cherry fruits, with little things painted on their tops. They were delicious.

My friend took photos of some of the inside of the place. I don't know if she waited for the right moments or what, but there's almost no people in her photos. I cannot express to you enough that this place was FULL. I waited in lines to get food. That's me at the chocolate/ice cream shop counter and there were several people in front of me in line.

There was a second story we didn't make it to, because we had to leave to go get the caging. We exited back to a normal Michigan spring a hundred yards outside The City. The parking lot was mostly empty. The building was plain brick. There was no one on the street. The bagel shop and the barbeque storefronts had no people past the windows. There was no storefront for the sushi shop, because it was in the very heart of the place, it shared no walls with the building walls at all, there was no door to it.

[anonymous-dentist]

GOD I LOVE YOUR AU ok question time

- who is in the federation of heros? What founded the federation? Are they powered like cellbit?

- how is cellbit one of the first few born? I feel theres a science experiment plot caught in this and he broke containment. I wonder if he found this out due to being able to scare himself, and that fear immediately projecting to others, making THEM just as scared. Id imagine hed be diagnosed with severe paranoia/etc and then like. Oh SHIT its not. That. Oh fuck.

- what was that leadup that made him a supervillain? Something so minuscule yet so big as fear, to be considered one of the high villains of the city is insane. Some people would probably laugh it off an say physical destruction was scarier than mental, until they see what he actually does.

- who did he murder?????? I wonder if it was someone who defied the "everyones fears projected back to them" ability. Someone unaffected by this, like maybe their own ability counteracted it. One of the federations lower ranked heros attacked... as a citizen... i feel theres more than meets the eye here..... but of course it ended with murder. I feel there could be done with something of luzu and his look alike there.

- i still keep thinking about breaking dawn and how forever is also considered richas's dad, and just thinking about it being kinda switched in this scenario. Cellbit walked into forevers life again an now richas has another dad to annoy the piss out of. Though i do feel him an jaiden would be at each others throats in investigation. She would totally be a foh member to me. He tries to take down them through HER.

- why jaiden? Shes probably the most visible with her apparent ability. I imagine her having hummingbird like abilities. Flying at such a fast rate it can change the force of wind itself, etc etc etc (running on coffee an headaches atm sorrie) but she KNOWS something. She knows the foh is fucked up. She knows its dictating the definition of right an wrong, but she doesnt have the power (YET!!!!!!) to kill them from the inside out.

- heros who are seen as the light amongst the city, vigilantes who are the underbelly of a growing problem/an antibiotic refusing to kill the infection, and singular villain who wants to put a stop to it for all. God. I am jn love with this au im sorry can u tell

- and then theres fucking SPIDER MAN. nobody knows who he may work for since, by the logic of q city, if your a vigilante, your working for someone else directly related to the foh, and being sponsored as such. But theres no calling for spiderman, theres even active "have you seen this person" signs around the city, marking them as a non verbalized threat to the standing of foh. Cellbits key.

- now he needs to convince his friends to help him find spiderman. For....... research. Yes. Totally. He wishes to interview spiderman in hopes to figure out "who he works for", which not really. Hes not the best at lying, nor was he really trying. He wants to crack down the foh to its rotten core.

- he even tries to ask roier for help at some point, right? He talks about the signs around the city, says its a shame that hes on a watch list- and how he swings around to actively web heros against the walls to stop them from hurting another person.

- and its convinent theyre on a coffee date (cellbit didnt even notice, roier did, an hes just awkwardly like... hahahahabah thats really weird why would spiderman stop him but also yeah i get that- why would thet get rid of MY hero <:((("

- cellbits subconsciously like. Shit. Pretty boy is pouting about the vigilante. More reason to find the motherfucker.

SORRY ITS SO LONG ENJOY THE RAMBLEEEE

WOW OKAY so let’s see:

1. It’s a lot like the Federation from the canon qsmp, but it’s also more overtly focused on ‘Protecting the City’ from superpowered threats. It stepped in to fill the shoes of the former police state, and by getting rid of the majority of police officers it both opened up opportunities for villains (and thus heroes and thus the Federation) and for heroes (see: previous parentheses.) The founder is anonymous, a “Mister Duck”.

2. I’m actually lowkey playing by MHA rules. Basically, at some point a couple of decades ago, kids started being born with superpowers. It was the more obvious ones that were discovered first, like a girl in France being born with little duck wings. Cellbit’s ability is less obvious, but his parents were constantly overly worried about him because babies and children are always very very scared of everything. Eventually he realized what was up when he was around nine or ten, but he didn’t really tell anybody because even back then he knew that he would “get in trouble” for it.

3. As for villainy, it was an accident. He needed money after his parents died (of sudden heart attacks, and he pretends he doesn’t know what that actually means), and he isn’t a very intimidating guy on his own, so he kinda… helped himself out a little. And it worked super well, so he kept doing it. And he kept doing it. And then he started going a bit overboard with it and the people he was robbing started dying, too.

4. And as for the murder, Cellbit and the hero were both civilians when they got into an argument. The hero, new to the whole thing, ended up using their ability and actually attacked him. He attacked back, notably without using his ability, and he accidentally killed them. The Feds were NOT happy about this, so they messed with the court proceedings and got him sent to prison for three years. But, hey, at least he got therapy there?

5 and 6. Jaiden is 100% working with the Federation in this au. She and Spider-Man are taking very different approaches to what is fundamentally the same issue here. I think her ability is more parrot-y, but she does work for them now. (It’s a very recent development.)

8-10. Spider-Man is a fan-favorite and the Federation does NOT appreciate him ruining their image!! And he knows that he isn’t well liked by them at the moment, and he doesn’t care because it’s fine if Spider-Man dies. He has a job to do, and he is going to do it.

11-end. And it’s a good thing that Cellbit is such a big Spider-Man fan! It’s something Roier thinks they can use to bond. Definitely. Bonding.

…Can you tell superhero aus are my guilty pleasure lol

[leafofkudzu]

Hello again! I did say I was going to consider hosting more art parties if last month’s test run went well and, well, it did, so here I am again! Come one come all to [VS] Verdant Shield’s second ever monthly art party, this time with an expanded reach!

For those not in the loop from last month, what is an art party exactly? Well, they’re common occurrences in the Final Fantasy XIV community where artists of all kinds get together to chat, hang out, and create together! If a certain character catches your eye, you make some art of them in whatever way suits your fancy, then during or after the party post it under the tag for that party so others know where to look and spread the love around via reblogs/retweets/etc! I said it last time and it’ll always bear repeating - the ‘goal’ of attending an art party is not to be drawn, but to draw others, and share with the community! Attendees from last month’s party compared it to art jams, people watching, or attending a life drawing class with people you actually like. For more tangible examples, you can check back through the tag I intend to use for all of these monthly events - #VSArtParty - to see what previous partygoers have made!

I’m a lot less antsy about hosting these events now that I have a baseline, so much so that I want to involve those of you over on EU servers as well by hosting two rounds of parties, first on EU and then NA! However, I’ll still be keeping the squad(s) private and out of LFG to deter party-crashers, especially since this time we’ll be in a more well-known and easily-accessible location as the party moves Eastward into the Grove!

Check under the cut for details on how the event(s) will be laid out and how to reach the party location!

Welcome to the expanded details! First of all, the Garden of Dawn is the Grove’s worst-kept secret so I’d be surprised if you didn’t already know about it, but just in case, here’s a tl;dr on how to get there from Ronan’s Waypoint (aka the bottom floor of the Grove, you can drop down from Upper Commons Waypoint or Reckoner’s Waypoint to get to this starting point too):

Head North along the path towards the House of Aife PoI (not shown in the picture but you’ll see it on your map).

Take a hard left at said PoI and yeet yourself into this tiny pool that has a secret tunnelllll~

You’re here! It’s bigger than it looks in this picture but still relatively small, however I’ve attended events hosted here and can confirm that it can fit a lot of people, and also from last month I learned we don’t actually need a ton of space since we all squish up together to see each other anyway. However, if this space gets too crowded we’ll breach containment and relocate to a more public spot - very likely Starbower Nursery aka the little multi-level tavern on the South side of the map (it has its own PoI so it’s easy to spot)! If we do I’ll make sure to put the updated location in the squad message!

Okay! With that out of the way let’s get to the real important stuff.

This month’s event will consist of two separate art parties, each 3 hours long (though you’re welcome to stay later if you like), with a 1hr break in between so people interested in attending both can stretch, get snacks, etc etc.

The first party will be on EU servers and begin at 9pm Central European Time (that’s 3pm Eastern Standard Time for NA folks). I’ll be hosting it on my EU alt, so to join you can either whisper Aemryn of Dusk for an invite or type ‘/sqjoin aemryn of dusk’ in chat to join automatically!

The second party will be on NA servers and begin at 7pm Eastern Standard Time (that’s 1am Central European Time for any sleepless EU folks). This one will be hosted on my main account, and you can join by either whispering Kirslyn for an invite or typing ‘/sqjoin kirslyn’ in chat to auto-join!

Like I mentioned before the cut, we’ll be using the same tag for both of these parties as we did for last month’s - #VSArtParty - and I think that’ll be the one we’ll continue to use in the future for these! There’s no spaces so that it can be used on Twitter as well if you’re still over there!

That’s it for now! Expect to see this reblogged a few times between now and then, and I hope to see you all there for another fun time! ♥

[beehawk4]

hi hiiii i havent been here in like months. anyway im super stoked about Limbus Company showing teasers of Der Freitschütz ID for Outis and for fun i decided to make a guess on what her sin resonances (and the specific skills they're for) might be

anyway! just as a foreword, this is based off of lu-is-not-okay's sin analysis guide. very interesting read, does provide a connection between the explanations ill give and the sin resonances i propose. ill also include a paraphrased explanation of the relevant sins, but if you want a more indepth explanation the link is below

Skill 1 -- Lust

Lust is when you let yourself be guided by your own desires and whims, i.e. forgoing any discipline, long-term goals, etc. to solely fulfill your own instincts and wants. Der Freitschütz as an abno fits this description very well; he does not act on any kind of moral compass, but rather whatever he feels like doing at the time. This is supported by his lore entry in Lobotomy Corporation:

"... With the last bullet gone for good, the hunter traveled to numerous worlds. Sometimes he helped those in need or fought evil, but it was all done on impulse, not a gesture of goodwill or ideals. In one world, he was called a righteous hunter, while in another, he was a bloodstained gunman.. ..."

He is guided by nothing but his own personal whims. He has no moral, external, or societal obligations.

Skill 2 -- Envy

Envy is defined by its requirement of an external stimuli -- a reaction to something done by someone else. Envy implies jealousy or vengeance, but those aspects are not necessary for the sin of Envy -- rather, the key necessity is that a person is being influenced or prompted by something else.

For this Outis ID, she is being prompted by the Manager. Whatever orders she is given, she will follow to the ends of the earth. If the Manager tells her to fire at something, whether its a Green Dawn ordeal, an Agent in the Security Team, or an ALEPH abnormality breaching containment, she WILL shoot it.

"Should the Manager order me to fire... the bullet will penetrate the target. Wherever it is, whichever it is, or whoever it is."

In this regard, she is under total control of the Manager; she does nothing without explicit orders from the Manager, i.e. only acts when prompted to.

Skill 3 -- Pride

Pride is to ignore consequences, whether that is due to the belief that the pros of doing something outweigh the cons or simply flatout refusing to acknowledge the potential harm your actions may bring. It's not necessarily tied to selfishness or overconfidence -- while sacrificing others to benefit yourself is Prideful, so too is making a personal sacrifice to benefit others. Both ways, you are ignoring the ramifications that you or others may experience, out of the belief that it's worth the cost (or ignoring the harm the latter may bring you).

For this ID, this sin is rather intricately tied with Envy, so much so that I had a bit of a rough time determining which Sin should go to which skill. See, in Outis's case, the consequence she is ignoring is the possibility of harming or even killing her coworkers, due to the way her E.G.O. gear works. (FYI, in the original Lobotomy Corporation game, Der Freitschütz's E.G.O. weapon dealt very high damage and had infinite pierce, but also damaged other Agents and Clerks in its line of fire.)

This is where Envy and Pride mix together -- it doesn't matter to her if she kills other Agents or Clerks (Pride), so long as she fulfills her orders (Envy).

"Even... the loved ones."

Adding more for Pride, Outis doesn't acknowledge the harm she brings to her fellow coworkers at all, instead adopting an "at all costs" attitude towards her directives. To her, the "benefit" of completing the Manager's request far outweighs the potential costs of hurting / killing her coworkers.

It's also just woven into the abnormality itself. Der Freitschütz, in the pursuit of his own whims, doesn't acknowledge the harm or aid he brings to other people. He gains various reputations on multiple worlds, being a "righteous gunman" in some and a "bloodstained hunter" in others, but nothing suggests that he cares about his notoriety, or about the consequences of his actions in general.

"The marksman, now a devil himself, continues to pull the trigger to gather the souls of others."

Again, he acts only on his own whims, caring not for the consequences that come after, or for any reasons beside his transient desires.

...

sorry if this is messy or hard to understand its like 5 am for me. anyway der freitschutz is one of my fav abnos and it was fun to theorycraft for the first time in a while. fingers crossed that im right 🤞🤞🤞

[chubs-deuce]

Hi, fellow writer/artist here! This is about your recent post about struggling with your writing, and I found that I had a lot to say and I didn’t want to clog up the comment section, I hope it’s alright that I sent it this way, and if its too long or not helpful, my apologies XD

My number one tip: there are no rules! Writing is fun time! It’s kids finger painting with words! Its emotions! It’s characters we love, and stories our hearts or brains or some other parts of us wanna tell! Always lean into what sounds the most fun when you’re stuck! Even if you never use it! <3

In my experience, some writing is better than no writing when you feel like it's not good. Sometimes to get out of being stuck I find it best to just keep typing, even if it stops making sense, or i hit enter twice and start rattling off a new scene or a different story entirely! Sometimes I will literally just type ‘why does writing feel so hard. This feeelsss dumb blah blah blahblahblah fuuuuuck fuuuuuuuuuuuck why do I feel so stuck -’ And so on until eventually my brain thinks of something else haha – literally just a brain dump. Type any random word that comes to mind. Sometimes I just open a clean document and go at it with this, you can always copy paste anything remotely relevant that may come out of it somewhere else later.

The rewrite loop is a hard one, I find that when I'm stuck in that space, sometimes taking a step back and just literally making a bullet point list of the scenes and/or what I want to accomplish really helps! Recently I also started going through and highlighting certain passages or concepts in the document that are poignant to the themes or vibes of the story/ that I wanna circle back around to in some way. Its been helping me keep things a bit more consistent in terms of emotion, and has helped a lot with ‘scene-block’. Bc instead of being like ‘uhhhh okay what now?’ I can always look back through the highlights and see what needs to be carried through more – or it can spark a new idea from thinking over how to get to that specific point you want to reach!

Sometimes when writing feels too daunting to me I’ll literally just tell myself “that’s okay. You don’t have to write. You can do literally anything else.” And sometimes just that, the verbal removal of the pressure, can loosen things up – especially if I do want to be writing. But sometimes, you really just do need a break from it. Picking up another hobby to fill writing time when I’m burnt out really helps me out!

I’ve taken months away from all sorts of writing projects before (both fan work and personal) bc there was just a block. And it sucks. I’m really sorry you’ve been dealing with this, it’s such a frustrating experience.

Honestly, sometimes writing can help you work through something IRL, but other times I find that sometimes the writing has to wait until I’ve hit a certain milestone personally. There’s a project of mine I pick up maybe once a year. Maybe. Because it just can’t have what I need it to until I sort some of those personal things out in my own life.

I’ve also noticed how much your Charlastor Fankid AU has taken off (Love Dawn btw), and you expressed recently how you’ve been feeling overwhelmed by the amount of asks/etc with the executive dysfunction of it all (same btw) (I’m also the person from the comment on that - hi lol). I wouldn’t be surprised if some of those pressure-feelings you’ve expressed have bled over into your other WIPs, pls be kind to yourself <3

Think how long people waited for Hazbin content from Viv, or any other number of indie-origin fandoms. When people love an idea or a style or any other number of things, the people it resonates with are happy to give the person or people behind it time. You can tell when someone enjoys making things. When something is made with that passionate spark. I want you to know that your posts really do have that. I can tell how much love you have to give through your work. People who like your stuff aren’t going to disappear if you need to take a minute to breathe, you know? I know the world we live in, and the faux-perfection of the internet can make us creatives feel like we need to be machines, but it’s not true. We’re people. And other decent folks will be happy to respect that!

Creativity and how we express it is very personal, and everyone’s process is different, so I can only really speak from my own perspective here, but you’re doing great. Your work is amazing, and I hope your writer’s block clears up soon!

I hope this message doesn’t come off weird in any way, with this massive message out of ‘nowhere’, my heart just really went out to you on this from one writer and artist to another. I also sent this as an ask bc for some reason sending a DM this long felt weird given that we haven't really spoken before.

Good luck with everything! Always here if you need another creative person to complain to or chat with LOL

- Lizzie

sobbing, this actually made me so (positively) emotional man-

Thank you so so so much for taking the time to type all this out and reach out like this, it honestly means the world from me, especially since your ask here really is oozing with empathy and care in ways that surprisingly hit me in the feels pretty good???

I'm sorry I didn't respond to this sooner but I kind of couldn't muster the energy to give it the kind of response it deserves that wasn't just senseless keysmashing sdkjhsdkjfh

what's wack about my particular kind of writer's block is that I'm more than happy to ramble on and on about Dawn and my ideas for her story in asks etc, but to make a coherent story of it feels like an undoable feat somehow?

I've always had a knack for piecing together a plot out of thin air or based on next to nothing to go off of, but it's actually putting it into a consumable format that I always, ALWAYS get hung up on, and it bothers me to no end :'3

Your reassuring words genuinely really help a lot in soothing my fears of, well, I guess irrelevancy?

I do ultimately write for myself, but I can't help but feel like there's a ticking clock in the back of my brain that tells me I need to make something consumable before the "fad" around Dawn especially passes and most people that would've cared about a fic about her have already moved on, if that makes sense?

It's a stupid amount of pressure to put on myself and maybe even sounds kind of arrogant, but I do thrive off of seeing people react to and think out loud about things I'm passionate about - it's a connection, a communication of sorts, something I'll never not desperately crave.

I've been having so much fun with Dawn and the story surrounding her and I couldn't be happier that people are so engaging with what I put out in turn! So much so that a part of me dreads seeing when that will come to an end ^^"

I'll keep trying though, and keep doing what I love <3

Again, thank you so much for taking the time to reach out like this, a lot of this is something I definitely needed to hear and words can't express how much I sincerely appreciate it ;w;

[soulsilvers]

Pokemas having safe writing for protags is SO TRUE, esp for the girls. They all have the same sweet, ‘flower girl’ personality, which is fine on its own! It’s just that when they all have the exact same personality, it gets irritating. From Kris to May to Hilda to whoever else, they all act pretty much the same besides one or two quickly forgotten quirks here and there, which really sucks. Looking up their mas quotes on bulbapedia really shows how little substance they have.

Surprisingly, the male protags don’t fair much better (poor Victor and Lucas barely have anything) but at least there’s *something* there that distinguishes them personality wise. Ethan is kind, Brendan is confident (and has a dad), Lucas is a sorta awkward nerd, etc. While still one dimensional, they’re at least distinguishable from one another. The gacha brainrot is so incredibly real.

nevertheless, do not let this type of safe writing discourage you. take everything these characters say anyway and work from it. kris wants to learn EVERYTHING, perhaps mostly about ecology. shes a pretty dang overworked professor to me. lyra talks about red a lot, what kind of shenanigans can i create from these two personalities? dawn will be all haha about barry being so impatient, but sometimes its like its HER thats even more of an impatient worrywart. and so on and so on.

and well... seriously its okay to make stuff up if nothing else. because people already do that all the time with dudes.

[insipid-drivel]

I saw your horse post and it made me curious, because you touched on the specific skills needed and how long it takes to develop those skills and how horse temperament can affect ability and stuff. I’m really just curious, but here is a hypothetical for ya: someone who has never been on a horse before or maybe ridden once with help NEEDS to ride a horse for [insert some important, non-negotiable reason here]. The horse is relatively well tempered and has a saddle, stirrups, reins, etc. and the person is careful not to spook it. Can they ride this horse? What are some things a total beginner in this instance would need to know/do to be able to ride this horse? It can be badly ridden/totally unskilled/painful if they’re not used to it, i just want to know if it’s POSSIBLE and what it might be like. I’m a writer, so work with me a little here 😂 (i’m not even writing anything with horses right now, I’m really just curious lmao)

Okay, I love this question, and thank you for providing some specific examples! Let me do my best to break it down for ya based on situation:

Something to keep in mind is the era in which you're setting the scenes for the horses in. If you're talking modern times where horses are luxuries and not necessities? Privately-owned horses tend to only be comfortable with being ridden by people they've been acquainted with and are given guidance by handlers they trust that the new person is okay to get on the saddle. Most well-trained and good-natured horses, in situations with riders they don't recognize or aren't sure of, will usually default to the nearest person they already know and respect, and will accept a new rider if their Beloved Person indicates it's safe and okay. If they're alone, they're not likely to want to cooperate. It acts as its own form of insurance for keeping thieves from breaking into your barn or paddock and riding away with your very, very, VERY expensive horse. (Really though, the cost of keeping a horse is absolutely bananas and always has been; they are EXTREMELY high maintenance and resource-intensive).

So, say the horse this inexperienced rider is trying to get on is a good-natured horse that's used to carrying newbies and strangers. This isn't weird, because there have always been trainers that teach horses to tolerate skill levels of all ranges. Otherwise, kids wouldn't be able to learn to ride very easily during eras in history where horses were your only source of fast transport.

Firstly, horses can have a sense of "work hours". They're diurnal animals and usually prefer to sleep as soon as it gets dark, and wake up and expect to be fed and handled in the pre-dawn hours just before the sky starts to lighten, so they tend to be a lot more approachable and available during the day than if you try to approach at night.

Your character's first hurdle is "gentling" the horse, or convincing it that it's okay to relax enough to let your OC come near and handle them. Horses have nearly 360 degree vision, with their blind spots being directly in front of them and directly behind them. Approaching a horse at a slight angle head-on, slowly, and expressing gentle words and a calm, affectionate demeanor can help a strange horse relax faster, especially if your OC has something to give them as a treat, like an apple or fistful of oats.

(For your OC: Wherever horses are kept overnight, there will always be a food or grain store very near to where the horses are, if not within the same barn as the horses sleep in. The grain store is usually locked for the horses' safety, but if your OC can get in there and grab a fistful of oats or cracked corn, a horse is gonna be much more likely to wanna make friends)

Your OC should never, ever, ever come up behind a horse. Horses will kick anything and everything they perceive behind them as a potential annoyance or threat, including their owners and riders. If your OC has to get around the back end of a horse with no space to stay clear of the horse's kicking-range, they should either not risk it at all, or try to press the front of their body against the horse's hip and slowly hug their butt and scoot around to the side they need to be on. Then, if the horse kicks, your OC will more likely be pushed and knocked sideways instead of impacted with a fist made of solid Hobbit toenails.

Your would-be rider's next hurdle? Getting into the saddle. It looks easy to just step into a stirrup and throw your leg over, but it is actually an acquired skill and exercise (the kind of groin-pull you can give yourself from trying to get in the saddle will make you cry for days), and your character may need a boost using something like a box, stump, or step-stool to make getting on easier. After a while of practice, your muscles build up enough that most riders don't need a boost for long, but complete newbies tend to need an extra boost. Then, it's a matter of grabbing onto the saddle horn (at the top of the horse's shoulder blades in the middle of their back) and slinging one leg over the horse's back. A lot of people have an easier time using their dominant leg as the one they throw over the horse's back, with their non-dominant leg being the one on the boost or in the stirrup, while other people can benefit more from the opposite. It's up to you, really.

The hardest thing your OC is gonna deal with in the saddle is maintaining their center of gravity. Yes, the stirrups help a lot, but the more heavily they sit in the saddle, the rougher the ride becomes. If your OC has testicles, they're going to get badly thrashed if they don't sit with their pelvis rolled forward, so the widest, fattest part of their butt is what's resting on the saddle. If they have a vulva? Yeah, it'll still hurt, because straddling the horse and bouncing is going to cause the soft tissues of your OC's vulva to grind against the front of their pelvis. It hurts. I speak from experience on that one.

Figuring out how to make the horse go is the next challenge if your OC has never been around riders before. Most people are used to seeing a horse kicked into a gallop (where you thump their sides with your heels), but I guarantee your OC will be immediately flung off if they try to hold on to a galloping horse. You have to know how to move with the horse the faster it goes, or else you're just not going to stay on it. Generally, horses are taught to speed up with a gradual squeeze of the heels against their thighs, not a kick. A gentle squeeze, and often a clicking noise with the tongue, is usually enough for most horses to start walking forward.

Another tricky part is properly holding the horse's reins. The reins aren't just one strip of leather that you can pull left and right on to direct the horse; they're usually two leather strips, and a proper beginning holding position is where you make the two strips resemble an arch like a rainbow, where one strip is tighter than the other. Controlling a horse's head includes controlling how far its head is tilted up or down as well as left and right, and there are certain commands that can only be given in combination with certain motions with the reins that an inexperienced rider would never know about, much less how to use. However, it's not unreasonable for them to already know that, while squeezing/kicking with the legs means "go", pulling evenly and gently toward themselves with the reins can signal the horse to slow down or stop.

Your OC may manage to stay alright in the saddle with a trot (the next sped above a walk), but it's very bouncy, and they may fall backward or sideways and off the saddle as a result. Canters (3rd fastest) require even more muscle control than trots and even gallops (full speed), and I can say from my own experience that learning to canter was arguably harder than learning to gallop for me.

So... your OC isn't likely to have great control over the horse at anything faster than a walk, is likely to fall off if they don't have a good sense of their center of gravity, and if they aren't already in good shape? Will inevitably get exhausted from riding. Riding takes up a lot of muscle, and I still remember my legs giving out the first time I ever rode a horse and got off; it took so much control over my legs that I could barely walk after less than an hour of riding.

So, it's possible for a completely inexperienced rider to hop on a tacked-up horse and ride, but they're likely going to struggle a lot with their balance, keeping the horse relaxed, communicating with the horse, and, potentially, a lot of muscle soreness and weakness from a long time in the saddle for the very first time that can make it very hard for them to get to someone in a hurry if they can't ride the entire way to the [important plot point goes here].

I hope that helps!

[fearfylsymmetry]

less of an ask and more of a compliment i love the way your tags are organized…”decay as a commodity” “bodies shifting in narrow spaces” etc is it your own original work or quoting from a song/poem/or something?

helloo angel and welcomee to the show, its always such a joy when people appreciate my silly little tagging system. they're all just random sentences i thought up ages ago, , just to make sense of the mess in front of you etc y'know how it gets love. i couldn't really get behind tagging things as "art" "people, faces places things" etc. i needed to inject a bit of flavour to the whole thing (let this not be read as a subtle jab towards any new york based tumblrinas , we're above that c'mon now). i wouldn't say these little phrases are "personal" by any means but they have been motifs i wanted to actively explore in the art i make so no harm putting them up here i guess haha

for posterity's sake i thought i'd just copy an explanation of my tags from an old ask

decay as a commodity : okay so i envisioned this as a way to just summarize modern living? i think of a whole blueish neon color scheme with this one. my line of thinking was,, with the world slowly rotting away and living becoming so expensive and exhausting, whats the one commodity we all share? wouldn't it be decay? aren't we all slowly fading together etc etc. i use this for images with cooler muted tones and anything with a futuristic vibe,, along with some grimey, monochrome photography

the setting dawn: this is the polar opposite of decay, i think of it as "hope beyond hope" a la Prior Walter's line in Angels in America. i know "the setting sun " might sound more natural but i think of it as,, dawn , when the sun breaks through - in this short period the world starts to wake. qs the dawn sets the day kicks in, with all its routine misery. Dawn i think, is the only time the sun is kind to you, because its still hidden away at least slightly. But the day truly starts and itbeats down on you. And yet we continue to live, past the boredom and the pain, we live past hope, past the quiet comfort of dawn. I use this for pictures with earthy tones and things on the more uplifting side

bodies shifting in narrow spaces: this has some overlap with the decay tag, im not as organized as i need 2 be. i use this for figures & portraits ill want to draw or just really any photography i like that features a human presence. think of it as people so dependent on an outside gaze they constantly try to reinvent themselves, or just, everyday people, getting less and less time to live, having to work and forcing themselves into relationships with any real connection

original sin and other contingencies: im trying to fit this in for more risque photography and maybe things on the more gory side. how do i explain this.. okay so... when there's nothing left to do you'll always have sin to turn to just yo keep yourself occupied, along with other methods/contingencies u get the jist

linen that lingers: my fashion tag nothing more 2 it

the canvas as testimony: for art that is made for the gallery or art that is held in higher regard i guess, more high culture. it includes painting, sculptures,along with architecture,, but maybe i should make an architecture tag. i think of the things here as more personal efforts

motion on a still surface: for art that is energetic and really pops off the page. includes comics, manga, fanart, animation. stuff here may be more low culture but really its not. i just differentiate these art tags as ,,one is stuck to the canvas whatever that canvas may be, while the other leaps off the page

word on a wing let me soar: books, poetry, articles, journals , all words that i adore

a conversation with the self: i wanted this to be for things that are very personal to me but i just use my other tags

angels in descent: my little funny haha tag for yknow ,,, funny haha. yknow the "devil's rejects" the movie? like its a way of saying people so horrible no even the devil would take them. okay so i thought " god's rejects " but that's lame. so i landed on this, like idk...imagine angels falling from grace

arcade shuffle: for my little viddy games lol. sorry for being a #gamergirl but yes it happens sadly ,,moving on

jet jump jive: for songs

at the pictures: for movies,, like imagine im going "cant talk im at the pictures wheee ^_^"

there is such a great distance between now and later: to track my art and writing progress but i barely use it cause it barely draw or write these days i blame the wave of despair that washeth over me

proof of concept: photos i took but there's like almost nothing here

misc that are just funny 2 me like i do it 4 a little chuckle i deserve it:

screw it posting hole - for hole the band

bowies in spaaace - for bowie, after the flight of the concords song cmon its a little funny at least cmon now

twink speaks- for twin peaks lol

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

Little Things I Dig About 'Puss In Boots: The Last Wish'

This will be an unorganized collection of thoughts, but... Here we go!

Do not read on if you have yet to see PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH. Spoilers *ahoy*!

The opening title card alone. A friend pointed this out to me, the whole "This story... Is a Fairy Tale..." graphic. This is **such** a 180 from the other SHREK movies, especially the first SHREK, which opens with a Walt Disney-style book opening, laying down some exposition, and then Shrek himself ripping out a page, wiping his bum with it... That shows just what kind of attitude one movie has towards fairy tales, and what attitude the other one has. It's like this franchise has matured from its early class clown days.

The sword-fighting in the opening action scene is seemingly in sync with 'Fearless Hero', just great timing and animated choreography there.

"Never been touched!"

Puss' battle with the giant gives me major SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS vibes. He makes that whole ordeal look like nothing, and this was *after* he took on a governor and his soldiers.

The very subtle midnight-to-dawn transition as the giant fight unfolds. For whatever reason, it makes the coffee bit even more clever to me.

The shot of Puss running down the rope holding the bell, in mid-air? A companion piece to "What's Up Danger?" from SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE. Also the shot of him 360-ing in the air before skewering the giant with his sword... That, too.

Death being visible in the background during the fight has already been pointed out ad naseum, but I want to point out something else... Something that was actually bugging me, until I thought of an explanation... Okay, so... The bell that crushes Puss. The wider end is hanging above Puss, yet when the bell falls? It fell sideways, despite hanging straight down. You know, the open end of the bell was facing downward. If it had detached from the rope and fell on Puss, he could've survived if the ringer didn't hit him... And that position of the bell is visible in the shots of the defeated giant... But since Death was there... Did Death magically make the bell fall that way? It's established that Death is fed up with Puss for not only mocking him, but also not valuing the other lives he lost. So maybe he magically made that bell fall in a way that it could crush Puss? Just to get it over with and not have to wait any longer for that cat to put himself in another potentially deadly situation? Thus leading him to his last life and Death's incentive to finish off Puss once and for all? Maybe?? Or am I nitpicking or looking too into this?

The continuity nods to not only the SHREK sequels, but also PUSS IN BOOTS Uno. The flashbacks Puss has when he encounters Death for the first time seem to imply that the events of PUSS IN BOOTS took place "after" SHREK 2, maybe even SHREK THE THIRD and SHREK FOREVER AFTER... Despite the implication that it was a prequel? I rewatched PUSS IN BOOTS a few weeks ago, and even that movie - sans the flashbacks/Humpty backstory - is rather vague on when it is set. Puss never mentions Shrek, Donkey, etc.... But weirdly, it could possibly take place after SHREK 2 at the very least?

Speaking of the first PUSS IN BOOTS... I'm now willing to know what the geography is of the SHREKverse. Where Shrek's swamp is, Far Far Away, San Ricardo from PUSS IN BOOTS, Del Mar from this movie's opening scene... Like where is everything in relation to one another? Are DreamWorks gonna make some sort of SHREK lexicon or map of the world that tells us more about this stuff?

A nice sense of pace when Puss stays at Mama Luna's place. We even get a passage of time there, which isn't so common in a lot of modern animated movies whose whole storylines seem to be over in 2-3 days.

Papa Bear singing a random ditty while interrogating Mama Luna with her own piano.

The town where Big Jack Horner's factory is: A very grimy and industrial-looking place for a SHREK series locale. It's fascinating even if we see very little of it. Seems like a crumby place to live.

Big Jack Horner's "Wanted" poster... The hell is THAT face?

Ya know, about the "Wanted" posters... I like that the film, despite leaning harder into fairy tales/fantasy than the first PUSS IN BOOTS, retains that Wild West/old-school adventure movie vibe from the first one with the Wanted posters and some of the score. "Fearless Hero" in particular. Like, this is still firmly in Puss' Wild West/Three Musketeers/Zorro/etc. roots.

Horner's quick snaps: "TAKE IT TO THE TROPHY ROOM!" "MAKE WITH THE BOX!" He's probably the most neurotypical character in this thing.

The Serpent Sisters are a lot of fun, especially the not-so-bright-one. Would've liked to have seen more of these two... Oh well, maybe in a prequel/spin-off short. They really reminded me of the twins from HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON. Hey, maybe DreamWorks could make a Goldilocks/3 Bears prequel where they had run-ins with these sisters.

One of Kitty Softpaw's attack moves is literally grabbing enemies by the insides out their mouths, like she's a dentist or something, and hurling them like they're frisbees. Humans twice her size, even! Her and Puss would've eviscerated Thanos.

Death's sudden appearances throughout the film... He's like the pterodactyl from JOUST, or Bendy from BENDY AND THE INK MACHINE. There is no beating him, and he'll just randomly appear... It's handled so effectively each time out.

Their take on the "cute eyes" scene. With the pushed art style and new approach to the animation, they really, REALLY push this gag for both Puss and Kitty, and even for Perrito when he finally masters the cute eyes.

Everything about the dark forest, really. In my Letterboxd review, I noted how this film was unique to the other SHREK films and the first PUSS IN BOOTS movie, in that it really just took on this very dreamy and airy feel. Something about it felt so ethereal in a way. Again, going back to the title card... It truly felt like a fantasy world, a fairy tale. This, to me, is evident in the scenes of Goldilocks being entranced by the Nostalgic Pines and Puss' confession to Kitty Softpaws when they're climbing a tall tree. Just all the shot compositions and color work and score, it's perfection. This is still a funny and farcical upside-down fairy tale world, but it's markedly different from the other SHREKs because of this.

Much has been written and said about the panic attack scene already, but what I particularly liked was how Puss runs through the woods for a bit, imagining the trees as Death looming. It is very reminiscent of the scene in SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS when Snow White, upon learning her stepmother wants her dead, runs through the forest and imagines all of the trees as gnarly monsters. Much like the scene in SNOW WHITE, PUSS IN BOOTS 2 doesn't lighten it with comedy or a gag. It is played straight, and Perrito coming to the rescue is not dissimilar to how the forest critters came to comfort a crying, frightened Snow White. Again, a night-and-day difference from how the other SHREK movies covered fairy tales. (And especially how the SHREKs “satirized” Disney's takes on those stories.)

The little song that Goldi, Baby Bear, and Papa Bear break into when approaching the illusion of their old home, dancing in a circle. It's like a nice little moment that those characters have together, establishing their connection and their little family quirks and such. It only lasts like a few seconds, but it's such a charming little moment.

The library card in the book of fairy tales Goldi used to read.

Nice callback to the dance-off from the first PUSS IN BOOTS when escaping Goldi and the bears.

"Oi like the cut of 'is jib!"

Is that an ACE ATTORNEY reference in a SHREK movie?

Such ace economy and pacing in the climactic final battle, with every section carefully thought out and so much being paid off, all the little details. It's just right. Three tones handled down pat, with seamless transitioning between the three: Kinetic action for everyone fighting, intense/scary when Death shows up, and then thrilling and heroic when "Team Friendship" defeat Jack Horner.

I'm sure I'm forgetting a few details, which I'll put on here when they come to me, haha... But yeah, I loved PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH.

[greetingfromthedead]

C3: Acts of Kindness

For more information on the series (tags, CW, etc) click the banner!

Series Rating: 18+ / Explicit

Chapter: 3/84

Words: 1.9k

Warning: Talk of suicide and self-harm.

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You slip in and out of consciousness, and even when you come to, your body won't listen to your command; the sounds in your head are too loud. So you focus on what you can. You notice the arm securely around you and the bouncing of the bird as it makes its way across the desert. You feel warm; normally, you don't register the temperature, as neither the cold nights nor the scorching days have bothered you, but this feels strange. You think you hear a whisper, but it's too quiet to make out.

Next time you start noticing something again, it's the sound of footsteps. You are now sitting up against something hard. The steps move away from you, and soon you hear little bird noises followed by a thump on the ground. Focusing on the happenings around you and trying to piece it all together keeps you occupied to the point where the high-pitched noises are pushed back, giving you just a little bit of relief. You hear a slight fumbling of fabric and then steps coming closer.

"Alright, come, let's get you to bed." You hear soft words spoken to you. Does he know you're awake and listening? You want to open your eyes; you want to get up and keep moving, but none of your muscles will obey. Without waiting for any reaction from you anyway, a hand is slipped behind your back, the other under your knees, as you are rolled into an embrace. Your head softly hits fabric, and you feel a zipper under your cheek. All of these sensations are a welcome distraction from the brewing storm in your head. You feel Vash take a few steps and then crouch down to gently lay you on a mat with something under your head, moments later covering you with a blanket, making sure you are snug and covered.

Time passes as you keep listening. You hear drawstrings from a bag; you hear metallic sounds that you can't place; a quiet and constant hissing; some scraping; your mind quieting down enough to even hear breathing not far from you. A weird peace fills your chest, and soon you have recovered enough to slowly open your eyes. It's dusk, not quite dark yet, and the very last rays of sunshine are visible from between the rocks. The smell of food that reached you a while ago comes from a little mess kit that is still on a gas burner. You move your head enough to catch a glimpse of the bright red coat, your eyes trailing up along it. You see how the strange blond man turns his head towards you, sunglasses still on his nose, as he shoots you a kind smile.

"Good, you're awake." He reaches into his coat, pulls out a metal canteen, and offers it to you. "Here, drink something, and I left you some stew."

You slowly regain control over your arms as you move them under your side and push up to sit. A look of confusion dawns on your face as you look at the man so kindly sharing what's his; even the bed is all yours. Your arms are still supporting your body while you try to make sense of things, thinking of all the possible motivations he might have.

"It's okay, Celeste. Here," he says, opening the canteen and drinking from it. "It's fine, see?"

The open water container is once again reaching towards you, and you stare at it. This dude surely is clueless; poison doesn't concern you. But you take the bottle regardless; you don't need it to survive, but it might help to get you back on your feet faster and silence the cacophony in your head. You take a swig of the fresh water, and he smiles before reaching out and putting a portion of stew in a bowl, setting it on the ground next to you with a spoon.

"Why are you doing this?" you ask as you close the canteen and place it on the ground.

Hesitantly, you take the food and give it a sniff. The smell is vaguely familiar, but the memories are still too hazy to return. You take the spoon and give it a taste. It's nice, and in a way, it's comforting. Again, you know you don't need it; you just try to get your body to function, but it also fills you with the same kind of warmth as you had felt before.

"It seemed like you needed it." He smiles brightly at you. "I couldn't just leave you in the desert, face down in the sand. Also, it seemed like you were furious at me back in town. I don't fully understand what I did wrong. So maybe I can make up for it with a touch of kindness."

"You're a strange one." You keep eating the stew. "Most sane people would go running for the hills if they saw the same things you did. Instead, you follow me around and even take care of me when you know I can't return the favor."

"Well, I'm not the most sane person around; I've been told that before." He shoots you a sheepish smile. "Oh, and I don't need anything from you; that's not why I do it. I do it because I want to, and I want to make up for whatever I did to upset you."

"If that's really what you want, then you can just stick a knife back into my chest and bury me between these rocks." You sigh, lowering the half-empty bowl into your lap, your eyes turned away.

"No! I could never do something like that!" exclaims Vash loudly. "All life is sacred! Everyone has a right to live and a duty to take care of themselves."

You turn back to look at him, as he has an unshakable expression on his face. He looks almost dutiful, like it's his mission in life to make sure everyone does exactly that—live. The feelings you normally hold for humans are replaced by some strange ease in you as his expression softens again into a light smile.

"Who are you, strange man?" You look at him with a frown, your eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Vash hesitates for a moment, thinking what name he should give, but then decides that you look kind and he doesn't want to lie to you, "Vash the Stampede."

"Should I be impressed?" you ask as you take his outreached hand into yours and give it a shake.

"No, there's nothing impressive about me." He chuckles and gives your hand a light squeeze before releasing it.

You go back to your food, finishing the bowl and placing it next to the canteen before taking another swing from it.

"I hope I can repay you for this somehow, maybe not now, but later," you mumble, hating that you now feel like you owe him. If he wasn't so nice, you would just look at it as payback for waking you up. But all this time, he has had a kind smile on his face, clearly not minding sharing with you at all.

"I'm glad to hear that there will be a "later"." He smiles and then lays down on the sand, his arms folded under his head. He looks up into the sky, and as you follow his gaze, you see the thousands, if not millions, of stars twinkling back at you, unsure if he can see all of them too.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he finally quietly asks after the two of you have been watching the stars for a while.

"About what?" you reply as your gaze moves back to him. You still see a light smile plastered on his lips, but it doesn't reach his blue eyes, which you can see through the side of his glasses. You look at him, his arms, his jacket, his clothes, his hair, his face. He looks different from what you were used to seeing. You're unsure if it's from the changed times, considering you don't know how much time has passed since you last roamed around, or if it was something specific to him.

"Why are you so hellbent on dying?" His quiet voice carries his words to you, "Why would you ask me to do something so horrible? And you look like you're still planning on finding some other soul who is willing to do it."

"That's not quite correct. I doubt I can actually die; nothing so far hints at it, at least. I've gotten shot, it didn't do much; it was just a bit annoying. I've tried poisons, but they didn't do anything at all. I tried getting eaten by a worm; it wasn't fun and didn't produce the desired results either. Once I tried blowing my brains out, all it ended up doing was traumatizing the nomads. It wasn't a pretty sight." The words almost slip out of you, unsure why you are telling him such things. "I'm sure there have been more instances, but currently I seem to be unable to remember. I had hoped that if they gauged out my innards, they would be unable to regenerate and I would actually die, but I didn't manage to convince the woman in the village to go that far for 10 cans of preserved food, so I made do with a knife in my chest."

You see his shocked eyes looking at you as he turns his head. Slowly turning on his side and pushing up, he looks at you intently. You look away, not wanting to meet his gaze; you don't want to see the pity in it.

"Needless to say, a lack of water or food won't bother me. Neither will hypothermia or a heat stroke take me down. Old age won't come for me either, it seems." You state the obvious.

"I'm so sorry; it must have been awful," he says, but you are unsure what he is referring to.

"You have nothing to be sorry for; it has nothing to do with you," you say as you pull your knees closer and wrap your arms around them. You feel a kind of vulnerability you doubt you ever have before. You feel small, and there is a discomfort in your chest around where the knife had been, but that pain had been long gone before you even reached the edge of town.

"How long? How long have you been around?" He whispers, Vash is unsure why he is poking around in this; sure that the topic brings you pain, but morbid curiosity forces him to ask.

"I don't know. I was here when the ships crashed; I was probably on one of them. But I don't remember. I just remember the rubble, being among it." You leave your earliest memory vague, not getting into more details, and decide you have already talked too much.

"The crash was nearly 150 years ago," he says quietly. Vash's heart is breaking at his own memories of the event, leaving them unvoiced.

"So I was in that town for nearly a century," you say more to yourself than to him.

"You have a healing factor, I guess?" Vash knows that is an understatement; he has never heard of anyone coming back from the dead like that, healing or not.

"Something like that; I'm not sure what is wrong with me or how it happened." You squeeze tighter around your legs. "Just that I'm a freak of nature."

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