#they're the one of a few things keeping this man afloat

[universal-kitty]

    Merry “Almost Christmas means it wasn’t Christmas” Day! Fun fact, once New Years rolls around, we have approximately 4 more years of Beanie Feenie before he becomes an attorney again. (July, 2027)

    (This post will be reblogged again after New Years.)

[fashion-runways]

okay it's been over a year and i keep saying i'm going to make a new post and it's too exhausting to even think about the whole thing so i keep pushing it-- here's the link to the old post if you want a more detailed thing i wrote back then.

anyway, a year ago, out of the blue, our apartment got raided by the police, they broke our front door, they broke a bunch of shit inside, they took a bunch of our stuff, they barely gave us answers or an explanation, they took my dad and made it seem like he would have to sign some stuff and answer some questions and come back, but it's been over a year (since june 2022) and he hasn't come back, and his case is still up in the air. they're barely working on it. they didn't pay for all the shit they broke, they haven't returned all the shit they took, we had to spend a lot of money on that, i had to take a loan to buy a new computer so i could keep working and studying, on top of spending even more money on basic needs for my dad in jail and lawyers, plus blood pressure and anxiety medications, plus he's old and he was scheduled an eye surgery that he obviously couldn't go to so he's like, practically blind in one eye now, also new clothes for him to wear there (there's a bunch of rules for that), honestly i already lost track of how many things we had to pay for. it's been incredibly stressful and it still is even now that we've gotten used to it. he's been detained for a year for something that they still don't even know if he did and the case is barely moving, i don't know if they're like... i don't know, waiting for the man to die in there since he's already old so they don't have to admit they don't have enough proof for all the mess they made? i don't know. like i said back then, please don't ask me for details on the case or show up in my inbox trying to play tiktok true crime and guess what he did/didn't do. it happened a few times and it's extremely triggering, please don't. please.

this blog is basically my job. it's my primary source of income, i don't have anything else, no matter how many interviews i go to, in the country/city i live and in the state our economy is, if you don't have contacts it's impossible to get a job. i'm always signing up to free programs to learn new things while i don't have a job, try to make my cv bigger, but it doesn't matter. if you don't have someone saying “please hire my friend/family member” or you don't have 500 years of experience, they won't. so like i said, donations people make to this blog are how me and my mom (and my pets) stay afloat. it's what we use to pay for food, general groceries, transportation, electricity, wifi, water, gas, health insurance, stuff for my dad in jail, meds for my mom who has diabetes, food and meds for my pets. i don't go out much, i haven't gotten a haircut in a year, i barely spend money in anything that makes me happy except once in a blue moon when i stop feeling guilty lmao i had a redbubble account also that helped a little too, but last week it got suspended without an explanation as i was uploading new designs, so i don't even have that now. i made a new account on teepublic, but all my designs in high quality are locked behind redbubble and i can't even log into because of the suspension. it's... complicated, and it's a lot, but it is what it is.

i'm always keeping an eye out on new collections, new designers, new cool things. like i said, i love fashion, i studied fashion, and i know a lot of you use this blog as inspiration whether it's for yourselves or for your art, so i don't want to post all similar stuff all the time, i want to post all kinds of styles and brands as much as i can. which is why when i say if you like this blog, if you want to support me, sending even the smallest amount of money helps me keep going. living in latin america, the exchange rate is kind of insane, so truly any amount of money donated helps. unfortunately, i never stop needing money to survive and help keep my family afloat, but in the past year more than ever.

as usual, my kofi link is this one: https://ko-fi.com/fashionrunways and my (new) teepublic link is this one: https://www.teepublic.com/user/dinah-lance. if my redbubble account gets reinstated, i'll add that link eventually too. and as always, thanks for loving this blog and for loving fashion like i love fashion, even when i post crazy looking stuff, and thanks for helping. you have no idea how much your support helps, but it really does, i don't even know if i'd be alive right now if it wasn't for this blog.

[moonsaver]

Iris family!reader back at it again! Here's part 2 of this, which was VERY incomplete because tumblr decided to bust on me and upload it while i was still drafting!! I think this part might be more confusing, so feel free to ask about it right away!

Taglist is at the end of the fic hehe

-

Aventurine has an eye for craftsmanship. And very good ears.

You recall vividly. That's the first thing he mentioned about himself when he first introduced himself to you.

You know it's not a coincidence he's reaching out to you. Especially after a meeting with Mr. Sunday, which is his direct, formal contact with the Oak Family. You, on the other hand, were a direct, informal contact. The fact you were barely a notable singer in the plethora of talents Penacony held wasn't what mattered to Aventurine. Neither did it matter that you were from the Iris Family. Because to him, you were a one-way ticket to Sunday's mind. 

It's also no coincidence he's decided to drop by after he sees the wide open door of your room.

“I've heard well about your station, friend.”

He makes himself comfortable on the stiff couch of the hotel room, the fabric wrinkling and the frame creaking from the shift in weight.

“I.. don't need your help. I’m fine.”

“Can't hurt to always have connections, keeps you afloat, birdie.”

“Don't tell me that. I don't need any more. I've had enough.”

Aventurine smiles, and leans back into the couch, one of his arms lazily resting on the couch's and the finger of his hand tapping the top of his knee.

“Your earrings are the talk of the town, y'know?”

Your hand instinctively shoots up, and your fingers ghost the lobe of your ear. You're not wearing any at the moment.

“Is that so..?”

Your body language is jittery. Your hands keep fidgeting. Your lips hurt from the constant chewing, your finger rubs your earlobe.

Aventurine fiddles with his own, and gets up. He walks over to you with slow, easing steps.

“There's a cute little section in a few tabloids about those earrings. There's also a little fact that your ears burn red when you lie.”

Aventurine stands in front of you.

“That can't be right. It's totally bullshit.”

He chuckles at your response. He leans in, slowly, his breath ghosts the shell of your ears. The oddly sweet scent of expensive, exotic wine line his cool breath over your skin.

“There's also been that whole buzz about The Watchmaker's Legacy.”

The close proximity renders you paralyzed – many thoughts run through your head; should you push him away? Should you step away instead? Snap back at him?

You feel his gloved finger busy itself with your ear. A snap resounds loudly through your ear, and his hand retracts. So does he.

Your agitated gaze lingers on his smug face, and wanders over to his ears. They're red.

“I'll give you some advice – you should try and take advantage of chaos.”

His hand raises slightly, and his fingers barely kiss the skin of your elbows. It snaps something in you, and you immediately move to step back.

His other hand shoots up and grabs your arm in response.

“We can help each other, can't we, little sparrow? A glimpse of that man's mind is enough for me. I'll help you keep your family all safe and sound.”

“I– don't care what you have to offer. I am not taking that risk! This crap about The Watchmaker, I'm not having it! Find someone else to bother!”

Aventurine's smile widens, his eyes stare down at you. The concentric colours are almost hypnotising.

“Relax. The game's only started, I'm sure there's enough time for you to analyse the situation and pick a side. And things will fall into place all in due time.”

A knock.

Both you and Aventurine snap your heads to the source. The door creaks open.

Sunday stands, composed. His knuckles linger on the polished wood of the door for a few more seconds, before his hand falls to his side. His other hand holds a black, velvet bag.

You forgot to take that back.

“It seems we meet again.”

Aventurine hums.

‐

“Are you perhaps.. unhappy with your current circumstances?”

“No, I'm.. quite pleased with it. Please, don't take anything to heart. I was fervently denying all of his offers.”

Sunday chuckles softly.

“I understand. Please, be at ease.”

-

Sunday knew what lied in store for him when he became a part of the Family.

As their long-burdened history, all of them were to join and form an impenetrable force, decorating the Dreamscape lavishly for those who had the privilege to deny reality. 

Which was ironic.

It was comically ironic.

Such was their torment.

As eagles rip and gnaw the liver of human emotion, such was the painful symbolization of human strive. And this was a neverending story. A neverending performance of a traitor, prisoners and a false dream. A Death that surely extracts the price for all that has been done. A price that grows thick over the bones of each generation, for daring to dream together, for daring to yearn for freedom.

Some knew of this history. Most were not privy to it.

Sunday tells you in passing, as his gloved fingers gently drop the velvet bag in your hand. You suppose it was simple small talk.

A beat of silence passes.

“Ah, I may have fed a false fact to that Tabloid.”

You look up at Sunday.

“Im sorry?”

“I wasn't aware of whether or not your ears turn red. They were eager for a harmless fact, and I conjured up something on the spot.”

“Oh, they.. approached you directly?”

“They first approached Robin, to be exact. I arrived just in time to answer a small question. My apologies for making a hasty decision at a presented opportunity.”

You blink a few times.

“Ah, well.. not like it can be helped now but.. please be careful. One thing tends to lead to another.”

“I've taken note of that.” his eyes focus on the lobe of your ear.

What's he looking at..?

Your hand cautiously reaches up to your ear. Aventurine's earring?

“Oh, um.”

You break out in a sweat, and your shaky hands immediately remove it. You look at the flashy, teal accessory. Then you look at Sunday, gauging his reaction.

He smiles. Perhaps that fact wasn't false.

“I suggest not striking a deal with Aventurine. I can assure your family's security.”

“Oh, I know I just–”

“The Family does not take dealings with the IPC lightly.”

You stay silent.

He sighs, and his gaze seems to soften for a moment. His gloved hand reaches out and tucks a strand of your hair behind your ear.

“Apologies. The Charmony festival is coming soon. Extra measures have been established. Please, approach me instead.”

His voice softens at the end.

“I.. understand.”

‐

Sunday thinks a change of your career is in order.

A brand new start, a better title, a better colleague.

Somewhere along the way, most of Penacony's more enthusiastic visitors were in the know about you. Your popularity settled comfortably on event lists, and Sunday was steadfast in his promise.

However, there's now an increase in work. Particularly, working late at night with Sunday.

Your job now had strict parameters you didn't have in your former station. Deadlines, reports, even hearsay playing an important role. Although, for once your rusty luck has come into play, and Sunday is much more fair to you than any other manager that you could have been working under, if it weren't for your decision to become a singer.

That being said, the public now saw less of you, which instead soared rumours about you and increased your popularity more. You aren't sure how to thank Sunday – he only gives you a closed eye smile whenever you decide to at least verbalise your gratitude.

‐

“Ah, you should take a look at this.”

Sunday beckons you to come closer, pointing and curling his index finger towards you. You oblige wordlessly, and with a few swift clicks of your shoes, you stand right beside Sunday, leaning a bit to take a better look.

His finger points to several figures in the document, and you hum, eyes scanning through the neatly organised words.

“Does this mean I'll get significantly busier?”

“You best prepare, as per my suggestion.”

You sigh, a bit dramatically, and Sunday chuckles.

“My apologies. I know I've already asked for a lot from your end. I shall support you equally.”

“That's.. well, alright. I was just worried about something else.”

You avoid his eyes, discomfort creeping up on you, as those rumours swirl in your head. 

“Be at ease, tell me.”

“It's.. the rumours surrounding me. They're not serious but, recently they've taken a strange turn of events.”

Sunday hums. He gets up, and walks towards a bookshelf, his fingers slide over their spines, and stop at a specific book. You continue,

“It's– um.. quite strange.”

Sunday pulls out the book, and opens it, sifting through the pages with familiarity.

“It was just about the earrings at first but they took a bit of a bizarre turn.. they–”

Sunday snaps the book shut,

“About us. Yes. I've heard.”

You blink a few times.

“They're..”

His fingers trace over the book's cover, before sliding it back into its place.

“Rumoured relationships between us, the debate about work ethics, and the whole lot. Yes, I'm well-informed.”

He turns to you. His all too familiar smile still on his face. His golden eyes seem much more intimidating than they used to.

“They'll die down. I can assure you they are of no importance. However, it helps with your exposure doesn't it?”

He turns his back to you, continuing to look at you over his shoulder.

“They will fizzle out in due time.”

You suppose Sunday is familiar with rumours. But this time, it is only particularly because he created them.

‐

The robin chirps and twits inside its golden cage.

“What's this?”

You smile, a finger gently tapping a bar of the delicate cage,

“It's a robin. I hoped it would guide you during practice.”

You chuckle, and Sunday smiles, both of your eyes fixated on the bird that's chirping and curiously tilting its head at you.

Sunday's encouraged you to practice singing more often inside the office. You've gotten off of your formal duties very late, and as of recent you've scarcely had time to practice. Sunday's insistence led to you often humming and practicing in front of your dressing table. It took a while, but you eased into it fairly well. 

Sunday, on the other hand, enjoys your singing more than he lets on. He finds himself humming to your tune every so often, once you've left and no other ambience fills the room. Perhaps that's also one of the reasons he's brought a robin bird to you.

You sing a simple tune, and the robin follows. It chirps happily, and you giggle at its strange antics. And thus, whenever you aren't present, the bird sings in your stead.

It's not soon before the robin loses its vitality, however. A gilded cage is a cage nonetheless.

Your voice was dampened that day. But Sunday had a plethora of ideas rush to his head.

‐

Something's been wrong with your voice as of recent.

You've avoided any strange drinks, even foregoing any kinds of juices, only opting for water. You avoid even spicy foods, settling for blander dishes. Sunday assures you it's nothing to worry about – even Robin faces challenges with her voice sometimes.

You're at your best, only in Sunday's office.

Everytime you sing, your voice flows smoothly, and you hit every note perfectly. It's wonderful, if it weren't for the fact your voice didn't seem to hold this effect outside of his office. You came to this realisation late at night when you tried singing in the bathroom to yourself, your voice kept tapering, and even stopped at some points. The doctors all assured you things were fine, and at best only prescribed some throat medicine. You wonder what's been going wrong.

Sunday isn't ignorant of your recent concerns, either. He seems to be taking it in stride.

The golden cage is on your dressing table, empty. You stare at it, thoughts swirling in your head. What went wrong? Where? Why? What did you do? 

Sunday's familiar gloved hands place themselves upon your shoulders again. It's a shame. He says. What is a robin without its voice? He says. It echoes in your mind for days. 

“Take a break.” one of his gloved hands make it's way to yours, folded in your lap. He brings your knuckles up to his lips, whispering assurances into it.

“It'll be fine. I'll take care of it.” He kisses between the valley of your knuckles,

“Don't worry. Help me out with the rest of the documents, and we can take a look at your voice after.”

You don't say anything. Maybe because you can't.

-

“Hmm.. your voice tapers too much at the chorus.”

You sigh. You've lost count of how many times you've had to repeat this song, your voice simply cannot seem to hold true to the chorus that's planned. Sunday flips another page of a long-winded document, and sets it down gently on the table, looking up at you when you sigh and only hold onto the mic with disappointment glazing your eyes.

“Have a seat. Perhaps a break may help you.”

You hesitantly oblige, but sigh again, deeply, as the muscles of your throat ache with the strain and relaxation. You sit down at the makeshift dressing table Sunday managed to prepare for you. His courtesy, of course.

You shuffle around it – your dressing table isn't actually much different than Sunday's office desk. It's littered with event planners, schedules, and all sorts of graphs and figures. Your hands lazily pick up a sheet and scan over it, choosing to at least distract yourself while you give your raw throat a rest.

You hear a muffled creak behind you, followed by a few, small footsteps. Sunday stands behind you in the reflection. His hands gently come up to your hair, fingers running through it and fixing it.

“Some members of the Family – particularly the Nightingale Family, wanted to extend their gratitude to you. You've been arduously managing the crowd and shifting their gazes away from the construction work.”

You hum slightly, your eyes unfocused on the words. Sunday's touch seems to leave you dazed, or rather conflicted, these days. 

His fingers leave your hair, and rest on your shoulders. He leans down, his lips graze the shell of your ear. His soft breath tickles your skin, and forms goosebumps.

“And I am.. personally grateful to have you working alongside me.”

Your eyes wander on your table. They avoid his gaze through the mirror's reflection.

“I also.. intend to help you, further than before.”

His voice grows softer and lower, descending into a whisper. One of his hands move from your should to the middle of your collarbone, a lone finger drags up to the middle of your neck. Your breath hitches.

“Mr. Sunday..?”

“It's alright. We needn't be so formal.”

Suddenly, a splotch of colours blur your vision from the corners. You hiss, and groan, immediately burying your head into your hands, striking pain pulses through your head. You close your eyes in efforts to relieve yourself, but it doesn't cease.

“Perfect Harmony.. Order.. it doesn't come easily. Allow me to assist you in reaching that.”

You breathe heavily, the pulsing ache in your head slowly subsides, but the colours remain persistent.

“Sunday..?”

“My dear, let us rejoice. A new chapter of your life has begun. Your family can find ease. We- no, I, can take care of them. Of you.”

You swallow thickly, dread pooling in your stomach. The finger on your neck trails up your neck and pushes your chin upwards, forcing you to face your reflection. The side of Sunday's face is pressed to yours, your eyes are dazed, but his have never been so clear, and bright.

“Just do as you've always done. This is simply to bolt your loyalty, my dear.”

Sunday kisses your cheek, his wings gently flutter on the other side of your face. You close your eyes. The pain subsides into something more blissful, calming. Your body relaxes almost against your will.

‐

Your voice has been perfect as of late. As long as you don't sing for anyone.

Which is to say – you're rendered useless in the grand scheme of Penacony. This terrifies you.

Your family has never been more vulnerable.

What is a robin without her voice? It echoes irrevocably in your mind, the question awaiting an answer. Nothing responds. Nothing, responds.

Empty ballads accompany the marble walls of the hallway leading to Sunday's office. His back is turned to you, his fingers sifting through the spines of familiar books on his shelf. His wings slightly flutter every time your voice hits a high note. Your voice was pitch perfect whenever you sang in his office. Anywhere else? It was a bust. Robin also tried her hand at comforting you, but the tapering edge of her voice only concerned you. An emanator of harmony relied completely on just that to sustain her voice. She'd lost it completely otherwise.

Your lips are raw from the constant biting. Your family tries assuring you they can also pull together scraps and bits to keep themselves afloat; that you've worked hard enough, and you need your rest. Sunday assures their security as always. He's stopped commenting on your concerns with your voice.

“Sunday, my voice..”

“Perfect, my dear.”

He's grown more familiar with using pet names instead of your name. You don't remember exactly when the transition took place.

“No, it's.. I can't sing anymore. I can't perform.”

“Ah, is that so?”

Sunday's deft fingers write something down on a scrap of paper, holding the book open in another hand.

“Not to fret, darling. The public awaits your performance in due time. Take a break for now, and focus on paperwork.”

It does more to discourage you, really.

“I don't know.”

“I know.”

Sunday places the book down gently on his table. He looks at your seated figure, illuminated by the warm light of his office.

Sunday wanted the best for Penacony. But when it came to you, he couldn't help but be greedy. Your voice was beautiful to him. He feels bad, raining on your parade like this. But there's endless amounts of performers who can take your place. There's only one of you who can catch his eye, however.

An empty cage is reminiscent of a happy bird. But a chirping robin is reminiscent of a happy man. Your lost voice still echoes well through the halls, resounding through the marble structures.

A gilded cage is a cage nonetheless. A happier bird is one that does not realise its cage. Sing to your heart's desire in it, he thinks. 

Your head falls to your hands again, blurring splotches of colour blaze through your vision and head again – a familiar, aching pulse resonates in your head. Your voice feels trapped. Sunday walks to you, and places a hand on your back, rubbing gently to soothe you. The colours disappear, leaving you in a daze. Sunday leans down to kiss your forehead, relaxing your furrowed brows.

It's true. You've proven it. A bird that does not realise it's true confines. You may be unhappy, but you sing your throat raw, and Sunday is your only audience. Parameters will only get stricter, but it's for your own good. He assures you endlessly, leaving out that one piece of information.

A robin without a voice is nothing but a dull bird. You, without yours, are just his.

-

Taglist: @sharkiethrts @sarcastic-cookie

[wordy-little-witch]

I'm experiencing some Emotions atm so I'm gonna project on my little clown man -

TW for talks of periods

Trans masc Buggy who can't get cut/stabbed/sliced/diced. The availability of hormones and HRT is limited due to both canon scientific development and micromanagement from the government. He's a chemist, so he can synthesize his own HRT ((and has the survival instincts to know they NEED medical professionals, so he probably shares that info with them)), but it's not a one and done type of deal.

In Impel Down, he wasn't able to access his T. He was in there for a few months, so he was having hormone shifts there for a hot minute before finally being freed. It's one of the reasons he kept his stubble - it helped with the dysphoria.

He gets out, gets back on track, keeps the stubble bc it helped, he liked it, etc. He had a few times where he wanted to shave again but decided against it.

Now on to the Evil Polycule.

Crocodile and Mihawk's take over and implementation of Cross Guild came with some changes to the budget, including Croc just putting a full stop on Buggy's chemicals for a time. He decided to bite the bullet and send what he had to the pharmacists to keep them afloat bc he's actually a good captain. He just.. has limited meds for himself.

So it's a few months into the Guild, Buggy has been off T for a little while now, he's not having too many issues, they're all starting to get to an even keel, and they're even expanding the budget for the chemicals for the pharmacy and also his tools for his weapons. Things are looking up!!!

And then... Buggy starts his period.

And he is spiraling.

He holds up in his room, wrapped in a blanket cocoon, in the dark, curled up tightly against the cramps that are hooked into his abdomen and the sudden wash of dysphoria. He's usually better about this. He usually doesn't struggle this much. Somehow this is worse, he doesn't know why, but he is not okay.

He's not okay at all.

Mihawk and Crocodile are left waiting on him for a meeting. And when it hits a certain point, they're angry, annoyed, and they go looking for him (they are not concerned, they tell themselves, they're not-). They find Alvida, Galdino and Ritchie in the clown's quarters. Ritchie actually gives a warning growl, eyes lidded but sharp. Alvida pales but meets their gaze head on. Galdino is shaking like a leaf, but he doesn't back down.

That alone starts ringing alarm bells.

They ask, they get vague answers at best, and then Mihawk catches the scent of blood. He moves in a swirl of black-and-gold, straight to Buggy's room, straight to Buggy.

It's a bit of a hot mess, but there's an understanding that grows. Crocodile understands, sharing a vulnerability of his own, asks tentatively if Buggy has ever reached out to Ivankov.

Buggy curls up further - as much as he can, at least, with Ritchie pressed against his lap and tummy, purring a storm with kitty worship eyes - and admits that he has. Iva's hormone treatments are injections, and while some devil fruit abilities can circumvent others, that's not the case for him. They've tried. The only option to make it work is seastone or sea water on/around Buggy, which could impact the hormones or Iva's abilities as well.

Also, Buggy admits with grit teeth, Iva's tendency to force sex changes as a punishment rubs him the wrong way.

He tells the two dark haired men about his medicines, how he makes them himself and how his stash has been running low; tells them how he had thought he had enough until the shipment came in with the stuff for his weapons making and the pharmaceuticals; he tells them how he'd given his spare stock to the med tents when they joined because of the denial for the existing budget Buggy had in place.

They feel guilty with the realization.

They decide then that since their actions led to this, it is only fair that they assist. Mihawk brews a tea for Buggy's cramps, Crocodile uses his sand as a heating pad, cool fingers brush through Buggy's hair to help with the migraines, a warm hand and hook help support Buggy's weight when the pain crescendos and leaves him gagging.

Between them and Buggy's usual crew, it's the most cared for he's felt since before a booming laugh was cut shirt by swinging blades and a grin splattered messily onto cobblestone beneath sheets of rain.

[agentnash]

npcs + important people in parker's life.

also known as the countdown killer, though he is yet to be properly discovered by parker or the authorities. nathan has been killing since his 20's, leaving a steady trail of bodies, even now that he was hitting his 50 year mark. nathan killed parker's parents when parker was 12, and parker has been hunting him ever since. the first time they crossed paths in his adult years, nathan tried encouraging the darker side out of parker, which caused the agent enough hesitation for nathan to get away. parker vows not to let that happen again. nathan is a wildly charismatic family man who kills because of a religious delusion he had when he was 21.

amelia was the first woman parker had ever fallen in love with. they met in college. she was the complete opposite of him, which parker supposed is why he had been so infatuated with her. they had only been together 7 months before amelia revealed she was pregnant. panicked, the couple eloped and had a shotgun wedding. the marriage lasted an unhappy 3 years - parker was distant, drank too much, and was an absent father and husband. amelia asked for a divorce, and parker allowed her to keep the house. parker feels tremendous guilt for ruining amelia's life ( she had been on track to become a lawyer, but had to stay home and take care of their daughter, instead ). they talk, sometimes, when amelia drops their daughter off for parker's alternating weeks in watching sonny, but there is still plenty of tension between them. played by @roseguided.

content to be alone, parker had lashed out when he realized his supervisor was transferring a partner to him. he didn't like lara when she first arrived, mostly because she had never been afraid to stand up to him. over the next few months they worked together, yelling and arguing was a regular thing, interjected with short intervals of drinking and talking with one another. opening up over time, parker began to realize that lara saved him, in a way. she never backed down, always told him how it was ( held him when he needed it, kissed him like he meant something in the world ). now, lara was the only thing keeping parker afloat. played by @giallifilm.

despite being a shit father, sonny was parker's pride and joy. he can rarely fathom how much he loves her, which adds to the guilt of him not being able to be what she really needs. she's smart like her mother, and ready to stand up for anyone like her father. parker gets her every other week, which doesn't always go exactly to plan. parker can feel the resentment start to grow within his daughter every time he has to cancel their plans, but he always tries to make it up to her. they share a love for grunge rock and punk bands, often sharing earbuds while they're home or going for a walk in the park. he loves him more than anything, but still doesn't know how to properly show it.

supervisory special agent cassandra kim might be the only person who can calm parker down when he's ready to explode. she's seen what he's like when he's drunk, when he's exhausted, when he's angry. this stern, take no shit woman always knows exactly the right thing to say to help parker think just a minute more before doing something irrational. parker wouldn't admit it aloud, but he was grateful to have her as his boss - he imagined having anyone else would ensure his resignation immediately upon arrival.

she was sick, and he was hopeless, which meant that julianna and parker ran around the city without a care in the world. always wanting to get away from the foster family that didn't give a shit about them, they would do everything together, never thinking about the consequences, only living in the moment. he often took care of her, especially when her illness got worse, and when she was bullied for using her oxygen tank, he would fight those that had anything to say about it. deciding at 17 he was going to run off and make his own life, he offered to take jules with him, only for her to be put in the hospital shortly before he left. they kept in touch over the years, parker glad to hear she got better as she aged. they often meet up for coffee, and take care of each other when they're at their lowest. they've been to aa meetings together, just as they've gotten black out drunk together.

[faerunsbest]

THE UNEXPECTED CHILD

soups on, i had this thought you see

so picture this, when rolan was a younger man, he fell in love, he was just over the moon for some lovely lass that he thought the whole world of. She was the first person he ever 'made love' with rather than having sex, he adored but then things started going sideways in Elturel. her family took and moved away and when she tried to say she wanted to stay with him he said it was best for her to be with her family, they're more able to care for her.

he cried at their last goodbye with a hug and kiss before pushing her into the wagon with her family and held the door shut so she couldn't try to jump out and stay with him.

it's what she wanted, its what he wanted but he was already struggling so hard he would have felt horrible trying to keep everything afloat and not be able to give her what he felt she deserved.

the city fell and was brought back up and he with the others escaped. there was now nothing for him, she couldn't find him if she wanted to. Rolan was after all a rather common name.

years later after a few valiant attempts to move on Rolan is now a single father and master of the tower. Tav was complicated and the pregnancy had mad things worse, so Rolan volunteered to raise their child alone and she can pop in when she likes. It worked out for the best all things considered.

These days Rolan's priority was his son, his 1st apprentice. Cal and Lia headed the stores day to day and Rolan held a small class of notable students all holding the title of apprentice. A privilege well earned, a privilege that could only be earned.

What bizarre man to refuse bribery, he simply could not be swayed by anything outside a skill, and integrity. How strange that one day he should get a letter rush delivered to him from someone familiar.

IT WAS HER!

She was in a pinch, while she could financially care for the son he didn't know he had with her she didn't want him alone even at such a late age. Her work was on a boat that would keep her away from him near half a year and after falling out with her family he had nowhere to go. As she remembered he wanted to be a wizard and all the papers said that refugees from Elturel had gone to the gate. And now there was some new wizard there causing a fuss, that did sound like him. so she hoped it was and sent the letter.

In the middle of lesson all 23 of Rolans apprentices watched him place a hand on the wall before gasping and passing out in the middle of class.

How stunning when weeks later he opens his tower door to see a very young thin version of himself standing there with a single bag looking terrified and so lost.

[alieinthemorning]

Always Here [Miya Atsumu]

Content: Established Relationship, Married Couple, Depression, Familial Relationships, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, POV Second Person, Reader-Insert

Pronouns: None

Header: @/tsumoos

Reblogs: Let me know that you enjoy my work and want to see more, so don’t forget to like and reblog (and comment in the tags. I love seeing people’s rambles in the tags)!

This work’s concepts, plot and original characters are my own which means I do not allow any sort of creative theft nor do I allow my work to be entered into any sort of A.I. bots. Thank you for respecting my space and boundaries.

Miya Atsumu was a strong man. Not only was he strong physically (which he had to be as the MSBY Black Jackals Setter), but he was also strong emotionally for you. When you had bad days, he was there to support you. When you could barely keep your head above water, arms failing against the tides, he grabbed your hand, and pulled you back in. Saving you for yourself. However, he wasn’t the strongest. No one was. And although you also extended your hands out to him, sometimes he needed a second pair.

“Samu…” You hated to bother him on his day off, but some things were worth it.

“I’m on my way—” You heard shuffling on the other side of the line. “Has he said anything to ya?”

You sighed, bottom lip wobbling. “No, and that’s what’s worrying me the most. He just came home crying—I don't even think he noticed that he was.”

“…Okay, stay on the line with me, will ya?” You knew that he only asked because you yourself were on the verge of collapse.

Osamu was such a good brother to the both of you. You pocketed your phone as the urge to fiddle with your wedding band became stronger. You don’t know what you’d do with Osamu to keep the both of you afloat, but you also felt terrible for always needing him to help you. If you were a better person, then—

“Talk to me. I can hear ya overthinkin’ from here.”

“…sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. I understand what yer going through. Anyway, lemme tell ya about a costumer I had yesterday—” And then he changed the subject just like that.

You chatted with him until he knocked at your door. He looked the same as always with that black cap, and deadpan expression, but his gaze was full of worry, already looking you over. And seeing him…made you break down. You bit your lip hard as you rushed him, grabbing fistfuls of his shirt. His arms immediately wrapped around your frame.

“It’s okay. I’m here now—for the both of ya.”

“I know…thank you, Osamu.”

He pulled you back, a grimace on his face. “Ew. Don’t call me by my name like that—It’s weird.”

You chuckled, despite the tears that were still freshly rolling down your cheeks. “Sorry, Samu.”

“He in the bedroom?” He asked as he fully pulled away from you. You nodded, and he entered your home, heading that way.

You shut and locked the door behind him, then made your way to the bathroom. You took a little extra time to compose yourself (as well as wash your tear stained face) before joining the two of them.

They were on the floor, backs against the bed with their heads peeking over the top. Samu was on the far side, closer to the wall, and when you joined them, Tsumu was in the middle of the both of you. The twins were shoulder to shoulder, so you dropped your head on Tsumu’s other shoulder. A firm way to let him know that you were there—the both of you were.

And after a few moments, his body relaxed, and he sighed.

“Thanks.”

But he didn’t tell either of you what was troubling him. And you’d just have to leave him be, and hope that next time he would open up to the two of you.

Because no matter what, the two of you would always be here for him.

Digs up a plot, so that I can push that we're only 5 followers away from the 750 follower event (and if we reach it before Valentine's Day then it can be Valentine's Day themed aka fluffy)

Anyway, that aside, I really love these two. I also love expressing big, strong men's vulnerabilities, and letting them know that regardless, they're loved. :3c

Ko-Fi | Commission | Masterlist

[everyyoojoonghyuk]

Going through the climax of the arc that made me fall in love with ORV is something special, so of course, I had to write a small meta. Keeping everything vague so that there are no novel spoilers <3

When Dokja revives, everyone (who can stand) immediately flocks to him. They surround him with worried looks and outstretched arms. Even Joonghyuk is holding on still. They're all focused on him, he's obviously the center with how the lighting is, but it means more. He cares about something that they don't.

And that's future Shin Yoosung. None of them have a reason to care about the woman that's been trying to kill them. And Yoo Joonghyuk has no knowledge of the 41st turn yet, so he doesn't either. But Dokja does. He knows her suffering, her story.

He knows that the smartest and easiest thing to do right now would be to kill her, but...

He loves her. And no, not in a way that he loves Joonghyuk (im sorry I had to), but the way that he loves all of the story. He loves that story that saved him and kept him afloat all these years along with every character in it. Especially such a tragic one like Shin Yoosung. He even felt her grief and anger first hand a few minutes ago when he shared her body. As the story continues, we see this again and again - Dokja's bleeding heart.

He can't abandon her, he won't. He refuses. And SYS is rightfully confused. Who is this man that she just learned of? Who she just killed and is now refusing to seek revenge. Who makes her heart ache even though she doesn't know why

This is why. She was able to feel all the love poured into and out of current SYS thanks to the memories that they briefly shared. The effect is amplified due to their sponsor & incarnation relationship. It aches because she was unable to feel that love from the one she wanted to the most in the 41st regression

And she's angry still. It's just another reminder that it was something she never had, and now the people she loved are the same but different. They aren't hers

Then she realizes that there is indeed someone who can relate. And you can see on his face that he doesn't blame her. He gets it, more than anyone. Even though she just killed Kim Dokja, his precious companion, right in front of him, he isn't angry. Dokja is fine, and SYS was also one of his precious companions, so he is happy to lend leniency

[mixterglacia]

CONTENT WARNING

VIVZIEPOP CRITICAL/STOLITZ CRITICAL BELOW THE CUT

You have been warned.

I wanna clear some things up before I get to the episode. (Yes I will clarify when I get into the ep itself.)

Stolitz in and of itself isn't the issue. Them being toxic, or messy isn't actually a problem. In fact, that can make for very interesting characters.

If you actually put in the effort to do so.

Currently as it stands, they're just a lukewarm, half-thought out, sad microwaved piece of steak. They were once a very satisfying meal. They could POTENTIALLY get back to that point. But you have to treat them right.

My biggest issue with these two is how easy they are to fix. Or rather, how easy they could be. I actually don't hate the idea of them together, I just hate how they're executed.

Here's a few things I would have done, and the problems I have with the current state of things.

One, make it like an addiction. I often jab at Stolas being the architect of his own undoing, but...the biggest risk he's taken has already happened. He's gone through with the divorce. As the child of one, they suck but to put it bluntly, Stolas has lost practically nothing.

If he were risking being disowned, that would be one thing. But you've given no indication that he's dealing with anything short of normal problems. Royalty has to deal with assassination attempts already, so Stella trying to take him out is just a Tuesday for him. (In fact, that would be a very funny potential running gag. "Ugh, Stella you really think I would fall for this? You know I have royal bomb sniffers. Try harder, you witch!")

Instead, make it so he and Blitz never had any real reason to keep getting together. Make it so SO easy for them to get over each other. No matter how many 'last times' they have. It's never going to be enough.

Their motives can be different, sure that's great. Blitz started it in a very shallow way, and Stolas craves the relationship he's always wanted. I agree with you, that's an interesting start.

But the book bribery just makes anything in this whole deal lack a punch. Blitz CAN'T get out of this. He has an entire team, one of which is his daughter to support. He literally couldn't get out of this if he wanted to. He likely still thinks the gem is some sort of trick. Like it's a test.

Instead of what it should be. A deep, unavoidable NEED. Something so addicting that they can't stop. They keep falling together, Blitz clearly struggling with his burgeoning desire to stay. Stolas with his clear understanding that he's going to destroy his daughters life.

Because as it stands, it's painfully boring. We've seen plenty of royals hooking up with servants. And that's what Blitz is/was for the grand majority of this. He was that vision he had. A man on a chain, unable to get away from this rich bastard because he NEEDED his magic.

Give me substance. Give me two deeply flawed men finding comfort in their own ruination. Give Stolas more stake in the game. Make his life well and truly fall apart because he just can't stay away, even though it's as easy as breathing.

Because at the end of the day, Viv and Co can't decide what they want. Do they want us to believe that Blitz wants this too? Because I sincerely haven't seen evidence of it.

There is a difference between showing and telling.

You're SHOWING us that Blitz is desperate to keep what little he has afloat. You're SHOWING us a struggling father who's grasping at every little moment to keep his adopted daughter and two employees fed. You're SHOWING us a man so driven to carve out a niche for himself that he'll subject himself to being a prince's dick for hire.

You're TELLING us that he's growing feelings for Stolas. You're TELLING us he's just as wrong as Stolas is.

Blitz is wrong about MANY things, but this isn't one of them.

You're SHOWING us Stolas is constantly demeaning Blitz. You're SHOWING us he's just moping around his big fuck off castle, not putting in more than the bare minimum for his daughter. You're SHOWING us that he's a petulant toddler in a grown man's body. You're SHOWING us that Stolas has allowed Blitz and his daughter to live in abject poverty this whole time.

You TRIED to show us that he's actually got some level of feelings below all that, but you keep throwing the sincerity of that into question.

You're TELLING us that he's always held him in such high regard/value. You're TELLING us to feel bad when he's arguably worse of an asshole than Blitz.

Give us real character development. Not rushed one-liners that are often so hard to tell if they're genuine or not.

My big issue with the Helluverse in general, but ESPECIALLY Boss, is that the team is so obsessed with getting to the juicy bits that they DON'T PUT IN THE EFFORT TO GET THERE. This isn't a telenovela. This is a early 2000's drabble fic pretending to be a plot.

Your work lacks any true substance. It's EMBARRASSING. You're letting your fans do all the work for you and hardly putting forth any quality writing yourself.

You need to stop CONSTANTLY contradicting yourself.

They're both often in the wrong, that much is true. I won't ever argue that. But I am dreading how this episode is going to shit on Blitz when he was ABSOLUTELY JUSTIFIED FOR WHAT HE SAID TO STOLAS.

Okay, let's get into this crap.

Let me start by saying this. Viv and Co? If you're going to try and gaslight me, at least make it fun. Or less obvious.

Why is it bad when Blitz says he wants to earn his ticket to earth? He so SO clearly thinks this is just a test by Stolas. It's so plainly obvious that they never communicate, and why are we pretending Blitz has no right to be mad here? Sure Stolas got hurt, but how is that anything other than his own fault?

Blitz has NEVER pretended he was anything other than a booty call for Stolas. It really REALLY isn't his problem that he didn't recognize that.

"We don't do words. We do sex." There we have it folks.

You can't make me feel bad for Stolas over this. He made a deal with a man who NEEDED him to keep his company running. Why should Blitz have to grow feelings for a man that never wanted more than his body?

“Everyone just hates me for shitty reasons.” This is the line that makes Stolas look like a total dickwad. EVERYONE else (from what we know) has genuine, valid problems with Blitz. Stolas just misunderstood him and is mad that he couldn’t coerce this man into being in a relationship. Why should I feel bad that Blitz ripped into him?

You’re SHOWING me Stolas is throwing a tantrum. Then you’re TELLING me to be mad at Blitz? Fucking why? He’s RIGHT.

“I don’t look down on you!” FUCKING PROVE IT. You’ve made literally no effort outside of some throw away lines to show that he actually cares. Everything he’s after from Blitz is sex. He never gives any hints that he wants more until he explodes. He’s always baby talking him and treating him like a toy. You are SHOWING us something totally at odds with what you’re TELLING us.

Why is Stolas acting like Blitz didn’t send M’n’M to save him? Why is he acting like Blitz wasn’t literally in another ring of Hell during this? Blitz was literally doing all he could in that moment, because NEWS FLASH YOU IDIOT! He was being a good dad and taking care of his daughter! Take notes!

I’m getting very concerned that there’s no continuity editor. Because this was either an intentional misrepresentation of the truth on Stolas’ part, (which if that was the case, he’s even more of a prick.) or they just forgot their own show!

Stolas is crying about showing Blitz so much attention and time and care. WHERE? Is it between the sex and hired jobs? When are they spending quality time together? Sex. Is not. A relationship. Blitz was never putting up signals that he wanted anything more, he is not in the wrong here.

I know damn well Stolas isn’t out here asking Blitz if he feels remorse. DO YOU? I refuse to be gaslit into thinking that Stolas isn’t the problem here. Blitz is totally justified when he shouts that he doesn’t owe Stolas anything. He doesn’t. He never signed up to be in a relationship. He’s functionally just doing his job.

The mini-apology tour was actually quite fun. Especially the humans. Good job.

I’m also somewhat confused why the party was held on Earth. At first I thought it was because the others didn’t know Blitz had the crystal, so they did it in a place he couldn’t go. That would have been a pretty decent stroke of writing on their part. But then they said it was the one night any of them could go through? Why bother with Earth? It just seems kinda pointless? If I’m missing some narrative reason, feel free to let me know.

Honestly the one shining star of this episode is Verosika. She was BRILLIANT. I wasn’t anticipating how much I was going to enjoy her writing. She’s going out of her way to basically give these folks a night to let their hurt out once a year, at her own expense. She’s functionally holding a group therapy session. I really adored that nuance.

Unfortunately, it all just makes Stolas look so much worse. These people were wronged by Blitz. Deeply, truly wronged. (Though how he can cause this much damage in what, like thirty, thirty five years is a lil…weird. Unless she’s just inviting everyone he’s slept with.) Compared to them, Stolas looks like a petty ass.

I’m really not that mad at the song, but more so how she’s trying to make us feel about it. Everything Stolas is saying is more or less true. He’s the one that misinterpreted what they had. He’s the one trying to get this man who never showed any actual interest. He’s the problem. But every time you give us a moment of introspection, you then use it as fuel to try and force us to feel bad for Stolas. For once in this show’s life, can we actually let someone be mad at Stolas and not use it for a future pity party?

He is not the victim in all of this.

While Blitz is an undeniable asshole, he’s not the one that asked for this. He made a desperate deal to try and survive. Never once did he pretend to be anything outside of that. Do you seriously expect me to believe this song is what would make him go “oh no i hurt him im a meanie”?

This would GALVANIZE him. “Fuck this royal bird for pretending I’m such a bad person. Like he wasn’t playing with me like a toy.”

Why should we pretend that this apology/confession isn’t totally out of left field? The only one I wanted to say sorry to was you? He wouldn’t fucking say that! He had what, an afternoon of fake sorries and this is the one he actually wants to give? No!

It feels cheap and rushed. While the sequence is decently written (and very well acted, kudos Brandon) out of contex, it feels stupid when you look at the show as a whole. Especially when you follow it up with Stolas directly stating he just wants SOMEONE to be with. He doesn’t want Blitz. He just wants someone that isn’t obligated to be with him. So why does that have to be Blitz? Why are you forcing this relationship when you directly clarify that Stolas isn’t even after Blitz in particular?

I’m sorry but you all have ship-blinders on.

When you take them off and look at everything in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t work. And that’s okay! It’s honestly fine to let a relationship end! They can be a step on each other’s journeys and there’s nothing wrong with that. I truly don’t get why they’re pushing for this to be the end goal when there’s far more weight in letting them move on. Honestly it’d be refreshing to see them tackle it in such a way!

But that’s the problem I mentioned with Viv and Co’s writing before. They excel in drabbles. But when you try to make a show out of drabbles, it falls apart eventually. The narrative doesn’t flow. The characters are all over the place. It makes it all the more infuriating when you get moments like the balcony sequence.

Gods that started so strong. It was so SO well done.

Then you shoot it in the foot by once again trying to force this boring, broken ship down our throats. You know what Blitz needs?

SOMEONE THAT WANTS HIM FOR WHO HE IS. NOT SOMEONE THAT’S JUST LONELY AND WANTS ANYONE THAT LOOKS HIS WAY.

He deserves Fizz. Or hell, he deserves to grow as a person and learn to love himself outside of the lens of others. He shouldn’t have to keep chasing a guy he didn’t like in the first because he thinks no one else will have him.

That’s pathetic and sad. Why should we be rooting for these two? Just because Stolas felt bad that he was using Blitz’s desperation as a tool to keep fucking him? I DON’T FEEL BAD WHEN HE CLEARLY WAS EXPECTING BLITZ TO ROLL OVER AND THANK HIM FOR COMMON DECENCY. You don’t do good deeds to expect anything. Despite them TELLING us he was willing to give Blitz the crystal, come what may, that’s not what they SHOWED us.

Stolas is a total creep and I won’t be gaslit into wanting them back together. Until they actually prove to us that he can value Blitz as a PERSON and not a toy? Hard pass.

Learn how to actually write a good toxic ship and get back to me. Because for how interesting these two can be, you had the unmitigated gall to make them BORING. Christ on a bike, let Blitz be interesting in his own fucking show challenge. You can’t just write the fun bits. You gotta work for it.

[the-girl-in-the-high-castle]

Everyone who knows me in this fandom knows that I'm a sucker for mauraeyk and that they are the most important part of the show to me. Besides them, I also love Clémence and Jéromé, I've mentioned that before, too. These two ships, connections, are quite obvious. They are so obvious that it's impossible not to see them, even if you're not right in the head.

But, there are two characters whose subtle connection I love so much. It's barely noticeable until you see their last scene, but then you watch again and see it's always been right there. Tove and Franz. The two of them are also my favorite characters right after the main trio. I think they are way too underrated, especially Franz. Franz doesn't get the hype he deserves, but he's definitely one of the best characters in the show. He's too overlooked.

Anyway, I've seen a few people talk about these two, but definitely not enough. Many people, myself included, needed that last scene to realize the two have a very obvious connection, and I'm dying to know what kind of connection that is. When you re-watch the show and actually pay attention to their interactions, you realize it's always been there. I mean, look at Franz. Throughout the entire season, he's shown as a violent and cruel man. His very first scene is beating someone up. He has a bloody face all the time and is never nice to anyone. He questions Eyk's orders and decisions multiple times, unafraid of the consequences. He organizes a mutiny, as stated, punishable by death, yet he doesn't care. He believes he's doing the right thing, not from any selfish desire, but for the good of everyone on the ship. But who is the only person he's never been rude to? The only person he's ever been nice to and considerate with? Tove, of course.

You'd think, okay, maybe because she's pregnant. But I don't think so. I mean, it's not like he showed any politeness to children. His mutineers threw Elliot overboard. He didn't bet an eye, let alone try and stop it. He even encouraged it. He beat her brother and threw him down the stairs, calling him a rat or something like that. He's been violent and rude to everyone but her. Never her. She's a woman? It's not that either. Maura's a woman too, he didn't care.

When they find Ada's body, and they examine it in the morgue, Maura says she's met her: "There's a pregnant girl downstairs, this is her sister." In that very moment, the camera is on Franz, and it's obvious he has a certain reaction to Maura's words. But up until this moment, him and Tove haven't crossed paths if I'm not mistaken. No interaction between them yet. Why does he react like that at the mention of her? After that, when he decides he's had enough of Eyk's shit, he goes to the third class not going to Anker or Iben, or Krester. He goes to Tove. He takes her to Ada, all the while acting like a kicked puppy in her presence. As if he was afraid of her judgment. He offers her his help, and when she dismisses him, he acts like a kicked puppy even more. That is his last straw that drives him to riot. You can compare that scene and his scene with any other person on the ship. It would look like he was a different person.

When the mutiny starts, she's one of the first he gives a shotgun to, without hesitation. He doesn't think her fragile or incapable. When everyone starts jumping during the calling, the two of them tie each other up, together, and he helps her and Anker stop Iben from jumping. When the storm begins and Eyk and Sebastian are gone, Franz takes over, and they all split up in order to keep the ship afloat. The French stay together, Angel and Ramiro stay together, Ling Yi doesn't want to leave Olek, and Tove's first instinct is to go with Franz. I mean, she leaves her parents there while they're giving up on life because her father chooses to die with her mother over living with her. Yet, Franz doesn't hesitate for a second to take her with him when she asks. Which ultimately cost him his life. Would he have done it if she hadn't been there with him? Maybe, we don't know. But he commits the ultimate sacrifice in order to save her. You don't get further than that. Giving your life for someone, someone you've supposedly met just a few days ago.

"Promise me you'll live" is the last thing he says to her. He might have done it for the sake of everyone else on the ship, but he had done it first and foremost for her.

Up until that moment, Tove's always been the one keeping her family in check, in spite of being someone who actually needed them and their support. She was the one keeping them together in spite of everything that happened to her. Her father kept choosing her mother over his children, while everyone else was falling apart. But then she got to experience what it was like when someone put her first. Franz did that, and he did by giving his life for hers.

Now, I'm not sure how their connection feels to me, whether it is romantic or platonic. Honestly, I wouldn't mind either of those. The SanSan shipper in me kind of feels like it could be romantic (my fellow SanSan shippers would understand). The one thing that was weird to me is the age they're supposed to be. I refuse to believe Krester is older than Tove. That is simply impossible. And there is about twenty years of age difference between them if those articles were right, so it may seem weird to people.

Anyway, I love their story either way, and I would give blood to know what it was all about.

[blacclotusss]

for the iwtv ask game

4, 17, 25

4. The working title of the show will be Interview with the Vampire. Yes, let's use the title of one of the most recognizable books. And let's tweak Louis. No one wants to see a slave owner in 2022, that’s dead. Let’s give him some depth and character to Louis. It's the year 1910 in Jim Crow Louisiana. Louis is a Black Creole man running a few brothels on Liberty Street in Storyville when we first meet him, only having this job to keep his family afloat. Lestat, the villain, will be mesmerized from the first moment he sees Louis. And let's get some family around, a brother who is heavily involved in the church and grinds Louis' gears a bit (but he loves him to death), a sister who Louis adores and vice versa (though their relationship gets rocky after a while), and a mother who sees her son as nothing but a provider for the home, the one who she can put all the work on since he’s the oldest. Louis and Lestat meet at one of the white owned brothels and from there, blossoms a beautiful friendship ending with a nightcap right before the death of Louis' brother. Once that happens, everything spirals. Louis is reborn at 33 in a church, Lestat shows his abusive and dismissive nature, Louis brings in Claudia after storyville goes under and she and Lestat bicker and argue all the time, similar to the original source. Things continue to get worse in that household and Louis and Claudia kill Lestat. And all this goes on while Louis is telling this story for the second time to an old journalist, Daniel Molloy, in present-day Dubai. The contrast to 1910s Louis and present day Louis is astounding and there's one servant who seems to know and talk a bit too much. He ends up being Armand.

17. I haven't read anything referenced in the show, but I have read bits and pieces of things those working on the show have used to create this beauty, such as Paris Journal 1944-1965 by Janet Flanner Genet and The Ethnic Avant-Garde: Minority Cultures and World Revolution by Steven Sunwoo Lee.

25. My favorite show canon relationship, so far, is Louis and Jonah. I absolutely hate that we only got them for about ten minutes of an episode. They seem to have so much depth. We know they know each other from their pasts and have had a few fumbles during that time. The chemistry was eletric and they delivered some of the hottest moments in the show. I also want to know every detail of their reunion in Europe. I am excited for Louis and Armand's relationship in season two, even though I know they're going to break my heart.

[atlasnolanarchive]

RAPID FIRE.

Faceclaim: Barry Keoghan.

Name: Atlas Nolas.

Pronouns & Gender: He/Him, Cis Man.

Birthday: 05/30/1995.

Occupation: Attendant @ Starship Arcade.

Neighborhood: Celestial Drive

How long have they been in Starlight Oaks? 9 years.

Three positive traits: Free-spirited, loyal, spontaneous.

Three negative traits: Aimless, distractible, envious.

tw drugs, child neglect

OVERVIEW.

-- First born child to a mother who probably should never have been a mother, something Nina Nolan would admit herself if she could ever be tied down long enough for an honest conversation on that.

-- Atlas had to practically raise himself and his sister from a young age. Though their mother was technically present, she had spells of going missing for days on and leaving them alone in various motel rooms in Orlando that they called him until having to move on to the next one.

-- Despite the nurturing skills she lacked, his mother was the type who loved a party and was always one of the last ones left shutting the bar down, something that's rubbed off on Atlas.

-- It was an expectation that both he and his sister had to pitch in whenever they could to keep a roof over their heads (and their mother's bad habits funded) which is how Atlas started to shoplift at a young age. Small things at first because he was scared of getting caught, but he gradually grew bolder and bolder about the things he would lift.

-- He has numerous arrests and past charges as a minor and as an adult for theft.

-- Education was never made much of a priority, and it was rare for him to actually attend a full month of school consecutively. Due to this, Atlas never finished high school. After ending up in the system as a pre-teen once child services intervened after another of Nina's vanishing acts, the constant moves heightened the disinterest he had already had about learning as a kid and by sixteen he had dropped out altogether.

-- He made a pact with his sister before they were separated and placed in different homes that when they both turned eighteen they would meet up in Washington and reunite.

-- He first first landed in a trailer park outside of town when he arrived to Starlight Oaks, staying in a trailer there before eventually being able to move into a house on Celestial Drive that's needed the same set of repairs since he first moved in seven years ago (they're still to be done).

-- He's worked various jobs to keep himself afloat, a lot of which have ended up in him being fired for poor attendance or bad behaviour.

-- Loves to throw loud and raucous house parties at his, which has gotten him into trouble with some of his neighbors over the years.

-- Currently, he's passing his time as an attendant at the Arcade. It's his longest steady employment to date (8 months as of Jan. 2024)

SORTA FUN FACTS.

His desire to move to Washington was due to a postcard he received as a child from his 'dad'. It depicted Washington on the front and on the back it just said 'I'm proud of you son - Dad'. He received it when he was six after it was slipped under the door of the motel he was staying in in Orlando. He has no idea currently that the postcard wasn't from his father but rather the motel's caretaker, Jack, who felt bad for how often the young boy would talk about the dad he had never met.

For the longest time he thought At Last by Etta James was actually a song called Atlas. To this day, if it plays on the radio he still sings Atlas instead.

His karaoke song of choice is Gloria by Laura Branigan. It's his mom's favorite song and one of the few he knows all the words to.

Has various tattoos on his body, half of which are from when he was drunk and let someone draw on him at one of his house parties before getting it yatted permanently.

Is wary of wealthy people.

He's never been on an airplane in his life.

Has never been to Disney World despite spending the first 11 years of his life in close proximity to it.

CURRENT CONNECTIONS.

close friend / other half of a whole moron of @sunbcthe

constantly shot down by @sasikamatthews

arcade idiots / friend of @kaiisms

one time air-hockey nemesis turned unlikely besties with @miikcs

getting to know / will be positively influenced by @cosmicallyhadlee

party aquaintances with @rosesraleigh

SPECIFIC WANTED CONNECTIONS.

ppl who attend his messy houseparties KJHGSH doesn't have to be just celestial drive residents! pretty much an open door policy at casa del nolan.

co-workers at the arcade!!

wealthy ppl who kill time there that he can side-eye 👀

friends / ride or dies

frenemies/friends who only fuck with each other when they're drunk and/or partying but on a normal day its like nah fuck you KJSHGH

neighbors from celestial drive (can be positive or negative!)

someone he's in a toxic situationship with (always fighting and falling out then rekindling and can never figure out what they are so its just a messy cycle) plotting required!

connects he knows through his sister

former co-workers / former bosses (he's def bounced around a ton of minimum wage jobs while in SO so timeline is fluid and can be figured out!)

people who he's shoplifted stuff for (if he thinks he can get it and get away with it, he'll lift something by request and sell it to the person for half the price)

people he's gotten into fights with (he can be hotheaded and doesn't think things through when he's drinking)

ppl he gets high with (pretty game for anything but rarely goes harder than coke)

someone with their life together who can take him under their wing a little and help him figure out a path that isn't just him spinning out day in and day out

hookups, fwb, usual jazz.

GENERIC WANTED CONNECTIONS.

connections wise he’s pretty much an open book right now, but some baseline ideas that can be springboarded off are:

friendly.

a best friend / ride or dies / close friends / childhood friends from florida / pseudo-siblings / friends / drunk friends / positive influences / new friends / people who were also in care in florida / former co-workers.

romantic

flirtationship / friends with benefits / one time hook ups / tinder matches / unrequited crush (can be either way) / exes on good terms.

antagonistic.

enemies / former (best) friends / exes on bad terms / frenemies / rivals / negative influence / people who don’t fuck with him.

[gayweedanimal]

Since I gotta be up for work in like 3 hours and can't sleep I might as well talk new years resolutions. Here's mine:

Long ass post so I'm readmore

Read every day: I've been collecting books for a while now and have a huge backlog of super interesting stuff to read. The only thing holding me back is making time to do it.

Write every day: Similarly, I have too many half baked projects/ideas that I need to actually finish. The perfectionist in me has been keeping me from finishing things for years, and for what? Fear of putting out something bad? Some of my favorite things in the world are bad. I already put out bad art all the time, and I love it. I've been struggling with this part of myself for far too long and it's time for it to die.

Organize my information better: I'm a notorious note-taker, but they're always very disjointed and arcane. So I guess that means I'm a bad note-taker. I've been using Obsidian more and more over the last few months and been building better information collection habits to use it to its full potential. Sometimes the first step is just to accept that your memory is shitty and learn to efficiently externalize things. Building off of that...

Manage my time better: I have so much shit going on at any one time it's often overwhelming. ADHD and my various neuroses certainly don't help. I've been doing various things to work on this but I need to stick to them better.

Finish Somnium: I put out a whole one (1) episode last year because I dreamt too big with my episode plans and didn't have the tools to bring them to fruition the way I wanted to - I need to push myself to actually finish more. This year's goal is manageable - 4 episodes.

Learn Japanese: I just think it's a neat language. Maybe one day I'll visit Japan; there's so much I want to see there. I know that seems like a far flung dream right now, but life happens fast.

Work out more: not much to say here, I just need to keep up this habit and push myself harder to build strength.

Get my driver's license: I've almost always lived in areas where I've just never needed to drive, but now that my sister has her's I feel like it's finally time to check this box lol.

Make more money: it's getting harder and harder to keep things afloat (as I'm sure is news to absolutely nobody) even with my pretty decent full time job. I'm assuming I won't get a raise, and also hoping I won't get laid off, but even still I need to get some sort of consistent side hustle doing web design or something similar.

God this really seems like a lot when I write them all down... I'm going to stick to them though. I probably won't kick all of these off at once just to not burn myself out, but I'm gonna do them all.

I really can't live without being able to set goals and make progress on them anymore, even if the progress is slow, even if things slide backwards or I fall off for months or years. I lived with soul crushing suicidal depression for so long and it really made it difficult to believe that my life was worth living or that it was worth investing in my skills or my future. I know a lot of people still think that way and I'm not the best at helping them, and that what worked for me doesn't work for everyone. But seasons change, wounds heal, and in the end, it's always worth it to invest your time in bettering yourself and to keep moving ahead.

Man, I don't know where the fuck I was going with all that but I'm leaving it in. Also why the hell am I writing this long ass post... I barely post here anymore. Anyway fuck it I'm gonna try to sleep AGAIN wish me luck at work in... 2 and a half hours. Happy new year ya filthy animals.

[ctrsara]

Things I've Been Reading

Some of these are newer, some are older and I just barely read them. This is not EVERYTHING I've been reading and liking, obviously, but just a quick share!

(Also, if you know these authors are on Tumblr, but they're not tagged, please let me know, or let them know or something, so I can be friends with them and tag them!) (RECS below cut)

Iron Dad: Coming Home by JAWorley:

This is one I didn't try a few times because I didn't think I was interested in Peter hanging out with Toomes. However, I'm so glad I finally tried it, because it was fantastic, and a really different take on the whole Homecoming era. Published:2023-01-02Completed:2023-02-26Words:114889

Shake My Hand (And I'll Forgive You): by Frogdottir: @frogdottirwrites

Post NWH, Peter has been doing work for the Bugle, trying to stay afloat, and suddenly discovers Tony is alive. However, it seems like even before everyone had forgotten him, everyone close to Tony had been aware of it except him. He is hurt and angry and freaks out just a little bit. Incomplete, but 13 chapters so far, and so good! Published:2022-12-20Updated:2023-03-03Words:40572

Atlas Held by Grumperella: @grumperella

After an explosion brings down a building on top of them, Peter is the only thing between Tony, Natasha and certain death. Trapped under rubble together, well... nothing builds bonds like shared trauma. This one was super angsty, but so, so, good! Published:2023-01-07Completed:2023-01-08Words:8401

Distracted By a Dime by happyaspie: @yes-i-am-happyaspie

This is an older story, but I just barely read it, and she's been adding to the series lately. :) Peter Parker thinks he has everything figured out. Where he can eat, sleep and make a little bit of money. What he needs to do in order to continue attending Midtown and being Spider-Man. The Stark-Rogers family throws a wrench in his plans.

Tis the Damn Season (for a Christmas Miracle) by peacockgirl

Yes, peacockgirl really did write an AU of her own story (Long Story Short (It Was a Bad Time) Or AIs Don't Forget,) which is one of my favorites, and it's amazing, too. Highly recommend! Morgan just wants her big brother to come home for Christmas. Tony just wants to figure out why being around his daughter is sending him into a tailspin. And Peter just wants to survive his first Christmas alone without freezing to death in a graveyard. Luckily Morgan Stark is very, very stubborn. And immune to Strange's spell. Published:2023-01-31Completed:2023-02-27Words:23468

Oxygen and Gravity by for_the_night: @imyoursavinggrace (also, btw, people who have different tumblr names and ao3 names make me think I'm going senile. I have the hardest time remembering who is who sometimes!😂 )

A really cool Irondad soulmates AU (Sentinels and Guides) that I just re-read and loved again. It's not complete, but close. n a world where Senintels and Guides are dying out, Guide Tony Stark was very happy just living life without the responsibility of some Sentinel, but when one touch awakens a soul bond with a scrawny vigilante from Queens, Tony’s life changes forever. Published:2021-11-15Updated:2022-06-24Words:28459

A Big Security Issue by FotiBrit: @fotibrit

Short, cute, and amazing! When Peter lost his Stark Industries Staff ID, Tony handed the kid his own. That was never an issue, until Peter had to check in at the front desk. Published:2023-02-01Words:1828

Make it a Good One! by zippe

This one was kind of a unique fix-it/time travel that I found looking through the @irondad-creator-awards categories, so here's another plug for those! Tony and his mess of a fairy god spider who can’t seem to keep himself moving correctly along the timeline. Published:2022-05-08Completed:2022-07-08Words:31435

Where the Love Is by SpaceCowboysFromMars: @spacecowboysfrommars

This one was super different and interesting, and I kinda wish it could have continued. I've never seen the movie, so it was a new story for me. The Way Way Back AU where Peter is reluctantly dragged by May and her new asshole boyfriend, Quentin, to spend the summer in Cape Cod. Summer gets a whole lot more interesting when Peter makes friends with the eccentric manager of Water Wizz, who seems to take a liking to Peter in all his teenage-awkwardness glory. Published:2023-01-12Words:12948

In a Different Light by kingdomfaraway: @asyouleft

An amazing short one! Peter is taken, and Tony finally uses the phone Steve sent him. He needs help, even if it means making night with his former friends and teammates.

And a bonus:

home (is where my heart found exactly where I'm supposed to be) by ironfidus @ironfidus

Another one I found looking through the Irondad Creator Awards categories. So, so sweet and hit all the irondad feels I wanted on that particular day! Six thousand miles away from the city that never sleeps, across continents and on the other side of the North Pacific Ocean, Tony relearns the meaning of home—as redefined in his eyes by a stubborn teenager with a penchant for recklessness.

[therealcocoshady]

By all means if he wants to step away from music go ahead. I support him and I think he should be able to do as he pleases career wise. He shouldn’t be tied down to one thing forever. All artists grow and flourish. For example Rihanna and its Fenty beauty and Savage lingerie. Beyoncé with hair care and clothing. Lizzo with workout gear. 50 with movies and shows. I think he should be able to move in and do other and possibly bigger things that he sees for weather that be Moms spaghetti, production, or merch. But if he wants to do merch he needs to step it tf up. Because it’s all the same and it’s getting boring. Do a real menswear like. Do some new hat brand. Or focus on expanding his Resturant or team up with 50 for moves and shows or even put MORE energy into his record label because it could use it if he wants to do producing and not necessarily rapping on the mic.

And yea, he should hear his fans out. They are a big pet as to why he’s here and thriving. And no offense but especially the younger ones now. He had a whole new generation listening to him. He can either use it to his advantage and make another album or not. But to be putting merch out every week is crazy. Because who is keep that man in business? 🤨

As for footnote, I heard that Paul wanted him to do it because Paul’s SON plays the game and he got the idea from that so they r ached out to fortnite… but Paul isn’t Marshall. Why does he have to collab with Fortnite because of your son and you think it’s a good money maker? Marshall doesn’t belong in a kids game period. If anything they should’ve tried to get him to voice in GTA6 or have his music in the game somehow… that would been HUGE for him considering the gta situation with him from back in the day.

And I feel like he’s gonna lose that lawsuit. And tbh I HOPE he does. It’s stupid. I get you wanna go hard for your daughter but babes… they were a podcast first. They been around for a while. No one is confusing the two. Plus, if Hailie cares so much then she needs to be a big girl and sue them herself. Oh wait she can’t because she doesn’t even have permission to use the term shade by legality. Oop- and we all know he wouldn’t sue his own daughter. But I digress.

I feel like all of it is just Paul getting in his ear and it’s bad. The lawsuit is ruining his reputation and he’s just doing things no one cares about anymore. Like get it together please.

YES. I absolutely agree. Eminem has had an incredible career and if he wanted to stop, he should. By all means. If he wants to bless us with more music, I'm here for it too, obviously. But I feel like maybe there should be a proper way to do it. Like, if you want to stop, maybe announce it and quit keeping people on their toes ?

Also I LOVE the examples you have chosen, when it comes to artists expanding and doing something else successfully. Also... Shady Records COULD use some more energy. I think I saw something from Paul saying it was never meant to be a big thing anyway, but... If you're signing people, maybe put some actual energy into their projects ? Because you're not doing them a favor by pretending the musical industry works the same as the 90s and disregarding digital promotion. Just sayin...

I hate that they seem to be disregarding the newer generation of hip hop fans too. Like "your opinion doesn't matter, we've been here long enough". Like... Yeah but they're still the consumer base and even though they shouldn't tell you what rap is all about... Maybe just acknowledge that it is changing ? Also, these people do keep you afloat 😂

Em in GTA6 would have been perfect. And I'm digressing but I think not having him do voice actor work on some occasions (like some animated series or a video game) is a MISSED opportunity. Because very few people modulate their voice the way he does his.

[dark-side-blog3]

Hi! I was thinking about yandere Peking Duck for a while… I think that he’s pretty scary in general cause bro fired and bombed the whole COUNTRY (with a valid reason but it’s still scary) and it’s creeping me out when I’m realising how destructive he potentially can be if he was a yandere. So… what about your headcanons of yandere Peking Duck? I’m especially interested in creepiest and darkest sides of his character. He can be so terrifying that it would definitely freak anyone out.

I'm really enjoying all your food fantasy content! If you're willing, could you share your thoughts on yandere Peking Duck?

+++

I apologize for grouping you two up, but I was originally answering the shorter request for Peking Duck as it was older-- But then, while saving my draft, Tumblr shat itself; due to a pretty bad storm in my area... Here it is, a few days later.

I can't find the story for Peking Ducks SP, which is a bit frustrating since it seems his SP counterpart has experienced more passage of time than his UR counterpart (his duckling children are full-grown ducks now! And not one of his voice lines acknowledges them!)

In any case, I hope you enjoy it!

Warning for animal abuse.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Peking Duck is a possessive bastard, who's fully aware that his feelings are out of place, but just doesn't care.

He projects himself as this homely, wise old man who's more focused on his ducklings and his found family to crave violence-- one of the attacks he uses so often stuns his enemies, which one could argue is a kinder method of disabling them than most food souls of his power would make. He seems to go with the flow, and act so calm and collected, that if you haven't even seen him with this facade down, you'd trust him implicitly. And that is the entire point.

Peking Duck wants you to rely on him. He wants you to trust him implicitly, with any task. If it's something domestic he would be more than happy to accompany you and drop hits about what he wants out of your relationship, and if you want him to protect you without spilling a drop of blood then he'll paralyze whatever has you so frightened. You should feel safe around Peking Duck. He wants you to know this as if it's instinct.

He also wants you to be wary of the world outside of him. Granted in some ways that's harder, and in some ways that's easier in a world like this, where fallen angels are rampaging the streets, and terroristic food souls revolt to kill all humans. It's harder to make you fear things that aren't combat related, but he can just as easily make you dependent on him for daily life too.

Peking Duck always manages to cut you a massive bargain when you take him shopping with you, by smooth talking and striking favours with the shopkeeps. He will handle your taxes, finding little things to cut and trim, to use for your own benefit (which he keeps track of in a second ledger). If you were to try to keep the restaurant afloat without him as your bookie, you'd quickly get discovered by the police for tax fraud. And after a sufficient amount of years, Peking Duck may reveal this to you if you're being unruly-- If you don't behave yourself, he won't have any choice but to let you take the blame for it, and you'll be hauled off to debtors prison.

Peking Duck spends the majority of his day planning elaborate traps and emotional pitfalls if you step out of line. If you try to shove him out of your work life, your business crumbles and you get arrested. If you try to shove him out of your adventures in the catacombs or fighting fallen angels, you come home with fewer ingredients and gold, and more bruises. If you try to force Peking Duck to work on excursions without you, he will return with triple the amount of loot you'd normally bring back... But he and his ducks conveniently need urgent medical attention-- the children are on death's door! They're all exhausted... Surely you wouldn't mind helping him feed the ducks after he rests for a while, right? He's already collapsed in your living room-- he won't mind taking the couch, just please let him rest.

The more unaccompanied missions you send him on, the sicker his children are when they return. The last few times you sent him in a group without you, some of his children got caught under debris and broke their wings. The last time, you had helped set the broken wing yourself, the healers on the team conveniently missing, while the duck flailed around and quacked like a banshee. Peking held his child down and shushed the bird as he directed you on setting the delicate bone back in shape.

After the horrific ordeal, you stormed into the ice rink, asking Miso Soup why he hadn't healed during the excursion. But he was startled, asking what you meant. It was only after arguing for half an hour you learned that none of Peking Ducks had an accident at all during the trip, and they were all perfectly fine before Miso went to the ice rink to recover.

If you ask Peking duck what broke his ducks wings, he merely repeats the question before telling you that it was debris. But there is a tone to it that lets you know you're on thin ice with his patience.

And he makes it clear under no uncertain terms that he won't allow you to start causing a fuss.

Keep it up, and you'll find out some consequences for ignoring him.

But if you'd like things to stay peaceful with the uppity food soul, you should come rest with him. Laying together, whispering sweet nothings about what you two want for the future, what your home might look like after a few years and a few more children, how sweet life can be if you just allow Peking Duck to take care of you, and you continue to be the ray of light from a window illuminating the dust settling in a cozy afternoon... It might make you feel better.

He knows you know what he's really like, and he knows you know that it's all an act to make you happy. Shouldn't you focus more on the fact its to make you happy, rather than the fact he's lying? You don't want him to stop making you happy, right?

Because even if he does, you know he won't leave you alone. And you know he can't keep hurting his children for your attention-- even if he does heal them good as new, he just wants them to be comfortable. They're the only companion he'll truly have forever. He'd hate to have to hurt you the same way he hurt them just so you'd pay him any attention.

It would be much nicer, and much easier to just let it happen. Peking Duck will continue to act as a selfless, uppity, wholesome father of a family, and you will continue to let him pretend to be so. For your sake.