#we just finished rise s2 finale

[ladysqueakinpip]

cinematic parallels

[phecdasolar]

Tumblr I need your help I am in dire need of feral/unhinged Disaster Twins fics pleaseeee (and maybe Mikey as a bonus) I’m just in love with the idea of Raph being the impulse control for once with this iteration, and just the second he’s out of commission the other three go insane.

Weapons of War, Bioengineered Killing Machines, Manufactured Supersoldiers Rottmnt turtles my BELOVEDS

And maybe just like,,, set Leo and Donnie loose on one of the other dimensions and have them absolutely horrifically annihilate their counterparts’ villains while they watch on in horror

(B.E.A.S.T. was SUCH a good fic you guys oh my GOSH go read it I’m begging you-)

I NEED to have it addressed in fic form that the Rise turtles are fundamentally different than all their other counterparts, because their counterparts? They were accidents. Just a couple of turtles splashed with mutagen and oh look now they’re people but Green. (Huge oversimplification I’m aware but hear me out okay-)

But the Rise boys were created. They were specifically designed to be weapons of mass destruction. They were built with the intent to cause harm which means they were bioengineered to be stronger, smarter(?), faster, to heal quicker, to have the capacity to take hard hits while dishing out even harder ones, they were literally forged with a purpose to kill.

Add on their mystic powers? Then their unlocked Ninpo? You can’t honestly tell me that these four aren’t the strongest and potentially deadliest version of themselves out there.

Yes they still had to learn things, as did the other iterations, they weren’t immediately good (that much is obvious, like c’mon it’s IN the name) but I don’t think the other iterations possess the same instincts as these guys do. They’re just so. Unhinged. They’ve all had their moments in the show I think where it’s obvious they’re not really,,, stable. I love them.

In a plain fists only, maybe weapons, no powers fight, I do think some of the other iterations would win, but purely because they have way more experience than these guys do. (If I did any crossovers I’d say 2003 and 2012 are definitely older than these guys, especially if we’re basing this at the end of their shows) But put them against each other when they’re still at the same level? Rise is whooping butt, I know where I’m placing my bets. It’s called RISE of the TMNT for a reasonnnnnn they’re not there yet but they WILL BE, and as of the end of s2 and the movie I say they’re finally THERE.

I have no idea how this turned into a headcanon rant this was just supposed to be me asking for fic recs hsgdjdjdk it’s almost 3 am tho so whatever sorry if none or some of this is incoherent o7 o/

Editing this with a list of fics I have been graciously recommended below the cut:

Firefight by remrose [42/43 chapters 208k words] (edit: JUST FINISHED READING ch38-42 WATCH ME BAWL MY EYES OUT I was rotating them in my brain all morning at work) less on the feral side, more on the gut-wrenching angst side, still Disaster Twins and still super good

In Which Donnie and Leo Make Themselves Everyone Else's Problem in an NYC That Isn't Even Their Own by YukiSkyes [7/? chapters, 18k words] the CLASSIC “the Disaster Twins are unapologetically causing chaos” fic, always a delight to read

The Lemon Leak by TurtleSoupSwimmer [27/37 chapters, 143k words] I’m being told it’s very true to the theme here, and it’s very angsty, a suspenseful psychological thriller, and will make you scream at your phone. I for one am very intrigued

Eschatology by aenor_llelo, Alderous, ConcoctionsFromHell, izziel_galaxy, Jaybird314, Otakuforlife19, and Rocket999 [17/17 chapters, 344k words] “HEAVY on the boys being biologically engineered to destroy the world, it also delves into so much character building and worldbuilding that we never got in canon, and it gives even super minor characters the chance to shine” Sounds intriguing, AND it’s a BNHA crossover which I am a big fan of :D

The Hunter’s Bible also by TurtleSoupSwimmer [2/2 chapters, 15k words] Rated Mature, contains themes of SA and c@nnibalism so PLEASE keep that in mind!! Not a fic for the faint of heart this is a Dead Dove: Do Not Eat! The SA is only attempted, and never shown, only implied, and it’s only in ch 1, but the other stuff is fairly descriptive and takes place in ch 2. All that being said, flipping UNHINGED, just about lost my mind in ch 2, it was entertaining in a surreal kinda way if you get what I mean. Funky little feral creatures

[skrunklydoo]

this has spoilers for ninjago dragons rising season 2 part 2 and the leak! there aren’t many but please be warned regardless, this is an important message regarding the s2 p2 leak /srs

in my opinion, we really shouldn’t forget that part 2 is very likely unfinished, as they wouldn’t have it completely edited and finalised 3 months before the release month. by the final release, i’m fairly sure that many of the gripes that the fandom has with part 2 will be fixed as a lot of the issues lie in the editing, which is probably not even finished yet. (for example, my guess as to why zeatrix has beatrix’s model is that it might just be a placeholder model for now, i want to remain optimistic about this one)

i still don’t know why it got released early?? nor do i even have a guess as to what happened with that but just PLEASE keep in mind that season 2 part 2 is most likely not finished

[tabithatwo]

fics and posts of note!

if yellowjackets enthusiast is my second job (it is) then, within that, fic writing is my day job and tumblr rambling is my moonlighting, so here's easy access to my fics and to my more involved posts!

current status: okay SO i absolutely feel the need to try and finish abmb before s3 airs. so i am going to try and whip out the last (3? 4?) chapters of that before updating my other WIPs. that said i never actually know what i'm going to do until it's happening so who knows! i'm just glad my six month abmb hiatus has officially been ended with that last update <3 and my personal life has chilled some, so i am writing again <3 —9/21

likely order of updates: abmb, fences, resurrection —9/21

works in progress

x always be my baby (~350k)

All the living yellowjackets are forced together when someone decides to unearth their past. Tensions rise, past relationships are revealed, and new ones are forged in a reunion that no one asked for (except maybe Misty).

explicit / post-s1 canon-divergence / primarily adult timeline

x fences need mending (~38k)

Every decision that Jackie and Shauna had ever made—together and separately, in anger and in love, for themselves and for each other—had led them to this exact moment, a dreary October morning in the intensive care unit of NewYork-Presbyterian.

explicit / no crash au / dual timeline

x we practice resurrection every night (~22k)

A series of moments based pre, during, and post 1996 canon, centered around Jackie and Shauna, accounting for the huge, rippling impact of one small change: the Holmdel bust goes differently. Shauna ends up walking home with Jackie instead of Jeff.

explicit / jackie lives au / slice of life

complete (multichap)

x she shines me up like gold (~12k)

Jackie convinces Shauna to wear something a little different than her usual to Van and Taissa's Halloween party.

explicit / no crash au / mid-twenties

x you're just a bee charmer (~53k)

When Jeff dumps Jackie right before winter break, Shauna decides she's willing to do pretty much anything to keep them broken up. Jackie just wants to feel wanted, so what harm can a few messages from a new account really do?

explicit / no crash au / shifted ten years (they graduate in 06, rather than 96)

x just unzip me (~32k)

Shauna is the maid of honor in the Taylor-Sadecki wedding, but on the big day both the bride and the groom have a confession to make.

explicit / no crash au / set in 2004-2006

series

x prolong the night

explicit / jackie lives au / especially twisted

x (pt 1) no one knows what dawn will come (~12k)

Shauna helps warm Jackie up and, months later, Jackie helps Shauna survive labor.

x (pt 2): drunk from so many roses, redder than wine (~8k)

Jackie can't leave Shauna alone when the butchering duties get darker. Everyone has their role, and hers is just how she likes it—inextricably tied to Shauna.

oneshots

x honey come over, the party's gone slower (~4k)

Nat’s dead, but that doesn’t mean it’s all over. She laid Jackie to her final rest, and now Jackie’s the one to welcome her to this strange new home.

teen / post s2 finale / nat pov

x trying to keep you alive (~5k)

A night of Shauna feeling especially self-destructive (cruising for women, talking to Jackie's ghost, and burning bridges with the only two people in her corner).

explicit / canon-compliant / post return / ghost!jackie or hallucination!jackie depending on how you read it

x no take backs (~3k)

Laura Lee is a few steps ahead of Jackie in this whole navigating being a ghost thing, and Shauna is falling apart quicker than Jackie can pick up the pieces.

mature / canon-compliant / set during 2x01 / ghost!jackie pov

posts of note

x jackie taylor is a lesbian frame by frame pt. 1

x jackie taylor is a lesbian frame by frame pt. 2

x tai and shauna / call your mom

x shauna and psychosis

x the "dreams" (travis' dialogue on near death experiences in 2x02)

x the "dreams" (eating and drinking in other realms motif)

x jackieshauna / lottielee

x mirrors and reflections in yj (the pilot)

x pit girl scenes and their cuts away from natalie

x lesbian breakup so bad (yj edition)

x sight and power and leadership (lottie, tai, nat, jackie ruminations)

x jackieshauna / our wives under the sea

x yj and jennifer's body

x nat/jackie ruminations

[authortobenamedlater]

S2 deep dive. The whole season. Bring the scuba gear for this one.

Negatives, positives, overall impressions, speculations about a possible S3 under the cut.

This has been sitting in my drafts for way too long and even though it’s incomplete I’m posting it. I’ll have more later I’m sure I just need it out there before it becomes irrelevant.

The bad:

It’s too short. I have pontificated about short TV seasons and long waits between seasons before so I won’t revisit it.

The fall of Reach felt more like a speed bump than the single most traumatic event in the Human-Covenant War. This is probably related to the It’s Too Short problem.

This one is entirely subjective, but I am here for The Chief & Cortana Show and this season was not The Chief & Cortana Show.

Much of the unfinished business from S1 remained unfinished or was finished lazily. The Reach for Life Project and the weirdness surrounding John’s childhood? Never mentioned. Madrigal? Glassed. Separating John and Cortana? Reduced to a one-minute flashback. This isn’t to say these threads won’t get picked up down the line, but having to potentially wait another two years doesn’t appeal. Again, this goes back to It’s Too Short.

The Spartan-IIIs made little sense. And why were they capturing kids if they can use adults to make Spartans now? Are there enough left to make up a Spartan corps?

Somehow, Makee returned. This isn’t bad in itself, but it’s never explained. The closest we get is Var saying “you live only by my grace.” OK, what grace is that? Did he resurrect her? Convince the prophets to resurrect her?

Speaking of Var, why did he exist? To make way for Thel next season? Why not just have Thel from the start? Especially since deleted dialogue from S1 had that Sangheili who ran out of the cave on Madrigal named as Thel ‘Vadamee.

Jacob Keyes is dead. It’s somewhat canon, but I didn’t want it to happen. I wanted him to live and face his music.

I did not like what they did with Soren this season. The Kessler storyline got draggy. And the way Soren acted at times didn’t really seem in line with the guy in S1 who made a promise to John and kept it even though he could probably have broken it without John ever knowing. Soren also gave the impression in S1 that he didn’t want anything to do with fighting a war and just wanted to hole up on the Rubble with his family. That changed in S2 without any real reason given.

They still can’t figure out Kwan. I liked the direction they were taking her last season, but that all got blown up, literally.

The Spartan-IIIs seemed awfully rushed. We don’t know anything about them, if or how they are augmented, or what.

The good:

Halo’s cast continues to rise above the show’s shortcomings, and the crowning achievement this season is Joseph Morgan’s Ackerson. Morgan manages to make Ackerson the bad guy, but never a bad guy. You love to hate him and want him to realize he’s wrong just in time to make that last-second pivot and then he does.

Laera might not be back for S3 (although hey, somehow Makee returned), but she got some great material this year.

For all its flaws, Halo does have a way of sticking the landing and the final episode of this season delivers. The introduction of the Flood was about as great as I could have asked for. That scene where the no-name bit part gets infected and the ironically happy music is playing while everyone goes about their business? Appropriately horrifying.

I liked Talia’s progression from jumpy regular Marine to confident Spartan-III, even if the show didn’t have enough time to do it well.

Makee and John continue to have a fascinating dynamic.

The back and forth with John and Guilty Spark (I assume) in the last episode was excellent and did a fine job setting the stage for season 3.

The big question: Will we get a third season?

Nothing is guaranteed in the era of streaming shows, but Halo has been P+’s most watched show since it launched. It’s been the third most watched original show in the US across all streaming platforms this year. Basically, no matter how terrible the show is sometimes or how much fan hate it gets, Halo is making money. I can’t see it not getting renewed. If Halo didn’t get renewed, another network might want it, or P+ might do a spinoff (thoughts on that at a later date).

[narcolini]

night//morning

marcus x luca, long distance pining perhaps?, 2k words tw for talking about death, specifically parents a/n: this contains s2 spoilers!!! dont say i didnt warn you!! also im taking an absolute leap of faith with what those missed calls mean so call it divergence from canon, or assumption of canon, or . yknow. enjoying free real estate idk (same with luca backstory hehe) tagging @drabbles-mc because it exists for her <3

Luca’s phone rings, just minutes before his usual alarm gets chance to—sending that weird fucking tune that Instagram uses, pin-balling from his nightstand, straight into his skull—screen lit and blinding. He should keep it on do not disturb, yeah, he knows that, but as disruptive as it is, this is exactly the reason he doesn’t. It’s meant to wake him up, because there aren’t many people that would message him this early in the morning, and there’s only one that’d ring him over Instagram, of all places. Free of charge and desperately reliant on the good of their internet connections.

‘Yo.’ He clears his throat after picking up, rubbing a hand across his sleep-filled eyes. He’s on his back still, phone to his ear, smirk toying the edges of his mouth once they’ve woken up enough. ‘I’m guessing you got the parcel, then?’

The line is silent in response, and stays so for long enough that he pulls the phone away to check the call’s still connected. His eyes are bleary from the brightness of it, but it is, connected and split screened, both profile pictures staring back at him. Clock counting.

‘Marcus?’ he asks, speaking back into the phone. ‘Think we’ve got a bad connection, mate.’

More quiet. The hum of what sounds like an industrial extractor fan, if he really tries to listen for it. 

‘Can you hear me?’ he asks. 

‘Yeah,’ Marcus says eventually, staccato through the phone, ‘yeah, I, um.’ 

So it’s not the wifi. And there’s an edge to his voice that strips all remaining sleep from Luca's, and pulls him upright until he’s sitting, pillows rolling under his back. ‘You alright?’

‘Sorry.’

‘For what?’

Marcus sighs. The connection warps it into something robotic. ‘Calling you.’

‘Well, I assume there’s a reason for it.’ He wouldn’t ring for nothing, and he wouldn’t struggle if there wasn’t something forcing him to. ‘What’s up?’

Silence again, then the gulls, waking outside Luca’s window. Loud and begging before the sun’s even finished rising. Marcus isn’t doing anything to try and compete with them, though they must be audible to him too, so for a moment it feels like they’re a part of the conversation. Getting their turn while the both of them wait. 

He shouldn’t yawn, he shouldn’t, even with the pause, and he’s really trying not to. Swallowing nothing. Clenching his jaw, relaxing it again. Fighting it back with every trick he knows.

It happens anyway. Loud and stretching down the line. 

‘You want to talk about something else,’ he asks afterwards, since his eyes are starting to droop, ‘until you can talk about whatever it is that’s happened?’

Marcus coughs, dry and purposeless. Forced maybe. ‘I don’t know. I guess.’

That’s good enough. ‘Alright. Where are you?’

It’s a start. Where are you, Marcus, when you should be at home making something to eat, or at work, scrubbing dried dough from the counters. 

‘Out the back,’ he replies, sounding tired with it. Defeated, even.

‘The back of the restaurant?’

‘Yeah. Sitting on a,’ he laughs weakly, ‘a fucking, upturned bucket.’

‘Right. A bucket. That’s the luxury we aim for, isn’t it? As chefs.’

‘Yeah, something like that.’

Upturned buckets and 4AM alarms—which he’s just shut off, now that it’s finally buzzed into life against his ear. 

‘Tough night?’ he asks, sitting up from the pillows. He doesn’t have to go right away, but he has to at least start the process, one step at a time.

The phone cracks as Marcus coughs again. It’s definitely forced, aimed to dislodge whatever’s catching his words before they make it to Luca's ear. ‘Nah, um, good night actually,’ he says. ‘First run with the new, well, new everything. Friends and family.’ 

‘Really?’ Luca smiles. It carries into his voice. ‘Wow, congrats, man.’

‘I mean, it was all Syd and.’

He never finishes the sentence. 

Luca checks the phone again, not to see the connection, but for the time instead. To know how quick he’s going to have to move, if he lets himself be lazy for a little longer.

‘You get that, what was it…?’ He sighs down the line once it’s back to his cheek, rubbing at his sleep-swollen face. ‘Sorry, that bavarois you made, you get it onto the menu?’  

Marcus smiles, or at least he hopes he does. It sounds like it when he replies. ‘Yeah, you know, big hit. Fire, in Carmy’s words.’

‘Oh, that’s when you know it’s good,’ he agrees, finally standing from the bed. ‘Proud of you, mate.’

‘Thank-you.’ 

Another silence to fill, and now it’s getting hard to. Because it’s early, and he’s trying to get dressed, tugging one leg, then the other, into his trousers, with the phone pinned to his shoulder, and he’s asked all he can think to ask, without espresso fuelling his system. 

‘You, um, you get my gift?’ he tries, hopping as he pulls them up to his hips. 

But it was badly timed, in the end, because Marcus chose exactly then to say, ‘My mom,’ at the same time. ‘It’s my mom.’

‘Oh, shit.’ Luca stills. Lifts the phone from his shoulder. ‘Is she—did she—I’m sorry. Fuck.’

‘I missed the calls,’ he says, ‘all, fucking, twenty of them. While we were in the shit.’

‘I don’t know what to say.’ He doesn’t know what to do either, standing half-dressed in his half-lit bedroom, half-way across the world. ‘What happened?’

‘I mean,’ he can picture Marcus shrugging, ‘exactly what we knew would happen. Just, y’know.’

Yeah, he knows.

‘I was expecting it,’ he says. ‘I mean, it had to happen one day.’

Luca sighs. ‘I’m so, so, sorry, Marcus.’

‘Nah, it’s. I mean. Yeah. Life sucks, huh? Really fucking sucks.’ He laughs and it sounds weaker than before. ‘I don’t even know what I’m feeling right now.’

Yeah, he knows that too.

‘I wish I could be there,’ Luca admits. It’s a weak offer of support. Not comforting, not helpful. True, though, and that’s all he can give him. ‘Can I do anything?’ he asks, picking at the wooden edge of his drawers. ‘Anything you need, just let me know and I’ll, yeah, I’ll make it happen.’

‘Nah,’ he sighs, ‘sorry, I don’t know why I called you, really. I mean, we’re not even in the same country.’ 

'It's alright.'

'Opened my phone and it kind of just... happened.'

Because he knew Luca would pick up. ‘Well, I’m awake,’ he reasons, ‘and here, if you need to talk.’

‘Yeah, thank-you. I know.’

‘Not much to say though, is there?’

There’s a silence that Luca can only assume is signalling a head shake, over there in Chicago, in the alley, on top of the bucket.

‘It’s not the same,’ he continues, running with it now, ‘well, I guess it is—sort of—but, when my dad died, I sat in my room for weeks. Didn’t say anything to anybody. Couldn’t if I tried.’ 

‘Your dad?’

He doesn’t pause to answer. He’s already losing the momentum he started with, gone the second he invited Dad back into his head. The only thing to do, is try and continue like they’ve spoken about it a million times before, like Marcus knows the whole fucked up backstory.

‘Went to the funeral, all that stuff, the wake, still said nothing. Just, really, shut down, you know? Shut it out. And my sister, she, well she hated that, but—I mean, and then I went to Chicago and—’

‘Luca, I…’ He’s trying to be polite about it, interrupting in a sheepish way, but what he really wants to say is, shut up, man, it’s not the time for this. It’s evident enough in his tone. His pauses. ‘I’m really trying to keep up, but—’

‘My point is,’ Luca says, quickly followed by, ‘actually, I don’t know what my point is. But this is the worst, worst thing you can go through, alright, I know that first hand. It’s the worst. And I’m here, even if you want to just sit on the phone for company, or something.’

A beat. The tinny sound of a siren passing Marcus on the other side of the world.

‘I’m very good at chatting copious amounts of shit, obviously.’ Luca laughs. ‘So, you know. Whatever you need.’

‘I think I need to quit my job,’ he says, and for a second it feels like someone else has taken the phone, because it doesn’t sound like Marcus at all.

‘Come on, you don’t mean that.’

‘No, I do. I missed every call, Luca. Every call, for fucking what? For the Michael? Do you realise how dumb that is?’

Luca twitches, flexing his shoulders back to correct the posture that had never really sunk in the first place. A nervous thing. Something he picked up in culinary school. ‘It only feels like that now,’ he says.

Marcus scoffs.

‘Sleep on it.’

‘Don’t think that’s happening anytime soon.’

‘Yeah, cause you’ve gotta get off that bucket first.’ It’s like taking another exam, he realises, trying to balance hazelnut swirls onto set custard while your hands are shaking. The balance is everything, get it wrong and he’ll chase Marcus away, just like he did with Frankie. Jokey, but understanding. Patient, but moving him still. ‘Go home, Marcus, see how you feel about it in the morning.’

‘I can’t,' he stresses.

And, shit, he forgot that detail. Somehow, in a conversation all about it. ‘Your mum.’ He sighs. ‘Sorry, I should’ve.’ Forget it. Recover, adapt, fix it from another angle. ‘Is Syd still around?’

‘Think so.’

‘Have you told her?’

He lets that question sit for a while, lets the street noise creep back through the phone in place of his answer. Which Instagram lovingly turns into static, really, radio noise that makes Luca wince. 

Then Marcus says, blank and tired, with a thick voice that needs to be cleared, ‘I think I’m gonna go actually. I should go.’ 

‘Oh.’ It takes a moment for him to recover. ‘Yeah, course, do what you need to do.’

‘Thank-you, you know, for picking up.’

‘Don’t worry about it.’

‘And the gift. It means a lot.’

‘Sure, yeah. I’m glad you like it.’

‘Night, man.’

It’s four in the morning, but he says it back, slipping it in right before the call ends. With that bitter little tone in his ear. If that was an exam, he'd've failed. Maybe. Dropped the details and put his thumb through the layers. 

‘Idiot,’ he mutters, tossing the phone onto the end of his bed. ‘When my dad died. Fuck me.’

Marcus will never call again. He’ll never call him again, actually, not until the funeral’s done and he’s starting to heal from it. Why would he? Who wants to hear that? This is the worst, mate, good luck! 

Christ.

He should’ve said nothing, should’ve waited for Marcus to take the lead and gone from there. Not everyone wants what Frankie wanted. Talking for the sake of talking. 

But he’s running late now, and the t-shirt he’s dragged from the drawers is still sitting around his biceps, waiting to be pulled on. Work first. Work first, then fix it with Marcus. Send another gift, or something, book a plane if you have to. 

He puts his head through the hole and reaches for a pair of socks as the t-shirt rolls down his stomach. Then it’s cologne. Hairbrush. The watch he wears, just to take off and store in his locker once he gets there. Everything he needs from this room, before moving on to the next. Besides his phone, of course, which is waiting on the bed still.

When he reaches it, the screen’s lit already, awake with messages he hadn’t noticed.

Going home, it reads. Thanks for talking me through it. 

It’s in his hand now, staring us from his palm, and telling him that Marcus is still typing. 

And typing.

And typing.

Then, finally, 

Sorry about your dad. 

His chest deflates, held breath escaping at last. Long time ago, he types back. Shout me if you need anything. 

There’s no hesitation this time. Just, Cool. Keep the couch free for me, yeah?

Yeah, sure. All yours.

>>>part two

[shieldofiron]

undefined

In celebration of the most gorgeous moodboard made by @a-redharlequin (who has commissions open I believe and is a joy to work with) Have a chapter 1 of Serrated.

Serrated (Chapters 1-9 on AO3 Here) 

Chapter 1: The Knife

Rated M, Heavy Angst, TW CSA mention, Post S2.

“Oh,” Lucas stops dead by the door to the Byers house, and Steve nearly bowls him over.

“Is it the demodog?” Steve looks inside.

It’s not. It’s Billy Hargrove, lying face down on the floor next to a puddle of vomit.

Max is frozen too, looking down at him.

“Is he… dead?” Mike asks quietly.

Max jerks a little, her shoulders trembling, and finally goes up to Billy, nudging him in his side with her foot.

He doesn’t move.

“Billy,” She kneels down and feels at his neck.

Billy groans, lifting one hand and flopping it down to the ground, “I’m up, Dad. Tell her to get in the car.”

Mike exhales a little.“What do we do with him?”

Dustin looks back at Steve.

“We can’t leave him here,” Mike shuffles by Billy, looking at him warily.

“I said, I’m up,” Billy grunts, flipping himself over onto his back, his hands twitching.

He looks up at Max dazedly, and presses a hand over his face, “Maxine. Where’d you go? I was looking and looking.”

“Billy,” She stands over him.

Billy’s eyes search the ceiling, and he seems to reorient himself in space.

“Do I have to watch it?” He looks up at her with a furrowed brow, “Maxine.”

“What?” She scowls at him.

Billy looks around the room, “Where is he?”

“Who Billy?” She asks.

“Harrington,” Billy calls out, his voice hoarse, “Harrington, if you touch my sister, I’ll finish what I started.”

Steve shuffles into his view, and pinches the bridge of his nose, hissing when he pinches his injured face.

“I’m not… it’s not like that,” Steve shakes his head, “I’m a babysitter.”

Billy grins drunkenly, “My first was m’babysitter too. You don’t fool me, Harrington.”

Steve’s blood runs cold in his veins.

“You lure my sister out here with other kids? Is that it? What’m I supposed to watch?” Billy’s lids are heavy, like he’s about to go to sleep but the words are sharp, “Max, come here. Get away from him.”

“What is he talking about?” Mike asks loudly.

No one wants to answer, except Billy, “Oh you know. I was ten and the babysitter, his name was Ryan, said he’s gonna help me with my homework. And then he’s taking off my clothes and-“

Steve leaps down and slaps a hand over Billy’s mouth. Billy slides his tongue along his palm, then bites hard when that doesn’t work. So hard Steve yanks his hand back to his chest, wiping it on his shirt.

“Billy,” Max shakes her head, “It wasn’t like that.”

“‘S not like that until it is like that,” Billy’s head flops to the side and he’s trying to rise weakly, “And I can’t even stop it. Fuck.”

“I’m not,” Steve puts his hand on his chest, “I’m not raping kids. Jesus, I swear on my life I didn’t touch her, Hargrove.”

Billy just laughs, low and heavy, almost grunts, “Max, come here.” His hand waves in the air weakly.

She kneels down next to him, her face uncertain and lost.

He puts his hand on hers, “Did he touch you?”She shakes her head rapidly, “No, Billy I swear.”

“What about them? The boys? Did he touch the boys? Make them touch you?” Billy’s slurring, but his eyes are on hers, looking for something hard, “Did they bring you here? What did he tell you to say?”

“No,” she shakes her head, “It wasn’t like that. Nothing like that, Billy.”

“Max,” He extends the a on her name, almost taunting, “Max, don’t lie to me.”

Max looks up at Steve, “Help me get him up on the couch or something.”

Steve grabs for Billy’s underarms and pulls as hard as he can. He smells like sweat and vomit and stale cologne, not that Steve smells a whole lot better.

“Can someone get him some water or something?” Steve yanks hard, but Billy’s dead weight and heavy as hell. Lucas heads to the kitchen, with Dustin behind him.

“Or is it me you’re interested in, Amigo?” Billy looks up at Steve with fluttering lashes, “Y’didn’t have to go to all this trouble. I woulda gone for you real easy.”

Steve’s neck feels hot, “I’m not raping anyone, okay?”

Billy laughs, a slow drunken sound, “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was askin’ for it. Is that how you wanna play this?”

“Billy,” Steve props him up against the edge of the couch, “Just… listen. I swear, nothing like that happened.”

Lucas comes back in from the kitchen, “He threw up in there too.”

Billy frowns, “Yeah, there was a monster in the fridge.”

“Oh shit,” Dustin is pulling at the ends of his hair, “Shit, shit.”

“Shit, shit,” Billy echoes, giggling.

“How much is he going to remember in the morning?” Dustin asks Steve.

“I don’t know! I don’t even know what you guys gave him!” Steve throws a hand towards Max, “She gave it to him.”

“Max,” Billy’s got that taunting tone again, “You’re in trouble.”

“Shut up,” Max puts a hand to her forehead, “What if he dies?”

“Max,” Billy calls again.

“Shut up, Billy,” Her eyes are a little red, “Shit.”

Lucas covers his face with his hands and leans against the wall to the kitchen.

“Were you tryna kill me, Max?” Billy smiles, his eyes going unfocused.

“No,” She cries, swiping her face.

“Leave me for the monster in the fridge?” Billy smirks.

“This is not good,” Dustin groans.

“Bet I taste bad,” Billy says, hiccuping in a laugh, “Real bad. Too sad.”

“Okay, maybe we wait and see what he remembers when he works it out of his system,” Lucas looks to Dustin, “Maybe it’ll be fine.”

The thumping from the kitchen makes everyone go still, except for Billy, still hiccuping and laughing. Lucas and Mike all edge closer to Steve, and he steps a little closer to the kitchen, hoping the fridge holds.

Steve’s mind races. The bat is in the car. He eyes the room, though the drawings are disorienting him. He can’t see a good weapon.

Steve grabs for the heavy glass ashtray on the coffee table, raising it high, he’s still got the goggles on, weighed down with all the gear from the tunnel, but he feels better with it in his hands.

“Billy, what are you doing?” Max yells behind him, and Steve glances over his shoulder. Billy’s rising, swaying on his feet but standing nonetheless. A curl sways lazily on his forehead and he reaches out as it to steady himself in thin air. He spreads his legs wide. Planting his feet, Steve supposes.

“Hargrove, stay down, I got this,” Steve creeps towards the kitchen.

“Stay down,” Billy says in a snide voice, lurching toward Steve.

“Hargrove, I swear no one is hurting these kids while I’m here,” Steve yells, “Now stay down.”

Billy just looks at Max, “It was monsters. Not…”

“Y-yeah, it was the monsters, they’re trying to kill our friend,” she says in a shaky voice, “But-“

Billy reaches in his pocket, fumbling with something.

“I have your keys, Hargrove, I got this,” Steve says inanely, still moving towards the kitchen.

“Get down, Billy,” Max says, and then she gasps, almost choking, “You had this the whole time?”

There’s a metallic sound, and Steve glances over his shoulder. She’s holding a knife, not long, but wickedly serrated.

Billy puts a limp hand on her shoulder, swaying, “Always carry a knife.”

Max stares up at him, “What were you gonna do with this?”

He just cocks his head, “What?”

“Were you… my friends…”

“Max,” Billy’s lids are heavy, “No. It’s for monsters. And other shit.”

Steve turns back to the kitchen, heart pounding in his chest. He reaches back with one hand, almost sighing with relief when Max hands it over, handle first. He flips it handily, shoulders relaxing. Instantly, his mind feels clear.

“Dustin,” Steve cocks his head towards the trash can lid, “Protect yourself, then open it up.”

“Are you fucking serious?” Dustin’s brows are knit low over his eyes, “No, we should just barricade the fridge.”

“Dustin,” Steve nods at him, “I’ve got this.”

He glances back over his shoulder one last time. Billy’s still standing somehow, reaching for Max and shoving her behind him, and then gesturing for Lucas.

Lucas just stares back at him.

“I’m fucking sorry, alright, I thought you were stalking her, get back here. You too… you… whatever your name is,” Billy waves his hand in the air towards Mike.

“Dustin,” Steve turns back, “You open the door, and you duck behind that thing. If anything goes wrong, go to Billy, alright?”

Dustin’s eyes dart between the two older boys.

“Just… do it,” Steve grits his teeth.

Dustin frowns, but then he nods, “Fine. But you better not die.”

“Okay, sure, I can promise that I guess,” Steve flips the knife, throwing Dustin an incredulous look, and catching it by it’s tip, “Do it.”

Dustin stuffs an oven mitt on his hand and reaches out, pulling the door open swiftly and ducking behind it.

The light must have surprised the demodog, or it was leaning on the door or something. It slides out, landing with a splat on the linoleum, its claws flailing in the air. Steve crouches low, almost closes his eyes before he does it, but he’s pretty sure he only has one shot.

He doesn’t go for any spins or anything fancy, just throws it once, overhand. He flings his arm out, pointing down at the demodog as it rolls onto it’s feet and howls, it’s horrible head peeling open like a rotten orange.

Lucas probably could have aimed better. But the thing still wails when the knife sticks in its throat. Steve jumps forward, grabs the handle, and yanks it down, monster goo covering his rubber gloves in an instant.

The demodog wails, a horrible ear splitting sound, and Steve can hear the kids scream behind him. The lights flicker briefly, and then go out, and the body goes limp.

When he turns back, the kids are huddled around Billy, who’s flopped back onto the couch, snoring loudly.

Lucas frowns down at him, “Don’t take it to heart, Steve, that was really cool.”

Chapter 9 out today on AO3 but Chapter 1 is pretty good on it’s own.

[fairymascot]

hello, here are my rambly thoughts about the yellowjackets s2 finale, because i watched it a few hours ago and i'm just barely beginning to process it. cut for mega huge spoilers, obviously.

so the first thing i did upon finishing s2 was of course googling when s3 was due. and it was then i saw the show was planned for five seasons. this flabbergasted me, as i had totally assumed s3 would be the last. i mean, SO MUCH stuff had already happened. how much more stuff could possibly go down.

but once i had time to really take it into consideration, it... totally reconfigured my perception of the show so far. i suddenly realized that the first two seasons were little more than an interlude. an exposition. think about it: we saw each character in their own separate lives, dealing with their own separate dramas. only periodically, partially intersecting. and all their dramas, the budding conspiracies, the attempts to tie it all together -- ultimately, it all fell through. shauna's lover really was just a random nobody with no ill intent. the shady reporter was just an agent taissa hired to snoop around a bit. taissa's son is probably perfectly normal, and the only issue was her. travis really did just kill himself. they are all just sad, fucked up people, who were mostly fucking up their own lives.

this is because none of this was the real plot of yellowjackets. the real story in the present timeline begins in the last couple episodes of season 2, when they are all finally fully reunited. actually, to be more specific, it begins in that scene in the last episode where they embrace the darkness anew, and begin the chase.

this darkness, this thing that came from the wilderness with them -- whether it originated from within them or without, it is clear it is so much bigger than them. and that is the heart of the story, not cheating or blackmail or murder investigations: how these adult women will handle the darkness that almost wholly consumed them as teens. will they succumb to it? or will they rise up against it? that's what we're just barely beginning to see as of s2.

now, regarding natalie's death. the fact i am devastated aside-- i see numerous fans complaining, calling it bad or even malicious writing to kill her when she was the only character beginning to grow in an actually positive manner. and while i understand that it's frustrating and upsetting, it's also exactly what needed to happen. BECAUSE natalie was healing, she could not remain. BECAUSE she was beginning to build a life for herself and put the past, the wilderness, behind.

in fact, her death itself was an act of defiance: she broke their fucked up hunting game by sacrificing herself to protect someone outside their circle. yes, in a way, she did what the wilderness wanted. but in a way, she was also telling the wilderness 'fuck you'. she was resigning as queen. she was resigning as hunter. she chose humanity. she was ending the game. if the remaining seasons are indeed about those women stepping up to face the darkness head on, then natalie's refusal to participate, and her prioritizing a (healthy, untainted) connection to an outsider, meant she had to be removed.

i have no idea what the show holds in store. the thought that we're not even halfway through is dizzying. but i can say one thing with a fair amount of confidence: i do not for one second believe this is a show about healing.

sorry, natalie. you were doomed the second you started getting better.

[lloyd-the-green-gremlin]

*deep sigh*

Okay, I'm ready.

What order to watch Lego Ninjago media in?

—CRONOLOGICALLY

Khm.. Sorry, the little gremlin living inside my head and eating up my brain said that...

I will give you my toughts and to summarise them:

Imo this is totally up to what you enjoy and have the patience to endure. I watched from start to finish - almost, i will get to that - and just finished Dragon's Rising. But you don't have to do that of course. I will describe each "etap" of seasons, so you can choose and decide what is best for your viewing experience.

The older seasons AKA pre-movie:

This is from S1 to S7, before they got rebooted. These seasons lay down the basics, in lore and about the characters. You get info on elemental powers, FSM, the multive- i mean the different verses. They vary in quality, but i can say my fav ninjago episodes and seasons come from this era. But if you dont want to look at the crusty ass animation and just wanna get to the later seasons (for some reason, idk i can't look into your head), then watch:

S1 - Rise of the Snakes

S2 - Legacy of the Green Ninja

S3 - Rebooted

S5 - Possession

BONUS : S6 - Skybound

Although a lot of people shit on Hands of Time, personally i love it, but the story got cut in half and basicly never gets reference, you can cut that from the watchlist. (also guys. lets be real, the Chen season is way too overrated and was not half as good as yall make it out to be)

Or just watch a lore video and skip the juicy stuff

Post-movie , visual reboot, Lloyd begins puberty and finally gets a haircut:

From S8 to S13. Okay . the post-movie has a lot of misses. The simplified a lot of the characters, changed up stuff, overall very eh meh. I recomment you watch

S8 - Sons of Garmadon

S9 - Hunted

S11 - Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu (the first part is eh but it has some fun lore stuff later)

S12 - Prime Empire

S13 - Master of the Mountain

I will warn you that this is where they did the "10 minute episodes" for a while, and that wasn't a very nice viewing experience. Also the Oni season could have been really good, they just had some writing issues, so imo its overall skippable.

The "miniseries" or "why do you keep abandoning your cool storylines":

so we got to The Island and Skybound, the are interconnected and really good seasons, Nya focused and have cool sets and figures. Go watch them.

Then theres ...ugh...Crystalized.. the one season i half watched-half skipped. Why must they drag my girl Harumi's corpse up from the grave and cut in half a nicely written thing that could have given us a possible Morro comeback? Doc, why. so, Imo its skippable and doesent really get brought up later either. It does some fun stuff with Lloyd, but the way they took his dad's characterisation is icky. To me.

NEW GEN! Dragons, references, and being confusing about key lore again:

I am of course yapping about Dragon's Rising. We have two seasons so far, and the writng, the cast and the designs are peak. I would recommend watching it fully, very enjoyable.

OVERALL SUMMARY:

If you are picky about your content and want to limit what you wathc, the abobe is my recommendation. But really, you only get the good thing if you watch it from start to finish. (but really, just skip Crystalised-)

If you do wanna eat it whole, you should watch the first two seasons to get lore and characters down, then watch the movie - that actually has little to do with the plot, but it will only such you in further. Also a lot of people write early seasons ninjago with the movie crossovers. Then watch the rest of the seasons, and then the movie again, pre-S8. Then finish the og series and watch the movie again.

Oh yeah, there's shorts! I recommend that you either watch them as they follow the series, or do a recap of them every few seasons, OR! watch them after you finish the main series to get recapped on old stuff, then plunge into Dragon's Rising.

DR could be enjoyed without previous ninjago knowledge, bit in my opinion , its best consumed with prior and intimate knowledge of the characters!

To close this unstoppable wordshitting ive been up to: Ninjago has lots and lots of content and if you get bored watching something, feel free to skip the hell away. I know the fandom loves deep lore theories, but even we dont understand half the shit we yap about.

Remember, the first rule of Fight Club Ninjago is #1 - Have fun and be yourself :)

ALSO READ FANFICTON ITS RLY GOOD -

[missyourflight]

some stuff i read and watched in september:

my brilliant friend (s1-3): had a bit of ferrante fever and rinsed through this, i think it's v well done as an adaptation -- it's been so long since i read the first couple of books that the casting of the lads made them feel much more vivid than i remembered, also i Need to go to florence

foundation (s2): honestly entertainment peaked with deranged space emperor clone lee pace spitting blood in ben daniels' face and snarling i fucking love it, hope to see it back in 2-3 years probably!

the gold: finally got around to this bc they were talking about it on the watch lol, very cool the way it sort of sprawls out from the original heist and just keeps going, classic dcoop sketchiness, still mulling over casting jack lowden as lymond bc what other blonde scottish actors even are there

starstruck (s3): ROSE MATAFEO FOREVER etc. this season pretty much an anti-romcom which i'm on board with, the friendship stuff fucked me up, not to get into but phew re: being single in your thirties while all your friends are having kids etc

passages: really liked this but somehow didn't love it quite as much as i expected to, franz ben adele perfect, whishaw really come full circle since basically playing the franz role in cock at the royal court lol, beautiful knitwear outfits homewares

the best years of our lives: like 3 hours long but doesn't feel it, quietly devastatingly empathetic story of returning ww2 veterans, i need to watch the five come back series on netflix bc william wyler is so so good

a haunting in venice: i would also like to go to venice, kenbran's having fun at least my dutch angle king, i hope they keep letting him make these forever although i also rewatched tenet and nothing here tops the part where he jogs slowly backwards through time

the broken hearts gallery: the best of a bunch of recent-ish romances i watched, geraldine viswanathan is a Star

michael clayton: somehow hadn't seen this before but very satisfying like corporate thriller, tom wilkinson and tilda are great, i want to rewatch andor now

elena ferrante, the story of the lost child: finally finished the neapolitan novels, fuck me up elena. can't think of a comparable series of like adult novels that go this hard for me, maybe st aubyn? yowl

colin walsh, kala: this ripped actually, loved like the irish specificity of the voices

james frankie thomas, idlewild: literally took critical damage every time i had to read the word HoYay but this was great and painful about like being a horrible little queer teenager and codependent friendships and livejournal and annotated fanfiction etc

marilynne robinson, gilead: ow i loved this, i think it's a real skill to make like goodness compelling, looking forward to being devastated by the rest of the series etc

sylvia townsend warner, lolly willowes: 🧙‍♀️🍂🌝

katie kitamura, intimacies: more things should be set at the courts in the hague tbh! made me think about translation a lot and also black earth rising

cat sebastian, we could be so good: sometimes you just want to read a gay romance about being in love with your best friend innit

operation mincemeat: omg i actually went to the theatre, this was silly and very much The British Hamilton but i loved it and i cried and i ordered drinks to my seat, 5 stars etc

the effect: i didn't see the original billie piper staging but i love lucy prebble and i loved this cast, literally paapa essiedu can do anything, kobna holdbrook smith reminded me that i should carry on with the rivers of london audibooks, one in a long list of signs that i should probably talk to someone about my mental health lol

[actuallylorelaigilmore]

Tagged by: Fave of faves @bethanyactually--and usually I save every post I'm tagged in to (at least theoretically) do later, but since I actually have returned to watching and listening to things lately, I'm gonna do this one right now.

Last song: Like You Do by Josh Ramsay. And Christian Kane's cover of Fast Car, both of which were recced to me by Leander, who knew I should hear them. But also, while I haven't listened to any of it since Tuesday, I woke up with the Daisy Jones and The Six soundtrack playing in my head...just like it has been ever since I originally started watching the series. Today it's mostly been The River featuring Simone, Regret Me, and More Fun To Miss. I know enough of the lyrics now for the soundtrack to be my constant mental radio as I go about my day.

Currently watching: Nancy Drew S2 (I'm 4 episodes in and enjoying it a lot), Schmigadoon S2 (I've seen half of it and it's still fantastic and I'm bummed I only have 3 episodes to go) and today I'm about to start my Good Omens rewatch so I can head into the new season full of S1 feels. Because my best friend is literally the best, I'm also partly through a DJATS rewatch with Leander seeing it for the first time--making that my favorite thing I am watching right now.

Currently reading: Nightwork by Nora Roberts (I'm about halfway through it and have been borrowing it from @actuallylukedanes forever and I feel very bad about that! I will finish it! I'm also partly through How to Raise an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi, also on loan from Leander. And before that, I was (and remain) partway through literally 20 other ebooks of all kinds--most recently Zero Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Secret Service by Carol Leonnig. There's a ton of great nonfiction that I already have on my tablet and know I'll enjoy cuz I'm that kind of geek...I just rarely read anymore because reading time is time I'm not spending with my millions of other hobbies.

Current obsession: As referenced above, Daisy Jones and The Six, which I am so so happy Leander is watching with me--both helping me get it out of my system a little and letting me indulge even more in my love of it. After we watched it on Wednesday, I was able to listen to something that wasn't the soundtrack for the first time, so I just may be able to dial this obsession down to manageable levels at some point. But GUYS IT'S SO GOOD. I want to gif it as soon as I get back to Photoshop and I kind of want to read the book, when I didn't before. I just want to burrow into the world and live there, and I haven't felt that way in quite a while, about anything. (It's made it harder to engage with other things, which is why I originally was going to add Ted Lasso's completed final season to my week along with Nancy Drew and Schmigadoon, but ended up not doing so because my head and heart are full of DJATS right now. But I missed this feeling, too, so I'm happy to be in love again.)

No-pressure tagging: @actuallylukedanes, @jicklet, @jakeperalta, @beturass, @hondagirll, @mythologicalmango, @dollsome-does-tumblr, @anextrapart, @sentichefuoripiove, @robbiedaymonds and anybody else who wants to do this.

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Monday, February 5

Buffy: He was my first... I loved him, and then he... Mr. Platt: ...changed. She looks up at him, surprised again. Buffy: Yeah. Mr. Platt: He got mean. Buffy: Yes. Mr. Platt: And you didn't stop loving him. Buffy doesn't know what to add or how to respond. Mr. Platt: Look, lots of people lose themselves in love. It's, it's no shame. They write songs about it. The hitch is, you can't stay lost. Sooner or later, you... you have to get back to yourself. Buffy: (considers) And if you can't? Mr. Platt: If you can't... (inhales) Well, love becomes your master, and you're just its dog.

~~Beauty and the Beasts~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Nobody knows it like you do, babe (the lengths we will go to) (Angel/Lindsey, E) by test_kard_girl

Call Me Cupid (Angel/Drusilla, M) by TheClowniestLivInExistence

Cherry Pop (Buffy/Faith, E) by ThatShipper13

Hangover Bad (gen, G) by ardavenport (adavenport)

Please Be Gentle (Darla/Drusilla, M) by AmmoniteSkin (AmmoniteFlesh)

Practice Makes Perfect (Buffy/Spike, E) by MaggieLaFey

[Chaptered Fiction]

Bonds of Shadows Chapter 19 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by Chewbacha

Cinder-Buffy Chapter 17 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by holetoledo

Rise Chapter 26 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by CheekyKitten

Lie to Me Chapter 7 (Buffy/Spike, Adult Only) by In Mortal

A Second Chance- Their Story Chapter 7 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Loup Noir

Cherry On Top Chapter 29 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Maxineeden

Rebehold the Stars (Love from the Other Side of the Apocalypse) Chapter 6 (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by Asokatanos

If You Don't Want Him... Chapter 3 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Spikelover4ever

Coming Through Chapter 15 (Buffy/Spike, Adult Only) by hulettwyo

Love Lives Here Chapter 18 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Passion4Spike

The Apron Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by hulettwyo

Rise Of The Sineyans Chapter 3 (Buffy/Faith, M) by BlueZeroZeroOne

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork:happy 20th anniversary of ats season 5 episode 12 you’re welcome by artsying-ifer

Artwork:Intervention by frenchublog

Artwork:Angel by pinkpersonsblog

Artwork:they made a male character so fuckable they had to give him the manic pixie dream girl speech by justafriendofxanders

Artwork:⚰️ BTVS 517. Forever ⚰️ by tmcarlee

PODCAST:BTVS 509 - Listening To Fear by anotherbuffypodcast

PODCAST:Episode 14 - ReVivicaFoxication and the Bowling Nemesis (When She Was Bad) by thesunnydalediaries

PODCAST:Season 6 As A Whole (Buffy and the Art of Story Podcast) by lisalilly

[Fandom Discussions]

reasons why Riley sucks by elysianholly

Ask game - Spike by yesitsterriblysimple

Ask game - Giles by yesitsterriblysimple

Buffy vs Black Widow (by Joss) by Synch

Initial Reaction to Buffy continued by multiple posters

30 Day Challenge: BtVS vs AtS continued by multiple posters

Discussion of 4.01 "The Freshman" - Aired 10/5/99 (WB-US) continued by multiple posters

Comical Quotes by Moptop

Explaining Jenny’s body - questionable policework in Sunnydale by Taake

S2 EP 20 "Go Fish" - Finally It's Over by olliedollie1204

So I just finished “I Will Remember You” in Angel by Irislovesneko

You wake up and find yourself in Sunnydale. What's the first thing you do? by RemoteAvocado4258

OMWF, a live performance by caldude1985

That smirk is pure Angelus by altright

I'm watching season 5 for the first time by heartacheaf

Plot hole s3e3 by ZiggySaysSmile

Season 4 appreciation thread by jdpm1991

Does anyone happen to know why eps are missing on Disney+? by benedictwinterborn

At the end of Tabula Rasa... by BeccasBump

Clem appreciation post by Unable_Earth5914

What was D'Hoffryn's agenda re: Anya in S7 by Nostromo87

What did one of your least favorite characters do that you actually respected? by InfiniteMehdiLove

BTVS for a modern audience? by RegisterAfraid

Which one of these do you think it’s the best dialogue between Wes and Illyria? by JellyfishDry9464

In this episode when Buffy decided she had to kill Anya she came off as such a hypocrite by Mundane-Client3467

What is Your Buffy: The Vampire Slayer and/or Angel WTF Moment? by Big-Restaurant-2766

S5E7 Fool For Love, Buffy's Look by PurplishPlatypus

S6 1st *rewatch* ever by caldude1985

One thing I have learned to really appreciate about BTVS with streaming/binge-watching by dragonsrawesomesauce

how did it not occur to the remaining scoobies that they would need to dig out the grave by Wendy-M

The Sunnydale High Sentinel staff doing the real journalism by altright

The grappling hooks though by EuphoricNebula1947

Thoughts on this conversation from "Never Leave Me"? by SafiraAshai

What storylines did BTVS do in 1997-2003 that they couldn't now? by Old-Emphasis-7190

What was Angel's deal? by Jazzlike-Dog-8401

[Community Announcements]

Welcome to Spangel Saturday by spangel-fic-marathon

Welcome to Day Five of February Fangfest! by februaryfangfest

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

[m1ckeyb3rry]

HAHAHA you know I would eat that fic up if you chose to write it…but also omg yes take some time to refresh and take advantage of your vacay!!! I’m fully prepared to have my jaw drop to the floor at the wc LMAO

Karasu on the mind at all times it’s unavoidable he’s just so extraordinary…!!! The Karasu inspiration truly is everything LOL he’s just too good of a man!

All this hype actually hyped me up but take your time LMAOO wouldn’t want it burning you out!!

Also HSHGSH OMG guys our rise to fame….Im crying I just saw your reblog we’re making it big!!! Also fr im so surprised? Actually I think I just saw some news that the usual TLers are starting to work on it but even so they’re dividing up the work and chapters which is a little different than usual I think? I lowk wonder if maybe it really was just an issue with character popularity? Like if the TLers were invested/interested in the characters they probably would’ve automatically done it as it came out like some of the previous LNs but who knows LOL

Trust once the tabieita plus kurona/zantetsu one comes out im aiming to be the first to TL….for my own sake as much as others LMAO I lowk think they’d get translated faster than this recent one but now that I think about it I’m not sure because I’d like to think that Barou at least is around the same popularity level if not more than tabieita? I guess we’ll find out but yeah I thought it was interesting how the usual people didn’t jump at the TL opportunity

- Karasu anon

OMG OMG OKAY SO I FINALLY FINISHED WRITING IT!!! FINALLYYYY bruh it’s so surreal 😭 going to do my nightly skincare and then begin the proofreading process so it will hopefully be out asap!! and eek i hope it lives up to the hype 😟 at least it’s really long and has fuckass baby karasu?? so pros and cons either way 😰

it’s crazy because pre-fwtkac i could NOT for the life of me think of any ideas for karasu and now i can’t stop 😓 he’s just literally perfect i love him sooo much but nagi…and otoya…tbh it’s not even that i love otoya but HOLLYHOCK ☝🏻 like hollyhock y/n come back to me PLEASEEE

i feel like it def just came down to very few people being invested in yuki and even fewer in aryu so it just didn’t get picked up and then barou kinda got lumped in w them and got a negative halo effect 😭💔 i do think the tabieita ones would get translated quicker especially because they might come out closer to s2?? but your translations are by far the most readable i’ve come across so as long as you’re not too busy/tired i’m sure all of those in the miraverse will appreciate your hard work 🙏🏻 i still think it’s so funny we got linked to though FJSKJDSJ now random people are reading snippets of our convos so they can get to the yukimiya chapters which cracks me up because they have like zero context for what we’re saying DJSKKSK the mira + karasu anon lore goes so deep no one can catch up atp we’re just on a diff level 🥱

[bisexual-neco-arc]

uhhh gomens s2 spoilers ahead anyway now that people r finally more comfortable acknowledging that the creator is a bad person. can i say something that's been on my mind for a while abt s2 if y'all promise not to tear me limb for limb

good omens season 2 was not even remotely enjoyable to sit through. like respectfully i understand they had to work w a lot of shit like actors & actresses having scheduling conflicts & i dont want to shit on those creative choices specifically, but god. the writing of it overall felt so awful compared to s1's. i'm so serious when i say i finished watching it and instantly felt all my interest in the series vaporize. y'all, when s1 dropped i was hyperfocused on it for two straight years and one of my names came from the fucking show. i have genuinely never felt that kind of way about a series in years.

and not to sound like a conspiracy theorist but I am willing to bet cold hard cash that that ending was 100% done the way it was SOLELY to boost demand for s3. you cannot tell me there is any other reason for s2 having ended like it did. that final episode just felt... so out of place compared to where the rest of the plot had been going & how the previous season resolved. holy shit.

it was bad, we all knew it was bad, and the kiss was thrown in there so nobody could point this out without the particularly rabid fans of the show rising up to accuse them of wanting to steal a happy ending from two very made-up tangentially-gay characters.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[whirlybirbs]

✶    —   of gift-giving  ;    d.d.

summary: set post-s2 finale. din deals with the loss of the child. it’s life day. 

pairing: din djarin x mechanic!reader

a/n: happy holidays, babes, enjoy a little emotional blurb on christmas eve. i hope this serves as a happy little distraction from the world tonight. i love you all. stay happy and stay healthy. 

what do you get a man who has just lost his whole world?

before, it seemed like the possibilities for a life day gift were endless.

new modded-out wing thrusters for the razor crest were now out of the question (because the razor crest itself is out of the question), and that set of little, woolen jumpers you’d set aside after a trip to yavin’s third moon have no use. 

and, you seriously doubt din would find little joy in a new blaster. after all, he had enough anxiety resting in the palm of his hand alongside the darksaber — new weaponry would, no doubt, send him into an (increasingly more common) silent spiral.

everything was different now.

you’d seen his face that day, with the horrible moff gideon at your feet as a jedi knight’s robes kissed the polished floor. in the absence of his son — his kin as close as blood — there was something sad that settled into the lines beneath his eyes. if he cried, you did not see. no, you hid your intrigue; when he turned, helmet at his feet, your eyes hit the floor. habit.

but, that is different now.

now, on the eve of life day, you’ve grown accustomed to din’s face and the hot stir the sight of it brings. the feelings you bore for din are common place — they’ve burrowed a home in your heart for cycles, even before the child, back when you were simply an on-hand mechanic from mos eisley. din had taken you into his crew, and... well, you hadn’t looked back.

the kid — grogu — cemented the fact that maybe this was where you really did belong: among the stars, beside a man in glimmering beskar armor. 

at times, it was like he held the world in his hands. eagerly, he showed you what he could. it was one of din’s gifts — silent kindness that seeped deep into his every act. he had a good heart, despite his attempts at seeming more like a stand-offish rogue. 

this place, once home to jabba desilijic tiure, remains unnamed. boba fett has yet to find a fitting name for the sprawling castle in the dunes — but, for now, it is a haven for both din and yourself. fett, in age old warrior wisdom, can see that din is not himself. this period of mourning must be spent in a place of safety. 

every evening, over dinner, you thank fett. every night, those warm, brown eyes — as deep as warm amber — crinkle just a bit at the edges from your words. he can tell you mean it. if not for your sake, then for din’s. 

tonight, dinner is meager, but you happily inhale the ration aside fennec in the main hall. where dancers once leapt over the rancor pit like stars leaping across the night sky, the lot of you eat. 

din is silent. his jaw tenses when fett spares him a wondering look. between the two mandalorians, nothing is said, yet there are a thousand words. din is quick to finish. you watch has he rises, fetches his helmet, and wipes at his chin.

his footsteps lead far from the hall. 

boba speaks curtly. 

“go to him.”

your mouth is full of quickened bread, throat dry as you swallow down the oats that had been scooped up on the piece. you feel like a prey, pinned in place by fennec and fett. yet, no one is going for your throat. it is, in fact, kindness that’s seeped into their gazes. 

boba’s warm voice is cadenced with a gentle tone. 

“... and happy life day, sweet one.”

you find din alone, out the front gate and staring up at the stars. he’s perched on the edge of the long stone slab that once marked the entrance to the palace — but time and the changing tides of the sand have eroded the mound away, leaving a sharp drop off into the dunes below. there is another dune, to the left, that leads up to the palace now. fennec’s footprints remain from the earlier to trek into town. 

you watch as the wind, gentle and slow, begins to brush them away.

the twin suns are hot, still, despite having retired below the horizon nearly half an hour ago now. the sky is pink and hot red and it paints din all sorts of hues.

the little gift in your back pocket feels heavier than ever now.

“din?”

your voice is met with a grunt.

his head turns, slowly and ever-so owlishly, at the call. you near.

“i have something for you.”

when you settle on the edge, hip touching his, you’re comforted by his silence. it’s the usual sort, not the kind tipped with sorrow. you wonder — hopefully — if that’s your doing. or, maybe, you’ve caught him in a good mood.

“a gift?” he asks. his voice rattles through the vocalizer in his helmet and suddenly you miss the warm sound it carries when dancing off his lips, unburdened by the beskar. 

“it’s... it’s life day,” you say slowly, “or, well. tomorrow is, i suppose.”

“i...” a pause, then his helmet tilts, “i didn’t get you anything.”

you wave his words off, leaning to reach into your back pocket. you smooth your tunic and swing your boots. the little parcel, wrapped childishly in some tawny colored fabric you found laying around, sits in the palm of your hand neatly. 

the bundle, in din’s eyes, says a lot about you — about your feelings towards him. suddenly, with the force of a thousand thrusters, din realizes he hasn’t been very kind to you these last few weeks. he’s been frustrated and upset and angry and sad, so terribly sad, but...

he can see, in the lines below your eyes, that you have been too. 

“here.”

he takes it. and with one hand, reaches up to pull his helmet from his head.

the mop of brown hair is always a surprise. it makes you smile. a dash of happiness that comes as quick as it goes. din barely catches it. he wishes, earnestly, it would stay for longer.

“should i...?”

“go ahead, open it.”

he pulls back the delicately tied fabric, and all at once feels his heartstring snap.

it’s the gear knob. 

that stupid, small, scratched to hell gear knob that the kid was so obsessed with. he’d managed to scrap it from the wreck but... 

you’d gotten a hold of it. and you’d fashioned it into....

well, he isn’t quite sure.

you lean. 

“boba and i were speaking a week or so ago about armor,” you say slowly, “he used to have trophies on his pauldron, but he mentioned that some embellishments can be highly sentimental. so...”

din pulls the knob, and realizes it’s welded to a chain and at the end of the chain lays a clasp. 

“might make some noise, clang around a bit but...”

“thank you.”

his eyes are brown. you hadn’t forgot, but still, the sight makes your heart hammer. his nose is sharp and strong, and his lips are upturned in a delicate sort of smile. you wonder how often that look graces his face. how often does it hide beneath his beskar, like the rest of him?

“it’s not much.”

“it’s everything.”

you make a sad sound then. you lean back on your palms. the sand digs into the pads of your fingers. din’s eyes follow you, and he frowns.

“i haven’t been... i haven’t been there for you,” he says suddenly, already moving to clasp the totem to his armor, “and i’m sorry.”

the knob sways. it glimmers in the setting sun and tinkers against the beskar like a bell. 

“we both lost him, din,” you say tenderly, “i haven’t exactly been ready to accept the fact.”

“i know, but,” he lets out a ragged sigh. his gloved hand reaches up to rub his jaw. to din, the action seems foreign despite being a recent addition to his body language, “we still have one another.”

a beat. a slip of silence.

“and i don’t want to lose you as well.”

the admission is soft.

it’s all you really needed for life day. 

you turn your head, eyes pulled from the setting suns, and find din’s. his face is calm. the sorrow there has retired for now. you touch his cheek gently. the feeling of stubble beneath your fingertips feels different — so different from when you’d touch it with your eyes screwed shut in the belly of the razor crest.

you kiss him. and he kisses you. 

everything is different now, but some things are still the same.

[goldenspecter]

Cosmo’s TMNT Masterpost

(Rise, 2003, 2012, and others)

Here’s where you can find pretty much everything I’ve ever made for the TMNT fandom! Fanfics here[haven’t gotten the courage to post fanart here yet], hope you guys enjoy my work. Reblogs are appreciated!

Fanfics

1. Finding my way home(and moving forward)

Out of sheer curiosity, Leonardo and Donatello looked up, and there it was.

A portal.

Had the Universe really taken pity on them? Had it really heard his desperate prayers for one more chance?

It was not like the ones they had seen before, it was an irregular circle made up of several shades of blue, completely different from the perfect and symmetrical pink triangles of the Kraang.

Leonardo and Donatello looked into each other's eyes for a few moments, "Should we go in?" Donatello asked, almost shouting, drawing the attention of the others, who quickly turned to the portal and to see each other, then the two brothers in question.

"It's our best bet, and our only chance," replied Leonardo.

Or rather, with the 2012 kids' home gone, they end up in the Rise verse after a strange portal shows up. Therapy is needed, and start the slow process of healing from their trauma.

(Rise/2012, Work in Progress, written with @keeryd​ )

2. Strawberry Cookies:

"Mikey here was just about to tell me what we could do to cheer Raph up while he's sick," Donnie says. "Mikey continue?"

Now that Mikey had both of his older brothers attention, he grins. "I was thinking we make strawberry cookies!" He does his jazz hands as he says this and is met with looks of something that he can only put as disapproval. "What?"

"You do know that everytime that we have tried to make it-" Donnie starts.

"We mess it up and Raph has to come in and save our butts from burning the cookies?" Leo finishes, "What would be different this time?"

Mikey huffs, "We are doing this so we can cheer him up and to prove that we can do something on our own!" he says, "That's what got Raph sick in the first place!"

Or rather, Raph gets sick after helping his brothers recover from the poisoned pizza puffs. Mikey, Donnie, and Leo take a shot at baking cookies for Raph while trying not to burn their kitchen down.

(One shot, complete)

 3. Chicken Fried Rice:

“I only poured in half a pot of rice,” Donnie complained.

Mikey stared at him, really stared at him before he spoke. “You do realize that rice expands when cooked right?” he said, “You do realize that?”

Donnie was silent, looking away from Mikey.

“Donnie!”

Donnie makes chicken fried rice. Mikey watches over. Shenanigans and brotherly fluff ensue.

one shot in which Donnie is in the kitchen, cooking rice and Mikey, Mikey is positive he should have gotten Donnies braincell. 

(One shot, complete)

 4. Tea Time with Hortense and Patty: 

"Sooo," Raph starts. She's always been weird with awkward silences. "Are these grandma kinning hours?"

"Grandma hours!" Mikey exclaims excitedly. "Grandma time!!!"

"Ah, if it isn't our favorite girl and her little brother!" Hortense tilts her head over in their direction slightly. "Are you going to join us? We were just about done arguing," she says.

---

Today is Tea Time. Two old ladies have a tea party, one of them forgets to bring the food, and they are joined by Mikey and Raph. A good time is still had.

(One Shot, Complete)

5. One of those Days

When Donnie woke up this morning, he woke up with the familiar thrum of anger and irritation running through his body with more intensity than normal. Rubbing the crust out of the corners of his sleep-addled eyes, he jerkily grabbed his phone and turned off the alarm. It's one of Those Days, Donnie noted. Those Days where Donnie isn't capable of handling Mikey's over-enthusiastic optimism or Leon's chaotic trickster nature. His safest bet is to hang out with Raph, his calm and mellow demeanor always helped calm down before Donnie went on a rage fest and say anything he couldn't take back.

Or, Donnie and Raph help each other out, balance each other, and make things a little less difficult.

(One Shot, Complete) 

 6. Gift Hunting: 

“It’s Leo. Tiny Leo,” the voice answers. “I need your help with something.”

“What is it?”

“I can’t say until you say yes first,” Leo says. “It’s really important though.”

Angelo is silent, weighing his options. He could say no, he really could-

“Please, Angelo, you’re the only one who can really help me with this,” Leo pleads.

Rather, Angelo and Leonardo go out in the streets of New York to help the blue banded turtle find gifts for his brothers' sixteenth mutation day. Bonding and fluff ensues.

(One Shot, Complete)

 7. Aftermath:

“Raphie bear?” Mikey called out, gently tapping Raph, with relief washing him when Raph turned his head to face him. “What’s the matter teddy bear?”

“Th-thi-this doesn’t feel real.” Raph stuttered out, his voice cracking as a sob broke through. “I’m not really here. Neither are you and everyone else. I’m still alone with Draxum and his minions. No one’s coming to save me because I was stupid enough to get captured and no one wants such a worthless turtle like me.”

In which Raph was kidnapped and tortured by Baron Draxum and his family has to deal with the aftermath of it.

(One Shot, Complete)

 8. To Be the Eldest

Donnie, the second youngest in his family, wishes he was the eldest for once. Then one night, Donnie gets his wish granted and now he was three small turtles in his care.

Donnie adjusts to being the eldest, comes to some realizations, and makes a promise to his (now) younger brothers.

(Work In Progress)

 9. Wanted: Snaggletooth 

Dr. Noel bent down on his knees in front of Raph, a manic smile that showed too many teeth coming about on his face speaking of pain and suffering that has yet to come. He stretched out his hand towards Raph’s face, placing a thumb under his mouth, pressing into his snaggletooth. “Beautiful. Just as I expected,” he crooned, pulling out a syringe and injecting it into Raph’s neck, pushing the contents of the syringe into his system.

Raph’s eyes fluttered as he started losing consciousness, watching through hooded eyes as Dr. Noel's smile grew even wider, with his last thought right as darkness consumed him being that he hoped his family would find him before it was too late.

Post S2 Finale, Dr. Noel remembers Raphael, his snaggletooth, and manages to find and capture the red masked turtle. It doesn't end well for Raphael.

(Work In Progress)

 10. Dimensional Differences:

They bow. Not like one of those pretentious bows like she would do at Yokai parties and not like the ones she would do with her brothers when they hosted tea parties. They bowed deeply, heads stopping at her stomach, one hand closing around their fists. This spoke of respect and honor.

And that unnerved her a little bit. Why are they bowing so deeply?

“Thank you,” they said in unison. It’s unnerving to April and she felt the uneasiness coming from her brothers too.

“Why are you thanking me?” She said finally, voice sounding foreign to her.

“You saved my life?” Baby Leo said slowly, voice tinged with confusion. “That was an honorable thing to do?”

April blinked, “It shouldn’t be considered honorable for doing what any big sister would do,” she said. “That’s not honor, that’s just being a good older sibling.”

In which April, Sunita, Casey, and the turtles end up in the 2012 verse after a mishap with Leo's ōdachi and stay with the 2012 turtles until they can go home. They find out a lot of things that don't quite jive with them. Some things are the same, some things are different and they're not quite sure how to handle those differences.

(Rise/2012, Work In Progress)

 11. Mind Meld Part Deux:

“Oh thank Galileo that you all are back to normal!”

“What do you mean we’re back to normal?” Raph questioned, pulling back from the hug. Mikey and Leo also pulled back to stare at Donnie. “We’ve-we’ve always been like this?”

Donnie went quiet. He shouldn’t have said that.

“Donnie, what did you do?”

The brothers found out about Donnie’s Mental Intelligence Reprogrammulator. Arguments are had, words are said, words that tear a rift between him and his family, and it’s up to Donnie to earn his brothers’ forgiveness. The only thing is, will he get it?

(Work In Progress)

 12. I'm a little kid and so are you(don't you go and grow up before I do):

The 2003 turtles somehow, someway ended up in the Rise verse, with Rise Splinter and his turtle tots, and stay with them while the boys try to figure out their way home. 2003 Raphael got attached to his tiny counterpart the moment he laid eyes on the tot. (Raph centric)

(Rise/2003, Work In Progress)

 13. Dimensional Self-Isolation

Post S2 Finale, Raph finds himself trapped in the 2012 universe and has a difficult time coping with all of the differences that this world has in store for him. From new villains, unfamiliar familiar faces, and the way the 2012 boys and Splinter treat each other and him, Raph has a heavy plate on his hands during his long term stay.

(Rise/2012, Work In Progress)

14. A Collection of Turtle Thoughts

A collection of drabbles and ficlets about Turtles I've been writing since October 2020. Ranges from humor to hurt/comfort, I have it all.

Requests are open. SFW only though.

(All Iterations, Work in Progress)

If y’all reblog, read, and share my work, I’d really appreciate that! Anything and everything is appreciated, money or not! Thanks folks 🐢💕