#which i am extremely looking forward to because she's adorable

[wlwprker]

coffee + post it notes- s.r. x barista! reader

a/n: I am so bad with titles omg sorry! I literally had a dream about this so I'm turning it into a little blurb! I have never written for Spencer before so i hope this is okay haha :) this was longer than i expected omg lol

warnings: minimal proofreading, use of bold and italics, I apologize for grammar or spelling mistakes

wc: 1,126

Spencer was not having a great morning, he was not anticipating the rain to be as heavy as it was and just as luck would have it, his umbrella got stuck and was not helping to protect him from the downpour. Spencer sighed in annoyance as he bolted and nearly lost balance as he got on the train, the ride was not bad but there was one thing he needed more than anything:

coffee.

Spencer is not a coffee drinker at all, he drowns his coffee in lots of sugar that Derek teases him for which is ridiculous, he needs the sugar! He was early enough, he usually is one of the first people to enter the building, but he didn't want to wait for coffee, he needed the caffeine as soon as possible. Spencer stops in his tracks when he sees a quiet coffee shop that is very close to work, and he has no idea how he has never seen it before. Spencer pushes open the door to The Thinking Cup Cafe and the smell of coffee and pastries hits him all at once but there's a third smell that hits him that most people don't pick up on, but Spencer picks up on it immediately.

The smell of books.

Spencer sighed happily, his bad morning long forgotten as he took in the shelves of books that lined the walls and the quiet bustle of the morning rush of people getting their caffeine to start their day. Spencer walked up to the counter to place an order, but he almost tripped over himself when he made eye contact with you. You were really pretty, it made him extremely nervous.

"Hi! What can I get for you today?", you ask with a smile on your face and that smile warmed him instantly and he hasn't even had a sip of coffee yet.

"Oh- I'd just like a medium black coffee with lots of sugar, please", Spencer hated the way he nearly forgot how to speak because of you. You were just a barista at a coffee shop, and he could barely get a full sentence out without stuttering.

"What's your name?"

"Spencer"

You smiled softly as you made his order, and your friend eyed you curiously as she watched you write out a little note on a post it note and folded it and tucked it behind the order receipt that you attached to the cup. Spencer thanked you for the coffee and headed to the office, he sat down at his desk and took a sip of his drink, but he caught sight of the post it and his eyebrows furrowed as he took the note and opened it and read:

I hope you have a good day :)

Spencer smiled and folded the note and tucked it away from prying eyes, he wanted to keep this a secret even if it meant nothing.

You looked forward to seeing Spencer even if he never came regularly which made you develop a tiny crush on him, you missed him when he didn't come in, you swore to never get hung up on a guy like this, but he felt...different.

Two weeks went by, and he had finally returned to your coffee shop and your coworkers took note of how you visibly glowed and they thought it was hilarious.

"You are a lost cause", your friend had whispered to you between handling customers, and you ignored her. Spencer scanned the shelves of the books, picked up two books and walked to the counter.

"Hi! welcome back! What can I get for you?", you felt like a little girl with a crush, but you couldn't help yourself, he just radiated kindness and he piqued your interest probably because you barely knew anything about him.

"My usual, and these two books, please", Spencer said shyly, and you found him incredibly adorable. You got his coffee for him and wrote out another note and stuck it one of the books, you decided to make it your thing with Spencer even if it never went anywhere, you enjoyed your little fantasy.

Spencer got back to his desk and opened one of the books and saw another note which made him feel warm inside, he liked that it was your own way of communicating with him, he felt special.

You are starting to become one of my favorite customers but don't tell anyone!

The smile on Spencer's face was huge and being a profiler surrounded by profilers, they were curious. JJ was the first one to make the step to approach Spencer because he rarely smiles like...that. She was intrigued.

"What is making you smile so much?" JJ asked and Spencer frantically packed his things away and stuttered out an excuse that was not believable at all.

"I'm betting it's a girl" Derek said as he watched Spencer at his desk for the fourth week in a row smiling brightly with a faint blush painting his cheeks. Emily nodded in agreement as she pondered what to do next. Penelope left her office to see what the huddled group was discussing, and her face lit up at the mere thought that Spencer had found someone.

"When can we meet her?"

Spencer nearly fell out of his chair as he busied himself with paperwork, but he knew he couldn't not answer her because she is persistent especially when it comes to her friends love life.

"It's nothing like that, I don't even know her name! She's just nice and very pretty", Spencer mumbled as he avoided Penelope's eyes. Spencer adored Penelope so he couldn't not spill the details to her.

Despite his best efforts, he walked into the coffee shop with Penelope, Emily, JJ, and Derek. He found himself looking at you while you were talking to a coworker, he just wanted to know you more than just the barista who gave him his coffee and slipped in notes.

"Spencer, hi!", you said as you smiled at him, and Spencer waved back with a goofy smile on his face. Spencer felt his face heat up at all the words of his friends praising you, he wanted to hide.

Spencer left his friends and walked up to you and you both fell into easy conversation as if you were friends for years and soon enough you both had to go back to your jobs, but you didn't want this connection with Spencer you had to end.

As if he read your mind, he scratched the back of his neck before speaking. "I don't want this to be over"

"It doesn't have to be, do you want my number?"

Spencer was grinning ear to ear as he pondered what the future held for the two of you.

[noroi1000]

Could I request a reader x gojo mafia!au sort of where reader is the married partner of gojo and has a pair of twin sons(who mostly looks like the reader n love their mama unconditionally 🥹💗) with gojo.reader n gojo had an arranged marriage because reader comes from an extremely powerful n wealthy family and after their marriage,gojo sort of quit his playboy life while reader doesn't hate him but doesn't love him either and has kids w him just to maintain the position as the mistress ( not in the sexual manner ) of the gojo family and just enjoys her life with all the luxuries which serve her and is basically so adored by the gojo family(gojo family here could include geto,nanami,megumi,yuji,shoko,mei mei,maki etc) n her family that's it's most like worshipping low-key.so basically gojo goes to a strip club for a business deal and there's this crazy stripper who becomes obssesed with him and tries seducing him but it doesn't work on him so basically the stripper goes stalker mode and tries hurting his wife n kids n even him but reader slyly finds out and puts her back in her place because reader always has been a bad bitch n forever will be one 💅🏼. now if u add smut,i won't mind it lol but it's not necessary,i just am craving badass n low-key evil n sexy rich wife n mom vibes for the reader

I don't love him, but I want to be with him

paring: Mafia boss Gojo x Wife reader

warnings: Mentioned sex, Swearing, violence, strip club

Words: over 3k

"You whore!" screamed the woman holding her hand over her mouth where she felt her tooth chipped off.

"Me a whore? Compared to you, I have a husband and two children. I don't betray him and I won't betray him." you replied massaging the magic knuckles on your fist. Sore from the impact.

"You don't even love him! You can't be his wife and be with him when there's no feeling between you!" she screamed crying through the pain in her mouth

"I don't love Satoru. But I want to be with him. Is it so hard?"

"Ow... Fuck... My tooth..." she moaned as she stood up.

"If you don't have teeth, now you'll be able to do your job more easily. You're a stripper, so giving ass is your job too. Like a whore."

"You–!"

"Don't interrupt me when I'm talking. Satoru shows no interest in you at all. To him, you're just a whore who makes money shooting her bare ass in front of guys."

"He's-"

"He was nice? During business he couldn't say no. You don't know how much he loves his children. That's why you don't stand a chance. Know your place in go back to the club to pole dance for others." You turned around and started walking forward on the sidewalk. The sound of your boots echoed.  Suddenly you stopped. "Good advice to you, never get in the way of my family again. Or your life will turn into a lot worse than it ever was."

Your marriage was arranged. None of you wanted it.

But the longer you were together, the more comfortable it got.

You don't know if Satoru loves you or if he just feels some kind of attachment.

He may just consider you a member of his family.

After all, you are the mother of his two sons.

Two boys who love their dad, and they show it to him.

You never wanted to raise them to turn their backs on their father.

You don't want them to be brought up to hate someone from the start.

Your sons love you.

Whenever Satoru is not at home, they are with you.

For them, you are always with your husband. You couldn't betray him because you know he gave up his pleasures for you.

Your husband has always been a playboy. He played with different women, when you heard that he was going to be your husband, all you thought about was that to make your life with him easier. So no attachment to it. While he changes women like socks, you will do the same with men.

You weren't planning on liking him at all. You never planned to love him unconditionally.

You didn't plan on wanting a family with him.

Your one plan has worked.

You don't love him.

It doesn't mean you don't like him.

You don't love him, but you're with him because you're happy.

You feel attached to him. You're used to being his wife. You're used to seeing him every day. That you sleep in the same bed. That you kiss sometimes. That you hug.

You got used to being accepted into his family very quickly. To friends.

That you made a family together.

You don't love him, but you want to be with him.

You don't want anyone else because you want him.

Not just because he's good as a sex lover.

He is already your life lover. Because you don't want him to leave you. You want him to be who you live with.

You are together in such a nice way, for your children.

You don't know what that feeling might be because you didn't fall in love with it.

However, he does everything for you to make you feel like everyone loves you.

There is no love between you.

But you respect each other. You make both of you happy.

You want the best for each other, even if there is no such feeling between you.

Until finally, after some time with him, after your wedding, you could stand with him and your sons for a photo. With a smile that shows you're family.

And you will hate anyone who ever tries to destroy it. Because your children deserve the best.

You wanted a good life. And you were fine in the Gojo family.

That's why you bore him children...

But after they were born, that changed...

You're used to this family...

Maybe you don't love him, but you want to be with him.

Because here you are happy...

"What's going on?" you asked walking into your living room when you saw your husband sitting on the couch with his hand on his forehead.

"Hmm?" He grunted turning his head towards you. "(y/n)?"

"Something happened. You've never acted like this." You said, sitting down next to him. Being able to talk to him.

Your sons are in a private kindergarten. Or it could even be considered homeschooling... They will soon be five years old. Sometimes they study at home and sometimes away from home.

Your children who are twins have (h/c) hair and (e/c) eyes.

However, when you look at them, you see the features of their father's face. They also have something in their eyes that clearly indicates who their dad is. A clear sparkle in the eyes, showing that these eyes are special.

Besides, for six years you belong to the Gojo family, which is a very powerful mafia.

There are few family members who are related to Satoru. Most are dead now.

His friends make up his family.

"Something happened?" you asked him.

"No... How are the boys?" he asked, removing his hand from his face.

"They have an hour of study." You replied. "I've known you for a long time, and I know there's something you don't want."

"It's not like it bothers me, but I have a business meeting. One strip club. We used to go there when I wasn't married to you." He laughed.

"What's wrong with that?"

"I gave up my life as a womanizer for you and our children."

"I understand." You mumbled as you stood up.

"What do you understand?"

"You are a walking pervert. I know you haven't had sex in a long time and the moment some bitch turns on you, you're going to want to get your dick wet."

"You're cruel..."

"I'm only telling the truth." you shook your head with a small smile.

You got up and started walking forward.

"Satoru." you called.

He turned to look at you.

"We can go to the bedroom if you want." You waved at him.

Hearing this, he jumped off the couch and ran over to you.

"What have I done to deserve a beautiful wife like you?" He grinned wildly. "I don't tolerate blowjobs today. Maybe something wet? Can I put oil on you and massage you? Or a bathtub?"

His hand squeezed your buttock.

"Every time I try to be nice, you must be a pervert..."

"I? I did not do anything! You're the one who's offering me sex until the kids are gone." He moaned as he walked past you down the hall.

"Fine fine. Choose something you want." you murmured knowing that no matter what it is, it will be good for you.

Him as a mafia boss and you as his wife... No one expects your relationship to be anything other than money.

Maybe it is, but you're happy in this house. You have a family with him.

Even though you don't appear as a beautiful married couple in front of people, you are actually much closer when you are at home.

In your opinion, there would be nothing wrong with him having at least a little fun in this club. He met some women who would dance for him, touch him.

Maybe he gave up being a playboy too. But he must at least keep up appearances.

But you don't know if you want to know that he's cheating on you.

Even though your relationship is not for love.

You can't get used to holding his hand.

Even if that's what makes you happy.

The happiness of being in the family.

Happiness knowing that you have a partner with whom you will stay longer. Even if you don't love him...

You can kiss him, you can feel his hips hitting yours. You can hug him.

You will be close and you don't want to lose it.

A comfortable life together with the happiness that your children give you. And also he...

You won't let anyone hurt your children...

You won't let anyone destroy your family...

You won't let your happiness disappear...

You don't need wealth or anything his wealth can give you.

You just want the life you have now.

Seeing scantily clad women walking around the VIP floor, Gojo occasionally watched them.

But he was not seduced.

Thanks to you, his mind was clear, and he wasn't just thinking with his penis.

He could thank you and your body that he likes to touch so much.

Besides, he didn't want to be seduced by a woman who goes left and right.

He also cares about his family, and even though his sons often go with you, he still loves them.

And he wouldn't want them to have to live like he did when he was younger.

Simply put, his father was not afraid to bring different women into the house. Even if his mother was with him.

He didn't want that for his children.

He has left that life and is not coming back to it.

For the happiness of your family.

Arranged marriages were often just open relationships. After all, no one wanted to marry someone because others told someone to. People were married but no one cared about love.

Maybe it's the same with him, but he doesn't cheat and didn't want to be cheated on. For the sake of your children. you will be together.

In mafias, marriages are usually only for money and influence.

For example, that was the case with you.

He didn't expect it to ever change. That he will change.

But he loved his children... And he wanted you to be a normal family.

Since he knew you wanted to live next to him, he couldn't have done otherwise.

As women stroked his arms, thighs, and chest, he concentrated on talking to the man he was about to sign a contract with.

Nobody disturbed him.

Especially those women who knew that it would be best for them not to piss off a man who had a gun in his belt and could use it at any time.

Until another, more courageous one came along.

Other women have disappeared. Only she took their place on the couch.

"Bunny, long time no see, dear." Said a middle-aged man who was sitting in front of Gojo.

"Hello. I wonder who this handsome guy is. I don't think we've met yet ~." She purred, laying her head on his shoulder. Rubbing his biceps with his hands. Putting her bare thigh on his thigh.

"This is Gojo. I think you've heard that name, bunny~."

"oh yes! I heard that you are very powerful, rich, and so very handsome. But stories don't reflect the ideal~." she moaned, getting under his arm to snuggle against his chest.

Had he pushed her away, it would have been an unpleasant encounter. So he let her sit as she wanted.

Even though he knew getting rid of her might be a little difficult.

"Oh, Gojo. This is bunny. Our little bunny who is the cutest." said the man, taking a puff on his cigar.

"My wolf, I'm sorry, but this time I'm going to deal with another wolf. How about other bunnies take care of you?" she asked, massaging the white-haired'e inner thigh.

"I'd love to. A few more bunnies would be cute."

"Sorry to interrupt this conversation, but I'm in a bit of a hurry." Gojo said, looking at his watch.

It was true because you called him to pick up his sons at 6:00 p.m. from a class they wanted to attend because they enjoyed it.

"Oh, it's okay~. One dance, okay? That's the best for you. I do everything for handsome and rich people. And I like you more and more~." With that, she jumped into his lap, hugging his head against her chest. He swayed his hips slightly as she sat on him.

"I'm really in a hurry." He said emotionlessly, pushing her lightly and pulling her off his lap.

"Another meeting? I understand you're busy. So be it. These conditions are appropriate. The contract will be concluded." said the man signing the contract before handing the paper to Gojo.

Without a word, Gojo got up and started to leave, followed by Megumi and Yuji in turn.

Little did he know that this thing was the beginning of his misfortunes. Of which he did not know how they ended.

"Hey handsome!"

He looked at the woman who was standing next to their car, her hip resting on the cold metal.

"A pain in the ass..." Megumi growled, mirroring Gojo's thoughts.

As they approached, the woman lunged forward, tugging his tie down.

At the same moment, Yuji moved to let her go.

He was supposed to protect Gojo, so he wanted to commit.

The tall man's hand stopped him.

Seeing this, the woman smiled.

"Gojo-sama~ the VIP rooms are best decorated. Your meeting can wait. I'm going to wear a new outfit especially for you, which I'm supposed to wear from next week~."

As he placed his hand on her shoulder, she let out a sigh, feeling that he was already hers.

However, he pushed her aside.

"Out of the way." He said dismissing her. He adjusted his tie and got into the car.

When they drove away, they didn't see her pissed off face.

She was the most beautiful in the whole club. He couldn't reject her like that!

He was so handsome... All she could think of was that she wanted him for at least one night.

She only thought about having someone handsome and rich in bed. That she could be there for someone anytime, day or night. And give her body for comfort and money with which someone will pamper her.

When she finally found someone young, rich, and handsome, he didn't succumb to her body twice. She failed to seduce him.

But she's not someone who gives up that easily... There must have been a reason why he rejected her like that...

Jealousy had destroyed her, as had her curiosity.

Getting into the taxi, she told the driver to follow the black car. Promising a free dance for him if he does.

She saw him get out of the car, and on a cold evening as she stood hiding, she saw him go and open the door.

Only to see two identical children run into his arms.

She wanted to think otherwise is...

They couldn't be his children...

But when she heard the cheerful screams of "dad" she had no doubts.

In addition, she saw the smile of the man she wanted to win.

He had a family...

But she had to get what she wanted...

When she saw two children, the same as she had seen before, with a woman, she had to watch.

Because the children looked like a woman.

And they preferred her mother.

She had no doubt that this woman was the one who kept her from getting the perfect man for her.

So why keep her with him?

Her desires are more important than you...

You can disappear, only for him to finally notice her...

When she saw you shopping in expensive stores and surrounding yourself with other beautiful women, she was just jealous.

You had something to do with the mafia. The ring on your finger... You are his wife...

Three women with you, and one man in a suit.

Another woman, younger, was standing nearby.

Dark hair tied in a ponytail. Glasses on the face.

A blond man with glasses. He was handsome too...

One woman in a purple dress with white long hair, another with brown hair, smoking a cigarette outside before going back inside. And a third, with dark purple hair and a scar on her face.

All three dressed in pretty and fashionable clothes.

They all walked with you through clothes shops for women, men and children. And also to grocery stores. It was the usual shopping, but as always quite large.

You had lunch together several times a week. All.

You bought some sweets and other goodies.

Everything for the kids and you also packed some more for later.

Two boys still holding your hand or walking next to you.

She watched you until the end.

Until it got dark.

She took an empty glass bottle, and waited for the right opportunity.

You were her obstacles.

You and your children.

She didn't care that they were little boys.

It was your children that bothered her.

You were beautiful. You had what you wanted. You gave the kids what they wanted. You gave them love.

You were her obstacles, you made the man she wanted happy. That he didn't want her.

This is why...

When she saw you walking near the alley, she slammed the bottle against the wall, luring you.

When you heard some insults flying your way, you had no choice but to hand your sleeping son into Nanami's hands.

One son slept in Utahime's arms while Shoko and Mei carried their little backpacks that they wanted to carry to their favorite activities.

When you told them to go to the car and you were about to join, Maki objected, but it wasn't for long.

They knew you. You took care of yourself and the children.

You were an excellent mother.

You even took care of Satoru.

You were able to calm him down.

Even the biggest mafia boss acted like you were his boss.

You were a mother, and he was experiencing the moment of your pregnancy...

When you entered the alley, you saw a woman with broken glass in her hand.

"Who are you? Offending people you don't know is not something you should be doing in front of your children." you said standing in front of her. With a reproach telling her that it pissed you off.

"You took it from me! It's because of you that I couldn't seduce him!" She screamed, raising the glass at you.

"Who are you talking about?"

"It's because of you that Gojo-san rejected me twice!"

"That's sad." You said flatly. "You must be the stripper from the club. I had no way of telling you that my husband doesn't have many women anymore."

"You are disturbing my pleasant life! I'm the beautiful one and I'll be his beautiful woman to spoil!"

"It's dangerous." You muttered.

"You talk like a mother who sees her brat holding a knife!" she laughed. "I'm better than you!"

As she ran towards you with the glass, he suddenly hit her in the face. You felt something snap under your fist.

The woman staggered and fell to her knees.

"You whore!" she cried, holding her hand over her mouth. Where she felt her teeth snap off.

"Me a whore? Compared to you, I have a husband and two children. I'm not cheating on him and I won't be cheating on him." You replied massaging the enchanted knuckles on your fist. Aching from the impact.

"You don't even love him! You can't be his wife and be with him when there's no feeling between you!" she screamed crying through the pain in her mouth

"I don't love Satoru. But I want to be with him. Is it so hard?"

"Ow... Fuck... My tooth..." she moaned as she stood up.

"If you don't have teeth, now you'll be able to do your job more easily. You're a stripper, so giving ass is your job too. Like a whore."

"You–!"

"Don't interrupt me when I'm talking. Satoru shows no interest in you at all. To him, you're just a whore who makes money shooting her bare ass in front of guys."

"He's-"

"He was nice? During business he couldn't say no. You don't know how much he loves his children. That's why you don't stand a chance. Know your place in go back to the club to dance for others on roses. All you want is his money, you can't do anything. He thinks, and he is a normal man, who respects that he's got a happy family." You turned around and started walking on the sidewalk, the sound of your shoes echoing. Suddenly you stopped. "Good advice to you, never get in the way of my family again. Or your life will turn into a lot worse than it ever was."

"Maybe I don't love him, but I'm happy with him like I've never been..."

[sirfrogsworth]

I guess I'm going to Florida.

Not until December, but I am looking forward to my first plane ride ever.

I know a lot of people hate air travel, but ever since I took a helicopter tour of Branson I have been obsessed with flying. I was just a kid, but my little mind was blown seeing the world from that high up. I've been dying to have another experience like that and I just never got the opportunity.

So I don't really care if it is the worst flight in the world on the worst airline ever, as long as I get to look out that window at the world below, everything else is trivial.

Although I did get the big seats.

Which means I probably won't be getting new tires right away. Sooooo... let's try not to think too hard about that. (Feel free to donate to the tire fund. Or not.)

But that should help make things more comfortable as I stare out the window for 3 hours.

Also, I GET TO SEE MY BEST FRIEND!

I mean, how cute are we?

I was pretty upset because the last time Katrina came to visit me I got extremely sick. I had a horrible reaction to some medication and I was unable to enjoy our visit at all.

Her visit was not long after my mom died and I was taking care of my dad full time and I was so overwhelmed and all I had to keep me going at the time was the thought that I would get to see my favorite person. And my stupid body just ruined it. Aside from my parents passing, I don't remember the last time I was that devastated. The timing was just so cruel. She arrived late at night and I got sick the next morning. I was legit traumatized by that horrible luck.

But now my friends no longer have to come to me. Now that my caregiving duties are over, I can go see them. And I am determined to spend some quality time with my bestie without getting sick this time.

Hopefully I can go see Delling after the new year. We did have a nice visit after my dad died, but I'd love to see them under better circumstances.

I mean, how cute are we?

I just have an endless supply of the most adorable friends.

AND I MUST FLY TO THEM!

[introverting-rn]

was gonna start post with something along the lines of “why aren’t we addressing” but thats literal bullshit because we are all addressing it and So Am I

WHY IS THE CHARACTERISATION OF THE TRIO LITERALLY SO PERFECT YOU GUYS

like

it was perfect in the first two episodes too but this one just has me feeling so much i have to talk about it

“i am impertinent” and beginning to sing the consensus song - immediately a perfect persassy, and the returning annabeths cap is so cute i adore it, but also the conversation with medusa about his mother was incredibly done! i was leaning forwards to drink in every detail of the scene and i’m probably gonna go rewatch it now because WOW. the suspense was such a tangible, beautiful thing, and the sense of greed that seemed to sparkle in medusas eyes when we had still never seen her without the hat is seriously blowing my mind. her framing and tilts of the head and the antique feeling of her kitchen all hone in towards the scene and it’s messages and i found myself genuinely confronted as i tried to figure out which medusa story the show was going with. leaving that somewhat vague as the audience has to choose if we trust her as a narrator is so powerful in dragging you into the story. it means that what you believe reflects on you; there is no way to detach yourself from this world and the choices you are making within it, even as a mere spectator

and as she made the offer to percy and there was a long stretch of those camera angles, tilted ever so sweetly in such a menacing atmosphere, i was desperately trying to picture what percy’s reaction would be. i had expected him to have interrupted her already, to immediately cut through with a sharp “no” and cause her head to jolt up. i thought she would keep her chin high, turning sharply to face him in contrast to her flowing elegance, and that her head would be tilted back so that she could stare directly at him beneath the hat, tongue flicking over her teeth as she dropped her facade. i thought percy would instinctively go to match her eye contact with determination and be tackled by annabeth, who crept up to eavesdrop due to her suspicion, or that percy would look away by staring up at the sky, feeling isolated as medusa swept steadily towards him, and that we would see his eyes swim with tears and his legs refuse to move and his breathing increase as medusa ran a fingernail along his neck, and then annabeth would intervene

when percy didn’t shout to interrupt, i expected to cut back and see his face, wrought with raw emotion. i thought that he would let that moment of connection stretch, having felt so lonely before meeting this person who spoke exactly to his heart. i waited to see the grief and wrestling that it took him to refuse to help his mother, to accept the similar motherly figure before him as an enemy. i wondered if maybe we wouldn’t see his reaction now, and his silence would later be used against him as he himself is accused of betraying their quest

but the silence drew out for longer and longer, and when medusa turned her head to see the doorway completely empty, i realised that was the only thing that he would have done. i realised that he would think of the immediate danger to his friends first and go to warn them, and i realised that there was more to come and i loved every second of it

i loved seeing grover try to maintain peace on the quest. his look of disappointment at percy for sniping about thalia’s “fate of a pine cone”, and his refusal to comment about the validity of the voting system under totalitarian leadership (looking at you putin). the clapping for the consensus song had me so confused in the moment and then had me smiling uncontrollably with an extreme fondness because his awkwardness and his sincerity were so clearly shown. the finally shouting at percy and annabeth to get a grip, not having wanted to upset either of them but realising that letting this continue was only making it worse - man, this character is so wonderful. add to that the emotional weight of staring up at uncle ferdinand, feeling the presence of his failed quest heavy in the room as their current one began to fall apart. how he tried to conceal his tears, to be the Protector, not seeming to consider that his friends wanted to look after him too, perhaps because they themselves had forgotten to do so. he is so sweet and genuine and there’s such a depth and intricacy to his character in the show that i don’t remember from the books, although that may just be because i was younger when i first read them, or because seeing these people on screen is so much closer and more confronting in some ways

and annabeth. i fucking love annabeth. i love that she’s a bit of a dick in some ways, but that you’re never expected to hold it against her - it’s never presented as cruelty, just as pragmatism, because that’s what it is. as the same time, she can hold grudges, and they don’t shy from that. as i mentioned earlier, it’s constantly called into question which medusa narrative is the ‘correct’ one, and the way medusa describes to both annabeth and percy how they are direct parallels to the original story makes her feel so manipulative, and you feel annabeths faith in her previous notion of the story wavering as yours does, deeply connecting her with the audience. the way she explains her plan on the bus shows that she doesn’t expect herself to be so intelligent that nobody else understands - a common struggle in hubris - and her complete unwillingness to allow this plan to be questioned shows the leading nature she’s forced herself into. yes, annabeth is an incredible natural leader and strategist, but her refusal to show weakness is a sign of the struggles in her life. she confronts alectus on her own - self-centred or selfless? and in that final interaction with percy, the way she gives way just enough for both of them to discuss the offers they were given and understand each other. it was such a good moment to see that, even after percy’s unintentional acidity to her in saying they’ll never be friends, the two are laying down the basis for a firm trust and absolute belief in each other. she is such a well-rounded character so far and i am obsessed

not even to mention characters outside of this! luke’s slight hints of emotion as he alludes to his past, the hand the world has dealt him and how he has come to terms with it, are such perfect foreshadowing for those of us familiar with his character (which. by the way. i haven’t been on tumblr a lot recently so are we going for no spoilers or what lol). mr d claiming to be percy’s dad was a strong introduction of character in a way that makes me question why that didn’t happen in the book, and it lead into seamless exposition of the whole reason for demigods and quests. sally jackson is sally jackson and i fucking love her.

basically i am really enjoying the pj show, and loving every element - the biggest kudos to everyone working on it an aLSO ARE PERCY AND NICO GONNA NERD OUT TOGETHER ABOUT MYTHOMAGIC BYE 😭😭

[eriexplosion]

FASTER <3 An episode I liked the first time that I have a new and powerful appreciation for

Wrecker and Omega playing strategy games is so cute. He loses a lot, but I think it's not because he's bad at them, she is just. Better than most people. She's great to play with though because eventually she learns that Wrecker just needs a little extra time to think on his turns, he only makes questionable moves if he's rushed.

Tech is SO unimpressed with the uber eats mission Hunter and Echo went on. It's so funny that they apparently needed to use the buddy system for nerf nuggets delivery. Just in case.

Tech is used to Cid's shit he is the only one like 'security detail needs elaboration' because he's apparently the ONLY ONE that remembers when important details like "target is a rancor" got left out

I just love the Star Wars tradition of 'you know what high speed racing needs? extra ways to kill each other.'

Cid explaining everything to Omega is so cute actually she adores this kid.

TAKE A SEAT SPECTACLED SPECTATOR. TAY-0 is so fucking funny. It's time he prepares for the next race. Which he's going to win. TAY-0!

CIDDARIN SCALEBACK. Top Tier Star Wars Name

I love the moment when Tech and Wrecker both move in to protect Omega instantly. And Cid pushing Omega back behind her when she steps forward. She WILL come through for that girl in season 3 I know it.

Wrecker: "What's he saying?" Tech: [REDACTED]

I adore the red painted battle droid we get glimpses of. Top tier design.

SAFA TOMA SPEEDWAY IS NOT LIABLE FOR ANY INJURY, DEATH, OR DISINTEGRATION. THANK YOU!

love to take my little sister to the local 'get shot in the stands' race

That is definitely not MOST of TAY-0 Wrecker my dear.

Omega immediately speaking up like I have an extremely impulsive plan to suggest that may get us all killed or worse

"I am ready to... WHEREAREMYARMSANDLEGS?" The delivery on this line is amazing

LET TAY-0 INSTRUCT YOU HOW TO DO THIS PROPERLY

Tech looks like the most beleaguered customer service person alive right now

INSTEAD OF REPAIRING HIM WE SHOULD BE MURDERING THE GANGSTER <- Wrecker plans in action

"Hustlers like us never change" "I might surprise you." "I doubt that."

Come on you can't have an exchange like that and not have her immediately take her money and try to get Omega back and find Tech somehow

Love TAY-0's face flipping entirely around while walking away to continue talking to Wrecker.

TAY-0 BEING TAKEN OUT IS SO FUCKING FUNNY. THEY ASSASSINATED HIM.

Cid telling TAY-0 to snap out of it and he's literally just a torso... I don't think it's going to work...

DRAMATIC LEAD UP MUSIC TO "I WILL BE THE RACER"

Wrecker's face falling and "He's not joking" he is SO worried about Tech right now (anyway this parallels his calculated decision to shoot out the cable connector in Plan 99 and shows why it is not going to be as simple as him falling to his death, in this essay I will-)

OBSESSED WITH THE GRATUITOUS TECH CROTCH SHOT OF HIM GETTING INTO THE RACER.

The announcer going through every single name is such a great set up to them just ROASTING TECH'S NAME AT LENGTH WHILE THE CROWD MUTTERS DUBIOUSLY. BE NICE TO TECH.

Haxxon "The War Gnome" Trajanix is the red battle droid and I'm obsessed with him.

The other battle droid and the tricked out protocol droids are fantastic too honestly.

TECH YOU GOTTA BE IN FRONT TO WIN

It's called strategy NO it's called LOSING

I'm sorry their banter is so fucking good this episode. I cannot understand filler complaints on this one it's a breather episode and it's a fantastic one that sets up several things including Cid at the end of this season and like into season 3, as well as providing ample evidence of how Tech thinks and evaluates risk.

Cid looking away from the screen when she sees Tech take the death trap route is it because she's scared for herself or doesn't want to see him die right on screen

"You sound surprised" is another good possible callback line

"Well, I guess I owe you one." "Yes. I agree." "I'll make it up to ya!"

If this doesn't come back I will eat a hat. I don't own any so it won't be mine but I will find and eat one.

I still think the best ending to this would have been Hunter abruptly calling and going TECHHHHHH?

[lockandkeyhyena]

ok!! all time favourite mlp fic recs GO!!

I’m limiting myself to one fic per author for this list or else it’d just be filled with mushroompone and monochromatic fics haha

anyway if you guys want specific types of fic recs, shoot me an ask!! this list is based on my personal taste which tends to lean darker/dramatic/emotional/tragic.

now, these are just the ones i have reread relatively recently and as such can give adequate descriptions of, as well as me not being a professional reviewer by any means, so you’re not going to be getting any deep analysis, i honestly just want these fics to get more attention.

side note, you’ll have to have mature content enabled for some of these fics due to darker and more explicit themes seen in some of them.

Threshold

As the rest of her friends found happiness and fulfillment, Rarity was left behind. Now, trapped in a dead-end relationship, she can feel herself slipping away in more ways than one. The return of her dear friend Rainbow Dash might mean salvation, but as the world crumbles around them the girls begin to question their place in time and in each other's lives.

CW - Abuse/A Central Abusive Relationship, Self Harm, Profanity, Narcotics, Violence, Death

Look, if you’ve followed me for any significant amount of time, you’ll know how much I adore this fic. It’s one of my all time favourite mlp fics, if not my absolute favourite. The way it explores themes of abuse and something being not quite right just absolutely makes me adore it. Having it focus on one of my favourite ships is also just a cherry on top. I don’t want to give away too much of the plot because experiencing it firsthand is an amazing experience, so I’ll just say if you like ~liminal space~ vibes, you should give it a read. I will warn you again, it is an extremely intense read and delves into themes of abusive relationships, depression and things along those lines but if you feel you’re in the headspace for it? It honestly and truly changed the way I read all fiction. I have to write up a proper thought-out review of it sometime. In fact, it’s just about time for my yearly reread…

Administrative Angel

Principal Celestia always has wings in her dreams. They got her into trouble, once. She let herself believe that they meant she was an angel. Then she grew up, and learned some hard lessons about what being an angel really required. Now six magical girls have just fought a demon in front of her school. And her phantom wings are itching. Her life is turning upside down ... and she hasn't even heard about Equestria yet.

What can I say about this fic except the fact that if you have to only read one Equestria Girls fic, let it be this one. The way it explores Celestia’s character and understands her better than almost any other fanfic I’ve read has done is phenomenal. It’s a short read, so you can get through it in an hour or so and wow. As a certified Celestia lover I give this fic my stamp of approval.

Cinéma Vérité

In the shadow of Nightmare Moon's rule, the ponies of Equestria live in uneasy peace. Vinyl Scratch refuses to accept the new status quo, making seditious films in secret out of a hidden basement below the streets of Manehattan. Octavia, meanwhile, busies herself with running a successful nightclub, finding audiences for illicit screenings of Vinyl's films, and preparing for the day when they draw the wrong kind of attention. Vinyl might be willing to die for her art, but Octavia refuses to let that happen.

Do you like Vinyltavia? Do you like Nightmare Moon Wins aus? Do you like intruige, drama and tension? Then I am begging you to read this fic. Please its so good. Plus it has one of my favourite Photo Finish characterisations out there.

A Life Lived In Hundreds

It was a normal life, until Twilight Sparkle fell out of time and into her lap. Then things started getting complicated. 100 words. Fragments of a life. Each year, every year: as the years march forward, unstoppable, unceasing, Granny Smith wonders what it all adds up to.

A ship and an experimental format that i never expected to see by themselves, much less paired together, but somehow making it work. The short, punchy chapters really submerge you in the story and the constraints of the word limit contribute to some fantastic prose.

The Enchanted Library

Everypony enjoys myths and ponytales, even if they know such things aren't real. Alicorns fighting against a spirit of chaos? An ancient princess trapped in a library under a tree, waiting to be found? Quite enchanting and fantastic tales yes, but nonetheless as fictional as Daring Do and other such stories. At least, that's what Rarity used to think. She doesn't anymore.

Come on, you guys knew this was coming. If you consider yourself a Raritwi fan you have to read this fic and it’s sequel/s. The way Monochromatic manages to write such gut-punch moments right next to the sweetest Raritwi fluff you’ve read in eons is just. Chefs kiss. I know it’s a big time sink but it is absolutely worth it.

Want more fic recs that I love just as much as these but haven’t read so recently? Shoot me an ask or check out my All Time Favourites List on fimfiction!

[poupeesdecirque]

Travel Blog - Connichi 2024 - Part 3

Convention Saturday or: Positive and Negative Surprises

Saturday was a rollercoaster for me, this blog entry is ... truly a lot.

There is a lot of personal talk in this but also lots of photos of meet ups, photoshoots and an adorable engagement we were allowed to partake in.

After a nice Breakfast we first went to buy an umbrella for me as the sun was supposed to be shining all day long and I am sensitive to brightness (heat is bad yes but the bright light ... I'm getting overstimulated by it easily).

I got asked for photos by civilians and it really made my day, I made children smile by gifting them ballons and despite the weather (bright af and 30°C+) it seemed to be a good day. We started by some photos.

And then went inside to meet friends, check some things out before it became to full. And we went to the cosplay repair as some more seams of my collar came loose.. I didn't see some of them though, but alright. I fixed them after the convention.

I met some more D.Gray-man Cosplayer along the way and as you know me I make this tiny game in which I aim to find as many as I can.

But to be honest I was miffed by some arrangements regarding that day and was not that keen to meet some people, I am ... weird sometimes.

I still decided to visit the "base camp" after calming down a bit from the brightness which always leads to me turning into a little Chihuahua in those regards.

We were a quite huge group and taking photos was kinda ... hard. Especially with two cameras. Alice and Mika had the same issue .. low energy that's why they didn't join us for the other group photo. I felt my energy was at a lower point and walked a few rounds without anybody to kinda recharge but ... eh. I felt it was not the best day for me, despite the fact this was supposed to be my 'main' day with my dream cosplay and all.

But an absolute adorable highlight was what happened during the group photosession...

In which Cake asked Yuna to marry her, this was downright such a beautiful moment, I had to include it here. Look at this wonderful couple, I wish you ALL the best!

We then kinda scattered and some took a few photos together. I did with Anbu (Grave of Maria) and Nagi (Mana), I will post them later on.

After that we took another small shopping trip in the vendor's hall. I got a new bamboo plate and 3 blind box figure.

Then Alu and I went for Ice Cream as it was about time to get some more food into me, knowing I kinda was on the edge of snapping and as we went for Bubble Tea and the flavor I wanted (rip milk tea) was sold out I ... did. It took a lot for me to calm down, this was overdue with the overstimulation all day long. I kinda was possible for me to come down with some relaxation techniques.

We then went to check on Loki (Cross from Friday) as she felt awful that morning and I told her to check on her. I was worried. In hinsight I wish I didn't insist on doing that as ...

I got told to leave as someone in the One Piece/Hazbin Area was afraid of Clowns. I covered my face with the umbrella. But then more people came and I was told to leave again because someone there got raped by a Clown. i just cut the conversation short and left. It was hard for me to mask to be happy as I was approached by someone who recognized me as Allen just a few feet after that. Fighting down my tears I can tell that information did not only ruin that day but the whole weekend and the days after for me.

Alu did his best to suggest comforting things, and things I was looking forward to. Like the Bubble Photoshoot we had planned but it didn't really help... sadly I didn't pack my drawing materials which is a way for me to cope sometimes and sitting around wasn't helping either. My mood was down the drain, I just had recovered myself from a meltdown and then that.

It took me a while but I then decided Nagi to ask for some more Mana/Allen photos and they luckily agreed. I am extremely grateful.

Thank you again for doing all the silly Clown things with me.

As we were taking the photos I discovered two street artists who were juggling with pins over the street and I was amazed by them, as I am still learning how to juggle it's like magic to me when somebody can do it that well.

I had the idea to maybe ask them for photos and ... Alu went over there and asked them so...

... these cool photos came out. As mentioned before I will feature the full photoshoots later.

This helped to improve my mood a lot.

Then we finally came to take the photos with the bubbles, I was looking forward to them since the day before but I was kinda bummed all day long .. and I was not even sure if they would turn out. My mood was better yes but was it enough?

I have no idea how long I just played along but it helped, I love those child-ish acts they help me to relax a lot.

After that someone english speaking recognized me as Allen again (I got recognized a few times which truly surprised me!) and told me they only had seen the Clown Allen as Cosplay once and that was from someone in the US. I am glad I was able to make more people happy than I frightened with my costume.

Later on I even met more incredible D.Gray-man Cosplayers I didn't meet in before. Especially all the Lenalees were so cute and adorable. I met @the-bat-cat-art (Allen here) on sunday too, but only short.. I hope we can meet later on and talk more.

And I found a little pick me up at the artist alley.

Alu suggested even more photos and as I returned from the artist alley I had found the perfect spot for them.

After than we went to the street food festival, got some churros and watched a dance battle in the streets. Those dudes were pretty cool.

Back at the con we tried to take some lantern photos but the street lamps went on and ... it was too bright then.

We decided to call it a day and fetched some Pizza for dinner. In the restaurant I was recognized as Allen one last time for the day by a former Kanda Cosplayer.

I was glad as we were back in the apartment. Oh and I am aside everything amazed how well the make up did during the day I only corrected the lips here and there. And even with the little tearing up it looked still quite nice.

I'm still torn about Saturday there is a lot to digest and... to foreshadow Sunday a bit: my sleep was almost not existent. :')

[sapphicdalliances]

I love rambling and I have Arknights brain disease (instead of brain there is Arknights gameplay), so I’ve decided I'm just going to ramble about my favourite Catholic lesbian Fiammetta Arknights and archive it here because I like her a lot! Both as a playable unit in the game and as a character in a story. 

A quick overview of Fiammetta Arknights: she’s an angry phoenix and an Artilleryman sniper. That means at E2, she costs a billion DP to deploy, has a dummy thick attack stat, 5 rows of range, and her attacks do physical AOE damage. Her first talent causes her to constantly lose health – she is literally burning up – but when her health is over half full she gets a 25% attack boost, and at 80% health and above, she gets a 50% attack boost. This means she will often need a babysitter; while she cannot die to her own self-immolation, it leaves her with 1hp, so she will obviously die if an enemy sneezes on her at that point. Her second talent gives her a small attack speed boost when she isn’t using a skill, which only really synergises with S2, and is rather negligible in such a slow-attacking unit anyway.

Firstly, I really adore her kit from a gameplay perspective because it leans very heavily into the traits of her Artilleryman archetype, both in its strengths and its weaknesses: a huge attack stat (that can get even bigger), a huge range (that can get even bigger), and splash damage (that can get even bigger), all offset by a hefty deployment cost (which also gets even bigger if you consider how you need to deploy a healer to keep her healthy) and slow attack speed. This in contrast to operators like Mountain, who "fixed" the brawler archetype by just… becoming a centurion. It makes for a strictly weaker but more interesting unit, IMO.

Secondly, I am constantly thinking about how interestingly her gameplay ties into her character and narrative. She’s very notable for being able to attack when there are no enemies in her range – an extremely unusual trait in AK. You can activate her S2 even when there's nobody there, when most nuke skills (e.g. Cutter) require a target to be in range, and her S3 famously just pew pew pews forever. She isn’t strictly unique in this regard but it’s rare enough to be of note. This has the gameplay advantage of extending her range through her splash damage, but I’ve always thought it also really fits her personality as someone who is driven, single-minded, somewhat ruthless, and uncaring of collateral damage. "I don't care if it's irrational, meaningless, or futile - when I make up my mind to do something, I do it!"

I've also been thinking about this artwork a lot and firstly, it's just a good fanart that goes really fucking hard and more people should look at it. Secondly, it made me realise that all three of her skills extend her range. S1 outright states that it gives her an extra row, but S2 and S3 can also hit the same distance because they both give her increased splash damage. It's as though since that night in Kazdel, she's constantly tried to reach further and further forward, as though desperate to close a gap. Some smart alecs will be like "lol just use S1" – but all of her skills are offensive recovery. No matter how hard she tried, she would still have been out of time. She cannot get anywhere by waiting; she has to be doing – with nothing to shoot, she's helpless. In contrast with almost every other artilleryman, she has no utility or crowd-control in her kit at all - with nobody to aim at, and no vengeance to exact, she's useless. Isn't that why she's still so wrapped up in her vengeance and anger?

At the same time, she's just about the only one left who still holds blame in her heart for that incident – both toward herself and toward Andoain. She can't let go of her guilt and resentment even after the people she's avenging have found a way to do so. It's to the point where her S3, the one that can most easily be interpreted to be showing her obsession and her borderline desperation, gives her a literal blind spot. She's so consumed by vengeance that she will shoot at ghosts, exert herself when there are no enemies, and barely sees the ones closest to her.

She is hardly the only character whose gameplay and story integrate like this; AK does this all the time. Lee's operator overview is one of the funniest pages on Gamepress. Shiny Nearl's s2 uniquely bypassing the deploy limit perfectly reflects her role as the Radiant Knight – to arrive even when all other hope is lost, to be a beacon in the dark. But Fiammetta really is one of the most interesting and flavourful units in the game to me, from a variety of perspectives (including the shallowest but arguably most important ones of loving her artwork and theme song), and part of that is exactly due to the fact that she has so many flaws as a character and drawbacks as a unit.

I love this angry bird :D

[shytastemakerthing]

Hi!! I'm Ellie, and I'm looking for a romantic matchup for one of the Twisted Wonderland characters, please!

Some basic info is that I go by she/her pronouns, I'm 5'5, and I have a rather rounded figure (but that just means cuddle time is that much more comfy, i'd say!!) I have fair skin (by fair i mean vampire pale.) Blue eyes, and loooooong brown hair!

Personality wise, I'm the rather fun-loving sort, even if my severe social anxiety and depression keeps me from going outside, I do all I can to keep myself entertained and having as much fun as I can. If something sounds boring, then I have a hard time focusing on it (which gets me into a lot of trouble in school tbh.)

However, I tend to be extremely shy around other people, my social anxiety makes it very difficult to be open around others. However, when I become more comfortable with them, I'm much more lively, and willing to share my interests and hobbies and such.

Honestly, my entire life revolves around things that interest me, whether it be a new game to play, a story I like, characters I'm invested in, a new hobby, etc. It will always be something that I find easy to rant about for hours on end.

Aside from hyper-fixations and special interests, I'm rather reserved and don't say more than I need to at any given time. I tend to be overly considerate of others to the point where it drags me down, but I don't let it get in the way of my special interests.

In a relationship, I'm the type to be extremely clingy towards my partners, often hanging off their every word to shape how my mood will be for the entire day. When I'm in a relationship, my partner tends to be my hyperfixation or special interest, as I often want to spend all of my time with them due to just how happy their company makes me.

In all, I'm a girl who lets excitement control my life to the point where I don't have the capacity for a relationship that is just "chill". I'd need someone who can meet my needs while at the same time being someone who can get something fun for us to do together without me getting bored of them.

My love language is quality time and physical touch!! I'm a big fan of just having a blast with my partner, but cuddles and hugs are definitely the best. (pda in public is a big plus)

I am an extremely bashful and romantic sort of character, with lofty dreams of what life with a partner might be like. Even though I love the idea of romance, I am totally up for a chill relationship as well, anything goes as long as they're happy with me, and I'm happy with them.

Sorry for this being so long!! I'm looking forward to being matched!!

A/N: Hello and thank you so much for your request! I do hope that you enjoy it! Have a wondeful day/night!

Request: Twisted wonderland match-up

I match you with............

Floyd Leech

Someone who lets excitement run their life? Well then, count Floyd in. He is all about having a good time and has been known to leave things that he seems to be boring in search for new adventure and excitement

He will 100% condone this certain behavior and if he happens to find something rather exciting but you aren't there with him, be prepared for a towering eel man to come bounding towards you to carry you off to said excitement

Floyd is clearly all about physical touch. Holding, squeezing, having a hand on your shoulder, your head..... yeah, he's a touchy guy

And all for quality time as well. Someone willing to spend time with him? Someone who he is completely in love with and knowing that said feelings are returned?

Congrats, he is all yours now

Chill time often takes place within his room... half the time he falls asleep, but he looks so adorable, you can't even begin to think of waking him up

He will absolutely cling onto the things that are of current interest to you. You guys are the same in that regard, having bursts of hyper-fixations at any given time

He loves your clingy nature

Because this man is the same

Y'all feed off of each other

..... please come see him at work in the lounge (Jade and Azul aren't begging..... maybe... Floyd just does so much better when you're there to see him)

More than once, he has fallen asleep to the sound of your voice. Not that your ramblings bored him, no, your voice is just so soothing to him that he couldn't help it

Expect to stay with this guy for r the rest of your life, he isn't letting go

Thank you for your request!

[redstringraven]

For the TMNT asks: 3 (for TMNT 2003), 8, and 27!

;u; thank!!!! 💜

TMNT's 40th anniversary ask game!

3.) what was your first impression of tmnt'03?

gosh. i think i was in my early teens when it started airing? my sisters and i had extremely limited tv time; we were only allowed an hour of tv a day, so we had to be in agreement on what shows we wanted to spend it on. this, of course, made us really picky when it came to exploring shows we were unfamiliar with. i'd guess that maybe an episode of tmnt'03 started playing after the show we had watched was over. i vaguely remember thinking something like "ninja turtles? that's a really silly and weird concept--i'm curious to see how that goes", and i must have convinced my sister to give up the other half-hour of tv time we had left to spend it trying the show out. and we both fucking loved it. we kind of had to fight our mom tooth and nail because she didn't like that "what the shell" was so close to "what the hell", and looking back on it, it's hilarious that that was one of her biggest hang-ups when leo would later behead shredder on screen. >xDD among other things. but eh. she let us watch it! i think my sister(s) and i watched it consistently up until the weirdness of season 5 being semi-aired, semi-cancelled, mostly replaced by fast forward happened.

8.) which turtle is usually your favorite?

i tend to not have one nowadays, if we're being entirely honest. my 'favorite' tends to shift with what i feel like writing, what character aspects catch my attention, what worldbuilding details i want to expand, etc etc. there're so many things i love and adore and find fascinating about each of them, and i genuinely can't point to a favorite because it just... depends! as a kid, though, don was my favorite (he was also wearing purple and i am severely biased toward purple). mikey was my middle sister's favorite and raph was my youngest sister's favorite. full, unbridled appreciation for leo would come with time. i've noticed that when i do sometimes venture outside of '03, i tend to favor raph. so, there's that if it counts for anything.

27.) what is something you love to see in TMNT art/fics?

this is a vague and unspecific answer but i just really, really love when an artist/writer captures the feeling of warm and peaceful downtime. action and drama and challenges of character are fun and good and great, too, but. GODS, do i love when i can just see or read about the boys living their day to day lives, as peacefully as possible, in the warmth and comfort of each other or their friends, all captured in a way that makes you feel like you're just stood off to the side somewhere and happened to stumble upon the scene. those candid moments where they can just... be. and they don't always need to be happy, necessarily; i love an introspective "let's get coffee at 2am, go for a drive and sit on the hood of the car just outside the city and chat" scene, or a more melancholic sit at the lakeside discussing a heavy topic with someone you trust. things where the stakes are relatively low, but the impact is no less meaningful. if that makes sense? farmhouse stuff. i fucking love farmhouse stuff.

[onaperduamedee]

Thoughts on episode 4

The post-cold open scenes with Anveare putting on her armor for a day of political intrigue was beautiful. I love the way this world comes off as cruel and ruthless, and how often characters talk about it being broken.

Perrin, Elyas and Hopper scenes were the most enjoyable to me. I'm really digging their energy together and the Wolf language is cleverly, beautifully shown. Perrin and Hopper were adorable, and Elyas "adopting" Perrin makes them the first healthy mentor/mentee relationship of this season. There isn't enough of them though.

So Moiraine is 70-80... I don't know what to do with that information. I understand why they did it story-wise, but you remove A Lot of Moiraine's motivations by doing that. I'll have to WAFO. I'm very attached to the parallel between Siuan, Moiraine and Lan, and the EF5 when they started out: cutting it for the sake of a point already driven home by Liandrin's son seems wasteful.

I like that Liandrin works so hard to gain Nynaev'es trust because it makes Nyn's taking her "help" at face value much more believable than in the books (where she was frankly gullible). Nyn's rejection of the White Tower is leading her straight into Liandrin's arms and thus playing into the Dark One's hand. Nynaeve is going to feel so betrayed and her distrust of every AS will grow tenfold. The show hasn't made clear yet except in bonus material that Liandrin is specifically a DF which is confusing.

Moiraine's machinations are fun, as are Liandrin's, but the latter work better for me because we're getting so much more insights into hers. I cannot fault Alanna for believing Mo may be a DF because Mo, I love you, but you are at your shadiest here. That said, the Logain and Moiraine scene was a lot.

Where the hell is Siuan? At this point, I am assuming that two scenes in her empty study and multiple characters mentioning her absence are significant details enough for her to be doing something really important off screen. Is she on a secret mission? Is she trapped somewhere? What in the Light is going on?

I love Egwene with my whole heart. I love Nyn with my whole heart. I find their relationship fascinating but I'm really not sure about how they are being written. I like that the estrangement is paralleling Anvaere and Moiraine but Egwene and Nyn's relationship is different and it's bugging me. It's keeping with the books' theme of communication being the characters' greatest foe.

Egwene wanting to protect her friends and feeling like she failed Rand at the Eye... Yeah, that jealousy angle is BS and Elayne misread the situation through and through. Egwene is feeling useless not jealous, which is why she makes rash decisions at every turn to go help her friends.

Extremely unsure about this Min/Mat business. I like that Min is unwittingly embroiled in DF business and promised something she truly desires by Ishamael. I like less that Mat seems not to have an arc at all. They do have fantastic chemistry though so the writers hit jackpot.

The visual of Lanfear getting stabbed and replaced by Moiraine... Perfect. Between the colour schemes, the choking, and the location, they are really driving home that Lanfear is a dark mirror to Moiraine. I'm looking forward to Moiraine unearthing Lanfear's twisted teachings of Rand.

I really enjoy meeting Alanna's family and the dynamic between Maksim, Ivhon and Lan. I love seeing that Aes Sedai can have a fulfilling family life outside of the Tower because that was one of my greatest points of frustration in the books.

The Lan plot is really not doing it for me though. The incertitude about Moiraine's status is making it difficult to embrace this storyline as the characters are always dancing around whether or not Mo and Lan are indefinitely severed. I was curious about Lan getting a storyline outside of Moiraine, but he really isn't? I also dislike the idea that Lan just apparently doesn't care about their mission outside of Moiraine? He learns that Rand is alive and goes "not my problem"? If Mo and Lan were really fighting in lockstep, why is he abandoning their mission now?

As much as I love Moiraine getting to sleuth around Cairhien and avoid her terrifying sister, her storyline is dragging as well. We really need to move forward with the power thing or at least get an insight into what she is thinking because she's losing the general audience's sympathy and I cannot fault them.

The episode was tied by the theme of family in its various forms, biological, adopted, packs, sisterhood, with the biggest parallels between Nyn and Eggy, and Moiraine and Anvaere. Funnily this also sets Rand as part of the Forsaken pack. I suspect that unfortunately Lanfear did a lot of damage to his psyche and the fact that he has more bursts of anger, one ending in him choking Moiraine, is telling. It's exciting.

Overall, I'll have to wait to see how certain plots will resolve to judge whether or not their execution was satisfying here because I'm very unsure about them.

[merakiui]

First thing first, I must apologize for the upcoming ramble in all caps that I'm abt to place in your ask. Now that's out of the way, let's get in to this.

Okay, so I've now finished TMDG and all I can say is:

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA HOLY FUCKING SHIT--

THAT WAS SO WORTH THE WAIT OH MY GODD-- You've outdone yourself once again, Mera. YOU REALLY COOKED AND SERVED THIS ONE. MIGHT I SAY, YOU"VE BESTOWED US WITH A MAGNIFICENT FEAST 👏👏👏 😭😭😭✨✨✨

I really am unable to put my thoughts into words; they all just come out incoherent. Like, HOW THE HELL DID YOU EVEN MANAGE TO DRAG ME EVEN DEEPER INTO JADE LEECH HELL??? I AM EXPERIENCING SO MANY EMOTIONS THROUGHOUT READING THIS PIECE THAT I"M NO LONGER ON A ROLLERCOASTER RIDE ー NO, I"VE ASCENDED TO AN EMOTIONAL PLANE I DON'T THINK ANY MAN COULD DESCRIBE OTZ OTZ OTZ

Memes for visualization:

When you said MC was gonna be obsessive towards Floyd I was not expecting it to be that obsessive (not as hardcore as our Jade here, but i don't think no one could ever compare to our eel here). SHE"S SO DELUSIONAL I"M CACKLING-- and AAAAA SHE REALLY IS PERFECT WITH JADE, they truly are a match made in madness <3 I really love their banter, like they're already married to each other for decades and more (and god they will)

I was so filled with suspicion reading this fic cause the switch between Jade to Floyd really got me, "Is this really really Floyd??". It's nice to see that my suspicion came to fruition in the most agonizing way :))

AND JADE!!! Jadeee 🥺🥺🥺 how can you make one eel so- so-- UGHHHH infuriating?? So devious?? So gentle?? So loving?? So terrifying?? So many things at once that i can't help but put my feelings in a salad spinner??? Every moment that he was just being fluffy really got me swooning, only to get the reminder that he's indeed a cunning slippery eel (which just makes me fall even harder for him). Oohhh when he laid his feelings bare to be seen, when he's just... honest about it. He's just soo so so in love i just want to cry about it ueueueue..

I also like when MC is like: "I can never tell what goes thru Jade's head."

Jade: *Says the most poetic shit abt how he adores her like she's the moon.*

MC: "HE"S LYING!!"

Truly, i think TMDG has become my favorite fic of all time <33 this is such a wonderful way to end my year ✨✨

And so to end my ask, Happy New Years Mera!! Thank you for writing The Most Dangerous Game and all the other wonderful writings that have accompanied me throughout this year <33 Really, your posts are some of things I always look forward to read everyday. Wishin you another wonderful year to come, and hope you take care ✨✨💕💕

AAAAAAA OMG OMG THANK YOU!!!! THANK YOU SO SO SOSOSO MUCH!!!!! ♡(╥﹏╥) I'm very happy knowing it was worth the wait and that it could make you feel so many emotions!!!! It is my job to drag everyone even further into Jade hell!!!! >:D

Reader is so delusional omg!!! She's so silly... I loved writing her interactions with Jade because she really is just so perfect for him. orz delusional x obsessive...... waaaa truly the most crazy match of all time! They're so perfect for each other, but neither realizes it yet. Reader, you're pining for the wrong eel!!!!! I hoped to convey just how naturally Jade and Reader click, whereas with Floyd there's some sort of awkward strain. >_< Jade and Reader are so married!!!!!!! <3 Azul can be the priest and Floyd can be best eel at their wedding because Jade couldn't have done it if it weren't for Floyd (and Reader's obsessive attachment to him).

Jade is so many things in this fic,,, a conniving eel at heart. >:( but I love him when he's like that. I'm so happy he had you swooning!!! For all of his sleazy ways, he's extremely sweet when he's so gentle and honest about his feelings. AAAAA HE'S SO HEAD OVER HEELS/FINS FOR YOU!!!!!!! (∩˃o˂∩) and I'm glad you liked those parts of Reader being unable to believe a thing Jade says. T_T he is opening his chest for her to explain the truths locked away in his heart, and she's still questioning it......

Thank you so very much for reading TMDG and for writing such a kind message!!! I love those reaction images as well LOL. They illustrate how I felt while writing this story hehe!! <3 I am wishing you the happiest of new year!!!!!!! Thank you for accompanying me through 2023! :D sending you lots of love and wonderful things for your 2024!!!!!!!! (ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)ꕤ.ﾟ

[bts-hyperfixation]

Outside of the fox

Chapter 10 of maybe 30ish (2186 words)

Y/N longs for a new life when the one she'd been living comes to an abrupt stop. Without much thought to those she is leaving behind, the little fox packs a backpack and disappears. She stumbles across the shelter and makes an interim home for herself while she works out exactly what she wants from her second chance.

Last

"Day 1 are you ready?" Jimin asks as he hands you a brown bag.

You sneak a look inside to find it filled with snacks to get you through the day along with a post-it note that you can't quite read from this angle. You fold the bag closed carefully and thank Jimin for the lunch.

"Yeah, I'm ready, at least as ready as I'm ever going to be."

"It'll be great I'm sure. You said you already kind of made a friend right?"

"Taehyung? I'm not sure he was a bit hot and cold, but I'll be okay, I'm a big girl."

Jimin sweeps you into a hug before you can even reach for the door. You indulge him, allowing yourself to enjoy the feeling of being held close. He sends you off, standing at the door as you walk down the drive and around the corner, standing there until you can no longer see the door.

____________

The office is still relatively empty when you walk through the doors. The same severe-looking lady is standing at reception. You offer a smile which she returns.

"Y/N welcome back. Glad to see you got the position. I don't think I introduced myself the other day. My name is Ronnie and we will be working closely together."

Ronnie shows you officially around the office pointing out various essentials that you would need to know within your first few days. It feels as though you should have a notepad to write down all of the information you are being fed at lightning speed. Only about half of the information sticks in your brain.

It's not a humongous office. Maybe 10 cubicles and 3 offices with real walls. 2 conference rooms sit at the far end of the space. The company specialises in helping foreigners to move to the country assisting in work placement and visa procurement. You are introduced to the other two people that have already arrived in the office and then Estelle is setting you up with her at the front desk.

She hands you a brand new company-branded stationary set with your company ID tag and login information. Then she leaves you to breathe, fetching a drink from the break room. Slowly people filter in through the main doors, introducing themselves to you as they go. Everyone is extremely welcoming but you can't help but notice the absence of the asshole from the other day and Taehyung.

You set about answering phone calls and forwarding emails as Estelle had shown you, it was boring busy work but it certainly beat hanging at home alone doing nothing at all. Sometime just before lunch Taehyung finally strolls through the doors. He grins cheekily at your colleague as she chastises him for being late.

"Don't think you're special just because of how you got the job Taehyung-ah, you have to get here on time just like the rest of us."

"I know Estelle, I just didn't fancy getting out of bed this morning." He shrugs.

The panda grabs a handful of candy from the dish in front of Estelle and sauntered into the main room. The older woman grumbles under her breath about disrespect but the look on her face is one of pure adoration, not dissimilar to the look a grandmother might have when her grandson plays up.

"Don't go around getting ideas from him, that boy's trouble." She says to you.

"Am not!" Taehyung calls from behind the half wall that separates the main room from reception. "Hey Y/N we are going for lunch in thirty minutes okay?"

You don't respond to the disembodied voice as it calls out to you, opting to focus on the work you'd been assigned instead.

True to his word he reappeared in front of you exactly 30 minutes later carrying your brown bag and a bento box of his own.

"Come on there's a lovely little park for a picnic across the road. You get an hour for lunch."

You glance at Estelle but she just shakes her head and signals for you to go with him.

__________

The park is a very short walk away. Almost directly opposite the building, if your offices had been on the opposite side it would've provided the cutest view. Taehyung produced a blanket from a tote bag you hadn't noticed and laid it on the floor for you to sit on together.

It was a really beautiful day with no clouds, but it was a little chilly. This close to winter an outdoor picnic was an interesting choice. The breeze makes you shiver just a little. Before you even get a chance to shield yourself, Taehyung has produced another blanket to drape over your shoulders.

"I love the cold, my DNA is built for it, but I sometimes forget others aren't as accustomed... But this time I remembered!" He claps his hands together clearly proud of himself.

He opens his bento box and produces 3 courses worth of meals. He has white rice with some kind of marinated tofu, a salad with balsamic vinegar, and cookies. There is also a small Thermus from which you can smell the tea as soon as he twists it open.

"Go on then what did you bring for lunch? Maybe we can do swapsies, I don't really fancy tofu." He reaches eagerly for your bag, not giving you a chance to snatch it bag.

He pulls out your chicken sandwiches that Jimin had wrapped messily in the last of the tinfoil roll. Then he reaches in for the apple and crisps, coming back with the note that had been sitting in the bottom.

"Y/N have an amazing first day we are so proud and can't wait to celebrate again when you get home, Jimin." Taehyung reads aloud. "Who is Jimin? You're boyfriend? I'm hurt you would lead me on this way Y/N"

Taehyung mocks being shot through the heart, dramatically falling back onto the blanket as he clutches the pink note in his hand.

"I can't have led you on in less than two conversations Taehyung. And Jimin's no one... just a friend."

You reach to grab the note back from him but he keeps it just out of reach causing you to tumble into his lap.

"Well maybe I should try to make him my boyfriend, I want little notes in my lunch too." He pouts.

His breath tickles your face as you try to scramble back up without flattening him in the process. He just laughs at your efforts and makes no effort to help you get off of him. Although he does hand you the note back.

He takes your crisps and gives you his cookies as a consolation prize. He asks you various questions and you strategically avoid answering them directly the same way you'd done with everyone else. What you didn't expect was for him to be doing the same. You couldn't tell why exactly but you were fairly certain there were things he was omitting from his story as he told you how he came to work at the firm with you.

Lunch comes to an end very quickly and you help him pack up the blankets that don't seem to want to fit back in the bag they came from. Eventually, he just punches them until they are in enough to carry them back. He deposits you back at your desk dead on one hour after you left and then disappears for the remainder of the day.

_____________

Apparently, it would seem working takes a lot out of a person. By the time you trudge back into the cottage at 6:00 pm, you are shattered. It seems impossible not having done that much and yet you can't keep your eyelids from drooping and your ass hurts from sitting for so long.

Jungkook is the only one home when you walk through the door. The only part of him you can see are his ears peaking up over the sofa trying to determine who just walked through the front door. You expect them to droop a little when he realises it's you but instead they twitch excitedly.

"Hey Jungkook, did you have a good day." You ask, approaching the living room slowly.

"Yeah, iI didn't do much." He answers.

"Do you want some dinner? Or shall we wait until the others are home?"

You peer over the back of the sofa and watch him playing on his switch until he is at a point where he can pause and speak to you.

"I wanna wait." He glances up at you briefly and then back to his game.

"Okay in which case I'm going to change, work clothes still feel too weird to relax in."

You go to the study and change into sweats. You're pretty sure the front door opened at least twice since you went upstairs signalling the arrival of some of the others. Jungkook's caramel scent wafted happily around the house as it started to mix with Namjoon's campfire. No other scent came to you though leaving you confused as to who else might be in the house.

Hoseok is sitting in the big armchair in the lounge when you come back down. Yoongi wasn't due to be home for another half an hour but clearly, that didn't matter.

"I got lonely at my house, so I thought I'd wait for Yoongi here." He shrugged when you sent him a questioning look. "Anyway, how was your day? we are all dying to know."

He shuffles forward to literally be on the edge of his seat and Namjoon and Jungkook stop the conversation they were having to listen.

"It was nothing special. I didn't realise how tiring working was though."

"Surely you've had a job before though." Namjoon scoffs.

You shake your head and are met by three very surprised faces.

"Even I had a paper round when I was a teen." Jungkook baulks.

"I haven't really had the opportunity to pursue a career until now I guess... I studied a lot." You try to shut down the conversation before they go any further, still not ready to divulge a lot about your past.

Luckily Jimin and Yoongi make it through the door together. Each of the homeowners exchanged kisses before the two new arrivals made themselves comfortable.

"Are we supposed to be working on something today?" Yoongi asked Hobi, confused by his presence, although clearly not disappointed you notice.

"Uh-oh busted. I just had a lot of fun hanging out yesterday... I can leave if you want." The human's usually cool and collected facade cracking a little.

"No of course you can stay." Namjoon answers. "Now what are we thinking for dinner?"

______

Again the night goes on, Hobi is invited to stay once more, this time Yoongi offers his and Namjoon's room so Jimin can have his own bed back for the night. Although you suspect there may be alterior motives involved when Yoongi suggests they share the room and Namjoon share with Jungkook. Hoseok doesn't flinch, and happily finds his own way upstairs.

"Yoongi, darling, you seem to be getting a little... protective of your new friend." Namjoon points out carefully.

"So? I'm protective of a lot of my friends, I'm protective over you guys aren't I?" Yoongi gets a little defensive.

"I should hope we are more than friends." Jimin points out.

"Do you want to pursue Hobi?" Namjoon asks seriously.

"I don't know, maybe? I don't know it's been a long time since I've actively pursued anyone. And I'm not sure you even count Joonie." Yoongi contemplates.

"I think even if maybe you haven’t thought about it you should, clearly your hybrid parts are already starting to think of him as ours, or at the very least yours." Namjoon reasons.

"Yeah, you're right. I have definitely been feeling more anxious when he isn't around me." Yoongi stands and says he good nights, following Hoseok upstairs to probably work out exactly how he feels.

"So you guys consider new mates then?" You ask tentatively, although you aren't sure why it should concern you.

"When the right people come along who are we to turn down more love?" Jimin asks in reply, looking off dreamily.

"That makes sense I guess, I've always been told that more partners just results in more jealousy." You say, thinking about the things your ex used to say.

"Why would someone you love experiencing more love ever make you jealous? It always makes me so happy when everyone else is happy." Jimin moves on to the sofa next to Namjoon and Jungkook and cuddles in closely.

"That's... that's really lovely." You answer, and then fake a yawn. "I think I'm going to head to bed, goodnight."

You thought you'd be asleep as soon as your head hit the pillow but find yourself struggling to fall asleep. your eyes keep blinking open as thoughts of a pack of your own swim through your brain. A group of people who love each other so much that jealousy isn't even a thought in their minds.

Next

Series masterlist

Masterlist

Please send asks, reactions, most to least, and general smutty thoughts to my ask box to keep me writing they do not have to be connected to this story. I just like giving myself extra work to do so. Please join in

[kingsmoot]

How do you feel about POVs with under five chapters? Which is your favorite? (For reference, counting TWOW chapters, that’s Melisandre, Arys Oakheart, Jon Connington, Areo Hotah, Aeron Greyjoy, Quentyn Martell, Asha Greyjoy, and Arianne Martell.) I hope this question isn’t too long!

this is an absolutely lovely question ty!!! and also ty for providing the list so i didn't have to google who has under 5 pov chapters

melisandre - i love mel and i love the incredible perspective her pov chapter gives on her. when i first read it as a kid i remember being really disappointed that she was a total fraud but that was a very childish reaction that i no longer have. i think it's an incredible choice that totally recontextualizes her entire existence in westeros and i really look forward to seeing how her and varys' plotlines develop parallel to one another. i wouldn't say her chapter is one of my favorites in the series, though. i really look forward to her appearances and she is the only way i am able to tolerate the dragonstone polycule plotline which i otherwise find extremely dull. but her chapter itself, while it's very good! it doesn't actually stick out for me

arys oakheart - OH BROTHER THIS GUY S T I N K S. i am so glad he's dead and i don't have to worry about his pov popping back up in twow/ados. having sex with princess arianne martell and complaining about it the whole time? bye.

jon connington - i absolutely adore jon's chapters. they're an excellent subtle character study and they're very sharply painful for me in a way i didn't expect going into them. the way he speaks about his father's contempt of him, the way he approaches his own fatal illness, the incredible web of relationships we see from his past as he reunites with the golden company. absolutely an adwd highlight for me, i always really looked forward to his povs when reading. i really hope we get him in twow AND ados, it would break my heart if we didn't hear from him again.

areo hotah - areo scored extra points for me because in hbo got he is played by deobia oparei who i am in love with (i haven't seen any of the episodes he is in but i have seen screencaps which is enough for me). i found areo pretty annoying (i don't actually like the kingsguard i find knights sort of uninteresting in general unless it's like... other characters' perspectives on knights! the knights themselves i'm like i don't like it when you guys talk go find a wall to prop up) BUT i really love his perspective on doran martell, who is one of my favorite characters. i loved getting to see doran in his garden through areo's eyes. so areo doesn't interest me at all but i like the dornish perspective we get in his chapters. and yes i do visualize him as deobia while i read which helps immensely.

aeron greyjoy - one of my top povs in the whole series i LOVE his chapters. i love that we see how broken and flawed and lost he is (much like we see in mel's chapter) and i love getting to see his solitary religious practice and i love hearing the dark twisted contradictory bullshit he cooks up in his head to make sure that balon is always centered as like a shining light that can do no wrong in his mind. what i wouldn't give for an aeron pov of theon's arrival on the iron island i TRULY believe this would be the one time grrm started slinging "faggot" around

quentyn martell - i found his povs to be a nearly unbearable slog tbh i listened to them all on 1.5x or 2x speed because i just couldn't wait for them to be over. i'm actually stunned he has under 5 povs because if you had asked me a minute ago "how many pov chapters does quentyn have?" i would have confidently answered twenty. it's like they never fucking ended.

asha greyjoy - ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE SHOW STOPPING NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE ETC. she's my second favorite pov after theon and it's a CLOSE second. i love her chapters i wish we'd gotten SO MUCH MORE OF HER in affc and adwd. she's perfect and her chapters are perfect when will grrm publish what the people (me) truly want which is just a perfect beat by beat of the entire series but from asha's perspective of like whatever she was doing at the time. not who i ever would have pegged for a noncon fetishist like as the victim in the noncon so wrow the complexity of women.

arianne martell - tbh i found her chapters to be sort of a slog too i'm not big on the dornish plotline. they're way better than quentyn's which i was actively trying to skip but in general this subplot doesn't grab me. i find it to be convoluted in a way that i don't find the rest of the series to be? i like arianne a lot and i enjoy her pov but the actual events of her chapters i find dull. her ploy to kidnap myrcella and instill her as queen of the seven kingdoms was dope and i find her pov of how everything is falling to pieces around her compelling. but she's not one of my favs and i don't find her chapters particularly memorable.

this was so fun to think about thank you for your lovely ask!

[complicatedchelsea]

Fallen Through Time For You

Chapter Two: It's Kind Of My Thing To Pick Up Strays

Masterlist

(gif not mine)

(Sydney's POV)

Hopper had been staring at me for five minutes, Joyce Byers standing behind him with a nervous expression on her face. Gruff names were tossed towards me before he had grabbed a dining chair and sat in front of me on the couch. Luckily, Eddie hadn’t moved from my side so I didn’t feel totally alone. 

“So you fell?” Hopper asked as he lit a cigarette. “From the sky?”

I nodded. “That’s what they said.” I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t really remember much. I was at home getting ready to watch TV and there was this loud ringing. Next thing I know I wake up on this couch.”

“Are you in any pain?” Joyce asked from behind Hopper. I think she was too anxious to sit down. 

“A little sore,” I admitted and looked down at the can in my hands. “But I was practically forced to take some tylenol so I think I’ll be fine.”

Eddie groaned from beside me. “Really? That’s what you are going with?”

I smiled up at him. “I say it how it is.”

He just shook his head in amusement. 

“And Eddie is your soulmate?” Hopper asked with a drag of smoke. “His name is on your wrist?”

“Like I mentioned, I didn’t know about soulmarks. But it’s there,” I pushed up my sleeve and angled my wrist towards him. “Right in silver ink.”

Hopper leaned forward to study it for a moment. “Are you sure it’s real?” 

I shrugged my shoulders. “How am I supposed to know?”

“Munson,” Hopper said as he leaned forward. “Touch it.”

“Touch it?” I echoed with Joyce. 

“Jim,” Joyce hissed. “You can’t make him do that. That’s private.”

I just looked up at Eddie. “What is it supposed to do?”

Eddie shifted so his body was angled more towards mine. “It’s nothing bad. It kind of seals the connection? I really don't know how to explain it. Just like a rush of emotions, but like Mrs. Byers said, it’s supposed to be private.”

“I am curious,” I said. Did I even believe it was real? “You can touch it.”

Eddie frowned. “You sure, sweetheart? No going back from that feeling once you feel it.”

I nodded. Eddie slowly took my hand and pushed my sleeve back up. Meeting my eyes on more time with a nervous glance, he lightly brushed his thumb over the mark. 

Hell, he was not kidding. 

It sure was a rush of emotions. Happiness, love, adoration, and a mix of emotions that I don’t think I’ve felt that deeply stirred in my chest. I didn’t realize I was crying until Eddie cupped my face and wiped some tears away. 

“You okay?” He asked, concern written all over his face. 

“Yeah,” I let out a deep breath and reached up to wipe the rest around my eyes. “You weren’t kidding. That was a little extreme.”

Eddie had this look on his face that I couldn’t quite place. It took him a moment to drop his hands, but one sought out one of mine, which he clasped tightly. 

I looked back at Hopper and saw he was sitting back in the chair, hand scratching his face. He looked at Joyce and then seemed to glance at the door that had the rest of the bunch behind it. 

“Believe me now?” I asked. 

Hopper nodded. “Here’s what I want to do. I want to run your name and your parent’s names through the system, see if I can get any information on it. I also might filter through the missing person’s reports to see if you pop up.”

“You don’t believe her?” Eddie asked in concern. “You just witnessed what I did. Hell, your daughter saw her fall from the sky!”

Hopper held up a hand. “That’s not what I am saying. I believe you and I believe what El told me. But just because you think you came from the future doesn’t entirely mean that you did. If any of those slimy assholes from the lab had a hold of you, there is a good chance they could place memories in your head. I just want to be safe.”

I didn’t think about that. El mentioned briefly what happened in Hawkins lab and the deceased Doctor Brenner. Could that have happened to me too?

Hopper saw my expression and leaned forward. “Kid, I just want to cover all my bases. We are going to figure out what dropped you here. Just worry about adapting for now, okay?”

I nodded and looked down at Eddie and I’s conjoined hands. I felt him squeeze mine, and I sent a weak one back. 

“What am I supposed to do now?” I asked. The door behind Hopper opened and the rest of the group slowly filtered out and took their places in the room. 

“What do you mean?” Hopper asked.

“I’ve been shoved through God-knows-what and now I’m here, completely lost. I have no clothes, no money, I have nothing. Hell,” a sarcastic laugh escaped me. “I am nothing. What am I going to do?”

“Hey” Eddie said sharply. “Look at me.”

I didn’t want to. Because I knew that if I looked at him and there was an ounce of kindness, it would upset me. Because it would mean that I actually found someone that cared. 

I clenched my jaw before looking up at him. His facial expression was soft, eyes even softer. “Don’t talk like that. None of that is true.”

“Yeah?” I asked and let out a wet laugh and I felt myself start to cry. I grew frustrated and used my spare hand to harshly wipe my face. “Then you tell me what you think is the truth. Because I have no fucking idea.”

“Sweetheart, you are looking at one of the most cynical people on the planet. I’m telling you, you’ve got nothing to worry about. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

It was an unspoken promise. I could feel it. As long as I was here, Eddie wasn’t going to let anything happen to me. 

But did he actually feel this way or was it the mark? Is that even how it worked?

Hopper leaned forward and placed a hand on my knee. “Whether you like it or not, kid, you’re part of the family now. It’s kind of my thing to pick up strays.” 

El let out a noise of protest and just moved to stand beside Hopper. I watched as Hopper looked up at her with a smile. “Isn’t that true?”

El just rolled her eyes and I let out a tiny laugh. It did warm my heart a bit. 

“But none of you know me. How can you make declarations like this?” I was trying to grasp at straws here. Shouldn’t they be treating me like the stranger I am?

“Sweetheart,” Eddie drew my attention back to him. “Do we look like we give a shit?”

As blunt as it sounded, it was true. The group in front of me was definitely mixed, bonds not only formed in battle but in time spent together. Was it too hopeful to think that one day I might be bonded like that too?

Joyce leaned forward over Hopper’s shoulder. “You’ll always have a place to stay, Sydney. You can stay with us until we get this figured out?”

“Or me!” Steve said as he stepped forward from behind Hopper and Joyce. “I’ve got a big, empty house that no one would bother you either.” 

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. This was a lot to take in. I could barely keep my head straight on a normal day and then this shit happens? And these people willingly offered me a bed in their respective houses with no knowledge of me. When was the last time someone was actually this kind?

I felt Eddie squeeze my hand again and I forced myself to look up at him. He had that look on his face again. Was it curiosity? Was he trying to figure me out?

“Do you need a minute?” He asked quietly. His eyes darted around to the group of people around us that had settled into another conversation. “Is this too much?”

I shrugged my shoulders. What did he want me to say? Yes, this is too much. I apparently wake up in the freaking 80’s, a man that looks like he’s fresh out of a rock band claims to be my soulmate because of some soulmark that’s on my wrist and on his too. Oh, and there are fucking monsters that I may or may not have to face and yes, I was dropped here with nothing. 

But I just answered with “It is a lot.”

Eddie didn’t look convinced. He took another swoop of the group before giving my hand another squeeze and standing up. “Harrington?”

“Yeah man?” Steve answered and broke away from Robin to stand in front of us. 

“Sit here with her for a minute? I’ve got to get something.” Eddie said as he looked down at me. “You gonna be okay if I leave for a minute?”

I managed to roll my eyes and sent him a teasing smile, the pressure of all this easing just a bit under the feeling of being cared for. “I might just combust, so don’t go too far.”

Eddie shot me a look with a smile before nodding to Steve and heading towards Joyce’s direction. Steve slipped onto the seat beside me on the couch. “Are you okay?”

I shot him a look. Steve just nodded and ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, maybe a stupid question.”

“How would you feel in my position?”

Steve studied me for a minute. “I think you are faring better than I would be.”

“Yeah?” I asked. “You think I’m handling this well?”

“Not only are you in a completely different time, but you have Eddie Munson as a soulmate. I think I would have already deemed myself crazy.”

“What’s so bad about Eddie?” I asked. The question rubbed me the wrong way.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Steve said with a sigh as he leaned back on the couch. “Why do I have a feeling you are going to be just as a handful as he is?”

I smiled. “Flattery will get you nowhere with me, Steve. Is this what you say to all the girls that fall from the sky?”

Steve looked at me for a moment, wide-eyed before letting out a laugh. “Jesus,” Steve said as he looked me over once again, “Wow, this is gonna be interesting.”

“What?” I asked. 

Steve just shook his head with another smile. “On another topic, Nancy and Johnthan were talking about going and doing some more research on your predicament and seeing if there were any similar stories to yours. Is that something you are okay with?”

“Do you think it’s actually worth looking into?” I asked, answering his question with a question. 

“When Nancy puts her mind to something, she won’t stop until she has figured it out,” Steve answered. “So I’m pretty sure if you said no, she would still do the research just for her curiosity.”

I shrugged my shoulders. “I mean, it would be nice to know a little bit more of what’s going on. I’ve got plenty of questions.”

“Well,” Joyce said as she appeared in front of me with another soda. “We might be able to answer those questions. Here, take this and get some more sugar in you. I’m worried about you.”

A warm feeling enveloped me. Joyce just had this aura of “motherly instincts” and I don’t think I’ve felt that feeling in a while. I took the soda without any argument and saw that some of the group was splitting off. “Where is everyone going?”

Hopper appeared behind Joyce. “I’m going down to the station to run those names though the database and see if I can find any information about you. The rest of the kids were gonna head back to Joyce’s house for a few hours.” Hopper looked around the tiny cabin. “Not much room in this place, figured you might be more comfortable in an actual house.”

I shrugged again. “Do I really have much of a choice?”

“Hey” Steve inserted and drew my attention to him. “No one is going to make you do anything you don’t want to do. If you don’t want to go, we’ll find another solution.”

I winched. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it that way. Just-” I broke off and tried to form a decent response. These people were being so kind and I was over here just spouting bullshit. 

“You’re overwhelmed,” Eddie finished as he reappeared beside me. “It’s okay if you are. Doing a lot better than I think a lot of us would be. No one is mad.”

That’s a first. 

“So, to the Byers?” Steve asked with a grin. “I’m warning you, the kids have lots of questions and I’m afraid they are going to ask all of them.”

I let out a quiet laugh and nodded. What’s the worst that could happen? They change their minds?

“Sure. I don’t think they will like my answers, but what have I got to lose?”

Eddie practically decided that I would be riding with him. I wasn’t going to argue with him, I wasn't comfortable with anyone else like I was him. Max deemed herself riding as well, and I don’t know if it was because she wanted to find out more about me, or if Eddie could tell that I still wasn’t comfortable being completely alone. 

One things for sure, Eddie drives like a fucking manic. It seemed like he took first place on the reasons that I could get killed. 

Max leaned forward to turn the radio down before we even left the trail path. The behavior was too well practiced, did she do this often? I turned to her and frowned. 

“Do you not like Black Sabbath?”

The van slowed and Max just widened her eyes at me. I felt Eddie’s eyes on my face and when I looked over at him, he had that expression back on his face. “You know who Black Sabbath is?

I just stared right back at him, “Why are you looking at me like I’m about to grow a second head?”

Eddie let out a shocked sound and started driving forward again. “Why do you always do that? Answer a question with a question?”

I let that sit in the air for a minute. “As weird as this may sound to you, I actually grew up listening to this music. My father was into all the greats.”

“The greats?” Max asked as she leaned back up again. “What do you consider as the greats?”

I chuckled. “Just keep in mind that to me this music is oldies. I mean Ozzy Osbourne is still very relevant because of the waves he made when he went solo-”

“OZZY WENT SOLO?” Eddie screeched from beside me. “When did this happen?”

“Oops,” I shared a look with Max and couldn’t help but laugh. “I don’t remember the exact time, but Black Sabbath kind of labeled him as crazy and kicked him from the band or he left because of some drug issues? There are too many versions of that story, but he is doing great on his own.”

“Wow,” Eddie said as we stopped at the end of the path to the main road. “You just altered my whole world here.”

“I thought I did that two hours ago?”

Eddie side-eyed me before turning out. “Okay, smartass. Are you going to be like this all the time?”

“Oh, I’m insufferable. Better drop me off now before you are forced to cut your ears off.”

Max groaned from the backseat. “It’s like there are two of them. Can we get back to the topic please?”

Eddie looked at me one more time before grinning mischievously. “I think she’s stalling, Red. Maybe she just did that to throw us off.”

Hm.

I ticked off my fingers as I listed out my choices. “Metallica, Iron Maiden, Def Leppard, Kiss, Journey, Motley Crue, Van Halen, Scorpions; but those are just mostly the rock bands that I listened to. Do I need to name more?”

Eddie glanced at me, his mouth wide open. I heard Max erupt into loud laughter in the backseat, and I turned to see her bent over in her seat. 

“I think,” she said before she bent back over. “This is the first time I’ve ever seen Eddie speechless.”

I glanced back at Eddie to see him let out a small laugh. “So this is how it’s gonna be?”

I raised my eyebrows. “How’s what going to be?”

“My life with you.” He said it so easily, like one he had been saying it to me for years. 

I didn’t know how to respond and felt myself stare at him. He took a second to glance at me and had the audacity to even wink me.

(Leave a comment if you want to be tagged!)

taglist: @silky-luxe @disaster-in-waiting @sadbitchfangirl

[skymaiden32]

Hi everyone! This isn't a very happy post, but it is very serious. Something happened yesterday and I just need somewhere to vent.

(No members of the Thunderfam are involved; it's about people I know IRL.)

I used to have this friend. My closest childhood friend. Our parents were also friends and had the two of us around the same time. I remember he used to have a lot of Thunderbirds toys. I guess that makes him the first friend I ever had in the fandom, even if we had no clue what fandom was back then. 

Something I should get out the way is that we grew up in a religious background, and we were in the same congregation as kids. Later on when we were teens, we had a trio with another boy, who beta-read my stories for me for a while. During COVID, all our religious activities moved online, and we drifted apart. I’ll call my former bff ‘Z’ and our other friend ‘J’. 

The longer the isolation went on, I started noticing that Z was no longer attending the online meetings, and whenever his parents were there they had these weird looks on their faces. Well, one day Z organised a Zoom call between the three of us and told us he’d moved out of his parent’s house and had converted to Islam. Me and J supported his decision, there were no hard feelings, and we promised to keep in touch.

Well, we did keep in touch for a little while. Z and I met up a couple of times, but that’s pretty much it. When the pandemic ended, me and J stayed in our congregation without him there. J got baptised and Z was there. J left for university, and my communication with him broke down as well, but that’s another story. At this point, I decided to change congregations for reasons unrelated to Z and J, which I’m not gonna get into here but let’s just say there were issues. I’m happy in my new congregation, but back to Z.

My mum and her husband are still in that old congregation to this day, and once I was there visiting them. That’s when I saw Z. He must’ve come with his dad. His mum wasn’t there for health reasons, which I’ll get into in a bit. That’s when he told me that he’d met someone at university. Mind you, he’d been at university for just about a year, and they were already engaged, talking about having kids, the works. He even told me they were planning on moving to another country. He showed me a picture of his fiance, and told me I’d be invited to the wedding. That was last April.

Now, I’m already annoyed at him because we’ve barely talked up until now, and any conversation we do have is by text, extremely short, and initiated by me. Honestly, if I hadn’t seen him in person, I doubt he would’ve told me he was engaged. I’m even more annoyed.

We get to his mum now. Z pretty much cut his parents off when he left, and his mother was understandably beside herself with worry. His mum is a lovely person. I adore her and when we were younger, she was like another mother to me. When I’d come round to his place she made me feel like part of that family. Hearing that Z’s hurt her so much really drives the wedge further.

Fast forward to yesterday. I wake up early because I had a congregation meeting at around ten. I open up TikTok. I see that Z has posted something, so I click on it. It’s a slideshow post with him and his fiancee goofing off. I look at the caption. It says, “marriage has changed me”.

…

She’s not his fiance anymore. She’s his wife. 

He said, to my face, that I would be invited. I wasn’t. I was heartbroken. I still am. Not because I was interested romantically, but because I’d realised I’d lost one of my best friends. I went to that meeting, because I needed to be around people I trusted after what I just saw. But I kept thinking about it over and over. Eventually, I decided that it was a lost cause, so I sent him a congratulations on TikTok, and blocked him. I made a vent post on TikTok too. It’s still up, but I may set it to private at some point. The bridge was already burnt; I just cut the rope because there was no way to repair it.

20 years down the drain. No one ever mentions how painful friendship break ups are. He was like a brother to me, but I can’t be friends with someone who treats me like that. Like those two decades didn’t happen. I honestly think I'll be upset over this for the rest of my life.

Z, if somehow you’ve found this post and are reading it, I want to thank you for the friendship we had while it lasted, and wish you and your wife the best. May you have many happy memories together...