#yet again i probably should have like..some sort of about but alas..

[archivebottles]

is pfp/icon use ok with credit

yup 👍👍👍(as long as its not commission work but i dont think i have any on here)

[ineffable-suffering]

The Curious Incident of The Flaming Sword in Good Omens

Just like so many other Good Omens red herrings, hints and *Aziraphale voice* clues, the question of 'What the fuck ist the deal with Aziraphale's flaming sword' has been absolutely tormenting my mind ever since S1 dropped all those years ago.

And while many of my other questions about S2 (like 'What the fuck is the deal with the Eccles cakes' or 'Who the fuck made the Gabriel statue') remain unanswered and could, possibly, just not matter at all and I should just get the fuck over them– the unsolved case of Aziraphale's flaming sword in S1 has always seemed like a weirdly important blind spot to me.

So, in an attempt to finally solve this knot in my brain, I made a timeline for the bloody Flaming Sword because what else would I spend my Friday evening on. Here goes nothing, I thought:

Aziraphale gets issued the sword by Heaven to guard the Garden of Eden in 4004 BC, and gives it away to the humans.

God asks him about it right after they humans have left Eden, Aziraphale lies to her and before even finishing speaking, God just loggs off and doesn't seem to care anymore.

The sword seems to be lost for the next 6000 years to follow and, once again, no one really cares.

The first time we see it again is when the International Express Man delivers it to War in the present day.

The next time we see it after that, is when Pepper effectively kicks war in the shin, makes her drop the sword and proceeds to anihilate her with it.

Brian and Wensleydale do the same to Famine and Pollution.

Aziraphale then wields the sword once more, despite never having to really use it (but hey, it looks capital-B Badass).

Lastly, our Holy Delivery Guy then picks up the sword together with the other (now deceased?) Horsmen's artefacts and they once again vanish.

Needless to say, I found myself nothing the wiser after making this timeline. It seemed completely useless. I still had no idea why the sword even existed and why they kept making such a big fucking fuss about it all throughout Season 1. So, I decided to make another list, this time with all the random ass questions I had about this random ass sword:

Why was it issued to Aziraphale in the first place? Since when does an angel need a random flaming weapon to protect two (2) humans that are already being guarded by a hundred-meter-high wall, when he could very well just miracle away any and every threat to both himself and them?

Was he given the sword to defend himself against demons? If so, why would they give him a burning blade instead of, for example, a Supersoaker full of Holy Water? (Sure, I'm fairly certain Supersoakers hadn't been invented yet, but you catch my drift)

Is the sword actually burning with hellfire? If so, it would a) still be a pretty useless weapon against demons, but also b) possibly explain why Pepper, Brian and Wensleydale were able to kill or at least temporarily get rid of three of the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (who, be they whatever they actually are, surely count as some sort of immortal entities just like angels and demons do)

Did the sword actually kill War, Pollution and Famine? After all, the World as we knew it did get reinstated by Adam again once they managed to stop Armageddon. Does that mean that the three Horsemen were revived again too? Unless Season 2 takes place in a war-less, pollution-less and famine-less world, they must have somehow made their return (or never really died in the first place)

Where. The Fuck. Is. The Sword. Now? And why does it bother me so much???????

Alas, just like so many other questions, these too seemed to remain unsolved. And since the fucking sword didn't make a comeback in S2, I guessed that it probably just wasn't more than ... well, a randomly flaming, randomly misplaced, randomly unexplained Flaming Sword.

Nothing more than a plot device.

Hmm, right. A ... plot device.

Hang on. (And that's when it finally hit me.)

It's a fucking plot device.

Most authors and consumers of media are familiar with the use of plot devices in story telling. However, I personally had only every seen characters be used as such, to merely bring an important point across or further underline or advance a story's or main character's development or plot.

It wasn't until I was about to simply give up because I couldn't see my way out of the seemingly unlimited sword-related questions anymore, that I realized: There are no answers to those questions. Just like there are no deeper meanings to any other plot devices. Their sole purpose it so shine some light onto another, more important thing, story or character.

And in this case, that character is Aziraphale. Or more so Aziraphale's choices and his relationship with and belief in God and Heaven. The Flaming Sword (or more so Aziraphale's giving-away of it) is the first way of showing us that Aziraphale:

doesn't always aka pretty much never obey God's will (even all the way back in The Beginning),

will lie to God about disobeying Her

and possibly, just like Crowley joked about, was the one who by trying to do a Good Thing, accidentally gave away something that would later somehow become a literal War weapon, lmao

It also tells us that:

God apparently doesn't always care or cast them out of Heaven when an angel actively disobeys and lies to Her. Or, for all we know, Aziraphale giving the sword away and not admitting to it was somehow part of Her Ineffable Plan anyway.

Heaven is apparently absolutely useless at keeping track of its very few ethereal belongings. That's what you get for outsourcing work, you capitalists.

Right at The End, the sword returns to its owner who had it right in The Beginning too: Aziraphale. And not just that: It actually ends up saving the humans. For the second time. First all the way back in Eden, when it was just Adam and Eve. And now, 6000 years later, at what would have been the end of the World. Very poetic, *wipes away tear*

So yeah, there you go. That's the big revelation I have come to. Would I have preferred to uncover yet another sneaky Gaimanian easter egg just so I could wave it in your face like some sort of a puzzle solved at a scavenger hunt?

Sure.

But hey, sometimes flaming sword plot devices are just that. And I'll make my peace (or War?) with it.

[minijenn]

Jen Tortures Herself With Every Dreamworks Animated Movie Ever: The Boss Baby: Family Business

So would you believe me if I told you this movie is better than the first Boss Baby? I mean it's not... much better, but still, improvements were made here. Let's talk about them.

We jump foward to a now adult Tim, who has fallen out of touch with his brother Ted (the original Boss Baby) and struggles to connect with his daughter Tabitha. He soon discovers his baby Tina is on assignment from BabyCorp to stop a new villain intent on wiping out all parents. Tina gives both Ted and Tim a formula to make them both young again, recruiting their help on this mission and roping them into all sorts of Mischief ala the first movie but... like I said, marginally better.

So yeah, once again, very silly plot for a very silly movie. And yet... I don't know, it feels more... genuine than the first one did? Like it leans less on the obvious "oh look at funee baby in suit talking like a businessman" (though there is still plenty of that) and leans more on character interactions and I gotta respect that. Especially since it actually gives me a reason to care about Ted and Tim this time around, actually strengthening their bond and reflecting on how they weren't there for each other growing up like they promised they would be, and how they're given a second chance to change that now. Idk, just some pretty nice thematic stuff in there, along with Tim learning to be a better dad to his kids along the way (daddy issues in Dreamworks movies, they never stop, I Swear).

The characters here are... ok. Better than they were in the first movie, I mean fuck, the titual Boss Baby is toned down a lot and is honestly one of the least painful parts of this. Tim is also better, mostly bc he's actually an adult here so he's not your annoying kid stereotype like he was before. Tina is... kind of annoying, being the source of all of the "business baby" jokes and she grates on the nerves every now and then. Tabitha is ok though, getting some good development alongside Tim. Then we have our villain, Armstrong, who is... surprisingly funny? Like he isn't the funniest dreamworks baddie by any means, but he was certainly watchable. Hell, you could kind of say that for this movie as a whole, really.

The humor here is a little better, striking surprisingly a little more mature than last time (featuring an insane joke about agnostics like what the fuck Dreamworks I never would have thought you'd ever reference religion again after Prince of Egypt holy shit). The emotional beats also hit just a touch more, feeling a good degree less forced than the first movie's. And yet for everything this movie does well, I think its biggest problem is it drags on for far too long, just meandering with scenes that don't need to be anywhere near as long as they are, into a movie with a longer runtime than it probably should have had. It gets... tiring, after a while, and you get to the point where you just want the damn thing to end.

The animation here is really nothing special, basically looking identical to the first movie's, though I will say a few of the imagination sequences were sort of eye catching here. The music is also pretty simplistic but there were a few diagetic songs that I thought were... ok enough. Pretty unoffensive in that reguard, though of course, the pop songs just couldn't keep their nose out of this movie either.

Like I said, its far from being anything resembling good, but fuck, I watched Spirit Untamed last night and this was better than that and it was also better than the first movie, so that's gotta count for something. Even then though, it doesn't count for... that much.

Overall Rating: 4/10

Verdict: Pay tribute to the Greatest Dreamworks Character Ever: The Agnostic Kid

Previous Review (Spirit Untamed)

Next Review (The Bad Guys)

[quasi-normalcy]

Worst Episodes of Star Trek by season (Revised and Expanded).

TOS:

"The Alternative Factor" - I've tried to watch this episode many times, but I don't think I've ever managed to sit all of the way through it. It's just a bunch of boring, nonsensical bullshit for an hour.

"The Omega Glory" - This is the reason why I object to framing Gene Roddenberry as some kind of visionary auteur, because this one, beyond simply having a ridiculous premise, is also really racist.

"Turnabout Intruder" - Turns out body-swaps aren't always good. Like the above, but sexist rather than racist.

"The Lorelei Signal" - An episode where Uhura finally takes command should be good, but again, more sexism (and a pointless rapid aging plot)

TNG:

"Justice" - The first season is mostly just kind of generically weak, but...ugh, those costumes.

"Shades of Gray" - Clipshow.

"The Price" - None of this season's episodes are actually bad, but I really don't like Troi's boytoy

"The Host" - Odan isn't interesting, and the bit where Beverly has sex with Riker's body is just gross.

"Violations" - Lots of bad episodes about rape on this list.

"Man of the People" - See number 5.

"Sub Rosa" - See number 6. Also, ludicrous premise.

DS9:

"The Passenger" - Did Siddig-el-Fadil just kind of forget how to act this week?

"The Alternate" - Probably the worst instance of Trek demanding reconciliation with shitty, abusive parents.

"Meridian" - Brigadoon in Space. Also featuring yet another chemistry-devoid romance for a female crew member.

"Sons of Mogh" - So the 'solution' is just to surgically alter him and delete his memory without his consent? And Julian went along with this?

"Let He Who Is Without Sin..." - Jadzia seems like a complete doormat for not dumping Worf's ass after this one.

"Profit and Lace" - I can't even be offended by the transphobia or the misogyny because of how stupid this one is. I love it.

"The Emperor's New Cloak" - The mirror universe had already been kinda run into the ground by this point.

VOY:

"Time and Again" - So boring. So pointless.

"Tattoo" - White Man's Burden. In Space!

"Favourite Son" - I don't even want to get into it, it's just bad.

"Demon" - This one could have been good if it actually paid attention to its own plot points. And the silly "needing to go to a hell planet to get deuterium" thing.

"The Disease" - Alas, Harry Kim's love life

"Fury" - Character assassination wrapped in the series' worst time travel plot.

"Endgame" - What a lousy way to end the series. No payoffs; no follow up; and the time travel thing wipes out trillions of people's lives for no compellingly good reason, and it's never discussed. The Borg are also presented as completely unthreatening villains, but this had been the way for several seasons. And it's even worse when you compare the deleted version of the early 25th century with the canonical version we see on "Picard."

ENT:

"Dear Doctor" - The 'moral' obligation to commit genocide. Fuck off.

"Cogenitor" - The 'moral' obligation to give a sex slave back to their masters. Fuck off.

"Rajiin" - Some pointless T&A; a little bad acting; and it becomes clear that there is no plan to the Xindi arc.

"These Are the Voyages..." - What a terrible insult to the series that it's supposedly the finale of.

DIS:

"Vaulting Ambition" - There's thos one scene where Emperor Georgiou murders all of her aristocratic in slo-mo cinematic detail and it just never comes up again. I hate this sort of pornographic, cavalier treatment of violence. It offends me to see human life treated in this manner.

"Point of Light" - Brings back Ash Tyler and Emperor Georgiou for an utterly un-thought-out 'intrigue' plot.

"Die Trying" - The idea that Starfleet has been using the same seed vault for a thousand years, that this seed vault is in Space, where it's vastly more vulnerable than it would be on (or inside) a planet, and that it contains seeds from *every plant in the galaxy* is so ridiculous that it undermines everything else in the episode for me.

"The Galactic Barrier" - Where it becomes most apparent that they're trying to fit ten episodes of plot into thirteen episodes.

PIC:

"Broken Pieces" - This one gets points off for completely wasting the XB plot, but it's still good because I like the bits with Rios's holograms and the character work for Jurati.

"Monsters" - There's a lot wrong with the second season, but two things that worked were Q and the Jurati/Borg Queen arc. Both of them were largely absent from this episode, and the stuff with Picard's expansion pack Victorian childhood trauma is just dreadful.

"The Last Generation" - Themes? Weight? Meaning? Non-violent solutions? Continuity? Nah. Let's just bash TNG action figures together for an hour. Also featuring the hit single 'Found Family Ain't Shit, You Need a Biological Son'

LWD:

"Temporal Edict" - This one has a generic workplace sitcom plot that doesn't really work in the Star Trek universe and also makes Freeman look like a complete idiot right out the gate.

"Mugato Gumato" - I don't think that Shaxs tasting Mugato dung was as funny as the episode seemed to think it was, and I really didn't like seeing Mariner beat the shit out of Boimler and Rutherford in the before-credits scene.

"Room for Growth" - Not bad, just kind of...meh.

"Twovix" - Again, not bad, just weakest of the season.

SNW:

"All Those Who Wander" - Ruining the Gorn and wasting Hemmer, all in one episode.

"The Broken Circle" - We really, badly needed to have this ten minute sequence of our medical personnel getting fucked-up on Green Goblin juice and beating up a hundred Klingons, eh?

PRO:

"Kobayashi" - Again, this one isn't actually bad, but it's just nostalgia for the sake of nostalgia; and I think that Dal's character growth should be earned through interaction with his friends, rather than with stock audio of Leonard Nimoy.

[anulithots]

Anuli gets an interview. (Very dangerous, do not recommend. )

Let's pretend that @gummybugg tagged me. (Bliar and Elijah will now live in my head rent free)

TW for self-deprecation and suicidal ideation. (Mild and overdramatic <-- the sort of comfortable joking about it)

Anywho, welcome to Trinity Hollow!

You've happened to stumble across flower bushes. A hollow exists underneath, studded with mushrooms. (I cannot find the picture)

Anuli has this expression.

Fae looks like this:

And congrats! Anuli will probably do whatever you ask, because fae doesn't like deviating from others instructions, lest something awful happen. Fae also doesn't like following instructions, because something bad will happen. Good luck!

(The fancier language Anuli uses, the more nervous fae is)

[1.] Are you named after anyone?

.... I- er. Plot holes and darling murders, the possibilities for character depth here! Wonderous questions, pinnacle questioning.

Figures that I do not have an answer for this one, my apologies.

I was just... Anuli, since forever, perhaps past that.

...

Wouldn't it be ironic if there was another being named Anuli and they had a similar arc as mine.... and perhaps one's name governs their fate and that's how Kamari's star-y fates dictate the destiny of all the beings because they just reuse the names over and over and over again.

.... and if the stars lived forever, did they see the same story repeat? Is there a limited number of stories in the world, a limited number of ways lives can play out, and yet we never learn. No one has an arc unless they live through it, no one goes "aha! I have just popped into existence, and I know everything about everything, and life is simple and easy, what are all these buffoons doing?"

.... Revision... most beings are like that. They always seem to go on some arc that makes them a protagonist or a side character or a foil or a mentor, and the ones that don't have that arc... (a pre-existence arc?) are left to scramble and eventually they become villains.

Apparently, ignorance of ignorance is bliss, awareness of ignorance will eat you alive.

... my apologies. I- I did not answer that question.

[2.] When was the last time you cried?

I'm still crying. Without tears.

Symbolic crying.

Metaphorical crying.

From a villain who should not cry.

Why would the proponent of harm cry?

Fae doesn't actually care.

If fae cared, it would've ended better.

... Unsure if disclaimers that sound better will work better. Because if this story repeats ONE MORE TIME I'M GOING TO [redacted]

[3.] Do you have kids?

Younglings? Me?

... that will never happen. That's not fathomable. I'd probably... pass on my antagonistic traits to them and mess everything up or accidently squish them, or I'd start sparking on the inside with those heat-ripple flesh and blood and morbidity thing (Anuli's trying to describe anger) and I'd purposefully squish them. That's... taking care of little things is nowhere in the 'antagonist character bio'.

[4.] Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Sarcasm gives one the power to shroud truth and leave it up to interpretation, making the one interpreting it find whatever meaning they want...

IT'S WONDEROUS AND I WOULD NEVER BE MISUNDERSTOOD AGAIN... but alas, its elusive nature leaves me tragically unfunny.

[5.] What's the first thing you notice about people?

.... I tend to... not notice things about people? I definitely do not notice a 'first thing'. A new character takes time to decipher into their desires, fears, worldviews and purpose in the story after all, but I... well I thought I was good at analyzing them. Was being the imperative word.

Er, suffice it to say that I don't notice anything about anything. My internal world takes first priority... it's the bane of my existence.... my grand villainous trait.

[6.] What's your eye colour?

... That's a wonderous question... Kamari might've told me once.

...

...

Plot holes and darling murders.

For this VALUABLE PIECE OF EXPOSITION... we shall say yellow. I think Kamari said yellow. Maybe. Possibly. It might fit in with the narrative... actually red.

Red is now my official and metaphorical eye color, for peak villainous disclaimers, symbolic for the blood on my hands (metaphorically).

Anuli's eyes are green. Kamari has told Anuli faer eyes are green at least seventeen separate times.

[7.] Scary movies or happy endings?

.... CONTEXT???? BACKSTORY???? IS THIS A "what do you, Anuli, prefer?" OR A "what type of story do you tell?" QUESTION? THE CONJUNCTION 'or' IMPLIES THAT IT'S ONE OR THE OTHER...

CAN SCARY STORIES NOT HAVE HAPPY ENDINGS? I WAS NOT AWARE OF THIS CRITICAL STORYTELLING-

oh.

'Scary stories cannot have happy endings'.

.....

I HAVEN'T ANSWERED ANY OF THESE QUESTIONS, THIS ONE IS STORY-RELATED, MY SAVING GRACE, I SHOULD BE ABLE TO SHALVAGE THIS, BUT ALAS, OBSTICALS.

.... plot holes and darling murders.

... LET'S DO BOTH QUESTIONS.

*Ahem, Anuli what types of stories do you prefer?*

'Why thank you for the question Anuli! I liked Kamari's stories, they were...simpler than mine, all with happy endings. I don't know- how fae told such happy little stories all the time eludes me.'

*what an insightful answer Anuli! What types of stories do you tell?*

'Yet another wonderous question Anuli, I typically tell stories that spiral into morbid deaths full of blood and flesh that rips off of bones and characters that never get their happy ending no matter how much they wish for it! It's ironic really, how attempting to get that happy ending only makes it spill from their fingertips!

I tried to tell a story with a happy ending once.

.... tried being the imperative word.

[8.] Any special talents?

Ruining every story beat, happy ending, and spiraling into morbid nonsense no one would want to hear.

[9.] Where were you born?

... This must also be valuable exposition, apologies for not containing the answers in this.. needlessly complicated internal world.

My tree is in the wanderer's nest, so I assume I sprouted in the wanderer's nest?

FROM THERE, DEAR AUDIENCE, COMES THE PLIGHT OF THE WANDERER'S NEST AND ITS VILLIANOUS COMPANION - THE PLACE OF TETHERS - TO KEEP ITS VILLIAN SPAWN FROM RUINING THE PROTAGONIST'S HAPPY ENDING INSTEAD OF DYING LIKE IT'S SUPPOSED TO.

[10.] What are your hobbies?

Storytelling! Art once in a while! Overthinking! Daydreaming! Nothing helpful! Messing up everything! Talking to inanimate objects!

[11.] Do you have any pets?

What's a pet?

[12.] What sports do you play/have you played?

What's a sport?

(Anuli is extremely slow and has awful motor control and will trip over faer feet and reach for something and miss it. Fae can't fly nor walk that fast. Anuli's spent most of faer young life tethered to a fence, and fae sat and rolled around for most of that tethered existence. Standing up suddenly will make faer dizzy. Do not get this one in a sport.

Human AU Anuli likes to float in a pool, that's about it.)

[13.] How tall are you?

I can answer this one! HUZZAH!

About a half-Kamari length.

(This is the most accurate height chart you're going to get. And the Anuli doll took three months and is about the size of newborn child. I don't think I'll ever make a Kamari doll because... making that size accurate would be a nightmare and I don't think I would ever finish)

books for size comparison

[14.] Favourite subject in school?

What's school?

(Human AU Anuli would have hyperfixations in musicals and classical literature, along with the occasional high fantasy modern books... as long as they break tropes or have a good sense of storytelling (fae gets bored easily.) That being said, assignments are faer least favorite thing in the world, fae would have the highest grade in literature.... but only when fae gets to analyze stories or write faer own. When this happens, fae will write pages and pages longer than the assigned length.

All other subjects are barely over failing grade, except for art, although Anuli might do something completely opposite of what the instructions where but fae gets a decent grade anyways because it had a lot of effort put into it.

Anuli miiigghhhtttt have a learning disability in math, since cannon Anuli has a hard time counting. Numbers are hard to work with because fae can't see them that well... they are very abstract things.

History would be pretty good... except for the assignments parts. Human Anuli could infodump on ancient history for hours and think they all happened in the past hundred years.

Science is a hit or miss. Anuli's gone on a hyperfixation from time to time (mainly genetics because fae saw this one show where they use DNA to identify a killer), but fae just... doesn't do the assignments.

TL;DR - Literature and a bit of history, has a failing grade in most subjects because school work = executive dysfunction)

[15.] Dream job?

... I get to tell stories to Kamari while fae hums songs and makes windchimes, but that's another story entirely. That's not mine to have.

... I don't daydream about myself in a... positive light that often... so... I'll take suggestions for free lifestyles as long as it doesn't involve anything important or breakable or involving emotions or other beings or consistency.

[lake-archive]

Dear brother,

Fandom: Hypnosis Mic

Series: Secrets & Trust

Character: Gentaro Yumeno

AO3 Link

Track 9 - Track List

a lot has been going on during your absence. So much which I will have to report on. I won’t even know where to begin. A lot has happened, good and bad. And yet, even during those bad times, I have met some interesting people. Their stories are unique and I am certain that you will come to appreciate them as much as I did. Honestly, I had not even imagined any of this happening, having so much to report… And yet, here we are. All while I have stepped into your shoes.

But I’m sure that I have written down everything regarding Ramuda and Dice already, haven’t I?  Expressing my desire for you to meet the two, once the time comes. Once it does… Yeah, once it does… I’m sure that you will find them just as interesting as I do. How curious each of them are, all doing their own thing. And yet, somehow, it had brought us three together. What an ironic twist of fate.

But alas, I am not here to talk about them more, not this time. There is a third person I would like you to meet… I have rambled about them before here and there, haven’t I? But that’s all it had been, meaningless rambling. Honestly, I was probably searching for some clarity. Because I had not understood back then… Why them? 

I have told you about some outstanding things – How they handle and look into the written word flawlessly yet make a kitchen explode when they just want to boil something as simple as water. How they can be so serious in one aspect yet in the next you catch them off guard and they become a mess who is barely able to get a word out. I thought it was just all of that. They were just interesting… Well, maybe there was some gut feeling there, or a wish of some sorts. 

Someone to confide in… Someone who can read between the lines and see right through me. ‘But had that not been an inconvenience to you?’ – At first I believed so. It was a scary thought… 

And yet… They have rejected the idea of exposing me. I think you could call it that. I cannot fool them with my act, not anymore at least, and yet it caused something within me, hearing their words. “I want to get to know you”, that is the summary of it all. Someone wanting to get to know me… Despite everything they chose the option of a slow approach. 

Do I sound as if I was in awe? Haha, I admit it to you first. I am in awe. I believed for them to be easily fooled, someone to play games with, games to distract myself from everything going on. That was all it had been… I had not expected for it to go any deeper than that… For me to actually understand.

I have been caught off guard at least a little. Oh the things they do unintentionally, a special kind of fool. But perhaps they’re the type of fool I cannot help but love.

Did I just say that? Love? Yes, I did. I can say it with confidence now. And yet, saying it directly to them might be a little too early. Not when I still have something else to take care of. I do have my priorities. I’m not going to lose sight of my goal just yet.

But allow me to indulge in those little breathers. Frankly, your role is an exhausting one. Having someone who can assist me break character… Perhaps it is a little too reassuring. Maybe I shall snatch them here and there for my own breaks. I can only hope that Ramuda and Dice are ready to forgive me for my upcoming selfishness from time to time.

Forgive me to bore you with such details. It must be exhausting to listen to all of this. Maybe I should just leave it at that and introduce you to them once the time is right. I hope you will look forward to it as much as I do. 

That is all I have to report to you for today. I will talk to you again soon, that is a promise.

Please, make sure to hold on just a little longer… It will all be over soon for you. I will make sure of that.

Your brother—

[thesparklingwriter]

I was so glad to see that you appreciate detailed reqs bc I've got a really niche scenario floating about my head. //fluff AND angst. my Favorite >:D okay so: Zhongli x Male!reader reader who is guizhong's brother, the god of mist. Close friends with Zhongli and also mutual pining, but alas alas :( In the archon war, guizhong dies, and reader *barely* survives with fatal wounds. And so, reader decides to fall into a self-inflicted coma and try to heal themselves, but there's a 50/50 chance they die in their sleep. Zhongli sits by our injured body and promises us that he'll be there when we wake up again. he leans down to kiss us before we dissolve into mist. delicious "I might be hoping and waiting for nothing, but its *you*, so I will keep waiting for a thousand years until you return to me" Angst thankfully reader wins their 50/50 and goes searching for Morax. hopefully they find some information in Liyue about him. and oh? the citizens direct them towards a funeral consultant who's oddly knowledgable about Morax. When they meet this, 'zhongli', they wonder why he looks so shocked and emotional 👀👀 delicious "finally. you've returned" fluff

click here to read the fic!

ooooo okay this is interesting!! my lore knowledge is all over the place so whatever i make probably will not be canon compliant, but it should be close enough (I'll mooch on the wiki for a bit and see what i can learn through osmosis)

i am really liking the pining potential here wow, there's so much here to consider and i love it so much. i like reqs like this because i can always focus more on the structure and other literary features (sorry English student, i can't help it) than coming up with the idea myself. im thinking i can do flashbacks and all sorts of fun stuff (woo)

i don't know if i've said this yet but i'm super excited!! leave it with me, hopefully i'll have the time to get it done in a week, and I'll be sure to tag you in it when i finish :))

[television-bodies]

fic writer tag game

thank you for the tag @palmviolet ! love things like this. blessings upon you and all your sheep

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

five! my ao3 account is but a baby

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

63k. in approximately ten days this is going to jump by ~15k so perhaps i should have waited to do this tag but alas. impatience

3. What fandoms do you write for?

currently only les mis. so many themes to explore... so many characters to sink my teeth into... so many dynamics to look at and so many situations into which i can drop people...

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

i mean. this is going to be all of my fics but here's the ranking

suckerpunch

visiting hours

restoring the balance

tech week

the two sides of monsieur valentine (the perils of rarepairs)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

yes!!! i love comments. fuel. life blood

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

well. there's a major character death marinating in my drafts, yet to be unleashed

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

currently all of them have pretty happy endings, which is something i'm sort of trying to change because i'm starting to get a little bored of writing that all the time. sorry. scared of getting myself into a funk! all things considered though, it's probably tech week. those final lines were in my head from the very start of the fic, and with the whole christmas vibe... yeah. that one, i think

8. Do you get hate on fics?

not so far! hoping that will not change!

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

not as of yet and i can't see myself doing so if i'm honest but i'm also a big believer in never saying never because i don't know who i am (or more importantly, who i will be). so. not at the moment. but in ten years maybe i'll look back at this and laugh. you know

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

again, not as of yet! not a full crossover, with characters from each thing intersecting, anyway. i've got some AUs for les mis that are specific to other interests, but nothing closer than that.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

i don't think so.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

i don't see many fics in the les mis fandom getting translated at all anymore! the fandom is so lovely but it's definitely quieter than it has been in the past, so it doesn't surprise me. i'd love for it to happen, but no, not yet.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

nooo. i like the idea of it, if there was someone i think i worked well enough with -- but i don't know anybody over here well enough for that yet, i don't think. i am currently bad at messaging people/interacting on any level deeper than reblogging posts or commenting on their fics, which is really something i should work on. open to the possibility though!

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

enjolras and grantaire, oh my god. living in my brain for goddamn YEARS now. years upon years. with that said, i do have certain Feelings about them -- maybe i'll go more into detail with this someday on some other post but really i think that the way they're done in canon is kind of perfect, which is why i don't write canon era fic for them. there's nothing i can do to that that would make it worthwhile, to me. but putting them in different time periods or situations? ohhh yeah

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

i've got bits and pieces of a les mis AU for the BBC series race across the world which i am still sort of attached to but can't see myself doing anymore, purely because writing the logistical parts of how the race etc functions in that show was boring me, and i don't want to be bored by something that i'm doing for my enjoyment. but maybe i'll do a post at some point laying out the main plot points if anybody's interested because i do still like the concept

16. What are your writing strengths?

probably still nailing this down, if i'm honest. i like descriptions.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

i always think i'm not great at dialogue, but i've been told the opposite, so who knows! i think my issue with it comes more from wondering where the conversation should go/what should go in the middle of two points i want the characters to make, rather than making it sound realistic. i think i'm fairly good on the realism front.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

occasionally i'll make characters say the odd phrase in another language, but nothing more than that. i'm not fluent in any language other than english, so unless it's something i'm sure of in spanish i think i'd just be worrying if the translation is correct, which isn't worth it to me (and there isn't much use for spanish in what i'm currently writing lmao)

19. First fandom you wrote for?

fanfiction dot net days are ones we do not talk about... a haze in my mind... banished to the darkness... but i actually do know the answer to this -- it was dracula, for some fucking reason. (i know the reason. but i'm not sharing)

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

i'm quite fond of suckerpunch, just because i think it's sort of speedrunning my personal exr manifesto, but i don't know! seriously no answer to this! taking that as a good sign: maybe my favourite is yet to come.

no pressure tags go to @pumpkinspice-prouvaire @sereendy @shamedumpster and anybody else who wishes to do it!

[armory-rasa]

Making the cat bag: gussets!

aka, those side panels on bags. 

Pulled the leather out of the water -- sure enough they were not very malleable, so I made a pattern piece of the shape I wanted and carved out a channel to make it easier to bend.

Still not very malleable; I wound up having to cut triangles out of the corners to make it fold -- hopefully they won’t be very noticeable on the finished bag.

Ideally you’d be using a mold, like the one in the back there, to guarantee that both of your gussets are identical -- alas, the mold I have is only 1.5″ wide, so I had to do these by hand.

(This is the step that would have been a lot easier in veg-tan -- no channels, no corner-cutting necessary, because it’s a lot more stretchy when wet.)

Then I hit the edges of the body and the straps with some antiqueing gel to darken and smooth them, and also smudged some over the surface to make the color more interesting:

Latigo, like all chrome-tan leathers (...of which latigo is sort of a veg/chrome hybrid), has dye and finishers infused into the surface, but they do not go all the way through, and the edges will be visibly lighter than the rest of it -- which is a dead giveaway that you’re using modern leather. If your project is supposed to have historical/fantasy vibes, you have to finish your edges or it’s going to look like modern, mass-produced crap.

Traced a line about 1/4″ from the edges, then went over it with the groover again to carve out a channel for my stitching:

Stitching channel done:

(Notice you don’t do the front edge of the mouth of the bag. Note also that I mistakenly did this after applying the antiqueing gel, when I should have done it before. I had to go back and color that line dark again.)

Starting from the corner, mark where you’re going to punch your holes but do not punch them yet. You don’t want to punch these until you’ve glued the gussets in place, so your holes go through both layers at the same time, and ensure they line up perfectly.

When you get to the part that is just the flap though, you will be punching the holes. Like so:

When you’re done marking your stitching holes, add the decorative rivets on the flap, and begin attaching your belt straps as shown in the picture above.

Finish attaching belt straps:

(I wound up dropping the width of these straps from 1.5″ to 1.25″)

Now rivet the center strap to the body piece. Most of these rivets are going to be medium post length (since that’s what works best for two layers of 5-7 oz leather), but the rivet where it’s folded over for the buckle is probably going to need to be a long post, since it’s going through three layers.

Now apply a generous layer of contact cement to both edges of the bag body, and on all three sides of the gussets:

Contact cement doesn’t adhere as well to latigo as it does to veg-tan (it has a harder time getting a grip on the wax), so reapply if it’s looking too thin as it dries. If you’ve never used contact cement before, you apply it to both pieces, let them dry until they are no longer tacky, and then press them firmly together.

And now, since it has been drying while I wrote up this post, time to move on to the final step. :)

[punkrockmixtapes]

Music Nerd Stuff

I really should be working but I have no motivation today so I'm wasting my time doing this instead. If you feel like doing this please do. I don't know who to tag but I'll tag some folks at the bottom.

1. First Concert: officially? I'm pretty sure the first one I went to all by myself was Soundgarden/Rev Horton Heat at Max Bell. There were a few at that same time that I had gone to so I'm not sure but I'll stick with that answer. I know I bought Rev Horton Heat shirt with a Devil girl on it and it got me into a lot of trouble at school the first time I wore it. This probably ages me a little bit.

2. Last Concert: I think the last show I went to was Hot Water Music and Sincere Engineer. I've been super weird about doing anything since Covid. I mean weirder than I normally am. But I'm trying to force myself to go to more shows again. Sincere Engineer were amazing. I can't wait to see another show at a better venue.

3. Most Surprising Show: Hmm...this is tough. I've seen some pretty cool shows especially when I worked at the record store and would just get free tickets to anything. Seeing RVIVR on a whim at a bike shop in town. The show wasn't advertised or promoted at all. I just happened to stumble upon a random instagram post. I had never even seen this shop and it was like 10 blocks from my old house. So I went. It was so amazing. It felt like when I went to shows in high school. It really rejuvenated my love for punk rock.

4. Worst show: Oh I have seen a lot of those...as I mentioned I had a free ticket to almost anything that came through town and I would take full advantage of it. Like I went to see Styx with Gowen singing just because I could. Plus all the basement/all ages shows. I mean you gotta sift through some mud to get some gems. But, maybe the most disappointing was Arcade Fire. It was on their first "big" tour. To be fair I wasn't that into the album yet. But all I had heard was how amazing this band was live and how it was going to blow my mind. I legit fell asleep during the show on a couch. Like not related to booze or being tired. I might as well have been in a boring lecture at school.

or maybe Ozzy the last time I saw him. I saw him in like 96 and he was rad and energetic. Then I saw him later on pre the Sabbath reunion. We were lucky (or so I thought) to be side stage. But Ozzy was decrepit and couldn't move. He was reading off a teleprompter and it was sad seeing the regression. I have heard he ruled on the Sabbath shows but I didn't buy tickets for that based on this experience.

5. Loudest: Hmm...I assume all the basement shows were loud and probably were not good for any future hearing loss but the loudest show with an actual PA had to be the Misfits when they came through on the first run with Graves singing. I don't think my ears were ever the same. I also learned that wearing plugs at a show is probably a smart idea. Alas it was too late.

6. Band I’ve Seen The Most: I'd say Chixdiggit because they played all the time when I was a teenager. I'm sure there are other local bands that I saw just as much.

7. Best Show: Too many contenders. I have been fortunate to see so many good shows. I am a sucker for small venues and I really hate stadium or festival shows. I guess that's the punk rock snob in me. But the first one that came to mind was The Weakerthans at the multi cultural centre. It was an all ages show, on a Sunday , in the middle of summer which usually meant a giant failure at the time. I hadn't been a fan. I was too young to get that kind of music. But the show made me one. Plus I still get butterflies because that whole day was fantastic like some sort of scene in a movie when the main character looks back and reflects on something formative or romantic.

8. Happiest I Got To See: The Menzingers. They had canceled twice here and I finally got to see them. It was probably the first time I was up front at a stage in like 10 years.

9. Wish I Could’ve Seen: There are 3 for me

a) The Murder City Devils - They only played here once as far as I know. I wasn't 18 and I couldn't get into the show. My friend said he would get me in. I was too much of a chicken and I figured they would be back again soon. Much like Mr T at the mall it never happened.

b) Samiam - Same deal as above, same venue, I wish I wasn't such a chicken at the time.

c.) At the Drive In - I didn't get an actual chance to see them but fuck do I wish I could have seen them before they blew up and then hated being a band.

10. Seeing Next: I don't know. I always say I'll go to this show or that show. I'm old, I'm slightly afraid of large crowds now ...but I do have tickets to the Chuck Ragan, The Interrupters and Frank Turner in April. And I really want to see 1876 when they play here for Sled Island. That will rule.

if you feel like doing this @sugartownunderground , @honey-drudgers @capsandbottles97 @serend-p-ty @another-brick-inthewall

[xiakha]

FFXIVWrite2023 Prompt #21 - Grave

They put a big slab of stone on top for a reason. Mostly it was so that no one could get in and defile the corpse. Beloathed tyrant viceroy of Ala Mhigo or not, to have his skull or other bits bandied about at this critical hour would do nothing for the reputation of the Ala Mhigans while provoking the Garleans even worse than they already were.

The other reason was that it would take a decent amount of effort to push the slab off from the inside, especially as there was no room for leverage or anyway to push off otherwise. It was small comfort as the man was monstrously strong, but it was at least a hinderance that wouldn't make checking up on the corpse impossible.

And at the very least, it would be fairly obvious that the slab was displaced.

So when the slab was still in its original position and yet the body was missing, Thancred was the first to respond with the thought that everyone present had all at once.

"Aw, shite."

"We seem to be missing a corpse."

Lyse shot Thancred a glare.

"Well it must be somewhere. I only hope it isn't walking around."

Lyse shot Alisaie a glare as well, this one was a just a tad less hateful, more disbelieving.

"...Gonna to have to kick his arse yet again, eh?"

Lyse swiveled her head around to Xiao for her bit of cone AOE, "Really, why are all of you like this? This is a serious matter!"

Thancred shrugged, "Not much else we can do with the nothing present." He gestured fruitlessly at the empty stone sarcophagus.

"Do we know that the corpse hasn't shriveled up to match the size of his heart? Perhaps his enormous size deflated without all of that hot air he was spouting."

Xiao nodded along to Alisaie, "Perhaps he got thirsty in the middle of being dead and got up to get some water."

"Well then how do you explain the slab being replaced?" Lyse asked, defeated.

The Miqo'te looked up thoughtfully, "Zenos could have been very tidy. Never saw him in his private life, so hard to say."

Alisaie looked around absently, "Should we wait around until he returns with his pitcher of water then?"

Thunder rolled above them. Not in laughter, mind.

Lyse stopped her foot, "Seriously you three, how do we know for sure that this is Zenos returned or an Ascian possessed and not something more mundane? Could it have been a fire? Perhaps some sort of lye mixture that eats away at corpses?"

Thancred shook his head, "Nay, unfortunately there would be evidence for it, ash or residue left behind, and in the case of more volatile alchemical means, we would see etching on the stone."

Alisaie waved her hand in the sarcophagus, "Not glamoured to be invisible either."

"Could have been waiting for us to lift the slab afore scampering out." Xiao made little pawing motions with her hands. It ill befit her, let alone Zenos.

Lyse shook herself of this nonsense and the rain, "Well, this has been a futile if disturbing excursion, with the only revelation being the horrid sense of humor you three have in a graveyard."

Thancred, Alisaie, and Xiao looked around. Ah. It was not unlikely that Lyse had family buried somewhere in this selfsame graveyard. That was probably why she was so high-strung and specific about the sanctity of even this tomb. If they made an exception for what was okay or not for this one grave, would they start to carve out exceptions for other graves as well? Better to leave all bones where they lay. And with all of the desecration and defilement already cast upon the Ala Mhigans in life and in death by the Garleans these past twenty-five years, this was a new sort of profanation.

Done by a Garlean, in body at least, in an Ala Mhigan graveyard still, but regardless.

Without another word, Lyse left, and the three soon followed.

Xiao took one last look back at the opened sarcophagus with a sigh. She didn't want to fight him again. Three times in person and one time in dragon was enough. Oh, there were times that her blood sang and her heart soared and her mind danced with the thrill of combat, but Zenos was just irritating by now. He could at least come up with better material. Alas, it seemed inevitable. It would be at least once more, at least twice more if an Ascian was involved. She could feel it.

Her attention darted to a nearby cliff. Movement. Was someone there? Had Zenos returned with his water?

No, all was still save the pitter-patter of the rain.

She joined the others.

***

Just out of view on that nearby cliff, an Elezen dressed in Ala Mhigan resistance livery was experiencing a new emotion for the first time outside of his usual set of utter ennui, mild annoyance, extreme battlelust, and blasé contempt.

He was incandescent with rage. Absolutely beside himself, not literally, with fury. That was his body! That was his aetherically charged corpse! How dare they take something so fundamentally and rightfully his! This was worse than finding out it had been altogether destroyed or defiled. At least then his story could have an end. No. Someone was out there puppeting his cadaver into positions that he quite possibly would never take, that he would find completely beneath him and his well sauced posterior. Otherwise, "Zenos" should have arisen to challenge the Warrior of Light again or at least to make sure the Warrior of Light was preparing for their next encounter. He would do no less.

She had fought him as a Warrior, a Ninja, a Red Mage, and a Dark Knight. What other tricks did she have waiting in the wings?

Death did little to change him, save that it transfixed one obsession. He would have the Warrior of Light bring her all to bear against him.

...And he also wanted a pitcher of water.

[fool-errant]

Rapport

Sorry Astarion isn't in this one much - I started in one direction and wandered off into the weeds. If somehow I keep spitting drabble he'll show up again. This is more of Halla the bard no one wanted to know. She is in the previous scrap I posted. Shes an old tabletop DnD character - and yes she is in fact an awful person. Just in a fun non murder-y way.

Being a bard of small talent - and a swindler of even more skill, Halla considered herself good with people. She had to be. The fact no one had lynched her yet was proof enough. Find a common topic to pull a conversation out, keep them interested. Build a rapport. Soon people were convinced she was a “like minded individual” and not think of her when things started going missing or falling apart.

Their small group of traumatized adventurers hadn’t been too different. Common experiences aside she needed more than a support group if they were going to survive without tentacles. Well at least - increase the odds of non tentacled lives.

The wizard, was useful, in a tactical way. Working with him was easy, like many magic scholars, was all too eager to talk about himself. A smile there, a nod or three when he mentioned the weave and he was receptive to her suggestions. She suspected that being abducted was the most social interaction he’d experienced in a long time.

Shadowheart was a bit odd - but nothing too interesting. Figure out what strange enclave she had been shaken out of, make a few theatrical shows of faith, any faith that wasn't diametrically opposed, and she’d probably be able to get close enough to examine that little trinket the cleric guarded so closely. The gith, she’d heard of her ilk. Nothing good. But nothing specific. Just - rumors. Alas her disposition and dislike for everyone made it hard to talk with her. But there was a pragmatism Halla respected even if their methods of solving problems conflicted. Gith it seemed had two solutions for everything - both ended in blood and screaming. Alas Lae’zel did have a point that they should be very concerned about the fact they were going to die. It was hard to argue with that fact. Of course Halla was concerned. She was very concerned. But there was time for panicking later. It wouldn’t do to lose what was left of one's head in the middle of this wilderness.

 But Halla couldn’t coax or persuade the worm out of her skull, so she was working with what she had. And what she had was what was left of her wits, a violin and a group of random abductees that seemed to be getting larger everyday. Now the elf was a bit of a puzzle. He was annoying. But the wrong shape of annoying. He was of some nobility or rank. At least that was what the clothes and accent was telling her. But an upper city swell willing to get his hands dirty and try to pick a fight with a complete stranger. He was too competent at it, she’d gotten out of his grasp without much trouble but he moved with the ease of someone used to conflict. He also picked locks better than she did. Which was mildly embarrassing on a professional level, but another flaw in the facade.

“We must travel in different circles.” She’d played, performed, danced, drank and stole in many circles but she was sure she’d never seen him around. He also hadn’t mentioned how wealthy he was or which important people he knew in the city. Which felt out of character for an Upper City fop of any stripe. They were always flaunting who they knew, or who they were related to. It was a currency they used and spent like she used her smile and charms.

He was clearly lying. Hiding something. Maybe they were in similar lines of work and he was new in the city. He was too articulate to be Guild. Wrong sort for a mercenary group. Somehow, vampire spawn had never crossed her mind in the list of possibilities. In hindsight she should have sorted it out before they found the dead boar. Though watching the pale elf dance around a pig corpse and the topic of how it got there did prove to her that no, he was not in fact in the same line of work she was. He was terrible at it. Having the ridiculous man try to feed on her in the dark had been a bit of a surprise. It was hardly the first time someone attacked her in her bed. Though the teeth were a first. To Astarion’s credit, he at least had the decency to look ashamed about the situation. She’d allowed him to feed, it had been much less orgasmic than she’d been led to believe. He went at it with the enthusiasm of a man starving. If he’s telling the truth he probably was. He did at least keep his word and stopped when she asked. Better than she’d expect from a man attacking a lady in her bedroll. It had been a stupid thing to do. Halla’s self preservation, usually her strongest trait, was screaming at her. Her blood belonged in her body. One couldn’t just give out pieces of oneself, even the parts that grow back. It was a bad habit to get into. But she was dying anyway, and she needed any advantage if they were going to survive. A vampire owing her a favor might be useful. 

[xiv-wolfram]

The Echo - Comic Script

A Realm Reborn - lvl 17

The Echo can be inconvenient... For many different reasons.

Catch up on my WoLComics (Chronological List)

This is the script for a future comic. My grammar probably sucks, sorry to you proper writers - I'm just a code monkey. 😅

Numbers indicate frame number. A or B followed by ) is for a split frame.

Part 1 - lvl 17

Wolfram is standing in the Waking Sands with the Scions. Minfilia speaking. Narrator - "Wolfram's recent work for the Adventurer’s Guild in Limsa Lominsa and Gridania has attracted the attention of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn. He first met Y’Shtola in Limsa while investigating some pirates. She later asked him to meet with Minfilia."

A) Minfilia smiles - “I invite you to consider joining us. When you have come to a decision, you may tell me without fear of censure.” B) Wolf smiles - “I must admit, our goals do seem to align. Yet before I make a decision, I would hear more about this ‘Echo’.”

Wolfram ponders - “So…I’m not going mad?” Dark Thought - ‘Of course you are, but I can’t keep taking credit for the visions.’ B) Minfilia smiles comfortingly - “No, although I know that feeling all too well. It can be quite a shock. If you don’t mind my asking…when did your visions start?’

Wolf scoffs - “After Carteneau, oddly enough.” Minfilia surprised - “Ah, were you in the fray at the time?” Wolf - “No, alas I was far away when I heard the news. I attempted to reach the battlefield nonetheless and made it to Northern Thanalan before the bloody moon cracked open.”

A) Wolf smiles sadly - “By the time I reached Mor Dhona it was all over. I confirmed that the person I was trying to reach was alright and then immediately began aiding the soldiers who had survived.” Dark Thought - ‘Such a coward - you didn’t even speak to him.’ B) Wolf worried - “After healing a few I passed out. I saw the battle as if I had been there. It was…awful. I eventually came to in a medical tent and was told I had aether sickness.”

A) Minfilia smiles sadly - "I'm sorry you were witness to that. B) Wolf curious "Can the Echo change…other abilities? Like - enhance them?"

A) Min confused - "Other abilities?" B) Wolf awkward smile - "Well, I'm an empath. My entire life I'd been able to sense the emotions of people I was close to. It was constant and difficult to suppress."

A) Wolf confused - "However, once the visions started my gift changed. It's my choice to use it now. I can control who I choose to read and the feelings are much clearer." B) Min surprised - "That is fascinating! I would have to assume there is a connection to the Echo. Perhaps with your permission we could study it? At the very least this gift of yours would be of further use to our mission. Should you choose to join us?"

Wolf embarrassed, scratches head and smiles awkwardly - "Oh um, sure? There’s one last thing. It appears as if the Scions occasionally work with local governments. Therefore, is it safe to say the organization is in good standing and well received by the state leaders?” Dark Thought - ‘This again? You’re pathetic. Move on.’

A) Min smiles - “Aye, I believe that is an accurate statement. Though we are an independent group and are able to operate without government interference. Was that your concern?” B) Wolf smiles awkwardly - “Sort of.” Dark Thought - ‘Joining these people won’t get you what you want. Even if he doesn’t attack you on sight or toss you in jail you’ll be no less a monster in his eyes. Why bother with any of this?’ 

Wolf smiles - “Well I must say this is an impressive group. The work sounds very important and I always strive to do good and help as many folks as possible. Therefore, if you’re certain I can be of use I would be happy to join!”

Zoom out a bit to Scions cheering. Min beams - “Excellent! In that case - some introductions are in order!”

Part 2 - lvl 20

Minfilia, Thancred, and Wolfram are meeting in The Waking Sands. Thancred speaking.

A) Minfilia clutches her head, having an echo vision. B) Wolf looks at her with concern.

A) She looks at Wolf with fear. B) Thancred concerned - “Minfilia, what did you just see?!”.

Minfilia masks her fear and smiles at Thancred - “Nothing of import, yet I must speak to Wolfram alone.”

A) Thancred looks skeptical - “As you wish. I must return to Ul’dah anyroad. The Flame General is due an apology.” B) Thancred leaving. Thought - ‘All those poor Flames had to be executed. I need to become stronger.’

A) Wolf looks at Minfilia with worry - “So… what did you see.” B) Minfilia concerned face - “I believe you know.”

A) Wolf crossed arms serious - “ …and?” B) Minfilia uncomfortable - “One’s past does not determine their future. Still it was… Difficult to see you that way… your poor family.”

A) Wolf sad - “Aye, I see it often in my dreams. I’m sorry you had to witness that. Would that we had control over this Echo.” B) Wolf nervous eyebrow raise - “Can I trust on your discretion? …I would rather be atoning for my sins through action rather than rotting away in some cell.”

Minfilia steps closer and puts a comforting hand on his arm, gentle smile - “Of course. Despite your past, I see your heart now and it is good. You need not worry. ”

Wolf relieved smile. Hugs her while tearing up - “Thank you. Truly, thank you. I swear I am not a danger to you or the others.”

Minfilia surprised, slight blush - “I know. Pray do not be further troubled on my account.” Thought - ‘Why would he think I’d be concerned for the Scions over a danger that has long passed?’

A) Minfilia hugs him back and smiles - “Truely, be at ease. You are among friends here.” B) Wolf confused thought - 'She’s… Not scared of the voidsent taking control again?’

Part 3 - lvl 20

In the Waking Sands. The grand company representatives are there to ask Wolfram to join one. Minfilia is there as well. Wolf cuts them off, smiling - “Sorry to interrupt, but I don’t want to waste your time. I’ll be joining the Flames. I’ve already spoken with Raubahn, who is an old friend.”

A) Minphilia puts her hand to her head as the company members leave. B) Wolf catches her as she collapses, looking worried. 

A) Minfilia opening her eyes. B) Wolf concerned - “Lass, are you alright? A vision? What did you see?” Thought - 'Gods, I hope she wasn’t witness to more of my past horrors.’

A) Minphilia looks up at him, surprised. B) Minfilia’s face goes completely red - “W-Wolf?! I um - I must take my leave.”

A) Minfilia walking towards the door. Thought - ‘Old friend indeed! Gods be good! How will I be able to look General Aldynn in the eyes after that?!’  B) Wolfram is still on the ground scratching his head in confusion as she hurries out. Thought - ‘What just happened?’

A) Wolf confused. Thought - ‘Usually something happening triggers them… but I was merely mentioning…’ B) Realization dawns on him. Embarrassed and face red - “Oh! Seven hells! Curse this godsdamned Echo! Why would it show her something like that?!”

Catch up on my WoLComics (Chronological List)

[usuallylatenightrambling]

Well, this has just been yet another night of failing miserably at getting back anything resembling a sleep schedule. I mean in complete fairness, I’ve almost got one because the current trend is going to sleep at 5 and waking up at 12/1 so that’s great. I’ve been filling my time with re-watching stranger things because… escapism I guess. Except me being me I have to ruin it by looking at my socials and seeing a ton of shit my ex has posted… oh to get over a breakup. So far it’s not gone well… wish me luck haha.

Oh dear… I’m of two minds, I sort of want to try and reconnect as friends with him (especially as I still have some of his things, he broke up with me though so I was leaving it up to him if he wanted to get them back (he also has stuff of mine but I’m not too bothered). But also, seeing his posts puts me in a worse headspace more often than a good one. At the same time though, I don’t want to block/ lost contact because I still care about him so much but also maybe that’s exactly what I should do to get over the bigger but I mean I’ll see him around campus anyway so… ugh… imagine falling in love with a guy and then getting your heart stomped on and he had to be bloody nice about it as well.

Oh bother…

Still, stranger things is good. I’ve managed to reclaim that from the relationship. I’m thinking of giving up my vegan run. It’s been good, but considering my eating habits were subpar as a veggie, I think I should go back before I go very wrong in my nutrition. A few months vegan has shown me it’s possible though! So it’s not like I can’t go back to it. It’s more a case of having to now re-inform people that I’ll not be vegan again. Fun fun fun. Been playing God of War today… was fun. Would recommend.

Hmmmm… should probably just stop being a depressive little bitch but honestly that sounds like a lot of work that I’m not feeling like putting in. So… well… idk. I mean maybe now. Why on earth am I always most motivated at the very end of the day? It’s like a curse. I wake up feeling like staying in bed is the only correct course of action, I have big anxiety about anything I need to do during the day and the motivation is in the negatives. However, let the day pass me by, and suddenly I’m in the mood to do shit! Yeah! I could totally call someone right now and not get super anxious. Like sure a bit but that’s nothing compared to usual. Oh yeah all those projects I’ve wanted to start on… ooh I’d love to do all those! Aw, I really want to follow that one dream that has nothing to do with me and would require stupid prep work, money, time and effort but I want to do it now. Of course I can’t. Because I’m actually quite tired and my brain is ceasing all function that would allow me to make good informed choices. An example of that would be this very post that I continue to write now at 5:07am when I should in fact be asleep. But oh well… how the world does work in mysterious yet also not at all mysterious ways, I’m just using filler phrases now to help my train of thought look more cohesive I think when I’m actuality it’s doing the complete opposite. Oh dear. Haha. I say oh dear a lot. I’m like Pooh bear. Oh bother. Haha.

Anyway I’ll hope that’s enough late night ramblings for one post. I’m feeling rather emotionally drained. But I have felt like that since the breakup so oh well… last therapy session on Thursday I think so yippie, can’t wait to be finish when I know I could just do with it going on forever please! Alas, money and life are not so kind.

Okay actually maybe goodnight if I can find it within me to put this down and try and sleep now. Goodnight goodnight goodnight.

(Goodnight mouse says goodnight 🐁)

[hongism]

13 - j.wooyoung + spit play/hair pulling (18+)

» j.wooyoung x fem!reader » 18+ dni if minor » language, explicit smut, oral sex: m, spit play, hair pulling, deep throating, facefucking, dacryphilia, cum facials, cum eating, cum play, teasing, dirty talk, wooyoung is a little big cocked shit, slight age gap/older reader, mentions of a mommy kink but it’s not used » wc 3.1k » link to masterlist

part of you thinks that the sheer amount of people milling around this club should be illegal if only because you hate how sweaty bodies keep bumping into you unsolicited. even from your perch at the bar, people are still knocking into each other around you, and you can hardly see through the crowd to find your own friends who came with you to this place. it might be a little more tolerable if you were more tipsy, and that’s what you tell yourself as you turn to the bartender to ask for another refill.

“don’t you think you should have some water instead?” the voice that interrupts you doesn’t belong to the bartender, nor to any of your friends as far as you know, so when you turn to the source of it, you’re expecting the unfamiliar face in front of you.

slight sweaty tanned skin, glistening lips that look more than a little chapped, a pretty mole under one eye and on his lower lip — the stranger looks like he’s already been through the wringer or had several rounds of sex in the bathrooms before approaching you at the bar. and behind all that, something about him seems distinct, like either you should recognize him because he has such a standout face or that you truly do know him from somewhere. you can’t place it off one glance, and frankly, you aren’t in the interest of wasting time thinking about it either without another beer in your system. he looks young more than anything, though, and that’s what brings a loud scoff from your lips.

“are you even old enough to be in here, kid?”

it’s the stranger’s turn to scoff, just as he dodges another stray person trying to push their way through the crowd, then he’s stepping closer to where you stand at the bar.

“i’m plenty old enough for you, that’s for sure.” he grins with one side of his face, lip turning up. were you younger and dumber, that sort of gesture would turn your insides to mush, but you’ve seen more than enough of his type to be somewhat immune to such charms.

“that’s a lot of confidence from a kid who doesn’t even know how old i am.”

“i’ve had plenty of men and women alike screaming for me, so yeah. i guess i’m a little cocky.”

“am i supposed to be impressed?” if the bartender would hurry up with the other customers so you could get your drink and go, that would be more than ideal. alas, he doesn’t seem keen on rushing over to you. “do i know you? you look familiar.”

“that depends. you’ve probably seen me around on tv and the internet, if you’re not too old for those things,” he quips back at you, twisting to face out towards the dancefloor. you’re stunned into silence for a brief moment, unable to respond as he props his elbows up on the bar counter beside you.

“oh you’re a cheeky one,” you huff, but you find yourself unfortunately unable to look away from his side profile. there’s a flare of curiosity in your gut, one that you will probably act on later because you’re simply insatiable but for now, you take the time to trace the tall bridge of his nose and strong line of his jaw with a lingering gaze. he most definitely catches the way you’re not-so-subtly checking him out, but he doesn’t return the favor quite yet even though you know he came over to you for one reason and one reason only. “into older women then?”

his lips twist again, then he tilts his head over to you, eyes glinting a little under the club’s neon strobe lights as he places his chin on his shoulder to blink at you with deceptively innocent eyes.

“i don’t really like when people just roll over for me. i like the chase… the push and pull… cat and mouse game… that’s the real fun, isn’t it?” you don’t respond, simply blinking from his eyes to his lips as his tongue purposefully pushes out to tease the corner of his mouth. “you seem like you think the same or at least the hot and cold game. but that’s okay with me. i’m more than alright with you acting a little mean to me.”

“of course you would be that type.” you raised a hand to flag down the bartender, because if you’re being honest, he’s dismantling your willpower with a little too much ease that tells you he’s done this many times before. that’s not the issue in your eyes — the issue is how easy you’re going to make it for him. the stranger’s hand darts up to intercept yourself, long fingers closing around your wrist and bringing your hand back to the counter. you let him get away with the simple touch for the time being.

“i don’t think you quite know what type i am as of now, actually.” he releases his hold on your wrist as quickly as he grabbed it, watching your expression like he’s trying to test whether you’re going to repeat the same motion again. you don’t. “you down for a bit of dancing?”

“not even gonna ask my name?”

the bout of laughter that comes from his lips is a sound from his chest, a deep and throaty noise that you hear through the din of the club around you. he leans onto one elbow and into your space. his lower lip brushes against your ear as he gets close, a touch that has you leaning away out of instinct, but he doesn’t push his luck beyond that.

“i figured ‘mommy’ would be fitting instead.”

the look you give him is almost scandalized, and he knows exactly how much of a shit he’s being based on the cackle that he releases right after. when he pulls away from the bar, he turns and extends a hand in your direction, an open invitation to join him.

“i’ll settle for baby though if you aren’t opposed to that.”

“and what am i supposed to call you?”

“hm…” he looks to the side like he’s lost in thought. “jung.”

“ah, so you’re a celebrity. using a fake name to earn my silence?”

he gives a little shrug before waving his hand through the air like there’s a bug bothering him.

“i don’t hear you giving me your real name.”

even if young, he’s fucking clever, but he’s already grossly aware of that so you aren’t about to voice that to his face. maybe to your friends later, depending on how this night turns out.

you forgo your mission to get another drink and slip past jung’s body to approach the dancefloor.

“come get me then, cat.”

if he wants to play, then you’ll give him a good chase and show what experience you have that he doesn’t.

you leave him to find you, pushing your way through the crowd of bodies to find a somewhat empty part of the dancefloor. it’s dim enough to where you don’t think he’ll find you easily, but if he’s really intent on having you in some form tonight then you trust he’ll put in the effort to reach you. the thump of the bass in your ears could be described as deafening; to you, it sounds more like your own heart drumming inside your chest as you continue to weave through the mass of people around you. you aren’t one to make this sort of thing a habit — typically you stick to your friends’ sides and look for older men for your one-night stands. perhaps it’s jung’s confidence and eagerness to have you that has you considering it so deeply.

“got you.” hands close around your waist with a surprising amount of force, enough to startle you out of your skin before you process who’s behind you. you try to twist to face him, but he merely slips his hands further over your abdomen and tugs your body to his firm chest. his simple outfit hardly gave away the strength he was hiding underneath, and now that you feel the ease with which he holds you to his body, you’re reconsidering how much of a fight you want to put up. “that all you got, baby?”

the arrogance should be infuriating and off-putting in every way. emphasis on should because you can’t bring yourself to pull out of his grasp, not as the music shifts in beat and he rolls his hips against the curve of your ass. he’s a dancer for sure, in the very least, because you’ve slept with enough of them to know how they move their bodies. jung is emphasizing every move with precision like he’s trying to prove something in the way his body rolls against yours. you almost laugh at the effort but again, it shows both his neediness and a little edge of desperation that you think might make this worth it.

it’s easy to let him do most of the work; his hands guide the rhythm of your own hips, the way they sway even if you’re teasing a little in how you push back into his groin from time to time. his composure holds stronger than you imagined it would, or he’s merely enjoying the act of dancing with you like this, which is borderline endearing if not for the lust behind his moves.

jung doesn’t pull you around or make a beeline for the bathrooms either. it’s a fresher take on the younger men you have been with who showed obscene amounts of eagerness that left you without an ounce of pleasure. though given his cockiness, you might end up with the short end of the stick, so to speak. he’s holding back quite a bit in how his crotch rolls over your ass, and you can’t quite get a feel of what’s hiding behind his pants — either a sign that proves your theory or another clever deception. the music keeps rolling, as do his movements, even when the song changes and he turns you in his hold so that you’re face to face now. the sweat on his brow glistens a little more under the lights, and if you stare hard enough, you think you can make out a bead sliding down the side of his face.

“can i kiss you, baby? have i earned that?”

“hm, have you?” you’re already folding your arms around the back of his neck, so the answer speaks for itself in your gesture, but he’s still patient enough to wait for your verbal confirmation. “go on then. let’s see what you’ve got.”

the kiss isn’t soft and sweet by any means, especially not with how chapped his lips are, but you don’t find it in you to care too much about that bit. instead, you push back against his mouth with equal force, already trying to get a leg up before his tongue tries to breach your lips. he surprises you yet again, however, and rather than immediately trying to force his tongue into your mouth, he drags his teeth over your lower lip. the skin catches, pulling enough to tear but he stops right before it splits and goes back to nipping over the flesh gently. you end up being the one who works a tongue in first, and he lets you take that upper hand without complaint. his tongue goes slack against yours, only teasing the underside when you lick over his palate.

he pulls back first, gasping in a deep breath of air that’s followed by a stuttered chuckle.

“how down are you to suck my dick?”

you wish you could later tell your friends that you put up a fight and said no right then and there.

unfortunately, you did not do that, and you caved to your own desires, taking his hand into yours and pulling him away from the dancefloor and towards the damn bathrooms in mere seconds. you could even set a record with how quickly you’re rushing to push him into the largest stall at the end of the women’s bathroom, knocking him into the tiled wall with a slight push before snapping the latch shut behind you.

“you’re lucky you’re cute otherwise your arrogance would be sickening.”

jung has the audacity to laugh at that, palms splayed against the wall as you sink to your knees in front of him. he doesn’t speak for once, no witty comeback or bratty remark that makes you want to rolls your eyes, and it hits you — quite literally in the face — moments later. because when you undo the ungodly button of his pants and pull both the leather and his underwear down to his thighs, his cock springs free. you’re proven wrong yet again tonight, because that confidence was not for nothing, not when his massive length bumps against your cheek. you really try to not let the surprise show on your features, but that’s a failure with how intently jung is staring down at you the entire time.

“mm, did you think i would be all bark and no bite, baby?” fingers weave through the hair close to your scalp, and he pulls you back just enough to make you stare up at his face. “kinda wanna spit on your pretty face before you suck me off.”

you, in your dumb dazed state, respond by sticking your tongue out a bit like a trained dog would on command. jung’s head falls back against the wall so hard that you hear the impact, but he recovers like nothing’s happened to bend over your kneeled body. it happens so quickly that perhaps if you blinked, you would’ve not seen it coming, but he hurls a wad of spit down at your face, splattering the side of your lips and down one side of your cheek. you have it in you to laugh.

“you missed, pretty boy.”

“then hold still and let me do it again.” he reaches out with his other hand to grip your face by the jaw, and you keep your tongue slack against your chin for him as he drops another glob of spit into your waiting mouth. this time, it lands right on your tongue, a strange warmth that makes your stomach turn a little. you don’t bother swallowing it down for show and instead lean in to take his cock between your lips, using his own saliva as extra lubrication to take him into your mouth. “fuck,” he hisses, teeth gritting tight as he watches you sink lower on his length. it’s not easy by any means, even though you’re trying to make it look that way, and he hits the back of your throat before you can take him all the way. that doesn’t stop you from trying to take him further, his cockhead forcing further into your throat until you’re certain he’s going to be bulging out of your esophagus. “fucking hell.”

you blink up at him through watery lashes as your body fights against the intrusion. if anything, the sight of your unshed tears pushes jung further into a state of aroused insanity, and his hips jerk so hard that a tear slips out the corner of your eye.

“fuck, fuck, you’re so — god, you look so fucking pretty like this. i could cum right now, what the fuck.”

you would laugh if that were at all possible because of course, he’d get off on you crying around his cock. it must be a sight for sure from how your lips are stretched around his length to the bulge in your throat from how hard he’s pressing into it to the tears that are now flowing freely as he rolls his hips into your mouth again. you don’t mind letting him use your face as a warm and wet hole, to be honest, because it saves you from doing a lot of work. luckily for you, he seems interested in fucking your mouth too, with how his hand grips your hair tighter to guide your mouth along his dick. the ability to breathe properly eludes you for obvious reasons, but you manage to suck in a few gasps of air every time he pulls your head off his cock. the pace is dizzying for your poor head, though it could be the lack of proper oxygen in your system. either way you’re in a daze as he fucks over your sore tongue, broken groans and whines tumbling from his lips between curses and little praises that hold little weight.

“g-gonna cum on your face, baby, wanna see your pretty face painted with my cum, okay?” he stammers out with such haste that you think you’ve misheard him entirely until he pulls you fully off his cock and grips the base of it over your agape mouth. you squeeze your eyes shut before he starts jerking haphazardly, too far gone to care about how his cum is going to ruin your makeup. the tears have done enough damage as it is, and your eyes will already be swollen and rimmed with red, so what’s a little ruined makeup going to do?

you still flinch when hot ropes of cum spurt over your face, not expecting it to happen so soon, and jung doesn’t moan about his orgasm until after he’s already started spilling cum all over you, so you don’t get his audio cues either. it’s not that big a deal in the long run, you suppose, not with how he’s pressing a hand to your face right after cumming and smearing the translucent white strings over your skin with a little too much glee. if your throat wasn’t burning so badly, you would protest it.

“god damn, you look good with my cum on you like this,” he murmurs. that smirk you saw the second he approached you at the bar returns. “bet it would look even better spilling out of you.” he drops your head with a laugh and rests his own against the tiled wall as he tucks his cock back into his underwear. you wipe at your lips with the back of your hand, glaring up at him with a little fire left in you.

“wouldn’t you like to know, baby?”

he arches a brow down at you. one lone finger curls under your chin.

“don’t threaten me with a good time.”

[wrenhyperfixates]

Milkshakes

Pairing: Loki x reader Summary: Overwhelmed when Loki saves you, you respond to his kindness with fear. Determined to apologize, you seek Loki out to thank him with a couple of milkshakes and some fries. Warnings: a tad angsty but much fluff A/N: This is actually one of my favorite fics I’ve ever written. Hope you all enjoy :)

Permanent Tag List: @lucywrites02 @frostedgiant @lunarmoon8 @twhiddlestonsstuff @lokistan @lowkeyorlokificrecs @gaitwae @whatafuckingdumbass @castiels-majestic-wings @kozkaboi @cozy-the-overlord @birdgirl90 @myraiswack @mythicalgarlicknot @what-a-flammable-heart​ @marvelouslovely​

Disclaimer: Picture not mine

Of course it had to be during your lunch break that a supervillain attacked the city. Of course today you decided to go out to eat instead of packing something. And, of course you had to be walking by the building right as it crumbled. You started praying to any god that there may be to save you from being crushed. Though, you hadn’t actually expected one to save you.

In the moments before you would have been flattened, Loki put an arm around your waist, pulling you close to him. Raising his free hand, a glimmering green force field appeared around you. The falling matter bounced off of it and landed around you, the shield offering strong protection. Of course you were thankful to be rescued, but did have to be Loki? You knew he was supposedly reformed, but so many news outlets still ran stories about how he was dangerous. A ticking time bomb. You’d never quite formed an opinion on him, and it was causing great conflict in you now. On the one hand, he looked very intimidating from this close, what with his impressive stature and horned helmet and all. But on the other, he was saving you from the actual super villain destroying the city. Perhaps if there wasn’t so much going on, you could think more clearly. Alas, your thoughts were a messy, confused jumble, leaving you fearful of the super-powered god in front of you.

“Are you alright?” he asked in his deep, smooth accent as the shield shimmered away into nothing. The god brought his arm to shield your eyes from the small pieces of debris still falling, the other one still around your waist in a protective manner. “Are you injured at all?

“I, um, uh, I- I,” you stammered, backing up. “Mhm. All good. Uhhh, thanks.”

You were certain you must be the most awkward person in history, but instead of making fun of you, Loki just looked sad. Even with the hurt behind his eyes, his arms shot out to catch you when you stumbled over the wreckage. He guided you away from the obstacles to a place where you could walk unhindered. He moved back from you as soon as he’d finished escorting you.

“You are welcome,” he finally responded. “I am sorry for frightening you. You should get somewhere safe.”

Without waiting for a reply, he left to rejoin the battle. You started retreating from the scene, steering as clear of any large structures as you could, cursing yourself the whole time. Loki had saved you, and you’d been afraid of him. What kind of nonsense was that? And you were certain he got that kind of reaction all the time, based on the way he’d looked at you and realized your bumbling actions were a result of fear. Fear of him after he’d so carefully and gently saved you.

You felt stupid and petty as you joined a throng of people being guided away from the scene. After nearly two years of working to protect the city, Loki should have gotten more praise and love than he did. You realized it now, only moments too late. Someone should tell him he was appreciated, a hero. And if no one else was going to do it, you resolved to do it yourself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The meeting was dreadfully boring, but someone had to go. Seeing as all the other Avengers were busy, that someone was Loki. Besides, Stark had told him it would be good for his image to head up the restoration of the city this time round. The committee and resources were all a part of Stark Industries, of course, so Loki felt there should be some employee to take care of it instead of him. But whatever, he’d been roped into it now, and he figured that there was some merit to what Tony has said about his reputation.

Luckily, with a week having passed since the battle, great headway had been made with the repairs, and the meeting was much shorter than expected. Itching to get outside, Loki headed to the main doors.

“You don’t understand,” Loki heard someone say to the receptionist as he approached the front desk. “He saved me the other day. I have to thank him. Please?”

Loki just rolled his eyes as he pushed through the turnstile. He couldn’t even begin to count how many fans had tried this tactic to meet their favorite Avengers. Granted, no one had ever tried to see him, but he was coming to terms with it. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder which of his colleagues you were trying to get through to see. Perhaps Steve, or maybe even Thor. Loki was so lost in thought it barely even registered when the voice switched from pleading with the receptionist to calling after him.  

He turned and stopped, recognizing the person jogging after him as you, who he remembered from the battle. “May I help you?” he asked in the most pleasant tone he could manage.

“Yeah. Uh, hi. I don’t know if you remember, but you saved me the other day,” you explained sheepishly. “You know, during the attack.”

“Yes, I recall.”

“Oh! Good. I just wanted to say thank you for that. For saving me, I mean. And the city.”

“I see,” the god replied, suspiciously raising an eyebrow. “Well then, you are welcome. Really, I was just doing my job, though.”

“Well, I still appreciate it.” There was a lapse in the conversation, as neither of you were really sure what to say next. “Can we go somewhere? Like for coffee or something. Can I buy you a coffee?”

Oddly enough, that made Loki distrust the situation even more. Ok, maybe you were actually a super nice person who had a guilty conscience for making him feel bad, and maybe that prompted you to come thank him properly. But that you wanted to buy him something, presumably to show your newfound appreciation? Absolutely preposterous. The only people who ever did something remotely as kind as that were his fellow Avengers, and not even all of them or particularly often. Any of the other people who openly supported him didn’t show appreciation, per se. It was more that they felt he’d done enough to redeem himself at this point, which wasn’t exactly the most thrilling phrasing either. But here you were, awkwardly shuffling your feet and asking to buy him coffee. Loki supposed he shouldn’t pass such an opportunity up. And yet, he probably was going to.

“No thank you,” he finally replied, shaking himself from the shocked, catatonic state he’d fallen into. “I do not much like coffee.”

As he walked away, he thought that would be the end of it. That perhaps you’d only been talking to him in the hopes he’d invite you to see the other Avengers, too. That maybe you’d go back to trying to wheedle your way inside at the front desk. Much to his surprise, you came hurrying after him.

“Wait,” you called. “Ok, so scratch the coffee. How about ice cream or tea or a milkshake or something? Anything really, you name it.”

Now that you were outside, he observed you again while he thought, as if hoping the sunlight would reveal your true intentions. He couldn’t find anything malicious in your expression, just some sort of anxiety. Loki must have taken too long in coming to a decision, because you started rambling.

“I’m so sorry. I don’t mean to pressure you into it or anything, but I wanted to do something nice to say thank you and-” you cut off and bit your lip. “Is this stupid? It sounds stupid. It’s probably stupid. I’ll go now. Again, I’m really sorry to have bothered you.”

“One moment,” he said before you could make your retreat. “You said anything I want, correct?” You eagerly nodded as Loki got an idea. “Alright then. I would like a five course meal at the nicest restaurant in London, please and thank you.”

“I, um. I know I said anything but, uh...” You noticed his serious expression had turned into a sly grin. “You’re joking, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I am. My apologies, but I simply could not resist,” he chuckled.

You began to laugh, too. Not in a way that made him think it was out of courtesy or pity, but an honest to goodness laugh. Briefly, he thought it one of the most beautiful sounds he’d ever heard, before quickly shaking the idea from his mind. It was ridiculous; he hardly even knew you. But you seemed pretty adamant on showing your gratitude. Plus, you’d apologized to him, which was more than he could say for most of the people in his life.

“You know, I would usually say tea, but a milkshake actually sounds quite lovely right now,” he told you once you’d calmed down. “That is, if the offer is still open.”

“Of course it is!” you happily told him, the smile on your face growing. Not to mention you seemed much more at ease. “I actually know a great diner that’s just a short walk from here, if that works for you.”

“By all means, lead the way.”

It took approximately ten minutes to get to the restaurant. After properly introducing yourselves, you kept up a light dialogue. It wasn’t uncomfortable, exactly; just hesitant, as if both of you were afraid of saying the wrong things and shattering the blissful moment. Loki still couldn’t bring himself to fully trust you. Such a feeling just wasn’t in his nature, especially not when it came to someone he just met and had a considerably rocky start with. Even so, he found himself enjoying your company.

Arriving at the diner, Loki held the door open for you as you walked in. Luckily, you didn’t have to wait for a seat, the classic red stools at the bar free at this time of the afternoon. Loki swiveled the seat back and forth ever so slightly, and found himself chuckling when he caught you doing the same thing. You offered him a shy smile as a waitress handed the both of you a menu.

The God of Mischief had only ever had the pleasure of drinking a milkshake once before, a vanilla one when the team had convinced him to try it on one of their outings. He’d thoroughly enjoyed it and planned on playing it safe by ordering the same thing now. When you asked what he was getting, though, you were having none of that. After nearly five minutes of rousing debate, you’d finally talked him up to chocolate. Part of him was having so much fun with the discussion and how animated you became about the topic that he almost didn’t want to concede. But the waitress came back to take your orders, and he didn’t want to make her leave and come back again.

“Oh, and some French fries too please,” you added after ordering your favorite milkshake.

Loki shot you a perplexed look. “French fries?” he asked after the waitress moved away.

“Yeah. Please tell me you’ve heard of them before.”

“I have. I have even eaten them a few times before, believe it or not,” he answered as you turned to face him, leaning on the counter. “But are you certain they go with a milkshake?”

Your jaw dropped open. “Of course they do. Listen, Loki, you haven’t lived until you’ve dipped French fries in a milkshake. You’ll love it, I promise.”

You continued to help him expand his knowledge of Midgardian cuisine as you waited for your order to come. Once it arrived, you dipped a fry in your shake, just as you had said, trying to convince him just how delicious it truly was. The trickster skeptically picked one up and mimicked your actions, plunging it into the frothy liquid. The second it hit his tongue, his face lit up in pure delight.

“See, I told you,” you laughed.

“Indeed you did,” he said back, the corners of his eyes crinkling from how wide his smile was.

An hour and another order of fries later, the two of you finished your snack. Loki was in a better mood than he’d been all month. Honestly, he was a little sad when the bill came.

“Are you certain you do not want me to pay?” he checked as you fished out a twenty from your wallet to cover the low-cost meal. “Or we could split it, at least.”

“Loki, it’s fine,” you giggled. “This is me thanking you, remember? And, honestly, it’s me apologizing, too. I was just startled the other day and there was a lot going on. I hadn’t ever really thought about what I’d do if I met an Avenger, least of all if it happened while they were saving my life. I was overwhelmed; I didn’t mean to make you feel bad about yourself or anything.” Without really thinking about it, your hand moved to rest on top of his. It was a surprise to Loki, but a welcome one. “Because—and I can say this with absolute certainty—you’re amazing, Loki. You do so much for the city. I hope you know how appreciated you are, at least by me.”

His other large hand came to cover yours. “Thank you, darling.” He didn’t mean to say the pet name, but it just slipped out. “I cannot express how much that means to me.”

Somewhere in his heart, he wanted to tell you everything, make you privy to all his inner turmoil. But that was buried underneath years of pain and rejection, too heavy to move for someone he didn’t know all too well, no matter how connected he felt to you in this moment. So he let the urge pass over him, hoping his thanks would be sufficient enough in expressing how he felt.

“You’re welcome, Loki,” you told him, squeezing his hand. Then you stood up. “So, I guess I’ll be letting you get on with your day then. This was really nice, though. Thanks for agreeing to it.”

“You’re welcome and thank you,” he replied. “It really was.”

After waving goodbye to each other, you exited and Loki stayed where he was, picking at the last few nubs of fries left in the basket. He didn’t know exactly why he didn’t leave, too. Just that something was missing.

“Ah, young love,” the elderly waitress who had been serving you all day said to Loki as she came to collect the empty dishes. “Magical, isn’t it?”

“Love?” Loki choked out. “I am afraid you are quite mistaken. It was not even a date. I hardly even know them. I will probably never even see them again.”

“And you’re just gonna let them walk out?” she tsked. “It’s a right shame, sonny. Let me tell you, you don’t just let something like that walk out on ya.”

He looked at the door for a second in melancholic contemplation before bolting out after you. He shouted his thanks to the waitress as he pushed open the glass door, exiting out into the harsh sunlight. As his eyes adjusted, they scanned for your form before it walked out of his life forever. Spotting you, he jogged in your direction and called your name. Funny, he thought, how just earlier that day the roles had been reversed.

“Loki?” you asked, stopped on the sidewalk as he caught up to you. “Are you ok? Did something happen?”

“Actually, the problem is what did not happen.” He kicked a rock with his shoe, as suddenly the ground became very interesting to him. His insides were a nervous mess. Clearing his throat, he gathered his courage to continue. “See, I do not have any way of contacting you again. And it had been my sincere hope that you would want to do this again, let me take you out somewhere.”

“That sounds amazing,” you agreed, jotting down your number on an old receipt you’d found in your wallet. Smirking, you parroted back his words from earlier. “How about you take me for a five course meal in London?”

“Oh, so you have turned my own jokes against me. How very clever of you,” he laughed. “What if we just went to see a movie, instead?”

“Perfect,” you nodded. “Just text me a time and place, and I’ll see you then.”

“I look forward to it. As soon as I buy the tickets, I shall let you know.”

“Sounds awesome! It’s a date.”

As you parted ways, for real this time, it registered in Loki’s mind what you’d said. He hadn’t particularly been thinking about his phrasing or in what way he was asking you to hang out. But apparently you’d taken it as an invitation for a date. As Loki arrived back at the Tower and flopped onto his bed, already dreaming of your laugh, he found he was quite happy that you had.