#(although really it takes place during the hiatus)

[music-orthemisery]

Saw this photo floating around and it is…SENDING ME. In multiple ways. So I’m going to ramble.

Ok first off - this is like, quintessential mid-00s teen heart throb photo shoot. Literally erase Pete’s tattoos and photoshop on a head of any popular male celebrity at the time and it would honestly work. This was The Template.

I think it’s easy to either forget (or just not realize) how TRULY big the FOB/“emo” hype train was back then. Cosmo Girl, Tiger Beat, and countless other magazines that solely focused on HUGE celebrities like Beyonce and Justin Timberlake and Lindsay Lohan were suddenly putting FOB, MCR, and Panic on their covers (although, let’s be real, usually just one or two members - i.e. Pete, Gerard, Brendon, Ryan).

There are…slightly less boundaries now with stuff like this because of the saturation of social media making “normal people” famous, but, back then, that was almost unheard of. You’d only see pictures of these bands in like, ALT Press or Kerrang. For them to get lumped into the same category as these A listers was absolutely bonkers.

So to see this picture of Pete…it kinda makes me laugh tbh, but it also makes me sad. Because that didn’t…FIT him. It looks ridiculous. It’s not an authentic picture of him- it’s him being placed into a mold. Him accepting “The Template” because that’s where he was expected to go. Which makes it…not at all surprising that he was only able to keep that up for so long before it fell apart.

It reminds me of that part in the Zane Lowe interview where they’re talking about this time of their career. Like, just go watch from min 35-42 because it’s fantastic but some highlights:

Zane acknowledging how easy it is to fall down the rabbit hole, especially when you’re thrust into it so quickly - it’s not really a choice. Patrick seconds this later by saying that once that fame light is on, it’s on, and you don’t really have a way to turn it off

Pete acknowledging how it kept him from being a “real person,” how little he liked it, and how much he had to grow during the hiatus to get away from that

Patrick saying how you really can’t win - you either accept the attention and you’re hated for it or you reject the attention and you’re hated for it. And this was ESPECIALLY true then. The media is still brutal but it was absolutely HORRENDOUS at that time. You really had to be “on” 24/7 and that’s…impossible.

Talking about how that level of fame creates a wall around you that is not only difficult for others to penetrate, but also yourself. And if Pete can’t access himself, he can’t access what he can give Patrick to create around, which then makes everything crumble like a house of cards.

I give FOB so much credit for realizing that, if they didn’t take a break, they would’ve ended VERY poorly and likely forever. Look how a lot of careers ended from that time. Either not well or a fade into irrelevance because of just trying to “keep up” and failing. Because, at that point, you’ve lost a lot of your “real person-ness” and, if you’ve lost that, what authenticity can you bring to your work? And if you’re BUILT on authenticity (which FOB is), then what is there to put out that is meaningful and relevant to your art?

Part of FOB’s magic has always been their authenticity and that they really are just “some guys.” That is what has allowed them to be so innovative and grow as artists and as people because there is a constant striving to push themselves and still remain grounded in who they are at their core. Pre-h, they didn’t know how to do that yet, and it was hell.

Pictures like this honestly just remind me of how deep in the hole the pressures of fame at that time did to not only them as a band, but Pete himself. Like, look at this picture. Does he look…genuine? Happy? Does this look like the Pete Wentz you know and love? Of course it may on the surface, but if you really look at it…to me it looks more like a caricature. The clothes, the pose, the styled hair and eyeliner…it just looks off. It’s Pete Wentz through a lens meant to appeal to the masses.

These lyrics from So Good Right Now feel extremely relevant to this time:

I am endlessly grateful that…regardless of the other reasons and intense drama around it…they recognized that need to step back from…all of this. That they didn’t let themselves just get covered by the weeds. Chewed up and spit back out like so many others. And so many years later we are still getting incredible, meaningful music from them. Like, it truly just keeps getting better. You can’t say that about…A LOT of people/bands who have been making music for this long.

I think I’ll end this here for now. LOL at a thirst pic of Pete Wentz making me wax poetic….

#I am aware none of these are super original thoughts #just yelling into the void over here #fall out boy #fob #pete wentz #patrick stump #joe trohman #andy hurley #mid-00s fame bullshit #band of all time #growing up with them has been a blessing #truly

[atsukawolfcat]

Genshin SAGAU Idea... again

HELLO HI HOLA LONG TIME NO SEE!!! I really missed posting stuff here (I don't count reblogs!), so much has been happening that I had to go into a hiatus without warning 🥲 Anyway, back (for now) with a real quick idea.

Extra note: This was made quickly during work on my phone, will edit and clean it up later

Have any of you read or heard about that story where there was a beautiful woman/person with many suitors, and she had made a challenge of "I have a cat who will have the key to my home, whoever can take it from them will be the one I vow myself to!" and shennanigans ensue where in the end someone befriended the cat, who turned out to the woman/person in question, and got the key and they married happily ever after? Yes so this is basically my idea.

Imagine a Creator!Reader or even a Isekai!Reader with their bff being the Creator, giving this same challenge to the people of Teyvat (out of boredom or another reason). I will lean into Creator!Reader here.

Tales of old told stories of the beutiful Creator and their many friends. One being, a beautiful cat with sharp gold eyes, galaxy fur and their mittens in silvery white. The cat has many times showed to be the closest friend to the Creator, but no one has seen them is recent history. Both the Creator and their beloved cat had disappeared, and the world was quiet since then. Until now, that is.

The sightings first began in Inazuma, which then continued in Mondstadt, Liyue, Sumeru and currently in Fontaine. The beautiful feline creature had been travelling from place to place, and many citizens claim that the cat has human curiousity in its eyes. So people have dubbed the cat, Creator's Eyes. The cat ran around in each nation, and after some time would disappear whilst leaving a note behind of its mission.

Oh, people of Teyvat. I see through my darling feline's eyes that there are many things amiss in the world; however, my wish is to help. If you would like to gain my guidance, my mind, or my heart, all you need to do is catch my dear friend and from their fur obtain the key of my abode. I bid you good luck, to those who wish for my presence. Signed, Creator.

P.S Please be kind and respectful, although I am sure this warning is not needed.

As soon as people read the note, a clock had appeared before them, translucent and seemingly untouchable, and it started ticking. In their minds, instructions appeared.

As so many of you wish to participate, I will give my dear companion some time to reach the other nations so all of you can participate. If you are impatient, the clock will vanish and you will be disqualified.... good luck!

The people immediately felt inclined to follow the instructions and left the cat alone and watched the time tick down to give the feline the time they needed to travel across Teyvat and get more people into the game. Finally, after all the people have been properly informed and good portion of them have been disqualified, the clock striked 0 and the game started.

The golden feline fled to all sorts of places, quickly lowering the number of people included in the game. Some people had received shocks of warning after manhandling the cat or were scratched that brought on a fever after being treated roughly. Of course, Vision bearers had an easier time and most had agreed to work as a group to catch up to the golden furred creature.

Soon, there was multitudes of people after the cat, but to their dismay none could catch up to it. It would weave and dodge expertly from their grasp and since they didn't dare harm the divine familiar, their Vision powers were useless. There was one person however, who was watching... waiting while observing the patterns. They shrugged and had gotten some food and sat down near the cat after the rest had gone back to their homes.

They didn't make a single move towards the cat, and just ate away while keeping an eye out. The cat peeked at them, and meowed at the smell of food. The individual heard the meow, and gently moved some food towards the cat and kept a respectful distance. The cat casted a suspicious look at them before revealing itself and went towards the food, giving it a sniff before taking a bite.

So now, this individual felt a bit bad for the feline and shoved a water bowl towards it. The cat came closer and drank from the bowl before looking up at staring at the individual. The allogene just shrugged, and went back to eating their portion. Suddenly, they felt the soft fur of the feline rub against them and they carefully pat the cat. As soon as they gave a few scratches and the cat was satisfied, a window appeared.

Congratulations! You are the winner to the Creator's Abode. Use now?

Their shaking hand touched the key that suddenly appeared around the affectionate cat, which seemed to be enough of an answer as bright light covered their vision. For a moment, nothing could be seen from the light but it soon dimmed to nothing and they found themselves in front of a humble living quarters in what seemed to be a log cabin. The cat ran from the individual and leaped up to the seat that was in front of them. They blinked and suddenly saw a beautiful person sitting elegantly, and giving them a soft smile. Soon, they waved the person over and spoke.

"Why, hello there. Of course it was my favorite Vision bearer to be the first to visit me successfully. You were the first to show me kindness, hence I deemed you the perfect first candidate. What is your wish?"

#genshin impact #genshin sagau #genshin #sagau #genshin imagines #wolfcatposts

[gaysindistress]

As Good a Reason - two

pairing: Mob!Bucky Barnes x reader

summary: when Brock Rumlow picks a fight he can’t win with the White Wolf, he drags his Snake back. Six years after she ran away, Y/N Rumlow is faced with a choice to make; do as she’s told and kill the White Wolf or overtake her father instead because spite’s as good a reason to take his power?

warnings: mob!Bucky, cursing

word count: 3.1k

Tag list: @cakesandtom @elizacusi-blog @unaxv @hidden-treasures21 @vonalyn

one | series masterlist

disclaimer: credits to original creator/poster of image/gif. found on Google/Pinterest. The women in the banners are not how Y/N is supposed to look. They are merely for aesthetic purposes and Y/N is written vaguely enough for anyone to see themselves in her.

The city never changed during her six year hiatus. Concrete jungle or whatever Jay Z said, that is how she remembered the city and as the car rolls down the streets, it’s obvious that it’s not going to change. 

About the only thing that has changed is how much of an outsider Y/N feels like. This place isn’t her home, it hasn’t been since her father put a bullet in her mom right in the middle of dinner. It probably wasn’t even home for her before then but it’s all she knew. God even Phoenix in all its hot glory felt more like home than the lower east side did. 

Victoria has remained eerily quiet ever since they got off the plane. Y/N passed it off as nerves but Niklaus whispered to her that neither daughter had been “home” since that night. Brock had chosen to ship Victoria off to Paris to live with some business partner of his. He said it was good for her to travel but when it was really a ploy to marry her off to a 50 year old white man. 

That man ended up dead 366 days after they were married and exactly one day after the prenup ended. 

Niklaus, on the other hand, was held prisoner in his childhood home and forced to learn the ins and outs of the family business. Brock needed someone to take over in the event of his early death and being the only son, Niklaus was the natural choice. Brock always wanted it to be Y/N, his youngest and most favorite, but Jasmine ruined that for him. 

Either way, Y/N almost immediately decides to shoot the man dead the moment the White Wolf’s death is confirmed. She had thought about this very chance every night for six years but now she’s finally getting the chance. A part of her wants to make him suffer and the other part just wants him gone. Both agree that he needs to be dealt with as soon as possible which means cooperating for the time being. 

A tall blonde is driving them and she picks up on a strange vibe the moment he gives her the up and down. Any other time and she would’ve broken his nose but Niklaus guides her away before she can do that. 

“That’s Caleb Walker’s son, John,” he whispers to her as they drive. 

“THAT’S John?”

Victoria smirks, “He got hot.”

“Jesus,” Y/N snorts, “He got weird and creepy.”

“Whatever. More for me then.”

Niklaus makes a face but drops it before either sister can figure out what it means. Their attention gets turned to John when he announces that they’ve arrived at the Rumlow townhouse. Y/N wants to make a comment about how far her father has fallen since she’s left and almost does although the dark presence of the man at the butt of the comment overwhelms her. 

Standing on stairs is Brock and his men, all dressed like they stepped out of Call of Duty or some other war video game that teenage boys play. Another tall blonde that rubs her the wrong way flanks her father but he’s dressed alarmingly normal in jeans and a Dodgers tee shirt. Y/N points him out to her brother as they get out and he stalls for a second. 

“That… that’s uhhh Steve Rogers. He works for the White Wolf.”

“Don’t tell me that he’s a glorified babysitter.”

“Don’t let him hear you say that.”

Just as they get into ear shot, they stop whispering to each other and greet everyone. Victoria makes a show of greeting Brock who can’t be bothered to even acknowledge her and keeps his whole attention on Y/N. 

“There’s my baby girl,” he says with too much gusto and squeezes her too tightly in a bear hug. 

She pushes against him as hard as she can to which he utters a warning into her ear of play nice or else. He gives her a fake smile when he releases her and introduces her to Steve who gently shakes her hand. 

“It’s nice to finally meet you, Ms. Juárez. I’ve heard so much about you.” Brock stiffens at the last name and corrects Steve. 

“Sorry, Ms. Rumlow.”

After taking her hand back and exchanging pleasantries, she heads inside in the direction that she saw Victoria go. Niklaus is not far behind but he’s stopped by John who whispers something in his ear and lets him go. His face is a shade paler when he catches up to them however he refuses to say what happened. Victoria is content to unpack her own bags while Y/N helps her and eyes their brother with concern. He occasionally makes eye contact with her only to quickly break it and find lint on his pants to pick off. 

Dinner rolls around and Brock requests that all three join him. Flashbacks break the surface and take over Y/N’s mind when she first sits down. Like a true villain, her father had the same dinner made from that night with the same seating so that they can relive possibly the worst night of her life. He smiles at her discomfort and preys on it like a vampire, finding delight in her shivers. As he drains her of her will to cooperate, he spills the details of his plan to kill the White Wolf. 

There will be a party on Saturday that the White Wolf will be at. Niklaus and Victoria are to find and isolate him so that Y/N can deliver the kill shot. 

Simple enough but still she finds every flaw in it. 

Won’t he be suspicious? 

If he’s going to be there, won’t he have security?

How is Y/N supposed to kill him? 

Why does this “simple” plan need the Snake?

Brock slams his hand on the table and stops her line of questioning, saying, “Because your brother and sister are too fucking stupid to do it. I’ve already tried them and that’s how we got into this position in the first place. I need you to do it.”

“Weren’t you the one who told me to never reveal all of my cards?” Y/N asks as she takes a drink of her wine. 

Brock’s nostrils flare and he squeezes his glass so hard it threatens to break, “I swear to god, Y/N.”

“You must be really desperate.”

“Y/N.” 

She takes another sip of wine, “Only a truly desperate man would turn to his enemy for help.”

“You’re not my enemy. You’re my daughter even if your mother was a whore and a liar.”

That strikes a cord. 

“Say one more thing about her and I will kill you right now.”

Brock laughs in her face, “I’d like to see you try.”

When she doesn’t answer, he continues on explaining his plan for the party. Victoria and Niklaus are listening enough for Y/N to drown everything out. 

She squeezes her eyes shut and repeats a mantra to herself;

He’s next.  

He’s next.  

He’s next.  

He’s next.  

He’s next.  

He’s next.  

She opens her eyes, inhales deeply, exhales, and takes a sip of her wine. 

“Is there a dress code for this party?”

Steve slides into his car and calls the White Wolf the moment the door closes. 

“What do you got for me?” he asks when he answers the phone. 

“She hates him with a burning passion. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think that she’s here plotting his death, not yours.”

The other man chuckles, “That so?”

“How much did Sam tell you about her mom,” Steve pauses as he searches through his texts for the name, “Jasmine Rumlow?” 

“Enough to know that it wouldn’t surprise me if Brock turns up dead tomorrow morning. Did you get anything else?”

“She’s going to be the key to taking out his operation. He has a soft spot for her so we can exploit that but it might be easier to exploit hers, push her to help us.”

The White Wolf sighs and takes a moment to think before answering, “Do we know what that is or are you expecting me to figure it out when she’s pointing a gun at me?”

Steve rolls his eyes, “Is that your way of saying that I need to be back here tomorrow?” “And the day after that. Don’t let her leave your sight until you know what her weaknesses are. Even if she hates mornings, I want to know everything.”

“Copy that.”

Growing up with Caleb Walker at Brock’s side meant that Y/N did know his son, John but he stayed out of their fathers’ ways. Maybe it was his parents wanting to protect him or maybe it was that he knew from a young age what a monster Brock was. Either way he failed whoever wanted to protect him. 

Working in the same role as his father, John never leaves Brock’s side and it’s unnerving to Y/N. When Brock moved, John moved. When Brock breathed, John breathed. When Brock tried to assert dominance over Y/N, John did the same. The most recent example of this is how he grips at her arm and nearly throws her through her bedroom door after she got caught sneaking back into the house. 

“What were you thinking?” he demands, his voice bouncing off the walls and echoing deep into her ears. 

Y/N shakes off his hand and voice as she walks towards her bed. She drops herself down and starts to take off her shoes which angers him even more. His question rings out again but she doesn’t care to answer it. He asks for a third time and she stops what she’s doing, straightens up, and half turns to him. 

“I’ll answer you when you stop yelling at me.”

He scoffs and puts his hands on his hips, “I don’t have time for this.”

“And I have all the time in the world.”

Shaking his head, he looks to the ground and takes a deep breath, “Fine.”

Y/N goes back to untying her shoes and kicks them off when he finds the peace inside himself to ask the question again. “I won’t be a prisoner while I’m here. Brock might tell you differently but what I’m telling you is to take the presidency; I can and will leave whenever I want. If the White Wolf is really that big of a threat, then I’ll check in with you but no one is going to track, follow, or stalk me.”

John nods along even though deep down it’s painful to be taking orders from her. 

“Since the stupid party has a dress code, Vic, Niklaus, and I will be going shopping. If I see anyone tailing us, I will be shooting out their tires and you,” she pauses to turn and look at him, “will get the brunt of my wrath, understood?” John sniffs aggressively but nods in understanding nonetheless. Y/N finishes taking her shoes and socks off before going to her closet to change. He doesn’t leave or move, annoying her even more than she already is. She wants to huff at the invasion of privacy but it won’t be her any good. With her luck, he’ll take it as her being hurt or worse; a threat to his manhood. Before she can think of something snarky to say, John speaks up and starts into the nostalgia of her being back. He goes on and on about how he never thought he would see her again and how he always thought that they would end up together. 

Pulling a sweatshirt over her head, Y/N stops in the closet entrance and stares blankly at him. He grows uncomfortable and shifts but keeps up with his line of wishful thinking. 

“I’m going to stop you right there,” she says, interrupting his tangent about how he had a crush on her growing up, “I don’t care. I don’t want to hear about our childhood from your point of view. I don’t want to hear about how happy you are that I’m back. I don’t want to hear any of it because I don’t care, John. As soon as I’ve outlived my usefulness with the White Wolf or whoever else Brock pissed off, he’ll send me away or kill me and honestly, I’m good with either. I don’t want this life and I never have so please spare me the romantics of it all.”

The door slams almost immediately after she finishes and she lets out a deep sigh. Of course it would take crushing his dreams of them being endgame to get him to leave. On the bright side, maybe he won’t bother her anymore or it could go the other way and he’ll be stuck to her like glue. 

Y/N chooses to not think about it anymore and falls onto her back on her bed, allowing the comfort of the blankets to engulf her. Time slips away from her as she lets her worries and stress disappear even if for a minute or two. Nothing is ever really stressful free for her, not when her father is still alive and controlling her life. 

There had been a time, maybe two years into living in Phoenix, did she think that it would be possible to be free form Brock. Maria and her were in the middle of moving from their first tiny apartment to the one she left behind when the letter showed up. It was simple and with no address. All the letter said was “Don’t get comfortable.” Maria hid it as soon as she found it and tried her hardest to hide any fears that it brought it up but it only worked for a few months after that. A car crash is what took Maria but Y/N always knew that it was more than that; a planned attack or something like that. In hindsight, it could’ve been this White Wolf and not Brock but that would mean that he’s been pulling the strings for far longer than she knew or wanted to admit. 

Her phone rings on the nightstand, drawing her back to reality and she groans as she grabs it. There’s no caller ID so she’s hestiaant to answer and lets it go to voicemail. Dropping herself back onto her bed, she doesn’t get a second to enjoy it because it starts ringing again. No caller ID flashes once more and she figures that if she doesn’t answer it now, whoever it is will keep calling all night long. 

“What do you want?” “No hello?” a man’s voice comes through, harsh and thick but with an undertone of something she can’t place. 

“What do you want?” “Open your curtain.”

She closes her eyes in annoyance, “no. You have three seconds to tell me what you want before I hang up.”

“Assuming your father is going to be the most predictable thing and try to pull something at the party, I’m having a dress delivered for you to wear. Something a little different from those cargo pants you wear everyday.”

“I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say this is the White Wolf asshole that Brock is obsessed with.”

He chuckles, deep and profound, “Ouch. I don’t think I’m an asshole.”

“Well,” Y/N starts as she sits up and pushes the curtain back to peer out the window, “if the shoe fits.”

Across the street is a blacked out car however she can only assume that the man on the phone is sitting in it. Her assumption is correct. The passenger window rolls down and a dark haired man waves at her. From this distance she can’t make out too many details but she can see the speckles of facial hair and penetrating eyes.

“I fully expect you to be wearing my dress and if you’re not, I’ll be very upset, little snake.”

“I’ll try but no promises.” 

“Oh and it goes without saying, don’t tell your father we talked.”

Y/N hangs up without answering and the man continues to stare up at her as another man gets out of the car with a big black box in hand. He puts it down in front of their gate and returns to his car. The White Wolf gives her a grin to match his name and the two drive away. 

That box sits in her closet for almost three days before she opens it. The decision comes after a few failed shopping trips and with her returning with one dress she only got because Victoria didn’t want to leave it at the store. Y/N and Niklaus argued with her for a solid 45 minutes about how stupid it was to buy a dress only because you don’t want someone else to have it. 

Of course her response was that she’ll find another time to wear it if Y/N choose something else. The shimmery emerald green material shines too much and the deep front v cuts too low for her liking hence why she’s sitting in her closet with the box in front of her. She’s been staring at it for probably 15 minutes now and the looming pressure of the party tomorrow is starting to get to her. Aside from the dress being generally not something she would wear, it feels impractical to wear if she’s going to complete a mission. 

Curiosity gets the better of her logic and she’s tearing into the box before she knows it. In the white tissue paper lies a simple black dress. No jewels or gems, no elaborate hems, or fancy material. Pulling out the dress, she gets a better look at the floor length dress that will no doubt hug her figure. The boat neck line provides the cover that her sister’s dress lacks and she quickly shoves the dress back into its box. 

“No, no. no,” she whispers to herself as she drums her fingers against the lid, “I’m not wearing it. I can’t. I won't.”

It calls to her, chanting her name from beneath her hand. 

She slowly reopens it, letting her hands drift over the fabric as she battles with herself about it, “No I can’t wear this. I mean…. I could. It’s more practical. I could probably fight in it. It’d be easier…” 

She trails off in her internal line of arguing as she feels its softness. 

“I’ll just try it on first.”

Famous last words.

#bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes #mob au #bucky barnes x reader #mob!bucky barnes imagine #mob!bucky #mob!bucky barnes x reader #mob!bucky barnes and reader #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes fic #marvel imagine #bucky barnes fanfic #bucky barnes reader insert #marvel #mob bucky barnes #mob bucky x reader #winter soldier imagine #as good a reason bucky barnes

[heliphantie]

Year ago, April 2022, I resumed drawing after almost 15 years of hiatus. Now, looking back, I decided to do “Top 10” of noteworthy for me works of last year, without any ranking. Starting with this one, which I had drawn April 2.

Very first mini-comic (most of the rest of which is still in first draft/script stage). Although it’s one of very early drawings, I still like it the same and generally am content with how it turned.

Cool teenage Bruno, master of foreshadowing.

I just imagined young (15-16) Bruno entertaining kids with the story of his family and the miracle in the same way Mirabel did, and came up with this scenario, but still had to figure context of why Bruno’s gift would be kept secret.

So the headcanon is, Bruno didn’t really start to serve community with his gift until late adolescence, because Alma considered that people may start pester the kid with requests which he wouldn’t be able to reject and become exhausted, so his power was used only in urgent cases, on behalf of Alma and confidentially. Probably, Alma considered the same with two other kids, but in the end abilities of Pepa made it nearly impossible to hide, and Julieta loved cooking and taking care of people since childhood and wasn’t getting overwhelmed with it.

(The secrecy also can explain why his door, originally placed between these of his sisters, moved into more secure place.)

And, while he didn’t had to use the gift *that* often (during 10+ years), these cases were still stressful and proved he had to control himself to not getting too invested in lives of his clients and stay impartial toward their fates, even when he was a witness of, sometimes rough, future for them. But he carried his duty without complaining (like the rest of family), developed stoicism and got used to fighting anxieties and hardships on his own, so he remained genuinely upbeat for long time, until, around mature age, burnout had overtaken him. (Director stated that it started to creep on him in late adolescence, but after all, sudden drops in mental well-being are specific to teenage.)

It also happened that there weren’t other kids of triplets age in the village for long time, so they had mostly just themselves for company growing up. But as new kids started to appear, it’s Bruno who gained admiration of the young ones. For grown-ups and young adults, he was mostly a subject of (often alarming) rumors and, at best, a lonesome weirdo, but in the eyes of children he’s as worthy of idolization as any mysterious and bohemian older person who acts friendly to them, thus a totally cool guy:) And he seemed to like playing along with it.

Useless trivia: the children’s names (from left to right in upper panel) - Pablo, Sofia, Juan and Cristina. They’re not related to any background characters, just random kids. Although it would’ve been funny if some of villagers who were sharing ominous stories about him used to be his followers in their childhood.

#encanto #encanto fanart #disney fanart #fan comic #bruno madrigal #encanto headcanon #encanto hc #encanto phantie fanon #phantie first year top ten #phantieart

[robincantfunction]

𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐰 ♪

pt. 11

|series masterlist|main masterlist|taglist|

ex bf - friend!james potter x reader (platonic)

bf sirius black x reader

summary: after sirius left his family, james starts to realise quite how badly he screwed up, and although he appears to already be forgiven by everyone involved, there’s one last person that still hasn’t. himself. (this is quite repetitive i won’t lie, but it’s mostly just a look into james’ guilt.)

warnings: kinda angsty on james’ part. swearing, mention of hospitals, smoking (just cigarettes), talks of cheating, self loathing from james - i have a habit of writing james really ooc, so hopefully this has redeemed it slightly. because we all know if james cheated on someone his guilt would be through the roof. i should also mention, sometimes this series (especially this part) might seem a little bit like i’m condoning cheating, and like it’s not a big deal. i assure you that’s not the case, and if y/n was my friend i might have to stage an intervention.

a/n: this randomly switches from lowercase to not all lowercase, back to lowercase again cause during my 8 month hiatus i put my caps lock on and off again and couldn’t be bothered to change it, and i started writing this before i took an unplanned break.

but anyway hello! i’m back. hopefully for a while cause i have some wip’s that i’m very excited to start writing again. but yes i hope this was worth the wait (it probably wasn’t)

gif not mine

when lily wasn’t there for him to be blinded, he started to notice the reasons he began to fall for y/n in the first place. of course, he wasn’t going to do anything. she was happy, he was happy. but seeing her happy with someone else made him admittedly more jealous than it should’ve. he broke her heart, he left her alone, it was his fault. he shouldn’t have been upset, but standing in st. mungos seeing y/n curled up into sirius’ side asleep whilst he was looking at her, just studying all of her features, and playing with her hair, he felt a pang to his heartstring. but if he was completely honest with himself, instead of living in a constant state of denial, he would have realised that feeling wasn’t jealousy. it was guilt. because watching them made him think about when he could have had that, and he threw her on the floor like he would a crumpled up potions essay.

“prongs, mate. sit down. y’alright?” sirius said softly, as to not make him jump, and to not wake up y/n. james chuckled slightly, bringing a chair beside his bed. using the same soft tone, he responded “you’re in a hospital bed, and you’re asking if i’m alright?” sirius shrugged with a slight laugh “y’just looked a bit in your own head s’all.” james nodded, barely meeting sirius’ eye “d’you think she hates me?” he nudged his head towards y/n, worried of what sirius would think his question insinuates.

“well… i don’t know. i don’t think so. she was a wreck, james, but i don’t think she could ever really hate you.” taking a bit of a pause, he thought about his next words carefully. “she really struggled, y’know. found it hard to find a reason to get out of bed. thought she wasn’t good enough, not just for you, but for the world. it took its toll. but…” he looked down at her then back at james, stroking and playing with her hair unconsciously. “if she hated you she wouldn’t have cared she wasn’t good enough, she wouldn’t have tried to keep the peace when with our friends, she would have shown you how mad and sad she was, instead of letting you be happy because that’s all that mattered.” james looked relieved, but his speech didn’t do much for his guilt. but that was ok, he deserved the guilt. he knew that.

“so to answer your question, i don’t know. because i’m not y/n, but i do know her. and i can safely say that if she truly hated you, she would have done everything in her power to ruin your happiness. but she didn’t. she didn’t even tell anyone what happened.”

those words were stuck on a loop in james’ head for about a week. over and over, each words replayed with a different meaning. each word held a story, her story, his story, their story. and each one ended with lily and james. but not all of them ended with sirius, because what if? what if sirius hated james for initially ruining his chances with the girl he liked? what if he didn’t stick around? what if he wasn’t there to save the day when y/n needed him?

what if?

what if?

what if?

every time it would just get louder, the voice in the back of his mind. “you could have ruined her belief in love.” “you could have left her alone and someone might not have been there for her.” “you were so selfish, sleeping with lily.” it all drowned out and merged into one big noise, every voice somehow making an appearance every time he opened his eyes, closed his eyes, looked the other way, turned around…

“james.” he was cut off by y/n, her and sirius were staying with him for the rest of the summer. sirius because he had no where else to go, and y/n because neither her nor sirius wanted to leave the other. both james and his parents were understanding, and he wasn’t going to get in the way of her happiness again. “what’s wrong?” she asked, mildly concerned by his behaviour the past couple of days.

“I just want to say sorry” she cocked her head in confusion. “Sorry? Why?” He chuckled humourlessly. “I was a selfish dick to you, who used you to get over a girl i slept with not too long afterwards. And you’re asking me what I’m sorry for?” She shook her head. “James I don’t care anymore. Ok, I was hurt. I wanted to hate you. But I wouldn’t have Sirius without what happened. Because we’d have broken up in a nice clean way, and sirius wouldn’t be needed to help my heartbreak. Things happen for a reason, james. Don’t beat yourself up so much”

That conversation stuck with him, he never thought he’d be missing y/n. And he wasn’t, not really. He was just hiding behind denial and guilt, forcing himself to belief that he hurt her beyond repair. turns out hindsight is a bitch, and james didn’t know how to handle it. he always prided himself in being a classic, charming ‘nice’ guy. but what he did was anything but, and he couldn’t stop the thoughts swirling around his mind telling him that he was a bad person, that he didn’t deserve y/n when he had her, and he certainly doesn’t deserve lily now.

————

james was standing outside his house in the rain, hiding in the little shelter near the back door, he pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his coat pocket, along with a lighter. as he was fumbling with the box, trying to get one out and light it, his mind was continuing to wander. over the past two weeks he was being plagued by guilt, by the idea that he could have hurt someone so badly that they could have stopped believing in something like love. in something that he strongly believed was one of the best things anyone could ever experience.

he was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t hear sirius open the back door, also sneaking out for a cheeky cigarette whilst y/n was getting ready for bed.

“didn’t realise you were anything more than a social smoker, prongs”

he jumped at sirius’ words, making the boy across from him chuckle as he, too, pulled out a pack from his coat. “well, not normally. just too much going on in my head at the minute, needed something to take the edge of, i guess.” sirius nodded, hesitating slightly before he spoke. “yeah, i noticed that. seriously, prongs, what’s going on. you’ve been acting funny since me and y/n/n got here. since st. mungos. do you not want us here? cause we can-“

james was quick to cut him off “no. no! it’s not that, i just-“ he stopped for a minute, debating whether or not he should be honest with sirius. “i keep thinking about what i did. about the way i treated y/n. and i know- i know that she’s ok, and i know that you two may never have been together if i didn’t, but- but that’s still a person that i hurt. that i completely disregarded the feelings off for my own selfish reasons. when i could have just had a conversation with her and everything would have been fine.” he took a breath and looked up from where he’d been gazing down at his shoes, trying to judge how sirius was going to act based off of his face. he didn’t know what he was expecting, but he certainly wasn’t expecting the sympathetic half smile that he was currently wearing. “i didn’t have to hurt her, if i’d have walked her back to her dorm when she was drunk, like any decent person would have, we’d have spoken about it and we’d have probably broken up before we even got to her common room. but i didn’t. i chose to hurt her”

after he’s finished speaking sirius shook his head slightly, taking a long drag of his cigarette whilst trying to form the right words to say, without trying to add to james’ guilt. “mate, everyone makes mistakes. granted, it was a shitty, shitty mistake. but a mistake is a mistake. and it’s not ok, and you did hurt her, a lot. but you feel guilty about it. most people that cheat don’t care, it’s a game to them. they’re happy to pretend like nothing happened and all is still perfectly fine. but you’ve been torn up about this for weeks, probably more than that. it’s just finally sinking in. y/n’s okay prongs. she’s okay. and as shitty as it was, everything happens for a reason.” just as he finished speaking he saw y/n through the window on the back door. he gestured to her that he’d be inside in a second, and gave her a smile. she smiled back and he watched as she walked towards the kitchen.

smiling slightly at the look on his friends face, james nudged sirius with his shoulder “you really love her, pads… don’t you?” sirius was quick to nod his head absentmindedly, before his eyes went wide. he looked at james before nodding his head again, this time really letting it sink in. “yeah, yeah i guess i do.”

————————

aghhhhh thank you for reading that and sorry for the long wait. hopefully the next part shouldn’t take nearly as long. honestly i don’t know if i like this, but oh well. it was always going to be a filler chapter, but yeah hopefully it’s not too bad.

taglists:

d.t.n.f.a.j @jessyballet @Snigdha-14 @haroldpotterson @cherryslushyslut @nyks-bella-blog @aliendemigods @wherewitcheslive @adriennebarnes @espressopatronum454 @thepersonbeep1 @melliegorl @idli-dosa @siriusdumblittlepuppy @allise4 @blackqueens01 @-kazbekkarluvbot- @directionerarianator @theonethatmustnotbenamed @mortui--flores @ilovedilfs32 @allise4 @eclipsedsuns @rslry @cassiopeia1042 @hcloangcls

j.p @kissmeunicornbaobei @s8liva @momoewn @roundbrownlover @slut-for-matt-murdock @chandlemania @cassiopeia1042 @hcloangcls

s.b @messy-insomniac @imintofictionalmen @spookybooisa @siriuslyjanhvi @blackst0nes7077 @sassybadqueen @itzzzzcookie @x-heartrender-x @j-cat @nestiaisgod @kissmeunicornbaobei @dcvilslvr @momoewn @roundbrownlover @eyelovelhh @slut-for-matt-murdock @chandlemania @cassiopeia1042 @hcloangcls

(sorry it’s been so long quite a lot of people’s names have changed. also if you don’t want to be on the taglist anymore just let me know! :)

#sirius black x reader #james potter x reader #sirius black angst #sirius black fluff #james potter angst #sirius black x you #james potter x you #james potter #sirius black

[goldenpinof]

Why do you think dnp’s views have dropped so much lately? Its odd because the fandom is actually relatively alive atm

i'm not really good at analysing such things. not enough data, i guess.

i think the core phandom is alive (although, could be more alive, imo). but not everyone came back, and those who did... i feel like half of them looked at things for a month or two, and left again. we're not even on 2018 level, there's a lack of engagement within the phandom, and i don't think we will ever come back to at least 2018. there were changes made, in dnpg content. and i'm not sure if people like it, or are interested in it. i'm not talking about gay stuff, btw.

also, phandom grew up. it's hard to keep up with so much content. people have job, families, other hobbies. we kinda had to find other hobbies during the hiatus, you know. October-December were fun and, dare i say, nostalgic. spooky week and gamingmas — that's what we knew before the hiatus. there was some interest in "how is it now, 5 years later?" but after that... idk, i have my thoughts on why people aren't watching dnpg videos immediately, or why they are skipping some altogether. but i can't say that what i think is based on something solid. not enough data. and making polls, asking if people watch every video, how long it takes to watch a new video, do they participate in the phandom, etc. — i feel like tumblr isn't the right place because those who are the target audience for these questions aren't actually here 😂

anyway. my main point is. the core phandom is here, casual viewers stopped showing up, youtube algorithm doesn't bring new people at all (unless it's the actual gameplay like Poppy and It Takes Two, or generally popular video topics like TikTok compilations or react videos). dnpg clickbait titles work 50/50. i feel like, even the outsiders know what titles are clickbait and what aren't. to be fucking real with you, i think "Dan and Phil are BROTHERS?" is hilarious. i'd click on the video exactly because it's clickbaity and because i want to hear commentary on that. the lore is so deep, it's fucking exciting. but, do others find it the same as i do? do casual viewers even know? like, if not, then this title is just a game ad. and the video is so poorly edited that returning to it would be painful. speaking of ads. people might be tired of them. and if they see that the video is clearly an ad (Dragon City or Brothers) they don't even click on it. people seem also tired of the sims, which is interesting to me. is it because the wedding is done, so now it's boring? idk.

i'd love to see the stats on the TikTok video. it's so different from everything else. like, it's the least dnpg video ever. it's literally the ap video, but it performed better not only because of the algorithm but also because it's on dnpg. i wonder if it made anyone subscribe to dnpg. every time i go to the channel, i see this video and i'm like, "wow! you really are here, with almost 500k views, something that even 2024 sims videos can't get. good for you, mf."

#i wonder if people find dnpg videos boring. like genuinely there's nothing new these 2 can give us #and unless it's a gameplay it's not very exciting? idk. also the editing sucks ass. but that's MY reasoning for skipping some videos #answered #dnpgames #youtube

[speakinginsimlish]

2023 was a great year for me when it comes The Sims. After a 5-year hiatus, I returned to playing and posting, which has been such a source of enjoyment (and, honestly, mild stress, because TS2!). Although Simblr had somewhat changed during my absence, I’m happy to see so many familiar faces still going strong and keeping it all together, and to meet all the new players breathing new life into the game and the community as a whole. The community’s talent, creativity, ingenuity and kindness is a lovely thing to behold and take part in.

With that being said, I have some goals I’d like to achieve in my game in 2024. I’m not exactly holding myself strictly to account, as this is meant to be a fun hobby and life is stressful enough(!), but it would be nice to get at least one of these done and dusted:

Firstly, and most importantly, enjoy, play and post more!

Set up and start playing the medieval ‘hood that I have been toying with the idea of for the best part of 5 years. The amount of CC to download and organisation involved is honestly putting me off, as my life is full enough of dull administrative tasks, but I know I’d really enjoy playing once the hideous and mammoth task of setup was over. Someone please release that special “medieval starter pack” that was vaguely spoken about a few months ago, so I don’t have to go through this pain? 🥺

Even more administration for this one (boo, hiss!), but I would really like to finish organising my main CC collection once and for all. It is too large and unwieldy and everything is all over the place, which bothers me, but not enough to actually finish doing something about it thus far!

Release follower gifts, whether these be Sims or lots for download.

Begin creation of a second vacation ‘hood for Arcadia Falls. I’m not sure whether I’d prefer a more outdoorsy or Asian-themed destination, but I know that just having the tropical subhood is getting a bit old!

Start creating and releasing Sims-related content on YouTube or Twitch. This has a massive question mark over it, as I’m not entirely sure what kind of content I would make or even the best way to make it, but I am inspired by other creators and their content (especially @kayleigh-83’s speedbuild videos!), and I’d love to participate, even in a small way. Any ideas or suggestions as to what content anyone would like to see from me are welcome!

Now that I see that wall of text, it’s slightly overwhelming, but I’m looking forward to this time next year when I can review this list and say that I at least got one thing done. Fingers crossed! 😅

Thanks again to anyone who has liked, reblogged or even passively enjoyed my posts this year. I wish you a great 2024!

#nonsims #speakinginsimlishspeaks

[definitelynotafurinasimp]

Winter Wonderland

summary: small, winter-related scenarios

characters: Fischl/Jean x gn!reader (separate)

warnings: none, just fluff

a/n: It's not much, but I wanted to write something so that I don't end up completely rusty when I'm done with my "Hiatus".

Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Fischl  

It wasn’t every day that you’d get to see the “Prinzessin der Verurteilung” dressed in anything other than her asymmetrical attire, so when you arrived at your meeting place, only to lay your eyes on a figure wrapped in what seemed to be a million layers of clothing, the single thing making it even somewhat possible to figure out its identity being the blonde hair, you couldn’t help but crack a smile.

“Excuse my remark, your highness, but are you certain you didn’t perchance put on one too many layers of clothing?”, you asked, your tone unusually teasing, causing the princess to slightly pull down her scarf so she could speak without accidentally taking it into her mouth.

“There is never such a thing as putting on too many clothes in Winter. It is the most cruel of seasons, after all, my loyal retainer”, she was quick to respond, only to send a half glare at her flying companion the moment she noticed his beak open, causing the bird to fly to a safe distance before continuing.

“Perfectly put, my majesty. Although you make it sound as if you weren’t dismayed when your mother told you the same thing and wrapped you in your current attire”, the raven snarked, obviously being just as amused by the sight at you were, being quick to fly away a bit further when the girl rebuffed him for his comments and tried to close the distance between them.

“Enough with this, you two. This is no way to treat royalty”, Fischl demanded, causing you to switch to the best poker face you had in store, only for the red faced princess to turn towards you and give you yet another small glare.

“Might I offer your highness something in exchange for her forgiveness?”

While it was as obvious of a bribe as possible, it succeeded as the Prinzessin der Verurteilung eventually gave you a nod before listing her surprisingly lax demands, consisting of nothing but a cup of hot chocolate, something you were quick to agree to before the two of you finally set out to do what you originally planned to do.

Jean

While the Acting Grandmaster was about the last person to think about staying at home just because she didn’t feel like going outside in the cold Winter weather, you had somehow managed to sell her the idea of doing her paperwork from home. It had a lot of upsides, you argued. It was much warmer than her office, she saved time she’d usually spend on travelling from her home to work and back and she didn’t have to worry about anyone interrupting her.

The Gunnhildr found it hard to figure out if she was a lot more receptive towards your idea because it was what she wanted to do deep down, or if you were just great at convincing her, but either way she found herself accepting your proposal, deciding to work on her papers from home, only for it to slowly dawn on her that she had fallen into your trap.

Just as Jean walked through the living room, being on her was back to working on her remaining documents, not wanting to get too comfortable during the small break you had urged her to take, her eyes landed on you, sitting on the couch while being wrapped in a comfortable looking blanket and staring at the lit fireplace, stopping in her tracks the moment you looked over to her.

“Oh, already on your way back to work? Come and join me for a few minutes first, it’s really comfortable”, you offered with a smile, only for Jean to consider it for a second before slightly shaking her head but not walking away. 

“I’m sorry, but I’m afraid it would be a bit too comfortable for me to return to work afterwards”, she sighed.

“Fine, but I highly recommend you try it afterwards, I found it to be a great stress reliever, so I’m sure it will make it a lot easier to help you work in peace”, you responded before wrapping the blanket around you a little bit more.

And while Jean knew too well that all of it was a plan to convince her to give in to the prospects of relief once again, she had to admit that it was working all too well, causing her to let out a small sigh.

“Would it be fine for me to join y-”, she didn’t even have time to finish before you already made space for her and raised the blanket, all the while giving her a big smile.

However as she took a seat next to you, and quickly realised you certainly weren’t lying about how comfortable it was, Jean found herself spending much more time relaxing than she planned on. Of course, she would eventually end her break and return to work, but five more minutes wouldn’t hurt anyone.

Please consider liking & reblogging if you enjoyed reading

#fischl #fischl x reader #fischl x you #fischl x y/n #fischl imagines #jean genshin impact #jean gunnhildr #jean x reader #jean x y/n #jean x you #jean imagines #jean gunnhildr x reader

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

Animation Face-Offs

I find it amusing that the first real major animated movie box office show-off is occurring some 35 years after the one that arguably started it all...

November 18, 1988... Walt Disney Feature Animation's celebrity-loaded modern musical OLIVER & COMPANY from first-time director George Scribner, and Universal's release of the Steven Spielberg/George Lucas-produced ex-Disney director Don Bluth adventure THE LAND BEFORE TIME...

This wasn't the first time two animated pictures opened next to each other.

In fall 1982, Hanna-Barbera's HEIDI'S SONG opened opposite a Looney Tunes clipshow anthology movie called 1001 RABBIT TALES. Combined, they made $5m at the domestic box office... Not great times to open an animated feature that wasn't Disney, and not that their distributors probably even cared at the time anyways.

Sometimes, there are around two animated features a month. It's not uncommon for two studios to share. Off the top of my head, you had - in November 2010 - MEGAMIND at the beginning of the month, and TANGLED before Thanksgiving. In the early summer of 2013, MONSTERS UNIVERSITY only opened about a few weeks before DESPICABLE ME 2. TROLLS and MOANA shared November 2016. Again, just random examples off the top of my head.

But usually, they're spaced out... TROLLS BAND TOGETHER and WISH are five days apart...

TROLLS 3 is projected to take in around $20-25m this weekend, which is significantly less than what TROLLS took in back in 2016, but still alright for this kind of movie. WISH is set to out-open it, with over $50m for the 5-day Thanksgiving weekend stretch. For a $200m-costing movie, it's going to need all the legs in the world to get by. TROLLS 3 will need to pull some good weight too to more than double its much more modest $95m budget. (Wild to think that $95m seems *low*... There was a time when a DreamWorks/PDI movie cost $75m... And for a good while, roughly $135m!)

I'm curious to see how each film affects one another. Families aren't made of money, and there's gotta be a kind of adult pull to really make big bucks, and I'm not sure if either of these films have that. Plus you have stuff like WONKA right around the corner... Thankfully no Marvel, Star Wars, or Avatar movie to counter with. Although, PUSS IN BOOTS Dos last year, woooooow. That cat held his own against the blue cat aliens.

But yeah, if you think about it... This is a rare head-to-head race.

One could argue we saw this in late winter of 2021 when Warner Bros. released their live-action TOM & JERRY, and then Disney Animation had RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON out a week later. But that was before vaccines got out for all age groups (they were distributed to the elderly first, I - who was 28 at the time - couldn't get my first shot until April.), and the films had simultaneous streaming debuts, so I don't really count that. Plus, Cinemark theaters refused to show RAYA over a disagreement on who got most of the earnings. (That would've been my return trip to the movies after a year-long hiatus, my return ended up being A QUIET PLACE: PART II two months later.)

It's funny how TROLLS 3 is Universal and WISH is Disney... Just like how LAND BEFORE TIME was Universal, and OLIVER was Disney.

The Disney-Universal race was successful for both. OLIVER took home $53m domestically (the $71m figure you often see comes from the film's 1996 re-release), LAND BEFORE TIME took home $48m. Worldwide is up the air, because Disney never released OLIVER's numbers, Universal reported that LAND made around $84m. Winner is unknown, but it was always assumed to be LAND. Maybe because dinosaurs are more Universal than a modern-day New York comedy? Who knows!

Perhaps greatly inspired by that double-whammy of animated hits, MGM/United Artists wanted to try that for themselves. Don Bluth split with Spielberg and Lucas due to creative disagreements during production of both LAND BEFORE TIME and his other Spielberg collab AN AMERICAN TAIL, and set up ALL DOGS GO TO HEAVEN with the lion. MGM/UA released ALL DOGS the same day as THE LITTLE MERMAID...

Bluth's movie got left to sink by the Ron Clements and John Musker-directed musical sleeper hit... It wasn't even close. $27m domestic vs. $84m domestic, and in addition that, MERMAID's worldwide figures put it at roughly $183m. (Again, in 1989-90, without the 1997 re-release counted.) ALL DOG's worldwide total is unknown.

This didn't entirely scare distributors away from trying again.

The fall of 1990 was originally set to see another Bluth vs. Disney face-off. If plans had held, MGM-Pathe would've released Bluth's ROCK-A-DOODLE on the same day as Disney's sequel THE RESCUERS DOWN UNDER. MGM-Pathe ran into financial and legal problems, putting Bluth's film in limbo for a bit...

Instead, Warner Bros. went toe to toe with Disney, releasing an animated feature that wasn't a Looney Tunes clipshow: THE NUTCRACKER PRINCE... Suffice to say, it barely scrounged up $1m domestically, and Disney's sequel had troubles of its own, stalling at $29m domestically, $47m worldwide.

Two films fled from the autumn of 1991, as BEAUTY AND THE BEAST looked to not be a repeat of RESCUERS DOWN UNDER, but a repeat of LITTLE MERMAID and OLIVER's successes... 20th Century Fox - who had FERNGULLY: THE LAST RAINFOREST - and The Samuel Goldwyn Company - who picked up ROCK-A-DOODLE - chickened, literally in the latter's case...

Only Universal had the guts to take on the beast... By releasing AN AMERICAN TAIL: FIEVEL GOES WEST the same day. The Don Bluth-less sequel made only $22m domestically, while BEAUTY AND THE BEAST made... $145m in North America alone, and blew up with $331m around the world...

After FERNGULLY and ROCK-A-DOODLE wisely fled from BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, they duked it out in April 1992. DOODLE opened the first weekend of the month, with FERNGULLY following. FERNGULLY won with $24m domestically, DOODLE struggled with $11m. (It's worth noting that DOODLE first came out in the UK in August of 1991.)

Universal initially thought they'd have WE'RE BACK! A DINOSAUR'S STORY ready to compete with ALADDIN, but they likely realized that that was not a great idea... WE'RE BACK! opened over a full year after ALADDIN and still flopped hard. It opened nearby BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM, which also made a paltry amount.

From there on out, things were typically spaced out. Sometimes the smaller efforts opened close to each other.

And now here we are, Thanksgiving week of 2023... We have trolls vs. wishing stars. Universal vs. Disney. It'll be fun to watch, but I hope the two film crews of both get to put food on their tables once more.

[summerwritesfics]

🔥❄️A Fading Memory When My Mind Is Frozen

Pairing: Hanzo Hasashi/Kuai Liang Length: 8179 Words Rating: Mature Warnings: Canon Divergence, Tarkatan Clone!Kuai Liang, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Existential Crisis, Angst, Distrust, Mild Gore, Hunting, Animal Death (Very brief and is in the context of hunting), Past Character Death, Emotionally not safe for Kuai (Like he’s pretty physically safe in this one but emotionally he’s going through it) Non-Consensual Body Modification (at least… that’s what I’m implying here) SubScorp Week 2023: Experimentation

SubScorp Week 2023 Masterlist

Notes: I am aware this is such a late post, and in my own defence, I did actually post it on AO3 during SubScorp Week itself, I just never got around to cross posting it here lmao. I’ll be honest last month I completely revamped this blog, and ever since I’ve kinda been dying to post again. Am I back off hiatus? Eh, not really. But y’know… I’m trying & MK1 releases next week so y’know… the plot bunnies will probably be hopping around a bit :) Fic title is from “Frozen” by Celldweller.

Hanzo entered the room with extreme caution.

These Flesh Pits were Shang Tsung’s pride and joy, the place he worked on his most depraved experiments. While it was unguarded, it was highly likely there would be some form of trap to discourage intruders. He had to be careful.

They all knew about Mileena now, the half Tarkatan clone of Princess Kitana. It was as twisted as it was sad. Despite everything, Hanzo did feel a strange sympathy for Mileena. She had never asked to be made, especially not like this. Maybe one day, they’d be able to make her see she was another victim and that they didn’t have to be her enemy.

That, however, was something to tackle another day. The current issue at hand was if there were any other experiments that Shang Tsung was working on.

Hanzo had rather drawn the short straw on going to investigate.

He heard broken glass crunch under his boot, as he glanced around. There were many strange body sized pods, although they were all completely empty. Hanzo assumed it was where the clones were grown. His eyes were drawn to a board across the room, with various papers pinned to it. He took a quick glance, but nothing really made sense to him, they just looked like general anatomy drawings you’d find in a collection of field notes.

A bubbling sound caught his attention as he turned on his heels to see where it came from. Over in the corner, a green light glowed ominously. He pulled his kunai out of his pocket, as he slowly approached the glow. As he got closer, he realised it was coming from another pod. Only this one seemed to be filled with a thick green liquid, a shadowy figure could just about be seen inside.

So, it seemed there was at least one more clone in Shang Tsung’s possession.

As Hanzo stood in front of the pod, he realised there was a small plaque on the front. Engraved into the metal were the words “Kuai Liang” . Hanzo raised an eyebrow. Kuai Liang? What does that mean? It sounded like Chinese, but he was far from an expert. He suddenly wished one of the Shaolin had accompanied him.

The liquid bubbled again, the shadow twitching slightly. Was this another Mileena, or could it be someone different? If this clone was as unstable as Mileena, then it could be dangerous to let them free. He supposed he wouldn’t know unless he opened the pod.

Despite his head screaming at him not to, he reached forward for a button he assumed would open the pod. There was a strange whirring sound, and then the sound of rushing water, as slowly the green liquid began to lower and drain. Soon it was low enough to reach the shadow, revealing raven black hair. Hanzo hissed, it really could just be another Mileena.

But then the clone's face was revealed, and Hanzo had to do a double take at what he saw.

Because the face on the other side of the glass was Bi-Han’s.

Or at the very least, it was close to Bi-Han’s. There was a large scar down the side of the clone’s face, as well as the signature Tarkatan teeth. Strangely, the clone also seemed to be a fair bit shorter than Bi-Han too.

The questions began turning in Hanzo’s head. Why did Shang Tsung make this clone? Did The Lin Kuei want this clone made? Did Bi-Han know about it? Hanzo doubted he’d have let anyone go to the flesh pits if he did. What could possibly be its purpose?

The whirring finally stopped, before there was a loud click. The door to the pod slowly creaked open. Still the clone did not move, Hanzo wasn’t even sure he was breathing. He reached a hand forward, trying to take the clone’s wrist to check his pulse.

But as Hanzo’s hand touched the other’s skin, the clone took a very deep intake of breath. His eyes shot open and he fell back, breathing frenzied and pupils darting around like he was trying to figure out where he was.

“Easy,” Hanzo commanded, holding his hands up to show he meant no harm. “Are you okay?”

The clone’s breathing evened out, as he stared straight at Hanzo. His face twitched slightly, before he pushed himself out of the pod. His legs almost gave out under him, and Hanzo just about managed to catch him before he fell.

“Slowly,” Hanzo instructed.

The clone looked up at him and blinked. Using Hanzo as a support, he pushed himself to stand up straight. He didn’t move, just stared at Hanzo, like a lost puppy looking for attention.

“Uh… Hello,” Hanzo tried, he really wasn’t sure if the clone could understand him. “My name is Hanzo.”

The clone blinked and tilted his head, before answering with “I am Kuai Liang.”

Well, that explained the engraving. At this, the clone pushed away from Hanzo and walked away, seeming a lot more steady on his feet now. Although now that he was a distance away from him, Hanzo realised the poor man was completely naked.

“Where am I?” Kuai Liang asked, looking around with wonder. He paused and looked down at his hands. “There is something I am meant to do.”

“What do you mean?” Hanzo asked, watching as Kuai began to wander aimlessly around the room. Dread was starting to set in. Even though he didn’t appear aggressive right now, Hanzo wasn’t sure it would remain like that.

“There is something… I am…” He trailed off, as he spun on the spot, tilting his head to look up at the ceiling. “I am… Supposed to follow someone’s orders.” Kuai suddenly jumped slightly, head snapping over to Hanzo. “Oh! Is it you? Am I supposed to follow your orders?”

“I-“ Hanzo hesitated, not entirely sure what to say to that. At least he was fairly certain now that this clone was created for The Lin Kuei. Who else would want an exact copy of Bi-Han except with less fight-back against orders?

“Ah! It must be!” Kuai nodded confidently, before rushing over to Hanzo and bowing. “What are your orders, Master?”

Oh fuck. How the hell was he supposed to navigate this situation? He had come in somewhat expecting a fight, not whatever the hell this was. Still, Kuai Liang seemed docile for now, and if he continued to be like that, maybe he could get them both to the other defenders to figure out what the hell to do.

“We need to get out of here,” Hanzo began, before his eyes flicked downwards. Ah. Right. Kuai was naked. While the clone didn’t exactly seem to mind, Hanzo still wanted to give him some dignity. “But first we need to get you dressed.”

He glanced around, spotting what looked like a tattered robe on one of the tables. It looked like it was barely hanging together by a thread, but at the very least, it would do for now. He grabbed it, and went back towards Kuai. He grabbed Kuai’s arms and positioned them so they were over his head, before he pulled the robe down over Kuai’s body. It didn’t give much coverage after all, but it was enough.

“Right.” Hanzo brushed his hands, before reaching to grab one of Kuai’s. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

“Yes Master,” Kuai agreed, eagerly following Hanzo, and blissfully unaware of how much being referred to as that made Hanzo cringe. He’d find a way to bring it up later. Right now, they needed to get out of the flesh pits alive.

This was all extremely exciting.

Kuai couldn’t get over how incredible the world was. This was his first time ever seeing it, and he was fascinated by it. The thick jungle was amazing. Full of green plants and trees so large it was like they touched the skies themselves. Every so often, there was a flash of colour between the green, and he’d find himself drawn in by the beautiful flowers.

Master wasn’t anywhere near as impressed, if his facial expression was anything to go by. But he didn’t do anything to stop Kuai from investigating things. Kuai supposed that was understandable. Master had probably seen this all before. Whereas for Kuai Liang, absolutely everything was new. The world was new. New and absolutely amazing.

“Oh! Look! There is a bird sitting on that tree!” Kuai pointed towards the beast. It was small, and had wings. That was what a bird was right? How did he know it was a bird? How did he know this was a jungle? How did he know what plants and trees were? This was all new to him, right?

Why did he know what these things were?

“Kuai Liang, I appreciate that this is all very exciting for you,” Master calmly spoke, approaching Kuai and gently taking his hand. “But right now, we need to get back to my group of allies. Once we are there, I swear I will let you look at everything you want. Okay?”

“Ah. Yes, sorry Master.” Kuai was getting a little ahead of himself, wasn’t he? He wasn’t supposed to want to chase his own desires. Only serve the demands of his Master. And if his Master wanted to get somewhere, he really needed to stop holding him up.

Master grimaced slightly, as he tugged on Kuai’s hand to guide him through the foliage.

“You know, Kuai Liang, I really would prefer you not call me Master,” he said.

“Oh.” Kuai hadn’t even considered that Master would want to be called something other than that. There was something strange inside that compelled him to refer to him as that. “Then, what would you prefer I refer to you as?”

“Just Hanzo, would be fine.”

“Very well, Just Hanzo,” Kuai replied, putting aside the way that felt wrong coming out of his mouth. But surely Just Hanzo’s desires mattered more than how he felt, right?

Just Hanzo made a strange face, but whatever he was thinking, he chose to keep it to himself.

Kuai heard rustling above them, tilting his head to look up while trying to keep walking at the same pace as Just Hanzo. The bird that had been sitting up there had taken flight, and Kuai watched it go.

“Ah, the bird is flying,” he informed Just Hanzo, in case he needed to know. Kuai frowned, the bird looked actually kind of tasty. “I want to eat it.”

“Maybe later.” Just Hanzo gently pulled on Kuai’s arm, and Kuai realised that he’d come to a stand still again. “Kuai Liang, may I ask you some questions?”

“Of course, Just Hanzo,” Kuai replied eagerly, deciding to keep his attention on the other man in the hopes it would encourage him to keep walking and stop getting distracted.

“Do you know why you were made?” That was a strange question. Kuai was aware of how he’d come to be, if only vaguely, but as to why? He only knew he was supposed to follow orders.

“I… To follow your orders, Just Hanzo,” he replied, deciding this was probably a test. That has to be it right? Just Hanzo was making sure he knew his place.

“But… Why?” Just Hanzo questioned again, looking at Kuai with his brows drawn together in frustration. “To what end do you need to follow those orders?”

There was a strange feeling in Kuai’s chest, like there were a million butterflies inside it trying to burst out between his ribs. What did Just Hanzo mean? He was created to follow orders, that’s it. He doesn’t need to know what the purpose of that was, he just needed to obey.

“I don’t understand the question,” Kuai finally squeaked out, that fluttering feeling creeping up to his throat.

Why was I created? What is my purpose? 

“Kuai Liang.” Just Hanzo’s voice brought Kuai out of his panic. When Kuai looked down, he could see his hands shaking, but Just Hanzo was holding them tightly to still his tremors. “I’m sorry. My question was not meant to upset you. I just wanted to try and figure out how much you know about your own creation.”

“W-What is my purpose?” Kuai asked. If Just Hanzo was the person he was meant to follow, then surely he knew.

However the sad smile Just Hanzo gave him told him it was not that simple.

“I don’t know.” One of his hands reached up to the top of Kuai’s head, gently patting his hair. Kuai made a strange squeak as he did. It felt nice, but Kuai wasn’t sure why. “But I promise we will figure it out.”

No matter what his purpose turned out to be, Kuai was very glad it was linked to his Just Hanzo.

“Hanzo! You’re back!” Another voice called out and Kuai almost jumped a mile. A man wearing a red headband approached them, but paused in place when he noticed Kuai Liang. “I was about to ask if you found anything but uh…”

Just Hanzo coughed and turned towards the man, gently pushing Kuai forward. Ah. This man must be one of the allies he mentioned. Kuai supposed he should make a good first impression.

“Hello, I am Kuai Liang,” Kuai said brightly, pushing away his previous distress. He bowed to the man, and when he returned to stand upright, the man raised a single eyebrow.

“It’s good to meet you, I’m Liu Kang.” Liu’s eyes flicked between Kuai and Hanzo for a few seconds before he finally continued with “um, Hanzo, you are aware he looks exactly like-“

“I did notice, yes,” Hanzo cut in before Liu could finish the sentence. Kuai was a bit dumbfounded by that. What did Kuai look exactly like?

“What’s going on?” Another voice called, and Kuai heard several pairs of footsteps come from behind Liu Kang. There were two women, one wearing green and one wearing blue, and three men, one with a large hat, one with long grey hair and one…

One… 

One that almost exactly shared Kuai Liang’s face.

Those butterflies were back, as Kuai stared directly into that man’s eyes. He looked as surprised as Kuai did, but Kuai couldn’t tell if he had the same feeling in his chest that Kuai did. The man didn’t have Kuai’s mouth, or his eyes, or even the scar on his face, but the rest of the resemblance was uncanny.

But more than that, when Kuai looked into that man’s eyes, he swore to the Elder Gods he knew him.

Not just because they shared a face. There was something more . Something deep inside him that told him that they had met before.

The hazy sound of a song being sung to him in Mandarin echoed through his mind.

A memory? But whose? Because it couldn’t be Kuai Liang’s…

Could it? 

“What is this?” The man hissed, and Kuai wanted to flinch. He didn’t know what he’d done to upset this man, but clearly he’d done something.

“Bi-Han, please don’t be angry at him,” Just Hanzo replied, stepping forward in front of Kuai slightly, like he was trying to shield him. “I found him in a pod in the Flesh Pits. His name is Kuai Liang, and I believe he is a clone of you.”

Bi-Han’s breath hitched as he questioned “Kuai Liang?”

“It is nice to meet you,” Kuai said quietly, hoping maybe it would put the other man at ease. It only seemed to make it worse. The man’s face kept switching between fury and despair.

Bi-Han shook his head, and quickly turned away and walked off. Kuai felt himself hang his head in shame. He didn’t know what he’d done. Maybe he’d be able to make it up to him later.

“You… Really think he’s a clone of Bi-Han?” The woman in green questioned.

“You need to explain, now,” the man with grey hair growled, his voice demanding and harsh. That wasn’t the voice he usually had, he was much more soft spoken than that usually.

Wait… What? 

How could Kuai possibly know how this man usually spoke? He’d never met him before.

“Let’s settle in the camp,” Liu said, stepping aside and pointing in the general direction the camp must have been. “Then we can get to the bottom of whatever is going on.”

Just Hanzo pat Kuai’s back, before once more pushing him forward gently. Kuai complied with the silent command, once more trying to push his unease away.

And ignore the feeling like something terrible was about to happen.

Hanzo had done his best to fill in Earthrealm’s forces on what had happened at the Flesh Pits. He wasn’t sure if he’d done a good job or not. They had many questions, and most of them Hanzo had no answer to. Why was Kuai Liang created? What was his purpose? Who requested his creation?

None of that was within Hanzo’s ability to answer.

Kuai himself had gotten bored at some point, so Hanzo had let him just wander around the camp a bit. Besides, it felt easier to discuss things about him without him being around. How upset he seemed about being asked his purpose, or even how he looked when he met Bi-Han. It was clear these things distressed him, and Hanzo had no intention to put him through that again.

“Are we sure we can trust him?” Kitana asked, hands clasped tightly around a cup of water. It was clear she was nervous about this, and to be fair, given her experience with Mileena, Hanzo couldn’t blame her.

“I genuinely don’t believe he’s a threat to us,” Hanzo tried to plead. He’d only spent a small amount of time with the clone, but he was certain at this point if he had wanted to hurt any of them, he would have by now.

“Just Hanzo! Look!” Hanzo looked over his shoulder to where Kuai Liang was standing, one of his ice blades out, with a bird spired onto it. “I caught a bird!”

As Kuai took a triumphant bite out of his catch, Hanzo turned back to the fellow defenders, all looking at him with deadpan expressions.

“He may, however, be a threat to wildlife.” Dammit Kuai Liang, I’m trying to vouch for you here. It wasn’t Kuai’s fault though, not really. He was just following his instincts. “My point is I think if he had wanted to hurt me at any point he would have.”

“Well, I mean at the moment he seems to believe you are his Master ,” Sonya pointed out, leaning back on her arms. “He might not be so agreeable if his real Master shows up to take control of him.”

Hanzo wanted to argue that point. But he didn’t really know what he could say against it.

“I mean, he seems to have free will,” Johnny chimed in, looking over Hanzo’s shoulder, presumably at Kuai Liang. “It’s not like he’s brainwashed or anything right?”

“Right,” Liu Kang agreed, taking a sip of his own water. “Maybe if we can encourage him to embrace his own agency, he will be more inclined to help us.”

“Embrace his own agency, yep, exactly what I was gonna say,” Johnny cheered, holding his cup up like he was making a toast. If looks could kill, the one Liu gave him would have slaughtered him in seconds.

“And what if when he embraces his agency, he decides he wants to work against us?” Jade asked, and Hanzo didn’t miss how her hand went to rest on Kitana’s shoulder.

“I mean, that’s a risk we’re just going to have to take,” Lao replied, shrugging as he did. “Let’s be fair, any of us could suddenly turn on the rest at any moment. Tomorrow morning we could wake up to find Cage has decided to sell us all out to Shao Kahn in exchange for his own mansion.”

“Hey,” Johnny exclaimed in a mock offended tone. “I’ll have you know, I consider you guys to be worth at least two mansions, thank you very much.”

“Point still stands.” Lao rolled his eyes. “We just have to trust we’ll be a good influence on him.”

“Then you should keep Cage far away from him then,” Sonya bitterly bit out between her teeth.

Despite Johnny’s complaint, the rest of the defenders laughed.

Well, everyone except Smoke.

The entire conversation, he’d been silent, staring at his hands with a frustrated look on his face. Hanzo should have known out of anyone, Smoke and Bi-Han would be the hardest to win over with this concept.

“Smoke,” Hanzo addressed, and everyone else’s laughter quietened as they all turned to look at the former Lin Kuei assassin. “I know this must be hard for you and Bi-Han to accept but… This isn’t Kuai Liang’s fault. Please, don’t take your rightful anger out on him.”

Smoke gave a defeated sigh, “you are right.” He bowed his head slightly, squeezing his eyes shut. “I just… don’t understand why they had to name him that .”

“Why? What does Kuai Liang mean?” Hanzo had wondered, but Smoke’s reaction rather implied it was a bad thing.

“No, it’s not-“ Smoke stopped, taking a deep breath. “It’s not the meaning of the name it’s-“ he paused again, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, but that is Bi-Han’s tale to tell, not mine.”

Hanzo made eye contact with Liu Kang. He could see in the chosen ones eyes, he had the exact same question that Hanzo did. What does that name mean to Bi-Han? 

“Uh, guys.” Kung Lao suddenly sat up, looking around frantically. “Where’s Kuai Liang gone?”

Hanzo turned around, to find, indeed, the clone was no longer in the camp. Shit. He really should have realised Kuai’s inquisitive nature would lead to him wandering off. He could only hope that he hadn’t gotten into too much trouble.

“I’ll go look for him,” Hanzo said as he stood up. “At the moment, I’m the one he trusts the most.”

“Fair enough,” Liu Kang replied with a nod. “Good luck.”

Yeah, I’m going to need it. 

Hanzo hoped that maybe Kuai Liang had left a trail of half eaten wildlife for him to follow.

Kuai kept his body low to the ground, creeping forward on all fours towards his current target.

He wasn’t sure what it was. It was like a rabbit, except with even bigger ears and a long tail. He ignored his own question on how he knew what a rabbit looked like. That kept happening and it was getting more and more frustrating. Besides, when he was hunting was not the time to get bogged down with such things.

The creature stilled, its ears and nose twitching like it knew something was there. This was his chance. Kuai could jump on it now and catch it.

He launched forward, drawing his arm blades as he did. Pointing them down towards the creature, he hoped to spear it on them. However, seconds before impact, the creature went running, and Kuai could not stop his own momentum. As he withdrew the blades, he found himself falling face first into the dirt instead.

He groaned, pushing himself up on his hands. He would get that damned creature, if it was the last thing he did. Glancing around, he tried to figure out where it had gone. Until he noticed a humanoid figure in the clearing he was in.

The figure turned around when it heard him, and Kuai quickly realised it was Bi-Han, the man from earlier who shared his face.

And Kuai once again got that sickly feeling like they knew each other. It was like there was some invisible string attaching them to each other. And someone was pulling on it, daring him to get closer.

“Um… Hi,” Kuai said quietly, not sure how he should be acting. Bi-Han had seemed angry earlier, and despite Kuai’s own feelings of a connection, it didn’t mean he felt that same pull. “You didn’t see where the rabbit-thing went did you?”

“No. No I didn’t.” Bi-Han’s voice was flat, almost emotionless. Why did that make Kuai want to cry? He didn’t want Bi-Han to be mad at him, he just wanted them to be together like they used to be.

“I- I’ll go,” Kuai said quietly as he pushed himself to his feet, terrified of his own feelings. Confused by his own thoughts. What was happening to him?

“Wait,” Bi-Han said, before Kuai could turn to leave. He took a few cautious steps forward. “Do you- Do you remember me?”

And there it was, that weird flood of emotions. Was Bi-Han asking because he felt that connection too? Is that what was happening here?

“I- I don’t but-“ he hesitated when he saw the disappointment in Bi-Han’s eyes. He looked so sad that Kuai didn’t remember him. “You feel familiar to me. And not just because we share a face.”

“Do you remember Tomas?” Bi-Han asked, and Kuai shook his head, even though for some reason an image of the grey haired man came into his head.

“I- Is that the man with the grey hair’s name?” He asked, watching as Bi-Han’s eyes widened and he lent forward slightly. “But, I’m not sure why I think that.”

“What do you remember?” Bi-Han reached forward to put his hand on Kuai’s shoulder. His grip was tight, not uncomfortable but there was a strange desperation in the action.

“I woke up in the Flesh Pits. And Just Hanzo was there. And I am supposed to follow orders, so I must have to follow his orders, right?” That made sense to Kuai, but…

“Do you remember anything before the flesh pits?” Now Bi-Han’s voice sounded desperate as well, like he needed Kuai Liang to be able to answer his questions. Kuai couldn’t understand it. He had seemed so angry when he first saw Kuai, why was he suddenly so interested in him and his memories?

“No.” Kuai blinked, because he didn’t remember anything, but he certainly knew things he shouldn’t. “But I seem to have knowledge of things I shouldn’t. Like I knew what a bird was. And a rabbit.” He rubbed at his wrist with one of his hands, that fluttering feeling once more beginning to bubble in his chest again. “And… that the grey haired man was called Tomas.” He blinked a few times, before looking into Bi-Han’s eyes. “Do I know you?”

Bi-Han bared his teeth, and Kuai could only describe what he was seeing as a man in extreme agony. An emotional hurt so raw it manifested into a physical pain. The hand on his shoulder gripped a little tighter, and Bi-Han’s breathing stuttered like he was holding back tears.

Was this how Bi-Han had reacted when Kuai Liang died?

Kuai stopped breathing. I’ve never died. Why do I think I have? 

“Kuai Liang,” Bi-Han asked, his voice sounding as wrecked as he looked. “What are your favourite flowers?”

“Oh, that’s easy, snowdrops!” Kuai paused as soon as that word escaped his mouth. At the horrific realisation that he had never seen a snowdrop before. “But… How can my favourite flower be something I’ve never seen?”

He looked at Bi-Han again. His free hand was over his mouth, like he was trying to stop himself from saying anything. The hand that had been on Kuai’s shoulder moved, reaching up to trace the scar over Kuai’s eye. The hand stopped its journey at Kuai’s mouth, teeth jutting out in a chaotic manner. It felt so intimate, an action that had been done a million times before.

“I don’t understand,” Kuai whispered, looking down at his own hands. “Why do I keep having these flashes of a life I haven’t lived?”

“Because you did live it, once upon a time.” Bi-Han spoke with such tenderness and care, a voice Kuai had never heard, and yet had heard so many times. “You did live it. Please , dìdi.”

In Kuai’s mind, he saw Bi-Han looking at him with an immense amount of pride. 

“Well done dìdi! You’ll earn your codename in no time!” 

Kuai gasped, pulling back from Bi-Han in a violent manner. His hands reached up to his head, grabbing at his hair. He couldn’t breathe, feeling like something was crushing his chest and his throat was closing up. He could hear Bi-Han talking to him, could feel his hands on his body, but the world was twisting around Kuai.

“Bi-Han!”

Kuai’s head snapped up as he realised that it was Just Hanzo’s voice. When he looked in that direction he saw a blur of yellow heading towards them. Seconds later, he felt himself being pulled backwards, and in the blink of an eye, Hanzo was in front of him rather than Bi-Han. A hand on Kuai’s head, that action Kuai so loved and wondered if he’d crave for the rest of his life.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt?” Hanzo asked somewhat frantically. Kuai didn’t know how to answer the question. He wasn’t physically harmed, but mentally?

“I- I don’t know what’s happening to me,” Kuai admitted, trying desperately to hold back his cries and failing dismally. “I’m sorry Just Hanzo.”

“No, no, you have nothing to be sorry for,” Hanzo assured him, ruffling his hair slightly as he spoke. “None of this is your fault.”

“Hanzo,” Bi-Han started, trying to step back into Kuai’s vision.

Hanzo’s reaction was quick. Shoving Kuai behind him and using his entire body to shield him.

“Bi-Han, stop this,” Hanzo demanded, “I understand this must be strange for you, having been cloned, but none of this is Kuai Liang’s fault.”

There was silence for what felt like an eternity.

“I do not think he’s a clone of me,” Bi-Han said, sounding absolutely miserable. Kuai frowned, shifting himself so he could see around Hanzo and towards Bi-Han instead.

“What do you mean?” Hanzo asked, a hand darting backwards to stop Kuai from stepping out in front of him.

Bi-Han stared at Kuai Liang, eyes still searching for some kind of recognition. He turned his attention back to Hanzo, breathing out as he finally explained what was on his mind.

“I think he’s a clone of my younger brother.”

“I should explain,” Bi-Han began as they managed to finally gather all of the defenders.

Everyone sat around the campfire. Hanzo sat next to Kuai, putting a body between him and Bi-Han. Maybe the cryomancer didn’t mean Kuai any real harm, but it was clear this was hurting Kuai regardless. Hanzo didn’t understand why he felt so protective over the clone, but he did. Elder Gods help anyone who did try to hurt Kuai Liang, quite frankly.

“I had a younger brother. His name was Kuai Liang,” Bi-Han began, his gaze solidly on the clone. “When he was 20, he was killed on a mission. His body was never recovered.”

The defenders fell silent as they took in that information. Was it possible that Shang Tsung had managed to find the original Kuai Liang’s body, and created the Clone from his DNA? Hanzo glanced at Kuai, his head was low and he was refusing to look at anyone. All Hanzo could do is place a hand on his back, rubbing in circles to try and offer him some comfort.

“So. Shang Tsung made a clone of your dead little brother?” Kung Lao asked, a hint of disgust in his voice. “That’s low, even for him.”

Kuai curled in on himself slightly. How Hanzo resisted the urge to pull him into a hug, he didn’t know.

“Yeah, that’s kinda fucked,” Johnny added, and Hanzo couldn’t help but notice him reaching over to Kuai as well. “Hey man, we don’t blame you for this, alright. You didn’t exactly have any choice in this, after all.”

Kuai did not respond, but Hanzo did notice how when Johnny’s hand landed on Kuai’s head he did seem to lean into it. It seemed he enjoyed head pats. Hanzo wasn’t sure what to do with that information, but it was worth noting.

“What I don’t understand is why .” Sonya added, leaning backwards and crossing her arms. “Did someone ask him to do it?”

“I would assume it was The Lin Kuei,” Liu Kang said with a shake of his head. “I mean, who else would?”

“But why?” Jade questioned, stressing the fact that she didn’t think it made sense. “The Lin Kuei are hardly hurting for warriors. Why would they care about one life enough to commission a clone of them?”

“They wouldn’t.” Smoke’s declaration caught everyone off guard. Everyone’s heads snapped over to him, aside from Bi-Han and Kuai Liang. “Kuai Liang was seen as one of the weaker members. The Elders weren’t exactly fond of him, especially not enough to try and bring him back to life.” Tomas slammed his hand down, a bang echoing throughout the camp, causing Kuai to make himself even smaller, a slight tremble in his form now. “I mean for fucks sake, they didn’t even give a shit enough for them to find his body so we could give him a proper burial!”

“Tomas is right,” Bi-Han miserably confirmed. “My rank did not save him from their wrath. They pretty much despised him. There is no way they would ever put in this much effort for him.”

“Even if they got someone who would follow their orders without question in return?” Kitana asked, pointing at Kuai as she spoke. “Because from what Hanzo told us, it sounds like he was brought into this world with an instinct to blindly serve.”

“No.” Bi-Han shook his head. “Even if Kuai was obedient, he was seen as weaker and inferior.”

“So, if not The Lin Kuei, then who?” Sonya’s face was screwed up. “Or did Shang Tsung just decide to do this of his own design?”

“Did you or Kuai Liang have any enemies that may have wanted to use this against you?” Liu asked in a sincere tone. Bi-Han finally tore his attention from Kuai to Liu, giving him the most deadpan stare Hanzo had ever seen in his life.

“It would be easier to give you a list of people I have not pissed off,” Bi-Han replied in a tone as flat as his facial expression. “I am an assassin after all.”

“I guess our Kuai Liang doesn’t know anything,” Johnny gently prompted, his hand now on Kuai’s shoulder and squeezing gently. For as annoying as Hanzo found the actor, he was glad he seemed as concerned for Kuai as Hanzo was.

“No,” Kuai sadly admitted, the first thing he’d said since they sat down. He lifted his head ever so slightly, avoiding eye contact with anyone except Johnny. “I just know I’m supposed to obey someone. I thought because he woke me up, that it was Just Hanzo, but…”

“Yeah, well if I ever find who it is, I’m going to punch their nuts so hard they explode,” Johnny muttered in the most serious tone Hanzo had ever heard from him. He only just stopped himself from laughing at the juxtaposition of it all.

“What if whoever it is doesn’t have nuts?” Jax questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“Same situation, just without the nuts and with ovaries instead.” Johnny shrugs. “Apparently getting hit in the pussy hurts just as much.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Sonya grumbled, clearly bitter from past experience.

“Let’s return to the topic at hand, shall we?” Jade said, sounding annoyed by the derailment. “I don’t think we’re going to get answers for who and why without confronting Shang Tsung.” She turned to Bi-Han, placing his hands on her knees. “Is there anything else about this situation we need to know about?”

Bi-Han turned back to look at Kuai again, the clone having returned to ducking his head and refusing to look at anyone. The pain on Bi-Han’s face was clear to see.

“I think he has Kuai Liang’s memories,” Bi-Han claimed, turning his full body towards Kuai. “They’re buried at the moment, but he kept saying he remembered things, and seems to have flashes of clarity.”

“What do you mean?” Hanzo asked, now it was his turn to look at Kuai Liang. Could he really have the memories of a man who’d died?

“I asked him what his favourite flower was.” Bi-Han stood up and walked over to Kuai, kneeling in front of him. “His answer was a snowdrop.” Bi-Han brought his hand up, and with his ice, a delicate flower began to form. A snowdrop. He placed the ice flower in Kuai’s hand, finally causing him to lift his head. He stared at it, before finally looking Bi-Han in his eyes. “How could you know that, without ever seeing them? Unless you have .”

That was a good question. Maybe Kuai Liang really did have his deceased self’s memories. That seemed like a dangerous thing to do however. Surely that wasn’t by Shang Tsung’s design, was it?

“Bi-Han,” Smoke tried to get his fellow Lin Kuei’s attention. “I’m sorry but… That isn’t your brother.”

Bi-Han’s head snapped over towards Smoke, and god you could see the murder in his eyes.

“He is the closest I will ever get to having Kuai Liang back!” Bi-Han jumped to his feet, summoning a spear of ice. Tomas stumbled backwards, as Liu Kang and Kung Lao swiftly went to restrain Bi-Han. “I do not care what the circumstances are, Kuai Liang has been brought back to me, and I will not allow anyone to take him away from me again.”

There was a snapping sound, as Kuai Liang clenched his fist and broke the ice snowdrop in his hand. His eyes were wide with terror. Hanzo once more went to reach for him, only for Kuai to flinch away from his touch. Before anyone could say anything, Kuai was on his feet and running off into the jungle.

Fuck. Hanzo’s heart hurt for him. All of this must have been so confusing. Hell, Hanzo was so mixed up by it, he could only imagine it being 100 times worse for Kuai Liang.

Hanzo stood up next, sparing everyone a glance and trying to give them as reassuring a smile as he could muster.

“I’ll go after him.”

He didn’t give anyone a chance to argue with him, immediately heading in the same direction that Kuai had, and hoping he hadn’t managed to get too far ahead.

All that he could hear was his own breathing, coming out of his mouth in heavy but sharp and short bursts.

He was on the edge of a cliff, not that he was really conscious of that. The world around him was spinning, and his chest burned from the effort of breathing. His hands were tangled up in his hair, his eyes stinging, face wet with tears that rolled down his cheeks.

This was all too much . How was he supposed to go on? Knowing he was nothing but an inferior copy to someone else? The knowledge he was essentially stealing another person’s life was crushing him inside. Insidious voices whispering in his head.

You’re a monster. You are a disgusting freak. Have you no respect for the dead? Taking his name and his family? You can never be what he wants you to be, you know that, right? 

He desperately tried to muffle the whine that escaped his throat. Despite what Bi-Han said, he would never be Kuai Liang, not really. He was just a replacement. When Bi-Han realised that this clone could never be the Kuai Liang he wanted, he would throw him away. And frankly? Kuai couldn’t blame him.

“Kuai Liang,” a soft voice interrupted, and Kuai jumped on the spot, looking up to see Just Hanzo kneeling beside him. Kuai hadn’t even heard him approaching. “I’m sorry, I know this is upsetting you. Please, just, talk to me.”

Kuai hiccupped. He wasn’t sure how he could ever explain what he was feeling at that moment. He supposed he would have to try.

“If I am not Kuai Liang, then who am I ?” Kuai asked, hoping that would be enough to explain the existential dread overtaking his entire self. “I am nothing but a parasite, wearing a dead man’s face.”

“That isn’t true,” Just Hanzo tried to assure him, but Kuai just shook his head.

“But it is.” He reached a hand to his eyes, trying to wipe away the tears. “Tomas is right, I am not Kuai Liang. I can never be what Bi-Han wants me to be.”

“I… I know.” Just Hanzo reached a hand forward, gently patting Kuai’s head. “I don’t think the pressure Bi-Han is putting on your shoulders is fair. But that doesn’t mean you aren’t Kuai Liang.”

“But-“

“No. No buts,” Just Hanzo softly sighed. “Regardless of if you are that Kuai Liang, if you possess his memories or not, you are your own Kuai Liang, and that’s what matters.” Kuai wasn’t sure he followed the logic. Either he was Kuai Liang or he wasn’t, there really wasn’t a middle ground. “You will figure out who you are with time, and who it is you want to be.”

“What if who I am is not a good person?” Kuai asked, reaching to mess with the robe he was wearing. “I am not an idiot. I can see the way your allies look at me. Like I am about to tear them apart at any second.” Kuai’s fists clenched, what if they had a good reason to distrust him? He was already pretending to be someone else, any other lies of who he is would surely not surprise them. “What if their fears that I am nothing but a monster are true?”

“I think the fact that concerns you so much shows you are a good person.” Kuai frowned at Just Hanzo, once more not following where he was coming from. “Bad people do not generally concern themselves with if they are good or not.” Hanzo swallowed and took a deep breath, “trust me, Kuai Liang, I am an expert in the depths of evil this world can spit out and you are nowhere near that.”

Kuai wasn’t sure he could believe that. But it was clear Just Hanzo wasn’t going to let him argue the point. Instead he just turned his head, out across the view from the cliff. He wasn’t looking at anything in particular, he just couldn’t keep looking at Just Hanzo.

“I realise my words may be hollow now, but I promise, you do not have to go through this journey alone,” Just Hanzo continued. Kuai’s breath hitched as he felt the other man reach to take hold of his hand. “Whoever it is you are, regardless of if that is Kuai Liang or someone completely new, I will be by your side until you figure it out.”

Kuai turned to look at Just Hanzo again. What he found looking back at him, was the most tender expression he’d ever seen. Well, he supposed that wasn’t really much to go by. That wasn’t the point. Just Hanzo looked at him like he was a person, not the monster he felt he was. Kuai felt a strange pang to his heart, like it had skipped a beat.

The expression was so sincere, Kuai almost believed Hanzo’s words of him being a good person to be true.

“Thank you, Just Hanzo,” he replied, squeezing Just Hanzo’s hands.

“Hanzo.” The correction was gentle, and not demanding, and Kuai felt weirdly honoured that he could now drop the Just honorific of Hanzo’s name. That Hanzo trusted and respected him enough to allow him to do so.

“Thank you, Hanzo,” he said, and if his mouth wasn’t pretty much permanently open, he’d be smiling around this time. “I am… thankful it was you who found me, and not whoever ordered my creation.” That was an entirely different issue. It was clear now Hanzo was not the person whose order’s Kuai should have been following, so who was?

“We will figure that mystery out as well, believe me,” Hanzo answered the question that was never asked aloud. “And if whoever it was had nefarious purposes for you, I will not let them harm you.”

Kuai was surprised when Hanzo pulled him forward, wrapping his arms around Kuai’s torso and holding him close. It took a few seconds for Kuai to realise he was being hugged. Unsure if he was doing it right, Kuai returned the gesture by linking his own arms behind Hanzo’s back.

“By the honour of the Shirai Ryu, I will be your guardian.”

Kuai didn’t know what to say to that, just tried to show his appreciation physically by reaching up to pat Hanzo’s head. The other man laughed, before they both pulled back.

“So, what happens now?” Kuai asked, unsure if there was an actual plan.

“In the morning we will begin our trek to Outworld’s colosseum.” Hanzo pointed off in what Kuai assumed was the rough direction they would be going in. “Until then, we need to eat and rest.”

Oh, eating. Given Kuai’s expert hunting capability, he might be able to help with that. Maybe an offering of food would help the other’s trust him too.

“Want to help me try and hunt that rabbit thing I found earlier?” Kuai asked.

Hanzo chuckled again, before pulling his kunai out of his pocket and twirling it in his hand.

“Let’s go catch the little bastard.”

Kuai snorted, jumping to his feet, and gesturing for Hanzo to follow his lead. Between the both of them, they were sure to return to camp with a bountiful feast.

“Well… This presents a problem.”

Shang Tsung stood, staring at the now empty pod where Kuai Liang should have been. He placed his hands on his hips and clicked his tongue. That particular experiment had been requested by a certain client , and was due to be delivered soon. He only had the one specimen, so it had been imperative that he got everything completely right with him.

One specimen that was now missing.

Yes. This was definitely a problem.

He pulled an amulet out of his pocket, holding it up and saying “an issue has arisen.”

“What kind of issue?” A voice called out from the amulet. Shang briefly glanced down at it, before looking back towards the pod.

“Kuai Liang is gone,” he replied simply, tilting his head as he looked at the scene a little closer. He couldn’t see any scratch marks, or evidence that the pod had somehow failed. “It doesn’t look like an escape, more like someone has taken him.”

“I paid you to deliver me that specimen, Shang Tsung,” the voice growled in warning. Shang couldn’t help but roll his eyes. The Client could be so over dramatic sometimes.

“And you shall get what you paid for.” Shang walked around, trying to look for some sort of clue. If someone else had been here, they had to have left a sign. And that’s when he noticed a small torn piece of cloth that had caught on something and ripped. He lent down to pick it up, raising an eyebrow. “Yellow fabric.”

“Pardon?” The voice forcefully questioned, and Shang had to bite his tongue to stop him from replying in a sarcastic manner.

“I have just found a torn piece of yellow fabric,” Shang explained, fiddling with the fabric between his fingers. “I can think of one person who just so happens to wear yellow.”

“Hanzo Hasashi.” Shang could hear the anger in his client’s voice. Understandable, given what a thorn the former Shirai Ryu general could be.

“I would hazard a guess that the arachnid is the one who currently possesses your specimen.” He dropped the fabric, having decided he had all the information he could get from it. “And I know for a fact that Raiden’s forces are currently making their way towards the colosseum.”

“If my specimen is in any way injured or damaged-“

“I will repair it.” Shang shook his head. His experiments were far more hardy than his client was giving him credit for. Not to mention, if the Client’s plan was as solid as he thought, there was no way in hell Bi-Han would have let any harm come to Kuai Liang.

“You had better,” the client’s voice snarled, “I will be holding you to that.”

“Of course.” Deciding he’d said all that needed to be said, he put the amulet away. He took a deep breath. The Client was a useful ally, but good grief the second it was beneficial to drop him, Shang would do so in an instant.

Deadly alliance, my ass. 

Still, right now, he had a certain amount of obligation to The Client. He needed to make sure the specimen was delivered. Not to mention one of his creations was running around, probably being corrupted from its purpose by Raiden’s pet Earthrealmers. 

He created a portal to the colosseum, and stepped through.

#mortal kombat #subscorp #subscorpweek #kuai liang #sub zero #hanzo hasashi #scorpion #🔥❄️subscorp week 2023

[dragonsinkwell]

The Day Michael Myers Learns the Horrors of Dark Chocolate

So... I might have fallen into some slasher stuff over my hiatus. I might have finally started watching movies I never saw and my... curious choice in fictional men might have shown up. Maybe. Perhaps. Okay so yeah, turns out I've got a thing for Michael Myers is that really strange of me? This definitely isn't his most in character piece but also, lbh, IC Mikey is just killing people and we can do that another day because if I can get myself writing again after this he's definitely showing up again around here.

There is no chocolate in his cupboard.

There is not a single ounce of chocolate in all of his snack stash and Michael isn't having this.

While there are still quite a few treats left, mostly a variety of candies and a couple clipped bags of chips, none of them contain even a trace of chocolate and that is what he wants more than anything at this moment. He's run through it so quickly this week it takes him by a modicum of surprise; usually, he's more balanced in his unhealthy eating habits than this.

But no amount of stoic staring helps his plight. The half-eaten 'family size' bag of Skittles is unappetizing, none of the flavors of Fruit By The Foot strike his mood, and he knows that even though it's sitting in front of him, there are no S'mores Poptarts left in the box he never bothered to throw away. None of the chips are worth a second glance and for all that Michael does love those Rice Krispies, they're just the normal kind, so there is nothing of worth in them currently.

Michael can't restrain a silent huff of frustration as he lets the door fall shut, not at all interested in doing so quietly as he's the only one in these walls at the moment. He should have shown you before you left for work today, so you would at least be coming back with more. Instead, now he's stuck here hungering for something that isn't here.

And he knows that all too well. This isn't his first desperate attempt to have something manifest in front of his masked eyes in the last hour. His stash is bare of its usual chocolate content, he finished off all his ice cream last night, there's no more syrup to at least make chocolate milk with, and not even a single chocolate chip is left over from your last baking spree. The closest thing to what he wants that exists is your tin of cocoa powder and he is not that desperate.

Not yet, at least.

Unsurprisingly, this lack of abatement for his sweet tooth's cravings is driving Michael to blood lust, which while isn't actually a hard thing to do given his natural bias for it in the first place is a frustration he prefers to nurse under the cover of darkness and it isn't even proper afternoon. He can, and has gone on his 'walks' during daylight before, there is nothing to stop Michael if it pleases him, but he's never as satisfied with his work while the sun is up.

Although perhaps a little breaking into homes might not hurt, Michael thinks, given this is hardly the only home that would ever have chocolate. A two-for-one walk for some blood and treats would certainly scratch the itch quite nicely. But then, would it even be the stuff he wants? Nobody else caters to his tastes as succinctly as you do, and rummaging through any other kitchen would be a full gamble, and putting in work only to find the wrong stuff would only worsen his mood.

Before Michael can decide if this plan would be worth the effort that would go into it versus sucking it up to wait for your return and having you solve the problem, he remembers one specific place he hasn't looked: your snack stash. Normally he never touches it, for a small mix of reasons, the main one being that you've only ever told him that the treats you keep there are ones he isn't going to like and, for the most part, anything he's seen going in there seems to fit that label. Compared to what he always knows is in his cupboard, yours isn't ever worth bothering with.

However, he knows what he saw you take back into your room on the last grocery day. Sitting among those bags of spicy chips and strangely flavored cookies were a small handful of chocolate bars. They hadn't graced his attention then, as he had a whole buffet of his own to play with and Michael isn't an unmerciful man, he's let you live this long, after all, so allowing you some chocolate of your own is hardly a bother when you keep him appeased, but today, today is another matter.

It should come as no surprise, then, that the sweet-toothed killer makes a beeline straight to your room. Generally, he respects your privacy here so long as you can forgive his interesting takes on what the word 'privacy' means, but here in the heat of the moment, Michael doesn't care. You're not here and it isn't like he's going to rummage through all of your belongings; he's only here for your hidden chocolate bars. Plus, if you get testy he'll do what he normally does: nothing. What can you do about it?

Well, perhaps that's untrue, he thinks as he barges in heading straight for where your desk sits and the little mini-fridge and drawer on top of it that sit beside the desk he knows contains your stash. He might at least bring you back an extra something from his next kill, to make up for the loss of candy. Again, Michael likes to think there is some grace in this strange relationship you two have and he knows how he'd take the news of you stealing his candy. Worse than you can, for certain, but it's the thought that counts... or so you always say.

He still doesn't know what it means, but you say it quite a bit directed at him so it must mean something.

Michael yanks the drawer open, not here to play around and to his pleasure there they sit, a stack of three whole, untouched chocolate bars. He's even gotten lucky with them, attention locking on the presence of caramel inside. If there was anything that could ever improve chocolate it's extra sugar and now he's got that in spades. His choice to stay home truly was his best move. Time to indulge himself.

And yes, for this he's certainly going to bring you back something sparkly.

~x~

"I'm home!" you announce as you cross the threshold into your home, on habit more than anything. If Michael is still here and not wandering about the town with a knife in hand he already knows it's you. Still, you have no interest in somehow accidentally startling him, not when he could very literally tear you limb from limb. You haven't seen his 'surprised' reflex and you don't want to. Let that be some other poor fool's fate. "Brought home some stuff from a quick swing by the store!"

The house is silent, not that you were expecting any sort of verbal response, but for a moment you think your killer boyfriend is out doing what he does best: haunting Haddonfield. It wouldn't be particularly strange, so you never dismiss it. If he isn't sitting on the couch watching something, in his room making masks, or just staring ominously out of any visible window, then he's likely out in somebody's hedges creeping about.

However, after living with Michael for so long, several years now, you've picked up a spider sense for him and it is telling you that he remains within these walls. In these walls and, if you're not wrong, definitely unhappy. Dang it. It's gonna be a long night, isn't it?

Without turning to look, you lock the door behind you with your free hand while scanning the front of the house, just to see if you missed him. It's happened more than should be physically possible for a man of his build. But he isn't here, not that you can see.

"Hey, Mikey, where ya at?" You risk using a nickname, a gamble on even the best days, but it's worked in the past when a stalk or kill has gone wrong, the usual culprits for his sour moods on days not associated with anything specific. "Are you hurt?"

You're pretty certain he isn't, mostly since you can't see any blood tracked across the tiles. Curious. If there's no blood, then did he even go out? Michael isn't a man to really care about keeping things clean and if he's got blood on him, it's on your floors and walls, too. Maybe someone got away? It's happened before, just bad luck on Michael's part. Someone else shows up right before he gets to move in and he has to call it off simply because of an interruption. Given his desire to stay out of sight, but never out of mind, that blows his plans more than anything else could. It's not that it has to, but you're not going to question a killer's choice of modus operandi.

Makes you wonder if those people ever know how close they came in that moment to death. Also makes you wonder if Michael goes back for them, specifically. You'll never ask. You aren't truly interested in knowing.

As you pick through the house you're cautious, curious if he's in his room, perhaps. You don't think he'd kill you like this, an ambush in the house, but you're not stupid, either. Every day left alive around Michael Myers is by a very specific choice on his end and you don't have much say on that. You'd like to believe he's something akin to fond of you, after all, he's not exactly living and occasionally sleeping with anyone else, but there's a clock ticking on it. Always has been, and always will be.

But you reach the hallway and his door is left cracked open. You don't peek into the room, but just knowing it isn't closed up tells you Michael isn't there. He's not in the bathroom across the hall, either, so says the lights being off and the door not being fully closed. Which leaves your room or the garage and you're willing to bet good money you know which one of those he'd sulk in.

"Michael? What's up?" you question softly as you push your door open with the hand holding the reusable grocery bag that you never bothered to put down as it's not very high on your mental priority list. "Did something happen?"

Even expecting him to be here, when you step into your room and see Michael standing in the middle of it, still as a statue, you can't stop the shiver down your spine. You didn't believe in auras before meeting him but now you're not so sure. For being entirely non-verbal, there is never any mistaking when Michael is displeased with something, it lingers in the air like smoke, and today he is very unhappy.

Luckily, he doesn't have a knife in either hand, meaning this situation can be salvaged. Or, so you hope. Michael hasn't needed a weapon to kill a person for a while and he doesn't need one now. He is, however, holding something in his right hand, but what it is you cannot tell at all.

With a caution used normally around wild animals, you take a couple of steps forward, keeping your eyes on Michael the whole time. "What've you got there?" you ask, careful to maintain the closest thing you can call eye contact while the mask is on. It's odd how much better he reacts if you look him right in the face when he's in one of his moods.

All it takes Michael is a single step towards you to close the gap, putting himself a shred too close for general comfort, though you've grown used to that behavior from him by now. He doesn't stalk as a hobby for nothing. It forces you to tilt your head back to an awkward angle, but you don't step back to correct it. Michael's testing you.

Interestingly though, now that he's this close you catch a whiff of spearmint. Odd, as he doesn't like mint as a flavor. What happened while you were gone?

Seemingly satisfied with whatever he was trying to do in invading your space, Michael offers you the mysterious object clenched in his hand. You wait another moment, making sure he is going to let you take it, and when you're certain you turn your attention to it, reaching out with your free hand for him to give it to you.

What greets you when Michael drops the item into your grip has you biting your tongue in a desperate attempt to not start laughing. Really? Really? This is what set him off into a mood so foul? You know you can't laugh because if you do it's only going to exacerbate the situation but at the same time you can hardly believe it. Does that make the spearmint... your mouthwash?

All it took was a dark chocolate candy bar.

"I told you," you manage to wring out while doing everything in your power to maintain an even voice and not smile. "You won't like my stuff in here. Do you even know what this is?"

Unsurprisingly you don't get any verbal answer, but his body language tells you that he is very displeased with it and that you'd best have a solid explanation for why it was here.

"You're right in that it is chocolate, which is what you were looking for, but it's a bitter type called 'dark chocolate'. It doesn't have as much sugar or milk in it as the kind you like." A simple explanation but one that Michael would hopefully understand. It was rarely worth getting into specifics with him if he wasn't trying for them. "I figured you wouldn't like it and I wasn't wrong."

Michael looks down at the paper sitting in your palm and if looks could kill you're pretty sure your hand would be vaporized.

Now that you're aware of what happened, you don't mind taking your attention from him, walking over to the little trashcan by your desk and throwing the wrapper away. No point in keeping it around. While you're there, you can't help but spot the other two candies in there, crushed into ruin and left behind. Oh well, no point making a fuss for them now. You'll buy yourself some more another day.

When you turn back toward Michael, you can tell his focus is on the bag on your other hand, though the mood in the air is still quite sour. This you can let a small, light laugh at as you put the bag down on your bed. "Well, good news for you!" you chime, reaching in to pull out a handful of milk chocolate bars. "I saw you were running low on chocolate this morning and picked some up along with a couple of other little things on the way back. If you'd waited a bit for me to get home, you'd-"

Unwilling to wait any longer for what he's wanted all day, much less listen to you chide him, Michael snatches the candy out of your hand and immediately starts stalking off, earning a barked laugh from you. Honestly, for a serial killer built like a wall, he is exceptionally childish at times, you think.

Well, at least that has bought you another day in the neighborhood.

#one shot #halloween movie #michael myers #reader insert

[longbobmckenzie]

Are there any Henrik fics that you can rec?

Do I have-- 😮 Anon, you absolutely came to the right person for Henrik fics, and I'm thrilled that you're asking! I'm always happy to give fic recommendations, but especially for our dear, sweet mountain man.

There are not enough Henrik fics out there, but what is out there is pretty darn good. Which is why I'm going to list almost every single Henrik fic in existence. Bookmark this post, because I promise every single one of these fics is worth the read!

Also note these are in no particular order!

Chaptered fics:

Lay All Your Love On Me - the only full-length villa fic, it's not quite ready yet but it's getting really close and is actively being updates (although updates are sporadic)

Are You The One? - based on another reality dating show, so it's an AU of sorts. slow burn. completed! by @queen-of-boops

The Parent Club - really cute AU where MC and Henrik are both single parents. there's lots of drama/gossip with the other parents (their kids are all on a basketball team together) and it's such a unique fic for this fandom. by @chroniccomicobsession and maybe if we bug her, she'll post the next chapter and get back to work on it

Moss, Eternal - it's been on hiatus since forever, no idea if it's ever coming back, but it's a fun villa fic with an endearingly chaotic MC. by @mountainmanxoxo

Powder Days - same deal as above as it's by the same author, but this one's a snowboarding AU

Call of the Wild - an abandoned villa fic that ends in a good place, it's a cute read. I'm not gonna embarrass the author by tagging her because it was her first work but she can't stop me from recommending it 🤣

Beyond the Hill - a post-villa chaptered fic exploring Henrik and MC's relationship after the villa. by @ravenadottir

Oneshots:

Christmas Timing - fluffy festive fic in which the islanders visit Henrik's place in Sweden after the show. MC and Henrik didn't get together during the show, but they both have crushes on each other. by @mrsbsmooth

Not Like I'm In Love With You - adorable friends-to-lovers fic by @queen-of-boops, who's quickly making a name for herself as a Henrik writer

TAKE A RISK - MC finds someone's bucket list, her friends help her complete the tasks. Friends to lovers by @rebelrayne

Robin Hood Stole My Heart - Henrik as Robin Hood, and it's SO freaking well done. Love this one by @chroniccomicobsession

The Man From the Jungle - the twist at the end is worth the price of admission. a Tarzan-esque fic from @mrsbsmooth (also making a name for herself as a Henrik writer, and I'll take most of the credit for that)

Reaching the Peak - I asked why there weren't any smutty fics where MC and Henrik went climbing together, and @thesepromises delivered!

Second Chance - this fic flew under the radar a bit but it's a semi-canon look at Henrik as the returning islander

Just one more bad decision - this one was a gift for me and heavily features Magnus, my male OC who's been adopted by the fandom as Henrik's fanon brother. so while Henrik is endgame, the only smut in this is actually with Magnus, and honestly, I don't think anyone's gonna complain about that! by @kittidot

First Times - a really cute vignette-style fic showing MC and Henrik's first times. by @thatwheelchairchick

the twist at the end - a Henrik/Lucas/MC threesome fic in the villa (there's a twist at the end, in case you didn't get that from the title - also beware of the nsfw gif in this one!)

the gang bullies Henrik into a threesome - what the title says! inspired by the threesome above, it's also with Lucas

Henrik/Lucas:

The Alps - oneshot showing the time they come across each other in the Alps post-villa. Smutty! by @mrsbsmooth

Lights, Camera, Action... - Lurik porn AU? Lurik porn AU! I take half the credit for coming up with the idea, but @queen-of-boops nailed it! so glad she picked up the idea and ran with it

For you, it blooms - hanahaki disease fic by @bypine

Sooner Than You'd Think - I basically accept this as canon in a world where MC doesn't end up with either Lucas or Henrik. great look at their friendship-to-lovers arc in the villa universe

keep me warm - a post-villa friends-to-lovers fic in which they've both been pining for each other

Self-Recommendations:

I've written a bunch of fics for Henrik and have more coming (currently working on a full villa fic and a Lurik oneshot - stay tuned! also hoping to start a chaptered AU eventually)

cashmere & cocoa - 4-chapter fic in which MC stumbles upon Henrik's cabin during a snowstorm. smutty!

not the only one - short little chaptered villa fic in which Henrik steals MC during the disaster recoupling and she is NOT happy about it.

the stars shine bright - my latest, it's a fluffy oneshot in which Henrik and MC go camping together for the first time

one last good thing - this basically started out as a joke but I had a lot of fun writing a weird trope - magic healing cock! it's purposely silly but the smut's not bad? oneshot

When the Dead Come Knocking - Henrik/Lucas but also each of them with MC. a The Walking Dead crossover (ie. zombies!). oneshot

under my skin - Henrik/Bobby enemies/forced proximity/teensy bit of cheating. oneshot

doggy fashion - Henrik/Arjun fluffy/smutty fic! these two are adorable together, I love their dynamic

There you have it! I hope you check out all these fics, and thanks so much for the ask! I had a ton of fun putting this list together and remembering all these wonderful fics!

#litg ff #litg henrik #longbob recommends #longbob answers asks

[k-rising]

BLACKPINK's group dynamic (tarot reading)

DISCLAIMER: This tarot reading is for entertainment purposes only.

group dynamic

2 of wands + 9 of wands + 2 of cups + 3 of wands + the fool + queen of swords + 9 of cups + the tower + 4 of wands + the star (rx)

they work very well together, so it makes sense that they have never chosen a leader, since they all work in a similar way. the girls are organized, responsible and they all collaborate to achieve the same goal. they like to take risks and try new things.

however, their biggest challenge is to be persistent… pretends to be shocked there is no doubt that the girls always give their best every time they have a cb, but I think that if they did it more often they would be even more famous and they would earn even more money than they already do. without a doubt, their long periods of hiatus don't benefit them AT ALL. the four of them feel that, although they always give their best, they are never satisfied with their work :(

in terms of group dynamics, they get along very well! there is a great connection here from many years, something that they appreciate very much. there is respect, unity and a lot of affection. I feel that they consider each other friends and know that they can count on each other no matter what. they complement each other very well!

I feel that when they were trainees their n° 1 goal or at least for the majority of them was to become singers… but now we all see that they don't do that very often :/ they do what the company tells them and they don't complain much, since they think that everything serves as an experience. however, I feel that some of them have to pay more attention and be more cautious when it comes to going to certain places and associating with certain people…

I feel that in the future each one will focus on their own path, so there is a big probability that they will disband… or that they will do what got7 did: leave their agency, do their solo projects and then come back as a group whenever they can. honestly, none of them wants to make this decision, but if they really want to progress and exploit their talents, there is no other option but to do so.

there is one of the girls who is the one who bets the most on the group and the one who doesn't want a disbandment. she is satisfied with everything they have achieved over the years and she wants to continue living the same way for a long time. I also feel that she has benefited the most during all these years and now lives a life of luxury.

as we all know, the girls are constantly changing and, many times, they confuse the public… are they models or are they singers? even they themselves don't know what they are doing. I feel that there are also many things happening behind closed doors that we are not aware of, but that also influences this a lot. this definitely ruins the group's image as no one knows what yg really wants to do with blackpink.

how does each of the girls feel about the group?

judgment + 8 of pentacles (rx) + ace of pentacles

jisoo ⇢ at first, I feel that jisoo used to compared herself a lot with the rest of the girls, but this instead of making her have low self-esteem, it did the opposite. yes, she knew that she had to improve some things, but instead of wasting her time getting sad, she was focused on improving.

currently, it's very likely that she feels unmotivated or that she feels that all the skills that she acquired during all these years are gone or she just feels miserable, because the company makes them work once every year or so :/

I have two theories here: 1) she doesn't want the group to disband as she not only sees great opportunities for the group in the future but she also sees even more money lol OR 2) she will focus on her own career, but she also doesn't want blackpink to disband either

in other words, she jisoo is comfortable with the girls!

ace of pentacles + king of cups + 6 of cups

jennie ⇢ during her trainee days, she not only felt comfortable with the girls, but she always saw great potential for the group. she feels that she plays something like the sage role in the group and she knows how to give good advices. she listens to her members concerns and she is always there when they need her. jennie likes to protect and take care of the girls. she also feels that when some kind of conflict arises which rarely happens she always knows how to solve things. she's a peacemaker.

jennie doesn't really know what will happen to the group in the future, but what she does know is that she will never lose her friendship with the girls. she has great appreciation and care for the members :')

2 of swords + 10 of pentacles + 8 of pentacles (rx)

rosé ⇢ I have a few theories here: 1) rosé was uncomfortable with girls at first OR 2) she was going through an internal struggle where she didn't know if it was going to be a good idea to stay with the company OR if it was a good idea to be part of a group. whatever the reason, she was indecisive and not very happy. she was in a state of absolute denial

now rosé is proud of everything they achieved as a group. she feels that they paved the way for many groups. rosé thinks they left a legacy and became a role model

it's very likely that she will focus on her solo career in the future and she will leave the group, since she is tired of yg's mismanagement

knight of cups + 2 of pentacles + queen of swords

lisa ⇢ lisa was satisfied with the group that she got. it seems that she always had a good relationship with the girls. she gives me this playful and care free energy which I LOVE. she goes with the flow and she always knew how to adapt to changes

even though they don't work together that much, lisa is constantly connected to her work in some way. I imagine her creating choreos, making music and going to the recording studio many times

lisa will also focus more on her solo career in the future. she already knows what kind of music she wants to do and she also has a very clear perspective of what kind of artist she wants to be

#blackpink #kim jennie #lalisa manoban #rosé park #kim jisoo #blackpink tarot #blackpink astrology #kim jennie tarot #kim jennie astrology #rosé astrology #rosé tarot #lalisa tarot #lalisa astrology #kim jisoo astrology #kim jisoo tarot

[niamflopped]

By Neil McCormick, Music Critic, The Daily Telegraph

9 November 2022

“Do you mind if I smoke?” asks Louis Tomlinson, tapping cigarette ash into an empty Coke bottle. “The modern man smokes a vape, apparently. But I still smoke ciggies. I’m a judgemental fucker, and I hate vapers.”

The former One Direction boyband star certainly does like a cigarette, getting through half a dozen during an hour-long encounter in a hotel boardroom that reeks of stale tobacco.  “Maybe I drink too much for a singer. Maybe I smoke too much for a singer. But it can be quite demanding, this life. So, for me to have those little vices, it’s important.”

Scruffily unshaven, in gym wear and trainers, the 30-year-old hops up to open a window, while chatting away in a friendly and engaged manner. “I never really chose this life,” he insists, with a strong Doncaster accent (though he lives in Hertfordshire now). “I auditioned for X Factor and crossed me fingers. And now, here I am.”

In 2010, at the age of 18, Tomlinson and four other young hopefuls (Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne and Zayn Malik) were assembled into a boyband mentored by entertainment impresario Simon Cowell. Although they didn’t win the talent show, their impish appeal saw them rise to become the most successful manufactured group of the modern era, achieving levels of fan mania comparable to the early days of The Beatles.

Together for five frenzied years, 1D have scored four number one albums, sold more than 200 million records worldwide, notched up over 21 billion streams, won seven BRIT awards and their final tour in 2015 grossed over $200  million (£173 million) in revenue. For a time, Tomlinson’s floppy fringe adorned teenage bedrooms all over the planet. There was considerable hysteria when 1D said they were taking a “hiatus”, citing exhaustion.

Tomlinson was the oldest member (two years Styles’s senior) with the shakiest voice but adored by fans for his genuine smile, wacky fashions and undisguised pleasure at being part of the gang.

Styles had a cheeky swagger, Malik was the sensuous R&B singer, Horan the folkie-next-door, whilst Payne was a cocky Jack the lad (whose solo career has been a bit of a washout). As time went by, Tomlinson shed insecurities to get more involved in songwriting, helping push 1D’s pop rock side.

His second solo album, Faith in the Future (out on Friday) dials up the guitars, building on his chart-topping 2020 solo debut album Walls, inspired by Britpop and indie, the music of his pre-fame youth. It is not a sound you would particularly associate with 1D. “I don’t relate to right-down-the-middle pop,” he admits. “But I wouldn’t say that was dumbed down in One Direction. Maybe I dumbed it down myself. Maybe I assumed I couldn’t be exactly who I was.”

Tomlinson was the last of the five members to release an album, and reveals that he was a reluctant solo artist, upset by the band’s decision to separate at the height of their world-beating success in 2016. “It was a bit daunting. I’d just got to a stage where I really started to feel like I found my rhythm, I was enjoying songwriting, I felt like I finally worked out where I am in that band. And then it’s like: ‘Okay, well, now we’re going on a break.’ So there was a bit of petulance from my end, I was frustrated.”

He admits that he has felt competitive with his former bandmates and been jealous of Styles’s enormous solo success. “I’d be lying if I said it didn’t bother me at first. Only ’cos I didn’t know where to place myself, and really my only point of reference was other members of the band. But it’s not surprising to me that Harry's the most commercially successful because he really fits the mould of a modern star. He’s not just doing music, he’s got film as well, and the (stadium) tour he’s done is unbelievable. It took me a while to work out where I stand. But I look on Harry like a brother, man. I have a lot of pride for what he’s doing.”

He says band members are quietly supportive of each other. “I’m sure the lads will text me when the album comes out, we check in on each other, we’re good like that. I bumped into Niall (Horan) at Glastonbury, and even though we hadn’t spoken all year, it was like absolutely no time had passed. Because we've lived through such experiences together in One Direction, this bond that we have is for life.”

Tomlinson has had other issues to focus on. In 2016, his mother Johannah Deakin, a midwife, died from leukaemia, aged 43. His parents separated when he was a child, and Tomlinson is estranged from his father, a hotel manager.

He has seven younger half-siblings, one of whom, Félicité Tomlinson, died of an accidental drug overdose in 2019. “I’m coping good, man,” he says. “I’m a glass half-full person because what’s the alternative? I’m not saying that there have not been some dark days, because there have. But I had a really lovely upbringing, and my mum was as good as gold.

“Even though she’s not here anymore, I wouldn’t want her to feel guilty for what happened. She wouldn’t want that to define my life and my happiness.”

He also feels a sense of responsibility to his family. “I’m the oldest of all my siblings, and I knew that I had to put on a brave face.”

Nonetheless, Tomlinson, who is also father to a five-year-old son, whom he shares with his ex-girlfriend, confesses wariness when it comes to talking about it. “It carries its own weight emotionally and I’m wanting to escape that because I don’t want people f-----g feeling sorry for me.”

There have been some exceedingly odd aspects to being a boyband superstar. A strand of online fan fiction imagined a passionate affair between Tomlinson and Styles, which was subsequently depicted in a graphic, animated sequence on hit HBO series Euphoria.

Another piece of 1D fanfiction is being adapted for forthcoming movie The Idea of You, starring Anne Hathaway as an older woman having an affair with a boyband star. “It’s weird, all that s---,” tuts Tomlinson, disapprovingly. “But there’s not much you can do about it. I’d rather they didn’t, like, but it is what it is. I won’t be watching it.”

******

Same old, same old

Smokes heavily in interview ✅

Defends and dismisses his smoking and his alcohol consumption, and displays no awareness of their impact on his vocals or general health ✅

Demonstrates jealousy of Harry ✅

Makes sure Larries know he disapproves of them and thinks of Harry as a 'brother', not a boyfriend ✅

Shades Harry, this time by saying he's had 'the most commercial success' when Harry has also had far and away the most critical acclaim too. ✅

Swears heavily ✅

Looks scruffy, dressed in a tracksuit ✅

Asserts that he's Mr Optimism✅

States that he wants a 1d reunion ✅

Doesn't talk in depth about his writing & recording process because other people do that for him ✅

Says he was upset when 1d went on hiatus ✅

New for 9/11/22:

Describes Briana as his ex girlfriend!

#louis tomlinson telegraph #louis tomlinson #harry styles #niall horan #lt2 #zayn #silver tongues #1d reunion #faith in the future

[vivo0805]

[TRANS] 230328 Kwon Yuri Star News Interview (Part 3)

Girls’ Generation that everyone protected, a touching 15th anniversary promotion activities

Last year, Kwon Yuri (along with Girls’ Generation) released the 7th full album, <Forever 1>, to commemorate the 15th anniversary of Girls' Generation's debut. <Forever 1> is a full album that was released after about 5 years and contains a total of 10 songs with various charms, including the title song of the same name. The title song, <Forever 1>, is a pop dance song with a dynamic development and an energetic melody, and Girls' Generation's unique cool singing brings a festival-like exciting atmosphere. After wrapping up the 15th anniversary promotion activities, Yuri said, "It was a 15th anniversary where I realized a lot of things, and I am thankful to the fans. The reason all of this was possible was because the fans stood together and protected the Girls' Generation name. I was moved by the fact that they supported me a lot and gathered strength (for us). As expected, the members also felt the same way.".

When questioned about whether she had imagined her current appearance (and that of Girls' Generation) at the beginning of her debut, Kwon Yuri replied, "Although I never specifically imagined it, I did abstractly think that they are teammates with whom I could spend the rest of my life and that we had the power (to do so). I'm so lucky (to be able to meet with the members). It's particularly special that none of us met because we wanted to be friends, nor did we meet at school. It's a close-knit bond that the sky, or even the universe has connected to my life."

Girls' Generation participated in 'SMTOWN LIVE 2022: SMCU EXPRESS @HUMAN CITY_SUWON (hereinafter referred to as ‘SMTOWN Live 2022’)' as it has been a long time since they have done an album promotion activity. Hyoyeon shed tears of emotion while Girls' Generation performed <Forever 1> that day. Kwon Yuri also recalled that time and said, "Even thinking about it now brings tears to my eyes. The feeling was extraordinary. We gained the energy through the support from our fans who stayed in the same place and waited for us. It was also thanks to the support of the fans who stayed in one place and waited for us during our (group promotion) hiatus. I was really happy because I could feel that they were really cheering me on.". She went on, "There is also a strong bond between me and the people who have been supporting me for a long time in the same place. It was strange and touching at the same time to meet them while I was standing on stage in my 30s, but I believe the fans felt the same way."

Kwon Yuri frequently meets fans at broadcasting stations because she has been active in the industry for a long time. Jaejae, an SBS broadcaster, is a well-known fan of Girls' Generation. She stated, "There is an implicit bond when it comes to fans. It is a welcoming feeling, as if to say, 'We were a singer and a fan, but we meet again like this now,' or 'In the end, 15 years have passed and we have maintained our position and are able to meet each other in this way,' ", she said. "While living as a member of society, I met people who said they nurtured a dream while looking up at me. Now I receive their help, and I am developing a new dream.  Jaejae is exactly the same. Isn't she responsible for making our voices heard a little bit more? So, every day, we would say, 'We need to have interview with Jaejae.' It's great to see someone like that."

Girls' Generation has been steadily popular for 15 years, to the extent that it ranks at the top of the brand reputation even when they are not doing group promotion. Kwon Yuri said, "Actually, while taking a break (of group promotion), I also thought about the secret to maintaining popularity consistently like this. It seems like a lot of reasons came together, but the biggest thing is that we were purely doing what we love and had a good influence." .

"Sometimes we compete in good faith, and other times we rely on each other as friends, family, or an existence more than that," Kwon Yuri explained. We triumphed and shared so much together. "I believe this has started a virtuous cycle," she explained. "This part also serves as a driving force for Girls' Generation. As a member, the symbolism of the group extends beyond the name ‘Girls' Generation’ to me. I really love and care about Girls' Generation, and I think that the people of this nation and the company are also putting effort to protect Girls' Generation.  So, even though we don't always promote (as a group), it feels like we're always creating something (in the name of Girls' Generation)."

Original source :

Interview by Ahn Yoonji reporter from Star News (Link to the original interview is available below)

#kwon yuri #snsd yuri #girls generation #snsd #soshi #forever 1

[shychick-52]

Weird writers asks- 1, 7, 10, 13 and 19!!!

OOOH, THANKS. :D

1. What font do you write in? Do you actually care or is that just the default setting?

Times New Roman, size 12. So, standard. I'm used to it, having written in that all my life, plus it's by far the easiest on my eyes. I know there's a trick with some other font that's supposed to increase writing speed or the amount you write, or something, but I always forget to try it!!! DX

7. What is your deepest joy about writing?

Breathing life into the characters and scenarios in my head. It's such a fun, almost surreal feeling. Writers are demi-gods, at the very least. We create life. :D It's like that one lyric in the 'Barbie Girl' song- "Imagination, life is your creation!"

I also love sharing my ideas about my favorite characters, including my headcanons, with others. Even though not many people read my stuff, I still love putting them out there. XD

10. Has a piece of writing ever “haunted” you? Has your own writing haunted you? What does that mean to you?

I've been haunted by so many wonderful writers' stories, including yours! In other words, a really incredibly-written, powerful story (often heavy on the drama, angst, and hurt/comfort) that stays with me for a long, long time that I can't stop thinking out. One that destroys me in the best way.

As for my own writing, it doesn't necessarily have to be angsty or dramatic, although those are my favorite kind to write about. It's often an idea that I can't stop thinking about, that I HAVE to write or I'll go crazy. Like 'Who Am I?' and 'Circumstances and Control'. And I can't stop thinking about where to take the story next, what to do with the characters (usually it's the multi-chapter stories that haunt me the most), and I lie awake at night planning out details, scenes, and dialogue. And even once each new chapter is posted, or the story is finished, I often re-read them to see if they're as good as I originally envisioned or if I still feel the same pride about them I felt in the first place (and I'm pleased to say they usually do hold up).

13. What is a subject matter that is incredibly difficult for you write about? What is easy?

Anything sexual (especially pure smut). I'm ace/sex-repulsed as hell. I don't have much experience writing or reading about sexual content, let alone... ah, personal experience (because I'm not comfortable with any of it), so I also wouldn't even feel confident trying to write it. (However, I did write a one-shot fenro story called 'A Definitely Real Man', which was SCARY AS HECK because I've never done anything like that before. But to my surprise, it turned out really well.)

Subject matter easy for me to write is anything angsty. Especially where loved ones' lives are at stake or are dead (with lots of grieving, suffering, and even self-blame). I also love writing about abusive (or dead) parents.

19. Tell me a story about your writing journey. When did you start? Why did you start? Were there bumps along the way? Where are you now and where are you going?

I wrote my first fanfic in high-school for the anime series 'Cardcaptor Sakura', which was a really short one-shot. (A friend of mine had introduced me to fanfiction, and after reading a bunch of it, I decided to give it a try too.) As the years went one, I wrote more and more fanfiction for different interests of mine and soon it turned into a life-long hobby to this day.

As far as original writing goes, during my university days I wrote the first two books in a planned-out children's book series I've always wanted to write and publish. Unfortunately, it went through a lot of hiatus and writer's block because I couldn't get the story and characters to work properly. So, I abandoned it until years later when I picked it up again with a whole new idea to make it work; I ended up scrapping most of the original storyline and characters, leaving only the bare bones intact. Since then, it's worked out much better! I'm currently writing the third book in the series and editing the first two, but I don't really know how many books I want the series to be. Maybe two or three more? (I'll probably never get it published, but who knows? At the very least, it's another fun hobby.)

#thanks for the ask!! #weird writers ask