#fascinating prospects

[wizardlyghost]

so funny to me that moriarty paints an enormous and exquisite oil portrait of joan from memory, has joan's other nemesis murdered for daring to intrude on her territory, and joan has the audacity to tell sherlock "the difference between you and me is she's not in love with me". girl, there is no heterosexual explanation for what is happening here.

#joan: *defeats moriarty* #jaime: that's hot. *adds the third ever name to her 'under my protection' list* #sherlock holmes joan watson and jaime moriarty as an ot3 is a terrifying and fascinating prospect #if all three of them were to live in the same house they'd either kill each other or solve every murder in new york history in like a week #i do enjoy the idea tho. the three of them living in the brownstone with jaime's daughter and kitty (sherlock and watson's daughter) #happily and chaotically ever after #elementary

[yaburnae]

obsessed with the idea that all 3 a.rcheron sisters had ringlet style curly blonde hair as infants and children, eventually growing out of the curls but not quite out of the unruliness

#i think it's one of several reasons nesta fashions her hair the way she does #if it's not up she's always found it unmanageable and that's just Not Done #how her sisters can manage beautiful hair she's got no clue but probably it's luck which she's never in her life had #even as fae it's hard to break those habits and she wouldn't dare use magic to glamour herself more than she already naturally does #i've always said she keeps her hair up because of trauma but also certainly out of decorum and ensuring she's always presentable #the day someone gets to see nesta with her hair down is the day they know they've earned her trust #she's also frightened by the prospect of anyone other than herself handling her hair and on top of that hair is just personal #which i find very fascinating because the illyrian culture that i am working on determines hair as very sacred #rituals involving hair care and styling are very common #god fucking forbid i reference fucking g.ame of t.hrones but isn't there that thing about braids and rank or whatever #inch resting thoughts me thinks.......

[bayofalgecirascranes]

you ever see a tag on a fic and then immediately click on it just to see how on earth the author will manage to pull that off, because let me tell you

#ao3 #like ignoring the fact that the author doesn't know how to use the tags that is a FASCINATING prospect

[ailinu]

preserve us from edgelords. good lord.

#i'm not naming any system names. #to each their own and all that. i'm sure it's doing fine at what it's designed for. #(and similarly jack if you're reading this i have full faith in your ability to get this to work to your own tonal ends. #and i know we've at least partially discussed where they differ from the material presented.) #but sometimes you look at a thing. and it goes 'yeah what if your blood is living maggots' #and you sigh heavily and make jerk-off motions. say 'okay. call your mom' in the way you do if you see a real intentionally edgy metal band #you know how it is #again i'm just being a bitch on main. don't take this too seriously. #it's interesting trying to figure out the boundaries of games i'm interested in. because i know i have a fairly wide range to start with. #like to be clear i'm not against tragedy or horror! i'm not against consequences or characters dying! #but every so often i do come across something that simply falls outside what i'm interested in. #and start saying things like 'they should make twee illegal' or. you know. 'okay. call your mom.' which are on vastly different ends of thi #fun to see when that happens. #anyway if things get too edgy i reserve the right to make jerk-off motions in the background. #that's all thanks for listening. #actually wait no maybe that's not all. #if pressed i think i'm pinpointing my response here to. like. the apparent reliance on a sort of 'gross-out horror' (among other things) #which tends not to work for me in that i usually find it exhausting and at times immature. hence the 'call your mom.' #and despite the system's partial fascination with it i've not encountered it in the prospective dm's work thus far (albeit in other systems #so this'll probably work out fine. #(as always. again. full faith in you jack.) #okay. at least partially figured it out. #jerk-off motion rights still reserved though.

[quecksilvereyes]

i love how sir thomas sharpe (baronet ™) gets infantilised by people who have the hots for tom hiddleston. like. “oh he never killed any of them <3″ “he has his eyes closed so he’s clearly uncomfortable <3″ “he tries to help edith escape in the end”

babes this man fed his wives poisoned tea, had a child with his actual sister by wife #3, slept with two (2) women in his life even though he was married four times, got his sister out of the asylum she was put in for murdering their mother and quite possibly their father, only grew a conscience once he actually fell in love with one of the women he was exploiting and killing (because fuck uglies, immigrants and the disabled, it’s not that bad if we kill them right? we don’t care about women we don’t want to sleep with), and THEN he didn’t even try to get edith out, you do realise that, right? the extent of his protests was “no i want to keep this one actually” there was never a point where he even considered leaving lucille behind.

he’s just as bad as lucille, just as codependent AND he doesn’t have a spine. and personally i love him for it, truly one of the most characters ever.

#hes also a bit stupid #like did you think telling lucille you love edith as youre in the process of killing her and the doctor who came looking for her was #a good idea #did you think ambushing her like that wasnt gonna make her absolutely lose it at the prospect of being without you #she murdered your mother over that #and the asylum certainly didn't help #personally i think the arrangement could have worked if thomas wasn't such a dumbass about it #because edith is a little hypocrite #spouting opinions she doesnt hold herself to #stares at her disgust for nobility and then as soon as she meets thomas shes like #nevermind actually <3 #i love hereditary positions of power <3 #i love leeches <3 #also lucille has the worlds biggest crush on edith #and edith was fascinated with both the sharpes #thanks for coming to my ted talk #crimson peak #incest tw #obvsly

[safyresky]

Hello, hope you don't mind me coming in so much to posit a lot of What If questions. BUT YOU CANT STOP ME EITHER WAY! You've just made a really good sandbox world to ponder in lol

But! I'm on my lunch and NEEDED to ask you: I can probably assume that you've thought about an AU where Jacqueline was the firstborn and therefore got cursed. BUT! What if it was THE TWINS that were born first? Twins -> Jack -> Jacqueline birth order.

Would the curse only work on one twin? Would it work on both? How devastating do you think it would be for Blaise to deal with two cursed twins? How MORE devastating would it be for him to watch as only one twin is cursed and they both have a violent falling out HAVING TO WATCH THE CYCLE CONTINUE YET AGAIN!?

How would Jack and Jacqueline deal with their oldest sibling (or siblings) being cursed and evil?

I know we're on the cusp of receiving more Blaise angst in the next chapters, but just a whole lot of family angst please!

Do you know, I have tango'd with the idea of reverse age order, where Fino and Fiera came first, THEN Jack and Jacqueline, and I've never actually been able to like. Figure it out in my head! I think a younger Jack and Jacqueline is an absolutely HORRIBLE thing, could you IMAGINE???? They'd be gremlins, my god, there's only a few hundred years between them instead of a thousand and an almost half and they'd be TROUBLE. ON TOPIC NOW

I've no idea which twin actually came first. I think Fiera's older? But some days she says Fino is older? But I'm like, 80% sure Fino's the baby. By a few seconds if anything. Anyway, rambles aside, lemme. Rotate this in my head all day as I slowly answer this bc now I'm thinking! Now I am THINKING.

Anyway, we love to see what ifs so please, don't apologize! SO. Let's what if! Here's how I think it would go...

I think that they would share the curse, a la the way Eda and Lilith do in The Owl House. MAYBE they're both born with it; maybe it's just the one. Regardless, they look out for one another because curse aside, that's their hecking TWIN. So somehow, in some way, whether it be one gets it and the other finds a way to use magic to split it, or they are both born with half a curse, they're sharing it.

And it's. It's rough. given that it is divided, they're not as evil as they could be, but they have some bad days, some worse days, sometimes they're both doing schemes, other times one is scheming and the other is being a voice of reason. Basically, the entire time they are cursed, they're out here supporting each other, both WITH evil schemes/shenanigans, and maybe NOT doing that particular one. I will say, though, that a cursed Fino and Fiera duo would deff be responsible for some (if not all) of the following, and more probably:

Pompeii

Every fire London has ever had, ever

Global warming/climate change

Waters receding

Summers being WAY TOO HOT

Forest fires

Most famous explosions

The Titanic, somehow, but that was an accident, for real, they mean it

They're chaotic! And they don't really have a sort of focus on any one particular like, legendary figure or anything. They're just here to ruin everything. They're trying not to, most days! Really! But it's HARD. They just can't not set the thing on fire. And when Fino starts dipping into the warlock stuff? Dear god. Shenanigans do be RAMPING UP.

Blaise is just constantly exhausted. He is too tired to even THINK of the moral consequences or how he feels or anything like that. His daily mantra is "FUCK my STUPID, FUCKING BROTHER". I think if the Twins were BOTH cursed, he'd 100% believe in the curse and just. Curse Pyros back, maybe even. Winter, meanwhile, is too warm to function. This house is too hot. But she agrees with Blaise 100%: FUCK Pyros, man. That guy SUCKS.

BUT ANYWAY, I've no idea when Jack comes around, but when he does, the Twins do tone it down a notch. they're like, look, there's a kid involved? Maybe we should like. Try to keep it cool. Winter's happy to finally have ANOTHER WINTER SPRITE in the house. Finally, she can cool off.

OH. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT WOULD PROBABLY HAPPEN??????

THE TWINS WOULD PROBABLY GROW RESENTFUL TOWARDS JACK! ESPECIALLY SINCE HE IS, AFTER ALL, JACK FROST, RIGHT? SO HE GETS THE TITLE AND MAKES A NAME FOR HIMSELF AND IS KNOWN BY ALL AND FINO AND FIERA AREN'T AND THIS DEFFS UPSETS THEM. OH MY GOD. OH NO. AND THEN JACQUELINE COMES AROUND, AND SHE IS THE BABY OF THE FAMILY, AND JACK IS LIKE, LOOK AT MY LITTLE SISTER! AND SHOWS OBVIOUS FAVOURITISM, AND OH MY GOD. THE RESENTMENT BUILDS.

Sorry this is so rambley, but like. I am thinking as we go here! This is a Live Dani Reaction! Anyway, the downside to all of these speculations is that I see NO way in which Jacqueline doesn't STILL get hurt bad, barring the obvious "Only one twin is cursed, the other isn't at fights to save their Twin, only to get hurt badly in the end in the Twin's own version of the day of darkness". AND THEN, seeing all FOUR kids be part of this infeuding fallout thing, my god. Repeating the cycle? these fuckos are out here doing it at TWO TIMES THE SPEED, APPARENTLY!

Okay this is SUCH a ramble, I am SO sorry, let me tl;dr some answers for you:

The curse could work on one twin, or both! I personally like the idea of them sharing it, bc it would frustrate both Blaise AND Pyros and that is HILARIOUS to me

Pyros being like COME ON. BE MORE EVIL and Blaise being like PLEASE. BE LESS EVIL. As the pair of them pull one way over the other and deal with this life long struggle of being cursed stony!

IF they share it, they would grow resentment when Jack gets his title, and even more resentful when Jacqueline comes along bc of favouritism from Jack, and also favouritism they'd perceive from Blinter, though Blinter wouldn't show obvious favouritism to the two younger kids.

(Jack's an ass, though. He WOULD show favouritism amongst the siblings, and not being the cursed kid wouldn't change that at all lmao)

And this would lead to a DoD tragedy with the Twins hurting Jacqueline, because in the "they share it" option, there is no way Jacqueline DOESN'T get Day of Darkness'd, FIRE edition.

Anyway (so much for a tl;dr)

IF one twin is cursed but not the other, either

A) the not-cursed Twin would find a way to share the curse, or

B) they would have a DoD equivalent fallout

And yes, Blaise would be heartbroken by this! Because the cycle, despite his best attempts, continues once again; he's been dragged back into his toxic family's shit, the history has repeated himself and he tried EVERYTHING to avoid it but couldn't do it! Devastating blow for the groupchat! It isn't his fault but of course he'd blame himself.

Jack would probably be really shitty right back to them any time they were super evil to him, whereas Jacqueline, being the lil bundle of energy and excitement and absolute sunshine she was as a kid, would ADORE her twin siblings and be ALL over them which I'm sure would get annoying to a point

She'd probably try, when she's older, to find a way to help them. Could you imagine? A travelling sorcerer Jacqueline, who picks up on the Warlock blood and learns as MUCH as she can to try and help her older siblings, bc she sees how hard it's been for them; she sees how much they've upset Jack, and she sees how much it hurts her parents and by the GODDESS, SHE IS GOING TO BREAK THIS DAMNED CYCLE OR HER NAME ISN'T JACQUELINE WINTER FROST, LEGATE TO JACK FROST, SORCERESS EXTRAORDINAIRE (she'd totally call herself a sorceress bc it sounds badasss and sorcerers would get mad at her like YOU ARE USING ALL THE MAGIC! YOU ARE A WARLOCK NOT A SORCERER! and she, of course, would reply with an I do what I WANT)

So yes, a LOT more angst on ALL fronts, especially with Blaise! But I think that Jacqueline's determination to break the cycle, her unrelenting positivity and her "idgaf that you don't think I can/should do this, I AM GOING TO DO IT" attitude really kinda moves them all!

And maybe, maybe she manages to break the curse just through sheer determination. Or maybe she runs into Lucy in her travels, who helps her break their curse. who's to say! There's so many ways it could go! But by GOD if I don't love every single one of the possibilities that I've thought of, LET ALONE the ones anyone reading this may think of along the way!

#andie this was a doozy (affectionate) #holy SHIT SNACKS #this is such a fascinating prospect! i NEVER considered the CURSE with the OLDER TWINS scenario #dying about how high fantasy all these would be. holy HELL #jack reluctantly helping jacqueline #and maybe his lil icy heart warms along the way when he sees his little sister DETERMINED to help their older siblings #and so he joins in too #and then winter is like this is amazing. i'm helping too #and she probz gives a very despondent blaise a very intense speech about breaking the mother fucking cycle #and if the other kids are trying then by the goddess WE WILL TOO #and blaise eventually being like you are RIGHT. I'M NOT LETTING PYROS BREAK ANOTHER FAMILY. MY FAMILY. LET'S DO IT #i'm EXPLODING ABOUT IT ANDIE #AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH #dani answers #cs aus #crystal springs #ask box shenanigans #alpharra #long post #i'll think of where to place the uh. read more. if needed. at some point #and yes i have considered a reversal where jacqueline's the eldest and jack's the second/middlest!!! #needless to say. jacqueline is one hell of a villain #thanks for the ask! i love these SO MUCH

[chirpsythismorning]

we would have a parallel to this Benverly moment from IT (1990) only with Byler and Vecna? And the painting would be brought up, not a poem.

https://youtu.be/ZKHyYutpFxA

👀 I’m sat.

#im very much an unused rink o mania footage truther #there’s already a decent amount of evidence #the fact that more stuff piles on fascinates me #also we know that they said s4 opens in a way that they have no intention to change #and the 4x09 script ends on a literal cliffhanger where they go and— #idk man it seems like this could literally go down as early as s5 opener #it’s also interesting bc rink o mania is like the place mike assumed all day the painting was for a girl… #and so there is some unresolved issues from those scenes that still need to be addressed #the fact that mike was acting weird bc he thought will was in love with a girl #you would think they’d want to really make that obvious in the narrative to make it satisfying in the end? #it would also help the ga understand s4? #not to mention birthdaygate #and Mike not telling Will he called him all the time #so like the prospects of a vision happening at rink o mania are… 👀

[toffoliravioli]

↳ hockey prospects in the wild.....it's like watching your sims try to cook minus the death

video: Master Chefs on FlamesTV

#its fascinating how clueless they are #endearing honestly #gordon ramsay is somewhere screaming into some scrambled eggs #calgary flames #flames prospects #hockey prospects #prospects in the wild

[workingforitallthetime]

(x)

#you guys i do need you to know that this is an important grouping #i am extremely fascinated by the fantilli bros and the characterization possibilities there #luca seems like a real fun guy #and i wonder how that's affected adam's vibe being seemingly a little more mellow than your typical top prospect #johnny seems self-assured and a little intimidating and i am intrigued to get to know him #and it seems like everybody loves gavin #like he's a personality that is always going to be at the center of things #i am extrapolating wildly from very little information! but this ensemble has potential and by god i'm gonna wring out every last drop

[solvicrafts]

13, 14, 15, 26, 29 from the recent ask meme?

(13) Do you believe in reincarnation?

For the most part, I'd say yeah. I think it's very plausible, but I also think it's probably not *quite* what we think it is, if that makes any sense. That's basically my stance on all spiritual and religious beliefs -- there's probably truth to it, but we've probably got a few things wrong.

(14) Would you want to be reincarnated?

Mm... maybe. I lean more towards 'no,' but we don't always get what we want.

(15) Do you think you're special, or just another person among billions? Can you be both?

I think I'm a special kind of pain-in-the-ass.

Bad jokes aside, I think everyone's fairly unique or special in their own way and has potential for something, but few are able to really act on it. So I guess I think we can be both. Some are certainly more charismatic or influential than others, but I don't think any one human is inherently more special or valuable than the other.

(26) What's the most life-changing choice you've made so far?

In middle school we were studying ancient Greece and I decided to write a paper on Achilles (but you'll see me refer to him as 'Akhilleus' on my blog if I ever talk about him, for personal reasons).

Spoiler: I didn't stop researching after I finished my project and it led me down a whoooooooole different path in life.

(29) Do you believe in some form of god/s?

I do, but my beliefs are hard to explain with words and kinda... complicated, I guess?

I definitely believe in some forms of gods, but my belief is that the true nature of divinity is very much beyond human comprehension, and that gods have a symbiotic relationship to humans the same way different animals in the ecosystem do.

Like... I don't believe gods necessarily created the world, or that humans invented gods. I think gods exist in some form we cannot understand, and that much like humans and other animals, they adapt and change over time.

I don't believe ANY religion has all of the answers or even most of the answers, and I think it's absolutely bonkers how wild people will get about their arguments over gods and religion.

I think there's just a lot of things humans will never, ever fully understand, and the challenge of that is what makes it all so very fascinating to me. I'm a lot like Kimmuriel in this regard, I suppose: somewhere out there, there is a hard limit as to what I am capable of knowing, but that does not deter me in the slightest as I will keep trying to learn anyway.

#ask meme #I really went on a tangent with that last one oops #it's weird being an academic-turned-pagan because like #I don't fit in with the fruity crystal chakra *~*woo*~* crowd AT. ALL. #but I'm actually fairly okay with say witchcraft in the sense that as someone fascinated with history #I can really see the value in wanting to participate in old rituals for your own enjoyment even if nothing actually comes of it #because honestly a lot of the times when I engage in Hellenic or Norse activities #it's not so much that I'm convinced that something majorly spiritual will happen #as it is that I just like the activity itself and the prospect of reconnecting with an aspect of humans #that existed thousands of year prior #and showing some solidarity through the ever-changing times of humanity #and if the gods like it too then that's even better #but then that also isolates me from the truly reconstructionist communities #because while my beliefs aren't like fruity woo they're definitely not in full alignment with the more traditionalist people #so I don't fit in very well on either side #which is why I almost never try to engage with the pagan community these days

[bookwyrminspiration]

So, I have a theory about Gisela's plan, and Elysian.

First, Elysian is a godling. I'm taking a little bit of inspiration from the Collector storyline in The Owl House- although Elysian's story is rather different. A new godling is born every few thousand years, and is given time to learn and mature as master of the limited universe.

This is what Elysian is, but it will soon become a true god and ascend to the unlimited universe, and so a new godling is needed to keep the limited universe in check.

Elysian is not the only godling, though; however, these entities have fewer responsibilities and more to learn. More on them later.

Gisela, in her research, learns of the godlings, and she wants power. So she realizes that Nightfall is soon enough... she can help to bring a new godling into the world! Or at least, prepare a child for the purpose.

Elysian is born of balance, of unity of darkness and light, and its purpose is to keep balance.

Gisela conceives a child, and meddles with her son even before he is fully a person so that he can bring a god into the world. He too is made from the void, but he is still an elf. His child, on the other hand, will be barely human(used in a loose way).

So Gisela manipulates Keefe all her life, and when the time comes, she sets the seed of the universe within him.

At Nightfall, he will learn.

It's not super fleshed out yet, especially since I came up with it yesterday, but I thought it was cool.

Well it has been a length of time since you sent this (thank you for your patience), so perhaps you have fleshed it out more! Either way, I am intrigued by what you've proposed, though I'm not 100% sure I'm following. I'll preface this by saying I know almost nothing about the collector and toh in general, so if there's any further connections you're drawing but aren't saying they're going right over my head.

So you're proposing that Gisela is trying to create a new godling via a grandchild? Or that this new godling has been planted in Keefe and it's not a literal child? I'm imagining alien scenarios with like Keefe as a host body being fed off of and consumed by the godling as it grows and matures before it kills him from the inside out to nourish itself, but I don't know if that's what you're going for. Your explanation leaves room for interpretation and I'm not such which way to interpret it!

One thing I will say is that I do think within the story, if you meant a literal child, I do not think there's time for that. For rather self explanatory reasons. But perhaps you're not referring to that and the point is moot.

I don't think I have enough information to give a properly articulate response, but my curiosity is peaked! What does this mean and imply for the keeper world, that godlings and true gods exist? In what manner do they exist? I'm listening intently, but I think I'll need a bit more explanation on the "his child[...]will be barely human" and "sets the seed of the universe within him" parts :)

#kotlc #kotlc theories #quil's queries #nonsie #long post #you said it in a way that was a bit poetic and dramatic. but also not entirely clear #so I'm not. quite sure what your specific thought is here and would love to understand better! #i am curious about elysian though #who and what is she! #i do have a thought about how it might connect to the series title #but i digress. i am fascinated! a little lost but fascinated! #what will he learn at nightfall? #many many implications for the world s a whole with this set up here #the lost cities worldbuilding would be. quite changed by the godling prospect

[sotvtaughtmehowtofeel]

10 Characters, 10 Fandoms

Thank you for the tag @not-so-mundane-after-all 💜

Ezra - Prospect (this man is my everything)

Joel Miller - The Last of Us (I love a character with LAYERS)

Villanelle - Killing Eve (please I'm so obsessed with her)

Katherine Pierce - The Vampire Diaries (she contains multitudes)

Cara - Legend of the Seeker/The Sword of Truth novels (I'm mildly concerned by the pattern here)

Willow Rosenberg - Buffy the Vampire Slayer (she's a hero with a villain's flaw help)

Cordelia Chase - Angel (her journey is incredible and she deserved so much better)

Egwene al'Vere - The Wheel of Time novels (she's such a BAMF come ON and try to tell me she isn't ta'veren)

Lila Bard - The Darker Shade of Magic novels (I dare you to read these books and NOT be obsessed with her)

The Doctor - Doctor Who (another character who contains so much and ultimately is so kind and loving)

No pressure tags: @gunstar-red @starchild0985 @blooming-gwens @steeb-stn @tloubraininfection @tlouobsessed

#honorable mentions: #CEE PROSPECT I LOVE HER IM SORRY but Ezra is just so complex and I'm obsessed with him #Bonnie Bennet who is perfect #Buffy Summers loml #Drusilla who is SO fascinating #wesley wyndam pryce whose character arc is INCREDIBLE #lilah morgan who is just an evil little delight #DARLA who was squandered in buffy but was incredible in angel #illyria who is SO incredibly fascinating to me #nynaeve al'meara my favorite rage monster #as you can see #picking one from each fandom was a STROOGLE

[sunniepoo]

sleepover champion

~🩰~🎀~🩰~🎀~🩰~🎀~🩰~🎀~🩰~🎀~🩰~🎀~🩰~🎀~🩰~

when you had called rafe over all panicked, stressed, tired and desperate,the last he expected was to be greeted by a group of little girls barely past the age of seven, rushing their way over in curiosity and climbing him like a jungle gym

“woahhh… he’s so tall” one of the small ones announced proudly, while simultaneously taking a rough tug of his leg, attempting to yank him along on one of their games

the prospect of babysitting twelve girls didn’t seem too hard at first but the moment they started screaming competitions and using you as their own personal mannequin to play with-you realised your error

lucky for you, your boyfriend happened to be ‘ the sleepover champion ’ his words not yours, ranting on about tiring down wheezie’s friends and getting them in bed was no challenge for him

“i’ma tell you… i’ll have these suckers in bed by half seven” his tone of complete confidence contrasting the eight year old clawing half his face

“finish making up lunch and i’ll have these buggers settled in a second” he barely manages to get out as the next girl is climbing on his back, asking for him to play dress up with them

“kay’ new rule” the older cameron removing each girl off, placing them on the large couch in front of him “we’re gonna keep our hands to ourselves”

a mixture of protests splurging out the young girls, attacking the older boy as he remains unbothered whipping out something from his bag

“so who wants to play just dance?”

the loud music bouncing from the speakers filled the house, voices dropping as the minutes went by, clearly worn out from the activity

now leading to a full circle formed with none other than sleepover champion rafe cameron in the middle- it truly was a sight to see, a mixture of pre-tweens pounce him with questions

“is she your girlfrienddd?” a voice chirps out, leading all the girls to wait, anticipating for his answer

the cameron lets out a proud ‘yeah’ causing an uproar of giggles, the young girls fascinated

“she’s pretty” they all mumble in unison, yawns making an appearance, as they all slowly start to lean into each other huddling into a blanket

“i know”

and as the night rolls over you see a certain cameron, reading out to the group of asleep girls tucking each and every one in

“point proven” you admit to him “ guess you are the sleepover champion after all” pressing a soft kiss to the tips of his nose

~🩰~🎀~🩰~🎀~🩰~🎀~🩰~🎀~🩰~🎀~🩰~🎀~🩰~🎀~🩰~

#obx #jj maybank #outer banks #rafe cameron #obx drabble #rafe cameron x puppy!reader #rafe cameron concepts #rafe cameron prompt #rafe cameron drabble #rafe cameron x reader #rafe x reader #rafe imagine #obx fic #obx imagine #rafe cameron thoughts

[limarieb]

so high school

Pairing(s): Wanda Maximoff x fem!reader

Summary: Growing up, you could never understand how people your age were so romantically interested in other people. You begin to understand for the first time, however, when you encounter a certain Sokovian during your first semester of university.

Warnings: mentions of underage drinking, college!au, friends (?) to lovers, college au, making out, slight angst (but not really)

Word Count: 4.0k

Author's Note: everyone say thank you taylor swift for the spontaneous new fic! also this is lightly proofread, so edits might be made later oops

Main Masterlist | ao3 | Wattpad

...

Growing up, you never truly dated anyone. Sure, you had crushes on fictional characters in the media you consumed, and you allotted arguably too much time to admiring celebrities online; but, you never saw anyone in your personal life in such a light. At various hangouts and sleepovers over the years, you noticed just how much your friends discussed their love lives. Hushed whispers and sighs of the same phrase, “I really like them,” flooded your ears in the hallways at school. You had originally tried to join in on the conversations, not wanting to be excluded, but you simply couldn't engage in them wholeheartedly; eventually, the inability to relate began to upset you. You naturally boiled it down to something that must have been wrong with you — how could it possibly be normal to be like this when everyone else around you seemed to share these romantic sentiments?

Thankfully, you became completely preoccupied, both mentally and physically, by the prospect of university. By the time your junior year of high school had started, your love life — or lack thereof — no longer held too much importance to you. Instead of keeping whimsical love letters on your desk like others your age did, you opted to pile various books. From Camus to Aristotle, you discovered a deep fascination and affinity to the field of philosophy and the metaphysical discussions it posed. Therefore, when your senior year had arrived, you threw yourself head first into your studies, determined to build up your application in order to get into a top university.

After accepting your offer into one of the best philosophy programs in the nation, you anticipated your time at university, daydreaming about all of the things you would study and all of the people you would meet there.

But never could you have anticipated someone like Wanda Maximoff.

You had met her during one of your introductory courses in your first semester. Wanda was the type of person that, upon first glance, you would be scared. Not just because she was undeniably pretty, but she also had this stone cold exterior to her. Her lips were permanently etched into a slight frown, and she never really showed too much expression while she spoke during class. To put it simply, she intimidated you; so, you settled on admiring the brunette from afar (two seats up, one to the left — if you were to be specific).

Your plans changed, however, after the two of you got assigned to be partners for a class project. It was just a presentation, but it required you both to meet outside of class to work on it. You would be a liar if you said your heart didn't skip a beat at the thought of seeing Wanda outside of these four walls of your classroom, even if it was just to work on this assignment.

Seemingly unbothered by it all, she gave you her number for you to set up a date and time to meet. Her messages were all business, but they still made you feel like a dopey teenager every time her name showed up on your screen.

The day quickly came for you both to work on the presentation. Ultimately, you had settled on the two of you meeting in your dorm, which you made sure to deep clean before she came. You were not necessarily messy by any means, but the idea of Wanda, the most daunting person you could imagine, stepping into the safe space of your room made your blood run cold for some reason.

As Wanda knocked on your door, you rushed to open it. The two of you stood face to face for a moment, divided only by the doorframe. She still had her typical frown, but you noticed it shift into the slight uptick of a smirk. After a moment had passed, she finally broke the silence. "Are you gonna let me in, or...?" she asked, teasing you and your awkward nature.

Your cheeks flushed in embarrassment as you stepped aside for her to enter, "Oh, right... Sorry."

You led her to your side of the room, where she stood for a moment analyzing all of your possessions. You felt small as she did so, like a tiny insect under a bright, unsettling microscope.

She suddenly turned to face you, dropping her bag on the floor, "So, are we gonna work on this or not?"

That is how you found yourself on the floor, her laying on her back and you on your stomach. You had your computer in front of you, typing furiously as she provided you the words and ideas. You glanced over at her every now and then, especially if she was being awfully silent.

Most times, she would just be looking up at the ceiling in thought, her brown hair sprawled in random patterns underneath her; however, after a particularly long bought of silence, you looked over at her to find her gaze directly on you. You quickly returned your eyes to the screen of your computer and began typing whatever came to your mind. You hoped she did not notice the blush rise to your face.

She did.

She sighed, turning her body to lay completely facing you. "You're very quiet, you know," she stated, closely observing your reactions highlighted by the light of your screen.

Unsure of how to respond, you simply say, "So I've been told."

"Oh," she exclaimed, her smirk from earlier returns. "She has jokes."

You hum in agreement, "Just a few, unfortunately."

With the project now finished, the two of you abandoned it in favor of simply talking to each other. Never would you have guessed that Wanda could be this... warm. Unlike what you had witnessed in the classroom, she was very friendly and sarcastic in the privacy of your dorm.

You discovered a lot of information about the brunette during this conversation, such as how she loved coffee but only if its iced, how she never loved texting (preferring to call or talk in-person) but will do so if she must, how she immigrated with her twin brother from Sokovia when they were children. As she recounted her memories from Sokovia, you could hear the accent she once had poking through the surface; although, you did not point it out, afraid it was an insecurity of hers. Maybe you would tell her another time how nice it sounded, but for now, you bonded with her about collecting CDs and vinyl records from various artists.

While the two of you casually spoke, all you could think about was her — how pretty she was under the dimmed lighting of your dorm, how every joke she told was the epitome of humor, how much you wanted to stay in this moment with her. She was perfect.

Is this what people were talking about in high school?

As the night came to an inevitable end, you found yourself feeling quite sad, for you no longer had an excuse to hang out with Wanda. Though she had her number, you did not have the confidence to use it and ask if she wanted to meet up again.

You did not have to worry too much about it. As she packed her belongings back into her bag, swinging it over her shoulder, she spoke, "You know, you're pretty cool, Y/N."

You tried to hide the shock caused by her words, "Thank you, I think?"

She chuckled lowly, "My friends are having this thing at my place this weekend, if you wanted to join?"

Your head perked up, eyes blinking rapidly in shock. Unable to deny her offer, you nodded, "Yeah, sure... okay."

“Great,” she replied, walking toward your door. You followed behind her and reached around to open for her. She smiled at the gesture before speaking again, “I’ll text you later with the details and everything. See you in class.”

“Yeah, see you,” you returned. As you closed door behind her, you feel your mind finally catch up to reality: you, the stereotype of a nerd with very few friends, are going to hang out with Wanda and her friends.

You close your eyes, leaning your head onto the back of the door. “Oh, shit,” you whisper aloud into the open air. What have you just gotten yourself into?

Decoding your own thoughts and feelings about the Sokovian in the days leading up to your next class had revealed just how infatuated you had become; yet, you didn't even know how to act upon them. For years, you had only observed romantic behaviors from the outside looking in, whether it be through your friends' dating experiences or the words on a page from whichever sapphic novel you had picked to read. Now that you finally found yourself in the loop, what were you supposed to do?

Should you message her about whatever? No, that would come across as needy and overbearing.

What if you found her after class and ask to hang out again? No, that's even more overbearing than the text message.

The internal war waged on, resulting in your mind and body being paralyzed out of anxiety. For now, you have settled on simply waiting for her message regarding this weekend and presenting your assignment with her this week during class.

Days later, you walked into the class, practically shaking from your nerves about the presentation and the girl that you had to present with (who had just so happened to become your first teenage crush over the span of weeks).

You sat down in your unofficially assigned seat. Being so focused on the way your leg bounced repeatedly, you failed to notice the familiar brunette enter the classroom. Instead of sitting in her typical seat, however, she dropped her bag on the floor by the seat directly next to you.

Wanda instantly noted your nervous demeanor. While she had her own anxieties regarding the presentation and such, hers remained within her mind. She never showed such things outwardly, unless she was with someone with who she felt undeniably comfortable expressing those thoughts.

She slid into the seat and reached over to place her hand on your bouncing leg. Immediately, you noticed the feeling of someone's hand, breaking the chain of your anxious thoughts; upon glancing to your side, you discovered the culprit: Wanda.

"Hey," she started. "Everything is going to be fine, I promise."

Unable to find the words currently, you opted to remain silent, but you provide her with a uncertain nod in return. With a squeeze of her hand as a final attempt at reassurance, she placed her hand back within her lap and waited for the class to begin.

As always, Wanda was right. Your presentation went well; there were a few instances of stumbling words on your part, but otherwise it went great.

When the two of you returned to your seats, she leaned over and muttered under her breath for you to hear, "Told you so."

As you began to do your typical nighttime routine that evening, you heard your phone go off. Unsuspecting to who it was, you tapped on the screen under the assumption that it was just another email added to your overflowing inbox. You were wrong yet again.

Wanda: hey y/n !! are you still able to make it to the thing this weekend?? its gonna be on saturday at my place... lmk !!

You stared at the message for a moment before confirming you would still be in attendance, of course. Was it normal for your heart rate to speed up this much from mere words on a screen?

Saturday night rolled around quicker than you had anticipated. It was almost time to leave, yet you were currently standing still in your pajamas, surrounded by the miscellaneous clothing items you had thrown around. Ultimately, you had settled on the outfit you had first chosen, resulting in a bunch of unnecessary cleaning afterwards.

When you arrived to her place, you promptly knocked on the door. A moment passed before the door creaked open to reveal the Sokovian. Her outfit was considerably more casual than others you had seen her wear around campus. She stood in front of you, adorned with an oversized band tee and jeans; her fingers were still littered with her usual assortment of rings. However, the thing that surprised you the most was her lack of makeup. Not that she needed it, of course; in fact, it was quite the opposite. Tonight she seemed to have abandoned her typical heavy eyeliner and rose-colored shade of lipstick, choosing to only use her mascara and some chapstick.

"Sorry for the jumpscare," Wanda joked, her nose scrunched in amusement from your reaction. She continued to explain, "I know I'm dressed down compared to class. I just don't like putting in the effort to get ready sometimes, especially to just hang out with friends."

"No!" you exclaimed, quickly trying to backtrack the way she took your shocked expression. "No, you're fine. You're beautiful, actually, I just- I was just surprised to see you without the eyeliner and all."

Her cheeks became flushed at the compliment, but you seemed to miss it being overly concerned with your own response. She chuckled at your awkwardness, "Thanks. Oh, you can come in, by the way. I think everyone is here now."

She introduced you to each friend, after which you gave an insecure wave in return.

As the night progressed, you gradually loosened up. Whether it was time or the alcohol in your bloodstream, it frankly did not matter to you. You were not drunk by any means but definitely buzzed enough to not worry about every single decision you made. You even talked to one of Wanda's friends, Natasha, for awhile without the Sokovian present (given that she had left to use the restroom, but it still counts in your mind).

Suddenly, you were sat on the floor, playing childish party games with the others. It was fun, you couldn't lie... until it wasn't. You had already survived Truth or Dare, but someone (Tony) had suggested Spin the Bottle. With no romantic history, it was practically a given that you subsequently had not kissed anyone yet. For your first kiss to be during a stupid game of Spin the Bottle would be depressing; but, you didn't want to be the loser who said no to playing because the reason would be too humiliating to explain.

So, you elected to power through the hesitation, hoping the bottle just would not land on you.

At first, you were confident. The game was now three rounds in, and you remained lucky.

Eventually, the group had noted your lack of participation and had chosen to give you a "free spin." You silently prayed it would at least land on someone with whom you had become somewhat acquainted. With a shaky hand, you reached forward, spinning the emptied beer bottle. In the moment, it felt like the bottle would never stop spinning, but, once it did, it felt like time froze altogether.

It landed on Wanda.

Though you liked the brunette, you truly did not want your first kiss to be this way, especially with her.

She instantly noticed your apprehension. Turning to where Tony sat in the circle, she offered, "Hey, what if we did a hybrid of this and Seven Minutes in Heaven?"

Your eyes widened at the question, feeling unsure about all of this.

With a smirk on his face, Tony agreed, "I like the way you think, Maximoff. Alright, new girl, go follow Maximoff, and don't have too much fun while you're gone."

Before walking off with Wanda to the nearest bathroom, she briefly turned around to aim her middle finger at the boy. Though you were extremely overcome with anxiety about what was about to occur in the bathroom, you released a chuckle at her response.

She pulled you into the bathroom, flipping the lights on. As the door clicked shut, you faced her with your back against the wall.

"So, um, what are we supposed to do?" you asked.

"We don't have to do anything, Y/N," she replied, leaning against the bathroom counter. "I just noticed you weren't very comfortable with the idea of kissing me out there, so I improvised a little bit."

"Oh, okay," you breathed out. "Just for the record, it was not the idea of kissing you that made me uncomfortable. You- You're cool, so, it's fine."

Wanda tilted her head in curiosity, clearly not expecting that response. "Oh?" she questioned. "What was it then? Because I could clearly tell you were not very comfortable in there... I mean, you were visibly stiff."

"It's not you, I just..." you looked away, unable to meet her gaze.

"'It's not you, it's me'?" she joked, narrowing her eyes.

"Yes! No! I mean..." you exhaled. "It's not that the idea of kissing you makes me uncomfortable because, believe me, it very much doesn't. I just- I've never done this before."

The blood rushed to your cheeks during your admission. You felt utterly embarrassed, wishing you could just be back in your dorm in this moment.

"Y/N," she called softly. Despite every ounce of your body screaming at you to not do so, you returned your gaze to the Sokovian. "Do you want to kiss me?"

You couldn't read her tone. A part of you was nervous, maybe this was all some sick joke between her and her friends; yet, the other part of you was thrilled by the proposition alone.

"I wouldn't oppose," you muttered, automatically employing humor as your defense mechanism.

Wanda rolled her eyes at your antics, "Ok, then, let's play a new game." She looked down at her phone, checking the time. "We have less than four minutes in here."

Confused by the sudden change, you acquiesced in her request, "Okay?"

She stepped closer to you, standing a foot away.

Her tongue escaped her mouth, briefly licking her lips, before she proposed, "Are you going to marry, kiss, or kill me?"

Your eyes widened at the unexpected question, but you attempted to recover in order to return her playful energy, "Can I choose all three?"

Her eyebrow had risen, the infamous smirk forming on her lips. Slowly, she inched closer and closer to you until you could feel her breath on your skin. One hand found refuge on your hip, while the other she brought to the side of your face. She used her fingers to tuck a few loose strands of hair behind your ear then cradled your face. You licked your own lips and closed your eyes in anticipation.

Then, you felt it. Her lips brushed against yours, softly and slowly as if she were testing the waters. It was only a peck, but you swear your heart burst from the experience.

A moment passed before she pulled away enough for her to speak.

"Was that okay?" she inquired, ensuring you were still interested in this.

"More than," you affirmed.

She smiled, "Good, because we still have a few minutes left, and I intend to use them."

Without another second, she connected your lips once again. This time was different, however; there was a newfound fervor behind it. Her kisses started slow like the initial pace, gradually becoming quicker and deeper. Uncertain about what to exactly do, you continue to follow her lead. You felt her slide her tongue across your lips, asking for entrance. How could you ever deny her that? As her tongue began to clumsily caress with yours, a familiar feeling settled in the pit of your stomach, but you ignored it and kept kissing her.

A knock at the door pulled you both back into reality.

"Time's up, lovebirds," the voice called. "Clothes better be on and straightened when you leave."

Wanda chuckled at her friend's words and bit her lip. For the first time, you think you see her outwardly nervous. She swallowed as she shifted her gaze from your lips to meet your eyes, "Hey, I um- I hope this wasn't a one time thing."

You sighed in relief, "With you? Never."

She leaned forward once more, placing a final peck on your lips before grabbing your hand to return to the circle. Instead of your prior placements on the floor, in which she sat on the other end, Wanda refused to let go of your hand, instead pulling you to where she had been sitting.

Thankfully, no one mentioned how your cheeks were now incredibly plagued with a pink hue, allowing the game to continue onward.

After the group decided to finish playing games and turn on a movie, you followed Wanda to the couch in order to sit next to her. As soon as you found your place at the end of the sofa, she gravitated closer, leaning into your side. Her head rested on your shoulder as if you both had been close for years.

The movie American Pie started playing, all of her friends too engrossed in it to note how the two of you were cuddled up together. She picked her head up from its place on your shoulder. You didn't think too much of it, imagining her neck must have simply gotten uncomfortable in that position.

However, she turned her head to face you, taking in the sight of you and her friends all hanging out and watching a movie. Unable to resist herself any longer, she leaned in closer, her breath hitting your ear as she whispered to you, "I can't focus on the movie. All I can think about is kissing you right now."

You rotated your head to face her, biting your lip at her words. "Shush, your friends are here," you quietly argued, but you were secretly enjoying her antics. You peered over her shoulder, observing her friends who sat quietly with their attentions fully focused on the film.

Wanda pressed a soft kiss to the base of your neck prior to returning to its original position on your shoulder. You sighed at the feeling of her affection, wondering if it would linger forever.

Soon enough, the movie ended, and it was time to go home for the night. Her friends had left moments ago, but not without saying how you should "come around more often." Honestly, you were deeply excited that you received their approval, especially after the recent developments with Wanda.

You stayed behind for a little, attempting to garner as much alone time with Wanda as you could without being interrupted.

With the others now gone, you allowed Wanda to be more affectionate; or rather, you allowed her to give in to her desires and kiss you again, and again, and again.

After the final peck, you pulled away with the cheesiest smile and swollen lips. She loved seeing you this way: giddy and carefree.

"I really like you, Wanda," you proclaimed with a sigh, effectively breaking the comfortable silence between the two of you. "Like, a lot."

"I really like you, too," she replied. "You know, in case it got lost in translation with the kissing and everything."

You playfully slapped the side of her arm. "I'm serious," you started. "You make me feel so... high school."

She raised her brow, gesturing for you to continue.

You resumed, "I never felt like this, especially during high school. For a while, I actually thought something was wrong with me." Her lips formed a slight pout at your past conflict. "I was always so... jealous of others my age, having all of these teenage experiences with crushes and romance. Since I never did, I just assumed that it was my fault, that something was wrong with me. It was isolating; it felt like some inside joke that everyone else knew about except me. But, I'm happy I waited, truthfully, because now I can experience all of those high school feelings with you."

End.

#limarieb #wanda maximoff #elizabeth olsen #wanda maximoff x reader #elizabeth olsen x reader #wanda maximoff x female reader #marvel imagines #limarieb wanda maximoff #wanda maximoff fluff

[ryo-maybe]

can u explain why AI art is bad without fearmongering, moralizing or bootlicking lol

I'm going to answer in good faith, even though the tone you're using sounds like you're harboring anything but. The issue with AI art isn't specifically inherent to the tools used to produce it, because, ultimately, a tool is merely that: something devoid of will which, in the hands of a human, can produce a specific outcome. It's the human element that taints what we could otherwise enjoy for the unquestioningly fascinating topic that is AI art and, by extension, AI software as a whole.

Now, the problem isn't people, period, but the kind of people that are responsible for giving AI the bad rep it's been getting, along with the intent that goes into both the development of AI tools and the things produced by dint of said tools. I'm talking about the tech bros happily rubbing their hands, waiting to provide business moguls with a brand new means to commodify and mass-produce what artists stake their entire livelihoods upon, because when you have enough zeroes lined up in your bank account, your eyes are utterly blinded to the soul and personality that human beings put into their handiwork, and which a machine won't ever be able to reproduce no matter how much stolen art you feed it. Oh yeah, by the way, that's how AI art tools have been making the rounds: by chewing on thousands upon thousands of stolen pictures made by actual people so that they may learn how to ape someone's style and spit out absolutely soulless derivatives, while the original authors don't see a lick of recognition or monetary retribution for any of it. Do I need to tell you why stealing and parading someone else's art as your own is a terrible, vile thing to do?

But sure, you did ask me to refrain from "fearmongering, moralizing or bootlicking", which I guess I've already done. So since you'd rather I skipped straight to the point in a concise manner, lemme offer some quick examples of why the culture surrounding AI art has already developed into one of the most abysmally disappointing displays of how greed and an utter lack of human decency can ruin something objectively brimming with possibilities:

Less than a week after the sudden death of Korean artist Kim Jung-gi, someone trained an AI model to mimic his artstyle, having the audacity of asking for credits if anyone wished to use it. I sincerely hope I don't have to explain to you why this is a ghoulish example of the kind of tone-deafness sported by tech bros who buy wholesale into the AI art craze.

A piece of AI art was submitted to an art contest and won. The "artist"'s work amounted to little more than picking a series of prompts and letting the machine do the work. It's as much art as googling a smattering of terms and making a collage of pictures taken from Pinterest (and even then, you would have put more work into it than this person did). That they won at all says a whole damn lot about how abysmal the respect given to artists - real artists - nowadays is.

There are a multitude of people out there already selling prints of AI-generated art. I could link some of them here, but honestly, type "ai art prints" on a search engine and you'll get inundated by them. I've seen and personally know artists who have had to undersell their works because commissions were the only thin, frayed string they could hang on in hopes of making it through the week without fucking starving themselves, but here we are: any random asshole can now yell "MASSIVE BREASTS, THIN WAIST, COCKTAIL DRESS, HUGE BADONGAS" at a computer, let it mash together a trillion of other people's hard work, and print it for easy bucks that the actual authors of the basic ingredients of their insipid soup will never, ever see a dime of.

It really bothers me that you mentioned "no bootlicking". Whose fucking boots is this side of the debate supposedly tasting? That of the artists who post every day about how angry, sad and terrified they are by the prospects of what the development of AI art will entail for their livelihood and passion? What kind of gall did your mother birth you with that you have the spiteful spunk to type that word, when you've got shit like an artist who had their sketch stolen while they were drawing it on stream, then fed to an AI and posted by someone passing it off as their own art? How does that not ignite your indignation? "Bootlicking". Like anyone's tongues have been tasting leather but those of the same tech bro chodes who kept trying oh so hard to convince us NFTs were the future while ruining the environment to make the absolute stupidest point ever made in the history of humanity.

[rthko]

Me: While I share everyone else's anxieties about the role of AI in devaluing labor, the prospect of AI art is admittedly fascinating. Machines are performing the functions we long considered the definitional quality of what makes us human. Granted, there are emotionless simulacra of art human beings have made, but one might consider it an agglomeration of countless works human beings have made on a particular subject. I see an opportunity to explore the collective biases therein, the concept of authorship, the limits of technology, and our anxieties on the very concept.

34 year old guy typing into midjourney: Anime girl with boobs so big it would cause health problems

#to be clear i think such an exploration is possible but i have yet to see it done well