#once you look past it its meh

[yuri-is-online]

And Your Name Is? (Jade, Leona, Riddle)

Synopsis- After successfully resolving whatever was causing NRC to be trapped in an endless time loop of overblotting and disaster, one last reset should give him a chance to experience a normal school year with you. But instead you find yourself trapped in the here and there, appearing as a vague shadow around the school that vanishes as soon as he catches up to you. The kind thing to do would be to allow you to be forgotten in the chance it lets you return to your world.

But this is Twisted Wonderland where the kind thing is seldom done, and he wants you back as much as you want to find him again.

a/n: Look, I don't know who decided to make MICKY MOUSE a sadman deadwife in Disney's attempt at animal crossing but it gave me ideas. This is shamelessly based off that questline, feel free to request other characters. Everyone deserves a chance at angst. This probably won't be the last time I'll write something with this sort of premise meh

notes: angst with the intent of comfort, Jade is a red flag. Otherwise mild.

Jade Leech

It’s a wonder you ever lived here.  Ramshackle is cold, Jade can’t bring himself to say lifeless for fear of speaking a crueler fate into existence, but the word’s on the tip of his tongue nonetheless.   It’s a pity this is where you call “home,” but he can work with this.  He can sweep up the cobwebs, dust every broken surface before popping the timbers back into place, figure out how to repair the upholstery so long as he sees the shimmery light that forms your shape begin to fill in.  He knows if he reaches for you that you will disappear, so he lets you observe as he keeps you in the corner of his eye.  Jade is careful, methodical, even as his hands shake as he launders your sheets and fluffs pillows on a bed he really wants to burn for its audacity to be so uncomfortable.  He vaguely recalls requesting you make one room of this place into a giant terrarium once, a silly request he’s sure he’d make again if he could just speak to you, for no other reason than to hear you laugh.  But, he supposes as he slips himself into your bed reaching out towards the in between as if he can pull you from the here and there with the sheer force of his longing; he is already sort of doing that.  Just like the Sea Witch keeping creatures in glass bottles he’s trying to replicate the perfect environment for you.  

“Jade?”  

“I’m here.”  he murmurs, not daring to open his eyes just yet, instead reaching for where he thinks your face should be.  “Do you hear me?  It’s past your bedtime, prefect.”

“Jade.”

“It’s awfully lonely here.”  He hates the way he sounds.  It’s too raw, too clear with his intent to be the tease he wants it to be.  “Won’t you come to bed?”

“Jade!”  His eyes open, his hand lands on you, the real you, not a shade made up of his memory, he manages to crush the urge to cry and pulls you up into his embrace. Your eyes are unfocused, confused but moving towards his touch as if you were searching for it.  “W-who.. I have to find…”  You move, on instinct towards his heartbeat, as he slowly strokes your arms to soothe your shaking.  “Jade… I’m looking for-”

“You found me.”  Jade is gentle, careful as he searches over you for any sign of distress or injury, sighing in relief when he only finds confusion. It doesn’t matter if you don’t remember specifics.  It doesn’t matter to him if you’ve forgotten your own name, Jade’s known and loved you for three timelines now, he’ll remind you of who you are if that’s what you want.  In the meantime, he slowly encloses you in the safety of his embrace and tries not to smile too wide as you naturally relax into him.  He will build you a beautiful garden in this world, and nothing will ever harm you this badly ever again, he swears it.

Leona Kingscholar

How many times has he been forced to watch you die?  He’s not sure, his memory clearly doesn’t want to cooperate with him out of fear he’ll consider the failures a waste of energy, consider you wasted energy.  Give in to the self-sabotaging part of him that never wanted to love you in the first place and abandon you to your fate, and yet no matter how many times he held your limp form in his arms he never had.  There was something mildly addicting in the realization that you chose him in every lifetime.  Not that stupid lizard or stuck up diva, him the second born, grumpy, lazy lion.

“Leona?”  Your shade has always been able to speak, and Leona’s always been able to hear it.  It’s like you’re trying to retrace your steps through time, starting with your meeting in the botanical gardens up to your stay in his room.  He tries to tell himself you’re like a flea burrowing its way into his skin, irritating in your presence, unwelcome.  He tries to tell himself if you didn’t mean enough to this world to keep a corporeal form that you shouldn’t mean anything to him.  If Twisted Wonderland rejected you then so should he.

“Leona.”  He hates how alone you sound.  He hates how he can see you around the gardens but can’t hear footsteps, see you sitting on the edge of the balcony but not smell you.  He really wants to hate you.

“I have to… promised… Leona…”  

“I’m here you know.”  he mutters, half asleep under the heavy curtain of vines in the botanical gardens.  “You wanna keep your promise?  Then quit runnin away.”  Silence.  Always silence, even in his dreams no matter how hard he tries to will you back into existence.  He wants to stare you down, he really does, but how is he supposed to be anything but shocked when it's really you in front of him, listless and confused.

“Leona?”  You’re confused, that much is clear.  He wonders, smugly as he rises without complaint for once, if his name is the only thing you remember.  The flicker of fear in your eyes is something he can do without, but if you know his name then somewhere inside that empty head of yours should be the same memories that have been plaguing him.

“I hope you’re prepared.”  his tail swishes in excitement, and though you remain confused he delights in how you remain unafraid.  “For just what you signed up for by callin my name.”

Riddle Rosehearts 

Your shadow likes to sit in the Heartslabyul rose garden.  Riddle is thankful for that, his gaze is hard to avoid here.  He can keep an eye on you this way while he tries to find a solution for… whatever this is.  It’s sickening, really, how useless he is without a rulebook or a study guide to follow.  His memories of the past time loops might be blurry but he wonders if you ever felt frustrated with him in any of them.  Someone as beautiful and wonderful as you constantly choosing someone as boring as him, he wants to be proud.  He wants to point out that he is clearly in the right, in some sort of way, he has to be if he was loved in any way by you.  It hurts him all the more to be so useless to you, to find so little concrete about the here and there and be told by every adult he reaches out to that the only thing they know is that no one who goes there ever comes back.

His dormmates like to keep a degree of distance from you.  Riddle knows that they don’t know it’s you, he’s tried to explain to them multiple times and seen as they fight hard against whatever magic is trying to erase you from Twisted Wonderland to remember clearly who you were.  It’s especially hard to watch Ace and Deuce loop through their worry over you and their anger at having forgotten only to get lost in the fog once again.  He had to stop himself from trying, causing your best friends pain wouldn’t bring you back to them, to him.  Riddle’s stubborn, he can take the confused looks of his house when he insists they let him have a private tea party with the strange ghost that’s taken up residence in their maze.

“I’m uncertain if our professors remember what happened, but I can say with certainty some of the material has changed.  It’s a relief that the quality of our education hasn’t regressed.”  He pours you a cup of tea, working off of muscle memory he can’t recall the context for anymore to make it in a way you must have liked.  “I’ve been taking detailed notes on what my freshmen have been learning, when you return-” his voice cracks in panic as your shadow’s outline flickers “when you return…” he tries, softer this time focusing on gently setting down the tea pot “I’ll make sure you aren’t left behind.  Ace and Deuce will keep their memories this time and we’ll all get to hang out together again, you’ll always have- you always have had a place in Heartslabyul, so please, please come back.”  Riddle likes to think of himself as an adult, but he pouts and cries so easily.  He can feel the tears bubbling up and obscuring his vision.  Hiding the view of your shadow’s shape filling in.

“Riddle?”  He hiccups, undignified, unbelieving the sight he’s seeing.  You look so small, so confused but still so concerned for him, pausing to reach for a napkin to wipe his tears despite how unfocused you otherwise seem to be.  You reach for him, shaky but still determined. “Are you Riddle?” you whisper.  “I’ve been searching for him, I promised not to let go of his hand.”  Riddle reaches for your hand with both of his, leaning into you.  “I’m worried he’s lonely.”

“I was.”  He isn’t crying anymore, Riddle likes to think he never will again as he presses a kiss into your palm.  “You can rest now prefect, you’ve made it home.”

#twisted wonderland x reader #leona kingsholar x reader #leona kingscholar #riddle rosehearts #riddle rosehearts x reader #jade leech x reader #jade leech

[beauty-and-passion]

Eurovision 2024: broken promises and one last hope

Hello.

I know this post took a bit longer than usual, but I needed some time to collect my thoughts about this year’s Eurovision.

Yes, I watched it. Why? Because it wouldn’t have been fair to the artists, who took part in this year’s competition. It’s not because of them that the show was so polarized, so they didn’t deserve to be punished for that.

Also, I needed to see how far the EBU would go. I needed to see and I needed to remember. And everyone needs to remember too. Remember this year and remember what happened, when the EBU followed its policy so strictly, it ended up making the most tense show I’ve ever watched.

I will share my thoughts and I will try my best to do it effectively. It won’t be a short post and I apologize, but I tried my best.

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Sweden: was it worth it?

We all had big expectations for this year’s show. There was Petra Mede, everyone’s favorite host. And Sweden is well known for doing great shows. This year should've been great.

 The first semifinal starts and we're bombarded by greatest hits of the past. Cool for five minutes, boring after one hour.

I’m disappointed: I expected something better from Sweden, not them recycling something already done in the past. But that’s what they did by sending Loreen back to win again, so I suppose it’s fitting.

Okay, so we have Johnny Logan, Ireland’s three-time winner. Is he singing one of his songs? No, he’s singing Tattoo.

Weird choice. Why call Ireland’s three-time winner to perform a Swedish song? Why call a representative of the nation who won as many times as you and make him sing one of your songs and not one of his?

If I were to think badly, I would think this was Sweden's subtle way to impose its supremacy on Ireland. A sort of: "You're not the best anymore, I reached you and I will surpass you. You will succumb to me". But Sweden would never do something like that, wouldn’t it?

Then we have the second semifinal. And we have a song, which can be resumed as follows: “We know we stole Finland’s victory last year, but instead of admitting there is a problem with the voting system (and the entire system for that matter), we’d much rather prefer to whine, because people have been sooooo mean with us. And yes, we will keep sending the same stuff every time, because it makes us win. At the end of the day, all we want is to keep winning, so shut up and love us.”

I don’t know you, but the line between being self-aware of your flaws and openly admitting all you want is to win (all while insulting the country that almost won last year, by saying that their show would’ve been so stupid ah ah, while ours is so cool, see how cool we are?) is very thin. And even the greatest hosting country of all time can succumb to its own hubris once in a while.

Then we reach the final. Okay, the semifinals' shows were meh and left me with a bitter aftertaste, but hey, that’s the final! It must be awesome!

After two hours, I was looking at the clock, waiting for the entire thing to be over.

Did we really need a thirst song about Martin Österdahl, the most hated EBU Executive Supervisor? Was it really necessary to sexualize this man? Is it because he’s Swedish? Is it because Sweden needs to kiss the ESC’s ass even more? Or is it because the ESC really really wants to make this guy more popular, considering people hate him?

After hinting at them in every possible way for the entire week, in the end we got AI-generated ABBA. Well, shoutout to the real ABBA for not participating in this: last year they said they would’ve not taken part and they didn't. Respect.

Alcazar were the biggest surprise of the entire week, because they are a piece of my childhood and Crying at the Discoteque is still a huge bop. But heaven forbid we having fun for more than five minutes, so they were sent away immediately.

At the end of the day, my question is: was it worth it, Sweden? Was it worth winning seven times, only to celebrate with the most boring show ever?

I cannot believe I’m saying this, but I missed Portugal’s show. Yes, the show I called “torture”, because they kept spamming the entire country for days.

You know what? I’d rather watch a country constantly spam its beauties and its culture, than another greatest hit compilation. By god, you’re hosting Eurovision. That's your chance to display your country on the greatest window Europe has to offer. And you use that chance, to repeat over and over “Eurovision good” and talk about it only.

I know Eurovision is good and cool and I love the reminder... but please, give us something more, Sweden. Something you. Listening to a country say: “We don’t have anything else to offer besides Eurovision” does not make me laugh. It makes me sad. It's not that you don't have anything else to offer, Sweden: it's that you don't want to show what else you have to offer.

You have gorgeous natural places (Höga Kusten and Gotland just to name two). You have the second-longest bridge in Europe and it's fucking impressive. Your capital is full of wonderful islands - and I found out there are tours with buses that go both on the ground and in the water. How fucking cool is that?!

Do we want to talk about culture? Your coffee breaks are literally part of your lifestyle and even have a specific name. You have that great concept of lagom which a lot of people should learn too. You are full of beautiful art and funny foods - heck, there is even a Disgusting Food Museum in Malmö! And I didn't find out thanks to Eurovision, but thanks to fucking Tripadvisor.

It's just sad, you know? Don't underestimate yourself so much, Sweden. You have a ton to offer besides this show.

_________________________________

 The Netherlands: victim of paradoxes

Europapa was one of fan’s favorite songs and of course it was: a catchy tune, funny singer, fun and happiness for a song that was both a celebration of Europe and a touching love letter from Joost to his parents.

Of course it got people’s hearts. We all love the story of a character who comes up with a dream and wants to fulfill it. And if we can, we want to make that dream come true.

So just imagine how devastating it was, to find out Joost has been disqualified. I was minding my own business when I found out and I was shocked, so I can’t even imagine how bad his hardcore fans felt.

The first question was, of course, why. What happened? What could’ve done a man who has always wanted to attend Eurovision, to get disqualified? Not warned, not penalized. Disqualified. What did he ever do, to put in jeopardy his lifelong dream like that?

I don't know if we’ll ever find out the whole truth. All we know is that Joost asked a woman to stop filming him, she refused and kept following him, so he made a “threatening gesture” towards the camera, while not touching her.

Which gesture? No idea. Maybe he showed his middle finger, maybe he tried to lower the camera, maybe he said “fuck you and stop filming me”, maybe he tried to hit the camera. I don’t know. But in this case, I would really like to know - and not just what he did, but how the whole thing went.

If this year taught us something, is the importance of context. If Joost Klein tried to punch the camera is one thing and he should be condemned for that. But if Joost Klein tried to punch the camera after being filmed without his permission, because a woman was harassing him and following him, thus breaking the agreement that wanted him to not be filmed after stage… well, that's another thing.

Sure, he shouldn’t have reacted this way. But you can understand by yourself that snapping at someone out of the blue is one thing and snapping because you’re fed up with harassment is another thing.

Did Joost deserve some punishment? Sure. But did the person filming him without consent deserve punishment too? Of course. If you have to apply punishments, you have to do it equally, not with a double standard. So if he was disqualified, that woman should've been removed from her position too. But as far as I know, she wasn't.

Also, why didn't the EBU tell exactly what happened right from the start? Why refer to it as “an incident” and give only vague explanations? Why not mention Joost's disqualification during the Grand Final? Why did people have to find out through social media and the Grand Final happened as if nothing?

That's weird, that's not the behavior of someone who has nothing to hide. What’s the matter, EBU? Why this weird lack of communication? And why not show the footage of the incident and make everything clear? Now you’re respecting Joost’s right to not be filmed? A bit too late for that, isn’t it?

So yes, in a paradoxical turn of events, Joost Klein got his dream denied by the same show he wanted to be part of. The guy with the most European song ever, the one who stuck to the ESC motto “united by music”, the one who celebrated Europe, the one whose childhood dream was to be part of this European show, got disqualified by the same European show.

What can I say? I just hope karma will do its job for him. If he's innocent, he will get good things. If he's in the wrong, he will get his punishment.

In the meantime, you can still support him, stream his songs and check his albums. Here on YouTube you will find basically all of them, since it doesn’t seem he has a YouTube channel (yet).

And if his fans still find everything absurd and unjustifiable, don't worry: if Eurovision 2023 (and all previous ones) taught us something, is that you don’t have to be the winner, to steal people’s hearts. Sometimes, you just need one performance.

And this one stole everyone's heart.

Also, since apparently paradoxes were not enough, it seems like European flags were banned for being political? European flags during a European show in a European country in the European continent.

Uh?!

EBU, one question: on which continent do you think you’re in? Spoiler: it’s not America.

_________________________________

EBU’s biggest mistake

Let's talk a bit about the current global situation, shall we? No, you can't escape from it.

So, unless you lived under a rock until now, you know that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been going on for a long time and that recently it intensified again because of the new Gaza conflict. Israel pretends to not have committed war crimes, the rest of the world tells them to stop committing them, there are protests everywhere and people are ready to jump at each other’s throats to defend one country or the other.

Now, you’re the EBU. You say your show isn’t political. And that’s true: Eurovision isn’t political. Eurovision is a musical competition. It has nothing to do with politics.

But Eurovision takes place on planet Earth. And, as said, the situation on planet Earth is a bit tense right now. So you already know that, if you stick one single finger in this situation, you will get BIG reactions from the public.

So, what do you do, when Israel asks you to participate?

a) You tell Israel, very politely and very professionally, that you appreciate their application, but cannot accept them this year, because the situation is what it is and letting them in would bring chaos and potential dangers into a contest whose main foundation is being safe and non-political.

b) You let Israel in and let Palestine participate too, at least in spirit through people’s voices and decisions to mention it. This way, no one can say you’re taking sides, since you’re letting both sides participate.

c) You let Israel in and censor everything and everyone else, so not only you bring chaos inside your non-political contest, but make it even more political than ever and end up taking sides too.

Guess what EBU chose.

In order to stick to their non-political policy, EBU put blinders on and ignored the rest of the world. In order to let one country in because "Eurovision is non-political, so everyone is allowed to participate", they brought politics into their non-political show.

And no, it's not unexpected: it was obvious that, by letting Israel in, politics would've entered the competition too. This country and politics are bound tightly now, because of the current situation: of course if you let one in, the other will enter too.

And with politics, all the chaos of the current situation found its way in too. And that means EBU literally put in danger:

25 artists and their teams coming from all over Europe

the same Israeli gal and her team

all the tourists coming from all over the world to attend Eurovision

Swedish people who were living their normal lives and were suddenly surrounded by protests and chaos

the protesters who could've been involved in potential clashes

members of the police who also could've been involved in potential clashes

“But hey”, you might say, “nothing bad happened, in the end! You’re being too negative!”

Sure, thankfully nothing bad happened. But the risk was there, it was huge and it's not that "it would've been here anyway": the risk could've been completely avoided, by applying just a bit more human reasoning.

But even after politics found its way into the show, even after that, EBU could've saved the whole thing. If only one human being with a functioning brain said something like: "Okay, politics is in, even if we didn't want to. Now all we can do is let the other side of the conflict speak too, while we stay neutral".

But no, oh no. Mentioning Palestine and ceasefire means politics and our show isn't political. So let's ignore the fact that our decision to follow the policy verbatim led to politics being inside the show and let's keep applying the rules as if nothing: no one should mention politics, so Eric Saade cannot perform with the kefiah, Bambie Thug should remove their messages about ceasefire, Iolanda cannot keep her nails with Palestine's colors (seriously?!) and people's booing should be drowned with anti-booing technology.

You know, it's incredibly fascinating how EBU's stubborn decision to strictly follow the rules not only allowed politics inside the show, but led to the EBU itself taking a political stand, all while censoring every other opposition. EBU's rigid, mechanical application of the policy led to the EBU contradicting the same policy it was oh-so-religiously following. By making sure the show wasn't political, EBU applied censorship and not only made it even more political, but politically oriented towards one side of the conflict.

I don't know who the EBU members are and if they're human beings with functioning brains or just AI-generated bots, but please: stop following the rules like mindless robots and start using human reasoning in your decision-making process. And use common sense too, because if an idiot like me could foresee the consequences, you should've been able to foresee them too.

_________________________________

Israel: bullying cannot buy you victory

Now, we have Israel in. And the Israeli gal and her team perfectly know that their sole presence will lead to controversy and political stands.

So, if you were in their place, what would have you done?

kept a low profile during the entire competition;

showed at least an ounce of regret for unintentionally putting everyone in danger;

bullied everyone and tried to find any possible chance to beef with the other artists;

Guess what the Israeli team chose.

During the entire competition, these people kept harassing other artists, filming them without consent, calling them names, misgendering them. They kept this arrogant behavior, as if they owned the place and all other countries were just invited to their show.

And if there’s something I hate more than arrogance, is arrogance with a side dish of bullying.

So, to all the people whining because “Martina Satti yawned while Eden was speaking and Joost hid his face”: if that’s bullying, for you, you have a great life and I envy you. I wish I was bullied like that in school. But my bullying was more like… well, calling me names, harassing me and listening/spying what I was doing without my consent.

But apparently harassing the competitors wasn’t enough, so Israel decided to harass the viewers too, by begging for votes. Yes, they begged for votes. Yes, they spammed ads all over YouTube. Yes, I got one too and it was on a Eurovision-unrelated video and it made my blood boil. Yes, they were this desperate. And yes, that’s pathetic.

Also: is this legal? Is this allowed? EBU, are we sure this is part of the rules you follow so strictly? And please, tell me: is harassment also part of those same rules?

But do not worry: in the end, karma found its way. And despite the arrogance, the harassment, the tons of money spent to beg people, none of these means was enough to grant Israel the victory they oh-so-desperately wanted.

On the contrary: in a wonderfully ironic twist, the winner was one of the artists they kept misgendering and harassing. Mmmh, delicious irony, my favorite.

So thank you Israel for wasting money all over YouTube, I hope they were a lot. Thank you to all the people who made a political vote, you really got the spirit of the show, I hope you will never watch it again. Thank you Israeli team for harassing everyone and making an already tense competition even more tense. And, most importantly, thank you EBU for bringing politics in a non-political show: great fucking job, I hope someone will get fired.

And now, let's finally talk about music. Israel's song was nothing special, just the umpteenth bland song I've listened to 200 times already. And we all know it didn't get 300+ votes because everyone was in love with it. People's taste is not so bland and boring. And the final points proved it.

(On a side note, if I were Eden, I would be offended by these votes. At least the people who voted for Loreen last year didn't do it because of Sweden, but because of her talent. This year, I doubt that the people who voted for Eden gave a shit about her talent at all)

_________________________________

France: I need to make some apologies

Listen, you have to understand: we Italians know that French singers are good. We laugh, we say they’re “so French” and they keep Frenching and everything, but we know they rarely disappoint.

The problem is that France is good at the same things we’re good too. We’re both good at soccer, we’re good with food, wine, fashion. And we’re both good at singing.

So, France, remember: we might make fun of you but my god, your artists are amazing. When Slimane sang that part acapella two meters away from his microphone, I literally got shivers. He is a fucking great singer, his voice is incredible and he deserved more than 7 points.

I know French Frenching, but we should give credit when necessary:

_________________________________

Estonia, Spain and basically everyone else: two words and more apologies

Estonia 20th and Spain 22nd? Super robbed. The ignominy. The audacity. They served us beautiful Estonian language and a Spanish gal with a soft voice and that's how they got rewarded? They deserve more and better and people are stupid.

Also, I don’t know what kind of beef Greeks have with Marina, but she was good and doesn’t deserve all of this hate. Also because most of the complaints I've heard about make no sense, so… uh?!

Germany: fucking finally, people gave you votes. Thank you for persevering, your song was truly nice and I liked it too.

Armenia: yes, top 10! For great, lively, wonderful Balkan rhythm! You deserve it and your country deserves love and appreciation.

Italy: I’m okay with this result. Angelina’s performance was better, compared to the one in the semi-finals (also, better costume too, the other was too revealing and too much in general). 7th place is fine.

Ireland: I know that’s not a song for everyone and okay, fine, maybe it’s nothing special either… but my god, have you seen the performance they put on? A-ma-zing. It was interesting, captivating and full of details. And the narrative is perfect too: you can see how Bambie slowly befriends the demon and ends up killing it. It was truly enjoyable to watch. So I’m glad it got 6th place, they deserve an even higher position.

Ukraine: please keep slaying, your artists are always so great and they keep proving it every goddamn time. Also, that moment when Ukraine surpassed Israel was delicious: money truly cannot buy you love and support.

The UK: seriously, why are you whining about people not giving you points? The song was okay, but nothing truly special. Still, you got 18th place! What should Norway say, instead? Poor Norway, it has all my sympathy, the song wasn't this bad.

And now, to you all: you know what to do. Follow your favorites, stream their songs, shower them with love. Eurovision is over, but these artists are not disappearing. They are still out there, making beautiful music. Go check on them.

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Croatia: “the audience will come to my concert, not the jury”

Baby Lasagna was a blessing and as Italian, I want to properly apologize for giving it 16 points total only. You deserved 24, shame on us for being stupid morons.

Croatia gave us a beautiful song, from a beautiful artist with a great message and upbeat sounds. And I’m not the only one who thinks this, because the rest of the public agrees with me. Marko gave us pure joy and entertainment in an evening that was mostly sadness, tension and boredom.

And yes, it’s sad he didn’t win… but he knew it, before Switzerland’s points have been announced. Look at his face, during the final voting: as soon as Petra said Switzerland only needed 182 points, he realized he was going to lose. You can see him understanding and accepting it. He knew Switzerland would get these points. I knew. Everybody knew.

So no, this wasn’t like last year: last year, it was a one-on-one game between Finland and Sweden and a tug-of-war between public and jury. This year, we had a lot of favorites. Marko was the favorite, but if Joost wasn’t disqualified, maybe the points would’ve been even more distributed.

But you know what? Marko actually got the best possible result you can get in Eurovision. People adore you, you become a legend and your country doesn’t have to deal with EBU’s bullshit. You get the best of both worlds and it doesn’t cost you a cent.

Also, consider that Marko accepted his 2nd place graciously and maturely, went back home and was welcomed by basically the whole Zagreb (Let3 were there too! Kings supporting a king, very fitting). And in an interview, he said something like “I don’t care about the jury points, because the jury doesn’t come to my concerts”. Which proves he is:

a mood

a king

the truth oracle

everyone’s spirit animal

the winner of the people

the coolest guy ever

So, Croatia: I understand your disappointment, the jury system REALLY needs to change. And no, you won't host Eurovision next year. But consider that you're everyone's favorite country now. And you won't have to deal with whatever shit will happen in 2025! So sit back, relax, may your tourism thrive and your quality of life be high.

And if all of you people really enjoyed Baby Lasagna, please consider he has a YouTube channel and there are two other songs, besides Rim Tim Tagi Dim. One criticizes social media and the influencer system, while the other is a piece of great life advice from the title: “Don't hate yourself, but don't love yourself too much”. Thank you, king, for being so real.

And in case you’re wondering, yes, they’re both huge bops.

Do your magic, people: subscribe to his channel, stream his songs, watch his videos, shower him with love and, most importantly, meow back.

_________________________________

Switzerland: a contest that can live up to its promise

In the end Switzerland won. And it’s a good victory, you know? You might not like the song, but consider that Nemo sang pop, rap and opera, all while jumping on that rotating platform-thingy and running all over the stage. And they even bent back, while keeping a high note and rotating. I can’t even keep a high note by standing still, let alone by doing all the stuff they did.

Also, this is the first victory for a non-binary person, so great for them. And basically no one knew Nemo before Eurovision, so the show came back to its roots, by giving fame to an unknown artist.

Last but not least, in an ironic turn of events, this victory is the least political thing that happened on that stage. In the most polarized, political show ever, the winner is the quintessential neutral country. Almost poetic, in a way.

And this victory is also a huge slap in the face for the EBU: in the end, it wasn't its rigid adherence to the policy that made the show non-political, it was the jury’s vote. How the tables have turned.

But there is another reason why this victory is good after all and it’s because it’s a hopeful one. The winner isn’t famous, they didn’t harass anyone, they didn’t use money to win, they brought nothing besides their identity, a kind heart and a flag they had to sneak in because of the weird “flag rule” EBU pulled out.

And I would like to remind you that, during their victory speech, Nemo said this:

"I hope this contest can live up to its promise and continue to stand for peace and dignity for every person in this world".

I think it’s a speech that tells everything about this year’s show. This year, the contest didn’t live up to its promise: it put people in unnecessary danger, it brought tension, it made it political. EBU’s strictness led to a lot of consequences, the exact ones it tried so desperately to avoid.

As a result, no one enjoyed their time. I didn't enjoy my time. When Sunday came, I was relieved that the week was finally over and I was able to leave Eurovision behind. I didn't feel an ounce of the usual post-Eurovision nostalgia. I was just glad it was over.

And it's sad and unfair, because Eurovision isn't this. Eurovision is a perfect little window of peace and unity, away from the chaos of the world. For a few hours, three evenings a year, we can leave the real problems behind and focus on silly ones, like which country should win, which should be forever ashamed and which artist will become a legend.

This year, it wasn't like that. This year politics found its way in and wrecked everything. What was supposed to be a silly, funny, lighthearted show became so heavily politically charged, it broke under the weight.

And now that I think about it, Nemo breaking the trophy is the perfect metaphorical representation of this year's competition.

Just like that trophy, Eurovision is something frail and beautiful and mishandling can break it. And oh boy, the EBU truly mishandled it. Even if it was an accident, even if it wasn't done on purpose, the trophy is still broken. The show is broken.

But when asked about their broken trophy, Nemo didn't mourn it: Nemo gave words of hope. Maybe the broken trophy can be repaired. And maybe Eurovision can be repaired too.

How? Well, maybe by starting to learn when and how to apply rules. By using common sense and sensibility. And by checking the world outside too. If we want Eurovision to keep being that small window separated from real world problems, we can't just ignore them: we need to check them and react accordingly.

And if we have to break a rule to guarantee peace and safety, then so be it. One broken rule is not as important as safety and unity.

After all, what makes Eurovision isn't a set of rules: it's the artists, with their talents, their messages, their hopes, their voices, their dreams. They are Eurovision. They are the pull that draws everyone in. They are the reason why people are "united by music". Not because a rule orders them to, not because of the EBU: because of these artists.

Maybe the EBU can start from that. Maybe it can start by looking at the human aspect. Maybe it can start by going out and looking around. And maybe it can learn to take more care of the artists who are the foundation of the show.

And maybe, maybe, they will be able to repair Eurovision too.

See you, hopefully, next year.

#eurovision #eurovision 2024 #esc #esc 2024 #sweden #the netherlands #israel #france #croatia #switzerland #baby lasagna #nemo #the artists are eurovision #I hope people will never forget it #thank god this year is over #time to recover now

[tparker48]

Request for anonymous

The morning was young as Kev got up from his bed, making his way to the kitchen where he set his coffee pot on the counter. Pouring the crimson beans into the opening, its rich smell danced around his nostrils, his lips yearning for its warm touch. But he had to wait for it to brew. "Wonder what's in the paper nowadays." He asked, heading to the front door as he opened it to the driveway. Taking a step, something red came from the corner of his eyes, swatting his face as its ting rang through the bridge of his nose.

"Gotcha old man!" a voice said. 

That voice, he recognized that douchey tone anywhere. Rubbing his eyes, he looked ahead to see his daughter's girlfriend, his blood boiling at the sight of his smug face. "Jake. What are you doing here?" He growled.

"Nothing, just came to my hunny bunny. Thought I'd start the day early and see ya. By the way, the newspaper came for ya." He tossed the red paper into Kev's chest.

 rage sparked in his mind, his fist raising to the air as it shook. "Why you little-"

"No Dad!" A white blur flew by him, his daughter filling the space between them. "How many times have I told you, do not hurt him!"

Kev huffed as he held his fist, determined to let Jake have it. "Nala, you know as much as I do your.. boyfriend, is a bad influence for you."

"He's just having a little fun dad, he didn't mean to anger you. Right Jake?"

"Meh, sure."

Kev grumbled upon the response, his eyes furrowing as they pierced into Jake’s. But Nala’s gazed replaced them as she leaned toward him.

"Be nice." She said, taking her boyfriend's hand as she moved past Kev. 

He sighed to himself before following them. Let's just get this morning over with. He made his way down the hallway, watching the time clocks tick by as the hour struck 11AM. As if the day couldn’t get any slower. But the smell of coffee filled the air, his nose darting toward the kitchen as he licked his lips. Finally, something he can get excited for. He followed its scent around the corner, his mind spiraling tas he imagined himself holding his coffee mug. Turning the corner, he halted as Nala rested upon the table, and her boyfriend, prancing around the kitchen like he owned the place.

"There you are, dad." Nala greeted him.

"What took you so long? You nearly missed the start of breakfast." Jack chimed in. "Oh, thanks for making us coffee by the way, really refreshing."

Coffee? He looked at the counter, the once steaming pot now empty as it sat in the kitchen sink. His fist choked at the newspaper, his eyes centered at the pot. They drank his coffee! His coffee!

"Dad? Is everything alright?" Nala asked.

Kev flexed his arm as it shook in place, but took a breath as he relaxed himself. "Yes..I'm fine. I'm heading upstairs." He said, taking his leave as he moved back to the hallway. 

"Thanks again for the coffee." Jack smirked. "Though I'd say next time lay off the cream a bit."

Kev clenched his newspaper, holding his tongue as he stormed out to the hallway. That cocky bastard, if it wasn't for nala he'd have a fresh boot for his ass. But for now, he'll settle for an alternative. He entered his room before closing the door, pulling out the drawer as he grabbed a small lego man from a pair of underwear.

"There you are, I've got too much stress built up.." He forced his pants down before pulling out his cock, pinching the sides as the slit gaped open. Holding the lego man over it, he stuffed it inside, ushering it in as the slit closed. He huffed at the bulge it made, the walls to his urethra expanding as it stopped at the middle of the shafts underbelly. Closing his eyes, he gripped around its entirety, and began to stroke.

"Fuck that brat!" He gritted beneath his breath. "Who does he think he's dealing with? I swear if he were the size of this lego I'll..I'll.." He choked on his words, his fiery strokes pumping faster as he locked in place. Spurts came from the fleshlight, white fluid spilling from the lips as the lego slid out from the urethra and onto a small puddle along the floor. "Fuck I lost my train of thought.." He sighed.

A knock came from the door, Kev's blissful state washing off before he could even blink. So much for better. He answered the door as he pulled it halfway, his sour face frowning more as Jake stood on the other side.

"What do you want?"

"Aayy easy old man, I just wanted to hand ya something. A little gift for no hard feelings."

This is a first. "Go on." Kev said.

"I mean it, sincerely. I brought a gift for you downstairs, it should be in the garage.

"Why the garage?"

" It wouldn't be a surprise if I just bought it in, would it?" He replied. He stepped to the side and ushered Kev to follow.

He didn’t trust him, he's too lenient to not try to pull something. Kev glared at Jake cautiously before following him into the hallway, leaving the door open before he followed Jake down the stairs. Moving through the hallway, moved into the garage, Jack holding the door as he stepped inside.

"Alright, we're here. Now where's this gift?"

"Oh it's right over-" 

The door slammed as Kev turned to the door, a click sounding on the other end before stomps trailed away. "Jake! You little brat! Open this door!" He shouted, his voice echoing off the acoustic in the garage. He pushed at the door banging on it before he moved to the garage door. Pushing the button, he moved under it as he made his way to the backyard. 

To think he'd fall for one of his theatrics, he'll teach him a thing or two. Nala be damned. He opened the door and stormed into the hall. Noticing nale in her room with headphones as he raced toward the steps. Getting to his room he noticed the door half closed as he slowed down, peeking inside as Jake crouched against one of his drawers, his childish laugh lingering through the air.

He bursted open the door, Jake freezing in his tracks as he turned toward Kev, a shrinking serum in his hand. Kev's face turned red, slamming the door as he approached him. "That's it.."

"N-now now, Kev, let's not be so hasty!"

"You think you can come into my house, drink my stuff, and lock me in my own garage?" He clutched his tank top, suspending him in the air as he glared into his face. His hands shook as they reached toward his head, urging to punch the lights out of him. But a glare caught in his eyes, the bottle in Jake's hand as red fluid splashed inside. 

"Give me that!" He demanded, snatching the bottle from his grasp. "So you planned on shrinking me down is that it?!" He glared at Jake, the coward holding his arms to shield himself from any hits. "Then let me give you a taste of your own medicine."

"Wait are you-?"

He popped the cap from the vial, tilting it over him as its fluid dozed him in its substance. He tried to squirm from Kev's grasp, but he wasn't letting go. He's not getting away with one, not this time. Slowly,  he noticed his clothes getting saggier as Jake shrunk passed the collar of his shirt, his pants falling to the floors as the clothing became an empty husk.

Wiggling resonated at the bottom of the shirt, Kev lifting it as Jake clinged to the wooled cloth for dear life. "Look what you did to me!" Jake shouted.

"Consider it payback for the headaches you caused." He said. He clutched around Jake's body, hearing him squeak like a cat toy as he was hovered to his face. 

"Yeah well, if you think I didn't plan for this! You've got another thing coming! I'll grow back in a day!"

Kev sterned as he glared at Jake. The brat still hasn't learned his lesson yet. He wanted to squeeze at his body until he passed out, but he looked as movement began to stir. A poking sensation extending from his pants as he looked at the lego on the floor. "Then that gives plenty of time to teach you another lesson. So you like locking people in a tight place?..." He asked, unzipping his pants, drawing out his barreled cock from inside. "Let's see how you like it when you're in my cock."

He pinched his head, cum caught between its lips seeping into his fingers before he smeared them into his skin. Jake kicked his legs in an attempt to loosen his grip, but a slight adjustment of his fingers pinned them together, pencling them into his slit as his feet sunk into his flesh.

"H-hey! Stop that!"

"Shut up!" Kev huffed, clasping his fist atop his upper half. He used his thumb as he pushed him closer, the faint swelling in his cock becoming more present as the flailing legs kicked inside. It was peculiar to sat the least, but somehow..thrilling. He closed his eyes and imagined the lego, its bulging outline massaging the muscle as he humped in place.

"That’s it, get in there." He huffed, pushing his cock more as the swelling grew larger. The cockhead suddenly cushioned beneath his presses, opening his eyes as he removed his palm. Jake was almost in, his head and arms bobbing across the surface.

"Are you crazy?! When Nala hears about this, she’ll never talk to you again?!"

"Nala won't know." He replied. "I'll make sure of that." 

He placed his thumb above Jake's head, eying him for one last time. But his body was too impatient to let him finish, a flex heaving Jake inside. He barely had time to shout before his words became muffled, swallowed up by his own member as its length rose to his shirt.

Grlrk!..Glrk...Gllrrk!

Kev's eyes couldn't look away from his shaft, the small lump descending deeper inside as it disappeared into the base. It became tight as it traveled further back, flexing them upward as it tempted to send the small step-son into his bladder. But another opening was created, the small lump descending down as the loose skin of his sac bulged.

Plunk! His left nut swelled, depositing the lump into its chamber as it dropped into his palm. That felt good, really good.

"Let me out of here!" Jake muffled from the layer of muscle, snapping Kev out of his trance.

"No. You're going to stay there." He replied, placing his cock back into his pants. "Perhaps now, you'll understand to respect your peers."

Zipping up, he dragged his hand through Jake's clothes, fishing through his pockets where keys dropped out. This should provide a good cover up. Picking them up, he made his way out the door, Nala soon approaching as she climbed the last step.

"Hey dad, have you seen Jake? I can’t seem to find him.”

"He said he had to help a friend with gas, and didn't know when he’d be back."

“Strange? He normally tells me when he was going to leave."

“He was in a hurry.” he replied. “But he said to take his car to him, so that’s what I got to do. I’ll be back.” He made his way to the door, stepping outside as he got into Jake's car. More shrink serum sat on the passenger's seat, a list of ingredients placed just next to it. 

Why not, let's see how he made this thing. Picking it up, he scanned the paper, the ingredients mixed between carbon and a few doses from a nuclear plant. Wonder how he got his on that. Searching deeper, he looked at the bottom of the page, a paragraph bolded and underlined. "Do not contact with skin. Permanent shrinkage."

"Hmph, so this was your plan." He muttered. He felt pressure below, the valve to his balls spreading out as limbs slipped inside the tube. Unzipping his pants, he pulled his cock out and flopped it upon his lap, a little lump stretching from his nut as it compressed the walls. "Grow back in a day my ass, you knew what this thing was going to do to me, Didn't you? Well then.." He paused, Squeezing Jake back into his balls. "Guess that serves you right."

"Okay Okay, I messed up! I wasn't gonna do it! I promise. Now can you please get me out of here?!"

"No, you're seeing this one through. For the rest of your life as my nut."

"What?! Wait no you can't-" Jack was cut off as Kev stashed his sac back into his pants.

"Balls don't talk." He simply said, zipping his pants before he pulled the car out the driveway.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a good time for Kev as he drove through the neighborhood. He took a trip to the store and bought some snacks, deciding to wank off in the parking lot and set off steam. But then he relaxed, movement stirred as Jake climbed through his testicles, the wiggling bulge worming its way along the thin skin as cum spurted from his slit. Letting him get to the top, he waited until his little face peeked out from the lips, before clogging it with his finger. The power he felt in that moment, it was much better than when he did it with the lego.

 It could push, it can move, and he wasn’t going to let that go. He tilted his cock across his finger as he guided the bulged back inside. 

Glrk! The sound rang from his shaft, the bulge zooming back to his balls. When his cock laid limp on his lap, he cupped at his balls, watching the swollen wobble like a water balloon as Jake’s distorted yells vibrated the muscle. “It’s not great being part of a nutsack huh? Betcha wish you never pushed my buttons now.” he squeezed at the swollen bulge, pushing the protruding bulge beneath the warmth of his skin. As the sun started to cast behind the building,he took a moment to bask in its orange glow. He should probably head back, Nala might still be worried about him.

 Making his way back, Nala waited for him as she stood in the hallway. "Babygirl, I have some good news and bad news. The bad news is, I don't think Jake's coming back, he said he was moving out of state tonight."

"What? Why?"

"He didn't say, but he did say this..that you can have his car." He handed her the keys, watching them jangle into her palms. This is going to be a handful spin off on, but he supposed it was the best route than to say he disappeared. stirring resonated from his balls, faint thuds banging inside as his pants absorbed them. Heh, he's resistant he'll give him that.

Tears began to spread down Nala’s cheek, her gaze never leaving the keys in hand. He caressed her chin, and lifted her up as he brushed her hair. "There's no need to cry Nala, you are strong, and independent. Though he may be somewhere else, you still got a part of him."

"Thank you dad."

He nodded before making his way to the stairs, winking at her before he began to climb. Apart from what he said was true, she will have a part of him, but he will have the rest. He pulled at his cock as he let his balls swing between his legs like a pendulum, Muffles resurfacing  from inside. He scratched at them as he stood between the door frame. "Don't worry Jake, you and I will have plenty of time to get to know each other. Starting with my fleshlight."

He closed the door, locking it as he carried himself into his room. There, Jake's stay in His balls had begun. Lost between the layers of cock and clothes as Kev went about his day. And from that day, a week, and from that, a month. By the time Nala moved out, his balls already adjusted to Jake's presence, reduced to a little wrinkly amongst the sea of skin. And as Kev had his fun,, he couldn't help but think of that day when he swallowed him. He supposed he should thank him for the chance, now he can experience his fetish with ease, letting his balls swing as he walked nude around the house.

#cock vore #musk #shrink

[magnorious]

Pixar’s Cars is still way better than people give it credit for

Am I writing an essay on a kids movie that fell out of relevance after the last sequel seven years ago? Yes. Is it my favorite background animated movie to put on whenever I’m working? Yes.

It goes without saying that Pixar’s catalog is still topped by movies like Incredibles, Toy Story 2, Up, Inside Out, Finding Nemo, Ratatouille, etc. Cars sat at the bottom of Pixar’s “best of” list until its sequel came out and people realized how bad Pixar movies could actually be.

But you know what? I love Cars. Is the story as deep and moving and profound as some of the others? No. But it was made with love and after what feels like the past 8 years of resounding “meh” coming from Hollywood and some of the most shameless cash grabs pretending they’re not, Cars remains my feel-good movie. It doesn’t have that classic Pixar “cry your eyes out” moment, no dead parents, no chosen ones, decently low stakes. It’s a good time, anytime.

Why I’m writing this now, though, is because of this: I knew already that the King and Chick were based off real racers, and Lightning’s “McQueen” is another homage, but I looked up if Doc was also based on a famous racer during my last rewatch and found this on Wikipedia:

Doc’s car model, the Hudson Hornet, was manufactured from 1951-1953 for its original run. In 1954, its manufacturer merged with another company and the Hornet was heavily remodeled to boost sales, only the popularity of the car never recovered. It stayed in production until ‘57. It was used in racing and that’s where Doc’s paint job in the finale draws inspiration.

But do you remember what his backstory is? 3 back-to-back Piston Cups from ‘51-’53, a crash in ‘54 that saw him rebuilt, and obsolescence upon his return.

People complain that they “didn’t need to be cars” in this movie. They’re not like the toys in Toy Story where the plot and message depends on them not being human. They’re not like the fish in Finding Nemo. They could have just been humans who drive race cars and it raises more questions than it answers.

You are wrong, Sir.

Doc’s backstory is why they had to be cars. They aren’t human because the story depends on them being machines – as Cars 3 explores more deeply. A human endurance runner can train to be the fastest, running against other humans with the same chances at success (ignoring steroids and socioeconomic opportunity). Humans aren’t running foot races against mutants or aliens where, no matter what we do, we will lose by nature of what we are.

Cars do. A car model is beholden to its manufacturing and all the complications that come with it. Cars are objects that, like toys, have obsolescence built into them. There is no “outdated” way to run a foot race.

So yes, Doc has a Tragic Backstory(tm) but it’s not just that he was some great master at the top of his game once that faded from glory like any human who got too old. He’s a car, and no matter how good he was, how many Piston Cups he won, the powers that be that made newer models with better mileage and efficiency and mechanics were always going to dethrone him.

The movie isn’t about him, though, it’s about another rookie. A rookie who lives life in the fast lane and thinks his time in the spotlight is never going to end when Doc can look at him and know exactly how wrong he is. Lightning is a race car too and, regardless of the existence of Cars 3, Lightning will also inevitably become obsolete no matter what he does to fight it.

I doubt the writers were going for this when they wrote it but that they’re machines is also a criticism of how we treat celebrities. Lightning is an entertaining story until the next shiny starlet emerges and, through no fault of his own, he’s kicked to the curb for the “new”. And that new will be cast aside for the next new and so on and so forth and the only winner is the greedy producer making money off their cash cow until they drain it dry.

Yes, the movie is about appreciating life and the things that you do have and “the friends we made along the way” but that they’re machines matters. Had they all been human, the movie would have lost half its message, and half the tragedy. If they were human driving cars, Doc wasn’t written with a disability so he could have, in theory, hopped back behind the wheel of a new car and still won against younger drivers. He’s not human, he’s a car, and he isn’t built to go as fast as newer models.

Age affects everyone, but a world made by machines that pits machines against other machines in an endurance test is inherently rigged when the machinery being tested can always improve.

It is unfortunate that both Doc and the King go out in wrecks (even though the poetry is nice) and the story doesn’t explore the existential obsolescence of being a machine designed to only do so well and be improved upon – even Lightning still has to wreck out of his big race in Cars 3 before he starts losing to the newer models.

But maybe having a Cars movie that does explore the existential obsolescence of a machine might have gone over kids’ heads. Or, maybe not? They pulled off some very mature themes in Incredibles with marriage problems and presumed infidelity that kids probably didn’t understand but still knew was not good for the characters.

Not to mention all the other wonderful details in this movie: The car-pun cities on all the license plates, the tire tracks in the sky and car-shaped natural phenomena, all the creative sponsoring brands on the racers.

How the “Life is a Highway” montage hits you over and over again with a straight road that cuts through the winding nature (the snaking river, the mountains sliced open to make room), industry that stops for nothing and scars everything in its path.

If you haven’t watched this movie in a while, do yourself a favor and find time to do so.

#disney pixar #pixar #pixar cars #cars

[treefory]

The Chandlo dinner fic is done!!!

It’s over 3.7k words and a one shot.

It’s about Chandlo trying to make a romantic dinner for him and Snorpy. (Plus some art at the end)

———

Chandlo laid in his bed wide awake, He had tried to go to sleep for a while now. Maybe he just had too much energy. There was only one thing Chandlo knew that he could do to get rid of this excess energy, a late night jog!

Chandlo sat up in his bed and looked over at Snorpy on his own. Chandlo wished they shared a bed, but the last time they tried that snorpy was too flustered to sleep in it with him. But that was fine, he does like his own space.

Chandlo quietly got out of bed and started stretching, careful to not wake snorpy. Snorpy didn’t like it when he went out late at night, something about grumpminati or something… but Chandlo always stayed aware of we’re he was and the people around him. He kissed his bicep. Who would even go after a guy built like him?

He slowly snuck down stairs and opened the doors to the mill. The cool late night air gilded gently through his lime green fur. Now was the perfect time for a jog. After one final stretch, he was off

He followed his usual path around snaxburg, taking note of everything he jogged past.

1 barn

1 outhouse

1 camp fire

1 Floofty

1 Floofty? Floofty sat next to the campfire staring into its flame as they sat on one of the log chairs. Chandlo didn’t know they were back in town. Honestly, it was nice seeing them in town Once in a while. He knew it was hard for them to move around in the sand. Grump, once he even had to carry them back to their ship wreck, though he swore he’d keep that between them. Chandlo let out a chuckle at the thought of it.

“Good Night, Floofty!” Chandlo called out with a wave

“salutations.” They said barely looking up at him, seemingly lost in thought

Chandlo wasn’t going to bother them anymore, not unless he wanted a threat that he could barely understand. He continued his jog around town.

It wasn't long until he felt his energy fade away. He let out a small yawn as he stretched his back. He slowly made his way back to the mill when he noticed that the lights in wambus and Triffanys house were on. The lights were never on this late. They were the type to get up early and go to sleep early. What was it, 9pm? They should have been asleep by now!

Chandlo stopped in front of their window. He knew he should mind his business but he just had to know what was keeping them up this late! Chandlo jogged over to the campfire and picked up one of the log chairs and hoisted it onto his shoulder, startling Floofty in the process.

“Where are you going with that?” Floofty asked

“Wambus and Triffany are up late tonight, I wanna see what’s going on.”

“Does it not occur to you that they might be doing something, private?”

Oh yeah, he didn’t even think of that. “Meh, nothin I haven’t seen before.” He said as he shrugged his shoulders.

“Unbelievable…” Floofty grumbled

Chandlo placed the log outside the window and climbed on top. He steady himself then peered into the window.

Wambus and Triffany were sitting at a table together. A red and white table cloth was neatly draped over the table. Different kinds of bugsnax were laid out, some half eaten. Though he couldn’t really hear them through the window he could tell that they were having a good time. Laughing, smiling, and talking.

“What’s going on in there?” Floofty called out

Chandlo barely looked away from the window “ see for yourself.” He said as he stepped to the side

Floofty grudgingly stepped on to the log and looked into the window. “ Hmf, nothing of interest. Honestly Chandlo, you should stop-“

“Do you think me and snorpy could do something like this?” Chandlo interrupted

“What?”

“Like ya know, a romantic dinner together.” Chandlo could hardly remember the last time they did something like this.

“I suppose… but you will need bugsnax first.”

“I know, I can handle that tho.”

“… like I was saying before, you should stop watching grumpuses eat through their windows-“

“Wha- WHOS THERE???” A Deep Southern voice yelled from inside the house. It was wambus, and he was staring right at them.

Both of their faces turned into pure panic as they both ran to their respective houses. Wambus had a tendency to throw other grumpuses he didn’t like and neither of them wanted to be it.

Chandlo quickly yet quietly closed the door to the mill. He stood there and caught his breath he then tiptoed up the stairs and laid in his bed. Grump, when was the last time he tried to have a romantic dinner with snorpy?

It was about a year and a half ago, him and snorpy had went to Grumpus roadhouse together. They had such a nice night together, but they kinda stopped going out like that after snorpy started getting paranoid about stuff.

What if Chandlo tried to recreate that night, but with bugsnax? A challenge for him and a romantic dinner with his boyfriend? How could he say no to that!

— — —

While on his morning jog, he came up with a plan.

First go to the scorched gorge and catch a bbq burger

Second, travel to sugarpine woods for a big bopsicle.

Third, get snorpy out the mill so he can set up the dinner

Forth, have dinner with snorpy

What a perfect plan, nothing could ever go wrong! Chandlo grinned to himself, I’m so smart.

“Hey, Chandlo! You got a minute?” Wambus called out from his farm.

Chandlo jogged over “what’s up wambus?” He said wiping sweat from his forehead

“Were you up last night?”

“Yeah?”

“Did you happen to see someone snooping around? Ya know, peeking through windows n’such?”

Chandlo froze. He couldn’t tell him the truth but he was also a horrible liar “look at the sun! It’s rising!”

“Huh???” Wambus looked at the sun, he then quickly turned away rubbing eyes. Chandlo used this time to run for the hills, or in this case the scorched gorge.

— — —

Chandlo searched everywhere, In every crevice and every hole. By now he was drenched in sweat, he took off his hat and fanned himself.

“Grump, how did Triff and Cromdo stay out here for so long?” He said as he sat on a rock. Chandlo had been chased around by Spuddys, shot at by a Scorpenyo, and tripped by a shy weenyworm. How did he get tripped by a shy weenyworm??? How was he ment to catch something he couldn’t even find?

“I mean, I could settle for a ribblepede. Gotta know your limits, right?” He sighed. But suddenly a gust of wind hit him, he looked up and saw a cheepoof flying overhead. That’s when he noticed the rocky plateau above him.

“Oh yeah, I remember that. How did I not notice that before? Grump, this heat must be getting to me…” he said as he put his cap back on and began looking for a way up

He walked around the pillar looking around for a way. He had found a natural path up but it was being guarded by spuddy. Chandlo had also noticed the wooden bridge that he and snorpy made when they first got to snacktooth, but this was ment to be a challenge, so no easy way allowed!

“Hey Spuddy! You think you can beat me?” Chandlo yelled. The spuddy looked his way and began to charge and so did Chandlo. Only at the last second did Chandlo decide to break the poor thing’s ankles. He quickly moved left then right again. The spuddy couldn’t keep up and ended up falling to its side. He took this time to run up the stairs before it could realize what happened.

“L bozo” Chandlo laughed as he made his way to the top of the plateau. He had to be in the right place. He looked everywhere else. He looked in bushes and behind rocks and still couldn’t find it. Well that’s how it was until it found him.

“Bunger? Bunger bunger bunger!” The bbq bunger said as it charged at him. Chandlo managed to dodge its attack as it charged past him. “Whoa! That was WAY to close!”

The bunger turned around to face Chandlo. It playfully jumped around as it readied for another charge. “you wanna go bro? Cuz I'm about to hit you with the CHANDLO SLAM!” Chandlo said as he got into a crouch position, arms outstretched ready to catch it.

It charged again but this time but Chandlo caught it. He landed on his back and held the bunger tight. They began to wrestle on the ground, the bunger trying to get free and Chandlo holding it down. Some how he managed to pin it to the ground and in its moment of confusion Chandlo got up, tapped his elbow twice then hit it with the Chandlo slam

The bbq bunger lay there unconscious. He picked it up and tucked it under his shoulder. He smiled to himself as he realized where he was going next. Somewhere more cool, crisp, and that had a hot tub. Sugarpine woods.

— — —

The chilly air filled his lungs. It was nice being somewhere cooler. The bbq bunger squirmed under his arm “stawp it >:(“ Chandlo whispered.

He had reached the old cabin he and Snorpy lived in. He opened the front door and put the bunger inside. “ Listen dawg, I need you to say here.” He said in a stern voice.

“Bunger?”

Chandlo’s face turned a little red, of course it didn’t understand him. “ uhh… just don’t go anywhere.” He closed the door and looked around, he knew there was a bopsicle around here.

He began walking around, constantly looking over his shoulder. Big bopcicals we’re bigger and meaner than bbq bungers. He had to learn that the hard way.

Back when he and Snorpy moved out here he was playing basketball, when a big bopsicle ran into his side. He spent the rest of that day laying down with an ice pack and Snoopy rambling about the grumpinati being after them.

It wasn’t long until he found one digging through the snow. This was the one that was next to the big rock poking out from the ground, the easiest one to catch. Chandlo knew this was meant to be a challenge, but he didn’t want to drag himself back home just to worry Snorpy again.

Big bopsicles were covered in ice, giving them this shiny look. He knew that he had to unfreeze it, to catch it. He swiftly snuck past it and climbed up on the big rock. Just below it was a hot spring.

“Hey, over here! Come and get me!” Chandlo said as he waved at the big bopsicle. It looked his way and charged at him, climbing the rock. Right before it could hit him, Chandlo fell backwards into the hot spring. The bopsicle not having enough time to stop itself, it fell in after him.

Chandlo poked his head out of the water and watched the bopsicle pull itself out, Its icy sheen now gone. He knew it was only a matter of time until it broke into two. He didn’t want to catch two small bopsicles, that was too easy, so he had to act fast.

He dragged himself out the water and ran towards the cabin. He swung open the door to see the bbq bunger playing in the bed sheets. He grabbed the bunger alongside the sheets and ran back outside. He tossed the sheets in front of the big bopsicle. The bunger crawled out and flipped the bopsicle over its head, landing at chandlo’s feet.

“Bopsicllllle…”

Chandlo grabbed the sheets and wrapped them around the bopsicle and snatched the bunger before it could get away. He tossed the sheet over his shoulder and tucked the bunger back under his arm.

“BOOM, half the plan done! Now all I have to do is set up the dinner.” Chandlo said happily as he made his way down to Snaxburg

— — —

Back at Snaxburg, Chandlo made his way to Shelda’s hut. She sat in the lotus position with her eyes closed, reciting the words of mother naturae to herself.

“Hey Shelda! How have you been?”

Shelda opened her eyes “ah yes, Chandlo. For what brings you here to my humble abode, more words of wisdom perhaps?”

“Nah, I was just wondering if you had any candles I could borrow?”

“Hmm, the mothers light that guides those lost in the dark, Yes! One’s candles are kept by one’s herbs.”

“Cool, thanks shelda!” Chandlo smiled. He walked over to the candles and set down his bag. He took the bunger from under his arm and put it inside.

“One must ask, why does one travel with a bed sheet?”

“It has a big bopsicle inside for Snorpy, planning on having a little dinner date with him tonight.” Chandlo said as picked up a half used candle, it was just like the one they had on their last date.

“Awww, that’s nice! One can not remember the last time they’ve been on a date. Yet, One sends prayers to the mother that things go well.”

“Aww, thanks Shenda!” Chandlo blushed, “I'll tell you how it goes tomorrow!” He said as he walked away

Chandlo hid the bag and candle in a bush near the mill. He opened the door and went up the stairs. “ Hey Snorp-dawg! How’s your day been?”

Snorpy turned away from his conspiracy board. Red yarn in one hand and a pin cushion in the other. “Ah Chandlo, There you are! We’re have you been?”

“Just out working on my bod, whatcha think?” He said as he flexed his arm

Snorpy’s face turned red as he turned away to face his board again “why-uhh…yes, very good Chandlo.”

“Sooo what’s this?” Chandlo said as he stood next to him

“Oh! As you can tell, I’ve taken down all the strings. I want to rethink everything from the ground up, just to see if I’ve missed anything.”

“How long have you been working on this?” Chandlo said in a concerned tone.

“Since this morning. Why?”

“Ha ha, Just curious.” This is literally the worst thing that could have happened. Whenever snorpy gets like this it’s like nothing can stop him. The last time this happened Chandlo had to force snorpy to go to bed after 32 hours of theorizing. It’s going to be impossible to get him out the mill.

Chandlo quietly made his way down stairs and sat down in the front door. He brought his knees up to his chest and curled his arms around his legs. He rested his head on his knees and let out a sigh. He worked all day to catch theses bugsnax so he could have a night with Snorpy, just for him to go into one of his conspiracy spirals. It sucked that it happened, but he couldn’t hate him for it. He loved him too much.

Chandlo contemplated canceling tonight’s plans, but then he remembered the one grumpus that could help him

“Hey Floofty! I need your help!” Chandlo said as he walked up to Floofty on their side of the tent

“No, I’m busy.” They grumbled, not even looking away from the beaker they were stirring

“But it’s about Snorpy!”

“What about him?”

“I’m trying to do the dinner date thing I said I’d do last night, but I can't get Snorpy out the mill.”

“And what do you suppose I do?” They said as they gazed into the beaker

“I was thinking you could maybe distract him with some science stuff?”

“Ha! You think I would willingly spend my valuable time with my brother?”

Chandlo didn’t want to do this, but he would have to in order to save the night. “What if we made a deal?”

“I’m confident I’m not going to be interested in anything you have.”

“I caught a big bopsicle today. I could split it with you if you help.”

Floofty put the beaker on the table and crossed their arms behind their back as they turned to face him “I suppose I could make some time for snorpington today…”

Chandlo’s eyes lit up “ preciate it dawg! follow me!”

Chandlo pulled the bag from the bush and pulled out the bopsicle. He held it by its wooden tusks and snapped it in two, then handed one to Floofty.

After a few good licks they spoke “ though it might taste a bit like bunger, a deal is a deal. Move.” Floofty said as they pushed past Chandlo.

From outside Chandlo could hear their conversation.

“Snorpington! I have something extraordinarily important to ask you!”

“Floofty? When did you get here?”

“There is no time for small talk! The question is…“

“Wha-what are you saying? I can’t hear you. Are you just moving your mouth?”

“Snorpington! Listen! I can’t say it out here for the other residents of this island to hear. Come, we must speak on this in my home.”

“Oh no, this must be extremely important if you're willing to tell me. And where did you get that bopsicle? I want one…”

They both hastily left the mill, leaving it completely empty for Chandlo to get everything ready.

— — —

“Honestly Floofty, I don’t think your opinions on the climate of this island are important enough to have taken me from my work.”

“You really don’t find the fact that an ISLAND that is only a couple hundred miles long that has a TUNDRA AND A DESERT is odd???”

“I can chalk everything up to being apart of the grumpinati.”

“The existence of the grumpinati is false, and you know it.”

Chandlo was outside the house and felt the tension growing. He gently knocked on the door signaling to Floofty that everything was set up.

“Perfect, your presence is no longer welcomed here. get out.” Floofty said coldly

“Happily! I hate being in the presence of someone who won’t share where they get their bopsicles.” Snorpy growled as he opened the door

“Hey Snorp-dawg, I got something to show you!” Chadlo said as he took his hand and lead him over to the mill

“Chandlo, what is going on today? You’ve been acting so weird!” Snorpy said worryingly

They both stopped at the front door of the mill which was closed. Chandlo stood in front of Snorpy and took both of his paws. “Snorpy, I need you to cover your eyes.”

“Cover my eyes? For what?”

“For a surprise dawg!”

“Chandlo, you know how I feel about surprises…”

“C’mon, I worked really hard on this! Don’t you trust me?”

Snorpy sighed as he gently took one paw from Chandlo’s and covered his eyes with it. “Oh, I suppose I do.”

Chandlo could hardly contain his excitement as he opened the front door. He led snorpy to the door that led to the backyard, where they stopped. “You can open your eyes now.”

Snorpy shyly pulled his hand from his eyes, revealing the scene in front of him. The setting Sun's light shined beautifully onto the white table cloth. Upon the table sat wooden plates and a lit candle in the middle. A bbq bunger sat on the plate to the left and a small bopsicle on the right.

“Ch-Chandlo, what is all this?”

“Last night I was just thinking about the last time we went on a dinner date, so I wanted to try doing one again!”

“ You did all this for me?” Snorpy blushed

“Nah, I did it for us!” Chandlo said as he walked over to the seat on the right and pulled it out “C’mon, let’s sit down.”

Snorpy took his seat as Chandlo sat across from him. “Chandlo, this is amazing! when did you have time for all of this?”

Chandlo took the bunger in his paws “dude, I did all of this today.” He took a bite.

“You went to the scorched gorge and sugarpine woods all in one day, And you caught a bopsicle? I thought you hated them!” Snorpy said as he licked his bopsicle

“But I know you love them! And good thing Floofty likes ‘em too, without them I would have never been able to get you outside.”

“So that’s why they came to talk to me, You bribe them with the other half of this bopsicle!” Snorpy rested his paw on the table. “I knew they would have never came to speak to me without a proper reason, It’s simply not like them.”

“I don’t see why, it’s amazing talking to you ~” Chandlo said smoothly as he rested his paw on snorpy’s.

Snorpy’s face became red hot. He quickly looked away from Chandlo’s eyes. “Ah! Why thank you!”

They sat together talking long after the sunset. Chandlo blew out the candle as Snorpy went upstairs. They both sat on their respective beds and let out a sigh.

“That was a wonderful dinner Chandlo, thank you.” Snorpy yawned

“Anytime, dude!” Chandlo tossed his hat onto his gym bag and laid back in his bed, he hadn’t realized how tired he was. He thought back to last night, there was still one more thing he wanted to do.

“Chandlo, I have something to ask you… would you uh… like to share my bed with me?” Snorpy said sheepishly

Chandlo quickly sat up. “ dude! I was just about to ask you the same thing!” He blushed

“Oh, well then, let me make some room-“

Chandlo jumped in his bed and wrapped his arms around Snorpy’s body, basically tackling him.

“Ah! Careful Chandlo, You could have broken my glasses!” Snorpy cried as Chandlo laid on top of him.

“Sorry snorp-dawg.” Chandlo chuckled. He held his face and looked him in the eyes, Snorpy let out a nervous chuckle as he pulled him in a little closer. They kissed tenderly, but only for a second.

“I love you so much Snorpy <3” Chandlo whispered softly

“I… love you too.” Snorpy said like he didn’t want him to hear

They both laid in bed together. Chandlo held Snorpy close to him, his arms wrapped around his chest with Snorpy’s back facing him. His gentle snoring was so comforting compared to the rambling he would be doing now if he hadn’t made dinner. This day was amazing, Snorpy is amazing, everything is amazing

Chandlo couldn’t have wished for anything better.

Plus some art of my favorite scene 

#art #digital art #digital illustration #procreate #cute #bugsnax #bugsnax chandlo #bugsnax snorpy #bugsnax wambus #bugsnax shelda #bugsnax floofty #fanfic #fandom #fan comic #chandlo x snorpy #romance #romantic dinner #romantic date #oneshot #my fic #fic with art #fluff

[delulu-with-wandanat]

Two Worlds Apart

Another song that has been stuck in my head- (this is also sort of a continuation) anyway idk if this counts as angst but ay its sad shit ig

‘Corrupted’ Wanda x ‘Earth 77’ Natasha

Pairings: Natasha Romanoff x Wanda Maximoff

Summary: After losing Natasha, Wanda ventured across the multiverse to find her lover. She found Earth-77. She decided to kidnap Earth-77 Natasha and brought her back to her own Universe, but like they said. You fuck around with the Universe, it’ll find a way to bite you back in the ass.

"Wanda, I have to return to my own universe." The incursion of her presence cause too much havoc. The environment surrounding them were breaking in ways they could have never imagined.

"Natasha, I can't... don't make me do this."

"You have too, moya lyubov. Look around!" The sky looked liked it was tearing itself apart, buildings collapsing, people disintegrating out of existance. "I don't belong here, Wanda. You have to return me-"

"NO-" The Scarlet Witch side of Wanda seemed to have returned for a split second, Natasha had to be careful with her words.

For the last couple of weeks Natasha was able to reduce the corruption that the darkhold had against Wanda. Slowly, but surely, Wanda was returning to her old self. The sweet, kind, gentle and loving Wanda Maximoff that Natasha once knew. Sure this was a variant of her Wanda, but they share a lot of similarities.

"A portion of my breath flew away with you the night you died. These past few weeks with you… was the first time I could properly breathe again. Please, don’t take this away from me.”

Natasha understood her pain, she truly does. As in her Universe, she had lost her Wanda. “When you left me that night, I put the blame on myself.” Natasha clenched her jaw as tears starts to pool in her eyes. “Believe me when I say I want nothing more than to stay here with you and be in your arms again. To have the life we always talked about.”

“And we could have that, Natalia.” Wanda pushed once more.

“Wanda we can’t-“

“Why not?” She asked rather coldly. The Scarlet Witch seems to have wrapped around her once again.

“My love please, I know you would never go through this willingly-”

“Am I wrong, for not being the same person I was before?” Natasha went silent at the eerie contrast of Wanda’s variant, and the Wanda she once knew. The one who sacrificed herself for the soul stone in Vormir.

“For wanting what I rightfully deserve? Everyone gets a happy ending, Steve returned to his lover in the past. Clint was reunited with his family… And I returned to nobody.” Wanda swallowed the lump in her throat.

“Your body was rotting on Vormir. And no one even bothered to held a funeral for you just because they were preoccupied with Tony Stark who snapped his little fingers.”

In Natasha’s universe, Wanda hadn’t gone snapped. During those 5 years they had build a life together. The significant difference between their lost was Wanda had not only lost Natasha, but also the time with her.

“Wanda…”

“You’ll destroy me if you leave.” Wanda whispered. Her lips were quivering and her breath was uneven.

“You are my goddess, Wanda.”

“Then come back to me, bring back a fraction of the breath you take because I can’t live another day where you are not near.”

-The song-

I think this song talks about a lover that broke up and the other still wants them back. It's a little different to this fic but meh it works. (I may be trying to gtfo of this country, but goddamn do we make great sad ass songs😩🤌)

Separuh Nafas - Dewa 19

Original lyrics: Separuh nafasku Terbang bersama dirimu Saat kau tinggalkanku Salahkanku Salahkah aku Bila aku bukanlah Seperti aku yang dahulu Kau hancurkan diriku Bila kau tinggalkan aku Kau dewiku Kembalilah padaku Bawa separuh nafasku Kau dewiku

Translated lyrics: A portion of my breath Flew away with you When you left me Put the blame on me Am I wrong If I'm not the same person as I used to be You'll break me If you leave me You are my goddess Come back to me Bring back a fraction of my breath You are my goddess

#natasha romanoff #wandanat #wanda maximoff #natasha #wanda x natasha #wlw #wanda #wandanat angst #scarlet widow #scarletwidow #natasha x wanda #wandanat fic #wandanat fanfic #wandanat fanfiction #mcu sapphic #scarletwidow angst

[infinitefluffderg]

Finished My Friendly Neighborhood! Good game! Can recommend if you’re a fan of Survival Horror games, though if you’re a veteran you’ll probably find Survival difficulty pretty easy. It’s almost a Baby’s First Survival Horror - and I don’t mean that detrimentally. It’s not bloody, gory, violent, it’s mostly goofy, but not straying from the real horrors of the world. It’s good for a younger audience. Though the last part of the game will scare the shit out of kids, not that they’d easily get past the puzzles.

Here’s some spoiler-free tips if you’re curious!

1. Wrench is meh! Though it’s a good way to initiate a necessary fight, it loses its usefulness by the time you have at least a full magazine of ammo. Largely this is because puppets will catch up if you’re attacking while moving backwards and the timing can be difficult before they grab/hug you. Once you have a few stacks it’s better to stick with ranged. Don’t be shy about using that ammo either. You’ll be getting a lot.

2. There’s DEFINITELY not enough tape to tape up everyone in the game. The best places to tape puppets up are hallways or rooms you expect to backtrack through a lot (save rooms, puzzle/key rooms) or have multiple puppets in an enclosed space. Even taping one out of a pair can be enough as you’re faster than the puppets as long as you’re not running backwards.

3. You have four health segments, one will take two hits and replenishes with a single heal item. There will be plenty of healing if you’re looking for it so feel free to stay topped up and only use a heal station if you’re down in Danger Town. There’s more than enough tokens to save and heal plenty (I saved around 22 times by the end). And heal bottles take up a lot of inventory space. Unless you get in a REALLY bad (self-inflicted) situation, just one bottle should be enough.

4. THERE ARE SO MANY SECRETS. Some you’ll spot casually, others you may come back to later. Keep an eye open as one chain of secrets gets you access to the game’s final weapon which’ll basically turn the game into a power fantasy. You don’t need it, but…

5. Save often! You won’t need to save too often, but a death (which can happen easily if you’re rushing into things) will put you back a ways and there’s not many save rooms. If you’ve cleared out a large amount of space, time to save!

#long winded #my friendly neighborhood

[cabinofimagines]

annabwth being jealous over reader?!?!?!

I was going to post this during June for pride month but we need content for her birthday so here it is -Danny

I’m looking (respectfully) —Annabeth Chase xGN!Reader

Annabeth pulls her cap lower to make it harder for others to notice her glare. She is staring, and will only stop once she gets her hands on that trashy idiot that’s been blatantly flirting with you for the past hour.

Everyone knows Annabeth is the jealous type, there’s no discussion there and she knows it. She’s very particular about her things, and she’s extremely protective over her friends— especially you.

You, her significant other for the past four years, ever since you guys were teenagers. High school sweethearts turned into partners for life, Annabeth is smitten, and she is about to break some rando’s nose.

Across the room you feel her stare and grimace slightly, trying to play it cool with the person that’s currently trying their best to impress you. You’re not sure why you haven’t stopped this stranger from making a move, but perhaps it has to do with the fact that they’re not exactly being direct about it.

If they’d been, you would’ve been able to say ‘No, sorry! I have a girlfriend!’ but since they haven’t said or done anything too forward, you’re just standing there like an idiot hoping Annabeth gets a hold of herself before she ends up murdering a classmate.

“Oh, you finished your drink,” The unknown flirt points at your empty cup. “Let me get you a new one...”

You seize the opportunity like your life depends on it —it’s their life that’s hanging on a thread, more like— and you step back, smiling politely.

“Don’t worry, I should go back to my girlfriend already, I’ve kept her waiting long enough and we were about to leave the party anyway...”

“Oh,” The person blinks and looks around, they seem a bit lost. “Sure. Sorry, I didn’t know you were leaving, I hope your girlfriend doesn’t get upset about keeping her waiting.”

“It’s fine,” You assure them. “She’s over there waiting for me, I guess she saw us talking and thought you were a friend of mine so she’s waiting for us to finish here.”

Annabeth’s deep, calculating eyes stare at you from the entrance and even though she’s not scowling, you can feel her impatience. The guy in front of you gulps and steps a little further away, waving at the blonde shortly.

“Well, it was nice meeting you anyway,” They say quietly. “See you...”

“Have a good night!” You reply in a light tone, hoping that makes them feel less idiotic.

When you finally make your way to Annabeth, a little smile makes its way to your features and causes your girlfriend’s frown to deepen.

“You know, if you weren’t such a hermit you would be having more fun at parties— instead of just scaring everyone away with those eyes,” Your hand moves up to gently rub Annabeth’s brow.

While your thumb moves across her forehead, she scoffs a little.

“No one interesting ever comes to these except you.”

“That’s sweet,” You kiss her briefly before adding, “and straight-up bullshit.”

Annabeth finally smiles, though it’s short and really not as pretty as her usual grins.

“Sorry, I know I’m being a party pooper...”

“Meh, you’ll grow out of it, I’m sure,” You shrug, brushing a few strands of hair away from her face. “Once we’re married so you feel sure no one’s going to steal me away, most likely.”

Annabeth pokes your ribs and you laugh, squirming away from reach.

“I promise I’ll stop glaring at every person that is remotely flirty towards you... well no, I promise I won’t kill them. That good enough?”

“Sufficient.”

“Can we go back to my dorm, then?”

“I sure hope you’re not planning to keep me in there while you do homework,” You frown. “Then you’d be a real party pooper.”

“Nah, we’re going to cuddle,” She wraps her arm around your shoulders and walks you out of the house. “And maybe I’ll do homework once you fall asleep.”

#pjo fanfic #hoo #annabeth chase #annabeth chase x reader #Danny's writing

[awakeandlonely]

perhaps any romantic fluff with noir x reader's birthday??

Morning surprise

Summary: you get a good morning from noir on your birthday

Word count: 672

A/n: my first ever posted fic!!!! Not beta read so it might be abit meh

Todays the day. That one day of the year that its all about you. No missions. No villains. Not anything in the world can discourage your pleasant mood today on none other than your birthday...other than the cold space next to you in bed where Peter should be.

With your mood dampened already you get up out of bed. The wonder of where your beloved Spidey may be ocupying your mind enough not to notice the sweet smell of breakfast coming from the kitchen rounding the corner out of the hallway you stop in your tracks as the sleep finally leaves your vision. You're met with the lankey but built image of Peter only in his sleep trousers ,his shirt your currently wearing, with a pan in one hand and spatula in the other being the source of the mouth watering smell.

Walking up to him wrapping your arms around his mid section face firmly planted between his shoulder blades as he plates up the last of the food and turns around in your grasp.

"Good morning to you too darling" he says in a smooth morning voice slowly pulling his hand through your hair." You awake enough for pancakes?" Placing a kiss on your head and turning back around to grab the plates slowly moving you to a seat on the sofa and placing them on the coffee table infront of you heading back over to make some coffee.

When he comes back you hear him playing with something then come to realise while the drinks were brewing he had bought a bright obnoxious party hat and was untangling the elastic to put it on your head. Having seen you turn around he slowly brings his hand behind his back, innocent look on his face. "What you have there Pete?" Hearing your groggy morning voice for the first time today he paused for a minute and a small smile appeared on his face while you said it. He always thought your voice , even when rough, sounded angelic to him like no other. "Nothing" dragging out the o sound once again trying to look innocent. He walks backwards bumping into the counter top while hiding the hat from you still. Going back to your breakfast then hearing clinks as he brought the mugs to the table and going back to his own food not bringing up the hat.

Finishing and getting up to put the plate into the kitchen he moves infront of you and takes it from your hands "sweetheart its your day today. Let me do all the work please" using his stupid, adorable, big brown, puppy dog eyes to lure you back. "Come on darling, go back to bed and rest" his voice soothingly soft again. Hesitantly looking behind his back your brows furrow as you looked at him in suspension. He slowly moves you past the sofa and back down to the hallway one hand on your shoulder. Finally giving in and moving into the bed room he leaves you be to go back to the kitchen, soon finding yourself falling back into sleep.

The feeling of breath against your forehead wasnt the worst thing to wake up to but it was most certainly questionable. Stirring awake, you open your eyes to see Peter ,oblivious to you having just woken up, holding the offensively bright party hat and slowly lowering it onto your head as to not wake you and giggling to himself, glasses almost falling off of his nose. "Pete?" Finally fully awake and taking in your surroundings he jumps back to his side of the bed elastic of the hat finally snapping to your chin. "Sweet heart!" He seems surprised "when did you wake up?" He nervously chuckles to himself hoping to not be in too much trouble. Grabbing his shirt collar and pulling him into your embrace finally locking your lips together.

Atleast it was a pleasent surprise on your birthday you just had to wait and see what else he has planned for you.

#spiderman into the spiderverse #spiderman x reader #spiderman noir #spiderman #spiderman noir x reader #spiderman noir x you

[1tsjusty0u]

hm. major characters' favorite types of weather

HM!!

mipha used to like rain!! its one of the only weathers where new types of creatures come out, like tireless frogs. also its pretty she doesnt care what anyone says its always pretty. especially with how the domains lights reflect off of it!!!! also it feels really nice on her scales. she likes to direct water by moving her arm whe droplets are running across it so it looks like her hand is a small hose if its raining enough. anyways however uh. after vah ruta she probably likes to see the domain sunny again. i dont know how aware she was during the whole being trapped as a spirit thing, so she may still like the rain but’s still weary over it. so right now her favorite weather would probably be sun showers: not enough rain to break the dam and its sunny, but its still raining so critters come out And you feel nice rain on your skin/scales, and the rainbows!!! promises of a better future over all. also i forgot about thunderstorms in the past she’d go over to watch the lightning, nowadays she’ll still watch it but isnt a fan of the noise or wind

on one hand i dont think revali would have a good perception of weather in general (tabantha alone has like. a 2% chance rain and is mostly always sunny, and after doing the shrine quest for the singing chicks/the singing rocks quest rito village is just set to Always Sunny. no i dont know why . so its good chance that for revali itd either be Sunny or Snowy and no in between. ritoes still know of rain though (in game dialogue) so he at least knows of it), however once he does travel i dont think he’d like the rain honestly. makes his feathers wet and heavy and hes not even taking a shower and its Cold >:( . while rainbows would be cool to him once again the rain deters him. snowy is familiar to him but sometimes thats a bad thing. as much as he Knows it its both extremely cold, hard to see through, cold with the Wind making it feel a lot more cold than it is, and yeah. ive said that he would pride himself on being able to see through it which he would but sometimes i think itd be a struggle over all. so he likes sunny the best. thunder irritates him

daruk doesnt have too much of a preference! he likes sunny as its what his home had before death mt was active, rain is something new and surprisingly feels nice, sun showers have both the perks of sunny and rain And have the bonus of rainbows. i dont think he’d like heavy Heavy rain or thunderstorms but yeah! he also wouldnt like snow nor lava/magma weather

urbosa would love thunder storms. gerudo desert as beautiful and homey as it is is so hot. it makes you sluggish tired ready to puke and pass out from heatstroke. unless you have a circlet you will Not Have Fun. always bring water i cannot stress this enough. so having cold rain would already be fun enough, both because of the kind of child instinct of wanting to play in the rain but also Water. Cool. feels nice. minus getting your clothes wet but Still. and then Lightning Too?????? she can practice smiting people and no one would notice!! on a more serious note though she’d like to see thunder in its. Natural Habitat. though she might be a little more weary of it after naboris. also once again she just likes the rain especially if its raining really hard. she does not like snow at all, sunnys meh, sun showers are cool

zelda!!!!!!! thunder storms sun showers and surprisingly enough, snow!! she likes snow the most due to being able to play with snow, snowflakes Looking Like That, and how it feels in general. if its not windy its Perfect for her. sun showers show rainbows and thats mostly what shes a fan of, she Does like the rain but probably a lot more post cal because she can play in mud and dirt and rain with no consequence/shame. she probably Would have shame over it unless there was a goal to it . like walking through bottomless bogs just to get across she’d Do That. but i dont know if she’d actually play play in mud unfortunately </3 . thunderstorms she likes seeing how the thunder Comes In, as they appear through little clouds like the dragon clouds. also did you know that at certain mountain points if its thundering itll turn to snow but the thundering itself wont stop, so itll snow And thunder. i think thatd be her favorite. i dont think she likes the sound of thunder though. also she likes the ash flakes of magma weather but Hates the hot

wreath!!!! neutral however he hates thunderstorms and snowy weather. thunderstorms as it Targets his Weapons and he gets Fried!!!!!!!!!!!! also he cant climb walls. snowy weather he can never see anything and its always creepy… herobrine weather. he does like rain (pretty) but once again. he cannot scale anything. this led to him while scaling the skull lake eye shrine to camp out in a small caveish/a place where he could stand on solid ground when he was halfway up. i think zelda would want to do this and Do This instead of teleporting up. anyways sunnys meh to him. provides nothing of value except in snow regions. post everything it doesnt really. matter to him . well even less. he likes rain a little more now but yeah! probably rain

#wreath of the bild #HI!!!!!!!!!! interesting question!!!!! #if any of this is.. off? i am sorry. noise distractions

[neon-junkie]

Why can’t this be Love? - Chpt.10

Summary: You’ve never really fit in, despite trying, despite being on the cheerleading team, despite awkwardly socialising with the popular crowd. It’s not for you - these people aren’t for you. Yet, you don’t know how to escape! Do you continue following a dead end? Or finally break away?

The answer is made for you after your ‘date,’ a boy on the basketball team, bails on you, and uninvites you from some stupid basketball after party. Whatever, that’s fine. But what’s not fine is the agonisingly long walk home. Oh, in the dark, late at night!

However, your saviour finds you, and not only does he save you from walking home alone, but the conflicting feelings that you’ve spent the last few years with.

Pairing: Eddie Munson x Female Cheerleader Reader

Reader Description: Reader is female and uses she/her pronouns. Not much detail is given about her appearance, other than she wears heavy eyeliner, and is clearly an outcast that is trying to fit in.

Word count: 5.3k

Tags: Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Slow burn, Awkward flirting, Drinking, Angst, Comfort, Generic High School Bullying, Denial of feelings, Feelings realisation.

[Chapter 1]  [Read on AO3]  [Chapter 11]

Chapter 10 - Lava Lamp

Another huff trails from your lips as you look yourself over in the mirror, questioning your fifth outfit choice of the night. You want something casual, and perhaps a little revealing? Shit, who knows! What the fuck are you doing?!

Needless to say, you're eager to catch Eddie's attention, despite knowing that you've already done so. He's coming over to see you, for Christ's sake - of course you've caught his attention!

With bunched up fists, you sigh, and decide to roll with what you currently have on. It's almost seven anyway, and you have little time to tidy up the range of clothes thrown over your bed. You've opted for short shorts and a band tee, contrasting against the pink, fluffy socks hugging your ankles.

What? They're cute!

Your clothes are tidied away, a candle is lit and left on your desk, and you decide to begin flicking through your cassette collection, deciding what music is best fitting to cover up the sounds of yours and Eddie's laughter.

Thank the Gods that you haven't put on any music just yet, as you can clearly hear the tap! of someone throwing pebbles at your window. You pull the window up, and prop it on the latch before staring down to reveal the culprit.

Eddie is standing there with another pebble in hand, only he drops it to the grass below, and sends you a goofy smile. "Ah, my Juliet!" Eddie calls out with one hand on his chest, the other stretching out in your direction. His voice is just above a whisper, however, you're still cautious of the noise.

You bring your finger to your lips as you order, "shh!"

"But my Juliet, won't you let down your hair?" Eddie grins.

With a brow raised, you scoff as you realise what Eddie is trying to reference. "Those are two different books, you idiot! No wonder you're failing English!"

"Meh," Eddie mutters with a mindless shrug. His eyes trail from yours as he focuses on the trellis climbing along your kitchen window, finishing just below your own. Your mother's roses are currently dormant, meaning she's not going to wake up to see a handful of them in the dirt, kicked aside as Eddie makes his climb. Phew, thank fuck!

Eddie gives the fence a gentle tug to test its stability before making his climb. Thankfully, your parents are in the living room, leaving Eddie to climb past the kitchen window unnoticed, even with the curtains drawn shut.

You automatically grab onto him as he comes into your reach, worried that he's going to slip and meet the grass below. Soon, Eddie scrambles through your window, and lets out a deep breath once his feet are stably on the carpet. You decide to leave the window open, just in case Eddie needs to make a swift exit...

"So," Eddie begins as he shrugs off his backpack and jacket, leaving them on your desk chair. "This is the Princess of Darkness's room, huh?" Eddie states as he slowly paces around your room, eyeing up every element as if he's in a museum.

"Don't judge me too hard," you shrug. It's not that your room is anything to be ashamed of, but it's far from your ideal cosy cave.

Eddie's eyes light up as he comes into contact with your lava lamp, currently unlit, on your bedside table. "I've always wanted one of these," Eddie mumbles as his hands follow the cord, and flick the light on. "How long does it take?" Eddie gestures.

"For it to... do its thing? About an hour," you explain.

"Damn," Eddie curses. "It's fine, I'm a patient man!"

He continues his adventure, and before you know it, Eddie's head is tilted to the side as he browses your cassette collection. "Pick whatever you want," you shrug as you get comfortable on your bed. "I was deciding before you came."

Eddie hums to himself, his fingertips brushing over the edges of the cases as he decides. Van Halen is fished out, and Eddie pops the cassette into the player. "Is this level okay?" Eddie questions as he turns the volume up, keeping the music somewhat loud, but quiet enough to talk freely, and not disturb your family.

"Yeah," you say with a nod. You watch as Eddie springs onto your bed, kicking off his Reebok's before getting comfortable besides you. "So..." he murmurs once more whilst crossing his legs. How he's able to cross his legs in those skinny jeans is beyond you, but he does it as if it's second nature.

Your eyes meet Eddie's, and you're instantly reminded of the purple bruise covering his cheekbone. "How is it?" you ask as you gesture to the bruise. It's no longer swollen like it was yesterday, but the purple blotches still remain, and no doubt, they'll stay there for another week.

Eddie rolls his eyes, "it's fine, mom," he curses, but follows his sarcasm up with that goofy smile that never fails to make your heart melt.

You know damn-well that Eddie hasn't bothered tending to the wound, and you also know damn-well that there's an ice pack waiting in your freezer. "Stay here, let me go and get something," you order as you shuffle up from your bed, with a single task in mind.

"Okay," Eddie nods, stretching out the word. "It's not like I have anywhere else to go!"

Scurrying downstairs, you make your way into the kitchen. An ice pack is pulled from your freezer, along with two glasses of water, seeing as you haven't even offered Eddie a drink yet. Poor man, he must be dying of thirst upstairs!

Your parents pay you no mind, too engrossed in whatever bullshit the news is currently spewing out. Upon returning to your room, the first thing you see is Eddie sprawled out on your bed. His eyes are shut, mimicking being asleep, cuddling a six-pack of ciders tightly in his arms. "Moron," you playfully mutter as you place the glasses of water down on your bedside table, before crawling onto the bed.

"Huh? What?!" Eddie stutters as he pretends to wake up, giving his eyes a tired rub. "Oh, it's just you! You took so long that I fell asleep. It's okay, though, I had these ciders to cuddle me throughout the night."

"Oh, you poor, lonely thing," you laugh. Whilst Eddie remains lying on your bed, you lean against his body to press the ice pack to his cheekbone, unfazed by the sensation of your torso being pressed to his chest.

Eddie shivers, and you're uncertain if it's from the chill, or the body contact. Regardless, he keeps his persona up, and meets your eyes as you tend to his bruise. "Seriously, though, do you want a cider? I couldn't get the ones you were drinking last Friday, but I-"

"-I'd love a cider," you interrupt, knowing that Eddie is going to ramble for the rest of time if you don't silence him now. He's just like that, forever feeling the need to explain every single action that he makes. A clear sign of trauma - one that you can relate to.

With one hand propping your weight up, and the other positioning the ice pack, Eddie decides to act as your saviour; he pops open a can, and brings the rim up to your lips. The positioning is awkward, but you manage to take a tiny sip before giggling at the arrangement.

"Here," Eddie says as he removes the ice pack from your grasp, freeing up your hand to take the cider from his. Do you dare think about the warmth of his palm, only coming into contact with your chilled hand for a brief second?

No, don't you dare think about it! Don't let that minor skin contact linger in your mind, heating up your cheeks with ease, making it obvious to Eddie that you're desperately touch starved, and oh-so-giddy about him.

Relax, girl!

You open up a cider for Eddie, and before you know it, you're sitting by his side as he lies on your bed, an ice pack on his face, and a cider in hand. He looks like a hospital patient that has snuck booze into his ward, and you're the sweet nurse that he can't help but flirt with.

"Okay, I can no longer feel my face," Eddie sighs, and places the ice pack on your bedside table. He slowly shuffles up into a sitting position, ensuring that not a single drop of his cider is spilt onto your luscious bedding. Oh, what a gentleman!

"Wait, one last thing," you mutter as you place your cider on the side. You pull a tub of ointment out from your top draw, and without hesitation, you take a small blob and begin massaging it over the bruise.

Skin contact? Again? No wonder your stomach is spinning like a washing machine on its last legs. It doesn't help that Eddie flutters his eyes shut, and a calm smile appears on his lips. "Cream?" he says with a gentle laugh. "What next? A band-aid? A healing kiss?"

Oh, Jesus.

As much as you want to pull him by the scruff of his band shirt, and press your lips to his, you don't quite have that confidence. You can, however, continue your flirtatious banter, and hope that the gap will soon be bridged.

"What would you prefer?" you ask.

Eddie's eyes slowly open as he clicks his tongue, grinning like the Cheshire Cat. He shakes his head softly, his eyes darting to his cider before meeting yours, full of the perfect blend of nerves and confidence. "What do you think, Sweetheart?" he throws the ball back in your court.

Thank Christ that you left your window open. Sweat forms above your brow as you swiftly plan your reply, wanting to keep the match going for a little longer. "Band-aid it is," you sarcastically reply, matching Eddie's soft laugh.

Eddie clicks his tongue once more as he shakes his head in disagreement, "oh, how you wound me!" he sighs as he clutches his chest.

With a laugh, you roll your eyes, "fine!" you pretend to look grumpy about his neediness, but the way your heart is thumping says otherwise. Tenderly, you lean forward and place a gentle kiss to Eddie's bruise, not wanting to irritate the area, or pull away with a mouthful of ointment on your lips.

Eddie grins like a child at Christmas, and the look in his eyes has you feeling lovesick. Fuck, he's adorable. How the hell can people view this cute bunny as a devil worshipper?!

"You're so sweet on lil' old me," Eddie playfully comments as he bats his lashes, and brings his free hand up to cover his shy expression with his hair. You can't help but laugh - truly, who wouldn't giggle at such a sweet sight?

"Someone has to be," you sarcastically comment, earning a chuckle from Eddie.

As his laughter trails off, Eddie takes a deep swig of his drink whilst his ears perk up at the music. He hums the melody, and his head begins to bounce, his curls rocking in time with the music, "this is one of my favourites."

You remain silent as you listen out, picking up the words with ease. "Oh, yeah!" you agree, the sound of 'Why can't this be love?' trailing around your room.

"Is this what you and your girls do when they come over? Listen to sappy, rock love songs?" Eddie grins, his feet subconsciously bouncing in time with the music.

This time, you're the one laughing. "I wish," you say with a sad shake of your head. "Misty prefers indie music," you explain. As much as you like her taste, it's not as heavy as you prefer. Then again, she probably thinks your music is too 'dark' to begin with.

"What do you do instead, then? Gossip? Talk about cute boys?" Eddie questions as he twirls one of his curls around his fingertip, batting his lashes like a cliché schoolgirl.

"Sometimes," you reply with a wink. "Especially ones with long hair, and a good taste in music."

Eddie places his fingers on his chin, clearly in deep thought. After a few moments of him rattling his brain, he shrugs, "hmm, I wouldn't know any!"

"Really?" you sarcastically sigh. "You're missing out, Eddie! He's a real catch," you chuckle. "But when we're not talking about cute boys, we're usually gossiping, or playing something silly like truth or dare."

Eddie, like the mastermind that he is, takes the opportunity to get to know you better, even if it is through a silly game. "Well, my lady. Perhaps I can tempt you into a silly game of truth or dare?"

You can't help but snort at the idea, in awe that not only has Eddie Munson 'broken' into your house, but he now wants to play such a game with you! "On one condition..." you groan.

"Go on," Eddie says with a gentle nod.

"We make it a drinking game."

Eddie literally lights up at your suggestion. "What a woman," he mutters under his breath, although you know his words are intentionally loud enough for you to hear. "Okay, how about we have to drink whenever we don't want to answer a question?"

"And when we can't think of anything to ask?" you suggest, feeling like the drinking side of the game is a little too easy.

"I like your style," Eddie grins.

After taking a swig from your drink, you ask the first of many inviting questions. "Eddie, truth or dare?"

-

The six-pack of ciders has long been finished, and you took up the liberty of sneaking into your parent's booze cabinet to fish out something that they won't miss. A cheap bottle of rum now sits on your bedside table, the taste washed down by even cheaper cola. It's painful to drink, simply because it's pure sugar and flat soda. Disgusting, really!

However, the booze has both yours and Eddie's lips loose, blabbering away as every truth or dare is cast.

"It's just a skull," Eddie explains as he brings his band shirt up over his chest, revealing his final tattoo. You had dared Eddie to show you all of his tattoos, expecting at least a crappy kiss mark on his bum. But, no, the most you're seeing of him is his lean torso, soft abs, and a decorative patch of fluff that thickens as it approaches the waistband of his jeans.

Oh, and the skull tattoo.

Yeah, you were totally looking at that!

"I like it," you nod, ensuring that your eyes are fixed on his tattoo.

Eddie brings his shirt down over his chest, and relaxes back onto your bed. He props himself up on his elbows, a half-empty drink in hand, warming up against the heat of his palm. "Your turn," Eddie smiles. "Truth or dare?"

The last time you chose dare, Eddie forced you to show him the most embarrassing item of clothing that you own. And to make matters worse, he asked to try said item on, to which you scoffed and shoved it deep within your wardrobe. "Truth," you decide.

Eddie's foot bounces subconsciously as he digs out another revealing question. "How about..." he stirs, "what are your plans for Homecoming?"

Fuck.

You let out a defeated sigh. "I've been trying to ignore that shit," you huff. Hawking High is currently plastered in posters and announcements, shoving Homecoming into the eyes of every poor student that graces their halls. It's not that you hate the event, but that you're simply not fussed about it - not excited, nor repulsed.

It's just... meh.

"You're doing a better job than me," Eddie says with a chuckle. "I'm going to eat the next Homecoming poster I see, like a goblin!" he states, followed by a keen lick of his lips.

"Eat?" you scoff. "If you're hungry, then you can chow down on the snacks that they have at Homecoming," you shrug.

Eddie chuckles before taking a sip of his drink, his lips pursing as the defeated taste of warm rum flows down his throat. "I take it you don't have any plans, then?" he innocently questions.

Gesturing to yourself, you tilt your head in amusement as you reply, "do I really look like someone who has plans for Homecoming?"

"I dunno," Eddie mindlessly shrugs. "I assumed your ex-boyfriend might have come crawling back, and asked you to be his date?"

There's a tint of disappointment to his words, as if you're about to reveal that your ex has, indeed, come crawling back. Eddie's eyes meet his drink as he awaits your reply, only for them to flick up to your expression as you scoff, "not in hell's chance."

"No?" Eddie repeats.

"God, no!" you laugh. "He hasn't spoken to me since last Friday, and even if he did, I'd shoo him away with a rolled up newspaper!"

Eddie begins to smile, but ends up chewing on his bottom lip instead. Is he trying to cover up his expression? You notice the way his shoulders drop with relief, only for his entire frame to be covered up as Eddie brings his drink up to his lips. "I'm happy to hear that," Eddie states as he sits upright. He picks the bottle of rum up off your bedside table, and silently offers you a refill.

"Please," you confirm as you stabilize both of your glasses. Eddie plays bartender as he pours your drinks, and returns to his laid back position once you're topped up.

"Your turn, Eddie. Truth or dare?" you question.

"Truth."

"What are you doing for Homecoming?" you grin.

Eddie softly shakes his head as he tuts your excitement. "You know the rules. No repeat questions, Sweetheart," Eddie scolds.

"Fine," you say with an exaggerated groan. You ponder on your wording, wanting to weave an exact answer out of his lips. You know that he's not the type to attend, yet you still need verbal confirmation - reassurance. "Who are you taking to Homecoming?" you question, the liquor speaking for you.

Eddie can't help but laugh, even more so as you press your palm to his mouth and hiss, "shush!" not wanting to alert your parents.

With a hand clutching his stomach, Eddie sits upright, chewing on his tongue in an attempt to bite back his laughter. "You're funny, you know that, right?" he snickers. Heat continues rising to Eddie's cheeks, and his curls dance as he shakes his head in disappointment. "There may be a line of people queueing up to be my date, but this guy has decided to ride solo," Eddie gestures to himself.

"Oh!" you sarcastically gasp. "Eddie, you're so desirable!"

"I know, I know," he winks. "But really, Sweetheart, I wasn't going to attend. My plans were to host a D&D session on the night as my nonconformist way of sticking it to the school, but some of the boys surprisingly want to attend. So, it looks like it'll just be me, and my right hand," Eddie explains as he raises his hand up, giving it a soft wave.

"I understand," you nod. "I tend to spend that night with the girls, but we haven't really spoken about it this year," you shrug. The magic has worn off; you used to spend weeks preparing for Homecoming, forever praying that someone will ask you out to that silly dance, only to be disappointed year after year. Why bother any more?

"Can you blame them?" Eddie shrugs. "Anyway, truth or dare?"

After taking a swig of your drink, you decide to keep the ball rolling. "Dare," you reply. You know that Eddie will probably stay on the topic of Homecoming, but you're eager to shake things up a bit, especially after your somewhat depressing confessions.

Indeed, Eddie stays on the topic of Homecoming, but his dare leaves you blushing heavier than a hopeless romantic! A warm smile appears on his lips, and you're almost certain that there are stars twinkling in his eyes. He's an angel, truly - an angel that has your stomach spinning, and your spine shivering with nothing but a simple, loving gaze.

"I dare you to go to Homecoming with me."

"W-what?" you sputter, batting your lashes like an innocent schoolgirl. You did hear that right, didn't you? Did he just...?

"You heard me, Princess," Eddie chuckles with a wicked grin. "You picked dare, so I dare you to go to Homecoming with me, or finish your drink."

You have to break eye contact. Christ, you're sweating like a sinner in a church, your cheeks feel so hot that they might explode! Your hand subconsciously moves up to cover your sappy smile, unable to stop grinning. "Shit," you curse under your breath.

Eddie's eyes widen as he gives you a silent nod, stating that he's eager for your reply. Wanting to match his cheekiness, you bring your drink up to your lips, to which Eddie sarcastically sighs in defeat.

"I'm kidding!" you laugh as you move your drink away, your lips untouched by the cheap rum and flat cola. "I'd love to go to Homecoming with you, Eddie."

"Really?" Eddie mocks with a sweet tone. He covers his expression with the wild curls of his hair, and bats his lashes like a shy child. "You really wanna be seen at Homecoming with this freak?" he jokes, yet there's seriousness beneath his words.

"Absolutely," you instantly nod, replying without any thought - not that you need it! "We're both freaks, Eddie, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

This time, Eddie is the one grinning like a child at Christmas. He lets out a nervous laugh as his eyes trail from yours, and the only way that he can calm down his flustered expression is by taking a deep gulp of his drink. "You're too sweet," Eddie states. "Gonna give me cavities."

"Coming from you," you flirt, and copy Eddie's idea by covering up your smile by gulping down your drink. "It's going to be fun, even if it is some shitty High school dance."

"Fuck," Eddie curses as he sits upright. A serious expression appears - brows furrowed, mouth blank - and Eddie confesses, "I don't know how to dance."

You bite back a laugh. You want to imitate his seriousness, but you just can't! Yet again, Eddie is turning you into a giggling mess, "neither do I," you confess.

"I mean, I don't think they allow headbanging at Homecoming, do they?" Eddie begins. He bounces upright on your bed, and outstretches his free hand to wield his air guitar. "How about we ruin Homecoming? We could put blast out heavy metal, and scare all those peppy bitches away, right?!"

"You're reading my mind!" you laugh. Eddie's eyes meet yours, and there's nothing but warmth and admiration in them. You've become used to that nervous feeling in your chest, rattling away whenever Eddie gawks at you like a lovesick puppy. Shit, you must be just as bad, seeing as he does nothing but smile when in your presence.

As excited as you are to ruin Homecoming, you still want to look somewhat presentable. "But Eddie..." you trail off, and let your mind speak without thought. "I want to look decent at Homecoming. What are you wearing? I know people tend to match colour schemes and all that, but if-"

"-What were you thinking of wearing, Princess? This is your night, so I'm happy to put something silly on just to make you smile."

Heat rises to your cheeks, laced with cheap and tacky liquor. "I, uh..." you stutter. You didn't think this far, expecting Eddie to shrug you off with some comment like, "you'll look great in anything, babe!" just like your ex did.

Instead, you spring to your feet, almost spilling your drink before putting it to rest on your beside table. "So, I was thinking..." you trail off as you crouch down against the side of your bed, and pull out a box hidden deep within your pile of mischief.

Opening up the box, you pull out an unworn, black, lacy dress, and stand to press the dress against your frame. "It was an impulse purchase, and as much as I've been dying to wear it out, I haven't yet. Parents opinion, and all that," you explain.

You're caught up in your head, engulfed in the way you look with the dress against your body, gawking at your mirror in the corner of your room. Shit, does it still fit? Does it look as good as you envision it in your mind? What shoes would you wear? And accessories? Not to mention your hair and makeup-

"Beautiful," Eddie mutters, catching your attention. "You're my Princess of Darkness, that's for sure," Eddie smiles.

All self-conscious thoughts are swiftly stripped from your mind from that look alone. Reassurance has only ever been a word for you - just a word, nothing more, nothing less - until Eddie "the freak" Munson came along, and put true meaning behind it.

Seriously, how can you doubt yourself when he's eyeing you up like his bride on his wedding day?!

"Are you sure-?"

"-Yes," Eddie cuts you off. "I mean, I don't know shit about fashion," he laughs as he gestures to his scruffy self, "but I know a Princess when I see one."

Would it be acceptable to drop to one knee, and propose to him on the spot? Who cares about gender roles! You want to marry him. Now!

"You're so sweet," you blush, and begin packing the dress away, leaving it on your desk, ready for next Friday.

"Only for you," Eddie winks, and clicks his tongue. "I'll match your style, not that I've, uh- ever done this before."

Shock floods your expression as you return to the bed, finding yourself rather cozy beside Eddie. Your sides touch, as do your fingertips, as Eddie passes you your lukewarm drink. "Never?" you innocently bat your lashes, in awe at Eddie's confession. "I always thought that... I don't know- maybe you've asked someone before? But now I think about it, I don't think I've ever seen you at any school event."

"Huh, wonder why?" Eddie sheepishly chuckles. His hand finds the back of his neck, subconsciously rubbing over the area, and his eyes fixate on the rips in his jeans, suddenly interested in the frayed fabric. "Yeah, I've never been to anything that the school has to offer. Can you blame me? I'm not exactly welcome there."

"Eddie," you pout. Without any thought, your hand finds Eddie's forearm, and you give it a little squeeze of reassurance. Eddie's eyes trail from his jeans, confirming that, yes, you are comforting him right now. "They're bullshit, honestly, but we'll make the most of it."

Warm eyes meet yours, along with a gentle smile. "Yeah," Eddie agrees with a light nod. "Who knows? Maybe the freak and the ex-cheerleader will be crowned Homecoming King and Queen?" he jokes, lightening the tense moment.

"Could you imagine?" you laugh, and move your hand from Eddie's forearm to cover your giggles. "I think they'd pretend to crown us, just so they can throw tomatoes at us!"

Eddie sits upright, and puffs his chest out as he responds, "you think so? That's fine with me. I like tomatoes!" He pretends to catch the imaginary tomatoes in his mouth, letting out an "ooh!" when one 'misses' and hits him in the chest.

Your cheek muscles begin to ache from laughter, and you have to calm Eddie before he becomes engulfed in his fantasy. "My parents," you hush, and place a hand on Eddie's chest to guide him back into his previous relaxed position.

With a cheeky grin, Eddie relaxes, and swiftly finishes the remainder of his drink, flatter than a pancake from being swirled around in his glass. "Finish up," Eddie urges as he points to your drink. "This bartender is waiting to pour you a refill!"

-

Thank fuck that it's a not a school night. Your eyes meet the clock before focusing back on Eddie, 01:29am, who is currently swinging his leg over your window.

"There it is," Eddie comments as his foot finds a comfortable starting point on the trellis, ready to climb down, and make his way home. His hands remain on the window ledge as Eddie looks up at you, leaning over the window to watch his embark.

"Thank you for tonight," you smile. Without hesitation, your lips find Eddie's cheek, and you plant a gentle kiss on the area. His curls brush against your jawline as you move away, and you're met by that sappy grin - the one that never fails to leave your stomach spinning. "And thank you for asking me to Homecoming," you add.

"Heh," Eddie chuckles. "I'm the one who should be thanking you!"

"You don't need to," you shake your head. "Now go on, before you break my mother's fence," you urge with a sweet laugh.

"Yes, Ma'am!" Eddie winks, and begins his careful climb down the trellis, begrudgingly freeing himself from your company.

Once Eddie's feet are on the ground, he gawks up at you, and casts you a salute as he calls out, "sleep tight, Princess!"

"I'll see you on Monday," you wave, and watch as Eddie bounces across your front lawn, soon disappearing down the street to begin his journey home.

After letting out a deep, lovestruck sigh, you move away from your window. You can't bring yourself to close it shut, praying that Eddie will come running back and sneak in once more. Instead, you accept the chilly autumn air seeping into your room - your room that is almost spinning in your dazed, drunken state.

You get yourself ready for bed, and snuggle under the covers. There's still warmth from where you and Eddie have been sitting, chewing each other's ears off throughout the night. The music fell silent ages ago, but neither of you noticed, engulfed in what each other had to offer.

Your hand finds the lava lamp on your bedside table, and you trail along the cord to find the switch. Even once you flick it off, you can still feel heat radiating from it, the dimmed lava psychedelically bubbling away - a sight that Eddie was rather keen on when it finally began 'doing its thing.'

Hm, maybe you'll buy him one of his own. You can envision it now, red and yellow, the same colours as the demon on his Hellfire shirt. Eddie would quite literally light up at the present, and probably gush something along the lines of, "awh, you didn't have to, Princess!"

You make a mental note to buy one whenever you're in town next, which, no doubt, will probably be in Eddie's company. As you go to finally shut your eyes, you look at the box on your desk, filled with the dress that you're going to wear to Homecoming.

Fuck, is this really happening? You have a date, none other than Hawkins High's spawn of the devil. Sure, he's a total weirdo, with his puppy dog eyes, soft curls, and tender pet names for you, and you alone.

You're excited, you can't wait! What a sight you're going to be, hand in hand with Eddie Munson. Maybe Jason was right? Maybe Eddie has corrupted you - ruined the star cheerleader, not that you've ever felt like one.

Regardless, you're already fluttering with excitement as you shut your eyes - or maybe that's the liquor flowing through your system? Either way, you fall asleep with a smile on your lips, and the faint scent of Eddie still lingering on your covers.

Tag list: @bubblegumcat229 @buckys2thicc @livthelonleyfish @bubblebuttwade @sergeantbuckybarnes @kik51199 @preciousbabypeter @rosaline-black​ @boundtomyfate @be-the-spark-bitch @summerofsnowflakesfics @fi-chanwrites @reveller-upon-opium @official-clint-barton​ @clzt4​ @chipster-21​ @dragon-ash13​ @carliuxima​ @eddiemattress​ @8ether @oddityhag @laurykat23 @ghostkit @dovahkiin-19

If you would like to be added to the tag list, then please drop me a message!

#why cant this be love #eddie munson #stranger things #eddie the banished #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x reader #st #st4 #st s4 #stranger things fanfic #eddie munson fanfic #f!reader #female reader

[eldritch-araneae]

Can you make a list of Bumblebee's best friend (bot) in all versions such as animated, Cyberserve or prime?🥺

Hi, I was a bit confused ( like you want me only list bots, not humans?), especially if you want only the continuities you listed or all of them? Anyway, I'll do all bc as I was thinking about the answer I got some interesting thoughts. So prepare your tea and sit comfortably ~

Generation 1

In G1 cartoon they made it seem like Bumblebee just gets along with everyone. But I can't remember if Bee had someone among bot who we could consider his best friend. This title really went to Spike exclusively and I know you said to list bots only, bear with me here.

This fits into Bumblebee's struggles, because he's weak, but humans weak too so he feel he belong with them more than his own people. And Bumblebee still friends with Spike even after the human grows up and has a family (and the fact its the only time they show passage of time like this with a human character?)! We don't see Bee a lot on later seasons so I like to assume he just hangs out with Spike's family most of the time.

It would be so dope if they actually explored the idea of human mortality and how cybertronians would handle the invertible. But it never happens in canon even in "serious" continuities. And same even in fandom spaces. I only once stumbled upon the fic where Bee gets super anxious because Spike is getting older, really long time ago. Of course I wrote a story about this, but still, I can't be the only one thinking about this. In G1 based comics it's kinda the same thing, except IDW where Bumblebee has NO FRIENDS ( nor bot or human). Like he had some pals in the past, but he lost them all. In IDW2 there is Windblade who was established as Bumblebee's bestie but they way it was written... it was very cold friendship judging by panels I saw. Not a fan. Ah yes, I didn't watched the Netflix version, so idk, but considering how writers decided to deconstruct the character for no reason I can assume he has no friends at all.

Bayverse

I can's really say anything, I watched only first and second movies and again, Bee was bonded with a human. Same with Bee-movie, I know it's not technically bayverse, but sadly, Bee has the same the design and I still can't watch the movie bc of it xD

Animated

This is very clear that Bumblebee bot bestie is Bulkhead. And if both Bumblebee and Bulkhead were written better we would have a really dope character dynamic. Tho their dynamic is fun even as it is ( Bee crawling all over Bulkhead like a spider is Halloween episode cracks me up), but sadly Bee just never develops as a character.

Prime

I can't say anything about because I didn't really watched the show. I started, didn't liked it and dropped it. The entire aligned continuity isnt really for me, so I skipped Rescue Bots and RiD15. Though, I did like "War for Cybertron" game a lot, and maybe I would watch Prime if character designs were from that game. In the game Bee didn't had any besties.

Cyberverse

Here Bumblebee has bonds with few bots. First one is Windblade and I absolutely loved it. Their relationship was amazing and warm and physically tactile, and that's how I started ship them. Then we see Hot Rod and, now deceased, Blurr and later Bumblebee bonds with Cheetor.

This show had so much potential, like the buildup in S1 was nice and well established dynamic between Bumblebee and Windblade, but then it was all thrown out the window. Windblade was sidelined entirely in S2 as Bee hands out with Hot Rod and Cheetor ( as it's the typical all boys gang no girls allowed) after all this demonstration how close those two are in S1?? Meh.

And when Cheetor sacrifices himself? Bee looks sad at this moment, and then moves on like thing happened and it didn't affect him? What is this?? Ugh.

Earthspark

Right it's too early to say, but we can already see that Bee has a very sibling-like bond with Arcee. And from the trailer it looks like Bee is good friends with Breakdown which is interesting. Maybe he was the reason why Bee picked the racer car after his VW Beetle mode? We will see~

I think it's all? There is Shattered Glass too, but I have no idea, cant say anything. I hope it was enough)

#ara talks #transformers #maccadam #bumblebee

[calliethetrekkie]

Star Trek TOS S01EP15-16: The Menagerie

I decided to review both parts in the same review. It's the same story, so I'd rather be able to go over it all at once. Plus at least half of it when put together is footage from the first pilot, The Cage. I also want to note that, at the time of writing, I have NOT watched Strange New Worlds yet, so I won't be mentioning/considering anything from it or its portrayal of Pike and crew for this review. Anyway, that should do it for window dressing, let us get underway.

Original Thoughts

I'm not even going to try and copy/paste and re-edit both of them to add onto here. This is going to be long enough. You can read my old watchthrough here, but the short version is I liked Part 1, didn't like Part 2 as much, and overall I liked it for the Spock content but it was meh otherwise.

Rewatch Thoughts

God, this took me way too long to get done...

So this episode is the first and only two-parter in TOS. We wouldn't get another one in Star Trek until TNG. One thing kind of weird about this episode is that it's more or less Spock on court martial... after we'd just done a court martial episode for Kirk. When I watched these in the airing order, I think one reason I didn't care for Court Martial is because it felt like we'd 'been there, done that' with The Menagerie, a feeling that didn't repeat in production order which let me enjoy that episode a lot more.

I thought long and hard about how I wanted to organize this. How much I wanted to go into regarding both the actual episode and The Cage footage. It's part of why this review took so long. So after thinking it over... there's not much about the pilot footage that I have to say. It's there to give context for why Spock is doing what he's doing and that's really it. I think I'd rather wait to talk about Pike and maybe the pilot itself in-depth after I've seen SNW, which from what I've heard, adds some additional context. But I'm not there yet, so all I'll say is that the pilot footage really made things drag on what would have otherwise been Court Martial: Spock Edition otherwise hey ST people, if you ever do TOS again, give us the McCoy court martial episode please.

The most I have to say about the pilot footage is that it made the episode a chore to sit through. It's not bad, it's even kind of fun to see the early stuff and cast like Pike, Una, and a younger Spock. Seriously look at Spock's reaction when he and Pike look at the alien plants, its adorable! But it goes on for so long, especially in Part 2, that I lost complete interest in paying attention until it went back to the court martial. At that point we just want to know why Spock chose Talos IV to go to, not to watch an episode within an episode. I know they did it most likely as a cost-saving maneuver, but that doesn't change the fact that it just drags when they could have just... you know, had Spock explaining himself or whatever. It's the only reason that this is a two-parter at all. Again, I get it, but I kept tuning out during those scenes until we finally got to the end of it and we finally understood Spock's plan.

The present-day parts, however, were very much able to keep my attention. We're here at about the mid-way point of the first season, and to say that Spock's actions are a shock is putting it lightly. Spock has been nothing but loyal and by the book the whole series. Just last episode, he defended Kirk despite the evidence to the contrary and did everything possible to find the evidence to clear his name. We already questioned his loyalty in Balance of Terror, but the vast majority of the cast never questioned it, and any possible doubt was brought to a close at the end of it. But in fairness, this is very much a different dilemma as it concerns his former captain. One that he'd been as loyal to as he is to Kirk now. It brings a very unique problem for our favorite Vulcan.

Personally, I find Spock's whole plan... well, convoluted as Hell. I know it's to justify using the pilot footage, and it does add stuff to make it make some sense like Talos IV being forbidden to all ships. But it still feels ridiculous that Spock had to go to these extreme lengths to take Pike to Talos. Honestly, I'm iffy about having Pike taking to Talos at all. I mean... it's just an illusion. He's pretty much been put in a guided cage where he can pretend that he's still physically well, even though that's very much not the case. I guess it's better than his fate of being confined to that chair and only able to blink a light to communicate. But... I don't know, I keep thinking about it and I just don't like it. It feels messed up. But I guess Spock felt that it was the best place for Pike, where he could at least have some kind of happiness.

That said, it says a lot about Spock. The man put absolutely everything on the line just to help his former captain. He outright said at the start that he knew that it was mutiny and that he would be facing the death penalty if caught. But he doesn't care what becomes of him. All that matters is completing the task and getting Pike to Talos IV. Even regarding Kirk, he clearly didn't like going against his back and was not at all happy that his actions inadvertently convicted Kirk as well. Something that I believe that he wanted to avoid... unfortunately for him, Kirk doesn't take having his ship/command taken over from him well no matter who does it or why. Whoops. But still, for all the 'unfeeling, logical Vulcan' bravado, he sure as Hell had no problem dropping all of that here.

Kirk is angry and upset that his First Officer and friend would do this. As I said, he hates it when anyone threatens or endangers his command. Especially at this point in the series. We saw him get mad when Spock pried into him in The Conscience of the King, but this is even worse. As soon as he's back on the Enterprise, he hates it because it means court martialing Spock, which he doesn't want to do. He's willing to give Spock the chance to clear up everything, but he's also angry that Spock is holding things back from him and even lied to him. The last scene of Part 1 is him having Spock thrown in the brig because he won't just tell him why he's done what he's done. I don't even think that he cares too much about his own possible fate. He's certainly unhappy about it, but moreso about Spock because he can't make sense of it and Spock won't talk, only pleading guilty to everything. Why? Why won't his First Officer talk to him? Why go through all of this behind his back? Why allow himself to risk death? He doesn't know, and he can't stand it but can do nothing about it. He can do nothing but let the answer reveal itself, everything out of his control. Sure once it all comes together he's glad and clearly forgives Spock, but I'd imagine that he had a loooot to say when they had that talk later.

McCoy is really only relevant in Part 1, but what he got was so freakin' good. Spock fabricating orders is just impossible in his mind. He is steadfast in his belief that Spock would never lie or deceive them. Sure he ended up being wrong, and about why (Vulcans not being able to lie is the biggest lie in this whole show) but the fact that he doesn't doubt Spock at all and is the one to tell Jim this when he's questioning as he did in The Conscience of the King is so freakin' good. When he realizes that Spock did commit mutiny? And when Spock tells him to have him arrested? You can tell that he doesn't want to do it, let alone believe it. It really sucks that McCoy has no part after that because I can only imagine how much he would have had to say and try to make sense of, especially with also reasoning it with Kirk. But for what we did get, it's good stuff. And especially after The Galileo Seven, it's good to see that McCoy is still loyal to Spock and believes in him despite all the tension in that episode (and even after Court Martial where he got mad at Spock for seeming to not care about the situation, even though it was brief).

Aside from that... I really don't have a lot to say. The episode is okay. Really, everything in the first half of Part One I really enjoyed. It was tense and made me want to keep watching just to make sense of it all. It's when the pilot footage starts that things begin to bog down. Part Two is even more guilty of this until around the last few minutes, and like I said I'm pretty uncomfortable with the ending. It does a lot for Spock's character, adding more depth and showcasing his loyalty to both his old captain and his current one, as well as some nice bits for Kirk and McCoy. Heck, even bits like Uhura being in disbelief by all of this are really good. The episode's weakness is just going for far too long when this could have all been resolved in a few minutes and feels contrived to begin with. I'd still pick this episode over ones like Mudd's Women and the vast majority of Miri, but like with Miri I'd only want to watch it for certain parts (though unlike Miri it's because I'm bored, not squicked out). It's fine, and that's all I've got left to say about it.

Original Ratings: 4/5 (P1), 3/5 (P2), 3.5/5 (Both) Rewatch Ratings: 7/10 (P1), 5/10 (P2), 6/10 (Both)

[My TOS Reviews]

[TOS S1 Reviews]

[Previous Review] / [Next Review]

#star trek #star trek tos #tos s1 #st reviews #tos s1 reviews #the menagerie

[emachinescat]

A Year in (Book) Review: My 2024 Reading Journey 📚

#17 - What Once Was Mine by Liz Braswell

Fantasy / Twisted Tales #12 / 401 pages / published 2021 / Finished Feb. 4

One Sentence Review: A dark, sometimes disturbing, rewrite of Tangled, featuring lots of action and suspense, some truly horrific villains, fun, fleshed-out heroes - both familiar and new - a beautiful love story, and the unfortunate inclusion of a frame narrative that simply does not work.

Favorite Quotes

"This is the happily ever afterest ever..."

*

"The past is over, child. Don't dwell overmuch on its echoes... You will find no rest that way."

*

"'Witch?' Flynn asked, skeptical. 'Or like... crunchy earth mother type who drinks herbal teas and pretends the goddess speaks to her?'"

*

"Money is a ... it's like a placeholder for happiness."

*

"Listen, I can pay someone to take me to him. I have, um, let's see... A couple of six-sided coins, a coin with a hole in it, a slice of wood my mother bought me that kind of looks like a coin...? I painted a face on it. Ooooh, here's a little dragon I carved...."

*

"Who cares what you should do? Life is short. People are cruel. Have fun while the sun shines and let everyone else sort themselves out."

My rating: 4/5

A Few More Thoughts (Spoilers)

Though I thoroughly enjoyed the main storyline - dark though it was - the frame narrative was very disorienting to me. I appreciate the sentimental reasons the author had for this format, but it did not work for me. It kept jolting me out of the action. If it had just been the Rapunzel storyline, it would have been almost perfect.

At this point, I've gotten pretty used to how dark these what-ifs can get, but this one surprised me with how disturbing the Countess Bathory was. I appreciated the addition of Gina as a main character, though I feel as if the realization (speculation?) that she and Eugene are siblings was a bit shoehorned. Maximus's origin story was surprisingly beautiful. The moon magic was very fun!

As in the movie, Rapunzel shows readers - though through far darker and more desperate circumstances - both the impact of parental trauma and isolation and how beautiful and vibrant life can be, especially through the eyes of someone who is experiencing it for the first time in any real way.

#book review #booklr #twisted tales #liz braswell #what once was mine #tangled #disney #spoilers #book reviews #books #polls #quotes #a year in book review #book rec #reading #february reads

[tokuteasings]

Entwined

Unfortunately, I am here to stay in the Kyuranger hole. It’s still a meh series but listen after I read these headcanons by @toku-imagines about his stupid lil tail...I had to write. I had to fucking write.

Warnings: I suppose this can be seen as either romantic or platonic? Haven’t figured that out yet

‘He’s doing it again,’ came your inward little murmur. 

It’s in the corner of your eye and you cannot miss it, not how it darts back and forth, to and fro, crafting unsure arcs within the air - a comet that never reaches its destination and never finds its home. Inwardly you wonder and ponder, why was he acting like this?

Stinger never spoke often about his past, his home, his family, his people. There was always this painstakingly obvious welts within his eyes that threaten to spill or explode within his ducts. They would backfire and he would clam up. Sometimes he speaks fondly of his people and those are the days you see these twinkling little dribbles of acid from his eyes; of longing, of sorrow, of a home he can only visit within his dreams. 

This had something to do with it, you just knew.

How to approach it, however, was a different story altogether. 

“Hey Stinger?” you call out to him one hour within the Orion, and he glances up from his tablet, his tail darting quickly under the safety of his jacket, hidden away like the rest of his emotions - locked, key carelessly tossed into the void.

“Yes?” he glances up at you, brows furrowed and his ears tinged the lightest of cosmic pinks. He isn’t truly looking into your eyes, past your gaze and into the wall beside you. “What is it?”

The vacuum of silent space steals the air from your lungs, tongue drying up and voice box pierced by the same point of a scorpion’s tail. But there is no turning back now.

“Why does your tail tend to move whenever I’m around you?”

Stinger pauses, his cheeks slowly blooming with an unlucky red. You see movement under the leather, and then a familiar belt-like structure around his waist; burnt orange and tight, not restricting his flow of air but a secure sensation against his stomach. He’s almost inwardly shrinking upon himself, with fear and sheepishness encased upon his normally emotionless face.

Oh, oh no.  What did you do?

“I-I’m sorry if I offended you or anything, Stinger, I swear, I’m not mad at you or anything.” you wave your hands around rapidly, terrified by the prospect of offending the alien and the panic began to fully settle into your chest as he flinches away from you, further downcasting his eyes. “I-I didn’t mean it in a bad way, I just wanted to ask because you looked troubled...”

The silence is deafening, further thudding in imaginary agony within your eardrums. 

“I...” slowly he squeezes his tail a tad bit tighter around his form, a hug, an embrace. You swear you could see the stinger itself quiver. “I am comfortable around you.” he starts off with these almost quiet words, barely heard above the roaring desert storms. “Amongst my people, when we become comfortable with someone, we wish to wrap our tails around them.” as he speaks, the orange mass slowly uncoils from his waist, hanging loosely at his side. “Where it wraps around, signifies their closeness to us. Wrapping tail around tail is meant for family or intimate partners. Around the waist is similar to a hug and can be used between comrades. Tails around hands is similar to that gesture.”

You fall silent, sitting in the chair across from him, “So...the reason why you’ve been doing that with your tail is...”

Stinger doesn’t look up at you, glaring and boring holes further into the telson. You watch as his cheeks slowly brighten. “I...am comfortable around you, and on instinct...I wanted...” the final words doesn’t leave his lips, letting silence reign and poison his lungs once more.

“That explains a lot...” you whisper out after beats of emptiness, smiling softly before holding out your hand to him, watching as his eyes widen and glance between you and your palm. You only smile the gentlest of smiles, your palm upturned and a lazy sort of gesture. You can always retract it, but you can see his tail rise just slightly. “I would be honored to.”

“Are you not scared?” he points the tip of his tail right at you, never coming too close to prick skin but merely similar to pointing a finger. “I could poison you.” “Never.” you answer back without as much as a pass of heartbeats. “I trust you, Stinger.”

There is a flash of hesitation in his eyes but slowly, his tail slinks and slithers towards you, wrapping around the palm of your hand first in a loose embrace. It’s warmth, a bracelet decorating your skin as it slowly coils and curls around your wrist. The needle is always pointed downwards, far far away from any sort of veins that could possibly be pricked. 

You could see his shoulders sag yet tense, and you merely inwardly smile. Your thumb reaches out to gently rub at the flesh, watching him jump lightly. “S-Sorry! I didn’t mean-” “It’s fine...” Stinger murmurs but the grip tightens just a bit more, never enough to constrict blood flow but enough to feel secure and safe and comfortable; a glove upon your arm. “It felt nice...”

You grin gently, further letting your thumb run over each and every segment of his tail and watching his shoulders seep and tension ebb and flow into the ether.

“Thank you.” “Huh?” You look up at him, watching as his face becomes even redder...which you never thought was possible. “For what?” “...For being patient.” 

You only chuckle, “You’re welcome. I like this. It feels nice.” you pause as you feel the touch slacken just a bit, almost like he was retracting himself. “You can do this more often, Stinger, I won’t mind.”

He perks up, even though he keeps his face neutral, betraying the thud of his heart. “Are...you sure?” “Positive.” 

The grip tightens once more, and a rare yet tender smile crosses his lips, a curve so elegant and free. “Then I will. Thank you.” a burden slides away from his shoulders, and he merely lets his tail rest against your hand, leaning back into his own chair and returning to glancing down at his tablet.  You could get used to this, honestly, seeing the sweet little grin to his lips as his tail is wrapped around your arm...

#stinger #uchuu sentai kyuranger #super sentai x reader #super sentai #kyuranger #super sentai imagine #sasori orange #idk i got possessed by some sorta demon and i made this #stupid monster fucking self

[hindisoup]

I've done some Googling and I've self-diagnosed having reached the feared, the infamous Language Learning Plateau.

Some signs I've noticed:

I get fewer spontaneous ideas for language learning. I still get them but less frequently and feel less inspired by them. Before, my mind was often bombarded with "Oh, let's do a vocab challenge! Let's read a book! Let's try to watch something without subtitles!" and now it's more like "Meh, I guess I can do that".

Language learning routines I used to enjoy a lot feel more like a task than enjoyable me-time. Stuff like organizing and tinkering with my Anki decks, vocabulary lists, grammar notes, etc.

I cannot see a clear goal in my learning. I mean, I say it's that I can enjoy media and arts in my target language quite fluently - but what does that mean?

And based on the stuff I read about this, it's pretty simple. Our learning slows down once we reach the intermediate level and become somewhat comfortable with the language in everyday contexts. Our brain is not getting that positive learning brain rush as frequently anymore, or the feeling is not as strong.

And I guess the risk is here that once we have enough vocabulary and grammar to work around the difficult parts (like explaining a word we don't know instead of, you know, looking it up and learning the actual word, or using just the three tenses we know and avoiding the more difficult ones) we fall in the danger of becoming stagnant.

The cures suggested that I found and am willing to try

1. Identify problem areas and define my goal

My biggest hurdles in Hindi, as of now, are remembering the genders of nouns and using word endings consistently (I can easily say or write मेरी नाम है even if I know very well that नाम is masculine just because I happen to be a female), and learning the more complex verbal structures, especially the nuances between past tenses. And even if I enjoy reading prose, I very much want to develop my skills in understanding the everyday spoken language of native speakers.

My goal is to be able to pick up a novel or short story and read a chapter comfortably - I can grasp its main characters and the way the story is developing even if I cannot understand every word. Or that I can listen to a news broadcast and understand the main points of the story - who, what, where, why - accurately.

2. Reframe my thinking

I've said that I'm happy to make slow progress. I am enjoying the journey. But now I need to own up to those words - up to this point, I've sometimes felt like sprinting. Once I learned certain prefixes and suffixes, I felt like I was gathering new vocabulary like a sponge. Slowing down is okay, it doesn't mean I've lost anything. It means I've come quite far already. There are probably more things I know (grammar wise that is, let's not bring the immensity of Hindi vocabulary in to this, please) than don't know by this point. There's still a brain rush to be experienced in learning more advanced stuff, I just need to find the right methods.

3. Try something new

I have a good routine, but I've been doing similar things for too long. I plan to find some new podcasts (recommendations welcome!), series and reading materials. So far I've used stuff that I've found available, but maybe at this point, I can try finding material on topics that interest me. Why watch a romcom if that's not my thing? I've got new pen pals now, which is a start.

Ok, I'm off to update my to-do list. I kind of feel inspired now!

Sources: x, x

#language learning #langblr #hindi