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#and lastly I would say that it has to do with the fact that they’re not as ashamed ??? to be on disney
moonstruckme · 8 months
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James Potter x Reader where reader is in a different house (Hufflepuff if you don’t mind) and she ends up on the receiving end of one of their pranks which makes her angry so she avoids James and the other marauders, forcing him to grovel/beg for forgiveness? Thank you so much xoxo
Hi, thanks for your request! This got a bit long haha, but I enjoyed writing it and hope you enjoy reading :)
cw: mentions of blood
James Potter x Hufflepuff!reader ♡ 1.8k words
Though no one tells him it’s happening, Remus sees the prank coming from a mile away.
Primarily, this is because James and Sirius appear to be playing an entirely ordinary game of frisbee. Just tossing it back and forth, no hexes or nifflers or anything. A simple pastime between two boys on a lovely warm afternoon. 
Secondly, they haven’t asked Remus to join them. While they know from experience he’s content to read his book in the grass, they always make a point to ask just to be sure Remus doesn’t feel excluded. The fact that they haven’t suggests that they’re well aware that whatever they’re up to, Remus will want no part in it. 
Lastly and most importantly, James Potter has the worst poker face Remus has ever known. 
When the curly-haired boy slyly drops the frisbee they’ve been using into his bag, trading it for another, he can hardly keep the giddiness from his face. Which is probably why, when he tosses it well away from his companion and towards a crowd of gathered students, Sirius is the one who has to say, with theatrical volume and distress, “Merlin, can somebody grab that?”
Remus watches warily as several students turn to track the progress of the disk as it sails overhead, and after a moment one breaks away, chasing after it. Remus feels a pang of sympathy for you, your yellow and black scarf flying behind you as you run, needing no further evidence than the eager look in James’ eyes to know that you’ve fallen for a trap. 
You jump up to grab it out of the air, beaming in triumph for a moment before a yelp escapes you. You flings your catch to the ground, cradling your hand as the fanged frisbee twitches and snarls at your feet. 
“Shit,” he hears Sirius breathe, and the excitement is gone from his and James’ expressions as they jog over to you, Remus standing to follow them. 
You pick your head up as they approach, eyes wet but fierce. 
“What the hell?” you snarl, and Remus realizes with a stab of concern that there’s a small puddle of blood forming in your palm. “You’ve begun targeting your stupid pranks at anyone who’s dumb enough to help you now? How’s that funny?”
Remus looks at his friends in bewilderment, aggrieved on your behalf but unable to believe they’d do something so cruel. The fanged frisbee—a cheap trick, which really should be banned in Remus’ opinion—twitches closer to your ankle, and Sirius flicks his wand at it, its teeth retracting as it goes silent and motionless. 
“We…I charmed it so its teeth would be dull and harmless.” James scrubs a hand through his hair, at a loss. “It was only supposed to scare you, not hurt you.” 
You shake your head at him disbelievingly and bite your lip, face reddening as the pain sets in. James steps closer to you, blocking you from view of the small crowd of gawking students, none of whom, Remus notes with some bitterness, have come to help you or see if you’re okay. 
“I’m really sorry,” James says softly. “Let me help.” But when he reaches for your hand, you step back, holding it close to your chest. 
“Just leave me out of your fun in the future, yeah?” you hiss, stalking inside. 
James looks pained as he watches you go, and though Remus doesn’t begrudge you your justified anger, he feels for his good-natured friend. It had been an honest mistake, though the cost turned out to be far higher than either of his friends had expected. But knowing James, he’ll find some way to make it right. 
“Sorry, mate. They can’t all be winners.” Sirius claps him on the back, and Remus knows his light tone is more to make James feel better than it is true carelessness. Sirius is loyal that way; he’d probably lock you in a broom closet rather than have you upset James again. 
“It wasn’t meant to hurt anyone,” James says quietly.
Sirius’ smile is unfaltering, though Remus spies the worry in his eyes. “She’ll get over it. C’mon, there’s still time to go into Hogsmeade if we hurry.” 
And though Remus hopes you’ll feel better soon, he knows it will take James a long time to get over it himself. 
James shuffles from foot to foot, feeling silly and anxious as he waits for someone to leave the Hufflepuff dorms so he can go inside. He’s fairly sure you’re supposed to have potions together, but you hadn’t shown up to class, and though James had kept an eye out all day in the hallways, he’d never spotted you. He’d thought he’d caught a glimpse of you in the great hall during lunch, but you’d darted out of sight before he could be sure, and then there’d been no sign of you at dinner. Luckily, it had only taken a quick consultation of the map he shared with his friends to find out that you’d holed up in the Hufflepuff common room, so here he was, draped in his invisibility cloak and fidgeting like a nervous date at your front door. 
The door creaks open, and James slips in before it can shut, the exiting Hufflepuff shivering slightly at the breeze he makes whisking by them. It’s not difficult to spot you where you’re sitting painting your nails, lips pursed just slightly in concentration. The common room is mostly empty as other students enjoy the nice weather outside, and James is grateful for the privacy as he takes off the cloak and goes to sit beside your feet where they’re stretched out on the couch. 
You look up at the intrusion and startle to find James, pulling your feet closer to you reflexively. He hopes it’s an instinct to make room for him and not to protect yourself from him, though given recent events he could hardly blame you for the latter. 
“What’re you—how did you get in here?” you ask, eyes darting between James and the door in bafflement. 
Never mind that. “You weren’t at dinner,” James says, holding out his small stolen dish of chicken curry, “so I thought you might be hungry. Sorry, it’s barely warm now.” 
You take it from him suspiciously, careful of your wet nails, and James feels a stab of guilt at the sight of your bandaged hand. 
“I’m really sorry about yesterday,” he goes on, throat burning with shame. “I know I’ve already said it, but it was supposed to be harmless. I wasn’t careful enough.” 
You don’t look at him, not rejecting his apology but not quite accepting it either. “Pomphrey fixed it good as new anyways, so we can just say it never happened.”
James appreciates the attempt to ease his conscience, but your kindness only makes him feel that much more villainous. This would be so simple if you were one of those pureblood gits, or even just a bit ruder, but you’re you, and that’s so much worse. 
“Can I see it?” he asks softly, and you hesitate only a moment before scooting a bit closer and extending your hand to him, palm up. 
James unwraps the bandage with care, keeping one eye on your face to ensure he’s not hurting you, and so he notices the faint blush that colors your cheeks as he cradles your hand in his. The last layer of your dressing falls away, revealing three tiny white scars. Though they’re healed over, he hisses in sympathy, drawing your hand further towards him protectively but forgetting you’re attached to it. 
Your inhale is soft as you lean forward awkwardly, and James huffs a laugh at his enduring idiocy. “Sorry, love,” he says, letting you lean back. He doesn’t let go of your hand, though. “Were they deep?”
You give a one-shouldered shrug, as though it’s nothing to you. James worries you’re putting on a performance of exaggerated blasé for his benefit. “They bled a lot, but a charm sealed them up quickly enough.”
James nods, remembering with sickening clarity the blood that had pooled in your palm and dripped from between your fingers. 
“I’m glad,” James says, and it doesn’t feel like enough. Nothing feels like enough. But he can’t stop himself, even if it’s all inadequate. “I’m really sorry.” 
You sigh, and James knows enough about you to guess that being upset is exhausting you. It isn’t in your nature; you’re someone who always has a kind word for everyone, who he’s seen lend your quill to a student that forgot theirs and offer them an understanding smile when they broke it, who would rather spend all day avoiding James than let him feel the wrath of your grudge. 
Your very warranted grudge, by the way. 
It’s terrible luck that someone as sweet as you was on the receiving end of his mistake. But, as you’d pointed out, that was how the prank was designed, wasn’t it? Though James and Sirius hadn’t thought that part through at the time, the victim was always going to be whoever stepped forward to help. Normally it might not matter, but they’d gotten so caught up in the excitement of trying out their new toy that James had somehow gotten the spell wrong. And as a result, you’d been forced to pay a price for your kindness and his incompetence. 
“It’s okay,” you say.  
“It’s not,” James insists. “And I can’t fix it, but let me do something else. I can do your potions’ homework for the rest of the year, I can give you my dessert every night, I can…I can sneak into Hogsmeade and bring you whatever you want, anytime you ask, I can…what?”
You’re smiling at him, and it’s familiarly lovely but, James can’t help but think, entirely undeserved. 
“I don’t need any favors from you, James,” you say, and he realizes it’s the first time you’ve said his name. It’s not a long name, but somehow your voice gives it a cadence he quite likes. “Just be more careful, okay? I ended up fine, but next time someone might not.” 
“There won’t be a next time,” he promises swiftly, and means it. “But sweetheart—” if he notices how you soften at the endearment, he doesn’t mention it “—you’ve gotta let me make it up to you somehow.”
You sigh again, though it’s lighter this time, seemingly both exasperated and amused by his persistence. After a moment spent within your own head, you ask, “Could you help me study for the potions exam next week?”
“Yes!” James grins eagerly. “Of course. That’s a start. How’s tomorrow after class? I’ll bring study snacks as well, and we can make it a regular thing, if you like.” 
He’d like to make it a regular thing, debt or not. 
You smile. “Tomorrow is perfect. And can I call in another favor right now?”
If James weren’t sitting, he’d buckle at the knees in relief. “Yes. I’m at your service.”
“Can you tell me how you got into the Hufflepuff common room?”
“That,” he says smoothly, “is just one in my arsenal of skills now at your disposal.”
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spudangle · 3 months
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Companion Bed/Sleeping Preferences
Lae'zel. Brought up as a warrior she definitely prefers practicality over comfort. Big luxurious soft beds are not for her, they’re too much of a hassle to get in and out of, not proficient at all. But if she has to, then she can pretty much sleep anywhere, be it while lying down, sitting, or standing. If she were to choose, she would probably prefer a hard surface over a soft one, so that her back feels nice and straight in the morning. She’s probably the companion who goes to bed first if she’s not on watch duty, and were it not for the elven companions then she would also be the one to wake up first quickly getting ready for the day. However she’s NOT allowed to sharpen her sword until after everyone else has gotten up.     
Shadowheart, too, has been trained to be able to sleep under most conditions, and a comfortable bed hasn’t really been commonplace for her under Shar.
But unlike Lae’zel, Shadowheart would actually enjoy having a bit of comfort in her life, especially after leaving Shar. It’s just something that she has to rediscover gradually. The feeling of the soft warm bed that she has at the Elfsong—a stark contrast to the cold stone of her old bed—is nice, but she almost finds it too warm at first quickly having to throw off her duvet to not overheat. The smell of clean linens however is perhaps her favorite thing, reminding her of a childhood long forgotten. Post-game she would probably enjoy having her own sleep rituals that she can do for herself and not to appease some cruel goddess. 
Astarion is a man of luxury. That means that he wants as big and soft a bed as possible, he practically wants to drown into the mattress. And it HAS to have clean silk sheets, he is done with damp dirty sheets that smell like they’ve been fucked to death. The bed is preferably a curtained four poster so that the warmth can’t escape, because obviously the bed has been warmed up by a bed warmer before he gets in. I know that there are several takes about the wooden board that he has in his tent, but I personally believe that it's there so he doesn't have to place his bedroll directly on the dirty ground. Anyways, Astarion wants a comfortable bed because he is a creature of comfort, and if can’t rest peacefully then he can at least suffer while in a comfortable bed. 
Gale also is a man of comfort when it comes to beds. His bed in Waterdeep has at least ten pillows, however he can only sleep with one otherwise he gets neck pain. The extra pillows are there so that he can sit comfortably while reading in bed. The bed itself is probably also really pompous looking, not exactly like the one from his last night alive scene, no it’s more pompous than that, it’s probably round. Yes it’s round. It’s a round four poster, decorated with golden constellations and heavy velour curtains hoisted up with thick tasseled ropes. And boy did he miss his bed when he had to leave Waterdeep. It’s not that he can’t sleep anywhere else, it just takes him a while to get used to new surfaces. ALSO, Gale most definitely talks in his sleep. Has he ever set something on fire in his sleep? He would never admit it, but he also can’t say no.    
Wyll. Since being cast out by his father Wyll quickly got used to not having a regular bed. He’d either be camping or he’d be offered shelter for his heroic deeds by the people who he helped. He probably enjoys camping quite a bit, finding the quietness of nature relaxing. Either that or he’s too much of an optimist to admit to himself that he misses having a warm bed. Wyll is also most definitely a morning person. Early bird gets the worm and all that. In fact he gets restless if has to laze around in bed for too long. Lastly, sleeping after he gets his horns is, if not a struggle, then at least something that takes some getting used to. For instance, he can’t lie down without a pillow. Not on his back. Not his side. Not his stomach. So pillows are a must, or at least just something that takes the strain off his head/neck while lying down.    
Karlach is probably the most restless sleeper of the gang. Not in the sense that she doesn’t sleep well—because she does—but she is a very animated sleeper, either kicking or punching the air, or she gets those weird twitches while dreaming. So unfortunately she’s not just a bad bed partner because of her body temperature, which sucks because she loves spooning before falling asleep. So, she’s either cradling Clive or her blanket for comfort. She also prefers sleeping in cold environments, which was fine when the group hadn’t reached Baldur’s Gate because when you’re outside then there’s always a draft. However the Elfsong doesn’t offer that same luxury, but at least she gets to sleep next to the window.
Halsin can also pretty much sleep anywhere, not because it’s practical, but because he’s always comfortable, at least when out in the wild. After all, the perk of bear form is that you’re well-padded for any surface. And he is a heavy sleeper. Give this man a good hearty meal, and he’ll sleep for 12 hours. This also means that any bed partner of his should be careful that they don’t get smothered under him, because if he is in deep sleep then you cannot wake him. He has also most definitely talked himself to sleep when telling his children goodnight stories before bed, only to then wake up and find that he’s the one that's been tucked into bed.
(If you’re interested in more bed thoughts then I also have this post)
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queenwille · 16 days
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are you pro-israel/anti-palestine?
hi, first, i appreciate you asking very politely and not assuming things.
i’ll say i’m a zionist, which isn’t an offensive word. i believe in the right of the jewish people for self determination in the form of a jewish state in the land of israel, the promised land of the jewish people.
i find calling israel, the only jewish state in a sea of muslim/christian states, an “ethostate” and mocking the jews for feeling the need in one, as very antisemitic rude and offensive. that goes without mentioning how ignorant and rude it is to claim all jews are white europeans. literally cancelling the whole rich history of the jewish people in the arab countries (which they were mostly chased out of as well).
the need to live within your given or chosen community is such a natural thing, even animals do it. for some reason, when it comes to israel and the jews, it’s wrong. before anyone starts, please let me remind you that within this very large jewish community, there are 2.5 million arabs (mostly muslim, some christian). they share equal rights, a citizenship and an israeli ID/passport. yes, even the sister of the top hamas man (who was arrested this week for having documents and money linked to hamas, a terror organization).
that being said, i am in no shape or form, nor never was i, anti palestine. i think it’s just not as simple as some people who joined the hot trend across the world see it. the state of palestine was never established for many reasons that don’t involve the jewish people. i do mean this when i say i do wish the palestinian people a safe and established land, but it’s simply not that easy. it really isn’t no israel=yes palestine. they have so many other needs other than demolishing the land of israel. their inner conflicts are very much alive to this day (google fatah/hamas conflict), their lack of actual support from neighboring countries and other reasons they have there. they’re really not at a good starting point, but no one ever talks of that. it’s just easier to masturbate to the idea that protesting in favor of demolishing israel and sending +-7,000,000 jews to fuck knows where will be enough.
let me make it clear, the fact that civilians are being killed and hurt breaks my heart. i say this knowing fully well that many took part in the oct7 massacre. generations, on both sides, being brought up with nothing but hate and fear of each other boiled up to this disaster. which is why i find the whole western pro pal movement, spreading fake news and hate and deepening the conflict, as not just offensive, but also very dangerous. for both sides (+diaspora jews). calling hamas freedom fighters and not the terror organization that they are is as dangerous to the palestinians as as it is dangerous to israelis/jews. they are given actual legitimacy for actions that are considered extremist and terror on an international level. yes, they do hide in UN protected facilities, using inocentes as human shields. and when we say the west is next, it’s not just a spicy slogan, it’s not really about the jews, but the western culture.
i am very angry of the way the hostages are being ignored or bluntly canceled (ripping off their posters everywhere). it’s hypocritical and very upsetting. i will also mention that i seriously don’t appreciate using the jewish holocaust and appropriating it’s terms and the well known generational jewish trauma and mocking it.
lastly, i would like to mention that a lot of what’s happening right now around the world just proves the need in a jewish state. being close with an army that’s main goal is protecting its people literally feels safer for jews even under missiles and terror attacks. let me inform you that the main reason that israeli casualties are lower, is the invention of the Iron Dome, operated by the IDF. It has saved thousands of civilian lives since it’s first use. no, it wasn’t hamas’ more humane ways or idk what i read. israel literally spends every last dime to keep it’s people safe, while hamas won’t even let the palestinian people have a safe hospital. instead of mocking our worries and constant feeling of being persecuted and in danger, to the point that a jewish state feels like a life or death matter, maybe try to think what you can do to change that. saying we’re delusional or closing mouths when we claim for antisemitism isn’t helping, and it sure isn’t what’s currently happening in the world and social media.
again, thanks for asking. i have so much more to say and that’s before actually going into current antisemitism or even into october 7th, i just think i’ll stop here for now. i hope this somewhat answers your question.
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halfratsalready · 2 months
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The Unhinged Jack x Wanderlust Conspiracy Board Explained
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A few days ago I posted this silly conspiracy board I made for a slideshow night with my friends where I talked about how Ubisoft loves to deny Jack x Wanderlust and everyone seemed to like it so here’s an in-depth (and I mean in-depth) explanation of everything on it.
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We start, of course, with Si’ha Nova and the Traveler, and Wanderlust wearing his dad’s cape at the beginning of Canned Heat because it’s super cute.
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And you can’t talk about this ship without the moment from Majesty that perfectly mirrors the moment from Save Your Tears because genuinely why would they do this if they didn’t want people to ship these two? (Rainbow flag added for ✨flavor✨)
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I also thought it was worth mentioning that the only time we ever actually hear any of these characters speak across all 14 lore playlist maps is literally Wanderlust calling out Jack’s name.
And now it’s time for the part that I like to call Ubisoft’s crusade against a monster of their own creation (because look at those last two points and tell me they didn’t do this to themselves. You can’t.)
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Now in making this I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe Ubisoft isn’t being as harsh on the ship as we’ve been thinking, because “they’re such good friends” and “best friends” with a thumbs up automatically reads as very sarcastic and joking to me, like all the memes about “historians will say they were close friends.”
Then there’s the infamous in’s and out’s New Years post, but what I hadn’t picked up on until I saw this screenshot from Twitter is that the inclusion of “normalize being evil” on the in’s list is rather suspicious and that, according to Just Dance, “this was posted by Night Swan’s army.” So I feel like that’s worth mentioning, because it casts a different light on all the other things on the lists. As in including Jack Rose in the in’s list since he’s the only one she didn’t corrupt yet and she wants to do that this year? And putting stanning Jacklust on the out’s because she’s evil and doesn’t want us to have nice things? Not too sure but hey, if someone better at analyzing things wants to look into that, I’d be down to read it.
(I also think it’s worth mentioning that “worrying about getting a Megastar” is included in the out’s list when the tweet just before that one is encouraging players to get Megastar on Zero to Hero, so some more contradictions there, but that might not mean anything, given that Night Swan’s whole thing is perfection and I feel like she would definitely be in favor of worrying over getting Megastar.)
Plus there’s the pretty popular belief that they’re just pointing out how stupid of a ship name Jacklust is, but I’m personally not at all sold on this being the reason, even if Jacklust is a stupid ship name. (I told my friends the ship name during this presentation and one of them said “Really? Wanderrose was right there.”)
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Lastly, I threw Night Swan in there because of the theory that Ubisoft is denying Jack x Wanderlust because the Traveler is Jack’s father. Now, I have opinions about this theory and I hope it’s not true for obvious reasons, but I feel like if it is, it’s a serious oversight on Ubisoft’s part.
Firstly, if they’re half siblings why did they recreate the move from Save Your Tears in Majesty? Seems odd to have half siblings recreate a pretty iconic romantic duet moment.
There’s also the fact that we can clearly see that Wanderlust takes physical traits from each of his parents - his mother’s blue skin and his father’s dark hair. If the Traveler is Jack’s dad, why don’t they share any physical characteristics? At the very end of the beta for Sweet Dreams (spoiler?) we see Night Swan with green eyes, unlike the yellow eyes she has in the rest of the dances we see her in. (While this could just be an older design choice, I personally interpreted this as meaning that her eyes were green before she went evil and then they turned yellow.) In all of his character artwork, Jack’s eyes are green, which I take as meaning that this is a trait he got from his mother. So I personally feel like it only makes sense for his father to have red hair (and we’ve got plenty of options to pick from with that criteria).
But hey, that’s just a theory… I don’t need to finish that part, you’re already thinking it. Thanks for reading my insane ramblings!
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devilheartsblog · 4 months
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Here’s Part 2 of some ideas I’m doodled for my Winx rewrite
Last post seemed to do better than I expected and I’m glad a few people enjoyed it. So here are some more things I want to work with.
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I like Artu and Roxy’s relationship but I would have also liked some backstory on them and more depth. Like Gantlos said “it’s just a dog”. How did Roxy get Artu? Is he adopted or bought? Is there a reason he doesn’t like anyone outside of Roxy and Klaus?
In my rewrite, yes. Abandoned as a puppy, a kid Roxy took him in after her mother left her dad unexpectedly. She basically raised Artu and he means a lot to her, but she never socialised him since she herself isn’t social with people (so while Artu may tolerate someone’s prescence he doesn’t like being touched or seen upclose). Roxy raising Artu is also why she gets pissed and earns her fairy form but doesn’t want the fairy gig since it ended up hurting her dog, because as a fairy the wizards are after her and Gantlos hurt Artu.
Speaking of Gantlos
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Gantlos my beloved you’re so fucking bland the only personality trait you have is having fucked up pointy hands and a cool hat <3
Ok in all honestly I like his apathy to animals and the Winx in general, but that also applies to the other wizards to some extent. At least you can say something about the other wizards; Orgon’s voice is top tier, Duman has really cool powers and design, Anagan’s banter with Flora’s entertaining. This one’s technically a headcannon I made cannon in the rewrite. I did my research btw.
Gantlos has a pretty intense fear of deers also called Elafiphobia, even asking Duman to not shapeshift into one. It’s pretty bad, seeing a deer gets him pretty close to a panic attack. I’m not going to spoil why but I’ll say it’s a consequence of the Great Fairy Hunt. In fact all the Wizards despite being the cause have been affected by the fairy hunt, either overall or because of a major event. Gantlos’ deer phobia is also why he doesn’t like/care about animals initially, I mean, why should he like them? Just cause they’re cute? Hah!
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Apart from Riven and Musa I hate the melodrama in season 4 it’s so shit. Since in my version Sky isn’t in the story cause king stuff, Mitzi is narratively cremated and Nabu doesn’t die, on top of planning to expand on Anagan and Flora’s relationship as rivals and Anagan “flirting” with her, it’d be weird for Helia to be like “eh”. Like even if Flora can hold her own I think he’d at least be a little concerned and annoyed at Anagan.
So yeah, Helia’s conflict is having a case of Impostor syndrome because Anagan’s a foil to him; confident, extroverted, confrontational, and actually bounces off of Flora really well. (Like, I don’t ship Anagan and Flora but the people who do I don’t blame them, it sounds more interesting) Even if Flora doesn’t reciprocate Anagan’s feelings, Helia feels inadequate and is anxious Flora will lose interest and might even break up with him since he’s the anti-social poet of the group. Timmy could even help after his confidence arc in Season 2. He’s not overprotective of Flora like wanting to fight Anagan since it kinda goes against his pacifism but the narrative doesn’t care about that as much as I do :/
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And lastly I think it’s be neat if we saw a more fleshed out dynamic between the Wizards, the best I can think of is when they’re protected by Syllia and Duman almost slips their plan to which Anagan says he’s being whoosy, Orgon complains about being protected by fairies while Gantlos is fine with it.
A lot of the rewrite is focused on fleshing out the wizards because I want complex villains grr, and they’re perfect for it. The Earth Fairies? They’re good but they’re dead in my rewrite soooo-
I like to think Orgon is pretty manipulative of them. Was he always like this? No, but he’s desperate to secure the disappearance of magic from Earth, and his manipulation gets worse and worse as the episodes go on, in the end being threats and guilt-tripping. He still cares but mostly how the wizards can be of service to the Black Circle. And yes Duman is his favorite because he has the best powers. Shapeshifting will always be OP and the best power in my heart.
Anyway that’s all folks. If I make a part 3 it’ll probs cover some other stuff like Jason Queen, which I like his character, it’s perfect for Musa’s development (until they made Bloom the fucking main singer like WHYYY) or perhaps talk about Klaus or Morgana, Tecna and Timmy and more about Nabu. Anyway I’ll go watch some more nostalgic minecraft videos and webtoon rants. See ya!
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heartfullofleeches · 2 years
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Yandere Show Host (oc) x Gn! Co-Host Reader
Word count:3.k 
Warning: cheating, psychological horror, body horror
“It’s cold up here…”
Cool tiles cradle you, curved edges gliding against the back of your legs as you pull them to your chest. You cover your knees with the hem of your shirt, trying to fight the cold in any way possible. The harsh wind slapped at your face and arms; world at your feet from the edge you sat on. You wanted to feel like you were on top of it all. To shout and feel like you mattered to the universe; but it was hard to do so with no comfort at the end of your cries – neither below nor beside you.
“I think we should take a break.”
You ball your fist into your clothes. He doesn’t even look at you when he says it.
“You know I care about you. I just… don’t think I’m ready for this kind of commitment, yet. I’ll.. call you when I am.”
You pull your phone out of your pocket. He’s still right beside you, but so – so far away. You stare down at it, hoping; pleading for his ring tone to play. Praying he won’t leave you again to spend a night in another’s arms. 
“Y/n, ugh- come on. Don’t do this.” 
Your hands shake. It’s always your fault.
“We just need a little time apart.”
Always we. Your feet feel like they’re losing stability; slipping off to the abyss below. 
“Y/n. Y/n?!”
Y/n?
-
You open your eyes. A fan hangs over a velvet ceiling, chandelier below swaying as it blows air down on you. Floral shaped glass that held identical lights as their bulbs. Satin pillows held your back, soft enough to lure you back to sleep near immediately – had you been laying on them completely. Your limbs hung off the side of the couch, neck supported by a hand at its base. The skin was so cold; draining your natural heat till it mellowed into a neutral temperature. The permanent smile on your co-host's face greets you as you turn your attention to him, shoulders rising with a laugh. 
“What have I told you about sleeping on the couch, you silly thing.” Host chimes. “You’ll get a crook in your neck. Bad for the show and yourself.”
You sit up with his aid, stretching the exhaustion and ache away with a yawn. The rest of the room wasn’t much to look at. A tall mirror clung to one wall, dressing table pushed in front and light bulbs screwed into its golden frame. Vases of flowers and various cases of makeup lined the table, the latter hardly ever put to use. A rack of clothing stood not too far off, every article tailored to your measurements as apposed to posted to Host’s lanky, slightly built frame. Lastly, there was a grey door, covered by sheer curtains and your name bolded in cursive across its wood. A place where your near every desire lied.
“I'm sorry. Yesterday had me a little more winded than usual.”
“Should we take a break for today then? We can have a good show any day, but a spectacular one only happens when you’re feeling 100%”
“No, no. I’m fine.”
“Wonderful. Shall we get ready then?” Host offers his hand, lifting you to your feet effortlessly. You walk over to the table, taking a seat upon the cushioned chair in front of it. Host tends to your hair, combing out your bedhead with his long fingers. Gentle strokes that fall down to the nape of your neck; relishing in the life beneath his fingertips. He hums to himself, satisfied with his work. With the fact he had such a stunning co-host. His chin rests atop your head; head tilted towards the mirror at you. In the corner of your eye lies your old phone dormant on the edge of the table. It vibrates with the arrival of a call.
“Absolute perfect! Everyone’s gonna love you out there.”
You flash a tired smile, ridding yourself of the hallucination as you look away. How long has it been since you became his co-host? You couldn’t remember. Time stood still for the most part; your only notion of it bring a bell that would toll before the start of each show. It was frightening at first. As a contestant, your time was spent cowering under the audiences' awaiting gaze; but upon your glorious win they did nothing but sing praises to the heavens – celebrating the new permanent figure on their stage. Though he’d never tell another soul, Host walked you through everything until that point. A bit of a cheat, sure, but he knew you’d be wonderful at everything after. They loved you, eternally – even when there were those days you wondered what life was like back home. 
“What’s with that look? Do you need something?”
Host snaps his fingers, a stage hand appearing front the shadows. They looked so close to human; differences spilt only when given a long glance. Crooked hands carry a tray; skin an even deeper grey than his. Their neck was a few inches too long; face blank except for a pristine smile – just like your dear Host. He takes a pitcher from the tray, pouring you a glass of water into a cup that wasn’t there moments ago. His hands rest on your shoulders, smoothing the knots in your joints.
“Please let me know what you need.”
You look down. “I was just wondering…if anyone missed me back home.”
The ice in the glass settles. Silence kicks in too long to be comfortable, before Host’s body begins to shudder once more. It quakes with the force of his laughter. His form hutches over yours, trying to keep the laughs inwards to his best extent. He wipes an imaginary tear from an imaginary eye before addressing you again.
“Of course they miss you! You’re bound to be the highlight of anyone’s day, Y/n, but you must remember, this is home now. You’re no bigger of a star to anyone than us.”
“I.. I know, but I cant help it sometimes, y'know?” You say, offering a small chuckle of your own.
Of course he knows. He knows everything about you. Fears, likes and dislikes, – regrets. Your every dream; both in regards to what you desire and those images in your head. If it weren’t for his permanent smile, he’d be grinning with anticipation for what he had in store.
“Yes, I understand, dear. Just know that you belong here, and we’ll never let go.”
His hands clutch the sides of your arms, head angled awkwardly in the mirror. Just – staring. An alarm rings from nowhere, shutting off abruptly after the third buzz. Host clasps his hands together – you jumping at the sharp sound of his palms meeting. He smooths his slick hair back further and pulls your seat out for you.
“Well that’s our cue! Ready to give our fans another great performance?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
“Wonderful. Let’s get to it then.”
You stand to your feet once more, joining Host at a large curtain on the other end of the room; stage lights seeping from beneath the fabric. He exits before you, getting the crowd nice and warm up before your entrance just as he always did.
“Gooood day, lovely viewers! Welcome back to another show with your truly; your forever host – Host!”
The audience cheers. Shrill cheers that become muffled beneath the soundtrack playing around.
“Yes, yes. Hello to you all too. And what a delight greeting it has been so far. We can’t forget our wonderful co-host though, now can we? Give it up for our better half; the lovely as ever, Y/n!”
That’s your mark. The curtain bends under your hand, parting before you can even push them aside. The mutters from the crowd begin. As soon as your legs sweep over the stage floor their voices rise. The headlights blind you momentarily as you step out fully; wrapping you in a daze that felt like waking on another world. Your attire changes under the darkness behind your eyes, microphone in hand; and posture straightening as you greet your adoring fans.
“Greetings, everyone! It’s a pleasure to see you all again.” 
The shouts from the crowd are just as; if not more appraising as they were for your partner. You smile and wave; soaking up the attention. Host couldn’t be more proud.
“I think we’re ready to begin another fabulous show. And quite a special one we have today. Y/n, do you know what today is?”
“Uh.. Wednesday?”
Host laughs, followed by a few chuckles from the audience. 
“Oh, Y/n. Wednesday was last month. Today is the one year anniversary of you being our gracious star!”
The lights flicker off, returning with a central beam pointed directly at you. A banner hangs over head; congratulating you on the anniversary in bold, red lettering. Balloons and confetti fall around you. The audience hollers in cheer.
“We do love our co-host, don’t we now? Unfortunately, it seems to me that they don’t understand the lengths of our affection. By the end of today’s show I think they’ll have a change of heart.”
Your throat feels dry. What was he on about? Keeping a straight face, you smile into your mic. 
“Thank you, all so much. You’re too kind..” 
 “Haha. No, Y/n, I think you are.. Let’s bring out our contestant!”
The room goes dark once again, more abruptly than the last. When everything settles, the layout of the stage had changed. The vacant area to your right was now blocked by a half wall you could see around if you peak – screen above showing all you needed to see. A large red heart was pastured to the wall behind, three chairs and a podium placing in tow. A landline phone was placed on a stand, as well as one on the podium.  Shadows sat to each chair, dim lighting concealing their faces. The fourth stood at the podium, writhing around in place with muffled cries. You could see the outline of fingers over its mouth; the silhouette of more limbs encasing its body and keeping it in place. 
“The game of this episode is all about missed connections. In our lives, we make so many new ones, we have to snip the old to make room. No matter how strong the cord may be. Our eager bachelor here knows a lot about that, which is why he’s perfect for our show! Put your hands together for, S!”
Illumination returns to the other half of the stage. The arms around the contestant vanish with the glow; leaving a blindfolded and shaken up man in their stead. Beads of sweat drip from his temple; him squirming in place like he was trying to get off the podium, but was unable. His hands were stuck to the surface no matter how hard he pulled. He was dresses in a letterman’s jacket, the embedded S pealing from the stitching – just like you remembered.
“Host?...”
His glance falls upon you for a single second, before he faces the crowd like nothing happened.
“Quite a looker, isn’t he? Our helpers for today thought so too at one point.”
“H-hey..  hey, what the hell is this? Where am I?!”
“Speaking out of turn are we? I wouldn’t advise that, unless you want to face a penalty. “
The man clams up, shaking like a dog in rain.
“Onto the rules of the game. One by one, our helpers will walk up to the phone and list a few things about themselves. It’s our contestant’s job to remember a single fact about them – their name. Three rounds for three members of his past. Simple enough, right?”
“Please.. I don’t know what I’ve done, but-"
Host lends into his microphone. “Shut up and play by our rules or face punishment like every other rule breaker. ..Let’s bring out our first assistant. Walk on down, A!”
The shadow in the seat closest to the telephone stands up. Their appearance becomes visible as they step into the light. They appeared to be a normal human being; all up to the left side of their face. It was smudged like someone rubbing off make up; lips stretched to their ear and eyelid permanent closed from the abnormality. They pick up the receiver, phone on the other end ringing in response. The constant quivers more, refusing to answer.
“Pick it up.”
The function in his arm is brought back as he hesitantly picks up the phone, putting it to his ear. 
“H…ello?”
“We met a weekend in February. I blew you a kiss, you slipped your phone number into my pocket. They had no clue while you held their hand the entire time.”
“Fuck… fuck! Um, February.. R… Riley! Your name is Riley!”
“Corrrect!” Host exclaims. The man breathes a sigh of relief as the crowd cheers. You stare at the ground. Overtime you grew a numbness to the contestants and their cruel fates. You had to, if you wanted to keep your sanity; but this was too much. Too close to home. Home you foolishly believed to be yours alone for years. It feels hard to breathe. 
“Everything alright, Y/n?”
“Yea.. Yes just….” You force yourself to bright up. “Excited for our guest getting his first question correct.”
“Glad to hear it! Onto the next one.”
The assistant at the stand leaves and the next makes their appearance. Body littered in bite marks; namely the neck and chest area. They ooze with a black liquid, dripping onto the phone as they take hold.
“We hooked up in the bathroom of the local theater. I saw you leaving a movie with your arm around someone thirty minutes later. You called me the next day. Who am I?” 
The man’s lip quivers. “I.. I..”
Steps draw near him. The assistant peers over his shoulder, receiver still in hand. The cord slaps against his neck, tightening as their breath hits his face. They repeat into the phone, unable to take otherwise. 
“Frankie.. Oh, god.. Frankie.” 
His shoulder heave at the second round of applause.  Tears fall from beneath his mask; rambling to himself as his nails rack against the podium. 
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry-“
“Marvelous! Only one round to go.”
The process repeats. The final assistant walks to the stage. Their skin a pure black, eyes crossed out with a red, crayon like ink. The same ink was sprawled over their chest like an crude, anatomically accurate heart; bleeding down their torso. Their lips moved unnaturally as they spoke, like a frame by frame picture. 
“I was the one who you came to most. You promised we’d be together eventually. I smiled when they went-"
“Blair…” The answer comes out in a quiver. He can’t bring himself to say more. He falls to his kneels; forces holding him like a puppet on a string allow him his moment of weakness. Your own legs feel like they’ll give out as well.
“Annnd there we have it, folks! Our contestant has finished all three base questions, but there’s still the bonus around for him to complete.”
“No, no, no. No, fuck you! You said I only had to do three! You lied!”
“Now, now. When did I say “only? Let’s get too it.”
The lights flicker yet again. There’s only a chair on stage, you now in it, and under the crowd's perpetual stare. They feel closer than normal, faceless grins shifting further upwards; socket-less eyes wide open and trained on you. Host appears on the screen above, speaking for the final assistant. 
“We met in high school.”
“No.. please..”
“I was the one that learned to sew when you couldn’t afford the jacket for your team.”
“Not you… Anyone, but you.”
“I was there for you when your mother died. Covered your shifts for you and took care of you when you were sick.”
“You can’t be here..”
“You abandoned me everytime I poured my heart out to you.”
“I was scared…”
“Who am I?”
“Don’t make me say this..”
“Who. Am. I.”
“I don’t know!”
Your heart sinks in your chest.
Wrong answer~
Suddenly, everything returns to normal – as normal as it could be in this twisted place. The assistants are back, all staring past you at the contestant. He rips the blindfold from his face, looking around the room. Fear streaked his face as his eyes fell on the assistants, and you before them; silent and in tears.
“Y/n… Is that really you?”
You turn away. The assistants stand.
“Y/n! I’ve looked everywhere for you. It’s me..”
He steps off the podium towards you. They advance.
“Everyone else gave up, but I still search. I’m sorry for everything done. Please… I love-"
They grab onto him. Arms around his neck, torso, legs. Their skin melts into his; merging as they begin to drag him off stage.
“Y-y/n help! I’m so sorry. Forgive me, please!”
Your eyes remain on the floor. Even if you wanted to save him you couldn’t.
“I didn’t want to say that! The blindfold! Y/n!”
He’s gone. You’re alone once again. During the whole event the audience remains silent. You don’t know what to do.
Finish the show. It never starts. It never ends. Without you.
“A-and that brings us to the end of another show with your host, Host. And me as your co-host – Y/n!”
The crowd goes wild. It’s a standing ovation. Their hands clap like fireworks popping in your ears. Their praise rang to the high heavens. Howls, whistles, holders; all in your name for another amazing performance. Confetti falls in your hair, roses and other bouquets of flowers at your feet. 
The set up is gone. It’s just you, Host, and your adoring fans. One arm snakes around your waist as he proclaims into the microphone. 
“Is that all you got for our shinning star? Give it your all!”
An encore of approval, from the people whose love for you knew no end. The people who depended on seeing you every day and never tired from it. You relish in the saudade of their praise; raised further by one new member of audience who could finally give you the love he never could before. 
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sehunniepotwrites · 1 year
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my christmas wish come true
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SYNOPSIS. Mark Lee has been a staple in your life for the past six years and you haven’t even met him in person yet. You say yet because you’re steps away from the arrival gate of the airport and he’s there waiting for you on the other side. Nerves out of control, you wonder if coming to him for the holidays is a mistake but it’s way too late to turn back now. The only thing you can do is move forward and hope for the best. 
PAIRING. penpal!Mark Lee x fem!reader GENRE. Christmas!AU, Holiday!AU, Penpal!AU, College!AU, Friends-to-Lovers!AU, Fluff WORD COUNT. 1.4k+ WARNINGS. mark calls her “puppy” (?), tooth-rotting fluff, mark is so cute here, profanity
DISCLAIMER. This is work of fiction. I do not own the people/characters and concepts I have written about. You cannot translate or copy my work.
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Looking around the crowded area, you double check that you have everything with you. Hands patting your shoulders, you feel the heavy weight of your travel backpack. Your fingers reach down to grip onto the handlebars of your carry-on and matching check-in luggage. Everything is within your grasp, so why are you so unbelievably nervous? Maybe it’s because once you pass the arrival gate, the moment you’ve been waiting for will finally arrive.
You’re stalling. 
You’re definitely stalling but of course you have to buy yourself some more time to kick all the nerves away. 
You’re not nervous because you’re traveling by yourself. You’re not nervous about visiting a new place. You’re nervous because this trip was six years in the making—four years of exchanging letters throughout your high school career and two college years continuing on the tradition while also adding on phone and FaceTime calls into the mix. 
You’re nervous because you’re meeting your penpal—your best friend—in person for the first time. You really shouldn’t be because it’s Mark Lee you’re talking about. He knows the ins and outs of you. Despite never meeting you in real life, he knows how you drink your coffee in the morning, all the movies and shows you watch when you’re having a rough day, and the things you need to hear when you’re feeling down. Mark knows that your favorite color switches depending on your mood, how you relieve your stress by screaming into a karaoke microphone for hours, and that you like to use an old hoodie of his (one that he sent to you via care package) when you’re looking for a comfortable fit. The English literature major probably knows you more than you know yourself but you can’t help but feel this way. 
You can’t help but let the butterflies in your stomach fester and float and fly while your heart does backflips inside your chest. You can’t help but heat up at the thought of finally being able to hug him after years of thinking about what it would feel like to be in his arms. Lastly, you can’t help but like Mark Lee when he has been nothing but sweet to you. So sweet that he invited you to spend time with his family for the holidays when your parents decided to go on vacation without you. 
In fact, the feelings you carry for Mark surpassed the word like. You think they’re closer to the word love instead. And sure, some may call you crazy for falling for a person you’ve never met but they never saw the letters you exchanged, how deeply you dove into different topics, or how much Mark cared for you. They had no say in your relationship because they didn’t know him or the playlists he created just for you. They didn’t know about the countless songs he uploaded on SoundCloud that were all written about you. They knew nothing. But you and him, you knew everything.
Your phone begins to vibrate erratically in your pocket. Pulling it out, you see that it’s just Mark, your sweet, handsome boy, endearingly spamming your message thread with text after text. You can practically hear his excitement through the capitalized words and extensive use of punctuation and emojis. 
Baby Cheetah: [1 attachment] Baby Cheetah: waiting right here besides this huge ass Christmas tree!! It’s so tall, dude, like wtf?? It even makes Johnny look small! Baby Cheetah: If you can’t see me through the crowd, that’s okay!! That’s why I brought Johnny with me!! Baby Cheetah: PUPPYYYYYYYYY Baby Cheetah: PUP PUP Baby Cheetah: Did you get your bags yet?? AH I’M SO EXCITED Baby Cheetah: Johnny keeps telling me to calm down but I can’t because you’re HERE! In Toronto with me! How fucking crazy is that?? Baby Cheetah: Oh my gOD I’M GOING TO GIVE YOU THE BIGGEST HUG YOU BETTER GET HERE FAST! Baby Cheetah: People are coming out of the gate, where are youuuuuu? Don’t chicken out on me!!!! 
You laugh, quickly typing a reply that you’re about to walk through the gate. The text you sent raises and you see the three little dots at the bottom of your screen appear, disappear, and reappear again. Waiting for his answer only prolongs your time apart so you swiftly lock your phone, inhale deeply, and take your first step through past the point of no return, or as the airport calls it, the arrival gate. Five steps later and you’re descending on the world’s longest escalator, standing on your tippy toes while scanning the waiting crowd below. Like Mark said, there is a large sea of people, which is expected for the holiday season, so you narrow your search by looking around the large Christmas tree you saw in Mark’s photo.
It doesn’t take you long to find Mark, or rather, Mark’s friend, Johnny. The man stands tall right next to the tree with a wide, teasing grin. His large arm is wrapped around a shorter boy’s shoulder. Mark doesn’t spot you right away, too busy bouncing on his heels while keeping his eyes glued to the escalator, but Johnny does. Despite never meeting you in person either, he’s gotten to know you as well through your FaceTime calls with Mark. Johnny’s smile widens as you wave at him, which is all the confirmation he needs. The guy nudges Mark’s side and points straight towards you. 
You catch Mark’s face beaming, his thin lips forming into the world’s biggest smile with his cheeks squishing against his sparkling eyes, as he makes his way through the tough crowd to meet you in the middle. The look on his face is practically fluorescent, the way it shines brighter than his Smurf blue hair that you can’t help but adore.
The second you’re getting off the ramp, you rush towards him, your bags tangling behind you in a weird sort of mess you don’t pay any attention to. He does the same, his sneakers squeaking against the floor tiles until he’s right in front of you. The anticipation leading up to this moment is so much that you disregard the luggage you packed and jump straight into Mark’s arms. He catches you with a little groan that turns into a jingle of laughter that is music to your ears. 
You snuggle into his neck and you can feel the warmth radiating through his clothes from his body and he’s here. Mark’s here with you. You’re not looking at him through a screen or a printed photo or talking to him through written stationery that gets beaten up along the way. He’s right here with you, touching you, hugging you. Mark’s arms are around your body and your legs are warped around his legs. The breath from his low chuckles are hitting your neck and his cheek is pressed into your shoulder. You feel him nuzzling into the fluffy sherpa material of your jacket and hear his satisfied sigh as his hold tightens. 
“Hi there, Cheetah Lee,” you say fondly as you push yourself back to really take him in. 
The giggle that you’ve only heard over the phone blesses you as his cheeks are tickled with red. “Hey there, Puppy,” Mark replies before pulling you back in for another long hug. 
“This is so weird,” you whisper while sinking into his warmth once again. 
“I know, man, like I can’t believe it. You’re here—”
“I’m here in Toronto!”
“—with me.” Mark reaches out to touch your hair and it slips through his fingers. The unique scent of your shampoo fills his being and it causes him to draw you even closer in his arms. His eyes search yours and the white fluorescent airport lights seem to cast a halo around his pretty face.  “My god, you’re real. Like, you actually exist.”
“And if I didn’t, who could have possibly written you those letters, hmm?” you can’t help but tease back. Does he feel you shaking in his hold? You’re trying to play it off but you’re so happy, your knees could give out any second now. 
“I don’t know but I’m just...” he seems so into this moment and it causes you to fall into it too. You ignore the phone camera aimed your way—you can always greet his best friend Johnny later—because all you could think about, all you can focus on, is the sweet boy in front of you. “I’m just so glad you came. My Christmas wish came true.”
You bump your forehead into his and the hand resting against your back finds its way up to keep your head in place. The courage you have been building up takes advantage of this precious moment and urges you to press a lingering kiss on his soft cheek. Your lips brush against his skin as you whisper, “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.” 
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AUTHOR’S NOTE. This had been sitting in my drafts for a while so I made a few little changes to fit the Christmas season and tadah! Here we are. I believe this was based on a Tiktok I saw awhile back (I don’t have it saved) and I thought it was so cute, I had to write something on it. But yes, here’s my little contribution for the holidays! I hope everyone has a safe celebration, no matter what or how you are celebrating this special time! 
taglist. (tagging my general + people i think would enjoy this <3) @keemburley @johtenrecs @bat-shark-repellant @kaepop-trash @bebsky @donutswithjaminthemiddle @suhnnyskhies @baekhyuns-lipchain @emmybyeakitty @moonctzeny @sokkigarden @inlovergirlsworld @iwishiwasthemoontonight @stvrrynight @loeycity @itsapapisongo @tyong-blr @jenosuh​
networks. @czennienet @neowritingsnet @ankathi-a 
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© sehunniepotwrites, 2022 — all rights reserved. reposting, editing/modifying, translating of any piece of work (fic, original writing) posted on this blog is not allowed. 
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eardefenders · 3 months
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Hey maybe you shouldn’t be sharing any form of content that is paywalled for the purpose of generating financial support for smaller creators? It’s almost like they’re not sharing it publicly for a reason? It’s really disrespectful to Joel and the whole team, and if you’re just going to be in the patreon to leak the exclusive content so people don’t join for themselves then you should just leave :/
Fundamentally, I agree with you. Patreon is essentially a marketplace for people to support the artists and creators they love, financially, so they can keep on creating. To generate that support, they will paywall some of that stuff to create incentive for fans who don't yet contribute financially to do so.
However, when you start talking about a company such as Goalhanger then I think you're getting into a much greyer area of the purpose behind the Patreon. I mean, on a basic level, yes, it's for money, but on a podcast like this which is averaging 10s of thousands of downloads a month and contains ads (and household names, not just local mom n pops or sex shops, but like Tide Laundry Detergent), they aren't really propping the show up with Patreon supporters. They aren't indie; they aren't a small creator.
(In fact, I'd be downright shocked if there wasn't upfront payment from Goalhanger to commission the show from Joel and his team, or at the very least an agreed upon payment schedule with set bonuses should subscription/download targets be achieved.)
I'm not so sure I agree with you on the whole disrespectful bit. Downloading the audio from Patreon, stripping it of the DRM and releasing it is disrespectful. Me taking my personal time to listen to the same episode over and over and carefully write out the dialogue as I hear it so I can share it and discuss it with others would seem the opposite of disrespectful, it's the kind of dedicated worship and time giving creators generally think is neat in their fans (if sometimes worrying).
For what it's worth I did ask. If it was truly troubling, I would have received a takedown notice or at the very least, a strongly worded email that suggested I take the transcript(s) down of my own accord. (Which I also told them I would do if they found any issue with my creating transcripts down the line.) For now, they don't see it as an impact to their business. If anything, they likely think it provides a driver for people to sign up because the joy isn't just in reading in John and Sherlock's voices (if that were the case, we wouldn't care about the show and we'd all be blissfully on AO3), it's in hearing them. It's hearing them and making our own interpretations of every little hitch and stutter and breath. We want to hear the words spoken in their inflection and tone.
Lastly, your final line comes across a tiny bit rude and presumptuous. I'm not in the Patreon to simply leak exclusive content and especially not to purposely prevent people from joining. If that were the case I'd simply leak the audio and/or bash the shit out of the show. I also haven't transcribed all of the exclusive content they've posted, only the mailbags.
The reason I'm in the Patreon is because I love their show and the adaption. I think they're doing a wonderful job and that they should be paid for it and I'll happily give them some of my money for it. (I also want the free merch, tickets to a live meetup, and a personal message from John and Sherlock lol.)
Not every person will join the Patreon. A lot of people don't have the money to commit to a Patreon every month and I'm pretty sure the creators know not every single person will join. (Generally, your looking at a conversion rate between 1% and 5%. So, lets say that the 1 million downloads of Sh&Co represents actual unique listeners. That means even with 1 million people actively listening to the show, they're only expecting between 10 and 50,000 patrons on Patreon tops. ((Looking at the discord server which has 234 members currently and lets say that's every subscriber to Patreon that's a listener base of 5k-23k, but we know that it's much more likely that they're listener base is closer to 25k-50k given the numbers on other Goalhanger podcasts and that this is a Sherlock Holmes thing which is near universally a gold ticket project.)))
I'd add tone tags to this whole thing but I'm not actually sure how to/where to. Please consider the tone of this answer ranging from vaguely dispassionate to mildly miffed, but with nothing but respect for you Anon as you aren't the first person to bring this up and it's a, well, not entirely valid, but nonetheless reasonable thing to ask.
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Text
Encanto Ride the Cyclone AU.
For @glowing-celesticpetals, based on the prompt: “maybe something about Antonio or Bruno in the Ride the Cyclone Au?”
This is the last you’ll see of the living side; the family grieving the loss of the four children.
Comments are always appreciated.
Warning, sensitive topics ahead: character death.
~~~~~~
Just Another Tragic Fact
Bruno sighed to himself.
The four gravestones, all lined up, layered in a variety of plants - Isabela would have hated it if it was all just flowers.
Here lies
Luisa Amalia Rojas Madrigal
14th November 1930 - 14th September 1951
Beloved daughter and sister.
Here lies
Camilo Valentino Estrada Madrigal
28th December 1934 - 14th September 1951
Beloved son and brother.
Here lies
Isabela Cristina Rojas Madrigal
7th August 1928 - 14th September 1951
Beloved daughter and sister.
Here lies
Dolores Victoria Estrada Madrigal
31st August 1928 - 14th September 1951
Beloved daughter, sister and partner.
Seeing it makes it real.
Not that it didn’t feel real watching the crash and seeing their dead bodies be pulled from the wreckage.
The funeral had came and went.
The loss of the children, who had been dubbed ‘Encanto’s Four Saints’, had impacted the town itself. Everyone was draped in mourning garb and music and laughter almost vanished from the streets.
But, of course, it brought the most impact to the Madrigals themselves.
“I’m sorry,” Bruno says to them.
It’s a relatively bright and dry afternoon - considering Encanto has been living in a constant storm since the Cyclone accident.
Pepa must be asleep. She’s done a lot more of that recently.
He doesn’t blame her.
“I should have seen… I should have been able to warn you. Then maybe you’d still be…” he sighs, breaking into tears again.
“Tío Bruno?”
He sniffles. “Hey, Toñito.”
“What are you doing?”
“I thought I’d just come to see them. It’s a nice day.”
“You don’t have to say ‘sorry’. You couldn’t have known what would happen at the fair.”
“No, you all couldn't have known. This is my gift. This is what I’m for. But… I didn’t even think to look and now it’s my fault they’re gone.”
“Still. You can’t blame yourself.”
Tight arms fasten around him.
Bruno accepts the hug.
It probably should be the other way around, it’s not him who has lost his siblings and cousins.
~~~~~~
Antonio doesn’t quite process that they are gone.
He knows they are dead, but… their family has a miracle, why wouldn’t it bring them back?
When a bunch of baby capybaras are born the following week, he names them after his siblings and cousins.
The quietest capybara he names Lola. She was the oldest of the four. She’s always hiding behind his legs. She insists she be carried up and down the stairs. He finds a pinkish red ribbon in Mirabel’s room that he asks his Mama to tie in a bow for Lola.
Next came Luis. He was the biggest of the litter, so Antonio didn’t need to mark him to tell him apart. Luis was more like a playful puppy than anything else, frequently managing to sneak out of Antonio’s room to wander around Casita in search of belly rubs.
Then there was Belita, or Bela, depending on whether or not Antonio was telling her off. Like her mother, Chispi, she was very confident and snarky. However, lacked her mother’s chill. She was full of energy - if Antonio didn’t put her to bed with her siblings, he would be sure she never slept.
And lastly there was Milo, possibly Antonio’s favourite but don’t tell the others. Getting his brother’s name, he was exactly like him. Mischievous, loves food, and maybe a little too dramatic. Milo was good at making him laugh and, after everything, that is what he needed.
He assembles them all before bed, so that when Mama or Papa or both of them come to read his story, they are there too.
Abuela would happily spend time babysitting the four of them while Antonio was at school.
If they came into the kitchen, Tía Julieta would offer them scraps or spare food they could eat.
Tío Agustín had built a little wooden cart that Antonio could pull them around in.
Tío Bruno pretty much adopted them alongside his many rats, as the best pets/children ever.
It was another week later that Antonio got an idea.
“What are you doing, mijo?” His mother asked one day. It was just before dinner - table already set up, but nobody had called them to eat.
Then she noticed the extra chairs and plates that had been added to the table. And Antonio having placed each capybara on their namesake’s chair, which was stacked with pillows, so their heads just about reached the table.
“I thought they could join us for dinner!” He offered. “And Chispi is here too to watch them. I got her a spare chair all by myself.”
Pepa didn’t know what to say. “Is your Abuela okay with this?”
“Why wouldn’t she be? She loves them. I saw her cuddling Milo and Lola when I came home today. I think she likes them more than Tío Bruno’s rats.” He informed, happily.
“Well, but, you know what Tía Julieta is like with animals at the table,” Pepa tried again.
“I don’t think she’ll mind. It’s like having the family back together!”
Thunder rumbled.
“I was meant to ask Bruno something,” she excused herself, brushing through her braid as she walked off.
Antonio stood in silence.
He glances at Chispi, “Did I do something wrong?”
~~~~~~
It’s a silent night.
They are slowly coming out of mourning and adjusting back to normality.
Starting to work again.
The colours of black and dark blue and dark grey begin to fade away.
The eternal storm that Encanto has been wrapped in since September is slowly breaking away. Now it is just occasional spells of heavy rain and sleet.
Antonio has long since been put to bed, with the four capybaras.
The rest of the adults stay up.
What once would have been a night of some wine, a few cards games, music and laughter, is now just a solemn conversation in the candlelight.
They ‘um’ and ‘ah’ over what could have been.
Where and what the children are doing, now that they are no longer among the living.
“And the other one?” Agustín dares to ask. “Did anyone ever come for her?”
“Was she at least identified?” Félix inquires.
“No.” Alma answers. “The order was given for her to be buried today.”
Pepa tugs at her hair, shivering. “I can’t imagine it. A child. Just like the rest of them. Except in an unmarked grave, and not a soul to care.”
“Her poor family,” Bruno remarks. “My sympathy is with them.”
“No.” Julieta shook her head. “To let their child go… and they don’t even care. They either didn’t care to look in the first place or they couldn't recognise their own bloody child. It’s horrible. They don’t deserve any sympathy.”
“Julieta!” Her mother and brother both exclaim, in shock at her attitude.
All the family is, but Agustín and Félix are stunned into silence (not that they find a fault in her statement, it’s just unexpected for her), and Pepa is already nodding her head in agreement.
“I agree.” She said, turning to Julieta. “If it was one of our babies, I would have known instantly. Heartless people.”
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kallamars-spouse · 2 months
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In defense of my wife…
Disclaimer: I use she/her pronouns for Kallamar. Why? That’s a transfemme lesbian squid and she told me that while I killed her with a warhammer. 
I am also viewing this following essay through the lenses of the Bishops and their family and how they treat each other. This isn’t a defense of how they treat mortals, and isn’t about anything beyond Gods at all.
I understand why Kallamar would tell the Lamb to kill Shamura instead of her. I also think there’s more nuance to it than “omg she would sell out Shammy!” when Shamura is absolutely not blameless. None of the Bishops are. I’m the Bishops’ BIGGEST fan, but I’m not going to act like their family isn’t dysfunctional as all Hell. Now, let’s start from the top. 
The age order from eldest to youngest is Shamura, Kallamar, Narinder, Heket, and Leshy. We can tell in the game that Shamura’s favorite was Narinder simply due to the fact they still love him, refused to kill him when we know it’s possible, and kickstarted an entire extinction of a species to ensure he would never be free- but that he would be alive. 
x
From Narinder’s dialogue, we can deduce that he hates Kallamar the most. 
“Kallamar was always a coward. This land is a better place now her pathetic, sniveling carcass is nothing more than a mound of rotting flesh.“
This isn’t elaborated upon, but his words after her death are downright the most vicious. Narinder says that his older sister was ALWAYS a coward.
Shamura also says this about Kallamar, and as the eldest they would’ve known her longer than Narinder has.
“Kallamar was always frightened of the Red Crown. Yes, fear made a coward of her.”
This implies that not only was Kallamar not always what we see her as, but that Shamura believes her to be afraid of the Red Crown itself. Yet, this is what Kallamar says.
“It seems you cannot be stopped by disease or hunger. And he sends you back from death stronger each time. Please know, it was not my idea to cast out the Red Crown! The other Bishops, my siblings, the blame lies with them. Please, I beg you, spare me. Kill Shamura, but do not send me to my death. Do not send me to him!”
Kallamar acknowledges that neither she nor Heket could stop the Lamb, and that she doesn’t believe she could win against them. That’s why she begs for mercy. 
She states that locking Narinder up wasn’t her idea.
At this point in the story if you kill them in the canon order, Leshy and Heket are already dead. Kallamar throwing them under the bus does not matter, as she knows they are dead. 
Lastly, Kallamar expresses fear over Narinder. The Red Crown isn’t what scares her. Death isn’t what scares her. It is Narinder himself.
x
Shamura is the one who made the call to lock Narinder up, as they directly state themself.
“Though no longer wise, I am no fool. I know the end draws near. I can take some comfort in confession. The blame hangs heavy 'round my neck. I introduced him to ideas of change; for my domain is knowledge, and it is ever evolving. An organic state of being for myself, but for him… most unnatural. Death cannot flow backward. It was I who had him chained. Forced into subjugation by the four of us.”
It was not a group decision. It was Shamura’s word, and their siblings obeyed them without question. They blame themself, as they’re the one who was letting him “explore” his domain. Since it’s implied that reversing death (for example, resurrection) is heresy, only then did they step in. I assume after this, perhaps Shamura plotted to chain him, Narinder discovered, and that’s why he struck first. Or he directly attacked due to Shamura and the others “turning against him”, and that’s why he was imprisoned. We aren’t told exactly. 
All we know is the Bishops have injuries, but Narinder does not. There’s no way in Hell that he could take them on all at the same time, nor that he could beat Shamura or Kallamar. Both of them are more powerful than he is. You could argue that Kallamar wouldn’t fight back, but that would ignore her violence towards the Lamb (who she was terrified of). Shamura is the Bishop of War, and they wouldn’t have willingly let Narinder attack them. Heket sure as Hell wouldn’t have let Narinder get away unscathed if he attacked her head on. Leshy is the only one who wouldn’t have stood a chance.
This makes it seem like he stalked and attacked them while they weren’t aware. 
x
So, we know why Narinder did what he did. He said he was betrayed. But we also know that it was Shamura’s idea to imprison him, so why did he target his entire family? 
This I believe was out of spite for Shamura themself, as they were obviously devoted to their siblings. 
They’re willing to fight the Lamb, knowing they’d be slaughtered, simply in the honor of the other three Bishops. 
They kept Narinder alive because they couldn’t bear to kill him. They even brought two innocent children to him so that he wouldn’t be “lonely”.
They already know what’s to come, but they still show up to Anchordeep to send enemies the Lamb’s way just to buy Kallamar more time to live.
They always appear by their siblings’ sides when they confront the Lamb, save for Kallamar. They still are there though, just in the background.
x
Back to Kallamar. This squid could’ve hopped into the ocean and left. She chose not to, even though she was terrified. She doesn’t attempt to fortify the door to her temple. She flat out tells the Lamb where she’ll be. She has her weapons already on her by the time they arrive.
I just feel like if you don’t give a fuck, you wouldn’t do all that. Why is it just assumed that she is selfish and didn’t love her siblings? Because she was terrified and saying anything to avoid being sent to Narinder? 
Would you want to be sent to your abusive relative who despises you? 
Would you not feel a bit angry that your eldest sibling would choose to keep this absolute lunatic alive, even against common sense and the safety of yourself and your younger siblings.
Would you feel a sense of blind loyalty to someone who values your ABUSER over you? 
Kallamar was afraid of Narinder before he ripped her ears off. Why is that? You aren’t just terrified of somebody for no reason. 
The Lamb kills her younger siblings. 
Kallamar knows she will be sent straight to him, condemned to eternal suffering.
Like what are we expecting from her? “Ah yeah, this is fine. I’m fine. I’m not upset at all that my enabler of a sibling chose an abuser over me, refused to put him down after he revealed himself to be unhinged, and forced me and the others into a wild goose chase concerning sheep. I’m not at all bothered that my baby siblings have been slaughtered and that I’m next. Me personally? I’m chilling!”
🙄 Y’all always on this “Narinder redemption”, WHAT ABOUT KALLAMAR? Why isn’t she allowed grace? The Bishops aren’t good creatures, but neither is their brother. We should acknowledge that and acknowledge the nuance. 
This post was brought to you by my homoerotic devotion for Kallamar and my long history of living in an abusive, dysfunctional household. 
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ok not to beat a hornet’s nest with a baseball bat but i keep seeing people on here who say they want to see an icemav pride & prejudice au but they’re always saying ice would be elizabeth and mav would be mr darcy and i just… don’t get that at all. narratively and thematically it makes no sense to me.
first of all, ice is the one who’s coming from a place of privilege in the movie. he went to the academy, he’s the top dog at top gun, he’s a genuinely good guy but mav thinks he’s a dickhead for, well, being a dickhead. second of all, he’s the one who keeps trying to help mav in his own backwards way, not unlike darcy trying to flirt with elizabeth, who sees each of his attempts to woo her as him instigating an argument. thirdly, he tries to help mav in his time of crisis after goose dies, similar to the scene where elizabeth finds out that wickham absconded with lydia.
on mav’s side, he shares elizabeth’s prejudice against rich, snobby men, but instead his prejudice is directed at ice and naval academy-bred pilots in general. he’s also an outsider amongst the other naval pilots because he never attended the academy and because of his father’s reputation, which matches elizabeth’s lower social status and her ostracization by the bingley sisters. i can’t really say how the wickham plotline would factor into the narrative because there is no such character in top gun, but maverick has been shown to be easily taken in by a pretty face (see charlie).
lastly, the way both characters’ opinions of each other change by the end of the movie are a perfect thematic match. ice has decided that while mav is still dangerous, he now sees this as mav’s strength instead of a fatal flaw. meanwhile mav has come to the conclusion that ice is not the asshole he thought he was, and that he can trust ice to have his back in the air from now on. similarly, darcy was able to rise above his previous reservations about marrying elizabeth due to recognizing that his estimation of her was in fact incorrect and that he needed to reevaluate his beliefs, while elizabeth came to realize that darcy was a better man than she had thought.
is there anything that i missed? i promise this was by no means a callout post, i’d love to hear what other people’s thoughts are because i’ve seen the opposite take in several posts but i simply can’t see it myself. if anyone wants to weigh in with their perspective please do!
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bisou-doux · 3 months
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I am Jewish, by the way. I don’t feel like arguing with you. I’m just saying that. I’ve also done research. there’s loads of writing out there on the inequality between Ashkenazi Jews and other Jews in Israel. Why don’t you look it up yourself? It’s interesting reading. anyways, at any rate even if there wasn’t any inequality you should definitely do research on their apartheid and colonialism towards Palestinians. Even if it’s not towards other jews, and if i got bad info I’ll delete that post, they’re still horribly racist.
I mentioned in my response that I’m aware there is a history of racism by ashkenazi Jews towards sephardi and MENA Jews, and that I by no means think israel is perfect in terms of social equality. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t deserve to exist as a country. By that metric, I can’t name a single country that would deserve to exist. Social inequity =/= apartheid. On a day to day basis you will never see examples of virulent racism, nor is it something that would ever be tolerated by the average person. Under the law, ALL Israeli citizens (including those of palestinian descent- bc yes, palestinian israelis exist) are equal under the law. When people cite “apartheid” practices, they’re either not true, or are things that are only happening in the west bank (which btw I absolutely disagree with the israeli settler and military occupation of the west bank). The biggest issues for Palestinians being the roads built by the IDF, the checkpoints and resulting abuse of power, and the fact that they are subject to Israeli military law while Jewish settlers are subject to regular Israeli law. Settlers in the west bank are comprised entirely of religious (and some nationalist) extremists who believe in Jewish (/Israeli) supremacy. They are not at all representative of Israeli society as a whole, which is largely secular (not including bibi and ben gvir and the morons in the Likud who are absolutely DESPISED by nearly all Israelis rn). Many Israelis refuse to serve their mandatory military service on the basis of their opposition to the military occupation of the west bank. So yes, the situation in the west bank is horrendous, but it cannot and does not serve as “proof” that Israel is an apartheid state. IF Palestinians in the west bank were Israeli citizens and were still subject to military law, THEN it would be apartheid. But they are under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority, and like I said, it’s the checkpoints and road systems (built by the IDF for settlers) that create daily issues.
As for “colonialism”, Jews are indigenous to the land of Israel. There has been a continuous Jewish presence there for over 3,000 years. You can’t colonize a land that you’re indigenous to. Palestinians, even though they have a centuries long history living in the land, are not indigenous to it. They speak Arabic, they practice Islam- a language and a religion that originated in the Arabian Peninsula. Prior to Israel’s establishment (and really up until the 1960s) there was no Palestinian national identity as we know it today- JEWS living there were called Palestinians, Arabs living there considered themselves Arab, not Palestinian. (And no, I’m not saying that because they’re not indigenous to the land that they should leave or that they have no right to be there- they do, just as much as Jews do).
Lastly, Ashkenazi Jews are not all horrible racists. That’s a harmful and completely false generalization. Do they exist? sure, but they are in the minority. You also have to consider that Jews in the diaspora were/are naturally going to be influenced by the cultural norms and attitudes of the countries they live in- especially during the mid 20th century. But let’s not forget about Operation Solomon- a covert Israeli military operation in the 90s that airlifted over 14,000 Ethiopian Jews out of Ethiopia in 36 hours so they could make Aliyah. There were opponents, sure, but they were ignored and the operation went ahead anyway. Ethiopians coming off the plane were greeted by thousands of cheering Israelis. Doesn’t sound very racist to me. And if you wanna talk about racism, why not talk about the fact that the Arab slave trade still exists? But does that mean that every single Arab person is racist towards black people? NO!
(this isn’t as eloquent as I wanted it to be but I hope I got my point across. If you want me to clarify anything I said don’t hesitate to ask)
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senorabond · 2 months
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WIP Wednesday! Rumor Has It Update
Happy Valentine's Day!!!
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I am *hard* at work writing the next chapter. In fact, it's turning into two chapters' worth of smut.
Here is a little sneak peek at what you've got in store for Chapter 8:
“You’re in charge of this; you decide what we do or don’t do, and how far this goes.” He walks around to face you, and you’re surprised to see how gentle his eyes are. They’re round and sincere, serious but not stern. You can’t wait to see them looking up at you from between your legs.
“Understand?”
You nod and he cups your face, running the pad of his thumb over your mouth and parting your lips.
“Use your words, cariño. I need to hear it.”
“I understand,” you say, then drag the tip of your tongue against his thumb. He lets out a pleased hum. 
“Good. Now, tell me your rules.” His other hand strokes your lower back, sending shivers up your spine.
“Oh. Um, I – I don’t know,” you stutter. 
He drops his hands and takes half a step back. “We’re not doing anything until you set the rules.”
“But–”
“This is important, cariño. I’ll give you a moment to gather your thoughts.” 
And just like that, Javi’s walking away from you and sitting on your couch. What the hell is happening here? 
He’s right, of course, damn the man. You want to be mad, but don’t know what to be mad about – how respectful he is? Letting out a deep sigh, you go back to the kitchen and pick up your glass of wine. 
“Can I get you anything to drink while you wait?” Your voice comes out a bit more sarcastic than intended, and the sound of Javi’s throaty chuckle from the living room makes you bristle. 
“Whatever you’re having is fine.” 
The man sounds so calm and unfazed you want to throw something at him, but instead, you pout like a grown up and pour another glass. You set it on the small end table to his left and start pacing back and forth in front of the coffee table. Stuck in a quandary like this, you used to be able to call Marcus up and talk it through, but that sounds as appealing as lemon juice in a paper cut right now. Besides, even if Marcus would help you get laid, he’s probably busy with his girlfriend.
Sighing, you sit down next to Javi and face him. In this position, the hem of your dress rides all the way up to your hip, but you’re in no mood to be modest. Javi takes a sip of his wine and turns slightly in your direction. He puts an arm along the top of the couch, and you try not to notice the way his suit jacket opens, revealing his broad chest sloping down to hint at a soft belly. His thighs splay invitingly, and you bite your bottom lip. 
“Cariño?” Javi’s eyes sparkle with mischief. 
“Right. The rules.” You set your glass of wine down and try to focus. Javi waits patiently, but you can see his fingers toying with the fabric on the back of the couch. He’s just as anxious to get this part over with.
“Rule number one: nothing at work. Ever. Not even after hours or in the parking lot. Nothing.” 
Javi nods in stout agreement. 
“Rule number two: it’s just sex. We’re simply two consenting adults with insane chemistry, privately enjoying the hell out of each other’s bodies.” 
“Enthusiastically consenting,” Javi smirks, and sets his glass of wine down so he can stroke your thigh. The hunger in his eyes is distracting, but you manage to pull your thoughts together one last time.
“And lastly, but most importantly – rule number three: what happens undercover stays undercover.” 
Javi’s hand stills on your thigh and he looks at you curiously. “You mind expanding on that a bit?”
“Our cover is just that; a story, playing pretend. We don’t let it blur the lines of whatever we do outside of the investigation. We have to compartmentalize.” 
Javi takes a moment, considering what you’ve said, then nods. Looking you over, he slides his hand up your thigh and leans in, closing the space between you on the couch. 
“I guess that means we better get out of these clothes.” 
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I'm so, so, SO excited to finish this chapter and get it posted for you!
If anybody is interested in my writing "process," I'd be happy to write about that. I have ADHD, and I've learned that I'm a very visual thinker, and discovering a process or method over the last 6 months has been a fun journey.
Here is the song that's been playing on loop for me while I've been writing this particular chapter. I have no idea how to embed the Spotify player, but that link should take you to the song Do It For Me by Rosenfeld.
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akane-kurokawa · 4 months
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Chapter 136 thoughts!
Loving how they’re handling the Ruby Kana plot line. Kana observing Nino’s feelings from an outside perspective while acting them out is a great way to showcase the scene. Aka Akasaka is really taking advantage of the narrative presentation options he gets from a movie shoot setup this arc and I’ve been loving it.
A little confused about Ai joining later, I hope they clarify the time frame about that (assuming it wasn’t explained in the dang light novel I can’t read) my interpretation at the moment is that the group was formed earlier in the same year that Ai joins, thus she’s still considered a founding member.
When Ichigo scouted her, he mentioned he was “putting together a group of middle school models (yuck)” which implies it’s either not formed yet or still new. I believe something earlier references the fact that Ai was less experienced than her founding peers, though admittedly I mainly interpreted that to mean they had experience in the industry before her since they were models prior.
For Kana and Ruby’s friendship itself! I’m not entirely sure what way it’s going to go. This has been built up since the first concert really, and especially solidified during Ruby’s black star arc. A lot of people are saying things getting fixed after this would be hand-wavey and eliminate consequences but I think it depends on how it’s done.
Ai wanted better for her kids than she got, and I could see the ultimate resolution for these characters being that they are NOT their predecessors and they’re breaking the cycle. I could also see it sticking at this point too though, depending on how much longer the story is going to be.
Lastly
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This image is horrifying, but also really tragic and interesting. I thought it was a break in character at first, but Gotanda doesn’t stop recording, something he said to the real Ai he would do if she was inauthentic. It makes me suspect this kind of cynical frustrated outburst is not only Ruby’s true feelings, but also true of Ai too, at least while she’s alone.
She’s said that she’s unable to love, but I don’t specifically remember her admitting to hating everyone instead (though someone please correct me if I’m wrong). This could be an assumption on the directors part, or could come from something she admitted him during the original documentary setup period. Like most things with Ai we’re stuck speculating for now.
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odinsblog · 3 months
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I just found out about Jasmine Sherman and they look really cool. Like, the policies that they say they’re going to do? The fact that they have an audiobook option for people to listen to what the policies say on their platform? (If people don’t have JAWS or screen readers on their devices, JAWS for computers.) I really hope they get far enough in the presidential race. Although Cornel West is my next choice should he get far.
Yeah, sorry but Hell NO.
I’m all for audiobooks and JAWS readers, but I’ve never heard of Jasmine Sherman before and as far as I’m concerned, Ms. Sherman is just another throwaway vote. She has the same chance of winning the next election as a randomly picked name from a hat. Same goes for Cornel West and for 🤡 RFK Jr., and same for Marianne Williamson, and in fact, same for anyone who isn’t named (I honestly cannot believe that EYE am saying this, but here we are) Joe Biden.
Look, in 2020 I went through the same journey that I think a lot of voters are going through right now: I swore up and down that I wasn’t going to vote for Biden because he had (and still has, tbqh) a lot of conservative policies that I vehemently disagree with—LOL, don’t even get me started on Title 42, okay? But at the end of the day, I carried my Black ass into that voting booth and I begrudgingly did what I had to do.
All I know is, I do not want Donald fucking Trump in the White House. That’s it. Not “lesser evilism” not “he’s the next LBJ” not anything else, except for I’m voting for the person who has the best chance of beating Trump and keeping his racist ass out of the White House. THAT’S just about my only motivation here. Dassit. Periodt. I can deal with everything else later.
And I can live with myself with that vote.
But yeah, I’m Black and I gotta live not only with myself, but I also gotta live in this world and look other people in the eye. People who don’t even have my extremely limited level of privilege.
I’m not gonna go into detail about how a Trump presidency would make literally everything worse than it already is—and yes, sadly that includes Palestine, Ukraine, transphobia, homophobia, immigration, and whatever else is allegedly important to disproportionately ☭ white, online “leftists” 🙄 who keep telling people not to vote, or keep telling people to vote for candidates who cannot win.
As far as I’m concerned, Trump getting back into the White House is an existential threat to everything I hold dear. So no, anon, I will fucking not be throwing my vote away on some random ass person I’ve never heard of before, who has no mf chance of ever winning.
And yes, I still have problems with Biden. Like, a lot of problems. Like, a LOT, lot. But he’s the best chance we got at stopping Trump, and Trump needs to be stopped. That, plus I desperately want to see Trump pay for everything he’s gotten away with so far. Voting for Biden is the best way for me to give that a chance.
So yeah, I am deathly afraid of a second Trump term. And a big part of what is driving that fear is the fact that Joe Biden is vulnerable and super beatable. Like, his winning the next election is not a guarantee—did Hillary Clinton’s completely preventable loss teach you nothing at all??
Anyway, I’m not tryna write a book here. I think I’ve made my thoughts clear on Jasmine Sherman and whoever else is the flavor-of-the-day that can’t and won’t beat Trump. Biden is really fucking up and making himself even more beatable by unconditionally supporting Israel, and if he wins he might continue to fuck up, but I promise you that Trump will do unimaginably worse to Palestinians—and that’s not hyperbole.
Lastly, I really debated long and hard about whether or not to make this post rebloggable. PLEASE don’t make me regret that decision, OKAY??
Like, I know that a lot of people who unconditionally LOVE Joe Biden (that’s not me, btw) and the Democratic Party will be tempted to add, “VOTE BLUE NO MATTER WHO!” to this post, but I am begging you to please resist that urge, okay? I don’t know how to precisely put it into words, but unless you’re already convinced and have decided to vote for Biden, there’s just something about adding that braindead slogan that is incredibly off putting. It’s like an annoying ad that you want to skip and ignore on YouTube; it’s vapid; it’s old + tired; it’s lowkey offensive, and it tells people that you haven’t really given a lot of thought to anything and you’re just another insipid Blue MAGA sycophant blindly hopping on the bandwagon. Please find a better more intelligent way to express your support of Biden, okay?
ALSO, if you just search for Jasmine Sherman on Tumblr, you get a lot of anonymous asks like this
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And sorry, but having lived through the 2016 and 2020 interface elections, yeah, it just smells fishy af. Chipping away at Biden votes is another way to help get Trump re-elected. And Trump supports Putin and Netanyahu
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watermelonsloth · 5 months
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Why the Hell Do I Ship Royai???
(TW: brief mention of suicide and allusions to unhealthy relationships)
I know nobody asked but I find the fact that I ship Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye so interesting because, on paper, I shouldn’t ship them.
First of all, I don’t like straight ships with dynamics like the right hand man or ships that have the male character as the woman’s superior. It’s not the dynamic itself that bothers me, it’s the predictability of it. When it’s hetero, I immediately think “of course those two are gonna get together.” It feels like low hanging shipping fruit.
I also don’t like stoic badass x absolute clown (competent or otherwise) ships. I almost always end up wondering why either side likes/puts up with each other. Especially since the badass tends to be an asshole and/or emotionally unavailable while the clown (forcibly) takes on their baggage.
Lastly, I don’t like relationships where one or both sides are codependent on the other. “I’ll die without you”, “You can’t leave me”, “I refuse to go on without you”, “You’re mine/I’m yours”, “You’re my other half (seriously)”, etc. ships have never been appealing to me. I understand why people like them, but I just can’t get over how gross it makes me feel. Like, I promise the planet will continue spinning after they’re gone, get some self confidence, I’m begging you. Maybe it’s because I’m not a romantic, maybe I’m overthinking it, maybe I’ve heard too many stories of codependent relationships going south, who knows?
By all means, I should look at Royai and think that it’s an incredibly unbalanced and unlikeable relationship (at least in a romantic sense). But I don’t. And I think I know why: Royai took what should’ve been an incredibly one-sided/unbalanced relationship and balanced it.
First, it avoids coming across as predictable (because it technically isn’t canon) because the series goes out of its way to expand upon their relationship's. It doesn’t absolve the predictability, but it counters it. It avoids being forced by being taken seriously and being given serious time to develop.
Secondly, both characters are developed in ways that avoid their relationship coming across as overly cliche. Namely, they’re given reason to like each other and both are charismatic/likeable enough that they aren’t annoying (I know this isn’t much, but the bar is in hell for shounen romance. Especially background character romance). Hawkeye has her lighter and nicer moments and Mustang knows when to be serious. The problem of the stoic character having exponentially more baggage or the clown forcing that baggage onto themselves is also avoided by both of them having a lot of baggage and (something FMA nailed as a series) boundaries.
My last problem is avoided by both of them staying their own characters. They can both function without the other, the other doesn’t fill their every waking thought, they’re capable of and willing to call the other out on their screwups, and whatever pedestal they put the other on doesn’t impede their judgement (for the most part) or make them ignore others to a concerning/upsetting extent. Even after Hawkeye says she’ll take her own life if Mustang dies, it somehow avoids being ship-ruining/frustrating/ disturbing. It’s tragic, but it doesn’t make me want them to not get together (it makes me want them to work through that shit and then get together). I’m gonna add that this is probably helped by the fact that Mustang never takes advantage of her vulnerability and he doesn’t come across as the type who ever would. It would’ve been so easy to make Mustang the stoic badass in charge with enough baggage to fill an airport with Hawkeye as his softer/more lighthearted right hand woman with a concerning level of dependency on him, but the author didn’t go that route and I will be forever grateful.
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