#and the fact that i've done sets like this twice before

[satuguro]

⠀⠀ ⠀ཾ ༚ 20/20 VISION

lalala! ethan landry x okokok! reader

#SYNOPSIS— based off of see you again by tyler the creater & kali uchis; you have no gag reflex, ethan tells a sex joke, and ethan takes a leap of faith.

#CONTAINS— best friends to lovers, mutual pining, jealousy, emetophobia, fluff

#AUTHORSNOTE— i've been wanting to write fluff lately so.. here you go xx

your unofficial designated spot in the carpenter sisters' apartment was their armchair in their living room.

you had a list of reasons why; one, it meant more space. you could stretch your legs, not worry about feeling someone's feet near your legs, and you could have your own blanket. all somewhat selfish reasons, but you loved your space. two, it had the perfect angle towards the t.v. that gave you the best spot in the living room to watch it without worrying about discomfort.

which was why you would've been mildly perturbed that someone was standing between you and the t.v. the only difference was that it wasn't just someone; it was someone who rambled too often, who had no sense of personal space while also being hyper aware of it, and who was a flurry of random facts (which wouldn't help him at all, unless someone held a gun to his head and told him to name and point at every country’s capital in the world).

"i've done it," ethan announced to you, his signature toothy smile seemingly more victorious as he looked down at where you were snuggled up on the couch. his well manicured nails (he asked you to do them once, and who were you to deny your best friend?) held his laptop, the screen facing his chest.

"aren't you supposed to be studying?" you asked him with a small tilt of your head, glancing at where the rest of the group was. finals week was beating everyone up, and you could briefly see mindy and chad chugging a redbull at the same time while tara timed them, before you turned back to your best friend.

"i gave up."

"you need to study."

"you gave up, too!" ethan looked down at the huge blanket that you hogged for yourself, not even thinking twice before he was climbing in next to you.

"ow— ethan!" you groaned, feeling him step on your leg.

"'scuse me!" ethan forced himself under the blanket you were snuggled under, making you share your beloved armchair with him before he sighed contentedly. "this is comfortable! maybe i should share this seat with you more often!" he said with a bright grin, making you sigh reluctantly. "i mean if you don't want to then it's fine too!" ethan added hurriedly with wide eyes.

"i was just saying that i wouldn't mind sharing with you because usually you sit alone— which i know you prefer, you've told me so many times and i get it! i really do! but i wouldn't mind sitting with you to keep you company because i really like being with you— around you. your presence. yeah, that." ethan rambled, finishing his string of words with a sheepish smile, cheeks flaring a bit red. "i'm sorry for rambling." he added quietly.

your usually tired eyes softened at that. he had always been insecure of how much he talked, you knew that better than anyone. "i've told you before, e, i don't mind. i like listening to you," you hummed, a downturned smile on your lips. "i like your presence too. and i guess i don't mind sharing my seat with you."

ethan's cheeks flared red at your casual words. you had a way of speaking so calmly, as though all your words were chosen well. in a way, he was a bit jealous.

"you had something to tell me, yeah?" you asked him softly, bringing him back on track.

"oh, right!" ethan showed you his laptop, setting it up on your legs. it was a notion list, color coordinated and everything, with an entire list of shows and movies you remember only briefly mentioning to him. "i made this list—"

"just now? instead of studying?"

"yes! so basically, it has a section where we can rate it after we watch it, and it's all organized by what we want to watch the most and what we need to finish!" ethan scrolled down the list, practically buzzing with excitement (and the cold brew he drank earlier).

"see? i know that i have a whole essay to do but i can do it later—" ethan said, waving it off with his hand. "because i know you said you would do it but i got impatient and did it instead! and look—" he showed you the wide variety of colors for every row. "they're color coordinated! and here's how i think the rating system should go—"

you had watched ethan talk the entire time he rambled, your usually tired and indifferent eyes softening when you listened to him speak. he talked fast— too fast for some people, but you liked that about him—but the way he rambled showed how passionate he was about different topics, because ethan only rambled when he cared.

it showed how much he appreciated what he was talking about. and ever time his cadence picked up and his words became jumbled and he began interrupting himself, you could see how ethan's brown eyes would shine with excitement. you could see how he began incorporating his hands to his words, how his lips tilted up when he talked.

you were so engrossed in ethan's explanation of the movie and t.v. show list that you failed to notice your friends staring at you from the dining table.

"they are disgustingly cute," tara said with a sigh.

"and disgustingly oblivious," mindy grumbled, clicking her pen over and over. "with how smart the both of them are, i'm surprised they haven't picked up on the clues." she turned to chad, who was sulking after losing the redbull chugging competition against her. "have you asked ethan about it yet? you're our in on this, chad!"

chad groaned as mindy nudged him with her shoulder. "i did. he didn't even respond. it's crazy how he can avoid conversations, you know."

you didn't like parties. not as much as your friends did— you were usually the designated driver or the friend that was always sober enough to take care of their friends, which you didn't mind. it was the socializing part that you minded.

you socialized okay, but you often just ended up listening to other people rather than talking. listening was more your style, but you were only a little awkward when it came to talking to complete (and possibly intoxicated) strangers at parties. you stuck with your group of friends and very rarely strayed away.

but ethan was the designated sober friend this time around, so maybe that would change.

three loud knocks to your dorm room made you go and open it, coming eye to eye with ethan. "you're walking me there?" you asked with a knowing smile, making the boy nod eagerly.

"yup! chad's walking with tara and mindy's going with anika, so that leaves you and me." ethan grinned at you teasingly. "why, you're getting tired of me already?"

"no," you hummed, closing your dorm room behind you as the both of you began to walk down the hall. "you're really not drinking tonight, huh?"

"nope!" ethan replied, popping the 'p'. "after i threw up all over sam that one time we drank at the apartment, and then i threw up on you right after, i told myself that i'd hold back on it."

you wrinkled your nose at the memory. "how responsible of you."

"i know, right?" ethan said with a proud smile. "but because i threw up on you that time, i give you full permission to throw up on me this time."

"i'm not gonna be that drunk."

that was a lie.

to say that your friends were shocked to see you become a more extraverted person after drinking would be an understatement. they were used to you observing the group and contributing to conversations with sarcastic comments, dry humor, and dark jokes that are often made much too soon. so to see you take a shot with tara and squeal happily with her (true friend solidarity; she was as drunk as you were) was completely out of the ordinary.

"i'm gonna go find chad!" tara yelled over the music, making you nod happily and watch her leave. adrenaline and excitement began to thrum through your body stronger, and your first thought was to share it with your favorite person. you began to walk around, searching for ethan, before you bumped into a chest.

"oh, shit! i'm so sorry," the guy laughed, making you send him an apologetic smile.

"it's okay!" you said, taking in his black hair and his brown eyes (that only reminded you of ethan). "i'm y/n!"

the guy smiled at you, offering his hand out. "jaden!" he seemed to be as intoxicated as you were, his steps wobbling slightly as you shook his hand. "do you, uh, wanna dance?"

"hey, where's y/n?" ethan asked tara as she passed him, making her look back towards the drinks table.

"she should just be around where the drinks are.." tara's voice trailed off when her eyes landed on you not too far away. your arms were around a guy's neck— was that jaden from her philosophy lecture? —as you swayed with him to the music. you seemed to be having a good time, the alcohol making you lighthearted as you sang with whatever song was playing through the speakers. "there she is!"

when ethan saw you, his heart fell. you looked so beautiful under the multicolored lights, your hair perfectly styled and your clothes fitting you perfectly as you danced with someone who wasn't him. your smile— your genuine one, ethan noted with his chest aching, the one that made your eyes crinkle and your smile lopsided —was pointed towards someone who wasn't him.

jealousy brewed in his chest along with the heartache, ethan's jaw clenching as he stared at you and the random guy. but he didn't step in. he didn't pull you away and declare his feelings for you, because at the end of the night, you were happy. content as you danced with someone who wasn't ethan at all.

chad came up next to tara, his arm over her shoulders as he steadied her. "hey man, where's y/n?" he asked, still fairly sober than everyone as he had only taken one shot.

"she's doing fine," ethan said, his voice monotone as he continued staring at you. it was unfair how beautiful you looked while you unknowingly broke his heart with every laugh and every flirtatious smile you sent towards your dance partner.

"what?" chad looked in the direction ethan was staring, his face falling when he saw you and jaden. easily connecting the dots, he looked at ethan empathetically. "fuck. dude, i'm sorry."

"it's okay, really," ethan said with a tight lipped smile. but he couldn't keep his eyes off of you and him, the fact that you looked so happy pulling at his chest because he wanted you to be happy with him. he wanted you to look at him the way you looked at that random stranger.

and finally, as you did a twirl into jaden’s arms, you made eye contact with ethan. oblivious to the way his jaw clenched and his eyes lost the spark they usually had, you gently pulled yourself out of jaden's arms. your steps were wobbly, and you nearly crashed into ethan's chest when you finally walked up to him. ethan's arms went to steady you easily.

"ethan, i feel like throwing up," you murmured, and ethan nodded in understanding, worry taking over his jealousy.

"okay, let's get you to the bathroom, okay?" ethan said softly, pulling you close to him as he guided you to the bathroom. he knocked on the door, thankful no one responded, before he opened it for you. he locked the door behind the both of you as you made a beeline for the toilet, grabbing the side of it as you readied yourself to throw up.

but nothing came out.

“go on!” ethan encouraged you, motioning to the toilet. but instead, you looked up at him warily.

“do i have to?”

“yes?” ethan gaped at you, motioning to the toilet again. “just go ahead! nothing to fear!”

“i don’t want to.”

“c’mon, y/n, why not?” ethan whined, making you groan as you stopped yourself from throwing up yet again.

“i have emetophobia, asshole,” you muttered, gently pushing his arm. “fear of throwing up? and,” you messily pushed some of your hair away from your face. “i have no gag reflex.”

“what the hell?” ethan crinkled his nose, blushing furiously as he looked at you in shock. you were honest, sure but never this honest. “i could’ve gone my whole life without knowing that.”

“are you sure?”

“what?” ethan said quickly, eyes wider than ever as he stared at you as you snorted in amusement. “you’re kidding.”

“maybe.”

“maybe?” he swallowed thickly, shutting his eyes and pinching his nose bridge. “oh god, you definitely have to throw up now.”

“watch this.” you took two of your fingers and stuffed them all the way to the back of your throat, smiling triumphantly as you showed ethan your lack of a gag reflex.

ethan could only watch in horror and exasperation. “y/n, i didn’t need proof. i already believed you.” he took some squares of toilet paper before offering it to you.

“i told you so,” you hummed, pulling your saliva covered finger out of your mouth and wiping them on the toilet paper. there was a beat of silence before ethan coughed, his cheeks and ears still burning red.

“can i make a joke?”

“of course you can.”

“it’s a, uh,” ethan cleared his throat, avoiding your intent gaze, “sex joke.”

“even better.” you situated yourself next to the toilet, still very much feeling like you were gonna hurl at any given moment.

ethan sat next to you, clearing his throat again. “i know one way we can test your gag reflex,” he stated, almost ashamed at his own joke.

you chuckled at that, the horrible joke making a you sway a bit with laughter before the sudden motion sickness got to you. without another word, you threw up into the toilet. all thanks to ethan’s horrible sex joke.

he immediately reached over to move some of your hair. you continued retching into the toilet, his hand rubbing soothing circles on your back. "i hate drinking," you grumbled as you laid your forehead on your arm, eyes watery from throwing up. immediately as you got the words out, you threw up again.

"i know, i know.. but i know you're gonna end up drinking again," ethan teased softly, making your back heave as you managed a laugh, only for it to be interrupted by you throwing up again. "it's okay, let it all out." he couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped his lips. “i can’t believe a sex joke made you throw up.”

and you almost laughed again if you didn’t throw up even more.

the sound of the party died into the background as ethan sat next to you on the ground. your head was laying on your arm, which was on the toilet seat. you were still intoxicated, and the world was still spinning, but you could see the obvious turmoil on ethan's face. you poked his arm. "what's wrong?"

"what?" ethan said, snapping out of his daze to send you a tight lipped smile. "nothing's wrong."

"liar."

"i'm not!"

"i know you better than that, e," you murmured, half lidded eyes staring at him. you had thrown up most of your alcohol, and while you were still inebriated, you felt a lot more clear headed than earlier. “what's wrong?"

ethan looked at you, eyes flashing with hurt as he pictured you again dancing with someone else. "do you really want to know?" he asked you, and you nodded. even while drunk, you opted to listen.

"you looked beautiful when you were dancing," ethan began, managing a soft smile, "i don't think i've ever seen you like that. it's not a bad thing or a good thing, but it's a new thing, y'know?" he sighed. "you dance really well, i'm surprised you haven't told me," a genuine smile appeared on his face when he heard you laugh quietly. "and your laugh.. i swear i would listen to it over whatever horrible music is playing right now."

ethan looked at you, taking in your obviously roughed up and intoxicated form. but somehow, even with slightly messy hair and most of your make-up rubbed off and with your breath smelling only a little bit like puke, you still looked beautiful. it was enough to make someone who talked as much as him to go quiet in awe.

"but when you laughed, and when you smiled,” ethan said slowly, taking in heavy breaths with every word. fear thrummed through his body, mingling with the nervousness as he twiddled with his fingers anxiously. to continue on would be to admit everything. to admit how he felt, the thoughts he had been having about you, everything. and to admit it to you would be to risk losing a friendship and one of the most important people in his life.

“.. you weren’t smiling or laughing at me. and i hated that.”

confusion spread over your face before realization hit your eyes. “oh.” and oh, it suddenly all made sense. why ethan was so bothered, why you were so willing to listen to one person speak for forever as long as it was them, why even as you danced with another, something was off because he wasn’t ethan. he wasn’t your best friend.

“you don’t have to say anything,” ethan mumbled, completely misinterpreting your realization for rejection. his eyes watered slightly as he avoided your gaze. “it’s been going on for a while now, and i get it if you don’t feel the same! i really do, it’s just,” he sighed shakily, “i don’t want to lose you—”

“ethan—”

“i was completely willing to just shut up about how i felt as long as that meant i could still have you in my life, y/n,” ethan said, looking into your eyes earnestly. “and i thought i could keep it under wraps but i have to tell you at least once because—”

“i love you.”

“what?” ethan blinked, making you smile, your head still resting on your arm.

“i love you, ethan.”

a toothy smile spread over his face at that, his shoulders relaxing as he searched your face for any doubt. “are you— are you sure?”

“i wouldn’t say it if i wasn’t,” you murmured softly as you raised your head, making ethan laugh in relief.

“holy shit— i love you too.” ethan said, leaning forward, only for you to stop him.

“e, i might throw up on you if you kiss me.”

“do you think i care?”

#scream 6 imagines #scream 6 smut #ethan landry smut #ethan landry x reader #ethan landry imagines #ethan landry imagine #ethan landry #ethan landry x you #ethan landry fluff #ethan landry x y/n #scream fanfic #scream 6 fanfic #ethan landry fanfiction #scream 6 imagine #scream vi imagine #scream vi smut #scream vi imagines

[spockandawe]

And finally, the big conclusion! When I was planning to not really binderary, getting copies of these books was my big goal. And then when I did binderary after all, I, uh, ended up with two sets of two books. And let's not even talk about how late these are in the grand scheme of things, these have been in my plans for literal years, and I originally intended to get them done well before official translations started releasing (I'm doing great!!). But here they are! Thousand Autumns and Peerless! TWICE!!!!

Okay. Okay. So here's the thing. These books are long. Thousand Autumns is something like 450k, and Peerless is closer to 550k. I hate splitting cnovels. I didn't want to sand instead of trimming. I wanted to keep these books as pairs (because Peerless has my favorite danmei ship of all time, but doesn't hit as hard without the Thousand Autumns context, and EVERYTHING hits less hard without knowing that yan wushi is out there. existing.)

These goals are not terribly well aligned with the facts! The facts are that those are awfully big books to fit into a single volume, if I want to use my guillotine! This is another driving force behind my small text theme of the month. It made the typesets a goddamn nightmare, and my initial copies of the books were done on half-legal paper, which I've never done before and may never do again. I finished those, and those are... big, heavy books. Not super portable. Time to see if my eyes are good for four point georgia, and spoilers, they ARE.

Set one, the large set, I wanted to use more of my snake leather. I had this GORGEOUS purple and green and black iridescent hide that i was determined to use, and fortunately I had just enough of the perfect fabric to pair with it.

But.... meanwhile, I've been buying peacock fabrics since 2021 for the sake of Feng Xiao. I had to use at least ONE of them! Fortunately, I've hoarded enough fabric that I was able to find a nice harmonious floral fabric to cover thousand autumns, and then had a nice duo bookcloth to make spines for them both! These books are quarter-legal, and the font is genuinely SO small, but still, pleasantly readable for me, my favorite customer 😂

These books were SO MUCH work to typeset snd bind, but I'm still so excited about how both sets came out! Because of my own impatience with repeating myself like, literally two days later, i redid a number of decorative elements in the typeset as well as the binding. Different chapter headers, different dividers, totally different vibes for the endpapers! This was a big project to ask from myself in such short order, especially when I was starting to flirt with burnout, but I genuinely couldn't be happier with the results :D

#crafts #bookbinding #binderary #oh no how have i tagged either of these #thousand autumns #peerless #qian qiu #wushuang

[violentdelightsandviolentends]

could i have a rum or whiskey (you pick!) of lip gallagher? i know you said 'potential' about lip, but i still wanted to ask! i have such a huge crush on him haha (it can be dirty too if you feel like!)

Tradition.

warnings - smut. cursing.

my first ever lip fic!! i've loved shameless for YEARS but I always felt like there wasn't much of a fandom on here for it. but, we're in the JAW renaissance after all. lip girls unite!!

3k celebration post here. 3k masterlist here.

You catch his gaze across the room, and you know you're done for.

Everyone's dancing, singing, drinking. Celebrating Mickey and Ian, at long last. You should join them. But you can't tear your eyes away from Lip Gallagher.

He rises from his seat and walks over to the bathrooms, not looking back once. He knows you'll follow.

You do. You stand up and slink across the floor, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. You knock twice before slipping through the door, locking it behind you.

He's on you immediately. His hands grab at your ass as you gasp, allowing him to slide his tongue into your mouth. He crowds you against the wall, hips rutting into yours.

"Can't stop lookin' at you in this fuckin' dress," he murmurs against your lips.

"Can't stop looking at you in that tux," you whisper back. "You clean up real nice, Gallagher."

He grins at you before kissing you again, hands slipping underneath your dress to pull your underwear down.

Lip spins you around so you're bent over the sink, dress rucked up around your waist.

"I want you to watch," he tells you lowly, body draped over yours. "Want you to watch as I fuck you."

You hear the telltale sound of his zipper coming down, before you feel him pressing at your back. He slides home in one smooth thrust, both of you groaning in unison. He grips your hip with one hand, the other anchored at the back of your neck.

Lip sets a frantic pace, very aware of the fact that his entire family is still on the dance floor outside. You moan when he shifts his hips upwards, entirely too loud for the situation.

"Shhh, baby. You don't want them to hear, do you? Want them to hear how filthy you are?"

You shake your head and he chuckles, low and mischievous. Lip snakes a hand around your body to rest over your mouth, effectively shutting you up.

He doesn't let up, hips snapping into yours as you both get closer and closer. You wrap your fingers around his wrist, holding onto him for dear life.

"Come for me, baby. That's it. Good girl, that's it."

You fall over the edge as his honeyed words meet your ears, stars dancing behind your eyelids. He finds his release as soon as you do, groaning lowly against your back.

Suddenly, you laugh, amusement vibrating your body.

"What? What's so funny?"

"You're a cliche, Gallagher."

"Oh yeah? How so?"

"Best man and maid of honour. You've just fed into every wedding stereotype ever."

He grins at you, buttoning himself up as you fix your hair in the mirror.

"It's not cliche. It's tradition."

#lip gallagher #lip gallagher smut #lip gallagher fluff #lip gallagher x reader #lip gallagher x you #lip gallagher x y/n #shameless smut #shameless x reader #shameless imagine #shameless fic #shameless fluff #jeremy allen white #lip gallagher x reader smut #lip gallagher x reader fluff #murphy's 3k celebration

[wordbunch]

a little secret (Bilbo x f!reader)

a/n: my brain wrote this on its own while i re-watched the hobbit trilogy twice within like, a week, so... there is that!! it's been sitting in my drafts for months??? anyway it's just a fluffy little piece cause he is an absolute cinnamon roll (i've been neglecting him too much and i'm gonna fix it) 💖 let me know ur thoughts and opinions, and please be so kind to reblog? 🥺 i'm exciteddd to be back and figuring out new things to post!

Yet another all-day-long march was behind them, and the setting sun signaled that it was time to set up camp for the night, and rest, as much as it was possible by sleeping on the ground and eating tiny portions of anything that was at all edible.

[y/n] let her weighty bag plop down onto the rough forest terrain and she let out a weary sigh, stretching her back and arms as much as it was humanly possible, wishing she could stretch away the negative feelings and thoughts that plagued her mind on that particular day.

As soon as Bilbo neatly stored his belongings near the bark of a tree, which seemed like a moderately comfortable spot to take a break in, his eyes keenly followed the movements and expressions of his beloved, who was uncharacteristically quiet and perhaps even sorrowful during the day. Normally she would put her things next to his and enjoy the few short hours of peace, but this time she just tossed them onto a random patch of grass and turned her back to him and the rest of the company, who were already discussing dinner. Before anyone asked her to weigh in with her opinion, she took the chance to walk away and among the trees, away from the commotion of the dwarves. 

Bilbo's curious eyes followed the shape of her in the shadows as long as they could, but soon enough she was out of sight and, inevitably, he began to worry immediately. As much as he wanted to let her have a few minutes of silence and contemplation, it was too dangerous for any of them to go wandering around alone, especially while exhausted in every way; so his anxiety got the best of him, and even though it was nice to finally sit down for a moment, he had to make sure she was alright.

She was expecting he would follow after her shortly, as she stood among the trees and hugged her own arms for extra warmth; trees were swaying in a chilly breeze as the last rays of sun painted them in saturated hues. The moment she heard some shuffling she turned around cautiously, but sighed in relief at the sight of her favorite (as a matter of fact, the only one she knew) hobbit. A small smile stretched her lips, without quite reaching her eyes, and that’s all it took for Bilbo to all but run to her and pull her close.

“What’s the matter, sweetheart?” he spoke, albeit a little bit breathlessly, as soon as he reached the taller woman. “All day you have been acting…differently.” He murmured with caution, hoping not to offend her with his probing.

[y/n] released a shaky breath and shook her head slightly, looking down at his hands on her waist. Even though she felt like she would start crying if she spoke up, she didn’t want Bilbo to think she was keeping something from him; she knew him well enough to know he would surely overthink it later in the night, instead of sleeping.

“You know you can tell me anything,” he urged her in a soft voice, reaching up to her cheek and stroking it with the back of his hand. “Even if it’s about something that i’ve done,” he added, half-jokingly.

After a string of rough days packed with danger and uncertainty, she was rather moved by the display of tenderness, and she felt her lower lip quiver. At last her eyes, that were brimming with tears and exhaustion, met his, and he let out a quiet gasp. [y/n] could swear he looked like he could start crying only at seeing her like that.

“i just- I cannot,” she confessed shakily, while he pulled her as close to him as possible, “I cannot really handle all of this right now. I’m so tired, a-and there are so many terrifying things going on all the time, and it seems like this whole undertaking might never end, and I just can’t,” she rambled on, trying her best to fight the tears that wanted to spill. The grip she had on the hobbit’s shoulders was so strong, as if he was going to evaporate if she let him go. It was terrible for him to see her feeling that way, and for a second he felt a stab of guilt - maybe he was failing her - but he had to fix it as soon as he could. Both of his hands found a way to her tear stained face, and he gazed at her with so much love and understanding that she could have melted right in that moment. [y/n] wrapped her fingers around one of his wrists to ground herself in reality.

“My beautiful flower, most beautiful in all the world,” Bilbo began, speaking so lowly that only she could hear him, “do you want to know a little secret?” he raised his eyebrows with a playful glint in his eyes and a smirk on his lips. If he couldn’t make her smile, then what was the point of anything at all? She immediately recognized a small attempt at cheering her up, and her heart fluttered in her chest. she really considered herself lucky amid all the chaos.

“Yes, dearest,” she sniffed, but the beginning of a smile was playing on her lips too.

"I can’t either,” he chuckled airily, with a small shake of his head, “but with you by my side, maybe I can. And all of this has been… well, insane, to say the least, but it won’t last forever. I mean, I really hope so.” [y/n] finally laughed, and a tremendous weight was lifted off of his chest. Bilbo stood a little taller as he looked up at her with more hopeful eyes.

“But sometimes insane things lead to beautiful things, I suppose,” he continued, still cradling her face as if it was made of the finest glass, and his smile was contagious as she let those words sink in. “Trust me, I would love nothing more than to be at home with you right now, holding you close, wrapping you in blankets when you get cold, bringing you breakfast every. single. morning,” he accentuated his words with three taps of his finger to the tip of her nose, and her giggle warmed him up from his curls to his toes. “And look at the stars with you on every clear night, and read by the fire together, and chase away visitors because I want you only to myself…” he trailed off, suddenly very aware that she was looking at him with such open love that he needed to remind himself to breathe before continuing. “And, petal, I promise you, very soon we will be doing exactly that, we just need to finish up this-this little dwarven errand.” 

[y/n] all but threw herself over him in a haphazard hug, drawing out a startled laugh from the hobbit.

“Thank you,” she muttered into his hair. “I cannot wait to do all those things with you.”

“Anything for you, my love,” he replied, “and until then… even if we can’t, we can’t together.”

-

✨

taglist my beloved @starlady66 @queenmeriadoc @entishramblings @thesolarangel @silversword7000 @friendofthefellowshipsnerdblog @averys-place @valkyriepirate @emmaarenstarr @noldorin-painter @asianbutnotjapanese @adamgetawaydriver @fenharel-enaste @ironmandeficiency @starryeyedrogue @dinofromspac3 @wisheduponastar @lady-of-imladris @frodo-cinnamonroll @unethicallypleistocene @deadlymistletoe @suncran @high-sea-husbands @asianbutnoteastasian @aidansloth @moth-makay

@bubbleyukismile @kitexvi @herstudios @babe-bombadil

#the hobbit fanfiction #the hobbit x reader #the hobbit imagine #the hobbit #lotr #lotr x reader #lord of the rings x reader #bilbo baggins #bilbo baggins x reader #bilbo baggins imagine #lord of the rings #from my pocketses #bilbo x reader

[joelslegalwhre]

"Stop flirting." "Then stop teasing." | Dieter Bravo x f!reader

word count: 2k

pairing: dieter bravo x fem!reader

summary: You're interviewing Dieter for his new movie, and no matter how many years you've been together - recently married too - he loves to flirt with you like the first time you've met.

warnings: age gap (reader is in late 20s, Dieter in his 50s but only mentioned once), Dieter flirting needs a warning, fluff, reader and Dieter are married, Dieters mind is pure smut who's surprised, allusions to smut, reader wears a dress and gets her nails done, use of the word "Daddy" like once (don't read it if you don't like it), use of nicknames (baby -like a hundred times, peach), also little disclaimer; I'm reading smut like my life depends on it but I've never properly written it so bare with me pls, not proofread

a/n: I saw a TikTok for this a while ago about Pedro (the account is pedritolovesu) and got super excited to write a little something for Dieter with it.. so have fun y'all

I'm a whore for age gaps, sorry not sorry

main masterlist

the gif is by a7estrellas (I found it on Pinterest)

"First of all, thank you for your time, Dieter." You started the interview. "It’s my pleasure." He answered with his signature grin, his fingers playing with the ring on his finger.

"Tell me, what was your favorite part about filming the new Cliff Beasts movie?"

"Oh, there are a few," Dieter began to tell some stories from the set, stories you already knew about, because he had told you all of them right after they happened. Calling you late at night, during the day, or sometimes just right after you woke up. 

Interviewing Dieter was still something you found a little strange, but in a good way. 

It didn’t happen often, but when it did, work felt a little less like actual work. When Dieter was there, it was easier, and you instantly felt like you’re home again.

Today, it was just the two of you, no co-stars or other interviewers. Which also meant, no distractions from the looks Dieter gave you.

"Well, that sure sounds like a lot of fun." You smiled at him, when he had finished, "Oh it was." He grinned, but his eyes never left your lips once when he spoke. 

You tried to give him a warning look that said "stop it, concentrate", but you already knew it would do nothing to stop Dieter. 

The interview went on for a little longer, you asked him some fan questions you had gotten before the interview for him, which Dieter all answered perfectly. 

His flirting didn’t stop though. His eyes couldn’t stop wandering between your lips and your eyes, and the subtle winks weren’t as subtle as he thought. „Stop it, Bravo.“ You whispered in a short break, while the crew was angling the camera for another shot. 

"Stop teasing me and I might." He threw you an air kiss, jokingly, making you chuckle.

Not everyone knew that you were married to Dieter Bravo, although it was pretty obvious when you were in situations like this one. And your last name didn’t hide the fact either. 

Dieter managed to keep most of your relationship from the public. But of course the majority of people, especially his fans, knew. And there was nothing wrong with that, you didn’t want to hide anything. It was just nice to have some privacy then and there, so you didn’t make a big fuss about it.

The first time rumors had reached the media that Dieter Bravo was off the market, you had already been dating for almost a year. And the real shocker wasn’t the obvious age gap, with Dieter being twice your age, but the fact that he dated someone for longer than a month. 

"Sorry guys, the camera just stopped working, one second. Sorry, Dieter." Your camera man said all of a sudden. „Oh shit, okay.“ You nodded in surprise. "Yeah, no problem man." Dieter assured him. Not a second later, some of the crew was back around Dieter, to freshen him up. 

When he took something out of his pocket that suspiciously looked like the small box, he had his "drugs on the go" -how he liked to call them- in, you raised your eyebrows and shook your head, "No. Definitely not here". Dieter was down bad for you, and literally did anything that would please you, so to the obvious surprise of some crew members, he stuffed the box back into his pocket with a sigh. 

"Fine, fine."

"You know I don’t care, but not at work. Please?" you gave him your best pout, you knew he couldn’t say no to.

"Yeah, yeah okay, baby." Dieter looked up at the guy who was relatively new to the team that always surrounded Dieter.

What was his name again? He couldn’t remember.

"Happy wife, happy life. Isn’t that the shit they say?" He shrugs and goes on, "I’ll do what my girl wants. No one can tell me shit, but you bet she can."

The expression on the guy’s face changed from surprised to confused and then surprised again, making you giggle quietly. "Oh, you’re married?" He asked, eyebrows raised. Dieter shot him a lopsided grin, "Heck yes, we are." Dieters eyes locked with yours and you couldn’t help but grin like an idiot. There was nothing that made you as happy as knowing you’re married to him, his drug problems aside, being Mrs. Bravo was so different to anything you had imagined as a little girl. And you loved it. 

"Alright, cameras are working again, guys." The camera man announced, and the crew quickly left the two of you alone again. 

As the interview went on, you asked Dieter some more questions about the new movie, how shooting under quarantine was for him - horrible, he had called you what feels like a hundred times a day, whining about being alone and horny- and if there were any new movies coming up with him. Dieter answered everything you wanted to know, giving the fans some insights into the film and little sneak peaks. One being a short scene, which was currently playing on a little screen next to you. Later on, the video would be seen during the interview clips, but the screen was for you to know when to go on with the interview. 

Dieter had other plans, though. He didn’t pay an ounce of attention to what was playing on the screen, his attention on your nails instead. 

"Did you get your nails done?" He asked, leaning forward to hold your hand and inspect your new set of nails. 

He had only seen you when he fell into bed, the night before. He didn’t usually come home as late as he did yesterday, but the press tour has really been "kicking his balls", to quote him. So you must have gotten them done either yesterday or today, there hasn’t been a time Dieter didn’t notice a new set of nails. Not once. 

"Yesterday, after work." You softly smiled, showing Dieter the nails. So he was right. "They match the ring." He gave you one of his cocky grins. "That was the intention." You grinned back at him. Neither of you had noticed that the video was long over, and the camera was back on the two of you. Faces inches apart and both of you with a stupidly content smile on your faces. "They look fucking amazing, baby." He said, almost whispering in awe. "Thank you, Dee." 

"Uhm, guys." someone from the crew cleared their throat. Your head shot up, and you quickly slid back into the position you had before.

"Oh my- sorry, sorry," 

Dieter leaned back in his chair and grinned at you, again. And as much as you wanted to keep professional, you had to smile at him too. 

"You should see her nails, they match our rings." Dieter said straight into one of the cameras, a cocky grin on his lips once again. You shook your head with a little giggle. So much for being professional. 

"So, back to the movie, as we could all see right now, it’s very promising." You went on, trying to act like you didn’t just want to grab Dieter’s hand and drag him to your car. Driving straight home, laying next to him in bed, nice and warm, cuddled up in his arms. 

Only a few more hours, you told yourself.

Dieter had to hold back like hell not to kiss you senseless in front of the crew members. He’s had a shit ton of media work today already, now that you were his last interview of the day -only some minor things to do afterwards- his mood has changed for the better, drastically.

He wanted to throw you over his shoulder -hell, he starts to think like a fucking caveman- carry you out of here and rip that fucking dress off of you. He’d even be fine with cuddling, anything that involved having you close to him. Although he wouldn’t quite be himself, if he wouldn’t also think about dragging you to the next empty room and fuck your brains out right now. 

Dieter was down bad for you, and -a thing he never thought was possible for him- it only got ‚worse‘ when the two of you got married. Calling you Mrs.Bravo for the first time had him almost come in his jeans. 

The interview was finally done, and you got up from your chair to get rid of all the mics and cables.

"Do you know when you’re coming home today?" You asked Dieter, back still turned to him, untangling a cable that got stuck in the chair somehow. "Hopefully fucking soon." He’s had enough of behaving, he desperately needed to feel you, even if it was just a quick kiss, his cock already painfully hard in his jeans. 

"You look fucking beautiful today, baby. The most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen." Dieter whispered in your ear. He wrapped his arms around your waist, as he pressed your back against his chest. "Well, thank you, but I’m still working, you know." You chuckled, joking with him. You couldn’t care less that you were at work right now, and Dieter knew you well enough to know. 

"Yeah, working pretty hard, interviewing your husband in that tease of a dress, baby."

You grinned, the dress was one of his favorites, and it showed enough skin without being too exposing to wear it for work. 

"You know I fucking love it." He whispered, so only you could hear it. "Really? I had no idea, Bravo." You teased him with a grin, turning your head to see his face. 

You could feel his stubble on your cheek as he got even closer to your ear and pressed you tighter to his body. "Can you feel what you do to be, baby? I’ll rip that fucking dress up the second we’re home." His bulge was pressing against your lower back, and your body immediately reacted to it. 

"I thought you loved it? Wouldn’t wanna ruin it, would you?" You kept teasing him, feeling his grip on your waist tighten. "Don’t challenge me, baby."

"Or what?" You looked at him with a spark in your eyes. He nuzzled his nose in the nook between your neck and shoulder. You closed your eyes at the feeling, stopping a moan from escaping your lips. "Or I’ll take your cute ass to that storage room right now and let everyone hear how good your husband treats you." He said with a low groan, sending vibrations through your whole body, straight to your core.

It took you every inch of will power you had left, not to make a head start to that damn storage room down the hall. You could feel the wetness pool in your panties. 

Instead, you turned around in his embrace and slung your arms around his neck. Playing with the strands of his now almost salt and pepper hair, you got on your tiptoes, brushing his lips with your own. "I’ll be waiting for you at home, Daddy." It elected another groan out of Dieter, his eyes closed, probably imagining what he’d do to you later. 

You gave him another soft kiss, and caressed his cheek, running your finger down bis jawline. "I’d do something about that, if I were you." You smugly grinned at Dieter's noticeable bulge in his pants. "I’d be careful what to say, peach." He muttered into your ear. Oh, you couldn’t wait to get home.

Everyone had left the room by now, leaving the two of you behind. 

"I love you." you whispered, looking into his chocolate brown eyes. There was no more joking in your voice. No more teasing. 

"I love you too, baby." Dieter pressed his forehead against yours and his nose gently nudged against your own. "I love you." He repeated and closed the little gap between you. You smiled into the kiss, letting your hands wander from his soft tummy to his back.

"I can’t fucking wait to get home." Dieter grunted out between kisses. 

I had to include this Dieter picture because🥵

I have an update blog now, so follow @joelslegalwhrereads if you want to get updated when I post💗

taglist: @alexxavicry @snow30285 @queer_poncho (tell me if you want to be added to the taglist) 🖤 @mountsgirl (thank you for being the best bestie I could ask for🫶)

buy me a coffee if you want🖤

#fluff #pedro pascal #dieter bravo x reader #dieter bravo x female reader #dieter bravo #the bubble #x reader #pedro pascal x reader #dieter bravo smut #dieter bravo x f!reader #dieter bravo fic #pedro pascal characters #pedro pascal character fanfic #pedro pascal fanfiction #pedro pascal x you #em's masterlist

[hopelesslyromanticgay]

An Americano, Please? Part 3

Word count: 1.3K A/N: Just an FYI, I don't usually upload twice a day, I just felt particularly inspired today. As always, italics in quotation marks signify the speaking is using romanian dialect.

Y/N's POV:

I gotta admit. It hurt when Jenna didn't send me a text immediately. It's been two days, and still nothing.

Maybe it was a meaningless banter. Oh well. I guess I just really thought something could come out of it.

"What are you sulking about?" Nessa asks me one day after our shift. 

"I'm not sulking, I'm just a little sad because I didn't get a text from someone," I explain, "It's not like she owed me a text or anything, but I don't have to be ecstatic over the fact that she hasn't done so."

"Oh my god, you're into the American one," Nessa exclaims, "I knew it! I mean, she's gorgeous. Like if I were into girls I would definitely be into her." I take a sip of my cortado (half espresso, half milk) as I listen.

"Well in any case, she's probably not interested."

"Stop sulking, Y/N," Nessa scolds me, "Let's do something fun. Gotta get your mind off of this girl."

Since our shift just ended, and we have a whole afternoon ahead of us, Nessa and I take her car to Predeal, the closest thing to a modern city we have around here.

It's about seven miles, so about twenty minute drive. The town's mostly filled with ski resorts, but there's a few fun places to shop.

A great deal of the afternoon is spent sitting outside a store judging the tourists. 

"Oh my god she's probably saying something stupid like, 'I know it's winter but my husband will love this hawaiian T-shirt I bought in Romania,'" Nessa mimics the normal thought process of the typical tourist.

"This guy's even worse though,"  I stifle a laugh, mocking his actions.

After a thorough mockery of all of the Predeal tourists, we head back to our town, content with our afternoon.

I still haven't stopped thinking about Jenna, though. I wish I could have gotten to know her better. It's so nice to finally have someone I can talk to in English.

All I can do is hope that she comes back to the shop. Even then though, she probably won't want much to do with me.

Nessa drops me off at my apartment, waving goodbye. Almost instantly, I shed my winter coat, relieved by the warmth of the building.

The first thing I do is turn on the TV and open Netflix. A new baking show just dropped, and I'm not the type to turn down new entertainment.

The show turns out to be a combination of baking and engineering. It seems cool, but it's hard to tell from the first episode.

My phone lights up with a bright reminder Remember to feed Cupid!

Sighing, I get up from the couch and grab my fish flakes.

Cupid is my purple betta fish. She's about a year old and as of yet hasn't had too many health issues, which is super lucky for both of us. She's at the point where she recognizes my face. So when I go up to the tank, fish feed in hand, she eagerly swims up to the glass.

"Hey Cupid," I laugh, sprinkling some food into the tank.

After feeding her, I head back to the couch, where I continue watching my cooking show. Before I know it, I'm five episodes in and the sun is starting to set. I look out of the window, trying to gauge the temperature and weather condition.

It's a fairly clear twilight right now. There's a good chance I'll get to see stars tonight. Actually, I've decided I will see stars tonight.

I don my winter coat and make my way down the apartment complex stairs. One of the perks of not living in a huge city is that I can see the night sky beautifully.

One of my favorite places in town is on the outer edges of it. At this point, all of the buildings are housing, be it apartments or actual houses. The long stretches of pavement are perfect for strolling down while admiring the night. 

Not a lot of people choose to come out here late at night, which is honestly their loss. I wouldn't necessarily say I'm super into nature and the great outdoors, but when I am outside, I can find an appreciation for my surroundings.

So that's how I found myself strolling the streets of Bușteni Romania, not looking at the cement in front of me.

BAM! I find myself crashing into another person, almost knocking both of us over.

"Fuck, I am so sorry," I find myself defaulting to english, "I- I mean, I'm so sorry, are you okay?"

"Y/N?" A familiar voice asks.

"Jenna?" It may be dark, but I can just barely see the details of her face. God I hope she's not mad.

"Yep, it's me," I hear her faintly laugh.

"Are you okay? I almost knocked you over."

"I'm okay, just a little rattled."

"Sorry for that again," I apologize, "I should have been watching where I was going." 

"You could make it up to me by walking me to my apartment?" she offers.

"I'd like nothing more," I laugh, linking my arm with hers and we start to walk.

"So, Y/N, tell me about yourself," she starts the conversation.

"Well, my name's Y/N L/N, I work at a coffee shop. I speak English and Romanian, which is useful for when people like you come to the shop."

"I know that stuff," she interrupts me, "what do you like to do outside of work?"

"You know, the normal things, be around the people I care about, watch shows, I read sometimes, listen to music, that kind of stuff. What about you?"

"Well for starters, I'm Jenna Ortega, I also love to read and listen to music," she tells me, "I also like to write though, I have like, twenty scripts and stories sitting in my FinalDraft™ folder."

"Damn, you must really like writing," I respond, "that's pretty awesome."

"I guess so," she shrugs.

"Have you ever considered publishing your work?" I ask.

"Yeah, I actually published a book called It's All Love," she answers proudly.

"That's like, the coolest thing anyone's said to me all day," I tell her.

"I guess I'm just a cool person," she jokes, "I'm kidding, I'm kidding, only an arrogant person would say that."

"No, you have reason to say, it. You're a published author, the lead in a TV show, and fun to talk to. Don't discredit your own awesome-ness." 

She laughs, "thanks for saying that."

"Sure thing." 

"So, does your offer to take me around town sometime still stand?" she changes the subject.

"I'm a woman of my word, Jenna, if you still want a tour, you have my number," I remind her, trying to sound kind and cool at the same time. Which is kind of challenging.

"Oh my god, I forgot to text you, didn't I," she gasps, "I'm so so sorry, Y/N. I've just had so much going on." She starts to talk herself into a panic, "I have work for like, eight hours a day, plus cello lessons, plus german and fencing, it's just so much." If I had known how busy she was I never would have felt so hurt. That must be so overwhelming.

"Hey, it's okay, I'm not mad about it." Which is true. 

"That's such a relief," she exhales, "again, I'm so sorry."

"Hey, Jenna, it's okay. How about the next time you have a day off, we get in touch and I take you around town."

"Well, conveniently enough, my next day off is tomorrow, so how about I see you then?" she offers.

"I wouldn't be opposed to that," I smile, doing my best to hide how excited I am for this.

"Well this is my place," she announces, "thank you for walking me home." 

"Anytime," I reply, sad to know the night is ending. She heads through the door to her apartment, leaving me to walk the short five minutes to my apartment alone.

As soon as I get home, I dash to my bedroom, putting on pyjamas and getting ready for bed. I'm tired from the day. At at the same time, I'm so happy I got to see Jenna. I'm so excited that she wants to see me again, maybe tomorrow! I can't wait to get to know her better.

My phone lights up with a text from a new number

                       +1 ***-***-****

Does 11 AM tomorrow work for you?

-Jenna

I smile, quickly texting back 

                               Sure thing, see ya then :)

I can hardly wait.

#jenna ortega x reader #jenna ortega #i love jenna ortega #jenna ortega x fem!reader #reader insert #wednesday addams #tara carpenter #vada cavell #cute #x reader #coffee shop romance #lesbians #gays #queer people #pride month #jenna ortega x you #jenna ortega imagine #jenna ortega fanfic #fanfic #jenna ortega photos #an americano please

[smartycvnt]

Stark Mad

Title: Stark Mad

Pairing: Peggy Carter x Reader

Prompt: 19. "Try not to break this one, these aren't easy to come by."

NR

WC: 917

Peggy sat on the edge of Y/n's desk as she watched the younger Stark try to fix what Peggy had broken. It was one of Howard's inventions, which Peggy had come to realize were just as fragile as the man's ego. She preferred the things and trinkets that Y/n left for her. Peggy had once held Y/n in the same light as Howard, as little more than a womanizer and egomaniac, but Peggy soon realized how wrong she was. Y/n had been through more than she let on, more than even Howard knew. After losing Steve, Peggy had been pretty closed off, but Y/n had gotten her to open up more.

They had spent a little bit of time separated, but whenever Howard tried returning to the United States as a fugitive, they had been thrust back into each other's company. Y/n had matured, and with that, her feelings towards the government and all of their little crusades had grown stronger. Y/n always made it clear that she wasn't helping the government or their supposed enemies, but rather Peggy or whoever it was that came to her needing something. It had given Y/n Stark quite the reputation as a radical, one that Congress was really trying to push propaganda about.

"Alright, I think I've just about gotten this fixed," Y/n said as she held Howard's invention up to inspect. Peggy scooted off of the desk as Y/n took aim at a little target across the room. Just as Peggy suspected, whatever Peggy had done was not actually fixed. She had knocked something off in the firing calibration, but Y/n managed to make the blasts twice the size than what they had been before. It was impressive, but it also meant that she had destroyed the little laser gun completely by firing it. "We might need to call on Howie."

"I came to you so that I did not have to deal with that little miscreant," Peggy sighed. Y/n nodded as she tried to collect the pieces of the laser gun. Peggy watched Y/n try again and again to fix it, only to come up unsuccessful each time. Y/n was brilliant and made great weapons, but they lacked the discretion of Howard's. Y/n had an eye for weapons of mass destruction, things that shouldn't be in anybody's possession for the safety of humanity.

"Maybe he can just send me the blueprints," Y/n hoped aloud. Peggy highly doubted that Howard would be that forthcoming, especially whenever it came to Y/n asking. There had always been a bit of tension between the two of them, especially when it came to their inventions and ideas. Peggy knew it wasn't either of their faults. They had been pit against each other as siblings, and it had only continued on into adulthood whenever they set out to make their fortunes. Howard's had come easily, and Y/n attributed a great deal of it to the fact that he was a man. Y/n had pulled things out that would put Stark Industries to bed, and yet, she rarely ever got recognition. Every blueprint of hers was ridiculous until she managed to pull the working item out of a hat.

"Don't worry yourself about it darling." Peggy leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of Y/n's head. Y/n knew that she should have just listened to Peggy, but instead, she had called her brother to ask for the blueprints. In typical Howard Stark fashion, he had shown out rather than just showing up, and bestowed upon her an improved laser pen. Y/n had held onto it for a couple of weeks, just long enough to maybe pretend that she hadn't traded in a favor with Howard for it.

"What did you want to show me?" Peggy asked as she made her way into Y/n's lab. It looked messier than normal, which meant that Y/n had been working on something big. Peggy had just barely been able to get a moment of Y/n's time, so she had dropped everything to come over when Y/n called. Sitting on Y/n's desk was a Stark Industries pen, one that Peggy was certain worked just like the one before it. "Oh, you are magnificent!"

"I am, aren't I?" Peggy's lips were barely a couple centimeters away from Y/n's when she heard Howard's voice. "Try not to break this one, these aren't easy to come by. Especially not this model. You know-,"

"Shut up and show me how to use this," Peggy said as she handed the pen over to Howard. Y/n stood back awkwardly as Howard walked Peggy through how to use the pen. Howard had teased Y/n about her apparently obviously feelings for Peggy, but he still hadn't known that they were together. Their near kiss was definitely more than enough confirmation for Howard to know that he had put the correct pieces together. "Great, now what exactly are you doing here?"

"It's a long story, but there is a prototype for a device that Y/n and I collaborated on that I need you to track down," Howard said. "Y/n has the tracking device, so she'll be coming with us. I am sure the two of you won't mind sharing a hotel room, nobody will bat an eye if you can keep your hands to yourselves."

#my writing #mcu x reader #mcu #marvel x reader #marvel #peggy carter x reader #peggy carter #agent carter x reader #agent carter

[shiny-jr]

Just read the Pomefiore and Scarabia Damnation AU and i must say, i think you've outdone yourself with pomefiore's. Heartslabyul's was my favourite before but when i read the pome one, it immediately took the throne for me. I might just be biased but i truly believe that you've written pomefiore the best. The way you characterized Vil is so.... perfect and i was holding in my squeals at every Vil/MC interaction. The quality time part is just.... 👀

Pomefiore and Raven!MC are hands down my favourite dynamic out of the five you've done so far, next to Savanaclaw and Cheif!MC and Heartslabyul and King!MC.

Looking forward for the last two parts of the Damnation AU but as always, don't push yourself too hard Shiny, take breaks as much as you need to <3333.

Yeah, I keep seeing this where lots of readers say they greatly preferred Pomefiore over Scarabia, but I've seen some that appear to prefer Scarabia instead. Either way, it doesn't really matter to me. I'll take feedback and comments on both.

I think what sets Pomefiore apart, similarly to Heartslabyul, is the fact that due to the plot, I had a lot of creative freedom. This was also the case with Octavinelle, but for some reason, maybe because it was the last of the first batch, I just felt that my heart wasn't in it entirely when writing it. But for these three, I got to make a lot of additions.

Examples being King!MC having to lie and appeal to Riddle more as they meet the other characters whose roles I also had a lot of freedom with, compared to the actual King character who was shown once or twice or vaguely mentioned in movies. Diviner!MC who's role was nonexistent, and I had to make it up from scratch. Raven!MC who I had to create a whole subplot for due to the lack of information about the raven in the movie and the added presence/role of Epel. I think that's what sets these apart from the others. But I know that's not what made them good, because Savanaclaw stuck close to the plot and ended up as a well-liked ending as well with Octavinelle not so much.

Anyways, enough about that. The other two parts, well, those are still in the works. For now, I'm trying to hold off on Diasomnia entirely because I fear I'll get a repeat of Scarabia and Pomefiore. By that I mean, I'll be writing for Ignihyde only to feel incredibly inspired to write for Diasomnia and end up not wanting to return to Ignihyde later. But! I think I'm doing fairly well. I told myself I was going to take a break, but I just had a small burst of motivation and now Ignihyde is nearing ten pages.

#shiny speaks #damnation twst au

[localgremlinboy]

I have been sitting on these for a long time because I wanted to have some more varried stuff but I haven't had time to write anything! So here's what I've got! Honestly these are some of my favorites

[part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [part 4] [part 5] [part 6]

- Whenever he's kicked out of an area or event, Oswald proceeds to start shoving anything not taped down into his pockets. He doesn't need the stuff, he just likes to be petty and ruin it for everyone else

- Bane has done a series of infomercials for various products & services that only air on late night product channels. Alfred is the only batfamily member who knows, he was doing laundry late one night and nearly lost it

- Mr Freeze writes restaurants/companies when they wrong him. Like nice formal letters, signing them and everything

- The Joker has an imdb page. Actually a lot of the villains do but like the Joker has one he updates with fun facts. Who says they're accurate but they sure are fun

- Riddler freaking hates puppets. Their soulless eyes say it all. He refuses to or "work" with puppets. That being said, Scarecrow has chased him around with Scarface once or twice "for science"

- Scarecrow has and still does write letters of recommendation for his ex students. He freaking still has Gotham University letterhead paper and everything. Honestly some of his students have gotten the job from his letter alone (maybe it's out of fear but like it's still a win), and they 100% send Jonathan thank you gifts in Arkham. He's got one of those dorky teacher scrapbooks where he keeps the thank you letters. One of his students even crocheted him a little plush scarecrow. It's like, they don't love his crimes but you know that was ol kooky professor Crane for ya

- Harvey kind of has a soft spot for sitcoms, he used to watch them with his mom growing up. One of their favorites, ironically, was night court

- Bane has a famous chili recipe and he makes one batch a year. It's fucking delicious! He makes an edition with meat and a vegetarian version too. Of course consults Ivy for home grown excellent quality vegetables and she gets first dibs in return

- the Joker has not one but TWO released albums. One is essentially a mash up of all the serenades he's made Batman listen to over the years and the other one is called "The Holidays with the Joker: Christmas selects edition"

- Scarecrow's car is a mess. He's got a work truck of course but his main car is like a wood panel sedan that he's been driving since he was a professor and refuses to get a new one. It's a fucking mess, he has like clothes, papers, garbage all over the place. He still has term papers he forgot to grade under the seats. Riddler HATES his car, with a passion

- Riddler has gone through the pain and suffering to teach all the rogues how to use discord, he had once hoped it would make their crimes more efficient. They have a group chat but it's mostly suffering on his end as all chaos ensues

- Scarecrow owns a Halloween train village he has set up in one of his lairs. It plays instrumental versions of Halloween songs as it goes around the track

- Joker will push open cups off of tables because he can. He's got the chaotic energy of a cat awake at 3 am

- Riddler and Scarecrow's friendship starts like super formal and co worker like but after like a year and a half, evolves into a weird symbiosis. Jonathan points at random ass objects or books and goes "you" when he's with Edward. Eddie has a habit of fixing or picking debris of Jonathan, usually when they're crimeing. Also one time, they were both startled so bad by Batman that Scarecrow jumped into riddler's arms like Scooby & shaggy, except they both held onto each other for a second before toppling over. Robin then unmasked them like scooby doo

- Harley & Ivy are frequent Panera customers and often get pick up orders there under "codenames" given by Harley. All the workers know who "Plantmamma" and "the quinnanator" are but like they tip great and everyone should get to enjoy soup

- Bane has one CD in his car, it's a 2010 greatest hits CD that someone accidentally left in there. Who you ask? He has no idea

- Harley has a getaway playlist preloaded in her phone for car chases

- Riddler and Scarecrow watch reality tv/game shows together. They binged all of survivor and the amazing race in a year. It was a joke at first but they both got really into the shows. They have both applied to be on amazing race together and unfortunately haven't been called back

- Joker still uses cassettes (and vinyls probably) except he mixes them himself and labels them all stupid titles like "Birthday bash #9", "Baty's mix", "what's the deal with airplane food?", "etc". But he also has a tape recorder and makes notes to himself and labels those ones too, so he gets his personal notes mixed up with his music jams all the time. He goes to put on some epic clown music and instead it's a twenty minute recording he made of himself eating fruit loops

#dc #silly rogues headcanons #edward nygma #riddler #the penguin #oswald cobblepot #bane #two face #harvey dent #the joker #poison ivy #pamela isley #scarecrow #jonathan crane #look i will defend cool teacher scarecrow until the day i die #he was a rad dude except for like the extreme fear stuff #harley quinn #harleen quinn #scriddler #it's implied a little because they're kinda married

[knightyoomyoui]

Nayeon x M/F Reader - "No Problem"

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WELCOME TO 6TH AND FINAL SET OF MY TWICE X READER ONE-SHOTS IN THIS BOOK.

Yes. I have finally decided that I will officially end my book once all of the remaining one-shots set to be released are completely done. I can't keep to focus on this book alone for longer because you know, there are other stuffs that I need to prioritize. I'm sorry guys and while it's still early, I just want to express my deepest gratitude and appreciation for all of your love with my book. It's been fun creating multiple alternate universe TWICE fanfics to all of you and to explore all the types of storylines I had to encounter on creating each. Really, thank you so much.

Also, since I've said a month ago that I'm going to start using my hobby of writing stories as my sources of income, so again I'm not forcing everybody to donate but if you can, please feel free to do so as your additional support for my works. Here's my Ko-fi account where you can drop your donations or ask for a commission. You can check it out on my Tumblr profile too! 

Alright, now let's kickoff Set 6 with this gender neutral reader x Nayeon fic one-shot! I hope yall enjoy it even though it's short (which probably will be the same for most of the other fics included in the line-up) unlike the usual lengthy works that I used to write before.

Aside from his/her parents, Nayeon is most likely the only other person who is completely informed about YN. She is able to catch every aspect about YN, including your mannerisms, your tendency to become quickly distracted when concentrating on anything, your favorite kinds of clothes, and much more. But amongst all of it, having known YN for over a decade, she is already largely acquainted with your personality.

She could still recall those times when, due to her exceptionally good memory, she discovered every new mood you placed yourself in, regardless of whether it was appropriate or not. She didn't care about all of that, though, since the important thing is that it won't alter the fact that you have formed a kind personality, which complements your attractive appearance and is one of the main reasons she fell in love with you in the first place. Speaking of your personality, here's the issue; Nayeon is now experiencing difficulties with it. The cause? The YN she has been exposed to is very different from what you have been demonstrating to her.

Away from your usual goofy and lively personality, instead Nayeon would rather end up spotting you coming home every night with a gloomy, tired and unimpressed demeanor.

Those preserved Nayeon suspicious of your current behavior and attitude. She acknowledges that she isn't accustomed to this kind of treatment from you and that it makes her upset, but she also thinks there must be a cause for her lover's abrupt change. She is eager to get this information as soon as possible since she is sick of watching her dearest YN treat her coldly. Nayeon called a friend and coworker one day when you were gone from the house again for work in order to get some information that would be helpful to her.

A deep masculine voice owned by someone she couldn't even process up to this day that he really does, with how this guy sports a babyface and with a very slim body the moment she first met him once at your birthday party. "Nayeon-noona! Hey how you doing?"

"I'm fine Felix, how about you?", she greeted back.

"Doing good so far. Why did you call?"

"Uhm I just want to ask you something... about YN." Nayeon said, her heart thumping fast. She doesn't know why her nervousness is increasing the more she gets through the conversation.

Perhaps, she doesn't want the main possibility she has in mind to come true. No. She's afraid. She knew both her and YN were happy in their relationship and she has done everything. She's hoping that YN wouldn't go that far.

"Sure, go ahead... although I miss seeing that idiot already." Felix chuckled behind the phone.

"Wait, you two haven't seeing each other yet? I thought you two are there together at work right now?" Nayeon confusingly asked.

"Noona, wait you didn't know about it yet?"

"About what?"

Felix sighed and clicked his tongue, cursing for YN on what you have done. "So YN didn't tell you about what happened?"

Nayeon's hands are trembling, her throat starts to become dry, arms shaking in tense as she has no clue what Felix is referring to that you haven't even dared to speak out to her already.

"Felix, I don't know what you're talking about. Cut to the chase, what the hell happened to YN?"

Felix remained silent for a while before he finally answered Nayeon's wondering.

Later that evening, around nine o'clock, Nayeon is waiting impatiently for YN to get home in the living room. She then heard a call on her phone, and fortunately it was her husband/wife YN, telling her that you had purchased takeout for dinner. They finished their meal a few minutes after you got home. You greeted Nayeon and saw that she wasn't in the best of moods—in fact, she seemed colder than your love—when you went to give her a kiss. It was awkwardly silent throughout supper. You were about to go into the bedroom while Nayeon was cleaning the dishes when she called your name, causing you to stop in your tracks because she wanted to talk to you.

"Can we talk for a moment, please?" She asked while wiping her hands dry.

"I'm listening." You leaned at the door frame.

"There something you're not telling me about, isn't it YN?" Nayeon crossed her arms. You went speechless, silently hiding how guilty you are of her accusation.

"H-how can you say so? And why would I, Nay?"

"I don't know, I should be the one asking you that now." Nayeon shrugged. "Because I know exactly why."

She couldn't help but to emit a snort and a smirk at your look. "Ahh... the typical lying YN. Eyes popped then blink fast."

"I called your friend Felix. He told me about what happened to your workplace."

You sighed. That's it, Nayeon has already have an idea about the tight situation you are going into. As much as you want to keep this from her longer, you have no other choice but to stop the pretending and clarify things to her.

"All I need is a confirmation from you, YN. Tell me, was that true that you really got fired?"

Embarrassed and scared, YN slowly gave the answer Nayeon has been waiting all day long. "Yes... I got fired. WE got fired."

"Then where the hell do you really go whenever you left the house for the rest of the day. So after all these time, you've been fooling me? You've done it for like what, for the past three 3 days? Not to mention, today's your 4th!" Nayeon slightly raised her voice. "

"Because I was looking for a job elsewhere, Nayeon!" You fought back, defending yourself to cleanse out the intense atmosphere clouding the two of you. Nayeon remained shut, allowing you to take the turn as you continue speak your side.

"Yes, we got fired. Our boss decided to retire his company, had our contracts result to get terminated and we have no other choice but to look for a new job. Some of us were disappointed, enraged, hard to their feelings, while some of us... I don't know, contented. But I'm different from both of them, I took that loss heavily within me, Nayeon."

"The day after we got fired, I immediately moved, searched everywhere around Seoul, just hoping that I could atleast encounter one. But... until now, I'm still unsuccessful." Your breathing became raspy as your voice cracked at how you're draining yourself everyday with long walks and travels only to result in failure.

"I didn't tell you because I was scared that when you find out that your boyfriend is now jobless, you may rather see the same as what I could look at myself: unreliable, a disappointment, and I'm scared that I might end up unable or lacking to fulfill my responsibility to give everything that would make my girl happy."

Your eyes has finally released each teardrops of its own, streaming down to your cheeks. Nayeon's heart broke even worse at this vulnerable sight of yours while listening the struggle you were currently facing alone.

"I couldn't find any, Nayeon. I'm getting more desperate. I'm sorry if I had to lie and keep it from you."

Nayeon stepped closer to you and hugged you for comfort, calming your emotions down as she let you take your time to steady your breathing.

"I'm sorry if I looked like I was mad at you, I really thought you were cheating behind my back or whatsoever, but my heart was always right. I knew you could never do that." Nayeon smiled thankfully as she rubbed your back gently.

"And here you go again, I told you to stop overthinking yourself about what would I think negatively of you. I won't ever gonna look at you like that!" She scolded you like a mom. "I knew you were always doing your best, for us. I've been seeing that from you since day one. I couldn't belittle you for something I know you will always be great of, and that's for being such a hardworking and committed boyfriend to me."

Nayeon leans away from the hug and wipes the tears off in your face. "You really didn't have to hide those troubles of yours away from me, because anytime I would offer my hand to assist you. Just remember that if you're low sometimes, I would always be the one to lift you all the way up when you're feeling down. So please, be free to be honest next time okay?"

"Okay." You understandably nodded, a soft delighted smile appeared in which you haven't had for almost a week. Nayeon cupped your cheeks and pulled you closer for a heartwarming kiss to finally settle things off between each other tonight.

As they went to their bed to get some sleep, Nayeon remained awake for a while, as she forms a plan in her mind.

The next day, YN was supposed to leave again early to look for a job but he decided to give it a rest because even him couldn't deny that he got tired of moving everywhere. As he and Nayeon were eating a breakfast, Nayeon took your attention by calling your name.

"YN."

"Yes?"

"I thought of something last night and I just want to share it to you."

"That is?"

"Since you couldn't find a job yet, why don't we start our own mini business for now?"

You paused from almost drinking your cup of coffee in your hand. You stared at Nayeon who is grinning at you with her cute bunny teeth showing up, matching the brightness of the sunny morning outside.

"You serious?"

"Yeah. I'm up to it. I mean that's something I can you join you to also. In that way, we can have some more time together plus that could be like my other way to spend my time around and not just staying in this house." Nayeon nodded before taking another spoonful of her food. "But first, I want to hear it also from you. Do you agree with me?"

You pouted your lips and think deeply, but not in a way where he has to pick a choice. You were rather like, visualizing how could it end up for you and her business once you two achieved to start one, and you hoped the most that it would be successful.

"I'm not against it at all." You shook your head. "We could do that, I could use some of my remaining savings from my previous work to add on our target budget." Nayeon was happy with your volunteering.

"Is there anything you wanna consider for us to try?"

"I have one." Nayeon bounced her eyebrows before she continues to finish her breakfast.

A few days later, YN goes with Nayeon to locations where they can find whatever they need. They began by looking through a rental property that was unoccupied in Seoul. They paid a fair price for it, satisfied with the layout and amount of space. They then proceeded to a Home Depot store to purchase decorations, tables, chairs, and other items, all of which were delivered to their location. In addition, they went grocery shopping and purchased a blender, milk, and a variety of fruits. Lastly, they mostly concentrated on assisting one another with the preparation and décor of the entire space. A week later, Nayeon and YN visit their newly founded small business, which they had just completed setting up. Courtesy of Nayeon's idea, it was a natural fruit juice and shake shop.

She said that she wants to sell a product that would give refresh, sweetness, and availability for everyone to try while at the same time, ensuring their customers that they also have a product which will be good for their health.

They looked above to read the sign of their shop's name.

"Alcohol-Free?" You wheezed and glared at Nayeon.

"I mean, we're not selling any alcohol right?" She sniggered.

"But did you really had to make it more obvious?"

"Humor and creativity, YN. We have to aim at those additional points." She formed a gun gesture in her hand and imitates shooting bullets from it.

You hissed and lowered your head, hiding your laughter at Nayeon's silliness.

"Ah, finally it's done! Ooh I can't for us to open it soon!" Nayeon clapped excitedly like a little kid that was about to receive a reward from her parents.

"That's why now you should learn how to make a milkshake properly already."

Nayeon slapped your shoulder at your teasing, a stinging pain irritates your skin. She pouted and grunted like a grumpy granny. "Who among the two of us who couldn't even slice fruits properly huh?"

"Jeez okay, I surrender." You chuckled. Nayeon is still sulking beside you, looking away with her cheeks puffing out and arms crossed. You then took this opportunity as your alternate words of saying sorry to her.

"Thank you for all of this, by the way.  Honestly speaking, this looks amazing Nayeon. You really don't have to go with this much effort..." you felt Nayeon swiftly stabs a deadly glare at you, that won't gonna happen again twice so you continued and fixed your words carefully. "... but I couldn't express how overwhelmed I am with your help."

Nayeon immediately switched her look at you who is glancing the exterior of the shop with glimmer in your eyes and a satisfication in your smile. "With you on my side, managing our very first business together; I just wish the best for us. I hope that many will love this."

Nayeon hooked her arm around yours and pressed her head on your bicep. "I wish the same too. Let's do well, and we will get through that."

She looked up, staring at you. "This is why you have to share your worries with me. Don't make it complicated by yourself, okay? We both love each other, and that would simply mean that there will be no problem for us to overcome anything."

You gratefully kissed Nayeon on the lips to before both entered the fruitshake shop with hands holding together to check the inside next.

Months later, YN and Nayeon's business quickly gained success and popularity, as a result of the large number of daily visitors who were complimenting the shop's appealing design, cozy atmosphere, and natural tastes of their products.

#nayeon #twice nayeon x m reader #twice nayeon x f reader #twice nayeon x male reader #twice nayeon x female reader #nayeon x m reader #nayeon x f reader #twice au #twice one shot #twice fanfic #kpop au #kpop fanfic #kpop oneshot #twice nayeon #im nayeon

[alien-aisha-vending-machine]

Theory: How Neoquest was the first appearance of the Wraith threat.

i've always had the theory that the madness/dark magic from the two ring castle -> dark magic that infected darigain -> the madness that affected modern neopians during TDF -> wraiths & how it's all related to faeries being a possibly unnatural presence in Neopia

Part 1: Neoquest, or, "What do you mean Neopia is post-apocalyptic?!"

NQ1 is possibly the earliest version of Neopia we have or have ever gotten (if one doesn't consider Tyrannia as "a slice of the prehistoric era".) Notably, it's never been "debunked" in the same way that NQII has (tho, aspects in NQII imply that there are some canon aspects, or that the story itself is true- while the version we PLAY is a re-enactment or simulation.)

Though, while these days, Neoquest, (be it 1 or 2) is often considered "fictional" within the worldbuilding, a lot of early site lore really leaned on Neoquest for it's foundations. Toys, weapons, stories. monsters... a lot of this was based on Neoquest. it's a story that's been long forgotten by the site itself, but I still feel that in terms of the greater story of "Neopia", it is the most reliable glimpse into the ancient past and the sort of idea of what Neopets' original trajectory was.

It's also notable as being a version of neopia without the influence of Faeries. In fact, most neopians are neopets, and not a faerie is found in all the game.

Neopia is described ingame as a not-so-friendly place that is swarming with monsters and animals.. many of which are other neopets. The structure of this version of Neopia is very very interesting, as instead of faeries, it seems like it was ruled by a Council known as the "Circle of Twelve" who used what was known as "circles" of magic instead of the more well-known schools of Faerie magic (Fire, Ice, Shock, Spectral, and Life magic vs the Faeries' Dark, Light, Earth, Air, Fire and Water magic)

The lore goes back even further, mentioning a Great Empire and a Civilization known as Keladrian- a civilization of powerful wizards that was ancient even before the already-ancient Great Empire.. which was 1000 years ago during NEOQUEST.

Upon using the amulet on Faleinn, the leader of Kal Panning, she has this to say:

So ultimately, after a great scuffle between Kal Panning and the Circle, the Circle destroyed Kal Panning over the course of a month- afterwards, they realized what they had done and their leader, Jahbal, was banished to the Two Ring Mountains- from therein he used his evil magic to... corrupt the outside world. This long-form campaign to ultimately reduced the world to a few pocket civilizations, wrought with monsters.

A lot of the monsters are very clearly neopets, though- mad, mindless, and slowly warping from their less-crazed counterparts. They are sort of.. feral, in a way. Why.. it seems to remind me of...

Notes to Carry Forward:

No Faeries were present in Neoquest times, or before then either.

... note that there is no Faeries in Tyrannia, either.

Neopia thrived on Wild Magic.

Neopia, at this point, is a twice-over post apocalyptic civilization

There is a Dark Magic spell that is causing Madness, Mutations, and Violence.

Part 2: Champions of Meridell, aka the one without Kass in it.

Meridell is planted firmly "in the past" described ingame as a forgotten land of heroes. With Meridell and it's surrounding areas being such big players in the larger story of Neopets, it's easy to forget the world of Neopia is a very modern sort of place.. roughly pre-industrial, and while these days- Meridell and the other fantasy-themed lands often stand next to other lands as if they exist in the modern settings, Access to these areas are through a time portal.

I find Champions an ultimately more interesting tale than Battle, as it's the introduction to Meridell as a whole and contains a hugely important aspect of the land. Meridell was once suffering under famine, and under the advice of a seer, the King sends his knights to locate an Orb.

Meridell, which was once ridden with disease and famine, began to burst into life and lush greenery.

It's notable that Skarl does not know, or does to wish to share the fact that he knows, that the knights he sent to retrieve this orb had ultimately stolen it from the kingdom of Darigan.

When the orb was stolen, Darigan took a huge dive-

seemingly ending up worse than Meridell ever was. But.. why? Why did Darigain's citizens mutate when Meridell did not? Perhaps the orb was used to suppress something darker? More ancient?

In the Twisted Histories Capsule Adventure, we are presented with an alternate timeline where Meridell was defeated by Darigan. I think it's genuinely one of the coolest set of items ever introduced (the whole alternate timeline thing as a whole), as it not only implies that Darigan not only defeats Meridell, but merges with it to become one land....

Another aspect I would like to point out is that as Darigan citadel approaches Meridell, Spiked tentacles begin to grow and thrash.

Notes to Carry Forward:

A magical orb is used to bring health to the land around it.

While no faeries are explicitly mentioned in the story, we know Illusen is around, and that an air faerie saves jeran in the direct sequel.

Without the protection of the orb, the land turns Dark and pets begin to mutate. Ultimately, their leader falls to madness.

prev mentioned spiked tentacles.

Part 3: The Darkest Faerie, or- why is all the best lore hidden in the TCG?

There is a lot of lore snuggled away in TDF. It's one of my favorite cornerstones of Neopets' history- even moreso than Neoquest. A lot of it's personality does get lost in the game, but the cards are a huge contributor to really getting a glimpse into what the world was intended to be.

An interesting aspect is the concept of becoming "Tainted." Not only can pets and petpets be "tainted" but so can locations. In fact, with spiked tendrils echoing the corruption of both Meridell and Darigain in Champions, it makes it easy to draw comparisons.

In-game, the pets simply turn purple and their eyes glow, but the cards show off some more intense mutations.

That sounds a lot like "Darigainification".. except possibly more intense. The land withered, pets mutated and went crazy, and darkness fell. The designs look very similar to darigan as a color.

Note that this darkness.. didn't start when The Darkest Faerie was released, mind you. It happened after Illusen was dispatched... and one of the major quests involves a magical orb that is used to dispel the darkness.

Faerie Magic is suppressing this darkness. Perhaps specifically earth faerie magic... These Orbs- both Illusen's and the nameless one that Skarl/Darigan has, are possibly infused with faerie magic and are keeping the darkness, whatever it is, at bay.

"This, the orb that froze her in time. Fyora used it to turn the darkest faerie to stone, and imprisoned her under the sea."

With Illusen's Orb (Globe ig) and Jerdana's orb (revealed to originally belong to Fyora) being sugnificant players in the story, These orbs are very clearly a huge thing for Faeries, either powerful or special in nature.

Stepping aside to a really obscure concept, Darkest originally was an ally to the altadorian council, before her dive into betrayal.. but what caused this? This book seems to suggest that she.. dug too deep, perhaps. Maybe she too went mad with what she knew- I think in that sense, she was a lot like Xandra... well, speaking of-

Notes to Carry Forward:

A magical orb is used to dispel dark magic from the land.

Without the protection of a faerie or their artefacts, the land turns Dark and pets begin to mutate.

It is implied that Darkest fell to madness, and she uses this magic to try and destroy the land.

While not depicted in-game, Altador and Meridell are infested by spiked tentacles.

Part 4: The Faerie's Ruin, aka the one that killed off Hubrid Nox (the only sugnificant thing that happened in this plot for realsies 100% no foolin')

So, we all know and love the faeries ruin. and I'm not gunna play recap since tumblr is already starting to lag at the length of this post. But ultimately, when the faeries were turned to stone.. what began to happen? Dark creatures began to crawl from

Xandra may not have been right, but she may have been onto something.

Her neopedia entry says a lot. Neopets ruled by a Neopet? I think once upon a time, the world used to be like that.

...without the faeries' power holding Neopia together, dark creatures emerged and preyed upon the very Neopets that Xandra hoped to empower.

In the wraith resurgance, it is canonized that Neopets can become wraiths- or at least, wraith-like. However, I struggle to accept the resurgance as genuine to the canon, since it a post-staff-purge/Jumpstart-era plot. Plus, it's impossible to navigate what is left, so it's hard to glean info about it.

Stars above, the Ruin plot really did have some of the most gorgeous art neopets ever put out, huh?

Notes to Carry Forward:

Without the protection of the faeries or their artifacts, the land turns Dark and monsters begin to infest the land.

Neopets can adopt the form of these creatures. While Darigan pets are corrupted, they also exist as a color outside the lore. It is unknown for sure of Wraith pets are corrupted like Darigan pets are.

Xandra, while initally "well-intentioned", ultimately falls to madness, and she uses this magic to try and destroy the land.

Part 5: So.. what are you saying?

So, I'm just gonna cut the guff and state my theory outright: Jahabal's Curse from back in NQ still plagues Neopia to this day, and the only thing keeping it from destroying the world is interference from the faeries & their magic. The curse is the direct cause of turning neopets into monsters, and the corruption timeline as Feral and/or Tainted -> Darigain -> Wraith.

I don't think it's all intended. But I think it's interesting how this all slots together super easily.

#neotag #neopets #Darigan #Neoquest #The Faerie's Ruin #The Darkest Faerie #Champions of Meridell #Fyora #Hanso #Brynn #Tormund Ellis #Roberta #Xandra #Neoquest Hero

[sweaterkittensahoy]

hellooo mota prompt if this floats your boat:

demarco/macon practically together in every scene in the stalag is very much thought provoking, maybe some postwar getting together? I firmly believe benny was Enamored by macon!! benny swinging by macons base/flight school to introduce meatball after months of back and forth letters is suchh an image.

if this doesnt spark anything for you thats completely alright too, i love your prompt fics and vibrating with the thought of reading your rosielemmons!!

[Oh, I got thoughts right away! Love this idea! NOTE: Oh, this one got away from me.]

WESTERN UNION TELEGRAPH COMPANY

RECIEVED AT Birmingham, AL

Via CHICAGO, IL

R: Leaving Noon. Chicago. Stopping just in KY for the night. Back on road 6AM tmw. C U in the afternoon. - BD&M

Richard reads the telegram twice, just because he can. It's just after two o'clock now, the humidity really digging into the air. He'd mentioned it to Benny a few letters ago, warning him to make sure Meatball had extra water for the trip.

It feels odd that it's finally happening. After months of letters and cards, Benny's coming to Alabama to see him. To see the flight school he's setting up. To meet Richard's family and friends.

Like that's something a white boy does.

Richard puts the telegram on his desk and walks outside, looking up at the sky. He thinks about the Stalag more than he'd like, but this time, it's on purpose. Strange way to make a friend, bunking together at a prison camp. But they are friends. Richard's sure about that.

He thinks about Benny's smile and his laugh. The way his handwriting gets messy when he writes a funny story. Richard turns his gaze to the hanger he's nearly finished building. There are two planes in there, a third on the way. It's due to get delivered while Benny is here. They'd planned the trip on it.

...I'm happy to help with whatever you need while I'm there. I haven't flown a Cessna since training, so maybe don't put me in the pilot's seat, but I'd love to see a plane get delivered. You'd think they'd fly it in, but I guess a truck delivery makes a little more sense. Guy's gotta get back home somehow...

*

Benny pulls up to the little house by the airfield at four o'clock the next day. All the windows of his car are down. Meatball's got his head out of one of them, panting like all get out.

Richard steps out the front door and waves hello, then walks towards Benny, hand out to shake.

Benny's handshake is as firm as Richard remembers. His smile is brighter, but they're not worn out at a camp anymore. They're men who survived and came home. Who wrote each other the first letter on the same day by accident.

Richard's not one for signs, but he holds that fact close to his heart. That they wrote each other that first letter on the same day, neither of them truly doing it first. The friendship they'd built in the Stalag had simply done the work when it was time.

"Look at you!" Benny says. He grabs Richard's shoulders and squeezes. "You look like you get three meals a day!"

"Sure do," Richard replies. "You're about as skinny as ever."

Benny grins. "My ma's trying her best, but I've always had a hollow leg, you know?" He turns and opens the back door of the car. Meatball jumps out, sniffs, and immediately pees on the driveway.

"Is that approval or disapproval?" Richard asks.

"Think it's just urine," Benny replies.

And it's Richard's turn to grin. Meatball walks over and sniffs his hand, and Richard pets him. "Never actually seen one of these in person before," Richard says to Benny. "Huskies don't do great down here."

Benny wipes his hand across his temple where sweat is beading. "Yeah, I can tell. Chicago gets warm in the summer, but we get the lake breeze."

"Well, come on inside. It's a little cooler."

Benny grabs his suitcase from the trunk, then lets Richard lead the way into the house. Meatball walks next to Benny, snuffling every inch of yard he can.

Benny sighs in relief when he steps into the house. "Oh, yeah, this feels much better."

"Built it to let the heat out in the summers," Richard says.

"Those plans you sent me don't do it justice," Benny replies, looking around in the living room. "But I think I remember where everything's supposed to be. He points to the door at the left. "That's the dining room."

"It is."

He points right, "And that's the hallway with two bedrooms."

"Yes."

"And on the back, you've got the kitchen on the left, and your office on the right, with the bathroom tucked in between."

"Yup."

"Did you paint the bathroom blue like you planned?"

"Find out," Richard says, gesturing that way.

Benny walks that way, and Richard watches him move. He bounces on his toes a little. He didn't do that at the camp. Richard likes it.

He likes a lot of things about Benny.

He sometimes thinks Benny likes a lot of things about him.

But they've only had letters since the camp, and some things a man does not write down without surety.

"It is blue!" Benny calls from the bathroom. Richard listens to him walk towards the kitchen, then turn and walk to the office. "Oh, this turned out real fine," he hollers. "Those bookshelves are beautiful. You hand-carve the curve?"

"Yes, I did," Richard says. He walks into the office himself. Benny's looking at the built-in shelves with a smile, leaning in to read a few book titles. Meatball comes in, sniffs a leather chair, then climbs up and lies down.

"Meat--"

"He's okay," Richard says. "I don't mind dogs on the furniture."

"My sister doesn't let him in her house anymore. He shed all over the baby."

Richard laughs, picturing it. "Bet the baby loved it."

"He was climbing all over him. Meatball was delighted."

"Must have been a little rough for him, going from a whole base full of people giving him love to just you."

Benny's face changes, his smile turning smaller, but not in a bad way. More like he's having a private thought he likes a lot. "It's not so bad," he says. "Sometimes, you just need one person to love you the right way, you know?"

Richard swallows hard, nodding. He thinks about his first few days at the camp, the pain from his broken neck, and the frustration and rage about being a prisoner. Locked in a bunkroom with a bunch of white boys he didn't know and couldn't bring himself to trust.

And then when he'd been struggling to sit up one day, Benny had leaned over from the next bunk and held out his arm. Richard had stared, waiting for him to say something, but Benny had just sat there, arm out. The offer plain as day.

Richard had grabbed his arm and managed to sit up.

"We don't have much for pain around here," Benny had said once Richard had breathed through the spike of agony in his neck. "But I could make a fire, if you wanted. Heat some water. Get something warm on your neck."

Alex and Robert aren't there to help. They'd gone with a few of the other men to learn where to scrounge up supplies. Richard considers his options, then nods.

"Something warm might help," he'd said.

And that had been the start of it. Benny made a fire and warmed up some water and soaked some rags. He'd laid them over Richard's neck and sat next to him, asking him about himself like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Where you from?" Richard had asked.

"Chicago," Benny had replied.

"You know any black people there?"

Benny had thought a moment. "My neighborhood's mostly Italian and Jewish," he'd said. "But I talked a little with a couple of fellas at work."

The answer had felt honest, and Richard had liked it. "Yeah, don't know a lot of white boys myself. Are Italians white in Chicago?"

Benny had laughed. "Mostly, I think," he'd said, and then he'd gotten up to get another cloth out of the water.

Richard looks at Benny, looking at his books in his office. Remembering the layout of the house in a way that tells Richard he's re-read his letters.

Richard's re-read Benny's letters, too.

"You got anyone loving you the right way these days?" Richard asks.

Benny bites the corner of his mouth. "Maybe," he says. He shuffles his feet and takes a step forward. "I, um, I wrote you a letter yesterday. Before I left Chicago."

"What's it say?" Richard asks.

"Nothing much," Benny replies. "But it didn't feel right to miss a week, you know?"

Richard takes a deep breath and a step forward. "I know," he says. "I usually write you on Wednesdays."

"Yeah, I've noticed." Benny leans against the bookshelf and looks up at Richard. His face is different than in the camp, more filled out. He's still skinny, but there's a glow of health to him now. They're doing all right, the both of them, Richard thinks.

"Richard."

"Yeah?"

"You wanna be loved by just one person in particular?"

Richard thinks of Benny making that fire. Warming up those rags. Thinks of Benny telling him terrible jokes and asking him about books and chemistry. Telling Richard about his family and asking about his. Playing cards side-by-side, where they cheated by showing each other their hands. Walking side-by-side during that whole long march, Benny checking every now and again that Richard was doing okay.

And then letters. Letters upon letters. All the devotion and care Benny had shown before shining through in a different way. Richard had read them in disbelief at first. Devotion and care like this, in this world. From a white boy.

"You got anyone in mind?" Richard asks.

Benny takes one more step forward, and Richard dips his head down. Benny touches right where his neck used to hurt the most, and Richard holds his wrist, and the kiss is just a little thing. Brief and a bit dry. But it's a promise. An agreement. A start.

*

Richard:

Just a quick note this week. I'm about to get Meatball loaded into the car and start driving. With a little luck, I'll beat this letter to Birmingham. Won't beat the telegram I'm sending, though. But it didn't feel right to go a Saturday without a note.

I'm writing this down so I don't chicken out: Ask me if I'm seeing anybody, will you?

Yours,

Benny

#demarcomacon #masters of the air #benny demarco #richard macon #oh look i snuck a letter into a love story from the 40s #how original of me and my work #fic prompt

[snek-panini]

I participated in Renegade Bindery's Binderary challenge this past February, and since it ended about two weeks ago it's probably time for me to start posting photos of the finished books, yeah? I made eleven books this year, many of which were multi-volume sets, and I'm going to start with the one that I had the most trouble with, Jane Austen's Persuasion. This project was nothing but trouble, and honestly every time I look at it I see nothing but its flaws. The cover is Allure book cloth from Hollander's (wisteria color; I bought it for another project last year and had a lot left over) with gold metallic HTV for the title and graphics. The last project I did with these materials was a dream; the cloth took HTV like a champ, better than any other project I'd done, and yet this time with the same roll of cloth and type/brand of HTV I couldn't get it to stick. You can see two spots where it's gone on crooked in the above photo, and below the cut you can see additional problems with the spine:

Yikes. It is peeling. I read the book once and it is peeling. I've never had this problem before; it won't always stick at first, but once I get it to stick it stays that way. Not this time.

Top view, with the endbands I sewed that have their cores visible. Again, not a problem I've had before but was a recurring theme this binderary; several of my Binderary books have it. Also platinum silk moire endpapers that were really hard to photograph and have both a wrinkle and a glue stain. It's my first time working with silk moire and I'm not sure I'm a fan, but three of the other books I made also have it and I didn't have nearly so may issues with them. So I think this book may have just been cursed. It's not pictured but the ribbon bookmark developed some kind of mysterious dark smudge in the middle somewhere between me gluing it in and me taking these photos. I do not know how this happened. The gilding went well though. That I can say.

Couple of images of the typeset. I had to print the title page twice because it came out streaky the first time. I actually really like the typeset, which is what makes the rest of the issues with this bind so frustrating. It's pretty! I did well on that part! I wanted the exterior to be just as pretty and I'm upset that it's not!

Fun fact: Persuasion was actually my least favorite Austen when I first read it. But I was in my early twenties then, and I thought it would be fun to bind myself a pretty copy since I didn't own one, and reread it and maybe have different feelings about it now I'm on the other side of thirty. And I did reread it after binding, and I do like it better, and I'm sad that the exterior parts didn't turn out as well as I had hoped. Half the reason I bind public domain stuff is so I can show off my skills to IRL people who aren't in fandom, and not have to explain what fanfiction is or why it has so many dicks in it, and there were so many issues here that I don't even want to do that.

The good news is that this was the low point of binderary and most of the other books gave me results I like better. I'm still doing titles for a lot of them, so we'll see how fast I can get them done and photographed, but I've definitely got more books in store in the near future.

#bookbinding #snek makes books #it feels weird not to tag a fandom but i don't want to put this in the main book tags #i realize it sounds like i hate what i've done here #i don't hate it i'm just frustrated with myself #and i learned stuff which is an important part of the process #but dangit #the public domain bind from last year came out better than this

[leomonae]

Tips for BG3 fans considering giving BG2 a try!

Disclaimers: I never played the enhanced or extended or whatever it's called - the Beamdog edition, that one - so I can't say what, if any, of this it might have changed. Also, while it continues to be my favourite game of all time, it's been like 5 years since my last BG2 playthrough, and I always ran it with a whole bunch of mods; I might get a few things mixed up, but I'll edit in corrections if I find that I have!

Much of this will apply to BG1 as well, of course, but not all. I am not really addressing BG1 because I've played through the whole thing maybe twice to my couple dozen BG2 games, and also because people who started a series at #3 don't get to be too picky about doing the first two out of order either :P

Right, so! I'm going to try not to spoil much here; these are just things to make your life easier and less annoying before you are blindsided by them and have to back up three hours to avoid the issue.

1) You might find yourself having to back up three hours to avoid some issue. BG3 has hopefully already thoroughly taught you this practice, but save early, save often, and keep your old saves until you're entirely done. This is a twenty year old game, I promise you have enough storage space.

2) We are playing under something like 2e (second edition) D&D rules here, not 5e. Armour class is good when it's low, not high. You don't get a set number of ability points at character creation, you roll dice and then you keep rolling for the next ten minutes until you get a nice, high points total to distribute as you prefer. Thac0 means "to hit armour class 0". Multi classing and dual classing are not at all the same thing, and will result in very different builds (also which one a character can do is determined by their race).

3) Games came with giant manuals back then; you are gonna need to either be doing some research, or just accepting that everything is going to be very confusing for awhile.

4) Go right ahead and crank that difficulty setting down a notch or two before you get started; after the first hour or two getting to grips with it, BG3 combat was basically just a nice, gentle romp through the park for me. I'm not saying this to brag (I don't ever play above core difficulty in BG2, myself), I'm saying this because you are going to find yourself getting very, very frustrated very fast if you don't understand that games back then had much different expectations when it came to how they handled some of the things that contributed to difficulty. Don't be meaner to yourself than you have to be! Challenge is fun; beating your head against a brick wall over and over is not.

5) The game is not going to do anything to stop you from going places you are not equipped or leveled to handle yet. If you are not making progress with some new area after a few tries and different approaches, consider going away and coming back later. It is also perfectly happy to spring surprise dragons on you. Or surprise "oh hey I just opened this door in the middle of the city with a certain common item in my inventory and now I appear to be in the second hardest fight of the entire game" encounters.

6) XP is distributed to all your party if it is main quest xp, and split among your party otherwise. If a character is not in your party at the time this happens, they don't get the xp, as a general rule. One or two specific exceptions aside, the game does not play catch-up for the characters you had leave your party temporarily; I would advise deciding who you want to have in your party fairly early on, then sticking to that so you're not wasting good xp on characters you're not keeping around.

7) Unfortunately, the previous is somewhat complicated by the fact that some companions have their own personal quests they want you to do for them. Quests with hidden timers that start running when you pick them up. Quests over which they will leave your party permanently, if you don't get around to them soon enough/don't listen when they give you a "do this basically now, or else" ultimatum. Quests you are going to be in no way capable of doing at the start of the game.**

8) Not all companions get along with one another; some of them cannot be in a party together without eventually fighting to the death as you're walking down the street one day. Pay attention to their alignment and don't go mixing good and evil characters in the same run. Neutral ones are significantly more chill.

9) There's a reputation mechanic which is kind of a morality tracker; good companions can also leave you if you get too low rep, and evil if you get too high.

10) When you first get out into the city proper, go check out the shops in this starting area; you can get a gem bag and a scroll case which will make inventory management much more pleasant. There are also bags of holding in the game - you know, those things our BG3 player characters kept taunting us about not having?

11) Companions can permanently die in a way that leaves them unable to be resurrected again due to the condition of the body. Be careful! Or just reload one of your twelve billion saves you've been carefully making, that works too.

12) Sometimes certain spells can have effects that might not occur to you in advance. Like, oh, say, disintegrating a dragon and only realising thirty hours later that you also disintegrated the crafting component required for making a really powerful weapon which it had in its inventory at the time.

13) You've noticed by now in BG3 that there are enemies who are resistant or vulnerable to certain types of damage, yeah? Bludgeoning, specific elements, etc. That is also going to be a thing here, but it's not always as immediately obvious what the problem is when you're failing to damage something. But in general, magical vs non-magical damage is a much bigger concern in BG2. There are many enemies that only take damage if your weapon is an enchanted one, and they might also require a certain minimum level of enchantment; +3 weapons or better, that sort of thing. Spells can affect this, too. Certain types of damage can cut through certain spell protections. Etc.

14) Hint: Melf's Minute Meteors count as +5 weapons, if you should ever find yourself unexpectedly in need of such a thing for some unknown reason I'm sure will never come up!

15) You can turn on a great many auto-pause options in the menu to get something significantly closer to the turn based combat you're used to. I use most of them; pausing whenever one of your characters finishes casting a spell (different spells take different amounts of time to finish casting and you can be interrupted before you manage doing so) is very useful so that you can immediately start them on their next spell without wasting time in combat.

16) If there's anything you really don't like, such as constantly being told to gather your party before venturing forth, there's almost certainly a mod for that.

That should do for now, have fun, enjoy the absolutely terrifying versions of vampires and illithid which will stalk your nightmares afterwards!

**It's Keldorn, I'm talking about Keldorn. I know he's amazing, but just leave his ass right the fuck where you found it unless you are feeling about ready to fight some of the toughest enemies in the game. Or you've bought that one specific item and don't mind a little cheese, because god knows I always use it if I'm planning on recruiting him.

#baldur's gate 3 #baldur's gate 2 #long post

[mickimagnum]

Devin's Dude Ranch: Episode Three

*episode opens with a shot of Echo Valley Ranch and the sound of birds singing*

*the next shot shows the five contestants lined up in front of Devin. they look excited to see her, but also a little apprehensive about what's to come*

Devin: "Hi, guys. Welcome to my horse training arena. I hope you all slept well. Like I told you last night, today is the official first day of the competition, and to kick it off, you get to try something that I do pretty much every day. In fact, it paid for the building you're standing in. But, you won't just be doing it for fun."

Devin (continues): "Alright. I won't keep you in suspense any longer...who ever stomps out the best bottle of nectar will win a solo date with me!"

Houston (voice-over): "Oh *bleep*. I've been dreading the possibility of this as a challenge. I've tried nectar making before and hated it. The way the fruit feels between your toes. Blleeccchhh. It's one of the worst feelings on this planet. I think I might be sick."

Devin: "If you've never tried nectar making before, don't worry. I'll show you how to do it." *demonstration was performed off camera

Albert (voice-over): "I'm really excited for this challenge. I've made nectar before and really enjoy it. I've got this in the bag...hopefully."

Devin: "You'll all have 45 minutes to stomp out the best bottle of apple nectar you can. At the end, I'll judge each bottle and the best tasting wins. Alright guys, choose your station. You'll find your supplies already there."

*next shot opens with everyone in their positions, waiting to begin*

Devin (seated at the judge's table): "Alright, fellas. Your 45 minutes starts....NOW!"

*the contestants eagerly scramble into their vats and begin carefully stamping at their apples*

Stan (voice-over): "This is my first time doing something like this. I've never felt anything like that before. It was not pleasant. But, the whole time I'm doin' it, I just kept tellin' myself 'she's worth it' 'do it for her' 'I gotta finish strong so I can get that date'."

Handra (voice-over): "I've got a new respect for Devin because nectar making is not easy. I think more of my nectar ended up on me than in my bottle. But, I wasn't going to give up. I want the date because I want more time with Devin."

Houston (voice-over): "Every second in that vat was...terrible, frankly. But, every chance I could, I stole glances at Devin. Seeing her kept me grounded and helped me get through it. I would do anything for more time with her. If she asked me to make a hundred bottles of nectar, I would."

Miles (voice-over): "Don't fall, don't fall, don't fall," *laughs* "That was basically all that was going through my head the entire time."

Albert (voice-over): "Nectar making isn't easy, that's for sure. I mean, I'm not proud of it, but yeah, I wiped out once or twice. But, I'm confident Devin will be happy with the end product. I really hope so, anyway, because I really want to win that date with her."

Devin (loudly): "Alright, guys! Your time is up! Time to step out of those vats and fill up your bottles. I'll be around to taste your work when you're done."

*Devin makes her way to the beginning of the line and begins to work her way down*

*Devin pours herself a glass of Houston's nectar, holds it up the light to inspect and nods approvingly, before bringing it to her nose to inhale its apple tannin*

Houston (voice-over): "My heart is pounding as I watch Devin taste the nectar I just made. Why does it feel like my entire future is riding on this?"

*Devin sips at the glass of nectar. Her expression is hard to read as she sets the glass down*

Devin: "Not bad."

*Devin moves on to Handra*

*Devin repeats the ritual. As she begins swishing Handra's nectar in the glass, Handra's voice comes on:*

Handra (voice-over): "All I can think as she's drinking my nectar is 'I hope she likes it. I really hope she likes it.' I know I tried my best and I really want this date."

*After Devin tastes the nectar, she smacks her lips once, gives a curt nod and sets her glass aside*

Devin: "Acceptable."

*Devin turns and approaches Stan's station*

*Devin begins her evaluation of Stan's nectar. As she brings it to her nose, she winces slightly*

Stan (voice-over): "I hope I did alright. I'm nervous as hell for Devin to taste to it, but my fingers and toes are crossed she likes it. I really, really want to go on this date."

*Devin hesitates a moment before taking a cautious sip of the nectar in her glass. As she pulls the glass away from her mouth, she squints her eyes and makes a face as if she's tasted something sour. She sets the glass down and reaches for a nearby bottle of water*

Devin (hoarsely): "No."

*she then gulps down the water before making her way over to Albert. Stan looks crestfallen.*

*As Devin moves through her initial evaluation, she looks impressed with the quality of Albert's nectar*

Albert (voice-over): "I'm confident she'll like what I've got. I just hope I did better than the other guys here. That solo date is so close I taste it."

*Devin samples the nectar, sets the glass down, glances at Albert and says:*

Devin: "Passable."

*Albert looks slightly bewildered*

*Devin's eyes smile at him as she walks toward Milo*

*Devin begins to pour a glass of Milo's nectar. It plops out into the glass, more the consistency of applesauce than nectar. A mixture of confusion and disgust pass across her face*

Milo (voice-over): "I am so nervous watching Devin inspect my nectar that I feel like I might throw up. I really need this date with her."

*Devin looks at the pink sludge in her glass a moment and sighs before tipping it up and slurping at it. After getting a taste, she lowers the glass, wipes her chin, and shrugs*

Devin (setting her glass down): "Confusing."

*Devin crosses her arms and makes her way back to the head of the judge's table*

Devin: "Not bad overall, guys, especially with it being most of your first time doing this. Nectar making is an art and it's definitely not something you can master your first time in the vat. With that being said, there were definitely some clear leaders in the group."

Devin (continues): "The top nectars, in both quality and taste, belonged to..."

Devin (continues): "Houston, Handra, and Albert. Good job guys."

Devin (continues): "I'm sorry, Stan and Milo, but your nectar just wasn't where it needed to be.

Devin (continues): "But, this is a solo date, and there can only be one winner. And, at the end of the day, taste is everything, and the best tasting nectar belonged to..."

Devin (continues): "Handra!"

*weak applause can be heard in the background*

*winner chosen by random name picker due to three-way quality tie

*Handra makes his way up to Devin and gives her a quick hug*

Devin: "Yep. You are...so sticky."

*Handra chuckles*

Handra: "Yeah, I know. I'm sorry."

Devin: "Handra, I"m looking forward to our date. As for the rest of you, don't worry. There will be other opportunities to win solo dates with me. But, for now, you guys should probably take some showers."

*the contestants chuckle in agreement*

Handra, in diary room: "I can't believe I won the first solo date. Honestly, I'm over the moon and can't wait for more time with Devin." *smiles and looks off to the side* "I can't wait."

Devin, in diary room: "I have to be honest. Having five guys literally compete for a date with me was kind of weird. I mean, not that this whole experience hasn't been kind of weird. But, it was fun watching them try nectar making. It felt special to share that with them. I'm also really excited about my solo date with Handra. I feel like we have a good connection so far, so I'm looking forward to getting more time with him and seeing what all is there."

PREVIOUS | NEXT

Handra submitted by @bloomingkyras Houston submitted by @invisiblequeen Albert submitted by @bakersimmer James "Stan" submitted by @natolesims Milo submitted by @belsasim

#devinsduderanch #devin delaney #houston bloom #handra diaz #albert robins #james stanford #milo penn #sims 4 bachelorette #sims 4 bachelorette challenge #echo valley ranch #chestnut ridge #sims 4 horse ranch #simblr #the sims 4 #sims community #ts4 #sims 4 love story #sims 4 story #sims 4 screenshots

[babacontainsmultitudes]

In Defense of the Other Teens

Hello besties :)

SO how about that last episode huh? I've certainly seen a lot of interesting takes and cool art and all that come from it!

And I'm... Here to offer my two cents.

Alright y'all, a few things before we actually get into the meat of it. First, this is a long post. Like, even by my standards this post is pretty fucking long. I hope that I'll be able to keep you entertained throughout at the very least, but maybe grab a cup of tea or coffee or the like before venturing under the cut.

Second, my stance on things will become pretty clear I think fairly early on, if you haven't already put two and two together from the title of this post. That said, there are some fairy bold claims I'm gonna make here, and the fact of the matter is some of them may very well be disproven as soon as today's Teen Talk drops. But I wanted to get this out beforehand, partially as a show of faith in a certain someone, and partially cause honestly I think it's good to practice giving oneself room to be wrong about things. That said, there are still many other points that I think remain important regardless of what we find out next episode (or in teen talk), and I hope you'll find those interesting as well.

Next, honestly, the first few chunks of this little essay really start out as more of a rant/vent than a tight analysis, and I kinda start things in a weird spot if I'm being frank with you, so maybe just try to bear with me for the first few parts, ok? They're still important for the bigger picture I'm trying to paint.

Finally, if I come off as a little extra salty and sassy in this one, I am, but I *promise* it's all in good fun. :)

Alright, so let me tell you my thoughts about Lincoln.

You know what I think? What I honestly, genuinely think? Linc is the most selfless of the teens by a long shot. Like, there's literally no competition. Enough "all he wants to do is help other people and all they ever do is betray him" with respect to Mr. TalkedGrantIntoAPanicAttackThenLeft and more appreciation and recognition for Lincoln Li SayHiToYourDadForMe Wilson, I'm begging you. I could sit here and start listing examples of Linc's selflessness to you for a good long while, but really no set of examples could better illustrate what differentiates Linc from the rest of the teens than this exchange:

**

Scary: "Chosen one…""

Jodie: "Bat’tholemew, we don't use those words." 

Scary: "Somebody they wouldn't expect."

Taylor: "It's me. It's got to be someone that they don't expect."

Scary: "Yeah." 

Taylor: "Yeah." 

Scary: "It's got to be somebody who's really earned—"

Taylor: "Somebody who’s really earned—" 

Scary: "—the respect."

Taylor: "—the right to... And all the knowledge of all the animes together…"

Scary: "Somebody with more knowledge than anybody else."

Taylor: "Someone with— who knows what to do. S… "

Scary: "Somebody who knows what to do to step up."

Taylor: "Somebody who can step up and be the chosen one."

Scary: "And be the chosen one."

Link: "Hey…"

Normal: "Guys, I think… I might be the chosen one…"

**

Yes, funnily enough, it's Linc's absence here that says a lot about him rather than his presence.

What's more, I frankly just don't think it's fair that Linc can do *so much* for the people around him but the *one time* he decides to do something that (seemingly) goes against Normal's plan, it's depicted as some ultimate act of betrayal or Linc "giving up". I feel like we significantly understate how much the other teens *have* done for the sake of Normal's plan (seriously, are we actually gonna ignore Linc stabbing his leg on a candy cane- TWICE??), and how much they've lost in doing so. If every time they fuck something up undoes everything they've sacrificed or done right, well, that's quite the negativity bias!

So why don't we talk about Linc's decision, actually. Did we just witness Lincoln finally snap? Has he given up on Normal's plan to help the doodler? Has he given up on using empathy? Did Lincoln Li Wilson choose the easy option? I would say no! No to all of those! And I think especially upon a relisten of the final moments in the last episode, Linc's train of thought when he breaks the pic is actually quite clear. And yes, this is about Linc showing empathy towards Scary, but I want to talk about the actual implications of that a bit further as well. Let's start by looking at the final bits of dialogue leading up to the breaking of anchor:

**

Linc: "Scary, what are you even doing?"

Scary: "You gotta destroy it"

Linc: "We can't- you just heard the Doodler's gonna make the world worse it's gonna kill we just gotta find something, why do you have to destroy it-"

Scary: "You don't know that!"

Linc: "I mean you don't know it's not that way we can find another way to destroy it"

Scary: "No, Willy said that it's easier to control if we destroy the anchors"

[ANTHONY EXPLAINS THE SPECIFICS OF WHAT WILLY WOULD HAVE TOLD SCARY]

Linc: "Well we're not gonna do it that way okay, come on like, the easy way is-"

Scary: "Who died and made you the leader?"

Linc: "The easy way is usually the bad way right? Sometimes the better thing is harder."

Scary: "This is easier what you're just gonna tell the pic 'Oh I love you I'm so nice to you' and it's just gonna give you all its secrets that's not how life works."

[LINK TRIES SAYING I LOVE YOU TO THE PIC AND NORM EXPLAINS THAT HE ALREADY TRIED THAT]

Linc: "Okay well like you're right it's gonna be hard but- I know it's not a person but I don't want more people to die we've already killed enough people like can you just do one thing with us and just try to find a way to make this-"

Scary: "The Doodler is gonna kill more people you're not seeing the bigger picture!"

Normal: "What no, Linc don't listen to her!"

Scary: "Listen to me!"

[AND THEN LINC SNAPS THE PIC]

**

Okay there's... A lot to unpack here. I'll start by pointing out what I think are a few key things to take note of:

- Linc is seemingly adamant on choosing the empathetic route and not letting any more people get hurt

- Linc affirms that sometimes the harder route is the better one

- Scary rejects the notion that simply saying "I love you" or otherwise being kind in words could actually do anything

- Norm says "don't listen to her"

- Linc's decision to break the pic only occurs after Scary says what she does (above point), seemingly in conflict with what he himself said only moments prior about not taking the violent route.

What I think needs to be understood about Linc is that, more than anyone in the group, Linc's decisions are calculated. Yes they often catch us off guard (seriously the amount of times Linc has done something that's made me actually gasp in shock is a bit crazy), but once the dust has settled, his decisions are always clearly consistent with who Linc is as a person and his philosophy, and accordingly, never come from a place of selfishness. The humor of it aside, when Linc says that he never misses any shot that he takes (:( Can't find the exact quote), he is entirely correct (and admittedly while I probably should gather various examples to show you what I mean, Linc swapping places with himself and Nicky really is the most perfect demonstration I could possibly ask for, as it showcases both Linc's aforementioned selflessness and how Linc's seemingly shocking decisions are never actually accidents or executed with uncertainty on his end). Try to keep these above points in mind as we move forward.

Next, let's consider the pros and cons for Linc of breaking or not breaking the pic, as seen from Linc's perspective. I suppose the general impression I've gotten thus far is that many people seem to be interpreting Linc breaking the pic as a likely (or sure) sign that he has "given up" on Normal's plan, and given in to choosing the "easier" route. This, I perhaps a bit boldly argue, raises a number of questions and ultimately implodes in on itself as an interpretation after even a brief consideration of them. At the most basic, and perhaps least interesting level, it's not like it would be that hard to search a little bit for some demonstration of love (especially with a certain pair of will-they-won't-they partners not too far away... Though I feel like the pic also could have been interesting as applied to some of the other characters around right now? Anyways...) You could say then, that maybe Linc simply doesn't care about using empathy, and has ultimately lost confidence in Norm's plan by this point, so he takes the path of absolute least resistance cause, well, whatever. But wait, didn't Linc *just* say that they weren't going to do things that way, and that he doesn't want more people to be killed? (You might say then that he thinks Scary has a point on "not seeing the bigger picture" and believes that choosing violence here will result in less deaths, but frankly I just don't think there's anything promising or compelling enough about Scary's argument here for Linc to have any real reason to believe it, all the more so given Willy’s involvement). Are we to think, then, that Linc changes his mind purely on a whim, and a whim influenced by Scary of all people no less? Frankly, I see this as a severe underestimation of Linc's strength of character, and this is where we really do need to consider the degree of calculation and confidence that goes into Linc's decision making and risk taking. What I'm saying is, Linc simply doesn't fall victim to selfish impulses that way (and within the group this is a quality unique to him!). Moreover, even if Linc might have his doubts in Norm and his plan, he still has significantly more reason to go with that than to listen to Scary. Seriously, Linc has every reason to not listen to Scary here. When it comes to what Linc cares about the most, Scary has without a doubt harmed Linc more than the Doodler ever could (The significance of Tony Pepperoni being stabbed in Linc's home in front of his dad  c a n n o t  be forgotten or understated!!!). Even if Linc didn't care at all about showing empathy to the Doodler, if he were acting purely out of selfishness he would still have more reason to do so if only because it means not giving the satisfaction to or otherwise helping Scary (and Willy).

But Scary is confused, and Scary is lonely, and from her perspective she probably does feel betrayed. We (and Linc) are given some important information regarding Scary in this episode. Firstly, we get a glimpse into how Willy has twisted things and convinced her that violence is the better option (not because it's easier per se, but because more people will apparently be saved in the long run). Second, Linc finally understands what Scary needs... Or at least what she doesn't need. Specifically, he understands that simply saying "I love you" isn't enough. He understands that Scary will never believe it no matter how many times it is said, and that to really prove to Scary that she is loved and get through to her, he needs to show her, has to prove to her that, despite everything, he is still on her side.

Linc, I dare argue more than any of the teens, has so much reason to leave Scary behind. But he understands her now, and, against Normal's wishes, listens to her. In a weird way (if I'm not dead wrong about this whole empathy thing), this kind of is Linc's "throne of the doodler" equivalent. It would be so easy to not break the pic, to not choose to (help and) empathize with Scary after all the pain she has caused him, but that's not the kind of person Linc is, and I hope the points I raised earlier make that reasonably clear.

So no, I don't think Linc chose the easy option. I think he believes himself when he says that sometimes the harder route is the better one, and followed through on this when he took his shot.

Sincerely, if you think the Doodler is just a scared teen deserving of empathy and sacrifice and making tough decisions, but Scary isn't, then I think you've missed the point. The Doodler is just acting out and needs help, but when Scary or Linc break an anchor through violence (be it violently empathetic or not), we give up on them? We hope for Normal to abandon them when they're hurting and depict it as deserved or even righteous? I can't get behind that, I'm sorry. 

Furthermore, whereas Norm would certainly be justified in feeling concerned for the Doodler's sake if Linc's actions count as an act of violence, apart from that like, if Norm chooses to interpret Linc reaching out and showing support to someone as lost and alone and in need of help as Scary as a personal attack against him, either as a betrayal of their friendship (Norm is very jealousy-prone we’ve known this from the start!) or as a direct attack against Norm's perfect little violence-free narrative that lets him be the hero regardless of who gets left behind wait does he actually just hate Hero cause of her name hm, then that is, respectfully, completely a problem with him, and not with Linc. I think if Normal actually snaps from this, then his entire philosophy of choosing empathy is based on a lie, and Norm just wants to follow the narrative that allows him to be the hero on paper, so that everybody finally loves him.

Well that's a bit harsh huh. Believe it or not, I'm genuinely not trying to throw Norm under the bus here. But... I am trying to expose his flaws and shortcomings in relation to the other teens. This is important moving forward, because in refusing to seriously acknowledge the fact that Norm, while still having plenty of good in his heart, is someone who can be quite self-centered, and ultimately cares about being well-perceived and loved first and foremost, we become blind to the ways in which Norm, like Scary, is vulnerable to future instances of manipulation. That bit on appearance vs. true compassion isn't mere interpretation, by the way, Will has stated this quite clearly in episode 27 of teen talk (and in general I'd really rather not rely on that kind of bonus content in these sorts of posts but, well, it's hard to ignore this):

**

Will: (In reference to Norm's scene in the pride layer) "I feel like I understand Normal better now, like a kind of darker side of his psyche that's different from Henry... Like Henry's very concerned with being a good person but I don't think is super concerned with whether people like him or not, whereas Normal is like a little concerned with being a good person but *mostly* concerned- it's two different ways to solve love [he explains what it implies for Henry], the other is 'if everyone else likes me, that means I can take that in as well'."

**

I need to stress that I am not trying to imply that Norm is anywhere close to being a bad person, btw. Normal, like everybody else, has his flaws, but has proven that he has plenty of good qualities as well. What I *am* trying to imply is that Norm does have a tendency to put himself at the center of things, and is from a more meta standpoint benefiting from a narrative that puts him at the center of things (more or less guaranteeing that he will be seen as a hero of sorts no matter what- evident even in how fandom largely depicts him vs the other teens), and I'm just saying that if ever he found himself in Oakvale by some chance he might really appreciate the enforced anti-violence initiative put in place by the town's noble leader who really just gets him and praises him and-

I know (almost) nobody wants to hear this, but if Normal actually had a villain arc, it would most likely consist of him falling down the same path that Barry did. Barry was a hero, on paper. And the people around him certainly saw him as such, and loved and accepted him in some sense of the word, which is what he truly wanted at the end of the day. And he got rid of all the violence!!! 

But none of that makes Barry a good person.

*sniff sniff*

Hey... Has anyone else noticed the distinct lack of stinky weebs in this post?

As much as I myself am a bit more interested in the Linc side of things right now, I do need to talk a bit (or a lot) about Taylor too. My little guy! You haven't even had a proper, serious character arc yet and people have already decided that you don't have a shot vis a vis the upcoming anchors, despite easily being the most emotionally resilient and stable of the group. You know what, I'm gonna throw in most loyal too. If you'll humor me...

Taylor may not be the most empathetic of the teens (in fact, he may very well be the least), but this doesn't mean he doesn't care, and doesn't mean he isn't kind in his own way. What's particular about Taylor's brand of loyalty compared to the other teens that I think might make it a bit easy to overlook is that it while it is very strong, it tends to be reserved only for the people he chooses to call his friends (oh, and his mom!). There's no question of Taylor's choice to disregard what Nick tells him and go back to save Linc from the FBI, it embodies some of the most fundamental parts of who Taylor is as a person. Which I guess is to say that, there are ultimately only so many people Taylor chooses to have in his circle, but those bonds are extremely important to him, and he really is ride or die about them. I think that this aspect is most obvious when looking either at Taylor's relationship with Linc or Cassandra, but also with Hermie actually! Oh, and similar to the example with the FBI, Taylor's response to the whole Tony situation is perfectly consistent with this aspect of his character as well. Tony was not part of Taylor's circle, not someone he chose to let himself get attached to (because when Taylor gets attached to someone, it is indeed a very deliberate choice), so no, he's not gonna care that much about Tony's death. But he is bothered by Scary's betrayal. He is bothered because, even if they weren't the closest, Scary was, I would argue, still part of Taylor's circle. And yes, he is bothered by Linc leaving him alone in the last episode for the same reason, except that in this case it's probably worse actually. I know I'm straying pretty far from the original topic here, but still I think it's worth exploring the interesting position this puts Taylor in going forward, especially with respect to Nick. 

("Seriously baba when did this become about Nicky literally what are you talking about right now?")

Thus far, Taylor has made it very clear that no, he is not going to allow Nick to be someone he becomes attached to. There's a risk, in loving and becoming loyal to someone as strongly as Taylor does, and Nicky has not yet proven himself to be a risk worth taking. So what happens next? Nicky is (finally) around after all, so what might the future hold for little Taylor? On the one hand, Nicky's "words of advice" might begin to get through to Taylor, which could leave him in a pretty dangerous position. Taylor takes a big risk every time he lets someone in (everyone does but Taylor more than all the others because of how fully he loves and trusts and protects, is what I'm saying- er... He's a lot like his dad that way actually!), so what if Nick convinces him that nobody is worth that risk, and that everyone you hold dear will ultimately betray you? Well, I think we'd be left with a very lonely Taylor! Conversely, what if Nicky decides to prove himself worthy of Taylor's love? What if Taylor comes around and lets him in? ahaha shit I feel like there's a bad joke to be made about Taylor keeping his dad at arms length and his dad not having any arms right now god fucking damn it what even is this post. Will Nicky be able to maintain that trust? If he abandoned Taylor again, after Taylor has allowed himself to become attached (or if something happens to Nicky cause lets face it horrible things tend to happen to Nicky), I think Taylor might finally have a hard time getting back up.

What the fuck was I talking about? Oh yeah, so I guess going back to Norm, on the one hand, I guess on the more extreme end Taylor could actually take Linc's actions very hard, in which case I actually could see him sticking with Norm as an act of self-preservation. That said, I don't personally feel that this will be the case, that Linc is still ultimately in Taylor's circle, and accordingly Taylor's loyalty towards Linc will persist, albeit perhaps with a seed of doubt sewn at the back of his mind. And I don't think in that case that it's fair to frame this as Taylor betraying Normal? As others have pointed out, Norm frankly just hasn't really earned much in the way of Taylor's friendship. Really, as far as I'm concerned, Taylor doesn't really owe Norm much of anything at all. From the very beginning Norm has made it clear that he doesn't particularly care for Taylor, and ultimately has let his own jealousy and desire for attention (especially Linc and Hermie's attention) get in the way of ever really getting to know or appreciate Taylor beyond the surface level. Would I call it betrayal for Taylor to choose to continue to support his best friend instead of the guy who told him that anime isn't real? No, and I think the double standard is pretty obvious if we consider the reverse. That is, if Taylor chose Norm over Linc, after everything he and Linc have been through, would we be framing Linc as the victim of some grand betrayal? I genuinely don't think we would, at least not to the extent that we would with Norm. I suppose I'm saying all this, because well as aforementioned I just find there's been a lot of undeserved cynicism towards Taylor, and I think a lot of it does genuinely come from Normal's privileged position within the narrative as its de facto "hero" and what is most convenient for maintaining that image (and when I say "hero", that does include "righteous villains" who "deserve(d) to snap", just so we're clear on that).

Hmmmm I kinda wanna talk about Taylor and Normal as each other's foils but this post is getting a bit long isn't it... *Sigh* Not today, no, not today.

......Okay but still I have to say that if Taylor actually does finally get his "main character moment" I actually think that would be a great opportunity for Norm to acknowledge, reconcile, and learn to cope both with his jealousy and the parts of himself that are self-centered. Conversely, if Taylor does for one reason or another stray a bit too far into the habit of keeping people at arm's length out of fear of abandonment, betrayal, or the like, I think he could learn something from Norm too (having trouble phrasing exactly what I mean here, so perhaps I'll save the full notion for another time!)

So that's... Yeah, I think that's the most important stuff. I debated on sort of elaborating on examples of Norm's major character flaws, but despite everything my intent here was first and foremost to offer a "defense of the other teens" more than anything else. Though I will say that I think there is something to be said about how Normal's self-centeredness gets in the way of his ability to actually help those around him (Grant and Taylor both being great examples in "The Staircase"), how this contrasts with Linc's willingness to actually listen to and figure out what Scary needs in this most recent episode, and accordingly what Normal could potentially learn from Linc about not just choosing the route that's easiest for you.

#AND IF I'M WRONG ABOUT LINC'S INTENTIONS HE AND SCARY STILL DESERVE EMPATHY AND PATIENCE AS MUCH AS ANY DOODLER #dndads #dungeons and daddies #lincoln li wilson #normal oak #scary marlowe #taylor swift dndads #taylor swift #if you actually read all of this thank you so so much #:] and feymarche again so many thanks for giving me your thoughts on this piece beforehand you're a real one!!! #nick foster #nicky freeman #seriously it's very nerve wracking to post this before the teen talk ahaha but listen someone needs to defend this poor boy #and Taylor in a different sense lol #and Scary- always Scary #normal oak swallows garcia #normal #hommies even if you don't agree I hope you still enjoyed some part of this! #It took me so so so so long ahahaha #dndads s2 #dndads s2 ep 29