#anyway!!!!! I consider myself to pretty much be what it reads on the tin - just in more dimensions - so there's that!!

[veterveter]

I want to send you a message to talk to you because you seem very nice but I'm embarrassed

Ohhhh friend 😭😭😭 you needn't be embarrassed plz plz plz do come talk to me!! I promise I am indeed objectively speaking a nice person, or at the very least I try my best to be one-- I'm not cool or calm or collected, you needn't be embarrassed, no tengas miedo, be my friend, I feel so honoured that you'd messaging me--

I racked my phone memory for something to maybe try and sway you, so please accept these sunflowers I picked a couple of weeks ago (I carried them home a few km and got eaten by all the bugs, just so you know the depth of this sacrifice) - it's a friendship offering to you 🌻

You can of course send me anons too if you'd prefer, but you sound like you'd like to message me, and I'd like that too ❤️ Whatever makes you comfortable, truly!!!

Anyway anyway, take care 🌻 and I hope you'll consider my application ahah-- no but truly, you seem so nice and kind from this here little interaction mystery friend!! I hope this week treats you kindly and I really hope this isn't the last I hear from you ahah

#watch me TRYING ohhh friend be my friend plz #not me sat on the floor sewing(???) while trying to figure out what might convince you #anyway!!!!! I consider myself to pretty much be what it reads on the tin - just in more dimensions - so there's that!! #asks #anon #friend????? #fave #ugh thank you for this mystery friend you're so sweet 🥺🥺🥺 #I've got other socials too so if you prefer those just hmu and you can have whatever avenue feels comfiest to you!!!

[thesillyexpresser]

After reading a fic with (the best most thought provoking depiction of) AI Turo, it reminded me of a certain poem from Evangelion, so I drew this ✨💜

No text version, a way to philosophical rambling based off of mentioned fic and Evangelion that’s about an essay long, and a doodle under the cut v

Features Spoilers for Pokemon SV and references to Evangelion anyways let’s start the ramble

SOOOoooo this fic (📒 Turn Back the Clock by MahinaPea11) has what I believe hands down one of the bestest thought provoking depictions of AI Turo (FYI: it is a yn romance fic in the 2nd pov and it is tagged as smut BUT the work is relatively 98% SFW and the smut tag was for a smut chapter that never really came as of now) (and that two percent NSFW is the yn getting attacked with a description of every bone they broke in the first chapter and a weird bath scene in chapter 4 so if you like robots questioning their existence and having crises but not smoochy smooching and awkward moments [aka me] you can skip some of that) (I’m not the biggest fan of yn romance as of the second pov category and get really uncomfortable around smut and 18+ crap but I actually really really enjoyed it and if you like man-made objects having epiphanies about their own human identity, I highly suggest this) (and before you ask what I was doing reading a yn romance fic, I was feeling really sick n’ crappy so much so that I gave up my pride and actually read it).

Anyways, enough with explaining myself. The main reason (of course there’s more reasons but here’s the most thought provoking one) I really like this fic (specifically in the 6th chapter) is because it deals with something that I found interesting about the Prof AI as a character, how they feel about being the original Professor and not. In a sense they are the og. They have all the memories of the og. They look like the og. The sound like the og. They are meant to represent wholly the og. But at the same time, they’ve explained they’re different. They don’t see eye to eye on the beliefs and dreams of the original. Yet, it’s not like they have to drastically physically change themself to assert that. I don’t think that’s something they’d want to do anyways. They’re just them. A being of wires that has the memories and experiences of a real person but never actually lived through them. They an exact copy of another person but different all the same. They are a vessel for a soul that isn’t really theirs. They’ve lived through a life though not really having one anyways. Do they have a life?

The reason why I chose lines from Rei’s I am Me poem from episode 14 as text for the art is because I think her situation is similar. She is (theorized to be) a copy of Yui. Although she isn’t seemingly aware of this, I think she is partially aware that she’s man made. She questions if this factor means she’s qualified to be called a life form of if she simply is an object. To be called her own person separate from what she was made to do.

Not to negate Rei as a character, but I like to think that somehow the AI profs have dealt with this contemplation, too, and I think it’s made worse with how they actually know for certain that they were made just as a mechanical copy as their creator. They themself are a paradox of Area Zero, and I believe they simply accept this. They accept the fact that they’re a tin can representative of a dead person rotting away in the ground. They accept the fact that they are different from each other and that they am their own being. I’m pretty sure that from their realization of the og professor’s flaws and them leaving at the end of the story, that they were still dealing with the “people” they are. In the fic, AI Turo even has the balls to consider himself to be considered a living being (and good for him).

Holy crap I went too philosophical and deep and whatever here’s a doodle I made.

#art #artwork #doodle #character art #pokemon #artists on tumblr #professor turo #pokemon violet #illustration #fanfic rambles #rambles #ai turo #going way too philosophical #evangelion reference #ポケモンsv #pokemon scarlet and violet #TheSillyRambler9000

[volturialice]

A (all ur titles) F and N. I desire a crumb of credit for actually reading through all the options today 😌

A: How did you come up with the title to [insert fic]?

aw hell I had to go back and look at my ao3 page and kick myself. anyway

most of my oneshots - are random lines from the canon books, as you discovered in podcast-land when we reached the line about "the biology incident" lol

a few of my fics - are Exactly What it Says on The Tin -style titles. eg: Ritual for the End of Summer, Steadfast, Patience and Predestination, and Red Line, which are all just the major theme, setting, or conceit stated outright.

The Most Lamentable Tragedie of Edward and Isabella, or 'Tis Pity He's a Vampyre - this is a composite of various Elizabethan and Jacobean tragedy titles (have you ever noticed that shakespeare's comedies mostly have abstract or punny titles, but his tragedies, while shortened colloquially to one or two characters' names—Romeo and Juliet, Othello, Hamlet, Antony and Cleopatra—are all some variation of "The Tragedy of [Protagonist?]" because they are.) anyway the second part is simply a ripoff of my beloved 'Tis Pity She's a Whore aka the bonkersest work of its time and therefore my favorite

Perdition of the Witch - embarrassed to admit it took me forever to come up with this. you'd think, being loosely based on a film called “Season of the Witch,” that the idea of swapping out that one noun would have occurred to me at some point, but no. I had a huge list of heaven/hell/witchcraft/religion -type words, none of which felt right, until I started reading the Malleus Maleficarum for research and stumbled across this absolutely perfect phrase. it’s still called “witch thing” in my scrivener doc lol

Good Politics - yeah it's from that song in the beginning of the cartoon Swan Princess movie

F: Share a snippet from one of your favourite dialogue scenes you've written and explain why you're proud of it.

huh. I don’t really consider dialogue my strong suit, but I guess I like a lot of the exchanges between jasper and rosalie in Good Politics because I think I manage to convey their sibling relationship, history, and respective characters pretty well. example:

“They’re here,” announced Rosalie.

Jasper did not look up from his desk, where he was looking over Clause H, Section XII of the treaty. In the event of civil unrest on the northwestern border, a joint task force of troops from both nations is to be dispatched…

“I said they’re here,” repeated Rose. “‘Them’ as in the Olympian delegation. They were just spotted entering the city a few minutes ago.”

“Good,” said Jasper.

“‘Good?’ That’s all you have to say?”

“What else should I say?”

Rosalie turned away from the window to huff at him. “Has it not occurred to you that by the simple motion of getting off your ass and walking over here, you might catch a glimpse of your future wife? Or is that too much t—oh. Is that really what you’re wearing?”

Jasper split the stack of papers into two, carefully setting aside the “unread” pile.

“I’ll see her later,” he told Rosalie, resolutely ignoring the way she was wincing at his outfit.

“You’ll—? Are you mad? I know we’ve been ordered not to greet them until the formal presentation later, but I figured you’d at least want a look. What if she’s grown into a perfect troll, with snaggleteeth and warts or something?”

“Then I doubt I’ll be able to tell from this distance,” said Jasper.

N: Is there a fic you wish someone else would write (or finish) for you?

of my own fics? all of them but also none of them. of other people’s fics? Backstories, Book III by mal4prez on ff.net. I just. I want it

fanfic ask game

#ask games #fanfic ask game #flowerslut

[zippityzap]

Sonic Tarot Card Project: explanations for character picks

Recently I completed a summer-long project where I created Sonic themed versions of the tarot major acana. I put a lot of research and thought into what characters to assign to which cards, and I wanted to explain my rationale behind each one! (Everything’s under the read more cut because this is a very long post!)

To start off, let me explain why I did this project in the first place. This summer I watched Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure for the first time, and in Part 3, Stardust Crusaders, the majority of the stand abilities are named after the tarot major arcana. Thanks to cultural osmosis I vaguely knew the meanings of a few of the cards and I realised that one of the characters suited his assigned card pretty well. I was curious if this matched anyone else and so once I finished watching that part, I did research on tarot and found that yeah, a lot of them do match! That got me interested in tarot and since I like combining things I’m interested in, I decided to make Sonic versions of the cards.

I do want to note that while Jojo did inspire this project in a lot of ways, I tried not to let my character picks be influenced by Stardust Crusader characters, although there did end up being some picks that did coincidentally happen to match nicely anyway. Also, I’m not gonna lie, ever since picking these card choices I’ve been highly tempted to draw Sonic as Polnareff.

Anyway, on to my explanations for character choices!

0: The Fool (Charmy Bee)

The Fool represents innocence, spontaneity and recklessness. I believe Charmy’s happy and carefree nature, along with the simple fact that he’s essentially just a little kid who likes to have fun makes him a great fit for this card

1: The Magician (Infinite)

The Magician represents creation and strength, but also manipulation and narcissism, a good match for Infinite and the powers of the phantom ruby. (I was also very pleased to notice that the traditional art for the card has an infinity symbol- everything lined up very well!)

The Rider Waite version of the card also depicts a sword, a wand, a cup and a pentacle; the suits of the minor arcana. I have attempted to depict these with various objects from the Sonic series, namely Infinite’s sword from the IDW Forces prequel comic, the sceptre of darkness from '06, a chaos emerald, and a ring respectively.

2: The High Priestess (Princess Elise)

The High Priestess represents secrets, repression, and the unknown, which I believe fits with Elise’s initial desire to control her emotions and her sadness. (Admittedly this is one of the looser character/card connections for this project, but my two other picks for this card I felt were better suited to different cards)

3: The Empress (Vanilla the Rabbit)

The Empress represents nurturing, fertility and childbirth, all traits that I believe make this card a good pick for a kind, caring mother like Vanilla

4: The Emperor (Dr Eggman)

A card fitting for the leader of the Eggman Empire! The Emperor represents authority, power, and tyranny, all traits Dr Robotnik desires, if not possesses in many continuities.

5: The Hierophant (Espio the Chameleon)

The Hierophant represents wisdom and tradition, and in both upright and reversed forms it has large connections to the concept of social conformity. Perhaps I’m drawing more from the various comic versions of Espio, but he comes across to me as someone who is hyper-aware about how he presents himself.

Fun fact: a hierophant is essentially another word for a religious leader, although I’ve never seen it used outside the context of tarot. I assume the religious connection is the reason why in the OST of the Jojo part 3 anime, Kakyoin’s theme is called Noble Pope.

6: The Lovers (Amy Rose)

The Lovers represents love, communication, and passion; and Amy is certainly a character who wears her heart on her sleeve! She’s a good example of a character who I feel fits a number of different cards, however there are no other characters who suited The Lovers quite as much as her.

7: The Chariot (Sonic the Hedgehog)

The Chariot represents journeys, wanderlust as well as the ambition and willpower to achieve your goals, which I believe is the perfect match for Sonic’s adventurous and heroic spirit. This was one of the first cards I decided on and it’s probably the one I’d defend my interpretation of the most.

If you’re wondering why there’s dark and hero chao in the artwork too, it’s because the original card art depicts the titular chariot being pulled by black and white sphinxes, and this is my way of calling back to that.

8: Strength (Maria Robotnik)

This card pick might seem unusual at first if you take the word ‘strength’ at face value, however considering the original card art depicts a maiden peacefully taming a lion, perhaps the Strength card represents inner strength, courage and determination rather than physical strength. These are traits that I believe Maria possesses.

9: The Hermit (Knuckles the Echidna)

The Hermit signifies awareness and independence but when reversed can mean isolation and resignation, traits that parallel well with Knuckles and his duty to be the protector of the Master Emerald

10: The Wheel of Fortune (Big the Cat)

The Wheel of Fortune represents fate, karma and luck! This is admittedly a bit of a cheeky dig at myself since I’m awful at the Big fishing levels in SA1 and mostly got through them through luck. But that’s not to say the card doesn’t apply to Big himself! His frequent cameos do have a bit of a fate/destiny vibe to them and in IDW Big is lucky enough to manage to avoid the metal virus for quite a long time.

11: Justice (Vector the Crocodile)

The meaning of the Justice cards is… pretty much what it says on the tin: fairness and clarity. Of course the Team Chaotix detective agency represents this as a whole, but that trait especially shines through with Vector himself. He may be a little money oriented, but doing what is morally right always takes priority.

12: The Hanged Man (Shadow the Hedgehog)

The thing about Shadow is that he’s a fairly complex character which means there are a number of cards in the Major Arcana that match him well, but I knew early on when tackling this project that I wanted to assign Shadow to The Hanged Man. This card represents change, release and sacrifice, which all align well with the character arc that Shadow goes through during the course of SA2 and beyond.

13: Death (Tikal the Echidna and Chaos)

Despite the morbid name of the card, (and the admittedly macabre scene I’ve depicted) the Death card is not an inherently negative card to draw. Yes, it can mean endings and grief, but it can also mean letting go and new beginnings. The story that Tikal and Chaos go through in SA1, their anguish and how they later find peace, is something that I think pairs well with this particular card.

Fun fact: this is the only card in this project that has two significant characters on it rather than just one. I felt I needed both of them to be on the card in order to fully represent its meaning

14: Temperance (Blaze the Cat)

The Temperance card signifies balance, harmony and patience, which matches Blaze’s very poised and graceful demeanour. Admittedly I had a little bit of trouble deciding on a card for Blaze since the High Priestess and the Hierophant are also good matches for her.

15: The Devil (Rouge the Bat)

The Devil card represents temptation, seduction, and materialism and well… look, Rouge is one of my favourite Sonic characters, I’d be one of the first people to tell you that there’s a lot more to her than what initially appears, she is so much more complex than just sex appeal and a gemstone obsession. However, I felt there was no other character that matched the traits of this specific card better than Rouge, and so my choice was decided by that.

16: The Tower (E-123 Omega)

The Tower card represents a number of things; disruption, disasters, sudden changes etc, however the trait that made me believe that Omega would be the best selection for the card was violence.

17: The Star (Miles ‘Tails’ Prower)

Tails’ character arcs normally centre around him gaining independence and self-confidence and learning to believe in himself. He is also largely characterised by his unyielding faith and trust in Sonic. These traits are the reason why I believe The Star card represents him well, as it symbolises hope and faith.

18: The Moon (Shade the Echidna)

The Moon card symbolises mysteries and the unknown, and when Shade is first introduced in Chronicles, she and the rest of the Nocturnus Clan are certainly presented as mysterious. The Moon can also represent misconception, which fits well with how Shade was initially unaware of the true nature of Ix’s plans.

19: The Sun (Cream the Rabbit)

The Sun, when drawn in an upright position, has a lot of positive meanings! Freedom, fun, happiness, good luck etc. Cream’s cheerful and optimistic disposition makes her a good match for this card

20: Judgement (E-102 Gamma)

The Judgement card symbolises liberation, awakening, redemption and second chances, all of which I believe represent Gamma and his character arc in SA1 well

21: The World (Metal Sonic)

In the upright position, The World card symbolises triumph, completion, strength and happiness while in reversed position can mean failure, anxiety, lack of self-confidence etc. I had both positioning of the card in mind when connecting it to Metal Sonic; he is devoted to the tasks given to him and is self-assured in his belief that he is the true/superior ‘sonic’ yet he repeatedly finds himself at the hands of failure. But he doesn’t let previous failures hold him back, thus starting the cycle anew. (Another connection to the World card as it also symbolises cycles)

#sonic the hedgehog #tarot cards #I'd be curious to hear if people agree/disagree with my choices

[jaeheewillalwaysbemyfav]

Obey Me x The Magnus Archives: Avatar MC (Leviathan/Forsaken, 3/7)

The “Cursed TMAxObey Me crossover” continues! It’s basically what it says on the tin: what if the settings of the horror anthology podcast The Magnus Archives and the goofy dramedy demon dating sim Obey Me were merged in some way?

This week, we bully a sea monster until he goes on the worst cruise ever.

For those unfamiliar with tma but intending on reading this anyway, I would like to warn you that this series is going to be horror-based, and include potentially disturbing content. Specific content warnings will be provided at the beginning of each fic, and some may be more upsetting than others. Please use your discretion when deciding which parts to read, if any. I can only warn you, I am not responsible if you decide to read and are upset by what you see.

Content Warnings: Horror, implied bad end, memory loss, loss/numbing of emotions, manipulation, validation of insecurities (no not in a good way), isolation, low self esteem/depressive spiral (haha, spiral… no that’s not in this one!)

Lucifer (X), Mammon (X), Leviathan (You are here), Satan (X), Asmodeus (X), Beelzebub (X), Belphegor (X)

MC crept into Leviathan’s life like a fog. His expectations had been low from the start; this new human exchange student didn’t seem keen to spend time with or get to know any of his brothers. What would they want with a worthless shut-in like him? He didn’t see a need to change his habits, so he stayed holed up in his room like always.

But so did they.

Other than the times they were forced to attend RAD by Lucifer, MC preferred to stay in the House of Lamentation, especially their room. Away from everyone else. He couldn’t help but wonder: were they scared? Shy? Or did they just not like people?

He never acted on his curiosity until the day they showed up at his door.

It had been a quiet day, or at least, it felt like that to Levi: he’s used to having to occasionally yell at his brothers to shut up while he’s trying to watch a show or play a video game, but lately things have been… quiet. Well, it’s less that his brothers are being more quiet and more that he just… finds it easier to tune them out. Like someone cast a spell to make them easier to ignore.

So MC’s knock on his door rang out loud and clear to the Avatar of Envy. He cautiously opened it and it was like opening a meat locker. Was the House always so cold? He swore he could see wisps of mist rolling into the room.

“Admiral Leviathan, right?” they ask.

“I-uhhh- Yeah!” Levi coughs. “Yeah, I guess. Well, I used to be— I don’t really— It’s been a while since— Ugh, just come in!”

Even with the door closed behind them, the sudden cold still permeates the room. If Levi wasn’t so nervous about the human’s presence, he would have noticed the frost climbing up his various display cases.

MC is… They’re pretty terrible company, if Levi’s being honest. They don’t talk much, which prompts him to ramble on about nothing to fill the heavy, awkward silences. No matter what he says, he can’t seem to pique their interest. All he gets are small nods, maybe a “hmm” if he’s lucky. Just enough to know they’re not completely tuning him out, but not enough to feel like he’s making any headway with them.

But they keep coming back.

That has to mean something, right?

“I’m sorry,” he says one day while they’re watching Henry 2.0 in his new little heated tank (the larger one is still frozen on the surface and frigid underneath, and Levi is terrified of losing his only non-weird-hermit companion). He rubs his hands together to fend off the omnipresent chill. “I wish I wasn’t such an awkward otaku… Then maybe we could have an actual conversation… I guess I’m just… scared of putting myself out there, you know? Of being judged by normies, or compared to my brothers...”

“...They are very different from you.”

Levi starts. That was a full sentence! That’s way more than he’s ever gotten from them! He almost jumps for joy, but stops himself at the last second, doing an excited little shimmy instead.

“R-Really? I mean, of course, but you’ve never— Nevermind! In what way are they different?”

MC’s lips turn up in a smile, but their eyes remain as passive as ever. “They’re more… confident. Sure of themselves. They know their place in the world, and assert themselves as such. It’s attracted them a lot of admirers.”

Leviathan deflates with each word. He thought— What, that MC had seen something in him? That they liked to spend time with him? That maybe he wasn’t just some weird freak otaku whose only friends are fictional characters? 

“Oh…” he says dumbly.

“It’s okay, Levi. Not everyone has that in them.” 

They lean against his shoulder and Leviathan shudders.

MC is freezing to the touch. But they’re the only one who will touch him.

~~~

The brothers haven’t been seeing Leviathan at all lately. Not that they usually see him often, but nothing for weeks? It’s strange, even for him. They consider checking him, but… He’s probably fine. He always does this. If he wants to live secluded in his room, why not let him? Hell, he probably has a space heater in there that he doesn’t want to share. What is up with the climate control lately? We should probably get that checked…

What were they thinking about, again?

~~~

The docks of the Devildom Royal Navy have never been this foggy. Normally the eternal night sky is reflected on the inky waves, but now a thick veil of grey obscures anything not immediately in front of him. The only thing with any solidity to them is MC; even his own hands look wispy and translucent to him.

The cold is usually so biting this time of year. He can’t feel any of it. He can’t feel anything, anymore.

“This was your ship, right?” they ask, casually inspecting the dark shape that must be the cruiser.

“I don’t remember…” 

“Still know how to use it?”

“Maybe…”

“Show me.”

Days later, Lucifer grumbles about a missing ship complaint. Why don’t people just follow the proper protocol for these things? He should ask… Maybe he would… Wait, who?

No supplies or personnel were reported as missing, and it’s only the one ship, so Lucifer decides to simply label it as lost and move on. Maybe it’s a unit that doesn’t even exist yet but was recorded as being delivered by mistake… No, that doesn’t feel right. But the more he thinks about it, the more an icy shiver travels up his limbs, so Lucifer shakes off his doubts and stacks the papers neatly, setting them into the complete pile. He can’t waste time like this. There’s much more important work to do.

#obey me #tma #tma the lonely #obey me! leviathan #avatar! MC #mine #my writing #cursed tma x om crossover #leviathan

[neonponders]

Hawkins Wolves

I have this gif/post saved and here we go:

Fraternity Twin Harringtons

(cue Billy sweating in the background)

Bryan and Steve Harrington.

Bryan is older, has the grades (A and B averages, still great), and the name from their dad’s Scottish heritage side.

Steve is the younger twin, more athletically endeavored, and named from god only knows. He used to lie and say it was from their mom’s Greek side, just so people would stop talking about his nose. Bryan loves it and totally went with it, because hello? They have the same nose. And the same eyes and brow bones. Bryan has the narrower, V-shaped jawline while Steve’s is more square. The same hair, even if Bryan keeps his nape short and Steve’s not afraid of a mullet.

Frankly, they’re damn near identical when standing next to each other. They’re not joined at the hip, though, and are very much known as brothers instead of twins.

So Billy meets Bryan first.

Bryan is kind of an anomaly. He’s popular, and for good reasons (smart, and jaw-dropping attractive), but he tags around with Jonathan Byers. During a smoke break, Billy follows them down to a creek bed running around the school. He finds them on some boulders: Bryan is modeling up high, and Jonathan is squinting through his camera talking about lighting and, “There’s a spider web there. Watch your foot.”

Long story short: Billy likes Bryan. He doesn’t act on it, per say, but he does become a part of this portfolio pair - Jonathan practicing shutter speeds, etc., and Bryan building up a modeling portfolio.

It’s fun. It’s something to do. Billy particularly enjoys the action shots they get around the fields of Hawkins. Who knew modeling actually took work?

Then a dark red BMW parks on the side of the road behind Billy and Jonathan’s cars. The latter turns around, concerned by the sound, but Bryan reassures, “It’s my brother.”

Billy’s first thought is: Thighs.

His second is: Shoulders.

He can see immediately that the two are related but the brother is more filled out, athletically, and - “How old is he?” Billy can’t help but ask.

“About three minutes younger than me,” Bryan smiled.

The guy trots down the slope into the field to speak for himself. “Bry, if you skip breakfast again, you’re gonna be modeling for a Halloween store.”

“Not all of us have two-a-days, Vivi. I don’t need a truckload of calories.”

Vivi?

He waves a tin foil parcel in the air. Billy wondered if it’d be worth commenting on it being almost 5pm (”Golden hour!” Jonathan called it.), but he stayed quiet. “Do you know how hard it is to keep hash browns crispy? Eat your friggin’ burrito.”

“Yeah. Like you didn’t make that fresh because you ate mine during English.”

He catches the breakfast burrito when it’s thrown at him, though, and Billy is left with him while Jonathan switches cameras and film. He held his hand out and introduced himself, “Steve.”

“Ah,” Billy exhaled understanding and shook. “Billy. I’ve heard your name around.”

“My brother’s obsessed with me. It’s a twin thing.”

Said twin flipped him off in between massive bites to his burrito.

Billy corrected, “No, something about a keg record. That I beat last weekend.”

Steve took that with grace as he nodded. “Did you puke?”

Billy frowned. “No. It wouldn’t be a beaten record, then. Come to think of it, why didn’t I see you at the party?”

Bryan intercepted, “Too busy moping. He’s fresh off a break up.”

Jonathan coughed and looked like he was trying to climb into his camera bag. Billy peered between the three of them, unable to read exactly what was happening.

Steve flicked the end of his nose and leaned into a walk. Billy took that to mean he wanted a conversation alone. He didn’t expect the topic.

As they strolled by an acre of unclipped wheat, Steve hovered his hand over the fronds and said, “I’ll only say this once because I’m not his mother, but I did lose the race out of the womb. If you take advantage of my brother, I’ll put your dick in the trophy case at school next to my State trophy.”

Billy couldn’t decide which to address first: how this small-town, high school priss figured Billy out, or that he actually thought himself capable of intimidating him. Steve wore a goddamn polo underneath a sweater, for Christ sake.

Billy went with, “That’s going to make it easy for investigators to connect some dots.”

“You get my point - ”

“Yeah, I get your dull point, pretty boy. But I’m not going anywhere. I’m stuck in this shit town and it’s nice to have something to occupy myself.”

Steve stopped walking and blinked at him. “Are you modeling?”

Billy smirked. “Why? Like what you see?”

Steve’s lips pressed together a little, those large irises wandering his face before he admitted, “Nice eyes.”

And that was that.

He just left Billy in the field and strolled back to his car.

It was up to Billy to discover that Steve wasn’t the air-headed, athlete brother. Out of the two of them, Steve was the bad boy. The baby of the family with polos and clean Nikes and spare cans of mousse and hairspray for himself and his twin under the passenger seat of his car. Father-dearest’s old BMW.

And a bat with nails in his trunk.

He still couldn’t compare with the queers in mosh pits of California, but Billy discovered he kissed a whole lot better than them anyway. He cliff-dove in the frigid quarry because that’s how the swim team selects its captain. And if Billy joined him just to see those nips puckered to cut ice, only to get shoved into the water too, who is he to complain?

Steve Harrington made him pop a boner in late November waters and then took him home for a blow job in a hot shower and homemade pot pie.

Yeah, Bryan was a looker, and Steve sometimes degraded himself as second rate, but they both showed up at the Hargrove house one night. Billy hadn’t known Steve knew his stepsister, but Max let both of them through her window, and they might’ve saved Billy’s life.

Billy would never call either of the twins bad boys out loud. But as Steve drove them - Billy, Max, Bryan, even Susan - back to the house in Loch Nora, Billy thought their faces in the dim street lighting looked like wolves. Pointed, soft, and ready.

Wolves were considered bad all the time.

Bad. Beautiful. Hunters. Thieves.

Billy earned worried and confused glances around the car when he laughed. He sat up to lean into Steve’s space and purr, “Steal me away any time, baby,” and kissed a bloody print on his jaw.

“Huh?” Steve blurted.

“He has a concussion,” Bryan declared.

#this is so unorganized omg #but uh....twins! #twins basil #harringrove #ficlet #neonponders #pondermoniums #twins!au #twin harringtons

[itsclydebitches]

I’m the tin foil hat anon and I wanted to thank you for the response on my bb submission, you make great points. Although I was frustrated that some of them raised even more questions I didn’t think of myself… UGH… lol the S2 wait is gonna be painful

On the point of crosshair thinking his chip was removed a looong time ago(meaning before bracca or even as early as ep1) it wouldn’t make sense bc of his response to Hunter’s “you tried to kill us, we didn’t have a choice”. He says “and I did?”. So he seems to be aware he couldn’t control himself in all their previous encounters. Does it mean he knows his actions were due to chip then?

And you say crosshair avoiding the “when” question can be due to him not caring if the horrible actions he committed are chip or himself and it’s meant to show that he truly is despicable and evil. It could be the case because he shows absolutely no remorse or regret over slaughtering civilians, never apologizes to his brothers for not only trying to kill them but almost successfully incinerating(!!!) them. On top of that (apparently) without a chip he casually murders his own squad without a blink of an eye right in front of them.

On the other hand, he shows care for Omega’s safety in that episode and wants a better place in the universe for his brothers(even if it’s obviously a mistake). He sounds hurt and betrayed by them yet he still wants what he thinks is best for them. He seemed genuine and sincere in that moment. Even after they refused to join he protected them against the droids. He had multiple opportunities to shoot Hunter or others in the back but never did(and looked like didn’t even consider it). BUT after all of that he decides to raise his gun and try to shoot hunter who already has his gun drawn?! And in front of the whole squad holding him at gun point!!! WTF was he thinking?! WHY? I know they rejected his offer but still. Did his reveal completely change his plans? I just don’t understand. I know he is meant to be “complex and nuanced character with layers” but what a mood swing lmao

As much as I loved and enjoyed the bad batch overall I’m beginning to think that all these inconsistencies aren’t meant to be a crafty set up for next season. What they most likely are is just writers being vague on purpose so they don’t write themselves into a corner.

And as to why the batch and Omega didn’t even try to rescue their brother could just be so that Hunter and Crosshair would have this drama and disagreement at the end. Despite brad rau claiming their argument was over ideological differences. And Jen Corbett saying in that same cursed interview that the batch always love and support each other no matter what because they’re family. Well, I guess not crosshair, he doesn’t count anymore lol

And I agree with you I’d rather see the batch acknowledging they could have done more to try and rescue him than go into the chip details. However, I have a suspicion the real reason or explanation on why they never went back for him isn’t going to be brought up ever. Even *in universe* it simply does not make sense. Just makes me sad seeing how many people also try to come up with explanations. That should have been the writers job to provide something besides Hunter’s “you tried to kill us” bc that’s a weak argument and a total bs since he was SHOCKED to learn crosshair doesn’t have a chip.

Btw sorry for the long posts lol I just found your takes very intriguing

The season two wait is something awful and I only just started it lol. No worries about long asks though! My blog has become quite meta heavy over the years, so this is normal for my inbox. Besides, it’s a bit of a pot and kettle situation. It's not like my answers are particularly concise :D

Okay first, I have the unpopular (?) opinion that Crosshair was never planning to shoot Hunter, partly for the reasons you lay out here. You’re right, it doesn’t make sense, and rather than just accepting that he had that kind of “mood swing" (which would be pretty bad writing based on everything else we've seen) I think it does make sense that this was never his intention at all. Rather, it’s just a setup to make the audience think he’s about to shoot Hunter—that’s the obvious goal of that moment: the shock, drama, confusion, and then relief—but that doesn’t mean that in-universe that was ever Crosshair’s goal, even for just a split second. Omega leaves the pod. Echo, crucially, says that he can’t see her, setting up that Crosshair with his enhanced sight is probably the only one who could. He grabs his rifle off screen and as he does, Hunter leans over the side of the pod as he prepares to jump in, precisely where Crosshair needs to aim to hit Omega. Hunter is in his way. He’s directly in the line of fire, not because Crosshair is aiming for him, but just because that's where Omega is and they're both aiming for her: Crosshair with his rifle, Hunter ready to dive. The little shift Crosshair makes reads to me as him ensuring he doesn’t hit Hunter, despite him being right where he needs to aim, not him full on changing targets.

Even if we choose to read it as him deliberately aiming at Hunter—because yeah, the scene is meant to be ambiguous—I don’t think he, like, meant it meant it. Crosshair, as we’ve seen throughout TBB and TCW, can be pretty antagonistic. He likes to do things to get a rise out of people, like staring at regs until they snap at him, or pushing Rex’s buttons until he swings. If he was choosing to aim at Hunter in that moment, rather than Hunter just being in the way, I think it’s only bravado. Remember the “Don’t make the same mistake twice. Don’t make me your enemy” line? Crosshair has a need to remind others of his skill and power—whether it’s playfully like in TCW, or more seriously in TBB—and that’s likely what this is here. “Hey, Hunter. Look. I got my weapon back. I’ve got you cornered. I’m about to save our sister when you can’t. Remember that I’m good and you need me.” Those feelings of abandonment are tied up in that need to be needed, so when Crosshair is seething at being left behind, brutally showing them how he can get a drop on their leader and doing the thing they can't (save Omega) is a great way to remind them of what they threw away/re-boost his own self-esteem. But none of that means shooting Hunter was ever a real possibility. Because nowhere else do we see Crosshair willingly trying to harm his team. He does while under the chip’s influence, but then he never hurts Hunter when he’s captured. He kills his new team before they can hurt the batch. He helps them fight off the droids. There’s a tussle, but it’s not choreographed like either he or Hunter truly intends harm. Crosshair demonstrates no aggression during the entire escape, willingly gives up his weapon after saving Omega, and just stands there as they leave. If this guy actually wanted to hurt them, he would. Which is more likely, that Crosshair had a split second of real murder intent across two episodes of doing everything possible to help his team, or that this was just a mean bluff?

But personally, I don’t even think it was a bluff. I think the coincidence of Crosshair needing to aim there and Hunter already being there is just meant to imply an attack for the audience, not imply that Crosshair, in-universe, ever intended to hurt him, even for just a second. If he had, he wouldn’t look so surprised and sad when he realizes the others are pointing their weapons at him. If he was out to shoot Hunter, even if only for a moment, seeing his brothers come to his defense would be expected; a given. But if he only ever intended to save Omega, then seeing their weapons trained on him would produce the emotions we saw: shock that they’d turn on him and then severe disappointment. From Crosshair’s perspective, he didn’t do anything wrong and never intended to do wrong either. Hence, looking away in disbelief that his need to aim through Hunter was taken as a serious threat. He's realizing that they honestly believe that he would hurt them. Not the chipped version of him, but just him, all on his own.

As for the rest of his characterization, I think your point that “You tried to kill us” is a weak argument is pretty important. Meaning, Crosshair knows he didn’t attack his team and nearly kill them, the Empire controlling him like a puppet did. He (arguably) doesn’t owe them an apology for something that he was as much a victim for. However, we usually expect one anyway—like Wrecker still apologizing to Omega—because that's how people who have hurt loved ones react, whether the hurt was intentional or not, but that guilt is currently overshadowed by his fury that they left him behind. For him I think it’s a bit of a circular problem. Yes, he nearly killed them… but he wouldn’t have nearly killed them if they’d come back and rescued him. With the obvious disclaimer that the Empire is the real evil here, Crosshair as a threat is a bit of a problem of the batch's own making. If they’d done the right thing and gotten him out, there wouldn’t have been these scary moments like the engine incident. If they’d at least tried, then Crosshair likely would have been more guilt-ridden because he hurt his brothers who were trying to help him. As it stands, he tried to hurt the people who claim they're his brothers, but who left him behind. That's why he presents this second chance as magnanimous: from Crosshair's perspective, they haven't done anything to earn his care, but they're getting it anyway. An apology though? That's pushing things too far. If when Wrecker turned the group had locked him somewhere in the ship and gone off planet, leaving him there under the justification “Well, he tried to kill us!" would Wrecker still return with apologies for his actions... or would he be primarily pissed at being left like that, withholding apologies because they did him harm intentionally, whereas he did harm under another's control? I mean, maybe he'd be forgiving (the huge difference between his and Crosshair’s personalities is another factor), but also maybe not. Having Crosshair apologize for the near-death experiences requires 1. For him to feel responsibility for something that was forced on him and 2. For him to not be absolutely furious at the batch for abandoning him. They've gotta work through that before Crosshair can acknowledge that guilt.

Killing his second team on the other hand… idk if the batch cares, honestly. It was the killing of civilians that they balked at, not other fighters like themselves. Even the Jedis’ execution, something they clearly didn’t like, wasn’t enough to turn them from the Empire, presumably because the Jedi are capable of defending themselves. They fell in battle. It’s only when the Empire asks them to kill kids and untrained civilians that they go, “Absolutely not. This organization is evil.” Murder of other fighters was, you know, not great, but not worth defecting over either. Crosshair’s second team is made up of fighters who have been trying to kill them, so they’re definitely fair game. If we removed Crosshair’s plan from the situation and the batch was just fighting their way off Kamino after a capture, would they have also killed the team without a blink of an eye? Probably. It's self-defense. The second they raised their blasters it became a battle and, unless you’re specifically out to stun someone for some reason, battles end bloody. The shock is which side Crosshair was on, not that one side was willing to murder the other. It’s definitely messed up from our perspective that Crosshair laid a trap to murder his team to prove a point… but from the batch’s perspective? Crosshair killed a bunch of imperial fighters who were threatening them during a battle. That’s just an average Tuesday for them, nothing much to get upset over.

And omg don’t get me started on Crosshair wanting to find Omega a family! Like yeah, it’s obviously a #mistake and his faith in the Empire is Super Messed Up but... the underlying motivation is so good. It’s another situation where there’s no easy answer. Which is more important: Omega’s emotional health where she grows up with clones like her, the people who are now 100% her family, or her physical health, where she stays some place where she’s not always getting shot at, kidnapped, at risk of going hungry, etc.? It’s easy as the audience to go, “Of course she belongs with her dads!!” but if you choose to read the story through any realistic lens, Crosshair absolutely has a point about this being terrible environment for a kid, the exact point the batch themselves were making until Omega begged to stay. I love my feral, compassionate child but let me tell you, I YELLED when she yeeted herself out of that pod. This is a traumatized, formerly isolated kid with absolutely zero self-preservation, combined with, at times, a lack of basic common sense that’s inevitable in children (like not realizing she can’t pull a very heavy droid up through the water). As emotionally gutting as the thought is and, in this particular case, a Very Bad Idea, I really can’t fault anyone for raising the possibility that she go somewhere else, somewhere she’s likely to survive into her teens 😅

#TBB #The Bad Batch #SW #Star Wars #mymetas

[ambiguousdisorderken]

Cockles anon - so I was thinking about jenmish’s relationship, and there are a few questions I have. Just want your thoughts 🙃. What do you think Danneel and Vicki’s relationship is like? I feel like they’d get along considering Jensen has said that Misha and Danneel have similar humour and such. Does that mean Jensen would also be poly considering he’s in a relationship with both Danneel and Misha, but also it’d be mainly monogamous between the four considering they have children now, so I feel like it’d be harder?

ooof, okay, loaded ask!

first of all, disclaimer on my approach to this subject: i do sorta ship them. i think their chemistry is great, i think their friendship/bond is very wholesome and that they care deeply about each other. i try -and succeed for the most part- not to read too much into it or be a serious tin hatter about it, or even theorize for real, because past a certain point the whole thing makes my brain go ‘stop! this is not a wise usage of your time’. thinking too much about it also makes me, personally, feel very yikes about myself lol.

now that that’s out of the way, and remarking how truly unserious and vague my cockles ideas are to Myself and to the rest of the world, let’s see. 

i think danneel and vicki get along nicely, in the way friends’ spouses get along. there’s not much to support or disprove this since vicki is not really on social media, and even danneel doesn’t post much about their lives, which is perfectly okay. but i don’t think they’re hanging out (covid free reality) or that they’re that close? 

misha and danneel on the other hand? besties! hahah, teaming up against jackles to mess with him kinda thing, bless them. anyway, i just think misha is very dear to both jensen and dee, they really truly do love him.

do i think they’d be in a poly relationship? logic side of me says no (this is me only taking what’s given to us). but. i think they could be, if they wanted. and if they were, i don’t think having families would be much of an issue. you don’t run out of love just because you love more people. they’d still be supportive parents raising their children with all their love and care. logistics would be a Thing, but they could make it work.

it’s hard not to think jackles is in love with them both when you see how he looks at them, it’s the same fascination and fondness, you know? following this, yes, he’d be poly. mish.dee.<3 danneel seems pretty open-minded too, and idk if it’s just the passage of time or being with Her, but jensen has definitely grown as a human being and he’s not the same guy who would tell a bisexual fan that they’re ruining it for everyone when bringing up their sexuality at a con. he’s NOT that person anymore (*narrator voice* vee talked as if she had the faintest inkling about what went on in the mind of a white middle-aged actor*). 

realistically established poly jenmishdee could be a thing, could see it clear as day. or simply cockles with dee’s and vicki’s a-okay’s. wholesome love all around<3

but again, i don’t really dwell on these ideas. what i do know is jackles and misha make me happy, and nothing i think or say will ever harm them. i don’t reach out to them on this, i don’t comment on it, i know rpf etiquette.

cockles my beloved, kept safe inside a tight locket.

#oh god people please don't kill me #my brain is a circus okay? #it's not like im writing a cockles manifesto #im a small blog on tumblr dot com #no lynching pls i tagged this so just hope you' make good use of the filters #cockles #answered #Anonymous

[tarnishedhalo]

Get To Know the Muse: Andrew Riley

Favorite things.

season: Summer. The heat of the sun on my bones, the lack of ball-shrinking cold that eats into said bones and grinds them under ice-teeth. It’s beer, ball-game, and bikini weather. You can cook outdoors and everything smells like coconut oil and peaches. Sun’s up from about 0600 to about 2200. I really enjoy taking two weeks off and charter up to the Vineyard, staying at the summer house. Take the boat out to Devil’s Bridge and go fishing for stripped bass and squid, black sea bas and fluke, deep jigging with diamond jigs. I don’t feel trolling or bouncing live eels is very sporting.

pie: Unpatriotic as it might sound, I love deep dish cherry with the crumb top. Paired with a homemade vanilla bean ice cream. fruit:  I like peaches. The soft blushed curve, the crisp bite, the way it runs juicy out of your mouth. Fresh picked off the tree. I like guava too, passion fruit but don’t tell my sister. She’ll gloat. ice cream flavor: It’d be a toss up between English Tea Time which is black tea-infused vanilla with bits of shortbread in it, or maybe Cardamom black pepper, in a ginger-citrus base. I prefer cone to cup, and I’m not the kind that needs sprinkles, whipped cream, and stuff like that. Best cooking dip whether it’s dessert or dinner is to keep it simple. breakfast food: I’ve always tried to make sure Beth got a decent breakfast, things like pancakes and waffles, eggs and hash browns, fresh fruit. The chow in the Air Force tended to reinforce that because out of all the branches, it was the best. So when our schedules mix, that’s what we have. And when I’ve got work, then it’s a pot of coffee, a couple antacid tabs, and maybe one of them eggy muffin things with the hockey puck ‘egg’, bacon and cheese. alcoholic drink: Macallan 25 neat, three fingers.  soda flavor: Can’t go wrong with Coke, right? scent: Like personally? I love the smell of gun oil and leather, engine grease and summer grass with a hint of whiskey. As a cologne? something crisp or woodsy. On a woman? Depending on her skin chemistry something like Ed Hardy’s For Women, Azzaro’s Wanted Girl, or Tresor. Okay I really like Tresor. Like press my face into the curve her neck or her décolletage and breathe it in without trying to lick at...…anyway.  flowers: I like sunflowers, dandelions, daisies. But like that’s not really my area of expertise. When I put a bouquet together for someone, I consider her likes, her personality and go from there. animal: Dogs are cool movie: Tombstone tv show: I don’t really watch TV but that Brooklyn 99 thing is pretty funny.  book: How Much for Just the Planet by John M. Ford which was a hilarious Star Trek novel, if I am interested in something light. Or Neal Stephenson’s Anathem. What? I read. fairy tale: The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Ballerina. genre of music: I like the blues, and classic rock. But I just like music in general. genre of movies: Westerns genre of books:  Scifi

Pick one.

hot or cold: Hot juice or soda: Soda tv or movie: Movie movie or book: Book late night talk shows or reality tv: Uh. Neither. {Talk shows, the trashier the better} twitter or Instagram: Instagram trees or flowers: Trees philosophy or psychology: Psychology ocean or lake: Lake water park or amusement park: Amusement Park {Particularly Coney Island back in the day} cats or dogs: Dogs fresh water or sparkling water: Tonic Water sugar or honey: Sugar cookies or candy: Cookies bath or shower: Bath morning or night: Night running or walking: Running piercings or tattoos: Tats frozen yogurt or ice cream: Ice cream vanilla or chocolate: Vanilla caramel or butterscotch: Caramel art or music: …Music t-shirt or button down: Either, depends on the occasion. text or call: Text ghosts or aliens: Aliens

Have they ever.

ridden a motorcycle: Yes, own one stolen something: I mean I think this is a very morally grey area. eaten an entire pizza by themselves: Who hasn’t? made a prank call: Absolutely broken a bone: Oh look, it’s a funny bitch.  fallen asleep during a concert or movie: Yes walked out of a movie because it was so bad: Yes been on the phone with someone for longer than 2 hours: On the Regular. dined & dashed: Wow, people do that? No. held a gun: For longer than I care to think about. Carrying two now, in fact. ding dong ditched: Yes gone skinny dipping: Yes cried during a movie: Fun fact, I have never cried in my entire life. smuggled food into a movie: Unfortunately. My sister is incredibly picky. lied to get a job: No practiced lines in front of a mirror: No.  tried to see how many marshmallows they can stuff in their mouth at once: who hasn’t. The record so far is 23 of the jumbo ones. been kicked out of somewhere: Yes been on a blind date: Yes. ghosted someone: No comment bragged about something they haven’t done: No said i love you without meaning it: No gotten in a fight: ~laughs~ fallen asleep on a bus: I’m a soldier. I can fall asleep anywhere, any time, ever.

Miscellaneous.

how do they take their tea or coffee: Strong, black, two sugars, and if possible, a shot or two of whiskey in it. what is their ideal date: Depends on who I’m taking out, you know? But just for myself? A rented out Michelin star restaurant, followed by an evening at a blues or jazz club. Maybe a little dancing, or alternatively, going somewhere we can look out over the city lights and talk. followed by coffee and dessert or a night cap, and then I would escort my date home. Because I’m a fucking gentleman. what are some of their guilty pleasures: Oh honey, if you feel guilty about it, it ain’t a pleasure. longest they’ve stayed up for: 78 Hours. Mission Classified. greatest talent: That’s classified. strange habits: Taking my leg off at night and having to use crutches or belly crawl? Let my sister sleep in bed with me? People say we’re codependent. can they do a handstand: If ordered to.

can they cook: I’m a beast in the kitchen, on a grill, or behind a bar. do they have allergies: Bullshit maybe, but otherwise, no. do they believe in love in first sight: No. have any special talents: I can field strip an M4 Carbine or an M9 in under 45 seconds to a minute. I can hold my breath for seven minutes. And before the Accident, I could literally fly.

stolen from: my dash stolen by: you

#The Modern Day Cowboy|Andrew No Shame Riley #Free Falling|Aesthetics

[wu-sisyphus-gang]

Motion Sickness Chapter 50

pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq

Neo helped me find what I was looking for. A place called The Den. I could feel the music even from outside. Neo led me by one hand down a set of long stairs deep into the Atlas rock in her typical silence. The steady beat of techno dance music hammered away at me.

We opened the door to the place and the sound of it rocked me back onto the balls of my feet. I could feel the sound of the music against the hairs on my arms. It was the sort of sound you felt as well as heard. Wump, wump, wump, wump, wump. It was like holding a jackhammer against my stomach.

We came out onto a dance floor of black and white. There were rich golden lights that shone down in alternating fashions. The yellow light alternated with purples, whites, and blues and gave the place an otherworldly feel.

It felt like a stranger's dream. Smoke breezed through the atmosphere of the place and the flood lights poured through the stuff. Both nicotine and Mary Jane filled the air. It was thick enough to cut through like butter. It wafted about and was dense enough that I felt like I could peel away at it.

There were people dancing on the floor in front of us. The women wore satin and silk dresses. Short skirts and slitted outfits were everywhere. The men wore white and blue button downs that played hell with my sense of color in the light. They wore black and brown khakis held up by nice looking belts.

Drinks were served around the edges of the dance floor. There were tables lined up against the walls. Red velvets adorned the seats of the first floor. Alcoholic beverages and cash were exchanged over the circular bar near the center of the dance floor and against the walls.

It was gorgeous and full of life. It was nothing like the Malachite's bar back in Mistral's lower floors.

This was a place the good folks of Atlas could use to get away from it all. And boy were they. The dance floor was a mish-mash-mosh-pit. Flailing limbs raved against day jobs as people tried to waste their evening away.

Wump, Wump, Wump . The hypnotic tune of the dance music battered away at me. It was the sort of sound you felt as much as you heard.

We walked through the raving limbs of the first floor of The Den.

There were other scents on the smoke. Probably other things being inhaled besides traditional stuff and Marijuana. Flashing lights strobed and warbled through the heavy weight of the air.

Neo was holding her nose. For my part I pulled out my own pipe and took a take. My exhalation was lost to the chaos of the first floor.

Atlesians were everywhere. Taking part in those finer things in life and trying to escape their evening. It was all about booze and dance.

Near stairs leading up to the second floor a man in a black shirt and jeans stopped Neo and I. He was armed with a pistol in a holster attached to the side of his chest. He wore dark sunglasses despite being inside which I kinda understood considering the strobe lights and all. He was about my height and broad at the shoulder but the pistol didn't look huntsman class. He didn’t look huntsman class.

I could take him disgustingly easily.

I stopped anyways at his gesture. I tried to read his lips as he spoke into a walkie-talkie on his collar but didn’t get anything. He pressed a finger into a wired microphone in his ear. He must have gotten a response he was looking for because he stepped aside. He swung a red velvet rope with him as he did.

I blew smoke and felt the relaxation take me over. Nobody wanted a fight in a place like this. Not me, and not this guy's boss.

I ascended to the second floor, away from the raving pit of people down on the first. Up here people were smoking harder things. There were razor blades and lines of hyper ready to be taken. In one corner there was an orgy going on. I watched someone do a shot out of a young girl's belly button, too.

I was starting to figure out why this place was called The Den.

It was a drug den, sure. That too. But it was more than that. It was a place to get away and be animals. It was about letting loose. I found the thought a touch hypocritical considering the racial segregation of Mantle and Atlas.

It was a touch quieter on the second floor and there were couches and balconies strewn about. One such couch with the red velvet covering had a gold haired man sitting on it. He peeked over glasses to reveal golden amber eyes. He was surrounded by security guards in that same black shirt and jeans uniform. He was also wearing a golden suit that I thought was tacky and flashed in the light.

I stepped closer and someone put a gun in my face. I turned to look at him in shock. Not because I found the weapon threatening, but because of the precise opposite. He couldn't kill me with that water pistol.

I blew smoke right in the guards face. Nice, and long. He coughed and I laughed. I enjoyed my little high and it was still loud enough that I couldn't hear my own madness. The whisperings of Mother were drowned out by the sheer volume. I picked at a bug in my ear, though, you couldn't have everything.

The golden haired man waved an arm and the pistol was removed from my grill. The man holding it looked away and rubbed his eyes from the smoke.

I walked up to the man on the couch and pocketed my pipe.

"Aurum?" I asked. The name was probably fake. I knew that. His hair might even be dyed. The suit was a bit hard on the eyes too. But if you were going to call yourself Aurum then you better work for it.

"You know my name but I don't know yours." He pointed to the side of the couch, offering me a seat. I took it and he started pouring three amber shots for himself, Neo, and I.

"I'm Cloud Strife."

"I've never heard of you."

"No one has."

"I know her, though, you're working with Neapolitan. Are you perhaps her new handler? I was wondering what would happen with Roman dead. You seem to fit the bill."

"Maybe a little." I let him read into that as much as he wanted. Neo moved like she was going to sit on my lap but I blocked her to the side, placing her next to me. She sat down on the far side of the wide couch of Aurum from me.

I turned back to Aurum.

"What can I do for someone like you?"

"I'm looking for information on General Ironwood. I want to know the facilities he and his friends visit nearly every day."

He poured himself another shallow shot on the table in front of him.

I took mine. It tasted like oranges and was smooth and rich. It hit the back of my throat like a golf swing.

"The general doesn't have friends, by the by. That's a free-bee."

"Even still."

"I hope you can pay for information like that."

"I can. For every facility he and his associates visit everyday I'll pay you ten grand."

"Oh is that all." His voice came out low under the beat of the music.

"There's extra in it for you if it only started since Black-Out day."

"Well that is interesting," he purred.

"Something catch your attention?"

"Maybe a little," he shot back. Throwing my own words in my face as he did. "There's Winter Schnee."

"Winter Schnee…?"

"Special Operative Winter Schnee. She works closely with General Ironwood. "

"Oh?"

"She visits this special bunker nearly every day. Since Black-Out day no less."

“I can pay you two-hundred grand for the name of that facility and the details on it.”

Aurum took his second shot and poured me and Neo another. “Now we’re talkin’,” he growled. “What if I don’t need your money, though.”

“What? Do you need people killed?”

“People, plural,” he laughed out in a rich baritone. “I like you. No wonder you’ve managed to capture Neapolitan. You’re violent.”

“Well we are all products of our upbringing.”

“I don’t need people killed but I could use Neapolitan’s skills.”

“What for?”

“A little job. You see some of my men got locked up by Atlas Security."

"Sounds unfortunate."

"They're going to be sentenced to forced labor down in the mines."

Why wasn't I surprised that that was how Atlas dealt with its criminals. You just chuck the dissidents and anyone you can arrest down in the mines and you got yourself a slave labor force.

Gross.

And typical of Atlas. Nobody cares what happened to prisoners. I bet the prison system was for-profit here, even. Anything to make a buck in Atlas. The more the place tried to have redeeming qualities the more I hated it.  

I listened to a brief pause in the wump, wump, wump of the music.

"You need us to bust them out."

"I need her. I don't need you beyond that."

"We'll see. I'll need the details. What's security look like? When's the transfer?"

"In two days. They're being held in an Atlas police station. Security is tight. That's why I could use Neapolitan's help."

"Their names?"

"A boy named Obsidian. And another called Cobalt." He summoned photos of a dark haired kid with dark eyes. There was another frame which held the blue haired boy with pale eyes.

"We do this for you and those facility details are ours. Everything I asked for."

He held out a hand for me to shake. "It's a deal. What do you say?"

I shook on it and he grinned golden teeth at me.

pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq

I didn't trust Aurum. I thought he'd double cross me given the opportunity. I didn't have any real safeguards against him doing it beyond the threat of myself and Neo. Which if he knew who she was it was a pretty big threat. If he knew who I was it would be even bigger.

I think that's how shit worked up here. There was as much backstabbing as could be managed. Even still I had little choice but to help him and deal with the consequences later. If he tired to cross me I'd just kill him and torture him and not in that order.  

The operation was going to be a simple one. We knew when and where they were going to be transferred on the gondola down to the lower city.

I was going to fly down, open the gondola like a tin can, and we were going to grab them.

Nice and easy. In and out. No questions asked.

We arrived at the station in Atlas and fought our way inside. It was on the under belly of Atlas and had some guards to it. I slammed one to the side with Crocea Mors and jumped-kicked another. I was way too fast for some simple guards to stop me. I was just far too strong, too.  

"Stop right there!" Neo and I didn't listen to the guard.

We rushed Atlas Sec at the top of the gondola station and made our way down to where the gondola hung. We watched the car shuttle off with our prisoners in question inside. I could see more guards on board through the windows.

The station was all dark greys and blue lights. With a single tram line running down the middle where people could get on and off, it was lit by soft blue and white lights. It was manned by Atlas Security at the moment. I wasn't sure if this station was permanently owned by Atlas military forces or if this was a special occasion. Either way I was crashing their party.

I vaulted a security gate. With ease, my sprint turned into a hovering dash as I went over. I slammed a knee into a sentry's face. He went rolling down.

I grabbed one guard and slammed him against the ground. Then I hammered him into a wall. His armor shattered as I did.

I launched a high kick that brought down a third. It was going very well. Neo came hurtling alongside me and whipped her body weight around an Atlas Security agent's neck.

She teleported ahead of me and knocked another agent's gun upwards while I crossed the gap. I cut his gun in half and pulled the rifle butt out of his hands and smacked him in the head with it.

I swung my sword and knocked down the security officer before me. I kicked down another and punched the lights out of a third hard enough to shatter his helmet. Neo slowly choked out a last and we listened to the sound of communications failing between Atlas on the gondola and up here.

"Report! Soldier, report! What's happening up there?!"

I listened for a moment before I jumped up on the cable with an easy flip. I balanced for a moment and Neo reached out and grabbed a hold of me. I leaned forward and I flew down the cable on a pocket of air at the gondola car.

It took a few moments to reach it with the wind whistling past us in the clear Solitas sky. I felt and heard Neo hold on with bated breath.

I arrived on top of it and sliced into the metal with Crocea Mors as I flew and ripped into the roof so I could start to pull it off. I put the sword on my back as we dangled out over the open air above Mantle. I jammed a hand into the jagged slice I made in the metal and I peeled the metal back as I hovered with a casual strength. Glass shattered and fell down onto the lower city as I pulled the car apart.

Guards inside peppered me with fire but Neo teleported off my back and into the gondola. She jumped around inside  bringing down the guards with grace and ease. She swung her weight around and slammed one into the jagged glass where a window used to be. She flipped and shoved another into a twisted bar of metal from where I ripped the roof off.

She jumped up with her umbrella and teleported first Obsidian out to me who I grabbed. Then the other. I reversed my momentum, I was tractionless for a moment as I reversed directions and began to fly back up the thick cable of twisted metal wires. I rode up on the gondola cable and flew back up to the top where we'd already disabled Atlas security.

I watched Neo jump out of the car and begin her descent down with her parasol. We'd meet up later easily enough back at the motel.

I carried the two guys, one in each arm all the way back up to the top of the tram station. I held them by their handcuffs and it was easy enough to glide along the cable back to the station.

We made it look simple, too. No casualties, even. Probably. None up here but I could make no promises about what happened in the car. Neo hadn't exactly been gentle from what I heard once she got inside.

I set the two guys down and flipped to a landing in the grey gondola station. The members of Atlas Security we already disabled were still down.

"Well you're off then." I shattered their restraints with my sword and set them loose.

"What, wait! Who are you?" The black haired kid asked. I called him a kid but he was probably about the same age as me.

"I'm Cloud Strife. Run to your boss and tell him our business is done on my side. Go! Before more security shows up."

I kicked a rousing Atlas Security agent in the head and went back down with a muted grunt.

They bolted and I looked out of the station at the distant form of Neo.

I didn't need to fight my way out. I just charged Limit and jumped off the side of the station.

pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq pq

-WG

#neo #neapolitan #jaune arc #cloud strife #cloud!jaune arc #sephiroth!Jaune arc #war of the roses #lancaster #white rose #whiterose #whiteknight #white knight #ruby rose x jaune arc x weiss schnee #motion sickness #rwby #ffvii #ff7

[an-absolute-travesty]

Royal Screw-Ups

(it’s a bit of a different format for chapter 3 but I hope you’ll like it! I don’t know if I ever posted chapter 2 here so I’m posting it now along with chapter 3 but you can also find it and the rest of this story on my Wattpad @ohwowhatethis. Also, you can find chapter 1 under the tags “kotlc fic” and “keefex” on my blog if you haven’t read that one)

Tag list (tell me if you want to be added or taken off as a whole or for this fic specifically): @you-are-the-vacker-legacy @ruewen-and-rising @lemontarto @a-lonely-tatertot @clearlykeefitz @percybetn  @holesinmyfalseconfidence @vibing-in-the-void @sewersewersewercouch

Chapter 2/3:

Word count: 2,285 combined

Warnings: relatively mild swearing

Ch. 2:

“Keefe?”

“Yes Miss Oralie?”

“Is there any particular reason that you have dirt smudged all over your tunic?”

“Why Mademoiselle Oralie, I’m sure I simply have no idea what you’re talking about.”

He didn’t want Oralie to know that he had been outside. He had a schedule and he wasn’t allowed to stray from it. It was easier to play dumb than to say ‘actually Oralie, funny story. I completely disregarded my father’s, the kings, orders! Which is basically treason if you really want to stretch it, and dear old daddy always does!’

A gentle rapping came at the door and Oralie opened it. 

“The king has asked to see the prince...again.”

Oralie looked at Keefe.

“Give us one moment, sir.”

After she closed the door she turned back towards Keefe.

“Keefe…”

“Neiti Oralie, there’s nothing to-”

Oralie led him over to a chair in the small class room and sat him down before crouching in front of him. 

“I know that your father isn’t the kindest person in the world-”

“You can say that again.”

“But, you have to respect him. If nothing else at least don’t run away when he calls for you” She took a pointed glance down at his tunic. “Or go outside when you’re not meant to. You turn 16 in 4 months and then you’ll be the one to take over the country. You must be responsible.”

“I’m too young to rule, my father is in perfect health and so is my mother. There’s no point.”

“Keefe, your father has ruled Eternalia for 200 years. We need a new, responsible, leader. That leader is you and the responsibility starts with going to talk to your father. Now, what are you going to go do when you leave this room?”

“I’m guessing that run away into the gardens isn’t the right answer.”

Oralie gave a small laugh.

“No, it’s not.” She stood up from her crouch and Keefe followed as she walked to the door. “Go on now, you know what you need to do.”

Keefe walked out the door and almost considered running right back to Dex’s house, but he decided to put up with his father just this once. 

He dragged his feet as he walked to the King’s study at the end of the hall. He knocked gently, honestly hoping it would be so quiet his father wouldn’t hear it.

A sharp voice came from inside, “The door is unlocked.”

As Keefe walked into the large, almost disturbingly pristine, room, his dad gestured for him to sit without even a glance up.

“I have some great news, Keefe.” He said it without the slightest trace of a smile on his face.

“You’re moving to Ravagog?”

“No.” He snarled. “I’ve found you a wife, as you didn’t seem to want to choose one, yourself.”

Keefe stood and slammed his hands down on the table. “But you only gave me a month! Please, Dad, just give me one more I promise I’ll find one myself-”

“No!” His father stood up to match him. “I gave you all the time you needed and my word is final.”

He slowly sat down and smoothed his hair, even though there wasn’t even one hair out of place.

“Her name is Sophie Foster, she has a slightly complicated past but what matters is that she’s a noble by blood, if not by name.”

Keefe sat down, defeated. “What’s she like?”

“Pretty enough, you’ll have good children.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

“You’ll meet her in 2 weeks. Now, get out of my sight.”

Keefe walked out and slammed the door behind him, hoping that just maybe something fell off his stupidly perfect desk. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ch. 3

Keefe flopped down on his bed face-first. It had been 3 days since he was told who his wife would be and he wasn’t any happier about it.

Maybe he just needed a walk, some fresh air would clear his head. Maybe help him understand why he had to have a wife rather than a husband.

Walking through the grounds, he found himself slowly drifting towards the servants homes. He wasn’t even supposed to be outside right now, much less hanging out with servants.

But he couldn’t stop himself. Soon enough he was standing outside Dex’s door. 

With a look in the window (well, actually it was more like a hole in the wall but Keefe wasn’t one to judge) he saw the family sleeping on their beds. The whole house was about the size of his bedroom. 

Suddenly, one of the figures got out of bed. The familiar red-headed boy shuffled to the small bucket of water in the corner and took a sip from a tin cup. 

Keefe knocked on the window gently.

Dex turned, confused, and his eyes went wide at the sight of the prince. 

Keefe waved with a wide smile on his face. Dex furrowed his brow and shook his head in a ‘what the hell are you doing outside my house at midnight?’ kind of way. 

Keefe motioned him outside and he hesitantly creeped towards the door and walked outside. 

“What the hell are you doing outside my house at midnight?”

“Couldn’t sleep, you’re the only person I thought might let me bother them.”

Dex sighed. “Yeah, ok, you’re right.”

Keefe beamed. “Fantastic, in that case, follow me.”

After around 5 minutes of walking in awkward silence, Dex’s voice filled the void.

“So...where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise, I think you’ll like it.”

As they turned a corner, there stood two guards talking by the castle wall. Keefe quickly grabbed Dex’s arm and pulled him back so they guards wouldn’t see them.

Even though it wasn’t his intention, the contact revealed his emotions to Keefe. 

Flustered, a touch embarrassed, and mostly anxious. 

No, don’t get hopeful. It was probably just a weird fluke.

Another peer around the corner revealed that the guards were now walking off to complete their rounds. Keefe ran ahead and waved Dex forward. 

Dex panted as he ran along beside him. 

“Why are we running?”

“The last guards just got done with that part of their round. That means the next set of guards are coming soon.”

After only a minute more of running Keefe saw what they were looking for.

“There it is!”

~*~

Dex rolled out of bed, rubbing sleep from his eyes. It was the middle of the night so as he crept out of bed he had to be quiet. 

As he made his way to the corner of the room and took a sip of water from the bucket in the corner, he heard a light knocking by the window. 

He wasn’t expecting a prince to be peering in. 

As he went wide eyed, he was met with a handsome, lopsided smile and a wave. 

Dex only shook his head, confused. 

Keefe motioned him to come out of the house.

At first he didn’t want to, but there was just something about the Keefe that he couldn’t say no to… and not just because he was the prince. 

“What the hell are you doing outside my house at midnight?”

“Couldn’t sleep, you’re the only person I thought might let me bother them.”

Dex knew he was correct. “Yeah, ok, you’re right.” he sighed. 

He was rewarded with an even wider smile from the golden haired prince. 

“Fantastic, in that case, follow me.”

As they walked, Dex could only think about the odd circumstances of his situation. 

Three days ago he accidentally ran into the prince. With most rulers that would probably get him executed. Instead, he same prince was now leading him somewhere in the middle of the night. 

“So...where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise, I think you’ll like it.”

He was paranoid. What if Keefe was taking him to be executed? What if King Cassius was even crueler than the legends? What if his family woke up in the morning to an empty bed and a notice from the royal guard?

Or worse, what if Keefe touched him and felt how the butterflies in his stomach were doing loopty-loops as he walked closely by his side?

As they approached a corner, Dex was yanked back and a finger was in front of his face telling him to stay silent. He complied. 

Keefe soon ran ahead again and motioned for Dex to follow. 

“Why are we running?”

“The last guards just got done with that part of their round. That means the next set of guards are coming soon.”

Dex was panting hard, despite his long limbs he wasn’t a runner. Yes, he was strong from physical labor but running never really came up a lot in that. Especially not running from guards. 

“There it is!” Keefe explained as he halted. 

From where they stood, it seemed to be a large wall that stood about 6 feet tall and closed completely around what was a long abandoned part of castle grounds. 

Keefe approached it excitedly but Dex hesitated. 

Keefe heaved himself up on the wall without issue despite its height. 

Jeez he was strong. 

Once he found his seat, he turned back to Dex and gave him a ‘why aren’t you coming?’ look. 

“Are you sure we’re supposed to be doing this?”

“Techmaster, we aren’t supposed to be doing any of this.”

“Techmaster?”

“Yeah, it’s your nickname now, you like it?” He immediately started talking again, as if that was the most obvious thing in the world. “Anyway what I was saying was, we’re not supposed to be doing any of this. But, with my help you’re not going to get in trouble. I’d recommend you decide fast though, the guards should be coming around this way soon.”

Dex thought about it for a second. 

Keefe reached his hand out. 

“Don’t you trust me?”

His smile was irresistible, after only a moment of hesitation he grasped the prince’s hand. So much for fearing him reading Dex’s emotions. 

Keefe helped him up to sit on the wall with two hands. 

“Wow you’re heavy, must have a lot of muscle packed on that body.”

At that moment it became painfully apparent that the boys were still holding each other’s hands. They quickly dropped them but it was obvious Keefe felt every emotion that Dex did at that compliment. 

Keefe glanced over Dex’s shoulder and gasped. 

“Guards!” he said in a harsh whisper and quickly pulled Dex down into the walled area. 

They landed with a hard crash into some bushes.

“Ow…” Dex said as he slowly sat up. Only then did he see what resided in the wall.

It looked like it was a garden, or rather used to be a garden. It seemed long abandoned now. Where there used to be white marble statues, vines obstructed the figures. What looked like it used to be a fountain was now dry of water and covered by foliage. The garden beds were overgrown with weeds and rustled like a creature had made their home in them. 

“Wow” Dex said as he took it all in. 

“It used to be my mom’s private garden. Then she got married to my father and, well, she didn’t exactly have the time for it anymore.”

“I bet it was beautiful.”

“Yeah, I mean I wouldn’t know but...yeah.”

Keefe started down the path that led through the garden and Dex followed. 

“I figured that...well you’re a gardener so maybe you’d like it? I don’t know, it probably just reminds you of work-”

“No, I love it. It’s amazing.”

~*~

“Guards!” Keefe said, quickly pulling Dex down and diving into the bushes. In reality there weren’t any guards there, if he had his timing right then there wouldn’t be any more guards for another 5 minutes. But after feeling how embarrassed and flustered Dex got he just didn’t know how to respond. He had taken it too far, obviously Dex didn’t like him. 

“Ow…” Dex groaned as he sat up. Keefe was worried he hurt him when he yanked him down for a second. 

He wasn’t worried anymore after Dex said, “Wow” at the sight of the long abandoned Queen’s Gardens. 

“It used to be my mom’s private garden. Then she got married to my father and, well, she didn’t exactly have the time for it anymore.”

“I bet it was beautiful” 

“Yeah,” Keefe was more focused on how beautiful Dex looked in the moonlight. “I mean I wouldn’t know but...yeah.”

The Queen’s Gardens were abandoned well over a century before he was born. He had only seen artwork of when it was still neat and kept. 

Keefe started walking down the path that he knew led to the prettiest spot in the garden. He only knew about it because he and Fitz would always explore this place when they were little. His mother had gotten on to them about it more than once but they always came back. 

“I figured that...well you’re a gardener so maybe you’d like it? I don’t know, it probably just reminds you of work-” 

“No, I love it. It’s amazing.”

Keefe let out a relieved sigh as they came upon a small pond right at the center of the garden. It was still relatively clear despite the lack of upkeep and reflected the bright stars in the sky. It looked like a tiny portal to a far away galaxy contained in the ground. 

“Woah.” Dex said as he sat down on the bank. Keefe sat next to him. 

Keefe couldn't focus on the scenery. All he saw was the kind, funny, cute, boy sitting next to him. 

Dex noticed him staring. 

...fuck.

He was expecting something awkward, maybe he would swear at Keefe, or even just ask why he was staring. 

Instead, he was presented with a gentle smile. Dex then looked back out to the water and reached for Keefe’s hand. 

Keefe interlocked his fingers with Dex’s and looked out at the pond, too. He specifically tried not to read the redheaded boy’s emotions. 

They sat that way until they could barely keep their eyes open anymore and headed back to their homes. 

They both slept well that night.

#kotlc #keeper of the lost cities #kotlc fic #keefex #keefe sencen #dex dizznee

[fallen420]

Rebel Spy - Chapter 11: Back to Tatooine

feedback is appreciated let me know if you want to be tagged! :)

The air is thick with tension. The baby sits on my lap playing with one of the many toys I've bought him. Din's visor is piercing into me.

"How do you know him?" Anger lingers in his voice.

"I told you I was spying on Jaba for some time. He always seemed to be there." Din like usual doesn't respond, "Why did you bring him up anyway?"

"He might be able to help."

"He doesn't help anybody. Plus he's dead."

"You don't know that."

"Din I pushed him into a Sarlacc pit myself. He's dead."

"You don't know that." He repeats, "Wait you pushed him?"

"He was trying to kill me and my friends I had too. Jaba and all his people wanted me and my friends dead so that day we got rid of the problem."

He stares at me from across the table, tilting his head. I can sense the anger coming off of him. Mad that I argued. Mad that I didn't tell him I knew Boba. Not too happy with that face that I tried to kill a Mandalorian.

"How many more Mandalorians do you know?" There it is. He is mad but he doesn't have the right to be. I mean he has how many secrets? I could decide to be a bitch and argue some more but it's probably better I don't.

"Only one more."

"Who is he?"

"She is somebody I fought in the rebellion with."

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Why does it matter? Jealous you're not the first Mandalorian I've ever met?"

He doesn't respond. Obviously, I hit a nerve somewhere. The tension is the air gets impossibly thicker and the only sound is the kid cooing in my lap still playing with his toy. Din stands up and just walks off to the cockpit. He puts the ship into hyperdrive and makes no sound so I know he'll be there for a while.

"Your dad can be annoying sometimes," I whisper to the kid who just giggles in response.

*

I lay in bed reading a book. The kid is fed, bathed, and is sleeping peacefully in his cot. Din has been in the cockpit all day avoiding all his problems. The sound of the door opening causes me to look up and see a slouching Din.

"I'm sorry," he mumbles.

I put my book down, "I'm sorry what? What was that I didn't catch that?"

"Aurora.."

"Honestly Din I didn't hear it." I bite back my smile.

He sighs, "I said I was sorry."

"For?"

"Getting angry earlier." He strips off his armor and sits at the edge of the cot placing a hand on my ankle, "Forgive me cyar'ika?"

"I'll think about it." This time I let my smile show, "No but seriously do that again and I'll shoot you."

"I wouldn't doubt it." He turns off the light, takes off his helmet, and lays beside me. He pulls me into his side, "I love you cyar'ika."

"Love you too."

*

The kid floats in his little pod next to me and Din. We walk through the dark and cold planet. With nobody around, Din's hand is holding mine. There's graffiti everywhere. Each piece of art tells a different story. This city has been long abandoned, the only people around here are criminals.

Creatures from the sides growl at us and show us their red eyes. Din squeezes my hand as a way to relax me.

As we get close to the entrance Din lets go of my hand. At the door is a Twi'lek. Din tells us why we're here and he looks at us before saying, "Enjoy the fights." He moves aside and we walk in.

Inside there is a fighting ring in the middle and people, who I'm assuming betted on this fight, are shouting and cheering.

Din sits down next to who were supposed to be meeting, "You know this is no place for a child."

"Wherever I go, he goes," Din says, making my heart swell with how much he's grown to love this kid. Din tells him about our quest to bring him home and tells him about how we need help doing so.

After telling us to watch the "entertainment" he asks, "Do you gamble, Mando?"

"No, but she does," He says pointing to me and I offer a little wave.

"Well, I bet the information you want that this Gamorrean's going to die within the next minute and a half. And all you have to put up in exchange in your shiny beskar armor."

"Not a chance," I scoff

"Thought you gambled?"

"When it's worth it." Din doesn't say anything at first just as off-put with the idea as I am.

"I'm prepared to pay you for the information but I'm not leaving my fate up to chance."

"Nor am I." He takes out his blaster and shoots the Gamorrean that was about to win.

As soon as that happens the men sitting behind us stand up and point their blasters at us. The audience fled the arena in panic.

The alien says how he normally has to haunt Mandalorians to steal their "precious shiny shells."

"Tell me where the Mandalorians are and I'll walk outta here without killing you."

"Thought you said you weren't a gambler."

Din turns on his vambrace. The child knowing something is about to blow up reaches for the button on his pod and keeps him safely in there.

"I'm not."

The charges shoot out of the vambrace, hitting all the men. Din and I both stand up and I kick the pod back to keep the baby out of the way.

The Gamorrean jumps out of the arena. Din steps back slightly and he lands on the bench crushing it. While Din and I are distracted the Twi'lek from the entrance grabs Din from behind. Din head butts him causing the twi'lek to let go. I grab a piece for the broken bench and swing it at him making the twi'lek knock out.

I hear someone running up behind me. I turn around to get punched in the face. Din and I are now back to back fighting different people.

I snap my head back at the guy who punched me. I kick him in the gut, making me stumble back. While he's distracted I punch him in the face, Once then twice knocking him out cold.

When I turn around Din is finishing punching one guy but doesn't see another behind him. I run to his side, grabbing the knife off his holster, and throwing it directly into the guy's heart. With everything calm for a moment, Din and I share a look before running off after our information.

As we get outside we see Gor running off. Din shoots the rope out of his vambrace, it wraps around his legs causing him to fall over. Din pulls the rope closer to us and throws it over a street light so Gor just hangs there.

"Stop! Stop! I'll tell you where he is. But you have to promise you won't kill me."

"I promise you will not die by my hand."

"And her."

"I won't kill you either. Now, where is he?"

"Tatooine. The Mando I know of is on Tatooine."

"I've spent much time on Tatooine. I never saw a Mandalorian there," Din points out.

"My information is good, I tell you. The city of Mos Pelgo."

"Tatooine it is," I say before we walk off.

"Wait! You can't leave me like this! Cut me down!" Din and I ignore his cries and we head back to the razor crest.

*

Peli, the mechanic we met last time on, helps us locate the Mos Pelgo. She lends us a speeder. Din drives while wrap my hands around his waist holding on for dear life. The kid sitting in the bag wrapped around my shoulder seems to me enjoying the ride.

We make it to the city after a day's ride. As we ride through like usually people stare. Din parks the bike in front of a cantina. He climbs off and I take the kid out of the bag, holding him close to me.

"Can I help you?" The bartender asks as we walk up to him. The kid starts to whine so I set him down and let him play with the pot the size of him.

"I'm looking for a mandalorian," Din states.

"We don't get many visitors in these parts. Can you describe him?"

"Someone who looks like this tin can right here," I say.

"The marshall?" The bartender asks.

"You're marshal has Mandalorian armor?" Din asks just as confused as I am.

"See for yourself." In walks the marshal wearing Boba Fett's armor. This guy is definitely not Boba. He's too short and his stance is all off. Last time I saw this armor it was going down a sarlacc pit. Looks pretty good considering. This guy having Boba's armor only confirms. that Boba is in fact alive and is probably very angry with me.

"What brings you two here?" The marshal asks.

"I've been searching for you for many parsecs."

"Its not him," I tell Mando.

All the marshal does is order a drink and sit down. He takes off the helmet and places is on the table further proving he is not the mandalorian we are looking for.

"I've never met a real Mandalorian. Or such a pretty-"

"Finish that sentence and I'll shoot you," I threaten the marshal and it's an attempt to stop Din from killing him. The marshal puts his hands up in defeat.

"Heard stories about Mandalorians. Know you're good at killing. Probably not too happy to see me wearing this hardware. So I assume only one of us is walking out of here. But then I see the kid and the lady...and I think, maybe I pegged you wrong."

"Who are you?" Din asks the question both of us have been wondering.

"I'm Cobb Vanth, Marshal of Mos Pelgo."

"Whered you get the armor?" I ask.

"Bought it off some Jawas." How did the Jawas get the armor? Boba would never give it up.

Din demands that he hands it over and the marshal basically refuses.

"Take it off," Din takes a step forward, his voice demanding, "Or I will."

"We gonna do this in front o' the kid?" The kid is so infatuated with the pot he probably doesn't realize what's going on.

"He's seen worse?"

"And the lady?"

"Shes done worse," I tell the marshal.

"Right here then?"

"Right here?" Din confirms.

Cobb stands up and his hand hovers against his blaster. With there only being one actually Mandalorian here. I'm almost positive on who's going to win. But before either parties can make a move there's rumbling. The building begins to shake and I pick up the kid to make sure he doesn't fall over. Cobb puts his finger up silently asking if we could continue this later. He stands in the doorway, Din and I follow to see what the hell is happening.

Alarms start blaring. People are screaming and running inside to take cover. In the distance I can see the ground rumbling and moving. I kid whimpers into my shoulder out of fear.

Whatever it is passed by us it seems to keep going until a giant creature jumps out and swallows a bantha whole. Din and I look at each other in shock.

Cobb starts to walk probably to make sure his people are okay and Din and I follow.

"What in the maker was that?" I ask.

"That creature has been terrorizing these parts long before Mos Pelgo was established.Thanks to this armor, I've been able to protect this town from bandits and sand people. But a kraty dragon is too much for me to take on alone." He stops walking and thinks for a moment, "Help me kill it, I'll give you the armor."

"Deal," Din says way too quickly, "I'll ride back to the ship, blow it out of the sand from the sky."

But the marshal says that plan won't work because the dragon will feel the ship's vibrations but he knows where it lives.

Cobb leaves to go get his speeder so we can go to where it lives.

"Is his armor really that important?" I ask Din.

"Yes."

"Yeah but this is Boba Fett we're talking about. I knew him. He's selfish. He wouldn't do the same for you."

"This is the way."

"You can't use that to get out of every single unformatable situation."

Before he has time to respond Cobb shows up ready to go.

-

One the way we run into Tusken raiders. Luckily Din speaks their language and easily communicates with them. He explains our problem and they agree to help since the dragon causes problems for them too.

They take us back to their camp and they give us tents for the night. After discussing battle plans and defusing arguments Din and I head to our tent to finally get some rest.

-

"What are the bones?" Cobbs asks.

"Thats the krayt dragon." The Tuskens made a little display on how we are going to kill this thing.

"And those little rocks?"

"Thats us," I answer.

"Its not to scale."

"It is."

"Cant be, too big."

Din signs to the Tuskens before saying, "It's to scale."

"Thats a whole lot bigger than I guessed."

"Mando we're gonna need a lot more people," I point out.

He signs again to the Tuskens and they place more rocks on the ground.

"Where are they getting the reinforcements?" Cobb asks.

"I volunteered your village."

-

Din, Cobb, and I sit on the rocks with the detainor ready. Down next to the cave are the tuskens and the Cobbs people.

We buried the charges at the opening of the cave, then we are going to wake it up. The goal is to get it angry enough to charge. Once the belly is above the explosives we hit the detainor.

The Tuskens start to yell to take the dragon up. The dragon starts to growl and the Tuskens make a run for it. The ground starts to shake as the dragon comes out. They start hitting it with spears trying to pin it down but it doesn't work as it starts to go back in with ease.

"I'm gonna hit it," Cobb says.

"Don't we only have one shot," I tell him, "We have to get it out somehow." The villagers begin to throw things at it and shoot at it. Successfully makes it angry the dragon comes out.

"Now?"

"Not yet," Din tells Cobb, "It's gotta come out further."

As it gets closer the tuskens and the villagers begin to run away before some could get away the kraty dragon throws up some type of acid on them.

"Almsost there. Now!" Cobb hits the button and the explosion is big. The creature goes back into the dirt.

"I don't think it's dead," I say and both Din and Cobb agree.

Right on time it comes out from at top on the mountain its cave is in and starts to spew more of its acid on everyone down there.

"Its picking us off like womp rats," Cobb says, angry that we're losing, "Let's get after it." Din grabs his pulse rifle while Cobb and I grab our blasters.

Din looks at me, "Stay here."

"What?"

"Aurora I need you to stay here with the kid." I look at the kid then back at him, "Fine. But don't you are do anything stupid."

With that they both fly off onto the mountain and start shooting at it but not much seems to happen until the dragon turns to look at them. I swear my heart stops for a moment but they both fly away in time before they could be eaten.

When they get to the bottom all that's left is a cloud of dust. After a few moments of waiting it comes out of the ground behind them. People start to run away again.

Cobb shoots at it making it go directly towards them, "What do they have planned?" I say mostly to myself.

Cobb flies away but Din is still standing there holding the bantha with the explosives in place and in a second it swallows Din and the bantah whole. I let out a scream in shock and fear. I know he has something planned he has too.

Its silent everyone is staring wondering what the fuck just happened. The kid next to me wines wondering where his dad went. I can't even try to reassure him, I can't even think right now. I just wait for him to appear perfectly fine.

The ground starts to rumble. The dragon appears and Din flies out of its mouth that is currently covered in electricity.

I finally allow myself to breathe. I grab the kids bag and I run down there. As I'm running Din pressed the button and the krayt dragon explodes and dies with a screech.

Din lands at the same time I make it down there. He's covered in that saliva but I don't care as I wrap my arms around his neck. He hugs me back. "That was stupid."

"I know cyar'ika."

I pull away and I kick him in the shin he grunts in pain, "That's for not listening to me."

-

The Tuskens give up a huge chunk of meat to take back with us. Din wraps a sheet around it and I laugh as the kid pets it. Cobbs gives Din the armor and we bid our goodbyes.

"I hope it was worth it," Din climbs on to the speeder and I climb on behind him.

"It will be."

#the mandalorian #the mandalorian x oc #the mandalorian x reader #din djarin #din djarin x reader #din djarin x oc #pedro pascal #pedro pascal x reader #pedro pascal x oc

[purplesurveys]

766

My dad is starting to gear me up for ~adult life~ and has made me start a Paypal, a social security number, and all that jazz and it’s making me immensely anxious, so expect more surveys than usual in the next few days lmao.

How frequently are you inclined to read, and how much? Not frequent at all. I’ll read only if I have to; and when it comes to reading for leisure, I’ll only reread books I’ve already read in the past. I find it sad considering how big of a bookworm I was as a kid. When was the last time you questioned the direction your life was taking? Right now, what with the Covid crisis. My life would have been mapped out ever so neatly if my life’s schedule went as expected - finish the sem, finish my thesis, graduate, travel for a bit, get a job. Now that that has been thrown out the window I essentially have to start from scratch and go into the world blind. And if you've been reading my surveys, you’ll know my least favorite thing to have to deal with is big change. Would you say that your personal views align with society's, generally? Not the society I have no choice but to be surrounded by, which is mostly Catholic, homophobic, sexist, and just very backwards in general. But when it comes to people I voluntarily choose to be with, like the friends I make and the people I follow on social media, I make sure their views are as liberal as mine so I don’t go completely crazy. ^ If not, in what ways do your opinions drastically differ? I just said it, but yeah Filipinos continue to be very resistant to more open-minded, modern views. Girls will still often be told to cover up, religions other than Christianity are viewed as wrong and of lower status, abortion is the most scandalous thing a woman could do, drug addicts must be handled with bullets and not rehab, etc. Basically everything you can roll your eyes over, that’s what Filipinos will tend to side with; and it’s very difficult to want to have your voice heard here because you will be ridiculed and thrown Bible verses instead of legit arguments. What small things have the ability to get under your skin? People who only start picking their orders once they’re the ones at the cashier, drivers who do have their turn signal on but will go THE OTHER DIRECTION, finding out there’s a car accident and I find out traffic has been building up only because drivers slow down to look at the crash site. The last one makes me especially mad every time it happens lol.

When was the last time you were caused to be upset with someone? I haven’t been upset with anyone in a while. If I’m upset these days, blame it on the weather. ^ Have you made up with that individual yet, or will you ever? I will never be ok with the summer climate over here. What is something small that has the ability to cure a bad mood? Hearing a favorite song on the radio as I’m driving, hitting all the green lights while driving, finding a parking spot near the mall entrance... man I really miss going out :(( What beverage is best capable of quenching your thirst? Water. What was the last big change through which you went? It hasn’t happened yet but I’ll be graduating and will officially be done with school forever in a few weeks. I mean, that’s the case unless I decide to take up a master’s but honestly the chances of that are super blurry as I’m over school at this point. ^ Do you deal well with change, typically? Have you always? I am honestly terrible at it and as much as I’m excited to get my first real job, I’m also scared to see how my adjustment pans out. I’ve had a pattern for not being able to adapt well to a new phase – I didn’t adjust in high school until my junior year, and I didn’t adjust in college until the latter half of my sophomore year. I really wish the trend doesn’t continue in the workplace because I can’t handle another mental slump. How do you feel after spending a great quantity of time online? I feel nothing? I mean I need the internet to do almost everything so it’s just become a part of daily routine; it’s normalized already. I would tend to feel some shame if I’ve been unproductive online when I could’ve been doing much more important stuff, but I’ve been avoiding that - I’ve been working on my thesis again, working on stuff for my org, participating in my other extracurriculars, etc. I feel relatively productive given the current circumstances. What do you consider to be the biggest drawback to being you? Like I said, I’m terrible with change. It takes forever for me to warm up to new conditions, and in that period I tend to feel very alone and miserable. I don’t know why I’ve never learned to just get out and make friends earlier. What do you consider the best part of being who you are? ^ Related to said drawback, once I have adjusted to the change, I do very well. I make lots of friends and am back to being my bubbly, social self. I just wish She could come out more easily. What kinds of things do you have on display in your room? Several Audrey Hepburn frames, a couple of paintings, and a poster of a Korean actor. What do you think your room and its contents say about you, if anything? I think more than anything you’ll see how my interests have shifted over the years haha. There’s tons of old WWE magazines, Paramore albums, Beyoncé albums and DVDs, crafty stuff like painting sets and coloring books, etc. When was the last time you felt insecure about something/some situation? Half hour ago when my dad was encouraging me to register for a bunch of grownup stuff. He doesn’t pester me a lot in small bits everyday (which I would really prefer); he’s more of a I’ll-dump-all-this-shit-on-you-in-one-go kind of person, which pressures me even more. I mean I’m excited for this new chapter but I wish he didn’t tell me to start a bank account and a Paypal and a social security number and a TIN all at the same time. What is something about which you are very confident or self-assured? I pride myself on being a good worker/co-worker. Do you ever stop to contemplate infinity? No. Are you comfortable amongst nature, or does the wilderness discomfit you? Sure, it makes me feel at peace. When was the last time someone or something caught you off guard? Andrew did a buuuunch of progress on our thesis this afternoon after a few days of passive-aggressively telling him that I’ve been doing all the work in the last week. How much time do you put into maintaining your appearance and hygiene? I don’t want to take a lot of time since I’m usually on a tight schedule but I do put enough effort to look and smell nice, if that makes sense. Like I wouldn’t take hours to do my makeup and put up an intricate hairdo, but I will still make sure I don’t exit the house looking shabby. Are there any foods you eat daily? . . . Or wish you could? I have rice and some sort of meat everyday. When was the last time someone new entered your life? Start of the semester when we had a new wave of applicants joining our org. ^ What was your first impression of that individual? They all seemed nice and fun to be around, and I’m glad their batch has had amazing chemistry from the get-go. But because of the lockdown I never got to know them all that well so I’m a little sad about it, since I’m already graduating. Do you put much thought into your handwriting? No? It’s not really something I can control anyway haha. What are some of the top priorities in your life right now? Ugh I’ve talked about this so much on here that it’s almost stupid because I take these surveys to begin with to distract myself from my current anxieties only for the surveys to ask about said anxieties ksksksks. Can I say pass for now? Lol In general, how do you feel about romantic relationships? They’re nice, and it feels good to have a person you can share everything to, be affectionate with, who supports you in everything, etc. I’ve been used to being in one for so long now I honestly can’t imagine being single. Which emotional sensation inconveniences or bothers you the most? As if I haven’t talked about it on this single survey enough, anxiety. Are you capable of consoling others in their grief? It depends on how bad is the thing they’re grieving and how accepting they are of help. I don’t know if I’m capable of talking to someone who has lost a parent, but I’ll be able to talk to a friend who’s going through a breakup. Do you ever find it awkward to compliment another being? No. I can give compliments, but I’m unable to take them. When was the last time you had a new experience? What was it? Earlier this afternoon when my dad made me make a Paypal hahaha. Skskss plz stop reminding me of scary things Do you dress more for yourself, or to the expectations of others? A little bit of both. I want to look nice, but I also make sure I keep up with the trends so others think I look nice. What kinds of things tend to stress you out? The stuff I’ve mentioned throughout this survey... What is one way you cope when you feel like crap? I watch videos, I eat whatever I’m craving, I talk about it with my girlfriend, I hug my dog... I have a lot of coping mechanisms.

Name an insult you regularly receive, if there is one? My mom tells me so many insults on a regular basis I can put each one of them in a spinning wheel and give you whatever comes out lol. Name a site that takes up a lot of your time? YouTube. What is something you used to believe about life that you no longer do? That money was easy to acquire. It was certainly so easy to fantasize about as a kid. What is a lesson you have recently learned? I don’t recall picking up anything new lately. Realizations, sure; but I’m not sure about lessons. Do you have a tendency to look on the morbid side of life? Sometimes. When was the last time you went shopping? What did you buy? A weekend before the quarantine. I bought a couple of new tops. When you shop for clothing, how long does it take you? 10-15 minutes tops. I just pick out whatever looks pretty. What is something fun you have done within the past week? It’s been a horrid week. I can’t answer this question. What is something you hope you never have to do again? Stay at home with nothing to do for this long. How does the rain affect your mood, if it does? It makes me feel happy and at peace.

#survey #surveys

[itsclydebitches]

Lovely Good Omens fandom! Many of you have asked for/mentioned having a text version of the Yelp reviews, which if I were a better person I would have remembered to include in the first place. Better late than never? So here’s a version below and I also threw this up on AO3 so there are options. For the record, I’m not at all trained in transcribing visual media, so if anyone wants to add to/edit/do whatever to this post, especially to make it more accessible, you have carte blanche to do so 👍

Also I typed this up in a hurry so, as always, apologies for any typos. 

Tagging: @lethargicdolphin, @marithlizard, @pearwaldorf

A.Z. Fell and Co. Antiquarian and Unusual Books 

Recommended Reviews 

Lindsay F. 

London, United Kingdom 

71 friends

3000 reviews

9874 photos

So I slipped into this place because I spotted my ex across the street and would have rather chugged a cocktail of bleach, lighter fluid, and a condensed solution of all my middle school years then talk to that asshole. Owner was on me the second I walked through the door and I thought he was gonna be one of those ‘Either buy something or get out’ types. Nah. I spilled the story, said I really wasn’t looking to purchase anything, and he LIT UP like nobody’s business. He gave me tea and promised I’d never run into my ex again. Which is a super sketchy promise on its own and also should have been hilarious coming from a guy a century behind in style.

...Kinda believed him though. 

Marina G. 

London, United Kingdom 

0 friends

33 reviews

48 photos

Pretty sure this guy wants a library, not a bookshop. I mean, he’s nice and all when you first come in, but trying to actually buy a book? Good fucking luck. He’s too busy to see you right now (for the record he’s super bad at pretending to be busy). Or claims that this book has already been put on reserve (then why wasn’t it in the reserve pile...?). Or the price suddenly jumped an obscene amount. Or he just straight up hems and haws until you get fed up and leave. I watched him pull a novel straight out of a woman’s hands once when she claimed that price was no object and she wouldn’t be leaving the store until she’d purchased it. You’d think she was trying to kidnap one of the guy’s kids!

So yeah. Feel like popping in to browse, maybe take pictures for your research, all while making quiet conversation with someone who quite frankly knows his stuff? This is the place for you. Want to actually buy something? Go elsewhere. Pretty sure Fell doesn’t even own a cash register. At least I’ve never seen one. 

He wants a library and I’d honestly tell him as much if he didn’t scare me just a little bit...

Aaron S. 

New York, NY

68 friends

212 reviews 

337 photos

I stayed here for three days once. Found a bathroom off the romance section and a chair hidden away in the back. Way comfier than my mattress at home. Mostly played iPhone games and kept real quiet at night. Experiment ended when I popped out for breakfast and didn’t make it back before a random 10:00am closing. Don’t think the owner ever realized what was up. 

Hana S. 

London, United Kingdom 

112 friends

115 reviews

208 photos

I really love this place. I’ve been coming here since I moved to London, about twelve years ago, and it’s one of the most soothing bookstores I’ve ever had the pleasure of visiting. Yeah, you hear talk of weird things going on at Fell’s, but really? We could all do with a bit more quirky in our lives. And Fell provides that in spades: Annual plants that never seem to wither, let alone die. The smell of incense mixing with cocoa. Strange books tucked horizontally into the shelves, feeling like they have a touch of magic to them. Nonsensical conversations taking place in dark corners (I’m talking candid chats about the apocalypse and whether angels could actually bless all the rains down in Africa. I swear Fell and his boyfriend are the religion Mythbusters or something.) I’m going to sound like a total nerd here for a moment, but it feels like some sort of liminal space. You know when you were a kid and you were just desperate to receive your Hogwarts letter? Or find your own wardrobe to Narnia? That’s what walking into Fell’s feels like. Like you’ve finally found that portal and can stay as long as you like, provided you don’t try to take anything back with you into the ‘real’ world. Hell, maybe that’s why he won’t let anyone buy his books. 

Robert T. 

Union City, CA

4 friends

26 reviews

3 photos

There’s a snake?? In this shop?? A reALLY MASSIVE SNAKE????? What are y’all doing talkin’ about your meet cutes and shit someone call pest control!

Malini D. 

London, United Kingdom 

0 friends

48 reviews

99 photos

I’m not gonna pretend I have anything to say about whether this is a good bookstore or not, but if you ever want knitting help you should definitely stop by. Mr. Fell knows an absurd amount about crafts for a guy who looks like my grandpa and he’s now replaced Youtube as my go-to for alleviating “Omg please fix this how the hell did I manage to reverse the pattern??” panic. For the record, I didn’t just wander up to a random bookseller one day and demand that he help me salvage the ruins of my first sweater. I’d taken a seat inside to wait out a storm, had my messy sleeve stuffed into my purse, and he’d offered the help. Bit of a bastard about things like gauge and color--not everyone wants to wear tartan, dude--but you get used to that. He means well. Said I should come back to show him the finished piece, which I did. Things just kind of spiraled from there. He’s an absolute treasure trove of knowledge once you get him talking and a muffin to boot. If he were twenty years younger and in any way straight I would have asked him out in a heartbeat. As it is I’m considering setting him up with Grandpa. 

Tiffany L. 

London, United Kingdom 

132 friends

312 reviews

34 photos

I’m not really a book person myself but I followed my wife in with our seventh-month old and was kinda embarrassed when he started making a fuss. Normally I’m full Badass Mom mode while in public--I’ve got a kid to feed, change, sooth, and you all can damn well deal with it--but this place was so quiet Liam seemed extra loud in comparison. I was about to take him back out when a man appeared out of nowhere. The owner I guess, based on how some of these other reviews describe him. Older gentleman with clothes out of some period piece. Anyway, he scoops Liam into his arms like he was born for it and started bouncing. Our fussy, temperamental, drama queen Liam settled in an instant and my wife got to browse to her heart’s content. I don’t know how he did it, but that man is an absolute angel. Full stars for that moment alone. 

Gillian L. 

The Hague, The Netherlands

283 friends

256 reviews

60 photos

Anyone know if the old Bentley parked out front is for sale? 

Update: It’s really, really, really not 

Billy H. 

Austen, TX

40 friends

2073 reviews

774 photos

QUEER BOOKS QUEER BOOKS QUEER BOOKS QUEER BOOKS QUEER BOOKS QUEER BOOKS QUEER BOOKS QUEER BOOKS QUEER BOOKS QUEER BOOKS QUEER BOOKS QUEER BOOKS SO MANY QUEER BOOKS!!!

Gabriela G. 

London, United Kingdom

3 friends

22 reviews

1 photos

Run by this delightfully frumpy guy who sometimes hands out biscuits from a sewing tin like my gran used to. He asked me if I was looking for anything in particular and I told him my name was Jared, I was 19, but sadly I’d never learned how to read. I have NEVER seen a man more confused in my life. 10/10 would meme him again. 

Colie A.

Enola, PA

201 friends

2778 reviews

10382 photos

I’m setting the record straight here since there are a bunch of reviews claiming it’s just London folklore: there is a snake at A.Z. Fell’s. Must be an exotic pet he usually keeps upstairs because I’ve only ever seen it twice. Is it big? Yes. Scary? Fuck yes, but I’ve never seen it do anything more than give a warning hiss at this drunk who wandered in and started yelling. (Are snakes good guard dogs? This one is.) The other time he was just chilling on top of one of the shelves. Snoozing, I guess. I asked Mr. Fell if I could pet him and he said maybe after he woke up, but then I had to get to class and all. 

Afraid of snakes? Steer clear. Otherwise I’d really recommend popping in and seeing if he’s around. Idk, maybe I’m just a snake fan but he looks super sweet and chill. Life is short. Boop the snake snoot. 

Jeremy W. 

London, United Kingdom 

86 friends

409 reviews

12 photos

I live down the street from A.Z. Fell’s and let me tell you, this place is spooky as fuck. All sorts of weird lights and noises coming from it. At all times of the day and night too. Either this bowtie wearing bookworm has one crazy sex life or the place is haunted. Jury’s out on which. 

Heather Ki. 

London, United Kingdom 

0 friends

3852 reviews

1 photos

This shop smells. Not that old book smell either, oh no, but like something is molding. I took my little Johnny in here to try and get him interested in something other than those damned video games and I walk into what smells like a whole cloud of toxic mold! My boy has a weak constitution as it is and if he comes down with anything I will be pressing charges, you mark my words. 

Jo. W. 

London, United Kingdom 

32 friends

410 reviews

61 photos

Hey, does anyone want to talk about the fact that this place burned down last month? As in, completely up in flames, I saw it happen, nothing but a smoking husk afterwards? Does no one else remember this??

Tiggi N. 

London, United Kingdom 

32 friends

33 reviews

24 photos

Has anyone read this guy’s opening hours? I included a photo above: “I open the shop on most days about 9:30AM perhaps 10:AM. While occasionally I have opened the shop as early as 8, I have been known not to open until 1.” Absolutely insane. This guy’s a madman and I love him. If anyone actually manages to get into this place please let me know because I need to shake Fell’s hand. 

Mackenzie J. 

City Centre, Manchester, United Kingdom 

807 friends

2592 reviews

13218 photos

I told my girlfriend this shop’s got a snake named Anthony and she didn’t believe me. Going back for proof next week. 

Update: got the snake selfie!!!!!!!!

Penny O. 

Chicago, IL

87 friends

557 reviews

16 photos

Caught the owner snogging some hot twink behind the cookbooks. Well done, my dude. 

#good omens #ineffable husbands #air conditioning #good omens fic

[perhapsitmaybedragons]

God’s a Right Bastard, But Then So Am I Chapter 5

Actually wrote this one last night and managed to refrain myself from immediately posting.

As always, here’s the AO3 link:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26633029/chapters/65211916

Or you can read below:

Angels have been around Forever. Demons technically have as well, but when they first started they were angels, too, so it doesn't really count. Patience was a learned practice for all of them, or at least it should have been. They were rushing it this time. Last time they'd used thousands of years of planning and everything had fallen to pieces mere inches from the finish line. It was making all of the angels antsy – this time they were going to get into things as quickly as they could.

But that didn't mean they couldn't find the time to bother someone.

Normally Gabriel wouldn't show his irritation. Or in the old days he might have found someone he could smite without the Almighty getting upset at him. But that was the old days. Smiting just wasn't the way of things anymore, and since they were working with demons he couldn't even take it out on them. Still, he had to bother someone, get under their skin the way that failed Armageddon was under his.

Which is why he was now at Aziraphale's door, a basket in hand.

Aziraphale's eyes went wide when he'd answered – assuming that Crowley had finally showed up to start discussing things he hadn't even bothered to check before opening the door. He tensed up at the sight of the archangel.

“Gabriel,” he squeaked out, motioning desperately behind his hands for the others to hide. “Whatever could bring you here? I did think heaven and I were on the uh...outs, so to speak these days.”

“Nonsense!” Gabriel said jovially, taking great pleasure in watching Aziraphale squirm. He'd already sensed the humans there – and Adam, for that matter. He was only a little surprised – he was actually more surprised Crowley wasn't here, but he figured that was actually a point in his favor. “You know, I just got it into my head – you've been living here since?”

“Since the beginning,” Aziraphale answered automatically, now trying to shut the door in Gabriel's face. Gabriel pushed the door open wider and let himself in. “Now really isn't a good time. Perhaps you could come back later?” His tone strongly implied that 'later' actually meant 'never'.

“Ah, but then you wouldn't be able to introduce me to your friends,” Some people might have described Gabriel's smile as he said that as being 'snake-like'. Aziraphale knew better. Snakes only attacked in self defense or out of hunger. This was the smile that only belonged to the type of predator that played with its food.

Aziraphale considered playing stupid – the words “what humans” almost came out of his mouth, but before he could make that mistake, Adam came out from behind one of the bookshelves.

“You're one of them angels,” he made a face, “You tried to get me to go along with it and destroy everyone.”

Gabriel opened his mouth to argue but thought better of it. “And I am so sorry,” The apology sounded sincere, yet the words also sounded like they were ...dripping. “I am here to make amends, though I suppose it's not the best way to do it. See, I also have just a teeny, tiny little favor I'd like to ask of you, Aziraphale.”

“He's not one of you anymore,” Adam crossed the room, trying to station himself between the angels. Anathema came out of her own hiding place to grab him, Newt trailing just behind her. She managed to grab Adam and pull him back, but he continued scowling, making half-hearted attempts to get out of her grip.

“Aziraphale can handle himself,” she said reassuringly. Adam couldn't see her face – which was pointed at Aziraphale and trying to communicate the question 'can you handle this?' without having to come out and say it. Aziraphale just thought she looked a little constipated.

“It's just a quick lesson,” Gabriel said, holding up his basket. He pulled the small towel covering the contents to the side. “I have some very nice apples and I thought, well, I had hoped to make an apple pie. But I've never actually baked before,” he turned his full attention back to Aziraphale and ignored the others. “I thought you could help me? It's my understanding you're pretty fond of human food, so you could help me get it exactly right.”

“Pies can be a bit tricky,” Aziraphale agreed. “But apple pie's a bit ...American. Wouldn't you rather an apple crumble? Ooh, or a nice spiced cake – one with caramel or toffee icing, perhaps?”

“No,” Gabriel said shortly, looking annoyed. He had planned for Aziraphale to be on guard and scared the whole time. Not launching into a bunch of other dessert ideas. “It really should be an apple pie. Heard so much about it.”

“He doesn't have the ingredients,” Newt was trying to come to the rescue, but he was thinking in human terms again.

Gabriel moved the basket of apples so that he only gripped it in one hand, did a complicated gesture with the other hand and now he had a basket with anything else one could need to make an apple pie – including a very nice pie tin.

“He'll help you with the pie,” Adam decided for them, “But then you have to leave. And you can't bother Aziraphale ever again. Do you promise?” Gabriel nodded. “I mean it. You're an angel – you can't just make a promise and then do it anyway.”

Gabriel smiled. “You have my word as an angel – I will never, ever, bother Aziraphale and his little book shop ever again.”

Adam and Aziraphale both looked satisfied, so Newt fell in line and breathed a sigh of relief. Anathema, however, was adjusting her glasses and squinting. “You should probably get started on that pie,” she suggested. “Adam could give you a hand.”

“That would be lovely,” Aziraphale agreed. He grabbed an apple from the basket and offered it to Adam. “Here, you could try the first bite, make sure they're good enough?” He smiled at the reversal and made a mental note to tell Crowley later that he'd tempted the human into biting the apple this time – but Gabriel snatched the apple out of Adam's hands before he could take a bite.

“Sorry,” Once more his tone as apologetic, but Adam hadn't missed the flash of anger that crossed Gabriel's features. “I have exactly enough for the pie. You understand.” Adam didn't – if Gabriel had never made a pie before, how could he be certain he had exactly enough? But he didn't press.

“Well, we'll just pop into the kitchen,” Aziraphale explained to Newt and Anathema. He seemed to want them to do something, but he couldn't communicate it with Gabriel there. They stayed planted where they were and watched as the two angels and the Anti-Christ disappeared into a kitchen that was only sometimes there.

Anathema waited until she felt as confident as she could that they wouldn't hear her. “His aura's wrong.”

“I thought you couldn't see Adam's?”

“No, not Adam's. The angel – Gabriel, not Aziraphale. There's something tinged there. Aziraphale's aura is solid white except at the edges where it's sort of black, but the kind of black you can see stars in. Gabriel's looks like ...like a white silk shirt that someone's done a pretty good job of washing a stain out, but if you look closely enough it's still there.”

“Well, maybe his aura's always looked like that?”

“No, it hasn't. I saw it when he was trying to get Adam to restart Armageddon. Back then it was solid white.”

“Well, you said Aziraphale's isn't solid white at the edges, should we really be worried about this?”

She grumbled. Newt had agreed to read all of her occultist books and magazines, but he still didn't believe in a good portion of it. “Auras changing like this is a big deal, especially for someone like an angel. They're supposed to be timeless and unchanging.”

“Maybe it's because the definition of goodness changed,” he offered. Newt had not yet figured out that sometimes someone wants to be listened to without any input. Anathema thought she was explaining things, Newt thought they were spitballing ideas together. She groaned.

“Maybe, it's possible but I don't think so. I wish we knew some more angels so we could test it,” she moved forward just enough to peer into the kitchen. Aziraphale was making Adam wash his hands before he would allow the boy to help in any way. She grabbed Aziraphale's phone from where he'd left it – on top of one of the bookshelves.

“Why are you using his phone?”

“Does Crowley answer anyone else?” She said shortly, stabbing at the buttons to dial.

“Aziraphale?”

“Crowley!”

“What are you doing with angel's phone?” Crowley sounded slightly amused. “That's you, Anathema, right?”

“Yes. Crowley, listen – there's an angel in the bookshop.”

“Er –yeah, he owns the place. That's kind of been his thing for a hundred plus years.”

“No,” she paced as she talked. “Not him! One of the other ones. Gabriel?”

“Gabriel's there?! What the hell are you all still doing in there?! Get out, get out right now. And put Aziraphale on the line, he should know better than to let Gabriel in there-”

“Crowley,” she interrupted, “Aziraphale is in the kitchen with Gabriel. Oh – um..and Adam, actually. And by the way, we've all been trying to get a hold of you lately. They're helping Gabriel make an apple pie.”

“What?” Crowley asked flatly.

“An apple pie,” Anathema now wished she hadn't brought it up. It sounded ridiculous and it sounded so ...wholesome. Two angels helping a curly haired, sweet blond boy making an apple pie? She was pretty sure her mom had sent a postcard like that to her aunt once.

“Ok. Keep an eye on all of them, but maybe this is just a power move,” Crowley seemed to be deep in thought. “I'll be on my way soon. After someone starts giving me some answers.” He hung up and Anathema momentarily wondered if he were also in a hostage situation – just one were he was the captor.

“Sit and wait,” she said to Newt's questioning expression. “But if he offers us any of that pie, I wouldn't take it.”

Crowley set the phone down and adjusted the gramophone on the coffee table. “I know you're there and I think you know that I know, so let's just have a nice chit chat before I run off to save my incredibly stupid friends.”

I'm glad you have friends now, God offered meekly.

“Come off it and let's get on track. What were those vials?” He had a sneaking suspicion and if he was right things were about to get even worse. Right now he just had to get Her to show her hand. Something he didn't think anyone – human, angel, demon or other – had ever managed. He waited with his arms crossed, feeling a little like a petulant teenager. The kind that's been forbidden from doing something really fun, but the parents settled on their reasoning as 'Because we said so' instead of coming out with the truth.

 The vials are their plan. Part of it, at least.

“Yes, obviously! I think I could riddle that part out for myself. I want to know what the vials do. What's in them, can they be counteracted? Should I have thrown them out when I had the chance?”

Silence.

“You know, if you aren't going to help me I can't keep helping you. And I don't think you'll be able to keep your promise anyway. Can you?”

I can, She insisted.

“How can you? You don't know what's happening anymore!” He pushed himself off the sofa and glared down at the gramophone. “You didn't know for sure that those vials would be there or what they do, did you?”

You always did ask too many questions, Her voice was soft now. There was no accusation – she said it fondly, actually. it made you realize things before any of the others. You're right, Crowley. I can still see flashes – I still see all of Earth, all of the humans – but most of the angels and demons are hidden from me. I can't even see into the uppermost boardroom in heaven anymore. I have a sense for what they may be doing, but I no longer know. It's recent, but they've decided they don't want me to know.

Several thousand years ago, right before he'd fallen, Crowley would have been gratified to finally hear God being forced to tell him an absolute truth, especially one that admitted that even she didn't always know what was going on. But this? This was horrifying.

“How did they even manage that?” He didn't mean for it to come out sympathetic, but it did. “You're everywhere, see everything.”

“Not anymore.”'

“Ah. Well. ...sorry about th---shit,” Crowley headed toward the door. “Gabriel's at Aziraphale's – if you don't know what he's up to right now...” he didn't finish the thought, just slammed the door behind him.

Good luck God said as though anyone could hear her anymore.

#good omens #aziraphale #crowley #gabriel #good omens god #adam young #anathema device #anathema #newt #newton pulsifer

[bobthebuilderhasallmyuwus]

DBH rarepairsweek! RK1700 - Wrong Blind Date!

I wasnt quite sure what a wrong blind date was ┐('～`;)┌ , so I just gave it my best shot! (◡‿◡✿)

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Connor glances around the room once more. his eyes follow the line of tables set up in the middle of the room. Then they shimmer when he looks up at the chandeliers, and once more look with awe down at the marble floor beneath him.

“Yup”, Connor thinks. He was definitely in over his head. 

He would have let out an external sigh but his lack of air filled lungs prevents him. 

“I can't believe I let hank convince me to do this”, he processes. 

Yes it was only 2 weeks ago that Hank walked up to him and placed a card on his desk. At first Connor was confused, but after picking up the card scanning it, he realized.

“Oh” He responded. “Hank.. You really didn't have to.”

“Nonsense!” the hefty man replied. “Android rights are finally being put in action! This is exactly the kinda thing you should do to celebrate.”

Connor shifted in his seat as he took a glance back at the card.

“Androids Welcome!” It said. “First Ever Inclusive Blind MatchMaking Event!”

He looked back up at Hank and tried to force a smile, but it must have come off as awkward as he felt it was because Hank pulled up a chair and sat down next to Connor.

“Look.” He said, “I know this isn't really your thing, and truth be told it ain’t really my thing either.” He let out a sharp breath. “But, things are different now, androids are people now, you are a person now Connor.” Connor felt his words pierce his heart. “I want you to experience the world, and do fun things, and do pretty fucking dumb things, and I just want to see you feel what it means to be alive.” Hank gave Connor a warm pat on his shoulder. “So what Im saying is, you don't have to go, not if you don't want to, but maybe consider it eh? You never know what'll happen.” And he had him, hook line and sinker, when Hank sounded so sincere about Connor’s life, Connor couldn't help but feel inspired to live. 

So here he is, “living”, at a way too fancy gala for a way too minimal event. He fake sighs once more and looks at his watch. He tried to convince Hank that he didn't need a watch as he has an internal clock but Hank smoothed talked Connor, again, into wearing it. “6:55″ It reads, the event was about to start in 5 minutes. He’s surprised by the amount of people that showed up, most of them being androids but there were a few humans in the mix.

The instructions for participating in this were weirdly convoluted. What was supposed to happen is that every person here was given a name tag with a number, and eventually would be called to sit at the tables. Each table has a barrier in front of them and to the sides, So you couldn't see who you were talking to and the people next to you wouldn't intrude. You're given 5 minutes to talk to the other person and once everyone has talked to each other at least once you’d find the number you had chemistry with the most.

Connor thinks it's pointless because androids have pristine audio processing and can recognize individual subjects by their voice alone, but hey, whatever makes people happy. 

“Everyone” Calls out a lady as she bangs a fork on a wine glass. The attention immediately shifts to the lady in the room. “Thank you for coming to this first ever inclusive experience, I know things are difficult with tensions between humans and androids but, we here at the Elijah Foundation want you to feel as included and equal as possible.”

Connor rolls his eyes, the speech is pushed out of an overly cheery smile, of course it has his name on it, everything chaotic does. “Please if you would sit at the respective tables, we’ll have a timer that will indicate for row A to switch to the seat to the left, and row B to the right.” Connor dreadfully heads to one of the chairs and takes a seat. He sees a microphone in front of him, assuming he’s supposed to speak into it, he tests it out. He hears his voice comes out distorted and deep, “Ah, So that's why”, He thinks. It seems they did have a measure for their auditorial machinations after all. 

“Alright everyone seated?” The lady says in an overly-cheery tone once more. “Lets begin!”

Connor sits in front of the mic nervously, his hands gripping his knees. Its already been 10 seconds and the other person hasn’t said anything. He decides to go first. 

“Hello, Im Number 42, how about you?”

“....41″

Hearing both his own and his partners voice so distorted is very unpleasant, he can't see how anyone could find this to be an enjoyable experience. 

“Well, how's your day been 41?”

“.....Fine”

Connor can feel his impending doom. 

“Ah I see, A-Anything you like to do for fun?” 

“......Not much”

Connor put his hands on his head and his elbows on the table, How is he supposed to talk?! Is this even talking at all?! He had to stop giving into Hank, this is beyond torture. After 15 long seconds of silence, his partner finally spoke up.

“Why are you here?”

Connor paused, why is he there? For Hank? For living? For himself?

He replies, “Honestly? I don't know, I don't come to things like this often, well I've never been to one at all, I feel.... out of place.”

“...Me too.” Despite the distorted sound, Connor can tell his partner went a little bit softer there for a second. He’s glad to know he’s not the only one.

“So... why are you here?” He asks.

“.....Its a trivial story”

“Trivial? Trust me, Nothing you can say will get more trivial than what I'm doing right now, you can tell me.”

His partner pauses for a few seconds and then begins to respond.

“Got into a fight with a..... coworker.”

“Coworkers can be difficult, I certainly have some.. hard to work with people in my office. What did you fight about?”

“He’s the one that kept going on and on about this event. Kept shouting out how meaningless this was, and how anyone who goes here’s just looking for an android prostitute.”

“Oh geez, Im sorry to hear that. I hear a few remarks like that where I work too.”

“Anyways... his voice got annoying, so I told him to shut it. He crumpled a pamphlet and threw it at me, asked if I was thinking about a career change. So I told him I was, Unfortunately, My pride got in the way, and I vowed to come back with an android who was most definitely not a prostitute.”

“Pfftt...” Connor let out a smile.

“See? Its trivial, trivial! I should of just kept it to myself.”

“No.. No.. Its..just..so...ridiculous” Connor lets out a few giggles.

His partner stays silent. “I mean, seriously, “android prostitutes” How generic can you get?”

He hears his partner let out a few snickers of his own. “Yeah.... it is pretty generic isn't it?”

“Totally. You know what one of my coworkers told me? “Where’s Dorothy tin man.”” 

“Wooooooooooow” Says his partner. “Generic and unoriginal, how surprising.”

“Pfffft yeah, you drink coffee for a living I think you can step your insult game up”

His partner lets out a full laugh this time. “I once poured a tablespoon of salt in my coworkers coffee and saw him drink it completely without noticing.”

“And they say we’re the advanced ones” Connor says letting out a few more laughs. 

“Yeah..well, Now I might just have to get a prostitute, I don't think ill be able to do the rest of this”

“Well, if it makes you feel any better, Im not a prostitute.”

All of a sudden, he hears an alarm go off. “Thats it for the first round everybody! Lets move on!” Connor hadn't notice time pass at all, he was actually enjoying himself to the point that seconds didn't feel agonizingly long. 

“Thank you for talking to me” Connor says, a bit disappointed he has to move on.

“...No, Thank you 42″

His face flushes a tad as he hears his partner talk in the most gentle voice he’s used all night. He gets up and sits in the chair next to him, knowing that even if every other talk goes wrong, at least he had one good thing to recollect. 

After an hour of talks ranging from really awkward to just okay, it was finally over, and everyone went off searching for the number they truly felt was the one. Connor finally let his shoulders relax, he had done it. If he was going to be honest, there wasn't anyone Connor wanted to talk to more. Although his chat with 41 was pleasant, Connor would much rather go home and spend the night petting sumo. He heads for the exit, its a large double door and as he places his hand on one knob, someone else places their hand on another. 

He looks up to see

“Richard?”

“Connor?”

“What are you doing here?” They say simultaneously.

He glances at the tag on Nines’s suit. 

“You’re...”

“41″ Nines responds. “And you're...”

“42″ Says Connor. They take a long gaze at each other, taking the time to process what is happening.

“So.. the coworker you were talking about-”

“Gavin” responds nines. “...... Did he really call you tin man?”

Connor lets out a smile “Did he really drink a tablespoon of salt and not notice?” 

Nines smiles back. 

The interrupting sound of fork on glass comes again. Connor and Nines look towards the source. “For everyone who has paired up, we have a follow up date in the other room!” They look back at each other, still not saying anything for a few seconds. “If its okay with you.... Id like to continue complaining about Gavin as long as you do?”

Connor smiles. “There isn't anything I’d rather do.” He places his hand on nines and they both walk off together. 

@dbhrarepairs

#dbh #dbh connor #rk1700 #dbh rk900 #dbhrarepairsweek #my writing