#i feel like the stress of losing and not being able to recover items is the only reason people hate dying so much

[54625]

maybe they should turn keep inventory on

#qsmp #I know it'd be a huge change but #i feel like the stress of losing and not being able to recover items is the only reason people hate dying so much #and everything would be a lot more fun for players and viewers if the general stress levels were #turned down a bit #it would all be a bit less serious then idk #I'll be completely honest with you i was enjoying the event until etoiles died last night #cause he just sounded so understandably defeated about losing all of his good gear #it left me feeling quite deflated

[theres-an-impulstor-among-us]

Heyo, reporting back to request a continuation of a continuation of a continuation, if you wouldn't mind! Aka, please more 3rd Life Villainpulse angst, I'm so invested (and very curious as to whether his latest murder attempt was an actual success, or if he really should have stuck around to verify the death...)

i genuinely rly love this! i’ve got such plans for it now that i think i’ll make it into an actual proper fic.

i’ve also now posted it on AO3, titled Stand For Nothing! link here

…

Impulse is getting concerned. It’s been over five minutes and no death message in chat. It should’ve happened by now. He had been worried about being found near the scene of a death — it’d already been about five minutes since the meeting and someone would’ve gone to find Skizz, so his items would almost certainly be found — but now he’s starting to think he should have stuck around anyway and made sure the job was finished.

He had been intending to stay here at his villager trading centre until the death notification came up and then he would run back to Dogwarts and play the distressed best friend.

But no death message. So his plan has to change.

When he makes it back to Dogwarts, he finds Ren standing outside the Renchanting building, his face pale. When he spots Impulse, he quickly beckons him. “Impulse! For the love of god, where’ve you been?!”

Impulse blinks. With no death message in chat, what can Ren be so worked up about? “W-What? What’s happened…?”

“Skizzle’s been attacked! We heard an explosion outside our walls and when we went to check, we found him out there, passed out. He’s in a critical condition but Martyn’s with him now and hopefully he’ll recover.”

Impulse can only stare at Ren with an open mouth and a pit in his stomach. Somehow, in all the possible outcomes he pictured for this scenario, he never imagined Dogwarts would actually find Skizz alive. After three perfect murders, it seems he got careless.

“O-Oh my god,” he manages to choke out. “C-Can I see him?”

“Not yet, but Martyn will tell us when we can.”

Ren takes him down into the living area under Renchanting. There, Etho is pacing back and forth in front of a closed door, clearly deep in thought, but he glances up as Ren comes in. “Ren, you found him.”

Ren nods, even though it wasn’t really a question. “Any word?”

“Not yet. Martyn has three healing potions in there with him though, so I’d say Skizz’s chances are really good.”

Impulse has to strain to keep his expression steady at that. “G-Good. That’s good.”

Something changes almost imperceptibly in Etho’s expression, but Ren, clearly not noticing, rubs Impulse’s back reassuringly. “He’ll be okay, Impulse. Don’t worry.”

All Impulse can do is nod, not trusting himself to speak.

Finally, after what feels like hours, the door opens and Martyn appears, his body blocking the view inside the room. “He’s awake,” he reports, a very serious look on his face. “Ren.”

Ren quickly ducks into the room, but when Impulse starts to follow, Martyn blocks him. “Not you,” he says coldly. “Etho, stay with him, please.”

Impulse’s heart freezes. There’s only one reason Martyn would stop him from seeing his injured best friend.

Skizz has told him everything.

He takes a step back and bumps into something behind him, causing him to jump.

“What’s going on, Impulse?” asks Etho casually, an only-just-discernible undertone of danger in his voice. “You seem a little tense.”

“My best friend almost died,” Impulse replies coldly, but even he can tell his words are unconvincing.

“Indeed. I wonder how that happened?”

“I don’t like what you’re implying, Etho. Why would you have any reason to suspect me?”

Etho just folds his arms and says nothing, infuriating Impulse. “You said I was the only person on this server you really trust!”

“That was before I joined these guys. I’ve had a weird feeling in my stomach about you for a while, Impulse. Something hasn’t felt right since this whole thing started, but I assumed it was just me trying to apply rationality to this irrational world. But one thing never changes, Impulse. No matter how much you try to change it.”

Impulse falls silent, scowling at the ground. He’s already given away too much in his tone and expression.

He glances sideways at Etho, who has his eyes fixed on the door Ren and Martyn went through. Realisation dawns on him: Etho isn’t expecting him to put up a fight. Etho thinks he has nowhere to go.

Now is the time, then. He can’t afford to wait any longer; when Ren and Martyn come back out here, it’s over. Impulse knows he can’t take on three people at once. This is his last chance to escape alive.

So when Etho shifts position a few seconds later, Impulse strikes. Before he can react, Impulse sweeps Etho’s legs out from under him and shoves him into the wall as he’s falling. Without waiting around to see the result of his attack, Impulse takes off running.

He makes it out of Renchanting and is just about to run down the hill towards the crastle when an arrow whizzes by him, nicking the sleeve of his t-shirt and causing him to lose his balance. Suppressing a scream, Impulse topples down the hill and lands in the shallow river at the bottom. He tries to continue onward but has to stop as he puts weight on his left foot and realises he must have twisted his ankle during his fall.

Gritting his teeth through the throbbing pain, he looks up in time to be able to dodge another arrow fired at him by the figure on top of Dogwarts’s wall.

He has to keep going.

Every step on his left foot is agony but he pushes himself on, half-galloping down the hill on the other side, the crastle in his sights.

“Bdubs!” he shrieks as he draws near, his heart racing. The Red Army is likely right behind him. “BDUBS!”

The person he’s calling rushes out of the castle over the drawbridge just in time to catch Impulse as he finally loses his balance and pitches forward.

“Impulse! You’re soaking wet!? What the-?!”

“Th- They’re coming for me,” he croaks. His eyes flicker up and he spots two faces in the windows on the second floor. It’s time for the performance of his life. “Dogwarts turned on me! They think I killed Tango and Cleo a-a-and made you kill Joel!”

“What?!” gasps Bdubs. “That’s ridiculous! Why would they think that?!”

“I-I don’t know but th- They’re gonna kill me, Bdubs…!”

“Not on my watch!”

Bdubs quickly ushers Impulse inside the crastle and into the waiting arms of Jimmy. Together, the two guide Impulse upstairs and lay him down in the bed Grian has placed in a position safely away from the slit windows.

“What happened, Impulse?” Bdubs asks softly. “How did they turn on you?”

Impulse takes a shaky breath. “Something happened to Skizz. He… He got attacked. Then he told everyone it was me and that I’d killed Tango and Cleo and manipulated you into killing Joel.”

“First of all, that’s utterly ridiculous,” Bdubs snaps. “I killed Joel because he was about to kill you. And second, why on earth would you want to kill Tango or Cleo?”

“I-I think you might’ve been right, Bdubs. I th-think Etho was responsible for Cleo’s death. And now he’s got Dogwarts trying to make me a scapegoat.”

Bdubs’s gaze darkens. “Despicable little-.”

“BDOUBLEO!”

“Stay there,” says Bdubs.

He strides to the window, flanked by Grian and Scott, armed with his crossbow. “What do you want, Ren?”

Down on the ground, having left Skizz in the care of BigB, stand Ren, Martyn, and Etho, staring up at the castle. The latter two hold bows, while Ren is armed with a sword and shield.

“We know Impulse is hiding out in there,” Ren announces, with the regal but dangerous air of a king. “Hand him over to us, Bdubs.”

“No way in hell,” Bdubs snaps back. “He told me everything!”

“We can guarantee you he did not,” responds Martyn steadily. “Not the truth, anyway. He’s using you, Bdubs.”

“YOU’re the ones using HIM! As a scapegoat!”

“Impulse isn’t the angel you think he is, Bdubs,” Etho says darkly. “You’re protecting the person who killed Cleo.”

“No, YOU killed Cleo,” snarls Bdubs. “And I bet you killed Tango too and tried to blame it on me! You’re just trying to frame anyone you can so you can get away with it!”

Despite the pain and stress he��s experiencing, Impulse can’t help feeling proud of himself. The seeds of doubt and suspicion he’s sown between Bdubs and Etho are paying off now.

“Bdubs.” Ren’s voice drops slightly as emotion creeps into his tone. “He attacked his best friend and left him to die. If we hadn’t found him in time, Skizz would have succumbed to his injuries alone and terrified in the middle of nowhere, murdered by his own best friend.”

“What exactly is Impulse’s motive supposed to be, here?” Scott asks suddenly. “You say he killed Tango and Cleo, orchestrated Joel’s death, and tried to murder Skizzle. Why exactly would he want to do that?”

“Skizz claims Impulse said it was because Tango “knew too much” about something,” Martyn says. “Some kind of secret that Impulse is keeping. And that Cleo’s and Joel’s deaths were “necessary to push the war forward”. That’s his motive, Scott. Impulse wants war, and he doesn’t care who he hurts to get it.”

“We ARE talking about the same Impulse, right?” demands Bdubs. “Our Impulse? The sweetheart who wouldn’t hurt a fly? Are we sure Skizz didn’t just misremember? He's a little unreliable like that. Maybe he said it was someone else who-.”

“Don’t you dare!” Martyn bursts out suddenly, his voice filled with the most venom anyone had ever heard it. “Don’t you DARE say that! You weren’t there, Bdubs! You didn’t have to fix his broken ribs and his fractured neck and his shattered arm! You weren’t there when he finally woke up after several minutes of crying out and panicked breathing like he was having a nightmare! You didn’t hear the way he cried, how terrified he was when he told me what happened, the raw agony in his voice! That’s not the demeanor of someone who MISREMEMBERED! Skizz has gone through hell today and it’s all Impulse’s fault! So I’m not leaving here without his head, in one form or another!”

“YEAH!” Ren yells in agreement, hitting his sword against his shield. “No more arguments. No more wasting time. If you don’t give us Impulse right NOW, we will declare war on you and take him by force.”

Inside the crastle, Impulse’s heart skips a beat. This is it: the moment of truth. Either everything he’s been working towards will finally come to fruition… or Bdubs will hand him over and he will die.

Bdubs straightens up, a steely look of determination appearing in his eyes.

“Then consider us at war.”

#3rdlifesmp #3rd life smp #impulsesv #bdubs #rendog #skizzleman #etho #vaunna’s requests

[bokunoheroanalysisforthefuture]

And so preparations for the final event begin! Let’s see if these being one on one matches helps me get through them a bit faster when I’m not having to transcribe quite so much action all at once.

[No. 32 - Smile, Prince of Nonsense Land!]

Another character profile to start out with! (I swear I’m gonna have to make a post compiling these once we’ve gotten all of them for class 1a… maybe run a comparison with the end of chapter profiles? Eh shrug.)

I swear, my instincts say that something that that tail should not be as flexible as it is because of its circumference. I know, I know, quirks, freaking magic, don’t think about it, but still. It’s a very straightforward quirk with a surprising amount of utility, and he makes full use of it. Good for him! Now, onto the chapter proper.

Kirishima is pretty hyped for a tournament, thinking about how they’ll be up in ‘that ring he sees on TV every year.’ Mina asks him if it was a tournament last year as well, but Sero’s the one to answer - the format’s always different, but most years involve some kind of head to head competition. (Apparently the year before theirs involved foam sword fighting, and now I’m incredibly disappointed we didn’t get to see that for this sports festival finale… would have been absolutely hilarious.)

Midnight holds up a box of lots, saying that match-ups will be decided by drawing lots. Once that’s done, they’ll move on to the festivities and then the tournament itself. It’s up to each of the sixteen finalists whether or not they participate in the fun, since she figures some of them would rather take a breather and save their strength. 

She starts to call for the first place team to draw lots, but Ojiro raises his hand, calling for her attention. He then states that he’d like to drop out, much to the shock of the others. Someone (I think Kirishima?) asks him why, since this is his chance of being noticed by the pros. Ojiro stats that he has no memories of the cavalry battle or anything that happened in it up until the tail end. And it’s probably his quirk that did that. 

Ohh, ominous. And Izuku’s really concerned for Ojiro here. Ojiro states that he knows this is a great opportunity, and he knows it seems stupid to throw it away, but this final turnament… everyone else made it with their own strength. But he’s standing here and he doesn’t even know how or why. He just can’t take it. 

Hagakure says that he’s thinking about it too hard, and that he can just show what he’s made of in the tournament. Mina agrees, saying that by that logic, she shouldn’t really be here either. Ojiro starts crying, hiding his face in his hand as he shakes, explaining that he’s talking about his pride here. He doesn’t think it’s right. (He also has no idea why the girls are dressed like that. Really, the entire cheerleader gimmick seems a bit… awkward, here.)

Izuku has no idea what to say. But class B’s Nirengeki does - kind of. He admits that he can’t remember anything either, so he wants to withdraw as well. This is a contest of skill, so letting someone who didn’t do anything advance… doesn’t that defeat the whole point of the sports festival? Isn’t it against the rules?

Kirishima starts to tear up, calling the two manly. Up in the booth, Present Mic announces the strange turn of events, while Aizawa wonders what Midnight, as the coordinator, will decide. Midnight’s ruling?

She likes it. The two are allowed to withdraw. Aoyama puts a hand on Ojiro’s shoulder and promises to win it for him. 

Midnight tells the kids that replacing the two will be members of team Kendo, who took fifth. Kendo replies that if it’s gonna be like that, then shouldn’t it be team Tetsu instead? Her team was immobilized pretty much the whole time, while team Tetsu were giving it their all to keep what they had until the very end. She then hastens to assure that they aren’t colluding or anything, it just feels right.

Tetsutetsu is in tears by the gesture. After a brief transition, it’s decided that Tetsutetsu and Shiozaki will join the finalists, bringing the number back up to sixteen. And with that, the match-ups can be drawn!

Izuku notes that if he wins his first match, his second’s gonna be against Shouto. Which I feel is very rude of him to just entirely discount the possibility of Sero winning the match. I mean, it’s an honest assessment, but STILL. Rude. Anyways, before his match with Shouto, he still has to face off against Shinsou, who has to be-

And speak of the devil, there’s the guy in question. He wants to know if he’s Midoriya Izuku, which startles Izuku. Izuku recognizes him from the declaration of war two weeks back. He goes to respond, only to be cut off by Ojiro’s tail over his mouth. Shinsou huffs and turns t head away, while Ojiro warns Izuku not to answer him. 

We get a few other reactions from some of the other students: Shouto contemplates how his match with Izuku will be sooner than expected, and that he wants Izuku to bring his best before he takes him down. Katsuki wonders out loud who Uraraka is, which startles an eep out of her, possibly for using her actual name. Mei approaches Tenya, chucking as she starts to ask him something. And Present Mic announces that they’re setting aside the tournament for the time being, and getting on with the thrill-a-minute festivities. 

There’s a few snapshots of what everyone is up to over the course of the side events: some of the non-finalists racing massive balls (probably rubber?) around the inside perimeter of the stadium, Ojiro talking to a stressed out Izuku, Tokoyami napping in a tree, Tenya drinking five (5) cans of orange juice, Katsuki doing… something, Shouto crouched down resting somewhere outside the stadium, and finally some students searching for items on the cards they were given. Oh, right, and the girls are doing cheerleader stuff, with Hagakure being the most enthusiastic, and Jirou and Momo as the least. 

Honestly, with that jump, Hagakure is either buff as heck, or Ochako is lending her a hand. 

While all this is happening, Izuku is narrating how some people preferred to psych themselves up, while others tried to relax. Everyone was dealing with it differently. And before they knew it, the time had come.

We come back into the narrative as Cementoss is just finishing up crafting the battle platform from scratch, which is honestly incredibly impressive. I guess his manipulation of cement includes being able to dry it out super fast. And really, with how it looks, he’s just showing off. Especially with those torches, like, those can’t have been made from cement. Were they just put there and the cement set around them? Did he use the cement to manipulate them into place? I have questions, sir.

As I said, showing off just a touch. 

Present Mic thanks Cementoss before asking the crowds if they’re ready. He talks about how the students have been through hell to get here, but now it’s time for the one-on-one tournament! They’ll only have themselves to rely on. Even if someone isn’t a hero, that saying holds true! You know it! Spirit, technique, strength, wisdom, and knowledge! Use them all and show us your best!

...They’ll only have themselves to rely on, even applied to non-heroes? Uh, wow. Talk about the underlying 𝓲𝓼𝓼𝓾𝓮𝓼 showing up here. I honestly can’t help but think that Izuku’s issues with heading off alone in the current manga arc has less to do with emulating All Might, and more absorbing all these small asides and comments from all the staff of UA. Which is fucking 𝕪𝕚𝕜𝕖𝕤.

Anyways, while Mic’s doing his thing, Izuku is trying to calm himself before his match, only for Toshinori to come up to talk to him. He notes how it took a while, but Izuku’s finally getting the hang of using One For All, and gives Izuku a wonky thumbs up. Izuku is surprised to see his mentor there, but also corrects him - he doesn’t really have a hang of it, he’s still uneasy. He brings up his microwave visualization thing, and how he’s been trying to recall when he launched it at the villain, but it still feels dangerous. As if he could fall apart if he loses focus for a second, and, well, it’s like Toshinori saw. Given the level his body is at, even when Izuku controls it, it only gives a small boost in power. 

Toshinoir thinks on it for a bit, before reminding Izuku about that talk about giving it between zero and a hundred. As Izuku is now, heis body’s capable of about five percent. Izuku considers that, thinking that if it’s like that, then he’s just gotten lucky with everything. Toshinori gives him a few thwacks on the head and neck, telling Izuku that that’s because he’s always been trying his hardest, calling him a prince of nonsense. He also chides Izuku, saying he’ll never be a hero looking so mopey.

While Izuku recovers from the assault, Toshinori tells him to listen, before stating that especially when Izuku is feeling worried or scared, that’s when he needs to smile. Izuku’s come this far, so show some bravado, even if it’s fake. To punctuate this, Toshinori swells up into All Might, giving him another thumbs up. And I guess it kind of works as motivation, since Izuku seems less stressed?

Anywho, we finally get into the first match! Present Mic announces the two, with Izuku getting a comment about his making a weird face despite his good performance, and Shinsou getting a comment about not having done anything to stand out yet. The rules are simple - win by knocking out your opponent, immobilizing them, or getting them to say ‘I give up!’ Bring the pain! Recovery Girl’s on standby. And fight dirty if you must! ‘Ethics’ have no meaning here!

...this explains why Shinsou immediately went for such a low blow. 

Anywho, Cementoss makes himself a seat to watch from, so as to be prepared to stop the match at any time. Present Mic clarifies that going for the kill is a big no-no and will disqualify you, because a true hero’s fists fly only when in pursuit of villains. 

Shinsou starts talking, contemplating the ‘I give up’ option before asking Izuku if he gets it? That this battle’s going to test his strength of will. If you have any kind of vision for your future, there’s no sense in worrying about how you get there. Like that monkey, babbling about his stupid pride. 

Wow is Izuku pissed. Present Mic announces the start of the match as Shinsou rhetorically asks what kind of dumbass throws away a chance like this. Izuku rushes forward furiously demanding to know what Shinsou just said - only to stop dead. Shinsou calls it his win, while in the stands, Ojiro is stressing out, tail flailing as he snaps at how he’d warned Izuku about this. Toshinori is waiting at the entrance to the stadium, confused. 

Present Mic asks what’s wrong, the battle’s just started, show some spirit! Mere seconds into the match, Izuku is frozen in place?

And we end the chapter on that cliffhanger. What an introduction to Shinsou, and we have more to go in the next… one or two chapters, can’t recall. 

Anywho, see y’all next time for spooky quirk shenanigans! Can’t believe our first ghost sighting is about to happen. Fricken love ghosts.

#chapter 32 #readthrough #sports festival arc #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #midoriya izuku #yagi toshinori #shinsou hitoshi #yamada hizashi #aizawa shouta #ojiro mashirao #shouda nirengeki #kayama nemuri #Kirishima Eijirou #Sero Hanta #kendo itsuka #tetsutetsu tetsutetsu #cementoss #ofa ghosts my beloved

[kuroosweakness]

last updated: dec. 31st 2020 

all of nekoma:

when their cute manager gets hit on

how nekoma would react to finding out about their adorable manager’s traumatic past

kuroo:

reacts to their s/o being made fun during a presentation

comforting his s/o

waking up s/o who’s fake sleeping

road trip with kuroo

s/o makes plans without including them prank

when his s/o dodges his kiss

when his s/o is feeling cold

when his s/o asks for something from the store

when his s/o accidentally calls him bro/dude

with an amputee s/o

s/o gets period blood on bed sheets

s/o who cries a lot

an affectionate, small s/o

taking care of his basketball player s/o

accidentally saying “i love you” out loud

s/o gives them a matching couple item

s/o comes out as bi

walking in on y/n changing

when his s/o falls off of the bed

with a s/o who plays water polo

s/o who doesn’t have motivation to work out

with a memer s/o

s/o doing a sexy dance

s/o sing “baby don’t stop” ( nct u song )

the “try not to kiss each other” tiktok challenge

s/o brings home a stray puppy

kuroo when his s/o brings food to nekoma

chubby s/o who feels insecure

comforting election-stressed s/o

femboy boyfriend wearing a skirt, crop top, and thigh highs

s/o who needs constant affirmation

night-time cuddles

kuroo x goofball s/o with dad humor

kuroo comfort hcs

kuroo comfort hcs (2)

tough s/o breaks down

s/o who has frequent breakdowns

s/o who has a toxic friend

trying to cheer up their s/o after losing loved ones

comforting lonely s/o

with a lonely s/o

s/o who’s insecure about their face

s/o compliments another guy

telling his s/o to slow down in school work and rest

s/o who has a differently abled younger sibling

comforting s/o crying over not having motivation anymore

s/o when they lose motivation to do school work because they don’t understand

comforting his s/o over a loved one’s death

s/o who’s having flashbacks

s/o who’s sitting on the ground with a blanket wrapped around them, staring into nothing with tears in their eyes

s/o who has borderline personality disorder

s/o who has bipolar 2 disorder

s/o’s parents are divorcing

kuroo as a part-time worker

unintentionally putting their hand on reader’s waist to get past

extravagantly proposing to their s/o

when their s/o is jealous

s/o whose first language isn’t japanese

s/o shows up at their game in their jersey

cheerful s/o goes quiet

comforting y/n after a breakup

s/o who’s having issues with their best friend

when y/n’s ex talks trash about them

with a clingy s/o

drunk hcs

with a s/o who gets a lot of confessions from others

kuroo dating their third-year manager who has a soft spot for lev

comforting s/o from drawbacks

coming out to his team with his male s/o who is also on the team

“my boyfriend is coming” tiktok trend

with a s/o with body hair

reassuring his s/o that they’re not annoying and that they deserve love

 comforting his s/o who yearns for love and affection but feels like they don’t deserve love

comforting s/o who easily gets anxiety and panic attacks

s/o who is always listening to music with him

s/o who got a septum piercing

cuddling with his s/o while using visual triggers

with a s/o who often dyes their hair funky colors

helping his s/o who has trouble dealing with their self-harm addiction

s/o recovering from a restrictive eating disorder

tucking s/o in for bed

when they catch their s/o self-harming in the changing room before/after a game

looking after a worn out s/o

with a s/o who is sad from losing one of their close friends

kenma:

s/o makes plans without including them prank

when his s/o dodges his kiss

when his s/o is feeling cold

when his s/o wants to do couple costumes

s/o accidentally gets period blood on bed sheets

s/o who pops their knuckles, neck, etc a lot

s/o who always types formally

s/o’s self-harm scars

caught making out with s/o

when their s/o is jealous

s/o who sleeps with stuffed animals ( plushies )

x  suga’s short younger brother

chubby s/o who feels insecure

how he acts around his crush

crushing on dancer y/n

waking up with him

s/o with scars

helping his s/o calm down

s/o who has a toxic friend

falling for their new manager

s/o who has depression

kenma helping his s/o overcome difficult situations

s/o when they’re having a panic attack at a family dinner

s/o who feels insecure and compares themselves to pretty friends/models

s/o’s fresh self-harm scars

kenma when his s/o has migraines

s/o koala’ing themselves onto his lap  

s/o is having a really rough time

s/o who has severe headaches

his s/o comes out to him

gaming date with kenma

s/o’s parents are divorcing

s/o doesn’t say “i love you” back

s/o having a hard time

s/o recovering from an eating disorder and is starting to count calories again

with a s/o who gets a lot of confessions from others

with a s/o with body hair

reacting to his s/o singing “love talk” by wayv

acoustic guitarist s/o sings to him

s/o who’s a kpop idol

playing rock-paper-scissors with him

lev:

when his s/o dodges his kiss

s/o giving him a bone-crushing hug

s/o calls him “pretty boy”

touch-starved s/o

falling for their new manager

s/o who shakes really bad when they get nervous

comforting s/o struggling with home life

with a moody s/o

comforting his s/o from family fights

with a jealous s/o

when a short and pretty stranger asks him to take something from the top shelf

yaku:

when his s/o dodges his kiss

yaku’s short girlfriend

s/o who always types formally

helping relieve s/o’s study stress

s/o feels useless and like a bad person

fukunaga:

with a really huggy s/o on her period

#haikyuu masterlist

[snifflesthemouse]

I'm still rather new to Tumblr. While I've clearly displayed my ability to post my ramblings, I'm still figuring out the other various features of this platform. For the sake of reference, I have posted a screenshot below.

While I completely agree with @youhavebeenmarkled that it's grossly inappropriate to suggest Catherine, the future Queen Consort, is a drug addict... I want to add to the discussion and further develop why the concept of Catherine microdosing heroin is entirely ignorant.

@youhavebeenmarkled mentions several excellent points as to why the concept is ridiculous; from genetics to muscle tone and more. But there's deeper reasons why this idea of Catherine being on heroin is so far from the truth and reality, it's out of this world. Some could even argue it sounds like a page from a Hollywood script.

Before I get started, though, I want (and need) to stress a few things. I am in no way shaming anyone. As I've shared in the past, I am the last person in the universe qualified to pass judgement on anything or anyone. My posts are simply my perspectives, my opinions. I look at facts in the public domain, and with my own knowledge and life experience, I form my thoughts.

Please remember while you read this, I am not looking down on anyone. I am not bragging about knowing what drug addiction is or is not. I am only sharing some insights with you, the reader, on what real life heroin addiction is like. My only goal is giving insight.

I am not proud of my past, and I am not condoning it. Nor should you. Accountability is how I stay clean. Please do not feel like I am suggesting non-addicts are ignorant or "square". Not knowing or understanding heroin addiction is a blessing. It's a good thing to be in the dark about certain things because it means you're smarter than people like me.

Be proud of the fact you don't automatically see why these blind items are total nonsense from the start. And if you aren't proud of yourself, just know I am proud AF of you. For those of you like myself who have been through the hell of addiction, remember we do recover. With all that being said, let's get going.

You see, anyone with firsthand experience or knowledge of true heroin addiction would automatically know these rumors are absolutely ridiculous. Why? Because heroin addiction doesn't work that way.

Now don't get me wrong. The world is filled with functioning closet addicts. I myself was a functioning closet addict for years before the world was any the wiser. The key point, though, is the world did eventually get wiser.

Heroin addiction usually starts out in one of a few ways. Most Americans addicted to heroin became that way because of prescription painkillers. For example, I first got addicted to pain pills. When the pain pills became impossible to get, I took what I could get that was the closest equivalent. That was heroin.

But some people start using heroin because they did some at a party with friends. Or they have a loved one addicted and wanted to see what the fuss was all about. Some people are hooked on other drugs, like cocaine or ecstasy, and their usual dealer offers a free sample of the latest batch of heroin. There's a saying among addicts; "The first one's free."

Dealers know they can increase their profitability if they can get established clients addicted to other products they traffic. But these are just a few examples of how people get started using heroin. Very rarely does anyone start out on heroin simply because they want to stay thin. Contrary to the popular belief known to many as "heroin chic" that came from supermodels in the mid 80s and 90s.

Heroin is what addicts refer to as a euphoria narcotic. It has a euphoric effect, and it is sometimes called a "downer". Cocaine, crack cocaine, methamphetamine, or amphetamines are called "uppers" or "speeders" because they stimulate the brain and give energy. While heroin can have that affect on people, it is not the traditional go-to for illicit weight management.

In other words, if Catherine really did use microdosing (a concept I will debunk in a moment), her first, best choice would be a stimulant like cocaine because it's much more effective at appetite suppression and providing energy. Heroin wouldn't be the first, best choice for many reasons.

Because of its nature, heroin is highly addictive. Most users begin snorting the drug in powder form. Within seconds to a minute, the substance enters the bloodstream and hits the brain. The brain then releases endorphins that travel the rewards pathway in the brain. The first time one uses heroin is the highest they will ever feel from using. Every subsequent dose releases less and less endorphins in the brain. This is why recovering addicts talk about chasing their sobriety like they chased their first high. This is also why microdosing is an almost-impossible behavior.

Microdosing means taking tiny, small amounts over time. Meaning that you only use the minimum amount to achieve the effect you desire. But the problem is, your brain becomes physically dependent on the substance over time. Every time an addict uses, the brain gets more dependent on that substance to function. So, while a non-addict's brain has no issues with their brain producing endorphins, an addict's brain does. This is why heroin is so addictive.

Eventually, a heroin addict's brain will become so reliant on heroin to produce endorphins, the addict will become entirely dependent. This is also known as becoming hooked. When the addict doesn't have the minimum amount of heroin the body is accustomed to, or depending upon, the addict will start withdrawal. This is often called being "dope sick" or "detoxing".

Detoxing or being dope sick is the driving force behind addicts staying addicts. Being dope sick is the biggest fear of an addict. So much so, the fear of detoxing is enough to drive otherwise good, decent human beings to doing absolutely whatever it takes to avoid detoxing. Stealing from loved ones, manipulating innocent bystanders, lying, cheating, robbing, selling your body... are the half of it.

Being dope sick is like having the worst flu of your life times a million. You will vomit, have uncontrollable diarrhea, and your body will hurt worse than anything you could ever imagine. If you detox for more than a day, you will begin to feel like your insides are shaking, burning, and pulling apart inside. You can't sleep. You can't eat. You can't get out of bed. You miss work and lose your job (if you still have one at this point). You get desperate before this point, and you get carnal after this point.

Your brain and entire body becomes dependent on this substance to function subpar. Without this substance, everything begins to stop working properly. Depending on exactly how much you use normally, your withdrawal can become life threatening. You can have seizures, strokes, or even go into cardiac arrest. Hopefully you can see by now why I say the concept of microdosing is ridiculous.

To be able to micro dose would require the self control and willpower of a super human. This reminds me of an article I once read about a college professor who advocated for drug use. He claimed he wasn't addicted, had control of his drug use, and was a productive member of society. He said he'd use heroin like others drink after a long day of work. Yet, he's been using it for over a decade. Yet, he experienced detoxing. That professor is a prime example of an addict in denial. But I digress...

My points are this:

1. Heroin wouldn't be the first choice for weight control or appetite suppression; cocaine or stimulants like meth or ritalin would be.

2. Microdosing is an almost-impossible method of drug use because the body gets hooked quickly. Which means the dose will only increase in amount in order to have the same effects over time.

3. Heroin causes an addiction that results in serious, life threatening withdrawal that drives even the nicest person to doing the worst of the worst.

4. Heroin addiction, even in small amounts, takes no time to invade and overtake one's life. It literally only takes one time to get hooked. It literally takes no time to destroy everything.

Oh, and one more thing before I put a sock in it... at the height of my active addiction, I was using around 2 grams a day to feel normal. I spent at minimum $200 a day on heroin. Sometimes even more. When I started out, I was only using a tenth or less. It takes 10 of those to make a gram. So within two months of starting, I went from doing one tenth to needing 20 of those tenths just to feel normal and function. All the while, I never got smaller than 150 pounds.

I know it sounds terrible, but I would lament over how unfair it was. I was doing all this heroin, and I was still thick AF. I would literally joke to fellow addicts I would use with how it was total bullshit. How was it I was using 2 grams a day and still a size 12 or 14? That's how sick I was in my disease. Which is my final point.

Not everyone on heroin is "heroin chic" skinny. The effort, will power, and self control it would take to "microdose" would be far greater than what it would take to control one's diet and exercise. Plus it would be much cheaper to hire a trainer than employ a drug dealer.

I hope this very long, detailed, winded post gives better insight to the deeper reasons the blind item is so dumb. I also hope it gives insight to the real life of heroin addiction. My goal was, and is, to provide real examples to the blind item's absurdity. If I can help people better understand heroin addiction, potentially deterring someone from ever touching it or even a loved one learning something that could help someone they know struggling with addiction... well that would be a bonus.

P.S. If you or a loved one you know is struggling with addiction, there is help out there. If you have any questions or just need someone to listen, please feel free to message me. I will do my best to help. I've been there. They say the only way to keep your sobriety is by giving it away... I have plenty to give. Be forewarned, though, I am unapologetically blunt and honest to a fault. I mean no harm, but I will not sugar coat anything.

[s-creations]

In Sickness, In Health Chapter 6 - Getting Shots

Fandom: DuckTales 2017 / The Three Caballeros             Rating: General Audience             Relationships/Pairings:  José Carioca/Donald Duck/Panchito Pistoles       Additional Tags: getting sick, being cared for, mental health, injury, sore throat, common cold, chicken pox, broken bones, whooping cough, taking care of others.

Part of a Series Called: We’re the Three- Sorry, Six Caballeros!

If there was one thing that Louie absolutely hated, it was the doctors. Not just the professional person alone, not just the freezing cold office, everything associated with the medical field was just terrible. Sure, this wasn’t too much of a new revelation for any child to have this stance. But for Louie, it was a living nightmare. 

 It had been drilled into him how terrible his immune system was. How to never get messy, how the cold/flu season was almost a death sentence for him, and the slightest hint of a cough had Louie sent to the doctor’s office.  It was often teased in the family that Louie had seen the doctor more than any adult, ever. One that the green cladded duckling grew tired of quickly. 

 But if asked what part he truly hated about every experience, it was the shots. Louie was sure he could recall every prick to the skin. No matter what Huey’s ‘research’ says about forming memories at a certain age. 

 It was the same thing when the dreaded time arrived. When he was younger, Louie would cry the entire time. Leading up to, getting it, and hours afterwards, he wailed so loudly. No one was able to calm him down. As if to ensure everyone was as absolutely miserable as he was. Rising in age, Louie would attempt to pull any stunt he could to get out of the appointment. Lying, bribing, even hiding away in hopes to miss the appointment. But nothing worked. 

 The days after were just as bad as getting the darn thing. Because the ‘entry point’ would always become bruised. Black, blue, yellow and absolutely nasty looking. The arm would also become sore, almost painful to move. Eventually getting so bad that the shot would have to be injected into the duckling’s non-dominant arm. Just so he could still do something while he was recovering. 

 Nothing made the experience better. His favorite meal didn’t help. Being pampered while he was recovering didn’t help. Bribes of his favorite treats, snacks, whatever could be offered didn’t help. All were at wit’s end on how they were supposed to reach a workable solution.

 That was until José brought the situation up to his co-workers. Namely, the mother’s.

 “Have you tried distracting him?” Amanda asked over breakfast. 

 “He is already in a negative mood to really pull his attention away. Even then, he already knows where we are going. I do not know what to do.”

 “...What about video games?”

 José raised a brow. “They are a bit young…”

 “I gave my little girl a handheld video game. She loves it! And there are so many kid friendly games. I know you said Louie has a clever little mind. Very strategic. There’s a really famous game that involves battling with these little creatures.”

 José scooted closer to look at Amanda’s phone. “It is very...colorful. And a lot of little creatures.”

 “If you could, get him really involved with the game before you even put him in the car. He’ll be so focused on that game that he won’t even feel the prick.”

 José wasn’t fully sold on it. He knew it was hard to pull Louie’s attention away from items he knew to keep it on. But the parrot knew better than to toss aside help. He ran it past his partners first. Donald was a little apprehensive, but had the same thought process as José. If it was a way to help Louie, what did they have to lose? 

 It was the night before the next appointment that the present was presented. The triplets were each given their own handheld game system and a single game. Each were so thrilled to receive new toys. Discussing what each game had to offer and what they had found in the version they were playing. They went to bed a few hours later. Excitedly whispering about what they would discover the next day. 

 “Not one mention of the appointment tomorrow.” Panchito whispered cheerfully once they were safely away from the room. 

 “The big hurdle will be getting him in the car tomorrow.” Donald argued.

 The parrot gave a gentle nip to both of their necks. “Do not fret. I have an idea.”

 The morning was filled with sugary cereal and more video games. Talk and overall atmosphere dropped quickly when José walked in, keys in hand. “Alright Louie, we need to get going.”

 Louie was instantly pulled away from his game. “Going? Where are we going?”

 “You have your appointment this morning.” Huey offered helpfully.

 That caused Louie to turn a little pale, eyes widening. “...I don’t feel well.”

 José gave a smile, gently placing a hand on the duckling’s shoulders. “They it is a good thing we are going to the doctor’s office.” 

 It was the easiest time to get Louie into the car. Possibly because he knows there’s no way to break from freedom. He stares out the window, strapped into the car and heading towards his doom. 

 “So, how has your game been?” José asked.

 Louie twitched slightly at the question, looking at the electric device still in his hands. “Um...it’s fine.”

 “Can you tell me about it? It looks complicated.”

 The duckling started speaking softly at first. But eventually picked up volume and speed. José added his own questions to keep Louie going. When they arrived at the office, the nerves entered in Louie’s voice again. The parrot quickly caught this, easily picking the duckling up, continuing the conversation easily.

 Louie was caught between fear and wanting to show his skills at his new game. He realized that he felt better and far less stressed when he was talking. So he pressed on. Happily jumping onto each question that José offered him. He gripped onto the parrot’s shirt as they checked in and waited to be called back. José easily understood that Louie didn’t want to be let go. The parrot kept the conversation going. That quickly came to the halt again when Louie’s name was called out. José easily moved them back towards the room. 

 They were in the final stretch now. Louie had instantly become quiet, staring ahead as they waited for the doctor to arrive. José did what he could to pull Louie back towards the conversation, only for the silence to stretch on. Which only became worse when the doctor walked in. 

 “Good morning Louie,” The doctor said with a smile. The duckling didn’t reply. “Don’t worry, we’ll make this quick.”

 Still nothing.

 José gave a sideways glance to the doctor. Who smiled and nodded. “So Louie, your uncle here told me you got a new game! Have to say, that series is my favorite as well.” 

 “Series? It’s a series?” That pulled Louie back out. 

 “Oh yeah, the first one came out when I was 10. That version was a lot different from where it is now. Did you know that the Ghost-Type moves actually counted as physical?”

 “Wait, really, how? They’re ghosts!”

 José said nothing, just watching as Louie and the doctor interacted. It was as Louie was discussing the craziness of how the original game play was done when he was given the shot. The duckling more focused on the extreme eye roll as the craziness than what the doctor was doing. Completely ignored by the duckling. Who had now turned the talk towards his favorite type.

 “Alright, you’re good to go!” The doctor happily announced, placing a bandaid over the point. 

 “Wait, what?” Louie raised his arm before looking at José.

 “Just remember to move your arms around. It will help!” the doctor continued on, “Make sure to set up your next appointment before you leave.”

 Louie was still quietly looking up at José with awe as they left. Making no noise until they were on the road. “How did you do that?”

 The parrot smiled. “Painful things become less so when you are not focused on it. And you tend to overly focus on things you do not like. We thought talking about something you really like will help you not panic. How does your arm feel?”

 Louie instantly beamed. “It feels great!”

#donald duck #josé carioca #panchito pistoles #jose carioca/donald duck/panchito pistoles #The Three Caballeros #the three gay caballeros #s-creations #fanfiction #i almost forgot to post this today

[inquisitive-mess]

Kin to A Beast with A Human Heart

Featuring Will Parr and mention of Juan Trastámara by @weirdbutdecentart100

Monster AU created by @spooner7308

T/W: Hints of Past Abuse and Imply Self-Harm

It was a clear starry night at a park on outskirts of London. A young man was walking through carrying two plastic bags with him on each hand. This has been his daily routine for the last two week when he get off of work. Will had a lot things in his mind due to recent events that happen to him and trying to handle it as anyone in this kind of situation as best as they can. He soon arrived at the bench he been sitting at in those weeks, which was well lit due to the street lantern shining from above and large bush behind it. Normally this isn't great idea for anyone who was outside all alone this late at night to sit somewhere that was easy for anything to happen, but he already knew there wasn't anything worse then what he had been dealing with.

Will place the bags on the bench, unpack one of them, pull out well packed item in paper, and place it at the edge of the bench. He then sat down little further from the package, place other bag on his lap to unpack it, and pull out a bottle drink and a wrapped sandwich. He place his drink next to him, took the wrapper off the sandwich, and start eating it. He take in the silence surrounding him to clear his mind and recollect his thoughts. Of course that ended when he heard little ruckus from the bush behind him which cause him to stop briefly. He already knew the cause of it and seeing that the package was gone when he only moving his head slightly confirmed it. It was Ann, his younger recent new manticore sister.

Will didn't know what going on or how it was happen, but all he know was after seeing Juan as a gargoyle, he try calling Ann to see if she was okay. After multiple attempts of no response, he went to her home and work to see she was there with no luck. He spent two days looking for her all over the city and found no clue on where she was. He started to think the worst may have happen and have lost her forever. This is when he decided to sit on large rock in local small park and look up at the sky trying to clear his mind. He soon saw a large figures flying over him from a distance and him being curious on what it was decided to follow hoping it would lead him to some answers. He follow figure until he end up in a open field far from the city where he lost it. He look around to see if he can find it, but he saw nothing until he heard something close by. He slowly walk to the source and saw what it was.

A large feline creature laying on the grass with their eyes closed and ears listening to sound surrounding it. This of course scared him and he started to step back quietly, so he doesn't alarm it. As he was withdrawing, he accidentally tripped on a raised tree root from a nearby stump, which cause him to fall and made a sound. This alert the creature as Will watch it got up on their feet, turn toward him revealing their piercing green eyes, and was walking to him. Will was freaking out and try to get up, but his ankle stung a bit. When the creature got close to Will, it open their mouth showing him it fangs and Will knew it was over for him. He closed his eyes and wait for the attack to end his life, but it didn't come. He heard a sad moan, which cause him open his eyes, saw the creature had stop near him, was in tears, and shivering. He was confused by this and didn't know what was going on until he noticed it was scared. Out of instinct, he raised one of his arms and try to pet it, but it took a step back when his arm got close to it and tense up even more. Will then took a good look the creature and realized that this was Ann.

After learning this, Will try talking to her, but she didn't reply back. He soon discovered that she can't talk anymore after asking some yes and no questions. He even asked what cause it, but Ann looked down to the ground while she shake a bit and Will learn that this may a sensitive subject to her, so he didn't push it further. Since then he try to get use to Ann new form, but was having some differences. He know she still the same person and hasn't done anything to change that, but he can't get over the fact that she was this dangerous being and could attack or kill him. He witness how she ate her food first time he brought her some, which he though it was cute at first when she got in a certain position and was pretending to stalk it before the horror came when he saw her attack it and shallow it whole leaving nothing behind. He almost dealt with a random needle hitting him when he accidentally surprised her. Luckily, Ann was able to use her tail to move him before the needle touch him. Ann felt bad after this incident and Will learn why Ann was always hesitate whenever he gets to pet her. Will took these things into consideration and thought he was able to overcome this, until a few days ago where Ann stop showing herself and stay hidden in the bush throughout the visits. He didn't know why she was doing this and it was bothering him. He want this to stop and would like to know what's on Ann mind, so he can finally understand her and be a good brother to her. Will plan to talk to Ann to tell her how he feels and maybe learn the reason behind her evasion.

What Will didn't know is that Ann had been able sense his emotion ever since their first meeting. She knows whenever he felt stressed, scared, worried, and happy. She can tell Will was trying accepting this and understanding it, but Ann know what Will really want and she can't do that. As soon she ate her first meal with Will and saw the look of horror on his eyes, she knew the truth. She then try to be careful around him, so she gives him time to get use to it, but after the needle incident, she knew how impossible it would be. This is why she start to be distant with Will. She doesn't want him to worry about her, become a burden to him, and be force accepting this. She also knows that Will on the verge of fearing her and would leave her completely. All would it take is for him see Ann do something that would endanger his life or him to realize that Ann isn't there anymore. What doesn't help either is that she have this whisper that keeps on telling her on how Will fear her, how she was this horrible person, and how Will would be glad to leave her.

Will finish his sandwich and took a sip of his drink. He knew it was time for him to talk to Ann, so he got up, threw his trash away, walk around the bench to the large bush Ann was hiding, and said calmly " Ann, can you come out of there please? We need to talk." After few minutes pass by, Ann emerge from the bush with a light gray sleeveless sweatshirt and stand in front of Will. Ann's eyes were not looking at Will and she was shaking a little. She had a feeling that today was the day Will is going to tell her that he doesn't want nothing do with her and abandon her, like what she fear would happen. Will notice Ann wasn't looking at him and ask her " Please Ann, this is very important what I'm going to tell you." Ann moved her eyes to look at Will, which made her more nervous because she wasn't ready for this. The whisper soon begin, " Looks like he done dealing with you. Maybe if you were normal and not this horrible person, maybe he won't throw you away." Ann try to ignore it, but knew they were speaking the truth. Will clear his throat and try to overcome his nerves on talking to Ann. Ann sense Will currently mood, which proved that this was it. It's going to happen. " Times up for you. Say goodbye to first people who care for you. You nuisance." The whisper was telling her, which started to affect her now and trembling badly. Will finally said " Ann, there something I have to..." This is when he saw Ann stressing out and went up to her. Will place his hand on her shoulder and ask " What's wrong Ann? Are you okay?" Ann wasn't able to hear Will due the whisper drowning his words " I guess I was right. You truly are worthless piece of....." Before whisper could finish, Ann yell "Shut up" not realizing that she said it out loud, which resulted her letting out a mighty roar.

This scary the crap out Will, which cause him to withdraw his hand from Ann and made him falling onto ground landing on his butt. Once Ann got done yelling, she closed her mouth and didn't hear the whisper anymore. She was relieved about it, until she sense uneasy emotion coming from Will that cause her to look at him and her heart sank. What she saw wasn't her brother, but a frightened person who had fear in their eyes. Someone who fear for their life and saw her as not a person, but a monster. After seeing this, Ann turn away from Will and knew what she had do. She need to stay away from Will to free him from this burden and lock herself somewhere she can't scare or hurt anyone anymore. She looked at Will one last time with sadness before running away from him, spread her wings out, and flew away from the area.

Will only can watch as she saw his sister with regret and sadness in her eyes before flying away to the unknown. After he recovered from shock, he tighten one of his fist and slam it to the ground. This wasn't part of the plan and he was beating himself for it. He hate how he just stand there like an idiot for letting Ann run away knowing something was wrong with her and didn't mean to roar at him. He need to find her and help her with she is dealing with like how big brother suppose to do. He failed her once in his life and doesn't want to lose her again, so he got up from the ground, head to where she ran, and start looking for her. He didn't know where she would be, but he had a feel that she would head somewhere she feels safe.

Ann soon land in the backyard of her house. She was lucky that she bought a house a little away from the city and had large yard. It would be hard to explain that a manticore was roaming around the area. She head to her house and went through the custom window she had build for herself that led into the basement. Once she was inside her basement, her eyes adjusted to darkness and walk up the stair that leads into the sitting room with a lot in her mind. She blame herself for what happen and ruin the relationship she had with her brother. She walk past boxes and stacks of books on the table she though would help her ease Will, but looks it will go to vein. She then head up another flight of stairs and went to her room to hide. Her room was bare as it could be. It only had a bed, bedside table, chest of drawers, and a bookcase. She wasn't the kind person who had a lot of stuff due to past experiences on how she was raised in current time. She walk up to her bedside table and look at the picture frame that was on it. It was a picture of her and Will at her graduation. This was one of the best days and one of the happiest memories she had. She soon started crying as she stare at it because it hurts her so bad knowing nothing changed. She thought her life was going to get better and be able to enjoy her new life, but her past mistakes mess things up for her and transform her to who she truly was.

The whisper soon returned " You know this was bound to happen. Once he saw how horrible of a person you are, he was going to abandon and hate you. Just like others had and matter of time until you be all alone again and be forgotten. Like you supposed to be." Ann didn't even fight it and let it sink in, because it was the truth. The whisper continues " And what makes it worse is that you play Will along making him think he still has his little sister, but the fact is she's gone and only the monster exist. They don't call manticore 'man-eaters' for nothing. I won't got past you if had thoughts on eating him, since that's what they do. Lie and kill people." Ann blood ran cold when she heard this and questioned herself. Would she done that? Would she go that far to kill and eat Will like he was another meal to her? Is she that horrible of a person? All this thoughts were hurting her deeply that it cause her to bump the table as she turn around knocking the picture frame off the table on to the ground and crack the glass on it. Once she realized what happen and done, she head to nearby corner, sat down on the ground, curled herself up as she closed her eyes, and let herself get swallow in her own sorrow and pain of being alone again.

Will soon arrive he thinks Ann would be at, since he knows there wasn't many places she would go to. He walk up to the door to her house and knock on it hoping she would answer. When she didn't, he sigh and should of known better she wouldn't answer. It wasn't going to be that easy. He decide to walk around her house and hope he can find a way to get inside. He discovered a little large window close to the ground that was slightly open and went to it. After some close inspection on the window it, he concluded that this must be how Ann gets in and out of the house and proved that she was here. He decide to go through it, so he open the door to the window and slide inside as he held it. Once inside, he turn on his light on his phone, saw he was at the basement, and head up the stair to the sitting room to see if Ann was there. He looked around and didn't see her, but something caught his eyes on the table. He walk to the it, pick up the books on it, and notice some of the titles on it. Like 'Mythical and Fantasy Creatures' with bookmark on manticore, 'Human Behavior', and 'Animal Anatomy'. He was confused by these books, put them back on the table, and head to another room. As he walk in each room using light on his phone, he notices boxes with a weird cloth that cover something, sharp metal tools, and some rope, saw broken metal pieces on the floor in the dining room, and scratches and dents on the walls in a hallway. This made him wonder what Ann was doing and what's really going on here.

He soon found the other flight of stairs and walk up it knowing that there wasn't many places left to check. As he walking on the top level of the house, he heard a faint noise coming from a certain room coming up and head to it with caution. He soon got to the room, slowly open the door, walk inside it, and used his light look around. He notice how little stuff was in this room and made him remember how Ann used to be when they first met. He always want to ask Ann about her time here with her new life, but decide to wait until she was ready to tell him about it. He only knew what he saw and heard from the former owner of the shop that Ann owns now, which was little. He soon saw a frame on the floor, which Will walk to, pick it up, and saw it was cracked a little, but still could see the picture of him and Ann. This made him smile a little when he saw this because it made him glad that he was there for her. He then place it back on the table facing up and was ready look around more when he heard a familiar moan nearby that cause him to turn to the noise and found the person he was looking for in a corner all curled up, looking sad, and using her wings and tail to cover her body.

This hurt Will when he saw Ann like this because she look like one of those cage animals who looks so helpless and accepted their fate. He though to himself as he walking to her " Ann...." He slowly try to comfort her by putting his hand on her, but Ann's ears moved when she heard Will approaching and needles spout out all over her, which he avoid touching by pulling back in time. Ann's needles soon retract back into her body, steadily open one of her eyes to see who was here, and saw it was Will. If Ann was in the right state in mind, she would have been trilled to see Will, since it would show her that he did care for her. But as it stands now, this only Ann feel worse knowing that she only endanger Will the longer she interacts with him. Ann moved her eyes to look at the ground and thought to herself " Please leave, Will. You don't deserve to get more hurt than you already have. I don't want to continue burdening you." Will notice Ann looking at him before turning her eyes to the ground and could see the grief she was. This was killing him, since he couldn't understand Ann and didn't know what was going on. He though to himself "If only there was a way to cheer her up a little, so I can learn what is going on with her." Then he had idea what he can do and got started on it.

He headed out the room, which Ann heard and though he finally left, until he came back a few minutes later. He sat down in good distance across from her as he crossed his legs, place Vincent on his lap, scrolled through something on his phone, until he found it, and tap on it. Ann's ears perk up when heard this and made her cry a little in a good way. This was a song from the musical Will took her on the night of her graduation, which was a surprised for her and was her first musical. Will saw Ann's reaction and they both continue to listen to it. After the song was done, Will turn his phone off and started talking " Do you want know something, Ann? I wasn't interested on going to see that show, but after seeing you at the shop and how you looked so defeated, I knew I had to do something. I know how it feels to be so alone, especially when we got reincarnated to a new time and how life can beat you up time to time." He looked at Ann and told her " I may not know what happen to you during your time here up to our meeting and why you transform into what you are now, but I'm sorry that I haven't been a good brother to you. I know in the past, we weren't really in good term per say, but when I met you again in the current time, I knew this was my chance to do that. I though I was doing a good job, since I already know what you been through in the past. But when I saw you in your new form, I though I failed you due to how scare you were when I saw you. " Will took a deep breath, pick up Vincent to place him little closer to Ann, and continue "I been trying best to accept this, which has been a little hard to tell you the truth. At first, I couldn't look pass the being you become due to how easy for you to kill something and threatening you got thanks to additional feature you gained, which scared me a bit. But overtime, it became more easier to do, since I know you were same person despite all that. I felt like I was able to do this, then you started to put some distance between us and I didn't know why, which made me think I did something wrong, like not accepting you soon or did something to hate me. That what I want to ask you when we were at the park. I would like to know if it was something I do to fix this and a way for me to do that."

Once Will was done talking, Ann took in everything he had said and felt what he was feeling. This hurt her knowing that he blame himself for being a bad brother and thinking it was his fault why she been acting like this. Ann need to tell him the truth, so he knows what was really going on. So she got up on her feet, grab Vincent by her mouth, and carry him as she walk out of the room to head to another room. Will got curious on what she was doing, so he got up and follow her after her. When he got the room where Ann was, she already had keyboard in front her, Vincent right beside her, and monitor behind her on the computer desk turn on. Will look confuse by this and wondering what Ann planning, until he saw her move tail and begin typing with it on the keyboard, which cause him to look at the monitor and saw the words appearing on the screen. This surprise him because he didn't think he would finally have a way to communicate with her and how creative she was to figure this out. He focus back to the screen and begin reading what she wrote.

" Will, I don't blame you for anything. You did nothing wrong and been a great big brother to me. You did a lot for me and I appreciate for all you done." Will smiled a bit as he read this and Ann continue " You been patience with me and help me out in ways you can't imagine. I wish I was a good sibling to you like you been for me and be able to pay you back for it, but I know that not going to happen.." Ann tighten her paws a little and wrote " Thanks to what I have become revealing who I truly am and how I cause nothing, but pain and trouble to people." Will was shock when he saw this and didn't know why Ann though this. Ann started to shake a little and resume " I been able to sense your feeling ever since our first meeting due to new instincts I developed, so I could tell what mood you were in. I knew how scare and angry you were when you first saw me, what you felt when we had our first meal together, when my needle almost hit you, and the fear you had when I roar at you." Ann look at Will in the eyes with sadness and typed " I'm so sorry Will. I'm sorry that transform to this creature and not your human sister anymore. I try really hard to act normal around you to give you time to get use to my new form, because I knew you were scared of me and I know that what you wanted. That why I try to teach myself eat with utensil again, but I kept on breaking them by biting them off or in half with my paws. Then I try walking on two legs, but I fell every time and hurt myself doing so. I even try read books to help me out, but that didn't work either. I also wanted you to be more safe around me and was ready to do something for that." Ann start to tear up and went on writing " After the needle incident, I knew I what had to do, so that when I started to be distance with you. I didn't want to burden you anymore or think you have to accept this because we're family. I wanted you to enjoy your new life and fulfill your dream on being a songwriter, like you plan to be and told me. What happen earlier proved to me what you truly want and how I won't ever be that sister you see. Just a monster in your eyes" When she was done, she push the keyboard away from her showing she finish talking, look down, grab Vincent with her paw closer to her hugging it on her side, and wait for Will see the truth, so he can leave her. Like she knew would happen.

Will just stand there reading this and couldn't believe what he had just read. Is this how Ann saw things every time they were together? What she though he wanted due to it? How she thinks he saw her as nothing, but this ferocious monster? This hurt him deeply knowing Ann felt like this way and what she was going through just for him. What made him curious on what she meant by wanted to be more safer around him, until he remember the boxes with stuff inside them. He list the items in them in his head and wonder how would that help. Then he though about the books and how one was about manticore and the other about anatomy. After some thinking, he finally realize what she meant and it horrified him completely. In fact, it downright killing him inside finding out how far she was willing to go just to satisfy him and making sure she doesn't hurt him anymore. His hands started to shaking thinking about it and he rush to her.

He grab one of her shoulder, which result her freaking out, having a needle shooting out of her, and him getting hit by it directly, but he didn't care about that. He look at her dead in the eye and told her in serious tone " Listen to me very well, Ann. I don't blame you for what happen and how you turn into what you are now. I would still care for you and love you no matter what. I don't want you to ever think that I would wanted you to harm yourself just make me happy. It's true that there were times I wish things were back to what it use to be, but I rather deal with a large cat who scare me a little than losing you again." He started to feel the numbness running through this body and spoke some more " I'm sorry that I haven't been telling you personally how I feel, rather you guessing what they were. I don't see you as a monster at all, nor I will never will. As I say earlier, I already know you're the same person and the fact that you care so much about my safely and willing to push yourself to the point where you hurt yourself proved that you are still that same person I remember and love to call my sister." The numbness soon took over his body, knock him out, and begin to fall to the ground, but Ann was able to catch him with his paws and gently place him on the ground. Ann smile in her head and though to herself when she heard what had said "Thank you, Will. I need to hear that" Ann took the needle out of Will, which she got rid of, lay down near Will as she rest her head on her paws and begin humming a familiar tune as she wait for paralysis to wear out. She was very glad to have someone like him here to help her with her thoughts and very proud to call him brother.

What Ann didn't know was that as Will was knock out, he was able heard Ann's humming and it reach into his dream, which cause it become something light and heartwarming. His dream involved him and Ann in her manticore form on a open field, where he was comforting her by petting her to make her feel relaxed. He plan to do this once he wakes up, so she would feel better about herself and to show her how much he is happy to have a sister like her, despite being human or not, which didn't bother him one bit. Not any more.

#six the musical #sixtended verse #six monster au #monster au #Ann Parr #Manticore!Ann #manticore #Monster!Ann #Will Parr

[madamwinchester67]

A Life With You Part 2

Hi Everyone. I just wanted to say that I’m so sorry it took me so long to update this story. I was busy taking care of my sick mother who just passed away September 1st 😭. I hope that i can continue to update this story more frequently, but if i’m being honest, i’m winging it as I go. But feedback will deff motivate me to figure out where this story is going 🥰 Thank u to those who like it so far and without further ado, here’s Part 2. 😘 (ha! that rhymed! 😉) *sorry for any mistakes*

Growing up, you were never the one guys went after. You were never flirted with, you were never asked out on dates and you were never one to be looked at twice. You were basically invisible... until you met Dean Winchester. Maybe it was because he doesn’t judge or because he felt bad for you, either way, Dean Winchester seemed to understand you and made you feel “seen”. He listened when you spoke, gave advice when he could and made you feel wanted.

Maybe that’s why you let yourself think that Dean had feelings for you. No one had ever made an effort to care about you or make you smile like he did. No one had ever gone out of their way to make sure you felt comfortable. No one had ever made you feel loved before. Sure, Sam, Cas & Jack all care about you, but none of them treated you like Dean has so you knew they loved you like family but Dean? That was a different kind of love, or so you convinced yourself....and boy, were you wrong.

So now, here you are, in a grocery store, with a cart full of junk you just threw in there, tears in your eyes, sadness in your heart and questions on your mind.

“How do I go back to how things were? How do I act like Dean didn’t just rip my heart out of my chest? How am I going to react when I see him flirt with random women now that my feelings for him are out in the open? Even worse, how will I react when he goes off to fuck some bar skank?”

That last thought brought a fresh new batch of tears rolling down your cheeks.

“What have I gotten myself into?”

You shake your head, wipe the tears and continue with your shopping, in zombie-mode, while you try to figure out how to fix the mess you created.

Back at the Bunker, Dean goes back into the library and he’s antsy. He can’t stop thinking about you and the look on your face when he told you he doesn’t feel the same way. He can’t stop thinking about you crying inside Baby. He needs to get out... He needs to clear his head.... He needs to hunt!

He immediately opens his laptop and begins looking for a case. It doesn’t matter what kind or how dangerous it is, he needs to kill something... he needs to get rid of the guilt that’s suffocating him. You’re his best friend, the person he can confide in, the best person he knows, and now he hurt you. He was always the one defending you and protecting you from those that hurt you, he never in a million years thought he would be the one you need protecting from. It took a couple of hours but he was able to find a Salt and Burn in nearby Junction City. He bolts to his room and packs the necessary weapons he needs and once he’s done, he paces, waiting for you to return with Baby.

An hour has passed and you finally return. Your eyes are puffy and your nose is stuffy from all the crying. You know you told Dean that you were cool but now that you’ve had a few hours to think about it, you don’t have the slightest clue as to how you’re going to act around him. I mean, before you opened your mouth and said anything about your feelings, you suffered in silence everytime he went off with some bimbo for the night. You never said anything and never showed how you felt because you had no right. He had no idea how you felt but hopefully, fingers crossed, he’ll be more discreet so he doesn’t hurt you any further. The more you think about everything, the more your head hurts. You still havent recovered from your slight hangover and now the added stress of “the situation” is giving you a migraine. You need a nap.

You put the groceries and first aid items away and you go to your room, which happens to be 2 doors down from Dean’s. The moment the door closes behind you, you throw yourself face first into your bed and try to fall asleep, which, surprisingly, happens within 2 minutes.

The moment Dean hears her door close, he waits 5 minutes before sneaking out of his room. He hops into Baby and speeds out of the garage to, hopefully, relieve the immense guilt he feels.

By the time he arrives in Junction City, the salt and burn was already taken care of, much to Dean’s dismay. Since he drove all the way there for no case, he figured a stop in the local bar was called for.

He walks into the bar and almost immediately someone calls out his name. “Dean!”

Dean looks to his left and spots Garth in the corner, waving a beer in the air.

“Dean! Over here!”

Dean walks over and greets him. “Hey, Garth. What brings you around?”

“Oh, you know, a salt and burn. You?”

“That was you?! Damn, I really needed that hunt.”

A waitress comes over and takes Dean’s order of a beer and 2 shots of whiskey, neat.

“What’s wrong?” asks Garth.

Dean sighs heavily and tells him what happened between the two of you.

“Huh.”

“What?” asks Dean.

“Nothing, just, I always thought you two would get together at some point.”

Dean chokes on his beer. “Wh-what? What do you mean? We’re just friends.”

“Well, yeah, but I mean, you two are practically attached at the hip. You know each other inside and out and you argue like a married couple, so I just assumed it was a matter of time before you two made it official.”

“We’re just friends” repeats Dean, in an almost rehearsed way.

“Well, if she confessed her feelings for you, I’m pretty sure she did it because she thought you felt the same way. If you’re just friends, then what gave her the impression you had feelings for her when you don’t?” asked Garth.

“I...”

“That’s a good question” thought Dean.

Garth gets up to use the bathroom while Dean sits at the table, thinking.... until it finally hit him! Everything he does for you, the coffees, the forehead kisses, the lingering touches, carrying you to bed when you fall asleep in Baby, everything he does for you has been giving you false hope. He’s been leading you on without even realizing it and he can’t believe he had to break your heart to realize the damage he’s been doing to you. He’s sick to his stomach. How could he have been so blind?! Of course you would think he has feelings for you when he was treating you like a girlfriend.

If he thought the guilt was bad before, its nothing compared to now. At least now, he understands the guilt. He walks up to the bar and order more shots of whiskey and tells the bartender to “keep ‘em coming”.

About 4 shots in, a beautiful, busty brunette makes her way over to Dean.

“If its a distraction you need, sugar, all you have to do is ask” she says as she downs one of his shots.

Dean takes one look at her, downs his last shot and leaves the bar with her. He knows going home with the brunette isn’t going to solve anything, but he’s clearly not thinking straight and decides to just “go with the flow”.

The next morning, or rather, early afternoon, you wake up with puffy eyes and a headache. You rub your eyes and take a nice deep inhale and exhale. You’ve had the night to sleep on it and you have come to a conclusion. You decided that your friendship with Dean was way too important to you and something you refuse to lose. So, starting today, you’re going to put your feelings for him aside and be his friend. You now know that his nice gestures were simply that.... nice gestures. They didn’t mean what you thought they meant and maybe if you act like everything is fine, then it will be. You got up and used the bathroom. You made sure to wash your face and tried to get rid those puffy eyes. When you thought you looked semi-presentable, you went out to the kitchen, where you found Sam.

“Morning, Sammy. How was the hunt? How are Jody and the girls doing?”

“Morning, Munchkin.” says Sam as he gets up and gives her a bear hug.

“The hunt was good. Easy vamp nest. Jody and the girls are good, they say “hi” and that they miss you”

“Aww. I miss them too! I’m going to have to go visit them soon.”

As you make your way over to the coffee pot, Sam is looking at you. Even though you’re trying to act as if your heart wasn’t broken, Sam could tell something happened while he was gone because when he got home, the impala wasn’t in the garage and it looks like you have been crying. Sam adores you and sees you as a little sister so if someone hurt you, he’d do anything to protect you.

“Where’s Dean?”

You look at him confused. “Dean’s not here?”

“No. The impala’s not in the garage.” says Sam as he gauges your reaction.

As soon as Sam said that Baby wasn’t in the garage, you immediately felt sick to your stomach.

All you can think is, “I drove him away. Literally. My confession made him so uncomfortable he couldn’t stand to be under the same roof as me. I ruined it. I ruined our friendship. I ruined everything!”

As you’re thinking, your eyes begin to water. You don’t realize it until Sam calls your name.

“Munchkin, are you ok?”

You realize you were staring off into space, so you look at him and will your tears not to fall down your face.

“Y-yeah, I-“

Suddenly, the Bunker door loudly opens and Dean’s footsteps can be heard coming down the stairs. You immediately stiffen and freeze, something Sam doesn’t miss.

Dean walks into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water but stops as soon as he sees you and Sam.

Acting as if nothing’s wrong he says, “Hey Sammy”. He looks at you, swallows hard and says, “Hey, Y/N”.

Those tears you were so desperately trying to keep at bay begin to fall down your face like a waterfall. Dean, almost forgetting what happened the day before, tries to comfort you but you just walk right past him and go straight to your room.

“What happened, Dean?”

Dean is at a loss. He simply shrugs his shoulders and walks past Sam and goes to his room as well.

Once in his room, he takes off his jacket and flannel and goes over to his sink and splashes water over his face. When he looks in the mirror his heart nearly stops, because right there, on the left side of his neck, clear as day, is the hickey the brunette from the night before left on him. He has to take a step back he’s so shocked!

No wonder you left the kitchen with tears cascading down your face. Not only did he reject your feelings and sneak out without you hearing or noticing, but you probably think he purposefully went looking to sleep with anyone that wasn’t you just so he could get your confession out of his head.

If your heart was broken before, it’s shattered into sand now and its all his fault. Tears well up in his eyes and they slowly start to fall down his face as he asks himself, “What have I done?”

@hobby27

@sacrosankta

@22sarah08

@alurits

@multi-fan-lover

#supernatural fanfiction #supernatural #dean winchester x you #dean winchester fic #dean winchester x reader #angst #baby #dean winchester #unrequited love #sam winchester

[dj-yukio]

I found an unfinished fic from almost two years ago wtf

since I’m never finishing it (I didn’t even know it existed until know like wth), I’ll just put it up here

Chain reaction

The first thought she had after colliding headfirst into the floor was ‘Ow!’

The second thought she had was the numerous situations that had led to them crashing into the ground, complete with curses that just ran through her mind as she rubbed her head.

Really, it had all started when those two lapis lazulis first came to Earth.

Of course, that by itself hadn’t raised any eyebrows. Even after narrowly escaping the end of the world caused by an angry spinel that nearly killed them (and almost caused Peridot to lose her character development, not that she wouldn’t have gained it back, but still) , the Earth remained a great vacation place for home world gems looking to escape the stress of work, especially after Steven had made the diamonds lax most of the rules and regulations and laws and whatnot that had been in place for era 1 and era 2. It wasn’t even when those two looked at her Lapis-the crystal gem Lapis(she didn’t mean it the possessive way, Peridot swore, she meant it in the ‘I recognise this particular lapis’ way, but now that the thought had surfaced it was staying at the back of Lapis’ mind even though she didn’t quite mind the distinction now), promptly recognised her, and then proceeded to have to reintroduce themselves to her before becoming fast friends with their Lapis.

No, it was only when they briefly looked at Peridot with contempt before being all smiles that Peridot had considered the small possibility that maybe, just maybe, they weren’t as nice as they seemed.

And thankfully, Lapis had listened. Sure, she had been a little offended at the thought that her friends —two lapis lazulis who she had been able to relate to, joke around with inside jokes from a thousand years—would potentially harm them, she hadn’t thrown a fit, instead figuring that Peridot had a point given what happened with Navy (oh that Ruby still made her mad, but she had been right then, so who was to say that it wouldn’t happen now? Although, given that this was era 3 and not era 2... but still a valid scenario.

(It wasn’t that Peridot was worried, haha, but seriously she had yet to recover from the whole trauma of seeing her barnmate uproot everything she had known and loved since coming to Earth out of said Earth, aside from Pumpkin, and then proceeded to fly away with the barn out of the atmosphere. Sure, Lapis had apologised, profusely if she may add, Peridot had forgiven, and both understood where the other was coming from, but such a thing wasn’t something that one just forgets, like keys. The last thing the green gem needed was to find out that Lapis had left again, even though both gems knew it was never happening, but fear was an irrational, irrational thing, so it had of course seemed like a threat that she shouldn’t have even considered)

So as a compromise, they had agreed at first to get Steven to come along with them, before settling for Connie when he couldn’t make it for at least ten different reasons.

(“Wow, thanks guys. Feeling real appreciated here.”

“Yeah, you should feel appreciated!”

For some reason, Lapis felt like Connie was only smiling out of pure politeness for Peridot at that moment.)

Which had then led to the Crystal Temps being formed once again.

“Ok! Okay we’re listening, just don’t hurt her!”

Or at least, it would have been a tactical retreat.

Only, Lapis had frozen up at the sight of Malachite 2.0.

Her eyes had widened, and she was shaking as she stared up at the three gem fusion.

And in that moment, as Peridot pushed Lapis out of the way of a punch that would have poofed , maybe even shattered the terrified gem, Lapis wrapped her arms around the other gem to pull her along from the blast radius with their given momentum. It wasn’t really anything intentional, just something she had done out of instinct as all Lapis could see was her small, brave and for once (it better have been only this once) incredibly reckless barnmate before her eyes as they got out of the damage radius.

And in that instant, Lapis could have sworn that she saw a green light flash before her eyes before they fell face flat on the ground.

Which was now why they were rubbing their head from the impact.

“Lapis! Peridot!” Connie’s cries were what got them out of their stupor, the dust cloud making it hard to see through. It was odd, how the dust didn’t get into Lapis’ eyes, and why their surroundings suddenly seemed like it had a tint of cyan instead of yellow.

With a jolt, she lifted her hand to her face, before stopping as she felt something hard covering her eyes. With a flick, it gave out a small thud, and she concluded that she had visors. That wasn’t weird, because Peridot always wore visors. Or was it weird that Lapis had visors on now of all times? She didn’t know why there was something different with her now, but it wasn’t like it was a horrible difference. Just... different. A good different, even. She enjoyed being like this.

And then she remembered about the other gem. Peridot, who had pushed her out of the way. Lapis, who she had pushed out of the way. Both were nowhere to be found.

So she did the only thing conceivable at that moment and called out for the other.

“Lapis? Peridot?”

Her voice quaked as all four of her hands touched her face, and suddenly, finally she understood.

“We fused!”

Then the shock settled in, and two distinct voices rang out, one out of horror and the other out of genuine surprise.

“I fused?!”

“Nevermind that! Run!”

A hand grabbed onto one of her own, and before she knew it, she was being pulled along, barely avoiding another dust storm as Malachite trailed close behind.

Maybe it was because of the sudden stress, or the clear presence of a gem who wanted nothing more than to shatter them, but as they watched the shield start to splinter, the more logical side of her mind took over and started to compartmentalise her thoughts and organise her priorities. There would be a time for both of them to address this entire fusion issue. There would be a time for her to freak out over the sheer insanity of what had just happened and process it properly.

That time was not now.

Step 1: save Connie. Step 2: Escape!

With her now more one track mind, the fusion pushed aside her current concerns as the dust cleared, grabbing onto Connie by the waist and turning tail just as the giant fist smashed though the pink barrier keeping them alive, barely avoiding the blast while her other two arms and feet made a mad dash out of the area, resembling something like an frightened cat, pounding on the ground in a mad canter while holding Connie off the ground above her head. With water wings coming out of her back, her hands and feet gave the ground a hard push as they achieved lift off out of the canyon.

“Ok, so what’s step 3?”

“What step 3?”

“Of course Malachite could fly. She’s got the abilities of two lapis’.

“She’s chasing us she’s chasing us! What do we do now?!”

“I’m Dioptase, nice to meet you.” She shook it hard before letting go. “Now let’s get out of here before we all shatter—!”

“YOU!”

“Eeek!”

Dioptase felt a terror like never before from both of her constituent gems, resolving to fly faster. Ironically, with both of them panicking over the same thing, it helped her put things into perspective. So, Malachite was going to get her. Alright, fine, if it meant Connie would be fine. Wait, that’s not fine, she didn’t want to be captured. She slapped a hand to her face as she tried to sort out her thoughts.

Then Connie pointed at the ground.

“Land there!”

She looked down at where he had pointed at, only to look back at him with a bewildered face.

“In the recycling centre?!”

Whatever metallic item she could control merely pelted against Malachite, like raindrops on a window in a light shower. Insufficient to make a breakthrough.

“This is it. I’m gonna die here, and I haven’t even existed for twenty minutes!”

Dioptase closed her eyes, turning away from her aggressor as all four arms gripped her head.

But the impact never came.

Instead, a thud rang out. Followed by a grunt as something seemed to have pushed Malachite back.

With one hand frantically moving about her body, the fusion could still feel her form, which meant that they hadn’t shattered after all. A dark shadow looked over them, like something bigger than Malachite had blocked out the sun momentarily from her.

Connie answered the question in her head first as she peeked an eye open.

“Gasp...! Giant metal hands!”

“Holy smokes! I’ve got giant metal arms?!”

“Rargh! You cowards!

The metallic arms moved in response as she waved them around, fluid like water and yet maintaining the same strength as metal. Sparks flew as both hands clapped together in response to the gem clasping her hands together in excitement.

Dioptase could kiss Peridot and Lapis in gratitude.

“BUT I DON’T KNOW WHAT I’M DOING??”

“Oh, and I’m sure you’re hurting her as well! I’m the only one that can handle you, Lapis!”

All she knew that she wanted was for Jasper to leave.

And with a quick swipe, she slapped the giant fusion with a metallic hand, the other forming a fist as she pulled it back.

“Leave us alone!”

The next thing they knew, a cry rang out after Dioptase punched Malachite from the ground, sending the other fusion flying in a bright spark somewhere far away.

“How did you know that that would work though? Like,” Dioptase gestured at the walls of the recycling centre, some of which had been torn apart and was part of the giant metal puddle on the ground, “that. I didn’t even know what we were doing! Well, I did, but you get the idea.”

——————————————————————————————————

Cut out parts

“And finally, authority.” Jasper gestured to herself. “Power and intelligence means nothing if you can’t control your subordinates. I can do it, play the bad guy each time someone steps out of line. Order needs to be maintained by those with authority. That’s how society works, for every gem to have a purpose. What’s the use of a purposeless gem?”

“We could shape home world into a society of what we want. We’ll be respected and have our statuses back. We’ll be the ones making the rules, conquering the planets. We can even leave this rock alone.”

“I know. But you’re also weak in another way.”

Steven held out his arm, ready to raise his shield against them. All he got was a mere grunt before Jasper grinned sinisterly.

“Your organic body. Get her.”

Within a second of that order, Lazuli clenched her fist, and Steven’s arms dropped to the side as he squirmed, the blood flow in his body suddenly slowing so much such that it was keeping him barely alive without completely killing him.

“I only ask that you listen to me.”

“Uh-uh. Run, and he gets it. Really, it’d be better for all of us if you just listen.”

A hand grasped Lapis’, who looked down to see Peridot holding onto her arm as if to calm her down. With new found confidence, she glared at the quartz, ready to face her down if it meant Steven’s life. “What do you want, Jasper? If it’s about Mala-“

The perfect quartz held out her hand, stopping Lapis from continuing. “Hmph. I’m not talking about that.” Jasper spread her arms out, as if she was welcoming old friends rather than enemies. A big smile on her face that seemed friendly, if not for the horns on her head or the fact that Steven was currently being trapped by their supposed friends. “Well, maybe, but that’s not the main point. I’ve come to invite you to join me. Yes,” she continued, seeing the stupefied face on the smaller gem’s face, “even you, Peridot.”

“You see, the diamonds that were in power. We had armies, we had everything. We could have conquered the galaxy, and do you know what happened?”

“Our gem society is lawless now! There’s a power gap that’s dividing all of us! There’s no-no purpose for us to exist anymore. And it’s all because of him!”

“But I’ve come to realise something. If you want to make a change, you’ve got to lead. And to lead, you need three things.”

“Oh yeah, you-you clod?!”

“Firstly, you need power.” She gestured at the three lapis lazulis standing before her. “Don’t you ever wonder why so few of you are made? It’s because the Diamonds themselves know how dangerous you are. Power gets you respect, and when you have respect, you get control.” The hungry glance in her direction lingered just long enough to feel uncomfortable. “We don’t even have to fuse. Just giving you access to water would be detrimental to any who rebel against you. You’ll have a place back in home world. Your statuses would be regained.” Peridot tugged a little harder at that, and Lapis placed her other hand on her to assure her that she wasn’t convinced.

If Jasper had noticed it, she didn’t say anything about it, instead continuing with her grand speech. “Secondly, brains.” She gestured at Peridot, and Lapis subconsciously stepped forward as if trying to shield her away from the immediate threat, just as she had done with the red eye those years ago. Jasper held out both of her hands placatingly, still grinning at the two gems as she turned her gaze towards the smaller of the two. “You’re pretty smart. You managed to figure out how to control metal, something that no other Era 2 peridot has ever figured out.” With a jolt, Peridot realised that Jasper was trying to convince her. “That story about the Crystal gems flying to home world on Yellow and Blue Diamond’s ships after both had supposedly crashed... while the Bismuth may have been able to fix the ship, only you out of the group could have had the technical knowhow to fix the ship, and that was without your limb enhancers. Just imagine how much greater you would be back in home world.”

(Lapis admittedly hadn’t been paying attention at that part, if only because she was more concerned about the other issue of Steven turning blue, which was not a natural color for humans, so it surprised her that she had remembered all of that. On the other hand, Peridot was more surprised that her once escort had even bothered to include her in her obviously villainous scheme, and while she was only slightly flattered, this was not a good time to be happy.)

Jasper continued on with her speech, ignoring the obvious lack of attention from the other two if she had even noticed that they were no longer looking at her, instead having a silent eye conversation between themselves.

(It’s one of those conversations that only people who had a great connection with each other could have, like a pair of best friends or a couple so in sync that they could read each other’s minds. And it went something like this:

A quick glance at all the gems surrounding them, before uncertainly looking back at Lapis. So... what do we do?

An incredulous look followed by a rapid shift as she glanced at Steven, almost frantically as if hoping the other would come up with some brilliant plan before scrunching you her eyebrows. Does it matter what we do? Steven’s dying! I...think. Blue isn’t a good thing for humans right? Something about drowning or lack of air...

Green eyes darted towards the perfect... well almost perfect quartz in front of them who was still monologuing, before glancing at Lapis and then Steven. Well, we obviously don’t want to be shattered by Jasper over there! We need to extricate Steven over there. Is there... is there a way you can get his blood to flow through his body again?

A confused face. I’m sorry? Didn’t get that.

A nod towards her hands and then to Lazuli and Blue. Your... yourself. You can, um, you know, your hands. Free him?

Her face looked thoughtful before she jerked her head to the other two blue gems and shook her head. Can’t, not with those two around. They’ll get to him before I can, and honestly I don’t know enough about humans to make sure he’s fine. Also, I’m plenty terrified, just so you know—)

“So what do you say?”

Both Lazuli and Blue looked at Lapis expectantly.

Both gems looked at each other, coming to a unanimous decision before facing Jasper.

“No.”

“Wow, but no thanks.”

They had expected her to throw a fit, for Jasper to growl at them for daring to oppose her.

Instead, Jasper huffed and shook her head, as if she was disappointed. She waved towards Lazuli, who released her grip on Steven, who slumped but was still breathing, gasping really, from the lack of oxygen in his body. “Well, I did try.”

And somehow, that display was more terrifying than any show of anger, because it meant that Jasper had actually wanted for them to work with her, and that she had expected, or at the very least believed, that there was a possibility that they would refuse her offer.

And for the first time since she had come into existence, Dioptase laughed, a hand pointing at the now constrained gem as she grinned.

“Nyeheheha! Got you!” Although she was no longer controlling the shape of the metal, unlike how Lapis’ water arms would lose its shape and just slump to the ground in a wet puddle in a similar scenario, the metal constraints held the giant together steadily, and Malachite was unable to shrug it off.

“Woah!” Conni eyes lit up with stars, breathing heavily after having held up a shield for at least a few minutes with an angry fusion smashing against it. “Who are you?”

“Steven, this really isn’t the time. In case you haven’t noticed, big angry gem behind us!”

“Come on, just a name?”

The fusion looked at her arms with both of her eyes. Now that she had a good chance to observe herself, the once Kindergartener part of her immediately recognised the greenish blue tint of her skin before grabbing onto one of Steven’s hands.

#steven universe #unfinished work #probably was lapidot since very invested at that point in time

[medievalmonk]

The Power of Three

Summary: Loki is off doing his own thing after escaping from a bounty hunter. He left you behind, and neither of you knew that he’d left you with his child. Now you must raise Wyatt on your own.  Also on AO3 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24378466

“Ow, ow.”

You winced while trying to get comfortable in your chair on the bridge of your ship. Loki’s child was running out of real estate and let you know, frequently. A well timed, or lucky, kick would knock the breath from you so that you almost doubled over in reaction.

Your kidneys weren’t off limits either, making it so that you would have to leave the bridge, sometimes at a critical moment, forcing you to let Exxo take over. She kept urging you to rest in your stateroom, because she had no desire to help deliver the baby, especially not on the bridge.

Exxo had found two healers who were willing to stay on the Corsair, and you welcomed them. As the delivery date grew closer, you were grateful to have them there, even though you didn’t take their advice to rest when you could.

When you suffered from swollen ankles and sleeplessness, you ignored the first mate’s baleful stare. You were just getting the hang of this bounty-hunting business and didn’t want to lose any momentum.

You were also determined to ensure that your crew was paid properly, since the previous captain had made a habit of keeping most credits for himself. In the few months that you’d been captain, you had managed to give them back-pay, earning their loyalty.

Now that a steady flow of units was coming in, you didn’t want to leave Exxo with all the work of finding new bounties or tracking down the criminals. You trusted her implicitly, but didn’t want to overburden her.

“Kepptinn,” Exxo started, her face once again showing her frustration with you. “I beg you, please-

You started to brush her off, but the baby kicked again, and after you’d caught your breath, you realized that something was different this time. The small of your back started to hurt, so you stood slowly to take a few steps, hoping to walk it off.

She and the others on the bridge watched anxiously, ready to catch you if your legs buckled.

“Exxo,” you paused to grip the back of the captain’s chair. “I think-“

She started swearing in nine languages, causing you to laugh breathlessly at her, until you got another kick that made you nauseous.

“Back to your stateroom!”

— —

Childbirth in space was somewhat different than that on Earth, or so you thought, since you didn’t have any previous experience with it, just health courses in school or dramatizations on TV or movies. You knew that it could be incredibly painful if one didn’t have the right drugs, and by the time you got back to your stateroom, you were ready for those drugs.

Mareom and Lorry, the healers, had been forewarned and were ready for you. They helped you into a comfortable gown, then steered you away from the bed in order to keep you walking.

“I need to lay down,” you protested. “I’m going to fall.”

“We have you, Kepptinn,” Mareom assured you, her voice soothing. “It won’t be long now.”

It felt like an eternity later when they finally let you lie down. By that time, you felt exhausted even though you had quite a way to go until your part in this task was done.

Lorry brought you a glass with a cool liquid, which you drank without questioning her. After that, while you could still feel some pain, it wasn’t as bad as you expected. You suspected that Lorry had given you something, but also trusted that the baby wouldn’t be harmed.

Finally, hours later, the head count on the Corsair increased by one. You laid back on your pillows, catching your breath while Lorry attended to you and Mareom attended to the baby.

“A boy,” Mareom told you softly while she worked.

You wiped fresh tears while waiting for her to hand your son to you. It was several minutes before you suspected that something was wrong.

“He’s not crying! Why isn’t he-“

Lorry kept you from sitting up so that you could see what was happening. You shoved at her arms, reaching for the bundle that Mareom held.

“Give him here!”

Before you could truly panic, you heard the sweetest sound: your son let out a demanding wail while two tiny fists emerged from the warm blanket. Mareom handed him to you, tsking when you pulled the blanket open to inspect him.

“He has all ten fingers and toes, Kepptinn,” she assured you. “And strong lungs to go with them.”

You nodded while you laid him on your chest to allow your warmth and heartbeat to soothe him. He gave little whimpers before finally settling down.

“Have you considered a name yet?” Lorry asked.

“Wyatt.”

“That’s a fine name,” Mareom remarked, nodding.

“Thank you both,” you murmured.

“Rest now,” Mareom told you. “He will be hungry soon.”

— — —

A week passed before the two healers let you get out of bed for longer than a half hour. You recovered well, and adjusted quickly to the demands of your son. He cried only when hungry or needed changing, so you considered yourself lucky.

His hair was dark like his father’s, making you wonder how Loki would react if he knew he’d left you with his son. That thought always made you shrug slightly. Neither of you had ever made a commitment to the other, although you would have been content to stay with Loki for the rest of your life.

You grew to love the unpredictable prince during the year when you both were on the run from Tony Stark, Thor and SHIELD, after you had stolen him from Avengers Tower. Once you were strong enough to actually teleport off-planet with him, the pressure to keep moving was gone, letting you actually enjoy seeing new places and beings.

You also enjoyed each other. Now he was gone, and you would make sure that his son, no, your son, would lack for nothing.

— —

Three weeks later, you were anxious to get back to the bridge of your ship. You even went so far as to bring your infant with you, but Exxo had sternly pointed to the door and ordered you back to your stateroom.

By the time you got back to your bed, you were secretly glad that she’d done so, because you were exhausted. Once the baby was fed, you laid down beside him and slept until he woke and started squirming.  

It took several more weeks until you were able to go to the bridge for status reports and to confer with Exxo. Of course, you brought Wyatt with you, and let the crew take a peek at him while you made sure that the ship was running smoothly.

There wasn’t much that Exxo couldn’t handle, so you would only go to the bridge every few days, while Exxo would stop by the stateroom daily to give her report.

“Exxo, I want you to know that I greatly appreciate you,” you told her, when Wyatt was six months old. “I couldn’t do any of this without you, and the rest of the crew.”

“Thank you, Kepptinn,” she replied, softly. “I wish I could say that any of my former captains treated me, and us, half as well as you do.

You were both at the table, where there was a tray of food and sliced fruit. Wyatt was asleep in the crook of your arm, but you were loath to put him down. You were likely spoiling him, but that was alright with you.

“May I?” Exxo asked. “Then you can eat.”

“Sure.”

The transfer to her arms didn’t rouse him in the slightest, causing you to smile. You poured wine for you both, before beginning to eat.

“Do you think…” her voice trailed off.

“What?”

“I just wondered if he would have your gifts, or even Loki’s,” she commented. “If so, he would be powerful.”

You had thought about that very thing, almost daily. When you’d first met Loki in Alaska, you knew there was something about him that he kept deeply hidden. During the year you were outrunning Tony, he had used his magic, which surprised you somewhat. His magic, or seidr, was nothing like the illusionists you had seen on TV; this was real magic, the kind that fairytales were made of.

However, you sensed something else, seeing as the magic was no big deal to him. He used it sparingly, but otherwise it was not something that he tried to hide. There was something else, something more dangerous, and you knew instinctively that you shouldn’t pry into that or even try to read his mind.

“Yes, he would be,” you replied.

“It’s too bad that his father isn’t here, he could help you train Wyatt.”

“Let’s not talk about Loki, alright?” You asked.

“You do know that he will fall into your lap, whether by accident or design, right?” She continued. “When the time is right.”

“Yes, and I will make him pay for what he did.”

— —

As he grew, Wyatt was a constant presence on the bridge, sitting on your lap and watching the forward screen in fascination. No one minded, really, since he kept everyone entertained with his childish delight.

He was trying to walk, and grew frustrated when his legs wouldn’t cooperate. So he would hold onto furniture in order to make his way around, then would grin widely when you made a big deal of it.

He also had a few teeth, which he used to nip whoever happened to be holding him, especially when he wanted down. When it came to food, he wasn’t picky at all, although he leaned toward liking fruits and vegetables over other items. He took after his father though when it came to sweets: given the choice between food or a cookie, the cookie won out every time.

Before Wyatt reached his first birthday, Exxo found a babysitter for him, someone who could be trusted. You touched Emmi’s mind, somewhat startled that she didn’t fight the intrusion. After you’d given her a nod of approval, Exxo brought her onboard on a trial basis. If things didn’t work out, she would be taken back to her home, or wherever she wanted to go.

At first, Wyatt didn’t want you to leave, and cried after you, but Emmi distracted him, and soon he was happy with her. After a couple of weeks, he barely noticed when you left.

You checked in via the video screen, just to reassure yourself that he wasn’t unduly stressed. Emmi assured you that everything was fine; she had brought teaching games for him to play with, and he really liked them.

While he was small, you wouldn’t leave the ship at all when you had to dock for repairs or to buy foodstuffs. Other than the ones who were loading the ship, no one was allowed onboard, but even they were restricted to the cargo hold. Any doors or corridors leading away from the hold were locked and monitored closely.

There had been an incident once, just after Wyatt was born. One person from a loading crew decided to wander the ship, wanting to get a glimpse of “Kepptinn.” Exxo, who always stayed onboard with you, saw him on a security camera and wasted no time getting him back where he belonged, then lodged a complaint with the dockmaster.

While the trespasser didn’t get near your stateroom, you were concerned enough to appear on the dock, mask in place and visor glowing purple to make the point that the next intruder on your ship would never make it off alive. Your desire to protect Wyatt made you more aggressive than you normally would be.

The dockmaster assured you and Exxo that the issue would be dealt with, and that nothing like that would happen again. You’d left it at that, confident that no one else would risk trying to gain access to the Corsair again. It also didn’t hurt that it was widely known that the Ravagers and Stakar Ogord had a keen interest in you, and had put word out that any transgression toward you would be a transgression toward them. There weren’t many who would fly in the face of such protection.

— —

You were on the bridge when Emmi initiated a vid from your stateroom.

“Emmi? Is something wrong?”

“Wyatt-“

Before she could finish, you teleported to your son, thinking that something had happened. You weren’t expecting what Emmi and Wyatt had to show you.

“Mama!” Wyatt yelled excitedly, before tottering steadily toward you as fast as his little legs would carry him.

“My sweet pea,” you laughed and scooped him up to plant tickling kisses on his neck and ears.

He shrieked with laughter, then grabbed a double handful of your hair. His grip was so strong that it felt like he had yanked it out by the roots, so you carefully disengaged his hands.

Wyatt struggled to get down so that he could test his new mobility. After you put him back on the floor, you had to rub your head to soothe your scalp. This was the first time that he’d exhibited anything unusual, and you speculated that he would likely have Loki’s strength, at least partially.

Two firsts in one day: saying ‘mama’ while taking his first unaided steps. In the back of your mind, you wished that Loki would have been there. With the thought of him, doubt crept in. Would he acknowledge his son? Would he be proud of him?

You watched Wyatt while he continued to practice his walking, then when he turned toward you for reassurance, you clapped your hands, which encouraged him even more.

When you sat on the floor, he decided that he’d done enough and climbed into your lap. You hugged him close while gently kissing the top of his head.

“I love you,” you murmured, while nuzzling gently at his cheek.

“Wuv you,” he responded. “Mama.”

— 

#loki #loki marvel #the power within #mooncat163 #loki x reader #power stone

[lycorogue]

Amelia and Trish🌺💐

Awww, yay! Someone sending me an ask from a list! 😍 I get these so rarely. This is such a fun treat! Thank you! (For anyone wondering, the “Soft OC Ask” master list can be found here.)

🌺 What does your OC do to calm down when they’re scared or after a nightmare? Do they have any special comfort items or need to be reassured by a specific person? How do they handle this if they’re alone?

💐 How does your OC handle being unwell or forced to rest in bed? Who cares for them and in what ways? Does your OC enjoy being doted on or are they a terrible patient? Reversed: is your OC good at taking care of others who are ill or in need?

Funny enough, the answers to most of these questions more-or-less happened canonically within the X-Future roleplay, so these are fairly easy to answer. Since each question is actually a series of related questions, and this ask is for two of my OCs, this got a bit lengthy. You can read my reply below the break.

Lia: 🌺 When Lia was a toddler, her mother crocheted her a little stuffed Calcifer the flame from Howl’s Moving Castle. Lia still has this stuffed Calcifer and cuddles it whenever she’s super stressed or awakes from a nightmare. If she feels she’s failing at reaching her true potential with her powers or as a leader, she goes to the X-Men archives of her mother’s training and watches those. If anything, doing so makes her feel worse because it makes her feel even more inadequate and tears at her grief of not knowing what happened to her mom, but neither fact stops her from doing so. Alternatively, if she’s stressed about generic Teenage DramaTM, she usually storms off to be alone, literally burning off some steam as she rages with her powers once she knows she’s in a safe location where she won’t permanently damage anything. As a child, she would also come to her dad (who was literally never too far from her at any given time, thanks to his powers; he was the ultimate helicopter parent) if a situation was too big for her to handle by herself. As a teen, she tends to vent to either her then-boyfriend-now-ex-but-still-friend Chayse, or her roommate Willow, or her current boyfriend Ripley. If it’s something minor that she needs to work out, she’ll sneak off to dance; just to get the positive energy flowing again.

💐 As the “mom friend”, Lia is much better at playing nurse than being nursed. Although, she is a bit naïve when it comes to emotional/mental-health support. She tries, but usually falls a touch short when trying to help out in those matters. She’s much better at nursing physical illnesses or injuries because she can study the most effective ways to heal those. When she’s the one sick or injured, though? She gets antsy if she’s forced to rest up in bed, especially if she feels like it’s overly cautious for her to do so. Now, if she’s majorly sick or in pain, she will gladly hide under her covers and ignore the world exists. Anything short of “OMG, I’m dying”? And she’ll fight bedrest tooth and nail. Her father is the #1 person to care for her, but since attending the Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters, Jamie has allowed Lia’s roommate and friend Willow to take on the role of primary caregiver, with Lia’s boyfriend Ripley on stand-by to tag in. If neither of the teens are willing or able, though, Jamie will gladly jump back in to take care of Lia. Aside from being antsy and a bit whiny about being forced to stay in bed (if she’s feeling alright), Lia does accept being cared for fairly gracefully. She’ll comment it’s unneeded and that her caregivers should focus on “more important things” since she’s clearly “fine”, but will still gladly accept the soup, extra blankets, pillow fluffing, and so on. She’s a bit more grumbly if she’s recovering from an injury because she hates feeling helpless or weak in that regard.

----------------------------

Trish: 🌺 Trish HAAAAAAATES showing any kind of weakness AT. ALL. So she does NOT go to anyone for comfort when she’s feeling overly stressed or scared. The exception is MAAAAAAAAYBE Pyro if she is majorly shaken about something. She hates seeming weak and immature in front of Pyro, though (and hates adding to the father-daughter dynamic when she wants a lovers one instead), so there has to be something TRAUMATIZING to her before she goes to even him for comfort. Otherwise, she turns her fear into anger and rage. She’ll run the training obstacle courses to the point of exhaustion, just to give her mind something else to focus on, and something to aim her powers at. She overcomes fear by adding to the façade that she’s completely fearless. She allows adrenaline to completely over-ride her fear as she almost always goes for a “Fight” response. As for nightmares, she’ll usually calm herself down by playing with her butterfly knife; something else to focus on until she forgets the nightmare. She’ll also calm herself down with a shower, especially if she’s covered in sweat from the nightmare. She’ll chant to herself, “it’s not real. It wasn’t real. Ignore it” until the nightmare is forgotten or no longer intense enough for it to affect her.

💐 Trish is a TERRIBLE patient. She’s even more antsy and stubborn than Lia. Being sick or injured enough to be bedridden is a sign of weakness, and she CANNOT be weak for Pyro. The only time she’ll submit and actually listen to instructions to rest up is if Pyro himself tells her to do so. She’ll also gladly ravish the attention if Pyro is the one nursing her back to health. She’d even milk it, just to be doted on further by him. Otherwise, lord help the person playing caregiver. She will stubbornly battle them every step; again, only complying when Pyro tells her to behave. Once her roommate Nyssa was forced to play nursemaid when Trish was badly injured by a shrapnel blast. Trish was like an injured feral creature the whole time, snarling at Nys and trying to swat her away; claiming to be healed further than she was. Nyssa practically had to have Pyro there at every bandage changing to force Trish to accept the treatment. The major exception to all of this is a mutant vigilante Trish simply calls “Stranger” since he’s never given her his name. He was hunting down the anti-mutant terrorist group The Purifiers, and stumbled upon a few that were teaming up against Trish. He saved her, but she was still wary of him; attempting to leave him to the Purifiers so she could escape. When the escape plan failed, and he saved her a second time, she was more welcoming to him attempting to help patch her up (if nothing else, she didn’t want to worry Pyro by coming home injured again). They have since met up a couple of times to hunt down more Purifiers together; helping with Trish’s bloodlust and Stranger’s want of revenge against the Purifiers for murdering his whole family in front of him and leaving him for dead. They have an uneasy bond, and Trish wouldn’t go to him if she were sick, but if she were injured she might seek him out just so she had someone she trusted moderately to care for her without feeling like a burden on Pyro. As for Trish being the caregiver? HA! She is absolute trash at caring for anyone other than herself and Pyro. Exceptions being Stranger - she would tend his wounds as well so she didn’t lose her partner in these non-Brotherhood excursions - and anyone that Pyro asked her to care for. If it’s a request from Pyro, she’ll do the bare minimum to satisfy the request, and grumble about it the whole time. Even when caring for Stranger, she’d spend the whole time bitching at him for being so “careless” as to be injured in the first place (ignore that this also implies that she’s careless whenever she gets injured).  For Pyro, though? She’d go full on Florence Nightingale and dote on him every waking moment.

----------------------------

Okay! I think that’s everything! This was fun. Thank you so much for the ask. I hope you got to learn a bit more about my OCs.

Also, I’d like to note that Stranger is one of my husband’s OCs named Jack Knoife (yes, the name is a pun. Yes, Jack is Australian. Yes, Hubby leaned hard into the classic Marvel naming tropes)

Anyway, if anyone else wants to learn more about my OCs (or if you’d like to learn more, @doesnotloveyou ), feel free to drop me an ask. 😁

#writing #LycoRogue writing #LycoRogue ask #doesnotloveyou #OCs #Soft OCs Ask #Lia Madrox #Trish Morrison #both fire users #might explain the hatred for bedrest #dealing with being scared #dealing with being bedridden #long post #THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE ASK! #<3

[newstfionline]

Thursday, February 25, 2021

COVID-19 cases falling (nearly) everywhere (Foreign Policy) New COVID-19 cases and deaths have dropped worldwide for the sixth consecutive week, according to figures compiled by the World Health Organization. The WHO recorded 2.4 million new cases last week, a drop of 11 percent compared to the previous week. The 66,000 deaths last week represented a 20 percent decline. Five out of the six WHO regions now show a consistent downward trend in new cases, although the trendline in the Eastern Mediterranean region remains flat due to continued case increases in Iran and Iraq.

Not to be sniffed at: Agony of post-COVID-19 loss of smell (AP) The doctor slid a miniature camera into the patient’s right nostril, making her whole nose glow red with its bright miniature light. “Tickles a bit, eh?” he asked as he rummaged around her nasal passages, the discomfort causing tears to well in her eyes and roll down her cheeks. The patient, Gabriella Forgione, wasn’t complaining. The 25-year-old pharmacy worker was happy to be prodded and poked at the hospital in Nice, in southern France, to advance her increasingly pressing quest to recover her sense of smell. Along with her sense of taste, it suddenly vanished when she fell ill with COVID-19 in November, and neither has returned. Being deprived of the pleasures of food and the scents of things that she loves are proving tough on her body and mind. Shorn of odors both good and bad, Forgione is losing weight and self-confidence. “Sometimes I ask myself, ‘Do I stink?’” she confessed. “Normally, I wear perfume and like for things to smell nice. Not being able to smell bothers me greatly.” A year into the coronavirus pandemic, doctors and researchers are still striving to better understand and treat the accompanying epidemic of COVID-19-related anosmia—loss of smell—draining much of the joy of life from an increasing number of sensorially frustrated longer-term sufferers like Forgione.

Biden to order sweeping review of U.S. supply chain weak spots (Washington Post) President Biden on Wednesday will formally order a 100-day government review of potential vulnerabilities in U.S. supply chains for critical items, including computer chips, medical gear, electric-vehicle batteries and specialized minerals. The directive comes as U.S. automakers are grappling with a severe shortage of semiconductors, essential ingredients in the high-tech entertainment and navigation systems that fill modern passenger vehicles. Biden’s executive order, which he is scheduled to sign this afternoon, also is aimed at avoiding a repeat of the shortages of personal protective gear such as masks and gloves experienced last year during the early months of the coronavirus pandemic. The president’s order, which had been anticipated, represents the partial fulfillment of a campaign pledge. But mandating a government study will be the easy part. Extensively modifying U.S. supply lines and reducing the country’s dependence upon foreign suppliers—after decades of globalization—could prove difficult and costly.

U.S. seeks to return to U.N. human rights body (Reuters) The United States will seek election to the U.N. Human Rights Council later this year, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday, marking the Biden administration’s latest international re-engagement. Blinken, addressing the council by recorded video, said that President Joseph Biden’s administration would work to eliminate what he called the Geneva forum’s “disproportionate focus” on U.S. ally Israel. The council, set up in 2006, has a stand-alone item on the Palestinian territories on its agenda every session, the only issue with such treatment, which both Democratic and Republican administrations have opposed.

Freedom of speech the real issue in Spain (Washington Post) Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in some of Spain’s largest cities every night for a week, often clashing with police. In Barcelona on Saturday, authorities said they detained 38 people and recorded injuries among 13. The anger of the young protesters is centered on the arrest of a man who until recently was an obscure figure: Pablo Rivadulla, a rapper better known by his stage name, Pablo Hasél. But the demonstrations are about far more than one man’s arrest, speaking to growing concern inside and out of Spain about the effect of the country’s anti-terrorism laws and lèse-majesté statutes circumscribing the freedom of expression.

Covid inspires 1,200 new German words (The Guardian) From coronamüde (tired of Covid-19) to Coronafrisur (corona hairstyle), a German project is documenting the huge number of new words coined in the last year as the language races to keep up with lives radically changed by the pandemic. The list, compiled by the Leibniz Institute for the German Language, an organisation that documents German language in the past and present, already comprises more than 1,200 new German words—many more than the 200 seen in an average year. It includes feelings many can relate to, such as overzoomed (stressed by too many video calls), Coronaangst (when you have anxiety about the virus) and Impfneid (envy of those who have been vaccinated). Other new words reveal the often strange reality of life under restrictions: Kuschelkontakt (cuddle contact) for the specific person you meet for cuddles and Abstandsbier (distance beer) for when you drink with friends at a safe distance. The words also capture specific moments during the pandemic. For example, Balkonsänger (balcony singer) is someone who sings to people from their balcony, which was popular during the spring lockdown. Hamsteritis, referring to the urge to stockpile food, was also commonly used at the start of the crisis.

China uses patriotism test to sweep aside last outlet for Hong Kong democracy (Washington Post) Serving as a district councilor in Hong Kong means addressing everyday concerns such as pest control, traffic issues and helping elderly residents pay bills. One of the few perks of the modest office is having a say, alongside tycoons and Beijing loyalists, in choosing Hong Kong’s leader. On Tuesday, Hong Kong’s government announced that anyone running for these local positions will need to be a “patriot”—meaning they must swear loyalty not to their constituents but to Beijing and the Communist Party—as China moves to quash the territory’s last avenue of democracy. The changes, which are expected to be introduced to the legislature—where there is no viable opposition—next month and become law soon thereafter, will trigger the expulsion of several young pro-democracy councilors, even if they read the oath as instructed. Disqualified candidates will be barred from running in any elections for five years. With Tuesday’s announcement, the councils, the only fully democratic body in Hong Kong, fall in line with China’s broader reshaping of a city once known for its boisterous political culture as democratically chosen representatives are replaced with Beijing loyalists.

The Mekong River (Nikkei Asia) There are 60 million people who live along the lower Mekong River, and they were in for a rough surprise in early January when China drastically cut the discharge from the Jinghong Dam in Yunnan Province. The “tests”—which were slated to end January 24—entailed cutting the flow of the river from 1,900 cubic meters per second to just 1,000 cubic meters per second, but the final day of tests came and went and the volume is still down. That this occurred in the middle of the dry season was particularly rough for Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, countries that depend on the river. China has begun to draw international ire over their management of the river, which it has built 11 large dams on.

A Digital Firewall in Myanmar (NYT) The Myanmar soldiers descended before dawn on Feb. 1, bearing rifles and wire cutters. At gunpoint, they ordered technicians at telecom operators to switch off the internet. For good measure, the soldiers snipped wires without knowing what they were severing, according to an eyewitness and a person briefed on the events. The data center raids in Yangon and other cities in Myanmar were part of a coordinated strike in which the military seized power, locked up the country’s elected leaders and took most of its internet users offline. Since the coup, the military has repeatedly shut off the internet and cut access to major social media sites, isolating a country that had only in the past few years linked to the outside world. The military regime has also floated legislation that could criminalize the mildest opinions expressed online. So far, the Tatmadaw, as the Myanmar military is known, has depended on cruder forms of control to restrict the flow of information. But the army seems serious about setting up a digital fence to more aggressively filter what people see and do online. Such a comprehensive firewall may also exact a heavy price: The internet outages since the coup have paralyzed a struggling economy. Longer disruptions will damage local business interests and foreign investor confidence as well as the military’s own vast business interests.

Iraq’s struggling Christians hope for boost from pope visit (AP) Nasser Banyameen speaks about his hometown of Qaraqosh in the historical heartland of Iraqi Christianity with nostalgia. Before Islamic State group fighters swept through the Nineveh Plains in northern Iraq. Before the militants shattered his sense of peace. Before panicked relatives and neighbors fled, some never to return. Iraq’s Christian communities in the area were dealt a severe blow when they were scattered by the IS onslaught in 2014, further shrinking the country’s already dwindling Christian population. Many hope their struggle to endure will get a boost from a historic visit by Pope Francis planned in March. Among the places on his itinerary is Qaraqosh, where this week Vatican and Iraqi flags fluttered from light poles, some adorned with the pope’s image. Francis’ visit, his first foreign trip since the coronavirus pandemic and the first ever by a pope to Iraq, is a sign that “You’re not alone,” said Monsignor Segundo Tejado Muñoz, the undersecretary of the Vatican’s development office. “There’s someone who is thinking of you, who is with you. And these signs are so important. So important.”

Syria’s economic woes (NYT) In a private meeting with pro-government journalists, President Bashar al-Assad was asked about Syria’s economic meltdown: the currency collapse that has gutted salaries, the skyrocketing prices for basic goods and the chronic shortages of fuel and bread. “I know,” he said, according to two people with knowledge of the discussion. “I know.” But he offered no concrete steps to stem the crisis beyond floating this idea: Television channels should cancel cooking shows so as not to taunt Syrians with images of unattainable food. As the 10-year anniversary of Syria’s civil war looms, Mr. al-Assad’s most immediate threats are not the rebel factions and foreign powers that still control large swaths of the country. Instead, it is the crushing economic crisis that has hobbled the reconstruction of destroyed cities, impoverished the population and left a growing number of Syrians struggling to get enough food. Food prices have more than doubled in the last year. The World Food Program warned this month that 60 percent of Syrians, or 12.4 million people, were at risk of going hungry, the highest number ever recorded.

The Deadliest Middle East Construction Project Since The Pyramids (The Guardian) On December 2, 2010, FIFA announced that Qatar would host the 2022 World Cup —- a first for a Middle East nation. Over the next ten years, thousands of migrant laborers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka came to Qatar to work on the elaborate preparations for the world’s biggest football tournament. Sadly, during that period at least 6,500 of those workers died, according to an analysis by the Guardian. The findings were compiled from government sources, and mean that an average of 12 migrant workers from the five South Asian nations have died each week since the announcement was made. The total death toll is significantly higher because the figures don’t include deaths from other countries like the Philippines and Kenya that send large numbers of workers to Qatar. Also not included are deaths occurring in the final months of 2020. More deaths have undoubtedly occurred since preparations for the 2022 tournament continue.

The value of housework (Foreign Policy) In a landmark ruling, a Beijing divorce court has ordered a man to pay his wife for five years of unpaid housework during their marriage. The award does not amount to much, roughly $1,100 dollars per year, but marks a new era in Chinese divorce law after the government introduced a new civil code. Under the new code, an aggrieved spouse is entitled to seek compensation if they shouldered more domestic responsibilities—with no prenuptial agreement necessary. The case follows a similar one in Argentina in 2019, when a divorce court ordered a husband to pay his wife of 27 years $179,000 in recognition of her unpaid domestic work. According to Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) figures, Chinese women spend roughly four hours per day on unpaid work—with their U.S. counterparts clocking in nearly the same amount. American men are closer to closing the gap than Chinese men, however. American men spending about 2.5 hours per day on unpaid labor, while Chinese men spend just 1.6 hours.

#headlines #news

[marble-hornets-fic-prompts]

Ghost and Mansion au crossover

Hello! Quick warning: this is a very long post. I tried to separate the paragraphs more for an easier read, because let’s be honest, if you see a giant block of infodump text you probably aren’t going to read all of it.

Also, a note: in this The Operator is the same character as 'Slenderman' but also not really. They are a demon, and feed off chaos (positive, neutral, and negative). The name difference is based off of who named the demon. The Marble Hornets Crew all still call him The Operator, but to everyone else he is known as 'Slenderman'. That was the easiest way I could incorporate them into the same au.

Quick one-sentence summary: crossover of the Creepypasta mansion au and Jay, Alex, and Brian being ghosts and following Tim around post-MH.

Here are the trigger warnings for the post: Death mention, religious themes (specifically the mention of demons), smoking mention

Because of how large the Creepypasta mansion would be (and if we include characters like Masky and HABIT in there, it would bring even more people in) someone is bound to be able to see ghosts, right?

The au idea is a mix of the mansion au, where Tim hangs out after the series ends, and the ghost au. This means he is actually there with the ghosts of Jay, Brian, and Alex, but he doesn’t realize because he can’t see them. This leads to all following him attempting to help in any ways they can, along with an apologetic Alex.

Jay and Brian have a hard time forgiving him, but eventually they are able to accept his apology and acknowledge that he wasn’t fully in control/felt he had no other options and became desperate. Of course, everyone agrees it was a fucked up situation and that Alex’s solution was terrible, but eventually they are able to be together and be friends again.

Originally, the only reason Jay tolerated either of them (after finding out Brian was the hooded man) was because he didn’t want to leave Tim alone. Of course, the others stayed for the same reason, and even when they had full blown arguments the one person keeping them together was Tim. Now, they are able to be comfortable wandering around with one person watching Tim at all times (he’s in a house full of killers of course they aren’t comfortable leaving him alone, even if they cant do anything).

The entire time Tim is actually at the mansion he is wearing his mask. This doesn’t mean he is always in his “masked-state”, however, but he doesn’t like to talk to the others regardless. No one except Ben knows what happened, as most came in a lot later or never saw the videos. He made all the YouTube videos private and erased all evidence he could of the situation they went through. This leads to Alex, Jay, and Brian being listed as “missing”, because while some people followed the series when it was going no one could prove any of it anymore. Tim is able to return back out into society and gets a job to help pay for the things in the mansion. (How else could they get food or electricity? A demon can only do so much)

After a couple years, Tim is finally able to keep his job steady as he has to balance his job, taking care of the rest of the mansion, and the “missions” The Operator has him do in his “masked-state”.

The “missions” aren’t your average ‘go kill this guy because ___’, no, most the time they are just chaotic neutral tasks. The Operator is a demon who feeds of chaos and the negative feelings of humans, so it makes sense that most of the time it would be to just cause general chaos. (Although sometimes it leads to very… Interesting tasks…)

During this entire time of recovery is when the others are recovering too, and soon they start trying to do little things to help. Paperwork scattered across his desk because he got too stressed and left for a smoke? Jay and Brian organize the papers while Alex watches over Tim. Fell asleep with the lights on? Alex turns it off while Brian grabs a blanket to put over his shoulders.

Alex, Jay, and Brian can’t interact too much with physical objects because it takes up a lot of energy (depending on the item). If they use too much energy up, they go into a strange state of there-but-not-there. This means that they are present and (because they all linked to Tim) are following wherever Tim is, but they are not able to see, hear, feel. They are also not able to be seen, heard, and felt by other ghosts in this state, so they try to avoid this as much as possible. Energy recharges passively over time, so most times they just can’t help for a while.

Tim notices the strange occurrences and after a couple months asks The Operator about them. The Operator says he has no idea about them, but they don’t seem to be bad so they shrug it off. (Of course, he has an idea but isn’t about to let Tim know this. He doesn’t know how he would react, and Tim is one of the few people providing for the members of the mansion. If he loses one of his best sources of income and chaos, it would be a waste.)

One day, everyone’s just hanging out and Tim is casually in their living room watching some of the others play games on their TV. Suddenly, the person who can see ghosts starts laughing randomly. The others aren’t used to this because, while everyone knew they could see ghosts, they never interacted or talked with them. Someone finally asks “Hey, dude, uh… what was that just now? You okay?” and they respond, “Yea, sorry, one of Masky’s ghosts just tripped over themself. Not over any physical object, just like, in the air. Sorry, I just found it funny.”

The some of the others are just staring at him, others let out a laugh of two, but Masky is frozen in his seat. Why? Because he never was sent on any of the missions to kill specific people (the one rule that The Operator followed to keep him around), and the only people he knew that could’ve been ghosts are Jay, Alex, and Brian.

Jay, Alex and Brian, of course, are the only ones to notice Tim’s change in stance. Sadly, because they are ghosts, no one else can hear their concerns except the Ghost Creepypasta. Jay is just a couple loud “Tim? Are you okay? Oh no’” before he goes into unintelligible mumbling while frantically moving around, Brian just looks upset and seems to attempt at being a reassuring presence to Tim, and Alex attempts to get Jay to calm down from his panicking. This isn’t to say the other two weren’t panicking, oh no, they definitely were. All of them knew they made the same connection at the same time.

After a moment of watching this all go on, the Ghost Creepypasta just kinda speaks up again and says “So, uh, Masky. Are you okay, dude? Your ghosts are kinda freaking out and a little worried about you, so…” ‘Are they… how many are there? The ghosts, I mean,’ he signs. 

Everyone else around there who was taking it as a moment of ‘oh, haha, their just worried because they can’t see his face’ finally realize ‘oh shit, this is serious’ and all the previous talking stops. Some are more gossip-hungry than others and actually move closer to hear what’s going on, while the rest turn off anything that might be making extra noise as the atmosphere completely changes. The Ghost Creepypasta tells him three, obviously a little unnerved at what’s going on. “How come you never mentioned anything about the ghosts before hand, dude?” Someone speaks up. The Ghost Creepypasta shrinks in on themself and mumbles out a short excuse about attention and the ghosts being mostly personal.

Right as they finish saying this Tim stands up and leaves, walking outside and ignoring the worried calls after him. He needs time to think and process the information he just heard, otherwise he might break down right there.

#crossover #mansion au #ghost jay #ghost au #ghost alex #ghost brian #creepypasta #creepy pasta #my au #my prompts

[apassionfortranslation]

Ambesi’s Winter  Corner - Figure Skating

I’m a figure skating fan, I’ve been a casual one for some years now, and since last year, I’ve got more involved with groups and everything. I love learning new things, so I took the opportunity of being surrounded by so many people who know TONS about it and ran with it :D. I’m on an international fan group and one of the best commentators about the sport is the Italian Massimiliano Ambesi, who is really so interesting to read and listen. So sometimes, with other Italian fans, I help people in the international group by translating Ambesi’s commentary or articles. This is an extract from Winter Corner, where he talks about severl winter sports, and I translated the part about figure skating. I hope it’s useful somehow! This is the original article: LINK Q: Massimiliano, let’s start with one of our features in the feature. In your opinion, who was the ATHLETE OF THE WEEK? A: “Forever and ever Alena Kostornaia: in the Grand Prix final in Turin she was the clear-cut winner of the competition, with the highest technical level ever seen in the history of the sport, and she even allowed herself the luxury of establishing a new World Record. By the way, it is possible that in the sum of the components she could go even better, allowing her to get more than 250 points in a spotless competition, and all this without quadruple jumps. At the moment, she represents the best synthesis between technical skills and artistic quality. The only minor flaw in the final was that she was not the winner of every single segment of the competition, as she had been before. In the free skate her training companion Anna Shcherbakova preceded her by mere tenths of point. For this, it was determining the triple axel + triple toeloop combination although from a negative point of view, that she completed with less quality compared to the one at the NHK Trophy some weeks ago. In any case, Alena improved her personal records in every segment of the competition, both TES and PCS, and this, at the end of the game, is definitely resounding because, we can say it now, she competed with a problem of unknown gravity to one shinbone. The victory in the Grand Prix Final will probably guarantee her a place for the European and World championships regardless of what will happen at the Russian National Championship.” 

Q: A question arises then, if you want a bit obvious. Who can beat her? A:“There are three skaters that can have the chance to compete with her at the same level, both in this moment and in the future. As for the future, it’s impossible not to mention the Japanese Rika Kihira, although she needs to recover her full physical health, and, consequently, the triple Lutz she had to forcibly put aside. In the short-term, instead, Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Trusova, who were preceded by Kostornaia at the Grand Prix Final and are ready to get their re-match in the imminent national Championship at the end of December. The other skaters, in a way or another, are several steps behind as demonstrated not only in the Grand Prix Final, but during the whole season, in which three of Eteri Tutberidze’s students have annihilated the competition in any context. Obviously, the staff directed by the coach with Georgian origins deserves a mention because they established a long series of records that, from now one, can only be matched.

 Q: As we opened with Figure Skating, let’s keep it as a topic. I’d like to have your comment on the results of the other competitions on the other Grand Prix Finals that were held in Turin. A: “We witnessed four competitions with clear-cut results, besides the final leads. In the single competitions, the victory went to two skaters, Kostornaia and Chen, who completed every planned element, improving the world record. In the Ice Dance and even more in the Pair Skating, the indisputable favourites of the eve won, Papadakis/Cizeron and Sui/Han, although there was some minor mistake here and there. The most problematic segment of competition was the Rhythm Dance: during that you could feel the competitors’ tension, but everything got back to normal for the free dance. 

Q: You haven’t mentioned it, but I'd like to know your opinion about the multiple complaints about the scores in the Men's single competition. What is your idea about it? A: "First things first, Nathan Chen is the worthy winner of the final, and he deserved his result on the field, but his skating isn’t worth the scores that he gets. Right now, there's a clear problem on the attribution of the GOE and on the evaluation of the program components. More quadruple jumps can't automatically mean more PCS, and especially when the necessary requirements are not present, over-scoring the jump elements should not be possible, but it's not just that. The current score system doesn't work well right now. It's not only a problem of lack of proportionality between the TES and the PCS, which is well known, I also think that the situation was way worsened when they changed the GOE attribution system at the beginning of this Olympic four-year period. In my opinion, the current rules are not applied correctly because no judge, and I challenge anyone to prove otherwise, is able to evaluate in real/almost real-time the many elements of the programs, with precise references to the six bullet points that are to be referenced in the rules, to the possible deductions that may happen, and don't forget that at the same time they also have to evaluate the five scores of the components. With this statement, I'm not saying that the judges are not competent to do that, but simply that the current GOE assignment system is not applicable in such a short time as what they have. The example, in this sense, can be represented by any segment of the competitions in this season. I invite everyone to compare the quad Salchows made by Hanyu and Chen in the free skate in Turin, jumps that, inexplicably, obtained the same GOE. Thus, if it is not possible, for reasons that I think are understandable, to apply the rules as they were thought, maybe it would be better to create something different, so that anyone can adjust accordingly, and they can avoid losing credibility. Obviously, my premise is that there's no deceit, although, after having seen some people at work, I might have a doubt about that. In any case, I'll ignore it for now, and go forward, even if I'm quite perplexed. We need corrective measures, and we need them as soon as possible, but I'm not convinced that those who are in charge of these decisions may be able to intervene." 

Q: With an answer like this, I cannot help asking you if Yuzuru Hanyu can beat a Chen who, in fact, is able to carry out every planned element. A: "In a competition with spotless programs for both of them, the victory would go to the Japanese skater. I have no doubt about it, because he is one step ahead in every score entry. In the free skate in Turin, the base value planned by Hanyu, counting the highest GOE possible, was 0,8 points above Chen's. Thus, they are on basically even ground on this. It's clear that Chen is more at ease in completing five quadruple jumps. The American skater, in this sense, is favoured by his skating: he spends less energy because he clearly covers less ice and has more two-footed skating, and this advantage still remains even though Hanyu had to simplify his free skate, compared to the previous ones, to be able to put in five quadruple jumps as well. In any case, it needs stressing that the Japanese man's jumps are better in quality, which means more height (in the final, the height for every jump was measured and the difference was embarrassing), the width, the entrance, the exit position, and a lot of other elements. Chen demonstrated to be superior on the athletic point of view, and on this part Hanyu will have to work in order to overcome this situation. Besides, another important difference is where the jumps are placed. Chen starts with his three most difficult elements in the first half (not in bonus zone), and two of them are combination jumps, and has a second part that is lighter than Hanyu's, who instead wants to execute three difficult combinations as the last three jump elements. I think that in Toronto they'll need to think about this. In general, I still think that the comparison on the PCS is out of the question, because the Olympic champion has an advantage on every item, in particular on the less subjective ones, like skating skills and transitions. Especially in the short program, the difference is even higher. It is clear that it's still necessary for Hanyu to complete every planned jump. In Turin, for the first time in his career, he was able to complete five quadruple jumps, of four different kinds, Lutz included. Surely, this is an important starting point for the future. As for the rest, we can only wait for the next competition. 

#figure skating #yuzuru hanyu #nathan chen #alena kostornaia #alexandra trusova #anna shcherbakova #english #translation #massimiliano ambesi #winter corner #ISU #ISU judging system #men's single #ladies' single #free skate #short program

[redandfranticfeelings]

in light of the final trailer finally dropping, i should finally post some of my bojack season 6 part 2 theories/predictions/guesses/hopes/etc.

warning: this gets very long!!! also, spoilers for everything, obviously.

the moore-carsons have to return. in fact, i think it’d be really interesting if the cold open of the first episode in part 2 was about charlotte. after all, there’s going to presumably be a flashback to bojack during the time when he was friends with charlotte and herb...

given that season 6 overall opened with a flashback to sarah lynn’s death, maybe season 6 part 2 will open on what happened in the moore-carson house after bojack left penny and charlotte behind? since those are the two major incidents that part 1 set up to bite bojack in the ass. however theyre also not anywhere in the trailer, meaning they might not physically show up, or maybe something about their appearance would be a huge spoiler.

we also see bojack return to the club where he did stand-up during the 80s. this is probably what triggers the above flashback. maybe this ties into the charlotte thing too, as mentioned above?

that scene of bojack with the letter from hollyhock has a lot of people talking, with how last season ended and how his hands shake holding it. interesting that it’s a letter and not a phone call or online message. this leads me to believe something physical must be in the letter, like money or some sort of memento or personal record. or maybe she just wants to be old-fashioned. it seems there is some issue b/w hollyhock and bojack because there’s an empty seat when he invites her to some sort of show he’s in, maybe with his wesleyan students. (also diane looks very unamused, even though she and bojack ended on a good note, which feeds the idea that this is after bojack did something bad or something bad about him came out. also, who are all these people in tuxes? are these waiters? is this tied to mr pb buying elefante?)

i actually believe hollyhock will learn about maddy but not about penny, and bojack will assume she knows about penny and forget completely about maddy. this will lead bojack to realize something i don’t think he really has even after all his development: he needs to care about the people he hurts who were never close to him, because they’re still people even if he didn’t want their attention and didn’t “lose” anything in hurting them.

many people have noted that doctor champ isn’t a legal therapist and thus might not be under disclosure agreements, which leads me to believe that he will release information about bojack out of pure spite. i also believe maddy could be doctor champ’s daughter, which would give him even more reason to hate bojack.

however i believe that if everything about bojack does come out...the public won’t really care. it feels within the show’s nature to make a story about how “cancel culture” doesn’t really hold up well and how people will learn about a celebrity, but not care about what they did as soon as some other news overshadows it, and the celebrity won’t really lose anything in their career most of the time. bojack will suffer personally but his career won’t suffer as a result of being “cancelled.” this might actually send him spiraling and maybe he will try to convict himself or something, if he’s still at that level of self-punishing behavior.

something really interesting is that bojack is talking to biscuits braxby, the host of the talk show where he and gina covered up the strangling story. the fact this is the person to whom he’s dumping all his angst...concerns me. is he coming clean about that? does gina know he’s coming clean about that?

speaking of gina, i think she will connect with kelsey after all, maybe even work on the movie. i think kelsey will see past the hollywoo bullshit and suspect gina isn’t being given a fair chance. idk if it’ll work out but it feels in-character for her. i just really hope we see more about kelsey’s movie and i hope it’s a success.

somebody else had to point this out for me to notice, but bojack appears as a...corpse?? in an episode of birthday dad. this means he must lose his teaching job somehow, or at least goes back to acting in LA during his break.

on the subject of mr peanutbutter, i have a lot of thoughts about where his plot is going to go. for a while i thought pickles was going to leave him for joey pogo because of how episode 7 seemed to imply mr pb would set them up and joey is a lot like mr peanutbutter except close to pickles in age and spirit. i assumed this would send mr peanutbutter into a deep depression due to being truly alone for the first time in his life, which would ironically get him fired from making speeches about depression because he becomes unmotivated and irritable, which are symptoms of depression considered “too ugly” for the mainstream (bjhm is just the show to drop that sort of message on us). however, this theory is muddled by both this and the netflix january trailer showing them still together. so if the above does happen, it probably won’t happen right away. (maybe pickles will propose a polyamorous relationship but mr peanutbutter will feel actually jealous?)

and while i don’t like the bojack suicide theory at all, if i have to pick a main character to die, i would put my money on mr peanutbutter, or at least that he’d get really badly hurt after putting on an impulsive grand gesture. his path in life is self-destructive and reckless in its own right, and when he loses everybody, i think he’ll lose himself. i picture him waiting outside diane’s old apartment not realizing she’s moved away for good, possibly getting sick on the sidewalk, hachiko style. however i’m not married to the idea of killing off any character.

on the subject of diane, i really like that we’re seemingly getting more focus on her issues again, and we get more art styles to demonstrate her angst. this one actually resembles the teenage diane from “the dog days are over” which means it could be a flashback. more info on diane’s childhood!

i also think guy’s son is going to muddle things for diane. as good as guy treats her, the son seems to be a major issue with guy, and diane has made it clear she doesn’t want kids so any long-term commitment probably won’t work out. i do hope things don’t end badly for her, and i really hope she doesn’t run back to mr peanutbutter or bojack. maybe she’ll take time to focus on herself and finish that book?

another interesting turn would be if maybe diane’s book ends up being about something that makes her happy rather than something that she thinks is important but stresses her out. or maybe she finds people who will listen to her and actually help her make change in the world, maybe not immediately, but in the long run.

as for princess carolyn i think her plot seems pretty straightforward. the only thing that seems to be implied is a stronger relationship with judah. i wonder if he’ll move in with her, since he’s in her apartment in one of the trailer scenes? she also goes to see him play in a band which seems to suggest we will learn more about judah and PC will get to know him as a person. i wonder if they’ll tease the idea of them as a romantic item, but i don’t think that would stick, though judah is a great man. (maybe we’ll learn he had a partner all along, or maybe he’s aromantic, or maybe he simply doesn’t want to date PC and make things weird knowing how her other work romances blew up in her face.)

as for todd, i’m wondering what’s up with his mom. i wonder if she gave him shit for his asexuality? all we know is she kicked him out of the house and he has some issue with her that makes his sunny attitude sink very quickly. i’m assuming she must have been cold and judgmental towards him like bojack used to be, but maybe even moreso. she probably wanted him to be more serious or something and he couldn’t follow through. i assume she’ll recover fully from her ailments (because they probably don’t want to try to top free churro) and maybe try to become close to todd again through some zany adventures (maybe tied to the reason she was in a coma). i feel like it won’t perfectly work out, though. todd and his father might be able to become closer, though.

i don’t know why margo martindale is threatening todd either, maybe she needs him for a caper? that’s bound to be wacky. imagine if margo is somehow tied to his mother?

todd’s bunny gf looks adorable, and i hope this relationship goes well. i notice maude has some family pictures up and i wonder if her being a rabbit will be relevant, because of the stereotype of rabbit families being so big. maybe her parents will want her to have kids but she’s unsure because she’s asexual. maybe she and todd will evetually have kids through nonsexual means, like adoption or sperm donation, if only because he’s so great with ruthie and the exploration earlier in the season of his family relationships might add some fuel to an arc about him as a father. however i wouldn’t die on this hill, though i do feel like maude and todd will work out.

in fact, i noticed todd is in formal wear during part of the promo and a lot of people from todd stories are there like emily’s firefighter boyfriend and the assistant from when todd was a ceo. initially i thought maybe this was a wedding party but then i realized maude is in the background talking to princess carolyn. i wondered if maybe this is for the peanutbutter and pickles wedding. however since todd is schmoozing and mr pb is giving out drinks, i think it must be something tied to both of them, so maybe a pb living related party?

(the following shot has pickles in formal wear but mr peanutbutter isn’t, and pb looks sad, so she’s going somewhere fancy without him which interests me, maybe connected to the above “pickles tries to date both joey pogo and peanutbutter but pb is jealous and depressed” theory)

i have a feeling they’ll do a time skip of substantial length for the final moments of the show. something that show’s bojack and his friends’ legacy or lack thereof. we can see an older ruthie, and how hollywoo changes, and how people remember bojack if they even do. it could end very bittersweet this way. but that’s just a wild guess, lol.

#bojack horseman #bojack spoilers #bojack season 6

[trustsalvatorewriting]

queendom || hope mikaelson - chapter five

Summary: In which a tribrid falls in love with a human girl

Word Count: 1,753

Preface | Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six | Chapter Seven | Chapter Eight

____________

"I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE doing," Josie Saltzman stated. Hope straightened her back, blue eyes turning to ice as she turned to face the fellow witch. "It's not safe to leave the school right now."

    Hope shook her head, walking toward her dresser and looking through the jewelry, searching from a particular piece. "What does it matter to you? I'm sure you and your sister would love it if your competition for daddy's attention was finally put to a stop."

    "If you go out there and get hurt, my dad is going to suffer more than you realize, and Lizzie's gonna have another episode. You're being selfish," Josie snapped. She took a step inside the room and shut the door behind her. "Why are you doing this?"

    "Does it matter?" The Mikaelson daughter turned away from the dresser, looking through the drawers of her nightstand. Stress lines appeared in the young girl's forehead and she searched through her mess of cell phone chargers and ripped-out pages of grimoires. "It's none of your business anyway."

    She didn't allow herself to confide in people these days, not anymore. Truth be told, she hadn't even allowed herself to speak with her family members or her therapist, Emily. Whenever they'd asked how she was doing, she'd been able to create the perfect lie. One that they wouldn't bother questioning, because how were you meant to tell an orphan that they weren't allowed to be okay, especially when they were the reason that their parents had died in the first place?

    She wouldn't allow herself to open up to Josie Saltzman. She couldn't allow herself to be lied to, or betrayed. Most of all, she couldn't risk losing another loved one because she'd decided to trust the wrong person.

    "Look, I'm not doing anything that's really putting the school at risk," Hope hissed. She stopped as she reached the bottom of the drawer, reaching for the Mikaelson pendant buried beneath all of her items. A frown fell upon her face as she ran her fingers over the copper crest, memories of her father's smile making its way through her memory. He'd have given her the world if she'd asked for it. "I couldn't do that."

    Josie's expression softened at the sight of Hope Mikaelson in her most vulnerable state. She took a step forward. "You're not your father's daughter. You don't have to be a Mikaelson."

    But then, if she wasn't a Mikaelson, who was she? What life would she have been able to create for herself if she'd only been able to keep telling the people around her that her name was Hope Marshall?

⚜️

Hope wasn't quite sure how she'd ended up in the Stefan Salvatore Memorial Library after hours. Everyone had already gone to bed and the lights had been turned off, but there was a key under a squeaky floorboard that Alaric had always forgotten to glue back into place. She'd found herself heading towards Stefan Salvatore's old library, which had been placed behind glass and flipped open to a page in which he talked about his research on the supernatural creatures called Foetoribus Careat. Latin for "Unsullied."

    In medieval times, witches in Indochina used magic to created a supernatural species called Foetoribus Careat. The strongest supernatural species known to man. They were created during the Dark Ages in order to forge an unbeatable army, one that would protect castles from raids and invasions. The Foetoribus Careat were unbeatable. They had the strength of a thousand men, moving at a speed faster than even the fastest of supernatural creatures. Nearly unkillable.

    The only issue was that after the Dark Ages had passed, the Foetoribus Careat were near impossible to stop. They would kill every man, woman and child that would try to leave the walls of the city. While their purpose had been to protect the people living inside of the city, they had turned into creatures that would kill anyone who lived outside of it.

    No one really knows how they died, and the spell to create them was never recovered. People say that it died with a few family bloodlines, who eventually left Indochina on boats, fearing the creatures they'd created would one day turn on their creators. The remaining books of the Foetoribus Careat were left to the attic of the Salvatore School. No witch had ever been able to translate the writings inside of them, and no one had ever been able to find out how exactly the creatures had died out.

    Hope reached her hand out, her fingers waving in the air. The pages obeyed her command instantly. They flipped to page thirty-four.

          September 21, 2011 - We're     trying to find out information     about a man named Mikael.     According to history, he's     supernatural's greatest threat. The     vampire who hunts vampires. The     vampire who hunts Original     vampires. Rebekah and Klaus were     running from him in 1919. We     asked Elena why they feared him so     much, and it seems we have our     answer. He's their father.

         Elena told me and Damon that     she feels bad for Rebekah. That     she's "just a girl, who lost her      mother too young," and maybe she     is. But Klaus isn't just a boy. He's a     monster. He turns people into     monsters. Everything he touches     becomes poison; it dies.

    She had remembered what her mother had said once. She'd been talking to Aunt Freya, telling the story of how she'd met Mikael. She still remembers her words: "Hope has an advantage that Klaus never had, as sad as it to say; but Hope never met Mikael. She never will."

    From the stories, it had been Mikael who was the reason that her father had become a monster. He'd beaten him and tortured him when he was younger, never once treating him the way he'd treated the others, regardless of the fact that at the time, he hadn't known Klaus was a bastard. At the time, he was just another son.

   But it couldn't have been fair to blame all of her father's cruelty on his own father. He hadn't been there to tell him to murder innocent humans, he hadn't forced his hand -- he hadn't even been there for most of the events in which Klaus had been the cruelest. And he hadn't changed since he had Hope. He'd always been bloodthirsty and vengeful, going on killing sprees when the smallest thing hadn't gone his way.

    Hope had the blood of the Original Hybrid and the husband of the Original Witch. Regardless of how closely she clung onto the teachings of her mother, she would always teeter a little too close to the edge; dance a little too close to madness. She would always have the blood of a Mikaelson. If they were monsters, so was she.

    Barely seconds had passed before the Honor Council flooded into the library. It had been Rafael who had spoken first. "Hope, there's something wrong."

    He spread the map across the table in front of him. Hope quickly rushed over, spelling the diary to turn to its usual page without calling too much attention to herself. "What's wrong?"

    She examined the map closely, only to realize that the golden specks of light on the map, once indicating the activity of the three supernatural species, had darkened to a near black. Only a few golden marks were left on the map, representing the existence of regular supernatural creatures, scattered across the state of Virginia. Naturally, Mystic Falls glowed the brightest.

    "Where is Statera?" Kaleb asked. "I've never even heard of that place."

    "It's a small town just an hour north," Alaric explained. "It has a population of less than two thousand people. I've never been there myself, but as far as I know, there isn't a lot of supernatural activity."

    "Well, according to this, they don't have any supernaturals at all," Hope explained. "Why not?"

    A town filled completely with humans, with a population of people that had become so comfortable in their environment that they didn't bother to leave, and those outside didn't bother to visit.

    'Angel.' She would have answers, at least a few of them; but from what Hope could tell, she wanted to leave Statera. More than anything; but she'd never spoken of anyone else. She'd mentioned her friends, who wished to attend community colleges within the town, and high school teachers who enjoyed their jobs and had grown up in the town themselves.

    "When was the last time that somebody moved there?" Hope asked, raising her eyebrows.

    "People probably move there all the time," Josie answered. "It's a quiet suburban town in the middle of nowhere. A low enough crime rate and expensive houses to ensure that their kids don't get hurt."

    "Then that would mean a growing population," Alaric quickly shut down his daughter. "The highest the population has gotten is less than five thousand people."

    "We should check it out," Rafael pointed out. "See what's going on over there. Why it looks like every supernatural being on the face of the earth is avoiding that place."

    "Maybe they just don't know about it," Hope quickly stepped in. "I mean, why would they? It's a small town."

    "A small town filled with people to eat," Josie cut her off. "Vampires have existed for over a thousand years, werewolves and witches for even longer."

    Alaric nodded, agreeing. "Josie's right. Supernaturals are strong enough to massacre entire villages if they're in a bad mood. Small towns like this, especially so close to Mystic Falls, shouldn't even exist."

    Hope crossed her arms, scoffing. "So what? We visit the one town that isn't causing any problems? We cause an army of vampires to follow us and then we get the entire town slaughtered -- is that really what we're trying to do?"

    "Why are you so against this?" Kaleb raised his eyebrows. "Last time I checked, you're always first to volunteer for a road trip."

    "Not when it can cause the death of two thousand innocent people," Hope hissed. "I'm not going; and if you care even the smallest bit for the people in that town, you wouldn't go either."

    Hope shoved her way through the small group, heading for the door. As the door slammed shut behind her, she took Alaric's keys out of her skirt and got into the Jeep, starting the car before anyone could notice and speeding out of the Salvatore School's driveway.

    "Siri," Hope called out to her phone. "Text Angel 'I'm on my way.'"

#hope mikaelson #hope #hope marshall #the originals #legacies #the vampire diaries #klaus mikaelson #hayley mikaelson #hayley marshall #elijah mikaelson #kol mikaelson #rebekah mikaelson #finn mikaelson #esther mikaelson #mikaelson #mikael #hope mikaelson x reader #fanfiction #fanfic #fanfics #hope marshall x reader #alternate universe #au #social media #lizzie saltzman #josie saltzman #tribrid #vampire #werewolf