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carionto · 4 months

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The duality of Man, or triality? quadrality?

Alien to Human about New Human: Correct me if I'm wrong, but they appear abnormally large for your species?

H: Yea, he's a biggun alright, even without the EV suit I'd say... 7'3'', 310 pounds, bet he power lifts.

A: Umm... not to be rude, but, uhh... he seems, well... how should I put this...

H: Intimidating? Terrifying? Evil? Yea, if this station didn't have high screening standards I'd be totally pissing myself if he started walking towards me. The mohawk and eye tat totally make me believe he could snap me in two with a single glare.

A: I feel ashamed that my instincts are telling me to flee. I wish nature were easier to change.

H (shouting at NH): Hey buddy! Could you come over here for a minute please? You look awesome by the way!

A (whispering nervously): what are you doing?!?

H: Gotta overcome those fears somehow, I believe the best way is a direct confrontation.

NH approaches, somewhat slowly, looking around at all the other aliens in the station that are chatting, waiting around, or doing some work. He finally approaches A and H, and in a very deep and husky voice says: Um, hi, hello. T-thanks for the compliment, I, uh, was a little worried I would stand out too much here.

H: Oh you totally do, my friend over here is practically about to pass out from how much like a gothic viking of death metal you look.

NH: Oh no, I'm so sorry, I-I just grew up in Sweden-Delta and both my parents were huge into classic local music, so I just, uh... it's complicated. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare anyone.

H: Hey, relax pal, we're all good people here. Anyway, what you here to do? I'm planning on starting a bakery, still testing out what kind of flour most species here can actually stomach. My friend here is on the team working on Moon theft preventative measures.

NH: Oh, that's cool. I'm here as an exchange student with the department of applied astrophysics. If all goes well, I can finish my Bachelors degree remotely and stay here as an intern with the head researcher.

H: Oooh, that's cool. (so cool yea that you're apparently half my age but oh well guess I'm a big fat time waster like my father before me and oh god change the subject before I get depressed in front of strangers) That's a real big bag you got there, carrying some super secret science things, eh?

NH: Oh, that... uhh... guess it can't hurt to tell, security vetted it already anyway.

NH proceeds to unzip the bag and hold up a large white piece of clothing with light blue rings and accents, alongside a strange white cap with what looked like small fins, and a curious little backpack.

NH: It's uhh... um... my... Ika... musume... cosplay.... (oh gods I can't believe I said it out loud again)

After a moment of awkward silence, NH slowly puts on the backpack and presses a button on it's strap, and suddenly numerous light blue colored tentacle-like appendages sprout out from the backpack and move in line with NH's movements.

NH: I, uh..., got my engineering friend to make them articulate and interface with my contacts. I can make them do all sorts of things, like make various shapes and animals with them, though works best as a shadow theater.

H:...

NH:...

A now frozen out of confusion than fear:...

H: That's so

NH: (oh I know it's so lame, but I love that show)-

H: COOL! I don't know what a ika musume is, but those things look amazing. You said articulate? How precise can they be? I'd love to have something like that instead of my useless assistant. Poor lad can't make a piece of toast if his life depended on it...

NH: Y-you like it?

H: I LOVE those things. My daughter does cosplay too sometimes, but she makes her Dreadnought suits herself from scraps. One time the military came to our house and installed a limiter on the gauss cannon she found in a crash site, said it would otherwise start to generate small doses of radiation if used too frequently. But she replaced it with a handmade rail gun before the next convention. Do you go to those? Did you see a 7 meter tall hulking metal monstrosity with a bunch of candles all over? That was her.

NH: Oh, I think I've seen video of that, but no, not in person, I go to smaller events. I don't really like big crowds.

H: Oh yea, I get ya, you do seem a bit on the shy side now that we've been talking for a bit. Hey, no worries, like I said, we're all good people here.

NH: T-thanks, but I think I should be going now, the teacher is calling me over.

H: Oh yea, go ahead, didn't mean to take up so much of your time. Have a fun stay and I'm sure you'll ace that paper or theory? Or whatever astrophysicists do, you seem like a solid kid.

NH: Oh, uh, thanks. Good luck with your bakery. And you with stopping those weird people from stealing more moons. Bye.

H: Bye bye, come visit, don't be a stranger now, I'm set up just a short bit from the main lift on floor 14.

NH: R-right, I'll, uh, be sure to stop by soon.

A is finally able to process what they just heard and says: What was all that just now?

H: What? Just a friendly chat with what is apparently basically a kid. Man, this kid's got so much going on, while I'm almost 50 and I have an oven. Life, man, it can go in so many ways. Anyway, let's go grab a drink, I'm parched.

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dduane · 9 months

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hi ms duane (who is rlly cool and i love your books btw),

any advice? one of my favourite book series (released 30 years ago) was never finished... it's rumoured the last book was written but never published . ever since i have discovered this i have been heartbroken 😔. how do i cope with the cliffhanger? is it okay to approach the author and ask him about it? (he has written other books since + has other social medias) what do i dooooooo?

Well—per the second-to-last question, and speaking as someone who started one novel series more than forty years ago, and still haven't finished its last main-sequence book (and hears about it more than occasionally from the readership)—my immediate reaction would be:

From where I'm sitting, no, it's not really okay. So don't.

To clarify the thinking behind this, a couple of questions need to be answered.

(1) How sure are you about whether the rumor accurately reflects reality?

(2) Is the author someone you'd care about possibly hurting?

(And #2 is more important than #1, but bear with me.)

First of all: rumors are, well, rumors. I wouldn't approach an author about something like this if a rumor was all there was to go on. In particular, if the author's ever been asked about this and declined to answer, there may be legal complications in the background that they can't or don't want to deal with in public.

Secondly: if the book does indeed exist but was never published, three decades back, then there are numerous reasons that could be behind it, and all of them are painful to consider. A couple that immediately occur to me are:

The publisher decided they didn't like the last book enough to take the risk of publishing it (or sales figures for preceding books had been poor or declining), and/or no other publisher wanted the final book because they couldn't also publish the front end of the series. (I.e., the original publisher refused to revert those books' publcation rights.)

The author decided for some reason after completing the book that they didn't like it (and/or the series preceding it), and pulled it.

And there are many other possibilities... but I'm not going to get into a long list of maybes here. The point is that there's a better-than-even chance that having someone turn up on social media or in their inbox with a question about Oh Sweet Gods Not This Again, will cause the author pain.

And the issue of whether (for whatever reason) some people might think the author deserves the pain is completely beside the point. Hamlet's got it right here: "Use every man after his desert, and who shall 'scape whipping? Use them after your own honor and dignity—the less they deserve, the more merit is in your bounty."

So if I was standing where you are, after thinking about it a bit, I'd say "...yeah, no." ...and let the author be.

Now as for the question "How do I cope with the cliffhanger?": well, you pull on your Thoughtful Reader Pants—pull them right up high— and remind yourself that:

(a) Powerful though all art can be, it also can be fragile, especially as regards completions... because entropy, and sometimes mortality, can get in the way.

(b) And while we're discussing mortality: Cliffhangers are an inescapable part of the human condition. One day, you and I and everyone we know will suddenly depart this scene, and leave everyone else who knows us wondering what would have happened if... and never finding out. Maybe this is why we have a certain amount of trouble with cliffhangers in literature, on TV and in other arts: because "art is supposed to reflect life" (...long pause...) "But not like that!"

(c) In the meantime: Read the author's books that you do have. Celebrate what that person's made in that particular universe that you've got access to. And know that, in the fullness of time, eventually your heart will mend, and be stronger after the break as a result.

And finally: never give up hope. That author, and that book, might surprise you some day, when you most need it. :)

HTH!

#reading #reader advice #cliffhanger management

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izzysillyhandsy · 6 months

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How I learned to stop being angry and love the Death Scene (for now)

This may be a controversial take, but I've come to the conclusion that Izzy's death scene maybe wasn't badly written after all.

There is one big aspect of this scene that I really love: it was 100% in character for Izzy AND Ed (and everyone else too) at that point in their story.

BUT it only works if we are not expected to believe that 1. this was in any way a happy ending for any of them and 2. that this arc is finished.

If Izzy stays dead permanently, his death and the way it happened, what was said and notably what wasn't, was tragic for everyone involved - especially Ed - and we should feel bad about it. This isn't an uplifting scene of closure for either Izzy or Ed, and it is totally understandable that most Izzy fans were crushed by it (and Ed fans, even those who don't like Izzy, should be too!).

If there is no possibility that anyone, in any way, can talk to Izzy ever again and (in Ed's case) clean up the mess between them - then this is not a comedy any more. It's a tragedy. And it should be treated as such by the show and the creators (and this might be where disappointment lies waiting).

The death scene by itself though was fitting, if we look at where Ed and Izzy are on their character arcs at the end of S2. It played out exactly as I'd have expected.

Izzy - All about Eddie

The main problem I (and many others) had with Izzy's death scene is that it is all about Ed.

Izzy is apologizing for everything that happened, including Ed cutting his fuckin' leg off. He is reassuring Ed that he wants to go, it's ok, no need to be sad. He encourages Ed to be soft, emotional, himself. He tells him that his biggest fear, being unloveable to anyone except Izzy, isn't real - he has a family now.

And, now that I've had time to think about it, I realized: YES this is exactly what Izzy would do.

All of S2 was about Izzy breaking the chain, but until the end it was still all about Ed for him (because it's not as easy as cutting off a rotten leg, unfortunately). Izzy would make his last moments about Ed, trying to do as much good as possible in the short time he had left. Or, trying to undo as much of what he thought he'd done wrong.

And I really don't want to take away from Izzy's accomplishments and character growth in S2. He'd come so far already! After years and years of singleminded devotion and love he'd finally realized that their form of entanglement was destructive.

Izzy broke up with Ed in Ep2 - and it almost killed him both of them. He started to look for meaning outside of his relationship with Ed, rediscovering aspects of himself that had long been buried and forgotten. He began, tentatively, to form bonds to members of the crew and put himself out there, away from Ed's side, away from being Ed's voice and Ed's hands, ruled by Ed's emotions.

But there wasn't enough time: still, everything he did was, in one way or another, at least partly about Ed.

Whittling - a Blackbeard metaphor Training Stede - "What did he say about me specifically" La vie en rose - a love song about "the one" and promises for life Hiya boys - oh my god he's trying so hard here but this is killing him, isn't it Bonding with Stede at Jackie's - "He's a complicated man" The Ricky monologue - so much passion behind every word, not getting what you want, letting go of ego for something larger - the whole speech was (at least partly) about Ed

(I believe the first Ricky monologue about belonging is more about Ed than the crew and I know this is not a popular take. Still, for me it makes sense because this is how Izzy felt for decades. I don't think he has shaken that mindset yet - give up your ego, your own dreams and personality for something larger - Ed&Izzy or Blackbeard. When he says "he crew" it feels like a bit of an afterthought - there is a pause.)

So, at the end of S2, Izzy is not over Ed at all - he's deeply hurt, feels incredibly guilty (unreasonably so!) and is repressing a lot of what happened.

He's still so entangled with Ed - if this is his last chance to make things right, he will.

And as much as I would have loved seeing Izzy dying surrounded by his loving family, he wasn't there yet. Not as long as Ed was around. And I think the crew understood. They understood Izzy more then he understood himself at one point ("You're in a toxic relationship with Blackbeard"). They understood what he was going through, and they gave him space to say goodbye to the man he had loved for his whole life.

Izzy died how he lived - all wrapped up in Eddie. And at this point in his life, I wouldn't have expected anything else.

Ed - All about us, you and Me

I love the symbolism of these 2 frames - while Izzy's bloody hand is entangled in Ed's hair until death (and beyond), Ed's bloody hand is putting a distance between Izzy and everyone else but himself.

I wonder how Ed would have taken it if it had been the other way round - if Izzy had found himself a Stede at the start of S1.

I think not well is an understatement.

Even though Ed seems constantly annoyed by Izzy in S1 (and violently destructive towards him in S2), at no point did I get the impression that he actually wanted Izzy to leave, for Izzy to love him less intently or be less devoted.

But, it wasn't very much about Izzy as a person, or Izzy's happiness, or their shared happiness anymore. I think Ed saw himself and Izzy as "together forever, us two against the world", but without putting any work in or pausing to think how Izzy was actually feeling (and I am 100% sure that Ed knew how much Izzy loved him and how little love he got in return).

But being with Izzy was Ed's whole life, they were two halves of the same whole, and Ed even kinda expected Izzy to stay around after he fell in love with Stede ("We could have worked this out!") and didn't really think about how this never, ever could have worked out for the kind of relationship they were having (this is how Steddyhands... was so compelling actually).

So is it any wonder that, in Izzy's last moments on earth, Ed wants to have him all to himself? He sends Stede away. He signals the crew to stay (waaayy) back. He cradles Izzy in his arms, his back to the crew and everyone else who loved him.

And although, at the start, he tries to get a word in (to apologize back, to tell him he's forgiven) - Izzy dies without hearing anything that wasn't directly related to Ed and Ed's feelings.

Ed never tells him he loves him. He doesn't tell him how much Izzy will be missed for himself and not for what he could do for Ed. How important he was to Ed all those years.

The only thing Izzy gets from Ed before he dies is "You can't go. You can't leave me. Please! You're my only family."

What will happen to Ed? You can't do this to Ed! Ed has noone else! And as sad as this is, it is in character for him at this point in his life.

Ed is fundamentally a very self-centered (and self-hating) person, and his journey towards change had just begun with his death and rebirth. And just like Izzy, he would have needed much more time to grow (although Izzy'd gotten much, much further than Ed).

At Calypso's birthday, I think for the first time in forever, Ed saw Izzy as his own person, someone who he could actually love apart from this Ed-Izzy union they had going for so long. But only a few days (I guess?) later, Izzy dies.

So, at the end of S2, Ed still sees Izzy as "his" to a degree, sees him as one half of "us". He almost expects Izzy's last words to be about him (or them) and doesn't yet see Izzy as his own person, with his own feelings and ties to other people who might have wanted to say goodbye as well.

For Ed, Izzy died how he lived - wrapped up in Ed and Ed keeping everyone else away. Talking about himself only in relation to Ed. Izzy as a part of Ed that's vital and needed - but not itself in need of words of solace or other people's love (or any love, period).

Conclusion

At this point in Ed's and Izzy's life, the death scene and how it was written/acted is perfect, in my opinion. But for the characters, it's incredibly tragic.

Izzy never got what he wanted most - Ed's love. He died believing almost his whole life was a mistake, keeping Ed from his true self for far too long and destroying him in the process. In the end, the crew who had unconditionally loved and accepted him, stood at a distance, and the man he still loved over anyone and anything else never told Izzy what he meant to him - and now he never will.

Ed was absolved of his guilt and maybe, in the moment, he even believed it. But of course everything that happened in S2, and everything before that, wasn't (only) Izzy's fault and in the future, Ed has to deal with that. Only now there is no Izzy here to work it through with, and to make amends, no one who was there for it all and who knows parts of Ed best. When Ed finally realizes what Izzy meant to him, it will be too late.

So, if we get a S3 and nothing is ever made of all of this, if Izzy is really dead and the Ed/Izzy dynamic is done and dealt with, then it was bad writing (and I am so afraid that will actually happen).

But as it stands, I'm beginning to love the scene for what it is: a tragic, consistent ending for two characters that I love deeply.

But please don't tell me this was a kind ending.

#ofmd #ofmd s2 spoilers #ofmd meta #izzy hands #edward teach #this got longer than expected #but it's a more positive take #I guess I want to make sense of it all - even Ep8 #and I want to love this show again!!#rewatching S1 right now and wow - I'm not ready to give this up yet

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themultifandomgal · 5 months

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Arthur Shelby- Call The Midwife

I was requested to do a request based on call the midwife. I couldn't choose just one character and one story line from call the midwife so I've done one for each. They will all be out over the next few weeks.

Inspired by season 2 episode 4

Falling pregnant was something Arthur and I were very excited about. A year after we married we knew that we wanted a baby. So here I am now nearly 9 months pregnant. Groaning I sit down on our shared bed after going to the bathroom for what feels like the hundredth time tonight. Arthur puts his arms around me and rubs my large stomach

"How's my boy doing in there?"

"Making me need a piss every 5 minutes" I chuckle "Arthur?"

"Hmm"

"Esme said we should speak to the midwife about the baby not moving much. Said her lot she could feel kicking. I haven't felt him kick once"

"I'm sure he's alright in there, but we can speak to the midwife tomorrow if you'd like"

"Thank you Arthur"

"Anythin for you dear" Arthur helps me to lay down properly in bed, placing the bed sheets over me and I quickly fall asleep.

Sometime during the night I wake up to awful pains in my stomach. Waking Arthur up I tell him to go and call the midwife.

What feeling like hours pass and I'm pacing the bedroom huffing and puffing

"There here" Arthur finally says and in walks the midwife I've been seeing since falling pregnant

"Sister, thank god your here" I breath out just as another pain hits me

"How are you doing?"

"I feel terrible, look at me"

"Well it's not a beauty contest. Now let's take a look at you" the midwife says helping me on to the bed. She lifts my legs up and takes a look at me "well it looks like we're going to be waiting for a little bit. Your not quite ready yet"

"Oh god I want this over" I shout

"And it will be soon and you'll have a perfect little baby in your arms"

"Your the father I'm guessing"

"Yes sister"

"We'll time for you to leave. Go heat up some water. This is woman's business" with that Arthur leaves the room looking panicked.

Hours later the Sister checks me again and tells me that I'm ready to push

"Now on the next pain I want you to give me a really big push. Ok?"

"I don't think I can. It hurts so bad"

"I know it does but just keep thinking about this little one being in your arm. Ok right" as the pains hit I push with all my might "ok I want you to wait a minute and when the next contraction hits I want you to push really hard" I pause, panting out of breath. Another contraction hits and I start pushing again "keep going almost there"

"I can't"

"Yes you can. Baby is nearly here" finally I feel the baby leave my body, but there's no crying at first

"My baby, is he ok?"

"Come on little one" I here the midwife say and tears start to form, but once a cry is hear I breathe a sigh of relief "I'm just going to clean him"

"Is it a boy?" I ask

"Girl"

"A girl" i mutter smiling. There's a knock on the door and in walks Arthur "it's a girl Arthur"

"Mr Shelby we haven't quite finished in here. YN hasn't delivered the after birth yet"

"He can stay I don't mind"

"Erm well in that case. Mr and Mrs Shelby I need to speak to you both"

"What's wrong?" Arthur asks frowning

"Baby's had some complications"

"What's that supposed to mean. What's wrong with my daughter?" Arthur demands

"She's got a problem with her back"

"What kind of problem?" I ask worried

"Let me call for a doctor who can explain it to you"

"Spina bifida?" I repeat making sure I've heard the doctor correctly

"Yes"

"But most children with this condition don't make it past their 3rd birthday"

"Only if their condition is accompanied with other things. I want to take the baby to the London general"

"My wife and I haven't even held her yet"

"Arthur it's ok" I say placing my hand on his arm

"Your both welcome to visit whenever you'd like and once we're happy with babies progress then you will be able to bring her home"

"Thank you doctor. Sister" with that I watch them take mine and Arthur's daughter away. I can tell Arthur is feeling many mixed emotions, anger, hurt, upset, confusion. I lean my head on his shoulder

"What if she...." Arthur finally says, his voice cracking trying not to cry

"We have to have faith Arthur"

"Faith. We should name her faith"

"I love that name"

#peaky blinders #peaky blinders imagine #peaky blinders reader #tommy shelby #arthur shelby #john shelby #arthur shelby x wife #arthur shelby x y/n #arthur shelby x reader #arthur shelby imagine

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thedarkmistress16 · 1 year

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Yandere!Tony Stark x Kidnapped!Reader

The gif isn't mine. For the life of me I can't find the source, but I know it was from this site, tho. Including it anyway because I was inspired by the gif to write this at that time, as short as this is. Picked it up for mild edits for y'all. No warnings here and gender up for debate.

Edit: silly me forgot one of the prompts I initially came up with *fp*

Edit: Oh my god forgot- another one- ew this was so not finished when initially posted

Gif-Inspired Dialogue:

“So you tried to leave me?”

“Where would you have gone? Past the sharks, of course.”

“Oh, baby. Did you really think I wouldn’t have security even out in the middle of nowhere? I was notified the moment you stepped near the door.”

“Is it so wrong that I want to protect what’s most important to me?”

“Now, sweetheart, why don’t we go back inside, cuddle up with a movie, and forget this incident ever happened?”

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

“So you tried to leave me?”

He turned toward her sharply, expecting an immediate answer, with some semblance of a smirk formed on his face.

Suffice to say, she was at a loss for words. She didn’t think she’d get this far, let alone be caught.

“Where would you have gone? Past the sharks, of course.”

She stuttered pathetically; any valid excuse escaping her at the most inopportune time.

She really thought he was stupid, didn't she? He almost shook his head at her. Instead, he clicks his tongue in succession, feeling his annoyance rise. At the same time, he wants to applaud her for her efforts, as fruitless as it was; much like the concept of not pursuing her all that time ago.

“Oh, baby. Did you really think I wouldn’t have security even out in the middle of nowhere? I was notified the moment you stepped near the door.”

He approached her to grasp her chin with his left hand, his eyes never leaving hers. She finally stopped attempting to form words at his approach, frozen and anxious from whatever he was planning to do to her.

“Don't you see it now? Is it so wrong that I want to protect what’s most important to me?”

He saw so many emotions flit across her face and had to hold back a chuckle. She was confused and frightened at his reach? At her grave mistake? And she was pleading for him now?

Oh his poor baby.

All she could manage was a meek: “Sorry.”

He hummed in acknowledgment, moving away at arm's length while still holding her shoulders. “Now, sweetheart, why don’t we go back inside, cuddle up with a movie, and forget this incident ever happened?”

As he leads her back inside with a palm resting on the small of her back, she becomes lost in her own thoughts.

Damn. She broke his illusion of trust in her and now, he probably never will again.

She needs to take the time to reassess and come up with a better strategy. Something more efficient and stealthy, where the AI wouldn't find her as easily.

Or perhaps it would be safer to stay with him. The new plan would be complicated and stressful to craft at best. How will she ever get a head start if she can’t be near any door or window? Would Tony's AI be able to catch onto it? Whenever she lies? A part of her didn't want to find out. Besides, there's no telling what he would really do to her if she tested him again. She doesn't think she would be able to forget that side of him. He wasn't showing it now for her sake, wasn't he?

She studies him with her peripherals from her spot on the cushion, their thighs touching and Tony’s arm loosely draped across her shoulders. The hand starts tracing nonsense patterns on her sleeve as he lightly laughs at whatever is playing on the screen, not paying any mind to her stare. Yes, it would be better to play along for now. If he really does plan on punishing her later, at least she could soften him up a bit by accepting his touch(es).

#moi writing #yanderexreader #yandere tony stark x reader #yandere tony stark #x reader #yandere #tony stark

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maxphilippa · 7 months

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So from one person who finished Fionna & Cake to another, how was the show for you?

i was very tired when i first got this ask so i didn't quite exactly answer it but now i am feeling a bit better so. okay:

Fionna and Cake. I actually just watched the whole series yesterday LOL. I got spoilered from the beginning but i didn't mind. On a general perspective it is what I needed emotionally to be fair. I came back from an vacation that was for my mental health and the series helped me realize about a very much awful friendship I had and how I gave so much of myself to them.

One of the main topics that resonated with me the most is how it treats the search of finding who you are through two characters that are different yet so similar in their struggles: Simon and Fionna. Both of them want their lifes to be different because they're afraid of change and also are running away from their feelings. Seeing their friendship go from complicated yet on decent terms to an genuine friendship/found family type of thing on which they've grown a lot and care deeply for eachother was so important to me.

"Shouldn't they get to die as themselves?" Is a line that stuck with me in a way I didn't expect that it would at all. I haven't really been feeling like myself in months and that got to me very deeply.

And, oh, don't get me started on Simon and Betty... oh they make me so miserable (especially since they were the ones that made me realize that I gave so much of myself to an ex friend). Their whole thing broke my heart on so many ways. I knew that they wouldn't let it go like that and transform their thing into something toxic, because they're not. They're complex. They obviously love eachother, but Simon recognizing that Betty gave so much of herself to him, and how he didn't even notice it as much, how he didn't stop to think what was the best for both of them broke my heart.

People can say whatever they want about the finale being underwhelming but. It is what Simon and Fionna needed. Simon didn't exactly move on just yet, but he accepted that he could still keep going, and that getting help wasn't something bad. And Fionna started to accept that her life is just as normal as it can be and is ACTUALLY appreciating her life for once too. She's not like Finn in anyway, but that's what I like of her. She's her own person.

Both Simon and Fionna go through a lot of stuff together but with general different approaches on said topics. And I related to them A LOT. I think that watching F&C was what I needed because I was just kind of giving up on everything y'know. Life is not easy but you're not alone, and eventually things will get better.

The takes on grief and self discovery, the search of purpose and so much more made me EMOTIONAL to say the least. It was all done so beautifully and with cleverness.

On more silly notes. Farmworld Finn. I love him. He's such a good dad. I live in denial so he's alive for me. A cracked skull never stopped Finn. I love his kids. I loved Jay and Little Destiny. I really did. Loved Cake. LVED GARYLEE. Winter King and Candy Queen were so funny too. AND OH MY GOD THE STAR TIMELINE. WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT. AND AND. UGH. and i kind of hoped that finn and fionna could have met eachother but it's fine mdkhj

fionna and cake was a great series in general and it has so much details and so much love and so much going on i love it. it's also been a main fuel for making aus rn haha. 10/10

#fionna and cake spoilers #fionna and cake #fionna the human #simon petrikov #cake the cat #betty grof #farmworld finn #max answers

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luxwing · 24 days

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Oh my god I finally finished this Fucking Thang.

The painting isn't perfect, but I wanted to add some of the accents like what the Raven Version of the Geno Breaker had. The decals were kinda annoying since the Geno's have so many weird edges and this one having those curves on its big meaty claws. Also, good god this is the most annoying thing in the world to pose. Between the backpack being LIKE THAT and all the points of articulation, this guy is never gonna be not in this pose ever again. Good lord.

Also, time to bitch, some of the joints and connections on the Repack Version are just trash. I had to glue so many of the tail hatches because they just fell apart so I can never fully open the tail. And the hands fall off with the slightest breeze. But all that aside, I'm happy with it. Probably the most complicated Zoid I've built so far. (It's only my sixth one but still)

Ooo now I get to make this meme

Now to wait patiently until they do a repack of the Psycho Geno...

#zoids #highend master model #geno breaker #zoids geno breaker #hmm zoids #gunpla #model kit #im just really proud of this one you have no idea what a pain in the ass it was #if you see mistakes on it no you dont

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roonyxx · 11 months

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The Raven: Part 5

Summary: A new threat to the world brings the boys back in action. She is big and bad, very bad. But is everything as it seems or is there more to her story?

Pairing: Dean x reader

Trope: enemies to lovers

Word count: 2345

Chapter warnings: language, a hint of smut

A/N: I know it has been AGES since I wrote, i'm trying to get back into it. I know nothing really exiting happens in this chapter but it is one of the most complicated stories I have done and it needs some building. I really hope you like it!

The Raven Masterlist

My Masterlist

Buy me a coffee

“We need to go to Heaven” Sam says as he takes care of the wounds from her nails on my neck, “They’re clearly doing something not good up there.”

“Yeah, but we can’t just go there, they’ll jump on us.” I sigh and Sam finishes up cleaning my wounds and looks me in the eyes.

“You still dream of her?” he asks me.

“No, actually…” I rub the back of my head before continuing, “I only had really good dreams. Like I’m floating in clouds and there are these phantom hands gently touching me.”

“Touching you…?” Sam says warily.

I push his shoulder “Not like that. Perv.” I chuckle.

“That’s kinda weird no? You think it’s her?”

“Why would she do that? Maybe there’s a second player in all of this and we just haven’t discovered yet.” I say.

“I doubt that.” Sam sighs and nods at the wounds on my neck “Try to keep them clean, they’re pretty deep.”

I nod and get up. Looking toward Cas and Rowena we start discussing of what to do next. We talk and plan for hours but everything seems useless, powerless against her.

Rowena went back to Hell with a promise to alert us as soon as she notices something bad about to happen.

Like a dead army rising.

Cas goes I don’t know where after, I lost my attention in the few hours after midnight we talked. I just want my bed.

At four in the morning I’m finally in it.

I hum as lips kiss my neck, hands roaming my chest. With my eyes closed I welcome the feeling. It’s soft and warm.

Plenty of little kisses litter the skin of my neck and I arch my face down in a chance to kiss those plumb lips. A soft chuckle fills my ears and makes my body tremble in delight.

“Always so eager” an angelic voice, as the angels should be, rings around me making me relax even more.

“What can I say, I’m a man who doesn’t mind more.” I answer.

The hands and kisses stop then, just for a minute to then continue downwards, over my chest to my tummy. Hands slither down my sides until they rest on my thighs.

Lips touch my pelvic bone and I draw in a sharp breath, my cock twitching to attention.

The voice makes a warm hum before wrapping a hand around my cock, grip firm, but buttery soft.

I moan and it echoes around us, “y-yes.”

I feel a pair of lips smiling against the side of my shaft before the little kisses start again.

“So beautiful.” The voice mewls. A tongue darts out next and takes a little lick against my skin.

My stomach contracts, it feels immensely intimate, these soft touches and kisses and yet it feels more intense than anything I have ever felt before.

“F-fuck.” I breathe out as the lips wrap around my tip and a tongue starts licking the slit. A humming sound makes my cock vibrate in the mouth, my hand reaches down, wanting to grab some hair. To tug at it. But my fingers meet only air.

The sucking intensifies and I gasp, holding onto my own thighs instead. My nails digging into my skin.

“O-oh god.” I moan and a hand wraps around the base of my cock while another holds my balls, rolling them into their palm.

The sucking grows faster and the hand pumps in time with the mouth while giving a firm squeeze to my balls.

“I- I’m going to come.” I gasp out, my body is arching into this mouth, this sweet delicious warmth.

“Let go for me, Dean.” The voice sings to me right before I explode.

My eyes fly open just in time to see my cum cover my own stomach and sheets, I moan odiously loud as my hips arch off my bed in time with the ropes of cum flowing over my skin.

I pant loud and look at the white ropes covering my freckles, my hands gripping my thighs. A jasmine scent heavily covering my room.

I don’t remember going to bed naked, and I don’t remember having a wet dream since I was a teen. A blush crawls over my face as I quickly grab a shirt to wipe myself clean.

I hope Sam didn’t hear.

Was it her…?

“You okay?” Sam asks me over his cup of coffee the next morning.

“Yes, why?”

“You look… I don’t know. Different. Like on edge.” He shrugs.

I am on edge… I can’t stop thinking of that dream, of the voice and the lips and the hands. I got up, took a shower and had to take care of myself again because I’m so on edge. Even now it takes all my concentration on disgusting things to not get hard again.

“I’m okay, just annoyed by this case. I want it over with.” I sip from my coffee and take a bite out of my bacon.

“Cas is taking us to Heaven today, he still hasn’t enough power to check the timeline himself but he says he knows how we can check it. And he said he knew a side door.”

“Okay, so we’re finding out what she did today?” I hopefully ask.

“Normally yes, at least we will get a step in the right direction.”

That same afternoon Cas takes us up, his side door has no guards or anyone for that matter. Which is perfect for us.

“There is a time surveillance room. There we can see everything that ever happened to the timeline.” Cas says as he leads us through the white halls of Heaven.

“Everything?” Sam says, “Isn’t that like… a lot, how will we ever find what she did.”

“An anomaly in the timeline is usually very clear. It’s not supposed to be there.” His quick gait slows down and we stay behind him. He stops in front of a blue door.

“It’s here. Let me handle the time observers.”

Cas goes in first, Sam and me following after. There is no one inside.

“This isn’t normal” Cas says with a frown, “Not once in history have they left their place. This is why it went unnoticed, there was no one to sound the alarm. I have no idea how she got her hands on them…”

“Well she clearly did, I mean, Sam and I kill angels all the time. It’s not that hard.” I shrug.

“They’re not angels, they’re beings especially designed to be time line observers. God only made two. Their role is as important as Death.” He says worriedly.

“Will it be a problem that they’re gone?” Sam asks.

“New ones should have already come into existence but… I think she’s stopping it from happening. That’s… impossible.”

“Well, she’s done more impossible things, let’s get to what we are here for before these new dudes show up, okay?” I step forward and look into the blue room, the extremely empty blue room.

“So what are we supposed to look for?” I ask.

“You can’t see it. It’s not meant for human eyes. Here,” Cas comes towards Sam and me, “close your eyes.” After we do that he touches our eye lids, we open them again and both stumble a little.

The room is one big ball of fine wires, they give light and there’s a flow to them. Tiny bursts of green, red, purple and yellow light flowing through them.

“Each color is a code. Green is important moments being born, red is important moments dying. Purple is a fixed point in time and yellow is paradox warning.” Cas explains.

“Wow” Sam is turning around in pure wonder “This is incredible.”

I’m looking too, it makes no sense, I have no idea which line is the future or the past. It’s too messy to figure out. I frown when I see a black line that stops and a new white line sprouting from the side of it before continuing slowly.

“What does black mean?” I ask as I point at it.

“It means it’s dead.” Cas goes near it and gently grabs hold of it. “this is what she did. She stopped the current line, killed it and made a new one.”

“She killed… time?” Sam says.

“Yes”

“How?” I say alarmingly, time isn’t alive, or is it?

“I don’t know, but she did it. And look” he brings it closer to us. “There.”

He points to right at the end of the line where a faint red light is glowing.

“A moment died?” Sam says.

“Yes. But sometimes a moment can be an important person, like a King”

“Can you see what it was?” I ask Cas.

“I can’t only the time observers can read the signs. But something happened and she erased it from happening and created an entire new line, only God has done that before.”

“So she killed someone, and created a new time line.” Sam says.

“It is possible she didn’t create the time line. The color codes are important points in time. It could have been that she killed someone before their time at that killed the time line and so a new one was born.” Cas explains to us.

“She said Heaven took something from her, maybe she killed for revenge?” Sam wonders.

“Probably yes. But how will we ever find out who?”

“I’ll do what I can in here” Cas says as he looks around the room, “You two should go back, this will take me a while. Maybe I can find what this all means.”

After that Cas sends us back home while he stays in the time room.

“What if she killed Death? Or any other important thing.” Sam begins, “How do we even fix that?”

“I don’t know… It just makes no sense.” I rub my face and when my fingers pass my nose I smell the jasmine strong.

It’s been growing stronger these last few days.

“We need to talk to her again.” I state.

“What… Dean she nearly killed us last time, it won’t stop her this time.”

“Don’t you wonder why? Why she didn’t? ” I ask my brother.

“She said there would be consequences, but I think she can handle those easily if she can kill time.”

“Then why are we still breathing? Like everything else, it doesn’t make sense. I think we need to talk to her again. It’s the only way we’ll find out.” I look my brother down with determination. Because I know I am right. We keep finding little pieces and bits but we will never get the full scope without her.

“How do you want to talk to her?” he sighs in defeat.

“Well, we know where she lives.” I grin.

We’re back in front of her little house in the middle of the forest. Such a strange view, her place is beautiful on this hot summer day. It looks cozy and homey. Not at all the house of a villain.

It is made of wood with a black roof and tiny cute windows on the front. Around the house there are many vines with white flowers that crawl over the entire house.

It’s been three weeks since we went to Heaven, Cas is still in Heaven, trying to figure out what happened but it takes time.

I’m not extremely patient so I convinced Sam to come without Cas.

I walk up to her front door and notice the smell is Jasmine. Her house is covered in it.

“What are you doing?” Sam alarmingly asks me in a shouted whisper.

“Knocking, the last time we broke in nothing good happened. So I’m trying a different approach.” As soon as I say that last word I knock three times before I lose my nerves to actually do it.

I have mixed feelings about being here. Because she is evil, and terrifying but… there is a part of me that’s not so sure about that. I think there is more about her story. That she is hiding something.

My dreams haven’t stopped… every night I dream of those hands and lips, touching me, cherishing me.

Worshipping me.

And I can’t help but let my mind wander it’s her… it almost has to be. It could be a trick, some way to distract or trap me, I’m not sure. I didn’t tell Sam about it, I don’t think he’ll understand it. Sam can be very judgmental towards me, and I have no need for that now.

I’m judging myself enough for the both of us.

The door opens and there she is. The beautiful version of herself.

Her Y/H/C is lose and dangling down her back, she’s wearing those same sunglasses so I can’t see her eyes. Her skin has a beautiful summery glow to it and for some reason I notice she’s not wearing any shoes under her light summer dress that cuts off just above the knees and has a low cut out, creating a deep cleavage.

“Eyes up here, Deanie boy.” She says and pulls me from whatever enchantment her body has on me.

“Not much for warnings, are you?” she sighs and crosses her arms over her chest, it makes her look so human.

“Why are you here?”

“We want to talk.” Sam says because apparently my mouth is not working but something else is…

I keep staring at her lips and hands, are it those that kiss and touch me in my dreams? The smell is more intense here, but not at all overwhelming.

“Talk? Aren’t you normally the stab first, talk later type of guys?”

“Normally yes, but clearly that doesn’t work.” I answer her.

“And why should I talk to you and not just kill you?”

“Because you keep saying that and never doing it, so I think we’re safe.” I look at my reflection into those sunglasses, wishing I could look into her eyes.

She looks the both of us over and for whatever reason, she steps aside and lets us in.

Forever Tags 2023: @jay-and-dean @wittysunflower @flamencodiva @lyss-dw79 @waywardbaby @chocolateheart @magssteenkamp @snowlovespie @awkward-and-indecisive @hobby27 @yvonneeeee

Dean tags 2023: @akshi8278 @brilovesdeanwinchester

@mrspeacem1nusone @pink-sparkly-witch @verytoadpapersoul @eevvvaa @alwayskeepfightingsweetheart @supernatural79impala @thoughts-and-funnies

The Raven: @globetrotter28 @jerome-valeska-trash @deans-spinster-witch @sassy-pelican

(send me an ask if you want to be removed/ added from my tags, I know it's been a while since I used them)

You can support me here if you loved it :D

#roonyxx #The Raven #The Raven part 5 #dean winchester #supernatural #spn fanfic #dean x reader #dean smut #angst #dean angst

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softlymaximoff · 1 year

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🩸 🌧️ can I request a drabble of WandaNat where Nat came home from a bad mission and Wanda ofc takes her of her baby? 🥺

Send emojis <3

Moya lyubov, your heart must hurt

18+ ONLY! MEN & MINORS DNI (blank blogs will be blocked you do not have my permission to republish my work onto any platform.

Summary: no matter how many missions Natasha goes on, Wanda is always there to help mend the shatter in her heart.

Characters: Wanda Maximoff, Natasha Romanoff

Warnings: injuries/blood/bruises, mental and physical exhaustion, mentions of mission complications, soft, comfort, fluff.

Word Count: 740

The quinjet shook lightly as the team landed onto the small airstrip accompanying the compound grounds. Fury, Natasha, Tony and Clint had all just come back from a month and a half long mission. The last few days were pure hell, each member had seen enough to last them years worth of therapy sessions and it was safe to say no one was going on any other missions soon.

A quiet rumble of thunder snapped Natasha out of her daydream and she winced when a flash of lightning followed not too far behind. She was never one for storms but usually stuck it out for Wanda who was outright terrified of them. Today however, with the frame of mind she was is she wanted nothing more than to fall in a heaped pile of blankets with her girlfriend.

As the jet finally stopped its engines, everyone limped out, the widow being victim of most injuries. Her arms and torso were severely bruised as was her left collarbone, she had a slightly open wound on her lip and her nose was still bleeding. Another round of lightning and thunder made her whimper and rush inside the compound as best as she could, a quiet hiss escaping as she unintentionally put pressure on her ribs while breathing.

“Nat you need to go to med bay, Laura and Wanda would kill me if they knew I’d let you finish the mission without getting checked” Clint raised an eyebrow when he got no response from her. “C’mon I’m taking you” he sighed sympathetically as he ushered her into the first med bay he could find. “No needles” she whispered with such fear he thought he might actually consider taking her off missions for a while.

“Alright no needles but we need to bandage you up and fix you. Im gonna go get Wanda okay? I promise I’ll be really quick” he assures as best he could while Natasha was practically shaking in fear on the table. She barely had the time to spiral into her own thoughts when a flurry of auburn hair ran in. “Oh malysh, you’re shaking moya lyubov come here” Wanda cooed over her injured girlfriend.

“It hurts Wans, my heart. It’s sore” Natasha’s voice was small and afraid, something she never really let loose. “Please fix me, make me forget” the slightly older avenger looked at Wanda with pleading eyes and Wanda teared up at the desperation. “Wha- Tasha no, I’m not using my magic on you. I’m telling Tony this is your last mission until I think you’re good to go again” she held her face gently and wiped Natasha’s lip. “Can you let me help you fix these nasty cuts up detka” Wanda moved around Nat with ease as she patched her girlfriend up.

Another roll of the unforgiving weather rang out and this time Natasha audibly and visibly whimpered closer to her girlfriend. “Oh baby, I’m almost done I’m sorry” Wanda frowned as she cleaned the last of Natasha’s face, now time for the torso. “Can you take your shirt off for me or do you want me to do it?” She asked softly and the redhead just lifted her arms up with a tense breath.

In a swift motion the spy was shirtless and Wanda had to hold back a gasp. She was severely bruised and painted all over with greens, blues and purples. “God babe, you’re a whole different colour” she whispered in shock grabbing her things to soothe the bruises. Tentatively, she began dabbing the cloth to remove all the dirt and grime off the tainted torso. “Wands it hurts” Natasha cowered back when her girlfriend brushed over a particular rib.

“I know, I know, I’m sorry” she murmured as she finished her up quickly. The minute Wanda was done, Natasha fell into her arms, clinging onto her like she’d disappear. “Hey shh c’mon why don’t we get you into some comfy clothes hmm? We can worry about showering tomorrow” Wanda mused over the thought as her girlfriend could only sniffle and cling tighter. “I’ve got you you’re okay. You’re safe” Wanda held back her own tears as she carried Natasha to their room.

One thing for sure was that if they wanted Nat to go on any more missions, they’d have to get through Wanda first. There was no way anybody was gonna mess with a protective Wanda, not even Maria could convince her.

#anon #asks #witchy answers #letterbox 💌#wandanat #wanda maximoff #natasha romanoff #wanda x natasha

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kae-karo · 4 months

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2023 fic roundup

phew!!! i wrote for four different fandoms this year, which is utterly wild to me given that most years i am writing for one or maybe two...but no, this year we went wild - bnha, genshin, trigun, and blue lock

so without further ado, my faves from each month:

jan 2023: i've made mistakes (but you were not one) - chaeya, i really hit my chaeya stride by this point and frankly i ADORED writing this fic, which was my first t4t chaeya fic !!!!

feb 2023: everything i ask for (and so much more) - chiluc, based on a scenario that my mom said she 'always wanted to see happen at a wedding' which rly made me laugh and thus i had to write it !!!

mar 2023: don't rush - kaeluc (and dilucest?), i just really enjoyed stretching my skills on this one in the vibes and also just. the mechanics of everything?

apr 2023: oh gods, there's two of them - cynonaribedo, which was just SO much fun after that event to consider how they'd interact and what shenanigans they'd get up to. also the smut was a fun challenge lmao

may 2023: don't be too good to me - vashwood, my first canon-universe fic for these silly guys that let me really explore the angst and also some of the lightheartedness

jun 2023: in your dreams - kaisagi !!!!! my first bllk fic!!! these two idiots make me feral !!!! they're so angsty and silly and i love them so much, i had a blast trying my hand at them!!

jul 2023: dark blue - kaisae, my last-minute final fic for kaisae july and the one that i reread and think about regularly lmao. one of my rare 2nd person pov fics, i had so much fun with teasing out all the imagery and emotions

aug 2023: but i'm losing blood and you're warm - bachisagi, currently my only bcis fic but my god was it SO fun to write, i loved getting to play in the horror genre a little and mixing that with romance and just UGH definitely up there as a fave

sept 2023: consumption - kaisagi, like what can i say except (pun intended) this premise consumed me so bad that i wrote it out of order bc i was so hooked on one particular scene. this whole story rly had me in a chokehold in the best way

oct 2023: pink light - ryusae, this is rly my favorite ryusae fic i've written to date. something about the premise and the gentleness and the second chances of it all just really got to me, i loved writing this so much

nov 2023: KNOCK.ME.OUT - ryurin, oh my god this fic....i reread this fic like every couple days for WEEKS after i finished writing it. more than i've reread any other fic, and purely out of a desire to just. live inside the story again. i loved it so much. up there with pink light as a fave for sure

dec 2023: tie me down (fuck me up) - saesagi, which like i feel like i went on a whole Journey abt saesagi within my brain and this is what came out. i rly enjoyed trying my hand at a new dynamic and taking sae out of his place of control for once !!!!

other stats + honorable mentions below the cut!

452,082 words posted this year across 58 fics, 24 ships, and, as mentioned, four fandoms. ended up around 8.7k kudos + 81k hits

some honorable mention fics:

good directions - vashwood, and a fic concept i've been dying to write for ages, which just happened to work incredibly well with vashwood

kinda complicated - plantwood, which was really just an excuse to write so much porn for them lmao but i had a great time both with that and the complex dynamics between the three of them

a tentative ellipsis - kaisae, cause i can't say EVERY kaisae july fic, but this one also was such fun to think about and write, just like. the premise and the execution were so [shakes them in a pickle jar]

we both got stories (but they're not the same) - kaisae, this premise rly cracked me up i had SUCH fun writing it and getting a little silly with it lskdjfklsdjf especially with kaiser and all his denial

make me love like i want to - kaisae/ryusae, which honestly all manifested out of like. the one scene in the fic where sae writes not dead on his arm. and that ballooned into an entire almost 30k story about soulmates that ended up being unexpectedly cathartic

sometimes i wish she was you - tabieita, idk this one really got me??? i had a blast writing karasu's point of view and his manipulative little shit attitude lmao

#2023 fic roundup #bllk #genshin #trigun #bnha #blue lock #fic roundup

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anhed-nia · 2 months

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I finally finished reading The Phantom of the Opera, which is a total mess and often mind-numbing, but one of its main crimes involves this device I often see in pulp fiction that's sort of curious. Gaston Leroux has a lot of trouble figuring out what you can just summarize versus what you need to describe in detail, and when you should do those things. For instance:

The Phantom's main demand is that the opera's resident diva should make way for Christine. He also wants a dedicated box, and an allowance of $20,000. The managers are skeptical of the widely-believed rumor that the Phantom is a real ghost (because why would a ghost need money?), and assume someone is scamming them. They ignore the Phantom's demands, which incurs an act of violence--and that's the whole narrative purpose of these guys, to provoke the Phantom one time so we can tell he means business. And the main thing is Christine, who is the center of the entire plot; the money part is so inconsequential that it doesn't even make it into most adaptations. It's not as if the Phantom specifically needs money For Something, and also the managers aren't in danger of bankruptcy or whatever. When you take the money out of the story, it continues to function in exactly the same way, this is really not a load-bearing issue.

However, what happens is that in the third act when Christine is mysteriously kidnapped out of the middle of a performance and you feel like FINALLY something exciting is going to happen, suddenly we're forced to rewind an hour or two so we can spend time with the managers who are having a complicated conversation about the Phantom's allowance and also still debating whether the Phantom is real. At this point I know the Phantom is real, Christine knows, her stupid not-boyfriend Raoul knows, and the only thing that really matters is saving Christine and hopefully having some kind of thrilling final showdown (which doesn't happen btw)...but we're stuck with these two pointless characters who spend literally around 20 pages arguing about how it is that the Phantom's allowance is conveyed to him. Like what's the method of administration there. It's incredibly uninteresting and doesn't serve the plot really at all. And at the very end of the book the Phantom gives back all the money, so it turns out that we didn't even need to spend time on this idea in the first place.

BUT we are not done with this topic. During the epilogue the narrator, who has been aggregating all this testimony about the Phantom debacle, goes back to one of the survivors and asks him how the money moves around, and there's this extremely dull description of exactly how the Phantom was able to creep around everywhere--something we already take for granted about him by now--and then there is even further discussion of how the Phantom gave all the money back, which affects nothing. Also in the epilogue is a brief summary of the Phantom's actually-interesting backstory of being a carnival freak and an ingenious polymath who learned the art of villainy from a sadistic sultan's daughter--like oh my god, why is this not in the main story where the 20 pages of money talk is just taking up space and slowing everything down?? But that's the kind of thing that Gaston Leroux thinks is not that cool and he can just casually shove it up the ass end of the story to check a box.

What this made me think about, besides how bad the book is despite the story's enduring popularity, is that there's kind of a thing in pulp writing where MONEY just becomes involved for its own sake. And let me be more specific, because I realize that money is a common motivator of many kinds of genre plots: Heists are a whole subgenre, terrorists in action movies usually want money, money is essential to any mob-related story, and actually there was a whole rash of "recession horror" movies in the last 10-15 years (think KNIVES OUT). But often when you're reading a horror novel, or something like that where the main plot is not finance-related, it happens that the hero experiences a huge windfall or discovers a major stash, and it can be a convenience to explain how they get from Point A to Point B, but it often feels like it's just there for the thrill of it. When we think about the exploitation elements of genre storytelling, we usually think about scenes of "gratuitous" sex and violence that mainly exist to provide titillation and catharsis, but I think there is a kind of pornography of money that sometimes enters the picture for the same reasons. In the (awful) Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series, Lisbeth's ability to steal is indulged with great interest, but it isn't just about the thrill of the caper or its effects on the bad guys; there are quite long (and strangely sort of good) stretches that just involve Lisbeth alone administrating her hoard, shopping, looking at apartments, taking little trips, etc. They're just languorous descriptions of what it would be like to have money, designed to inspire a sense of desire and pleasure in the reader that isn't much related to the story. Knowing that author Stieg Larsson had been a broke journalist who ate nothing but McDonald's all the time seems to explain this to some degree. I'm sure there are also examples of this in the work of Stephen King, who grew up without indoor plumbing for a time. Not that you need to have been dirt poor to understand the pornography of money, but I'm sure it helps. I wish I could think of more concrete examples, I just know it's very familiar. If you read any amount of genre fiction, you've probably thought of some yourself.

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lazysailor · 5 months

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I finally caught up to were I am in Unwholly (Yes I’m just now reading Unwholly, it’s complicated how I just now got into it). So I felt like I should give some of my opinions/thoughts since I’m on part 3 (specifically chapter 21).

First of all Starkey is an interesting character so far, but god he’s already a menace (also just from what I heard he does later in the series). But besides that I have no major thoughts over Starkey so far. I have no thoughts over Miracolina so far just because she hasn’t really showed up that much, but so far she’s a nice character. Cam, oh god, he’s probably the most interesting to me out of the rest of the Unwholly trio (Starkey, Miracolina, and Cam obviously), his whole entire character is just fascinating and interesting to me and I’m always interested to see his chapters. I’m also 99% I’ve been drawing his hair color wrong this entire time, idk though. Nelson is interesting so far, but it’s so funny that his wife left him just because he got tranq by some teen. Divan is a nice character, no major thoughts about him so far. Lowkey forgot Roberts exists but she’s fine ig. I still love Lev since he was my favorite main character from the first book, also I swear to god if Marcus dies I will fucking cry (along with Kenny, him and Cam get along so nicely). Connor and Risa are fine so far I guess, I’m a bit annoyed at them at the moment, but I’ll explain that in a different post since I don’t feel like writing it on this post.

But that’s pretty much all of my thoughts so far since I got bored in math and read ten chapters of Unwholly because I need to catch up finally to one of my friends who finished the book series as a whole (no pun intended).

#unwind #unwind dystology

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cthulhu-calling · 1 year

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Illusions of Love II

Bucky Barnes x Natasha Romanoff x f!Reader

Summary : You’re interning for the brilliant Natasha Romanoff, world renowned Egyptologist and art historian and the woman you’ve had a crush on for the longest time. The only problem is, she’s married. And what’s even worse? Her husband is the most attractive man you’ve ever met.

Warnings : fluff, smut, angst, threesomes, LDR, inaccurate information about Egypt (sorry)

Author’s Note : This is a NatxBuckyxf!Reader story. Whatever I’ve written about Egypt and ancient Egypt is made up and I cannot vouch for it’s validity. Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong. I’ve tried to be as respectful as possible and I apologize if the content offends anyone.

I always imagine reader as a woc but try not to use many descriptive words so my fics can be read by anyone. This work is not beta’d and any and all mistakes are my own. Comments and feedback is always appreciated.

Word Count : 1182

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You look at yourself in the dirty mirror, contemplating if you should maybe put some makeup on. Maybe some lipstick. And mascara. Yeah, good enough. You grab a sweater for when it gets colder. You spray a little bit of perfume on and that’s it.

Dr. Nasser lived in Alexandria and you were absolutely dreading the drive. When it was just you and Natasha, you could talk about work or just sit in comfortable silence. But you know the dynamic has changed since James’ arrival. God, it’s just a crush! Why are you getting so intense about this? Natasha had let Mr. Hassan leave for the night so you had to get a fare taxi so you couldn’t even count on him to cut the tension.

You waited near the main tent for the two of them, shaking your leg even as you stood. You have no idea why you’re this nervous. When they did show up, you had to do a double take. My goodness, they’re the most attractive couple you’ve ever seen. You need to calm down.

“Ready to go Y/n?” Natasha asks, smirking.

“Yes, I’d take a good home cooked meal over sandwiches any day. And I can’t wait to see Hen again,” you’re smiling by the time you finish that sentence.

“Yes, I cannot deny that she’s growing on me too,” Natasha says, smiling genuinely too.

“Who’s Hen?” James asks.

“Mrs. Nasser’s cat. She’s adorable,” you gush.

“And chubby,” she points out.

“Chonky,” you giggle.

“Okay, now I gotta see this cat,” James declares.

The taxi shows up and you get into the front even though both of them insist it should be Bucky sitting up front. You’re weirded out but accept anyhow.

“So, Y/n, you’re a grad student?” James asks.

“Yeah, art history. That’s why I’m pretty lucky I got this internship or my job prospects would be nil,” you joke.

“Oh, please, Y/n. You are my best student. You were gonna be fine with or without this job,” Natasha declares and you can feel the heat rise to your cheeks. She’s never complimented you outright before. Not like this.

“Thank you,” you mumble, unable to hold back a smile.

“So, are you seeing someone?” James asks. You can say you weren’t expecting that line of questioning.

“Um, no. Not really,” you mumble. You decide they don’t need to know about the boyfriend that broke up with you when you said you were leaving for three months. Apparently, three months without sex would surely drive him crazy. That day you’d made a mental note, never date an ex-frat boy.

“You don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to,” he reassures and you can hear the guilt in his tone at the prospect of having made you feel uncomfortable.

“No, it’s just complicated,” you brush it off.

The hand that lands slowly on your knee sends a bolt of electricity through you. Natasha’s small but weathered hand gently squeezes your knee and you find yourself wishing you’d worn something shorter, just to feel her skin on yours.

“I’m here if you ever wanna talk about it,” she says and removes her hand with a final pat. All you can do is nod your head, still reeling from her touch.

The rest of the ride passes in silence. Natasha and James don’t even speak to each other, oddly.

At Dr. Nasser’s house, his wife greets you with a crushing hug. She’s a tiny woman, barely five feet and no more than ninety pounds, but her hugs have never not been painful. As the two doctors and Mr. Barnes make conversation, you follow her into the kitchen where Hen is sitting at the counter. “She’s spoiled rotten,” Mrs. Nasser declares, feeding the big cat a piece of dried meat from her hands. The cat comes to greet you, rubbing herself against you and purring. You pick her up, nuzzling into her soft fur. “She deserves to be,” you say, making the older woman laugh.

You help her set the table, against her vehement protests for you to sit down and enjoy yourself. You find you could avoid making a fool of yourself if you just stuck to Mrs. Nasser’s side. Juvenile, you know, but effective. Dinner is pleasant, the food absolutely delectable. You get to know that Dr. Nasser’s son is in Dubai, working as an architect but he’s going to be visiting soon. Mrs. Nasser offers to introduce the two of you, not bothering with subtlety at all, making heat rise to your cheeks.

“What about you James? No plans on starting a family anytime soon?” she asks. There’s an instant change in the atmosphere in the room. Natasha takes a large gulp of water, putting the glass down on the table more harshly than necessary, refusing to meet anyone’s eye.

“Believe me, ma’am, there’s nothing I’d like more,” he declares and you can feel Natasha bristle next to you.

“We’re waiting for the right time,” she adds, looking directly at James from across the table.

“Yes, we’ve been waiting for the past four years for it to be the right time,” he adds, doing little to conceal his frustration. It’s awkward, the silence that envelops the table. After a few moments, Mrs. Nasser clears her throat.

“How about some dessert? Would you be so kind as to help me, Natasha?” she questions sweetly but everyone sees it for it is a distraction to ease the growing tension and no one can deny, it is absolutely welcome.

“Sure,” Natasha smiles forcefully, following Mrs. Nasser into the kitchen. It’s quiet for a few moments until Dr. Nasser engages James into a conversation about the stock market. Or at least that’s what you think they’re talking about, you're not really listening. You’re still reeling from what just happened. Guess they’re not the happy couple you thought they were.

The ride back is jarringly quiet, you’re in the back with Natasha again while James sits in the front, taking phone calls the whole time, at least till you fell asleep, involuntarily leaning your head against Natasha’s shoulder. She shakes you awake just as the car comes to a stop. You wipe drool from the corner of your mouth, embarrassed and confused as to why she didn’t wake you up sooner. As if reading your mind she says “You needed that nap. Plus, you looked cute,” she whispers the last part in your ear, making heat rise to your face.

Once you reached the site, all of you retired to your tents. You longed for your comfortable back home or even one at a hotel in Alexandria. You changed into something more comfortable, warmer before slipping into your sleeping bag. You were exhausted but you couldn’t sleep. The sweet embrace of slumber was just out of reach, your mind going back to the awkwardness of dinner. You grab the book you’d been reading, trying to focus on the words on the page but failing. You toss and turn for a while after, finally falling into a restless sleep.

#bucky barnes x natasha romanoff x reader #bucky barnes x reader #natasha romanoff x reader #female reader #f!reader #smut #fluff #angst #f/f/m #inaccurate information about egypt #i'm sorry

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thisworldisablackhole · 3 months

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Sprawl Trilogy first impressions

God damnit, Gibson really did it this time didn’t he? The man really knows how to string you along and then ghost your ass mid dinner - dipping out of the bathroom window to leave you calculating the tip on your own.

Upon writing this, I have just finished Mona Lisa Overdrive, so I’m full of post-book emotions. Mona Lisa Overdrive took me the longest to read out of the 3 books. Part of that is due to the fact that I was getting distracted and spending full days writing posts on this blog about music and other stuff, and part of it is due to the fact that it is simply the most narratively dense book in the series.

After reading all three I have to say that Neuromancer is still my favourite. It had the most satisfactory ending by far, and perhaps the most cohesive vision. Count Zero is the only entry in the series that was kind of a dud for me. Upon finishing the trilogy, I think there is still some important world building information in that book that is worth revisiting, but the semi-boring characters mixed with all the weird heady spiritual stuff just didn't click for me. Not to mention the finale was much like when you try to pop a bubble on a sheet of bubble wrap and it sort of just softly squeezes out the air without making a sound. Virek going from being on the verge of unlimited power to completely ceasing to exist within the span of a few pages just made me go... "oh.... alright then".

Many people claim that Mona Lisa Overdrive is the best, and I can see where they are coming from, but I must admit I am just not a huge fan of the multi character perspective switching that happens between every chapter. Neuromancer still had it's fair share of innate complications that come from being based in a highly technological word (and written by an author who trusts the intelligence of the reader way too much), but it had a single driving perspective that was easy to stay engaged with. Count Zero caught me off guard with it's perspective shifting right away and it took me almost half the book to really pin down all the who what and where's to a point where I felt connected to each thread. Fortunately Gibson improved on this method of writing A LOT with Mona Lisa Overdrive. Even though he upped the narrative threads from three to four, the characters felt more fleshed out and were easier to connect with.

There is still so much I don't fully understand about the story. The end of Mona Lisa Overdrive wrapped up a lot of loose ends from the previous two books while simultaneously opening a pandora's box full of new questions and theories to explore. I do feel like Gibson added a bit of unnecessary information for the pure sake of complicating the plot and throwing you off balance, but it was nonetheless fascinating. Kumiko's entire involvement in particular was a huge question mark for me. Not to say I didn't enjoy her character. I loved the interactions between Kumiko and Colin. The whole idea of a handheld maas neotek personality construct that acts as a guide/companion that only she can see was really fun, but I kept waiting for her involvement in the whole switcheroo deal to make sense and then it turned out she was never really involved in that aspect of the story in the first place.

On that note, one of the beautiful things I learned to accept about Gibson's writing is that he loves to leave the reader in the dark. There were many times where I felt like an idiot for not fully understanding what was going on, only to have Gibson drop the answers straight into my lap in the last quarter of the book. I found reading this series a lot more enjoyable when I just relaxed and went along for the ride instead of asking questions. The knowledge and context you gain by the end of the books almost beg you to read them again, and that is why I refuse to do a full in depth review until that happens. I just can't do them justice until I fully understand.

#william gibson #neuromancer #count zero #mona lisa overdrive #cyberpunk #sci fi #books

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