#reviewing hiccup & friends

[reviewinghiccup]

RIDERS OF BERK | HTTYD SERIES | BREAKING DOWN HICCUP & FRIENDS

Blog Post Series: Breaking Down Hiccup & Friends

Title: Gem of a Different Color

Ep/Season: Episode 18, Season 1 (Riders of Berk)

Premise:

It is believed that our gentle giant, Fishleg, found a stone of good fortune. However, it is discovered, shortly after that it isn't a stone of good fortune at all, but a changewing egg! However, not to worry, after all, Fishleg was the only one w the egg and can easily put it back in its nest and rectify the whole misunderstanding... or is he?

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN

FISHLEGS JUSTIN INGERMAN

This is a Fishlegs story. We got a few for Astrid, a couple for Snotlout, one for the twins and now we have Fishlegs'. As such, this episode focuses a lot on his fears, concerns and passion.

"Vikings are strong, tough and courageous. Courage is a funny thing. Many are born with it. For some its a never ending struggle. For others, well... they just don't know enough to be afraid," Hiccup narrates at the opening of the episode which panes out to a one-on-one combat in the arena.

The Viking teens have to learn to fight without their dragons. So Gobber pairs them. Unfortunately for our Hiccup, he got...

And well...

I would say, Astrid and Snotlout were born courageous. The twins fall into the latter category of not knowing enough to be afraid. And Hiccup and Fishlegs well, they just have to work that bit harder to find courage within themselves.

Personally I see Fishlegs (and I'm using this term lightly) as a pacifist. He doesn't really engage in fights / battles / conflicts / confrontations unless he absolutely has to. He's not completely a pacifist because he will "annihilate" when dragons/innocent people are at stake.

He claimed that he doesn't want to fight Snotlout, because he doesn't want to encourage Snotlout's tendencies.

At first I wasn't convinced that, that was his reason. I did think maybe Fishlegs was scared. But actually, maybe Fishlegs knows deep down he has a lot of pent up strength and power, and he just doesn't want to tap into that. I mean, do y'all know Thor Bonecrusher? Hypnotised or not, it was drawn from something within him, so. I'm just saying maybe.

Whatever the case may be though, he is an absolute sweetheart and people like that are easy to bully. And often, mistaken as weak.

And what I do appreciate, is Astrid's instincts to defend him against Snotlout when Snotlout goes overboard.

The problem though w people like this, is two fold; (1) they blame themselves easily, and (2) they may snap.

(1) THE BLAME GAME

You see it with Hiccup as well. He often feels bad for things he can't control or didn't foresee. He's not superhuman and so mistakes should be understandable but with so many people depending on him, he almost always feels like he should know what the right thing is to do 24/7.

Fishlegs is no exception. How was he to know that Meatlug dug up a Changewing egg. He hasn't seen an adult Changewing before, how was he to know. Yet he constantly beats himself up for it because he feels responsible as the "all knowing dragon expert" and Hiccup, understanding where he's coming from tries to appease that guilt.

(2) DON'T MESS WITH THE DRAGONS

What I do appreciate about the show though, is that Fishleg does eventually stand up for himself. A person may snap, but for the wrong reasons and create even more problems. But no, when Fishlegs finally takes a stand, he did it right.

I mean, Snotlout pushed it way too far and it was time someone showed Snotlout that he isn't the only strong teen viking around.

This just goes to show that within, Fishlegs is a very tough person but he choose where his strength will be utilised. And seeing that he was done with Snotlout's deception and games, he finally gave him a taste of his own medicine.

THEME & MESSAGE

I know that this feels more like a Breaking Down Fishlegs than a Hiccup segment, and I'm sorry, but I couldn't help it. The episode was predominantly on him. And in essence, Hiccup can't really do without Fishlegs. I mean, Astrid is great, but sometimes, she lacks empathy and her dragon knowledge isn't as up to scratch as Ingerman's.

Together, they collate and document the study of dragons, improving, amending and adding to Bork the Bold's work.

They remind me a lot of the modern version of Stoick and Gobber sometimes. Fashioned in a different time and clime. Which is necessary for Berk's survival because the village is growing into a different landscape.

Furthermore, that's how societies grow. Through the appreciation and desire to learn about our universe, adding to creations, innovations and technologies.

I think the creators of the show aptly named this episode "Gem of A Different Colour" because Fishlegs, though Viking like, isn't very viking in personality.

He is different, but what makes him different is also what makes him important. He contributes to the synergy and grounding of the team. Making sure that they don't go too ahead of themselves or slack too far behind in terms of dragon training or knowledge.

After all, I believe that the key to training dragons requires a mastery of its knowledge. And frankly, there would be no dragon academy without him and his enthusiasm and love for these creatures.

I love the message behind the episode. It was more than just doing the right thing and standing up for what you believe in. It is about fearlessness and that it doesn't always have to look a certain way. It can come in many different shapes and sizes. And despite being the resident scaredy cat (sometimes), Fishlegs does prove himself the bravest and selfless in this episode.

Lastly, whatever the case may be, I'm glad that he showed up and decided to take Snotlout on in combat at the end. He's a good soldier and we can't have him slagging behind his training.

He may be a little insecure about his person, I mean, that happens to the best of us sometimes. And it's possible that the solution to getting out of your head, is to step out of your comfort zone.

"Having courage isn't the same as having no fear. It's being afraid and pushing forward anyway. Whether that means saving a baby dragon, or protecting those you love, or giving a special someone the butt-kicking they so richly deserve." - Hiccup's epilogue.

END NOTE:

There are many dragon species I've come to love as I go through the seasons. The Changewings are one of them. They're amazing creatures and I love to see them blend into environments. I would never want to meet one, but gosh, even their eggs are unique.

What are some of your favourite dragons introduced in the franchise that isn't a Night Fury, Deadly Nadder, Gronkle, Monstrous Nightmare or Zippleback?

#HTTYD #how to train you dragon #httyd franchise #httyd series #httyd fandom #httyd riders of berk #rob #dob #rtte #httyd hiccup #httyd fishlegs #httyd fishlegs ingerman #httyd astrid #httyd snotlout #httyd stoick #httyd gobber #httyd character breakdown #series analysis #reviewing hiccup & friends #httyd oc #hiccup #hicclegs? #changewing dragons #changewing dragons eggs

[auteurdelabre]

Something to Fight For (Series) Part 18 Joel Miller x f!Reader

Rating: 18+ THIS CHAPTER'S TRIGGER WARNINGS: Emotional Abuse, Childhood Trauma, Drug Addiction, Mentions of Death A/N: I rewrote this fucking chapter about 8 times. I'm still not sure how I feel about it. It was a real hard one to write, ya'll. A lot of my own shit is mixed up in there with the story. MC is part me after all (and part all of you). So it was hard. Harder than I think I expected it to be. So I dunno how it ended up. Couldn't re-read it too much. I really need your reviews on this one folks. It's real important to me, 'specially now. I need to know how you feel, the good and the bad. I gotta get this right.

Story Masterlist HERE

You're overcome. 

There's no other word for it. You've been sobbing in your shower for the last hour. After running from the barn, taking a taxi home and bursting into your suite you immediately fell to your knees, the warm water pelting down onto your back. 

It's as close to being held, at being soothed that you can manage right now. 

You can’t stop replaying tonight’s events. The song Joel chose. The one of longing and deep yearning. 

"She may be the reason I survive

The why and wherefore I'm alive

The one I'll care for through the rough and ready years"

But also of a love gone by. A regret.

"She may be the face I can't forget

A trace of pleasure or regret"

Is that how he views you? A love gone by?

Of course he does.

Paul's engagement ring is in the velvet box it came in. It's being returned tomorrow. You'd have done it tonight if it weren't so late. 

You need to end things. It's the only way forward. No matter what, no matter if Joel is in love with Tess, no matter if you'll never be with him, you *can't be with Paul. 

You don't love Paul. It's obvious to everyone including yourself. It's been obvious for so long. You've wasted so much fucking time and energy on him. 

You think of all the boxes packed here, the ones you were going to move to Leander. You think of how strange and sad it is that your whole life can be put into less than twenty cardboard boxes. 

And even though Joel can't be yours and even though that hurts more than words can begin to say, you are so fucking grateful for him. You are so grateful you met Joel Miller because he's shown you what love is. True, caring love. 

Even if it's not yours to keep. 

You will never forget the way he looked singing tonight. The goodbye song from his heart to yours. You'd felt it. The bittersweet finality of your time. 

More tears are coming. 

"I love him," you say to the tile in front of you. You need to hear the words spoken out loud in the universe, even if it's hidden in the fall of the shower and heard only by you. "I love Joel."

You need to see Joel. You need him to hold you. Need his calming presence. You need to wrap your arms around him and press your face into his neck and just feel breathe that sweet, spicy scent of home.

He's not yours.

You don't get to see Joel. You don't get to have him. He's Tess'. You can't be his friend, you want him too much. So what does that leave? 

That leaves you replaced and alone. 

You pull yourself from the shower, shivering as you towel off, drying your hair the best you can. You go to your dresser and pull out one of the few remaining pieces of clothing there. 

Joel's shirt. 

You've washed it so it doesn't smell like him anymore. Doesn't smell like the laundry detergent he uses or that wood shavings scent he sometimes carries. But when you put it on it feels like he's there in some small way. You pull it on over your sleep shorts hiccupping a soft cry. 

You remember so long ago, standing in Joel’s den as you pondered if he just played guitar or if he sang as well.

“S’weird how something can make you feel so good and then outta nowhere become the pain”

That’s how it feels now. Joel, the thing that makes you feel good has also become the pain. The wedding is tomorrow. You need to collect yourself by then. You'll see Joel and you need to be controlled. You need to be okay. You need to not ruin this for him. 

Because you do love Joel. You love him in a way you never expected to love or be loved. You love him so much that you are determined to make his life better. Determined that you will not take away what he has carved out for himself. 

You crawl under the covers, your face buried in the pillow. 

"I l-love Joel," you whisper it again into the pillow only now it's broken by sobs. You curl up under the covers, your body trembling. "I love him I love him." 

You feel lost. So hopelessly lost. 

And then the phone rings. 

///

It's late in the Miller house. Quiet. Sarah's been asleep for hours thanks to the sugar crash Bill's cupcakes provided. 

Tommy's asleep in the basement apartment, exhausted from the evenings festivities and anticipating a long day tomorrow. 

Or, as Joel glances over at the bright neon numbers of his digital clock, later today. 

He's laying in bed, one arm behind his head, one hand over his sternum as he stares at the ceiling. In this pose he feels every breath in, every breath out. The studying rhythm bringing him peace. It's impossible to shake the image of you free from his mind. 

He'd done it out of love for you. Out of a need for you to know how much you'd changed him. Changed his heart, his outlook, even his fucking idea on the concept of romantic love. 

But the look on your face? The way it had fallen before you had dashed out? 

Sarah had been bouncing up and down in her seat when he finished his performance, hugging him tightly and throwing things at him as he tried to contain his disappointment ("Daddy you sing so pretty!" And "Daddy will you teach me guitar?")  Everyone was clapping him on the back, telling him it was wonderful, so romantic, that Tommy and Maria loved it.

He refused to let his eyes search for you, knowing you were gone. He refused to let his heart believe that you'd come back. 

Joel knows he has to stay away from you.

Knows that singing tonight was a terrible idea because not only did he make it so obvious to everyone that he’s so deeply in love with you, but he also made you cry.

Watching your face crumple, watching the way your eyes fell to the ground at the last string. He’d thought you’d be happy singing, Maria had said how often you’d felt happy when you did. But that wasn’t happiness he saw tonight. It was pain.

Joel doesn’t know what to do. He feels so lost.

And then the phone rings.

///

"Joel, I need you."

Four little words over the phone at 2 am.  

Four little words that have Joel stumbling out of bed, murmuring he'll be there before he's pulling on his jeans and a t-shirt.

He's half asleep, his mind whirring. He goes to the basement, rapping on the door. An equally tired Tommy answers, blinking in the light. 

"She- I gotta go," Joel tries to explain in a rush. "I'll explain later. Can you come watch Sarah?"

Tommy gives a few bleary eyed blinks before nodding and following his brother up the steps. 

Tommy settles himself on the sofa as Joel runs out the door. And all the younger Miller can think before he falls asleep is:

Finally.

///

Joel's shoulders nearly take up the doorframe. You notice this when the rap of his knuckles pulls you sniffling from the sofa and you open the door to him. 

His eyes are sleepy, but wide. His hair is tousled from sleep and you can see the indent of his pillow faint in his left cheek. He scans your face, concerned.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm so sorry," you say as soon as Joel takes a step towards you. "I never should have called so late. I’m so so sorry, Joel." 

"Just let me in," Joel insists, his hand coming to go to your cheek and then dropping. He doesn’t want to overstep. "Tell me what happened."

You try to make the words come out; you force them crackling and trembling out into the world. 

"I don't want... I don't want to go back." 

Joel doesn't have any context, but that doesn't stop him from rushing in. He closes the door behind him gently before bringing you into his arms. Your forehead drops against his sternum as he does this, your tears warm and free flowing.

As he rubs a soothing hand along your spine he realizes you're wearing his t-shirt again. For some reason this small thing makes Joel's eyes wet. 

You're so warm in his arms, trembling against him as you hold in sobs. He wants to kiss away the tears rolling down your cheeks. He wants to carry you to bed and strip every bad memory and experience from you with his mouth and body.  

That's not what she needs right now. She needs a friend.

He takes your hand in his, leading you to the sofa. A place where you can talk. The fireplace is on, bathing you in a warm flickering glow that makes his breathing hitch when he glances over at you.  

Your eyes are puffy, your nose red and he thinks you might be the most beautiful thing he's ever seen. 

He can't help himself but reach for you, bringing you to his lap as he sits. There's nothing sexual about it, just the need to hold you close, to make you feel safe there. Your arms wrap around his neck and he rocks you, his arms banding around your waist. 

"Honey," Joel whispers into the crook of your neck. "What's wrong?" 

Honey.

You melt into him just as easily as the word. This was a terrible idea. What had you been thinking? How could you ask Joel here? 

Because of the song, your traitorous heart cries. Because you love him! Because his face is the first one you want to see!

You hold him tightly to you, unable to break from him just yet. Unable to tell him the awful ugliness. Instead your mind drifts to the rehearsal dinner. Your hand plays with the fabric of Joel's shirt, twisting it under your fingers. 

"Joel . . . The song."

Immediately he tenses and you can't see his face, but you can imagine it. Eyes nervous, mouth hooked slightly to the side. The same way he’d held his face that night in his den, your hand around a glass of soda.

"Maybe one day we'll have reason to make music again.”

Joel smiles softly around his glass. "Maybe."

"Did you like it?" he murmurs into your hair. You can't help but hold him tighter, your eyes filling. He sounds so unsure of himself, so worried about what you’ll say.

"Yeah, I loved it. It was beautiful."

You feel him physically relax in your arms at this admission. The tension, the uncertainty is drained from him. You force yourself not to tilt your face to his, not to search for his mouth with yours. 

"I thought you didn't play anymore,” you tell his shoulder.  

"I don't. One time performance I guess. Shoulda charged for tickets." 

There, the humor you both needed to break the intense spell that weaves itself when you're in Joel's arms. You're thankful to him for that. Now you can pull back, still seated in his lap, but in control of yourself. 

"I hope you keep playing forever."

Joel smiles wistfully at you, nodding.  You let his dark eyes search your face. You let his hand cup your cheek, his wide thumb brushing away the tears there.

"I never told you about why I went back to Chicago," you sniffle. "Why I didn't call."

"You don't have to tell me," Joel insists. "It doesn't change why I'm here. I'll stay here all night just holdin' you if it's what you need." 

He doesn't want to push you, doesn't want you upset because of him. This time in Chicago, the separation, it feels like an ugly part of your shared history that he just wants you both to forget. 

"No, I want to tell you," you say in a sorrowful voice. "You deserve to know everything."

Joel nods and he wants to keep you there in his lap. But you shuffle back from him, sitting across from him on the sofa. It takes several minutes of staring into the flames of the fire before you feel you can begin. 

"My dad has been in and outta the hospital a lot," you explain, looking at your hands in your lap. "It's because he's waiting for a liver transplant."

Joel is shocked. The way you spoke of Chicago, of your family, he'd assumed your father was dead. 

"The thing is," you continue, unaware of his shock. "He can't get one unless he stops using and, uh, he won't." 

"Using?" Joel is still taken aback by the revelation, not thinking clearly. 

"Coke and heroin mostly," you say with a wince. "He's a drug addict."

Your father has been a junkie for most of your life.

And it's in part because you exist. 

The same year you were born he'd gone to a party without your mom. She was tired, still breastfeeding you and encouraged him to go out and have some fun. 

He did. 

The kind of fun that had started as a party drug passed around and ended with him burning through the family savings and growing gaunt in the coming years. The kind of fun that had him doing eight balls during your soccer games and shooting up on your graduation day. 

You were four when he first went into rehab at the insistence of your mother. A few weeks before your fifth birthday he'd come home sober and ready to change his life back around. You hadn't really understood what was happening. You'd just been so happy to be a family again.

That photo on your desk, the one the flood destroyed, the one that meant so much to you is from the only birthday party of yours that your father ever attended sober. 

In the passing years he turned to drugs again but he hid it well from you and your mother. You never knew the severity of it until you turned fifteen.  

Until you came home one day from your part time job at the Chicago humane shelter to find him covered in piss and his own vomit and barely responsive. 

He died on his way to the hospital, a full forty two seconds he was clinically dead. Until they revived him and he sputtered back to life. You remember all of this because it was you in the ambulance with him. 

Your mother was at work, unreachable. Your dad's sporadic unemployment meant she worked two jobs. 

So it was a fifteen year old you with tears running down her cheeks that watched this unfold, completely terrified. 

You were sixteen when he got out of rehab for the second time and promised his life was changed forever. He and your mother had almost two years of no fighting - a change of pace for you who had grown up to their constant shouting matches. 

You were eighteen when he relapsed at a friend's house party. Twenty two and twenty five when he went back to the various rehabs that your mother always paid for in more ways than one.  

And then he just stopped trying in the coming years. Still using, but not enough for your sweet mother to kick him out. 

It's like he's infected by some insidious being inside him. A forever hungry thing that takes and takes, warping your once sweet father into something subhuman. A being that is frighteningly underweight, hollowing his cheeks and making his eyes bulbous in his face. He isn't your father anymore, not really. 

But he is. That's the worst part.

Because if he wasn't your Dad you could hate him.

You tell Joel all of this, it spills from you like a stream and he sits across from you, nodding and never speaking. When your voice hitches or the tears begin fresh he instinctively moves towards you on the sofa, stopped only by your raised palm. You need to get all of this out and if he holds you, you never will. 

"That night you left, like, two hours later my mom called me to tell me that my dad had a really bad seizure," You shake your head, wanting to stop the memory. "And she sounded so scared on the phone and I just had to get back. I had to get there, back home to help. I was on autopilot."

Joel recalls the hollow look in your eyes when he went to see you that day.

"I know you came to see me but I don't even remember it," you tell Joel. "All I could think of was that I fucked up, that I should have been there in Chicago with my mom." 

Joel is stiff, watching you without speaking. 

"And I got home and it was just as awful as I thought it would be." You start to shudder at the memory. "My dad could barely talk. And when he did all he wanted to do was blame me for leaving. Telling me I was selfish for leaving my mom and him. Telling me that without me around to help pay for things that there was more pressure on him and my mom to afford their place."

You break off only to hold in a sob, breathing deeply and continuing. 

"And he was right, you know. Coming to Austin for school was so selfish of me. I could've just as easily gone to school back in Chicago." A look of disgust crosses your features as you talk now to yourself. "So fucking selfish."

"No," Joel's voice is quiet but firm. "That's not true."

You're ignoring him though, so caught up in your own devastation. Your eyes are shut tightly and your head is giving short jerks. 

"I just run from everything, Joel. I ran from Chicago and I ran to Austin because I thought that if I kept running far away enough that, that his ugliness could never touch me. But it lives in me, Joel. That ugliness is in me forever." 

Joel's eyes have grown glassy, even now he remains sitting there looking at you with unending patience and his hands twitching to hold you. 

"I stayed there for a month,” you continue, not even aware that your head is tilted so low Joel has to lean forward to hear. “A month of my dad telling me I was selfish. A month of my mom trying to tell me that it's just his disease talking. A month of seeing your name come up on my phone and wanting so badly to talk to you but just thinking about how horrible I was and how you and Sarah deserved better."

You force yourself to breathe between sentences, your air hitching in your chest.  Joel is staring at you, his eyes swimming over your features. Horrible? You?

"So when I eventually got back to Austin I was just so fucking sad, Joel. So tired. I couldn't get out of bed. I didn't want to be around anyone. Not you, not Sarah. I couldn't do that to you guys." You swipe at your eyes with the wrist of your sweater. "I should have called you and seen you but I was so selfish only thinking about me and how I felt.

Your eyes jerk open when you feel the warmth of Joel's hand on yours. He's leaning across the sofa, his wide hand placed gently over yours. A thumb gently strokes your knuckles. 

"No," Joel breathes in a voice of gentle warmth. "Never selfish. Never. It was me that fucked up."

"No."

"Yes," Joel tells you and you can see the way his dark eyes are damp. "You are the least selfish person I've ever met."

"Oh yeah?" you challenge, your chin wobbling. "You know why I called you tonight? Because my mom just called to beg me to come home again. Apparently my dad's saying that if I move back to Chicago that he'll go to treatment again. That he'll stop using. That he'll be able to get the transplant."

Joel's eyes widen but he remains silent. 

"And I don't want to go," you say, lips trembling. "I don't want to go back there. I don't want to fucking go even if it would mean helping because I'm a horrible, selfish cunt."

The sobs that burst out of you are pure anguish that you muffle in a pillow to keep Maria from hearing all those floors above. Joel is physically holding himself back, dying to embrace you but giving you your space.

 All he can do is stroke your head, desperate to convey all of his care and affection for you through the gesture. 

"He was always promising he was going to get clean," you say hollowly, moving away from the pillow and Joel's touch. "And my mom, she just, she just kept carrying on like there was hope. But there is no hope. Just this endless, bleak, fucking pain."

Your eyes meet his and you're overcome. You stand abruptly, feeling the scrutiny of Joel as sharply as if he were stabbing you.

"Joel, just go. I'm sorry I called. This was a terrible idea to have you come here. This isn't your problem. I'm so fucking sorry."

Joel stands and for a moment you think he's going to leave. You think that might be a relief because you're feeling too vulnerable, too exposed. 

You aren't expecting Joel to quietly close the distance between your bodies and wordlessly pull you into his arms. You're shocked more however at how willingly you allow this, how easy it is to fall back into his embrace. To tangle your arms around his neck and hold him as tightly as you can. He's warm against you, his cheek resting on the top of your head as you press your face to his shoulder.

"I hate him. I hate what he put my mom and me through." Your chin is trembling as you blink back the onslaught of more tears. "And I hate that I love him so much because he's my fucking dad."

Your hands are gripping Joel around the middle as he holds you, his broad shoulders curling, his arms tightening.

"I hate that I just want him to die," you cry through clenched teeth. "To stop holding on. To bring my mother some fucking peace."

More tears come. 

Joel thinks of James and the cocaine and how upset you'd been. He'd thought you were justified in the way you'd acted, the heated punch across James slimy face for treating you so rudely. But now he realizes why you'd been shamed, so terrified of your own fury.

"And I hate that I'm just like him."

You break off as Joel's large hand is cupping the back of your head, and he's gently swaying you, the way a mother would a newborn. 

"It's okay," Joel murmurs in your hair. "I've got you. I've got you."

You don't know why, but this quiet utterance from him is that breaks you, and the wall against him that you've built so high for yourself collapses. Heavy sobs break free from you, stark mournful things that you muffle in Joel's shoulder. They make your body jerk, causing Joel to hold you tighter against him.

"Shhh," Joel soothes. "Just breathe, baby. Slowly, like me."

He takes a few steadying breaths, urging you to match the slow pace. After a few shuddering exhales you do so, your breathing staggering into a steady, even rhythm. 

"Good," Joel whispers. "Good."

"I'm just like him," you again whisper the words you've only ever thought into Joel's collar. "I'm selfish and horrible and -"

"You're nothing like that," Joel assures you, pulling you back so that he can look into your eyes when he tells you this. "Not at all."

"Really? What do you call what we did in your kitchen?" You scoff. "Knowing that we were with other people? Or how about when you pushed me up against that wall over there?"

Joel is silent, only his eyes move around your face while the rest of him is like a statue. He doesn't need to look at the wall to know what you're talking about. 

"I can't stop wanting you," you say with a look of torment in your eyes. "I can't fucking stop, Joel. I try and I try and I can't. I'm just like my dad. I want what I shouldn't. I want what's only going to hurt other people and hurt myself."

"Honey-"

"I can't stop," you repeat weakly, trying to step back from him. "So I have to stay away." 

Joel hands are on either side of your face again and he's peppering your face with soft kisses and everything in you wants to rejoice because Joel is here and he's holding you. 

"Don't stay away from me," Joel's tells you as he rains compassion down on you. "Never."

You can't keep him. He's not yours.

Both of you are being incredibly selfish right now. Tess is probably at home right now taking care of Sarah and Daniel. Tess who was made to be a mother. Tess who understands Joel. What is wrong with you? 

Selfish.

Horrible. 

"Stop, Joel," you say twisting from him, out of his grip. "I told you all of this so that you can understand why I won't be around as much. But I'll call Sarah every other night, if she still wants to speak to me. And when I come back for visits I'll take her to the movies and-"

It's like Joel is only just now noticing all the moving boxes. He's glancing around as you talk, his eyes widening.

"You're not actually thinking of moving back to Chicago," Joel interrupts in a horrified voice. "You can't be."

"Just for a few months, just until he's settled in rehab-"

"No," Joel is wild-eyed shaking his head, his eyebrows saddling. "You can’t. You just. . . You can’t do this. You can’t sacrifice everything. Your work - that sanctuary. You won’t come back. I know you, you’ll feel like you have to take care of your dad. You’ll stay there."

"It's complicated-"

"It's not." 

"Joel, my dad needs me."

"That was a horrible thing to lay on your shoulders," Joel says and he looks furious and sad all at once. "And I'm sorry for your parents, I really am, but no. You can't go. You can't do this to yourself."

"I have to go," you tell Joel. You falter, pulling back from him, needing to be out of his orbit. 

Joel stands there as you pull back from him, looking so out of place in your suite with its low ceilings, the space almost emptied of furniture. He’s like this beam you can’t look away from, this tall broad angel with eyes that look at you as if you’re actually worth something.

He breaks off, uttering a pained "Jesus Christ" and you're sure he's going to yell at you about Paul just like Maria did. 

You’re sure he’ll run from the room shouting that you’re selfish. Positive that he’ll tell you that you’re not worth all this hassle.

Instead Joel does something you're not expecting. 

He crosses the room over to you and slips to his knees, holding you around the middle before he presses his forehead gently against your abdomen. It shocks you, this action and this pose from him. He sits like this in silence for several minutes, holding you, breathing against you in heavy shudders. Your hands are on his broad shoulders, glancing down at him in confusion. 

"I'm so sorry," he finally whispers, a little murmur against you. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there."

"I didn't need you to be," you insist, your hand going to his neck, urging his face up to look at you. He won't move his face from where it is lodged against your stomach. He can’t.

"But I should have been," Joel insists, his voice a low rasp. 

“It was so long ago.”

Almost six months since the awful incident. And you don’t carry it with you, not like Joel apparently has because now his head tilts back from your abdomen.

"I never should have walked away that day. I should have stayed. If I had none of this Tess and Paul shit would have happened. I would’ve gone back with you to Chicago." Joel's voice sounds thick with escaping emotion. "I ruined us." 

His beautiful eyes open and you watch as tears slip down his cheek. You suppose that's what makes you freeze up, your heart sinking. You've never seen Joel cry before and the sight is as shocking as it is heartbreaking. 

"Forgive me," he whispers brokenly. "Please."

You can see the anguish in his features and realize he's been living in it since you got back. This hellish landscape of grief and regret. He's been wearing it like armor weighing him down.

"Nothing to forgive," you tell him honestly, your knuckles trailing down his cheek to wipe the tears away. "Joel it was never a matter of fault. It was just how things happened."

His head drops against your stomach again and you can feel his strong shoulders begin to quake jerkily.

"I was fucking weak."

"You were human," you reply, rubbing at his shoulders, wanting to soothe him as much as he wants to soothe you. "You couldn't have known." 

"I just left you there, all hollow and quiet and I walked away," Joel's voice is ragged. "I should have stayed. That's what you do when you love someone."

Love.

It hits you with a strong, visceral acuity. Starting in your rib cage and then spreading outward, causing everything in your body to wake up.  It makes you breathless to hear it, though you've long suspected it, secretly hoped for it.

"Joel-"

"I'll never stop being sorry for it," Joel tells you simply, his face tilting up to look into yours. "Never."

Without thinking your hand is gently carding through his tousled curls. His eyes shutter closed as he leans into your hands. The moment is overwhelming in austerity and you need to break it. 

"Not even if I asked nicely?" you say with a teasing lilt to your voice.

His eyes open and he gives you a small, watery smile before he stands. He towers over you again, taking your face in his wide hands and now it’s you leaning into his touch.  

"I'd do anything you asked."

And all at once you know he's going to kiss you and that you want him to. 

He tilts his head forward and lips move over yours so gently that you sigh into his mouth. Your entire body sags towards him and instead of the fervent kisses from not that long ago, this kiss is different. It’s soft and sweet and unhurried. His soft lips move over yours, taking time to memorize how your pliant mouth moves under his, the way you inhale softly when you break apart, his wide hands still cupping your face.

Tess.

Marmalade.

Selfish.

"I'm sorry I called," you sniff, tilting your face from him. "I never should have done that. You should go, Joel." 

"You want me to go?" Joel's voice is a low aching sound. You can't look at him. You can't look into those intense, beautiful eyes of his so instead you face away from him. 

"Yes."

You feel yourself floundering, that unmistakable voice in your head screaming to run. Run from the conflict. Run from your feelings.

Run. Run.

"You're lyin'," Joel insists. 

"I'm not."

You feel his strong fingers on either side of your chin, dragging your face to meet his. But still your eyes remain closed.

"Look at me."

You shake your head the best that you can in his grip. 

"I can't have you here, Joel. I'm sorry I called you, it was wrong.”

Joel's hand is flying to slide around the back of your neck. "Stop."

"You’re with Tess," you insist with a shake of your head, pulling back from his sweet touch. "She's perfect for you. She'll make the best mom to Sarah. It makes sense, Joel. You have to see that."

"I broke it off with Tess," Joel bites off.  “I don’t want Tess.”

Your eyes fly open."What?"

"How could I keep dating her? I knew I couldn't stop wanting you. I never will." Joel feels his neck growing warm. "And she told me what she asked you to do, to stay away from Sarah."

You nod brokenly, feeling the tears gathering just at the memory compounded by this new guilt.

"Why would you do that?"

"Because I just want what's best for you and Sarah. A chance at a real family."

You've ruined this for him. Joel's chance at a family, something for himself. Something for his own.  Selfish like your dad.

"Go back to Tess, Joel. Tell her it was a mistake."

"I'm not gonna do that."

"You have to, Joel. She wants you."

“And you don’t?”

It hangs there, the truth between you. If you admit it, it’s over. Any pretense you would have carried is gone. He’ll choose you because of this unknowable, untenable connection. But you’re not good for him. You’re not the kind of woman Joel Miller needs. You’ll take and take from him, leaving him with nothing in the end. It’s how your father operates, and you are your father’s daughter. Your engagement isn't even officially off. You're moving to Chicago. So what? You'll confess you love Joel? Make him feel compelled to follow you to Chicago? And what about Sarah? You're going to disrupt her life too? How is that not the most selfish thing in the world?

“No.”

Saying it physically hurts.

You love Joel. You love this man in front of you. And it’s precisely that love that sends you pushing back from him. But you’re stopped by his hand on the back of your neck again, holding you there.

"Don't," Joel says through clenched teeth."Don't stand there and lie to me of all people. You wanna lie to yourself? Fine, but not to me. Never to me. I don’t deserve it."

It is. It is a fucking lie.

"Tell me the truth," Joel urges gently, pleading. "Tell me to my face that you don't want me as much as I want you.”

You try to form the words that tell him exactly that, but you can't.

They don't exist. 

Joel nods in understanding, his warm eyes even warmer. But he can see the fear in your expression, the panic. 

"Just let me take care of you tonight," Joel whispers, his thumb stroking your cheek. "Please." 

You're trembling against his palm, tears coating your lashes. "Okay."

Joel seems surprised by your easy acceptance but he nods, reaching down to take your hand in his. 

"Let's go to bed."

You follow him without question to the bed. He shrugs off his jacket, watching you watching him. You're eyes are owlish in your face, the tension clear. Joel brings himself up on the bed still dressed in his jeans and shirt. He lays overtop the sheet before bringing it back for you to crawl under. 

You hesitate. There is nothing more enticing than the thought of Joel making love to you right now. But it feels wrong, rushed. Too many things going on in your mind.

"I just wanna hold you," Joel explains when he sees your eyes nervously move from him to the bed. "If that's okay?"

Relief floods you and you nod, moving under the covers of your bed. And all the aching loneliness, all the terror of being lost? It’s gone. It’s gone the second you snuggle up against Joel in your bed.

His broad hand moves through your hair gently, moving it back from your flushed face before stroking it in tenderly. He stares at you, barely blinking. You muse that you could have entire conversations like this, just staring into each other's eyes. That perhaps you're having one right now. 

His eyes are so soft. How can a man made up of sharp angles and broad planes look at you with eyes so fucking soft? 

"How can you look at me like that?" you ask blinking through new tears. "After everything I've told you how can you lie there and look at me like I'm not a piece of shit?"

"Because you're not," Joel replies swiftly. "None of what your dad did is your fault. How could it be?"

"If I was there-"

"He'd still be using," Joel tells you simply. "And he'd have a new thing or person to blame for it."

"Even if that's true," you insist. "I'm his kid. I should go back."

"You're telling me if I told a grown up Sarah she had to move back home to take care of me, even if I'd barely been in her life, even if she had a whole life somewhere else, you'd tell her she was selfish for not doing it?"

Your eyes widen. Sarah. Sweet, genuine Sarah. No, you wouldn't blame her. But that's Sarah.

"She's just a kid-"

"Same age as when your dad started." Joel's eyes are watery. "How come you're so unkind to yourself? Why don't you think you deserve good things?"

"A lifetime of experience," you reply darkly.

///

And for a moment there is sudden clarity for Joel that hits him in such a way he's shocked he never understood it as easily before. 

In the job you chose, in the immediately natural way you were with the screaming Daniel, even quicker than you were with his sweet and calm Sarah.  

In the way these animals, hurt and abandoned and ignored are so much more than just pitiful creatures that pass along your desk in files. 

You see yourself in them. 

You see yourself in their haunted eyes and terrible histories. You see it in the plaintive cry of the frustrated Daniel. In this world that turns its back and its ears to them you want desperately to embrace them, to hold them to you and communicate a perfect, unending love for them.

Because no one did that for you. 

Your mom tried, Joel is sure of it. But love is hard to share when so much of it is reserved for a husband in constant crisis. When you're a frazzled mother working two jobs to keep your mortgage and your marriage and family together. Love is there of course, but it's not overt. Not like you crave. 

The kind of love that Maria gives you without question. The kind of love Joel would give to you every fucking day if you said you wanted him to be yours.

"I know I have no right to ask you to stay or demand anything from you, but, fuck, please don't do this," Joel whispers earnestly. "Don't move back to Chicago." 

You're silent. 

“If you do you’ll never come back,” Joel murmurs, his voice full of so many emotions it would be impossible to pick just one. “I know you. You’d sacrifice everything for him.”

“I. . . I don’t. . .”

Your eyes are so heavy, almost as heavy as your heart. You’ve shared so much with Joel, brought up so many painful memories it feels like you’ve run a marathon. Your head tilts against the pillow.

"Go to sleep, baby," Joel tells you, holding himself back from kissing you. "I'm here. Just sleep."

When you finally fall asleep Joel continues to look at you. His dark eyes travel the curve of your cheek, takes in the length of your lashes and the way your mouth looks half open in sleep. He memorizes each part of your face knowing that this may be his only chance to do so. 

You’re engaged. You still have that connection to your parents in Chicago. There is so much that exists in this world to take you away from him. 

He still sees it this way, outside forces wanting to rip you from him, as if he has some claim on you. He doesn't care if Paul gave you a ring. You’re his. You’re his and he has never stopped feeling this way, even though he's tried. He doesn't know he'll ever stop. 

He stops himself from kissing your sleeping mouth on more than one occasion during the night, desperate for that contact if this is really the end. 

It can't be the end. It can't.

You sigh in your sleep, shuffling closer against him for warmth or for comfort. Joel allows this, his eyes skipping closed at the calm your nearness brings him. 

I'll never ask for anything as long as I live. Just let her be mine.

He finally falls asleep with your soft breathing in the crook of his neck

#joel miller fanfiction #joel miller x reader #joel miller smut #joel miller x you #smut #dad joel miller #fanfic #fanfiction #joel miller #pedro pascal

[ifearzombies]

Funny Moments In the HoL

Just little things that MC would totally share with their friends in the Human Realm.

- You all decided to play Hide & Seek (with a few rules about locations). The winner was Leviathan. He hid in a cooking pot and the only reason anyone found him is after everyone else was found, Beel got hungry and turned the pot on. Poor Levi’s tail had a burn for days.

- Mammon stole your D.D.D. once. He returned it with more selfies than Asmo takes of himself loaded in there. You saved the naughty ones for later.

- Beel accidentally ate a burger squeaky toy you got for Cerberus. The squeaker and all. He got the hiccups later that day and everyone laughed at the squeaking going off.

- Solomon spent the night with you and Asmo. Asmo kissed his head at one point and left a kiss mark in his hair with his lipstick. It took DAYS to wash out. You then borrowed Asmo’s lipstick and put the mark right back on your favorite sorcerer.

- You got a cute rat plush for yourself. Barbatos saw it and your room was unusable for a few days.

- The entire household caught a cold and everyone was miserable. So you all just watched a bunch of movies all cuddled together. Belphie promised Mammon that the movie ‘Cabin In The Woods’ wasn’t a horror movie. It was a romantic one, showing him the reviews for a movie called ‘The Lake House’. Poor Mammon hid under your blanket almost the whole movie.

- You introduced Asmo to Elton John. Asmo loved his fashion and you’ve seen some of the most ridiculous outfits known to man, angels, and demons alike. You saved the pictures.

- You lost a bet to Levi and had to wear a Ruri-chan cosplay to RAD. This backfired because Levi couldn’t focus all day and took way too many pictures.

- You proposed a talent show to Diavolo. You regretted it almost immediately. The Little D’s, while great dancers, are HORRIBLE singers! They looked adorable though.

- You have discovered that Satan headbutts you when he wants attention. He accidentally did it with his horns once. Thank Diavolo they only slightly tore your clothes. But your arm was sore for weeks. Luke and Lucifer chastized him over the bruise.

- Lucifer bought a second motorized wheelchair. It’s not needed. No. He bought it so that you guys could all have wheelchair races.

- You sang the song ‘My R’ and the house was MASS PANIC! Everyone was so worried about you and you had to explain that no, you’re not depressed, you just like the song. No. Liking the song doesn’t mean I’m depressed. Really guys. I promise I’m OK. It took a LOT of convincing, but they eventually realized you were actually OK. They still made you go talk to Simeon just as a precaution. Simeon was just... very confused, but was glad you were OK.

- You mentioned to Asmo that pole dancing is a form of working out. Asmo INSTANTLY bought two dance poles. They lasted less than a day because the moment you tried to use it with Asmodeus, the house lost their shit. Lucifer had to get rid of them for your (hips) well being.

- Belphie one time fell asleep in the bathroom. You walked in and found him standing near the sink, head under the faucet as it ran. You took a picture and then helped him.

- Luke went sniffing around your room and found a vibrator. You told him it was a personal massager and he asked if he could use it to massage his back. You told him no and to not poke around your room like that again. You explained this to Simeon who turned beet red... and then asked to see the vibrator himself... Just so that he can make to avoid Luke seeing such things again. Obviously.

#obey me #obey me shall we date #obey me one master to rule them all #obey me om #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me leviathan #obey me levi #obey me satan #obey me asmodeus #obey me asmo #obey me beelzebub #obey me beel #obey me belphegor #obey me belphie #obey me solomon #obey me simeon #obey me luke #obey me barbatos #obey me diavolo

[nartml]

I get that THW was going for a sobering message of "sometimes you have to let people go" and "some friends can't stay forever", but it was hilariously unsuccessful.

It's still baffling to me, the amount of raving reviews calling it "the perfect ending".

Apart from the wild thematic inconsistencies, and the endless flaws with Hiccup's logic of "oh, yeah, I know that things have never before been this good for dragons, I know that Berk is living proof that even the most stubborn people can change their minds on dragons, I know that dragons thrive on companionship and love their humans, I know that good people exist, I know that I'm the instigator of a huge revolutionary period, butttttt..... because bad humans exist I'll lock away the entirety of the draconic population in a glorified underground cage, in the hopes that one day humans will stop being bad and learn to cooperate with the creatures that they question, or even forget, the existence of a measly decade after their disappearance. Magically.", this message plainly didn't fit.

Not just in a thematic context. I mean that it literally doesn't fit in this situation, and it doesn't fit the characters.

It doesn't even fit reality, because you have to let go of people for reasons. Some friends can't stay forever, for reasons.

Valid ones. Reasons like, you grew apart, you don't have shared interests anymore, they betrayed you in an unforgivable way, they're not good for you, they're not good to you, they died, etc etc.

Had any one of these happened? At any stage? The one thing you could, albeit pointlessly, argue is that they grew apart. That they outgrew each other.

Only that...they didn't? Did I miss something? Because Toothless flying away for, what, a day to spend some time with his love interest, is not outgrowing. Toothless finding romance does not mean that he and Hiccup grew apart.

And this isn't just about the Light Fury. I'm not discussing whether or not she's a good character (she isn't), and I'm not discussing whether or not she deserves Toothless (Ha, you're funny). Even if she were the absolute best, most perfect match for Toothless and a compelling character, it still wouldn't even remotely mean that he and Hiccup grew apart.

In fact, if you grow so far apart from your best friend that you can say goodbye to them forever, just because you found a new partner, then I really don't know what to tell you. (Except that you're probably not a good friend.)

Hiccup realizing that Toothless doesn't make him who he is, and doesn't define him, that he doesn't need Toothless in order to be someone, or even that he doesn't need Toothless at all, doesn't mean that he outgrew him. Not even slightly.

I mean, come on, I don't need the vast majority of people in my life. Arguably, I might not even need any of the people in my life. This doesn't mean I don't want them there.

This doesn't mean that I won't fight for them to stay right here, by my side.

Oh, look, how's that for a change? How about a movie where your friends refuse to leave you? Because that's what I want, and that's what How To Train Your Dragon deserved.

That's what Hiccup, and the rest of the Berkians, deserved. And that's what fit. That's what thematically fit, what fit reality, or at least the httyd reality, and what fit the characters themselves.

This movie treated the dragons as mindless pets, whereas in every other step of the way, they were treated as people.

Toothless isn't a just slobbery puppy.

Toothless is intelligent, curious, kind, understanding, funny, snarky and sarcastic, graceful, elusive, protective, loving, wary, and fucking loyal (plus much more).

I can't think of a character that has demonstrated as much loyalty and protectiveness as this guy.

And yet he was barely any of the aforementioned things in thw. He became unrecognizable.

All the dragons became unrecognizable, for no justifiable reason.

The final message shouldn't have been that your friends sometimes have to leave you, and that you have to let them go.

(The humans left the dragons just as much as the dragons left the humans btw)

It should've been that they'll fight tooth and nail to stay, even when the going gets tough, even when priorities shift, even when you tell them to go.

No matter how passionately you insist that caring for you is rotten work.

It's not to them.

#my anti thw agenda #i said what i said #i said what i needed to say #i stand by it #this franchise deserved a better ending #i could still go on #im still mad #i shall die mad #lord give me patience #for if you give me strength i will be charged with dean's murder #this is a hyperbole btw #not just for legal reasons i really don't have it in me to kill him but yk. still #toothless #hiccup haddock #thw criticism #thw salt #httyd the hidden world #httyd thw

[thegreatstoryteller]

Body Swap N’B

Welcome to Body Swan N’B! The premiere destination for all your body swap needs! We all know traveling can be hard. Booking flights, booking travel, and most importantly those outrageous prices. Don’t worry. We’re here with the solution! Why go to those snobby body swap hotels, when you can swap from the comfort of your own living room right into the amazing destination of our choice. Our list of thousands of home owners want YOU to take their body out for a spin from the comfort of THEIR own home. 

Choose between a collection of countless locations and individuals of your choosing. Want to cruise in the Caribbean as a local? Want to sample authentic Parisian cuisine as a refined food connoisseur? How about ride the Texan planes as a real cowboy!? All of that is possible and more with Body Swap N’B! Don’t believe us? Just listen to our satisfied customers

Reviews:

DisneyDad85: 2 out of 5 stars. 

My family and I were planning a trip to Disney and I wanted to find somewhere close to the park. The location was just as promised, a 3 bedroom with a great view. The bodies were not what I expected. I assumed when the listing described a “great way to enjoy the best parts of youth” that we’d be given some family friendly bodies. Not some local young men who were rooming together. I guess “young” is relative as my eldest boy found himself in the most mature body.  Being slightly overweight was new for him as he was always so nerdy and skinny. And as always, on his phone talking to his friends bragging about his new body. 

He loves being the oldest and eating whatever he wants without worry of food allergy. I told him that he wouldn’t like it if he had to worry about all that weight he’s putting on his new body later, but he doesn’t listen. 

Then there was my youngest! He loved the vintage aesthetic to the rooms we were given and he couldn’t stop playing with the phones there. 

He was certainly happy that he was tall enough to ride all the rides at the park, but I did not like how he was now able to consume all the alcohol at the various bars around the area. But being 6′7 and confident, it’s no like anyone would think to card him. Meanwhile I was now the only one of our party not old enough to drink only being 20 years old! Gosh… maybe I shouldn’t have snuck into that bar on the final day of the trip. I can’t believe I drunkenly renewed our vacation for next year! Still trying to contact customer support to discuss cancellation!

Overall good vacation, but just make sure you inquire about the bodies before making a big trip. I still feel just like the reckless 20 year old I was a few days ago. Almost like I’m still on vacation… maybe another trip will do us some good in the near future. 

AlwysABridesMaid: 3.5 out of 5 stars

So I like to imagine myself being very open minded when it comes to these swaps and vacations! I’ve tried out loads of these vacations with my girlfriends  and I when we did sorority parties in college! However, I’ve got to say this is the first time me AND my entire party ended up as ALL guys. Normally it wouldn’t be an issue as we love exploring new experiences and locations, but I don’t think my best friend the bride envisioned being surrounded by a bunch of hairy men during her wedding ceremony. That’s right every single one of her bridesmaids were now half a foot taller and a lot more manly than she expected. I’m mostly mad that I couldn’t fit into our tailor made dress. That being said, the wedding still went off without a hitch! We had so much fun doing spa days, bachelorette parties, and the actual day of wedding in our new bodies despite the small hiccup. 

Would I do this again? Definitely given a heads up about the party. But now that I’m intimately aware of some new male physiology I’d definitely like to try it again. The best man certainly wants to do some more exploration with me after last night. Anyway, has anyone ever heard of the so called “side effects” people keep referring to? The bridesmaids and I all found ourselves inside these book smart engineers and now I feel like my IQ is through the roof. All the girls and I can do at the nail salon is just gab about research papers, new theorems, and the latest technological marvels making the news!

WifeGuy88: 1 out of 5 stars

I swear I’m a feminist. Gotta get that out there before I say that I’m not sure my wife and I should do another of these trips. I heard that there used to be lots of safety procedures when it came to these swaps, but I recently heard that unlike Swap Hotels, they do not have to cover any kinds of safety or ethical costs associated with normal swapping. 

I’m getting ahead of myself. The reason I’m not jazzed about Body Swap N’ B is because… I was a bit jealous my wife was bigger than me…. I know we booked a room for a loving couple…. But I didn’t expect both pairs of that couple to be male. Being a former college athlete and finding myself in a 5 foot nothing twink was a big enough shock.

 But when my wife came stomping in from the other room as a big mass of hair and muscle… well let’s just say that weekend went very differently than I imagined… It all feels like such a blur…. And my ass is still sore…

But no! I’m leaving this as a warning. There are reviews saying your mind thinks differently after the swaps and that some people are claiming they are stuck in those bodies longer than they like! Also my girlfiend signed us up for another trip and due to their zero cancellation policy I know we’re gonna be there sooner than later if things go their way! Not that I mind…. I rather liked being thrown around by a larger man for a change… I’m sure it’s gonna be a lot of fun… but that doesn’t take away from the fact that this company can’t keep getting away with this. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to find my wife some new male outfits that she wants to try for our next vacation. 

BenTheOrganizer: 5 out of 5 stars

Great for family reunions! 

Normally I was the one that plans all these big family events. Criticism here and there about this location being too hot, too cold, or too far. But hey! Finally got a family gathering we can get behind! Who would’ve thought that it was when my entire family were in the body of one of the biggest college fraternities in the state! Turns out aunt Marjorie doesn’t have time to comment on my lack of partner when she’s doing a keg stand while uncle Larry cheers her on. Turns out cousin Jeremiah can’t brag about making partner as his law firm when he can finally cut loose dancing to some music! Racist grandpa Marvin won’t be making any problematic remarks about minorities when he’s enjoying his big black body so much. And the younger second cousins aren’t nearly as annoying when you can share some beers with them while we all test out our new muscles in the frat’s personal gym. 

My parents were surprisingly the most into the idea. My mom and dad are some of the most heteronormative couples I know but it wasn’t 5 minutes before someone found them making out the frat house locker room. They kept saying it wasn’t gay if it was two bros, but I don’t think any amount of “No Homo” could save face there. Especially when they were caught a few hours later doing the same thing.

As for me… well maybe I put myself into the hottest guy there, the frat president, on purpose when I filled in the special requests portion.  But hey. I think I  deserve it for a job well done. In fact as I’m writing this review I’m still in his body! After all thanks to the “Extend your Stay” option, we were able to  extend our swap vacation for another 2 weeks.  Maybe if this continues going so well I can talk to the company about having us keep these bodies.  I don’t think my entire family can go back to their old lives when they are loving being loud, raucous, muscle heads every day of the week. Now if you’ll excuse me I’ve got another frat party to plan. Thanks Body Swap N’ B!

Body Swap And Breakfast is not liable for any lasting physical, mental or reality changes. Any long lasting development of new abilities or attributes that is shared with a previous swapped body please contact your doctor. Body Swap And Breakfast is not affiliated with Swap Hotel and its affiliates.

Book your Body Swap N’ B vacation with us today!

#thegreatstoryteller #body swap #BodySwapN'B #gender change #female to male #mental change #race change #racial change

[loverofwhump216]

Eight chapters and no reviews

Look at this story. This amazing story. 8 fucking chapter long and not a single review. It's full of whump, trauma, comfort, friendship and love. Yet not one review.

It's a How To Train Your Dragon fanfic where Hiccup is kidnapped by Dragon Hunters, demanding he lead them to the Hidden World . He refuses so they torture him until one of the hunters grows a set and helps him escape with some assistance from an old friend. The friend and now former Hunter take him to an island that's allied with Berk. There Hiccup is being taken care of and given a chance to recover from his captivity.

I suggest checking it out and leaving a review

#read this #httyd #writers meme #hiccup httyd #httyd 3 #httyd fanfiction #httyd fandom #httyd hiccup #httyd memes #httyd franchise #httyd movies #httyd oc #httyd race to the edge #httyd rtte #httyd thw #httyd toothless #hiccup haddock #hiccup horrendous haddock iii #how to train your dragon #read this fanfic #ao3 fanfic #fanfic authors #fanfic fanart #fanfic ideas #fanfic meme #fanfic problems #fanfic prompt #fanfic request #fanfic series #fanfic readers

[txtaetertots]

11. perfect harmony

[ synopsis ] choi beomgyu has spent his entire senior year slacking off and causing mischief. but, due to his inattentiveness, his slacking off went too far and if he doesn't improve the grade in his literature class he'll guarantee himself a seat in summer school. yn has big dreams to be on stage and star on broadway. however, she needs to impress recruiters with one last production as the lead in order to earn herself a spot in a new york based school. when beomgyu's literature teacher makes him join their drama club for extra credit, their futures quickly become intertwined and dependent on each other.

taglist: @heyanonymous123 @flrtsbin @anonella22 @chocorenchin @gyuszie @flowerbe0m @kaikamalover

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Beomgyu was surprised to be the first one in the studio. He looked around while he waited for Mr. Park and YN to arrive. It was their first rehearsal together just the two of them. All the other cast members were in the separate studio, working on group vocals. He didn’t mind being early. It gave him a chance to be alone for a moment and mentally prepare himself for the headache that was eventually to come.

The studio was decked with advanced equipment. Beomgyu couldn’t help but fiddle around with the various buttons on the sound system and microphone settings. He took one of the microphones and turned it on, making nonsense sounds into it until he managed to find the correct settings.

“Testing, testing, ah ah ah,” He said, hearing his own voice echo through the speakers. Beomgyu smiled. It’s been a while.

Before he knew it, YN arrived with Mr. Park following shortly after. They were both equally shocked to see Beomgyu so early. YN set her things down, grabbing a few things she’ll need for their session.

“Beomgyu, nice to see you so excited to get started,” Mr. Park gushed, placing a hand on Beomgyu’s shoulder. He began adjusting the equipment for their rehearsal, readying the tracks and sheet music. Beomgyu situated himself behind one of the two music stands set up for them, looking through the sheet music for their rehearsal.

Summer Nights.

YN took her place beside Beomgyu, holding out a plastic water bottle for him. He was surprised by the gesture, but took it gratefully.

“We’ll be here for a while, so it’s good to keep hydrated,” YN said, a sweet smile painted across her lips. Beomgyu didn’t realize he was staring until Mr. Park tapped on his music stand with a pen bringing him out of his daze. He was starting to notice the charm his friends were crazy about.

They began with reviewing the notes, rhythm, and melody. It wasn’t anything too difficult for either of them. YN’s excelling performance was expected of her. But, Beomgyu needed little to no help with reading or understanding the music. They both were able to seamlessly sing their lines keeping perfect harmony.

YN was pleasantly surprised. She kept in mind Eunchae’s praise about his voice, but to hear him in person and hear him genuinely enjoy himself still felt like a sweet surprise. She watched the way his nose scrunched whenever he hit a slightly harder note. The way his eyelashes fluttered with every blink as he sang his lines with that pretty melodic voice of his. Maybe Mr. Kim hadn’t completely acted on impulse when he casted Choi Beomgyu as her leading man.

They came upon the final verse, which ended with the hardest note in the song. They had to sing this note together, without missing a beat or ending too early or late. It was a test of how well their voices could mesh. Mr. Park gave them advice to follow before they tackled it. He suggested they try it separately first to clean up any individual hiccups before bringing them together.

YN went ahead first. Singing was her strongest skill. She was always confident and clear, projecting not just her voice but the emotion behind the music. Mr. Park counted her in and she closed her eyes, focusing only on herself and her breathing.

Summer dreams ripped at the seams

Her voice echoed through the speakers. It was sweet and gentle, conveying a sadness that could only be described as longing and nostalgic. Beomgyu watched her intently, unaware that his own mouth was agape completely in awe. She was pretty. She is pretty.

But, oh, those summer nights

Her voice was like a siren call. Beomgyu couldn’t hear nor notice anything else besides her voice. He was entranced not only by her sound but the sheer force of her voice. She made it look so easy and effortless, but listening you could tell she was just born to be a star. It was raw, stunning talent.

She closed the final note cleanly. That beautiful smile unfaltering without even the slightest sign of struggle. Beomgyu was left absolutely dumbstruck. His face dazed and almost like he was permanently fixated on her; because, when Mr. Park tried to grab his attention, he couldn’t pull his eyes away from her. He responded to Mr. Park’s questions and notes, eyes glued on YN.

YN tried not to look back at him. He was staring for so long, it was intimidating. Did she have something on her face? Maybe in her teeth? Why was he staring for so long with that look on his face? Her eyes were shifting, unable to resist the urge to glance over and meet his gaze. She smiled shyly, a soft blush gracing her cheeks as she turned her attention back to their director. Cute. Beomgyu knew then why his friends were so mesmerized by her…

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#tomorrow x together #txt #beomgyu #beomgyu angst #beomgyu au #beomgyu fluff #beomgyu imagines #beomgyu scenarios #beomgyu social media au #beomgyu x oc #beomgyu x reader #beomgyu x y/n #choi beomgyu #txt angst #txt fluff #txt imagines #txt social au #txt au #txt scenarios #txt aus #txt social media au #txt socmed au #choi yeonjun #choi soobin #kang taehyun #hueningkai #huening kai #soobin #yeonjun #taehyun

[precuredaily]

Precure Daily's Sixth Anniversary

On April 10, 2018, I posted the first review in the project that became Precure Daily. It wasn't actually on tumblr at that time, but on Facebook. The plan was to watch an episode every day and just post some thoughts, but it evolved into reviews and screenshots and that necessitated a whole blog, and here we are. That was six years ago today!

Six years. It's hard to believe. I honestly, truly didn't think I'd still be doing this. Whether I petered out before the end, or managed to get it all done in the 2-3 years I anticipated, I figured I'd have stopped by now. But somehow I haven't given up yet! I'm still watching, still writing, and still getting new fans to share with, and that makes it all worth it.

The past year was slow, I will readily acknowledge it. I only got about 7 reviews out in that time, including the one that just went up earlier today, but one of those was the Go Go movie. That was a whole undertaking, it took me nine months to get out. Granted, for about 6 of those 9 months it was just sitting there unchanged. I'd open it occasionally to poke at it but then not end up getting much done. Maybe it still wasn't the best it could have been but I'm proud of it nonetheless. It was a good review for a good movie. Also, I got to review the very first All Stars, even if it was a short film. Having recently wached the most recent All Stars brings that experience full circle and it's real nice.

One small hiccup is that, at the time of writing, I haven't yet gotten out the traditional Honoka birthday post. I just haven't had time to sit down and gather artwork for it. Hopefully that'll come out in the next day or two!

Outside of the blog, let's look at the wider world of the Precure series over the last year

I said last year that I hadn't finished Delicious Party, and that's still true. When it was on air, I was watching it with a friend and she was really into it; we are going to resume watching together to finally push through it.

HIrogaru Sky's second half was good, it lacked a little bit of the driving power of the first half and the villain plot never properly came together in my opionion. I still love the characters, I think they're my favorite cast in a good while.

I did not watch Otona Precure. Although I've watched Go Go before, I want to finish this current watchthrough for the blog before I jump into it. Maybe I'll even review it as I go, that remains to be seen. I've heard mixed things about it and I'm not very big on the idea that the girls just go back to teenagers when they transform, but I'll reserve judgment.

Wonderful Precure did not appeal to me when information started coming out, and I fell off it for a few weeks when the first couple eps didn't impress me, but I decided to keep going and it's thoroughly enjoyable. I don't think it's going to crack my top 10 but it should be a solid middle of the road series.

I watched the Delicious Party Precure movie and Precure All Stars F with friends in fairly close proximity, and wow do those movies exist on opposite ends of the spectrum. DeliPa's film was one of the weakest Precure movies I've seen, while All Star F was phenomenal. I need to rewatch it.

I did say last year that the blog would look different when I finish Go Go. That is still true. I should be able to wrap that up in a few months, then comes the next phase of things. Deets when it happens.

And also just because I can, here's some recommendations for shows outside of Precure you should watch that came out in the last year-ish:

Oshi no Ko

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End (featuring Wonderful Precure's Tanezaki Atsumi as a monotone elf)

SPY x FAMILY (featuring Wonderful Precure's Tanezaki Atsumi as a psychic toddler)

Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger

The Last of Us

And I think that's it for this year's update! Here's to another year of watching and writing about Precure! Thanks as always to my loyal friends and fans for making this project a success: @sailorzombiestar, @vertixscribe, PaintedOutlaw, @hanasaki-tsubomi, yugimon135 (can't tag you for some reason), and my newest fan @nono-bunny.

Here's all my previous sappy anniversary posts if you want to go back and read them.

First Anniversary

Second Aniversary

Third Anniversary

Fourth Anniversary

Fifth Anniversary

#PCD anniversary #PCD sixth anniversary #read this

[kalivda]

Ghostly Visit (Gus Halper! Mischa Bachinski x Sister! Reader)

After the Cyclone incident, you get a visit from someone very familiar…warnings: angst, mentions of death

words: 1369

•••



The nightmares started after that fateful Monday. Waking up in a cold sweat wasn't the worst of it. However, it was the restless nights I spent alone in the cold dingy basement.

There used to be two people down here. Making the best out of a terrible situation. My adopted "parents" hated my brother and I. Despised us even. All because of our mom faking our ages. They didn't get the young children they wanted, but two rage and passion-filled Ukrainian twins.

The screeching of the rollercoaster was still in my ear. Watching the choir members fly off of the rollercoaster and falling to their impending dooms. A part of me feels glad I refused to get on the rollercoaster. But guilty my brother did.

I remember watching his body fly out of the rollercoaster and hit the concrete below. The screams of fair goers. The sickening crack each kid made after falling. It makes me want to-

I shot up from my sleep and ran to the tiny bathroom, vomiting my guts out in the toilet. Coughing a bit, I sat next to the it, sobbing my eyes out quietly. It wasn't fair. Why did he have to die? It should've been me. I should've went on the rollercoaster. I should've...

"Cестра (sister)?" A voice moved past my ears. "The hell..." I mutter, weakly standing on my feet.

"Do not freak out. It's me!" 'Is that...it can't be. Mischa's dead. Get it together, Y/n. You're being paranoid again.'

"Cестра?" The voice called out again, this time taking the shape of a boy. But sort of like a ghost. He was wearing a white button up with a sweater vest. I looked closely and noticed the St. Cassian's Chamber school logo.

"M-Mischa?" I asked, sniffling. "Who else would it be?" He asked, looking at me like I was dumb.

"W-wait...how is this...how is this happening?!" I almost yell, picking up the plunger near me as a weapon, my accent thickening."Really? You are going to fight me with a...." "Plunger!" I whisper-yell. "Right...a plunger? It wouldn't work. I'm a...ghost?"

Yep. That was Mischa alright. "Wait how are you even here right now? Talking to me? In our..."room"? Aren't you dead?" I asked him. "Yes! I am still dead. But a lot has happened. We met some fortune teller. And he knew you were my sister! I do not know how, but he did." I slowly nodded, hoping he would continue telling me this weird story.

"But now I guess...we're choosing someone to come back to life." He got quieter by the last part, but I heard him loud and clear. "Come back to life?! Mischa, that's so cool! Not to be biased or anything, but I think you should. You deserve it the most."

"And go back to that hellhole with our so-called "parents"? No thanks. I'd rather stay dead." My heart dropped at his sudden cold rage. "Mischa- what about Talia?" He stared at me and his face softened. "Talia...my divine Talia...I do not want to leave her, but I don't want the life I've had before."

"Mischa please! I can't keep doing this by myself! They hate me even more since the accident. Please..." I got choked up and was hiccuping over every little word at this point. "Y/n..." "I don't want to live anymore. Not if you aren't there! So PLEASE!" My voice broke and I began to sob quietly.

"соняшник (sunflower), listen to me. I need to do what's best for me. I'm fine with the 18 years I've spent with you. You need to find somewhere else to go. You need to find people that make you happy and find someone you love. Like how my shawty, Talia, and I do." I laughed a little at this comment.

"I truly love you. You were my best friend. My partner in crime. The only other person to leave me mostly positive reviews on my YouTube comment wall. I love you." Tears flowed from my eyes and fell onto my cheeks.

Little sparkles began to form it's way around my twin. "Mischa, what's happening?" I asked, concerned. "Ocean chose someone to live..." I almost jumped up, but contained myself. "And we're all passing onto the afterlife. Except for...I hear her name is Penny." He says. "Penny Lamb? Isn't that the one girl with the brother named Ezra?" I asked confused. "If that is who she is, then yes."

He sniffled a little. "Well this is the last time I think I will see you." A bittersweet smile came onto both of our faces. "I'll miss you, Mi." I said, my vision getting blurred from the tears. "You too, Y/n/n."

"Wait! Mischa, before you go...can you sing me that nursery rhyme that you sang to me all the time when we were younger? The one mom sang before she...died?" He looked down on me and nodded slightly, leaning towards me, giving some ghostly hug and he began to sing.

"Зірко, зірко, мерехти,

Недосяжна в небі mu!

(Star, star, twinkle,

You are faraway in heaven!)

Сяєш ніжно ти мені,

Мов коштовність у пітьмі!

(You shine tenderly for me,

Like a jewel in the dark!)

Зірко, зірко, мерехти,

Недосяжна в небі ти!

(Star, star, twinkle,

You are faraway in heaven!)

Щойно сонечко зайде,

Темрява накриє все.

(As soon as the sun goes down,

Darkness will cover everything.)

Зірко, в небі запалай!

Сон, малят оберігай!

(Star, light up in the sky!

Sleep, baby, beware!)

Зірко, зірко, мерехти,

Недосяжна в небі ти!

(Star, star, twinkle,

You are faraway in heaven!)

He began to sing again, but it sounded more faded, before no sound came at all. I began to doze off and eventually fell asleep under my dingy, thin sheet.

~

The next time I opened my eyes, it was time for me to go to school. I put on my uniform and did my hair in a decent way, to not make it look like I was just visited by my ghost brother. Before I walk up the basement stairs, something glimmers out of the corner of my eye.

Mischa's fake gold chain he won from some arcade. I take it quickly and put it on, fixing it up a little bit. Using my phone, I pull up my camera and check myself in the reflection.

"Perfect." I breathe out, running up the stairs and gently opening the door, my "father" unlocking it a few minutes ago.

I make my way out the front door and get to school, a memorial standing in the front. Seeing the choir's faces fill my heart with a pang of guilt.

"Um, excuse me?" A girl's voice spoke up. I turn and see a girl around my height with short black hair, freckles, and the brightest green eyes. "Yes?" "I'm sorry, I didn't introduce myself. I'm Penny. Penny Lamb." She holds her hand out for me to shake.

I slowly took her hand, wondering if I was dreaming. "I think you're Mischa's sister, Y/n? You guys look alike." She says fascinated and touching my (h/l), (h/c) hair. "You okay, Penny?" I asked. "Yeah! Actually...no. It's been a week since...ya know, and I wanted to know more about the kids that died. And since you're Mischa's sister, I was wondering if...you could...tell me about him." She asked. "Penny-" "Or don't! You don't have to!" "Penny-" "Forgive me if that was offensive, I know you're planning a funeral and everything-"

"Penny!" I shouted, some kids looking at me weirdly. "It's okay. I would love to tell you about Mischa. I can tell you about some of the other choir kids too like Ocean and Ricky." Her face shows one of shock, but excitement. "Okay! How about we get a coffee or something. At the Blackwood café this afternoon?" She asked.

"I'll see you there." I smile, watching her smile back and run into school. And Mischa's words came into mind:

"You need to find people that make you happy and find someone you love."

Maybe that just might be Penny.

#mischa bachinski #mischa bachinski x reader #ride the cyclone #ride the cyclone x reader #ride the cyclone mischa #gus halper

[cidthesquid]

Closing the Book on Fashion Forward! (Mini Review+Personal Story)

Yes, yes, I'm aware, this is the 3rd “I've finish Style Savvy FF" post! But This time it's for real, I completed the (spoilers) event, and I've even transferred my save off the emulator for long-term storage on the game cart! [My adventure spanned from 11/04/23 - 12/26/23]

Here are my last few outfits! (mini-review to follow!)

Overall, had a ton of fun with this game! It was one of the most memorable gaming experiences I've had in years. But it was not without it's hiccups, the most obvious being how events are handled, At times you'll have to wait for the correct person to pop-up to progress the plot, and sometimes they just refuse to show up. The Real time clock is a neat addition, with a season system for fashion shows, shop inventory, and for some slight weather features. it's FAR less strict than in games like animal crossing, but it can make unlocking some content really annoying, since you have to wait a real-world day for shops to refresh, and some in-game locations are locked out for different based on the time. But it by no means hampers you from enjoying the game's core loop. (Nigh owls rejoice) I could also complain about unlocking colors and hairstyles and makeup, as they all feel pretty random without a guide. But again these are all just extra. The core gameplay loop of managing inventory, designing outfits, and matching style to your customer was absolutely top notch! Even on my last day, I ended up coming with at least two new ones when I thought I'd exaused all options. The only snag with this, is after a fashion show, everyone will get excited about the theme, and will demand that you only make outfits in that specific style for multiple days afterwards, so that can get a little repetitive. But other than that, the core designing has been more fun than I thought possible! (Personal story relayed to SS, after the break!)

Alright, well since this will be my last post for a little while, (I'll take a short break before starting trendsetters) I figured I'd talk a little about why Style Savvy means soo much to me. (It's SUPER long, and get's a little personal, but you've been warned!) In short, I've always been a bit self-conscious about how I present myself in games. I'm a guy, and generally only play as guy characters designed to look as much like me as possible, Not because it's more 'immersive', or that that's because I'm most comfortable with, but because it would mean less 'uncomftable questions' from others, Yet I'd still get comments such as "that doesn't look like you", why'd you choose that.. weight/height/ hairstyle/skin tone/etc, that's not accurate"!

And that, mixed with many offhanded comments about how others chose to dress their characters, (and the possible reasons why they chose 'a specific outfit', applying a negative connotation to even the idea of a guy playing as a female character) It kinda enforced in my mind, that even wanting to play as a cool, cute or even sassy female character was just creepy in some way. So for a long time, I just avoided it my making all my main characters as close to myself as possible, but even having a female side/alt directly based of an existing TV show/game character would still cause some sarcastic remarks, so I just stopped using them in any multiplayer games, and stuck with my main. Eventually i stated playing Final Fantasy XIV and made my standard character, but the friend that introduced me to the game decided he had no interested in playing the start of the game again, and the few others I planned to play with were always busy, so I decided to make a female side character, and came up with a design I liked and ended up playing as them a lot, while waiting for others to be free. In Final Fantasy, I picked up crafting, and started making my own armor and clothing, and for the first time, I was actually designing outfits for an original female character! and began really enjoying the various outfits I could make, and mixing pieces for new looks It still felt kinda weird, I'd never cared about how other people designed or dressed their characters, but it still felt 'wrong' for me somehow, (Like I was enforcing my own will on them, deciding how they dress. as silly as it sounds) The compromise was making a few alt characters, giving each a style an personality, and just sticking to only designing within "what they would actually wear"

That allowed me to be much more comfortable designing in various styles, but I still felt a little weird making specific styles, as I was worried about how it would be precived by other players. ...And eventually 'Fashion Dreamer' released it looked interesting, looking it up online introduced me to 'Style Savvy', So I gave Fashion Forward a Shot, and fell in love with the game. It let me designed outfits my and other characters, but removed all the previous sources of anxiety! I did not have to worry about anyone else's feelings, no one in the game cared about who I was or how I looked in real life, I was not taking away anyone elses control, they decide they want to look cute/cool/feminine, and I'm just helping them achieve their goal. I could look however I want, and it would never bother anyone or make them feel uncomfortable. The people in the world were all very nice and friendly, and while they may be fake, the positive improvement the game has had on my live has been very real! The game may not be a teaching tool, but I still feel I've learned a fair bit about the basics of fashion and outfit customization. and I feel more confident in not just my designs, but how I feel about making characters in general! ...I mean to a point. I did completely redesign my avatar when I started posting here, as I was worried about what people would think, of my working with an avatar that appeared to be of a different race, ....despite me never posting any IRL pics... ...But, baby steps, I have to start somewhere! --- Thanks Syn Sophia, this game has truly changed my life for the better! :)

#syn sophia #fashion game #fashion dreamer #style savvy #style boutique #fashion forward #3ds #ffxiv #new style boutique #ff14

[frostbounddevotion]

Mun update!!!! I will also reblog this post to my other side blogs.

Hi everyone!

For those who don't know, I had battled covid in the beginning of the month and some long-term symptoms since. I needed to take time for self care because I stopped eating and drinking anything to the point where my hands were shaking from dehydration. I feel silly for feeling this sick, but it can't be helped.

Today is the first day where I felt relatively well enough to get back into the swing of things. [And real life has been testing my patience.] Nonetheless I'm grateful.

I will be going to an anime convention, and Kaiji Tang is going to be there along with Nobara, Yuji, and Toge's VAs. I'm excited, and I'll be packing and planning. A friend will accompany me just in case things go wrong and I fall ill.

Replies will be slow as I get my life in order. I want to make a new mains list and update my rules to make things clearer for new followers. In the meantime, I will be lurking and replying to convos about writing, mangas, jjk more! I enjoy talking to all of you! Some of you recommended new books and manga to read, gave me reviews on video games (so I don't waste my time and money), and gave me new ideas for threads. Engaging in convo is just as important to me as replying to threads.

Most importantly thank you all for your patience and support. Every community has its hiccups, and I'm happy to be part of this one.

-take care of yourselves, you deserve it! Alex.

#update #tbd #mun #thank you for reading #:D

[nogoodnikolai]

last week i wanted to archive this really funny old series of forum threads i return to every couple of years, only get hit with a "board unavailable" message after saving the first thread. hoping beyond hope this is a server hiccup and the datas not lost to the wind. of all the potential rotted links to mourn a 6 part review of comically bad american yaoi is one of the stupider possibilities but still. be ever vigilant my friends, it's a graveyard out there

[dicknouget]

On Arkos Revival

Before going any further I want to thank @pilot-boi for helping me with the arguments as well as @pottermusprime and @rwby-sk for reviewing the actual essay.

I cover the possible out comes of Pyrrha's revival and how an event like it would affect the show and the cast.

A couple days ago, I mentioned in an ask to Pilot that we never received a name for the red haired lady that Jaune converses with in V6C9 “Lost”. I also then brought up the dialogue where Jaune thought Pyrrha should be standing there, to which the woman replied she is. I’m not going to debate whether or not Arkos will be unsunk or even if Pyrrha will be revived. What I am going to share my thoughts on is how Pyrrha’s revival would affect RJNR’s character arcs, the relationships between Pyrrha and RUBY JNR and would Arkos still happen if, and this is a big IF, Pyrrha was revived. For the sake of the essay format I will be arguing as if Pyrrha’s revival has happened. This is a disclaimer: I recognize that Pyrrha has NOT been revived, and probably won’t be.

The first argument is in regards to Pyrrha and RNJR. RNJR, more specifically JNR, were hit the hardest with Pyrrha’s death. Ruby witnessing it, and JNR being her teammate. Since then we’ve seen the four of them develop and grow as characters, accepting Pyrrha’s sacrifice and recognizing what it means to be a huntsman/huntress. The initial reaction of a Pyrrha revival would be along the lines of “It completely undermines, and undoes the character growth of RNJR!”. However, if you stop and look at how people interpret experiences and events, you realize that it doesn’t undermine the character development and growth of RNJR. RNJR still lost a friend. They still learned to keep moving forward. They still learned the meaning of sacrifice, and what it means to be a huntsman/huntress. Pyrrha’s revival would simply be another event, another experience for RWBYJNR to understand. If she is revived, how did it happen? Is she the same Pyrrha that they loved? Is she older, does she still have her combat prowess? Just because she is revived, doesn’t mean she’ll be the same “Invincible Girl” from before. There’s also the topic of whether or not she would be willing to continue the mission if she turned out the same way, although given the information presented to us, she would likely join the heroes. Pyrrha’s revival is another event and experience that our heroes will have to work through and understand.

As a final support to the first argument, the audience has already seen a character revival. At the start of Vol 7 Penny was shown to be revived by Pietro as the protector of Mantle. Her revival didn’t magically undo everything that RWBYJNR had learned about loss, or even sacrifice. If anything her character arc helped remind them of sacrifices, and that a huntsman/huntress MUST be able to make the toughest decisions, even if that means losing a life.

The second argument is in regards to Pyrrha and RWBYJNR. This is much more uncertain, as it depends on HOW Pyrrha is revived. I will be arguing with a neutral approach given that condition. Let’s start off with Pyrrha and WBY. For the most part, they would be happy she’s back. Yang might tease Weiss about having a crush on Pyrrha. Ruby would give her some space, but would eventually hug her and might ask a couple questions about the afterlife. Blake and Weiss for the most part would be glad to have her back. Onto JNR. Nora and Ren would likely be more emotional, with Nora tackling her and Ren crying while hugging her. And now we have Jaune. Jaune would be emotional, the most of the group. His emotions would be very conflicting, likely a mixture of joy, relief, sadness and anger. One way I’ve always imagined it is similar to how Astrid repays Hiccup at the end of How to Train Your Dragon. A punch on the shoulder for scaring her and a kiss for everything else. While I will admit that Jaune punching Pyrrha would be a little OOC for him, it would be somewhat believable, given that he is a physical character, and in this situation would be overwhelmed by his emotions. Again it would be hard to judge how the characters react to such an event, because there are so many ways for it to occur, whether it be in the ever after, or a small reveal in a quiet part of the show.

The final argument is would Arkos happen. We’ve seen the primary cast grow from their naive, and in some cases ignorant selves, into fleshed out characters with strong backstories and their places in the world of RWBY. Jaune is an interesting character as we have seen him lash out on two occasions, both of which were in relation to Pyrrha. The first time we see him lash out in anger is in Vol 5 when he assaults Cinder, both verbally and physically. The second is when he yells at Ozpin, and unfortunately catches Oscar in the crossfire. However, since then we’ve seen him grow into a much more collected huntsman, even if he is still emotionally charged, the evacuation of Mantle and the battle of the bridges are good examples of this. Continuing, he’s also a much more forgiving person than we would have assumed in Vol 4/5. When JORY exits the Whale in Vol 8, he deliberately holds his ground to ensure that Emerald escapes as well. One of the people that helped orchestrate the fall of Beacon, and a lackey of Cinder, he ensures escape. Why? It’s because he recognizes that she also helped Oscar, and the rest of them escape. This doesn’t mean that he fully trusts her, but it shows that he’s willing to give her an inch of his trust, and work towards forgiveness.

Given this information and analysis of Jaune it would be safe to assume that if he is able to forgive a former enemy, he would be able to do the same to Pyrrha. There would be A LOT of pain, and A LOT of anger, and yelling. But at the end of the day, Jaune would forgive Pyrrha, and they would slowly start to form a relationship again. It would likely start platonically, as a way of building trust back up, but I am confident that Arkos would eventually become romantic. It would be an extremely slow burn, likely one that makes Bumbleby look like a speedrun, but that’s due to Jaune needing to rebuild his trust in his partner, and Pyrrha needing to recover. If Arkos were to become Canon, it would likely not be shown in the main series, likely in an epilogue.

Arkos is one of the more popular ships in RWBY, and evidently, one of my favourites. Jaune’s my favourite character, and I’ve always enjoyed Pyrrha. Part of being an Arkos fan is understanding that it likely will stay sunk, but it’s interesting to think about how it could happen, given the current character’s and their experiences. It’s also compelling to explore how an event such as Pyrrha’s revival would affect RWBY/JNR as well as how said group would react. I don’t claim to know more than what’s been presented onscreen and in extra lore, but I will explore the information presented to the audience on screen.

I hope you enjoyed reading this theory and essay

- Nouget

#rwby #jaune arc #pyrrha nikos #arkos #nougets essays

[goldenlaurelleaveswrites]

I've Got These Friends...

3. Childhood Memory

I've Got These Friends... (AO3)

Nadine - age 8

Luka - age 8

Juleka - age 6

______________________________________________________

“Alright, everyone. We’re going to move on to act three, scene five now,” the director called before turning to her. “Nadine, they still haven’t fixed the leak in the greenroom, so I’ll get you to watch from the audience for today. It’s good for you to see how we choreograph a fight anyways, never too early to start learning…” he said, trailing off as he look back towards the theatre doors. 

“Yes, M. Aubert,” she said. Clutching her script—her first real stage script—in hand, she made her way to the downstage steps that led down into the audience and made herself comfortable in one of the seats. She flipped open her script to the beginning of act one, and began rereading the lines her maman had helped her highlight. 

 “Alright everyone, while we’re waiting we can review our motivations for this scene.”

“Shouldn’t we work on another scene until she gets here?” Leslie, one of the actors playing a guard, asked. 

“She should be here any minute, she’s never late but she’s always close-” 

M. Aubert was interrupted by a door slamming open. She jumped in her seat, almost dropping her script as she turned to peek over the back of the seat she was sitting in. 

“We’re ‘ere,” a woman with a long, thick braid and bright red glasses called as she strode through the door, hefting a long bag with her. Her voice boomed and carried across the room in that magical way she still hadn’t gotten yet. “Just had a bit o’ a hiccup with the sitter,” the woman continued as she marched down the aisle with a muffled clanging sound. 

M. Aubert grinned, his moustache twitching. “You always know how to make an entrance, Anarka.”

“Good. Just got te get the lad an’ lass settled,” the woman said as she continued down the aisle. She ducked back into her seat as the woman came closer. Her maman and papa had told her it was rude to stare. But that didn’t stop her from peeking between the cracks in the seat. “’An we can get started.”

“The pipe in the greenroom hasn’t been fixed yet, but they can sit in the audience with Nadine.” She straightened up as soon as M. Aubert said her name, and turned to see him nodding his head in her direction. 

“Right, get stretching then, the lot o’ ye. I’ll be up in a titch,” the woman with the booming voice, so much louder now that she was closer, called. The clanging sound was getting louder too. And then it stopped. “Ye must be Nadine, then.” 

She turned to look up into the woman’s face. She had bright blue eyes, and jewelry as colourful as her glasses. “Yes, madame,” she said as politely and as professionally as she could. The way she spoke to all the adults on set. 

The woman burst out laughing. “None o’ that. Anarka, or Captain if ye must.” 

“Y-yes ma- Captain.” 

The corners of the Captains eyes crinkled sash smiled. “This is me b’y, Luka,” the Captain said, gesturing a little behind her to where a boy stood. He had the same blue eyes as the Captain, and messy black hair. “An’ me lass, Juleka” the Captain added, gesturing to the girl who was trailing after the boy, clutching one of his hands in hers.  “Now,” the Captain said, turning to look at Luka and Juleka, “mind yer manners. Don’t interrupt ‘less it’s an emergency, and stay offstage while the swords are out." Luka nodded solemnly, and the Captain laughed. “There’s a good lad, go one, make a friend,” she said as she ruffled his hair. 

“Ma,” Luka protested, but his maman just laughed before turning and heading towards the stage. Then Luka turned to look at her again. “Your name is Nadine?” She nodded. “Your parents couldn’t find a sitter either?” 

“No. I’m in the show,” she said, holding up her script. 

“Oh… so how come you’re not on stage?” 

“I’m not in any of the fight scenes.”

“Oh… that’s too bad. Ma always says swordplay is fun.” 

“I know,” she sighed. “But one day I’ll be old enough to be in one!” She paused. “Do you… want to sit down?” she asked, gesturing to the empty seats at the end of the row.

Luka nodded. “C’mon, Jules,” he said to his sister, tugging on their joined hands. She smiled at his sister as he helped her climb into one of the seats, but Juleka ducked her head and immediately opened the colouring book she had been holding in her other hand. 

“I like your bats,” she said, pointing to the open page where a bunch of bats had been coloured in with purple crayon. Juleka mumbled something she couldn’t hear. 

“She says thank you.” She looked up from the page to Luka. “Jules is shy.”

“Thanks ok,” she said, tightening her grip on her script. “I’m shy too, sometimes.” Luka smiled at that. “So do you act too?” 

Luka shook his head. “No, I like music though. I play guitar and the fiddle and violin.” 

“That’s a lot! I only play piano.” 

“I like music. I’ve been playing since I could hold an instrument. Do you like piano?” 

“Yeah, it’s fine. My acting coach said it’s a good thing to know.” 

“Acting coach?”

“She teaches me how to act and helps me get ready for roles.” 

“Do you act a lot?” 

She nodded. “I’ve been in ads on tv, and I was in a movie. But I didn’t have any lines. This is my first time doing stage acting though. It’s…” she hadn’t told anyone. Not even her parents. But Luka… he seemed nice. Like a friend. “It’s kinda scary.” 

Luka nodded. “It looks scary. But you like it.” He didn’t ask it. He just said it. “What else do you like doing?” 

Her script was still in her hands, but she hadn’t looked at it once since Luka had asked her to show it to him. They had been too busy talking. The more she talked to him, the more if felt like she had known him forever. His sister was nice too, even if she only mumbled her responses to her questions and Luka had to translate. But Juleka had smiled at her when she complimented the purple ribbon in her hair. And that had felt like winning a prize. 

She didn’t have many friends. The other kids at the parties her parents sometimes had to take her to weren’t very nice. And at school, her classmates weren’t mean. They were nice. But most weren’t interested in acting. Her teachers told her she was too serious. But she didn’t know how to change that. 

But Luka didn’t seem to care. 

“Luka?” she looked down at her script, and clutched it tightly in her hands. “Can we be friends?”

“You sound nice.”  

“What?” 

“Your song. It sounds nice. You sound like a friend.”

“So… are we friends?” 

Luka nodded. 

“You’re kinda funny,” she giggled.

“He’s weird.” The words took her by surprise. It took her a second to realize who had said them-

“Jules!” Luka protested, his ears going pink. “I am not!” 

Luka looked up at her as she continued to giggle. “I like funny. And I think I like weird, too.”

#OC tober #OC-tober #Nadine Laurent-Hassan - OC #Nadine Laurent-Hassan - Laurel OC #luka couffaine #juleka couffaine #baby jules snark #even from a young age she was teasing her brother #anarka couffaine #stage combatant Anarka

[dragonnnfly]

I posted 706 times in 2022

That's 663 more posts than 2021!

582 posts created (82%)

124 posts reblogged (18%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@dragonnnfly

@per4mancecheck

@hcfferscn

@wickedcriminal

@meganwasbored

I tagged 663 of my posts in 2022

Only 6% of my posts had no tags

#httyd - 519 posts

#how to train your dragon - 516 posts

#hiccup - 350 posts

#rtte - 322 posts

#race to the edge - 320 posts

#incorrect httyd quotes - 213 posts

#incorrect rtte quotes - 180 posts

#astrid - 134 posts

#tuffnut - 122 posts

#snotlout - 114 posts

Longest Tag: 122 characters

#no but he really did that didn’t he?! he just flew off in a random direction like “oh yes i sure hope luck is on my sidea”

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Found this screen cap and died! The meme potential!

Let me just…

See the full post

1,271 notes - Posted September 1, 2022

#4

After the red death attack Hiccup would’ve been out for a long time, and it’s evident that he was. Stables had been built, and people had already accepted it all by the time he woke up, and it gives us so many fun opportunities! Toothless and Stoick had accepted each other, but Stoick knew nothing about how to care for a dragon, an injured one at that, and the other dragon riders didn’t know enough yet to be of help, so imagine Stoick figuring it all out in the most hilarious of ways.

“I dO noT unDersTand! EelS aRe gooD FoR yoU, wHy Won’t You EaT thEm?!”

“I killed him…I accidentally scratched his chin and I killed him”

*accidentally shines a light in the corner of the room and Toothless jumps on it* “WHY?!”

*Toothless retracts his teeth and Stoick is speechless for the rest of the day*

1,605 notes - Posted August 15, 2022

#3

Stoick: if your friends jumped off a cliff would you?

Hiccup: Dad, you raised a leader not a follower. I would be the first one off that cliff

1,929 notes - Posted October 29, 2022

#2

Ruffnut: do you want to play a game?

Snotlout: sure? What is it?

Tuffnut: it’s called “Toothless or Astrid”. We’ll give you an actual quote we’ve heard Hiccup say, and you’ll have to guess if he was talking to his dragon or his girlfriend

Snotlout:

Snotlout: awesome

2,042 notes - Posted April 5, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Iconic

2,099 notes - Posted March 5, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #not httyd content

[rougetrose]

im going to post this not only as a way to defend myself but to also put out the truth so that lies arent being spread around. shoutout to anyone in this group called illustrio as this will help put out some info for those wondering whats going on:

for starters, i joined a fun discord group set in the marauders era as it was intended for busy people with busy schedules. as someone who hasnt roleplayed in a long time due to working full-time hours, this was the perfect setup for me. however, things seem to change...and yes, for the worse.

i received this message from one of the admins expressing how my inactivity has led to some difficulty interacting/proceeding with the group's plot points, which was a valid concern. i have since messaged every time i got busy and even apologized for not being around as much as i wouldve liked (which i didnt rlly have to tbh considering that the group was made FOR busy ppl but anyways). i then proceeded to ask if any other issues may have occurred that need to be brought up so we can discuss and move on successfully and healthily as a group, but it seems that i have been kicked out before i could even get the chance to reach out. despite it all, my main goal was to get clarity and ask for the true reasons why i was being let go (mind you i was still at work when this happened so i only got back to reply an hour later):

i thought the first initial message was very fair and respectful. so i reciprocated that tone in my reply:

surprisingly, the mun took a turn in the tone of their next reply and i was genuinely stumped by how things got intense very quickly:

i can go on and on about how problematic this reply was, but i knew this kind of response isn't worth fussing about so i just prepared another reply to cease any interactions with this person, but of course, i was blocked before it could be sent through:

as mentioned in my last response, there were many uncomfortable instances in the group that happened and yes, i shouldve spoken out when i could have gotten the chance as it was happening, but the amount of time i have spent roleplaying in general, has just made me ignore those 'hiccups' when they did occur. regardless, it was a very weird and absurd reply and until now im still wondering where this reaction came from when i reached out very neutrally from the get-go.

i usually shrug these type of things off as it unfortuantely does happen from time to time in the rp community, but i only decided to take matters into my own hands when im being accused of calling the mun mentioned above slurs.

despite it being a very SERIOUS accusation, i made sure to review our past messages and see where and when i could have made a comment that harmful (which i did not) just to be sure i didnt offend/harm/belittle anyone. as expected, i have seen that there are NO offensive messages in our chats as we only talked for a brief amount of time and never really got to again before they messaged me privately about this matter. below are the screenshots of our conversations before this dilemma. i have NOT touched our chats at all, so saying i have been deleting messages??? another strange thing to say:

these screenshots are the only instances where and when we talked and as im looking through, i still dont see any of the slurs that im being accused of. i havent had any 1 on 1 interactions with the mun with any of our characters either during my time in the group and only got to to talk to o through the general/public ic chats on the server.

i thought that this mun was overall, very friendly and kind. i had no issues with them whatsoever, so im wondering where the sudden change in reactions came from as i genuinely and wholeheartedly never gave them a reason to hate/dislike me.

i have since reached out to one of my friends who is also in the group and he has been sharing how the group and current admins believe that i have been referring to this mun with slurs. i hope that whoever is still in that group sees this and gets the WHOLE story before accusing someone of something this serious. it's truly tarnishing and hurtful that lies are being spread about my name, so please give this a thorough review before listening to only one side of the story and not verifying anything.

(statement from the admin; i hope they can see this thread and re-evaluate what REALLY happened) :

also, when the previous admin had managed the group, i thought they were very friendly and welcoming and had no issues with them as well, so this is all very confusing and surprising to me to say the least. as shown above on the screenshot, my first reply had been very neutral and in no way did i 'lash' out at the mun when they had first messaged me as stated in that photo.

and again, before you accuse someone of anything serious ESPECIALLY slurs, please make sure that you have the necessary proof to do so. regarding that, i have asked in the beginning of the message for any proof to show when and where i may have offended this person, but as i stated and will continue to say: i dont think i have the means to dehumanize someone else all because of a roleplay. if you have had that experience, please report them immediately. if you are someone who says slurs, please seek help and re-evaluate yourself before harming others.

all in all, i think the group was fun while it lasted. everyone seemed friendly and welcoming but this unfortunate turn of events has made me want to take a break from roleplaying in the next bit. i hope this could clear up the air as i intended to initially. thanks so much again if you got to read this far.

#rpt #hope this cleared the air #discord rp #harry potter rp