#vanessa + juniper

[we-were-so-beautiful]

2. day six

holy shit hi! it's me! I'm back! I will be very surprised if anybody remembers me or this story given that it's been literally six months since I posted the first chapter. my motivation, interest, energy and amount of free time for this project all fluctuate, but... this story feels like it wants to be told, and I want to tell it. so hopefully I'll manage to pop up around here with an update for it every once in a while.

Content warnings for this chapter: box boy universe, pet whump, dehumanization, cages, blood mention. I'm still getting the hang of how to tag these so please let me know if there's anything I missed.

[masterlist] [chapter one] [chapter three]

Vanessa means to wait until an hour before closing time to go to the shelter. Really, she does. She wants to give this guy as much of a chance as he can get to go home with someone, literally anyone, who’s better for him than she is. But it’s lunchtime and she’s already practically vibrating. She’s not even used to being awake by noon anymore, much less having already been up for hours refreshing the site so often it’s making her nauseous. Or maybe that’s just the all-consuming anxiety of suspense.

What if the assholes at the shelter decide that six days is close enough, and take him away before she even gets there? What if she’s fucked up and counted the days wrong, and he’s actually scheduled to die today? What if the subway’s delayed, or the shelter closes early, and she’s too late, and another person dies because she made a stupid fucking mistake?

What if, says the voice in the back of her head that she refuses to listen to, somebody takes him who’s even worse for him than me?

“Oh, fuck literally all of this,” she says to the empty room, and grabs her coat.

—

“Uh, hey, I’m here to…”

“Sign in on the sheet.” The bored-looking shelter employee doesn’t so much as glance up from her phone. Vanessa looks around; the lobby is totally devoid of anyone save for the two of them.

“I just want to know if—”

“Sign in on the sheet.”

Vanessa breathes out through her nose until her hand stops ticking long enough to write. She scribbles her name and the time, and sets the pen down with a deliberate clack on the desk directly in front of the employee.

The woman barely raises her head. “How can I help you.”

Vanessa steels herself. “Is, uh… Do you still have…” God she hates talking about people like this she hates it she hates it she hates it. “Is pet number 414374 still here? I want to…” She wants to choke on the word. “...I want to adopt him.”

The employee’s affect goes duller than ever. “Oh, he’s still here, alright,” she mutters grimly.

Vanessa only realizes how much tension she’s been holding when it floods out of her so fast she almost loses her balance. “Can I see him?”

“If you really want to,” the employee sighs. “But I’m tellin’ you, lady, you’re not gonna like what you find.”

—

“That’s him?!”

“Told you you were gonna be disappointed, lady.”

Vanessa gapes. It’s not like she’s been expecting to be okay with seeing people in cages, but she sure as shit didn’t expect… whatever the fuck she’s looking at now.

The dude is filthy, caked head to toe in blood, dirt and worse. The hair that flowed around him in his picture is matted down his back now, littered with scores of dead and decaying leaves. His ice-blue eyes are dull and unfocused. His breaths are quick and shallow, and the way they rasp in his throat makes Vanessa twitch. 

He’s lying in a heap on the single layer of newspaper between him and the inch-wide mesh of the shelter-standard cage. Vanessa sucks at math, but she thinks it can’t be more than three by three by five. The shelter profile listed him at six foot two.

The employee bangs on the metal with the back of her hand, making a horrible clanging sound that makes Vanessa want to claw her own ears off. “Hey, look alive, refurb. You got one more interested owner. Maybe try to impress this one for a change?”

“Can he even—” Vanessa starts, but the guy surprises her by slowly, painfully lifting his head. The dirt that coats his skin cracks and flakes as he struggles to push himself up on his elbows. He reaches jerkily for the front of the cage, arms trembling violently with the effort, his breathing growing more and more labored as he tries to meet her gaze.

In the split second before he collapses again, she swears he manages it.

—

“I want him.”

The employee has already turned to go, talking over her shoulder as she ambles back toward the desk. “Yeah, so if you're lookin’ for a fancy one you could try the Manhattan shelter, they sometimes—hang on, you what?” She twists back abruptly as the words actually register.

“I want him,” Vanessa says again.

The employee stares at her for a long, long minute. Vanessa can almost see her fighting the urge to blurt out, “why?” Finally, though, she collects herself, with a wildly overexaggerated shrug of her shoulders.

“It’s your money, lady,” she says, and unlocks the cage.

#whump #pet whump #rescue whump #recovery whump #bbu #box boy universe #vanessa + juniper #disaster caretaker #imperfectly consistent #tw dehumanization #tw cages #tw blood mention #I am once again posting this to yeet it out of editing perdition #this chapter was supposed to be slightly longer #but this feels like a better place to stop #and I didn't feel like writing the other shit #so that'll be its own chapter or interlude later #assuming I ever update again lmao (this is legally a joke I very much do want to update again actually)

[lenniharrisonsims]

Behind The Scenes...

Ivanov Royal Academy, Glimmerbrooke, 1:17p

Juniper: Are you sure Carter can handle this?

Vanessa: Don't worry, I made it worth his while (smirks)

Carter: Hey Wren!

Wren: … hey?

Carter: Are you mid-game there, or do you mind if I join you?

Wren: I'm not playing, I'm just waiting for Josie to get out of class.

Carter: Awesome, so I'll just take a seat here!

Wren: …

Carter: So are you a fan of chess?

Wren: What do you want, Carter?

Carter: Who says I want something?

Wren: Considering you have never spoken to me once in all four years we've been at this school together, I'm assuming you want something. And I know it's not a tutor because you just pay people to do your homework.

Carter: (laughs) Very funny, Wren. You're really funny, did you know that?

Wren: …

Carter: Fine, you got me, I do want something.

Wren: What?

Carter: I want you to go to the formal with me.

Wren: …You're not serious?

Carter: Of course I'm serious, why else would I track you down in the library? You know this isn't my scene.

Wren: What about Vanessa?

Carter: What about Vanessa?

Wren: You're dating Vanessa?

Carter: Oh no, we broke up. She was such a bitch all the time, you know? Plus, I always hated the way she treated you…

Wren: You didn't do much to stop her…

Carter: I was an idiot then, let me make up for it, let me take you to the dance.

Wren: ...Vanessa would be pissed…

Carter: Wouldn't it be nice to get revenge on her, showing up to the senior formal with her ex-boyfriend?

Wren: I don't know if I feel like having a fight with her about it at the dance…

Carter: I'd fight with you, or we can ignore her the whole night.

Wren: Well…

Vanessa: Ugh, as if!

Juniper: Wow, she's delusional!

Wren: What's going on?

Carter: You really believed a guy like me would ask a girl like you to the dance?

Juniper: I can't believe she fell for it!

Vanessa: I can. Little Wrenny has always thought she was better than she actually is. You're nothing Wren, and this proves it.

Whittaker: Jeez, you morons again? When will you give it up?

Carter: We didn't ask for your input, Whittaker.

Vanessa: Yeah, it was just a little game with our Wrenny.

Whitt: Yeah, right, Sutton. I'm sure Wren was having so much fun with your 'game.'

Juniper: Can't stand up for yourself, Wren? Gotta have this stoner loser to protect you?

Wren: God! Why doesn't everyone just leave me alone! I didn't do anything to deserve this bullshit!

Whitt: Yeah, lay off-

Wren: You too, Whitt! I don't need you to protect me all the time! Stop following me around and butting in to my life! God, enough! (Runs away)

Whitt: Wren, wait!

Vanessa: Ugh, so dramatic.

#ivanov legacy #ts4 #ts4 legacy #ts4 simblr #behind the scenes #wren hathaway #jefferson whittaker #vanessa sutton #juniper armstrong #carter rivera

[post-futurism]

Tagged by the gorgeous @mafaldinablabla for the tag game to get to know 9 Tumblrinas better 💙

Last Song: Line of Fire by José González, a re-recording of his 2013 version of the song as Junip. It was magical hearing that song again, his voice is so so beautiful.

Favourite colour: I used to always say red is my favourite colour but you wouldn't guess that from the way I live my life and I think that's bc red doesn't often come in the things I like it best for. Or at least, there are barriers like cost or sizing unavailability etc. And I think in reality I have a favourite colour for specific things, like I love when indoor plants have purple leaves and I love using hot pink tape to repair things and I like pastel greens blues and pinks for furniture and decor and I love wearing silver and looking like a space rock and I love reblogging blue things. And the thing about red is that it often doesn't go with the previously mentioned colours so I don't really know why I'm still so attached to red except that maybe it's my obsession with Vanessa Beecroft's red stockings on red high heels that was used in one of her performance artworks that has cemented my love for red since high school.

Last movie/TV show: Renfield 2023 (I thought this was hilarious tbqh), and Mr & Mrs Smith for the tv show (firm believer that anything Hiro Murai touches is pure gold).

Sweet/spicy/savoury: savoury

Relationship status: coming up to 15 years w my partner in April

Last thing that I googled: well, I use duckduckgo but I was trying to look up the name of Vanessa Beecroft's red stockings performance artwork 😅

Current obsession: soulwax lol

Last book: Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson (easily now one of my favourite books!)

Looking forward to: publishing part 1 of my duology novel! If all bodes well it might be next week??

Thank you for this, it was fun!

Tagging @peter-weir @chikyful @broccoliwave @missaustralia @reunionandthen @twoflower888 @annakin14 @angustully @skydalorian @heyjudelaw

#tag game #ask meme #tagging long time mutuals and mutuals i haven't talked to much

[ethereal-capricorns-blog]

My OCs

Vanessa-Ophelia Ambrosia(Centre) Elizabeth-Zahara(Left) Elliott-Iṣkender(Right)

Lunaria(Left) Naomi(Centre) Dahlia(Right)

Gabriella II(Left) Sabrina(Right

Melodia

Stellar(Left) and Tallulah(Right)

Info about them

Full Names/Nicknames💙

Vanessa-Ophelia Ambrosia/Vee, Nessie, Nessa, Phee, 🩵

Elizabeth-Zahara Khalifa/Beth, Bethy, Eliza, Lizzy, Libby Lily, and Zara💜

Elliott-Iṣkender Khalifa-Ambrosia/Eil and Leo🩵

Naomi Helene Estrella/Nai, Mimi, Mia Hela, Ellie, and Esti💙

Dahlia Eden Estrella/Dali Dia Leah and Esther💚

Lunaria Astrid-Juniper Estrella-Gresley/Lu Luna Lunie Lou Ash Astra June, Juni and Star💙

Gabriella II Karoliina Laine/Gabs Gabby Bella Ella and Karrie🩵

Sabrina Kristiina Laine/Sab Sabby Brina Kris and Krissie💙

Melodia Ingrid-Wynter Hale/Mel Melody Mellie Lody Ingie and Winnie💜

Stellar and Tallulah Mirabelle Rosá/Stel Stella Ellie Elle Mira and Belle/Tilly, Tallie, Lula, Millie, and Belle💜💙

Birth Dates/Time/Place 💙

Vanessa-Ophelia: 25th September 1948/9 am/Kifisia, Athens, Greece🇬🇷🩵

Elizabeth-Zahara: 9th September 1971/3 pm/Kifisia, Athens, Greece🇬🇷💜

Elliott-Iṣkender: 23rd May 1982/2 pm/Kifisia, Athens, Greece🇬🇷🩵

Naomi: 19th October 1970/12 am/Östermalm, Stockholm, Sweden🇸🇪💙

Dahlia: 14th February 1973/11am/Östermalm, Stockholm, Sweden🇸🇪💚

Lunar: 9th December 1981/10 pm/Östermalm, Stockholm, Sweden🇸🇪💙

Gabriella: 19th February 1987/8 am/Eira, Helsinki, Finland🇫🇮🩵

Sabrina: 17th January 1997/11 pm/Eira, Helsinki, Finland🇫🇮💙

Melodia: 12th December 1999/7 pm/Bygdøy, Oslo, Norway🇧🇻💜

Stellar: 19th June 2008/11 pm/Palermo Hollywood, Buenos Aires, Argentina💜🇦🇷

Tallulah: 20th June 2008/9 am/Palermo Hollywood, Buenos Aires, Argentina🇦🇷🩵

Zodiac Sign/Elements/Planet Rulers

Vanessa-Ophelia: Virgo-Libra Cusp Of Beauty/Earth and Air/Mercury and Venus ♍️♎️🌎💨🩵

Elizabeth-Zahara: Virgo/Earth/Mercury♍️🌎💜

Elliott-Iṣkender: Taurus-Gemini Cusp Of Energy/Earth and Air/Venus and Mercury ♉️♊️🌎💨🩵

Naomi: Libra-Scorpio Cusp Of Drama and Criticism/Air and Water/Mercury and Pluto♎️♏️💨🚿💙

Lunar: Sagittarius/Fire/Pluto♐️🔥💙

Dahlia and Gabriella: Aquarius-Pisces Cusp Of Sensitivity/Water & Air/Uranus and Neptune ♒️♓️🌊💨💚🩵

Sabrina: Capricorn-Aquarius/Earth and Water/Saturn and Uranus♑️♒️🌎🌊

Melodia: Sagittarius/Fire/Pluto ♐️🔥💜

Stellar and Tallulah: Cusp Of Gemini-Cancer Cusp Of Magic/Air & Water/Mercury and Moon♊️♋️💨🚿💜🩵

Age

Vanessa-Ophelia: 75 years old🩵

Elizabeth-Zahara: 52 years old💜

Elliott-Iṣkender: 41 years old🩵

Naomi: 53 years old💙

Dahlia: 51 years old💚

Lunar: 42 years old💙

Gabriella II: 37 years old🩵

Sabrina: 27 years old💙

Melodia: 25 years old💜

Stellar: 15 years old💜

Tallulah: 15 years old💙

Species

The Ambrosia Khalifa's: Human/SEK Class Ky Steam Locomotive🩵💜

The Estrella's/Human/VR Class Sk3 Steam Locomotive💙💚💙

The Laine’s: Human/VR Class Sk3 Steam Locomotive🩵💙

The Hales: Human/NSB Class XXII Steam Locomotive💜

The Rosa:/Human/Rhaetian Railway G ⅘💜💙

Nationality

The Ambrosia Khalifa's: Greek-Cypriots-Egyptian/Greek, Cypriots, Italian, Turkish, Egyptian, and Israeli🇬🇷🇨🇾🇮🇹🇹🇷🇪🇬🇮🇱

The Estrella's: Swedish-Finnish/Swedish, Finnish, Estonian, Norwegian, Danish, German, and Russian🇸🇪🇫🇮🇪🇪🇳🇴🇩🇰🇩🇪🇷🇺

The Laine's: Finnish-Estonian/Finnish, Estonian, Swedish, Norwegian, and Russian🇫🇮🇪🇪🇸🇪🇳🇴🇷🇺

The Hale's: Norwegian/Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, and Ukrainian🇳🇴🇸🇪🇫🇮🇪🇪🇱🇻🇱🇹🇺🇦

The Rosa/Argentina-Italian/Argentinian, Brazilian, Uruguayan, Chilean, Italian, Syrian, Lebanese, and Israeli🇦🇷🇧🇷🇺🇾🇨🇱🇮🇹🇸🇾🇱🇧🇮🇱

#This took me forever #If anything is inaccurate about anyone's background or ethnicity I'm not being offensive I'm still learning #By the way Lunar is my Bittern fiancée

[1one2two3three4four]

Random Name Alphabet

Just a random idea I got.

Feminine:

Adeline

Beryl

Camila

Danica

Eider

Felicity

Georgia

Hilda

Idella

Juniper

Kallista

Lena

Marigold

Natalia

Olicia

Paris

Queenie

Ruby

Salem

Tabby

Unity

Vanessa

Weaver

Xaila

Yasmin

Zahara

Masculine

Abraham

Baxter

Campbell

Darrell

Everett

Franklin

Guillermo

Hugh

Ian

James

Kallen

Leonardo

Martin

Nathan

Oliver

Peter

Quincy

Roger

Simon

Tobey

Ulyssess

Victor

Wade

Xander

Yusuf

Zachary

Gender Neutral

Addison

Briar

Cassiopeia

Delaine

Embry

Finch

Grimm

Hayden

Ivon

Jesse

Kasper

Luca

Morgan

Nico

Onyx

Perry

Quinn

Robin

Sydney

Taylor

Umber

Vick

Wren

Xan

Yari

Zayne

#name list #names #writing #writblr #creative writing #name ideas #name inspo #name inspiration #neutral names #feminine names #masculine names #masc names #fem names #name suggestions

[wildflowerwoodsworld]

I don't really talk about my aus on here, but I'm pretty proud of the work I've put into this one so I thought I'd share

Nobody ask how long this took.

As per usual, several of the ocs on this list (Nickole, Bastian, Aella, Madlyn, Ruth, Madeline, Vivian, Cornelia, Silas, Angela, Primrose, Lerola, Dalila, Levi, Sylvia, Hannah, Juniper, Silvester, Alexandra and Alderbrand) belong to the lovely @crazedstoryteller, the rest of the ocs (Fiona, Lana, Tondra and Lia) are mine, and obviously canon chracters are canon

(alternate version of the table under the cut)

Surname Name Height Bird Wingspan

Poizot Gueldre 194cm Common Ostrich 142cm

Vermillion Mimosa 161cm Beautiful Sheartail 143cm

Vermillion Kirsch 182cm Purple-Throated Carib 152cm

Unsworth Dorothy 145cm Green Peafowl 158cm

Mehmad Rhya 181cm Superb Lyrebird 168cm

Adlai Marie 135cm Eurasian Magpie 182cm

Becquerel Letoile 165cm Zebra Dove 187cm

Vermillion Nickole 168cm Rufous-collared kingfisher 191cm

Silva Nebra 170cm Buff-Breasted Paradise Kingfisher 192cm

Tenmanyashiki Fujio 176cm Anna’s Hummingbird 192cm

Florimond Bastian 176cm Turkey 202cm

Pappitson Charmy 142cm Dalmatian Pelican 216cm

Silva Acier 167cm Kookaburra 217cm

Clarkson Aella 165cm Northern Cardinal 218cm

Swallowtail Secre 152cm Anti-Bird 225cm

Francois Marx 167cm Common Grackle 226cm

Faust Morgen 180cm White-Necked Raven 228cm

Silva Nozel 177cm Oriental Dwarf Kingfisher 228cm

Faust Nacht 180cm White-Necked Raven 228cm

Fiore Madlyn 149cm European Robin 234cm

Roselei Ruth 169cm House Sparrow 235cm

Bergen Fana 162cm Baltimore oriole 236cm

Mehmad Fana 162cm Baltimore oriole 236cm

Angel Puli 168cm Tundra Swan 236cm

Wechsler Grey 159cm Kererū 238.5cm

Funar Recca 153cm European Robin 240cm

Thorncroft Madeline 171cm Black Swan 241cm

Mikuriya Fumito 176cm Eurasian Teal 241cm

Adlai Gauche 181cm Eurasian Magpie 245cm

Tium Shiren 183cm Great Potoo 245cm

Silva Solid 169cm Yellow Billed Kingfisher 246.5cm

Silva Noelle 161cm Common Kingfisher 250cm

Vaude Langris 166cm Western Tanager 253cm

Tormenta Fragil 162cm European Robin 254cm

Portaport Cob 173cm Willow Ptarmigan 256cm

Shipley Vivian 175cm European Robin 257cm

Franklin Cornelia 159cm Black-necked Grebe 257cm

Kozma Lolopechka 165cm American White Pelican 257cm

Luftair Randall 175cm Mute Swan 263cm

Libardirt Morris 177cm Mallard 267cm

Vaude Silas 173cm Hepatic Tanager 271cm

Keller Mariella 157cm Pacific Loon 271cm

Code Dominante 167cm Superb Starling 272cm

Clarkson Angela 168cm Vermilion Cardinal 274cm

Hage Asta 155cm Shining Bronze Cuckoo 275cm

Bullard Sally 160cm Pacific Loon 277cm

Roulacase Fiona 171cm Common Snipe 278cm

Marron Sol 180cm European Robin 282cm

Enoteca Vanessa 170cm Taiwan Rosefinch 283.5cm

Roselei Lerola 170cm Aztec Thrush 283cm

Roselei Primrose 175cm Varied Thrush 283cm

Holt Nash 136cm Common Kestrel 286cm

Ringard En 176cm Great Spotted Woodpecker 286cm

Roulacase Finral 172cm Great Snipe 287cm

Lister Dalila 177cm Great Spotted Woodpecker 288cm

Legolant Henry 190cm Trumpet Swan 290cm

McNamara Owen 180cm Great Spotted Woodpecker 293cm

Roe Levi 178cm American Coot 294cm

Vaude Sylvia 167cm Summer Tanager 295cm

Orfai Orsi 180cm American Coot 297cm

Hangatsuji Jozo 178cm Alpine Chough 297cm

Aquaria Lily 160cm Grey Heron 306cm

Kruger Fanzell 178cm Spur-Winged Goose 310cm

Kezokaku Ginnojomorifuyu 169cm Pygmy Falcon 313cm

Sandler Alecdora 178cm Common Cuckoo 314cm

Caseus Hamon 170cm Least Sandpiper 317cm

Starr Mars 170cm Common Starling 325cm

Gerver Hannah 169cm Chimney Swift 338cm

Ideale Zara 177cm Carrion Crow 340cm

Bronzazza Sekke 175cm Rock Dove 341cm

Rapual Theresa 162cm Common Kestrel 341cm

Salik Revchi 176cm Rock Dove 342cm

Lugner Xerx 177cm Snowy Sheathbill 345cm

Roselei Charlotte 171cm Mountain Bluebird 346cm

Voltia Luck 167cm Peregrine Falcon 348cm

Vaude Lana 168cm White Winged Tanager 349cm

Dorthonion Ladros 180cm Rock Dove 350cm

Landvik Valtos 178cm Chimney Swift 356cm

Ideale Zora 176cm Hooded Crow 357cm

Vermillion Leopold 170cm Brown Falcon 360cm

Boismortier Rill 165cm Kea 363cm

Swing Magna 169cm Gyrfalcon 364cm

Lunettes Klaus 176cm European Nightjar 371cm

Fodor Gadjah 176cm Magnificent Frigatebird 377cm

Novachrono Julius 180cm European Golden Eagle 379cm

Granvorka Kaiser 193cm Kori Buzzard 393cm

Mushogatake Yosuga 181cm Saker Falcon 400cm

Grinberryall Yuno 172cm Common Swift 404cm

Kay Juniper 170cm Great Shearwater 406cm

Sturm Tondra 167cm Barn Owl 407cm

Vermillion Mereoleona 178cm Fox Kestrel 409cm

Yami Ichika 156cm Northern Royal Albatross 414cm

Gidul Vetto 196cm California Condor 420cm

Vermillion Fuegoleon 188cm Nunkeen Kestrel 421cm

Garver Silvester 184cm Eurasian Hobby 429cm

Spirito Rades 174cm Hooded Vulture 435cm

Swallow David 175cm Tree Swallow 438cm

Imari Komari 160cm White-Throated Needletail 440cm

Mehmad Patri 172cm New Zealand Dotterel 440cm

Vangeance William 172cm New Zealand Dotterel 440cm

Vermillion Alexandra 181cm Madagascar Fish Eagle 441cm

O’oka Daizaemon 193cm Great Buzzard 453cm

Bardsley Lia 168cm White-Throated Needletail 462cm

Summerfield Jack 197cm Common Swift 464cm

Agrippa Gordon 187cm Rüppell’s Vulture 468cm

Yami Sukehiro 183cm Wandering Albatross 476cm

Vermillion Alderbrand 185cm African Fish Eagle 493cm

Ryuudou Ryuuya 182cm Amsterdam Albatross 507cm

#Black Clover #My AUs

[doomatnight]

-Characters-

All characters listed are in alphabetical order for ease of access.

Do note that characters marked with (L) are canonically lesbian and thus will not be paired with male characters as per the rules.

-Accepted RWBY Characters: Adam Taurus, Adrian Cotta-Arc, Alyx Liddel, Amber, Ambrosius, An Ren, Arslan Atlan, Banesaw, Bianca Prisma, Blacksmith, Blake Belladonna, Bleiss Schnee/Gele, Bolin Hori, Bram Thornmane, Brawnz Ni, Cardin Winchester, Caroline Cordovin, Cinder Fall, Clover Ebi, Coco Adel (L), Corsac Albaine, Deery, Dew Gayl, Dove Bronzewing, Elm Ederne, Emerald Sustrai, Fennec Albaine, Fiona Thyme, Flynt Coal, Fox Alistair, Ghira Belladonna, Grimm, Gwen Darcy, Harriet Bree, Hazel Rainart, Ilia Amitola (L), Ivori, Ivy Thickety, Jacques Schnee, James Ironwood, Jaune Arc**, Lewis Liddel, Li Ren, Lie Ren, Maria Calavera, Marrow Amin, May Marigold, May Zedong, Mercury Black, Nadir Shiko, Nebula Violette, Neopolitain/Trivia Vanille, Neon Katt, Neptune Vasilias, Nolan Porfilio, Nora Valkyrie, Octavia Ember, Olive Harper, Original Characters, Oscar Pine, Ozpin, Penny Poledina, Peter Port, Pyrrha Nikos, Qrow Branwen, Raven Branwen, Reese Chloris, Rhodes, Roane Ashwood, Robyn Hill, Rolf, Roman Torchwick, Roy Stallion, Ruby Rose, Ruda Tilleroot, Russel Thrush, Sage Ayana, Salem, Saphron Cotta-Arc, Scarlet David, Sienna Khan, Sky Lark, Summer Rose, Sun Wukong, Taiyang Xiao Long, Terra Cotta-Arc, Tock, Trifa, Velvet Scarlatina, Weiss Schnee, Whitley Schnee, Willow Schnee, Winter Schnee, Xanthe Rumpole, Yang Xiao Long, Yatsuhashi Daichi, Yuma.

-Unaccepted RWBY Characters: Apathy, Arthur Watts, Bartholomew Oobleck, Curious Cat, Jabberwalker, Jinxi, Juniper, Little/Somewhat, Leo Lionhart, Muses, Pietro, Reader, Red Prince, Red Soldier, Tyrian Callows, Vine Zeke, Zwei.

-Characters Outside RWBY That I Write:

Arcane/LoL: Caitlin, Jinx, Vi

Avatar: Aang, Asami, Azula, Bolin, Jin, Jinora, June, Katara, Korra, Kuvira, Mai, Mako, Prince Wu, Sokka, Suki, Toph, Ty Lee, Ursa, Zuko

AWOG: Gumball Watterson, Nicole Watterson

Beastars: Haru, Jack, Juno, Legoshi, Louis

Ben Ten: Ben Tennyson, Gwen Tennyson

Big Hero 6: Aunt Cass, Hiro Himada, Honey Lemon, Tadashi Himada, Wasabi

Carmen Santiago: Carmen Santiago, Ivy, Zack

Chainsaw Man: Denji, Kobeni, Power

Cyberpunk: David, Rebecca

DC: Bane, Barbra Gordon, Batwoman, Beast Boy, Black Lightning, Bruce Wayne, Cassandra Cain, Damian Wayne, Dick Grayson, Flash, Guy Gardener, Hal Jordan, Harley Quinn, Hawkgirl, Hawkman, Jason Todd, Jessica Cruz, Jinx, John Stewart, Killer Frost, Lois Lane, Poison Ivy, Raven, Selina Kyle, Spoiler, Starfire, Star Sapphire, Steel, Superman, Talia Al’ Ghul, Terra, Tim Drake, Victor Stone, Wonder Woman

Five Nights At Freddy’s: Roxanne Wolf, Vanessa, Vanny

Frozen: Anna, Elsa

Grave of Andrew and Leyley: Andrew Graves, Ashley Graves, Mrs. Graves

Gravity Falls: Dipper Pines, Mabel Pines, Pacifica Northwest, Wendy

Helltaker: Azazel, Baphomet, Beelzebub, Cerberus, Helltaker, Judgement, Justice, Loremaster, Lucifer, Malina, Modeus, Pandemonica, Zdrada

Helluva/Hazbin: Alastor, Angel Dust, Asmodeus, Barbie Wire, Blitzø, Charlie, Husk, Fizz, Loona, Millie, Moxxie, Sally May, Stolas, Striker, Vaggie (L), Verosika

Incredibles: Bob Parr, Dash Parr, Helen Parr, Violet Parr

Invincible: Debbie Grayson, Mark Grayson

Kim Possible: Ann Possible, Bonnie Rockwaller, James Possible, Jim Possible, Kim Possible, Monique, Ron Stoppable, Shego, Tim Possible

Legend of Zelda: Ganon, Link, Urbosa, Zelda

Mario: Bowser, Daisy, Peach, Rosalina

Marvel: Bruce Banner, Drax, Eddy Brock, Flash Thompson, Gamora, Gwen Stacy, Hobie Brown, Hope Van Dyne, Jennifer Walters, Kang, Loki, Miguel O’Hara, Miles Morales, Mystique, Natasha Romanov, Nebula, Peni Parker, Peter Parker, Peter Quill, Pietro Maximoff, Rio Morales, Sam Wilson, Steve Rogers, T’Challa, Thanos, Thor, Tony Stark, Venom, Wanda Maximoff, Wolverine

Miraculous: Adrian Agreste, Alice Kubdel, Alya Cesaire, Felix Agreste, Juleka Couffaine, Kagami Tsurugi, Lê Chiên Kim, Luka Couffaine, Marc Anciel, Marinette Dupain Chang, Max Kanté, Mylène Haprèle, Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Nino Lahiffe, Rose Lavillant, Sabrina Rain, Zoé Lee

Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid: Elma, Kobayashi, Lucoa, Tohru

Modern Family: Alex Dunphy, Claire Dunphy, Gloria Delgado, Haley Dunphy, Luke Dunphy, Manny Delgado, Phil Dunphy

Murder Drones: N, Uzi

Overwatch: Ana, Ashe, Baptiste, Brigette, Cassidy, Doomfist, DVA, Echo, Emily (L), Genji, Hanzo, Ilari, Kiriko, Life Weaver, Lucio, Mei, Mercy, Moira, Pharah (L), Ramattra, Reaper, Reinhardt, Roadhog, Sojourn, Soldier 76, Sombra, Widowmaker, Winston, Zarya

Owl House: Adrian Graye Vernworth, Alador Blight, Amity Blight, Camila Noceda, Collector, Darius Deamonne, Eda Clawthorne, Edric Blight, Emira Blight, Gus Porter, Hunter Noceda, King Clawthorne, Lilith Clawthorne, Luz Noceda, Odalia Blight, Raine Whispers, Terra Snapdragon, Vee Noceda

Percy Jackson: Annabeth Chase, Apollo, Aphrodite/Venus, Ares/Mars, Athena/Minerva, Bianca di Angelo, Dionysus, Gaea, Grover, Hades/Pluto, Hermes/Mercury, Hestia, Jason Grace, Kronos, Luke Castellan, Nico di Angelo, Percy Jackson, Piper McClean, Poseidon/Neptune, Sally Jackson, Thalia Grace, Will Solace, Zeus/Jupiter

Regular Show: Mordecai, Rigby

Resident Evil: Ethan Winters, Lady Dimitrescu

Rick and Morty: Morty Smith, Summer Smith

Scooby Doo: Fred, Daphne, Scooby, Shaggy, Velma

She-Ra: Adora, Catra, Glimmer

Star Wars: Aayla Secura, Anakin Skywalker, Ashoka Tano, Assajj Ventress, Barriss Offee, Ben Solo, Bo-Katan Kryze, Cal Kestis, Cody, Darth Maul, Fennec Shand, Finn, Fives, Han Solo, Hera Syndulla, Hunter, Iden Versio, Jesse, Jyn Erso, Luminara Unduli, Mon Mothma, Obi Wan Kenobi, Omega, Padme Amidala, Po Damerin, Princess Leia, Rex, Rey Skywalker, Sabine Wrenr, Satine Kryze, Shaak Ti, The Armorer, Wrecker

Steven Universe: Connie Maheswaran, Greg Universe

SVTFOE: Marco Diaz, Star Butterfly

Zootopia: Bonnie Hopps, Chief Bogo, Fennic, Gideon, Jack Savage, Judy Hopps, Nick Wilde, Skye

(Lists subject to change.)

*Established Gender Swap Names:Oscar - Ozma / Mercury - Moira / Adam - Eve / Jaune - Joan

**Exceptions apply. Gender bent, bottoming, MLM, and cuckolding are accepted. Jaune is only allowed to be properly with a character if it is in a polycule, he is with another man, or it’s with his sisters, Pyrrha, Nora, Ruby, Weiss, or Jessica. Please avoid “dead Jaune” requests. Jaune harem requests will be denied even if it follows the list of female partners. One male and one female partner with Jaune topping/domming them both is accepted but no more than those two partners. Two female partners will be allowed but not guaranteed to be answered. Any more partners than that will be an automatic deletion of the ask. Please do avoid making your asks cruel in nature and sad endings, this blog is for fun so have fun with it.

#doomlewd.txt #smut headcanons #smut #nsft /

[no-where-new-hero]

Having finished A Study in Drowning, hopefully to the amusement of you all, here's my final review:

My biggest props to Ava Reid are as a promoter of her own work. Those Instagram posts with elegant posters of each of the colleges at the university--which by the way we never saw, because we left the university after two chapters. The character profiles telling us about the height and star sign of each of the mains--redundant, considering the fact that both of the men are tall and Effy is TikTok girlie Tiny™ never influences either the plot or any of the descriptions. The moodboards and the Taylor Swift "cardigan" music and the choice quotes--they all painted a much more immersive world than she actually delivered. In that, I give her 10/10.

As for the novel itself? It's a trauma story more than anything else, portrayed through the plot of Possession by A.S. Byatt. I always find it hard to evaluate books like this in the whole, because on the one hand, I don't want to be one of those people saying that the trauma in question is "incorrectly" portrayed, or that the author is a "bad" survivor or something. But this reminds me of when I read My Dark Vanessa and realized that there is a difference between writing an experience of trauma and writing a novel. A novel demands arc, contrast, catharsis, and all of these things need to be earned. Often, real life doesn't provide those things, but that's why we go to fiction. Sometimes it doesn't do to write a novel that's "too" true to life (I feel like this is a Dean Priest quote but whatever).

But even beyond this, there's something sloppy about the entire execution. The characterization is patchy at best (I'm going to have a whole 'nother post drubbing down Ianto) and everyone uses the same metaphor of the sea and water and drowning ad nauseum. The prose is a bit affectedly purple. The ending was painfully predictable. It had to be a YA, as I said before, because it couldn't be a grown-up novel, but it reminded me so much of Reid's Juniper & Thorn, which trammeled over much of the same territory (a bit better, I'd say, though I think they both suffer from the same flaws).

We're meant to believe that the love story between Preston and Effy is healing and cathartic and the way Effy regains control of her body and desires, but also--they knew each other two weeks. Even though they attend the same university, they have never spoken before they decide to join up on this literary analysis crusade. This is not a long-term, friends/acquaintances to lovers situation where you assume a deep measure of trust and affection could be reasonably built on an existing relationship. It reminds me of the critique of the central romance in Juniper & Thorn, where there was a complaint that it's less a romance than a trauma bond response. It's written sweetly, but considering Effy automatically flinches away from the presence of every man, it's kind of unbelievable that she would lower her guard so immediately for this boy.

The two week span of the novel is also problematic considering the aforementioned problem that academic work takes A FUCKING LONG TIME. Even if you have a ton of primary sources, this isn't the kind of thing you can produce overnight. This isn't the kind of mystery you can solve overnight, either, especially if no one has ever thought to probe that deeply before.

Basically, this novel was trying to do too many things with far too limited a vocabulary to execute it. Lowkey, I feel like Reid would be a better short-story writer than a novelist. She can be very good in small doses, but over the expanse of an entire novel, it just gets...dull.

#blake's last braincell #blake talks shit #that should be a new tag lol #immortal poets society

[thechaosmuses]

Below the cut you'll find a list of my TVDU muses along with their face claims (more info about each oc muse will be up soon but if you have any questions in the meantime don't be afraid to pm me, I have info on Google Docs for all of them.)

Total Muses; 111 Newest Member; Matias Garcia Added; 1/29/24

(Quick note: all families are in order of oldest to youngest; and a few of the Mikaelson's (Cyrus, Willow, and Tobias) are all honorary/adopted Mikaelson's, not children of Mikael and Esther.) Freya Celeste Mikaelson... portrayed by Riley Voelkel Elijah Daniel Mikaelson... portrayed by Daniel Gillies Elizabeth Haven Mikaelson... portrayed by Zoey Deutch Roman Ryker Mikaelson... portrayed by Alex Pettyfer Erik Flynn Mikaelson... portrayed by Joseph Morgan Kareena Dawn Mikaleson... portrayed by Melissa Benoist Niklaus Ryder Mikaelson... portrayed by Joseph Morgan Thyra Selene Mikaleson... portrayed by Selena Gomez Kolton Nathaniel Mikaelson... portrayed by Nathaniel Buzolic Karsyn Devyn Mikaelson... portrayed by Vanessa Hudgens Mateo Maxwell Mikaelson... portrayed by Keegan Allen Serenity Faye Mikaelson... portrayed by Dianna Agron Sawyer Finch Mikaelson... portrayed by Kristen Stewart Henrik Alexander Mikaelson... portrayed by Andrew Garfield Aurelia Nova Mikaelson... portrayed by Madelyn Cline Felix Ares Mikaelson... portrayed by Jamie Campbell Bower Willow Luna Mikaelson... portrayed by Maia Mitchell Tobias Floyd Mikaelson... portrayed by Grant Gustin Hope Andrea Mikaelson... portrayed by Danielle Rose Russell

Malachai Silas Parker... portrayed by Chris Wood Zephyr Raven Parker... portrayed by Froy Gutierrez Zariyah Dove Parker... portrayed by Sabrina Carpenter Kennedy Taylor Parker... portrayed by Taylor Swift Myles Zane Parker... portrayed by Ross Lynch Mariana Joy Parker... portrayed by Noah Cyrus Olivia Mae Parker... portrayed by Penelope Mitchell Paisley Juniper Parker... portrayed by Katherine McNamara

Silas Xavier Salvatore... portrayed by Paul Wesley Braeden Talia Salvatore... portrayed by Florence Pugh Holden Atlas Salvatore... portrayed by Colin O'Donoghue Damon Luca Salvatore... portrayed by Ian Somerhalder Ezra Grant Salvatore... portrayed by Hero Fiennes-Tiffin Stefan Lance Salvatore... portrayed by Paul Wesley Liberty Faye Salvatore... portrayed by Brenna D’Amico

Jensen Graham Gilbert... portrayed by Jamie Dornan Easton Reed Gilbert... portrayed by Matthew Gray Gubler Jesse Jonathan Gilbert... portrayed by Julian Morris Elias Rhodes Gilbert... portrayed by Dylan O'Brien Jeremiah Steven Gilbert... portrayed by Steven R. McQueen Jazmyn Sophia Gilbert... portrayed by Jenna Coleman

Atlas Rowan Petrova... portrayed by Dylan O'Brien Titus Izaiah Petrova... portrayed by Dylan O'Brien Katherine Maria Pierce... portrayed by Nina Dobrev Kamen Maverick Pierce... portrayed by Dylan O'Brien Natalie Adrianna Pierce... portrayed by Lily Collins

Qetsiyah Zione Bennett... portrayed by Janina Gavankar Eleanor Marie Bennett... portrayed by Zendaya Coleman Salem Elijah Bennett... portrayed by Jordan Fisher Gabriel Graham Gustin... portrayed by Chuku Modu Bonnie Sheila Bennett... portrayed by Kat Graham Belladonna Sharie Bennett... portrayed by Vanessa Morgan

Marcel Leon Gerard... portrayed by Charles Michael Davis Hayley Jane Marshall... portrayed by Phoebe Tonkin Seraphina Rose Ward... portrayed by Madelaine Petsch Theodore Joseph Brickenden... portrayed by Timothee Chalamet  Kaia Asherah Halloran... portrayed by Odette Annable Elizabeth Anne Forbes... portrayed by Marguerite MacIntyre Carter William Forbes... portrayed by Charlie Hunnam Josette Olivia Saltzman... portrayed by Kaylee Bryant Ryan Nicholas Clarke... portrayed by Nick Fink Landon Maxwell Kirby... portrayed by Aria Shahghasemi Aurora Violet De Martel... portrayed by Rebecca Breeds Cameron Myles Lawrence... portrayed by Lucas Bravo Aiden Matthew Lawrence... portrayed by Colin Woodell Jameson Tyler Rosza... portrayed by Tyler Posey Tatum Jaxson Lockwood... portrayed by Morgan Evans Tyler James Lockwood... portrayed by Michael Trevino Tatiana Jade Lockwood... portrayed by Adelaide Kane Taylor Jacob Lockwood... portrayed by Taylor Launter Axel Madden Hughes... portrayed by Cody Saintgnue Ashton Malik Hughes... portrayed by Cody Christian Alexia Rae Branson... portrayed by Arielle Kebbel Sebastian Sawyer Sharpe... portrayed by Aaron Taylor-Johnson Niall Nash Novak... portrayed by Ryan Kelley Montgomery Felix Langston... portrayed by Jedidiah Goodacre Sebastian Killian Jones... portrayed by Thomas Doherty Milton Gabriel Greasley... portrayed by Quincy Fouse Ophelia Esme Lovell... portrayed by Gage Golightly Sapphire Lee McGuire... portrayed by Jennifer Love Hewitt Rami Calder McGuire... portrayed by Kit Harington Benjamin James Kenson... portrayed by Zane Phillips Warren Jaxon Kingsley... portrayed by Ricky Whittle Jeremiah Michael Kenner... portrayed by Michael Vlamis Cecilia Jaklyn Labonair... portrayed by Camila Mendes Rosemary Belle Whitlock... portrayed by Sophie Turner Hadley Kamryn Fuller... portrayed by Sofia Carson Kamryn Avery Marshall... portrayed by Katherine Langford Lorenzo James St. John... portrayed by Michael Malarkey Lorella Diane St. John... portrayed by Gal Gadot Andrew Kolton Rogers... portrayed by Louis Tomlinson Vincent Keith Griffith... portrayed by Yusuf Gatewood Sean Kieran O'Connell... portrayed by Matt Kabus Lucien Maverick Castle... portrayed by Andrew Lees Blair Lilith Walsh... portrayed by Kristine Froseth Zachariah Cole Norwood... portrayed by Oliver Stark Matthias Lucien Delacour... portrayed by Jonah Hauer-King Matias Camilo Garcia... portrayed by Danny Ramirez

Crossover/Genderbent Muses

Cyrus Boyd Mikaelson... portrayed by Cody Kearsley (spn to tvdu) Harmony Iris Johnson... portrayed by Shay Mitchell (tw to tvdu) Chandler Matthew Rawlins... portrayed by Charlie Gillespie (tw to tvdu) Mckenna Stella Parker... portrayed by Katherine Langford (genderbent kai parker)

Test Muses

Dorian Lee Williams... portrayed by Demetrius Bridges Sophie Danielle Deveraux... portrayed by Daniella Pineda Monique Marie Deveraux... portrayed by Yasmine Al-Bustami Evangeline Amaya Sinclair... portrayed by Maisie Richardson-Sellers Inadu Tayen Labonair... portrayed by Blu Farias Hunt Rafael Alexander Waithe... portrayed by Peyton Alex Smith Finch Taylor Tarrayo... portrayed by Courtney Bandeko Cleo Ada Sowande... portrayed by Omono Okojie Penelope Eden Park... portrayed by Lulu Antariksa Jade Ivy Young... portrayed by Giorgia Whigham

#[tvdu muse list] #[the vampire diaries universe] #[the vampire diaries] #[the originals] #[legacies] #[muse list] #[cw; long post]

[itsthegameilike]

Best Books of 2023!

This was one of those glorious years where I read like I was thirteen again. It’s been ages since I’ve read this many books so quickly and I’m writing this list knowing full well that I may have another favorite before the end of the year. That’s how fantastic it has been. I had many lows (thanks booktok) but many highs as well and here are my favorites:

My Dark Vanessa - Kate Elizabeth Russell I read this book in January and finished it during a very gloomy day on the Oregon coast. This book is well suited to winter as it is dark, introspective, and bares your soul to you. The writing is stunning, fluid, and easy to digest, while the content shreds you to pieces. But it also empathetic and understanding and kind and handles the relationship between a young girl and her professor with the care and attention issues like this deserve. It does not stoop to moralizing, either, which I appreciated, though I heartily recommend checking trigger warnings before diving in.

Juniper & Thorn - Ava Reid Perhaps I was in a some sort of place at the beginning of this year, because this is another book that is unafraid to go to dark places. It is first and foremost a coming of age story about a young, abused woman discovering herself, what she is capable of, and what she cares about through the lens of a fairytale. And it is written like one, lush with description and transformations and tests. The main character is full of lust and rage and yearning and I loved her more than I loved any other character this year. When I say I want more of a certain type of female character, I mean ones like this. Ones that are messy and sometimes scary and sexual and desirous. Please read this, but also please check trigger warnings.

Grendel - John Gardner This had been sitting on my bookshelf for years and I kept meaning to read it, as Beowulf was a favorite of mine during my English classes and a novel written from the point of view of the monster is exactly the sort of thing I would eat up. Turns out, I was right. This is so much more than that, though. It’s a study on society, on what it is like to be an outsider, on the ways in which people we villainize have a way of adopting those characteristics to be seen, on yearning and the way it can destroy us. It’s so well written and delightfully philosophical and I would often read passages and simply sit with them, enjoying the exercise Gardner’s words presented.

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride - Roshani Chokshi I had tried Roshani Chokshi before and to no avail, so I didn’t have high hopes for this when I started, but I was so wrong. This was stunning. The prose tends towards purple, but that’s where I’m happiest, and it has an addictive quality, caught up in its own atmosphere and mystery. If you’re queer, there is so much for you here, especially in the relationship between the two main girls, who are friends that are caught in the grey area of perhaps feeling more for each other. They’re so unsure what that more really means. This is also written like a fairytale and it trends dark, but it left me giddy. Truly. This is what fantasy is made for.

The Lies of Locke Lamora - Scott Lynch I finally got around to reading this and I’m so glad I did. If you want a fantasy romp with high stakes and actual consequences, then this is for you. I adored the characters, I adored the plot, and I felt so deeply for every loss and win within these pages. I love a story with a charismatic con man out for revenge and this didn’t not dissuade me from that notion. Probably the most fun time I had this year.

The Brothers Karamazov - Fyodor Dostoevsky This is not the only classic on the list, nor is it the only Russian literature on the list. Apparently I decided to tackle most of the Russian greats this year and I don’t regret it, even though it took me a month to read each one. That being said, I wouldn’t recommend this to everyone. It’s deeply philosophical, each of the three brothers assuming a viewpoint on everything from religion, to life, to morality. If religion and philosophy interest you, I think you’ll be happy. If not, you likely won’t. I loved it, though and I devoured the last three hundred pages in one sitting. I conducted conversations with myself about the book in the shower. I lived and breathed this thing for weeks. And I’d do it again. Someday soon. Not for a bit.

Piranesi - Susanna Clarke This book is so weird and I’m so glad it is and I’m so glad it never grew self-conscious and decided it was too weird. If you let this book take you where it wants to take you, you’ll be swept along on a magnificent, strange journey filled with delights and mysteries. This also gets the award for having the most sympathetic main character in books I read this year. His intelligence, his rituals, his love for the world around him, and his confusion when it all slowly gets ripped away from him is so easy to understand and adore. I’d read this book again tomorrow and the next day, too.

I’m the King of the Castle - Susan Hill Another very dark book, which I would feel bad about, but it’s who I am and what I enjoy, so there’s not much point. This book is about an unbearable, entitled, cruel little boy who psychologically tortures another little boy who moves into his house. So be warned. This is first and foremost about parental neglect and people’s ability to create their own narratives when they want something badly enough, even if the consequences are too great to bear. The writing was the best part. I still think about this author’s way with words and how she could warp your feelings with ease. Please read trigger warnings for this, as well.

Frankenstein - Mary Shelley I am so late to the party. I was supposed to read this in college, but it was at the end of term, during finals, so I never did. I’m glad I didn’t, too, because I wouldn’t have loved it the way I did at this time in my life. Seriously, if you somehow haven’t read this yet, do. Mary Shelley is a fantastic writer, a godsend of a teenage author, and I would trust her with my life.

War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy This was the true masterpiece of the year. I will never be able to do this book justice. It was often challenging, often slow, but that is nothing compared to what it gave me. I have so many scenes from this book that are little immovable stars in my head, so much my own, that they feel like my own memories. They are so bright and so sincere. I adore Pierre, Natasha, and Andrei so much. They became my family in the month that this book was my companion. I went directly into a reading slump afterwards and I still haven’t found my way out. I don’t know if this is my favorite book of all time, but it very well could be.

Honorable Mentions: Dark Heir - C.S. Pacat, A Study in Drowning - Ava Reid, Dreamer’s Pool - Juliet Marillier, Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries - Heather Fawcett, My Best Friend’s Exorcism - Grady Hendrix, The Honeys - Ryan La Sala, Blindness - Jose Saramago, Greenglass House - Kate Milford, Interior Chinatown - Charles Yu, Hell Bent - Leigh Bardugo, and Snow Country - Yasanuri Kawabata.

#bookblr #bookish #best of 2023

[we-were-so-beautiful]

3. taxi

oh man, this one FOUGHT me y'all. so much cutting and pasting. I am not even kidding when I say that everything that happens in this chapter was supposed to be part of the last one, and I gave up and cut that one off early because I was sick of trying to finish this part. and now this is my longest chapter yet. you know, out of all three of them. at 1.3k. lol. I am not, how do you say, fast. but I was hoping I'd be able to get a chapter written over christmas, and I'm really proud of myself for finishing it!

Content warnings for this chapter: box boy universe, pet whump, dehumanization, cage mention, rampant classism. As always, please tell me if there's anything else I need to tag.

[masterlist] [chapter two] [chapter four]

“Okay I know they’re supposed to be expensive but what can you possibly be charging this much money for.”

“Adoption fees are to offset the cost of room, board and medical care while at the facility,” the employee parrots, without so much as the decency to look ashamed. 

“He does not look like he has had literally any of those things while he’s been here. Or possibly in his entire life.”

“Ma’am, if you cannot afford the adoption fee, then you cannot adopt a Pet.”

“Oh, I can afford it,” Vanessa growls, handing over a very shiny credit card before her mouth can get her in enough trouble to stop the employee from taking it. She bites her lip until she tastes copper to keep from saying, I’d just rather put it towards something that isn’t blatantly and obviously going right back into Worldwide Rehabilitative Un-fucking-limited’s pockets despite the fact that this is supposed to be a goddamn government facility.

Harm reduction, she reminds herself. Paying extortionate fees to kill shelters is still harm reduction. It’s the unsavory truth, but it doesn’t make the blood in her mouth taste any sweeter.

“Sign here,” the woman says, handing her credit card back along with a digital pad and stylus, and Vanessa cracks her wrist before she takes them. It’s sore and snapping like a glowstick from the mountain of paperwork she’s already been made to sign since the employee unceremoniously hauled the man on the floor behind her down from his double-high-stacked wire crate. She can’t decide whether to consider it an obscenely large amount, or an obscenely little one for all that it represents.

She can’t think about it too hard. Can’t draw too much of her own attention to the fact that she’s really doing this, or she might just run screaming back out into the grey-tinted autumn afternoon, and then where would this guy be? 

She scribbles her name on the touchpad, and just like that… it’s done.

—

“Don’t forget your leash and collar,” the employee reminds her.

“I won’t be using those,” Vanessa says, with all the imperious rich-lady self-assurance she can fake.

“You will if you don’t want to be liable for civil and/or criminal penalties up to and including the permanent forfeiture of your right to Pet ownership,” the woman drones like she’s rattling it off from a handbook, and nobody has the right to own a person but even Vanessa knows better than to argue the system with someone who literally works for it.

She grinds her teeth as she takes the lengths of bulky blue nylon from the woman. She crouches beside the man, who’s bent himself into an odd kneeling fetal position on the cold tile floor. “Sorry,” she whispers as she slides the coarse material around his throat, feeling his pulse beat harsh and rapid underneath. She hopes she’s being quiet enough that the employee won’t hear her talking to him like a person—because he is a person, goddamnit—but she knows better than to trust her own volume. Best if she can get the fuck out of here with him now, before she makes a mistake.

She really doesn’t want to lead this dude crawling down the street like an animal. Doesn’t want to imagine what people will think. But she asks him, “Can you stand?”, and he makes a sound like a choking dog, and so much for both their dignity, she fucking guesses.

“Ugh, fine, whatever, just… come on.”

—

Fuck standing, the guy can barely support himself on all fours. His joints threaten to buckle at every step as Vanessa urges him out onto the chilly sidewalk. Coat of dirt aside, he’s got nothing on him but a pair of boxers as filthy as he is and that godawful blue collar, and when his bare skin meets the frigid pavement his body clenches so hard she can practically hear his teeth slam shut.

She looks at the unwashed man before her, shivering hard enough to rattle his bones in the cold October air. Looks at her thick brown coat. Ugh, she likes this coat, the lining is stitched in in all the right places to keep the texture of the shell from making her want to climb out of her own skin and no amount of dry cleaning in the world is going to convince her to put it on again once it touches… whatever the fuck is all goddamn over this guy. She sighs and shrugs it off.

Fuck fuck fuck it’s cold. She’s shivering herself in just plain blue jeans and her second favorite Cure t-shirt. But a million “if you’re cold, they’re cold!” memes flash through her mind and she grumbles aggrievedly and drapes the wool coat over his massive, gaunt frame. This dude has like a foot on her standing, she remembers when the lapels will barely pull around his shoulders. She’s gonna have to shake Austin down for clothes.

God, it feels beyond fucked up to have a person on a leash, and it doesn’t help that the cheap blue nylon feels plasticky in her hand and she hates the texture. She can’t imagine how much worse it must feel around the throat of the shuddering man before her. She’s taking the damn thing off him as soon as she gets him home, she’ll get him a better one if Roselle can’t find her a loophole and she absolutely fucking has to, but when the fifth or sixth cab passes her by without even slowing down she starts to wonder how the hell she’s going to get him home at all.

—

“You want to go to the corner,” the employee says boredly, not so much as looking up from her newspaper when Vanessa shoulders her way back through the door.

“You what?” Vanessa echoes.

“The corner. Better if you go another block or two, even. Cabs don’t stop in front of the shelter.”

Of course they don’t, Vanessa thinks. 

She hipchecks the door back open and returns to the stupid goddamn hitching post they so conveniently provide along the front wall of the shelter, where she’s awkwardly strung up the loop of the stupid blue leash. “Hey, uh, dude? I’m gonna go up the street a bit, okay, I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere.”

He barely acknowledges that he’s heard her, curled back up under her coat in that same odd position with his forearms tucked into his chest. “...not that you would,” she adds dubiously, before power-walking away to the next block.

Vanessa hisses through her teeth in the bleak grey air and rubs at her goosebump-riddled arms, but true to the employee’s disaffected word it’s only a matter of minutes this time before a cab driver catches her wave and pulls over. “Thanks,” she says as she tumbles in. “I’m going back to the Heights. Need to pick someone up first, though. Just on the next block.”

The driver looks skeptical, but he rolls down the quiet street all the same—until he clocks the shelter just as Vanessa tells him to stop. “No. Nuh uh. No way. I don’t let Pets in my cab.”

“I’ll double your fare. Up front.”

The driver shakes his head, staring revulsed in the direction of the hitching post. “Not worth all that crud on my seats.” Oh. Great. He’s seen him.

“What if I cover the seats. Newspaper.”

The driver sizes her up with a calculating gaze, one elbow propped on the back of his seat, and somewhere in the middle of wanting to punch him for looking at her she finds herself wishing for once that she’d dressed… richer. Finally, he grouses, “Triple fare. And the meter’s runnin’ while ya cover ‘em.”

“Fine,” Vanessa spits, and sprints out with the door wide open before he has time to change his mind.

She barges into the shelter one last time, hopefully the last fucking time in her life if she has any say in it. Leaning over the counter, with a grin that’s probably a little too smug for her to be proud of, she snatches the newspaper directly out of the apathetic employee’s complicit hands.

-

taglist: @maracujatangerine @pigeonwhumps @tragedyinblue @marchtothefuckingsea @octopus-reactivated @briars7

#whump #pet whump #rescue whump #recovery whump #bbu #box boy universe #vanessa + juniper #disaster caretaker #imperfectly consistent #tw dehumanization #tw classism #I feel like I'm writing more plot than whump here #like I could be leaning way more into descriptions of what dude's experiencing but I'm just trying to get through all these fucking scenes #the not leaning into whump part is unsurprising but the concerning bit is that I can't actually write plot. at all #so if that's what's supposed to be holding this together then well. uh. #we'll see how that goes I guess lol #oh I almost forgot! #points to whoever catches my wru mention #it's probably not subtle lmao #I just wanted to do something a lil different #ps idk what the fuck happened to my section dividers #but tumblr seems to have retconned it into my previous chapters as well #so it's probably not something I can fix lmao #btw if it wasn't obvious. I've never been to nyc in my life and I have no idea how anything works including taxis #just pretend they invented box boys instead of ride shares I fucking guess #@ my ass writing a novel in the tags instead of writing. you know. #the actual novel

[lenniharrisonsims]

Behind The Scenes...

Cafeteria, Ivanov Royal Academy, Glimmerbrooke, 7:12a

Vanessa: And this is?

Scarlett: The Right Honorable Miss Abigail Thornton.

Vanessa: A Hon, huh? Alright, you may begin.

Abigail: My father is the Baron of Patterwood in Oasis Springs, my mother is the daughter of the Late Geoffrey Landgraab, Viscount of Arid Ridge, and my aunt is Princess Carolin, Duchess of Clovervale.

Vanessa: By blood or by marriage?

Abigail: I'm sorry?

Vanessa: Is Princess Carolin your aunt by blood, or is she married to your uncle?

Abigail: She's… Married to my uncle. But that still makes my uncle the Duke of Clovervale. You're in the same class as my cousin! Beckham Landgraab!

Juniper: Beck is a cutie…

Scarlet: That doesn't make her impressive. That's a lot of weak connections to only somewhat-powerful people. At best she'll inherit a baronetcy in Oasis Springs one day.

Vanessa: It is disappointing that your royal connections are so distant, and not by blood. I'm afraid I'm not convinced. What else can you give us?

Abigail: Oh… Well… Uh…

Josie: What on earth is Sutton doing now…

Reyna: They've been holding court, interrogating poor girls all morning to be their 'heirs" for the next school year…

Josie: What the literal fuck… Sutton's got a fucking screw loose.

Reyna: Everyone at this god-forsaken school has a screw loose.

Josie: You're… Reyna, right? The transfer from Komorebi?

Reyna: Yeah? And?

Josie: Nothing… Well you're welcome to sit with me and my friends anytime you want. Welcome to the Empire!

#ivanov legacy #ts4 #ts4 legacy #ts4 simblr #behind the scenes #scarlett henderson #vanessa sutton #juniper armstrong #abigail thornton #lady josephine #reyna medieros

[fandom-postss]

My thoughts when watching the Riverdale Finale

...

I'm happy it's over glad the actors can move on.

It was an ok ending

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Spoilers ahead...

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-The fact that they've got Lili and Cole doing these scenes together is really sweet. But must have been awkward

- You can really see how much Lili really loves Mädchen and Tiera

- Still with the Juniper and dagwood, why?

- I love fangs and midge. I was so glad that they were able to be together.

- They killed fangs too early!!

- Aww they had a girl

- Clay and Kevin are too cute I'm glad they stayed and lived a life together

- A Quad! Go Betty

- OMG Reggie 😭

- The fact that they made Lili and Cole make out 😬 (Though I still like them)

- The perfect job for Veronica!

- This is Camila and Lili talking for sure

- Beefcake meets cheesecake is so Toni and Cheryl.

-I think I will miss Vanessa and Madelaine the most

- Chic killing Frank and Tom is hilarious

- Again Lili taking not the characters

- The final ride!

- The poem is cheesey but so good. Got me sobbing

-OMG I thought that they were to see Fred's grave but still hurt that it was pop Tate

- I think closing it with Lili and Cole is perfect, I'll miss their chemistry even after their break up

- anyone else see them trying not to cry

- Thats it. The final episode.

😭

#netflix riverdale #riverdale spoiler #riverdale spoilers #riverdale #cole sprouse #lili reinhart #camila mendes #jughead jones #betty cooper #archie andrews #veronica lodge #toni topaz #vanessa morgan #madelaine petsch #cheryl blossom #kevin keller #reggie mantle #kj apa #riverdale finale #drew ray tanner #fangs fogarty #charles melton #casey cott

[chonidale]

cannot believe that big anthony (lmao) will probably be erased from existence, ik some ppl are upset about it bc what it means for toni but if it happens i couldn't be happier. toni deserves to have a good and loving family with the woman she loves and an actual baby that is not some random and flop immortal being

fangs gets a replacement kid with his real one true love in the 50s, it's only fair toni gets one with her soulmate too.

but i am genuinely curious how or even if they'll address anthony if they briefly get their memories back. i can't imagine how they'd come up with any kind of objectively good resolution there, unless we see memoryless big anthony pop up within the next 4 eps to show us that he's in the 50s and fine too. so i wouldn't be surprised if he's just not mentioned the way juniper and dagwood and other characters that were around in the finale that haven't been. though it would be pretty impossible to end t*ngs and have choni talk about anything important without mentioning him.

regardless, i do think a baby for choni is in the cards by the end in some form as a way to make up for him possibly being erased from existence so that toni ends the show as a mom still. maybe we'll find out either the mangs baby or choni baby is named anthony and we're just supposed to accept that's the same thing lmao. but either way, i too couldn't give less of a fuck if he's erased, he ruined my life, toni's storyline and only ever existed because vanessa got pregnant so good riddance.

[anchorageroleplay]

WE’LL MISS YOU!

Donald Sato / @donnysato

Juniper Riggs / @junoriggs

Phillipa Rossi / @philliparossi

Rogue Henderson / @roguehenderson

Sophia Gallo / @sophiagallos

Vanessa Sanchez-Navarro / @nessanavarro

#anchorageunfollow

[wildflowerwoodsworld]

Ooo your AU’s seem so cool Wild 😱💕! I’m curious about the “Everybody Lives” AU and the “Time Travel fix it” with Finral and Vanessa 👀. What has been your favorite part about those two AU’s 🤔?

My favourite part of the Everybody Lives au is tracking just how different the world ends up with all the people that survive.

Everybody Lives au cast list;

General Magic Knights Julius Novachrono (42), Wizard King Fiona Roulacase (42), Finral's mother and Julius' right hand. Tondra Sturm (41), spymaster and chief strategist Zara Ideale (42) Marx Francois (25), the Wizard King's assistant, and the third of Julius' wards.

Silver Eagles: Former Captain Acier Silva (48), Acier stepped down from the post of Captain when she thought Nozel was old enough to deal with it as her battle with Vanica left her with a curse that massively reduces her strength. She's still around the base though and acts as an advisor. Captain Nozel Silva (29), Nozel is currently looking for a Vice-Captain Nebra Silva (25) Vivian Shiply (17) Solid Silva (18) Lana Vaude (17), Langris' younger sister, Lana has Fire magic and a rivalry with Solid. Angela Clarkson (17)

Crimson Lion Kings: Captain Mereoleona Vermillion (32) and Captain Fuegoleon Vermillion (30) Vice-Captain Randall Luftair (31) Leopold Vermillion (17)

Blue Rose Knights Captain Charlotte Roselei (27) Vice-Captain Lerola Roselei (26), Charlotte's half sister, Lerola works more in the shadows leaving her fellow Vice-Captain to be the front-facing one Vice-Captain Yami Ichika (24), Ichika fights primarily using ki, which she learned from scrolls 'borrowed' from Hino when she and her brother left. Puli Angel (26) Sol Marron (18) Aella Clarkson (16)

Green Praying Mantises: Captain Jack Summerfield (28), commonly known as Jack the Ripper Vice-Captain En Ringuard (24) Hannah Gerver (24) Madlyn Fiore (23) Dalila Lister (19) Sekke Bronzazza (15)

Coral Peacocks: Captain Dorothy Unsworth (27) Vice-Captain Kirsch Vermillion (20) Silas Vaude (25) Levi Roe (20) Cornelia Franklin (20) Juniper Kay (18)

Purple Orcas: Former Captain Kaiser Granvorka (49), Kaiser's last act as Captain before retirement is to pick newbies in the entrance exam for Asta's year Captain Gueldre Poizot (28) Vice-Captain Xerx Lugner (32) Revchi Salik (32)

Grey Deer: Captain Morgen Faust (29) Vice-Captain Nacht Faust (29) Apprentice Vice-Captain Rill Bosimortier (19) Fragile Tormenta (20) Sylvia Vaude (19)

Golden Dawn: Captain William Vangeance (26) Vice-Captain Langris Vaude (20) Alecdora Sandler (24) Shiren Tium (23) Letoile Becquerel (21) David Swallow (21) Hamon Caseus (20) Klaus Lunettes (18) Mimosa Vermillion (15) Yuno Grinberryall (15)

Black Bulls: Captain Yami Sukehiro (28) Vice-Captain Finral Roulacase (21) Henry Legolant (26) Gordon Agrippa (26) Zora Ideale (25) Vanessa Enoteca (24) Grey Wechsler (24) Gauche Adlai (19) Magna Swing (18) Luck Voltia (18) Noelle Silva (15) Asta of Hage (15)

(Fiona, Tondra and Lana are mine. Vivian, Angela, Lerola, Aella, Hannah, Madlyn, Dalila, Silas, Levi, Cornelia, Juniper and Sylvia all belong to the lovely @crazedstoryteller.)

The time-travel fix-it au- so, the Dark Triad win and the gates to the underworld are open. All of the Bulls except Vanessa, Finral and Gauche die when the gates are opened.

Gauche figures out that, theoretically, Finral and Vanessa can go back in time and change things. He doesn't go with them.

Finral and Vanessa arrive about a year before Asta and Noelle join the squad and, whilst they don't drag the Bulls out their hole--they don't want to change too mcuh too early--they do stop them from digging the hole any deeper